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AUDIO: Not really sure which one of these cuts (fitting radio jargon) from the Kings Jonathan Quick’s  hand-picked Flyers Alumni Team 6-1 win over the Devils to clinch the Stanley Cup championship goes deepest. So I figured “What the hell?” and embedded them all. Sorry.

AUDIO: More integral to the Angels’ turnaround than the eleventy zillion dollars they spent over the off-season, says ESPN’s Buster Olney, was calling up local boy Mike Trout.

SCRIPTUALS: Chase Utley is on the comeback trail, for realsies.

SCRIPTUALS: The Phillies signed supplemental first-round draft pickMitchell Gueller Monday.

SCRIPTUALS: Ruben Amaro was reportedly all wide-eyed over 20-year-old Cuban defector Jorge Soler. (Who inked a pact with the Cubbies Monday, for, at $30 million over nine years, basically Ilya Bryzgalov money.) According to Jim Salisbury ofCSNPhilly.com (who cites “baseball sources”), Rube slipped out of the country peep one of the guy’s workouts in the Dominican Republic. Whether the Phils made an offer? Well…

SCRIPTUALS: From that very Salisbury styling: If the Phillies go seller at the deadline, Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence could be on the block. Actually, Salisbury notes that a fire sale would put essentially every Phillie’s name in a hat. Cole HamelsCliff Lee,Joe Blanton — all on the table. (Per Salisbury’s dutiful speculation.)

SCRIPTUALS: Placido Polanco‘s (fingerwrist? depends on who you read, be it Todd Zolecki of MLB.com or Salisbury) ambiguous upper body injury may have quelled to the point that he can return tonight against the Twins. Thank God.

SCRIPTUALS: Apparently the 76ers are going all Jeffrey Lurie on president Rod Thorn, who’s in the final year of a three-year deal he signed under (ironically, given that Stefanski was Item No. 1 on Thorn’s spring cleaning list upon his hiring) then-GM Ed Stefanski. Team reportedly thinks crafting their “executive succession plan” might take a while, so, hey, why not get started now? Sound logic, maybe, conspiracy or not. Dude is 71, after all.

(Worth noting: Thorn also played a hands-on role in helping New Jersey fill his shoes in 2001.)

STATISTICALS: From James Walker’s MLB.com Phils-Twins preview: “The Twins have scored the second-most runs in baseball dating back to May 16, with their 125 runs trailing only the White Sox (141).” Which is impressive, given that “Ron Gardenhire has used 18 different position players this year.” The Phillies have played 17, and lost 10 of their last 14. Wah.

STATISTICALS: From the AP: “Longest current home-loss streak (in NL): 6, Phillies, June 2 to June 7.” Little bit of bright side:“Longest winning streak, season … 8, HamelsPhillies, April 15 to May 28.”

STATISTICALS: From the AP (different write-up): “(Nick) Blackburn had one of the worst outings of his career in his only start against Philadelphia, giving up a career worst-tying eight runs while walking three in 1 2-3 innings of a 9-5 defeat June 18, 2010.”

STATISTICALS: From the AP (same, different write-up): “Former Twin Jim Thome is 7 for 24 (.292) with two homers and two doubles when facing Blackburn.”

STATISTICALS: Playing 81.1 percent of the Eagles snaps, LeSean McCoy played a higher percentage of his team’s snaps than any running back in football last year. (“Yikes!” is right.)

TWEETABLES:

Note: Sent before New Jersey’s one-and-only. For the post-season, the two were tied with 30. Which, yeah, is laughable.

Suggested VIDJEO’ing here.

QUOTABLES:

“He’s really made good strides the last week or so He doesn’t have the explosive moves necessary to run the bases, but he is running and fielding and doing all the necessary baseball stuff that will get him back on the field.”

– Ruben Amaro, on Ryan Howard, whose absence is about to be the lonely white elephant in the Phils clubhouse

QUOTABLES:

“One has to wonder, though, as the relationship between Collins and Thorn has appeared to be cool at times and downright cold at others. Both are extremely competitive individuals, and the butting of heads certainly had to be expected. But the source denied there was anything behind this move other than getting a head start on what might be a long process.”

– Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News, on Thorn and Doug Collins playing nice (or not)

QUOTABLES:

“We had some interest.”

– Ruben Amaro, who totally wanted to sign Jorge Soler (we think)

QUOTABLES:

“The game of small-town Canada has just been heisted by Hollywood. A group of bearded beach bums has just stolen sports’ most chilling trophy and stuck it where the sun shines. The most popular puck around here is no longer Wolfgang. Our hottest skaters are no longer in bikinis.

“Heaven has frozen over. The Kings are 2012 Stanley Cup champions.”

– Bill Plaschke of the LA Times, on the Kings’ 6-1 Game 6 win

PHILS-TWINS PROBABLES:

Tuesday (7:10 p.m. CT) – RH Kyle Kendrick (2-5, 4.44) vs. RH Nick Blackburn (2-4, 7.75)

Wednesday (7:10 p.m. CT) – LH Cole Hamels (8-3, 2.93) vs. RH P.J. Walters (2-1, 4.42)

Thursday (7:10 p.m. CT) – RH Joe Blanton (5-6, 5.40) LH Scott Diamond (5-1, 1.61)

 

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