Meet the Broad St. Bombers.

I sit here embarrassed that it has taken the World Series to inspire some baseball talk here at Taking The Over. The defending champion Philadelphia Phillies won their second straight National League pennant and await the best the American League has to offer.

The Philadelphia 40 man roster has some great stories. I guess you could include them in the “big market” teams. Philly is a big city with no shortage of sports phanatics. The thing that makes the Phillies unique is how this team was built. Built being the key word, not bought. Last season Philadelphia won their first World Series in 28 years, and they did it without a single big name free agent. Philadelphia has high hopes to repeat that feat this year. This team was built through GREAT scouting from former General Manager Pat Gillick, and continued with his predecessor Ruben Amaro. With great scouting you draft properly. All Stars Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins, along with defensive specialist and clutch hitting monster Carlos Ruiz, were all brought up through the Phillies’ farm system. The hurlers are no different. With studs Cole Hamels, J.A. Happ, Brett Myers, Ryan Madson all drafted and promoted to the bigs from within, the Phillies can boast one of the best drafted teams in baseball. No other team has this much talent brought up from the inside.

It isn’t just the draft that makes the Phillies the best talent evaluators in baseball. Let’s talk about players that other franchise’s simply gave up on. All Star Shane Victorino, picked up by the Phils in 2004 when the San Diego Padres couldn’t find room on their roster for him. Another All Star, Jayson Werth was plagued with injuries in Los Angeles. The Dodgers decided it’d be best to move on without him. The Phillies gave him a home in 2007 and its paid off big. With visions of Albert Pujols CRUSHING Brad Lidge in the 2005 playoffs many thought Lidge’s career was done. After several demotions from closing, to set up man, to situational reliever in Houston, Lidge finally got a chance to close games for the Phillies. And he did just that. Lidge’s first season in Philly was as perfect as it gets. He closed out each of his 41 save opportunities, and retired the final batter of the World Series. This season has been a bumpy one for Brad, but Manager Charlie Manuel’s confidence in Lidge has not changed. Lidge remains the Phillies Closer and is back to form in the 2009 playoffs. When the Mets offered Pedro Martinez an insulting, slap in the face deal he opted to just sit back and wait for a team to need his services. And when the injury ridden Phillies rotation called he answered. Martinez looks like his old self again going 5-1 in 9 games with a 3.63 earned run average(ERA) and has struck out 37 batters while only issuing 8 base on balls. Gillick brought in work horse Joe “Big Belly” Blanton in a trade with the A’s in 2008. He has come up about as big as his waist line since arriving in the land of cheese steaks. Blanton has pitched over 190 innings for 5 straight seasons now. Last year he won 9 games in 13 starts as a Phillie and the boy likes to hit. Joe became the first Phillies pitcher ever to hit a home run in the World Series.

With Pat Gillick retiring after last season, Amaro brought a slightly new attitude to keeping the team on top. This years free agent signing of Outfielder Raul Ibanez has come up huge for the Phils. After a career high season at the plate in Seattle, the Phillies brought him in to boost the already gigantic offense. Raul posted career highs in home runs(34) and slugging percentage(.552) and was voted into his first All Star game this year in Philadelphia. Now the biggest acquisition of them all… Cliff Lee. Philadelphia sent four top prospects to Cleveland in exchange for last year’s American League Cy Young award winner. Since joining Philadelphia, Lee has posted a 3,39 ERA with a 7-4 record and 3 complete games. Cliff Lee is a freak. He is an innings eater throwing 13 career complete games, and has pitched over 200 innings in his last four full seasons. Cliff Lee is just what the Phillies needed and has shown no signs of slowing down in his first career post season.

The World Series starts Wednesday night and we’re in for a wild one.