RIOTOUS TRADE DEADLINE

PHILADELPHIA FANS "REBEL" AT FIRE SALE

Philadelphia---It isn't pretty. What was left of the fan base of Ronald Melkonian's soon-to-be-former Rebels did not show much in the way of appreciation for the ever-mutable GM's recent series of moves. The City of Brotherly Love has had enough, it seems, staging in impromptu pep rally in the middle of the Rebel's 10-4 shellacing of visiting Casselton.

With new Rebel starter Dustin McGowan on the mound, the fifth inning devolved as angry fans waved signs, threw trash on the field and generally disrupted the game. The Rebels pulled their players off the field after Ichiro Suzuki complained he had been pegged in the back of the head by a miniature tin Minuteman, a promotion item from last year's "Fan Appreciation Day". Only after the umpires threatened to forfeit the game did play continue, but by that point McGowan's arm had stiffened up, and despite holding a 6-3 lead, the righthander would not get the decision. McGowan, who had been signed in desperation off the scrap heap as a free agent, would depart to a smattering of boo's despite an arguably-successful Philadelphia debut.

Why were the fans so angry? Let's just say that hysteria had repeated itself. Once again, trailing in the divisional standings entering August, Rebels GM Ronald Melkonian had executed a series of trades (see below) involving big-name, high-salaried players that were perceived as giving up on the season. In a great irony, the trades had been followed by a hot streak that had, paradoxically, put the Rebels in the position to make a run at the wild card!

As a surprised Melkonian explained on his blog, "Our team went from non-contenders to now potential Wild Card leaders during the time we announced a new direction for the team. Perhaps our moves sparked our club to better perform to levels we believed they could since day one, but for some odd reason never did. We hope our club can keep grinding it out and a playoff birth this season would be a nice treat."

To shore up a team that had traded away so much pitching, the Rebels cut a combined $11.3 million in salary by dumping....veteran 3B Chipper Jones and 1B Aubrey Huff! The moves gave Philadelphia enough payroll flexibility to sign McGowan to their rotation, and to also ink 41-year-old Takashi Saito to serve as the club's new setup man, with RHP J.J. Putz moving into the role of a new closer. None of this, in turn, would have been necessary but for the flurry of moves detailed on the club's blog.

And, to be fair, none of the moves in and of themselves were what had provoked the fans. Showing the marketing genius of Charlie Sheen, the Philadelphia brain trust has already announced that they intend to relocate to another city (Detroit) in 2012, and have already relabeled their team's web presence and promotions as the Detroit Hawks. The Melkonian management team has never been shy about pursuing whatever the newest definition of success might look like, but in thumbing their noses at a community in mid-season had clearly crossed a new line with their fans:

"DROP DEAD RONALD YOU BUM"

"MUGGED BY THE MOTOR CITY"

"GOD I WISH YOUR BROTHER OWNED THIS TEAM"

...were some of the printable things shared on signs during the hour-long disruption. The soon-to-be ex-Rebels finished out the day with a 10-4 win, with Putz (6-2, 2.33) getting the win, and former Rebel---we say that a lot around here---Gavin Floyd (7-8, 4.84) taking the loss, in part to long balls by Alex Rodriguez and Adrian Gonzalez. What should have been an encouraging day, though, was shrouded by the clouds of questions:

Will the Philadelphia fans (not known for their patience) continue to "REBEL"?

Will the Rebels, having abandoned any pretense of caring about their city, manage to earn a playoff spot?

Will anyone ever believe anything ever claimed on behalf of this organization ever again?

Stay tuned to the blog to find out!

REBELS BIGGEST SELLERS IN TRADE MARKET

Philadelphia dealt pitching, pitching and more pitching in three separate deals, two to clubs contending for a 2011 playoff spot, essentially emptying their roster of some of the older (and more expensive arms).

First, GM Melkonian sent Danny Haren and his $8.25 million salary to the Los Angeles Wolverines, a divisional rival but currently dueling Sin City for the loop's best record. In return, Los Angeles sent OF/1B Logan Morrison, a promising young player that Melkonian described as "an important piece of the puzzle" to anchor their latest rebuilding program.

The Rebels then packaged away staff leader Tim Hudson and his $9.0 million salary, not to a divisonal rival, but to a club that still enjoys a one-and-a-half game lead in the wild card race, the New England Yankee Stompers. New England is now a serious threat to go deep in the postseason if they can win a berth, based on the fact that they have a proven veteran rotation, starting with (ahem---former Rebel) Roy Halladay. To get Hudson, however, was not cheap: GM James Herndon sent young stud Alexei Ogando, along with veteran reliever Kerry Wood and a pair of prospects (OF Darnell McDonald and SS Tim Beckham).

To cap things off, Philadelphia made yet a third deal, this time with a divisonal rival that seems likely to earn a playoff spot, the St. Francis Friars. The Rebels again sent pitching, in the form of control artist Shawn Marcum and young reliever Jason Motte. To obtain the pair, the Friars sent a pair of prospects (LHP Mike Montgomery and 3B Josh Vitters), as well as a player to be named, thought to be a young pitcher.

All told, Philadelphia made its mark as the chief dealer of talent in the final weeks, a position defined as much by temperament as availability. St. Francis GM Scott Hatfield was blunt: "I wasn't that keen on Marcum, and truth to tell, I made many offers to other clubs. But the truth is that most of the clubs that had pitching were still in contention, and it made no sense for them to deal an arm. I would've love to open the vault for Jered Weaver. I made a serious run at Curtis Granderson. I tried to swap an extra reliever for a backup catcher. I was more active this year in the final weeks than I had ever been, but in the end, the only owner willing to deal a starting pitcher that was an upgrade was the Philadelphia GM."

FRIARS BIGGEST BUYERS DOWN STRETCH

In addition to dealing for Marcum, St. Francis Friars GM "Trader" Jack McKeon took advantage of the acquisition of Motte, sending RHP Leo Nunez (who had lost the closer's job to Heath Bell) along with two players to be named to the New England Yankee Stompers.

In return, St. Francis was reunited with a former All-Star and team leader, OF Johnny Damon. Damon was a member of the club's original expansion roster in January, 2009, and returns to where it all started, expected to platoon in left, pinch-hit, and serve as a leadoff hitter with Shin Soo-Choo out for the year.

"Sometimes the best trades come at the deadline," said New England GM James Herndon. "We won't know for a few years if this trade will pan out, but honestly, who can say 'no' to a 3-for-1 deal? We lose a great veteran presence in Johnny Damon but he will receive more playing time in St. Francis; we wish him the best."

McKeon was more sanguine to get Damon back. "With this latest deal I complete the circle, adding the veteran who helped start it all back to the mix. The club is largely a veteran club with a limited shelf life as far as the pitching staff goes," admitted McKeon, "but with the bats we have, we at least have a legitimate chance to advance in the postseason. This is the best job I have ever done as a GM, and at the risk of sounding arrogant, print the playoff tickets, I'm on my way."

McKeon's best move, however, may not have been meeting the demands of other teams, but roster management. It appears, for example, that both C Jesus Montero and RHP Randall Delgado could give the club a boost down the stretch and qualify for the playoffs. LHP Frankln Morales seems likely to give the club a second lefty out of the pen, a major plus. IF Todd Frazier is another likely callup who could add some versatility, and in a move that cost them very little, the Friars cut RHP Jason Frasor (and his 10-point something ERA) and used the savings to sign free-swinging power source Mark Reynolds.

FROSTBITE FALLS, AC/BC MAKE MINOR DEAL

The Squirrels, looking to improve depth in their chase for the Eastern Division crown, have added OF Jeff Francouer from Alex Coffman's Ball Club. Francouer gives Frostbite Falls a solid defender with perhaps a bit more consistency than either David DeJesus or Andruw Jones. In return, the Squirrels sent a pair of prospects, SS Jiovanni Mier and OF Andrew Lambo, neither of whom were expected to make the big club next year.

Indeed, with a pair of uber-prospects (Bryce Harper and Mike Trout) waiting in the wings, it could be argued that stars like Adam Lind and Jayson Werth are simply holding seats until the former pair are ready to join Jason Heyward in the division's best young outfield.

"We are very excited to pick up a veteran outfielder of Francouer's stature," Frostbite Falls GM Andrew Friedman said. "He came on our radar recently as a possible answer to our outfielders' struggles against left-handed pitching. He'll also be a good pinch-hitter and defender, so we feel he improves our team in many areas. It was tough to give up both Lambo and Mier, as we think they will be good big-leaguers, but the decision to trade them was made easier by the fact that both were blocked in the system. We wish both of them the best in their new system."