Starting Rotation Press Conference Recap

In case you didn't catch it, a live press conference with the Phillies starting rotation aired today at 1:30 EST. A transcript is available here. I did my best to "liveblog" the conference on my twitter, while semi-discreetly watching from my desk. Here's what went through my head:

Let's make the Sad Joe Blanton emoticon a thing.

Image from the Fightin' Phils Tumblr. Says it all.

A few other things stood out for me: first, I'm  thrilled with the continued emphasis on CBP's unique vibes and how much they cater to our starters' competitive natures, helping already insanely talented players step up their games. Say what you want about the Philly Phaithful, but that's an unfuckwithable fact. I was also happy to hear—especially since I live in New York—that they've noticed and appreciate the loyal fans who follow them to other cities (even if the last time I saw the Phils play at CitiField I was in the very, very last row of the very, very upper deck).

Cliff Lee emerged as a spokesman for the group, fielding the most direct questions and handling any that no one else immediately stepped up to answer, crackin' jokes about his hitting ability, making goofy faces (see above). Charisma much?! Honestly, I wasn't surprised Cliff was the center of attention but I was shocked by how verbose he was. Who knew our boy could talk that much? I wonder if Cliff's famous love affair with Philadelphia is what earned him this place in the spotlight, or if it's just the natural result of coming #2 to man-of-no-words Roy Halladay. Also interesting was Cliff's assertion that feeling challenged by his fellow starters is not an incentive; he wants to feel competition from other teams only—not from his teammates (not exactly what I would've expected).

On that tip, it seems R2C2 is out and our rotation is in search of a more appropriate nickname, one that includes all five of its formidable arms. Ideas? Leave 'em in the comments.