After a disappointing 2012 season, the Phillies need to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to get back to the playoffs.

They still possess one of the strongest starting rotations in baseball in Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. Last season they locked up Hamels with a 6 year deal to solidify the future of the rotation. However, the Phillies now have $56.5 million locked up in those three players.

Much attention has been given to the outfield this off-season. With a glaring hole in center field, a few big names have been floated around including Michael Bourne, Josh Hamilton and B.J. Upton.

Relief Pitching may be the most important need for the Fightins, especially a need for a solid 8th inning set-up guy. Too much pressure was placed on Jonathan Papelbon last year and no one in the bullpen was ever able to step up.

The other need on the roster is 3rd Base after the Phillies declined Placido Polanco’s team option. This will be the most tricky to fix with a limited availability on the market.

Here are some of my ideas.

Center Field – Who To Pursue: B.J. Upton, Angel Pagan

When it comes to the Phillies outfield, I think staying with what they have is their best possible move. The trio of Dominic Brown, John Mayberry Jr. and Darin Ruf could be a force in the league. All three are potential power threats, and if given a chance to have a full season, they can be a valuable part of the Phillies lineup.

However, if Reuben Amaro Jr. feels the need to go after someone more proven and create a platoon, I think your best options are B.J. Upton and Angel Pagan.

Eric Seidman of philliesnation.com reported on Saturday that the Phillies are considered an early favorite for B.J. Upton. Upton is a considerable upgrade at center field, and there is a growing consensus that his numbers may even have been deflated due to Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay. He provides 20+ homerun power and speed at the top of the lineup.

Angel Pagan helped the Giants to a world series victory following a mid-season trade from the Mets. Like Upton, Pagan could provide more stability at the top of the lineup for the Phillies, something they didn’t have in 2012. With Rollins on the decline, they need someone who can lead off a game.

Third Base – Who to Pursue: Mark Reynolds

Mark Reynolds could offer a couple of solutions to Phillies issues. He plays both 1st and 3rd base, and could fill in for Ryan Howard should he still feel effects from his 2011 achilles injury. This would save a spot for perhaps a utility infielder or a fourth outfielder.

He also provides the right handed power they have been missing since Jayson Werth left for Washington. He had a career-high 44 home runs in 2009 for Arizona and had 37 last season with Baltimore.

The downside is that he strikes out a lot, and could potentially combine for over 400 strikeouts with Ryan Howard. Do the home run and RBI numbers outweigh strikeouts. That’s for Charlie to decide.

Bullpen – Who to Pursue: Jason Grilli, Ryan Madson, Rafael Soriano

The lack of a bullpen for the Phillies in 2012 hurt the entire team. It put undue pressure on the starters who felt they had to go at least 7 innings to get a win and it placed pressure on the lineup to score big because a lead couldn’t be protected.

Jason Grilli is a veteran pitcher who throws hard and strikes guys out. In the 8th Inning, the swing and miss is important and Grilli could provide the kind of stability they need.

A realistic option could be to bring back the setup man who helped them to a world series in 2008, Ryan Madson. Last season they allowed him to walk because he wanted closer money, but after an injury he missed the entire 2012 season. With a depleted value, he may consider letting go of the idea of closing and come back for the 8th.

Soriano is the kind of name that Amaro loves. It’s a long-shot, but hey, so was Cliff Lee.

I think these additions make a big impact on the potential 2013 Phillies. They don’t need a Josh Hamilton or an Alex Rodriguez for the sake of adding a big name. They just need solid players who can play a role and get timely hits. The below lineup could be as formidable as any in the league.

1 – B.J. Upton – CF

2 – Jimmy Rollins – SS

3 – Chase Utley – 2B

4 – Ryan Howard – 1B

5 – Mark Reynolds – 3B

6 – John Mayberry Jr. – LF

7 – Dominic Brown – RF

8 – Carlos Ruiz – C

ESPN.com’s Ian Begley reports from Madison Square Garden, the setting of tonight’s Knicks home opener, that Dwayne Wade has mixed feelings as to the game carrying on.

In the wake of the devastation of Hurrican Sandy, much of New York City is still without power, but the team has decided to carry on with the game despite some criticism from players.

“‘I just felt that [there were] bigger things to be concerned about than us being here to play a basketball game,’ Wade said after the Heat’s shootaround Friday at Madison Square Garden. ‘Obviously, sports … takes people’s minds away from things, but I think there are bigger things that need to be done here in this city.’” (ESPN.com)

Controversy also surrounds the New York City Marathon, which is still set to take place this weekend, causing a debate on where sports fits in the wake of tragedy.

The flaw in the argument against playing the game – or running the marathon – is that it assumes participating in a sporting event somehow ignores other things that are going on…. What?!?

When exactly did humanity lose the ability to hold concern for more than one thing at a time? It’s as if we all became goldfish and taking a few hours to watch a basketball game somehow means we forgot a hurricane just happened.

We can still watch LeBron and Melo play at 8:00 and go back to cleaning up the damage from Sandy at 9:00.  Its not as if we were ever going to be able to spend 24/7 on the cleanup, and even after long hours of fixing power lines, it would be nice for the people who have worked so hard to be able to have something to enjoy.

People forget that part of dealing with a tragic event like Hurricane Sandy is moving forward. Sports entertainement (which is what pro sports really is) is a big part of helping us do that.

I say play, run, enjoy, be normal.

Philliesnation.com’s Ian Riccaboni reported on Sunday that the Phillies may have some level of interest in estranged Giants outfielder and reigning All-Star MVP, Melky Cabrera. Cabrera is a free agent in 2013 and is a potential fit with the Phils who are looking for some veteran outfield help and more consistency in center field.

While Cabrera began 2012 with strong numbers that sparked some quiet MVP talk, a mid-season suspension for performance-enhancing drugs sent his season and possibly his career into a tailspin.

The level of the Phillies interest is unknown, but reports have named them as one of the potential suitors. At the very least, they may be one of the teams with enough of a need for outfield help to take a chance on the controversial journeyman. Once the suspension was announced, the Giants immediately began to distance themselves from Cabrera both privately and publicly. He was even removed from the team’s NL West championship promotional tshirt which contains all the names of the 2012 Giants.. except Cabrera – the shirt features the names of outfielder Justin Christian and pitcher Shane Loux, neither of whom are on the Giants’ 40-man roster.

2012 was the first time the Phillies missed the playoffs since 2007 and the team and fan base is still very much in the “win now” mindset. For that reason, there is some pressure on the front office and notorious GM Ruben Amaro Jr. to re-load rather than re-build. Cabrera would certainly fit the bill and be an upgrade compared to current outfielders Dominic Brown, John Mayberry Jr. and restrhttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/wp-admin/post-new.phpicted free agent Nate Schierholtz.

However, the attitude among fans regarding the slight upgrade to Cabrera is less than warm. He is known as being a problem in the locker room. Baseball is known to be a brotherhood and camaraderie among teammates is well documented throughout the league. But when the PED issue came to fruition, Cabrera had a noticeable lack of support in the clubhouse.

For this reason, I agree with most fans who would welcome a player who can bring a new spark to the locker room and more than just a good bat. The Phillies need to add more scrappy, opportunistic hitters into a lineup that struggled with timely hitting and hitting with runners in scoring position the last two seasons.

There is much to be excited about for Sixers fans as we head into the 2012-2013 season. As the Cinderella story of the Eastern Conference last season, the Sixers stunned the top-seeded Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs (with some help from Derrick Rose’s knee) and pushed the Boston Celtics to a deciding seventh game in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

The Sixers ranked 3rd overall in points allowed per game in 2011-2012 led by a strong team defensive philosophy, but ranked just 22nd in points scored per game. So while confidence was at its highest since 2001, there is still a lot of incentive to try to improve on the offensive side of the ball.

Then came the jaw-dropping 4-team blockbuster trade of which the Sixers were the unheralded winner. While Dwight Howard landing in LA got all of the attention, Philly quietly addressed their issues on offensive by acquiring Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson. However, the Sixers had to let go of their centerpiece in Andre Iguodala, and with Bynum still rehabbing his knee the Sixers will need to find a focal point for their new-look offense.

ENTER: Evan Turner.

The No. 2 overall pick from 2010 hasn’t started his career as strong as Sixer fans had hoped. Slow starts the last two seasons helped him find the bench early on and inconsistencies in his game have kept his playing time modest. In March of last year, Turner found his groove and posted some solid numbers, but inconsistency landed him back on the bench until the playoffs.

This season will be much different. The Sixers ranked 3rd overall in points allowed per game in 2011-2012, but ranked just 22nd in points scored per game. The additions of Richardson (career .372 3pt shooter) and Nick Young (career .378 3pt shooter) will add to a 3-point game that was almost non-existent last season where they attempted just 14.6 3-pointers per game (25th in the league). This will also stretch the floor and give Turner more scoring lanes.

Turner will be taking the starting role vacated by Iguodala, who is now in Denver, and won’t have to share time.  Sixers head coach Doug Collins has confidence in Turner’s abilities, but understand that in order to be successful, he can’t put too much pressure on himself.

“Collins understands that it is almost impossible for the 6-foot-7 Turner not to put pressure on himself to be more productive, particularly at the offensive end. To that end, Collins is trying to relieve some of that pressure.” (John N. Mitchell – Philadelphia Inquirer).

A Turner goes, so will the Sixers. Spencer Hawes and local fan-favorite Lavoy Allen can fill in defensively for Bynum and still help the team be effective. But there is no replacement for Turner is he fails to be the dynamic player he is thought to be. Collins will try to help him perform better by trying less.

“Evan is such a perfectionist,” said Collins, “and I can relate to that because I am, too. But I would just like for him to be able to do the things that he does great. Rebound the ball. Push the ball in the open court. Make plays and defend. Just let all those things happen. Evan wants to be great, and we want him to be great.”

A lot of attention will be given to the progress of Andrew Bynum’s knees and whether or not he can last a full season, but my eye will be on Evan Turner from the start. If he can develop a more confident and consistent game, and Bynum can stay on the court, the Philadelphia 76ers could pose a very real threat to the Miami Heat’s chances of a repeat.