Cliff Lee Waiver Deadline Passes With No Deal; Phillies Release Mike Fontenot; Juan Pierre Sits

Some quick updates on this Sunday:

First, the deadline for the Phillies and Dodgers to agree on a Cliff Lee trade was 1:00 p.m. today and judging by the fact that Cliff Lee is on the mound pitching right now, he is going nowhere.  Well, at least until the deadline passes.

Second, the Phillies officially gave infielder Mike Fontenot his release today.   The Phillies designated Fontenot for assignment on August 1st.  The problem with Fontenot?  It was not his .289 batting average.  Strikes against him were that he was left handed (and the Phillies now have left-handed hitters galore)  and that he was not a natural shortstop.  Kevin Frandsen can play shorstop, but when Placido Polanco returns from the disabled list Frandsen could end up back at AAA.

Michael Martinez will get a chance to show he is a major leaguer (or not) down the stretch so the Phillies can make a decision for next year.

Third, we got a lot of negative comments on our Facebook page over my Juan Pierre piece, suggesting that the Phillies let him go since he is not in their plans.  Some of the Baseball Talk Philadelphia comments included:

"This last post has shown you know sh**.  Sign him to another deal now. He don't make much, is a plug in out fielder, gets on base and wrecks sh** while on base."

"Most retarded thing ever posted."

"This is the most idiotic post i have ever read. He has been one of our only bright spots offensively. Why the f*** would we release him."

Please take note that Juan Pierre has not started since Domonic Brown and Nate Schierholtz came aboard, and he's not going to very often.  The Phillies appear to be committed to Brown in left field every day, and that is the only position Pierre plays right now.

Since he is not playing and is not going to play, I still feel Pierre deserves a chance to play for a contender.

Finally, how are our former Phillies doing?

Hunter Pence is 2 for 17  (.118 average) with the Giants, with two RBI and a walk.
Shane Victorino is  2 for 12 (.167 average) with the Dodgers, with one run scored .