To His Own Surprise, Cliff Lee Is No Longer In Philly

Cliff Lee is a tad perplexed.

↵Lee, who was traded to the Mariners earlier this week, thought everything was cool with him and his former team the Phillies. He was talking about signing a contract extension. He was thinking about staying with them for the long haul. He was thinking about the future. Then out of nowhere, buh-bye Philly:

↵↵“Making it to the World Series, being a part of that, it was something that I was looking forward to, making a third run at it. I was looking forward to that. Not being able to be a part of that team and be with those guys ... it was an unbelievable experience.”

↵“At first I didn’t believe it. I thought we were working out an extension with the Phillies. I thought I would spend the rest of my career there. It is a business and you never know what’s going to happen.”

↵“They made me an offer and within seven to 10 days I was traded.”

↵↵The Phillies are like the cool guy with the good-looking girlfriend. He goes to a party with her, but then sees a much better looking female on the other side of the room. He dumps his suddenly very unattractive date in the corner and pursues the new, sexier alternative.

↵“So you say you put up those kind of numbers in the American League? Wow. I’m impressed. Hey, if you’re free sometime, maybe we could catch a movie. Or get some drinks...”