Here are your stars

In the interest of full disclosure, here are the players I selected for the 2006 All-Star Game to be played in Pittsburgh on July 11. American League 1b - David Ortiz, Bos. 2b - Brian Roberts, Bal. 3b - Alex Rodriguez, NY ss - Miguel Tejada, Bal. of - Vladimir Guerrero, LA of - Manny Ramirez, Bos. of - Jermaine Dye, Chi. c - Joe Mauer, Min.

Interesting notes: Jim Thome is not on the ballot though he will probably make the team. Choosing Tejada over Derek Jeter was tough even though I think Tejada is better. I took Jermaine Dye over Grady Sizemore because the defending World Champions should have at least one starter.

National League 1b - Albert Pujols, Stl. 2b - Chase Utley, Phi. 3b - Scott Rolen, Stl. ss - Edgar Renteria, Atl. of - Alfonso Soriano, Was. of - Jason Bay, Pit. of - Carlos Beltran, NY c - Michael Barrett, Chi.

This was easy, though David Wright and Ryan Zimmerman should challenge Rolen in the future, and catchers Brian McCann, Russell Martin and Ryan Doumit should battle it out in the future. That Uggla kid in Florida has posted some impressive numbers, too, but Utley has now solidified himself as the best second baseman in the game.

Stand Pat

General manager Pat Gillick made a rare pre-game appearance on the field before yesterday’s game. No, Gillick isn’t avoiding anything, he’s just busy and perhaps I’m still used to seeing the last GM – dressed in suit, jacket and tie – down on the field before every game. Obviously, Pat Gillick has a different way of doing things.

Nevertheless, Gillick took the time to talk to a few of the scribes before the game and addressed a few issues regarding the baseball team. Among them:

On the recent spate of losses "It's more of the way we've played. We haven't played real smart. We've made some stupid mistakes. We haven't played a lot of really good, clean games."

On the starting pitching "Our starting pitching has been so inconsistent. That really, I think, sets the tone. Hopefully, we can get some consistency."

"That's the only way you put a streak together. (During the team's May winning streak), when you look at it, our starting pitching earned run average was very respectable. That's why, I think, we won the games."

On a potential trade to get more pitching "I think that those people who are going to move pitching are probably going to wait toward the end of the deadline, closer to July 31st."

On the amount of deals in the next month "I think those people who are going to move pitching are probably going to wait until toward the end of the deadline... . Whoever moves, I think they're going to be getting a premium."

And most revealing…

"There's probably clubs out there that have more to offer than we do."

As he has always maintained, Gillick said the team has no “untouchables.” However, it will be very difficult to trade "5 and 10" guys like Rheal Cormier and Mike Lieberthal, as well as players with high salaries and no-trade clauses like Bobby Abreu, David Bell, Pat Burrell, Randy Wolf (can’t trade a player on DL anyway) and Jon Lieber.

On top of that, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Cole Hamels, players with relatively low salaries, are the nucleus of the franchise and won’t be going anywhere.

In other words, don’t count on the Phillies making a blockbuster this season.

Can of corn

Randy Wolf suffered a setback during his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery on Tuesday afternoon. While pitching for Single-A Clearwater, Wolf was struck by a line drive between the fourth and fifth knuckles of his left (pitching) hand during the third inning of his outing. Wolf immediately left the game and was taken to Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, Fla. To be examined. A prognosis is not yet known.

Wolf allowed four hits and a walk without a run in 2 2/3 innings before getting hit with the liner. The lefty whiffed two during his short stint.

Also on the injury front, Mike Lieberthal had an MRI on his injured hip on Monday that confirmed that he did, indeed, have a strained hip. There is still no word on when the catcher will return to action.

Ditto on starting pitcher Jon Lieber, who did some light running and walking before Tuesday night’s game against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Lieber is out with an injured groin and has yet to throw from the mound. It does not appear as if his return to action is imminent.

Starting assignment Charlie Manuel and the team’s brass have no decided on a starting pitcher for Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, though the skipper says he has “two or three” pitchers in mind.

But according to sources and speculation, it seems likely that Gavin Floyd could be recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to pitch in Saturday’s game.

Floyd was demoted two weeks ago after an outing in Los Angeles where he surrendered three homers and seven runs in four innings of a loss against the Dodgers. In 11 big league starts this season, Floyd had a league worst 7.29 ERA and a 4-3 record. The tall righty allowed 70 hits and 14 homers in 54 1/3 innings.

However, in two starts in Triple-A, Floyd has rebounded a bit by racking up 17 strikeouts and a 1.69 ERA in 16 innings.

King Kong, the second baseman and the big 'clean up'

While cleaning out a closet that had become nothing more than a container for junk that I had refused to throw away for "sentimental" reasons, I came across some old baseball cards I’d saved from the 1980s. Rather than pitch them into the trash pile, or placing them up for sale on eBay (I’m saving them for my son because they’ll be valuable one day, right?), I decided to sit down and look at them. You know, a little stroll down amnesia lane.

As I thumbed through all of the old names – George Hendrick, Frank Tanana, Tippy Martinez, Chet Lemon, Ron Cey, etc., etc. – it felt like it was 1985 again and there was nothing to worry about.

But there were two things that were particularly revealing about those old cards. Firstly, let’s hope that there is never a '80s retro trend. For anyone who survived the style trends of this particular era of our culture, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

For those of you still hanging on with the hope that parachute pants make a stylish comeback, God bless you.

Secondly, and more importantly, the most fascinating part about looking at those baseball cards was how skinny the players looked. It wasn’t an unhealthy skinny where it appeared as if the ballplayers needed to chow down on a few more carbohydrate-heavy dinners, but it was a fit skinny.

Though dressed in those crazy uniforms for the bright colors zooming at you from all angles, the players looked athletic – like a college miler or someone who spends three-quarters of their time at the gym on cardio instead of the weights.

It’s a look that is nearly non-existent amongst the current crop of ballplayers, and, certainly, no explanation is needed.

With the curious case of one-time Phillie Jason Grimsley suddenly dominating all the seedy chatter about baseball these days, as the Steroid Era finally enters into the darker, uglier Human-Growth Hormone Era, it was striking to see the 20-year old images of sluggers Dave Kingman and Jack Clark.

Kingman and Clark, as followers of baseball remember, were two of the most-feared home run hitters of their era. At 6-foot-6 and a wispy 200 pounds, Kingman was known as "King Kong" for routinely bashing 30-plus homers per season and for smacking the ball a long way.

In 1985, Clark was slugger and catalyst for the St. Louis Cardinals and such a power threat that he often walked more times during a season than he reached base on a hit. But during that ’85 season in which Clark struck a menacing fear into all pitchers, he hit just 22 home runs, and during his 18-year career Clark hit more than 30 homers just once.

In 24 combined big league seasons, Clark and Kingman reached the 40-homer plateau just once.

These were your sluggers, folks.

And yes, both players were blade thin. In fact, Clark and Kingman had the same type of physique as second baseman Chase Utley, a strong hitter who smacked 28 homers a season ago and is on the way to duplicating that total this season.

Those are definitely strong statistics, but how many people would consider Chase Utley a home run hitter?

Right. Not many.

So what exactly then is the point? That strength training, nutrition, performance-enhancing drug abuse, and fashion sense has come a long way in 20 years? That baseball’s statistics are about as valuable as the paper they’re printed on? Yes, we already knew that.

But what about this: baseball, like those old cards buried in the back of a closet, is a fun diversion. A night at the ballpark or in front of the tube watching a game and talking about the strategy, the players and those forgotten heroes is a pretty good way to spend an evening. And based on attendance figures and TV ratings, a lot of other people think so, too.

Even with Congressional hearings where nothing meaningful was learned about steroid abuse other than a few ballplayers were less than honest, or an investigation and the chance that one of the game’s most prolific sluggers might have perjured himself in front of a federal grand jury, interest in the game has not waned.

Perhaps Phillies catcher Sal Fasano is correct when he says the only thing he remembers turning off the fans from the game was the strike in 1994.

"We know the substances are being used, and we know baseball is doing what it can to clean it up," said Fasano before last Thursday’s game at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., just two miles away from where the Congress vowed to "clean up" baseball. "But do fans want to hear about it all the time? I don't know."

A night out, some good and affordable food and maybe even a few homers from the home team… what’s better than that? Who cares if King Kong is the same size as the second baseman?

King Kong, the second baseman and the big 'clean up'

While cleaning out a closet that had become nothing more than a container for junk that I had refused to throw away for "sentimental" reasons, I came across some old baseball cards I’d saved from the 1980s. Rather than pitch them into the trash pile, or placing them up for sale on eBay (I’m saving them for my son because they’ll be valuable one day, right?), I decided to sit down and look at them. You know, a little stroll down amnesia lane.

As I thumbed through all of the old names – George Hendrick, Frank Tanana, Tippy Martinez, Chet Lemon, Ron Cey, etc., etc. – it felt like it was 1985 again and there was nothing to worry about.

But there were two things that were particularly revealing about those old cards. Firstly, let’s hope that there is never a '80s retro trend. For anyone who survived the style trends of this particular era of our culture, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

For those of you still hanging on with the hope that parachute pants make a stylish comeback, God bless you.

Secondly, and more importantly, the most fascinating part about looking at those baseball cards was how skinny the players looked. It wasn’t an unhealthy skinny where it appeared as if the ballplayers needed to chow down on a few more carbohydrate-heavy dinners, but it was a fit skinny.

Though dressed in those crazy uniforms for the bright colors zooming at you from all angles, the players looked athletic – like a college miler or someone who spends three-quarters of their time at the gym on cardio instead of the weights.

It’s a look that is nearly non-existent amongst the current crop of ballplayers, and, certainly, no explanation is needed.

With the curious case of one-time Phillie Jason Grimsley suddenly dominating all the seedy chatter about baseball these days, as the Steroid Era finally enters into the darker, uglier Human-Growth Hormone Era, it was striking to see the 20-year old images of sluggers Dave Kingman and Jack Clark.

Kingman and Clark, as followers of baseball remember, were two of the most-feared home run hitters of their era. At 6-foot-6 and a wispy 200 pounds, Kingman was known as "King Kong" for routinely bashing 30-plus homers per season and for smacking the ball a long way.

In 1985, Clark was slugger and catalyst for the St. Louis Cardinals and such a power threat that he often walked more times during a season than he reached base on a hit. But during that ’85 season in which Clark struck a menacing fear into all pitchers, he hit just 22 home runs, and during his 18-year career Clark hit more than 30 homers just once.

In 24 combined big league seasons, Clark and Kingman reached the 40-homer plateau just once.

These were your sluggers, folks.

And yes, both players were blade thin. In fact, Clark and Kingman had the same type of physique as second baseman Chase Utley, a strong hitter who smacked 28 homers a season ago and is on the way to duplicating that total this season.

Those are definitely strong statistics, but how many people would consider Chase Utley a home run hitter?

Right. Not many.

So what exactly then is the point? That strength training, nutrition, performance-enhancing drug abuse, and fashion sense has come a long way in 20 years? That baseball’s statistics are about as valuable as the paper they’re printed on? Yes, we already knew that.

But what about this: baseball, like those old cards buried in the back of a closet, is a fun diversion. A night at the ballpark or in front of the tube watching a game and talking about the strategy, the players and those forgotten heroes is a pretty good way to spend an evening. And based on attendance figures and TV ratings, a lot of other people think so, too.

Even with Congressional hearings where nothing meaningful was learned about steroid abuse other than a few ballplayers were less than honest, or an investigation and the chance that one of the game’s most prolific sluggers might have perjured himself in front of a federal grand jury, interest in the game has not waned.

Perhaps Phillies catcher Sal Fasano is correct when he says the only thing he remembers turning off the fans from the game was the strike in 1994.

"We know the substances are being used, and we know baseball is doing what it can to clean it up," said Fasano before last Thursday’s game at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., just two miles away from where the Congress vowed to "clean up" baseball. "But do fans want to hear about it all the time? I don't know."

A night out, some good and affordable food and maybe even a few homers from the home team… what’s better than that? Who cares if King Kong is the same size as the second baseman?

The view from RFK

Needless to say, Washington is a great city and we all enjoy travelling down here for a set of games. And obviously, those trips will be much better as soon as the new ballpark opens in 2008. So how bad is RFK? Well, check out my view from the press box:

Sure, sportswriters are prone to whine -- a lot. But look at those views... talk about tough working conditions.

First in war, first in peace, last in the National League…

Based on a very informal poll of the scribes covering the ball club, Washington, D.C. is quickly becoming the most popular stop on the circuit. For anyone who has spent any time in our nation’s capital, that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise – there is tons of stuff to do in the District away from the museums and touristy-type places. But throw all of that stuff into the mix and it’s quite a place.

I’m hardly a sentimental person (OK, others will disagree with that, but whatever), but it’s hard not to get a tingle from standing on the top steps of the Lincoln Memorial and looking out upon The Mall and wondering what Martin Luther King Jr. felt when he gave his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1964.

Or a walk through the Vietnam Memorial at night is downright chilling. Certainly I don’t mean that in a hyperbolic or saccharine sweet type of way. You really have to see it to feel it.

Oddly, the first name I focused on after scanning the list that seemed to stretch through the landscape all of the way to the Washington Monument was of a man named Sanford I. Finger. For years I was always interested in Sanford Finger’s story – who he was and what he liked to do. What was he interested in and what did he look like? And how did he end up in Vietnam where he met his untimely death in 1971.

Finally, after all of the years spent wondering and thinking about some guy who died before I was born who just so happens to share the same last name as me, I stumbled across this on the Internet.

Anyway, last night after the Phillies’ loss to the Nationals, I took some time to unwind by taking a midnight stroll past the White House, down to Constitution Ave. and back up 15th St. for a quick pit stop at The Old Ebbitt Grill.

This morning I loaded up the iPod with DC-type songs (late ‘70s and Dischord Records stuff) before heading out on a run to see if our old wiffle ball field was still entact (a big tree was planted where the pitchers mound was, but the paint we used to mark the home run fence was still visible on the bricks).

From there I circled The Mall on the way out to RFK Stadium and back for a spirit-reviving 13-miler.

I’m sure my mom is going to love hearing about the trip through our neighborhood and stomping grounds.

Sadly, though, RFK has seen better days. The clubhouse is a dungeon, and the dugout has a Veterans Stadium-type odor. Worse, the view from the press box is severely obstructed and any time a ball is hit out of the infield we have to watch the result on TV.

More than a few writers had trouble with the wireless Internet connection, which made it difficult to send their stories in to the office.

Still, it’s always a blast to make it back to D.C. and until something sways my point of view, I’ll say RFK is so bad that it’s charming.

No one can call Shea charming.

Gooooaaaaaaaal!

The World Cup soccer tournament started today, and several players sat on the overstuffed leather couches rapt with attention (none more than Bobby Abreu) as Ecuador held off Poland, 2-0. Then again, it was raining really hard outside so outdoor batting practice was cancelled.

I’m not up on what’s happening in soccer, but when I was a kid we used to go to see the Washington Diplomats of the old NASL play at RFK. That was always a thrill because no one could get tickets to see the Redskins back in those days. As I recall, in 1979 the waiting list for Redskins tickets was 159 years.

No, that’s not an exaggeration. If you think Eagles’ fans are crazy, you ought to see how the native Washingtonians love the Redskins.

I always rooted for the Eagles, though it was hard not to get caught up in the hype when John Riggins was running the ball way back when. Hey, I was a kid… favorite teams and stuff like that mattered.

Anyway, I remember a game at RFK between the Dips, as we called them, and the New York Cosmos that was settled in with penalty kicks – what a revelation. I had never seen a game decided that way before.

If I remember correctly, Giorgio Canalgia was the top player for the Cosmos, while Sonny Askew, Alan Green, Johan Cruijff and Joe Horvath took care of business for the Dips.

Next: remembrances from Memorial Stadium and the 1978-79 Baltimore Orioles and how to properly mimic Lee May’s batting stance. In fact, I showed Charlie Manuel a bit of it before the game today. He seemed more impressed that I remembered who Lee May was rather than the bat waggle.

Anyway, I’m thinking about inviting my friends over this weekend so we can all sit around and ignore the World Cup.

Then we’ll watch Bernard Hopkins get knocked out by Antonio Tarver.

Play list

Just for fun, here's the list of songs that played all the way through during the run through D.C. The shuffle feature on the iPod is a genius development. So simple, yet so smart. Anyway... 1.) Who Invited You, The Donnas 2.) Rhinoceros, The Smashing Pumpkins 3.) The Tide is High, Blondie 4.) The Myth of Trust, Billy Bragg 5.) Loretta's Scars, Pavement 6.) Tusk, Fleetwood Mac 7.) Bulls on Parade, Rage Against the Machine (near Lincoln Memorial) 8.) Sex Supreme, Tenacious D 9.) Joe #1, Fugazi 10.) 12XU, Minor Threat 11.) Runnin' With the Devil, Van Halen (near Air & Space Museum) 12.) Omission, Quicksand (approaching Capitol Hill) 13.) Sunday, The Spinanes 14.) Touch the Sky, Kanye West (in front of Supreme Court) 15.) Old Man, Neil Young 16.) Fall on Me, R.E.M. 17.) Queen Jane Approximately, Bob Dylan 18.) Bombin' the L, Fun Lovin' Criminals 19.) Yoy Should be Dancing, The Bee Gees 20.) Confetti, Evan Dando 21.) The National Anthem, Radiohead (from Cap. Hill down to Hoover Building) 22.) Dissolve, John Frusciante 23.) Goals, John Frusciante 24.) A Corner, John Frusciante 25.) Repeating, John Frusciante

Formula for Floyd: Toughen up

During the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, swimmer Amanda Beard went home with three medals – one gold and two silvers – in part because of her tenacity. Oh sure, Beard had a lot of talent. She had to in order to simply make the Olympic team. But the difference between Beard and a middle of the pack swimmer was her mental toughness. But just being tough against the competition was the least of it. Beard dealt with a lot of pressure that had nothing to do with swimming. That summer, TV cameras followed Beard around, sometimes basing the day’s programming around her basic daily routines. Then there was the promise of fame and money and all of the ancillary trappings that go with that kind of stuff if she swam exceptionally well against the best in the world.

And don’t forget the press attention and the expectations from family and friends as well as the petty jealousies that always seem to crop up when someone is rising faster than expected. In other words, it wasn’t about swimming for Beard. It was about everything, yet through it all she still handled it all with great aplomb.

Now here’s the crazy thing: Beard was just 14 years old during the ’96 games.

At that young of an age she already was as mentally tough as even the most seasoned of athletes. After all, weaklings usually don’t win Olympic medals.

That summer when Beard was swimming her way into the record books, young Gavin Floyd, the pitcher who was just demoted from the Phillies’ rotation to the minors so that he could go get “tough,” was just 13 years old and undoubtedly dominating his baseball league near his hometown Severna Park, Md. Like Beard, Floyd had talent to spare. That much was evident when the Phillies made him the fourth overall pick in the 2001 draft when he was just 18.

In fact, it took a big signing bonus (and the promise to pay for his college studies) to keep Floyd from giving the Phillies the J.D. Drew treatment and enrolling at the University of South Carolina. Once in the minor league system, Floyd’s ascent was quick with very few challenges. His domination in the bushes – one that included a no-hitter in Single-A ball – got to the point where team insiders and observers said that it appeared as if the tall right-hander was bored.

The difficult part, some offered, was hoping that Floyd became engaged in a game, or that his interest was piqued.

That’s not something anybody ever said about the great ones. Beard, at 14, was invested in her sport. The same goes for all of the true competitors in recent sports memory. Michael Jordan with the flu in the NBA Finals. Curt Schilling with the bloody sock in the World Series. Aaron Rowand doing a face plant into an exposed metal bar on a fence.

Heck, even that kid in the National Spelling Bee that fainted, pulled himself off the ground, composed himself and then stepped up to the mic and correctly spelled the word all have something that the fourth pick of the 2001 baseball draft seems to be lacking.

Toughness.

No one is really inspired by the guy with all of the talent in the world who suffers from boredom.

What’s most baffling, according to some of the coaches and players with the Phillies is that Floyd is talented. Actually, he’s very, very talented. But to live up to the expectations others have set for him, as well as the goals he has set for himself, Floyd is going to have to do something he has never had to do before…

Stand up and fight.

“It's just to a point where he has to look down deep within himself and find something that will help him in his career,” catcher Sal Fasano told Phillies.com.

But even with his talent and the soul searching that will come during the next few weeks, there is no guarantee that Floyd will ever return to the Major Leagues. He really has to do some work and it has nothing to do with boning up his repertoire of pitches to accompany one of the most knee-buckling curveballs anyone has ever seen.

“The competition isn't a threat,” team pitching coach Rich Dubee told Phillies.com. “It should be a challenge. It intimidates him sometimes. Everything's life and death, and it doesn't need to be that way. This needs to be something that he enjoys doing. I'm sure he felt extra heat – a lot of a lot of good players have had to go backward to go forward. Hopefully, he can get straightened out and get back up here.”

Some have suggested that Floyd simply needs the tough love, that he needs someone to grab him by the shoulders, shake him, and scream at him, “You are good!” But that metaphoric kick-in-the rear seems so simple and even a little trite. It shouldn’t have to come to that.

After all, no one had to tell 14-year-old Amanda Beard that she was good.

Phillies draft picks

One of the best parts of baseball’s annual amateur draft is the production of it all – there is none. As they sometimes say, even no style is sometimes stylish. Anyway, what’s great about the draft is its austerity and no-nonsense, no-frills manner. Unlike the NBA and the NFL, there is no hype, no drama and no TV. It’s just a bunch of teams on a conference call announcing the player they want to select in a rapid-fire fashion.

It’s kind of like your annual fantasy football draft without the beer.

Fans can listen to the draft on the Internet, but that’s it. Prior to the emergence of the World Wide Web, the draft was held in secret and the results were pretty much just called in to the newspaper. These days, though, the Internet makes us feel as if we’re eavesdropping in on someone else’s telephone conversation – and for some reason that’s kind of fun.

Nonetheless, here’s whom the Phillies took in Tuesday’s first day of the draft:

Kyle Drabek, RHP, 6-1 190 The Woodlands, Tx., 18th pick Kyle is longtime Pirates and Orioles right-hander, as well as 1990 CY Young Award winner, Doug Drabek’s son and reports say he has one of the best arms in the draft. A hard throwing righty (like his dad), Kyle already throws a fastball in the mid-90s and played shortstop when he was pitching for The Woodlands High. Drabek was the seventh right-handed pitcher selected in the draft, but scouting reports indicate that he will be better than his dad. Adrian Cardenas, SS, 6-0 185 Monsignor Edward Pace HS (Florida) 37th pick Cardenas is a power-hitting shortstop that projects as a second baseman, according to the scouting profiles. The last high school position player drafted in the first two rounds to make it to the big leagues and play regularly for the Phillies was Jimmy Rollins in 1996. Cardenas was the third shortstop taken in the draft. Hit .650 with 17 homers in his senior year.

Andrew Carpenter, RHP, 6-3 230 Cal St. Long Beach, 65th pick A big right-hander who doesn’t throw too extremely hard, but has a good slider and a splitter, according to the scouting profiles. Carpenter is also a four-year collgiate, who transferred from junior college to pitch or Long Beach.

Jason Donald, SS, 6-1 195 University of Arizona 97th pick Donald is another four-year college player and the second shortstop selected by the Phillies in the first three rounds. Selected in the 20th round of the 2003 draft, scouting reports say Donald's ofensive skills haven't caught up with his stellar defensive skills yet.

D'Arby Myers, CF, 6-3 175 Westchester HS (Calif.) 127th pick

Formula for Floyd: Toughen up

During the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, swimmer Amanda Beard went home with three medals – one gold and two silvers – in part because of her tenacity. Oh sure, Beard had a lot of talent. She had to in order to simply make the Olympic team. But the difference between Beard and a middle of the pack swimmer was her mental toughness. But just being tough against the competition was the least of it. Beard dealt with a lot of pressure that had nothing to do with swimming. That summer, TV cameras followed Beard around, sometimes basing the day’s programming around her basic daily routines. Then there was the promise of fame and money and all of the ancillary trappings that go with that kind of stuff if she swam exceptionally well against the best in the world.

And don’t forget the press attention and the expectations from family and friends as well as the petty jealousies that always seem to crop up when someone is rising faster than expected. In other words, it wasn’t about swimming for Beard. It was about everything, yet through it all she still handled it all with great aplomb.

Now here’s the crazy thing: Beard was just 14 years old during the ’96 games.

At that young of an age she already was as mentally tough as even the most seasoned of athletes. After all, weaklings usually don’t win Olympic medals.

That summer when Beard was swimming her way into the record books, young Gavin Floyd, the pitcher who was just demoted from the Phillies’ rotation to the minors so that he could go get “tough,” was just 13 years old and undoubtedly dominating his baseball league near his hometown Severna Park, Md. Like Beard, Floyd had talent to spare. That much was evident when the Phillies made him the fourth overall pick in the 2001 draft when he was just 18.

In fact, it took a big signing bonus (and the promise to pay for his college studies) to keep Floyd from giving the Phillies the J.D. Drew treatment and enrolling at the University of South Carolina. Once in the minor league system, Floyd’s ascent was quick with very few challenges. His domination in the bushes – one that included a no-hitter in Single-A ball – got to the point where team insiders and observers said that it appeared as if the tall right-hander was bored.

The difficult part, some offered, was hoping that Floyd became engaged in a game, or that his interest was piqued.

That’s not something anybody ever said about the great ones. Beard, at 14, was invested in her sport. The same goes for all of the true competitors in recent sports memory. Michael Jordan with the flu in the NBA Finals. Curt Schilling with the bloody sock in the World Series. Aaron Rowand doing a face plant into an exposed metal bar on a fence.

Heck, even that kid in the National Spelling Bee that fainted, pulled himself off the ground, composed himself and then stepped up to the mic and correctly spelled the word all have something that the fourth pick of the 2001 baseball draft seems to be lacking.

Toughness.

No one is really inspired by the guy with all of the talent in the world who suffers from boredom.

What’s most baffling, according to some of the coaches and players with the Phillies is that Floyd is talented. Actually, he’s very, very talented. But to live up to the expectations others have set for him, as well as the goals he has set for himself, Floyd is going to have to do something he has never had to do before…

Stand up and fight.

“It's just to a point where he has to look down deep within himself and find something that will help him in his career,” catcher Sal Fasano told Phillies.com.

But even with his talent and the soul searching that will come during the next few weeks, there is no guarantee that Floyd will ever return to the Major Leagues. He really has to do some work and it has nothing to do with boning up his repertoire of pitches to accompany one of the most knee-buckling curveballs anyone has ever seen.

“The competition isn't a threat,” team pitching coach Rich Dubee told Phillies.com. “It should be a challenge. It intimidates him sometimes. Everything's life and death, and it doesn't need to be that way. This needs to be something that he enjoys doing. I'm sure he felt extra heat – a lot of a lot of good players have had to go backward to go forward. Hopefully, he can get straightened out and get back up here.”

Some have suggested that Floyd simply needs the tough love, that he needs someone to grab him by the shoulders, shake him, and scream at him, “You are good!” But that metaphoric kick-in-the rear seems so simple and even a little trite. It shouldn’t have to come to that.

After all, no one had to tell 14-year-old Amanda Beard that she was good.

Floyd sent to minors

This shouldn't come as much as a surprise and we'll get into it deeper a little later, but here is the Phillies' official release regarding Gavin Floyd's demotion: Floyd Optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre; Brito Recalled

LHP Eude Brito has been recalled from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA) and RHP Gavin Floyd has been optioned to Scranton, the Phillies announced today.

Brito, 27, was 5-2, 3.02 ERA (19 ER, 56.2 IP) in 10 games. He last pitched on May 27 vs. Louisville (W, 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO).

Floyd, 23, went 4-3, 7.29 ERA (44 ER, 54.1 IP) in 11 starts for the Phillies.

Brito made his major league debut with the Phillies last year. He went 1-2, 3.68 ERA (9 ER, 22.0 IP) in six games.

Yet another Hamels update

Chances are Cole Hamels next start will not be in the minor leagues, but instead for the Phillies. The big question, of course, is when. Hamels, the Phillies' rookie phenom starter, completed a rehab assignment for Single-A Lakewood on Thursday night where he worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing a run on three hits and two walks, while striking out three. The lefty threw just 55 pitches.

With general manager Pat Gillick and his assistant Ruben Amaro Jr. watching from the stands, Hamels worked pain free and could pitch for the Phillies five days from now against Arizona.

If that happens it would be likely that Gavin Floyd will be removed from the rotation. Floyd allowed three homers and seven runs with seven hits and four walks in a rather auspicious outing against the Dodgers on Thursday night. Thanks to those numbers, Floyd's league-worst ERA jumped to a rather eye-popping 7.29 over his 11 starts.

Other options include shifting Ryan Madson back to the bullpen, adding Ryan Franklin to the rotation or standing pat with Eude Brito in there.

The liklihood of any of these actually occuring are about the same as Charlie Manuel setting himself on fire and circling the bases naked. Well... maybe not that far-fetched, but you get the idea. Chances are that when Hamels returns, Floyd will go.

Nevertheless, the question still remains when will Hamels return? The answer to that is a rather cryptic, soon.

-- John R. Finger

Hi, remember me?

I'm finally back from a weekend of masochism (a.k.a. the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington, Vt. where the temperature reached 85 oppressive degrees under an unimpeded, sweltering sun) and a couple of days at the ballpark to get back into the grind of writing about a baseball team. But before we get into the baseball stuff it's important to welcome Miss Lucy Samantha St. Clair to the world after her birthday on May 25. From the sound of it, Lucy was rarin' to go and surprised everyone by making her debut six weeks early. So far, Lucy's mom and dad are doing really well, but we're sure they're going to be tired soon.

Tired old injuries... Jon Lieber had an MRI yesterday to determine the extent of the damage caused to his injured groin. However, at the time we saw Lieber in the clubhouse he did not know the results of his exam, but that doesn't really matter. Whether or not his groin muscle is torn doesn't seem to change the period he will be out, which the Phillies are saying will be three weeks to a month.

Either way, Lieber's absence will hurt the Phillies. Sure, he hasn't been as good as in past seasons, but the big righthander is still an innings eater, who has pitched the team to the seventh inning in all but three of his 11 starts and one of those was lastMonday when he left the game early because of his injury.

Plus, Lieber won a lot of games last season because of his ability to keep himself (and the team) in games.

In his place the Phillies decided to call up Eude Brito from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre instead of activating Cole Hamels from the disabled list. Hamels, of course, is pitching in a rehab assignment for Single-A Lakewood tonight where he'll throw between 75-80 pitches, so it makes the move to plunk Brito into the rotation for a turn or two look like general maintenance.

But that's where it gets tricky. The Phillies very easily could have opted simply to activate Hamels to pitch Saturday in Lieber's normal spot where he could throw his 75-80 pitches against Major Leaguers for a team in desperate need of pitching help, but instead decided to have the lefty phenom pitch tonight... The same day as Gavin Floyd -- and his 6.62 ERA -- take the mound against the Dodgers.

When Hamels is ready to pitch again it will be on the same day as Floyd.

Does this mean Floyd has been put on alert? Or that the improved Ryan Madson is a better option for the rotation now than Floyd? Maybe there is a trade brewing? After all, there were a whole bunch of scouts in the press box during the past two days. Some of that might have to do with the upcoming draft, but where there are scouts, there are a lot of people talking with conspiratorial voices.

Even manager Charlie Manuel's comments about the situation are cryptic:

"I don't want to put pressure on our young pitchers. I want them to be able to go out there and throw their game. I don't want them to read into things. I don't want them to go out there thinking 'I've got to get this guy out or I'm going to the minors.' I'll surprise them one way or the other.

"I think when you're pitching, somewhere along the line, unless you're pitching outstanding, there's going to be some heat put on you."

Certainly the situation would be solved so much more easily if Randy Wolf were ready to go. Even though the All-Star lefty looked pretty sharp in his first game action (he whiffed five of the seven hitters he faced in two innings in an extended spring training game), he's still at least a month or two away from joining the Phillies.

Interestingly, Wolf is pitching again in an extended spring training game on Saturday.

Etc. Does anyone think former Phillie Jason Michaels went over to new teammate Scott Sauerbeck, showed him a copy of his mug shot from last summer's little dust-up with the local police and said, "I understand, man... I've been there."

Maybe not, huh?

Who's up first?

As far as controversies go, this one won’t be screaming from the back pages any time soon. Actually, it’s could hardly be called a controversy at all. It’s just a matter of writing one ballplayer’s name higher on a list and moving another one a little further down. You know, it’s not really that big of a deal in the scheme of things.

But around here we have a way of making things a bigger deal than they really are or need to be. That’s just what we do. It’s especially the case when the brewing controversy in question has been something writers, radio-types and fans have all been talking about for the past few years and it seems as if it has finally come to a point where a decision will be made.

Will Bobby Abreu become the Phillies’ leadoff hitter? Better yet, should anyone other than Jimmy Rollins be the team’s first hitter in the batting order?

Yeah, not exactly a deep, philosophical head-scratcher when one thinks about it.

But, you know, lets just talk about it one more time right here.

As everyone who follows the Phillies closely knows, Rollins has been the club’s primary leadoff hitter since he broke into the Major Leagues in late 2000. Diminutive and as quick as fox in a hen house, Rollins grew up in Oakland, Calif. idolizing Rickey Henderson. It just so happens that Henderson was the greatest leadoff man the game as even known, who would do anything he could in order to get on base. In fact, toward the end of his career when he could no longer get the bat around on a fastball, Henderson still rated amongst the league leaders in walks, and on-base percentage.

Long before on-base percentage was the trendy statistic, Henderson knew that if he could get on base his team had a better chance to win.

But unlike Henderson, Rollins does not possess the attributes that a top-notch, top-of-the-order man needs. Rollins likes to swing the bat and put the ball in play and as a result, the amount of times he gets on base depends on whether or not he gets a hit – that’s something only the most elite players do once every three times at-bat. So because of Rollins’ penchant for swinging the bat and not drawing walks, he and his .317 on-base percentage isn’t very good. Actually, when the first guy in the batting order fails to get on base close to 70 percent of the time, the team suffers.

But manager Charlie Manuel is stubborn. Even though there is an alternative, Manuel remains loyal to writing Rollins’ name at the top of his lineup card. Why not Abreu?

"Sometimes you have to show confidence in a guy, show him you believe in him," Manuel told reporters last weekend, noting that Rollins is the team’s only legitimate base-stealing threat.

Loyalty is an admirable trait. Often, showing loyalty to another person is the best characteristic there is. Yet at the same time, loyalty can also be a detriment. It can provide one with a false sense of security and maybe even apathy when tenacity and the fear of reprisal would be more apt. This isn’t to say that Rollins has become soft or apathetic in his role as the leadoff hitter, it’s just that maybe Manuel needs an intervention to help him cutoff his devotedness.

Perhaps the manager could grow to show that same steadfastness to Abreu?

With his .455 on-base percentage – which rates right up there with the game’s elite – as well as his uncanny patience at the plate, Abreu appears to be the ideal candidate to leadoff for the Phillies.

"The reason I like Bobby third is he is hitting with runners in scoring position and puts up some big numbers," Manuel explained to reporters last weekend. "What does a leadoff hitter have to do? He has to have a good on-base percentage. He has to get on base a lot. But what does the No. 3 hitter do? He's supposed to get on base, too. He's definitely one of our best hitters in the lineup. If my best hitter hits with guys in scoring position and he's a doubles and home run hitter, am I strong enough to put him in the leadoff spot? That's it more than anything."

Manuel’s theory just might be right on. After all, a quick glance at the league leaders in on-base percentage shows that only handful of the top 40 leadoff for their teams. The top guys – Barry Bonds, Abreu, Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera and Jason Bay – all bat in the middle of the order.

Besides, Tuesday night’s game-winning rally was sparked by Rollins – again at the top of the order after a three-game hiatus – getting things started with a single and Abreu bashing a three-run homer.

If the Phillies keep doing that there will be no controversy at all… at least not about the batting order.

Everybody's workin' for the weekend

Another weekend, another big series for the Phillies. Actually, make that two big series in a row. The reason why the three games against the Brewers and Nationals are so important -- aside from the obvious for a 24-22 club standing four games off the pace in the NL East at Memorial Day weekend -- is that after this set of games ends, the Phillies hit the road for 11 games in a row. Either way, I'm going to miss the series vs. the Brewers, but more on that later. For now, lets chat about Bobby Abreu's defense during the series against the Mets. Or perhaps more appropriately, how about his lack of defense?

For years now, fans, commentators, and the press have been quite critical of Abreu's defense. Actually, critical would be nice. But it's not wrong.

Abreu mishandled two balls hit near the rightfield fence this week that proved to be costly to the Phillies. One play, a drive off Jon Lieber on Tuesday night, resulted in ESPN baseball analyst John Kruk to say on Daily News Live that someone on the team should confront Abreu.

Maybe that's what "Gold Glover" Abreu needs when his defense appears as disinterested as it was this week. But to suggest that Abreu should "run into the wall" is just silly. It just isn't going to happen (and who wants the best hitter on the team injured), just like Abreu hitting leadoff is not going to happen.

ed. note: Looks like it could happen based on the reports from Shea. Looks like I'm wrong and Bobby is ready to slide up the batting order.

Nevertheless, there was a time when Abreu played inspired defense. He ran down fly balls with reckless abandon and displayed a strong right arm that kept runners in check. But in July of 2000, Abreu went into the wall for a flyball at Yankee Stadium and came out of the play a little banged up. He didn't miss any games from that crash landing, but he has shied away from all contact since.

But he can still hit.

As far as the leadoff stuff goes, there was a stretch of 19 games during the 2000 season (Aug. 20 to Sept. 9) when Terry Francona put Abreu at the top of the order and just let him go. The numbers from those 19 games?

AB - 71 R -12 H- 22 RBI - 11 2B - 4 3B - 1 HR - 5 SB - 4 BB - 18 K - 13 AVG - .310 OBP - .449

Those numbers look like someone who can handle the leadoff spot. Who knows, maybe Abreu was Rickey Henderson all along?

Yeah, but can it tie my shoes? Nike and iPod announced that it has joined forces to create a new wireless system that allows your spefically desgned Nike running shoe to communicate with your iPod to give pertinent feedback such as distance travelled, pace and calories burned. Not only will it record the information on your iPod, but also it will speak to you and tell you exactly what you are doing.

More than that, later you can hook your iPod up to Nike's web site to keep track of your workouts.

So much for the old running log or getting in the car to drive off your mileage.

The shoes ($100 to $129) and the wireless unit ($29) hit the market in July with the Nike Zoom Moire with more models to follow. There will also be other Nike+iPod accessories, too, such as spefically designed outer wear that will hold your devices and cords to keep your hands free.

Interestingly, according to business writer Darren Rovell, Nike's stock jumped up two percent after the announcement of the new products.

Needless to say, I know people who will buy this, and it's hard to deny the coolness factor of this gadget. In fact, I would hop on board if I didn't have to wear the Nikes.

Now I have nothing against Nike (aside from the reported sweatshops, of course) and as a one-time competitive runner just out of retirement (or a five-year hiatus... that sounds better) I wear Nike clothes for workouts and dare anyone to find a finer marathon racer than the steady and austere Mariah. But as long as adidas continues to make the Ozweego trainer, Phil Knight and Steve Jobs won't be able to send me any subliminal messages.

In July of 1996 I got my first pair of Ozweegos and haven't worn anything else since. This weekend I'll wear a pair of Ozweegos in the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington, Vermont as I travel with friends John May and Luke Smith as they take their maiden voyage over 26.2 miles.

It will be No. 12 for me, but the first one since the 2001 Boston Marathon. So instead of Phillies vs. Brewers over a holiday weekend, we're going for self-imposed discomfort.

Perhaps we'll be able to check in at some point this weekend or at least provide all sorts of updates, if not, enjoy the weekend, the baseball, and the holiday.

Finale at Shea

The first thing that the writers noticed when they walked into that tiny visitors clubhouse at Shea Stadium was the lineup posted on the wall near the door. I guess it's easy to figure out what was so noticeable: 1.) Victorino, cf 2.) Utley, 2b 3.) Abreu, rf 4.) Burrell, lf 5.) Howard, 1b 6.) Rollins, ss 7.) Bell, 3b 8.) Ruiz, c 9.) Myers, p

Before the game manager Charlie Manuel said he had trouble deciding whether or not to move struggling Jimmy Rollins out of the leadoff spot, but really, how tough of a choice could it have been? Sure, loyalty to your players is an important thing, but Rollins has not been very good this month as evidenced by his .212 batting average and .302 on-base percentage.

Interestingly, Rollins has a modest, five-game hitting streak going -- and he started his epic, 38-gamer last August amidst similar circumstances. In fact, I recall sitting in the squalid press box at RFK writing about the beginnings of Rollins' hitting streak where his batting average actually dropped in the first dozen games or so.

But I digress.

Here's the thing: just like with Cole Hamels and his injuries, Jimmy Rollins will forever be plunked atop of his team's batting order even though his game doesn't suit that style. He's far too impatient -- averaging just 3.44 pitches per plate appearance -- with a .309 on-base percentage.

So rather than beat a dead horse regarding Rollins in the leadoff spot, perhaps this is the best justification for Charlie's move:

Of all the players on the Phillies -- excluding the pitchers -- only Sal Fasano, Abraham Nunez and Carlos Ruiz have a lower on-base percentage than Rollins.

That can't be your leadoff guy.

So who can? Good question. Obviously, Bobby Abreu with his gaudy offensive numbers seems like a perfect candidate, but that's not going to happen so just get it out of your mind.

How about Aaron Rowand? He was a leadoff hitter for a time with the White Sox until they got Scott Posednick. Chase Utley? He doesn't strike out that much and he really knows how to play the game.

Anyone else? OK, anyone else other than Abreu?

I hate to say I told you so, but...

Yeah, yeah no one likes a smart guy -- especially one who rubs it in and gloats. Then again, there really isn't much need to gloat when my solid premise about Cole Hamels and his durabilty is just a few posts down. There was no way he could go an entire season without breaking down, it says. And...

There's no reason why he should have started the seventh inning in his last start when it took him 90 pitches to get through six.

But of course hindsight is always 20-20 and there is no pleasure taken out of another man's pain. That's especially the case when the guy in question is so much fun to watch.

Nevertheless, Cole Hamels, the Phillies' super phenom, is sitting inNew York and watching the ballgame on the newest Comcast SportsNet (shameless plug) after he felt a pop and some soreness in his left shoulder while throwing before Tuesday night's game at Shea. In fact, Hamels was probably watching last night's game on Comcast SportsNet since he went back to Philly during the game, but we'll touch on that in a moment. Let's deal with Hamels first.

To say that Hamels in injury prone or delicate would be like saying Michael Jordan was a pretty good basketball player. Yes, it's correct, but there's a lot more to it than that. The Phillies, or whomever Hamels ends up pitching for through his days in the Major Leagues, will have to just accept routine stints on the disabled list like the one Hamels is going through now.

The good news is that this injury doesn't sound too serious -- at least based on the following paragraphs from the Phillies' official statement. To wit:

The diagnosis [strained left shoulder] came following an examination by Phillies team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti and an MRI at the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

According to Dr. Ciccotti, the MRI revealed no structural damage to his shoulder. Hamels will be treated medically and through an exercise program.

The other piece of good news is already known -- Hamels is tough. Oh sure, he looks like a movie star, and probably needs a Roger Clemens-esque workout regime (who doesn't?), but this kid has... how can we say this without being vulgar... cojones. Big ones. He is the opposite of his pal Gavin Floyd in that he pitches and plays without self-doubt or fear. In a sense, Hamels is a lot like the pitching version of Chase Utley or Aaron Rowand.

But, that's the thing... those little aches and pains and the everyday rigors of professional baseball seem to take a much harsher toll on Hamels' body.

Oh yeah, we forgot to tell you... The local scribes sitting in the old, cramped and uncomfortable press box at good ol' Shea showed up at the park at 3:30 p.m. yesterday. No surprise there, because that's what time writers always show up at the ballpark. The thing about that was that the game didn't end until after 12:30 a.m. and they were not told about Hamels' injury until after the game.

Hamels, as everyone knows now, was injured before the game.

So in the two hours from batting practice until game time and then the five-hours, 22-minutes it took to actually play last night's game, the Phillies did not think to inform the local press (and in turn, the fans) that Hamels had left the park to return to Philadelphia, and would not be pitching on Wednesday for close to 10 hours.

Seriously.

Yeah, I know. The fans aren't interested in the plight of the press. Though as an aside, it always interested me before I got into the business. Actually, I always found the entire soap opera interesting and looked at the writers as just as much a part of the show as the players, but that's me. But the problem seems to be with accountability. The writers are the pipeline to the fans. That's not something to take delicately by any group.

Now I didn't make the trip to Shea this week, which is a story to come later. Besides, there are two more trips to the most difficult ballpark to get to, as well as a full slate of trips during the month of June. Nevertheless, I'm usually just an IM or call away from constant comminique with the folks in the press box, so I'm pretty plugged in.

When I heard that the Phillies didn't reveal the injury until after the game, I figured the team was trying to conceal something from the Mets. Why let them know that the Kid isn't going to pitch. But then Mike Radano set me straight -- as he often does -- and told me my thinking was a bunch of hooey.

"Did they think maybe no one would notice Jon Lieber on the mound tomorrow?" Radano said and wrote in his blog.

Here's the thing -- general manager Pat Gillick has a good relationship with the writers, and everyone really seems to like him. Actually, he really is an impressive professional and I suppose he was just trying to protect his player.

It just turned a really long night into an even longer one.

Insert whiner/crybaby noise here.

News stuff After firing seven innings starting in the ninth inning last night, Ryan Madson will take the ball on Sunday against Milwaukee. Gavin Floyd will start on Saturday. ***

I'm not basing this on anything, but I bet the Mets' trade for Orlando Hernandez (for Jorge Julio) from Arizona will trigger a few more deals in the NL East.

Finally Is this turning into the Cole Hamels blog? Geez, isn't there anything else to write about?

Hamels placed on D.L.

more to come later, but here is the press release from the Phillies: Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels has a strained left shoulder and has been placed on the 15-day disabled listed, retroactive to May 19, when he last pitched. He is eligible for reinstatement on June 3.

The diagnosis came following an examination by Phillies team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti and an MRI at the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

According to Dr. Ciccotti, the MRI revealed no structural damage to his shoulder. Hamels will be treated medically and through an exercise program.

Hamels was scratched from tonight’s start in New York after experiencing “a couple of pops” in his left shoulder while playing long toss in the outfield at Shea Stadium before Tuesday’s game against the Mets.

Condrey purchased

To fill Hamels’ spot on the 25-man roster, the Phillies have recalled right-hander Clay Condrey from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA). Condrey, 30, appeared in 3 games for the Phillies earlier this season. He allowed one earned run in 2.0 innings.

With Scranton, Condrey was 2-0 with one save a 1.09 ERA in 15 relief appearances. He leaves Scranton in the midst of a 20.0-inning scoreless streak (12 games).