Burrell ain't so bad... is he?

It's funny what a few ridiculous contracts can do for a guy's reputation. Suddenly, after Carlos Lee's mega-deal and a few other inflated pacts had been offered and signed by some rather mediocre free agents, Pat Burrell is beginning to look like a bargain for the Phillies.

Believe it or not, the Phillies might be lucky they have Burrell.

Check out the latest dispatch from Joe Sheehan in Baseball Prospectus:

It will be interesting to see if Pat Gillick completes the hat trick and trades Pat Burrell, clearing the last of the three massive contracts he inherited a little over a year ago. At $14 million per through 2008, he's pretty much a bargain; heck, he’s 90% of the hitter that Carlos Lee is, and in any given year could outhit the Astros’ $100 million man. Burrell would be a good pickup for a team savvy enough to pick up the money on his deal instead of swapping prospects. The Twins would be a pretty good fit, actually. Maybe the White Sox as well, where Burrell could sit 30 times against the toughest righties.

If they do trade Burrell, the Phillies will potentially have the worst-hitting outfield in the league. A Michael Bourn/Aaron Rowand/Shane Victorino combination would be fairly good with the gloves, and replacement level with the bats. Trot Nixon could be worth a gamble here, or perhaps Aubrey Huff. The Phillies were carried by three hitters during their run late in 2006; it would be a mistake to go that route again.

Here's my theory: Burrell isn't going to hit .222 with runners in scoring position or .167 with runners in scoring position with two outs for two years in a row. In fact, if Burrell had hit just .250 with runners in scoring position, the Phillies just might have made the playoffs last season. He can probably do that by accident in 2007.

At least he should do it by accident.

You heard it here first -- Burrell will be good in 2007. Let's rephrase that... Burrell will be better in 2007 than he was in 2006. For $14 million with Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in the most prolific offense in the league surrounding him, Burrell isn't the Phillies' biggest concern.

Besides, with the way most people have been writing him off this winter, Burrell should show up in Clearwater in three months with something to prove.

Let's see -- 29 homers, 95 RBIs and .890 OPS? That will work.

National Marathon: 16 weeks

I had planned on writing about how it was 70 degrees at 1 a.m. on Dec. 1 and 30 degrees with wind chills in the teens just three days later. But since I don’t understand science or meteorology, I’ll just skip it. Today I did my first 20 miler since the before the Harrisburg Marathon even though I had planned on quitting at 9 miles. Then 10 miles. Then 11… 12 and 13.

When I got to the 13-mile mark, I figured I would run a quick two-mile loop around Franklin & Marshall before calling it an afternoon. But suddenly I started to feel OK. It wasn’t necessarily a second wind, but my hamstrings felt better, each step was no longer a chore and the wind that sent the temperatures spiraling near single digits was either at my back or absorbed into the building or the trees.

That’s when I figured I might as well get 20 miles under my belt and grinded it out in 2:13:38.

Considering I was ready to pack it in 11 miles earlier, I did pretty well.

Besides, after eating and drinking like a pig the day before I figured I owed it to myself to run long. My wife and I had a few friends and their kids come over for her “soup night” so I figured I had to indulge.

And imbibe.

I did all the above.

Since I’m gearing up for the National Marathon on March 24 it was time to get serious – diet excluded, of course. Add in the fact that I plan on racing a 5k next Sunday, it’s time to run off the pounds of bread, cookies, wine, beer and soup(s) I stuffed into my stomach.

It couldn’t have been that bad, though. Despite running just 11 miles on Sunday as part of a 10-mile tempo run (in 59:23), I put in 94.5 miles last week. It didn’t plan on doing so much, but I just couldn’t help myself.

Here’s what happened:

Monday
14 miles in 1:33:05
The first 5 miles went in 32:37 just like the second 5. The last 3.3 miles on the field were slower, but I was oddly consistent.

Tuesday
14 miles in 1:32:31
Same run as yesterday, except that I ran 3 x 1,000 meters during my final five miles. I ran the surges very controlled at around 5-5:30 pace.

Splits:
first 5 - 33:15
first 10 - 65:57
last 3.3 - 20:48

Wednesday
15.5 miles in 1:49:14
Felt solid and relaxed, which is the way I needed to be after the past two runs. I ran a bunch of hills, which seems to affected the time, because I was running easy 6:45 miles.

Thursday
13 miles in 1:28:29
Ran very consistently and slow. I felt a little tight and maybe even tired after three decent workouts this week. It was also 70 degrees today, which is odd.

Friday
16 miles in 1:45:07
I liked this one. I rushed to get out the door before the windy storm and even though I started a little tight and couldn't do another set of intervals, I worked on running each loop faster than the previous one.

Splits:
First 5 miles - 33:50
Next 5 miles - 32:37
Last 5 miles - 31:43

Saturday
11 miles in 1:12:28
I actually stopped myself from running 13 or 14 today. I figured 11 was enough, especially since I had only planned on running between 70 to 75 miles this week. Nevertheless, it seems as if I'll be at 100 miles before the new year. I guess that's good.

Today I felt a little tight and tired because of yesterday's run and not enough sleep last night. Plus, it was very windy and colder than it has been. Nonetheless, I battled through and did my first five miles on the field in 33:00. I kept that pace for the following two circuits before doing the last one a little quicker to finish in 32:37. I definitely didn't feel that fast, but I'll take it.

Sunday
11 miles in 66:00
Ran strong but surprisingly didn't feel like a labored. In fact, it feels as if I really didn't push it at all. I ran the first 5 miles in 31:16 and the second 5 in 28:07 for 59:23 over 10 miles. I thought I could go a little faster, but to go 59:23 and not feel tired is pretty good.

That’s 94.5 miles with a little more than three months to go and a 20 miler in the bank.

The gift that keeps on giving

Mike Lieberthal has definitely received more than his fair share of gifts from the Phillies during his 13 seasons in the big leagues. There’s the estimated $53 million is salary, as well as all of the other perks that baseball players have come to expect.

That isn’t to say Lieberthal is greedy or selfish – at least no more or no less than any other person. He’s just a guy who is blessed with the rare talent of being able to hit a baseball reasonably well, and squat for a few hours a night while taking the routine punishment that goes with being a Major League catcher.

Through all of it – the fickle, one-sided treatment from the fans and media – Lieberthal was able to turn in two All-Star appearances, a gold glove award, and a handful of surgeries all while catching more games than any other player in the team’s 123 season history.

To be fair, all sides involved have received fair compensation. The Phillies got all those games and service, the fans got an above-average catcher for a few seasons, and the press got one of the better quotes and more interesting baseball minds to come through town in a long, long time.

But just to show Lieberthal how much they really like him, the Phillies gave one last final gift to their all-time squattiest catcher.

How about no offer of arbitration?

By not offering Lieberthal – a free agent who made $7.5 million in 2006 – salary arbitration, the 34-year old can sign to play anywhere without that team being saddled with offering a compensatory draft pick back to the Phillies. That opens the door for the Southern California native to ink the reported one-year, $1 million deal to play for his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers as the club’s backup catcher in 2007.

Had the Phillies offered Lieberthal arbitration, the reported deal from the Dodgers likely would have vanished.

How’s that for a parting gift?

The Phillies also bestowed the same kindness on free agent relief pitchers Aaron Fultz, Arthur Rhodes and Rick White; as well as infielder Jose Hernandez. Because all of those players were Type A free agents – meaning teams must give up a first- or second-round pick to sign them had the Phils offered arbitration – they become much more attractive to potential suitors.

Instead they are free and unfettered.

That’s not the case for outfielder David Dellucci, who was offered arbitration by the Phillies before Friday’s midnight deadline.

This is significant because Dellucci had reached a three-year, $11.5 million agreement with the Cleveland Indians earlier in the week. Now, the Phillies will receive the Indians’ second-round pick and a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds if the Tribe and Dellucci finalize the pact.

If the deal falls through, the Phillies will be able to negotiate with Fultz, Rhodes, White, Hernandez and Lieberthal unlike in years past. Under the new collective bargaining agreement ratified last month players can continue to negotiate with their former clubs instead of waiting until May 1.

That doesn’t appear likely, though.

Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds declined to offer arbitration to Type-A free agent David Weathers, a player whom the Phillies are reported to be interested in adding to their bullpen. Regardless, it appears as if the Phillies were taking a wait-and-see tact with Weathers with general manager Pat Gillick admitting on Thursday that the team had not offered a proposal to the pitcher.

Elsewhere, the San Francisco Giants did not offer arbitration to Barry Bonds, which lead to the controversial slugger to sign with the A’s or Padres.

Motivated by the Buffaloes

It’s hard not to read Running with the Buffaloes and not be motivated to go out and hammer through a hard workout. There’s just something about reading about interesting and passionate runners that makes one want to join them.

We all have our limitations though. It’s one thing to do 5 x 1 mile in 5:45 mixed into a hilly 15 miler and then read about Adam Goucher cranking out a 20 miler in 1:56 at 7,000-feet of altitude.

Goucher, of course, is the crème de la crème. Following his training through 1998 to get to the NCAA cross-country championships is awesome. Not awesome in the pop sense of the word, but in the dictionary definition sense.

Equally impressive are the workouts produced by his teammates. Clearly Goucher made the entire team better – not that the other runners on the team were chopped tofu. The last man on that Colorado team did 5x 1 mile repeats in 5:30 at altitude. Of course they weren’t putting in marathon miles and were mostly training for 8k cross-country races, but still…

At the same time, seeing the results of those runners proves that high-mileage training works. Put in those miles, get stronger, sharpen up and the results will come. If I were a coach of a college cross country team I would copy Mark Wetmore’s Lydiard-based methods… that is if the runners under my charge were interested in getting better.

Anyway, after reading about Goucher’s 20-miler on the Santa Fe Trail I went out and… well… didn’t go as far or fast. I’m still finding my legs after the three weeks of low, 60s weekly mileage so I slogged through 13 miles in 1:28:29 today. My hamstrings and glutes weren’t as tight today, but my quads were a little achy. It’s nothing serious, of course. Running is supposed to hurt.

Weather permitting, the plan is to do another 13-to-15 miler on Friday and possibly a 20-miler on Saturday. Why Saturday instead of my normal Monday? Why not? Plus, the National Marathon is held on a Saturday. It might be fun to mix it up a little bit.

Speaking of which, if I’m feeling particularly saucy I might race a 5k on Dec. 10 (my birthday) here in Lancaster. When I was tearing up the CYO league all through junior high, I recall having big scoring games on a couple of my birthdays. Hopefully that carries over to 5k races more than 20 years later.

The Get Over Yourself Award

Along with the weekly football picks, I thought it would be fun to come up with another weekly feature called, “The Get Over Yourself Award.” This honor will be bestowed upon anyone who just seems to need to take a step back and reexamine the situation.

It’s our little way to point out the self important and egotistical. You know a little self-grandiosity that may or may not bit a rip-off of Keith Olbermann’s “Worst Person in the World” feature.

Yes, I see the irony in one person writing about how another should “get over himself.”

Anyway, the inaugural “Get Over Yourself” Award goes to Michael Strahan in a runaway balloting over Albert Pujols. Strahan gets the nod, of course, for his tirade directed toward a few members of the New York media throng covering the Giants at Wednesday’s practice. It was during Strahan’s rant where he seemed to have a wee bit of a problem with a reporter’s question regarding the football player’s comments about a teammate “quit” on a play during the loss to the Titans.

Now I’m no expert, but if a player makes a public comment it’s fair to ask a question about it. Public means public. If I decide to stand on the hill in my front yard and shout at cars as they pass by, people – including reporters – are allowed to ask me about it. I gave up my right to anonymity the second I poured that seventh cup of coffee and decided to take my dementia to the front yard.

But Strahan’s public comments aren’t why he is our big winner. Nope, that would just be way too easy. The following quote is what sealed the deal for the Giants’ sacker:

“The fact of the matter is we are 6-5,” Strahan said. “We have lost three games in a row. What do you want us to do, put our head down and run to a corner? We don’t do that. We’re men. We get back, we practice hard. We prepare to play to win. We don’t prepare to come in and have someone who wants to take a comment and try to divide teammates in a way that it just disrupts this team.

“We don’t have that division,” Strahan added. “So if you want to come here with a negative, you are coming to the wrong guy, because I am not a negative guy. I don’t kill my teammates. I’m a man and I talk to my teammates.”

Strahan then ranted about the media only wanting to write negative stories to sell newspapers.

“The only thing that bothers me is the fact that you mislead people outside of this locker room when you guys spend more time with us than we damn near spend with ourselves sometimes, and that’s a shame,” Strahan said.

With that, Strahan said he was finished and had to prepare for the Cowboys. He has been listed as doubtful for Sunday matchup for the NFC East lead.
“If you are going to be negative, be negative because if you think it bothers me I don’t give a damn what you write,” Strahan said.

Where do I start?

Actually, let’s just keep this clean and quick:

There is unmitigated genocide in Darfur. Estimates show that there are between 48,904 and 54,266 civilians and approximately 3,000 Americans killed in Iraq since March of 2003. It’s the last day of November and the temperature is expected to reach nearly 70 degrees, yet we’re supposed to give a bleep that the New York Giants are 6-5 and the Michael Strahan is still out there practicing hard despite all of those “negative” newspaper stories?

Hey big fella, get over yourself.

Just so no one believes this is some web site posturing, ALL winners of The Get Over Yourself Award will be invited to go out to dinner on me the next time they find themselves in Lancaster, Pa.

I'll take them out for a steak the size of toilet seat... or for some of my veggie boy crap -- their choice.

Phillies Round Out Rotation with Eaton

Pat Gillick has not been very shy about expressing his disdain for the current crop of free agents on the market. Actually, Gillick was a bit underwhelmed by his choices last year, too, when he said his priority was to find a top-of-the-rotation starter for the Phillies.

“Sometimes we can get everything we want, but sometimes nothing materializes,” the Phils’ GM said.

Nonetheless, another year has passed and Gillick and the Phillies still have not made any changes at the top of the rotation. Jon Lieber, Brett Myers, Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer hold down the same spots as they did at the end of the 2006 season. The only difference is that Adam Eaton, the club’s first-round draft pick in 1996, will finally start a season in the Phillies’ rotation.

Of course there was a decade of climbing through the minors, a trade to San Diego and then another to Texas before finally getting his chance to pitch for the Phillies, yet Eaton is finally here after the official announcement of his new deal with the team that drafted him.

Eaton, still just 29 years old, is guaranteed $24.5 million over the next three seasons, the team announced on Thursday afternoon. The oft-injured right-hander joins the Phillies after starting just 13 games for the Rangers in 2006 after undergoing surgery on the middle finger of his pitching hand last April. In that Baker’s dozen of starts, Eaton went 7-4 with a 5.12 ERA, but has gone 18-9 over the past two years and 37 starts.

Eaton also had elbow surgery in July of 2001 that kept him off the field until September of 2002. Meanwhile, Eaton missed a few starts in 2005 with a strained middle finger on is right hand before having surgery on it in April of 2006. In all, Eaton has been on the disabled list six times during his career.

Regardless, the Phillies just committed three seasons and $24.5 million to a pitcher who has never had an ERA lower than 4.08 or thrown 200 innings in any of his seven Major League seasons. In fact, Eaton has made more than 30 starts just twice.

“We’re very happy to have Adam in the fold,” Gillick said in a statement. “He stabilizes our rotation and will complement the rest of our staff nicely.”

So unless there is an unforeseen trade or signing, the Phillies rotation for 2007 is set. That, however, doesn’t mean Gillick doesn’t have some work to do before the team heads to Clearwater in mid February. Or even the winter meetings in Orlando, Fla. next week.

“We’ll have to wait and see. We have a few lines out there trying to acquire what we need,” Gillick offered during a conference call on Thursday evening. We want to go out fishing and we have a few proposals out there. We’re looking for some bullpen help and a hitter.”

The Phillies’ needs certainly do not need to be decoded. With five starters with Major League experience, four outfielders and five infielders, the Phillies are set in those aspects. The bullpen, on the other hand, is incomplete and Gillick says he wouldn’t mind bolstering the team’s catching (Mike Piazza?) in addition to acquiring that much-talked about hitter (Mike Piazza?).

Let's make a deal?
But outside of landing Eaton and part-time third baseman Wes Helms, Gillick has whiffed as if he were Pat Burrell with two on and two outs. The team was interested in 40-40 man Alfonso Soriano until the Cubs came in and offered him an eight-year deal that made him the second-richest Chicagoan behind Oprah.

With Soriano gone, the team was rumored to be one of a handful of teams in the mix for Carlos Lee until he decided to go to Houston for six years and $100 million. After that news dropped, Gillick claimed the Phils weren’t so involved in bidding for Lee despite the fact that the slugger was as steady performer during his career. Sure, there are/were fair concerns over Lee’s fitness and attitude, but if Gillick and the gang are looking for protection for MVP Ryan Howard as they say they are, the new Astro would have fit in nicely in Philadelphia.

But for six years and $100 million?

Secretly, or maybe not so secretly, Gillick and the Phillies brass must have breathed a sigh of relief that Lee signed such an obnoxious deal with the Astros. While publicly downplaying the market, Gillick has a few built-in excuses and the luxury of being sane (and right) for not shelling out the mega years and bucks for Soriano and Lee. After all, Burrell already has one of those crazy deals.

And as far as trading that crazy deal to another team… well, good luck.

“We don’t have a lot to trade,” Gillick said. “We have the four outfielders (Burrell, Aaron Rowand, Shane Victorino and Jeff Conine), and the five infielders (Howard, Helms, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Abraham Nunez). We need to add. We don’t have the surplus to trade.”

Besides, published reports indicate that Burrell will only waive his no-trade clause to go to the Yankees, Red Sox or a west-coast club.

So there’s another strike. Mix in the rescinded multi-year offer to reliever Joe Borowski over reported arm trouble revealed in a team physical and Gillick is fouling off some tough ones.

“I’m not really sure with what’s going on out there is everyone is looking for the same commodity,” Gillick said. “Everyone is looking for a starter. Unless someone can trade for a reliever for a starter or a starter for a reliever I can’t see a lot of action going on. If you have some pitching you don’t want to give it up.”

That goes for the reserves in the minor leagues, too. Gillick said the team would be reluctant to deal away a prospect like Gio Gonzalez for a short-term fix.

At the same time, Gillick says one of those proposals the team has dangled out there has not been offered to former Reds closer David Weathers.

Needless to say, there’s work to do.

“We’re optimistic, but I can’t make any assurances or commitments that [anything is] going to happen,” Gillick said.

But at least for now, Gillick and the Phillies can be satisfied that some of holiday shopping is taken care of with Eaton’s arrival. Plus, with the re-acquisition of the team’s 1999 Paul Owens Award winner, the Phillies staff might not have changed at the top but it’s better than it was when 2006 began.

“I don’t look at the other teams in the division or the league, but from where we were from the beginning of the ’06 season we have five starters who have [Major League] experience. We have starters with experience,” Gillick said. “We didn’t have that last year.

“From the quality standpoint we have a better rotation that we had at the beginning of last year. What we have to do is work on the bullpen.”

Pitchers and catcher report in 11 weeks.

Do the right thing

Let’s start with a clerical thing – starting on Dec. 1 I am going to go into “Holiday Mode.” That means the posts here are will drop to just two or three per week as opposed to the veritable Odyssey and the Iliad that gets posted in manic spurts. Oh, I’ll be working for the first couple of weeks of the month before using up the last of my vacation days of 2006, but there will be other things happening that need my attention. I’ve been neglecting a few more “serious” writing endeavors and I want make some headway before the end of the year.

On another note, the running and training site will continue to be update with the same alacrity as always. Feel free to dive in and laugh at me.

Now, on to our regularly scheduled drivel…

According to the dispatches from the coast, Dodgers fans are excited about landing Randy Wolf and have given him special, sloppy kudos for agreeing to a deal for less years and guaranteed money to pitch in front of his friends and family in Los Angeles.

Of course Wolf will get $7.5 million for 2007 with an easy-to-reach vesting option for $9 million if he pitches 180 innings. Should Wolf remain healthy – and there is no indication to think he won’t be – the lefty believes he’s getting a two-year deal to go home.

Then again, despite the inflated free-agent market this winter, it’s not as if deals like the one Wolf got are growing on trees. At least they don’t give them to guys who write sentences.

“I'm not being paid minimum wage,” Wolf said. “It wasn't about how many years I could get, how many dollars I get.”

Better yet:

“You can't live your life for somebody else,” he said. “You have to do what's right.”

Besides, Wolf always said the biggest thing for him was to "experience baseball in October." With a new team that has done just that for the past two seasons in a row, the former Phillie just might get his chance.

Standing with the Inky & DN
Speaking of doing what’s right, let’s interject a little business with the baseball. Now I’m definitely no expert on business matters and things of that nature. If I was, well… you know.

Anyway, there is a strong chance that the writers at the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News could go out on strike at midnight on Thursday. Certainly, there are many intricate details that complicate matters, but the potential strike is bad for everybody.

It’s especially bad for a business that is making money. In fact, newspapers routinely turn in double-digit profit margins despite the changing landscape of the media. Again, I’m not expert, but it seems as if only casinos, certain elements of the entertainment industry and the Cosa Nostra consistently turn in profit margins like newspapers.

Yet across the country newsroom layoffs continue to occur at an alarming rate. Again, I’m not expert, but when did making a profit become so bad that it costs people livelihoods and careers?

Is it a simple issue of greed? Do the owners of newspapers believe the bottom line supercedes the public interest and the sanctity of our democracy? Sure, it might sound a bit dramatic, but trust me, it’s not. Without a resourceful and free press, the United States does not exist.

Don’t get me wrong, I think I believe in capitalism as it relates to a person’s liberty and labor. If someone can build a better mousetrap, have a special skill and/or work hard, they should be rewarded. But at the same time there is a way to do this with ethics and honor.

From what I can decipher from the newspapers an their double-digit profit margins is that if the world is a rat race it’s OK to be a rat.

Anyway, I’ll be rooting for a swift and painless settlement for the Inky/DN as soon as possible. There are some very hard-working, intelligent and kind people who work for our local papers of record. Let’s hope they keep on putting out their newspaper.

No way, Joe
Like Sandy Alomar a couple of years ago, a potential free agent signing for the Phillies appears to have hit a snag.

According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, the Phillies have “backed away” from a multi-year offer to relief pitcher Joe Borowski because of concerns over his right shoulder following the results of a physical.

According to Crasnick’s report, the Phillies were prepared to sign Borowski when a team doctor examined the results of the physical and advised against giving the pitcher a multi-year deal.

However, the report says that Borowski and his agents continue to field one-year offers from teams, including the Phillies.

The right-handed Borowski, 35, saved 36 games in 2006 for the Marlins and was eyed by the Phillies as a set-up man for closer Tom Gordon. Manager Charlie Manuel is one the record saying he would like to have a set-up man who worked as a closer in the past.

Despite appearing in 72 games in 2006 and saving 33 games for the Cubs in 2003, Borowski has struggled with shoulder trouble in 2004 and 2005 before rebounding with the Marlins.

Let's get to work

I’m in. Actually, I should say I’m all in.

I have fully committed to the National Marathon in Washington, D.C. on March 24. Well, “fully committed” is a relative term. I haven’t actually signed up for the race yet, not have I booked a room at a hotel or hooked up with one of my friends in the D.C. area for a place to stay before the race… or even told anyone other than my wife at this point.

When I presented my schedule for 2007 and my desire to run the National Marathon, as well as the Steamtown Marathon on Oct. 7, my wife just kind of shrugged and said, “OK… ”

That’s the way it is around here sometimes.

Regardless, in my head, I’m in. That’s half the battle right there – thinking about it. Committing my mind and energy is enough to actually shelling out the dough and everything else.

Nonetheless, I have started my buildup for the race, which, believe it or not, is quickly approaching. March 24 leaves 11 weeks of training starting on Jan. 1. That means in order to be at 100-mile weeks by the New Year, training has to start now. I want to be able to put in at least 10 straight weeks of 100-plus miles in order to be able to run between 2:32 and 2:37 on March 24. If I can do that, I should be in good shape to take a run at 2:30 with an outside shot at 2:25 by October.

Yeah, let’s push the envelope a bit.

Anyway, originally the plan was to run between 70 and 75 miles this week, which seems more than doable after the first three days. On Monday and Tuesday I did a pair of 14-milers, including a 3x 1,000 meters at 5k pace on Tuesday. Monday’s run was a solid, unwavering 6:35 to 6:40-pace run, while Tuesday’s started slower but resulted in a 6:30ish total pace thanks to the three intervals.

Today I ran a hilly 16-miler at an easy and strong 6:45 pace on the flat sections, but ended up at 7:02 pace because of the hills. I didn’t plan on going so long, but I figured I was out there moving around… what the heck?

The fear, of course, is too much too soon. The Harrisburg Marathon was just a few weeks ago and though the windy day held me up and the slow time didn’t really beat me up, the long training period left me a little fatigued. My hamstrings and glutes are still tight and sore, though they don’t affect my running, and my mental game was (is?) ready for a nap.

With that in mind, the plan is to push up the mileage through the December without doing any 21-to-24 milers until Jan. 1.

Then we’ll get after it.

Running nugget
In a story by Mike Sandrock in the Boulder Daily Camera, coaching sage Mark Wetmore offers a few helpful guidelines for runners preparing for the U.S. cross-country championships in Boulder on Feb. 10.

Holding the cross-country championships in Boulder is kind of like having the Super Bowl in Las Vegas.

Injuries looming for Hamels?

Certainly I have written a fair amount about Cole Hamels and his durability, how he was able to stay healthy during his first full season of professional baseball (going wire to wire, that is), and how he plans on remaining healthy during his big league career.

There is no doubt that Hamels has a smart approach in preventing his chronic injuries from resurfacing. But according to Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci, it might not do much good for Hamels. You see, Verducci has come up with something he calls “The Year After Effect” where he identifies young pitchers headed for arm trouble and/or stagnant performance. The flashpoint, according to Verducci, is an increase of more than 30 innings from one year to the next and he correctly targeted the Twins’ Francisco Liriano as the casualty for 2006.

Based on an increase of more than 80 innings, Hamels is looking at some trouble in 2007.

Verducci's Year-After-Effect Candidates for 2007

Cole Hamels Phillies 23 181.1 +80.1* Justin Verlander Tigers 23 207.2 +70.2 Anibal Sanchez Marlins 22 200 +64 Jered Weaver Angels 24 200 +56 Sean Marshall Cubs 24 147.1 +53.1 Scott Olsen Marlins 22 187 +50.2* Jeremy Bonderman Tigers 24 234.1 +45.1 Adam Loewen Orioles 22 183.1 +41.1 Anthony Reyes Cardinals 25 187 +39.1 Scott Mathieson Phillies 22 164.1 +33* Boof Bonser Twins 25 192.2 +31.1* *-players exceeding their previous professional high

I’ve been trying to mine the depths of my memory and for the life of me I can’t think of a Major League pitcher who has gone through a career without getting injured. Of course I’m drawing just on the past six years, but if one is into masochism and wants to spend time in examination rooms there are two choices. The first one is to become a pitcher. The second is to get a motorcycle.

Those are two surefire ways to get some type of injury.

In the meantime Hamels will continue to remain diligent in his training regime. Will that make a difference in keeping the young lefty healthy? Definitely. But that doesn’t mean he won’t get injured. Health and a long career seem to be mutually exclusive for big-league pitchers.

Nevertheless, one veteran pitcher once told me “sometimes injuries just happen.” I respectfully disagreed. Injuries happen when one becomes a pitcher. It doesn’t appear as if anyone is immune.

Why the Hall not?

The ballots for the 2007 Baseball Hall of Fame class are out and without getting too much into it, there is a little hubbub about certain candidates. Nevertheless, if I had a vote –- which I don’t –- here are the players I would select for enshrinement:

Tony Gwynn

Jim Rice

Cal Ripken Jr.

The following is a list of candidates that I liked, but wouldn’t select for one reason or another:

Bert Blyleven

Andre Dawson

Rich Gossage

Tommy John

Jack Morris

Dale Murphy

Dave Parker

Lee Smith

Am I missing anyone?

A couple of notes: This could be the first Hall of Fame ballot where I was old enough to see every one of the candidates play. In fact, I remember Dave Parker’s famous throw in the 1979 All-Star Game and Jim Rice’s epic 1978 season. I remember Andre Dawson in 1987, Dale Murphy in 1982 and ’83 and Jack Morris pitching in the greatest World Series game ever.

Additionally, maybe they could come up with a new rule where a one person is removed from the Hall of Fame after every five are elected? Let’s start with Tony Perez and Bill Mazeroski.

Eaton returns as Wolf goes home

It’s hard to write about Randy Wolf and his move home to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers without doing some sad self-introspection. Baseball players, of course, come and go. There have been thousands of them to pass through Philadelphia and there will likely be thousands more. It’s the same everywhere.

A few leave a mark either on the field or off and Randy Wolf was one of those guys. Engaging, reasonably intelligent and always thoughtful are tough characteristics to find in most baseball clubhouses these days. To find a guy who encompasses all three is like finding a specific needle in a stack of needles.

Engaging, for a writer, is the important trait. It didn’t matter whether Wolf was pissed off after a poor outing or had somewhere to go after the game, he always treated a questioner with patience and respect.

Certainly it’s hard not to be excited for Wolf, who gets to pitch for his hometown team where his mom, family and friends can come see him pitch as often as possible. The fact that Wolf reportedly turned down better offers – including a multi-year deal from the Phillies – to go home speaks to how important it was to go home. Sure, he has made his money and will be paid a handsome salary with easy-to-reach incentives if he stays healthy, but another good person has taken less to go somewhere else.

“The Phillies were very competitive,” Wolf told reporters. “I felt that they were competitive with any offer out there. But it was just a matter of the Dodgers being the right opportunity. To me, it wasn't about trying to get the most money. It was important for me to have the opportunity that I didn't know would ever come up again.

“I could have gone to the highest bidder. But for me, going to the highest bidder wasn't as important as going to the place I was from. I grew up in the L.A. area and have many fond memories of going to Dodger Stadium with friends and family.”

Figuring out how to keep certain players in town is a headier project for another time.

Regardless, the part I’m struggling with is that Randy Wolf was the last player remaining on the Phillies from the first day I stepped into that damp and dark clubhouse in Veterans Stadium. I arrived on the scene about a week before Pat Burrell was finally called up from Scranton and months before Jimmy Rollins got his September call up and Terry Francona his September pink slip.

Scott Rolen, Robert Person, Bruce Chen, Brandon Duckworth, Brian Hunter, Nelson Figueroa, Omar Daal, Mike Lieberthal, Doug Glanville, Dave Coggin, Chris Brock, Eric Valent, Johnny Estrada, Todd Pratt, Amaury Telemaco, Wayne Gomes, Joe Roa, Jeremy Giambi, Eric Junge, Rheal Cormier, Bobby Abreu, Placido Polanco, Cory Lidle, Larry Bowa, Ricky Ledee, David Bell, Marlon Byrd, Tyler Houston, Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, Turk Wendell, Dan Plesac, Jason Michaels, Billy Wagner and Travis Lee…

All gone.

So Wolf heading for Los Angeles there are no more ballplayers who have been with the Phillies since the middle of the 2000 season.

If I didn’t know any better I’d say I’m getting old.

Eaton returns
I’m so old that I remember when Ed Wade traded away the team’s top pitching prospects, Adam Eaton and Carlton Loewer, for the surly and underachieving Andy Ashby. At the time Wade defended the deal by claiming the Phillies’ wild-card hopes for 2000 were directly pinned on Ashby coming through at the top of the rotation with Curt Schilling not due back to the rotation until May after undergoing off-season surgery. In theory Wade was correct. The Phillies needed a top-of-the-rotation starter to compliment Schilling, but that guy wasn’t Ashby.

That didn’t take long to figure out.

Ashby was traded to Atlanta by June for Bruce Chen, who lasted slightly longer than a season in Philadelphia before starting his collection of used uniforms.

Nevertheless, Eaton takes Wolf’s spot in the rotation even though the duo should have worked together for the past half decade.

Better late than never, right?

Though not officially official, Eaton is signed on for the next three seasons, which isn’t so bad. Just 29, Eaton will be heading into his prime years during his deal with the Phillies. Wolf should be coming into his prime, too, but Eaton should be slightly better… then again, pitchers returning from Tommy John surgery are typically better the second year.

We’ll definitely have the chance to see how it all unfolds.

No Lee, no way
It turns out that the Phillies only had a cursorily interest in slugger Carlos Lee before he signed a six-year deal worth $100 million with the Hoston Astros last week. According to what general manager Pat Gillick told wunderkind Phillies writer Todd Zolecki, the Phils never had a shot.

“We weren't in on him,” Gillick said in The Inquirer.

To that we say, “Why the hell not”?

Well…

“It's like musical chairs,” Gillick told Zolecki. “You don't want to be stuck without a chair... . I'm optimistic about the potential of some of the things we're talking about. I just think we've had some good dialogue back and forth, both in trades and in free agency. We've had some good talks.

“There wasn't a lot of depth in this market. You had Soriano and Carlos Lee. You have Zito and Schmidt. After you get by that group, there's not a lot there.”

On another note, the Phillies signed a third-base coach. If the newly-hired Steve Smith makes it through the first full week of December he’ll already be on the job longer than the last guy.

Ted Leo + Pharmacists beat Eagles every time

Last Sunday I caught the second half of the Eagles’ loss to the Titans while soaking my achy right hip and hamstrings in a Jacuzzi of a beachside resort suite while allowing Richard Ford’s workmanlike prose from his latest novel pour over me. As far as Sunday’s go, this one was hard to beat.

Until this past Sunday, that is.

Instead of the beachside resort with a Jacuzzi in the master bedroom, my wife and I ambled over to the Chameleon here in Lancaster to catch Ted Leo & the Pharmacists regale a couple hundred folks who, like me, decided an hour or two in a dark room with Mr. Leo and his Pharmacists was a more interesting way to spend an evening.

The only way it could have been better is if Ted and the gang played while I soaked my hip and hammys, but I’ll take what we got.

What we got was an inspired – though shortened because of a sinus infection – performance with one of the true punk bards in an “industry” sorely lacking of such things. In a workmanlike and rip-roaring set, Leo and the tightly knit Pharmacists (the demure Dave Lerner on bass and epically bearded Chris Wilson on drums) mixed in a few new ones from a soon-to-be released recording with the older favorites. Leo and the gang did this despite revealing that he was fighting a “bloody sinus infection” and working with a fingernail rebuilt with super glue.

Like an athlete trying to make it through a season, Leo says he does what it takes to make it through touring nine months out of the year. Better yet, the fact that Leo and his Pharmacists are able to get so many gigs even when they aren’t supporting a new record, DVD or some other multimedia explosion is a testament to the band’s ethic and spirit.

From a few interviews, it appears as if Leo is often asked about his ferocious ethic and why he chooses to grind out a living as a musician as opposed to something more mainstream or bourgeoisie. For instance, try this one:

So how to describe Leo for the uninitiated? According to a dispatch in a Hartford Courant from writer Brian LaRue:

Ted Leo’s almost impossibly melodic and wordy Celtic-Motown-punk rock tunes have themselves given thousands of fans hope in the face of political, social and personal bad vibes, certain events of 2006 have demonstrated that Ted Leo himself is one wiry, literary vegan in his mid-thirties whom you probably shouldn’t mess with. Dude is a veritable vibe-bulldozer.

That’s a hell of a paragraph with a lot to digest. Certainly there is a punk tinge to Leo’s work, kind of like a lot of the bands from England that followed The Clash to the U.S. during the late 1970s. Those bands weren’t “punk” like the Sex Pistols or Ramones, but they were “punk” because they had a DIY and progressive ethic.

Billy Bragg certainly comes to mind and is a popular starting point for many music writers. I suppose that’s fair simply because I remember the very first time I ever heard Billy Bragg just as I remember the very first time I heard Ted Leo. In fact, I can recall sitting in a chillingly cool air-conditioned room in New York City during my first year of college and hearing Bragg’s unmistakable brogue and jagged guitar. I also remember saying out loud to anyone who was in the vicinity, “Oh my. What is this”?

It was “A New England,” just as it was “Timorous Me” nearly 15 years later.

Actually, it seems as if the group is are a bunch of “musician’s musicians.” Though I’m far from an insider, most of the people I know who are speak glowingly about Leo. Is there a better compliment than one from one’s peers?

Anyway, Leo and the gang appear to have offered a more inspiring performance on Sunday night than the local football team. Besides, it’s pretty difficult to not shake and shimmy when “Me & Mia” gets going.

Ted Leo + Pharmacists in Philadelphia on Dec. 10, 2004

But by the time we got home there was still a lot of football to be played in Indianapolis. However, my wife grabbed the remote and opted for Brokeback Mountain on HBO instead of the Eagles. I guess they are kind of the same, right?

More: Me & Mia
Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?

A true classic

After many years of going out of my way to ignore it and to write it off with a condescending arrogance befitting a mainstream sportswriter in the fourth largest media market in the United States, I finally picked up a copy of Chris Lear’s Running With the Buffaloes.

I must say – what a revelation.

It’s not so much the writing and the story as it is the ideas. Textually, the book is similar in style to the ubiquitous John Feinstein’s chronicling of some season, tour, tournament or team, but the writing is much more urgent and bold. No, that’s not a knock at Feinstein or even a compliment for Lear, but it’s clear that Lear understands what and whom he is writing about.

Perhaps that knowledge is what separates Lear from most running writers or sports scribes. Take me (or Feinstein) for instance. Though I played sports all through my school days there’s no way I’ll ever be able to fully understand what it’s like to play in the Major Leagues, NFL or NBA. Where I might have it over most writers is that I know what it takes to train every day for months and years without an end or feedback in sight, but as far as the actual competition at the highest level of the sport I get paid to watch, I have no idea.

Lear, in writing about the Adam Goucher-led University of Colorado cross-country team of the late 1990s, understands a lot of what it takes for greatness because he was an All-American runner for Princeton and an Olympic-caliber miler who packed everything he owned into his car and moved out to Boulder.

Moving to Boulder might be the clichéd runner thing to do – like an actor moving to New York or Hollywood – but the odds of “making it” are probably much lower. The good thing about forays to Boulder is one returns home in much better shape than when they left.

Anyway, the real star of Running With the Buffaloes is Colorado coach Mark Wetmore. A post-modern Lydiard devotee, Wetmore is a sharper, more grounded version of Bill Bowerman and the younger John Kelley. The difference might be that when all is said and done, Wetmore could turn out to be the best distance coach ever.

Certainly such superlative border on hyperbole and are often trite, but in this day and age Wetmore certainly has things to worry about that his predecessors could never have imagined.

Yet like Bowerman, Wetmore is direct and unabashedly honest. A favorite passage is when Wetmore waxes on with Lear about what it takes to be a good runner and holds himself up as an example.

“If I came out for my own team, I’d cut me. I have no talent.” But a lack of talent can be made up for by an overabundance of courage. “You’re not gonna die,” he says. “This isn’t jousting, but some people are petrified. They can’t do it.”

In other words, if it hurts run faster.

Runners and running fans surely have heard of the cult of Lear’s book, but simply calling it a cult classic hardly seems right. Is it a “cult” classic simply because it deals with a supposed fringe sport? Probably. But Lear’s book is the rare running tome that is worthy of the effort.

Better yet, instead of the comparisons to Feinstein, the book is better served being compared to David Halberstam’s The Amateurs.

In making that comparison, Running With the Buffaloes goes on the short list of greatest sports books ever written.

***
On thing that stood out to me in reading about Wetmore’s training methods in relation to my own training is that I am on the correct path. From my approach to my ideas regarding weight training, weight, mileage, type of mileage and how that mileage is obtained, as well as and everything else, it looks as though it all jibes with a lot of Wetmore’s theories.

Who knew?

Nevertheless, just the thought that I can put together a training program that someone like Wetmore might offer to one of his runners is a big confidence builder.

So too was today’s hilly half-marathon that I covered in an easy 1:31:14. It was my longest run since the marathon on Nov. 12 and should put me on the right path to re-starting a training program in a couple of weeks.

So soon? Well, yeah. I decided that I am better when I focus on one marathon a year. That way I can gear an entire year of running and training for one goal and one race. By doing this, it alleviates some of the pressure in other races and helps me look at the bigger picture.

Therefore, my race of 2007 will be the Steamtown Marathon on Oct. 7 in Scranton, Pa. Steamtown, for those who don’t follow the sport, is known as a runner’s race and one of the fastest marathons in the country. If I can’t get a good time running Steamtown, well… it better be windy.

But if Steamtown is more than 10 months away, why do I have to start training again? Well, I get bored if I don’t have something to keep me sharp and focused so I’m going to run the National Marathon in Washington, D.C. on March 24. That’s sooner than I’d like, but I have a pretty good base and it shouldn’t be too hard to tune up even if I start as late as the New Year. Besides, the National Marathon comes early enough in the year to give me the chance to run in some races I never get a chance to because they come to close to Boston or at the beginning or end of training cycles.

The only drawback is all of the summer training, but oh well… it’s always hot somewhere.

Who's next?

Before the hype machine could get to work or anyone could get too excited, Lance Berkman got some “protection” while it appears as if Ryan Howard is stuck with Pat Burrell.

Certainly there are worse fates than having a left fielder who was the top pick of the amateur draft that averages 31 homers and 105 RBIs per 162 games over his seven Major League seasons. But the fact is Carlos Lee probably would have been better.

But Lee is gone to Houston, all signed up for the next six seasons where he’ll get $100 million to take aim at the shallow left-field perch at Minute Maid Park, or whatever corporation paid to put its name on the stadium. Lee, as steady performer during his career despite the concerns over his fitness and attitude, would have fit in nicely in Philadelphia.

But for six years and $100?

Secretly, or maybe not so secretly, GM Pat Gillick and the Phillies brass must have breathed a sigh of relief that Lee signed such an obnoxious deal with the Astros. While publicly downplaying the market, Gillick has a few built-in excuses and the luxury of being sane (and right) for not shelling out the mega years and bucks for Alfonso Soriano and Lee. After all, Burrell already has one of those crazy deals.

So now Gillick can do two things. One is to focus on building the Phillies’ pitching staff because the bullpen needs bolstered and the rotation needs one or two more arms. The other thing – a desperate or last-ditch maneuver, perhaps – would be to go after Manny Ramirez again.

The chances of that are slightly less than slim and none since there are so many crazy variables involved with the trades and contracts and money. Plus, earlier this month Gillick stated that Ramirez was kind of a pain in the rear. Oh sure, manager Charlie Manuel says he has a good rapport with the flaky slugger, but who knows how long that will last with a goofball like Ramirez.

Besides, we already had Terrell Owens in town. Do we really need another circus, albeit a saner, goofier circus?

Best bets

Last week: 3-3-1
Year-to-date: 15-15-2

Remember back in the early 1980s when NBC decided to televise an NFL game without the aid of the broadcasters? If I recall correctly it was the Dolphins against some other AFC team at the Orange Bowl and the experiment was roundly criticized as a failure by people who are experts at pointing out failures.

Truth be told, though, I loved it, but admit it would have been much better if the technology to have the score and time remaining in the corner of the screen were available. That’s called a “bug” in the business.

Anyway, I liked the austerity of that broadcast and think that something similar can work these days. Sometimes it seems as if the games are too overhyped and overproduced, but what do I know. I just liked watching games from the Orange Bowl because they kept a real, live dolphin in a pool beyond the end zone. Every once in a while when the camera would pan just right, you could catch a dorsal fin just below the cross bar.

Could you imagine a team keeping a dolphin on the field these days? Dolphin, jaguar, eagle, giant or titan or not, I doubt it would detract from the cheerleaders on the sidelines wearing outfits the size of dental floss.

Anyway, in tribute to the innovative stunt pulled off by NBC, I will offer this week’s football picks without the boys in the booth. Besides, why do I have to justify my choices?

Bengals minus 3 over Browns

Jaguars minus 3 over Bills

Giants minus 3 over Titans

Colts minus 9 over Eagles

Taking a break

Wow. Had I known there was such a whiny post sitting on the top of this page for so long I would have done something about it. Then again, if there is one thing that runners (me) can do well it’s whine. Runners – or at least me – can make excuses and complain about just about everything.

It’s too windy. The course was too hilly. The course had too many downhills. The course was too flat. Who can control the weather?

Yadda, yadda, yadda.

Anyway, here’s today’s excuse: I haven’t updated this page in so long because I actually took some days off from running. Two days to be exact. The plan was for one, but that morphed into two much to my chagrin.

Rest, of course, is the cornerstone to any solid training program. Muscles and all of that other running stuff work better when they are strong, fit and not fatigued. That’s where rest comes in. At the same time, rest is important to keep one from breaking down or getting hurt. So it makes sense that a smart runner should rest up from time to time.

Right?

Yet for some reason taking a day off is incredibly difficult. Why? Well, runners and athletes, by nature, are obsessive. They know the only way to stay ahead of the competition or to get closer to reaching a goal is to work hard. However, there is a point of no return. A racecar can only spend so much time in the red before it starts to fall apart.

That last sentence was the extent of my mechanical knowledge.

Nevertheless, the day extra day off this week made me bounce off the walls of my house and drive everyone within those confines crazy. Instead of running I did sit-ups on my exercise ball every five minutes. When I wasn’t beating the hell out of my abdominal muscles, I ate all the junk food I made a point to ignore during my training. Actually, I ate the junk food close to bedtime and before and after dinner.

Talk about a mess.

Aside from that, the initial, planned day off was very nice. My wife and I traveled to a swanky oceanfront hotel in Rehoboth Beach, went out for a nice dinner and soaked in the Jacuzzi in our suite. Almost instantly, all of my tired and overused muscles started to feel better. My hip was no longer creaky and my hamstrings felt pliable again.

But after the second day I wanted to put my head through a wall and go run. The problem was that I had too much to eat and I’m one of those guys who has to run on an empty stomach.

I did just that from Tuesday to Friday, cranking out easy, easy 10 to 11-mile runs at 6:50 to 7-minute pace. On Saturday morning I’m supposed to run the Northern Central Trail Marathon as a long run. I don’t plan on racing or taking the pace anywhere past 6:20 or engaging in anything too strenuous. Basically, I’m just going out for a long run with the hope of burning off some of the crap I’ve eaten in the past week of slovenly living and to pad my stats. Fourteen marathons is better than 13.

On another note, I have determined which races I plan on running in 2007. I’ll reveal those later.

Friday leftovers

Happy Thanksgiving and Black Friday, everyone. I hope those tryptophans didn’t make you too sluggish.

Nevertheless, Pat Gillick and the Phillies brass appears to be on the verge of heating up the hot stove, or some other overused imagery like that. According to ESPN’s baseball sage Buster Olney, the Phillies are one of three teams – the Astros and Orioles are the other two – in the mix to land slugger Carlos Lee. On Thursday Olney wrote that if the Phillies get Lee it’s a serious 180-degree turn from the team’s stance when dealing away Bobby Abreu.

Actually, it’s the same issue I had with the pursuit of Alfonso Soriano, however, Lee like mercenary Soriano, is right-handed. The Phillies, apparently, are willing to overlook a lot of flaws and financial constraints for simple right-handedness.

Anyway, as Olney wrote:

If the Phillies wind up winning this bidding, it's doubtful that there will be a more glaring example of a front-office strategic flip-flop that costs the team tens of millions of dollars: On July 30, the Phillies essentially gave away on-base percentage machine Bobby Abreu to the Yankees because they wanted to get out from underneath the $23 million still owed to him, in '06 and '07 salary. And now, four months later, they are on the verge of signing another player who is A) roughly the same age (Abreu is 32, Lee is 30); B) much worse defensively, considering his range and throwing arm; C) an inferior athlete -- Lee's thickening body greatly concerns some general managers; and D) much, much, much more expensive, with the team's financial obligation for an impact corner outfielder increasing by perhaps as much as $85 million, if the Phillies' bid takes them over $100 million.

Now, the one real plus that Lee has, in how he fits the Phillies, is that he's a right-handed hitter who will slot in well with left-handed hitters Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.

By the way, I think we can safely assume that the Yankees are going to pick up the $16 million option on Abreu's contract for 2008, barring a serious injury, in light of how contract costs have skyrocketed this off-season.

Lee, of course, has four straight 30-plus homer and 100-RBI seasons in a row, as well as two straight All-Star appearances. He also does not strikeout as much as typical power hitters (or walk as much) and has played in at least 140 games in the last seven seasons. This means that Lee, like Abreu, is consistent. It also means that Lee just might be what Gillick thinks the Phillies need to “protect” Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.

More MVP banter

Full disclosure – if I had a vote for the 2006 MVP Award, my ballot would have looked like this:

1.) Albert Pujols, St. Louis
2.) Ryan Howard, Philadelphia
3.) Lance Berkman, Houston
4.) Alfonso Soriano, Washington
5.) Miguel Cabrera, Florida
6.) Jose Reyes, New York
7.) Jason Bay, Pittsburgh
8.) Aramis Ramirez, Chicago
9.) Chase Utley, Philadelphia
10.) Carlos Beltran, New York

Ryan Howard is certainly a worthy MVP winner and no one should really have any qualms about him winning the award. It’s just that I think Albert Pujols was a more valuable player. Statistically, Howard gets the nod, but Pujols carried his team into the playoffs and then on to the World Series without much help from Jim Edmonds or Scott Rolen.

Howard, on the other hand, had Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Bobby Abreu for most of the season. In fact, a story in Baseball Prospectus surmised that Howard wasn’t even the MVP of his team.

That could be a little far-fetched, but the point is Pujols was the only man on the Cardinals down the stretch, while Howard hit just two homers after Sept. 9. Perhaps the argument for Pujols could be summed up by an email I received this week:

In game 157, Albert Pujols hit a three-run HR that allowed the Cardinals to make the playoffs and allowed La Russa to start Carpenter in Game 1 of the NLDS.

That sort of incredible moment is what wins players MVP Awards.

Another baseball writer crime.

I wouldn’t call Howard’s MVP a crime – far from it. But Pujols’ September should have clinched it for him.

That month? Try 41-for-110, 10 HR, 28 RBI, and 19 BB.

Meanwhile, don’t lump me in with the baseball writers or the arcane, anachronistic, outmoded and irrelevant Baseball Writers Association of America. They don’t let me vote, but the guy who put Pujols third on his ballot probably gets to vote for the Hall of Fame, too. Just like the guy who put Derek Jeter sixth on his MVP ballot.

Yeah, it’s all so scientific.

Nonetheless, I'm pretty sure Pujols is very pleased with how his season ended.

M-V-P!

I’ve been reading what a lot of folks are writing in the newspapers, blogs, plogs, message boards and on billboards and I honestly believe some of these people are missing something really, really obvious about Ryan Howard.

What’s that Obi-Wan? Tell us what everyone else is missing that you, astutely noticed that we all missed…

Digressing, did I just have an argument with myself in a different voice? Have I sent our beautiful and complicated language back a day or two?

Back to the point – here’s what everyone has missed:

Ryan Howard is just going to get better. He’s going to get stronger, smarter and faster. He’s going to be able to recognize pitchers and their tendencies better. He’s going to go to the plate with a more developed plan of what he wants to do. He’s going to strike out less and walk more. As a result, his batting average and slugging percentage will rise. He will score more runs and the Phillies will win more games.

Then there are the other things away from the field. Such as Howard will learn how to work out better. He’ll learn what he can eat and can’t eat. He’ll see Pat Burrell and realize that sleep is much more important than people realize and directly affects an athlete’s performance.

He’ll learn how to say no.

He better because the world changes for guys who win the MVP Award in just their first full season in the Majors. That first full season came just a year removed from a rookie-of-the-year award and a trade of established all-star Jim Thome in order to make room for a player making just the league minimum instead of the big years and eight-figures Thome was drawing.

The Phillies will never admit it (then again, maybe they will), but the only reason they didn’t deal away Howard was because of the economics.

“He's better than I expected,” general manager Pat Gillick admitted to reporters yesterday. “Our people thought he would struggle against left-handed pitching. That's why we tried to sign Wes Helms and Eddie Perez last year. We were looking for someone to take the heat off him with a left-hander pitching. As it turned out, none of that was necessary.”

Nor will it be for the foreseeable future.

Howard is just 27. He’s still years away from his prime, which will coincide, coincidentally, with his ability to test the free-agent market if the Phillies fail to sign him to a long-term deal. Though it isn’t likely he will turn in 58 homers and nearly 150 RBIs every year, 40 and 120 isn’t out of the question. Neither are a .330 batting average, .450 on-base percentage, and 1.100 OPS.

“We laugh all the time about Ryan because he doesn't think he should ever make an out,” hitting coach Milt Thompson told reporters yesterday. “I love that about the kid. He's never satisfied. That's a sign of greatness.”

But does he need protection?

That will be the $125 million question this winter.

Soriano gone to craziest bidder
It was no secret that the Phillies coveted Alfonso Soriano as the compliment to Howard in the lineup. What they didn’t expect is that it would take eight years and a gazillion dollars to add him to the club. Apparently that's what the Chicago Cubs thought he was worth.

Good luck with that, Cubbies.

Here’s what is clear about that… Soriano is not interested in playing for a winning club. He’s a Dominican Rod Tidwell. Moreover, I hope the Phillies were just playing lip service to “being in the running” to sign Soriano. Eight years? For a 31-year-old player with no position?

Let the Cubs have that albatross of a contract.

'Our player is gone'

It’s with great consternation that we note the death of Andre Waters. In the late 1980s and early ‘90s, Waters was the tough guy and battle-axe for the greatest defensive unit ever assembled. Notice that the superlative was not prefaced with the word “arguably”?

Waters will always be that player we will always talk to out friends about and laugh with both joy and awe at not just the outrageousness of what he did, but at the fact that he actually had the balls to play the way he did.

If playing dirty was an art, Andre Waters was Jackson Pollack coming at you with a mess of lines and shapes and colors that look so schizophrenic but actually reveal a lot of depth and beauty.

Nevertheless, it saddens me to learn that Waters had problems that were deeper and more confounding than regular superficial things and it’s even worse that he could not get the help he desperately needed. As I wrote, Waters will be one of those athletes that people always talk about for his play, verve and antics. Better yet, people like me were lucky to get the chance to watch him play and I hope that there was a chance that Waters knew that there were a lot of people who thought the same.

More: Andre Waters: "Our" Player is Gone