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A right move?

Needless to say there was a lot of talk and dime-store analysis following Charlie Manuel’s post-game freak out. Hey, that’s just what we do…

Anyway, the one item that seemed to make some sense was the idea that the Phillies owed Manuel a move. All winter long and wherever Manuel went he spoke time and time again about how the Phillies would be a contending team if they shored up the bullpen. That’s all he wanted heading into spring training – an arm or two to bolster the ‘pen was what the manager thought would put the team over the top.

It turns out the bullpen and that RISP specialist are exactly what the Phillies need through the first 12 games of the season.

But instead of the reliever, Manuel was handed Wes Helms, Rod Barajas, Jayson Werth, Karim Garcia and six starting pitchers. Later, the Phillies added Antonio Alfonseca and Francisco Rosario when all along Manuel thought he could do it with five starters, Chris Coste and Abraham Nunez.

So the question remains: do the Phillies owe Manuel a move? Obviously, all they owe him is what is on his contract. But do the Phillies have to do the right thing and get that missing piece?

Or is it already too late?

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All over but the shouting

It’s no secret that manager Charlie Manuel is a fan of professional wrestling. Hey, who isn’t? But as the skipper of a Major League baseball club, it’s rare that Manuel ever gets to ply some of the techniques used in the not-so sweet science of wrasslin’ in his craft.

Tuesday’s post-game press conference turned into one of those moments.

In an episode that seemed to be less than authentic and contrived on both ends, Manuel was goaded into a verbal sparing match by a local AM radio talk-show host. Asked if he had seen Cubs manager Lou Piniella berate his team and the media late last week and if he thought such methods were effective to turn around a losing club, Manuel, known as "The Red Devil" during his playing days because of his temper, responded:

“There are times and ways to do it,” Manuel said. "For me to just go in there and throw a fit - I can go in there and tear the whole (deleted) locker room up. I can come in here and throw every damn near chair out. What the hell? I don't see where that's going to do any good.”

Manuel was then erroneously told that his players don’t see him angry, which led to the manager telling the terrestrial radio talker to meet him in his office so, “I can show you I can get angry. Why don’t you drop by my office? I'll be waiting on you.”

Moments later an argument between Manuel and the radio personality was heard in the hallway outside of closed doors, which was followed by more shouting by the manager in the clubhouse before he was led away by coach Milt Thompson.

“I've been listening to your [bleep] for three [bleeping] years,” Manuel shouted.

“Grow up,” was the talk-show host's retort.

“I've been grown up,” Manuel said. “I grew up a long [bleeping] time ago, you [bleep].”

Certainly Manuel’s anger was real, but did he kick it up a notch so that his players could see and hear it? Perhaps. But when heart-of-the order hitters Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are a combined 5-for-32 with runners in scoring position this season, there isn’t much a lot of yelling and screaming can do.

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Garcia by the #s

Freddy Garcia just walked off the mound minutes ago in his Phillies debut where he threw 95 pitches and left the bases loaded for Geoff Geary with two outs in the fifth. In facing 22 hitters, Garcia:

had nine three-ball counts
had six full counts
had 11 two-strike counts
had six first-pitch strikes
had six strikeouts
top velocity - 91 mph

Before the game, Charlie Manuel said Garcia was going to throw just 75 pitches. He had that by the third inning.

In game note: It should be noted that during the sixth inning of Tuesday night's frigid affair at the Bank, Phillies.com scribe Ken Mandel attempted to pour hot chocolate into a basic, paper soda cup. Ken looked on in disbelief as the cup, and the straw he placed into the hot chocolate, mollified into the steaming beverage.

For Ken, it seems, every day is full of surprises.

Nevertheless, Ken enjoyed the steaming cup of chemical ooze as he composed another trenchant and hard-hitting baseball synopsis.

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London calling

Conditions are expected to be really good for Sunday's London Marathon (much better than in Boston), and as a result Felix Limo says he'll need eyes on the back of his head.

Once again London has attracted an incredibly deep field and features some of the best talent ever outside of the Olympics.

Paul Tergat (KEN) 2:04:44 - world record
Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 2:05:38 - American record
Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) 2:05:56 - Olympic champ
Felix Limo (KEN) 2:06:14 - defending London champ
Martin Lel (KEN) 2:06:41 - 2005 London champ
Hendrick Ramaala (RSA) 2:06:55 - 2004 NYC champ
Jaouad Gharib (MAR) 2:07:02 - two-time World Championships winner
Stefano Baldini (ITA) 2:07:22 - defending Olympic champ
Benson Cherono (KEN) 2:07:58 - 2006 Los Angeles champ
Hicham Chat (MAR) 2:07:59
Marilson Gomes dos Santos (BRA) 2:08:48 - defending NYC champ
Jon Brown (GBR) 2:09:31 - 4th 2000 Olympics
Meb Keflezighi (USA) 2:09:53 - 2004 Olympic silver medal
Ryan Hall (USA) debut - American record holder in half marathon

Interestingly, Khannouchi, who has battled injuries for the last few years, has downplayed his chances saying he's 90 to 95 percent after foot surgery. He said the same types of things last year and ran 2:07, which was the fourth-best time by an American and the best by an American in 2006 by nearly two minutes.

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Notes from Boston

While the Phillies take the day off because of the weather, the Boston Marathon was full of intrigue for those of us interested in that type of thing and most of it was on the women’s side of the race.

All runners, it appeared, chucked out their time goals and simply competed, which made for a very tactical race. With steady 20-mph headwinds with 50-mph gusts and temperatures that started at 50 degrees and dropped like a rock to the bottom of a swimming pool, survival was the rule of the day. It definitely was no day at the beach.

Perhaps that’s why American Deena Kastor struggled in her Boston debut to finish nearly six-minutes off the pace for fifth place. A pre-race favorite, Kastor said her training for the race was “flawless” and based on how she dominated at the national cross-country championships, it was evident. But Kastor threw in a second straight “clunker” in a major marathon after running a 2:19 for the American record and the victory in the London Marathon last April, and victory in Chicago in October of 2005 and a bronze medal in the Olympics in Athens in 2004.

It’s a little baffling because Kastor clearly is tough. The Athens Olympic Marathon was run over a course very similar to the one she raced over today in Boston under conditions that were not conducive to running. In that race Kastor ran smart and solid to bring home the bronze.

Yet after running and winning on two courses designed for speedy, and world-record times, Kastor struggled on two “classic” styled courses by finishing sixth in 2:27:54 and today’s fifth-place finish in Boston in 2:35:09, which under ideal weather conditions might have resulted in a similar time to the one from NYC.

So is the tactical-style of racing or the undulating terrain on courses like New York and Boston that tripped up Kastor? Who knows. All we know is that running is a fickle mistress – some days you have it and some days you don’t. That’s really deep, I know, but what else is there to say? There is no such thing as getting “hot” in running, meaning it’s conceivable that I could hit a home run off Roger Clemens or get “hot” and finish a round under par in golf. But there is no way I will ever be able to run a 2:10 marathon no matter how hard I train or if I have a good day.

Unlike other sports there is no such thing as luck in running.

note: The New York Times reported that Kastor struggled with stomach cramps during the race. Her plan, before the weather report turned from bad to worse, was to go out hard from the start. Later she changed plans to race tactically before making a move at Heartbreak Hill. Instead, when it came to make a move Kastor went for one of the many port-o-pots lining the course. Except for the cramps, Kastor says nothing else bothered her during the race.

“I knew coming in here that the competition would be great and I could conquer it,” she said. “That wasn’t the case today. We marathoners can get pretty hard on ourselves, but I felt I had the drive to push forward and the will to win the race. So I’m definitely disappointed knowing I was good enough to come here and win this race. I’m disappointed that didn’t happen.

“Usually, you can learn a lesson from a marathon. I’m not taking anything away from this one. There was no learning experience. A fifth-place finish is a fifth-place finish.”

So yes, it had to be something with Kastor. She's far too good of a runner to simply have a bad day. Just ignore the second-guessing.

Certainly that was the case for Lidiya Grigoryeva and Jelena Prokopcuka, who finished in first and second place in the women’s race. Grigoryeva, from Russia, won in 2:29:18 by surging with a 5:10 mile to take her from Brookline to Kenmore Square on the point-to-point course. She smartly stuck close to Prokopcuka, the two-time champ in NYC and now back-to-back runner-up in Boston, when the Latvian dictated a strong early pace into the teeth of the Nor’easter. By Heartbreak Hill, Prokopcuka and Grigoryeva gapped the chase back and left Kastor a minute off the pace with approximately 15 kilometers to go.

Though she didn’t win, Prokopcuka may have been the best runner in the race.

Robert Cheruiyot didn’t have the problem of being the best runner in the race and falling short. Like Prokopcuka, Cheruiyot set the pace as if to tell the other racers that, “It begins and ends here, fellas. Hang on if you can… ” In the end, Cheruiyot finished in 2:14:12 – way off the 2:07:14 he ran to set the course record last year, for his third victory in Boston.

As a side note, while watching the race I was struck by Cheruiyot’s running style and how he gobbled up ground with a powerful stride that was contrarily efficient and smooth. Then it hit me… he ran like Moses Tanui. You remember Moses Tanui, the two-time Boston champ from the Nandi District in Kenya who was the first human to run a half marathon under an hour? Of course.

Tanui was so tough that he won the silver 1995 World Championships in the 10,000 meters even after one of his shoes fell off.

Tanui ran two of the bravest races I had ever seen, coming from more than a minute off the pace at Heartbreak Hill to chase down two runners in the final 200 meters to win the 1998 Boston followed by the great 1999 Chicago Marathon where Tanui and American record holder Khalid Khannouchi dueled at world-record pace from the gun.

In that one, Tanui surged from the pack at the 17th mile to build a 60-second lead with five miles to go. That’s when Khannouchi decided to go after Tanui to catch him with about 5k left. The two took turns trying to break one another until Tanui reached for his water bottle at the 25-mile mark. That’s where Khannouchi really threw down the hammer using Tanui’s slight hesitation as the thin window of opportunity.

On TV, Khannouchi and Tanui disappeared into a tunnel together where cameras couldn’t send out a signal or the helicopter offering a bird’s eye view couldn’t hover. But when they came out Khannouchi was alone and blazing to set a world record in 2:05:42. Tanui finished in 2:06:16, just off the record Khannouchi had broken.

Anyway, it dawned on me that Cheruiyot’s gait was eerily similar to Tanui’s until the announcers revealed that he is coached by Dr. Gabriele Rosa – Tanui’s old coach. Then it all came together… it all made sense.

Nevertheless, Cheruiyot won his third Boston and he’s just 28. Wait until he gets to his prime.

And wait until you read this story...

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Wet and wild redux

Perhaps the best thing about the two consecutive weather postponements for the Phillies is that Freddy Garcia gets that much more time to rest up before taking the mound. Of course Garcia hasn’t pitched all season and is on the mend from biceps tendonitis, which isn’t good, but you get the point. Tendonitis typically occurs because of overuse and the best remedy to fix it is rest.

No rest equals bigger trouble.

According to the Phillies, Garcia is ready to go so we all finally get a chance to see Pat Gillick’s big off-season acquisition in action on Tuesday night against Tom Glavine and the Mets.

On another note, Garcia is a really big dude with really wide shoulders. He looks like he should be able to throw really hard.

***
Meanwhile, the Phillies sent out a release this afternoon stating that Citizens Bank Park won the “Best Ballpark Eats”at the first-ever “Food Network Awards.” According to the press release:

Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies, was honored last night for having the “Best Ballpark Eats” during the premiere of the Food Network’s first-ever awards show, the Food Network Awards. The 90-minute show celebrated achievements in the world of food and entertaining in an offbeat awards ceremony unlike any other on television.

Citizens Bank Park offers many features that make it “Not Your Typical Ballpark.” From foods with Philadelphia flavor such as Rick’s Steaks, Tony Luke’s sandwiches and cheesesteaks, Chickie’s & Pete’s Crab Fries, Planet Hoagie and The Schmitter sandwich … to eateries such as Bull’s BBQ, Harry the K’s Broadcast Bar & Grille and McFadden’s Restaurant & Saloon. Plus, there are many traditional favorites such as hot dogs and fries at the Hatfield Grill stands, pizza from Peace A Pizza, ice cream products from Turkey Hill, Bubba burgers and many local and national brews. For more information, please go to www.phillies.com.

An internal panel led by Food Network Kitchens selected the nominees for the awards; the same panel, which represents all departments at the network, chose the winners, in addition to five viewer’s choice categories that were determined by votes on www.foodnetwork.com.

Citizens Bank Park beat out the other ballpark finalists: Camden Yards in Baltimore, AT&T Park in San Francisco and Safeco Field in Seattle.

Notes from Boston
While the Phillies take the day off because of the weather, the Boston Marathon was full of intrigue for those of us interested in that type of thing and most of it was on the women’s side of the race.

All runners, it appeared, chucked out their time goals and simply competed, which made for a very tactical race. With steady 20-mph headwinds with 50-mph gusts and temperatures that started at 50 degrees and dropped like a rock to the bottom of a swimming pool, survival was the rule of the day. It definitely was no day at the beach.

Perhaps that’s why American Deena Kastor struggled in her Boston debut to finish nearly six-minutes off the pace for fifth place. A pre-race favorite, Kastor said her training for the race was “flawless” and based on how she dominated at the national cross-country championships, it was evident. But Kastor threw in a second straight “clunker” in a major marathon after running a 2:19 for the American record and the victory in the London Marathon last April, a victory in Chicago in October of 2005 and a bronze medal in the Olympics in Athens in 2004.

It’s a little baffling because Kastor clearly is tough. The Athens Olympic Marathon was run over a course very similar to the one she raced over today in Boston under conditions that were not conducive to running. In that race Kastor ran smart and solid to bring home the bronze.

Yet after running and winning on two courses designed for speedy, and world-record times, Kastor struggled on two “classic” styled courses by finishing sixth in 2:27:54 and today’s fifth-place finish in Boston in 2:35:09, which under ideal weather conditions might have resulted in a similar time to the one from NYC.

So is the tactical-style of racing or the undulating terrain on courses like New York and Boston that tripped up Kastor? Who knows. All we know is that running is a fickle mistress – some days you have it and some days you don’t. That’s really deep, I know, but what else is there to say? There is no such thing as getting “hot” in running, meaning it’s conceivable that I could hit a home run off Roger Clemens or get “hot” and finish a round under par in golf. But there is no way I will ever be able to run a 2:10 marathon no matter how hard I train or if I have a good day.

Unlike other sports there is no such thing as luck in running.

note: The New York Times reported that Kastor struggled with stomach cramps during the race. Her plan, before the weather report turned from bad to worse, was to go out hard from the start. Later she changed plans to race tactically before making a move at Heartbreak Hill. Instead, when it came to make a move Kastor went for one of the many port-o-pots lining the course. Except for the cramps, Kastor says nothing else bothered her during the race.

“I knew coming in here that the competition would be great and I could conquer it,” she said. “That wasn’t the case today. We marathoners can get pretty hard on ourselves, but I felt I had the drive to push forward and the will to win the race. So I’m definitely disappointed knowing I was good enough to come here and win this race. I’m disappointed that didn’t happen.

“Usually, you can learn a lesson from a marathon. I’m not taking anything away from this one. There was no learning experience. A fifth-place finish is a fifth-place finish.”

So yes, it had to be something with Kastor. She's far too good of a runner to simply have a bad day. Just ignore the second-guessing.

Certainly that was the case for Lidiya Grigoryeva and Jelena Prokopcuka, who finished in first and second place in the women’s race. Grigoryeva, from Russia, won in 2:29:18 by surging with a 5:10 mile to take her from Brookline to Kenmore Square on the point-to-point course. She smartly stuck close to Prokopcuka, the two-time champ in NYC and now back-to-back runner-up in Boston, when the Latvian dictated a strong early pace into the teeth of the Nor’easter. By Heartbreak Hill, Prokopcuka and Grigoryeva gapped the chase back and left Kastor a minute off the pace with approximately 15 kilometers to go.

Though she didn’t win, Prokopcuka may have been the best runner in the race.

Robert Cheruiyot didn’t have the problem of being the best runner in the race and falling short. Like Prokopcuka, Cheruiyot set the pace as if to tell the other racers that, “It begins and ends here, fellas. Hang on if you can… ” In the end, Cheruiyot finished in 2:14:12 – way off the 2:07:14 he ran to set the course record last year, for his third victory in Boston.

As a side note, while watching the race I was struck by Cheruiyot’s running style and how he gobbled up ground with a powerful stride that was contrarily efficient and smooth. Then it hit me… he ran like Moses Tanui. You remember Moses Tanui, the two-time Boston champ from the Nandi District in Kenya who was the first human to run a half marathon under an hour? Of course.

Tanui was so tough that he won the silver 1995 World Championships in the 10,000 meters even after one of his shoes fell off.

Tanui ran two of the bravest races I had ever seen, coming from more than a minute off the pace at Heartbreak Hill to chase down two runners in the final 200 meters to win the 1998 Boston followed by the great 1999 Chicago Marathon where Tanui and American record holder Khalid Khannouchi dueled at world-record pace from the gun.

In that one, Tanui surged from the pack at the 17th mile to build a 60-second lead with five miles to go. That’s when Khannouchi decided to go after Tanui to catch him with about 5k left. The two took turns trying to break one another until Tanui reached for his water bottle at the 25-mile mark. That’s where Khannouchi really threw down the hammer using Tanui’s slight hesitation as the thin window of opportunity.

On TV, Khannouchi and Tanui disappeared into a tunnel together where cameras couldn’t send out a signal or the helicopter offering a bird’s eye view couldn’t hover. But when they came out Khannouchi was alone and blazing to set a world record in 2:05:42. Tanui finished in 2:06:16, just off the record Khannouchi had broken.

Anyway, it dawned on me that Cheruiyot’s gait was eerily similar to Tanui’s until the announcers revealed that he is coached by Dr. Gabriele Rosa – Tanui’s old coach. Then it all came together… it all made sense.

Nevertheless, Cheruiyot won his third Boston and he’s just 28. Wait until he gets to his prime.

And wait until you read this story...

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Staying solid

From the outset, all of my workouts this week look pretty boring. For six straight days I ran essentially the same mileage over the same course. Even better, I was able to stay off the roads and on some forgiving surfaces with lots of hills. Better than all of that, I remained strong, healthy and excited to keep on keeping on.

If I continue on this path there is a chance I could jump in a race in early June. Maybe even a five-mile race in Lancaster on a course where I have never broken 28-minutes...

Anyway:

Monday - 13 miles in 1:27:41
Went back in the Brick Yards again and had lots of fun. Actually, I ran one of my loops from back in '98 when I was training for Boston. It worked then, maybe it will work now.

Tuesday - 13 miles in 1:26:31
Went back in the Brick Yards again and ran faster and stronger than yesterday. My calves bother me a little bit, but it didn't hinder my running. Interestingly, there was a guy running along a similar loop as me and wouldn't acknowledge me even after I waved. What is that? It wasn't like the guy was running particularly fast either. I wanted to run him down and smoke his ass, but he changed direction... good move on his part.

Wednesday - 13.2 in 1:28:01
Ran better and faster than yesterday, including "race pace" for the last mile on the field. I definitely have to add a little more speed to my workouts though I definitely felt it in my hamstrings today. On another note, I nearly was run over by a deer while running on a trail through the Brick Yards. I think there were three of them and they bolted in front of me about 20 yards away and off into the brush. Man, do those things move fast -- they're really big, too. Needless to say it scared the shit out of me.

Thursday - 13.3 miles in 1:30:25
Didn't go back in the Brick Yards today because it was wet and muddy after last night's rain, and I didn't want to get run over by another deer. Other than that, I didn't feel great running -- my legs were tight and felt heavy. Basically, I forced myself to run the 13.3 miles because I had it in my head that it was how much I should run. Needless to say tomorrow will be a little easier.

Friday - 10.5 miles in 1:12:49
I knew I was supposed to go easy today, but I really didn't feel like it... I wanted to run. Nevertheless, I went close to 11 (slightly more than what I posted) and felt really strong. Who knows, maybe I'll be ready to race at the end of May or beginning of June. As soon as I drop some weight I'll be ready to go.

Saturday - 13 miles in 1:28:36
Another good, solid run. At the end I felt like I could have kept going. It looks as if some more bad weather is coming through. Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in some runs over the next two days.

Sunday nothing
I wanted to run and easy, easy 5 today, but the wind and the rain from the Nor'easter were just too much to bear. Besides, we had big birthday party No. 3 for Michael. Talk about a wild time... I think I was as excited about the party than him.

Total mileage: 76 miles... starting to get there.

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Wet and wild

Ask any well-trained athlete what the biggest concern is on the day of competition and the answer will be the same every time.

The weather.

Baseball, of course, cannot be played in even the slightest of poor conditions, while football is stripped down to its bare essence when the weather turns sloppy. On days like we had today – where a nasty Nor’easter barreled through and dropped about four inches of rain on us, the Phillies, Mets and Red Sox decided to stay indoors.

Smart thinking.

Knowing how athletes fret about the weather it’s safe to say that there are a lot of people struggling to get to sleep tonight in Boston. Tomorrow, of course, is Patriot’s Day in New England which means it is Boston Marathon Day. And judging from the forecast for Monday it seems like the reward for those weekly 20-milers and months of training will be the sloppiest day in the 111 years of the race.

Maybe the anticipated wet and windy weather is a bit of poetic justice of sorts. After all, after 110 years of holding the race at 12 noon on the dot on Patriot’s Day Monday, the Boston Marathon will start at 10 a.m. Logistically, it makes sense to get everyone from Hopkinton, Mass. To Boston’s Back Bay sooner, but maybe it was a tradition that should be messed with. Perhaps that’s the case?

Actually, there are bigger forces are at play than silly superstition. However, having run a marathon in windy and wet conditions just a few months ago, I don’t envy the folks preparing to take the trip from Hopkinton to Boston. Unless the wind (predicted to gust up to 50 m.p.h.) is at the runner’s backs, then they can forget about any time goals. So that means a lot of hard work and training is lost like spores of a dandelion lost in a Nor’easter.

It’s not fair.

That’s the way it goes sometimes. As a runner, you can complain and feel bad about your fortune it or you can take off when the gun sounds and try to kick ass. There will be approximately 23,000 athletes ready to do just that tomorrow at 10 a.m.

What to look for
After a few days of feeling pretty pleased about skipping Boston this year, I have to admit that I wish I were there. How could anyone not want to run in the craziest and most extreme Boston Marathon ever? Nevertheless, I’ll be there in 2008.

As far as the fast elite runners go, don’t expect any Americans to sprinkle in to the top 10 like last year. That’s when Meb Keflezighi, Brian Sell, Alan Culpepper, Pete Gilmore and Clint Verran made the ’06 Boston Marathon the best showing by American runners in two decades. Don’t count on that tomorrow. For one thing Gilmore is the only runner of that group returning this year, since most of the elite Americans are focusing on the Olympic Trials to be run in New York City in early November, while Keflezighi, Khalid Khannouchi and Ryan Hall are slated to run the London Marathon (with another ridiculously deep field) next week.

On the men’s side, defending champ and course-record holder Robert Cheruiyot is back after his infamous spill at the finish line at last October’s Chicago Marathon. Cheruiyot is tough as nails which will come in handy in Monday’s conditions, but he should expect a challenge from countryman Benjamin Maiyo (second last year) and Robert Cheboror, who ran a 2:06 in Amsterdam in 2004.

The women’s race is doubling as the American national championship, which adds to the depth of the field. Defending champ Rita Jeptoo is back, along with defending New York City Marathon champion Jelena Prokopcuka, and Mexican stalwart Madai Perez.

But Monday is Deena’s day.

Readers of these pages know that Deena Kastor is No. 1a amongst the greatest American women runners in history (Joan Samuelson, of course, is No. 1, too). A victory in Boston would be the perfect complement to a great resume. And based on Kastor's showing in the USATF Cross Country Championships, she very well could be the best runner in the world right now.

One last bit of advice
Typically, my advice to anyone running Boston is to resist the urge to go too fast on all of the downhills through the first half of the race because, inevitably, you’ll pay for it later. That happened to me in ’97. But as soon as you get to the top of a small hill around the 14-mile mark, run like hell. Better yet, from 14 miles on surge on every downhill and maintain your pace on the inclines – including Heartbreak Hill.

Boston, like a few other marathons, is like a tricky golf course. Every mile has its idiosyncrasies and nuances that make the race unlike any other in the world just the way Augusta and Pine Valley offer challenges.

Late Sunday night, however, I came across this on the Boston Athletic Association web site:

The Boston Athletic Association's medical team recommends the following precautions and advice for participants in Monday's Boston Marathon:

FORECAST: The most up-to-date weather forecast calls for a predicted Spring storm on Monday, including heavy rains (potentially 3 to 5 inches), with the start temperatures in the mid to upper 30's. Wind will likely be East (in the face of the participants for most of the race) in the 20 to 25 mile per hour range, with gusts to as much as 50 miles per hour. This will produce a wind chill index of 25 to 30-degrees Fahrenheit.

RISKS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RUNNERS PARTICIPATING IN COLD AND WET CONDITIONS: Combined with the rain, we are concerned that predicted weather conditions will increase the runners' risks for a condition called hypothermia. As with any athletic competition, as a runner you are assuming the risks inherent with participation. It is your responsibility to be informed about the risks associated with running in the aforementioned conditions, and the risks of injury or illness will increase with these predicted conditions.

While exercising in cold weather, our bodies attempt to maintain core temperature by shunting blood away from the periphery, thus minimizing heat loss. Hypothermia sets in when the body's temperature drops below normal, starting when the body loses heat faster than heat can be generated. Heat is produced by muscle action and shivering. Very low body temperatures can be life threatening.

In other words, all bets are off.

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Could Rollins outgrow leadoff spot?

If one looks at it literally, Jimmy Rollins was correct in saying the Phillies were the team to beat in the National League East. At 2-8, boy are they ever the team to beat.

Yet despite sparking his teammates to back his words with winning baseball, Rollins has more than stood out through the early going of the season. Notoriously a poor starter during most of his career with the Phillies, Rollins leads the league with six homers, is second with 12 runs and is third in OPS (1.201) and slugging percentage (.783). Meanwhile, he slips into the top 10 in RBIs (11), on-base percentage (.418) and walks (8). A season after setting career highs in all of those statistical categories save for on-base percentage, Rollins, 28, appears to be settling into his prime.

But that’s where it gets curious. Is Rollins settling into his prime as a leadoff hitter or as a middle-of-the-order slugger? Certainly all followers of the Phillies have opinions on the topic, but the only one (or two) that matter aren’t budging.

The fact of the matter is that Jimmy Rollins is the Phillies’ leadoff hitter now and for the foreseeable future.

“I’m not saying I want to do anything,” manager Charlie Manuel said on Friday with his daily powwow with the writers. “I haven’t even thought about (a lineup change).”

Certainly Manuel has more important things to worry about than moving Rollins out of the leadoff spot, and frankly, Manuel seems to be taking the if-it-ain’t-broke approach where he can. In fact, since Manuel took over as skipper from Larry Bowa one of the first things he did was put Rollins at the top spot and to stop worrying about it. After bouncing around from the top third and bottom third of the order with Bowa in charge, Rollins has just 35 at-bats outside of the leadoff spot since Manuel took over before the 2005 season.

No doubt there were plenty calling for Manuel to move Rollins out of the top spot based on his pedestrian on-base percentage and his long stretches where he drew nary a walk. But now it seems as if Manuel’s patience has been rewarded.

“I feel like for me to want to move him we would have to need something down in our lineup,” Manuel said. “But I wouldn't do that (now). ... I don't plan on doing that. I'm not saying I won't do anything, but I haven't thought about (moving Rollins).”

Rollins, Manuel says, is a lot like his boyhood hero Rickey Henderson except for the walks of course. The quintessential leadoff man, Henderson bashed nearly 300 home runs during his long career, which was a terrifying dichotomy for the opposition when his all-time best stolen bases and second-best walks are measured in.

At the same time, Alfonso Soriano swiped 41 bags and smashed 46 homers hitting mostly in the leadoff spot for the Washington Nationals last season.

With stolen base numbers that hover in the mid-30s to low 40s, could a season like Soriano’s be in Rollins’ not-so distant future?

“He hit 25 last year. I’m not setting an amount on him and hopefully he’s not setting an amount,” Manuel said. “If he hits the ball out front with a good short swing, that’s what a home run is.”

Rollins, it seems, definitely knows what a home runs is. But will he get so familiar with the round-tripper that he outgrows his spot at the top of the Phillies’ batting order?

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Welcome to Funsville

The Phillies quietly signed another relief pitcher prior Friday night’s game against the Astros and the Bank, and frankly, this guy looks like he could liven things up. In fact, right-handed reliever J.D. Durbin looks like such a good time that Deadspin decided to do a little send-up on the guy based on his MySpace page.

By the way, Durbin is 25, a Pieces, and dislikes negative people. But then again, don’t we all.

Nevertheless, Durbin was picked up on waivers from the Red Sox who picked him up from waivers from the Diamondbacks earlier in the week. The Red Sox designated Durbin for assignment with the hope of getting him to Triple-A, but the Phillies stepped in and picked him up.

Now the Phillies will try to get him to the minors without another team claiming him… or not.

Last week Durbin appeared in one game for the Diamondbacks and he got two outs. He also gave up seven runs. He was also a second-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in the 2000 draft. He appeared in four major-league games for the Twins in 2004, going 0-1 with a 7.60 ERA.

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Trading IMs with the press box

In this new feature we will reveal what some baseball writers like to message each other before, during or after a game. In this example, the IM thread began around noon on Wednesday.

Him: "Are you on your way up to Shea?"

Me: "No, because every time we're there something bad happens."

Him: "Well, you better get up here because they did it."

Me: "Did what?"

Him: "They whacked him."

Me: "Who?"

Him: "Charlie. Who did you think?"

Me: "What!?"

Him: "They fired him. They fired Charlie, Dubee and Milt Thompson. Joe Girardi takes over tonight."

Pause.

Pause.

Pause.

Me: "[expletive deleted]."

Him: "Damn. I almost had you."

Me: "You know, Joe Girardi isn't such a bad idea."

Him: "I know. That's why I thought I'd get you."

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All over the map

If you want to know how far Ryan Howard has come since hanging around in Reading and Moosic, Pa. it was in evidence on Tuesday night around midnight on CBS. There, Howard, sat in a chair usually reserved for the latest Hollywood star or pop culture icon to trade barbs with David Letterman.

From most accounts, Howard did well. He wore a nice suit, seemed personable and held his own against one of the sharpest wits (an oxymoron?) on television.

So I guess it’s fair to say that Ryan Howard is a superstar. Wow. Not bad for a guy who was “blocked” by Jim Thome.

Interestingly, Howard revealed to Dave that he “guesses 90 percent of time” about what pitch he’s going to get.

"Most of the time I'm swinging with my eyes closed anyways," Howard told Dave.

If only that were true. Howard is one of the better hitters at making adjustments on the fly. He might swing with his eyes closed, but that's because he already knows where it's going to land.

***
If you’re looking for someone to criticize the “traditional” style of newspaper writing, I’m the first in line. Without getting too much into it, I just don’t like doing the same old things the same old ways.

Hey, that’s just me.

But if you’re looking for good, quality newspaper writing, look no further than Paul Hagen’s story about Chris Coste and his “exile” back to the minors.

Coste, as we all remember, was the saccharine sweet feel-good story of 2006. After a decade playing and struggling in all levels of independent and minor-league ball, Coste finally made it to the Majors and played well enough that it seemed as if his days of being a bush-league cliché were over.

Or so it seemed.

Yet despite slugging seven homers, batting .328, and – more importantly – getting plenty of accolades from veteran pitchers about his abilities behind the plate, the Phillies really didn’t seem to believe what they were seeing with Coste. In fact, even when Coste was getting lots of important playing time during a late-season chase for the playoffs, the sense I got was that general manager Pat Gillick looked at Coste as an experiment that somehow went really well.

No, it didn’t seem as if Gillick or the Phillies wanted Coste to fail, but reading between the lines it appeared as if it wouldn’t have bothered them if the fairy tale would have ended with a loud thump. No matter what he did (it seemed to me), Coste never figured into the Phillies plans.

That’s a damn shame.

These days, Coste is grinding it out for Ottawa waiting for a call in his role as the perpetual insurance policy. He seems to be nothing more than a commodity or a number to the guys calling the shots, which is way it is in baseball a lot of the time. As Hagen wrote in his excellent story, “Heck, the Yankees got rid of Babe Ruth when they had no more use for him.”

Hopefully the Phillies will eventually do the right thing for Coste and trade him to a team where he can play. But then again, baseball is all business. Why would they want to do that?

***
Maybe a good place for Coste would be Kansas City, where former top prospect Brandon Duckworth has resurfaced as the team’s fifth starter after a few years kicking around the minors. In his first start of 2007 for the Royals, Duckworth held the defending American League champion Tigers to four hits and a walk without a run in 6 1/3 innings. Of the 19 outs he recorded, 12 were on ground balls.

Outings like that were kind of what the Phillies were hoping to get from mild-mannered right-hander when he arrived in the midst of a playoff chase in 2001. During that season, manager Larry Bowa yanked veteran 13-game winner Omar Daal from a start in Atlanta during the end of that season in favor of Duckworth.

But in 2002 and 2003, Duckworth didn’t take to Bowa’s managerial methods where it seemed that no matter what the pitcher did, it was never enough for the manager. Shockingly, it seemed to be a matter of someone having a personality clash with Bowa… like that has ever happened before.

Despite this, Duckworth averaged a little more than a strikeout per inning in 2002 though a forearm injury sidetracked much of his 2003 campaign. That winter the Phillies dealt Duckworth to the Astros in the Billy Wagner deal, where he struggled for two more seasons as a reliever and sometime starter. Before the 2006 season, he signed on with the Pirates where he spent most of the season in Triple-A before being sold to the Royals, where he pitched his way into the rotation.

Is this where Duckworth finally puts something together? Perhaps. Unlike Coste, Duckworth will get a chance.

***
Finally, on to the Imus fiasco…

For a while it was easy to be Don Imus. All he ever did was hate everyone, equally, for an entire career. In fact, Imus and his flunkies have hated everyone with vitriol and anger for as long as I’ve been alive. And I ain’t so young any more.

That’s why the outrage over his comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team is so weird. Imus is the dog that has been pissing on the carpet for decades, but now, after doing something that has defined his career, everyone is trying to whack him on the nose with a rolled up newspaper. I ask, “What took so long?” One would be hard pressed to find a group that he hasn’t slurred.

Don Imus didn’t say one thing – he said a million things. Most of them were mean and aimed – without irony – at hurting others. That’s just how he rolls.

In fact, it’s fair to conclude that Imus is the purveyor of the schlocky and unoriginal talk radio tripe that pervades the airwaves. If Imus and his ilk have a legacy it’s creating a medium based on loudness and meanness with disciples all over the dial and ideological spectrum.

So when Imus picked on the young women from Rutgers for no good reason other than they can’t fight back, it seems as if those waiting to pounce finally found an opening. Enough, as they say, is enough.

Still Imus’ reign of hate has already scorched the airwaves. Because of his influence it seems as if the requisite for getting a talk show on the radio is to get some anger, bluster and the ability to pontificate in relative complete sentences. It doesn’t matter what stupidity pours out of one’s mouth as it gets a reaction... or ratings.

In writing about the extremely unoriginal talk-show host Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio, Salon.com sportswriter King Kaufman (hey… I’m warming up to that guy) cites the lack of innovation in the sports-talk radio as one of the reasons for all the misplaced anger by hosts. The target, at least in Cowherd’s case, is the Internet which the ESPN host has stolen from and lambasted equally. Writes Kaufman:

It was the latest battle in an ongoing war between sports-talk radio and sports blogs, one that hardly seems like a fair fight. One side is a medium that's essentially unchanged since the 1970s, an industry whose only idea since the Carter administration has been to keep getting more “in your face.” The other side is, so far in its brief history, constantly adapting, changing, self-correcting, reinventing.

History tends to be on the side of the latter. There's no reason sports-talk radio has to be an enemy of innovation, no reason it can't adapt to the times, meet the challenges of new technologies and changing audience needs. It just hasn't.

Talk radio's response to the World Wide Web, possibly the greatest communications revolution since Gutenberg built his printing press and certainly the greatest since television, was to say, “Hey, you can listen to our radio show on your computer now!”

Dazzling.

After writing about Imus and Cowherd I think it’s time to take a shower.

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Should he stay or should he go?

Hola amigos! After a relaxing few days away from work and the Phillies to spend it with my family and gasp! watch television. Normally I watch two shows (I have never seen American Idol," he said proudly… if I want to see bad Karaoke there are places I can go to see it where they serve drinks) but this past I doubled that and mixed in a few innings of baseball, most of the last two rounds of The Masters as well as the debut of the HBO shows.

But the thing people wanted to talk the most about was not Tony Soprano, but Charlie Manuel. More stubborn than Machiavellian, it seems as if ol’ Charlie is back on the bull’s eye as the main problem with the Phillies. The question I’ve fielded hasn’t been, “what’s wrong with the Phillies? Are they ever going to make a deal to get a relief pitcher?”

Instead the question has been, “Is Charlie going to make it through the month?”

There is no indication that Manuel’s job is on the line despite the 1-6 start to the season that saw the bullpen take losses in three games, allow three costly home runs, issue 15 walks against 18 strikeouts, and compile a 4.57 ERA. When they said the bullpen as going to be the Phillies’ weak link, they weren’t kidding.

It should also be assumed that I think Manuel should be relieved as skipper. Far from it. I don't think the players have tuned him out nor do I think getting rid of the manager is going to do anything to make the Phillies win or make the playoffs. In fact, my thought is the opposite would occur. But that doesn't mean Charlie has managed any better than his players have performed on the field.

Though Manuel’s job doesn’t seem to be on the line now, it’s pretty safe that short of a World Series appearance that the Phillies will allow cannonaded Charlie’s contract to quickly expire before beginning a search for a new manager in 2008.

And no, Jim Leyland is no longer available.

The question I ask myself now is why is Charlie under so much more fire now than in the past? Did those 173 victories for one of the saddest franchises in sports history bide him some time? How about the notion that the players – one through 25 – love their skipper in the same way that they despised the previous manager? Does that count? Well, yeah. But the bottom line is one thing and the method to the madness is another. As previously discussed here in detail, success with the Phillies isn’t the same as with, say, the Yankees. Or the Red Sox. Or Mets. With the Phillies almost making it is reason enough to strut.

Be that as it is, if the Phillies love Charlie as much as everyone says, why don’t they show it by playing better? Or is it that the play on the field that mirrors the manager? Charlie Manuel, as a hitting coach and a mentor of ballplayers, is without reproach. He’s loyal and always, always, always has his players’ backs. But Charlie, God bless him, doesn’t appear to be the most organized guy in the world. A lot of his decisions are made on the fly or by instinct. Or, as he says, like the “Japanese manager” who has some sense of what a player will be able to do on any given day by looking at him.

Too bad he couldn’t foresee Shane Victorino’s inexplicable attempt to steal third base with one out in a 2-0 game with the reigning NL MVP at the plate. It’s been a week since that play and it’s still doesn’t sink in… what the hell was that?!?!

Then there was the decision to leave Geoff Geary in the game and allow him to hit for himself in Monday’s collapse against the Mets at Shea. If he wanted Geary to pitch in the eighth, why not double-switch (and don’t give us that stuff about wanting to save Michael Bourn to sub in for Pat Burrell)? The simple fact is Geoff Geary should never hold a bat in a regulation game.

Ever.

Forget about using the so-called set-up man to start the eighth…

Hey, maybe Charlie is some sort of soothsayer, but it appears as if whatever magic he conjured up during the past two seasons has escaped him so far in 2007.

Or has it? Perhaps things are simply catching up.

For instance, according to research Manuel has used fewer lineups than any other manager in baseball over the past two years. He rarely calls for a hit-and run, rarely bunts with any other player than the pitcher. As for the relief pitchers, Manuel finds their role buts them there and leaves them alone. Certainly the players involved in that compartmentalized type of thinking like it because they know their role and don’t have to look over their shoulders. But does this lack of competition help the team?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Meanwhile, Manuel also has not attempted a squeeze play since taking over the Phillies. Surely, squeeze plays don’t make one a good or bad manager, but thinking outside of the proverbial box is.

As for thinking outside of the box, who was it that claimed the Phillies were “the team to beat?” And we’re not talking about Jimmy Rollins, we’re talking about the pundits that dubbed this team as playoff bound. What was that? Yeah, yeah, seven bad games don’t make a season and there is a long summer ahead. But does anyone remember what Pat Gillick said on July 30, 2006 as he stood in front of most of the Philadelphia media?

Anyone?

Let me refresh your memory:

“Realistically, I think probably it would be a stretch to think we’re going to be there in ‘07.”

Really.

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Look who's back...

I haven't written much here (or anything) because I haven't felt great about how the running has been going. Between a pair of sinus infections, some cold and snowy weather and regular malaise, I've been struggling with consistency.

So what's the plan?

Get consistent. Period.

That's pretty much been the plan for the past two weeks and although my mileage hasn't been anything to go crazy over, it's getting consistent. In the past three weeks I got out for 19 runs. The best part about this is that they are all right around 10-plus miles at 6:45 to 7:00 pace. Again, that's not great, but it's putting me on schedule to get started on some serious work this summer.

Meanwhile, part of my struggle with consistency -- I think -- is attributed to my diet. In taking some self-inventory in this regard I decided to go as organic as possible, and no eating after 8 p.m. Because of this, I've sworn off practically all the food served at the ballpark, which isn't too difficult since it's not very good and the vegetarian options leave a little to be desired.

It's funny because it's true:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua129pv-eKE]

Anyway, here's what was missed over the past four weeks (in descending order)...

April 2 - 8
Monday -- 9 miles in 60:37
Ran in FDR Park and around the ballpark after writing about Brett Myers. It wasn't ideal (the running not writing about Brett Myers -- though that wasn't ideal either), but I'm pleased that I got something in. I think I had a pretty good pace going through the park.

Tuesday -- 11.5 miles in 1:21:12
I got my ass kicked. My legs were tight and tired the entire time, though there was a little stretch where I ran a good pace.

Wednesday -- 10 miles in 68:22
Started out very slow, but picked it up. My legs still feel tight and I have a weird pain on my right ankle, but I've been running OK. Once I get going I feel good.

Thursday -- 9 miles in 63:47
I actually stopped twice before I started. Finally I pushed myself out the door and felt pretty good once I got going. Of course I didn't run very hard and didn't feel too loose, but I got one in. That makes me feel good.

Friday -- 10.5 miles in 1:13:25
I've been really sluggish at the start of the run but I feel good when I get going. The thing is I still feel kind of tight. I think I need more sleep -- I was up all night with Michael.

Saturday -- 11 miles in 1:16:11
It was another blustery, cold day so I stayed off the roads and the field and ran back in the Brick Yards. The loop gets a bit repetitive, but the surface is soft and the climbs are fairly challenging.

Sunday -- 6 miles in 42:00
Didn't have much time to run because of our Easter festivities all over town. Plus, it's still really cold. It's actually oddly cold. Despite that -- and my tight, slow legs -- I'm enjoying the low-key approach. My mileage isn't anything to go crazy about, but I'm building some consistency, which will help when I decide to crank it up again.

Weekly total: 67 miles

Week of March 26 to April 1
Monday -- 15 miles in 1:41:17
Felt really, really strong. Actually, I felt better and faster as the run progressed -- I haven't had one of those in a long time. Later, we went to Taj Mahal with the Wanns, which is always fun. Mike and Michelle Wann (and Christopher) are as great as they come. A good time was had by all.

Tuesday -- 9 miles in 62:10
It was kind of hot today. It might have made it to 80 degrees. Needless to say, I sweated a lot and my legs were a little dull. My calves are still spasming like crazy -- I should call my ART guys.

Wednesday -- 10.2 miles in 69:33
Ran pretty hard in some spots, especially the hills. I definitely could have kept on going, but right now the aim is to stay consistent and not kill myself. We'll do that later.

Thursday -- off

Friday -- 13.3 miles in 1:29:07
Got back on Baker Field and it was a lot of fun. My stride got shorter around 9 to 10 miles, but it was still a good run. It would be great if they were all like this.

Saturday -- 11.7 miles in 1:19:21
Felt pretty good again. It was a lot like yesterday.

Sunday -- 10 miles in 69:09
My legs were tight and it was a little cool because of the rain, but I enjoyed it. Running is fun. I could have gone much longer.

Weekly total: 69.2 miles

Week of March 19-25
Monday -- 7.2 miles in 51:42
First day back after three days off and I really felt it. I'm such a slacker and now I'm paying for it.

Tuesday -- 8.8 miles in 62:00
The plan is to build up slowly. I'm definitely out of shape and if I jump into it too quickly I'm going to get hurt and have a few setbacks, so the plan is to take my time, stay consistent and get ready for some hard training in the summer and early autumn. Consistency.

Wednesday -- 10.1 miles in 1:11:53
Ran a little longer and a few more hills and felt a little tight in my calves. Other than that, my lungs felt good and the distance was easy, but I feel as though I have no speed and that I'm a little heavy.

Thursday -- 10.1 miles in 69:41
Decent run. I picked up the pace in a few spots, like when going up the hills, but otherwise it was effortless. My legs are still tight and tired, but the rest of me is OK. My diet has been cleaned up and I can really tell.

Friday -- 10.1 miles in 68:18
Felt pretty good and could have run much longer. I went out in the rain and later in the afternoon when Ellen came home from work.

Saturday -- 9.3 miles in 1:13:56
Ran the first 5k with John May and the final 10k by myself. Both parts of the run were fun and it feels like I'm starting to get some strength back even though my calves are very, very tight.

Sunday -- scheduled day off

Weekly total: 55.6 miles

Week of March 12-18
Monday -- 12.6 miles in 1:26:06
Just ran around and did a bunch of hills. Went to a bunch of different neighborhoods just to mix it up a little bit.

Tuesday -- 10 miles in 68:34
Felt pretty crappy midway through the run. My legs were tight and I was bit overdressed -- it got pretty warm out.

Wednesday -- 9.3 miles in 63:34
My legs felt like garbage during the entire run. They just wouldn't loosen up. After the run, my quad spasmed for hours. It was pretty weird.

Thursday -- 11.4 miles in 1:17:12
Felt good and reasonably strong throughout, but tired around the 60-minute mark. Either way, it was a decent run and it was good to get back on the field for change. With teh snow coming it might be a while before I can run there again.

Friday -- snow

Saturday -- cold and snow

Sunday -- lazy

Weekly total: 43.3 miles

Week of March 5-11
Monday -- 13 miles in 1:25:38
Started out feeling slow and heavy -- and the wind didn't help much either. But near F&M I started running hard and didn't stop. I suppose I used the tailwind (when I had it) and kept my head squared and ran. Honestly, I'm pretty surprised that I went as fast as I did.

Tuesday -- sick/sinuses

Wednesday -- More sinus trouble

Thursday -- more of the same

Friday -- 10 miles in 67:07
First time out after taking days off because of the sinus infection/cold. I felt good and bad during the run. Good for getting out there and hitting the rounds, and bad because I'm having trouble breathing with the congestion and everything else. When I woke up in the morning it hurt to swallow, but I wasn't going to take another day off. After the run was over I was glad that I got out.

Saturday -- 17.5 miles in 2:35:50
Ran the first 5+ by myself and felt pretty good, and then ran the last 2 hours with John May through the city. It was my longest run since a 20-miler in December. The pace was slow, but it was fun being out there running. My head is still stuffed up, though.

Sunday -- 9 miles in 61:27
Went out and ran and had fun. Could have run longer, but I want to put together a solid week. Plus, I don't want to push it after being sick most of the week or with my calves aching the way they have been.

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Kudos MLB, kudos

We like to give credit where credit is due even if it’s to a entity that seems to enjoy bad press, bad decisions and sticking it to its best customers and fans. But when Major League Baseball decided that it would allow any player (one per team, though) who wishes to wear No. 42 in tribute to Jackie Robinson on the 60th anniversary of his debut on April 15 (as well as the 10th anniversary of the league-wide retirement of the number), it was a great move and a smart decision.

For the Phillies, Jimmy Rollins will wear No. 42, which makes sense. Rollins has always been a big proponent of the old Negro Leagues, its history and lore.

But for as smart as MLB was in allowing players to pay tribute to Jackie Robinson, don’t expect too much more of it – especially in the NFL. According to The Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon, who appeared on ESPN Radio with Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann this week, the NFL does not want to celebrate its history as it relates to individuals.

Said Wilbon:
“Baseball gets it right. Baseball understands individuality. Football understands it, too – football doesn’t want it. Football wants not to have it. That’s how they can trot out replacement players, because if there is no individuality, players can never have strength. They can never be equal (because) the team is always greater. The jersey is the greatest thing that football offers. Major League Baseball does understand this and I’m glad they have relented and will allow any person who wants to wear No. 42 on April 15 to wear it. … The NFL doesn’t want to pay tribute to anybody.”

There certainly are a lot of examples of how the NFL beats down on any type of individuality rearing its head. Remember when Peyton Manning wanted to wear black high tops as a tribute to Johnny Unitas or when Jake Plummer wanted to wear a small No. 40 on his helmet as a tribute to Pat Tillman? The NFL warned the players that if they strayed beyond the vanilla ordinances of the league’s bylaws by the slightest centimeter they risked fines, suspension or no recess.

Baseball surely has screwed up royally in this regard, too, but at least they recognize (like the NBA) that the players are the best public relations they have.

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Ryan Howard on the 0-3 Phillies

Extra frustrating with all the expectations?
It's frustrating to lose, period, whether you have expectations or not.

How about you, with the way you hit?
Not good. I'm not too happy about it. But what can you do?

Are you still fighting your swing, like have all spring?
It's not where I want it to be. I mean, there's balls that you think you should hit, and you don't hit them.

How do you fix that?
You do what you need to do. It's three games, and everybody is kind of jumping ship and panicking right now. For us, it's three games out of 162. It'll get right. I'm not worried about it. It's a little frustrating. But it'll come.

Are guys pressing?
I don't think guys are really pressing. It's just coming here, trying to get used to the conditions. It was snowing today. It was a little different coming from Florida. We're trying to get into the mix.

Something about a slow start?
Obviously, it's a slow start after three games (sarcastically). I don't really get it. If we were like 0-10 or something I could understand that. But it's three games. One series. We got to go down to Florida, take care of business and have a good road trip.

How magnified is 0-3 start?
Very. Very magnified.

Is it hard not to feel that vibe?
It's not hard, but when you hear about it everyday, constantly, it's more annoying.

Is it surprising?
Yes and no, because we are only three games into the season. And no, because we've had slow starts in the past. For people to come out and say, are you guys worried about this or are you worried about that, I'm not really surprised to hear that. At the same time, we're only three games in.

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Relief for the relievers

In order to pry away Babe Ruth from the Red Sox, Yankees owners Jacob Ruppert and Cap Huston sent $100,000 to Boston’s Harry Frazee with the hope that the lefty pitcher and slugger could turn around their moribund franchise.

As it turns out it ended up being the best $100,000 ever spent in baseball history.

On Thursday afternoon, a day after the Phillies’ bullpen blew its second straight late-inning lead in a loss to the Atlanta Braves, general manager Pat Gillick announced that his franchise was sending $100,000 to the Toronto Blue Jays for right-handed relief pitcher Francisco Rosario. Certainly Gillick and the Phillies aren’t expecting Rosario to turn the club into the greatest baseball franchise ever, but if the 26-year old can get a few batters out a couple times a week, he just might be the answer for the Phillies.

But at this point, after losing the first two games because of the bullpen’s inability to hold a lead or keep a game tied while positing a collective 7.11 ERA with four walks and three homers in 6 1/3 innings, the Phillies are just looking for an arm. In that regard, Rosario certainly fits the bill.

A veteran of eight minor league seasons where he appeared in 148 games with 84 starts, as well as 17 games in 2006 for the Blue Jays, Rosario has obtained the unfortunate moniker as an “upside” guy. In other words, Rosario throws hard and has good stuff but for one reason or another has not lived up to his potential as a pitcher. In fact, that “upside” label is omnipresent in most scouting reports and quotes regarding Rosario. For instance, the 2007 Baseball Prospectus yearbook says:

Once considered a high-upside guy, Francisco Rosario has had his share of arm troubles and has gotten older without the upside coming around, but he could be salvaged as a decent arm out of the bullpen if he maintains the uptick in control he experienced with Syracuse last year.

Despite throwing his fastball in the high 90s, while sporting a 3.00 ERA with nine strikeouts in nine innings in Grapefruit League action for the Jays, Rosario couldn’t crack the team’s relieving corps. Out of options, he was designated for assignment meaning he had to be traded or claimed by waivers in a 10-day span before becoming a free agent. Recognizing their shortcomings in the bullpen, Gillick and his staff scouted Rosario heavily during the spring with the hope of brokering a potential deal. Just as quickly word got out that the Phillies were interested.

“We like this guy's arm,” Gillick told reporters in announcing the deal. “We think he has a power arm. He's had a poor track record, but we think he turned the corner this spring. He has a lot of upside. He's a guy we've watched since last season.”

Upside. For Rosario and the Phillies relievers there is plenty of upside. They will try to find it on Friday night in Miami where Rosario will join the team for the three-game series against the Florida Marlins. It’s likely that pitcher Joe Bisenius will be optioned to Triple-A Ottawa to clear space on the 25-man roster for Rosario.

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