One coming in and one going out?

With a report out there that the Phillies are bringing back their all-time saves leader, Jose Mesa, it only figures that another pitcher is on the way out… perhaps. Reports from the Phillies' clubhouse are that Freddy Garcia has soreness in his right shoulder and will see team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti on Monday.

Whispers are that Garcia has been hurt all season long and is just now up to admitting it. Does it have anything to do with six-run second inning the Kansas City Royals posted on him Friday night? Who knows. Either way, Garcia was torched for six runs and seven hits while getting just five outs against the Royals.

The Bat vs. The Rat

Where do we start with this one? After three games in which the Phillies appeared to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory only to rally late to win – and sweep! – the hated New York Mets, it appears as if the Phillies are in this for the long haul.

More interestingly, the Phillies pulled off the sweep while Tom Gordon and Brett Myers were on the shelf and the rest of the gang in the most beleaguered bullpen in the National League stepped up.

Like Antonio Alfonseca notching saves in all three victories.

Like Mike Zagurski throwing a scoreless ninth inning of a tied game after Billy Wagner had blown his first save since last year. That’s not counting the playoffs, of course. As we all remember fondly, Billy blew one in the NLCS against the Cardinals, too.

Like Ryan Madson working three hitless innings in the thick of the games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

Like Geoff Geary pitching himself into and out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning of Wednesday night’s victory.

Phew! Who are these guys and what did they do with the Phillies?

Jokes (kind of) aside, the series against the Mets at Shea had a few moments that will certainly find their way onto Video Dan’s end-of-the-year highlight DVD. Chase Utley’s game-winning homer in the 11th to win Tuesday’s game will be there right next to Jimmy Rollins’ three-run blast in the seventh inning of Wednesday night’s game.

But Pat Burrell’s homer to ruin Wagner’s streak of 31 straight saves is the coup de gras. That one was actually kind of fun(ny). For some reason – and I have no idea why – I take a perverse pleasure in watching Billy Wagner blow a save chance. Maybe there’s something deep there, who knows. Certainly I have nothing against him even though he doesn’t like to be asked about his slider.

Perhaps he doesn’t like to be asked about the 3-2 fastball he fed old pal Pat Burrell, either. After the game, Wagner kind of gave Burrell a backhanded little slap regarding the homer that helped the former Phillie closer and so-called “rat” snatch defeat from a gift-wrapped save.

“He has a one-path swing, and I just put it right in its path,” Wagner offered after the game.

If that’s the case (and it very well might be) does that mean Wagner is not a very smart pitcher? Chances are if he decided to bounce a 3-2 slider that Burrell would have flailed away with his customary rear-out swing that we’ve all come to know so well.

Instead, that one path swing pushed the Phillies to within five games of the lead in the NL East. With exactly 102 games to go, I’m going to suggest that the Phillies need to win 62 more to earn a playoff berth. That’s a .608 winning percentage and there are only four teams in the Major Leagues playing better than .608 ball.

Yes, the Phillies are in it, but they still have a lot of work to do. Another sweep on the road in Kansas City would be a good place to start.

Meanwhile, it was interesting that skipper Charlie Manuel acknowledged that the umps got the call on David Wright’s solo shot off Cole Hamels in the sixth correct before arguing it and getting tossed for the fourth time this season. According to witnesses, the umps had to have watched the replay on the big video screen at Shea Stadium after it was replayed over and over again in slow motion.

Speaking of annoying, is there a more annoying player than Wright or Paul Lo Duca? Lo Duca, of course, seems to annoy a lot of people – at least that’s what has been printed in the papers. But I don’t know what it is about Wright… certainly he is a terrific ballplayer and seems to have surpassed Scott Rolen as the marquee third baseman in the game, however, if my son(s) ever have an interest in playing baseball and want to know how the game is properly played, I’ll direct them to watch Rolen.

Wright just seems to have a Danny Ainge quality to him.

Again, maybe that’s just me.

***
Aside from the shoulder surgery and the fact that he hasn’t been able to focus on being a full-time pitcher, Phillies’ draftee Joe Savery seems like an interesting guy. Based on a conference call with the lefty from Rice University yesterday, the kid sounds confident and expects to be pitching for the Phillies relatively soon.

“I really believe that either by late next year or Opening Day of '09,” he said. “The bottom line is I've never focused on pitching. I relied on athleticism. I'm really excited about the opportunity to focus on pitching and being around professional instruction.”

The Phillies have a track record of not rushing prospects to the big leagues so it will be interesting to see where Savery lands when he signs and how quickly he develops.

***
Is anyone else excited about Jim Thome’s return to Philadelphia next week?

***
Don't ask me how because I have no answer, but I dug up this little nugget about Cole Hamels this afternoon... all I can say is bless that kid.

New York state of mind

Just how are we expected to sleep at night knowing that a menace to society like Paris Hilton is out of the slammer and under house arrest? Someone please answer that question…

***
Speaking of slammers and dubious fame, Jimmy Rollins, author of the “team to beat” quote that whips the partisans into a lather whenever he shows up at Shea Stadium, had a pretty big game last night.

And it’s pretty safe to assume that he enjoyed every second of it.

“It's a great place to do it, in New York against this team,” Rollins said after the game.

Rollins, of course, slugged a two-out, two-strike three-run home run in the top of the seventh to resuscitate the Phillies’ silent offense and lead the way to a 4-2 victory. The most important part is that the Phillies climbed over the .500 mark again and have a chance to go for the sweep over the Mets tonight when Cole Hamels pitches against John Maine.

For any fan of young, stud pitchers, tonight is the game to watch.

For now, though, Rollins gets another game at Shea until mid-September which means the fans there get to boo him for his game-winning homer and innocuous comments.

Seriously, why do fans get worked up over something so mundane as a guy believing his team is good? Someday, perhaps, I’ll get it… then again, probably not.

Be that as it may, the idea of Rollins becoming a villain to the New York sports’ fans has been floated out there, though Rollins says he doesn’t think he’ll ever reach the heights of hatred that Reggie Miller or someone like that.

“I think I smile too much,” Rollins laughed. “Maybe if I was a mean guy I'd make for a good villain. But I enjoy playing the game. Eventually you get tired being mad at a happy guy.”

Nah, Reggie Miller seems to be a happy-go-lucky guy and it didn’t seem as if the New Yorkers ever got tired of booing him. Then again, Michael Jordan used to carve the Knicks apart and that didn’t stop anyone in the Big Apple from buying Nikes.

Nevertheless, Rollins says he wouldn’t mind becoming an assassin like Reggie Miller.

“I hope I could be a Reggie Miller. Shoot, that would be great.”

Of course Reggie Miller was disliked for what he did to the New York fans during the playoffs. Rollins and the Phillies will have to get there for the rivalry to really bloom.

***
If there is one thing we learned about Jose Mesa back when he was saving more games than any pitcher in Phillies’ history it was the big fella was really in good shape. It might not have looked that way to an outsider, but there were very few players on those Phillies’ teams that worked out as much or as hard as Joe Table.

Perhaps that’s why Mesa, listed as 41 years old, is getting another look-see after being released from the Detroit Tigers. Nothing is promised now, but reports are that the Phillies will work out the veteran reliever to see whether he could be a worthy addition to the front-end of the bullpen.

Hey, what does it hurt?

Mesa saved 111 games for the Phillies from 2001 to 2003and he saved 320 games (including 70 for the Pirates in 2004 and 2005) during his 19-season career. But after putting together a solid season for the Colorado Rockies in 2006 (3.86 ERA in 79 games), Mesa has struggled for the Tigers this season. So far he’s been in 16 games and has a not-so sharp 12.34 ERA.

Nonetheless, if the Phillies like anything about Mesa it wouldn’t be too difficult to find a spot for him in the ‘pen.

***
Here’s some good news if you like to drink coffee… it’s really, really good for you.

According to a new meta-analysis in the magazine Gastroenterology, there is a strong likelihood that caffeine consumption decreases your risk of liver cancer. Even better, according to a study in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, caffeine consumption could make you a faster runner – actually 1 percent faster if you have a penchant for distance running.

The best part: a 23-year study of 13,000 Californians in Preventive Medicine found that moderate caffeine consumers had a significantly reduced risk of death.

So get out there and get drinking. It will make you faster for a long time.

What a difference a day makes

As quickly as he was derided for making a “dumb” play by bunting in the first inning with two on and no outs during the first inning of a 8-1 loss, Chase Utley was lauded for his outstanding effort in last night’s victory at Shea Stadium.

It’s funny how that works, huh?

Perhaps that’s what a 3-for-4 outing with a double, three RBIs and the game-winning homer in the top of the 11th will do for a guy. That’s especially the case when that guy is one of the cornerstones of the franchise and just signed a seven-year, $85 million contract extension.

Said skipper Charlie Manuel: “What do you want me to say about him? I can’t say enough. If I start talking about Chase, you could come back next year and I’d still probably be talking. He’s that good. He’s something very special.”

Better yet, Utley had his latest big night in New York City against the top team in the National League. If a baseball player wants to get noticed, New York City is the place to go to have some big games. So far this season Utley is 5-for-16 with two homers and five RBIs at Shea. In his career, Utley has six homers and 14 RBIs in 30 games, which is good because they pay attention to baseball in the Big Apple.

In Philadelphia they go to baseball games to chant for the football team.

Nevertheless, Manuel couldn’t stop talking about Utley last night.

“I used to say Kirby Puckett was my favorite player,” Manuel said. “I love Kirby Puckett, but Chase is getting there. Just the way he plays the game. How hard he plays. How mentally tough he is. Plus how he hits and hustles. I like everything about his game.”

Kirby Puckett played well in some big games on the biggest stage. It would be interesting to see if Utley ever gets that chance, too.

***
In one of the more interesting plays one will ever see in a baseball game, Utley was held up while rounding third base by coach Steve Smith on a single by Aaron Rowand. As a result, Pat Burrell was caught in a rundown between second and third where he actually ran from first to third to second and back to third.

Aside from that, Utley pointed out the oddest part of Burrell’s dizzy run around the bases.

“I've never seen anyone slide twice into third base on the same play. Pat wanted to get to third base,” Utley said. “And he did.”

***
Speaking of the local football team, Lito Shepherd was flying in a plane with Jacksonville's Fred Taylor and Baltimore's Samari Rolle during a trip to South Africa when the door blew off in the back of the craft. Interestingly, someone videotaped the entire thing and put it on YouTube:

I don’t know about anyone else, but if I’m in a small plane and the door flies off at 6,000 feet, the last thing I’m reaching for is the camera. Maybe a parachute or a big, billowy blanket, but definitely not the camcorder.

***
The thing I liked best about baseball’s amateur draft was how no-frills it was. In a sports world dominated by overproduced and over-hyped faux drama, it was cool that MLB kept it real at least one time.

For those unfamiliar with the MLB draft, it took place over the course of two days where the teams squeezed in as many rounds as possible. But unlike the other major league sports, baseball’s draft was broadcast through a conference call amongst all of the teams, which was streamed onto their Web site.

It probably would have been easier if the teams got together and logged onto a Yahoo! league site or something.

But for the first time ever baseball’s draft will be broadcast on television (tomorrow at 2 p.m. on ESPN2), which, frankly, destroys the entire allure of the proceedings.

It also will slow down the rapid-fire nature of the draft. In most years, according to Phillies’ director of scouting Marti Wolever, they complete close to 20 rounds in the first day of the draft. But this year, with television slowing things down with their pesky commercials, analysis and production stuff, they might be lucky to get in six rounds on Thursday.

***
Dennis Deitch of Philadelphia correctly identified Steve Carlton as the last pitcher to toss 300 innings in a season when he did it for the 1980 Phillies. Initially, Deitch guessed Phil Niekro in 1979 as the last pitcher to go for 300 innings, but quickly changed his answer.

Incidentally, Niekro went 21-20 for 340 innings for the Braves in 1979. Yeah, that’s right – 21-20.

Nevertheless, kudos to Dennis. Kudos. We’ll see if we can set him up with something nice.

***
Speaking of 1980, if you’re going to Kansas City this weekend for the Phillies’ first trip to the Emerald City (is that what they call it? If not, they should) since the World Series, carnivorous insiders recommend the Hereford House and/or Plaza III. Having never been to Kansas City, I'm going to assume that both joints are downtown.

Work with me, folks.

We put the word out for more suggestions since the Phillies are making their first trip to KC in nearly three decades, so stay tuned.

Very, very interesting...

There are denials from all over the map over the potential sale of the Seattle Mariners to a group led by Phillies' general manager Pat Gillick. The notion was first published in The Boston Globe last Sunday with fast following laughable denials from the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

"Do I look that foolish?" Gillick asked the Inky when asked about his reported plans to buy the Mariners.

Denials or not, it's still very, very interesting and I don't suppose we've heard the last of this story.

So it goes

I don’t care about what the Moneyballers, Baseball Prospectus-ers and other stat heads can prove by crunching the numbers and lining up all the stats in the proper column of an Excel spreadsheet. I like the bunt.

Yes, I understand that bunting actually decreases a team’s chances at scoring a run and that by bunting with intent to move runners into scoring position is never a good idea because it trades 90-feet for the most valuable commodity in the game – outs.

But my reason for liking the bunt is purely selfish. Without it, there was no place for me on the baseball team back in high school. In fact, I remember clearly when I came to terms with the notion that swinging the bat was a bad idea and dropped down a bunt for the sixth plate appearance in a row…

“Why do they keep giving you the bunt signal,” a teammate finally asked.

“No one gave me a bunt signal.”

Clearly no one gave Chase Utley the bunt signal either when facing Barry Zito with two on and no outs of the first inning of yesterday’s loss to the Giants. Thinking that no would expect the club’s No. 3 hitter to drop one down with the starter against the ropes in the early going and slugger Ryan Howard on deck, Utley thought it would be a good idea to sneak one in there.

Needless to say, it didn’t go well. The bunt didn’t go to its intended area, Utley was thrown out – but given a sacrifice – and the Phillies were on their way to stranding 12 runners on base.

“I was trying to make something happen,” Utley said after the game. “You don't know how many times you're going to have an opportunity to score off Zito. It was a curveball that I tried to put in play. Worse-case scenario, you got two guys in scoring position with the middle of your lineup up. We didn't get the job done.”

Had it worked, Utley would have been lauded as a smart player trying to set the table for Ryan Howard, who has been starting to get hot lately. Instead, with first base open, Howard was intentionally walked and the Phillies squandered yet another chance.

So it goes.

***
Speaking of squandering chances, Jon Lieber turned in another poor outing in the 8-1 loss that was detailed deftly by Bob Ford. Lieber, of course, chose not to discuss his outing after the game with the local sporting press, which is all well and good – based on his pitching line (10 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks in just 5 innings), who could blame him. However, even when Lieber pitches well he is terse and petulant with the media following the game.

That’s fine, too, and I’m sure fans don’t care about how athletes treat the press. At the same time, if a writer needs Jon Lieber to say something pithy or insightful in order to write a baseball story, well, they just aren’t that good of a writer.

Nevertheless, if someone wants to talk to me about baseball or running or any other aspect of my job, pack a lunch and call a sitter because we’ll be there all day. Maybe it’s me, but if there I’m supposed to be passionate about my life’s work it would be exciting to talk to folks about it… especially if paid $21 million for three years.

Certainly the situation with Lieber has been a mess all season long, and that’s not all his fault. The Phillies did everything but hire a skywriter to advertise that they wanted to trade Lieber, but then didn’t – or couldn’t. Then they moved him to the bullpen into a role he had never done in his 13 seasons in the Majors. And then, when it was clear that Lieber was ineffective and disinterested in engaging in his new role, they moved him back to the rotation.

In that sense, who could blame him if he doesn’t want to talk to a bunch of pesky writers.

Regardless, if the Phillies were to take Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer out of the rotation, the teams' starting rotation has a 5.50 ERA and has allowed 283 baserunners in 189 2/3 innings this season.

Worse, the remaining bunch is 8-15… Hamels has eight wins all by himself.

What is this? Carlton in ’72?

Time to get to work

I always wondered about what it would be like to get into a race when I had done no speed work, no hill work, while slowly building a base so I could start to build a base. And by no speed and hill work I don’t mean like those people who say, “There ain’t nothing to do in my town so alls we do is hang out at the Wal-Mart and go to Arby’s… ”

In this case there is no Wal-Mart and no one has ever heard of Arby’s. Nope. It was like driving to Wyoming where all the landscape offered was open space between where the land met the sky.

That emptiness is me just running miles. Sometimes that style works if one puts in enough miles and carries the proper weight, but other times, well… let’s just say it ain’t too pretty.

Anyway, I’m conflicted. My favorite thing to do is to target a race, train like hell and then see how close to my goal I can get. Sometimes it works out, other times it doesn’t. But it’s always fun and rewarding in its own way. Nevertheless, the training is the best part. When the target race is over I always feel a little sad that the training is over. It really is that much fun.

But at the same time, the point of training is to race and the point of racing is to go fast and to compete. If all a person does is train, does that really test them? Maybe. Maybe not. Certainly there a merits to staying away from races in order to train harder and run well in the target race, but at the same time there is a lot to learn from racing, too.

The thing I hate (and by hate I mean the fourth-grade meaning of the word) is training through a race. But it can be beneficial – I’m certain there are many good runners who used a races as speed workouts or really hard tempo runs. As someone who always preferred to stay on the field to crank out the miles in order to get ready for that one race, maybe it’s time to try a different tact? Maybe it’s time to (oh no!) race more often?

I think it is.

So here’s the deal: I’m going to target the Steamtown Marathon on Oct. 7 as my race. Marathon training is something I just really enjoy to do and since all of my “speed” is going to be gone very soon anyway, and the inevitableness of ultra-marathoning is inching closer, it works out.

But in the meantime, I’m going to see if I can run fast(er). What the hell? All I’ll have to do is fugure out how to wake up early.

Here’s the week of May 28 to June 3:

Monday – 18 miles in 2:00:53
Started out slow and a little sore in my hamstrings. I think it came from jumping on a trampoline yesterday. Either way, I settled in to a steady pace and finished strong. As always, I definitely could have added a few more miles.

Splits:
1st 5: 33:12
2nd 5: 33:16
11.8: 1:12:10
Final 7.2: 48:42

I got hot again after a storm cooled things off. Hopefully some of the humidity goes for a little while, but I guess that's wishful thinking.

Tuesday – 16 miles in 1:45:22
Strong as a bleeping horse today. For some reason I locked into a solid pace and didn't tire -- I even did a little fartlek to make it interesting. Perhaps the strength came from the cooler temps (it was 75-78) and slightly drier air? Either way, if I can continue to run like this I will definitely race this weekend.

Splits:
1st 5: 32:44
2nd 5: 32:56
3rd 5: 32:04

Man, was it ever fun running today.

Wednesday – 13 miles in 1:27:17
Went for some ART in the morning and then sweated and faded in the heat during the afternoon. Actually, it wasn't all that bad... I was pretty solid through the first 10, but just barely. I was pretty much done over the final two miles.

Thursday – 17 miles total
1st run: 7 miles in 44:19
2nd run: 10 miles in 65:29
Ran pretty steady despite the heat in my first run. I would have liked to go longer, but parental duty calls from time to time.

Added a second run after hanging out with the boy during the afternoon at Dutch Wonderland. After that we went out for Chinese and I felt some of the broccoli and greasy garlic sauce repeating a bit on the late run. Nonetheless, I felt strong and had some decent turnover.

Friday – 12 miles in 1:20:39
Another hot and humid one, plus, I started to bonk about 5 to 6 miles into the run. After getting a drink and a banana at home I felt pretty good for the rest of the run.

1st 5: 33:06
1st 10k: 41:49
last 5.8ish: 38:50

I think I'm going to try and race tomorrow. I don't know if I'm up for it, but we'll see how it goes.

Saturday – 9 miles warm up/warm down + 5 miles workout
14 miles total
Did 9 miles wrapped around a 5-mile race/workout session. To call it a race means that one actually races and runs fast. I didn't do that. Nonetheless, despite not having any speed work, hill work, or proper rest, I ran two miles fairly well. Actually, the first two miles felt easy, but then something happened and I don’t know what the hell it was… was it the humidity and heat? No speed or hill work?

I doubt it.

mile 1: 5:36
mile 2: 5:41
mile 3: 6:54
mile 4: 6:55
mile 5: 6:32
total: 31:40

The ever astute baseball writer for the Delaware County Daily Times has a flag on his Google Talk instant messenger that reads: “Don’t be a pussy, Finger.” It’s his way of greeting people. But sadly, based on the showing from miles 3 to 5, I’m afraid I didn’t follow the advice.

So much for that 27:50 that I thought I could do in my sleep... I guess I should have stayed in bed.

Fortunately there will be many chances for me to redeem myself this summer. Since I have been so reluctant to get on the track or to do harder speed sessions, perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to work myself into race shape by gasp! racing. Sounds like it could be worth a shot…

Anyway, there were a lot of people at the race and it was fun to see some faces I hadn’t seen in far too long. Unfortunately I don’t get out much, though I hope that changes. There are a lot of good people who get out on the running scene.

Sunday – 4 miles in 27:21
Got up early to squeeze in a run before going to Hershey Park. I was tight and tired at the beginning, but quickly warmed up and felt OK. Still, an easy, easy day is exactly what I need once a week.

That’s 94 miles for the week with some decent workouts and one not-so good one.

Is this what it takes?

Brian Cashman Saves Job With Eight Shutout Innings

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Meanwhile...

Rocky II, III, IV Decisions Overturned After Stallone Caught With Performance-Enhancing Drugs

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Notes and stuff

During the late innings of the Phillies’ victory over the Giants last night, an announcement was made in the press box informing the media that actor Danny DeVito would be available to answer questions regarding his TV show, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” in the basement conference room before Sunday’s game. At the same time it was announced that the Phillies’ director of scouting, Marti Wolever, would also be available to talk to the press about the upcoming amateur draft after DeVito was finished.

How about this: Could we talk to DeVito about the draft and Wolever about TV shows? Maybe?

DeVito was at the park to toss out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Sunday’s game and will be in town working on the show until June 11.

***
I defy any manager at any level of organized baseball to top Phil Wellman’s hand grenade bit…

Compare Wellman to Lou Piniella:

Lou really needs a hug. There have to be some deep issues there. Meanwhile, it appears as if the Cubs have gotten worse.

Try this out Philly fans: In the time since the Cubs went to their last World Series (and lost), the Phillies have been to the World Series four times.

***
After last night’s game Charlie Manuel said something that sounded so basic, but was really telling:

“When Howard’s hitting we become a totally different team,” Manuel said.

Based on the seventh inning of Sunday’s game, it appears as if Howard is hitting.

Meanwhile, before Saturday’s game Manuel said something that was even more interesting in that he wants to use certain pitchers in his bullpen more, but, well, he wants to win games, too.

“In order for the bullpen to get better, we've got to pitch them,” Manuel said. “At the same time, I say to myself, ‘We're trying to win the game.’ It's a double-edged sword.”

Manuel also said that one way to build a pitching staff was from the “back to the front.”

Sounds like someone is leery about overusing his starters.

“If your bullpen's weak, it puts a lot of strain on your starters,” the skipper said on Saturday. “We need to put a limit on our guys. We'll be pitching our whole staff more than they've ever pitched, or close to it.”

The Phillies starters are 14th in the league in ERA (4.68) and fifth in innings pitched (340 1/3), while the relievers are 13th in innings (152 2/3) and 14th in ERA (4.72).

Manuel also said that he plans on sticking with Pat Burrell (six homers, 24 RBIs, .226 avg.) even though his left fielder is having another disappointing season. However, it sounds as if Burrell is getting most of the playing time right now because he’s the guy with the big, multi-year contract that hangs like an anchor on the club.

“When you sign somebody for a long period of time to a big contract, there's a commitment there. When's the cut-off point? I don't know. When you sign him, you commit to him.”

Though Manuel says otherwise, it’s my opinion that if the skipper benches Burrell for an extended amount of time, he’ll hear about it from his bosses.

***
One pitcher no one should be leery of overusing is Cole Hamels whose outing on Saturday night was just another spectacular chapter in a burgeoning career that should put him amongst the greats in franchise history.

You can have Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Brett Myers, Jimmy Rollins or whomever else… Hamels IS the franchise player.

If Jake Peavy wasn’t turning in a Bob Gibson in 1968-esque first half of the season, Hamels would be the early favorite for the league’s Cy Young Award. As it stands at this moment, the Phils’ lefty is a shoo-in for the All-Star Game next month.

“I've seen him get better even this year,” Saturday’s catcher Rod Barajas said. “I caught him earlier in the season, and he would get emotional sometimes. He'd try to throw too hard. Now, he gives up a home run, and he stays relaxed. He was happy to quick outs all game. He's as good as anyone I've ever caught.”

The best part about Hamels? He has an arrogance that isn’t overbearing or obnoxious and knows how good he is. He also knows his changeup is a killer.

***
The Astros' Roy Oswalt is on pace to pitch approximately 260 innings this season, which is up there for this age in baseball. In fact, since Mike Scott went for 275 in 1986, no National Leaguer has gone over 270 and only two American Leaguers have reached that plateau in that time.

Any one have a guess who for who the last pitcher to deal 300 innings in a season was? Don't cheat by looking it up...

Saturday in the park

Chase Utley has been the minor focus of a few local blog posts this past week for an interview/commercial he did for Maxim magazine. Because it was a non-sports magazine talking to a jock, the questions were more of the human-interest nature, which is always a little more revealing than the stuff the sporting press comes out with.

For instance, Utley was the typical cliché Philadelphia questions, like which cheese steak joint he likes best, what he did with the money when he signed his big contract extension, why he chose the song that plays when he comes to bat, and fantasy baseball stuff. You know -- dorky, meaningless stuff.

But ever the pitch man ready to take care of his product, Utley pushes Abbott Nutrition’s EAS Myoplex shakes. For visitors of the Phillies clubhouse, EAS products aren’t too hard to find and I suppose they are a fairly popular supplement/meal replacement product.

In fact, Utley says they taste great!

“Well, for me they're easy and convenient. And they give me the fuel that my body needs, especially in the off-season. And they taste good.”

Needless to say I was intrigued by the Myoplex shakes and decided to check them out. Wouldn’t you know it that they sold them at my local grocer? Out the other afternoon to pick up Clif Bars, sugar free Red Bull and Gatorade mix, I saw the Utley shakes at eye level to the immediate right of the Powerbars. In reading the label I learned that Myoplex shakes are kosher, wheat and rice-gluten free, and it contains a milk protein derivative which makes it unattractive for vegans.

Noticing that, I read the nutritional label and saw something that surprised me:

Myoplex shakes have 50 milligrams of cholesterol per one 76 gram serving. That comes to 1,000 milligrams of artery-clogging cholesterol per a 20 serving container.

If I'm wrong I hope someone could set me straight.

It seems to me that a Clif Bar or two would be a better meal replacement. And since Utley is a budding environmentalist after seeing An Inconvenient Truth, he can take solace in the fact that Clif Bars are organic.

No, I don’t have a sponsorship with Clif Bar, though I eat one for breakfast most mornings…

***
Alex Rodriguez could be a Myoplex shakes man, too. Who really knows what that guy eats, though it seems as if we know every other little thing about A-Rod.

But before anyone starts to think that the celebrity culture has taken of sports, guess again. According to a story in The New York Times, sports figures don’t go through anything near what celebrity celebrities have to deal with.

Nevertheless, don’t look my way if you are looking for someone to separate sports from the so-called “entertainment” world. Sports, simply, ARE entertainment. What else could it be?

***
Speaking of entertaining, it's quite a paradox to hear the entire park boo AND see flashes pop from cameras whenever Barry Bonds comes to the plate.

Make up your mind, dude...

According to a story from Bloomberg, Barry Bonds "loses" $10 million a year for simply being Barry Bonds.

My question is how can he lose it if he never had it?

***
Jayson Werth walked to the plate to the strains of "Fear the Reaper" tonight.

Perhaps he's gotta have more cowbell?

***
Despite running like a tired, old nag this morning, it was a lot of fun seeing old familiar faces at the Red Rose Run in Lancaster. The running part was a mess and the weather was a little hot and humid, but for a guy who doesn’t get out all that much, it was great to see a lot of good people.

Tomorrow we hit Hershey Park and then, weather permitting, the bike race over roughly the same course we ran on today… good times.

Dark Side of the Rainbow

Roger Waters, part of the brains behind Pink Floyd, was at the ballpark on Friday night to toss out the ceremonial first pitch. An Englishman, Waters admittedly doesn't know much about baseball, and certainly watching the Phillies play on Friday night probably didn't help much.

Nonetheless, Waters is in town and playing a couple of dates at the Wachovia Center sans Pink Floyd, so as a little tribute to a true Pink Floyd fan, Ben Miller, we offer the Dark Side of the Rainbow:

Dude, it totally syncs up.

Bonds talks in Philly

Listen to Barry Bonds talk to the media before Friday's game.

Here's a question: why to media-types laugh much too heartily at marginal (bad) jokes from athletes during question-and-answer sessions?

Waiting for the Friday storm

Barry Bonds, as we all know, is in town for four games this weekend. But frankly, that shouldn’t be the drawing card to the Phillies-Giants series. The big deal should be the pitching matchups, most notably Cole Hamels vs. Noah Lowry on Saturday night; the resurgent Freddy Garcia against rookie Tim Lincecum on Sunday afternoon; and Silent Jon Lieber matched up against former AL Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito in Monday afternoon’s finale.

For folks who like baseball, pitching is the most fascinating part of the game, and there are few pitchers as interesting as Cole Hamels and Barry Zito.

***
The New York tabloids are all abuzz about a well-known baseball figure hitting the town and living it up, and no, it’s not Alex Rodriguez.

Would you believe it’s Mr. Met?

Don’t tell me the Phillies and the Phanatic are trailing the Mets and Mr. Met in on the nightlife side of things, too? Does Pat Burrell have to carry this team?

***
Speaking of fun times, Mr. Fun, Floyd Landis, is ready to return to bike racing tomorrow at the Teva Outdoor Games mountain bike race. Since this is not a sanctioned event, Landis is eligible to race despite facing a two-year ban for alleged doping in last year’s Tour de France.

The race will be Floyd’s first time out since winning the Tour de France last July and then undergoing hip-replacement surgery 10 months ago.

Better yet, Floyd will be in Lancaster and West Chester in the next few weeks hawking his new book, Positively False. He’ll be at the Barnes & Noble in Lancaster (I’m not giving the address because there is only one Barnes & Noble in Lancaster) on June 29 at 7 p.m. and at the Chester County Book & Music Co. on Paoli Pike in West Chester on July 2.

I doubt he’ll offer a reading or do anything more than the grip-grin-and-sign routine, but I would assume there isn’t anything new in the book that Landis and his camp didn’t reveal at his arbitration hearing a couple of weeks ago.

Well, I doubt the Greg LeMond stuff is in there.

Anyway, I’m still waiting for Landis’ publisher to send a copy to me (c/o Comcast SportsNet, Wachovia Center, 3601 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19148 or my Lancaster address… it’s out there) so I can give it the proper review it deserves.

Pete Rose and Rodale didn’t mind sending one out, so I’m sure a fellow Lancaster Countian will oblige.

Meanwhile, don’t forget about the big 2007 Men's Pro Cycling Tour hits The Lanc on Sunday afternoon. So far I’ve heard very little hostility about the race hitting the downtown area, but it’s still early.

Then again, maybe Queen Street will turn into a scaled down version of the Manayunk Wall?

***
I had the distinct pleasure of chatting with Mike Gill of ESPN Radio 1450 in Atlantic City again yesterday afternoon. For a kid who spent the first seven years of my school career going through intensive speech therapy which including sessions at Easter Seals in Washington, D.C., I’ve come a long way if I do say so myself.

Apparently, people tell me I used to sound like Daffy Duck when I was a kid. I guess that’s a mean thing to say, but we all laugh about it now.

Anyway, I talked to Mike on my phone while standing along the banks of a small country stream in the outer edges of the Dutch Wonderland amusement park (when you have a 3-year old, you get a season pass and prepare to ride the Turtle Whirl a lot), when a big fish – maybe a carp – leapt out of the water at a bird. I believe we were talking about Ryan Howard at the time and wasn’t sure if it would be proper to bring up what I saw, but anyway, I saw a fish jump at a bird.

No, I don’t get out much.

Back from a break

Hola amigos! I was busy procrastinating and managing my time poorly so I didn’t get a chance to post anything substantive here over the past few days. Because of that, I won’t try to overwhelm everyone all at once. Instead, here’s a few recent stories, trends, etc. that I thought were interesting.

Let’s go:

Ryan Howard finding a seat on the bench with Greg Dobbs, Rod Barajas, Jayson Werth and Michael Bourn for last night’s game against the Diamondbacks’ Randy Johnson was something that raised eyebrows and caused a few to say to no one in particular, “Hmmph.”

Cosmetically, I suppose, it makes sense in that it was left-hander Randy Johnson pitching and Howard is a left-handed hitter. Add the fact that Howard got a cramp in his hamstring during the ninth inning of Tuesday night’s loss and perhaps manager Charlie Manuel was just being safe than sorry.

“(Howard's) played five days and Randy is pitching,” the skipper said before the game. “I figured from a conditioning standpoint, everything kind of points to me giving him a day off. He'll rest tomorrow although he is available to pinch-hit. He had a cramp and once he got over it he was fine.”

But from another point of view – namely Howard’s – that explanation was just silly. Though Howard is hitting .133 in just 45 at-bats against lefties this season, he hit .279 with 16 homers against southpaws in his 2006 MVP season. Interestingly, Howard has never faced Johnson during his career, though Johnson has faced such notable Phillies as Ruben Amaro, Mike Schmidt, Bob Dernier and Floyd Youmans.

How does Randy Johnson get to face Floyd Youmans but not Ryan Howard?

Regardless, the notion of sitting Howard against Johnson doesn’t work anymore. Sure, Johnson can still pitch and he showed that by holding the Phillies to just one hit and no walks on just 61 pitches through six innings. But that famous fastball, apparently, isn’t what it once was and in sticking it to the Phillies last night Johnson relied on a slider that got in on the right-handers as well as the overzealousness of the hitters.

How overzealous were they? Well, the Phillies were so anxious that even with Johnson out of the game the Phillies went down in order in the seventh inning against reliever Doug Slaten on 10 pitches.

Anyway, in regard to sitting against Johnson, Howard said:

"It is what it is. It's fine. It's done. It's good.

“I told them I was alright. It was my hamstring. I told them it was alright. I'm sure when I grabbed my left leg, which is the one where I had the quad injury, everyone thought it was that. My quad is fine.”

The Phillies, however, are not in the best shape. After all, it’s quite reasonable that “The Team to Beat” could be up to a dozen games behind the New York Mets in the NL East before the first full week of June.

What did Jimmy Rollins, the author of the “team to beat” quote have to say about getting swept by the Diamondbacks and falling below .500.

“Unfortunately everything that went right for us in Atlanta went wrong for us here,” he said. “We get tomorrow off. Regroup, come back and get some wins against San Francisco.

“The losing record is only one game below .500 fortunately but we do have to play better ball. Things we did in Atlanta we have to do the rest of the season.”

With 109 games to go in the season, the Phillies’ best chance rests with the wild card. But if it will take 95 victories to win the wild card, the Phillies have to go 69-40 the rest of the way. That’s .633 ball, which is about what the Red Sox and Mets are doing these days.

Can the Phillies do that too?

***
No one asked me, but I think the Arizona Snakes would be a much more menacing nickname than Diamondbacks. I don’t like snakes, in fact, I’m probably afraid of them. A Diamondback does nothing for me. Snakes and Bugs would be a better team name… the Arizona Flyin’ Bugs? That has a nice ring to it.

***
If you are like me and a fan/participant of endurance sports, it’s worth noting that Martin Dugard has a blog. I just discovered it yesterday after hearing him interviewed on The Competitors radio show from San Diego.

Speaking of cycling (wasn’t I), the 2007 Men's Pro Cycling Tour hits the area starting this Sunday with a race through downtown Lancaster. It culminates on Sunday, June 10 with the U.S. championship in Philadelphia.

Interestingly, folks in Lancaster complain about some of the top cyclists riding through their downtown streets, while in Philadelphia they turn the event into an all day party.

Yes, in that regard I believe the people in Philadelphia are smarter than the people in Lancaster.

***
Back to baseball…

The Phillies, the very minor flap with John Smoltz was fascinating not because of what Smoltz said regarding Brett Myers’ move from the rotation to the bullpen, but because of the way the Phillies reacted to it.

You know, because the Phillies go to the playoffs every year and the Braves have just one World Series title in their 124 seasons in the Major Leagues… wait, I think I got those mixed up.

Anyway, from the way I read the stories from the long-forgotten sweep in Atlanta last weekend, it sounded as if the Phillies reacted as though Smoltz offered his sage opinion regarding Myers’ move to the bullpen instead of simply answering a question posed to him by a writer.

Come on… baseball players don’t go around offering their opinions to anyone who will listen.

Oh wait… I forgot about this guy.

Digressing again, assistant GM told writers last weekend that Smoltz really ought to just butt out.

“The Phillies have a great deal of respect for John Smoltz and what he's represented to the Braves and to this division. He's a Hall of Fame pitcher. At the same time, I'm not sure it's appropriate for him to be making comments about personnel decisions that we've made as an organization.”

The entire thing could be a matter of poor reading comprehension on my part, but I don’t understand why the Phillies chose to comment at all, nor why they would be so dismissive of John Smoltz. In fact, I remember talking to him back when he was closing games for the Braves and asked him about the move from the rotation to the bullpen and how it affected his golf game.

Big time, is my many years removed paraphrasing of the conversation.

Back then Smoltz said that the training regime for a reliever was much more intricate than that of a starter. As a reliever, Smoltz had to be ready every single day and he had to train for that during the off-season. As a starter, he could pace himself a little more.

Certainly, in regard to Myers, I don’t think he injured himself because he wasn’t strong enough, stretched out or couldn’t handle the work load, but the everyday-ness of relieving could have caused a slight muscle weakness. Myers will definitely work all of those issues out if he has a long-term future as a reliever/closer.

***
Hey... Barry Bonds comes to town tomorrow. I bet he gets booed.

Bonds hits town again

Typically, Memorial Day is a significant milestone during the baseball season. As the days begin to get hotter and the cooler evenings are spent with a game glowing from a TV fans finally can gauge what they are watching.

Is it a team that is going to keep one’s attention through June, July and the Dog Days of summer with the hope of late-night games in the autumn? Or is a team that is better left for the days when one simply needs to watch a game?

Here in Philadelphia it appears as if the Phillies will keep the collective interests piqued past Labor Day. Whether or not that results in games around Columbus Day or closer to Halloween is still to be determined.

But away from the everyday minutia and rhythms of the team trying to end a 14-year playoff drought is the historical. You know, the types of things that occur once in a lifetime or perhaps once every quarter century or so. The things that baseball fans as well as the larger fabric of the sports’ world deems significant enough to place one of those “Where were you when…” plaques on the memory.

They happen so rarely. In my lifetime I can remember Pete Rose breaking Ty Cobb’s record for the most hits in September of 1985. Then there was Cal Ripken Jr. breaking Lou Gehrig’s unbreakable consecutive games streak in September of 1995. I was too young to remember Hank Aaron slugging home run No. 715 in April of 1974, but there is a good chance I’ll be in front of a laptop, television or at the ballpark on the day Barry Bonds surges past Aaron with No. 756.

Having had the chance to watch Bonds come up through Arizona State on rebroadcasts of college games during the early days when ESPN was digging for programming to fill the spots between episodes of Vic’s Vacant Lot and Dick Vitale, to his blossoming to a perennial MVP in Pittsburgh, this should be a major event.

Should, of course, is the operative word.

Yet like a lot of folks who follow baseball closely and even the most casual of fans, Bonds’ ascent to become the all-time Home Run King is more of a nuisance than significant event. It’s more spectacle than a historical event. Just like most fans I don’t know if Bonds surpassing Aaron should make me angry or just join in with the chorus of yawns that seem to be echoing from every spot on the map outside of the seven square miles surrounded by reality called San Francisco.

Certainly the debate over the importance of Bonds’ taking over the home run record is better served in the hands (and brains) of smarter people than me. That much is evident. So too is the reaction that Bonds will receive when he arrives in Philadelphia with the Giants for the four-game series to be played at Citizens Bank Park this weekend. Certainly Bonds will hear louder boos than J.D. Drew ever heard in his travels to play against the Phillies.

Nevertheless, instead of summer where baseball fans should rally around a significant milestone in the long history of the game, they have decided to ignore its biggest villain. Warranted or not, Bonds has slipped through the sports’ fans consciousness until he shows up in their hometown. Then they come out to boo.

But then again, even the commissioner of baseball says he hasn’t decided whether or not he will be on hand to witness the crowning of the new home run king. That, in itself, is odd. Since Bud Selig is presiding over the game during the so-called steroid era, he should be there when its poster boy breaks one of the game’s most sacred records.

It’s also possible that Bonds will inch closer to the record, too. Standing at 746 as of this writing, computer projections indicate that the record will fall before Independence Day. But unlike the Framers who gathered in Philadelphia on that sweltering day in July of 1776 whose place in history was never in question, it doesn’t appear as if Bonds’ legacy will be liberated from the clutches of public doubt any time soon.

It's getting hot in here

A few years ago an old runner I know told me that training in the heat and humidity of the Northeastern United States was just as difficult as altitude training.

I don’t know about that. I understand the point he was trying to make, but it seemed to me that there is a little more involved, like, for instance, breathing. Trying to do speed workouts at 8,500-feet for a flatlander like myself is a lot like trying to teach a dog the multiplication tables… or maybe simply teaching them to a public school kid ensnared in the inanity of The No Child Left Behind Act.

But that’s a different argument.

Anyway, during my forays to higher altitude to run my biggest challenge (aside from breathing and making it up those “hills” with some type of movement that could be categorized as running) was getting out and back before the temperatures soared to 80 or 85 degrees. Humidity was never a problem because it rarely topped 30 percent, which made for pleasant summer days.

You see, at altitude a runner can crank out the miles like crazy – they will just be much slower than normal. However, after a week of running up high the first run at sea level makes me feel like I’m one giant lung. The feeling doesn’t last long, but it is fun for a day or two.

That is if the summer heat and humidity doesn’t take you out.

And that’s the trouble. Some summer days here in the east make it difficult to leave the air conditioning, let alone go out to run. Last summer I thought about those differences between Colorado and Pennsylvania after returning home to a heat/humidity wave. One my first day back at sea level after putting in 85 miles at 8,500 to 9,000 feet, it was so forebodingly hot and humid that I was only able to eke out 8 miles. As the week continued and the heat and humidity became more oppressive, I waited until 7 p.m. to start my runs, which was OK for a little while, but it definitely threw me off my schedule.

Anyway, as the summer season officially kicks off this week and the humidity begins to creep in for the next few weeks here in the east, I’ll be thinking about Colorado and those lucky folks running around up in the clouds…

I’ll trade humidity for altitude any day of the week.

Monday – 15 miles in 1:39:43
I want to go for at least two hours or 20 miles, but I was delayed because I was reading about The Sopranos on the Internet. I'm such a dumbass. Nonetheless, it would have been a good day to crank out some miles because I felt steady and strong the entire run. Hopefully I feel just as good tomorrow when I try to make up for not running long today.

Tuesday – 15 miles in 1:39:49
Felt tight (but not tired) at the start and it seemed like I was going kind of slow, but I was locked into a pretty solid pace and was able to keep it there until the last 3 miles or so. That's when I dipped to 6:45 pace and started to feel tired. Regardless, the run was pretty solid and I had enough left at the end for another five miles at the same pace.

Wednesday – 18 miles in 2:01:14
Went for ART in the morning and then went out and had my ass kicked. Actually, it wasn't all that bad. I ran steady 6:30ish pace for the first hour or so and then the heat, sun and lack of water took me out. After 14 miles or so it was a bit of a struggle, but I kept at it and focused on my form and elemental running. When I got home I was dehydrated and whipped, so I scarfed down two Clif Bars, lots of water and a big glass of Gatorade. That seemed to do the trick.

Thursday – 13 miles in 1:26:19
After five or six miles I felt great. My splits went 33:34 for the first five miles followed by 32:32 for the second five miles. Not only did I feel strong, but also my stride was good and my feet felt very comfortable hitting the ground. At one point I thought about taking it down to 6-minute pace, but figured I had to save a little for this weekend. But as I always say, “What the hell am I saving this for?”

Friday – 9 miles in 62:25
Ran with the stroller for the first time. It wasn't easy, nor ideal, but I suppose it's something I'll have to get used for certain occasions in the future. Nevertheless, pushing the stroller with a 35-pound, three-year old in the seat wasn't the hardest part -- dealing with the heat and humidity was. Fortunately, today was a scheduled "easy" day so I felt no need to push the pace or mileage.

Either way, the boy seemed to enjoy his nine-mile ride around the neighborhood. Maybe sometime in the future he and I can trade places?

Saturday – 13 miles in 1:26:30
If it hadn't been for the breeze and the hazy cloud cover, I definitely would have melted to nothing but a pile of salt today. The heat index was near 90 degrees and the humidity didn't do anyone any favors either. Nevertheless, I ran fairly solid by going through the first five miles in 33:11 and the second five in 33:10. My last mile home was pretty decent, too.

On another note, the Vermont City Marathon was one year ago today. That one was hot, too, and definitely not as fun as today’s outing.

Sunday – 6 miles in 38:24
Ran easy and steady though I did the last two miles at 5:40 pace. That felt really controlled and strong without exerting much effort. Still, I definitely need to do more speed, that's for sure.

I wore my Nike Air Mariahs today. There was also a pretty intense hail storm in the evening. I've only seen anything like that in Colorado.

That’s 89 miles for the week… maybe I should run around the block for an extra miles to give me 90?

That's a fine howdoyoudo

Mike “Bronko” Zagurski, or “Li’l Krukie” as Larry Andersen called him on the radio, made an impressive Major League debut last night in Atlanta. In pitching a perfect eighth inning, Zagurski fired 10 pitches, threw six strikes and got two ground outs.

He also seemed to have a good-looking curve and a hard fastball, though I can’t say I know much about him. According to the stats, Zagurski spent all of spring training in the minor league camp, and after pitching part of 2005 for Batavia as a starter, all of 2006 for Lakewood, the first part of 2007 at Clearwater and six games for Reading, Zagurski found himself on the mound at Turner Field last night.

According to baseball people, Zagurski blossomed when he was converted from a starter to a reliever in 2006. That’s when his rather pedestrian fastball jumped to a stead 93 mph and the strikeouts piled up. In 16 1/3 innings for Clearwater, Zagurski had 30 strikeouts and added eight more in seven innings for Reading. All of that goes with a combined 1.16 ERA this season.

Either way, Zagurski has had an Apa Sherpa-like ascent.

So if you’re putting it all together, Zagurski – a prospect seemingly unworthy of an entry in the Baseball Prospectus annual – has pitched just six games and seven innings above Single-A ball and none in Triple-A. That, of course, is not counting his first Major League inning.

If you’re counting – and I know you are – four different players (all pitchers) have made their Major League debuts for the Phillies this season. Along with Zagurski, Joe Bisenius, Zack Segovia and Yoel Hernandez entered the record books this season. Better yet, the quartet has allowed six runs in 11 1/3 innings. Five of those runs came when Segovia allowed five during a five-inning start against the Marlins on April 8.

***
Zagurski should be with the club next weekend when Barry Bonds, James Earl Jones and Danny DeVito all turn up at the Bank. Bonds will be in town for the weekend series with the San Francisco Giants, which certainly will give the hometown fans someone to boo in addition to Rod Barajas.

Jones, according to the Phillies, will be at the ballpark on June 1 to participate in a special on-field reading of “Casey at the Bat” with the Phanatic before the game. Meanwhile, DeVito, known in these parts as the infamous Louie DePalma, will join “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” cast mate Rob McElhenney to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Sunday.

I’m told “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” is a television show and not some odd phenomenon.

Can't they all just get along?

Baseball players are babies… there, I said it. When one ballplayer has a beef with another player and wants to engage in fisticuffs, what does he do? Yeah, that’s right… he throws a ball at the other guy.

How silly is that?

Say I’m sitting in the press box at Citizens Bank Park or RFK or anywhere else in the country, and I have a problem with, say, Mike Radano. Do you think I’m going to throw an apple at him from across the room? No, of course not. If such a situation arises, I’m going to get up out of my seat, walk to the other side of the room, and punch Mike.

Hey, that’s how I roll.

I’m not going to shout and scream and carry on about beating up the other guy or yell about how tough I am. Instead I’ll introduce Mike to Jack Johnson and Tom O’Leary. Of course I’d probably end up in the roundhouse, but that’s a different story.

Anyway, every so-called baseball “fight” starts and ends the same way. One pitcher throws a ball that hits another player. Then, to retaliate, the pitcher for the team of the plunked hitter drills a player of the plunkers’ team. As you can see it’s a messy, tangled web.

Sometimes, when these bean balls get to a particular point a batter charges after the pitcher, which isn’t exactly a stealth move. It’s kind of like when the British Navy attacked the Falklands – first they told them they were coming, then they got in their boats and three weeks later they were in the southern hemisphere.

And then it was on.

Or at least a bunch of jostling and yelling takes place – like in the Phillies’ minor dust-up with the Marlins last night. In that instance Jon Lieber drilled Aaron Boone, then threw one behind Marlins’ pitcher Dontrelle Willis. When Lieber came up to bat in the fourth inning, Willis threw one three feet behind Lieber.

All even, right?

Apparently not. Apparently Lieber said something to Willis as the teams were changing sides at the end of the inning, which, according to sources, just might be the most Lieber has said about baseball all month since he has chosen not to engage the Philadelphia sporting press lately. Oh sure, he’s talking, but he’s not really saying much.

Nevertheless, Lieber’s comments stirred something in Willis to stand at home plate and call out the Phillies as if he was Tanner Boyle from the North Valley League Bears. Because of that, the Phillies’ bench spilled out onto the field and the Marlins emptied out and the tango was… well, it was more like the gang fight in Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” video.

So that was that. In the modern parlance, that’s a baseball fight. But in retrospect, perhaps baseball players aren’t wimps at all. Better yet, they seem kind of smart. After all, what good does fighting do?

Why, no good. No good at all.

***
Interestingly, one of the first Phillies on the scene of last night’s tango was maligned catcher Rod Barajas. In that instance, Barajas properly blocked a Marlin from advancing. It’s just too bad for the Phillies and Brett Myers that it didn’t come about 24 hours earlier.

***
More interestingly, in activating Ryan Howard from the disabled list the Phillies sent Chris Coste to Double-A Reading. Why Double-A instead of Triple-A Ottawa? According to assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr., Coste was sent to Reading so that he can work as a catcher more often. In Ottawa Coste spent most of his time playing first base so that prospect Jason Jaramillo would get the majority of the time behind the dish.

Who knows, maybe with Coste going to Reading to catch means that he will be returning to Philadelphia as a backstop in the near future. It definitely seems as if the Phillies could use a reliable backup for Carlos Ruiz.

***
The umpiring crew featuring Dan Iassogna is working tonight’s game in Atlanta. Does anyone want to bet that someone gets ejected from the game? How about if I set the series over-under on ejections at five, or is that too low?

That was something

Yeah, well that happened.

Perhaps some day when Charlie Manuel is no longer the manager of the Phillies – say he gets fired or his contract is allowed to expire or something like that – the bottom of the ninth of last night’s inexplicable victory over the Florida Marlins will be shown over and over on a virtual loop.

Yes, it was that odd.

Where do we start? With Brett Myers starting another ninth inning with a four-run lead? With Greg Dobbs’ throw to the plate on a bunt? On Rod Barajas’ “For who, for what?” moment where Hanley Ramirez scored by going five-hole on him? On Myers’ injury? The comebacker that Clay Condrey snagged? Or how about how Condrey bounced back from his previous outing… that was something, huh?

Anyway, everyone seems to be talking about the Phillies’ crazy ninth inning from last night, so there is no sense in rehashing it here. However, I had been asked quite frequently today if I had ever seen the Phillies cough up a lead in such a manner.

Yes. Yes I have.

It was Sept. 3, 2001 at the Vet. A warm, Labor Day afternoon. The Phillies, in the thick of a race for the NL East with the Braves lost to the New York Mets, 10-7, by allowing five runs in the top of the ninth. Jose Mesa was credited with a blown save and the loss though his role in the loss was merely cosmetic. He simply blew it.

The real goat on that Labor Day was the reliever who followed Mesa, Jose Santiago. Santiago, as some remember, pitched in 95 games for the Phillies during the 2001 and 2002 seasons, compiling a 4.94 ERA, including a poor 6.70 ERA in 42 games during 2002.

But to me Jose Santiago will always be the pitcher who allowed the go-ahead run to score when missed the throw back from the catcher.

Let that sink in for a second…

Yes, he missed the throw from the catcher.

It wasn’t a wild throw or a hard one. He didn’t have to lunge for it or stretch with a little leap for it. He missed it. The catcher threw the ball to him and Santiago missed it.

He simply missed it.

As the ball trickled away from Santiago, Todd Zeile – not particularly the most fleet afoot – took off from second to third base and then scored when shortstop Jimmy Rollins’ wild throw skipped past Scott Rolen at third base. Jay Payton ended up going from first to third before scoring an insurance run.

The only thing missing was the circus music.

So when people ask about the ninth inning in Miami from May 23, 2007, tell them about the ninth inning at the Vet on Sept. 3, 2001 where the pitcher allowed the winning run to score when he missed the throw back from the catcher.

Just missed it.

***
Otherwise, waiting for the final prognosis on Myers’ strained shoulder must have a few folks at 1 Citizens Park Way feeling more than a little tense. Frankly, if Myers has a major injury, that could be all she wrote for 2007, folks.

***
From here the Phillies head to Atlanta for a weekend series against the Braves. Fortunately for the Phillies Ryan Howard will return to the lineup on Friday night. Even better for the scribes on the beat, The Vortex is in Atlanta, which, as they claim, is the place to go for burgers. From looking at the menu, it appears as if the joint is veggie friendly, too.

Not that anyone is interested in any of that silliness.

***
Today is Bob Dylan's 66th birthday. Could Bob be the most notable person ever to attend the University of Minnesota? I say, "Yes. Yes he is."

Happy birthday, Bob.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BDIs9gyYW4]

***
Special thanks to the good folks at The Mike Gill Show on 1450 AM in Atlantic City.

Not that guy again

When his career is over and he has his lone Cy Young Award and six Cole Hamels Awards in his trophy room (or a cardboard box in the garage), Phillies’ left-hander Cole Hamels could remember the 2007 season as the year he found his footing as a Major Leaguer. But until then Hamels is likely pretty peeved that he blew a two-run lead in the sixth inning of last night’s game against the Florida Marlins.

Worse, Hamels was touched up for a four-run, game-breaking sixth inning against Marlins goofy lefty Scott Olsen, who seems to be despised by opposing ballplayers and sportswriters equally. The players seem to dislike Olsen because he appears to talk an inordinate amount of trash for a rather ordinary player. Writers seem to dislike him because he ruined a few stories with poor pitching during last season’s wild-card chase.

If there is one thing that irks writers more than anything it’s having to rewrite a perfectly good story when deadline is quickly approaching. In that vein, Travis Lee was a killer during the 2001 season. Worse, he was miserable when approached in the clubhouse.

Nevertheless, Hamels could have been adding victory No. 7 to the ledger based on his first five innings of work and the fact that he was facing the combustible Olsen. Certainly seeing that dude on the other side is enough to give the opposition some confidence.

Said Hamels to reporters last night: “I definitely saw that light at the end of the tunnel. I knew I was pitching well enough to pitch another couple innings and get the ball in the hands of Brett. And when Brett has the ball, the game is over. I saw that. I felt it. I know the team definitely saw that, too. Especially when you're playing against a pitcher that's not on everybody's good side. You want to go out there and win as bad as anything, but especially against him.”

If there is a bright side to the loss it’s that Ryan Madson pitched two perfect innings in his return from the disabled list. Madson whiffed two hitters and threw 16 of his 24 pitches for strikes. Certainly adding a healthy Madson back to the bullpen could be a huge lift for the Phillies.

***
It's worth noting that last year's first-round draft pick, Kyle Drabek, is pitching well for Single-A Lakewood. In two of his last three starts, the hard-throwing righty has tossed two-hitters through 7 2/3 innings and 7 innings. And in eight starts, Drabek is 4-1 with a 4.04 ERA and has 43 strikeouts in 49 innings. Opponents are hitting just .227 off him.

Meanwhile, struggling first-round pick Greg Golson has shown marked improvement this season. With five hits in his last 10 at-bats for Single-A Clearwater, Golson is up to .295 and is second in the league with 14 stolen bases.

Ovandy Suero, for the Lakewood Tigers, leads the league with 33 stolen bases in 35 games. Yeah, 33 stolen bases in 35 games… what are other teams thinking when he gets on base?

“Uh, guys. I think he might try to steal. Call it a hunch.”