All work and no play…

Let me preface this by harkoning back to last night’s jag of a post fueled by another full day at the ballpark and a veggie burger/side salad combo thang served at one of the many chain establishments that have sprouted up throughout Clearwater proper. If you like chain places, Clearwater is the spot because the strip malls filled with big-box stores have sprouted where once were palmettos and reeds of tall marsh grass. Now, instead of swamps, it’s Target, Borders, Costco, Wal-Mart, Taco Bell, etc., etc.

If you thought the Philadelphia suburbs (and now exurbs) were over-developed, you ought to check out the Gulf-to-Bay Blvd. in Clearwater. Either the folks really want to be homogenized by chain stores or they get really, really peeved if they have to drive the SUV more than three minutes to get a venti mochachino or an industrial sized vat ‘o mayonnaise from the Costco, BJs, Sam’s Club or whatever else folks go to.

Remember, you need a membership to go to those places. It’s that exclusive.

Anyway, the easy and relaxed part about spring training is the baseball. The guys playing and coaching are truly having a blast playing ball, getting into shape (yeah, a few of the guys look a little paunchy), and pushing away the stress before the games start to count. It almost seems as if the teams should get together during the afternoon and choose up sides.

Yes, the atmosphere is that informal.

But there is a misconception that the scribes covering the ballclub for the seven weeks of spring training are having the same type of relaxation and fun. In fact, I know for a fact that more than a few of the writers were taunted (taunted!) with the ol’ rolling of the eyes and the, “It must be nice to go watch baseball in Florida and write about it for seven weeks…”

First of all, unironic sarcasm is a character flaw. My suggestion for folks that engage in such banter are the books of Deepak Chopra.[1] Mellow out, dudes.

Secondly, it’s not all fun and games for the scribes toiling away in Florida. Actually, it’s no vacation at all - hell; it’s hardly even a picnic. For the writers, the day starts before the sun comes up and it ends long after the sun goes down. Sure, writing about baseball is hardly the same thing as digging ditches, but by the end of flexing all of those brain waves, the scribes are too tired to spend any time at the beach or the Target. Sometimes they are even way too tired to stumble back to the hotel, crawl into the whirlpool and crack open a bottle of Chablis. Most of the time the guys fall asleep in front of the TV with a half-eaten hot pocket stuck to their dirty Motorhead t-shirts.

No, nobody should live like that.

Perhaps most importantly, the writers back up and move away from friends and family for two months. While life goes on back in Philly, the fellas are trying to chase down Ryan Howard to glean sometime of emotion from him regarding his new salary.

Oh, but on occasion there is a chance to unwind. For instance, take what went the other night…

After the Phillies-FSU game was mercifully rained out and all of the stories about Brett Myers-over-Cole Hamels-as-the-Opening-Day-starter stories had been filed, it was nearly 11 p.m. Famished after another 12-hour day, the writers wanted to go out for something to eat but quickly realized every place was closed. It was a Tuesday night, after all, and in the straight world folks don’t keep baseball hours. That’s especially the case at the Sand Dollar - a favorite spot amongst the baseball-types for its all-you-can-eat grouper buffet.

Knowing that the joint was closed, the gang somehow coaxed the new guy, David Murphy of the Daily News, to go back to his room at the Holiday Inn Express for his piece. When Murphy returned, the rest of the guys talked the newest member of the baseball-writing group into forcing the place to stay open after closing so the guys could attack the buffet and eat everything in sight.

Thanks to Murphy and his pearl-handled berretta, a good time was had by all.

Of course, that was until the Clearwater P.D. showed up and put the kibosh on the evening. Though the rest of the scribes got off with just a written warning from the police, Murphy is still awaiting arraignment in the Pinellas County Jail. Word is his bail was set at $50,000 bond and until he raises the dough, the only meals he’s going to get are the three squares paid for by the taxpayers of Pinellas County.

Fortunately, the kid smuggled in his Blackberry from which he has been able to file his dispatches about the ballclub for the paper as well as updates for his blog, “High Cheese,” about life in the hoosegow.

We’re all hoping Murphy gets out soon, but in the meantime it seems as if the clink is the best place for him.

Anyways, the writers got up early on Friday morning to catch the morning “B” game at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla. That’s where Myers will begin his spring action in attempt to prepare himself for his big, Opening Day start back in Philly against the nine from Washington, D.C. on March 31.

Me? Well, as I type this sentence I’m about 32,000-feet over the deep, America south jetting back to snowy Philadelphia and then home to The Lanc. Yeah, a few more days in Florida to chronicle the comings and goings of the Phillies would have been kind of interesting, but I miss my two boys and with any luck I should be back home before bedtime.

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[1] That, folks, was ironic sarcasm. See how different it is from unironic sarcasm?

Ode to spring

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The best part about spring training is the informality of it. The strict protocol and rules of the regular season are pushed aside explicitly for the regular season, but while in Clearwater for seven weeks in preparation for when the games really count, the Phillies have been pretty good about keeping it light and getting their work in.

Frankly, the best part about baseball is spring training. In the laidback atmosphere here in Florida, the players’ and coaches’ love of the game oozes like lava down the side of a volcano. For a change - at least when there are no cases for the arbitration panel to hear - baseball looks like a game. The corporatization of a simple ballgame takes a backseat until the scene moves north to the big, taxpayer subsidized stadiums.

Aside from getting in the work (who doesn’t love watching players do their strides on the warning track while the game is still in progress), players experiment and try things they would never do in a real game. For instance, if Ryan Howard would have come to the plate with runners on second and third with two outs in the fourth inning of a regular-season game, he never would have taken the bat off his shoulder. He would have taken four pitches wide and outside and then trotted to first.

But in Clearwater against the Pirates on Thursday afternoon with runners on second and third and two outs, Howard got a fastball right down the pipe. Needless to say, the big fella knocked it over the berm ringing the ballpark beyond the outfield fence and into a pond just shy of the chain link fence separating the grounds of the park from southbound lanes of US-19.

Chances are the ball turned into a meal for an alligator.

The best part about the homer was that Howard talked to the scribes about it just a few innings later. No one had to wait until the end of the game because the clubhouse opens up for media access a few innings into the game so that the ballplayers can take care of the reporters before taking off for the day. Frankly, it’s an odd thing being in the clubhouse while a game is in progress, just as it’s a peculiar thing to watch the final innings of a game from foul territory in left field.

Do that during the regular season and it’s off to the roundhouse.

Anyway, the proverbial book goes out the window at spring training. Instead it’s a straight ahead, backyard game. Pitchers challenge hitters and hitters swing (or don’t) at pitches they normally would not. That’s because it’s not about the stat numbers on the page, but instead it’s about being able to play baseball.

And who can’t appreciate that?

***
The Phillies will play a regular Grapefruit League game against the Pirates at Bradenton’s McKechnie Field at 1 p.m. in front of paying customers featuring a majority of the players on the spring roster. However, the more interesting matchup will be the “B” game played at Pirate City located at 27^th Street in Bradenton, which is where newly-named Opening Day starter Brett Myers will make his 2008 spring debut. Lefty reliever J.C. Romero is also scheduled to pitch in the “B” game.

Two players that will not make the trip to Bradenton are catcher Carlos Ruiz and shortstop Jimmy Rollins. Both players were given the day off, which, for Rollins means an early morning workout and then some relaxation at home for the rest of the day.

Rollins, needless to say, is pretty excited about the rare day off.

On another note, at his locker in the veterans’ corner of the clubhouse in Bright House Field, Rollins proudly displayed the championship belt awarded to him as the team captain in the weekly bowling matchup against a team led by Ryan Howard and featuring bowlers Brett Myers and Shane Victorino. Apparently Rollins’ team is such a juggernaut that Howard and his club were pleased that they pushed the best-of-3 series to the limit.

Afterwards, when asked whether the problem was the management as opposed to the bowling, Howard complained that the Philadelphia media was calling for his head.

“You lose one game and the Philly media tries to get you fired!” he yelled.

Hey, you can’t fire the bowlers.

Fish story

The sun is shining brightly here in Clearwater, Fla., a city where one can purchase illegal fireworks and a big bottle of Boone’s Farms Chablis with a twist-off cap at the Target on the Gulf-to-Bay Blvd. It should be noted that folks tell me that the Chablis goes nicely with the grouper they like to eat with damn-near everything around these parts.

You got your grouper sandwich…

You got your grouper kabob…

Grouper fritters…

Sautéed grouper…

Buffalo-style grouper…

Blackened grouper…

Grouper Mediterranean…

Also around these parts, the Phillies opened the Grapefruit League season with a resounding 8-1 victory over the new-look Cincinnati Reds yesterday at Bright House Field. The big story of the game, of course, was the Phils’ pitching, mostly because scoring eight runs ain’t no thang for the club’s offense. The truth is, the Phillies are going to bash the hell out of the ball this summer, but we’ll dive into that in a bit.

Back to the pitching…

As noted extensively and exclusively (for the first time since the last time), cagey vet Jamie Moyer was stellar in his three-inning stint. His lack of velocity on his fastball was in mid-season form and, as the lefty noted, his curve and change are a step or so ahead of the hitters at this point in the spring.

“I got away with a lot of pitches. The first strikeout to (Ryan) Freel was a real bad pitch, but those guys are just getting started as hitters. I would never get away with that during the regular season,” Moyer opined. “I don’t like to make pitches like that, but when you do it forces you to figure out what’s going on. I think, if anything, that’s what I take out of it. It took me two innings to figure out the minor things and now I’ll have something to work on for my next bullpen moving ahead.”

Mentioned, though not delved into too deeply, was the fact that Rule 5 pick-up Travis Blackley also tossed three shutout innings in relief of Moyer. Certainly the outing bodes well for the left-handed Australian in his quest (yes, a quest!) to make the ballclub. If Blackley doesn’t make the club he has to be offered back to the Giants, and only if the Giants don’t want him back can the Phillies slip him down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

It’s the same type of deal the Phillies had with Shane Victorino two years ago when the Dodgers didn’t take him back.

Anyway, Blackley says he likes what he’s seen from his Phillies’ teammates so far and really hopes he can fill a role on the pitching staff.

“I’d prefer to start. I’ve always started, but I just want to pitch at that level,” Blackley said. “I’m just down to throw. If it happens to be a bullpen spot, sweet, I’ll take it. If it doesn’t work out here, I’m throwing for other teams as well.”

Grouper parmesan…

Grouper chowder…

Grouper casserole…

Grouper au gratin…

Pan-seared grouper with curry cous cous…

As for the offense, all the big off-season acquisitions smacked doubles. Infielders Eric Bruntlett and Pedro Feliz went 2-for-2, while Geoff Jenkins went 1-for-3.

The theory floating around is that the Phillies should count on big years from Jenkins and Feliz because they can comfortably slide into the team’s lineup without any pressure to carry the load. For the Brewers, Jenkins was counted on to slug 30-plus homers and to be the team’s main run producer for years, but with the Phillies he will likely bat sixth in the lineup comfortably behind Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell.

Out of San Francisco, Feliz no longer has to protect Barry Bonds in the batting order. Instead, he’ll fit into the battom-third of the order and could be a 30-homer threat at cozy, Citizens Bank Park.

Anyway, here’s the lineup for this afternoon’s epic tilt against the Pirates here at Bright House Field:

11 - Rollins, ss
99 - Taguchi, cf
26 - Utley, 2b
6 - Howard, 1b
7 - Feliz, 3b
10 - Jenkins, rf
28 - Werth, lf
19 - Dobbs, dh
51 - Ruiz, c

Pitchers: Kyle Kendrick; Joe Savery; Josh Outman; Francisco Rosario; Lincoln Holdzkom.

Moyer in midseason form

From the looks of things from the press box here at Bright House Networks Field, it appears as if Jamie Moyer is in 2001/2003, mid-season form. His command was of his patented “gnats’ butt from 100 yards” variety and his velocity… well, it was right where it always is.

Better yet, Moyer dropped in a stellar hook on a 1-2 pitch to catch the Reds’ Edwin Encarnacion looking to leadoff the second.

All told, Moyer allowed just one looping single with three whiffs in three innings in Wednesday afternoon’s Grapefruit League opener against the Reds. Additionally, he threw 31 pitches — 22 for strikes — as well as six first-pitch strikes to the 10 hitters he faced.

After watching his 22nd season debut the first thought is this:

Slow down old-timer… save some of that for September.

But then again, there’s an adage amongst old marathoners that states, “if you have it, there’s no sense in saving it.”
***

Anyway, here’s a story from today on Moyer and the Grapefruit League opener against the Reds in Clearwater. Here’s another on the team’s top prospect, Carlos Carrasco, who was robbed with his entire family in their home in Venezuela by two armed, unmasked men.

Hamels: It’s casual

Good morning from the windy, chilly and overcast Gulf Coast, folk(s). We’ll get into it in a bit as soon as we take care of some important business, and finding some coffee here at the park. How can they not have coffee - it’s just some hot water poured over some ground up beans.

Sheesh!

In the meantime, left-hander ace-in-the-waiting Cole Hamels talked to reporters about NOT getting the Opening Day start on March 31 against the Nats at the Bank. Guess what? He’s cool with it. Better yet, he kind of likes going second.

“I actually don’t mind him being first,” Hamels said. “I kind of like it.”

Clicky click here to listen to what he told the reporters.

I even wrote about it right here.

That’s one down

The Phillies’ first game of the spring came off without a hitch on Tuesday night here in Clearwater. Actually, it was one of those nights when the outcome was never in doubt… the players would never get out of the clubhouse.

Actually, the only debate was whether the rain was going to continue to fall perfectly vertical or sweep in sideways.

Interestingly, the cooler temps and the pounding rain came right on the heels of some 80-degree heat, which I clearly wasn’t ready for based on the aftermath of the morning workout (I’ll spare the details).

Anyway, I’ll dive in more in-depth tomorrow when an actual baseball game is played. In the meantime, here’s the latest opus on Brett Myers being named the Opening Day starter for 2008. There is some school of thought out there that Myers got the nod over All-Star Cole Hamels as a reward for being a good soldier last season. As we all remember, Myers valiantly moved to the bullpen first as a set-up man for Tom Gordon and then as a closer after working as a starter for his first three starts of ‘07.

Anyway, according to the Chamber of Commerce, Clearwater, Fla. is known to be a city of extremes. Actually, I just made that up. I doubt any chamber of commerce would drop that moniker on its town. However, based on the weather today and what is expected for the rest of the week, we’re going to be all over the map.

Still, while watching the rain pelt the ballfield, windows and landscape before pooling up wherever it could, I thought out loud, “Yeah, that’s so much better than snow.”

But snow melts and rain dries and so we’ll get back at it bright and early tomorrow morning.

Who turned on the heat?

For the first time in recent memory, my suitcase and I showed up at the same place at the same time. Let’s hope that’s a sign of good things to come here in the land of comfortable footwear and early-bird specials[1].

Anyway, I’m sleepy and need some rest before waking up early to find coffee and a suitable trail to carve out 15-to-20[2], so I’m not going to wax on about the latest developments regarding the Phillies and the pitching staff. I’m also not going to delve into the fact that Daniel Day-Lewis’ most recent Academy Award is probably the best actor since Brando, nor the fact that the Coen Bros. have achieved a body of work that puts them in the same pantheon as Bergman, Fellini and Hitchcock - or at least the level just below that.

Speaking of the Academy Awards, why do the hosts and presenters always tell us, the viewer, how many people are watching worldwide? How do they know? And if they know how many people are watching the Academy Awards worldwide, don’t they also know how many people turned on the TV and fell asleep, or how many people turned it on but left the room to take a phone call or something?

I really don’t think they know what they’re talking about.

OK. Jim Cramer is shouting at me from the television, my head hurts and it’s time to unwind. I need my rest if I’m going to sport those comfortable shoes and find the best tofu special at 4 p.m.

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[1] These are two really good things.[2] Miles not minutes.

You’re all winners!

This is going to be the last baseball-related post for the next few days. Next week this space will hold nothing but the scene and the scenesters from Clearwater so it’s good to diversify. You know… goof on other goofiness for a while.

In the meantime, I’m going to go see There Will Be Blood [1] before my wife’s annual Academy Awards extravaganza at the house on Sunday night. From what I’m told this year’s menu will include a new red lentil soup recipe as well as baked brie with raspberries and almonds[2].

Once again my suggestion to serve a six-foot hoagie with a pony keg was ignored.

Anyway, this effort is hardly going to be an effort at all. In fact, it’s essentially going to be recycled from last February when the Phillies announced their Wall of Fame ballot. This year the club added Doug Glanville, Greg Gross, Jim Fregosi and Lancaster Countian Gene Garber to the ballot, though it seems unlikely that anyone from that group will gain election for enshrinement, in which the criterion is:

Phillies players with five or more years of service are eligible. Managers and coaches need four or more years of service.

In addition to a player’s statistical record, consideration is given to longevity, ability, contributions to the Phillies and baseball, character and special achievements.

This year the 15 players on the ballot are:

Pitchers: Larry Christenson, Jim Konstanty, Gene Garber, Rick Wise
Catcher: Darren Daulton
Infielders: John Kruk, Fred Luderus, Juan Samuel
Outfielders: Lenny Dykstra, Von Hayes, Greg Gross, Doug Glanville
Manager: Gene Mauch, Jim Fregosi
Coaches: Mike Ryan

Out of the 15 eligible, I cast my three vote(s) for Jim Konstanty, Darren Daulton and Gene Mauch.

Konstanty gets the vote simply for the 1950 season. During that year, as a relief pitcher, Konstanty appeared in a then Major League-record 74 games and was National League’s MVP. When the Phillies got to their first World Series since 1915, Konstanty took the ball and started Game 1for his first start in approximately four seasons.

Ultimately Konstanty only won 51 games and saved 54 in 6½ seasons for the Phillies, but he was one of the pioneers in the game as a true relief specialist, yet was also versatile and strong enough to pile up more than a 100 innings.

Don’t tell me the Phillies wouldn’t like to have a relief pitcher to toss 70 or so innings this season.

I don’t think I have to get too into why Daulton should be enshrined. Simply, he may have been one of the most important players - for his time - the franchise ever had. Importance of a player, of course, belies simple things such as numbers on a stat page and in that regard Daulton is both simple and complex. He led the league in both RBIs and knee operations… then moved to the outfield after two decades of squatting.

Better yet, he was the straw that stirred the drink in ‘93. Go ahead… ask anybody.

Mauch, on the other hand, was regarded as one of the best baseball minds as well as the most star-crossed. He has managed more seasons without reaching the World Series than anyone else. Worse, Mauch had come so excruciatingly close to getting there so many times only to fall through a trap door.

There was 1964, which people around here remember, but then in 1982 he guided the California Angels to 2-0 lead in the best of five series only to drop the final three games to the Milwaukee Brewers. That was the first time that had ever happened.

In 1986, Mauch’s Angels were one pitch away from beating the Boston Red Sox in five games of the best-of-seven ALCS before Donnie Moore served up the famous home run to Dave Henderson. The Red Sox went on to win Game 5 and then games 6 and 7 to further extend Mauch’s curse.

Yet for the Phillies, Mauch turned a laughingstock into a contender by winning 646 games in a little more than eight seasons. From 1962 to 1967, Mauch’s Phillies finished .500 or better in every season, which was a rarity for the franchise.

There it is… go vote online at the Phillies’ web site.

In the meantime, here are my Oscar picks [3]based on no knowledge whatsoever:

Supporting actress: Cate Blanchett, I’M NOT THERE
Supporting actor: Javier Bardem, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Actress: Ellen Page, JUNO
Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Director: The Coen Bros., NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Best picture: There Will Be Blood

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[1] Again.
[2] Yeah, we’re doing alright.
[3] Yes, I know there is no way to judge art or acting unless all of the actors play the same part. I also know that the Academy Awards are inherently a big pile of BS.

Priced out?

Somewhere the brass for the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees quietly noted the landmark $10 million payout to Phillies’ slugger Ryan Howard and stashed away the information for later. After all, depending upon what type of season Howard puts together in 2008 it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the slugger could wind up with one of those teams in 2009 and/or beyond.

Seriously, after the arbitration panel ruled on Thursday that Howard has earned a $10 million salary for 2009 after just two full big-league seasons, the big question is this:

How much longer will the Phillies be able to afford him?

Think about it - the Phillies and Howard will more than likely be back in the same position again next year, only this time the slugger won’t be asking for a measly $10 million per season.

At least that’s the way the trends skew. Howard not only has set precedents in terms of salary for a player with his limited Major League experience, but he’s also operating in unchartered territory when it comes to prolific power statistics. In fact, his 105 home runs and 285 RBIs during the past two seasons could be the greatest debut power years (non-alleged steroid division) ever. Forget the first full two seasons, there aren’t too many players in baseball history that have hit 105 homers in two consecutive seasons.

So where does that leave the Phillies now that Howard and his camp swayed arbitrators to break precedent? And what happens if the big fella clubs 60 homers and 150 RBIs for a playoff team in ‘08? Can the Phillies afford not to work out a long-term deal with Howard just so they can avoid record payouts in arbitration year after year until 2011?

Or, did Howard price himself out of Philadelphia? Though Howard won in arbitration, like a majority of the fandom thought was appropriate, have the fans really lost? After all, there is chatter out there that Team Howard is seeking a long-term deal in the A-Rod strata. Surely the Phillies can’t be pleased with that development and where it could be the negotiations for here and beyond.

“This is too fresh in our minds right now to even start dealing with that kind of stuff,” assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told reporters in Clearwater, Fla., Thursday. “I think what we’re focused on now is, one, it’s over with. And two, we have to go play baseball now.”

Howard wasn’t sure, either.

“I’m not Miss Cleo, I can’t predict the future,” he said.

Oh, but even the omniscient Miss Cleo cannot gaze into a crystal ball and figure out this riddle. Because what she sees can’t bode well for the Phillies - a team that has a recent history of allowing some high-priced talent to deal with other clubs. Sure, the Phillies were creative when they signed Pete Rose in 1979, they had Mike Schmidt when he was the highest-paid player in the game, and they signed Lance Parrish for (relative) big money when the other owners had been judged to have colluded against free agent players. But the Phillies have never dealt with something like Ryan Howard.

Not many teams have.

But the Phillies and Howard will be back to do it all again next year. Again they will row out into unchartered - and deep - waters with their greatest slugger ever. Only next year there’s a good chance that Howard won’t be alone when asking for a record payout.

Pitcher Cole Hamels could be there, too.

Who knows what will happen in another year. Maybe the Phillies will empty out their pockets and dig into the sofa cushions and find a $200 million check sitting around. Plus, there will likely be a lot of fans willing to shell out plenty of money for tickets to watch the Howard and his Phillies’ teammates attempt to repeat as NL East champs in 2008.

A bake sale ain’t getting this one done, folks.

Still, the important question remains:

Could Howard envision playing the rest of his career with the Phillies?

“It would be nice,” he said. “It’s one of those things we’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

It’s sure to be eventful, that’s for sure.

Cha-ching!