Taking it easy

The nice thing about ballplayers is they all get on the same page. They are consistent. They have a staple of tried-and-true clichés that they like to trot out in certain situations and they work. It's reasonable. Smart. Sometimes there is just nothing to say or anything to talk about.

After last night's loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, Shane Victorino rolled through the clubhouse on his way to the shower/training room/dining room when some media types asked him if they could ask him a few questions. But without breaking stride and offering just a short glance over his shoulder, Victorino gave the press the Heisman.

"I didn't do bleep," he said.

Uh, yeah... that's the point.

Nevertheless, the main problem for the 6-7 Phillies appears to have universal acceptance. It's history. The Phillies are notorious for their poor Aprils so why should it be any different this year? The problem this April is that the team just can't find its mojo. Every time they get going it rains, or there is a day off, or another ceremony. It makes it even more difficult for a team that finds comfort in the mundane and routine like the Phillies.

They are "rhythmatic."

But really - who complains about too many days off? Sure, the part about not being able to find a rhythm is understandable, but days off... really? In baseball? It's a long season as it is and the Phillies have 149 games and six months left to play, which means they better enjoy those off days now. Come September they might even be begging for a day off just to be able to set up the pitching rotation properly.

Hell, it won't take long for those off days to be few and far between. Starting today the Phillies play 17 games in 18 days with 10 of them at home and two in New York. If there was ever a time to start racking up some wins, it's now.

Better yet, the Phillies play 19 of their first 31 games at home. Wait until they get out on the road late in the season without off days or even the threat of rain on the horizon. Maybe then they'll remember April and the opportunity they had.

*

This morning the train station was crowded with high school track teams making the way to Franklin Field for the first day of The Penn Relays. Today's action is mostly high school races before giving way to the traditional "distance night" when the some pretty good local runners will duke it out on the famous track.

But if you're looking for the big-time names at this year's relays, forget it - this is the year after the Olympics which sometimes means the big-timers lay low for a bit.

Still, the Penn Relays might be the best spectator sport festival in the city. It's very difficult not to get swept up in all the action so if you haven't been to Franklin Field to watch the races yet, get there. It's definitely one of those things every Philadelphian should see at least once.

*

Last night the windows in the press box were closed down after the first inning as the wind and rain took over the region. Hey, it got cold... why should we be comfortable? This isn't 1865... we have electricity and indoor plumbing.

Nevertheless, when the windows began closing a few fans sitting in the proximity of the press box began heckling members of the local sporting press for being "wimps" or worse.

Can you believe it? Heckling the sensitive and delicate press corps?

How rude!

However, this morning I was alerted to the fact that a certain Phillies broadcaster also resorted to name-calling and tongue-clucking when the windows came down. That's his right, I suppose. Still, it seems a bit hypocritical that the same broadcaster came to sit in the warmth of the press box when he was neither on radio nor TV.

The nerve of that guy...

Shine on you crazy diamonds

Here it is... this is Charlie Manuel's World Series ring shown off by hand model extraordinaire, Leslie Gudel. The BlackBerry pictures certainly don't do the ring justice, but trust me - the thing is as big as a belt buckle. In fact, Charlie even reported that there is some room for him to grow into the ring. More importantly, it's nice. It's not tacky like the one the Marlins got in 2003. However, it's definitely something noticeable when it's worn. Several of the players left the ballpark with their new bling on and it stood out.

Anyway, here's Chuck's ring:

*

Speaking of the hand model, we were a bit taken aback when Chipper Jones said he was going to play out his current contract and then "sail off into the sunset."

Unlike with Curt Schilling, there is no debating that Chipper is a first ballot Hall of Famer.

*

Oh, here's a crazy story... at Tuesday night's game at the Bank, I asked a few members of the Phillies PR staff when the team would make the traditional White House visit that championship teams often are honored with.

Actually, not to be confusing, I asked, "Hey, when is the team going to visit the White House. You guys have that off-day, afterall?"

I figured the question was appropriate considering the team will be in The District next week and had an off-day scheduled for Tuesday. But, good question, right? It was quick, concise and to the point and can illicit just a handful of answers.

Or so I thought. Apparently it was a stumper because no one on the staff had an answer to give me or another colleague of the writing press corps.

So imagine our surprise this morning when we woke up, clicked on our mobile devices and saw that the team web site was reporting that the Phillies would visit with the President next Tuesday at the White House.

Wha happened?

I guess the query was too complex or maybe they thought I asked if the team was going to the White House right this minute. As in, "Hey, are guys going to visit the White House, right now?"

Hey, it's not the first time this type of confusion has occurred in the past month. But the season is young... they'll get it together and make sure I don't have answers to basic questions at least once per series.

And of course I will always report back to you there in front of your computer... that's right, I'm looking out for you, dear readers.

So yeah, the Phillies are going to the White House next Tuesday. In fact, Gary Matthews already has an in at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue since his daughter and President Obama's daughter were friends in Chicago.

Yeah, that's right... Sarge rolls with the leader of the free world.

Bling bling

[gallery]

Big Chuck let Leslie try out the World Series ring. Not a bad fit.

Keeping cool

Ryan Howard went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Sunday's season opener. (AP)

OK, everybody… deep breath. All at once – inhale and then exhale.

One more time…

Now, do we feel better?

No?  Not even when we realize that there are six months and 161 games to go?

“We played one game, man,” manager Charlie Manuel said.

“Oh my goodness,” Jimmy Rollins said in mock/sarcastic horror. “I am heartbroken that we lost a game.”

Yes, the Phillies opened their most anticipated season ever with a resounding 4-1 loss to divisional foe Atlanta in a game where starter Brett Myers gave up three home runs and four runs in the first two innings.

Meanwhile, Braves’ ace Derek Lowe pitched a two-hitter through eight innings where he got the Phillies to make 17 outs in which the ball never left the infield. As a result, panic has set in, the title defense has gone awry and the sky is falling. Didn’t they see the omens when a paratrooper from the 82nd Airborne completely missed the stadium and landed in the parking lot with the ball for the ceremonial first pitch?

Or when they removed the ladder from the field to the stands where Manuel was raising the championship banner?

Talk about your omens.

So excuse the Phillies if they are not as worried about the loss in the first game as everyone else. Excuse Manuel if he isn’t too concerned about the amount of lefties in the middle of the order or the grounders Lowe coaxed out of his team. Pardon Myers if he did not fire his glove into the stands and kick over the water cooler upon his exit from the game.

Excuse the Phillies if they don’t go 162-0.

Continue reading this story ...

Andre the giant

If the Sixers get their way, Andre Iguodala will become the marque player who not only is the go-to guy on the floor, but also the man in the locker room. It shouldn't be too difficult, though. Only 25, Iguodala isn't close to reaching his prime as a player. However, away from the court Iguodala might be coming into his own as a leader. On last night's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon program, Iguodala stood up for the American taxpayers by depicting President Barack Obama, the leader of the free world, in a docudrama of sorts in which Iguodala/Obama sent a message to the American car makers in Detroit.

Take a look.

Iguodala might have more lifting to do with the Sixers if Thaddeus Young's sprained ankle turns out to be a bad one.

Meanwhile, Andre and ?uestlove of The Roots (Fallon's house band) have already worked together on a Nike ad:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTGhj5LeDZc&hl=en&fs=1]

All rock all the time...

It's definitely going to be a crazy week around these parts. Not only do we have Villanova heading to the Final Four and all the pomp that goes with that, but also the Phillies return to Philadelphia this week for a pair of exhibition games against Tampa on Friday and Saturday before kicking off the season for real on Sunday night against Atlanta. Who knows, the most anticipated Phillies season ever could be sandwiched between 'Nova's national semifinal game and a National Championship on Monday night.

Hey, crazier things have happened.

Anyway, we'll have a bunch of 'Nova and Phillies stories all week leading to the big weekend. Until then, here's a short list of the things I won't write about this baseball season.

Before I start, I know how lame the list is. After all, don't you hate those radio ads in which a station defines itself by what it doesn't play? Then they cue them up and play programmed and contrived crap. I heard one the other day where the station's big calling card was, "We aren't iTunes, we are your tunes."

What? This is what they announce before they launch into Don Henley.

No, take them... they're definitely your tunes.

So from here on out I'm drawing a line and painting myself into a tidy little corner. These are the stories I'm going to work as hard as possible not to write this baseball season:

1.) Jamie Moyer's age

Yes, we all know that Jamie Moyer is old. In fact, he's 46 and there have been just a select few ballplayers that had careers to that age. It's remarkable, sure, but not necessarily such an anomaly anymore.

The fact of the matter is that 46 isn't as old as it used to be. Better yet, a ballplayer only gets old if he allows himself to be that way or injuries add up. Ask Don Wildman about how limiting his age is. Or Dara Torres. Or Chris Chelios. Or Jamie Moyer.

Better yet, don't.

"Some players get injured and others just lose the desire," Moyer told me last August. "Then some, for one reason or other, are told to quit because they reach a certain age or time spent in the game. Some just accept it without asking why."

Along the same vein, Moyer's age won't be used as a crutch, either. He's 46. So what? He's as fit as any player in the league and he hasn't lost a thing off his fastball (tee-hee), so if he's walking out there he's no different than anyone else.

He's 46? Big deal.

2.) J.C. Romero's suspension

Oh yes, this is an important issue. It's especially important since the Phillies won't have their workhorse reliever for nearly a third of the season. But stories knocking it down as no big deal or some type of insignificant or unfortunate occurrence don't get it. The truth is MLB did not want Romero to pitch in the playoffs, but they allowed him to do so anyway.

Why? And why not?

3.) Lefty lineup

Chase Utley to Ryan Howard to Raul Ibanez... deal with it. Certainly the opposing managers will have to figure out a way to deal with it. Last year Utley his .277 with 13 homers against lefties, while Howard hit 14 homers (just .224 though) and Ibanez batted .305 with seven homers vs. lefties.

Oh sure, in the late innings the Phillies will face a ton of situational lefties, but any time a manager goes away from his regular habits to rely on a pitcher generally used to facing just one hitter just might level the odds a bit.

For that middle of the order trio, even odds are pretty good.

4.) Charlie Manuel's managerial acumen

These are the facts: Charlie knows more about baseball than you. Actually he's forgotten more about baseball than you have ever known. To top it off, he's funnier than you and tells far better stories.

Plus, the way he handled that great comeback against the Mets last August in which he used to pitchers to pinch hit, had Carlos Ruiz play third base and put Chris Coste into the game in the eighth inning and watched him get four hits. The guy is always looking at the big picture and sometimes, just for fun, he'll play a hunch.

What he doesn't do is try to over think or out-fox the game like Tony La Russa or some other new age type. He'd rather beat you Earl Weaver style - sit back and wait for a big home run - but if he has to get some base runners moving with some steals or hit-and-runs, that works, too.

Meanwhile, he likes to put his pitchers into firm roles. Yeah, sometimes that can get him in trouble, but the good part is that everyone on the roster understands their role. Big league ballplayers love that.

And if that doesn't work, Charlie will pull out the old, "Just hold 'em, guys... I'll think of something."

It's worked so far.

5.) Raul Ibanez vs. Pat Burrell

Stat heads aren't going to like this one, but Ibanez's superior batting average and lower strikeout rate will matter. It mattered in Seattle and it will matter at cozy Citizens Bank Park, too.

The reason is as simple as the triple-digit RBI totals over the last three years - Ibanez hits the ball a little more. With Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Utley and Howard hitting in front of him, the 20 fewer times Ibanez strikes out as opposed to Burrell could be significant. Figure there are 26 weeks to a season with the potential for one more run a week produced from one spot of the lineup could add up.

Right?

There you go. Now I'm going to go put the iPod on shuffle... yep, my tunes.

Whatever the hell that means.

Go ahead... they dare ya

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Spend some time with the Phillies during spring training and one tends to pick up on a few things. Call is osmosis or luck. Either way, proximity tends to shine a little light.

For instance, Chan Ho Park might not have the fifth starter spot nailed down despite the fact that he hasn’t walked a hitter in Grapefruit League action and has an ERA nearly two runs better than any of his competitors. Has Chan Ho been underestimated?

We’ll see.

Meanwhile, it appears as if there are a few more roster battles than anticipated and even “sure things” (my word) like Matt Stairs will have to fight to make the 25-man roster for the opener on April 5. Plus, Miguel Cairo’s right-handedness just might serve him well.

There is still plenty of time to iron out those details so we can place them on the backburner for the next couple weeks. For now we’ll just deal with the really important issues, like, are the Phillies good enough to win the whole thing again this year.

Um, sure. Why not?

Based on observances and conversations, it’s fair to say that the WFC Phillies and staff have more of a strut this spring than in past years. In fact, a few might even be a bit too big for their britches.

Continue reading this story ...

Dubee on Hamels: 'Opening Day is probably a long shot'

Pitching coach Rich Dubee on Cole Hamels: “I don’t know if it’s out of the question, but it looks like it’s probably a long shot.

"We have to get him up and running and we have to stretch him out. I think he's been up to 52 or 54 pitches. We like our guys, if they're going to pitch, hopefully they'll be ready to throw 100 pitches by Opening Day. It could be a long shot. Again, this guy has always risen to the occasion. It's good that we caught it when we did. It wasn't getting cleared up. It wasn't getting any worse, but it wasn't getting any better."

linkage

Watch out, bro!

Jamie Moyer talking to the kids during spring training. “When I was your age I threw 80-mph… uphill, both ways!”

Good idea, bad execution

Ed. note: This post was supposed to be a little ol' post here, but it turned into something bigger over at the CSN site. It's not all that different, just longer. The second biannual World Baseball Classic is in full swing, and already the disinterest and speculation over its relevance is palpable.

Or maybe not. I have yet to hear anyone say, "Hey, did you see that big play in the Mexico vs. South Africa game at the WBC?" In fact, I haven't heard anyone talk about the World Baseball Classic at all. I haven't read it in the blogs, either. It just doesn't seem to be gaining a foothold.

Certainly that's no knock on the WBC. After all, there is a veritable media saturation of sports, leagues, players and everything else that goes with it. Adding one more event into an already stuffed buffet is probably not the greatest of marketing plans.

Nevertheless, there are ways to spice up the WBC. For instance, it seems as if one's country of nationality is no deterrent for which team(s) a guy can play for. Look at Alex Rodriguez - he was born in New York, raised in Florida and was playing for the Dominican Republic. Nick Punto was born in San Diego, raised in Mission Viejo and is playing for Italy in the WBC.

In fact, Hawaiian Shane Victorino was approached to play for Italy before the first WBC in 2007. The odd thing about that is Victorino isn't Italian. He's Portugese, Asian and Polynesian. In other words, American. He was asked to play for Italy simply because his surname sounded Italian.

So that gives me an idea...

If A-Rod can play for the Dominican Republic and Punto for Italy, why not just hold a draft. Open it up for all the nations kind of like that sketch from "The Chappelle Show" and let the players join the team that claims them. Let David Ortiz play for Italy or David Wright for China.

Since players can seemingly play for any nation even if they aren't a citizen, just go ahead and make it All-Star tourney. Hey, if they are going to make a joke of the borders and citizenship, why not make a joke of the entire thing?

Better yet, why not just have trades? Say Mexico needs a left-handed bat at the top of the order - why can't they trade for Ichiro? Hey, if Nick Punto can play for Italy, Ichiro ought to be able to play for Mexico.

Right?

Perhaps the best reason why the WBC is just plain silly comes from one of this site's favorite topics, Curt Schilling. As jingoistic an American as there is, Schilling says he would turn down an invitation to play for the U.S. (or maybe Norway, too) in the WBC because it's not fair to the pitchers. In fact, Schilling wrote in his blog, "38 Pitches," that if he were a big-league GM he would not allow any pitchers on the 40-man roster to participate.

Schilling wrote:

... you just can't 'be ready' for until you are truly 'ready'. Until you've worked your pitch counts up, had a tough outing or two in the spring, stepping into a ML stadium full of fans ramps it to a whole new level.

If I were, and I know I am not, a GM I would have some sort of protection in contracts prohibiting any pitchers on my 40 man roster from participating.

I can't speak to position players because their lives and their preparation are so vastly different than pitchers, but I can tell you as a pitcher that the last thing on this planet I would want to do would be to be asked to go 'full tilt' (and make no mistake about it, what you are seeing from them is everything they have at that point) at this incredibly early time in the season.

So is the solution batting tees or batting practice pitchers? Should the WBC become just a glorified home run derby kind of like the one they have at the All-Star Game?

Maybe if they did it that way people would talk about it.

Nevertheless, the WBC seems to be one of those "good in theory, bad in execution" deals. Like Marxism.wa

Globetrotters playing on the roof of the Spectrum and running the weave. It’s impossible to defend.

Dawkins deal is done

sigh... On another note, D-Gunn, Andy Schwartz and CSNPhilly.com ran circles on everyone else on the Dawkins story. Like Globetrotter style.

Phillies and Mets trade places

A friend from New York City called the other day with an intriguing question. Now before I get into the actual question, it’s worth mentioning that the friend has spent the past two decades working in the sports media, including the past three covering the New York Mets.

Yes, those New York Mets.

So for the past three years this friend of mine watched from the inside as the Mets choked in a seven-game series to the Cardinals in the NLCS, choked during September with a 6½ game lead and less than three weeks to go in ’07, before pulling the trifecta in ’08 by choking a 3½ game lead during late September.

Needless to say, my friend has seen that the Heimlich doesn’t always work on a baseball team. No, these have not been happy times for the Mets, especially considering which team went on to win the World Series last October.

Those elements make the question so much more interesting.

“Tell me,” he said. “Are Phillies’ fans as obsessed with the Mets as the Mets’ fans are with the Phillies?”

Continue reading this story...

Best week ever...

Apparently we are in the midst of last days of something called "Hockey Week" here in Philadelphia. According to the rumors, there was an official declaration with a proper certificate adorned with a big gold ribbon and that fancy calligraphy writing. Yep, they went all out at City Hall. After all, public officials don't go about making edicts and issuing ribbons all willy-nilly like. But after having had the chase to talk the mayor, the Honorable Michael Nutter, it's evident that the man has a wicked sense of humor. Oh yeah, it doesn't show, but Mayor Nutter gets jokes and has a tremendous laugh - you know, one of those laughs that makes the funny thing even funnier.

So, the idea that the mayor decreed that this was "Hockey Week," and not even in an Olympic year, to boot, is knee-slapping hilarious.

Mayor Nutter... what a hoot!

What also is funny about the concept of "Hockey Week" is that how quickly the attention went elsewhere. After all, it is almost the third full week of February and there is a chance that the Eagles could sign a taxi-squad punter. Sure, Sav Rocca seems to have the punting position nailed down, but what about in a couple of years?

But more than the Eagles, the looming minicamp, Sav Rocca, punting and punters, "Hockey Week" took a back seat to the fast-approaching NBA trading deadline, which potentially could reshape the look of the 76ers for the rest of the season and beyond. It's quite a decision GM Ed Stefanski has to make on Andre Miller. Definitely a pickle, indeed.

The biggest news hitting the ether regards the local baseball club and how the New York Mets have reacted to the WFC-ness of the WFC Phillies.

Apparently the Mets can't keep their mouths shut. Or, better yet, to use a hockey term, "yaps." Those Mets sure are yapping up a storm. During the past week we've heard from Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and newly acquired closer Francisco Rodriguez. The interesting part about the Mets' trash-talking has been the boringness of it. Almost as boring as getting all worked up for "Hockey Week."

Continue reading this story...

Making the rounds

While trying to wrap our little minds about all that's gone on recently (as well as with what is about to come), perhaps it's a good idea to dive into a hodgepodge of stories hitting the wires today. Before doing that, however, it's only fair to point out that Peter Gammons of ESPN acknowledged his shortcomings during his interview with Alex Rodriguez. And unlike Rodriguez, Gammons was explicit when offering his mea culpa in an e-mail interview with the popular web site, Deadspin.

Gammons wrote:

I think in retrospect, I should have interrupted the Arod rant. My first question asked if Selena's story were true, he essentially admitted it was, and I believed she was therefore vindicated. I usually don't get into grudges, and felt he was promoting her book, which will be her response. I was trying to get Alex in his own words, but Jeff's criticism has merit that I accept.

So, with Gammons falling on the proverbial sword, it's only fair to retract my criticisms of the ol' ballscribe from Tuesday's little rant on the A-Roid situation and the ESPN interview. Most people (journalists especially) have difficulty admitting mistakes, so if someone of Gammons' stature can admit that he wasn't his best, well, I guess it's even more fair to acknowledge the professionalism and grace.

So there.

Continue reading the rest of this story...

There's nothing to take

What a crazy week, huh? Maybe we ought to just call it a party week or something. After all, every element was in place - illicit drugs, controlled substances, big-time money and contracts, controversy, buses, general weirdness and of course, apologies.

Lots and lots of apologies.

In fact, before I get too deep into this I ought to offer a pre-emptive apology for the things I did even though I don't know what they are. So yeah, sorry.

And thanks to Alex Rodriguez for setting that trend. Or was it Jason Giambi? Either way it was a Yankee, a team that has proven that it is not above saying sorry. Actually, with Giambi, Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, Gary Sheffield, and now A-Roid, the Yankees just might be the place to go for the *really* good drugs.

But we digress.

"The truth will set you free," Rodriguez told a very demure and gentle Peter Gammons of ESPN in a very soft interview. "I'm just proud I'm here sharing my story."

That's what A-Roid said, anyway. Did he really share his story or did he try to shift the blame like Donovan McNabb is said to have done earlier in the week when he pointed out that he gave the defense a lead late in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship. In normal times even the most mundane statement from McNabb is big news in these parts. Heck, McNabb could say, "Boo!" on Halloween and it would be immediately uploaded onto web sites across the region in a newfangled "stop the presses!" moment.

Not this time. Not when the President of the United States is asked during a prime-time news conference about A-Roid when he was supposed to be answering questions about the economic stimulus bill. Really, that's how big this is.

Really?

Continue reading the rest of this story...

Money changes everything

They say you can’t be too rich or too thin. But then again, they say a lot of things. But maybe people can become too rich. Do “they” have a theory on that one? Maybe people can accumulate so much money that they don’t know what to do with it.

Or maybe they think it makes them classy or smart? You know, it’s a self-worth or ego thing or something.

But make no mistake about it, as Ryan Howard adds to his bankroll it nearly guarantees that the Phillies’ payroll will get thinner in the not-so distant future. Like in 2011 when the big fella is finally eligible to become a free agent.

And, oh yes, he will become a free agent.

You see, somewhere the brass for the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees quietly noted the landmark $18 million “request” from Howard to the Phillies in arbitration and stashed the info away. After all, it doesn’t really matter whether or not Howard “wins” in arbitration or not because, really, what’s the difference whether he makes $14 million and $18 million in ’09?

Actually, the difference is that the price tag already might be a little too heavy for the club. Oh yeah, forget about the fact that the team routinely sells out its new ballpark and that it just won the World Series and raised ticket prices. And forget the fact that Major League Baseball had $6.5 billion (with a “B”) – the cash is tight with the Phillies.

Just look at it. The Phillies finally began pushing the payroll into the rate befitting a ballclub in the fourth-largest media market in the country this decade. Yet while doing so the players with escalating salaries were quickly shed when “cheaper” alternatives became available.

What’s wrong with that? Well, nothing of course.

But think about for a second… right now the Phillies’ payroll is $112.68 million before Howard has even been signed. That figure already surpasses the amount in paychecks the team gave to its players in 2008. Plus, the two guys in that $14 million neighborhood were sent to other teams – one, Jim Thome, left before his contract expired. In fact, the Phillies are still on the hook for $3 million of Thome’s salary next season.

The other guy, Pat Burrell, didn’t get an offer for arbitration from the Phillies. Instead the Phillies gave 36-year old Raul Ibanez three years and $31.5 million.

It seems as if $14 million is where the Phillies draw the line.

So here's the $18 million question:

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 $18 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 also is operating in unchartered territory when it comes to prolific power statistics. In fact, his 153 home runs and 431 RBIs during the past three seasons could be the greatest debut power years (non-alleged steroid division) ever. Forget the first full three seasons, there aren’t too many players in baseball history that have hit 153 homers in a career, let alone three consecutive seasons.

So where does that leave the Phillies now that Howard and his camp, led by his dad and agent Casey Close? 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? The consensus from the fans was that Howard justly won his arbitration case last year. It also seems as if they are rooting for the big guy to get the big check again this year, too. But in doing so are they really rooting against themselves? Will they cheer as loudly for Howard when he's in New York or Boston?

That could be the scenario since the chatter out there is that Team Howard is seeking a long-term deal in the A-Rod strata. Surely the just thinking about something like that ought to be enough to cause some sleepless nights for some execs.

“He has made no indication that he wants to leave Philadelphia,” Amaro said. “I think this is an ideal situation for him. He has an opportunity to play for a winning team, and he has an opportunity to maximize what he does best which is to hit home runs and drive in runs. He is surrounded by quality players.”

Ah yes, but Howard just got his ring. Now get ready for him to start quoting Rod Tidwell because careers are short and that’s especially the case for guys like Howard. The truth is guys like Howard don’t last as long. Already 29, Howard is seemingly in the prime years for a big, lumbering and slugging type of player. History shows that the big fellas just don’t last that long -- especially if they have to play in the field. The game is littered with guys like Howard who were washed up before their 35th birthday. Greg Luzinski was washed up at 33; Boog Powell at 34; Mo Vaughn at 34; John Kruk at 33; Kent Hrbek at 34… the list goes on and on. Even 33-year old David Ortiz is beginning to break downThe one big guy who has lasted a long time is Frank Thomas and that comes in part because he’s played just 36 games in the field since 2001, and missed nearly 2½ seasons because of injuries.

Need more? The geeks at “Baseball Prospectus” suggested that Howard could be peaking in its 2007 yearbook:

Historically, players like Howard, big-bodied guys with limited defensive skills such as Mo Vaughn and Boog Powell, tended to have high but brief peak periods. Their legs just couldn’t carry that much mass for very long, and around 30 their defense plummeted, their playing time dropped due to nagging injuries, and their singles dried up and disappeared. The Phillies should have a three-year window in which they can expect this kind of production from Howard, but should not plan beyond that.

So the Phillies aren’t ready to break the bank for Howard just yet. Not when they don’t have to. Or maybe it’s just a matter of getting creative with Howard. Though recent history shows that the high-priced talent gets shipped out of town (Bobby Abreu, Scott Rolen, Thome, Burrell) before the it gets too steep, historically, the team has showed a creative side.

The Phillies were creative when they signed Pete Rose in 1979, they also 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.

Still, the Phillies have never dealt with something like Ryan Howard.

Not many teams have.

So here we go again. Once again the Phillies head into the deep waters with their greatest slugger ever in the second annual salary quest. Can’t make it this year… no problem, the cash prizes will be even bigger in 2010.

Maybe then 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 World Series champs in 2009.

A bake sale ain’t getting this one done, folks. There aren’t that many brownies in the world to sell.

This time the athletes are inspired

WASHINGTON – When Dave Winfield was growing up in Minnesota, he thought his future lied somewhere far away from where he ended up. For Winfield, the Hall-of-Fame baseball player, his childhood career ambition was to work in politics.

That all changed when Winfield was 16 in April of 1968. That’s when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and everything changed. Young Dave Winfield had second (and third) doubts about a career in politics and the rest, as it turned out, was baseball history.

One has to wonder which career path Winfield would take if he were 16 in January of 2009. Would athletics be as alluring (Winfield was drafted by a team in the NBA, ABA and NFL as well as MLB) for a kid looking to carve out his path in life nearly 41 years after that April day in 1968?

It’s hard to say. But it is worth noting that Winfield made his Major League debut a little more than 26 years after Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play in the Major Leagues. Imagine that… Major League Baseball, holder of the mantle of the so-called American pastime, refused to allow good ballplayers to play for its teams simply because of the color of their skin.

For decades after Robinson first played for Brooklyn in 1947, integrated teams could not stay together in some hotels in certain parts of the United States. They couldn’t eat together in certain restaurants and they certainly weren’t socializing in public in some places.

In fact, not too long before April of ’68 there were some restaurants in Washington, D.C. that would not have allowed Winfield to enter. Just beyond the Lincoln Memorial in Virginia, forget it…

Yet on Tuesday, as the morning became the afternoon, Winfield mixed in with the masses on the Washington Mall to watch a man whose father was born in Kenya and a mother born in Kansas be inaugurated as President of the United States.

“It's just a unique time and place,” Winfield said. “My wife and I felt we should be a part of this one.”

“This is something you want to say you were there to witness.”

Before a sea of humanity stretching from the U.S. Capitol all the way to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge heading into Virginia, the first African-American gave an address in which the themes were inclusion, duty, honor and sacrifice. He put the injustice of slavery in context with other hardscrabble lives. He made it part of the immigrant experience no different than the inscription on the Statue of Liberty.

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Just that bit of imagery took America to a place it had never been.

So maybe in the crowd beneath the memorials in monuments surrounding that great lawn could be a talented kid just like Winfield was. And maybe instead of a career playing baseball or football or basketball he (or she) opts for a life of service.

Perhaps a 16-year-old kid will see Jimmy Rollins taking in the big moment and see that even sports stars and MVPs can be inspired. A historian of the Negro Leagues and a gatekeeper of Robinson’s legacy, Rollins closely followed the 2008 election and reported that he was really interested in learning as much as possible about the candidates.

Sixers’ guard Andre Miller also made it to Washington for the inauguration though he says he never moved and preferred to keep his political views to himself. Miller was simply moved by the history of the moment and allowed himself to be swept up in it all.

Meanwhile, former Sixers’ center and Georgetown star, Dikembe Mutombo, also attended the events, joining other notable athletes like Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali and John Thompson in Washington.

Needless to say, the moment was not lost on Mutombo, who first came to the U.S. from The Congo to attend Georgetown with the hope of becoming a doctor. Like Winfield, sports were a better fit.

“We have the son of an African man, not from a second or third generation, from the first generation. That brings so much joy and so much pride for me,” Mutombo said.

“Now I can tell my son, ’You cannot tell me you can’t be the next Bill Gates or the next senator.’ I’m feeling good about my children,” Mutombo said. “I know I’m going to cry a lot, but I want to be there.”

Certainly Mutombo's words were a popular sentiment on Tuesday.