High Heels On The Field

Trenton Thunder 2009

In my short time covering the team last season, one thing that stood out was that there was no shortage of confidence. Pitcher George Kontos struck me as particularly confident and focused, and Austin Jackson, surrounded by buzz, was unaffected. He came off as a guy who is keeping his eye on the importance of his performance and not allowing any expectations to go to his head.

It will be interesting and exciting to watch them both grow this season, as I follow them from opening day April 8th when the Thunder face the Binghamton Mets. My first time in any clubhouse was the Thunder's visiting clubhouse, when the B Mets were there. I was interviewing Lastings Milledge on his final day with the B Mets, before he went to the Olympics. Have you ever been stung by a bee?

Anyway, my darlings, you know what this all means: heels on the field again.

And just when my calves were finally feeling normal again.

Phillies Shocker/Shef; Atlantic City Surf Players Find New Homes

Some you see coming, some you get whiplash from. The news that the Phillies released veteran Geoff Jenkins (whose key hit in Game Six of the World Series came with an unforgettable image, when he leaped in the air), and are pursuing Gary Sheffield (dun, dun, dun, dun....DUNNNN), himself just released from the Tigers, falls into the latter category.

Shef is known for his strong personality and there's always been concern when his name's come up. There's also the endless debate about team makeup and chemistry, none of which can be scientifcally proven, so how it could affect the dynamics of the team, already adusting to Pat Burrell's departure, is something no one can guess. He had a good 2008, though his spring numbers have been a mix of good and bad: while his average is low, he's got a .378 SLG percentage.

Also: The non-casualties in the Atlantic City Surf shutdown, are relief pitcher Kyle George and infielder Brad Thoma who will wear the New Jersey Jackals uniform after being traded on Friday. I'd heard late, but information seemed to vary. Now that it's confirmed, I'm curious to see where many of those other players wind up.

Atlantic City Surf Bows

Most of us who were aware of the difficulties getting local fans interested are not completely shocked by this turn of events, but still it was a surprise to learn that the Surf has turned in its membership as part of the Can Am League, due to lease problems.

My first thought was where all those players will wind up and how exactly that's going to work. While some trades were made that secured certain players would not be affected by the closing (Anthony Granato, Joe Burke), others are still in need of a place to play.

The Surf was always on the outskirts and many times people attending the game weren't even sure who they were or what colors they were supposed to be rooting for. But it was a great place to work and there were some fans who truly loved to support that team.

All of my memories there are great and some of the players I met are guys you find yourself rooting for.

There's also no doubt in my mind that Cecil Fielder will find a team to manage or join as a hitting coach.

It's a shame it ended this way, but that's business.

Former Surf Coach Phil Nicoletti Lands Gig; Charlie Manuel In The Host Seat

After spending a season coaching alongside Atlantic City Surf manager Cecil Fielder, Phil Nicoletti has new employment as an assistant to the the El Paso Diablos of the American Association. Nicoletti was underused as a coach, but I remember one player on the team saying how much knowledge of the game he had, though he wasn't one for words. He was respected by that club, and no doubt will do well in a more defined role.

http://nicolettipitching.com/

As for the Phillies skipper, Charlie Manuel is about to make himself must see TV. His Sunday pre-game show will debut once the regular season begins. If I'm near a television on any given Sunday, I'll be sure to watch. Ought to be a lot of fun. My favorite conversation with anyone in baseball has been with him, when I got to have his full attention after a Phillies game in his office. As any writer knows who's been around him without the cameras rolling, he's a different guy, less nervous and one of the best people you'll ever sit and talk about the game with.

The Phils are playing one against the Red Sox today, and the regular season is just around the corner. While Jon Lester is as good as ever, Joe Blanton had a great outing, giving up only two runs.

I'll be on assignment soon: the Trenton Thunder's season begins and I'll be on the job. I have two stories coming up with the Phils as well, and my first looks to be on Ryan Madson, someone I've wanted to interview for awhile now.

Phils fans, place your bets on a repeat. Or don't...but ya gotta believe.

Happy Hour

Hopefully youse heard me on the radio show, FINALLY, for anyone who is local. It was, um, funny.

Buncha comedians.

For my next act, I'll pull a fifth starter out of my hat.

Curt Schilling Walks

For anyone who watched Curt Schilling pitch in Philadelphia, what we remember is a guy who never did things quietly, but doing his job to the hilt was his passion. He studied hitters like a croc beneath black water, waiting to attack. The idea that he's retiring is hard to accept, but certainly there's been signs of it since his last appearance in 2007, in Game 2 of the World Series. Still, it's hard to believe, Harry.

Schilling was not just a guy who went out and pitched, in the same way Lenny Dykstra or Pete Rose didn't just go to the plate and hit. There was a presence about him and the mound was a stage. When he came offstage he had no issue with speaking his mind and doing so with acidy humor. Joking that there's no better feeling than shutting up Yankees fans was, both awesome and audacious. But he ate up the attention.

While he's a guy that was hard to like sometimes, you got the feeling that it was just his fumbling way of saying he loved the game and thrived on the high drama of it. He wasn't the guy running around with lots of starlets; no, he married Shonda. He wasn't the guy who constantly found himself waist deep in controversy, or getting arrested, nor was he the player overcoming a drug or alcohol problem. His drama was baseball.

If there was anything he was more passionate about than baseball and family, it was the battle to eradicate ALS. The man made it his mission. He took the cause into his soul and breathed it. You felt his desire to do anything he could to cure it, every time he talked about it. There are likely few, if any, who've been a bigger champion for the cause than him.

He leaves the game a hero, not because he's perfect, but because he gave his life to it and used his power and fame to do something bigger than just be a baseball star. For all his faults, he's someone who elevated the game and believed he had the ability to be the best, so he worked tirelessly and realized he was right.

And we all know he loves to be told he's right.

Farewell, big gamer. Thanks for (most of) the memories.

Patrice Evans Takes Issue With Phillies Fans

Sports rivalries are nothing new, so I'm not sure why Patrice Evans is so angry about Phillies fans getting excited to rub their World Series win in the face of Mets fans. Mets fans would surely do the same, and if they win a World Series down the road I'm quite sure they will. It's no big deal. And no one should take it quite as personally as Evans does in his piece on NBCSports.com.

Evans hurls insults at Phillies fans because of a "pilgrimage" that bloggers called for to CitiBank field once the regular season starts.

Though it's been awhile since I was at Citizen's Bank Park and not on assignment, I remember the last time I attended as a spectator was after the Boston Red Sox won the World Series. They seemed to outnumber Phillies fans- they were everywhere in the city for three days, and on game day, in the Phils house, they really took over. There was a sense that Phils fans felt a need to tip their caps. It was understandable.

Whenever the Mets are in town, they converge on the city of Philadelphia. It's an easy drive and one New Yorkers take in large numbers when their Metros face the Fightins'. In turn, Phillies fans do the same.

It's nothing new. But insulting Ryan Howard (wow, really?) is the really puzzling part. Howard is certainly not part of the "conspiracy" to taunt Mets fans, so disparaging his swing (wow, really?) doesn't really add up.

The Mets have a heck of a talented team. Evans has every right to believe in them. Phillies fans and the team just happen to be, well, feeling cocky with that World Championship and all.

Ultimately rivalries are part of what makes this game so fun and intense.

Dykstra Denial

Lenny Dykstra isn't taking the news that he's being portrayed as racist lying down. He has denied all of Kevin Coughlin's accusations and points out that he lived with team mates Daryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden. He also says that Coughlin is exaggerating Dykstra's financial troubles. Of the racist claims Dykstra says, "I'm not reducing myself to this."

There are two sides to every story and perhaps no one should rush to judgment. Dykstra may have a reputation for wildness, but we're talking about deeply disturbing prejudice that would ruin the man's life if anyone in baseball believes it.

I'd say, undoubtedly, that Wall of Fame thing is really not happening now.

In current Phillies news, the thought that Cole Hamels won't be the opening day starter seems inconceivable, but the good news is that the MRI didn't show any "structural damage" to the elbow.

It may not be a perfect opening day scenario, but what matters most is that Hamels health prevails.

No one panic!

GQ Expose' On Lenny Dykstra

It's not every week I have two postings on Lenny "The Dude" Dykstra, but there's a new story out on the former Phillie center fielder and it's not pretty.

First, the totally unimportant:has Kevin Coughlin ever seen Dykstra walk? No, he didn't get that "side to side" walk from face plants in Shea Stadium's wall. That doesn't make much sense, being that he played for the Phillies AFTER the Mets. Wouldn't that walk be from face plants into the wall of Veterans Stadium, God rest her soul? But he didn't get that walk from any wall. That's the swagger "The Dude" always had. Watch old tape of him going to the plate.

But the glaring error on Coughlin's part is that he went into it with the fan mentality. When I've interviewed former Phillies that I grew up watching play, including Dykstra's best friend Dave Hollins as well as Darren Daulton and Pete Incaviglia, I don't forget that I'm a writer doing a job. I got googly eyed interviewing Phillies broadcaster Larry Andersen, but I was an upstart. A young girl. I learned quickly that you have to put all that aside, or you will be disappointed and possibly (not naming names) quite horrified by what you see and hear.

I respect Coughlin's honesty, though I don't know that this expose was the best move. A writer's career has a lot to do with trust; players are often paranoid (Dykstra is known to be REALLY paranoid) and some outright hate the media or anyone not within "the brotherhood." Coughlin is sitting on meetings that are private. He's hearing and seeing things that aren't on the record. Maybe that sounds absurd, but it's the principle. A player once said to me that because I'd seen so much of their off the field antics, I was "one of them. And if you ever say what you saw and heard, you're out." While this notion nauseated me (one of them? oh hell.), I understood the point. Everyone has a right to their privacy.

I always get suspicious of tantalizing exposes' like these. I wonder if someone is just trying to make a name for themselves and, of course, it's possible this piece is a work of fiction or exaggerated. But Dykstra's certainly attracted no shortage of controversy: he's got numerous lawsuits pending against him for unpaid wages to former employees.

Having said all that, what Coughlin reports is so terrible it made me stop in my tracks and take a deep breath before reading more. "Darkies and a bitch?"  "Spearchuckers?" A request that his employee charge his credit card for a private jet flight for Dykstra? It's bad enough that no Dykstra fan will want to hear it or read it.

While I sympathize with Coughlin's being let down, both personally and professionally, it reminds me that we cannot worship false idols. I'm certainly one who needs reminding of that from time to time: Dykstra is my favorite player of all time. That will never change. It's the player on the field I know. Inside the lines is where it counts. I prefer not to know the rest.

But when you view a baseball player not named Roberto Clemente a hero, you're setting yourself up for a world of disappointment.

A Cole Hamels Uh-Oh Moment

If something bad is happening and someone says, "Don't panic!" chances are they're probably panicking a little bit. And while the Phillies are keeping a lighthearted tone about Cole Hamels elbow trouble (he'll be in Philadelphia to get it checked out tomorrow), EVERYONE IS PANICKING. But maybe just a little.

But let's let cooler heads prevail. The pain is said to have been bothersome for a little while, but this could be a small spring training setback. They're common, and not necessarily season-destroying.

On the flip side, Utley looks to be almost certainly on the opening day lineup after surgery. It'll be interesting to see if that nagging injury he played through was the culprit for some of his hitting problems.

Phils play they Yankees in an exhibition game today; no Alex Rodriguez, and I'm sure Phillies fans in Clearwater saw it as a missed opportunity...to see him hit, of course.