The Zo Zone

I love baseball nicknames:

Charlie Hustle, Stan the Man, Shoeless Joe, Oil Can, The Splendid Splinter, Mr. October, etc. Of course, then there are nicknames like Sliding Billy Hamilton.

He must have liked to slide a lot.

But you've got to love Willie "Puddin' Head" Jones, the Phillies third baseman from 1947 to 1959. Here's a video of ol' Puddin' Head -- anybody with the nickname Puddin' Head has to have an ol' put in front of it -- teaching people how to play third base. It's from Joe DiMaggio's Dugout. Why was he called Puddin' Head? There apparently was a song in the '30s called Puddin' Head Jones, which might be why.

Or he could have really loved pudding.

I mean, who didn't love a snack pack in their lunch?

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Today's Philliescast is up.

The Phillies open a grueling 10-game road trip tonight in Atlanta.

This will be a good test.

They play three in Atlanta, four in San Francisco and three in Arizona. All three teams have a winning record, unlike Cincinnati, Houston, Washington and Florida -- the four teams they pounded on during their last nine games to recover from their horrible 4-11 start. Now, I hate when people say, "They've only beaten the Reds, Nationals and Marlins," because they can only beat who's on their schedule. They're supposed to beat those teams, and they did. But this upcoming trip certainly is going to be a challenge, and we'll have a better feel for how good this team is when they return to Citizens Bank Park on May 11 to play the Chicago Cubs.

The Phillies, however, enter the trip playing much better baseball and have played the Braves, Giants and Diamondbacks well in recent seasons. In fact, they have had a winning record against those teams the past two seasons.

And I don't have any sabermetric numbers to back this up, but I also get the feeling that this team is more relaxed out west. That's the sense I get when I'm in the clubhouses anyway. Maybe it's because half the team is from California or lives in Arizona and it feels like home. Maybe it's coincidence. Or maybe I'm just crazy.

Of course, they could play in Kazakhstan if Jamie Moyer and the rest of the rotation pitches like he did in yesterday's 6-1 victory over the Marlins.

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Jayson Werth had a big game for the Phillies yesterday. So did Greg Dobbs.

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Think the Phillies have problems? The Yankees finish April at 9-14.

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Some Phillies share their thoughts on the death of Josh Hancock, who played briefly with the Phillies in 2003 and 2004.

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So I hear Eagles fans aren't real happy with their team's draft. As a Packers fan, I can relate.

Ryan Howard's Subway commercial with the totally awesome Jared is supposed to be out soon. Let's hope Howard comes aross a little more naturally than this old-school TV ad, which features Phillies pitcher Curt Simmons.

The Phillies look to Jamie Moyer today to do something no pitcher has accomplished this weekend against the Florida Marlins:

Throw a clean inning.

The Marlins battered Phillies pitching in last night's 11-5 loss at Citizens Bank Park. The Marlins have had at least one hit in every inning this series.

Righthander Adam Eaton continues to struggle. He is 2-2 with a 7.71 ERA overall. He allowed 10 hits, seven runs, three walks and one home run in 4 1/3 innings last night.

His splits are not pretty:

- He is 1-2 with a 10.80 ERA in three starts at home.
- Opponents are hitting .302 against him.
- The first hitter of every inning is hitting .379 (11 for 29) with two doubles, two home runs and three walks.
- From his first to 45th pitch, opponents are hitting .363 against him. From his 46th pitch on, opponents are hitting .258 against him the rest of the way. That seems to fit with the talk from the Phillies front office that Eaton needs a couple innings to build velocity with his fastball, which is one reason they did not consider him an option for the bullpen.

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Ryan Howard returns to the lineup after having the night off.

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Former Phillies pitcher Josh Hancock died last night in a car accident in St. Louis. Hancock had pitched with the Cardinals the past two seasons, earning a World Series ring last year.

Hancock made two appearances for the Phillies in 2003, and four appearances in 2004. They shipped him and Anderson Machado to Cincinnati in 2004 in the Todd Jones trade. I knew Hancock only a little, but I can say he was a very nice guy. Always friendly. The Phillies held a moment of silence for Hancock before today's first pitch.

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The Inquirer's Sunday baseball column with extra bases and stats 'n stuff.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa is upset at a poem that appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch because it poked fun at the Chicago Cubs.

La Russa called the poem -- that's right, we're talking about a poem -- a cheap shot at the Cubs and refuses to talk with reporters from the Post-Dispatch this weekend as a result. The dialogue between La Russa and Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz can be heard here. La Russa and Cubs manager Lou Piniella grew up together in Tampa, so there is a loyalty issue there. But La Russa also might be concerned that the Cubs will use the poem -- that's right, we're still talking about a poem -- as bulletin board material.

I think I just found something sillier than Schilling's bloody sock.

But maybe the Post-Dispatch could write a correction -- maybe in haiku form -- to appease La Russa:

We wrote a crap poem,
It was a pretty bad joke,
Now win games Tony

Charlie Manuel has made a couple lineup changes for tonight against Florida Marlins lefthander Dontrelle Willis:

1) Aaron Rowand
2) Shane Victorino
3) Jimmy Rollins
4) Chase Utley
5) Pat Burrell
6) Wes Helms
7) Abraham Nunez
8) Rod Barajas

Ryan Howard was 3 for 8 lifetime against Willis, but Manuel decided to rest him instead. Helms is playing first, with Nunez at third.

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No wonder the Mets are so big.

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Liked this comment on Balls, Sticks, & Stuff:

"Incidentally, if you've ever seen an episode of "Hogan's Heroes", the Germans are always threatening to send someone to the Russian front as a means of punishment or motivation... I can't help but think the word "Ottawa" carries similar weight in the Phils' clubhouse."

Last night's 6-5 victory over the Florida Marlins at Citizens Bank Park certainly had its memorable moments:

- Aaron Rowand went 4 for 5 with a home run to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 15 games.
- Jimmy Rollins hit his league-leading ninth home run in the eighth inning to tie the game, 4-4.
- Chase Utley hit his fifth home run in the eighth to take a 5-4 lead.
- The Phillies loaded the bases and scored the winning run on some small ball in the ninth.

But what about Tom Gordon?

Gordon blew his third save in seven opportunities this season. According to Stats, Inc., Gordon has the worst save percentage (57.1 percent) in the National League. Only three other relief pitchers in the league have blown more than one save (Gordon has three): Pittsburgh's Salomon Torres has saved 7 of 10 (70 percent), San Diego's Trevor Hoffman has saved 4 of 6 (66.7 percent) and Washington's Chad Cordero has saved 3 of 5 (60 percent).

In the American League: New York's Mariano Rivera is 0 for 2.

Charlie Manuel said last night that Gordon remains his closer, even with Brett Myers in the bullpen.

So how does a team that made such a dramatic move (Myers to the bullpen, Jon Lieber to the rotation) during the season not take the next step?

Here's my best guess: 1) Loyalty. 2) The belief that it's still early enough for Gordon to turn himself around. 3) Manuel doesn't feel Myers is ready for the job yet.

Managers stick with their closers, and not just in Philadelphia. Houston's Phil Garner stuck with Brad Lidge forever before he finally pulled him. Pittsburgh's Jim Tracy is taking heat about Torres, but has stuck with him. Larry Bowa stuck with Jose Mesa longer than he should have before he finally pulled him in 2003. (Mesa actually held the job until Aug. 8 that year, even though he had a 5.91 ERA at that point. Bowa worked himself back into the closer's role before the end of August before Bowa ultimately iced him the final month of the season.)

The guess here is that Gordon gets multiple opportunities to prove himself before Manuel gets serious about possibly permanently moving Myers into the closer's role.

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Geoff Geary has been money in critical situations this season.

That definitely was ketchup on Curt Schilling's sock.

I'll bet my life on it.

I just got an exclusive look at the other sock he wore -- the other sock is kind of like the second gunman behind the grassy knoll -- during the 2004 postseason. Yep, that's definitely mustard on there. Schilling must have been eating a few hot dogs or hamburgers before he pitched against the Yankees.

This whole bloody sock controversy involving former Phillies righthander Curt Schilling is either hilarious or pathetic. I'm not sure which. I mean, is this what we've become? The big news the past couple days is about a sock? I have tons of socks. I've never once made a big deal about them. But seriously, this is one of the reasons I get sick about my job. Here's why: If this had happened in Philadelphia, I would have wasted the last two days of my life writing about a sock. I would have had to talk to doctors, front office people, players, coaches and the radio announcer that first mentioned it might be fake. Why? Because everybody else was talking about it.

But here's the kicker: despite what Schilling says, he loves the attention.

In fact, he wrote 1,589 words about it on his blog. To put that in perspective, my Phillies game stories are about 720 words and my Phillies notes are about 360 words. So Schilling, who says he's disgusted by this story, wrote more about his sock than I get to write every day about the Phillies.

So what was on that sock exactly?

I think it was ketchup.

Yeah, definitely ketchup.

As often as possible, I will try to give everybody a taste of what's going on in the Phillies' minor-league system. Here is a look at some of the early performances that have caught people's eyes:

Triple-A Ottawa
Jason Jaramillo, catcher: The team's second-round pick in 2004 is hitting .364 (16 for 44) with a double, triple and seven RBIs. He also has seven walks.

Double-A Reading
Anderson Garcia, righthander: He has six saves and a 1.46 ERA in nine relief appearances, striking out 13 in 12 1/3 innings. Opponents have hit just .182 against him and he has walked none. The Phillies claimed Garcia off waivers Jan. 5.
Kyle Kendrick, righthander: The seventh-round pick in 2003 is 2-2 with a 3.12 ERA in four starts. He allowed one run in eight innings in his last start Tuesday.

Single-A Clearwater
Dan Brauer, lefthander: The sixth-round pick from last year is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA in four starts.
Andrew Carpenter, righthander: The second round pick from last year is 2-1 with a 2.48 ERA and one save in four appearances (three starts). Carpenter skipped single-A Lakewood after pitching in single-A Batavia last season.
Greg Golson, centerfielder: The first-round pick in 2004 is hitting .273 (24 for 88) with seven doubles, two triples, two home runs and nine RBIs. He also has stolen eight bases in nine attempts. He has struck out 33 times.
Pat Overholt, righthander: The 22nd pick in 2005 is 2-2 with a 1.93 ERA in four starts.
Jeremy Slayden, designated hitter/outfield: The team's eighth-round pick in 2005 is hitting .293 (22 for 75) with four doubles, three home runs and 16 RBIs.

Single-A Lakewood
Adrian Cardenas, second base: Cardenas was the team's supplemental pick between the first and second rounds last year. He is hitting .279 (19 for 68) with three doubles and 10 RBIs. Cardenas only played in the rookie Gulf Coast League last year, so he made a jump to Lakewood.
Jason Donald, shortstop: Their third-round pick last year is hitting .310 (22 for 71) with two doubles, one triple and nine RBIs.
Kyle Drabek, righthander: The first-round pick last year is 1-0 with a 3.50 ERA in four starts. In 18 innings, he has walked just three and struck out 19.
Edgar Garcia, righthander: Signed as an amateur free agent in 2004, Garcia is 1-0 with a 2.95 ERA in three starts.
Carlos Monasterios, righthander: He is one of the players acquired in the Bobby Abreu trade. He had a horrible first start (seven earned runs in 2 /3 inning), but is 1-0 with a 1.96 ERA in his three starts since.

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I thought Bob Ford had an interesting column today on Cole Hamels.

Cole Hamels isn't flawless, despite what we read at colehamelsfacts.com. He pitched well through the first five innings in the Phillies' series finale this afternoon against Washington at Citizens Bank Park, but ran into trouble in the sixth.

So what happened in the 4-2 loss?

He lost his composure. Yes, it can happen to Hamels, who I think is one of the more unflappable pitchers I've met. After he allowed singles to Ronnie Belliard and Ryan Zimmerman to lead off the sixth, he uncorked a wild pitch to advance the runners to second and third with no outs. Hamels then intentionally walked Austin Kearns with one out to load the bases, but Ryan Church fisted a single into left field to make it 3-0. Hamels then walked Michael Restovich to load the bases and walked Brian Schneider to force in a run to make it 4-0.

"I tried to push a little bit more. I rushed," Hamels said. "I got into a few counts that I didn't have the first five innings. So when guys got on, I got a little antsy and tried to pump it up and blow pitches by guys. And to do that, I was rushing on my mechanics, and that messed me up."

Hamels pitches next Tuesday in Atlanta.

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Meanwhile, Phillies hitters Aaron Rowand, Rod Barajas and Wes Helms compared Shawn Hill's sinker to Arizona's Brandon Webb, who has one of the best in baseball. Hill dominated the Phillies.

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Entering today, the Phillies had a 25.86 percent chance to make the postseason. How do we know this? From our friends at Baseball Prospectus.

Of course, its postseason odds reports has the Cubs with a 30.87 percent chance at the postseason.

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The Phillies bullpen has been verbally abused for months, but it has pitched well lately. It has a 1.63 ERA (five earned runs in 27 2/3 innings) in its last eight games. Righthander Ryan Madson has a 0.93 ERa in his last seven appearances. Righthander Geoff Geary has allowed just one of 18 inherited runners to score, which is phenomenal. Righthander Antonio Alfonseca has a 0.77 ERA in 10 appearances.

So is this the real Phillies bullpen, or is the real one the one that struggled early? I have a feeling we will have a better understanding after their upcoming road trip through Atlanta, San Francisco and Arizona.

You had to see this one coming.

After lefthander Matt Smith walked three batters in just 2/3 inning last night, the Phillies announced this morning they had optioned him to triple-A Ottawa. They recalled lefthander Fabio Castro to take his place. Smith just hasn't been able to throw strikes. And as the only lefthander in the bullpne, he tied Charlie Manuel's hands.

Castro was 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA in six appearances for Ottawa. Opponents had hit .194 against him.

Castro struggled this spring after he pitched well in winter ball as a starter. Castro said today that the transition from starter to bullpen might have been a factor in his poor spring numbers (0-1, 9.24 ERA in seven appearances).

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ESPN's Jayson Stark has an interesting note on Cole Hamels today.

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What? Curt Schilling faked it?

Charlie Manuel said Saturday in Cincinnati that he had a point of emphasis during his team meeting:

Relax.

Don't fear failure.

He seemed particularly focused on the offense, which is his specialty. Before the team meeting, which seems to have spurred the Phillies to a five-game winning streak after last night's 9-3 victory over the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies had hit a brutal .190 (30 for 158) with runners in scoring position. They also averaged just 4.2 runs per game after they had averaged 5.3 runs per game last season when they lead the National League in offense.

They have averaged 7.8 runs per game since the streak started and hit .352 (19 for 54) with runners in scoring position.

The Phillies not only have won five straight, but six of their last seven. Their offense has been a big reason why. Here's a look at how the Phillies regulars have hit in the last seven games: Chase Utley (.444, seven doubles, two homers, 10 RBIs, nine runs scored), Aaron Rowand (.393, three homers, five RBIs), Pat Burrell (.353, two RBIs), Carlos Ruiz (.350, four RBIs), Wes Helms (.321, four RBIs), Shane Victorino (.303, four RBIs), Jimmy Rollins (.300, two homers, five RBIs, 10 runs scored) and Ryan Howard (.214, two homers, five RBIs).

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Howard, Utley and Rollins are fun to watch when they're hot. Utley is on fire right now. He went 5 for 5 last night -- his five hits were a career high -- and is hitting .550 (11 for 20) with six doubles, two home runs and 10 RBis since the winning streak started.

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Jon Lieber pitched well last night, but he wasn't happy Manuel pulled him after six innings and 86 pitches. Lieber allowed five hits, two runs, no walks and struck out five.

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Wes Helms has looked much better at third base since spring training. During the spring, it looked like he had trouble making the throw to first -- with the ball often dying right in front of the first baseman.

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I wrote about Matt Smith's struggles in yesterday's paper. In 2/3 inning last night, he walked three. Manuel said afterward that it's a concern. It has to be. Smith is the only lefthander in the bullpen and right now he can't throw strikes. In four innings this season (nine appearances), he has allowed four hits, five walks and walked 11. Eleven walks.

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Howard is featured in the June issue of Vibe, which is available on newsstands May 8. I got a look at an advance copy last night at my house after I got home from the game. Howard had a good line about how often he is recognized in public: "There's been a couple times I've been in airports and somebody has recognized me, but it's nothing out of control. Nothing too Justin Timberlake or boy band-ish yet."

Ryan Howard's ears must have been burning.

He smacked a two-run homer to right field in the third inning tonight at Citizens Bank Park to hand the Phillies a 3-0 lead. Before the game, the beat writers pressed manager Charlie Manuel on Howard's early season slump. Howard entered the night hitting .207 with two home runs and 10 RBIs. Manuel, after the 100th consecutive question asked about Howard, finally threw up his arms.

“He’s a good hitter. He’s going to hit,” Manuel said. “Take it to the bank: I said so. Write it down. OK? I will be responsible for that. Put it down. He’s going to hit. He’s good. He’s going to hit.

"He’s having a little trouble. This is another test for him. I know he’s going to come out of it, and I know he’s going to have a big year. … He’s trying too hard. The expectations that he’s put on himself, I think that has something to do with it. He went up to the plate last year knowing that if he hit the ball hard he had a chance to hit a home run. I think that’s what he has to get back to. He’s not staying back as much as he used to and seeing the ball as good as he used to. He wants to hit bad. I think he’s overanxious.”

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John Dewan from ACTA Sports has an interesting Stat of the Week: No lefthanded hitter pulls ground balls more than Howard, which is why you will see teams play the defensive shift on him.

But guess who's third?

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Cubs manager Lou Piniella has taken a page from Manuel's book. He wants the team to relax and have fun.

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Thanks to Randball for a nice plug today. Mike Rand is a good friend of mine -- we go way back, punching busses and such at the University of Minnesota -- and is one of the funniest writers I know.

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Thanks also to Ball, Sticks, & Stuff for a mention.

Aaron Rowand, Pat Burrell, Wes Helms and Carlos Ruiz came up with clutch hits last night against the Nationals, and because of that Jamie Moyer's night became a footnote.

It shouldn't have been.

Moyer allowed six hits, three runs, three walks and struck out five in six innings in the 6-3 victory. That's not spectacular -- it's a 4.50 ERA (although it's still considered a quality start) -- but like he has since he joined the Phillies last season from Seattle, he kept the Phillies in the game. In his 12 starts with the Phillies, Moyer is 7-3 with a 3.81 ERA. He has pitched six or more innings in 11 starts. That's remarkable. This offense just needs a chance and Moyer is providing them that chance.

Jon Lieber needs to give his offense a chance tonight.

The Phillies won their fourth-straight game last night with a 6-3 victory over the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park.

It capped one of my more interesting weeks on the beat:

Last Tuesday -- The Phillies lose 8-1 to the New York Mets as Freddy Garcia makes his debut, but the biggest (non) story is Charlie Manuel's dust up with Howard Eskin.
Last Wednesday -- Before a 5-4 loss in 13 innings to the Nationals at RFK Stadium that drops the Phillies to 3-10, Phillies general manager Pat Gillick, in an interview with The Inquirer, gives Manuel a vote of confidence. Manuel later announces he has moved Brett Myers into the bullpen. And Ryan Howard suffers a left tib-fib sprain.
Thursday -- Jamie Moyer pitches wonderfully as Tom Gordon gives the Phillies a ninth-inning scare in a 4-2 victory.
Friday -- The Phillies have a 1-0 lead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park when Gordon serves up a game-tying homer to Scott Hatteberg. Gordon proceeds to lose the game, 2-1, in the 10th.
Saturday -- Manuel calls a team meeting before a 4-1 victory over the Reds, which begins their four-game winning streak. Cole Hamels strikes out 15 in his first career complete game, which always helps.
Sunday -- Howard homers in his first game back from injury in a 9-3 victory over the Reds.
Monday -- The Phillies bang out 20 hits in an 11-4 victory over Houston.
Last night -- Aaron Rowand hits a game-tying homer in the seventh and the Phillies score three more in the eighth in a victory over the Nationals.

Yeah, just a typical week.

Are the Phillies hot?

Relatively speaking, yes. They were 4-11 and the worst team in baseball when this mini-streak started Saturday after Charlie Manuel called a team meeting in Cincinnati. But they're not there yet. The Phillies banged out 20 hits in an 11-4 victory over Houston last night at Citizens Bank Park, and the past three games seem to be an indication that this once lifeless offense is snapping out of its funk. Now they just need to keep it going against a bad Nationals team beginning tonight in a three-game series at the Bank. There's no reason why the Phillies should not win this series. None.

But as I suspected in a previous post, Tom Gordon's handle on the closer's role isn't completely secure with Brett Myers' move into the bullpen. Manuel said last night that "we're committed to [Gordon] until Brett becomes better or whatever, and we'll see from there." He also added, "I don't know if it's a competition. But I hope it's a good setting for both of them because then we could have a strong bullpen. Myers will get some save opportunities. Gordon will, too."

I thought the Phillies made that move last week in Washington for two reasons: 1) They felt Jon Lieber would be much more effective as a starter, and 2) They were more concerned about Gordon than they had let on. Gordon has not looked sharp this season. In his first six appearances, he has not thrown a clean inning. He has not thrown his curveball nearly as much as he had in the past. I think the Phillies felt they needed to get Myers in there and accustomed to the bullpen ASAP so he could be immediately effective as a closer if the time came when they no longer could count on Gordon to get the job done.

Now, maybe Gordon gets rolling here and starts pitching like he did before the all-star break last season when he earned an all-star berth. If so, bonus for the Phillies. If not, Myers will be the man. That's a job Myers said in February -- when I was the first person to report about this possibility (with a lot of people calling me crazier than Britney Spears) -- he would like.

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Those unruly Phillies fans are at it again.

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Here's another look at Chase Utley's homer over the batter's eye against Houston. Just two players have accomplished that feat as far as I know: Utley and Ryan Howard.

It's been 14 years since the Phillies last made the playoffs. Hey, it could be worse. You could be a Brewers or Expos/Nationals fan. But in case you forgot what it's like when the Phillies win, I found this video on YouTube. It's the celebration from the night the Phillies won the 1993 National League championship.

Love the hair.

There have been plenty of reasons the Phillies are 6-11 and not 11-6, but two of the biggest might have been the lack of production from Chase Utley and Ryan Howard -- the heart of the Phillies lineup.

If these guys don't hit, the Phillies are in big trouble. I don't care who the manager is.

Utley went 4 for 7 with three doubles, one home run, four RBIs, four runs scored, one walk and one stolen base in this weekend's victories in Cincinnati. He entered the weekend hitting .213, stuck in a 1 for 15 slump and just 1 for 17 this season with runners in scoring position. Howard went 1 for 3 with a two-run home run and three RBIs in yesterday's victory, his first game back from a left tib-fib sprain. As Howard circled the bases after his home run TV cameras caught him uttering, "About damn time!"

Yeah, no kidding.

Manager Charlie Manuel and Howard are encouraged with his swing. Utley is encouraged with his, too. But now would be the perfect time for them to get hot as they took a baby step yesterday by winning two-straight games.

The Phillies took two of three this weekend in Cincinnati to improve to 6-11, but they have a long way to go to get where they need to be:

- They would need to play 7-1 the rest of the month to finish April with a winning record at 13-12.
- The Phillies say they will be fine as long as they win series. But consider for a second that if they beat Houston in a make up game tomorrow night at Citizens Bank Park they will be just 7-11. They would need to take two of three in upcoming series against Washington (April 24-26), Florida (April 27-29), Atlanta (April 30 - May 2), Arizona (May 7-9) and Chicago (May 11-13) and split a four-game series in San Francisco (May 3-6) just to get above .500 before May 14. That leaves almost no room for error.
- The Phillies finished 10-14 (.417) each of the previous two Aprils. They can go 5-3 the rest of the month and actually have a better April at 11-14 (.440). Of course, that's little consolation for fans.

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I heard John Kruk on ESPN Baseball Tonight wonder why Charlie Manuel pitched Brett Myers in the ninth inning with the Phillies holding a seven-run lead. He thought it would have been a perfect spot for Ryan Madson to get some work. I thought so, too. Myers was warming up to close the ninth when the Phillies had a three-run lead. (Manuel said Tom Gordon wasn't available.) Manuel said he pitched Myers even after the Phillies scored four runs in the ninth because Myers "is probably spent anyway because of all the times he's been up. I wanted him to pitch the ninth because we probably wouldn't be able to use him tomorrow, anyway." In other words, Myers is still new to being a relief pitcher and they want to break him in slowly. They don't want to get him up multiple times and not pitch him. That will come later, I'm sure.

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If you're ever in Cincinnati and like barbeque, the Montgomery Inn is a good place to try. It's not the best barbeque I've had -- Tom Jenkins in Ft. Lauderdale easily is the best -- but it's in my top five.

Charlie Manuel called a team meeting before last night's 4-1 victory over Cincinnati at Great American Ball Park.

"We'll see what kind of effect it has on the team, if any," he said.

We've heard plenty lately about how Manuel should blow up at his players like Lou Piniella. But here's one thing I've learned since I started covering the Phillies in 2003: that act wears thin quickly. The perception that managers like Piniella and Larry Bowa are always chewing out their players in team meetings -- and how they're geniuses because they do -- is untrue. Bowa nagged constantly, but he had at most four major meltdowns in his four years with the Phillies. Four. Not every week. Not every time his team got on a losing streak. Four. Manuel said Friday afternoon that in his years of playing in the minors, majors and Japan, he had one manager get so upset that he flipped over a table.

One.

Manuel's meeting yesterday was described by Wes Helms as a "Thanksgiving dinner conversation."

Manuel didn't blow up yesterday, which could be smart because managers need to play that card carefully. Timing is key. Because players -- just like me or you -- tune out a boss who is always screaming or yelling or creating a negative atmosphere in the office.

Will Manuel's fireside chat work? We'll see.

Manuel blew up in the visitor's dugout at Dolphin Stadium last season and the Phillies won 12 of their next 13. Bowa had a blow up in Montreal in Aug. 2003 and the Phillies won 9 of their next 10, although some credit the "screw Bowa" players meeting afterward that really set the tone. But Bowa also held a meeting in July 2004 and the Phillies won just 7 of their next 21. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don't. But you have to pick your spots.

Yelling and flipping buffet tables every time a team stumbles sounds cool, but it's not the quick fix everybody thinks it is.

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No wonder the Mets beat up on the Phillies.

The clubhouse remains closed, so I thought I'd pass along some interesting numbers for everybody to digest (or not):

If the Phillies win tonight they will be 5-11. Since the World Series started in 1903, there have been just six teams in baseball history that have made the postseason with a 5-11 record or worse: 1908 Detroit Tigers (5-11), 1914 Boston Braves (3-13), 1951 New York Giants (4-12), 1974 Pittsburgh Pirates (5-11), 2000 San Francisco Giants (5-11) and 2001 Oakland Athletics (5-11).

So if the Phillies drop to 4-12, they can only look to the 1951 Giants and 1914 Braves as reasons to believe.

The Phillies are the worst team in baseball at 4-11, and they decided today they need to talk about it. The Phillies closed the visitor's clubhouse at about 4:20 p.m. to hold a team meeting. It lasted until 5:40 p.m., effectively cutting out batting practice.

Manager Charlie Manuel said afterward he decided to call the meeting. He also called it the longest of his career.

Manuel shook up his lifeless offense tonight. Here's tonight's lineup: 1) Shane Victorino 2) Aaron Rowand 3) Jimmy Rollins 4) Chase Utley 5) Pat Burrell 6) Wes Helms 7) Abraham Nunez 8) Rod Barajas 9) Cole Hamels.

Interesting moves.

Charlie Manuel said this week that he moved Brett Myers into the bullpen and Jon Lieber into the rotation because it made his team stronger. So we asked him after last night's killer 2-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds in 10 innings: Why not take that a step further?

Why not make Brett Myers the closer in light of Tom Gordon's early season struggles?

Gordon is 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA in six appearances this season. He has blown two saves in five opportunities. In 6 1/3 innings, he has allowed 10 hits, four runs, four walks, one hit batter and two home runs. He has not thrown a clean inning yet, and said last night that he is still trying to feel strong on the mound. "I've been able to get a lot better strength-wise," Gordon said. "I'm still battling it a little bit, but not as much as I thought I would be. I'll get there eventually. I'm just hoping that it happens very soon."

"Right now, Gordon is our closer," Manuel said. "He's been a closer. We signed him to be a closer. . . . That's something we haven't even discussed, and in some ways there's no need to discuss it. We've got to get him sharp. The stuff is there."

In my opinion, one of the reasons the Phillies moved Myers into the bullpen is because they are concerned about Gordon. They nursed him through the spring and so far he hasn't looked sharp. It would not surprise me if they eventually make Myers the closer, if Gordon continues to struggle. Gordon said last night he had trouble with his breaking ball, which has been a problem this season.

So how much longer will Manuel let this last?

"I don't even have to answer that because I haven't even thought about that," Manuel said. "We're not even close to that."

Manuel said he did not consider having Myers, who pitched a scoreless eighth, pitch the eighth and ninth innings because he felt Gordon -- who was up in the bullpen three times Wednesday and pitched Thursday -- was rested and ready to go.

"Flash said he was fine," Manuel said. "I wouldn't have put him out there if I didn't think he could do it."

*

Lieber says this team is a little snake bit.

Just a little.

I hate writing about the media. In my opinion, we should never be the story.

But I would like to weigh in on the Howard Eskin/Charlie Manuel brouhaha. I've seen plenty of blow ups since I started covering the Phillies in April 2003. The late John Vukovich verbally crushed me for about five minutes -- it felt like five hours -- in June 2003 because he did not like something I wrote. (Vuke was an awesome man, and we later laughed about it.) I have seen everybody from Ed Wade to Larry Bowa to pie-throwing Tomas Perez blow up at reporters (Perez did not throw a pie, but he did need to be restrained).

The point is: this stuff happens more than you think.

In fact, Alec Baldwin's tirade is tame compared to what the beat writers have heard in the past.

Most of the time it's directed at Phillies beat writers because we are there every day asking the tough questions. The beat writers are in Clearwater from the beginning to the end of spring training. We are in the clubhouse 3 1/2 hours before every game. We often are the last ones to leave the clubhouse after a game. We cover the off-season. We attend the winter meetings. It's a 365-day-a-year job. Believe me: we ask every question that needs to be asked. Especially the tough ones. We tick off general managers, managers, coaches and players on a regular basis. It's just that nobody sees it -- or cares because we're not celebrities. (We also try to save those tough questions for when the TV cameras aren't around.) We actually asked Manuel earlier this season if he thought he needed to blow up and get on his players. He gave the same response he gave to Eskin: "It's a timing thing. They're hustling. They're playing hard. So I don't think that would accomplish anything." In fact, I think we've asked Manuel that question every time this team gets in a losing streak. And there have been quite a few losing streaks since he took over in 2005.

We asked Bowa that same tough question in Montreal on Aug. 28, 2003. Bowa said he absolutely wouldn't blow up because the players were putting forth a good effort. But after they lost that day, 4-0, to drop nine of their last 10, Bowa exploded. Not literally, of course. But he cursed out his players like few players had seen before. They won 9 of their next 10. Maybe we got in Bowa's head. But Manuel blows up, too. He blew up in the visitor's dugout at Dolphin Stadium on May 1 last season. The Phillies won 12 of their next 13.

This is my fifth season covering the Phillies for The Inquirer, and each trip to Cincinnati has been an interesting one. This trip could be the same.

The Phillies desperately need to put together a winning streak, and tonight they look to Jon Lieber to make that happen. Lieber shrugged Wednesday when asked about it, but there is some serious pressure on him to pitch well. He made it clear he wanted no part of the bullpen and struggled in his only two appearances there. So the Phillies moved their No. 1 pitcher, Brett Myers, into the bullpen instead.

Lieber can't falter.

Here's a look back at my previous four trips to Cincinnati:

2003 - Reds pitcher Jimmy Haynes shut down the Phillies in a 15-1 victory on June 13. Phillies beat writers asked Larry Bowa the "tough questions" afterward, and the next day Bowa and a reporter got into a heated argument in his office because of it. The Phillies split the series to begin a 12-2 run.
2004 - The Phillies practically were out of the NL wild card race when they arrived in mid September, but entered winning 9 of 10. They lost 2 of 3 to end talk of any miracle run to the postseason.
2005: The Phillies took 2 of 3 in a late-September series as the Phillies tried to take the wild card. They won on Sept. 23, 11-10, thanks to a three-run homer from Chase Utley and a two-run homer from David Bell in the top of the ninth inning. They won on Sept. 25, 6-3, highlighted by Utley's inside-the-park home run.
2006: The Phillies swept the Reds here in a May series to win 13 of their last 14. Cole Hamels made his big-league debut May 12. Lieber threw 8 2/3 shutout innings in a 7-0 victory on May 13. And Ryan Howard, who spent the night in the hospital with food poisoning, hit a pinch-hit, game-tying homer in the 8th and another homer in the 12th to win, 2-1, on May 14.

Hi, everybody.

I'm starting a Phillies blog because, well, I think it's time. Of course, beginning a blog when the Phillies are 3-10 doesn't seem like great timing. But I've never been one with great timing.

I'm hoping to make this a nice compliment to my regular Phillies coverage, my Q&A forum and my Phillies podcasts. This obviously will be very Phillies centric, but I could take a few tangents here and there.

Baseball is a game. It should be fun, so we'll try to have fun here.