Comforting words

It's still two weeks from Opening Day (only one for the Red Sox), and the Phillies are already pining for the centerfielder toiling away in San Francisco. Charlie Manual, who recently realized his teams start slow, says the team's awful spring training play could be because Aaron Rowand isn't here:

Rowand has been missed. I believe in players policing themselves if they can. Some guys can't police themselves and they actually don't know how. If that's the case, then somebody has to police them.

Great, what's next, blaming the starting pitching problems on the departure of Curt Schilling? (I'm currently listening to WFAN's Ed Randall talk about going to see Starvin' Marvin Freeman's big-league debut.)

{I'm giving Manuel a little bit of credit here. I think he's trying to embarrass the team. The way they have been playing this spring has been embarrassing, and they need to step it up. Someone in this million-dollar clubhouse should be able to fill the role that Rowand played. And let's face it, this is no time to look back fondly on Rowand. He turned down more money per year and a chance to win for a 5-year contract for less money per year playing for the Giants. When someone willingly signs with the Giants, it kinda makes me wonder about his desire to win in the first place.}

Another Phillie, J.D. Durbin, is looking for a light. Maybe his candle got snuffed out in his cooler pants:

I look in the mirror every day. I try to find myself more than anybody, I think. I lost that fire that burns inside me. I still go out there and compete 100 percent, but I don't have that over-the-top, kick-butt, Brett Myers attitude, and I think that's hurting me.

This is just the mindset you want your team to have when it's supposed to build on last year's surprise win. It could be worse. Imagine if the Phillies had drafted Rocco Baldelli, who's injured again, and fans had to watch Chase Utley starring for the Devil Rays:

"The crystal ball is not always real shiny on draft day," said assistant general manager Mike Arbuckle, recalling the 2000 draft. "If Baldelli would have been available, it would really have been a toss-up between him and Utley. It would have been one of those serious draft-morning discussions."

{Luckily, it's all a moot point, and the Phillies ended up with the player they needed. As for Cooler Pants, well, have fun starting the season in AAA. I've rooted for you, despite the hideous MySpace page and photos. And if you don't have that fire to win right now, let someone who does fill that roster space.}

Better news out of Sox camp this morning: Daddy Daisuke Matsuzaka is likely to start in Japan with Jon Lester going in game two. And Josh Beckett throws today.

Baseball Mogul update: Had a relatively quite offseason. Ryan Howard signed for $8 million a year, so I'll keep him and Prince Fielder for awhile. Signed Pat Neshek to bolster the bullpen and Scott Moore to replace Garrett Atkins at third. I couldn't find a taker to dump Atkins, but probably will next offseason. I'm not happy with the 9-13 start, though.

A bad sign?

I tore into one of my Christmas gifts (a new edition of Baseball Mogul, highly recommend it).

Things didn't start out too well as injuries to everyone from Pedroia to Lowell devastated my lineup and Beckett, Dice and the rest of the staff threw like chumps, not champs. So I deleted that game and started one with the Phillies.

Things went better; unlike real life, they actually got off to a lead. They tried to impersonate the Mets toward the end of the season, but managed to hold on. In the playoffs, they beat the D-Backs and Dodgers, but were swept in the series by the Twins, which somehow became an All-Star team, picking up Holliday, Hawpe, Reyes and Roidger Clemens during the season.

Fortunately for those of us rooting for a repeat, this is not a prediction for '08 since the games rosters are from the start of '07. (In game one of the World Series, the Phils knocked out Santana by the third inning, but J.D. "Cooler Pants" Durbin, who stuck with one team in the game, shut the door and allowed the Twins to get back in.)

So now, it's the off season... I'm mulling a trade to get C Jeff Clement and Felix Hernandez from the Mariners for Burrell, Lieber, Coste, Geary, Drabek and a couple other scrubs. Christine's not sold.

I know, not very realistic where the Phils recent big moves include replacing the roster's obligatory "Geoff" and reuniting J.D. with his long-lost cousin Chad.

Meanwhile, the Sox may or may not still be angling the video-game like swap for Johan, but we'll address that one later.