Two Phillies pitchers' off-field concerns

I've been skeptical since Chan Ho Park said he came to the Phillies to start.

He was a decent starter a decade ago, but he hasn't made 30 starts in a season since 2001 - the year before he left the Dodgers for the Rangers, who signed him to that ridiculous contract. And he's now 35 years old, coming off a pretty good year out of the bullpen, and the Phillies have several younger options to fill the rotation.

But now we know why he is so determined to start again: The fate of the free world, or Korea's economy, depends on it:

He hopes to provide Koreans with a break from the bad economic news.

In 1998, he said, the South Korean economy was weak, and his countrymen looked forward to his starts. This week, economists estimated that the country's economy could shrink by 5 to 8 percent this quarter. Park wants to do his part to provide relief again.

"In 1998, they were happy watching my games every five days," he said. "That's why [starting] is very important. That's why I'm still working hard, being here."

Great. It took Charlie Manuel nearly three years to win over the Philadelphia fans, and now he's going to be vilified in Korea if he decides Park is better suited for the pen. Cholly seems to be treading very carefully with this one:

"It's where we think we need him most," manager Charlie Manuel said about Park possibly being the fifth starter. "If he's better than someone else [as a starter, we're] very open to it."

Now we know: Recently, I read somewhere that Jamie Moyer was befuddled why reporters asked him during the World Series celebration if he planned to retire and go out on a high note. The 46-year-old then signed a two-year contract in the offseason, which if he fulfills, would leave him sixth all-time on the list of oldest major league players.

He's like a cockroach: Countless younger and better pitchers have come and gone, while he has thrived. {I just yelled at Greg for this comparison. Cockroaches are disgusting and everybody hates them. Not quite the same as J-Moy.}

Now, we know why. He wants to hang on to be part of baseball's third-ever set of father and son (or sons) active at the same time. OK, his oldest is just 17 and no one's quite talking about it yet, but judging from the old man's gumption, I wouldn't be surprised if during spring training in a few years we see two "Moyers" in some team's camp.

Delusional former Phillies pitchers

I am going to miss Adam Eaton. He always did say the darnedest things, such as this summary he gave MLB.com of his last two years in Philadelphia:

"What went wrong?" Eaton asked. "A lot of things went wrong, but a lot of things that went right, too. I helped them get to the playoffs two years in a row, and obviously we won the World Series last year. That's a big thrill of mine, but obviously I still want to compete in that World Series atmosphere. That's what I aim to do.

"It's bitter for the fact that I wasn't able to compete in it, but sweet in the fact that I watched those guys perform the way they did at such a high level at the right time. It's a huge sense of pride in being a part of that."

Yes, in Adam Eaton's mind, not only did he deserve to win the Cy Young Award last year, but he was just as important to the Phillies World Championship as Cole Hamels was. I'm sure he will remind himself of that as he watches balls fly past him and out of Camden Yards this year.

That last line just clinched a prediction I jokingly made last week: Adam Eaton will come up big in a game against the Red Sox down the stretch, knocking them out of the playoffs.

Another former Phillies pitcher, who does have a legitimate claim to playing a vital role in the championship, had some interesting comments. Geoff Geary, part of the Brad Lidge deal that made the Phillies world champions, says the Philly fans threatened him and his fiancee.

Cue the "Philly fans threw snowballs at Santa Claus" cliches:

"My last year before I got traded, there were fans who were threatening my life and threatening other people, saying they were going to follow me home and beat up my fiancée at the time," he said. "Most of the fans are supportive, but the drunks and the people that are obnoxious, those are the ones that are like rabid dogs."

Even so, there is a part of Geary that wishes he never would have left Philadelphia. And its fans.

"Everybody says when you win the World Series, you basically own that town for a while," he said. "I don't need to take advantage of that situation, but it would be really cool to be sitting on a soapbox, looking down with 25 of your best buddies and saying, 'Yeah, now what? Say something negative about me now.'"

Is it that bad in Houston you're still worried about getting even with the Philadelphia fans? I think Geary better start worrying more about the Cardinals and Cubs and lose his preoccupation with the Phillies.

And to think I used to like the guy because he was not ashamed to say he likes Twisted Sister.

The battle of the Phillies beat writers continues

The other day, the Inquirer's new guy, Andy Martino, reported the Phillies made an offer to Will Ohman, which was promptly shot down by MLB's Todd Zolecki, who reported the rumor was probably just Ohman's agent trying to drum up interest.

Today, the Phillies did sign a lefty who once pitched for the Padres, but it wasn't Will Ohman. It was Rodrigo Lopez. Both scribes had the news, but Zolecki got the big scoop first, posting the move at 3:23 p.m. Martino had it up at 3:32 p.m.

In today's more substantial news: Kyle Kendrick took a step back in his quest for redemption. Josh Bard hit 100 mph during a game today. And Alex Rodriguez's hip injury is worse than expected and could miss months. I won't mention steroids.

False advertising

Opening Night Ticket Purchase Opportunity

That was the subject of an e-mail I received from the Phillies yesterday. Christine got the same message in four different e-mail accounts. We thought it meant we won the opportunity to purchase tickets to opening night.

Apparently not:

Dear Phillies Fan,
Thank you for registering for a chance to purchase tickets for the Phillies Modell's Sporting Goods Opening Night (4/5) game. Unfortunately, your entry was not selected for an opportunity to purchase tickets for Opening Night.

But just as we were about to have the championship afterglow dimmed by this experience, the Phillies made up for it with something better than being at opening night - $8 off tickets to games against the Brewers in April. Yeah, sitting in the cold park for a random game against the Brewers for $14 is much better than watching the championship banner being raised.

Random thoughts

I woke up this morning to screaming headlines about Brad Penny's bum shoulder. I was terrified. But then I remembered: This isn't 2003. The Red Sox don't always choke in October, and the Phillies no longer end their seasons in September.

Plus, we have ample depth at starting pitcher: John Smoltz, Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden or even Justin Masterson could be the team's fifth starter if needed.

Now, if J.D. Drew's back doesn't respond to these injections, then you can write off the season. I'm just kidding. It's just nice that these tidbits would have seemed disastrous five years ago, but after championships there's a calming sense that the front office has it all under control. Ditto for the Phillies.

He's fallen that far: Scott Lauber notes that Matt Stairs and Geoff Jenkins have become redundant and that one of them won't be in Philadelphia this year. I wonder whether Jenkins would have been considered one of the Phillies' worst free agent signings ever if Jayson Werth hadn't picked up his slack.

Showdown: We have some disagreement between current and former Philly.com writers. This afternoon, the Inquirer's new guy, Andy Martino, reported that the Phillies made an offer to free agent reliever Will Ohman. He cited the lefty's agent as the source.

Two hours later, Martino's predecessor, Todd Zolecki, reporting for MLB.com, shot him down: "A Phillies source told MLB.com today that they 'are not on Ohman.' The source indicated that Ohman's agent might be trying to generate interest in his client."

An hour after that, the Daily News' David Murphy reported that the Phillies have kicked the tires on Ohman all offseason but that a deal is unlikely.

I can't wait to see whether Zolecki or his replacement is correct.

Brett's new diet

A couple weeks ago, I suggested that Brett Myers should share his weight-loss secrets with the world. I thought it would be funny for us, and a way for young Brett to supplement his income in case the downtrodden economy forces him to accept a pay cut next year.

But he's giving away his tips for free:

"Making smarter choices while you drink beer," the righthander said after his first start of the spring yesterday. "Instead of pizza, eat salad. Play for the tie, you know."

Myers, who described his weight as "beer-thirty" hasn't convinced Rich Dubee that this new healthy lifestyle will stick:

"I've seen him come in in good shape before and not maintain it," Dubee said. "It's about consistency with Brett. Be the same guy every day, stay away from the roller coaster, from the way he prepares to the way he executes."

Regardless, Brett is already feeling the difference:

Myers laughed off a question about whether he felt any differently physically due to weight loss.

"I felt really fat out there," he said. "I was having a problem getting the ball to the outer half of the plate because my belly was in the way."

Now we just need to get him in a sweatsuit in front of a mountain or stream to teach us yoga exercises.

Game day: Or maybe Brett lost his weight playing a lot of basketball. On Sunday, I went to my first basketball game since I was a kid when I saw a contest featuring the Harlem Wizards. {I was a big Duke fan for a while and never realized at the time how much they are universally detested. I saw them lose to Temple at the Spectrum in 1996.}

Christine and I watched St. Joe's beat St. Bonaventure 72-63 at the Palestra. I enjoyed it even though I'm a bit naive to basketball (I had to ask Christine if they play quarters or halves in college). Christine enjoyed it too - especially watching the hawk mascot. {He never stopped flapping his wings!} We both liked Bryant Irwin, who seemed like the least talented guy who got any minutes for St. Joe's. No one passed him the ball. Give him some time, he's just a freshman.

FNG: The acronym is homage to a former colleague. NG stands for New Guy, you can figure out the first letter. The Philadelphia Inquirer's FNG Phillies beat writer is Andy Martino. He introduced himself Sunday:

My job is to aggressively dig up news and deliver it to readers in a fair and objective way; in other words, I work for you, so if you ever have questions, complaints, compliments or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to email or comment.

Well, Andy, we here at SoxandPhils always like Todd Zolecki, but there is one thing he kept us hanging on. I cite SoxandPhils from July 11, 2008:

After Shane Victorino tripled in the 8th to tie the game at five, Jimmy Rollins kept waving a bottle of baby oil at him from the dugout. I can't wait to hear the explanation of that one.

I never got an answer, even after e-mailing Zolecki. Maybe the new guy can dig out the truth on this one.

Pat Burrell reunion, Part 1

For the first time in his 12-year professional career, Pat Burrell faced off against the Philadelphia Phillies - the second team that drafted him and the only one he has been with until this season.

Burrell finally won over the fans last year as he became the quiet, venerable leader of the World Champions. He could have used that stock to bash ownership for not bringing him back, but he was all class yesterday:

"From the beginning, I have nothing but good things to say about the organization, the way I was treated," Burrell said. "I've known Ruben a long time, and he was very upfront with me. It wasn't a situation where I felt mistreated. He did mention that he wanted to change things up, and hey, sometimes you need that."

He even brought along Elvis, Christine's favorite World Series-winning bulldog, for a visit. And, although we knew Pat would be reunited with his former mates during spring training, the on-deck series in Philadelphia and a regular-season series in Tampa, we learned yesterday that Burrell plans to attend the ring ceremony on April 8 when the Phillies play a day game and the Rays play in Boston at night.

In true SoxandPhils spirit, we can hope that Pat eats a bad cheese steak before hopping on his plane to Boston. {I have no idea what he's talking about. I hope Pat the Bat hits a game-winning home run off Jonathan Papelbon.}

And in non-SoxandPhils fashion, the Phillies seem to have finally given up waiting for Nomar Garciaparra.

[Photo credit: TampaBay.com]