Spring is upon us
By. Kevin K

Can you smell it in the air? Spring is here … well not here, but in Clearwater Florida it is.

Phillies Pitchers and Catchers have officially reported and the smell of a new season is upon us. Last year is now behind us and as Phillies fans, we can look ahead. We now look towards a new team, a team with some question marks; but also a team with a lot of hope.

There were many little changes this off-season that may go a long way for the Phils. Changes that include a better bench, a veteran lead bullpen, questions in left field, first base and third base, but hey, what’s a new year without questions?

The Phillies did make their bullpen better by adding veteran leadership, most notably Jonathon Papelbon. They made their bench a heck of a lot better by adding players like Jim Thome, Ty Wigginton, and Laynce Nix. Not mentioning the players that played well for them off the bench like Michael Martinez, John Mayberry (who may be your starting LF), and Brian Schneider.

There are position battles going into the season which include left field and who will play first base to take Ryan Howard’s place at the start of the season.

With Raul Ibanez now in New York, there is a need at left field. The Phillies are keeping an eye on their options there with Nix, Mayberry, Domonic Brown and possibly non-roster invitees Juan Pierre and Scott Podsednik. The eyes of Phillies fans, as well as management, will be on the left field position during the Spring.

Another thing to keep your eye on is at first base. With Howard out until at least May, the question remains, who will play in his place? Ruben Amaro Jr. said that Thome will play first maybe once or twice a week, but the Phillies play 5-7 times a week during the season. You have Wigginton and Mayberry to look for as a replacement for some time.

Howard was taking ground balls today, but he is still a question and most likely will not be back until May (as we said). The Phillies need a bench player to fill in and is a position to watch.

Placido Polanco’s health has been a big question for the Phillies this off-season, leading to many people unsure of how well he will be throughout the season. The Phillies do have a few bench players that can fill in for some time for him; including Wigginton and Martinez. Third base may be their biggest worry throughout the year.

But all those questions and comments will be answered down the road. Right now we are at a start. The start of the smell, the start of the feel, the start of a new season, the start of Spring.

A few days ago, the news broke that former Phillies outfielder Pat Burrell was announcing his retirement from Major League Baseball after 12 productive seasons. For me, this new brought with it some sadness for me as well as a smorgasbord of memories from the slugger affectionately known as “Pat the Bat.” I would personally like to offer my congrats to Pat on a wonderful career and thank him for everything he ever did for this city while he was here.

I still remember my first thoughts when I saw Pat for the first time wearing a Phillies uniform. “Wow, this guy is going to be a difference maker for us”… That he was indeed…

During his time in Philly, Burrell was always one of my favorite players. Granted, he had his slumps, but what player doesn’t, and I always knew that he would come out of it and murder a baseball, like he made a living doing while manning left field here.

It wasn’t always pretty, as his running motion (all movement and no forward progress) would bring a smile to my face even on the simplest of grounders. However, you could not fault him for not trying. Burrell had one of the strongest work ethics on the team and that was admirable in itself. He wasn’t the fastest player nor the best fielder, but he would always give it 100% every single time out there. At least, that’s how I perceived it.

While the fielding at times was sketchy, there was no doubt that Burrell’s power at the plate would be there. He ended his Philly career with 251 homers, currently 4th all time in Phillies’ history, and delivered some memorable home runs. From his first career home run off of Scott Elarton down in Houston, to his walk off home run against Brian Wilson during the 2008 season punctuated by his almost homer during Game 5 of the 2008 World Series, in what turned out to be his final at-bat as a Philadelphia Phillie’ the biggest hit of his career.  

Of course, there is the memorable scene of Burrell leading the World Series Championship parade down Broad Street. He was appropriately first in line leading our boys home on the greatest day of my life and was first in my heart for all those years.

Hats off to you Pat, thanks for everything! I look forward to your Phillies Wall-Of-Fame induction.