Global warming spurs Maine to woo MLB teams to relocate spring training facilities

Augusta, ME--Officials from Maine, one the northern most states in the U.S., are attempting to lure Major League Baseball teams to relocate spring training facilities from Florida and Arizona to "The Pine Tree State." "We're anticipating that by 2028 winters [in Maine] will last about a week or two in January and that February and March will be perfect baseball weather for teams to set up facilities in Maine--especially along the coast," said Bethany Rose, Maine's vice president of Spring Training in Maine, a quasi-governmental group tasked with "Bringing MLB Spring Training to the state of Maine." The Miami Marlins are reportedly "very interested" and have looked at a possible stadium site on Monhegan Island and on Moosehead Lake.  

Phillies must win final 17 games to avoid first losing season since 2015

To finish .500 the club must win all remaining games on the schedule. "We can do this," said one Phillies player.

Pat Burrell enters Phillies Wall of Fame as a Giant

Thousands of fans patiently waiting at PHL Int'l to greet Taney after tough elimination loss unaware team spending weekend in Williamsport...and that squad travels by bus

MLB: Original rooftop bleachers at Shibe Park 'thoroughly' complied with all modern safety standards

Above: Railings and fire exits were "Photoshopped out of the historic 1914 Shibe Park image for aesthetic purposes." A Major League Baseball representative: "Trust me, it wasn't like fans were just climbing onto rooftops chaotically and unsupervised. There was a process: ascend shaky wooden ladders and traverse narrow, unstable wooden planks in the rear of the row home to reach the first level. Then--usually with the help of alcohol--scramble up a fraying rope to hoist oneself up to the top roof level and the awaiting bleachers, which were constructed over the course of a weekend by the homeowner and a neighbor down the street who was recently fired from the local saw mill for stealing wood to make rooftop bleachers."

Halladay retires: Pitcher's one day contract with Blue Jays could reach $3 million with incentives

Exhausted Phillies fan finally breaks into uncontrollable laughter over lost season, excuses self from yoga class

Cole Hamels says record isn't so bad when viewed in a mirror written on a wall behind him...other than the 'whole backwards 9 part'

The pitcher pointed out that a 1-11 record would truly be reversed by a mirror and that he did not know about the trick when he was 1-8. So...

Comcast SportsNet to broadcast Halladay surgery live

Philadelphia--Comcast SportsNet (CSN) anchor and host Michael Barkann will team up with Chris Wheeler, Ike Reese, Ricky Bottalico, and Ray Didinger to broadcast Roy Halladay's arthroscopic shoulder surgery live on CSN from a Los Angeles operating room on Wednesday. "Oh, we'll be bedside to make all the calls and analysis," said Bottalico, former Phillies' pitcher and current CSN baseball analyst. "We will give viewers a play-by-play and get the doctor's thoughts while he's making incisions and scoping." This is a first for the network and Major League Baseball, which expects ratings to go through the roof during the four-hour procedure. "We're expecting big numbers," said Barkann, referring to the potential number of viewers tuning in. "So big that we'll all be wearing surgical masks with the F.C. Kerbeck logo and Chickie's and Pete's scrubs." The broadcast team, which will fly to California on Tuesday, will also live-tweet the event for fans unable to view the procedure on television. "It's funny," said one CSN employee, "we didn't contact the doctor, the doctor contacted us." (Former Pennsylvania Governor and Eagles Post Game Live analyst Ed Rendell will not be making the trek west because he "does not do well with the sight of blood.")

Cliff Lee tells Halladay to grow a pear ... tree in the backyard of his offseason home to help take mind off of shoulder issues

M.L.B.: Beginning in 2014, spring training records to determine home-field advantage in N.L.C.S., A.L.C.S.

Commissioner Bud Selig loves what he did for Major League Baseball's all-star game back in 2003, when he awarded the winner of the mid-summer classic home-field advantage in the World Series. (A scene from that 2003 contest, incidentally, is the background photo on Selig's Facebook page.)

The move aimed to give more meaning to a game that lacked, well, any significance at all. Multi-million dollar players risking injury for an in-season exhibition game seemed ludicrous (mostly to owners?). Why not attach something valuable to the end result? The reviews have been mixed, but the updated version is definitely managed and played with (slightly?) more urgency.

Now, the good commissioner is about to leave another mark that may not go over as well. In fact, most have likened it to a skid mark, but not the kind left on asphalt from a locked Michelin. Spring training games, those lackluster contests filling the third month of the calendar year played in the shadows of palm trees and cacti, will now "have meaning."

These winter games played far away from home cities and stadiums, and often further from the average fan's awareness, will now determine home-field advantage in the A.L.C.S. and the N.L.C.S. The only round of the playoffs that uses regular season records in awarding home-field advantage will now be the divisional series and the single game between the wild card teams.

Once the four slots in the league championships series are set, spring training records will then be used to determine home-field advantage. For example, the best division winner during the year may be playing the worst division winner, but the latter can now have four out of seven games in their home park simply because they fashioned a better spring training record.

If the two teams had identical records in March, head to head spring records act as the tie-breaker. The next tie breaker is the capacity of the spring training stadium.

"Fans spend lots of their hard earned money to travel to Florida and Arizona to see their favorite team during spring training. Flights, hotels, meals ... and we're putting split squads out there? Give me a break. Shouldn't the games have more at stake?" said a fiery Selig. "I mean, split squads for Christ's sake."

Some have spoken up against the move. "With all due respect, the Commissioner is devaluing the regular season ... again," said one player on condition of anonymity. "It's really remarkable what is happening. Spring training is practice, so let it be practice."

Baseball contributing to obesity epidemic? Stadiums serving ice cream in life-size commemorative helmets

A recent visit to Citizens Bank Park by a local anti-obesity advocacy organization's president sparks a plea to M.L.B. and the Phillies to offer healthier food options at the ballpark, especially for young fans. This season, the Phillies began selling the Big Helmet Ice Cream, a life-size batting helmet filled to the top with your choice of vanilla or chocolate ice cream and up to sixteen toppings. The helmet is meant as a single serving. Here is her letter:

Dear Phillies,

My name is Loraine Gorchec and I am president of Obese Lil' Rascals: Not Now, Not Ever (OLR:NNNE), a non-profit organization based right here in the great city of Philadelphia. I am very proud to lead this group of twelve strong, hard-working individuals who diligently attempt to combat childhood obesity in children and very, very small adults (adults often mistaken for children). I must first state that I am a casual sports fan, not that this should diminish the message of my letter. Though born and raised in the area, I went to my first Phillies game in quite some time a couple weeks ago when we had our agency summer outing at Citizens Bank Park at the suggestion of two of our fabulous staff members.

I forgot--although I'm not sure how--just how lazy of a sport baseball is. Two players, the pitcher and catcher, seemingly perform the majority of work in the field. I noticed outfielders, for example, did not move six inches from their designated position during a stretch of six consecutive batters. Additionally, I recently read that over a three-hour game, the ball is actually in play for less than ten minutes. Ten minutes!

I also forgot that baseball, the action of attending a game, for its millions of loyal fans, equals a fried and fatty food extravaganza! "Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the ... great American eat-out."

My job vehemently heightens my sense of awareness when it comes to food options, whether in a mall, a city neighborhood, or, as in this case, a professional athletic stadium. Admittedly, I obtained this sixth sense of food choice awareness long before I joined the staff of OLR:NNNE. During my food stroll around the park I saw Bull's Barbecue, McNally's Schmitter, Tony Luke's, Turkey Hill Ice Cream, Hatfield hot dogs, Von Hay's Chocolate Daze, Chickie's and Pete's, Harry the K's, the High and Inside Pub, the Low and Outside Pub, Foul Ball Falafels, Planet Hoagie, Wes Chamberlain's Churros, and Campo's Steaks. I saw Doug's Dugout Danishes (I was told this was named for Doug Glanville), Kruk's Leftovers (which serves leftovers from previous games at a discounted price), Watch that Baby ... Back Ribs, Randy Ready Crocker, and Bruce Ruffin's Muffins.

Amaro on placing Cliff Lee on waivers: 'Waivers? Are you kidding? No, I placed Cliff's jersey on a box of wafers.'

With trade rumors swirling around the Phillies, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. reassured starting pitcher Cliff Lee with a box of Nilla Wafers on Thursday, the left-hander's favorite kind of cookie. "I wanted to surprise Cliff with some wafers, he loves those things, so I put his jersey on top of the box at his locker at Nationals Park. Somehow that got all turned around and it sounded like I placed Cliff Lee on waivers. That's absurd, I placed Cliff Lee on wafers. I mean, his jersey. C'mon, people!"

Amaro: 'I thought trade deadline was 4 p.m. Pacific time not Eastern Time. I was just getting started.'

Thinking he had three more hours until deadline, the Phillies' GM had 'many more trades lined up.'

Halladay signs deal with Random House to co-author pamphlet titled 'My Life on the DL'

Every year same debate surfaces as March turns to April: Should spring training batting practice home runs count as regular season statistics?

Tampa, FL--The debate is as old as baseball itself, well, maybe at least as old as spring training itself. Each spring when the snow begins to melt and the color green becomes less of a stranger, baseball fans, players, statisticians, announcers, those not interested in baseball, politicians and most everyone else on the planet argue over the same issue: should baseball spring training batting practice home runs count for regular season statistics? "Listen, I'm not here to argue one way or the other, I'm simply here to say that it is a hot debate each and every year. And, eventually, Major League Baseball will have to address the issue. Whatever they decide," said Terry Bronson, president and sole member of the South Jersey-based group JBIBPIFOADMINRB (Just Because It's Batting Practice in Florida or Arizona Doesn't Mean It's Not Real Baseball), "I'll accept their decision."

Concussed Utley recovering slowly, remembers being hit by pitch but has 'no recollection of hitting .262 this season'

Chase Utley sat quietly behind a tabletop podium responding to queries from a small gathering of local press members seeking information on his playing status after suffering a concussion last week. ".262? Who's hitting .262 this season?" barked a usually soft-spoken Utley at a confused reporter who had asked the second baseman for thoughts on his struggles at the plate this season. "Yeah, I'm hitting .262, that's a good one. We got a prankster in the press room everybody." After being hit on the helmet by a pitch on Wednesday night against the Braves, the dazed player trotted down to third base--instead of first base--then asked third base coach Juan Samuel why he was coaching first base. "He was totally out of it," said Samuel, trying to hold back a smile. "I mean, my man's cranium was whacked. He even took a lead off of third toward second. We had a saying in the Dominican Repulic after a player suffered a concussion: your cerebellum ain't quite right."

Kruk's message clear in Wall of Fame speech: Do not chew tobacco

Above: Former Phillies' first baseman John Kruk, left, is congratulated by former Phils' catcher Darren "Dutch" Daulton at the conclusion of Kruk's Wall of Fame speech before a game against the Washington Nationals last Friday at Citizens Bank Park. Kruk thanked the crowd, called the fans the best in the world and then launched into a 35-minute diatribe warning "folks of all ages" against the dangers of chewing tobacco. Despite his admonitions, the team's special events crew discovered tobacco spit and pieces littering the podium (below) and adjacent area when the stage was methodically disassembled for the game that immediately followed the induction. The Krukker, after the ceremony officially wrapped, posed for pictures with current players and red-clad fanatics, including children sporting Kruk jerseys.

Teammates already growing tired of Hunter Pence constantly using phrase: 'Pennsylvania-sized'

Philadelphia--Hunter Pence, the newest Phillie, a Texas native and a Houston Astro for nearly five seasons, is adjusting to life in the Northeast and his new teammates. Some of Pence's habits, however, are not going over well in the clubhouse, dugout and on the diamond. "Every time I turn around it's 'Did you see that home run? It was Pennsylvania-sized. Hot damn.' Or 'These Phillies fans make some Pennsylvania-sized noise when they cheer. Hoo ah.' We get it. You're from Texas and you played in Texas for some time where everything is Texas-sized. It's okay to still use that phrase, you don't have to substitute Pennsylvania for Texas. That makes it that much more annoying," said one Phillies player who wanted to remain anonymous.

Chase chases Chase: One Padre has long looked up to Phillies star second baseman

Philadelphia--The San Diego Padres were in town this past weekend for a four-game series against the first place Phils. The Fightin's took three of four from the Fathers and extended their lead in the division in the process.

At 14.5 games out of the top spot the Padres are mostly playing the games because they are contractually obligated to do so. Given a choice between subjecting themselves to scorching Midwestern and Northeast record heat wave temperatures during recent road trips or heading for the links of SoCal, most on the club would not hesitate to arrange an early morning tee time.

One Padre, however, was thrilled to be in South Philly, a date he circles on his calender minutes after the upcoming season schedules are released--San Diego third baseman Chase Headley. No, Chase Headley is not a native Delaware Valley resident. No, he wasn't snubbed by the Phillies in a long ago draft. Chase Headley is a big fan of ... Chase Utley.

"I'd be in the minors and look to see that another Chase had made it to the big leagues and this was very inspiring to me," said Headley, a Colorado native and valedictorian of his high school graduating class. "Then, even more inspiring, was that his last name also ended in -ley. I mean, what were the chances. If Chase Utley could do it, well, by God, then Chase Headley could do it."

That's the entire connection, plain and simple. They're not friends or family or have ever met outside of the baseball diamond. Chase admired Chase because they share the same first name and have very similar sounding last names.

After the 2008 season a perfectly healthy Chase Headley had hip surgery simply because an ailing Chase Utley had hip surgery. In early 2010, Headley dropped the f-bomb (like Utley at the World Series victory celebration) at a San Diego charity event raising money for sick children where he was the keynote speaker. He told the young audience that someday soon "the Padres would be world f-ing champs. Count on it f-ers." The parents stared at the stage in disbelief, while the player quietly returned to his table and began to eat the rest of his semi-warm chicken cordon bleu.

At one point, the outfielder-turned-third baseman was adamant that he needed to play second base in order to succeed in the league. Several heated confrontations with coaches and managers were reported by the San Diego media but never confirmed.

Then, Headley soon began to copy Utley in other ways beyond what the Phils' second baseman did with regards to baseball. Family and friends became concerned, when, several years ago, Headley began to strongly encourage his girlfriend to volunteer with local animal shelters.

"Chase came to me out of the blue one day and wanted me to work at a dog shelter in San Diego," said Cheryl Hughs, Headley's wife. "That's great except for two things: I'm alergic to dogs and I don't particularly care for them. It's not that I dislike them."

Jen Utley, Chase's wife, is deeply involved in and passionate about protecting and finding homes for abused dogs in the Philadelphia region.

Headley also went from clubhouse clown to serious, low-key and somewhat reserved. "We didn't know what was going on until he began telling people that he went to UCLA and was from Long Beach, CA," said Headley's father from his home in Colorado. "We sat Chase Headley down and told him that he was not Chase Utley. You need to snap out of this funk, son. I'm not afraid to say that I slapped him with a batting glove."

Utley had this to say about the situation: "I think he's got a real cool first name. I want to see all Chase's do well."