2011 Topps Heritage #249 Vance Worley

Phillies 11, Pirates 4
Spring Training Game 16 - Saturday Afternoon, March 12th in Bradenton

Rays 6, Phillies 2
Spring Training Game 17 - Saturday Afternoon, March 12th in Clearwater

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies won and lost today as split squads battled the Pirates and the Rays.

What It Means:  John Mayberry, Jr. and Vance Worley improved their chances of making the team while Kyle Kendrick struggled.  Kendrick looked fine until the third inning against the Rays, when he allowed back-to-back bombs to Ben Zobrist and Johnny Damon.  Before it was over, he would allow five runs in his four innings of work.

Top Hitters:  Against the Pirates, Pete Orr tripled to lead off the first and fourth innings, on his way to a 3 for 5 day.  Ross Gload also added three hits, while Mayberry and Cory Sullivan each drove in three runs.

Top Pitchers:  Worley started against the Pirates and cruised through the first three innings before allowing a home run to Lyle Overbay in the fourth.  He struck out five in his 3 1/3 innings of work.  Mike Zagurski added two shutout innings. 

2011 Topps Heritage #249 (Back)

Featured Card:  With a 4-year-old toddler and an 11-month-old baby, sometimes Saturday night means a trip to Target to do the grocery shopping for the week.  Not as crazy as Saturday nights used to be for us, but crazy nonetheless.  While making our way to the Star Wars aisle to see if our local Target had restocked yet from Christmas (they hadn't), Doug and I stopped at the baseball card aisle to see if there was anything interesting to be had.  Lo and behold, I found several blasters of 2011 Topps Heritage, along with rack packs and individual packs.  This Vance Worley card was the first Phillie pulled from the box.  Almost makes me wish I still collected the complete Topps Heritage set.  Almost.

And when did they stop putting gum into packs of Topps Heritage?

Other Stuff:  General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. signed a four-year contract extension this afternoon, taking him through the 2015 season . . . Former Phillie R.J. Swindle pitched a scoreless ninth innings for the Rays.

2008 Topps Heritage #281 Raul Ibanez

Phillies 13, Orioles 6
Spring Training Game 15 - Friday Afternoon, March 11th in Sarasota

One Sentence Summary:  Raul Ibanez went 3 for 3 with a 2-run home run to lead the hit barrage against the Orioles as the Phils won, 13-6.

What It Means:  The Phils pounded out 14 hits against the Orioles, led by Ibanez and Delwyn Young's three hits a piece.  Cliff Lee looked human, giving up three runs in his three innings of work. 

Top Hitters:  Ibanez and Young are joined in this category by Ryan Howard, Ross Gload and John Mayberry, Jr., who all contributed home runs.

Top Pitchers:  Danys Baez and Antonio Bastardo pitched a combined four scoreless innings.

Featured Card:  The back of Ibanez' 2008 Topps Heritage card states, "Raul, a classy guy and a tremendous hitter, might be the top vet in the game never to make an All-Star Team."  He remedied that statement with an All-Star appearance in 2009, his first year with the Phillies.

Other Stuff:  I know what they say about Spring Training stats not showing up on the back of your baseball card, but I'd feel a whole lot better if Jimmy Rollins was hitting better than .206 right now.

Transactions:  The Phillies announced their first roster cuts of the Spring this afternoon -

Non-roster invitees re-assigned to minor league camp - pitchers Brian Bass, Eddie Bonine, Drew Carpenter, Ryan Feierabend, Michael Schwimer, catcher Joel Naughton, infielders Tagg Bozied and Robb Quinlan and outfielder Matt Miller.  Quinlan requested and was granted his release following his demotion.

40-man roster players optioned to minor league camp - pitchers Justin DeFratus, Drew Naylor, J.C. Ramirez, infielders Harold Garcia, Cesar Hernandez and Carlos Rivero and first baseman Matt Rizzotti.

The Phils have 11 non-roster invitees remaining in camp, and 33 players on the active roster.  44 remain, but only 25 will go North with the team in April.

2008 Topps Heritage #608 Ben Francisco

Phillies 7, Yankees 0
Spring Training Game 14 - Thursday Afternoon, March 10th in Clearwater

One Sentence Summary:  Roy Halladay mowed down the Yankee line-up for six shutout innings, as the Phils beat the bad guys, 7-0.

What It Means:  The Phillies website uses the verb "dominate" to describe Halladay's performance this afternoon against the Yankees.  As down as I am about Chase Utley's injured knee, at least the starting pitchers have looked very, very good.

Top Hitters:  It's getting redundant, but John Mayberry, Jr. (2-run home run) and Ben Francisco (2 for 4 with an RBI-double) both had nice games again.  While playing the whole game at second base, Josh Barfield went 2 for 3, raising his average to .538 (9 for 16).

Top Pitchers:  Halladay, Michael Stutes, J.C. Ramirez and Michael Schwimer combined for the four-hit shutout.  In his post-game interview, Halladay confirmed he was working on his curve ball throughout the game - with great success.

Featured Card:  I've already featured Halladay's card from the 2008 Topps Heritage set, so I thought I'd show some love for Francisco, who has quietly staked his claim to the job opening in right field.  In 10 spring games, he's hitting .345 and leads the team with 7 RBIs.

Other Stuff:  Prior to the game, the team announced it had extended manager Charlie Manuel's contract through the 2013 season.  He's won 810 games with the Phillies since taking over prior to the 2005 season, including four consecutive division titles and a World Series title in 2008.  By the end of his tenure, he will join former Phillies managers Gene Mauch (1,331 wins) and Danny Ozark (1,105 wins) as the winningest three managers in the franchise's history.  And is "winningest" even a word? . . . Infielder Brian Bocock has left camp and flown back to Philadelphia to have his wrist examined.  He left the game yesterday with the injury.

2008 Topps Heritage Chrome #C99 Chase Utley

Phillies 5, Tigers 3
Spring Training Game 13 - Wednesday Afternoon, March 9th in Lakeland

One Sentence Summary:  A win by the Phils in Lakeland was overshadowed by the news that Chase Utley's knee could be worse than originally thought.

What It Means:  The All-Star second baseman and GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. spoke to reporters before this afternoon's game, and it sure seems glum.  There is no timetable for Utley's return and surgery is definitely an option at this point.  Until further notice, it appears as if Wilson Valdez will be the team's opening day second baseman.

Top Hitters:  The centerpiece of a four-run second inning was Brian Schneider's three-run home run.  Raul Ibanez went two for three with a double.

Top Pitchers:  Joe Blanton stretched it out for five innings, allowing two runs on five hits.  Relievers Ryan Madson, J.C. Romero and David Herndon have all pitched in three games at this point, and none of them have allowed a run.

Featured Card:  Get well soon, Chase.

Other Stuff:  There are reports tonight that the Phillies and manager Charlie Manuel are close to a two-year contract extension.  Ben Francisco has been out of the line-up for the past two games with a sore neck.

2008 Topps Heritage #499 Cole Hamels AS

Phillies 4, Orioles 3
Spring Training Game 12 - Tuesday Afternoon, March 8th in Clearwater

One Sentence Summary:  Carlos Rivero's two-run, RBI-single in the ninth gave the Phils the victory and Cole Hamels overcame early difficulties to retire eleven consecutive Orioles.

What It Means:  Hamels started shaky, but then he turned things around.  The game started with two Oriole walks followed by a strike out, an RBI-double from Jake Fox and then a sacrifice fly.  Before fans could get settled on the berm at Clearwater, it was 2-0 Orioles.  Following Rivero's heroics in the ninth, the Phils are now an even 6-6 in Spring Training play.

Top Hitters:  Ryan Howard hit his third home run of the spring.  Shane Victorino went 2 for 3 with an RBI-double.  Rivero, who spent 2010 with the Indians' AA squad, played the last half of the game at third base went 2 for 2 with the clutch, game-winning hit.

Top Pitchers:  Hamels pitched well after the first, and Danys Baez turned in his third consecutive scoreless outing.

Featured Card:  The 2008 Topps Heritage set was released in two different series comprising 720 total cards.  The first series contained the first 500 cards of the set and it was released in February 2008.  The Update series followed in November 2008 with another 220 cards.  Of the 720 total cards, 220 are short-prints, meaning they were harder to find in packs than the other 500 cards.  (I forget what the exact short-print odds were, but I know there was maybe just one or two to a pack.)  This Hamels All-Star card is one of the 220 short-prints in the set, and it indirectly led me to stop collecting the Heritage sets.  My wife and I are close to completing master sets (short-prints, parallels and insert sets) of the Topps Heritage sets from 2002 through 2008.  But after spending a fortune to hand collate the 1958 Topps Heritage master set, we decided we had had enough.  We didn't collect the 2009 Topps Heritage set, and the streak was broken.

Other Stuff:  Domonic Brown had hand surgery this morning in Philadelphia, and he'll wear a splint for the next three to four weeks.  Jimmy Rollins continues to struggle at the plate, and he's hitting just .185 so far this spring.

2008 Topps Heritage #235 Roy Oswalt

Yankees 7, Phillies 1
Spring Training Game 11 - Monday Afternoon, March 7th in Tampa

One Sentence Summary:  Starter Roy Oswalt got hit around a little, the Phillies bats took the day off and the Yankees won, 7-1.

What It Means:  It means Oswalt made his third start of the spring and he's still working on some stuff.  He gave up a 3-run home run to Eduardo Nunez in the second and a 2-run home run to Curtis Granderson in the third.

Top Hitters:  The team managed just five hits against the Yankees, but Wilson Valdez' home run in the sixth thankfully broke up the bad guys' no-hitter.

Top Pitchers:  Relievers Drew Naylor, Brian Bass and Ryan Feierabend pitched scoreless relief.  Naylor recorded four outs - three with strikeouts.

Featured Card:  Not that he deserves it after today's iffy performance, but it's the unofficial 1959 Topps Appreciation Week in The Phillies Room, and this is Oswalt's card from the 2008 Topps Heritage set.

Other Stuff:  Where did Game 10 go, you may ask?  The split-squad game yesterday counts in the "official" exhibition season standings, so this is "officially" game 11 of the spring.  It's actually the twelfth game of the spring, but the first game with the Florida State Seminoles was not an "official" exhibition game.  It's all so confusing.

2008 Topps Heritage #520 Cliff Lee

Phillies 5, Rays 4
Spring Training Game 9 - Sunday Afternoon, March 6th in Clearwater

One Sentence Summary:  Cliff Lee dominated in his four innings of work and Joel Naughton drove home the winning run with one out in the ninth as the Phils defeated the Rays, 5-4.

What It Means:  Lee struck out five and allowed just two singles in his four shutout innings.  I'm certainly not an expert in these areas, but he looks ready for the regular season to me.

Top Hitters:  Ryan Howard, Brian Schneider and Matt Rizzotti all homered for the Phils.  Ross Gload had two hits and came around to score the winning run in the ninth on Naughton's RBI-single.

Top Pitchers:  Lee, J.C. Romero and Scott Mathieson all looked good.  Romero and Mathieson both pitched scoreless innings.

Featured Card:  Lee is featured as an Indian on this 2008 Topps Heritage card.  This is from the "update" series released following the 2008 season, and the write-up on the back mentions Lee's amazing turn-around from his 6.29 ERA in 2007 to his league-leading 2.54 ERA in 2008.

Other Stuff:  In a second split-squad game against the Tigers in Lakeland, the Phils lost, 2-1.  Kyle Kendrick pitched three shutout innings.  Matt Anderson surrendered the winning run to the Tigers, but he reportedly hit 99 on the radar gun.  The red hot Wilson Valdez added three more hits and John Mayberry, Jr. hit his second home run of the spring.

2008 Topps Heritage Chrome Refractors #C66 Roy Halladay

Pirates 4, Phillies 3
Spring Training Game 8 - Saturday Afternoon, March 5th in Clearwater

One Sentence Summary:  The Phils not only lost the game, but they also lost prospect Domonic Brown for a few months with a broken hand.

What It Means:  Brown may be joining Chase Utley on the disabled list to start the season.  He broke an 0 for 15 spring skid in the second inning with a single to center.  Shortly thereafter, Brown was out of the game, having broken the hook of his hamate bone with a foul ball on the first swing of his at-bat.  It was also revealed yesterday that Utley had received a cortisone shot to his right knee.  At this point, it's just  a waiting game to see if Utley's knee responds to the treatment.

Top Hitters:  Ben Francisco hit his second home run of the spring and added a double to raise his average to .421.  Delwyn Young went three for three with a run scored and an RBI.

Top Pitchers:  In his three shutout innings of work, starter Roy Halladay struck out four and allowed just one hit.  Ryan Madson enjoyed another perfect inning of work, striking out two.

Featured Card:  I went with a week of 1958 Topps-inspired cards last week, so I'll try to stick to the pattern and feature some 1959 Topps-inspired cards this week.  This is super shiny version of Halladay's 2008 Topps Heritage card, officially known as a Refractor.  The cards in this parallel insert set were numbered to just 559, and this is card number 103 out of the 559.

Other Stuff:  Halladay was officially named the team's opening day starter for the matinee against the Astros on April 1st.

1959 Topps Phillies

1959 Topps #39, #300, #175 and #85

Using basically the same pastel (and black) color palette from the 1958 Topps set, Topps made a few stylish tweaks for its 1959 offering. The player's photo is encircled and the player's name appears in all lower-case letters slanted across the top of the card.  Facsimile autographs make their return for the first time since 1956.  Topps also featured several "subsets" within the main set, including The Sporting News Rookie Stars of 1959, Baseball Thrills (featuring highlights from the 1958 season), and The Sporting News All-Stars.  

The Set

Number of cards in the set:  There are 572 cards in a complete set, the largest Topps set to date.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  If I was "forced" to pick another Topps set from the '50s to collect, I'd pick the 1959 Topps set.  I believe these are the first "old" cards I ever saw.

Notable competition:  Fleer released an 80-card set chronicling the life and career highlights of Ted Williams.

1959 Topps #372, #92, #382 and #178

1959 Phillies

Record and finish:  The Phils finished dead last in the National League with a record of 64-90.  It was the first time the team had lost 90 games in a season since 1947.

1959 Topps #39 (Back)

Key players:  First baseman Ed Bouchee was one of the few bright spots on the team, hitting .285 with 15 home runs and 74 RBIs.  Third baseman Gene Freese (.268, 23, 70) and right fielder Wally Post (.254, 22, 94) also added a little punch.  There weren't many bright spots on the pitching staff.  Robin Roberts went 15-17 with a 4.27 ERA and Turk Farrell led the team with just six saves.

Key events:  New general manager John Quinn traded away Whiz Kids Willie Jones and Granny Hamner during the season.  In his only season in the Majors, Sparky Anderson, the team's regular second baseman, hit just .218.  The team ranked last in the league in hitting and fielding.  Richie Ashburn overtook Ed Delahanty as the team's all-time hits leader.  Ashburn would finish the season with 2,217 hits, ten more than Delahanty's 2,207.

1959 Phillies in 1959 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  36 cards!  There are 36 cards in the complete 1959 Topps Phillies team set.  The final tally of Phillies cards appearing in Topps base sets in the 1950s:  173.

1959 Topps #156

Who’s in:  This is actually impressive.  38 players suited up for the Phillies in 1959, and all but six of them have cards in the 1959 Topps set.  Included in the tally of 36 cards in a "master" team set are two multi-player cards - #156 featuring all-star pitchers Billy Pierce and Roberts and #317 featuring hitting kings Willie Mays and Ashburn.

Who’s out:  The six players not in the 1959 Topps set are - Back-up catcher Joe Lonnett (43 games, .172 average), catcher John Easton (3 games, 0 for 3), reliever Taylor Phillips (1-4 with a 5.00 ERA), starting pitcher Ed Keegan (0-3 in his 3 starts), rookie Chris Short (14.1 innings, 8.16 ERA) and pitcher Freddy Rodriguez (1 game, 2 innings, 3 runs).

Phillies on other teams:  The following players spent time with the Phillies in 1959 and appear in the set with other teams - Outfielder Jim Bolger (#29 with the Cubs), infielder Harry Hanebrink (#322 with the Braves), reliever Humberto Robinson (#366 with the Braves), and outfielder Solly Drake (#406 with the Dodgers).

What’s he doing here:  There are six cards featuring players who did not spend any time with the Phillies in 1959 - Ruben Amaro, Bob Conley, Pancho Herrera, Ken Lehman (all in the minors), along with Ted Kazanski and Stan Lopata (both traded to the Braves in March).

Cards that never were candidates:  Lonnett, Phillips and Short.  Short would eventually enjoy a 14-year career with the Phillies.

Favorite Phillies card:  The rookie card of future Hall of Famer George "Sparky" Anderson.  It's not in my collection yet, but it will be there one day.

2008 Topps Heritage #101, #57, #85 and #703

Other Stuff

Recycled:  I wish Topps would come back to this design more often.  It was featured as the basis for the 2008 Topps Heritage set.  Baseball Cards Magazine also used the design for its "Repli-Cards" series back in 1989.

Blogs/Websites:  Would you like to know more about the 1959 Topps set?  Click here.  UPDATE - I'm going to also link to a relatively new blog on one collector's journey to complete the '59 Topps set.

Did You Know?:  By the end of the 1959 season, the only Whiz Kids remaining were Roberts, Ashburn and Curt Simmons.  Ashburn was shipped to the Cubs in January 1960, Simmons was released in May 1960 and he signed with the Cardinals, and Roberts was sold to the Yankees in October 1961.

2007 Topps Wal-Mart #WM11 Ryan Howard

Phillies 7, Pirates 4
Spring Training Game 7 - Friday Afternoon, March 4th in Bradenton

One Sentence Summary:  The offense arrived in Florida on Friday as the Phils defeated the Pirates behind the bats of Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and the team's 14 hits.

What It Means:  And in the seventh game, the offense showed some punch.  The Phillies opened the game with four consecutive hits and took an early 2-0 lead.  Howard's first home run of the spring in the sixth gave the Phils a temporary 3-2 lead.  They regained the lead for good in the seventh with three more runs.

Top Hitters:  Rollins went 2 for 3 with a run scored, Howard went 2 for 3 with a couple of RBIs, and top prospect Matt Rizzotti started the scoring in the seventh with an RBI-double.  Wilson Valdez started in right and went 3 for 4 to go along with an outfield assist in the first.  He also stole two bases, just for good measure.

Top Pitchers:  Joe Blanton pitched well, despite his pitching line of two runs on four hits in 3 2/3 innings.  Eight of the eleven outs he recorded were via the ground ball - a very good sign.  Antonio Bastardo made his spring debut and recorded a save after pitching a perfect ninth.

Featured Card:  A few years back (maybe it started in 2007?), mega-retailers Wal-Mart and Target began including exclusive cards within packs of Topps sold at their stores.  This is one of the exclusives found within packs at Wal-Mart in 2007, and it mimics the style of the 1958 Topps set.  It does a decent enough job, but I'm puzzled as to why the Phillies logo is found within a black circle on this card, while there's no black circle on the Topps Heritage cards released in the same year.  It's a mystery.

Other Stuff:  Pitching coach Rich Dubee got to see his son Michael pitch for the Pirates.  Michael entered the game in the seventh and allowed a hit to Dane Sardinha before striking out Matt Miller.

2007 Topps Heritage #423 Roy Oswalt

Phillies Room field correspondent Christopher wraps up his Clearwater sojourn with a final report from Wednesday afternoon's game.

I thought the view from the top would be better. To avoid frying in the Florida sun (again), I stood in the shade for the early part of the Phillies game against the Orioles on Wednesday. In doing so, I noticed that the Phils' chairman and partial owner Bill Giles was sitting sixteen rows behind the dugout near the aisle. I guess I figured he'd have much better seats than that, but a seat is a seat, I guess. I'm sure Mr. Giles wishes he had stayed to watch the end of the game, too.

The Phillies put a run across the board in the first after Ryan Howard doubled to deep right center field following a Raul Ibanez single. The Orioles rolled off six runs and sixteen hits against Roy Oswalt and six relievers. After the back-to-back hits in the first inning, the Phils' bats went practically silent (again), notching only three more hits through the seventh inning. Delwyn Young had an RBI single in the eighth to make it 6-2, Orioles, and the Phils really made it interesting in the bottom of the ninth. Michael Martinez and John Mayberry, Jr. led off with back-to-back home runs and Pete Orr quickly followed with a triple to the wall. Orr scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-5. Unfortunately, the Phils could not get any closer and the game ended with a ground-out to second with the tying run on second base.

As of when I left Florida, the Phillies were 2-3 on the young spring training season, but there are great expectations for the season for those who will make the team. I have great memories from my trip to Clearwater. Let's hope we all have some great memories of the season to come...

2007 Topps Heritage #76 Cole Hamels

Phillies 2, Red Sox 0
Spring Training Game 6 - Thursday Afternoon, March 3rd in Fort Myers

One Sentence Summary:  In his second spring start, Cole Hamels pitched four shutout innings and allowed just a lone hit as the Phils beat the Sox, 2-0.

What It Means:  Hamels looked good today.  If not for Mike Cameron's double in the third, a quartet of Phillies pitchers - Hamels, Scott Mathieson, Michael Stutes and Juan Perez - would have no-hit the Red Sox.

Top Hitters:  Ben Francisco added two more hits and third baseman Jeff Larish accounted for both Phillies runs with a 2-run double in the second.

Top Pitcher:  Colbert Richard Hamels.

Featured Card:  As we wind down the completely unplanned 1958 Topps Appreciation Week here at The Phillies Room, here's another selection from the 2007 Topps Heritage set.  I have a ton of doubles from this set, so if you're trying to complete your set, drop me a line and let's set up a trade.

Other Stuff:  Only a few of the Phillies regulars took the long bus ride to Fort Myers . . . Wilson Valdez played some center field in the latter innings of the game . . . There's been no improvement to Chase Utley's bum knee, and he's no closer to playing his first game of the spring . . . Pre-game, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. called the Red Sox "the best club in baseball."  I believe there are 25 players who are going to head north with the Phillies who would disagree with that statement.  Although I'd definitely be in favor of a rematch of the 1915 World Series this October.

2007 Topps Heritage #146 Delwyn Young

Orioles 6, Phillies 5
Spring Training Game 5 - Wednesday Afternoon, March 2nd in Clearwater

One Sentence Summary:  The Orioles pounded out 16 hits against six different Phillies pitchers on their way to a 6-5 victory.

What It Means:  Christopher's annual Clearwater pilgrimage comes to an end.  Let the record show the Phils went 1-3 in games he attended.

Top Hitters:  John Mayberry, Jr., who is playing for a spot on the opening day roster, went 2 for 4 with a double and a home run.  Non-roster invitee Delwyn Young played a little left field and added a hit to raise his spring average to .444.  Rule 5 pick Michael Martinez also added a home run.

Top Pitchers:  Of the seven Phillies pitchers used, only David Herndon and Brian Gordan (not even a non-roster invitee) escaped without surrendering runs.

Featured Card:  I'm breaking the rules, just like yesterday, and sticking with the 2007 Topps Heritage theme.  Delwyn Young was once one of the hottest prospects in the Dodgers' system, but things just never quite took off for the now 28-year-old swtich hitter.  Released by the Pirates in November, he signed a minor league deal with the Phils in January.  As a non-roster invitee, it's usually a good omen when you're assigned a low uniform number, and Young is wearing the number 24.  (And for the record, the "Rookie Card" logo on the front of a baseball card sporting a 1958 Topps design looks ridiculous.)

Other Stuff:  Shane Victorino, who has said he's going to try to bunt more for base hits, reached on an infield bunt single in the fourth . . . Carlos Ruiz left the team to fly to Panama to meet his new-born son.  Congrats Chooch!

2007 Topps Heritage #62 Josh Barfield

Tigers 6, Phillies 2
Spring Training Game 4 - Tuesday Afternoon, March 1st in Clearwater

One Sentence Summary:  Cliff Lee's first start of the Spring didn't exactly go as planned, as the Tigers jumped to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning and never looked backed.

What It Means:  Christopher saw another loss, but I'd take a Spring Training loss over a day at the office any day -

Are the Phillies too good for their (spring training) home? Four games into the grapefruit league season, the Phillies are 2-2, but both wins have come on the road. The Phils have been unable to win at Bright House Field this season, losing their most recent contest against the Tigers 6-2 yesterday, despite Cliff Lee's return to the Phillies rotation.

Lee had a bit of a rocky start in his first spring training start for the Phillies. He hit the first batter he faced and gave up a run-scoring triple in the first to Ryan Raburn. Raburn also had a two-run home run in the fifth against the Phils' Eddie Bonine. After Lee's shaky effort against his first few batters, he settled down and struck out three over his two-inning stint with a few great knee-locking pitches. Kyle Kendrick pitched the third and fourth innings and had very little trouble. In addition to Rayburn's home run. Eddie Bonine gave up two other runs to the Tigers as they finished up their scoring in the sixth.

Brian Schneider and Josh Barfield each had two hits for the Phillies, but the Tigers pitching kept the Phillies off-balance for most of the game. Their only threat came late in the game when they managed to load the bases off Enrique Gonzalez. However, that threat ended with a fly-out, and the Phils ended up leaving nine men on base during the game.

Today brings the Orioles to Bright House Field and one last chance for me to watch the Phillies attempt to win at Bright House Field before I head back north. Temperatures are going to be in the high 70s here in the Clearwater area today. By the time I get home tonight, it should be in the mid-30s. As always, there's no place like home, but in my opinion, Florida in March is a close second.

Top Hitters:  Second baseman Barfield, who has an outside chance of making the team given Chase Utley's bum knee, is now 4 for 5 this spring.  Ben Francisco drove in his fifth run of the spring.

Top Pitchers:  Kendrick, as mentioned in Christopher's field report.

Featured Card:  Barfield is a non-roster invitee and the son of former big-leaguer Jesse Barfield.  He's played in parts of four seasons in the Majors with the Padres and Indians.  Now normally I would never feature a baseball card like this - He's not officially a Phillie (yet), this is a non-Phillie baseball card, and I usually don't post cards of players on the current roster following a loss.  However, it's Spring, I'm feeling punchy and rules are meant to be broken.

Other Stuff:  Domonic Brown went 0 for 3 with two more strikeouts.  I have a bad feeling about this . . . Quote of the day from new Indian Chad Durbin, who was not re-signed by the Phillies partially due to the money it took to sign Lee, "I'd take Cliff Lee over Chad Durbin."

2007 Topps Heritage #493 Roy Halladay AS

Phillies 6, Blue Jays 3
Spring Training Game 3 - Monday Afternoon, February 28th in Dunedin 

One Sentence Summary:  The Phils beat the Blue Jays as Roy Halladay started his Spring with a pair of scoreless innings and Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz each knocked in a pair of runs.

What It Means:  It means another field report from Christopher -

On Day 2 of my 2011 excellent adventure, the Phillies bats showed up and the Phils beat the Blue Jays, 6-3, in Dunedin.

Roy Halladay looked great. Two innings of scoreless baseball made me look forward to Roy pitching in games that count in about a month. The worst part of the day was when Charlie Manuel took Halladay out after two innings instead of letting him throw a third, but I guess there are worse things in the world. What was a great game for Phillies fans was actually somewhat dull for most of the time given that Florida Auto Exchange Stadium (more on that in a bit) was "packed" with less than 4,000 fans.

Getting back to the game, Placido Polanco drove in two runs as did Carlos Ruiz, who got the scoring started with a two-run double off Jays starter Jo-Jo Reyes in the second inning. The newly named Florida Auto Exchange Stadium was filled with Phillies fans who cheered every hit, walk, and run scored. As for the stadium name, I have no idea. Seriously? Can't Dunedin just name their stadium after a bank or an insurance company like everyone else? I won't get on my soapbox about naming rights, at least right now. As the public address announcer said multiple times today, "delightfully different" Dunedin surely is different - at least when it comes to the name of their stadium.

The Phillies are back to the friendly confines of Bright House Field for two games starting tomorrow. First up is the Tigers, who will face Cliff Lee on Tuesday in his first start this spring. I look forward to hopefully seeing Cliff Lee perform just as well as Joe Blanton and Roy Halladay have the past few days. Plus, if the games I've seen here are any indication of how the starting rotation will pitch in games that count, I will be a happy man when the Phillies return north to Citizens Bank Park come late March and early April.

Top Hitters:  Polanco and Ruiz, along with Ben Francisco.  Francisco added another hit and RBI to raise his early Spring average to .571.

Top Pitchers:  Halladay looked sharp and J.C. Ramirez threw two shutout innings while striking out four.  Ramirez was one of the four players acquired from the Mariners in December 2009 when the Phils made the mistake of trading away Lee.

Featured Card:  I still have the 1958 Topps set on my mind, so this is another card from the 2007 Topps Heritage set.  Just like the original set, the last cards in the 2007 Topps Heritage set feature All-Stars from both leagues.

Other Stuff:  Domonic Brown is 0 for 9 so far this spring with six strikeouts . . . Matt Anderson, who signed a minor league deal with the Phils in January, pitched a scoreless eighth inning against the Blue Jays.  Anderson was the overall number one pick in the 1997 amateur draft, and he hasn't appeared in the Majors since 2005 . . . The Blue Jays played sloppy baseball, tallying five errors.

1979 TCMA Baseball History Series #4 Robin Roberts

Yankees 7, Phillies 3
Spring Training Game 2 - Sunday Afternoon, February 27th in Clearwater

One Sentence Summary:  Starter Joe Blanton pitched well in his Spring debut, but the Phils managed just five hits and the Justin DeFratus/Michael Schwimer relief combo allowed six runs over two innings as the bad guys won.

What It Means:  Not a whole lot.  But friend o' the blog Christopher is back in Clearwater again this year.  He was kind enough to file this field report:

It's spring, and that means both tax season and Spring Training. Guess which one brings me more joy?

I took another trip to Clearwater to see the Phillies play, but today's game left me with only one positive: At least Joe Blanton pitched well....

The Phils' bats were silent for way too much of the game to really make it a contest, so a day after coming back to win 5-4 against the Yankees in Tampa, the Phillies lost their Clearwater home opener, 7-3, to those same Yankees.

As for Blanton, the least regarded pitcher in a rotation the likes of which have probably never been seen before, he pitched well for the early innings. However, once he came out, the wheels fell off the mound and the Yankees scored runs in bunches. Most of the Phillies regulars started, but they were fond of striking out and swinging at bad pitches. When the Phillies did hit the ball, they were already so far in the hole, it didn't matter.

Chase Utley didn't play, and we found out later that he has patella tendinitis in the right knee. He's had a rash of injuries the past few seasons, so let's hope this injury does not affect the games that count starting in late March.

Monday brings the Phillies to a game against the Blue Jays in Dunedin and a Roy Halladay-Kyle Drabek match-up. It could be a great game, but even a so-so game in spring training is better than a Monday in the office.

Truer words have never been spoken. Thanks Christopher!

Top Hitter:  Ben Francisco doubled and homered, accounting for two of the team's five hits.  It's crazy early, but Francisco (the new regular right fielder?) has looked good in his first two games.

Top Pitcher:  Blanton walked the first Yankee on four pitches and then settled in to retire the next nine in order.

Featured Card:  Hall of Famer Duke Snider passed away today at the age of 84.  I've featured a card of Phillies Hall of Famer Robin Roberts, as Robbie holds the distinction of allowing 19 home runs to Duke, the most career home runs off one pitcher in the history of Major League Baseball.  Snider also hit the final home run ever at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn off Roberts on September 22, 1957.  This card is from the 291-card collectors' issue from 1979, featuring the top stars of the 1950s.  The fronts and backs of the cards borrow from the 1953 Bowman Color set.

Other Stuff:  Check out the archives here, here, here and here for Christopher's prior year Clearwater reports.

1958 Topps Phillies

2002 Topps Archives #141, 1958 Topps #171, #348 and #433

Of all the Topps cards from the past 60 years, I'm perhaps the most unfamiliar with the 1958 Topps set.  In my younger collecting days, I had somehow managed to obtain samples of baseball cards from all of the Topps base set offerings from 1952 onwards, with the exception being this set.

1958 Topps #387

The Set

Number of cards in the set:  The set is numbered to a whopping 495, but card #145 was never issued due to Ed Bouchee's suspension for the first half of the 1958 season.  (See below for further details.)

My very brief thoughts on the set:  It's similar to the 1954 Topps set, with its bright backgrounds and portrait shots and it's a step up from the 1957 Topps set, despite the basic design and the mugshot-like fronts.  I dig the player's name appearing in large font at the top of the card.  And to borrow from Section 36's comment to my 1957 Topps Phillies post, this set seems more classic and less "old."

Notable competition:  Hires Root Beer released a 66-card set, available on the side of the soda's cardboard cartons.  There are 11 Phillies featured, and the set uses the "knothole" design which apparently had been in the running as the design for the never-released 1956 Bowman set.

1958 Phillies

1958 Topps #387 (Back)

Record and finish:  Kicking off a dark period in the franchise's history, the Phils finished in last place with a 69-85 record.  They would remain in the basement until 1962, when expansion teams and the hapless Chicago Cubs helped to elevate the Phils to a 7th place finish out of 10 National League teams.

Key players:  Richie Ashburn won his second National League batting title, going 3 for 4 on the final day of the season and raising his average to .350 to top Willie Mays and his .347 average.  The Phillies Encyclopedia calls Ashburn's season "one of the finest seasons of any player in modern Phillies history."  He led the league in hits, walks, triples and outfield putouts.  Left fielder Harry Anderson had an outstanding year, hitting .301 with 23 home runs and 97 RBIs.  Rookie pitcher Ray Semproch went 13-11 to start the season, but then won only two more games from mid-July through the season's end.  Robin Roberts had a comeback year of sorts, going 17-14 with a 3.24 ERA.
Key events:  The Phils acquired slugger Wally Post from the Reds in December 1957 for Harvey Haddix.  His 12 home runs in '58 marked a career low since he had become a regular with the Reds in '54.  Manager Mayo Smith was fired in July, and he was replaced by the team's manager from 1948-1952, Eddie Sawyer.  The team went 28-41 following Sawyer's return to the team.

1958 Topps #353, #181, #116 and #186

1958 Phillies in 1958 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 29 cards in the team set, bringing the cumulative eight-year total to 137 Phillies cards.

Who’s in:  7 of the regulars, 9 bench players, the 5 top starting pitchers, 5 relievers, 2 guys in the Phillies minor league system that year (Chuck Harmon and Dan Landrum) and a team card.

Who’s out:  First baseman Ed Bouchee was supposed be card #145 in the set, but Topps pulled his card after he was suspended for indecent exposure.  (See Wrigley Wax for required reading.)  Apparently rehabilitated, Bouchee returned to the Phillies in mid-season.  Reliever Seth Morehead got left out again, even though he pitched in 27 games.

Phillies on other teams:  There are three players who appeared with the Phillies in 1958, but appeared in the 1958 Topps set on different teams.  Tom Qualters appeared in just one game with the team in April before being sold to the White Sox.  He appeared as a member of the White Sox in the set's high series.  Catcher Carl Sawatski (card #234) was acquired from the Braves in June, and catcher Jim Hegan (card #345) was acquired from the Tigers in July.

What’s he doing here:  Mack Burk appeared in one game for the 1958 Phillies, striking out in his lone plate appearance in a game in June.

Cards that never were candidates:  Bouchee's #145 (obviously) and Morehead (again).

Favorite Phillies card:  Post had spent the first six seasons of his career wearing a Reds uniform, and he appears on his first Phillies card wearing the Reds' sleeveless vests from 1957.  It's perhaps the first Topps Phillies card to poorly mask a player switching teams in the offseason.

2007 Topps Heritage #45, #230, #310 and #326

Other Stuff

Recycled:  Topps used the 1958 Topps design for its 2007 Heritage set.

Blogs/Websites:  I am amazed and impressed that Cardboard Junkie is trying to put this set together.

Did You Know?:  The most valuable card in the set is a super rare variation of Frank "Pancho" Herrera's rookie card without the "A" at the end of his last name.  An internet search shows that examples of this variation have sold for thousands of dollars.

2001 Topps #751 Keith Bucktrot/Dane Sardinha

Phillies 5, Yankees 4
Spring Training Game 1 - Saturday Afternoon, February 26th in Tampa

One Sentence Summary: Third string catcher Dane Sardinha's two-run single in the eighth drove home the tying and go-ahead runs as I blissfully watched the game on TV.

What It Means: The Phils won the first game of their Grapefuit League season, behind a few timely hits and mostly effective pitching.  Cole Hamels looked just OK in his two innings of work, allowing an unearned run and two hits in his spring debut.

Top Hitters: Sardinha, Ross Gload and non-roster invitee Josh Barfield all had multi-hit games for the Phils.  Ben Francisco turned a ball completely misplayed by Yankees right fielder Nick Swisher into a triple and eventually scored the team's first run.

Top Pitchers: Vance Worley and Mike Zagurski contributed scoreless frames.  Reliever Jason Grilli, in camp with the Phillies' minor leaguers, earned the save despite allowing a few base runners in the ninth.

Featured Card: Sardinha made it into 13 games last season with the Phillies, getting the call when Carlos Ruiz went on the disabled list in June.  He's featured on this Topps Draft Picks card with former Phillies top draft pick Keith Bucktrot.  Bucktrot was taken as the team's third selection in the June 2000 draft and ten years ago, you would have easily picked Bucktrot to have made his Phillies' debut before Sardinha.  However, Bucktrot would go 35-42 in six minor league seasons within the Phillies organization, never advancing beyond AA Reading.  He was released during Spring Training 2006.  Sardinha made his big league debut in September 2003, and he's since bounced from the Reds to the Tigers to the Phils.

Other Stuff:  Apparently the game on Thursday against Florida State doesn't count against the official Spring Training stats or standings, so it's an exhibition exhibition game.  I've changed the notation at the top of that post to remove the "Spring Training Game 1" label . . . Chase Utley was out of the line-up again (sore legs) as was Jimmy Rollins, who was a guest at the White House yesterday.  In a B-game, reliever Danys Baez was lit up against a bunch of Blue Jays' minor leaguers, allowing five hits and five runs in two-thirds of an inning.

2004 Playoff Prestige #146 Ryan Howard

Phillies 8, Seminoles 0
Spring Training Exhibition - Thursday Afternoon, February 24th in Clearwater

One Sentence Summary:  Ryan Howard drove in the first runs of the Spring with a 2-run double in the first and seven Phillies pitchers combined to throw a 4-hit shutout against the Florida State Seminoles.

What It Means:  Sweet, sweet baseball is back.  For the first time since Howard stood and stared at a called third strike in Game 6 of the NLCS, baseball is back.  Hallelujah.

Also, I thought I'd try a new game summary format for my 2011 Phillies game summary posts, so I'm trying out this "quick hits" format thing.  However, I'm not optimistic about my ability to post a game summary after each Spring Training game.

Top Hitters:  Howard went 1 for 2 with the aforementioned 2-run double.  Eleven different Phillies contributed eleven total hits.

Top Pitchers:  Drew Naylor started and pitched two innings, earning the win.  Michael Stutes struck out the side in the sixth.  Naylor spent 2010 with AA Reading, and Stutes split time between Reading and AAA Lehigh Valley last year.

Featured Card:  Howard appears ready for some Spring Training action on this Playoff Prestige baseball card from seven years ago.  He's come a long way since then, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2005, an MVP award in 2006, and a World Series ring in 2008.  This year, Howard looks to improve upon his "down" year in 2010, in which he hit .276 with just 31 home runs and 108 RBIs.

The Cure for Sitting and Moaning

2011 Topps Commemorative
Patch #TLMP-RH

I see the light at the end of the tunnel now.
Someone please tell me it's not a train.
- Cracker, "I See the Light," 1992

I'm not going to lie to you.  It's been a brutal winter, and the last few weeks have taken their toll on my mental health.  On an annual basis, this is most likely the busiest 3-week period at work for me and it's more likely than not (inside joke) I'm working 12+ hour days and at least one day on the weekend.  My Dad was doing better for a stretch and then we ended up taking him back to the hospital yesterday afternoon.  My gas gauge is pointing to E, and there have been days when I've been seriously tempted to just sit and moan.

If not for my family and friends, the daily Spring Training reports from Clearwater, and Phillies baseball cards received in the mail from fellow bloggers, this post may just have been a bunch of self-centered whining.  Instead, I'm pleased to bring you highlights from recent magical bubblelopes that have appeared in my mail box over the past week.

2010 Topps Chrome Purple
Refractors #127

Ron from Section 36 recently pulled this manufactured patch card from a 2011 Topps blaster, and he was kind enough to set it aside for me.  This is only my second manufactured patch card, and I can't decide if I like these or not.  It's definitely a cool card, but I'm not sure how to store the thing and I have no idea what Roy Halladay and the 1950 Phillies have in common.  Ron sent a few other Phillies cards for my collection, including this shiny purple card of current Washington Nationals' outfielder Jayson Werth.  This is the first shiny purple baseball card in my collection.  Again, it's definitely a cool card, and I'm happy to have it, but I don't get why some collectors go ape-poop over these things.  Conclusion:  I will need to obtain more Phillies manufactured patch cards and shiny purple baseball cards in order to form a more informed opinion.

I also received a package from Jason from The Writer's Journey.  (Jason - Your package was mailed today.)  In one of our e-mail exchanges arranging the trade, Jason had mentioned that he had "tried to pull a bunch of oddball stuff," which immediately piqued my interest.  True to his word, his package contained a wide variety of Phillies cards from the '70s, '80s, '90s, '00s and '10s.

1978 Topps #271, 1988 Topps Stickers #125, 1988 Topps Stickercards #5, 2005 Upper Deck Past Time Pennants #67

The '78 Topps Randy Lerch card goes into my '70s Phillies binder as I inch closer to completing the '78 Topps Phillies team set.  The smaller cards of Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt and new Phillies third base coach Juan Samuel are from the 1988 Topps Stickers set.  Somehow, this set has eluded my collection all these years.  And finally, it's rare for me to come across a Richie Ashburn card I've never seen before, but Jason sent this card (along with a Jim Bunning card) from the 2005 Upper Deck Past Time Pennants set.  I can honestly say I did not know this set even existed until viewing these cards.

Thanks again to Ron and Jason.  Your cards arrived at the perfect time and they helped to stave off a bout of sitting and moaning for the foreseeable future.