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There's nothing to see here. Your 2008 Phillies look the same today as they did yesterday.

Less than 60 minutes and counting

WASHINGTON - There is less than an hour to go before the trading deadline (this sentence was written at 3:04 p.m.) so consider this the last update before the clock strikes. After 4 p.m. the 2008 Phillies and the entire landscape of the great, National Past Time could look dramatically different. Or not. Anyway, there is nothing new to report here. Apparently a Manny Ramirez trade to the Marlins is DOA, though the Ken Griffey Jr. trade to the White Sox is quite intriguing. For one thing, the White Sox now have a member of the 500 Home Run Club (Jim Thome) and the even more elite, 600 Home Run Club (Griffey). But all is quiet on the Phillies front. At least all is quiet for now. The first team bus arrived at the park around 3 p.m. and all the usual suspects were aboard. So for the time being, general manager Pat Gillick is standing pat. Otherwise, I had a nice leisurely morning and afternoon here in The District. After a humid and sultry morning jaunt through a wooded trail (I saw another deer[1]), I rolled through Florida Ave. and the U Street corridor to the Adams-Morgan section of town where I finally got to eat at The Amsterdam Falafel Shop. Mmmmm, mmmm. Now I have never been to Amsterdam or Holland, but folks who know better say the Adams-Morgan Amsterdam Falafel Shop is as authentic as it gets. In fact, one giveaway to the authenticity of the TAMF (not sure people call it this, but you know, I'll put it out there) is that they serve brownies and make it a point to inform the consumer that they are not "enhanced." Enhanced is my word. On the menu they were called "virgin" brownies. Yeah. Anyway, the menu is very basic at The Amsterdam Falafel Shop in Adams-Morgan, located just a half block from the famous Madam's Organ - the place Playboy magazine named the best bar in the United States. In fact, they serve just falafel (two sizes), Dutch baked fries (two sizes) and un-enhanced brownies (square shaped). Each sandwich is made to order and each diner can add any of the 18 different sauces and toppings from the garnish bar. It's definitely a treat, man. Plus, they usually stay open late (but not past midnight on a Sunday as I learned last month) so if you find yourself in the area and get a hankering for authentic Dutch falafel, by all means, drop in. After lunch, I drove to the ballpark via Capitol Hill where it looked as if there was a lot of governing going on... a lot of gentrification, too. It seems to me that The District has at least one Starbucks for every household. Interestingly, neighborhoods that were once talked about in hushed, scared tones are now filled with people walking around in madras shorts and business suits with a chai latte in hand. OK, time for the clubhouse. By the time I get back we'll know if the Phillies have any new players or not.

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[1] Why is it that whenever I see deer, elk or coyotes during runs while in Colorado I just shrug it off as no big deal, yet when I cross paths with a deer in Washington or Lancaster I get freaked out? Historically, there have been a lot of deer in the Northeast and their habitat (obviously) is shrinking, however, when I see one I run away... fast. I run away completely scared to death and afraid even to look over my shoulder for fear that it might be chasing me. Meanwhile, in other parts of the country I try to get as close as possible to those unfamiliar wild animals. Passing an elk in town in Colorado is like seeing a stray cat... what gives?

Manny and the deadline

WASHINGTON – Charlie Manuel says he can handle it. If presented with a chance to manage a player who might be a bit of a discipline problem, Charlie doesn’t see it as an issue. “I like talent,” Charlie said. Of course the subject of the talent was potentially ex-Red Sox superstar Manny Ramirez, a player Charlie managed in the minors and coached in the big leagues with the Indians. In the past, Ramirez said he wouldn’t mind being reunited with his old hitting guru. Manuel says he doesn’t think the Phillies need to add a hitter, but if they did he has one guy in mind. “Manny Ramirez would be the hitter,” he said. “My time with Manny was very special," Manuel said. "He was a kid then. He's grown up a lot. Well, he's gotten older. I feel like I know him to a certain degree.” But that would mean Ramirez is heading to Philadelphia, which doesn’t seem to be the case. According to the banter making the rounds in the press box at Exxon (Nationals) Park, the Red Sox, Pirates and Marlins were ironing out a deal that would send Jason Bay from Pittsburgh to Boston and Manny from Boston to the Marlins. In fact, newspapers in Florida are reporting that a tentative deal has been struck. That means no Manny for Charlie. But could it tip the balance in the NL East to the upstart Marlins who stand just 1½ games behind the Phillies? Maybe. “One player can make a lot of difference,” Manuel said, “if you get the right player.” If a deal does occur and the Marlins get Ramirez, or if the Mets pull off a deal before the deadline, what does that mean for the Phillies? Will they try to keep pace? “You don't like to react to someone else,” general manager Pat Gillick said. “I've always said you like to do what you think is proper for your club. If the Mets or Marlins improve their club, they improve their club. We'll hopefully try to improve our club, but we're not reacting.” The GM might not be reacting, but the Phillies fans definitely will. On another note, how did the relationship between the Red Sox and Ramirez get so bad? Why is Manny saying things like, “the Red Sox don’t deserve me…” They are paying him $20 million! How is that disrespectful. Maybe they want him to run the bases?

Still counting down to the deadline

WASHINGTON – Let me start with a message to all of the residents of the District of Columbia: I support your fight for proper representation on Capitol Hill. I’m right there with you, Washington, D.C.

There, I’m glad I got that off my chest.

Anyway, it’s still hot and steamy down here (again, it’s a swamp) and there is plenty of hustle and bustle. In fact, there’s so much going on that the last Phillies’ bus from the hotel did not arrive at the ballpark until 4:50 p.m.

Anyone want to guess who was on it?

Meanwhile, a few of the Phillies are hoping that they aren’t on a bus to the airport to send them to a new team in another city. It’s very interesting -– there isn’t a single guy on the Phillies (at least the guys I talked to) that wants to be traded. A few have even joked about hiding in their lockers or making a break for the backdoor when Thursday’s 4 p.m. deadline creeps closer. The guys on the Phillies really like playing here. And based on the rumors and all the talk around the ballclub, it seems as if all of them will continue to play for the Phillies beyond the trading deadline.

The latest hot talk involves Braves’ lefty Will Ohman, but the exchange pieces include minor leaguers… Well, not all of them are minor leaguers now.

So the song and dance continues here in The District, though it’s pretty clear the Phillies will not pull off a deal like the one the Yankees and Tigers figured out on Wednesday afternoon. In that one, the Yanks got the catcher they needed in Pudge Rodriguez and the Tigers got to take Kyle Farnsworth off the Yankees’ hands.

Nope, Manny Ramirez is not coming to Philadelphia. Besides, if given his druthers, manager Charlie Manuel says he wants a big-time starter.

“And I mean a really big-time starter,” Charlie said before Wednesday’s game.

Charlie noted that the Phillies aren’t too different than other teams in that regard -- everybody wants a big-time starter. Short of that, however, Charlie says he’ll take “a good bullpen piece.”

“The stronger we make our bullpen the less often we have to depend on our starters to go deep into a game,” he said.

Hey, why not get both? A starter and a bullpen piece… while they’re at it, how about a power-hitting third baseman, too?

OK… we’ll have more on the developments here in the 51st state as it warrants. Stay close to your computers, folks.

Counting down to the deadline

WASHINGTON – We’re back here in The District and man is it ever steamy. It’s just flat-out hot and humid, which kind of makes sense seeing as they built the city on top of a swamp. Generally, swamps are warm. I try to avoid them. But I don’t try to avoid Washington, D.C. Despite the unpleasant weather and the oppressive humidity, it’s far and away the best city in the NL East. There is just so much to do and so much going on that it isn’t hard to believe that folks stay away from Nationals’ games in droves. Word around the campfire is that a few members of the Phillies traveling party took in the Spy Museum this afternoon. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the Spy Museum… I haven’t been there yet. A few months ago, my four-year old and I hit the National Museum of Natural History, followed by lunch at Old Ebbitt’s and then a full afternoon in the National Air & Space Museum. It was a nice touristy afternoon for this self-described native that we’re sure to repeat as soon as possible. Anyway, here’s a fun fact about our nation’s history: Back when the Continental Congress was figuring out where to locate the permanent capital, a little down in Pennsylvania called Wright’s Ferry decided to lobby for the gig. Figuring its location along the banks of the mighty Susquehanna River that separates York and Lancaster counties was perfectly located and easy for delegates from the other colonies, Wright’s Ferry challenged for the privilege to be capital. First things first… Wright’s Ferry had to do something about its name. It needed something catchy or something that befit a burgeoning nation. Therefore, in 1789 Wright’s Ferry changed its name to Columbia. Perfect, huh? With a name like Columbia, how could the little town on the western edge of Lancaster County go wrong? Location? Check. Infrastructure? Check. People of influence on its side like George Washington? Check. Name? Done, done, done and done. Nevertheless, southern states Maryland and Virginia carved out a rectangle of unwanted swamp land along the Anacostia and Potomac rivers not too far from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Next thing the folks in Columbia, Pa. knew the District of Columbia had edged it out by one vote and the rest is history. Some influence that George Washington had, huh? Anyway, since it had the name and the location, Columbia attempted to become the capital of Pennsylvania. Again, it had the location, the name but maybe not the influential supporters. Instead, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania went with the more centrally located Harrisburg to be the seat of its government. Since then, Columbia became most well known for burning down the bridge connecting it to Wrightsville in York County (called the Wright's Ferry bridge - picture above) to ward off the approaching Confederate Army in 1864. As a result of this act, the Confederates and Union armies got together in Gettysburg for one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. And perhaps once again, Columbia missed out on centuries worth of historical fame. *** Otherwise, all is quiet here in The District as the trading deadline looms. Oh sure, the rumors are flying around like crazy with all sorts of interesting names. Suffice it to say, those names belong to left-handed relief pitchers. But rumors are the domain of the weak-willed who cannot find the truth. If we can be called anything it must be that we are seekers of truth here at the little web site that could (be ignored). Therefore, we will arrogantly tell you, the reader, to go elsewhere to learn about Ron Mahay, John Grabow, Brian Tallet, Jesse Carlson, Jack Taschner, Brian Fuentes, George Sherrill or anyone else. I’m not saying anything. But I will say that Shane Victorino had a good time joking about his chances of sticking with the Phillies past the July 31 trading deadline. As the digital clock in the clubhouse here at the soon-to-be named Exxon (Nationals) Park rolled over to 5 p.m., Victorno shouted that he had 47 hours to go until the deadline. The clock is ticking.

Eaton out

Adam Eaton and the Phillies decided that the best course of action for the struggling right-hander was a stint in the minor leagues. Read all about it here complete with a mention of Columbo. That guy could solve everything... And oh yeah, the worst kept secret with the Phillies came out yesterday. Well, it kind of came out.

Hey, everybody!

Yesterday I saw a bunch of the Braves folks circled around the TV watching the pregame stuff on FOX but wasn't sure what was going on. Later, I was tipped off that Braves' reliever Will Ohman read the lineup as Will Ferrell doing Harry Caray. Take a look: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMwhzdEkVN8&hl=en&fs=1] Guess what? Ohman wasn't so bad. Not as good as Deitch or Zolecki, but not bad nonetheless.

All it takes is one

There is really no smooth way to do a curtain call. Even the guys who hit the really big home runs all the time look dorky when they tip their cap to the screaming fans who want them to take a step out of the dugout and give a smart little wave or salute. First of all, it's really difficult to hear in those dugouts. Imagine being locked in a hermetically sealed room with no windows or cell phone reception - that's exactly what it's like to sit in a big-league dugout. The difference is a guy in the dugout can see 45,000 people in the stands ringed around the diamond freaking out. He can see everyone screaming, but can't make out any of the sounds. "You can't hear anything," said Phillies pinch hitting savant, Greg Dobbs. "It's just a bunch of noise." So surrounded by all that noise that he couldn't hear, Dobbs' teammates pushed him out of the dugout so he could give a little wave or a salute to the screaming crowd. But instead, Dobbs stood there for a second like a deer in the headlights trying to make sense of his surroundings. But once he saw that the game had paused for a moment and the wave of noise cascading down from the top tiers of the bowl had washed over him, Dobbs gave a big wave before ducking back into the home dugout. That was it. A brief moment that last a second or two will be something Dobbs remembers for the rest of his life. "It's very humbling," he said. Dobbs got the curtain call - yes, ballplayers get curtain calls - after slugging a three-run pinch-hit home run in the fifth inning that capped off an inexplicable seven-run frame against the Atlanta Braves and proved to be the game-winning hit in the Phillies' 10-9 comeback victory. Better yet, Dobbs' shot was his 20^th pinch hit of the season, which tied the club record set by a guy named Doc Miller in 1913. With 59 games remaining in the season, there's a strong chance that Dobbs will have the record all to himself very soon. But here's the wacky part about Dobbs and his pinch-hitting prowess... he's better when he gets just one chance a game than he is when he starts a game and gets four chances. At least that's what the stat sheet says. An under-the-radar waiver pickup from Seattle prior to the 2007 season, Dobbs is hitting .362 (34-for-94) as a pinch hitter since joining the Phillies, including a lusty .435 (20-for-46) in that role this season. Meanwhile, Dobbs is hitting just .264 (95-for-360) in non-pinch hitting situations. That means Dobbs has turned the so-called toughest job in baseball into child's play. The secret to his success? Practice, practice, practice. And then some more practice. "I have a tendency to over-prepare," Dobbs admitted. "I take a lot of flak from my teammates because sometimes I go to the (batting) cage (as early as) the fourth inning." Manager Charlie Manuel says that the foundation for Dobbs' pinch-hitting prowess was laid when he was an up-and-comer with the Mariners. Tired of yo-yoing back and forth between Seattle and Triple-A, Dobbs found himself a mentor who explained the finer points of the art of pinch hitting. "He was around a guy named Dave Hansen. When Dobbs was in Seattle he used to sit with Hansen on the bench and some of the things they talked about rubbed off on him," Manuel recalled. "He's always ready and always concentrating on each at-bat, and I think that helps him." Like Dobbs, Hansen was a part-time third baseman and full-time pinch hitter. During his career with the Mariners, Dodgers, Cubs and Padres, Hansen set a big-league record in 2000 with seven pinch-hit homers. In 15 Major League seasons and one in Japan, Hansen had 139 pinch hits and practiced a Zen approach to the roll, calling it a "state of mind." "He was kind enough to take me under his wing and I paid attention to what he told me and took a lot of notes," Dobbs said. Actually, Hansen mostly taught Dobbs about preparation, concentration and developing routines. If he's not starting at third base, Dobbs watches the first few innings in the dugout before heading off to the indoor batting cage. Once he gets loose and warmed up, Dobbs focuses his attention on the opposing team's pitchers to the point where he doesn't notice anything going on around him. Sometimes he doesn't even hear Manuel tell him to grab a bat and get into the game. "About a week ago I tried to rush him up there before they had a chance to warm up a lefty, and I kept telling him to get up there and hit," Manuel said about Dobbs. "After the game he told me that when I told him to get up there he started to thinking about how he was going to prepare for him and attack him. Actually, he said he didn't hear when I told him to get the hell up there and hit. He stays ready and he's prepared." "It happens a lot," Dobbs said. "I'm so focused on the pitcher and preparing myself for that at-bat that I don't hear him yelling at me, telling me something." Otherwise, Dobbs says his approach is to remain calm. Pinch hitting can seem like a high-wire trapeze act where the player is suddenly thrust into a pressure-packed situation where the outcome of the game is often hanging in the balance. When he can rein in his adrenaline, Dobbs says he breaks the task down to its essence. All he wants to do is get on base, he says. On Saturday he ended up circling the bases. "I wanted to keep the inning going," Dobbs explained. "I had to find any way - a walk, a hit, a hit-by-pitch - to get one base." In the meantime, Dobbs is not going to work on his curtain-call techniques. You won't catch him walking into the house or a different room and suddenly wave to the folks sitting there. Nor will anyone find him waving to passersby on the street or the produce aisle in the grocery store as if it was a great accomplishment to pick out the ripest piece of fruit. Instead, count on Dobbs remaining focused and prepared to take his one hack per game.

Charlie calls team meeting; Rollins shows up on time (barely)

Is it critical mass time for Charlie Manuel and the Phillies? Who knows... but it certainly seems that way.

One day after Jimmy Rollins was benched for repeated tardiness before the game against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium AND the Phillies fell out of first place for the first time since June 1, the skipper called a closed-door meeting at 4 p.m. before the game at Citizens Bank Park against the Atlanta Braves.

Yep, nothing like a good 'ol team meeting to turn around things.

Nevertheless, the second-place Phillies met in the clubhouse for 20 minutes where Manuel reported that he was the only one who spoke. A believer that too many meetings do more harm than good and are a general waste of time, Manuel decided one was needed now in order to help the club shake its doldrums where it has lost four out of its last five games.

In fact, the proverbial closed-door meeting in baseball is slowly becoming an anachronism. They are a rare event these days even on the most discordus and woeful ballclubs. Still, there usually one closed-door meeting a year with the Phillies over the past decade. Thursday afternoon was the day.

"It's up to us not to stay there," Manuel said about being in second place. "We can control our own destiny. But if we're going to win our division we need to play better."

He's certainly correct on that point. Meanwhile, Rollins reportedly rolled in around 3:49 to 3:56 p.m. this afternoon. Normally, reporting a little before 4 would give Rollins enough time to be in uniform for the mandatory team stretch at 4:15 p.m. Today, though, he made it with a few minutes to spare before Charlie's pep talk.

 

Rollins is slated to start at shortstop and leadoff against the Braves this evening. We'll have more from the ballpark a little later. Meanwhile, here's what Charlie told the scribes before Friday's game and after the meeting:

Few things you wanted to say to the guys?

"I just wanted to talk to them. That's all I got to say about it." 

A reminder? 

"No, I just had some things to say." 

Disappointed at all in what Jimmy said after yesterday's game? 

"I didn't see what he had to say, I didn't read the papers. Figured it might be a good day for me not to even pick up the papers." 

Jimmy was saying that he didn't think he let the team down. 

"I have no comment on that. Like I told you guys yesterday, that's between Jimmy and I." 

You said yesterday that the team needs an extra kick. Are you worried that might get out of control? 

"I'm not worried at all. I know this -- I don't know who's gonna win the division, but I know we can. And I know it's kind of...the way our schedule sets and the fact that we play everybody in our division mostly in the next two months, we got a real good chance. We definitely control our own destiny. If we don't get it done, it's not because we couldn't of did it.

"I think there's something missing on our team. It's that little extra -- that little extra kick we had, that resilient effort. That going all the way. For instance, the road trip was a good example of it. When we beat Miami the first night, had a real good game, then all of a sudden we lose the next two. Did the same thing in New York -- come back the first night there, then we end up losing the next two games. Yesterday, Moyer pitched a good game. Sunday in Miami, Hamels pitched a super game. When we come out 1-2, 1-2, we're not winning the series. We need to get, I said yesterday, that shine back. Wore off a chandelier. We need to get that back. We need to re-paint it, or dip it or something." 

Jimmy's year last year had that shine. How important is getting him right? 

"I think he can get right. I think that he's that type of player and he has that swing. I think it's just a matter of time. I think lately, he's definitely been swinging better." 

Are you comfortable with the leadership you have in your clubhouse right now? 

"We talk about leadership a lot. Sometimes a player being a leader is fine, but when that don't happen, I guess that's when the manager is supposed to be the leader. That's kind of how I look at it." "I've always at myself, if I'm the manager, then I'm the guy that's supposed to be the leader. Any time you got leaders on your team, and they're good, and things like that, that's a bonus. That's better. That definitely can be better. That makes everything a lot better." 

Would you prefer someone to kind of emerge into that role?

"When we're playing good, I think that comes up. I think that's all part of playing good. Right now, we haven't been playing good baseball. Are we a good team right now? Probably not. But we've showed that we can be a good team. At one time this year, we were a good team." 

So you don't necessarily buy into that theory that every team has one guy that runs the clubhouse? 

"There's guys that can do that. That's a big plus for the manager. When it comes right down to it, if your team, if you don't have leadership on there, then that's the manager's job." 

When you make a move like you did yesterday, do you worry at all? 

"Any kind of decision I make, I do what I think is right. I try to take time to think things over, instead of just react. I want to make sure that I get things right. But when I do something, it's because I thought it was right. I told you guys before, whether you know it or not, I don't look back. I look ahead. That's what I did, and that's what I thought was right. I think I'm a consistent person, and I think that I treat people right, and I think that's one of my better things. I definitely communicate with the players. I'm honest and I'm straight and I do what I think is right. As a manager and a leader, that's what you're supposed to do." 

Did you consult with anyone yesterday? 

"Actually, I wasn't even directly talking about yesterday. I'm saying, 'In general...' " 

Did you yesterday? 

"Yeah, I did. But I wasn't looking for advice." 

What does this team need to do to get back to being a good team? 

"The only thing we gotta do is come out and play good. Win a couple games, start winning and everything's gonna be fine. They say in baseball, 'We gotta turn it on.' Well, first of all, I look at it, 'From Day One, you shoulda turned it on.' When the season started, you turn it on. You play all the way through 'til you get eliminated in October or September or whenever." 

You said you got a real good team at one point, but now, at this point in the season, you're seven games over .500.

"We're not good right now. We're inconsistent, and that leads to not being good. If we start winning, everybody'll look up and say, 'Hey, look at that team. Look how they can hit, look how they can pitch,' or something like that. That's baseball." "There's holes, but can we win? I look at who's in our division, and it's pretty close. Other teams have holes, too. They got holes, but I think we can win." 

At one point, you said something's missing and at another point you said you've been inconsistent. What can you do to make your team more consistent? 

"You can just talk in practice, relax, turn 'em loose and let 'em play." 

 

Does the talk help you guys hit better? 

"At times, it can. It comes to the point where you talk and hell, it can't hurt nothing. Believe me, meetings are something that you don't necessarily need all the time. Really, that gets old, too." 

Pep talk? Anger? What was your mood? 

"I just wanted to talk to 'em, I just wanted to get some things kinda right, let it go." "I was the only one that talked." 

You guys were knocked into second place. Is that another reason for the talk? "Well, we're a game out, and we've been there before, of course, and at the same time...we can control our own destiny. We have to play better. If we're gonna win our division, we're gonna have to play better than what we've been playing. I think everybody in that room knows that. We tald about winning our division and going to the World Series, then we got to play the best in this division. I say that all the time, it's nothing new."

No more fun of any kind

When Steve Garvey smacked a clutch home run in the 1984 NLCS to help the Padres force another epic choke job by the historically laughable Chicago Cubs, he circled the bases with one fist in the air. It was a simple gesture for the biggest hit of a series that ultimately sent the Padres to their first ever World Series. Kirby Puckett famously circled the bases with a fist in the air after hitting a 12^th-inning homer in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series. Puckett's homer helped the Twins stave off elimination and force a Game 7 against the Braves that might be the greatest game ever played. What about Kirk Gibson's histrionics after launching a walk-off piece off Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series? It was as if Gibson were limping around the bases and pretending to start a phantom lawnmower all at the same time. And of Reggie Cadillac-ed every home run he ever hit - whether in the World Series or the regular season. Reggie also had that distinctive home run trot in which he usually adjusted his wire-framed glasses with a push of his index finger to settle the frames back onto the bridge of his nose. Who would have ever thought a guy adjusting his glasses could ever be so cool? Nevertheless, when we were kids we loved all of these shows. Sure, Reggie was a player fans loved to hate - mostly because he was a Yankee - and Garvey seemed to grate on folks, too. But who didn't like watching ballplayers rise to the occasion? Who didn't like a show? Better yet, who doesn't like to watch people have fun? Baseball is supposed to be fun, right? So when Jose Reyes ran the bases with one finger raised following his game-winning, three-run blast off Ryan Madson last night at Shea Stadium, the hand wringing was inevitable. You just knew it was coming. A showboat like Reyes running the bases like he was excited about hitting a homer in a key spot... For shame! Reyes is a showboat whose antics irk even his teammates, some blathered. He's unprofessional, others said. Perhaps he should be plunked with a pitch the next time he comes to the plate for "showing up" the Phillies. Yeah, he was showing up the Phillies by trying to hit a home run. Maybe he should have struck out, gently replaced his bat and helmet in their proper receptacles, poured himself a cool drink from the corporately licensed barrel and found a comfortable seat in the dugout. After all, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley never do anything showy when they hit home runs. They are the models of professional decorum when they circle the bases... Come off it! Then again, the self-righteous blatherings from us media types are part of the show, too. We're all actors in the same game only they jocks like to pretend they are just modest athletes trying to make a living, and the press likes to pretend it is above it all and is merely a conduit to the fans. Insert sarcastic comment here. Look, Reyes' act is clownish and a little embarrassing with the array of dance steps, ridiculous handshakes and other juvenile sideshows. But really, who cares? He's a baseball player getting paid a lot of money to play a game. If Reyes had an important job maybe the jitterbug routine would be offensive, but he doesn't. Baseball players are entertainers. Most people get this. In fact, no one in Philadelphia seems to mind when Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins pull off their tributes to Reggie whenever they really get a hold of one. Heck, even Utley's speedy dash around the bases is a type of showboating. After all, sometimes no style is, indeed, style. Truth be told, I'm surprised Rollins doesn't ratchet up the theatrics to an Ozzie Smith-level of hotdogging with the flips and other stuff. Better yet, maybe Rollins could do a series of cartwheels around the bases after a home run. Why not? I've seen it before. After a particularly meaningful home run in a wiffle ball game at the ol' backyard diamond on Wilson Drive, my friend John performed a cartwheel as he reached each base. The cool thing about this "trot" was that even as a high schooler (as John was at the time) he was still quite a bit bigger than Jimmy Rollins. So to see a young man like John able to pull off these acrobatics was a sight to behold. Sure, it was a bit over the top, but it was a really big home run. Still, if Rollins doesn't want to do the cartwheels, maybe we can settle for an interpretive dance or something. Still, the old-school baseball establishment will continue to look down on fun of any kind because it is "disrespectful" to the game and "shows up" the opposition. Never mind that these are the same people that are descendents of baseball's other traditions such as an industry-wide ban on players of specific races... don't get these same folks started up on Sabremetrics. Yeah, baseball has (and had) bigger problems than whether or not Jose Reyes enjoys hitting home runs. Heaven forbid if someone enjoys their job.