IF SHANE VICTORINO were Happy Gilmore, he might offer Larry Bowa a nice, warm glass of shut the hell up.

The Phillies' centerfielder responded angrily to the former Phillies manager's suggestion that the Yankees were concerned about having their signs stolen, explaining catcher Jorge Posada's frequent trips to the mound during the World Series.

"For Bowa to come out and say something like that if he doesn't know what he's talking about, if he doesn't have cold, hard facts he shouldn't say something like that," Victorino said before Game 5. "To me that's - I don't want to use the word I'm going to use, but it's just not something that should be said. For you to pop off like that, I'm not happy . . . I don't know, for a guy to make a comment like that, that's kind of - I don't want to use the word, but I'll let you guys put into context how I feel about that. That's just weak, I guess."

Sign stealing has long been part of the game of baseball. Advance scouts routinely look for hints about an opposing team's signs. But in Bowa's interview with Philadelphia FM sports radio station 97.5 The Fanatic, he said there was a rumor going around baseball that the Phillies used video equipment in centerfield to steal an opposing catcher's signs.

"I've had three people come up to me and say, 'Watch centerfield. They got a camera,' " said Bowa, the Los Angeles Dodgers' third-base coach. "Some guy stands up by the fence. If their arm's up, it's a breaking ball. I watched. I didn't see it. But other teams swear by it. So I'm sure the Yankees' personnel said, 'Hey, heads up, these guys like to give signs at second.' "

Victorino said he felt Bowa, who managed the Phillies from 2001 to '04, was crediting the Phillies' success over the past 2 years to stealing signs.

"I guess I'm not smart enough to steal signs, so obviously it's not working for me," Victorino said. "I guess if it's an art, it's an art, but for a guy to pop off like that and say that's why we're not successful right now, that's what I'm trying to get at. He's saying that's the reason why we're good. Unless he wants to explain to me what he means by that, but from what I got out of the quote, we're not doing well in the World Series because we're not stealing signs. So don't downgrade our team and say that we're not good. That's what I'm trying to get at. If you know that we're stealing signs and that's why we're successful, that's fine. But we're too good a team for you to say that's the reason why we're struggling. That's what I'm trying to get back at the quote. I'm not trying to dog him. I'm trying to say, hey, you're not giving us enough credit as a team. You're trying to say the reason why we're here is because we stole signs."

Yankees manager Joe Girardi downplayed Posada's frequent mound visits, which have drawn loud boos from the crowd at Citizens Bank Park.

"There are a lot of instances that you go to the mound," Girardi said. "It could be signs, talking about the hitter, the situation, do you pitch around this guy to get to the next guy possibly, if we get behind this guy what are we going to do. There's a lot of situations. And the thing you want to make sure is that you keep a rhythm with your pitcher. Sometimes it's easier to go talk about what you want to do as opposed to putting down signs and then keep shaking. It could be you could give two or three signs, you talk about two or three pitches down the road, and that's why our guys do it."

Support for Lidge, Hamels

 

Manager Charlie Manuel expressed confidence in closer Brad Lidge and lefthander Cole Hamels, both of whom have struggled throughout the 2009 season. Lidge allowed three runs with two out in the ninth inning of the Phillies' 7-4 loss to the Yankees Sunday night, and Hamels allowed five runs in 4 1/3innings of an 8-5 loss in Game 3.

Both players are signed to multiyear contracts - Hamels will earn $6.65 million next season and $9.5 million in 2011 before becoming eligible for free agency. Lidge, who also is signed through 2011, has an $11.5 million salary.

"There's a reason why you're a long man," Manuel said about why he is sticking with Lidge as the closer. "There's a reason why you're a sixth-inning guy, a seventh-inning guy and a closer. There's a reason for that . . . Lidge was perfect last year. Stuffwise, when he's on, he's got two out pitches. He's our top pitcher down there. He is our best pitcher, and that's why he makes $13 million a year, and that's what we signed him for.

"How about those games we lose in the sixth and seventh inning, too? Nobody sees those games. They don't remember this. Lidge is the closer. He got signed to be the closer here for 3 years."

Manuel echoed those sentiments about Hamels, who went 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA and has allowed 16 runs in 19 innings during the postseason.

"There's no reason why he can't be the same player we project," Manuel said.

For more Phillies coverage and opinion, read David Murphy's blog, High Cheese, at http://go.philly.com/highcheese.