A sign that pre-game Super Bowl coverage has jumped the Shark: The boys on ESPN.com are currently answering the question, "If the Colts win the Super Bowl, will they regret not going 19-0?"

Scarier yet, Teddy Bruschi and Cris Carter are both insisting that they will.

Now, both Bruschi and Carter know something about regrets. Carter, for one, likely regrets getting waxed 41-0 by the Giants in the 2001 NFC Championship. Bruschi, on the other hand, likely regrets watching David Tyree catch a pass against his helmet from Eli Manning in the 2008 Super Bowl.

Me? I regret turning the television on this early.

Bruschi: "We're always going to wonder. . ."

Are we? Are we going to wonder whether the Colts could have beaten a Buffalo Bills team that set modern NFL offensive back 20 years? Are we going to wonder whether Peyton Manning would have held on to a lead against Mark Sanchez and the Jets?

Frankly, it doesn't matter. Because the Colts aren't going to win the Super Bowl. And the only ramification of Jim Caldwell's prudent decision to rest his starters in the last two weeks of the season will be that Manning and Bruschi won't get a chance to drink beers and talk about how they squandered their chance at perfection in the Super Bowl.

A couple things to keep in mind:

1) Vegas has won money on 17 of the last 19 Super Bowls.

2) Six of the seven featured "Experts" on ESPN.com are picking the Colts to win by at least a touchdown.

3) The Colts are favored by six.

These three facts alone should be enough to make you feel comfortable taking the Saints. Vegas knows of America's love affair with Peyton Manning. And it knows the vast majority of the country thinks that Manning will prove to be the difference against the Cinderella Saints.

But here's what else Vegas knows:

1) Peyton Manning is not Michael Jordan: Manning is the greatest quarterback I have ever seen play. He is one of the few professional athletes I would pay good money to watch perform. I find it hard to believe that any NFL quarterback has ever had a greater season than Manning, considering the fact that he was playing with a new coach, with his Hall of Fame wide receiver newly retired and his No. 2 target lost for the season with an injury. But the NFL is not the NBA. And while Michael Jordan had the ability to single-handedly win championships, Jordan also had the ability to play defense. Manning doesn't. I have no doubt that the Colts will score points. I have no doubt that Manning will play brilliantly. But he will spend roughly half the game on the sideline, same with Drew Brees. And it is in these halves that the game will be won.

2) The Colts have not faced a respectable NFL offense since Week 14 of the regular season, when Brandon Marshall caught 21 passes for 200 yards against them and Kyle Orton completed 29-of-41 passes for 271 yards. All five of the offenses they have faced since ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in passing offense. The Jets, who the Colts defeated in the AFC Championship, ranked 31st in the NFL in passing. The Ravens, who they beat in the Divisional Round, ranked 18th.

3) In the last six games the Saints have played, they have faced four offenses ranked in the top half of the league in passing -- Vikings, Cowboys, Cardinals, Falcons -- three of them in the Top 12, two in the Top 10.

4) The last eight quarterbacks the Colts have faced: Mark Sanchez, Joe Flacco, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Mark Sanchez, David Garrard, Kyle Orton, Vince Young.

5) The last eight quarterbacks the Saints have faced: Brett Favre, Kurt Warner, Jake Delomme, Josh Freeman, Tony Romo, Matt Ryan, Jason Campbell, Tom Brady

6) The Colts played just two teams this season with double-digit wins -- the Patriots and the Cardinals, the last being the Patriots in Week 10. The Saints played five such teams, four of them coming in the last eight weeks.

7) The most recent common opponent between the two defenses was the Patriots. The Colts allowed NE to rack up 477 total yards and 364 passing yards, with Randy Moss catching nine passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns and Wes Welker catching nine passes for 94 yards. The Saints allowed NE to rack up 366 total yards and 244 passing yards, with Randy Moss catching three passes for 67 yards and Wes Welker catching six passes for 32 yards.

Simply put, I don't see how the Colts are going to stop the Saints. One of the more under-reported aspects of this Super Bowl is Sean Payton's brilliance. He is the best offensive mind in the game. Period. He's had two weeks to prepare for the Colts. The only way I see the Colts winnings is turnovers. A fumble by Pierre Thomas or a poor route by Marques Colston, and the game could change quick.

Otherwise. . .42-31, Saints.

The Phillies have signed five players to minor league contracts -- outfielder Freddy Guzman, righthanders J.C. Ramirez, Drew Naylor and David Herndon and lefthander Mike Zagurski.

Guzman, 29, spent last season with the Triple A affiliates of Baltimore, Seattle, Boston and the New York Yankees. In 101 games, he hit .223 with two homers and 17 RBI but stole 45 bases in 54 attempts. A switch-hitter, he has spent parts of four seasons in the big leagues with a .211 average in 47 games.

Ramirez was acquired from the Mariners in the Cliff Lee deal.

Naylor, an Australian, has been in the Phillies system after signing last February.

Herndon was acquired in the Rule IV draft at the winter meetings. 

Zagurski spent last season at Clearwater and Reading as he rebounded from Tommy John surgery.

Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt and former All-Star second baseman Mickey Morandini will be guest instructors during spring training for the Phillies, the team announced.

Manager Charlie Manuel will retain his entire coaching staff: Mick Billmeyer (bullpen/catching), Rich Dubee (pitching), Davey Lopes (first base/outfield), Pete Mackanin (bench), Sam Perlozzo (third base/infield), Milt Thompson (hitting) and bullpen catcher Jesus Tiamo.

The spring training staff features 21 instructors, including Manuel. From the player development staff, it will be coordinators Mike Compton (field), Gorman Heimueller (pitching), Steve Henderson (outfield/baserunning), Doug Mansolino (infield), Sal Rende (hitting) and Ernie Whitt (catching), along with the triple-A staff of Dave Huppert (manager), Greg Gross (hitting) and Rod Nichols (pitching). Gulf Coast manager Roly deArmas and rehab pitching coach Carlos Arroyo round out the spring training staff.

Schmidt, 60, returns for his ninth spring as a guest instructor and Morandini, 43, is back for his second year.

The biggest thing I miss about report cards? The little comment footnotes that teachers could add to your grade:

^{1 Works well with others}

^{2 Speaks in clear sentences}

^{3 Eats too much play-dough}

An entire marking period worth of homework and tests, summed up in four words pounded out by a secretary on a type-writer. Nothing could mar an A or A- like a little notation that said "Assignments incomplete" or "Talks too much in class." Here at the Daily News, we like to think we pay a little more individual attention. And while any offseason is ultimately judged on a Pass/Fail basis -- the moves a team made either led to a World Series or didn't -- here is a look at how we view the Phillies' '09-'10 thus far:

Rotation - B+

Getting Roy Halladay to agree to a three-year, $60 million was a major coup, and there is no question the Phillies somehow found away to upgrade the top of their rotation. But the move resulted in a net loss of organizational pitching depth, as the Phillies shipped Cliff Lee to Seattle and top prospect Kyle Drabek to Toronto. This leaves the Phillies an injury away from trouble, as the fifth spot in their rotation is already a question mark with injured veteran Jamie Moyer and righthander Kyle Kendrick the top two competitors for the job.

Amaro has said he would like to add more depth to the back of the rotation, and while there aren't a heck of a lot of reliable options out there, the Phillies made it more than two months last season relying on a combination of Antonio Bastardo and Rodrigo Lopez to fill in for the injured Brett Myers.

Yankees righthander Chien Ming Wang is not a likely possibility. Veteran righthander Pedro Martinez is still an option, although the price would have to be right.

The addition of the Halladay move cannot be overstated. And, on paper, the Phillies received more upside in the package of prospects they obtained for Lee than the package of prospects they dealt (in the first Lee deal). As early as last spring training, club President David Montgomery was insisting that the Phillies were not in a position to adopt a business plan in the model of the Yankees, trading prospects for established talent and using free agency to make up for the resulting lack of organizational depth. That was evident this offseason, as the '09 World Champion Yankees swung a trade for Braves righthander Javier Vazquez, who will be paid $11 million and become a free agent after this season, adding to a rotation that already features high-priced (and, in the World Series, highly effective) starters C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte. The Phillies, meanwhile, traded Lee away, banking on a rebound season by Cole Hamels and another solid campaign out of lefty J.A. Happ.

Look at it from this perspective: If the Phillies had traded for Halladay after 2008, when Hamels was coming off a dominant postseason, would anybody have been clamoring for them to trade even more prospects and add even more salary for Cliff Lee?

The Phillies still view Hamels as No. 1 starter, and think he and Halladay will provide a 1-2 punch this season that will prove the retention of Lee would have been a luxury, not a necessity.

Only time will tell. In trading both Lee and Drabek, the Phillies put a lot of faith in Hamels and Happ. If both players pitch up to their potential -- Hamels throwing like the World Series MVP he was in 2008 and Happ throwing like he did last season -- the front office will have some serious evidence in support of trading both Lee and Drabek. But if Hamels' struggles from last season continue, or if Happ encounters a sophomore slump, the Phillies could once again find themselves in need of starting pitching at the trade deadline.

Bullpen - B

Almost as important as the moves the Phillies made were the ones they didn't: They didn't overpay for Brandon Lyon or Fernando Rodney, and for little more than the estimated $3.5 million they were willing to pay Chan Ho Park they got both Danys Baez and Jose Contreras. While there are several question marks, the Phillies didn't really have a realistic chance of eliminating them with more than $15 million locked up to Brad Lidge and J.C. Romero. It would have been difficult to convince players like Mike Gonzalez and Jose Valverde to join a bullpen in which they would have entered the season as a distant No. 2 closer option behind Lidge. And, the fact remains, the Phillies owe Lidge more than $22 million over the next two years, and sparking a closer controversy would not have been a good way to get him back on track.

Although Contreras' numbers may not show it, he has the potential to be a huge addition to the bullpen. He has a big arm, with stuff that could play up as a reliever in a similar manner to Park's. And Baez improved throughout last season, his first since elbow surgery.

But the most significant addition might not be an addition at all - rather, it might be the Phillies' decision to keep a spot open for a young prospect like Antonio Bastardo, who has the stuff to be an impact major league reliever, and who has averaged more than 10 K/9 in the Dominican this winter.

Bench - B+

Ross Gload is an upgrade over Matt Stairs and Brian Schneider is an upgrade over Paul Bako. But one of the key weaknesses that was exposed in the World Series last season was bench production from the right side of the plate. And unless you count light-hitting utility man Juan Castro, the Phillies did not address it.

They could have used a player like Jerry Hairston, a right-handed bat who can play third or second or even short, rather than Gload, who is a good pinch-hitter and defensive first baseman and can play outfield, but who hits left-handed (like fellow reserve Greg Dobbs, who can also play first and the OF, and starting first baseman Ryan Howard).

But this is still an area that could be addressed in spring training or during the season. Dobbs, who performed much better as a starter than in a reserve role last season, could be an attractive trade option for a team who can give him a larger number of regular at-bats.

That said, overall, the bench is vastly improved over last season. Back-up catcher Brian Schneider will provide a steady veteran influence and capable bat, while OF Ben Francisco performed well in the second half of the regular season after joining the Phillies in the Lee trade.

Third Base - A-

The Phillies raised some eyebrows by giving a three-year deal to Placido Polanco. But there is no doubt he provides a much-needed contact bat for the top of the order, and his presence could drastically balance the identity of this power-heavy line-up. And all reports from Detroit are that he is a tremendous figure in the clubhouse.

Could the Phillies have waited and tried to get Mark DeRosa at  cheaper rate or Adrian Beltre on a one-year deal? Sure, but I don't think they could have afforded to do so. Amaro found a player that he liked, knew what he was willing to pay for him, and when there was reciprocity, he struck.

Besides, I really think Polanco fits this Phillies line-up better than the other candidates.


Arbitration - A

The club achieved some much-needed cost-certainty for the next three seasons, during which time Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard are both scheduled to become free agents. Francisco and Dobbs are the only two players with likely spots on the Opening Day roster who will be arbitration eligible next year. Happ won't reach arbitration until after 2011, while righthander Kyle Kendrick could be eligible for Super Two status after 2010 if he spends the entire year on the roster.

Overall - B+

They've upgraded their rotation, their line-up, and their bench, which by any measure spells success. Depth issues - on the right side of the plate and in the rotation - prevent this from being a perfect offseason. But even the more debatable decisions the Phillies made -- trading Lee, giving a third year to Polanco, signing Gload over other bench options -- came as a result of obvious roster upgrades. 

Given his preference Jose Contreras said he would rather start than be in the bullpen, but he said he is happy to be on a winning team, more than anything.

The Phillies, however, see him as a reliever, signing him to a low-risk, high-reward 1-year, $1.5 million contract that the Daily News' David Murphy has said should warrant an A++ for GM Ruben Amaro.

"He's pretty amenable to anything. He said he would pick up bats if he had to," Amaro said. "Our scouts feel he's best suited for the bullpen, but he definitely gives us some depth there [in the rotation].

"He's been pretty durable. No arm issues. He's a big horse."

Manager Charlie Manuel spoke earlier this week about the durability of both Contreras and Danys Baez, another newcomer to the bullpen.
 

The Phillies have announced the signing of pitcher Jose Contreras, as expected, after Contreras passed a physical.

The deal is for 1-year and worth $1.5 million.

Earlier this week, manager Charlie Manuel said Contreras would start spring training with the starters but would likely be used in the bullpen.

Contreras, 38, went a combined 6-13 with a 4.92 ERA in 28 games (23 starts) last year between the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies. With the Rockies, he went 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in seven appearances (two starts) and had 17 strikeouts in 17.0 innings. 

“Jose is a versatile pitcher who will likely get stretched out in spring training as a starter, but our scouts feel he is best suited for a significant role in the bullpen,” general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. “His competitiveness and durability are pluses and what he showed in his brief stint as a reliever in Colorado gives us reason to believe that he makes our pitching staff stronger.”

A native of Cuba, Contreras was originally signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Yankees in 2003. He has a career record of 71-63 with a 4.61 ERA in 191 games (175 starts) for the Yankees (2003-04), White Sox (2004-09) and Rockies (2009). In 16 career relief appearances, he is 2-1 with a 3.90 ERA.

He will meet with the media later this afternoon.

It's been a hectic week as Scott Proefrock and Co. have blown through their arbitration cases like they had somewhere better to be on Feb. 1.

The theme of the offseason has been cost-certainty, particularly through 2012. The Phillies doled out three-year contracts to Roy Halladay, Placido Polanco, Joe Blanton, Shane Victorino and Carlos Ruiz, bringing their payroll for this season to $137.745 million, when factoring estimated salries for J.A. Happ and Ben Francisco. Most remarkable is where they stand for next season, with $130.35 million guaranteed to 15 players. Barring an increase in payroll, it could be a silent 2010 offseason with seven-of-eight regulars and four-of-five starters under contract.

Anyway, figured I'd lay out the numbers now that the numbers have died down:

2010 Roster/Payroll

SS - Jimmy Rollins: $8.5 million (includes $1.0 mil of prorated sign bonus)
3B - Placido Polanco: $5.0 million
2B - Chase Utley: $15.0 million
1B - Ryan Howard: $19.0 million
RF - Jayson Werth: $7.0 million
LF - Raul Ibanez: $11.5 million
CF - Shane Victorino: $5.0 million
C -  Carlos Ruiz: $1.9 million

TOTAL: 8 regulars, $73.9 million

No. 1 - Roy Halladay: $9.75 million
No. 2 - Cole Hamels $6.65 million
No. 3 - Joe Blanton $7.0 million
No. 4 - J.A. Happ: $0.500 million* ($0.400 million)
No. 5 - Jamie Moyer: $8.0 million

TOTAL: 5 starters, $31.9 million

Bench 1 - Greg Dobbs: $1.35 million
Bench 2 - Ben Francisco: $0.55 million* ($0.4214 million)
Bench 3 - Juan Castro: 0.70 million
Bench 4 - Brian Schneider: $1.25 million
Bench 5 - Ross Gload: $1.0 million

TOTAL: 4 reserves, $4.85 million

Reliever 1 - Brad Lidge: $11.5 million
Reliever 2 - Ryan Madson: $4.5 million
Reliever 3 - J.C. Romero: $4.0 million
Reliever 4 - Danys Baez: $2.5 million
Reliever 5 - Chad Durbin: $2.125 million
Reliever 6 - Jose Contreras: $1.5 million
Reliever 7 - OPEN

TOTAL: 6 relievers, $26.125 million

Extras:

Pedro Feliz: $.50 million
Adam Eaton: $.50 million
Geoff Jenkins: $1.25 million

TOTAL: $2.25 million
GRAND TOTAL: 24 players, $138.60 million

2011 Payroll

Starters
Roy Halladay - 20
Cole Hamels - 9.5
J.A. Happ - (Control or Arbitration)
Joe Blanton - 8.5

Relievers
Brad Lidge - 11.5
Ryan Madson - 4.5
J.C. Romero - 4.5/.25
Danys Baez - 2.75

Regulars
Jimmy Rollins - 8.5
Placido Polanco - 5.75 (Includes $.500 sign bonus payable b/w Jan. 2011 and Jan. 2012)
Chase Utley - 15
Ryan Howard - 20
Raul Ibanez - 11.5
Shane Victorino - 7.5
Carlos Ruiz - 2.75

Bench
Ross Gload - 1.6
Ben Francisco - Arb
Brian Schneider - 1.5
Juan Castro - .75/.05

GUARANTEED: 15 players, $130.85 million
UNDER CONTROL:  Francisco, Happ

2012 Payroll

1. Roy Halladay - 20
2. Cole Hamels - Arb/9.5
3. Joe Blanton - 8.5
4. J.A. Happ - Arb

Regulars
Chase Utley - 15
Placido Polanco - 6.25
Shane Victorino - 9.5
Carlos Ruiz - 3.75
Ben Francisco - Arb (4 yrs of service)

Bench
Ben Francisco - Arb (4 yrs service)

Relievers
Brad Lidge - 12.5/1.5

TOTAL: Six players, $63.0 million

2013 Payroll

Roy Halladay - 20 (vesting option)
Chase Utley - 15
Placido Polanco - 5.5/1
Carlos Ruiz - 5.0/0.5

TOTAL: Two players, $35 million
 

The Phillies finalized a 3-year, $8.85 million deal with catcher Carlos Ruiz after Ruiz passed a physical earlier today.

The deal includes a $5 million club option for 2013, which would be Ruiz’ first year of free agency.

The Panama native has started 292 games behind the plate over the last three seasons. Phillies pitchers posted a 4.00 ERA with Ruiz behind the plate last season, 1 year after they posted a 3.82 ERA.

Ruiz, who turned 31 on Friday, hit .255 with a .355 on-base percentage .780 OPS last year, driving in 43 runs and hitting nine home runs while batting primarily eighth last season. He was one of the Phillies’ top performers during their postseason run this year, hitting .385 with a home run and four RBI in the NLCS and .333 with a home run and two RBI in the World Series.

To read our earlier post from Charlie Manuel's press conference, click here.

*

In another move, the Phillies claimed infielder Brian Bocock off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays. Bocock played 32 games with the San Francisco Giants in 2008 after just two seasons in the minors. He split time last season in the Eastern League and the California League, hitting .230.

Also, former Phillies first-round draft pick Greg Golson was traded again today, moving from Texas to the Yankees for infielder Mitch Hilligoss. Golson was traded last spring to the Rangers for John Mayberry Jr.

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Phillies manager Charlie Manuel had his first press conference since the season ended today at Citizens Bank Park, hitting on a number of topics. Here is some of what he had to say:

On his weight loss: “I tried on some of my sports coats and they were big on me. They dwarfed me.”

On the lineup: “When I look at our lineup, I hope I will be able to move my lineup around a little bit. I look at Polanco as a top of the lineup hitter in the two hole. He makes good contact, he puts the fat part of the bat on the ball as good as anybody on the team. He plays situational baseball and can move the runners. I look at Shane, and he’s the type of hitter sometimes that gives us some options. He will hit seven, six somewhere down in there. If you look at the players who we picked up we have some depth … We always talk about giving Rollins and Utley and even Polanco a rest every now and then. It depends on who we have on the field. That will dictate the lineup. I’m excited about our bench. We have versatility and can do some things.”

Adding Roy Halladay: “He’s the best pitcher in baseball right now. Cliff Lee may be a tad behind him. Of course, it would have been nice to have Halladay, Lee, Hamels, I’d be looking good. I might be buying more expensive furniture than me and the missus have been buying lately. Baseball is baseball .. I have my own opinions and suggestions, but like everyone else, I have a boss. The Phillies, over the last 2 or 3 years, have made good decisions. You get into a situation where you have to make decisions. I trust them. What we got is what we will play with until we see something we need to improve on.”

Did you campaign to keep Lee?: “I know what goes on and how things wind down. As far as that, I just voiced my opinion. Like I said, I’m not the guy making the final decision. At the same time, I look at it that I’m excited at our pitching staff going into this season. The pitching staff going into this season is a lot better than it was going into last year. That’s an upgrade, so we’re ready to go.”

Adding to bench: “I think our bench is much better. I think we can do a lot more things. Castro is not a guy who hits for a high average. He’s a contact hitter. He can handle the bat, he can bunt consistently, he can move the runners. He can play defense. When you put all those things together, our bench, we definitely got better. We got better in our backup catcher in Schneider. I like that acquisition, it’s very good … Polanco is a very good third baseman, very adequate. It’s a position that you need to have quick reaction. He’s got that. I’ve seen him play there before. He should be real good. Our starting lineup and our offense should be much better.”

On the bullpen: “Lidge and Madson will play a huge part in our bullpen. We have to get them back and get them 100 percent. We picked up two guys in Baez and Contreras and both of these guys I know. We have two guys if they’re sore, or stiff or have a headache, they’ll pitch and I know they’ll pitch. They are mentally tough guys. They are not going to go to the trainer or the doctor. That makes me feel good. Both of them can pitch two innings and they will take the ball whenever I want to give it to them … We’ve got to get JC Romero and we can always use two lefthanders in this league. We have to get the bullpen stabilized coming out of spring training. We always have somebody [unexpected] who picks it up and does a pretty good job for us. That always happens and that can happen this year. I consider our bullpen very productive if we can get Lidge back.

On Halladay going deep into games: “I haven’t talked to him at all. I left him a message at Christmas and told him he didn’t have to call back if he was caught up in things. I don’t need to talk to Haladay. I’m just going to give him the ball every five days and tell him to go get 'em … He likes to pitch. He likes to throw his game. He’s my kind of pitcher.”

On the World Series: “If you go back and look and followed us playing the Rockies and the Dodgers, we played real good. We didn’t really play as good as we can against the Yankees. It might have been because of their bullpen and their pitching. We ran into a situation in the World Series with how it went, the Yankees were a well-balanced team with their offense. At the end, Rivera did what he’s been doing all these years. We can play better and we can pitch better offensively and defensively. I felt like in the ones they beat us, they were like a step ahead of us. We were always chasing them and trying to catch up. They were always ahead of us … It was who got the breaks and they got the good breaks. We can beat them. At the end of the World Series last year when I talked to our team, I told them that I feel like we owe the Yankees one … They got us.”

On the pitching staff: “Our pitching is really cleared up. We have six guys and with some of the guys we’ve invited. We will put Contreras in there to get him some length, but he will probably fall into the bullpen. We want to put him as a starter in spring training to build him up.” Manuel said the team has about 8-9 potential starters heading into spring training, some will fall to the bullpen, others will go to the minors.

On J.A. Happ: “He should feel real good about himself. He sits right there in the rotation. He’s going to pitch on a regular basis. He has to pitch himself out of that. He will have to hold his own … Last season was not a fluke. He was a big reason why we got there and won some games. He’s going to be a big part of our rotation.”

On Cole Hamels: “Scott Sheridan said Hamels has been working out very well this winter. He’s been doing a lot of work. Going into spring training, we will definitely from my standpoint, get Cole in spring training to catch his curveball earlier and do more with it. He can throw a curveball. Consistency is the biggest thing with it. I’ve always told him, ‘I used to tell you to throw more curveballs. You used to get by’ … I didn’t really push him. If he gets more consistent, he’ll get lefthanded hitters out better. That will make his changeup and his fastball better when he comes inside. Lefthanded hitters have good success off him. That’s one of the big things about his pitching. The big thing is he has to improve his curveball. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s his curveball or if he comes up with a slider.”

On the winter: “I played a lot of golf, did some fishing. Kept to myself … After about a week you want to come back to the ballpark. I was ready to start the season. My winter, I enjoyed it. At the same time, I’m very anxious to get back to work to get the season started.”

On the Yankees: “We can play with the Yankees. We could have beaten the Yankees but we didn’t … That give us more determination and everything. We definitely want to get back to the World Series. I know that. I know we want to go back to the World Series and win it. It’s hard to go two years in a row to win the World Series. We got there but didn’t get it done. This year, we’re going to key on that. We’re going to keep our same philosophy.”

On his health and weight loss: “I feel very good. I worked out at Golds Gym in Winter Haven. I used to spend an hour and a half or two hours a day, on the treadmill, the bike. I would do weights, a lot of repetition instead of heavy weights. I feel very good. I feel a lot better than I did when I weighed 286. I looked at a picture and my stomach was over my belt. I had a pretty big gut. I definitely have more energy, my knees feel a heck of a lot better. I can move quicker and still hit a golf ball pretty good too. The other day I weighed 228.

On talking to Cliff Lee after the trade: “Right after he was traded, I called him. He wanted to stay with us. He was definitely disappointed. He liked everything about us. He liked Philadelphia. He liked the fans. He liked our team. He said we had a good attitude and wanted to win. He didn’t have nothing but good to say about us. It was real tough [call to make].”