As the weather gets colder out there, Philadelphia's favorite assistant high school hockey coach is back at work.

Matt Stairs enters his fourth season at John Bapst High School in his hometown of Bangor, Maine.

“Coaching is fun,” Stairs told the Bangor Daily News. “You get back the first couple of days, everyone asks you questions about how it was, what’s going on and what’s this guy like.

“But the good thing about it is when I get here, everyone treats me just like a regular coach. The biggest thing is I’ve been around so long and I’ve played the game for so long, what I try to teach the kids as a positive role model is if you have a dream, anything is possible."

Stairs has a year remaining on his contract with the Phillies and said the World Series championship still has not sunk in.

“I don’t think it really sinks in until the first day of spring training when you see all your buddies again and you get those rings,” he said. “It’s nice knowing you’re the World Series champions for 2008 and everyone is going out there to knock you off the throne.”

For more from Stairs in Maine, click here.

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And just a random observation, Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins turned 30 yesterday.

The rest of the working world is winding down today, skipping out of work early for that pre-Turkey happy hour as visions of yams and pumpkin pie dance in their heads.

But the Phillies front office is still in action, and will likely remain so for the forseeable future.

Here is an update on where things stand:

1) Jamie Moyer: This continues to be the No. 1 priority. Everyone expects him to return. It's just a matter of hammering this thing out. Both sides have been very quiet about the actual negotiations. But I'd assume what is going to end up happening is Moyer will either get a one-year deal with a club option and healthy buyout for the second year or a two year deal with a club option for the third.

2) Other starting pitching: There have been several reports in recent days about the Phillies' interest in Blue Jays ace A.J. Burnett, but I wouldn't read too much into them, at least judging by what has been written about the righty's asking price. The Phillies have made contact with upwards of 25 free agents to gauge potential matches, and talking isn't the same thing as dancing. They were intrigued by Burnett around the tradingdeadline. There is no question he has no-hit stuff when he is on, but concerns about health and attitude have always surounded him, and that combined with Toronto's asking price quickly sent the Phillies back-pedalling. The Phils might consider Burnett an option, but I wouldn't get excited just yet.

3) Pat Burrell: The latest reports out of California are that the Angels might look at Burrell as a potential middle-of-the-order solution should Mark Texeira sign elsewhere. There is going to be a market for Burrell. I just don't think it will develop until after some of the other dominoes -- namely Manny Ramirez and Texeira -- fall into place.

The biggest question entering Chase Utley's surgery was how long it would take him to recover. The Phillies' medical staff said they would not know until the surgery was done.

Well, Utley went under the knife Monday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and the answer remains four to 6 months.

According to a statement from the Phillies, "Utley had an arthroscopic debridement of his labrum and a bony lesion that was present. Dr. Bryan Kelly reported the surgery went well and the findings yesterday were consistent with the diagnostic studies performed prior to surgery. It is anticipated that he will have a four to six month recovery period as previously described."

Also, third baseman Pedro Feliz had a lumbar discectomy performed on Nov. 20 by Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles and the procedure went well. The discectomy was performed on the L4-5 disc and Feliz will return home to complete his rehabilitation program, which is expected to require eight to 12 weeks.

Watkins has previously operated on Eagles offensive linemen Tra Thomas and most recently Shawn Andrews.

Figured it might be worth a quick update on the progess of the Phillies players in the Arizona Fall League, with the league title game now completed.

The Mesa Solar Sox, with nine Phillies players on the roster, lost to the Phoenix Desert Dogs, 10-4, on Saturday, giving Phoenix its fifth consecutive AFL title.

Jason Donald went 2-for-5 in a losing cause to complete a remarkable fall. As has been written about in the last few days in the aftermath of the Chase Utley injury news, Donald hit .407 with five home runs and 17 RBI in 25 games.

Here are the stats for other Phillies prospects in the AFL:

C Lou Marson: .324, with no home runs, 10 RBI in 11 games (Spent the 2008 season with Reading (.314, five homers, 46 RBI), went to the Olympics and finished by spending time with the Phillies, including traveling during the postseason).

OF Quintin Berry: .311, with one home run, 9 RBI, 5 SB in 22 games (Spent the season in Class A Lakewood and hit .272, including 51 steals, most by any player in the Phillies system).

C Tuffy Gosewisch: .280 with 4 RBI in seven games for Mesa. (Spent the 2008 season in Clearwater, hitting .218).

OF Jeremy Slayden: .286, with three home runs, 27 RBI in 26 games (Spent the 2008 season at Double A Reading, hitting .298 with 17 homers and 82 RBI, third-most in the Phillies system).

RHP Andrew Carpenter: 1-2, 5.88 ERA in 26 innings, with 9 walks and 21 strikeouts (Spent the season with Reading and then back to Clearwater; also made his big-league debut throwing one inning).

LHP Sergio Escalona: 1-0, 6.14 ERA in 12 relief appearances -- 4 walks, 15 strikeouts in 14.2 innings (Spent the season with Lakewood and Reading, with a combined 3.00 ERA with 89 strikeouts in 69 innings).

RHP Tyson Brummett: 0-2, 6.23 ERA in 12 appearances, all but one in relief -- 3 walks, 13 strikeouts in 13 innings (Spent the season as a starter at Lakewood, Clearwater and then Reading. His 122 strikeouts combined were the third-most in the Phillies system).

RHP Patrick Overholt: 0-0, 6.06 ERA in 12 relief appearances -- 10 walks, 10 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings (Spent the season at Reading, going 3-8 with 10 saves and a 5.86 ERA.

The Phillies have named Pete Mackanin as their bench coach. He replaces Jimy Williams, who opted not to return after two seasons with the Phils.

Mackanin, 57, spent this past year as a pro scout for the New York Yankees after managing the Cincinnati Reds for the final 3 months of the 2007 season. The Reds went 41-39 (.513) and had the second-best record in the National League Central Division during his tenure.

In 2005, Mackanin was interim manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates for the team’s final 26 games.  He spent seven seasons on the major league coaching staffs of the Montreal Expos (third-base coach, 1997-2000) and the Pirates (bench coach, 2003-05).

Mackanin appeared in 18 games for the Phillies over the 1978 and 1979 seasons as a player during a 9-year big-league career that also included stops with Texas, Montreal and Minnesota.

With Mackanin’s hiring, Sam Perlozzo has been named the third-base coach. Perlozzo had ben hired last week to an unspecified role. He replaces Steve Smith, who was fired.

More news. It's coming fast and furious today.

The Phillies have traded outfield prospect Greg Golson to the Texas Rangers for outfielder John Mayberry.  I haven't had a chance to touch base with GM Ruben Amaro -- as luck would have it, the move was announced after our conference call with him today -- but it appears to be a swap of projects. Mayberry is a power-hitter type, the son of former major leaguer John Mayberry Sr. He is a right-handed hitter with power, which the Phillies could use more of in case Pat Burrell departs via free agency.

The 25-year-old hit .264 with 20 home runs and 71 RBI last season at Double A Frisco and Triple A Oklahoma. A Stanford graduate, he was assigned to Triple A Lehigh Valley.

The bigger news might be the departure of Golson, whom the team drafted 21st over all in 2004. Once considered one of the organizations better prospects, he hit .282 wth 13 home runs, 60 RBI and 23 stolen bases for Double-A Reading this season. But he didn't appear to be major league ready. While he stole a base after being called up in September, he went hitless in six at-bats.

UPDATED - 2:35 p.m.

Just got off the conference call with Ruben Amaro, Scott Sheridan, and Dr. Michael Ciccotti.

A few important points. . .

1) Amaro said that all the reports he has heard are that Utley has a very good chance at returning to the Phillies in time for Opening Day, which starts a week later next season thanks to the World Baseball Classic. The Phillies gave a rough timetable of four-to-six months for Utley's return, but it sounds like they are banking on him being more toward the four months.

"Our feeling is that he's going to be fairly close to ready if not ready by Opening Day," Amaro said.  "A lot of it depends on how the rehab goes, how the surgery goes. It isn't an exactly science. . .We fully expect to have Chase Utley with us for the bulk of the season."

2) While the "Balky hip" Pat Gillick declared Utley to have over the summer was often blamed for the drop-off in Utley's production over the course of the season, Amaro said he doesn't think the injury had much to do with it. Amaro said he thought Utley's struggles were more "mechanical" than anything. Ciccotti said Utley's symptoms were relatively "minor." Though all acknowleged the injury probably affected him to some degree, particularly from a mental stand point, they also said there wasn't one specific baseball movement that caused the pain. So it doesn't sound like he was in agony every time he finished his swing.

3) This is more of a "condition" than an "injury," at least the way it sounds. Sheridan said there was no one specific occurence that caused it. He said Utley reported feeling some pinching in his right hip all the way back in the offseason. He said it wasn't a steady pain, that the "pinching" sensation would flare up now and again. There would be good days and bad days.

4) The Phillies don't plan on doing anything drastic to replace Utley. As Amaro said earlier, they expect him to be back sometime before or early in the season. The GM said he thinks the Phils are covered with veteran utility infielder Eric Bruntlett and rising prospect Jason Donald. So in spring training, while Utley is out, it sounds like Donald could get some significant playing time. That said, the Phils won't shut their eyes to available free agent infield options. But they don't feel the need - at least not publicly - to scramble to find a starting-quality second baseman.

Here is our coverage from earlier in the day:

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As we await a 2 p.m. conference call with general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. and head athletic trainer Scott Sheridan, we'll try to take a look at the implications of Chase Utley's injury (complete details are down below).

First, it isn't clear what, exactly, the injury is. But it sounds like it could be similar to the one suffered by Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell, who missed the ALCS due to a hip injury that would require surgery. In this article in the Boston Globe, Amalie Benjamin details Lowell's condition.

Lowell was ultimately operated on by New York-based doctor Brian Kelly, one of the doctors who examined Utley earlier this offseason while trying to determine the source of the pain he has experienced for the better part of the season.

Here's an excerpt from Benjamin's article:

The arthroscopic surgery, if all goes well, will repair Lowell's labrum. It will also include shaving down "a big bone spur on the top of my femur. I think that's what's been jamming that whole hip area," Lowell said.

Had the injury just been to the labrum, the recovery time would be far shorter. But as it stands, Lowell said it should be possible to be cleared to start baseball activities in three months.

He said the doctors are also looking at an area on his adductor for issues.

Throughout the second half of the season, Utley's hip was one of the most talked-about body parts in the city of Philadelphia. Despite his struggles at the plate and the admission of general manager Pat Gillick that Utley was dealing with a "Balky hip," the all-star second baseman was evasive whenever asked about the injury.

Apparently, it was pretty serious.

The Phillies announced today that Utley will undergo surgery next week that could sideline him for the beginning part of the 2009 season. Sheridan and Amaro will be available on a conference call at 2 p.m., so we should know more sometime after that.

It isn't clear when, exactly, Utley suffered the injury. But he has been on the Phillies' internal injury report since at least early May. Through May 5, Utley was hitting .362 with 13 home runs and 26 RBI in 33 games.

After that, he hit .273 with 20 home runs and 78 RBI in 126 games.

How much the drop-off had to do with the inevitable slow down from the blistering pace at which he started the season and how much it had to do with the injury is unclear.

According to the Phillies, Utley has undergone a series of diagnostic tests on his hip since the end of the season. Based on those tests, surgery was recommended.

According to the team, Utley will not be able to resume baseball activities until 3-4 months after surgery. Three months from Monday is Feb. 24, 10 days after the start of spring training. But the total recovery time could be four to six months.

Four months from Monday is March 24, nine days before the end of spring training.

Five months is April 24, which would cause him to miss 16 games.

Six months is May 24, which would cause him to miss 43 games.

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What kind of options do the Phillies have?

The first name that comes to mind is infield prospect Jason Donald, who, it turns out, was awarded the Darrell Stenson Award today, which is given by the Arizona Fall League to a player who "best exemplifies unselfishness, hard work and leadership."

Donald ranked fourth in the AFL with a .407 batting average this year. He has quickly become one of the Phillies' top position prospects. He'll certainly get a chance to earn a roster spot in spring training.

Eric Bruntlett, who filled in when Jimmy Rollins was injured, is another option.

But if the Phillies believe that Utley might miss a significant amount of time next season, they will likely need to look for a free agent option. Tad Iguchi filled in the last time Utley was hurt.

^

The team also announced that third baseman Pedro Feliz will need back surgery and faces 8 to 12 weeks of rehab. Surgery will be performed by Dr. Robert Watkins, who recently operated on Eagles right guard Shawn Andrews.

More later ...

So, the conventional wisdom is that the Phillies are limiting themselves to corner outfielders who also happen to hit right-handed.

But the conventional wisdom isn't necesarrily correct. When I talked to Ruben Amaro Jr. Friday night, he made a point of saying that the team was looking at all options, including those who happen to hit from the Western side of the plate. Which lends some credence to Newsday's report today that the Phillies are considering Raul Ibanez.

Why does Newsday care? Because the Mets are also reportedly considering the 36-year-old veteran. First, I wouldn't get too carried away. Expressing interest isn't the same thing as getting a date, if you know what I mean.

But for kicks and giggles, let's break down Ibanez.

Here are the things that make him attractive (in a baseball sort-of-way)

1) He is kind of a poor man's Burrell, in a left-handed hitting, Cuban desecendant, older man sort of way. He puts up solid power numbers -- 20+ home runs and 100+ RBI in each of the last three seasons. He isn't a great fielder, but can play the position. He is experienced.

2) He puts the ball in play, relatively speaking. He's hit at least .280 in each of the last eight seasons, and has struck out more than 100 times in just two of them.

3) He is coming off a season in which he hit over .300 against lefties. If you can't find a right-handed middle-of-the-order bat, perhaps you can find a left-handed one that has had success against the type of pitchers that give Ryan Howard fits.

4) He could be cheaper than Burrell. Ibanez made just $5.5 million this year. While he will likely get a nice pay-day from somebody, the Phillies could bring him in and still have some $$$$$ left over for a solid right-handed bat.

5) He is durable, playing in all 162 games last season, the second time he has done so in his career.

Here are some downsides:

1) He is 36 going on 37, and players can deteriorate rapidly at that age.

2) He wouldn't be a huge upgrade over Burrell in the field.

3) Though he hits for a significantly higher average than Burrell, his career OBP is 21 points lower (.346 vs. .367)

4) Though he did well hitting lefties last season, he hits .263 against them for his career. Still not horrible, of course.

That's all from me for now. . .