We unveiled a new little feature today that I kinda like. It's our Sportsperson of the Year, which this year obviously was very Phillies-centric. Brad Lidge ended up taking home the honor, although I voted him second behind manager Charlie Manuel. I think you can make good cases for both.

Here was my ballot:

1. Charlie Manuel

2. Brad Lidge

3. Pat Gillick

4. Bernard Hopkins

5. Carli Lloyd

Feel free to share yours. . .

OK, so you already knew that.

But it was still fascinating last night to watch the complete replay of Game 4 at Dodger Stadium, which aired on Comcast Sports Net. I'm sure most of you watched it on TV, but it was my first time doing so, which gave me an entirely new perspective on the game. Keep in mind, when all of the events of that night were unfolding in real time, I was sandwiched in between Paul Hagen and Jim Salisbury in the not-so-modern press box of the stadium while pounding away on my laptop, deadline on the East Coast fast approaching. For the previous 30 minutes, I had been re-writing my "Phillies win, take 3-1 series lead story" into a "Rough sixth inning evens series" story. Then Shane Victorino did the improbable to tie the game, and I stopped tying and started watching. A couple of batters later, when Matt Stairs walked to the plate with a man on base, I turned to Hagen.

In jest, I said, "Watch, now Stairs will hit a home run" (We sports writers can be a cynical lot).

Four pitches later, Stairs swung, and the ball leapt off the bat, and there was never a doubt, and as soon as ball met wood, I channeled my inner-Utley and said the first thing that came to mind:

"No (bleeping) way."

From that point on, I don't remember anything, just the mad flurry of fingers on key board combined with the almost audible hope that Brad Lidge would not blow his first save of the season and cause me to hit the delete key.

Anyway, back to the original point. I watched the game on the television last night, which was a study in dramatic irony.

A few observations that have since been overshadowed by the Stairs home run:

1) Almost as remarkable as Stairs' home run was the fact that the Phillies were still in the game after the sixth. They had men on second and third with no out and bases loaded with one out, yet allowed just two runs to stay within striking distance.

2) The diving double play by Utley to end the inning didn't get nearly as much press as it should have.

3) Ryan Madson was absolutley electric in that frame, and Scott Eyre's contribution (retiring Andre Ethier) was almost as important.

4) Speaking of Ethier, how about that diving catch he made in the bottom of the fifth to rob the Phils of two runs?

5) I swear Dodger Stadium seemed louder on television than it was in person.

6) Geoff Jenkins is in just about every camera shot. I know he struggled at the plate this season, but he was a great presence in the clubhouse. Probably the most memorable shot from that game is him grabbing Charlie Manuel's shoulders from behind and giving him a High 10 after Victorino's home run.

Here's the game story from that night, by the way.

Have a great Christmas

First and foremost, Merry Christmas to everyone out there. Thought I'd throw one more thought out there for those of you still slaving away on this Christmas Eve.

Does baseball need a salary cap?

I ask this because Brewers owner Mark Attanasio pondered the idea in an interview with the Bloomberg News last night. The impetus for all this talk, of course, is the Yankees, who yesterday came from nowhere to sign free agent slugger Mark Texeira to an eight-year, $180 million deal, despite the fact that they had traded for first baseman Nick Swisher earlier in the offseason and had already locked up C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett to long-term deals.

"At the rate the Yankees are going, I'm not sure anyone can compete with them," Attanasio told said via e-mail. "Frankly, the sport might need a salary cap."

It's an interesting thought, one that has always been a topic of conversation in baseball. I don't really have a personal opinion on it one way or the other, but I'd be interested to hear yours.

On the day the Yankees reportedly spent $180 million to bring Mark Teixeria, the Associated Press released information on team payrolls for the 2008 season, citing figures sent to clubs in recent days by the commissioner’s office.

Of note is the list has the Phillies with the 10th highest payroll in 2008, at $112.7 million.

According to the AP, the figures are for 40-man rosters and include salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses, earned incentive bonuses, non-cash compensation, buyouts of unexercised options and cash transactions. In some cases, parts of salaries that are deferred are discounted to reflect present-day values. The gap between the Yankees and No. 2 Boston of $75 million is more than the entire payroll of nine teams.

1. N.Y. Yankees $222,519,480
2. Boston 147,075,645
3. New York Mets 144,693,962
4. Detroit 136,198,404
5. Chicago Cubs 130,508,691
6. Los Angeles Angels 128,142,467
7. Los Angeles Dodgers 125,864,496
8. Seattle 120,456,113
9. Chicago White Sox 113,641,026
10. Philadelphia 112,654,711
11. St. Louis 109,989,046
12. Houston 100,189,948
13. Toronto 98,343,520
14. Atlanta 92,494,314
15. Milwaukee 90,324,347
16. Cincinnati 82,886,440
17. San Francisco 82,074,873
18. Arizona 80,998,526
19. Baltimore 78,888,250
20. Cleveland 78,663,582
21. Texas 78,640,138
22. Colorado 74,791,621
23. San Diego 71,212,182
24. Kansas City 69,297,547
25. Minnesota 65,096,667
26. Washington 59,699,668
27. Oakland 55,223,294
28. Tampa Bay 51,020,720
29. Pittsburgh 50,764,410
30. Florida 27,003,450
Total 2,879,357,538

First off, Ryan Howard indicated a couple of days ago that there hasn't been much movement on a potential multi-year contract extension. Big deal? Not really. He's under club control through 2011, so there really is no rush. But he'll likely receive another healthy raise this season (he made $10 million) last year.

But that's another topic for another day. Thought you all might be interested in who he is picking to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

For obvious reasons, it isn't his hometown Rams.

It's his adopted-hometown Eagles.

"I think if the Eagles get in, watch out," Howard said. "And that's not just because I play for Philly. I think they've got a lot of momentum going. And I think if they get in, they'll take that momentum and keep going with it."

Check out the piece in today's Daily News for more offseason insights from Howard and Jimmy Rollins.

Mike Schmidt is walking through a set of double doors, wearing a sports coat and slacks and an assistant of some sort, and all around him are milling short little 20-something-people wearing solid black and headsets and looks that say "I am important; do not get in my way." It is somewhere around 8 p.m., Greenwich Village time, when at the end of the hallway opposite from the greatest third baseman who ever lived, a door swings open, and in walks a stream of even more important-looking people, and at the end of them the most important-looking of them hall, his physically-impossible ooze of hair looking even more surreal in person than it does on television, and his physically-impossible foreign-born wife looking likewise.

For a brief second, as the paths of the two men cross, a rare look of deference - insecurity, even - crosses the face of Michael Jack Schmidt. It is the look of a man who isn't sure if he will be remembered, or recognized, or even acknowledged.

Then, Donald Trump speaks.

"The greatest third baseman who ever lived," the Donald says. "They were calling you that on television the other day."

He does not wait for a reply.

"How's your golf game? We should play down in Florida. You should take my number."

Problem is, the Donald keeps walking, and does not offer his number (surely, he has people who offer his number for him).. And so Mike Schmidt keeps walking, off toward stage left, off toward his spot in the audience at New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.

Bob Costas is not a big man. In fact, from the naked eye, he could share a growth chart with an Olympic gymnast. Which is an interesting observation, because there were a couple of Olympic gymnasts in the house last night at the year-end episode of the HBO Talk Show Costas. Now, along with a who's who of athletes from across the country, athletes that included Phillies short stop Jimmy Rollins and first baseman Ryan Howard, and, of course, Mr. Schmidt. What he lacks for stature, Costas - and HBO - make up for in their reach.

Joining Rollins and Howard and Schmidt at NYU last night were superstars like Michael Phelps and Dara Torres and Michael Strahan and Charles Barkley and John McEnroe. It was an interesting dynamic, watching a couple of players who are used to being kings of their domain relegated to mere faces in the crowd of a healthy contingent of this nation's athletic elite.

I decided I would attend the taping because A) It seemed like an excuse to get out of Philadelphia, B) It seemed like more fun than checking the MLB Trade Rumors web site 50 times over the course of the afternoon and C) The last time Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard appeared on a significant nationally-televised sports talk show, the Legend of the Front-runner was born.

In fact, when the segment featuring Rollins and Howard began, I suddenly had a flashback to the duo's Best Damn Sports Show appearance in August, when host John Salley and the gang got the MVP short stop to share his true - although unfortunately worded - feelings about the Philadelphia faithful. Costas - that little S.O.B. - rolled up his diminuitive sleeves early, wording his first question something along the lines of, "Are the Philadelphia fans abusive or just demanding". This, of course, caused Rollins and Howard to exchange a knowing look, one that said "How much is honesty really worth?"

"You know," Rollins joked to his counterpart, "that they are going to hear this back in Philly."

Howard, to his credit, did an excellent job of navigating a question more loaded than Plaxico Burress' glock. The first baseman - whose brother Corey was also in attendance - likened the relationship between the city's fans and athletes to the relationship between two father's sons.

"You are going to have fights with your brother," Howard said, "but at the end of the day, you still love your brother."

Or, as audience member Charles Barkely put it later: "Philadelphia is the greatest place to play when you are winning. It just sucks when you are losing."

^

A bit of news did come out of last night. It looks like Rollins is a sure-bet to make the United States squad for the World Baseball Classic. Also, Schmidt will be coaching third base for old friend and USA manager Davey Johnson.

Rollins told the Daily News last night that he still has to make the "final cut," but with Alex Rodriguez suiting up for the Dominican Republic and Rollins coming off consecutive seasons in which he won an NL MVP trophy and a World Series ring, he is an obvious choice. Schmidt said Rollins was already on the team.

Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge will not participate, for obvious reasons. Playoffs included, Hamels threw nearly 100 more innings than his previous career-high last season. And Lidge's wife recently gave birth to the couple's second child.

The Phillies added 10 players to their spring training roster as non-roster invitees.

Among them are several familiar names, including pitcher Mike Koplove, a South Philly native who signed a minor league deal over Thanksgiving; pitcher Blaine Neal, a Bishop Eustace grad from South Jersey who was a U.S. Olympian in Beijing; infielder Mike Cervenak, who was with the Phillies for 10 games last season; and first baseman Andy Tracy, who also had a brief stint with the Phils.

Here is the rundown, courtesy of the Phillies:

Dave Borkowski, RHP … Borkowski, 31, split last season between the Houston Astros and triple-A Round Rock. In his 26 appearances with Houston, he was 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA, while with Round Rock he posted a 2-2 record with two saves and a 2.43 ERA in 27 games (1 start). Borkowski has appeared in 181 major league games, going 13-20 with a 5.87 ERA between Detroit (1999-2001), Baltimore (2004) and Houston (2006-08).

Mike Cervenak, 3B/1B … Cervenak, 32, played for triple-A Lehigh Valley this past season where he finished fifth in the International League in batting average (.311) and tied for seventh in doubles (30). On the year, he hit 10 home runs, recorded 66 RBI and was named to the IL All-Star team. Cervenak also made his major league debut in 2008 with the Phillies, hitting .154 (2-13) in 10 games, mostly as a pinch-hitter. 

Ozzie Chavez, SS … Chavez, 25, combined to hit .232 (63-271) with four home runs, 33 RBI and 23 runs scored in 94 games between triple-A Nashville and double-A Huntsville in the Milwaukee organization. For his career, Chavez is hitting .250 with 22 home runs and 297 RBI in 889 games. He is currently playing for Azucareros del Este in the Dominican Winter League. 

J.J. Furmaniak, INF/OF … Furmaniak, 29, who was originally selected by San Diego in the 22nd round of the 2000 draft, did not play last season. He has appeared in 29 career major league games between Pittsburgh (2005) and Oakland (2007) and is hitting .186 (8-43) with two RBI. For his minor league career he is hitting .270 with 84 home runs and 408 RBI in 889 games. 

Mike Koplove, RHP … Last season with triple-A Las Vegas, Koplove, a Philadelphia native, went 2-1 with nine saves and a 3.46 ERA in 41 games. Over his seven major league seasons, Koplove, 32, has posted a 15-7 record with a 3.82 ERA in 222 games for Arizona (2001-06) and Cleveland (2007). 

Justin Lehr, RHP … Lehr, 31, spent last season with triple-A Louisville, where he went 6-2 with a 2.10 ERA in 16 games (8 starts). He is currently pitching for Yaquis de Obregon in the Mexican Winter League. Lehr has pitched in 66 career major league games, posting a 4-3 record with a 5.31 ERA between Oakland (2004) and Milwaukee (2005-06). 

Blaine Neal, RHP … Neal, 30, finished tied for 2nd for the IL lead in saves (26) while pitching for triple-A Toledo in 2008. Overall, he went 1-0 with a 1.21 ERA in 38 appearances and began the season converting his first 17 save opportunities. The native of Marlton, N.J., has appeared in 133 major league games, all in relief, going 5-4 with a 5.08 ERA between Florida (2001-03), San Diego (2004), Boston (2005) and Colorado (2005). 

Terry Tiffee, 3B … Tiffee, 29, spent last season with triple-A Las Vegas, where he led the Pacific Coast League in batting average (.378), finished 3rd in doubles (39), 4th in on-base percentage (.416), 8th in hits (148) and 10th in slugging percentage (.561). Tiffee also appeared with the Dodgers in 2008 playing in six games, mostly as a pinch-hitter. He is currently playing for Venados de Mazatlan in the Mexican Winter League. 

Andy Tracy, 1B … Last season, Tracy, 35, played for Lehigh Valley, where he hit .288 with 22 home runs and 85 RBI in 124 games. He led all IL first basemen in fielding percentage (.997), finished 2nd in the league in doubles (34) and tied for fifth in RBI (85). Tracy also made four pinch-hit appearances (0-2, RBI) for the Phillies in 2008. 

Chris Walker, OF … Walker, 28, hit .257 with one home run and 27 RBI in 78 games for triple-A Salt Lake this past season. Originally selected by the Cubs in the sixth round of the 2002 draft, Walker is hitting .270 with 16 home runs and 217 RBI in 685 career minor league games. He is currently playing for Naranjeros de Hermosillo in the Mexican Winter League.

The following players were signed as minor league free agents: right-handers Yorman Bazardo, Yoel Hernandez and Justin Pope, left-handers Jason Mackintosh and Joshua Shortslef, first baseman/outfielder Brian Stavisky and outfielders Casey Craig, Kevin Mahar, Wilkin Ruan, Mike Spidale and Rich Thompson.

Leftfielder Raul Ibanez passed his physical this morning and has officially joined the Phillies.

Ibanez, a free agent from the Seattle Mariners, signed a 3-year, $31.5 million contract. The Phillies have scheduled a 4:30 p.m. news conference.

Here is the release from the Phillies:

Outfielder Raul Ibanez has signed a three-year, $31.5 million contract with the Phillies, Senior Vice President & General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. announced today.

Ibanez, 36, batted .293 this past season with 43 doubles, 23 home runs and 110 RBI in 162 games with the Seattle Mariners. A left-handed batter, Ibanez hit .305 (60-197) against left-handed pitching and .288 (126-438) versus right-handers. With runners in scoring position, he batted .327 (56-171), which included a .438 (14-32) clip in his final 25 games of the season. Ibanez is a career .305 hitter with runners in scoring position.

“Raul not only brings a big bat to our lineup, but also a terrific attitude to the clubhouse,” said Amaro. “He is a quality individual that will fit in well with our club. We believe that a team wins not only with talent, but also with character and Raul has both.”

Over the last three seasons (2006-08), Ibanez had the fourth-most RBI among all major league outfielders (second-most among American League outfielders). During that time span, Ibanez averaged 25 home runs and 112 RBI.

Originally selected by Seattle in the 36th round of the 1992 draft, Ibanez has a career batting average of .286 with 277 doubles, 182 home runs and 794 RBI in 1,384 games with the Mariners (1999-2000; 2005-08) and Kansas City Royals (2001-03).

Ibanez will wear #29.

Tonight, it is Eagles vs. Browns.

Tomorrow, it is Phillies vs. Eagles.

It will be a good old-fashioned war for the sports pages (and internet hit counters) tomorrow as the Phillies unleashed a barage of news today in advance of the Eagles' Monday night showdown with the Browns. Make sure to monitor all the progress here on Philly.com live throughout the day tomorrow, courtesy of the "Most Viewed" stories box on the right hand of your screen.

Maybe I'm getting a little too excited about this. Regardless, here's what has transpired today on the Phillies front:

1) First and foremost, the Phillies have agreed with Jamie Moyer on a new two-year contract. What took so long? Moyer wanted two years. The Phillies were hesitant about going beyond one. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. was candid about that hesitation throughout the offseason, and he admitted this afternoon that giving a 46-year-old pitcher two years guaranteed pretty much goes against every rule in the Physiology of Baseball book. But Moyer is a special case, not just because of his performance - he led the Phillies with 16 wins in 2008 and pitched very well in the World Series - but because of what he brings to the clubhouse.

"There's no question it was a concern and for us to go two years guaranteed shows one, our committment to him," Amaro said, "but also he's probably one of the best-conditioned athletes that we have and his dedication to his craft is as high as anybody's on this club. Jamie is going to do what he can to play out this contract and be an effective pitcher for us. We have reason to believe that with the way he works and the way he pitches that he can do just that."

I rationalize like this: when you are paying for Moyer, you aren't just paying for a pitcher, you are almost paying for another coach because of the amount of experience he brings to the clubhouse and to the pitching staff. With young hurlers like Kyle Kendrick, J.A. Happ, Carlos Carrasco and Andrew Carpenter on the way up, there is no underestimating the value of having a guy like Moyer around.

"I think we have one of the best clubhouses in all of baseball," Amaro said. "These are players - we had one up here today (in Utley) - who are dedicated to winning. . .Jamie certainly represents that. You talk about his presence in the clubhouse. He's been through so much over the course of his career, it's inevitable that he is going to be able to provide some of the information that will be very important for our young players and even older players that we acquire who have to make adjustments in their careers, which Jamie has done. He is an invaluable players to us and an invaluable person and we are pleased to have him back."

2) I asked you guys last night to throw out some questions for Chase Utley, who met the press for the first time since his hip surgery three-and-a-half weeks ago, and he pretty much answered all of them at one point or another in the press conference. Utley said he is hopeful to return as soon as possible, but it sounds like both he and the Phillies are going to approach his rehab with caution. Both Utley and Scott Sheridan were asked several different ways whether they thought the second baseman would be ready by Opening Day, and every time they answered with a generic "If all goes well. . ." type of response. In short, it is way too early to tell when, exactly, Utley will be back. But everything has gone smoothly thus far, and there is no indication that it will take him anywhere close to the back end of the initial 4-to-6 month prognosis.

"Ruben's given me a few lectures already to slow me down a little bit, because I do want to be ready to go from Day One," Utley said, "but it is something that I have to be careful of. So I imagine I will hear that a lot from these guys to try to slow me down a little bit, which is fine."

3) Utley said he is hoping to play in some spring training games.

4) Utley joked about the way he and the Phillies kept his hip issue under wraps throughout the season. The only public acknowledgement of the condition came from then-Phillies GM Pat Gillick, who simply said that Utley's hip had been bothering him. But Utley refused to acknowledge the condition during the season, preferring instead to focus on baseball.

"This kind of didn't get worse, it kind of stayed the same over the course of the season," Utley said. "That's why I didn't make a big deal about it. I didn't feel like making a big deal about it because I didn't want it to be a distraction. That's the last thing we needed, especially with the position we were in. I thought we handled it pretty well."

5) Utley said the pain affected him more in the field than at the plate, but conceded that the injury probably had something to do with the drop off in his power numbers over the course of the season.

6) One question I had for Utley concerned how his hip rehab will affect the normal offseason conditioning routine he uses to get ready for the season. Utley said the only part of his workout that is affected is his lower body workout. But after two and a half months he said he'll be able to start running around.

7) Utley said there isn't much of a chance that the hip issue could be one that arises again. It sounds like the surgery should be a permanent solution, which bodes well for the future.

"Now, I kind of have a nice little pretty hip, so it should be fine," Utley said.

8) And, finally, a public service announcement from Utley, who infamously declared the Phillies "World F-----' Champions" on the day of the parade.

"I'll tell all the kids not to use that word," Utley said. "But if they are 29 and they win the World Series, they could say that."

9) Expect an official announcement of the Raul Ibanez signing, and perhaps a press conference, Tuesday.

10) Chan Ho Park is indeed on his way to becoming a Phillie, although the signing will not be official until he takes a physical here in Philadelphia. Amaro said Park could be used as a starter or a reliever. He'll get an opportunity to compete for the fifth spot in the rotation behind Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Joe Blanton and Moyer. If Kendrick,  Happ, Carrasco or Carpenter happens to win the spot, Park would then move to the bullpen.

11) Carrasco has finished playing winter ball in Venezuela. Carrasco chose to play winter ball on his own, but has called it quits after about 30 innings, something the Phillies are glad he decided to do.