And now for a more fleshed out version of notes from workout day, with enough info to make Ray Liotta shriek in the shower.

Prior to the team’s two-hour workout at Citizens Bank Park today, manager Charlie Manuel, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. and other staff members sat for the first of many upcoming meetings.

Among the most pressing decisions: How to configure the starting rotation, whether to include Brett Myers on the roster, and how to be productive with all the time off this week.
   
An overview:

THE ROTATION: Division series and National League Championship Series ace Cliff Lee will likely start Game 1.  Beyond that, Cole Hamels and Pedro Martinez appear sure to receive starting assignments, though the order remains unknown.  Righthander Joe Blanton and lefthander J.A. Happ will probably begin the series pitching from the bullpen, as the did in the previous two rounds, Manuel said yesterday.
   
Manuel also said he would be willing to use Cliff Lee on three days rest if necessary, and Lee later expressed a willingness to do so.
   
The manager continues to view Martinez as a starter. “We’re going to use Pedro,” Manuel said. “I look at Pedro as a starter. He’s been in the big moment, and I think that his performance the other day in Dodger Stadium, how good he pitched, he deserves another chance to go back out there. Once he can get in the rotation and get on a regular turn every five days, I think he’s still got quite a bit left.”
   
MYERS: The righthander made a September return from June hip surgery, but strained an upper back muscle late last month.  Included on the division series roster, he made one ineffective appearance, and was dropped for the NLCS.
   
Myers pitched in a simulated game last Tuesday, and impressed Amaro.  “His stuff is sharper,” the GM said. “His breaking ball is better. He’s pretty crisp with his location. He’s throwing better. That’s a good sign.”
   
Because the team apparently views Myers as able to contribute, Myers’ status will be determined by how many pitchers and position players the Phils choose to carry. “It depends on whether we go with 12 pitchers or not,” Amaro said. “We were at 11 for (the NLCS). If we go to 12, it’ll certainly be something we have to consider.”
   
 
ON THE TIME OFF:
The Phils will take tomorrow off, and see live pitching in a simulated game Sunday.

The advance scouting department remains busy.  Amaro dispatched about a half-dozen scouts to the LCS, and is hoping for a quick resolution to the series—and implied that he was pulling for the Yankees, who lead three games to two.

“I personally don’t like to travel a whole lot,” he said.  “I would like to see it get over with, so we can know who our opponent is and move on.”

***
   
Amaro said today that he and his staff had already met about offseason decisions, and would consider retaining Martinez.  “I don’t think Pedro has done anything to push us away from it,” Amaro said. 

Any team considering Martinez will have to weigh his strong performances with the multiple injuries he suffered in less than half a season.  Martinez, 37, could seek a multi-year contract.  One person familiar with the Phillies thinking said that the team might not rule out offering a contract of more than one year, if it were laden with incentives based on performance and appearances.
 

Good morning from the first post-clinch workout at Citizens Bank Park. Just a few newsy bullet points before I head down to the field.

When the fans made the transition in the late innings tonight form “Beat L.A.” to “Yankees Suck,” this clincher felt inevitable.  Congratulations to the Phillies for achieving what the franchise had never before done by winning two straight National League pennants.

Speaking of the Yanks, our man Marc Narducci in Anaheim learned an interesting tidbit from CC Sabathia, and Cliff Lee confirmed it today.  The two lefties, former longtime teammates and still good friends from their days together with the Cleveland Indians, have been texting back and forth in anticipation of a potential Game 1 matchup.

The Yankees hold a three-games-to-one lead over the Los Angeles Angels in the ALCS.

"We have texted back and forth, but we haven't talked," Sabathia said before yesterday's workout at Angel Stadium.

"It's never anything super important; I don't even remember exactly what we said," Lee said. "We texted when I got traded. We joked about hitting [in the National League] a little bit."

Sabathia is excited for his friend's success with the Phillies, although that could change next week. "He throws the ball where he wants to, using both sides of the plate," Sabathia said. "He's a tough pitcher, and I'm happy to see he is doing well."

Said Lee: "I've stayed pretty close with him since he left Cleveland," Lee said. "But that might have to change next week."

Just one of many subplots sure to develop in what should continue to be an exciting October/November.   Enjoy your post-clinch parties.
 

Few Phillies regulars appeared for Tuesday’s optional workout, but Chase Utley was at Citizens Bank Park, working on turning double plays.
   
Utley famously tossed two throws into the dugout in the first two games of the National League Championship Series, the second one a pivotal moment in the Phils Game 2 loss.
   
Rumors and speculation swirled in subsequent days that Utley might be injured, but Perlozzo did not believe so.  “Do I think he’s hurt? No,” Perlozzo said yesterday.
   
The coach noticed on Tuesday that Utley was practicing his throws, so he approached him and ran through the various checkpoints to identify possible flaws.
   
In making about 25 throws, Utley and Perlozzo made note of grip and footwork, among other factors.  Perlozzo concluded that the second baseman was OK.
   
“It was basically just a refresher,” Perlozzo said.  “I give him credit for going out there and practicing, and I think he worked it out.”

***
   
Greg Dobbs said in September that his calf injury would probably not heal until the offseason, affecting his ability to run and field.  But the calf has healed faster than he expected, he said.
   
“I feel much better,” said Dobbs, who still plans to see several specialists this winter as a precaution. “It has been a gradual process, and week-by-week, it’s getting better. I hope (the team) sees it that way.”
   
Manager Charlie Manuel said recently that he was comfortable using Dobbs in the infield, but because of the injury would not yet send him to the outfield.

***

Pedro Martinez was spotted in the outfield before last night’s game, mentoring rookie lefthander Antonio Bastardo on breaking ball techniques.  Earlier this season, Martinez offered pointers to lefty J.C. Romero about his offspeed repertoire.
 

J.A. Happ not begin the season with the intention of collecting individual awards, but he was deeply honored by one announced today.
   

“It feels really good to have guys that you play against vote for you,’” Happ said after winning the Sporting News National League Rookie of the Year. The award was determined by a panel of 338 major league players. Chicago White Sox third baseman Gordan Beckham won in the American League.
   

“It’s kind of the ultimate validation, really,” he said.
   

Happ remains a candidate for the actual rookie of the year award, given next month. The lefthander, went 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA in 35 games in the regular season, striking out 119 in 166 innings, with two shutouts.

“J.A. wasn't the typical pitching prospect because he didn't necessarily put the numbers up on the radar gun," Orioles scout Bob Szymkowski, who signed Happ with the Phillies in 2004, told Sporting News. "Most times, he threw 86 to 88. But Jay had very good mound composure and competed very well. His best qualities were a very deceptive delivery in terms of his arm slot and the ability to mix all of his pitches and locate them on the perimeter of the strike zone. While he didn't have a power approach, he still had a great feel for pitching."

***
We reported the other day that the Phils plan to use Pedro Martinez in a potential Game 6, and the righthander remained on track for that by throwing a bullpen session today.

Cliff Lee would also be on full rest Friday, but the team’s plan---which, of course, is always subject to change--is to use Martinez.

Phillies pitcher J.A. Happ today was named Sporting News Rookie of the Year.
More to come.

Chad Durbin pitched a scoreless ninth inning last night to conclude Cliff Lee’s eight-inning masterpiece.   He and a friend spent the next day lavishing tweeted praise on the Phils ace.

The Twitter account shared by Durbin and his business partner Jake Chapman, @showcaseU, was abuzz with praise about Lee’s performance.  Showcase U provides assistance to amateur athletes attempting to market themselves to college and professional scouts.

The Chuck Norris-esque one-liners began soon after the game and appeared steadily into the afternoon.  Chapman, who pitched in the minor leagues for seven years (“great guy and great lefty,” Durbin said) actually did the tweeting, soliciting contributions from Durbin.

A sampling:

Can Cliff Lee pitch on one night's sleep?...Did you know? 4 days a week, Cliff Lee works as the Philly Phanatic...Cliff Lee just made breakfast for my family...stay hot!..I heard Cliff Lee just dunked on Andre Iguodala during a Sixers walk-through this morning. Amazing....I pulled Cliff Lee's finger and gold coins filled his shorts…Cliff Lee counted to infinity...twice...the boogie man checks under his bed at night, he's checking for Cliff Lee.

Tweet away, Chad and Jeff.

Hello from the postseason of weather extremes, where temps in the low-40s present quite a contrast to the 93-degree paradise at Game 2.

No surprises there, as everyone would be on full rest.  J.A. Happ will remain in the bullpen through the NLCS, the source said.

It was obviously very odd to see Chase Utley chuck two balls into the dugout in the first two games of the series. No one had an explanation.