Feliz, Madson, Ruiz ... Outta Here
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Feliz, Madson, Ruiz ... Outta Here
Todd Zolecki
Pedro Feliz was in town yesterday to have Phillies physician Michael Ciccotti examine his lower back. Feliz had surgery on the back after last season.
Everything looks good so far.
"We're pleased with his progress," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "He has made good progress."
Amaro said Feliz probably wouldn't be ready to play in the team's first spring training game Feb. 25, but could be ready shortly thereafter. He also expects Feliz to be ready to go come April 3 for Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park. If not, the Phillies have a few options in Eric Bruntlett, Greg Dobbs and Jason Donald.
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There has been no recent progress on finding a righthanded bat for the bench.
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Ryan Madson changed his number from 63 to 46. I'm sure there's a story behind it. I'm guessing one reason is that Madson hated being on the opposite end of the clubhouse during spring training in Clearwater. For those who don't know, lockers typically are arranged numerically during spring training. And because Madson wore 63, it meant he was situated next to non-roster invitees and minor-leaguers who had little to no chance of making the team. Now he'll likely be positioned near J.A. Happ (43) and Scott Eyre (47).
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Carlos Ruiz will compete for Panama in the World Baseball Classic. This should make the battle between Chris Coste and Ronny Paulino to be his back up a little more interesting because they will be getting more playing time this spring.
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Well, this is it. My last day after nine-plus years at The Inquirer is Sunday, so unless there is breaking news over the weekend (i.e. Ryan Howard signs a multi-million dollar contract extension or the Phillies finally sign that righthanded bat) this is my final post for The Phillies Zone.
Writing that is very surreal.
I'll try to keep this short and sweet, but I just want to say thanks to everybody who has checked us out over the past couple years. It's been great fun. We started as The Zo Zone on April 20, 2007, when the Phillies were a scintillating 3-10. Who knew then the Phillies not only would win the National League East that year, but win the World Series a year later? We switched to The Phillies Zone on Feb. 25, 2008, and you guys made it one of the most popular blogs at philly.com. Thanks to you for that. Because I knew you guys were coming here every day, I made sure to update this thing as much as possible. Hopefully you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Fortunately for you, I know Inquirer sports editor Jim Cohen is going to find a stellar Phillies beat writer to take over. Fortunately for me, I'm not going very far, so I'll still be writing about the Phillies. So if you see me in Clearwater or Philly or anywhere else this year, don't be afraid to say hello.
Thanks again for everything.
Sorry to all the regulars on here who may feel inclined to follow Zo over to MLB. While I will be certain to continue to follow his writing, I cannot access blogs run through MLB.com from work. :( (fascist Websense!)— RollinsWasRight- Todd, every true Phillies fan will miss you Todd. We could always count on you giving us the facts of every situation during the season, instead of feeding division, animosity, and hatred among the fans. Good luck at your new gig. I'll definitely check it out regularly.— Erich H
- Todd, sorry to see you go, but MLB sounds like a great opportunity for you. Hopefully they will give you a blog, but if not, many of us will follow your writing there. No surprise this was one of Philly.com's most visited sites, you made it a daily read for all of us. Best wishes for your continued success.— jimmymack
Comment removed.- Zo, thank you and best of luck. Your constant updates were really great during the last year to keep everyone up to date. thanks for the hard work.— mikejack20
- I didn't realize you were leaving Zo. This is my favorite blog on philly.com so I'm hoping to pick you up elsewhere ... MLB is it? Can you post any details? Thanks for all the great pieces.— s
- You are a great writer, Todd. We'll miss you.— eman
- All the best, Todd. This has been one of my favorite blogs.— betsy72
- So....Where's our new *moderator*?— Norma
- RWR...I checked the blogs at mlb.com, yesterday. Nothing up for Todd yet. In fact, pretty confusing site. When I clicked on blogs, a page came up offering to start one for me. Hmmmm. Not a bad idea. LOL! I'll definitely have to *bookmark* it, once I've found it.— Norma
- I appreciate your blog and your columns...nice work. All the best.— psuwelsh
- Come on, Todd. Think about it: you start this blog, the Phils win the NL East; your first complete year on this blog, they win the World Series. Coincidence? :) Seriously, thanks for your insights; if you run another "Ask Rich Dubee" at your new destination, be sure to let me know. :)— LoydinIL
- An addendum: I didn't see a blog at MLB.com, but I did see a story by Todd: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090203&content_id=3795776&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi&partnerId=rss_phi— LoydinIL
- ...say it ain't zo!— kiwi
- Best of luck and thanks. Bob stockton Jacksonville, Fl.— drbob456
