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.
Zo long buddy!— Clinton, NJ- Thanks Zo. It'll be tough not having you and Mitch around to explain it all to us this coming season.— natufian
- John in LA!! Where u been???— Clinton, NJ
- Long story, Clinton. Lotta drama. I saw you asked before - appreciate that. I promise I'll be back in full-force this Spring. Are we all moving with Zo to MLB.com?— johninLA2
- Get a life, Truth. And tune in to reality every now and then too.— Neal Obstat
- Good luck, your blog was always the first thing I looked for on the Website.....— phigglesfan75
- I knew this was comming. Remember my collusion post, Jeff and Truth, when the FA signing period began and the owners were very slow signing FAs? This is an excerpt from Kenny Rosenthal's piece on Foxsports.com: "The unions' outside counsel has begun contacting agents about "possible collusion, according to several agents.'' I don't know if the Union will win this time, if it ever suit the owners, but to me is obvious they were planning something.— EL Zorro
- Good luck, Zo! I have always been a huge fan of your work.— fiveforone
- Really going to miss your insight. You will be sorely missed! http://www.phightinphils.com Bill MyTeamRivals.com— BillZe
- Little disappointed the Inky didn't mention your departure. Hope no bad feelings. And I guess no time off before your new gig, since pitchers and catchers report in 14 days!— Norma
- Sorry to see you go Zo! The shame of it is the boot lickers get to stay dispite the lack of quality reporting. Such is the way of the world.— Wally 24
Comment removed.- Obviously, I was joking unless an offer is made-lol...— Truth
- Au Revoir, Zo (or should I say, "Congrats"?). As has been mentioned many times already, I will be sure to check out your new digs over with the big boys. Please try to resist the urge to become a "national" writer by forgetting everything you know about the game and becoming more obsessed with the story instead. :) "Back to you, Leslie..."— RollinsWasRight
- For the record, I love the idea of Truth taking over from Zo. That way, we are at least assured this blog will continue to elicit lively debate every single day!— RollinsWasRight
