Phillies unveil a dream rotation at spring training

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The pinch-me moments keep on coming for the Phillies, and this was another.

Unlike so many of the previous moments - Brad Lidge raising his arms to the sky from his knees after recording the final out of the 2008 World Series, Cliff Lee's Game 1 gem against the New York Yankees in the 2009 World Series, and Roy Halladay's perfect game in Florida and postseason no-hitter against Cincinnati last season - this skin-squeezing event was entirely contrived but no less extraordinary.

After the Phillies' pitchers and catchers went through their first mundane workout of spring training Monday morning on the four Carpenter Complex fields, the team once known best for having more losses than any other professional sports franchise in North America staged a news conference worthy of Beatles-come-to-America hype.

Instead of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, it was Cliff, Cole, and the two Roys on stage together for the first time as the celebrated pitching quartet that will try to lead the Phillies to their second World Series title in four years. Joe Blanton played the part of the fifth Beatle, and it made for an interesting moment when one questioner forgot he was around when the Phillies won their last World Series.

If you wanted to match the rest of the Phillies' Phab Phour with the mop tops from Liverpool, Lee, as the most outspoken of the Phillies' foursome, was Paul McCartney, Halladay the more mystical John Lennon, and Roy Oswalt the quiet George Harrison, with Cole Hamels as Ringo Starr on drums.

In truth, none of the Phillies' five starters wanted to be on stage. They all waited as long as possible in the clubhouse before being told by the media relations department to get into uniform for this made-for-TV spectacle that included ESPN, MLB Network, and national media reporters from across the country.

Phillies president David Montgomery, front-office members Dallas Green and Pat Gillick, and pitching coach Rich Dubee were also among those interested enough to attend.

It was the presence of a few New York media that truly made this news conference a pinch-me moment for Phillies fans. Two months have passed since the Internet shook with the news that Lee had chosen to sign a five-year deal with the Phillies rather than take more money to pitch with the Yankees, the most prolific sports franchise in North America. New Yorkers will never understand Lee's decision, making it all the more delicious for Phillies fans.

Lee has explained it before, but he was asked by Bill Madden from the New York Daily News to go over it one more time Monday.

"Oh, I felt like this was the best chance to win world championships," Lee said. "That's what it's all about. Obviously, I played here in the past and enjoyed myself here, and thought we had a really good team at that time. Since then, they've made a couple of additions that I think have made the team that much better. I felt like if I ever got an opportunity to come back and be a part of what's going on here, I would take advantage of it, and that's why."

Not entirely appeased by that answer, Madden tried one more time for a more detailed explanation of Lee's blasphemous baseball decision.

"This is where I'm at right here," Lee said. "That says enough, I think. I could have gotten more money in other places. That really wasn't what it was all about for me. I just honestly stepped back and looked at each team and evaluated. I felt like this is the team that's going to give me the best chance to win a ring and, hopefully, multiple rings. But that was what the decision was based on.

"Obviously, the fans had a lot to do with it. They sell out every game. A lot of the stadiums were packed. There was a lot of hype every game. It's a great feeling playing in that park, and I wanted to come back and do some more of it."

So, Madden finally asked in an act of concession, it was the Phillies all the way then?

Tired of the exchange, Lee said, "Sure, yeah. Phillies all the way."

Phillies all the way, of course, is the goal behind the master plan that brought Cliff, Cole, the two Roys, and Forgotten Joe together on one dais Monday for another Phillies pinch-me moment.

"There are a lot of things that we have to take care of between now [and a possible World Series appearance] to make sure that happens," Lee said.

"That's what we've got to focus on. I know there is a lot of hype. Everyone expects this and expects that, but that's in October. It's February right now, so we've got a lot of work to do between now and then to give ourselves the best chance to do that."

There's no telling how many pinch-me moments we'll see along the way.