Just call him Freddy the Phillie

NOW THAT HE is the Opening Day second baseman, it is appropriate to know how to pronounce Freddy Galvis' last name.

Is it Gal-Vis or Gal-Vees?

"No," he said. "It's not Gal-Vees. It is Gal-vis. (slowly)

Gal-Vis . . . V-I-S."

It is somewhat of a mystery how Gal-vis became Gal-vees, he said. But there's no secret why Galvis became the darling of spring: He batted .280, tied for the team lead with 23 hits and the Phillies desperately, desperately need him.

No matter how you say it, the youngster who was the shortstop of the future last season is, for now, the starting second baseman of this one.

Remember. It's Gal-vis, and not Gal-Vees.

Does it get mispronounced frequently?

"Yeah, always," he said, flashing that 22-year-old grin. "Always."

This being the town that houses the most famous cracked symbol of freedom, we'd like to welcome new Eagles tackle Demetress Bell to Philadelphia.

He'll never be as famous as the Liberty Bell, but he is now on a list of other Bells to play for our four major sports franchises. The rundown:

Eagles: Eddie (1955-58), Todd (1988-89), Joique (2010) and Mike (2010).

Phillies: Juan (1992-93) was a reserve shortstop on a pennant-winning team. The Phillies didn't enter their glory years until they got rid of David (2003-06). Just kidding, Dave.

Flyers: None, though goalie Michel Belhumeur played 23 games for the 1972-73 team. The Flyers looked at their goalie rotation of Doug Favell, Bobby Taylor and Belhumeur and said: We better get Bernie back. The next year, they won the Cup.

Sixers: Raja (2000-02) made a circus shot against the Lakers in the 2001 Finals to become the most legendary Bell on this somewhat cracked list.

"Yeah, Opening Day is special," new Phillies outfielder Juan Pierre acknowledged. "You don't know when your last one is coming or whether you'll ever get another."