Ed Barkowitz: Rays pitcher Garza eager to get take the mound

THE PHILLIES WERE missing one of their key offensive weapons last night thanks to baseball's screwy rules.

They use a designated hitter in games in the American League city, which meant starting pitcher Brett Myers and his .800 postseason batting average were not in the lineup. Greg Dobbs was used as DH instead.

"It's depressing," Myers joked.

It's also worth noting that Myers entered last night with as many postseason RBI (three) as Ryan Howard.

The other half of the inequity is that the DH is not used in games played in Philadelphia. So American League pitchers, who bat only in Interleague games, will be at the plate and generally exposed.

Shortly after Tampa Bay's Matt Garza learned he was getting the start tomorrow, he put down his glove and grabbed a Louisville Slugger. The 24-year-old can't wait to get into the box against Jamie Moyer.

"Oh!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I'm trying to take one out . . . in BP or wherever."

Then Garza, a righthanded hitter who is hitless in six career at-bats, poked fun at himself.

"I was talking to [executive vice president Andrew Friedman] and told him to call Philly and have them change their dimensions to circular because I will hit everything into the first-base stands."

Sunday's scheduled starter for Tampa is a little more adept at the plate. Andy Sonnanstine is 4-for-10 in his career, including 2-for-5 this year. The Rays have not yet announced their starter for Game 5.

Jamie Moyer, 45, will become the oldest pitcher to start a World Series game when he takes the mound tomorrow. Only the immortal Jack Quinn, who pitched for the Philadelphia A's in 1929 and 1930 at age 46 and 47, was older.

Quinn won 247 games in a 23-year career that ended in 1933. He's not believed to be a relative of John Quinn, the Phillies general manager from 1959-72.

Three Phillies legends are slated to throw out the ceremonial first ball when the Series moves to Citizens Bank Park. Steve Carlton will get the call tomorrow followed by Robin Roberts on Sunday and Jim Bunning on Monday. Carlton (241 wins with Phillies) and Roberts (234) are the club's all-time winningest pitchers and Bunning was the anchor of the staff in the late 1960s.

Country artist Taylor Swift will sing tomorrow's national anthem. The 18-year-old Swift is from Wyomissing, Pa., and started singing anthems for the Reading Phillies as a 10-year-old. Patti LaBelle, a Philadelphia legend, will perform Sunday's anthem.

While Matt Garza is a budding star, he's probably not cut out to pitch in Philadelphia. He enjoys the popularity he has gained since winning the ALCS MVP, but only to a point.

"It's cool, but when you go to eat with your family, and in between bites you get people disturbing you, it is kind of bothersome," he said. "When my 6-year-old kid tells people in the middle of dinner to leave us the heck alone, then you know it's getting [too] much."

While the Phillies still have some work to do before corralling the World Series trophy, Philadelphia fans can get up close and personal with it today at City Hall.

Fans will be invited to view the Commissioner's Trophy from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This event is open to the public, though any superstitious Philadelphia sports fan wouldn't get within 5 miles of that thing. Anybody wanna buy a 1964 World Series ticket?

Jimmy Rollins has played major league baseball for 8 years. He's a former National League MVP and three-time All-Star. He's had his picture taken a million times and been on TV just as much.

Still, even he was taken aback when he was stopped for a brief television interview to be shown in England.

"British TV," Rollins said, raising his eyebrows. "Wow."

The crew was from Major League Baseball International and the World Series is being shown in 229 countries and in 13 languages.

Reliever Ryan Madson had this to say about Phillies fans:

"I like that they show that they care. They show that they want you to go out there and get it done. I think that's better than fans showing up and not caring or not showing up at all. So to me I take it for my advantage; and to go out there and want to do the job for them."

The Phillies continued their tradition of bringing the whole gang to the World Series.

All full-time employees - and a guest - were given the choice to attend the games in Tampa this week or next week, if necessary. Longtime Phillies executive Larry Shenk said the team has made similar gestures during previous World Series runs.

More than 100 employees plus their guests took advantage of the offer for Games 1 and 2. Shenk could not confirm how many folks joined the club during that 1915 World Series in Boston. *

Send e-mail to barkowe@phillynews.com