Phillies Begin Spring Training

On reporting day for Phillies` pitchers and catchers, when the clubhouse door swung open at 10 a.m. Friday, new manager Larry Bowa was the first to show his face, much to the delight of the small crowd. "That was nice hearing the cheers, but as soon as we lose our first game I know what`s going to happen," said Bowa, a fan favorite as a player and coach with the Phillies who is returning to the organization this season after being away four years.

Before even taking the field, though, it was evident there will be big changes this season. Bowa is a no-nonsense manager, very different from his predecessor, Terry Francona. The contrasting styles came in loud and clear during Bowa`s short pre-workout pep talk.

"I made a couple points in the meeting," Bowa said. "I think I raised their eyebrows a little bit."

Players already are getting the feeling that things that were tolerated by the old regime won`t be now.

"Oh yeah, a lot of things," pitcher Randy Wolf said. "I think Larry`s going to demand perfection, or the closest thing to perfection."

Wolf said players know they better not break any team rules, such as showing up on time.

"Not if they want to suit up that day," Wolf said. His first day on the field as manager wasn`t particularly special for Bowa, though. That, he said, won`t come until Feb. 21, the date of the first full-squad workout.

"Next week will be special," Bowa said. The ovation Bowa received didn`t go unnoticed by his players, either.

"The fans out here are excited," Wolf said. "Baseball is coming back and with Bowa here it`s a change, and everybody is hoping it`s a change for the better."

Bowa`s toughness isn`t the only sign of change at Phillies` camp. New pitching coach Vern Ruhle put 26 pitchers through a very strenuous first-day workout. Besides being forced to do a lot of running, pitchers were introduced to a new set of physical drills, such as walking sideways over high hurdles and stepping in-between ropes.

"I was very enthusiastic about the way the guys approached their drills," Bowa said. "They looked like they`re ready to work. I thought there would be more guys out of shape. The program that Vern had, if you were out of shape, it would be very difficult to get through it."

Although every pitcher is on the regular program, three didn`t participate Friday. Reliever Rheal Cormier opted not to throw because of a sore back that isn`t believed to be serious, while pitchers Jose Mesa and Carlos Silva were given permission to arrive a day late.

Mesa, who resides in Ohio, was excused due to a family issue. Silva was having problems leaving his native Venezuela.

In his meeting, Bowa stressed the importance of gaining confidence to a team that finished 65-97 in 2000.

"He reiterated that you have to believe you can win before you can win," Wolf said. "I think he really wants to put it in our heads that if we believe in ourselves we don`t have to be the underdogs."

(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Article continues below

---

advertisement

---

Author: 6 ABC - Action News (AP)