Orioles series preview: Phils eye sweep

The Phillies look to keep the bats clicking this weekend against Baltimore, who own the highest ERA and WHIP in the American League. The Phils will bring Myers (Fri.), Millwood (Sat.) and Milton (Sun.) to the mound against LHP Mike Riley, LHP Erik Bedard, and RHP Sidney Ponson.

For the season, the Phils are batting .274 against left-hand pitching.

Philler: Coach K can only fail with Lakers

Mike Krzyzewski would set himself up for disaster if he accepted the Lakers head coaching position vacated by Phil Jackson. First, he'd inherit a team that's old, thin, and dispassionate. They'll likely lose Shaq to the Clippers or Mavs, and Phoenix is making a strong push for Kobe.

Second, why leave Duke, college basketball's Camelot, where he's worshiped like a God, has three championships, and a hardwood floor named after him.

Coach K isn't the best candidate for the Lakers anyway. Former Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich is.

Opinion: Don't blame Bowa when Phils fall short

The Scott Rolen situation opened some eyes to the fact that Larry Bowa's bulldog personality alienates some players. Based on how Rolen has performed since the trade, it's fair to say his game suffered mightily under Bowa.

Whether or not his personality influences his ability to motivate his club properly; only the players can tell. A Sports Illustrated poll before the 2004 season seemed to verify this belief; It showed that Bowa was the manager major league players would least want to play for ... by a significant margin.

But fans have no basis for blaming Bowa when this group, time and again, can't get runners home, blows leads in close games, and can't put inferior opponents away.

After last night's late-inning loss, the majority of callers who phoned WIP blamed Bowa and an overall lack of leadership for the loss, not Tim Worrell, who simply had a bad night.

When players step on the field, they need to perform, whether or not the manager is a complete loonball.

A Day like yesterday

The Phils could have another big night tonight when they face Zach Day (5-8). The regulars are hitting a lifetime .314 against him, including Abreu (.500, 1 HR) and Bell (.500, 3 Hs).

With cycle, Bell ices week of hot hitting

David Bell has made believers out of Phils fans this week with his hot hitting, capped by hitting for the cycle in last night's game. For the week, Bell posted a 1.480 OPS, with 3 HRs, 8 RBIs, and a .409 avg.

Jason Michaels also hit over .400 last week.

At home, Madson deserves chance to start

Posting a 2.12 ERA with a 20-4 strikeout to walk ratio at Citizens Bank Park, Ryan Madson has earned a second chance to start a game during this homestand. Paul Abbott, who walked 4 and struck out 0 his last start, is scheduled to pitch Wednesday's game against Montreal. Why not hand the ball over to Madson for experience sake against a weak NL East team?