Quiet bats

It was pretty quiet around Bright House Networks Field today.  Those on the travel roster for Sarasota left on a 9 a.m. bus.  Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Chris Coste and a handful of pitchers that weren’t on the trip had a light workout in the morning.

It was a quiet day in Sarasota too as the Phillies bats produced just six singles in a 7-0 loss.

Dr. Michael Ciccotti, the Phillies’ team doctor, arrived in the early afternoon and had follow up examinations with several injured players.  Ken Mandel has a complete wrap-up on the medical update on this website.

Paid a quite visit to an old friend this afternoon, Jack Russell Memorial Stadium, the Phillies’ home from 1955 through 2003.

The place, being used by The Winning Inning (winninginning.com), an organization that hosts baseball clinics, camps, college tournaments, high school teams and men’s baseball leagues, was empty.  Grass was still green, although not as plush as it had been when the Phillies were there. 

Four-color outfielder billboards have been replaced by green padding.  Rumor has it that some of the seats in the park will be demolished this summer.

Physical things may leave us but memories last forever, including the pigeon droppings that used to decorate the open-air press box some 40 years ago.  Rest assured, there were a lot of pleasant memories, too, at the old stadium.