Bill Conlin: Ibanez may fit perfectly for Phillies in leftfield

IT IS THE MONTH when Ruben Amaro, aka Ponce de Ruben, has set up shop at the Phountain of Youth. The first major move of his stewardship as Phillies general manager has been to sign free-agent outfielder Raul Ibanez, age 36, in winter-meetings overtime. The classy veteran was introduced at the Bank yesterday.

Monday, veteran righthander Chan Ho Park, age 35, announced from his native Korea that he has agreed to terms of a 1-year Phillies contract. The free agent also announced the Phillies will use him as a starter. This might be news to manager Charlie Manuel, who now has an added entry in what figures to be an overflow audition for the No. 5 spot in his rotation. Let's see . . . J.A. Happ, Kyle Kendrick, Carlos Carrasco, Adam Eaton (insert groans here) and, now, Chan Ho.

After the Korea Times announced the Park deal - a number of sports writers and editors got the breaking news via Google Alert - the Phillies filled out the rotation by signing free-agent lefthander Jamie Moyer, 46, to a 2-year contract.

Both Park and Ibanez will celebrate birthdays early next season. By the All-Star break, the average age of Ponce de Ruben's first three major league transactions will be 40.

Proving he has no prejudice against players in their 20s, Amaro warmed up for Operation Longtooth by swapping lukewarm catching prospect Jason Jaramillo for out-of-favor Pirates receiver Ronny Paulino, 27. The Phillies are playing the change-of-scenery card big time, hoping a guy who batted .310 and won the starting job as a rookie in 2006 will reverse the problems, including being overweight, that landed him back in Triple A most of last season.

Ibanez seems to be blessed with the same forever-young genes as Moyer. The new leftfielder played in all 162 games for the Mariners last year, a feat at any age. But the topic of controversy is much less about age than it is about his lefthandedness.

What was Amaro thinking, many have asked, adding another lefthanded, middle-of-the-order hitter to a lineup where Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are already entrenched? Add Ibanez to the engine room and lefthanded hitters will be lined up like shooting-gallery ducks waiting for the league's managers to mow them down with a parade of lefthanders.

Woe is us . . .