Bill Conlin: Phillies prospect Michael Taylor a heavyweight five-tooler

JUST SAY NO, RUBEN. Be firm and resolute. Look to the near future even when the present appears to call for swift and decisive action.

Just build a moat around Michael Taylor. Put him off-limits. Declare him a future Philly landmark. Buy him a size XXX-long T-shirt that reads "Untouchable" in front and "Off Limits" in back.

Don't ruin my Twin Towers dream.

Don't break up potential belting bookends Michael Taylor and Ryan Howard before they have gone back-to-back for the first of what should be many times.

The surprise placing of Raul Ibanez on the 15-day disabled list with a groin injury in the wake of a suspicious "new-shoe" Achilles' heel problem - nice try, Charlie - should be a wake-up call. It should remind general manager Ruben Amaro that bleep can come flying out of the blue to happen at the worst possible time. This late-breaking bulletin: 37-year-old ballplayers do tweak body parts vital to performance - even those who sleep in hyperbaric oxygen chambers and are fitter than Jack LaLanne.

Interestingly, Stanford man Amaro had Stanford men John Mayberry Jr. and Michael Taylor to choose from as Raul's replacement in Charlie Manuel's strong but shallow outfield. OK, if you want to count Greg Dobbs and Eric Bruntlett, the Phillies' only infield reserves as outfield options, just remember your king is in check with limited moves.

Mayberry got the recall even though Taylor is an Eastern League MVP candidate at Reading and the man he replaced in the outfield at Palo Alto was scuffling up the road at Triple A Lehigh Valley. Calling up Taylor, who is Top 5 in just about every EL offensive category, would have started the dreaded service-time clock, a timepiece that can cost more than a beachfront home in Avalon by the time the arbitration meter kicks in.

My assessment did not stop Mayberry from pounding a single and homer in yesterday's slump-extending, 8-7 loss to the broom-wielding Toronto Blue Jays. But the rightfielder helped give his run back when Scott Rolen legged a single into a double after noticing John's casual pursuit of the ball. Later, he gunned down a run at the plate with a fine throw. Maybe Ruben should call up John on alternate days. The last time they summoned him as an interleague-play DH, he clubbed a three-run Yankee Stadium homer in his big-league debut.

But the numbers are the numbers . . .