Phillies pitcher Happ controls his pitches and emotions

SEE THE BASEBALL player. See him losing his temper on "SportsCenter." See him trashing the dugout, throwing his glove, knocking over the water cooler with a bat.

J.A. Happ doesn't want to be that guy.

See the ballplayer. See him getting rattled on YouTube when a fielder makes an error behind him. See him flipping out at the umpire, broadcasting his disgust, getting thrown out of the game.

The Phillies' rookie lefthander doesn't want to be that guy, either.

"I think if you watch the highlights or replays, they're going to show you doing that kind of stuff. And I'd rather not be seen like that," he said recently when asked about his lack of outward emotion. "That's not what's on your mind at the time, but you know that's a possible repercussion of that being replayed over and over."

Happ has won 12 games this season, tied for the staff lead even though he didn't make his first start until May 23. His 2.93 earned run average was the lowest among Phillies starting pitchers. He has a chance to be voted the National League Rookie of the Year.

He figures to play a big role once the National League Division Series against the Rockies gets under way tomorrow at Citizens Bank Park. It's just that the team hasn't announced exactly what that role will be. He might be in the rotation. Or the presence of veteran Pedro Martinez and the season-ending elbow injury to J.C. Romero could dictate that he be used out of the bullpen.

Either way, you're about as likely to see him create a scene as you'd be to see Ryan Howard bat righthanded.

That's reasonable. That's sensible. That's smart. It's also, in an image-driven world, the sort of approach that can create the impression that a player doesn't care quite enough.

"It's not because I'm not mad or I don't care. It's just the opposite," the 26-year-old said. "I think it's just a situation where I've seen it happen and I've seen the reaction of other people when they see people do that. I don't want to say the word 'unprofessional' because in this game there's a lot at stake and it's understandable. But at the same time, I just want to try to let my teammates know, 'Yeah, I'm definitely frustrated but at the same time I'm still in control and we're going to try to get through it.' "

The fact is that Happ does vent at times. He just does it out of sight, up the tunnel or in the clubhouse.