Bill Conlin: Manuel's champs have it all over Green's

The Phillies played Manuel Baseball, which at its baseline is Home Run Derby. The only missing element was Ramon Henderson, the former bullpen coach and batting practice pitcher who grooved Ryan Howard to the title at the Pittsburgh All-Star Game.

The record will show that Joe Torre's pitchers were named Padilla, Troncoso, Sherrill, Kershaw, Kuo and Belisario. But they were only aliases. We know that was really Ramon, throwing those middle-in meatballs Chris Wheeler so loves to describe.

Werth, three-run blast to right in the first . . . Pedro Feliz, a tracer to right off The Iguana leading off the second . . . Shane Victorino, a robust two-run launch deep into the seats in left in the sixth . . . Werth again, this time a solo jolt over the 409 sign to the left of center with one out in the seventh.

The Phils had amassed a 9-3 lead with just six hits.

And except for the high anxiety of bases loaded with nobody out in the eighth and Madson on a suddenly lonely hill, the six-run pad melted to 9-4 before he tightroped to safety. The bases stayed loaded. Ryan got three outs, the crowd a-rising, white-crested tsunami of sound.

The exhalation after Casey Blake bounced into a force was enough to snuff the burnoff on Refinery Row.

And in the sweetest bit of irony, Brad Lidge ended it with a 1-2-3 ninth. Enjoy . . .

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