Jim Palmer says Phillies' aces are special in their own way

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Jim Palmer stood on the warning track just to the left of the third-base line, the sun and breeze of another perfect afternoon filtering around his athletic frame. It wasn't long before Charlie Manuel spotted him and ambled over, a red fungo bat in his hand. The Phillies manager faced Palmer in only five-at bats during his playing days, but he struck out in three of them and went hitless in the other two, so every time he sees the Hall of Fame righthander, he blames him for his short and unsuccessful major league career.

"You sent me to Japan," Palmer said with a laugh, mimicking Manuel's drawl.

Palmer turned to a couple of reporters standing behind him.

"That's what he says every time he sees me," he explained.

Palmer is 65 now, an Orioles broadcaster who is well past the days of Cy Young Awards and underwear ads. But four decades ago, he was the youngest member of one of the most productive rotations in major league history, a foursome that included 34-year-old lefty Mike Cuellar, 29-year-old righty Pat Dobson and 28-year-old lefty Dave McNally. Along with the righthanded Palmer, then 25 and already in his sixth big-league season, the foursome led the Orioles to a 101-57 record and the American League title. But thanks to a loss to the Pirates in the seventh game of the World Series, their current claim to fame is as the only team in the last 90 years to boast four 20-game winners.

In this current era of specialization and five-man rotations, it is hard to imagine any team matching the 1971 Orioles' feat. The last time a rotation even came close was in 1973, when Ken Holtzman, Vida Blue and Catfish Hunter went a combined 62-27 for the Oakland A's (their fourth-most victories were closer Rollie Fingers' seven). Since the 1994-95 strike, only four teams have boasted as many as two 20-game winners: the Diamondbacks (Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson) and Red Sox (Derek Lowe, Pedro Martinez) in 2002, the Diamondbacks (Schilling, Johnson) in 2001, and the Astros (Mike Hampton, Jose Lima) in 1999.

Palmer remembers '71 well, and one look at the rotation the Phillies have constructed this season brings the memories rushing back.

"It was a pretty special time for us," Palmer said. "It's just a comfortable situation. If you don't win on Monday, you know a guy is going to pick you up on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. It makes it a lot easier to go out and compete."