Rookie skipper Morandini at home with Williamsport

WILLIAMSPORT - When he broke in with the Phillies in 1990, he was a wiry kid with longish hair who looked like somebody's little brother. Now he is 45, broader in the chest and arms and wearing a buzz haircut.

Maybe the short hair conveys a military or father figure, a role he sometimes has to play as manager of a team of very young players in the minor leagues.

It has been nearly 2 decades since Mickey Morandini was a part of the 1993 Phillies, one of the franchise's greatest seasons, and even then he knew he wanted to stay in the game when he was done playing. When he retired 10 years ago, the club asked if he would be interested in managing in the low minors. But his three sons were just 6, 4, and less than a year old. Morandini wanted to watch them grow up, so he told the club, not at this time.

He coached high school baseball back home in Chesterton, Ind. For several years, he participated in the Phillies' fantasy camp with his '93 teammates Kevin Stocker, John Kruk, Mitch Williams and Ricky Jordan. For 2 years, he was a guest instructor in spring training with the Phillies.

Now that his boys are older, and realizing he still had connections in the Phillies' front office, he wanted to make the most of that opportunity. Earlier this year, he let the organization know he would be happy to return.

In June, he began his inaugural season as manager of the Williamsport Crosscutters, a short-season team in the New York-Penn League.

Morandini has noticed one difference between coaching a high school team and managing in the minor leagues.

"I don't have to deal with parents," he said from his small office at Bowman Field, which is hosting a Mickey Morandini Bobblehead Giveway for tomorrow night's game against the State College Spikes.

There are also similarities between the two jobs: "You have to have some patience, realize you're developing kids who are making mistakes, and my job is to correct those mistakes and get them heading in the right direction," Morandini said last Saturday.

Later that night, the Crosscutters lost, 4-3, to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. The opposition scored two runs on a botched doubleplay, and a Crosscutter runner was picked off first following a missed bunt attempt. After the game, Morandini said those errors "will be discussed. Absolutely."

"He holds the kids accountable," said Gabe Sinicropi, the club's general manager, "and the players appreciate that.