Angels

Few shows in this Philly Fringe will plumb the depths of the human psyche more than Witold Gombrowicz's Ivona, Princess of Burgundia . When courtiers in this fictional kingdom encounter the hideous Ivona (Heather Cole), they find her passive ugliness increasingly disturbing, an unbearable affront. She returns their teasing malice with rage-inspiring apathy. Prince Phillip (David Stanger) turns ridicule into a ruse; he decides to marry the girl, throwing the royal family into a murderous fury.

It's been more than a week since Roger Clemens blew away the Bridgeport Bluefish in his Sugar Land Skeeters debut, so naturally the Rocket is tanned, rested, and ready for his next challenge: beating up the Long Island Ducks. His next outing will be Friday vs. the Ducks on what is also being billed as "Bollywood Night" at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas. You may recall that in his last outing Clemens threw 31/3 scoreless innings in a game that was televised by ESPN. This time around, the hype continues, even if there was no word Friday on whether the game will be televised by anyone.

I AM WRITING this letter in response to an encounter my family recently had with two members of the Philadelphia Police Department. I am a resident of Los Angeles but I grew up in Philadelphia and my mother and sister still live in the Northeast. On a recent visit my son - who is 13 years old and has developmental and emotional challenges - became confused and agitated and he ran off and could not be located. A nearly two-hour search had no luck in locating him. We did not contact the police, even though we were concerned, because my son is somewhat autistic and he has reacted negatively to uniformed authority in the past.

When Angels phenom Mike Trout stole two bases against the Red Sox on Thursday, the Millville marvel became the youngest player since at least 1901 to steal 40 bases and hit 20 homers in a season, Los Angeles of Anaheim's website says. (We figure they're using 1901 as a benchmark just in case some Sioux City Cornhuskers strongboy had better numbers in the century before last.) Trout was 21 years, 16 days when he did it. The Houston Astros' Cesar Cedeno accomplished the feat in 1972 at 21 years, six months and one day. Trout leads all rookies this year with 24 homers, 72 RBIs and 45 walks - and having his head screwed on straight.

THE TAMPA BAY RAYS made Felix Hernandez's perfect game look even more impressive by roughing up the visiting Los Angeles Angels during an impressive four-game series sweep. Matt Moore (10-7) shrugged off home runs by Mike Trout and Albert Pujols on Sunday to win his fourth straight decision, and the Rays beat the fading Angels, 8-3. Tampa Bay tagged Zack Greinke (1-2) and outscored the Angels 37-14 in the series - setting a franchise record for runs in a four-game set. "I really believe that's a testament to our players and the way they are able to put things in the trash can immediately afterwards if something bad happens," manager Joe Maddon said.

Rookies are supposed to cave against pitchers like Seattle's Felix Hernandez, but Mike Trout is no ordinary rookie. The pride of Millville tied a career high Friday night with five RBIs, including a three-run homer and a rare two-run sacrifice fly, to lead the Angels to a wild, 6-5 win over the Mariners. "You're talking about one of the best pitchers in the game - one of the top-five strikeout leaders - and Trout stood up to him. That's the type of player he is . . . He's a bulldog," Angels outfielder Torii Hunter gushed.

Marvin Hamlisch, 68, who composed or arranged the scores for dozens of movies, including The Sting and the Broadway smash A Chorus Line , has died in Los Angeles. Hamlisch collapsed and died Monday after a brief illness, his publicist Ken Sunshine said, citing the family. Other details were not released. Hamlisch's career included composing, conducting and arranging music from Broadway to Hollywood, from symphonies to R&B hits. He won every major award in his career, including three Academy Awards, four Emmys, four Grammys, a Tony and three Golden Globes.

Commissioner Bud Selig has reiterated that Major League Baseball intends to extend the use of instant replay. "We're now going to add it on trapped balls in the outfield and, as I call them, bullets [fair or foul] down the right- and left-field lines," Selig said Friday during an interview on ESPN Radio. Although he's been saying such things since the all-star break, his latest comments indicate that he's not backing down - and that the game will never be the same. Consider this: Selig wants instant replay on trapped balls.

LOS ANGELES – If the Phillies are going to make the kind of second-half run they insist is possible, they likely will need to utilize the same formula that Monday night led to a 3-2 win over the Dodgers. That means excellent starting pitching, near-flawless relief, and some timely hitting from their established stars. Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins both hit solo home runs, while Joe Blanton held the Dodgers to two runs over eight innings before turning things over to Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth as the Phillies won for the third time in four games since the All-Star break.

LOS ANGELES - The dream, impossible as it may seem, is to make this baseball season interesting again. Win series after series after series and see whether it's enough to get into the playoffs come October. You may not believe it can happen, but the Phillies have to believe. The only way they will add converts is by beating good teams, a mission they rarely have accomplished this season. On Monday night, for only the 19th time in 55 games, the Phillies beat a team that currently has a record of .500 or better.