Carlos Ruiz

The white T-shirts were sprawled across the chairs sitting in front of every locker in the Phillies' clubhouse. They read "Vote for Chooch," the words of a promotional campaign to gin up votes for catcher Carlos Ruiz's bid for an All-Star berth. The players were supposed to wear them during batting practice, in a display of camaraderie that was part solidarity, part infomercial. The reason behind the shirts was simple. It was mid-June and Ruiz trailed in the fans' All-Star voting, despite putting up All-Star worthy numbers, including boasting the best batting average in baseball.

At 2:03 a.m. yesterday, cameras and microphones engulfed an unlikely man in the Phillies' clubhouse. "You're killing me!" reliever Chad Durbin barked at catcher Carlos Ruiz. Walking back from a shower, Durbin couldn't find a path to his nearby dressing space. A media type moved. "I'm just kidding," Durbin said. "He deserves it. " Questions came in Spanish and English. The 29-year-old native of Panama answered them in the language they were asked, understanding he is now part of Phillies World Series lore, the living embodiment of the ups and downs of a long night.

SAN FRANCISCO - Carlos Ruiz took part in his daily pregame routine during batting practice at AT&T Park yesterday. He fielded ground balls at third base alongside Michael Young. But for the second time in the last five games, Ruiz did not start behind the plate when the Phillies took the field later in the night to take on the San Francisco Giants. Erik Kratz started at catcher in place of Ruiz, who is hitting .100 (2-for-20) since returning from his 25-game suspension. Over the weekend, Ruiz said he's still attempting to get into a comfort zone at the plate after his near monthlong absence.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The human side of the Carlos Ruiz story bubbled to the surface Wednesday, and it was a painful experience for all involved. For the first time since the late November news that the Phillies catcher had been suspended for 25 games after violating baseball's substance-abuse policy, Ruiz was required to do more than make a statement about his transgression. When he completed the first official workout of spring training with his teammates, Ruiz sat down for a group interview on a blue picnic table just beyond the left-field wall at Bright House Field.

Carlos Ruiz will be paid a career-high $5 million next season after the Phillies picked up his 2013 option Monday. What he will make beyond that from the Phillies remains to be seen. Ruiz' agent, Marc Kligman, said at this point the two sides have not talked about a long-term contract extension for the all-star catcher. "No, I haven't received phone calls or overtures from the Phillies regarding an extension for a new contract," Kligman said. Both sides declined the $5.5 million option on third baseman Placido Polanco for 2013.

APPARENTLY, the end of the regular season was not enough to stem the tide of bad news that has battered the Phillies for the bulk of 2012. On Tuesday, the team announced that it will play the first 25 games of the 2013 season without its most productive hitter from a year ago, as Carlos Ruiz serves a suspension for testing positive for a banned stimulant. According to a baseball source, Ruiz tested positive for an amphetamine commonly prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Adderall is the brand name)

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Along the back wall of the clubhouse, in front of the locker he has long called home, Carlos Ruiz sat and fiddled with an iPhone. The lineup card for the afternoon game against the Yankees was hanging on the bulletin board across the room. Once again, somebody else was starting for the Phillies at catcher. "I know what they are thinking," Ruiz said. "I have plenty of time to get ready for the season. " On Thursday, Ruiz will travel to Fort Myers for what will be only his third start since March 4. Once the Phillies break camp and fly north for a two-game exhibition series at Citizens Bank Park, the veteran catcher will head over to the Carpenter Complex and participate in extended spring training, where he will attempt to get himself into regular-season shape, along with a host of minor league players from the organization.

THE LAST TIME the Union played Chicago, Carlos Ruiz scored the game-winner on a volley that stunned Fire keeper Jon Conway and made him look silly. And Ruiz also won MLS Goal of the Week honors. Turns out it was the last time for him to do so in a Union uniform. Pending a few John Hancocks, Ruiz is set to leave the team for Mexican club Veracruz, according to a source. Ruiz didn't make the trip for tonight's game in the Windy City. The Union heads into the meaty part of its schedule without its leading goal scorer (Ruiz)

ATLANTA - Carlos Ruiz had to watch the video to make sure what he saw with his two eyes in the seventh inning of the Phillies' 10-2 rout of Atlanta on Saturday was correct, because it was too hard to believe at first. The Phillies catcher cued up the second pitch Braves reliever Scott Linebrink threw him, a 94-m.p.h. fastball high and inside. Swing and a miss. That put Ruiz, pinch-hitting for the first time this season, in an 0-2 hole. With the bases loaded, Ruiz could not have been expecting a strike from Linebrink.

Phillies setup man Mike Adams is listed as day-to-day with back spasms, but he hopes he doesn't have too many more days like Tuesday. Adams said he was hurt Sunday while shagging a fly ball in batting practice. On Tuesday, he tried to test his back by having a catch and did not have favorable results. "I feel better than I felt Tuesday," Adams said Wednesday afternoon after a 10-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians at Citizens Bank Park. "Yesterday I felt horrible. " He said he received an injection to try to loosen the muscle in an attempt to recover quicker.

ROY HALLADAY yesterday had surgery to repair his $20 million shoulder, which, with the rest of him, was 36 years and 1 day old. The surgery likely will end his season and surely will alter his career. Mike Adams, the Phillies' featured addition to their pitching staff, has pitched through aches all season and is shelved for the time being with a back injury. Veteran middle man Chad Durbin, usually lousy early in seasons, has been lousy early this season. Huge reliever Phillippe Aumont, a 24-year-old who had pitched in 31 major league games since he was called up in late August, has pitched like a giant 24-year-old with about a half-season of experience.

MAY IS A month in which any amount of optimism can be excused, and if you spend enough time scanning the airwaves and sports pages in this town you will find a number of sources attempting to talk themselves into believing in this Phillies team. Some of that might be the result of a coping mechanism - the thought of 4 months of meaningless baseball is a weighty thought to process - but even the most ardent of cynics cannot deny the multitude of variables that could blossom into positives between now and October.

PHOENIX - The Phillies won but Charlie Manuel was distracted. He uncapped a blue marker and doodled on his worn lineup card late Saturday night in the desert. He never lifted his head when asked about his hitters' finally executing in key situations to snap a three-game losing skid. The 69-year-old manager mumbled. He repeated a message heard so frequently in the last 13 months, and his plodding tone suggested that even Manuel had doubts about it. "We don't need to get down and everything," Manuel said.

SAN FRANCISCO - Carlos Ruiz took part in his daily pregame routine during batting practice at AT&T Park yesterday. He fielded ground balls at third base alongside Michael Young. But for the second time in the last five games, Ruiz did not start behind the plate when the Phillies took the field later in the night to take on the San Francisco Giants. Erik Kratz started at catcher in place of Ruiz, who is hitting .100 (2-for-20) since returning from his 25-game suspension. Over the weekend, Ruiz said he's still attempting to get into a comfort zone at the plate after his near monthlong absence.

A night after Phillies lefthander Cliff Lee suggested the team needed to show more pride, manager Charlie Manuel said the team has been proud but not productive enough. The Phillies lost two games in Cleveland by a combined 20-2 score. Lee was the losing pitcher in Wednesday's 6-0 defeat. Afterward, Lee talked about how the Phillies were pummeled in both games. "We have to have a little more pride than that and figure out a way to at least get back into the game and make it somewhat competitive," Lee said.

CLEVELAND - Cliff Lee arrived for the first time as a visiting player in the city where he forged one of the best lefthanded arms in the game. He gazed at an empty Progressive Field, a building he had not seen in four years, since the Indians dealt him to Philadelphia, and shrugged. "I was expecting it to be different," Lee said, "but it looks a lot the same. " That drum in the left-field bleachers was still there. A man pounded it and pounded it Wednesday night during the early innings of a 6-0 Phillies defeat.

IF BEN REVERE was hitting .300 and doing the types of things the Phillies envisioned when they acquired him from the Twins, he might have started in centerfield last night against the Marlins. But the diminutive speedster was hitting .204 with a .471 OPS that ranked ahead of only Adam LaRoche among qualified batters in the National League. On top of that, he had jammed a finger sliding into second base during the third inning of the Phillies' 6-0 loss to the Indians on Wednesday.

CLEVELAND - Roy Halladay sat alone on the dugout bench at Progressive Field. He placed his glove and cap there before whipping a white towel through the air to his sweat-soaked face. He crawled into his puffy jacket, put his hand on his chin, and sulked in the fourth inning of a 14-2 Phillies loss to the Indians. Eleven of the 21 batters he saw Tuesday reached base. Eight of them scored. Three of them hit two-run homers. "The best thing about that was we got through it," Charlie Manuel said.

NEW YORK - Here's a question: If Carlos Ruiz ever becomes unpopular with fans, how will he know? For example, when that familiar "Oooo" sound emanated from the Citi Field stands as Chooch walked to the plate for the first time yesterday afternoon, can we be certain it came entirely from the large Phillies contingent of the 28,990 attendees, and not some real boos from Mets fans? Yeah, we can. Because right now, at least, Ruiz is far more of a local hero than an opposition villain, even after a 2012 season in which he hit .325 with 16 home runs and 68 runs batted in, in just 114 games.