Clubhouse

TONIGHT, Pat Burrell will throw out the first pitch in San Francisco. On May 19, he will sign a 1-day minor league contract so he can retire a Phillie. For years, Burrell's influence on the organization will be felt. Around Burrell, the Phillies constructed a ballclub that won the last five National League East titles; a club that won the World Series in 2008 and went to another Series in 2009, after Burrell left for Tampa Bay. He was not the best player on any of his Phillies teams.

ST. LOUIS - You just never know what you're going to see when you walk into a big-league clubhouse. You might find Roy Halladay displaying the same sort of remarkable command with a toy helicopter that he has with his arsenal of pitches during a game; that's a common sight in the Phillies clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park. You might see a hitting display from Joseph Contreras, the youngest son of Phillies reliever Jose; the kid is talented beyond his years. But what we saw in the visitors clubhouse before Wednesday's game at Busch Stadium was as unpredictable as it gets.

The Marple Township Board of Commissioners has failed to reach a consensus on whether to close the clubhouse facilities at Paxon Hollow Country Club. At a meeting Monday, the board voted, 3-3, on a move to close the clubhouse. Commissioner Mark DiGiovanni was absent. The fate of the clubhouse, which needs repairs and is costly to keep open, will be decided at a special meeting next month. "It's a bad building," said Martin Nash, president of the board of commissioners, referring to the clubhouse's asbestos insulation and leaky pipes.

Ryan Howard is a relative newcomer to the major leagues and a first-timer when it comes to performing in the heat of a pennant race. Yet the Phillies' rookie first baseman has been taken aback by the almost laid-back atmosphere he finds in the team's locker room. "If you were to hang around the clubhouse, you wouldn't even think we're in a pennant race," Howard said before last night's 12-4 win over the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. "Everybody is relaxed and loose, and that is probably one of the biggest things I've seen.

Pasquale "Pat the Cat" Spirito wasn't being childish when he complained about strangers coming to a mob clubhouse at 1838 Bancroft St. in South Philadelphia. He was trying to be smart and stay out of jail. A hidden FBI microphone captured Spirito hollering about several men he did not know who stopped by the clubhouse. Admitted mob soldier Nicholas "Nicky Crow" Caramandi testified yesterday that the visitors were victims of shakedowns who were dropping off weekly payments, or "elbow," to the mob in exchange for being allowed to continue their illegal activities.

The Klein Co. of Philadelphia got permission Monday night to start blasting the foundation for the PineCrest Golf Club and Residential Community clubhouse in Montgomery Township. The township supervisors voted, 2-0, to approve a foundation permit with the agreement that Klein realizes it is proceeding at its own risk because the clubhouse building permit has not been approved. Klein Development director Clay L. Chandler told supervisors that the company needs to get started on the clubhouse before winter, or it might not be able to meet its planned July 1 opening date.

The Clifton Heights Police Athletic League will reach a milestone today with the dedication of its new PAL clubhouse on the North Glenwood Avenue field. About 50 to 75 league officers, parents and supporters will gather in the building for a 2 p.m. ribbon-cutting, refreshments, speech-making and a lots of thank-yous. "If we try to thank all of the people who helped this building become a reality, we'd never finish the ceremony," said Donald C. Schirg, PAL president and program chairman.

There was at least one place in this town where people seemed reluctant to talk about Pete Rose's legal victory, where smiles were scarce and answers were terse. That would be the Reds' clubhouse after yesterday's 7-0 loss to Orel Hershiser and the Los Angeles Dodgers. "I'm not talking," Reds leftfielder Ken Griffey said, turning his back on reporters who had hoped to ask him about his manager and former teammate. "I don't want to talk about Pete," rightfielder Paul O'Neill said.

The sullen heat and humidity had vacated Veterans Stadium and left behind a perfectly pleasant evening for a baseball game. The Pittsburgh Pirates were in first place. The Phillies had won four of their last five. So why weren't these people smiling last night? Pirates manager Jim Leyland went out to jaw at second-base umpire Joe West in the fifth inning. Phillies manager Jim Fregosi went nose-to-nose with West in the sixth, protesting so forcefully that he was ejected for the second time this year.

Construction bids for a clubhouse at Five Ponds golf course in Warminster have come in so much higher than expected that township officials are reevaluating its design. The clubhouse was expected to cost about $2.2 million, but at a meeting Thursday night, bids came in at nearly $2.75 million. The increase is due to the booming construction industry, which has resulted in a market more friendly to sellers than buyers, said Bernard O'Neill, president of the township Board of Supervisors.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera says he will return to the mound by 2013, vowing to overcome a knee injury that figures to end his season. Rivera had hinted at the start of spring training that he would retire after this season, and he wasn't sure what he would do after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament and damaging the meniscus in his right knee while shagging fly balls during batting practice Thursday. In the visitors clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium on Friday, the 42-year-old sat on a stool in front of his locker and firmly said that he will not allow his career to end this way. "I'm coming back.

TONIGHT, Pat Burrell will throw out the first pitch in San Francisco. On May 19, he will sign a 1-day minor league contract so he can retire a Phillie. For years, Burrell's influence on the organization will be felt. Around Burrell, the Phillies constructed a ballclub that won the last five National League East titles; a club that won the World Series in 2008 and went to another Series in 2009, after Burrell left for Tampa Bay. He was not the best player on any of his Phillies teams.

Suspended Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen's apology tour continued Wednesday, speaking to his players inside the Citizens Bank Park visitors' clubhouse before it was opened to reporters. Guillen arrived at the clubhouse just before 4 p.m. to tell his players he was sorry for saying he admired and loved Fidel Castro in an interview with Time magazine - a comment that angered Miami's Cuban American community. The team suspended Guillen for five games, beginning with Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - He allowed himself a 2-hour pout. That was it. For 2 hours after hearing that Jimmy Rollins had re-signed with the Phillies last December, Freddy Galvis felt a little sorry for himself, forlorn, maybe even depressed. "Everybody would be like that, though," he was saying as he sat on a chair on one of the back fields of the Carpenter Complex the other day. "When you have a dream that you want to play in the big leagues and you feel like you've gotten closer and then the guy who is playing in front of you just signed for 3 years, the first thing you say is, 'Wow, I'm going to go to the minors again.' " We are on the back field at his request, out of view of the Phillies' veteran clubhouse.

Red Sox starters will have to wash down their fried chicken with soft drinks this season after new manager Bobby Valentine established dry ground rules for the clubhouse and road trips. The team will ban alcohol in the clubhouse and on the last plane flight of trips, Valentine announced at the team's training camp in Fort Myers, Fla., on Saturday. The move comes as a result of last season's September collapse, a tailspin that included reports of starting pitchers drinking beer in the clubhouse on their off-days rather than joining their teammates in the dugout.

JAMIE MOYER has a few more gray hairs than most of his teammates and he may have lost a step or two. It's hard to tell as his eyes light up when talk turns to baseball and, suddenly, he seems as youthful as 22-year-old Tyler Chatwood, who sits on a nearby locker stool listening to the 49-year-old lefthander. Moyer last pitched with the Phillies in July 2010. He then had elbow-ligament replacement surgery on his left elbow and many thought his major league career was over. Moyer, who was in camp yesterday in Scottsdale, Ariz., begs to differ.

WHEN IT COMES to wowing the Mummers judges, parade placement is key. Performing last is an unenviable spot; by then, the judges and spectators might be tired and distracted. But last was lucky for the Woodland String Band at Sunday's Mummers Parade. The band snagged first place for the first time in its 87-year history. "Best for last," Fran Kerr, Woodland's music director and arranger, gushed yesterday at their clubhouse on 3rd Street near Snyder. "Lasting impression," agreed Matt Kerr, his brother and Woodland's drill master, makeup still staining his face.

AFTER HIS TEAM fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series last month, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. made it very clear that his chief concerns this offseason would be solidifying the team's shortstop and closer positions. Amaro quickly filled the closer position yesterday by officially signing former Boston Red Sox righthander Jonathan Papelbon to a $50 million, 4-year contract. The Papelbon deal is the second major signing by the Phillies already this offseason after the team agreed to a $1.25 million, 1-year contract with 41-year-old slugger and former Phillie Jim Thome 2 weeks ago. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel could not be more thrilled by either move.

Lawrence Crovetti, arrested last month on charges of promoting prostitution at a South Philadelphia Mummers clubhouse, was ordered to stand trial Tuesday. Municipal Court Judge Teresa Carr Deni ruled after a preliminary hearing during which two police officers testified that they were propositioned for sex by 10 women while working undercover in the Downtowners Fancy Brigade clubhouse, Second Street and Snyder Avenue. Defense attorney George Henry Newman declared that Crovetti, 65, of Feasterville, was innocent.