Doug Glanville

Dressing in the same Florida clubhouse where Phillies players with names like Puddin' Head and Putsy and Nails and Bubba have laced their spikes for a half-century, talking about little else but baseball, women and beer, Doug Glanville is a curiosity. When he was a Penn engineering student, playing college baseball at Bower Field, where the clamor of passing trains often halted games, Glanville wrote a 120-page senior thesis on the transportation changes that a 30th Street stadium would necessitate.

As another losing Phillies season trickles down to the last few days, the prevailing sentiment is that there's nothing left to play for. Don't tell that to Doug Glanville. Or Carlton Loewer. Or Marlon Anderson. Or Billy Brewer. They had plenty riding on last night's game. All four made strong contributions as the Phillies upended the Chicago Cubs, 5-0, at Veterans Stadium. With four games remaining, the Phillies have matched last season's win total of 75. Ultimately, the night belonged to Glanville.

Jose Santiago, a righthanded reliever for the Phillies, avoided arbitration yesterday by agreeing to a one-year contract for $700,000, the team said. Santiago, acquired from Kansas City in a trade for Paul Byrd on June 5, was 2-4 with a 3.61 earned run average in 53 games with the Phillies. He was 2-2 with a 6.75 ERA in 20 games with the Royals. Santiago's combined total of 91 2/3 innings was the fifth-highest among relievers in the major leagues. He is 17-18 with a 4.43 ERA and four saves in his career.

Phillies utility player Rex Hudler has one at-bat in the last two weeks. He hasn't started a game since April 19. He's played so little that it's difficult to imagine he wouldn't be pretty rusty if manager Terry Francona ever decided he needed to put him in a game. "That's a tough one," the manager said. "And I know it's tough on him. Bobby [Abreu] is swinging the bat so well. When we decide to give Mark Lewis a rest at second, that's usually KJ [Kevin Jordan]. Doug Glanville has hit in [31 of his last 32]

It sometimes seems that the person least concerned with l'affaire Dykstra that has gripped the Phillies spring training base the last two days is the guy it most directly affects: Doug Glanville. One will be the Phillies regular centerfielder. One will not. For Glanville, this is nothing new. "When I was in the Cubs system, it was always somebody," he pointed out. "First it was Scott Bullett. Then Brian McRae. Then Brooks Kieschnick. Then Lance Johnson. After a while, you realize that it doesn't matter.

The man who usually orchestrates Phillies transactions found himself the subject of one yesterday. General manager Ed Wade was given a two-year contract extension through 2002. On Nov. 1, Wade will reach the rollover date, and his contract will automatically be extended through 2003. Wade, 43, has been in charge of the Phillies' baseball operations for two years. He took over for Lee Thomas on Dec. 9, 1997, as acting general manager. He was named vice president and general manager three months later.

Ricky Bottalico struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to earn his first career save at Wrigley Field. But considering the strikeouts were scattered amid three hits, an intentional walk, a wild pitch and a run, it was a save only Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams could love. "I just need to make a couple of adjustments," said Bottalico, who corrected a tendency to fall to the first-base side of the mound in time to end the game by striking out pinch-hitters Brooks Kieschnick and Mike Hubbard.

1999: If SAT scores mattered, these Phillies might have won more than 77 games. Penn grad Doug Glanville joined the team the season before. In 1999, he stroked hits from line to line. By the time the season was over, he had 204 hits, the second most in the league. Glanville's 149 singles were the most in the NL, but the Phils still finished 26 games back in the standings. 2008: These Phils are known around the league as a smart team. Jamie Moyer is one of the game's most cerebral pitchers, And if you're looking to bring the GPA up, there's always utility man Eric Bruntlett, who has a degree in economics from Stanford.

This was the moment Paul Byrd had been waiting for. He went to the mound of Mike Schmidt Field yesterday to pitch live batting practice. It was the first time he'd faced hitters since undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery last August. It didn't go well. In fact, Byrd indicated that he would not pitch BP when he's next scheduled to throw tomorrow. "I don't think throwing 70 miles an hour to hitters is going to help me at all," he said. "If I need to play long toss or whatever, I'll do that.

Mike Lieberthal squatted behind the plate at Cinergy Field. He hoped the batter, Ken Griffey Jr., would hit a home run. And that was fine. Because then the moviemakers could wrap up the scene for "Summer Catch" they were filming yesterday afternoon and Lieberthal could go to the clubhouse and rest. The movie, starring Brian Dennehy, Jessica Biel and Freddie Prinze Jr., is scheduled to be released next spring. Lieberthal, centerfielder Doug Glanville and Pat Burrell, who moved back to first base for the sake of his art, had bit parts.

SAN FRANCISCO - Last November, Frank Coppenbarger sent a text message to Pat Burrell. Coppenbarger, the Phillies' longtime director of travel and clubhouse services, floated the idea of Burrell returning to Philadelphia sometime during the 2012 season for a retirement ceremony. Burrell had witnessed similar events for Doug Glanville and Mike Lieberthal. He was intrigued by the idea but unsure whether he wanted the added attention as he adapts to life without the daily routine of baseball.

JIMMY ROLLINS is leaning back in one of the generic black office chairs that are situated in front of each of the lockers at Bright House Field. From his corner of the clubhouse, the Phillies shortstop can see the entire room: the plush carpet, the flat-screen televisions flickering silently on either end, the tables where each morning players like Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt eat their breakfast and read newspapers and talk about fishing in a communal start to the day. Ten years ago, Phillies legend Larry Bowa began his first spring as manager by labeling a cocksure 22-year-old as the leading contender to start at shortstop.

A Ballplayer's Inside View By Doug Glanville Times Books. 304 pp. $25 Reviewed by David Cohen Doug Glanville is smart. It's gratifying to be able to draw that conclusion from his book on baseball, given that professional athletes are often assumed to be dumb - and that there are numerous examples proving that stereotype to be true. Glanville is a former Penn engineering student who played for the Phillies (1998-2002, 2004) during a nine-year big-league career. He's written a book that doesn't fit into any of the usual niches for baseball tomes.

2001: The Phillies made a good defensive team even better with the debut of 22-year-old rookie Jimmy Rollins as their everyday shortstop. Rollins finished third in the league among shortstops in fielding percentage and served as the team's sole representative in the All-Star Game. Third baseman Scott Rolen combined with Rollins to form an airtight left side of the infield and ended the season winning his third Gold Glove Award. The Phillies also had a fine defensive presence in centerfielder Doug Glanville.

1999: If SAT scores mattered, these Phillies might have won more than 77 games. Penn grad Doug Glanville joined the team the season before. In 1999, he stroked hits from line to line. By the time the season was over, he had 204 hits, the second most in the league. Glanville's 149 singles were the most in the NL, but the Phils still finished 26 games back in the standings. 2008: These Phils are known around the league as a smart team. Jamie Moyer is one of the game's most cerebral pitchers, And if you're looking to bring the GPA up, there's always utility man Eric Bruntlett, who has a degree in economics from Stanford.

ELEVEN RUNS, six games. It happens to the Phillies every 7 years, like clockwork (and locusts). The last time the team went through a batting slump that came close to mirroring June 17-24 of this season was back in 2001. Ah, memories. Larry Bowa was a brand-new manager with the team, with years of unsettling facial contortions still ahead of him. Fan favorite Travis Lee was at first. Mr. Happy, third baseman Scott Rolen, was actively working to find a way to spread his joy somewhere else.

Doug Glanville officially retired as a member of the Phillies yesterday, but he could return. Glanville and the Phillies worked out a one-day contract so he could retire with the team, something they had discussed a few months ago. Glanville, who played with the Phillies from 1998 to 2002 and in 2004, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before a 7-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Citizens Bank Park. "It was a contract written in invisible ink," Glanville said. "Or an exploding contract.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel discovered a poster of Mr. Incredible taped to his office door yesterday at Bright House Networks Field. It seems that a few Phillies think Manuel has a resemblance to the cartoon character. A Mr. Incredible doll hangs between the lockers of Billy Wagner and Jon Lieber in the clubhouse. "That don't bother me," Manuel said. "It's funny in a nice way. I told them that looked like my physique 10 or 12 years ago. " On the poster, somebody has written a favorite expression of Manuel's: "Damn, son. We gonna hit!"

The Phillies last night locked up lefthanded relief pitcher Rheal Cormier for at least two more seasons as they turned their attention to starting pitching with free-agent Jon Lieber getting serious attention. The Phillies have made a multi-year offer to Lieber, the righthander who went 14-8 with a 4.33 ERA last season for the New York Yankees. Lieber's representative, Rex Gary, confirmed the offer last night and said that he and the Phillies have had "serious" discussions, although he said that he is speaking with other teams, including the Yankees.

Eric Milton's penchant for serving up the long ball continued last night as the Phillies played their first game under interim manager Gary Varsho. In seven innings, Milton allowed just three hits, but two of them were homers as the Phils dropped a 4-3 decision to the Marlins. The lefthander has allowed 43 homers, the most in the National League. The Phils' clubhouse was quiet after the game. Most said they felt at least partly responsible for Larry Bowa's dismissal. "The players are the only ones to blame for his firing," said Milton, who reached 200 innings for the fourth time in his career.