Era

THE SUDDEN death of Carol Ann Campbell has cost this city one of its best practitioners of full-contact politics. Campbell, who succumbed this week to a lengthy illness, was one of the best friends and worst enemies you could make. She was tireless in her efforts on behalf of her allies and relentless when she went after those who would thwart her initiatives. But she was consistently on the side of the powerless. Whether in her leadership roles with the Democratic City Committee, the black ward leaders or the Democratic National Committee, Carol Campbell's goal was to exert influence on behalf of people whose interests are rarely brokered in the back rooms.

La Salle University's basketball team has been invited to appear in the Big Apple NIT next season, and in the Sugar Bowl Classic the season after that. The Explorers' appeal to preseason and holiday tournament selection committees in the next two seasons more or less corresponds with the major reason for their success over the past two seasons: the presence in the lineup of sophomore Lionel Simmons. Simmons, who leads La Salle (24-9) against Kansas State (22-8) in a first- round NCAA Midwest Regional game tonight in South Bend, Ind., already has a status few players ever can hope to attain.

Not in the history of Philadelphia has this 29-year-old black female seen such a massive turn-out for a politician, where multitudes of grief stricken- people gathered in hot, humid weather to see Philadelphia's Great One, the Big Bambino, the Cisco Kid or whatever it is you called him (nice or nasty) laid out for all to see one final time. Whether you liked Frank Rizzo or not, you have to admit that in one way or the other, he has had a great impact (positive or negative) on Philadelphia and its people in some kind of way. There was an ambivalent relationship between Rizzo and the people.

THE TIME IS long overdue to correct some misconceptions about the Eagles. They are no longer a football team that can compete at the highest NFL levels. The last game of the playoffs against the Arizona Cardinals told the tale. With one quarter left and leading, they couldn't prevent a team that they walloped by more than 20 points earlier in the year from scoring. The vaunted defense was nowhere, and it would be safe to say they were beat up physically. The Eagles, with an aging quarterback, a questionable punter and a defense that has to be rebuilt, will go nowhere for the next five to seven years.

There are plenty of reasons for the Phillies' stumbling start. None more significant, or more disturbing, than lousy pitching. Except for Danny Jackson and, for the most part, Doug Jones, these Phillies pitchers would be caned if they played in Singapore. A staff that finished with a 3.95 ERA in 1993 now carries a 4.58 ERA. Aside from Jackson, the starters are 2-6. Jackson has the only complete game. The bullpen has been worse. The most troubling story, though, because of the spot he occupies, is probably Curt Schilling's.

There are certain landmark weeks in baseball history that no one ever will forget. Here at Week in Review headquarters, we think last week was one of them. Any time some Jose Oquendo-type impostor goes to the pitcher's mound, it's always a big week from our standpoint. But last week, we didn't have just one mystery pitcher out there toeing the rubber. We had four of them. On Monday, it was second baseman-turned-righthanded reliever Tom Foley hurling for the Expos in a 19-6 loss to the Reds.

The Catholic Academies softball playoffs open this afternoon for Nazareth. The PIAA District 1 playoffs are just around the corner. Pandas coach Bob Keating can't think of anyone he would rather have on the mound at this time of year than junior pitcher Kelli Haskins. "We've had the chance to play a lot of teams outside our league because we've been trying to play a tougher schedule," Keating said. "We've played teams from Bucks County and Montgomery County. We've seen good pitchers.

Chris Meyer has cultivated a fundamentally solid team, without any real superstar player. No ego battles. No arguing over positions in the batting order, or who is pitching where in the rotation. Meyer has not been afraid to travel around and expose his team to possibly better teams. All of that has led the Upper Darby American Legion team to a 9-1 (15-6 overall) record in the Main Line American Legion League - and first place. "I think I've had more talent on past teams, but this group is young and aggressive, and they pay attention, which is something I haven't had a lot of success with in the past," said Meyer, who is in his seventh year as coach.

Charlie Manuel must be jealous. He has used 25 pitchers this season in an effort to stitch together a staff after injuries to Freddy Garcia, Jon Lieber, Brett Myers and Tom Gordon. He is two pitchers short of the team-record 27 pitchers used in 2000, when the Phillies finished 65-97. Consequently, the Phillies entered last night's three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium with the worst ERA in the National League and the third-worst ERA in baseball at 4.94.

The night before he slipped out of the United States in 1970, fugitive Pete O'Neal gazed out of a New York apartment and absorbed the ordinary street scene below. "I told myself: You have to etch this scene in your memory because it may be the last thing you see in America for two or three years," said O'Neal, the former head of the radical Black Panther Party's chapter in Kansas City. Three years became three decades, and the vision of a Lower East Side delicatessen is still O'Neal's last memory of America.

When he wore that slouch hat and blue frock coat 150 years ago, Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade faced a crucial choice that could affect the outcome of the Civil War: Fight or flee? Across an open field at Gettysburg, the Confederate Army under its legendary commander, Robert E. Lee, was preparing a final all-out attack that would become known as Pickett's Charge. Meade stayed put and won the battle on July 3, 1863 - and now, his wool felt hat, with two bullet holes from earlier fighting at Fredericksburg, Va., and the coat with the major general's shoulder straps are part of an exhibit, "Treasures of the Civil War," at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center.

Clearing the Record In Monday's Sports section, the ERA of Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick was mistakenly reported as being lowered after Sunday's game. It was raised from 2.45 to 2.47.  

BIRJAND, Iran - When many struggling families in this eastern Iranian city take stock of departing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's legacy, it's not about the oratory full of bluster and menace or his tussles with Iran's ruling clerics that are known to much of the world. What matters more here are the dusty rows of government-subsidized, two-story apartment buildings on the outskirts of the once-neglected outpost - testament to an effective populist outreach that has won the president millions of loyal backers in the provinces.

On Thursday, Charlie Manuel will pass Gene Mauch as the longest-serving manager in Phillies history, which is quite an accomplishment given the historically poor record the Phillies compiled until recent days. Manuel is not only the dean of Philadelphia team managers, but he is also unusual in that he has remained popular with a fan base known for its toughness and fickleness. The two managers were vastly different characters. Mauch was the baseball sharpie, honed in the Leo Durocher image of knock down your mother if it means winning a game.

MIAMI - The two longest-tenured players in the visiting clubhouse at Marlins Park toasted Roy Halladay with a magnum-sized champagne bottle that included a congratulatory inscription and photos of the pitcher, too. After Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley were through, the soft-spoken Halladay had a chance to talk but stayed in character. He smiled, thanked them and said he'd rather have a World Series than a celebration for his 200th career win. "The personal milestones are great," Halladay said on Sunday, when he threw eight sharp innings in a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins.

It's another week of slim pickings with new DVD releases. Howdy Kids: Saturday Afternoon Western Roundup, Grade B-plus : If you grew up in the 1950s, then this is a three-DVD set you have to own. It's a fun trip back to Saturdays when heroes - who rode horses, flew planes, and even got around in a jeep - ruled the television airwaves. There are 25 episodes of live-action programming originally designed to entertain children. Included are episodes of The Lone Ranger , The Range Rider , The Rifleman , The Adventures Of Rick O'Shay, Fury, The Roy Rogers Show, Annie Oakley, The Adventures of Kit Carson, The Adventures of Champion, The Cisco Kid, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, Sky King, Red Ryder, and Buffalo Bill Jr. Everyone will find a favorite, but two of the standouts are Sky King - whose hero battled bad guys using an airplane - and Sergeant Preston of the Yukon - whose companion was King, a dog billed as a husky but that was really an Alaskan malamute.

ATLANTA - Ender Inciarte said it was "like a dream come true" to make it to the big leagues on Opening Day. Less than 24 hours later, his dream came to an end, at least in Philadelphia. The Phils claimed fellow Venezuelan outfielder Ezequiel Carrera off waivers from the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday afternoon. To make room for Carrera on the roster, Inciarte was designated for assignment. Why Carrera over Inciarte? The 22-year-old Inciarte has never played in a game above the Class A level.

Setup: Fitz Dixon buys the 76ers from Irv Kosloff for $8 million with the hope of bringing an NBA championship to Philadelphia. When told that superstar Julius Erving of the New York Nets might be available, Dixon, after being told who Julius Erving actually was, instructed general manager Pat Williams to get him. Dixon wrote a check for $3 million made out to the New York Nets and gave Erving $3 million in salary. The fans were thrilled, and an NBA championship . . . not so fast. FITZ EUGENE Dixon, despite spending his summers in his native Maine and winters in Florida, was a true Philadelphian.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The first drill on the first day of Penn State's spring practice Monday was simple enough: Wide receivers took on a cornerback one-on-one. The quarterbacks threw. The entire team stood on the sideline watching. Three repetitions in, coach Bill O'Brien didn't like what he saw. So he blew his whistle and stormed across the field. His face turned red. His voice echoed through Holuba Hall, the Nittany Lions' 118,000-square-foot indoor practice facility. "I'm not taking that this year," O'Brien shouted.

I think it's about time to reassess my position on the 76ers and star-crossed center Andrew Bynum - no, not the trade itself, because I thought it was a good one in August, and I'm not going to turn on it, even though it has blown up in the Sixers' faces. But I have been pointing out the risk of exacerbating the problem. I've looked at what the Sixers gave up to acquire Bynum and said the only chance to recover is for them to risk re-signing him and hope his battered knees can give you 70 games and the playoffs for at least three seasons.