Eric Bruntlett

Eric Bruntlett, sitting on a stool in front of his locker, pauses frequently while attempting to describe his status with the Phillies. "I feel like I'm . . . competing for a job," he says, his left hand exploring a thickening blond beard. "It's hard to find the right words for my situation. A guy like me . . . well, let's just say I don't know that I'm going to be around for another 10 years. " Bruntlett's career is defined by this type of uncertainty. The Phillies' everyman batted only .217 last season, with a .297 on-base percentage.

After his introductory news conference yesterday, Ruben Amaro left for the general managers' meetings in Dana Point, Calif. Those meetings were the site of one of the best trades of the Pat Gillick era. You could even argue that it worked out perfectly. A year ago, the Phillies acquired Brad Lidge and Eric Bruntlett from Houston for Michael Bourn, Geoff Geary and prospect Mike Costanzo. Along with any potential trades, Amaro has a number of issues with the current roster to address.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Continuing their search for both a righthanded hitter and a contingency plan should Chase Utley's hip rehabilitation extend into the regular season, the Phillies signed veteran utility man Miguel Cairo to a minor league contract yesterday. Cairo, who turns 35 in May, hit .249 with no home runs and 23 RBI in 221 at-bats for Seattle last season. His versatility - he played every position except centerfield and catcher last season - and his .284 career average as a pinch-hitter were obviously attractive to the Phillies.

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.

With a postseason walkoff hit under his belt, Jimmy Rollins can now take his place alongside fellow Phillies luminaries George Vukovich and Kim Batiste, as well as teammate Carlos Ruiz. Rollins' double with two outs in the ninth last night lifted the Phillies over the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-4, in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. Ruiz' 60-foot dribbling single down the third-base line just before 2 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26, last year scored Eric Bruntlett and gave the Phillies a 5-4 victory and a 2-1 lead in the World Series.

THE PLAY: As goes Jimmy Rollins, so go the Phillies. And he has them one step closer to going back to the World Series with what has to be the most clutch hit of his 10-year career. THE SETUP: His team trailing, 4-3, with one out in the bottom of the ninth and facing Jonathan Broxton, pinch-hitter Matt Stairs, who killed the Dodgers with a pinch-homer in last year's NLCS, began last night's comeback with a walk. With Eric Bruntlett pinch-running, Carlos Ruiz was hit by a pitch. After Greg Dobbs lined out to third, Rollins took center stage.

WASHINGTON - After Pedro Feliz loosened up in the batting cage Sunday before the Phillies' 12-10 win over the Braves, manager Charlie Manuel thought he was on the verge of being able to return to action. Two days later, the veteran third baseman was placed on the 15-day disabled list with what the team is calling lower back inflammation. Feliz made the trip to Washington, but his back had worsened since Sunday, and the team sent him back to Philadelphia to be examined by Dr. Michael Ciccotti.

FIVE WAYS to improve the Phillies' winning ways: 1. Jimmy Rollins - bunt once in a while! Stop being so predictable. Example: Whenever a pitcher makes an out or was on the bases, you take a couple of pitches. Teams realize this. They know when you're first-ball hitting. 2. Jayson Werth - take off the "Jimmy Mouth of the South" sunglasses. You can't see the ball, man, and your on-field "mannerisms" reflect how you play and rubs off. 3. Eric Bruntlett - make him a hotdog vendor.

Hot PHILLIES: Chase Utley. If Phillies fans are looking for good karma it should be noted that Utley hit a home run in Game 1 of the 2008 World Series. His first home run last night was in the third inning, his second was in sixth, both off CC Sabathia. YANKEES: Derek Jeter. The Yankees shortstop is well versed in postseason baseball, hitting .308 in 132 career postseason games. In 32 World Series games before last night, Jeter hit .302 with three RBI and eight home runs.

YOU HEAR IT all the time, that each year's Phillies team owns a different personality than the one before. But only when you scan the rosters of the Phillies teams responsible for their string of five straight division titles does the axiom become emphasized. Scott Eyre, Eric Bruntlett, So Taguchi, Tadahito Iguchi, Clay Condrey. Tom Gordon, Rudy Seanez, Chad Durbin, Abraham Nunez. Antonio Alfonseca, Jose Mesa, Paul Bako, Chan Ho Park. Tyler Walker, Jack Taschner . . . You get the gist.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Ruben Amaro Jr. leaned on a railing on a sun-splashed deck at Bright House Field and surveyed the action in front of him. Early in the game, 28-year-old infielder Josh Barfield had launched a double to deep centerfield, notching his fourth extra-base hit of the spring and momentarily pushing his Grapefruit League batting average to .440. Later in the game, Rule 5 utility man Michael Martinez got into the act, hitting a solo home run off lefthander Jo Jo Reyes, his second blast of the spring.

PHILLIES at SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS AT&T Park, Today, 7:57 p.m. TV: FOX Radio: WPHT (1210), WUBA (1480), ESPN (950, 97.3-FM, 97.5-FM) Weather: Partly cloudy, 50s, winds less than 5 mph Game Line: Phillies -$120; Giants +$110. Over/Under: 7 runs. Phillies RHP Roy Halladay (2010 regular season: 21-10, 2.44; postseason: 1-1, 2.25) vs. Giants RHP Tim Lincecum (2010 regular season: 16-10, 3.43; postseason: 2-0, 1.69) 1. Roy Halladay has to have gas left. Three days' rest?

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Of the 81 players other than Cliff Lee named to the All-Star Game (including replacements), the Texas pitcher has called 10 of them at one point in the last calendar year. Playing for four teams will do that. "It is what it is," Lee said matter-of-factly. Lee, now a Texas Ranger, has been traded three times in the last year. (Although Phillies fans really only care about one of those deals.) Given a little time to rationalize it all, Lee has some thoughts.

VIERA, Fla. - Eric Bruntlett will always own a small chunk of Phillies history. After entering Game 5 of the 2008 World Series as a pinch-runner, he scored what would be the winning run to finish off the Tampa Bay Rays. A celebration ensued. But Bruntlett had just 105 at-bats last year. Partly as a result, he batted .171. He was quietly released at the end of the season and signed a minor league contract with the Nationals over the winter. It didn't surprise him that he had to move on. "No, I knew kind of the way things shook out at the end of the year.

Now that the Phillies have moved swiftly to fill spots at third base and on the bench, their focus for the rest of the off-season is clear: improve the pitching staff, particularly the bullpen. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said recently that he was intrigued by "low-risk, high-reward" types, meaning he is looking for pitchers who will be less expensive because of injury or some other factor. According to multiple major-league sources, the Phils have expressed interest in several pitchers, including former Mets reliever J.J. Putz.

I'VE written periodically about my elderly father and our shared love of the Philadelphia Phillies. I've joined with Dad in the joy of baseball since I was a little girl, and he taught me along the way to embrace the agony and the rare bounty of many decades of Phillies teams. This year Dad turned 97, and his health prevented him from attending games with me, but he watched all 162 from the comfort of his lounge chair. His humor, loyalty and buoyancy were the perfect recipe to weather the highs and lows of the '09 Phillies season.

Hot PHILLIES: Chase Utley. If Phillies fans are looking for good karma it should be noted that Utley hit a home run in Game 1 of the 2008 World Series. His first home run last night was in the third inning, his second was in sixth, both off CC Sabathia. YANKEES: Derek Jeter. The Yankees shortstop is well versed in postseason baseball, hitting .308 in 132 career postseason games. In 32 World Series games before last night, Jeter hit .302 with three RBI and eight home runs.

With a postseason walkoff hit under his belt, Jimmy Rollins can now take his place alongside fellow Phillies luminaries George Vukovich and Kim Batiste, as well as teammate Carlos Ruiz. Rollins' double with two outs in the ninth last night lifted the Phillies over the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-4, in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. Ruiz' 60-foot dribbling single down the third-base line just before 2 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26, last year scored Eric Bruntlett and gave the Phillies a 5-4 victory and a 2-1 lead in the World Series.

THE PLAY: As goes Jimmy Rollins, so go the Phillies. And he has them one step closer to going back to the World Series with what has to be the most clutch hit of his 10-year career. THE SETUP: His team trailing, 4-3, with one out in the bottom of the ninth and facing Jonathan Broxton, pinch-hitter Matt Stairs, who killed the Dodgers with a pinch-homer in last year's NLCS, began last night's comeback with a walk. With Eric Bruntlett pinch-running, Carlos Ruiz was hit by a pitch. After Greg Dobbs lined out to third, Rollins took center stage.