Gulf Coast League Phillies

ST. LOUIS - The Phillies have signed free-agent lefthander J.C. Romero to a minor-league contract. Romero, 31, will spend the immediate future working out with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Phillies, but the Phillies hope Romero can help them at the big-league level at some point. He went 1-0 with a 3.15 earned run average in 23 appearances this season for the Boston Red Sox, but he also allowed 24 hits and 15 walks in 20 innings. He walked more batters than he struck out (11)

  Tyson Gillies, one of three prospects acquired from the Phillies in the Cliff Lee trade last offseason, was arrested in Clearwater early this morning and charged with felony cocaine possession, the Pinellas County Sheriff Department confirmed. Bond was posted and he was released.    Assistant general manager, player development and scouting Chuck LaMar read a statement on the team's behalf.    ?We are aware that Tyson Gillies was arrested today on a drug possession charge arising out of out of an incident that is alleged to have occurred this past June,?

Phillies righthander Vicente Padilla had been scheduled to return to the Phillies rotation on Friday in Boston. If everything went well last night in Moosic, Pa., that is. It appears it didn't. Padilla, who has been on the disabled list since May 30 with tendinitis in his right biceps, made a rehab start for triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but left the game after just 33 pitches with elbow soreness. He will be evaluated today. There was no other information available, and it was not clear how the soreness might affect his return.

Phillies prospect Tyson Gillies, one of the three players acquired in the Cliff Lee trade this past off-season, was arrested for cocaine possession in Clearwater, Fla., early Friday morning. Gillies, 21, was arrested by Pinellas County Sheriff's Officers at 1:48 a.m. Friday morning, according to a spokeswoman. The possession charge is a felony. Gillies was released from jail at 10:52 a.m. on a $2,000 cash bond. He was found by police at the La Quinta Inn on Route 19 in Clearwater, less than a mile from the Phillies' spring training complex.

The Phillies have promoted scouting director Mike Arbuckle to assistant general manager for scouting and player development. General manager Ed Wade made the announcement over the weekend during the Phillies' organizational meeting in Clearwater, Fla. Arbuckle, in turn, promoted Marti Wolever from scouting coordinator to director of scouting. He also said Ruben Amaro Sr. would be his player-development adviser. "He'll work with me in many areas, whether it is scouting, working with new managers, or instruction," Arbuckle said.

On June 23, the Atlanta Braves looked like the team everybody expected them to be. Dead. A 6-0 loss to Florida dropped them to 32-38 and 6 1/2 games behind the Marlins in the National League East. That completed a brutal stretch of 10 losses in 13 games. "I think everybody thought this would be the year, but everybody thought that last year, too," said Phillies pitcher Kevin Millwood, who spent his first six seasons with the Braves. "To do what they've done as long as they've done it, it has a lot more to do than just having talent.

Jesse Biddle is enjoying his final days as a high school kid. On Wednesday morning, he was at Germantown Friends School for the annual sports awards assembly. It was scheduled before Biddle was made the 27th overall pick in the baseball draft by the Phillies, the team he grew up idolizing. So that necessitated some changes to the assembly's program. The Phillie Phanatic showed up as Biddle was introduced to a standing ovation from the 350 students. Many wore Phillies shirts. (Some even duct-taped "BIDDLE" on the back of Phillies jerseys.

Ryne Sandberg is staying, Mickey Morandini is moving up a level, and two former Phillies are returning to the organization as minor-league coaches. Sandberg, after learning last week that he did not get the managerial job with the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, will be back for a second season as manager of the Phillies' triple-A Lehigh Valley team. Sandberg's staff will remain intact, with Sal Rende returning as a coach and Rod Nichols as the pitching coach. Morandini, after returning to the organization as the manager at single-A Williamsport last season, will move up to single-A Lakewood in 2012.

If the Phillies cannot bring back Jayson Werth, they won't be totally empty-handed if the star rightfielder signs elsewhere. Tuesday is the last day teams are able to offer salary arbitration to their free agents in order to preserve the team's right to draft-pick compensation. The Phillies have two free agents who could net them picks - Werth and reliever Chad Durbin. The team almost certainly will offer Werth, a Type A free agent, arbitration for a one-year deal. He almost certainly will decline it before the Nov. 30 deadline, thus ensuring that the Phillies will receive compensation for him should he sign elsewhere.

Two months before the baseball draft, Jesse Biddle sat at a Five Guys on City Avenue with one of his advisers, Adam Karon. Biddle had one question. Not good, Karon said. He estimated it at 5 percent. "I tried to prepare him for the worst," Karon said. Biddle wouldn't hear it. "I'm going to the Phillies," he told Karon. How could it end any other way, Biddle thought. Here's the kid from Germantown Friends School who has adored the Phillies all his life. He was in the stands (both nights)

Ryne Sandberg is staying, Mickey Morandini is moving up a level, and two former Phillies are returning to the organization as minor-league coaches. Sandberg, after learning last week that he did not get the managerial job with the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, will be back for a second season as manager of the Phillies' triple-A Lehigh Valley team. Sandberg's staff will remain intact, with Sal Rende returning as a coach and Rod Nichols as the pitching coach. Morandini, after returning to the organization as the manager at single-A Williamsport last season, will move up to single-A Lakewood in 2012.

With the exception of Domonic Brown, Cole Hamels, and some members of the bullpen, the Phillies' big-league roster will be loaded with thirtysomethings ready to make another run at a World Series title this season. The window of opportunity for the majority of those veterans should remain open for at least another two to three years, but at some point this team is going to need another infusion of homegrown talent to produce at the major-league level. Maybe that begins with Brown in right field this season.

If the Phillies cannot bring back Jayson Werth, they won't be totally empty-handed if the star rightfielder signs elsewhere. Tuesday is the last day teams are able to offer salary arbitration to their free agents in order to preserve the team's right to draft-pick compensation. The Phillies have two free agents who could net them picks - Werth and reliever Chad Durbin. The team almost certainly will offer Werth, a Type A free agent, arbitration for a one-year deal. He almost certainly will decline it before the Nov. 30 deadline, thus ensuring that the Phillies will receive compensation for him should he sign elsewhere.

  Tyson Gillies, one of three prospects acquired from the Phillies in the Cliff Lee trade last offseason, was arrested in Clearwater early this morning and charged with felony cocaine possession, the Pinellas County Sheriff Department confirmed. Bond was posted and he was released.    Assistant general manager, player development and scouting Chuck LaMar read a statement on the team's behalf.    ?We are aware that Tyson Gillies was arrested today on a drug possession charge arising out of out of an incident that is alleged to have occurred this past June,?

Phillies prospect Tyson Gillies, one of the three players acquired in the Cliff Lee trade this past off-season, was arrested for cocaine possession in Clearwater, Fla., early Friday morning. Gillies, 21, was arrested by Pinellas County Sheriff's Officers at 1:48 a.m. Friday morning, according to a spokeswoman. The possession charge is a felony. Gillies was released from jail at 10:52 a.m. on a $2,000 cash bond. He was found by police at the La Quinta Inn on Route 19 in Clearwater, less than a mile from the Phillies' spring training complex.

Two months before the baseball draft, Jesse Biddle sat at a Five Guys on City Avenue with one of his advisers, Adam Karon. Biddle had one question. Not good, Karon said. He estimated it at 5 percent. "I tried to prepare him for the worst," Karon said. Biddle wouldn't hear it. "I'm going to the Phillies," he told Karon. How could it end any other way, Biddle thought. Here's the kid from Germantown Friends School who has adored the Phillies all his life. He was in the stands (both nights)

It is easy to see why the Phillies are so smitten with the makeup of first-round draft choice Jesse Biddle, the big lefthanded pitcher they selected with the 27th overall pick out of esteemed Philadelphia private school Germantown Friends. During his introductory press conference yesterday, Biddle spoke with a maturity well beyond his 18 years of age, from recounting the epiphany he had while watching Cole Hamels pitch in the rain in Game 5 of the World Series, to stressing his desire to sign quickly and begin his rookie season with the Gulf Coast League Phillies.

Jesse Biddle is enjoying his final days as a high school kid. On Wednesday morning, he was at Germantown Friends School for the annual sports awards assembly. It was scheduled before Biddle was made the 27th overall pick in the baseball draft by the Phillies, the team he grew up idolizing. So that necessitated some changes to the assembly's program. The Phillie Phanatic showed up as Biddle was introduced to a standing ovation from the 350 students. Many wore Phillies shirts. (Some even duct-taped "BIDDLE" on the back of Phillies jerseys.

ST. LOUIS - The Phillies have signed free-agent lefthander J.C. Romero to a minor-league contract. Romero, 31, will spend the immediate future working out with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Phillies, but the Phillies hope Romero can help them at the big-league level at some point. He went 1-0 with a 3.15 earned run average in 23 appearances this season for the Boston Red Sox, but he also allowed 24 hits and 15 walks in 20 innings. He walked more batters than he struck out (11)

On June 23, the Atlanta Braves looked like the team everybody expected them to be. Dead. A 6-0 loss to Florida dropped them to 32-38 and 6 1/2 games behind the Marlins in the National League East. That completed a brutal stretch of 10 losses in 13 games. "I think everybody thought this would be the year, but everybody thought that last year, too," said Phillies pitcher Kevin Millwood, who spent his first six seasons with the Braves. "To do what they've done as long as they've done it, it has a lot more to do than just having talent.