Manager

Phillies broadcaster Gary Matthews tries to do one thing the same every time he comes to St. Louis. "I talk to Red Schoendienst," Matthews said. Matthews interviewed Schoendienst on Thursday for the Phillies' pregame radio show. The former St. Louis Cardinals player and manager truly is a living treasure whose 87-year-old mind is filled with first-person accounts of some of baseball's greatest legends. "He was telling me about Whitey [Richie Ashburn] and what a competitor Robin Roberts was," Matthews said.

No J.D. in Philly? Maybe Phillies fans can forget about J.D. Drew this trip. The Boston Red Sox rightfielder left Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second inning after hurting himself during batting practice. The Red Sox said Drew hurt his left eye after fouling off a pitch that ended up hitting him in the face in the batting cage.   There was no immediate word on whether he will be available on Tuesday, when Boston starts a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park.

Nearly 1,000 people went to DeSales University in Center Valley, near Allentown, on Thursday for the latest stop on the Phillies' winter banquet tour, and there was Ryne Sandberg. He is still a minor-league manager, facing the sixth straight season he will spend with the goal of one day reaching the majors again. So there he was, alongside Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, posing for photos with VIP guests and schmoozing with fans. Another fruitless winter left Sandberg answering the same questions he has fielded for years: Are you disappointed?

Sun National Bank , Vineland, has hired Anthony W. LaMarca as senior vice president and wholesale regional manager for the company's South Jersey and Philadelphia markets. LaMarca has held managing director positions at Susquehanna Bank and Wilmington Trust FSB. Joseph C. Tkac was hired as senior vice president and manager, commercial real estate. Tkac is a former senior vice president on the real estate lending teams at Wells Fargo and Wachovia Bank.   TD Bank N.A. has hired Philip S. Winn as vice president, business development officer in the SBA Division in Philadelphia.

Eddie Joost, a two-time All-Star shortstop in his eight seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics and the team's player-manager in 1954, died Tuesday in Fair Oaks, Calif. He was 94. Joost had been ill for some time and died peacefully in his sleep, said his grandson, Scott. In a 17-year playing career, Joost batted .239 with 134 home runs and 601 RBI. He also posted six consecutive seasons of more than 100 walks. He played for the Reds from 1936 to '42 (including the 1940 World Series champions)

The Boston Red Sox have gone from one of the quietest managers in baseball in Terry Francona to a guy who seems determined to challenge Ozzie Guillen as the loudest. Bobby Valentine has been the Red Sox manager for about five minutes and he's already taking pot shots at the Yankees. In one fell swoop on Tuesday, Valentine said Derek Jeter didn't need to make the flip-to-home relay in the 2001 playoffs that stands as one of the most celebrated plays in Yankees lore, and fondly recalled the time when Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek "beat up" Alex Rodriguez in 2004.

JIM LEYLAND is returning next year as manager of the Detroit Tigers. The team and its manager quickly ended any remaining speculation about his status by announcing Tuesday that Leyland's contract was extended through 2013. He managed on a 1-year deal this year and led the Tigers to the World Series, where they were swept by the San Francisco Giants. "Detroit is a tremendous baseball town and I couldn't dream of a better place to manage," Leyland said in a statement. "Tigers fans and the people of Michigan have supported us so well during my time here, I can't even begin to express how much that means to me. " The team said Leyland's coaching staff also has been invited to return.

A story Monday on efforts to keep two Catholic schools open incorrectly identified Joseph Nelson's position at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in South Philadelphia. He is the volunteer business manager for fund-raising. The Inquirer wants its news report to be fair and correct in every respect, and regrets when it is not. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, contact assistant managing editor David Sullivan (215-854-2357) at The Inquirer, Box 8263, Philadelphia 19101, or e-mail dsullivan@phillynews.com .

Former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda was in New York-Presbyterian Hospital on Tuesday after what the team called a "mild" heart attack. The 84-year-old Hall of Famer became ill Monday while in town to represent the club at the Major League Baseball draft. The Norristown native was resting comfortably after doctors inserted a stent to correct a blocked artery, the team said in a release. "The doctors confirmed I do bleed Dodger Blue," Lasorda chirped in the statement.

Raul Ibanez remained in the Phillies lineup Friday night despite a .169 batting average and an 0-for-26 slump that included a hitless seven-game road trip. (Ibanez went 0 for 4 in the game, and his average dropped to .161.) Whenever a player of an advanced age - Ibanez is 38 and a little more than a month from 39 - struggles, it's natural to wonder whether his problems are simply a by-product of getting old. Asked about this issue, manager Charlie Manuel had an amusing answer.