Phillies

IT WAS AN opportunity, not a necessity. That's what Charlie Manuel said of his decision to keep Chase Utley out of the lineup last night, despite the fact that the Phillies were coming off an off day and would enjoy another one tomorrow. With lefty Scott Kazmir on the mound and a day game today, Manuel decided that he would take advantage of the opportunity to get his 34-year-old second baseman 3 days of rest in a 4-day span. "I saw that it was an opportunity to kind of give him a blow," said Manuel, adding that the chance to "monitor him" and "get him off his feet" would be "good" for his star.

By Matthew Perks What do Philadelphians really want from their parks and recreation facilities? While new play equipment, benches, and ball fields are usually on the wish list at public hearings and budget negotiations, Philadelphians first and foremost want parks and recreation facilities that are "safe for me and my family. " Every day, thousands of people enjoy our city's parks and facilities without incident, from Rittenhouse Square to the hidden paths of Pennypack Park. They form an integral part of the fabric that does so much to enrich the quality of urban life.

How do you blame a city for lying to taxpayers and bond buyers about its sad financial shape - without also blaming its mayor, or its finance officers, or any of the paid lawyers, bankers, and advisers who helped tell the lies? That's what the Securities and Exchange Commission did last week when it busted Pennsylvania's capital city, Harrisburg, for lying about its financial condition from 2008 to 2012, after it borrowed too much and started going broke. The SEC settled the case.

The Phillies insisted before the game that revenge wasn't the motive, only the chance to get closer to .500. Afterward, Kevin Frandsen admitted that consecutive routs in Cleveland two weeks ago served as a motivating force. After being outscored by 20-2 by the Indians in two games, the Phillies earned revenge on Tuesday night with a 6-2 win at Citizens Bank Park. "They kicked our butt [in Cleveland] and I hope the guys would realize that and I feel like we did," said Frandsen, who got the Phillies going with a solo home run in the first inning.

Forty games in, here's all we know about the Phillies for sure: They are flawed, but not finished. Sure, they can be infuriating. Twenty-two times in their first 40 games they scored three or fewer runs. In 16 of those games, they scored fewer than two. They have been blanked five times. There are days when you wonder whether manager Charlie Manuel is throwing out a lineup filled with eight-hole hitters. The biggest question coming out of spring training was the right arm of Roy Halladay, and that's one of the few conclusive answers the Phillies have received.

AFTER FOUR months of uncertainty, the state board that oversees Philly's finances has been made whole. State Senate Democratic leader Jay Costa quietly appointed lawyer Rhonda Hill Wilson to the fifth and final spot on the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority board April 30, the same day a Daily News story detailed political maneuvering around the vacancy. The appointment was due in January. Each year, the board must approve the mayor's five-year financial plan with at least four of five votes.

Just before 2012 ended, TF Financial Corp. announced that it would acquire tiny Roebling Financial Corp. for $14.5 million. I viewed it then as simply another example of a small fish in the local banking sector swallowing a minnow. TF, which operates as 3rd Fed Bank in 13 locations in Philadelphia, Bucks, and Mercer Counties, had assets of $716 million as of March 31. Roebling Bank had just five branches in Burlington and Ocean Counties and assets of $156 million as of March 31. After all, other midsize community banks have been absorbing smaller financial institutions over the last six months to expand.

Even though the Phillies were off on Monday and have another day off on Thursday, manager Charlie Manuel decided not to start second baseman Chase Utley against the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. Utley's replacement, Kevin Frandsen, hit a solo home run in the first inning. Because of his chronically injured knees, Utley played in a total of 186 games over the previous two seasons. This year he had appeared in each of the Phils' first 39 games, making 37 starts.

"NOW that I'm back, forget about the other chicks. You won't miss 'em," vows hip-hop veteran Eve on one of the tougher-minded tracks from "Lip Lock. " Confidence becomes the rapper. Hitting stores and download sites today, this return to music has been only 11 years in the making and waiting (and then remaking) from the Philly-formed star who also answers to the name Eve Jihan Jeffers. That's like three career lifetimes in music, she agreed. Which raises the question: Do they still need her, will anyone still love her, when she's 34?

PHOENIX - The Phillies won but Charlie Manuel was distracted. He uncapped a blue marker and doodled on his worn lineup card late Saturday night in the desert. He never lifted his head when asked about his hitters' finally executing in key situations to snap a three-game losing skid. The 69-year-old manager mumbled. He repeated a message heard so frequently in the last 13 months, and his plodding tone suggested that even Manuel had doubts about it. "We don't need to get down and everything," Manuel said.