Rich Dubee

BRADENTON, Fla. - Yes, it is a small world after all. Juan Samuel and Nick Leyva, third base coaches for the Phillies and Pirates, shared a laugh before yesterday's exhibition at McKechnie Field while recalling an incident that occurred last season. At the time, Samuel was interim manager for the Orioles and Leyva was third base coach for the Blue Jays. When they met at home plate to exchange the lineup cards, Samuel began loudly cursing out Leyva. The umpires, alarmed, asked if something was wrong.

Cole Hamels had a great Fall Classic in 2008 and an epic fall in 2009. The World Series MVP spent the offseason enjoying the accolades and, by his own admission, wasn't ready to return to work the following season after logging more innings in 2008 than he had at any point in his career. The second most significant event of Hamels' baseball life occurred late last July. With the team struggling and Hamels' name floating on the trade market, the Phillies quashed all the rumors and signed the lefthander to a six-year deal worth $144 million.

Phillies righthander Joe Blanton is scheduled to make his second rehab start for double-A Reading on Friday. If all goes well, he is expected to make one more rehab start after that before being activated from the disabled list. Lefthander J.A. Happ was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday with a strained forearm, but despite the rotation problem created by Happ's trip to the DL, Blanton is staying on schedule. General manager Ruben Amaro and pitching coach Rich Dubee said they'd like to see Blanton make three rehab starts before returning.

AFTER THE Phillies posted a franchise-record 102 regular-season wins, all six major league coaches have agreed to contracts for next season. Mick Billmeyer (bullpen), Rich Dubee (pitching), Greg Gross (hitting), Pete Mackanin (bench), Sam Perlozzo (first base) and Juan Samuel (third base), along with bullpen catcher Jesus Tiamo, will each remain in the same position. The Phillies made only made one addition to the coaching staff entering last season, when Samuel came aboard as the third-base coach.

TORONTO - After throwing a bullpen session without problem Sunday morning, lefthander Cole Hamels was deemed ready to start Tuesday by Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee. After the injury occurred on Thursday against Boston, Hamels said he was confident he could make the start despite significant bruising on his right hand. Hamels' hand was wrapped when the team arrived in Toronto, and he waited an extra day before throwing his bullpen session. But better his right hand than his left.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - It was not just another bullpen session. It was something more, because of how much Roy Halladay struggled in his previous outing when he felt "lethargic" against the Detroit Tigers. "He looked wonderful, he looked fine," pitching coach Rich Dubee said Thursday after tutoring Halladay during the two-time Cy Young Award winner's 39-pitch session at Bright House Field. Dubee was perplexed by the questions about Halladay's side session, but he should not have been.

It didn't take the Phillies long to find a replacement for injured second baseman Chase Utley. The Phils yesterday acquired veteran second baseman Tadahito Iguchi from the Chicago White Sox for minor-league pitcher Michael Dubee, the son of Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee. Iguchi, 32, was hitting .251 with 17 doubles, 4 triples, 6 home runs, and 31 RBIs in 90 games. A native of Tokyo, the righthanded-hitting Iguchi batted .281 last season with 18 homers and 67 RBIs. He appeared in 12 playoff games for the Sox in 2005.

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Roy Halladay felt something much worse than lethargic Sunday. He felt sick to his stomach. "I didn't notice anything until we started walking to the dugout," catcher Erik Kratz said following the Phillies' 5-3 Grapefruit League win over the Baltimore Orioles. "And then he went in the dugout, and he said he was going to stay in the tunnel for the anthem. " The stomach virus was taking control. Halladay, coming off a shaky outing in which his lack of velocity and command raised some red flags about the two-time Cy Young Award winner's physical condition, opted to take the mound in the top of the first inning anyway.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Looking on the bright side, Carlos Carrasco now has a chance to prove to the Phillies that he can work through adversity. The righthander, competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, had a second straight rough outing in the Phillies' 7-2 loss to the Braves yesterday, allowing five runs, three earned, on six hits in two innings. Pitching coach Rich Dubee said that Carrasco strayed from his fastball after running into trouble. But Dubee likes to preach about the value of battling through adversity, and the Phillies will now look at how Carrasco, who gave up five runs in his previous outing, responds.

The Phillies' farm system lost Marc Bombard, Bill Dancy and Rich Dubee last week to the big-league club but their replacements could be named before the weekend. "Those guys were all key parts of our system," Mike Arbuckle, the Phillies' assistant general manager, said yesterday. Arbuckle interviewed Jeff Manto and Don Long yesterday for the field coordinator's job, the one Dancy had held since 2001. The field coordinator helps oversee minor-league operations. Gene Lamont, a former big-league manager, looks to be the favorite for the manager's job at triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.