By FRANK WARD
DailyPhiladelphian.com Editor

Desperate times call for desperate measures. As cliched as that expression is, it fits what’s happening inside the offices at Citizens Bank Park and the visiting locker room in St. Louis right now.

The Phillies, fresh off losing three of four to the crappy Cubs at Wrigley and then the opening two games in St. Louis on Monday and Tuesday have shuffled the deck the last two days with more moves on the way.

Let’s recap.

On Tuesday Kyle Kendrick gave up seven runs in five innings , including five in the fifth frame alone, was optioned to Triple A Lehigh Valley and Andrew Carpenter was called up to serve as a long relief man.

On Tuesday night, Jamie Moyer hurt his arm and was placed on the DL. Carpenter, in his first outing, relieved Moyer and promptly gave up three runs in three innings. He was shipped back to Lehigh valley on Wednesday and 22-year-old Vance Worley was called up from Double A Reading to take his place.

Also, JA Happ was finally called up from the IronPigs to reclaim his starting spot. However, he may not even be here long enough to make that start as rumors have him involved in a deal to land Astros ace Roy Oswalt.

As if all of that wasn’t enough, skipper Charlie Manuel has seen enough of his runless producing sack of 2010 underachievers and overreachers that he’s made major lineup changes for Wednesday’s game.

Ben Francisco is slated to bat Third on Wednesday in St. Louis. That is not a misprint.

In fact, it looks nothing like it has at any point this year.

Here it is:
Polanco 3B
Victorino CF
Francisco LF
Howard 1B
Werth RF
Rollins SS
Ransom 2B
Ruiz C
Pitcher

Have things really gotten so bad that little-used-until-recently Ben Francisco — the “other” guy in the Cliff Lee deal — is taking over for Ibanez and hitting third. THIRD! Really?

Oh, and the spark plug that’s missing a few electric bolts, JRoll, is moved down to sixth?

Seriously, this is where the Phillies find themselves as they are on the verge of falling out of the postseason mix completely.

Times are desperate and the Phillies are making moves daily to try to find a fix. At least they’re trying, but is there really a cure at this point?

The major hold up to seeing Roy Oswalt in red pinstripes comes down to money. More specifically, Oswalt wants his 2012 option for $16 million guaranteed in order to waive his no-trade clause.

If that really is the only thing holding up this deal, the Ruben Amaro needs to tell ownership, “this is what we need to do and we’re doing it.”

Roy Oswalt wants his 2012 option guaranteed to accept a deal to Philly. The team would be wise to pay that man his money.

OK, he can soften that a bit so as to not piss off his bosses. Still, the Phillies must step up and get this done. If there was any pitcher who could possibly fill the Cliff Lee void a bit, it’s Oswalt. Dan Haren would be a close second.

Plus, dealing for Oswalt can’t be for just this year. The Phillies are far from a postseason lock even with Oswalt at this point if they can’t get the bats going.

This deal is about being stronger the next two years with Oswalt in the mix. Picture a rotation that features Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels. There won’t be many better. Even if at age 35 Oswalt slows a bit, he’d be the third man in the rotation and likely be pitching as a No. 2. He’s worth the money. And, really, who else would you get for that money? Joe Blanton or someone of that mold. That’s a far dropoff.

Pay that man his money and get the deal done.

By FRANK WARD
DailyPhiladelphian.com Editor

Noble patricians, patrons of my right,
Defend the justice of my cause with arms,
And, countrymen, my loving followers,
Plead my successive title with your swords:
— Shakespeare, “Titus Andronicus”

Hundreds of years later, the opening lines from a Shakespeare play ring true in the City of Brotherly Love. The Phillies need arms to defend our cause — winning a fourth consecutive NL East Title, or, at the very least, a playoff birth.

Blanton, Happ, Moyer. All have been or are on the DL, causing the Phillies to supplement the rotation with guys who would otherwise be in the bullpen or Triple A.

With Kyle Kendrick being demoted to Allentown and Jamie Moyer headed to the DL with an elbow issue for the first time in his career, pitching is scarce. As it stands, the team has three guys who have started games this year on the roster in Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton.

Last year’s rookie sensation JA Happ is one of the reinforcements on the way. He was supposedly sharp last night, according to the Daily News’ David Murphy. Still, he has not faced big league hitters this year and is coming back from a major injury. Who knows how he will respond?

Then, you still have another hole that will be filled by a a trade if you are to read into Ruben Amaro’s statements and numerous trade rumors across the Internet. Roy Oswalt is the top name out there that the Phils are linked to. It was believed that moving Jayson Werth would help acquire the pieces to grab Oswalt.

Could Roy Oswalt be the answer to the Phillies starting rotation woes? No matter what, the Phils need another starter now that Jamie Moyer is down.

Oswalt is an ace and, combined with Halladay, Hamels and Happ, could form the top rotation in the NL for the next two years and change.

The other name being dagnled is Dan haren from Arizona. While not on a Halladay or Oswalt level, he’d still help fortify the Philies rotation beyind this year.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter who the Phils get as long as it’s someone and, in the words of Jimmy Conway from Goodfellas it’s done today. Not tomorrow. Not a week from now. Today.

Now, will trading for a pitcher guarantee the Phils a trip to the World Series? Hell, will it guarantee another postseason birth?

Not unless the team starts hitting. Losing Werth creates a hole in the lineup, but not as much as you would have thought back in April or early May. Weth’s struggles are well documented so why waste time discussing them?

And, with the NL East race practically over — the Braves have a seven game lead and are only getting better — you have to hope for a Wild Card birth. The Phils sit four games behind the Reds in that race. That number isn’t the problem.

The problem lies in the fact that they must jump five teams for the Wild Card lead. That’s a tall order. It’s like going from last to first in a division. If the Phils seriously hope to stay in — and win — that race, they have to stop the bleeding. And, they have to stop it today. Not next week. Not a month from now. Today.

Furthermore, a move for Oswalt or Haren isn’t just about this year, but the next two years. Whether or not the Phils make the postseason in 2010, a rotation with two legit aces and two No. 2s — Happ is a two when healthy — makes your offseason job a tad easier. With Domonic Brown set to patrol right field next year, you’d really just need to find a bad to platoon with Ibanez in left.

For now, we need to focus on the season at hand. Ruben is on the hot seat for the second time during his reign as General Manager. Last year, he stole Cliff Lee from Cleveland. What heist can he come up with this year?

The Phillies-Yankees World Series match-up was a boon for advertisers and the FOX Network as the six game series had its highest rating since the Red Sox ended their 86-year curse in 2004.

According to the Nielsen ratings, the six game series averaged 19 million fans each night. Game 4 — the one that got away on Sunday night — was the single highest-rated game since 2004 with more than 25 million households tuned in.

By FRANK WARD

The soundbite. It’s the thing that drives all broadcast media journalism.

With limited time, television and radio newscasts rely on brief, 10-second soundbites to tell stories. That is really nothing new. However, in this day of the race to be first with news, and not necessarily accurate, news outlets will take a statement and run with it. The fallout for those speaking to the media can be devastating.

Pro athletes must now be as careful as a political candidate or a company CEO. Say the wrong thing, and your reputation or approval rating will drop quicker than a Brad Lidge sinker (when he’s Lights Out).

Cole Hamel's postgame comments on Saturday demonstrate that pro athletes must receive more media training.

Cole Hamels proved this point with his postgame comments after Saturday’s loss in Game 3 of the World Series. The Phillies 2009 postseason LVP was quoted as saying, “I can’t wait for it (the season) to end. It’s been mentally draining. It’s one of those things, a year in, you just can’t wait for a fresh start.”

These quotes set off a firestorm in Philly among fans, traditional media, social media and talk radio.  Many, including your Daily Philadelphian, called for the end of Hamels’ season even if the team went on to force a Game 7. How do you wish for the season to end when your team is in the thick of World Series battle?

Hamels is lucky he’s not an NFL quarterback or he’d have had the Ray Lewis and Brian Dawkins of the world battling him in practice the next day.

However, it now appears his comments were taken out of context. According to media members such as Comcast SportsNet’s Leslie Gudel, Hamels was first asked about the game and answered those questions. He then was asked if he couldn’t wait for the season to end so he could reflect on it. That is when he made the absurd statement heard around South Philly.

Hamels is honest and always has been, sometimes to the detriment of his reputation. Of course, win, and his reputation will regain its all-time high status.

All the 2008 World Series MVP did was answer a question honestly in an era when athletes don’t talk frankly. However, Hamels and other athletes need to learn when to, and when not to, answer questions. They need to learn how to answer certain questions.

Hamels simply should have said something such as, “You know, we’re still in a battle to defend our world title, and I’m going to prepare to pitch a Game 7, if I’m called upon to do so. I’ll have plenty of time to reflect on the season when this series is over. Until then, we have nothing to think about except how to win the next ballgame.”

Deflect the question on reflection until after the season is completely over.

Chad Ochocinco is an athlete who may benefit from additional media training.

To avoid these situations, Hamels and pro athletes need media training. They need the same workshops and lessons that CEOs and politicians learn from their public relations professionals.

Many athletes are paid higher than the leadership of Fortune 500 corporations, and they need to be trained as such. They are the ambassadors for professional sports franchises. A frontline pitcher, hitter, quarterback, defensive back, or point guard is the spokesperson for the organization.

That’s not to say that pro teams’ public relations staffs haven’t worked with the athletes. The NFL and MBA conduct rookie symposiums, and media relations is likely part of those programs.

However, more must be done as young players enter franchises. Unless the players studied communications and public relations in college, this is a topic and a skill they know very little about.

Athletes must learn how to avoid making inflammatory statements. They must learn how to work with the media.

Pro teams should not be as overzealous as the New York Knicks who insisted that Larry Brown only talk to the media when a member of the PR staff was present.

However, they do need to teach athletes basic PR rules such as:

• Always talk in good times and bad (Mitch Williams himself will tell you this);
• Never say “no comment;”
• Don’t lie;
• Never say something you do not want to see in print;
• Remember to speak in 10-second soundbites, which means simply to keep in mind a long answer (or the preceding question) may be left on the cutting-room floor. Had Hamels known or thought of this point, he may never have made the statement he did.

There are many more points to media training, but these basics would help deflect any potential controversies in a number of situations.

With ESPN, Comcast SportsNet, Fox Sports, Sirius Radio, and countless Internet sites and blogs, athletes will continue to be under scrutiny unlike any faced by athletes throughout time. The microscope they are under will only get bigger with time.

Media training should become a necessity with periodic workshops throughout the season and offseason. Then, you won’t risk the chemistry of a team based on what is said and reported in the media.

Frank Ward is a public relations consultant and freelance writer. To contact him, please send an e-mail to dailyphiladelphian@gmail.com.

Yankees fans might want to get this sign out of storage.

Yankees fans, get your vocal chords tuned up. On Thursday night, you’re going to need them.

Pedro Martinez has been tabbed to start the second game of the World Series in New York. When last we saw him in a playoff game in New York, Pedro declared, “The Yankees, they’re my daddy!”

Yankees fans then filled the stadium with “Who’s your daddy?!” chants. Expect more of the same on Thursday.

Why would Uncle Charlie put Pedro in that situation?

Pedro is a veteran who can handle, and possibly thrive, in a raucous stadium. Add to that the fact that Cole Hamels is a diva who hasn’t pitched well since late August, and the decision was rather easy for Manuel.

Manuel has not been scared to go against conventional thinking this postseason, and he is doing it again in the World Series. He’s not scared to lose, and neither is his team.

Pedro in Game 2 is just another subplot in what should be a great, entertaining series — the type of series MLB needs.

Bud Selig once again made a classic clown move by scheduling four playoff games on an NFL Sunday.

During the last few years, MLB has used a productive and engaging advertising campaign with the tagline, “Welcome to The Show.” Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and company had a solid idea for the Columbus Day weekend — play four playoff games in one, day-long marathon.

A great idea to showcase The Show is about to blow up in their collective faces. MLB completely botched the opportunity to gain the interest of fans and reach a new generation.

Selig and his goons braintrust scheduled the Columbus Day Weekend spectacular on Sunday, a day reserved for the NFL. Seriously, MLB wants to put their playoff product up against the National Football League?

The NFL long ago took over the top spot among the most popular major sports leagues in the USA. Baseball might go perfectly with hot dogs and summer. Fall, however, is buffalo wings and football.

With the proliferation of  fantasy football leagues and betting on the NFL product, the fact is more people will watch grown men chase a pigskin around than try to hit a white ball tomorrow. Unless someone’s team is playing, most people will watch FOX and CBS and NBC instead of TBS tomorrow.

Selig deserves some credit in the fact that he was at least smart enough to make sure no sports markets had NFL and baseball teams playing at the same time.

However, baseball could have added an extra day in each series to play four games on Monday, a day without football until Monday night. Oh, and a day that is viewed as a holiday by most schools and many employers. Granted, Monday may not carry the same weight it once did. Many banks and businesses are now open. However, it is a holiday and baseball would not face any competition.

Start the postseason one day later, and all of a sudden your ALDS Game 3s, and NLDS Game 4s occur on Monday. The solution was that simple.

The Show will take place on Sunday. Unfortunately for TBS and Major League Baseball, viewership will not be nearly as high as it could have been. Bud Selig threw an interception right into the hands of Roger Goodell.

Apparently, TBS doesn't want to give the defending champions any Prime Time love.

Apparently, MLB and TBS forgot who the defending World Phucking Champions are when making the playoff schedules this year.

First, your Fightins had to open with two games that started at 2:37. While day baseball is always a nice change of pace, the fact is the defending World Champions deserved a prime time game at home to start the playoffs.

Instead, the Yankees/Twins and Dodgers/Cardinals got the marque 6 p.m. start times on Wednesday and Thursday. Thursday is understandable in that you can’t have the Dodgers or Angels start a game at 11:30 a.m. (2:30 EST) and they were the two home teams.

However, Wednesday was a different story as the Yankees and Twins could have started at 2:37. Sure, the Twins had just played the night before. However, if you argue that point, then why did they even play on Wednesday at all? That series could have begun on Thursday.

To make matters worse, the Phillies start at 9:37 on Saturday and 10:07 on Sunday. Thank God the kids have off from school on Monday, or the next generation of fans would likely miss Game 4.

Seriously, the Phils get the 4th spot on Sunday, a day MLB wants to play four games against NFL football?

Bud Selig and TBS, where’s the legit Prime-Time defending World Phucking Champion love?

Must be in New York or Boston.

Phillies fans, it’s almost time to hit the panic button.

Don’t worry about the Marlins or the division lead. The playoffs will return to South Philly in October.

However, you need to worry about finishing games. Brad Lidge and his 10 blown saves belong in the junkyard.

Could Pedro be part of a closer committee by Columbus Day?

Ryan Madson has to return to his 8th inning role where he has excelled the last few years. That is his niche and it works for both him and the team. Madson has accumulated six blown saves in just 12 tries this season. He can’t be trusted either.

The popular thought has been that Brett Myers, fresh off hip surgery, would ultimately serve as the closer. Yesterday, we were reminded of how quickly some of his pitches reach the seats at Citizens Bank park. Myers is susceptible to the long ball. While chicks may dig the long ball, Phillies fans don’t when it’s their team in the field.

Who’s next? JA Happ? He is also injured with a strained oblique that has caused him to miss two starts and when he pitches again will be dictated by a bullpen session tomorrow, according to Philly.com. Plus, he has been your second-most consistent pitcher all year. Do you really take him out of the starting rotation in October?

OK, so how about Pedro Martinez? The man has been more effective than analysts expected. He outpitched Tim Lincecum last week. If he can pitch like that every night, he’d have to be considered. Can he do it back-to-back nights? This is a guy who sat himself in playoff games when he reached 100 pitches with the Red Sox. You simply can’t bank on him being effective on consecutive days.

The deeper the Phils get into September, the more questions they seem to have at the back of the bullpen. Is a rotating closer-by-committee approach possible? Absolutely. Pitching Pedro one night, Myers the next and mixing in Lidge might be the only option Uncle Charlie has when Columbus Day rolls around.

Did the Phillies ever think they would be this happy to see the New York Metropolitans? The two-time defending chokers are visiting South Philly at just the right time for the Phils who are coming off their most detrimental week in the last three years.

A week ago today, this weekend’s series against the Mets wasn’t supposed to be even remotely important. Fightins fans were hyped as Pedro Martinez had just outdueled Cy Young Tim Lincecum, and the team had taken two out of three from the San Francisco Giants, a potential postseason opponent. Cole Hamels had pitched two great games in a row, and Brad Lidge was showing signs of turning his season around.

The Phillies need to mark "Return to Sender" on the Mets this weekend.

Uncle Charlie’s troops had won 16 of their previous 22 games since being swept by the Marlins in mid August. The NL East was in the bag and home field advantage was within reach.

Sure, Cliff Lee had just been pounded for the first time in red pinstripes, but the Phils looked poised to return to the World Series. They were peaking at the start of September, the most important month in baseball, just as they have the last two years.

A week later, the team has lost six of their last nine and is coming off a pathetic 2-5 road trip against Eddie Savitz’ Wade’s washed up whack jobs and the Washington Nationals. Also, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee and Joe Blanton have all been roughed up by putrid line-ups, Brad Lidge pitched his way out of the closer’s role, the injury bug has bitten JA Haap, and even-keel manager Charlie Manuel has blown up twice.

A team with an 8.5-game division lead and just 2.5 games away from home field advantage throughout the NL playoffs has watched the Marlins pull to within five games in the division and the Cardinals jump out four games ahead in the race for the NL’s best record.

The series against the Giants was huge, and the electric atmosphere at Citizens Bank Park was reminiscent of a playoff series. The team rose to the challenge.

Could the trip to Houston and Washington, two teams who were out of the playoff race by Memorial Day, have been a letdown? Sure.

Do championship teams have letdowns in September? No.

All of a sudden, the Phillies must kick into high gear, or risk stripping the Mets of their two-year reign as Choker Champs.

What was a meaningless series is now a chance for the Phils to make a statement. The Phillies need to send the Mets back to Queens like the losers they are.

Thank God the Mets are in town. This is a great chance to kick start their pitching and hitting against a last place Little League team.