Brad Lidge News

Mike Gonzalez has already drawn strong attention from a number of different teams looking for a closer and as he continues to determine where he'll pitch next year, he'll do so under the advisement of Scott Boras.

And this year . . . probably won't be anything like that. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr.

The Phillies' top priorities this offseason are to upgrade the bench, find a new third baseman, and retool the back end of the bullpen which was so good in their World Series-winning season two baseball years ago.

One of the Phillies' goals this offseason is to find a utlity infielder capable of providing Charlie Manuel with an adequate defensive and offensive option to spell middle infielders Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley.

Last week, after doctors mended the torn flexor tendon in his right elbow, Brad Lidge returned to his Colorado home with a clear mind and, at last, a sound body.

The Philadelphia Phillies declined the 2010 team option on third baseman Pedro Feliz, making him a free agent.

Subject: Looking back After the Phils lost, Ryan Howard said the Fightin's had a great season.

Center fielder Michael Bourn raced his way into the hearts of Astros fans last season, taking advantage of his streak-of-lightning speed to lead the National League in stolen bases, infield hits and bunt hits, and ranking second in triples.

For 371 days, over thousands of miles -- from spring training in Clearwater, Fla., to 18 cities across the majors, even on an afternoon in May at the White House -- they were hailed as champions of baseball.

I feared throughout the regular season that Brad Lidge would blow the Phillies' chances at becoming the first team to repeat since the 2000 Yankees.

The Yankees' manager, in his second season at the helm, was confident that his team would beat the Phillies in the World Series.

It's a moment Shane Victorino is going to be reminded of over and over and over.

The ability to come through when it matters most didn't come automatically to Johnny Damon.

The Philadelphia Phillies have released pitcher Brett Myers and third baseman Pedro Feliz at the start of what could be an off-season roster overhaul.

How long has Lidge had loose bodies in his elbow? The NL champion Phillies said Saturday three players will have operations in the next week.

Johnny Damon's spikes are going to Cooperstown. The Hall of Fame museum collected a bunch of memorabilia -- 'treasures,'' the Hall calls them -- from the 2009 World Series, and included are the spikes Damon wore in what turned out to be the pivotal moment of the Series.

If an upcoming MRI exam dictates that Raul Ibanez undergo surgery to repair a torn muscle near his abdomen, it won't be shocking.

If they bothered to sign onto their computers Thursday, the men who run the Yankees and Phillies would have seen a message: '102 days until spring training' The teams that finished behind them this year are weeks into planning for 2010.

The Philadelphia Phillies entered this postseason with two major concerns. And in the end it was those two concerns that ultimately cost them another victory parade down Broad Street.

And if the stiff, shocked expressions in their clubhouse early Monday morning served as an indication, it also left the Fightins feeling as if they were not only getting figuratively mugged by the Bronx dwellers, but also getting their pockets picked by the city slickers.