The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page D12

D12 www.philly.com THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Sunday, April 4, 2004 Baseball Family again witnesses history 33 years after the Vet's opener, the Datzes were at the christening of Citizens Bank Park. National League EAST Pet GB Home Away Last 10 Streak PHILLIES 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Atlanta 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Florida 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Montreal 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 New York 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 CENTRAL Chicago 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Cincinnati 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Houston 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Milwaukee 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Pittsburgh 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 St. Louis 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 WEST Arizona 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Colorado 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Los Angeles 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 San Diego 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 Wo San Francisco 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 TODAY'S GAMES No games scheduled American League EAST Pet GB Home Away Last 10 Streak New York 1 1 .500 0-0 1-1 1-1 W-1 Tampa Bay 1 1 .500 1-1 0-0 1-1 L-1 Baltimore 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Boston 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Toronto 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 CENTRAL Chicago 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Cleveland 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Detroit 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Kansas City 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Minnesota 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 WEST Anaheim 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Oakland 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Seattle 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 Texas 0 0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 W-0 TONIGHT'S GAME nut, "especially in the '80s." He and his family would attend the home opener each season, along with numerous other games. None was more memorable than the World Series-clinching victory over the Kansas City Royals in 1980. Datz said he can clearly envision Tug McGraw's last pitch.

"I was a sophomore in college and I sat in the upper level that night," Datz said. "I can still see lugger striking out Willie Wilson and, wow, it was an unbelievable moment." Datz said he was impressed with Citizens Bank Park, which gives fans an old-time feel, with its warm red brick and its Happy Days-era touches. (See the gigantic clock that sits beyond center field and resembles the one from Connie Mack Stadium.) "I've been to a lot of the new ballparks, and this ranks up there with the best of them," he said. "And it's more special to me because I grew up here. I enjoyed the Vet, but this field is all natural and it's the way baseball is supposed to be played." Datz's father, a retired school administrator in Woodbury Heights, sounded nostalgic as he talked about bringing his sons to the 1971 Vet opener.

Bill Datz remembered Jim Bunning being the Phils' winner that day and third baseman Don Money slamming the Vet's first homer. He also recalled an unusual late-game development. "It was a bitter cold day and the kids were small and we were getting ready to leave," he said, "and a streaker ran across the field." There were no streakers yesterday. Just a grand opening even if it was only a dress rehearsal for the real season and a grand reunion between the Indians' first-base coach and his family. "I was excited to see the new stadium," Bill Datz said, "but even more excited to see my son.

I hadn't seen him since By Sam Carchidi INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Thirty-three years ago, Bill and Peggy Datz brought their three wide-eyed boys Dave, Jeff and Rich to opening day at glitzy, brand-new Veterans Stadium. "It was so wonderful, so exciting," said the eldest son, Dave Datz, now a 46-year-old superintendent at South Harrison Elementary School in Gloucester County. "I can still remember walking up the big ramps. The place was unbelievable and it had state-of-the-art AstroTurf." The Vet, of course, is now a pile of concrete rubble. There's a new baseball jewel on Pattison Avenue, Citizens Bank Park, and when it opened yesterday, the three Datz brothers now grown men and their parents were there to enjoy another historic day.

Unlike the 1971 opener, however, the Datzes had free tickets. And one of the Datz brothers was on the field, not in the seats with the rest of his family. In a way, it was a coming-home party for Jeff Datz, now in his third year as a Cleveland Indians coach. The Indians helped christen The House That Joe Taxpayer Built by scoring a 6-5 exhibition victory over the Phillies yesterday before 41,889 awestruck spectators. Jeff Datz was a lifelong Phillies fan when he grew up in Mullica Hill in Gloucester County.

He attended Clearview High, where he was a baseball and football standout, and later played baseball at Glassboro State College. A catcher, he was selected by the Houston Astros in the 19th round of the 1982 draft and spent nine years in the minors, along with a seven-game major-league stop in Detroit. Datz later managed in the minors for six seasons. It's been a long, dizzying odys-sey, but Datz finally returned home to Philadelphia and had a pass list that included 40 of his relatives and friends and even his high school baseball and football coach, Dan Pidcock. "This is special for me," said Datz, 44, as he surveyed the Phil- Boston at Baltimore, 8:05 Today's Game American League 2003 2003 vs Opp Last 3 Starts W-L ERA W-L ERA W-L ERA Pitcher Boston Martinez (R) 14-4 2.22 1-1 4.87 2-0 0.95 Baltimore, 8:05 Ponson (R) 17-12 3.57 0-1 19.29 0-3 5.50 Notable Cards get Cedeno from Mets for pair JERRY LODRIGUSS Inquirer Staff Photographer Cleveland first-base coach Jeff Datz (right) talks with Alex Escobar at Citizens Bank Park.

Datz, a Phils fan while growing up in South Jersey, and his family relived memories of the Vet at the new ballpark yesterday. lies' charming new ballpark before the game. "What makes it special is having my mom and dad and brothers here because they've been my rock." Datz, who was 11 when he attended the Vet's opener, has fond memories of the concrete dough Contact staff writer Sam Carchidi at 215-854-5181 or scarchidiphillynews.com. Throwback to Wrigley: Fans chuck home-run balls nal said. "I've had 50 or 60 people ask to have their picture taken with me.

I did interviews with Comcast and Channel 6. The whole thing is surreal." Carnal, who has two young children, said the ball would be a family heirloom and would never be sold. "You'll never see this at an auction or on eBay," Carnal said. "I'm never selling it. It's going on a shelf in my house, and it's something I'll hand down to my kids." Carnal planned to go to the ballpark's special services department to get the ball autographed by Thome.

And what if Thome asked if he could keep it? "If he wants it, I'd tell him he's hit bigger homers, and he's going to hit even bigger homers," Carnal said. "But this, this is my pinnacle. What are the odds of me catching a bigger home-run ball?" In other words, the ball is going to stay in Lansdale. By Sam Carchidi INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Sitting in the left-field bleachers, Dennis Murphy took off his Phillies cap and used it as a glove to catch a fourth-inning two-run homer by the Cleveland Indians' Casey Blake yesterday in the inaugural game at Citizens Bank Park. "Throw it back! Throw it back!" roared the crowd.

Murphy tried to ignore them. "I wanted to keep it or give it to a little kid," said Murphy, a 25-year-old Northeast resident who teaches math at Father Judge High, "but everybody kept yelling at me. There was a lot of peer pressure, so With his 28-year-old brother, Jack, leading the cheers, Murphy threw the ball back onto the field. "I figured that maybe I'd start a tradition here, like they have at Wrigley Field," he said. He was right.

When the Indians' Chris Clap-inski homered in the seventh, the ball was thrown back onto the field a rare occur rence at Veterans Stadium. Earlier, the Phillies' Jim Thome ripped the first homer in the park's history. No matter that it was only in an exhibition game. The fans in Section 205 near the top of the second level in right field battled for the first-inning souvenir as if it were a priceless artifact. "The second before he hit it, I said to my daughter, 'It's a cold day, and if a ball comes up here, it's going to break your said Kevin Salamon of Marlton, Burlington County.

"And she said, 'So what's a few broken fingers for a And the next pitch the next pitch he hits it up here." Just as Salamon was about to catch the ball, Ron Carnal raced in front of him and snared the souvenir. A few innings later, Carnal, a 37-year-old compliance manager from Lansdale, Montgomery County, was still having his picture taken by fans and being interviewed by newspaper and TV reporters. "After I caught it, I didn't realize the significance of it, but now it's like, holy crap," Car Contact staff writer Sam Carchidi at 215-854-5181 or scarchidiphillynews.com. Phillies Notes Glanville beats out Utley for last bench spot Ben Howard. Neal, a graduate of Bishop Eustace Prep in Camden County, had been cut from Florida's major-league roster on Friday.

Both pitchers will start the season in triple A. Red Sox. Boston closer Keith Foulke finished a rocky spring by giving up two runs while getting only one out in a 5-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Foulke finished the spring with a 15.59 ERA, giving up 17 hits and 15 runs in 823 innings. Red Sox manager Terry Franco-na, who had expressed concern about a drop in Foulke's velocity, insisted that the righthander threw better despite giving up a home run to Marcus Giles, the first batter he faced.

"I thought Foulke threw much better; his velocity was up," Francona said. "He threw a high fastball to Giles, and I've seen Giles do that to a lot of high fastballs." The Red Sox open their season tonight in Baltimore. Moves. Oakland signed catcher Tom Wilson to a minor-league contract after Wilson, 32, was cut by San Diego on March 31. The Montreal Expos sent pitcher T.J.

Tucker, outfielder Endy Chavez and infielder Henry Mateo to triple-A Edmonton as part of moves that cut the roster to 24 players. The last spot on the 25-man roster was being held for backup catcher Gregg Zaun, who is still negotiating a contract. Colorado Rockies outfielder Larry Walker was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained left groin. The Atlanta Braves placed pitchers Armando Almanza and Paul Byrd, a former Phillie, on the disabled list. Noteworthy.

Cincinnati beat Baltimore, 5-3, in Chattanooga, to finish at 18-16-1, its first winning spring since 1997. Yankees first baseman Travis Lee, sidelined with a sore left shoulder, could resume throwing today, manager Joe Torre said. Casey Daigle will make the jump from double A to the Arizona Diamondbacks' rotation, and Shane Reynolds will begin the season in the bullpen. Daigle will be the team's No. 4 starter, manager Bob Brenly said, and knuckleballer Steve Sparks will be No.

5. FROM INQUIRER WIRE SERVICES The St. Louis Cardinals acquired outfielder Roger Cedeno from the New York Mets yesterday for infield-er Wilson Delgado and catcher Chris Widger. Both teams said in press releases that the Cardinals would also receive an undisclosed amount of cash. Cedeno, a 29-year-old switch-hitter, is entering the third year of a four-year, $18 million contract he signed with the Mets in December 2001.

He hit .267 with seven home runs, 37 runs batted in and 14 stolen bases in 148 games with New York last season. Cedeno, who has played with four major-league teams during a nine-year career, set the Mets' record with 66 steals in 1999 and had 55 with Detroit two years later. Widger, 32-year-old graduate of Pennsville High in Salem County, N.J., hit .235 with 14 runs batted in over 44 games with the Cardinals last season. He also played in 33 games with tri-ple-A Memphis. He has played with four major-league teams in a career that started in 1995.

Delgado, a 31-year-old switch-hitter, hit a combined .228 with seven RBIs in 62 games with Anaheim and St. Louis last year. He has played eight seasons in the major leagues with five teams. Mets. Pitcher Al Leiter was hit in the head by a line drive and could miss his first start of the season.

Leiter grabbed the side of his face after getting hit by Alex Gonzalez's liner in the second inning of New York's 21-13 win over Florida in Jupiter, Fla. He fell on the mound but never lost consciousness. After being treated by trainers, he stood up on his own and walked to a nearby golf cart that brought him to the clubhouse. Leiter was taken to Jupiter Medical Center for a CT scan and X-rays, which were negative. He was to return to the team's spring training complex in Port St.

Lucie to be examined by assistant team physician Joe Bosco. The lefthander said he didn't know if he would miss his first start Thursday night in Atlanta. Marlins. Florida traded righthander Blaine Neal to San Diego for righthander JERRY LODRIGUSS Inquirer Staff Photographer In a cordial moment with the umpires, Phillies manager Larry Bowa reviews the ground rules at Citizens Bank Park before the game. Indians opened Jacobs Field in 1994, and it helped spark a renaissance for the franchise.

He sees similarities with the Phillies and their place. "Phillies GM Ed Wade and the Phillies have done a phenomenal and overlooked job in timing the development of their team with the revenue stream the ballpark creates," said Shapiro, the Indians' director of minor-league operations in 1994. "I think what's overlooked is the difficulty in having pitchers and position players arrive at the zenith of their potential. They've done a masterful job." Extra bases. Righthander Eric Junge and shortstop Anderson Machado were placed on the disabled list Friday, retroactive to March 26.

Junge is recovering from right-shoulder surgery and Machado had an appendectomy last month. Lefthander Eric Milton and righthander Brett Myers will pitch today against the Indians. Lefthander Matt Squires and righthander Brian Powell have been called up to pitch in today's game. Change one thing about Citizens Bank Park? Tear down that obnoxious old Veterans Stadium sign in the parking lot that obstructs an otherwise beautiful view of the city skyline. By Todd Zolecki INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Take away a few key injuries to a few key players, and the Phillies had a rather quiet spring.

They already knew their rotation, their closer, their set-up men and their everyday eight. They had just three jobs available: one on the bench and two in the bullpen. The Phillies announced the final three pieces to their 25-man roster after yesterday's 6-5 exhibition loss to Cleveland at Citizens Bank Park. Outfielder Doug Glanville took the final bench job over infielder Chase Utley, and righthanders Amaury Telemaco and Ryan Madson each earned bullpen spots. Telemaco had been considered a heavy favorite from the start, and Madson's spot became solid after the Phillies sent righthander David Coggin to triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre on Friday.

Glanville signed a $550,000 contract this offseason, which became guaranteed Wednesday. Utley had an option remaining, so he will start the season in Scranton. Phillies manager Larry Bowa said the decision to option Utley was the toughest of all. Glanville hit .275 with three home runs and five RBIs in 51 at-bats in the Grapefruit League. Utley, who declined to comment, hit .257 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 70 at-bats.

Bowa said the Phillies sent Utley to the minors so he can play every day, rather than have just 10 or 12 at-bats a month with the Phillies. With second baseman Placido Polanco a free agent after the season, Utley could be the team's second baseman of the future. Glanville will spell centerfielder Marlon Byrd and provide speed off the bench in the late innings. But he understands at-bats will be hard to come by with six outfielders on the roster, especially if left-fielder Pat Burrell and rightfielder Bobby Abreu play as Bowa expects. But Glanville said he understood his role and was happy to contribute any way he can.

"It's important in that playoff push that we have the depth and the experience," Glanville said. "If anybody slows down or anything happens, you don't feel like you're losing that much." The Phillies also optioned righthander Geoff Geary and reassigned infielder Lou Collier, catcher A.J. Hinch and lefthander Jim Crowell. Crowell, Hinch and Collier will remain with the team today before they join Scranton. Just like Cleveland.

Before Phillies first baseman Jim Thome crushed a 2-1 pitch into Section 205 in right field, Indians general manager Mark Shapiro predicted that Thome would love his new home. "He could hit 50 home runs here easy," he said. "It's a pop-up for him over that Modell's Sporting Goods sign down the right-field line. He can hit it out over that 409 sign in center field, too." Shapiro also knows the excitement a new ballpark creates. The Contact staff writer Todd Zolecki at 215-864-4874 or tzoleckiphillynews.com..