The Morning Call from Allentown, Pennsylvania • 28

C8 TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2005 2005 SPRING TRAINING THE MORNING CALL Spanish Bsisbol Network will broadcast Phils on radio PHILLIES SPRING TRAINING TIDBITS By Don Bostrom Of The Morning Call OEAgWATER, Ha. Don't be surprised if you're driving to the Jersey shore some night this summer and you hear an excited voice describing Phillies games in Spanish. The Phillies have reached a four-year agreement with the Spanish Beisbol Network to broadcast all 162 games of their games. One-time Phillies prospect Danny Martinez, 48, will be the lead announcer. Martinez, a native of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, was signed by Dallas Green as a shortstop in 1977 and began in the system with Julio Franco.

Two things stymied his career. "They had Larry Bowa," Martinez said. "Then I injured a knee in 198L" Martinez kept his hand in the game as an agent He arranged winter ball roster spots for players and also served a one-man Welcome Wagon for young Latino prospects. "I remembered how tough it was for those coming to a new culture, not having family around, and not knowing the language," Martinez said. "Guys would go to McDonald's and point at what they wanted to eat." Martinez simply became everyone's friend.

He'd bring rice and beans for dinner, chauffeur players around, arrange for calling cards and serve as translator. going on right now is how the entire team is shouting encouragement "Everybody is helping everyone else out," said Rollins. "That's the way it should be." Rollins, for instance, gave Brett Myers a tip after he had" fouled off two bunt attempts. Myers then lined a double high off the left-field wall "I had mixed emotions about that," Myers said. "I got tired nmning the bases.

And got a little out of whack the next inning." Polanco sizzles: Placido Polanco had two hits and two RBIs and is now hitting .385. "I tried to do this last year," Polanco said. "Things don't go your way all the time. I'm going good right now." Despite the monster spring, Polanco remains in limbo, holding down third base until David Bell gets healthy. He still wants to play every day and admits he would not accept arbitration if he could do it over again.

"To be in this situation that I'm in right now, I would never accept it," he said. "It's horrible. I'm trying to be a good teammate. It's not the other players' fault. Why be mad at them? "It's Ed Wade's decision whether I get traded or not, and he knows exactly how I feel." Polanco hasn't demanded a trade.

He told the club if he could play every day, Philadelphia is his first choice. "If it's not going to be here, I want out," Polanco said. He doesn't want to speculate on what might happen. more aware," Abreu said. "This will bring more fans to the stadium.

The Latinos will want to come and cheer more for us. It doesn't matter what nationality you are, you can enjoy base-balL" Martinez said his broadcasts will be about the entire team, not just the Latino connectioa "This will be just as much about Jim Thome and Pat Bur-rell as it is Bobby Abreu and Placido Polanco," Martinez said. "It's about the Phillies." Philadelphia joins Tampa Bay and Boston in the Spanish Beisbol Network. Baltimore, Washington and the Chicago White Sox are in the process of joining and the aim is to have at least a dozen clubs in the fold. SBN will have the capability of sending broadcasts over the Internet and to foreign countries if there is a request.

WPWA (1590) in Chester is the flagship for the region's network. Situational heroes: Hitting coach Milt Thompson has stressed the importance all spring of taking the ball back up the middle when runners are in scoring position. It's starting to pay off. The Phillies delivered a series of tremendous at-bats to get runners in during Monday's 10-8 win over Toronto. "That's all we think about," Jimmy Rollins said.

"We do it constantly in drills and then when we get up in the game, it's second nature." Rollins said the neat thing Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Pedro Martinez were frequent visitors to his home the past three seasons when Martinez learned the broadcast business while helping Enrique Eliu do Tampa Bay Devil Rays games. Eliu is blind, but that didn't stop him from brilliantly describing the action. Since the pair's booth was in harm's way for foul balls, Martinez wore a baseball glove to protect Eliu. Martinez will need to borrow some of Eliu's genius because he won't travel to half of the road games and will be recreating them off a television feed. "It's not the same; you don't get the thrill of being live," he admitted, noting he'll be backed by a full complement of sound effects, crowd noises and the crack of bat on ball.

Martinez's signature call is "Esta no regresa!" which means "That one is not coming back!" He hopes it becomes the same catch phrase as Harry Kalas' "Outta here!" The Phillies will have a strong Latino flavor this season, there are many top prospects on the way and they know there is a vast, untapped Latino market out there to reach. Everyone involved knows this is a win-win situation. "It's great for all of the Latinos in Philadelphia and the whole country," Bobby Abreu said. "They just want to hear the game and learn about our team. A lot of them don't speak Marlon Byrd TODAY The Phillies enjoy their only day off of the spring.

Starter Jon Lieber will stay on his five-day rotation by working a minor league game. ON DECK The Phillies play the Reds in Sarasota. Both teams have agreed to use the DH rule. Gavin Floyd will start for the Phillies. THE DAY of at-bats Jimmy Rollins has had this without striking out.

tS-i iV-- 'it i I Compiled by Don Bostrom "There are a lot of people that don't know much about the game, but when they start hearing people talking about it in Spanish, they will become lefties out on a regular basis. We're also looking for a long man, someone who can work a couple of innings." Bacsik is battling Aaron Fultz for the final spot on the staff. If that doesn't work out, Bacsik will open the year in the Scranton rotation. He was tagged for four runs in ah inning last week by Toronto but bounced back to work four innings of two-hit shutout ball against the Yankees' regular lineup on Saturday. After both outings, Bacsik was his usual cheerful self.

"I learned a major lesson in 2003," said Bacsik, who works next Wednesday against Cincinnati. "I was penciled in as the Mets' fifth starter when they signed David Cone the first day of camp and it really got to me. I'm competing against an All-Star that everybody knows, even though he's past his days. "I let that affect me. I started paying too much attention to him and wasn't worried about myself.

I was up and down. I made the team but, as soon as Cone was ready, I got sent down." GAME RECAP Phillies 10, Blue Jays 8: The offense remained in high gear, pounding out 14 hits to help the surging Phillies (6-6) prevail. Winning pitcher Brett Myers recorded eight ground-ball outs and hit a double. Hitting star: Marlon Byrd went 3-for-4 and picked up three RBIs. He's hitting .417.

Pitching star: Terry Adams struck out two to notch his first save of the spring with a perfect ninth. OUTTA HERE Pitchers Keith Bucktrot and Zack Segovia, third baseman Juan Richardson and outfielder Chris Roberson were optioned to the minor-league camp. Outfielders John Castellano and Jorge Padilla, catcher Tim Gra-doville and pitcher Francisco Butto were re-assigned to the minors. STAT OF 27 English perfectly, so this will bring them more enjoyment of the games. It will mean a lot for them to hear the game in the same language.

PHILLIES. FROM PAGE CI Bacsik wants to show what he can do The Indians, then managed by Charlie Manuel, rallied to win a game that changed the complexion of their season. Bacsik hopes to turn his career around now that he's reunited with Manuel. "I know my best pitching is ahead of me," Bacsik said. "Everything is starting to click and fall into place.

The opportunity is here to be a long guy, a lefty guy or, if a guys gets hurt, to spot start." Manuel knows Bacsik, whose out pitch is the change-up, won't overpower anyone. "He must have his control," Manuel said. "He's not afraid to come in on people. Mike has to show me he can get the Tony Gutitrra Associated Press will miss several days after being right elbow. 60-day disabled list with a torn elbow ligament.

The reliever will have reconstructive surgery today. Prior out Indefinitely with inflammation in right elbow: At Mesa, Cubs ace Mark Prior will be out indefinitely because of inflammation in his right elbow. Cubs trainer Mark O'Neal said the 24-year-old Prior has some inflammation in the elbow joint and a little irritation to the ulnar nerve. Gooden released from Jail: Dwight Gooden walked out of jail Monday, one day after he was charged with punching his live-in girlfriend in the face. The one-time star pitcher for the New York Mets and Yankees was told to stay away from Monique Moore before Judge Walter Heinrich ordered him released without bail on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge.

Number spring CL Baseball gives committee documents on drug testing The Bacsiks have different pitching styles. "We're totally opposite," Bacsik said. "My dad was a righty. He was a hard sinker, slider pitcher with a lack of control. I'm a lefty who doesn't throw very hard, but has good control.

"I wouldn't say he pushed me, but when he knew I loved playing baseball at an early age, it just became one of the things we did as father and son. He'd throw my batting practice. We had a blast." The elder Bacsik has two mounds in his back yard and tutors young hurlers. Young Mike takes advantage of both. "It's nice to have a professional guy at home, even though he's still my dad," he said.

"There are other times I tell him to be quiet and let me pitch." That's all Bacsik wants right now. A chance to pitch and a chance to show he can be another late-blooming lefty. donald.bostromamcall.com 610-820-6506 ing, a group that includes Darr-yl Strawberry and Dwight Goodea "We gave them roughly 400 pages of documents, substantial compliance with all of the issues they identified in their subpoena relating to our policies and our aggregate numbers," said Stan Brand, a lawyer for the commissioner's office. Asked what was not turned over, Brand responded: "We presented them with the gross figures, how many people were tested and how many turned out positive and for what. We did not give anything relating to individual tests and results." Brand said that because of the short time period, baseball could not assure the committee that all relevant information had been submitted.

David Mcintosh and Michael Kantor, lawyers for Giambi, Palmeiro and Thomas, sent three letters to the committee. They asked that Giambi be excused until after the prosecution is over with because of his grand jury testimony. For Palmeiro, they said "to require that he come to answer baseless charges is unfair." And for Thomas, they said traveling to Washington "could have adverse circulatory effects that could substantially impede Mr. Thomas' recovery" from ankle surgery. Davis, a Virginia Republican, has threatened to cite any subpoenaed witness who doesn't appear for contempt of Bacsik refuses to get uptight now.

He's confident he'll make the team or be first in line should help be needed thanks to a lethal changeup and a hew cutter that keeps hitters from sitting on his 88-mph fastball General manager Ed Wade views Bacsik as a low-risk, high-reward propositioa "You can never give up on lefties," Wade said. "They usually take longer to develop. Realistically, it would be great if we had a surplus at Triple A. You know every year you are going to have to reach down for help from the minors. It happens.

You look for the hot hand. If you have some level of experience, it's a benefit." Bacsik is the son of Mike Bacsik, who pitched for the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins from 1975-80. They are the only father-son tandem in Rangers history. Interestingly, young Mike is often given baseball cards of his dad to sign. "People really think that's me," he said with a chuckle.

"I tell them I was three years old back then." look forward to sharing this information with the committee," he said in a statement "The players stepped up this past January for an even stricter drug policy beginning this season demonstrating that all of us in baseball are committed to reaching zero tolerance." Sammy Sosa, Thomas and Palmeiro were subpoenaed last week along with Canseco, whose recent book alleged several top players used steroids. Union head Donald Fehr also was summoned along with Manfred, baseball executive vice president Sandy Alderson and San Diego general manager Kevin Towers. Canseco has asked for immunity in order to speak more freely. The committee consulted the Justice Department but didn't expect to hear back until this evening, according to Canseco's lawyer, Robert Sau-nooke. Saunooke said players were unsure whether the committee had power to grant immunity from both federal and state prosecution.

In its subpoena last week, the committee asked for 11 types of documents, including current and past drug-testing agreements and policies going back to 1970, test results from 2003 and 2004, past management bargaining proposals and studies, and details of disciplinary action since 1990 related to drug use. It also asked for results of tests since given to players subject to "cause" test I Kathy Widens Associated Press makes the throw to complete a out Toronto's John MacDonald. YANKEES CLOSER MARIANO RIVERA shut down because of bursitis in his NOTES system. In 184 career games, Ritchie had a 43-54 record and a 4.71 ERA with five major league teams. He enjoyed most of his success with the Pirates from 1999-01, going 35-32 with a 4.29 ERA in 92 games.

Trachsel returns to New York for tests on back: Mets pitcher Steve Trachsel returned to New York to have medical tests on his back. Trachsel underwent an MRI at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Trachsel felt discomfort when he pitched Thursday against Baltimore, allowing five runs and four hits in 3l' innings. Nationals' Beltran to have elbow surgery: At Viera, Washington right-hander Francis Beltran was put on the if i Vs PHIUJES SHORTSTOP JIMMY ROlilNS sixth-inning double play after forcing Rivera out with bursitis From Call wire services New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera will be out at least a few days with mild bursitis in his right elbow. Rivera underwent an MRI after feeling some soreness Monday.

"It's not a major concern," manager Joe Torre said. "He's shut down tonight He will probably pitch by the end of the week." Rivera is not concerned, and expects to be ready for opening day. "I threw yesterday and everything was fine," Rivera said. "Today, it was kind of a little sore." The Yankees have been taking a slow approach with the 35-year-old right-hander this spring. Rivera has allowed one hit in three scoreless innings in three appearances.

Ritchie tells Pirates he plans to retire: At Bradenton, Todd Ritchie told Pittsburgh that he plans to retire, ending his comeback bid after missing nearly two seasons because of a right shoulder injury. Ritchie was a 15-game winner for the Pirates in 1999 and their opening day starter in 2001. He had rotator cuff surgery in June 2003 and spent last season rehabilitating in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' By Ronald Blum Of The Associated Press NEW YORK Major League Baseball gave a congressional committee about 400 pages of documents on drug testing and said commissioner Bud Selig was willing to testify at Thursday's hearing on steroid use. Lawyers for Jason Giambi, Frank Thomas and Rafael Palmeiro asked the committee to withdraw subpoenas for their clients, and lawyers for players and the commissioner's office continued to negotiate with committee staff Monday, trying to narrow the scope of questioning. Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, and Rob Manfred, the executive vice president in charge of labor relations, were in Washington to meet with the committee staff.

Just three days before the hearing, it remained unclear whether Mark McGwire, Giambi, Curt Schilling and other current and former stars would testify before the House Government Reform Committee. Former AL MVP Jose Canseco and Schilling are the only players who have said they are willing to appear in Washington on Thursday. Selig, who initially offered a top aide as a substitute, reversed course Monday and offered to appear. "I am proud of the progress baseball has made on the subject of steroids and performance-enhancing drugs and 3.