Phillies first round pick Jesse Biddle will join BlueClaws manager Chris Truby, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, and general manager Ruben Amaro at the January 26th Phillies Winter Tour at Woodlake Country Club in Lakewood.

Biddle, a Philadelphia native and the 27th overall pick in the 2010 draft, will likely be with the BlueClaws in 2011 and would be the sixth Phillies first round pick to play with the BlueClaws (Gavin Floyd, Cole Hamels, Greg Golson, Kyle Drabek, and Anthony Hewitt).

Here is an article on Biddle from July by Frank Fitzpatrick in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“They say they like all four of my pitches – fastball, curve, slider, change-up,” Biddle said. “They want me to focus on fastball, slider, change-up, and mainly to throw fastballs for strikes. They want me to get ahead with it, and then I may have an opportunity to strike them out with the slider.

“But right now it’s not about striking people out. It’s about pitching to contact, learning how to pitch. . . . They’re going to take their time with me. As a first-round pick and a high school guy, they need to make sure they protect me and get me acclimated to the system. I’m a quick learner.”

Here is a Winter Tour order form, or call Amy at 732-901-7000 ext 172.

It looks like the 2010 Phillies Winter Tour stop in Lakewood will be on January 11th, a Monday night (no, not the same night as the Alabama/Texas football game).

That, however, is all we have right now. We’ll certainly keep you posted. If you want more information, utilize the comments section below.

Click here to see photos from the 2009 Winter Tour.

The BlueClaws hosted a Phillies Winter Tour stop on Tuesday night. Tony Graham has the story in the Asbury Park Press.

You’ll note the last line of the article, that one table burst into Fly Eagles Fly, totally missed that one for the live blog. But was obviously a Phillies-centric atmosphere.

Tony also has an update on CBA graduate Kyle Slate, who will be fighting in spring training for a spot on the BlueClaws roster on Opening Day.

Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson were elected this week to the Baseball Hall of Fame. MiLB has a look at the minor league careers of both Henderson and Rice.

Welcome to Woodlake Country Club in Lakewood for tonight’s Phillies Winter Tour stop, featuring, among others, the World Series trophy, won by the Phillies for the first time since 1980. We’ll be live-blogging the event tonight, so keep it right here for continuous updates, including interviews with the guests. Any questions for the guests, please leave them in the comment section. Enjoy.

Guests will begin arriving at 5 pm, with the press conference scheduled for 6:30.

4:24: We’re good to go. Any questions, feel free to submit them via the comments section.

4:45: With “Hero,” by Enrique Iglesias, in the background, the trophy has been taken out of it’s protective box, and photos will begin shortly.

4:58: Craig Solomon of the Phillies, the keeper of the trophy, checks in and says he hasn’t yet dropped the 30 pound trophy (hopefully he won’t tonight, but no guarantees). He was recently in Las Vegas at an auto convention, and will soon head to Tuscon, Florida, and elsewhere, including the other Winter Tour stops in Williamsport, Lehigh Valley, and Reading.

5:26: Josh Ellis’ interview with trophy keeper Craig Solomon has been posted here.

5:28: The Phanatic has arrived. Now it’s a party.

5:40: Buster checks in. He seems happy to see his mentor, the Phanatic, and is also dressed up for the occasion. He’s sporting a tuxedo, and I don’t mean a tuxedo t-shirt.

5:59: Just spoke with Kenny Campbell, a 10 year old who fell out of the right field seats at Citizens Bank Park in August. Back soon with the link.

6:02: Buster checks in…”hyikrfeghyjkufdergthuikuvfdrghbgdfghjkkjhngtdfrgtjikjuhfgthjjuyhuj.” And now he is walking away. Thanks for that contribution Buster.

6:11: Here’s a clip with young Kenny Campbell, of Brick, and family on the Today Show in August after his incident at Citizens Bank Park. Talked to him for a ClawCast, which you can listen to right here.

7:07: Sorry for the delay, was down at the press conference. We’ll be updating you here for the rest of the night. The program is about to begin.

7:10: Tom McCarthy opens the program to a huge ovation. It will be tough for someone to top that one. He begins with a bald joke.

7:19: Caught up with Greg Legg downstairs at the press conference. He’s ready to go for another season, his 27th in professional baseball, every single one with the Phillies. Here’s the interview.

7:23: Great gesture by the Jersey Shore Boy Scouts of America. They let Tom McCarthy draw a raffle ticket for a spot at the head table. There are two winners. Which is impossible.

7:24: A young lady from the back, gets to go all the way up to the head table.

7:26: Tom McCarthy checked in downstairs before he began to emcee the event. He claims BlueClaws General Manager Geoff Brown stole his hair style and several ties. But beyond that, we spoke about the upcoming Mets/Phillies pennant race from a unique perspective. McCarthy called Mets games in 2007 and Phillies games in 2008.

7:35: Salad and blogging.

7:37: By the way, all the photos were done in about an hour and 45 minutes. That was 450 pictures in 105 minutes. Which works out to 4.28 pictures per minute and one picture every 14 seconds. Not bad.

7:42: JA Happ will have his “Made the Phillies” bobble-head night at FirstEnergy Park on June 30th. Just announced by Tom McCarthy. So we’re breaking news here at the Winter Tour.

7:45: Lisa Carone, BlueClaws special events manager and blog friend, checks in and thanks everyone here (which of course means they’re not following along) at the Winter Tour for a great turnout in 2009.

7:50: Couple of more interviews we’re putting up as I type. Stay tuned.

7:56: Really enjoyed talking to Chuck LaMar, the Phillies Assistant GM for Player Development and Scouting, a new title this year after the front office reshuffling. LaMar was the original GM of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and really build the core of the team that went from 5th place in the AL East in 2007 to the World Series in 2008. It was LaMar who brought in Kazmir, Shields, Upton, and Crawford, and it was LaMar’s new team, the Phillies, who won the Series in 2008, beating the Rays. An interesting interview, hope he comes out to Lakewood this year.

8:00: The program is set to resume here in a few minutes.

8:05: A few new pictures coming up and then a salmon break.

8:08: McCarthy: “People always ask what it was like to be around the team in September. I tell them that it was even better in October.” Sounds about right.

8:09: Lost in the shuffle sometimes between the Curse of the Bambino and the Curse of the Billy Goat, the Phillies were able to reverse the Curse of Billy Penn.

8:11: Greg Legg and Dusty Wathan first to be introduced by Tom McCarthy.

8:19: Chuck LaMar up at the podium now. He notes all the homegrown talent in the organization and the lineup during the World Series. Talking about Raul Ibanez, “His makeup is outstanding.” Ibanez was signed last month and will replace Pat Burrell, now with Tampa Bay.

8:21: Chan Ho Park comes up, that’s an upset. LaMar says Park will have to earn a spot in the rotation (JA Happ, Kyle Kendrick, Carlos Carrasco will be in the mix), and could be in the bullpen this year.

8:20: McCarthy notes the reports are positive on Chase Utley. LaMar on whether Utley can be ready for Opening Day: “I sure wouldn’t bet against it.” Interesting.

8:23: I promised my mother I wouldn’t spill anything on myself. So far so good.

8:25: Marti Wolever, Phillies Director of Scouting, is up at the podium, and says that Cole Hamels, when he was drafted at 18, had the maturity of a 25 year old.

8:26: Wolever: “Our young guys can play, and I think they proved it this year. We’re going to live by that philosophy [development] and we’re very pleased with our farm system.”

8:28: Given the chance to talk about some recent BlueClaws, Wolever goes straight to Kyle Drabek and Dominic Brown. Talked to Steve Noworyta, Phillies Director of Minor Leagues, last week, and he mentioned that Drabek is his sleeper to make it to Philadelphia in 2009.

8:30: Steve Noworyta is called up to the podium and talks about winning the World Series. “I told my kids to enjoy this moment, because you don’t know if it will ever happen again.”

8:32: The Phillies people LOVE their 2008 draft. We’ll go into details on this in the coming weeks, but a lot of these guys may be BlueClaws in 2009.

8:36: Great ovation for Tim Gradoville. Tom McCarthy suggests a bobble-head doll for the Phillies new bullpen catcher.

8:38: JA Happ on his bobble-head doll: “Very exciting.” On spring training: “Always competition, but that’s what makes it fun. I’ll be ready to go.”

8:40: Happ thinks his time in the big-leagues in 2008 will help him win a spot in the rotation in 2009. Happ on Jamie Moyer: “He’s such a good resource, just having my locker near his was great. He’s always willing to talk, and he goes beyond baseball. He’s an unbelievable resource and a great guy.”

8:43: Some housekeeping notes. Here are a slew of interviews done by Josh Ellis during the press conference portion of the program from earlier today. Here’s one with new BlueClaws manager Dusty Wathan. Josh also had a chance to talk to Phils Assistant GM Scott Proefrock, new Phils bullpen catcher Tim Gradoville, and finally, Phillies Director of Scouting Marti Wolever.

8:46: Another upset: Happ says his greatest career milestone was NOT his bobble-head doll, but rather getting his first major league win.

9:02: As the enormous line for JA Happ’s autograph begins to shrink as he fires off signature after signature, we’re winding down this Winter Tour stop here at Woodlake. We’ll be back to wrap it all up in a bit.

9:28: So we (Josh and I) sat in the back of the room as we blogged the event. The Zinger of the Night Award goes to BlueClaws marketing manager and blog contributor Zack Rosenberg, who wondered aloud if we were playing Battleship. Good one Zack.

9:34: That’s all folks. Thanks for reading. Next live blog: FanFest on March 7th. Back with more tomorrow here on BlueClaws Blog.

Tuesday night is Winter Tour night over at Woodlake Country Club. We’ll be live-blogging the event for you, which will include remarks from Tom McCarthy, the Phillies broadcaster and Brick native who will emcee the program. We’ll post audio interviews with the guests, including new BlueClaws manager Dusty Wathan, former BlueClaws pitcher JA Happ, and much more. Should be fun. We’ll post the thread here early afternoon. Feel free to submit questions for any of the guests and we’ll work them into our interviews. If you’re coming, please come over and say hello.

This is part five in a blog series looking at the players, coaches, broadcasters, and executives that will appear at the Phillies Winter Tour on January 13th at Woodlake Country Club. Remember, fans will have the chance to get their picture taken with the World Series trophy, and tickets are available by calling Steve Farago or Lisa Carone at 732-901-7000 ext 120 or 192.

The Trophy

The Commissioner’s Trophy
Formally known as the Commissioner’s Trophy, the first World Series trophy was created in 1967. Every season, one new trophy is made an presented to the team that wins the World Series. The current trophy is designed by Tiffany & Co. which has been under contract with Major League Baseball since the 2000 World Series. In addition the World Series trophy, Tiffany & Co. produces the trophies for the NFL, NBA, PGA Tour, NASCAR, and MLS. The trophy itself takes more than three months to make and uses 200 troy ounces of sterling silver. The trophy stands 24-inches tall (not including the base) and weighs about 30 pounds.

The World Series trophy contains 30 flags, one for each Major League Baseball organization, with latitude and longitude lines which symbolize the world and 24-karat stitches which represent the stitches on a baseball. The trophy is presented to the winning team in an on-field ceremony, if the World Series is won by the home team that night. If a team clinches on the road, the ceremony takes place in their clubhouse. The Commissioner’s Trophy is the only major sports trophy that is not named after a person.

Learn more here and here.

This is part four in a blog series looking at the players, coaches, broadcasters, and executives that will appear at the Phillies Winter Tour on January 13th at Woodlake Country Club. Remember, fans will have the chance to get their picture taken with the World Series trophy, and tickets are available by calling Steve Farago or Lisa Carone at 732-901-7000 ext 120 or 192.

The Staff

Dusty Wathan
Dusty Wathan was named the new manager of the Lakewood BlueClaws on December 16, 2008, replacing Steve Roadcap, who was promoted to manage the Double-A Reading Phillies after two years in Lakewood. He was basically a career minor leaguer who got five at-bats with the Kansas City Royals. After his playing career ended, Wathan went right into the manager’s seat with Williamsport last year and will be managing for a second year in 2009.

When Wathan was announced as manager, he sat down for a Q&A with BlueClaws Blog. You can read that here.

Greg Legg
The first manager in BlueClaws history, Legg returns to Lakewood after serving as the team’s hitting coach in 2008, his 28th year in the Phillies organization. Legg managed in the system from 1997-2007 before returning to Lakewood as the hitting coach in 2008.

An interesting Legg story, in 1994 he began his coaching career with Clearwater. But Kevin Jordan, playing for then-Triple-A affiliate Scranton Wilkes-Barre, broke his leg. So Legg put down the stopwatch and notebook and picked up a bat and glove to fill in for Jordan. He was back in the dugout in 1995.  

This is part three in a blog series looking at the players, coaches, and executives that will appear at the Phillies Winter Tour on January 13th at Woodlake Country Club. Remember, fans will have the chance to get their picture taken with the World Series trophy, and tickets are available by calling Steve Farago or Lisa Carone at 732-901-7000 ext 120 or 192.

The Player

JA Happ
Happ was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2004 draft out of Northwestern. He was with the BlueClaws in 2005, where he went 4-4 with a 2.36 ERA. Happ worked his way up to Triple-A in 2007, but had a 5.02 ERA, though during that year he made his big league debut on June 30th. Happ was back at Triple-A in 2008, but significantly improved his strikeouts, walks, hits allowed, and WHIP, and thus lowered his ERA to 3.60.

He is a viable option to be the Phillies 5th starter in 2009, and with lefty reliever JC Romero suspended for the first 50 games of the season, Happ could definately be in the mix for a spot on the Opening Day roster out of spring training.

How many Northwestern Wildcat alums have made the big leagues? Just 21. Notables include Yankees manager Joe Girardi and Dodgers 2b Mark Loretta.

Sat down yesterday with Lisa Carone and Steve Farago for an audio preview of Tuesday’s Winter Tour over at ClawCasts.com. For details about the event, and how to order tickets, click here. Remember, you can get your picture taken with the World Series trophy. Enjoy.

This is part two in a blog series looking at the players, coaches, broadcasters, and executives that will appear at the Phillies Winter Tour on January 13th at Woodlake Country Club. Remember, fans will have the chance to get their picture taken with the World Series trophy, and tickets are available by calling Steve Farago or Lisa Carone at 732-901-7000 ext 120 or 192.

The Broadcaster

Tom McCarthy
This is McCarthy’s second appearance at Lakewood’s Phillies Winter Tour stop, after appearing last year. He’ll be the emcee just like he was in 2008. The native of Brick (and graduate of Brick Memorial), is in his second stint on the Phillies broadcast team. He began from 2001-2005 before spending two years with the Mets. He returned to the Phillies for the 2008 season. Therefore, he has seen the Mets blow the division from both perspectives (see pictures).

McCarthy has also broadcast some of the best games in recent college basketball history, having been the radio voice for Princeton in 1996 when they knocked off defending champion UCLA 43-41 in the first round. He’s been calling St Joe’s for five years now, and was their radio voice during their magical season in 2003-2004, and called their classic Elite Eight loss to Oklahoma State.

Did you really think we would say “Not to blog?” Of course not.

We’re going to try something new on Tuesday at the Winter Tour: a Live Blog. People will start arriving to get their pictures taken at 5. We’ll start a thread around 6. The press conference is at 6:30. Then the program begins, which is being emceed by Tom McCarthy (more on Tom tomorrow). Click here for all the details. Remember, you can get a free picture with the World Series trophy.

Basically, you can submit your questions to us via the comments. We’ll remark on the remarks, and talk to the guests. Should be a lot of fun. If you’re at the event, please come over and say hello. If not, follow along at your computer.

This is part one in a blog series looking at the players, coaches, and executives that will appear at the Phillies Winter Tour on January 13th at Woodlake Country Club. Remember, fans will have the chance to get their picture taken with the World Series trophy, and tickets are available by calling Steve Farago or Lisa Carone at 732-901-7000 ext 120 or 192.

The Executives

Chuck LaMar
LaMar was named to his post, Assistant General Manager of Player Development and Scouting, following the 2008 season after serving as the Director of Professional Scouting in 2007. LaMar was the original GM of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (as they were then called) from 1995-2005 and worked for the Nationals in 2007 before being hired by Pat Gillick before the 2008 season. LaMar got his new title in the restructuring of the front office after Gillick’s retirement and Ruben Amaro Jr’s promotion to GM.

What makes LaMar’s case fascinating is that he brought in several players, like Carl Crawford, BJ Upton, and Scott Kazmir, that brought the Rays to their first World Series. There, of course, they played LaMar’s current organiztion, the Phillies. It will be interesting to hear about the World Series from LaMar’s perspective, which we’ll do at the Winter Tour on Tuesday.

Scott Proefrock
Proefrock comes to the Phillies after spending three years with Baltimore as their Director of Baseball Administration. Before that he spent 11 years with Tampa Bay, working under LaMar. Has to be nice for Proefrock to finally work for a team that actually has a chance of making the playoffs.

He started as, get this, a marketing intern with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1987.

We’ve mentioned before that 2005 BlueClaws pitcher JA Happ will be at the Winter Tour in two weeks (where you can get your picture taken with the World Series trophy). This begs the question, actually it doesn’t, but play along…What is JA Happ doing tonight? Happ, along with 2006 BlueClaws pitcher Dan Brauer, will probably be watching their school, Northwestern, in tonight’s Alamo Bowl against Missouri.

We’ve built a small database of former BlueClaws and their schools and we’ll follow along during the bowl season. There are a couple of more tomorrow. We’ll check in tomorrow morning with some stuff for the Phillies Top Ten prospect list that Baseball America releases next week along with those names (hint: Maryland, Oklahoma State, pitcher, catcher)

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The tremendous video that was our Video of the Week, posted Sunday, was from the 1949 movie “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” and yes, that was Frank Sinatra singing along with Gene Kelly.

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This has nothing to do with the BlueClaws or Phillies but I thought it was great and wanted to share it here. I saw this on ESPN’s Outside the Lines last Sunday. Two young men in India won a contest, similar to American Idol, where they got the opportunity to come to the US and train with the goal of signing a professional baseball contract as pitchers here in the States. Sure enough, they made it, signing with the Pirates, despite neither one having ever seen a baseball game prior to entering. Pittsburgh has a SAL affiliate in West Virginia, and who knows, maybe they make it up to the SAL this year, though more likely, if they’re good enough, it would be next year. Either way it’s a great, and fascinating story. Enjoy.

The big guy’s been making his list (and checking it twice) getting ready for next week. Now we want you to make your list, your BlueClaws Christmas list. Do you want a Bushel of BlueClaws package? How bout a new BlueClaws sweatshirt or headband to fight through the wind? A gift card for you to pick and choose your favorite BlueClaws items yourself? Or maybe even tickets to the Phillies Winter Tour, so you can get your picture taken with the World Series trophy?

If you could pick one special BlueClaws gift, what would it be and why? We’d love to hear from you!