BY SCOTT LAUBER
(Twitter: @ScottLauber)
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The news arrived via e-mail.
Having decided that they would not, under any circumstances, guarantee Billy Wagner's contract for more than three seasons, the Phillies scheduled a 5:30 p.m. conference call on Nov. 28, 2005 to announce they were parting ways with their All-Star closer, who had hit the free-agent market with the force of one of his blazing fastballs by demanding a four-year deal.
That was my first day on the Phillies beat for The News Journal.
Yesterday, under a clear blue Florida sky, I completed my last. The subject of my final story, a spring-training feature about the ninth-inning alternatives if Brad Lidge isn't ready for opening day, was perfectly fitting, I suppose. Somehow, my nearly 4-1/2-year stint at this newspaper is ending exactly as it began -- with an article about an unsettled closer situation.
In between, I've written hundreds of thousands of words, in print and online, about the Phillies. I've covered three postseasons, two World Series, and in 2008, a parade down Broad Street that provided sights and sounds that I'll remember for as long as I live. I've co-authored a book about the 2008 season with Gary Matthews. I've blogged and Tweeted. I've taped podcasts and shot videos. I've crisscrossed the country, traveling to every National League city and several in the American League, and spent so many early mornings in airports and late nights in hotels that I've often felt like George Clooney's character in "Up in the Air."
And I've loved every second of it.
In a few days, I will start a new job, joining the team of reporters who cover the Red Sox for the Boston Herald. It was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up, both for professional and personal reasons. If you know me, you know my affinity for Boston. It's where I went to college. It's where my best friends still live. I never really wanted to leave after graduation, and I'm excited beyond words about going back.
But it isn't easy to leave The News Journal either. Ron Fritz hired me, and for that, I'll always be grateful. When Ron left for the Baltimore Sun late in the 2006 baseball season, Jason Levine took over and continued to offer the support that every beat writer needs from an editor. My friend and colleague Martin Frank has been the best possible teammate, not to mention a willing travel companion during a Division Series snowstorm in Denver, a pair of League Championship Series in L.A. and the madness of the World Series. It's been my pleasure to work alongside Geoff Mosher, Kevin Tresolini, Kevin Noonan, Kris Pope, Buddy Hurlock, Mike Finney, Jack Ireland and others, and I'm thankful for the patience of assistant sports editor Laura Ignarski and everyone who had a hand in putting my stories in the paper, from Brad Myers, Tom Cobourn and Cecily Cairns to Bob Orr, Dan Hunt and Dave Cymerman.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my compadres on the Phillies beat, especially Paul Hagen, Jim Salisbury, Todd Zolecki, Dave Murphy, Andy Martino, Ryan Lawrence, Dennis Deitch, Kevin Roberts, Mike Radano, Stephen Miller, Mandy Housenick, Ken Mandel, Marcus Hayes and John Finger. Your superior work -- and the accompanying fear that you'd scoop me on any given day -- only pushed me to be a better reporter. And away from the ballpark, your friendship and good cheer made the late nights and weekends away from home more enjoyable.
A few weeks ago, I wrote in this space that this has been the best job I've ever had. I meant that. What other job could take you to the South Lawn of the White House one week and Monument Park in Yankee Stadium the next? My favorite story? There are too many to choose from. It may surprise you to know that sportswriters don't root for the teams they cover. We root for compelling stories, and over the past four seasons, there have been no shortage of those produced by the players who have worn the Phillies uniform.
During a recent conversation about my new job, someone told me that covering the Red Sox is more than just writing about baseball. To Red Sox Nation, the team is a religion. Well, I feel the same way about the covering the Phillies. When the history of the franchise is written, these past few years undoubtedly will be recognized as the glory days. We'll talk about Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino, Matt Stairs' home run against the Dodgers in Game 4 of the 2008 NLCS and Rollins' walk-off double against LA in Game 4 of the '09 NLCS, the epic NL East victory over the swooning Mets in 2007, the year that Cole Hamels channeled Steve Carlton in the postseason, the following year when Cliff Lee somehow topped that, and of course, Lidge dropping to his knees and raising his arms to the heavens after throwing that last hellacious slider past Eric Hinske. When I started on the beat in 2006, it was assumed the Phillies would be competitive in the NL East, but ultimately, fall short of making the playoffs. After the past two seasons, anything less than a World Series appearance (and, to some degree, a championship) would represent a failure. You, the fans, always have been demanding. But you've taken your passion to a new level around here. Indeed, the culture of baseball in Philadelphia and throughout the Delaware Valley has changed for the better, and it has been my distinct privilege to attempt to chronicle that change each day in the newspaper.
What's next for The News Journal's baseball coverage? Jason is in the process of hiring the next Phillies writer, and I'm sure both the beat and the blog will be in good hands. Until then, I'm handing over the keys to Philled In to Martin. He'll be with you at least for the duration of spring training, maybe even longer. Please be kind to him.
Me? I'll be only a mouse click away, covering the Sons of Terry Francona (surely, you remember him). And I'm already looking forward to May 21-23, when the Sox visit Citizens Bank Park. Perhaps The News Journal will even allow me to be a guest blogger.
Until then, thanks so much for reading.
