And the Pitch ... . | Real games start today for the Phillies. Well, "real" games, anyway. The Phils opened their exhibition season a little more than a half-hour ago, with the Yankees visiting Bright House Networks Field. Even though the game is meaningless, it's impossible not to feel just a little bit of juice over the fact that they're keeping score again.

With real games, alas, come real concerns, beginning with the news that ace backup catcher Todd Pratt will have minor knee surgery tomorrow. Pratt hopes to be ready to go by the season opener, and the Phillies sure hope so, as they're painfully thin at the position.

Away from the news about aches and pains, and balls and strikes, the Inquirer dumps an absolute puff piece on the Clearwater scene by pop culture writer Dan DeLuca into its Magazine section. The story seems to exist solely to remind readers who wouldn't think of opening the sports section that there is a professional baseball team in town, and that it should be good this year.