Catching Up | Since last I checked in with Phillies-related material, Jim Thome's broken finger turned out not to need surgery and Bill Wagner began throwing again. On the down side, David Bell now is sidelined with shoulder tendinitis. Bell is one of Larry Bowa's guys, but in a year-plus, we've yet to see him play healthy as a Phillie, and he appears in danger of becoming one of those players who are never quite right. Maybe it's a hamstring one week or a fouled ball of his foot the next, but sometimes the baseball gods will just pick someone and mess with him for a few years. Bell insists he'll be fine, and indeed I sure hope so, because, frankly, Chase Utley, who would play second while Placido Polanco slipped over to third should Bell be sidelines, didn't show me a whole lot last year.

Speaking of bad shows, city officials are warning fans not to head to South Philadelphia in an attempt to watch next Sunday's implosion of Veterans Stadium. Figures -- there's finally something about the Vet worth watching, and they're not selling tickets.