A word of advice for Manny Machado and Bryce Harper if one of them winds up taking the Philadelphia Phillies' money: Be prepared to get very, very dirty.
For they will have signed on to live in a city devoted to the rawest of competitors. The Broad Street Bullies, the Flyers of the '70s who won a lot of games but are remembered as much for their brawls. Chase Utley, who once told an opposing catcher from the batter's box that the pitcher needed to drill Utley, because he knew retaliation was in order. Brian Dawkins, the fearless Eagles safety who launched himself into tackles. Reggie White, the Minister of Defense.
Team success would matter, of course, and if Harper or Machado wound up at the top of a championship dogpile or catching cans of beer in a victory parade, they'd be in the Philly circle of trust, for sure, as Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Brad Lidge are, as Allen Iverson is. But before that, in those first games or seasons that Harper or Machado wore a Phillies uniform -- if they choose to take the Phillies' money, and uniform -- they should make a habit of running out every ball. Go airborne into third base, a la Pete Rose.
Harper could go hard after a ball into the gap, or near the fence, like Aaron Rowand. Machado would probably play third base if he signed with his Phillies, and if so, he should make like a groundhog on the infield, diving to his left and right to spear grounders. He could fly in on a chopper, barehand and eat grass on the follow-through.
Because both players would be on probation when they joined the Phillies. It's one thing to be a homegrown prospect, like Maikel Franco, and something completely different for a big-name, big-money free agent -- and if Harper or Machado signs with the Phillies, it will be for more money any athlete in the history of the city has been paid. There would be an enormous expectation, so great that living up to it in the first months would be almost impossible; boos would probably be inevitable, because as Giancarlo Stanton learned in New York last year, that's part of the indoctrination.
And both Machado and Harper would join the Phillies amid some concern about whether they would fit -- Machado because of his strange comments about hustle last season and his sluggish postseason performance, and Harper because of the repeated episodes when he didn't play hard. Everything either of them would do for the Phillies would be scrutinized in a way they've never been scrutinized before, with almost no margin for error.
If either should sign with the Phillies, they had better get dirty, better run hard, better play hard, better show they care desperately about winning.
And if either does win, he'll be a folk hero. If either does win in Philadelphia, it will forever alter their experience in baseball.
News from around the major leagues
Almost five years have passed since Masahiro Tanaka was diagnosed with a partially torn elbow ligament, an injury that initially generated speculation that he would require Tommy John surgery. Since then, Tanaka has pitched about 800 innings. Through his interpreter, Tanaka explained at Yankees camp that the condition of his elbow is not specifically checked these days, other than a doctor perhaps asking him generally how he's feeling.
"We're always cautious and aware," manager Aaron Boone said, "but it's always a tribute to [Tanaka], and those who have helped him. ... He's been able to pitch at a very high level, seemingly with those questions always surrounding him."
• Andrew McCutchen owns a home in Pittsburgh, and as he prepared for his first spring training with the Phillies, McCutchen went to Clearwater about a month ago, spending most of his days working out with minor leaguers.
• CC Sabathia's lasting legacy with the Yankees won't be about his wins or strikeouts, but about his generous spirit as a teammate. When Brian Cashman recruited Sabathia as a free agent after the 2008 season, he told Sabathia that he wanted Sabathia to help change the Yankees' clubhouse culture, to make it better, and Sabathia has done that.
"CC has done everything and anything he possibly could do in leadership and performance," Cashman said.
• Some former players asked offered their best stories about teammates:
Dale Murphy: "There isn't a better legacy you could leave than being a good teammate. Many things will fade through the years, but not the feelings and friendships and connections you form with teammates. In the late '70s, I was very thankful to play with someone who was a great teammate and who also had a profound impact on my career: Gary Matthews.
"He played hard, played with flair, had fun, and wasn't afraid to challenge you. He wanted to help you be better. Great teammates want those around them to reach their potential. Great teammates are more than their own stats -- they make everyone better.
"Many of us younger players (Murphy, Bob Horner, Glen Hubbard, etc.) were upset and saddened the day he got traded to the Phillies. I think it was during batting practice before a spring training game that we heard the news. Once BP was over, I marched into John Mullen's office and told him that I wasn't happy about it, and wanted to know if it was true. That's how much he meant to all of us. I think it was Pete Rose who gave Gary the nickname 'Sarge.'
"Pete gave him that name out of respect and in recognition of Gary's place on that Phillies team, even a team with a lot of veterans, it was Pete's way of recognizing and respecting Gary's position as a leader and his value to the team -- this guy loves this team, knows what's going on, is a team-first guy, is a take-charge guy. I was a better player and had a better career because Gary was my teammate and I'll never forget that."
Mark Grant, former pitcher who is now an announcer for the Padres: "Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow. I was with the 1984 Giants, when I was 20, in my rookie season. They didn't have to give me the time of day, yet they both took me under their wings and taught me what it meant, and how to be a big leaguer, on and off the field. They rooted for me, and got on me when needed because they cared. They taught me, 'It's not about you. It's about your teammates and the team. Team, and teammates above self.'"
• Ron Guidry's athleticism stood out among his peers during his playing career, as you might see from this video of his 18-strikeout game against the Angels in 1978. On Saturday, Guidry -- a spring instructor with the Yankees again this year -- pulled some memories from that night.
After he picked up his 15th strikeout, the folks who run the scoreboard posted the news that he had just tied Whitey Ford's single-game record. Before that night, Guidry's season high in strikeouts was 11. "Nobody was more surprised than me," Guidry said. "I looked at Thurman [catcher Thurman Munson] and said, 'I've got 15 strikeouts?' And he looked at me and said, 'You've got 15 strikeouts?' He was surprised, too."
After the half-inning, Munson told Guidry that they would try to go for the single-game record of 19, which, at that time, was held by Nolan Ryan, the Angels ace who happened to be sitting in the visitors dugout that night. Guidry told him, no, he wanted Munson to continue to call the game in the same manner he had to that point, on a night when it seemed to Guidry that every time he threw his fastball, the Angels would take it, and every time he threw his wipeout slider, they would swing.
"OK," Munson replied. "I'll give you the eighth inning. But if you don't go for it, I swear to God, I'm going to break your shoulder."
Guidry struck out Ike Hampton in the eighth inning for his 16th strikeout, and Dave Chalk and Joe Rudi in the ninth to reach 18.
• James Paxton grew up in Ladner, Canada, and all of his friends played hockey, he recalls. But he did not, other than some street hockey. "My dad was a baseball guy," he said.
When Paxton was 9 or 10 years old, he was cut from his Little League All-Star team, a decision that compelled him to spend hours with Ted Paxton, his dad, on pitching. He would play some at first base when he was a kid, a little in the outfield, but as a teenager Paxton was all about pitching -- and, at age 16, the lefty's fastball was clocked at 88 mph, in a tryout for the Canadian national team.
• At the 2016 World Series, lefty reliever Zack Britton was honored with the Mariano Rivera Award, given to the best American League reliever, and for a few minutes, he found himself in conversation with Rivera and Trevor Hoffman -- three elite relievers who mostly succeeded with one pitch.
Rivera discovered his cut fastball playing catch with Ramiro Mendoza. Hoffman learned his signature changeup out of desperation after hurting his shoulder. And Britton learned the grip for his sinker while playing in Class A, before being forced by former Orioles pitching coach Dave Wallace to throw it until he completely mastered it. "It was fascinating," Britton said, "that we all got to our pitch in a random way."