Hamels, Utley lead Phillies over Rays in opener

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Cole Hamels, Chase Utley and the rest of the Philadelphia Phillies shook off a week's worth of waiting and turned it into a World Series win.

Hamels escaped trouble to win his fourth postseason start, Utley hit a two-run homer in the first inning and the Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in the opener Wednesday night.

The worst-to-first Rays flopped in their first game in baseball's ultimate event, managing just five hits.

The Phillies showed little evidence of rust. They'll try to make it two in a row at Tropicana Field when Brett Myers pitches against James Shields in Game 2 Thursday night.

The team that won the opener has captured the Series 63 of 103 times, including 10 of the last 11. But the team with home-field advantage has taken 18 of the last 22 titles.

"It's huge," Phillies closer Brad Lidge said. "You try and downplay it, but obviously you're coming into a place like this, you want to make sure you get the first game, especially because you got your ace on the mound. It's really important to do that."

Hamels, MVP of the NL championship series, improved to 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA this postseason. He had only a pair of 1-2-3 innings, but the composed 24-year-old left-hander allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings.

Ryan Madson pitched a perfect eighth. Lidge worked the ninth for his 47th save in 47 chances this year, silencing the Rays and their cowbell-clanging fans.

Carl Crawford homered for Tampa Bay, but playoff stars B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria went a combined 0-for-8. The Rays didn't get a hit over the final four innings.

Scott Kazmir, selected two picks ahead of Hamels in the first round of the 2002 amateur draft, struggled with his control and gave up three runs, six hits and four walks in six innings.

The Phillies could have romped but went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Their other run even scored on an out, an RBI grounder by Carlos Ruiz.

Philadelphia, seeking the city's first major title since the NBA's 76ers in 1983, had six days off after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL pennant, while the Rays didn't finish off the Boston Red Sox until Game 7 on Sunday night.

The Phillies also won the opener in 1980 against Kansas City, starting them to their only title since starting play in 1883. Philadelphia also started the Series with wins in 1915 and 1983, but dropped the first game in 1950 and 1993.

After 10 seasons as a doormat, the Rays became the surprise of baseball, toppling the defending champion Red Sox and the Yankees to win the AL East, then beating the White Sox and Boston in the playoffs. The crowd of 40,783 at the Trop wasn't given much to cheer about, though, with Crawford homering in the fourth and Akinori Iwamura hitting an RBI double in the fifth.

Cowbells were sounding and fans were petting the cownose Rays in a tank in right-center during Tropicana Field's first World Series game.

There was a minor league feel, with the public-address announcer hawking season tickets for 2009, an on-field fan contest in left field during the middle of the fifth inning and a trivia contest to give away a video game after the sixth.

Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia's leadoff batter, flied to right fielder Ben Zobrist, who has made just two regular-season career appearances at the position. He started and played six innings against Texas on May 28 and subbed there for one inning on Sept. 26 against Detroit, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

When Zobrist walked into the clubhouse and saw his name in the lineup, he texted his wife: "Hey, I'm starting."

But then Jayson Werth walked and Utley homered on a 2-2 pitch, sending the ball into the right-field seats and becoming the 34th player to homer in his first Series at-bat. Only 13 of Utley's 33 homers during the regular season were against lefties, and Kazmir allowed just one homer to a left-handed batter in 131 at-bats, with Boston's David Ortiz connecting Sept. 15.

"Fastball, middle of the plate," Utley said. "I was just trying to put the ball into play."

Mitch Williams, an analyst for Comcast SportsNet, started pumping a fist and cheering. The Phillies' last World Series appearance ended when Williams allowed Joe Carter's game-ending homer in Game 6 at Toronto.

Philadelphia had a chance to pad the lead in the second following two walks, but center fielder B.J. Upton made a nifty one-hop throw to the plate on Rollins' fly to short center, and catcher Dioner Navarro applied the tag on Shane Victorino for the inning-ending out.

Tampa Bay loaded the bases with one out in the third on two singles around a walk. But third baseman Pedro Feliz went to his left for an impressive pickup on Upton's grounder and started an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.

Ruiz hit an RBI grounder in the fourth following Victorino's leadoff single, but Crawford's homer on a hanging breaking ball cut the lead to a 3-1 in the bottom half, giving fans a reason to ring those bells. As he rounded the bases, lights flashed on the three outer catwalks that ring the stadium under the roof of the quirky dome.

Iwamura reached down for an outside 3-2 pitch and drove an opposite-field RBI double to left-center in the fifth, and Upton followed with a foul pop that Ryan Howard reached into the stands to grab - veteran fans at places such as Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium likely would have not allowed the first baseman to make the play.

Carlos Pena reached leading off the sixth when Howard allowed his grounder to pop off his glove and midsection for an error. But Hamels froze Pena with a pickoff throw and he was easily thrown out at second. Rays manager Joe Maddon screamed unsuccessfully for a balk call, maintaining Hamels' foot landed too far toward the plate.

Utley singled with one out in the seventh, stole second and took third on a wild pitch. But J.P. Howell fanned Howard and, after Pat Burrell walked, Grant Balfour struck out Victorino.

Notes: It was the first Series game on artificial turf since 1993 - the Phillies' previous one. ... The Rays played an exaggerated shift on Utley and Howard, often putting three infielders on the right side.

Utley goes deep, helps Phillies beat Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Chase Utley walked up to the plate looking to bunt and ended up driving one out.

Utley's two-run homer in the first inning got Philadelphia started in its first appearance in the World Series since 1993, and Cole Hamels pitched the Phillies to a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 Wednesday night.

Utley finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, two stolen bases and an intentional walk. Good thing for the NL champions their three-time All-Star second baseman came here swinging because Ryan Howard and the rest of the big hitters had their share of problems.

The Phillies were 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position, though Carlos Ruiz had an RBI groundout in the fourth.

Utley, who hit a career-best 33 homers in the regular season, became the 34th player to go deep in his first Series at-bat. Dustin Pedroia and Bobby Kielty did it last year for Boston against Colorado.

With the Rays employing an extreme shift against the left-handed hitting Utley, he simply tried to reach base against hard-throwing lefty Scott Kazmir. Utley bunted the first pitch, fouling it down the third-base line. He checked on a close 1-2 pitch, before ripping Kazmir's next offering into the right-field seats to put the Phillies ahead 2-0.

"Fastball, middle of the plate," Utley said. "I was just trying to put the ball into play."

How'd Utley celebrate his second postseason homer? He put his head down and jogged quickly around the bases, just like he does every time he goes deep. No fist-pumping, hand-gesturing or anything else from this old-school baseball rat.

"Every game we go out to win," Utley said.

Utley hit .277 with 13 homers against lefties in the regular season. But Kazmir allowed only one homer to a left-handed hitter in 131 at-bats. Boston slugger David Ortiz connected off him on Sept. 15.

Philadelphia's offense, inconsistent throughout the season, couldn't do much else the rest of the game.

Howard was 0-for-4, striking out three times, including twice with a runner on third and one out. Jimmy Rollins was 0-for-5 with two strikeouts and flied into a double play with the bases loaded in the second. Pat Burrell went 0-for-3 and left a runner at third.

Utley beat the shift with a single to left-center off lefty reliever J.P. Howell in the seventh. He stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, but was stranded when Howard struck out and Shane Victorino fanned after Burrell walked.

Overall, Utley hit .292 and had 104 RBIs this season, doing most of his damage before the All-Star break. A nagging hip injury may be the reason Utley's production dropped in the second half - he had 12 homers in the last 103 games - but he never made excuses or asked out of the lineup.

His sweet swing looks just fine now.

Utley got hot in the NLCS against Los Angeles. He hit .353 (6-for-17) with a homer and three RBIs against his hometown Dodgers in the five-game series. He's now reached safely in 12 straight postseason games.

Before that series, Utley had been 4-for-26 (.154) with nine strikeouts, one extra-base hit and two RBIs in his postseason career. He was just 2-for-15 with four strikeouts in the division series against Milwaukee.

Seeking their second World Series title in 126 years - the first was in 1980 - and Philadelphia's first championship since the 76ers won the NBA title 25 years ago, the Phillies didn't play like a team with the weight of a championship-starved city on its shoulders.

With manager Charlie Manuel cracking jokes and providing rubber ducks in every player's locker as a prop to remind them to stay loose, the Phillies looked like the October regulars. They walked around before the game with an aura that they belonged on this stage.

This was no hostile environment on the road, either.

Plenty of red-clad fans came from nearby Clearwater, where the team has held its spring training since 1947, and from Philadelphia to support the Fightin' Phils. They gathered behind the Phillies dugout three hours before game time and whooped it up Philly-style.

One fan held up a sign that read: "It's not Christmas yet, but get ready for some Cole in your stocking."

Another sign said: "You have the cowbell. We have the Liberty Bell."

Perhaps no one was cheering harder for the Phillies more than Mitch Williams, who surrendered Joe Carter's series-clinching homer when Philadelphia lost to Toronto in 1993.

Seated in the front row of the auxiliary press box in left field, "The Wild Thing" put his arm in the air, pumped his fist and cheered when Utley's shot cleared the wall. Williams now works as an analyst on local television in Philadelphia and also hosts a pre-game radio show called "The Wild Pitch."

Three more wins, and he's off the hook.

-- Rob Maaddi

Phillies shut down Upton, Longoria

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A sizzling duo in the first two rounds of the playoffs, B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria fizzled in the opening game of the World Series.

The emerging stars, instrumental in the young Rays winning the AL pennant in their first-ever postseason appearance, went hitless for Wednesday night in Tampa Bay's 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.

In their defense, most of the Rays struggled, too. But after driving in 26 runs against the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox on the way to baseball's biggest stage, Upton and Longoria have raised expectations.

Cowbell-clanging fans rose to their feet in anticipation every time they strolled to the plate. Each time they settled back into their seats a little more deflated as the Rays were unable to overcome the early 3-0 lead Philadelphia took against left-hander Scott Kazmir.

Kazmir settled down to pitch six solid innings and keep Tampa Bay in the game, but the offense couldn't bail him out.

Upton has had an extremely hot bat in the playoffs after struggling at the plate much of the year, in part because of an injured shoulder. He has 15 postseason RBIs, four shy of the major league record set by David Ortiz in 2004.

He and Longoria have combined to hit 13 of Tampa Bay's 23 home runs this postseason, however they were a combined 0-for-6 against Phillies starter Cole Hamels and fared no better against relievers Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge.

Upton, whose seven homers tie Tony Glaus for the most by an AL player in a single postseason grounded into double plays twice, once with the bases loaded. Longoria's six postseason homers are a record for a major league rookie, however he struck out twice and finished 0-for-4 after Lidge fanned him in the ninth.

Without the type of production they provided in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Rays sputtered.

Leadoff man Akinori Iwamura had three of their five hits off Hamels, including a RBI double that trimmed Philadelphia's lead to 3-2 in the fifth inning. The rest of the lineup had two hits, one of them Carl Crawford's fourth-inning homer.

-- Fred Goodall

Father, son split allegiances in World Series

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Todd Negoshian sat behind a table stacked with boxes of baseballs six hours before Game 1 of the World Series.

During a 45-minute stretch Wednesday, the umpires' room attendant applied mud from the Delaware River mixed with water on eight dozen brand new balls that would be used during the first-ever World Series game at Tropicana Field.

"You take care one at a time," Negoshian said. "Treat each one as an individual, and you put them back together and they're on the playing field as a team."

The mud is applied to take the shine off the new balls, and can also help pitchers get a better grip.

The muck is a special brand - Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud, taken from along the river and used to prepare major league balls for more than 60 years. The company that ships the stuff won't reveal the secret location it comes from or any special ingredients that might be added to the mix. It's been that way since it was discovered by Blackburne, a former coach for the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1930s.

Negoshian said "it's a neat feeling" that one of the balls could become involved in a memorable play or bring a smile to a fan as a foul ball.

During the game, he will prepare another two-to-four dozen balls for game action.

Many fans find the process interesting. Even members of The Backstreet Boys, who had just completed practicing the national anthem, stopped by to put mud on a ball.

This World Series is also a father-son affair for Negoshian, who is employed by the Rays. His dad, Dave Huppert, is the manager of Philadelphia's Triple-A team, and on the Phillies' support staff for the World Series.

There is family disagreement on which team will prevail.

"It's the Phillies," Huppert said.

Negoshian countered with: "The Rays."

A PHILLY DROUGHT

Philadelphia's four major pro sports teams have gone a combined 98 full seasons since winning a major championship.

The last Philadelphia champion was the NBA's 76ers, who beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1983 finals.

"We owe it to ourselves, but I kind of feel like I owe it to the city," Phillies Game 2 starter Brett Myers said. "It would be huge for the city, for that city especially because it is so long since they've had a championship. Some cities got spoiled over it, and they quit coming to games. Our fans are there for us. We're going to try to bring it home for them."

Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel agreed.

"I definitely feel that way," he said. "I feel like they're a part of it. They come out to the ballpark. I think that our personalities and our attitude when we play definitely helps brings fans to our ballpark."

The Phillies won their only World Series title in 1980.

LINEUP SURPRISE

Rays manager Joe Maddon had one major surprise in his lineup for Game 1, starting Ben Zobrist in right field, batting eighth.

Maddon liked the matchup of Zobrist and Willy Aybar, who was the DH, against Philadelphia left-hander Cole Hamels.

Zobrist made just one regular season start in right, playing six innings on May 28 against Texas. He also played a few innings during a spring training game against the Phillies.

Maddon recently told Zobrist to be prepared.

"Just be ready to go in. That was it," Zobrist said. "I was hoping to see my name in the lineup today and I got my wish."

The first thing Zobrist did when walked into the clubhouse and saw his name in the lineup was to text his wife.

"Hey, I'm starting" was his message.

NO MIXED FEELINGS

Phillies professional scouting director Chuck LaMar helped build the AL champion Rays during his tenure as Tampa Bay general manager from 1995-2005.

Many of this season's key players - Carl Crawford and Game 2 starter James Shields - were developed over that period. Still, LaMar is 100 percent behind his new team in the World Series.

"I'm for the Philadelphia Phillies," LaMar said. "I was blessed for 10 years here (with Tampa Bay). The Phillies organization gave the me opportunity to come aboard. It's one of the finest organizations in baseball."

LaMar has high regard for the new Rays' ownership group and baseball operations officials, including manager Joe Maddon and executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.

"They are going to get all the accolades they deserve this offseason," LaMar said. "It's one thing to sign a group of young players. It's one thing to start an organization from scratch. It's another thing to get a team to World Series."

AROUND THE BASES

C Chris Coste was the Phillies' DH in Game 1. ... Rocco Baldelli, who normally plays RF or is the DH for Tampa Bay against left-handers, will likely start in the outfield in Game 2 against Brett Myers. Baldelli's career was in jeopardy during spring training due to a mitochondrial order, which causes chronic muscle fatigue. "Isn't this great?" Baldelli asked about being in the World Series.

-- Mark Didtler

Phillies feel at home in Tampa Bay

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A sign hanging outside Lenny's restaurant a half-hour drive from Tropicana Field perfectly sums up the feeling of some fans around here: "Dream come true. Phillies and Rays."

The Philadelphia Phillies didn't exactly come to hostile territory to play the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series. They've got plenty of fans around here, and it's almost like their second home.

Since 1947, the Phillies have held spring training in nearby Clearwater. They spend nearly two months a year there, getting ready for a season that usually ends in September. No one could've ever imagined coming back to Florida in late October to play the Rays with a title at stake.

Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts lives in Temple Terrace, less than 90 minutes from the Phils' complex.

"It's quite exciting," Roberts said of the Series matchup.

Roberts, who pitched for the Phillies from 1948-61, has followed the Rays since their inception a decade ago. But he isn't about to switch allegiances.

"When it comes to Phillies-Rays, the Phillies are No. 1," he said.

The 82-year-old Roberts is scheduled to throw out the first pitch before Game 4 Sunday night in Philadelphia. He doesn't plan to attend the first two games at Tropicana Field, but there are certain to be plenty of Phillies fans in the crowd.

Asked whether more Phillies or Rays rooters got tickets in Internet sales, Tampa Bay first baseman Carlos Pena grinned.

"It depends who was quicker with the keyboard," he said.

Several former and current Phillies players enjoy the local hospitality and the beaches so much, they live in the area during the offseason or move down after retiring.

Phillies left fielder Pat Burrell had a condo on Clearwater Beach for several years, but recently moved out because his dog, an English bulldog named Elvis, outgrew the weight limitations.

Darren Daulton, an All-Star catcher on the previous Phillies team to win the NL pennant in 1993, has a place nearby.

Local baseball fans rooted for the Phillies or New York Yankees, who train in Tampa, long before the Rays were born in 1998. Now that the Rays have gone worst-to-first and the Phillies finally made it back to the Series after a 15-year wait, some fans have to make a choice.

At Lenny's, a few blocks from the Phillies' spring training facility, it's an easy decision.

Just walk in and check out all the red Phillies paraphernalia plastering the walls. Waitresses were decked out in Phillies shirts, while customers sported their Rays gear.

"This is the Rays' hometown, but this is the home to the Phillies during spring training," Lenny's general manager Kevin Schauer said Tuesday. "The Rays could be a one-hit wonder, but the Phillies have been here long and steady. We love the Phillies and we feed the Phillies."

For the fans in the area who bleed red-and-white pinstripes but couldn't get a ticket to a game, they can still get together to watch, cheer and boo Philly-style.

Paul Parone, a transplanted Philadelphian, formed a group called "Tampadelphia" back in 1993. They began as Eagles fans gathering to watch football games on Sundays, but Philly sports fans are fanatical about all their teams. They'll be watching Game 1 Wednesday night while eating Florida-cooked Philly cheesesteaks and drinking their favorite beverages at The Players Sports Lounge in the Doubletree Hotel in Tampa.

"What started as an Eagles group quickly spread to all the other teams," Parone said. "They follow all their sports. It's tough to get together for all of them because they play so many games."

But the World Series is special, certainly worthy of a party. Parone recalls the jubilation he felt when the Phillies won it all in 1980.

"I was sitting there in my living room, crying my eyes out because I couldn't believe the greatest thing was happening," he said.

There will be tears of joy all around Philadelphia - and Clearwater, for that matter - if the Phillies win four more games.

-- Rob Maaddi

Rain in Philly could alter World Series schedule

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Rain in Philadelphia's forecast this weekend could alter the World Series schedule - and pitching plans for both teams.

Game 3 between the Tampa Bay Rays and Phillies is slated for Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park, but there is a 70 percent chance of rain in Philadelphia that day, according to weather.com.

Baseball spokesman Pat Courtney said if the game is postponed, it would be pushed back to Sunday and the teams would lose a scheduled off day Tuesday between Games 5 and 6, if they're necessary. Game 4 would be slated for Monday and Game 5 for Tuesday.

Tickets for Game 3 will be good on whatever day Game 3 is played, Courtney said.

There is a 20 percent chance of rain on Sunday and a 30 percent chance Monday, though the forecast calls for comfortable high temperatures of at least 60 degrees all three days.

The Phillies likely would pitch ace Cole Hamels on regular rest Monday - no matter which game it is.

"It's too early to tell," Philadelphia pitching coach Rich Dubee said.

Hamels started the World Series opener Wednesday night in Tampa Bay's dome, Tropicana Field.

Rays manager Joe Maddon said he hadn't thought about what a rainout might do to his pitching rotation.

"We'll have to wait and find out," he said.

-- Mike Faitzpatrick

Maui rooting for hometown hero in Victorino

WAILUKU, Hawaii - Michael Victorino stands along Hana Highway wearing an orchid lei, smiling and waving and holding a bright green sign bearing his last name as trucks rumble by.

It's a day before Game 1 of the World Series, but he's hardly campaigning for his son, Philadelphia center fielder Shane Victorino.

Instead, dad is running for a second term to the Maui County Council. And, he's unopposed.

"I learned a long time ago, like athletics, no matter who you play, you practice the same way," he said. "I'm working hard and doing the same things if I had an opponent."

Shane Victorino had those types of messages and values instilled in him all his life - work hard, be humble and take nothing, or no one, for granted.

Already appreciated in Philadelphia, the sparkplug has become popular throughout the baseball world for his approach - and success - in leading the Phillies into Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Flyin' Hawaiian is definitely the talk of the town.

"Everybody is so proud," said Randall Joyo, who works at Alamo rental car. "Even tourists ask about him. They know he's from Maui."

Victorino was born and raised in this sleepy town at the base of the green and rugged West Maui mountains, where the people are as welcoming and warm as the sunshine. Wailuku is a low-key, tight-knit, shorts-and-flip flop community that has been able to preserve its old buildings, rural charm and plantation roots.

There are no swank resorts or gated mansions here, like the ones that have replaced the sugarcane fields on other parts of the island.

At Saint Anthony's, where Victorino graduated in 1999, a banner hanging on the chain-link fence reads: "We're proud of you Shane Victorino."

On Friday, the 250-student Catholic school will have Shane Victorino Day to honor their star alumnus. The students, who usually wear navy blue uniform tops, will wear Philly red.

"It's not common to come from this tiny, little school and make it out of Maui, and he's pasted all over national and local news," school spokeswoman Gin Nary said.

Many students will wear makeshift Phillies No. 8 T-shirts because Victorino jerseys are as impossible to find on Maui as a gallon of gas under $4.

The 27-year-old switch-hitter started playing baseball here when he was 6. He mostly played shortstop and pitcher as a youth. In high school, he played every position except catcher and was the No. 2 pitcher.

He was a four-sport star, which meant he ran track in the same season he played baseball. There were times when he would leave a baseball game, change into his track outfit, go run the 100, 200 or 400, and return to the ballgame. He also was a football and soccer standout.

"When he got home and laid down, he would be dead asleep. As soon as he got up, that battery was fully charged. Watch out," his father said.

After high school, Shane earned scholarship offers from the University of Hawaii to play football or baseball, but opted to pursue his hope of making the major leagues.

Victorino believes his son's nickname is fitting because of the "blazing speed" he had since childhood. Shane Victorino is also of Hawaiian ancestry, as well as Portuguese, English and Japanese descent.

His parents, however, had another nickname for him: "Pain."

"He was such a naughty little guy. He would get into everything and anything," Victorino said of his son.

As a child, his dad said, Shane was treated at the emergency room 10 times. Once he was hit by a car and had 28 stitches.

"And that's before he was 5 years old," the father Victorino said. "And I'm not exaggerating."

Shane struggled as a child with attention-deficit disorder, which made him just "go, go, go" with endless energy, his father said. Sports gave him a way to direct that energy and focus.

Today, he has emerged as one of the Phillies' most dependable and clutch players. Besides a grand slam off Milwaukee ace CC Sabathia in the first round of the playoffs, he drove in four runs and made a leaping catch to help beat Los Angeles in Game 2 of the NL championship series.

After the game, he learned of the death of his grandmother, whom he called "Vovo."

Her funeral will be Nov. 2 or 3, after the World Series.

"I wanted it all done so Shane can come home in relative peace, so we can lay her to rest and have a moment together as a family," his father said.

For his alma mater, Shane serves an example of someone who succeeded, even from a tiny school that promotes faith and character over athletics.

"I don't know if he realizes what he has done for our school," social studies teacher Lilyana Koa said. "But for my classes, the students know that if you work hard and follow your dreams, it can happen. They're really inspired."

Victorino is the first island player to reach the World Series since the New York Mets' Benny Agbayani in 2000. Before that, it was the Mets' Sid Fernandez in 1986.

It's another chapter in Hawaii's rich baseball history.

The sport was introduced to the islands by Alexander Cartwright, regarded as the father of modern baseball more than a century before Hawaii became a state. He later organized teams and taught the game all over Hawaii.

Cartwright died July 12, 1892, and is buried in Honolulu.

Stars like Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio played in the islands. The state was home to the Hawaiian Islanders of the Pacific Coast League for 27 years and hosts Hawaii Winter Baseball.

More currently, Hawaii is home to two of the past four Little League World Series champions.

The tiny town of Wailuku actually boasts two native sons in the majors: Victorino and Oakland Athletics catcher Kurt Suzuki.

On Tuesday, Shane called his father following the Phillies' final workout before the World Series. His father's only words of advice: "Be true to yourself. Play hard."

Victorino plans to fly across the country Wednesday to watch Shane in the World Series. Besides the day when his son became an Eagle Scout, he couldn't be prouder.

"He developed into quite a young man," the elder Victorino said. "If anything, he broke the stereotype that the local boy cannot go onto the large stage and handle himself."

-- Jaymes Song

Rays, Phils help change face of Series

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Look around this World Series and it's easy to spot all the newcomers - Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton and David Price, eager to get a huge hit or throw a perfect pitch.

To Billy Reed, they've already made a big difference.

Reed coached Dwight Gooden, Gary Sheffield and many more future big leaguers as boys across the bay in Tampa. He sees this fresh crop of stars changing the face of the game.

"I think having so many African-American ballplayers in the World Series, it has impact on local kids and I'm hoping impact countrywide," Reed said Wednesday, hours before the opener between Philadelphia and Tampa Bay.

"It has to be a plus," he said. "You know, I think the black athlete really got away from baseball. I think we lost a whole generation there."

Six months after a diversity study showed black players made up only 8.2 percent of major leaguers - it was double that total about a decade ago - there's a new look this October.

Howard and Rollins were the last two NL MVPs. Crawford, Upton and Cliff Floyd delivered clutch hits for the Rays, Price became a playoff star and Edwin Jackson pitched in.

Prominent players, now with a chance to influence youngsters off the field, too.

"You would hope so, but it's really going to be about who is watching the games," Howard said. "We're here playing, so you hope that it will reach communities where (African-American) kids are watching and they will begin to dream to one day be in our spot."

It's certainly a reversal of recent trends in baseball.

In 2005, the Houston Astros were the first team since 1953 without a black player on its World Series roster. In 2007, on the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier, star Torii Hunter wondered whether baseball had done the Hall of Famer a disservice.

"That's what it seems like to me - that all the work he's done is almost for nothing," Hunter said then. "Because look where we are. We should be progressing. We're regressing."

Gone, it seemed, were the days of the "We are Family" Pirates. Pittsburgh won the 1979 championship with the likes of Willie Stargell, Dave Parker and Bill Madlock, some of the 10 black players on its Series roster.

Even in 1995, Atlanta and Cleveland each had five black players when they played for the title. Last year, there was not a single star black player when Boston played Colorado in the World Series.

Worried that it was losing too many young black athletes to basketball and other interests, Major League Baseball tried to boost its presence with the RBI program (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) and the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton, Calif.

Baseball took it as a positive sign that three of the last of the last four No. 1 picks in the amateur draft - Price, Justin Upton and Tim Beckham, by Tampa Bay in June - were black players.

"We started something. Hopefully, we'll continue to grow," Floyd said. "At the same time, the guys that are in the league, or play baseball professionally, we have to do something about it."

"If it bothers you, you do something about it," he said. "We want to get out there. This is huge in terms of letting them see how great this game is."

Now in his 70s and retired, Reed is sold on the sport. He spent 40 years coaching in high school and Little League with Gooden, Sheffield, Carl Everett, Derek Bell and future stars.

Reed roots for the Rays, and planned to plop down in front of the television set to watch the World Series. With his 10-year-old grandson.

"Maybe we can get some of the other kids to come over from their porches," he said. "I think they'll like it."

-- Ben Walker

Gillick, Friedman: something old, something new

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The World Series may be the only place investment bankers are thriving.

Andrew Friedman, a 31-year-old former Bear Stearns analyst, is the top baseball executive for the AL champion Devil Rays, and he works for a pair of Goldman Sachs veterans, Tampa Bay owner Stu Sternberg and team president Matt Silverman.

Across the field, the contrast couldn't be more striking. Philadelphia's general manager is 71-year-old Pat Gillick, a baseball lifer who began his front-office career as an assistant farm director nearly a half-century ago.

Friedman used to go to work each day at Bear's Park Avenue office before the company's forced sale to J.P. Morgan Chase.

"It's pretty different," Friedman said as his team prepared for Wednesday night's World Series opener. "The hours are probably comparable. But there's obviously something different about waking up and doing something you love as opposed to waking up and going to a job."

Gillick's advantage in years is offset by Friedman's edge in hair, but they started their current jobs at virtually the same time.

Gillick was hired by the Phillies on Nov. 2, 2005, and Friedman got his post with the Devil Rays - the title is executive vice president, baseball operations - the following day. While Friedman took over a team synonymous with losing, Gillick entered an underperforming organization that finished two games out of first place.

"We basically had to do a little bit of, whatever you want to call it, retooling," Gillick said Tuesday in a tunnel underneath Tropicana Field. "We had to change the energy level."

Gillick is known by just about everyone in baseball from his time as GM of Toronto (1978-94), Baltimore (1996-98), Seattle (2000-03) and Philadelphia. The boyish-looking Friedman could be mistaken for a team intern.

Both played college ball: Gillick was on the Southern California team that won the 1958 College World Series; Friedman was a center fielder at Tulane before injuring a shoulder. Friedman even acts a bit like a player, chewing and spitting dip as he speaks on the field during batting practice.

He's the latest whiz kid in an industry that's also produced the Yankees' Brian Cashman (31 when he became GM in 1998) and Boston's Theo Epstein (28 when he was promoted to GM in 2002). Both already have multiple World Series rings.

"Everyone went out of the way to really make me feel welcome," Friedman said. "Whether it was eyewash or genuine, I don't know, but there's only 29 other potential trade partners, and relationships are such an important part of our job."

Before joining the Devil Rays, Friedman worked for Bear in Manhattan, arriving at his office on the same bank of elevators that now lead to Major League Baseball's offices.

He admires Gillick and 68-year-old John Schuerholz, who was promoted to Atlanta Braves president a year ago after nine seasons as GM of Kansas City and 17 more as GM of the Braves.

"Those two guys are really the standard bearers for all of us," Friedman said. "I've done this for three years and it feels like 10, so I also have great respect for longevity and the amount of years that they've given this game."

Schuerholz knows he and Gillick are considered the elder statesmen.

"I have all the respect in the world for Pat," he said. "We've been in parallel tracks. He's had more stops, but he's had more sabbaticals."

Gillick has seen baseball transformed during his career, with free agency, salary arbitration, the rise of Latin American and Asian players, sophisticated video and computerized analysis. Once known as "Stand Pat" - he didn't make a major trade from Aug. 31, 1987, through April 30, 1989 - he says it's far more difficult to swing swaps than it used to be.

"I think it's mainly because most of the people are trying to hold onto the talent they've got," he said. "Low-service, low-salary players are gold. They're golden."

Friedman knows about that. The Rays had a $44 million opening-day payroll, 29th among the 30 teams and ahead of only the Florida Marlins. Plans for a new ballpark that would boost revenue have stalled. He's tried to keep stars from getting close to free-agent eligibility, agreeing this year to deals that could tie down pitcher Scott Kazmir through 2012 and All-Star rookie third baseman Evan Longoria through 2014.

Boston and New York, the Rays' vanquished AL East rivals, wish they had the Rays' young core.

"Especially in our division, for us to be able to compete, but also to be able to sustain it, our core is always going to have to be of a younger nature," Friedman said. "We're not going to be able to go out and build through free agency."

Gillick's Phillies, with a $98 million opening-day payroll, can afford a few free-agent stars. He understands the deep desire to win - and the anger that arises when the team falls short.

"Especially in Philadelphia, the fans have been frustrated for a long period of time," he said. "East Coast baseball is a little more intense than West Coast baseball."

It's unclear how long he'll be making the calls. He said last year he expected to retire after the 2008 season. In recent weeks, he hasn't talked about his plans.

"I didn't waffle exactly," Gillick said. "I'm just saying that I'm just focusing on this series right now and I'm not worried about what's going to happen a month from now or three weeks from now."

-- Ronald Blum

McCain, Obama drop rivalry for Series message

GREEN, Ohio - Presidential rivals John McCain and Barack Obama united to help narrate an opening to the World Series telecast Wednesday highlighting how baseball - America's pastime - has drawn the country together in challenging times.

Taped by Obama on Saturday and McCain on Sunday, the opening features a montage of images from the Civil War through the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and notes historical parallels to the economic turmoil and two wars that now grip the nation.

"Throughout our history, this country has faced times of peril. But standing by our side, as it does tonight, has been baseball," says actor Michael Douglas, the lead narrator.

Obama, striving to be the country's first black president, quotes 19th century baseball player and sporting goods manufacturer Albert Spalding saying, "It received its baptism in the bloody days of our nation's direst danger, when soldiers North and South were striving to forget their foes."

McCain notes the contribution Jackie Robinson made as the first black player in the major leagues, quoting Martin Luther King Jr.: "He was a Freedom Rider before freedom rides."

Obama also starts, before McCain picks up and then they both finish together, John F. Kennedy saying, "I think that both baseball and the country will endure."

Despite the unity of purpose, the message carried no small measure of irony within the presidential campaign.

McCain, in one of the voiceovers taped after he appeared on "Fox News Sunday," quotes President Herbert Hoover saying, "Next to religion, baseball has furnished a greater impact on American life than any other institution."

On the campaign trail, McCain criticizes Obama for proposing to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans at a time of recession, noting the last president to do that was Hoover. McCain said that triggered the Great Depression - an event depicted in the film.

"That didn't work out too well," McCain says wryly on the stump.

Meanwhile, Obama was helping introduce a World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays after McCain criticized him for expressing allegiance to both teams during visits to the swing states where they play.

Obama, a self-professed Chicago White Sox fan, subsequently reiterated that he will root for the Phillies in the best-of-seven series. McCain is a fan of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who last won the Series in 2001.

McCain's wife, Cindy, and her children own a minority stake in the Arizona Diamondbacks.

-- Glen Johnson