There�s nothing like putting in a full day at the office.

With the Phillies� lower minor leaguers scheduled to take on the Yankees� minor leaguers at 1 p.m., I arrived at the Carpenter Complex by 10 a.m. and the players weren�t on the field yet. I�d tried again to hit Lenny�s for breakfast, but it�s the popular place in town. People were standing outside while waiting for their tables. It hit me then, too, that I wasn�t really hungry, so I skipped it and went to the fields.

When the players came out, I pointed out some of interest to Tom, who took pictures of them, and just stayed on top of things, wandering from field to field -- Mike Schmidt, Richie Ashburn, Steve Carlton and Robin Roberts -- and watching the warmups. I caught up with Dallas Green, an assistant to Phillies general manager Ed Wade, and interviewed him. At one point while the players warmed up, Tom and I stood in front of the door to the office, which faces the driveway leading to the parking lot. A man wearing a Lakewood BlueClaws t-shirt strolled up with his wife, and Tom and I followed them over to the bleachers and introduced ourselves. It turned into a good story, and a great column for the Sunday paper. I posted it seperately.

Around noon, after the two higher teams had left on the bus for Tampa, the rest of the Phillies went into the clubhouse for lunch before the game while the Yankees stretched and warmed up themselves. Tom and I took the opportunity to go get our own lunch. As we drove down Gulf-To-Bay Boulevard looking for places to eat, Boston Market was the first we came across, and we went there at Tom�s suggestion. I didn�t feel like getting into a �no, I don�t really feel like that� cycle with him, so I went with the first thing that sounded good. Although I�ve given up fast food for Lent, I made an executive decision and declared Boston Market not fast food. When the chicken tastes like and undoubtedly looks like chicken and the selection of sides goes beyond French fried potatoes and onion rings, it�s more than just fast food. There should be a separate category, in fact, for places like Boston Market. Maybe �gourmet fast food,� as the Windmill chain in New Jersey dubs itself.

Back at the complex, I kept my eye on three games, even heading over to the third field where the lowest level of players scrimmaged a college team. Il Kim, one of two Korean pitchers signed by the Phillies last year, struggled in his two innings. At one point, I pulled out my notebook and a pen and covered two-and-a-half pages in tiny print as a start to my column, agreat way to work -- outside under the warm Florida sun.

After the games, I sat down with Jeff Manto to cover that interview and a good bit of the information I need for my stories. (Sitting here now (note to self), I�m reminded that I want to ask him about travel in the South Atlantic League and how he can better prepare this year�s team for it after going through it last summer. I also need to ask pitching coach Ken Westray about specific conditioning of the pitchers, keeping them healthy, and the between-starts workout program.) As we stood up from the bleachers, Manto asked me what my plans were for the night. �Well, give me a call around six and I�ll let you know where we end up.�

I returned to my room, transcribed the quotes from my tape and finished my column before sending it to the paper. I showered and then called Manto, who told me he was around the corner at Joe Dugan�s, near Bukkets where we�d been two nights ago. When I arrived, I found him with Greg Legg at the large bar, which ran the length of the wall a couple steps up from the eating area, with two U-shaped protrutions that allow for more seating. A couple Legg and Manto knew were there, and a few other minor and major league Phillies coaches stopped by during our stay. I ordered chicken quesadillas for dinner -- perhaps the best chicken quesadillas I�ve ever had -- and knocked back roughly eight Coors Lights, only three of which I paid for thanks to the generosity of Manto and the couple I�d never before met. We sat and talked baseball and college basketball (with the games starting) until people left one-by-one. I headed back to the hotel around 9:20.

I stayed up for two more hours watching the basketball games and then fell fast asleep, waking up with the TV still on (it doesn�t have a sleep timer) around 1:10. I suddenly realized I hadn�t heard from Casey, so I called, got her voice mail, and hung up. Two minutes later, she called back and we talked a little before I slept again.