At a press conference at the ballpark this afternoon, Raul Ibanez (#29) was introduced as the Phillies' new left fielder. "Polished professional" is what someone in the Philly media later called him. "Boring" is what he called himself. (He said his kids also call him that.) With attractive almond eyes and smooth skin, the man looks incredibly fit and sounds totally dedicated to his craft. From how he talks about hitting, you'd have to think Charlie Manuel will enjoy having him on board. Fans should, too. Maybe, a la his friend Jamie Moyer with the pitching staff, Ibanez will end up being a hitting mentor.
Among the many things Ibanez said at the conference, then later in an interview on Comcast, was that he turned down more money from other clubs to come to the Phillies, that the chance to play for a team that had just won the World Series and was pretty much intact and committed to winning was too good to pass up. Watching the WS on TV, he had got 'goosebumps' from the great energy--from both players and fans--that came across during broadcasts. As a professional, he said, that doesn't happen much while watching TV. At the time he had no idea that Pat Burrell would be a free agent and was not thinking about the Phillies as a possible team. He was however rooting for Moyer and his family, and for Greg Dobbs and Pat Gillick.
Ibanez also said he had been thinking about his late friend, former Mariner catcher John Marzano, who died earlier this year. A South Philadelphia native, Marzano was proud of his roots and often talked about Philly. When you played poorly, said Ibanez, he'd say that you couldn't get away with that kind of thing in Philadelphia, that the fans there would be all over you.
One of the better-known Marzano stories involved the rookie Ibanez, who got hurt shortly after being called up to the big club. When pay day came in the clubhouse, the injured rookie felt bad about accepting his first big league check. Marzano picked up on that and lectured Ibanez, telling him that he deserved the check as much as anyone else, that it represented the result of all the hard work he had put into making it to the majors. Ibanez thanked Marzano for the words and started to walk away. At which point, Marzano pointed at the rookie and yelled out to everyone, "Pay check bandit! That guy's stealing salary!"
First impressions: Ibanez will be an easy guy to root for. And he isn't boring. Of course, it will all depend on what he does on the field. Speaking of which, it is now less than two months till pitchers and catchers.
