"You can tell there's a special vibe in here," said Ibanez, scanning
the Phillies clubhouse after the workout. "It's a great environment,
everything I expected and more. Coming in here, it feels like one of my
first spring trainings. This is already a great club. Hopefully, I can
bring something to the table and add to it."
And he even handled the question of how he plans on replacing Pat Burrell well:
"Nobody can replace anybody," Ibanez said. "We're all different. But
I'll bring the best version of myself every day that I can. I'll let it
all hang out on the field. You're talking about a great player, and the
things he did in Philadelphia speak for themselves. For me to try to
replace someone like that would be foolish. I just have to be myself."
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Jim Salisbury's piece on the newest member of the Phillies is chock-full of juicy lines, like this bit from Cholly on whether Ibanez will have to be replaced late in games with the likes of Eric Bruntlett and his all-ball-stopping-beard.
"Right now, I'd say he'll play all nine innings," Manuel said. "He
starts as a nine-inning guy and we'll go from there. I don't even want
to bring it up. I don't give a damn what people think. I'll see for
myself."
Damn right, Cholly. Spring is here and it feels good.
>>Raul Ibanez arrives in Clearwater [Inquirer]
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In other Ibanez news, the dude likes his cheesesteaks according to Scott Lauber who gets all bloggy with the below video. Windy in Florida! I bet they don't have these down there.