Allentown Morning Call - March 7, 1980

Everybody busy at Phillies’ camp

John Kunda, Executive Sports Editor

CLEARWATER, Fla. – The schedule is posted daily on bulletin boards at both exits of the clubhouse at the Carpenter Complex. They aren't handwritten, they are typed – very neatly, very detailed. 

In 2½-3 hours, Dallas Green expects to get a lot done. It isn't a full day at the office by any means, but by the time Gus Hoefling, the Phils' strength and flexibility teacher, is through with the opening exercise routine, the sweat beads appear.

As promised, nobody stands around in a camp run by Dallas Green. 

"He keeps us moving," said Mike Schmidt. "It's a little different than before. I like it his way." 

The schedule hasn't varied much since the beginning of the week. The pitchers are on Field No. 5; the infield on Field No. 4; the outfield on Field No. 5. At times, they'll break away for a lesson on base running (the Phillies way. the schedule reads) with Lee Elia on Field No. 2.

The most detailed part of the schedule is batting practice. It goes on for practically the entire workout. 

It seems batting practice is the fun part of spring training. And for a team like the Phillies who, as a team last season, hit only .266, the time is certainly not wasted. The 1979 team average was fourth behind St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Chicago. 

With the power the Phils have in the lineup, it has to get better. Hitting coach Billy DeMars agrees.

Nonetheless, Green's schedule for the hitters reads like this: "Take two bunts. The second is a sacrifice with runner going to second. 

"Take 10 swings. After the last swing, sprint (the word is underlined) to first. Advance to second on the second bunt.

"Five times react to game situation, running to second. 

"Five times react to game situation, running to third." 

There is always someone in the cage. God help the guy who misses his turn. He hears about it, a little more vocally if Green is around. 

The flow keeps moving, the 11 players in "Group A” and the 13 players in "Group B.” One group on one field, the other group on another field. 

"Group A” lines up this way: Larry Bowa, Bob Boone, Ken Harrelson, Orlando Isales, Greg Luzinski, Garry Maddox, Keith Moreland, John Poff, Lonnie Smith, Manny Trillo and John Vukovich. 

"Group B” has this cast: Luis Aguayo, Mike Anderson. Ramon Auiles, Greg Gross. Jay Loviglio, Bake McBride. Eton McCormack, Doug Rader, Pete Rose, Mike Schmidt, Del Unser, Ozzie Virgil and George Vukovich.

Behind the main fields, DeMars. one of the senior coaches in the majors holds "office hours." He is. perhaps, the busiest coach in camp. They line up to get to him. It's one-on-one consultation. One minute he's with a team superstar, the next with a kid player trying to make the team. 

"Right now," says DeMars, "we work on the mechanics of the swing. We worry about theory later on. 

DeMars says the baseball swing, mechanically, is like a golf swing. "Different arc, of course." he says, "but the mechanics are alike and feet." 

DeMars's equipment is simple enough – his eyes, which watch the hitter's head, his hands and his feet, and an adjustable rubber tee that can stretch from the knees to letter-high. 

On this particular day, Del Unser spent better than 20 minutes with DeMars. "Here's a guy who always makes good contact," DeMars said. "He gets wood on the ball all the time." 

Maybe it was winter rustiness. but Unser, who in 95 games with the Phils last year hit a respectable .298, was, according to DeMars, "slow and lazy" with his swing.

"Pop it, pop it," DeMars kept repeating as Unser took his swings. “C’mon, pop it… that's it, you got it follow through… that's excellent." 

Larry Bowa has been with DeMars about as much as anybody. The little shortstop had a great year in the field, but his average was a paltry .241. 

Bowa 's feet position caught De-. Mars' eye immediately. "You're going too deep," DeMars kept telling Bowa, a switch-hitter who was taking instruction from the left side. 

"Larry, look at your right foot," DeMars said. "You got it too far back. Get it up here." 

Bowa made the adjustment. "That's better," DeMars repeated. "You got it… now swing… that's smooth… good contact… keep it going." 

Keith Moreland, the stocky catcher who did so well late in the season when the Phils called him up from Oklahoma City, has been hitting the ball as well as anyone in camp. "Strong kid." is how DeMars rates Moreland, who in 48 at-bats got 14 hits (.375) in his short, late-season stint in the majors. 

Out of the cage, Moreland had grabbed considerable attention. Consistently, he was knocking balls over the leftfield fence, some 390 feet away.  Some feel he's a shoo-in to make the big team, even though Green insists he'll carry only two catchers. 

Schmidt and Rose have been impressive as well – Schmidt with his towering drives and Rose with his solid contact to both fields. "They are grooved," said DeMars. 

A .266 hitting team needs the heavy-hitting work. The Phils are getting it.