Feb. 16 -- DAY 2: TAKING CHARGE

Not to keep harping on the unseasonably cold weather here, but outfielder Chris Roberson walked into the clubhouse this morning wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and blowing on his hands. He should try Wilmington in February.

Some notes from Day 2:

* Pitching coach Rich Dubee wants the Phillies catchers to be more assertive with calling pitches, and he told them as much in a morning meeting. One of the criticisms of Mike Lieberthal was that he didn't take charge enough behind the plate. Asked if rookie catcher Carlos Ruiz (left) would benefit from some help from the dugout, manager Charlie Manuel said Ruiz can be trusted to call his own game. "Every now and then, we might get to that point late in a game where Dubee or I call some pitches," Manuel said. "But it's better when the pitcher and the catcher feel like they can run a game. To sit there in the dugout and call every pitch, believe me, that creates problems."

* Despite batting .328 last season as a 33-year-old rookie, C Chris Coste is vying with IF/OF Greg Dobbs and OF Karim Garcia for one of the final two spots on the bench. 1B Randall Simon is also a possibility. "I'm in a better spot than I've ever been," Coste said, "but at the same time, my motto my whole career is, 'Every day is a tryout.'"

* Quote of the day: They say practice makes perfect, but RHP Brett Myers is shooting a hole in that adage. Myers, talking about his hitting today, said, "I can crush BP. I'm a great 4 o'clock hitter." But, in games last season, he went 2-for-63 (.032).