April 5 -- FLYIN' HAWAIIAN ... GROUNDED

Throughout spring training, the Phillies preached to Shane Victorino about being more aggressive on the bases. But there are times to be sensible, too. And, in listening to Victorino after Wednesday night's game, it was clear that he didn't immediately recognize the difference.

If you missed it -- and judging by the comments on this blog, you didn't -- Victorino was thrown out trying to steal third base with the Phillies leading 2-0 in the eighth inning, Ryan Howard at the plate and Chase Utley on deck. In that situation, you simply don't run. Not even if you're Rickey Henderson. That's a cardinal rule. It's Baseball 101. And, at least in the moment, Victorino seemed to forget about that.

Davey Lopes, the Phillies' new first-base coach, was one of the best baserunners in baseball history, and he's become a mentor of sorts to Victorino. Here's what he had to say about Victorino's mistake: "If he was safe, nobody would have said anything. If you didn’t make mistakes in this game, it would be like major-league softball. It would be a boring game. There’s a fine line. He’ll modify things. You learn from mistakes. That’s what it’s all about. That’s what ballplayers do. I think we’ve all made mistakes. That’s why we put erasers on pencils."

Asked how he went about stealing third, Lopes said: "It depended on game situation. That dictates what you do. If we’re way ahead, I’m not going to do it. If we’re way behind, I’m not going to do it. What’s the point? That’s being very selfish, and it has no bearing on the outcome. The pitcher will dictate to me as to what I could or could not do, based on the move he had. If I felt he had a real slow move and there was no doubt that I could steal third, I’d steal third. If I had doubt, I wouldn’t go. Again, you had to look at the lineup. When I played, we had some pretty good hitters behind me everyday, too. Stealing third is a rhythm. You have to have movement. Stealing second is a power thing. There are keys you could read. I mean, 1.6 or 1.7 [pitcher's time to the plate], you should be able to walk into third, but it didn’t happen. [Victorino] has been told. It’s not that big of a deal, to be honest with you. I felt comfortable with a two-run lead in the ninth.

Finally, asked if those heavy-hitter Dodgers, Ron Cey and Steve Garvey, got upset when Lopes was thrown out trying to steal, Lopes said: "There was nothing to get [upset] about because I never got thrown out. Did I get [upset] at them when they made a mistake? We all mistakes.

One other note: Jimmy Rollins will wear No. 42 in an April 15 game as part of Major League Baseball's tribute to Jackie Robinson.

That's all for today.