June 8 -- MIDWEST HOSPITALITY

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Greetings from Kauffman Stadium. Since the Phillies don't normally play here (they haven't been here since the 1980 World Series), I'll try to give you a flavor for the ballpark and the city throughout the weekend.

The ballpark is located to the East of downtown in a sports complex that also includes Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Chiefs. Think of the complex in Philly, minus the Wachovia Center and Spectrum, and you get the idea. There are two distinctive features to this ballpark, which is being remodeled after the season: a scoreboard shaped like the Royals' logo and waterfalls beyond the outfield wall. Also, for Delaware baseball fans, the Royals' roster includes a few familiar names. Eight former Blue Rocks, including Mike Sweeney, David DeJesus and Zack Greinke, have played for the Royals this season. Time permitting, I'll try to catch up with a few of them before the weekend is over.

A few Phillies-related notes:

* Predictably, Pat Burrell is the DH tonight. Charlie Manuel said he may DH Chase Utley for one of the games, just to rest his legs. Utley has played in every game this season.

* Brett Myers played catch from 90 feet, his longest distance yet.

* Jon Lieber met the team here after spending the past four days with his wife, Jessica, and their newborn son in Alabama. He's set to start tonight.

More later.