Feb. 14 -- LIDGE: CLEMENS SHOULD BE IN THE HALL

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- There was plenty of activity in the Phillies' clubhouse yesterday, as nearly 40 pitchers and catchers came in to take physicals.

But everything stopped when Roger Clemens started testifying before Congress.

It was fascinating, really, to watch baseball players watching Clemens. And, for most of the Phillies, this truly was Must-See TV. Chase Utley, who's in camp nearly a week before the first workout for position players, was riveted to one of two flat-screens in the clubhouse. I was waiting for him to make some popcorn and settle in. But I kept my eye on Brad Lidge, Clemens' teammate with the Astros from 2004 through 2006. In October 2005, Lidge even brought Clemens to speak at a Notre Dame baseball dinner.

Anyway, Lidge watched closely as Clemens was grilled by Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland). And while he isn't sure whether to believe Clemens or former personal trainer Brian McNamee, Lidge is certain that Clemens belongs in the Hall of Fame, regardless of whether he used steroids or human growth hormone.

"If the evidence points to him that he did it for a year or two, you can still clearly see what the guy's done," said Lidge, who also called Clemens "an incredible teammate" and said he couldn't recall McNamee being in the Astros' clubhouse. "He’s been an incredible pitcher for a really long time. If you want to say some of his final stats were perhaps changed if he did [drugs], you can say that. But he still has a Hall of Fame resume. He still put up the numbers."

Agree? Disagree?

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Pat Burrell was inducted last night into the University of Miami Hall of Fame. But his face was everywhere in the Phillies' clubhouse. As a prank, a few teammates (nobody wanted to own up to it) had this picture of Burrell from an old Phillies promotional calendar printed on T-shirts that were placed in each player's locker. On the front, underneath the photo, read the slogan, "Man or Machine." On the back were the words "Winning starts now!"

Should be amusing to see Burrell's reaction when he sees the shirts today.

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Assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said the Phillies were more confident in their medical reports on Kris Benson than on Bartolo Colon. Benson elected to have surgery on his torn rotator cuff, a procedure that caused him to miss all of last season. Colon also has had shoulder issues, but he didn't have surgery. The Phillies believe Colon's shoulder remains a problem, while Benson's is mended. Now, the only question is whether Benson will regain his pre-surgery velocity.

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Mike Zagurski won't be ready to start the season with the Phillies -- and some other tidbits in today's notebook.