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World Champion San Francisco Giant’s shortstop Edgar Renteria had a great World Series, with seven hits in 18 at bats with two home runs and six runs scored and a .412 batting average. The five time all star delivered a three run go ahead home run in the top of the seventh inning of game five and was named World Series Most Valuable Player. Good work, but it seems that Renteria save his best work for the off season, where his contributions to his home country of Columbia are becoming  second nature.

When Renteria returns to his hometown of Barranquilla, Columbia on Thursday he is asking that the planned parade and parties in his honor be canceled and all the funds be donated to the thousands of his fellow country men and woman that are the victims of recent flooding. The port city in northern Columbia has been ravaged by floods recently, with an estimated 900, 000 people being left homeless. Renteria said that “there are more important things back home” other than parades and parties.

Some may argue that parade and parties would help people take their minds off of their troubles, and in some cases it does, but it seems that Renteria chose to use his great World Series as a platform to raise awareness rather than celebrate. It is a tough judgement call but sometime people need monetary help more than moral victory.

In 2003 Renteria and his brother Edison created the Colombian Professional Baseball League, it is owned by the Renteria Foundation, and other major league players such as Orlando Cabrera have owned teams.

In baseball the saying goes”hitting is contagious”  and with people like Edgar Renteria doing his part in a small Colombian community hopefully someday we can say that “generosity and common courtesy for our fellow man is contagious.” Sometime it is little gestures of good will and common sense that make a big difference in peoples lives. Although a parade would have been a great diversion for a few hours, the food and everyday necessities that these people might get with monetary help will last a lot longer. Lets hope that others follow Edgar Renteria’s lead and make stories like this the rule and not the exception.

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Philadelphia Phillies prospect and Lakewood BlueClaws center fielder Jiwan James was kind enough to answer a few questions for Bleacher Report correspondent Jim Sheridan.

JS: Thanks for taking the time Jiwan, congratulations on winning both halves and the championship with Lakewood this season. Before we get to baseball, I have to ask you how do the beaches in New Jersey compare to the ones in your home state of Florida?

JJ: Thanks. Honestly I never even went down to the beaches. On our days off I pretty much laid in bed all day and just sat at the house.

JS: Has your transition from pitcher to everyday player helped you at the plate?

JJ: Not at all, pitching and hitting are two totally different worlds. From a hitter’s standpoint I’m up there looking fastball every pitch and just trying to react to the off speed stuff. I can’t read the pitcher’s mind, so I’m not going to go up there guessing curve or slider or anything and then get blown away by a fastball. Maybe later on in my career when the scouting reports are pretty much perfect then I’ll be able to sit on something other than a fastball, but for now I’m sitting dead red.

JS: July was an incredible month for you, hitting .361 with a 24-game hitting streak mixed in. You cooled off in August and September. Did playing in 133 games this season catch up to you?

JJ: As much as I hate to make excuses for anything, I’m going to have to say yes. This was my first full season and I’ve never played that many games before. I talked to Domonic Brown about it, and he told me that’s just part of being in your first full season, and that August and September will get easier for me every year.

JS: Having guys like Domonic Brown to let you know what to expect is huge. You had a .990 fielding percentage in center field this season, and BlueClaw manager Mark Parent said that you were outstanding in the field. Has your speed and conditioning changed since you became an everyday player?

JJ: Yes, having Domonic Brown and my buddy from home Esix Snead, who helped me get through the first two months of the season when I was struggling helps out a lot. I think I’ve gotten faster since the switch. As a position player you always want to come back faster the next season than you were before, so the offseason training comes to play there. My conditioning has changed. I went from running 15-20 minutes a day to sprints and agility stuff.

JS: At what age did you become a switch hitter? Would you recommend it to youngsters just getting started?

JJ: I’ve been able to hit from both sides of the plate since I was about seven. But it was nothing I ever took serious. It was more of me being a showoff to my friends playing sandlot baseball when we were younger. Lefty became pretty much my dominant side as I got older but I’d always jump on the right side every now and then through out middle school and high school just to see that I still could do it. Now that it’s something I need, I’m trying to play catch up from the right side.

JS: Last one Jiwan, are you bulking up at all? What are you weighing in at?

JJ: I just weighed in like two days ago down here at 195. When I reported to spring training early in February I was at just over 200. So I lost a few pounds throughout the course of the season. My plan is to bulk up more and get bigger and stronger. It’s the only way your going to survive in this game. I’m looking to come back at 205 or better, so we’ll see how that goes.

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While the Texas Rangers celebrated with beer and champagne showers after clinching the American League West Saturday night, they did so without left fielder Josh Hamilton. Although Hamilton, who has been out of action since September 4th with two fractured ribs, was in the stadium and in uniform during the Rangers clincher over the Oakland Athletics, he quickly disappeared to the training room to change after joining in the onfield celebration with his teammates.

Hamilton’s much noted struggles with drugs and alcohol could have been a cause for concern in a beer-soaked, postgame free-for-all, but he wisely removed himself from the situation. Some might say that this is being over cautious, but no goggles or rain jacket would protect him from the free-fall that could have occurred if even the smallest amount of alcohol were ingested.

Alcoholics can go through a traumatic event like a death in the family and cope without drinking only to go on a three-day binge after breaking a shoelace. Hamilton is putting up MVP type numbers this season with a .361 batting average, 31 home runs and 97 RBI in 130 games. He is having the best season of his career and should be back in the lineup for the final week end of the season to get some at-bats before the playoffs.

Hamilton showed a great sense of responsibility by taking the more cautious rout and removing himself from the situation. He also showed respect to the Texas Rangers organization that stood behind him after his January 2009 relapse at a Arizona tavern.

When someone accepts that they have a problem with alcohol and takes the steps to correct the problem, there are added responsibilities. Josh Hamilton stepped up to the plate on Saturday night, albeit without a bat, and did the right thing.

By telling the world the he is drug and alcohol free, Hamilton takes on a certain responsibility that has to be lived up to. By avoiding the celebration on Saturday night Josh Hamilton showed that he is in it for the long haul this season and into the playoffs.

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In the winter before the Phillies’ 2010 season, most of the talk revolved around Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay, but one of the most exciting moves made by Ruben Amaro Jr. this off season was the acquisition of Placido Polanco.

On November 8th the Phillies declined third baseman Pedro Feliz’ 5.5 million dollar option for the 2010 season, and on December third signed free agent Polanco to a three year contract with a mutual option for the fourth year. Polanco brought with him two Gold Gloves, won in 2007 and 08, and a career fielding percentage of .990%, as well as a .303 career batting average over 13 seasons in the major leagues.

This is Polanco’s second tour of duty in Philadelphia. In July 2002 the Phillies picked up Polanco from the Cardinals as part of the Scott Rolen deal, and re-signed him in 2004 before sending him to Detroit in exchange for Ramon Martinez and Ugueth Urbina. The move proved to be an absolute steal for Detroit as Martinez has been back and forth between the minors and the bigs and Urbina is currently serving 14 years in a Venezuelan prison for two counts of attempted murder after an unfortunate machete incident.

Polanco proceeded to win two Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger award, and was MVP of the 2006 ALCS. He was also named to his first All-Star team in 2007—all in a Detroit uniform. But it was common knowledge that Polanco fell in love with the City of Brotherly Love, and was excited to return to the Phillies.

In Detroit Polanco played only one game at third base, mostly playing second in his time there, but he seems to have slipped right back into the role of an everyday third baseman, having committed only four errors this season. Superb defense is unsurprising from the veteran though—in 2007, Polanco set a major league record for second baseman, going 149 games without committing an error.

Polanco’s post season numbers are equally impressive. If the Phillies make it to the playoffs, he will bring with him a career .296 postseason batting average, which is somewhat watered down by an 0-17 slump in the 2006 World Series. He also has a .363 on base percentage in the playoffs, and will provide added experience to an already experienced infield.

All the stats, numbers and awards aside, one of the most touching things that I ever witnessed on a baseball field occurred on the night of July 9th, 2008 at Comerica Park. Placido Polanco and 99 other people received their U.S. citizenship before the game. As he stood out on the field in his uniform, the pride was evident on his face.

Philadelphia is lucky to have Placido Polanco back in the organization, and Polanco is happy to be back in Philadelphia. May it lead to many trips to the playoffs together.

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Overcoming adversity is nothing new to the Philadelphia Phillies, but how the Phillies react to these conditions is what sets them apart from other teams in the league.

In 2007 they overcame a seven game deficit with 17 games to go, the first team in MLB history to do so. In 2008 it was three and a half games back with 16 to play. Both teams ended up playing in the post season, with a World Series title coming home in 2008.

This year it has been injuries instead of games in the won lost column that made things a little bit uncomfortable at times this season. In the off season leading into the 2010 campaign, the Phillies and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said goodbye to pitchers Brett Myers, Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez, Lee and Martinez were added in mid season 2009 to bolster the second march to the World Series in as many years.

Also on the way out were infielders Miguel Cairo and Pedro Feliz. Some of the bigger names that were brought in were Roy Halladay, Jose Contreras, and Gold Glove winning infielder Polanco, who has said in the past how much he enjoyed his first tour of duty in Philadelphia.

He never wanted to leave, which seems to be a common feeling with players that have played in the Philadelphia organization.

The Phillies went 12-10 in April with some of the highlights being Polanco‘s grand slam on Opening Day with seven innings out of Halliday in an 11-1 win over Washington, Ryan Howard passing Greg Luzinski for fifth place on the Phillies all time home run list with his 223rd on April 7th.

On April 9th the Phils took sole possession of first place, and scored 41 runs in the first five games. April also saw the beginning of the calf problems that would haunt Jimmy Rollins and the Phillies for the next few months. Chase Utley homered in four consecutive games in April, and after a loss to the Giants later in the month the Phillies dropped out of first place for the first time in 135 regular season games going back to May 29, 2009.

May saw the Phillies return to the top of the division but also saw the death of a legend, on May 6th Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts passed away, Roberts was still a presence in the Phillies clubhouse among the current pitchers and a patch with his retired number would be worn for the rest of the season.

The Phillies opened interleague play in Boston and were one hit by Daiskue Matsuaka, with the only hit being a Juan Castro single. The Phillies were accused of stealing signs from the bullpen, Carlos Ruiz injured his knee, and the Phillies went 30 innings without scoring a run. None of this seemed to matter when Roy Halladay pitched only the 20th perfect game in MLB history.

And on May 30th the Phillies dropped out of first place, they also finished to month going 68 innings without a home run. Players on the disabled list in May were Lidge, Joe Blanton, Jimmy Rollins and Brian Schneider.

A 13-13 record in June seems sounds uneventful, but there were some interesting match ups and situations in June. Brad Lidge blew his first save of the season, the second round of interleague play saw a Phillies Yankees rematch with the Phillies taking the series one games to one and Jamie Moyer collected his 265th career victory.

There was also the road trip that was played at home, the Toronto Blue Jays were scheduled to host the Phillies but the series was played in Philadelphia because of a political summit that was scheduled in Toronto the same week. The Blue Jays batted last and the designated hitter rule was in effect for the first time ever in a NL ballpark during the regular season. June also saw Utley, Rollins, Polanco, Ruiz, and Chad Durbin on the DL.

July started out with Charlie Manuel serving a one game suspension following an incident with umpire C.B. Bucknor. On July 7th the Phillies were six games behind Atlanta, and took a 4 game winning streak into the All Star break. After the break the Phillies gave the almost lights out Ubaldo Jimenez his second loss of the season, in a 10-2 victory. On July 27th Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins were both injured, clearing the way for Domonic Brown’s promotion to the majors, Brown went 2-3 with two runs scored and two RBI in his debut.

Roy Oswalt was added to strengthen the rotation, in a trade that sent J.A. Happ to the Astros. July was a busy month for disabled list activities, Ryan Madsen and Ruiz were taken off the DL, Moyer and Victorino were sent to the DL. The Phillies finished the month 15-13.

August saw Ryan Howard headed to the 15 day disabled list on the 3rd of the month, with Victorino and Utley coming off the list. John Mayberry Jr. made his return to the bigs in Howards place. The Phillies also got their first look at National’s phenom Stephen Strasburg on August 21st, Srasburg left the game early and headed off to Tommy John surgery.

Ryan Sweeny who was signed on August 4th to take Howard’s spot while he recovered hit his first homer as a Phillie. The squad finished the month 18-10.

September call-ups saw the arrivals of Paul Hoover and Greg Dobbs and Nate Robertson with his 57-77 career record, as well as the recalls of Mayberry and Vance Worley. Moyer was placed on the 60 day disabled list and Ross Gload was activated off the DL. With all the injuries throughout the season the Phillies appear to be in a healthy position right now and seem to be hitting their stride at the right time.

The schedule the rest of the way out will basically let the Phillies dictate their own destiny this season. The rest of the season is played against NL East teams with three versus Atlanta at home September 20-22, and the final three games of the season in early October in Atlanta. While the race could come down to the final three games the Phillies will have an opportunity to close it out earlier.

While other teams have had injury problems this year, most notably the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox, two teams that were expected to make a run at the title this season, both are basically out of the race, while the Phillies, faced with the same situations reacted to differently and it seems to be paying off. The biggest luxury that the Phillies had was the depth of the farm system, it’s a nice problem to have when you can bring a player like Domonic Brown to the bigs and not have to make a trade that depletes the farm system.

Right now the Phillies hold the future in the palms of their hands and the future looks bright.

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Every March since 2004, Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Jeremy Bonderman has been primed for a breakout season. While the Tigers are sharpening their skills in Lakeland, that conversation takes place and you can set your watch by it. However this breakout season has never materialized, and now I believe that it never will.

While Bonderman has never shown much emotion on the field, last night he looked absolutely disinterested. After giving up four earned runs in the first inning, something that has been common throughout his career, Bonderman looked as if he would rather be at the dentist office than on the mound in Kansas City.

In 2002 Bonderman was the player to be named later in a three-player trade between the Tigers, Oakland and the Yankees, the trade that took Jeff Weaver to New York. He debuted for the Tigers at age 20 in 2003 and went 6-19, he sat out the last week of the season to avoid losing twenty games.

While some feel that he was rushed to the majors, Detroit was looking for any answer to salvage a dismal season. In 2004 Bonderman posted an 11-13, at 22 years old and coming off a losing season he was named opening day starter in 2005 going 14-13 for the season.

In 2006 Bonderman went 14-8 but is most remembered for his brilliant performance in game four of the ALDS versus the Yankees, he rode that game into a four-year $38 million contract extension. Since that extension he is 21-23 appearing in only twenty games in the 2008-2009 seasons combined.

A blood clot in 2008 and shoulder trouble in 2009 cut short both seasons. Bonderman has lost about six miles per hour off his fastball and doesn’t seem interested to become a finesse pitcher, as a lot of pitchers in the past have done.

There have even been grumblings of retirement, as it appears that if Bonderman cannot be the power pitcher that he once was he would rather not pitch at all. In reality he has only had over 200 strikeouts once in his career (202 in 2006) his next highest strikeout total is 168 in 2004, not exactly power pitcher numbers.

Bonderman was quoted as saying, “The game has become more like a job, and I would rather spend time with my family in Washington.”

The Tigers need to cut ties with Bonderman as soon as possible; he is not doing anything for the organization especially the young pitchers like Rick Porcello, Ryan Perry and Daniel Schlereth.

This total look of discontent has been around for some time but last night he looked like someone who hated his job. Let’s mark this as a bad investment, Bonderman is 66-76 as a Tiger, and make room for people that want to pitch in the major leagues.

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There are two schools of thought when it comes to hiring a general manager for a Major League Baseball team: Either you hire a businessman or a baseball man.

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have gone the businessman route with Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein and have been successful.

On the other side of the coin there are the Chicago White Sox and general manager Kenny Williams, a former MLB player who worked his way up from scout to the top of the front office and has done a solid job in Chicago for the past 10 years.

What we have here in Philadelphia is an incredible combination of both.

Ruben Amaro Jr. is a third generation baseball man. His grandfather Santo was a feared hitter in the Mexican League for 17 years, and his father Ruben Senior was a Gold Glove shortstop for the Phillies, as well as first base coach on the 1980 World Championship squad.

Amaro Jr. has been around baseball all his life. He was a batboy for the Phillies from 1980-1983 and played eight years in the Majors. This alone is impressive, but add into the mix that Amaro went to school at Penn Charter and then on to Stanford University, where he graduated with a B.S. in Human Biology. Along the way he was a star on the 1987 NCAA College World Series championship team.

Ed Wade brought Amaro aboard in 1998 as assistant GM. He remained in this position through the three seasons that Pat Gillick led the team. As an assistant from ’98 to 2008 he was involved in a nice turnaround that had a lowlight of a 65-win season in 2005 and finished with a World Series win in 2008 under third-year general manager Gillick, who retired after the season, handing the keys over to Amaro.

This combination of a lifelong baseball man with a quality education is evident time after time in the moves that come out of this front office. Amaro goes out and gets Raul Ibanez and Chan Ho Park and re-signs Jamie Moyer.

Down the stretch in 2009 Amaro brings in Matt Stairs, who was a big contributor in the postseason, by giving up Fabio Castro to the Blue Jays. The day before the trade deadline Amaro pulls the trigger and brings in Cliff Lee by giving Cleveland three marginal players and Jason Knapp; Lee finished 5-0 with a 0.68 ERA. With a National League pennant in his first year in the big chair, Amaro was off to a good start.

The 2010 season has had some ups and downs in regards to personnel moves but seems to be fairly steady right now. Trading the rights of Cliff Lee didn’t sit well with most people, and it looks worse now that the top prospect that the Phillies got in return, Tyson Gillies (who is legally deaf), appears to have some legal problems in front of him.

That move was countered by signing Roy Halladay, with Kyle Drabek being the big name given up in the trade. Placido Polanco, a Gold Glove second baseman with the Tigers, comes back to Philadelphia, a place that he said he never wanted to leave, to play third base. Polanco was a huge sign; he is an excellent fielder and was the second best clutch hitter on the Tigers behind Miguel Cabrera.

Add Roy Oswalt, who the Phillies acquired from the Astros, and I would say that the positives outweigh the negatives in the trade category.

The Phillies have been plagued by injuries this season and have done an incredible job fighting though it. Amaro’s decision to bring Domonic Brown to the majors was probably not going to happen until the September call-ups, but it appears to have been the right move.

The Detroit Tigers have been in the same situation this season as far as injuries go and haven’t reacted the same as the Phillies; they are in third place, 10 games back. Good teams react differently than great teams, and the Phillies are a great team right now.

Amaro made an excellent move this week, bringing aboard Hall of Fame pitcher Bruce Sutter as a minor league pitching consultant. While this move might fly under the radar of most people, it shows a huge commitment to the future of the ball club. Here you have a man with a 2.83 career ERA working with young talent.

It’s moves like this that separate the better teams in the league from the rest of the pack. This was a move made by the ballplayer Amaro. The contracts and numbers are where the Stanford grad Amaro shines.

The Phillies are in a unique position right now. They are being led by a man that sees both sides of the fence. The future should be very bright with Ruben Amaro Jr., with his vast knowledge of baseball and his knowledge in general, leading the team.

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       There are two schools of thought when it comes to hiring a General Manager for a Major League Baseball team, either you hire a business man or a baseball man. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have gone the business man rout with Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein and have been successful. On the other side of the coin there are the Chicago White Sox and General Manager Kenny Williams, a former MLB player who worked his way up from scout to the top of the front office, who has done a solid job in Chicago for the past ten years.

       What we have here in Philadelphia is an incredible combination of both. Ruben Amaro Jr is a third generation baseball man, his grandfather Santo was a feared hitter in the Maexican League for 17 years, and his father Ruben senior was a gold glove shortstop for the Phillies as well as first base coach on the 1980 World Championship squad.

       Amaro Jr has been around baseball all his life, he was a bat boy for the Phillies from 1980-1983, and played eight years in the Majors. This alone is impressive but add into the mix that Amaro went to school at Penn Charter then on to Stanford University where he graduated with a B.S. in Human Biology. Along the way he was a star on the 1987 NCAA College World Series Championship team.

       Ed Wade brought Amaro aboard in 1998 as assistant GM, he remained in this position through the three seasons that Pat Gillick led the team. As an assistant from ’98 to 2008 he was involved in a nice turnaround that had a low light of a 65 win season in 2005 and finished with a World Series win in 2008 under third year General Manager Gillick who retired after the season handing the keys over to Amaro.

       This combination of a life long baseball man with a quality education is evident time after time in the moves that come out of this front office. He goes out and gets Raul Ibanez and Chan Ho Park, and resigns Jamie Moyer.  Down the stretch in 2009 Amaro brings in Matt Stairs who was a big contributor in the post season, by giving up Fabio Castro to the Blue Jays. The day before the trade deadline Amaro pulls the trigger and brings in Cliff Lee by giving Cleveland three marginal players and and JC Knapp, Lee finished 5-0 with a 0.68 era. With a National League Pennant in his first year in the big chair Amaro was off to a good start.

       The 2010 season has had some ups and downs in regards to personnel moves but seems to be fairly steady right now. Trading the rights of Cliff Lee didn’t sit well with most people, and it looks worse now that the top prospect that the Phillies got in return, Tyson Gillies (who is legally deaf) appears to have some legal problems in front of him. That move was countered by signing Roy Halliday with Kyle Drabek being the big name given up in the trade. Placido Polanco a gold glove second baseman with the Tigers comes back to Philadelphia, a place that he said he never wanted to leave, to play third base. Polanco was a huge sign, he is an excellent fielder and was the second  best clutch hitter on the Tigers behind Miguel Cabrera. Add Roy Oswalt, who the Phillies acquired from the Astros and I would say that the positives outweigh the negatives in the trade category.

       The Phillies have been plagued with injuries this season and have done an incredible job fighting though it, Amaro’s decision to bring Domonic Brown to the majors was proboly not going to happen until the September call ups, but it appears to have been the right move. The Detroit Tigers have been in the same situation this season as far as injuries go and haven’t reacted the same as the Phillies and are in 3rd place 10 games back. Good teams react differently than great teams and the Phillies are a great team right now.

       Amaro made an excellent move this week bringing aboard Hall of Fame pitcher Bruce Sutter as a minor league pitching consultant. While this move might fly under the radar of most people, it shows a huge commitment to the future of the ball club. Here you have a man with a 2.83 career era working with young talent. It’s moves like this that separate the better teams in the league from the rest of the pack. This was a move made by the ballplayer Amaro. The contracts and numbers are where the Stanford grad Amaro shines.

       The Phillies are in a unique position right now, they are being led by a man that sees both sides of the fence. The future should be very bright with Ruben Amaro Jr, with his vast knowledge of baseball and his knowledge in general, leading the team.

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While most 38 year old third basemen with 17 MLB seasons under their belts would probably call it a career after tearing their ACL with fifty games left in the season, Chipper Jones is going to rehab his injury with spring training in mind. How Jones’ body reacts will remain to be seen, but this comeback is a must.

Jones is the career active National League home run leader with 436, he has two years left on his contract and averages 31 homers a year, putting him at 498 if he hits his average for the remaining years of the contract. He is the active leader in hits with 2490, runs scored with 1505, 1491 RBI, and 4365 total bases. He is second in doubles with 493.

While Jones will no doubt be entering the Hall of Fame one day, he will be putting himself in the elite of the elite class of first ballot Hall of Famer if he comes back and hits his career average in the categories listed above. He is on the cusp of some mind blowing numbers, and all this in the National League where finishing off his career as a designated hitter is not an option.

It’s common knowledge how competitive athletes are and how important numbers are in baseball. This is why I feel that Chipper Jones is making the right decision in trying to come back.

Please keep in mind that this is being written by a Phillies’ fan who just happens to truly enjoy a classy ball player from any team.

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