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Wed, Aug 6th 2008, 10:58

Rollins, Howard, Utley rank among Phils' all-time greats

Lancaster Online By ED GRUVER

From Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken Jr. to Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds, reliever Arthur Rhodes has faced his fair share of superstars.

It’s all part of being a 16-year veteran of The Show, of making 630 career appearances and logging 1,034 innings at the big league level.

So it can be said with some certainty that when it comes to assessing this generation of stars, in particular the Phillies’ Big Three of Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, Rhodes speaks from experience.

“They’re good hitters and you have to deal with them,” the Marlins’ southpaw said prior to fanning the only two batters he faced en route to earning a hold in Tuesday night’s 8-2 Florida win over Philadelphia before a sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park.

“I tell myself, ‘Keep the ball down, make good pitches and try to get ground balls.’ But you can’t overlook the rest of the lineup, they’re tough. You’ve got to go out and bear down on them.”

Few have had success bearing down against skipper Charlie Manuel’s crew, and the Big Three is a big reason the Phils are still in first place, albeit slightly. Howard leads the league in RBIs, is second in homers and averages an RBI every four at bats. Utley is second in total bases and fourth in homers. Rollins ranks among NL leaders in triples, stolen bases and RISP batting average, calculated with runners in scoring position.

Howard was NL Rookie of the Year in 2005 and league MVP in 2006; Rollins was NL MVP last season. Utley appeared poised to bring a third straight MVP award to Philly, but he slumped following a torrid start. Still, he ranks second in the NL in total bases and is among the leaders in doubles, RBIs, runs scored and slugging percentage.

So it’s no surprise, given their recent history, that the Big Three has gone big time in terms of recognition. Is it, Milt Thompson?

“I don’t think so,” the Phillies hitting coach said prior to Rollins, Utley and Howard posting a combined 4-for-11 with a run scored. “You’ve got guys who have won MVPs and been all-stars, so they’re going to be recognized. Chase Utley is a student of the game. He studies video, sometimes to a fault. But he’s a great student of the game and the other two (Rollins and Howard) have great ability.

“If Jimmy Rollins never got a hit he’s going to save you a ton of runs (Rollins’ .986 fielding percentage leads NL shortstops). And the big boy (the 6-foot-4, 256-pound Howard) is only hitting .230-something (actually .242) but look at his numbers (31 homers, 96 RBIs).

“If he ever learns,” and here Thompson caught himself, “when he learns patience and really learns the strike zone and takes walks, oh, he’s going to be really special.”

If anyone has the credentials to put the Big Three in proper historical perspective, it’s Thompson. His playing career overlapped two generations of Phillies — Hall of Fame slugger Mike Schmidt in the 1980s and Macho Row in the ’90s.

He agreed that the Big Three is more formidable than the Schmidt-Luzinski-Hebner trio of the late 1970s or the Daulton-Dykstra-Kruk version of the early ’90s. Yet at the same time he was tossing verbal bouquets in the direction of Messrs. Rollins, Utley and Howard, Thompson echoed Rhodes’ comment that the rest of the Phils’ lineup is deserving of attention as well.

Pat Burrell is third on the team in home runs and RBIs and first in slugging percentage. He’s a big reason the Phils lead the majors in homers and are tied for first in the NL in slugging. Shane Victorino ranks among league leaders in triples and stolen bases, and his batting average is second highest among Manuel’s starters.

“All our guys bring something to the table,” Thompson said. “They play hard, and the thing I love about these guys is, they don’t quit. You gotta love that.”

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