--LHP Cole Hamels and his wife, Heidi, are trying to adopt a child from Ethiopia, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Initially, the Hamelses were looking into adopting a child from Malawi, but they grew frustrated with regulations that required parents to live in the country for 18 to 24 months before getting permission to adopt. Ethiopian rules require only a nine-month waiting period for adoption. Last week, Madonna endured a publicized rejection of her attempt to adopt a Malawian child. "We were in the same situation as Madonna, and there is no way we could live over there for two years," Hamels told the newspaper. "It shouldn't be so hard to try to give someone a better life. The government in that country, it's shady."
--INF Miguel Cairo learned his fate on the final day of spring training. He was staying with the Phillies. Cairo, a 34-year-old utility infielder, had his contract purchased Saturday and was added to the Phillies' 25-man roster. On Feb. 15, Cairo signed a minor league contract that included a clause that allowed him to ask for his release if he wasn't on the roster by the season opener. Cairo batted .237 in spring training but also showed rare power with three home runs. He hasn't homered in a regular-season game since July 28, 2005. The Phillies have been looking for a right-handed bat off the bench and flirted publicly with Nomar Garciaparra, Ty Wigginton and Gary Sheffield, among others. But they couldn't provide enough playing time to satisfy those players. Sheffield signed with the rival New York Mets on Friday. Cairo will give the Phillies versatility. He has played every infield position, left field and right field throughout his career.
--LHP J.A. Happ couldn't sleep during the final week of spring training. But after losing the final spot in the rotation to veteran RHP Chan Ho Park, he somehow relaxed. The Phillies had two jobs available in the bullpen, and Happ was confident he would get one. On Friday, Happ learned he had made the team as a long reliever. "I'm happy," Happ said. "My goal was to have a big-league uniform on, and I have one. It's hard to describe where my emotions have been the last five days or a week. Now, I can get some sleep." Happ, 26, compiled a 3.97 ERA in spring training. LHP Jack Taschner, acquired last week from the San Francisco Giants, also made the team. The Phillies have three lefties in their bullpen (Scott Eyre, Taschner, Happ). RHP Gary Majewski was assigned to minor league camp and will open the season at Class AAA Lehigh Valley.
--LF Raul Ibanez knows he's replacing a longtime Phillies staple. He doesn't think much about it. In his final at-bat for the Phillies, which happened to come in the seventh inning of Game 5 of the World Series, Pat Burrell broke an 0-for-13 slump with a double to left-center field, setting up pinch runner Eric Bruntlett to score the championship-clinching run. Then, two days later, he rode at the head of the Broad Street parade on a wagon pulled by Clydesdales. Surely, Burrell's last act will be tough to follow. But, with a new season poised to dawn, Ibanez says he's not Pat Burrell. "Pat Burrell's a great player," said Ibanez, who signed a three-year, $31.5 million contract in December. "I know the fans were fond of him. I know the guys in the clubhouse were fond of him. But I'm not going to try to be him. We're two different people. Nobody can replace anybody else."
BY THE NUMBERS: 3 -- Homers for INF Miguel Cairo this spring. He hasn't hit one in the regular season since 2005.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's exciting. You play for so many years and you still got to know you made the team. This year was a little difficult, but I came through. And hopefully, I'll stay here all year long." -- INF Miguel Cairo, a 13-year veteran, on making the opening-day roster.
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