Phillies gear on the way to Florida

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA - February 4, 2011 (WPVI) -- Spring comes in about 9 days and 6 hours for Phillies pitchers and catchers.

That's when they must report to Clearwater for Phillies spring training.

It's that time of year again; time to pack up and head to Florida for Spring Training, which opens in a little more than a week.

Along for the ride, 15,000 baseballs, 10,000 cups, 2,000 tee shirts, plus 600 hats and countless other items being loaded onto the truck that would make the trip to Clearwater.

"Knock on wood, the bats and baseballs we should not forget," said Equipment Manager, Dan O'Rourke.

And they don't want to forget about Ryan Howard and company's 1,200 bats. They're scheduled to arrive on Sunday.

"As long as we get their bats right, and the pants feel good, and they got the right shoes and the right gloves, that's the main thing," said O'Rourke.

As for as the players' personal items; they are on their own. They have dropped off their luggage for these guys to pack on the truck.

And guess who has more luggage going down to Florida than any other player? Jimmy Rollins.

"I said to him, 'Jimmy, you don't even have any children. You have no business having 12 boxes.' So I gave him a hard time," said O'Rourke.

And the Philly Phanatic is responsible for his stuff too. Anyone who has spent any time with the fur ball hopes that he packs extra deodorant.

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philadelphia phillies, mlb, jeff skversky

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