Roy Halladay says he is feeling good and he cannot envision playing in any other city. That sounds like good news for Phillies fans, right? Halladay is entering the final year of his contract in Philadelphia and it will be a critical one. Halladay statistically has been on the decline since his arrival in Philadelphia in 2010 and he was worn down a little bit last season. He is still the workhorse of the staff in many respects but with velocity dropping there is reason to be concerned. Hey, he's still a very good pitcher. Nobody is saying he is not. But it is no secret that he needs to change part of his approach on the mound. He's smart enough to know that it sounds like, so that is a positive sign.

Doc confident he can rebound with healthy season - Todd Zolecki, MLB.com

Roy Halladay hopes for healthy, effective 2013 - Jim Salisbury, CSNPhilly.com

Roy Halladay confident back, shoulder injuries in past - Matt Gelb, Philly.com

Roy Halladay says he will pitch 320 innings if it means winning a World Series - David Murphy, Philly.com

Health, age force ace veteran Halladay to adjust - Hal Bodley, MLB.com

A defining year awaits Roy Halladay - Jayson Stark, ESPN.com

Ruiz apologizes

All too often in sports we see stories of athletes shrugging aside their problems. That was not the case with Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz on Wednesday. Meeting with the media for the first time since receiving a 25-game suspension, Ruiz apologized publicly to his teammates and the fans for putting himself in the situation. Apparently it got a little emotional for the Phillies catcher. It's OK Chooch. Just don't let it happen again. Your fans will forgive you (surely many already have).

According to Topps baseball cards this year the all time record holder for most base hits in baseball is simply known as "all-time record holder." Or at least that is likely how Pete Rose would be listed on the back of a baseball card printed today.

As Chicago Side Sports points out, the baseball card company is not using Pete Rose by name on their baseball cards, but they will use the names of other players who own records. Was this an error? Something that slipped through the cracks? Does somebody at Topps have it out for Rose, who continues to try and wiggle his way back in to the good graces of Major League Baseball?

Not quite.

The reason may be fairly simple. It all comes down to - what else - money.

Relief pitcher Juan Cruz is back on the free agent market. Jayson Stark reports via Twitter the reliever and Phillies have parted ways.

RHP Juan Cruz is a free agent again. He'd signed a minor league deal w #Phillies but 2 sides agreed to part ways, GM Ruben Amaro Jr said

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) February 13, 2013

With spring training now underway in Clearwater it is time to return to our morning round-up of Phillies coverage from the beat, blogs and beyond. Here is a look at some o the top stories from yesterday and more. We will be doing this every weekday throughout the season.

The Phillies have a new conditioning and training center in Clearwater. And it is beautiful.

How is Roy Halladay doing? Todd Zolecki of MLB.com interviewed Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee about the status of Roy Halladay. Dubee says "It’s going to take him a while to put all the pieces together in his delivery," but notes that is what spring training is for. Reading through the interview honestly does not leave me a whole lot of reason to feel overly confident about Doc returning to 2010 form.

Hamels on opening day, Halladay in home opener? Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com is already exploring the potential pitching rotation for the start of the season and it is rather interesting. Cole Hamels could realistically be the Phillies opening day starter this season after a strong 2012. In Salisbury's column the idea of having Hamels receive the opening day assignment and having Roy Halladay get to start the home opener is explored and it makes sense. But let's also remember Hamels does not have a great track record in his first starts of the year.

Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News has 5 more burning Phillies questions about the formula for success this season. Among them, the impact Mike Adams will have on the bullpen and the annual debate of whether or not Jimmy Rollins is an ideal leadoff hitter.

Today is Kevin Stocker's 42nd birthday. Drafted in 1991, Stocker made his major league debut with the Phillies in 1993 and what a doozy it was. Stocker's debut turned out to be a 20-inning game lasting over six hours against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Mitch Williams blew a save in the ninth inning by allowing two runs, walking three batters and a single to force in one run and Larry Andersen gave up a single for a second charged run to Williams. Mike Williams gave up a run in the top of the 20th inning when Jose Offerman scored on a throwing error but the Phillies picked up the win in the bottom of the inning when Jim Eisenreich and Mickey Morandini were put in to scoring position on sacrifice bunt off the bat of Stocker (Stocker was safe on a fielder's choice) and Lenny Dykstra brought them home for the win on a walk-off ground-rule double.

Stocker struck out twice in an 0-for-6 debut but did scored one run and walked twice.

Other players to play in that game? How about Omar Daal, Roger McDowell and Pedro Martinez coming out of the Dodgers bullpen?

Source: Baseball Reference

Pitchers and catchers reported today, and by all accounts everything seems to be going well. As expected our timelines are being filled with warm images of players stretching, throwing baseball's, running and more.  While these images bring a smile to our face as we get a glimpse of summer in the middle of February, I was more taken by this image of the new conditioning and training center at the Carpenter Complex.

The long, cold winter and off-season is over. Today, Phillies pitchers and catchers will officially report for spring training, a symbol that spring has arrived despite the calendar only being in the middle of February.

Here are nine reasons Phillies fans should be excited about the start of spring training this year. Feel free to add your own in the comments section below.

1. Pictures of Roy Halladay (and others) running

45 players have already reported to camp-two days before pitchers & catchers first official workout. #ready2go twitter.com/Phillies/statu…

— Phillies (@Phillies) February 11, 2013

Enough said. But we continue on anyway...

Macho Row is currently looking to add to our starting rotation. If you think you have what it takes to provide some commentary on the Philadelphia Phillies, the National League East, or Major League Baseball in general and want an outlet to do it, the perhaps Macho Row is for you.

We are currently looking for regular contributors for routine Phillies coverage. You will be given a large amount of free will to contribute your own, unique content but we do hope it will focus on the Phillies. Some positions we are looking to set-up include:

• General news reporter - Someone who can help out with posting the latest news about the Phillies and provide a brief amount of commentary
• Sabremetrics analyst - With the increasing awareness of the more detailed numbers of the game, we would like to have someone who understands the advanced metrics and can relate them to an audience looking to learn
• Minor league reporter - Regular weekly updates on the Phillies minor league system, with a look at prospects to watch

Interested? Have a new idea for the site? Contact Macho Row for more information.

February 12 - Phillies pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater, Florida

February 15 - Full squad reports to Clearwater.

Grapefruit League Schedule

All times 1:05 p.m. Eastern unless noted otherwise. All home games played at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Florida.

(ss) = Split squad

• February 23 - Phillies vs. Houston Astros (Comcast Network)
• February 24 - Phillies @ Detroit Tigers
• February 25 - Phillies vs. Detroit Tigers (Comcast Network)
• February 26 - Phillies vs. New York Yankees (Comcast Network)
• February 27 - Phillies @ Minnesota Twins
• February 28 - Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves (Comcast Network)
• March 1 - Phillies @ New York Yankees
• March 2 - Phillies @ Toronto Blue Jays
• March 3 (ss) - Phillies @ Baltimore Orioles, Phillies vs. Toronto Blue Jays (Comcast Sportsnet)
• March 4 - Phillies @ Pittsburgh Pirates
• March 5 - Phillies vs. Dominican Republic (Comcast Sportsnet)
• March 6 - Phillies vs. Washington Nationals (Comcast Network)
• March 7 - Phillies vs. Minnesota Twins (Comcast Network)
• March 8 - Phillies @ Tampa Bay Rays
• March 9 - Phillies vs. Tampa Bay Rays
• March 10 - Phillies @ Houston Astros
• March 12 - Phillies @ Detroit Tigers (Comcast Network)
• March 13 - Phillies @ New York Yankees, 7:05 p.m.
• March 14 - Phillies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (Comcast Network)
• March 15 - Phillies @ Tampa Bay Rays
• March 16 - Phillies @ New York Yankees, 12:05 p.m.
• March 17 - Phillies vs. Baltimore Orioles (Comcast Sportsnet)
• March 18 - Phillies @ Atlanta Braves (ESPN)
• March 19 - Phillies vs. New York Yankees (ESPN, Comcast Network)
• March 21 - Phillies @ Boston Red Sox, 7:05 p.m.
• March 22 - Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves (Comcast Network)
• March 23 - Phillies @ Baltimore Orioles
• March 24 - Phillies vs. Boston Red Sox
• March 25 - Phillies @ Toronto Blue Jays
• March 26 - Phillies vs. Tampa Bay Rays (Comcast Network)
• March 27 - Phillies @ Detroit Tigers (ESPN)
• March 28 - Phillies vs. Toronto Blue Jays (Comcast Network)
• March 29* - Phillies vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 7:05 p.m., Citizens Bank Park (Comcast Network)
• March 30* - Phillies vs. Toronto Blue Jays, Citizens Bank Park

* = On-Deck Series

The page can now officially turn. With the culmination of the NFL season, capped by one of the more entertaining Super Bowl games that saw the Baltimore Ravens prevent San Francisco from celebrating a second major world championship in a matter of months, all eyes can now move on to baseball. Sorry NBA and NHL. It is time for spring training.

In just eight more days the Philadelphia Phillies will have pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater, Florida. Three days later the rest of the team will assemble for the spring. For the first time in a while a strong case can be made that the Phillies will enter the 2013 season as a clear underdog in the NL East. The Washington Nationals are coming off their first division championship and should be a strong contender once again with a full year of Bryce Harper and (hopefully) Stephen Strasburg and a solid off-season. The Atlanta Braves ended their 2013 season with a one-game playoff loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. There is no more Chipper Jones but the Braves welcome the Upton brothers, Justin and B.J., to their lineup and once again appear to be a legitimate threat in the division.