WEDNESDAY ROUNDUP: Tyson KO’s Spinks, Chase Utley Hacks, Charlie Manuel Swoons, Rod Thorn Worries

AUDIO (CSN Philly): Take it how you will: Paul Holmgren has apparently spoken with the agent for Jaromir Jagr, Petr Svoboda, at some point between "a few days before" Friday's NHL Entry Draft and Tuesday, when Holmgren alluded to the second talk, at the first annual Flyers Alumni Golf Tournament. Says he expects to talk to him "I assume sometime this week" and that there's "mutual interest" between Jagr and the Flyers. Said earlier this offseason he and Svoboda "hadn't spoken in that regard" since their one and only chat "two days after the season ended." Exhausting, fact-checking this guy's every word is.

AUDIO (CSN Philly): Chahhhlie Manuel praises the bullpen. (In the Phils 5-4 win over the Pirates Tuesday, Michael Schwimer and Antonio Bastardo combined for six outs -- all with at least one runner in scoring position and just a one-run lead. Schwimer relieved Worley before with no outs in the seventh, runners on second and third, but didn't buckle. Jonathan Papelbon alowed a ninth-inning homer. Didn't matter. Still logged his 18th save.) Vance Worley plays perfectioninst. (Worley (4-4) pitched into the seventh, allowed three runs on six hits, fanned five and walked two.)

AUDIO (CSN Philly): Rod Thorn sounds a little worried that he might not be able to land Lou Williams. Says he wants him back, nothing new there. At first sounds confident, given the rude awakenings that seem to await role players like Williams who test the market. Concern he shows here, when noting how many teams have cap space -- and how often teams with cap space use it -- is pretty telling, though.

VIDEO (Ian Riccaboni): Hack away, Chase. Hack away.

SCRITPUALS (Philly.com): How better to spend your last days of obscurity than bouncing ideas off of the guy who's touted as the best ever at your position? Who just so happens to be your coach for a day? Awfully convenient, that two-man Chase Utley-Ryne Sandberg summit was.

SCRIPTUALS (Morning Call): As cooperative? How the rest of the lineup falls into place with Utley in it.

SCRIPTUALS (CSN Philly, Philly.com): Pending a check-up with team doctors Wednesday, Ryan Howard could be just three weeks off Utley's pace.

SCRITPUALS (Grantland): Enoy Atlanta, Danny Ferry!

SCRIPTUALS (Jimmy Rollins): Not that he qualifies, just not sure where else to put this. In any event... Seems Rollins is all for padding the umpiring ranks in Major League Baseball, and taking subtle jabs at Alex Rodriguez' unjustifiably bloated contract. (Pot, meet kettle.)

SCRIPTUALS (Dallas Cowboys): Big D goes little boy with this juvenile rib at Mike Vick on his birthday.

SCRIPTUALS (Gene Wojcieowski, ESPN; Dennis Dodd, CBS): Little point-counterpoint action on the BCS new playoff format. Wojo is in, DD is out.

SCRIPTUALS (Greg Cote, Miami Herald): One way to put Dwyane Wade being usurped as the alpha dog in his own city...

STATISTICALS (Elias): Carlos Ruiz went 3-for-4 on Tuesday, with two hits on 0-2 pitches, including a home run. Ruiz had been 1-for-19 on 0-2 pitches on the season, before Tuesday; he hadn't had two 0-2 hits in one game since May 31, 2011 and he hadn't hit an 0-2 homer since last April 9. ... Yadier Molina hit his 12th home run of the season in the Cardinals' win over the Marlins on Tuesday. The only other catcher in Cardinals history to have a dozen home runs before July was Ted Simmons, who had 18 in 1979.

STATISTICALS (Todd Zolecki, MLB.com): Phillies relievers entered (Tuesday's 5-4 win over Pittsburgh) with a 4.44 ERA, 24th in baseball, and had allowed 39.2 percent of their inherited runners to score, which ranked 29th. ... Michael Schwimer has a 1.17 ERA in his last six appearances, which he credits to a productive bullpen session in Baltimore with pitching coach Rich Dubee, who changed Schwimer's slider grip and adjusted his mechanics.

PHILLIES PITCHING PROBABLES:

Actually have something to fill this out with today. Hark.

Wednesday (7:05 p.m. EST): RHP James McDonald (6-3, 2.19 ERA) @ LHP Raul Valdez (2-0, 1.84 ERA)

Thursday (1:05 p.m. EST): RHP A.J. Burnett (8-2, 3.24 ERA) @ RHP Kyle Kendrick (2-7, 5.24 ERA)

Friday (7:05 p.m. EST): TBA @ RHP Josh Johnson (4-5, 3.96 ERA)

Man...

ON THIS DAY:

1876 - Dave Force (Philadelphia Athletics) became the first National League player to get six hits in a nine inning game.

1986 - Anne White wore only a body stocking at Wimbledon.

1986 - Robby Thompson (San Francisco) was caught stealing bases four times in one game.

1988 - In Atlantic City, Mike Tyson knocked out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds.

1990 - Jose Canseco signed a contract with the Oakland A's worth $4,700,000 per year.