Categories: News

Morning news: Phillies add Abad, sport new shirts

Here are your morning news bits …

Abad on board: The Phillies over the weekend signed left-handed reliever Fernando Abad to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training. Abad put up a 3.30 ERA with 7.63 K/9 and 2.89 BB/9 in 43.2 innings last year with the Red Sox. He’ll be in the mix with Adam Morgan, Hoby Milner and Zac Curtis for a lefty spot in the bullpen.

There’s also this:

The shirts also say “VAM” on the sleeve. “VAM” is for “Value at the margins.”

Oh, also Justin Timberlake apparently recorded a message for the Phillies as part of Gabe Kapler’s Sunday night “Be Bold” team party.

Makes sense: Timberlake’s uncle is the general manager of the Clearwater Threshers; also, Timberlake loves Clearwater.

Camp Kapler will not disappoint.

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.