The Expos have assembled the core of their major league coaching staff. Wendell Kim will be their bench coach, Dick Pole the pitching coach, Tom McCraw the hitting coach, and Jerry Morales will be the bullpen coach.

Kim was the Red Sox's third base coach from 1997 to 2000 under Jimy Williams. His only other major league coaching experience is with the Giants from 1989-91 under Roger Craig. He managed AAA Indianapolis last season to a 66-78 record, although considering the Brewers were relatively bereft of minor league talent, we probably can't get a good impression of his managerial skills.

Dick Pole has been a pitching coach on several teams, including the last two seasons under Charlie Manuel in Cleveland, the Cubs from 1988-91 under Don Zimmer, the Giants from 1993-97 under Dusty Baker, and in 1999 for the Angels under Terry Collins and Joe Maddon. Pole was also the bullpen coach under Jimy Williams in 1998. He began coaching after a rather unimpressive 7-year career as a pitcher for Boston and then Seattle in the 70's. I'm quite concerned that he is not the right person to help Frank Robinson manage the staff's workload. He's responsible for Bartolo Colon and C.C. Sabathia's workloads as well as heavy work for Shawn Estes among others. I only have IP data for all but the last few years, although if his work in Cleveland is any indication, Tony Armas and Javier Vazquez should watch their own backs this season as they can't trust their coaching staff to guard them against injury.

Tom McCraw was not a particularly proficient batsman during his 13-year career, as he only posted a career .246 BA, .309 OBP, and .362 SLG. However, that doesn't necessarily preclude him from becoming a capable coach. He was Houston's hitting coach under Larry Dierker from 1997 to 2000, with the Mets from 1992 to 1996 under Jeff Torborg and Dallas Green, and from 1989-1991 he was with Baltimore under Frank Robinson. He also has major league coaching experience under Frank Robinson in Cleveland (1975), as well as between 1979-82 under Jeff Torborg and Dave Garcia, and with the Giants under Frank Robinson, Danny Ozark, Jim Davenport, and Roger Craig between 1983-85. Last season he worked in the commissioner's office. He should be a positive addition to the team as he's developed several quality major league hitters including Richard Hidalgo, Carl Everett, Edgardo Alfonzo, Jeromy Burnitz, Todd Hundley, and Mickey Tettleton.

Today is Jerry Morales' birthday. He will be 53-years old. Between 1984-86, he was a minor league hitting and outfield coach with the Cubs. He then scouted for the Angels from 1987 to 1990, and in 1999 and 2000 he was a manager in the Puerto Rico Winter League.

When I was looking for information on these coaches, there didn't seem to be a good comprehensive resource with biographical or even resumé information on major league coaches. I would welcome reader suggestions on websites or publications with this type of data.

Articles about Scott Rolen's decision to test free agency have been plentiful in the last few days, up to and including quotes from teammates wondering about his motives. For his part, Rolen has been quite clear about why he will not accept the 10-year, $140M contract extension, which has been available since the Phillies offered it to him last March. It's about money, but not necessarily the money he's being paid. He wants to play for a winning team, a team that can and will win the World Series, and he bases his opinion on a team's commitment to winning on payroll.

While demanding accountability from an organization with regards to winnings is a laudable motive, there is a flaw in Rolen's theory. One look at the Baltimore Orioles or the Oakland Athletics will show you that increasing payroll doesn't unequivocally guarantee success or failure. The Phillies don't have an astronomically high payroll and haven't made any big moves this off-season. However if you look at their team, it wouldn't have made a lot of sense for them to do so.

Philadelphia's biggest need right now is an upgrade in centerfield over Doug Glanville, and it isn't as though Glanville is a cheap option at $4 million this season. Marlon Byrd should also be ready sometime soon, and the Phillies will want the position to be available for him to claim at that time, so picking up an expensive player in the interim who might block their prospect isn't overly logical. Trading for Carl Everett might have been an option they could have pursued, but then Everett doesn't exactly have a reputation as being a positive influence on a clubhouse. With the youth likely to be present on the roster, the gamble on his production might come at the cost of future cohesiveness.

The off-season acquisitions of the Mets and Braves have likely left the Phillies just out of reach of the playoffs this season, but both of those teams still have gaps and future concerns with players' contracts expiring and other players aging. Philadelphia's big off-season pick-up, Terry Adams, should be a quality addition to the organization and will fit well with the youth arriving in the majors this season. His contract is also structured with several options that allow the Phillies flexibility in future seasons.

Some teams out there are not making moves merely for the sake of maintaining a budget, but the Phillies don't appear to be a major offender in this category and could easily be a contender in the next few seasons.

Chad Zerbe reportedly signed a one-year contract on Sunday worth approximately $215K. Zerbe was not even arbitration-eligible, so it makes sense that he would be making close to the minimum. Aaron Fultz is a far superior pitcher, so it's highly unlikely that Zerbe will make the team as the second lefty in the pen behind Jason Christiansen. Zerbe will probably be the primary injury replacement if either Fultz or Christiansen goes on the DL.

Joe Oliver is reportedly retiring. Oliver was a decent catcher between 1995-97 but has slipped below back-up level in the last few years. He could probably hang around and find a few more at-bats as an injury replacement, but he's already 36, so now's as good a time to leave as any.

Kevin Tapani is also retiring. Tap spent the majority of his career on the Twins and the Cubs with short stints on the Mets, Dodgers, and White Sox. He was traded a total of 3 times in deals involving 17 players.

The first deal set up the World Series' championships for the 1988 Dodgers and 1989 Athletics in December of 1987. Tapani, Jack Savage, and Wally Whitehurst joined the Mets, while Oakland added starters Bob Welch and Matt Young, and LA picked up SS Alfredo Griffin as well as two bullpen anchors in Jay Howell and Jesse Orosco.

In July of 1989, New York then packaged Tapani, Savage, Rick Aguilera, Dave West, and Tim Drummond off to Minnesota for reigning Cy Young winner Frank Viola to replace the injured Dwight Gooden. Tapani, West, and Aguilera were all vital members of the 1991 Twins World Series' victory.

He stayed with the Twins until July of 1995 when they traded him back to Los Angeles with LHP Mark Guthrie in exchange for 3B Ron Coomer, RHP Greg Hansell, RHP Jose Parra and OF Chris Latham. LA made the playoffs but was swept by Cincinnati in the Division Series as Tapani allowed 3 ER on 4 BB and 0 H while only retiring one batter in two games of relief, a far cry from his two solid starts in the '91 Series.

After spending the following season with the White Sox, the Cubs signed him to a three-year deal worth about $11 million four days after Cub free agent Jaime Navarro fled to the Sox for a 4-year, $20 million deal, effectively completing a swap of each team's most dependable starter.

Tapani had a solid career for a command pitcher, using a fastball with good movement but not a lot of speed in combination with a splitter and a changeup to get batters out. He pitched well for Chicago the last few years but was beginning to show his age, so he is likely smart to take this opportunity to retire, instead of trying to squeeze out a couple more years, which would likely become increasingly less productive.