Earlier this week, you might have read a story I wrote for the paper about Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino and how the Dodgers let him get away TWICE via the Rule 5 draft and how they turned down a chance to get him back the second time when the Phillies offered him back midway through the 2005 season. Well, there was one factual error in the story, and out of that factual error, there was a glaring misconception. As it turns out, the Dodgers had a very sound reason for not taking him back. First, the error: I wrote that Victorino had never been on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, which turned out to be not true. The fact is, he HAD been on the 40-man once previously and had been outrighted OFF the 40-man. In light of that, the Dodgers’ reasoning for not taking him back: teams who make Rule 5 draft selections pay $50,000 for them, and if they don’t keep that player on their 25-man roster for all of the following season, they must offer him back to his original team for $25,000. But when the Phillies offered Victorino back to the Dodgers, the Dodgers were NOT going to put him on their 25-man OR their 40-man roster. Therefore, they would have to outright him to the minors. Well, any player who is outrighted more than once has the right to decline outright assignments, beginning with his second one, and become a free agent. As I understand it, the Dodgers were fairly certain at the time — 99.99 percent, as it was told to me — that Victorino was going to decline the assignment and opt for free agency. In that case, the Dodgers would have been throwing away $25,000. Granted, that seems like chump change in the grand scheme of a major-league payroll. But throwing away 25 grand is still throwing away 25 grand. Hope that clears things up.

Also, we just received word that Charlie Manuel’s mother passed away this morning, so thoughts and prayers go out to him. He is one of the truly good guys in this game. I’m told he IS expected to manage today’s game for the Phillies.

Here are today’s lineups:

Dodgers:

Furcal. SS
Martin. C
Ramirez. LF
Ethier. RF
Loney. 1B
Kemp. CF
DeWitt. 2B
Blake. 3B
Billingsley. RHP

Phillies:

Rollins. SS
Victorino. CF
Utley. 2B
Howard. 1B
Burrell. LF
Werth. RF
Dobbs. 3B
Ruiz. C
Myers. RHP

This is the big-time, and in a big-time hitter’s ballpark. That ultimately was what did in the Dodgers tonight. The ball Manny Ramirez hit in the first inning — the one that DIDN’T go out because it hit the very top of the wall not only at its deepest point, but also its highest point, and also hit about a foot to the left of the yellow stripe — went way farther than EITHER of the home runs hit by Chase Utley and Pat Burrell in that decisive sixth inning. But it’s not even close to panic time yet. The Dodgers blew a two-run lead in the ninth inning against the New York Mets in Game 1 of the 1988 NLCS — the last one of these that they actually were in — and came back to win that series in seven, then blew out Oakland in five in the World Series. Long way to go, folks. … The good thing about tonight was that Hong-Chih Kuo had a good inning, retiring the Phillies in order in the eighth. Appears to be back to normal. … Tomorrow’s game at 4:35 Philly time, which means weird shadows and maybe some weird developments. See ya then.

Torre said Saito took the news that he wasn’t on the LCS roster like a true professional. He’ll stay with the team for now and throw bullpens — the equivalent of the rehab assignment he never had is the way Torre put it — but might go to Peoria to make one appearance in the Instructional League if this series goes long and it looks like he might have a shot at a potential World Series roster. … By the way, Hong-Chih Kuo will be limited to warming up one time per game, pitching one inning per appearance and no back-to-back days.

Dodgers:

Furcal. SS
Ethier. RF
Ramirez. LF
Martin. C
Loney. 1B
Kemp. CF
Blake. 3B
DeWitt. 2B
Lowe. RHP

Phillies:

Rollins. SS
Victorino. CF
Utley. 2B
Howard. 1B
Burrell. LF
Werth. RF
Feliz. 3B
Ruiz. C
Hamels. LHP

At least for Game 1. Spent the day doing touristy stuff in Philly with Daily News columnist Steve Dilbeck and Al Balderas of the OC Register. We took the Independence Hall tour, which was interesting, but what I found more interesting was a tour of Congress Hall, which is adjacent to Independence Hall. This was where the first House and Senate chambers were, and we visited both as part of the tour. The House chamber was allegedly where George Washington announced that he wouldn’t seek a third term as President, and where John Adams was elected to succeed him (apparently, these things were done a little differently in 1796). Then we ate lunch at City Tavern, this old building where the wait staff dresses in Colonial period attire. It was all so fascinating that I kept forgetting we actually had a baseball game — and a pretty big one at that — to cover tonight. But we’re all here now, and Citizens Bank Park is all dressed up in the requisite red-white-and-blue bunting. Not a perfect day, just a tinge of smog in the air, and it’s expected to be a little cool tonight. But these are the playoffs. It’s supposed to be crisp. … By the way, as predicted here yesterday, Takashi Saito was left off the roster for this series to clear a spot for Hong-Chih Kuo. Broxton is now the unquestioned closer for this club. Makes you wonder whether Saito will even be around next year, giving that he will be 39 and is arbitration-eligible for the first time.

In fact, it looks like he isn’t going to make the cut for this round. After the workout, after most of the team had boarded buses back to the downtown Westin, Saito went to the visiting bullpen with Torre and Honeycutt and had a side session to try to work out a mechanical problem that has plagued him since he returned from the DL. The problem is with his balance pitching out of the windup, and the solution for now is that he has scrapped pitching out of the windup and will go exclusively out of the stretch, but that’s if he goes at all. Saito said the decision rests with others, but he seemed to offer a cryptic hint that he won’t be on the roster when he said this, with Kenji Nimura translating:

“I’m never going to say I’m (off) the roster, because that isn’t for me to decide. It’s up to oe and the coaching staff, and they might want me to give it some time and work on my mechanics so I can be ready for the World Series.”