The Fab Four, plus Joe Blanton

Al Alberts must be rolling over in his grave.

The Chester kid who rocketed to fame along with his three mates as the Four Aces is about to lose his moniker - at least for this summer.

Meet the new Four Aces. Plus Joe Blanton.

The eyes of the baseball world were on Clearwater yesterday as the Phillies pitchers and catchers reported for their first day of workouts.

That means Messrs. Halladay, Lee, Oswalt and Hamels were flexing in the Florida sun.

All that was missing was Charlton Heston’s voice telling us that God didn’t rest on the seventh day. He actually put together this pitching staff.

You almost had to feel bad for Blanton. He appears to be the forgotten man in all this.

Also seemingly on the back burner are some minor things such as who is going to play right field, do the Phils have a right-handed bat to hit behind Ryan Howard, how will the bullpen shape up, who will hit leadoff, and will Charlie Manuel ever get a contract extension.

There is a month to figure all that stuff out.

For now, fans are dreaming of October.

When was the last time a Philly team had such high expectations? Maybe those Eagles with Terrell Owens. They made it to the Super Bowl, but lost.

It seems like nothing less than another parade will satiate the ravenous appetite for this Phillies season.

That can be a heavy weight to carry.

I can’t wait to see how it works out.

For now, make sure you follow Ryan Lawrence’s daily updates from Clearwater. You can catch Ryan’s blog here. He also tweets throughout the day from glorious Clearwater.

You can read Ryan’s take on yesterday’s unveiling of the Fab Five (yes, I’m including Joe Blanton) BY CLICKING HERE.