COLUMN: Glanville must play strong for full year

Could this finally be Doug Glanville's year -- the year he establishes himself as a Major League star and one of the best leadoff men in baseball? The year he becomes the player that he has shown he is capable of being? All indications at this early point in the season suggest the answer to that question is yes. But a quick glance at the recent past shows that it would be wise to wait a few months to see if Glanville actually has the stuff to be a star in the majors. At this point last season, Glanville was also drawing rave reviews from those in the baseball world. Among the National League leaders in hits and batting at a .313 clip at the All-Star Break, he had a chance to be invited to baseball's midsummer classic. In the season's second half, however, he went from a shining star to a black hole. Appearing to have run out of gas, Glanville bottomed out and only managed to hit .206 in the final two months. It was as if Glanville's season was a longer version of the Penn basketball team's first meeting with Princeton this past season. "Who knows?" Glanville said when asked about the reasons for his second half collapse. "It was a lot of different factors." With Glanville having an excellent start to the 1999 campaign, thoughts of last season must surely be considered before one expects him to establish himself as a star. Yes, he is hitting .317 (through Monday) and yes, he does have 22 runs batted in, which is good for second on the Phillies behind only Scott Rolen. But Glanville knows that reputations are earned after a whole season's worth of quality performances, not a just few months. "It's still early," Glanville said. "The real test will be when the season is over." Glanville may indeed earn an "A" on that test this time around. After all, he knows better than anyone what happened last season. And he believes his off-season workouts and better control of his schedule will help him avoid another crash-landing to a promising year. Last year was Glanville's first with the Phillies, and at times the homecoming was a bit overwhelming for the charismatic young ballplayer. His return to his college town after spending 1997 with the Chicago Cubs -- coupled with his hot start in '98 -- earned him a lot of attention. However, this attention was draining for Glanville. It was a totally new experience -- he was only in his second full year as a Major Leaguer -- and the demands on his time were too much for him at times. "I didn't realize how stressful it would be," Glanville said. "I didn't really have a lot of time for myself, and that's important." Glanville now has better control of his schedule and believes the novelty of being the hometown kid has worn off. His time, however, is not the only thing he is managing better this season. He is also managing his performance at the plate much better. Throughout his career, Glanville has been characterized as an aggressive swinger. His mere 42 walks and measly .331 on-base percentage from last season are not exactly the numbers teams like to see coming from the guy at the top of the order. But Glanville has been proven to be more effective in the No. 1 spot for the Phils so far this season. His on-base-percentage is 70 points higher than last year's total and he has already drawn 21 walks. All the while, he has continued to make good contact and has even shown some power. It is mid-May, and the rail-thin Glanville has already left the park four times. He only hit eight home runs in all of 1998. Before this season, the Phillies signed Glanville to a three-year contract worth $5.57 million. With good young players like Rolen and right fielder Bobby Abreu, the Phillies are trying to form the nucleus of what could be a very good team -- and they believe Doug Glanville is an integral part of that nucleus. So could this be the year Glanville proves that he is indeed one of the best leadoff men in the game? It certainly could, but it is way too early in the season to make such predictions. Penn is not exactly known as a breeding ground for professional athletes, and when a Quaker makes it as a pro, Penn fans have good reason to celebrate. By being a solid everyday Major Leaguer, Doug Glanville does Penn athletics proud. And if he can avoid another second half collapse, Glanville will show the baseball world that he is more than just a pretty good ballplayer from the Ivy League. Remember what happened the second time the Quakers met Princeton in hoops last season? There was no second half collapse, no tiring, no bottoming out and definitely no doubt about who the best team was. Now, if Glanville can somehow manage a similar finish, there will also be no doubt about his status as big league star. Rick Haggerty is a College junior from Bensalem PA, and a DP sports editor.

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