CLEARWATER, Fla. — Baseball sounds different these days.
Bats still crack and mitts still pop, but the language at Phillies spring training has undergone a change. A bold change.
This is Camp Catchphrase, where the mottos come at you in swarms, like mosquitoes. It’s as if a Dale Carnegie course and a Six Sigma course had a genetically engineered child.
This is the language of new-age rookie manager Gabe Kapler, who introduced his overarching “Be Bold” theme when camp opened last month. He issued T-shirts and everything. Honestly, hearing the slogans over and over isn’t a bad thing, just a little off-putting.