PHILLIES Winning is Thome's motivation

Philadelphia GM Ed Wade said his long pursuit of the Indians hitter was "excruciating," but well worth it.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Phillies manager Larry Bowa thought it felt like 1979 again.
After Jim Thome, the most coveted hitter in the free-agent market, agreed to an $85 million, six-year contract, Bowa said fan reaction reminded him of when one of baseball's most exciting player came to Philadelphia and helped the Phillies win the World Series the following year.
"This is the most excitement I've seen since Pete Rose came here as a player," Bowa said.
He wasn't the only one seeing victories in the offing. Thome said only one thing would have persuaded him to leave Cleveland.
"It comes down to winning. It really does," the 32-year-old first baseman said at a news conference Tuesday.
Contract breakdown
Thome gets a $10 million signing bonus, $9.5 million next year, $10.5 million in 2004, $11.5 million in 2005, $12.5 million in 2006 and $14 million in each of the final two seasons. Philadelphia has a $13 million option for 2009 with a $3 million buyout.
The average annual value of $14,166,667 is the 15th-highest in baseball.
The Phillies, unwilling to spend money in the past, are aggressively trying to improve as they prepare to move into their new ballpark in 2004. They agreed to a $17 million, four-year contract with third baseman David Bell on Nov. 24. Philadelphia also has a $30 million, three-year offer out to free agent left-hander Tom Glavine, a two-time NL Cy Young award winner.
Thome said Bell's signing had a big impact on his decision to come to Philadelphia.
"He's a tough player," Thome said. "He makes no excuses. The bottom line is those are the kind of guys you want to go to war with."
He also said he'd be willing to call Glavine himself, prompting Phillies general manager Ed Wade to jokingly place a cell phone on the podium in front of him.
Wade said his long pursuit of Thome was "excruciating," but well worth it.
Boon to organization
"We've taken a huge step forward here, both on the field and in our clubhouse," Wade said.
Persuading Thome to leave Cleveland wasn't easy. He had spent his entire career there and intended to retire in an Indians uniform. But with Cleveland rebuilding after a near-decade of dominance in the AL Central, Thome decided that his best chance to get back to the World Series was with Phillies.
"The Indians are going in a way they want to go and I respect that," he said. "I've loved that organization and I still will."
Thome fought back tears when asked about the role that his wife, Andrea, played in their decision.
"My wife is my rock," he said, then left the stage to compose himself while Wade and manager Larry Bowa fielded questions. Several minutes later, Thome strode back to the podium and quipped: "I hate when my allergies kick in."
Thome, who hit a club-record 52 homers for the Indians last season, turned down a $60-million, five-year offer from the Indians, who drafted him in the 13th round of the 1989 draft. The left-handed slugger has a .287 batting average, 334 homers and 927 RBIs in a 12-year major league career.
Cleveland reaction
Cleveland Indians owner Larry Dolan said in a statement that he was "disappointed" that Thome had decided to leave. But "to go beyond what we offered in that package ... would have been inconsistent with our plans to bring back a championship-caliber team to Cleveland as soon as possible," Dolan said.
Thome's departure will make it much harder for the Indians to get back to the World Series.
"Going forward, believe it or not, this result does not change at all this organization's direction that we were headed on prior to attempting to sign Jim Thome," Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said Tuesday after Philadelphia announced it had signed the first baseman to an $85 million, six-year deal.
"We are clearly today, as we were clearly yesterday, heading toward a rebuilding process that I feel confident will lead us back to a championship," Shapiro said. "It's a very, very tough shorter haul for us. It is a much more painful '03. It does affect and perhaps slow our transition some."
Cleveland had 19 rookies on the 40-man roster by the end of last season. Thome's departure following similar exits by Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez in the past six years.
Belle left Cleveland after the 1996 season for a $55 million, five-year contract from the Chicago White Sox. Ramirez got a $160 million, eight-year contract from the Boston Red Sox two years ago.
Shapiro said Cleveland offered a five-year deal that would have guaranteed Thome $61 million to $63 million. The Indians also offered two additional nonguaranteed years that could have added $24 million to the contract if he achieved certain goals, including finishing in the top 10 in most valuable player balloting.
Thome said he chose the Phillies because they were closer to contending than the Indians, who last year went 74-88 for their first losing season since 1993.
"Obviously, everyone knew my ties in Cleveland. And this was a very, very difficult decision," Thome said in Philadelphia. "It comes down to winning. It really does."
Thome, 32, hit a team-record 334 homers in his 12 years with the Indians. His departure leaves veteran designated hitter Ellis Burks as the club's only proven run producer.
"I think it would be unrealistic to say that we can replace Jim Thome's production in this lineup, especially with the limits that we have financially this year," Shapiro said. "We are not looking to sign a premium free agent to a four- or five-year deal."
But Shapiro did not rule out signing a low-cost free agent for a year or two.
"Do we bottom fish, and are we creative, and is there a guy that we might externally sign that does play first base for us next year? That's possible," he said.
"As we start to move beyond this season, at some point it can almost turn into a positive. We'll have some financial flexibility."