PHILS PROSPECT GILLIES FACES COCAINE CHARGE

Phillies prospect Tyson Gillies, one of the three players acquired in
the Cliff Lee trade this past off-season, was arrested early Friday
for cocaine possession stemming from a June incident in Clearwater,
Fla.

Gillies, 21, was arrested by Pinellas County Sheriff's Officers at
1:48 a.m. Friday, according to a spokeswoman. The possession charge is
a felony.

Gillies was released from jail at 10:52 a.m. on a $2,000 cash bond. No
initial court appearance has been scheduled.

He was apprehended by police at the La Quinta Inn on Route 19 in
Clearwater, less than a mile from the Phillies' spring-training complex.

The team issued only a statement Friday:

"The Phillies have confirmed that Tyson Gillies was charged today on a
drug possession charge arising out of an incident that was alleged to
have occurred in June. Because this is an open case, we will not
comment further at this time."

Cecilia Barreda, the public information officer for the Pinellas
County Sheriff's Office, said the original incident occurred June 11
in Clearwater.

That morning, a patrol officer witnessed Gillies standing on the
shoulder of Route 19 near Enterprise Boulevard in Clearwater at 3:24
a.m. Gillies was waving a white shirt at passing motorists. The patrol
officer stopped to speak with Gillies and noticed he was intoxicated,
Barreda said.

Gillies told the officer he was waving the shirt so his friends could
see him. He said he was trying to find a way back to his hotel after
spending several hours at the nearby Freaki Tiki Bar.

The officer asked Gillies if he had enough money for a taxi to take
him back to the hotel. He did not, so the officer offered Gillies a
courtesy ride.

After the officer dropped Gillies off at the La Quinta, where he was
also staying in June, he spotted a bag of a white powdery substance on
the backseat floor of the police cruiser where Gillies had sat,
Barreda said. The officer stopped Gillies, took down his information,
and told him that the bag would be sent to a lab for testing and that
he could be charged in the future.

The lab results came back positive for cocaine Thursday, and Gillies
was taken into custody Friday morning. The amount of cocaine in the
bag was not disclosed.

Gillies played two games for double-A Reading in June, but spent most
of his time working out at the Phillies' complex in Clearwater while
attempting to rehab a sore left hamstring that has slowed him all season.

This past week, Gillies saw his first game action since June. The
Vancouver native played three games for the Gulf Coast League Phillies.

On Wednesday, Gillies told his hometown newspaper, The Kamloops Daily
News, that he was "finally figuring out the little things coaches have
been trying to explain, things you have to struggle with and feel for
yourself."

But after three games in the Gulf Coast League, he was shut down again
because of the bothersome hamstring. He told the paper he could be
headed for a visit with renowned orthopedist James Andrews for an
examination.

Chuck LaMar, the Phillies' assistant general manager in charge of
player development, conceded that Gillies' hamstring is a concern, but
said MRI examinations have not revealed a major problem.

"It has been a problem all year," LaMar said. "We have given him
several MRIs, and they have not shown any significant damage. There is
a little swelling and inflammation, but overall, the MRI is very
encouraging. It is a Grade 1 slight strain. We'll let the doctors
continue to look at it and continue to pursue what might be causing
this sensation."

LaMar said team physician Michael Ciccotti recently reviewed Gillies'
MRI results. LaMar said Gillies did well in strength tests, sprint
work, and running the bases before he started playing in the Gulf
Coast League earlier in the week.

"Then when he started playing in the games, he said it just didn't
feel right," LaMar said. "He said it doesn't feel like it was pulled
or strained. It just didn't feel right.

"With the Florida Instructional League coming up, and he has a chance
to play for the Canadian national team and in the Arizona Fall League,
so we wanted to shut him down and make sure he is 100 percent healthy."

Gillies hit .229 with two home runs and six RBIs in 26 games for
Reading this season. Along with pitchers Phillippe Aumont and J.C.
Ramirez, Gillies was acquired by the Phillies on Dec. 16, 2009, from
Seattle for Lee.

The outfielder was born with hearing impairments in both ears and is
legally deaf.