CP intern Charles Kaing spent much of last Monday and Tuesday trolling Center City for opinions on the Phillies' upcoming season. He wanted to determine whether people still care or, as some maintain, baseball is dead to Philadelphia.

The results of our entirely unscientific survey of 60 people? Three out of five random Center City walkers just don't care.

Like Brian Koehler, 43, from Roxborough, who said, "I refuse to patronize with them, especially because of last season. I refuse to accept and to support a team whose goal is mediocrity. ' I won't be taking my son to any games."

Or 76-year-old Marv Tobin's boiled-down retort of, "They're born losers," and South Philly's John Falcon, who declared, "They're bums."

On the flip side was 36-year-old Rodney Outlaw from Mt. Airy, who declared, "I really think they are going to surprise people." And Bill Nasen of South Philly, who took an analytical approach to answering.

"Comes down to pitching," he said. "I think they have a chance to contend, barring injuries. I think they have a shot to make the playoffs through winning the wildcard or even winning the division."

Finally, there's Maurice Rose, a 45-year-old from North Philly, who was bold enough to predict a division crown.

"I love Ryan Howard, too," Rose added. "As a black man in Philly, I'm proud that they finally brought in a brother that can play!"