Phew. There hadn't been this much public commitment in Philadelphia since Rocky Balboa married Adrian.

But this, of course, was a message the Phillies had to send.

After Rolen's comments, it was a little late to make a run at Jason Giambi. So signing Abreu -- for more dollars per year than the $12.5 million Andruw Jones got -- was an answer right out of the Ultimate Damage Control manual.

"This was not a move designed to rebut whatever was said over the last few days," Wade said. "But part of the commitment we made in the long-term plan we laid out in 1997 was, in the words of Dave Montgomery, to get good and stay good. We're good now. But as we get better, we have to step up and make that commitment to keep our core players, which I think we've done all the way through. ...

"This (signing), to me, is a clear-cut example of reality. And the reality is that we've committed to keep this core group together and produce a championship team here in Philadelphia. ... I firmly believe this is a clear indication of what we're all about and what we're going to be all about in the future."

Ah, but will that future include Rolen? That is the question that will hang over this Phillies camp for the next month and a half. And that is the question that will very possibly hang over this Phillies season.

After his scorching review of Phillies ownership last weekend, there aren't enough rose-colored glasses in Florida to make most people think Rolen will stick around once he bursts through the free-agent escape hatch next fall at age 27.

But just four days earlier, Rolen had publicly questioned whether the Phillies would be able to keep Abreu, Lieberthal and Pat Burrell for the long haul. So on Wednesday, the acrobatic third baseman had trouble zig-zagging out of the way of the Abreu contract reverberations.

"Hey, I'm happy for Bobby," Rolen said, diplomatically. "Good for Bobby and good for the Phillies. The Phillies locked up a great player. So I'm happy for Bobby. He earned it. If he's happy, I'm happy for him."

But if this story were that simple, we'd have left it for the wires to cover.

Whatever the Phillies do from now till November, whoever they sign or don't sign, whoever they trade for or dump, whatever direction they allow this season to take -- it will all reflect back on Rolen in some way. So Wednesday was good practice for Rolen in figuring out how to deal with it all.

He soon found himself on the field at Carpenter Complex, taking ground balls, when he saw manager Larry Bowa heading his way. It's safe to say the two weren't exactly the Tommy Lasorda-Orel Hershiser hug patrol last season. So all eyes -- and video crews -- were drawn to their first face-to-face conversation of the spring.

There were enough gesticulations from the always-hyperactive Bowa for observers to classify the discussion as "animated." But Bowa tried explaining that away by suggesting that that's the only kind of discussion he's capable of having.

"I think I'm animated whoever I talk to," the manager said. "I use my hands a lot. It must be my Italian blood. I did the same thing with Doug Glanville yesterday. Same thing with Pat Burrell the day before. That's just the way I am."

Bowa said he simply used the conversation to get a feel for Rolen's frame of mind, to tell him no one was worried about him not playing hard. And, oh by the way, he admitted, he also found time to "put a spin" on the day's developments with a little selling job of the Phillies and their bright future. No word on how many times he mentioned "commitment."

Rolen didn't choose to reveal much of what he described as "a private conversation." But he did say he ended the exchange by telling Bowa: "Let bygones be bygones. Let's play baseball. I have no doubt in my mind this team can win with the players we have on the field."

"Damn right," Bowa replied.

"I respect the hell out of him," the manager said afterward. "He's a great player. And with the exception of one incident last year (in which he was quoted as saying a slumping Rolen was "killing us"), I don't have any problems at all with Scotty."

At that point, the director was supposed to yell, "Cut," and let everybody wrap this scene. But not this spring, not for this team.

Spring training may be less than a week old, but the Phillies have had trouble keeping their happy faces painted on. Less than an hour later, Bowa was overheard by two local TV crews making unflattering remarks about Rolen in what he thought was a confidential conversation with Wade.

Though the remarks never aired, a member of one crew made the highly unethical decision to report them to Philadelphia's talk-radio station, WIP. And what was supposed to be the Phillies' most upbeat day of the spring had turned right back into an unfortunate, unnecessary mess.

The irony, if you stepped back from this insanity for a wider view, is that Bobby Abreu and Scott Rolen are two players who have had similar careers for the same team at the same time, at practically the same stages of their careers.

Yet one (Abreu) signed on the dotted line Wednesday and said, "I just want to be on this club for a long time." Meanwhile, the other gazes upon this very same scene and clearly feels it's not for him.

"That's what makes this game interesting," Bowa philosophized. "If everyone had the same opinion about things, it would be very boring."

Sure would. But after the first week of spring training the Phillies have had, boredom never looked so good.

Jayson Stark is a senior writer for ESPN.com.