Phillies, Lieberthal Agree

Hours before they were scheduled to fly to an arbitration hearing, the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a two-year, $3.6-million contract with catcher Mike Lieberthal.

He will earn $1.2 million this year and $2.2 million in 1999 and there are bonuses if he makes the All-Star team or wins a Gold Glove.

Lieberthal, 26, who batted .246 in 134 games with 20 home runs and 77 runs batted in last year, had asked for $1.8 million this year and the Phillies had offered $825,000.

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Much like an eager rookie, Colorado Rockie slugger Larry Walker, the National League’s most valuable player, showed up five days early for camp, starting off his spring with a 40-minute workout on a stationary bicycle in Tucson.

“I get here early every year,” Walker said. “I’ve done it my whole career. I want to get the feel, get in the mood, see the guys, get used to the climate. I get a little head start.”

Walker also has added incentive.

“You see the Broncos doing a parade downtown before over a half million people [after winning the Super Bowl], and you get the itch,” he said. “I want a piece of that.”

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Pete Smith threw his first 40 pitches in Peoria, Ariz., as he began battling Mark Langston for the San Diego Padres’ fifth starting pitching spot.

Langston, a 37-year-old, four-time all-star coming off two injury-plagued seasons, was to throw his first pitches today.

In other news, San Diego signed Rob Dibble to a minor league contract. Dibble, 34, has been out of baseball since 1995, when he pitched for the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers.