CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The second wave of pitchers lined up on the seven mounds between Robin Roberts and Mike Schmidt fields at the Carpenter Complex on Thursday.

Tom Gordon easily stood out among his group that included rookies Zack Segovia, J.A. Happ and Josh Outman, as well as established starter Brett Myers. Gordon also stood out from those who threw in the first wave, which contained Joe Savery, Chad Durbin, Adam Eaton, Carlos Carrasco and Brad Lidge.

Gordon's appearance was noteworthy simply because he tossed fastballs on the first day of camp. His first throwing session came significantly later last spring, as the team took it slow with him because of right shoulder troubles that interrupted his 2006 season.

Additional shoulder problems, coupled with a severe upper respiratory infection, cost Gordon two months in 2007 and limited him to just 40 games.

He hopes those woes are behind him, and Thursday was a step in the right direction.

"It was a really good start," Gordon said. "The last couple of weeks, I felt really good on the mound."

Thanks to an offseason strengthening program, Gordon feels fresh, though most pitchers do this time of year. While the next few weeks will be a better indicator, Gordon feels much better than he did at this time last year, so it's something to build upon.

"They got me on a real strenuous program," Gordon said. "They found a guy to help me out, and we did a lot of work to strengthen it and keep me away from the things that caused me to be sore in the past couple of years. I'm optimistic that things are going to work out well. I think I'm a lot stronger. My legs feel stronger."

The Phillies need Gordon to serve as an eighth-inning bridge to Lidge, a role the 40-year-old excelled at last September and in his tenure with the Yankees. Eighteen of Gordon's 40 appearances in 2007 came in September, when he, Myers and J.C. Romero helped carry the team to the postseason.

Manager Charlie Manuel, as he did last season, wants to limit Gordon's early-season workload.

"I want to pitch Flash on a regular basis and keep him strong, but we're going to monitor him," Manuel said. "We don't want him to hit the halfway point of the season and have him hurt. Hopefully, in the second half of the season he'll be strong and pitch his best."

Benson passes: Pitcher Kris Benson passed his physical on Thursday afternoon, making official his Minor League contract. He will join his new teammates on Friday or Saturday at Bright House Networks Field.

Benson, 33, will vie for the fifth spot in the rotation, though it appears he'll need extra time to recover from surgery on his right rotator cuff, a procedure that cost him the 2007 season.

Mentor dies: Robert "Bus" Campbell, a renowned pitching guru who tutored many Major Leaguers and was lauded for his ability to understand and teach pitching mechanics, died Wednesday at age 87.

Campbell, who lived in Littleton, Colo., is often credited by Phillies starter Jamie Moyer for revitalizing his career in 1991. Lidge's name also came up on Campbell's list of former pupils. Lidge worked with Campbell while a junior at Cherry Creek High School in Englewood, Colo. Others who worked with Campbell include 2008 Hall of Fame inductee Rich Gossage and Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay.

Careful warrior: Eaton, who has a history of freak injuries, almost suffered another on Thursday, when he stumbled over public relations manager Greg Casterioto in the clubhouse.

Eaton feigned serious injury, then accepted one of Casterioto's multiple apologies.

Eaton, who once had a start pushed back after slicing himself in the abdomen while trying to open a package of DVDs, recognizes the need for extra caution.

"Of course," he said. "[Wednesday] night, I was cutting something and I thought, '[Cut] away [from the body], away."

Philling in: A handful of early-arriving position players took batting practice at Bright House Networks Field. The group included Ryan Howard, Pedro Feliz, Greg Dobbs, Greg Golson and Chris Snelling. Members of that group later performed defensive drills. ... Savery will be featured in a "Rookie's Diary" video blog this spring, designed to chronicle his first experience in big league camp. ... Eaton changed his uniform number from 23 to 21, the number he wore with the Rangers. He couldn't have those digits last season because they belonged to Jon Lieber. Ideally, Eaton said he'd rather have 26, but that belongs to Chase Utley. "I don't think anyone will ever wear that number again [as a Phillie]," Eaton said.