The Phils have signed soon to be 34 year old Brandon Duckworth to a minor league deal, with Lehigh Valley sure to be his 2009 landing spot.  Duckworth, a righty, came up through the Phils organization going 15-18 in his three seasons with the big club (2001-03). Since that time, he spent two years with the Astros, followed by the last four in the Royals organization. Last year was the first year since 2001 that Duckworth did not appear in a major league game, pitching solely for Omaha, the Royals AAA affiliate, going 3-6 with a 5.31 ERA in 20 games, 19 of those starts. He walked 37 and struck out 67 in his 105 innings and will provide some depth for the big club in the event of injury.  He should land a job in the Lehigh Valley rotation which currently projects as:  1.  Kyle Kendrick or Andrew Carpenter (the other with the big club) 2. Joe Savery 3. Ryan Vogelsong 4. Brandon Duckworth and 5. Mike Stutes. The most compelling aspect of the Duckworth signing should be whether or not the Duck Pond moves from its 2001-03 Philadelphia location, up the turnpike to Allentown.