Phanatic: I was robbed

PHILADELPHIA - The Phillie Phanatic plans to file a formal complaint with the Philadelphia Daily News for naming Brad Lidge its first-ever Sportsperson of the Year.

"No disrespect to Brad Lidge, but I am the real reason the Phillies won the World Series," the usually humble Phanatic told SoxandPhils in an exclusive interview. "He had a great season and really helped me get over the hump, but where would the Phillies have been without my great cheerleading this year?"

The Phanatic said the award should also reflect an athlete's bond with the community.

"Brad Lidge was perfect this year. Perfect. What in Philadelphia, besides this past postseason, is ever perfect?" the Phanatic said. "I've suffered for years with the fans and never lost my faith even when most would have written off these guys. How many times has Brad Lidge tried to pump up a crowd of 7,000 in Veterans Stadium in the sufferable August sun when the Phillies were dead and buried?

"Even after winning the World Series, Brad Lidge couldn't spend the offseason here," the Phanatic continued. "When he was chosen to narrate the Phillies yearbook DVD, he opted to record it in Colorado instead of Philadelphia. I know he just had a new baby and all, but c'mon."

Usually a big Brad Lidge fan, the Phanatic even questioned his role in the World Series, which concluded with the closer, 48 for 48 in regular and postseason save opportunities, dropping to his knees in an iconic picture.

"Yeah, he was great, but where was he when the freezing rain gushed down at Citizens Bank Park in Game 5? He was sitting in a sheltered bullpen," the Phanatic said. "Cole Hamels got a lot of credit for pitching that game. And so did the fans for sitting through it. But try keeping their spirits up when you're weighed down by wet and frozen green fur."

The Phanatic eventually conceded that Brad Lidge, or maybe Charlie Manuel, probably deserves the award. His beef is with the Philly writers who couldn't toss him a single vote.

"Mo Cheeks was fired and even he got two votes. So did his former boss," the Phanatic said. "The 76ers are falling apart, but the mascot of the World Champions can't get a little love?"

Warming up in the bullpen

I was sad when the late John Marzano took a job with Major League Baseball, leaving a void in the analyst seat at Comcast SportsNet for a former player with Philadelphia connections. But Mitch Williams relieved him admirably.

Both former players seemed to relish their roles, talking baseball and representing the views of both the athletes and the fans of Philadelphia. They weren't afraid to have fun or criticize a player.

Mitch really seemed to enjoy the 2008 championship - and not just because it officially got him off the hook for the Joe Carter home run. Johnny Marz would have loved watching it, too.

But Mitch won't be around to see whether the Phillies repeat. We just found out he's bailing on Philadelphia media to be part of the new MLB network. We haven't decided whether to upgrade our FIOS package to get the new network.

So this leaves another void at the microphone for a former athlete with Philly connections. I know the gut reaction will be just to increase Ricky Bottalico's air time. But might I humbly suggest another former Phillies reliever by the name of Ken Ryan? I know he's busy with his baseball academy, but he has broadcast experience with minor league games.

This endorsement is based solely on Ryan's ability and what's best for Phillies fans. It has nothing to do with generating traffic to our blog.

{So far, I think we've been unimpressed with Ricky Bo. Maybe he'll take some broadcast-speaking classes over the winter and get better with time, but so far he's been pretty dull.}

The answer to Sabathia and Teixeira

Just when it looked like the Red Sox would make no moves this offseason after the Yankees trumped them for Mark Teixeira, word comes out of Boston of two possible major signings: Brad Penny and former Sox Josh Bard.

If true, the Phillies would have no chance of repeating. {Please excuse Greg - he must be delirious from the Japanese milk candy he's been eating.}

I'm sometimes torn between cold-hearted, reasoned roster construction and the emotion a big-name signing evokes. The Yankees, a mediocre team that lost a slew of talent in the offseason, needed major rebuilding. The Red Sox, the 2007 World Series Champions who came within one game of going back to the Series this year, didn't.

Penny is back of the rotation filler who could easily be jettisoned for one of our many prospects. Bard, who was run out of town after proving he couldn't catch Tim Wakefield in 2006, would simply buy time to figure out the catching situation.

Ken Ryan: Our first baseball-reference page is updated.

News to me

While Google newsing the Phillies this morning, I came across a San Diego Union-Tribune story on Jake Peavy. There's nothing doing with Peavy and the champs, but an unrelated section of the story has the Philly connection: A Web site that compares a player's actual worth with his salary said in the last two years Jason Werth took $2.5 million in salary from the Phillies but gave back more than $33 million worth of play.

I have a new toy to play with: www.fangraphs.com. Here's the original "Werth much more money" post. The only problem I see is that you have to click on each player's individual page to compare salary with worth. I was hoping I'd be able to click on the Phillies roster and see a list who's over- and under-paid. And it's not available for pitchers.

Of course one of the first guys I put in - anticipating the annual arbitration drama - was Ryan Howard, who over-performed last year's $10 million salary by $5 million. The Phillies won't be helped by the Yankees $180 million contract with Mark Teixeira, Scott Lauber writes.

Nick Cafardo's Sunday column: His first "Apropos of nothing" seemed directed at Christine, and his other notes also had some good nuggets:

1. Don't you miss watching baseball?; 2. Not sure losing Kevin Cash to the Yankees was insignificant; 3. Aaron Harang, Pat Burrell, Mark Teixeira, and Brian Bannister - all former Red Sox draft picks; 4. Wouldn't it be nice if one of the rich athletes or one of the high-paid executives stood up in times when teams are laying off employees and said, "I'm giving up some of my salary to save the jobs of the working people in the organization?"; 5. Hall of Fame ballots are due in Wednesday. I voted for Jim Rice, Rickey Henderson, Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris, Andre Dawson, and Alan Trammell.

Cafardo also continues to insist that the Phillies are in on Derek Lowe. I still can't see that happening.

Christmas is over, slow days resume ...

But in case you forgot, the Phillies were the top Philadelphia sports story in 2008. Just to be certain, though, Christine will soon pop in one of her DVDs to make sure they still win it all.

More Teixeira: The Globe profiled Lars Anderson, a top hitting prospect whose arrival in Boston may be pushed up because Mark Teixeira decided to play for the bucks, not trophies.

And, Joe Sheehan at Baseball Prospectus has a pretty good take on what effect the Empire's spending spree will have on the AL East. Basically, the two powerhouses are now even: The Yankees will have the better offense, the Red Sox have the better defense. And the team that actually won the division in 2008?

Both are ahead of the Rays, who are likely to regress a bit in '09 before being scary good in the years that follow.

Yup, 2009 hasn't even started and the analysts are already writing off the AL champs, just like they did for all of 2008.

Personal note: I retired Mo Vaughn today.

I got Ken Ryan!!!

With the Phillies' first World Championship in 28 years, it was easy to shop for Christine this year. There was plenty of Phillies swag under the tree.

But it was Christine who pulled off the big surprise with what might be the ultimate SoxandPhils Christmas gift - Ken Ryan. We're now proud sponsors of his baseball-reference.com page. Christine put up a Merry Christmas placeholder message, but we'll SoxandPhils it up soon.

I've always wanted a baseball reference page, and I'm so psyched that it's Ken Ryan, who a certain blogger once suggested could be the ultimate SoxandPhil.

Welcome to the family, Mr. Ryan.

{Note to Greg: You don't own Ken Ryan. You just sponsor his page.}

Christine also got me a nifty new Red Sox cap. My old one seemed too big, and Christine never objects when I ask for a new one because she thinks my hats get too grimy.

Phillies swag: When the weather gets warmer, Christine can show off her championship T-shirt, which she can accessorize with the official "I was there October 27 & 29, 2008" World Series Game 5 pin.

Before then, when she starts complaining that opening day is so far off, she can pop in either the World Series or Phillies yearbook DVD to relive 2008. The latter arrived Tuesday, just in the nick of time. It has a picture of Elvis on the back, which was a great surprise.

Also pictured is the refrigerator magnet of the Phillie Phanatic holding the trophy and Gary Matthews' book Phillies Confidential. I had ordered it before Christine even knew it existed. She saw it a couple days later, and I blew her off.

"I'm sure it's lame - don't bother," I said.

It is going to be lame, but we'll have a few laughs over it and probably review it on the blog.

At Mom's: One of the first gifts I opened was an ornament of Santa Claus riding a Red Sox sleigh. I thanked my Mom, noting how in the last two years the Phillies ornaments were catching up in number to the Red Sox ones on the tree. Christine then opened one containing Santa riding on a Phillies rocking horse.

Oops: When we were looking around the Phillies store this month, I didn't understand why Christine was so taken by the championship shot glasses. We're not drinkers and don't have a collection or anything. I obviously didn't remember her October post when she flat-out asked for one. I'll have to make up for it on her birthday, which is less than two months away.

Have yourself a Harry little Christmas

In the summer of 2000, I worked nights and weekends. So, disappointingly, I had to miss Harry Kalas tribute night at the Vet. The giveaway to all fans, to commemorate the broadcaster's 30th year with the Phillies, was this talking Harry doll - you hit the bottom of it, and he gave an "It's outta here" home run call. I really wanted one, but I just didn't have enough vacation time to take off that Saturday night, July 29.

However, my dad ended up going to the game with his friend who had season tickets. I was psyched because I thought he would bring home the doll for me. But when I got home - no Harry. The next day - no Harry. By the next weekend - no Harry.

I asked my mom if my dad had even brought home the giveaway. She said no, he didn't. She thought he may have left it at the stadium or gave it to his friend for his kids - an understandable scenario, since they were his friend's tickets. Oh well. I forgot about it, and the Phillies finished the season with an outstanding 65-97 record - Terry Francona's last year in Philly.

I was 23 when this happened. And, of course, by 23, Christmas has lost some of its magic. I knew what I was getting for Christmas from my parents, and what I didn't know already, I was able to figure out as soon as I picked up the packages. But then I came across a small squishy one that I couldn't guess - it was my talking Harry Kalas doll. My dad had brought it home and asked my mom to wrap it up for me for Christmas. It may be my best baseball-related Christmas surprise.

I wonder if Greg has any Phillies surprises for me this year - we'll catch up on all the goodies tomorrow. Until then, enjoy the holiday.

(Postscript: Harry, sadly, doesn't talk anymore. A few years ago, he started saying "shkshhikhshkdkhsh" instead of the home run call, usually for about five minutes at a time instead of the programmed 10 seconds or so, but now he's silent. But he's still a happy reminder of that Christmas.)

The Yankees stole our guy, but the big guy's up tonight

Overshadowed by the Mark Teixeira sell-out yesterday was the Yankees' acquisition of Kevin Cash, Tim Wakefield's former catcher. I'm disappointed in Cash, but I understand his thinking: Since Jorge Posada may not be able to throw anymore, might as well see if he can be the starting catcher of the $250 billion empire.

Also overlooked yesterday was the Phillies getting Gary Majewski. I thought the Reds stole a real good pitcher when they acquired him in the Austin Kearns trade with the Nationals in 2007, but it turns out he may have been damaged goods.

Christmas is here: OK, a few more hours, but we're ready. I just gassed up the car and bought some poinsettias. Tonight it's Christmas Eve dinner and church services before we wait and watch as the big guy works his magic and surprises the world.

No, not this big guy:

This one:

Comcast is replaying Game 4 of the NLDS at 7 p.m. - hope the pastor keeps her sermon short.

[Photo credits: UPI (Santa), Philadelphia Inquirer (Stairs)]

Teixeira afraid of winning

After much speculation and many teams tiring of Scott Boras' act, Mark Teixeira has opted for the money over the chance to win in Boston or the challenge of trying to build a winner in Washington.

I was a bit surprised, but it's probably a smart move by the Yankees - even thought it's short-sighted and reverts to their oh-so-successful ways of buying players for a championship that never happens.

You can buy talent, but not the heart of a champion. And champions are crowned in October (November next year), not December.

The Yankees have spent billions since 2001 pursuing a World Series victory attained by the Diamondbacks, Angels, Marlins, Red Sox (twice), White Sox, Cardinals and Phillies. This signing doesn't make me think anything will change:

Teixeira's salary gives the Yankees, who are preparing to move into their $1.3 billion new ballpark in April, the four highest-paid players in Major League Baseball: himself, Sabathia, third baseman Alex Rodriguez (10 years, $275 million) and shortstop Derek Jeter(10 years, $189 million).

"From the moment we arrived in Boston in late 2001, we saw it as a monumental challenge," team owner John Henry said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "We sought to reduce the financial gap and succeeded to a degree. Now with a new stadium filled with revenue opportunities, they have leaped away from us again. So we have to be even more careful in deploying our resources."

But the Red Sox still have the smarter ownership and better farm system.

A new foe

We spend a lot of time here at SoxandPhils analyzing the ridiculous or offensive statements made toward our teams by the Yankees and Mets.

Today emerged a new trash-talking enemy to both of our teams: Collin Balester, a rookie who pitched in 15 games last year - including three losses against the Phillies. He said no other team, including the last two World Champions, should bother showing up for the playoffs should Mark Teixeira sign with the Nationals - a likely scenario given his top suitors claim they have dropped out of the bidding.

{Yeah right. He's going to end up in Boston. Too bad he won't help them get past the Rays.}

Teixeira, Balester said, would transform the Nationals from losing 102 games to sweeping the World Series.

"That guy is a great player and if he comes to the nation's capitol, watch out, we're going to the World Series and we are winning it all. I'm calling it right now. We're playing four games in the World Series, sweep, see ya!"

Now Teixeira, although probably overrated, is a good player, but he's not that good. At best, Mr. Balester, Tex could elevate you past riffraff like the Mets.

Holiday slowdown

The biggest news this weekend?

That Blaine Neal, a former star player in South Jersey, will be a non-roster invitee at the Phillies camp in February. He hopes to be assigned to the AAA team. In 2005, he pitched eight innings for the Red Sox.

So it's official: The holidays are here, and unless Mark Teixeira does something interesting, I doubt we'll be hearing any news from either team until January.

Yesterday, I finally went through the stack of newspapers that Greg collected for me after the World Series. Fun to look back on, but it seems so long ago already. Basically, I'm ready to get 2009 started. Less than two months until spring training ...

My Al Bundy moment

Christine never gets tired of hearing about the year I hit .714 and led my team of misfits to an undefeated season in my town's junior baseball league.

{This is a sorta cute story the first time you hear it. I've now heard it probably more than 100 times. It's not so cute anymore.}

The year was 1989, and for some reason, all the crappy players like me were dumped on one team. I was 12 at the time. Every team had one 12-year-old because nearly all the competent players that age were in the higher league. So, as Christine likes to remind me, I was playing against kids a lot younger and smaller than me.

But that's irrelevant. I had the season of my life, getting a hit in every game and making the All-Star game. Really, that was a thrill for me.

We went undefeated until a fateful playoff game. Everything was off. The coach's kid got hurt, so I had to move from first base to shortstop. I was built more like Cecil Fielder than Ozzie Smith in those days, so I was terrified. I didn't have any mishaps in the field, but I got to return to first base after my friend, who was pitching for the other team, drilled me in the leg. There were imprints from the ball's stitches in my leg for a week.

{Are you rolling your eyes yet?}

I made an out in the last inning - can't remember if it was the final out - by smoking a liner that the pitcher's twin brother snared at first base.

We lost. I cried. Oh, and it's important to note that it was very rainy that day, and no umpires showed up, so one of the fathers from the other team got to call balls and strikes. I'm not bitter or anything.

Keeping a promise I made with Christine, I ditched the trophies temporarily salvaged from my parents' attic - one is for winning a division, another for the All-Star team and the little one is for "graduating" from the league after the season. Hey ... what's that other silver one? Who put the Phillies travel mug in the picture?

You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out

Last night, hours after reports that the Red Sox might have been close to a deal with Mark Teixeira, owner John Henry said the Sox were outbid:

"We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him," Henry said in an e-mail time-stamped 10:45 p.m. "After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor."

But all that did was start the speculation whether Scott Boras was lying about other offers and whether the Sox were bluffing. Didn't we go through this with Daisuke Matsuzaka two years ago?

And, like Dice-K, the Sox have to sign Teixeira because I worked hard this week to learn how to spell his name.

While the professionals were trying to figure out what all this posturing means, we got our six pack of Phillies (and a Red Sox) tickets. We're going to see the 2008 World Champions take on the 2007 World Champs, Mets, Cardinals, Braves and Marlins twice.

Best promotion of the year: Charlie Manuel bobble figurine: April 28.

The GM is smarter than his players

Although Omar Minaya hasn't shown much smarts in trying to assemble a team of winning players, at least he's bright enough to recognize a winner when one slaps him around. Unlike his players Francisco Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran, who have proclaimed the Mets the team to beat despite all the contradicting evidence, Minaya stuck to the facts:

"We're not better than them, no," Minaya said of the Mets' NL East rivals. "Right now, they're world champions.

"The only way you get to be better than them is to beat them. You've got to go out there and get it done. You don't win championships on paper. I've never believed in that. Do I think we've improved our club? Yes. But the bottom line is the Phillies have won the World Series and they won the division twice. They have a good team and the experience of being in playoffs and World Series - that is huge. So we have a lot of work to do."

Omar Minaya: a gracious loser. But still a loser.

In other news: Nothing doing yet with Mark Teixeira, and Chase "f---king" Utley might have local broadcasters in trouble.

***UPDATE***: There may be a deal tonight.

Here comes Teixeira

I never bought into the rumors that the Red Sox would get Mark Teixeira. It just didn't add up, but now it appears that the Red Sox are the likely destination for the most coveted free agent of 2008 who isn't a pitcher with conditioning questions.

I'm also warming to the idea of bringing Teixeira aboard. Yeah, he's going to be expensive, but I'd rather have him and Kevin Youkilis at the corners than Youk and Mike Lowell. Even if you could guarantee that Lowell's injury woes are over, Teixeira is by far more productive.

So I think I've gone from not really wanting him to a fear that someone else will snatch him up at the last minute.

If that happens, there's always Manny Ramirez. Oops, too late. The Yankees are "going hard" for him. I'd love to see them get him, except for the 18 games against the Red Sox when he'll surely wreck us.

Screw the numbers, he's got Jesus

Raul Ibanez met the media today (those who weren't canned this month), and he put to rest any questions about his age or defense.

I love hearing it. It's one of the things I enjoy because I know that I can continue to be productive. I know this. The good Lord has blessed me with ability. He's blessed me with what I believe to be an incredible work ethic, and an incredible drive to attempt to succeed no matter what. So I think I can continue doing this for a while. As a man I couldn't have come here unless I was able to do that.

Great. I know Major League proved Jesus can hit a curve ball, but I'd like something a bit stronger to refute the evidence that the Phillies made a mistake in left field for 2009.

And he's not going to be very interesting. He declined to get into a feud with the Mets new closer Francisco Rodriguez.

I'm sorry. I'm a pretty boring guy.

While the Phils' big-ticket item took center stage, the Red Sox await word from Mark Teixeira, who may be close to a decision. The Red Sox are one of five teams in it, but the price keeps rising.

Pat Burrell isn't bitter, but we are

At last, Pat Burrell spoke in a lengthy, matter-of-fact interview with Paul Hagen.

I'm disappointed. I can't lie about that. But I can't say I'm upset about it, either, because when I think about my time there I have nothing but good things to say. The city, the fans, have been behind me from the very beginning. That's the hard part, especially with respect to what happened last year, with us winning the whole thing. It was very meaningful to me to be a part of something like that. But you have to move on.

You know, there's a business [aspect] to this sport. And as a player you'd better learn to accept that or else it's going to be pretty frustrating for you. I was aware that, most likely, the team was going to go the other way. At the same time, I thought there was a chance I might be back.

I could have accepted letting Burrell go, but I don't understand replacing him with Raul Ibanez. Baseball Prospectus backs that feeling up. I wish I could get the whole article, but the free portion convinces me:

Let's be clear about this: the Phillies didn't get any better with this deal. They got an outfielder who is just as poor a glove man as the guy he's replacing, likely a worse hitter, somewhat older, and at a cost of two additional seasons and maybe $14 million.

Other news: Jamie Moyer is coming back for two years. Chan Ho Park will sign a one-year deal. Dustin Pedroia decided not to repeat as MVP next year to take Chase Utley's spot in the World Baseball Classic.

SoxandPhils' Sunday best

Since beginning this blog nearly a year ago, I've really enjoyed the Sunday columnists covering each team: Nick Cafardo for the Red Sox and Phil Sheridan for the Phillies.

On a day where nothing has happened since Francisco Rodriguez's bold proclamation, each of these scribes has a good offering.

Since the Phillies' baffling signing of Raul Ibanez, I've struggled to put into words what Pat Burrell meant to Philadelphia. Sheridan accomplished that today in a must-read for any Phillies fan. While painting Burrell's career as one of the most complicated ever for a Philly athlete, Sheridan is able to sum it up in one powerful graf:

Actually, Burrell was the human bridge between two Phillies eras. He was the epitome of the bumbling Phillies, who couldn't figure out where to invest their long-term guaranteed money. And he became the elder statesman on a team that won the World Series.

The only thing missing was a tip of the hat to Elvis the bulldog.

In Boston, where there's no departing star to be nostalgic about, Cafardo inadvertently writes a SoxandPhils piece taking aim at both teams' New York rivals. He compared the Mets and Yankees this year with the Tigers last year, who fell apart after making some stunning deals in the offseason.

It's a good read for those nervous nellies in SoxandPhils land who have forgotten their lessons from previous Octobers and are worried about F-Rod or CC Sabathia.

Belated rebuttal

Two days after Cole Hamels stated the obvious - the Mets have choked away the last two seasons - New York's official rebuttal came today from recent signing Francisco Rodriguez, who backed into proclaiming his new team the one to beat in the NL East.

"Of course, we're going to try to win the division. Of course, we're going to be the front-runner. Of course, we're going to be the team to beat," he said Saturday ... "I don't want there to be a controversy or the other ballclubs in that division to take it personally or take it in a bad way," he said. "If they ask me, 'Oh, which ballclub is going to win the National League East?' It's going to be the Mets. Easy question."

Like his teammate Carlos Beltran did early in 2008, F-Rod ripped off Jimmy Rollins' 2007 move. Again, there are some differences:

1. Not original. There should be at least a 10-year moratorium on proclaiming your team the one to beat in the NL East.
2. The team with the highest payroll should be the favorite.
3. The team with the highest payroll in this case has choked away the division the last two years in monumental fashion.
4. Until/unless they're eliminated from the playoffs, the Phillies remain the team to beat by virtue of their 2008 World Championship.

Otherwise, not much doing in SoxandPhils land. Personally, though, we had a very nice day and did a couple things I hope become part of our Christmas tradition.

Elvis has left the building

The Phillies have found their man to play left field as they try to repeat as World Champions in 2009. No word yet whether he's got a bull dog to completely replace Pat Burrell and Elvis in Philadelphia.

I'm sure Raul Ibanez is a capable replacement and that he's as underrated as everyone says he is. But is it really better to sign a 36-year-old, who is really just a glorified Jeff Conine or Kevin Millar, to a three-year $30 million contract as opposed to whatever Pat Burrell is going to wind up with?

I completely agree with jettisoning aging stars to avoid stagnating a championship team (see: Martinez, Pedro; Damon, Johnny). But what's the point if you're just going to get older and probably just as expensive?

I know I should give the benefit of the doubt to the brain trust that's coming off a World Championship, and that Pat Burrell has his flaws, but I don't like this. And I'm not going to like watching the Phillies clinch their third straight division title without Elvis on the field.

In her online chat today, Amalie Benjamin put the kibosh on the once-rumored Julio Lugo for Eric Byrnes deal. So it looks like neither of our teams will have a bull dog.

This just in: It looks like the Yankees bought another one - A.J. Burnett. Won't they ever learn?

[Photo credit: Jose F. Moreno, Courier-Post - it's an old photo so I can't say for sure he still works there]

Maybe Cole is bored too

From a man who proved this fall he knows how not to choke, Cole Hamels, the 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP, stated the obvious about the New York Mets: "For the past two years they've been choke artists."

He appeared on hostile radio, WFAN, to pump a World Series DVD but got goaded into some good-natured Mets-Phillies ribbing with Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts. The Mets swung back with Darryl Strawberry - a long-retired cokehead from the 1980s.

Finally, some juice for the SoxandPhils as the winter meetings ended with the biggest news being a manager's extension and a trade of backup catchers.

In some ways, that's a good thing because the Mark DeRosa trade is dead. And the Red Sox continue to disagree with Scott Boras about whether anyone, including the Red Sox, has offered Jason Varitek a contract.

Oh, wait, I missed this huge news while I was out for a bit today. The Red Sox unveiled their latest marketing ploy today: a bunch of new garb for the pink hat crowd. This makes me want to start wearing my Roger Clemens jersey again.

Congrats to New York

Once again, it looks like New York will win the hot stove league, with the Yankees getting CC Sabathia and the Mets getting Francisco Rodriguez.

We at SoxandPhils quake in our cleats.

Fact is, the Red Sox and Phillies have supposedly been bested by their New York competition in most recent offseasons - Johan Santana, Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon, Billy Wagner. How many rings do those guys have? One. Johnny Damon for the 2004 Red Sox.

So let the New Yorkers enjoy their early Christmas presents. We at the home of the World Series Champions know that Phanta Claus delivers the real goodies in October.

Before I get to the teams that matter, one more CC point. I bet the guy most thrilled to have him on the team is Alex Rodriguez, so he's not the only nine-figure playoff choker in the Bronx.

Phillies: Not a good day. I didn't check the clips before heading out for an oil change, so I was surprise to overhear - while enjoying some pumpkin pancakes - that Jaime Moyer was demanding a two-year $20 million deal. And I thought Charlie Manuel was the one who was going to dampen the World Series afterglow with contract negotiations?

And I know we've been resigned that Pat Burrell's a goner, but it was sad hearing his agent put some finality to it.

Red Sox: Most of the news is status quo ... ripping the Sabathia deal and insistent reports that they're legitimately in on Mark Teixeira. But now there are some John Smoltz murmurs. I always like Smoltz and thought he could be a Red Sox, but he is 42 years old now.

This just in: The Phillies made their big trade. Yea! Minor league catcher Jason Jaramillo for backup catcher Ronny Paulino. Scott Lauber says this must mean Chris Coste's days are numbered.

These better be just rumors

Not a good day for SoxandPhils fans if the daily rumors become reality.

The Sox have been talking again to A.J. Burnett. This doesn't make sense. A pitcher with a history of injuries is exactly the long-term commitment the Sox have avoided.

Even worse is that they've now been linked to Carl Pavano. I know it would probably be a low-risk, Bartolo Colon-type deal. But c'mon. The guy was a laughingstock in New York. Just honor his place in Red Sox lore (as trade bait for Pedro Martinez and the embarrassment he caused the Yankees) and let it be.

Incidentally, that Nick Cafardo report may clarify Derek Lowe's standing with the Phillies: The team denies making an offer, but the player is said to want to go there. Maybe the Phillie denials are true, but D-Lowe doesn't want them to be.

Phillies: My alarm kicked on this morning midway through Rhea Hughes' report of some trade that could involve J.A. Happ, the Padres and Chris Coste. I know that Jake Peavy wouldn't go to Philadelphia, so I wondered what it was all about. I was less than enthralled when I found out the deal would send Peavy to the Cubs and bring Mark DeRosa to the Phillies for Happ.

{Update: The deal could involve Kyle Kendrick, not Happ.}

Complicated deals like this tend to fall apart. Let's hope so. DeRosa doesn't thrill me, and he's no Pat Burrell.

The only good rumbling of the day comes from bits I picked up from WFAN. Apparently, there's word that the Red Sox meeting with CC Sabathia wasn't exactly to lure him to Boston but to remind him how awful it would be playing for the Yankees. If true, I can't exactly be thrilled with the tact.

I am enjoying how the Yankee fans are growing frustrated that the big guy hasn't accepted the Yankees offer. Gee, maybe he wants to see if a championship-caliber team makes him an offer.

Game day: The Phillies held off the Nationals today ... oh wait. We already recapped this one. As I was watching the replay of the NL East clincher, Comcast SportsNet broke in with some real news. I was nervous as Neil Hartman started talking, given all the crazy rumors that are swirling. But he was just reporting the good news that Charlie Manuel will be the Phillies manager through 2011. Good for him - he deserves it.

Contractual difficulties

Shortly after the cleanup crews picked up the confetti after the celebratory parade, I naturally began to wonder which of the champs would begin to sour things with a protracted contract dispute. Ryan Howard? Cole Hamels? Maybe the more veteran and likely to depart Pat Burrell or Jamie Moyer?

Nope.

Try Charlie Manuel, whose agent Pat Rooney is frustrated with the lack of progress on a contract extension that will keep the champion manager a Phillie until he retires.

"Slow," he said, sounding frustrated. "We had hoped to have had this done before now. We hope to get it done this week. Charlie wants to manage another three to five years and wants to be treated fairly. He'd like to retire a Phillie."

I write this in jest. Cholly's demands seem reasonable, and the Phillies shouldn't tamper with 2008's good karma by dragging this out. As crazy as it might have sounded a year ago: Sign up Manuel for as long as he wants.

Other GM meeting news: The Rangers traded Gerald Laird to the Tigers, eliminating a landing spot for Jason Varitek and probably killing the chances of Jarrod Saltalamacchia being traded to Boston. ... The Phillies are reportedly interested in Delmon Young. I'd pass, unless it's only to see the interesting combination of he and Brett Myers on the same team.

My forced unemployment ends Monday.

I miss old-school Nintendo

Being between jobs this week gave me plenty of time for chores I've been putting off for a long time, decades even. I went through my closet and got rid of all my clothes that are too big, I gave the windows a really thorough cleaning, and I finally organized my memorabilia from the trip to England I took when I was 17.

I've been surprisingly busy when I thought I'd be sitting around in my underwear playing video games such as Roger Clemens MVP Baseball. I haven't played it (don't know if my old Nintendo still exists or works), but I came across the game while looking through a trunk of baseball cards I salvaged from my parents' attic last month.

I don't know why I saved it or my scribbles of progress codes, including notes as to which pitchers I had used.

It's in the trash now, but it gave me an opportunity to remember its cheesiness, thanks to this YouTube posting:



Before finding that video, I had forgotten how lame this game was. It starts off with generic peppy intro music, with the Rocket firing one at you. Then you choose your team - there were no MLB licenses, so all the teams had generic names like the San Francisco Quakes or Cincinnati Big Cats.

Similarly, other than Clemens, all the players IDs were cleverly concealed. You couldn't pitch Dave Righetti, but there was a Raggs in the San Francisco bullpen. Kevin Bass was nowhere to be found, but Basser was. There wasn't a Bobby Ojeda, but there was an Oleda pitcher for Los Angeles. Playing rightfield is Raspberry ... where's Darryl Strawberry?

Then, there are a few bars of the national anthem with two generic but patriotic players who look strangely like Wade Boggs and Dwight Evans placing their caps over their hearts. Finally, game action, which is just as cheesy as everything else I described, begins.

Thankfully, when you were at your wits' end, Clemens himself would pop in for some "Rocket Talk" to help you win the game.

I couldn't find a screen grab that says, "When you're old and washed up, turn to performance-enhancing drugs."

I don't play many video games anymore, but when I do, my tastes are a little more sophisticated.

[Image: Moby Games]

Christmas at Citizens Bank Park

Christine's mom, who was coming along on today's shopping trip to Philadelphia (we were also going to Ikea), called Friday night after she heard that President Bush was going to be in Philly for the Army-Navy game.

I don't pay much attention to the event, but I decided we could still go Phillies Christmas shopping as long as we just went closer to the 9 a.m. store opening than after 10 as we originally planned.

When we got to the park, tailgating and football fans were out in mass. Christine was right - there was nowhere to park. We parked at a CVS about a half mile away while Christine's mom stayed back in case the store demanded the car had to be moved.

After a walk through the parking lot where burning charcoal cut into the crisp winter air, we arrived at the park for the first time since witnessing the Phils win the World Series.

And in case we weren't sure it happened, they plastered World Series logos on everything. The prices were incredible: $45 for a jigsaw puzzle or $200 for a plaque with fake autographs.

After we browsed, Christine left the store so I could pick up some goodies, including: you'll find out on Christmas.

The clerk, who knew what we were doing, couldn't believe I was buying so few things for Christine. I assured her that I had already bought a **** and a **** and some ****.

After my purchase was complete, the clerk said she had to go find a bag. "Never mind," I said, showing her the black garbage bag I brought along, knowing the store gives clear bags, which would ruin Christine's surprise.

When we got home, we set up the ol' tree. And I couldn't help but give Christine one of the treats I bought today.

It's now front and center on the tree.

One ornament I considered buying, but didn't, was one of the Phanatic writing his letter to Santa. His request is for the Phillies to be the best team in baseball.

You already got that, big guy.

Theo needs a hobby

Why are the Red Sox meeting with CC Sabathia? That one came out of nowhere. I can understand them considering Mark Teixeira's high asking price, but why even bother with CC? He costs a lot and chokes in the playoffs - in other words, he's a perfect Yankee. Let them have him. Maybe it's just another move to drive up the price.

Of course, that brings to mind the time Greg Maddux seemed to be interested in signing with the Yankees long ago, but wound up just using them to get a better offer from the Braves. Not exactly the same situation, but I didn't know how to transition into the fact that Maddux - whose last appearance came against the Phillies in the NLCS and is a brother of former SoxandPhil Mike Maddux - plans to announce his retirement on Monday.

That's kind of sad.

Less sad is that Theo Epstein suggested that it's not an either or whether to resign Jason Varitek or acquire a new starting catcher.

While there haven't been any new developments in terms of a potential deal with Varitek, Epstein did allow that the team could both sign the Sox captain and make a trade for a catcher of the future in the same offseason.

"It's probably broader than people think, maybe not so deep," Epstein said, of the trade market for catching. "If you study all the clubs, there are more teams with a catcher to move than one might think or that maybe is being represented. That doesn't mean that we've found a way to match up yet. We haven't. Probably more teams out there with catching that they can move than anticipated."

Christmas shopping: Last year I got in trouble when I snuck off to Citizens Bank Park to Christmas shop without Christine. This year, I'm taking her along tomorrow - she just has to wait in the car after we browse in case I need to make a purchase for Santa.

{Unfortunately, the tree lighting hasn't happened yet, and Phanta Claus and the championship trophy won't be there until next weekend. But I'm sure that will be madness, so we're not going then. I just hope they're decorated tomorrow, even though they haven't had their official Christmas kickoff.}

Derek Lowe: Sox or Phil?

While the Red Sox introduced their newest pitcher today, reports indicate they may be readying an offer for old pal Derek Lowe, who might already have an offer in his inbox from the Phillies.

That's what the Boston Globe reports, but Todd Zolecki isn't so sure.

I'd love to add D-Lowe to the SoxandPhil rolls, but I can see him quickly exceeding the years and dollars the Phillies would be willing to spend. Same for the Red Sox.

The newest Red Sox, Junichi Tazawa, is hopefully a bargain at $3.3 million over three years. He met with the press today, praising Daisuke Matsuzaka and ready to test himself.

"The reason I came directly to the [United States] is I wanted to try to play here," Tazawa said through a translator at a press conference at Fenway Park today. "I wanted to challenge myself."

Six more years

The reigning AL MVP will be a Red Sox for the next six years. Dustin Pedroia signed a six-year, $40.5 million contract extension that buys out his first two free agent years and will likely keep him in Boston until 2014 with a team option for 2015.

Tony Massarotti put the deal in perspective, saying it's deservedly less than the seven-year, $85 million deal paid to Chase Utley, but also better for the team than the deal Robinson Cano has with the Yankees (four years, $30 million that can grow to $55 million over six years).

But it's also not a meager offer for MVPedroia:

Two years ago at this time, most of us thought Pedroia looked overmatched at the big league level and that he might be a career utility man at best. Now he’s guaranteed to make more than $40 million over the next six years.

There's no complaints about the deal over here. I may have one lined up myself - though for quite a few less zeroes. And I didn't link to him much, but the Phillies also lost a beat writer in this week's newspaper carnage.**

Unfortunately, Adam Eaton won't be sitting around looking for work in spring training. He'll be trying out again for a slot in the rotation.

"You can never have too much pitching," Amaro said. "There may be a time when we may need Adam Eaton, but we haven't made any final decisions on him. He's still part of the club."

Um, if Adam Eaton counts toward too much pitching, you can have too much pitching.

**Update 12/4/08: Radano's post has been taken down. I guess the newspaper didn't want to read all of the comments people made criticizing the decision to let him go. Doesn't make sense - it's one thing to delete and close the comments, but there was no reason to take down his farewell thoughts, which didn't say anything derogatory.

Terminated

So as expected by Todd Zolecki and me, but not Christine {I was expecting it, I just don't want to see him go}, Pat Burrell wasn't offered arbitration. Neither was Jamie Moyer.

I don't think that means much either way for the prospects of Moyer returning, but it looks like Burrell's tenure with the Phillies has ended.

Today, I can relate.

'Tis the season (again)

For those who need a little holiday cheer tonight, the official Phillies DVD on the 2008 season is coming out soon.

Paul Byrd and Jason Varitek were offered jobs for next season (if they accept arbitration); we're still waiting for word on Pat Burrell and Jaimie Moyer.

And will this be the year Jim Rice no longer gets coal in his Hall of Fame stocking? The ballot is out, and SoxandPhils newcomers include Rickey Henderson, Mo Vaughn, David Cone, Ron Gant and Dan Plesac.

Comebacks and good-byes

On a rainy Sunday that ends a holiday weekend without much baseball news to chew on, the Sunday column fodder is also kind of light.

Nick Cafardo chats with Derek Lowe, who sounds like he wants to come back to Boston. The Red Sox, like the Phillies, have shown interest, but I don't think either will make a strong move to sign the 36-year-old who is the only active player with at least 10 seasons who has never been on the DL.

Why, Christine asked, would D-Lowe want to come back to the Red Sox when they obviously had no interest in re-signing him after the great 2004?

"If your No. 1 goal is to win, I would say there's only a handful of teams year in and year out that have a chance to win. Now, there are no guarantees, but there are teams who have a better chance than others."

Boston?

"Yeah, all because of what I just outlined," he said. "Even if I'd never played there. And I don't look at it as coming back, I look at it as who has the best chance to win? And they clearly do." If you're looking four or five years down the line, they fit the criteria of what I'm looking for. It's not just the fact I played there - but, yeah, there were a lot of things I enjoyed - but they're definitely a franchise that has a chance to win."

{Exactly, a chance to win. So my question still stands: Why the Red Sox? They couldn't even beat the Rays. I'm allowed to talk smack like that over the next year because I've had to endure it from Greg for way too long. And I think it's dumb to publicly ask to come back to a team that has already spurned you.}

Another former Red Sox, Jay Payton, who refused to be a back-up for a consistent winner three years ago, also sounds like he wants back in.

"When I talked to my agent recently, Boston was the first team I mentioned. I don't know if it's in the cards or if I squished my chances of ever returning there. I know the circumstances of my departure from there a few years back were blown out of proportion. I've talked to Tito [Terry Francona] several times since then and we're OK. I'd love the chance to go back there because that's a winning organization and they're committed to winning. They do things the right way."

Yeah, good luck with that one Jay.

Phillies: Todd Zolecki previews the arbitration offers. Basically, they'll offer it to Jamie Moyer, but not to Pat Burrell. I won't pretend to know if this means there's more or less chance of the old man returning, although it looks like Pat's a goner. But I'd love to see Moyer go through the arbitration process to show the youngsters how a professional handles it.

It still hurts

My cousin, a Mets fan who I haven't seen in quite a while, stopped by when we were visiting my parents. He asked what was new, so after I filled him in on the personal family stuff, I slipped: "Watched the end of the World Series."

"What World Series? I didn't watch a single pitch of the post-season," he said.

Later, I forget how this exchange started, but he looked at Christine, made a flabbergasted harrumph and just muttered, "Phillies."

He's more of a football fan, and I thought he'd be more jazzed about the Jets than still stinging from another Mets collapse, but I can understand the feeling. I still feel burned about 2003 even though I know it just made 2004 even sweeter.

Red Sox: After the Phillies grabbed attention yesterday with the Mike Koplove acquisition, the Red Sox stole back the thunder at SoxandPhils with a big trade. OK, it was a little one: Wes Littleton from the Rangers for not one but two players to be named later and cash (currency, not Kevin).

Like Koplove, his numbers are neither bad nor dominating. He's out of options, so the deal officially creates a log jam in the bullpen unless/until Justin Masterson is moved to the rotation or a pitcher is moved in a trade.

Littleton's career highlight is that one of his three career saves came in a 30-3 game. Christine likes when pitchers get three-inning saves in blowouts. That was a doozy.

Also, the Red Sox plucked Tim Bogar from their archenemy Tampa Bay Rays to be the first base coach. I hope he took good notes on how the Rays beat the Sox last year.

A Joe Torre memory that doesn't irritate me

Compared with Christmas when we do the Burlington-to-Camden-to-Bergen-and-back-to-Burlington-county tour in one frenzied day, Thanksgiving is a breeze. We split the families over two days. Today, we head to North Jersey where, depending on how crazy things are with the family, we might pull some more junk, err, treasures from my childhood out of the attic.

Last time we went up, we salvaged some newspapers - nothing much to speak of - and my old Baseball Talk Player.

For those who aren't familiar, Wikipedia's entry is pretty thorough. This Web site also has some good stuff, including a little audio.

Basically, Baseball Talk played large versions of 1989 Topps baseball cards. There were clear little discs on the back that contained audio of Don Drysdale, Joe Torre and Mel Allen, all who narrated little stories about current stars, all-time greats or historic games.

My machine doesn't work anymore - it's headed to the trash after I finish writing. I really wish I could listen to these one more time. They were cheesy, yet catchy.

The cards came in sets of four. I tried to collect all the Red Sox, which didn't leave me with too many Phillies - just a Steve Carlton from his Cardinal days. Among the Red Sox were the 1986 World Series Game 6, Jim Rice, Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens and Mike Greenwell.

For some reason I associate memories of this toy with my Dad's sister, who died when she was 30. I can't remember if she bought me the whole kit or just a pack of cards. Probably the whole kit.

I was only 13 when Aunt Ginny died of scleroderma, but I have two other baseball memories of her: She got us tickets to Yankee Stadium in 1989 - the first time I saw the Red Sox play there. We sat behind home plate, and someone fell on the backstop screen.

And, I remember everyone gathered at our house after her funeral. The 1990 World Series was on. Memories are weird sometimes.

Oh well, off to see the family. The long drive ahead would be much better if this machine worked so we could hear all about Willie McGee's exploits again.


Breaking news: There's a report that the Phillies have signed a free agent pitcher! Don't get too excited, it's just minor league journeyman Mike Koplove. David Murphy may have built expectations a little too high, sort of proclaiming him 2009's Chad Durbin, but I like the acquisition. I don't know why Koplove has fallen off the map in recent years because his major league numbers - while not dominant - are pretty good. Plus, he's a local guy who spent all of last year in the minors, so he won't complain about waiting his turn in AAA if there's a roster jam at the beginning of the season.

Happy Thanksgiving

I know we should be expressing gratitude for family and friends, health, jobs, our successful baseball teams, etc.

But I have a gripe today.

I'm sure Christine will disagree, but I don't mind ceding Thanksgiving to football. It's a perfect mix of cold weather, food and vegging out. But why can't they put any decent games on?

Let's look at today's matchups (bear with me, we'll get to a baseball point):

We open with the slaughter of the 0-11 Lions against the 10-1 Titans. The only thing to root for in this one is such a bad game that the NFL finally decides to ditch the tradition that says the Lions have to host a Thanksgiving game.

Next up is the rebounding Cowboys (7-4) against another turkey, the 2-9 Seahawks. I won't mind if I have to miss this one for dinner.

Finally, perhaps the day's most compelling game, the 7-4 Cardinals look to clinch their first division title since before I was born against the 5-5-1 Philadelphia Eagles. OK, this game isn't good either, but it could be must-watch simply to see where the Eagles soap opera devolves to next.

It could get ugly in the stands today. All week, talk radio has been filled with callers saying they will still go to the game, but will wear Phillies garb. One guy said he's going with a bag over his head with "129 days until Opening Day" written on it. If I predicted such sentiment a year ago, I would have been laughed off the Internet.

OK, back to baseball. With such a crappy football lineup, you would think Comcast would have capitalized and moved up its Miracle on Broad Street series. Don't get me wrong, it's a great idea to replay key games - we'll be watching Matt Stairs homer as we wait for Santa on Christmas Eve - but they could have added so many more games to this promotion. How could they leave out Game 3 of the World Series? Who wouldn't watch that over Titans-Lions today?

Anyhoo, enjoy your turkey, and if you're watching football today because there's nothing else on (except the dog show Christine will watch at noon), go with the Titans, Cowboys and Eagles (just a gut feeling that they'll pull it out).

Free agent nibbling

A Yankee-loving colleague, who hasn't been thrilled with the Yankees' desire to have CC Sabathia open their new park, wasn't happy either with recent reports that the Angels are about to jump into the fray. If CC gets his wish and stays out West, he reasoned, there's even more of a chance the Yankees would overpay for A.J. Burnett.

Burnett, who has just two seasons (both preceding free agency years) of making at least 30 starts, has been linked to several teams. He's already been mentioned in Boston, but that seemed like a move to drive up his price for the Yankees. And now, perhaps more puzzling, he's being discussed in Philadelphia.

I don't buy it. The Phillies overpay for mediocre free agent pitchers - see Eaton, Adam - but not usually for ones who will command top dollar. They're also linked to Derek Lowe, who makes a bit more sense given he won't cost as much in dollars or years. But as Christine reasons, even if they lose Jamie Moyer, they still have J.A. Happ, Kyle Kendrick and Carlos Carrasco to fill the last two slots in the rotation. Oh yeah, I'm forgetting somebody else. Did I mention him already today?

Christine and I have thought it's been a quiet off-season. I didn't think too much about it because neither of our teams faces major overhauls. But turns out it's one of the slowest starts to off-season maneuvering ever.

Dice-K pays dividends

When the Red Sox stunned the baseball world two years ago by bidding $51.11111111111 million for the rights to negotiate with Scott Boras and Daisuke Matsuzaka, it was an investment in more than just talent. It was about branding the Red Sox in Japan, and evidence of that strategy might be the fact that Junichi Tazawa is expected to select the Red Sox, even though they didn't offer the most money.

Although Dice hasn't exactly fulfilled the lofty expectations he brought to the United States, he's still a legend in his own country, and surely Tazawa (I think we'll call him Taz) would love to come out of the pen to relieve his fellow countryman.

Phillies: No problems with Chase Utley's surgery; Phils think he'll be ready before late May, which has been the worst-case scenario. Oh yeah, Pedro Feliz had surgery too. I've been forgetting to mention. He should be ready around Christine's birthday (late February).

What's in the bag?

The andPhils half of the blog trudged home with a large black bag full of ... of ... of ... I'll tell you on Dec. 26. But Christine didn't bring home any good baseball stories from her shopping expedition, so you're stuck with me still stuck on Christmas.

The season's shopping would have been so much easier if we were aware of this auction of Ted Williams' hunting memorabilia. What sparks the yule better than the head of a buffalo blasted decades ago by the Splendid Splinter? Could you imagine the joy on Christine's face, sitting beside the tree, opening up a rifle once held by the greatest hitter who ever lived? And I'm sure she could have found something for me.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox played Santa Claus today, offering a $6 million contract to Japanese pitcher Junichi Tazawa. They might have given a one-year offer to Jason Varitek, which I think is a fair balance of last year's awful offensive season and his history with the club, but Scott Boras played Scrooge and said no offer was made.

Boras argues Tek's value is that he's a catcher capable of winning 60 percent of a team's games. That's true, but that can be flipped to say the Red Sox are capable of winning 60 percent of their games despite a catcher with a .672 OPS.

Phillies: A Q&A on MLB.com attempts to explain why Chase Utley waited nearly a month into the offseason to take care of his nagging hip injury. It doesn't clarify anything for me.

It sure ain't baseball season anymore

After I finished the yard work for likely the last time of the year, we put up the Christmas lights. It was fricking cold. I feel less Christmassy than I did yesterday, but I'm sure I'll have the feeling again once I take a ride around the block and see the house with the big holiday display for the first time of the season.

Being in a cold frame of mind, we caught the end of the Eagles game on the radio and TV. Wow, what a mess they are. In a few months, Charlie Manuel will be the longest-tenured coach in Philly. He's already the most successful and beloved.

In the last three weeks, the Iggles have been crushed by the Ravens, tied the Bengals and lost to the Giants in a game that was attended by several Phillies. Christine is wondering whether the football players have been intimidated by being so close to champions. Interesting theory.

Just when I thought there was no baseball news today, at the bottom of Nick Cafardo's column we learn that Ben Davis, our favorite catcher who we saw at games in Camden and Las Vegas in 2007, is trying to become a pitcher. Good luck.

'Tis the season

One half of SoxandPhils went Christmas shopping today, and I'm all Christmassed up - ready to skip Thanksgiving to get to the main course.

Here are some of the baseball-related tidbits that I can share without giving away anything that Christine will find under the tree in a month:

--When in a sports collectibles store to look for discounted 2007 World Series swag ... er, to check out the latest in Phillies World Series merchandise, a middle-aged couple approached the counter.

"Do you have any David Wright shirts?" the man asked.

I smiled, bit my tongue and kept listening.

"No, but I might be able to order one," the proprietor said. "Child or adult?"

"Adult," the man answered unabashedly.

Poor guy. Doesn't he know they invented the Internet so you wouldn't have to order embarrassing shirts in enemy territory?

--At a big box electronics store, I looked to see if there were any Phillies DVDs out yet, but I saw a more interesting title: The 2006 Mets: The Team. The Time. Um, time for what? Choking against the Cardinals in the playoffs as a warm-up for two monumental regular-season collapses?

--One holiday-timed Phillies item caught my eye while waiting to check out - Gary Matthews' book, Phillies Confidential: The Untold Inside Story of the 2008 Championship Season. It's real small, and judging from a glance, it looks just as cheesy as one would expect a book by Sarge to be. I told Christine we'll wait for the movie to come out. {I wonder which has more details on the season - our blog or Sarge's book?}

--Finally, this wasn't at a store, but in the Major League Baseball holiday gift guide. A Yankees T-shirt says "Respect the dynasty." OK, everyone listen to the Yankees shirt and respect the SoxandPhils dynasty that won three of the last five championships.

The andPhils half of the blog is doing her shopping Monday. Maybe she'll come back with some similar stories.

Goodwill

I made Christine happy tonight. I put one of my antiquated Red Sox shirts in the Goodwill pile.

It's no statement toward Pedro Martinez. I kind of feel indifferent toward him.

Nor is it about the condition of the shirt (the blue one). Other than a couple of bleach spots I dripped on it when I lived by myself, it's in mint condition compared with some of my others, such as my 1989 Great White concert T-shirt, which has some air holes for those warm summer days working in the yard.

It's more a fact that my T-shirt drawers are getting stuffed. And I was larger when I bought it, and it now fits like a smock.

I hope somebody appreciates it. If nothing else, I'm helping out someone in this economic catastrophe.

Man, how did this post get so depressing?

Uh-oh, Utley's injured

One aspect of the World Champion Phillies that didn't get much attention is how healthy they were in 2008. Only 11 players were placed on the disabled list - including nobodies, such as Chris Snelling, someone who missed literally a couple games, such as Brad Lidge, and someone who wasn't missed anyway, such as Tom Gordon.

The title defense isn't going as smoothly in this regard. Chase Utley, who denied having a hip injury during the season, has a hip injury. He's having surgery and could be gone until June, or maybe he could be back at the beginning of the season.

We understand playing through it during the season - his numbers may have suffered, but the team won a championship. But why did he wait until more than three weeks after the parade to have this taken care of? You'd think the sooner the surgery, the sooner he's back on the field.

The parade was Oct. 31. Knowing what a gamer and team player he is, why wouldn't he have demanded to be on the surgery table Nov. 1?

Since the Phillies need a serviceable second baseman for a while and the Red Sox need a fourth outfielder to replace Coco Crisp, we should talk about trading Julio Lugo for Greg Golson. Too late. John Mayberry used to be a prospect, but he's 24 and hasn't yet had a full season in AAA. His power numbers are good, but he struggles getting on base.

The Red Sox also acquired an amply sized minor league outfielder today. I've never heard of Paul McAnulty, but you've got to like that he's described as a Matt Stairs type. Baseball Prospectus describes him as "bad-bodied."

Rumor mongering: The pesky rumors persist that the Red Sox may be in on Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett. I'd pass. Raul Ibanez has popped up on the Phillies radar. {Unless he has a bull dog we don't know about, bring back Pat Burrell, please.}

Coco goes bye-bye

It seems like Coco Crisp has been on the trading block for years, but somehow today's trade to the Kansas City Royals for Ramon Ramirez took everyone by surprise.

Coco came to Boston with high hopes, and although his defense was a valued component of the 2007 World Championship, his bat never produced as expected.

My first reaction to the deal was, "Who the hell is Ramon Ramirez?" I think I'm going to call him Razor Ramon, who apparently doesn't like jokes about the late Owen Hart.

Looking at the numbers, I'm quite pleased with the trade - pretty odd given the fact that I had never heard of the guy until this morning. He will be 27 next year and has had two real good years under his belt. He was probably the best reliever you never heard of in 2008, posting a 2.64 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 8.78 strikeouts per nine innings in 70 2/3 innings.

Those numbers will look really good in front of Jonathan Papelbon next year. "You can never have too many good relievers," I said. "I know, Greg," Christine replied. "Relief pitching is why the Phillies won the World Series."

Two things of concern with the new guy, according to the Boston Globe's research: Jose Mesa took him under his wing in Colorado. And, he may be a bit of a hothead who'll engage in bean ball wars.

Christine was more concerned about the latter. I dismissed it, figuring Papelbon will be a calming influence on him. Ha!

Dustin' off the mantle for a big trophy

Dustin Pedroia, the littlest big man in Boston, accomplished today what David Ortiz, Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez and even the great team leader Manny Ramirez could not. He became the first Red Sox since Mo Vaughn in 1995 to win the MVP.

He's a grinder and a true Dirt Dog who gets the most out of his ability. And, he has to be one of the most unexpected deserving MVPs.

Even knows he doesn't fit the prototype:

I'm not the biggest guy in the world. I don't have that many tools. If I'm walking down the street, you wouldn't think I'm a baseball player. I've had to deal with it my whole life. I have to do everything to prove [people] wrong.

Remarkably, just like some writer left Ryan Howard completely off the ballot, one person omitted Dustin MVPedroia. At least this guy, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, was gracious about it:

Obviously, I was wrong in my opinion in this situation. This year, I think I may have tended to value power numbers over the intangibles. I may have focused too much on the statistical analysis. As I continued to weigh that, Dustin dropped further and further on my list, but I think what was proven today was that I was wrong.

The guy who hosed Howard wouldn't say anything.

I had a good feeling Pedroia would win. It was cinched for me this morning when Mike and Mike unveiled his MVP song, "Dustin Will Win" to "Dust in the Wind." I've loved that song since it was featured in Old School.

[Photo credit: Associated Press]

Free agent busts say the darndest things

During the playoff run, one notable Phillie was conspicuously absent: Adam Eaton.

Christine and I waited and waited for some reporter to snag the big interview on how the $24 million bust felt watching the playoffs from wherever he spent October.

It took blog-lover Murray Chass to track him down.

Among the jewels we learned from Mr. Eaton:

• The Phillies never informed him that he sucks, so he didn't know why he didn't pitch at the end of the season. "You'd have to ask them. I didn't ask them. There wasn't necessarily a lot of communication."


• He did his part to help the Phillies win the World Series by going away. "I'm not worried about a World Series share. I'm happy for the team. Not that I contributed in the second half, but going to minors I felt I was helping myself and the team."


• It's going to be deja vu in spring training. "I think I need to establish myself again. The off-season started a few days ago so who knows what's in store for anybody, whether you'll be traded or what. Right now I'm a member of the Phillies and hope to win another World Series."

Because it had been so long since we've heard from Eaton, I thought we should take a look back at some of our favorite 2008 Adam Eaton memories:

In August after getting shelled by A and AA hitters:

But the way I felt and the way I made the adjustment throwing breaking balls for strikes (later in the game) and (the fact I was) able to get ahead and put some guys away with the slider and curveball ... I take positives from that.

And:

I made a few bad pitches. Definitely would like to have one back, the grand slam. Learned from that mistake and ended up striking him out the next time.

In a 6-4 loss to the Diamondbacks in May, Eaton gave up five runs in the fourth inning, including one when he walked Randy Johnson with the bases loaded.

In April, Charlie Manuel used Eaton as a pinch runner. I speculated the manager was hoping his dud of a pitcher would get injured on the basepaths.

Eaton had other ideas:

I was hoping we'd hit a home run.

In March, Eaton didn't mind losing his spring training finale 14-5:

The results weren't great, but I felt good. I felt like my stuff was just as good at the end as it was at the beginning. The way I feel and the way my stuff is, I'm pretty happy.

He was also shelled in his first spring training start, which led to this infamous quote:

I think I've established myself as a big-leaguer. I'm getting paid extremely handsomely, probably more than I'm worth. But everyone is not worth what they're getting paid. It's fun. If you don't like the competition, what are you doing here?
Everyone should thrive on competition.

Now that we've covered the LVP, onto MVP news. As expected, Ryan Howard came in second to Albert Pujols, who didn't turn it down because of failing to make the playoffs. I'm surprised the only other player, besides Howard and Pujols, to garner a first place vote was Brad Lidge, who finished eighth. Chase Utley came in 15th.

I expect better results for Dustin Pedroia when the AL MVP is announced tomorrow.

Blowhard, fall hard

As Yankees owner Hank Steinbrenner continues to tell the world he's going to buy CC Sabathia and any other pitcher with a pulse, and invest in research aimed at bringing Babe Ruth back from the dead for the stretch run, the Phillies, Red Sox and pretty much every other team that's been more successful than the fallen empire quietly goes about their business.

The Inquirer has a story and column package today reminding us that mega-deals like the one CC will get rarely guarantee parades. To quote Bob Ford:

In the end, Eric Bruntlett and Joe Blanton can trump CC Sabathia sometimes, and Matt Stairs and Scott Eyre can mean more than Manny Ramirez. Not always, but occasionally. If you are lucky enough, and patient enough.

In past years, a headline like "Phillies' Amaro in no hurry to spend money" would be the kiss of death for a rookie general manager in Philadelphia. But it's the same approach, which had been questioned if not criticized until last month, of Pat Gillick.

Hank's winter bluster has been greeted by ... by ... by... crickets? Theo Epstein and the crew do their best to keep things quiet when retooling the roster. They have a track record, so let Hank crow, knowing he'll have to eat it again next September.

All right, things aren't so quiet out of Boston this morning. I assume management is responsible for this Manny Ramirez leak during the first weekend of unfettered free agency. Cue damage control from Scott Boras:

The bottom line is he was never suspended and there was never cause for suspension. The fact is the intent to suspend is not a suspension.

That settles that. Lavish money on him and don't worry about his antics. Manny, meet Hank; Hank, meet Manny.

Phils phans win again

First they saw their team win the World Series, and now it looks like they've won the SoxandPhils preseason prediction showdown.

No one did particularly well, but Phils fans (probably picking with heart more than head) each got three of the four National League playoff teams correct, plus the Phillies as World Series Champions.

Brian was the only one to correctly predict an AL team. He went with the Angels. The rest of us were killed by the Mariners. But Brian also unofficially predicted 16 wins for Adam Eaton.

Christine also picked three of the NL teams (everyone got burned with the Diamondbacks in the West). She was also the only one to correctly pick an award winner (unless Jose Reyes wins the MVP next week). She went with Geovany Soto for Rookie of the Year.

She almost picked the correct number of games the World Series would last. She blames Clint Hurdle for getting it wrong. She assumed the NL would have home-field advantage, so she went Phillies in six, figuring we would have tickets to that game. If she knew Hurdle was going to suck in the All-Star game, she would have picked five. Also, it would have been impressive if she had gone through with her thought of picking the Rays in the East.

Only the Cubs division win and Willie Randolph being the first manager fired saved Joe Wolf's Vertical Jump from joining his brother on the shutout list. Joe Wolf may have picked the Phillies, not his beloved Expos, if he were picking seriously.

Like his Mets, Endy in the Outfield had nothing to show for his efforts.

Results could still change when the MVPs are announced this week, but no one has a serious candidate. In the NL, there are three Chase Utleys, a Reyes and Prince Fielder. In the AL, there are two Grady Sizemores, a Miguel Cabrera and Vladimir Guerrero. I've got the best shot at picking up a point with Alex Rodriguez. But I'd forgo that one to see Dustin Pedroia win it.

News: Still not much doing for the SoxandPhils. I was downstairs this morning when I heard Christine clapping at the computer. I expected something big. Her reaction was to the news that Mike Zagurski would be healed in spring training.

I know she likes the rotund pitcher we call Fattie, but I think her overreaction was just an excuse to look at this picture. We didn't get any baby bunnies this season.

The year after

The Phillies are World Champions. The Red Sox aren't.

There's no definitive answer to how much our usual $20-$22 tickets will increase. Just the other day when Christine lumped the Red Sox with the Yankees, I teased her back that the Phillies will soon follow. Well, after your team increases ticket prices by a couple dollars, they'll soon be offering a pitcher $150 million on the first day of free agency.

By the way, in CC Sabathia's last three playoff starts - two against the Red Sox in 2007 and one against the Phillies this year - he has a 10.93 ERA in 14 innings. Just sayin'.

Keystone debate

Chase Utley and Dustin Pedroia were the only SoxandPhils to win the Silver Slugger today. Each started the All-Star game. Pedroia, a favorite to win the MVP, also won the Gold Glove, and many thought Utley should have won it, too.

It's clear that the Red Sox and Phillies have the best second basemen in the game. It's time to see who is best. The thought that Pedroia could compare with Utley is still strange to me. Utley has clearly been the best at his position for several years, and it's still hard to picture Pedroia as anything but an overachieving dirt dog.

I know I'm judging what could be Pedroia's best year to one of Utley's poorer years, but they had comparable seasons. Pedroia's averages were .326/.376/.493 to Utley's .292/.380/.535. They both displayed some speed and power, though Pedroia had an edge in stolen bases and doubles; Utley had the edge in home runs. The big thing I come back to is Pedroia was 24 this year; Utley, 29.

I guess I'd still take Utley for the next season or two, but Pedroia is closer than I thought and should overtake Utley for the class of the position in a few years. Of course, each of these players values a World Series victory more than any individual ranking or award.

Final Pedroia thought: I've had Hava Nagila in my head all day because of Mike & Mike's MVP song for Pedroia.

Final award thought: Daisuke Matsuzaka (I haven't had to spell his name in a while. I'm out of practice) came in fourth in the Cy Young voting. Neither he nor Jon Lester deserved to finish much higher than that, but I would have thought Lester would have garnered more votes. I know, the dolty writers like shiny objects and gaudy win-loss records.