Antiquated Red Sox garb III

Next up in my occasional series is one you've already seen. It's an oldie but goodie: Maurice Vaughn.

I got this shirt in the mid-1990s at Fenway. While waiting in line, I almost changed my mind to a Jose Canseco model (I think he had a big game or something). I got some good, surprisingly sincere advice from a Yankees fan who said I should stick with Mo because he'd stick around longer; Canseco was just a mercenary.

I think about that when I wear my faded blue shirt with crumbling letters and No. 42.

Mo was back in the news this week. (The first time since the Mitchell report.) Congrats, I guess, though I don't understand why the Sox would induct a roider this year, even though he didn't start using until after he left the Sox. Ironic, though, that joining him in the Red Sox Hall of Fame is Mike Greenwell, who pointed out years ago that he should be declared the 1988 MVP since Canseco admitted using steroids.

Glad to see Bill Lee inducted too. What took so long?

Papi's on a roll...

I don't know why, I just like this picture:

They're losing their minds

Things aren't starting out too well for last year's uncrowned NL East champs. You would figure signing Johan would do something to overcome the fact that they crumbled last year, couldn't even beat the Marlins on the last day of the season to force a tie for the division and were basically whiny little bitches as the Phils took care of business.

Now, the Mets can't even beat a college team. And they can't even do that without Billy Wagner threatening a kid who tried to bunt off him. Apparently, you don't make B-Wags field during the first spring training game - especially if you play for the University of Michigan.

Wagner, clearly annoyed, shook his head a number of times, and Cislo wisely swung away, grounding out. Wagner said he couldn't believe that Cislo, a junior, bunted.

"If he got that bunt down, I would have drilled the next guy," Wagner said. "Play to win against Villanova."

Even Willie Randolph - one of the few Yankees who doesn't sicken me - didn't have a problem with his ace reliever's threat.

Asked about Wagner's reaction, manager Willie Randolph laughed.

"He couldn't bring himself to drill the kid," Randolph said. "Nolan Ryan might have. Nolan or Roger [Clemens] may have done it, kid or not."

But then again, maybe Willie also remains shell-shocked from last year:

While the Mets viewed the game as their preseason tuneup, Michigan was fired up, and Randolph mentioned that all the Wolverines' chatter "-- me off a little bit."

The Mets are clearly a wounded, demoralized animal, the wrong mix when people are already predicting a Phillies-Mets brawl. Ironically, when that talk was going good, Wagner was complaining about a young Phillie taking him on, but he has no problems threatening to put a fastball in some young kid's gut.

"I have all the respect in the world for those guys," Billy Wagner said [of the Phillies]. "I don't have any ill will against them. But if they want to come out and fight, then bring it on. That's their prerogative -- fine. I'm too old to be worrying about fighting somebody. I'm having enough trouble getting somebody out as it is.

"If one of their little 25-year-olds wants to come out and whip my ass, they can brag that they whipped a 37-year-old man's ass. Well, good for them. It's always good to play that underdog role.

"If they come out there, though, there's two things that could happen. I'm pretty sure they're going to whip my ass. But what if I get a shot in? What if? Then you just got your ass whipped on national TV by the littlest guy in baseball, so think of that 'What if?'"

Mail call

They're here. Let's get this season started.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon and other scary stories

Here are some of the scary thoughts I've had about Brad Lidge.

Yes, the surgery was successful, but I don't believe this three- to six-week time frame. Last year Brett Myers was supposed to miss two weeks; he missed two months. He was replacing Tom Gordon, who wasn't supposed to be injured at all but missed more than two months. So by Phillies injury prognosis, does that mean Lidge's three to six weeks translates into three months to the whole season?

I've been joking that the over-under for his return is the All-Star break.

If this injury does put the pen in shambles, will we see another triumphant return to Philadelphia of Jose Mesa? What about Antonio Alfonseca?

Back to Gordon. He had a historic year for the Sox in '98, but I blame him for blowing Game 4 of the ALDS against Cleveland. If he didn't blow that game, Pedro would have won the series the next day. (Christine and I went to see the Barenaked Ladies after the Red Sox lost the afternoon game. Funny I remember that.)

Jim Salisbury's column about Pat Gillick's intrigue with a 134-pound slab of beef did somehow reassure me. I still don't believe Lidge will be pitching for the Phils by early April, but since they weathered so many injuries last year, they'll survive this one too.

This is one big burger:


Keep Bartolo Colon away; he's got to get in shape.

Secrets

While we wait to learn whether Brad Lidge's knee tweak really is nothing or the first sign of another year with an unnerving bullpen for the Phils, there was some intriguing news coming out of the Red Sox bullpen.

Hideki Okajima is working on a secret new pitch:

Okajima has deemed his new pitch the "Doki-doki," appropriate both for the play on his nickname and its meaning in Japanese, which, according to translator Jeff Yamaguchi, means "sounds of a heartbeat," and "he makes me nervous."

"He doesn't know which way it breaks, and it works for either hitter," Yamaguchi said. "He started working on the new pitch since August last year, throwing catch against me."

Okajima said he thought he needed to improve last season, but that he was better served saving it until this year. Asked if the pitch was a two-seam fastball, Okajima leaned over and said, "Secret."

Etc.: The Sox gave a new contract to Terry Francona, owner of the best undefeated World Series record ever. {I'm sickened by this. If a Yankees fan pointed out that they have won 26 World Series, Greg wouldn't shut up about it.} He's also the only manager Scott Rolen hasn't had a problem with:

Rolen clashed with Larry Bowa in Philly, and it got so bad with Tony LaRussa in St. Louis that the third baseman, who as recently as 2006 pledged he would never return to Philadelphia, now says he would have come back this off-season:

That's how intense his desire was to get away from the St. Louis Cardinals' manager.

"Yes," the Toronto Blue Jays' new third baseman said after a workout Friday. "I would have accepted."

Though Scotty does have some a small measure of personal accountability:

It's legitimate to wonder if he has a problem getting along with people, particularly those in authority.

"Fair question," Rolen said. "I've thought about people thinking that. I'm the common denominator in both situations. I'm smart enough to see that.

"All I'll say is there is more to the stories. Everyone has a story. Everyone has a side. I have a side, too."

I'm no fan of the Pedro Feliz acquisition, but with Scotty's attitude I might prefer the never-on-base Feliz at third for the Phillies this year. Scotty, hope you enjoy fighting the Empire for third place.

Uh-oh

I wonder which one of these tidbits will prove more disastrous: Manny has new representation or Brad Lidge limps.

Remember the other day when Manny reported on time and curiously didn't make a demand for a contract extension or for his $20 million option year to be picked up? Maybe that was strategy for his new agent Scott Boras. Flash-forward to Game 6 of the 2008 World Series, Sox down 3-2 in the series, 4-3 in the game. Winning run on second and Manny's due up. Boras will halt the game and demand an extension before Manny hits.

OK, a bit far-fetched, but this does look to be the end of Manny - not that we were expecting him to be around much longer.

Of more immediate concern is that Brad Lidge limped off the field after catching his spike while throwing off the mound. Is this really nothing, as the Phils are saying? Or is this going to be like 1997, when the big off-season acquisition (Danny Tartabull) got hurt on opening day? Or is it going to be like last year when the Phils brass insisted Tom Gordon was OK when he was injured in spring training, but were soon sending opening day starter Brett Myers to the bullpen to be the team's closer?

Hat update: Went back to Philly today. Christine's hat didn't fit. (It had cardboard in it so it didn't seem proper to try it on in the store.) I did learn something interesting: Don't attempt to buy tickets at the ballpark on Saturdays in the off-season; the box office is closed. Some guy, who apparently drove some distance to buy tickets, found out the hard way.

Snow day

Lovely weather for a penguin, eh?

Christine and I took a couple days off to celebrate her birthday yesterday. (Surely it's a coincidence that her birthday, the day I proposed and our anniversary all fall on a 21st.) We didn't have any big plans but were hoping to take the Citizens Bank tour today, but obviously weather didn't cooperate.

{We did take a ride to the ballpark yesterday so I could pick out a new hat. There were only four women's hats in stock - three with pink and one in peach. Blech. I opted for gender neutral - dark blue with red trim. Plus an extra 15% off everything in the store, I assume in honor of the first day of regular season ticket sales for the masses.}

It was a strange offseason. Everyone says it felt so long - obviously because the hot stove banter has mostly been about players' past misdeeds, not their prospective movement. It felt quick for me, but that's probably because of the Sox and Giants (oops, I almost wrote Patriots) winning championships.

Two of the next wave of Sox prospects, Justin Masterson and Jed Lowrie, are blogging about camp for the Globe. Pretty cut and dried, as you would expect from rookies trying to crack the big team at some point this year, but Masterson's rubbing our noses in it:

Warm weather! That's the very first thing that excited me about getting down to Fort Myers. I had spend most of my off season in the cold, snowy weather.

Manny's going to be a bad man for quite some time ...

For the first time since the last time the Sox were reigning champs, Manny has reported on time. He's not making any contract demands or creating controversy. And his workouts in Arizona have done him so much good that he's saying he may play until he's 50:

You've said you want to be like Julio Franco. How long are you going to play?

"I'm going to go until the wheels fall off. I'm going to keep going. API, they're one of the greats. They're great people to go and work out and I'm going to keep doing it."

He'd like to finish his career in Boston, but he won't demand a new contract.

Philly's big man got his new contract - an arbitration record win of $10 million. Did the Phillies mind losing this one since it assures one year of contract peace with Ryan Howard? Or will it make the long-term deal he wants harder to reach?

MVP Jimmy Rollins, scraping by on a five-year, $40 million contract, isn't complaining. His pay has been subsidized by Nike:

Nike rewarded the Phillies shortstop with his own custom-made sneakers. They are red, white and blue, and feature a Liberty Bell logo and, of course, the letters MVP.

"They definitely look nice," said Rollins, hoisting one of the shoes from a box yesterday. "Definitely hooked up."

How does no one have a picture of this masterpiece?

He also responded to Beltran:

One, there are four other teams in our division who are going to make sure that doesn't happen. And, two, has anyone ever heard of plagiarism?

Uh-oh. Is J-Roll fearing the Nationals this year?

Put me in coach

Coco Crisp, the leading Red Sox cheerleader since being supplanted by Jacoby Ellsbury in Game 6 of the ALCS, doesn't want that job anymore:

"I want to play. Like I said, I wouldn't be happy sitting on the bench. A lot of people say, well, I don't deserve it. Well, that's understandable too. I didn't have a good offensive year like I did in the past. I think I proved myself that I can win healthy and shown that my defense is way better than what people thought. People think that my offense is terrible. Now it's time to show them that my offense really isn't. Went through a couple of bruised up years, everybody goes through that. Unfortunately I just went through that when I came over here to mega-media central."

Sounds like he has a good attitude. He acknowledges his weak offensive years in Boston, touts his defensive strength (he plays the best CF in baseball) but hints he'd rather start than win. Sounds like it could be a bad sign, but really, do you want a player who doesn't want to play?

If the Sox get a good offer - obviously hasn't happened since he's still on the roster - then Coco should be traded to a team he would start for. Until then, hopefully he realizes that he won't be traded to a team that has a better chance of winning than the Red Sox and that he'll get plenty of playing time as Manny's late-inning defensive replacement. Also, J.D. Drew has played at least 140 games in each of the past two seasons, meaning he's overdue for an injury. (I know, I promised myself no more griping about that signing since his Game 6 grand slam.) {That grand slam was meaningless. As is J.D. Drew.}

G.I. Manny: Manny Ramirez reports. Then he leaves. The Globe has a picture of him ... well, his car, at least. Maybe if Ryan Howard wins his arbitration hearing he can buy a set of wheels like this:

Houston, we have a problem

In 2003, my work week ran Sunday through Thursday. That was a good thing on Oct. 17 - the day after Grady Little earned a middle name. After a late night and the most painful loss I have experienced, I was in no condition to work.

Little's inept management and a roider named Giambi cost a nearly certain, first-ever meaningful victory over the Empire. I was in shock and sputtered through that Friday, unsure if the game really unfolded like that. The joy of '04 took away the sting, but I still feel cheated as we have learned of more and more taint to the Empire.

Last night, watching highlights of the Andy Pettitte apology (although he's not a cheater, you know), a thought occurred to me: He and the prime roider, Roger Clemens, also fueled the Astros to the postseason. In 2005, when they went to the World Series, they narrowly edged the Phillies for the wild card.

While everyone marveled that the 'Stros finished 16 games over .500 after falling 15 games under in May, no one really questioned how an aging team could recover like that. Now we know it was fueled by the best 1-2 combo drugs could produce: Andy Pettitte and the Roidger. Each had what can be considered a career-best season: 17-9, 2.39 for Pettitte and 13-8, 1.87 for the 42-year-old Clemens.

In what I've considered - until now - to be a Phillies' choke job, the Astros won the wild card by 1 game. Looking back, the Astros swept the six-game season series, with Pettitte and Clemens winning half of those games. Then-Phils closer Billy Wagner blew two of the other games in a September series in Philly. The first blow, a home run by Craig Biggio, sounded like it killed Harry Kalas

I can't say the Phils would have replaced the Astros as league champions, but they did have winning records against all the other playoff teams that year. Why hasn't Arlen Specter tacked this onto his investigation of the Eagles-Pats Super Bowl?

Addendum: It seems as if that Kalas call isn't anywhere on the Internet, as this post from Crashburn Alley recounts an interview with Kalas on WIP.

About 32 minutes into the clip, Cataldi is asking Kalas about the most downtrodden he’s been on the air, and before he even said it, I was thinking “Craig Biggio’s ninth-inning three-run home run off of Billy Wagner in 2005.” I can remember Harry’s voice clearly to this day and it may have been the furthest my heart has sunk in my entire life.

"Probably the most downer call I ever made, Angelo, is Billy Wagner’s last year with the Phillies when Biggio hit a home run off him and we were on our way to perhaps post-season, and when Biggio hit that home run — I mean I heard a replay of that …"

The WIP team struggled with finding a clip of Harry’s call, and, unfortunately, there isn’t one on MLB.com, as they have the FSN Houston broadcast team for the September 7, 2005, game in question.

Our first tiff of the season

After railing against Carlos Beltran yesterday, Christine saw this nugget from Jonathan Papelbon:

If we're not the team to beat, I'd like to know who is. I think that our No. 1 thing is to stay healthy. If we do that, I don't know who can really compete with us.

Truth be told, I had read that quote before I saw Beltran's and didn't give it a second thought when I wrote:

Carlos Beltran has made a bold prediction: The Mets, with the league's highest payroll and probably the best team on paper, will win the division this year. The team that should win has no right making that pronouncement.

Clearly, the Sox have a higher payroll than any team except the Empire and possibly the Mets. And since the Sox won last year and have suffered no major losses in the off-season, it qualifies as a team that should win it this year.

So the question becomes: should Papelbon be talking like that, and is it hypocritical of me to have glossed over it? My gut reaction is that Papelbon has earned the right to say his team is the best until it's proved otherwise.

I disagree, on two levels.

1. I think Greg is being a hypocrite. He is willing to call out one player for being classless but not willing to do the same when that player is on his own team. What I think it boils down to is, and I have said this before, he is an apologist for his team. That’s not always a bad thing. I make excuses for the Phillies. I try to justify most of the things that they do. But I’m also willing to criticize and be upset with them when they say or do something stupid.

If my team won last year, I know I would be more critical of them and the things they say and do. I would hold them to a higher standard because they would be the standard that everyone else is trying to achieve. There would be no need for them to proclaim themselves the team to beat. Which leads into my next point.

2. What Papelbon said is not necessary. Greg has said that he thinks the Beltran statement is newsworthy because of last year’s choke.

However, if the Mets won last year, that quote would not exist. The Red Sox won last year, and Papelbon still said that. Why? What are you trying to prove? You won last year. You’re expected to win again this year. You can’t play underdog and act like you’re going to upset the frontrunner when you are the frontrunner.

Jimmy Rollins said the Phillies were the team to beat in 2007, and it surprisingly turned out to be true. He has predicted 100 wins for 2008, but is anyone really taking that seriously? I don’t think so. (But I hope he’s psychic, and they cruise to an easy NL East title this year.) The only reason why that is newsworthy is because of what he said last year, and he had to try and top it. But note what he didn’t say: that they are the team to beat this year. He does not have to say that because the first-place finish shows that the title goes through Philadelphia. He has not called out other teams and said they are not competitive, like Papelbon did.

I realize that all of the back-and-forth is mostly to get the fans fired up, and the Phillies-Mets rivalry is going to be ridiculous this year – both on the field and in the stands. It will be scary fun. But come on: Do Red Sox fans need firing up? Everyone loves a ballplayer who gives good copy, but Papelbon just comes off sounding pompous.

While Christine wrote this, I sat downstairs watching the ’07 DVD. One of the first omissions I noticed was all the Manny showboating and lollygagging when it looked like we were going to lose to the Indians. I didn’t blog back then, but I was very critical of him. If the Sox didn’t come back, he would have put us fans in a tough spot of dealing not only with a playoff loss, but also the media rightfully killing Manny for poor sportsmanship. And I was very mad at management when they traded Bronson Arroyo after he took a hometown discount to stay in Boston.

Papelbon is the closer of the reigning champions; he has the right to talk a little smack. He’s not playing an underdog card. He’s basically saying “We proved our mettle last year and until someone proves otherwise, we’re top dog.”

OK, maybe he didn’t have to shoot down the whole league and say no one can even compete with the Sox.

Other pitchers talking: Today was a big day for pitchers on the squawk box. First Curt ends his silence, saying he didn’t say anything for days because he didn’t want to be a distraction. Yeah, it’s less distracting if Curt, who’s been at the center of a firestorm over his medical treatment, keeps his mouth shut.

Nationally, of course, the big story was Andy Pettitte. Give him credit for actually taking questions for an hour instead of issuing a prepared statement. But not too much since we still don’t know if he’s given the whole truth or just what he thinks is provable by others.

And old friend Eric Gagne issued one of those bogus statements, apologizing for distracting his new team and lauding baseball for cleaning up the sport – although we’re told the statement he gave to the French-speaking media may have been stronger. He should have apologized for giving me heartburn during the playoffs last year, although management deserved that tummy ache for knowingly dealing for a roider.

And which pitcher isn’t having issues today? Kyle Kendrick.

Beltran's pick and other rants

Carlos Beltran has made a bold prediction: The Mets, with the league's highest payroll and probably the best team on paper, will win the division this year. The team that should win has no right making that pronouncement.

He even called out the MVP:

Let me tell you this: Without (Johan) Santana, we felt as a team we have a chance to win in our division. With him now, I have no doubt that we’re going to win in our division. I have no doubt in that. We’ve got what it takes. We have good chemistry as a team. He fits great because he’s a great guy. He’s one of the best pitchers in the game. Who doesn’t want to have him on any ballclub? Without him last year we did good until the end of the season. So this year, to Jimmy Rollins, we are the team to beat.

Hopefully, come October, Carlos and his mates will still be wondering if the champagne is sweeter, if they will be dancing into the fall and whether the season truly starts on the last weekend in September.

Is this even worth responding to? Just like last year, the Mets are supposedly better on paper. Just like last year, preseason predictions have the Mets winning the division. Are the Phillies in the Mets heads that much? Are they that desperate and think the only way they can win is to make this prediction? Stick with what you do best, Beltran.

Maybe the Mets know they can't win on the field, so they're trying to win the preseason war of the words.

Less trivial: Good read in the Globe on Jon Lester's journey from cancer to champion.

Stop the presses: Pretty Boy Jeter's a bad fielder. Some local guy (Philly) has a new way of measuring fielding. It not only shows that the Yankees captain has been the worst shortstop in the majors the past few years, he has cost the Empire more runs than any other player at any position. That includes Manny, who is also deemed defensively-challenged.

Quandary: The Yogi Berra Museum has removed Roidger Clemens' jersey from its display of the drug-infested Empire championships. This blurb makes no mention whether Yankee hero Andy Pettitte will get similar treatment.

But it does pose an interesting dilemma: What do I do with my old No. 21?

(s)He's coming ...

Camps for the Sox and Phils have been relatively quiet save for Curt's injury and the speculation over Ryan Howard's contract.

We could, however, see a shakeup soon as Kris Bensen is supposed to arrive today. Todd Zolecki has no word whether Anna is coming with him.

The big stories of the day include a puff piece on Tim Wakefield, noting how his two selfless acts - sacrificing an ALCS start to save the bullpen in '04 and giving up a spot on the World Series roster in '07 because of uncertain health - helped win championships. We also get a brief Phils connection with former Sox manager and current Phillies bench coach Jimy Williams.

I've always felt like the team came first. I remember Jimy Williams telling me one time, 'Wake, when you finally leave this game, the only thing you're going to take with you is your reputation.' It makes a lot of sense. The numbers aren't going to mean anything.

The thing that I want to take away from this game when I do leave, whenever that may be, is, was I a good teammate? I think that's the most important thing to me. Was I a good teammate? Was I helpful to the young kids? Was I a leader as a veteran? Things like that. Those are important to me.

Over in Clearwater, Ryan Howard didn't get to host his press conference, but he still spoke, saying all the right things.

I'm focused on trying to come out here and get better and get ready for the season. All the other stuff, all the outside stuff, that's outside. I'm here. I'm working. I'm going to try to be the best I can for the team.

It's nice that our players don't have to be answering for the actions of their teammates.

Oops: The little Benson blurb notes how Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder are bad fielders. In my Baseball Mogul game (haven't played much lately) I did sign Fielder to bring some youth and right-hand balance to the Utley-Howard heart of the order. But Fielder's a lefty - guess I have the picture of his dad engrained in my memory. Oh well, we'll roll with the three stud lefties, then see if we can get a good righty for Howard next year.

Fat chance

I'm not exactly thrilled that our ace has a bigger gut than me.

At least the Boston Herald report accompanying this photo says it's not as bad as it looks.

I'm sure he'll be lean and mean in October. {Fat chance.}

Still, maybe he shouldn't have had so many celebratory beers and should have drank white grape juice like Jamie Moyer.

Etc.: Watched about 10 minutes of my Valentine's present: the champs' DVD. It has me psyched. The intro connects the '04 and '07 championships and I'm ready for No. 3 in '08. {Who was it that claimed he doesn't need a championship every year??}

Christine said when she was ordering it, they kick in the '04 DVD for free. Who would order the '07 DVD who didn't already have the one from the great '04? And among the bonus features is a moose hunt with Papelbon. That's going to be great.

Phillies vs. Red Sox

Phillies fans: Show some pride in and respect for your team. No more selling your tickets to Mets fans and Red Sox fans to make a quick buck. If you don't like the Phillies, don't buy the tickets. Leave them for someone who will cheer for the home team. I will blame you if I hear anyone singing "Sweet Caroline" during the 8th inning in June.

Pitchers: Good, bad & ugly

So the battle to be the caboose of the Phils starting rotation is starting to shape up. It looks like the bane of last year's pitching staff, Adam Eaton, the $7 million man, will get the first shot.

He's not exactly instilling confidence that he'll be better or that he understands how bad last year was for him.

"I think we're all pitching for a job to some degree. I think they're making the pitching staff as strong as they can. Last year, we had six starters, and it turned out we had injuries. They learned. We all learned. Pitching depth is a factor in getting to the postseason. I think I'm a part of that factor. I'm going to go out and do my job."

Yeah, he's going to be a factor. One of six. Hopefully we've seen his worst.

"Last year was my worst year as a baseball player, so I'd like to forget it and move on. But obviously, you need to learn from your failures and need to correct some things and move forward."

If he falters again, the newest Phil, Kris Benson, should be ready to replace him midseason, which means, assuming he's fully healed from that little rotator cuff surgery, we'll see a league-average pitcher replacing a poor one.

Let's hope Cole Hamels can stay healthy (he promises he will) so these two dregs aren't called upon to be anything more than the fifth starter.

Benson's arrival, with his wife Anna, will be interesting. Among the other traits she brings to Philly, Anna doesn't like PETA. It'll be fun to see how she fits in with a decidedly pro-animal environment. Consider:

-- Mrs. Utley volunteers with the SPCA and rescues abused and maimed animals.
-- Pat Burrell has a bull dog named Elvis. Every year he dresses Elvis in a jersey and trots him out on the field for father-child day.
-- J-Roll has a couple of dogs too.

So if Jen Utley runs the Bensons out of town and Adam Eaton remains Adam Eaton, the Phils could need another starter.

I hear that Roidger Clemens could be available - he's sworn to Congress he didn't do roids so that should settle that. Jeez, give the guy a break, he wore "USA" across his chest for the country. That little conversation Andy Pettitte "misremembered" was really a show Clemens watched about some old guys taking HGH.

MSNBC's post-game summed it up well. Actually, all the pregame this week also said the same thing: "We learned nothing new. Clearly, one of these men is lying."

Spring stories

One thing I do like about spring training is all the stories on players to watch. Here’s the day’s roundup:

Although I've focused mostly on Manny, he's not the only Sox who wintered at the Athletes' Performance Institute. Also in the desert were Youks, Pedroia and a candidate to succeed him as Rookie of the Year: Clay Buchholz.

Buchholz was dominant in his brief stint with the Sox last year, including his no-hitter against the Orioles. As the Sox limped to the regular-season finish line, it seemed Clay would be the jolt needed for the playoffs until Theo and crew made the difficult decision to shut him down. Although the starting staff was sagging, Clay was nearing his innings limit and reported some shoulder fatigue. Buchholz, with a talking-to from Josh Beckett, vowed to be in better shape and ready for a complete 2008 season. After an off-season working out in Arizona, it looks like he's ready.

The Globe catches up with the apparent replacement for Curt Schilling. We learned that throwing a no-hitter is easier in real life than in a video game. I've thrown several no-nos in my living room, but none in Fenway.

Buchholz - who may be the fastest guy in the Sox system, including Ellsbury - has raced some unnamed Phillies prospect. No word whom he raced or whom won. But he won't be racing his centerfielder:

I've already been told that0 I'll be fined if I race against Ellsbury.

Meanwhile, No. 2 starter, Dice-K, also vows to be better prepared for the vigorous 162-game schedule. He better be stronger to carry that little mullet he's now sporting:


And hopefully an end to snoring solves the enigma of Craig Hansen.

It's almost time

Normally at this time, Greg and I would probably be taking a walk around the neighborhood. Currently it is 20 degrees outside and feels like 9 degrees. Summer seems a far time off, let alone spring. But I'm excited. I know it's not long now until one of the best times of the year - spring training.

Greg and I differ about this. Every year I start counting down the days until pitchers and catchers report (this Thursday!), but he doesn't care. Tell me when it's October, he says, that's when the real season starts. Statements like that make me wonder if he has become what he has always disliked, an apologist for the front-runner team that is despised by many. [I might be more excited if I could see or hear my team beyond a crackly Connecticut radio station. October's the only time I can see the Sox regularly.]

I'm the opposite. I can't wait for the first televised game (March 1 against the Yankees). I love the games on the radio when it gets to the late innings and Harry Kalas has no clue who's batting (well, all I can tell you is that his name is Smith, he wears No. 79 and he's a righty). I read everything I can about what's happening in Florida, wishing I could be there. Maybe I'll be able to convince Greg someday that we need to take a trip to Clearwater and Fort Myers.

When spring training begins, it means the long, cold winter is almost over. The days start getting a little longer, and it usually starts to warm a little bit. And even though I'm typically a sarcastic realist, I'm an eternal optimist when it comes to the Phillies. At times it may not seem that way, but every single year, I have no doubt that the Phillies will be in the playoffs come the fall. Last year it happened for the first time in a very long time. There is no reason why it shouldn't happen again this year.

I have never been so excited for a season to get under way. For the first time, we have a season ticket plan. We'll be spending beautiful Sunday afternoons and warm summer evenings at the ballpark. Opening Day is still seven weeks away, but with camp beginning this week, the days will start to feel a little less cold.

The real 2004 World Series MVP

Earlier this week I said Curt, probably more than any other member of the ’04 Sox, deserves pretty much a free pass from criticism because he risked his career and body to win that most important championship.

But another pitcher risked his body for us that year - Keith Foulke. Now, he didn’t help things by saying fans who boo him work at Burger King when he struggled the next year, but I’ve always felt he’s got a bum rap from fans.

He may have been the most valuable Red Sox during the ’04 postseason, pitching in 11 of 14 games – yielding one run and 15 hits and walks combined in 14 innings. He logged 257 pitches that postseason.

That’s an often overlooked performance from 2004 from which Foulke hasn’t recovered – he was awful in 2005 and mediocre the next year. Last year, he attempted to pitch for Cleveland but retired before spring training got under way. I hope he finds more success in Oakland.

Another roider!?!

I can't take it anymore.

Another day, another report of someone else taking the juice. This time there's an admission.

OK, it's not a real admission, and Booker T isn't the name of the day in the world of steriod scandal. The latest revelation is that Debbie Clemens did the juice to prepare for a bikini shot in the 2003 SI swimsuit edition.

This week we've seen bloody gauze, syringes, beer cans and now this. The worst part is we probably won't ever get a straight answer. Who can you really trust: the egomaniac who's been full of it for his 20-year career or the guy who saves other people's medical-type waste for years?

I also keep going back to an idea Bill Simmons proposed recently: What if Clemens started juicing when he was still a Red Sox?

With all the craziness swirling around this story, it seems more likely that Clemens' Boston finish was tainted by more than just being out-of-shape and unmotivated.

Here's my memory of his ending:

On Sept. 18, 1996, I was in my dorm room doing whatever a college sophomore does on a random weekday night, when across the ticker comes news that Roger Clemens is pitching a great game.

Being the ancient times when the Internet was still dawning, I waited for ESPN to interrupt its regularly scheduled programming to see if Clemens could match the 20 K game he had 10 years earlier. He did.

I took it as a sign that Clemens - who besides the strike-shortened 1994 hadn't had a good year since 1992 - was back and would have a respectable ending to his career. It was such a deep moment I popped my favorite mix tape in my Walkman (remember, ancient times of 1996) and headed for a courtyard where I could think alone.

Also fresh in my mind was one of my best in-park experiences a month earlier when Clemens shut out the Angels in what proved to be his last home shutout in Boston.

On Aug. 1, after a drubbing by the Royals, Clemens stood at 4-11 with a 4.36 ERA, 9.16 K/9 and a 1.42 WHIP, averaging 6.8 innings per start. In his last 10 Red Sox starts, he averaged 7.7 innings and went 6-2 with a 2.08 ERA, striking out 11.24 per 9 and a posting a 1.12 WHIP.

Was Aug. 1 the end of the Rocket and the start of the Roider? Could be, but thankfully, even if it were, it didn't affect championships.

G.I. Manny-san's ready for Ivan Drago

While we hope against the odds for a good farewell season for Curt, there are some postitive vibes from another one of the two-time champs. When last we left Manny, he was in the desert training to face off against the Empire, like Rocky hit Siberia to train for his fight against Drago.

Now we see it has worked. Not only is Manny buff, he has learned Japanese and is ready to rock.

(If the Patriots had Manny on the field, he would have taken down Eli before he got the pass off to David Tyree.)

The Boston Globe has a photo shoot of Manny's workout. I can do that too - just with a quarter of the weights and without my face in some dude's crotch.

Pay up: It seems Sports Weekly owes the swear jar. In its most recent team notes, it has a listing for the "Tampa Bay Devil Rays" and a Web link to devilrays.mysportspage.com - which doesn't even load. Then, when you go to mysportspage.com and click through a listing of teams, it seems the Blue Jays have been mysteriously contracted.

We're gonna see the champs! {The Phillies!}

No, the WORLD champions.

For the first time since 2006, the Red Sox venture to Philadelphia for a regular-season series. And we'll be at all three games with live coverage. (OK, maybe not so live because they're weekday games and I have a job.)

Thanks to Baseball Reference, I learned that since 1901, the Boston Americans/Boston Red Sox lead the Philadelphia Phillies/Philadelphia Blue Jays 31 to 18. I wonder how many of those Christine and I attended - I hope to figure that out before the June interleague battle.

Unfortunately, Curt might not participate.

From an on-field standpoint, no big deal. That's why we have the best pitching prospect ready and waiting to throw his second career no-hitter.

But it's just sad that this might be the end.



I know he can be annoying. But the man bled for us and did what no other Sox could do in the great '04. More than any other player from that team, he's earned a pass from criticism for as long as he wears the uniform.

After the '07 championship, I hoped he'd retire on top or sign with the Phils. I just wanted the World Series hero (who's done more than anyone to kill off the Empire dating back to his D-Back days) to walk off on his own terms.

I didn't think he'd pitch Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS, so maybe he'll prove me wrong again.

Baseball's back

Lots of baseball to ponder while I try to order tickets for the champs' June invasion of Philadelphia.

Johan's officially a Met. Santana, usually dominant in the second half of the season, actually started preparing in 2007 for his new team, which had a historic collapse last year:

"Santana, a two-time AL Cy Young Award winner, was just 15-13 last year and lost seven of his last 11 decisions as his ERA rose from 2.60 to 3.33 ERA, his highest since 2001. He allowed a career-high 33 homers , the most in the AL."

His new teammate, David Wright, isn't saying anything stupid, but it seems '07 will linger a bit in the Queens.

"Somewhat it allows us to officially, kind of completely shut the book on '07. It kind of takes away from, I guess, kind of the aura of what happened at the end of last year. We can kind of put that behind us. And when your superstars have a fresh attitude, looking ahead rather than behind, I think that that rubs off on the rest of the team."

Meanwhile, the Phillies won't let the Santana signing go unanswered. They're interested in Kris Benson. When did Chuck LaMar become a scout for the Phillies? With Allan Baird working for the Red Sox, why are our teams stockpiling former small market GMs?

Looks like Pat the Bat's making the Hall of Fame. More interesting is that joining him will be the punter of the Super Bowl champs, Jeff Feagles, who might be my favorite football player right now. He's been fun to watch and listen to as he's enjoyed his first Super Bowl trip and victory after spending 20 years in the NFL.

But I'll always remember the old Nintendo classic Tecmo Super Bowl. The game didn't have license to use a few of the players' names, so there would be a random player called "LB 49ers" or something like that. I'd always get confused whether Feagles (then an Eagle) was real or fake.

Finally, this is disgusting. Baseball cards are supposed to be historical documents. Blech.

Swear jar

I refuse to call the Expos the Nationals. Christine will probably refuse to call the Tampa Bay Devil Rays the Tampa Bay Rays.

We might be in trouble this year when our teams play these division lightweights because the D-Rays are going after bloggers who don't respect the new name.

It turns out the team's front office has a sort of swear jar for employees who forget the organization is no longer devilish.

At least it's for charity, and David Pinto of Baseball Musings is a good sport about it.

Not-so-good sports: Patriots and Giants fans. I root for both teams and can't decide which fan base is reacting worse to the game. Patriots fans: You got beat, deal with it. Giants fans: Your team won an amazing game, cherish the win and don't worry about whom you beat. {Ha! This coming from the person who will. not. shut. up. when the Red Sox beat the Yankees. Or about anything involving the Yankees.}

Game over

Wow.

What a game.

More reasons why I love sports and why I can't predict them.

Yesterday, Christine asked me to predict the score. I was stumped, but mumbled something along the lines of 30-23 Patriots.

She got a feeling - 17. She didn't know if that would be the winning or losing score, just that 17 would be involved. Shortly before the game I told her I'd even give her credit if Plaxico Buress wound up being MVP.

He wasn't. But sure enough No. 17 caught the final touchdown pass that ended the game 17-14 Giants.

Too bad that play didn't start on the Patriots 17-yard line. It was only a 12-yard gain - guess Eli didn't get the message.

I did wind up rooting for the Giants last night. Bummed that we have to hear the Dolphins whine every time a team comes close to being undefeated, but I got caught up in the underdog and my own rooting traditions. And to relate this back to baseball, I heard a report that some Giants fans were walking the streets of New York last night chanting Red Sox suck, like Patriots fans were shouting about the Empire in 2001. Maybe we really have switched places.

Game on

Outside smells like a freezer, and the grass and sidewalks are coated with frost. I'm now in the mood to watch some football played in the desert.

This week, I've talked football, wrestling and competitive eating. Today, Jim Salisbury, I'm sure to Christine's gratitude, takes me back to the basics, err, baseball. He's got 42, or XLII, nuggets to tide over baseball fans who have to sit through one more football game and a few more days before spring training.

Some of the more interesting points:

For Christine:
VIII. The Phillies' equipment truck leaves for Florida on Thursday.

A decade ago, I was very happy that the Sox traded Jamie Moyer for Darren Bragg:
X. Unless Roger Clemens or Julio Franco surface this season - and that's doubtful - Jamie Moyer will be the oldest player in the majors. Moyer turned 45 in November. He has 230 wins, 196 coming after he was released three times in three years in the early 1990s.

This is why Billy Beane's a genius and the new guy in Minnesota's just a boy playing with men:
XIII. Santana and Dan Haren were the two top pitchers to be dealt for prospects this winter. The prevailing wisdom is that Oakland made a better score for Haren than the Twins made for Santana. The A's got six players from Arizona for Haren, including Venezuelan outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, who has game-breaking offensive skills, and lefthanded pitcher Brett Anderson.
XIV. The rebuilding A's also nabbed two good arms - Gio Gonzalez and Fautino de los Santos - from the White Sox for Nick Swisher.

Who pointed out this before?
XV. Yes, that's the same Gio Gonzalez who came from the White Sox to the Phillies for Jim Thome then was sent back for Freddy Garcia. The White Sox have now traded Gonzalez twice. The 22-year-old lefty led the minors with 185 strikeouts in 150 innings in double A last season.

Another reason Johan's a Met:
XXI. Baseball America ranks the Phillies' farm system 22d out of 30 teams.
However:
XXII. The Phils have a chance to do some significant restocking of their system in the June draft, provided they're willing to spend on top talent. They have three picks in the top 50 and six in the top 107.

I love this guy's name for a relief pitcher, a former Sox farmhand:
XXIV. Rule 5 pick Lincoln Holdzkom will be an intriguing newcomer in Phillies camp. The 6-foot-5 righthander has the kind of power arm teams dream of, but he has been unable to stick in one organization, partly due to attitude issues.

Sorry Christine:
XXV. There's not much interest in Wes Helms, so look for him to be in camp for a while with the Phils.

And I used to think they were chokers.
XL. In Charlie Manuel's three seasons as manager, the Phillies are an NL-best 133-89 after the all-star break.

That's all I got - enjoy the big game. I'm taking Jack with the points. And though I've got a nagging feeling the super-charged, early-season Patriots will show up, I think the Giants will at least cover. Goodbye to the '72 Dolphins.

Baseball Mogul: Finally finished year two with the Phils. Got them back to the playoffs, this time as a wild card. Three and out. I've already started retooling. I've signed Scott Olsen to a pretty good deal. And I'm considering a radio-caller type move: trading Adam Dunn to break up my three lefties and replacing him in left with Prince Fielder. Christine's wary of putting the big guy in left, but I promised if I do so I won't trade Ryan Howard. (This offseason anyway.)

Wide right

I still don't know who I'm rooting for tomorrow, but over the past two weeks I've watched hours of interviews, hype and analyses, and I'm amply prepared for the game.


I enjoyed the Friday-before-Super Bowl tradition of listening to Wing Bowl - Joey Chestnut repeated as champ. I've always been more of a Kobayashi fan, but I must admit Joey's starting to win me over. And I was also rooting a bit for El Wingador, though the odds were stacked.


And the other day, the NFL Network played what was probably the first Super Bowl I sat down and watched every play - the 1991 Giants' nail biter over the Bills.


I was a late bloomer to football, and for some reason this Super Bowl was a quiet night in my house. I watched it all with my Dad, hooked on every play. For a Sox fan in a Yankee house, there aren't many opportunities to be rooting with your Dad during a major sporting event. When Scott Norwood missed his kick, there was a sort of joy that I haven't felt again until two weeks ago when I called my dad after Lawrence Tynes made his kick.

At times like these, I think maybe I should have just been sucked into the Empire for all this father-son stuff. Yeah, right. Dad and I can bond just fine busting each other's chops over the Red Sox and Yankees. (Until Mom or Christine tells me to knock it off.)


Back to baseball: Johan's got his deal. Tito's happy. I hope Johan doesn't strain his neck watching the balls fly out of Citizens Bank.

Shane-O's a Mac

He can shag flies. He can create Hawaiian drama. He can drag a tarp over the Colorado infield during a monsoon.

But did you know he can sing and get a pop in the wrestling ring? Yup, the Phils' Shane Victorino delighted the locals at Monday Night Raw this week. (I've always thought he looks a little like the Rock.) Cover your ears and listen to it.