Thanks Manny, but the season restarts tomorrow

The defending champs are little more than two-thirds through the long season. They stand three games behind the Rays (both teams are off tonight) and a game ahead of the Yankees and Twins for the Wild Card (both of them are losing tonight).

With the three-way trade with the Pirates and Dodgers, the Red Sox gave up future Hall of Famer Manny Ramirez, Craig Hansen, Brandon Moss and $7 million to get Jason Bay. It seems like a stiff price to dump one of the greatest sluggers in history. But I guess it's clear that Theo Epstein et al felt the playoff chances weren't good with Manny's mood dragging down the team.

I'm OK with it all. The Manny Ramirez era was fun and, of course, yielded the first two World Championships in most of our lifetimes. It's easy to forget that when things end poorly. But the team is bigger than its stars, and the new guy who'll be playing left field for the Red Sox ain't too shabby.

Jason Bay has a .890 career OPS. Yes, it's not Manny's .999, but he's seven years younger and commands less than half the pay as Manny. He will be better in the field, will be better in the clubhouse and will free up money for the Sox when assembling the roster for 2009.

But that's a ways off. We still have work to do in 2008, and I'm sure Bay is excited going from a team that's had a .438 winning percentage in his tenure to one expected to win it all. Welcome to the show.

Shhhhh: The Phillies beat the Nationals 8-4 tonight. That's five in a row for the Phillies. (I won't tell them, if you won't.) They now have a one game lead over the idle Mets. The offense was clicking - all starting position players had a hit - and Kyle Kendrick gave up two earned in 6 2/3 innings. I think Rudy Seanez - five earned in his last 7 1/3 innings over his last eight games - isn't long for this team.

With five straight against the bottom half of the division in the Braves and Nationals, the Phillies have a tougher stretch ahead - the Cardinals and Marlins, whose big pickup today was former Phillie Arthur Rhodes. Then, they host the Pirates with Moss and Hansen next weekend. Manny and the Dodgers come to Philly at the end of August, but that's the one Sunday game I have to miss this season because of a business trip.

Williams, Yaz, Rice, Manny ... Jason Bay?

I'm nervous.

I can remember watching the television in shock at the 2004 trading deadline and seeing that Nomar Garciaparra was traded - not for Matt Clement, as was rumored - but for Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz. I knew Nomar had to go, but I thought he'd fetch more than an inferior shortstop and a no-hit first baseman.

Last year, I thought the Sox cinched the World Series by getting Eric Gagne.

Point is, I'm not the best at judging deadline deals when they happen. Turns out a lot of professionals aren't either.

It's looking like a three-way trade is possible, if not already done, by some reports, that Manny will be a Marlin, and we'll have Jason Bay, the pride of Canada, playing left field in front of the Green Monster - a spot largely tended by Hall of Famers for the past half-century.

If this is it, I thank Manny. I'm upset at some of the grief he caused, but I can't forget that he was a vital cog to two World Championships - including MVP of the great 2004 World Series.

But I also can't forget that these championships were as much a result of the complete organization, not just the star players. The front office has done some unconventional moves (see: Nomar, July 2004), but they've brought respect and winning to an organization that was pretty much patronized until 2003. The Red Sox survived losing Nomar, Pedro Martinez and Johnny Damon. It will survive without Manny.

Some fans would take this trade - coinciding with the worst stretch of the season - as time to say "wait till next year." Screw that. I've seen this team come back from 0-3 against the Yankees and 1-3 against the Indians in their last two ALCSs. They're still defending champions until/unless they're eliminated. I expect them to regroup, reload and come out swinging.

It would have been nice for Josh Beckett to start the charge tonight, but he was shelled and the Angels beat the Red Sox 9-2, completing the sweep. Hope they're not overconfident when we play them in October.

On the bright side: The Phillies, behind a typically sturdy Jamie Moyer start, beat the Nationals 8-5 to reclaim first place by a half game as the Marlins beat the Mets. Moyer had career win number 240.

A tale of two pitchers

The Phillies and Red Sox each had a starter going tonight who has been woefully inconsistent this year. Brett Myers pitched well; Clay Buchholz didn't, and his teammates were nearly no-hit.

Good job by young Brett - seven-plus innings, four hits, one walk and two strikeouts. He gave up an unearned run. I would like to see some more strikeouts, but all in all, a promising start. He even pitched into the 8th but was lifted after Chase Utley muffed a double play. But since Utley's two-run homer accounted for all the Phillies runs, we can forgive him. Phillies 2, Nationals 1.

I won't proclaim Myers "back" until I see a couple more starts like this.

Clay Buchholz, however, could really use a start like this. Facing the Angels, the best team in the league, even before the addition of Mark Teixeira tonight, young Clay was rocked for five earned in 6 1/3. The Sox lost 6-2 and didn't get a hit until there was one out in the 9th. Good job by John Lackey, bad job by the defending champs. (I'm getting the feeling I should start using that term more often because, before long, it may no longer apply.)

Uninspired

Daisuke Matsuzaka threw a clunker, and despite several rallies late in the game, the best the Red Sox could do was make it close enough for Francisco Rodriguez to notch another save in his quest to make Bobby Thigpen's career irrelevant.

After coming in from a walk, I thought the game was in hand as Dice had a 2-1 lead in the 6th. But of course he couldn't get another out and gave up five more runs before yielding to Justin Masterson, who allowed one in two innings.

The hitters kept trying to climb back into it but couldn't get over the hump against Angels relievers Jose Arredondo, Scott Shields and K-Rod. The AL-leading Angels 7, the Wild Card-leading Red Sox 5. At least the Rays and Yankees also lost, keeping our division deficit at one and Wild Card lead at two.

Manny Ramirez kept up his contract drive, going 2-3 with a run and three RBIs. He hit a meaningless homer off Rodriguez in the 9th. Oh, and Pat Gillick said no way to a Manny for Pat Burrell swap. Wonder if Charlie Manuel nixed that idea because Jimmy Rollins has been enough distraction for the Phillies.

Best news of the day: Now pitching for your hometown IronPigs, Adam Eaton. OK, they haven't announced for sure that he's worthy of pitching in AAA, but fans in Philly won't be chanting "You suck Eaton" for a while.

The Marlins beat the Mets, so with an off-day, the Phils are a half game behind the Mets and a half game ahead of the Fish.

[Photo credit: Associated Press]

Thunder and lightning

After waiting out a nasty electrical storm for two hours, the Phillies bats thundered back to beat the Braves 12-10 for a much-needed series win.

It was sort of neat watching the lightning and hearing the thunder from a distance - not so much when it forced us to squeeze in with thousands trying to find the few dry spots in the 300 level. (Citizens Bank Park doesn't provide much coverage in the upper level during the rain.)

The thunder started exactly when the Braves scored their first run in the 1st. The lightning started in the middle of the first when the scoreboard played its Peco Power plays. During the delay, they showed some of the Arena Bowl. (The Philly Soul won).

Enough about the weather - there was a pretty electric game on the field. All week I felt bad that I labeled Joe Blanton a sucky Phillies pitcher after only one start, especially since there were some bad calls and he had a long layoff between starts. No excuses today for giving up two first inning runs. He settled down in the 2nd, helped by nice plays from Eric Bruntlett and Pat Burrell, before he was lifted after the rain delay.

Play resumed in the bottom of the 2nd, and Blanton's replacement didn't get a warm greeting when he was announced as a pinch hitter. But Adam Eaton walked to load the bases, leaving the boos for Jimmy Rollins, who struck out to end the inning. Eaton, helped by the first of three Phillies double plays, pitched a pretty decent 3rd inning. But in the 4th, he gave up two homers, putting the Braves up 5-0. The crowd, which was serenading left fielder Gregor Blanco, changed its tune from "You suck Blanco" to "You suck Eaton." Pitching coach Rich Dubee huddled with the infielders to determine whether Eaton sucks. They decided he does.

It felt like it was going to be an awful game, but the Phillies offense returned for the second straight day in the bottom of the 4th. Chris Coste hit a two-run homer. So Taguchi got another pinch hit, and Jimmy Rollins walked before Shane Victorino hit a three-run homer to tie it up. Pat Burrell hit a solo shot in the 5th to help the Phils take the lead. That inning ended when Chris Coste scorched one back to former Red Sox Julian Tavarez, who snared the liner between his legs.

The Phillies appeared to blow it open by scoring five more in the 6th, capped by Jayson Werth's two-run homer. But there was a scare before that. On a single by Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino was about to be thrown out at the plate, but he hit Brian McCann hard enough to knock the ball loose and leave the catcher unconscious. (He should be OK.) Victorino stayed by home plate, and the crowd gave McCann a cheer as he walked off the field. In the 7th, Jimmy Rollins hit a solo homer, putting the Phillies up 12-5 in an apparent laugher. But Rudy Seanez didn't get the joke, and in the 8th, he gave up four runs while recording only one out. Ryan Madson allowed one more before ending the inning, giving Brad Lidge another save opportunity, which he converted.

Observations from the stands: Wags the Dog made an appearance promoting an upcoming Wiggles show at the Spectrum. It was like the Phillies were taunting us that Elvis wasn't on the field (I'll get to that in a minute). ... Also appearing pre-game for some reason was Miss Philadelphia Brintha Vasagar. ... The anthem was done by Philly's own Ron Ali. Never heard of him. He had a nice baritone voice, but took a little long. ... The Orioles finally won on a Sunday. ... When things looked bad for the Phillies, I heard my first E-A-G-L-E-S chant of the season at the park. Why? ... Blanco acknowledged the fans who jeered him all game. ... Right after the 4th when Victorino hit his three-run homer to tie the game, he was on the scoreboard wishing the fans a happy birthday. What can't the man do? (This, too, I'll explain further in a minute.) ... If there's something Shane can't do, the Phanatic's friend from Gotham City, who looks like Batman, is here to help.

The game before the game: We were at the game way too early. I wanted to get Christine a jersey, but their women's selection is awful unless you want pink, green or some other non-Phillies color. People: Make jerseys just like the players wear, but in sizes women wear. What's the problem?

Walking to our seats, we heard them announce the Phillies father-children game. We had no idea this was scheduled for today. We rushed to our section, knowing that this means Elvis, Burrell's bull dog, is in the house. At least he was in past years, but there was no sign of him today. The kiddies won a lot to nothing. (They don't keep score and the pros didn't get their at-bats.) Kolt Myers knocked a few off his pop, just like the rest of the league. I was surprised that Eaton's little daughter wasn't booed during introductions. If this were held post-game, I bet she would have been. Victorino did most of the pitching, but he wasn't too tired to be the star of the real game. In addition to knocking out McCann, he brushed back his son in the exhibition game.

Red Sox: They're up 7-2 in the 5th, trying to avert a sweep by the Yankees. Manny Ramirez, who's apparently tired of getting paid nearly $20 million per year and winning championships, decided to play well tonight.

Seems like old times

We missed the drama today to visit with some friends (thanks for the good eats and nice afternoon, Brian and Liza). The Phillies had an old-fashioned comeback, and the Red Sox are having a really old-fashioned, embarrassing series against the Yankees.

When we first checked on the score, it was 9-3 Braves. Cole Hamels had just given up nine runs in the 4th inning. We joked that young Cole was tired of having his teammates cost him wins, so he was taking matters into his own hands. But the Phils came back with seven runs in the 5th, capped by a three-run, pinch-hit home run by Greg Dobbs to take a 10-9 lead, making reliever Adam Eaton a victor once Brad Lidge nailed down the save, redeeming himself after last night's debacle. I'd like to say that I hope this is the start of something good, but I'm getting tired of saying that - especially when they couldn't capitalize on Tuesday's comeback against the Mets.

I do hope that Joe Blanton has an impressive home debut tomorrow and that we can see a win and be in our car before the thunderstorms arrive.

Red Sox: Things are starting to look bleak. (I know, no complaining for five years after winning a championship). A truly awful performance by Tim Wakefield and the bullpen in a 10-3 loss to the Empire, which is now just one game behind us. Manny Ramirez played. He's not suspended. He's not traded. I don't care. I just want resolution.

Reminder: Watch the Orioles tomorrow. I can't decide if I'm rooting for or against them. ... Jimmy Rollins' MTV Cribs episode debuts tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.

Where's the reset button?

Today was one of those days - personally, professionally and especially baseball-y - I wish I could have a do-over for.

Josh Beckett had a decent outing, but was outpitched by Joba Chamberlain. The Red Sox lost 1-0, allowing the Yankees to climb within two. The Rays are playing late tonight.

I disagreed with the Yankees' decision to move Chamberlain to the rotation. Why mess with the shutdown bullpen he and Mariano Rivera provided? I thought it would be great for the rivalry to have Joba and Jonathan Papelbon duking it out at the end of games. Plus, I thought Kyle Farnsworth would be a disaster at Fenway Park in a close game. Tonight looked to be an example of that. In the 8th, the Sox had two on with one out against him, but in comes Mariano to shut the door. He faced six batters in his five-out save: three backward K's, a weak ground out, a fly out and a shallow single. Blech.

It appeared as if the Phillies would also go down 1-0 tonight to the Braves. As Christine says, when Kyle Kendrick gives up one run in six innings, you should win, but the story is that they lost 8-2 after heading into the 9th trailing 1-0. Brad Lidge came in, and he got beat around worse than at the All-Star game: five earned runs, four hits and a walk without an out. His ERA nearly doubled to 2.36. Clay Condrey allowed two more runs. Ryan Howard hit a clutch two-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to put the Phils on the board. Double blech.

Both NL East competitors won, so the Phils are again tied, but this time for second place with the Marlins, two games behind the Mets.

Just take the bus, Jimmy

The Phillies lost 3-1 this afternoon, ceding first place to the Mets who hold the spot by themselves for the first time since April 19. But the story of the day, of course, is that for the second time in less than two months, MVP Jimmy Rollins was benched by Charlie Manuel - this time because he had to drive himself to Shea Stadium and was late for the game.

Back in June, when he was benched mid-game for not hustling, it was a cute story: Manager has the guts to discipline a star player. Star player handles it gracefully. Team keeps rolling. But today is just odd. J-Roll said he understood the punishment but disagreed with it. And yes, it was a rare noontime start, but why risk being late when you need to win a series against your rival with first place on the line?

It just has a bad feeling to it. I'm starting to think the Phils, who've been middling for some time now, may not be able to pull off this one.

Well, at least the Phillies host the Braves this weekend. They own Atlanta this year (8-1).

Now it's a competition

Last night's great win was wiped out today by losing to the Mets, 6-3. Last year, the Phillies wouldn't let the Mets rebound like this, so does tonight say that the Mets have better character than last year or that Brett Myers is officially done? He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on five walks and three hits with only two strikeouts in a no-decision. In the 1st, he gave up two runs on four walks and no runs. Not exactly the message-sending performance needed from young Brett. The Phillies are again tied with the Mets for first.

Red Sox: They certainly didn't play as if it were an afternoon getaway day in Seattle, needing 12 innings to complete the sweep of the Mariners, 6-3. Clay Buchholz pitched all right, but we're still awaiting better things from him. Justin Masterson made his relief debut with 2.2 perfect innings.

The Sox, trailing the Rays by a half game and three in front of the Yankees, get an off day tomorrow before heading home, where they'll hopefully end this little resurgence by the Empire. Good and bad news on the injury front: David Ortiz is due back Friday, but Manny Ramirez is day-to-day with a bum knee.

That's more like it

If you were in a coma and missed the Phillies-Mets rivalry in 2007, tonight's game was a pretty good replica.

After Johan Santana gave the Mets fans the kind of "signature" performance they'd been clamoring for all day on WFAN and Joe Blanton was officially inducted into the realm of sucky Phillies pitchers, the Mets led 5-2 in the 9th.

The Phillies were at a disadvantage because Billy Wagner was unavailable because of a muscle spasm. Despite the absence of their favorite whipping boy, the Phillies rallied. Jayson Werth, Greg Dobbs and Shane Victorino all singled to load the bases for Carlos Ruiz. Chooch hit a slow roller in front of second base. Jose Reyes picked it up, but Victorino beat him to the base and everyone was safe, 5-3 Mets.

Up next, pinch-hitter So Taguchi - the league's best pinch hitter last year, 0-16 in such situations this year. He doubled, tying the game. Jimmy Rollins, a fan favorite at Shea, doubled in two more runs and moved to third on a Chase Utley groundout. After Pat Burrell was intentionally walked, Ryan Howard hit one that bounced off the pitcher, allowing J-Roll to score, Phils up 8-5.

Brad Lidge allowed a run in the 9th, but nailed down the win. First-place Phils 8, second-place (tied with the Marlins) Mets 6.

Red Sox: Behind a good performance by ace Jon Lester, the Sox won last night in Seattle and can pull to a half game of the Rays tonight. They're up 1-0 in the 4th. Daisuke Matsuzaka made it through three innings with only 36 pitches.

[Photo credit: Associated Press]

At least we don't root for the Orioles

We keep a box on the side of the blog listing the Phillies' record in games we have gone to this year (so far, every Sunday home game and the three against the Red Sox). We've had good luck catching winners in Philadelphia in past years, even during the Terry Francona era when they were less than contenders. But this year, they're a pedestrian 5-6 when we're in the park: 4-4 on Sundays, 1-2 against the Sox.

If we lived near Baltimore and blogged about our experiences with our Sunday package at Camden Yards, the record would be 1-6. The Orioles, a better-than-expected 47-50 this year, haven't won on a Sunday since April 6, the first of the season. Including road games, they're 1-15 on Sundays. That's a .062 winning percentage. Remove those games, and their winning percentage jumps to .567, which would be good enough to vie for the wild card.

They've even started to entice fans to come to Sunday games by offering free tickets if they actually witness a winner. I'm going to start watching the scoreboard for them when we're at Citizens Bank. This Sunday, the O's host the Angels.

Tonight's action: The Phillies are off, recovering from Charlie Manuel's tongue-lashing and preparing for a series in New York that will feature the Philly debut of Joe Blanton and re-debut of Brett Myers with first place on the line.

After being swept by the Angels, the Red Sox are playing in Seattle past my bedtime. They trail the Rays by 1.5 games.

Next time, bring in Eaton

"I've never been so glad to see Clay Condrey come into a game," Christine said in the 11th inning after the Phillies new long man, Adam Eaton, was warming up.

"They should have brought in Eaton," Christine said after Condrey gave up a lead-off single to Alfredo Amezago.

Condrey then walked Hanley Ramirez and hesitated on a sacrifice bunt to load the bases. Jorge Cantu then singled off the wall to end the game. For a moment, it looked like it could have duplicated the walk-off grand slam Dan Uggla had against the Phillies earlier this year. Instead, it was Marlins 3, Phillies 2.

Cole Hamels had another tough-luck outing - two runs, four hits, two walks and seven strikeouts in eight innings.

Condrey and the Phillies offense aren't the only ones getting blame around here. Christine and I are heading to Atlantic City tonight to celebrate the sixth year of officially uniting the SoxandPhils. When Hamels was up 2-1, I mentioned how quick the game was going. I then said I jinxed it and it would go into extra innings. Sure enough, Cody Ross tied it up with a home run.

The Phils have again lost their sole share of first. They're tied with the Mets, and the Marlins are just a half game out. Up next: Phillies at Mets, starting Tuesday.

Red Sox: Tim Wakefield gets the ball tonight with hopes of ending this little losing streak against the Angels, the best team in baseball. We'll miss the game because of dinner plans - we'll catch up tomorrow. The Rays, who won last night to take a 1.5 game lead, are losing today. The Red Sox-Angels game starts at 6 p.m. Eastern. This time slot for Sunday Night Baseball is an annual occurrence because the ESPYs are aired the Sunday after the All-Star game. Last year, the Phillies played in that game and notched a milestone - the first franchise with 10,000 losses - on national television.

A pair of duds

We took Christine's mom out for her birthday, so we missed most of the action. We kept an occasional eye on the Phillies, who were going back and forth with the Marlins. By the time we got home, the Marlins had a commanding lead and won 9-5. In the top of the 9th, the Phils loaded the bases for Ryan Howard to strike out and Pat Burrell to ground out.

Kyle Kendrick and Rudy Seanez had poor performances today. And even though Seanez has pretty decent numbers for the season, he is Christine's pick to get the ax when Joe Blanton is activated for Tuesday's start. We figure after Blanton starts Tuesday, he would be lined up to make his home debut against the Braves next Sunday. This season (including an exhibition game, which isn't included in our yearly standings) we have seen Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer four times each, Kendrick three times, Adam Eaton once and now it appears that Blanton will be next. We still haven't seen young Brett Myers pitch this year.

Red Sox: After getting embarrassed by the Angels 11-3 last night, the second-place Sox lost again 4-2. They have to be able to score more on the road. And Josh Beckett shouldn't give up four runs in the 7th. He did pitch an economical 107-pitch eight-inning complete game. Whoopee!

Competition: They play tonight. A Rays win puts the Red Sox 1.5 games out; a Mets win gives them a share of first.

Alone again at the top

A 4-2 win over the Marlins put a game between the Phillies and the Mets, who lost against the Reds tonight. It was a crisp win: six innings from Jamie Moyer and another shut-down performance from the bullpen. It was a good way to resume play after the All-Star break.

Besides hitting his 29th home run, Ryan Howard drew an intentional walk. He's been torrid for the last three weeks, but before tonight, teams have opted to walk him only once in that stretch. He has only 10 for the season, but I bet that pace will soon pick up.

But I'm burying the big news: The Phillies have made the most significant mid-season bullpen acquisition since ... Eric Gagne last year. Adam Eaton is now a reliever. Too bad that Billy Wagner had to whine about the bullpen set-up, putting the Phillies pitchers farther away from the taunting fans in Ashburn Alley. I bet Eaton would love to chat with the fans during the next homestand.

Red Sox: Clay Buchholz didn't start off too well. They're down 4-3 against the Angels in the 4th on the West Coast. We'll pick up the pieces tomorrow.

Some quiet off day

[Correction added July 18]

With neither the Red Sox nor the Phillies among the eight teams playing as baseball kicks back into action after the All-Star break, we were expecting a slow news day. WRONG!

The big news is the Phillies landed their starter. After hinting that they would be willing to spend money on pitching, they landed Joe Blanton. Oh boy, I'm ecstatic. A guy with an ERA near 5 and a WHIP close to 1.5. I hope Cole Hamels doesn't mind moving down a slot for this guy. When I heard the news, I thought maybe they got a bargain because he's having an off-year. Nope. They gave up two of their top four prospects. There are reasons why they write books about Billy Beane.

On the bright side, Blanton is only 27 and has been able to put up league average numbers for 3.5 seasons during his formative years. The deal also means fewer innings for Adam Eaton. And going back to last year's mid-season acquisitions, I yawned when the Phillies got Kyle Lohse and wondered if the Red Sox would ever give up another run after the 6th inning with Eric Gagne joining Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon in the bullpen.

Serious note: They've finally concluded the grim report on John Marzano's demise. I'm no doctor, but it sounds like it was painful for Johnny Marz.

No way to transition: Manny thinks the Sox stabbed him in the back somehow. I'm tired of Manny's nonsense, so you can go elsewhere for interpretation, spin or psychoanalysis. I just wonder whether the fact that John Henry responded means the top brass is getting tired of it and is seriously considering not picking up his option for next season.

A SoxandPhils legend retires: Hideo Nomo - a Red Sox in 2001 and a Phillie from Oct. 28-29, 1999 - couldn't hack it with the Royals this year and apparently couldn't latch on with another team. He'll be missed. OK, he won't - just seems like the right thing to say.

Phillies share first: The Mets won tonight, meaning for the first time since June 1, the Phillies no longer have sole possession of first place. They're tied, and each team controls their destiny. When the Mets were rallying in the 9th, Christine said "No big deal, look who's got to close it." Interestingly, they didn't turn to the guy who blew the All-Star game on Tuesday. They went to Duaner Sanchez, who got the save. I can't wait to hear what Billy Wagner has to say about that.

{P.S., the Mets were in control of their own destiny last year. Look how that turned out. Their collapse is starting already, courtesy of Pedro Martinez's latest injury.}

***CORRECTION*** Christine won't like reading this, but I owe an apology to Mets token All-Star Billy Wagner. He did record the save last night. I guess the stat tracker I relied on froze with Duaner Sanchez on the mound.

Home field settled - now, let's get there

It ended just before 2 a.m. with a 4-3 win for the AL, which means Christine and I will have to wait until at least Game 3 to go to the World Series when it comes to Philadelphia.

J.D. Drew (2-4 with a walk and big two-run home run) was the only standout from the SoxandPhils in the longest, most riveting All-Star game ever.

Both our closers gave up a run. Brad Lidge, who warmed up a bunch of times before finally entering the game in the 15th, obviously wasn't in an ideal situation and took the loss.

Jonathan Papelbon, who was booed relentlessly for earlier saying he'd like to close the game before acknowledging Yankees great Mariano Rivera should have the honor, gave up an unearned run. It looked like catcher Dioner Navarro was more rattled by the booing. He threw the ball away when Miguel Tejada stole second. If not for that errant throw, Tejada wouldn't have scored, Billy Wagner could have blown the game in the 8th and Rivera could have gotten the save in the 9th.

SoxandPhils hitters went a combined 3-12. Other than Drew, only Chase Utley (1-3) had a hit.

Now that the love fest for Yankee Stadium (home of the third-best team in the AL East) can subside for a few weeks, it's time to concentrate on getting our teams to the World Series.

Here's where they stand:

Red Sox: Their standing seems more tenuous than at this point last year, but the team is actually performing just as well. They're at 57-40, one game off the pace Pythagorean says they should be on, which is the same record (58-39) they had a year ago. They've scored three more runs and given up 10 fewer. The difference? The Rays. The Yankees are essentially where they were last year (six games back as opposed to seven). But the un-Devil Rays lurk a half-game out - a 19.5 game improvement from last year.

I expect both teams to give the Sox a scare at points in the second half, but given that the Sox have withstood so many injuries without losing pace, I think they have every shot to win the division and probably overtake the Angels for the top slot.

Phillies: Last year, we were kidding whether we would buy playoff tickets that would ultimately go unused. They were at .500 - six games behind the yet-to-collapse Mets and 5.5 behind the yet-to-collapse Padres for the Wild Card. They were barely outscoring their opponents 510 to 502. This year, despite the awful stretch they have been in since June, they have scored fewer runs (481) but slashed the number they have given up (403). Pythagorean says they should be at 56-40 instead of 52-44.

Despite their meager half-game edge over the Mets, the Phillies can and should play better in the second half. The Mets, incidentally, are at 51-44 - just where Pythagorean says they should be.

So Phillies and Red Sox fans can start thinking about the World Series beginning with Jimmy Rollins trying to tee one off the Green Monster against Josh Beckett. Hopefully those games are a little quicker than last night's.

[Photo credit: Associated Press]

All-Star recap

It's been a great game, but after the AL couldn't score with the bases loaded and no outs in the 10th, I've decided to shut down the ol' computer.

Here's a recap so far of what the SoxandPhils did in the game to determine whether the World Series opens in Citizens Bank or Fenway:

Pre-game: In typical New York grandeur, the All-Stars paraded in pickup trucks that drove on red carpets lining the streets. Chase Utley rode with Mike Schmidt. After seeing that Kosuke Fukudome brought his kid along, Christine lamented that if Pat Burrell had made the team, maybe he would have brought Elvis, his bulldog.

During introductions, the New York fans stole the J.D. Drew cheer from Philadelphia. But New Yorkers must love him more because they kept yelling “Drew” when the other Red Sox reserves were announced. Later, they gave Kevin Youkilis his “Yoook” cheer. Terry Francona wore an actual jersey, not his red pullover.

Top 1st: Surprised to hear Utley got his Kashmir entrance music. He struck out against Cliff Lee.

Bottom 1st: Derek Jeter grounded one to Utley, who played it off his face. It was ruled a hit. No hometown scoring there.

Bottom 2nd: Manny Ramirez led off against Ben Sheets. He struck out swinging through a curve. Youk came up with one out, Milton Bradley on first. Tim McCarver doesn't get the difference between “Youk” and “boo.” Youkilis deserved the latter - strike out swinging. Joe Mauer walked to give Dustin Pedroia a chance to break the strikeout streak for the SoxandPhils. He broke the streak, but flew out to center.

Top 3rd: Hanley Ramirez singled with two outs, giving Utley an at-bat against Joe Saunders. Even though he grounded out right to Youk, Christine was mad at Fox for cutting away to Yogi Berra in the broadcast booth instead of focusing on the game. She didn't mind hearing from the Hall of Famer, but Joe Buck and McCarver are quite annoying.

Random thoughts: Who’s this new guy doing the playoff promotions? What happened to Dane Cook? We’re not complaining, just wondering. And despite endorsing him heavily for the All-Star team, Christine is tired of the Josh Hamilton story. It’s just kind of odd that baseball is acting as if no one has heard his story before this week.

Bottom 4th: It wasn't quite Randy Johnson vs. John Kruk, but Carlos Zambrano aimed a slow looping curve at Manny’s head. He grounded out to Utley.

Bottom 5th: With Citizens Bank up 1-0, Youk led off against Dan Haren with a fly out to right. After Mauer singled, Pedroia walked.

Top 6th: Utley got a third at-bat, this time off Justin Duchscherer with Hanley Ramirez on first. “Phew,” Christine said after he singled to right. Ramirez went to third on the hit and then scored on a sac fly.

Bottom 7th: Jason Varitek was in the game but removed for a pinch-hitter without an at-bat. Classy by Francona, but I thought he would have just put him in to catch Mariano Rivera in the 9th. J.D. Drew homered off Edinson Volquez in his first All-Star at bat to tie it at two. Yankees fans didn't know how to react.

Top 8th: Jonathan Papelbon is greeted by chants of "Mariano" and "Overrated" when he comes in to pitch. He gave up a lead-off bloop single to Miguel Tejada. Dan Uggla struck out. Tejada stole second and went to third on a throwing error by Dioneer Navarro - Francona should have left Varitek in. Tejada scored on a sacrifice fly, giving Citizens Bank a 3-2 lead. David Wright struck out looking.

Bottom 9th: With a chance to cement his lore in Yankee Stadium history, Drew struck out against Ryan Dempster to end the 9th - game tied at three.

[Photo credits: Associated Press and Getty Images]

Like a kid on Christmas

I love the All-Star game. It brings back so many childhood memories. I used to tape the games and then replay them to keep score after I bought the game's program. As soon as the teams were announced, I'd load them into whatever video game I was playing at the time and play a game with the newly minted All-Stars. I'd even watch the celebrity softball game.

The other day, Christine and I were at the mall, and baseball card vendors had set up tables throughout the corridors. We stopped at one - reliving another childhood memory - and looked through the 10 cent bin for funny SoxandPhils cards. We found three and got a deal - a quarter instead of the marked price of 30 cents.

We pulled out a a Carl Everett "Glory Days" and a Shea Hillenbrand "Rising Stars." Before he went crazy and fought umpires, Everett was an All-Star for the Sox in 2000, his first year with the team. Before he went crazy and fought managers, Hillenbrand was somehow voted into the starting lineup as a Red Sox in 2002.

For the Phillies, all we could find was Brandon Duckworth. I know, not an All-Star. But his card proclaims him a "Star Rookie" even though he hadn't yet pitched an inning in the majors.


Real Phillies All-Star: Chase Utley, who always lets his play do the talking for him, responded in kind to the Mets fans who snuck into Yankee Stadium to boo the best second baseman in baseball during introductions tonight for the Home Run Derby. Channeling his inner Pat Burrell, Utley responded: "Boo? Fuck you."

Unfortunately, when it came time to hit, he couldn't channel his inner Ryan Howard and hit just five home runs without advancing to the second round. I thought he would have done better with the short right field fence, but I guess I forgot he doesn't elevate the ball enough.

[Video credit: IrwinRSchyster]

Helu `ekahi! (Hawaiian for No. 1, first rate)

Neither Brandon Webb nor Cole Hamels were dominant today, but the two aces matched up in a tense duel that was tied at two when each left after seven innings.

The Phillies survived a crazy 7th. With the Diamondbacks clinging to a 2-1 lead, Webb and Stephen Drew led off with singles. Conor Jackson attempted a bunt, but it was hit too hard - right at Pedro Feliz who tagged third, but couldn't turn the double play. Then came the real oddity. Orlando Hudson singled to right, and Geoff Jenkins fired home, freezing Drew on third. Hudson didn't see that the runners ahead of him had stopped and kept running toward second, which Jackson occupied. Coste looked Drew back to third then threw to Howard, who ran up the line to tag Hudson. Score that 1B, 9-2-3. Mark Reynolds struck out to end the threat.

"If the Phillies don't win this game after giving up no runs in that ugly inning, they might be done for the season," I said to Christine.

The Phils might have been on the same wavelength, scratching across the tying run in the 7th on an RBI double by Jimmy Rollins. In the 8th, they remembered they're an elite offensive unit. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard greeted reliever Chad Qualls with singles before Pat Burrell gave Clint Hurdle a lesson in what it means to be an All-Star, hitting a three-run homer. Pedro Feliz added a solo shot. Although Brad Lidge gave one up in a messy 9th for the All-Star closer, the Phillies held on 6-3. It actually felt like the kind of Phillies game we have grown accustomed to in recent years.

Observations from the stands: The park was filled with grass skirts, leis and the sounds of ukuleles as the Phillies celebrated Shane Victorino's Hawaiian heritage. We worried that the soothing music would put the team to sleep - and they don't like to be woken up. ... Danny K sang Tiny Bubbles before the game. ... The opera company Savoy, led by Dan Rothermel, sang the anthem. It was serviceable, but they looked like they were dressed for a prom on a very hot day at the park. ... In the 1st, Ryan Howard dropped an easy foul ball. Hamels hung his head, seemingly in disgust. He struck out the batter on the next pitch. ... Kudos to whomever caught Chad Tracy's homer in the 2nd for not caving into the boos and throwing the ball back. 1) It's a stupid tradition. 2) It's not Philly's tradition, it's Chicago's.

In the 4th, Chris Young attempted to bunt his way on. It looked looked a foolish strategy when it went right up the middle and seemed like an easy play for Hamels or Coste. But neither touched the ball, and Young was safe. ... In the 5th, Feliz turned a nifty double play, spearing a liner and then catching Drew off first base. Howard had to leap to catch the throw but came down on the bag to get the out. They played Van Halen's Jump after the inning ended. ... The Phillies' first run came from an RBI double in the 5th by Hamels, who might have thought early on that was the only way he was going to get any runs today

Scoreboard messages: Yesterday's loser, Adam Eaton, was booed when he appeared on the recorded "Happy Birthday" announcement. We haven't seen such a reaction to an appearance on the scoreboard since Jose Mesa's young kid was part of the pregame message at the Vet in 2003 telling the fans the rules of conduct. Searching for any online references to this, I found out that Jose Mesa's kid - not certain if it's the same one - was drafted by the Pirates a few years ago and is seemingly out of baseball already.

More observations: The Phanatic really enjoyed hula dancing. I was surprised he didn't wear a coconut bra. ... In the 6th, Charlie Manuel half-heartedly jogged to third to argue a call. It reminded me of watching Howard chug into foul territory to chase a foul pop. ... In the 7th, when the Phanatic was trying to spur a rally, he was drilled with a foul ball by Victorino.

We've never mentioned it before, but one of Christine's favorite parts about Sunday games is the starting nine, in which they send out little kids to all the positions to wait for the real Phillies to take the field and give out autographs. She loves looking at the strange alignments - sometimes the left fielder runs all the way to the wall, other times he's barely out of the infield. At least one infielder is always cemented on a base. We also think it's probably best to be chosen for second base or shortstop because the kid gets not just one of the best players on the team, but two of the best because because Rollins and Utley usually huddle with their kids.

Today was something new. Stationed at first was not Who, What or I Don't Know. It was Base who was playing first base. Jimmy Base, that is.

That's a wrap: The win ensures the Phillies break for the All-Star game in first place despite an awful stretch and a big winning streak for the Mets.

The Red Sox beat the Orioles 2-1 today behind Daisuke Matsuzaka. Kevin Youkilis has a contusion after getting hit in the thigh, and his All-Star start is in jeopardy. A little foreshadowing: Last night while playing Baseball Mogul, Youkilis went down for two months with a broken forearm in the computer game.

Hopefully, the real-life injury isn't serious. Anyway, the Rays also lost, so the Red Sox regained control of first place.

With both our teams leading their divisions, Tuesday's game could determine whether the World Series starts in Fenway or Citizens Bank. I don't see the National League winning for the first time since 1996, when another venerable stadium hosted its last All-Star game. But they didn't make as big of a deal about Veterans Stadium then as they're doing for Yankee Stadium now.

Utley and Lidge are ready to report to New York. Cholly gave them their warm-up jerseys in a cheesy pre-game ceremony. I've never seen that before; I wonder if Major League Baseball makes all the teams do it. By the way, their replica jerseys, which look like the Yankees' road grays, are on sale now. You can also buy an All-Star Game program, which is customized to your favorite player, which means Chase Utley, if you root for the Phils.

How annoying

Don't break Ryan Madson's remote (it's his favorite gadget), mispronounce Chris Coste's name or watch a horror movie if So Taguchi is in the room. And whatever you do, if there's a baby hurting, don't show him to Pedro Feliz.

Next up in our review of the Phillies yearbook answers is "Nothing annoys me more than ..."

Topping the list, seven Phils had peeves related to driving, such as traffic by Brett Myers and taxi cabs by Shane Victorino. The team also doesn't like to be woken up (would that explain June?): Five of them are irked by being roused - mostly by a ringing phone, but Kris Benson was most specific, saying he hates it when his dogs wake him by barking at the pool guy or UPS lady. Five others listed rude eating habits.

Chase Utley said "people who stink." We don't know if that's a knock on some of his inferior teammates such as Adam Eaton or whether he's telling Pat Burrell to take a shower. Utley's very mysterious in some ways.

Other noteworthy answers: a messy locker (Erik Bruntlett), stupid people (Clay Condrey), complaining (Chad Durbin), hatred (Tom Gordon), sympathy (Brad Lidge), loud people (Jimmy Rollins), rain delays (Rudy Seanez) and overall dumbness (Jayson Werth).

Burrell and Ryan Howard didn't have answers.

What annoys me: Adam Eaton. Especially when he gives up eight runs in 3.2 innings and loses 10-4 to the Diamondbacks before a national audience. That's two consecutive clunkers for Eaton. Why was J.A. Happ was demoted again? Oh yeah, Eaton still has a year and a half left on that bargain $24 million contract.

The Mets won and are now a half game back. The Marlins are winning and could join them. As Christine noted, we'll be scoreboard watching tomorrow to see if the Phillies can hold onto their narrow division lead heading into the All-Star break.

What doesn't annoy me: Scoring runs for Tim Wakefield. The Red Sox backed the knuckler to a 12-1 win over the Orioles. All starters had a hit except for Jed Lowrie, who is back up to replace the injured Julio Lugo, who is going to miss four to six weeks. Kevin Youkilis hit a grand slam.

The win, and a Rays loss, puts us a half game back heading into the final day of the pre-All-Star portion of the schedule.

Phils win in extra innings; Buchholz beat in return

Finally, Jayson Werth came through with an RBI single to beat the Diamondbacks, 6-5 in 12 innings, after the Phillies failed several times to push across the winning run in earlier innings.

There were a couple odd moments in the game. After Shane Victorino tripled in the 8th to tie the game at five, Jimmy Rollins kept waving a bottle of baby oil at him from the dugout. I can't wait to hear the explanation of that one.

A short while later, Tom Arnold could be seen in the stands with his arm around a young lass I hope was his daughter.

The Mets won to stay 1.5 out; the Marlins are winning at the moment.

In Boston: Clay Buchholz returned from injury and a lengthy minor league stint to face the Orioles. Unlike his previous start against the Birds, he gave up a hit - five of them that led to four runs in five innings. Sox lost 7-3. Not a great line, but it seems he showed flashes, like striking out the side in the third.

Fortunately, the rest of the top half of the division lost, so the Sox remain five ahead of the Yankees and 1.5 behind the Rays and their arrogant fans. I'm glad my owner isn't stuck in third place and so bored that all he can do is disparage the competition.

Pat wuz robbed

I truly thought the Philadelphia fans would come through. I clicked for Pat Burrell many times, knowing that this could be his last opportunity to make an All-Star team, especially as a Phillie. I surprised myself with my interest in this.

I knew David Wright would be tough to beat - he's from a bigger market in a city that's hosting the All-Star game. Plus, he's got better buzz nationally than Pat the Bat. I didn't think Corey Hart, playing for Milwaukee, would be a serious candidate. Turns out he was. Turns out he didn't deserve it.


Entering Thursday's play, Burrell and Hart had roughly the same playing time. Burrell's averages could all set career highs - .282/.414/.587 - compared with Hart's .293/.332/.504. I admit I didn't look closely at all the candidates' numbers, but if Burrell's on-base percentage was a measly .332, I might have given him a few votes, but I wouldn't be so gung-ho about it.

Looking further, thanks to Hart's advantage in hits (because it appears he has no judgement of the strike zone), each has roughly the same number of total bases. Runs and RBIs are also about the same. Burrell has struck out 12 more times despite 45 fewer ABs, but he has walked 68 times compared with Hart's 17.

In the field, Hart is probably better, although Burrell hasn't (officially) erred this season. Hart records about two outs per nine innings compared with Burrell's one and a half. And Hart has 13 steals, and Pat, as you know, is mobile challenged.

I thought Charlie Manuel's obsession with removing Burrell late in the game would cost him, but turns out it hasn't. I don't know what did.

At least Evan Longoria beat out Jason Giambi despite the Yankees' moustache giveaway.

Today: Burrell, who might have been daydreaming about making the All-Star team, went 0-3 in an afternoon matinee. Didn't matter. The Phillies crisply beat the Cardinals 4-1. Jamie Moyer put in seven strong innings, and Ryan Howard homered twice, raising the batting average to .234 and giving himself a slight shot at Mike Schmidt's team record of 31 first-half homers. Howard already set the Phillies first-half RBI mark.

Delighting Gary Matthews, Alyssa Milano was in the house selling her line of women's sports apparel. He seemed intrigued by her many tattoos.

Competitors: The Mets also won; the Marlins play late. The Red Sox were off, but are now 1.5 games out because the Rays lost.

[Photo credits: MLB.com (Corey Hart), Delwareonline.com (Pat's flip)]

Sox hit like Inspector Gadget

On Sunday we bought the Phillies 2008 Yearbook. Instead of listing height, weight and other basic stats for the Phillies, they had the team answer questions to give the fans some insight into 31 members of the Phightin' Phils. We're going to review their answers.

First category: Favorite Gadget

Best answer: Tom Gordon's "Inspector Gadget."

I loved that cartoon. Go-Go-Gadget!

Other noteworthy responses: Ryan Madson picked his universal remote. Then for another question, he said a broken remote annoys him. Clay Condrey likes his drill. I love my drill, but I'm not sure it would rank as my favorite gadget. I don't know what would.

The runaway favorite with 10 mentions was the iPod. I'm not surprised that five Phillies picked a video game system, but I'm a little surprised they all said Xbox 360. The other multiple answers were iPhone (3), computer/laptop (3) and cell phone (2).

There were no answers to the question from Pat Burrell, Ryan Howard or Chase Utley.

Today's games: The Red Sox couldn't have scored more runs if they had Inspector Gadget in the lineup, completing a sweep of the Twins with an 18-5 drubbing despite a subpar performance by Josh Beckett. {Greg seems to be misremembering Inspector Gadget. Everyone knows that Penny and Brain were the, well, brains in that operation and had to save Gadget in every episode.} Jacoby Ellsbury led the charge with four hits. Every starter except Brandon Moss had at least two hits. Hopefully that's the wake-up call to get them back to winning consistently.

The win puts them 3.5 games in front of the Twins for the Wild Card and two behind the Rays for the division.

The Phillies made like Inspector Gadget and escaped their four-game losing streak. J.A. Happ had a good start, and Ryan Howard hit the go-ahead homer in the 8th to beat the Cardinals, 4-2.

The Mets and Marlins won, and each remains 1.5 games out. Mets fans, unaccustomed to a winning streak, were quite full of themselves on WFAN today.

Baseball Mogul update: I had a good season, winning 109 games. But everything fell apart in the NLCS against the Diamondbacks, who nearly swept. The best I could do was force a fifth game before losing the series 4-1. I think I'll switch to the Red Sox for awhile.

[Photo credits: Phillies 2008 Yearbook (Tom Gordon) and Disney (Inspector Gadget)]

A SoxandPhils alumnus

If I were to start a SoxandPhils Hall of Fame - I'm not, but if I were - the first inductee would not be Tom Gordon, Terry Francona or even Curt Schilling. No, it would be the legendary Ken Ryan.

He played for eight years, amassing 30 saves with a 3.91 ERA in 240 games split evenly between the Red Sox and Phillies. In a convoluted way, he can take some credit for the Red Sox recent championships. He was traded to the Phillies before the 1996 season with Glenn Murray and Lee Tinsley for Heathcliff Slocumb and two minor leaguers. Heathcliff "Slocumb if you got 'em" was traded the next season for Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek.

But Ryan's place in SoxandPhils lore was cemented only recently. In fact, I can't say I've given him much thought at all until Sunday, when I opened my Phillies program and saw "Catching up with ... Ken Ryan." These days, he runs a baseball academy, plays in celebrity softball games and does some commentary at minor league baseball games. And the Rhode Island native still follows his big league teams:

Oh, yes. Of course I follow the Red Sox the most because of where I live, but my favorite National League team is the Phillies. So, I root for two teams.

Back to the present: The Red Sox entered the bottom of the 8th trailing the Twins 5-2 tonight. A three-run homer by Manny Ramirez - who got $10,000 today - followed by a manufactured run gave the Sox a 6-5 lead. Jonathan Papelbon saved it despite a lead-off double by former Phillie Nick Punto.

That's the kind of win the Phillies used to get. Tonight they entered the bottom of the 9th trailing the Cardinals 2-0, with Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell due up against Ryan Franklin. Last year, that would have been a 3-2 win. This year, it's game over, another hard-luck loss for Cole Hamels. It's official, especially with last night's failed comeback: The 2008 Phillies have lost their 2007 mojo.

Competitors: Rays lost. Mets won. Marlins haven't played yet. Sox trail the Rays by three, but lead the Twins by 2.5. Phillies lead the Mets by 1.5 and the Marlins by one.

We have some races

With the Red Sox entering play five games out, I'm thinking the unthinkable. It might be time to be - gasp! - rooting for the Yankees against the Rays this week. A solid 1-0 win over the Twins (7.1 scoreless innings by Daisuke Matsuzaka) crept us back to four out and extended our wild card lead to 2.5 games over Minnesota. I'll put off rooting for the Empire, but if the Rays don't start losing soon, I may be forced to root for evil next time.

The Phillies, meanwhile, dropped their third straight to the Mets, who are now just 2.5 games behind. A lousy start by Adam Eaton culminated in the Phillies being down 10-1 entering the bottom of the 6th. The ghosts of 2007 seemed to return as the Phillies scored in all of the remaining innings, including two in the 9th off Billy Wagner. But Jayson Werth, who had been perfect against B-Wags, flew out to end the game with the potential tying run on second base. Mets 10, Phillies 9.

Not a fun day

The Phillies, completely stymied for seven innings by Oliver Perez, finally had a threat going in the 8th, down 1-0 to their rivals from New York. With one out, Chase Utley hit one back to Duaner Sanchez, who bumbled and bobbled the ball and couldn't retire Utley. The All-Star stole second, and Jimmy Rollins followed with a walk. With the tying run in scoring position, Jerry Manuel yanked Sanchez and called up Pedro Feliciano for a showdown with Ryan Howard that would likely determine the game.

But then it rained. And rained. The grounds crew took off the tarp after about a half hour, but then it rained some more. After nearly two hours, Christine and I quit standing in the rain and scurried home. I know, we're old and married.

Turns out we didn't miss much. Jayson Werth did hit a two-run homer off Billy Wagner in the 9th. But Brad Lidge, the $37 million man, had allowed the Mets an insurance run in the top of the inning, so the game stretched to 12 innings before Chad Durbin gave up a two-run homer to Fernando Tatis. Mets 4, Phillies 2.

Observations from the stands: There was a hideous smell, sewage-like, in our section. No clue what it was; maybe the Phillies were trying to make the Mets fans feel at home. ... The Phillies went a little horsey for the national anthem, bringing in the All-Star Buglers. It was different, not bad at all. ... Tom McCarthy did his first in-game report in the 300 level right beneath us. We couldn't hear his insights. "Hey, Jimmy Olsen, sit down!" yelled a fellow season ticket holder who seems to get aggravated whenever someone stands in that spot. ... Seated in our section were a few New York tourists who apparently were right off the boat - the duck boat tours, that is. The kids brought their quackers to the game. ... In the 1st, there was an honest-to-goodness "Pat the Bat" chant. It didn't work. Pat Burrell popped out to first with two in scoring position. ... The fans throughout the park chanted in loving remembrance of the Marlon Anderson era. He played left field today. "You suck Marlon" and "Marrrrrrr-lon" roared throughout the game. ... The Mets threatened to blow out Kyle Kendrick in the 2nd. But when Brian Schneider singled to center to load 'em up, Shane Victorino made a nice throw to hold the runners. Kendrick got the next two out. ... Also in the 2nd, another former Phillie, RF Endy Chavez, made a nice catch to rob Carlos Ruiz, which kept Pedro Feliz on second base. He got there when Anderson completely botched a fly ball. ... Home plate umpire Bill Hohn was awful today for both teams. Tons of pitches were miles outside, then he'd wait a few seconds before signaling strike.

The Phanatic has new friends - Reggy the Purple Party Dude and Spanky the Nine-Foot Monkey. They danced, they partied - well, the monkey kind of just hopped up and down. But he did do a belly-flop on a Mets hat. Later, they took out a Mets fan and silly-stringed him. The monkey then shot some string so that it looked as if he were peeing on the Mets fan. Then, the Phanatic rubbed his butt on the fan. It was disturbing, and somehow it's even worse writing about it. ... During the rain delay, a fan ran on the field. I saw the security guards at both ends of the tube that the tarp gets rolled around. I'm sure the guy ran on the field then thought: "I need a place to hide. They'll never catch me in a tube in the middle of the field." ... We found a nice place to keep dry during rain delays in the 300 level. We're keeping it a secret, though.

All-Stars: As the day progressed, I was more and more confident that Burrell was going to make his first All-Star game. He didn't. What a crock. Hopefully Phillies fans show some pride and start stuffing the ballot. I won't mention the name of his toughest competitor, but Burrell is up against a foe with a bigger market and better national name recognition. So start clicking on those ballots.

As expected, Utley was the top vote-getter in the NL. He'll be joined by Lidge, who should buy him dinner in New York with his big payday.

Riding home, I got upset at Terry Francona when I heard Jason Varitek was named as a reserve. The guy is our captain and a leader of two championship teams, but he's in a funk with a .300 on-base percentage. It turns out, however, that although seven Red Sox are going to the game, none were selected by Francona. Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis won the fan vote. Varitek, J.D. Drew and Jonathan Papelbon were selected by managers, coaches and players.

Burrell was also upset at his snub (that's his helmet and batting gloves he threw on the field). Actually, that was his reaction to popping out in the 1st.

Tonight's game: The AL All Stars, I mean Red Sox, are tied with the Yankees 4-4 in the 8th.

Miscellaneous: We got this J-Roll bobblehead free for purchasing the 2008 Phillies yearbook. We'll give the book the typical SoxandPhils treatment sometime soon. ... Who writes the TV listings for Verizon FIOS? When the Sox played the Rays last week on ESPN, it said the top teams in the AL square off when David Ortiz leads the Red Sox against the Rays. They were current enough with the Rays' success but not with the fact that Papi has been injured? Then, this afternoon, WGN had the A's playing the Cubs at Wrigley Field - that was news to the White Sox, who were scheduled to host the A's. Finally, tonight, ESPN rewrote the Red Sox script, subbing Manny for Papi but forgot that the Rays are in first and called the Sox the division leaders.

Game-day update

The Phils signed a three-year extension with Brad Lidge this morning - perhaps a shot across the bow to young, err, demoted Brett Myers that he's not going to be a rock star in Philadelphia anymore.

Yesterday was a nice SoxandPhils doubleheader, with the Red Sox on Fox leading into a Phillies night game. Unfortunately, the teams took a dive. We'll be able to see both teams again today - heading to the park in a few minutes to take on the Mets while the Sox and Yankees play on ESPN tonight.

One more day

Tomorrow we'll learn who is an All-Star and who got snubbed. For the Phillies, we know Chase Utley will be starting, and Pat Burrell, Brad Lidge and Cole Hamels have a good chance of joining him. If it were up to SoxandPhils, and we could select only one of the three, we'd give Pat the Bat his first selection. Who knows if he'll ever get another shot like this one.

For the Red Sox, looks like David Ortiz will be elected but won't play because of injury. Manny Ramirez will also be elected, but he hasn't said yet he won't play. Kevin Youkilis should hold on to win the ballot; Dustin Pedroia's lead is tenuous. Jonathan Papelbon is the only pitcher who warrants consideration. J.D. Drew deserves it more than Manny, but he'll get crowded out, especially with so many Red Sox in contention. Same holds true for Jon Lester. So I predict at least Manny, Papi, Papelon and Youk will be named to the squad, maybe more if the numbers shake out.

{There is only one guaranteed Red Sox to be at the game - Terry Francona. Don't count your all-star ballots before they're hatched.}

But no matter what happens, don't take it all too seriously. An All-Star for one team can become something else for another team a decade later ...

Still some games before the All-Star break: Good wins yesterday against two irrelevant New York teams: The Red Sox beat the Yankees 6-4, and the Phillies won in their last-at bat, 3-2 over the Mets.

Chad Durbin is getting all of the attention for his shutdown relief of J.A. Happ and keeping the Phillies in the game until Johan Santana exited. Speaking of the savior, he's now 0-4 in his last six starts despite a 2.48 ERA. Since Johan's last win (June 1), the Twins, the team he left for dead, is 19-11. Lester, the guy the Red Sox wouldn't give up to get Johan, is 4-0 since then. I wonder who's happy with how things worked out?

We'll be back tomorrow with our normal Sunday game-day Phillies post.

More from '95

Besides pictures of their juiced-up sluggers, the Red Sox 1995 yearbook tried to get a little artsy with close-up shots showcasing players' personalities. Here are a few.

In 1995, Mike Greenwell would have his last season as a full-time player. In case you didn't know, he was nicknamed Gator. (And that's an alligator with jaws agape, ready to chomp.)


Next we have Tim Naehring, a true fan favorite and Dirt Dog before there was such a thing. He's obviously so embarrassed by the concept of this yearbook that he can't stop laughing long enough to open his eyes.


Next, there's then-Sox, future-Phil Rheal Cormier. He must have been hungry. Or maybe he's sending a suggestion to the future for Jonathan Papelbon: Do this the next time you think about opening your mouth.


Finally, what's a yearbook without a look at the farm. The first two aren't bad at all: Nomar Garciaparra and Trot Nixon. There are a few clunkers like would be found in any farm system: Michael Coleman, Marc Lewis and Donnie Sadler. But then there's Carl Pavano, who needs to develop a breaking pitch, according to his scouting report. I wonder what Yankees fans would add to that critique.


Back to 2008: Good performances last night by both our teams' lefty aces over division rivals. Jon Lester took care of the Yankees 7-0, prompting Joe Girardi to hold a closed-door meeting on the eve of George Steinbrenner's birthday. Cole Hamels - soon to be a two-time All-Star? - won 4-1, finishing a sweep of the Braves.

This afternoon, Josh Beckett is already losing in New York, where the major sports event of the day has been completed - Joey Chestnut beat Takeru Kobayashi in the first-ever dog-off. Tonight, the Phillies start a series against the Mets with the pitcher who was going to save the world for the Mets, Johan Santana, facing J.A. Happ. Happ-hazard is making his 2008 debut for the demoted Brett Myers.

We're going to pump [clap] you up!

The last time I wrote about the stuff I found in my parents' attic, I poked fun at the Phillies marketing in the 1990s. The Red Sox also had a gimmick I'm sure they'd like to forget. It's plastered all over the team's 1995 yearbook, which prominently features Mo Vaughn and Jose Canseco wearing wife beaters. The inside cover has the two sluggers back-to-back, flexing their 24-inch pythons like the Hulkster with the inspirational words "get pumped for '95" above them.


This was three years before the synthetic home run chase between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa; six years before Barry Bonds took cheating to another low; and more than a decade before George Mitchell would name names. But I'm still surprised they had the restraint not to do a cross-promotion between these two pure & natural! hitters and this product advertisement found a few pages later:


Roger Clemens was on that squad, too. I bet the team asked him to break out a Speedo and pose with Deb, to which he just stared back, real menacing. I'm sure in his world, the meaner you look, the more innocent you are.


These pictures ruin some of the memories of a great year in which the Sox surprisingly won the division. It was a nice blend of veterans, cast-offs and a few homegrown stars. Tim Wakefield, plucked off the scrap heap, won 16 games, starting a long tenure for a classy Red Sox champion. Mo won the MVP, although many thought either teammate John Valentin or Cleveland's Albert Belle was more deserving. And midseason acquisition Rick Aguilera saved 20 games down the stretch.

It wasn't a great team and probably deserved getting swept by Cleveland, but it was more fun then, knowing what we know now about these players.

Over the weekend, I’ll post some more gems from the yearbook.

Something I never knew before: While refreshing my '95 memories, I took a look at the Sox draft picks that year. In a late round, they took a flier on some high school kid from California whom they probably know wouldn't sign because he was headed to the University of Miami. The players? Pat Burrell, who would be selected No. 1 by the Phillies in 1998 as atonement for J.D. Drew, who now patrols RF for the Red Sox.

Can you imagine if Burrell had signed with the Sox? Would that mean no Manny Ramirez and no championships? Or would it mean that he would have stayed at first and replaced Mo? Either way, I'm sure the Fenway Faithful (what happened to that term? Oh yeah, pink hats and Red Sox Nation) would have welcomed him just as well as Phillies fans did earlier in his career.

Administrative notes: Remember the Doug Glanville jerseys we spotted last month? They made straightcashhomey.net. Thanks for posting it, guys. ... There probably won't be an update tonight as the Phillies wrap up their set with the Braves and the Red Sox get a break in the schedule against the Yankees. We have family in town for the holiday.

Swept a-Ray

In observance of the five-year rule that says no complaining for five years after a championship, I won't mention that Daisuke Matsuzaka, our $100 million pitcher, routinely pitches only five innings. I also won't mention tonight's disgraceful 7th-inning performances by Manny Delcarmen and Craig Hansen.

I'll just tip my hat to the Rays - they're the better team right now. They're fun to watch, and as I've said plenty of times, it's going to be a challenge against them this year. If this is the ALCS matchup, it has the potential of being just as intense as 2004 against the Yankees and last year against the Indians.

{Stop being obnoxious, Greg. Your team looked old and played old. Those who aren't old sucked it up tonight. I think you should worry about holding off the third-place team this weekend before you start talking about the ALCS.}

For the Phillies, if you define a winning streak as two or more consecutive wins, they have their first since June 12-13. But two errors by Ryan Howard in the 9th made it a very tense non-save appearance for Brad Lidge. It ended 7-3 with the bases loaded. Adam Eaton, who fans gripe cost the Phillies $24 million, went five innings, just like Dice-K. He got the win.