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.