The Phanatic stepped on Christine's foot

We had a few errands to run today, so we happened to find ourselves at the Moorestown Mall, which just so happened to be a stop for the Phillies World Series Trophy Tour.

We didn't camp out all morning to get a good spot on line, but we were there before the exhibit opened. We thought we were all right when the parking lot wasn't overly filled. Wrong. The line inside wrapped three times around a side hall. By the time we figured out where it began, they stopped giving out the tickets you needed to get up close and personal with the hardware.

But we were able to get a good gander at the trophy. It seems smaller up close.

The crowd waited patiently for its turn. My only gripe is that when people finally got up to the trophy, it seemed like they took forever with it. I know because I stood on a bench waiting to snap a picture of the trophy in between families.

The marketing genius that is Rita's gave out free samples. I had two scoops of cherry, hence the plug for the water ice company.

Overheard from one line stander: "I heard Chase Utley is down by Boscov's." (The trophy was stationed near Macy's, on the other side of the mall.) I don't think anyone fell for it.

The other highlight of the morning was a surprise appearance by the Phanatic. He belly-bumped a fat guy, tussled a bunch of children's hair, posed for a million pictures and hugged some old ladies - well the same old lady and her husband over and over again.

Oh, and he stepped on Christine's foot.

While I finished my second water ice, Christine threw the camera at me. Not thinking she would ever call the Phanatic over to take a picture with her, I quickly snapped a photo of her with the Phanatic in the background. It came out pretty well, but she won't let me post it.

But I didn't know that when I snapped, Christine tugged the green guy's fur. He didn't come and accidentally (we assume) stepped on her foot. She says it still hurts. {And I'm pretty sure that wasn't the real Phanatic, just one of his helpers. The real one wouldn't step on my foot.}

After finishing our out-of-the-mall errands, we came back to get lunch, which was my condition for going to the mall in the first place. It was an hour past the time the trophy tour was supposed to end, but it was still there with some last-minute stragglers.

We got up to the display just in time to see some guys carry the trophy right past me. I didn't know that the inside of the base was a baseball. That was neat.

Christine is disappointed we didn't get to pose with the trophy. I told her that now we know what to do next year, although that will involve a ride to New England. {No way, it will involve camping out at the Moorestown Mall.}

Ready to rumble

It's finally over.

Yet another overly complicated negotiation between Scott Boras and the Red Sox has ended. Of course, there was some last-minute drama whether the 8:30 a.m. deadline applied to the Red Sox' Eastern time or Boras' Pacific zone.

Nonetheless, Jason Varitek, the final piece to what I hope is another championship puzzle, has decided playing for $5 million - half of what he would have gotten in arbitration - was better than forced retirement.

Remember when he thought he'd command a multi-year, mega-million dollar contract? What folly. And I stand by what I have said all along, that he's pretty much washed up as a hitter. But he's the best option we have right now. We can withstand his weak bat given his defense and intangibles, but Terry Francona must pinch hit for him, which he was reluctant to do last year.

And, Tek, we know you have had to eat some humble pie, but remember: to Red Sox fans you are a legendary part of two (and counting) World Championships. Save any lingering frustration with these negotiations you have and take it out on Pat Burrell and the Rays and Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees.

Enough contract talk, we've got some trophies to reclaim.

Oops, I forgot there is one other prominent SoxandPhil (Ryan Howard) who doesn't have a contract. That should be able to be resolved without the drama of Varitek's. Right?

{Wow, Greg is really starting to sound bitter about being a big loser in 2008. Seems like someone forgot about the five-year championship rule.}

Those rat finks

Since MLB Network launched on Jan. 1, Christine and I have wondered whether the Verizon rep I spoke with last month was mistaken when she said the channel is part of a premium package or whether I would flip on channel 86 one night and get a blank screen.

I've been hooked on the channel, and I thought that because we didn't get any kind of constant reminders telling us to order the channel, that it was included in the basic service after all.

But tonight, I got the blank screen.

What a crock.

Where am I going to get breathless ticker updates telling me that the Pirates are in "serious" negotiations with Eric Hinske?

Where am I going to hear about the exploits of Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds that end with the damning "but later on, there were whispers about steroids?"

And where am I going to see the dumbfounded face of Barry Larkin, who can't grasp that Ken Griffey Jr. isn't 24 years old and worthy of being a Type A free agent anymore?

Most importanlty, how am I going to convince Christine that we should splurge on the sports package to get all this cheese?

I don't know, but I can't believe I'm more upset about losing the baseball channel than the very real possibility that come tomorrow morning, we'll learn that Jason Varitek would rather sit home than get $5 million to play for the Red Sox as they attempt to wrest the World Series trophy back from the Phillies. {Not gonna happen. The wresting, that is. I have no opinion on Varitek.}

Waiting with ennui

The Wing Bowl is little more than 24 hours away, and I am not into it at all. It wasn't until this week that I became aware it's amateurs-only this year.

The Super Bowl is Sunday, and I'm still waiting for my internal clock to switch over to football. I haven't even looked at the lineup for Puppy Bowl. OK, I snuck a peek while fetching this link. Some of those suckers are really cute.

And the baseball writers seem to have fallen from the face of the earth (not unlike many of their colleagues in newsrooms across the country). The only news today is that Ryan Howard would welcome a long-term contract. Yeah, so would I, but I think my chances of getting A-Fraud type of money are nearly as slim as Howard's.

The only suspense right now is not whether Jason Varitek will accept the Red Sox' take-it-or-leave-it offer, but whether the deadline for said offer is Friday or Saturday. Can't my team ever do anything normally? Jeez, I know the Captain screwed himself by not accepting arbitration, but there comes a time when the team has to cut bait. I guess that's what Friday's deadline is about.

I'm just bored with the whole situation.

{But we're coming up on the three-month anniversary of the Phillies World Series victory! Plus, there are only 16 days til the start of spring training. And the teams' caravans leaves for Florida next week! Excitement!}

Hub fans bid adieu, redux

A moment of silence, and a tip of Ted Williams' hat - if gods are answering letters tonight - in memory of John Updike.

For a writer, I'm not the most literary sort, but I've always liked Updike because of his Red Sox connection, most notably his famous essay about Fenway and Ted Williams' last at bat: Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu. I also liked his short story A&P, probably because I was assigned to read it at a time I also worked as a grocery store cashier.

While looking at his Wikepedia page tonight, I learned he was from Berks County, Pa. I don't know if I had known that. I will consider him an honorary SoxandPhil, like the late John Marzano.

Second basemen tales

It's no secret our teams have the best second basemen in baseball. They're making headlines for different reasons today.

First, there was good news about Chase Utley's rehab. He thinks he may be ready for opening day:

"Everything is progressing in a positive manner," he said. "So, yeah, I am more optimistic than I was before. But I didn't really know what to expect before."

On the other hand, it wasn't such a good day for Dustin Pedroia, who has had a storybook start of a career, until this headline: Pedroia's Brother Accused Of Child Molestation. This is an awful story. I hope it isn't true, but innocent people aren't usually arrested.

And, assuming it's true, I'm not a Red Sox apologist for not ripping Dustin Pedroia. I wouldn't want people judging me personally or professionally based on my brother's actions.

Hallelujah!

Neither the cold 18-degree air during my morning walk nor my nice hot cup of coffee jolted me awake today as much as the exaltation I felt when I read the stories about Ruben Amaro Jr.'s weekend press conference.

One of the few questions for the defending champions is who will fill the No. 5 slot in the rotation. There's been no movement toward a particular candidate, but the new GM made it clear who won't get the job. (Hint: His name rhymes with beaten).

"It's a four-man competition, and he's not involved in that," Ruben Amaro Jr. said a few minutes ago at Citizens Bank Park. "Is it possible that Eaton pitches well enough to put himself in the mix? You never know what's going to happen. Right now, we just think those other four guys [Chan Ho Park, J.A. Happ, Kyle Kendrick and Carlos Carrasco] give us a better opportunity to win."

Yes! Yes! Yes! It's nice to hear an honest negative assessment from a club about one of its biggest mistakes ever. Fortunately, like the Eric Gagne-Red Sox debacle, Adam Eaton didn't prevent the team from winning a championship.

More good news: Sports tell-alls are usually sugar-coated or slanted toward the writer's personal bias. I might give Joe Torre's the benefit of the doubt, if for nothing else than to see his account of why the Yankees underachieved during the later part of his tenure. A-Fraud, indeed.

Oops: Last week, I made a steroid reference to Julio Lugo gaining 20-pounds of muscle. This week, Nick Cafardo corrected himself:

I meant Julio Lugo had gained 10 pounds of muscle, not the 20 I incorrectly typed last week.

What the hell was I thinking?

A lot of times Christine will ask me why I saved certain stupid items at my parents' house. I beat her to the punch when I found I had saved a whole pack of MLB chewing gum, as well as an empty pack that had the Phillies logo on it. I'm sure this was packed away well before I met Christine and the Phillies meant anything to me.

There are also a couple of Red Sox key chains, which I may place in my new cubicle at work. Everyone thinks I'm weird because I have no decorations up.

That Yankees ticket represents a good story. Someone - possibly an aunt - had a bunch of tickets to the 1993 home opener. Stupidly, I went with my sister instead of my brother. She's a bit more timid and cautious.

We left long before him - maybe even three hours before the game started. From my parents' house, the ride takes 15 minutes with no traffic. But there was plenty of bumper-to-bumper traffic. We sat and sat and sat and then saw my brother blow past us by riding on the shoulder.

We finally made it as the game started, but there was no parking within a mile of the stadium, and my sister was too scared to park her car on the street. We turned around to go back home and had Wendy's at the mall instead of seeing the game.

I thought I blew my only chance to go to a home opener, but seven years later, Christine and I went to the Phillies home opener against the Mets. The Phillies won 9-7, but we don't remember anything from the game - except the crowd with divided loyalties was quite raucous and drunk. Christine got hit with a beer. Ah, the good old days at the Vet. Things like that would never happen at Citizens Bank Park. Oh wait. There was this, and this.

Administrative: We have to hit the road early today, so if the Phillies did something stupid last night like signing Nomar Garciaparra or Moises Alou, we'll have to catch up tomorrow.

P.S. Greg just tried the chewing gum. I thought he broke his front teeth because the crunch was so loud when he bit into it. He quickly spit it out and ran for a drink. His verdict? Doesn't age as well as baseball card bubble gum.

Hands off the trophy, pee boy

I couldn't believe what I read this morning - the Phillies are getting impatient waiting for a decision from Nomar Garciaparra, so they are pursuing 42-year-old Moises Alou "pretty hard." I'm not thrilled with the prospects of the old and often injured Alou joining the team, but I can live with it if he accepts a very limited role and doesn't soil the World Series trophy with his pee hands.

Other fallbacks for the right-handed pinch-hitter role include former Red Sox Kevin Millar, Rich Aurilla and Mark Grudzielanek. I don't like any of these. Grudzielanek's not so bad, but I don't want to learn how to spell his name. Besides, it's not a good omen when just the other night Christine saw his name on the MLB ticker as a notable remaining free agent:

"I didn't know he was still playing, let alone a notable free agent," she said.

Bullpen: Tom Gordon wants to come back to the Phillies. The team said it ain't happening. Unfortunately, that same tidbit said one of Christine's favorites, fattie Mike Zagurski, had some snag in his recovery.

Another one bites the dust: Another reputable journalist, Todd Zolecki, has sold out and will be working for the institution he once covered:

Hi, everybody - Yes, I'm joining MLB.com next month. Fortunately, I'm not going
far because I'll still be covering the Phillies on a daily basis. It'll just be for a different company. I want to say thanks to everybody who checks out the Phillies Zone regularly. I think you know you have helped make this one of the top blogs at Philly.com. It's been an absolute blast. Don't worry, the Phillies Zone will continue. It'll just be somebody else at the helm. But like I said, I'm not going far. So feel free to stop by and say hello at my new address. And if you see me in Clearwater or at the ballpark during the season, make sure to say hello. I'll try to post something more later!

We'll miss reading him online at the Inky, but we're glad that he'll still be around and covering the Phils.

Cheapskate Phillies drive away another superstar

Lost amid all the recent signings, arbitration talk and speculation that the champs will have one of the league's highest payrolls this year, is the contract dispute between the Phillies and a key part of their championship team.

This guy is already gone, so there's nothing the Phillies can do to rectify this injustice.

But consider the state of the Phillies before this superstar came to town:

-Charlie Manuel was a bumbling oaf who couldn't double switch his way out of a paper bag. Now, Cholly's a beloved champion.

-The Phillies were a bunch of underachievers in a long playoff and even longer championship drought. Now, they're proven winners - models of heart and homegrown talent.

-A bulldog named Elvis roamed the field. Now, he's gone to Florida.

The vital cog to the Phillies championship who left town over a few hundred thousand dollars? Jimy Williams. Jimy friggin' Williams? When he left, I figured he just wanted to retire. I had no idea he was a prima donna who wants credit for the Phillies success:

A big part, apparently. Speculation abounds that Williams asked for money closer to the $1.5 million being paid to Manuel than to the salaries paid to other Phillies coaches. Most certainly Williams saw himself as a co-manager over the last 2 years, a belief that Manuel's egoless manner did not tame. Indeed one of the more poignant clips following Brad Lidge's final pitch is of Manuel hugging Williams and saying something to him in his ear.

Unreal, but a fascinating column by Sam Donnellon in the Philadelphia Daily News. Much better than Phil Sheridan's offering, which tries to get at the psychology behind fans caring about athletes' salaries, before realizing it's human nature to gossip about money and that there are some fans who realize that an overpaid superstar could drain resources from the rest of the roster.

And then there was one ...

The Phillies locked up Jayson Werth to a two-year $10 million contract and Chad Durbin at $1.635 million for 2009. That leaves just one little arbitration-eligible player for the champs. OK, Ryan Howard is not so little; neither is his arbitration request, nor the schism between that $18 million request and the Phillies $14 million offer.

But we knew things wouldn't be easy with him, so we should probably just be happy that everyone else signed fairly quickly and painlessly, leaving just the big man to deal with.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, may still be negotiating a long-term pact with Jonathan Papelbon. That would alleviate some stress in future offseasons. And he still might be throwing to Jason Varitek, who won't be going to the Dodgers.

Cha-ching!

There is a lot of contract news today, but the biggest is that Ryan Howard filed for $18 million in arbitration - only $4 million higher than the Phillies offer. Let the games begin.

The number is so high that only greedy New Yorkers Roger Clemens (I know he was an Astro at the time) and Derek Jeter ever put in for higher amounts. I don't expect Howard to be around Philadelphia much longer. According to Fan Graphs, he has only had one one season (2006) in which he was worth more than $18 million. He was worth $25.7 million in his MVP season, $17.1 million the next year and $14.1 million last year.

The Phillies avoided arbitration with Shane Victorino and Joe Blanton.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, kept in tact Theo Epstein's streak of never going to arbitration by giving a one-year $6.25 million contract to Jonathan Papelbon. Javier Lopez also signed a one-year deal.

I guess this is a fair deal for Papelbon - he's been worth more than $6.25 million the past three seasons - but it seems awfully high for a player in his first year of arbitration eligibility. Like Howard, I wonder if he's going to price himself out of Boston in a couple of seasons. The Red Sox have been hyping up Daniel Bard lately.

David Aardsma was traded to the Mariners. I still think he'll have a productive career, but it's better to trade him for a prospect than cut him in a numbers crunch at the end of spring training.

Personal: SoxandPhils players weren't the only ones cashing in today. Since I was forced into retirement from journalism, Christine urged me to start entering newspaper contests. I won two tickets to a St. Joe's basketball game. Yea! Although, if I had Howard's $14 million to $18 million, or even Papelbon's $6.25 million, I could buy tickets for all my readers.

Eagles postmortem

One Team. One City. One Dream.

That was the Eagles slogan a few years ago that completely ignored the city's three other major professional sports teams, as well as the not-so-major Soul that, like the Phillies, also beat the Iggles to a championship.

I mention because, thankfully, the Eagles were embarrassed yesterday in yet another NFC championship game. I feel bad for some of the crestfallen fans, but I was rooting hard against the team because an Eagles win would have diminished the Phillies championship. Yes, that's what happens with the Red Sox dwarfing the Patriots. I don't mind that because I'm a Red Sox fan who doesn't live in New England. But it's not right.

If you think I'm going overboard, check out the Jan. 19 Sports Illustrated story leading up to the Cardinals game. Shawn Andrews fantasized about stealing the Phillies' parade. He won't be seeing that vision anytime soon.

The other day I joked about Charlie Manuel scripting plays for Andy Reid. Maybe it's not such a joke. When Cholly was asked if he had any advice for Big Red, he said:

"I would tell Andy he's on his own. No, seriously, I don't have to give Andy Reid any advice. He's a tremendous coach, and I have a lot of respect for him."

Manuel was joking, but the Eagles did lose.

Back to the Philly sports team that matters: Ryan Madson did sign that three-year $12 million deal after all. And, apparently, J.C. Romero's infraction wasn't such a big deal to the World Baseball Classic; he's eligible to play in the series for Puerto Rico.

Go Phils!

Unexpectedly, the Phillies and Cole Hamels stole a little bit of the sports page from the Eagles' big game today by agreeing to a three-year $20.5 million contract. The deal seems about right for each side. The real benefit is avoiding what could have been an ugly arbitration process, although Hamels will be eligible for one year of arbitration after this contract expires.

All in all, it's real good news for the Phillies, who still have unresolved contract situations with several players, including Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Ryan Madson and Shane Victorino. Scott Lauber has a good recap of the Phillies' finances after the Cole Hamels deal. He thinks the defending champions will carry a payroll of $125 million - which could be $5 million more than the Red Sox. I think it was just yesterday that Christine said the Sox were as bad as the Yankees with payroll. {You're forgetting that you still haven't paid Jonathan Papelbon.}

Nick Cafardo: Another good Sunday read in the Globe with the rhetorical question of why certain teams (SoxandPhils) excel in the postseason while others (MetsandYanks) don't. He also thinks the Phillies want to get Ben Sheets (but he also had them in on Derek Lowe) and that Julio Lugo put on 20 pounds of muscle. I hope he didn't use J.C. Romero's frequent buyer card at the Vitamin Shoppe.

Football: I'm going with the Eagles and Steelers today. I don't want the Eagles to win, although the Phillies are rooting for them. Be careful what you wish for.

Sign here

I'll conclude my latest series of stuff I salvaged from my parents' attic with some autographed mementos.

To the left is the most personal. It's on stationary I created in graphic arts class in middle school. I was neither a good poet nor artist. The awkward-looking Red Sox cap is actually quite good for my abilities. The writing - "I'm the number 1 fan of the Boston Red Sox clan!" - isn't.

The autographs are Jeff Reardon (long before he robbed a jewelry store) and Mike Greenwell. I met them when family friends invited me along to the Benevolent Loyal Order of Honorable and Ancient Red Sox Diehard Sufferers of New York luncheon. The BLOHARDS are a group of displaced Red Sox fans who get together when the Sox invade New York.

Usually, players or someone associated with the team addresses the crowd. I don't remember much from the speeches, only that I was certain to bring along the stationary. I don't think either commented on it.

In high school, a classmate's father, upon learning that I was a Red Sox fan, said he knew Dave Morehead, a subpar pitcher from the 1960s. But at the time - before Hideo Nomo, Derek Lowe, Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester - he was the last Red Sox to pitch a no-hitter. He shut down Luis Tiant and the Indians 2-0 on Sept. 16.

I thought it was neat and kept the picture tucked in my bedroom mirror for several years.

Finally, and most embarrassing, is a pair of signatures I actually paid for outside of Fenway. One is a nice shot of the park, but it's muddied by the John Hancock of then-General Manager Dan Duquette.

The other was a shot of Aaron Sele, the guy I thought would take Roger Clemens' spot as ace of the staff.

Things didn't quite turn out as I expected, but Sele did have a pretty good career for the 23rd draft pick in 1991. He was much more productive than Brian Taylor, the huge bonus baby taken No. 1 by the Yankees who injured his arm in a bar fight and never made it to the majors.

The Phillies pick that year? Tyler Green - taken two slots ahead of Doug Glanville and three ahead of a certain third baseman named Manny Ramirez.

Signings and non-signings

On a bitterly cold day, the big signing is PH extraordinaire Greg Dobbs getting a two-year $2.5 million deal. Scott Boras minion Ryan Madson didn't bite on a three-year $12 million offer. So the Phillies can cross one arbitration eligible off their list - only about two dozen more to go.

"That team is about to walk through a mine field," an AL Scout told Jayson Stark, who previewed the arbitration dealings. The column isn't fun reading for SoxandPhils fans. It could get ugly with Ryan Howard, Jonathan Papelbon, Cole Hamels and a whole bunch of other Phillies.

And it looks like Jason Varitek is ready to come crawling back to the Sox, which is good because we haven't been able to land another starting catcher. He can't hit anymore, but he's better than having nobody crouching between Josh Beckett and the umpire.

One final word: Brrrr. It looks like the Weather Channel made a mistake when it says it will be 9 degrees tomorrow morning.

All-star first baseman averts contentious arbitration

I thought contract negotiations for both of our first basemen - Ryan Howard and Kevin Youkilis - would get a bit sticky this year.

Happily, one of them is settled. Youk will be a Red Sox through his prime, getting a four-year, $41 million contract with a club option for another year at $13 million. Youkilis will be 30 next year so the Red Sox won't be stuck with him if he declines because of age.

Hopefully, the Phillies' stars will follow suit and take more modest contracts to remain with a winner rather than pumping the market for every last dollar. How did that work out for Johnny Damon, Aaron Rowand and Manny Ramirez?

This bit of late-breaking pleasant news almost made me forget the big news of the day: Charlie Manuel texts. Christine and I don't text much, but it looks like Cholly and Andy Reid are BFF. The story says they just offer each other encouragement, but I'm not so sure Cholly hasn't been crafting plays for the Birds, who may be on the verge of winning a Super Bowl. (Please let the Cardinals stop them.)

Since the World Series ended, giving Cholly some free time, the Eagles are 7-3-1. I know that includes the rough stretch in which losses against the Giants and Ravens sandwiched the sickening tie with the Bengals. But hey, even Manuel's Phillies had that rough stretch in June.

New York arrogance

I was twice reminded of New York arrogance today. At work, I saw that a colleague had a newspaper clipping hanging up of when the Yankees swept a five-game set at Fenway in 2006, essentially knocking the Red Sox out of the playoffs for the only time in a six-year span.

Actually, that's not so arrogant. It's almost sad that that's the only success a Yankees fan can point to in recent memory.

Truly obnoxious is a column penned by Filip Bondy in the New York Daily News. He's trying to put forth the theory that New York's true rival is Philadelphia, not Boston. Um, a city as loathsome as New York can have more than one true enemy. Besides, it has multiple teams in different leagues, so what's so hard to grasp that the Phillies are rivals with the Mets and the Red Sox are rivals with the Yankees?

What really gets me is the stupidity of sports writers. I know we've seen it this week, with the 28 people who didn't vote for Rickey Henderson and somehow convinced themselves that the greatest base stealer and leadoff hitter in history isn't a Hall of Famer. {Plus, anything by Bill Conlin.}

But check out this stroke of brilliance:

Boston? Boston is so yesterday around here, and far too Yankee-centric. The Red Sox were a wild-card team last season, nothing more. They've lost Manny, the poster child for anti-pinstriped imagery.

Besides, the Yanks killed them in the offseason. Brad Penny for one year? That's not even trying.

Um, yes, the Red Sox didn't let their team get old and overrated so that it needed to spend hundreds of millions to rebuild its roster. Oh yeah, the Yankees really got us there. And, as far as the Red Sox being nothing more than a wild card team ... I correctly said all season that the real threat to repeating was the Rays, not the Empire. I expect that trend to continue despite the Yankees offseason "victory."

I keep forgetting there's a season going on

Once again, I forgot about football - and that's not just because the Giants were embarrassed on Sunday. I'm OK with that, given last year's surprising run; I'm just more annoyed that the Eagles fans are back in force.

These hypocrites who nearly rode Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid out of town a few months ago have placed them back on a pedestal. Pretty high praise for a team that relied on wins from the Raiders and Texans just to qualify for the playoffs.

If I'm being a bit rough on the team that gallantly fought the Bengals to a tie, it's just because I know the Phillies are about to be forgotten in the minds of area sports fans. This town was a baseball town for a couple months, and now it's back to football. If the Eagles win it all, a realistic scenario, then it will be almost as if the Phillies championship didn't exist.

Recently, Phil Sheridan wrote that the Phillies championship relieved the Eagles of the pressure that might have contributed to their lack of Super Bowl championships.

I just don't want to hear E-A-G-L-E-S for the next month and then again at Citizens Bank Park in the summer.

{I don't recall any chants at the ballpark last year. If there were, only in the beginning of the season by a few people, who were quickly booed down. I doubt there will be any cheers this year either. Eagles will blow this, somehow. And we Phillies fans will be quietly happy. Flyers win? That's fine. Sixers? Good for them. Eagles - blah. They beat a New York team, so I wouldn't mind if football was over now.}

Predictions: I was 1-1 on Sunday; 3-5 for the playoffs. I'm picking the Eagles this weekend, not sure yet in the AFC.

{Last weekend, I rooted for the Birds, Birds, Birds, Chargers. Three out of four ain't bad. Eagles, just to drive Greg crazy. The other birds, well, it was just fun to say birds, birds, birds and annoy Greg some more.}

Red Sox LFers dominate Hall of Fame vote

Congrats to Big Jim Ed Rice, who will join Rickey Henderson in Cooperstown this summer.

It was a long wait for Rice, all 15 years of eligibility, but it creates a nice pairing for the Hall of Fame class of 2009.

Put aside their similarities - both were dominant stars of the 1980s and patrolled left field at Fenway Park - Rice and Henderson also provide a nice contrast.

{Yes, in case you forgot - like Greg briefly did - Henderson was in Boston for the glorious 2002 season. And no, off the top of his head, Greg doesn't remember anything else that happened that season. Like how I also forgot that Henderson was a member of those awful 1993 Blue Jays.}

Henderson was the ultimate leadoff hitter who combined power with dominating speed and on-base skills; Rice was the big (for the time) slugger who excelled in powerful offense.

I just hope Rickey can keep up with Big Jim on the podium this summer. Rice seems to be outgoing, colorful and self-promoting while Rickey can be a little quiet. Nah, Rickey being Rickey would never let that happen.

My favorite story of the day comes not from Henderson, but from Rice. Apparently, the big guy loves his soaps. I would have loved it if he didn't take the call until his stories ended.

I'm sorry I don't have anything personal to add. I started rooting for the Red Sox in 1986 - Rice's last good year, so most of my memories, unfortunately, are of a washed-up slugger. I was living in Yankee territory when Rickey played in New York. To me, he was a symbol of the overhyped big-name Yankees who never won, but I also disliked him purely because he was so damned good.

[Photo credit: Boston Herald]

Nick Cafardo audtions for SoxandPhils

Given the awful economic state of newspapering, it seems the Globe's Nick Cafardo is sending out subtle hints that he'd like to join the SoxandPhils team. A couple of lines from today's Baseball Notes column prove my point:

Apropos of nothing: 1. If Mike Lowell had signed with the Phillies last winter, he'd have back-to-back championships; 2. Nomar Garciaparra would be a nice fit for the Phillies.

...

The action on Lowe will likely accelerate this weekend among three NL East teams - Atlanta, New York, and Philadelphia. The Braves, who met with Lowe last week, need to nail this one down. They acquired Javier Vazquez from the White Sox earlier this winter, but they have lost John Smoltz and have yet to make an offer to the rehabbing Tom Glavine. They would salvage their offseason by signing Lowe, who among the baseball people we spoke to was considered the second-best free agent pitcher out there (after CC Sabathia). One rub is that Lowe wants to go somewhere where he can get to a World Series. Are the Braves that team? Are the Mets? We know the Phillies are.

No need to be bashful, Mr. Cafardo - you'd be welcome to join. We don't pay well, but we offer telecommuting, flexible hours and a friendly staff.

Oh, and since he took a jab at the Mets, Christine and I (while taking breaks from watching the Carolina Panthers fall apart last night) caught the end of the 2006 NLCS on MLB Network, which was the beginning of the "choke artist" label for the New York Mets. Christine could watch Carlos Beltran freeze on strike three with the potential winning run on base a million times.

Back to current reality: Cafardo, Bob Ryan and Jim Salisbury all talk about the two Red Sox left fielders on deck for the Hall of Fame. I think (probably like I did last year) that Jim Rice gets in this year. I haven't seen a writer's ballot that hasn't included him, and he was darn close last year.

No one, however, doubts that at least one Red Sox (Rickey Henderson) will get in. If you've clicked on the link to Cafardo's column at the top of this post, you would have an enjoyable recap on Rickey's year in the Fens. I love Henderson stories and can't wait for all of them to come out over the next few months.

Football: Again, I keep forgetting about football - although today's Eagles-Giants is a must-see. Yesterday, I would have picked the Panthers and the Titans. Today, I'll go with the Giants and Steelers. I'm 2-4 so far in the playoffs.

That's a mighty fine troph - I lost my concentration and forgot what I was going to say

With little more than a month before Adam Eaton, Ronny Paulino and others report to spring training, the Phillies announced a whirlwind tour for that little piece of hardware they captured in October.

(We're sure it happened because we witnessed the crowning and have seen the replay many times on MLB Network and DVD.)

Scott Lauber has the schedule.

I think it's a real nice gesture for the fans, but before Christine starts dropping hints about needing something at the Moorestown Mall in three weeks, I will remind her that she said it was lame when the Red Sox took the 2004 trophy from town to town.

{Hey! The Phillies do a winter tour at malls and other places every year - this year they just have an extra-special guest coming along.}

Seriously, though, like the parade, I'm not sure I'd want to deal with the masses to see it.

In other news: I wonder if the Phillies will take the World Series trophy for a tour. What? I already wrote about that? Oh, I must be like nearly 8 percent of baseball players who got a drug exemption for having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

MLB's Rob Manfred explains the epidemic rate:

"We are all male. We are far younger than the general population, and we have far better access to medical care than the general population," Manfred said.

Doctors don't buy it:

"This is incredible. This is quite spectacular. There seems to be an epidemic of ADD in major league baseball," said Dr. Gary Wadler, chairman of the committee that determines the banned-substances list for the World Anti-Doping Agency.

He recommended an independent panel be established -- WADA recommends at least three doctors -- to review TUE requests in what he termed "a sport that grew up on greenies."

"I've been in private practice for a lot of years. I can count on one hand the number of individuals that have ADD," he said. "To say that [7.86 percent] of major league baseball players have attention deficit disorder is crying out of an explanation. It is to me as an internist so off the map of my own experience."

And J.C. Romero is the cheater in the eyes of Major League Baseball.

{Photo credit: Associated Press}

Nomar could be a SoxandPhil

Yesterday, when Rocco Baldelli held up his new No. 5 Red Sox jersey, we were reminded of Nomar Garciappara's Red Sox past.

Perhaps that was an omen to his Phillies future.

Ken Rosenthal reports the champions are interested in the man who made the great 2004 possible by leaving town. They're also interested in 2004 champion Gabe Kapler, who would make more sense because whoever gets the final Phillies bench slot should be able to play some outfield defense.

Since we're talking about bottom of the roster depth, the Red Sox completed their bench by re-signing Mark Kotsay - who was rumored to be heading to the Phillies before the Red Sox acquired him last season.

But the Sox still don't have a starting catcher. From the Boston Herald:

Still on the to-do list is acquiring another catcher. Epstein said a deal with captain and free agent Jason Varitek has not been ruled out.

"We've still got some unfinished business," said Epstein. "Jason is still out there. As I said at the beginning of the offseason, by no means have we shut the door on him and we’re also in pursuit of a younger catcher in a trade."

Take two: I forgot to mention what Christine will think of whenever we see Rocco enter a game. Her cousin's first hamster was named Rock-O. She was a little girl when she had him, and after he died, she kept writing in letters to Christine's brother, stationed in Iraq at the time, that her hamster had died.

There were several letters, and I imagine if enemies got a hold of them, they'd go nuts trying to figure out what "Rock-O died" was code for.

Sox add depth, but still no starting catcher

The Red Sox responded today to the hundreds of millions spent by the Yankees this winter. While the Yankees dumped boatloads of money on three players who haven't won anything, the Red Sox got proven winners John Smoltz and Rocco Baldelli for less than $20 million.

OK, A.J. Burnett has one ring (same as Smoltz and Baldelli combined), but he pitched in only four games in 2003, when Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell won it for the Marlins.

Point is, the Yankees are buying big names, but the Red Sox are assembling a team - just one without a starting catcher.

A couple notes on Baldelli: He's going to be the first Red Sox to wear No. 5 since Nomar Garciapparra was shipped out so we could win a championship.

I have faith the front office did their due diligence with Baldelli's medical history and that he'll be capable of serving as the fourth outfielder.

I told Christine last night that this is our revenge for the Rays getting Pat Burrell. {I still fail to see his logic in that.}

I'm not expecting much from Smoltz, but between him and Brad Penny, I like the depth of the rotation.

Uniform number addendum: Wow, there have been very few uniform numbers that have gone unused by the Red Sox in recent years. According to Red Sox Diehard, only four unretired numbers (lower than 65) have been out of commission as long as or longer than Nomar's.

• No. 14 since 2000. Hopefully that number gets retired this year when Jim Rice is elected to the Hall of Fame.
• No. 21 since Roger Clemens left to become a disgrace in 1996.
• No. 26. This one is odd. It's Wade Boggs' number, but 11 guys have had it since he left, most recently Ramiro Mendoza in 2004.
• No. 45, last worn by Pedro Martinez in 2004.

[Photo credit: Associated Press]

24-7

Have you ever eaten so much of your favorite food that you made yourself sick and couldn't even look at it again? We're close to that point with Phillies World Series games, thanks to the new MLB Network, which seems to be included in the basic FIOS package after all.

Other than showing the same things (a couple news shows, Don Larsen's perfect game and the 2008 World Series) ad nauseam, I love the new network.

I was a bit worried when I read a quote from MLB Network president Tony Petitti saying, "This isn't MLB Classic" because that's precisely what I was hoping for. And so far, it appears that it is filling the void left by ESPN Classic, ever since the worldwide leader decided poker and rodeo qualify as classics. Thankfully, the new baseball network has more respect for legitimate sports history - we even saw some newsreel of the 1946 World Series last night. Why did Johnny Pesky hold onto that ball?

I'm giving the benefit of the doubt that some of the repetitive programming will subside once the network gets a bit more established. My only real gripe is with its whitewashing of baseball history, such as saying that Cal Ripken and Ken Griffey Jr. - not the now-tainted home run race of 1998 - saved baseball after the 1994 strike and that the reason Andre Dawson got no contract offers in 1987 was because of his injury history without mention of the owners' collusion.

All in all, I'm very happy with the new network and will probably tune in to the their show on 1995 tonight to see how The Kid saved baseball.

Roid rage

Usually when there's a story about steroids, I get mad at the player for doing drugs and at baseball for doing nothing about it. Last night, when the maddening story of J.C. Romero broke, I wasn't mad at the player, but at baseball for not doing nothing about it.

Sure it's possible that Romero, who got in front of the story and explained himself to Phil Sheridan, is sugarcoating his version. And now the players' association may be disputing part of his account. Romero's story: He took a supplement he was told was safe, but then failed a drug test after learning the supplement contained a banned substance. Great, there's a 50-game lesson learned for J.C. and the Phillies.

Give him credit for sticking to his guns and not accepting a halved penalty for playing along with Major League Baseball:

"If people are intimidated because Major League [Baseball] is a big organization, so be it," Romero said. "But they are not going to make an example of me thinking that I'm just a [dumb] Puerto Rican. It's not going to happen. It's not the way I'm built.

"For me to keep my mouth shut? That's not the right thing to do. If they want to bump me out of the game, so be it. What am I going to do, just sit back and take it? When I know in my heart I'm innocent? That doesn't fly well with me and it doesn't fly well in my house, either."

Since he brought up ethnicity, there's another point to this story. Early on in baseball's steroid testing, there was a complaint that a predominant number of Latin players were caught because they couldn't understand the policy. Well, here's a Latin player who has no language issue and did everything you would want a player to do, but he still winds up penalized.

This is a bad day for baseball.

Yankees farmhand Sergio Mitre was snared in similar circumstance. Normally I'd say he probably deserved it, but these facts are too disturbing even for Yankee jokes.

Also disturbing were comments by Ruben Amaro - he stood by the team's trainer and baseball, but not Romero - and the players' union, which said baseball should address these problems in the future. Yup, somehow this is the one case in which the union isn't going to try to run baseball.

Notes: Marcus Giles, who has also faced whispers of steroid use, just joined the Phillies as infield insurance. ... Comcast SportsNet reported last night that the Phillies did offer Pat Burrell a two-year contract during the season for more money than he got from Tampa Bay. So I take back a little of my organization-bashing: Pat, we're in bad economic times. You should have taken the money and run. There's not that big of a market for a slow-footed, .250-hitting left fielder, regardless of his bulldog.

Who's going to lead the '09 parade?

The last time Pat Burrell had a hit, it was the most important hit in his career - a double high off the wall in center field, leading to the winning run in Game 5 of the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Today, Burrell switched sides and became a Ray.

It's a departure that was inevitable and long-anticipated but extremely disappointing for fans like me. Those who stick with their teams and with their players, especially home-grown players, in good times and bad. And there were plenty of bad times through the years, but Burrell didn't complain and kept trying. And that's why he won us all over, despite the times he would freeze on an inside pitch or stare at his bat like he didn't know what it was. He kept playing and battled through the down times, to later be rewarded with one of his torrid hitting sprees.

[I can't believe both our teams lost iconic championship left fielders in recent months, and I'm more upset about Burrell's departure.]

Pat the Bat signed a two-year, $16 million contract to be the Rays designated hitter. Granted, it's hard to imagine that he would have signed that deal with the Phillies, but did they even approach him with any solid numbers? Would he have taken two years, $20 million or $24 million? Do they really think Raul Ibanez - older, below-average fielding Ibanez - is a better deal and a better player? Disappointing all around.

(Also disappointing from a selfish blogger standpoint - the loss of two of our biggest searches: Elvis Burrell and Michelle Fonseca Burrell.)

The Phillies finish spring training with two games against the Rays at Citizens Bank Park. I know it goes against proper ring ceremony protocol, but I think the team should present Burrell with his World Series ring during one of those games. He was the longest-tenured player on the Phils - and as we found out this year, a leader in the clubhouse. He deserves it.

And if the Phillies disagree, well, they can take that bit of advice that Pat offered Terry Francona in spring training a few years ago:


[Photo credits: Reuters, Delawareonline.com]

Philadelphia, Massachusetts

Long before I tried to make an artificial, online connection between the Red Sox and Phillies, I thought there were strong similarities between the Philadelphia and Boston fan bases. Each is deep-rooted and extremely passionate despite a long (at the time) championship drought.

But in recent years, Boston has become title town: the Red Sox and Patriots have won multiple titles, and the Celtics have a chance to repeat this year.

But if you think the Eagles have a fighting chance to win the Super Bowl as a No. 6 seed, then Philadelphia, a city famous for its losing sports teams until the 2008 Phillies, could supplant Boston as home of the hardware.

And these thoughts aren't coming from a blogger trying to drum up business - they're from the Philadelphia Inquirer's Phil Sheridan, who turned a curtain-opening column on the Eagles' first playoff game against the Vikings into a SoxandPhils tome:

That team was uniquely qualified to win the city's first major championship in a quarter-century. Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Cole Hamels have exactly the right qualities to succeed in this very tough sports town. Their chemistry is similar to that of the Patriots and Red Sox teams that overcame the pressure of playing in Boston to win multiple championships in the 2000s.

He even says that if by some miracle the Eagles get past the Giants (fat chance) and go all the way, the Phillies should get some credit:

The Eagles, for all their success in the middle of the decade, never quite had that air about them. Indeed, their four brushes with a championship from 2001 through 2004 (culminating with the Super Bowl appearance in early 2005) became sand in the mouths of drought-stricken Philadelphia sports fans. The closer the Eagles got without breaking through, the more desperate the city felt.

That pressure is off now. The city is relaxing and smoking a metaphorical cigarette after the World Series win. These Eagles are fortunate to be in the playoffs and, at the same time, capable of beating everyone they might face in the NFC. It's a perfect setup.

Then, as Sheridan writes, we will be left pondering the question: "Philadelphia as Boston?"

Bonus points: Sheridan gets extra credit for weaving in an Elvis reference in his second graf.

Football: Since I've already broken Christine's plea for no-football, might as well start doing the picks. I'm having a hard time feeling games this year and got both of yesterday's games wrong. I'll go with the Eagles and Ravens today.

Roger Clemens racing

I didn't intend on this being Roger Clemens week, but the holiday has given me time to do some short essay writing. Here's one from my Cub Scout days:

A definite highlight of Cub Scouts was the Pinewood Derby. Dad would install the weights and carve the car, and I would paint it and stick the numbers on the back in hopes my little piece of wood would roll down a ramp faster than anyone else's.

I competed twice. The first time was with a black car with flames on it. It had my initials, and I used No. 31 for Dave Winfield. I think I came in second place, and I got to compete at the regionals, where I was blown out of the water. Those guys were serious.

In year two, I didn't win anything. Maybe because the car was an homage to Roger Clemens - all red and blue with a big 21 on the hood and an "R" on the trunk.

That little speck in the middle? Dad was a little sloppy with this edition and used a screw that was too big to hold in the weights. That sucker is sharp. After I salvaged this from the attic, Christine couldn't believe they let me race with that sticking up.

I can't believe anyone would allow a little kid race with a car dedicated to Roger Clemens.

Antiquated Phillies garb

Greg's post about his Clemens' jersey reminded me of the story about my first Phillies jersey. It was December 1991, and I wanted a jersey for Christmas. So my mom and I went to a specialty sports store - remember, this was nearly 20 years ago. Sports paraphernalia and stores weren't as ubiquitous as they are today.

At first I wanted a Lenny Dykstra jersey, but I opted for a plain jersey instead. Not a replica - I didn't save my pennies like Greg did - but I was happy with it. However, the clerk hedged a bit.

"I heard the Phillies might be coming out with a new jersey next year. You might want to wait."

But I didn't want to wait. I got the jersey. And I loved it. But sure enough, four months later, it was out of date when the Phils unveiled their new uniforms on Opening Day 1992 - the same uniforms that they are still using today.

The thing that strikes me most about this story is the fact that the Phillies kept their new uniforms a secret. If I remember correctly, they wouldn't even officially confirm that they were getting new uniforms. Compare that with today, when there are fashion shows and big announcements about new gear - all formally introduced before the holiday shopping season.

Antiquated Red Sox garb IV

I've put off this post long enough, but I figure I should mark the one-year anniversary of SoxandPhils by wrapping up a feature I've left open for far too long. (Although I may have to revisit it soon if and when Jason Varitek signs elsewhere.)

Among all my Red Sox garb, my favorite is the one I can no longer wear. Like the artifacts from my journalism career, I will officially retire it to storage after this post is filed.

It is the authentic Roger Clemens jersey that I literally saved pennies in my childhood to buy.

I collected change in a giant mayonnaise jar. I kept a small Figment (a Disney character) at the bottom in hopes of burying him with quarters and dimes. Figment's head stayed above the coin line, but it was a big enough jar that by the time high school rolled around, I had about $100. I was soon wearing a No. 21 on my back, just like the guy who first attracted me to the Red Sox.

Before turning to steroids to extend his career in hopes of becoming an upper pantheon Hall of Famer, Clemens - then largely unknown - struck out 20 batters on my 9th birthday in 1986. I already hated the Yankees, and that cemented the Red Sox as my new team.

Several years later, I was so proud to have bought his jersey. I said I'd be buried in it - and haven't completely ruled that out yet. {Over my dead body.}

When he bolted for the Blue Jays, I swore I wouldn't wear the jersey again, but I began to before he joined the Empire. Then, when he became an Astro, I wore it again until he rejoined the Empire.

Now that he's become the poster boy for the Mitchell Report and the steroid era, I know I have to put it away until/unless the Red Sox give it to some promising young prospect. I had hoped Clay Buchholz would get it, but that looks like it won't happen. Why couldn't have Jon Lester wanted 21?

I've had to do a lot of growing up this year, and I think it's time I put away this childhood memento.