Season goes on

With yesterday's shaming of David Ortiz, I had forgotten that today was the trade deadline until I heard Mike & Mike talking about it.

I started wondering what former roider, like Eric Gagne, Theo Epstein might pick up this year.

OK, that's not fair to last year's acquisition of Jason Bay, but I was still bummed about Papi. I still am. By the afternoon I was starting to get over it, especially because, as Christine predicted when Lou Marson went to the Tribe, the Red Sox got Victor Martinez. They did so without losing Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard or Michael Bowden, but they did give up Justin Masterson, Bryan Price and Nick Hagadone. They also flipped the recently acquired and suddenly extraneous Adam LaRoce to the Braves for Casey Kotchman.

Despite having Jason Varitek, I've long coveted V-Mart because of his hitting. Reading the first reports of his arrival, I think I'm going to like his attitude - sentimental yet focused on winning. I just hope he does it cleanly:

Upon learning of the deal, Martinez admitted it was difficult to leave the only organization he had played for since entering professional baseball in 1996.

"It's tough," Martinez told The Associated Press. "This is my house. This is my home."

According to the report, Martinez fought back tears as he sat in front of his locker, hugging son Victor Jr. Earlier in the day, the young boy asked his dad, "Are we still an Indian?"

But he later added that Red Sox fans unfamiliar with him will soon find out what he's all about.

"Everybody knows I play to win," said Martinez. I love this game and I'll go there and do the same thing. As soon as I cross the line, I'm all about winning."

Masterson also sounded the right tone - I'm going to miss him, and I think he's going to be a real good pitcher. Hopefully he needs some days off whenever we play Cleveland:

"It will be nice when we get to Cleveland, but it's unfortunate to have to leave a great organization like the Red Sox, but I've heard nothing but good things about Cleveland, so I'll be excited to get up there."

So the 2009 trading deadline has passed. The top names moved came from Cleveland and landed with the SoxandPhils. The Red Sox have struggled, but I think the Papi revelation will be cathartic and Martinez will spark them past this slump and back to the top of the American League. The Phillies look to be a slam dunk to repeat at least as division champions and are probably favorites to repeat as World Champions.

Tonight, their new acquisition, Cliff Lee, debuts in San Francisco. Hopefully, I'll be able to stay up past his first inning - probably not.

John Smoltz gave up five runs in six innings, but the Red Sox won a back-and-forth affair in Baltimore 6-5.

Shattered

I got an e-mail today with the subject: "I knew the Red Sox were too good to be true."

Once I opened it, instantly the best baseball year of my life was ruined. What I long suspected, but hoped would not be true, was confirmed: The 2004 Boston Red Sox were tainted by drugs. David Ortiz, like his cohort Manny Ramirez, tested positive in 2003. I'm a hypocrite, and the Red Sox first championship in 86 years is no more pure than any that the Yankees have won.

Fun day.

I didn't even care when I heard Papi hit a big home run to win today's game, 8-5 over the A's. The myth of Big Papi has been shattered. Ortiz, who had previously advocated a full-year suspension for roiders, claimed ignorance until after the game:

He said he was "blindsided" when a Times reporter asked him about the allegation before the game, and said he responded at the time with a "no comment" because he "wanted to get to the bottom of this." He added:

Based on the way I have lived my life, I am surprised to learn I tested positive. ... I will find out what I tested positive for [and] based on whatever I learn, I will share this information with my club and the public. You know me -- I will not hide and I will not make excuses.

Speaking to reporters in the clubhouse after the game, Ortiz elaborated on his statement. "I found out like an hour before the game about the situation. You guys know I'm a guy that never turns my back on you guys, always been true with you guys. And, honestly, right now I don't have information about it. I'm going to get more input about the situation and I'm going to honestly tell you guys what's up. But right now, I don't have answers. I've got no information."

At least Curt Schilling, the real hero of 2004, remains taint-free. I know, I shouldn't make such statements about any player of the last quarter decade.

Before this stunner, I had prewritten the following post. It encapsulates what I felt about Papi before this afternoon. I will post it as a final reminder to myself of the hypocrisy. I apologize to Jimmy Rollins for the roider ruining it for him:

It was nice to see Jimmy Rollins listed as one of Bubba Burgers "Who's Hot?" players on Sunday.

It got me thinking of all the crap J-Roll and David Ortiz took at the beginning of the year. These are two clutch players who willed their teams to overcome desperate odds to win improbable championships - Phillies over the Mets in 2007 and Red Sox over the Yankees in 2004.

Yet when they scuffled a bit this year, the fans who benefited greatly from their past performances wanted to run them out of town.

I admit I got impatient and frustrated with both of them, but it was more a feeling of "I don't want to see such a proud and capable player who has meant so much to my team struggle."

It wasn't the usual sports-talk drivel of, "He's done. Ship his ass out of here."

Since J-Roll bottomed out on July 1, he has increased his line from .205/.250/.319 to .236/.288/.381. Papi has improved from .186/.282/.284 on June 2 to .224/.311/.409 today.

I'm sure neither player is happy with his line, but I'm just glad they're back to playing at superior levels - not for what it means to their teams, but for what it means to their pride.

Maybe they'll carry their hot streaks through the World Series and battle not only for the big trophy but for World Series MVP as well.

Phillies: They lost 4-0 to the Diamondbacks last night. Hmm, maybe they should have traded losing pitcher J.A. Happ for Roy Halladay. They play even later tonight, opening a series against the Giants.

Phils land Cy Young pitcher; questions still abound

While still contemplating the Phillies big trade for reigning AL Cy Young award winner Cliff Lee, I heard a radio caller put it in perspective. Most of the talk show scene was anti-Cliff Lee because he's not the big name - Roy Halladay - they had been clamoring for.

"Doesn't anyone remember the days of Hard Hittin' Mark Whiten or Gregg Jefferies?" the caller said. "We won the World Series last year and just got an ace. Sure, he's not the ace, but he's an ace."

Damn straight.

I hope the Phillies didn't give up too much - Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Jason Knapp and Jason Donald are going to the Indians for Lee and Ben Francisco. Those are some of their top prospects, but not the big ones they didn't want to give up for Halladay.

Christine didn't want to give up a large haul for Halladay - the Phils were good enough to win it all without him last year and have as good of a shot as anyone to win it all again this year without mortgaging their future. She feels a bit bad for J.A. Happ, the likely candidate to get sent back to the bullpen, but pitching depth is fleeting, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him get some more starts even after Pedro Martinez and Cliff Lee arrive.

Heck, a few weeks ago, the Red Sox were seen as having an embarrassment of riches with their starting pitching, and now some think they need to get Halladay.

Todd Zolecki has a nice post on why the deal makes so much sense for the Phillies.

We've been upset with the way the Phillie players have been outspoken in their yen for Roy Halladay. I am concerned that they don't believe they can win without him. Hopefully, Clifton proves them wrong. He's looking forward to the opportunity:

I'm going to the defending World Champions, that's a good thing ... I'm anxious and excited to get there. ... It's the National League. I'm going to have to figure out how to get a bunt down more consistently.

This being SoxandPhils, we have to speculate what this trade means for the Red Sox deals. Will they pull the trigger on Roy? Or, since the Indians acquired Marson, does that mean Victor Martinez is coming to Fenway? We have less than 48 hours to find out. Until then, we'll think about the possibility of the World Series opening in Fenway: Lee vs. Halladay.

Today's games: After the Red Sox blew a three-run lead in the 9th last night, that World Series fantasy is starting to look like a pipe dream. They're trailing the A's again tonight, 5-3 in the 5th.

The Phillies won 4-3 last night as Brad Lidge turned a comfortable Cole Hamels performance into a squeaker against one of the worst teams in baseball, the Diamondbacks. They end the series late again tonight.

Red goes green, Hawaiian style

I mentioned Sunday that in honor of Shane Victorino hula T-shirt day, the Phillies superimposed flowery Hawaiian shirts on all the players' scoreboard photos.

We intended to post Shane's scoreboard shot (pictured on the left) until Christine realized it looked awfully familiar.

A check of the SoxandPhils archives confirmed her suspicion: The Phillies used the same Shane Victorino-in-a-Hawaiian-shirt picture from last year.

I think the Phillies are taking their whole recycling thing (red goes green) a little too far.

Christine takes pride that her team seems to be at the forefront of environmental issues, but can somebody explain to me what energy or resource has been saved by reusing the same Shane Victorino photo (pictured on the right)?

Looking back at last year's post, I noticed that the Phanatic recycled his Hawaiian costume as well. Doesn't he know it's tacky to wear the same dress twice in similar situations?

Speaking of Shane: A colleague who watched Sunday's game on TV told me Victorino's 1st inning stolen base was negated because the umpire interfered with the catcher's throw.

Hairy Harry: I forgot to mention on Sunday that the Ask-A-Phillies question was about pets. Raul Ibanez has a bunch: cats, dogs, guinea pigs and, best of all, a tarantula named Harry. I bet HK is pleased.

Pitching news: The Red Sox may or may not be intruding in the Phillies trade talks for Roy Halladay. I'm not endorsing a trade, but if it occurs, I just hope it works out better than the Daisuke Matsuzaka experiment. Dice-K has blamed the Red Sox for his arm troubles, which has angered the organization.

Today's games: The Phillies and the Red Sox won last night. The Phillies have another late game in Arizona. The Red Sox, after retiring Jim Rice's No. 14, lead the A's 6-3 in the 7th.

Cycle correction

Christine and I giggled when this trivia question popped on the scoreboard yesterday. Didn't they know Jimmy Rollins' cycle last week made this outdated?

While looking into it, to my horror, I discovered J-Roll did not hit for the cycle - ending a home run short of it.

I don't know how I made that mistake. I was on vacation and probably had too many peaches and pecans on my mind. {Jeez, no wonder why he's no longer a reporter.}

Trade rumors: It's torturous watching the Phillies barter for Roy Halladay, or any other pitcher out there, but I'm also perplexed at the big move the Red Sox may or may not be making:

Red Sox manager Terry Francona said that he has been checking in on general manager Theo Epstein’s trade negotiations before Friday's deadline, and the names he's hearing aren't necessarily the usual suspects brought up on talk radio.

"I listen to the talks. I don't listen to the radio, but I talk to Theo," said Francona. "Some of the people I hear talked about on the radio -- you guys have no idea."

Today's games: The Phillies play late in Arizona; the Red Sox, behind a strong Josh Beckett outing, lead the A's 6-2 in the 7th.

'Elua (Hawaiian for two)

You might have guessed that we were discussing weather yesterday because we had tickets to today's game.

With a good chance of thunderstorms and our luck with the weather at ball games, we fully expected a washout. Instead, the weather you see in the picture to the right is what we got from inning one through nine.

Game: The sunny day was fitting for a game dedicated to Shane Victorino and his native Hawaii. The game itself had two simple plot lines: a bunch of two-run home runs and a fine outing by Country Joe Blanton.

The Phillies matched the Cardinals' first inning run, but then Chase Utley (pictured scoring) put them up for good with a two-run home run in the 3rd inning. He was matched by Ryan Howard in the 5th, Jimmy Rollins in the 6th and Raul Ibanez in the 7th.

Victorino, the man of the hour who never seems to shrink when the spotlight is on him, didn't join in the two-run fun, but he did go 2-4 with two singles and a run. He appeared to have a stolen base in the first inning, but the umpire sent him back. We never got an explanation in the stands.

Although his native Nashville wasn't feted throughout the game, Blanton stole the day from Shane-O. He went eight innings, and with just 108 pitches, he could have gone out for the 9th. His strongest inning was his last. After a leadoff single to Skip Schumaker, he struck out Julio Lugo, Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday (pictured) to end the inning.

Despite the protests of a youngster sitting behind us, Charlie Manuel went with Brad Lidge to preserve the 9-2 win. He allowed a double to Rick Ankiel and needed 21 pitches, but he ended the inning without a run, lowering his ERA to 7.00. Former SoxandPhil Joe Thurston made the last out.

Observations from the stands: Lots of Hawaiian music throughout the day. The Phanatic hula'd with professionals, then lead his own thing involving a bunch of guys pretending to row a boat with wiffle ball bats. We didn't get it either. ... The Aloha Hula Show did the national anthem. It was a string version - very different, very nice. ... Stephanos Tsirakoglou sang an operatic God Bless America. He kept it moving. ... That kid I mentioned earlier kept Christine and I entertained with constant chatter, such as "Howard looks weird when he sweats," "Paul Bako has to work his way up in the game" and "Rollins hit a grand slam yesterday. Did Pujols? Did Holliday?" ... Matt Stairs, getting a rare start, used Stone Cold Steve Austin's Glass Shattered entrance music. ... All the Phillies had Hawaiian shirts superimposed on their scoreboard pictures - Stairs got a pink one. ... J-Roll came out to Michael Jackson in his first at-bat, but none of the rest. Christine was taken in the 4th when he chose Kriss Kross' Jump for his intro music. ... It was a very annoying day with people around us. There were constant beer runs and invasions of personal space. None was worse than late in the game when a large guy sitting next to Christine leaned forward and shifted to relieve himself of some gas. It was audible, but thankfully, she did not smell it.

It was also a good day for T-shirt watching, including this new RAUUUUUULL Ibanez version. ... We saw a growing number of Charlie Manuel shirts, including his All-Star T. We also saw two Carlos Ruiz shirts. We were glad to see some love for Cholly and Chooch. ... Kind of tacky is a new Phillies Hall of Fame T-shirt that lists every Phillie in the hall, including stalwarts such as Ryne Sandberg, Tony Perez and Johnny Evers. Well, maybe I would get a Red Sox version, assuming it would have Tom Seaver, Rickey Henderson and Juan Marichal. ... There were also lots of recent antiquated Phillies garb, including Jim Thome, Billy Wagner, Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell and the debut of Chris Coste to this list.

Pictures: It was such a photogenic day, we couldn't get them all in this post. Keep checking throughout the week for some more highlights.

Red Sox: The less said, the better. John Smoltz gave up six runs in five innings in a 6-2 loss to the Orioles. We're 2.5 behind the Yankees. Oh well, off to watch the highlights of Red Sox left fielders Rickey Henderson's and Jim Rice's induction speeches.

Slammin' Adam Joseph

****Cycle correction****

Today, while celebrating Christine's mom's birthday, talk turned to the weather as the Phillies were attempting to come back against the Cardinals in the 6th inning.

Her mother, who is a big Adam Joseph fan, offered to turn to Channel 6 to check the weather. Christine asked her to wait until we knew whether the Phillies scored. She waited - until Greg Dobbs walked to load the bases - before switching the channel to the weather report.

It didn't seem like that much time had passed, but when the game was turned back on, Jimmy Rollins was in the dugout getting congratulated for his grand slam, which gave the Phillies a 7-4 lead. They scored seven more to beat the Cardinals 14-6.

So in one week, Christine missed a grand slam and a cycle by Rollins. J-Roll to Christine: Please don't watch my at-bats anymore.

Rodrigo "Why do they need Pedro Martinez or Roy Halladay?" Lopez gave up four runs (three earned) over six innings. That's his worst start of the year.

Christine's mom didn't like hearing that she was going to be the subject of tonight's blog.

In other news: The game was delayed several times as some dolt in the stands kept shining a laser pointer on Cardinals batters. And we were quite surprised to see Steven Register on the mound. We had never heard of him before. If this bullpen mess doesn't end soon, The Pen's casting credits will take 10 minutes to roll.

Red Sox: Jon Lester is pitching well; the Red Sox lead the Orioles 5-2 in the 8th.

Our evening with the Savannah Sand Gnats

Christine and I arrived home safely last night. (Technically this morning, thanks to some horrible weather around Washington and a South Carolina sheriff's officer who nailed me doing 70 MPH in a 70 MPH zone.)

Tonight, we timed dinner so we could eat while watching the Phillies-Cardinals game. Of course, there was a rain delay.

"It looks like we should be there," Christine joked when she saw the ominous sky over the ballpark. The game has resumed, but the delay gave me time to post about our top-secret baseball mission I hinted at on Monday.

Two years ago, when we went to Las Vegas, Christine and I went to a minor league game. We decided to make obscure baseball a vacation tradition and bought tickets to the Savannah Sand Gnats, a Single-A team of the New York Mets.

We had such beautiful weather in Georgia - except the afternoon of the game. It rained. But it stopped just in time for the game. We arrived to the grounds crew taking off the tarp.

A combination of the rain, a slick scorecard that didn't take to pencil too well and a longer-than-expected wait at the concession stands (the locals love their boiled peanuts) had me watching the game without keeping score. Too bad, because the hometown pitcher Jeurys Familia struck out 11 Hickory Crawdads (Rangers) in an 8-0 blowout.

The experience: Apparently, season ticket holders get their name on their seat. I couldn't prove whether J.A. Happ is a big Sand Gnat fan under an assumed name. The seats next to us were held by Paula Deen's The Lady and Sons restaurant. ... Paula Deen also has a concession deal selling items such as her pulled pork sandwich and gooey butter cake. ... They only have two umpires in Single-A. The home plate umpire took his job seriously, as if he's going to make it to the majors. He also had the smallest waist I've ever seen on a dude. ... The Gnats misspelled the name of their pitching coach Marc Valdes in their program. ... We also learned that Julio Franco is managing in the Mets minor league system. Isn't he too old to manage? ... A guy next to us wore a Pete Rose Reds jersey. I don't have a problem with that, except that it was a modern jersey. It should have been an old-school model.

The Gnats mascot, Gnate T. Gnat, sucked. He barely showed any life. Speaking of mascots, a toothbrush sponsored by a local dentist cleaned home plate in the middle of an inning. The beauty of minor league ball. ... The two brothers who competed in the dizzy bat contest were from Pittsburgh. ... Because of the rain, we missed out on beeper ball, a game with a beeping ball for blind people, that was to feature local celebrities. We're also missing next week's military day featuring Sgt. Slaughter. ... Just like when we go to a Phillies game, we sat in the second row. Yeah, right. The last time I was that close to the umpire was when I went oh-for-the-season in Little League. {Greg never told me he went oh-for-a-season. All he ever mentions is the year he hit .714.}

At one point, Christine wondered how the players could sit so close to the field and not get hit by a foul ball. I said it wasn't a problem. Seconds later, a ball rocketed into the dugout. No one was hurt. Later, Christine worried about a little girl who gripped the protective netting. Before I could say, "Great, you just jinxed that girl a broken hand," a ball hit the screen. The girl didn't get hurt. ... We were asked for a scouting report on prospect SS Wilmer Flores. He looks like a pre-roided Alex Rodriguez. He started off 0-4 before hitting an inside-the-park home run in his last at-bat that won a local $2,600 worth of lottery tickets because it occurred in the certain pre-selected inning. But it was a sham. He hit the ball to center field, and it bounced off the centerfielder's head, enabling Flores' "homer."

Conclusion: Fun time. The Sand Gnats looked tough, and the Mets would probably be a more formidable foe for the Phillies if they just called up all their Single-A players.

Tonight: The Red Sox lead the Orioles 3-1 in the 8th; the Phillies trail the Cardinals (retooled with Julio Lugo and Matt Holiday) 6-0 in the 7th.

A new cheesy pregame

****Cycle correction****

In case you haven't figured it out from my cryptic but not-too-subtle hints, Christine and I celebrated our anniversary this week with a little getaway to the Azalea Inn, a bed and breakfast in Savannah, Ga.

We should be home any minute, if we haven't arrived already. Hopefully we have, because it was a grueling 13-hour slog on the way down. (But we left before dawn last week and were fueled by five hours of sleep. We are more rested for today's return trip.)

On the way down, we would just hit scan on the car radio until we found a suitable station. On one, we heard a guy who sounded like Pierre Robert. Because of that we stopped and hoped it wasn't another one of the many country or religious stations that come in around the South.

It wasn't. It was Braves pregame. And, as much as it pains me to admit it, the guy who did the pregame interview with Bobby Cox is just as bad as Chris Wheeler. (But I still hate Chris Wheeler.)

In this guy's first question, he asked Bobby about the day before - when the Braves won a blowout after retiring Greg Maddux's number - managing to get in there how it was the perfect day for the team, the fans and the announcers.

Yeah, way to be hard-hitting there. He made Wheels sound like Howard Cosell.

Speaking of announcers' favorite days, Christine was upset when she saw we missed Jimmy Rollins' cycle on Sunday. I wasn't. I bet Wheels - whose life goal is to see a "natural cycle" - will still be blathering on about it when we tune in for tomorrow's game.

J-Roll didn't hit a natural cycle. For those who don't know, it's a term we've only heard used by Wheels to describe a cycle in which all the hits go in progression (single, double, triple and home run, in that order).

Red Sox updates: They're going to retire No. 14 for Hall of Famer Big Jim Ed Rice, and Julio Lugo was shipped to the Cardinals for Chris Duncan.

Love and marriage

We had an opportunity to clear out some space on the DVR, so we finally watched Cole and Heidi Hamels on E! True Hollywood Story: Baseball Wives.

If you haven't seen it, don't bother.

It's disgustingly stereotypical and filled with the kind of stuff that just breeds disconnect between players and fans. Although, to be fair, most of the grating stuff comes from the wives.

Some examples:

Heidi Hamels compares her life with that of a military family when Cole actually has to go to work in the spring.

Another wife complains of the long season, which, according to her begins, with spring training in "April" and can last through October if her hubby's team makes the playoffs.

One of the ballplayers, when discussing his long road to the majors, said he didn't know what he'd do if he didn't make it. (Get a real job?)

Maybe I was overly sensitive to this stuff because I was reading Chris Coste's book, and he seemed to understand how privileged a ballplayer's job is compared with the average fan, but some of the stuff in this show was obnoxious.

Today's happenings: After celebrating our anniversary with my "baseball" wife last night, we returned in time to see Jayson Werth's home run to win the game against the Cubs in the 13th inning. That extended their winning streak to 10, but it was snapped today as the Cubs beat Jamie Moyer 10-5.

The Red Sox lost again last night and look to end their four-game skid on ESPN with Clay Buchholz facing Vicente Padilla. And the Red Sox traded two minor leaguers I've never heard of for Adam LaRoche. I know the offense has been scuffling, but I don't quite understand this one. (Although in full disclosure, I haven't been giving baseball my full attention this week, in case you haven't noticed.)

Christine is mad at the Red Sox for breaking up the LaRoche brothers.

Seven years

Since July 21, 2002, the Red Sox and Phillies have played 2,258 regular season games going 1,270-988, a .562 winning percentage.

They've made the playoffs seven times, going 11-4 in 15 series, with three World Championships.

Yes, we've had a nice run of baseball since then. We've had a pretty nice seven years of marriage as well.

While researching this post, Christine insisted that she remembered that the Phillies won on our wedding day. They didn't. Kevin Millwood (then a Brave) beat Randy Wolf 2-1. Maybe she just looks back on that day with rose-colored glasses.

I don't remember a thing about the Red Sox game, but there's no sugar-coating (even retrospectively) SoxandPhil felon Ugueth Urbina blowing a 9th-inning lead against the Yankees.

Today: Tim Wakefield has been DL'd, temporarily solving the rotation's logjam. Josh Beckett takes aim at the Rangers in hopes of ending this three-game skid. After Rodrigo Lopez kept himself in the Phillies rotation with another strong showing, this time against the Cubs, Joe Blanton looks to extend the team's nine-game winning streak.

Confessional

****Cycle correction**** (Correction on a correction post - Christine's not too happy with me.)

When you're married for not-quite seven years, you sometimes have to 'fess up. When you also co-publish a blog with your spouse, sometimes that confessional has to be done in public.

Last week, Christine and I were discussing some writers' midseason award picks. Christine mentioned how no one brought up her NL Rookie of the Year pick, Pablo Sandoval.

Impossible, I thought, he's in the MVP discussion (.333/.385/.550). He may have been more deserving of being added to the All-Star team than Shane Victorino or Jayson Werth.

There is a good reason he's not getting any ROY love: He lost his rookie eligibility with 145 at-bats last year.

Oops.

Dirty little secret. When it comes to SoxandPhils preseason predictions, I sometimes help Christine whittle down the rookie class if there's no obvious Phillie candidate (we thought J.A. Happ would be stuck in the bullpen all year). I recommended Sandoval based on a baseball-reference blog that listed him as a rookie. This one's on me, but at least I can say I never voted for a sophomore for rookie of the year.

Tonight's games: We're booking out early for a top-secret baseball-related mission (details to come later), but hopefully Jimmy Rollins hits another cycle as the Phillies start a series against the Cubs. Rodrigo Lopez looks to keep his job against Ted Lilly.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, look to end their mini skid with a series against the Rangers opened with a showdown of two former Braves: John Smoltz and Kevin Millwood.

Sunday with Sinatra

Although there's little deviation among game times for the Phillies, I can never remember when they're on or when the pregame begins. Often, I flip on 1210 way too early, and I'm greeted by a Frank Sinatra staple such as Love and Marriage or New York, New York. (Besides being a conservative talk show station, 1210 plays Phillies games and Frank Sinatra - some things in life can't be explained.)

I was away from the radio today, but when I checked in on the Red Sox, I was greeted by a blurb, Sunday Morning Sinatra, which said it was so quiet in the Red Sox clubhouse that Mark Kotsay had Frank's tunes playing. If he ever becomes a SoxandPhil, he'll love listening to 1210.

It is quiet. Pedro pitched some bullpen, and Jim Salisbury has a long read on how he became a Phillie.

Last night, the Phillies were rained out. Christine and I weren't in Florida, but took a drive for some barbecue and did not get wet.

Today, the Blue Jays and Roy Halladay lead the Red Sox and Jon Lester, 2-1 in the 6th. The Phillies lead the Marlins 4-0 in the 5th.

L-V-P! L-V-P! L-V-P!

In the last seven years, the Red Sox and Phillies certainly have had their share of individual accolades: MVPs (Dustin Pedroia, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard), Rookies of the Year (Pedroia and Howard), Rolaids Relief Award (Brad Lidge), World Series MVPs (Cole Hamels, Mike Lowell and Manny Ramirez), LCS MVPs (Hamels, Josh Beckett and David Ortiz) and All-Star MVP J.D. Drew.

This year, it's too soon to say whether Raul Ibanez or Jason Bay will wind up with the MVP or whether Beckett will continue his surge toward a Cy Young.

But Jayson Stark says a couple of our players may be headed toward less desirable trophies: Least Valuable Player and Cy Yuk.

I can't quarrel that Jimmy Rollins and Daisuke Matsuzaka have been awful this year. But J-Roll's recent hot streak gives the feeling that he'll play well for the rest of the year. And I'm not forgiving him for participating in the stupid World Baseball Classic, but Dice-K was clearly injured. And Chien-Mang Wang has been just as bad.

Today's LVP: Brad Penny, who gave up six runs in five innings in a 6-2 loss against the Blue Jays. The red-hot Phillies continue their series against the Marlins tonight in a quest to wrap up the NL East by August.

Lugo to go

The perplexing marriage between Julio Lugo and the Red Sox is ending.

No one quite understood why the Red Sox signed him as a free agent in 2006, and no one was surprised it didn't work out.

Lugo wanted it to work out, but doesn't blame the team for jettisoning him:

When you see a good looking girl, you get married and sometimes things don't work out. I gave it my best and unfortunately things didn't work out. This is the best for both parties. I wanted it to work out but it didn't.

I heard on the radio that the Mets are one of three teams interested him. That would be funny - the Mets, who have Jose Reyes, having to field former Sox Alex Cora then Lugo.

Theo Epstein took the blame for the foolish four-year, $36 million contract he wasted on Lugo:

This was one of the free agent signings that doesn't work out. We were paying for past performance, not current performance. That's the true definition of a mistake, and as the decision, that's on me. We'll just move on and be a better organization having gone through it, and we'll make better decisions going forward.

The first game of the post-Julio Lugo era got off to a good start: The Red Sox lead the Blue Jays 2-0 in the 1st inning. Clay Buchholz retired the first three batters.

The Phillies game could be ugly - they're up 2-1 over the Marlins in the 2nd. All runs are on home runs so far.

For Love of the Game

It was way too early to be thinking of a no-hitter, but as soon as the 3rd inning I was remembering the cheesy Kevin Costner movie as I watched Jamie Moyer glide through the Marlins lineup.

Probably because there are few, if any, pitchers you would more want to pitch a no-no. I was even contemplating how I would lead off tonight's post if he completed it. Alas, after setting down the first 12 Marlins, Moyer gave up a leadoff single in the 5th to Jorge Cantu.

It was fun watching and imagining what it would be like for him to set down 27 in a row.

As it turns out, he didn't do too poorly: just the one hit and a walk with four strikeouts in seven innings. As Tim Wakefield has to wait until next year to appear in an All-Star game, J-Moy has to wait until next time to pitch his first no-hitter.

Ryan Madson and J.C. Romero set down the last six Marlins to finish off the 4-0 win. It was the Phillies first combined one-hitter since a game started by Marvin Freeman in 1986.

Record: Ryan Howard set a record with the fewest games played with 200 homers. Ralph Kiner needed 706 games to do it; Howard did it in just 658.

Trivia: I had no chance at the trivia question because Christine and I both thought they asked for what three members of the Marlins' 1993 opening day roster are still active. I guessed Luis Castillo, David Weathers and Trevor Hoffman.

Castillo was only 17 in 1993, and Weathers didn't play until midseason.

The question, however, wasn't necessarily the opening day roster, but any Marlin who played in 1993 and is still active - so it was Hoffman, Weathers and midseason acquisition Gary Sheffield.

Pedro's a Phillie

It's official.

Pedro Martinez, possibly the greatest Red Sox pitcher ever, has joined his 2004 World Champion co-ace Curt Schilling in the pantheon of SoxandPhils.

Yes, he's just a fifth starter whose on-field performance may not exceed that of Rodrigo Lopez, but I must admit all the buzz about his signing got to me today.

His smile. His charisma. His arrogance. It reminded me of the guy who was the most dominant pitcher in the game from 1997 to 2003 - the guy who brazenly said wake up the Babe because he would drill him.

I think he knows he will not dominate. But I think he knows that he can end his career on a better note than last year's 5.61 ERA.

No matter what - it's going to be fun. Both Scott Lauber and Todd Zolecki called Pedro's presser the most entertaining they've ever covered. That's saying something. These guys covered the exploits of Elvis Burrell.

"I bring with me a legacy," Pedro Martinez said. "I bring with me, my last name. I bring my face. I bring everything I have, my integrity, to this team.

"I might surprise you. I might not. But it's going to be fun. It's going to be really fun to go out and find out."

Game on.

Part of Pedro's motivation for signing with Phillies is to win a championship with a National League team to match the ring he got with the 2004 Red Sox. That means he's going to be gunning for his old team. If that happens, and he's lined up to pitch in Game 1 or 2 of the World Series, he'll be pitching in Fenway as the AL held out to win 4-3 last night in the All-Star game.

There were a couple of notable SoxandPhils moments after I shut down last night. Jonathan Papelbon, who became the second Red Sox pitcher in three years to win an All-Star game, pitched a scary 7th inning. The first two batters hit long flies on each of their first pitches, but they were caught. One would have been a home run if not for a great catch by the game's MVP, Carl Crawford. Jayson Werth ended the inning with a strikeout in an eight-pitch at bat.

In the 8th, the storybook script seemed in line for St. Louis native Ryan Howard. He came up with the NL trailing by a run but with two runners in scoring position with two outs. He struck out.

Now, onto the second half.

[Photo credit: Associated Press]

SoxandPhils at the All-Star game

A combined 10 SoxandPhils were at the 80th All-Star game to determine whether the Red Sox or Phillies will have home field advantage in the World Series.

So far, it's tied at 3 in the 6th inning.

There are ample places to get the game's outcome and complete details. This is the only place that will distill all the SoxandPhils action. Here's a recap of the SoxandPhils at-bats and defensive plays (at least those completed before I shut down for the night):

Top 1st: Jason Bay singled with two on and one out. Unfortunately, he lost a chance at an RBI because his hit landed right at Shane Victorino, and no one wants to test his arm.

Bottom 1st: Chase Utley grounded out to first.

Bottom 2nd: With President Obama looking on from the broadcast booth, Raul Ibanez grounded out to second. Later, Shane Victorino singled, then scored the tying run (2-2). Obama said the Flyin' Hawaiian is a good guy who gave him some macadamia nuts in the clubhouse. Only Shane.

Bottom 3rd: Utley flew out to center leading off.

Top 4th: Bay flew out to right.

Bottom 4th: Ibanez popped out to third. Victorino struck out and couldn't get on after the catcher dropped the ball.

Top 5th: With speedy Carl Crawford on first, Ichiro Suzuki grounded one deep to Utley who spun and made the long throw to nail the lead runner. Excellent play. Risky, but since it worked, excellent.

We'll recap any other important details tomorrow (the worst day of the season - no baseball games at all).

Other news: It'll be a while before we learn who is MVP of the 2009 All-Star game, but the 1999 All-Star MVP, Pedro Martinez, has signed a contract with the Phillies, making him a SoxandPhil.

Howard's homers

We're watching the home run derby tonight. Man, they certainly drag out this thing.

Ryan Howard's first go-round yielded seven home runs - not a great showing, but enough to advance to the next round to face off against Nelson Cruz (11), Prince Fielder (11) and Albert Pujols (5).

Pujols won the final spot after a three-way bat-off against Carlos Pena and Joe Mauer. How convoluted does baseball have to make one meaningless exhibition contest?

Howard, looking to become just the second-ever repeat derby winner (Ken Griffey Jr. won three), never seemed to get locked in, and I can't decide whether he was purposely pacing himself or it just isn't his night. Christine liked how on his last out to left field, there were no little kids in the area (they must have read the scouting reports). They were soon racing after the ball.

We'll see how it unfolds.

Happy anniversary: With all the hoopla about the All-Star game, I hadn't considered that it's the 10th anniversary of the 1999 classic. The Boston Globe has a photo gallery of the event, marked by Pedro Martinez's dominance (five strikeouts, no hits or walks in two innings) and a touching pre-game ceremony with Ted Williams.

Unfortunately, the game set an annoying precedent for honoring the past in that now baseball always tries to replicate the experience, but it always just feels contrived.

Speaking of Pedro: He's on his way to Philly for a physical and then most likely to become a Phillie.

Future Red Sox stud starter: The Red Sox announced that Clay Buchholz will get a spot start on Friday. They say it's about giving All-Stars Josh Beckett and Tim Wakefield more rest, but I'm not so sure there's not something else in the works.

Oops: I have a confession to make about Christine's "Rookie" of the Year prediction. Details to come on a less eventful night.

Hitting season

The heat of summer has been delayed this year, and we wondered whether the unseasonably cooler weather has also delayed Charlie Manuel's favorite time of the year - hittin' season.

Last night might have been the beginning of the season. Trailing 7-3 in the 9th, Matt Stairs led off with a pinch-hit home run. I withheld a sarcastic comment for Tom McCarthy who said Cholly had the opportunity to use the big guy.

But the Phillies kept coming. Jimmy Rollins and Chase Ultey got on board, setting up a three-run home run for Ryan Howard. Then, they loaded up the bases for Paul Bako (I think he resembles Chris Coste), who singled to end the game.

Ironically, when I was contrasting John Smoltz's solid start with Cole Hamels' subpar outing last night, I was tempted to write, "But these games appear headed in different directions." I refrained, however, because the Pirates tacked on a couple of insurance runs before the 9th.

Following that dramatic ending, I thought the Phillies would romp or come out dead today - no middle ground. They bookended last night's five-run 9th inning with a five-run 1st inning, highlighted by a Pedro Feliz grand slam. They chased Pirates starter Virgil Vasquez after 48 pitches in the middle of the 2nd. But the Phillies suspended hittin' season for the All-Star Break. They didn't score again behind another good J.A. (Halladay who?) Happ outing - one run in seven innings. Christine predicted the Phillies wouldn't score again when the Pirates pulled their started in the 2nd. In the 9th, J.C. Romero gave up a home run but held on for the 5-2 win, capping an 9-1 homestand to end the first half.

Red Sox: Another fine outing for Josh Beckett, who could make a case for starting the All-Star game if he didn't pitch today. He pitched his second shutout of the year, needing just 94 pitches to blank the Royals on three hits with seven strikeouts in the 6-0 win.

All-Star change: Dustin Pedroia is out of the game to tend to his pregnant wife who has had complications.

"This was certainly not an easy decision," Pedroia said in the statement. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for the game of baseball and for the All-Star Game and am incredibly honored that the fans voted me this year’s starting second baseman for the American League. I am disappointed that I will not be able to enjoy the amazing experience with the other All-Stars, especially with my Red Sox teammates, but it is important that I put my family first at this time."

Guess which slick-fielding second baseman Joe Maddon replaced him with? How about another Ray, Carlos Pena, who didn't deserve to be on the final spot ballot, let alone on the team. Currently there is not another backup second baseman on the team. Maddon is becoming just as bad as Joe Torre.

At least Cholly's outfielders are justifiable.

Sanchez, Smoltz and Hamels

Last night, MLB Network cut to the 5th inning of the Giants-Padres game because Jonathan Sanchez had a perfect game going.

I wanted to stay up to see how far he'd take it, but it was getting late and I was planning to take a long, early-morning bike ride before mowing the lawn. And I'm old. So I went to sleep.

I forgot all about Sanchez until the middle of the afternoon when I heard a radio report that he did it.

Christine and I both forgot to mention it to each other until later in the evening. She stayed up and watched the whole thing. She felt bad for Sanchez when he gave up his only baserunner. It was an error by the third baseman, Juan Uribe, after her Rookie of the Year pick Pablo Sandoval had been removed - probably for defensive reasons to help Sanchez. Christine said she felt bad, but the error maybe saved a possible hit, so it wasn't that bad for Sanchez.

Funny - Sanchez, whose career thus far has been most similar to failed Mets prospect Bull Pulsipher, pitched a no-hitter in his 52nd career start. That's something neither Cole Hamels nor John Smoltz, a pair of more decorated and accomplished pitchers, has done in their 571 combined starts.

I picked those two because that's who took the mound for the SoxandPhils tonight. Which one do you have more confidence in right now? Correct answer is Hamels, but he gave up five runs in six innings against the lowly Pirates. That's five times this year he has given up at least five runs. The Pirates lead in the 8th, 7-3.

Smoltz, however, pitched decently, giving up just one run. Unfortunately, he needed 97 pitches to get through five innings, so he yielded early to a bullpen that has been gone from shutdown to floodgate in recent weeks. In the 6th, Justin Masterson was charged with five earned in one-third of an inning. Manny Delcarmen couldn't end the inning, but Hideki Okajima did. Red Sox 9, Royals 6 in the 7th.

We are getting greedy, but have to say goodbye

A week ago, I thought SoxandPhils fans were going to be disappointed with their All-Star representatives.

I was wrong. Both our teams have starters at second base and left field and the backup first baseman. Plus, the Red Sox have three pitchers on the staff. There have plenty of feel-good stories - Tim Wakefield and Raul Ibanez making their All-Star debuts at advanced ages and Ryan Howard getting to play in his hometown.

Since then, the SoxandPhils contingency has grown: Shane Victorino won the final spot vote, and today, Charlie Manuel put another one of his outfielders, Jayson Werth, on the team as Carlos Beltran's replacement.

I'm surprised. Werth is probably having a better year than Victorino, but I didn't think Cholly could get away with putting another Phillie on the roster. As Todd Zolecki reported, this will be the first time since 1995 the Phillies have sent five to the midsummer classic (Darren Daulton, Lenny Dykstra, Tyler Green, Mickey Morandini and Heathcliff Slocumb). That's also the last time one team sent three outfielders (the Indians' Manny Ramirez, Kenny Lofton and Albert Belle). To quote Zolecki, and Larry Andersen, "Wow."

Before Werth was named to the team, I planned to get greedy for Tim Wakefield. The other day I heard Tim Kurkjian mention that it's possible Wake gets the nod to start the game. The Herald's Steve Buckley also endorsed him. Why not? Despite Bud Selig's protests, it still is a meaningless exhibition. Despite my indifference to wins, Wakefield does lead the league in them. It would be a fantastic story. And, hey, it's shaping up to be a SoxandPhils All-Star game anyway.

Chapter closed: Last night, when Paul Bako pinch hit and replaced the injured Carlos Ruiz, Christine said, "Where's Chris Coste? It's like he's not even on the team anymore."

Coste was still on the team last night. He's not tonight. He was released to make room for Ibanez. He's now an Astro.

Coincidentally, I finally started reading his book this week. He's been reminding me of one of my inspirations, wrestler Mick Foley. They both fought their way to the top, had to squeeze every ounce out of their semi-limited abilities and had to keep pushing down doors that were slammed in their face. Even better, they never lost their resolve:

"When I first got to the big leagues in 2006, I told myself, 'I just want to get one day in the big leagues,'" Coste said. "Once I got that day, I wanted a full year. Once I got that full year, I wanted 10 years. That's my approach. I want to stay in the big leagues and I'll do whatever I can to help the Astros win at this time."

The Phillies play the Astros eight times in the final weeks of the season. They better have the division in hand because I bet Chris Coste will do some damage against his former team - possibly knocking them out of the playoffs.

I'm a sucker for a good underdog story, and Chris Coste's was just about as good as it gets. I've rooted for him from the start and enjoyed watching him play. But it was clear that he had fallen out of favor with Cholly; I'm just glad management placed him on waivers instead of sending him to the minors so he gets to keep playing in the majors. Just don't play too well for eight games in September/October, please.

Tonight's games: Two words - pitching duels.

The Red Sox, with Jon Lester making his first start against the Royals since he no-hit them last year, and the Royals, with Brian Bannister matching him, were scoreless into the 8th inning. The Red Sox ended up winning 1-0.

Joe Blanton pitched into the 8th against the Pirates tonight, leaving with a 3-1 lead. Zack Duke pitched an eight-inning complete game. In the 9th, Brad Lidge came in with one out. Christine said, "He's got his ERA under 7.00." After Lidge got his first batter out, former Red Sox Brandon Moss crushed one.

Lidge's ERA took a hit, but he managed to get the final out, preserving the 3-2 win.

A new All-Star and maybe a new SoxandPhil

When I came home today, I turned on the TV to see whether Shane Victorino won the final All-Star slot.

He did.

But that was instantly overshadowed as Comcast discussed a Todd Zolecki Tweet that the Phillies had agreed to terms with Pedro Martinez. He has since dismissed the original report from a Spanish publication, but there are strong indications that if the Phillies' 2009 rotation will include a former Cy Young potential Hall of Famer, it will be Pedro, not Roy Halladay. Zolecki even said he thinks Pedro will be a Phil.

If this does happen, Christine and I are on record against it. Although, Christine said she would enjoy it if he did pitch well if only to rub it in the face of his former team, the Mets.

I wouldn't mind Pedro in Philly; I just don't think he would help the club. I would have several questions:

• Would it be acceptable to wear my Red Sox Pedro T-shirt (pictured above) if we happen to go to a game he's pitching?


• Would he instantly be the second-greatest SoxandPhil of all-time? (Behind Curt Schilling.)


• Who was the last Phillie to wear No. 45? (Actually, not that tough of a question. It was another SoxandPhil, Tom Gordon.)


• While everyone was clamoring for Manny Ramirez to play the Red Sox in last year's World Series, could Pedro beat him to punch in the 2009 SoxandPhils fall classic?

When we still thought the signing was completed, Christine said, "Poor Shane Victorino. He's going to be completely overshadowed."

He was. He's barely mentioned in this post (although I would have focused on how he probably didn't deserve the honor), and he was relegated to the final line in Zolecki's afternoon post:

Shane Victorino won the NL Final Vote, which means he is headed to St. Louis next week.

Congrats, Shane. Sorry you didn't get top billing today, but we all know you've received plenty of attention this week. And, I have a feeling you won't just be watching the game from the bench. I have a good feeling your manager will have you starting in place of injured centerfielder Carlos Beltran.

Tonight's games: Chase Utley certainly looked like he enjoyed himself rounding the bases on his inside-the-park home run in the 3rd inning. After a crazy 5th inning, the Phillies have taken a 9-6 lead over the Reds in the 6th inning.

David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia hit traditional home runs, but the bullpen coughed up another lead. They're trailing the Royals 7-5 in the 7th, but that was No. 300 for the big guy, who has been on a tear.

Before today's game, the Globe reported:

While his average remains a disappointing .223, that’s far better than the .186 he was batting at the start of June. Over his last 27 games and 24 starts, Ortiz is hitting a robust .301 with a 1.037 on-base plus slugging, 14 walks (and 18 strikeouts), eight home runs, and 17 RBIs.

All-Star voting has jumped the shark

A question and a note before starting tonight's post:

1) Has "jumped the shark" jumped the shark? It probably has, but how long ago? {Probably around 1998.}

2) The following post may be hypercritical coming from a guy who writes a blog that artificially links two unrelated baseball teams.

But here it goes:

Last night Christine told me that certain players have been linked in All-Star voting, such as Los Angeles-based Chone Figgins with Matt Kemp. Last year, fans voted for White Sox Jermaine Dye and former White Sox Aaron Rowand.

It seems that now everyone has to have a running mate, and today Bran-Torino was unveiled, linking Shane Victorino with the Tigers Brandon Inge. Now, these happen to be my choices for the final spots, but what do the Tigers and Phillies have in common? Nothing. Nada. Zip. This is getting stupid.

Especially because other than for a fleeting moment last night, Shane-O can't seem to get past Pablo Sandoval - who, truth be told, is having a better season. Christine will probably object {yes, I do}, but I will remind her that he's just living up to the lofty expectations she placed on him by picking him for Rookie of the Year. {He can be Rookie of the Year after the All-Star game, not during it.}

Tonight's games: All-Star Tim Wakefield has given up just one run in six innings and leads the A's 4-1 in the 7th behind home runs by David Ortiz and J.D. Drew. The Phillies Rodrigo Lopez' second straight solid performance ended after five innings because of a sore shoulder. The Phillies and Reds are tied 2-2 in the 7th.

Do you get the feeling that the asking price for Roy Halladay just went up?

A dog and a horse

It's no secret I like baseball. And dogs. I'm also intrigued by powerful stories involving death.

That's why I was so gripped by this sad tale of Harry Kalas' dog, the aptly named Scout.

Harry's widow, Eileen, says the golden retriever wouldn't leave the announcer's side for two weeks before he died:

"He usually would sleep in another room, but for some reason he wanted to be right there with him."

After Kalas' death, Scout "wouldn't leave [Kalas'] suitcase alone. I put [the suitcase] in a closet, and he just howled." She said she had to give the dog to a family friend.

Christine was particularly saddened by this tale. I tried to console her by saying maybe he wasn't just mourning, but cheering for his master's favorite team by howling, "Raauuullll!"

A horse is on the market: The flavor-of-the-day former Cy Young pitcher the Phillies are rumored to acquire has gone from Pedro Martinez to Roy Halladay, a stud pitcher suddenly placed on the market by the Blue Jays. Doc is the type of pitcher you wouldn't mind giving up prospects for, but I don't think the Phillies need to make this move, nor is it their modus operandi. I don't see it happening, but if the Blue Jays can convince the Phillies to make a move, they can check out Only Time Will Tell's scouting report on the Lakewood BlueClaws.

Today's games: The Red Sox, who need to start winning again, lead the A's 5-2 in the 7th. The Phillies, who finished with 22 runs last night, are tied with the Reds 3-3 in the 8th. Kudos to the kid who caught Brandon Phillips' home run in the 4th inning and refused to throw it back. Jeers to the kid who caught Phillips' home run in the 6th and, prompted by his dad, threw it back on the field.

More SoxandPhils stars

I often wonder whether there is something to the connections I note between the Red Sox and Phillies or if they're mere coincidence highlighted by personal bias.

Take Tim Wakefield, for instance. I've often said his Phillie counterpart is Jamie Moyer, but for the next couple of weeks it will be Raul Ibanez. Both have been released, written-off, underrated but consistent players. This year they will each be remarkable first-time All-Stars.

With all the focus on Tim Wakefield, I haven't paid enough attention to Raul Ibanez's story. Yesterday, Christine said she doesn't want him to play because he has been injured. I agreed, but this story explains why it will be really hard for him to sit out if he is healthy.

He has fought and scraped just to stay in the major leagues. Now he has earned the acclaim of the fans and his peers, but he faces a tough decision whether to appear in the game that should be the reward for all his preservation.

Nothing has come easy for the guy and now, not even this, his first All-Star berth. It adds to his story, for sure. But it's a story already rich with this sort of detail. Just this once, couldn't it be easy?

"Things happen for a reason, they say," he said at one point yesterday. "I believe that."

Other All-Star notes: Ryan Howard will compete in the Home Run Derby, and Shane Victorino is getting help from Mayor Nutter in his final man competition. But he currently trails Pedro Sandoval (Christine's rookie of the year pick).

Former Red Sox All-Stars: The Phillies are looking at Pedro Martinez {Boo!}, and Nomar Garciaparra made his first appearance in Fenway since he was traded nearly five years ago. His pre-game comments make me feel sorry for some of the things I've said about him:

"I love 'em. I love the way they treated me," said Garciaparra, whose eyes were filled with tears. "I'm getting emotional because when I was gone Boston fans were everywhere. I can't say how many times I heard, 'Thank you. Thank you for all you did.' Even today I was walking down Newbury Street a guy came up to me and shook my hand and looked me in the eye and said 'Thank you for all you did.' And I just looked at him and said, 'No ... Thank you.'

"I can't believe what a wonderful experience I had here."

Phillies play the Dick Pole-coached Reds: Last year, Chris Wheeler said of the Reds pitching coach, "I like that Dick Pole." Tonight, as the Phillies trashed Johnny Cueto, Tom McCarthy said something about how Dick Pole couldn't do anything but scratch his head. Shouldn't there be someone reminding the broadcasters to watch their Dick references?

Tonight's games: The Phillies are up 16-1 in the 5th. Victorino, the All-Star hopeful, started off the scoring with a two-run home run. He's now 3-3 with a walk, three RBIs and four runs scored. The Red Sox trail Nomar and the A's 5-0 in the 6th.

42-year-old virgin & hometown star going to St. Louis

I thought we were going to be disappointed today - mainly because no Phillie, besides the two who were certain to be voted on, is having a stand-out season. And, I thought nostalgia wouldn't be enough to put Tim Wakefield on the team.

I was wrong. Tim Wakefield, a Red Sox hero and two-time World Champion, is now an All-Star:

Wakefield got a standing ovation this afternoon when the Sox' All-Stars were announced at Fenway Park, and acknowledged the cheering crowd with a wave.

"That was pretty cool," said Wakefield. "It was phenomenal, it just shows how much the fans really care, not just about me but our players here. For them to give me the kind of ovation they gave me, it makes me feel very welcomed here and I've felt that way for a long time because the fans have been behind me since I've been here. Like I've always said, they’'e our 26th man on the roster -- I owe a lot of my success to them.

"I have a lot of emotions running through right now. It's a pretty proud moment for me and my family."

He'll be joined by starters Jason Bay and Dustin Pedroia, reserve Kevin Youkilis, and pitchers Josh Beckett and Jonathan Papelbon.

On the other side of the diamond, the Phillies will be able to match the Red Sox at 2B, LF and 1B: Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez were voted starters, and Charlie Manuel made just one indulgence pick: selecting St. Louis native Ryan Howard as one of four first basemen on the team.

"There's not many opportunities where you get to play in an All-Star Game in your hometown," said Howard, who grew up outside St. Louis. "I think everybody is definitely excited and can't wait for it."

Oh, and Shane Victorino could also make the team as an injury replacement for Ibanez or Carlos Beltran, or as the final fan selection. Don't let him get Pat Burrell'd. {When we started watching the selection show, I told Greg that I thought Victorino would be on the ballot for the 33rd man. Time for some voting this week.}

Managerial strategy: While Cholly chose just one Phillie, Joe Maddon is taking three Rays as reserves. When I noted that he didn't take any pitchers, Christine observed that he selected three Red Sox pitchers. On the NL pitching staff, there are no Phillies, but two Mets. We wonder whether Maddon and Manuel plan to blow out their oppositions' arms. The Rays weren't happy with the way Terry Francona used Scott Kazmir last year. {And let's not forget that Brad Lidge lost the All-Star game last year after he warmed up for about five innings. Cholly was similarly displeased with that move.}

Today's games: The Phillies completed a sweep of the All-Star-laden Mets 2-0, behind Joe Blanton's 7 1/3 shutout innings. Brad Lidge pretended it was 2008 and struck out the Mets in the top of the 9th on only 14 pitches. The Red Sox scored five in the 7th to beat the Mariners 8-4 and avoid an embarrassing sweep.

Personal: This is our first post on our new laptop. {Just a warning: I think Greg plans on live-blogging the All-Star game next week. Great. This is going to be just like a real game - when he needs a bathroom break or concession stand run at the ballpark, I have to keep score. I foresee something similar happening next Tuesday with the blog.}

All-Star Selection Show

The All-Stars will soon be announced. The local media made a final push for Ryan Howard and Tim Wakefield.

I hope Timmy gets the call, but I have a feeling that SoxandPhils will be disappointed with their representation this year.

On the field, Phillies go for the sweep against the Mets while the suddenly-reeling Red Sox try to avert a sweep by the Mariners.

Happy Fourth

It's been a hectic holiday weekend - baseball has taken a backseat the past few days to visiting family, riding my bike, watching fireworks (last night and tonight), barbecuing and watching the annual Nathan's hot dog eating contest.

Yup, if you count that as sport, then the bulk of my sports-watching the last two days has been seeing people shove hot dogs and soggy rolls down their gullets. Joey Chestnut won again; I'm bummed.

Last night, I see that Rodrigo Lopez bailed out the Phillies, helping them to get a rare win at home. Christine and I debated whether it's a sign that the champs have righted the ship or that they're just taking advantage of playing an even more dreadful team (the Mets).

The Red Sox battled back to tie the Mariners, but wound up losing in 11 innings. I tried to listen while sitting in my truck waiting for the fireworks to start. Reception was decent, but not clear enough to hear over the din of the crowd waiting for the show.

Later this afternoon, the Phillies and Jamie Moyer host Ferando Nieve and the Mets. The Red Sox (Brad Penny) and Mariners (Garrett Olson) have already started. The Sox are up 2-0 in the 2nd.

We're curious who will read Lou Gehrig's speech for the Phillies and Red Sox. I like this idea to honor him this way.

Cheery thoughts for a holiday weekend

Phillies bullpen.

OK, not so cheery.

Two weeks ago, Scott Lauber and Paul Hagen wrote about interim closer Ryan Madson's seemingly good fortunes. That night he blew his first save, prompting me to question whether Lauber, Hagen or I had jinxed him.

This week, Lauber finally wondered whether his feature had jinxed Mad Dog, who has lately pitched like a peaceful puppy.

Today, he's got all the bullpen numbers; you can click here for them, but it's not a read for the faint of heart:

Lidge is 0-3 with a 7.57 ERA and six blown saves in 20 chances. Madson, meanwhile, after getting off to a great start, is 0-3 with a 10.80 ERA and three blown saves since June 16.

That's worth repeating: Between them, Madson-post June 16 and Lidge all season are 0-6 with nine -- nine! -- blown saves.

Incredible. Lauber also noted that last year the Phillies were 65-9 when leading after seven innings and as everyone is aware of, 79-0 when leading after eight. The Brad Lidge bullpen is no longer perfect this year: 29-6 when leading after seven, 31-6 when leading after eight.

Hopefully, things can begin to settle down a bit for the bullpen and the Phillies can conquer their home woes when the open a series against the Mets, who thanks to the Phillies are still in the NL East race, along with the Braves and Marlins. Jason Bay will play his first game as an American in Fenway against the Mariners.

A new American for Independence Day

Just in time for the Fourth of July, Jason Bay has become an American citizen.

He joined David Ortiz (last year) and the druggie and quitter Manny Ramirez (2004) as sluggers who converted to American while playing for the Red Sox in recent years.

The Red Sox are off tonight, but I hope he shows some token of support for his new country when the Red Sox take the field against the Mariners tomorrow.

Like always, J-Bay said all the right things:

Bay said "it's a pretty proud day for me." He said his wife and daughters are Americans.

The British Columbia native is the first Red Sox player to be naturalized since Dominican Republic-born David Ortiz was sworn in last summer in Fenway Park.

Bay said he's not denouncing being Canadian, "but I'm definitely proud to be an American."

Christine thinks he got married just for his green card. I'm pretty sure she was joking.

Tonight's game: J.A. Happ's great night was ruined by one inning from Ryan Madson. Happ gave up two runs in seven innings; Madson gave up three in one. Braves 5, Phillies 2.

When Madson was called upon to fill in for Brad Lidge earlier this year, I think he took the assignment literally and has been doing his best to match Lidge's 2009 performance. It's getting bad.

On a positive note, Happ got his first major-league hit, snapping an 0-20 mark. And that wasn't the biggest hitless streak erased by a Phillie tonight - Jimmy Rollins actually got two hits, boosting his season average to .209.

On a negative note, the Phillies' divisional lead is now mere percentage points over the idle Marlins. The Mets and Braves are also within two games of the Phillies. They open a series at home against the Mets tomorrow night.

[Photo credit: Associated Press]

At least today started better than yesterday ended

Long-time SoxandPhils readers may have noticed that this year we post a lot more often before games end. Last year, Christine thought I would jinx Phillies wins if I posted mid-game, but this year I have to wake up earlier in the mornings, so I don't wait for games to end.

Last night, I knew it was dicey starting to write when the Phils trailed 3-2 in the 7th. I thought the Red Sox were safe with a 9-1 lead. But I woke up today to terse e-mails from my Red Sox mailing list that said things like "Ugh" and "&*($@$&." Translation: biggest Orioles comeback in team's history. The vaunted Red Sox bullpen gave up five runs in each the 7th and 8th inning to lose 11-10. Entering the game, the Red Sox pen led the majors with a 2.89 ERA. It now trails the Rays with a 3.34 ERA.

Today, Josh Beckett took the hill in a matinee. I figured the ugly loss would be the beginning of a skid for the Sox or that Beckett would be the stopper to will the team past the debacle. Neither happened. Beckett was hit early - five runs in four innings - but managed to tough it out through the 7th to help preserve a depleted bullpen.

But the Sox got some revenge against the Orioles, scoring four in the 9th and ultimately winning in the 11th, 6-5. Ugly one-game losing streak over.

The Phillies ugliness continued. Cole Hamels wasn't a stopper either. He was knocked out after giving up seven runs in four innings. But he can't take all the blame - the Phillies didn't have a hit until Paul Bako singled with two outs in the 7th. Braves 11, Phillies 1. Unfriggin' real. This is supposed to be a world-class offense, yet they're nearly no-hit every other day. I know they're missing their MVP, Raul Ibanez, who had a setback.

Other news: This morning I told Christine I had a feeling that Rodrigo Lopez would get Friday's start because his name has come up all of a sudden, and the major argument against him is that he's out of options. I didn't think that would be a deal breaker because either he pitches well and is up for the season, or he stinks and the Phillies lose minor-league filler. Neither option is particularly bad. Well, guess who's getting the start.

Better news: This should cinch a spot for Tim Wakefield on the All-Star team.