Merry Christmas

The SoxandPhils family is eagerly awaiting Santa's arrival for Trent's first Christmas. We'll be busy doing holiday stuff for the next few days, but we'll update with any SoxandPhils goodies we find under the tree as soon as we can.

Merry Christmas to all. We hope your Santa delivers like Theo Epstein and Ruben Amaro Jr.

Tickets

Our six pack of Phillies tickets arrived last week. It's a good thing we ordered early because the Cliff Lee signing has made hard-to-get tickets even harder to get. I'd like to meet the guy who says, "There's no way I can afford to splurge a couple hundred dollars on a team with three aces, but add a fourth and I'm so there!"

Nonetheless, we're convinced that despite our 80 percent chance of seeing an ace, assuming the hosses stay healthy, on any of the six games we go to, we'll still wind up seeing Joe Blanton more than once.

And, we've already hit a scheduling snafu. We weren't planning on bringing Trent to Citizens Bank Park this year. We were going to have him work his way up through the minors (Camden, Trenton or Lakewood) before going to the majors.

But his grandmom promised her other grandchild a visit on a weekend we picked for a game. So Trent will get his first taste of the Phanatic this spring.

We were planning on him meeting the Phanatic last Saturday at a Phillies store event, but we backed out when we learned the calendar Christine wanted isn't yet available (they needed to replace the month scheduled for Dennys Reyes). We decided that without that reason to go to the park on a cold morning, it probably wasn't worth waiting in line with an infant to see Phanta Claus. Maybe next year.

Hotcakes to go and other bullpen matters

I didn't think that my favorite newly acquired SoxandPhil would be Cliff Lee, Adrian Gonzalez or Carl Crawford.

Nope, I thought it would be Dennys Reyes. But a funny thing happened on his way to becoming the next El Guapo in my eyes - his deal with the Phillies fell through:

"We hit a snag," said Oscar Suarez, who is Reyes' agent. "So we just decided to push back."

Asked if it was health related, Suarez said, "It just didn't work out. We're back on the market. I don't want to get into details why."

Oh well, I guess it's up to Bobby Jenks to fill the role of beloved rotund reliever this year.

Speaking of whom, Christine wondered if Jenks means the end of Jonathan Papelbon. I guessed no. I even suggested that Papelbon, Daniel Bard and Jenks would be the kinds of arms Theo Epstein wanted for a closer by committee. I hadn't seen Peter Abraham's piece that said Papelbon would have been gone if Mariano Rivera joined the good guys, but that our incumbent closer will remain for now:

Fast forward to yesterday when the Red Sox signed Bobby Jenks to a two-year deal worth $12 million. That's big money for a guy who might pitch a lot in the seventh inning. But it's reasonable money for a guy who could be the closer in July.

Happy holidays, Pap. The Red Sox are sending shots across your bow faster than any of your fastballs.

Team sources said yesterday and again this morning that the Red Sox plan to start the season with Papelbon, Jenks and Daniel Bard in the bullpen. The Phillies have four aces, the Sox will have three closers.

Sounds like an interesting World Series matchup to me.

Big-time bullpen addition

While the mystery continues whether the Red Sox approached Mariano Rivera or he approached them, I'm focused on the facts:

1. I respect Mo, but he's still the enemy, and I enjoy it when the Red Sox beat him.

2. The Red Sox signed an All-Star closer to help Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard close out games.

I admit it. Last night I wasn't thrilled with getting Bobby Jenks and told Trent so. But that's because I fell into the trap of listening to the media harp on conventional stats. Turns out he didn't pitch too poorly last season despite the higher-than-usual ERA.

So, we have a pretty dominant back of the pen. I just hope it's enough to make up the edge the Phillies have in the starting rotation.

***UPDATE*** Christine was grumbling that she would have to edit a post tonight, but since I've written, MLB Network announced that Carlos Ruiz won its X-Factor of the Year Award, beating Pat Burrell. Now she's happy.

Our heads are still spinning

So many thoughts flew through our heads, so little time to get them down.

The surprising return of Cliff Lee is like a good novel full of plot twists that has Philly fans psyched and Yankees fans crying.

The only way to improve that story is if it were true that there was a SoxandPhils trade for Joe Blanton that was motivated by the Red Sox helping the Phillies afford to add their fourth ace to keep him out of the Bronx.

That's probably a little far-fetched, but not so much more far-fetched than the Phillies signing a guy to a $120 million contract just about a year after they traded him away because they didn't think they could re-sign him.

Now, we have to worry about him matching up with Jon Lester in Game 2 of the World Series. I have to admit, I'm a little worried about the Game 4 John Lackey-Roy Oswalt matchup. We'll figure it out. Sox in 7.

Big SoxandPhils addition

Despite my lack of posting, this has been a huge week for the SoxandPhils. And I'm not talking about the blockbuster additions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford.

Nope. Bigger. Massive, even.

The Phillies acquired reliever Dennys Reyes. Baseball-Reference generously lists him at 250 pounds, but I think that number misses some of the Grand Slam breakfasts* he's had.

He's a big boy. So big, in fact, that many times in recent years when the Cardinals have been playing the Phillies, I stop to watch him pitch. Actually, if I must confess, I'm staring at his butt. It's huge. He's a big boy, but his rear is a few sizes too big for his frame. It's a freak of nature that I'll enjoy watching all season long.

*If you're wondering why it's safe to assume Reyes has eaten some Grand Slams, check this out from Todd Zolecki:

Asked how he pronounces his name, Reyes once told Cardinals beat writers, "It's Dennys, like the restaurant."

Oh, and yes, Trent and I are excited about the new-look Red Sox, even though there's a tinge of Yankeeism about it.

Image credit: Riverfront Times

Oops

Never mind what I wrote yesterday. Adrian Gonzalez is a Red Sox.

Trent and I are happy, and so is A-Gon:

"I'm very excited to be here in Boston and ready to beat the Yankees."
[...]
Gonzalez said joining the Red Sox is the culmination of a childhood dream.

"I've had five incredible years in San Diego and grew up wanted to be a Padre, and my dream as a kid was to play in the major leagues and be a Padre,'' said Gonzalez after posing for the requisite photo op in his new jersey with Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein and owner John Henry. "And my second dream was to be a Red Sox."

And never mind another thing I wrote yesterday. Christine and I didn't see a clean-shaven, short-haired Jayson Werth at a press conference. We have no clue who it was. We questioned it but should have been more skeptical because the person in question wasn't wearing a Nationals hat or jersey.

Unfortunately for the Nats, they're still on the hook to pay Werth $126 million until he's 39 years old.

What the ...

I had a blog post in my mind and sat down to the computer at noon. It was going to be about how yesterday, when we were asked what team Trent will root for, Christine and I randomly said the Padres, even though we had no clue the Red Sox agreed to a trade with San Diego for Adrian Gonzalez.

Christine told me to hold off on writing until we knew for sure whether he was going to Boston, after the 2 p.m. deadline the teams had set to negotiate a contract extension with Gonzalez. We were all Trent for the rest of the day and after dinner turned on MLB Network in anticipation of seeing A-Gon with a Red Sox hat on.

Nope.

We saw what appeared to be a clean-shaven, short-haired Jayson Werth signing a huge contract with the Nationals. The Nationals? It elicited an out loud "Whaaaat?" from me. Trent was speechless.

I guess no one else was willing to go seven years on the former Phil. And I guess we might be back to Adrian Beltre and possibly Carl Crawford because the Sox didn't come to an agreement with Gonzalez.

But now, Christine has a real reason to root against the Nationals.

It's better than that

When he heard Jason Varitek was re-signed for another year, David Ortiz was thrilled:

"That's great for us," he said. "That's like hearing my brother is back."

It's a million times better than that. Since I retired my Papi T-shirt in July, my Varitek shirt is my only in-date Red Sox shirt (unless you count Jacoby Ellsbury's old No. 46).

So, I'll be current for at least one more year.

Practically, I'm kind of happy he's back as the backup. I wouldn't want him to start, but I think he's more than capable in a backup/mentor role.

Big free agent news

The offseason's biggest contractual concern of the SoxandPhils has been settled.

It doesn't involve Jayson Werth, Victor Martinez (although we were sad to see him go) or Adrian Beltre. Nor is it a big rumor involving Carl Crawford or Cliff Lee.

Nope, the SoxandPhils sponsorship of Ken Ryan has been extended for a third year. It's hard to believe that it's been two years since I found Ken Ryan under our Christmas tree. That's four times longer than Trent's been alive, as long as the current SoxandPhils championship drought and nearly as long as my post-journalism career.

The second anniversary of that date is Thursday, and I'm still having flashback nightmares.

On a cheerier note, I bumped into one of Santa's helpers at a mall. He dropped a hint that makes me think Trent might be getting something red and green under the tree. (No, not Ken Ryan dressed as a traffic light.)

SoxandPhils tree lighting

Christine and I hustled yesterday and got the 'ol SoxandPhils tree up in time for Thanksgiving. We know it's too early, but with a baby, we try to stay in front of things.

Although SoxandPhils ornaments still dominate the tree, this year it's a snowman with Trent's name that gets center stage. Funny, for a baby who loves staring at our ceiling fan, there hasn't been a big impression on him that there's a tree filled with lights in our living room.

With the tree up, we tried to get the perfect picture of Trent for our Christmas card. Now we know why the department stores charge so much for their photo services. Before we gave up and ordered through the store, I was taking pleasure in the fact that a Red Sox ornament just happened to be in every shot.

Christine noticed, too. She said she had made a mental note to crop it out, if we got a cardable shot.

Merry Christma ... I mean Happy Thanksgiving.

MVChooch ... really?

We had fun this summer when the local scribes talked about Carlos Ruiz as the Phillies MVP. It must have caught (no pun intended) on nationally because Chooch got three separate votes for MVP, including appearing as high as fifth on someone's ballot

He was the last of four Phillies recieving votes: Roy Halladay (sixth), Jayson Werth (eighth), Ryan Howard (10th) and Chooch (17th).

I guess this means Chooch has made it big time.

Simpson-metrics

Christine and I actually had a few minutes last night after Trent went to bed and before we conked out ourselves.

We played one of the Simpsons episodes on the DVR: MoneyBART, a belated look at baseball's statistical development. Great epsidoe. First, I love that Marge tied in the classic 1992 episode by questioning Mike Scioscia on his radiation poisoning.

(By the way, the last guest star of that episode to retire was Ken Griffey Jr. last season. I know the words to the parody in that episode, changing Talkin' Baseball to Talkin' Softball. It's one of the few songs for which I know all the lyrics.)

Then, there were a couple knocks at members of the Red Sox organization. Lisa included Terry Francona in a list of names that she thought were women's, and Bill James popped up to boast that he made baseball as dull as doing your taxes.

There was just one Phillies reference - a gratuitous knock at its fans. Homer said the last time he was at a baseball game, he got tased after running on the field. Yeah, Philly's had some incidents, but it's not the only place with moronic fans who run on the field.

The Boston Globe has a ridiculous proposition:

Let's preface this by saying it's never, ever going to happen. Never, ever.

But what if the Red Sox decided to make Derek Jeter a contract offer?

If it's never going to happen, why tempt fate and mention it? Unless he would accept Juan Castro-like money, this would be the worst move of Theo Epstein's career and could require a rename of this blog. Does ...andPhils have any juice to it?

The only redeeming part of this putrid thought is that Yankees fans will be more revolted by it than Red Sox fans.

Meanwhile, the Phillies continue their goal of having every organizational coaching position filled by a Phillies former second baseman - Juan Samuel, Ryne Sandberg and now Mickey Morandini.

Quick observation

Christine and I always observe that Joe Blanton works quickly and that Red Sox pitchers, especially Jonathan Papelbon, work as if they're paid by the hour.

Beyond the Box Score did the math and proved it.

Awards: Roy Halladay made quick work of the National League in his first year as a Phillie. He won the Cy Young today. Tomorrow, Cooperstown.

Confusion

Christine used to be convinced that Clay Buchholz pitched in the National League, specifically for the Rockies, before he was a Red Sox. It took us a while, but we figured out it was because she confused him with former Phillies prospect Taylor Buchholz. By this season, she had it straightened out, but today the Red Sox acquired Taylor, who was a prospect in the Phillies organization until he was included in the Billy Wagner trade.

At least they're not related:

Buchholz -- who is no relation to Clay Buchholz -- went 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA in nine relief appearances (12 innings) between the Rockies and Blue Jays in 2010.

Um, Nick Cafardo says "rewrite":

So it turns out Taylor Buchholz is related to Clay Buchholz. Nick Cafardo asked Clay about it last season and he said the two were distant cousins. Now they're potentially teammates.

Phillies: Ryne Sandberg could rewrite his Phillies legacy. He was hired as AAA manager. Christine thinks he was promised the big-league job when Charlie Manuel retires.

Belated announcement

I thought I would write this post the day after the season ended for the Phillies, long after the Red Sox were sent packing, but some SoxandPhils blogable items kept popping up.

I started this blog as a way to document our experience with a partial season ticket package in 2008. Who knew the Phillies would take the next step and we'd be there for the finale? I'm not really sure why I wanted to do this except maybe I never got over the fact that I missed my opportunity to blog about my experiences learning about home improvement. I was clueless, but took on a lot of challenges in this house.

But since Trent has come along, the time and desire to continue this blog have waned. (So has my interest in home improvement, bike riding and anything else that used to occupy my time.)

It's been a fun ride. Christine and I enjoy documenting our fandom, especially finding stupid little nuggets to write about on Game Days, but lately I find myself stretching for ideas when I have bottles piling in the sink, Dr. Seuss to read and diapers to change - not to mention the times Trent is up and bubbling, ready for play.

We will keep the site going, but we won't be updating every day. We still like posting, especially when Trent does something cute with a Sox or Phils connection. So, until next time, go Sox! and Phils!

First SoxandPhils acquisitions

Each team has procured the services of ballplayers, and neither involves Jayson Werth.

The Red Sox have the higher-ceiling acquisition in Andrew Miller, the linchpin in the Miguel Cabrera trade between the Marlins and Tigers a few years ago. I'm optimistic the Red Sox will be able to tap into his unfulfilled promise.

Last night, Christine was surprised that he pitched in only nine games (seven starts) in 2010. This morning, I thought that maybe she thought that because he started consecutive games against the Phillies. Yes, he did. He got shelled for 14 runs in nine innings on Sept. 8 and Sept. 13.

Lifetime against the Phils, he's 0-5 with a 6.75 ERA in 38.2 innings with 49 hits and 28 walks. Note to Terry: Be very careful about pitching this guy in the 2011 World Series. The Phillies may have his number.

The Phillies signed a pitcher, Eddie Bonine, and a catcher, Erik Kratz - just organizational filler.

Will it be a SoxandPhils Christmas?

We know Christmas will be different this year. Christine and I will have to share the tree and take a back seat to the little guy as he opens Santa's bounty.

I started shopping for Christine today. I think we expect fewer SoxandPhils items under the tree this year, but now I wonder whether there will be any. I think I know the answer; Christine will have to wait 42 sleeps to find out.

Trent knows. Christine thinks she can get the answer from him with ticklish kisses to his neck, but he won't crack.

Consider the source

Adrian Beltre, soon to be a former Red Sox, was among the Silver Slugger winners today. No Phillies made the cut.

Buoyed by the award, Beltre's agent, Scott Boras, took to the airwaves to drum up interest for this player-for-hire:

Boras was on MLB Network Radio today and told the hosts that in his career as an agent, he has never seen more interest in a player than Adrian Beltre has this year.

Two questions: Why does anybody still put a microphone in front of this guy? And what does his other marquee free agent, Jayson Werth, who may become a SoxandPhil this offseason, have to say about his agent saying there's more interest in another player?

Gold Gloves

Half the NL Gold Glove winners have Phillies or Red Sox connections, but only one, Shane Victorino, is a current Phillie, meaning Chase Utley got hosed. Just like last year.

Though there was no travesty as bad as yesterday's award to the fraudulent Derek Jeter, who is among the worst defensive shortstops in baseball. Yes, he's that bad.

For the record, former SoxandPhils honored today include Bronson Arroyo (P), Scott Rolen (3B) and Michael Bourn (OF).

Coaching reunion

So if the Phillies hire Ryne Sandberg as a minor league manager or major league coach, do I have to reconsider and accept him as the Phillies greatest homegrown second baseman over Chase Utley?

Another homegrown second baseman, Juan Samuel, may also join the coaching staff.

Great SoxandPhils lede

One of my pleasures this offseason will be watching the Yankees overpay for the overrated Derek Jeter. I got my first treat today with a great SoxandPhils lede to an ESPN story about how much the Yankees will dump on their decrepit shortstop:

Derek Jeter is going to be paid Ryan Howard money for putting up Marco Scutaro numbers.

They're talking three years, $15 million to 20 million per season, for the Yankees captain.

"Jeter's numbers are exactly the same as Marco Scutaro's," one of the sources said. "He's gonna get paid a lot more than Scutaro, of course."
[...]
Scutaro, on the other hand, is entering the walk year of a two-year deal that will pay him $5 million for 2011, with a $6 million club option for 2012. His 2010 stats were remarkably similar to Jeter's. Scutaro batted .275 to Jeter's .270, hit 11 home runs to Jeter's 10, drove in 56 runs to Jeter's 67. He was outscored by Jeter, 111-92, but struck out just 71 times to Jeter's 106, and grounded into nine fewer double plays (13-22).

In fact, Jeter's numbers are not that much different from those of Ian Desmond, the Washington Nationals second-year shortstop who hit .269 with 10 home runs and 65 RBIs and plays for the major league minimum salary of just over $400,000 a year.

I can't wait. I only hope it's a long, protracted negotiation that leaves plenty of bad feelings when the Yankees have to bench their $20 million shortstop in a year or two.

There was news last night

Christine questioned if I was neglectful of my blogging duties last night. When I drafted last night's post, I told her there was no SoxandPhils news for the day. And there wasn't. But by the time she had a minute to edit my post, David Murphy had this sad news about Jamie Moyer:

Dionisio Soldevila, a journalist in the Dominican Republic, reported via Twitter that Moyer left a game today with pain in the elbow. Moyer has been pitching for Escogido in winter league ball in the Dominican in an attempt at preparing himself for spring training, when he hopes to compete for a starting job somewhere in the majors. Moyer, who joined the Phillies midway through the 2006 season, was unlikely to return as a free agent.

Soldevila said that Escogido general manager Moises Alou told him that Moyer's injury is probably career-ending. Soldevila also said that Moyer is scheduled to visit Dr. Lewis Yocum in California. That's all the information I have at the moment. Moyer turns 48 on Nov. 18.

I wish there really weren't any news last night because this is a downer.

I have nothing to add, other than this irony first noted by Christine: The guy giving the prognosis on the end of J-Moy's remarkable career debuted four years after Moyer and had a solid 17-year career before retiring in 2008 at the age of 41.

Christmas is coming

Christine and I gave up our Saturday with Trent to go on some official business: buy Christmas presents for relatives and put in a good word for our little guy to Santa Claus.

On our travels, we saw lots of Phillies ornaments, including Santa as a Phillie, Phillies candy canes and Wally the Green Monster. Wait ... how did that get in there? I dunno, but somehow, a mall ornament stand in South Jersey was well stocked with ornaments of the Red Sox mascot, but none of the Phillie Phanatic.

We told the big guy that Trent probably wouldn't want a Wally.

Phillies don't deserve a raise

The Phillies are raising ticket prices. Just like they did last year. (The "problem solved" link within the post no longer works, but I'm fairly certain it linked to last year's price hike. And, good thing they went with Placido Polanco instead of Chone Figgins, huh?)

But there are many reasons why the Phillies shouldn't raise prices for next season:

1. They had a worse year, which was worse than the year before. They haven't been to the World Series in one whole year, and it's been two whole seasons since they won one.

2. The economy.

3. We have a baby.

4. We have day care bills.

5. We have car payments, through no fault of our own.

Trent: It was wear your favorite jersey day at his day care center. I guess it was supposed to be a football shirt, but we're a baseball family. He wore his Ryan Howard T-shirt. I was worried his friends might think he's the real Ryan Howard and boo him for striking out looking.

First SoxandPhils signing of the offseason

The Red Sox picked up the $12.5 million option on David Ortiz. I'm cool with it - I'd rather overpay for a year than be stuck with him for several years in case he suddenly ages. Theo Epstein says Papi is cool with it, too:

Yeah, I talked to him directly. He told me directly that he was cool with it.

So all is well that ends well. Coincidentally, Baseball-Reference had a list of players with the most walk-off home runs since 1950. Ortiz made the cut with 10. He has at least one more year as a Red Sox to try to tie Frank Robinson, Mickey Mantle and Jim Thome, who have 12 each.

We didn't watch either

We could easily attribute not watching much of this year's World Series to being parents of an infant. But truth is, we probably wouldn't have been hooked into a Giants-Rangers matchup even before Trent.

Not many people were: It tied the mark for the worst television rating of any World Series. You have to go all the way back to 2008 to find a World Series that drew such poor ratings.

Saturday's World Series Game 3 had the second-lowest television rating of any single World Series game. Again, we have to go all the way back to 2008 to find the lowest single game, a classic 5-4 game that the Phillies won on a bases loaded dribbler to third base in the bottom of the 9th. The game was memorable because it was delayed due to rain and did not start until after 10 p.m. Personally, we were going crazy with last-minute preparations for a party we were hosting the next day.

What a shame - that was a great game. And I saw most of it.

I asked Christine whether she thought she would be able to stay up for that game if we had Trent back then. She said not only would she stay up, she'd feed Trent three times during it. Then, I added that he probably wouldn't go to sleep either during such a tense contest. I, however, would be asleep before they finished the National Anthem.

Rubbing it in Giantly

Christine was more annoyed by the Giants' successful playoff run than I was. She says it's their personalities and the fact that they're not that good, but I think there's still some bitterness over the NLCS.

Of course, as the Giants were clinching the World Series against the Rangers last night, former Phillie Pat Burrell could be seen in every dugout shot. And his dash from the dugout to the celebratory pileup on the pitcher's mound was reminiscent of what he did in 2008 (just swap red pinstripes for black and orange).

What's worse is that the MVP went to Edgar Renteria, best known for grounding out to Keith Foulke to end the great 2004 World Series. The Red Sox thought so much of him that they signed him for 2005, but he flamed out so badly that they traded him to the Braves after one year.

Coaching carousel

Well, the Phillies lost their first star over a contract dispute. It's not Jayson Werth, but Davey Lopes. It's kind of surprising, especially to hear a solid baseball man like Lopes pretty much say it's all about the money:

Lopes, 65, had been offered a one-year contract, but the two sides weren't able to agree on a salary.

"We just had a difference of opinion on what I felt my worth was," Lopes said by telephone. "That's all. It was a really tough decision because I loved my time in Philadelphia, I loved working for [manager] Charlie Manuel, and I have the utmost respect for everyone in that organization."

The Red Sox also lost a valuable member of their staff this offseason, but John Farrell left on much better terms to manage the Blue Jays. Curt Young is the early favorite to replace him.

Meanwhile, former Nationals coach Pat Listach, who was neither Sox nor Phil but is a big fan of Lady Pha Pha, was named bench coach of the Cubs.

Trick or treat

We took out the Penguin, err, Trent to show off his costume. (I grabbed a couple of treats on Trent's behalf.)

We got home relatively early and got the most trick-or-treaters we've ever had in the six years we've lived here.

But no Phillies. I'm starting to wonder whether the Phaithful have jumped ship.

Oh, and yesterday, we did see a kid dressed as a local athlete. Andre Iguodala. Almost as weird as seeing kids dressed as Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain.

Halloween Eve

No time for baseball today. The Red Sox and Phillies could have traded Chase Utley for Dustin Pedroia and I wouldn't know it.

We bought a car to replace the wrecked one, then took Trent to a costume contest at a mall. His penguin duds got him to the finals, but he didn't win. It was a crock only in that a bunch of generic store-bought costumes were selected over Trent's, which was handcrafted by Grandmom.

Even though the mall is in the area where loyalties between New York and Philadelphia begin to blur, I was surprised we didn't see any Phillies costumes. We saw a couple of Yankees - Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes. That was an odd pairing.

A better Friday

At least I didn't get into a car crash tonight, like last Friday. But I'm drained and taking a night off, just like the World Series, which heads to Texas with the Giants up 2-0 and embarrassing the Rangers.

I'm thinking about pulling a Brett Favre - not with the sexual harassment stuff, but in ending the streak. Nothing lasts forever.

Forget Game 2, we have old guy news

Game 2 is overshadowed tonight by news involving the elder statesmen of the SoxandPhils - although one of the tidbits could be the beginning of the end for a legitimate SoxandPhil.

A true champion, Tim Wakefield, won the Roberto Clemente award. Without a rooting interest in the series, that's the best baseball news I heard today.

On a sadder note, Jamie Moyer, a true SoxandPhil and champion, filed for free agency. Do you think he'll sign early to set the price for Cliff Lee? Let the bidding begin.

World Series Game 1

The World Series has begun, and for the first time since the dark days of 2006, the authors of this blog have no rooting interest. That was the last time neither Sox nor Phil represented their league in the World Series. It was also the last time neither team made the playoffs.

Despite the lack of rooting interest, I have the game on in the background. Christine can't watch. Trent's indifferent. He's snoring as his Mommy files his nails.

Meanwhile, here are the SoxandPhils alum playing in the series:

Former Sox on the Giants: Javier Lopez, Ramon Ramirez, Edgar Renteria and Freddy Sanchez.

Former Phils on the Giants: Pat Burrell and Aaron Rowand.

Former Phils on the Rangers: Cliff Lee.

Former Sox on the Rangers: Darren Oliver and David Murphy.

Offseason begins

While everyone is preoccupied with Jayson Werth and whether he will become a SoxandPhil, there's a good chance that J.C. Romero has officially become a former SoxandPhil. Unless some team is interested in a 34-year-old reliever who has a surgically repaired arm and walked more hitters than he struck out the last two seasons.

A day late

Happy belated birthday to officially SoxandPhils-sponsored Ken Ryan.

I didn't get to Nick Cafardo's weekly column yesterday, so our birthday wishes are a day late.

I feel like it's been a week since baseball was on.

Knocked out

I conked out last night. I was too tired from Trent and my car crash to make it to the end of the game. I woke up to Christine grumbling about how the umpire rang up Ryan Howard to end the game. It took me a minute to remember that this meant that the 2010 season is over for the SoxandPhils.

Christine was not happy today. She hasn't yet broken out her "Stinky Phillies" lament, but it's only a matter of time. I appreciate how the Giants played Game 6 as if it were Game 7. I liked their sense of urgency and respect of how difficult it is to beat the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. That doesn't make Christine feel any better.

Christine had planned on debuting Trent's Ryan Howard shirt today. (It almost fits him.) She still put it on anyway because we shouldn't shy away from our teams when they lose. I often make it a point to wear some Red Sox garb after a season-ending defeat like last night.

Fight

The day after taking a beating from an air bag, my body fought back and is doing pretty well.

The Phillies came out swinging tonight, scoring two runs in the 1st inning; the Giants swung back with two in the 3rd.

In the bottom of that inning, the real skirmish occurred when Jonathan Sanchez hit Chase Utley in the middle of the back. That set up an instant-classic Chase Utley moment. He wound up with the ball and flipped it back to the pitcher. Words were exchanged, and both teams were soon on the field. No punches were thrown (it's Game 6 of the NLCS), but it was a pretty good baseball fight for a game with so much at stake (it's Game 6 of the NLCS).

I don't know how this game will end, but win or lose for the Phils, it's going to be an epic battle.

In the 6th, it's tied at 2.

Doc has nothing on me

So Roy Halladay won a must-win while pitching on one leg last night.

Big deal.

I'm blogging tonight, mere hours after I was involved in a head-on car wreck. It wasn't my fault. No broken bones, and my brain scan came up fine.

I'm going to sleep it off while hoping the Phillies play a night game tomorrow.

Trent needs new PJs

The baseball jammies didn't work. Yesterday's game couldn't have ended any worse - a walkoff win off of Roy Oswalt, who is scheduled to pitch Game 6* on Saturday.

Trent is back to his elephant PJs tonight as the Phillies attempt to join the 1986, 2004 and 2007 Red Sox on the short list of teams that came back from a 1-3 deficit in an LCS. (I have to remind readers that the 2004 Red Sox came back from an 0-3 deficit against the Yankees.)

Being keenly aware of two of those comebacks (and nearly another one in 2008), I feel comfortable with the Phillies' chances. Roy Halladay came to the Phillies for a situation exactly like tonight's game (he's leading 3-2 in the 6th), and then the series will swing back to Philly. I'm a bit concerned about Oswalt in Game 6 because he threw a side session before pitching in relief last night. But if the Phillies can survive that, there's no way Cole Hamels, and the vocal Phillies fans, will allow the Giants to win on Sunday.*

*if necessary

Lucky PJs?

On Monday, the choice of PJs for Trent was between his elephants and baseball uniform. Christine voted elephants because the Phillies were off.

Yesterday, the Phillies had already lost when we were picking out PJs, so Christine voted for his doggies because she was mad at her team.

Tonight, we went with the baseball uniform.

It didn't work early. Joe Blanton threw two wild pitches (Carlos Ruiz prevented a third) and had the Phillies behind the Giants 2-0 by the third inning. Then, the Phillies bats woke up in the 5th inning, scoring four runs (there could have been more if Chooch wasn't thrown out at home).

But Blanton couldn't survive the bottom of the inning, and we have to keep watching to find out whether we have to do laundry to bring back the baseball PJs tomorrow or whether they're getting banished to the bottom of the drawer.

They're leaning toward banishment. In the 6th, 5-4 Giants.

No homework

Back in the day, I would rush home from school and do my homework while watching the League Championship series, which were still on during the day. (I'm old.)

Today was reminiscent of those times as we all hustled home to watch the Phillies play the Giants in an afternoon tilt. Incidentally, one of my strongest after-school playoff memories was the 1987 NLCS featuring Jeffrey Leonard and the Giants against the Cardinals.

We could have taken our time today - the Phillies were in no hurry to score runs. Or even hit. They had three hits and no runs in the 3-0 loss.

Christine's not happy. Trent is sleeping it off. I'm just glad that once I finish this sentence, my homework for the night is done.

Brad Lidge, the mentor

Brad Lidge has had an interesting career, toggling between dominant and punching bag.

SoxandPhils beat writer Scott Lauber says his story can be a lesson for both of the guys at the back of the Red Sox bullpen, Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon, which is odd because you get the feeling that both the rising star and the declining veteran can't coexist much longer in the Red Sox bullpen.

But Lidge can relate to where each is in his career:

Lidge, now the Philadelphia Phillies' closer, knows the feeling. He took a back seat to Billy Wagner in 2003 and Octavio Dotel for the first half of the 2004 season. When the Astros traded Dotel in a three-team deal for outfielder Carlos Beltran, Lidge finally got his chance.

"You just have to be patient," Lidge said before Game 2 last night of the National League Championship Series, "and you really have to put in your mind that the team comes first. You have to sell yourself to that idea, and you'll get your chance."

*****

And if Lidge can recapture his dominance, he's certain that Papelbon can, too, as long as the Sox closer doesn't lose faith in his ability.

"For any closer, I think confidence is huge," Lidge said before last night's game. "Last year, I didn't get the results I wanted, and it definitely hurt my confidence. For me, you've got to go through a couple games where you feel like you're making (hitters) look silly again, and then, all of a sudden, you're like, 'Wait a minute, I don't even remember why this was so hard.'"

Series update: Lidge wasn't needed last night as the Phillies turned a game that was a tense duel for most of the night into a comfortable 6-1 win over the Giants. It's all tied heading to San Francisco. That was a real Phillies-type "no more fooling around" win, so I wouldn't be surprised if the next game in Philly is against an American League team.

Game 2

Christine and I are almost done with our daily tasks and should be able to sit down and watch the second half of Game 2 - barring any unforeseen problems like last night when we had to take care of a little ant infiltration.

Hopefully, the Phils can take care of business tonight, unlike last night when Roy Halladay succumbed to the playoff pressure and lost 4-3. Christine said he sucks. I offered to trade her a proven playoff winner, Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is 3-1 in five starts. She declined.

After the Giants tied it up at one in the 5th, Christine came in to tell me she's blaming me should the Phillies lose the series because I forgot to do predictions. How could I ever let that slip my mind? There's nothing else going on in our not-so-busy lives. But now the Phillies have regained the lead, 2-1.

Now that I have a head start, here's what I would have predicted before the games began: Giants in four; Yankees in five.

Christine: Phillies, no doubt. AL: Rangers.

Trent has never been so insulted

Three months after Trent arrived, I finally felt safe enough, sleep-wise, to make the two-hour drive to my parents' house for a visit today.

While we were visiting the Yankee - blech - side of the family, Trent would sometimes look at the TV, where the Rangers were on their way to a 7-2 win over the Yankees. (Stupid Rangers. They had CC Sabathia beat in Game 1, but blew it. They should be up 2-0 with Cliff Lee waiting to drop the hammer.)

Everyone kept saying Trent is a Yankee fan because he looked at the TV. Our son is not a brain-dead sheep. He's a free thinker capable of making his own decisions. He was simply scouting out the Phillies' World Series opponent. He found a hole in Josh Hamilton's swing and the secret to beating the Yankees - knock out their starter early and don't let them back in.

After our trek north, we tried to watch the hyped Roy Halladay-Tim Lincecum matchup, but, of course, we couldn't. It was on in the background as we battled some ants. Final: Giants 4, Phillies 3. Christine is cranky about it.

SoxandPhils revelations

After yesterday's wrestling snafu, Todd Zolecki redeemed himself with today's post.

Nothing has consistently driven traffic to our humble SoxandPhils blog like people looking for the names of players' intro songs - especially Jayson Werth.

Today, Zolecki listed every Phillies' intro song. We couldn't place our finger on J-Dub's current song all season. Thanks to Zo, we know now it's Right Above It by Lil Wayne. We've also been fascinated by how Carlos Ruiz uses Phil Collins' In The Air Tonight, but we didn't know that his backup, Brian Schneider, uses the same song.

Zolecki still needs to work on his knowledge of wrestling history, but I certainly appreciate this effort.

That wasn't the only SoxandPhils theme in the news today. We've often discussed how injured both teams were this year. SoxandPhils beat writer Scott Lauber takes a look at how the Red Sox are home licking their wounds, while their brothers in pain have survived.

Even our general managers felt a kinship:

At one point during the summer, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein and his Phillies counterpart, Ruben Amaro Jr., even had a phone conversation in which they commiserated over their teams’ respective misfortune.

"We were having some trade dialogue," Amaro recalled yesterday, "and I guess we were both woe-is-me-ing for a while."

I wonder what they were talking about ... Werth for Jonathan Papelbon, perhaps? {Ugh, the idea of Papelbon as a Phillie ... awful.}

If you're interested, Lauber has a sidebar listing every injury suffered by a Red Sox or Phillie.

Zo needs to know Mo'

Christine and I have always liked Todd Zolecki. He lives baseball, is sarcastic and knows his pop culture.

Well, that last part isn't so true anymore.

He started off tonight's blog post with such a strong theme, linking Pat Burrell's compliment of the Phillies - "To be the best you've got to beat the best" - to Charlie Manuel's reaction to the line with a Ric Flair reference.

Then, it went downhill:

Does this make the Giants the Iron Sheik?

Update: I'm told Flair and Sheik were in two different wrestling leagues. So I guess that makes the Giants "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes?

So I guess Zo isn't so good with the pop culture after all. {Zolecki's pop culture knowledge is just fine. Greg's the one who regularly doesn't know basic pop culture references.}

But that reminds me of my Iron Sheik story. I knew a guy in high school who did some low-grade professional wrestling. One night the Sheik was on his card, and afterward when we hooked up at our usual watering hole, we were told the Sheik had been there, ran up a huge tab and left, apparently thinking it was still 1983 and that he was World Champ and that wrestling was real.

Sorry for the tangent, it's been a long week.

Elvi

While waiting for the Phillies to begin the NLCS against Pat Burrell and the rest of the Giants, we spent last night watching Game 5 of the ALDS between the Rays and Rangers.

Former Phil Cliff Lee (are people still upset he's gone?) went the distance and induced a pop-up to shortstop Elvis Andrus to end the game.

It's an omen. The Phillies will beat Pat Burrell and his bulldog Elvis Burrell, while former Phil Cliff Lee and Elvis Andrus knock off the Yankees.

Then, the Phillies will have passed through two Elvi to win their second championship in three years.

The painful truth

All season Christine and I debated which of our teams was struck with the worse injuries. I still think Dustin Pedroia, Clay Buchholz and Kevin Youkilis trump Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Madson.

Someone with a lot more time on his hands than we do settled the debate with numbers: The Red Sox were hurt more often than the Phillies in 2010, according to a database of teams' DL use compiled by FanGraphs Jeff Zimmerman.

The Red Sox used the DL more than any other team in baseball; the Phillies were fifth. And, when it comes to total days spent on the DL, the Red Sox ranked fourth, the Phillies 23rd.

Case closed. I win. And my team got an early offseason because of it. Christine's consolation prize is another chance to go to the World Series.

Now what?

The Phillies' domination of the Reds - fewest hits ever allowed in a first-round series - is over, and now we have nearly a whole week until Game 1 of the NLCS.

What are we going to do with all this time on our hands? Trent, who nearly made it to the end of Sunday's 2-0 finale because he still was not feeling well, is already getting antsy about the prospect of five whole days with the Phillies. Christine also is not happy there's such a long down period.

I'm sure Trent will find ways to fill our Phillies-free nights.

Meanwhile, we had a little reprise of Daddy Daycare today. (Apparently, real day care closes for occasional professional development days.) We caught the end of Curt Schilling's SportsCentury. I didn't know they made one, and I would have liked to see the whole thing. Trent knows they don't make them like Curtis Montague Schilling anymore.

Because of the show, I chose to wear Curt's "Why Not Us?" T-shirt today.

Off day

The Phillies play Game 3 tonight, but it's been an off day for the SoxandPhils Pham. Trent had his second batch of shots yesterday, and he was out of it as we hung with out-of-state family.

He was better last night, and we expected him to wake with wide eyes and big grins before we visited his friend who shares my name in the afternoon and then watched to see if the Phillies could finish off the Reds tonight.

But at 2 a.m., I woke to awful screaming, which was repeated often throughout what was left of the night. Trent's first fever. Christine and I can't remember the details as to which one of us got up with him at which time. So we just vegged out today, watching some baseball and football while waiting for our baby boy to feel better.

Needless to say, I won't get tonight's results into this post. I know that two of the three of us won't make it until the end ... and I'm not so sure Trent will make it, either.

We'll check back tomorrow, hopefully feeling better and with the Phillies resting up for the Giants or Braves.

Memories II

I remembered 2008 yesterday. Today, as the NLDS heads to Cincinnati for the Queen City's first playoff game since 1995, I remember all the way back to ... July.

Actually, Christine remembered that when Trent came home, the Phillies started a four-game sweep of their first-round opponent.

And, they were all in dramatic fashion: a 12-inning game, one won with six runs in the 9th inning, an 11-inning 1-0 game, and a ho-hum 1-0 9-inning shutout.

The latter was won by Cole Hamels, who starts Sunday night. This is the game I picked the Phillies to lose. We'll see what our little Phillies good luck charm has to say about it tomorrow.

Memories I

Two years ago, when we had guaranteed playoff tickets and more flexibility in getting to the ballpark at the whims of the baseball gods, we were able to squeeze in a trip to North Carolina, the day after we went to Game 2 of the NLCS, to visit Christine's brother and family as our teams played their respective LCSes and came very close to a SoxandPhils World Series.

We weren't good guests, monopolizing the TV until all hours of the night. (They were long and painful nights.)

This year, they have come up to visit Trent. It shouldn't be as bad with just one team in the playoffs, but I had a similar vibe as I tried to squeeze in all our regular errands (grocery shopping, bathing Trent, vacuuming, etc.) in between visits, caring for the baby and work.

It'll get done.

Tonight, Roy Oswalt became the first of the Phillies trio of starters to give up a hit and a run, but the Phillies survived a subpar outing to come back and win 7-4. They're up 2-0. I want to type that this series is over, but Christine says it's not till it's over.

The day after

I tried my best to avoid coverage of Roy Halladay's no-hitter, but it was impossible.

It still hurts. I still suck. And the Yankees still suck.

At least Christine has started talking to me. But Trent won't say a word, which is odd because he wouldn't have been going anyway.

Just great

What a day.

We wound up selling our playoff tickets at a whopping $10 profit because I couldn't take a day off on the first week back at work.

Then, I had to unexpectedly work late, forcing me to renege on a dinner promise to Christine, miss watching the game with her and Trent, and totally miss an evening with our son.

And, of course, to make matters worse, as soon as I got into the car I heard the announcers say, "I wonder if Don Larsen is watching this." I knew Roy Halladay would pitch a perfect game.

He didn't. Doc gave up a walk, but finished with the second no-hitter in postseason history in the Phillies 4-0 win over the Reds in Game 1 of the NLDS.

To recap: My family's upset, I'm upset, work's probably upset that I wasn't enthusiastic about staying late, and I cost Christine and myself probably our best shot at ever seeing a no-hitter in person.

What a great night.

Left out

MLB Network is previewing the playoffs. I can't say I don't feel a little left out. I guess that's sort of what Kyle Kendrick, Paul Hoover, Danys Baez, David Herndon and Jamie Moyer are feeling because they didn't make the Phillies first round roster, but they're traveling with the team.

I guess that means there's a chance that any one of them could wind up playing if the Phillies advance to the NLCS. I bet Jamie Moyer is lobbying to start the series against the Braves or Giants.

Meanwhile, they announced the starting times for the rest of the playoff games in the first round. I heard it on WFAN. Don't worry, Yankees fans - besides Thursday's 6 p.m. start, every game starts at either 8 p.m. or 8:30 p.m.

Yankees suck.

First-round predictions: Me - Phillies in four, Giants, Twins and Rays. Christine - Phillies, but won't put a number on it, Giants, Twins and Rays.

Yankees suck

Of course MLB wouldn't schedule the Yankees to play a game that's not in a prime-time slot. That wouldn't be fair to New Yorkers. They should never have to choose between work and watching a playoff game. That would be un-American.

We're not surprised that Phillies fans got the shaft, but we thought baseball would throw us a bone and give us a 6 p.m. start for Wednesday's game, not 5 p.m. We would have missed the beginning, but we still would have made it, unless Roy Halladay decided to set the record for the quickest perfect game ever. Unfortunately, it looks like we won't be attending an NLDS game for the first time since the Phillies four-year playoff run began - unless Trent's super-secret plan to get rich and allow us to retire occurs before Wednesday. He's been working very hard on it.

Rooting

I didn't think I'd care much about baseball today, but it was nice to see the Red Sox win the final two games against the Yankees, knocking them down to the Wild Card. Congrats to the AL East Champion Rays.

It was also nice rooting for the Phillies as they gave another scare to the Braves, who survived to make the playoffs. Finally, we were rooting for the Padres to win against the Giants and set up a three-way tie in the NL, but that also fell short.

Farewells

After six weeks, Daddy Daycare closed up shop yesterday. Sadly, it's time for me to return to work on Monday and for Trent to go to real day care after nothing but Mommy and/or Daddy for his first 12 weeks home.

I haven't been informed of any special ceremonies, such as the "Thanks, Mike Night" the Red Sox are holding today for the retiring Mike Lowell.

But Lowell won't be the only 2010 Red Sox not returning for 2011. Adrian Beltre, who took off for the birth of his child, cleaned out his locker, a sign suggesting he's one and done. Plus, there's always the speculation about the Red Sox ancient warriors, such as Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield, and those who may have just overstayed their welcome, such as Jonathan Papelbon and Jacoby Ellsbury.

So today, let's enjoy the present, remember the past and look forward to good things in the future. Of course, for the Phillies, there's no use worrying about 2011 yet when they have Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels lined up for the playoffs.

Red Sox postmortem

As it grew clear that the Red Sox would not make the playoffs this year, I could not decide whether to call this season a disappointment because it was supposed to be a transition year and they still won 87 games (with the possibility of reaching 90 with a sweep of the Yankees this weekend).

But Theo Epstein and Jon Lester made it clear that despite the rash of injuries, this season was an unacceptable disappointment:

Pitching and defense, the two expected strengths of this Red Sox team when it began play six months ago, were "not acceptable" this season, according to general manager Theo Epstein.

"We didn't pitch like we wanted to, we didn't play defense like we wanted to, and we allowed our opponents to just score way too much," Epstein said during an appearance on WEEI radio yesterday.

Lester, whose rare poor performance cost him his chance at win No. 20, said missing the mark wasn't as disappointing as not getting to compete in October:

"It's more disappointing not making the playoffs," he said. "Would it have been nice? Yeah, I'm not going to lie to you. But regardless of all that we didn't make the playoffs. We didn't meet our goal this year and that's more disappointing."

But even if this season is considered a disappointment, I'm heartened by two things today: 1) This team did not fracture and held together, as seen in Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro's desire to play for Lester:

(Terry Francona) intended to give second baseman Marco Scutaro a night off to rest his aching right shoulder and to use third baseman Adrian Beltre as the designated hitter. Both came to Francona and asked to play their usual positions to try to help Lester.

"After I thought about it, I was really kind of impressed," Francona said. "It made me feel good."

And, 2) That Theo knows the team needs improvement, but not a complete overhaul:

Epstein believes the Sox are "pretty close" to being a championship team again.

"I think this offseason presents us with a lot of challenges, but at the same time it presents us with a lot of opportunities," he said. "You have to sort of be reasonable about everything.

"In a year that ends like this, sometimes there's a tendency to look at all the issues and all the problems, and you think that you're nowhere close to a championship team. Certainly there are elements to a team that are close to championship-caliber.

"We have to completely fix the bullpen. We do have a lot of important position players eligible for free agency. We're going to have to keep those guys or replace them, or some combination thereof. You can't let the way things happened this year cloud your judgment about what you have."

So, forgive me for looking past whether the Phillies should go full bore at the Braves this weekend; I'm waiting for the SoxandPhils 2011 World Series.

Machete man

Since Trent came home, a lot of things have had to change because of time constraints - showers have to be less than five minutes, meals have to be quick or easily consumed with baby on lap, and there's not much time for mindless Web surfing.

Deadspin is one site I don't get around to anymore, but luckily, we caught this spoof on how Ken Burns would have treated the story of SoxandPhil Ugueth Urbina (if the filmmaker had the gravitas to touch the saga of the machete man). The parody is hysterical and makes we want to watch the real Tenth Inning.

We have it DVR'd, but it's just a matter of finding time for the four-hour documentary. It was hard enough finding four minutes for the satirical story of the great Urbina.

Today's games: NL East Champs are off. Jon Lester has his first and last chance at his 20th win tonight against the White Sox.

Game 1 decisions

The media are speculating that Roy Halladay will start Game 1 of the NLDS on Wednesday. They're really going out on a limb with that one - why don't they say that Jon Lester won't start Game 1 of the playoffs?

Anyway, we have more pressing considerations for Game 1. We bought tickets. We don't know what time the game will be played, and I'm not exactly in a position to ask for a day off on the first week back after spending six weeks on leave to run Daddy Daycare.

We'll figure something out ... even if it's how to sell tickets on StubHub.

Today's game: Our teams' regular-season fates are sealed, but Christine is still watching the Phillies spring training lineup take on the Nationals. SoxandPhils scores no longer matter until Wednesday. {Yes, they do matter. The Phillies won 7-1. The Red Sox are losing, again.}

50 years ago

Last week, there was a free HBO preview, and Christine DVR'd a documentary, Ted Williams: There Goes the Greatest Hitter that Ever Lived, for me. It was good. It made me think about how there will probably never be an iconic superstar again. In our generation, maybe Cal Ripken, but his back story is bland. I had also forgotten about the whole frozen head thing, so maybe it was not all good.

A few days later, I saw an MLB Network special on the home run Williams hit in his last at-bat, commemorating today's 50th anniversary of the event.

I then tried reading John Updike's classic Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu to Trent, but I gave up. It's harder to read aloud than I thought.

Tonight's games: Irrelevant. The best 2010 regular season National League team lost to the Nationals 2-1. The Red Sox lead the White Sox, but their season is officially done as both the Rays and the Yankees won tonight. Congrats to our AL East foes. Go Rays.

Last (home) dance a dud

The Phillies, who have the longest active playoff streak of any team in baseball, clinched their fourth straight division title tonight. But it should have happened yesterday.

For the first time in their four-year run, they were not able to wrap things up for the home crowd on Sunday. Christine and I were hoping to see our third-ever clincher (2007 division and 2008 World Series) as we attended the last regular season game of the year, but the Phillies could not survive poor performances by two pitchers who have been great all year - Cole Hamels and Ryan Madson - in the 7-3 loss to the Mets.

Here's a day-old recap of the highlights of our day at the park as the Phillies celebrate in the clubhouse.

Observations from the stands: Driving to the park, we heard Last Dance, the Phanatic's traditional song for the regular season finale, on the radio. ... The Phillies saluted both fans and staff, recognizing employees, from grounds crew to administrative personnel, and giving away prizes to fans completely randomly. (It's just a coincidence that the spring training trip always goes to someone in field level while someone in the upper deck wins two free passes to the Franklin Institute's Cleopatra exhibit.). ... All fans received a magnetic schedule, a pack of Phillies postcards of memorable events from the season and a rally towel. I think I dropped my terry cloth five minutes after we entered the park while peppering up my pulled pork sandwich.

Every year, a Phillie has to address the fans. Christine's favorite, Carlos Ruiz, gave a most stirring and eloquent speech: "We love our fans. Thank you." It still gives me chills. ... The anthem was sung by the Central Bucks West High School Choir, directed by Joseph Ohrt. Not bad, but we've heard it before. And before that. Now they have a website. ... My favorite sign of the day: "Miss you Jamie" with a crying sad emoticon in the zero of Jamie Moyer's No. 50. ... Miss America Caressa Cameron sang God Bless America. ... Fans were particularly annoying, from the parents behind us who wouldn't stop their daughter from kicking Christine's chair to the drunks in front of us who couldn't understand 1) Why the stadium staff wouldn't let him wear a profane anti-Mets shirt because "I bought it outside the stadium the last time they played the Mets" and 2) Why they were getting ragged on for cheering on Hamels minutes after he was removed from the game in the middle the 5th inning. Also, nearly all fans kept cheering the Nationals scoring updates against the Braves, forgetting that the Phillies actually had to win their game to wrap up the division.

We hit a few drops of rain driving and walking into the park, but the game was played without any delay, and the sun even made an appearance in the late innings. Jimmy Rollins also made an appearance, but he grounded out meekly while swinging at the first pitch. ... Combined line for the good Phillies pitchers (Hamels and Madson): four innings, seven runs on 11 hits and four walks with two strikeouts. Combined line for the scrubby Phillies pitchers (David Herndon, Vance Worley, Chad Durbin, Jose Contreras and Danys Baez): five innings, no runs, one hit, three walks and eight strikeouts. ... The postgame celebration was subdued. The Phanatic and staff shot T-shirts to the crowd, but players stayed off the field, probably respecting the fact they lost and the division title wasn't yet sealed.

So ends the 2010 regular season at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies are guaranteed at least two more home playoff games; will we be at any?

Antiquated T-shirts: Pat Burrell, Jim Thome, Chris Coste, John Kruk, Jim Eisenreich and Cliff Lee. ... Walking out of the stadium, Christine noticed the back of a Roy Halladay jersey because although the numbers looked legit, the letters were off. Then, we noticed a 2009 World Series patch, and we all know Doc hasn't yet sniffed the Fall Classic. Finally, it hit us: Remember all those jokes about people ripping off Cliff Lee's name from their jersey and replacing it with Halladay's? This guy actually did it. Pretty tacky because Halladay wouldn't want to wear a World Series patch he didn't earn.

Today's games: Doc went the distance in an 8-0 shutout to ice the division. ... The Red Sox are winning; the Rays and Yankees lost, so the Sox may survive another day. I was starting to believe again until last night's extra inning debacle against the Yankees.

Phillies clinch

A day after I got to spend the day pursuing my hobby (bike riding), Christine got a day at Citizens Bank Park where everyone wanted to see a clincher.

The fans whooped it up watching the scoreboard as the Nationals beat the Braves but ignoring the fact that the Phillies couldn't beat the lowly Mets in an ugly 7-3 loss that clinched their 33rd straight season without 100 wins. (Betcha thought the headline was referring to the Phillies clinching at least a tie for the division.)

We have had a long weekend and are still trying to get things organized for the last week of Daddy Daycare before we hand off Trent to the professional day carers.

I hope to have some time and energy tomorrow to recap our last regular-season game at the park.

I did it

It's 10:30 p.m., and we've been up since before sunrise.

I did my 75-mile ride today - 77.94 miles to be exact - in six hours, eight minutes and 15 seconds (not counting rest stops). Christine and Trent fashioned the cutest sign and attached it to his stroller to welcome me after my ride, and they were waiting with our parents at the finish line.

I was so proud and happy. Now, I'm kinda tired.

The Red Sox continue to play spoiler against the Yankees (7-3 win), and the Phillies blew it against the Mets (5-2 loss), making it tougher to clinch tomorrow in their home regular season finale.

SoxandPhils take on New York

And ... we're really not that interested. The only intrigue is whether the Phillies can manage to clinch at home this weekend against the Mets and whether the Red Sox can help the Rays and Twins knock the Yankees from the top seed in the American League to the Wild Card.

We're more focused on tomorrow's big ride and our first night away from Trent. (He's at Grandmom's so we don't have to worry about him while stumbling out the door at 5:30 in the morning so I can get to the starting line.)

So far, so good for the Phils. They beat the Mets 3-2 while the Nationals lead the Braves 7-3 in the 8th. If that holds up, the Phillies could clinch tomorrow with another win and a Braves loss, but Sunday would make a better clincher, in our opinion.

Things started out well for the Red Sox. They were up 10-1 in the 6th, but it's now 10-7 in the 9th.

I hope that tomorrow I finish my ride stronger than the Red Sox are finishing this game.

Off day

The Red Sox and Phillies are off today, so we're taking the day off, too (but just from blogging). Besides, I don't have anything to add because I have been preoccupied with getting mentally geared for a 75-mile bike ride for which I may not be physically prepared, taking care of Trent and ignoring the suckitude of the Red Sox.

Heck, I'm so out of it, I didn't realize the Red Sox are about to start a series against the Yankees.

{Though I'm well aware that the Phillies may be able to clinch against the Mets this weekend! Preferably on Sunday.}

Wacky Wednesday

One of Trent's Dr. Seuss stories is Wacky Wednesday, which is about a boy who finds lots of things askew, such as a shoe on the wall, a car with no wheels and two knobs on the door to the hall.

Today felt like Wacky Wednesday looking at the SoxandPhils clips, most notably this Phil Sheridan column that calls the Cliff Lee trade logical.

Gee, all it took was Roy Halladay winning 20 games, Cole Hamels pitching like everyone expected after 2008 and Roy Oswalt pitching like an ace sniffing the playoffs after he was rescued from a morbid team.

And, it also helps that the Phillies have been the best team in baseball since July 21 and that the Eagles traded one of their stars and now have a dog killer quarterbacking.

Less wacky: There has been a lot of speculation about the Red Sox targeting Jayson Werth, so it's not that far-fetched to see a story about it. But it's a little wacky to read a Phillies-turned-Red Sox beat writer speculating about the current Phillies right fielder coming to the Fens.

I don't see it happening, but it did catch my eye this morning.

Today's games: The Braves and Phillies had a good duel. It was scoreless until the 8th when Raul Ibanez doubled in wacky Werth, who also caught the final out in the 9th. Magic number is now four; we hope it's down to one before Sunday's game. ... The Red Sox beat the Orioles 6-1. Wacky.

Free fall

Sometimes the dropoffs are quick in sports.

Look at Jacoby Ellsbury: He has already gone from being a rock star like Nomar Garciappara was early in his career to the whipping boy Nomar Garciappara became at the end. Now, he could be headed for a fall from 2007 World Series hero to the ultimate doghouse ... a New York Met.

Nick Cafardo had two tidbits this week that are a little too close for comfort:

3. David Wright would fit nicely in the Red Sox lineup; 4. A couple of Mets officials have told me they may make a run at Jacoby Ellsbury this winter.

I'd hate to see Ellsbury dumped because of public opinion, and I'd hate to see him become an enemy of the Phillies. But I wouldn't mind David Wright; I think his production can return in the right environment.

Tonight's games: The Phillies won their ninth straight (yawn), lowering their magic number to six to clinch their fourth straight division title (yawn) as Roy Halladay won 20 games for the third time in his career (yawn) in the 5-3 win over the Braves. The Red Sox trail the Orioles 8-1 in the 9th (mega yawn).

Buzzkill

When the Phillies trailed the Nationals 6-3 in the bottom on the 9th yesterday, they had a 9 percent chance of winning. But three straight hits quadrupled their odds before Jayson Werth came up with a man on base.

He hit the dramatic home run, sparking euphoria (never mind that it was against the poor Nationals). But the era of good feelings didn't last long as it was soon reported that Werth had signed with Scott Boras.

As Todd Zolecki notes, this probably doesn't affect the Phillies, because everyone assumed Werth was gone anyway. But it's just another thing to make his impending free agency nauseating.

And, of course, it came on the eve of the Phillies' first of two remaining series against the Braves, which could officially end the division race.

Tonight there was no lingering buzzkill as the Phillies dispatched the Braves 3-1 behind the vaunted pitching that won the World Series in 2008: eight innings from Cole Hamels and a perfect 9th from Brad Lidge. The Phillies lead is now four games with a magic number of eight.

The Red Sox will keep pedaling until the end of the road, but the Orioles are pedaling harder and won 4-2.

End of the road

I always wonder how far I can ride my bike. When I used to regularly train for my annual ride, I tried to go a little further than the previous time. Of course, I abandoned that routine once Trent came along, but yesterday I set out for a 70-mile ride in preparation for next week's 75-mile ride.

(I know I probably should have cut it back, but I want to send a message to the little guy about commitment, perseverance and health.)

Naturally, I wondered what I would see in those few miles I never rode before. But toward the end, I saw signs saying the road was closed and only open to local traffic. I kept going, figuring if it were safe for the locals, it would be safe for a guy on a bike.

I kept pedaling; the signs kept popping up. Finally, three miles before the point where I planned to turn around, I hit a concrete barrier and could go no further.

I think this must be what it's like for the Red Sox and the other 19 teams that are playing out the string. There's nothing ahead, but you just keep going until you hit the end of the road, or season.

Today's games: Jon Lester shut down the Blue Jays 6-0. The Phillies kept their hopes alive (of clinching at home this weekend) by scoring four runs in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Nationals 7-6.

Say it ain't so, Joe

It's no secret I never liked Joe Torre.

He had good people skills but was ultimately a middling manager who benefited from an obscene payroll.

Yes, his teams won four World Championships, and he only missed the playoffs once in 12 years as Yankees manager, but the combination of his $200 million teams and his managerial genius should have produced more. He was at the helm when the Yankees blew a 3-0 lead over the Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS. He also helped the Phillies advance to the World Series in 2008 and 2009.

I hope his decision to step down as Dodgers manager is really a retirement, but I get the sense it's not.

It was funny watching Kevin Millar, whose analysis I don't like on MLB Network, interview Torre. "I hate you," Torre quipped in reference to Millar's 2004 walk that set up the great comeback.

I hope this is my last impression of Joe the foe, because it was a good-natured rib that I appreciated. But he's still a Yankee, and I still don't like him.

Personal: I did my longest bike ride ever - 70 miles. I think I'm ready for next week's 75 miler.

Today's games: The Phillies beat the Nationals 5-2, but the Mets once again could not beat the Braves. The Red Sox lost to the Blue Jays while the Rays and Yankees both won.

Quick playoff picture

Trent and I finished the doors today and serviced the heater before the season changes. Tomorrow, I'm taking my last training ride in preparation for next week's big bike ride, and on Sunday, we'll paint the new doors.

Trent couldn't convince Christine to go SoxandPhils and paint them red and blue. She tried to reason with him that both teams have white in their uniforms.

The Phillies beat the Nationals 9-1, lowering their magic number to 12. (Despite Christine and Trent's rooting, the Mets couldn't beat the Braves.)

The Red Sox lost to the Blue Jays, and the Yankees beat the Orioles, so the Red Sox magic number remains at 21.

Yes, the Red Sox are still alive. They just have to go 10-5 and hope the Yankees go 3-12. Stranger things have happened (see: ALCS, 2004).

MVChooch

I was surprised to see that Jayson Werth still cracks the lists of national writers' top 10 candidates for NL MVP. He might be having his best offensive season, but his fielding has slipped, he disappeared for a good chunk of the season, and he has seemed distracted and susceptible to bonehead plays.

When I mentioned the national love for J-Dub, Christine, who has been real down on him, harrumphed: "Chooch is the Phillies MVP."

She has said it before, and so has the local media, which had another story about Carlos Ruiz and how he is the Phillies MVP:

This is the time of year when folks with nothing better to do begin to talk about things like most valuable players.

In normal seasons, such debates do not involve the No. 8 hitter in a team's lineup. But this has not been a normal year for the injury-ravaged Phillies. And when you really break down the value that each of their hitters and pitchers have contributed to the team, it becomes hard to overlook the contributions of one Carlos Ruiz.
[...]
"The best compliment I can give is that if he has a game where he goes 3-for-3 with a home run and he's the star of the game offensively, but we don't throw well, he's not
happy," [Brad] Lidge said. "He's not happy at all. And if he goes 0-for-5 with five strikeouts but we throw a shutout, he's pumped after the game. And that, for a pitcher, is everything."

And, for the Phillies this season, that's been pretty valuable.

Chooch might get a vote or two for the big award, and I know that this is a lot of hometown cheering, but it still warms the heart, especially because Christine predicted he would be a popular and valuable member of the Phillies long before he became one.

Today's games: Both teams are off. Not a bad day for no SoxandPhils games because we were having new doors installed, and Daddy Daycare had to tend as well to the little one. Speaking of which, I should go see how he's making out with those pesky hinges.

Reprise

There are a couple of updates today about things I've written about recently.

I speculated about Jayson Werth going to the A's in the offseason, but Ruben Amaro says don't be so quick to run J-Dub out of town to the Yankees, Red Sox or a wild card team like the A's:

"As we've talked about before, we'd love to bring Jayson Werth back, and he obviously plays rightfield," Amaro said. "Nobody's giving Domonic Brown the job in rightfield next year."

Even though Werth is finishing up a second straight career year heading into a free-agent market that has paid similar players more than $15 million per year?

"It's possible," Amaro said, "Again, these are issues that we'll deal with in the offseason."

I don't buy it, but a part of me thinks there may be some super-secret convoluted plan in the works, similar to jettisoning Cliff Lee to get Roy Halladay. Could next year's outfield be Raul Ibanez, Werth and Brown?

On a cheerier note, New England native and Carlos Quintana fan Rich Hill not only got to pitch for his favorite team, but earned a win for the Red Sox against the Mariners Tuesday night:

"The big thing for me is being back at this level and able to pitch well," said Hill, who had shoulder surgery a year ago. "But it's a cool thing to get a win with the Red Sox in my first game"’ said Hill, a Milton native and Boston resident.

Today's games: Behind ace Roy Halladay, the Phillies lead the Marlins 10-4 in the 9th. If they hold on, they would have a three game lead over the Braves. ... Behind ace Clay Buchholz, the Red Sox finished a sweep of the Mariners with a 5-1 win.

Q'd up

It gets monotonous when baseball players are asked to name their favorite players. They always pick the same handful of stars - Cal Ripken, Nolan Ryan, Ken Griffey Jr., etc. Sometimes you'll see somebody who was ingrained to a certain region - a Don Mattingly or Ryne Sandberg. Or, you'll see homages to players with significant historic importance beyond the game - a Jackie Robinson or Roberto Clemente.

For a game played by more than 16,000 major leaguers, it seems only a few dozen are mentioned frequently as being someone's favorite player.

That's why New Englander Rich Hill's answer for his favorite players was so refreshing. Hill, a former top pitching prospect for the Cubs who has become a journeyman minor leaguer, was called up by the Red Sox, his hometown team.

Instead of naming Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens or Mo Vaughn as his favorite players, he named venerable Dwight Evans, who would fit into the geographical category, and little-known Carlos Quintana:

Here's how much of a Red Sox fan Hill is: when asked to name his favorite players growing up, he first said Dwight Evans and then mentioned Carlos Quintana, a first baseman and occasional outfielder from 1988-93.

If you know who the Q is, you're a real fan.

I guess I'm a real fan. I remember when Q burst onto the scene. He seemed to claim the first base job out of nowhere. (I was a kid living several states away before the Internet.) He was an anchor of the 1990 team - one of my favorite seasons - and a player who always seemed better than he actually was because he wasn't overhyped.

His career was cut short because of an injury in a car crash, but thanks to Rich Hill, he'll be remembered today.

Today's games: It's up to Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge to hold onto the Phillies 2-1 lead over the Marlins. I wonder if this is going to be another time when Cole Hamels misses out on a win because of no run support. ... The Red Sox are just getting under way in Seattle.

Will J-Dub move up in the alphabet?

Everyone assumes that Jayson Werth - who has become right fielder non grata to Christine - will be a Red Sox or Yankee next year.

But what if Reggie Jackson is a double agent and was working for another one of his former teams, the A's, when he went recruiting the bearded wonder this spring?

Sports Illustrated had a piece talking about how young, good and cheap the A's pitching is and speculated that Billy Beane may have money - and spend it - to upgrade his offense this offseason. J-Dub, whose wild looks would have fit right in with the Jason Giambi A's of the 2000s, was mentioned.

I was intrigued by that, especially with Peter Abraham's random note last night:

Don't sleep on Oakland. Give that team a hitter or two and they have the pitching to do some damage.

If Werth is done with the Phillies, I'd love for him to go West instead of setting up another stale bidding war between the Yankees and Red Sox.

Tonight's games: The Phillies lead the Marlins 11-1 in the 8th. I think this one is safe. ... The Red Sox play late in Seattle.

Sleepy Sunday

Well, it started out that way. On a chilly, rainy day, I slept in - 6:30 a.m. is now extraordinarily late by my new standards.

Later, Trent and I went to the basement to watch some football (I think I'm going to watch more of it this year now that we have the little guy) while Christine listened to the radio as she got some work done upstairs. She heard Roy Oswalt dominate the Mets (four hits and a walk with six strikeouts) in a 3-0 shutout.

In the basement, we toggled between that game and the Giants' 31-18 win over the Panthers and the Patriots' 34-24 win over the Bengals. After the Eagles dropped their opener in the afternoon, we just need the Braves to lose to the Cardinals tonight for a pretty good sports day in this house. And, oh yeah, forgot about the Red Sox ... they won, too, 5-3 over the A's.

Busy week ahead for the SoxandPhils Phamily. We'll try our best to keep up, but expect quickie posts like this.

Life lesson: winning

We took Trent to a local baby parade today. Because it wasn't a pure cute baby contest and relied more on the ingenuity and creativity of the babies' parents in crafting floats and such, Tackle Box Trent did not come home with a prize.

It's OK. It was his first lesson that winning isn't everything. He didn't seem bothered by it.

Later in the day, when Carlos Ruiz failed to get a big hit in the 9th inning with the Phillies trailing the Mets 4-3 with two outs and a man on third, Trent took it much better than his mother.

Red Sox: Not that they matter ... actually, they do matter. We shouldn't stop caring about them just because they're not going to win this year. Well, tonight they're actually winning, 1-0 over the A's in the 6th.

Mike Lowell, a winner of a person, announced his retirement. It was an awkward year, but I am glad he got to play regularly at the end and wish him well.

Time warp

Christine doesn't like it when I sing a Christmas carol too early (before Thanksgiving), so last night when she was watching a Christmas rerun episode of one of her favorite syndicated TV shows, I teased her, "Oh, it's OK for Buffy the Vampire Slayer to play Christmas music in July?"

Then I quickly remembered that we're not only out of July, but also August and just about halfway through September.

Where did the time go?

A baby has really messed with my internal clock. While running errands, the three hours between feedings can seem like five minutes, or the last 15 minutes before a feeding can feel like three hours if Trent's crying.

So I was a little surprised to see football on last night, even though I spent the last few days reading football previews in Sports Weekly, Sports Illustrated and ESPN magazines. I didn't mind it, but it was depressing today to see the Red Sox coverage focused on year-end individual success stories such as Darnell McDonald being a major leaguer for pretty much the whole year and Adrian Beltre's attempt to reach the 30 home run/100 RBI mark for the second time in his career.

Similarly, but on a better note, Phillies coverage focused on the health status of Brad Lidge and Jimmy Rollins as the Phillies head down the stretch run and probably the playoffs.

It seems like just yesterday Christine and I were deciding whether to plan a little getaway for a week off we had scheduled in July. Now, we're planning a run to the grocery store in between bottles while hoping we don't miss the start of the playoffs.

Today's games: The Phillies beat the Mets 8-4. The Red Sox are playing the A's late on the West Coast. They trail 5-0 in the 2nd - not that it matters anymore.