This might hurt already

I haven't even cracked open my Roy Halladay-covered Sports Illustrated, appropriately titled "This might hurt," and the SI jinx may have begun.

Martin Frank, Scott Lauber's temporary replacement at the Wilmington News Journal, summed up the day in six words: Blanton hurt, Lidge hurting, Halladay rocked.

There's some irony here. Today, the Daily News had a story: Countdown to return of Phillies closer Lidge. One cortisone shot later, and we're still counting.

This morning, on WIP, they discussed an interesting scenario: What if the Phillies kept Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick in the rotation - who would be the odd man out? Obviously, that question is answered if Joe Blanton's injury shelves him.

And, of course, Halladay gets rocked by his former team the day after his SI cover is released.

I wonder who will now represent the National League against the Red Sox in October.

Lots of news - some expected, some not

A year ago, Sports Illustrated pulled a pretty good prank, picking the Mets (Hahahahahahahahahhahahahaha!) to win the World Series. This time around, the magazine is picking the Phillies to win the National League for a third straight year. But the pundits still aren't over whatever they were on last year, because they're not picking the Phils to lose a spirited contest against the Red Sox, but to beat the Rays in a rematch of the 2008 World Series.

I'm not big on jinxes, but I don't have a good feeling with "This might hurt" next to Roy Halladay on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

In other news:

The Red Sox and Josh Beckett may be progressing toward a contract extension. ... Junichi Tazawa has some tearing in his elbow, according to the dreaded Dr. James Andrews, but they haven't officially announced surgery yet. ... How long has Tim Wakefield been around? He played for the last Pirates team that finished over .500. ... Speaking of old pitchers, the Phillies officially named Jamie Moyer the fifth starter. ... And while Jayson Werth and Reggie Jackson weren't discussing playing for the Yankees, Mr. October must have mentioned the Yankees no-facial hair policy because Werth ditched the beard in anticipation of his big payday from the Empire.

(Yesterday, Christine wanted me to mention the facial hair ban when we dumped on J-Dub, but we forgot about it when we posted.)

Cheaters

Now that the Johnny Damon era is over, the Yankees may have their eyes set on another bearded SoxandPhil: Jayson Werth.

Only problem: He's not a free agent yet. But that didn't stop him from having a little lunch with the Yankees Reggie Jackson and an on-field conversation before a game.

Werth denied wrongdoing but wouldn't say what they talked about:

"Reggie's an old family friend," Werth said after yesterday's game was canceled. "I've known him since I was 7 years old, I think. I've known him forever. There's nothing to tell, really. Two friends having lunch."

Funny, with all the coverage of the 2009 World Series, I don't remember reading about how tight Reggie and the Werth/Schofield family are.

So it appears J-Dub may be willing to sell his soul to play for the money. As the newly inducted wrestling hall of famer "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase said, "Everyone has a price." Good riddance, I say. We all know that Domonic Brown will soon be a better player, and perhaps John Mayberry Jr. will be a late-blooming superstar like Werth. He was just sent down, but got some good reviews:

"Since I first saw John last year, he's improved a whole lot," manager Charlie Manuel said. "We figure he needs to go out and play and, at the same time, he's got to hit righthanded pitchers better. He hits lefthanders real good. He's got some things to learn about his hitting.

"It's just like I told Jayson Werth. He's got a chance to be real good. John's going to play in the big leagues and he's going to play for a while."

One little problem with Werth playing for the Yankees, though. He wears No. 28, and Yankee manager Joe Girardi just took that number because, as we've been reminded 10,000 times, that's the number of World Championships they're shooting for this year. But that number is not going to change anytime soon, especially in 2010 when the Sox and Phils face off in the World Series.

Oh well, why bother worrying about the offseason when Opening Day is almost here. There's some news about the Phillies opener in Washington: President Obama will throw out the first pitch. Christine wondered if he plans to hang out with Shane Victorino. Probably, but only to get closer to Werth in an attempt to lure the outfielder to the Nationals.

More cheating: MLB Network is showing the Red Sox take on the Rays. Using his unfair advantage (one more leg), Elvis Burrell's Rays lead Boss Papelbon's Red Sox 2-0 in the 4th.

Things that made me say hmm ...

I learned a lot of interesting little nuggets this morning. Actually, the first I learned last night, but not until after deadline.

Other than the occasional political comment or plug for his wife's book, SoxandPhil Curt Schilling has been sort of quiet lately. Judging by how he ended a recent interview with Dan Patrick in this week's Sports Illustrated, the 2004 hero seems to be out of practice when it comes to speaking to the media. {Out of practice? Please. That interview was pure Curt Schilling. He knew exactly what he was doing and how he was saying it.}

He tried to make it clear that he does not think he is bigger than the game and just fortunate to have played for some great teams at some great times, but he failed and came out with this:

"I was part of some of the greatest moments in the sport. I can remember sitting on the bench in 1993 with John Vukovich watching Joe Carter hit that home run. I was obviously devastated, but not initially. My first thought was 'Oh, my God! I just witnessed one of the greatest moments in the history of the game. How cool? Oh, my God, we just lost!' I love the game."

I'm sure 2008 erased a lot of the Joe Carter-induced pain for Phillies fans, but I can't imagine them liking that attitude. Can you picture David Ortiz saying how cool it was to watch Aaron Boone end the 2003 ALCS? I can't.

I cannot believe that quote has not caused an uproar around here yet. Maybe, as the Inquirer points out in today's series, it's because Citizens Bank Park has ushered in a new era for the Phillies.

The last time Christine and I went to Camden Yards, we were disappointed. It has not aged well and does not compare with Citizens Bank. We should be grateful:

The Phillies' timing was fortunate. By waiting eight years before jumping onto the retro bandwagon launched by 1992's opening of Baltimore's Camden Yards, they were better able to tailor the ballpark to a vision that was far more fan-focused than when the Vet debuted in 1971.

Things might have turned out differently. In the late 1980s, the Phillies wanted to remodel the Vet, which would have meant no shiny ballpark today:

Right about then, team president Bill Giles visited Camden Yards.

"Once we saw that," Montgomery said, "we said, 'Uh-uh. We need to change the focus here. We have to look for a new facility.'"

The rest is history and the Phillies have filled their new park with stars like Jim Thome, Ryan Howard and Joe Mauer. Joe Mauer?

The other night, we were playfully discussing the Twins star's new contract, and Christine, out of sheer loyalty for Carlos Ruiz, said she would rather keep Chooch than add Mauer.

Charlie Manuel has my back on this one:

Manuel raved about Mauer after watching the Twins catcher go 2 for 4 with two RBIs.

"We might be able to find a place in our lineup for him," Manuel said. "A couple of years ago, we were at the winter meetings and I was sitting with some [Minnesota] guys, and we got in an argument. I said I'd like to see him pull some balls. Last year, when he started hitting some bombs to right field, I got a message from one of the guys and he said, 'Hey, Charlie, is Mauer pulling the ball enough for you now?' He's special."

Today's post is all over the place. This blog is going to the (bull)dogs. No, Elvis Burrell has not returned, but Jonathan Papelbon's pooch, Boss, is accompanying the reliever to work today:

Never have been much of a morning person, which is a function of my [the Globe's Peter Abraham] job. But some things you can't help but notice no matter how
tired you are.

Such as Jonathan Papelbon walking into the clubhouse at 8:44 a.m. wearing wraparound black sunglasses with a three-legged bulldog on a leash. Now that got everybody's attention.

Boss is the dog that supposedly ate the 2007 World Series ball. Papelbon went back to his truck to get the dog's bed, so apparently Boss is here for the day.

Hmm, the Red Sox are playing the Rays on Tuesday. I don't know whether Papelbon is scheduled to pitch then, but if he faces off against Pat Burrell, can we please have temporary replacements? Boss vs. Elvis. Bulldog-a-bulldog. Bring it on.

Starting off eccentrically

Jamie Moyer had a dominant start last night, but like most of his spring starts, it was against weak competition. (OK, the Yankees are a little bit tougher than the Blue Jays B squad.) The Phillies haven't announced it, but everyone expects the 47-year-old to open the season in the rotation despite Kyle Kendrick's fantastic spring.

You can argue either option, but it's clear that J-Moy will start a game this year, and Rob Neyer notes what a remarkable feat that will be:

Moyer turned 47 last fall. There have been exactly three men in major league history who started a game after turning 47.

Phil Niekro, a knuckleballer, started 32 games in 1987, when he was 47 (and he started 26 more the next season). Jack Quinn, a spitballer, started one game in 1931, when he was 47. Satchel Paige, a Methuselah, started one game in 1965, when he was 58. And that's it, friends: 60 starts, with one knuckleball pitcher accounting for 58 of them.

The word "remarkable" is thrown around a lot, but I think it's not overblown to use it here. As Neyer also said, there isn't much suggesting a good season from the old timer, but there's no doubt he will be one of the most interesting pitchers we will ever see.

Red Sox staff: They've also thrown things for a loop, using a five-man rotation, but throwing Josh Beckett twice before Clay Buchholz, who I guess was demoted to fifth starter, appears:

After Beckett, Lester, and Lackey pitch the opening series against the Yankees, Wakefield will start in Kansas City. Beckett will pitch the next game, followed by Buchholz. From there, the rotation will be Lester, Lackey, Wakefield, Beckett, and Buchholz.

I am glad for Wakefield and hope that Buchholz's poor spring was just a minor blip.

Scott Schoeneweis story: I was familiar with some of Scoeneweis' life story, but didn't realize how complicated it was until reading Nick Cafardo's account. I wonder whether I'm going soft because I didn't feel like shouting out roider when reminded he was in the Mitchell Report. I'm still rooting for Scott Atchison though.

We're going to Baltimore

I know, not really exotic.

Let me explain: We made the choice to include the Phillies home finale instead of a Red Sox game in our six pack of tickets. We later learned we could have bought the six pack with a Red Sox game and then bought the finale separately.

Because we're not going to get to see the Red Sox locally, Christine found out there were still plenty of seats available when they play in Baltimore in May. So we bought tickets, booked a hotel room and we're all set. The tickets arrived in the mail yesterday.

Walking in style: We saw the design for the first-ever T-shirts for our MS walk team, dubbed the Red Sox. We're not ready to unveil the design yet, but it rocks. It's got a baseball feel and reminds me a little of my Ramones shirt. We'll be walking in style next month thanks to Kim and Rishi.

More power from a little guy: A day after I noted Rays manager Joe Maddon had predicted more power from Jacoby Ellsbury, there's speculation that the Phillies diminutive outfielder, Shane Victorino, may hit more homers this year because he'll be hitting lower in the order.

Surprise acquisitions: There were reports this morning that both of our teams would be scrounging to add some more depth as spring training ends. The Red Sox picked up infielder Kevin Frandsen and Jersey-native relief pitcher Scott Schoeneweis. The Phillies are still looking for pitching depth.

Joe Maddon goes SoxandPhils

Rays manager Joe Maddon was all over SoxandPhils news this week.

First, he's a big Jacoby Ellsbury fan, offering a different prediction on our speedster:

"I could see this guy, he's going to get beyond just being speed," Maddon said yesterday before the Rays edged the Sox, 11-9, at City of Palms Park. "He could hit 20-plus home runs this year."

Maddon has based that prediction on his perception that Ellsbury "looks bigger and stronger," although Ellsbury said he gained only 3 pounds since last season.

Funny, on Sunday, Nick Cafardo noted that "the No. 2 jersey makes Jacoby Ellsbury look smaller."

Meanwhile, Terry Francona tried to approach Ellsbury the way that Lou Brown handled things when Willie Mays Hays started swinging for the fences in Major League:

"We don't have any intentions of telling Jake to be anything different than what he is," Francona said. "Over the course of him getting bigger, getting stronger, getting more mature, knowing the league, he probably will hit some more home runs. But I think when you tell guys what they have to do, it doesn't work very often." ...

And Maddon didn't just face his division rivals this week. He had a rematch of the 2008 World Series, and he suddenly became a Charlie Manuel interpreter (although Christine thinks he was making this stuff up). Here is his version of why the Rays were allowed to use a DH when playing the Phillies:

"So Charlie conceded, or acquiesced, to doing it and I appreciate that very much. We requested it and Charlie said cool. I don't know if Charlie actually said 'cool,' but Charlie said 'yes.' Actually, I think 'righteous' is what he said."

Righteous, dude.

I'm not talking to Christine

I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox. I will not jinx injury on the Red Sox.

Explanation for Christine's chalkboard punishment? Last night when writing again about our teams' quiet spring trainings except for flu bugs, Christine pointed out that neither team had an injury. Less than an hour later, she was wondering why Dustin Pedroia wasn't in the Red Sox game that was on MLB Network:

The injury bug had been biding its time with the Red Sox this spring.

Last night, it struck pretty hard.

Dustin Pedroia left the game against the Twins at Hammond Stadium because of a mild sprain to his left wrist. He was listed as day-to-day but the Sox no doubt will take a conservative tack in the days ahead to ensure their All-Star second baseman and team sparkplug does not carry the injury into the regular season.

Fortunately - for the Red Sox and Christine - the X-rays were negative and he seems to be OK:

"He's already lobbying to play tomorrow," Francona said after learning that the wrist was not broken. "That probably won't happen." Francona said Pedroia likely will take batting practice tomorrow to see how he feels and play Friday.

That kind of manager-bratty player exchange reminded me of Brett Myers, who will pitch against the Phillies tomorrow. He is already missed by Charlie Manuel:

"I miss Myers," Manuel said. "I miss getting on him. I miss his mouth. I miss everything. I think in our camp this year, it’s been a little quieter without Myers."

Sick SoxandPhils

Although the SoxandPhils have been having quiet spring training camps, they haven't been without issues. Our guys have been getting sick. A lot.

This week, the Phillies infirmary has been visited by Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino and Sam Perlozzo, who were bitten by flu bugs. Earlier, Chase Utley had an upper respiratory problem.

Curiously, Christine has not questioned the integrity of Chooch, Shane-O or Utley like she did when we found out Josh Beckett was ill.

Jacoby Ellsbury has also been ill and, of course, Jed Lowrie has mono.

We're going to start a brand of SoxandPhils hand sanitizer and send a complimentary case to the Red Sox and Phillies so they can keep the players healthy because this is getting ridiculous.

Numerical musings

There is not one stat in this post.

When the Red Sox recently brought back Alan Embree for a looksie, they gave him No. 43 again. Since he left midway through 2005, Chad Harville, Mike Holtz and Devern Hansack have worn that number.

I guess despite tossing the last pitch in the great 2004 ALCS, the Red Sox clubhouse guy didn't feel a need to freeze that jersey number, as is the custom of the Phillies clubhouse guy Frank Coppenbarger.

Comcast SportsNet's Jim Salisbury had a fascinating piece the other day on how the Phillies dole out uniform numbers for newly acquired players and how Roy Halladay wound up with Cliff Lee's No. 34.

Basically: Hallady wore 32 in Toronto, but that is retired for Steve Carlton in Philly. Last summer, the team decided he would wear 34 but had to reverse plans when Lee became the midseason acquisition. This year, when Halladay-to-the-Phillies was imminent, the staff decided he would get back the 34 he never had and gave Cliff Lee the No. 31 he had worn previously. But that wasn't necessary once Lee was shipped to Seattle.

Interesting SoxandPhils number notes from the column: In 2008, when there was a Manny Ramirez for Pat Burrell trade rumor (which Christine has completely forgotten about), the Phillies special-ordered a pair of long pants for Manny.

After drafting J.D. Drew, the Phillies reserved No. 39 for him, which he wore in college.

Curt Schilling's No. 38 was frozen for a while after he left. Pat Burrell's No. 5 is currently frozen, and they didn't know what they were going to do if Nomar Garciaparra joined the Phillies last year.

Hot dogs

I was Pheeling a little Philly tonight, so I had a roast pork sandwich with broccoli rabe, roasted peppers and provolone for dinner.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that if you switch the roast pork with a hot dog, you'd get the South Philly, which will probably be the Phillies new signature hot dog at Citizens Bank Park.

Other than the coincidence, I don't like this. It's too contrived. I don't think that the Dodgers and Red Sox set out to have iconic franks - they just happened.

And, why bother with the competition? At least the South Philly is Philadelphia cuisine. I understand that the Citizens Bank Summer Hot Dog comes on a pretzel roll, but a cucumber on a hot dog means Chicago to me.

From hot dogs on buns to hot dogs hamming it up: Christine has asked me to give the phrase "Bring it on" a rest because I've been overkilling it this offseason. But I have no other words in my mind after previewing the Red Sox new commercials for the New England Sports Network.

The best features a punk-ass Yankees fan talking up his fraudulent champs in a barber shop where David Ortiz, Jonathan Papelbon, Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield are all getting a little off the top. Needless to say, the punk-ass is shown the door with a buzz cut that wasn't exactly what he expected.

After seeing that, I'm reading to see Victor Martinez take CC Sabathia deep on Opening Day. Bring ... me a South Philly with some spicy mustard.

[Photo credit: Aramark via Philadelphia Inquirer]

Cholly invades New York

After checking the traffic report on an FM station while driving to work yesterday, I flipped back to AM and heard Charlie Manuel talking, which was odd because the tuner was on New York's WFAN.

He was on to promote Nutrisystem and had a really good interview with Mets fans Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton, who pretty much acknowledged that they would love Cholly and the Phillies if they weren't supposed to be enemies. (Kind of like how, in a quiet moment, I admit I respect Mariano Rivera.)

Among the highlights:

Manuel laughed when asked whether the Mets were nothing but choke artists and losers who will never win. "What did you say, 'we're men among men?' I'm not going to answer that."

Carton:

If you played in any other town we'd love you and your team because It's a very likable team. You get dirty, you're gritty. You're as good as a clutch team as any in the last five, 10 years in baseball. Who doesn't like Chase Utley? He's like an old-timer. The only problem is that you're red and you come from Philadelphia. If it weren't for that, we'd love you guys. Sons of bitches is what I say.

Later, when Manuel was asked which Phillie will be a big surprise this year, he listed Danys Baez, Jose Contreras, Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz. He was ready to keep going, but Carton objected.

"You can't name the whole team," he said.

"Well, you know he's not lying to us," Boomer said. "He's telling the truth and he's making us miserable."

And, for the record, Charlie said he never went down the drug road that Ron Washington did.

Peaceful camps

We've had relatively quiet camps for the SoxandPhils this year.

It's been so quiet that this week the Boston Herald's John Tomase dubbed the Red Sox spring training Camp Tranquility.

For the Phillies, it's been going so swimmingly that David Murphy couldn't decide which Phillie starter should get the Cy Young already.

OK, he didn't go that far, but he did post some nice reminders of how much better this spring has been compared with some in the recent past:

* Who will be the fifth starter, Adam Eaton, J.D. Durbin or Chad Durbin?
* Can Brett Myers return from life as a closer?
* Who will be the fifth starter, Happ, Kendrick or Chan Ho Park?
* Is Myers the pitcher we saw in the first half of 2008, or the second half?
* Can Hamels avoid his annual trip to the disabled list?
* Where do Jon Lieber and Freddy Garcia fit in?

That's making this year's Kyle Kendrick-Jamie Moyer battle for the fifth starter position seem pretty benign.

Chooch gets some lovin'

It's a slow news day, but I was glad to see this Paul Hagen column on Carlos Riuz (because I knew it would make Christine happy):

Now, Ruiz isn't the best player in the Phillies' lineup. In fact, he's the only one of the regular eight who has never made an All-Star team.

He might just be the most important, though. That's partly because of the nature of his position. Catchers handle the pitching staff, a full-time job all by itself. They are involved in every defensive play.

There's only one thing we can do now - get ready to start mass-punching some All-Star ballots in a few months. It's not like there will be a dearth of fans at Citizens Bank Park this year.

More homegrown follies

When I wrote about the Phillies MLB Network-selected all-time homegrown team, I predicted what the Red Sox lineup would look like, but forgot to mention the results.

There wasn't any example as bad as Ryne Sandberg over Chase Utley on the Phillies team, but it was not a perfect selection.

My prediction:

Off the top of my head, and without verifying who is homegrown, here's my prediction for the Red Sox team: C-Carlton Fisk, 1B-Mo Vaughn, 2B-Bobby Doerr,
3B-Wade Boggs, SS-Nomar Garciaparra, OF-Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice, SP-Roger Clemens, RP-Papelbon. We'll see how close I am on March 11.

Well, they put Yaz at first. That's kind of weak but understandable, I guess, because I didn't realize they were picking a position-specific outfield instead of just three outfielders. Accompanying Williams in the outfield were center fielder Tris Speaker and right fielder Babe Ruth.

The biggest outrage for me came at closer, where they went with SoxandPhil Sparky Lyle over Jonathan Papelbon. How many friggin' Yankees can there be on an all-time Red Sox team?

Entering 2010, each had played five seasons for the Red Sox. Papelbon - in a more offensive era - has a 1.84 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 10.4 K/9 in 298 innings. Lyle had a 2.85 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 5.5 K/9 over 331.1 innings.

Each was a fine pitcher, and I'm sure somebody could make a legitimate case for Lyle, but again, on selections like this, extra credit should be awarded to the player more associated with the franchise. Demerits should be awarded for those more closely associated with the enemy.

Oh, and I hadn't even considered Lyle homegrown because he was selected by the Orioles. I only learned recently of MLB Network's criteria that a player had to play at least one game for the major league club to be counted, and he didn't play any games for the Orioles.

Of course, it's entirely possible that the folks at the network were on heavy narcotics when coming up with these teams. Actually, I'm getting them confused with Rangers manager Ron Washington and his positive cocaine test.

Another media buyout

Comcast SportsNet has acquired The700Level.com. Site founder Enrico Campitelli Jr. pledged the site will retain its editorial independence after joining the corporate conglomerate. He even said the site will improve.

Perhaps, but I remember hearing similar things from the Boston Dirt Dogs when it was acquired by Boston.com in 2004. But what was once an edgy, must-read source of Red Sox satire is now an afterthought for me.

Maybe things will work out better for The 700 Level.

If you ever read about SoxandPhils vowing to maintain its integrity after being bought out, it can mean only one thing: We're rich. Don't worry, we'll continue to be uncensored and unread.

The real rumor of the day

Despite Shane Victorino's cheering (Albert! Albert! Albert!), we here at SoxandPhils aren't paying much attention to the bogus rumor of a Ryan Howard for Albert Pujols trade.

There are three reasons we don't care about this rumor:

1) There's no truth to it.

2) Martin Frank (Scott Lauber's interim replacement) says there is a bigger Phillies blockbuster in the works: Chase Utley for the legendary Steve Sax.

3) We're more excited about the prospects of Bill Hall finding out and confronting the mysterious Player X. (ESPN writers are persona non grata at SoxandPhils these days.)

In a column about the grind of spring training, the mystery player wrote he "heard a story" that Hall wasn't focused when he arrived at spring training in 2007 with the Milwaukee Brewers, fresh off a new $24 million contract that was the result of a 35-homer '06 season.

"Word of his partying made the rounds and guys predicted he was due for a slump," Player X wrote. "Sure enough, his RBI total dropped to 63, he hit only 14 homers the next season and he was a disaster in the field. It started in spring and he never recovered."

After reading the account Saturday, Hall shook his head. Left out of Player X's retelling is the fact that, after a slow start, Hall was on pace for 20 homers and 80 RBI in July when he tore up his ankle scaling the fence in a vain attempt to catch a homer. Also ignored is how hot Hall was - he had hit .324 with three homers, 17 RBI and a .990 OPS over the previous month.

"I went out there and got hurt playing hard," Hall said. "I'll tell you what, I wish I could ask the guy that wrote that, has he ever seen me dog a ground ball to first base? Has he ever seen me not get to second base on a popup? Just watch me play and make judgments about what kind of person I am and what kind of player I am."

Christine and I have enjoyed reading the works of ESPN Player Xes. (There have been a few over different sports.) But we found it odd he'd call out Hall like this. We hope he finds the dude's identity and outs him before the big Howard-Pujols trade is completed.

Raul helps team chemistry

Everyone was pleased with the way Raul Ibanez replaced Pat Burrell last year, even though the Phillies didn't achieve as much as they did in 2008.

Ibanez isn't resting on his laurels and, in a true spirit of SoxandPhils, has even helped the Red Sox. When Adrian Beltre considered whether to sign with the Red Sox, he was concerned about stealing Mike Lowell's spot.

Today's story by the Globe's Amalie Benjamin almost suggests that Beltre didn't want to come to Boston purely out of respect to the 2007 World Series MVP. But Ibanez, who played with Beltre in Seattle and is a friend of Lowell, put those feelings to rest:

"I talked to [Ibanez] and said I was thinking about calling Mike before," Beltre said. "He said, 'Don't. Just talk to him when you're in spring training. Mike's a great dude, and he'll understand.'"
[...]
"Those are things that you can't control," Ibanez said. "You can't look to the left or to the right or behind you. You can only look at what's right in front of you and control what's right in front of you."

And, now despite a situation that can't be welcomed for Lowell, the two are handling things very classy and professionally:

Their stories are intertwined, the new third baseman and the old. Their lockers are close together. They take ground balls one after the other, inhabiting a spot big enough for only one. A situation that could have bred distrust and strife in a clubhouse has not, from all evidence, though it is clear that, on many days, Lowell would rather be just about anywhere else.

Perhaps that's because they are, as Ibanez calls them, "two of the best people I've had the pleasure of knowing."

Thanks, Raul. If Lowell's still around in October, I'm sure he'll tip a bottle of champagne to you before he dumps it on Beltre.

Christine's psychic powers strike again: Yesterday, Christine and I were discussing Jamie Moyer's good spring. I noted that Tim Wakefield, the other SoxandPhils elder statesman, was also exceeding expectations. She asked me what the Red Sox were going to do with their rotation, and I said they'll probably start Daisuke Matsuzaka in the minors on injury rehab and then see what unfolds.

"Oh yeah," she said. "And he hasn't even had his annual spring injury yet."

Oops. A stiff neck has officially reduced the number of starters the Red Sox could use to start the season from six to five.

And, last week, Christine and I were talking about Ryne Sandberg, and she noted how no one else has that name. Today's spring training update: "Josh Beckett is sick and will not start today. Minor leaguer Ryne Miller will get the nod."

Her insulting questioning of Beckett being sick on a Sunday morning will be ignored.

We won!

... the right to pay $64 to sit in what will probably be unseasonably cold April weather as the Phillies play a team that lost 103 games last year and probably won't win too many more this year (sorry Joe Wolf's Vertical Jump).

Yup, Christine won the drawing for the opportunity to buy Opening Day tickets, so we'll be playing hooky from work next month to watch the Phillies open up their bid for a third straight National League pennant against their NL East rival Washington Nationals.

Maybe we'll get to see the phenom, Stephen Strasburg. I know, he's ticketed for the minors.

So, is Christine excited?

This morning she approached me as if she had been thinking long and hard about something important. "If the Phillies skip their fifth starter because of all the off days in the beginning of the season, I think we'll see Joe Blanton pitch on Opening Day."

Somberly: Ryan Westmoreland, who might be the top Red Sox prospect, is leaving camp to have brain surgery because of a cavernous malformation. We'll be pulling for him and hope everything turns out well.

Comedy Central catches SoxandPhils spirit

I never watched Tosh.0 before, but the latest episode had some SoxandPhils spirit to it.

Daniel Tosh had on the father and little girl who became a hit last year when she threw back a foul ball the father caught and handed to her at a Phillies game. It was a good skit in which the girl had a tea party and was then quizzed on what to keep or throw back among assorted items such as a wad of cash, a hand grenade and a lollipop.

Then, they sat the father and daughter in the stands to re-create the magic moment. But the pitcher was none other than Clay Buchholz, whose wife is a friend of Tosh's.

"It was fun," Buchholz said. "It wasn't like I had to do much acting, I just had to throw a few pitches."

The show wasn't all fun and games. It prompted a disagreement between Christine and me. Tosh asked the dad whether he'd take a free four-year college education for his daughter or four straight championships for the Phillies. He chose the education. Christine disagreed with his choice. I don't think Christine realizes how expensive college is, although I might have had a different answer if our teams hadn't won titles recently.

The Grinch who stole SoxandPhils

I had planned this post for yesterday, but Nomar Garciaparra stole the day's news.

On Tuesday, when Roy Halladay last pitched, Christine admitted that she was getting sick of all the Christmas puns the headline writers are using when he pitches. (Except, of course, the title and accompanying picture on this post.)

The next morning, with my alarm is set to WIP, I woke to Angelo Cataldi marveling about how Doc not only pitched well but reported to the stadium an hour before his teammates.

Not only did he beat the bus to park, but he stayed after the game to get in some work:

Just don't expect any buyer's remorse from the Phillies. Halladay arrived at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex at 2:15 yesterday afternoon, nearly an hour ahead of the team bus. By the time a group of future minor leaguers finished off a 7-4 win over the Braves, the team's regulars having long since departed for Clearwater, he was still in the visitors' clubhouse, wearing his workout clothes and eating a banana.

"You can really see what separates the great ones," a Phillies staffer said as he watched Halladay retreat to the trainer's room.

Now, Christine and I are pleased that he's on the team but can't believe the gushing that's going on. Is it that rare for a ballplayer to be this devoted to the craft? If so, I think that speaks more about the rest of the players than it does Halladay.

Of course, I won't be complaining about the results of his labor - quickly pitched games that get me to bed on time - but I just can't get over how quickly the fans and media have gone head over heels for Roy. {I'm not that surprised by the adoration - when was the last time the Phillies had a legitimate No. 1 starter with such a talented lineup behind him?}

(The Grinch cartoon is from a Boston Globe editorial about Nomar's coming home to retire.)

No more Nomar

In 1997, the SoxandPhils (before there was a SoxandPhils) monopolized the Rookie of the Year Awards: Nomar Garciaparra in the AL, Scott Rolen in the NL.

Each was a throwback gritty player whose exceptional skills made them seem destined for the Hall of Fame. But each saw his expectations grounded by injury before whining and moping their way out of Boston and Philly, where they should have been franchise legends.

Until they were traded, they provided Christine and me with lots of fodder for debate, which continues today. Tonight, when I asked Christine if she had any final words for Nomar, she made a reference to steroids and then ended with "Scotty's better."

Today, Nomar rejoined the Red Sox for a day to retire in the organization he started with. It was fitting to put a happy ending on a fairy tale career that went sour in 2004:

"This is where I started, this is where the dream to play baseball in the big league started here, with the Red Sox," he said. "Once I got to play in front of all these fans, and the way this city and all these fans embraced me, I mean, I always just felt that connection. Like I said, for me, I always said I truly wanted this to be the last uniform I ever put on. And today, I get to do that. And that's why it's so important to me."

I summed up my feelings on Nomar when talking about his old shirt. Coincidentally, I retired it last month, and now it's no longer antiquated. I know today was a just a gesture, but it is nice that I won't have to remember Nomar as a moper or suspected roider, but as the guy who was the Red Sox in the late '90s and early '00s.

I'll never forget him in the 1998 ALDS trying to rally the crowd and avert the inevitable loss to the Indians. I want to remember that fighting spirit, not the guy who sulked on the bench during the extra-inning game against the Yankees in 2004 as Derek Jeter crashed into the stands.

Tony Massarotti has a pretty good eulogy on Nomar's career, appropriately starting out with a quote from former Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan: "They love you at the beginning and they love you at the end. It’s the middle that’s tough."

That pretty much sums it up. Now we just need Scotty to sign a one-day deal with the Phillies before he retires. Yeah, I know, no chance of that.

Taking one on the chin for charity

Kudos to Kevin Youkilis for putting his beard on the line to raise money for his charity that helps organizations focused on the health and well-being of children.

He's letting donors decide what look he'll sport to open 2010: goatee, mustache, clean shaven or Fu Manchu.

How come there's no option for full beard?

Anyway, I just like this fundraiser. It's a little more creative than the standard "athlete shaves his head or beard" to raise money for charity.

And, it's for the children.

I hope it's successful.

Bonus: When we were eating dinner, Christine wondered if MLB Network would have the Phillies game on. I didn't think they would, but they did. Christine's very happy there is a live game to watch.

[Photo credit: Boston Globe]

I want a recount

In making the case that Charlie Manuel is the best Phillies manager ever, Paul Hagen was a little too quick to dismiss a man who has one more ring than Cholly - the one, the only, Terry Francona:

Sorry, Tito, you're the first to go. We always knew you had the right stuff to succeed, but you never had a chance here. The front office raised expectations with a "Bring It On" slogan your last season without giving you the talent to back it up. Then-general manager Ed Wade has since said firing you was the biggest mistake he ever made. But we can't give you credit for what you did after you left. Especially in Boston. Remember, this is a National League game.

Seriously, I can't argue with this, and I'm actually surprised to see a writer from Philly speak so well of Francona. I thought he was unfairly loathed. And we're always glad to see a reference to Bring It On - a classically cheesy Phillies slogan.

If former Phillies got to vote for their favorite manager, I think Pat Burrell, who misses Philadelphia, would pick Cholly:

"I don't know if there is any way of saying this without getting myself in trouble," Burrell said. "But there is definitely a different excitement level [in Philadelphia]. I think more than anything, there is a stronger tradition for baseball there. That goes without saying."

I'm certain Chan Ho Park would vote for Chuck:

"Say hi to Charlie for me. Tell him he's the best manager I've ever played for."

So Cholly is the best Phillies manager ever. Terry will have to settle for being the best Red Sox manager.

Pitching comebacks inspired by children

There's a pair of human interest stories on SoxandPhils pitchers who are on completely opposite ends of the baseball spectrum and are attempting completely different sorts of comebacks. But each is inspired by his child.

Cole Hamels is looking to reclaim his throne as a baseball king, while Scott Atchison is just trying to claw his way back into the kingdom to facilitate the special care his 2-year-old daughter needs for her rare genetic disorder.

Hamels' rise and fall has been well-documented, but Andy Martino did a decent job recapping it and adding insight from the pitcher as he attempts to return to dominance. This comeback is in part inspired by his new son, Caleb:

The baby stared at unfamiliar objects with fierce interest and approached challenges with a determination that struck his father as admirable. And after enduring the most serious setbacks of his athletic life, Hamels embraced the inspiration.

"Kids never quit," the pitcher, now 26, said last week, smiling when asked about his son. "They're going to fall down a million times before they learn how to walk. There's something I can learn from that in baseball, about how you have to get beat down in this game before you finally fix yourself."

From a PR standpoint, I'm most impressed that in another part of the article Hamels says he will try to think before he speaks because he has realized how his statements can be perceived differently from how he means. He even boned up on making innocuous statements by watching other athletes' post-game comments in the offseason.

While lacking the name and panache of Hamels, Atchison's story is more interesting. Back from Japan, the 33-year-old hopes to squeeze onto the Red Sox roster to be closer to the hospital in Dallas where his daughter gets treatment for thrombocytopenia-absent radius.

This is some heady inspiration for a guy trying to make his way into a bullpen chock-full of established stars:

There are no guarantees for Atchison this spring. He must fight his way through an overcrowded clubhouse, stuffed with low-cost, last-chance relievers itching to be the 25th man on the roster. That spot will go to a pitcher who can get lefthanders out, and Atchison will have a chance.
[...]
"Theo [Epstein] told me I'd have a chance to win a spot, and that's all I can ask for," Atchison said. "I'm getting a little older. I need to be somewhere where they're going to contend because that's who's going to use somebody in my position, whereas a team that's not going to contend might be looking at younger guys and I don't really fit that bill anymore."

Needless to say, the Atchisons have have some supporters here at SoxandPhils.

More on sharing pitches: The other day, Hamels acknowledged patterning his cutter after Jon Lester's. In today's column, Nick Cafardo casually mentions that Roy Halladay learned his sinker from Derek Lowe. I'm not sure if I knew that, nor whether I'm particularly pleased presuming that this occurred when D-Lowe was still a Sox and Doc still a Jay. Unless Halladay promised to never use the devastating pitch against the Red Sox.

Homegrown case closed

I caught some of MLB Network's 30 in 30 on the Phillies this morning. This year, the network selected an all-time team of homegrown talent. I like that twist; for example, it was interesting seeing an all-time Yankees team without Babe Ruth in right field.

But this dimension had some curiosities in the Phillies lineup. I figured the infield would be the current team plus Mike Schmidt at third. Nope. Ryan Howard and J-Roll made the cut with Schmidt, but not Chase Utley. It was Ryne Sandberg. At this point, I can accept a spirited debate over which of these two has had a better career, but on a list like this, Utley's seven dominant years that occurred in a Phillies uniform should far outweigh the 13 games Sandberg played for Philly.

I was actually more surprised when they got to closer: Ricky Bottalico, whose sixth slot on the all-time Phillies save list is in serious danger, providing Brad Lidge is able to convert six more. But the network quickly noted that Mitch Williams wasn't homegrown and neither were any other notable Phillies closers.

Out of the top 10 - Jose Mesa, Steve Bedrosian, Williams, Tug McGraw, Ron Reed, Bottalico, Lidge, Turk Farrell, Jack Baldschun and Billy Wagner - only Ricky Bo and the Turk were homegrown.

Out of curiosity, I checked the Red Sox list. They have a much better quality of homegrown closers on their list, but not that many more names. The top three - Jonathan Paplebon, Bob Stanely and Dick "The Monster" Radatz - are homegrown, but the last seven are not - Ellis Kinder, Jeff Reardon, Derek Lowe, Sparky Lyle, Tom Gordon, Lee Smith and Bill Campbell.

I guess good closers don't grow on trees.

Off the top of my head, and without verifying who is homegrown, here's my prediction for the Red Sox team: C-Carlton Fisk, 1B-Mo Vaughn, 2B-Bobby Doerr, 3B-Wade Boggs, SS-Nomar Garciaparra, OF-Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice, SP-Roger Clemens, RP-Papelbon. We'll see how close I am on March 11.

Hypocritical pitching rant

Among the universal gushing of all things Roy Halladay, one story stuck out for me today: Paul Hagen: Will workload catch up to Halladay?

I have no problem with someone questioning the Phillies committing so much to a pitcher who will soon be 33 and has more than 2,000 innings on his tires, but the Doc has shown no signs of injury or slowdown. He has averaged 32 starts a year for the past four seasons.

I just question the timing of this story. It would have been totally appropriate at the time the deal was announced or if he has a prolonged slump during the season, but why write it the day after his first spring training start?

Although, Hagen, who presumably has better sources than I do, did report:

He turns 33 in May. That's not ancient, but he clearly has a lot of mileage on his arm and shoulder. According to baseball sources, at least one team that was interested in trading for him backed off because of red flags raised by its medical staff.

So that's it. Cancel the SoxandPhils World Series. Halladay will break down, and the Red Sox will have to settle for a rematch of the 1975 World Series against the Reds this October.

Incidentally, I just noticed that Roy Halladay, the grizzled veteran with "a lot of mileage on his arm," is two weeks younger than me. I promised Christine I wouldn't harp on my own age, so I'll get to the hypocritical part of this post.

After ripping Hagen for prematurely worrying about a Phillies pitcher, I'm going to prematurely worry about a Phillies pitcher whose turnaround from last spring training has been the story of the Phillies camp so far.

Cole Hamels made his first start today, mixing in six cutters and four curveballs among his 32 pitches. I started worrying about him the other day. Everyone knocked him for lacking a third pitch, but what if he is going too far and has too many pitches for his own good? He is copying Jon Lester's cutter, but what if he doesn't stop there and picks up the knuckleball from Tim Wakefield or the gyroball from Daisuke Matsuzaka? I sense trouble.

(By the way, did Todd Zolecki purposely pick the picture in his post?)

Similarly, young Cole was knocked for being unprepared last spring. He made sure that wasn't repeated this year, but what if he went too far and is overly prepared?

I sense disaster. Neither of the vaunted Halladay-Hamels duo will pitch in April, and the rotation is going to be topped by Jamie Moyer and Jose Contreras.

I apologize for this post - sometimes I wander. I'll finish this off and watch some of this thrilling Cactus League game between the Reds and Indians.

Game on

A day after making it interesting against a bunch of college kids, Roy Halladay and the Phillies took the defending chump Yankees to the woodshed. Doc needed just 24 pitches to get through two innings in the 3-2 win.

It feels almost like the season has begun in earnest because Comcast is replaying the game right now. I lasted one batter before I was yelling at Wheels - this time for overly accentuating Pedro Feliz's name. Later, I yelled at him for making a big deal about what the National League championship ring will look like.

We miss Harry Kalas.

Christine is happy there is a game on, but she would rather it be live action with warmer weather.

At least Sarge is on the broadcast now. Blood pressure is easing.

Making the grade

I never get too excited about spring training games, especially on days like today when the competition is college teams, but I am encouraged by the performance of top prospect Casey Kelly in today's 15-0 win over Northeastern:

It's Casey Kelly's world and we're all just living in it. The phenom retired the side on 10 pitches, seven strikes. After falling behind leadoff hittr Tucker Roeder 2-0, he threw three straight strikes. Then came a grounder to second and another swinging strikeout.

That'll be it for Casey, he'll finish his day in the bullpen.

His catcher, Victor Martinez, was impressed:

Victor Martinez said he was shocked when he learned Casey Kelly was a part-time shortstop last year. "You can't tell," he said. "He's very refined."

That's what I like to see. I also like to be reminded of where our teams have come from. When I saw the Daily News feature on the Phillies progress over the last decade, I clicked on the sidebar first that was just a list of their payrolls over the years. I couldn't believe that it was as low as $27 million in 1999, but then I saw that was the gist of the main story:

Curt Schilling and Paul Byrd each won 15 games in 1999, tying for the club lead. Chad Ogea, however, went 6-12. Bobby Abreu was tops in batting average, Mike Lieberthal in home runs and Rico Brogna in RBI. Wayne Gomes was the closer in a bullpen that included Steve Montgomery, Amaury Telemaco, Jim Poole and Yorkis
Perez.

A lot has changed in just 11 years.

Then: Veterans Stadium. Now: Citizens Bank Park.

Then: 77 wins. Now: A team with a roster full of All-Stars that is gunning for its third straight World Series appearance.

Then: An Opening Day payroll of $27,297,000, parsimonious even for that era. Now: A projected payroll of $143,502,500 when the Phillies start the season on April 5.

A lot of change, indeed.

Other games: The Red Sox beat Boston College in a nail biter, 6-1.

Phillippe Aumont isn't helping to quell the fans' pining for Cliff Lee, giving up a three-run homer. He couldn't finish his inning, and the Phils trail Florida State University 5-4 in the 4th.

I miss real games. I don't miss trying to post as they occur.

Former SoxandPhils stuck in New York

The Fan's Mike Francesa has quickly become enamored with Rod Barajas since he signed with the Mets, saying he is a student of the game with a real passion for baseball. That's news for us who lived through his 2007 stint with the Phillies.

It didn't hit me immediately that Barajas' arrival in New York means that just like in 2007, he's forcing Chris Coste to the minors:

Mets manager Jerry Manuel wasn't ready to concede the job to Barajas, but with a one-year, $1 million deal that the front office forced on the roster this late, it's hard to imagine how rough spring would have to be for him to not get the job. The Mets would like Josh Thole to get more seasoning in the minor leagues and Chris Coste seems bound to be his tutor there.

Poor Coste - being a Met is bad enough, being a minor league Met is just awful.

Other SoxandPhils stuck in New York were also discussing their departures from classy organizations this week. Chan Ho Park sounds generally bummed to be a Yankee:

Park said it was "too late" to accept the Phillies' offer. I think by the time he realized he couldn't do better than the Phillies' offer the Phillies already had signed Baez and Contreras and the Phillies no longer were interested.

"Philadelphia was the number one choice, and I had a tough time to leave there," Park said. "I'm mostly sad to leave Philadelphia, the teammates and fans were unbelievable. I had fun last year, good memories. That makes me sad. But this is the future and a good team and another chance."

Yeah, another chance to relieve his Rangers days - missing the playoffs with Alex Rodriguez.

Jason Bay, meanwhile, keeps talking about Boston. He says it was a mutual decision, but you know he's going to regret the fact that when his career is over, his only playoff experience will be his two years with the Red Sox:

"Would I have gone back [to Boston]? Yeah, I think so," he said. "But I'd be back on my terms. During the season I was part of the Red Sox, and once the offseason came I didn't consider myself part of the Red Sox. We kept in dialogue and they were a team on my list. I felt at that point I had a little more power, or at least it was going to be my decision what my direction was.

"I had teams on the list and I had my pluses and minuses, and Boston had its pluses because I'd been there and I’d understood how to play there."

Oh well. These guys were once beloved; now they're enemies. Hope they enjoy watching their former mates stomp all over their new teams.

Game shape

Although they're ultra-meaningless, we're just a couple days away from game action. Charlie Manuel has set the Phillies early pitching rotation, and Terry Francona has already posted the Wednesday Red Sox lineups against Northeastern and Boston College.

Christine and I spent the last couple days getting ready to watch baseball again. On Saturday, we caught some of the Pine Tar Game on MLB Network (it was more interesting than I remembered).

Then we watched some extras on Legends of the Fall - the celebration of winning the National League Championship (highlight was Carlos Ruiz shouting "Chooch" like a choo-choo train) and the 9th inning of Game 4 of the NLCS.

Finally, we returned to MLB Network to see the infamous 10-inning game in 1979 in which the Phillies beat the Cubs 23-22. Unfortunately, they used the Cubs broadcast. It would have been interesting to hear Harry Kalas' take. While I was in midseason form, conking out around 11:30 p.m., Christine was not. She couldn't stay up to watch the ending.

Last night, we watched some of the infamous 2008 All-Star game in which J.D. Drew led the American League past Brad Lidge and the National League. Christine grumbled when she remembered the abuse Clint Hurdle subjected Lidge to. Today, I reminded her that that game enabled us to witness this.

Game, well, pre-game on.