Jaw dropping

Today Christine and I took a day off. We thought it might be a relaxing day, but it turned into one of our trademark busy home improvement days.

We had a repairman out to tell us that a rubber gasket that came out of the dryer was not, in fact, part of the dryer. We have no idea what it's from.

We had a home inspector out to reassure us that our basement isn't leaking - it's just that the windows and chimney need to be re-caulked. And we have to remove a concrete patio. Christine almost agreed to let me play with a jackhammer until my Dad convinced her it was a bad idea.

In between, we decided to mow the lawn, weed the gardens and put down a yard of mulch.

We handled all of this, but driving back from the grocery store, we were listening to Charlie Manuel on the radio tell us matter-of-factly that Ryan Madson was put on the DL after he kicked a chair and broke a toe after his latest blown save.

Christine and I looked at each other in total shock, jaws dropped.

I once broke a finger out of anger so I can relate, but I can't believe a professional athlete would be that stupid. Unless maybe he truly feels bad about how awfully he has pitched this year and wants to ensure that he doesn't blow another game anytime soon.

Tonight's games: Red Sox and Orioles are tied 4-4 in the 10th; the first-place Mets beat the {stinky} Phillies 9-1.

On this date

I became a Red Sox fan on April 29, 1986. I can't believe it will be a quarter of a century next year. It's also my birthday. In February, we stumbled across an interesting story about a ballplayer who share's Christine's birthday.

My birthday doesn't have any interesting stories, but it does have better ballplayers, such as Hall of Famer (and Red Sox) Luis Aparacio, All-Star (and Red Sox) Rick Burleson and 130-game winner Noodles Hahn (not a Red Sox, but Christine is jealous that no one named Noodles was born on her day).

Other Red Sox born on April 29: Kelly Shoppach, Tony Armas, Wes Gardner, Steve Crawford, Tom House, Mickey McDermott, Johnnie Heving and Amby McConnell.

Phillies: Hector Mercado, J.R. Phillips, Steve Ridzik and Freddy Rodriguez.

Other names of note: Ron Washington (has he been in the news recently?) and Shag Thompson (just for the name).

Both our teams are off tonight, so Christine and I will just enjoy a quiet dinner.

Game of the year

I know we're just a sixth of the way through the season and April games are often forgotten in the long run, but this one might have staying power.

I was anxious for the matchup of Cole Hamels and Tim Lincecum after reading all the game stories contrasting the careers of the young pitchers. This passage stuck in my head all day:

Once upon a time, people thought Cole Hamels would enter 2010 coming off back-to-back Cy Young victories. His opponent today, Giants righthander Tim Lincecum, has that honor.

Matt Gelb remembered that Lincecum made his major league debut against Hamels in 2007, although the game was in San Francisco, not Philadelphia, as Gelb reported. (I think Philadelphia newspaper reporters can be forgiven today for making an error like that.)

Anyway, I was looking forward to this game and was a little jealous when I first checked the score at work and saw a scoreless duel with just two hits for the Giants. Hamels scuffled a bit, giving up four runs in six innings, but each pitcher struck out more than 10, which hasn't happened since 2008, according to the Phillies announcers.

I listened to the game on the ride home. I knew the Phillies would win after the Giants yanked Lincecum, whose pitch count was a reasonable 106, after he walked a batter with one out in the 9th and a 4-1 lead.

The Phillies rallied against closer Brian Wilson, and when Ryan Howard walked to load the bases, I figured I had time to run inside to watch the next at-bat instead of sitting in my car like an idiot. When I got inside, Christine didn't have the game on - she got distracted and thought it was over because Daily News Live did a promo that seemed like the post-game show. She was surprised to see Jayson Werth battling with the bases loaded before dunking one down the right field line to clear the bases.

Ryan Madson, playing the role of Brad Lidge circa 2009, blew the save in the 10th inning, but the Phillies scored two more in the 11th, setting up Nelson Figueroa's first major league save. Of course, the real save came on a play at the plate in which Brian Schneider made an incredible swiping tag to prevent the potential game-tying run.

What a game. Phillies 7, Giants 6.

Red Sox: Brett Cecil and Jon Lester are trying to give a suitable encore to the Lincecum and Hamels show. They were scoreless until the 6th. Now, it's 1-0 Red Sox ahead of the Blue Jays. Welcome back, Jon.

Halladay lowers expectations

So Roy Halladay will not go 32-0, just a pedestrian 31-1 after he lost last night 5-1 to the Giants. The region is in shock. Halladay vows to learn from the experience:

"You learn from it and move on," Halladay said. "You take something out of it. You take the positives and try to correct the mistakes and move on. There's nothing you can do about it now other than learn from it. You do that, show up tomorrow, work hard and go out and be aggressive next time."

I wonder, however, whether last night was just a masterful stroke by Doc and that in six months we'll be reading about how he set up the Giants for his first playoff win by losing to them in April.

Halladay's ERA skyrocketed from 0.82 to 1.80. But that's still minuscule compared with Josh Beckett's 7.22 after last night's debacle in Toronto. The Globe points out that his crappy start to 2010 is very similar to his crappy start in 2009:

Josh Beckett after five starts last season: 2-2, 7.22 ERA, 28.2 IP, 36 H, 24 R, 23 ER, 16 BB, 31 K, .303 OBA

Josh Beckett after five starts this season: 1-0, 7.22 ERA, 28.2 IP, 37 H, 24 R, 23 ERR, 13 BB, 20 K, .316 OBA

Let's hope he finishes this year as well as he did last year, or else the season could hinge on whether Daisuke Matsuzaka redeems himself:

"If by coming back I can help give the team any sort of little boost or change of momentum, I think that's all that I can ask for," Matsuzaka said. "And by that, I don't mean that I single-handedly am going to make all the difference. But I think sometimes you change the roster up a little bit, and good things start to happen, and I'm hopeful that I can be a part of that."

He starts Saturday, and we'll be watching very closely.

New SoxandPhil: Fabio Castro was called up; Scott Atchison was sent down. Bittersweet day over here.

Tonight's games: The Red Sox lead the Blue Jays 2-1 in the 8th. OK, I'll jinx it - Clay Buchholz is pitching well. Phillies play late again in San Fran.

Home run for Howard

In this time of 24-hour media, we don't know how it's possible to quietly negotiate a five-year $125 million contract extension, but that's what apparently happened between the Phillies and Ryan Howard.

I'm still trying to get my mind around it. Good for Ryan, but I don't think this one will end well. My first thought (Christine's too) was that this means the Phillies are conceding that Jayson Werth will be a worthless Yankee next year. But Todd Zolecki, who I concede is the better authority on these things, said the opposite:

I've gotten the sense recently that the Phillies think they can sign Jayson Werth to a contract extension. It might be because they realize they have to have at least one right-handed bat in the middle of their lineup. But I don't think today's deal means Werth is gone. Now, if Werth wants a five-year, $100 million deal, yeah, the Phillies probably won't sign him to something like that. But if it's a fair deal -- the Roy Halladay, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins contract extensions seemed to work out for both parties -- then I see a chance at Werth sticking around. They could use him, too.

Rob Neyer doesn't like the deal. Christine doesn't like Neyer because she thinks he hates the Phillies. Not so - he even has praise for them while ripping this deal {I guess Greg has never heard of a backhanded compliment}:

Ryan Howard's new contract is a testament the enduring power of the Are-Bee-Eye. It's also a testament to old-school ignorance: ignorance of aging patterns, ignorance of position scarcity, ignorance of opportunity costs ... hey, take your pick. The Phillies have done a lot of things right over the last few years. But this is a big bowl of wrong.

In another surprise signing, the Red Sox signed a catcher from Cuba, Adalberto Ibarra. And I thought Jason Varitek (four Are-Bee-Eye tonight) was having a bounce-back year.

Tonight's games: Josh Beckett blew a 5-0 lead to the Blue Jays, but the Red Sox have come back and lead 8-6 in the 4th. I'm sure this one will change a few times before it's over. The Phillies play really late in San Francisco. I had a long day, so I may conk out before their game even starts.

At least one Red Sox team did well today

Team Red Sox had a much better day than the real Red Sox, despite our rainiest day since we've been participating in the local MS Walk.

We were a little nervous all week with the doom and gloom forecast. We did get wet, but we slogged through our eight-mile walk, doing our part to raise money and awareness of multiple sclerosis.

(The pictures are our team's first-ever customized shirts worn by fans of the Yankees, Phillies and Nationals - we're a multi-partisan team.)

Despite the cold and wet, Christine and I really enjoyed our day with our largest team ever. We're looking forward to next year when we hope we get back to the traditionally beautiful weather we get on walk day.

Thanks to all whom who walked, cheered, supported, journeyed long distances or otherwise participated in our efforts.

Red Sox: On walk day, they did not do their part, losing 7-6 to the Orioles in 10 innings. Tim Wakefield pitched well, Scott Atchison did not. Keep those names in mind, because when Daisuke Matsuzaka comes back, there's a good chance that Wake gets bumped to the bullpen and Atchison gets bumped off the roster. Sad on both ends.

Phillies: Christine was very happy to see Carlos Ruiz drive in two runs to give the Phillies a 6-5 lead over the Diamondbacks in the 6th inning. "Choooch!" she said. That erases the hole Kyle Kendrick dug. We'll see what happens next.

[Photo credits: Kim on the design; Rishi and Wyndham on the financing]

Please repeat today's weather

Today was a beautiful day for a walk or a ballgame. Please, please, please repeat today's sunshine for our charity walk tomorrow and for our ballgame next week.

Non-SoxandPhils note: Andruw Jones last night became the third player in history to hit two home runs, including a walk-off, on his birthday. I've said this several times, but I can't believe he's only 33 - six days older than me. He has seemed so old and worn down in recent years - unlike me.

Red Sox: They trail the Orioles 3-1 in the 7th. Why did we sign John Lackey?

Phillies: They lead the Diamondbacks 1-0 in the 4th. What inning will Nelson Figueroa collapse?

Oh well, wishing good things to the Red Sox walk team and the SoxandPhils baseball teams.

Friday night link dump

The Phillies are playing late tonight, so I have time to catch up on some of the news of the week.

But first, kudos to former Red Sox manager Kevin Kennedy who was among eight men who subdued a nut who was threatening to blow up an airplane.

Here's the stuff I have missed.

***Jacoby Ellsbury decided he needed more tests after he was having trouble breathing - turns out he has four fractured ribs. Great.

***A day after everyone reported that Tim Wakefield was going to the bullpen because Daisuke Matsuzaka was coming back, the Red Sox announced Dice-K will throw a simulated game. We're still waiting to hear from Wakefield:

Tim Wakefield came into the clubhouse 45 seconds before the media had to leave. I asked him if he would answer a few questions. "Nope," he said.

I hope we're not seeing a repeat of Jaime Moyer from last year.

***To cure the inability to stop anyone from stealing bases - even Vladimir Guerrero had a couple swipes the other night - the Red Sox are shopping for a catcher, which probably would mean the end of the line for David Ortiz, who accepted blame for his failures.

Red Sox: Papi homered for the first time this season. Jon Lester wasn't dominant, but he didn't give up a run in 5 2/3 innings against the Orioles. But the bullpen is blowing it - three runs in the 7th and 8th innings after going 21 straight scoreless. It's 3-3 in the 8th.

Phillies: When the game started, I was downstairs and Christine was upstairs. I heard the annoying Chris Wheeler babbling on. "Wheels is on," I angrily yelled upstairs. Christine didn't hear me and came down to tell me that Wheels was back.

We thought he was going to be on the radio again because Scott Franzke is home with his wife and their newborn son August - congrats to the them. By the way, Jim Jackson is doing radio tonight, now that the Flyers have a few nights off before the second round of the playoffs.

The Phillies lead the Diamondbacks 1-0 in the 4th. Cole Hamels continues his Roy Halladay impersonation, even hitting a double and scoring the lone run so far.

Music to our ears

Christine and I were busy getting the house ready for our post-walk party on Sunday, so we missed the opportunity to sit down and enjoy the best Phillies game of the year. I can say that even if they blow their 8-3 lead over the Braves. It's the best game because Scott Franzke left Atlanta because his wife is having a baby, which means Chris Wheeler got bumped to radio (our sympathy to Larry Andersen), and we get nine innings of Gary Matthews on TV. Go Sarge!

The on-field action (so far) isn't bad either. Jamie Moyer escaped after six innings without his trademark lousy inning. He even froze Braves phenom Jason Heyward in a key spot in the 6th.

Red Sox: Clay Buchholz dominated six innings - no runs and nine strikeouts - but then lost it in the 7th, giving up three runs. Folk hero Darnell McDonald had a chance to tie it in the bottom of the 7th, but grounded out. In the 9th, Rangers 3, Red Sox 0.

It ain't over till it's over

Last night when we posted, the Red Sox trailed the Rangers 6-4 and seemed destined for another listless loss. The Phillies led the Braves 3-0 behind Kyle Kendrick, who, as Bob Brookover said, was painting a Rembrandt after producing sloppy finger painting in his first two starts.

But the Phillies bullpen imploded in the 9th and 10th innings, and the unknown minor league journeyman who I had never heard of hit a game-tying pinch-hit home run in the 8th and then sent everyone home with a hit off the Monster in the 9th.

Darnell McDonald's night, was, as Peter Abraham put it, a great example of why we love baseball. McDonald loved it too:

"I couldn't write a script any better than this," McDonald said. "A lot happened. A dream come true. That's why I signed over here to be able to play in this type of atmosphere."

Previously, McDonald's career highlight might have been losing a race to the famous thoroughbred Zippy Chippy. Funny, when McDonald first strolled to the plate, I had a feeling that he was going to be the 2010 version of Jeff Stone. I wasn't the only one.

Tonight, McDonald hit another home run (Christine says: Test him), and the possibly rejuvenated Red Sox lead the Rangers 7-4 in the 7th. Yes, I know there's plenty of baseball left to be played. Mike Lowell, who pinch hit for David Ortiz last night, is DH'ing and has a home run. J.D. Drew hit a grand slam.

Phillies: Roy Halladay is pitching a gem, and the Phillies lead the Braves 2-0 in the 9th. Let's hope that unlike last night Roy can finish the job and that both leads hold up.

Dropping like flies

The media has been burying the 2010 Red Sox for several days.

I agree, this hasn't been a pretty start to the season. As Theo Epstein said today:

"It's not the time for excuses or sugar-coating it. We've played bad baseball. It's a bad stretch of play and when you do that at the start of the season, it looks even worse. We haven't played well, there are no excuses for how we've played. We haven't played smart baseball; we haven't really played aggressive baseball."

But the GM is confident things will turn around:

"We'll get back to our level. As an organization we have a track record. We have a standard we need to live to up to. One way or another we're going to get there collectively."

I'm trying my best to keep a positive attitude. I was OK with the news that Mike Cameron could be gone for a while; I think Josh Reddick will play well. I'm a little concerned that our other center fielder, Jacoby Ellsbury, joined his elder teammate on the DL. OK, I'm very concerned because I've never heard of his replacement - journeyman Darnell McDonald.

Tonight, they're still playing bad baseball after six innings. Tim Wakefield has given up six runs and Victor Martinez has allowed nine - NINE! - stolen bases. Yikes. Rangers 6, Red Sox 4.

Phillies: Kyle Kendrick, possibly pitching for his career, outpitched Tommy Hanson. In the 7th, Phillies 3, Braves 0.

Is today over yet?

It's the busy season for me at work, and I had a rough a day. Compounding matters is that the Red Sox lost to the Rays 8-2 in the Patriots' Day matinee that ended pretty much before my day started. The Red Sox were swept in a four-game series in Fenway. No disrespect to the competition, but we should not be dropping four games at home to anyone.

I'm getting cranky. But at least I was not hospitalized like Mike Cameron or getting skipped in the rotation because of injury like J.A. Happ.

Tomorrow will be better.

Weddings, memories and a giant weed

We went to a wedding yesterday and had a good time as Christine got to see some high school friends and classmates she hasn't seen in years. This morning, Christine mentioned that it has been some time since we've attended a wedding - June 24, 2006, to be exact.

I was able to determine the precise date because I remember listening to a SoxandPhils Saturday afternoon game as we drove up to North Jersey. Curt Schilling struck out 10 in six innings, but Manny Delcarmen blew his 3-2 lead. David Ortiz ended the game with a two-run homer in the 10th off Tom Gordon. Brett Myers started for the Phillies. He struggled in the game, but had a worse day off the field.

When Brett Myers made his debut on July 24, 2002, we were honeymooning in Niagara Falls. The next year, we took a nicer honeymoon in Hawaii. We bought a little souvenir - a little twig that was supposed to grow into a hibiscus. It grew, and grew, and grew. It never bloomed until last year when we finally planted it outside. Sadly, those were its only blooms. It did not survive this miserable winter. I had to throw it out today as I did the yard work I usually do on Saturdays, but had to postpone a day because of the wedding. Farewell, Hawaii, we'll miss you.

On the plus side, I did not fall off any ladders this weekend, but I bought that taller one.

You might have noticed I didn't write about today's games. What's to say? The Red Sox are off to their worst start since 1996 after dropping their third straight to the Rays, 7-1, and on a day that Cole Hamels channeled his 2008 mojo against the Marlins, the Phillies offense continued to channel the 1996 Phillies offense's mojo.

Elvis is bulldog non grata

The next time Elvis Burrell shows his mug in Fenway, Boss Papelbon better drill his round rump.

I think I'm forgetting my mantra to be patient early in the season after the Red Sox dropped another one. The game suspended by rain last night ended in the 12th inning tonight courtesy of a two-run home run by Pat Burrell. I blame Elvis. Christine's not happy with me right now.

But I'm really not happy with Pat the Bat: As if the first game weren't bad enough, he has three RBI in the first inning of tonight's regularly scheduled game. Clay Buchholz needed 44 pitches to escape the 1st. Rays 4, Red Sox 0.

Phillies: Even when Jamie Moyer was at his best for the Phillies, it would seem like he'd have a bad inning early in which he'd give up three runs. He would then cruise until the 6th or 7th inning without allowing another run while the Phillies would come back for the win.

This year, in an admittedly small sample size (two starts), it seems as if his bad inning has devolved from three to five runs. The Phillies were able to overcome it last time, but not tonight, losing 5-1 to the Marlins. J-Moy gave up five runs on four hits and a walk in the first inning. In his next five innings, he gave up two hits and struck out seven. Unbelievable.

Other games of note: We're following the Mets and Cardinals, scoreless in the 17th inning, and the Rockies' Ubaldo Jimenez flirtation with a no-no against the Braves.

Actually, he did it. Congrats. But we're kind of annoyed that we had to watch the end of the game via box score on the Internet. We don't know why Fox (showing the Mets-Cardinals), one of our 44 ESPN channels or MLB Network (showing Tigers-Mariners) couldn't show the last inning live. That was a disgrace.

Friday fun with flags

Earlier this week, I mentioned the huge flag that was on the field during the Opening Day pregame ceremonies. Tonight, we present our little photo essay of how the flag was 1) unfurled; 2) displayed in all its glory; and 3) refurled.

While the flag was stretched over the outfield, we wondered how they would fold it up without letting it touch the ground. We decided that they knew what they were doing.

They did - they ran as quick as possible. It did touch the ground, but surprisingly few times for a flag that size.

With this, I conclude our leftover pictures from Opening Day.

Well, there's one more, but it's not enough for a post, and I'm not sure whether it will see the light of day.

Phillies: Christine and I were driving in separate cars when Roy Halladay had his first at-bat in Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies had the bases loaded and a three-run lead. I was certain he was going to further his ever-growing legend with a big hit. He didn't. Christine booed, in joking appreciation that he is not perfect.

It didn't matter because his teammates had his back - including a three-RBI game for Juan Castro and home runs by Placido Polanco and Chase Utley, who has gone deep in four consecutive games.

I wasn't happy when they let Halladay hit in the bottom of the 7th in the pouring rain with a seven-run lead. He pitched another inning and gave up a second run before David Herndon nearly blew it, giving up four runs in the 9th and setting up a save for Ryan Madson, who did finish off the 8-6 win over the Marlins.

Red Sox: While watching the Phillies, I had a feeling that I should switch to MLB Network. My ESP was rewarded by a live look in at the Red Sox and Rays game, which was then tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 6th. David Ortiz was up with a man on, and I cringed at the thought of him making another out. He didn't. He laced a solid hit to right, but the third base coach waved home Kevin Youkilis, who was out by a mile. Arrgh.

The two teams that will likely battle for the division all summer long remain tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 9th before a rain delay kicked in. Nice start by Josh Beckett, one unearned run in seven innings. Jason Varitek hit a solo home run - his third homer in his second start.

Because the Captain is back, maybe we could trade Victor Martinez for an outfielder. We could use one with Jacoby Ellsbury injured and Mike Cameron recovering from kidney stones. Ouch.

Changed my mind: Here's that last picture I was saving from Opening Day. We were planning to break it out when Herndon had a bad game, so here's a shot of Herndon and his pink bag:

Closing the federal deficit

In our state, the transportation commissioner made a little stir when he mentioned the possibility of selling naming rights for rest stops on the Turnpike to help with the state's budget gap.

It even got a satirical segment on the Rachel Maddow Show.

So we were quite surprised on Opening Day to see that Congress has sold naming rights to the Capitol building to close the federal deficit. Our federal reps even slapped the name of a Philadelphia bar on the white dome, yet no one seemed to complain or object.

If a rest stop's name could be worth $1 million per year, how much did Chickie's & Pete's pay for this ad? I hope they didn't pay in cash, because after the 5th inning, Congress apparently reneged on the deal and the name was removed.

Other SoxandPhilsandJersey naming issues: Rapper and part-owner of the New Jersey Nets, Jay-Z, is suing David Ortiz, claiming infringement because Papi named his Dominican Republican night club Forty-Forty, similar to Jay-Z's 40/40 club. Poor Papi, he just can't catch a break this year.

Afternoon games: The Phillies bullpen decided to honor Brad Lidge, who was in town because the 2009 NL Champs got their rings today, by blowing a lead to the Nationals.

Danys Baez lost it in the 8th, coughing up the lead on a two-run pinch-hit home run by Ryan Zimmerman, making his first appearance of the series. Ryan Madson didn't help things by allowing two more runs in the 9th in the 7-5 loss.

The Red Sox just got whupped 8-0 by the Twins. Tim Wakefield got shelled, and Dustin Pedroia had three of the team's six hits. But it's only April 15.

Lady Pha Pha turns on Pat Listach

When the Phanatic came out for his skit on Opening Day, Christine didn't immediately break out the camera because I haven't been using these photos in game day posts, and she assumed I wouldn't be interested in the big green guy dressing in drag to spoof on Lady Gaga as Lady Pha Pha.

Normally, she'd be right, but this was not a normal encounter between the Phanatic and an opponent. Pat Listach, the Washington Nationals third base coach, made a gesture. It appeared as if he were practicing his Shake Weight technique, or he just really likes Lady Gaga, or the Phanatic. I don't know which scenario is worse.

Christine had started taking pictures when she saw the Phanatic was goofing with an opponent, and I hectically told her to get an action shot, thinking it was gold for the blog. She got flustered and was in disbelief because she thought I was trying to say the Phanatic was making un-fan-friendly gestures. In the end, she did get a shot of Listach taking aim at Lady Pha Pha and proving that his career did not peak with the 1992 Rookie of the Year award for the Milwaukee Brewers.

I have no way to transition out of that topic: As expected, since he was unexpectedly yanked from Monday's starting lineup after slapping hands with the fans moments before the game, Jimmy Rollins was officially placed on the disabled list. He's gone for two to four weeks. So the starting shortstop of the reigning NL Champs is Juan Castro. (And Christine and I were worried that we would always forget that he was on the team.)

J-Roll's infield mates are compensating for his absence tonight: Through four innings, Chase Utley, Placido Polanco and Ryan Howard have a combined line of 5-8 with five runs, five RBI, and a double and a homer.

Unfortunately, the Phillies needed all of the offense and then some because Kyle Kendrick couldn't get out of the 2nd inning without giving up six runs. In a wild one, the Phillies and Nationals are tied at 7 in the 5th. It's going to be a long night.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, beat the Twins 6-3 in an afternoon game behind a solid outing by John Lackey.

Opening Day recap

The Phillies and Red Sox are off, so here's our day-old recap of Opening Day.

The festivities began with the 2009 National Champions parading into the stadium with the Cardinal O'Hara High School Marching Band, Budweiser Clydesdales, Phillie Phanatic and Roy Halladay leading the way. Charlie Manuel ran the pennant up the flagpole. ... The Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale sang Philadelphia and America the Beautiful with a giant flag (we'll have more on that another day) on the field. ... Six members of the Navy's Leap Frog unit parachuted onto the field. Earlier, their jet did a close flyby of the stadium, startling Christine and me. ... The cast of the Lion King sang the National Anthem. I didn't like it. ... Herb Magee, coach of Philadelphia University's basketball team, tossed the first pitch.

God Bless America was performed by 4TROOPS, a quartet of veterans who have a CD coming out this spring. Not bad. ... The Phanatic debuted Lady Pha Pha, but we'll talk more about that tomorrow.

Game notes: Cole Hamels, who is not getting any slack from some fans, struggled but hung on for a win. Many fans are ready to run him out of town; I wonder if they would give up their memories of 2008 in order to do so. ... We had no clue why Jimmy Rollins wasn't playing. He was announced, but then I saw Juan Castro's picture on the scoreboard during warm-ups. They incorrectly listed him at second base, adding to the confusion. The Phillies won't officially DL J-Roll until tomorrow. Castro had a big double, an RBI and a run in the Phillies' decisive five-run 5th inning.

Jason Marquis began by no-hitting the Phillies through 3 1/3 innings until Christine said, "How about we break up this no-hitter?" immediately before Placido Polanco singled. Later, she also correctly predicted a big base hit to left field for Ryan Howard. ... Good day for the bullpen - Chad Durbin, Jose Contreras, Danys Baez and Ryan Madson went 3 1/3 innings, giving up just a hit with three strikeouts.

Observations from the stands: We arrived before our parking lot opened, causing some traffic tie-ups as cars lined the street waiting for the gates to open. The parking attendant wouldn't let me back in. I was annoyed, but it wasn't a problem getting out after the game. ... I tried the Old Philly hot dog - not bad. The crusty roll was phenomenal. After I purchased it, somebody asked to see what it looked like and asked whether I had it before. Later, an usher asked me how the new dog tasted. ... Before the game, Phan-O-Vision froze for several minutes on a boy and man sitting right behind us. The cameraman ignored the guy's request to pan over to us.

A woman in front of us wore a goofy plastic Phillies tiara with baseball earrings. "I'm already getting so much attention in this hat," she told her friend. ... Centerfielder Nyjer Morgan played along when fans taunted "You suck Morgan." We wondered why they didn't stick to their custom of taunting the opposing left fielder. Christine guessed that Josh Willingham might be too hard to chant. ... There was lots of security called to our section. We didn't know why, but one time we saw a guy carrying a broom and sawdust, as if he were an elementary school janitor cleaning up some puke. ... We sat in "foul pole" seats. The view wasn't great, but the seats were strategically located so we were able to watch the last pitch and beat the majority of the crowd out of the park without delay. There was absolutely no traffic, and we were home eating dinner before 7 p.m., including the time we lost because Chick-Fil-A didn't have salads prepared.

Antiquated Phillies shirts: Cliff Lee, Larry Bowa, Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, Aaron Rowand, Brett Myers and Pedro Martinez, although that may not be antiquated for long if you believe everything you read.

In a nutshell: Just a really pleasant day at the ballpark.

Opening Day

The Phillies opened Citizens Bank Park today, and we were there to see the 7-4 win over the Washington Nationals.

We don't have time to give the day justice in tonight's post, but throughout the week, we'll recap our experience in true SoxandPhils style, including: getting to the parking lot before it opened, a new hot dog, all the patriotic pageantry, Jimmy Rollins' surprise injury, an old lady in a goofy hat and possibly an obscene gesture from a Nationals coach.

Red Sox: Jon Lester and the Red Sox were also in a festive mood, giving the Twins a 5-2 win so they could enjoy the opening of Target Field. But John Lackey won't be as nice in the next game on Wednesday.

We're stuck with Wheels

With the anniversary of Harry Kalas' death upon us, the Inquirer took a look at the state of the Phillies broadcast team. It's interesting but disappointing because you get the sense that the Phillies know that people don't like Chris Wheeler, but they have no plans to remove him:

To gauge their broadcasters' appeal, the Phillies and their primary television outlet, Comcast SportsNet, conduct frequent viewership surveys, the results of which they don't reveal. Fan reaction, [the team's senior vice president for marketing and advertising sales Dave] Buck said, is taken seriously, but it's not a popularity contest.

"You don't want to put something out there that people don't like, but you want to give it enough time to either succeed or fail on its own."

Um, there's been enough time. Wheels sucks.

At least they know what they have in Gary Matthews: "Buck said: 'Sarge is a personality in and of himself. And I think he's getting much better.'"

Amen.

At least we won't have to hear Wheels tomorrow because we're going to Opening Day.

Personal: My back and neck are a little stiff and sore after yesterday's fall, but nothing too bad. I'm still not ready to do sit-ups again, but it could have been worse. ... We had a nice afternoon watching the baptism of the little guy who shares my name. I hope there isn't a clerical error in heaven so that the wrong Gregory James gets the blessing. I think I'm a lost cause.

Games: Roy Halladay dominated the Astros, and the Red Sox avoided losing the series against the Royals.

Saturday follies - fish and falling off a ladder

Our fish have a new home - but it was a planned move, not like last year or the year before.

We decided to go from a 10- to 15-gallon tank, and because the weather was colder than it has been lately, I figured today would be a good day for the indoor project. Things were going so swimmingly during the transition that I decided to cut the grass in the afternoon.

But first, I had to turn off a motion-sensor light in the backyard that has been on for days. It would not shut off, so we decided to finally replace the thing that has never worked quite right since we moved here almost five years ago.

It was an easy project, but complicated because the light is at the highest part of the house and my ladder isn't quite tall enough. It was difficult at times trying to wire a light with one hand while clutching the house with the other, but I got the sucker up without major incident.

The major incident came when I was caulking to finish the job. Maneuvering a caulk gun and standing on ladder rungs you're not supposed to stand on don't mix.

As I fell, a couple thoughts crossed my mind: I'll just land on my feet - no problem ... oh wait, I'm falling, I can't move ... I hope Christine gets out the way, she could get hurt too.

I landed squarely on my back and had a little taste of what Mick Foley put himself through. I groaned, but thought I was OK until Christine pleaded with me to say something. I understood what she was saying, but kept groaning. "Oh no, I can't talk," I thought to myself. But soon enough I got my bearings and folded up that darned ladder.

One of the hardware stores has a 16-foot ladder on sale this week. I wish I knew that when I was at that store buying the light.

Postscript: I'm fine. Fishies enjoy their new tank. The light works as it's supposed to.

Phillies: Christine is upset because the Phillies game is not on again. They're on tomorrow (Roy Halladay), but she won't be able to watch much because she has work obligations. Jamie Moyer gave up five runs in the 3rd inning, but the Phillies regained the lead when Ryan Howard hit a two-run homer off Brandon Lyon in the 7th. (Yes, that's the guy who was part of the 2003 Red Sox bullpen by committee who the Phillies were supposedly interested in this year until Ed Wade signed him to what is considered the worst signing of the offseason.)

Red Sox: It wasn't the prettiest pitching duel, but tonight's matchup of Josh Beckett and Zack Greinke turned out to be a spirited back-and-forth contest. The Red Sox lead 6-3 in the 9th; hopefully the bullpen won't blow another one. (I knew I shouldn't have written last night that Tim Wakefield may get a win.)

Hall of Shame

One of my favorite underrated Red Sox moments is Tom Brunansky sliding into the wall to make the final out of the 1990 season, clinching a surprising division title.

I was happy that that moment was recently selected to the Red Sox Hall of Fame. I'm fine with most of the class - Tommy Harper, Jimmy Piersall, John Valentin and Eddie Kasko - even though I don't know much about them other than Valentin.

I am upset with the manager selection: Don Zimmer.

What a disgrace. The man proclaimed a gerbil by Spaceman Bill Lee is responsible for the Red Sox collapse in 1978. Then, as if simply joining the Yankees were not insult enough, Zim attempted to destroy the Red Sox by assaulting Pedro Martinez during the 2003 ALCS.

The man should not be in the hallowed halls of Red Sox history.

Red Sox: A guy who will truly deserve to be in the Red Sox Hall of Fame, Tim Wakefield, officially became the oldest Red Sox starting pitcher ever. Congrats. And he may get a win as the Sox lead the Royals 3-2 in the 7th. J.D. Drew hit a homer.

Phillies: Christine seems happy as she gets to watch her first complete Phillies game of the year. J.A. Happ, who has at least 20 years to go before becoming the oldest Phillies starting pitcher ever, seems to have things in control. Phillies 7, Astros 0 in the 5th. Raul Ibanez, who has been getting the David Ortiz treatment because of his slow start, has two doubles so far and three RBI.

Ump cries foul

Everyone knows the Red Sox and Yankees play slow games. They become part-epic showdown, part-water torture. I'm a fan of not staying up late, so I'd prefer them to pick up the pace.

So would umpire Joe West, who went on a rant before yesterday's game:

"They're the two clubs that don't try to pick up the pace," said West, chief of the umpiring crew that worked the three-game series in Boston. He was the home plate umpire Sunday. "They're two of the best teams in baseball. Why are they playing the slowest?

"It's pathetic and embarrassing. They take too long to play."

I agree, but wonder whether an umpire should be commenting on something like this. Sure, he's placing blame on both teams, but what happens when he makes a controversial call in a game between the Yankees and Tigers, or Red Sox and Rangers? Could his views on the Red Sox and Yankees slant him toward the other teams? Or in a game between the Red Sox and Yankees, might he be more inclined to call a runner for either team out on a close play in an attempt to speed up the game?

The umpire speaks the truth, but often being an independent arbitrator means losing some of your rights to free speech.

(Christine just wonders whether umpires dread getting assigned to a Red Sox-Yankees series because of the extra hours involved.)

Ironically, the rant came before the teams played a 10-inning game in 3 hours, 21 minutes thanks to John Lackey, whose quick style has already won over Kevin Youkilis and is sure to win over sleep-deprived fans.

Phillies: They attempted a rally today, but couldn't push across the tying run in the 9th inning, dropping their first game of the year 6-5 to the Nationals. Kyle Kendrick got knocked around, but new acquisition Nelson Figueroa took the loss. Christine isn't happy that a Mets reject is on the team and curious how I remembered that the No. 44 he wears used to belong to Vicente Padilla.

{Maybe Carlos Ruiz should have played instead of Brian Schneider. The Phillies are still undefeated when Chooch is the catcher.}

A look back

Last night, there was a commercial for some baseball broadcast package that used "choose your announcer" as a selling point.

When Christine repeated the line to me, I assumed she was referring to the fact that I was taking advantage of the Extra Innings free preview and had switched to the Red Sox broadcast.

Nope, she was just lamenting the fact that we're still stuck with Chris Wheeler this year.

And then, sure enough, this morning the Inquirer ran a story about the anniversary of Harry Kalas' death with a look back at his last day in the Washington Nationals broadcast booth:

If there was one consolation amid the red-hued grief that day it was that Kalas had died doing what he loved, in a ballpark.

"That was a very strange, weird day," said (Phillies broadcast manager Rob) Brooks. "I got home that night at 1 or 2 in the morning, and at that point I started to review the day and realize the enormity of what happened. I think I did OK. I don't know if there was something I could have done to create a different outcome.

"But I talked to [Kalas' son] Todd that evening, and we both came to the conclusion that had the efforts to revive him worked, he probably would have been angry because he would have been away from the yard for three or four months. That probably would have been unacceptable to him. For Harry, if you can't do what you love, why be here?"

Tonight's games: While we knew we would not hear Harry tonight, Christine is actually disappointed we're not hearing Wheels. She thought this would be the first night we got to watch a Phillies game, but they're pre-empted on Comcast SportsNet because of the 76ers. What a crock.

"I can't believe you're going to get to watch the Red Sox three times before I see the Phillies once," she said.

Sure enough, I'm watching the Sox on Extra Innings. (Phillies are blacked out locally on the package.)

The Red Sox, behind John Lackey, lead the Yankees 1-0 in the 7th. David Ortiz drove in a run, which should calm him down and dispel concern that he would go oh-for-the-season.

The Phillies, behind, or despite, Cole Hamels, lead the Nationals 6-3 in the 6th. Judging from the box score, this doesn't look like 2008 Hamels.

The Phillies play a late afternoon game tomorrow, so I hope Christine gets to see half of their game at least.

A tribute to Andy Martino

Yes, Jon Lester and the Red Sox are battling the Yankees on MLB Network, but tonight Christine and I are obsessed with a huge piece of news that we missed: Andy Martino has left the Inquirer.

We noticed yesterday that The Phillies Zone was no longer Martino and Matt Gelb, but Gelb and Bob Brookover. We did some searching and found out that Martino is covering the Mets for the New York Daily News, replacing Adam Rubin, who went to work for ESPN, not the Mets.

So another Phillies beat writer has left the job. But unlike Todd Zolecki, Scott Lauber and even Mike Radano, we don't care. It's no secret we never liked him. He never seemed into his job. He would let his blog lapse. He seemed to always be on vacation. And he just gave off a smarmy vibe.

I think the most telling point about his stint as Phillies beat writer is this: When Lauber recently left the Wilmington News Journal to join the Boston Herald, all his colleagues mentioned it on their blogs or Twitters. We didn't see anyone mention Martino's return to New York.

See ya later, Martino. At least in New York, no one will notice if you don't write in the middle of the season because that's about the point when the Mets have officially become irrelevant.

(We may seem a little hard on Martino, but coming from journalism backgrounds, we do understand that some people just don't like some reporters.)

A good writer: I've really been enjoying the blogging of one of the Boston Globe's newer beat writers, Peter Abraham. He's been on the job since September, but I think he's really been hitting his stride lately. His style reminds us of Zolecki. Today's post had a fascinating tidbit:

I covered Pedro when he was with the Mets. After his first season was over, he handed out business cards to the beat writers with his cell phone number in case we needed to contact him. They said "Pedro J. Martinez, Right-handed pitcher." What a character.

Red Sox: Lester is a little wild, and the Yankees lead the Red Sox 4-3 in the 5th. Victor Martinez hit a two-run homer in the 3rd. Speaking of V-Mart, he snapped Jason Varitek's decade-long streak of Opening Day starts, according to a Providence Journal database. (Just ignore the text, which obviously has not been updated.)

Opening Day doesn't matter

Christine and I were heading home after Easter dinner in North Jersey. We listened to ESPN radio in Philadelphia as the Red Sox struggled in the early innings of their Opening Night showdown with the Yankees. Suddenly, the game was interrupted by a breaking news bulletin. (How often does that happen anymore?) I immediately knew what was coming. Christine didn't, even though she had predicted the news several days ago.

The Eagles traded Donovon McNabb to the Redskins!!!
The Eagles traded Donovon McNabb to the Redskins!!!
The Eagles traded Donovon McNabb to the Redskins!!!

A few days ago, while discussing the McNabb trade rumors, Christine said he would be traded on Opening Day. I thought she meant that the Eagles would try to steal attention from the Phillies, but she really thought the Eagles would hope to draw as little attention to the fact as possible. (Neither of us even considered the possibility that he would be traded to a division rival.) Whatever the motive for timing the news for Easter Sunday and the eve of Roy Halladay's Phillies debut, it drew attraction. I heard some analyst comment that it was the story of the day, ahead of Tiger Woods, the NCAA final and Opening Day.

The Eagles traded Donovon McNabb to the Redskins!!!
The Eagles traded Donovon McNabb to the Redskins!!!
The Eagles traded Donovon McNabb to the Redskins!!!

It did dominate the news cycle, when the Red Sox filled Opening Night Sunday with guests who pleased the crowd before launching a dramatic comeback 9-7 victory against the Empire (I stayed up until the middle of the 8th inning). And then today, Doc and the Phillies offense delivered as advertised in an 11-1 romp over the Nationals (even Barack Obama couldn't hold down the potent Phillies lineup).

But none of that mattered because ...

The Eagles traded Donovon McNabb to the Redskins!!!
The Eagles traded Donovon McNabb to the Redskins!!!
The Eagles traded Donovon McNabb to the Redskins!!!

Oh, and Josh Beckett signed his four-year $68 million extension:

"This is a very special place," said Beckett this afternoon during a 3 p.m. press conference at Fenway during the deal, which will take him through the 2014 season, was announced. "Anyone who has had a chance to play here knows that. And anyone who hasn't had a chance to play here probably know that through other people that have."

That's good to hear, but not as important as ...

The Eagles traded Donovon McNabb to the Redskins!!!
The Eagles traded Donovon McNabb to the Redskins!!!
The Eagles traded Donovon McNabb to the Redskins!!!

State of our seasons

We've done away with predictions this year. Is it really a surprise that I like the Red Sox while Christine likes the Phillies? Or that I'm not perfect?

A constant theme to this blog has been how we are enjoying the best of times for our respective teams: the wondrous 2004, the surprising Phillies and dominant Red Sox in 2007, encored by the Phillies in 2008, which was almost repeated in 2009.

Yes, these are high times for the SoxandPhils. They were a few innings away from an epic showdown in 2008 (I still don't think it has sunk in how close we were to sleeping in separate rooms), and there is nothing to suggest it can't happen this year. The Inquirer has spent the last week examining how the Phillies have gone from the stinky Phillies to one of the game's premier franchises. And, notwithstanding Julio Lugo, John Smoltz and Matt Clement, the Red Sox have been run brilliantly since John Henry and Theo Epstein have been running the show.

So tonight begins another ride on the SoxandPhils express. Josh Beckett will begin dismantling CC Sabathia and the Empire. I'm excited to see whether this vaunted pitching staff, when aided by a world-class defense and an offense that isn't as weak as some claim, will take it all. I believe they will while reminding us more of 2007 - efficient champions - than the lovable cowboys of 2004.

And tomorrow, the Phillies begin their 2010 season. Where do I think it will end up? At the World Series, of course. It won't be easy, but is anything ever simple with this team? Never. But they have the talent and the heart to win it all again. And as much as I'll enjoy seeing them win this fall, I'm just thrilled that baseball is back and that I have 162 Phillies games to watch. Well, make that 161, since the stinkin' season opener is on at 1 p.m. on a weekday. What were the stupid Nationals thinking when they made that lousy decision about the game time??

Spring is here

The weather seems to have turned, and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

I mowed the lawn for the first time today, but it was hard to see some spots because the ground is still muddy from all the recent rain. It's a good thing Roy Halladay's dad wasn't watching:

[Halladay] spoke of how his father's insistence on perfection - how Roy, as a boy, was made to re-mow lawn patches he'd missed - turned into Halladay's devotion to conditioning admired by so many.

Man, Halladay's dad would have had me out there all day until I got it right, and I don't even have Dr. Dre's new Red Sox headphones to keep me entertained while I work.

Maybe the Easter Bunny will bring me a pair.

The Phillies next J-Roll

The Phillies have a prospect in their system who may be the heir apparent to Jimmy Rollins: Anthony Gose.

Not because he steals a lot of bases, which he does, nor because he had a low on-base percentage in his first two years of pro ball, but because he makes eyebrow-raising predictions, including this one toward the end of spring training:

Early last season, standing in front of his locker in the Lakewood BlueClaws clubhouse, center fielder Anthony Gose issued a bold prediction.

"I'm going to lead all of minor-league baseball in stolen bases," said the 2008 second-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Phillies.

He did.

The fleet-footed Bellflower, Calif., native stole 76 bases, helping spark Lakewood to the 2009 South Atlantic League Championship.

At Philadelphia's windy, cool minor-league camp at the Carpenter Complex on Tuesday, Gose was in the prediction business again.

"The plan is to steal 100 this year," said the 19-year old, who will play this season for the Clearwater Threshers of the high Class-A Florida State League.

More importantly, he knows he has to improve last year's .323 on-base percentage:

"I want to get on base with a lot more walks, bunting, anything I can do to get on," he said. "And I'm going to steal 100 bases."

I'll have to remember to keep track of his progress.

J-Roll, meanwhile, remains the Phillies go-to player:

While it is legitimate to debate Rollins' suitability for the first position in a batting order, his ability to step up at important moments is generally beyond reproach.

Bullpen news, good and bad

Good news! Scott Atchison made the cut.

The Globe's Peter Abraham sums up how I've been feeling all day: "Yeah, it's corny. But if you aren't happy for Scott Atchison today, you have no heart."

I hope he has a good season. He deserves success.

"That is special," he said. "I've been up and down before but I've never made a team out of spring training."

Atchison, smiling widely, said it was third-happiest day of his life behind the day he got married and the day Callie was born. Can't beat that.

If he didn't make the team, you can bet that Ruben Amaro Jr. would have been looking him over.

Joe Blanton will be out three to six weeks, which means three Phillies pitchers are starting the season on the disabled list. Kyle Kendrick will get to start, but the Phillies are scrambling to fill out their staff. There's no such thing as too much pitching.