Big free agent news

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

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

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

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

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

SoxandPhils tree lighting

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

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

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

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

Merry Christma ... I mean Happy Thanksgiving.

MVChooch ... really?

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

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

I guess this means Chooch has made it big time.

Simpson-metrics

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

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

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

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

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

The Boston Globe has a ridiculous proposition:

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

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

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

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

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

Quick observation

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

Beyond the Box Score did the math and proved it.

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

Confusion

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

At least they're not related:

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

Um, Nick Cafardo says "rewrite":

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

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

Belated announcement

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

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

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

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

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

First SoxandPhils acquisitions

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

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

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

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

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

Will it be a SoxandPhils Christmas?

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

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

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

Consider the source

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

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

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

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

Gold Gloves

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

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

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

Coaching reunion

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

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

Great SoxandPhils lede

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

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

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

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

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

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

There was news last night

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

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

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

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

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

Christmas is coming

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

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

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

Phillies don't deserve a raise

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

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

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

2. The economy.

3. We have a baby.

4. We have day care bills.

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

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

First SoxandPhils signing of the offseason

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

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

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

We didn't watch either

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

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

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

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

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

Rubbing it in Giantly

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

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

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

Coaching carousel

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

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

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

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

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