A different All-Star game

Obviously, my priorities have changed since last week. I'm just not into the All-Star Game as much as I have been in previous years. I don't have the interest or energy to go blow-by-blow tonight.

But I did enjoy watching the introductions with Trent. We cheered all the Red Sox and Phillies. When Derek Jeter popped on the screen, Trent, who is probably a little young to know how to boo, reacted in the best way he could: He screamed from unhappiness. I'm so proud.

In the 6th, AL 1, NL 0.

Home Run Derby

David Ortiz won the Home Run Derby. Good for him. I hope it's not the last trophy he gets this year. And I also hope it's not a sign that he has reverted to the bad things he has been accused of in the past.

Fun-filled 4th

Here are the happenings, in brief.

The AL All-Star team will have six Red Sox, including Clay Buchholz, who is heading to the DL. He'll be joined by injured Victor Martinez and Dustin Pedroia and healthy David Ortiz, Adrian Beltre and Jon Lester. Kevin Youkilis was snubbed, but he's headed to the ballot for the final roster spot.

Charlie Manuel selected only one Phillie for the NL team: Ryan Howard. He'll be joined by fan-selected but injured Chase Utley and player-selected Roy Halladay.

The Sox and Phils each lost today to crappy teams, the Orioles and Pirates.

Joey Chestnut won another hot dog eating competition, but they had to arrest Takeru Kobayashi to keep him from reclaiming his spot as the world's top eater.

Christine and I had a nice dinner.

Tidbits

1. Greg Dobbs cleared waivers and will report to AAA on Friday. I'm sure we'll see him up in the majors again before the year is over. Paul Hagen muses that the Phillies may make other unexpected roster moves to shake things up and get this team going.

2. Red Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland, who underwent brain surgery earlier this year, seems to be recovering well. Who knows if he'll play baseball again, but it's good to hear that he's doing better.

3. Darren Daulton will be enshrined on the Phillies Wall of Fame in August. Like many other women in the Delaware Valley, my mom had such a crush on him in 1993. Greg and I had a Phillies TV program on over at her house a few weeks ago, and she couldn't believe what he looks like now. (Side note: I can't believe that the 1993 season was 17 years ago. I'm old.)

4. Mike Lowell doesn't seem to be long for the Red Sox, and the Sox roster seems to be in flux.

5. It's pretty much a lock that, for the first time in a long time, no Red Sox position player will be starting in the All-Star game. Chase Utley will start from the Phillies, but Placido Polanco's spot is in danger. I was so disappointed on Saturday to find out that the paper ballots are no longer available at the ballpark - voting is online only at this point of the process.

6. The Phillies stink. More specifically, Kyle Kendrick stinks, especially at home. How bad does he stink? Shin-Soo Choo has two home runs tonight. (Another tangent: When we did vote for All-Stars earlier this season, I kept voting for Choo. If he has to go back to South Korea for military service after this season, I thought that an All-Star appearance would be a nice going-away present.) In the 7th, Indians 5, Phillies 4.

7. Red Sox lost to the Rockies 2-1 last night. Tonight, they face Ubaldo Jimenez. Not fun. In the 3rd, Rockies 2, Red Sox 0.

8. The Phillies have a day game tomorrow. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Boo to the businessperson's special. All they do is screw over the workers who can't watch the game on the job.

9. I didn't have time to write about it tonight, but I'll tell you soon about our six degrees of separation with Major League Baseball.

Voter fatigue

Red Sox fans are notorious ballot stuffers, but not this year.

I cannot believe it, but it looks like that no Red Sox will start the game that will determine whether the World Series starts in Philadelphia or Boston.

I guess I can't really complain because we've been a bit spoiled in recent years. (Jason Varitek, a manager/player/coach pick in 2008, is one of the worst selections ever.) And although I filled out a handful of ballots at the park, I haven't filled out any online yet. {Greg and I must have different definitions of "handful." We've filled out quite a few ballots at the games we've gone to this spring.}

That said, I can't explain some of these results:

Kevin Youkilis, the best first baseman in the game, is a distant fourth in the voting. Victor Martinez, who should not be ahead of Joe Mauer, also should not be behind Jorge Posada. David Ortiz's slow start and recent slump probably warrant his first vacation since 2003, but there's no way he should trail Hideki Matsui and the retired Ken Griffey Jr. (At least Papi has passed Pat Burrell in DH voting.)

If there's a silver lining, maybe it's a sign that some of the newcomers are jumping off the Red Sox bandwagon. Or maybe the real fans are just tired of stuffing the box.

Tonight's games: Both our teams are off, but we have baseball on: MLB Network's two-hour special on perfect games. Have I mentioned that I love this channel? Excellent - they showed Carl Everett break up Mike Mussina's shot at a perfect game as a pinch-hitter with just one out to go. I remember watching that game in my apartment. It was on ESPN.

Rest in peace: Oscar Azocar died. For some reason, he always stuck out in my mind. Probably because of his name, I always kind of liked him despite his Yankee-ness.

Extracurricular multi-sport potpourri

I was a bit worried that we may have jinxed the Flyers last night, but they held on and will play for the Stanley Cup. I guess there are a lot of people in the Eagles front office rooting hard for the Blackhawks right now. Can you imagine if the Flyers join the Phillies as Philadelphia champions before the Iggles get over the hump?

When we were watching some of the post-game analysis, we missed this gem. Classic stuff - it's almost as if Michael Barkann planted this girl to drop the F-bomb on live TV:



Poor Steve Coates. I never heard of him before last week, but now I'm quite fond of Coatesy, primarily because of this Joe Conklin Flyers parody of Lada Gaga's Bad Romance. Lady Pha Pha would approve.

From ice hockey to ice football: Super Bowl XLVIII is coming to New Jersey. I still can't believe it.

Back to baseball extracurricular stuff: People, including Christine and me, have stuffed the All-Star ballots for the Phillies. Jimmy Rollins, who has played in slightly more games than me, is the leading shortstop, but Carlos Ruiz trails Yadier Molina. Early AL results were released yesterday; fans in New York and Texas are stuffing the ballot.

Today's games: The surging Sox lead the Rays 2-0 in the 9th; the phlopping Phillies trail the Mets 7-0 in the 8th.

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.

Christine's new favorite former Phillie

Christine likes horses. They're definitely among her top five favorite animals.

Christine loves the Phillies. They're definitely among her top five favorite baseball teams. OK, they're her most favorite team.

So, clearly she was happy to read about former Phillie Dan Plesac and how he saved his former racehorse from the slaughterhouse. Plesac learned the racehorse he owned 12 years ago, Captain Zoom, who is presumably a fan of both the Phillies and fillies, was ailing. Plesac decided to pitch in and provide a better retirement:

"We can come up with a million excuses not to do things," Plesac said. "I couldn't have gone to bed at night knowing that I came up with a lame excuse not to take him."

The only sad part of this tale for Christine is that on our last two trips - Savannah and Lancaster - we took horse-drawn tours. In Savannah, she noticed one horse kept pulling his cart with his head down, as if he were downtrodden.

I had assured her that the horses were well taken care of, but the story says part of Captain Zoom's suffering came from pulling an Amish buggy:

He had marks from a harness collar around his neck. He also had lacerations all over his body from what appeared to be a fall on the road and fights in the pasture.

But thanks to the former Phillie, he won't have to worry about that anymore:

"When I look at him out there eating grass, all I can think is, 'You hit the lottery, big boy,'" Plesac said. "We both did."

Incidentally, the story appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer. It was written by a freelancer, Nicole Kraft, executive editor of Hoof Beats Magazine - a publication of the United States Trotting Association. Who else would write a horse-centric story about Dan Plesac?

Awkward transition: Dan Plesac works for MLB Network. He was an All-Star from 1987-1989. All weekend, the network has been running marathons of All-Star games.

I can think of only two words: Thank you.

Christine aptly described it as TV crack for me, and it's so true. I saw Ricky Bottalico represent the Phillies at Veterans Stadium's last All-Star game in 1996, Bob Costas say that Alex Rodriguez can still grow into his body, and how the biggest stars of my youth don't look so big compared with the stars of today.

I wonder why? Christine also wondered why the 2002 All-Star game wasn't in MLB's rotation.

Other than that omission, this was the perfect use of the year-old network. This is supposed to be what ESPN Classic is for, but that channel lost its way with poker, bowling and rodeo. Although the late-night cheesy professional wrestling is a nice touch.

Pedro's a Phillie

It's official.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Game on.

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

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

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

Now, onto the second half.

[Photo credit: Associated Press]

SoxandPhils at the All-Star game

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

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

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

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

Bottom 1st: Chase Utley grounded out to first.

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

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

Top 4th: Bay flew out to right.

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

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

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

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

Howard's homers

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

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

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

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

We'll see how it unfolds.

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

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

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

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

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

Hitting season

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

At least Cholly's outfielders are justifiable.

We are getting greedy, but have to say goodbye

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tonight's games: Two words - pitching duels.

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

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

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

A new All-Star and maybe a new SoxandPhil

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

He did.

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

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

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

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


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


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Before today's game, the Globe reported:

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

All-Star voting has jumped the shark

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

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

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

But here it goes:

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

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

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

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

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

More SoxandPhils stars

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All-Star Selection Show

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

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

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

At least today started better than yesterday ended

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lifetime achievement award

Nick Cafardo today endorsed an unlikely star for his first All-Star game: Tim Wakefield. Amazingly, Wakefield has never made it to the Midsummer Classic in a 17-year career with 186 wins. He's been so classy and so consistent that Cafardo felt obliged to write about his All-Star chances even after pitching poorly, but just good enough, to beat the Yankees yesterday:

It may even be time to start thinking about things like the All-Star Game, one accolade that has eluded him.

"It would be huge," said Wakefield, whose eight quality starts are second on the Sox to Josh Beckett's nine. "It's one thing you want in a career is to make an All-Star team. We've won two World Series; just to add it to the list of things that you can say you've accomplished in your career. Obviously it would be nice to make a team and hopefully I can continue to pitch the way I've been pitching and finally make one after 14 or 15 years. Hopefully I can be in St. Louis."

In his best year, when the Red Sox plucked him up after he was discarded by the Pirates in 1995, he was 7-1 at the break with a 1.61 ERA. He didn't make the cut because he only had 10 starts in the American League. Besides, Erik Hanson made it for the Red Sox, going 7-2 with a 3.61 ERA in his first 14 starts.

It's too soon to start compiling the All-Star roster, but Wakefield probably won't get a spot because I can't see more than one Red Sox starting pitcher on the staff, and Beckett has better numbers (7-2 with a 3.77 ERA).

Wakefield's 2009 season is a perfect example of why the All-Star rosters could be expanded to honor career contributions of special players.

In other news: Pablo Osuna, a veteran journeyman playing in the Phillies minor league system, has been suspended 50 games for drugs. I hope this is an isolated case pertaining to one player and is not tied to the organization. ... Mike Pelfrey's teammates were proud of him for putting Chase Utley in his place last night. Here's the coverage from the Mets perspective:

"He's a guy that I look at who always takes his time in the box," Pelfrey said. "I don't know if he's thinking or what in between pitches, but I was ready to go, and he wasn't. ... And I was mad."

But according to Phillies coverage, Utley didn't notice:

And there was the minor (so minor that it really never happened) sixth-inning flare-up between Utley and Mets starter Mike Pelfrey. A few New York reporters asked Utley about it after the game, and he looked at them like they each had 12 heads.

Basically, Pelfrey was miffed when, just as he was ready to deliver a pitch, Utley stepped out of the batter's box. Pelfrey yelled toward the batter's box, and although it appeared he had more to say to Utley after the at-bat (a groundout to second base), both players said there were no words exchanged.

That's hysterical. The Mets are even too inept to fight with the Phillies. That, or Chase is just playing a brilliant mind game with the young Met. {Little of A, but mostly B. Utley wouldn't acknowledge something like this, especially to the press. He knows exactly what Pelfrey said but will never admit it. That's the way it should be.}

Tonight's games: Brad Penny battled for six innings (I was even reconsidering my previous get-rid-of-Penny posts) protecting a one-run lead (David Ortiz hit a big home run off CC Sabathia), but then the vaunted bullpen (Manny Delcarmen) blew it. Delcarmen gave up a barrage of hits, allowing three runs, most horribly a two-run double to Alex Rodriguez - his first hit of the series. The Sox have rallied, and the game is now tied at 3-3 in the 8th with the bases loaded and no one out.

Meanwhile, the Phillies and Mets went into extra innings for the second straight night. They've played some good games this week, making me kind of hope the Mets can win the Wild Card. That would be an entertaining NLCS with a new way to crush Mets' fans spirits.

Like, for instance, a three-run home run from a 37-year-old slugger having a career year who is not on steroids. Oh wait, that's what happened tonight. Phillies 6, Mets 3. So the Sox and Phils each head into the big showdown with series wins against the New York teams.