Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!

Christine hoped it was an April Fools' joke. But it wasn't. Alas, coming off a stinging opening day loss thanks to an awful Tom Gordon, the Phillies went out and got the best arm they could - 39-year-old Rudy Seanez.

Actually, he had a pretty good season last year for the Dodgers, but he has been injured and didn't pitched well, or much, in spring training. I can't imagine he will be much help to the Phillies, but I guess he's better than another go-around with Jose Mesa.

And, Seanez has a place in SoxandPhils lore. He made nine pretty poor appearances for the 2003 Boston Red Sox - one of them came in one of the better games we've seen played between the Red Sox and Phillies, a 6-5 nail biter that went 12 innings and ended with a Todd Pratt walk-off home run at the Vet. Mesa got the win. Pedro Martinez and Randy Wolf dueled. Seanez entered the game in the 12th, with one on and the Sox up by one. The game ended on his second pitch to pinch-hitting Pratt.

Seanez fared a bit better in his only other SoxandPhils appearance in 2006, but that too was a loss. The Phils won 10-5 behind another typical Cory Lidle start. Seanez pitched 1 2/3 scoreless to end the game.

We were at both games.

More predictions: I should have given a predictions form to David Ortiz to fill out. In an interview with the Globe, Papi gives clues to what some of his picks would have been:

World Series: Detroit Tigers
AL Cy Young: A.J. Burnett
AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez

Payroll: Speaking of 2003, it's the first time since then the Sox don't have the second-highest payroll. They're now fourth. Phillies are 13th. The Empire still outpaces the next closest team (Tigers) by $70 million.

Former Phils in the agate this week

Pitching prospect Gio Gonzalez, who seemed destined to have a career shuffling between Chicago and Philly, is headed to the rebuilding A's in the Nick Swisher trade. And Matt Smith, the most productive piece of the Abreu/Lidle fleece, has been put on waivers.

Gonzalez, originally a White Sox prospect, was traded to the Phils in '05 with Aaron Rowand and Daniel Haigwood for Jim Thome. With Rowand gone to the Giants, the only piece left from this is Fabio Castro, who I still think should have been used more in the past two years. Castro was picked up from the Rangers for Haigwood who last year was released by Texas and picked up and released by the Red Sox. Gonzalez was traded back to the White Sox in the great Freddy Garcia deal last off season.

Getting nothing in trades of superstars is nothing new for the Phils... in 2000 they gave up not-yet World Series hero {gag} Curt Schilling to the D-Backs for Travis Lee, Vincente Padilla, Omar Daal and Nelson Figueroa. (Padilla was the first scrubby Phillie who always seemed to be pitching when we go to a game. That designation then went to Cory Lidle. Last year thankfully we got a good mix).

Then, of course there was the 2002 Scott Rolen deal that also netted a future World Series hero {gag, again}, Mike Timlin, who stayed for half a season. They did get a productive Placido Polanco, but flipped him three years later for Ugueth Urbina, who pitched well for half a season before that little attempted murder thing.

And that brings up the Abreu deal. I'm guess I'm glad it happened. Though the Yankees got a good player, he's overpaid and doesn't help the team regain the mental toughness that's been lacking. But I still think the Phils should have been able to get something for him.

This week, they released Matt Smith, ending his 23 game Phillies career. Also in the deal was minor league SS C.J. Henry, released by the Phils, taken back by the Empire, and P Carlos Monastrios* and C Jesus Sanchez who were both still in A ball last year. Monastrios could still pan out, but you'd like something to be able to point to for Abreu -- even if he was first obtained for Kevin Stocker.

*Correction 9/4/08: Oops. Guess we've had Carlos Monasterios' name spelled wrong for the past eight months. He was still in Clearwater this year.