Incredible game

We've been back from the ballpark for more than four hours, and I still can't believe it.

Except for the 2008 World Series clincher and the 2007 division clincher, this might have been the most amazing game we've ever seen in person.

Despite incredible odds and a feeling of doom all day, the impossible happened - it was supposed to rain when we were at a game and it didn't!

Oh, and the Phillies came to life in the 7th inning to win a game in which they were held in check by the mediocre Doug Davis. Phillies 4, Cubs 3.

The first inning was tortuous, but Roy Oswalt shut down the Cubs for six more innings after giving up three in the first. The Phillies chipped away with a run in the 1st and 3rd, but left eight men on in the first six innings. They finally broke through with two runs in the 7th on a base hit by Ryan Howard. He had a deep double in the 1st that almost went out. (He has a tendency to come through for Trent when his parents have tickets.)

Observations from the stands: The little guy stayed home today even though it was early Father's Day at the park. Pete Schneider got to hang with his son before the game. ... They handed out a white-on-white Phillies hat, better than the hat-on-a-hat they gave away a few years ago. ... The sax player outside the ballpark has gone Hollywood. He had a stool and an amplifier. I liked acoustic stand-up guy better.

The Overbrook High School Overtones sang the National Anthem. I don't remember it. Marc Antonelli sang God Bless America. At first I thought it was long, but then I decided it was good. Everyone loved it.

There was a very special birthday on the screen today. Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz. He's 60. ... This guy in front of us is a huge Nationals fan. He had the shirt, lanyard, cap and even a backpack. ... There was a baby in front of us. Not as a cute as Trent, but made me miss him.

Ryan Madson needs better closing music. Don't Stop Believin' kind of puts the place to sleep. Besides, don't you want the other team to stop believing once you bring in your closer?

Antiquated shirts: Not very many. Most were spotted on the way out of the ballpark when I wasn't taking notes. Pat Burrell, Jim Thome, Lenny Dykstra and Jayson Werth.

Etc.: Everyone around us jumped for a hot dog even though the Phanatic's hot dog shooter couldn't reach us in the 400 level.

Oh well, pretty good game, but we've got a nerve-wracking night and morning ahead of us. Trent's been on the DL too many times this season with ear infections, so we're doing the tube thing tomorrow, but we're sure he'll be hotter than the Red Sox by the time our teams resume play on Tuesday.

Dizzying

I can't keep track of the Red Sox anymore. I'm not talking day-to-day standings or anything like that. I literally can't keep track of the roster because it changes so much with injuries.

In the past four days, the Red Sox have added Michael Bowden, Dusty Brown, Manny Delcarmen, and detracted Gustavor Molina, Felix Doubront and Robert Manuel. Fernando Cabrera has come and gone. Several of these guys I have never heard of.

I'm just glad I'm not this guy, Carl Goodreau, clubhouse manager of the Pawtucket Red Sox:

In Goodreau’s 22 years of working in pro baseball, he calls this season the craziest of his career. Numerous injuries have left holes in the Boston roster, leaving Pawtucket to fill in the gaps.

When a player leaves Pawtucket another comes in from another farm team or for rehab. This season, the PawSox have used 49 players. The club record is 70 in 2006.

If this year breaks the record, I hope some of the next call-ups will be able to play the game. The Red Sox dropped three of four to the Rangers this weekend. Today, Jon Lester lost 4-2.

The Phillies are playing the Cubs tonight on ESPN. I wasn't planning on making it to the end, but it's in the 7th (6-3 Cubs) and it sounds like Trent is getting cranky.

Trent dirties diapers, Sox and Phils rally

Christine went to the store this afternoon, so it was just the little guy and me watching the Phillies game on TV. {I listened on the radio and was entertained by Larry Andersen's rants.} Well, he slept more than watched, until the Phillies had one out in the 9th, trailing the Cubs 1-0.

That's when Trent woke up needing his diaper changed. I forgot to put on a TV upstairs so I could listen to the ending while taking care of business. Because of a little spraying, it took a little longer than I expected. When I was done, I turned on the game expecting it to be over. Nope - the Phillies had the bases loaded and were winning 2-1. They added two more to win 4-1. Trent's pixie dust, which last night I proclaimed was gone, has returned.

The littlest SoxandPhil may really be getting the hang of things. Cliff Lee dominated the Red Sox and took a 2-1 lead into the 9th inning with about 90 pitches. But after changing another diaper, I was able to sit down and watch Kevin Youkilis rip a single to tie the game.

The game went into the 11th without any more diaper emergencies, but Trent decided to keep losing his pacifier to see how many times Christine and I would run upstairs to retrieve it for him. I think that was just his way of willing Youkilis to hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to beat the Rangers 3-2.

No more pixie dust

I finished typing last night's post as the Phillies trailed the Cubs 12-2 in the 9th. We were getting nervous that Trent did have some magic charm over the Phillies as they started scoring runs. But he did not have a mystical 10-run inning in him - just four runs.

It seems as if his powers expired at the All-Star break because the Phillies lost another one today, 4-3.

The Red Sox are losing again too, 7-3 in the 6th to the Rangers.

Tomorrow, little Trent gets his first SoxandPhils double header as the Phillies play in the afternoon and the Sox are on a national broadcast at night, facing Cliff Lee.

Second half starts stinkily

My buddy asked me whether I was excited for the second half of the season to begin.

I'm not.

I thought it was because of everything going on in my life, but maybe it was an unconscious premonition that the Red Sox would start the second half with a lineup that featured Eric Patterson at 2B, Daniel Nava in LF, Bill Hall at 3B and Kevin Cash at C. Not exactly the Red Sox lineup we were expecting during spring training. It didn't work - the Red Sox lost to the Rangers 7-2.

Maybe it was also an unconscious premonition that Tom McCarthy would have a night off and we'd have to endure extended play of Chris Wheeler as the Cubs drubbed the Phillies 12-6. I hate Wheels. I think he made Trent cry. Now I really hate Wheels.

Lee Arthur tips his hat to Sarge

Driving to work this morning, I got a treat because Lee Arthur Smith was a guest of Craig Carton and Boomer Esiason's WFAN radio show. I always liked the big guy and thought the Red Sox should have kept him instead of Jeff Reardon in 1990.

He talked mostly about closers because he's plugging a book, Fireman: The Evolution of the Closer in Baseball, for which he wrote the foreward.

The conversation turned a little SoxandPhils when he was asked about the 1984 NL East Champion Cubs.

"It was like a family," Smith said. "And the one guy for me that held the ballclub together was Gary Matthews."

Everybody loves Sarge, even one of the nastiest closers of my generation.

Smith didn't feel as bad about losing with his only other playoff team, the 1988 Red Sox. "'84 was tougher for me," Smith said.

He was also asked whether there was one hitter he couldn't get out. His answer? Mike Schmidt, who killed the Cubbies. Michael Jack had a .986 OPS against Chicago, his third highest against any team, and a 1.048 OPS at Wrigley, the highest mark he had in any park.

I like it when a player's memory reflects reality.

Today's games: After 30 innings, the Phillies finally scored a run. For days, Christine was convinced they would not score another run all season. At first, I thought she was just being melodramatic, but I was starting to wonder ...

The Phillies weren't satisfied with that run and scored another, and then one more to give them their first lead in a week. It was a pure offensive onslaught by the Phightin' Phils who held on for the 3-2 win against the Marlins, despite a nervous 9th by Jose Contreras.

If the Phillies night was an onslaught, the Red Sox offense was firing on all cylinders with five runs. But the Royals bats put both teams to shame, knocking out Tim Wakefield in the 3rd inning with nine runs. They embarrassed the once-again deflated Sox 12-5.

Fighting two enemies

My head hurt last night figuring out where my hopes should lie in the battle between the first-place Rays and wild card-leading Yankees.

Christine said I should focus first on the wild card, but I hate conceding anything, no matter how tough and talented Tampa is. And hey, we have a chance to win our third straight tonight against a playoff-caliber team.

This morning, the Globe suggested the Empire is crumbling and vulnerable. I guess the Globe and Christine make rational arguments, but I'm a fan. Let's knock 'em both off.

There's no doubting where my allegiance lies this weekend: I'll be anti-Phillies, and Christine will be anti-Red Sox. (She usually is anyway.)

Red Sox vs. Phillies history: Click here for a look back at the Red Sox and Phillies battles, SoxandPhils style. Our posts from June 2008 have details from each year of interleague play between the two teams.

Today: I had a long day at work, the Phillies beat the Cubs, and the Red Sox lead the Twins.

Sunday switcheroo

Last night, as we watched Roy Halladay dominate the Pirates in a 2-1 complete game loss, Christine noted that he was on track to start Sunday against Josh Beckett.

I almost cautioned her not to count on Beckett. Unfortunately, or hopefully fortunately in the long run, I was right. Despite the Yankees protest, he is injured and has been placed on the DL, so it will be Tim Wakefield vs. Doc on Sunday. Game on.

Red Sox vs. Phillies history: Lifetime, Josh Beckett is 8-4 with a 3.98 ERA in 19 games (17 starts) against the Phillies (including his Marlins starts). He has hit them well: .222/.276/.444 in 27 at-bats, including two of his three career home runs. We were there for one of them in 2006. As a Red Sox, Beckett is 2-1 in three starts, including a debacle last year.

Against the Phillies, including his time with the Pirates, Wakefield is 3-1 with a 3.15 ERA in nine games (seven starts).

As a Blue Jay, Halladay is 14-14 with a 4.28 in 41 games (38 starts) against Boston.

So, give the Red Sox the edge on Sunday. C'mon, despite last night's victory, delusion is all I have right now.

Tonight's games: Jamie Moyer pitched well, but the Phillies bats are still silent. In the 7th, Cubs 2, Phillies 0.

David Ortiz hit another home run (MVP! MVP! MVP!), and the Red Sox lead the Twins 2-1 in the 6th.

Chasing down a beer chucker on getaway day

On a day when both the SoxandPhils finished their games before we got home from work, the news of the day is the manhunt for the fan who dumped a beer on Shane Victorino last night.

When I first saw it, I couldn't believe that Shane was able to make the catch when the suds hit his face just as the ball was landing.

Even Shane was impressed with the fan's attempt, handling his postgame comment like a skilled diplomatic politician:

It was definitely in my face and all over me, you know, it was perfect timing, it was right as the ball was hitting my glove. I tip my hat off to the guy, he had good timing but he had to leave the park and it's one of those things we can't have happen.

He was a little more serious today, saying he would file a complaint with the police and may press charges:

I hope he gets to understanding that you can't do stuff like that. If it happens on the streets, I don't think he'd be walking too far with something like that happening in the streets. It's just not something that you do. The big picture is this guy should be held accountable.

This whole thing is surreal. I want to say it's comical, but then I remember Christine's view that if it happened in Philadelphia, the national media would again condemn Philly fans as heathens. It would go on the list right behind booing Santa Claus and throwing batteries at J.D. Drew.

But since it's the lovable Cubbies, this is perceived as a joke. At least Lou Piniella took it seriously:

That shouldn't happen. It's not good sportsmanship ... We apologize to Victorino and the Phillies for that.

Fortunately, it did not affect Pedro's first win as a Phillie.

Today's tilts: Cliff Lee is being called this year's CC Sabathia, improving to 3-0 as a Phillie. He was dominant again: one run in eight innings on six hits, three walks and eight strikeouts in a 6-1 win. He was backed largely by Ryan Howard, who hit a three-run home run and stole his fifth base of the year. He had two career swipes before this season.

Against the Tigers, young Clay Buchholz was nearly as impressive, giving up two runs (one unearned) on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts over seven innings. But Justin Verlander was better, shutting out the Red Sox on four hits and a walk with eight strikeouts over eight innings. The Tigers may be a formidable foe for us in the ALCS with this guy leading the way.

Both teams hit the road to play teams chasing them in the standings: Phillies head to Atlanta to play the second-place Braves, while the Red Sox head to Texas where the Rangers are chasing them for the Wild Card.

[Photo credit: Chicago Sun-Times via Zolecki]

Big Ben

As I fell asleep, I heard a Phillie hit a home run to put them up in extra innings against the Cubs.

Christine tapped my shoulder excitedly.

"Who hit it?"

"Big Ben."

"Who?"

"Ben Francisco."

"Does anyone call him Big Ben, or are you making it up?"

"I just started it. We should get it on the blog before someone beats us to it."

This morning's headline: "Big Ben clocks Cubs in 12th."

Love and marriage

We had an opportunity to clear out some space on the DVR, so we finally watched Cole and Heidi Hamels on E! True Hollywood Story: Baseball Wives.

If you haven't seen it, don't bother.

It's disgustingly stereotypical and filled with the kind of stuff that just breeds disconnect between players and fans. Although, to be fair, most of the grating stuff comes from the wives.

Some examples:

Heidi Hamels compares her life with that of a military family when Cole actually has to go to work in the spring.

Another wife complains of the long season, which, according to her begins, with spring training in "April" and can last through October if her hubby's team makes the playoffs.

One of the ballplayers, when discussing his long road to the majors, said he didn't know what he'd do if he didn't make it. (Get a real job?)

Maybe I was overly sensitive to this stuff because I was reading Chris Coste's book, and he seemed to understand how privileged a ballplayer's job is compared with the average fan, but some of the stuff in this show was obnoxious.

Today's happenings: After celebrating our anniversary with my "baseball" wife last night, we returned in time to see Jayson Werth's home run to win the game against the Cubs in the 13th inning. That extended their winning streak to 10, but it was snapped today as the Cubs beat Jamie Moyer 10-5.

The Red Sox lost again last night and look to end their four-game skid on ESPN with Clay Buchholz facing Vicente Padilla. And the Red Sox traded two minor leaguers I've never heard of for Adam LaRoche. I know the offense has been scuffling, but I don't quite understand this one. (Although in full disclosure, I haven't been giving baseball my full attention this week, in case you haven't noticed.)

Christine is mad at the Red Sox for breaking up the LaRoche brothers.

These better be just rumors

Not a good day for SoxandPhils fans if the daily rumors become reality.

The Sox have been talking again to A.J. Burnett. This doesn't make sense. A pitcher with a history of injuries is exactly the long-term commitment the Sox have avoided.

Even worse is that they've now been linked to Carl Pavano. I know it would probably be a low-risk, Bartolo Colon-type deal. But c'mon. The guy was a laughingstock in New York. Just honor his place in Red Sox lore (as trade bait for Pedro Martinez and the embarrassment he caused the Yankees) and let it be.

Incidentally, that Nick Cafardo report may clarify Derek Lowe's standing with the Phillies: The team denies making an offer, but the player is said to want to go there. Maybe the Phillie denials are true, but D-Lowe doesn't want them to be.

Phillies: My alarm kicked on this morning midway through Rhea Hughes' report of some trade that could involve J.A. Happ, the Padres and Chris Coste. I know that Jake Peavy wouldn't go to Philadelphia, so I wondered what it was all about. I was less than enthralled when I found out the deal would send Peavy to the Cubs and bring Mark DeRosa to the Phillies for Happ.

{Update: The deal could involve Kyle Kendrick, not Happ.}

Complicated deals like this tend to fall apart. Let's hope so. DeRosa doesn't thrill me, and he's no Pat Burrell.

The only good rumbling of the day comes from bits I picked up from WFAN. Apparently, there's word that the Red Sox meeting with CC Sabathia wasn't exactly to lure him to Boston but to remind him how awful it would be playing for the Yankees. If true, I can't exactly be thrilled with the tact.

I am enjoying how the Yankee fans are growing frustrated that the big guy hasn't accepted the Yankees offer. Gee, maybe he wants to see if a championship-caliber team makes him an offer.

Game day: The Phillies held off the Nationals today ... oh wait. We already recapped this one. As I was watching the replay of the NL East clincher, Comcast SportsNet broke in with some real news. I was nervous as Neil Hartman started talking, given all the crazy rumors that are swirling. But he was just reporting the good news that Charlie Manuel will be the Phillies manager through 2011. Good for him - he deserves it.

Stupid Cubbies

After the Mets had a crushing loss Wednesday night, the Cubs could have knocked them out today, but decided instead to trot out the the best the Iowa, not Chicago, Cubs have to offer.

These no-name Cubs held a 6-3 lead in the 7th, but let the Mets get back in it and lost 7-6 in the bottom of the 9th. The beleaguered Mets bullpen gave up one run in three innings.

Christine is panicked.

The Phillies are still in first by a game. Their magic number remains three. If they go 3-0, the Mets' only hope is the Wild Card. If they go 2-1, the Mets can tie for a sweep. If they go 1-2 or worse, then the Mets get revenge for last year.

I'm not worried, although it's easier not to fret when it's not your team.

I am worried about the weather and the impact the rain could have on the pennant races and my weekend plans - a charity bike ride on Saturday and our last 2008 regular season Phillies game on Sunday.

The Brewers, who entered play tied with the Mets for the Wild Card (1.5 games worse than the Phils), are tied with the Pirates in the 10th.

Red Sox: Jon Lester gave a passing glance at another no-hitter tossing five hitless innings before allowing a leadoff double in the 6th. He won his 16th game (I still can't believe he was this good this year) in his final tuneup for the playoffs. Red Sox 6, Indians 1.

The Rays lost, so there's still slight hope for the division, but being two out with three to play would require a Red Sox sweep against the Yankees and the Tigers to sweep the Rays because Tampa holds the tiebreaker.

11:20 p.m. update: Brewers win on walk-off grand slam. Phillies better score 10 runs in the first inning tomorrow.

Werth needs only 482 home runs to reach Thome, Mantle

Bright side: The Phillies managed to split their four-game series against the Cubs. They won today, 5-3.

Not-as-bright side: They could have easily swept this series. But no more dwelling on that. Let's get to the good stuff.

Jayson Werth bashed the Cubbies again, driving in three runs and hitting another home run. Jamie Moyer continues to pitch unbelievable for a 45-year-old. And, oh yeah, maybe the Phillies were helped out just a little bit by the fact that Carlos Zambrano was scratched to save his "tired" arm for a few more days.

Now it's on to Washington, where the Nationals have won six in a row. I bet the Phils can cool them off.

The Phillies did pick up a game on the Mets last night, as Aaron Heilman walked in the winning run against the Marlins. But today, the Fish failed again, leaving Philadelphia one game behind New York in the standings.

Derrek Lee: Every time I hear his name, I wonder how his daughter is doing. After a quick search, I found out that she was misdiagnosed and will maintain her vision. I'm glad to hear it.

September call-ups: J.A. Happ, Greg Golson and Lou Marson will be joining the big-league club. Oh yeah, and Adam Eaton, too. Boo.

ANTM: Tom McCarthy was doing promos for the upcoming TV season, as the game was on the CW this afternoon. Gossip Girl, 90210, Tyra. Gary Matthews then chimed in.

Sarge: I like that show.

T-Mac: What, America's Next Top Model?

Sarge: Oh yeah.

And yes, he said it exactly how you're imagining it.

Red Sox: Former Phils Gavin Floyd and Jim Thome played a big part in the White Sox beating the Red Sox 4-2 today. And in honor of Thome hitting his 536th career homer, tying him with Mickey Mantle for 14th place on the all-time home run list, I thought it was only appropriate to revisit the 1995 cover of the Indians magazine. I have nothing to say about this picture - I think the snazzy white ensemble and footwear say it all.

The Red Sox open a series against the Orioles on Monday. The O's did the Sox no favors this weekend, as they were swept by the Rays, leaving Boston 5.5 games out of first. The Sox continue to lead the Wild Card by 2.5 games.

No word, that I can find anyway, on their call-ups. Sounds like they could use the reinforcements, though. In addition to half the team being on the DL, the other half had food poisoning this weekend. Blech.

Quick update

So the Phillies did pull off a win today. Jayson Werth, I think, continues to be the unsung hero of this 2008 team. I'm glad to have him around. Today he drove in four runs and hit two homers in a 5-2 win over the Cubs.

The stupid Mets are winning again. Come on Marlins, no more choking until this series is over. We need to pick up a game sometime.

The Phils released Kris Benson. I'm sure the Daily News is sorry that Anna never made it to town.

Fabio Castro seems to be the player to be named later in the Matt Stairs deal. Incidentally, Greg has been so busy working, he forgot that Stairs was on the Red Sox in 1995.

Red Sox: Won yesterday, winning again tonight against the White Sox. Top prospect Michael Bowden made the start and gave up two runs on seven hits in his five-inning major league debut. What a surprise, the Rays won as well. Wild Card lead is still at 2.5 games.

[Photo credit: Associated Press]

Vegging out

Before Greg left on his trip, he took another look through the Phillies yearbook. I'll be out and about today, so I may miss some of the Brett Myers-Ted Lilly match-up. If something wonderful happens, like the Phillies manage to beat the Cubs, maybe I'll check in later. In the meantime, join these couch potatoes for some TV watching.

While the Phillies may disagree which channel to watch, they all love their TV. Next up in our review of personal yearbook answers is the Phils' favorite TV shows growing up.

Topping the list was El Chavo del Ocho, The Kid from the (apartment no.) Eight, selected by Fabio Castro, Francisco Rosario and Carlos Ruiz. J.C. Romero picked El Chapulin Colorado.

The only sports show mentioned was Baseball Tonight by Kyle Kendrick. That's one of the president's favorite shows, too. {I hope that's the only thing they have in common.}

There's some cheese: Geoff Jenkins, like Christine, was a fan of Beverly Hills, 90210. Mike Zagurski opted for Saved by the Bell, and Clay Condrey liked the A-Team.

There weren't too many game shows: Family Feud by Ryan Madson and the Price is Right by Kris Benson.

Some liked cartoons: J.D. Durbin picked Transformers, along with Knight Rider; Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth liked G.I. Joe, and Adam Eaton and Chris Snelling picked my favorite, The Simpsons. Greg Dobbs liked all Saturday morning cartoons.

Some choices seemed obvious: Brett Myers picked Married... With Children; the Phillie Phanatic picked the Three Stooges; and Jamie Moyer liked Hawaii Five-O and Hogan's Heroes. Others left me scratching my head: Pat Burrell's favorite was What's Happening!! and Chase Utley liked Three's Company. So Taguchi picked Power Rangers (they originated in Japan, he noted).

Of course there were lots of classics: Cheers by Brad Lidge; Friends by Cole Hamels; Happy Days by Rudy Seanez; The Cosby Show by Ryan Howard and Eric Bruntlett; and The Jeffersons by Tom Gordon.

The only reader on the team? Pedro Feliz. That's my conclusion because he was the only one without an answer.

[Photo credit: Wikipedia]

Holiday weekend starts with a thud

My company has a flexible work schedule - if you make up the hours during the rest of the week, you can leave early on Fridays. With the long weekend coming up and a Phillies game starting just before 2:30, I was definitely eager to cut out early this afternoon.

I guess I should have stayed at work.

My apologies for sounding like a broken record: good outing by starter Joe Blanton, too many men left on base (10), ineffective bullpen, blah blah. Cubs 3, Phillies 2. Before a pitch was throw in any other game today, the Phils had managed to lose ground. Sweet.

A new extra man: The Phillies seem to have acquired Matt Stairs from the Blue Jays. Greg thinks it's a pretty good pickup. I'm indifferent. The losing has made me numb. (If Greg were home, he would have jokingly threatened to cut me off from the Phillies by now. Maybe I get a bit overly dramatic when they go on skids like this. But come on, the last three games have just sucked.)

Sarge: Gary Matthews didn't say Cubbies or Phillies when he sang during the 7th inning today. He just held the microphone out to the crowd and let them handle it. His grandson Denver joined him in the booth for the singalong.

Red Sox: Josh Beckett was put on the DL, but it's retroactive to August 18. He's tentatively scheduled to pitch next Friday in Texas. Terry Francona says that Beckett's elbow examination went well and that nothing bad was found. The team also DL'd Sean Casey because of a strained neck.

The Red Sox are leading the White Sox 1-0 in the 2nd at home. Maybe they'll fare better against a Chicago team this weekend.

They're killing me

The first baseball game that I remember going to was against the Cubs. I believe it was a group outing, perhaps through a church; my parents, my brother and I were sitting up high and I remember that it was a hot day. I also remember that game because it featured Greg Maddux vs. Mike Maddux; the elder brother was the victor because the bullpen managed to not blow the game.

There was no sibling rivalry tonight, of course, but there was a decent starting pitching match-up between Cole Hamels and Ryan Dempster. Cole left with a 4-1 lead after seven innings. Unfortunately, his bullpen couldn't handle the three-run lead and lost it in the 8th. Cubs 6, Phillies 4.

This is getting pretty scary. The bullpen has been outstanding all year, and now it keeps blowing leads in the 8th inning. The Phillies won't be going anywhere unless the bullpen straightens itself out.

The Phillies also missed a chance to move into a tie for first with the idle Mets. They are now a full game back.

Singing update: For some reason Jim McMahon sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" tonight instead of Gary Matthews. Sarge will be featured tomorrow afternoon. Yes, after killing me with late games every day this week, the Friday game will be played at 2:20 p.m.

Josh Beckett: The Red Sox starter is going to have his elbow examined tomorrow by Dr. James Andrews in Alabama. Dr. Andrews, I just learned, is a specialist in Tommy John surgery. Uh-oh.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox relief pitchers are experiencing the same bad mojo as the Phils. Boston lost the game in the 9th on a walk-off single by Jason Giambi. Yankees 3, Red Sox 2.

The Rays won, putting the Red Sox at 4.5 games out. Their Wild Card lead is two games.

So why exactly did we buy season tix?

I'm cynical when players argue calls that go against them, but I've never seen a left fielder run to the infield to argue a home run call. But Pat Burrell did just that after umpire Adrian Johnson ruled Mark DeRosa's poke in the sixth inning fair, giving the Cubs a 4-2 lead. The replay on Baseball Tonight showed the ball was definitely foul.

The game seemed over. Even when the Phillies trailed by only one run today, it felt like seven for some reason. I can't decide whether they were flat or whether the cold day made them seem so. But the Phillies finally made a game of it, taking the lead with three in the bottom of the sixth. Unfortunately, Christine had to miss much of the rally to dry off after a drunk sitting behind us dropped his beer bottle on her. He was all excited that 10 people, two sections over, were starting a wave. People suck.

The Phillies gave the lead back in the eighth when Jimy Williams (Charlie Manuel was ejected in the sixth arguing the home run call) decided to stick with the book that says Tom Gordon starts the eighth inning, not the better pitcher, J.C. Romero. Flash struck out Kosuke Fukudome and then reverted to his awful self, giving up two singles.


Williams suddenly remembered he had Romero. J.C.'s quite adept at pitching out of self-inflicted jams but couldn't pitch out of Gordon's today. Pinch-hitter Geovany Soto (Christine's pick for NL Rookie of the Year) hit a dying quail just out of Chase Utley's reach. The game stayed tied until the 10th,when pinch hitter Carlos Zambrano (yup, Lou Piniella depleted his bench by the eighth inning) grounded into a surefire double-play, but Utley couldn't turn it and threw the ball into the Phillies dugout.

Overheard in the stands: One nimrod blaming Eric Bruntlett for that throw; another blaming Howard, who was getting ripped unmercifully by the fans every time he touched the ball. Don't let the facts get in the way of preconceived notions.

Observations from the stands: The maligned Bruntlett had a good day, going 3-5 with a homer. You probably won't see this on the highlights, but Burrell made a good catch in foul territory to end the ninth with a man on. Chris Snelling made his Phillies debut, popping out to third on a towering fly.

Lineup change: Today's lead-off batter was Geoff Jenkins. Usually when we walk by the wall where they post the day's lineup, I happen to look up. Today I didn't, even though everyone was wondering who Cholly would bat lead off without Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino. When was the last time "Rollins" didn't appear atop my scorecard?

Losing streak: Counting playoff and exhibition games, the Phillies are in a three-game losing streak when we attend. We don't think we've seen three straight losses ever. They better break it next Sunday night against the Mets. And Daisuke Matsuzaka better dominate tonight against the Yankees.

Last night's notes: We left the house at 5 last night but saw five innings in what seemed to be the quickest Yankees-Red Sox game ever, until rain hit. Good job by Josh Beckett, Manny Ramirez and Jonathan Papelbon. And when our party ended, the Phillies game was still in the eighth, so we bought drinks and watched the end in a bar in Philly.

[Photo credit: Christine {Please excuse the blur. These are zoomed in from the 400 level.}]

Rainy memory

Something occurred to me as I mowed the lawn in the rain today. We're going to our first regular season game tomorrow; it's against the Cubs and it could rain. That combination will always conjure a memory for me.

Last May, Christine's co-worker had tickets he couldn't use so we went to a Saturday afternoon game we hadn't planned to attend. It was a pretty good game: Freddy Garcia actually lasted six-plus innings. Although he and Geoff Geary blew up and gave up six runs in the seventh, the Phillies came right back with six of their own to retake the lead in the bottom of the inning. Brett Myers pitched two innings in a non-save situation in what was a turning point toward him being a dominant reliever.

But for us, an off-field incident will always stick out. There was a rain delay that lasted more than an hour. We sat through it, and the place emptied out for the end of the game.

In the ninth inning, as the rain was pouring down again, Aramis Ramirez fouled one back all the way up to our section. In our row. Since there was no one else left in the row at this point, I ran down the row and dove, coming up banged and bruised but with a game ball. Unfortunately, a kid was a few seats and rows away. He wasn't a cute little kid - more like a teen and he was nowhere near the ball. But that didn't stop a drunk in the section from suggesting the ball belonged to the "kid." I wussed out and gave the ball away. {I tease Greg about this, but he definitely made the right decision. We didn't need a fight over a ball.}

I'm still kicking myself for that. It would have been the second ball I ever got at a park - the first in regulation. In the early '90s, I brought my glove to batting practice at Yankee Stadium. I was there real early, camped in the right field corner. Someone hit a lofting fly right to me. I camped under it, but someone jumped over me and snagged it. Determined, I moved up to the wall and soon a ball was roped there. I reached across a bunch of kids (none of them had gloves and had no chance at it) and wound up with the ball.

Later, I had Pat Kelly sign the memento while I interviewed him for my high school paper when he was signing autographs at a local mall. I wore my Red Sox windbreaker and used my Red Sox pen.

Tonight's games: Christine and I are heading to the city for a party tonight. I know we have to miss the end of the first nationally televised Yankees-Red Sox game and probably all of the Cubs-Phillies game, so we probably won't update until after Sunday's game.