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.

Ah, the reassuring sounds of spring agita

It has been almost too serene at SoxandPhils camps this spring. But today, news broke that Jonathan Papelbon piped up about Manny Ramirez in Esquire, calling him a clubhouse cancer that had to be removed last year:

"It takes 25 guys on a team to win, not 24, and that was blatantly obvious," Papelbon said today after the club's workout. "It doesn't matter who you are -- you could be Babe Ruth -- if you're not in that same cubbyhole with the rest of the guys going to war with you, you're all going to die. That almost happened."

I like the rhetoric, but why now? I would have loved it if Papelbon had said this last summer, but now it's just odd and creating an unnecessary diversion.

I, unfortunately, have to agree with Manny: "I've already moved on with my life. Like I said, I wish everybody the best. I'm in LA now."

And one other thing. I'm usually not overly PC, but I would hope Papelbon would reconsider using his use of the word cancer. Jon Lester had cancer. The team had a petulant prima donna who brought down morale.

Please, no more about Manny unless we have a rematch of last year's NLCS.

Wall of Fame: The Phillies announced their Wall of Fame nominees. There are several candidates more qualified than Juan Samuel, who was last year's inductee:

Pitchers Jack Baldschun, Ricky Bottalico, Larry Christenson, Gene Garber, Jim Konstanty and Rick Wise; catcher Darren Daulton; infielders John Kruk and Fred Luderus; outfielders Lenny Dykstra, Doug Glanville, Greg Gross, Von Hayes and Roy Thomas; manager Jim Fregosi.

Scott Lauber is not endorsing a candidate, but I will. My write-in endorsement goes to Ken Ryan. My other two votes will go to John Kruk and Doug Glanville.

{Ricky Bo? The only award he gets is the "What the hell is he doing on this list?" award. I want to vote for Dykstra; I know he's tainted, but he embodied the '93 team. Same for Daulton; not all there now, but he was the leader. I would also accept Kruk and be happy with Glanville, just because he seems like a genuinely good guy. But I will go with Dykstra and Daulton, but my dark horse will win it - Von Hayes. The fans are in a good mood and have seemed willing to forgive for the past, so it's his year.}

Juan Samuel? Really??

Lost in the craziness of the Sox-Phils series was the announcement that Juan Milton Samuel will be enshrined on the Phillies Wall of Fame. As someone who studied the backs of baseball cards in the 1980s more closely than his school books, I know Samuel was a good player, although not, as the sponsor of his Baseball-Reference page claims, "quite simply, the greatest baseball player in the history of the world."

I didn't follow the Phillies back then, but I admired his combination of speed and power, racking up double digits in all categories. But I know enough about Philly to know that he is not the most deserving Phillie - Lenny Dykstra, Darren Daulton and John Kruk are the obvious ones. And unlike Samuel, they contributed to a Phillies postseason.

A fan vote narrowed the choices for wall nominee to Daulton, Dykstra, Kruk, Samuel and Greg Gross. Then, a committee of media and Phillies executives chose Samuel to be inducted.

I'm not sure how Gross even ended up in the mix. I understand the arguments against choosing Dykstra (links to steroids and other issues) and Daulton (his philosophical musings); as for Kruk, maybe they're unhappy that he bailed on his Phillies announcing and has become a national media figure. But I still don't get it. I'll be happy to cheer Juan's induction, but if the Phillies keep flying their '93 NL pennant, they should induct players from that squad.

Harper: I forgot to mention yesterday the little baseball fan seated behind his. His name was Harper, and he was attending his first game with his pop-pop, who provided running commentary for his grandson. It was very cute and wholesome. And the next time the media or populous want to bemoan baseball, they should sit in the park and take in nine innings with little Harper and his cap and pack of Red Sox playing cards.

[Image: Baseball Reference Bullpen]