SoxandPhils stories

I did a double take this morning when I saw this picture. It is a fairly unremarkable picture from a dominant 11-0 win that gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead over the Dodgers in the NLCS.

What made me pause is that it was not from a Philadelphia Web site. It was from the Boston Globe's lead baseball story. I like the Phillies, but kind of depressing that they're getting top billing in Boston.

It wasn't the only story in the news with SoxandPhils connections.

The Jayson Werth castoff to All-Star story is well-known. The Los Angeles Times has a story that illustrates how far he had to come, or just how stupid former Red Sox and Dodger manager Grady Little was:

Grady Little understood the question.

He just didn't recognize the name.

"Who?" asked Little, then the Dodgers manager, in August 2006 after a reporter inquired about the status of Jayson Werth.

It was a clear indication of how the outfielder -- sidelined for the entire season by a nagging wrist injury -- figured into the Dodgers' long-term plans.

That is to say, he didn't.

Ah, it's been fun this week remembering the Grady Little era. No, it hasn't.

Speaking of Grady Gump, his moment of infamy (yes, I'm still bitter) was replayed on MLB Network this week. Joe Torre kept it on in the Dodgers clubhouse, but ball-stealing Doug Mientkiewicz represented the next day when the network aired the 2004 ALCS:

"Turnabout is fair play," Torre said with a laugh. Torre was asked if he watched replays of games he managed in previous years. "I do when I know the result is good," he said. "Do you think I'm crazy?"

I won't answer that.

Uh-oh: Forget the Steve Sax stuff - Mitch Williams says Chase Utley is injured.

Today's games: And never mind the Empire rising stuff. Angels aren't done yet, winning 5-4 in 11 innings.

Ryan Howard belted a two-run homer in the 1st right after TBS noted that Randy Wolf gave up only one home run to a lefty all year. Joe Blanton started out well, but the Dodgers rallied. The Phillies are trying to mount a comeback, but still trail 4-3 in the 7th.

I could have sworn in the 6th inning I saw someone in the crowd wearing a "Henderson 31" jersey. Ramon Henderson, really?

Look back at 2008: We're skipping this feature tonight on account that I posted what should have been today's recap yesterday. Oops. And, as Christine noted, I missed out on posting the Red Sox win to force Game 7. Oh well.

[Photo Credit: Associated Press]

Other than the rain, great game

I imagine the Phillies will soon begin pestering us to renew our season tickets. Perhaps they should offer better weather as part of the deal. Once again, we spent a Sunday afternoon in the bowels of Citizens Bank Park waiting for a downpour to end. The start of the game was delayed by 1 hour, 45 minutes. It washed out the pregame event: the Phillies Alumni Batting Challenge featuring Ricky Jordan, Ricky Bottalico, Milt Thompson, Mitch Williams, Ozzie Virgil and Tyler Green. The Phanatic was so eager to get things started, he helped the grounds crew roll up the tarp.

At least the game was a neat and tidy three hours as the Phillies wrapped up a series against the Pirates with a 6-3 win thanks to a clutch homer by Chase Utley, a typical Jamie Moyer outing and not-so-typical Jamie Moyer baserunning.

Christine and I sat apart today. Her Mom got a pair of tickets in the 203 section, so she sat with Christine in our usual seats while I sat with Joe Wolf's Vertical Jump in right field. See if you can spot us in this picture Christine took from 400 feet away. (Christine and I won't sit together for the Aug. 24 game either because I will be on a business trip.)

We did see a good game today. The Pirates struck first in the 2nd when former Red Sox Brandon Moss and Doug Mientkiewicz each doubled with two outs. The Phillies came back in the bottom of the third thanks to one of the craziest plays I've ever seen. Carlos Ruiz, who didn't make an out today, led off with a walk. Jamie Moyer bunted to move him into scoring position, but the pitcher, Jason Davis, threw the ball away trying to get Moyer out at first. Moyer kept running toward second, but collided with the umpire. He shoved the man in blue down and motored to second. Former Phillie RF Jason Michaels threw the ball away, allowing Moyer to go to third. The winded 45-year-old hustled home on a Jimmy Rollins sacrifice fly, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. Moyer then landed on the bench for a much deserved breather.

The game cruised until the 6th when Jason Michaels had a two-out, two-run double, giving the Pirates a 3-2 lead. But in the 7th, the Phillies finally had some extra base hits. Ruiz, for the third time of the day, got on to lead off an inning, this time a double. Greg Dobbs, who set the Phils' team record today for pinch hits in a season, doubled him in. J-Roll and Shane Victorino got out, but Utley homered, putting the Phils ahead 5-3. They scored a final run in the 8th without a hit as former Red Sox Craig Hansen walked three and threw two wild pitches.

Scott Eyre, making his Phillies debut, got the win with a perfect 1/3 of an inning to escape a Clay Condrey jam. Ryan Madson, the closer of the day because Brad Lidge has a sore shoulder, nailed it down.

Observations from the stands: Pat Burrell got a rare day off but had a pinch-walk in the 9th. ... Bill Dancy got the Phils' annual John Vukovich award. ... Four Harmony did the anthem; it was OK. ... Fomer Phillie Rod Barajas is one of baseball's hottest hitters; too bad Bubba Burger can't spell his name. Another former Phil, Marlon Byrd, also made the cut. ... Poor showing by the Phanatic today. Some Olympic-themed bit about a guy from Pittsburgh trying to break the world's weight-lifting record. The Phanatic pulled down his trunks and threw powder in his face. I dunno, not the furball's best effort. ... I took a break during the 7th-inning stretch, and the game broadcast was on in the bathroom. They talked about how Jason Davis was in line for his first win as a starter since 2005. Larry Andersen said, "He's in line for it, but he's not going to get it. Just a hunch." I was back in my seat in time to see his prediction come true.

Biggest cheers: The few times the sun decided to show up.

Biggest boos: The ball girl who misplayed a slow easy grounder. The left field "You suck Moss" chant that increased substantially after he dropped a fly ball.

Other game notes: There were five double plays: the Pirates turned three and the Phils turned two. ... Ryan Howard had a strange day in the field. He dropped a foul ball in the 1st. He turned a nifty 3-6-3 DP in the 4th (he hesitated before realizing he should get the lead runner before tagging first). And on a ground out in the 7th, he jumped off the bag to make sure he had the throw. He made the catch and quickly jumped back on the base. He made the correct call, but it was scary to watch. ... Jason Davis made a great play on his butt in the 4th on a comebacker hit by Eric Bruntlett.

Competitors: The Mets lost to the Marlins and trail by two. The Marlins are 2.5 out.

Red Sox: Couldn't really follow the score today because you can't see the large out-of-town scoreboard when you are sitting in the outfield. The Red Sox lost to the White Sox 6-5 thanks to another poor outing by Clay Buchholz. Tim Wakefield has some shoulder tightness and is heading to the DL; no word on who will start Tuesday.

Competitors: The Rays won their franchise-best 71st game. The Twins and Yankees lost. The Sox trail the Rays by 4.5 but lead the Twins by 1.5 games.

When Joe Blanton doesn't give up a run ...

THE PHILLIES SHOULD FRIGGIN' WIN!!!

What a disgrace. Joe Blanton went seven innings, giving up no runs, one hit and two walks. Usually, when you have a world-class offense, that means an easy win. No, the Phillies lost 2-0 in 12 innings. They're now scoreless in their last 23 innings.

Oh, and did I mention tonight's futility came against the Pirates? The Pirates. The team that gutted its roster at the trading deadline and is about to tie the Phillies franchise with most consecutive losing seasons.

Former Sox Doug Mientkiewicz had the first hit, Craig Hansen got the save, and Brandon Moss made an excellent diving catch and then doubled off Shane Victorino at first to end the game. Christine's not happy with me for saying this, but if the Phillies traded Pat Burrell for Manny Ramirez, those guys wouldn't be on the Pirates. And I bet Manny could have driven in at least one run tonight.

In a match-up of NL East teams that seem to understand there's a pennant race going on, the Mets beat the Marlins 3-0.

Not much better: The Red Sox lost to a Wild Card competitor, the White Sox, 5-3. That was Jon Lester's first loss since May 25, which was his first start after his no-hitter.

The Rays and Twins are winning; the Yankees are losing.

[Photo credit: Associated Press]

Backup catchers

Most members of a championship team will be fondly remembered. Doug Mirabelli will always hold a special spot in Red Sox lore. Yesterday, Art Martone, of the Providence Journal, put Doug's Red Sox career in perspective, essentially comparing him to Forrest Gump - right place, right time. And he had the ability to catch Tim Wakefield's knuckler before it rolled to the wall.

That's why we'll always remember him. When push comes to shove, Mirabelli isn't much different than any one of a number of guys who spent years backing up the Red Sox' starting catcher. Some of them, like the ones in the accompanying list (Bob Montgomery, John Marzano, Russ Nixon), you may remember. Others, like Matt Batts or Roy Partee or Moe Berg, you probably don't. (At least not for their ballplaying. Berg earned a whole other level of notoriety for his work as a scholar and a spy.) No rings for them. Two for Dougie. It's what separates him from Marzano, Partee and others of their ilk, like Johnnie Heving and Roxie Walters.

That radiated glory, coupled with the big knuckleball mitt and his talent at using it, led the Sox to value Mirabelli beyond his station.

Cue the famous Bob Ueker quote, "The way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until the ball stops rolling and then to pick it up."

Platitudes, of course, have been coming from teammates, including Curt Schilling, who offers a SoxandPhils-esque tribute on his blog:

In the 20 years since I was first called up to the big leagues I've played with exactly 2 players who's presence in the clubhouse carried onto the field. Darren Daulton in Philadelphia, and Doug Mirabelli here in Boston.

I'm surprised Jason Varitek wasn't mentioned.

Chris Coste, the Phillies backup catcher, also transcends his role, thanks to his storybook career that's about to hit bookstores. He did a Q&A with the fans through Todd Zolecki. Some of the nuggets: He prefers some tiger mascot in Mexico to the Phillie Phanatic; he doesn't mind that MLB '07: The Show gave him gray hair, as long as he has all his teeth; and he wants Matthew McConaughey to play him if his book, The 33-Year-Old Rookie, is turned into a movie.

And, we learn, that the euphoria felt when the Phils won last year will always have two sore points for Coste. Here's his account of catching that fateful last pitch:

Get rid of my gear. Get rid of my stuff. Try to get out to the mound as soon as possible. Unfortunately, in my slight delay, Pat Burrell, the slowest man in major-league baseball, beat me, the second-slowest man in major-league baseball, to the mound. As excited as I was, every time I see that highlight from here on out, I'm going to be embarrassed by the fact that, No. 1, I didn't keep the ball - go figure - and that Pat Burrell beat me to the mound.

Speaking of keeping balls, I forgot to mention that Doug Mientkiewicz had a good line earlier this month about Jonathan Papelbon saying his dog ate the ball that ended the 2007 World Series.

"Try using that one with the ball from the first World Series that broke an 86-year curse," Mientkiewicz told the Boston Globe. "If I had used that, that dog would have been strung up on a tree somewhere."

Antiquated Red Sox garb I

The other day I posted a picture of my Mo Vaughn T-shirt. To Christine's embarrassment, I still wear it and others of former Sox. {The embarrassment is not just over the players, but also the conditions of the shirts.}

I don't care that many, like this guy, criticize people like me who continue to wear outdated garb. Why should I black out a portion of history just because a player moved on?

Though I must admit, I do chuckle when I spot someone wearing an old Jim Eisenreich or Ricky Bottalico shirt in the park.

In this light, I will occasionally highlight a shirt that I still wear featuring a former Sox.

The first one is Nomar. It's amazing how ambivalent I have become to Mr. Hamm. He was the guy during his years in Boston. Some had argued he was reaching Ted Williams, Larry Bird or Bobby Orr status. He was amazing to watch, underrated in the discussions of the big three shortstops (Nomar/Slappy/Jeter), and although he couldn't lift the team over the hump in the playoffs, he truly seemed to care.

Until 2004.

His moping and declining defense were a drag on the team, and Nomar became an impediment for a championship. When he was dealt, I was in shock. Mostly because all we got for him was Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz. And we even had to kick in a mid-grade prospect.

But in the end, Theo was right, and the deal was about trading for a championship, not getting value equal to what Nomar used to be.

Funny, Christine and I used to argue about who was better: Nomar or Scotty Rolen - the 1997 Rookies of the Year who seemed to have a shot at the Hall of Fame. Funny, we were both wrong.

Beat writer update:

Phillies' writer
Q I hear that the Daily News is looking for a Phillies writer. What's going on?
Bill , Secane 01/22/08

A The paper just hired Dave Murphy out of the St. Pete Times. He lived as a teen in Doylestown and went to La Salle. The People Paper was in a pickle. At the end of last season, Marcus Hayes begged off the beat after six years. Then, Steve King got the job. But King is leaving the paper for personal reasons and is moving away. I hear that Murphy will not even come north before spring training.
Michael Klein