The end of the line for a legend

I read the news with my own eyes, but I could not believe it. The Washington Nationals released Eric Bruntlett.

Funny, when we were wondering what the Phillies would do to replace Jimmy Rollins, I thought they might make a play for the guy who turned an unassisted triple play and scored the clinching run in the last game of the 2008 World Series. It's too bad the Nats didn't give him the boot before J-Roll was just about ready to come back.

Of course, the bearded Bruntlett isn't the only legend saying goodbye today. After 22 years, Ken Griffey Jr., The Kid, who is now 40 years old, has retired. He's neither Sox nor Phil, but I'm sad. It's a bit of my childhood gone. I'll never forget opening a pack of the debut edition of Upper Deck and getting the prized first card of the set. Upper Deck was a little pricey, even in 1989. I didn't buy many packs, and I wasn't expecting to get that trophy.

In other news, before we completely turn the page on May, Big Papi can take a bow for winning AL player of the month. He is joined by teammate Jon Lester, AL pitcher of the month.

Today's games: The Phillies were nice enough to play in the afternoon so that we didn't have to watch them lose 2-1 to the Braves, which completed the sweep and opened a 2.5-game lead over the Phormerly Phightin' Phils.

In 6.2 innings, Daisuke Matsuzaka gave up 10 hits, but incredibly didn't walk anybody. In the 7th, Red Sox 4, A's 3. Mr. May hit a two-run homer and a double.

The Flyers and the Blackhawks are tied 1-1 in the 2nd period.

Travesty: A bad call by umpire Jim Joyce cost Armando Galarraga of the Tigers a perfect game. I'm in shock. Former Phillies prospect Jason Donald was credited with the hit.

[Photo credit: Hollywoodcollectibles.com]

Random thoughts halfway through Christmas vacation

While I'm waiting for paint to dry (we decided at the last minute to paint the bathroom), I figured I would take the opportunity to catch up on some of the tidbits I've been meaning to mention during our week off. Besides, there are only so many times that I can write about some random program I've had lying around for decades or the fact that Jason Bay will be playing for the Siberia Mets.

--Eric Bruntlett, who went from a throw-in to the Brad Lidge trade, to a defensive specialist, to World Series hero, to author of an unassisted triple play, has signed a minor-league contract with the Washington Nationals. How does someone go from being the utility guy on the league's best team to hanging around with the Pete Orrs, Eddie Guardados and Jamie Burkes of the world just trying to make the roster of the league's worst team?

--Big jeers to Sports Illustrated. I know everyone tends to overrate the things we're most familiar with, but didn't Harry Kalas deserve more than one line when Sports Illustrated recapped the sports figures who died in 2009? At least Paul Hagen did him justice.

--A year or two ago, when I finished saving all my childhood sports memories from my parents' attic, Christine and I agreed to condense them all into a couple of plastic bins in the crawl space. Even though we have never had a drop of water in that area, we've been hesitant to store anything there.

This weekend, we learned that even our basement has its breaking point: two feet of snow washed away by a day's worth of pouring rain. It was a large puddle, but not a big deal. It touched one of the bins, but my extensive baseball card collection is safe. Christine is very relieved we didn't have to throw it out. {No, just disappointed. The water was so close and almost finished off the thousands of cards that Greg insists he must keep for no good reason.}

--Christine and I went to the art museum on Monday. We saw the Rocky statue from the car. We didn't run the steps because it was too cold.

--Speaking of which, it has been frickin' cold this week. Yesterday, the wind chill was 11 degrees. Today, I took down the Christmas lights, but wanted to come in after 15 minutes because my hands - even with gloves - were going numb. It's a perfect day to drive to Boston and watch an outdoor hockey game or football game or rock concert. Brrr. Somehow this story made me colder.

[Photo credit: MSNBC.com]

Ruben beats Theo; Ellsbury bests J-Roll

MLB.com announced today the fan-selected winners of a bunch of cheesy awards.

The Phillies won four categories; the Red Sox won one.

Two of the categories won by a Sox or Phil featured a head-to-head matchup between our teams. Jacoby Ellsbury beat Jimmy Rollins for defensive player of the year, while Ruben Amaro Jr. beat Theo Epstein for executive of the year. And this was before this week's big-time pitching acquisition. Clearly, John Lackey would have pushed Theo over the top.

The other This Year in Baseball Award winners were Jayson Werth for unsung hero (Christine says they're a year late on this one), J.A. Happ for rookie of the year, and the little girl who threw the foul ball her father caught back on the field won for oddity of the year.

Christine was surprised that Eric Bruntlett didn't win anything for his unassisted triple play, but the former Phillie was beat out by potential Phil DeWayne Wise for his great catch that preserved Mark Buehrle's perfect game.

Oh, there's one more meaningless award, this one from the masters of the obvious at the Boston Chapter of the Baseball Writers of America. Jon Lester was the best pitcher on the Red Sox last year.

Cliff Lee speaks: He's not happy:

"Disbelief. Shock. Initially I was disappointed," Lee said when asked to expound on his emotions. "Obviously, it was great being part of a team that went to the World Series for the second year in a row and I was looking forward to trying for a third. That's a great group of guys. I enjoyed every second I was there. Now I'm in Seattle and I have to make the best of it."

Good luck, but just please don't make the best of it during the one or two starts you face the Red Sox.

News!

Last night, hours after I suggested that the Phillies beat writers have been neglecting their blogs, Todd Zolecki posted an update on Phillies prospects in fall and winter ball. He must read our blog.

The rest of the pack followed him today with news that Ryan Howard finished 3rd in MVP voting - Chase Utley, Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino also got votes - and that the Phillies will sign Ramon Castro to replace Eric Bruntlett.

Why? He's 37, and he can't hit. Basically, he's Eric Bruntlett in six years. I have no problem jettisoning the guy who turned an unassisted triple play, but I don't understand doing so just to bring in an equally crappy player.

David Murphy tries to explain it:

For an idea of how slim the pickings are in that department, consider Omar Vizquel, another veteran short stop who was a free agent. Over his last two seasons, Vizquel's numbers aren't a whole lot different than Castro's. Castro hit .227 with a .569 OPS in 298 plate appearances for the Reds, Orioles and Dodgers. Vizquel hit .239 with a .594 OPS in 595 plate appearances for the Giants and Rangers. Vizquel recently signed a one year deal with the White Sox for a reported $1.375 million, which is nearly double the $700,000 that Castro earned with the Dodgers last season.

Last year, manager Charlie Manuel said he would love to have a bench player who might fill in for Chase Utley without presenting much of an offensive drop off. Castro would not seem to be that player, but I don't think the Phillies are looking at him as such.Keep in mind that two candidates to replace Pedro Feliz at third base are Placido Polanco and Mark DeRosa, both of whom have played extensively at second base. And while the Phillies do not view Greg Dobbs as an everyday third baseman, they do contend - at least publicly - that they are comfortable starting him there occasionally. Last year, Dobbs hit .309 with a .829 OPS in the 28 games in which he started.

OK, so maybe this makes sense if they sign a second baseman to play third. No, that really doesn't make much sense either.

At least Castro's agent, Oscar Suarez, is good at the spin:

"Who doesn't like the Phillies as an organization?" Suarez said. "You want to win. And who doesn't like Juan Castro? You want to have a superb utility man to back up the guys you have up the middle. We're trying to put this thing together. I think we're going to get it done."

He's even benching Jimmy Rollins:

"If you look at the Phillies, they have a hell of an organization," Suarez said. "And they probably need a guy who can play shortstop if Jimmy Rollins needs a day off or he gets thrown out of a game or he needs a break at the end of a game. It makes a lot of sense. When you're a veteran player you want to win. That's why he is enjoying the Dodgers. The last two years for the Phillies speak for itself."

I know, way too much thought for a backup infielder on a team that has won the last two NL pennants.

Huge news

After several days devoid of any good SoxandPhils news, the incredible has happened: The Inquirer's beat writer, Andy Martino, has updated his blog. Yes, after 10 days the idle blog is no more.

Of course, it took something momentous to rouse the sleeping writer. The big news? As Todd Zolecki reported before Martino, J.A. Happ didn't win Rookie of the Year. As I predicted, the award went to a Marlins outfielder. OK, I had Cameron Maybin, not Chris Coghlan, the winner. I can't complain with the choice, but Christine will, especially because I told her in the preseason that Pablo Sandoval would still qualify as a rookie this year. I apologize again.

Of more pressing concern, one of the most vital members of the 2008 World Champions will not be back. There wasn't a blockbuster trade involving Cole Hamels or Brad Lidge, but Eric Bruntlett has been removed from the 40-man roster. We'll always fondly recall how the utility infielder just sort of became Pat Burrell's late-inning defensive outfield replacement last year.

We'll never forget his unassisted triple play against the Mets this season or his unlikely heroic moments during last year's playoffs - including scoring the last run that cinched the championship.

"Everyone hammers him, but he's one of my all-time favorite scrubby Phillies," Christine said. "He was scrubby, but I'll remember him in a good way."

Christine is also saddened that Tyler Walker is not going to be back.

"I just want to know what happened with him," Christine said. We thought he was one of the Phillies more effective relievers and can't figure out why he wasn't on the playoff roster or why he's getting the boot.

Oh well, tomorrow Jon Lester will get the first of what will be many Cy Young awards. I know, it's Zack Greinke's award, but it's all Lester in 2010.

Gift wrapped

Today was a day when the drama on the field seemed too-well scripted for the scribes in search of an angle.

Here's our account:

Christine and I had to run quickly to a store this afternoon.

"What's your prediction?" Christine asked.

"You win, but Pedro pitches poorly. Yours?"

"Pedro pitches into the 7th."

After leaving the store, we were surprised to hear that the game was still in the first inning. Even better was when the announcers said that Pedro Martinez could bat before taking the mound against his old team. Things kept looking up as Carlos Ruiz homered (the second three-run blast of the inning) and then when Oliver Perez was yanked (in the middle of an at-bat!) after throwing three straight balls to Pedro.

We hit some red lights and heard Pedro give up an inside-the-park home run to Angel Pagan on a ball that was stuck in the wall but not ruled dead.

The Phillies scored three more, but never seemed to put the Mets away. Pedro was out of the game after the 6th.

Eric Bruntlett, playing because Chase Utley got a day off, had three hits. He had 11 coming into the game.

"Charlie Manuel's having one of his hunches by playing him today," Christine said.

Bruntlett seemed poised for another hit when, in the 9th with the Phillies up 9-6, he hit a ball to right. It was initially ruled a trap by Jeff Francoeur and a triple for Bruntlett. But upon review, perhaps with illegal assistance from the replay on the scoreboard, the umpires ruled it a clean catch. Charlie Manuel was ejected arguing the call, and the game remained a save situation for Brad Lidge, who actually converted one cleanly the night before.

It started ugly. Ryan Howard couldn't handle a grounder by Pagan, who wound up on third. Luis Castillo then hit one to second, which was booted by Bruntlett, allowing the run to score. Then, Daniel Murphy hit a smash up the middle that was ruled a hit, but could have been handled been Bruntlett.

"Charlie's hunch, huh?" I said sarcastically.

"I totally absolve Lidge of this one," Christine said, expecting another bright blown save for Lights Out.

Francoeur (remember him from the trap?) was up. Smash up the middle that seemed destined to be another blow for Lidge, but Bruntlett snared it, touched second and tagged Murphy, who had been running with the pitch. I couldn't decide whose jaw was more agape: Francoeur's or Christine's.

We're still in shock.

That's just the 15th unassisted triple play in baseball history and just the second to end a game. There's already some confusion about that last bit of trivia, but the Pirates lost the 1925 game in which Glenn Wright turned the trick in the 9th inning.

So, in a nutshell, my prediction was correct. Christine redeemed herself with the Bruntlett prediction. Pedro is 2-0 but hasn't pitched well. Ollie P's last two starts against the Phillies have been classic meltdowns. The Phillies still own the Mets. And I'm predicting that this freaky 9th inning will be what jolts Lidge out of his season-long slump.

Ace high: We'll take a breath before two behemoths, CC Sabathia (physically) and Josh Beckett (ability), battle tonight. It's their first matchup since Beckett turned the tables on the Indians in the 2007 ALCS. Tonight's winner could get a huge boost to their Cy Young chances. Hopefully, it's a 5-0 win by Beckett that's done by 10:20 p.m. Yeah, right!

Scenic and scoreboard sights

As we watch Pedro Martinez officially become a SoxandPhil, we'll write about some of the outtakes from Sunday's game.

To the left is the back of the digital sign outside Citizens Bank Park. It needs a fresh coat of paint.

It's bad enough that this sign blocks an otherwise picturesque view of Center City, but it's downright embarrassing to have the World Champions' logo faded in front of the city's prime real estate.

I think they can can afford a couple cans of paint - especially with the money they're saving by sending Jamie Moyer to the bullpen.

We all know how ugly Sunday's game got after Shane Victorino's infamous ejection in the 7th inning. We got the sense that the scoreboard operators were purposely trying to soothe whomever was left in the stands.

We'd never seen Bongo Cam before. They played a surprisingly effectively calming island rhythm, and fans pretended to beat along.

Other than the half-naked old man, it was the only thing that distracted the fans from the mess on the field.

And Bongo Cam had several extended solos to give plenty of time for Renyel Pinto, who was replacing an injured pitcher, to warm up.

To the left is one of Christine's favorite scoreboard distractions. She likes the frog that seems to jump out of the Phillies' heads during the innings sponsored by the Philadelphia Zoo.

We can't decide whether Eric Bruntlett is terrified or disgusted by the little green critter.

Maybe that explains his poor season: He's afraid that if he hits the ball, an amphibian will suddenly appear.

Finally, I just liked this picture Christine snapped. If you look, it's a picture of the scoreboard showing a ball hit to left field during the Alumni Batting Challenge, so it's a picture of a scoreboard, in a scoreboard, in a scoreboard, in a scoreboard, etc.

Today's games: Pedro's pitches look sharp despite a mediocre start. He's faced 13 through three innings, giving up a run on four hits with four strikeouts. He's thrown 55 pitches. In the 4th, Phillies 8, Cubs 1.

Josh Beckett took a no-hitter into the 5th before giving up a home run to Carlos Guillen. Get ready to see Jason Bay and Mike Lowell on Bubba Burger's Who's Hot list. They each homered again. In the 7th, Red Sox 8, Tigers 1.

OK, I'll jinx it. Our teams are back on track to collide in October.

Five-game World Series starts Saturday

Good news: We're going to a World Series game! Eric Bruntlett hit a home run moments after I questioned why Charlie Manuel would purposely put him anywhere near a bat. Carlos Ruiz looked like a hitter, and Ryan Howard may have snapped out of his funk. And despite a batch of bad umpiring that seemed tilted heavily against the Phillies, they managed to stay in the game despite the 4-2 loss to the Rays in Game 2.

Bad news: Jayson Werth's error in the 1st probably led to two early runs. It would have been a completely different game if he fielded the single cleanly. Even with Werth's error, Brett Myers hung in there and had a decent outing. Despite nine hits and four walks, the offense still isn't clicking - 11 men left on base.

So we head back to Philadelphia all tied up. I would have signed up for a split in Tampa coming into the series. A win tonight probably would have pretty much ended the Rays' hope, but it's now a five-game set and the Phillies have home-field advantage.

More bad news: Christine handled herself well in Game 1, but tonight it was back to the whining sky-is-falling demeanor she usually employs for Phillies playoff games.

Much needed off day (for us) tomorrow.

[Photo credit: Associated Press]

When will it end??

We love how Charlie Manuel can burn through his bench players early in the game. So imagine my delight when Carlos Ruiz ended up playing third base in the top of the 9th, so that Cholly could save his last extra man, Eric Bruntlett, to use as a pinch hitter, if needed, in the bottom half of the inning. Thankfully, Brad Lidge pitched a 1-2-3 inning, with no balls being hit to Ruiz.

Bottom half of the inning, with two outs and Jayson Werth on first, Bruntlett was needed and smacked in the tying run.

And that's where we still stand. Philles 7, Mets 7. In the 13th inning. Almost all players from both teams have been used. I can't even begin to recap this marathon: the huge comeback, all the hits, all the men left on base, the great defense, the poor starting pitching. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to leave this entry incomplete, as I'm struggling just to stay up and watch the game, let alone write about it. Phils are coming to bat now at 12:16 a.m. Let's win this now.

12:30 a.m. update: Phils win! First place! Chris Coste finally put this one to bed, 8-7 final. Sorry, it would take hours to break down this game, and I won't ever attempt to do it. If you missed it - Greg - you're just out of luck. Todd Zolecki has a nice roundup of all the craziness.

(Small note: Very annoying that Tom McCarthy kept talking about Aaron Heilman's history "here at Shea Stadium." Your true colors are showing, T-Mac.)

Red Sox: I can offer no insights into this game. They beat the Yankees 7-3. Tim Wakefield earned the win in his return from the DL, and Jonathan Papelbon picked up a save. The fantasy team thanks you for your efforts, Papelbon.

In off-the-field news, the Sox picked up Mark Kotsay from the Braves, pending a physical, to fill in for the injured J.D. Drew.

A new all-American hero

Big Papi is now Big Daddy, as he became an American citizen today. He didn't make a presidential endorsement. And because he's hurt, David Ortiz didn't get to run on the field with a little American flag, as Manny Ramirez did in 2004.

Also unclear is which Red Sox will be next to pledge allegiance - Daisuke Matsuzaka or Hideki Okajima.

The Red Sox celebrated with a 6-3 win over the Orioles, fetching career win No. 150 for Bartolo Colon. (Didn't he just pitch?)

Things weren't so cheery for the Phillies. Cole Hamels had a strong start - two runs in 8 innings with 12 strikeouts - but his mates abandoned him and trailed 2-1 in the 9th. Erik Bruntlett, on second after pinch-running for Greg Dobbs and a walk by Jimmy Rollins, stole third. Shane Victorino struck out. Bruntlett scored when Chase Utley grounded to short and the Marlins couldn't wrap up the double play.

So the Phillies would have to wait until the 10th to get the lead - just a matter of Tom Gordon in the 9th. Oops. Grand slam, Dan Uggla. Welcome back, Flash. Your ERA is back in the 5's for the first time in more than a month. The Phightin's are now 0-2 since the national media hopped on the bandwagon.

Sox-Phils interleague history, 2003: This is the year things started to get really good between our teams, as they kept swinging haymakers at each other and the Phillies taking the home series 2-1. The series started in June and ended in September.

With a Friday night rainout, Saturday became the first game - the infamous Todd Pratt walk-off homer off of Rudy Seanez (then a Red Sox). Great starts by Randy Wolf and Pedro Martinez yielded a 2-1 Red Sox edge after 7 innings. The Phillies tied it, and the score remained 2-2 into the 12th, when each team swapped runs. In the 13th, the Red Sox scored two runs after the first two men struck out. Jose Mesa, the eventual winner, was pitching. In the bottom of the inning, the Phillies rallied to score three, capped by Pratt's two-run homer. (I kept a pretty good scorecard, but don't know what would have happened if the game went on three more innings.)

We didn't buy tickets to Sunday's game because I worked Sundays at the time. We missed a 5-0 shutout by young Brett Myers. Recently acquired Byung-Hyun Kim didn't fare so well.

The make-up finale was played on Labor Day. It was a Mike Schmidt bobblehead giveaway, which was also postponed from the earlier game. {Schmidt's bat has since been broken on our display model, but we have one unopened in its original box. It'll be our big moneymaker some day.}

Christine couldn't come because she was visiting her newborn niece in Texas. She missed a doozy. It was a great back-and-forth game - Phillies lead 4-0 after two; Red Sox tied it in the 3rd. In the 4th, the Red Sox scored one, the Phillies scored two. After the 8th, the Phillies increased their lead to 9-7 and handed the ball to Mesa to save it. The Red Sox bled in the tying runs off Mesa and Turk Wendell before a Trot Nixon grand slam pretty much ended it. Even Kim, now relieving again, couldn't blow this lead. (He was already in the game and got the win.)

It took forever to get home because without Christine co-piloting, I got lost in Philadelphia. I'm geographically challenged, and somehow this season I've finally learned how to get to and from the park without Christine's help. {Considering that the ballpark is right over the Walt Whitman bridge, this really isn't a huge challenge. But I'm glad Greg has finally learned his way.}

[Photo credit of Papi: Boston Globe]

What a day

From South Jersey to North Jersey for a noon Communion, to Philadelphia for the finale of the Mets-Phillies series, and back home for a few hours sleep before work. We had a long Sunday. Here are the details:

5:24 a.m. - I wake. I want to get up and go for a walk, but I had promised Christine I wouldn't. I roll over and accidentally kick her. It's not going to be a good day.

5:57 - I wake up again, relieved because I didn't think I'd fall back asleep. My mind doesn't properly compute the time and I think it's 7, not 6. Back to bed for another hour.

6:57 - I finally wake up for real. Do my morning sit-ups. Christine wakes up. We have bagels, pack up in case we don't have time to come home and change, and are out the door at 10:04.



11:37 - We arrive at the church; mass starts at noon.

12:15 p.m. - Christine remembers why we worship at the church of baseball. Services drag more than a Red Sox-Yankees game.

12:29 - During the part of mass where we're supposed to pray for specific dead or sick people, I pray for Adam Eaton. Immediately, I realize I should have prayed for Jimmy Rollins.

1:13 - Church ends. Picture-taking ends at 1:35, and we arrive at the restaurant 15 minutes later after getting some bad directions.

4:00 - We leave the party so we can stop at home to get changed before the game.

4:47 - While listening to the Yankees game, the announcers mention Alex Rodriguez's injury - another victim of the 2007 MVP jinx. And we don't even know yet that J-Roll was DL'd.

5:57 - We get home, change and are out the door at 6:18. Three minutes later, Christine says we're going to switch our ballpark seats because of last week's beer incident. We park at 6:44.

7:01 - Inside the stadium, a squirrel runs in front of us and under a sausage stand. We've never seen a squirrel in Citizens Bank Park before. Three minutes later, while buying a scorecard, I notice they sell Red Sox yearbooks. I buy one to match the 2005 championship edition.

7:58 - Mets fans boo a Richie Ashburn tribute; I don't think even Yankee fans are that classless. Minutes later, they refrain from booing during a moment of silence for John Marzano.

8:15 - Drunk guy from last week feigns an apology; turns out he dropped something again (his ticket) and needs me to get it from under my seat.

8:26 - Chase Utley homers, giving hope that we may actually see a win.

8:46 - Big cheer when they display the score from the 76ers surprise comeback win against the Pistons. (I don't understand why they don't post running scores in the park when baseball games coincide with playoff hockey and basketball.)

8:50 - Mets fans do the Jose soccer chant for Jose Reyes; Phillies fans tauntingly sing it back after he flies out.

9:25 - Kyle Kendrick appears on the big board wishing a happy birthday to all.

9:45 - Utley homers again, giving the Phillies a 4-0 lead, which seems like it may be enough.



9:53 - Mets fans do the Jose chant again; Phils fans can only boo in response after he triples.

9:55 - A cute little kid who spent the game looking through a pack of baseball cards taps me on the shoulder. "Are you a Mets fan?" he asks. "No," I reply to his satisfaction.

10:00 - The prayer didn't work. Eaton is removed without retiring a batter in the sixth. Game is tied by inning's end.

10:13 - We don't know J-Roll or Chris Snelling was DL'd before the game. We add to the chorus of "Who?" when T.J. Bohn is announced as a pinch hitter.

10:37 - Pedro Feliz hits a pinch-hit homer, seconds after Christine cringes that he's in the game. She apologizes.



10:47 - Charlie Manuel does his usual move of pinch-running So Taguchi for Pat Burrell in the 7th inning. Only problem, he waits a whole at-bat before making the move. It's like he's teasing us that he may actually leave Burrell in.

10:59 - So Taguchi misplays a single into a double for Raul Casanova. And Burrell would have botched it worse, how?

11:23 - After a little scare, Brad Lidge ends the game with a great (lucky) play by Eric Bruntlett. The ump hesitates, almost teasing the crowd before calling Carlos Beltran out. Guy in my row starts yelling at me that Bruntlett's the MVP. The play is the Web gem of the night, we later learn.

12:57 - In bed and lights out.

Random notes from the stands: Eaton led off the bottom of the 3rd with a walk. Werth grounded into a fielder's choice that could have been a double play if not for Eaton's hard slide into second. It didn't lead to any runs, but it was good, hard base running by a pitcher. ... Ryan Howard actually made some nice plays in the field. ... A kid in front of us had a sign - the back said "Mets suck," but we never got to see the front. He also wore a mask and gloves to look like a skeleton. He kept putting them on and off all night. We called him Skeletor. ... It was painfully cold and windy again.

Day's stats:
-235 miles driven
-5 hours in the car
-1.5 hours in church
-4 hours in the ballpark
-2 wins, 1 each from Red Sox and Phillies
-2 tired SoxandPhils contributors

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.}]

Blech.

The Phillies game sounded awful. We're glad we didn't have to watch. I guess they're no longer in the Mets' heads. At least Christine's jinx theory is over, and she doesn't have to worry about not watching any important games this year.

Not to be outdone, the Red Sox blew a lead and gave the Tigers their first win of the year. They almost came back in the ninth, but almost counts for nothing.

Oh, and Mike Lowell left the game with an injury, so both SoxandPhils who won an MVP last year are now day-to-day. Larry Andersen said the Mets fans were cheering Jimmy Rollins' replacement, Eric Bruntlett, who had a very un-MVP-like two errors in a terrible third inning.