Monkey see, monkey do

So Dustin Pedroia is back at it, not only taking grounders from his knees, but having a catch while sitting on a stool. Again, I love the spirit and the fact that he's at least following doctor's orders to stay off his feet, but I'm not going to be happy when he injuries himself again because of his unconventional rehab.

Chase Utley, meanwhile, is not going to be outdone by his SoxandPhils keystone counterpart. He announced today that he won't miss the full eight weeks originally estimated. He sounds like he's pushing the envelope, but hasn't been seen doing anything weird like Pedroia:

"Yeah, I might be back before eight weeks," he said. "Obviously, knowing that I've come back from an injury before and I've been successful, yeah, that's good to know. I'm going to do everything that I'm allowed to do, up until the point that I play, in being ready. Once this (cast) comes off, I'll be able to take ground balls. Obviously, keep this (hand) out of the way. The only thing I won't be able to do is throw or hit. I'm going to try to stay in shape as best I can."

Huh? Geoff Jenkins, who had a huge leadoff double in the second half of Game 5 of the 2008 World Series, signed with the Brewers to retire. I would have no problem with this, except that he hasn't done anything in baseball over the past year. I think a one-year statute of limitations for a sign-and-retire is appropriate.

Tonight's games: Christine and I are almost caught up after a very long week, so we actually saw a few pitches as Roy Halladay pitched a complete game 3-1 win over the Braves. It was Gary Matthews and Tom McCarthy's birthday. Happy birthday Sarge! The Red Sox and Rays are tied at 5 in the 6th.

Former Red Sox slugger returns to Fenway

Lost in the shuffle of the NL West portion of the Red Sox' interleague schedule is the return of a former Red Sox whose exemplary character and offensive contributions are still missed long after he was traded to the National League.

I speak not of Manny Ramirez, whose Dodgers play in Boston this weekend, but of Adam LaRoche, who had an interesting nine-game stint as a Red Sox last year:

The first baseman spent little more than a week in a Red Sox uniform last year, acquired on July 22 and then traded nine days later.

In between, he managed to homer in his first game, stroke a big double to help beat the A's in his third, and move in with teammate and fellow hunting enthusiast J.D. Drew. The arrival of Victor Martinez made LaRoche expendable, so he was traded to the Braves at the deadline for fellow first baseman Casey Kotchman.

LaRoche, now on the Diamondbacks, could be bitter about having been moved around so much, but he's not:

"I see it as a pretty classy gesture on the Red Sox' part," LaRoche said. "When they got Victor in that trade, they easily could have forgotten about me and not tried to trade me. I could have stayed here and been a platoon guy and played a couple of times a week.

"But I remember Tito (manager Terry Francona) calling me into his office and saying, 'We feel bad we got you and now we've got Victor and there's going to be this big circle of guys playing third and first. We’re doing everything we can to get you moved before the deadline.'"

Classy remarks on his part.

The phenom starts again: Yes, Stephen Strasburg makes his third major league start on Friday (another national broadcast, of course), but I'm more interested in Felix Doubront getting his first call-up to make a spot start for injured Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Today's games: Things went well tonight for the Phillies in New York on the 24th anniversary of Jamie Moyer's big league debut. J-Moy didn't pitch well that night, but the young Cubbie was able to beat Steve Carlton and the Phils. Gary Matthews went 2-4.

That was win No. 1. Tonight was No. 265, as Moyer went eight innings in the 6-3 win. (Only two were his; Brad Lidge struggled but allowed only the one run.) Tonight was win No. 700 for Charlie Manuel. I felt good when the Phillies scored six runs in the 2nd and 3rd innings, including their first back-to-back homers of the season (Jayson Werth and Ryan Howard). But I was worried that they didn't keep piling up runs. Baby steps, I know, but you need to be relentless to beat the Empire.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, kept it closer than they should have against former Phillie Rodrigo Lopez and the D-Backs, but they won 6-2 behind seven solid innings from Jon Lester.

LaRoche, who was 1-4 last night, went 1-4 again tonight.

Music to our ears

Christine and I were busy getting the house ready for our post-walk party on Sunday, so we missed the opportunity to sit down and enjoy the best Phillies game of the year. I can say that even if they blow their 8-3 lead over the Braves. It's the best game because Scott Franzke left Atlanta because his wife is having a baby, which means Chris Wheeler got bumped to radio (our sympathy to Larry Andersen), and we get nine innings of Gary Matthews on TV. Go Sarge!

The on-field action (so far) isn't bad either. Jamie Moyer escaped after six innings without his trademark lousy inning. He even froze Braves phenom Jason Heyward in a key spot in the 6th.

Red Sox: Clay Buchholz dominated six innings - no runs and nine strikeouts - but then lost it in the 7th, giving up three runs. Folk hero Darnell McDonald had a chance to tie it in the bottom of the 7th, but grounded out. In the 9th, Rangers 3, Red Sox 0.

We're stuck with Wheels

With the anniversary of Harry Kalas' death upon us, the Inquirer took a look at the state of the Phillies broadcast team. It's interesting but disappointing because you get the sense that the Phillies know that people don't like Chris Wheeler, but they have no plans to remove him:

To gauge their broadcasters' appeal, the Phillies and their primary television outlet, Comcast SportsNet, conduct frequent viewership surveys, the results of which they don't reveal. Fan reaction, [the team's senior vice president for marketing and advertising sales Dave] Buck said, is taken seriously, but it's not a popularity contest.

"You don't want to put something out there that people don't like, but you want to give it enough time to either succeed or fail on its own."

Um, there's been enough time. Wheels sucks.

At least they know what they have in Gary Matthews: "Buck said: 'Sarge is a personality in and of himself. And I think he's getting much better.'"

Amen.

At least we won't have to hear Wheels tomorrow because we're going to Opening Day.

Personal: My back and neck are a little stiff and sore after yesterday's fall, but nothing too bad. I'm still not ready to do sit-ups again, but it could have been worse. ... We had a nice afternoon watching the baptism of the little guy who shares my name. I hope there isn't a clerical error in heaven so that the wrong Gregory James gets the blessing. I think I'm a lost cause.

Games: Roy Halladay dominated the Astros, and the Red Sox avoided losing the series against the Royals.

Game on

A day after making it interesting against a bunch of college kids, Roy Halladay and the Phillies took the defending chump Yankees to the woodshed. Doc needed just 24 pitches to get through two innings in the 3-2 win.

It feels almost like the season has begun in earnest because Comcast is replaying the game right now. I lasted one batter before I was yelling at Wheels - this time for overly accentuating Pedro Feliz's name. Later, I yelled at him for making a big deal about what the National League championship ring will look like.

We miss Harry Kalas.

Christine is happy there is a game on, but she would rather it be live action with warmer weather.

At least Sarge is on the broadcast now. Blood pressure is easing.

Hats off to the Hall

The Hall of Fame has decided that Andre Dawson should be immortalized wearing an Expos cap instead of a Red Sox hat. Dawson threw a hissy fit because he wanted to wear a Cubs hat.

Red Sox angle aside, I can't believe that the first player to truly complain about the Hall's cap policy would be a player who is highly regarded for his character. Everyone thought it would be a money-grubbing player, acting like a jilted lover against a former team. OK, everyone thought it would have been Wade Boggs or Roger Clemens looking to get even with the Red Sox.

But, no, it's Andre Dawson - a player who should be grateful that voters overlooked his measly on-base percentage to allow him to enter. He seems more concerned about the extra money he could get by being enshrined as a Cub. He is even considering wearing a Cubs hat at his induction instead of the classically cheesy red, white and blue old-school Montreal logo:

"To be honest with you, I thought about that," he said. "It was a tough night for me sleeping [Tuesday]. I slept better the night before the announcement than I did after I got the decision last night, as odd as that might sound.

"I don't want to do anything that might be an embarrassment to someone or show someone up, that's not my character. But there will be some way I will try to acknowledge the Cubs fans to show just how important they were to me. I did think about at some point in time during the speech putting a Cubs cap on, but I don't know if that's appropriate."

You'd think he'd be prouder to be the second - and possibly last, depending on what happens with Tim Raines and Vladimir Guerrero - member of the Expos contingency in the Hall of Fame. Regretfully, he is not.

Also, Dawson said he hasn't heard from Chicago's most famous baseball fan (President Obama, not Steve Bartman) "probably because he's a White Sox fan." No, probably because the prez is a Sarge (Gary Matthews) fan.

Closing time

When we left last night, Christine was upset that she was probably going to have to turn in without knowing how, or whether, the Phillies game ended.

Well, we went to bed a little later than I would prefer, but we saw the ending.

Christine brushed her teeth very grumpily.

Brad Lidge still has a chance (if Charlie Manuel keeps going to him in the 9th) to sneak into the top 10 for most blown saves in a season. He's two away from being tied for second with five pitchers who have 13, including a couple with SoxandPhils connections - Jeff Reardon (1986) and Dan Pleasac (1987).

Mike and Mike this morning reprieved their "Brad Lidge Over Troubled Waters" parody from the 2004 NLCS. I had it in my head today. Christine reminded me they played it, well, the unparody version, to close Harry Kalas' funeral.

We've been missing Harry this week. Tom McCarthy and Chris Wheeler are driving me nuts. My new irritation is how they get overly excited. Chase Utley can score a run in a 7-0 game, and they will make it sound like the Phillies won the World Series in the 13th inning of Game 7.

Christine noted that I've taken to calling out "Saaarrge" when Gary Matthews enters the booth in the 4th inning, as if he were Norm from Cheers.

Tonight's games: Both teams are playing in the central time zone. The Phillies lead the Brewers 8-1 in the 6th - after a three-run homer by Jimmy Rollins, which according to T-Mack was the second time in the same inning the Phillies broke the game open.

Sarge called the home run "a little guy driving a Cadillac." We've been speculating that Sarge has a deal with Cadillac in which he's going to get a free one if he says the company's name a certain number of times a season. If so, good thing he announces for the home-run-happy Phillies.

J.A. Happ, who hasn't yet been reinjured, is pitching well - one run on three hits and a walk with seven strikeouts after five innings.

The Red Sox lead the Royals 3-0 in the 5th. David Ortiz homered (11 more RBI to 100), and Clay Buchholz is also pitching well: three hits and seven strikeouts through five shutout innings.

Mohawks

Sometimes you learn the darnedest things while watching baseball games.

Tonight, for instance, we learned that mohawks are back in style. I'm not talking about the stupid hairdos sported by the Rays during last year's playoffs, nor the travesty that is the remaking of The A-Team into a movie.

Nope, just honest to goodness mohawks.

During a screen shot tonight, they showed a fan with a spiky mohawk. Gary Matthews said they're back in style. Tom McCarthy didn't believe him. I didn't know who to believe, but was probably more aligned with T-Mack than Sarge in this one particular instance.

"Which one's on crack?" I asked Christine.

"Probably McCarthy," she said. "Sarge is up on style."

Ah, so Mohawks are indeed back in style.

Tonight's games: John Smoltz, who was pitching when Mr. T still rocked the mohawk on the original A-Team, should have gotten his first win as a Red Sox tonight, but the game was delayed by rain as he warmed up for the 5th inning with the Sox up 9-1 over the Orioles. That's a shame because it looked like he pitched well: one run on three hits and a walk with two strikeouts in four innings. He threw just 52 pitches, too. The game resumed without the old-timer, and the Sox lead has been cut to 10-5 in the 7th.

The Phillies, meanwhile, took a one-run lead in the 8th on solo home runs by John Mayberry Jr. and Pedro Feliz, but Ryan Madson coughed it right up. They ended up losing to the Braves 5-4 in the 10th inning.

Busy day in 10 clicks

Since I last posted:

• The Red Sox tied a record last night for wild pitches, and Tim Wakefield wasn't even pitching.


• Brett Myers wasn't pulled from last night's game for ineffectiveness, but for a hip injury that he's had for awhile. He may need surgery, which could end his Phillies career.


• Harry Kalas will be inducted to the Wall of Fame. It's such a no-brainer, but I hadn't thought about it before.


• Pedro Feliz might get his 2010 option picked up.


• This afternoon, the Red Sox beat the Twins 3-1 behind a good performance by Josh Beckett and switch-hit home runs by Jason Varitek, who managed the feat before getting ejected along with Terry Francona and two Twins.


• Someone with a vested interest read my book report post. More Roger Clemens posts can be found here. {Hi Rusty Hardin & Associates!}


• Our observation, not previously mentioned on the blog, that Charlie Manuel has lost weight has been confirmed.

Funny, this morning I thought that with an off-day for the Phillies and an afternoon tilt for the Red Sox that I would just write tonight about Todd Zolecki's Random stuff post. I still will.

Like many of our SoxandPhils readers, Zo says he is a fan of intro music. He noted that when Brad Lidge last pitched, he came out to the silly music for a scoreboard bobblehead race instead of Soldiers. I had wondered if they would keep playing that tune if his struggles persist. Lidge might have a similar thought:

"I was coming in to some circus music," Lidge said. "That's about right."

Another favorite silly Phillies thing for Christine and me is Sarge. Especially his hats. He's not only a fashion plate, but also a shrewd salesman:

Gary Matthews' hat collection is available at the Majestic Clubhouse Store, but I told him yesterday that I could not pull off the Sarge hat look. I just don't think I have the cool factor to do it. Sarge assured me that I did, which I thought was nice of him to say.

But then I remembered he's trying to sell hats. Why I oughta (shaking my fist in the air) ...

Final note: I'm always bummed when the Phillies aren't on, especially after a long bad day at work. But the Spelling Bee finals will substitute nicely tonight.

We're under way

Riding a dominant performance by Josh Beckett and home runs by injured World Baseball Classic participant Dustin Pedroia and has-been Jason Varitek, the Sox beat the Rays 5-3 today, forcing a ninth game of the ALCS.

OK, I know 2008 is over.

I'm pleased with the first effort of 2009. Beckett pitched really well - one run, two hits, three walks with 10 strikeouts over seven innings on just 93 pitches. Hideki Okajima got hit (two runs in a third of an inning), but Justin Masterson and Jonathan Papelbon picked him up.

It was good to see the offense clicking (everyone except for Jacoby Ellsbury had a hit). I know not to overreact to the season's first game, but I like that most of our injury-related question marks seemed to pull through. Magic number = 162.

Phillies: Jamie Moyer, starting his 23rd big-league season, wasn't so hot against the Braves tonight. He gave up four runs in five innings. Christine is not happy.

Observationally: Myphl17, the Phillies other channel this year when they're not on Comcast SportsNet, keeps showing incessant fan shots, as if this is the first time anyone has seen Citizens Bank Park. ... Gary Matthews was all bundled up with a sweater, fleece and jacket but no hat. Sarge is known for hats and wears them throughout the summer. With a new line of hats coming out, he really botched a perfect marketing opportunity. ... I hate Wheels. After Raul Ibanez got thrown out at third in the 2nd inning, Chris Wheeler spent the next two batters ripping the shortstop for throwing to third because something bad might have happened.

'Tis the season

One half of SoxandPhils went Christmas shopping today, and I'm all Christmassed up - ready to skip Thanksgiving to get to the main course.

Here are some of the baseball-related tidbits that I can share without giving away anything that Christine will find under the tree in a month:

--When in a sports collectibles store to look for discounted 2007 World Series swag ... er, to check out the latest in Phillies World Series merchandise, a middle-aged couple approached the counter.

"Do you have any David Wright shirts?" the man asked.

I smiled, bit my tongue and kept listening.

"No, but I might be able to order one," the proprietor said. "Child or adult?"

"Adult," the man answered unabashedly.

Poor guy. Doesn't he know they invented the Internet so you wouldn't have to order embarrassing shirts in enemy territory?

--At a big box electronics store, I looked to see if there were any Phillies DVDs out yet, but I saw a more interesting title: The 2006 Mets: The Team. The Time. Um, time for what? Choking against the Cardinals in the playoffs as a warm-up for two monumental regular-season collapses?

--One holiday-timed Phillies item caught my eye while waiting to check out - Gary Matthews' book, Phillies Confidential: The Untold Inside Story of the 2008 Championship Season. It's real small, and judging from a glance, it looks just as cheesy as one would expect a book by Sarge to be. I told Christine we'll wait for the movie to come out. {I wonder which has more details on the season - our blog or Sarge's book?}

--Finally, this wasn't at a store, but in the Major League Baseball holiday gift guide. A Yankees T-shirt says "Respect the dynasty." OK, everyone listen to the Yankees shirt and respect the SoxandPhils dynasty that won three of the last five championships.

The andPhils half of the blog is doing her shopping Monday. Maybe she'll come back with some similar stories.

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.

Series split a major letdown

Sigh. I don't want to talk about it.

The Phillies had several chances to add to their early 3-1 lead but couldn't pull through. Then, Rudy Seanez and Brad Lidge allowed four runs in the 8th, giving the Mets a 6-3 win. All base runners in the 8th came with two outs. Carlos Delgado had two home runs and drove in half of the Mets runs.

So, in five series against New York this year, the Phils are 5-10. They have beaten the Mets just once in each series, usually in dramatic fashion. Four of the five wins were the first game in the series. What does this mean? I don't know. Phillies stink. They're a half-game out again and start a four-game series against the Cubs on Thursday. Let's hope the bullpen is refreshed by then.

Broadcast notes: Gary Matthews will be singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" tomorrow night in Chicago. Tom McCarthy dared him to say Phillies instead of Cubs during the song. ... Chris Wheeler annoyingly kept referring to Daniel Murphy as David Murphy. Then he acknowledged that he was accidentally doing this and told some story about a kid named Danny Murphy from his high school. Then he called Daniel David for the rest of the night. Stop talking, Wheels.

Red Sox: They crushed the Yankees 11-3. Dustin Pedroia hit a grand slam, his first, during a seven-run 8th inning.

But, as usual, the Rays also won. The Red Sox remain 3.5 games back in the East. It's almost time to stick a fork in the Yankees. They are now 10.5 games back and 7 games out of the Wild Card; the Sox have the Wild Card lead, 2.5 games up on the Twins.

Poor John Danks

Good win for the Red Sox, 5-1 over the White Sox. Josh Beckett pitched eight strong innings, making John Danks a tough-luck loser. He carried a perfect game into the 6th and a no-hitter into the 7th before Kevin Youkilis broke it up with a single and then J.D. Drew later hit a two-run double.

Competitors: The Rays were off but had to DL Evan Longoria today after losing Carl Crawford on Sunday. The Twins beat the Yankees. We're four out of the division lead, two up on the Wild Card.

Phillies: They're playing on the West Coast tonight. Bad news: Gary Matthews was left on the East Coast, meaning Chris Wheeler has to broadcast nine innings. Worse news: They're losing 6-1 to the Dodgers in the 4th. Prediction from Christine: She's not guaranteeing a Phillies win, but a no-decision for Kyle Kendrick. {Um, I'm starting to rethink this prediction. It's now 7-1 and probably an L for K.K.}

Competitors: Mets and Marlins lost. The Mets lost spectacularly with another bullpen disaster.

Pat wuz robbed

I truly thought the Philadelphia fans would come through. I clicked for Pat Burrell many times, knowing that this could be his last opportunity to make an All-Star team, especially as a Phillie. I surprised myself with my interest in this.

I knew David Wright would be tough to beat - he's from a bigger market in a city that's hosting the All-Star game. Plus, he's got better buzz nationally than Pat the Bat. I didn't think Corey Hart, playing for Milwaukee, would be a serious candidate. Turns out he was. Turns out he didn't deserve it.


Entering Thursday's play, Burrell and Hart had roughly the same playing time. Burrell's averages could all set career highs - .282/.414/.587 - compared with Hart's .293/.332/.504. I admit I didn't look closely at all the candidates' numbers, but if Burrell's on-base percentage was a measly .332, I might have given him a few votes, but I wouldn't be so gung-ho about it.

Looking further, thanks to Hart's advantage in hits (because it appears he has no judgement of the strike zone), each has roughly the same number of total bases. Runs and RBIs are also about the same. Burrell has struck out 12 more times despite 45 fewer ABs, but he has walked 68 times compared with Hart's 17.

In the field, Hart is probably better, although Burrell hasn't (officially) erred this season. Hart records about two outs per nine innings compared with Burrell's one and a half. And Hart has 13 steals, and Pat, as you know, is mobile challenged.

I thought Charlie Manuel's obsession with removing Burrell late in the game would cost him, but turns out it hasn't. I don't know what did.

At least Evan Longoria beat out Jason Giambi despite the Yankees' moustache giveaway.

Today: Burrell, who might have been daydreaming about making the All-Star team, went 0-3 in an afternoon matinee. Didn't matter. The Phillies crisply beat the Cardinals 4-1. Jamie Moyer put in seven strong innings, and Ryan Howard homered twice, raising the batting average to .234 and giving himself a slight shot at Mike Schmidt's team record of 31 first-half homers. Howard already set the Phillies first-half RBI mark.

Delighting Gary Matthews, Alyssa Milano was in the house selling her line of women's sports apparel. He seemed intrigued by her many tattoos.

Competitors: The Mets also won; the Marlins play late. The Red Sox were off, but are now 1.5 games out because the Rays lost.

[Photo credits: MLB.com (Corey Hart), Delwareonline.com (Pat's flip)]