A little hand for the newest SoxandPhil

A month ago, we wished SoxandPhil Heathcliff Slocumb a happy birthday. Little did we know then that our son was born that day.

Trent was born on June 7. He came home today and is already showing signs of being a SoxandPhil.

I read him his first book - a baby Red Sox primer. He knows that the Phanatic is a better mascot than Wally, his favorite lullaby is Take Me Out to the Ballgame and, of course, he knows the Yankees are bad.

We figure he'll be starting for the Red Sox or Phillies in 2033. He has soft hands and is little (so far), so he'll probably be a second baseman. But he won't be pressured.

I know the posts have sucked the past two weeks as we prepared for Trent to enter our family. I don't think raising a newborn will allow us to devote more time to the blog, but we should have some interesting stories to tell.

And, we're already being responsible. We gave away tickets we had for Sunday's Phillies game against the Reds. We're undecided whether Trent will be ready for his first game next month. Probably not.

Today's game: Trent inspired the Phillies to a 4-3 win over the Reds in the 12th on a Brian Schneider home run. The Sox and Phils are undefeated since Trent came home.

Not everyone gets dealt a winner

Crazier than a Red Sox fan who was raised a Yankees fan and is now married to a Phillies fan is the fact that we have a friend who is a Nationals fan despite no connections to Montreal or Washington.

This week, as he often claims, is the highlight of his time as a Nats/Expos fan. The Nats drafted Bryce Harper tonight, and tomorrow, their uber draft pick from last year, Stephen Strasburg, makes his much anticipated debut.

When your teams have been as good as the Red Sox and Phillies in recent years, sometimes you forget what it's like to scrap for any sort of moral victory, such as the hope of draft picks or a 4-3 11-inning win over a vaunted division foe. Nick Cafardo reminded us of that in writing about how Sunday's win was so important for the Orioles:

In the grand scheme of things, what did yesterday's 4-3 loss to the Orioles mean to the Red Sox? Nothing more than one loss to a bad team snapping a 10-game losing streak, giving their new manager his first win. It didn't mean a darn thing to the people who follow the Red Sox, except those who feel they should clobber the Orioles every time they play them.

To the Orioles, it was more than that. It was a day when self-respect came back. Maybe it's fleeting because after the Sox left town, the Yankees are paying a visit starting tomorrow.

This was a great snapshot of the psychology of sport. The Orioles are a downtrodden team that had been buried the last two weeks, and been clobbered, 19-2, in the first two games against the Red Sox. They have been made fun of, called horrible things, and ridiculed. But yesterday, under very tough conditions — rain, heat, humidity — Juan Samuel's troops hung in there enough and beat one of the best teams in baseball in 11 innings.

I love that dig at Red Sox fans who act like Yankees fans and expect to go 173-0 every year.

Sometimes, as John Lackey pointed out, the cliche is true: It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, it's more important how you play the game:

And yet the Sox couldn't pull it out, ending a seven-game road winning streak. Not that anyone in the visitors' clubhouse was concerned. It was one loss in a long season.

"I don't think it's a big deal," Lackey said. "It's always disappointing to lose a game, but we're playing good baseball and we played good baseball today. Just came up a little bit short."

That's right. Just make sure that one game doesn't become more tonight (joking).

Happy Birthday: Officially sponsored SoxandPhil Heathcliff Slocumb turned 44 today. In honor of the occasion, and because the Red Sox and Phillies square off this weekend, I thought I'd post his numbers as a Phillie against the Red Sox and vice versa, but his Phillies tenure ended two years before interleague play was created in 1997. He was still a Red Sox for half of that season, but did not appear in the inaugural SoxandPhils series.

Tonight's games: The Red Sox lead the Indians 4-1 in the 9th. Has Daisuke Matsuzaka (no runs, four hits, two walks and five strikeouts) turned a corner? ... Cole Hamels took a no-hitter into the 7th, but lost it on back-to-back homers. The Phillies bats wasted his eight-inning, two-run, three-hit, two-walk, six-strikeout performance in the 3-1 loss to the Padres.

SoxandPhils, Slocumb agree on one-year extension

SOXANDPHILSVILLLE, N.J. -- SoxandPhils, the leading blog dedicated to the 2008 and 2007 World Champion Phillies and Red Sox, proudly announces that it has extended the sponsorship of Heathcliff Slocumb's Baseball-Reference.com page for another year

"Heathcliff was long out of baseball by 2004, but he was just as responsible as Pedro Martinez for that glorious year," SoxandPhils co-owner and lead writer Greg said. "I still can't believe that the Sox were able to convert that pitcher into Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe. Slocumb will always have a special spot in SoxandPhils lore, and we're glad to have him back for another year.

"And, of course, Chris Berman has never come up with a better nickname than Heathcliff Slocumb 'if you got 'em.'"

Slocumb began his career with the Cubs and pitched for the Indians before he was traded to the Phillies for their current GM Ruben Amaro in 1993. Slocumb pitched for the Phillies in 1994 and 1995. For the Phils, he saved 32 games, with a 3.84 ERA in 113 games. He made his only All-Star game in 1995, picking up the win with a scoreless inning.

He was traded to Boston with Larry Wimbley and Rick Holyfield for Glenn Murray, Lee Tinsley and SoxandPhils-sponsored Ken Ryan.

In less than two years in Boston, Slocumb saved 48 games with a 4.02 ERA, but in 1997, he struggled with a 5.79 ERA and was dumped on the Mariners for Varitek and Lowe in a rather lopsided trade.

He also pitched for the Padres, Indians and Orioles, who play the Red Sox today.

Slocumb joined the SoxandPhils family last year as a birthday gift to Greg from Christine, SoxandPhils co-owner and head of editing and marketing.

"I swear, my husband really isn't as weird as he sometimes comes off on this blog," she said.

Those seeking further comment may post a comment or e-mail us. Because of a scheduling conflict, Greg and Christine may not be available for immediate comment until Sunday - including their takes on today's games.

My last untainted memory of Roger the Red Sox

Until Andre Dawson ends the speculation and announces that he will enter the Hall of Fame as a Red Sox, people will wonder if he will wear a Cubs or Expos hat into Cooperstown. Seriously, I endorse Les Expos.

The topic recently prompted Rob Neyer to list which caps he thinks certain multi-team stars should wear. He said that, without a doubt, Roger Clemens should go in with a B on his head.

After all that has happened (and assuming they start voting in roiders), I'm not sure I would even want that anymore.

But it did give me the opportunity to revisit Aug. 17, 1996 - the day I was in the stands to see Clemens throw his last home shutout for the Red Sox.

I kept score, but I couldn't scan a copy because the scorecard boxes have diamonds on them, making the page hard to read. (I prefer empty boxes on my scorecards.)

I don't remember much except the experience of watching a seemingly washed-up Roger Clemens revert to The Rocket. He was dominant. The place was electric. And I was thrilled. Of course, the whole thing was probably fake.

Recently, I salvaged the program from that day. It touts Jeff Frye, Reggie Jefferson, Bill Haselman and Jose Malave as unsung stars of the 1996 Red Sox, which finished 82-80.

Other stars on that lackluster team included Mike Stanley, Mo Vaughn, Tim Naehring, John Valentin, Wil Cordero, Mike Greenwell, Jose Canseco and Troy O'Leary.

See, this is why I seldom criticize SoxandPhils management. I'll never forgot rosters like these.

To the right are some photos of the team. Without editorial comment, notice Vaughn, Canseco, Clemens, Tim Wakefield, Kevin Mitchell, Tom Gordon and Jamie Moyer.

Not included on this page - but we'll show him separately - is an ultimate SoxandPhil. One of two to be officially owned by this Web site: Healthcliff Slocumb "if you got 'em."

I won't get myself riled up by discussing why he is not in the Hall of Fame, but if, no, when he is inducted, what do you think - Red Sox or Phillies hat? Other than three years with the Cubs, he never spent more than two years in one place. He performed better as a Phillie, but had more saves as a Red Sox.

And I think he should get bonus credit for his impact on Red Sox history. Without him, there would be no Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek and therefore no trophy in 2004.

I know it won't happen, but Slocumb's induction speech would make me feel a lot happier than Clemens'.