We don't need Oswalt, Contreras and Madson

The Red Sox-Phillies series has been billed as a World Series preview. Hitting vs. pitching.

That's not the way it's working out.

Last night, Cliff Lee dominantly shut down the Sox. Tonight, it was Vance Worley, Michael Stutes and Antonio Bastardo. Wait - what?

Yes, the trio of young Phillies pitchers shut down the Sox 2-1. I thought the Phillies would have had an offensive explosion against John Lackey, but the only offense came courtesy of Raul Ibanez.

And I don't want to hear any excuses about Carl Crawford being hurt or not having a DH. The Phillies have had their fair share of position players hurt this year. And oh yeah, if not for Lackey tonight, the Red Sox still wouldn't have a run.

Tomorrow afternoon is Jon Lester vs. Cole Hamels. Yet another good matchup. But I doubt David Ortiz will start, and the rest of the Sox lineup is a bit lacking right now. I'm sure it will blow up in my face, but I'm feeling good about Cole getting his 10th win of the year.

Wardrobe: When I was picking out Trent's clothes for tomorrow, I refrained from going with Phillies gear. Though he might have to go with celebratory red-white-and-blue on Friday - for the 4th of July, of course, not because he has an adorable red Phillies jersey with matching blue shorts.

Crunch time

Today, I concentrated on the Red Sox.

Not my favorite ball team, but my National Multiple Sclerosis Society City to Shore bike-riding team. I've lapsed in my training since Trent arrived, and I set out on a 50-miler today. Trent and Christine are ready for the 75-mile ride, but they're riding in a car and hanging with grandparents as I do the legwork. I don't know how ready I am for my part of the bargain, with just four weeks left.

We'll figure it out.

Meanwhile, the Phillies are responding to crunch time by sweeping the front-running Padres after getting swept by the lowly Astros. The (baseball) Red Sox are still clinging to hope, but they need tonight's game. John Lackey started off well, but the Rays now lead 4-3 in the 7th.

Our first game back

Yesterday was our first game back to Citizens Bank Park since we became parents. Lots of things were different - bootleg vendors sold ponchos instead of pretzels, the sax guy wasn't playing, and they now have a trivia game outside of Bull's BBQ.

But one major thing didn't change - it rained. We sat through it. We got wet. I got grumpy but hung in there.

Despite the hour and 45 minute rain delay - including a scary moment when I dozed off and thought I was blind because I could see only the white of the tarp on the field - it was a pretty good game. Roy Oswalt shut down the Nationals, giving up five hits and a walk with eight strikeouts over seven innings in the 6-0 win. The lack of runs was impressive because he let the leadoff guy on in the first four innings. And in each of those innings, someone got in scoring position, including the first inning when Oswalt struck out Adam Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman after letting the leadoff guy get to third with one out. Roy also went 2-3 with a run and came close to an extra-base hit in his final at-bat.

But he might not have been the player of the game. That award could be claimed by Christine's favorite, Carlos Ruiz, whose only hit was a meaningless single in the 4th and whose fielding was marred with a throwing error and three stolen bases.

Despite those feats, Chooch set up the big two-run 6th inning, which iced the game. With two outs and runners on second and third, the Nationals elected to walk the fearsome Chooch, who's actually been intentionally walked 33 times in his career (nearly all in front of the pitcher), to get to Wilson Valdez.

Valdez, filling in for a resting Chase Utley, was never so insulted in his life and stroked a two-run single to put the Phils up 4-0. Raul Ibanez hit a two-run home after the rain delay in the 7th.

Observations from the stands: It was a fairly uneventful game on and off the field. A funny moment came after the rain delay when the new Nationals second baseman, Alberto Gonzalez, complained that the field was too wet. He was booed when the grounds crew came out to sop up more water. After they left, a bunch of sea gulls (you can sort of see them on the right) swarmed the field, mocking the Nats.

We weren't sitting in our usual area of seats, and it seemed much more quiet than usual. We could hear the radio broadcast floating through the stands. In fact, the crowd never really seemed to wake up until the end of the rain delay when they played Chubby Checker's Let's Twist Again, followed by the original The Twist. The crowd was really going as the Nats took the field and an usher was shown on Phanavision while Twisting.

The team honored Philadelphia native Jerry Crawford, who was umpiring his last game in the city before retiring after a 33-year career. He also umped the last game at the Vet and the first at the Bank. You can read about him in the Inky and Daily News. Instead of giving him a gold watch, the Phillies gave him a plush Phanatic. More on that later this week, but I wonder if that's why the Phillies won so easily.

Debbi Kee's Keenote Chorale did the anthem. ... WPXN's Ben Arnold did God Bless America. No one told him it was raining. He could have trimmed a few minutes off it.

Antiquated T-shirts: We didn't see that many: Cliff Lee, Jim Thome and Jacoby Ellsbury's No. 46.

Babies on the brain: Of course, when we saw the Cole Hamels lunch bag, I was upset we didn't bring Trent. (OK, I was upset we didn't bring Trent as soon as we left the house.) The several young tots we saw in the stands didn't help. There was one nearby (kind of looked like Peyton Manning) who kept staring at Christine. Of course, being the proud, responsible parents that we are, we compared every youngin to Trent. There was no contest: The cutest baby wasn't at the park. ... There were some youngsters on the field with the Phanatic in the middle of the game doing some Latin dances. I dunno why we were amused by this; probably because it's the most people we've seen involved in a Phanatic skit.

Tonight's games: The Phillies faced former mate Brett Myers. On the radio broadcast, Scott Franzke said young Brett was starting for the Phillies. I think somebody is stuck in 2009. Myers pitched well in his return to Philadelphia, but was outpitched for seven innings by Blanton. Myers left trailing 2-1, but Ryan Madson blew it in the 8th. Astros 3, Phillies 2.

Unfortunately, the big story involving a former SoxandPhil is that the Red Sox put in a waiver claim on Johnny Damon, who's considering whether to waive his no-trade clause to Boston. I hope he stays in Detroit. John Lackey was also locked in a pitcher's duel but outpitched the Mariners Doug Fister and got a well-deserved 6-3 win.

Long day

It started with Trent's first batch of shots. It was a big batch - lots of pricking for such a little pin cushion. But he took them like a champ.

Then, I left Christine and Grandmom to deal with some of the vaccines' side effects while I learned that a 50-mile bike ride isn't as easy as it was a month ago. Go figure.

When I returned, the Red Sox seemed ready to cruise to a victory against the Yankees, but John Lackey lost it in the 5th and CC Sabathia shut down the Sox after they got an early two-run lead in the 2nd inning. Yankees 5, Red Sox 2. Funny - when this series started, everyone thought the Red Sox had the edge in pitching matchups in every game except this one. I thought that meant we would wind up losing three of four with today's mismatch the exception.

This evening, Johan Santana and Cole Hamels. Cole was a tad better - six hits and 11 strikeouts in seven innings compared with Johan's five hits, three walks and six strikeouts. The difference? One of the hits Hamels gave up was a home run, and Johan didn't give up any runs. It seemed like a game destined for Trent's comeback magic, especially when the Phillies knocked out Santana in the 8th and loaded the bases against Francisco Rodriguez. But the little guy's still not completely over the shots. Mets 1, Phillies 0.

The Red Sox signed Carlos Delgado. Thrilling.

SoxandPhils involved in blockbuster trade

Well, not quite.

But what a coincidence that Dan Haren made his Angels debut Monday against the Red Sox and Joe Saunders, the other established major leaguer in the blockbuster deal, will debut for the Diamondbacks on Thursday against the Phillies.

In other pitching quirks, John Lackey starts against the Angels tonight while the Phillies faced their former mate Rodrigo Lopez.

The first game went well, despite struggles from Cole Hamels. Phillies 9, D-Backs 5.

The Red Sox and Halos are scoreless in the 2nd.

Surprise recall

1. We didn't know Antonio Bastardo was injured.

2. We didn't know Scott Mathieson was a fan favorite, though we've been rooting for him here.

3. We didn't know that Mathieson would be the next pitcher recalled from AAA.

We learned all those things tonight as Mathieson has made it back to the big leagues after two Tommy John surgeries:

This completes Mathieson's grueling journey back to the big leagues. He went 1-4 with a 7.47 ERA in nine appearances (eight starts) with the Phillies in 2006. His struggles led to the Phillies acquiring Jamie Moyer. Mathieson injured his right elbow Sept. 2, 2006, and had Tommy John surgery Sept. 29. He made seven rehab appearances in August 2007, but felt more discomfort and required ulnar nerve transposition Sept. 24, 2007.

Mathieson had his second Tommy John surgery in 2008.

The chances of returning to the big leagues following two Tommy John surgeries are slim, but Mathieson did it. He's back. And I know fans have been eager to see him pitch at the big-league level again.

I'll never forget that his best work (so far) had come in relief in a blowout loss against the Red Sox. I was doing some electrical work in our spare bedroom and listened to the game on the radio. Mathieson's recall reminded us to check on the progress of another one of Christine's favorites, Mike Zagurksi. He's pitching well in AAA, so maybe we'll see him join Mathieson again.

Tonight's games: Playing an hour early so the Fenway Faithful could watch Game 7 of the NBA finals, the Red Sox finished off the sweep of the Diamondbacks behind a mediocre performance by John Lackey. Daniel Nava (he needs a good nickname) went 3-4 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI. ROY! ROY! ROY! I know, this run won't last long, but I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can.

In New York, meanwhile, Kyle Kendrick, who is preparing for a demotion, put in a strong effort -one run on four hits, two walks with three strikeouts in seven innings. His mates actually put some runs on the board, beating the Yankees 7-1.

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.

Page turners

A month ago, I was starting to get concerned that the Red Sox were going to spend the season battling the birds in the cellar of the AL East and Christine enjoyed watching the Phillies as they dispatched the Mets to reclaim their rightful place atop the NL East.

My, how things change.

As David Ortiz - who was pretty much written out of the league - kept saying during the Red Sox awful 11-12 April, they would turn the page. The Red Sox did, improving to 18-11 in May, and so did Big Papi, as FanGraphs noted:

We should just stop writing off David Ortiz until he retires.

Ortiz in April: .143/.238/.286, routinely booed, talk of being released
Ortiz in May: .363/.424/.788, best hitter (non-Morneau division) in baseball

The Phillies also surged in May, building a five-game lead by May 17, but everyone knows the bottom has fallen out over the past two weeks:

The Phillies had a season-high five-game lead in the NL East following a 12-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 17. They had the second-best offense in baseball at the time, averaging 5.73 runs per game. Only the New York Yankees (5.76) had averaged more.

But entering tonight's game against the Braves, the Phillies rank 12th in baseball, averaging 4.69 runs per game.

Quite a fall.

Todd Zolecki didn't have to note that the Phillies are now back in second place (unless they beat the Braves tonight).

Point is, the Red Sox may not be as good as they played in May, but they're definitely not as bad as they played in April. The same is true for the Phillies. It's a long season, and eventually the Phillies will turn the page and begin to play like champions again. If they can ever hit another home run - 63 innings and counting entering tonight's game.

Today's games: Rain. Both teams had rain delays, but the Phillies' delay came in the middle of the 1st inning, forcing an early exit for Cole Hamels, although the Braves sent Tim Hudson back out there. Perhaps hindered by the rain (Game 5 of the 2008 World Series not withstanding), Cole gave up a three-run homer in his two-thirds of an inning. In the 3rd, Braves 5, Phillies 0.

The Red Sox had to wait only a half hour before starting their game, so John Lackey has no excuse for the two-run homer he gave up. Or the 11 hits and a walk. In the 6th, A's 4, Red Sox 3.

Congrats: Roy Halladay was named player of the week. Ryan Howard (4-25), Jayson Werth (1-20) and Chase Utley (3-27) demand recounts.

SoxandPhils series starts

I love the morning of a SoxandPhils series. There's something weird but pleasing about reading Phillies coverage in the Boston papers and Red Sox coverage in the Philly papers.

The Phillies writers, who never appreciated the talent of Terry Francona, obviously focused on the Red Sox troubles:

"Right now," conceded manager Terry Francona, the team's bald, bespectacled Job, "we're being tested a lot."

But the two-time champion is continuing to guide the Sox with a steady hand amid troubled waters:

Asked to assume, for a moment, the perspective of a fan viewing a team that seems increasingly dysfunctional, Francona showed an instinct for self-preservation.

"If I speak like a fan," he said, "I'm going to be a fan pretty soon."

The Red Sox writers, however, are in awe of the Phillies and are speculating about Jayson Werth:

The Sox-Phillies series should be interesting if only because it'll be a chance to see Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Roy Halladay and future Sox star Jayson Werth. There are a few too many interleague games and the integrity of the schedule is damaged, but the games are still fun.

Still, it's a bit ridiculous that the Red Sox get the Phillies six times and the Yankees get the F Troop Mets six times.

SoxandPhils writer Scott Lauber checked in with some similar SoxandPhils players, such as Ryan Howard offering support for David Ortiz:

Ortiz texted Howard last month to congratulate him on his new contract. Howard responded by offering Ortiz encouragement through a text message. His advice: Just be yourself.

"Everybody knows that you're going to have ups and downs. Everybody knows that you're not going to get off to a good start every year," Howard said. "You being you, doing what you do, your numbers are going to be where your numbers are pretty much every year.

"As far as (Ortiz) is concerned, I think people make a big deal out of it. It's like, if he doesn't get off to the start that everybody thinks he should get off to, all of a sudden he's struggling and this and that. You've just got to let the man play, let him do what he does."

Tonight's game: It was Ryan Howard homering tonight in the 4th inning to tie the game 1-1. We learned - and can't believe we didn't know this before - that fans who catch Phillies home run balls get to have it signed by the player who hit it. It had been a nice pitching duel between John Lackey and Cole Hamels until the 4th, but then Shane Victorino singled in another run, and in the next inning, "future Sox" Werth hit a two-run home run.

Howard later poked one to the opposite field, against the shift, to drive in another run.

The Red Sox loaded the bases in the 9th, but Papi flew out to end it 5-1. Christine rubbed it in by wearing her Phillies pajama pants and a Phillies T-shirt. She claims it's because I wore my Red Sox shorts, but I wear them on most nights.

Uh-oh: Jimmy Rollins, making his return to the leadoff spot, was removed from the game. It looks like something is wrong with his leg again. Good thing Wilson Valdez cleared waivers today.

And by the end of the game, Victor Martinez's first inning home run was long forgotten.

We still miss Harry

The other day when we were putting mulch down, I had to hammer some bricks that line our front garden back into place. I thought of Harry Kalas because last year when I put those bricks in, I listened to his memorial service on the radio:

I listened to speeches from Jamie Moyer, Mike Schmidt and assorted politicians float from my garage to the front of the yard where I hammered bricks into the ground.

Now, I'll probably always associate Harry with that flower bed.

That's what I wrote on April 18, 2009, and it is true a year later. I can't weed whack that garden without hearing "Outtttaa heeeerrre!" OK, there's no audio in my head, but I do think of Harry a lot.

A couple days later, Christine and I finished listening to Harry Kalas "Voice of the Phillies," a commemorative tribute CD to the legendary announcer, as we drove down to Baltimore to see the Red Sox.

It was nice to hear his voice again from his time with the Astros and with Richie Ashburn, his Hall of Fame induction and the success of the Phillies in the final years of his life.

On the drive home from Baltimore, we heard the Orioles broadcaster. Their color guy was into self-deprecating humor like Larry Andersen, but it was forced and didn't seem to work. It was just another reminder of how baseball broadcasting will never be the same.

Shut up Wheels.

Full disclosure: Expecting a busy week, I wrote this before Ernie Harwell's death. Listening to the eulogies of the long-time Tigers broadcaster reinforces the reality that baseball broadcasters will never be good again. And it's also striking how similar the tributes for Harry and Harwell sound.

Tonight's games: John Lackey pitched a beauty against his former team. Red Sox 3, Angels 1.

Kyle Kendrick also pitched a gem - seven shutout innings. The Phillies beat the Cardinals 4-0.

[Photo credit: www.baseballvoices.com]

Please repeat today's weather

Today was a beautiful day for a walk or a ballgame. Please, please, please repeat today's sunshine for our charity walk tomorrow and for our ballgame next week.

Non-SoxandPhils note: Andruw Jones last night became the third player in history to hit two home runs, including a walk-off, on his birthday. I've said this several times, but I can't believe he's only 33 - six days older than me. He has seemed so old and worn down in recent years - unlike me.

Red Sox: They trail the Orioles 3-1 in the 7th. Why did we sign John Lackey?

Phillies: They lead the Diamondbacks 1-0 in the 4th. What inning will Nelson Figueroa collapse?

Oh well, wishing good things to the Red Sox walk team and the SoxandPhils baseball teams.

Ump cries foul

Everyone knows the Red Sox and Yankees play slow games. They become part-epic showdown, part-water torture. I'm a fan of not staying up late, so I'd prefer them to pick up the pace.

So would umpire Joe West, who went on a rant before yesterday's game:

"They're the two clubs that don't try to pick up the pace," said West, chief of the umpiring crew that worked the three-game series in Boston. He was the home plate umpire Sunday. "They're two of the best teams in baseball. Why are they playing the slowest?

"It's pathetic and embarrassing. They take too long to play."

I agree, but wonder whether an umpire should be commenting on something like this. Sure, he's placing blame on both teams, but what happens when he makes a controversial call in a game between the Yankees and Tigers, or Red Sox and Rangers? Could his views on the Red Sox and Yankees slant him toward the other teams? Or in a game between the Red Sox and Yankees, might he be more inclined to call a runner for either team out on a close play in an attempt to speed up the game?

The umpire speaks the truth, but often being an independent arbitrator means losing some of your rights to free speech.

(Christine just wonders whether umpires dread getting assigned to a Red Sox-Yankees series because of the extra hours involved.)

Ironically, the rant came before the teams played a 10-inning game in 3 hours, 21 minutes thanks to John Lackey, whose quick style has already won over Kevin Youkilis and is sure to win over sleep-deprived fans.

Phillies: They attempted a rally today, but couldn't push across the tying run in the 9th inning, dropping their first game of the year 6-5 to the Nationals. Kyle Kendrick got knocked around, but new acquisition Nelson Figueroa took the loss. Christine isn't happy that a Mets reject is on the team and curious how I remembered that the No. 44 he wears used to belong to Vicente Padilla.

{Maybe Carlos Ruiz should have played instead of Brian Schneider. The Phillies are still undefeated when Chooch is the catcher.}

Attitudes, perception and perspective

I got bad vibes from John Lackey when he was continually frustrated by the Red Sox in the playoffs (until last year, of course). He'd glare at defenders and spout off at his offense for lack of support.

"He's no Jon Lester," I wrote during the 2008 ALDS.

He seemed the type of player I wouldn't want on my team.

Today, however, Amalie Benjamin tries to explain his attitude - he wants to win so badly that he's a jerk when he pitches:

"But every fifth day - ask the guys that played with me - I'm probably not the nicest person in the world. I'm ready to get after it. I'm there to win. I'm not there to mess around, for sure."

"I'd never really seen John get mad until I saw him screaming on the mound one day," [his wife] Krista says. "I was like, 'Oh my gosh.' I've never seen him get that angry. He's just always a very calm, mellow person. Just goes with the flow. Then he was so intense. It was kind of scary."

If Lackey's attitude really were a problem, you have to figure Benjamin would have found a teammate to spout off anonymously. If it were a problem, there's no way his former manager Mike Scioscia would speak so glowingly about him now that he's gone:

"You're not going to find a better teammate, you're not going to find a better guy in the clubhouse," Scioscia says. "For a guy that you would think is as competitive as you see on the field, he is really soft-spoken off the field. He is very caring. He's in touch with the community."

So, hopefully, my opinion of John Lackey as a a player I wouldn't want on my team was wrong. Or maybe I'm just a biased Red Sox fan enjoying his team's latest acquisition.

Lackey has some similarity with former Phillie Brett Myers. They're both big right-handers from the South whose competitiveness sometimes overcomes their composure.

As Brett has switched from Phillies red to Astros brown? yellow? orange? mustard? he pledged to "stick it" to his former team. We've been critical of Myers' attitude, but I kind of like his spunk here. (Maybe because he's not the Phillies problem anymore?)

Say what you want about Brett, but he gets Philadelphia. From the moment it was clear he was leaving, he has made a clear distinction between the team's management (who he has a right to be angry with) and its fans (who largely supported him during his tenure).

The fact that he continues to say he wanted to stay in Philly and openly encouraged fans to boo him proves his affection for the city and its fans.

Of course, not being primarily a Phillies fan might have altered my perception here.

I asked Christine what she thought of young Brett's quote and she said, "I hope he sticks it to the Phillies like he has been over the past few years: by giving up home runs at Citizens Bank Park."

Then, she conceded that fans can give him an ovation - until he crosses the white line.

First impressions

Well the dealing is done. (Maybe.) And our general managers publicly unveiled their new trophies today.

Combined, Roy Halladay, John Lackey and Mike Cameron have played for 35 seasons. Halladay has never been to the playoffs. Cameron has been four times, but has only won two series he has been in. After winning the World Series as a rookie, Lackey hasn't had much success, as the Angels have won just two of six playoff series since 2002.

So do you think they're excited about joining two of baseball's elite teams?

Halladay:

This is a dream come true. The longer you play in your carer the more important (winning) becomes. I've been able to establish myself, achieve things. The more I play, the more I realize how important that is for me. To see a team do it in back-to-back years and have that success says a lot about the players in the clubhouse and people that are putting the team together. It's not an accident. I want to be a part of that. I've heard great things about the people and great things about the organization. That is big for me.

The biggest thing is having a chance to win and hopefully do it a couple of times. For me, that was the biggest factor.

Lackey:

"Obviously, I've been here for some big names," said Lackey, who has made four postseason starts against the Red Sox and pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings in Game 1 of the American League Division Series in October, setting the tone for an Angels sweep. "I'm here to win. The bottom line is that I've always had a lot of respect for this organization from the other side. Winning is the biggest thing for me and I know the organization has a great chance to do that. Hopefully, I can help."

And Cameron:

From my past visits here, I kind of understand the passion people have here toward the game. I feel the same way. As much as a player, I've been a big fan of the game. When you go to different place you see the excitement and passion people have. I had a chance to go somewhere special and play in the World Series.

Hopefully, we'll see all three in the 2010 World Series.

Cliff Lee odds and ends: Christine reminded me that, this summer, I said people were stupid to buy Cliff Lee jerseys and T-shirts because even if he stuck around, he could have switched numbers from 34 to 31. Now, all those Lee fans must be wondering whether it's OK to just slap Halladay over their No. 34s. No, it's not. ... Not only did Doc take his uniform number, the Phillies didn't wait to replace the Cliff Lee bobblehead giveaway with a Roy Halladay bobblehead giveaway. This might set a record for the quickest bobblehead announcement.

Finally, I'm sure the debate whether the Phillies should have kept Lee will continue through the season. Here are two more views: one on why he doesn't fetch more in trades, the other on why the last two years of dealing make sense for the Phillies.

[Photo credits: Associated Press]

Aces high on wild day

Wow.

The slow offseason certainly picked up today for the SoxandPhils.

In a couple of huge surprises, the Phillies are on the verge of swapping Cy Young aces Cliff Lee for Roy Halladay in a stunning three-team deal among the Phils, Mariners and Blue Jays, while the Red Sox have cloned Josh Beckett by signing John Lackey.

On the undercard, meanwhile, the Red Sox are close to signing Mike Cameron to replace Jason Bay and have offered $15.5 million to Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman, the 21-year-old lefty with a 102 MPH fastball.

This morning, I thought my blog post would be ripping David Murphy for not updating his blog since last week.

A lot has changed in the last several hours.

Here's my gut reaction on the day's news:

Philies: I don't think Halladay gives them much more than Cliff Lee this year. I don't know if it is better for the team in the long run, but I understand the logic on the theory that they were pretty sure they would lose Lee after this season while they will lock up Doc for several years under this deal.

I heard an analyst say recently that Halladay is Ruben Amaro's white whale. Well, he finally harpooned the bugger, and remarkably it looks like it won't cost top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek or outfield prospect Domonic Brown.

But some reports are saying that it might cost them Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ and Domonic Brown in what we think could be a straight-up deal between the Phillies and Blue Jays. Would that mean the Phillies get to keep Lee? {Halladay, Lee and Hamels? Whoa. But I'd be disappointed to see homegrown Happ leave.}

Update: Now Jayson Stark says the deal will likely include Drabek. I give up trying to figure out this one tonight. I'll just say I'll be less enthused if the Phillies wind up paying $60 million and giving up Drabek just to upgrade from Lee to Halladay.

The best part is they kept Halladay out of New York. It was enjoyable listening to all the distraught Mets fans call WFAN.

Doc, welcome to Philly. Clifton Phifer, thanks for the short but sweet memories.

Red Sox: I'm not a big John Lackey fan, but I've warmed to him in the last several hours. Especially after learning that his career is most similar to Josh Beckett. Heck, each of them won a World Series clincher when they were 23 years old.

Check out these numbers:

John Lackey - 8 seasons, 3.81 ERA, 234 G, 1501 IP, 1519 H, 636 ER, 151 HR, 441 BB, 1201 K

Josh Beckett - 9 seasons, 3.79 ERA, 228 G, 1401 IP, 1280 H, 590 ER, 151 HR, 426 BB, 1330 K

I'm comfortable with those two behind ace Jon Lester. It's clear Theo Epstein isn't going to overpay for offense and is concentrating on run prevention. Or maybe the Lackey signing leads to a trade of Clay Buchholz for Adrian Gonzalez or another premier bat.

Whether or not that deal occurs, I'm comfortable with how our team is positioned. I've never been thrilled with Mike Cameron, but I have a good feeling that in the end we'll be a better team.

Let the Mets overpay for Bay.

Apologies to J-Roll

On Thursday, I pointed to a Fangraphs post that said Jimmy Rollins was one of the most average players in baseball this season.

Today, the same Fangraphs blogger, Matt Klaassen, is back on the subject of Jimmy Rollins. This time, it's debating whether J-Roll is overrated. To me, J-Roll has also been the type of player who gets over- and underrated, depending on whom is doing the rating. Klaassen comes to a pretty fair conclusion:

Over the last three seasons (including 2009), Rollins has accumulated 14.4 wins, making him "only" the 17th most valuable position player in that period according to FanGraphs' WAR. Whose company is he in? Ichiro Suzuki is at 15.0, only half-a-win away (practically nothing over three years). Derek Jeter is Mr. Overrated Guys Bloggers Love To Whine About, and he's the same as Ichiro. Ryan Zimmerman has been exactly as valuable. Grady Sizemore has been ever-so-slightly less valuable; is he a hack? How about Lance Berkman or Adrian Gonzalez?

Look, Rollins shouldn't have won the 2007 NL MVP, when he wasn't even the best player on his own team (ahem). Again, I don't know exactly who's been doing the "rating." But if you ask me (and you didn't), it's tough to imagine that a guy who's been about as good as Ichiro!, Jeter, Zimmerman, Grady Sizemore, Big Puma, and A-Gon over the last three years deserves the "overrated" label.

I agree with this assessment of Jimmy Rollins. I don't think he's the greatest player in the world, but I wouldn't have minded him stabilizing the Red Sox shortstop situation over the years.

News and lack thereof: It's so slow that the only story in the papers is that the Red Sox may pursue John Lackey. Yeah, that's about as likely to happen as the Phillies trading for Ryan Zimmerman to plug their third base hole.

Sweep?

This morning, contemplating the pair of SoxandPhils Game 1 wins, I was very proud of myself. I was pleased with each victory, but not getting ahead of myself.

Tonight, however, after Shane Victorino's grand slam off CC Sabathia, I looked at Christine and said "Sweep?"

"Looks that way," she said.

Here are the last 24 hours of Red Sox and Phillies baseball:

Maybe it was sitting in the rain for a few hours on Wednesday. Maybe I'm just getting old. But I was conking out before midnight with the Sox winning 2-1 in the 7th.

I saw enough from Jon Lester to know the game was in hand once Jason Bay hit a two-run homer in his playoff debut that caused John Lackey to go nuts and lash out at his offense.

He's no Jon Lester. The Angels kept getting on base, six hits, a walk and an error in seven innings, but Lester never lost his cool and kept stranding them, except for an unearned run in the 3rd. He wasn't even bothered that his mates couldn't score until the 6th inning. Every time I think I'm not going to underestimate Lester anymore, he raises expectations. These next few weeks will be harder if Josh Beckett's unable to go, but Lester's certainly a capable replacement. Red Sox 4, Angels 1.

Jacoby Ellsbury picked up from last October, going 3-5 with a run, RBI and two stolen bases. Jonathan Papelbon gave up a hit but somehow still struck out the side needing only 13 pitches. I hope Brad Lidge was watching. {I hope Brad Lidge was sleeping. That game ended too late.}

Last year, in the AL Championship Series, everyone thought the Indians, up 3-1, would seal the deal because Sabathia and Fausto Carmona were lined up to finish us off.

This year, Sabathia was unstoppable for the Brewers, and many were writing off the Phillies in Game 2 because of him. Well, the clock struck midnight on his Cinderella season, and Victorino hit a grand slam to cap off a five-run 2nd inning marked by CC's wildness and a nine-pitch at bat by Brett Myers, who walked to keep the inning alive and make the Hawaiian Punch possible. Phillies 5, Brewers 2.

Myers, who later had a 10-pitch at-bat and singled in another inning, didn't take a back seat to Cole Hamels the night after the lefty became the unquestioned ace of the staff. Myers gave up two runs on three walks and two hits with four strikeouts over seven innings.

Lidge - maybe he was watching Papelbon? - rebounded from Wednesday's 35-pitch outing to post a clean 9th on 12 pitches.

Jayson Werth had two hits including a double to start the scoring in the 2nd; Pedro Feliz knocked him in with a double. Atop the order, Jimmy Rollins and Victorino went 5-9. It wasn't all good tonight, as the bats still aren't clicking, leaving 10 men on base. The heart of the order, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell, went 0-10 with seven strikeouts. They have to bust out sometime. Right?

Music: We've been getting a lot of queries about Jayson Werth's intro song. Being a hair metal aficionado, it's one I can answer: Sammy Hagar's Heavy Metal. Rock on.

[Photo credits: Associated Press]

Acing the playoffs

When the regular season started, there was much concern about Josh Beckett reporting to camp with a bulge in his midsection. When it ended Sunday, an oblique strain that officially pushed his start to Game 3 has raised questions about whether he'll pitch at all in these playoffs.

So goes the subpar, injury-filled season for a two-time World Series hero. As with Curt Schilling, you don't question his guts or competitiveness, but it's always a worry when your ace - especially one with Beckett's postseason resume - may not be ready to go.

In his absence, two-time AL Pitcher of the Month Jon Lester gets the ball in Game 1 Wednesday night against John Lackey. I'm not calling the Sox a lock to win this series, but I like this pitching matchup.

Each John pitched a World Series clincher when they 23 years of age. Lackey is more experienced, but didn't pitch well against the Sox in last year's ALDS. He didn't pitch at all in the 2004 sweep.

Sleep is usually hard to come by for me in October, and it'll be even worse this year. Game 1 starts at 10 p.m.; Game 2 starts at 9:30 p.m. No other times have been posted for the Sox.

For the Phillies, Cole Hamels has a chance to shut up those, like me, who question his big-game ability in Game 1 at 3 p.m. Wednesday. In his playoff debut last year, he gave up three runs in 6 2/3 innings. He seemed to get more comfortable as the game went on, and there was an issue with the game conditions; it was a hot 81-degree October day, and Cole came out in long sleeves.

In the past few years, I've seen the Sox come back from unthinkable playoff deficits and the Phillies twice come back from the dead in the regular season, so I know not to proclaim a must-win in Game 1. But given last year's sweep, and CC Sabathia pitching Game 2, it would behoove young Cole to put the team and fans at rest with a strong performance. There is no reason this team should not advance to the next round - especially when the Brewers Game 1 pitcher, Yovani Gallardo, doesn't seem to be stretched out to be a starter.

After spending most of the season on the DL, Gallardo pitched four innings in a game last week. He's very talented and had an outstanding rookie season in 2007, but as long as the Phillies don't go up there hacking away like they did against the Rockies last year, they should be teeing off against the awful Brewers bullpen by the middle innings.

Administrative business: Many people come to this blog in search of information on a certain relative of Pat Burrell. Until now, we've resisted posting a photo. But in the spirit of the Phillies repeating as division champs for the first time since 1981, we will oblige:


Pat Burrell and his two best friends: a beer and Elvis, his bulldog. What? Were you expecting Burrell's wife Michelle Fonseca?

[Photo credit: Jose F. Moreno, Courier-Post]