Quick question

During the winter meetings, I feel a strange dichotomy - overwhelmed by all the rumors flying around yet frustrated by the lack of exciting news from the Red Sox and Phillies.

Normally, I wouldn't dabble in these rumors, but I have to ask: Which is more disturbing, that the Red Sox are considering Milton Bradley or that the Phillies are considering John Smoltz?

Normally, I'd say Bradley is more troubling, but I cannot see the Red Sox actually doing it. I could see the Phillies signing Smoltz - despite his disdain of Citizens Bank Park.

J-Roll may no longer be top SoxandPhils shortstop

It's no secret that the Red Sox have struggled to find a permanent shortstop since trading Nomar Garciappara for an elusive World Series Championship in 2004.

They've been through Orlando Cabrera, Edgar Renteria, Julio Lugo, Jed Lowrie and Alex Gonzalez twice. But now, a new name has surfaced: Dustin Pedroia.

While he's clearly the best second baseman in the league (American, I know Chase Utley is better), he is gung-ho about the possibility of shifting to short and intent on mastering the position.

In the true spirit of SoxandPhils, he isn't focused on Jimmy Rollins, but the overrated Derek Jeter:

"When the idea of moving back to shortstop was floated to me, I welcomed it," Pedroia says. "I'm excited. Tell Derek [Jeter] to enjoy the gold glove and silver slugger awards while he can. Obviously, I'm not serious about the fun I have with Derek, but I'm never stopping believing in the goal. I believe I can play shortstop and help get the Red Sox back where they belong."

I'm psyched. To quote one of our favorite movie titles: Bring it on. {Favorite movie title, not movie. Promise.}

Although, a Red Sox source told Nick Cafardo that this move would be a last resort:

While there has been internal discussions about Dustin Pedroia moving to shortstop it would not happen unless the Red Sox exhausted every avenue to acquire a shortstop through free-agency or trade, a team source said this afternoon.

The team is hesitant to give up draft picks for Type-A or Type-B free-agents like Marco Scutaro. And they do have Jed Lowrie to go to to if his wrist stays healthy. While Pedroia to short is an option, there's always great pause in moving such a tremendous second baseman to a different position. Suffice to say, a final decision on this subject is still in the distance.

Other news: A Philly sports icon is coming home. No, not yet Allen Iverson, but former Northampton High star Brian Schneider. I don't understand spending $1.5 million a year on a backup catcher when $5 million was considered too much for a starting third baseman.

Chris Wheeler should be happy. He's always had an admiration of Schneider that borders on creepy obsession. I hate Wheels. I miss being able to say I hate Wheels - well, not really because I really hate Wheels.

And it sounds like he won't be the only veteran coming to the Phillies. Ruben Amaro won't discuss specific players, but said John Smoltz fits the description of a player he would sign. Wink, wink.

Phinally: At last we know why the Phanatic doesn't do road games. It's not out of fear of entering enemy territory, nor respecting another team's house. He just doesn't want to pay the extra taxes.

Divergent paths to SoxandPhils World Series

Every year, I am convinced that this will be the year that I've finally learned that baseball seasons are marathons and not to let myself get too excited during the highs or too bummed during the lows. I kept myself calm when the Red Sox beat the Yankees in their first eight head-to-head matchups and seemed primed for a third World Championship in my lifetime.

But it's hard not to get low after a night like last night that dropped them 3.5 behind the Yankees and just 2 up on the Rangers for the Wild Card. I can't believe I'm worried about the consolation prize in early August.

But last night, a washed-up John Smoltz got wiped away by the Yankees. The best first baseman in baseball, Kevin Youkilis, started in left field, and Jed Lowrie was injured again. The Globe's headlines included "Breaking point," "In reverse gear and skidding fast" and "Master plan shortsighted."

Everyone is convinced we're seeing a repeat of 2006 - the only time in the last six years the Red Sox missed the playoffs. It was capped by a five-game sweep by the Yankees in Fenway.

I'm not ready to give up. Sure, the glut of pitching has been reduced to Beckett, Lester and pray for nasty weather. But these guys are champions. Don't count 'em out.

While the Red Sox can't do anything right lately, their counterparts in our hoped SoxandPhils World Series can't do anything wrong. Ruben Amaro is walking on water right now: All his moves are working, the city loves him, and he's got the media wrapped around his finger. The biggest problem in Philadelphia is how beloved Jamie Moyer is going to handle the bullpen.

The other night I heard Amaro on the radio with Mike Missanelli, who tried to bait him into saying he celebrated closing the deal on the Cliff Lee trade. Nah, he said, the front office just shook hands and were pleased with their results.

Pressed again in a Sam Donnellon column today in which his players sang his praises, he still wouldn't bite:

Amaro was asked whether he'd received some congratulatory phone calls. He squirmed uneasily, then went on long and hard about all the help he received.

"We don't do this to receive congratulations," he said, finally. "We do this to win games, man."

Now, we just need the Phillies to keep winning games and the Red Sox to remember how to.

Today's news: We've been out of touch - we have had one of those home improvement days where we eat at 9 p.m. and are waiting for paint to dry at 10:30 so we can hang blinds and go to sleep. Needless to say, I had no idea John Smoltz was designated for assignment and Junichi Tazawa was called up until I logged on to post.

I found out for the first time the Red Sox and Yankees didn't score - they're in the 10th tied 0-0. I wish I saw this matchup between Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett. Phillies lost to the Marlins 3-2. Panic grips Philly.

Best of plans

In the afternoon tilt - you know, the SoxandPhils game we could not watch because of work - Cliff Lee pitched another beauty, winning his home debut 3-1 against the Rockies. He went seven innings, giving up one run on six hits and a walk with nine strikeouts.

John Smoltz - in the game we should have been able to watch - did not make it out of the 4th, getting tagged for eight runs in a 13-4 blowout through the 8th, which means the dominance against the Yankees probably ends tonight.

I found this Tony Masarotti tidbit interesting:

According to one baseball source, the Sox had serious discussions with the Indians for both Martinez and starter Cliff Lee, at least until Cleveland wisely broke the tandem apart and effectively sold them off as condos. The point is that the Red Sox wanted a hitter and a pitcher, or, more importantly, they felt they needed both. In the upper corners of Fenway Park, the inhabitants know this team has holes.

Stupid Indians.

Lots of other news today. J.A. Happ is staying in the rotation. Kevin Youkilis started in left field because Jason Bay has a hamstring injury. Josh Reddick is back because Rocco Baldelli was DL'd. David Ortiz was going to talk about steroids this afternoon, but now he's going to do it tomorrow.

I know, kind of a weak post given everything that's going on, but it's been a rough night. I had to teach myself how to change a car battery (took longer than I thought) and then had to prepare the bathroom shower to be recaulked and the rest of the house to get new windows.

At least the chores kept me from having to watch this debacle against the Yankees.

Interesting: They just showed the clip of Pedro Martinez taking out Don Zimmer in the 2003 ALCS. Christine sighed as she realized he's her problem now.

'Elua (Hawaiian for two)

You might have guessed that we were discussing weather yesterday because we had tickets to today's game.

With a good chance of thunderstorms and our luck with the weather at ball games, we fully expected a washout. Instead, the weather you see in the picture to the right is what we got from inning one through nine.

Game: The sunny day was fitting for a game dedicated to Shane Victorino and his native Hawaii. The game itself had two simple plot lines: a bunch of two-run home runs and a fine outing by Country Joe Blanton.

The Phillies matched the Cardinals' first inning run, but then Chase Utley (pictured scoring) put them up for good with a two-run home run in the 3rd inning. He was matched by Ryan Howard in the 5th, Jimmy Rollins in the 6th and Raul Ibanez in the 7th.

Victorino, the man of the hour who never seems to shrink when the spotlight is on him, didn't join in the two-run fun, but he did go 2-4 with two singles and a run. He appeared to have a stolen base in the first inning, but the umpire sent him back. We never got an explanation in the stands.

Although his native Nashville wasn't feted throughout the game, Blanton stole the day from Shane-O. He went eight innings, and with just 108 pitches, he could have gone out for the 9th. His strongest inning was his last. After a leadoff single to Skip Schumaker, he struck out Julio Lugo, Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday (pictured) to end the inning.

Despite the protests of a youngster sitting behind us, Charlie Manuel went with Brad Lidge to preserve the 9-2 win. He allowed a double to Rick Ankiel and needed 21 pitches, but he ended the inning without a run, lowering his ERA to 7.00. Former SoxandPhil Joe Thurston made the last out.

Observations from the stands: Lots of Hawaiian music throughout the day. The Phanatic hula'd with professionals, then lead his own thing involving a bunch of guys pretending to row a boat with wiffle ball bats. We didn't get it either. ... The Aloha Hula Show did the national anthem. It was a string version - very different, very nice. ... Stephanos Tsirakoglou sang an operatic God Bless America. He kept it moving. ... That kid I mentioned earlier kept Christine and I entertained with constant chatter, such as "Howard looks weird when he sweats," "Paul Bako has to work his way up in the game" and "Rollins hit a grand slam yesterday. Did Pujols? Did Holliday?" ... Matt Stairs, getting a rare start, used Stone Cold Steve Austin's Glass Shattered entrance music. ... All the Phillies had Hawaiian shirts superimposed on their scoreboard pictures - Stairs got a pink one. ... J-Roll came out to Michael Jackson in his first at-bat, but none of the rest. Christine was taken in the 4th when he chose Kriss Kross' Jump for his intro music. ... It was a very annoying day with people around us. There were constant beer runs and invasions of personal space. None was worse than late in the game when a large guy sitting next to Christine leaned forward and shifted to relieve himself of some gas. It was audible, but thankfully, she did not smell it.

It was also a good day for T-shirt watching, including this new RAUUUUUULL Ibanez version. ... We saw a growing number of Charlie Manuel shirts, including his All-Star T. We also saw two Carlos Ruiz shirts. We were glad to see some love for Cholly and Chooch. ... Kind of tacky is a new Phillies Hall of Fame T-shirt that lists every Phillie in the hall, including stalwarts such as Ryne Sandberg, Tony Perez and Johnny Evers. Well, maybe I would get a Red Sox version, assuming it would have Tom Seaver, Rickey Henderson and Juan Marichal. ... There were also lots of recent antiquated Phillies garb, including Jim Thome, Billy Wagner, Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell and the debut of Chris Coste to this list.

Pictures: It was such a photogenic day, we couldn't get them all in this post. Keep checking throughout the week for some more highlights.

Red Sox: The less said, the better. John Smoltz gave up six runs in five innings in a 6-2 loss to the Orioles. We're 2.5 behind the Yankees. Oh well, off to watch the highlights of Red Sox left fielders Rickey Henderson's and Jim Rice's induction speeches.

Sanchez, Smoltz and Hamels

Last night, MLB Network cut to the 5th inning of the Giants-Padres game because Jonathan Sanchez had a perfect game going.

I wanted to stay up to see how far he'd take it, but it was getting late and I was planning to take a long, early-morning bike ride before mowing the lawn. And I'm old. So I went to sleep.

I forgot all about Sanchez until the middle of the afternoon when I heard a radio report that he did it.

Christine and I both forgot to mention it to each other until later in the evening. She stayed up and watched the whole thing. She felt bad for Sanchez when he gave up his only baserunner. It was an error by the third baseman, Juan Uribe, after her Rookie of the Year pick Pablo Sandoval had been removed - probably for defensive reasons to help Sanchez. Christine said she felt bad, but the error maybe saved a possible hit, so it wasn't that bad for Sanchez.

Funny - Sanchez, whose career thus far has been most similar to failed Mets prospect Bull Pulsipher, pitched a no-hitter in his 52nd career start. That's something neither Cole Hamels nor John Smoltz, a pair of more decorated and accomplished pitchers, has done in their 571 combined starts.

I picked those two because that's who took the mound for the SoxandPhils tonight. Which one do you have more confidence in right now? Correct answer is Hamels, but he gave up five runs in six innings against the lowly Pirates. That's five times this year he has given up at least five runs. The Pirates lead in the 8th, 7-3.

Smoltz, however, pitched decently, giving up just one run. Unfortunately, he needed 97 pitches to get through five innings, so he yielded early to a bullpen that has been gone from shutdown to floodgate in recent weeks. In the 6th, Justin Masterson was charged with five earned in one-third of an inning. Manny Delcarmen couldn't end the inning, but Hideki Okajima did. Red Sox 9, Royals 6 in the 7th.

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.

Mental health day

Most of us can use a break from the daily drudgery once in a while. I guess that applies to major leaguers, too.

Charlie Manuel announced before tonight's game that J-Roll will be riding the bench for at least the next two games. He's not even taking batting practice. He's currently batting .211 with a .254 OBP and slugging just .328. Last night, his throwing error led to a five-run 8th inning for the Rays as they beat the Phillies 7-1.

I'm curious what Jimmy's reaction will be to this mini furlough. He took it in stride when Cholly benched him twice last year. I hope he gets himself straightened out soon; the Phillies could really use a healthy, happy, hitting Jimmy Rollins right now.

(P.S. I swear I wrote this post before I saw Todd Zolecki's blog. I even looked up J-Roll's numbers myself! I promise I'm not ripping off Zo, even though we both ended on the same sentiment, too.)

Once last ceremony: Also before tonight's game, Elvis - Pat Burrell's bulldog, for those of you not in the know - was presented with a medallion commemorating the 2008 World Series victory. It has a replica of the face of the World Series ring that the team received and it says Elvis on it. As they were showing the highlights of the "presentation," the TV announcers joked that Burrell was worried that the weight of the medallion would weigh down Elvis' head. Instead, Elvis gave a big dog smile as he proudly walked around with his prize around his neck. Needless to say, I'll post a photo if I can find one.

Tonight: Despite a four-run 1st inning, the Phillies are now losing to the Rays 6-4 in the 5th inning. Starter Antonio Bastardo left the game with an injury in the 4th.

First start: John Smoltz's debut with the Red Sox didn't go as planned. He gave up five earned runs in five innings to the Nationals. He had five strikeouts, but also gave up seven hits, a walk and hit a batter. Daniel Bard took over pitching duties, but the Sox now trail the Nats 7-1 in the 6th.

Jinxed

Last night, before we watched Ryan Madson blow a 3-2 lead in the 9th - the beginning of a bullpen implosion that ended up an 8-3 loss to the Blue Jays in 10 innings - I asked Christine whether she would blame Scott Lauber or Paul Hagen for writing about Madson's improvement, or me for blogging about it.

She said all three.

I think we can also pin part of the blame on the pitchers themselves because I think they might be going Hollywood with their new TV show. Brad Lidge thinks he'll be ready to return next week. I truly don't know whether that's a good thing.

John Smoltz will also return to the majors next week, forcing the Red Sox to go with a temporary six-man rotation instead of banishing Daisuke Matsuzaka to the bullpen. It will work out somehow.

500th: I've always wondered why they hand out promotional giveaways at the beginning, rather than end, of the game. The trinkets should go to the real fans who stick it out. The Red Sox are using that tact tonight to commemorate Fenway's 500th consecutive sellout. Fans will get a picture coming in and a baseball going out. Cue Van Halen: "They gotcha goin' in. They gotcha comin' out. Same amount, woo! In 'n out."

{The fact that the Red Sox are celebrating this at all just seems lame to me. I'm all about giveaways, but read that blog post from the Globe - the organization is going overboard. What it comes down to is, the Red Sox have one of the smallest ballparks in baseball, thus fewer seats to sell, and an endless number of bandwagon fans who have been willing to shell out ridiculous amounts of money to watch a game there. It just smacks of an organization that is desperate, not one that has won two World Series since 2004.}

Tonight's games: We've had better starts - the Marlins scored first via a two-out walk, then an error, but at least the Sox came back with two runs in the 2nd inning and lead 2-1 in the 3rd. The Phillies also fell behind quickly, but haven't come back yet. They trail the Blue Jays 4-0 in the 3rd. Rod Barajas hit a solo home run. Christine hopes this game gets reset by rain.

He's still here?

Yes, Adam Eaton is still a Phillie. But probably not for much longer. Ruben Amaro has made it pretty clear he won't make the squad, and today Eaton made it pretty clear he'd rather take his chances trying to catch on with another organization than pitch for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs again. Here's what he told Scott Lauber:

If we get to that point, I'll be released. And I don't think that's the end of the world by any means. It would be kind of prudent not to trade for me. I'm not going to accept another assignment. It doesn't take a rocket scientist for another GM to maybe wait and take your shot at getting me for less than a trade would be.

And, he's still delusional, according to Todd Zolecki's report:

I think the odds on favorite would be going somewhere else. But that is a good thing, too. This isn't the only place I can pitch. There's a lot more teams out there that need pitching. I hope to pitch well this spring, whether I make this team or some other team.

I guess, for Eaton's sake, I hope Philadelphia isn't the only place he can pitch because if it is, his career his over. But wherever he winds up, he's going to get a ring that he deserves only for being one of the Phillies' biggest free agent busts ever. And he plans to wear it.

Why wouldn't I? Obviously, a lot of people get them that didn't compete. But definitely if I were to win another one and I competed, I think that one would be more satisfying.

Ah, I'm going to miss Adam Eaton ... but only from a blogging standpoint, not from the point of view of someone who watches a ton of Phillies games.

Red Sox: When you've had your fill of Alex Rodriguez et al trying to cheat the game, there are stories of a 40-year-old with nothing to prove busting his hump during February agility drills. I'm not overly confident in what he will do on the field, but I think I will like having John Smoltz on the team.

Sox add depth, but still no starting catcher

The Red Sox responded today to the hundreds of millions spent by the Yankees this winter. While the Yankees dumped boatloads of money on three players who haven't won anything, the Red Sox got proven winners John Smoltz and Rocco Baldelli for less than $20 million.

OK, A.J. Burnett has one ring (same as Smoltz and Baldelli combined), but he pitched in only four games in 2003, when Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell won it for the Marlins.

Point is, the Yankees are buying big names, but the Red Sox are assembling a team - just one without a starting catcher.

A couple notes on Baldelli: He's going to be the first Red Sox to wear No. 5 since Nomar Garciapparra was shipped out so we could win a championship.

I have faith the front office did their due diligence with Baldelli's medical history and that he'll be capable of serving as the fourth outfielder.

I told Christine last night that this is our revenge for the Rays getting Pat Burrell. {I still fail to see his logic in that.}

I'm not expecting much from Smoltz, but between him and Brad Penny, I like the depth of the rotation.

Uniform number addendum: Wow, there have been very few uniform numbers that have gone unused by the Red Sox in recent years. According to Red Sox Diehard, only four unretired numbers (lower than 65) have been out of commission as long as or longer than Nomar's.

• No. 14 since 2000. Hopefully that number gets retired this year when Jim Rice is elected to the Hall of Fame.
• No. 21 since Roger Clemens left to become a disgrace in 1996.
• No. 26. This one is odd. It's Wade Boggs' number, but 11 guys have had it since he left, most recently Ramiro Mendoza in 2004.
• No. 45, last worn by Pedro Martinez in 2004.

[Photo credit: Associated Press]

Congrats to New York

Once again, it looks like New York will win the hot stove league, with the Yankees getting CC Sabathia and the Mets getting Francisco Rodriguez.

We at SoxandPhils quake in our cleats.

Fact is, the Red Sox and Phillies have supposedly been bested by their New York competition in most recent offseasons - Johan Santana, Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon, Billy Wagner. How many rings do those guys have? One. Johnny Damon for the 2004 Red Sox.

So let the New Yorkers enjoy their early Christmas presents. We at the home of the World Series Champions know that Phanta Claus delivers the real goodies in October.

Before I get to the teams that matter, one more CC point. I bet the guy most thrilled to have him on the team is Alex Rodriguez, so he's not the only nine-figure playoff choker in the Bronx.

Phillies: Not a good day. I didn't check the clips before heading out for an oil change, so I was surprise to overhear - while enjoying some pumpkin pancakes - that Jaime Moyer was demanding a two-year $20 million deal. And I thought Charlie Manuel was the one who was going to dampen the World Series afterglow with contract negotiations?

And I know we've been resigned that Pat Burrell's a goner, but it was sad hearing his agent put some finality to it.

Red Sox: Most of the news is status quo ... ripping the Sabathia deal and insistent reports that they're legitimately in on Mark Teixeira. But now there are some John Smoltz murmurs. I always like Smoltz and thought he could be a Red Sox, but he is 42 years old now.

This just in: The Phillies made their big trade. Yea! Minor league catcher Jason Jaramillo for backup catcher Ronny Paulino. Scott Lauber says this must mean Chris Coste's days are numbered.

More whining

Amid all of the week's whining from Cole Hamels and Jonathan Papelbon, I forgot about the wine.

I finally got around to trying Manny Being Merlot, one of three Red Sox wine labels launched in the name of charity last year. Thanks to Brian and Liza for buying us a bottle when they went to Maine.

I'm no wine connoisseur, but I liked it. It was different. It was billed as a combination of fruit and pepper. At first there's the fruity Merlot taste, but on the aftertaste comes the pepper, more like table pepper, but definitely interesting. I'd have it again, or try Schilling Schardonnay or CarberKnuckle.

Back to baseball whining: John Smoltz tells Cole to stop worrying about money and focus on pitching. Smoltz, who'll probably go to the Hall of Fame, says he was angry when the Braves renewed his contract in 1991. He went 2-11 before he stopped worrying about it and finished that season on a 12-2 tear. Oh, and the Inky reminds us that Smoltz's career earnings will be more than $130 million after this year - a mark I figure Hamels will eclipse in his first contract after free agency.