Big free agent news

The offseason's biggest contractual concern of the SoxandPhils has been settled.

It doesn't involve Jayson Werth, Victor Martinez (although we were sad to see him go) or Adrian Beltre. Nor is it a big rumor involving Carl Crawford or Cliff Lee.

Nope, the SoxandPhils sponsorship of Ken Ryan has been extended for a third year. It's hard to believe that it's been two years since I found Ken Ryan under our Christmas tree. That's four times longer than Trent's been alive, as long as the current SoxandPhils championship drought and nearly as long as my post-journalism career.

The second anniversary of that date is Thursday, and I'm still having flashback nightmares.

On a cheerier note, I bumped into one of Santa's helpers at a mall. He dropped a hint that makes me think Trent might be getting something red and green under the tree. (No, not Ken Ryan dressed as a traffic light.)

A day late

Happy belated birthday to officially SoxandPhils-sponsored Ken Ryan.

I didn't get to Nick Cafardo's weekly column yesterday, so our birthday wishes are a day late.

I feel like it's been a week since baseball was on.

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.

Christine got Chooch!

Last year, Ken Ryan found himself under the official SoxandPhils Christmas tree. This year, it was Carlos Ruiz's turn to be a gift.

Christine normally doesn't like Phillies garb specific to a certain player. But she has developed an affinity for Chooch, and I figured she would get a kick out of a Ruiz shirt.

Unfortunately, the only official Ruiz shirts for women come in red, and Christine doesn't wear red. So I did some searching and found some customizable Carlos Ruiz shirts.

Before discovering CafePress (yes, I was the last person on Earth to have heard of it), I came across a Phillies canvas chair while looking in a sporting goods store. I picked up one because we recently got a canvas chair as a prize from a charity walk. Christine had mentioned that it seems wrong to have just one chair, so now we have a pair: one that's bright orange and one that's Phillies. We won't stick out at all at the next parade.

I also got Christine a transistor radio (yup, they still sell them) so that next summer she won't have to choose between taking a walk in the neighborhood or watching the beginning of a Phillies game. We can stroll around the neighborhood while listening to the start of the game.

In my pile from Christine was The Bill James Handbook. It's been awhile since I've had a copy. So long, in fact, that Christine thinks the last one I had was used to try to settle our debates over who was better, Scott Rolen or Nomar Garciaparra, who both seemed destined for the Hall of Fame way back then.

At my parents' house, I got a Red Sox vs. Yankees checkers set. It's nice, but who is going to want to play as the Empire? Christine and I joked that we will buy Phillies vs. Mets so we can put together a SoxandPhils game.

I also got Boston Red Sox Yesterday & Today. It's rare for a new Red Sox book to come out without my knowledge, let alone one authored by one of my favorite columnists, Nick Cafardo. I was very surprised.

Actually, Christine got me a non-baseball book that I was also unaware of. It's not actually out yet, so Christine had to print out a picture of it to put under the tree. At first, I thought it was going to another baseball-reference sponsorship, just like Ken Ryan last year.

Hope you all had a nice holiday and that next year we all get our Christmas present in October: Sox vs. Phils.

SoxandPhils extends sponsorship of Ken Ryan

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 Ken Ryan's Baseball-Reference page for another year.

"Negotiations were tough but fair, and we're thrilled to bring back Ken Ryan for another year," SoxandPhils co-owner and lead writer Greg said. "There is no other player who better captures the spirit of SoxandPhils - at least none other whose page we can afford."

Ryan has been a SoxandPhils favorite since he told Phillies Magazine that his favorite teams are the Red Sox and Phillies - the only teams he played for in his eight-year major league career. He compiled a record of 14-16 and 30 saves with a 3.91 ERA in 285.2 innings from 1992 to 1999.

He was traded from the Red Sox to the Phillies on Jan. 29, 1996, with Glenn Murray and Lee Tinsely for Larry Wimberly, Rick Holyfield and Heathcliff Slocumb, the only other officially sponsored SoxandPhil.

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

"I knew Greg would get a kick out of it, but I didn't think he would have gone this nuts with it," she said.

Semi-completed book report

Whenever I get the chance to read during my lunch hour, I've been enjoying Jeff Pearlman's The Rocket that Fell to Earth, a birthday gift from Christine.

It's quite different from the last Roger Clemens book I read - Rocket Man: The Roger Clemens Story, written by Clemens with Peter Gammons.

In fact, a lot of the current book points out inaccuracies in Clemens' "autobiography," such as claims he was offered a D-1 scholarship and was drafted by the Twins in 1980.

The Providence Journal's Sean McAdam is quoted in the book:

He was a liar, plain and simple. Roger was as full of shit as any athlete I've ever seen in my career. He said whatever worked for him, whether it was truthful or not. Reality didn't matter for Roger Clemens in any way, shape or form.

Today I learned that Clemens named his split-finger fastball Mr. Splitty. That was pretty much the only endearing thing I read about my former idol in a 30-page span that covered a large chunk of his Red Sox career.

The other positive, besides a fascinating glimpse of the meltdown in the 1990 ALCS, was a quote by the SoxandPhils' own Ken Ryan:

Roger was Roger. As a young player, he wasn't the easiest person to approach. It's not like he wouldn't talk at all, but if you needed anything substantial or worthwhile, you first had to show that you were worthy in his eyes.

If Clemens hadn't ruined his reputation by selling himself to two devils (the Yankees and steroids), this book could be a crushing blow to the memories I have of the guy responsible for me being a Red Sox fan. But he destroyed his own image long before Jeff Pearlman documented his downfall.

I have read a lot of negative stuff I hadn't heard before. I wonder how much of that I would have known and whether it would have affected my fandom if the Internet had existed when I was young.

Clemens is a waste, but The Rocket that Fell to Earth isn't.

Non-book quotables: Shane Victorino on trying to steal second base when down by two runs in the 9th inning on Monday: "There's no excuses to the fact that I f'd up." David Ortiz's no comment today after the media learned he was dropped to sixth in tonight's lineup: "I'll talk after I go deep."

Tonight's games: Joe Blanton was moneyball tonight, giving up no runs in seven innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts in a 5-3 win over the Marlins. Victorino didn't F-up tonight, going 4-5 with a run and RBI. The 9th got a little dicey with Chad Durbin and Scott Eyre on the mound, but Brad Lidge eventually cleaned up the mess after walking his first batter. ... Papi isn't talking yet, although he has a double and a walk in his first three plate appearances. Jon Lester imploded in the 5th inning, giving up five runs. The Sox trail the Twins 5-2 in the 7th.

[Photo credit: JeffPearlman.com and Amazon.com]

SoxandPhils swap

Aside from the fact MLB Network is broadcasting a Red Sox and Yankees spring training game, there's not much going on.

If Curt Schilling hadn't made his big announcement, yesterday's post probably would have been about this nugget in a Boston Globe story on our new backup catcher George Kottaras:

The Phillies have been talking to the Sox about prospect Lou Marson, but the price tag seems to be Buchholz or Daniel Bard and the Sox aren't going there.

It would be an interesting swap of prospects from a SoxandPhils perspective, but I don't think the Red Sox would give up either pitcher for Marson since they wouldn't deal either for Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Taylor Teagarden.

The last time our teams traded a player was Ed Yarnell in 2004 who was sent to the Phillies in a "conditional deal," according to Baseball Reference. I don't know what that is. The last real trade was Josh Hancock for Jeremy Giambi in 2002. Then we have to go back to 1996 for the last blockbuster: Heathcliff Slocumb, Larry Wimbley and Rick Holyfield from the Phillies for Glenn Murray, Lee Tinsley and a certain lad named Ken Ryan. I highly recommend clicking on his page.

Back to TV broadcasts: Last night, Christine thought I knew ESPN Classic was showing the bloody sock game. I didn't. By the time I tuned in, Curt had already left the game. Bronson Arroyo was pitching. I turned it on just in time to see Alex Rodriguez earn his slappy nickname.

Ah, the reassuring sounds of spring agita

It has been almost too serene at SoxandPhils camps this spring. But today, news broke that Jonathan Papelbon piped up about Manny Ramirez in Esquire, calling him a clubhouse cancer that had to be removed last year:

"It takes 25 guys on a team to win, not 24, and that was blatantly obvious," Papelbon said today after the club's workout. "It doesn't matter who you are -- you could be Babe Ruth -- if you're not in that same cubbyhole with the rest of the guys going to war with you, you're all going to die. That almost happened."

I like the rhetoric, but why now? I would have loved it if Papelbon had said this last summer, but now it's just odd and creating an unnecessary diversion.

I, unfortunately, have to agree with Manny: "I've already moved on with my life. Like I said, I wish everybody the best. I'm in LA now."

And one other thing. I'm usually not overly PC, but I would hope Papelbon would reconsider using his use of the word cancer. Jon Lester had cancer. The team had a petulant prima donna who brought down morale.

Please, no more about Manny unless we have a rematch of last year's NLCS.

Wall of Fame: The Phillies announced their Wall of Fame nominees. There are several candidates more qualified than Juan Samuel, who was last year's inductee:

Pitchers Jack Baldschun, Ricky Bottalico, Larry Christenson, Gene Garber, Jim Konstanty and Rick Wise; catcher Darren Daulton; infielders John Kruk and Fred Luderus; outfielders Lenny Dykstra, Doug Glanville, Greg Gross, Von Hayes and Roy Thomas; manager Jim Fregosi.

Scott Lauber is not endorsing a candidate, but I will. My write-in endorsement goes to Ken Ryan. My other two votes will go to John Kruk and Doug Glanville.

{Ricky Bo? The only award he gets is the "What the hell is he doing on this list?" award. I want to vote for Dykstra; I know he's tainted, but he embodied the '93 team. Same for Daulton; not all there now, but he was the leader. I would also accept Kruk and be happy with Glanville, just because he seems like a genuinely good guy. But I will go with Dykstra and Daulton, but my dark horse will win it - Von Hayes. The fans are in a good mood and have seemed willing to forgive for the past, so it's his year.}

Warming up in the bullpen

I was sad when the late John Marzano took a job with Major League Baseball, leaving a void in the analyst seat at Comcast SportsNet for a former player with Philadelphia connections. But Mitch Williams relieved him admirably.

Both former players seemed to relish their roles, talking baseball and representing the views of both the athletes and the fans of Philadelphia. They weren't afraid to have fun or criticize a player.

Mitch really seemed to enjoy the 2008 championship - and not just because it officially got him off the hook for the Joe Carter home run. Johnny Marz would have loved watching it, too.

But Mitch won't be around to see whether the Phillies repeat. We just found out he's bailing on Philadelphia media to be part of the new MLB network. We haven't decided whether to upgrade our FIOS package to get the new network.

So this leaves another void at the microphone for a former athlete with Philly connections. I know the gut reaction will be just to increase Ricky Bottalico's air time. But might I humbly suggest another former Phillies reliever by the name of Ken Ryan? I know he's busy with his baseball academy, but he has broadcast experience with minor league games.

This endorsement is based solely on Ryan's ability and what's best for Phillies fans. It has nothing to do with generating traffic to our blog.

{So far, I think we've been unimpressed with Ricky Bo. Maybe he'll take some broadcast-speaking classes over the winter and get better with time, but so far he's been pretty dull.}

The answer to Sabathia and Teixeira

Just when it looked like the Red Sox would make no moves this offseason after the Yankees trumped them for Mark Teixeira, word comes out of Boston of two possible major signings: Brad Penny and former Sox Josh Bard.

If true, the Phillies would have no chance of repeating. {Please excuse Greg - he must be delirious from the Japanese milk candy he's been eating.}

I'm sometimes torn between cold-hearted, reasoned roster construction and the emotion a big-name signing evokes. The Yankees, a mediocre team that lost a slew of talent in the offseason, needed major rebuilding. The Red Sox, the 2007 World Series Champions who came within one game of going back to the Series this year, didn't.

Penny is back of the rotation filler who could easily be jettisoned for one of our many prospects. Bard, who was run out of town after proving he couldn't catch Tim Wakefield in 2006, would simply buy time to figure out the catching situation.

Ken Ryan: Our first baseball-reference page is updated.

I got Ken Ryan!!!

With the Phillies' first World Championship in 28 years, it was easy to shop for Christine this year. There was plenty of Phillies swag under the tree.

But it was Christine who pulled off the big surprise with what might be the ultimate SoxandPhils Christmas gift - Ken Ryan. We're now proud sponsors of his baseball-reference.com page. Christine put up a Merry Christmas placeholder message, but we'll SoxandPhils it up soon.

I've always wanted a baseball reference page, and I'm so psyched that it's Ken Ryan, who a certain blogger once suggested could be the ultimate SoxandPhil.

Welcome to the family, Mr. Ryan.

{Note to Greg: You don't own Ken Ryan. You just sponsor his page.}

Christine also got me a nifty new Red Sox cap. My old one seemed too big, and Christine never objects when I ask for a new one because she thinks my hats get too grimy.

Phillies swag: When the weather gets warmer, Christine can show off her championship T-shirt, which she can accessorize with the official "I was there October 27 & 29, 2008" World Series Game 5 pin.

Before then, when she starts complaining that opening day is so far off, she can pop in either the World Series or Phillies yearbook DVD to relive 2008. The latter arrived Tuesday, just in the nick of time. It has a picture of Elvis on the back, which was a great surprise.

Also pictured is the refrigerator magnet of the Phillie Phanatic holding the trophy and Gary Matthews' book Phillies Confidential. I had ordered it before Christine even knew it existed. She saw it a couple days later, and I blew her off.

"I'm sure it's lame - don't bother," I said.

It is going to be lame, but we'll have a few laughs over it and probably review it on the blog.

At Mom's: One of the first gifts I opened was an ornament of Santa Claus riding a Red Sox sleigh. I thanked my Mom, noting how in the last two years the Phillies ornaments were catching up in number to the Red Sox ones on the tree. Christine then opened one containing Santa riding on a Phillies rocking horse.

Oops: When we were looking around the Phillies store this month, I didn't understand why Christine was so taken by the championship shot glasses. We're not drinkers and don't have a collection or anything. I obviously didn't remember her October post when she flat-out asked for one. I'll have to make up for it on her birthday, which is less than two months away.

A SoxandPhils alumnus

If I were to start a SoxandPhils Hall of Fame - I'm not, but if I were - the first inductee would not be Tom Gordon, Terry Francona or even Curt Schilling. No, it would be the legendary Ken Ryan.

He played for eight years, amassing 30 saves with a 3.91 ERA in 240 games split evenly between the Red Sox and Phillies. In a convoluted way, he can take some credit for the Red Sox recent championships. He was traded to the Phillies before the 1996 season with Glenn Murray and Lee Tinsley for Heathcliff Slocumb and two minor leaguers. Heathcliff "Slocumb if you got 'em" was traded the next season for Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek.

But Ryan's place in SoxandPhils lore was cemented only recently. In fact, I can't say I've given him much thought at all until Sunday, when I opened my Phillies program and saw "Catching up with ... Ken Ryan." These days, he runs a baseball academy, plays in celebrity softball games and does some commentary at minor league baseball games. And the Rhode Island native still follows his big league teams:

Oh, yes. Of course I follow the Red Sox the most because of where I live, but my favorite National League team is the Phillies. So, I root for two teams.

Back to the present: The Red Sox entered the bottom of the 8th trailing the Twins 5-2 tonight. A three-run homer by Manny Ramirez - who got $10,000 today - followed by a manufactured run gave the Sox a 6-5 lead. Jonathan Papelbon saved it despite a lead-off double by former Phillie Nick Punto.

That's the kind of win the Phillies used to get. Tonight they entered the bottom of the 9th trailing the Cardinals 2-0, with Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell due up against Ryan Franklin. Last year, that would have been a 3-2 win. This year, it's game over, another hard-luck loss for Cole Hamels. It's official, especially with last night's failed comeback: The 2008 Phillies have lost their 2007 mojo.

Competitors: Rays lost. Mets won. Marlins haven't played yet. Sox trail the Rays by three, but lead the Twins by 2.5. Phillies lead the Mets by 1.5 and the Marlins by one.