I hate weather

I thought I was going to reprise the hurricane post by saying that it was all worth it because Christine and I allowed Trent to play hooky and attend his first Phillies game.

But with a good chance of rain, which increases exponentially when we go to the ballpark, we sent him to school so we could get cold and wet at Citizens Bank Park. Well, it was clear for a couple of innings, as you can see.

The game started off well. Marlins pitcher Anibal Sanchez settled down after a two-run first inning, giving up only a hit and a walk over his next five innings. Kyle Kendrick, making his first appearance since Aug. 24, was dominant. He didn't give up a hit (one hit batsman) for four innings before giving up a solo home run in his 5th and final inning. Pete Orr made several outstanding plays at second. Chase Utley pinch-hit for him in the 8th.

But as the relievers came, the weather worsened and the game dragged. Each team had lengthy threats but didn't do much to change the score - just enough to make it miserable for those of us in the stands. The Phils held on to win 3-1.

Observations from the stands: We were surprised so many made it to the park for this Hurricane Irene make-up. Many scattered under cover once the rain and wind hit. We were in the last row, so we didn't have to head for higher grand like most of these people did. ... We saw many youngsters in the crowd. We wished Trent were with us, until the cold and wet kicked in. ... Rest in peace Negro League Star Bill "Ready" Cash. ... The Central Bucks West High School Choir, directed by Joseph Ohrt, did the anthem. Not bad, but we've heard it before. And before that. And even before that.

Antiquated shirts: Bobby Abreu (not at the park but at a store before the game), Jayson Werth, Jamie Moyer, Pedro Martinez (Phillies) and Jim Thome, whose 600th homer got a salute in the Phillies program. Not yet antiquated, but Christine spotted a Wilson Valdez shirt in the crowds.

So, we're home. My scorecard made it through the rain. Trent's asleep, and we're waiting to see whether the Phillies will hold on for the sweep and whether the Red Sox can come back against the Rays.

We're going to one more game this year. Disappointingly, we won't see much of it because it's Sunday night. With a baby, we don't do night games on school nights.

But given our track record, we can expect a win (4-0 when we've gone this year) but finally a better starter (Cole Hamels - we've seen Kendrick and Roy Oswalt start the other four games).

Whirlwind

In three hours on Saturday I went from sweating my butt off finishing some yard work on a pleasant spring afternoon to holding onto my hat and hoping our Bull’s BBQ didn't get whisked away in gale force winds at Citizens Bank Park.

Yes, the winds were so bad that I was having the blasphemous thought of wondering how it compared with the first half of Game 5 of the 2008 World Series. It wasn't a good sign when we pulled into the parking lot that the first sight we saw was a woman wrapped in a blanket and the first thing we heard was some guy say it was like a tornado.

In other words, perfect weather for Christine and I to make our 2011 debut at the ballpark.

We didn't make our usual predictions this year, but we did predict we’d see Joe Blanton more than any other starter in the five games we go to this year. We stand corrected: Kyle Kendrick is the front runner.

Actually, he pitched a good game – two hits and a walk in five shutout innings. He probably could have gone more, but he hasn't been stretched out to be a starter.

Ryan Howard hit a homer for Trent (who stayed home with his grandmother), and the Phillies manufactured two other runs to spoil the major league debut of Braves prospect Julio Teheran. Phillies 3, Braves 0.

Shane Victorino made a couple of nice catches in center, but the defensive play of the game was Martin Prado, who ran across half a continent to rob the Flyin' Hawaiian of an extra-base hit to lead off the bottom of the 8th.

Observations from the stands: For the second year in a row, we saw the Kentucky Derby at a ballpark. Last year we were in Baltimore. We saw another race once in 2007. … It was Youth Baseball Night as 3,000 youngsters paraded around in their uniforms. One of the teams seated near us was sponsored by a roofing company that uses my last name. (No relation.) We happened to be there for last year’s event as well. It was very windy that night, too. And, we saw Lady Pha Pha. … An Asian tourist sat in front of us. He asked me to take a picture of him, then another without the flash, then another with the scoreboard, then another with the World Series trophy. OK, that last one was a joke, but I thought I broke his camera when the screen went blank and up popped some Japanese words. ... The 7th inning stretch seemed weird. I realized this morning that that’s because we’re rarely at Saturday games and are used to God Bless the America. … It was cold, so I got a coffee. … Christine loved watching a little boy in front of us enjoy himself with the fans. The whole section cheered when he was caught by the scoreboard camera.

Scoreboard: We can pretty much see the new scoreboard from our house. It’s nice to look at, but they could do a better job arranging things on the screen so it’s less busy. It seems as if they've also updated other scoreboards and televisions throughout the park, which makes those that haven’t been updated seem woefully inadequate.

Antiquated Phillies shirts: Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, Jim Thome and the debut of Jayson Werth. And a very unusual Geoff Jenkins that said G. Jenkins. We saw a bunch of random teams represented, such as the Reds and Giants, but the strangest was a guy in his 70s wearing a Tigers hat and jersey. A short while later, we spotted an even older gentleman wearing a Ryan Howard jersey. It made us smile.

Tomorrow night

Really? Kyle Kendrick is starting? SERIOUSLY???

Lots of things amiss

You're never happy seeing Kyle Kendrick give up a three-run home run in the first inning, but once he did, there was still a sense Sunday's game could be a classic Phillies comeback - especially when Ryan Howard came up in the bottom of the inning with two men on.

But when Howard couldn't match Prince Fielder's big blast, Christine knew the Phillies weren't going to come back.

The Phillies showed some spark at times, but the offense kept sputtering against Randy Wolf, and there were just too many things - besides Kendrick - that were amiss when we were at Citizens Bank Park yesterday.

Observations from the stands: The first sign that things were off-kilter was the fact I forgot a writing utensil and had to use the little stubby pencils for scorekeeping. Using a Trent-sized pencil wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and they accidentally gave me two scorecards in my program, so that's $2 I'll save at my next game.

Another thing askew was that there were way too many Phanatics at the park. We like the big guy, but the park was getting overrun by creatures from the Galapagos Islands as part of the Phanatic Around Town Auction (we'll have more on this later in the week).

After getting our lunch and settling in the stands, the next odd sight was Jamie Moyer on the field. It's become a running joke whether it's too soon to include a Moyer shirt in our "antiquated" listings, but the injured old-timer was on the field Sunday to award the winners of the Phillies home run derby.

The moment gave us a sense of deja vu. Probably because we saw this in 2008. Pat Burrell handed out the trophies then, but it was noted that J-Moy had won the home run derby in his younger days. The Phillies also played the Brewers on that day in 2008, part of the big four-game sweep that resuscitated their playoff drive. They also trailed in that game, but Howard was able to come through with a game-tying home run to set up a big Phillies comeback.

Musical entertainment: The University of Pennsylvania Glee Club, directed by Dr. C. Erik Nordgren, did the anthem. "Oh my god, they sound just like a glee club," Christine said. "And they look like it, too."

They never said who he was, but Joseph Goldberg sang God Bless America. I'm rarely a fan of GBA singers, especially when I don't know why they were selected.

Christine was miffed that for our second consecutive game the Phanatic mid-game skit consisted of a troupe of random dancers. Sunday's episode featured girls from the Dance Team from The College of New Jersey, which is our alma mater.

I'm still shocked because I thought the dancers looked like they were 12 years old.

The Phanatic's dugout dance was Minnie the Moocher, which made me happy because it's a song Trent and I like to sing.

There were lots of youngsters in the crowd to get the free Jimmy Rollins tee. We wanted to bring our little guy, but we know he's not ready for the big leagues yet.

Scoreboard glitches: The players weren't the only members of the Phillies that were off-stride on Sunday. There were several scoreboard glitches as well.

For the "Ask a Phillies" segment, they flashed the question "Do you like to cook?" but the video was asking for their first concert.

Then, in the "Who am I?" segment, they flashed Roy Halladay's name immediately after the first clue - that he was born in 1977 in Colorado.

Finally, in touting Carlos Ruiz as a star of the game, there was a bunch of jumbled, overimposed words, and we weren't able to read any facts about Chooch.

PhilsandBrews: Zack Braddock, the local kid whose family was in full force as he pitched in Philly for the first time on Saturday, did a little better in Sunday's game.

He was summoned to pitch to Chase Utley after Wolf allowed a single to Rollins in the 7th. Braddock got him out for the hold in front of his family and friends.

While we didn't have a TV, we knew his family was back for Sunday's game because we saw them and their clever "Phillies by choice, Brewers by blood" shirts as we walked back from Bull's.

Nice touch with Braddock's name and number on the back.

Funny moment of the day: Leading off the 7th inning, Chooch was robbed of a hit by a great catch by Ryan Bruan. "Chooch was robbed," Christine said, before noticing that he was standing on first base.

Chooch was out, but apparently he didn't think so.

Antiquated T-shirts: The best of the day was of the day's winning pitcher, but it was from Wolf's Phillies tenure. We also spotted Cliff Lee, Scott Rolen, Mike Lieberthal, Pat Burrell, Bobby Abreu, John Kruk, Mitch Williams, Hal McRae and Jim Thome.

Today's games: In the afternoon game, Vance Worley pitched well in his first major league start, but the Marlins' Adalberto Mendez had a more impressive big-league debut in the 7-1 Marlins win. In the nightcap, the Phillies survived a so-so Roy Oswalt start and split the double header with a 7-4 win. They are now 0.5 games behind the Braves.

The Red Sox, fielding a team of minor leagues as if they've given up on the season, beat the Rays 12-5. The miracle starts tonight.

Watching Randy Wolf down the Phillies

We left Trent with Grandmom and headed to the ballpark on a pleasant sun-filled 80-degree day. Unfortunately, the Phillies' performance, notably Kyle Kendrick's, did not match the lovely weather, and former Phil Randy Wolf kept the Phillies offense quiet in the Brewers 6-2 win.

But the 9th-inning meltdown today by the Red Sox in a humiliating 7-5 loss to the White Sox was worse. After being swept by their paler Sox brethren, I am still willing to go down with the ship, but I'll admit that it's about to capsize.

We'll be back tomorrow with all the details from our day at the park – including a bunch of Phanatics, some dancing kids and a very confused Carlos Ruiz. We may also have some other surprises later in the week – time permitting.

Everybody loves Chooch

The other day, Todd Zolecki noted what a great year that our beloved Carlos Ruiz is having:

Ruiz is hitting .298 with a .395 OBP and a .443 SLG this season, all of which are career bests. Ruiz has been a regular since 2006. He hit a career-high .259 in 2007. He set career-highs with a .355 OBP and .425 SLG last season.

If Ruiz had enough plate appearances to qualify, he would rank fifth in the National League in OBP and 13th in batting.

As if that weren't heady enough, today the Daily News and Inquirer upped the ante by taking a multifaceted look at whether Carlos Ruiz is the MVP of the 2010 Phillies:

Playing on a team filled with accomplished all-stars, an argument could be made that Ruiz has been the Phillies' most valuable player through the first four months of the season. His five home runs and 27 RBIs cannot compare with the statistics of most of his fellow position players, but Ruiz's manager, teammates and coaches understand the hidden value of what their catcher does.

"He gets the tempo of the game moving the right way," leftfielder Raul Ibanez said. "He stands up back there and you see him punch his fist into his mitt and he's barking and showing his intensity. He's the guy who is facing us. We're all looking at him. A lot of times if a guy is dead back there, it's human nature to imitate what you see. But when you see all that intensity back there, I think it rubs off on the rest of us in a positive way."

There's lots of love for Chooch from Rich Dubee, Cole Hamels, Kyle Kendrick and, especially, Jamie Moyer, the Chooch Whisperer, who was credited for Ruiz's development:

"I don't want to take credit and I don't think I can," the 47-year-old said. "But when he first came here, I would talk to him about some basic things I saw in catchers when I was a younger player. I know the game has changed a little bit from that time to now. But, for me, the catching part hasn't."

Too bad the MVP couldn't help Kendrick tonight. Kendrick was so bad that Chooch was double-switched out of the game in the 4th inning. In the 9th, Dodgers 15, Phillies 7. ... Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez couldn't keep Daisuke Matzusaka's recent magic going. Dice-K was knocked around a bit, but the Sox hung in there and beat the Blue Jays 7-5.

Quick thoughts during a hot and busy weekend

We're occupied this weekend, overloading Trent with grandparents. He took his first trip outside the house to his Grandmom's today, so we only half watched the Phillies nice 10-2 win over the Rockies. It was good to see an offensive explosion and Kyle Kendrick pitch well in his return to the rotation.

We couldn't imagine sitting in the stands during this 100 degree heat.

Trent got his first pack of baseball cards. The gum is bigger, wrapped in plastic and tasted worse than I remembered. Yes, I guess you could say I stole candy from a baby, but he's way too young for bubble gum.

And there were only seven cards in the pack. What a crock. I think you got 15 in my day. His only Red Sox or Phillie was one-third of a Ryan Howard. The Big Piece was on a card with Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder as the NL's top home run hitters.

In the 5th, the Red Sox lead the Mariners 1-0.

Pitching questions

So the Phillies suddenly sent Kyle Kendrick to the minors and recalled Andrew Carpenter. But Kendrick might not be down there for long because Jamie Moyer left today's game with an elbow sprain. Further complicating matters is that David Murphy suggests J.A. Happ is on his way back and Matt Gelb suggests that Ruben Amaro may have an ace, or some kind of pitcher, up his sleeve:

Ruben Amaro Jr. wore one of those patented smug looks on his face. The Phillies general manager had just demoted his fifth starter without listing a replacement in the rotation for him.

"I think we know exactly what we're going to do," Amaro said. "I just choose not to tell you."
[...]
That means a trade could be imminent. Amaro did nothing to dissuade that notion, saying Saturday's starter could come from outside the organization.

"We have other balls in the air," Amaro said.

{Happ was pulled early from tonight's minor league game. So, does that mean he's starting Saturday, or could he be part of an upcoming trade?}

They could have used the help tonight. In the 9th, Cardinals 7, Phillies 1. The Red Sox lead the A's 2-0 in the 2nd.

I get a holiday

I had to work today, and after I got home, we had to run to the store as the Phillies game was starting. The store didn't have what we wanted, and we couldn't decide whether to try another or go home because Christine has had Phillies withdrawal. She decided to stay out because the Phillies were winning 2-1. "It's working," she said.

Good call. The Phillies finally beat the Pirates 12-4, thanks to Kyle Kendrick's first major league complete game. I wonder if our shopping karma helped the Red Sox, as Jon Lester shut down the Orioles 9-3. I saw a stat this morning that the Orioles are 9-35 in their last 44 games in Fenway. Make that 9-36 ... poor Orioles.

I've been so busy at work lately that I'm not really that excited about tomorrow's Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot-Dog-Eating Contest. It's going to be hard to watch without Takeru Kobayashi, who can't participate because of a contractual issue. I guess Joey Chestnut will have a cakewalk again.

But, at least I get a day off tomorrow. It was looking like I'd have to work July 4th for the first time since 2006. Because the day off was last-minute, Christine and I are breaking from our tradition of staying at home for a barbecue and going out to eat to celebrate having the day off.

Tidbits

1. Greg Dobbs cleared waivers and will report to AAA on Friday. I'm sure we'll see him up in the majors again before the year is over. Paul Hagen muses that the Phillies may make other unexpected roster moves to shake things up and get this team going.

2. Red Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland, who underwent brain surgery earlier this year, seems to be recovering well. Who knows if he'll play baseball again, but it's good to hear that he's doing better.

3. Darren Daulton will be enshrined on the Phillies Wall of Fame in August. Like many other women in the Delaware Valley, my mom had such a crush on him in 1993. Greg and I had a Phillies TV program on over at her house a few weeks ago, and she couldn't believe what he looks like now. (Side note: I can't believe that the 1993 season was 17 years ago. I'm old.)

4. Mike Lowell doesn't seem to be long for the Red Sox, and the Sox roster seems to be in flux.

5. It's pretty much a lock that, for the first time in a long time, no Red Sox position player will be starting in the All-Star game. Chase Utley will start from the Phillies, but Placido Polanco's spot is in danger. I was so disappointed on Saturday to find out that the paper ballots are no longer available at the ballpark - voting is online only at this point of the process.

6. The Phillies stink. More specifically, Kyle Kendrick stinks, especially at home. How bad does he stink? Shin-Soo Choo has two home runs tonight. (Another tangent: When we did vote for All-Stars earlier this season, I kept voting for Choo. If he has to go back to South Korea for military service after this season, I thought that an All-Star appearance would be a nice going-away present.) In the 7th, Indians 5, Phillies 4.

7. Red Sox lost to the Rockies 2-1 last night. Tonight, they face Ubaldo Jimenez. Not fun. In the 3rd, Rockies 2, Red Sox 0.

8. The Phillies have a day game tomorrow. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Boo to the businessperson's special. All they do is screw over the workers who can't watch the game on the job.

9. I didn't have time to write about it tonight, but I'll tell you soon about our six degrees of separation with Major League Baseball.

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.

Draining night

Sorry for tonight's post. I'm distracted and under time pressure ...

With the struggles of the Red Sox, I was honestly looking more forward to the Pirates-Phillies game than the Red Sox-Yankees on ESPN tonight. I'm getting tired of waiting for the Sox to turn it on, and I was a little curious to see whether the surging third-place Pirates would make a statement against the reigning NL champs.

We had to run an errand and when we got home, the Sox, behind Daisuke Matsuzaka, were already down 5-0 to the Empire. WTF!!! Something is off this year. They're playing like they're dead. I know, I should remain patient and take life as it comes, especially when there are more important things to worry about, but I'm starting to lose it. David Ortiz hit a big solo home run in the 4th. J.D. Drew hit a three-run homer in the 5th, so maybe they're showing their old pluck. Never give in. In the 7th, Yankees 7, Red Sox 6.

In Philly, Chase Utley got the flu, spoiling the family reunion planned for the return of Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz to the lineup. To make room for J-Roll, Wilson Valdez was designated for assignment as if he were dead to the Phillies. I wonder if he started crying hysterically when he got the news. {Even though he's a former Met, Valdez did well defensively for the injured shortstops. I wouldn't mind having him around the minors in case of any other major infield injuries. But let's hope that doesn't happen.}

After giving up a leadoff home run, Kyle Kendrick settled down and the Phillies made a statement against a potential playoff opponent. Phillies 12, little doodles, err, Pirates 2.

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]

At least one Red Sox team did well today

Team Red Sox had a much better day than the real Red Sox, despite our rainiest day since we've been participating in the local MS Walk.

We were a little nervous all week with the doom and gloom forecast. We did get wet, but we slogged through our eight-mile walk, doing our part to raise money and awareness of multiple sclerosis.

(The pictures are our team's first-ever customized shirts worn by fans of the Yankees, Phillies and Nationals - we're a multi-partisan team.)

Despite the cold and wet, Christine and I really enjoyed our day with our largest team ever. We're looking forward to next year when we hope we get back to the traditionally beautiful weather we get on walk day.

Thanks to all whom who walked, cheered, supported, journeyed long distances or otherwise participated in our efforts.

Red Sox: On walk day, they did not do their part, losing 7-6 to the Orioles in 10 innings. Tim Wakefield pitched well, Scott Atchison did not. Keep those names in mind, because when Daisuke Matsuzaka comes back, there's a good chance that Wake gets bumped to the bullpen and Atchison gets bumped off the roster. Sad on both ends.

Phillies: Christine was very happy to see Carlos Ruiz drive in two runs to give the Phillies a 6-5 lead over the Diamondbacks in the 6th inning. "Choooch!" she said. That erases the hole Kyle Kendrick dug. We'll see what happens next.

[Photo credits: Kim on the design; Rishi and Wyndham on the financing]

Dropping like flies

The media has been burying the 2010 Red Sox for several days.

I agree, this hasn't been a pretty start to the season. As Theo Epstein said today:

"It's not the time for excuses or sugar-coating it. We've played bad baseball. It's a bad stretch of play and when you do that at the start of the season, it looks even worse. We haven't played well, there are no excuses for how we've played. We haven't played smart baseball; we haven't really played aggressive baseball."

But the GM is confident things will turn around:

"We'll get back to our level. As an organization we have a track record. We have a standard we need to live to up to. One way or another we're going to get there collectively."

I'm trying my best to keep a positive attitude. I was OK with the news that Mike Cameron could be gone for a while; I think Josh Reddick will play well. I'm a little concerned that our other center fielder, Jacoby Ellsbury, joined his elder teammate on the DL. OK, I'm very concerned because I've never heard of his replacement - journeyman Darnell McDonald.

Tonight, they're still playing bad baseball after six innings. Tim Wakefield has given up six runs and Victor Martinez has allowed nine - NINE! - stolen bases. Yikes. Rangers 6, Red Sox 4.

Phillies: Kyle Kendrick, possibly pitching for his career, outpitched Tommy Hanson. In the 7th, Phillies 3, Braves 0.

Lady Pha Pha turns on Pat Listach

When the Phanatic came out for his skit on Opening Day, Christine didn't immediately break out the camera because I haven't been using these photos in game day posts, and she assumed I wouldn't be interested in the big green guy dressing in drag to spoof on Lady Gaga as Lady Pha Pha.

Normally, she'd be right, but this was not a normal encounter between the Phanatic and an opponent. Pat Listach, the Washington Nationals third base coach, made a gesture. It appeared as if he were practicing his Shake Weight technique, or he just really likes Lady Gaga, or the Phanatic. I don't know which scenario is worse.

Christine had started taking pictures when she saw the Phanatic was goofing with an opponent, and I hectically told her to get an action shot, thinking it was gold for the blog. She got flustered and was in disbelief because she thought I was trying to say the Phanatic was making un-fan-friendly gestures. In the end, she did get a shot of Listach taking aim at Lady Pha Pha and proving that his career did not peak with the 1992 Rookie of the Year award for the Milwaukee Brewers.

I have no way to transition out of that topic: As expected, since he was unexpectedly yanked from Monday's starting lineup after slapping hands with the fans moments before the game, Jimmy Rollins was officially placed on the disabled list. He's gone for two to four weeks. So the starting shortstop of the reigning NL Champs is Juan Castro. (And Christine and I were worried that we would always forget that he was on the team.)

J-Roll's infield mates are compensating for his absence tonight: Through four innings, Chase Utley, Placido Polanco and Ryan Howard have a combined line of 5-8 with five runs, five RBI, and a double and a homer.

Unfortunately, the Phillies needed all of the offense and then some because Kyle Kendrick couldn't get out of the 2nd inning without giving up six runs. In a wild one, the Phillies and Nationals are tied at 7 in the 5th. It's going to be a long night.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, beat the Twins 6-3 in an afternoon game behind a solid outing by John Lackey.

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.}

Bullpen news, good and bad

Good news! Scott Atchison made the cut.

The Globe's Peter Abraham sums up how I've been feeling all day: "Yeah, it's corny. But if you aren't happy for Scott Atchison today, you have no heart."

I hope he has a good season. He deserves success.

"That is special," he said. "I've been up and down before but I've never made a team out of spring training."

Atchison, smiling widely, said it was third-happiest day of his life behind the day he got married and the day Callie was born. Can't beat that.

If he didn't make the team, you can bet that Ruben Amaro Jr. would have been looking him over.

Joe Blanton will be out three to six weeks, which means three Phillies pitchers are starting the season on the disabled list. Kyle Kendrick will get to start, but the Phillies are scrambling to fill out their staff. There's no such thing as too much pitching.

This might hurt already

I haven't even cracked open my Roy Halladay-covered Sports Illustrated, appropriately titled "This might hurt," and the SI jinx may have begun.

Martin Frank, Scott Lauber's temporary replacement at the Wilmington News Journal, summed up the day in six words: Blanton hurt, Lidge hurting, Halladay rocked.

There's some irony here. Today, the Daily News had a story: Countdown to return of Phillies closer Lidge. One cortisone shot later, and we're still counting.

This morning, on WIP, they discussed an interesting scenario: What if the Phillies kept Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick in the rotation - who would be the odd man out? Obviously, that question is answered if Joe Blanton's injury shelves him.

And, of course, Halladay gets rocked by his former team the day after his SI cover is released.

I wonder who will now represent the National League against the Red Sox in October.

Starting off eccentrically

Jamie Moyer had a dominant start last night, but like most of his spring starts, it was against weak competition. (OK, the Yankees are a little bit tougher than the Blue Jays B squad.) The Phillies haven't announced it, but everyone expects the 47-year-old to open the season in the rotation despite Kyle Kendrick's fantastic spring.

You can argue either option, but it's clear that J-Moy will start a game this year, and Rob Neyer notes what a remarkable feat that will be:

Moyer turned 47 last fall. There have been exactly three men in major league history who started a game after turning 47.

Phil Niekro, a knuckleballer, started 32 games in 1987, when he was 47 (and he started 26 more the next season). Jack Quinn, a spitballer, started one game in 1931, when he was 47. Satchel Paige, a Methuselah, started one game in 1965, when he was 58. And that's it, friends: 60 starts, with one knuckleball pitcher accounting for 58 of them.

The word "remarkable" is thrown around a lot, but I think it's not overblown to use it here. As Neyer also said, there isn't much suggesting a good season from the old timer, but there's no doubt he will be one of the most interesting pitchers we will ever see.

Red Sox staff: They've also thrown things for a loop, using a five-man rotation, but throwing Josh Beckett twice before Clay Buchholz, who I guess was demoted to fifth starter, appears:

After Beckett, Lester, and Lackey pitch the opening series against the Yankees, Wakefield will start in Kansas City. Beckett will pitch the next game, followed by Buchholz. From there, the rotation will be Lester, Lackey, Wakefield, Beckett, and Buchholz.

I am glad for Wakefield and hope that Buchholz's poor spring was just a minor blip.

Scott Schoeneweis story: I was familiar with some of Scoeneweis' life story, but didn't realize how complicated it was until reading Nick Cafardo's account. I wonder whether I'm going soft because I didn't feel like shouting out roider when reminded he was in the Mitchell Report. I'm still rooting for Scott Atchison though.