Maybe Cole is bored too

From a man who proved this fall he knows how not to choke, Cole Hamels, the 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP, stated the obvious about the New York Mets: "For the past two years they've been choke artists."

He appeared on hostile radio, WFAN, to pump a World Series DVD but got goaded into some good-natured Mets-Phillies ribbing with Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts. The Mets swung back with Darryl Strawberry - a long-retired cokehead from the 1980s.

Finally, some juice for the SoxandPhils as the winter meetings ended with the biggest news being a manager's extension and a trade of backup catchers.

In some ways, that's a good thing because the Mark DeRosa trade is dead. And the Red Sox continue to disagree with Scott Boras about whether anyone, including the Red Sox, has offered Jason Varitek a contract.

Oh, wait, I missed this huge news while I was out for a bit today. The Red Sox unveiled their latest marketing ploy today: a bunch of new garb for the pink hat crowd. This makes me want to start wearing my Roger Clemens jersey again.

These better be just rumors

Not a good day for SoxandPhils fans if the daily rumors become reality.

The Sox have been talking again to A.J. Burnett. This doesn't make sense. A pitcher with a history of injuries is exactly the long-term commitment the Sox have avoided.

Even worse is that they've now been linked to Carl Pavano. I know it would probably be a low-risk, Bartolo Colon-type deal. But c'mon. The guy was a laughingstock in New York. Just honor his place in Red Sox lore (as trade bait for Pedro Martinez and the embarrassment he caused the Yankees) and let it be.

Incidentally, that Nick Cafardo report may clarify Derek Lowe's standing with the Phillies: The team denies making an offer, but the player is said to want to go there. Maybe the Phillie denials are true, but D-Lowe doesn't want them to be.

Phillies: My alarm kicked on this morning midway through Rhea Hughes' report of some trade that could involve J.A. Happ, the Padres and Chris Coste. I know that Jake Peavy wouldn't go to Philadelphia, so I wondered what it was all about. I was less than enthralled when I found out the deal would send Peavy to the Cubs and bring Mark DeRosa to the Phillies for Happ.

{Update: The deal could involve Kyle Kendrick, not Happ.}

Complicated deals like this tend to fall apart. Let's hope so. DeRosa doesn't thrill me, and he's no Pat Burrell.

The only good rumbling of the day comes from bits I picked up from WFAN. Apparently, there's word that the Red Sox meeting with CC Sabathia wasn't exactly to lure him to Boston but to remind him how awful it would be playing for the Yankees. If true, I can't exactly be thrilled with the tact.

I am enjoying how the Yankee fans are growing frustrated that the big guy hasn't accepted the Yankees offer. Gee, maybe he wants to see if a championship-caliber team makes him an offer.

Game day: The Phillies held off the Nationals today ... oh wait. We already recapped this one. As I was watching the replay of the NL East clincher, Comcast SportsNet broke in with some real news. I was nervous as Neil Hartman started talking, given all the crazy rumors that are swirling. But he was just reporting the good news that Charlie Manuel will be the Phillies manager through 2011. Good for him - he deserves it.

So why exactly did we buy season tix?

I'm cynical when players argue calls that go against them, but I've never seen a left fielder run to the infield to argue a home run call. But Pat Burrell did just that after umpire Adrian Johnson ruled Mark DeRosa's poke in the sixth inning fair, giving the Cubs a 4-2 lead. The replay on Baseball Tonight showed the ball was definitely foul.

The game seemed over. Even when the Phillies trailed by only one run today, it felt like seven for some reason. I can't decide whether they were flat or whether the cold day made them seem so. But the Phillies finally made a game of it, taking the lead with three in the bottom of the sixth. Unfortunately, Christine had to miss much of the rally to dry off after a drunk sitting behind us dropped his beer bottle on her. He was all excited that 10 people, two sections over, were starting a wave. People suck.

The Phillies gave the lead back in the eighth when Jimy Williams (Charlie Manuel was ejected in the sixth arguing the home run call) decided to stick with the book that says Tom Gordon starts the eighth inning, not the better pitcher, J.C. Romero. Flash struck out Kosuke Fukudome and then reverted to his awful self, giving up two singles.


Williams suddenly remembered he had Romero. J.C.'s quite adept at pitching out of self-inflicted jams but couldn't pitch out of Gordon's today. Pinch-hitter Geovany Soto (Christine's pick for NL Rookie of the Year) hit a dying quail just out of Chase Utley's reach. The game stayed tied until the 10th,when pinch hitter Carlos Zambrano (yup, Lou Piniella depleted his bench by the eighth inning) grounded into a surefire double-play, but Utley couldn't turn it and threw the ball into the Phillies dugout.

Overheard in the stands: One nimrod blaming Eric Bruntlett for that throw; another blaming Howard, who was getting ripped unmercifully by the fans every time he touched the ball. Don't let the facts get in the way of preconceived notions.

Observations from the stands: The maligned Bruntlett had a good day, going 3-5 with a homer. You probably won't see this on the highlights, but Burrell made a good catch in foul territory to end the ninth with a man on. Chris Snelling made his Phillies debut, popping out to third on a towering fly.

Lineup change: Today's lead-off batter was Geoff Jenkins. Usually when we walk by the wall where they post the day's lineup, I happen to look up. Today I didn't, even though everyone was wondering who Cholly would bat lead off without Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino. When was the last time "Rollins" didn't appear atop my scorecard?

Losing streak: Counting playoff and exhibition games, the Phillies are in a three-game losing streak when we attend. We don't think we've seen three straight losses ever. They better break it next Sunday night against the Mets. And Daisuke Matsuzaka better dominate tonight against the Yankees.

Last night's notes: We left the house at 5 last night but saw five innings in what seemed to be the quickest Yankees-Red Sox game ever, until rain hit. Good job by Josh Beckett, Manny Ramirez and Jonathan Papelbon. And when our party ended, the Phillies game was still in the eighth, so we bought drinks and watched the end in a bar in Philly.

[Photo credit: Christine {Please excuse the blur. These are zoomed in from the 400 level.}]