Sleepy games

This week, I learned that I could sleep outside in the middle of a storm so violent that it carried a tornado warning. And I later learned that I could sleep through what was probably the most interesting Phillies game of the year. Some may argue that designation should be Roy Halladay's perfect game, but I didn't get an expensive watch out of it, so I'm going with last night's tilt that I did not see.

I could blame the baby for my fatigue, but truthfully, I wouldn't have stayed up much later even before Trent arrived.

I fell asleep as the game headed into the 14th inning. At one point, Christine told me that Ryan Howard was ejected and that Raul Ibanez was shifted to first base with Roy Oswalt taking over left field because there were no more "extra men," as Chris Wheeler stupidly calls bench players. I was fascinated with the scenario, but couldn't open my eyes.

Later, I heard her slip into bed. "Who won?" I asked in a fog.

"They did. Roy Oswalt grounded out in the 16th with the potential tying run on base," she said.

"Snore, snore, snore," was all I could muster.

This morning, I was flipping through the program I got at Sunday's game and noticed the Citizens Bank ad on the back. I liked its slogan, but just now connected it to last night's intriguing game: "This could be the game you get to tell everyone, 'I was at that game.'"

We've had a few of those, most notably Game 5 of the 2008 World Series and the 2007 regular season clincher, but given my propensity for falling asleep, I'm kind of glad we weren't at last night's game.

With Halladay pitching for the Phillies and the Red Sox playing a double header, I was fairly confident I would be awake when two of three of today's SoxandPhils games finished. Partial victory - Trent and I napped through a portion of the Red Sox afternoon game.

Tomorrow is a Phillies business-person's special. I have a feeling Christine might come home from work with her two guys conked out on the living room floor.

Tonight: J.A. Happ and the 'Stros beat Halladay and the Phils 3-2. The Sox split their twin bill against the Mariners, but picked up a half game on the Rays and Yankees, who each lost.

{Side note: The Phillies have entered yet another frustrating skid. They could be in first place right now, if only they could have scored some runs over the past three days to beat the lousy Astros.}

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.

Raul helps team chemistry

Everyone was pleased with the way Raul Ibanez replaced Pat Burrell last year, even though the Phillies didn't achieve as much as they did in 2008.

Ibanez isn't resting on his laurels and, in a true spirit of SoxandPhils, has even helped the Red Sox. When Adrian Beltre considered whether to sign with the Red Sox, he was concerned about stealing Mike Lowell's spot.

Today's story by the Globe's Amalie Benjamin almost suggests that Beltre didn't want to come to Boston purely out of respect to the 2007 World Series MVP. But Ibanez, who played with Beltre in Seattle and is a friend of Lowell, put those feelings to rest:

"I talked to [Ibanez] and said I was thinking about calling Mike before," Beltre said. "He said, 'Don't. Just talk to him when you're in spring training. Mike's a great dude, and he'll understand.'"
[...]
"Those are things that you can't control," Ibanez said. "You can't look to the left or to the right or behind you. You can only look at what's right in front of you and control what's right in front of you."

And, now despite a situation that can't be welcomed for Lowell, the two are handling things very classy and professionally:

Their stories are intertwined, the new third baseman and the old. Their lockers are close together. They take ground balls one after the other, inhabiting a spot big enough for only one. A situation that could have bred distrust and strife in a clubhouse has not, from all evidence, though it is clear that, on many days, Lowell would rather be just about anywhere else.

Perhaps that's because they are, as Ibanez calls them, "two of the best people I've had the pleasure of knowing."

Thanks, Raul. If Lowell's still around in October, I'm sure he'll tip a bottle of champagne to you before he dumps it on Beltre.

Christine's psychic powers strike again: Yesterday, Christine and I were discussing Jamie Moyer's good spring. I noted that Tim Wakefield, the other SoxandPhils elder statesman, was also exceeding expectations. She asked me what the Red Sox were going to do with their rotation, and I said they'll probably start Daisuke Matsuzaka in the minors on injury rehab and then see what unfolds.

"Oh yeah," she said. "And he hasn't even had his annual spring injury yet."

Oops. A stiff neck has officially reduced the number of starters the Red Sox could use to start the season from six to five.

And, last week, Christine and I were talking about Ryne Sandberg, and she noted how no one else has that name. Today's spring training update: "Josh Beckett is sick and will not start today. Minor leaguer Ryne Miller will get the nod."

Her insulting questioning of Beckett being sick on a Sunday morning will be ignored.

Buh-bye, Brett

On July 24, 2002, Christine and I were honeymooning in Niagara Falls. (We took a real honeymoon in Hawaii the next year.) Also on that date, young Brett Myers tossed eight innings of two-hit ball to earn a win in his first major league start for the Phillies.

It was the first of 240 appearances (183 starts) for Myers as a Phillies. In all likelihood, he won't be making any more for the team as the Phillies say they're not bringing him back. Here's the good cop quote from GM Ruben Amaro:

Brett is one of our own. He was here 11 years. It's difficult to let a guy go, just like it was difficult with Pat [Burrell] last year. At the same time, sometimes you have to think about change, so we made the decision. Brett will have opportunities on another club. He's very versatile. He can be a starter or a reliever.

It's not surprising that Brett won't be a Phillie in 2010, but it's kind of odd that the Phillies would publicly sever ties so quickly, even though Myers has caused his share of trouble: the domestic assault charges, using a slur against a reporter, injuring himself in the bizarre SUV incident this year and, most recently, the Cole Hamels "quit" incident.

As Jim Salisbury wrote:

Though no one in the organization would explicitly say it, there were indications that the team had just had its fill of Myers, the club's top draft pick in 1999. The Phils might have put up with Myers' dramatics had he maintained the effectiveness that helped him win 25 games and post a 3.82 ERA in 65 starts over the 2005 and 2006 seasons, but a number of factors hurt his performance, especially the last two seasons, and exhausted the team's patience.

I ran hot and cold with Brett. He was young and immature, but had one of the most beautiful curve balls, a nice little lollipop that literally took my breath away at times. He was on the mound for the final out of 2007 and mostly selfless on the field.

He was one of the longest-tenured Phillies - only Jimmy Rollins has been on the team longer - and his closing comment shows he at least understand the Philly fans:

Myers said he would miss his teammates and thanked the fans, many of whom supported him through his rough times. After eight seasons in Philadelphia, he said, he knows how tough the fans can be, and he expects to feel some of that old tough love when he returns with another team.

"Hopefully, I'll be playing against the Phillies, and when I do, I want the roughest treatment the fans can give me - when I'm pitching," he said, laughing. "I'm an opposing player. You have to give it to me."

I hope the fans remember this quote and give Brett a loving boo before a standing ovation the first time he wears gray in Philly. But after that, respect his wishes and remember he's the enemy.

Other news: Shocker! Brad Lidge was pitching was loose bodies in his elbow; he's headed for the operating room along with Raul Ibanez and Scott Eyre. And Pedro Feliz may join Brett Myers on the Phillies kicked-to-the-curb list this off season.

[Photo credit: Associated Press]

Breaking point

All weekend, I've had to talk Christine off the figurative ledge - as if her team was the one in a scrape for the Wild Card, not the one with a six-game lead in a division with marginal competition.

But this morning I learned that her frustration is nothing compared with Charlie Manuel's, who let loose what reporters have depicted as his biggest can of whoop-ass the players have ever seen from him. The Daily News had the best headline, Snarly Manuel (I would have gone with Snarly Charlie). Scott Lauber had the complete transcript, with some censorship:

[Expletive] the last couple years. That don't mean [crap]. We're playing today. Last year is dead and gone. Having to win? No, I don't get that. I think when you have a lead, you're sitting better than you are when you absolutely have to win a game that day. I think having a lead's got to be better than that. I'll take the lead. That's what I'm trying to say. Last year, what happened in the past, that's gone. We played tremendous baseball last year the last five, six weeks. Best baseball we've ever played. I'm not going to give our lead up and say, 'We'll start here.' No, I'm not going to do that because I don't know if we can come through or not. I like our chances better where we're at, but at the same time, we have to win some games. That's what I'm trying to say.

I wonder if being on the receiving end of a Cholly riff is like when your grandmother expresses disappointment in you. It's just got to feel bad.

How'd it work? So far, so good (except for Brad Lidge - who was pulled and could be done as the Phillies closer this year). The Phillies had five solo home runs - two by Raul Ibanez and one each by Chase Utley, Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz - to beat the Nationals 5-3.

With their blasts, Ibanez and Utley joined Ryan Howard and Werth with 30 home runs this season. Three home runs came in the 7th. For the formerly ancient Mariner, that's three home runs in his last two games after he had gone nearly 80 plate appearances without one. Is RAAAUUULLL!!!! BAAACCCKKK????

Definitely not back is Lidge. He was removed mid-inning after loading the bases. Closer-in-waiting Brett Myers had already pitched 1 1/3 innings, so it was Ryan Madson who got the call and pitched out of Lidge's jam without allowing a run.

This is the night that Cholly officially acknowledged what the fans have known: Brad Lidge is broken.

Fortunately, he did not spoil another strong start by Pedro Martinez. When he signed with the Phillies, he had 99 career losses. Christine anticipated that the round number would come in his first appearance. He's managed to avoid it through six starts. He pitched well again: three earned runs in six innings. Despite throwing 105 pitches through six, they sent him out for the 7th. I thought it was a mistake. He got two outs before giving up a solo home run.

Why can't the Red Sox play the Orioles every week? They're now 12-2 against the AL East cellar dwellers with tonight's 10-0 win. Clay Buchholz went seven innings, giving up three hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Big night for Dustin Pedroia: 2-3 with two runs, three RBIs, two home runs and a walk.

Red goes green, Hawaiian style

I mentioned Sunday that in honor of Shane Victorino hula T-shirt day, the Phillies superimposed flowery Hawaiian shirts on all the players' scoreboard photos.

We intended to post Shane's scoreboard shot (pictured on the left) until Christine realized it looked awfully familiar.

A check of the SoxandPhils archives confirmed her suspicion: The Phillies used the same Shane Victorino-in-a-Hawaiian-shirt picture from last year.

I think the Phillies are taking their whole recycling thing (red goes green) a little too far.

Christine takes pride that her team seems to be at the forefront of environmental issues, but can somebody explain to me what energy or resource has been saved by reusing the same Shane Victorino photo (pictured on the right)?

Looking back at last year's post, I noticed that the Phanatic recycled his Hawaiian costume as well. Doesn't he know it's tacky to wear the same dress twice in similar situations?

Speaking of Shane: A colleague who watched Sunday's game on TV told me Victorino's 1st inning stolen base was negated because the umpire interfered with the catcher's throw.

Hairy Harry: I forgot to mention on Sunday that the Ask-A-Phillies question was about pets. Raul Ibanez has a bunch: cats, dogs, guinea pigs and, best of all, a tarantula named Harry. I bet HK is pleased.

Pitching news: The Red Sox may or may not be intruding in the Phillies trade talks for Roy Halladay. I'm not endorsing a trade, but if it occurs, I just hope it works out better than the Daisuke Matsuzaka experiment. Dice-K has blamed the Red Sox for his arm troubles, which has angered the organization.

Today's games: The Phillies and the Red Sox won last night. The Phillies have another late game in Arizona. The Red Sox, after retiring Jim Rice's No. 14, lead the A's 6-3 in the 7th.

SoxandPhils at the All-Star game

A combined 10 SoxandPhils were at the 80th All-Star game to determine whether the Red Sox or Phillies will have home field advantage in the World Series.

So far, it's tied at 3 in the 6th inning.

There are ample places to get the game's outcome and complete details. This is the only place that will distill all the SoxandPhils action. Here's a recap of the SoxandPhils at-bats and defensive plays (at least those completed before I shut down for the night):

Top 1st: Jason Bay singled with two on and one out. Unfortunately, he lost a chance at an RBI because his hit landed right at Shane Victorino, and no one wants to test his arm.

Bottom 1st: Chase Utley grounded out to first.

Bottom 2nd: With President Obama looking on from the broadcast booth, Raul Ibanez grounded out to second. Later, Shane Victorino singled, then scored the tying run (2-2). Obama said the Flyin' Hawaiian is a good guy who gave him some macadamia nuts in the clubhouse. Only Shane.

Bottom 3rd: Utley flew out to center leading off.

Top 4th: Bay flew out to right.

Bottom 4th: Ibanez popped out to third. Victorino struck out and couldn't get on after the catcher dropped the ball.

Top 5th: With speedy Carl Crawford on first, Ichiro Suzuki grounded one deep to Utley who spun and made the long throw to nail the lead runner. Excellent play. Risky, but since it worked, excellent.

We'll recap any other important details tomorrow (the worst day of the season - no baseball games at all).

Other news: It'll be a while before we learn who is MVP of the 2009 All-Star game, but the 1999 All-Star MVP, Pedro Martinez, has signed a contract with the Phillies, making him a SoxandPhil.

More SoxandPhils stars

I often wonder whether there is something to the connections I note between the Red Sox and Phillies or if they're mere coincidence highlighted by personal bias.

Take Tim Wakefield, for instance. I've often said his Phillie counterpart is Jamie Moyer, but for the next couple of weeks it will be Raul Ibanez. Both have been released, written-off, underrated but consistent players. This year they will each be remarkable first-time All-Stars.

With all the focus on Tim Wakefield, I haven't paid enough attention to Raul Ibanez's story. Yesterday, Christine said she doesn't want him to play because he has been injured. I agreed, but this story explains why it will be really hard for him to sit out if he is healthy.

He has fought and scraped just to stay in the major leagues. Now he has earned the acclaim of the fans and his peers, but he faces a tough decision whether to appear in the game that should be the reward for all his preservation.

Nothing has come easy for the guy and now, not even this, his first All-Star berth. It adds to his story, for sure. But it's a story already rich with this sort of detail. Just this once, couldn't it be easy?

"Things happen for a reason, they say," he said at one point yesterday. "I believe that."

Other All-Star notes: Ryan Howard will compete in the Home Run Derby, and Shane Victorino is getting help from Mayor Nutter in his final man competition. But he currently trails Pedro Sandoval (Christine's rookie of the year pick).

Former Red Sox All-Stars: The Phillies are looking at Pedro Martinez {Boo!}, and Nomar Garciaparra made his first appearance in Fenway since he was traded nearly five years ago. His pre-game comments make me feel sorry for some of the things I've said about him:

"I love 'em. I love the way they treated me," said Garciaparra, whose eyes were filled with tears. "I'm getting emotional because when I was gone Boston fans were everywhere. I can't say how many times I heard, 'Thank you. Thank you for all you did.' Even today I was walking down Newbury Street a guy came up to me and shook my hand and looked me in the eye and said 'Thank you for all you did.' And I just looked at him and said, 'No ... Thank you.'

"I can't believe what a wonderful experience I had here."

Phillies play the Dick Pole-coached Reds: Last year, Chris Wheeler said of the Reds pitching coach, "I like that Dick Pole." Tonight, as the Phillies trashed Johnny Cueto, Tom McCarthy said something about how Dick Pole couldn't do anything but scratch his head. Shouldn't there be someone reminding the broadcasters to watch their Dick references?

Tonight's games: The Phillies are up 16-1 in the 5th. Victorino, the All-Star hopeful, started off the scoring with a two-run home run. He's now 3-3 with a walk, three RBIs and four runs scored. The Red Sox trail Nomar and the A's 5-0 in the 6th.

42-year-old virgin & hometown star going to St. Louis

I thought we were going to be disappointed today - mainly because no Phillie, besides the two who were certain to be voted on, is having a stand-out season. And, I thought nostalgia wouldn't be enough to put Tim Wakefield on the team.

I was wrong. Tim Wakefield, a Red Sox hero and two-time World Champion, is now an All-Star:

Wakefield got a standing ovation this afternoon when the Sox' All-Stars were announced at Fenway Park, and acknowledged the cheering crowd with a wave.

"That was pretty cool," said Wakefield. "It was phenomenal, it just shows how much the fans really care, not just about me but our players here. For them to give me the kind of ovation they gave me, it makes me feel very welcomed here and I've felt that way for a long time because the fans have been behind me since I've been here. Like I've always said, they’'e our 26th man on the roster -- I owe a lot of my success to them.

"I have a lot of emotions running through right now. It's a pretty proud moment for me and my family."

He'll be joined by starters Jason Bay and Dustin Pedroia, reserve Kevin Youkilis, and pitchers Josh Beckett and Jonathan Papelbon.

On the other side of the diamond, the Phillies will be able to match the Red Sox at 2B, LF and 1B: Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez were voted starters, and Charlie Manuel made just one indulgence pick: selecting St. Louis native Ryan Howard as one of four first basemen on the team.

"There's not many opportunities where you get to play in an All-Star Game in your hometown," said Howard, who grew up outside St. Louis. "I think everybody is definitely excited and can't wait for it."

Oh, and Shane Victorino could also make the team as an injury replacement for Ibanez or Carlos Beltran, or as the final fan selection. Don't let him get Pat Burrell'd. {When we started watching the selection show, I told Greg that I thought Victorino would be on the ballot for the 33rd man. Time for some voting this week.}

Managerial strategy: While Cholly chose just one Phillie, Joe Maddon is taking three Rays as reserves. When I noted that he didn't take any pitchers, Christine observed that he selected three Red Sox pitchers. On the NL pitching staff, there are no Phillies, but two Mets. We wonder whether Maddon and Manuel plan to blow out their oppositions' arms. The Rays weren't happy with the way Terry Francona used Scott Kazmir last year. {And let's not forget that Brad Lidge lost the All-Star game last year after he warmed up for about five innings. Cholly was similarly displeased with that move.}

Today's games: The Phillies completed a sweep of the All-Star-laden Mets 2-0, behind Joe Blanton's 7 1/3 shutout innings. Brad Lidge pretended it was 2008 and struck out the Mets in the top of the 9th on only 14 pitches. The Red Sox scored five in the 7th to beat the Mariners 8-4 and avoid an embarrassing sweep.

Personal: This is our first post on our new laptop. {Just a warning: I think Greg plans on live-blogging the All-Star game next week. Great. This is going to be just like a real game - when he needs a bathroom break or concession stand run at the ballpark, I have to keep score. I foresee something similar happening next Tuesday with the blog.}

At least today started better than yesterday ended

Long-time SoxandPhils readers may have noticed that this year we post a lot more often before games end. Last year, Christine thought I would jinx Phillies wins if I posted mid-game, but this year I have to wake up earlier in the mornings, so I don't wait for games to end.

Last night, I knew it was dicey starting to write when the Phils trailed 3-2 in the 7th. I thought the Red Sox were safe with a 9-1 lead. But I woke up today to terse e-mails from my Red Sox mailing list that said things like "Ugh" and "&*($@$&." Translation: biggest Orioles comeback in team's history. The vaunted Red Sox bullpen gave up five runs in each the 7th and 8th inning to lose 11-10. Entering the game, the Red Sox pen led the majors with a 2.89 ERA. It now trails the Rays with a 3.34 ERA.

Today, Josh Beckett took the hill in a matinee. I figured the ugly loss would be the beginning of a skid for the Sox or that Beckett would be the stopper to will the team past the debacle. Neither happened. Beckett was hit early - five runs in four innings - but managed to tough it out through the 7th to help preserve a depleted bullpen.

But the Sox got some revenge against the Orioles, scoring four in the 9th and ultimately winning in the 11th, 6-5. Ugly one-game losing streak over.

The Phillies ugliness continued. Cole Hamels wasn't a stopper either. He was knocked out after giving up seven runs in four innings. But he can't take all the blame - the Phillies didn't have a hit until Paul Bako singled with two outs in the 7th. Braves 11, Phillies 1. Unfriggin' real. This is supposed to be a world-class offense, yet they're nearly no-hit every other day. I know they're missing their MVP, Raul Ibanez, who had a setback.

Other news: This morning I told Christine I had a feeling that Rodrigo Lopez would get Friday's start because his name has come up all of a sudden, and the major argument against him is that he's out of options. I didn't think that would be a deal breaker because either he pitches well and is up for the season, or he stinks and the Phillies lose minor-league filler. Neither option is particularly bad. Well, guess who's getting the start.

Better news: This should cinch a spot for Tim Wakefield on the All-Star team.

When it rains, it pours

And I'm not just talking about the fact that it rained all day (which it did, again).

The bad news just kept coming all day for the Phillies. It started in the morning when their - and maybe the league's - MVP Raul Ibanez was placed on the DL with a strained groin.

It continued through the afternoon when another bullpen meltdown (including Clay Condrey, who should be DL'd after not retiring any of the five batters he faced) capped off the Blue Jays sweep of the Phillies in Philadelphia. Ryan Madson gave up a run in the 9th inning to lose it 8-7, so cue the "he's a set-up guy who can't close" crap.

Oh, and that run was on a pinch-hit home run by Rod Barajas, who along with Scott Rolen really did a job on their former team this week, going 10-23 with five runs, nine RBI, three homers and three walks.

Days before this series, a certain Phillies fan, who shall remain nameless, was quite excited that Roy Halladay would miss the series due to injury. He wouldn't have made a difference.

Red Sox: The score isn't too bad (they trail the Marlins 2-1 in the 5th), but so far they've mustered just one hit (1st inning home run by Kevin Youkilis) off a pitcher with an ERA over 7.00. Jon Lester, who had been on quite a roll, threw 105 pitches through five innings, giving up seven hits, including two solo home runs.

Lifetime achievement award

Nick Cafardo today endorsed an unlikely star for his first All-Star game: Tim Wakefield. Amazingly, Wakefield has never made it to the Midsummer Classic in a 17-year career with 186 wins. He's been so classy and so consistent that Cafardo felt obliged to write about his All-Star chances even after pitching poorly, but just good enough, to beat the Yankees yesterday:

It may even be time to start thinking about things like the All-Star Game, one accolade that has eluded him.

"It would be huge," said Wakefield, whose eight quality starts are second on the Sox to Josh Beckett's nine. "It's one thing you want in a career is to make an All-Star team. We've won two World Series; just to add it to the list of things that you can say you've accomplished in your career. Obviously it would be nice to make a team and hopefully I can continue to pitch the way I've been pitching and finally make one after 14 or 15 years. Hopefully I can be in St. Louis."

In his best year, when the Red Sox plucked him up after he was discarded by the Pirates in 1995, he was 7-1 at the break with a 1.61 ERA. He didn't make the cut because he only had 10 starts in the American League. Besides, Erik Hanson made it for the Red Sox, going 7-2 with a 3.61 ERA in his first 14 starts.

It's too soon to start compiling the All-Star roster, but Wakefield probably won't get a spot because I can't see more than one Red Sox starting pitcher on the staff, and Beckett has better numbers (7-2 with a 3.77 ERA).

Wakefield's 2009 season is a perfect example of why the All-Star rosters could be expanded to honor career contributions of special players.

In other news: Pablo Osuna, a veteran journeyman playing in the Phillies minor league system, has been suspended 50 games for drugs. I hope this is an isolated case pertaining to one player and is not tied to the organization. ... Mike Pelfrey's teammates were proud of him for putting Chase Utley in his place last night. Here's the coverage from the Mets perspective:

"He's a guy that I look at who always takes his time in the box," Pelfrey said. "I don't know if he's thinking or what in between pitches, but I was ready to go, and he wasn't. ... And I was mad."

But according to Phillies coverage, Utley didn't notice:

And there was the minor (so minor that it really never happened) sixth-inning flare-up between Utley and Mets starter Mike Pelfrey. A few New York reporters asked Utley about it after the game, and he looked at them like they each had 12 heads.

Basically, Pelfrey was miffed when, just as he was ready to deliver a pitch, Utley stepped out of the batter's box. Pelfrey yelled toward the batter's box, and although it appeared he had more to say to Utley after the at-bat (a groundout to second base), both players said there were no words exchanged.

That's hysterical. The Mets are even too inept to fight with the Phillies. That, or Chase is just playing a brilliant mind game with the young Met. {Little of A, but mostly B. Utley wouldn't acknowledge something like this, especially to the press. He knows exactly what Pelfrey said but will never admit it. That's the way it should be.}

Tonight's games: Brad Penny battled for six innings (I was even reconsidering my previous get-rid-of-Penny posts) protecting a one-run lead (David Ortiz hit a big home run off CC Sabathia), but then the vaunted bullpen (Manny Delcarmen) blew it. Delcarmen gave up a barrage of hits, allowing three runs, most horribly a two-run double to Alex Rodriguez - his first hit of the series. The Sox have rallied, and the game is now tied at 3-3 in the 8th with the bases loaded and no one out.

Meanwhile, the Phillies and Mets went into extra innings for the second straight night. They've played some good games this week, making me kind of hope the Mets can win the Wild Card. That would be an entertaining NLCS with a new way to crush Mets' fans spirits.

Like, for instance, a three-run home run from a 37-year-old slugger having a career year who is not on steroids. Oh wait, that's what happened tonight. Phillies 6, Mets 3. So the Sox and Phils each head into the big showdown with series wins against the New York teams.

I hope I don't need a restraining order

This morning I asked Christine to make sure she locked the door when she left for work.

Raul Ibanez is angry and coming after bloggers who suggest that his stellar performance this season is artificially enhanced:

"Unfortunately, I understand the environment we're in and the events that have led us to this era of speculation," he said. "At the same time, you can't just walk down the street and accuse somebody of being a thief because they didn't have a nice car yesterday and they do today. You can't say that guy is a thief."

Ibanez said he had never used performance-enhancing drugs.

"You can have my urine, my hair, my blood, my stool - anything you can test," Ibanez said. "I'll give you back every dime I've ever made" if the test is positive.

You can hold on to your stool there, Raul. For the record, I have just advocated testing him. For his own protection. As he is even offering to do so. And I'm a 32-year-old blogging with my wife, not, as Raul describes, "a 42-year-old blogger typing in his mother's basement." {And, we have no readership that would even find out if you did say such a terrible thing about Rauuuuuuul.}

I thought this was all in fun until I read the headline Phillies outfielder might consider taking legal action. I can't afford a lawyer, but I'd love to see him sue if only to see a judge officially rule that suggesting a baseball player is on steroids is not defamation.

Besides, even if Raul were doping, as Manny Ramirez said today, doing drugs isn't the worst thing in the world: "I didn't kill nobody, I didn't rape nobody, so that's it, I'm just going to come and play the game." {Just shut up, Ramirez.}

Tonight's games: The Red Sox are up 6-3 in the 6th. Chien-Ming Wang was knocked out in the 3rd. Tim Wakefield is battling. Every Red Sox has a hit except for David Ortiz, whose seven-game hitting streak is in jeopardy; he does have two walks. I'm still nervous about this one though. ... Cole Hamels didn't have it tonight, giving up four runs on 11 hits and two walks in five innings. Mike Pelfrey is pitching well as the Phillies trail the Mets 4-1 in the 7th.

I think either game may end up with different results.

Update: After I wrote that, the Phillies tied the game 4-4 in the 7th. One run came on a badly botched play by David Wright. Paul Bako made his first appearance as a Phillie - a strikeout with the bases loaded. It was the outcome I expected, but if he came through, I predicted that that would be the end of the Mets' hope for another year. I guess they're still alive.

And, the Yankees scored two more in the 7th - home runs by stupid Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira. Red Sox are up 6-5.

Looking ahead

Christine and I know we've been spoiled by a good run of baseball for both of our teams in recent years. A lot of their continued success has been attributed to the farm systems. Each team has a nucleus of players who are young or in their prime: Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard for the Phils, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester and Jacoby Ellsbury for the Sox.

We know fans of other teams have not been as fortunate and look at days like tomorrow - MLB draft day - as their hope for the future. We don't follow college baseball, so we'll leave it to Joe Wolf's Vertical Jump, who loves everything college sports and draft-related, to preview tomorrow's action. (He's a Nationals fan who will be very nervous until he hears that Scott Boras and Stephen Strasburg have agreed on a deal with the team.)

As for me, I like reading the stories behind draft strategies. For instance, I've long known how several teams undervalued Dustin Pedroia in the 2004 draft. I didn't know the Red Sox were torn between him and Kurt Suzuki, both of whom they thought would be long gone by the time they made the draft's 65th selection.

Jim Salisbury has a good read today about the scouts who lay the foundation for teams' drafts. It prominently features Eric Valent - a notable draft pick himself. He was selected by the Phillies 42nd in 1998 as compensation for J.D. Drew not signing the year before. We were at Valent's debut - a SoxandPhils game in Fenway. (There's always a SoxandPhils connection.)

Sports Illustrated is already featuring someone expected to be a top pick in a future draft: high schooler Bryce Harper. After reading the piece, I am convinced his story will end in tragedy.

Stars of today: Christine plans to stuff the ballot box when we're at Saturday's SoxandPhils game to try to get as many Phillies as possible to start in the All-Star game. Despite his .220-ish batting average, she even plans on punching out for Jimmy Rollins. If his new lead holds up, he would be the least deserving All-Star selection since ... Jason Varitek last year. Raul Ibanez has taken a deserving lead among outfielders, while Shane Victorino is making a run at Manny Ramirez, but Christine will probably have to punch a few hundred thousand ballots for Victorino to to reach the third outfield slot.

Today's games: None. Both teams get a needed respite before each takes on their New York rivals before this weekend's SoxandPhils series in Philadelphia.

Birthdays and milestones

Back in April, I forgot to wish Terry Francona a happy 50th birthday; I'll tip my hat - not a Scratch-n-Sniff watermelon one blech - the day after he won his 500th game as manager of the Red Sox. (The score remained 5-1 over the Tigers despite Papelbon giving up three hits in a non-save situation. He did have three strikeouts.)

I won't forget to wish Raul Ibanez a happy birthday (last night). He celebrated with his 200th career home run in a 10-5 win over the Padres, highlighted by a great debut for Antonio Bastardo - one earned on four hits and a walk over six innings with five strikeouts. That's much better than the numbers for Jake Peavy - four runs in one inning - who left the game because of illness. (Christine insists it's swine flu.)

His relief, like Ibanez, was also a birthday boy, notes Andy Martino:

--Fun fact: Raul Ibanez hit his 200th home run on his 37th birthday. The pitcher who allowed the shot, Josh Geer, also was celebrating a birthday, at least until he faced Ibanez. It was Geer’s 26th.

Neither Martino nor Ibanez knew whether the Phillies Ponce de Leon ever homered on his birthday before.

I checked: He hit one on his 34th birthday in 2006. For his career, he's now 7-25 (.280) on his birthdays.

Misc.: Scott Eyre thinks he will retire after this season.

Tonight: J.A. Happ goes for the Phils late in San Diego; Josh Beckett nearly threw a no-hitter tonight. We got home in the 5th inning, and I saw a full inning before he gave up a hit with two outs in the 7th. I thought he had it, too. He looked so calm and under control. I felt like I was watching the 2007 playoffs. It was a close game until the Red Sox put up six runs in the 8th. They're ahead of the Tigers 10-1 in the 8th.

SoxandPhils should have been in the bibliography

I read a couple more chapters today of The Rocket that Fell to Earth. It was the part that describes how Roger Clemens made the leap from an awful human being to a cheating drugged-up loser in the mid-1990s, thanks to some help from Jose Canseco.

As he looked around the clubhouse, Clemens surely noticed that he was surrounded by aging and adequate players. What he also noticed was that one older player who seemed to be getting bigger, stronger and better was Jose Canseco.

The book describes how Canseco tried hard to become a B-list celebrity with a fling with Madonna, a 1-900 line and mansions on each coast.

It also noted the 1995 Red Sox yearbook, whose juiced-up contents was duly noted on this blog a year ago. Here's what Jeff Pearlman wrote:

On the cover of the 1995 Red Sox Yearbook, Canseco posed in a black tank top, arms folded, biceps popping (wrote Mark Newman in the Sporting News, "It looks less like a team yearbook than, say, the latest issue of Playgirl").

OK, Newman beat us by more than a decade, but we were the first with the steroid link. And, unfortunately, this is not the cover shot, but one from inside the yearbook. But I think you still get the picture of what he was talking about.

Today's news: Red Sox are off; Phillies play late in San Diego. ... Gannett's furloughs don't exempt sports baseball beat writers. ... Jerry Remy sounds good in an audio Tweet released today. ... Todd Zolecki, not furloughed, reports: Raul Ibanez is now second in All-Star voting; Ryan Howard was co-player of the week; Kyle Drabek was promoted to Double-A Reading; and you shouldn't trust a Tweet from a Phillie other than Chad Durbin or Jamie Moyer.

Lights out on Lidge

The other day I compared Brad Lidge with Keith Foulke. I don't remember when exactly in 2005 the fans turned on the 2004 playoff hero, but I have the feeling that today will go down as the date for Brad Lide.

As he was blowing a 4-2 lead to the Yankees (ruining J.A. Happ's first start of the year and John Mayberry Jr.'s first big league home run), Christine said, "Methinks Ryan Madson should be closing."

She is a pretty patient die-hard, so I can assume we will soon hear boos when Lidge's siren sounds at Citizens Bank Park.

Today was going perfectly. Christine and I lingered over a nice plate of grilled ribs while taking in the game. Happ pitched well, two runs in six innings. Mayberry, a surprise call-up, homered and stretched what should have been just a single into a double.

The day's only problem was when Fox racistly picked a random black guy in the fans and dubbed him Mayberry's father. They soon found the real John Mayberry Sr. Is it that hard to spot the correct former major leaguer?

Raul Ibanez even hit his major league-leading 17th home run. (Is he due for a test?)

But then the Phillies summoned Bard Lidge in the 9th. Christine noted that he lowered his ERA to below 8. It is now 9.15.

Here are the ugly details: Johnny Damon walked, then stole second. Mark Teixeira struck out. Alex Rodriguez (test him now) tied it up with a home run. Robinson Cano singled and stole second, scoring on a Melky Cabrera hit. Steroids 5, Champions 4.

I don't know how much longer they will keep running Brad Lidge out there. I guess they could always try Madson, but would they do that to the guy who was perfect last year? I don't think they'll seek help from outside the organization, but if they do, Adam Eaton is available.

Red Sox: The Red Sox attempt to even up the SoxandPhils vs. New York series with Josh Beckett against Mike Pelfrey. We'll be watching on MLB Network. Unfortunately, the Sox are losing 1-0 in the 1st. {Speak for yourself. Like I want to watch any more baseball today and the "highlights" of the Phillies debacle all night.}

Papi homered - cancel the gold watch and rocking chair

Mike Schmidt topped a recent David Ortiz-inspired list of great ball players who suddenly lost it. Christine and I were discussing this yesterday, wondering whether Big Papi could follow Michael Jack's path and abruptly retire amid early season struggles.

I don't know if retirement ever entered his thoughts, but Ortiz has considered drastic steps:

"I was about to hit righthanded," he admitted.

But last night he hit his first home run of 2009 as part of a 2-4 night that increased his OPS to a whopping .645.

"I feel like I got my confidence back," Ortiz said after the game. "I feel like a real hitter, not like the punch and judy hitter I've been the first 40 games ... swing like a man."

I hope so. The Greatest Clutch Hitter in Red Sox history, a very proud and amicable man, deserves to leave the game on his own terms (provided he has been clean).

Interestingly, this marks the 20th anniversary of Mike Schmidt's retirement. The Daily News has marked the occasion with the 1989 retirement story, a Rich Ashburn column led off by a Harry Kalas home run call and an interesting look back.

As a 12-year-old in North Jersey, I was surprised by the announcement, but I never knew the move surprised everyone, perhaps even Schmidt:

Mike Schmidt was 39 years old, in a slump, playing for a Phillies team destined for another last-place finish.

Nobody had a clue that within a week he would stun even those closest to him by abruptly announcing his retirement.

Six days later, standing near third base at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, he was about to make one of the biggest decisions of his baseball life. It was a sun-splashed Memorial Day weekend Sunday. All he needed was an omen.

[...]

Then, just like in the movies, it happened.

The score was tied at three in the bottom of the fourth. The Giants had runners on first and second with two outs when Robby Thompson hit a grounder right at third, the kind of play Schmidt had made countless times on his way to winning 10 Gold Gloves.

Except this time, the ball went through his legs for an error to load the bases. Mike Maddux relieved starter Ken Howell. And the next batter, Will Clark, hit a grand slam.

"And I'm thinking, 'I'm really getting nothing out of this. We're not a very good team. I'm not playing near to the level that I'm comfortable with. What do I do now?'" Schmidt said.

Hopefully last night signaled a better omen for Big Papi.

Catching up: Papi's home run and two by Jason Varitek helped Brad Penny beat the Jays 8-3, setting up a chance for a sweep tonight. (Behind Jon Lester, they're up 4-0 in the 4th.) Phillies couldn't come back last night, losing 5-1 to the Reds. They finished the series this afternoon with a 12-5 win. The top of the order - Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez - went 9-15. Utley, Ibanez, Ryan Howard and Greg Dobbs homered. Joe Blanton pitched well until the 5th, when he gave up all five runs the Reds scored; Chan Ho Park walked two in a scoreless inning, his first appearance as a Phillies reliever.

[Photo credit: Philadelphia Inquirer or Daily News file photo]

Walking off with a win at our first game

After attending a World Series clincher, it was a little tough to get amped for a game in early May, especially when starters Oliver Perez and Jamie Moyer were awful.

But by the time Shane Victorino drew a bases-loaded walk on a 3-2 count to force in the winning run in the 10th inning, it felt just a notch below playoff atmosphere.

The game started off ugly. Oliver Perez was toast after 2 1/3 innings - four earned on six walks and five hits. Before walking in the final run, Victorino scored the first run after a lead-off triple. Raul Ibanez drove him in with a sacrifice fly.

Both teams muddled through the middle innings until the floodgates opened in the 6th. After Jamie Moyer retired the first two, Christine and I started debating whether they would try to squeeze one more inning out of him to save the bullpen, even though his pitch count was in the 90s. Before the discussion got too far, Daniel Murphy crushed one out to right. Raul Castro followed with even a bigger blast to center. Former World Champion Alex Cora scored a run after tripling to give the Mets a 5-4 lead, which was erased in the bottom of the inning by a rocket by Ibanez. Things quieted down except for a few nervous innings by Ryan Madson, Brad Lidge and Jack Taschner.

But the game really got good in the 10th against Sean Green (while Frankie Rodriguez stayed in the pen). After Jimmy Rollins grounded out, Pedro Feliz hit a slow little nubber that David Wright couldn't make a play on (Pete Happy would have made the play). Anticipation of a game-ender built as pinch-hit homer extraordinaire Matt Stairs lumbered to the plate. Green, obviously terrified of the big lug, hit him with a pitch. The next pinch hitters, Greg Dobbs and Chris Coste, flew out and walked to load them up for Victorino's game-ending walk. What a thrill.

Mets-Phillies rivalry: I did a double take when I saw someone wearing a Phillies hat and Mets shirt. But then I saw what was printed on the back (pictured on the left). There was also an '07 version. ... Another good shirt had a Mets fan burying his face in his hands. "It must be September in Queens" it said on the back. ... Some stupid Mets fans dressed a Build-A-Phanatic in a Mets uniform. A) That's a waste of $50. B) Mascot envy?

Outdated player shirts: Aaron Rowand, Jim Thome, Edgardo Alfonzo, Mike Piazza, Pat Burrell (including one who put a "Who?" over the five), Lenny Dykstra (Mets), Randy Johnson (Yankees), Dwight Gooden and Scott Rolen.

Game notes: Feliz made a great snare of a liner by Jose Reyes in the 5th - pure instinct. ... In the 7th, Ibanez made a nice play to rob Fernando Tatis. ... In the bottom of the inning, Feliz hit another little nubber that rolled down the third-base line. Wright could only hope it would roll foul. It didn't. ... Of course the play of the game came in the 8th with the Mets threatening to take the lead. With runners on first and second, Carlos Beltran hit a single to right. The Mets sent Omir Santos home, but Jayson Werth nailed him. After the inning-ending out, a pumped-up Ruiz spiked the ball and ran off the field. He led off the next inning but popped out.

Weird lineup today: Victorino, Ibanez, Werth, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins (fifth?!?), Feliz, Eric Bruntlett, Ruiz (we didn't even know he was activated) and Moyer.

Game notes: Gotta love this guy's "World F*cking Champions" sticker. ... The national anthem was performed by the Peabody Veterans Memorial High School Chorale. I was too distracted by my scorecard (I'll explain later) to remember how they did. ... Victorino has a new Hawaiian Punch graphic featuring Punchy. ... Werth changed his intro song. We're not happy. Now, he comes out to Journey's Separate Ways. This is the worst intro music decision since Pat the Bat ditched Dio. ... The roaming vendors seem to offer more selection this year. ... There was an annoying girlie brigade behind us, very loud, but at least they didn't dump anything on us. ... The PA played Home Sweet Home after Jamie Moyer walked with the bases loaded in the 3rd. ... I got my ice cream shuffle mojo back and also picked the winning Septa train and bobblehead bouncer on the scoreboard.

Walking into the park, we saw the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hanging out at the gate. We also saw Christine's second-favorite mascot, the Geiko gecko. Later, the Turtles came out to help the Phanatic save a Phillies helmet from an evil ninja. It was probably the worst Phanatic skit I've ever seen.

Early in the game, Christine noted the "Raul" cheers sound like a howling dog. After Ibanez homered, they played Werewolves of London. ... The Ask-a-Phillies segment asked for their favorite day of the year. We don't think the crowd got the reference when Chase Utley named Halloween. Christine thinks he should have said f*cking Halloween. ... Before the 10th inning, they did the Kiss Cam. Inappropriate. That's for the middle innings of a blowout, not when you're playing your hated rival in extra innings.

OUTRAGE: When I sat down to fill out my scorecard, I noticed the sheet with the roster and "newsy notes" was missing. I went back to the stand, and the clerk told me they're not doing that anymore because the Phillies felt it was a waste of paper. There is other waste the Phillies could have gutted before that useful piece of recyclable paper, such as page 2 in the program that lists every nominal staffer in the organization. And I really could have used a roster when the Mets brought in Ken Takahashi. I had never even heard of him and had no chance at spelling his name correctly. {Uh, scoreboard?} The Phillies win one World Championship, and they think they can just dump on their fans. BOO!

Oh, getting back to Ask-a-Phillie, they kept Harry Kalas in the rotation. He got big cheers when he said Opening Day. And after the excitement of the win started to subside, they played him singing High Hopes on the scoreboard.

It was a very nice mint at the end of a great meal.

Red Sox: They played another ugly one, but salvaged one from the Rays. They won 10-6.

Cowboy Summer

Shouldn't balmy April weather be called Cowboy Summer if unusually hot autumn weather is Indian Summer?

Anyhoo ... a combination of this gorgeous summery day (hittin' weather, eh Cholly?), a planned day off from work and the fact we had no obligations tonight placed Christine and I in front of the TV for the Phillies game to just watch and vege. Christine noted that it felt like the first normal game of the season.

Joe Blanton seemed to oblige in the first inning, looking dominant against the Nationals. But he quickly imploded. Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez (Elvis who?) saved the day with grand slams in the 5th and 8th innings, covering up for what's turning out to be a glaring hole in this team: pitching.

Funny, Todd Zolecki in this morning's blog suggested that the Phillies pitching could be righted against the Nationals. Oops.

Red Sox: They can't stop winning. It's now 11 straight with a 3-1 win over the Indians. I'm starting to get nervous that they're peaking too soon. Tim Wakefield's complete game streak ended at two. He's got to do better: seven innings, no runs with four walks and a hit.

Stolen series: I got to watch the Red Sox-Yankees game Sunday, and I'm still amazed at what I saw. After watching the Yankees intentionally walk the bases loaded for J.D. Drew, he swung through the first pitch. I stared at the ESPN ticker trying to figure out why their scoreboard had the count at 1-0. I kept staring at it as Andy Pettitte began to pitch. Then, I couldn't figure out why the crowd was getting louder as he completed his motion, which seemed to be in slow motion. Then, Jacoby Ellsbury streaked home as the pitch arrived.

Unbelievable.

Christine was grumbling because she had stepped out of the room for a second and missed it. Pettitte, perhaps in a bit of roid rage, was grumbling even more. He was rattled and gave up a double to Drew to put the Sox up 4-1, which is how the game and three-game sweep ended.