Off day

The Phillies play Game 3 tonight, but it's been an off day for the SoxandPhils Pham. Trent had his second batch of shots yesterday, and he was out of it as we hung with out-of-state family.

He was better last night, and we expected him to wake with wide eyes and big grins before we visited his friend who shares my name in the afternoon and then watched to see if the Phillies could finish off the Reds tonight.

But at 2 a.m., I woke to awful screaming, which was repeated often throughout what was left of the night. Trent's first fever. Christine and I can't remember the details as to which one of us got up with him at which time. So we just vegged out today, watching some baseball and football while waiting for our baby boy to feel better.

Needless to say, I won't get tonight's results into this post. I know that two of the three of us won't make it until the end ... and I'm not so sure Trent will make it, either.

We'll check back tomorrow, hopefully feeling better and with the Phillies resting up for the Giants or Braves.

Memories II

I remembered 2008 yesterday. Today, as the NLDS heads to Cincinnati for the Queen City's first playoff game since 1995, I remember all the way back to ... July.

Actually, Christine remembered that when Trent came home, the Phillies started a four-game sweep of their first-round opponent.

And, they were all in dramatic fashion: a 12-inning game, one won with six runs in the 9th inning, an 11-inning 1-0 game, and a ho-hum 1-0 9-inning shutout.

The latter was won by Cole Hamels, who starts Sunday night. This is the game I picked the Phillies to lose. We'll see what our little Phillies good luck charm has to say about it tomorrow.

Memories I

Two years ago, when we had guaranteed playoff tickets and more flexibility in getting to the ballpark at the whims of the baseball gods, we were able to squeeze in a trip to North Carolina, the day after we went to Game 2 of the NLCS, to visit Christine's brother and family as our teams played their respective LCSes and came very close to a SoxandPhils World Series.

We weren't good guests, monopolizing the TV until all hours of the night. (They were long and painful nights.)

This year, they have come up to visit Trent. It shouldn't be as bad with just one team in the playoffs, but I had a similar vibe as I tried to squeeze in all our regular errands (grocery shopping, bathing Trent, vacuuming, etc.) in between visits, caring for the baby and work.

It'll get done.

Tonight, Roy Oswalt became the first of the Phillies trio of starters to give up a hit and a run, but the Phillies survived a subpar outing to come back and win 7-4. They're up 2-0. I want to type that this series is over, but Christine says it's not till it's over.

Just great

What a day.

We wound up selling our playoff tickets at a whopping $10 profit because I couldn't take a day off on the first week back at work.

Then, I had to unexpectedly work late, forcing me to renege on a dinner promise to Christine, miss watching the game with her and Trent, and totally miss an evening with our son.

And, of course, to make matters worse, as soon as I got into the car I heard the announcers say, "I wonder if Don Larsen is watching this." I knew Roy Halladay would pitch a perfect game.

He didn't. Doc gave up a walk, but finished with the second no-hitter in postseason history in the Phillies 4-0 win over the Reds in Game 1 of the NLDS.

To recap: My family's upset, I'm upset, work's probably upset that I wasn't enthusiastic about staying late, and I cost Christine and myself probably our best shot at ever seeing a no-hitter in person.

What a great night.

Nice way to end the first half

Toward the end of the Phillies 1-0 win over the Reds today, Christine noted that I prefer pitching duels. I didn't understand that she was referring to the fact that it would have been a great game to go to and that we would have been there today if something better hadn't come along.

I enjoyed watching my first Sunday afternoon game with my wife and our son, which we followed with a barbecue. (I wasn't allowed to give Trent a burger.) I know we're still in the early innings and that there will be difficult and unpleasant times ahead, but I'm going to like this parenting thing.

And everyone likes that the Phillies are now 4-0 since the little guy came home. Although he broke his streak of walk-off extra-inning wins, he did will them to consecutive 1-0 wins for the first time since 1913.

The Red Sox have improved to 2-1 since Trent came home, after beating the Blue Jays 3-2 in a game affected by shadows because of a malfunctioning retractable roof.

At the All-Star break, the Red Sox trail the Yankees by 4.5 games and the Rays by 3. The Phillies trail the Braves by 4.5 games and the Rockies by 2. (The Mets and Dodgers are also ahead of them.) Despite all their troubles in the first half, I think our teams are well positioned for a magical ending in which I'll have to wake Trent up on a fall night and he won't know how to react to the ending of the SoxandPhils World Series because one of his teams will have won, the other will have lost.

Interesting trivia: Yesterday's gem between Roy Halladay and Travis Wood was the first time two starters matched nine shutout innings since 2003. Doc was one of those starters too. ... Nick Cafardo notes that "Adrian Beltre had hit the most home runs among active players who hadn’t made an All-Star Game, until he was finally selected. Beltre hit 262 homers before being named. Matt Stairs has hit 261, and will likely never go."

Premature retirement: I retired my David Ortiz T-shirt today. I wanted to wear it one more time, but it's just too big.

Trent likes Chooch too

It was the best game of Trent's life.

I know, we're talking about only little more than a month's sample size, but it was a pretty darn good game.

Reds rookie Travis Wood took a perfect game into the 9th before Trent worked his magic, willing a double for his mother's favorite Phillie, Carlos Ruiz, who was just activated from the DL.

The Phillies didn't score in the inning, but it didn't matter because Roy Halladay also pitched nine shutout innings.

Trent toyed with the Reds for two more innings before willing another double for Chooch, who later scored the winning run on a hit by Jimmy Rollins.

So in our three nights with Trent, there have been three walkoff extra-inning wins for the Phillies. I swear I didn't mean to turn this into a baby blog.

The Red Sox lost ugly to the Blue Jays 9-5.

Possible good luck charm

Trent was a little fussy tonight as we tried to watch the end of the Phillies game. We finally caved and brought him downstairs for a bottle a little earlier than we planned.

"If this is just a ploy to watch the Phillies, there's nothing to see," I said as the Phillies trailed the Reds 7-1 in the 9th.

Of course, the Phightins' scored six runs in the 9th as Trent gulped down his formula. A short while later, we were upstairs changing his diaper when we heard some cheering. We missed Ryan Howard's two-run home run in the 10th.

Trent's been with us for two nights, and the Phillies have two extra-inning wins. The Red Sox are also undefeated since our family grew to three. Red Sox 14, Blue Jays 3.

I know three games is an extremely small sample size, but if this is the year of the SoxandPhils World Series, we won't credit Roy Halladay or Jon Lester or Kevin Youkilis or Ryan Howard, but a little guy who likes to eat, poop and sleep, though not much of the latter so far tonight.

A little hand for the newest SoxandPhil

A month ago, we wished SoxandPhil Heathcliff Slocumb a happy birthday. Little did we know then that our son was born that day.

Trent was born on June 7. He came home today and is already showing signs of being a SoxandPhil.

I read him his first book - a baby Red Sox primer. He knows that the Phanatic is a better mascot than Wally, his favorite lullaby is Take Me Out to the Ballgame and, of course, he knows the Yankees are bad.

We figure he'll be starting for the Red Sox or Phillies in 2033. He has soft hands and is little (so far), so he'll probably be a second baseman. But he won't be pressured.

I know the posts have sucked the past two weeks as we prepared for Trent to enter our family. I don't think raising a newborn will allow us to devote more time to the blog, but we should have some interesting stories to tell.

And, we're already being responsible. We gave away tickets we had for Sunday's Phillies game against the Reds. We're undecided whether Trent will be ready for his first game next month. Probably not.

Today's game: Trent inspired the Phillies to a 4-3 win over the Reds in the 12th on a Brian Schneider home run. The Sox and Phils are undefeated since Trent came home.

Amicus curiae

We think this could be the stupidest lawsuit ever:

The Phanatic has been sued in Philadelphia Civil Court by a 75-year-old woman who claims that he injured her knees when he climbed through the stands at a 2008 Reading Phillies minor league game.

Even the woman's attorney, John Speicher, of Wyomissing, said that people around him have said that "this is like suing Santa Claus."

"I'm expecting him to come to a deposition, stick his stomach and his tongue out at me and not say anything," Speicher said.

The guy's pretty funny for a lawyer, but that's about the only nice thing I can say about him.

Records are sketchy, but it's clear that the Phanatic is a target for lawyers. That's pretty crappy that a being whose purpose in life is to attract children to baseball is prone to lawsuits.

We'd like to sue Joey Votto, who for the second straight game did the Phillies in with a late-game home run. Unlike last night, however, the Phightins couldn't fight back. Reds 4, Phillies 3. Do you think the Mariners would trade Cliff Lee for Roy Halladay?

The Red Sox, meanwhile, trail the Rays 6-1 in the 8th. If they can come back, they'll be tied for first and the season starts anew.

Sore SoxandPhils

We like it when the SoxandPhils emulate each other in good ways - they draft well, they have rivals in New York and, most importantly, the 2008 Phillies followed the 2007 Red Sox as World Champions.

But there's a disturbing trend we'd like to see end. Both teams are getting hammered with injuries this year. The Phillies have had their starting lineup together just seven times, and the Red Sox have probably lost more players. And, they seem to be matching each other player for player. Dustin Pedroia for Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz for Victor Martinez, for example. There's no direct match for Placido Polanco and Clay Buchholz, so Adrian Beltre and Roy Halladay better be careful.

SoxandPhils limbo: Fabio Castro was sent down. That's the second time he's been a Red Sox without getting into a game.

Tonight's games: The Phillies lead the Reds in the 10th; the Red Sox lead the Rays in the 8th.

A new All-Star and maybe a new SoxandPhil

When I came home today, I turned on the TV to see whether Shane Victorino won the final All-Star slot.

He did.

But that was instantly overshadowed as Comcast discussed a Todd Zolecki Tweet that the Phillies had agreed to terms with Pedro Martinez. He has since dismissed the original report from a Spanish publication, but there are strong indications that if the Phillies' 2009 rotation will include a former Cy Young potential Hall of Famer, it will be Pedro, not Roy Halladay. Zolecki even said he thinks Pedro will be a Phil.

If this does happen, Christine and I are on record against it. Although, Christine said she would enjoy it if he did pitch well if only to rub it in the face of his former team, the Mets.

I wouldn't mind Pedro in Philly; I just don't think he would help the club. I would have several questions:

• Would it be acceptable to wear my Red Sox Pedro T-shirt (pictured above) if we happen to go to a game he's pitching?


• Would he instantly be the second-greatest SoxandPhil of all-time? (Behind Curt Schilling.)


• Who was the last Phillie to wear No. 45? (Actually, not that tough of a question. It was another SoxandPhil, Tom Gordon.)


• While everyone was clamoring for Manny Ramirez to play the Red Sox in last year's World Series, could Pedro beat him to punch in the 2009 SoxandPhils fall classic?

When we still thought the signing was completed, Christine said, "Poor Shane Victorino. He's going to be completely overshadowed."

He was. He's barely mentioned in this post (although I would have focused on how he probably didn't deserve the honor), and he was relegated to the final line in Zolecki's afternoon post:

Shane Victorino won the NL Final Vote, which means he is headed to St. Louis next week.

Congrats, Shane. Sorry you didn't get top billing today, but we all know you've received plenty of attention this week. And, I have a feeling you won't just be watching the game from the bench. I have a good feeling your manager will have you starting in place of injured centerfielder Carlos Beltran.

Tonight's games: Chase Utley certainly looked like he enjoyed himself rounding the bases on his inside-the-park home run in the 3rd inning. After a crazy 5th inning, the Phillies have taken a 9-6 lead over the Reds in the 6th inning.

David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia hit traditional home runs, but the bullpen coughed up another lead. They're trailing the Royals 7-5 in the 7th, but that was No. 300 for the big guy, who has been on a tear.

Before today's game, the Globe reported:

While his average remains a disappointing .223, that’s far better than the .186 he was batting at the start of June. Over his last 27 games and 24 starts, Ortiz is hitting a robust .301 with a 1.037 on-base plus slugging, 14 walks (and 18 strikeouts), eight home runs, and 17 RBIs.

All-Star voting has jumped the shark

A question and a note before starting tonight's post:

1) Has "jumped the shark" jumped the shark? It probably has, but how long ago? {Probably around 1998.}

2) The following post may be hypercritical coming from a guy who writes a blog that artificially links two unrelated baseball teams.

But here it goes:

Last night Christine told me that certain players have been linked in All-Star voting, such as Los Angeles-based Chone Figgins with Matt Kemp. Last year, fans voted for White Sox Jermaine Dye and former White Sox Aaron Rowand.

It seems that now everyone has to have a running mate, and today Bran-Torino was unveiled, linking Shane Victorino with the Tigers Brandon Inge. Now, these happen to be my choices for the final spots, but what do the Tigers and Phillies have in common? Nothing. Nada. Zip. This is getting stupid.

Especially because other than for a fleeting moment last night, Shane-O can't seem to get past Pablo Sandoval - who, truth be told, is having a better season. Christine will probably object {yes, I do}, but I will remind her that he's just living up to the lofty expectations she placed on him by picking him for Rookie of the Year. {He can be Rookie of the Year after the All-Star game, not during it.}

Tonight's games: All-Star Tim Wakefield has given up just one run in six innings and leads the A's 4-1 in the 7th behind home runs by David Ortiz and J.D. Drew. The Phillies Rodrigo Lopez' second straight solid performance ended after five innings because of a sore shoulder. The Phillies and Reds are tied 2-2 in the 7th.

Do you get the feeling that the asking price for Roy Halladay just went up?

A dog and a horse

It's no secret I like baseball. And dogs. I'm also intrigued by powerful stories involving death.

That's why I was so gripped by this sad tale of Harry Kalas' dog, the aptly named Scout.

Harry's widow, Eileen, says the golden retriever wouldn't leave the announcer's side for two weeks before he died:

"He usually would sleep in another room, but for some reason he wanted to be right there with him."

After Kalas' death, Scout "wouldn't leave [Kalas'] suitcase alone. I put [the suitcase] in a closet, and he just howled." She said she had to give the dog to a family friend.

Christine was particularly saddened by this tale. I tried to console her by saying maybe he wasn't just mourning, but cheering for his master's favorite team by howling, "Raauuullll!"

A horse is on the market: The flavor-of-the-day former Cy Young pitcher the Phillies are rumored to acquire has gone from Pedro Martinez to Roy Halladay, a stud pitcher suddenly placed on the market by the Blue Jays. Doc is the type of pitcher you wouldn't mind giving up prospects for, but I don't think the Phillies need to make this move, nor is it their modus operandi. I don't see it happening, but if the Blue Jays can convince the Phillies to make a move, they can check out Only Time Will Tell's scouting report on the Lakewood BlueClaws.

Today's games: The Red Sox, who need to start winning again, lead the A's 5-2 in the 7th. The Phillies, who finished with 22 runs last night, are tied with the Reds 3-3 in the 8th. Kudos to the kid who caught Brandon Phillips' home run in the 4th inning and refused to throw it back. Jeers to the kid who caught Phillips' home run in the 6th and, prompted by his dad, threw it back on the field.

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.

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]

A baseball god in '04, a bear in '09

I've been meaning to compare Brad Lidge's struggles to those experienced by Keith Foulke a few years ago.

In 2004, Keith Foulke had a pretty good first season for the Red Sox before taking it up a notch in the playoffs. He probably sacrificed his career with the heavy workload during the playoffs - 14 innings in 11 out of 14 games the Red Sox played. He should have been the World Series MVP - yes, I said that even when I still loved Manny Ramirez.

In 2008, Brad Lidge had an unprecedented regular season. He wasn't needed as much during the Phillies' championship run as Foulke was needed for the Red Sox, but some argued that he was the MVP for the Phillies during the regular season.

The year after was different for each pitcher. Keith Foulke's 2005 began with a loss against the Yankees and went downhill from there. He finished with a 5.91 ERA in 43 games. The next year, he was supplanted by Jonathan Papelbon and out of baseball in 2007.

Similarly, Brad Lidge has pitched poorly the year after a stellar 2008. He has pitched a bit better lately, but even though he has stopped hemorrhaging runs, his saves are still nerve-wracking. His ERA is 7.85 - the lowest mark in two weeks. Both pitchers had knee injuries, and although Lidge's numbers are uglier than Foulke's in 2005, there's a feeling that it won't be permanent.

I decided to write this today because the Globe has an update on Foulke. He's actually pitching in New Jersey. He had a nice comeback year for the A's in 2008, but couldn't get a major league job this year. I don't think Lidge will wind up on the Camden Riversharks by 2013, but it does show you how quickly someone can go from a World Series hero to a Newark Bear.

Here are the highlights of the piece:

• "Do I think I should have been MVP?" says Foulke. "Absolutely. I mean, 'cause I did everything humanly possible that I could've done."


• Interviewing Foulke is difficult. By his own description, he's "a wise-ass." He says, "I don't care," a lot. At best, he's candid. At worst, getting the truth out of him is tedious.


• Foulke says his initial reception from the fans did not go well.
  "It was pretty bad," he says. "One guy of our seven people here said, 'Red Sox suck.' I don't care."


• Foulke made more than $33 million in an 11-year career that included stops in San Francisco, Chicago, Oakland (twice), and Boston. Now he's making $3,000 a month.
  "I'm losing money here," he says.
  Asked whether he needs the money, Foulke smiles. If worse comes to worst, he says, he can sell his game-used World Series memorabilia.


• "That's one thing that wore on me really bad," he says. "You're a Red Sox 24-7. I'm in a restaurant and everybody comes up and says, 'I hate to bother you, but ...' Being classic me, I'd say, 'I hate that you're bothering me, too.' I'm like, 'You hate it and I hate it, so why are we doing it?' "


• Foulke says he doesn't want to compare himself with Curt Schilling, who accepted $8 million from the Sox last year and never pitched an inning because of shoulder problems.
  "He's got to wake up and look himself in the mirror every day," says Foulke.

Last night's games: Good job by Tim Wakefield in the 2-1 win. Cole Hamels started out like gangbusters before struggling a bit as the Phillies held on to the 4-3 win.

Tonight's games: The Red Sox lead the Blue Jays 3-0 in the 5th on two home runs by Jason Varitek and a double by Dustin Pedroia. The Phillies and the struggling Jamie Moyer are losing to the Reds 3-1 in the 5th.

[Photo credit: Boston Globe]

New kids on the block

Last year, the baseball world waited for the Tampa Bay Rays to fall apart so that the Red Sox and Yankees could assume their customary spots in the AL playoffs.

I wasn't so dismissive of the Rays (I knew they were a tough opponent capable of knocking out the Yankees), but I was confident the Red Sox would prevail. I was wrong.

This year, the Blue Jays have been leading the AL East. They have a 3.5-game lead over the Red Sox as the two teams square off for the first time tonight. Everyone expected the East to be a three-team battle among the Rays, Red Sox and Yankees. But we should have seen the Jays lurking.

Since Cito Gaston began his second stint as Blue Jays manager last year, the team has gone 78-51. That's on pace for 98 wins over a full season, which is one game better than the Rays finished in 2008.

Like the Rays last year, I don't think it's a fluke. Tony Massarotti did a tale of the tape on the division: Among the four teams, the Jays have the best starting pitching, offense and defense. The bullpen is just a tick behind Boston's.

I still have faith the Red Sox will improve their play and catch the Jays in the end, but it's not going to be easy.

Greg's personal trivia: Between cementing my disdain for the Yankees and deciding on the Red Sox, I tried out several teams. I was strong on the Blue Jays for awhile. I even had a hat.

NKOTB (Phillies rotation version): As strongly suggested this week, J.A. Happ is trading roles with Chan Ho Park. His first start is Saturday in the Evil Empire's empty new stadium.

OKOTB: Chris Wheeler likened a hitting or pitching coach to the senior member of a broadcast team. Tom McCarthy asked him how that was working out for him. "Not good," Wheeler said.

Well, don't stick around on our behalf. I hate Wheels.

Tonight's games: The Red Sox-Blue Jays rivalry looks to be off to a good start with a pitching duel, 2-1 in the 8th. The Phillies are up 4-3 over the Reds in the 7th.

The 2008 World Series begins Monday

"Oh no, it's tomorrow," Christine said upon realizing what's to come. She'll have to deal with thousands of marauding Red Sox fans and probably some not-too-nice comments coming our way from the Philly denizens as they spot a couple wearing competing colors when the Sox and Phillies square off tomorrow night - the first such meeting since SoxandPhils made its debut.

"Bring it on," I say. Never mind that we have Bartolo Colon against Cole Hamels in the opener; we've faced worse odds than fat Bart vs. the young and talented Mr. Hamels.

Today, the Red Sox look locked and loaded for National League warfare: Josh Beckett was an ace again for seven innings as the Sox beat the Reds 9-0. Jacoby Ellsbury had three hits and set the team's rookie record for stolen bases in a season. The seasons he, Jon Lester and Justin Masterson are having make me really pleased we didn't trade for Johan Santana.

Although Jonathan Papelbon coughed one up Saturday, the Sox came back and took two of three in Cincinnati.

The Phillies, meanwhile, head in the opposite direction. Remember the saying "Tinker to Evers to Chance?" Today, it was, "Utley to Gordon to ... uh-oh." After Tom Gordon got two outs in the 10th, there were two ground balls to second; each would have ended the inning. But first Utley erred, then Gordon erred. Game over: Cardinals 7, Phils 6. Combined with Saturday, when Kyle Lohse outpitched Adam Eaton (who again didn't stink!?!), that's two straight losses since Friday night when the Phillies impersonated a football team.

Travel update: Our friends have the cutest little Red Sox hat for their baby. Every infant should have one. {No way. Cute little Phillies hats only. And even though Greg didn't mention it, Kush is cute with or without the hat.}

I gave my Dad an unexpected Father's Day gift - unexpected in that it surprised me, too. I got rid of a couple boxes of junk I have left in his attic - mostly old books, scorecards and magazines. Christine's pleased with how much I threw out, but I salvaged a few that I'll be sharing with the blog once this week's craziness subsides.

Sox-Phils interleague history, 2007: The Phillies and Red Sox wrapped up their exhibition schedule with a two-game set in Philly. I didn't want to go. (I'm not a fan of exhibition baseball.) But when I heard our new Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka was scheduled to pitch in the finale, I decided I should go because who knows when I'd get to see him live.

I don't remember much, except it was cold and Dice-K wasn't impressive.

They didn't play any meaningful games in 2007 because the Rockies swept the Phillies out of World Series contention. Tomorrow begin the preview of this year's fall classic. We'll update with our story and pics (unless Christine gets so mad at me that she won't edit the photos) as soon as we can.

High-scoring down memory lane

With Kyle Kendrick and the Phillies leading the Cardinals by nearly two touchdowns tonight, I couldn't help but think of Sept. 17, 2007. That night, the Phils staked young Kyle to an 11-0 lead. He was pulled from the game after he gave up three runs in the 6th. The Cardinals outscored the Phils 8-1 in the next two innings, and the Phils' 12-11 lead seemed awfully dicey.

With a bullpen that was awful and depleted, the Phillies thankfully scored one more in the 9th. Things were so bad for Charlie Manuel that Francisco Rosario had to get the last two outs for the save. Other notable relievers in the box score that night included Jose Mesa, Antonio Alfonseca and Kane Davis.

Tonight went a lot smoother in the Phillies 20-2 rout over the Cardinals, started by Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell hitting back-to-back-to-back homers in the 1st. They had 21 hits total, paced by four from Carlos Ruiz - the first time he's done that. Cardinals IF Aaron Miles pitched a 1-2-3 9th. The teams started throwing at each other, and I think we may see benches clear before the Phillies leave St. Louis.

Kendrick went seven innings for the win on the anniversary of his big-league debut. He's now 16-6 in his career.

Too bad the Phillies couldn't ship some of those runs to Cincinnati, where the Red Sox lost on the road again, 3-1 to the Reds. They were shut down by Aaron Harang. Justin Masterson nearly matched him (6.2 IP, three runs, three walks, four hits, nine strikeouts) but was a tough-luck loser. His first career loss.

More troubling, three days before the Sox-Phils series, Manny Ramirez's hamstring is acting up again. He left in the 7th.

Sox-Phils interleague history, 2005: The Sox swept three in Philly. I remember the series vividly. The defending champs were in midst of winning 12 of 13 to take a 3.5 game division lead. They seemed primed to roll through the league and repeat as World Champions. But they squandered a five-game lead in August and wound up tied with the Empire - again relegated to the Wild Card based on head-to-head record.

The Phillies put up little fight in the series, losing 8-0, 7-1 and 12-8. In the finale, after young Brett Myers was shelled for seven runs in four innings, the Phils made a game of it, tying the game at eight in the 7th, before the champs put them away with four in the 8th. Winners: Tim Wakefield, Matt Clement and Mike Timlin (then a Sox). Losers: Jon Lieber, Vicente Padilla and Rheal Cormier (then a Phillie).

While I remember the high I was on after the sweep, I can't remember the individual games. We're pretty sure we went to two of them, but we can't find the ticket stubs.

Brett's back, but I'm in trouble

With the Red Sox and Rays battling for first place on ESPN and the Phillies hosting the Reds, tonight was a night where we toggled between channels on just about every pitch. In the early innings, I noted only one team (the Rays) had a hit.

The Sox struck next, with four hits and three runs off Edwin Jackson in the 3rd inning to ride a solid Josh Beckett start to a 5-1 win. They're back in first place by a half game.

The Phillies got their first hits off Edinson Volquez in the 4th inning, leaving young Brett Myers the last one seeking history. He retired the first 13 before walking Adam Dunn in the 5th. I got nervous when Joey Votto came up in that inning because I just picked him up for my fantasy team, and according to Christine, it's always my fault if someone on the fantasy team hurts her Phils. Votto walked, and the no-no remained in tact until Votto doubled in a run in the 7th. Christine kicked me. Phillies lost 2-0.

Although the offense was a no-show and Myers lost his no-no, the important thing may be that he's now put up two real good starts in a row. Both of our teams are in first place, and it's very possible that the showdown in Philly in less than two weeks could be a World Series preview.

If it is, I'm going to need some shin guards in October.

Baseball Mogul update: After a meltdown in game 6, I won game 7 of the NLCS and then went on to win the World Series against the Rangers. Memo to the Phillies brass considering Pat Gillick's replacement: Hire me, and I'll win the big one in 2010. {Memo to Greg: In real life, you don't get to replay game 7 of the World Series when things don't go your way.}