Relieving characters

It's almost arbitration time, and since Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels were all locked up last year, we turn to Jonathan Papelbon to provide the annual SoxandPhils whining. He's not there yet, but he seems to be warming up in this entertaining interview with Gordon Edes, who thinks the closer will earn about $10 million this year:

Seven big league closers have contracts for $10 million or more. It's reasonable to expect that Papelbon will join them.

"Heck yeah, as far as what me and my brain are thinking," Papelbon said, "but I haven't even sat down with my agents [Seth and Sam Levinson] yet. We don't even have a number in place. There haven't been any discussions between me and the Red Sox and my agents at all."

As Papelbon's salary climbs ever higher, he understands that negotiations might turn more contentious.

I think Pap's days in Boston are numbered. He'll be gone when he hits free agency in 2011, if he's not traded next winter. He wants to break the bank, and the Red Sox are grooming a capable replacement in Josh Bard.

I'll miss him. He's the kind of player whose talent overshadows the dumb comments he makes. And at least he's true to his character, such as the fact that he watches more Mickey Mouse Club than MLB Network:

The TV in his house is always turned to Nick Jr., the Disney Channel or Sprout, he says, so he hasn't been keeping track of the Red Sox's offseason moves.

"I had no idea we got [John] Lackey until [trainer Mike] Reinold came down to see me, just a few days ago," he said. "I swear to you. I don't know anything about the ballclub, but I know the words to the 'Mickey Mouse Clubhouse' song."

Adrian Beltre deal? He hadn't heard. Casey Kotchman about to be traded to the Mariners? Nope. Mike Cameron? "Cameron, Mike Cameron?" he said. "We got him? I swear to you, I didn't know."

Papelbon is not the only quirky SoxandPhil reliever in the news today. Clay Condrey signed with the Twins, and Scott Eyre retired. Christine will miss them both.

The Pen just got a whole lot less interesting.

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]

Monday morning recap

I didn't make it.

Greg fell asleep sometime after 12:30 this morning, but I was determined to watch the whole game. (We are both off today but had various early appointments, so while the game time was not ideal, it wasn't as bad as if we were working today.) I warned Greg that I was not responsible if my cheering or booing woke him up. He was willing to take that chance. [She was surprisingly quiet.]

But by the time the Phillies were ending their failed 8th inning rally, I was conking out. The injury to Scott Eyre and Ryan Madson's subsequent warming up in the 7th had really slowed down the pace of the game. And then Madson completely killed the timing - I never realized until last night how slowly he works, especially with men on base, and especially compared with the speedy Joe Blanton a few innings earlier.

So I turned off the TV not knowing the result of game 3 of the NLDS. Honestly, I was reluctant to find out the score this morning. I couldn't believe that Madson was pitching in the 7th inning - who was going to pitch late in the game if it were a save situation? The last thing I wanted to hear is that Brad Lidge blew yet another game.

Turns out, he tried to blow it, but the Phillies held on. Phillies 6, Rockies 5. It wasn't pretty, but they got it done.

Game 4 tonight, at a very reasonable 6:07 p.m. I expect we'll both be watching the end of this one.

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.

Poor showing

Jacoby Ellsbury finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting announced today. You could argue that his showing mirrored where the Red Sox ultimately ended up. I'm not certain, however, that Ellsbury deserved to finish that high. His showing might have more to do with his play in last year's World Series than this season. Although this year was disappointing for him, I still have high hopes.

The Phillies had no viable Rookie of the Year candidates, although Christine's preseason pick, Geovany Soto, won it in the NL. This year's winners, Soto and Evan Longoria, were about as clear-cut as you can get, but the NL voting was a travesty that won't get any attention because it didn't cost a deserving winner.

Under the vote totals is an asterisk: *(Edinson) Volquez received votes despite being ineligible as a rookie. What the (insert your favorite Chase Utley word here)? About halfway through the season, I wondered why Volquez wasn't getting any ROY buzz. So I looked it up and saw he shed his rookie status last year. Three writers, whose jobs it is to know stuff like this, couldn't be bothered to do the same.

I bet they'll overlook Cole Hamels in the Cy Young vote that is announced tomorrow. OK, postseason doesn't count, so he doesn't deserve it. He'll have to be content with his NLCS and World Series MVPs.

One Phillie who does deserve an award is Charlie Manuel, but he's getting no hype. Sports Weekly (it finally arrived Saturday) had its writers pick the awards. Where did Cholly rank? I can't tell you; they list only the top three. Yeah, Lou Piniella and Joe Torre had much better seasons.

Other news: Brad Mills is interviewing for the Mariners job. So is DeMarle Hale and Alex Cora's brother Joey. John Farrell isn't. Scott Eyre is coming back to Philly. Jimy Williams isn't. And it looks like Matt Holliday won't be coming to town.

{My theory on Williams: Maybe he thought he would be next in line for the manager's job if Manuel were ever fired. Well, it's clear that Cholly won't be fired and won't be going anywhere, so maybe Williams decided it was time to cut his losses.}

Other than the rain, great game

I imagine the Phillies will soon begin pestering us to renew our season tickets. Perhaps they should offer better weather as part of the deal. Once again, we spent a Sunday afternoon in the bowels of Citizens Bank Park waiting for a downpour to end. The start of the game was delayed by 1 hour, 45 minutes. It washed out the pregame event: the Phillies Alumni Batting Challenge featuring Ricky Jordan, Ricky Bottalico, Milt Thompson, Mitch Williams, Ozzie Virgil and Tyler Green. The Phanatic was so eager to get things started, he helped the grounds crew roll up the tarp.

At least the game was a neat and tidy three hours as the Phillies wrapped up a series against the Pirates with a 6-3 win thanks to a clutch homer by Chase Utley, a typical Jamie Moyer outing and not-so-typical Jamie Moyer baserunning.

Christine and I sat apart today. Her Mom got a pair of tickets in the 203 section, so she sat with Christine in our usual seats while I sat with Joe Wolf's Vertical Jump in right field. See if you can spot us in this picture Christine took from 400 feet away. (Christine and I won't sit together for the Aug. 24 game either because I will be on a business trip.)

We did see a good game today. The Pirates struck first in the 2nd when former Red Sox Brandon Moss and Doug Mientkiewicz each doubled with two outs. The Phillies came back in the bottom of the third thanks to one of the craziest plays I've ever seen. Carlos Ruiz, who didn't make an out today, led off with a walk. Jamie Moyer bunted to move him into scoring position, but the pitcher, Jason Davis, threw the ball away trying to get Moyer out at first. Moyer kept running toward second, but collided with the umpire. He shoved the man in blue down and motored to second. Former Phillie RF Jason Michaels threw the ball away, allowing Moyer to go to third. The winded 45-year-old hustled home on a Jimmy Rollins sacrifice fly, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. Moyer then landed on the bench for a much deserved breather.

The game cruised until the 6th when Jason Michaels had a two-out, two-run double, giving the Pirates a 3-2 lead. But in the 7th, the Phillies finally had some extra base hits. Ruiz, for the third time of the day, got on to lead off an inning, this time a double. Greg Dobbs, who set the Phils' team record today for pinch hits in a season, doubled him in. J-Roll and Shane Victorino got out, but Utley homered, putting the Phils ahead 5-3. They scored a final run in the 8th without a hit as former Red Sox Craig Hansen walked three and threw two wild pitches.

Scott Eyre, making his Phillies debut, got the win with a perfect 1/3 of an inning to escape a Clay Condrey jam. Ryan Madson, the closer of the day because Brad Lidge has a sore shoulder, nailed it down.

Observations from the stands: Pat Burrell got a rare day off but had a pinch-walk in the 9th. ... Bill Dancy got the Phils' annual John Vukovich award. ... Four Harmony did the anthem; it was OK. ... Fomer Phillie Rod Barajas is one of baseball's hottest hitters; too bad Bubba Burger can't spell his name. Another former Phil, Marlon Byrd, also made the cut. ... Poor showing by the Phanatic today. Some Olympic-themed bit about a guy from Pittsburgh trying to break the world's weight-lifting record. The Phanatic pulled down his trunks and threw powder in his face. I dunno, not the furball's best effort. ... I took a break during the 7th-inning stretch, and the game broadcast was on in the bathroom. They talked about how Jason Davis was in line for his first win as a starter since 2005. Larry Andersen said, "He's in line for it, but he's not going to get it. Just a hunch." I was back in my seat in time to see his prediction come true.

Biggest cheers: The few times the sun decided to show up.

Biggest boos: The ball girl who misplayed a slow easy grounder. The left field "You suck Moss" chant that increased substantially after he dropped a fly ball.

Other game notes: There were five double plays: the Pirates turned three and the Phils turned two. ... Ryan Howard had a strange day in the field. He dropped a foul ball in the 1st. He turned a nifty 3-6-3 DP in the 4th (he hesitated before realizing he should get the lead runner before tagging first). And on a ground out in the 7th, he jumped off the bag to make sure he had the throw. He made the catch and quickly jumped back on the base. He made the correct call, but it was scary to watch. ... Jason Davis made a great play on his butt in the 4th on a comebacker hit by Eric Bruntlett.

Competitors: The Mets lost to the Marlins and trail by two. The Marlins are 2.5 out.

Red Sox: Couldn't really follow the score today because you can't see the large out-of-town scoreboard when you are sitting in the outfield. The Red Sox lost to the White Sox 6-5 thanks to another poor outing by Clay Buchholz. Tim Wakefield has some shoulder tightness and is heading to the DL; no word on who will start Tuesday.

Competitors: The Rays won their franchise-best 71st game. The Twins and Yankees lost. The Sox trail the Rays by 4.5 but lead the Twins by 1.5 games.

Not a good day

It's a good thing Adam Eaton has struggled in the minors or there might be a clamor to have him replace Cole Hamels, now winless in his last six starts. But I know, there's no reason the Phillies shouldn't win when they give up only three runs.

Cole wasn't at his best, but two earned in 6 1/3 should get the job done. The offense is another story. They were blanked by the Marlins 3-0, shut down by Chris Volstad. Chris Volstad? Never heard of him.

That's shutout No. 7 this season against the vaunted Phillies offense through game No. 114. Last year, there were three. In 162 games. And three playoff games (they did manage to score in each of them).

All the good from yesterday was erased: The Marlins are 1.5 games out and the Mets pulled to two. Have no fear, Scott Eyre will fix things.

Red Sox: They're off but still made news. They might be getting Brian Giles. I'm indifferent. And looks like the commissioner's office is investigating whether Manny purposely played his way out of Boston. A) How do you prove something like that? B) If you can prove it, then what?

Competitors: The Yankees are winning, the White Sox are losing, the Rays play in Seattle. Twins are off.