Things that made me say hmm ...

I learned a lot of interesting little nuggets this morning. Actually, the first I learned last night, but not until after deadline.

Other than the occasional political comment or plug for his wife's book, SoxandPhil Curt Schilling has been sort of quiet lately. Judging by how he ended a recent interview with Dan Patrick in this week's Sports Illustrated, the 2004 hero seems to be out of practice when it comes to speaking to the media. {Out of practice? Please. That interview was pure Curt Schilling. He knew exactly what he was doing and how he was saying it.}

He tried to make it clear that he does not think he is bigger than the game and just fortunate to have played for some great teams at some great times, but he failed and came out with this:

"I was part of some of the greatest moments in the sport. I can remember sitting on the bench in 1993 with John Vukovich watching Joe Carter hit that home run. I was obviously devastated, but not initially. My first thought was 'Oh, my God! I just witnessed one of the greatest moments in the history of the game. How cool? Oh, my God, we just lost!' I love the game."

I'm sure 2008 erased a lot of the Joe Carter-induced pain for Phillies fans, but I can't imagine them liking that attitude. Can you picture David Ortiz saying how cool it was to watch Aaron Boone end the 2003 ALCS? I can't.

I cannot believe that quote has not caused an uproar around here yet. Maybe, as the Inquirer points out in today's series, it's because Citizens Bank Park has ushered in a new era for the Phillies.

The last time Christine and I went to Camden Yards, we were disappointed. It has not aged well and does not compare with Citizens Bank. We should be grateful:

The Phillies' timing was fortunate. By waiting eight years before jumping onto the retro bandwagon launched by 1992's opening of Baltimore's Camden Yards, they were better able to tailor the ballpark to a vision that was far more fan-focused than when the Vet debuted in 1971.

Things might have turned out differently. In the late 1980s, the Phillies wanted to remodel the Vet, which would have meant no shiny ballpark today:

Right about then, team president Bill Giles visited Camden Yards.

"Once we saw that," Montgomery said, "we said, 'Uh-uh. We need to change the focus here. We have to look for a new facility.'"

The rest is history and the Phillies have filled their new park with stars like Jim Thome, Ryan Howard and Joe Mauer. Joe Mauer?

The other night, we were playfully discussing the Twins star's new contract, and Christine, out of sheer loyalty for Carlos Ruiz, said she would rather keep Chooch than add Mauer.

Charlie Manuel has my back on this one:

Manuel raved about Mauer after watching the Twins catcher go 2 for 4 with two RBIs.

"We might be able to find a place in our lineup for him," Manuel said. "A couple of years ago, we were at the winter meetings and I was sitting with some [Minnesota] guys, and we got in an argument. I said I'd like to see him pull some balls. Last year, when he started hitting some bombs to right field, I got a message from one of the guys and he said, 'Hey, Charlie, is Mauer pulling the ball enough for you now?' He's special."

Today's post is all over the place. This blog is going to the (bull)dogs. No, Elvis Burrell has not returned, but Jonathan Papelbon's pooch, Boss, is accompanying the reliever to work today:

Never have been much of a morning person, which is a function of my [the Globe's Peter Abraham] job. But some things you can't help but notice no matter how
tired you are.

Such as Jonathan Papelbon walking into the clubhouse at 8:44 a.m. wearing wraparound black sunglasses with a three-legged bulldog on a leash. Now that got everybody's attention.

Boss is the dog that supposedly ate the 2007 World Series ball. Papelbon went back to his truck to get the dog's bed, so apparently Boss is here for the day.

Hmm, the Red Sox are playing the Rays on Tuesday. I don't know whether Papelbon is scheduled to pitch then, but if he faces off against Pat Burrell, can we please have temporary replacements? Boss vs. Elvis. Bulldog-a-bulldog. Bring it on.

Day-late recap

I wish I could say that we stayed for the end of Sunday night's game. Not even close.

With Greg out of town, I made plans with a friend to go to the game. Unfortunately, her kids and husband passed a cold onto her, so she was unable to make it. So my mom went to the game with me. This is now two games that she's been to in the past two weeks - other season ticket holders in our section are probably gossiping about Greg's whereabouts. Before these games, she hadn't been to a game since 2004 (see sidebar below).

We stayed until the end of the 7th before bowing out. I was driving back to my house during the bottom of the 9th when Pedro Feliz singled home Shane Victorino and was settled in front of the TV when he slammed his three-run home in the bottom of the 11th. Phillies 5, Dodgers 2.

Greg would have enjoyed the game - a little sloppy to be called a pitcher's duel, but he loves low-scoring match-ups. Joe Blanton threw 29 pitches in the 1st inning, allowing one run, before settling down to pitch better over the next five innings. There were also some nifty defensive plays on both sides, including Ryan Howard's sliding grab in foul territory and Victorino's snag in deep center.

I admit that I was getting a little nervous about a no-hitter before Carlos Ruiz singled in the 5th, which led to the Phillies first run.

Notes and observations: I did buy a scorecard, but filled in only the 1st inning. I mostly just needed something to jot down some notes. ... The boos for Manny Ramirez were unbelievable. You would think that he were a Met or J.D. Drew. Is Sox hatred that deep, or is it just Manny? ... The Phanatic did a mid-inning salsa with current Dodgers first base coach and former Phillie Mariano Duncan. I always liked Duncan, but I suppose I have a soft spot for most of the '93 team. ... Speaking of the Phanatic, he drove his four-wheeler right by us near the right field gate as the crowd was streaming into the ballpark before the game. ... The West Chester Community Chorus performed the anthem. It was well-received. ... Chris Coste's fan club is called Coste's Ghosts. I wonder if they were still around in the 10th when he came into the game. ... During one of the mid-inning scoreboard video displays, Jason Bay and Cole Hamels were listed as "Who's Hot." Odd, because I thought Bay had been cooling down. ... My mom likes Kashmir for Chase Utley's intro music. She think it works well.

Sidebar: My mom and I used to go to a lot of games in the early '90s. What better way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon than at a ballgame? General admission tickets at Veterans Stadium were only $5, and that's when I first learned that even though the seats may be high, as along as you're behind home plate, all is good. We also brought my younger cousin to quite a few games. We used to tell him that they locked the gates and that we weren't allowed to leave before the 7th inning. It worked, and we would usually manage to stay for the whole game.

As I got older, there were fewer game opportunities because of work and other vital young-adult obligations. We had plans for the three of us (Greg, me and my mom) to go to the last game at the Vet, but she wasn't able to make it because of a family emergency.

When 2004 rolled around, Greg and I decided we wanted to bring her to brand-new Citizens Bank Park on her birthday. With tickets in short supply that year, we had to turn to Ebay to make it to a Saturday afternoon game in July. We settled into our seats with food and got ready to enjoy the game.

Coincidentally, Greg's dad was also at the ballpark that day. His company was holding a regional meeting, and the ballpark was deemed to be a central location for all the participants. So after their meeting in one of the park's conference rooms, they adjourned to a suite to take in the game. We were in our seats, they were in the suite, and his dad gave us a call. He could get us into the suite.

We rushed down to the suite level, and there was a little problem trying to convince security that we did have tickets to be there, if they would just let us go get them from the people in the suite. But at that moment, his dad came out, flashed some tickets and we were in. Were they really extra tickets or just someone else's who was already there? Who knows? Who cares? We were in a suite in the new Phillies ballpark.

It was heaven. Indoor and outdoor seating. Televisions wherever you looked for a better view of the game. And all the food and drink that you could want. We sat outside and enjoyed quite a bit of food; I know Citizens Bank has some of the highest-rated ballpark grub, but this was even better. Best part of the day: The Phillies won.

[That was also the day the 2004 Red Sox took their first steps toward a championship. It was the day Jason Varitek shoved his glove in Alex Rodriguez's face. They had the game on in the suite, but there was no sound so we had no clue what was really going on.]

Now, every game, when we ride up the escalator past the suite level, I look longingly at the closed doors, knowing the good stuff that goes on behind them. I don't know how, but we will find ourselves back in a suite again sometime.

Tonight's action: The Phillies shut out the Dodgers 5-0 to complete the four-game sweep and get some revenge after their last meeting. Brett Myers had yet another good outing, and Jimmy Rollins remembered how to hit, going 3-for-3 and reaching base in all five at-bats. He was rewarded with copious cheers. The Mets beat the Astros 9-1, so the Phillies are still a half-game out in the standings.

Tomorrow night the Mets come to town for a quick two-game series. Pitching match-ups are Pedro Martinez vs. Jamie Moyer and Johan Santana vs. Kyle Kendrick. If Greg were here, I'm sure he would come up with some sort of insights, but I'm not that creative. I'm just looking forward to reclaiming first place.

Red Sox: They also won in 11 innings on Sunday, 6-5 over the Blue Jays. They are off tonight and stand 4.5 behind the also idle Rays. They lead the White Sox and Twins by one game for the Wild Card. The Sox start a series Tuesday against the increasingly irrelevant Yankees. Greg's bummed that he won't be able to watch or listen to the games.

[Varitek photo credit: Associated Press]