Fun-filled 4th

Here are the happenings, in brief.

The AL All-Star team will have six Red Sox, including Clay Buchholz, who is heading to the DL. He'll be joined by injured Victor Martinez and Dustin Pedroia and healthy David Ortiz, Adrian Beltre and Jon Lester. Kevin Youkilis was snubbed, but he's headed to the ballot for the final roster spot.

Charlie Manuel selected only one Phillie for the NL team: Ryan Howard. He'll be joined by fan-selected but injured Chase Utley and player-selected Roy Halladay.

The Sox and Phils each lost today to crappy teams, the Orioles and Pirates.

Joey Chestnut won another hot dog eating competition, but they had to arrest Takeru Kobayashi to keep him from reclaiming his spot as the world's top eater.

Christine and I had a nice dinner.

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.

Rotating door at the top

It's the middle game of the SoxandPhils series, and each team had a different look at the top of the order.

The Red Sox finally got their speedy leadoff man, Jacoby Ellsbury, back off the DL. He made his first start in more than a month. The Phillies reinserted their speedy leadoff man, Jimmy Rollins, to his usual spot in the lineup on Friday, but he got injured again. He was officially DL'd today. Welcome back, Wilson Valdez.

Tonight's tilt: Joining Ellsbury in the lineup was David Ortiz at 1B and Jason Varitek at C, which is interesting given the reports of the little scuffle between Daisuke Matsuzaka and Victor Martinez.

Replacing J-Roll in the leadoff spot was Shane Victorino, replacing him at SS was Juan Castro.

Actually, the most important lineup machinations were Varitek and Castro - not because of the riff between V-Mart and Dice, but because Tek is the only catcher to squat for four no-hitters. That's notable because he came pretty close to a fifth.

The 8th inning was the most dramatic. Raul Ibanez walked. Then, Carlos Ruiz lined a rope to third. Adrian Beltre made an amazing spear and then doubled off Ibanez. That was followed by a little bloop by ... Castro (where's J-Roll when you need him?). The little duck snort fell just out Marco Scutaro's reach.

At first it looked like it would be a no-doubt hit. "There it is," Christine said happily. But then it looked like Scutaro had a play. She got quiet, before clapping when the ball hit the ground. Her hands still sting. I don't think she's clapped so hard at baseball since the 2008 World Series.

I'll admit it, I wanted it. This might be a season where you have to take moral victories along the way.

That bloop turned a potentially special night into a ho-hum 5-0 victory. Daniel Bard pitched a perfect 9th to end it.

SoxandPhils series starts

I love the morning of a SoxandPhils series. There's something weird but pleasing about reading Phillies coverage in the Boston papers and Red Sox coverage in the Philly papers.

The Phillies writers, who never appreciated the talent of Terry Francona, obviously focused on the Red Sox troubles:

"Right now," conceded manager Terry Francona, the team's bald, bespectacled Job, "we're being tested a lot."

But the two-time champion is continuing to guide the Sox with a steady hand amid troubled waters:

Asked to assume, for a moment, the perspective of a fan viewing a team that seems increasingly dysfunctional, Francona showed an instinct for self-preservation.

"If I speak like a fan," he said, "I'm going to be a fan pretty soon."

The Red Sox writers, however, are in awe of the Phillies and are speculating about Jayson Werth:

The Sox-Phillies series should be interesting if only because it'll be a chance to see Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Roy Halladay and future Sox star Jayson Werth. There are a few too many interleague games and the integrity of the schedule is damaged, but the games are still fun.

Still, it's a bit ridiculous that the Red Sox get the Phillies six times and the Yankees get the F Troop Mets six times.

SoxandPhils writer Scott Lauber checked in with some similar SoxandPhils players, such as Ryan Howard offering support for David Ortiz:

Ortiz texted Howard last month to congratulate him on his new contract. Howard responded by offering Ortiz encouragement through a text message. His advice: Just be yourself.

"Everybody knows that you're going to have ups and downs. Everybody knows that you're not going to get off to a good start every year," Howard said. "You being you, doing what you do, your numbers are going to be where your numbers are pretty much every year.

"As far as (Ortiz) is concerned, I think people make a big deal out of it. It's like, if he doesn't get off to the start that everybody thinks he should get off to, all of a sudden he's struggling and this and that. You've just got to let the man play, let him do what he does."

Tonight's game: It was Ryan Howard homering tonight in the 4th inning to tie the game 1-1. We learned - and can't believe we didn't know this before - that fans who catch Phillies home run balls get to have it signed by the player who hit it. It had been a nice pitching duel between John Lackey and Cole Hamels until the 4th, but then Shane Victorino singled in another run, and in the next inning, "future Sox" Werth hit a two-run home run.

Howard later poked one to the opposite field, against the shift, to drive in another run.

The Red Sox loaded the bases in the 9th, but Papi flew out to end it 5-1. Christine rubbed it in by wearing her Phillies pajama pants and a Phillies T-shirt. She claims it's because I wore my Red Sox shorts, but I wear them on most nights.

Uh-oh: Jimmy Rollins, making his return to the leadoff spot, was removed from the game. It looks like something is wrong with his leg again. Good thing Wilson Valdez cleared waivers today.

And by the end of the game, Victor Martinez's first inning home run was long forgotten.

Dropping like flies

The media has been burying the 2010 Red Sox for several days.

I agree, this hasn't been a pretty start to the season. As Theo Epstein said today:

"It's not the time for excuses or sugar-coating it. We've played bad baseball. It's a bad stretch of play and when you do that at the start of the season, it looks even worse. We haven't played well, there are no excuses for how we've played. We haven't played smart baseball; we haven't really played aggressive baseball."

But the GM is confident things will turn around:

"We'll get back to our level. As an organization we have a track record. We have a standard we need to live to up to. One way or another we're going to get there collectively."

I'm trying my best to keep a positive attitude. I was OK with the news that Mike Cameron could be gone for a while; I think Josh Reddick will play well. I'm a little concerned that our other center fielder, Jacoby Ellsbury, joined his elder teammate on the DL. OK, I'm very concerned because I've never heard of his replacement - journeyman Darnell McDonald.

Tonight, they're still playing bad baseball after six innings. Tim Wakefield has given up six runs and Victor Martinez has allowed nine - NINE! - stolen bases. Yikes. Rangers 6, Red Sox 4.

Phillies: Kyle Kendrick, possibly pitching for his career, outpitched Tommy Hanson. In the 7th, Phillies 3, Braves 0.

A tribute to Andy Martino

Yes, Jon Lester and the Red Sox are battling the Yankees on MLB Network, but tonight Christine and I are obsessed with a huge piece of news that we missed: Andy Martino has left the Inquirer.

We noticed yesterday that The Phillies Zone was no longer Martino and Matt Gelb, but Gelb and Bob Brookover. We did some searching and found out that Martino is covering the Mets for the New York Daily News, replacing Adam Rubin, who went to work for ESPN, not the Mets.

So another Phillies beat writer has left the job. But unlike Todd Zolecki, Scott Lauber and even Mike Radano, we don't care. It's no secret we never liked him. He never seemed into his job. He would let his blog lapse. He seemed to always be on vacation. And he just gave off a smarmy vibe.

I think the most telling point about his stint as Phillies beat writer is this: When Lauber recently left the Wilmington News Journal to join the Boston Herald, all his colleagues mentioned it on their blogs or Twitters. We didn't see anyone mention Martino's return to New York.

See ya later, Martino. At least in New York, no one will notice if you don't write in the middle of the season because that's about the point when the Mets have officially become irrelevant.

(We may seem a little hard on Martino, but coming from journalism backgrounds, we do understand that some people just don't like some reporters.)

A good writer: I've really been enjoying the blogging of one of the Boston Globe's newer beat writers, Peter Abraham. He's been on the job since September, but I think he's really been hitting his stride lately. His style reminds us of Zolecki. Today's post had a fascinating tidbit:

I covered Pedro when he was with the Mets. After his first season was over, he handed out business cards to the beat writers with his cell phone number in case we needed to contact him. They said "Pedro J. Martinez, Right-handed pitcher." What a character.

Red Sox: Lester is a little wild, and the Yankees lead the Red Sox 4-3 in the 5th. Victor Martinez hit a two-run homer in the 3rd. Speaking of V-Mart, he snapped Jason Varitek's decade-long streak of Opening Day starts, according to a Providence Journal database. (Just ignore the text, which obviously has not been updated.)

Pondering baseball on snowy Super Sunday

Before tackling the snow again, I had a minute to read Nick Cafardo, who suggests the Red Sox won't re-sign Josh Beckett because of health concerns. That's not entirely startling, except when reading about one of the paths the Red Sox could take instead:

Which is why the Sox should wait on a Beckett extension and even explore the possibility of a free-agent-to-be like Cliff Lee. He was a pitcher the Sox looked into at the trading deadline, and he has a history with pitching coach John Farrell from their Cleveland days.

Wouldn't that be an interesting twist of fate for SoxandPhils followers? Imagine Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez teammates again, this time in Boston.

Of course, as John Tomase points out, that could be just a fan's dream - like a rotation topped by Lee and Roy Halladay. It seems the big 2011 free agent class that everyone has been salivating over may not come to fruition thanks to the extension for Halladay and likely deal for Joe Mauer. It could be that the big names heading to market will be departing Boston: Beckett and V-Mart, meaning we should soon start hearing speculation about Martinez pairing up with Beckett and/or Lee in the Bronx.

If there weren't two feet of snow in my driveway, I'd say that would be the worst thought of the day.

Pigskin picks: Usually, I get turned off by the team everyone is rooting for, but the Saints really do have a fan base that deserves a winner - even before Katrina struck. I'd like to see a huge Mardi Gras celebration, but I don't think Peyton Manning will allow it to happen.

Puppy picks: I'm going with Bear to chew up the competition; Christine thinks Blaze is ready to pounce, but could see Kiva in an upset.

Catching up with former Sox

Please excuse the staleness of what follows. I'll be at work late today, so I pre-wrote a bit.

Anyhoo, a couple former Red Sox have signed contracts recently: Orlando Cabrera signed with the Reds; Kevin Millar signed a minor league deal with the Cubs; and, in a surprise, Byung-Hyun Kim (who's still only 31 despite not pitching in the majors since 2007) signed a minor league deal with the Giants.

For those keeping track of former Red Sox, the Globe has a scorecard.

There's another former Red Sox in the news, but not in the transaction listings. Bill Buckner had some fun with fans at an old-timers dinner in Illinois when asked what his first thought was after the ball rolled through his legs:

"My first thought when it happened was, 'Wow, I get to play in a seventh game of a World Series. How cool is that?' And my other thought was how bad the people in Chicago must feel, Boston being here and their team not."

Finally, one guy who probably won't ever be a Red Sox is Joe Mauer, who seems to be close to signing a long-term deal with the Twins. I'd love to have him on the Red Sox, but it's better for the game to keep him in Minnesota. (I am not a gluttonous Yankees fan.) My only concern is whether this complicates matters with re-signing Victor Martinez, who would become the top catcher on the free-agent market next winter.

Big trade speculation

After reading Jim Salisbury's very speculative piece that the Phillies may revisit the Roy Halladay trade negotiations, a thought occurred to me this morning: Might the Phillies package a deal around - gasp - Cole Hamels?

Management seems to be down on him, and including him in a deal would presumably mitigate the Blue Jays' demand for Kyle Drabek or one of the top outfield prospects.

Salisbury's story didn't mention this possibility, but while I was driving to work, Randy Miller, of the Bucks County Times, was on WIP with the same speculation I had. He had a couple of caveats, however, chiefly that if the Phillies acquired Halladay, they might have to cut payroll elsewhere, meaning Joe Blanton could be gone.

He did say the Phillies are fed up with Hamels for failing to develop a third pitch or learn from veteran lefties Jamie Moyer and Cliff Lee. He thinks they will definitely listen to offers for the 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP, although they will be quiet about it because these megadeals rarely pan out and the Phillies are worried about Cole's fragile psyche if he learns he was placed on the trading block.

It's an interesting thought. My gut reaction is I wouldn't do it, but the Phillies may have more insight on whether Hamels can fulfill his promise in Philadelphia. If he can't, there are worse replacements than Doc.

While my perception was keen on the Hamels and Halladay speculation, I missed big time on the real implications behind the Red Sox announcing that Victor Martinez will be the starting catcher next year. That wasn't just about displacing Jason Varitek, but also signaling that V-Mart will not be at first base because the Sox may really go after Adrian Gonzalez.

It's no secret that the Red Sox have been looking for a corner infielder, especially with prospect Lars Anderson regressing this year, and the Padres are a team they have always been comfortable dealing with. Negotiations should go even better now that former Sox staffer Jed Hoyer is the GM in San Diego.

To further flame inane offseason SoxandPhils speculation is this tidbit that suggests the Red Sox may add nearly $50 million in payroll. I don't think there's that much talent available.

A tale of two veterans

Often in sports, we hear that teams show no loyalty to their aging players or that the players value money over team loyalty.

Granted, it's a rare example, but we never hear much praise when both team and player do right by each other. Tim Wakefield wants to keep pitching for the Red Sox. The Red Sox want to keep him on their team. Wakefield only cares about a contract that guarantees he'll stay in Boston as long as he's able to pitch. The Red Sox wanted a little monetary assurance in case he is unable to keep pitching at an All-Star level.

Hence, they scrapped the perpetual $4 million contract in lieu of a two-year guaranteed deal with incentives that could net Wakefield nearly as much as the original deal. Wake said he will retire after this contract:

They actually came to me with a two-year. We were wondering they were going to pick up the option again and this kind of negates that. I think this is a fair deal. If I’m healthy, I’ll be able to make about as much as I did the other years. In essence, they gave me a two-year deal and that’s a huge plus for me.

Things look less clear with another long-time Red Sox, Jason Varitek. The team, to no one's surprise, declined the captain's $5 million option. He has five days to decide whether to accept his $3 million option.

I was surprised that he did not accept arbitration last year; I would be shocked if he is stupid enough this year to let Scott Boras persuade him not to accept his player option to try to pursue a situation that pays more and offers more playing time. Unfortunately, unlike Wakefield, Varitek doesn't always do what's best for himself and the team, although the Globe said Varitek is "likely" to stay put.

If he does, he will not be the starting catcher, as the Red Sox made another expected move to pick up Victor Martinez's 2010 option:

"We're going to really look for Victor to be the everyday catcher next year," Epstein said. "What puts us in the best position to win is for Victor catching as much as he can. The spot we'll have available is for more of a traditional backup. We'll see what Tek's (Jason Varitek) decision is before we move forward. He's got five days to exercise his player option. You can always negotiate but in this case it's his decision to make."

Catching up with catching

In the news today are stories about the guys behind the plate for the SoxandPhils, Carlos Ruiz and Jas--- err, Victor Martinez.

Nick Cafardo takes a look at V-Mart in a column that broaches a few interesting thoughts: His defense is better than perceived (Chris Coste can sympathize), he may knock Jason Varitek out of Boston as soon as next year, and it may be he, not Joe Mauer, who will be the long-term successor to Tek.

As I hinted yesterday when talking about Brad Penny's stupid comment, perhaps it's not so much that Martinez's defense has been underrated but that Varitek's game-calling genius has been overrated.

I love the Captain and the intangibles he has brought to two championship clubs, but those qualities have not been able to offset Varitek's diminished offense in recent years.

I think this quote from Mike Lowell is telling. He probably meant only to inflate Martinez, but it's hard to read it without thinking it's an honest criticism of Varitek:

I've always thought [calling a game] was a little bit overrated. (Martinez is) an All-Star catcher. I believe there's value in guys who call a good game, but I think now that Victor has caught a few guys a few times he's calling good games. Sometimes that's made a little bit more of than it should be, again, not because it's not important, but I believe an All-Star-type catcher can learn his staff. He caught the Indians and they had a pretty damn good pitching staff. It's not like he's doing something for the first time.

If Varitek is still on the team in 2010, it will be merely, and clearly, as the backup.

The Phillies starting catcher, meanwhile, received plaudits for his mediocre offensive campaign. Mediocre by anyone's standards, but stellar for the Choochster. According to FanGraphs, Ruiz is on pace for his most valuable season. And, if he can maintain or even improve upon his .768 OPS, then he could see some positive offensive value for the first time in his career. Right now, he's at 0.0; his career is -23.5.

He's pleased with his season:

The big thing is, you can have the ability to hit, but if you don't relax, it's tough. If you're a player, man, you want to do good. When you don't, it's tough. Now, I'm hitting the ball gap-to-gap, and it has been good again.

Charlie Manuel still isn't satisfied:

He's got 35 RBIs. I think he could do better than that.

Today: Enjoy the grill. Be grateful if you have a job, and remember those who don't.

The Phillies turn to their stopper, J.A. Happ, to avert the sweep in Houston while a pair of struggling aces, Josh Beckett and Mark Buehrle, square off in Chicago.

Switching positions

Yesterday, I was flipping through my Phillies program from the game we went to two weeks ago and read that the Phillies signed Carlos Ruiz out of Panama as a catcher even though he never played the position.

Today, I read that new Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez was similarly signed out of Venezuela by the Indians to be a catcher without ever playing the position.

Granted, Chooch's story was written by the PR arm of the Phillies (Tom McCarthy) while V-Mart's was written by the Boston Globe, but it sounds like Ruiz had the easier transition:

"I put on the catcher's gear for the first time and was a little nervous. Once I slid the (chest protector) on, it felt so good that I knew it was the position for me. As I found out, you have so much in your control and I like that (part of the game)."

Martinez, meanwhile, wanted to quit after the first day, but his mother talked him into giving it a try:

Minnie Mendoza, the Latin America field coordinator for the Indians, told Martinez he would be a catcher. After his initial consternation, Martinez accepted his new job.

"I really took the challenge," Martinez said. "That's why we're here. We're here to work hard."

The transition moved slowly. A pitcher threw a ball in the dirt, and instead of blocking it, Martinez leaped out of the way. The pitch hit the umpire. "That won't be the last one," Mendoza told him.

Martinez had long arms and a large frame, and he struggled to coordinate a catcher's movements. He kept working at it. He became more assertive with pitchers and learned individual tendencies.

Hopefully, he will get to experience being behind the plate for a World Series clincher - as Ruiz already has.

Elvis benched? Former Phil Pat Burrell might also switch positions - from DH to left out. There are reports that Burrell, who has struggled mightily since leaving Philadelphia, may be benched by the Rays. Don McKee, however, notes: "No word on how Elvis is faring."

Kudos for thinking of the bulldog, but knock on some doors, make some calls and find out how he is faring. Our journalism professor used an acronym: GOYA KOD. The last part stands for Knock on Doors; the first part is Get off Your ... I'll let McKee figure out the last word.

But what do I know, I'm just a former reporter.

Barkin': Speaking of bulldogs, I somehow completely forgot to mention the Phillies Saturday loss against the Giants, which was remarkable for two reasons: I stayed up for the entirety of a West Coast night game, and it was Bark at the Park night in San Francisco.

We learned Tim Lincecum has a bulldog. Christine enjoyed watching all the doggies. That's one drawback of rooting for a team that sells out - no dog days at the park.

Tonight's games: The Red Sox lead the Rays 2-0 (no Burrell in lineup) in the 7th in a pitcher's duel between Jon Lester and Matt Garza. The Phillies trail the Rockies 8-3 in the 8th. Rodrigo Lopez didn't look good in his first relief outing.

Sitting pretty

Last week was agony at times, wondering whether Roy Halladay was worth giving up Kyle Drabek, or whether Victor Martinez was worth giving up Clay Buchholz. Or whether either of our teams would make a foolish decision about the future that wouldn't even pay off this year.

Ultimately, our teams got the two best players in Martinez and Cliff Lee who moved by July 31 (although Matt Holliday might disagree) without giving up their most coveted prospects and are in good positions to return to the playoffs this year while remaining perennial threats for the next several.

We are pleased.

This SoxandPhils headline on a Tom Verducci column summed up our trading deadline nicely:

Red Sox, Phillies put organizational depth on display

In an era when young players under control are valued more and more, Philadelphia and Boston won the week because of they could draw on fertile farm systems without running them dry. It's a lesson for the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets of the world: player development is a key currency in the baseball realm.

And, as we later learned, our teams were prepared to cash in that currency in other deals. Ruben Amaro said so, but there's only speculation as to whom the Phillies were pursuing. Theo Epstein said less, but there are reports he was pursuing a whopper. He offered the Mariners a king's ransom (their choice of five from RHP Clay Buchholz, RHP Daniel Bard, RHP Justin Masterson, LHP Nick Hagadone, RHP Michael Bowden, LHP Felix Doubront, OF Josh Reddick and SS Yamaico Navarro) for King Felix Hernandez.

I'm intrigued at the thought of Hernandez on the Red Sox, but I'd be scared to make that deal. Although, Theo had the guts to trade away Nomar Garciaparra and Manny Ramirez and wound up with a better team.

Confused

With the Phillies finally playing at a reasonable time, we had the game on in the background as we prepared dinner. We sat down to eat at the beginning of the 4th, just as Tom McCarthy raved about Barry Zito - who at that point faced the minimum (Ben Francisco had a single followed by a double play in the 1st).

"The Phillies need to remember they're facing Barry Zito and start hitting him," Christine said.

Sure enough, Jimmy Rollins homered on the next pitch. They had rallies in the 4th and 5th that yielded only two more runs, but they seemed ready to bust out.

Nope. Amnesia returned, and they let Zito handle them as if he were Cole Hamels or something. Speaking of whom, young Cole must have thought he was Barry Zito - giving up seven runs (six earned) in five innings. I thought he had turned the corner.

Head-scratcher in Baltimore: I thought the sweep was well in hand when I saw the Red Sox were up 7-0 in the 3rd, but the O's put up a six-spot in the 3rd and knocked out Clay Buchholz with another run in the 5th. Although, by then, the Red Sox had already doubled their tally with a seven-run 4th inning. It ended as an 18-10 Red Sox win that left me wondering whether to praise Victor Martinez for going 5-6 with four RBI or complain that Red Sox pitchers gave up 10 runs in his first game behind the plate.

Today marked the official beginning of the end of the Jason Varitek era - I just have to remember that V-Mart's strength is at the plate, not behind it.

More head-hurting drug news: In the latest episode of the Red Sox trying to out-drug the Yankees, it was revealed that last year they fired two staffers, including Jerry Remy's son, for possessing steroids. I can't wait for this big weekend series against the Yankees. Our druggies are better than their druggies. Yea!

Master-Lee

"I guess you're going to see more than one inning," Christine told her early-to-bed, early-to-rise husband last night after Cliff Lee quickly dispatched the first three batters he faced as a Phillie.

"He's going to outhit the entire Giants lineup," I joked after Lee got his first hit as a Phillie in the 4th inning.

Two innings later, I was finally able to go to sleep after Juan Uribe sliced one down the line, breaking up a no-hitter in the 6th inning.

What a performance for the Phils big midseason acquisition. Lee tossed a 109-pitch complete game, with just one run on four hits and a walk. He struck out six. Oh, after I fell asleep, he added another double, so while he didn't outhit the Giants, he did halve them. Pretty darn good debut. Phillies 5, Giants 1. And, he's pretty smart - going the distance and avoiding Brad Lidge.

Hopefully, his former teammate, Victor Martinez, has an equally memorable debut for the Red Sox tonight against the Orioles. He's batting third, playing first base. He struck out in his first at-bat. Also making his first start for the Red Sox is prospect Josh Reddick in right field. The Sox spotted Josh Beckett a 1-0 lead in the 1st.

Phillies still playing on the late coast.

Season goes on

With yesterday's shaming of David Ortiz, I had forgotten that today was the trade deadline until I heard Mike & Mike talking about it.

I started wondering what former roider, like Eric Gagne, Theo Epstein might pick up this year.

OK, that's not fair to last year's acquisition of Jason Bay, but I was still bummed about Papi. I still am. By the afternoon I was starting to get over it, especially because, as Christine predicted when Lou Marson went to the Tribe, the Red Sox got Victor Martinez. They did so without losing Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard or Michael Bowden, but they did give up Justin Masterson, Bryan Price and Nick Hagadone. They also flipped the recently acquired and suddenly extraneous Adam LaRoce to the Braves for Casey Kotchman.

Despite having Jason Varitek, I've long coveted V-Mart because of his hitting. Reading the first reports of his arrival, I think I'm going to like his attitude - sentimental yet focused on winning. I just hope he does it cleanly:

Upon learning of the deal, Martinez admitted it was difficult to leave the only organization he had played for since entering professional baseball in 1996.

"It's tough," Martinez told The Associated Press. "This is my house. This is my home."

According to the report, Martinez fought back tears as he sat in front of his locker, hugging son Victor Jr. Earlier in the day, the young boy asked his dad, "Are we still an Indian?"

But he later added that Red Sox fans unfamiliar with him will soon find out what he's all about.

"Everybody knows I play to win," said Martinez. I love this game and I'll go there and do the same thing. As soon as I cross the line, I'm all about winning."

Masterson also sounded the right tone - I'm going to miss him, and I think he's going to be a real good pitcher. Hopefully he needs some days off whenever we play Cleveland:

"It will be nice when we get to Cleveland, but it's unfortunate to have to leave a great organization like the Red Sox, but I've heard nothing but good things about Cleveland, so I'll be excited to get up there."

So the 2009 trading deadline has passed. The top names moved came from Cleveland and landed with the SoxandPhils. The Red Sox have struggled, but I think the Papi revelation will be cathartic and Martinez will spark them past this slump and back to the top of the American League. The Phillies look to be a slam dunk to repeat at least as division champions and are probably favorites to repeat as World Champions.

Tonight, their new acquisition, Cliff Lee, debuts in San Francisco. Hopefully, I'll be able to stay up past his first inning - probably not.

John Smoltz gave up five runs in six innings, but the Red Sox won a back-and-forth affair in Baltimore 6-5.

Phils land Cy Young pitcher; questions still abound

While still contemplating the Phillies big trade for reigning AL Cy Young award winner Cliff Lee, I heard a radio caller put it in perspective. Most of the talk show scene was anti-Cliff Lee because he's not the big name - Roy Halladay - they had been clamoring for.

"Doesn't anyone remember the days of Hard Hittin' Mark Whiten or Gregg Jefferies?" the caller said. "We won the World Series last year and just got an ace. Sure, he's not the ace, but he's an ace."

Damn straight.

I hope the Phillies didn't give up too much - Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Jason Knapp and Jason Donald are going to the Indians for Lee and Ben Francisco. Those are some of their top prospects, but not the big ones they didn't want to give up for Halladay.

Christine didn't want to give up a large haul for Halladay - the Phils were good enough to win it all without him last year and have as good of a shot as anyone to win it all again this year without mortgaging their future. She feels a bit bad for J.A. Happ, the likely candidate to get sent back to the bullpen, but pitching depth is fleeting, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him get some more starts even after Pedro Martinez and Cliff Lee arrive.

Heck, a few weeks ago, the Red Sox were seen as having an embarrassment of riches with their starting pitching, and now some think they need to get Halladay.

Todd Zolecki has a nice post on why the deal makes so much sense for the Phillies.

We've been upset with the way the Phillie players have been outspoken in their yen for Roy Halladay. I am concerned that they don't believe they can win without him. Hopefully, Clifton proves them wrong. He's looking forward to the opportunity:

I'm going to the defending World Champions, that's a good thing ... I'm anxious and excited to get there. ... It's the National League. I'm going to have to figure out how to get a bunt down more consistently.

This being SoxandPhils, we have to speculate what this trade means for the Red Sox deals. Will they pull the trigger on Roy? Or, since the Indians acquired Marson, does that mean Victor Martinez is coming to Fenway? We have less than 48 hours to find out. Until then, we'll think about the possibility of the World Series opening in Fenway: Lee vs. Halladay.

Today's games: After the Red Sox blew a three-run lead in the 9th last night, that World Series fantasy is starting to look like a pipe dream. They're trailing the A's again tonight, 5-3 in the 5th.

The Phillies won 4-3 last night as Brad Lidge turned a comfortable Cole Hamels performance into a squeaker against one of the worst teams in baseball, the Diamondbacks. They end the series late again tonight.