Jon Lester is a wuss

It's hard for me to say that about our beloved cancer conqueror and World Series hero, but I think I can be critical of a fellow newly minted first-time father:

In the real world, a first-time father returns to work after a day or two off and eases back into the routine while showing everybody photos of his pride and joy.

Jon Lester's task last night was to climb the mound at Fenway Park in drenching humidity and to try and pump pitches past the Cleveland Indians.

Sleep had come sparingly since the arrival of his son Hudson on Saturday and after a few innings his left hamstring started to ache. Errors, a passed ball, and the other residue of a season going steadily awry only made things worse.

“He'd had a long three or four days," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.

OK, I took off four days (not including the weekend) and I returned to work in a climate-controlled building. But...

I'm just glad that Lester didn't become the 16th Red Sox to be DL'd after hearing last night that the trainer made a couple of visits to the mound.

Tonight's games: Kevin Youkilis' injured thumb will cost him the rest of the season, but the gimpy Sox forged ahead. Daisuke Matsuzaka went 8 strong innings (?!?!?), and the Sox lead the Indians 6-2 in the 9th. ... Roy Oswalt pitched much better than in his debut and left with a 2-0 lead in the 7th, but J.C. Romero allowed the runners he inherited to score and the Phillies trail the Marlins 4-2 in the 9th. They might be attempting a comeback now with two on base and no one out.

15 X 2 = Lots of injured SoxandPhils

Yesterday, Todd Zolecki noted that Ryan Howard is the 15th Phillie to land on the DL. Today, Amalie Benjamin noted that Kevin Youkilis is the 15th Red Sox to make this dubious list.

Thirty injured SoxandPhils. You could literally make a team of gimpy 2010 injured SoxandPhils.

Peter Abraham noted that 10 Red Sox have made it unscathed from Opening Day. That's out of the 48 who have been on the big league roster so far.

Meanwhile, the Phillies traded for Ken Griffey Jr.'s friend, Mike Sweeney, because of Howard's injury.

Today's games: Jon Lester stunk up the joint. In the 9th, Indians 9, Red Sox 1. Phillies lead the Marlins 5-2 in the 7th. There was a rain delay.

Mike Lowell almost was the next Mike Stanley

Good news: Mike Lowell is in the starting lineup, which means he wasn't traded to the Yankees.

Bad news: Mike Lowell is in the starting lineup, which means Kevin Youkilis is on the DL.

The last time the Yankees and Red Sox swapped players, Mike Stanley was traded back to the empire and we got Tony Armas Jr., who was included with Carl Pavano in the Pedro Martinez deal. So I guess dealing with the devil isn't necessary all that bad.

Joining Youkilis on the DL is his fellow SoxandPhils first baseman, Ryan Howard. Unbelievable.

Tonight's games, aces up: Roy Halladay and the Phillies lead the Marlins 6-1 in the 8th, and Josh Beckett has the Red Sox ahead of the Indians 3-1 in the 7th.

A pair of injured All-Star first basemen

No teams have been depleted by injury this year like the SoxandPhils. They've even seemed to be matching each other position by position.

So, should we be surprised that the day after Ryan Howard left a game with injury, that Kevin Youkilis followed suit tonight? They're optimistic that Howard won't be DL'd; it's too soon for Youk's prognosis.

Mike Cameron is also headed back to the DL.

Today, the Phillies are off. The Red Sox trail the Indians 6-2 in the 7th. And Tim Wakefield turned 44.

Trent dirties diapers, Sox and Phils rally

Christine went to the store this afternoon, so it was just the little guy and me watching the Phillies game on TV. {I listened on the radio and was entertained by Larry Andersen's rants.} Well, he slept more than watched, until the Phillies had one out in the 9th, trailing the Cubs 1-0.

That's when Trent woke up needing his diaper changed. I forgot to put on a TV upstairs so I could listen to the ending while taking care of business. Because of a little spraying, it took a little longer than I expected. When I was done, I turned on the game expecting it to be over. Nope - the Phillies had the bases loaded and were winning 2-1. They added two more to win 4-1. Trent's pixie dust, which last night I proclaimed was gone, has returned.

The littlest SoxandPhil may really be getting the hang of things. Cliff Lee dominated the Red Sox and took a 2-1 lead into the 9th inning with about 90 pitches. But after changing another diaper, I was able to sit down and watch Kevin Youkilis rip a single to tie the game.

The game went into the 11th without any more diaper emergencies, but Trent decided to keep losing his pacifier to see how many times Christine and I would run upstairs to retrieve it for him. I think that was just his way of willing Youkilis to hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to beat the Rangers 3-2.

Ben Davis is back in Camden

Ben Davis, our favorite player who we saw in Las Vegas and Camden during the same year, is back in Camden as he tries to return to the the major leagues as a pitcher instead of a catcher:

Davis, 33, played with three major-league teams from 1998 to 2004, batting .237 in 486 games, and has been with eight minor-league clubs since. Not ready to give up baseball, he reinvented himself after the Baltimore Orioles cut him in 2008.

"I was with Baltimore in triple A, and I was just not hitting at all," Davis said. "I had a very good opportunity there to play, and just really didn't take advantage of it.

"I came home and I was like, you know, I don't think any club is going to pick me up to be a catcher. So I figured why don't I start pitching. I know I still had a pretty good arm, and I could probably throw strikes."

Of course, we hope he makes it. We have a soft spot for a guy we followed one year from New Jersey's worst city to the glitz of Sin City. And, Christine always likes players who convert from a hitter to a pitcher and vice versa.

Good lede: Paul Hagan went a little SoxandPhils to kick off a column about how the Phillies can't blame all their problems on injuries:

Their All-Star second baseman, a perennial MVP candidate, is in a cast. Their starting catcher is on the disabled list and the backup catcher is unavailable as well. They're also without their No. 1 starter, best outfielder and an important setup reliever.

And the Red Sox went into play last night tied for the second-best record in the majors despite being without Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, Jason Varitek, Josh Beckett, Jacoby Ellsbury and Manny Delcarmen.

So, yes, the Phillies have been decimated by injuries.

But, no, that doesn't fully explain why the team that's won the division three straight years is spinning its wheels at the mathematical midpoint of the season.

Good to see that Hagen's reading the blog and knows how badly the SoxandPhils have been injured. And now, it looks like we can add Kevin Youkilis to that list.

Tonight's games: Bad. Sox lost to the Rays. Phillies lost to the Braves.

Friday fun with flags

Earlier this week, I mentioned the huge flag that was on the field during the Opening Day pregame ceremonies. Tonight, we present our little photo essay of how the flag was 1) unfurled; 2) displayed in all its glory; and 3) refurled.

While the flag was stretched over the outfield, we wondered how they would fold it up without letting it touch the ground. We decided that they knew what they were doing.

They did - they ran as quick as possible. It did touch the ground, but surprisingly few times for a flag that size.

With this, I conclude our leftover pictures from Opening Day.

Well, there's one more, but it's not enough for a post, and I'm not sure whether it will see the light of day.

Phillies: Christine and I were driving in separate cars when Roy Halladay had his first at-bat in Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies had the bases loaded and a three-run lead. I was certain he was going to further his ever-growing legend with a big hit. He didn't. Christine booed, in joking appreciation that he is not perfect.

It didn't matter because his teammates had his back - including a three-RBI game for Juan Castro and home runs by Placido Polanco and Chase Utley, who has gone deep in four consecutive games.

I wasn't happy when they let Halladay hit in the bottom of the 7th in the pouring rain with a seven-run lead. He pitched another inning and gave up a second run before David Herndon nearly blew it, giving up four runs in the 9th and setting up a save for Ryan Madson, who did finish off the 8-6 win over the Marlins.

Red Sox: While watching the Phillies, I had a feeling that I should switch to MLB Network. My ESP was rewarded by a live look in at the Red Sox and Rays game, which was then tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 6th. David Ortiz was up with a man on, and I cringed at the thought of him making another out. He didn't. He laced a solid hit to right, but the third base coach waved home Kevin Youkilis, who was out by a mile. Arrgh.

The two teams that will likely battle for the division all summer long remain tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 9th before a rain delay kicked in. Nice start by Josh Beckett, one unearned run in seven innings. Jason Varitek hit a solo home run - his third homer in his second start.

Because the Captain is back, maybe we could trade Victor Martinez for an outfielder. We could use one with Jacoby Ellsbury injured and Mike Cameron recovering from kidney stones. Ouch.

Changed my mind: Here's that last picture I was saving from Opening Day. We were planning to break it out when Herndon had a bad game, so here's a shot of Herndon and his pink bag:

Taking one on the chin for charity

Kudos to Kevin Youkilis for putting his beard on the line to raise money for his charity that helps organizations focused on the health and well-being of children.

He's letting donors decide what look he'll sport to open 2010: goatee, mustache, clean shaven or Fu Manchu.

How come there's no option for full beard?

Anyway, I just like this fundraiser. It's a little more creative than the standard "athlete shaves his head or beard" to raise money for charity.

And, it's for the children.

I hope it's successful.

Bonus: When we were eating dinner, Christine wondered if MLB Network would have the Phillies game on. I didn't think they would, but they did. Christine's very happy there is a live game to watch.

[Photo credit: Boston Globe]

Live action and unpredictable predictions

We have our first glimpse of baseball circa 2010 today as Kevin Youkilis and some prospects took some hacks and the scribes noted who has bulked up (Clay Buchholz) and who has trimmed down (Daisuke Matsuzaka).

But even though the news is welcomed when our yard is still buried with snow, none of it matters because Baseball Prospecutus has updated its screwy projections for the season.

Although, they still have the Nationals finishing under .500, we like where BP is heading: a Red Sox division championship with the Phillies (always predicted to win the NL East) getting closer to the number of wins we expect from them.

But most interesting is what the statisticians see in store for the NL Central: a three-way tie for first place among the White Sox, Tigers and Twins at 80-82.

Christine and I would love to see that, although we'd settle for seeing our lawn again.

[Photo credit: Boston Globe]

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia

A day after Roy Halladay was deemed the hardest-working man in show business, he got more accolades today - this time for his leadership and teammate skills.

As reported by Andy Martino (where the hell has he been?), Halladay has some interesting quotes in the current issue of the Sporting News.

When asked to name the best pitcher in the NL East, he refused to include himself, but put young Cole Hamels up there with Johan Santana and Josh Johnson:

"I'd never vote for myself," Halladay, 32, told the magazine when asked whether he was the best pitcher in the NL East.

He said New York Mets lefthander Johan Santana "has always been fun to watch. The way Cole pitched in the playoffs a couple of years ago and at times last year, I think he's up there. Some of the Marlins' younger guys are scary - Josh Johnson. There's a lot of talent."

He earned instant praise for taking time to boost Hamels' ego and show him that he's an important part of the Phillies fate.

But I wonder how long before this lovefest for Roy turns Cole a little green and gives him a Jan Brady complex. I know that Roy is saying the right things about Hamels, but it might eat at Hamels that the media and fans are swooning at the new guy who hasn't won a thing (best pitcher to never see the postseason) while the hero of the 2008 playoffs gets the bum rush because he didn't post gaudy numbers last year.

It should be interesting to watch, but in my gut I think Cole has a big year riding shotgun for Doc.

I don't know who the Jan Brady of the Red Sox would be (Dustin Pedroia, maybe?), but it's clear that Kevin Youkilis would be the Marcia after this piece in the Herald:

He is, in short, one of us.

And guess what: He has every intention of remaining one of us.

"I see myself, if everything goes well, retiring as a member of the Red Sox," said Youkilis earlier this week, following a morning round of batting practice at the team’s minor-league complex in Fort Myers. "That's my goal. I want to finish my career with the Red Sox, and that's not something that a lot of players do."

There also is this: More than simply wanting to stay with the Red Sox, he also wants to stay in Boston.

And he's also Hollywood like Marcia Brady and Cole Hamels. He was in Milk Money, which I never knew before.



[Photo credit: The Brady Bunch Blog]

Gold Gloves for Christmas

Only two SoxandPhils won Gold Gloves this year, meaning Chase Utley, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis got hosed.

To be fair, Rob Neyer, whose assessments I trust on these things, said Jimmy Rollins didn't deserve his third straight gold glove and that Shane Victorino may not have earned his second trophy.

But being a partisan blog, we'll focus on the praise, such as these plaudits heaped on Utley followed by some backhanded love for Shane-O on the end:

This year, the voters returned to Hudson, once again spurning Utley, who still doesn't have a Gold Glove despite being arguably the league's top defensive second baseman for five seasons running. And not over the last five seasons; I mean in each of the last five seasons.

Who cares, right? Well, someday Utley's going to be on a Hall of Fame ballot, and at least a few voters will say, "Gosh, I love the guy's hitting stats, but why didn't he win any Gold Gloves?"

The answer isn't that Utley wasn't a great fielder; the answer is that the Gold Glove voters just weren't paying attention.

Speaking of which, I'm not sure what to say about Matt Kemp and Shane Victorino. Kemp gets bonus points because he's a good hitter and he's fast and he's got a good arm, with the only problem being that Kemp doesn't make a particularly large number of plays, which is sort of the point of the thing.

Victorino didn't make a great number of plays this season, either. But one can almost forgive the voters, because Victorino was solid last season (when he won his first Gold Glove) and even better in 2007 as a right fielder. Players typically peak early as fielders, but Victorino's (apparent) decline has been precipitous, and I have a hard time holding the voters responsible for tracking Victorino.

In the American League, the Red Sox were shut out, much to Neyer's consternation:

Shockingly, the voters selected MVP candidates Joe Mauer, Mark Teixeira, and Derek Jeter, all of whom were probably solid defensively but might not have been the best fielders in the league (my choices at those positions were Gerald Laird, Kevin Youkilis, and Elvis Andrus). At second base, the voters chose Placido Polanco because he made only two errors all season. Polanco is a pretty good second baseman, but nowhere near as good as Dustin Pedroia, who won the award last year (and, coincidentally enough, was also the American League's MVP).

Stupid Yankees. Speaking of which, I went Christmas shopping today. It was very sad and disturbing to see all the Yankees championship gear. Unlike the last two Christmases, there will be no championship garb under our tree this year, but we'll probably see some disgusting trinkets when we visit the family.

I'm pleased with my shopping. I have a feeling Santa will remember which team Christine roots for.

Today's news: Jason Varitek will be back to back up Victor Martinez. ... Some delusional Japanese media think the Red Sox offered Hideki Matsui a contract. I don't believe it for a moment. ... And, while Pedro Martinez remains on the back burner, the Phillies may target Fernando Rodney for the beleaguered bullpen.

The day after

I may be the more rational fan (except for my hatred of the Yankees), but Christine is the better baseball fan.

Case in point: Finishing dinner tonight, less than 24 hours after her team finished an exhilarating comeback win to finish off a playoff series, she looked sad and said, "I know they can't start the series tonight, but couldn't they play an exhibition or something?"

I told her to pop in a DVD of the 2008 NLCS to get her psyched up for Dodgers-Phillies II. The grudge match. Hell in a cell. This time it's personal. I'll let you pick your own tagline for the series.

Meanwhile, here's a list of some of the annoying story lines that will be shoved down our throats:

1) Joe Torre is hoping to return to the World Series against his former team.

2) Possible showdown between teams inspired by the memories of Harry Kalas and Nick Adenhart.

3) Possible all Los Angeles series, or all I-95 series should the Phillies face the Empire.

4) Jim Thome, once the man in Philly, is now a pinch hitter for the Dodgers. Other former Phils in the series include Randy Wolf and Vicente Padilla.

5) Dodgers castoffs Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth and Pedro Martinez phlourish for the Phils.

6) Former Charlie Manuel pupil Manny Ramirez will try again to beat him in the NLCS.

*One story line Christine won't get tired of is: Mets fans' heads explode as World Series could feature their two favorite teams.

More agita for Mets fans: There's been some talk about a Phillies dynasty. This tidbit from Jayson Stark suggests they may already be one:

Of all the National League teams that have won a World Series over the past century-plus, these Phillies are only the fifth, believe it or not, to come back and win a postseason series the following year.

They're the first since the 1995-96 Braves. Before them came the 1975-76 Reds. And before those two, you have to travel back to the baseball stone age -- to the 1921-22 Giants and the 1907-08 Cubs.

And that's all, friends. So when people talk about how hard it is to repeat, you can stop them right there. Repeat? It's hard enough to win one stinking series the next time around.

Red Sox: They won the World Series today as Josh Beckett dominated the Diamondbacks in Game 5. Yep, for me, all I've got left is Baseball Mogul. I did a better job today than Theo Epstein, who is faced with another challenging off-season. It may include saying goodbye to some of the soldiers of 2004. There are only four of them left, and there's speculation that any or all of Tim Wakefield, David Ortiz and Jason Varitek could be gone next year, leaving only Kevin Youkilis.

Reading this, I had a strange feeling that Youk may be gone too. Theo loves him, but I could see some bold trade centered around the Greek God of Walks. I dunno, just have a strange feeling.

Exciting endings

After a complicated night in our real lives and a general blah-ish feeling about our teams, I'm keeping it short tonight.

We woke up and learned that no matter how awful our teams play this week, there will be at least one extra SoxandPhils game this year because the Angels beat the Rangers last night, guaranteeing the Red Sox at least a tie for the Wild Card - and what would be a one-game sudden-death play-in game on Monday, if necessary.

If the Phillies survive this week, we won't be seeing them in the playoffs. We got our notification that we didn't win the lottery for the opportunity to purchase playoff tickets for the NLDS. After years of getting suckered into buying tickets during the near-misses of the early 2000s, we finally got to see playoff baseball in 2007. We saw three games last year - thankfully, Christine didn't listen to me when I said not to buy tickets because the Phillies were four games out in September and looked like they weren't going to make it. We'll be watching from home this year.

Tonight's games: The Phillies woke up and Ryan Madson looked like Brad Lidge ... Brad Lidge circa 2008 but with the ability to go two innings. The Phillies beat the Astros 7-4 and are also assured of at least a tie for a playoff slot because the Marlins just beat the Braves. Magic number, 1. Christine should be less cranky tomorrow.

The Red Sox came close with their own exciting ending, but couldn't close the deal. Clay Buchholz didn't have it tonight, but the Red Sox scored five in the 8th to pull within a run. They had the potential tying run on second base (speedster Jacoby Ellsbury), but Kevin Youkilis struck out looking to end it. Blue Jays 8, Red Sox 7. Maybe the Angels will finish what they started last night and eliminate the Rangers for us (Halos up 1-0 in the 2nd).

Lord knows our teams can't take care of their own business right now.

Talking points from the weekend

As we try to clear our heads from the lost weekend, some of our SoxandPhils gave us some talking points today.

1) We do not shoot our friends. (Even a chum with 11 blown saves.)

Last week, I wanted to compare Brad Lidge with a champion race horse that could no longer run. Christine outvoted me 1-1, and the insensitive metaphor wasn't published. Since then, she has said I should say the same thing about Jason Varitek. I don't disagree, except for the fact that we have a longer relationship with the Captain, and he has been supplanted as starting catcher by Victor Martinez.

I say all this as background because Charlie Manuel doesn't think Brad Lidge should be shot:

"I don't want to shoot Lidge. I think he'll get back to where he's at," Manuel said yesterday when asked about the status of the closer's job. "He needs a little break."

Maybe Cholly is just a better person than me.

2) The Phillies aren't playing as poorly as you'd think from Christine's reaction. Yesterday I heard they played .500 on their last road trip. Watching Christine mope all weekend, I thought they were 2-12 or something. Cholly says we're both right:

The 5-5 trip was not easy for manager Charlie Manuel. "As bad as we played, we played .500, didn't we?" he said. "Bad as we played, is that accepted? It will have to be, I guess."

3) It's OK to celebrate the Wild Card. It still feels wrong, but several Red Sox said some things to convince me. Here's a SoxandPhil quoted in coverage of his former team:

"You don't want to take [getting to the playoffs] for granted," said the Red Sox' Terry Francona, the only manager since 2000 to take a defending world champion to the postseason the following year. "Because it's tough. You want to get excited, but you also don't want to lose sight of your goal.

"We always like to say that every year is different. So why shouldn't you celebrate?"

Here's the players' take:

"As of right now, obviously (the Yankees are) the better team," left fielder Jason Bay said. "Once the postseason starts, everything else is kind of thrown out the window."

Didn't it sting just a little watching the Yankees celebrate?

"I don’t care," Kevin Youkilis said. "I want to get into the playoffs. Once we get there, it's a whole other game."
[...]
"I was a wild card once and got a World Series," (David) Ortiz said. "That means I don’t care."

4) It still would have been nice to clinch in New York.

"Damn, man," David Ortiz sad. "It gives the carpet a smell a few days later. It kills me. That's why I want to do it here. But it's not going to happen."

Patience, big man. You can stink up their new jaunt once you beat them 4-2 in the ALCS.

Tonight's games: Days after Jon Lester took a ball off his knee, Josh Beckett was scratched from tonight's start with a bad back. Perhaps the baseball gods aren't happy with a team that was setting up its playoff pitching rotation at least a week before it clinched.

In game action, it's like the SoxandPhils are playing chicken with each other to see who can clinch last.

Emergency starter Michael Bowden gave up seven runs in three innings. The Red Sox trailed the Blue Jays 11-5 in the 7th inning when downpours delayed the game. In case they don't resume this one, it will be up to the Angels to beat the Rangers if the magic number is to be reduced from two.

Cole Hamels gave up six runs in 6 2/3, increasing Christine's concerns that the baseball gods are putting the Phillies on the opposite end of the historic collapses they've dealt the Mets in recent years. In the 9th, Astros 8, Phillies 2. Magic number expected to remain stuck at three.

Best of plans

In the afternoon tilt - you know, the SoxandPhils game we could not watch because of work - Cliff Lee pitched another beauty, winning his home debut 3-1 against the Rockies. He went seven innings, giving up one run on six hits and a walk with nine strikeouts.

John Smoltz - in the game we should have been able to watch - did not make it out of the 4th, getting tagged for eight runs in a 13-4 blowout through the 8th, which means the dominance against the Yankees probably ends tonight.

I found this Tony Masarotti tidbit interesting:

According to one baseball source, the Sox had serious discussions with the Indians for both Martinez and starter Cliff Lee, at least until Cleveland wisely broke the tandem apart and effectively sold them off as condos. The point is that the Red Sox wanted a hitter and a pitcher, or, more importantly, they felt they needed both. In the upper corners of Fenway Park, the inhabitants know this team has holes.

Stupid Indians.

Lots of other news today. J.A. Happ is staying in the rotation. Kevin Youkilis started in left field because Jason Bay has a hamstring injury. Josh Reddick is back because Rocco Baldelli was DL'd. David Ortiz was going to talk about steroids this afternoon, but now he's going to do it tomorrow.

I know, kind of a weak post given everything that's going on, but it's been a rough night. I had to teach myself how to change a car battery (took longer than I thought) and then had to prepare the bathroom shower to be recaulked and the rest of the house to get new windows.

At least the chores kept me from having to watch this debacle against the Yankees.

Interesting: They just showed the clip of Pedro Martinez taking out Don Zimmer in the 2003 ALCS. Christine sighed as she realized he's her problem now.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yooouk! and irony

After the Phillies finished their victory last night, but before Jason Bay cemented himself in Red Sox-Yankees lore, Christine teased me, "Maybe you'll have a 9th inning comeback, too."

"Yeah, right," I grumbled because I didn't get the feeling that Mariano Rivera was due for one of his Boston implosions.

-----

Earlier in the day I told my boss, a Red Sox fan, to not get overly excited or dejected because of an early season series. "We're not the Yankees," I said. "Our important games are played in October, not April."

-----

In the 11th, the Yankees were shut down on a beautiful play by Kevin Youkilis, who nailed the lead runner on a sacrifice bunt attempt. That preserved the double play, which Dustin Pedroia took advantage of to end the inning.

Christine predicted neither would be involved in the winning run ... walk-off homer Youkilis. What a game.

A season's series in one day

Assuming the Red Sox (currently up 7-3 in the 8th inning, thanks to just-called-up Jeff Bailey's three-run homer) finish off the Twins before midnight, then they would have swept their entire slate of home games against Minnesota in one day. This is the only time the Twinkies visit Boston, and the schedule makers made it a two-game set.

Rain cancelled Monday's game, shortened today's day game and has delayed the nightcap. I hope they get this one in so the red-hot Red Sox can keep their Thursday off day and rest up for the first meeting against the Yankees this weekend.

Speaking of the evil empire, I had fun watching and listening to bits of their game with a co-worker who is a typical Yankee fan and apparently still believes in mystique and aura after all these losing years.

In the Red Sox day game, Tim Wakefield pitched his second consecutive complete game - even if the game was shortened to seven innings. He gave up a run on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Is it too late to change my Cy Young prediction?

Kevin Youkilis, my MVP pick, continued to click, joining Mike Lowell and Nick Green with two-run home runs in the first three innings of the 10-1 win.

***BREAKING NEWS*** The Phillies game wasn't on TV, so we were listening to the radio broadcast as we cleaned the house for a weekend party. They said every time the World Series trophy handlers make an appearance, they buy a plane ticket for the trophy so it can sit on a seat, not in the cargo area. OK, this looks stupid in print, but Christine and I were very amused by this. {Does the trophy ask for the window seat?}

In the game, Phillies wasted a serviceable Joe Blanton performance - three runs over six innings should be a winnable game, but despite putting the potential tying run on base in the 9th, the Phillies could only manage one run off Braden Looper and the crappy Brewers bullpen.

Beautiful day, ugly night

I've waited all winter for this day. The cold was finally replaced by a sunny day in the mid 70s.

I took my first bike ride of the season. I cut the grass and did other spring cleaning around the yard. Christine and I took a walk preparing for next week's charity walk. Then we grilled up a nice summery meal as the Phillies came on.

We didn't go to Harry Kalas' services, mistakenly figuring the place would be jam-packed. Christine watched bits and pieces on TV, and I listened on the radio while putting up some stone edging around one of our flower beds.

Earlier in the day, I heard WIP's Anthony Gargano, while reminiscing about Harry and Richie Asburn, use the old cliche that baseball is life's soundtrack. He said you could walk in South Philly and listen to their broadcast from front porch to front porch, or at the shore from blanket to blanket. I got that vibe for some reason as I listened to speeches from Jamie Moyer, Mike Schmidt and assorted politicians float from my garage to the front of the yard where I hammered bricks into the ground.

Now, I'll probably always associate Harry with that flower bed.

Later, watching the Chase Utley hit in the 1st inning, I thought I should add a standing feature to the blog called "We miss Harry." Today's moment would be when Tom McCarthy felt the need to explain that they give out Silver Sluggers at the end of the year to the best hitter at each position - even the mound. I miss Harry.

Today's games: Not quite a beautiful day for SoxandPhils closers. Brad Lidge's save streak is over. Christine predicted it when he gave up the leadoff double. You know Harry would have sounded pained calling the Padres' four-run 9th inning off the formerly perfect Phillies closer. That's two consecutive awful losses for the defending world champions.

The Red Sox scored six runs off former Phil Adam Eaton in four innings, thanks to a big night by my MVP pick, Kevin Youkilis (4-5, four RBI, two runs, two doubles and a home run). Jonathan Papelbon came close to joining Lidge on the blown saves list, but he ended the 6-4 game with the potential tying run on first.

And congratulations to the Cleveland Indians for setting a record for the most runs (14) in a 2nd inning today in their 22-4 win.

Injuries, injuries, injuries

If the 2009 Red Sox were a racehorse, it might be put down.

Every day, it seems we learn of a new injury. It's so bad that even writers from Minnesota are creating injuries for Jonathan Papelbon. Paps says he's fine, but he seems to be the type who would keep pitching even if his arm was about to fall off. I'm concerned.

Do you know who else plays through injuries? Kevin Youkilis. Christine spoke for herself last night when she said no more World Baseball Classic talk. I would not have made a promise if I had known about Youk's revelation. He wasn't injured during the WBC, he was injured weeks before it. That makes it all better. He just needs to shut it down and wear a boot for a few days. Lord knows this couldn't have been taken care of the past two weeks instead of playing meaningless exhibition games as if they mattered and then participating in a post-game celebratory melee.

I'll ignore the joke and blame Derek Jeter:

"Dog-piling and running around, having so much fun doing that, I think that was probably not the brightest idea," Youkilis said. "But you know when you have your adrenaline up you can do a lot of things. Not a great decision on my part to participate in dog-piling, running around and jumping around. Probably didn't help it at all. But like I said, it had nothing to do with all of that. Derek Jeter kind of grabbed at my ankle, and twisted it."

(OK, yes, Youkilis was joking in that last part.)

Just when I thought I had a handle on the injuries, there comes good news: J.D. Drew's X-rays were negative. What? When did he get injured? Oh, today, he was hit on the hand.

Every team has its share of injuries. I think we've had our fill before the season has even started.