Time for an ace

Last fall, when the Red Sox were down 3-1 in Cleveland, Josh Beckett took them back to Boston. Tomorrow it's time for the ace to right the ship after two bad losses to the Blue Jays have left us at .500. Hopefully, he can pretend it's the playoffs.

I'm not happy, however, to learn that it wasn't just Beckett's back that was hurting him - it was his hip, too. There's been no overt concern that Beckett's injuries will be a problem, but I'm a worrier.

With Beckett's return comes Kyle Snyder's farewell. Oh well. Get that waiver claim ready, Pat Gillick. Maybe he can replace Adam Eaton. I know, he actually pitched well today. I'm aghast.

{Eaton started out shaky but definitely pitched well. Without a doubt one of his best outings as a Phillie. After all of our recent bashing, I would be most pleased if he proved us wrong this year. It's only one start, but let's hope he can keep the momentum going next week.}

Highlight of the day when both our teams lost? Broadcaster Chris Wheeler said of the Reds pitching coach: "I like that Dick Pole."

{How have we not mentioned Wheels yet on here? We share the same thoughts as everyone else on him. Greg says: He's the Alex Rodriguez of broadcasters but without the talent. I'm not quite sure what that means, but we don't like him.}

Chat: Todd Zolecki had a fan chat with Ryan Howard. Not very interesting, except for the first question:

Question: Given the choice, would you prefer to remain a Phillie for your entire career? - Mike C., Gary, Ind.

Answer: That's not up to me.

Truthful and probably prophetic. And should give ammo to those who believe the constant contract struggles will stay in the big guy's head.

Congrats: To WrestleCrap, probably the first blog-type Web site I ever read, on its 8th anniversary. Check it out, if you're interested in a recap of a 7-foot, 450-pounder in a thong.

Backup catchers

Most members of a championship team will be fondly remembered. Doug Mirabelli will always hold a special spot in Red Sox lore. Yesterday, Art Martone, of the Providence Journal, put Doug's Red Sox career in perspective, essentially comparing him to Forrest Gump - right place, right time. And he had the ability to catch Tim Wakefield's knuckler before it rolled to the wall.

That's why we'll always remember him. When push comes to shove, Mirabelli isn't much different than any one of a number of guys who spent years backing up the Red Sox' starting catcher. Some of them, like the ones in the accompanying list (Bob Montgomery, John Marzano, Russ Nixon), you may remember. Others, like Matt Batts or Roy Partee or Moe Berg, you probably don't. (At least not for their ballplaying. Berg earned a whole other level of notoriety for his work as a scholar and a spy.) No rings for them. Two for Dougie. It's what separates him from Marzano, Partee and others of their ilk, like Johnnie Heving and Roxie Walters.

That radiated glory, coupled with the big knuckleball mitt and his talent at using it, led the Sox to value Mirabelli beyond his station.

Cue the famous Bob Ueker quote, "The way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until the ball stops rolling and then to pick it up."

Platitudes, of course, have been coming from teammates, including Curt Schilling, who offers a SoxandPhils-esque tribute on his blog:

In the 20 years since I was first called up to the big leagues I've played with exactly 2 players who's presence in the clubhouse carried onto the field. Darren Daulton in Philadelphia, and Doug Mirabelli here in Boston.

I'm surprised Jason Varitek wasn't mentioned.

Chris Coste, the Phillies backup catcher, also transcends his role, thanks to his storybook career that's about to hit bookstores. He did a Q&A with the fans through Todd Zolecki. Some of the nuggets: He prefers some tiger mascot in Mexico to the Phillie Phanatic; he doesn't mind that MLB '07: The Show gave him gray hair, as long as he has all his teeth; and he wants Matthew McConaughey to play him if his book, The 33-Year-Old Rookie, is turned into a movie.

And, we learn, that the euphoria felt when the Phils won last year will always have two sore points for Coste. Here's his account of catching that fateful last pitch:

Get rid of my gear. Get rid of my stuff. Try to get out to the mound as soon as possible. Unfortunately, in my slight delay, Pat Burrell, the slowest man in major-league baseball, beat me, the second-slowest man in major-league baseball, to the mound. As excited as I was, every time I see that highlight from here on out, I'm going to be embarrassed by the fact that, No. 1, I didn't keep the ball - go figure - and that Pat Burrell beat me to the mound.

Speaking of keeping balls, I forgot to mention that Doug Mientkiewicz had a good line earlier this month about Jonathan Papelbon saying his dog ate the ball that ended the 2007 World Series.

"Try using that one with the ball from the first World Series that broke an 86-year curse," Mientkiewicz told the Boston Globe. "If I had used that, that dog would have been strung up on a tree somewhere."

More dugout chatter

Last week Chase Utley and Pat the Bat took questions from the phans. Today, young Brett (I know he's no longer young, but we'll always call him that) joined the fray. We didn't learn whether he owns a computer or anything else too revealing, but he gave me a few nuggets to work with.

First of all, what's up with these fans always asking the same questions: what's your favorite ball park, what other position would you have liked to play, do you enjoy Philadelphia, etc. How come no one asked the commonplace, how's the wife and kids? {First, because obviously they are staged questions. Second, is this really a joking matter. Can't we hope that he has grown up and learned not to hit his wife.}

Anyhoo... we learn the chat interrupted the filming of commercials. Since I'm sure young Brett doesn't have a high Q-rating, this can only mean more cheesy Phillie promo commercials are on the way. Just the other day I told Christine I could use some Phillie commercials as blog fodder. She agreed and also can't wait to see this year's slogan. {Last year's Jamie Moyer-Chase Utley commercial? Awesome, if a little weird the first time I saw it.}

We also learn that Myers, as a real young Brett, looked up to Roger Clemens. He's got the fat part down, let's hope he doesn't emulate the illegal drug use. {Those who have David Ortiz on their team should not crack fat jokes.}

Then, we learn something truly scary about the Phillies front office:

slrmp97: How does it feel knowing when the Phils were looking for the best starting pitcher available this offseason, they decided you were it?
Myers: It's a great feeling that the organization has that kind of confidence in me. Hopefully, the fans feel the same way.

What? Since Pat Gillick took the liberty of letting the world know Johan Santana was available last fall, does he think Myers is better than Johan? {Sigh. Is Santana truly available? No. He's not a free agent. He's not going to be traded.}

And toward the end he answered "Would you play for the Mets?" in an odd way:

Myers: Never say never, but I seriously doubt it. As I stated earlier, I have a lot of love for this city and that would seem really weird. I wouldn't want to feel like a traitor!

Based on the answer it seems like he would, but other than Curt I haven't truly believed any Sox when they said they wouldn't play for the Empire. {Talk about overanalyzing. I don't think he'll play for the Mets - he seems kind of stubborn like that - but he gave the safe, PC answer of never say never. Oh yeah, and Curt Schilling's fat too.}

Etc.: Heard a couple of Phils on the radio today. Brad Lidge sounds like he's going to have the mental makeup to handle Philly. Shane Victorino, however, needs to work on his math skills. When asked about J-Roll's prediction of 100 wins, Victorino said it doesn't matter how many wins they have - even 60 - as long as they make the playoffs. You have to win a few more than 60 to reach the playoffs Shane.

Dugout chatter

So two Phils, Pat the Bat and Chase Utley, logged onto their computers to chat with the fans this week. Actually, we learned Burrell doesn't own a computer. Utley didn't say.

Kind of bland, though it was semi-interesting bulletin board material from Burrell. He wouldn't take the bait when asked how it felt to beat Billy Wagner.

It feels good whenever you can contribute to the game, especially against a division rival.

But when asked the innocuous "what's the best part of playing in Philly?" he couldn't resist reminding folks the Mets choked last year.

I'd have to say the ballpark and the fans. The whole last series down the stretch, when we were fighting and the Mets were choking, the city was just awesome and rallied around us. It was exciting to be a part of.

I don't know if I remember an athlete openly saying an opponent choked before.

Utley's was a little more plain. He pays his respects to Fenway, but commits a cardinal sin by saying he admires Pretty Boy Jeter. I wonder if that means Utley condones steroid use too? {No. Absolutely not.}

I also wonder what this exchange is about...

raizin: Do you have any superstitions?
Utley: None that I can reveal to the
public.

Lovely.

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, no Sox is scheduled for a MLB chat. And the recent chats have been mostly scrubs, other than these two Phillies. Christine's worried baseball's pushing the Phils. {I just remember a time when the Red Sox weren't disliked by nearly everyone, and I don't want my Phillies becoming that team.}