Making the grade

I never get too excited about spring training games, especially on days like today when the competition is college teams, but I am encouraged by the performance of top prospect Casey Kelly in today's 15-0 win over Northeastern:

It's Casey Kelly's world and we're all just living in it. The phenom retired the side on 10 pitches, seven strikes. After falling behind leadoff hittr Tucker Roeder 2-0, he threw three straight strikes. Then came a grounder to second and another swinging strikeout.

That'll be it for Casey, he'll finish his day in the bullpen.

His catcher, Victor Martinez, was impressed:

Victor Martinez said he was shocked when he learned Casey Kelly was a part-time shortstop last year. "You can't tell," he said. "He's very refined."

That's what I like to see. I also like to be reminded of where our teams have come from. When I saw the Daily News feature on the Phillies progress over the last decade, I clicked on the sidebar first that was just a list of their payrolls over the years. I couldn't believe that it was as low as $27 million in 1999, but then I saw that was the gist of the main story:

Curt Schilling and Paul Byrd each won 15 games in 1999, tying for the club lead. Chad Ogea, however, went 6-12. Bobby Abreu was tops in batting average, Mike Lieberthal in home runs and Rico Brogna in RBI. Wayne Gomes was the closer in a bullpen that included Steve Montgomery, Amaury Telemaco, Jim Poole and Yorkis
Perez.

A lot has changed in just 11 years.

Then: Veterans Stadium. Now: Citizens Bank Park.

Then: 77 wins. Now: A team with a roster full of All-Stars that is gunning for its third straight World Series appearance.

Then: An Opening Day payroll of $27,297,000, parsimonious even for that era. Now: A projected payroll of $143,502,500 when the Phillies start the season on April 5.

A lot of change, indeed.

Other games: The Red Sox beat Boston College in a nail biter, 6-1.

Phillippe Aumont isn't helping to quell the fans' pining for Cliff Lee, giving up a three-run homer. He couldn't finish his inning, and the Phils trail Florida State University 5-4 in the 4th.

I miss real games. I don't miss trying to post as they occur.

Go Phils!

Unexpectedly, the Phillies and Cole Hamels stole a little bit of the sports page from the Eagles' big game today by agreeing to a three-year $20.5 million contract. The deal seems about right for each side. The real benefit is avoiding what could have been an ugly arbitration process, although Hamels will be eligible for one year of arbitration after this contract expires.

All in all, it's real good news for the Phillies, who still have unresolved contract situations with several players, including Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Ryan Madson and Shane Victorino. Scott Lauber has a good recap of the Phillies' finances after the Cole Hamels deal. He thinks the defending champions will carry a payroll of $125 million - which could be $5 million more than the Red Sox. I think it was just yesterday that Christine said the Sox were as bad as the Yankees with payroll. {You're forgetting that you still haven't paid Jonathan Papelbon.}

Nick Cafardo: Another good Sunday read in the Globe with the rhetorical question of why certain teams (SoxandPhils) excel in the postseason while others (MetsandYanks) don't. He also thinks the Phillies want to get Ben Sheets (but he also had them in on Derek Lowe) and that Julio Lugo put on 20 pounds of muscle. I hope he didn't use J.C. Romero's frequent buyer card at the Vitamin Shoppe.

Football: I'm going with the Eagles and Steelers today. I don't want the Eagles to win, although the Phillies are rooting for them. Be careful what you wish for.

Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!

Christine hoped it was an April Fools' joke. But it wasn't. Alas, coming off a stinging opening day loss thanks to an awful Tom Gordon, the Phillies went out and got the best arm they could - 39-year-old Rudy Seanez.

Actually, he had a pretty good season last year for the Dodgers, but he has been injured and didn't pitched well, or much, in spring training. I can't imagine he will be much help to the Phillies, but I guess he's better than another go-around with Jose Mesa.

And, Seanez has a place in SoxandPhils lore. He made nine pretty poor appearances for the 2003 Boston Red Sox - one of them came in one of the better games we've seen played between the Red Sox and Phillies, a 6-5 nail biter that went 12 innings and ended with a Todd Pratt walk-off home run at the Vet. Mesa got the win. Pedro Martinez and Randy Wolf dueled. Seanez entered the game in the 12th, with one on and the Sox up by one. The game ended on his second pitch to pinch-hitting Pratt.

Seanez fared a bit better in his only other SoxandPhils appearance in 2006, but that too was a loss. The Phils won 10-5 behind another typical Cory Lidle start. Seanez pitched 1 2/3 scoreless to end the game.

We were at both games.

More predictions: I should have given a predictions form to David Ortiz to fill out. In an interview with the Globe, Papi gives clues to what some of his picks would have been:

World Series: Detroit Tigers
AL Cy Young: A.J. Burnett
AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez

Payroll: Speaking of 2003, it's the first time since then the Sox don't have the second-highest payroll. They're now fourth. Phillies are 13th. The Empire still outpaces the next closest team (Tigers) by $70 million.

They're No. 1! (and we're No. 2)

What a beautiful lede by the AP today:

NEW YORK - The Yankees did finish first in something last year - spending.

The Empire spent $218.3 million to advance to the first round, winning only one more game there than the Phils who spent $101.8 million. The Mets spent $120.9 million to come in second in the NL East. The champs were second in the majors at $155.4 million.

I'm too tired from work to have the usual argument with Christine that the Sox are not as bad as the Empire. I understand we spend a lot. But it's still $60 million less than the Yankees. And we have to spend enough to compete, err, beat the team with a $200 million payroll, sort of like the old U.S.-Soviet Union arms race. {I disagree. The Red Sox overspend. No. 1 and No. 2 highest payrolls for World Series champs? The Red Sox. And the Red Sox.}

And in other news, the Sox finally got the All-Star pitcher who's been on the radar, and Abraham Nunez will be dancing with Bernie Brewer instead of the Phanatic.