Relieving characters

It's almost arbitration time, and since Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels were all locked up last year, we turn to Jonathan Papelbon to provide the annual SoxandPhils whining. He's not there yet, but he seems to be warming up in this entertaining interview with Gordon Edes, who thinks the closer will earn about $10 million this year:

Seven big league closers have contracts for $10 million or more. It's reasonable to expect that Papelbon will join them.

"Heck yeah, as far as what me and my brain are thinking," Papelbon said, "but I haven't even sat down with my agents [Seth and Sam Levinson] yet. We don't even have a number in place. There haven't been any discussions between me and the Red Sox and my agents at all."

As Papelbon's salary climbs ever higher, he understands that negotiations might turn more contentious.

I think Pap's days in Boston are numbered. He'll be gone when he hits free agency in 2011, if he's not traded next winter. He wants to break the bank, and the Red Sox are grooming a capable replacement in Josh Bard.

I'll miss him. He's the kind of player whose talent overshadows the dumb comments he makes. And at least he's true to his character, such as the fact that he watches more Mickey Mouse Club than MLB Network:

The TV in his house is always turned to Nick Jr., the Disney Channel or Sprout, he says, so he hasn't been keeping track of the Red Sox's offseason moves.

"I had no idea we got [John] Lackey until [trainer Mike] Reinold came down to see me, just a few days ago," he said. "I swear to you. I don't know anything about the ballclub, but I know the words to the 'Mickey Mouse Clubhouse' song."

Adrian Beltre deal? He hadn't heard. Casey Kotchman about to be traded to the Mariners? Nope. Mike Cameron? "Cameron, Mike Cameron?" he said. "We got him? I swear to you, I didn't know."

Papelbon is not the only quirky SoxandPhil reliever in the news today. Clay Condrey signed with the Twins, and Scott Eyre retired. Christine will miss them both.

The Pen just got a whole lot less interesting.

Congrats, Hawk

I'll admit that when I saw that Andre Dawson was elected to the Hall of Fame today, my first thought was not that another Red Sox outfielder will be enshrined - the third in the last two years.

No, my thought was that Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar should have gotten a call today. I can understand that some voters have a hang up with first-timers like Alomar, but how long does Blyleven have to hang out to dry?

Here's how other SoxandPhils fared in the balloting: Lee Smith (47.3 percent), Dale Murphy (11.7 percent) and Ellis Burks (0.4 percent).

Although the Hall of Fame voting block often confounds logic, fortunately none were foolish enough to vote for former Phillies Mike Jackson or Todd Zeile.

[Photo Credit: SonsofSamHorn.net]

D-Fence and the new-look Red Sox

It's quite clear by now that Theo Epstein thought the best way to improve the Red Sox was via leather and pitching. Run prevention is the new catch phrase in Boston.

So Jason Bay was banished to New York, and Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek were sent to the bench, and Jacoby Ellsbury was sent to left field.

What?

Interestingly, I was looking at defensive stats this morning in The Bill James Handbook and was surprised to see that, defying conventional wisdom, both Ellsbury and Shane Victorino rank among the worst center fielders in the game. So although I was surprised when news broke this afternoon that the Red Sox will play Mike Cameron in center, I wasn't completely shocked.

I'm really psyched for the new-look defensive Red Sox, even though I'm sure some, like this moron particpating in a Rob Neyer chat, will question Theo's logic:

Steve (NYC)
Rob, do you think the Sox are putting too many eggs in the UZR basket? They've improved their defense, but from a distance it also looks like they've added mediocre bats to 1/3 of their lineup. Are we really so confident in the relative value of defense to offense that these "WAR" numbers are gospel? I guess we'll find out, but I personally find the Sox a lot less scary than in previous seasons.

Rob Neyer (12:10 PM)
Cameron has been an above-average hitter in each of the last 11 seasons; Beltre has been above average in four of the last six seasons. So, no.

Thanks, Rob.

A little longer defense of the Red Sox D-Fence comes from Dave Cameron:

Beltre isn't just a good defender. He is in the conversation of the best defensive third baseman of all time.
[...]
It isn't just the numbers, either. When you watch Beltre play third base, you are amazed at the things he can do. He has perfected the charge on a bunt – no one in baseball comes in on the ball as well as he does. His lateral range is hilarious at times, as he regularly fields balls that are hit directly at the shortstop, just because he can. He has a great arm, often throwing lasers across the field without transferring his weight, showing pure arm strength.

Nuggets gleaned today from Bill James: Chase Utley was the best base-running second baseman in 2009 and was second only to Michael Bourn among all players. Mike Lowell was the worst base runner at third base - another reason the Adrian Beltre signing makes sense. Although he's not an excellent base runner, at least Beltre is on the positive side of the ledger, unlike the guy he is replacing.

Brad Lidge had the worst OPS (.912) among relievers with at least 50 games. He was also tied with the second worst save percentage (74 percent).

Ryan Madson tied for second with 29 appearances in which he pitched on the previous day. But with all the talk about not using the injured Lidge on consecutive days, the closer did have 21 such appearances.

[Photo credit: HuggingHaroldReynolds.com]

Back to work

Rob Neyer opened his morning blog post with the observation: "When I have to work every day, I want a day off. When I have days off, I want to work. Go figure ..."

I interpret that as saying that he updates his blog even if he is off. Andy Martino, however, does not. I know it's the holiday season and Phillies news has been slow, but he's gone nearly two weeks since posting. That's ridiculous. Even if he has a good excuse like a personal reason for being unable to work, you'd think a colleague would post something every couple of days to stave off the blog's stagnation.

Christine and I returned to work today after a nice holiday break. I did have time to peek at a couple of pages of The Bill James Handbook that Christine got me for Christmas.

Among the early SoxandPhils highlights is the closest vote ever for a Fielding Bible Award. At second base, Aaron Hill and Dustin Pedroia were tied at 76 points with Chase Utley in third with 73 points. Hill won the tiebreaker with more first place votes than Pedroia.

And the best two catchers at blocking bad pitches? Jason Varitek (95.9 percent) and Carlos Ruiz (95.8 percent). See, Chris Coste, maybe you getting yanked in the 9th inning was more about Chooch and less about you. (That sentiment isn't as bitter toward Coste as it sounds. I was just a little defensive about Christine's favorite Phillie.)

Red Sox still working: But Mike Lowell won't be working as much in 2010. Welcome aboard Adrian Beltre. I like that this is a one-year deal; I'm just perplexed what it means for Lowell's role with the team.

Classic

Last night we were flipping around the TV while trying to forget that we were colder than penguins during this cold snap. MLB Network was not an option because it was showing games from the 2009 playoffs. We were quite surprised, however, to see ESPN Classic come through with Game 5 of the 2008 World Series - both parts.

Although we have this game saved on DVR and in a DVD set, we watched.

Three thoughts:

1. In the 7th inning, when J.C. Romero was summoned from the pen, Christine looked at me wondering why I wasn't heckling. As soon as I started the "ster-oid" chant, it went to commercial and the first one was the anti-steroids commercial with the crumbling statue. Just sayin'.

2. Our amazement for Chase Utley's play in the 7th inning continues to grow. It just gets better every time we see it. When watching it unfold live, I didn't think he had a play at home or first, but somehow he nailed Jason Bartlett at home and prevented the Rays from taking a lead. I don't know where it ranks among defensive plays in World Series history, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't get the credit it deserves.

3. We still can't believe we were there. Even though Christine has the pin to prove it.

More anniversary

SoxandPhils isn't the only revolutionary baseball medium celebrating an anniversary this week. MLB Network launched last year on New Year's Day. I can't believe it's been just one year because I can't remember life without it. It's easily the most-watched channel in our house (except maybe during the actual season when the Phillies games are on Comcast).

I can empathize with those in North Jersey who suddenly lost the Food Network and HGTV because Cablevision dropped the ball. I am a big fan of Alton Brown, Ace of Cakes, Unwrapped and pretty much anything on the food channel, but I would be utterly devastated if FIOS got rid of MLB.

Where else can you catch a random game from 1970 between the Pirates and Expos featuring Boots Day? How about an hour-long retrospective on one of my favorite seasons, 1986? Or how about the current marathon of 2009 playoff games? Well, we can do without that last one.

The other day, Christine finally got around to starting her Harry Kalas book. When she was telling me why she was disappointed with it, MLB Network was on in the background running a bunch of highlights from the regular season. Sure enough, Harry's delightful voice came on describing how the Phillies scored eight runs in the 7th inning to beat the Braves 12-11 on April 8.

It's like the network is so ingrained that it joined our conversation.

But it also reminds us of things we may not want to remember. This morning, Game 3 of the ALDS was on. I watched a little bit of Clay Buchholz against the Angels. I knew the Red Sox would lose, but I didn't mind watching, until I stepped a way for a little bit and came back in the 6th inning when the Angels were trailing 5-1 and threatening to score. That's when I remembered how badly the Red Sox blew that game and switched the channel to Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee.

One beef: I'm tired of every channel's ticker, particularly MLB, labeling every little transaction as a huge exclusive. It's one thing to credit the reporter who breaks a huge story such as the Roy Halladay trade, but it's another to say Jon Heyman reports the Phillies sign Danys Baez, Peter Gammons reports the Mets still stink or Todd Zolecki reports the Phanatic scratched his butt.

Routine matters should not be attributed to a reporter.

Carry on.

Boston beats Philly in Fenway

Foreshadowing Game 7 of the 2010 World Series, majestic Fenway Park was the scene of Boston fending off a tough challenge from Philadelphia.

I don't watch hockey, so I caught only a couple glances of the Flyers and Bruins playing next to the Green Monster as Christine watched the game.

Of course, I caught the part when they sang Sweet Caroline. I stared in disbelief. Christine assured me I was watching reality, not satire. What a stupid tradition. (Singing Neil Diamond, not outdoor hockey.)

Not a stupid tradition: Actually, it probably is. But two years and 750 posts ago, Christine and I started this thing. We had just bought our Sunday season ticket plan and the thought of blogging hit me in the shower. On some days, I'm glad I thought of it. On others, I wish I had just sung Sweet Caroline.

Seriously, thanks to those who have stopped by to read our musings.

[Photo credit: Boston Globe]