Big day tomorrow

Opening Day is today, but the SoxandPhils are waiting until Friday to make their 2011 debuts. We didn't train as well during the spring as we usually do, but we're ready for the season to start. We capped the off-season last night by watching the last exhibition games that the Red Sox and Phillies played.

As usual, I entered the drawing for the chance to buy Opening Day tickets for the Phillies. I had a feeling that we were going to win that chance but that something more important may pop up on April 1. Well, we didn't win the drawing, but we do have important business to take care of tomorrow morning. It will be a happy day for this family as we finalize Trent's adoption and then watch the Phillies and Red Sox get their first wins of the season.

The 2011 season is going to have a great start.

Former Tiger prospects try to change their stripes

It just occurred to me the other day that the Red Sox and Phillies each have a reclamation project in camp who was a first-round draft pick and highly touted prospect of the Tigers.

Both Andrew Miller and Matt Anderson had a successful first appearance in an inning's work last week (though they both had less impressive second outings since then). It's still early and the odds are long - especially for the Phillies' Anderson - but I wouldn't be surprised to see one of the sidebars of the 2011 World Series is how each team can thank the Tigers' scouting department for one of their bullpen finds.

Early spring lessons

This week, Trent learned the most important thing about spring training: The games don't matter.

The Red Sox lost to the Phillies 2-0 on Thursday, getting only one hit in the game, off Cole Hamels, in the first - and least important - of the games the two teams will play in 2011.

We also learned that you should take advantage of nice early March weather. We took Trent to a local farm/zoo on Saturday. It was much more fun to watch Trent look at roosters, chase lizards and try to grab a fish than to watch a rare spring Red Sox broadcast. They lost to the Marlins 11-2 (see my first paragraph).

We're still here

So, spring training has been under way for weeks now, and almost a week worth of practice games are over. But still, no updates from SoxandPhills-ville. Bad bloggers.

Greg, Trent and I are definitely looking forward to the upcoming season, but Greg and I just haven't had as much time to read and watch about spring training as we're used to. After we get home from work, feed Trent, eat dinner, straighten up around the house, play with Trent, put him to bed and do whatever else needs to be done on a random night, we don't have time or interest to troll around for baseball stories. So that's why we haven't discussed injuries, rosters and all that other good stuff that happens in February and March.

We hope to start to get back in the swing of things soon. We won't be able to do daily posting, but we'll pop in when some fun little nugget catches our eye. Or when Trent does something adorable, whether baseball related or not. And we'll still provide our game updates this season. Basically, we can't wait for spring to get here, and baseball will be the icing on that warm cake this year.

And, of course, we need to get things ready on this blog for October's Red Sox-Phillies showdown.

Big SoxandPhils addition, take two

Both the Red Sox and Phillies signed big names this offseason, but the Red Sox have officially signed the biggest. They landed the whopper that Ruben Amaro couldn't. Yes, Dennys Reyes, a SoxandPhils favorite since December, may be bringing his hotcakes to Fenway.

Pass the syrup.

Out of hibernation

Wow, I can't believe I've gone nearly a month without posting, but time flies with Trent, especially when all of us have been fighting an assortment of ailments, including routine colds, sinus/ear infections and other not-so-pleasant bugs. Not to mention a weekly blizzard that rolls through the area.

We're finally getting back to normal, preparing to celebrate Christine's birthday, as well as the first for one of Trent's little buddies.

Christine is getting ready for pitchers and catchers. I guess I am too; not so much for the baseball, but because it means this wretched snow and ice may end.

I did have my baseball juices flowing the other day when I saw MLB Network's countdown of the greatest games. It should have been ranked higher, but I enjoyed reliving Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. I'm not a big Kevin Millar fan, especially as a studio analyst, but I liked listening to his perspective on the game that changed Red Sox history forever.

Christmas week recap

Trent, Christine and I survived our first Christmas together, although it's been a rough week with Trent battling another ear infection that causes him to have awful screaming fits. He's probably screamed more this week than in the rest of the six months that we've known him.

Christmas morning was fun watching the little guy jump right into the wrapping paper, but the day was too rushed with all the driving - especially with his ear wreaking havoc on his (and our) sleep schedule.

As I suspected, there was some SoxandPhils paraphernalia under the tree, but there were two differences this year: I did not get Christine any Phillies items, and nobody got me any Red Sox stuff.

Well, we did get a SoxandPhils item, but it came from the North Pole and was addressed to the whole SoxandPhils family. It was a bib that says: "I'm not torn, I root for the Sox and Phils" with pictures of Trent in his Sox and Phillies garb. Trent also got Christine a mouse pad for work with a picture of him wearing his Ryan Howard shirt with his Mom. It says "Mom and I have plans 162 days a year. Go Phils!"

Santa also brought Trent a Phanatic doll. As you can see, he loved it. He's partial to stuffed green toys. The Grinch is his favorite.

Balancing out the day, he received some Red Sox stuff from my sister - a nice ABC book that teaches him important words such as Impossible Dream, Green Monster and Pesky's Pole and a Red Sox ornament for the tree.