I really saw this coming

As predicted on this very blog, Geoff Jenkins beat out last year's playoff hero Matt Stairs for the role of mediocre left-handed backup outfielder. Also as predicted here, Chan Ho Park has no business opening a season in a starting rotation unless we're still in 2001.

Oops, maybe I was wrong. There's another reason you shouldn't bet your dwindling 401(k) on my predictions.

In a surprise move that will cost them $8 million, the Phillies cut Jenkins, fueling speculation that Gary Sheffield, released today by the Tigers, could wind up in Philadelphia. I don't think the Phillies - despite their longing for a right-handed bat - would take a chance on Sheffield's character, nor do I think Sheffield would come to Philly, where he would be relegated to pinch hitting. Either way, I think Matt Stairs has a job with the defending World Champions.

Christine isn't so sure, even though unnamed sources say there's only a "very slim" chance that Sheffield will be a Phillie. She thinks it's suspicious that two surprise cuts - Jenkins and Sheffield - happened so close together. And, she is worried about taking on Sheffield's bad attitude when the team already jettisoned another good-hit, no-field, right-handed bat who happened to be a good clubhouse guy.

I predict Sheffield will find another home, but you've just read how well I predict. Park is "happy" that my fifth starter prediction was wrong; J.A. Happ isn't.

Welcome home

In case you hadn't noticed from our non-newsy postings, Christine and I took off for a couple days to visit Amish country. It was nice being away from everything, but we still managed to listen to a Sox and Phils spring training game on one of our mini road trips Sunday.

But we kept the real world stressors to a minimum - not that we had a choice. I don't think our Amish tour guide Ruben or his horse Smokey is a big Cole Hamels fan.

Approaching Philadelphia on today's ride back, we spotted a billboard we hadn't seen before. It has a nice picture of Citizens Bank Park and a message welcoming home the World Champion Phillies.

Sometimes it takes a stupid little sign like that for a fan to remember the years of frustration and last fall's glorious reward.

More memories from Boston Baseball

Yesterday I mentioned Boston Baseball, the underground Red Sox program that Scott Lauber used to write for.

I didn't mention why I had this issue and why I won't throw it out. I got it during the first real road trip Christine and I took together way back in 1998. We went with some of my friends.

Everyone went to one game, but Christine and I planned to go to a second, which was rained out. There was an afternoon game the day we were leaving, and Christine was good enough to let me scalp tickets to catch the matinee before heading back to New Jersey. It cost me a few bucks plus the tickets for the makeup game.

We sat in cramped seats that faced left field. Christine was uncomfortable. I sat next to a larger woman who kept sitting on my jersey. Although Christine still complains about the experience (here's a link to her explanation), it was one of my favorite experiences at a ballpark until all the great times with the Phillies the last two years.

The reason? It was the first year of Pedro. He was magnificent. The park was colored with Dominican flags and Pedro had a vintage outing: 8 2/3 innings, five hits, one walk and 10 strikeouts. Tom Gordon got the save.

The Red Sox had a seven game lead in the wild card (the division was a lost cause), but it seemed like a playoff game. Yes, that feeling was exceeded by attending the Phillies division clincher in 2007 and the three playoff games we saw in 2008, but the atmosphere was incredible for an August game.

Working his way up

The other day, Scott Lauber mentioned he used to cover minor league baseball, which reminded me I hadn't posted this little nugget I found while cleaning my junk out of my parents' attic.

Flipping through a 1998 issue of Boston Baseball, an underground scorebook and magazine tailored to cheap Red Sox fans like me, I saw a story on Mike Benjamin written by Lauber, who is now the only Gannett beat writer covering the Phillies.

It's pure SoxandPhils, mentioning Benjamin's 1996 stint with the Phillies and how he was currently third on the Red Sox in batting average.

He also wrote a profile of defensive whiz Darren Lewis, which contained a rip on SoxandPhil Wes Chamberlain. "In other words, he's not Wes Chamberlain, whose two-year Red Sox career could fill a baseball bloopers video," Lauber wrote.

He also wrote that Dusty Baker likened Lewis to former Phillie Garry Maddox.

It's like he was auditioning for his future job.

Current Boston Globe columnist Tony Massarotti wrote the lead story on Pedro.

Mike Gimbel, the statistician who by then had been ridiculed out of the Red Sox front office, didn't do himself any favors with his ranking of the top minor leaguers of 1998 - Peter Bergeron and Alex Escober topped the list of position players ahead of Troy Glaus, Eric Chavez and Adrian Beltre. The top pitching prospect? Bruce Chen.

Ah, the Dan Duquette era.

A package from Tito

I got home Thursday after a hard day at work. There was a package waiting for me from "T. Francona" whose address matched one of my friends.

Inside were the 2009 Annuals by Maple Street Press for each the Red Sox and Phillies.

Christine and I now have some good reading material for the weekend.

Seeing the two covers together has me all ready to see see last year's AL MVP, Dustin Pedroia, square off against last year's playoff MVP, Cole Hamels.

We'll have the warm-up series in June, but it won't count until October when the 2007 champs face the 2008 champs.

Thanks, Brian, err, Tito.

Chris Coste

The other day I was playing Baseball Mogul. I was in the middle of the second year controlling the Phillies (2009) when a message popped up that Chris Coste was retiring.

I ran to tell Christine the news. As soon as the words came out, I realized that it wouldn't be the most bizarre scenario in real life, so I made sure to quickly add "in my game" to my report.

Well, then news hit that Coste - who seemed destined for a return trip to the minors or worse - will likely beat out newly acquired Ronny Paulino for the backup catcher job. I never understood why they got Paulino - Coste is a capable backup until Lou Marson is ready - so I'm not upset about these prospects. But I can't help but wonder, why did they get Paulino?

Finally

Christine and I have joked for quite a while that Jimmy Rollins has been with Johari Smith a little too long for her to be just a girlfriend. We were starting to wonder about J-Roll.

But then we read a gossip item that he's planning a wedding.

That leads credence to our jokes that he promised her a ring after the Phillies won a World Series. I guess she wouldn't go for the "I meant when the USA wins a World Baseball Classic" bit.

Funny, the other day I was watching more of David Cone's 1991 19-strikeout game against the Phillies. The announcers brought up the Braves, and they mentioned some woman in Atlanta who was very happy because her beau promised to get engaged when the Braves won a pennant. He never saw that year coming.

Back to J-Roll and the future Mrs. J-Roll - congratulations and all, but you've been together quite a while, long enough to do a spread together in Playboy - so why wait until January?

I know the season is about to start, but it took Christine and I five months from proposal to wedding, including buying and moving in to a condo. After all this time, I guess Johari doesn't mind waiting another year.