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.

SoxandPhils swap

Aside from the fact MLB Network is broadcasting a Red Sox and Yankees spring training game, there's not much going on.

If Curt Schilling hadn't made his big announcement, yesterday's post probably would have been about this nugget in a Boston Globe story on our new backup catcher George Kottaras:

The Phillies have been talking to the Sox about prospect Lou Marson, but the price tag seems to be Buchholz or Daniel Bard and the Sox aren't going there.

It would be an interesting swap of prospects from a SoxandPhils perspective, but I don't think the Red Sox would give up either pitcher for Marson since they wouldn't deal either for Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Taylor Teagarden.

The last time our teams traded a player was Ed Yarnell in 2004 who was sent to the Phillies in a "conditional deal," according to Baseball Reference. I don't know what that is. The last real trade was Josh Hancock for Jeremy Giambi in 2002. Then we have to go back to 1996 for the last blockbuster: Heathcliff Slocumb, Larry Wimbley and Rick Holyfield from the Phillies for Glenn Murray, Lee Tinsley and a certain lad named Ken Ryan. I highly recommend clicking on his page.

Back to TV broadcasts: Last night, Christine thought I knew ESPN Classic was showing the bloody sock game. I didn't. By the time I tuned in, Curt had already left the game. Bronson Arroyo was pitching. I turned it on just in time to see Alex Rodriguez earn his slappy nickname.

Thanks, big guy

It has been more than a year since I resigned myself to the fact that Curt Schilling's career was probably over.

Although, knowing his ego, I thought he'd make a comeback.

He did not.

The cartoon to the left pretty much sums up my feelings. He rode into Boston, welcomed all the pressure of the so-called curse and got the job done. Twice.

He probably had the most significant career from a Sox and Phils perspective of any player who was a member of both our teams. And, according to Rob Neyer, he should be a Hall of Famer.

In the afterglow of 2004, I e-mailed Curt to thank him for his efforts and to let him know the Red Sox championship helped me get through a rough obstacle in my life. I figured I was one of countless fans who e-mailed their stories to him. I didn't think he would even read it. But the next spring, Curt wrote to ask how I was doing.

I know he grates on people. I know he's a bit self-righteous and overblown. But his bond with the fans is rare in this age of self-absorbed athletes.

I'll always remember that little note he sent; it's tucked away with my memories of Curt's heroic 2004 and his tip of the cap in 2007.

On-field news: As expected, Kyle Kendrick was sent to the minors. But it happened today, much earlier than anyone thought it would happen. He took responsibility:

I'm not going to lie. I knew they [J.A. Happ and Chan Ho Park] were pitching good, and I had a couple games where I didn't pitch good. I knew what I needed to do, and I didn't do well, obviously. Those guys pitched good. But I know what it's going to take to get me back here. I thought about my options, what could happen. All the options kind of crossed my mind.

[Photo credit: Frank Galasso via Boston Dirt Dogs]

March Madness

Despite my recent attendance at a St. Joe's game, I'm not a big college basketball fan. But I love tournaments. One of my favorite wrestling moments was the Wrestlemania IV tournament to crown a new champion after the title was deemed because of a controversial match between Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan.

Yes, I can vividly remember all the events leading up to that, plus all 16 matches on the card, but sometimes I can't remember what I walked into the kitchen for.

Curt Schilling has a little bracketology going on where you can vote on pitching matchups to determine the best hurler since WWII. I love the concept and enjoy playing along; I just wish he had given the entire bracket and seedings up front so I could predict it all the way through. So far, through two rounds, there have been no surprises. The only one I would have gotten wrong has been the closest: a second-seeded Roger Clemens over a 15th-seeded Dave Stewart, 53 percent to 47 percent.

I thought the pro Red Sox contingency of Schilling's blog would be biased against the roider. I voted for Stewart. Yeah, he pretty much knocked us out of the playoffs in 1988 and 1990, but I blame our ace (Clemens) for not being able to match him.

Last year's hero, this year's ...

Andy Martino has a good read today on a big hero of last year's playoff run who probably will be discarded before spring training ends because there are limited roster spots available for mediocre left-handed hitting backup outfielders.

Matt Stairs probably won't make the team because Geoff Jenkins, possibly the lesser of the two, makes about $5 million more.

The cutting of Stairs, a weathered veteran with a good old-fashioned baseball attitude, was pretty much telegraphed by Charlie Manuel, who was asked whether the outfielder's leadership would be considered:

"No," Manuel said, shaking his head. "He knows a lot about hitting, and he likes talking, and that's going to help him if he wants to stay in the game. But we're going to go with the players who can help us the most on the field."

Despite a good spring (.304/.370/.435), Stairs won't gripe if he's discarded months after hitting possibly the biggest home run in Philadelphia history:

I guess I'm in a competition. No one has said anything to me. If it works out, it works out. If it doesn't, I understand.

MLB.com has a story from Jenkins' point of view, but it's not as compelling. I'm pulling for Stairs and that's not just because he's a SoxandPhil or because his story contained a reference to a forgotten Slappy low-point:

Stairs believes strongly in helping other players ... an approach that he hopes will eventually lead to a managing job. But he complains of a recent erosion in baseball's code of civility and sportsmanship.

A notable example came in 2007, when Stairs was playing for Toronto. Yankee Alex Rodriguez, approaching third base on a Jorge Posada pop-up, yelled "Ha!" This distracted Blue Jays third baseman Howie Clark, who allowed the ball to drop.

At the time, Stairs was highly critical of Rodriguez and had to be restrained during a resulting brawl in August.

Stairs rolled his eyes and smirked when reminded of the play. "The game has changed," he said. "I'm just talking about being a good person."

Injuries, injuries, injuries

If the 2009 Red Sox were a racehorse, it might be put down.

Every day, it seems we learn of a new injury. It's so bad that even writers from Minnesota are creating injuries for Jonathan Papelbon. Paps says he's fine, but he seems to be the type who would keep pitching even if his arm was about to fall off. I'm concerned.

Do you know who else plays through injuries? Kevin Youkilis. Christine spoke for herself last night when she said no more World Baseball Classic talk. I would not have made a promise if I had known about Youk's revelation. He wasn't injured during the WBC, he was injured weeks before it. That makes it all better. He just needs to shut it down and wear a boot for a few days. Lord knows this couldn't have been taken care of the past two weeks instead of playing meaningless exhibition games as if they mattered and then participating in a post-game celebratory melee.

I'll ignore the joke and blame Derek Jeter:

"Dog-piling and running around, having so much fun doing that, I think that was probably not the brightest idea," Youkilis said. "But you know when you have your adrenaline up you can do a lot of things. Not a great decision on my part to participate in dog-piling, running around and jumping around. Probably didn't help it at all. But like I said, it had nothing to do with all of that. Derek Jeter kind of grabbed at my ankle, and twisted it."

(OK, yes, Youkilis was joking in that last part.)

Just when I thought I had a handle on the injuries, there comes good news: J.D. Drew's X-rays were negative. What? When did he get injured? Oh, today, he was hit on the hand.

Every team has its share of injuries. I think we've had our fill before the season has even started.

And the games play on

When I saw Team USA losing last night, I was a little psyched. Finally, this charade can be over, and Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino can come back to Clearwater. Alas, I forgot that the team had already qualified for the semifinals and that the match-up against Venezuela was just to determine seeding.

Memo to J-Roll and Shane-o: You’re already World Champions. No need to prolong play in the World Baseball Classic. Come back and start playing with the real champions. It would make Charlie Manuel, and me, very happy.

Tomorrow: Promise, something other than WBC talk.

Damn WBC

All day I was planning today's post about how Christine and I got sucked into watching the exciting end of last night's World Baseball Classic in which the United States put off its inevitable tournament loss with a 9th inning comeback against Puerto Rico.

I was going to talk about the SoxandPhils impact on the 9th inning - J.C. Romero pitched against Shane Victorino, who led off with a single, and Jimmy Rollins, who walked and later scored the winning run. Kevin Youkilis walked against another pitcher.

I even teased Christine that the post would be called "Mr. Met is Mr. Clutch" because David Wright might shed his choker reputation with the game-winning hit. Then we watched the players dog pile in celebration, nervously wondering which of our players would suffer a season-ending injury during the pandemonium.

Those fears were unfounded. It turns out Youk was already injured - three or four days ago - and decided to play the game even though he could barely walk afterward.

I guess it's too early to concede defeat for 2009, but I don't like what this stupid tournament is doing to my team. I hope the next victim of the WBC isn't J-Roll or Victorino.

8:24 update: Argh! Greg just told me that tonight's game is being played in the rain. Of course, both Victorino and J-Roll are in the lineup. We wouldn't want Derek Jeter to get hurt playing in the rain, would we? You better keep my guys safe, Davey Johnson.

A St. Patrick's Day tradition since ... ?

Last night Christine and I had a civil debate about whether the Phillies were the first team to wear green on St. Patrick's Day. I knew the Red Sox had done it for quite a few years, but I wasn't sure if some other team had done it first.

A Northeastern journalism professor, Charles Fountain, writing about spring training history for the Boston Globe, credits the Reds with being the first in 1978. That sounded almost right, until I read that he had the Red Sox as the second team in 1990.

There is no reference to the Phillies or Tug McGraw.

A 2004 MLB.com story on the Tugger places his St. Patrick's Day baseball tradition at McGraw's first Phillies spring training - 1975:

St. Patrick's Day: McGraw's favorite holiday. During his first Spring Training with the Phillies, he donned a uniform dyed green. Since then, the Phillies celebrate each March 17 by auctioning off green hats for their ALS charity. During the 2003 season, the Phillies hung a green No. 45 jersey in the dugout for each game.

So I guess that settles that. I hope the luck of the Irish is with Cole Hamels, who is reportedly fine but doubtful for opening day.

{And I bet some professor will soon claim that the Rays in 1998 were the first team to wear green on St. Patrick's Day.}

[Photo credit: Associated Press]

Injury word association

Remember Saturday's post about Dustin Pedroia's injury?

Well, Greg is to Dustin Pedroia is to Robinson Cano as Christine is to Cole Hamels is to Johan Santana.

I still say it's early and this is probably nothing, but it's never comforting to hear that your ace is heading up north for evaluation. The Red Sox, meanwhile, aren't blaming the World Baseball Classic for Pedroia's injury. I am.

In other news, Kyle Kendrick got hit pretty hard today, but he's still in the running for fifth starter if Hamels and a couple other starters go down. Charlie Manuel couldn't quite express himself:

"We had some shabby defense," Manuel said. "(Kendrick's) line definitely should have been better. We made mistakes. We made a hell of a lot of (bleeping) mistakes. That was really a nice game. I think any game like that (ticks) you off, but the best thing you can do is (bleeping) go out there and get on the bus and forget about that son of a (gun). Yeah, that was a horse (bleep, bleeping) game. If I played in that (bleeping) game I definitely (bleeping) would take a good inventory of myself. That was a horse (bleep) game. They don't get no better than that. God (darn) it, that's terrible.

"I'd say we kind of (bleeping) hit rock bottom there for a while."

Change the channel

Recently, Ed Wade told reporters he didn't watch the 2008 World Series won by a Phillies team that he largely assembled:

I was actually sleeping when they clinched, and when Pat [Gillick] said the nice things about me I was sound asleep and my phone started beeping text messages and I found out the next day what he said about me, which was extremely gratifying.

Interestingly, he also said the team could have won in 2005 if Cole Hamels - who entered the year as a 21-year-old with a grand total of 117 innings in A ball - were available to replace an injured Randy Wolf at the end of the year.

I tell people if Cole hadn't broken his hand at the pool room he probably would have been up at some point during the season when [Randy] Wolf got hurt and things might have been different. I'm happy we did things the right way and sorry that it took so long to get there.

Thanks, Ed. I needed a reminder of why the Phillies never won with you around.

Changing the game: Although Hamels wasn't a game-changer in 2005, he most certainly was in 2008. Just don't those involved in the major leagues who apparently changed the channel in October, or like Ed Wade, were asleep on their couches.

In today's column, Nick Cafardo asked baseball people to list the sport's biggest game changer. After last year's dominant playoffs, I wondered how high young Cole would rank. I kept reading ... and reading ... and reading ... finally ...

Those who received honorable mention: Florida's Hanley Ramirez; Boston's Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz (who would have been high on this list two years ago), and Jonathan Papelbon; Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki; Philadelphia's Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Cole Hamels [...]

What? Baseball is a team sport, but the guy carried his team to World Series glory last year. If Johan Santana, David Wright and Jose Reyes, who rank three, five and eight, are so great, how come they couldn't have changed the Mets from chokers to the playoffs? Perhaps because of this:

Conspicuous by their absences: Yankees Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter, and Mets five-tool star Carlos Beltran, who in the words of one scout "doesn't want to be great." Also unmentioned were Sox pitcher Josh Beckett and Washington's Adam Dunn.

Change the channel - I've seen this before: I'm getting tired of talking about Manny Ramirez, but it seems we finally found his replacement in David Ortiz, if we're talking about whom is the Red Sox star most likely to fight with Kevin Youkilis. Also from today's column:

As for the Sox lineup, all winter David Ortiz has talked about adding another power hitter, making references to the fact that he's not as protected in the lineup. It has almost come off as a slap against Youkilis, the guy who hit behind Ortiz in the lineup most often after Manny Ramírez was traded to the Dodgers.

Asked whether he was worried about the offense, Youkilis said, "No. There's only one guy on the team who feels we need more. I don't know why he thinks that or whether he's brought that up again.

"I guess he feels that way and he's entitled to that. I like our team. I like every hitter in our lineup.

"Three through seven - and even Pedey [Dustin Pedroia] at two - can hit 20 [home runs]. To have 20 or more from 2-7? It's amazing that someone is going to hit seventh.

"You've got J.D. [Drew] and Jason Bay and me. Somebody is going to hit seventh. Tito [Terry Francona] might as well put the names in a bag every day and pick out 4-7.

"We all can hit fourth, we all can hit seventh, and we can all drive in runs. I hit seventh last year. Jason Bay hits 30 and drives in 100. I don't know what the complaint is there, but I love our team. I love our lineup."

Must-see TV: Recently during the World Baseball Classic, I heard Rick Sutcliffe proclaim Jimmy Rollins baseball's best dancer. Today Cafardo drops: "I think Jacoby Ellsbury would win Dancing With The Stars."

Three words: SoxandPhils dance off.

Injured second basemen

I was in another room while Christine was catching up online on the day's news. She excitedly told me that Robinson Cano is injured. I saw the headline earlier, but didn't pay much attention. It's too early for me to pay attention to these things, and Robinson Cano is pretty much irrelevant. There's only two second basemen who matter to this blog: Dustin MVPedroia and Chase "World ----ing Champion" Utley.

But being a Yankee hater, I couldn't help but snicker inside. That bit me in the behind when I read that Dustin Pedroia was injured during the World Baseball Classic. He says it's not serious, and reports are uncertain whether he will continue to play in the tournament. I don't care if Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman proclaims him 100 percent, he should be done with this stupid tournament.

Ironically, I've been putting off a post all week about how I've actually watched and enjoyed the WBC this year. No more. Not if it means the Red Sox could be without their heart and soul because of a meaningless exhibition. Next time, send the Pedro Martinezes, Rudy Seanezes and Eric Gagnes of the world to play in this thing. Keep the players who matter with their real teams.

Chase Utley escaped injury when he played in the first WBC, but was injured during legitimate play last season. He returned today for a minor league spring training game.

You're welcome, Pat

I'm a Red Sox fan. I never really liked Pat Burrell other than the comedy he provided with what Christine and I called the Pat Burrell face - a frozen look after a strikeout where he looked at his bat like he had no idea what that piece of wood was doing in his hands. Oh yeah, and because he often took his bulldog, Elvis, to the park.

For some reason, maybe because our seats last year were near Pat's biggest fan, I became a Pat Burrell fan. I even led the charge to get him voted on the All-Star team. (He deserved it at the time, before sputtering in the second half.)

Sometimes a team makes a move that the fans think is wrong at the time (see: Blanton, Joe) but later works out. Maybe signing an older and inferior hitter for more money will make sense one day, but it doesn't yet.

I plan to just stand by what I wrote in October (until Pat does something to help the Rays beat the Red Sox):

In the bottom of the 7th, Pat Burrell led off. I've stuck up for him a lot this season, but said no more if he didn't come through with a hit. But I was confident and he ended up nearly homering, but he would up with a double. Eric Bruntlett came out to pinch-run, probably ending Pat the Bat's Philly days. Bruntlett advanced on a groundout and scored on a single by Pedro Feliz.

[Photo credit: The Fightins]

Ah, the reassuring sounds of spring agita

It has been almost too serene at SoxandPhils camps this spring. But today, news broke that Jonathan Papelbon piped up about Manny Ramirez in Esquire, calling him a clubhouse cancer that had to be removed last year:

"It takes 25 guys on a team to win, not 24, and that was blatantly obvious," Papelbon said today after the club's workout. "It doesn't matter who you are -- you could be Babe Ruth -- if you're not in that same cubbyhole with the rest of the guys going to war with you, you're all going to die. That almost happened."

I like the rhetoric, but why now? I would have loved it if Papelbon had said this last summer, but now it's just odd and creating an unnecessary diversion.

I, unfortunately, have to agree with Manny: "I've already moved on with my life. Like I said, I wish everybody the best. I'm in LA now."

And one other thing. I'm usually not overly PC, but I would hope Papelbon would reconsider using his use of the word cancer. Jon Lester had cancer. The team had a petulant prima donna who brought down morale.

Please, no more about Manny unless we have a rematch of last year's NLCS.

Wall of Fame: The Phillies announced their Wall of Fame nominees. There are several candidates more qualified than Juan Samuel, who was last year's inductee:

Pitchers Jack Baldschun, Ricky Bottalico, Larry Christenson, Gene Garber, Jim Konstanty and Rick Wise; catcher Darren Daulton; infielders John Kruk and Fred Luderus; outfielders Lenny Dykstra, Doug Glanville, Greg Gross, Von Hayes and Roy Thomas; manager Jim Fregosi.

Scott Lauber is not endorsing a candidate, but I will. My write-in endorsement goes to Ken Ryan. My other two votes will go to John Kruk and Doug Glanville.

{Ricky Bo? The only award he gets is the "What the hell is he doing on this list?" award. I want to vote for Dykstra; I know he's tainted, but he embodied the '93 team. Same for Daulton; not all there now, but he was the leader. I would also accept Kruk and be happy with Glanville, just because he seems like a genuinely good guy. But I will go with Dykstra and Daulton, but my dark horse will win it - Von Hayes. The fans are in a good mood and have seemed willing to forgive for the past, so it's his year.}

Tidbits

Kyle Kendrick: During dinner, Greg and I were discussing his latest disastrous outing. Greg said he's ready to call him Adam Eaton Jr.; I disagree. I know the comparison has been made before, but I'm afraid that he's going to be another Pat Combs. Prove me wrong, KK.

World Baseball Classic: Go Netherlands! I love an underdog story. I love when overly cocky team lose. I love watching Jose Reyes when his team blows it. I've seen that stunned look on his face before. You would think that he'd be used to it by now. Here he sits, wiping away the tears, with fellow non-winner Robinson Cano.

Jon Lester: Greg briefly panicked last night when he heard that the Lester deal hasn't been finalized yet. He started thinking of doomsday scenarios, the worst being that something bad was found on his physical. But it seems like just normal drawn-out contract mumbo jumbo. Lester is still expected to sign a multi-year deal with the Red Sox.

Movie review: Greg and I agreed that we would have never watched Race to Witch Mountain if we hadn't won free tickets, but it was enjoyable for a Disney movie. We were a bit overwhelmed when we walked into the theater because it was packed with kids who must have won tickets from Radio Disney. They were all screaming out answers to High School Musical trivia questions but quieted down for the flick. Nothing better than a free movie on a Tuesday night.

[Photo credit: Associated Press]

Tickets

Catching up on my e-mail ... and it looks like we'll be going to just one SoxandPhils game this year:

Thank you for registering for a chance to purchase tickets for the Phillies series versus the Boston Red Sox to be played at Citizens Bank Park. Unfortunately, your entry was not selected for an opportunity to purchase tickets to this series.

At least the Phillies were a bit more subdued in the subject line, unlike their opening day drawing:

Boston Red Sox Ticket Opportunity Notification Update

Barring any unforeseen problems or delays at work , Christine and I are probably going to use tickets I won from Philly.com to see an advance screening tonight of Race to Witch Mountain - if you smeeeeeeeellllllllll what the Rock is cooking. (I never heard of the movie before I got the e-mail saying I won.)

SoxandPhils on the radio

I got a bit of a shout-out on the radio today.

While driving home, I listened to WIP, which debated whether it's acceptable for fans to wear Brian Dawkins' jerseys anymore. It seemed that most thought it would be a code violation, but that they'll make an exception for Dawk.

Someone even expanded the topic.

"I have another violation for you. When you go to a sporting event wearing a hat or jersey of a team that's not playing in it. Like, if you're at a Phillies-Braves game in April and you're wearing a Red Sox hat."

Oops. That guy must have had seats in section 421 last year.

Congrats to Jon Lester: Theo Epstein has struck again, reportedly coming to terms on a five-year $30 million contract with Lester, who joins a list including Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis of young, or in their prime, SoxandPhils stars who got multi-year contracts.

No one deserves the riches of the game more than Lester.

Read it here first

Who is going to win the big game?

Is it the Red Sox?

Phillies?

How about team USA or Venezuela? South Africa or Cuba? Panama or the Dominican Republic?

I'm going with Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers. Kurt Warner and the Cardinals will keep it close, perhaps teasing an upset late in the fourth quarter, but look for Pittsburgh to snatch the win in the final seconds.

What am I talking about? Well, Christine and I had a nice chuckle when we got home yesterday and found this in our mailbox:


Which antiquated institution, the newspaper industry or the United States Postal Service, is responsible for me getting my big Super Bowl preview issue of Sports Weekly more than a month late? As much as I'd like to blame my former employer, this one probably is the federal government's fault.

Well, at least I got to read the Red Sox organizational report. The team is a little weak at catcher, but "the door isn't closed on the possible return of free-agent Jason Varitek." And in right field, should J.D. Drew miss time, there are better back-up options this year, such as Mark Kotsay who "is available from the start of the season." Oops.

The football scribes were split in their predictions (4-4) between the Steelers and Cardinals. Two came close to predicting the final score (27-23), but both Jim Corbett (27-24) and Jarrett Bell (27-20) had the Cardinals winning.

No one picked Santonio Holmes for MVP.

Maybe next week I'll get a newspaper finally telling me who won Game 5 of the World Series. I have a good feeling about that one.

Two Phillies pitchers' off-field concerns

I've been skeptical since Chan Ho Park said he came to the Phillies to start.

He was a decent starter a decade ago, but he hasn't made 30 starts in a season since 2001 - the year before he left the Dodgers for the Rangers, who signed him to that ridiculous contract. And he's now 35 years old, coming off a pretty good year out of the bullpen, and the Phillies have several younger options to fill the rotation.

But now we know why he is so determined to start again: The fate of the free world, or Korea's economy, depends on it:

He hopes to provide Koreans with a break from the bad economic news.

In 1998, he said, the South Korean economy was weak, and his countrymen looked forward to his starts. This week, economists estimated that the country's economy could shrink by 5 to 8 percent this quarter. Park wants to do his part to provide relief again.

"In 1998, they were happy watching my games every five days," he said. "That's why [starting] is very important. That's why I'm still working hard, being here."

Great. It took Charlie Manuel nearly three years to win over the Philadelphia fans, and now he's going to be vilified in Korea if he decides Park is better suited for the pen. Cholly seems to be treading very carefully with this one:

"It's where we think we need him most," manager Charlie Manuel said about Park possibly being the fifth starter. "If he's better than someone else [as a starter, we're] very open to it."

Now we know: Recently, I read somewhere that Jamie Moyer was befuddled why reporters asked him during the World Series celebration if he planned to retire and go out on a high note. The 46-year-old then signed a two-year contract in the offseason, which if he fulfills, would leave him sixth all-time on the list of oldest major league players.

He's like a cockroach: Countless younger and better pitchers have come and gone, while he has thrived. {I just yelled at Greg for this comparison. Cockroaches are disgusting and everybody hates them. Not quite the same as J-Moy.}

Now, we know why. He wants to hang on to be part of baseball's third-ever set of father and son (or sons) active at the same time. OK, his oldest is just 17 and no one's quite talking about it yet, but judging from the old man's gumption, I wouldn't be surprised if during spring training in a few years we see two "Moyers" in some team's camp.

Delusional former Phillies pitchers

I am going to miss Adam Eaton. He always did say the darnedest things, such as this summary he gave MLB.com of his last two years in Philadelphia:

"What went wrong?" Eaton asked. "A lot of things went wrong, but a lot of things that went right, too. I helped them get to the playoffs two years in a row, and obviously we won the World Series last year. That's a big thrill of mine, but obviously I still want to compete in that World Series atmosphere. That's what I aim to do.

"It's bitter for the fact that I wasn't able to compete in it, but sweet in the fact that I watched those guys perform the way they did at such a high level at the right time. It's a huge sense of pride in being a part of that."

Yes, in Adam Eaton's mind, not only did he deserve to win the Cy Young Award last year, but he was just as important to the Phillies World Championship as Cole Hamels was. I'm sure he will remind himself of that as he watches balls fly past him and out of Camden Yards this year.

That last line just clinched a prediction I jokingly made last week: Adam Eaton will come up big in a game against the Red Sox down the stretch, knocking them out of the playoffs.

Another former Phillies pitcher, who does have a legitimate claim to playing a vital role in the championship, had some interesting comments. Geoff Geary, part of the Brad Lidge deal that made the Phillies world champions, says the Philly fans threatened him and his fiancee.

Cue the "Philly fans threw snowballs at Santa Claus" cliches:

"My last year before I got traded, there were fans who were threatening my life and threatening other people, saying they were going to follow me home and beat up my fiancée at the time," he said. "Most of the fans are supportive, but the drunks and the people that are obnoxious, those are the ones that are like rabid dogs."

Even so, there is a part of Geary that wishes he never would have left Philadelphia. And its fans.

"Everybody says when you win the World Series, you basically own that town for a while," he said. "I don't need to take advantage of that situation, but it would be really cool to be sitting on a soapbox, looking down with 25 of your best buddies and saying, 'Yeah, now what? Say something negative about me now.'"

Is it that bad in Houston you're still worried about getting even with the Philadelphia fans? I think Geary better start worrying more about the Cardinals and Cubs and lose his preoccupation with the Phillies.

And to think I used to like the guy because he was not ashamed to say he likes Twisted Sister.

The battle of the Phillies beat writers continues

The other day, the Inquirer's new guy, Andy Martino, reported the Phillies made an offer to Will Ohman, which was promptly shot down by MLB's Todd Zolecki, who reported the rumor was probably just Ohman's agent trying to drum up interest.

Today, the Phillies did sign a lefty who once pitched for the Padres, but it wasn't Will Ohman. It was Rodrigo Lopez. Both scribes had the news, but Zolecki got the big scoop first, posting the move at 3:23 p.m. Martino had it up at 3:32 p.m.

In today's more substantial news: Kyle Kendrick took a step back in his quest for redemption. Josh Bard hit 100 mph during a game today. And Alex Rodriguez's hip injury is worse than expected and could miss months. I won't mention steroids.

False advertising

Opening Night Ticket Purchase Opportunity

That was the subject of an e-mail I received from the Phillies yesterday. Christine got the same message in four different e-mail accounts. We thought it meant we won the opportunity to purchase tickets to opening night.

Apparently not:

Dear Phillies Fan,
Thank you for registering for a chance to purchase tickets for the Phillies Modell's Sporting Goods Opening Night (4/5) game. Unfortunately, your entry was not selected for an opportunity to purchase tickets for Opening Night.

But just as we were about to have the championship afterglow dimmed by this experience, the Phillies made up for it with something better than being at opening night - $8 off tickets to games against the Brewers in April. Yeah, sitting in the cold park for a random game against the Brewers for $14 is much better than watching the championship banner being raised.

Random thoughts

I woke up this morning to screaming headlines about Brad Penny's bum shoulder. I was terrified. But then I remembered: This isn't 2003. The Red Sox don't always choke in October, and the Phillies no longer end their seasons in September.

Plus, we have ample depth at starting pitcher: John Smoltz, Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden or even Justin Masterson could be the team's fifth starter if needed.

Now, if J.D. Drew's back doesn't respond to these injections, then you can write off the season. I'm just kidding. It's just nice that these tidbits would have seemed disastrous five years ago, but after championships there's a calming sense that the front office has it all under control. Ditto for the Phillies.

He's fallen that far: Scott Lauber notes that Matt Stairs and Geoff Jenkins have become redundant and that one of them won't be in Philadelphia this year. I wonder whether Jenkins would have been considered one of the Phillies' worst free agent signings ever if Jayson Werth hadn't picked up his slack.

Showdown: We have some disagreement between current and former Philly.com writers. This afternoon, the Inquirer's new guy, Andy Martino, reported that the Phillies made an offer to free agent reliever Will Ohman. He cited the lefty's agent as the source.

Two hours later, Martino's predecessor, Todd Zolecki, reporting for MLB.com, shot him down: "A Phillies source told MLB.com today that they 'are not on Ohman.' The source indicated that Ohman's agent might be trying to generate interest in his client."

An hour after that, the Daily News' David Murphy reported that the Phillies have kicked the tires on Ohman all offseason but that a deal is unlikely.

I can't wait to see whether Zolecki or his replacement is correct.

Brett's new diet

A couple weeks ago, I suggested that Brett Myers should share his weight-loss secrets with the world. I thought it would be funny for us, and a way for young Brett to supplement his income in case the downtrodden economy forces him to accept a pay cut next year.

But he's giving away his tips for free:

"Making smarter choices while you drink beer," the righthander said after his first start of the spring yesterday. "Instead of pizza, eat salad. Play for the tie, you know."

Myers, who described his weight as "beer-thirty" hasn't convinced Rich Dubee that this new healthy lifestyle will stick:

"I've seen him come in in good shape before and not maintain it," Dubee said. "It's about consistency with Brett. Be the same guy every day, stay away from the roller coaster, from the way he prepares to the way he executes."

Regardless, Brett is already feeling the difference:

Myers laughed off a question about whether he felt any differently physically due to weight loss.

"I felt really fat out there," he said. "I was having a problem getting the ball to the outer half of the plate because my belly was in the way."

Now we just need to get him in a sweatsuit in front of a mountain or stream to teach us yoga exercises.

Game day: Or maybe Brett lost his weight playing a lot of basketball. On Sunday, I went to my first basketball game since I was a kid when I saw a contest featuring the Harlem Wizards. {I was a big Duke fan for a while and never realized at the time how much they are universally detested. I saw them lose to Temple at the Spectrum in 1996.}

Christine and I watched St. Joe's beat St. Bonaventure 72-63 at the Palestra. I enjoyed it even though I'm a bit naive to basketball (I had to ask Christine if they play quarters or halves in college). Christine enjoyed it too - especially watching the hawk mascot. {He never stopped flapping his wings!} We both liked Bryant Irwin, who seemed like the least talented guy who got any minutes for St. Joe's. No one passed him the ball. Give him some time, he's just a freshman.

FNG: The acronym is homage to a former colleague. NG stands for New Guy, you can figure out the first letter. The Philadelphia Inquirer's FNG Phillies beat writer is Andy Martino. He introduced himself Sunday:

My job is to aggressively dig up news and deliver it to readers in a fair and objective way; in other words, I work for you, so if you ever have questions, complaints, compliments or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to email or comment.

Well, Andy, we here at SoxandPhils always like Todd Zolecki, but there is one thing he kept us hanging on. I cite SoxandPhils from July 11, 2008:

After Shane Victorino tripled in the 8th to tie the game at five, Jimmy Rollins kept waving a bottle of baby oil at him from the dugout. I can't wait to hear the explanation of that one.

I never got an answer, even after e-mailing Zolecki. Maybe the new guy can dig out the truth on this one.

Pat Burrell reunion, Part 1

For the first time in his 12-year professional career, Pat Burrell faced off against the Philadelphia Phillies - the second team that drafted him and the only one he has been with until this season.

Burrell finally won over the fans last year as he became the quiet, venerable leader of the World Champions. He could have used that stock to bash ownership for not bringing him back, but he was all class yesterday:

"From the beginning, I have nothing but good things to say about the organization, the way I was treated," Burrell said. "I've known Ruben a long time, and he was very upfront with me. It wasn't a situation where I felt mistreated. He did mention that he wanted to change things up, and hey, sometimes you need that."

He even brought along Elvis, Christine's favorite World Series-winning bulldog, for a visit. And, although we knew Pat would be reunited with his former mates during spring training, the on-deck series in Philadelphia and a regular-season series in Tampa, we learned yesterday that Burrell plans to attend the ring ceremony on April 8 when the Phillies play a day game and the Rays play in Boston at night.

In true SoxandPhils spirit, we can hope that Pat eats a bad cheese steak before hopping on his plane to Boston. {I have no idea what he's talking about. I hope Pat the Bat hits a game-winning home run off Jonathan Papelbon.}

And in non-SoxandPhils fashion, the Phillies seem to have finally given up waiting for Nomar Garciaparra.

[Photo credit: TampaBay.com]