Rainy memory

Something occurred to me as I mowed the lawn in the rain today. We're going to our first regular season game tomorrow; it's against the Cubs and it could rain. That combination will always conjure a memory for me.

Last May, Christine's co-worker had tickets he couldn't use so we went to a Saturday afternoon game we hadn't planned to attend. It was a pretty good game: Freddy Garcia actually lasted six-plus innings. Although he and Geoff Geary blew up and gave up six runs in the seventh, the Phillies came right back with six of their own to retake the lead in the bottom of the inning. Brett Myers pitched two innings in a non-save situation in what was a turning point toward him being a dominant reliever.

But for us, an off-field incident will always stick out. There was a rain delay that lasted more than an hour. We sat through it, and the place emptied out for the end of the game.

In the ninth inning, as the rain was pouring down again, Aramis Ramirez fouled one back all the way up to our section. In our row. Since there was no one else left in the row at this point, I ran down the row and dove, coming up banged and bruised but with a game ball. Unfortunately, a kid was a few seats and rows away. He wasn't a cute little kid - more like a teen and he was nowhere near the ball. But that didn't stop a drunk in the section from suggesting the ball belonged to the "kid." I wussed out and gave the ball away. {I tease Greg about this, but he definitely made the right decision. We didn't need a fight over a ball.}

I'm still kicking myself for that. It would have been the second ball I ever got at a park - the first in regulation. In the early '90s, I brought my glove to batting practice at Yankee Stadium. I was there real early, camped in the right field corner. Someone hit a lofting fly right to me. I camped under it, but someone jumped over me and snagged it. Determined, I moved up to the wall and soon a ball was roped there. I reached across a bunch of kids (none of them had gloves and had no chance at it) and wound up with the ball.

Later, I had Pat Kelly sign the memento while I interviewed him for my high school paper when he was signing autographs at a local mall. I wore my Red Sox windbreaker and used my Red Sox pen.

Tonight's games: Christine and I are heading to the city for a party tonight. I know we have to miss the end of the first nationally televised Yankees-Red Sox game and probably all of the Cubs-Phillies game, so we probably won't update until after Sunday's game.

Former Phils in the agate this week

Pitching prospect Gio Gonzalez, who seemed destined to have a career shuffling between Chicago and Philly, is headed to the rebuilding A's in the Nick Swisher trade. And Matt Smith, the most productive piece of the Abreu/Lidle fleece, has been put on waivers.

Gonzalez, originally a White Sox prospect, was traded to the Phils in '05 with Aaron Rowand and Daniel Haigwood for Jim Thome. With Rowand gone to the Giants, the only piece left from this is Fabio Castro, who I still think should have been used more in the past two years. Castro was picked up from the Rangers for Haigwood who last year was released by Texas and picked up and released by the Red Sox. Gonzalez was traded back to the White Sox in the great Freddy Garcia deal last off season.

Getting nothing in trades of superstars is nothing new for the Phils... in 2000 they gave up not-yet World Series hero {gag} Curt Schilling to the D-Backs for Travis Lee, Vincente Padilla, Omar Daal and Nelson Figueroa. (Padilla was the first scrubby Phillie who always seemed to be pitching when we go to a game. That designation then went to Cory Lidle. Last year thankfully we got a good mix).

Then, of course there was the 2002 Scott Rolen deal that also netted a future World Series hero {gag, again}, Mike Timlin, who stayed for half a season. They did get a productive Placido Polanco, but flipped him three years later for Ugueth Urbina, who pitched well for half a season before that little attempted murder thing.

And that brings up the Abreu deal. I'm guess I'm glad it happened. Though the Yankees got a good player, he's overpaid and doesn't help the team regain the mental toughness that's been lacking. But I still think the Phils should have been able to get something for him.

This week, they released Matt Smith, ending his 23 game Phillies career. Also in the deal was minor league SS C.J. Henry, released by the Phils, taken back by the Empire, and P Carlos Monastrios* and C Jesus Sanchez who were both still in A ball last year. Monastrios could still pan out, but you'd like something to be able to point to for Abreu -- even if he was first obtained for Kevin Stocker.

*Correction 9/4/08: Oops. Guess we've had Carlos Monasterios' name spelled wrong for the past eight months. He was still in Clearwater this year.