blanton to dl, worley up

Artist Cyrilla Mozenter (see her work in a group show on until May 8 at Five Myles in Brooklyn) sent this recent photo of her backyard. Just the right infusion for a rain-soaked day.

Out of nowhere comes the news that Joe Blanton has been put on the 15-day DL with an elbow impingement. Vance Worley, called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, will take his place tonight against the Mets. Dane Sardinha is also being called up as insurance for Brian Schneider, who will be catching while Carlos Ruiz takes care of his ailing back. Just the usual DL merry-go-round for the Phillies.

gutty, gritty not enough for the sixers

The young 76er's put on another gutty, gritty performance in game 5 last night down in Miami, but the Heat were too much. The final score: 97-91, though that was inflated by a most curious last-second dunk by Dwayne Wade. Making free throws would have helped the Sixers' cause. The team has totally thrived under Doug Collins and I hope he will be sticking around. In Rod Thorn we trust.

The braying donkeys of what passes for sports talk radio in Philadelphia were again on Andre Iguodala's case. Even I did not appreciate Iguodala (and I do), I would conclude from the hate spewed in that town that Iggy is a prize.

Just before posting this, I perused the Phillies' blogosphere. Sheesh. Lots of guys masturbating online is my conclusion today. The prevailing humidity and many rolling thunderstorms must have destroyed the ionic balance of the atmosphere because I am in one unforgiving mood. Or maybe it's the endless coverage of the wedding across the Atlantic. Sheesh.

'miracle' in the desert

Minor but a miracle none the less: Cole Hamels actually got some run support today, starting with three in the first inning. By the time he left the game, after seven sterling innings, he had given up three runs on four hits, walked one and struck out eight. He surrendered his first home run of the year, a two-run shot to Chris Young. After seven, the score was 7-3 Phillies; the final was 8-4. Chris Young had another home run in the eighth, off of Antonio Bastardo, the first run to be given up by Bastardo this year. Ryan Howard, however, countered with a blast of his own. Carlos Ruiz left after the first inning with a stiff back. Oi vey.

On Tuesday, Roy Oswalt lasted just three innings, giving up five runs in an eventual 7-5 loss. Oswalt's outing was most uncharacteristic. When I heard that he had left the ball park after being lifted, I immediately thought it had to be a personal matter. The media, however, went off on its own tangent. It was announced this afternoon that Oswalt had left for Mississippi to be with his family in the tornado-ravaged state. As media members and fans might have recalled, it was just a year ago that Oswalt's parents' home was destroyed in a tornado. His mother, who was home at the time, escaped injury by taking refuge in a closet. No wonder Oswalt wanted to go home.

Despite all the angst and ranting about the offense, the Phillies finish the road trip 5-2 and are again back atop the NL East.

end of miller time

The Flyers won their first round in the Stanley Cup play-offs, finishing off the Sabres last night in a game 7. The final score was 5-2 but it was a rout, with the Flyers dominating from the start. In a series filled with chirping, whining, and animosity, the Flyers' revolving cast of goalies (three in all) sent Sabre star Ryan Miller packing. Good news for sure: Chris Pronger is back. Big cheers, too, for Danny Briere!

the chauvet cave

Flash in Naples by Jean-Michel Basquiat. This card arrived the other day from a friend and made me wonder. Would Basquiat have been a cave painter?

Last week while driving through the radio wasteland (right-wing political ravings, country-western music, sports stations without updates---geez, and endless infomercials about the omegas), of central Pennsylvania, I hit on a Fresh Air rerun of an interview with Werner Herzog, about his latest documentary, to be released this week. Called The Cave of Forgotten Dreams, it is about the Chauvet cave, the site of the oldest cave art discovered to date. Located in the Ardeche region of southern France, the cave was found in December 1994, by three local speleologists. It is named for one of them: Jean-Marie Chauvet.

As soon as they entered the cave, the three realized that they had found something extraordinary. The walls were covered with cave art, now believed to be around 30,000 years old.

I was riveted by Herzog's account of his lifelong fascination with cave paintings and of how he came to be allowed to film inside the cave, which has been closed to the public and almost everyone else since it was discovered. After an initial visit to the cave, he decided to film in 3D, to bring out the undulations and irregularities in the limestone walls that hold the paintings. He was allowed to enter the cave for just four hours a day, for a total of six days, and could only bring equipment that he and his crew could carry on their backs. The technical challenges Herzog and his crew had to overcome were likewise fascinating.

When I got back the next evening from Pittsburgh, I went straight to the bookshelf. In 1996, Chauvet and his fellow spelunkers, Eliette Brunuel Deschamps and Christian Hillaire, put out a book, called Dawn of Art: The Chauvet Cave, about discovering the cave and the awesome paintings inside it. I bought a copy of the book the year it came out, but the last time I had looked at it was several years ago before going on assignment to northern Spain, a trip that had a stop scheduled at Altamira.

Altamira was then, rightfully, closed to the public. Instead, I (and the silly Philistine group I had to travel with) visited the reproduction cave and museum next to the cave. Both the Altamira and Chauvet paintings are stunning, but while the ones at Altamira feature animals of prey, those at Chauvet show hunting animals, including rhinoceroses, lions, and cave bears.

I was on my way across the state to interview a Chinese paper artist, who now makes her home in Pittsburgh. A paper artist from the country that some 2,000 years ago, invented paper. And on the way I was reminded of the oldest known paintings in the world. It was a bit of serendipity that sent shivers up my spine.

stutes sparkles in debut

So it's a small sample size, but Michael Stutes threw a 1-2-3 eighth inning in his debut last night in Arizona. Good work! Now make sure that you stick around, kid.

The Phillies' offense, on the other hand, continued to be dull. Ian Kennedy, a brand-new father, pitched one of the best games of his career, holding the Phillies to three hits and zero runs, while striking out 10. Kennedy has, I believe, befuddled the Phillies in the past. For whatever reason, they do not fare well at the ballpark in Phoenix. Cliff Lee gave up four runs, including two homers, in the 4-0 loss. He struck out 12.

four!

Roy Halladay almost threw a complete-game shutout yesterday afternoon in San Diego but it took Antonio Bastardo to finish the game, with one pitch. Halladay went 8.2 innings, striking out 14, which tied his career high, and the Phillies finished the four-game sweep of the Padres with a 3-1 win. Shane Victorino had his first ever inside-the-park home run.

Roy Oswalt got the series going on Thursday, against Padre ace Matt Latos. Oswalt, rebounding from back issues in his previous game, went six innings and the bullpen finished the 3-0 shut-out.

On Friday it was Cole Hamels' turn. He went a dazzling eight in a 2-0 shutout, vs. Clayton Richard. On Saturday the Padres got on the board early against Joe Blanton, who gave up just two runs in seven innings. The game went to extra innings. With one on and two out in the 11th, Pads' manager elected to walk Jimmy Rollins to pitch to Ryan Howard, who was already wearing a golden sombrero. (Ryan had struck out four times in a previous game in the series as well.) Ha, ha, ha. Ryan smacked a double off the left field wall just out of reach of the lunging leftfielder. Two runs scored and the Phillies won the game 4-2.

Quite a sweep. Taking four games in any series is a feat. On the down side, 'closer' Jose Contreras was put on the DL with elbow issues, supposedly caused by overuse. With the loss of Brad Lidge, J.C. Romero, and now Contreras, the bullpen is getting to look like a sieve. Michael Stutes has been called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Hope his debut goes well and betokens great success.

blanton, halladay, lee vs. the brewers

PNC is a charming park. Too bad that the only times it sells out are on opening day and fireworks nights.

Joe Blanton pitched well in game one on Monday but we know how that ended. I had a ticket for game two, which matched Roy Halladay with Randy Wolfe, but I was unable to go. And it was an awful game on another raw night. In the end, Halladay got roughed up for six runs and the Phillies mustered just two hits in a 9-0 drubbing. Ryan Braun was a one-man wrecking crew.

As Wednesday's matinee (Lee vs. Narveson) was starting, I was entering the first of the mountain tunnels heading west on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. And radio reception faded. Amazingly, there was no station all the way out to Pittsburgh giving the scores, until I found the local version of KYW and learned that the game was tied e courtesy of a Placido Polanco three-run homer. Only much later did I hear that Shane Victorino had provided the go-ahead run via an eighth inning solo shot. With the 4-3 win, the Phillies avoided the sweep, though not their first series loss.

romero to dl, zags back up

J.C. Romero tweaked his right calf in the 9th last night and has been put on the DL. Talk about an ageing player. And no, I don't mean Raul Ibanez, who seems suddenly to have fallen off a cliff both offensively and defensively. I can understand no longer having the arm to throw but at least get it to the cut-off guy instead of hurling in the direction of home plate.

Back to the relief corps: Mike Zagurski has been recalled from the IronPigs to take Romero's spot as lefty reliever.

The roster is starting to swirl.

blanton is good but the phillies still lose

Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. two years ago I went to a game with my mother, one of her friends, and the friend's grandson, who now plays Little League. It was with the Giants and turned out to be a thrilling pitching duel that Cole Hamels won 1-0. My mother's friend spent much of the game counting airplanes overhead and chatting with my mother. The same friend invited us all to a game this year, which happened to be last night. She opined before the game that this time she was looking forward to seeing some action, not like the boring game we had last seen together.

She got action of sorts, in a pitching match-up between Shawn Marcum of the Brewers and Joe Blanton. If last night is any indication, Blanton is on his way back. He was solid for seven, allowing just two runs and staying out of the 'big inning' that ruined his previous starts. But Marcum was more than a match for Blanton and the Phillies, who got their runs pretty much gift-wrapped. In truth, it was not a crisp game on either side, with errors, bad throws, missed cut-off men, and such. The Phillies tied it in the 9th but lost it in the 12th when Kyle Kendrick came in, walked the first man he faced, then threw a ball away at 1st base. The Brewers scored three runs on one hit. By then we were long gone. In fact, the game ended just before we reached home.

My mother's friend still thought it was a better game than the one two years ago with the Giants. My reaction to last night was a yawn. Our seats were good, the park was packed, and it was good times with the grandson and all, but the game was not my cuppa. At one point, there was even a 'wave' running around the park. Enough said.

more blossoms from obama

Another image from Uomi Zenjiro, this time of cherry blossoms on the bay.

department of delirium

Uomi Zenjiro sent this photo of his garden, Obama, on the coast of the Sea of Japan. Here, the prunus mume out front continues to be in fragrant bloom as chill winds blow.

Early days and all that, but the IronPigs lead the Northern Division of the International League, with a record of 6-3. They do indeed fly!

oswalt and hamels with rain in between

Roy Oswalt left Friday night's game after six strong with back spasms, the bullpen fumbled, and ex-Phillie Greg Dobbs knocked in the tying and go-ahead runs in a 4-3 Marlins' victory. On Saturday, it rained--oh, did it rain--and the game was rescheduled for June 15. This afternoon Cole Hamels was solid through seven but left with the game tied 2-2. In the bottom of the 8th, the Phillies pushed in a run and Jose Contreras came in for a somewhat labored 9th-inning save. But the Phillies won 3-2, earning a split of the rain-shortened series.

Not a knock, but Wilson Valdez is looking like the utility player that he is.

batting practice

Pitcher Phillipe Aumont waiting to take batting practice before Thursday night's game in Reading.

Because the park in Reading opened early on Thursday, we got to watch batting practice. I immediately noticed Phillippe Aumont, a key piece in the 2009 deal that sent Cliff Lee to the Mariners, waiting his turn. I later ran into the guy on the concourse. At 6'7" he's hard to miss. The few times I had seen him pitch, he always looked a bit shambling. Up close, though, the guy looks good. Last night I caught him on TV, pitching the last two innings of the Reading game and he looked even better, effortlessly blowing the Akron batters away with an assortment of fastballs and off-speed pitches.

jackie robinson day

Jackie Robinson made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, thereby changing the landscape of major league baseball and of the United States. Today is once again the day for Major League Baseball to celebrate Jackie Robinson. Wish I were there.

reading phillies open their 'new' park

The Reading Phillies opened their newly-renovated park last evening with a 7:10 game against the Akron Aeros. This was the scene outside the park at around 3 p.m. The gates opened at 4 p.m. to give everyone a chance to see the renovated digs. Most of the $10 million renovations were made behind the scenes, as in the player locker rooms, front office, etc. There's also a renovated front and a new entrance into an expanded food plaza, a walk-in store, lots of new concessions, and such. The field itself looks pretty much the same, which is to say, it still looks endearingly classical.

The Reading Phillies have been associated with the Philadelphia Phillies for 67 years, which is the longest such affiliation in all of baseball. That may be one of the reasons that Reading Phillie games have such a family atmosphere. The team is a seamless part of the community and the fans span generations. Many seem to know each other. A man who had been to every opening day in the park's history was tabbed to cut the ribbon on the new park. A 94-year-old season ticket holder threw out a ceremonial first pitch. The man seated next to me, a season ticket holder, turned to me before the game, introduced himself, and shook my hand.

The place was packed, for opening day, for the 'new' park, for the sudden good weather, and for the day's giveaway, the second in a series of Ryan Howard garden gnomes.

Most of us were happy to get a table-top Howard gnome, but one random fan was selected to win a giant 500-pound version. The only stipulation was that the recipient immediately load the gnome up and cart it away. Judging from the way the winner, a young woman from Rosemont, Pennsylvania, skipped out of the stands when her name was announced, she was ready to roll.

Another wonderful touch in tribute to the long-standing relation between the R-Phils and Philadelphia Phillies, Kane Kalas sang the national anthem. He is the youngest son of the beloved Phillie announcer Harry Kalas, who died on April 13, 2009 at the ballpark in Washington. Kane was still at the park when we left after the 8th inning.

It was a good game for seven innings. Two soft-tossing lefties matched up in a speedy pitching duel. Scott Barnes of the Akron Aeros went seven and allowed two hits, striking out 10. Ryan Edell of the R-Phils also went seven, giving up two hits and striking out nine. The stand-out player for me was Reading shortstop Freddy Galvis, who is a wiz at his position.

Reliever Tyson Brummett came in for the eighth, which started with an error on the third baseman, who followed with a weird mental error, and the game devolved from there. The Aeros batted around for four runs, added another in the ninth, and won 5-0. By then lots of fans had headed home with their kids on what was, after all, a school night. Still, it was a wonderful night at the ballpark.

blanton, halladay, lee in d.c.

The Reading Phillies take batting practice before last night's home opener.

Joe Blanton led off the three-game series in Washington with a serious clunker, Jayson Werth homered and romped against his old mates, and the Phillies lost 7-4. Said radio color guy Larry Andersen, "If you don't know how to get Jayson Werth out, you haven't been watching."

"I got 'em, I got 'em." That's what Roy Halladay said to manager Charlie Manuel when Manuel jogged out to the mound in the 9th. Halladay had held the Nationals scoreless through eight, then allowed two runs in the 9th. But he did indeed "have them", striking out the last two batters in a 3-2 complete game win.

Cliff Lee rebounded from his dreadful outing in Atlanta with a complete game shut-out on Thursday night in which he threw just 99 pitches, struck out 12, walked one, and gave up three hits. Nats' starter Jordan Zimmerman was perfect through five but Carlos Ruiz led off the sixth with a home run. The Phillies added three more runs in the 4-0 win, which took just two hours and six minutes to complete. Jimmy Rollins, long denied, finally got his first RBI of the season.

Early on, it feels a lot like Christmas.

paper streets by bovey lee

Paper Streets, an installation show by paper artist Bovey Lee at 709 Penn Gallery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, runs from April 15 to May 22. Lee uses her amazing hand-cut paper works to explore some of Pittsburgh's iconic images. The gallery is located at 709 Penn Avenue, in the heart of the city's Cultural District.

shirahata miyoshi

Tono storyteller Shirahata Miyoshi relates the legends that made the highland town in Iwate prefecture famous. She is sitting at the irori of the inn called Magariya, which is housed in a magariya, the L-shaped houses once common in this part of Japan.

Early this morning I called an old friend in Tono, who said that while evacuees from the coast are slowly leaving town, their place is being taken by workers and volunteers involved in the clean-up in Kamaishi and other places on the coast. She happened to mention that the only guests at the inn just now are people commuting from Tono to Kamaishi. In ordinary times, the start of the tourist season in Tono would be about two weeks from now. But these are not ordinary times.

Dodger Blues

Private security was hired to supplement SFPD during this series to prevent fan retaliation for the unfortunate beating of a Giants fan in LA. Before the game the Giants and Dodgers got on the field to do some kumbaya. That, and a sweet ring ceremony for Uribe, who went over to the dark side during the off season has kept this game mellow so far.

the mental abc's of pitching

Roy Halladay often references The Mental ABC's of Pitching by the late sports psychologist Harvey A. Dorfman and supposedly never travels without it. Jamie Moyer, too, used to talk about the book. When Dorfman died earlier this year, I was moved to get the book from the library.

It turns out to be a fascinating book, even for one who is not a pitcher or aspiring to be one. If I had bought the book, I would still be annotating it. It is simply stuffed with insights and practical advice, much of which goes way beyond baseball. It could easily be a handbook for writers. Simply put it's about right attitude, right approach, right effort, right execution. Dorfman understands how very difficult it is to put these things into action and walks the pitcher/reader through endless practical ways to stay focused on the here and now of pitching. This is not marshmallow of a book. It may not be for everyone, but you will not know that till you read it.

Two things in recent years have enhanced how I look at pitching. One was an interview with a Chinese artist named Xiang Yang (www.xiang-yang.org), which I did in Philadelphia right before going to a Phillies game. Yang's amazing thread works and his reflections on 'moving objects in space' still color my appreciation for pitching. Dorfman's book is the second. Things from the book keep coming to mind each time I now watch a game. I guess I could add a third: seeing Roy Halladay pitch again and again in person.

lee, oswalt, hamels in atlanta

It was an interesting weekend in Atlanta. On Friday night, the Phillies took an early 3-0 lead behind Cliff Lee but Lee was unable to hold it. As soon as Tim Hudson got a 6-3 lead, the game was pretty much over. Lee was gone in the fourth.

Roy Oswalt and the Phillie offense were the stars of the Saturday matinee. Oswalt, who had never beat the Braves in-season, went six strong in the 11-0 shutout. The offense was all over the place. Woohoo!

Cole Hamels was dazzling today, going seven and allowing no runs on four hits. He struck out eight and walked one. Run support was mainly thanks to Shane Victorino, who went 3-4, with a solo home run. Michael Martinez got the start at second and made a couple of nifty defensive plays. Derek Lowe took the loss. Madson and Contreras finished the game. And the Phillies won the series. Is this the blueprint for all series? Two games out of three would do quite nicely.

"the floor's all wet!"

When I heard about the $1 weekend being held by the Lakewood BlueClaws, I had to get a ticket. The BlueClaws, who opened their season on Thursday, were bringing back an old promotion for their opening weekend. All tickets for the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday games this week were $1. I immediately got tix for the Saturday game. When I heard that the probable pitcher for the game was last year's first-round pick Jesse Biddle, I was even more excited.

But weather happens. Friday night's game was rained out, which set up a double-header for Saturday. I drove down to Lakewood, about two hours away, planning to get there before game 2, to be started by Biddle. I arrived around six and saw cars streaming out of the parking lot and fans out of the park. When I got out of the car, though, the woman standing at the car next to mine said the game had been postponed. Huh? The weather was brisk but lovely. So we all waited for the husband to return to the car with the grandson, who looked to be about five.

"What happened?" asked the grandmother. "The floor's all wet!" shouted the kid, and we all smiled. In fact, both games had been postponed because of bad field conditions. Water the day before had got under the tarp and soaked the field. Tickets can be redeemed for another game in April. It was a lovely ride down and back. Lots of people were out and about, taking advantage of the good weather in the many little towns I passed through along the way. But it was still four hours of driving for nothing.

historic night at coca-cola park

I got home from Philadelphia just in time to watch (on TV) the IronPigs open the 2011 season against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Vance Worley pitched six scoreless innings, while the revamped offense got it going in the first. Jason Grilli loaded the bases in the seventh but Michael Stutes came in to strike out hot Yankee prospect Jesus Montero to end the threat. The 'Pigs won 7-2.

Why is this historic? Well, it's the first time in four tries that 'Pigs have won a season opener. It's also the first time they have been over .500. Here's to new manager Ryne Sandberg. Phillie GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. was one of many in the sell-out crowd chilling, quite literally, in the stands.

sunshine superman at the ballpark

Seventh-inning stretch time. Brilliant sunshine took the edge off the chilly temperatures and brisk winds at the ballpark yesterday. A stunning 45,468 attended the first businessperson's special of the year.

Roy Halladay went for the Phillies against Jonathan Niese of the Mets. Niese looked good early on but was gone after four, having given up six runs. Halladay, meanwhile, just settled in to being his usual commanding self. He went a strong seven, allowing six hits, striking out seven, and walking none. With one out, the Mets loaded the bases in the third but a David Wright strike-out and Ike Davis ground-out defused the Mets. For the rest of the game, they were pretty much tin men.

The Phillies continued to tack on, including a two-run homer by Raul Ibanez, his first of the year. Wilson Valdez went four for four, a career-high for the former Met. Danys Baez and David Herndon pitched, respectively, the eighth and ninth, preserving the shut-out in an 11-0 win.

Halladay, however, dominated the afternoon. Is it wonderful to watch this guy pitch? Let me count the ways. As a Phillie, he is also a sterling 14-1 against the NL East.

7-0, 7-7, 10-7

The Phillies took a quick 7-0 lead and chased Met starter Mike Pelfrey in the third. The Mets came back to tie it in the fifth and chase Joe Blanton. The Phillies got two back in the bottom of the fifth, added another, on a solo shot by Ben Francisco, in the sixth and held onto the lead as the bullpen came through in solid fashion. Antonio Bastardo, who came on in relief of Blanton, got the win. Howard took control and went four for four. Crazy game, but reminiscent of recent ones with the Mets.

Oh, the reports of a jogging Utley were premature to say the least.

It's Opening Day in the minors. Go, go, go!

dumb fans

I recently found this old postcard advertising a fantasy camp in Clearwater in 2001.

It was a rough night. The Phillies lost to the Mets, the Sixers lost to the Celtics, and the Flyers lost to the Senators.

The IronPigs, however, beat the Reading Phillies in an exhibition game at Coca-Cola Park, played in frigid conditions. It was odd to see the park, which is almost always packed, last night almost empty. I thought the people sitting bundled up in the stands were nuts. I thought the fans in Philadelphia who booed Cole Hamels were dumb and boorish.

In the third, Hamels had one of those weird out-of-sync innings that happen in baseball. It was all singles, including two to the pitcher, walks, and bloop hits that found the holes. The Mets capitalized to the tune of six, Hamels was lifted, and the dumb fans booed. Wouldn't have happened to Halladay, Lee, or Oswalt, though Hamels and Blanton are so far the only ones who have delivered. They are the only ones with the rings. But I guess this is what happens when a team gets popular. You get a lot more lunkheads filling the seats.

a big red chase alert

First there was the news that Chase Utley was coming north with the team instead of staying in Florida to rehab his ailing right knee. Even Roy Hallladay expressed open approval, indicating just how much Utley means to the team. Then Utley started taking fielding practice without the stool he had been using in Clearwater. Today comes the news, per Ken Rosenthal in a conversation with Ruben Amaro, Jr., that Utley will start jogging. Should that go well and things progress, Utley could be back sooner than later. Hope it's sooner but hope first that he is well.

The Phillies start a three-game set tonight at home vs. the Mets. People seem to think the Phillies will roll over the Mets. Perhaps they don't know that, for whatever reason, Cole Hamels, tonight's starter, has a 2-8 record lifetime vs. the New Yorkers. But before this weekend, the Astros were 16-7 at Citizens Bank Park.

"Hungary for a gyro?" So read part of today's announcement from the IronPigs, advertising the new gyro stand at Coca-Cola Park. Somebody there had better do more than a spell check.

goze triptych

Doll artist Ozawa Yasuko sent this flier from a long-ago exhibition in Kyoto, of the paintings of Saito Shinichi. The triptych shows some of the paintings that catapulted him to fame. When I first saw Ozawa's mysterious cat dolls, I knew that I had to interview her. When I did that, we discovered that we both were fascinated by the wandering blind female musicians called goze.

I later interviewed Saito Shinichi, who himself had heard stories of the goze while traveling around Japan. His interest led him to Joetsu (formerly Takada) in the heart of Japan's snow country, in Niigata prefecture. Takada was long a center for goze. Ozawa introduced me to an educator in Joetsu, named Ichikawa Nobuo, who had spent years documenting the goze in the area. When I met him, he showed me his treasure trove of old photographs of the women, who walked from town to town performing on 'door steps' and at shrines and temples, bringing news from the greater world to the isolated hamlets they visited.

For centuries, the only viable occupations for blind girls were those of goze or masseuse. Neither was an easy life, but the Takada goze were organized into guildlike houses, with strict codes of behavior, where young blind girls were trained in their craft, learning to play the shamisen and to sing the ballads and other songs that made up the goze repertoire. They were able to earn a living that also gave them a haven in old age.

Eventually, I was priviledged to interview Kobayashi Haru, the last of the full-time goze, who at the time was living in a retirement home for the blind in rural Niigata. It was a day in winter, with snow piled many feet high outside. Kobayashi died, at age 105, in 2005. When I interviewed her, about 15 years earlier, she was already a frail elder. At one point in the interview, though, she sang a couple of songs for me. Granted I was seated across a table, albeit a wide one, from her but when the diminutive Kobayashi started singing, I felt as if I had just been pinned to the wall behind me. Even at her age, her voice had extraordinary power.

Kobayashi, who had gone blind as a child, described how she had to train as a goze. At age 10, in the coldest part of the winter, she had to stand on the bank of a local river and, clad only in a cotton kimono, she had to throw her voice to the opposite side of the river. Over and over and over again. A lot of training in the arts embodies the adage, what does not kill you makes you stronger. In a book written about her, Kobayashi is quoted as saying that traveling with someone good is a festival, but with someone bad it's sheer hell. As a goze, she was exposed to her share of both. From a distance, the goze seem impossibly romantic and brave, but at age 90, Kobayashi Haru was grateful to be in the safe cocoon of a retirement home.

oswalt finishes the sweep

Roy Oswalt was strong in six innings against his former mates as the Phillies beat the Astros 7-3 to complete the weekend sweep. Ryan Howard hit a three-run homer to center in the first inning off starter Bud Norris, who fared little better than yesterday's Wandy Rodriguez. Ben Francisco added a solo shot, also in the first. Both Howard and Francisco went three for five on the day, while Jimmy Rollins continued his multi-hit ways. Michael Martinez, playing center field in his first major league start, got his first hit and first RBI. Shane Victorino knocked in two with a pinch-hit single.

The Phillies scored a total of 21 runs in the series, while hitting only two homers. It was another sell-out on a sunny day in Philadelphia. The total attendance for the weekend: 136,254. That is a record.

the lee show

It almost felt like Opening Day all over again. It was dubbed the "Cliff Lee show" and the man did not disappoint. In his much anticipated debut (again) as a Phillie, Lee went seven innings, striking out 11 and walking none. He gave up three runs on four hits. Another Lee, the slugging Carlos of the Astros, was responsible for all of Houston's offense. The Phillies started scoring their scoring in the first and never looked back in the 9-4 win over starter Wandy Rodriguez.

Meanwhile, two former Phillie farmhands, both youngsters, were also pitching yesterday. Kyle Drabek, traded to Toronto in the Roy Halladay deal, took a no-hitter into the sixth against the Twins, went seven, and settled for a one-hit win. Carlos Carrasco, traded to Cleveland in the 2009 Lee deal, did not fare so well, giving up seven runs in seven innings in an 8-3 loss to the White Sox.

Today it's Roy Oswalt pitching for the first time against his former team. J.A. Happ, traded for Oswalt last summer, was scheduled to start but has been sidelined by an oblique strain. Bud Norris takes his place.

more notes from yesterday

There was a moment of silence before yesterday's game in honor of the victims (at last count 28,000 dead or missing) of last month's earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku. It's already been almost a month.

Yesterday's fly over at the ballpark was by four Air Force jets, all fueled with bio-energy of some kind. That reminded me of the most stunning statistic I have recently heard, courtesy of the BBC World Service. The largest green 'corporate entity' in the world is the Pentagon, which is committed to renewable sources of energy, if for no other reason than that the other ones are all too expensive. The Navy, for instance, aims to be using at least 50% renewable energy by 2020. Given that much of the technology we now take for granted in everyday life stems from military research, there may be hope for the future. I think the natural gas industry, however, will first have ravaged the state of Pennsylvania.

When I got home from Philadelphia, I got to watch the Sixers rout the visiting New Jersey Nets 115-90 and clinch a play-off berth. Kudos to Doug Collins and his merry band. I also noticed that all of the Comcast broadcasters were wearing the blue puzzle piece pin associated with Autism Speaks. April 1 and 2 are for autism awareness. "Light it up blue!"

high hopes v.2011

As usual on Opening Day, the players came into Citizens Bank Park from the back and via Ashburn Alley.

They walked down some makeshift stairs and through lines of fans that extended almost to the infield.

A huge flag was unfurled in the outfield as the flags of all fifty states were carried onto the infield.

The Astros lined up in front of the visitors' dugout on the 3rd base side while the Phillies, resplendent in red jackets, lined up along the 1st base side.

Starting pitcher Roy Halladay was warming up in the dugout. Yes, Roy Halladay was the Opening Day pitcher. The last time I saw him pitch in person he was throwing a no-hitter in the post-season. And today it's Cliff Lee, who, quite predictably, got the biggest roar in the intros on Opening Day. Pinch me again.

It took some 9th-inning magic but the Phillies got the job done. Through eight innings, they had just four hits against former-Phillie Brett Myers, who was uncharacteristically stingy with his pitches. Myers lasted seven, giving up just one earned run. Roy Halladay went six innings, giving up just five hits and one run and striking out six. (The Phillies, interestingly, made no strike outs.)

Another former-Phillie, Michael Bourn, helped give the Astros three more runs in the 7th, off of David Herndon. Danys Baez, however, kept the Astros lead to 4-2 in the 9th. 'High hopes' were alive. Jimmy Rollins, batting third in place of the injured Chase Utley, led off with a single. Ryan Howard muscled another single up the middle. Ibanez then popped out. Rollins stole 3rd and Howard smartly stayed at 1st. Francisco singled to make it 4-3. Ruiz singled. With the bases loaded, Wilson Valdez singled to tie the game. Then up came pinch-hitter John Mayberry, Jr. in his first opening day game. And the former IronPig came through! He singled over Michael Bourn's head in center field and, with six improbable singles in the 9th, the Phillies had kept the line moving and come back to win 5-4. It was time for High Hopes, Harry Kalas' signature song, which is played after every Phillie victory. The fans could just as easily have been singing Seems Like Old Times, because it was one of those signature Phillie wins, playing the full 27 outs in a total team effort.

Game time temperature was 41, with overcast skies, a slight drizzle, and daunting winds. The drizzle finally stopped but the day only got colder and colder. I was surprised that the people in the upper deck did not start fires. It must have been wicked up there. It was another sell-out crowd of 45,237. It was also just the second time since Citizens Bank Park opened in 2004 that the Phillies, historically bad in home openers, won the season opener.

It was too cool to see Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt experience their first Opening Day in Philadelphia. Also, to see John Mayberry, Jr. and Michael Martinez in their first opening days in the majors.

opening day morning

This was the scene this morning before leaving for the ballpark in Philadelphia for opening day. By the time I left there was almost two inches of snow on the car! By the time I cleared that all off, the car was again covered. Then I discovered that one of the windshield wipers had punked out. Happily for me, my garage guy, just down the road, had a refill in stock. I then had to fill up the gas tank. For the first 30 minutes or so I was driving in white-out conditions but as I got on the road for Philadelphia the snow turned to rain. By the time I got into the ballpark, the rain was a drizzle but the wind was at gale force. More about the game, which ended on a thrilling note, tomorrow.