skies clear but....

The sun is out, the rain is gone. All's well, right? Well, not quite. Just when I had settled down to snooze through the last few days of spring training--has it ever before been so boring?--came the news that Brad Lidge had had a cortisone shot in his right elbow. Not to worry, was the word. But then, why the shot?

Then came the news about Joe Blanton, out at least for the day with some kind of an oblique injury. No word so far about how bad that is. Yeah, yeah, Kyle Kendrick is stretched out and ready to go, but let's not forget that Everyday Joe has been as steady as they get.

who else but jamie moyer?

It's official: Jamie Moyer is the fifth starter and Kyle Kendrick will start the season in the bullpen. It was pretty much Moyers' job to lose, but he certainly seems to have come back strong from his three surgeries since late last season, giving up just one run in 11 and two-thirds innings. Kendrick, too, had a strong spring training but a stint in the bullpen should not blunt him.

Friends who have a son playing collegiate baseball gave me this program, from last year's Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League. Their son played last summer for the Blazers, located in nearby Quakertown. It turns out that Jamie Moyer, when in college more than 20 years ago, also played for the Blazers. Thanks to funding provided by Moyer, the Blazers have a bus to take them to and from away games, the only team in the league, said my friends, to enjoy that particular luxury. On other teams, the players have to drive themselves to away games, which can be as much as a four-hour drive, one way.

My friends much appreciated that their son and his mates were able to go to away games by bus rather than by car. Moyer's generosity gave them peace of mind. It also seems very much in character that Jamie Moyer, known, along with his wife, for extensive, hands-on charitable work across the country and abroad, remembers his roots.

no more beard

It's gone: Jayson Werth has shaved his beard. Werth's shaggy beard and mane may have created the biggest buzz this spring training. But the beard is now all gone. The locks remain but it's not the same.

I forgot to mention when I first posted that he still looks yummy.

obama to throw out first pitch

President Obama is scheduled to throw out the first pitch when the Nationals host the Phillies on Opening Day, April 5 in Washington. I'll be getting my hair cut around that time. No game for me.

Chris Coste, placed on waivers by the Mets, was claimed by the Nationals. That means we may still see Coste as a visiting player this season at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown.

Raul Ibanez continues to have a dismal spring training. Jose Contreras makes me want to run and hide. With Lidge and Romero out for the start of the regular season, the bullpen does not inspire much confidence.

zoo with roy

So 99% of the baseball blogs and message boards out there are too dull, repetitive, bombastic, self-aggrandizing, snarky, or just plain dumb for words. Then along comes one that is freakish fun---and links itself to the Philadelphia Zoo. That would be I Want to Go to the Zoo with Roy Halladay at www.zoowithroy.blogspot.com. The Zoo with Roy video shown there is hilarious. See it at http://vimeo.com/10397901.

moyer shuts out yanks

Well, hush my mouth. All that Jamie Moyer did last night was toss six and thwo-thirds innings of one-hit ball, against the A line-up of the Yankees. He struck out six and walked none. The Phillies won the game 3-0.

It was broadcast on the radio but the formerly excellent radio reception here has been wrecked by the installation of a converter box for TV. I can listen outside but with temps below freezing it was too cold last night to sit out for a spring training game. I instead watched the Sixers, officially in "too little, too late" mode, beat the Bucks.

phillies at yankees tonight

Jamie Moyer pitches tonight as the Phillies face the Yankees in Tampa. Not exactly a dream match-up. Front-office rumblings, though, indicate that no matter how Moyer does, he's got the 5th spot in the rotation. Makes sense, of course, when you think about that $8 million he's owed this year. If Kyle Kendrick turns into this year's J.A. Happ, we'll be happy.

Brett Myers and Pedro Feliz were among several ex-Phillies in Clearwater yesterday when the Phillies hosted the Astros. As usual, Myers was boisterous and knuckleheaded (and I mean that well) and Feliz, quiet and laidback (except when jumping at the first pitch). Both were key contributors and should always be welcomed back to Philadelphia.

It's official: Jason Heyward, 20-year-old Braves' phenom, will make the jump to the bigs this spring. Look out, NL East! The kid's got it together.

i'll take the garden gnome

if you're the Phillies and have already sold more than three million tickets for the upcoming season, you can now turn to more creative revenue streams, like developing a 'signature' hot dog.

At phillies.com, you have until April 4 to vote for an all-beef hot dog to be featured this summer at Citizens Bank Park: South Philly (broccoli raab, spicy roasted peppers, sharp provolone, on an Italian roll; Olde Philadelphia (Amish pepper hash, dill pickle, and yellow mustard on a poppyseed roll); or Summer (cucumbers, pickled onion salsa, and ancho pepper sauce on a pretzel roll). A vegetarian version will also be available. I'm rooting for the broccoli raab but all three sound tasty.

Among the new products at the Majestic store: three-inch blocks of 'game-used' sod from the ballpark, complete with the Phillies' 2009 postseason logo. When the sod at the park was replaced after the World Series, the original grass was cut into squares and freeze-dried to make this unique collectible. I would never dole out the cash for one but have to admit it's a cool idea.

As for the new Phillies toaster, the one that brands toast with a Phillies "P", that's just funny.

Give me instead a freebie, and the Reading Phillies have just the one. On August 3 the first 2,500 fans will get a Ryan Howard Garden Gnome. Try and top that.

phillies drive me out to garden

I bought most of my seeds this year from Landreth's, an heirloom seed and bulb company celebrating its 224th year. And it's right here in Pennsylvania! The anniversary catalog, unlike any I've ever seen, quickly went out of print but a reprint is now available for a nominal fee. I ordered two, for a neighbor and for some organic farmer friends in Tono, Japan.

Actually, it was listening to Bobby Valentine that drove me into the fresh air. He was, with John Kruk, doing color for today's game with the Braves in the ESPN park they call home down in Florida. Valentine may be a savvy baseball man but he is really hard to listen to, with a voice that sounds like that of a creepy character from Lemony Snickett. He's also got a know-it-all undertone that grates. So I gave up on watching the Phillies getting blanked and planted shallots instead.

opening day coverage starts at 2 a.m.

Last night I watched a bit of the Red Sox-Twins game from Fort Myers. Sox starter Clay Bucholz looked as if he wanted no part of the mound and pitched in slow motion, allowing the Twins, a speedy, opportunistic bunch, to put run after run on the board. The Twins' Carl Pavano, meanwhile, worked the corners and stifled the Sox.

In between the one-sided action, I learned that the Twins will open their new field in Minneapolis on April 12 and that local TV coverage that day will start at 2 a.m. It will show the passing of the state legislature that approved funding for the park and go through every key moment in its building, right up to the official opening. That is a pretty cool idea. Gotta believe some die-hards will be up watching all this.

Also, Cathy Oertor, widow of Olympic discus champion Al Oerter, was interviewed during one inning about The Art of Olympians, a permanent exhibit of art by her husband and other Olympic athletes, which is now installed in a gallery in Fort Myers. Her stories about this and her husband's involvement with making art were interesting. I bet there could be a similar show of art by baseball players.

surprise sammy

I was reading the New Yorker in the car while waiting for an appointment with the tax accountant when I felt and heard a thump on the hood. It turned out to be Sammy, the resident cat, a very friendly soul indeed, who spent the next five minutes investigating me and the car.

mrs. october's father

Jessie Foyle, aka Mrs. October, gave me this photo of her father Harry Haigh, who played organized baseball for 35 years. Haigh got his semi-pro start at age 13, as a pitcher, but his hitting skill soon got him switched to catcher. He played in leagues in New England, Louisiana, and Texas and eventually got a call from the Cleveland Indians, but a knee injury ended his major league career. He ended up as a player-coach in Philadelphia while working as a police officer.

In 1936, Harry Haigh appeared in Ripley's "Believe It or Not" column. Ty Cobb had given once given Haigh a bat that he then used for 22 years. Jesse has sometimes talked about that bat, which was held together by nails. She credits her father, who died at 54, for her love of the game.

book by sandra sapienza

Sandra Sapienza made this richly-detailed and -imagined cloth book for a national show last year. Visitors to the show were allowed to touch it and Sandy says she was thrilled to see people lined up to take their turn going through the book page by page. I had seen bits while Sandy was still working on it but was thrilled on Wednesday in Ocean City to see the book in its textured entirety.

yankees at phillies

The Phillies beat the Yankees 9-7 in Clearwater today. Balls were flying out of the park, as might be expected when these two teams meet. First A.J. Burnett got roughed up, then Cole Hamels did. Afterwards, Hamels did not seem fazed by his outing. It's time for spring training to come to an end. Mike Zagurski was sent to the minor league camp, increasing the likelihood that Antonio Bastardo and Dave Herndon will go north with the club, unless of course Lidge and Romero suddenly zoom through their respective rehabs. I'm bored.

this and that

It's that weird time of spring training when in the same game, and no matter the ballpark, the National League team lets its pitcher hit and the American League team uses the DH.

Righty sinkerballer Dave Herndon, acquired by the Phillies in the Rule 5 draft, is looking good. Will he stick? Reports are that once he learned he's been Rule 5'd, he made sure he came into camp fit and ready to go.

The Twins signed hometown boy Joe Mauer to a hefty eight-year deal and lost closer Joe Nathan for the season. Nathan will have elbow surgery. What a blow. I'm looking forward to seeing the new ballpark in Minneapolis.

Jamie Moyer flashed his agelessness in yesterday's game with the Orioles, the first time Moyer has pitched this spring in an A game. Better watch out, Kyle!

oh, deer

Thanks to a resident herd of white-tailed deer my gardening has for years now been confined to containers. It will soon be time (May and June) for the deer to multiply.

sell those seats!

MLBN's daily schedule lets fans follow spring training games both in Florida and Arizona, with at least two broadcasts daily. It's interesting to see the teams that draw in spring and the ones that don't. And yes, there's often a correlation between win-loss records in the regular season. Despite the economy, the Phillies have been playing to standing-room-only crowds at their Clearwater park.

Given the innovative variety of ticket plans and offers being flogged during spring training games, lots of teams are scrambling this spring to fill their parks during the regular season. Take the Pittsburgh Pirates, who play in one of the two best new parks in baseball, the other being at the opposite end of the state. They are offering a full-season ticket plan for $399. That's 81 games, folks, at about $5 per game. That's less than my minor league season tickets cost, and the minors have a shorter season. Those seats are, no doubt, in the upper reaches of the ball park, but those wishing to sit at field level can actually do so for about $600 for the season. For the season!

Other plans include free jersey give-aways for group ticket buyers and opportunities to be on the field for batting practice for higher-priced plans.

The beautifully-located Pittsburgh park is almost always empty. When it does fill up, you know it's Opening Day or visiting fans are in the house or there's some kind of promotion that night or a concert after the game. But how can a baseball fan in Pittsburgh, not even of the Pirates, pass up season tickets for $399?

On the other hand, $30 or so will get you a seat behind home plate to most games, and that's as a walk-up.

spring wreath

I went down to Ocean City on Wednesday to hang out for a day with friend Sandy Sapienza. The organizer of Sewing by the Seaside, Sandy was at the shore for the annual spring retreat. Participant Maryanne Zahn was off to a fast start. Zahn was making a floral wreath quilt from two-inch square pieces of fabric pieced together and affixed to a fusible backing marked with a grid. Once the squares were in place, she started stitching the quilt from the back.

Intriguing though the technique is, Zahn's deft use of assorted blocks of floral-patterned fabric to create the wreath made the piece stand out. I also liked the antiqued look of the background fabric. As shown above, the quilt, which will eventually hang on a wall, is only half-stitched. Even so, its colorful promise of spring beauty on a day of dazzling shore weather was something to remember.

stephen strasburg to double-a harrisburg

This gumdrop of a bike was parked against the wall of a bookstore just across the Delaware state line.

Stephen Strasburg has been optioned to the Nationals' double-A affiliate in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The highly-touted righty has had a breathless spring but will get his first professional starts in the minors. That's good news, no doubt, for attendance figures at the Harrisburg park. For a brief time, though, it was tempting to fantasize about Opening Day in Washington, where the Phillies will be on April 5. Halladay vs. Strasburg. That would have been some kind of sexy match-up.

view from the porch

Two views Thursday morning from the porch of the Dunes Manor Hotel in Ocean City. Lined with rocking chairs, the porch fronts the dunes that give the hotel its name.

what's up with cliff lee

What's going on with Cliff Lee? First he misses the start of spring training because of minor foot surgery, then he gets ejected from a game for throwing over the head of Diamondback Chris Snyder and gets a fine and a five-game suspension that starts on Opening Day. Lee's now got an abdominal strain that will sideline him for at least a week. Meanwhile, he's thrown only a handful of innings this spring. What is going on?

canada to cuba

A couple of weeks ago my German-Canadian friend Inga, who lives outside of Vancouver, surprised me with a pair of the red mittens which had become a runaway favorite at the Olympics. Today the fabulous pin (above) of a polar bear curling arrived in the mail. I was just about over the moon with this pin, one of the best ever!

When I immediately called to say thanks, Inga told the story of getting the pin for me, no easy thing given how people were lined up for hours to buy anything associated with the Olympics. She then casually let drop that she was leaving tonight for Cuba. In the letter that contained the pin, she had mentioned that her sister was celebrating her birthday in Cuba but that she was tied up with things and would not be able to go. On Wednesday, however, things changed---and in half an hour she was leaving for the airport to drop off her bag before going downtown to take some pix of the Olympic torch. Tonight she was then off to Cuba, a country she has visited before, for a week-long family vacation.

I told Inga to think of me if she made it to a baseball game while there. Not likely, she said. The only time she has seen a live baseball game was in Chicago, after emigrating to Canada. Everyone, she said, was eating hot dogs, drinking beer, and cheering. She didn't understand any of it.

more from the boardwalk

The "Ripley" building, right at the start of the Ocean City boardwalk, provided lots of interesting signage, including this one for Boog's. OK, to this vegetable lover, it's interesting because it's baseball-related.

This sign, right next to the Boog Powell's, is so right and at the same time stupefyingly wrong. Doesn't anyone proofread anything these days?

Believe it or not! Says it all.

booming business

The Philadelphia Daily News reported yesterday that the Phillies have already sold more than three million tickets for the 2010 season and season tickets now stand at a franchise-high 28,500. In order to make postseason tickets available to season ticket holders and Major League Baseball, season ticket plans will be capped at 28,750.

The Phillies are also setting attendance records down in Clearwater, where Bright House Field has already passed 10,000 three times this spring training, with more games to come.

signs from the boadwalk

I was the one looking for a Guinness but it was my friend Sandy who first caught these pelicans delivering the goods on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland.

This display of salt water taffy boxes was hard to pass up. Not so much the taffy, though I was told it was very good.

farewell, jesse branson

While driving down to Ocean City, Maryland, yesterday, I heard the news that Jesse Branson had passed away in his sleep at Christmas. Branson was the sweet old black dude who just about stole the show in the Phillies' 2008 highlight film. It turns out that Jayson Stark of ESPN had heard Branson speak about the Negro Leagues at a symposium of some kind and early in the 2008 season introduced him to the Phillies' organization. Video Dan, who is in charge of making the highlight reels, told the story of how the then-94-year-old Branson visited the locker room and within minutes had charmed the guys.

An upbeat and longtime passionate fan of Philadelphia baseball, Branson was a bit of walking history. Among other things, he used to play hookey so that he could sneak into Shibe Park to watch his hero, Babe Ruth, play. After Branson had talked with the players, Charlie Manuel invited him into his office and the two nattered about baseball for about an hour. Charlie wanted to know what Gehrig's swing looked like, what Ruth's swing looked like---from a guy who had seen them again and again in person and in their prime. That sounds like some kind of conversation.

Jesse Branson ended his first visit to the clubhouse predicting that the Phillies would go all the way in 2008. And he was on the field when they did in fact win it all.

stormy weather

In March it was lashing rains and howling winds. Last Saturday's storm took down an evergreen.
In February it was snow, snow, and more snow. One of the storms just about buried the antenna ball on the car antenna.

spring training

Spring training started while I was without a working computer (a month and a half) and I have yet to get really caught up in it. Maybe I'm waiting for regular radio broadcasts. Maybe I'm still miffed that I missed my one-day only chance to order Opening Day tix online because I was on the phone with Dell. Maybe I'm just tired of all the nonsense I've heard about the Phillies and other teams.

One thing that peeves me for sure is the so-called report of a Ryan Howard for Albert Pujols trade. That's a particularly corrosive kind of nonsense.

take that, si

Sports Illustrated recently ranked MLB general managers, and Ruben Amaro, Jr. came in 19th. SI was of course the publication that in 2009 picked the Mets to win the World Series. 'Nuff said.