the year of the pitcher

Balls painted by catcher Stan Lopata for games started by pitcher Curt Simmons.

Yes, 2010 was the year of the pitcher. Pitching dominated in both leagues and offense was down. Sadly, the baseball season started with the death of Robin Roberts, the great Phillie right-hander and lifelong student of the game. Aside from Roberts' many remarkable accomplishments, he also had a collection of hand-painted baseballs for games he started. Of course with Roberts that pretty much meant games that he also finished. Then in December, Bob Feller, said to be the hardest thrower ever, died. The year of the pitcher and the passing of giants.

2010 phillies and more

The Phillies were front and center in Philadelphia all year, starting with Roy Halladay, who threw a perfect game in season, a no-hitter in his first post-season appearance, and won the NL Cy Young, while dazzling Phillie fans with his pitching. Placido Polanco hit a grand slam in his first game back with the Phillies and Jamie Moyer became the oldest pitcher ever to throw a complete game shut-out. Both, however, ended up battling injuries, as did Rollins, Utley, Howard, Victorino, Ruiz, and a host of others, all season long. Joe Blanton started on the DL and took half a season to catch up. Roy Oswalt, acquired in a trade in July, even played left field. Journeyman Wilson Valdez did a valiant job filling in, variously, for Rollins, Utley, and Polanco and deluded some fans into thinking he was their equal. (Wake up, folks!) Cole Hamels looked even better than the Cole Hamels of old, but got the same crummy run support of old. After limping for much of the season, the Phillies blazed through September to a 97-65 record, the best in baseball, but suffered a gut-churning loss to the Giants in the NLCS, proving that the best team does not always win. At the end of it all, right fielder Jayson Werth left in free agency for the Nationals--oi vey. Then a week later the Phillies, almost in the dead of the night, signed Cliff Lee. Just typing that still makes me smile.

It was an eventful year for all Philadelphia sports franchises. The Flyers made a dramatic run to the Stanley Cup, including an historic comeback along the way, beating the Boston Bruins after being down three games to none. It's funny that baseball season almost always means following the Flyers in the postseason. They are always playing while I am at the ballpark. This year, though they did not win the Cup, was special. The Flyers also became, for me, a likeable team, more quick, nimble, and skilled instead of big, lumbering, and pugilistic. Peter Laviolette, who took over as coach midseason, quickly established himself as yet another good Philadelphia coach. Go, Danny, go, Claude, go Mike, Jeff, Chris, Ville, and Andres, go Bobrovsky and all!

The Sixers, too, made a significant coaching change, hiring ex-Sixer Doug Collins, who has finally got the team playing defense. Are they good enough to be more than fringe players? Probably not, but they are getting to be a lot of fun to watch. If nothing else, one has to pull for Doug Collins, who just about bleeds for his team each night they play. In Collins and new president Rod Thorn we trust. GM Ed Stefanski filled in for color analyst Eric Snow, who is a work in progress, and did a good job. But why in the world did he ever hire Eddie Jordan?

I'm not a football fan but the Eagles certainly provided lots of melodrama this year, with the trade of Donovan McNabb and the re-emergence of Michael Vick. Even after MdNabb was traded, Eagle fans were unable to stop obsessing ad nauseum over him. You had to feel for rookie Kevin Kolb, who lost his starting job because of a concussion. It was hard, however, to deny Michael Vick and his compelling, and let us hope ongoing, tale of redemption. As I said, I'm not a football fan so it doesn't bother me when DeSean Jackson falls backwards into the end zone to score a touchdown. I just marvel at how beautiful he is to watch.

starr hagenbring

Pieced, painted, and stitched silk jackets by Starr Hagenbring. All photos permission of the artist.

Late in September I interviewed Starr Hagenbring, New York wearable artist and designer, for Fiberarts magazine. She was just back from a road trip with her father in his 1910 Knox and I was transfixed by her account of the contortionist moves that driving such a car entails. Hagenbring likes to tell stories and she was revved up and going the afternoon we met. Her work, as the photos above demonstrate, is simply fabulous. She does it all--design, cutting, piecing, stitching, and painting--herself, working out of a midtown apartment/studio filled with art, books, refurbished furniture, beaded dolls, and even a large starfish, not to mention the textile paints and silk fabrics and threads of her trade. We talked for about five hours, then adjoined to a neighborhood Greek restaurant for a quick supper before I headed for a bus to Pennsylvania, visions of elegance dancing in my head.

where is chad durbin?

At the end of the winter meetings, word was that Chad Durbin might be resigning with the Phillies. Since then, nada. Durbin's a good guy, smart, too. It will be a pity to see him elsewhere but the signing of J.C. Romero may signal the end of off-season moves to bolster the bullpen.

dollhouse

Priscilla sent this image of the current show, called Dollhouse, at ARC Studios and Gallery, which she co-founded with three partners, including her husband Michael. It's quite a venture and already seems to be taking off. There's even a coffee and cookie shop to sweeten a visit. ARC is located at 1246 Folsom Street, in the SOMA district of San Francisco.

j.c. romero back to the phillies

The Phillies have signed lefty reliever J.C. Romero to a one-year deal. It is hoped that Romero, shaky and injured the past two years, will regain some of the form that made him an integral part of the 2008 team. Details on the contract are not yet known. The Phillies needed another lefty in the bullpen and I hope that Romero will be the man.

Given yesterday's weather conditions on the East Coast, postponing last night's NFL game in Philadelphia seemed a no-brainer. But no, good sense is not much prized by football fans, or so it would seem. There was a tremendous amount of whining and shouting yesterday and today about the postponement, even cries of a conspiracy. I think all the people mouthing off had bets on the game and know that a Tuesday make-up changes things.

Then there is Gov. Ed Rendell... I love the guy but wow was he off-base on this one.

halladay greetings

And a Merry Cliffmas to all!

love letters to earth

Kamano Sachiko, an old friend from my earliest days in Kyoto, put together a traveling exhibition called Chikyu eno rabu reta-- (Love Letters to Earth). It's a collection of tributes, by children and artists from around the world, to the only home we have. So far the exhibition has only been shown in Japan but Sachiko hopes to take it abroad.

end of an era

One of my favorite images from the past season, hanging out at the ballpark before the game, enjoying a sandwich during batting practice.

Jesus Sanchez, dropped from last month from the 40-man roster, has signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. Sanchez, who converted to pitching, was the last player left from the Bobby Abreu deal. And so the door closes on the Abreu era. Johan Flande, dropped at the same time as Sanchez, has signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves, who are again stockpiling lefties. Cody Ransom, with the IronPigs the past two seasons, has signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

power of one

This holiday, Animals in Distress, an animal rescue shelter in nearby Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, sent tiny starfish charms to its supporters. The charm, which I have hung on the small feather tree, came with a little story about thousands of starfish stranded on a beach after a violent storm. A man stood on the beach, picking up the starfish one by one and tossing them back into the ocean. A passerby wondered why anyone would bother when there were so many starfish littering the sands. There was no way to save them all, so what difference did it make? Said the rescuer, starfish in hand, "It makes a great difference to this one."

hot seat

A friend of my mother's was talking with her grandson the other day, after Cliff Lee had signed. The kid, a big Phillie fan, now plays Little League baseball and plans to become a big league pitcher. She asked him about going to see a Phillie game this year. The kid shot it down, saying they would never be able to get tickets. Sadly, he is pretty much right. The day after the Lee signing, the Phillies sold 40,000 tickets, all through six-pack plans. Sure they were tickets that would have sold in any case, but they mean that come the regular season seats will be a premium. When single-game tickets go on sale in February, fans will be in a frenzy.

phila stars

I'd long been wanting to take a photo of the Mural Arts tribute to the Stars, an old Philadelphia Negro League team. Yesterday I was in the neighborhood and finally had my chance. I was on my way from the Clubhouse store--talk about printing money--down at the ballpark to visit Jessie Foyle, aka Mrs. October. The mural is in her new neighborhood.

good-bye, andy tracy

Andy Tracy, the face of the IronPigs, has signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. At 37, Tracy, who came up in the Expos' system, is still hoping to get a real shot at playing in the majors. Maybe he will find it with the D'backs. The slugging first baseman was a favorite with Lehigh Valley fans and seemed to be a genuinely good guy. Wish him well.

Sometimes it's all about making the best of the chance that comes to you. In his presser yesterday, Jayson Werth talked about how that may not always be in your control. Some guys get a chance but get injured, get sick, go into a slump, miss a bus, whatever. And like that it's gone, never to come again.

a 'no-brainer'

Choosing Philadelphia, said Cliff Lee yesterday, was a 'no-brainer'. Once the Phillies got involved late last week, everyone wanted to make it happen, most of all the Lee family. Yet, according to all, the deal died a couple of times before coming back to life with a roar. Thanks for the persistence of all involved! Thanks, too, to Kristen Lee, who said that when she ran into one of the Phillie owners at this year's All-Star game, she burst into tears.

If the rotation stays healthy and all pitch up to their records, it should be an even more rollicking time at CBP than ever. On Monday, the Phillies sold 1500 tickets. On Tuesday, after the news came down, the number jumped to 40,000. Season tickets have been maxed out since last year and there is a waiting list. The tickets sold on Tuesday were six-pack plans. Individual game tickets go on sale in February but I guess I can forget about opening day.

Think about it. If healthy, Halladay, Hamels, Oswalt, and Lee may start 132 of 162 games. But don't forget the fifth guy. Yesterday Ruben Amaro, Jr. gave some love to Joe Blanton, whom all expect soon to be gone. While all the talk was about the fab four, Amaro brought Blanton into the conversation. It reminded me of this past season, after Oswalt joined the staff and all the talk was H2O. Roy Halladay was always sure to include Joe in any talk of the rotation. Like the team itself, there are no egos on the pitching staff.

Amaro, speaking this morning on the radio, said the first negative comment about the Lee signing came from Jayson Werth, who sent him a text that basically said, "BOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

devastating in red

Dear Cliff,
You are...This is....I promised myself I wouldn't get choked up. Welcome home.
----visitphilly.com

This message appeared Tuesday on the visitphilly.com site and will soon be appearing on a billboard on I-95. Says it all!

When Cliff Lee put his Phillie cap on at today's presser, for a second all felt well with the world. It was an interesting 30 minutes. Before it started, Harold Reynolds of MLBN called it an "historical" moment. Lee echoed the "historic" comment, when he spoke about the rotation that he is now part of, as one that was impossible to resist. He wants to win and as he considered his options he felt that Philadelphia offered the best chance to do that.

Lee never felt he had to burn his bridges on leaving Philadelphia last year. The Phillies tried to reacquire him in July but refused to give up Domonic Brown, the asking price by the Mariners. Though both sides had left the door open, it seems that they only started talking four or five days ago. Somewhere in that time, Lee's wife Kristin talked with Ruben Amaro, Jr. by phone and told him, "Don't break our hearts again." It was off, then maybe on, and finally on Monday night it was real. Among the people Ruben Amaro gave credit to for making it work was Lee's agent, Darek Braunecker.

It now seems so inevitable. The Phillies try to acquire Roy Halladay in July 2009, balk at the trading price, and pull Cliff Lee out of a hat from Cleveland. Lee wows everyone in Philadelphia and is wowed in return. Then last December, the Phillies do trade for Roy Halladay and turn around and trade Lee to the Mariners. They get Halladay to waive his no-trade clause and sign a three-year extension. In July this year, they try to reacquire him, balk at giving up Brown, and turn around and trade for Roy Oswalt, who also waives a no-trade clause. Then out of nowhere they sign Cliff Lee to a five-year deal. On so many levels, it is simple amazing.

Lee also said again that he never wanted to leave Philadelphia, that it was where his heart was, and where he wanted to be for the rest of his career. Playing in Philadelphia was like nowhere else and he loved it from the start. So did his family.

Someone asked if he had talked with good buddy Jayson Werth. Yes, he had but could not possibly repeat his comments. Suffice to say, Werth was not happy to hear that Lee had signed with the Phillies. By chance, the Nationals had held a press conference for Werth a couple of hours earlier. It was sad seeing him in that hat with the ridiculous curly W on it. Cliff Lee, on the other hand, looked stunning in red.

pinch me

The Cliff Lee deal still seems unbelievable. Ruben Amaro, Jr. did it all under the radar, pretty much how Amaro does all of his deals--and more power to him. It's been interesting to hear players and former players comment on that. It seems that that is exactly how players like deals to be done: in private, not public. It was also jaw-dropping to hear some MLBN commentators opine that Lee chose Philadelphia because it, not New York, offered the best chance for him to win a World Series. Wow.

From all reports, Phillie players too were stunned by the deal. It says a lot about Amaro, the front office, a Phillie ownership that has stepped up big time since 2008, and Cliff Lee himself.

A significant element of the deal is its length. By giving Lee five years, the Phillies signaled that they are willing to break their policy of three-year contracts for pitchers. I don't know if that's because they wanted Lee that much or because the Werth and subsequent Crawford deals changed how deals will work in future.

The presser is at three today. Stay tuned.

together again: lee to philly!

It's not all peaches and cream.
But I haven't learned that yet.
----Oil Can Boyd

Crazy but true: Cliff Lee has agreed to a five-year deal with the Phillies, for less money and fewer years than what the Rangers or Yankees offered him. Exclamation, exclamation, exclamation overlaid with breathless delirium. Excuse me while I hyperventilate. The Phillies will go into 2011, barring the unforesee, with four legitimate aces as their first four starters. In 2009, Lee, Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels were all the number one pitcher on their respective teams.

The totally unexpected deal proves that Ruben Amaro, Jr., trodding in the footsteps of Pat Gillick the genius, understands that pitching and defense rule. In 2010, Halladay and Lee had a combined 440 strikeouts and 83 walks. Halladay, Lee, and Oswalt all have winning percentages above .600. And Cole Hamels on any given day is as good as any of them.

I fell asleep last night to a Tony Bruno interview just past 10 with Jon Paul Morosi, of FOX, who was nattering on about why the Phillies were interested in Lee. I woke just before one a.m. to hear a totally giddy Bruno talking about the done deal.

When Lee was traded a year ago to the day to the Seattle Mariners, he said that he had wanted to resign with the Phillies and retire as a Phillie. Amazingly, he may do just that. When Lee pitched with the Phillies in 2009, neither Halladay nor Oswalt were on the staff. Wow have things changed in Philadelphia.

It's been "Merry Cliffmas" all day in that city. Both Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee chose to play in Philadelphia and both to pay cuts to do so. It wasn't so long ago that John Smoltz was proclaiming over and over that Citizens Bank Park would keep free agent pitchers away, that the only way the Phillies could get them to come was by overpaying. As Charlie Manuel has said, "Champions can play anywhere."

According to Todd Zolecki of Zozone, Lee's new number is 33.

twinkle, twinkle, mr. lee

All we demanded was our right to twinkle.
----Marilyn Monroe

So I drove to Philadelphia late this morning and by the time I got home around four, all the buzz was about the mystery team looking to sign Cliff Lee. Then all of a sudden, that team was supposed to be the Phillies. Ha, ha, ha, ho, ho, ho. Gee, maybe Ruben Amaro, after shipping Lee out last December, gets him to come back for three years at $20 million per? Meanwhile, things are getting delirious. Nah, gotta be the Nats and the Werth reunion tour. Whatever, it's crazy.

It's the Geminids tonight and into tomorrow but it's frigid here, both cold and windy. Last I looked it was also cloudy.

just a shell

Submit to Fate without unseemly wrangle
Such complications frequently occur
Life is one complicated tangle
Death is the only true unraveller
---The Gondoliers
Gilbert and Sullivan

There's not much unravelling with the old apple tree, which is now almost hollow. The tree must be over 100 years old and has produced lots of deliciously tart apples, heirlooms without name. I am steeling myself for the next big storm that will likely bring the tree down. Last night when I came home, the car lights caught a herd of deer under the tree. Deer congregate at the tree throughout the year. No apples, no deer? Not likely but the absence of the tree in the landscape will be an ache.

nothing doing

This stilled, empty bell at Citizens Bank Park sums it up. Worst rumor of the week: Scott Franzke, who does a great job with radio play-by-play for the Phillies, is interviewing for a TV gig with the Texas Rangers. If he's interviewing, I'd be shocked if he does not get the job. Franzke is from Texas and got his start working with the Rangers. Returning to his roots would not be surprising, but what a bummer for Phillies' fans. It's nothing to contemplate on a gloomy day such as today.

phillies sign dennys reyes

The Phillies have signed lefthanded reliever Dennys Reyes to a one-year deal worth $1.1 million. There is an option for a second year. Reyes last pitched for the Cardinals. In this morning's Rule 5 draft the Phillies took Michael Martinez, a 28-year-old utility infielder from the Nationals. Take that, Nats!

Meanwhile, the money went round and round, up and never down at the winter meetings. Carl Crawford signed with the Red Sox for a whopping $142 million and Cliff Lee started counting his. Trickle, trickle, trickle.

recess

I drove out to the farms yesterday morning to find only the wind whistling through the emptied stands. On the way back I happened to see kids and teachers at recess at one of the Amish/Mennonite one-room schools I pass along the way.

blue

Elizabeth Billings, Wall of Ancestors (detail), 1988, from the 14th Biennale, Lausanne, Switzerland. The postcard is from Lynn Berkowitz.

Today: 30th anniversary of the shooting of John Lennon. Regards to Yoko Ono.

First the Phillies cleared space yesterday on their 40-man roster by releasing minor league pitchers Johan Flande and Jesus Sanchez. (The latter was the last player left from the trade that sent Bobby Abreu away.) Then the rumors about about re-acquiring (oh no) Aaron Rowand from the Giants started to buzz. Except for his face-breaking moment out in center, I was never a big fan of this guy and it doesn't thrill me that he basically lost his job last season with the Giants.

19th street theatre

I went to see The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest at the 19th Street Theatre, shown here, but it was show time there. A Christmas Carol is being performed there through the month and all movies are being shown at the tatty annex theatre across the street. Sitting through the movie there made me appreciate the 19th Street anew.

hooray! pat gillick to hall of fame!

Pat Gillick, formerly GM with the Phillies, Mariners, Orioles, and Blue Jays, has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Mr. Gillick! You are a baseball genius! We need not say that under Gillick, the Blue Jays twice won the World Series and the Phillies once. His teams appeared 11 times in the post-season. Next year will be Gillick's 54th year in baseball. He is now a senior advisor to the Phillies.

Why am I surprised by the money-trumps-all response to the Jayson Werth deal? This is after all America, where money trumps all. But the 'he had to do what he had to do' comments make me feel like inserting two fingers down my throat. Sorry, but Werth, like all free agents, had a choice. Like almost all professional athletes, he chose money. And he pretty much said that was what he meant to do, that he learned at 18 signing his first contract that baseball was a business and that was how he was going to treat free agency. None of the drivel about family.

I used to hate Werth when he played for the Dodgers--and I barely ever saw him. He was just that kind of highly-irritating player, the kind who makes you admire how good he is, even as he is again killing your team.

In Philadelphia, he became a great story, plucked off the scrap heap, by Pat Gillick, as he faced retirement owing to an injury, then working his way to being one of the top outfielders in baseball. Along the way, Werth became a tremendous fan favorite. I saw him steal home that night a couple of years ago on the Dodgers, an unforgettable moment. I also watched close-up in Game 2 of the NLDS how cool and funny he was with the fans in right field. At the time I had the feeling it was a relationship that was soon going to end and it now has.

It's a pity that Werth will be playing against the Phillies for years to come. All the goodwill engendered by the Beard (sorry, San Francisco, this guy set the tone for beards) will soon disappear. I don't buy the building for the future talk for Werth. He should have stayed with a contender or gone to one.

jayson werth to the nationals

Are you kidding me? I got home late this afternoon after seeing the excellent, but alas, final installment of the Millennium trilogy and was having a glass of Australian Shiraz while watching the end of today's Flyers' game in rerun. Add some yummy labnie from Aci Halal and all was good. Then I heard that Jayson Werth had signed a seven-year $126 million deal with the Nationals. Bye-by, Jayson. That's crazy. So much for all the talk on his way out about winning. Unlike Werth, Roy Halladay talked the talk and walked the walk.

mad dog sushi

Over at Zozone, MLB beat writer Todd Zolecki reported yesterday about Ryan Madson's stint at Zama, a Japanese restaurant in Philadelphia, where he learned how to make the eponymous Mad Dog sushi. I'll pass on the sushi, one of those rolls engineered for American tastes. The video of Mad Dog making it, though, was kind of fun. Also at Zozone are links to the Chase Utley and Ryan Howard bits in this week's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Still waiting for some hot-stove sizzle.

snow today in bratislava

Artist Silvia Fedorova, who lives in Bratislava, sent this photo of snow falling today on the square that her attic studio overlooks. The square, which is in the old town, is now set up for the annual Christmas market, a lively, delicious event with lots of music and dancing. In the message that came with the image, Silvia wrote that city traffic was about to "collapse" (an apt turn of phrase) because of the snow. Here it is cold but there is no snow in the forecast.

kenderick and francisco tendered

Both Kyle Kendrick and Ben Francisco have been tendered by the Phillies. No surprise there. Both will be competing in spring training for roles on the 2011 team. The Braves did not tender outfield back-up Matt Diaz, making him a free agent and potential object of desire for the Phillies. Can it be that Ruben Amaro, Jr. is going to rest this off-season?

dreams come true

Because you never know when too early becomes too late, I am posting this 2011 calendar now. It came in yesterday's mail, from a German-Canadian friend spending a month in Kyoto. When I pulled it out of the envelope, I saw the writing first and gasped in recognition. Then I saw the cats--and knew them, too.

Years ago when I lived in Iwate, in northeastern Japan, Nobi-Kobo, the people who put out the calendar, had a collection of wonderful postcards based on the stories of Miyazawa Kenji and featuring cats. Kenji was born in Hanamaki, Iwate, not far from where I lived. Only a couple of places sold the postcards and I used to go out of my way to buy them to send to friends.

Getting this calendar was like suddenly meeting old, half-forgotten friends, all thanks to another old friend. The greeting on the front is for a year of health filled with smiles and wishes. The calendar is put out by Nobi-Kobo, which turns out to be a 'cat' shop on Tetsugakuno michi in Kyoto. Check it out (Japanese only) at www.nobi-kobo.com.

surgery, then more for jamie moyer

Jamie Moyer is scheduled to have elbow surgery today, but says he looks forward to resuming his career in a year. I caught the end of an in-studio interview with Moyer, Mitch Williams, and Greg Amsinger on MLB network yesterday evening, most of it about Moyer's approach to pitching. At the end of the interview, Williams asked Moyer, "Can you collect your pay and pension at the same time?"

Yes, Moyer will almost be that old if and when he resumes his career. And good luck to him. I am so tired of online commentators deciding who is old and shot in baseball, based on age. They simply don't know.

Moyer is of course one of those souls who found success later in his career. At 47, he is now about 30 games shy of 300 wins. Longevity factors into that but so does skill, endurance, persistence, cunning, and a lot else.

It was raining yesterday here in the Mid-Atlantic states and Moyer was wearing a black suit with a pair of white and black sneakers. Mitch Williams, meanwhile, was sockless. Amsinger was quite pedestrian by contrast.