Greg Maddux starts -- and finishes -- in relief

   

Greg Maddux, who will announce his retirement on Monday, pitched in 744 games in the regular season and another 35 in the postseason.

The total is 779 games, all but nine as a starter. Yet his first and last appearances in his Hall of Fame career came as a reliever.

His last game: Oct. 15, 2008, in the Dodgers' 5-1 loss to the Phillies. It was the final game of the National League Championship Series. After what could have been the farewell game for him, Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent, Maddux spoke warmly of his teammates. But he spoke little of his future.

In the final inning of his career, he gave up two runs, both unearned, as shortstop Rafael Furcal became the first player in 42 years to make three errors in one postseason inning.

His first game: Sept. 3, 1986, before four current major league teams -- the Diamondbacks, Marlins, Rays and Rockies -- came into existence. He was the last pitcher, and the losing pitcher, in the Cubs' 8-7 loss to the Astros, in 18 innings. The game was suspended on Sept. 2 and completed the following day. He actually made his major league debut as a pinch-runner, for catcher Jody Davis, in the bottom of the 17th inning.

Players in that game included Ron Cey, Davey Lopes, Nolan Ryan -- and Gary Matthews and Chris Speier, the fathers, respectively, of current Angels Gary Matthews Jr. and Justin Speier.

So you might figure that Maddux was the last active player from that game.

Well ... no. The Cubs' starting pitcher that day was Jamie Moyer, now 46, who just won his first World Series ring with the Phillies.

-- Bill Shaikin

Photo: Greg Maddux in his last MLB game on Oct. 15 at Dodger Stadium against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Five of the NLCS. Credit: Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images

Dodgers still looking as shortstops land elsewhere

Two shortstops are gone, and maybe a third. The Giants have signed Edgar Renteria, the Cardinals acquired Khalil Greene from the Padres, and the Tigers reportedly are pushing hard to acquire Jack Wilson from the Pirates*.

The Dodgers still don't have a shortstop, with management unconvinced that Chin-lung Hu can hit major league pitching, at least not now. They say they're still interested in bringing back Rafael Furcal, but their decision not to offer him arbitration says they weren't interested in him accepting a one-year contract if it might cost them in the range of $13 million, which is the same as his 2008 salary.

It is unlikely that Furcal could have gotten much of a raise in arbitration, given that he was limited to 36 games last season because of a back injury and subsequent surgery.

Other than Furcal, who visited last week with the Oakland A's, the top remaining free-agent shortstop is Orlando Cabrera. The White Sox offered him arbitration, so the Dodgers would have to surrender their first-round draft choice to sign him, and they would prefer to explore other options. But it's a steep drop from Furcal and Cabrera to the likes of Alex Cora, Cesar Izturis and David Eckstein, so the Dodgers will be talking trade at next week's winter meetings.

The Angels are satisfied with Erick Aybar, who had an eventful week in winter ball, and are not looking for a shortstop.

-- Bill Shaikin

* Corrected Wilson's team from Padres to the Pirates.

Photo: Rafael Furcal tags out Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley to end the first inning of Game Three of the NLCS on Oct. 12. Credit: 26) to Gary A. Vasquez / US PRESSWIRE

Will Phillies' Ryan Howard strike sports marketing gold?

Bay Area advertising executive Bob Dorfman reports in after each big sporting event with suggestions -- some of them decidedly tongue-in-cheek -- on which athletes might strike sports marketing gold.

Here are a few of his ideas in the wake of the Phillies' World Series win over the Tampa Bay Rays:

Ryan Howard: Stands to benefit the most from his first ring. The NL MVP in 2006, he delivers awesome slugging power at the plate, and impressive selling power on camera. Still under 30, his endorsement resume includes national TV spots for Subway, Powerade and adidas, plus cover-boy roles for Topps baseball cards and Sony’s MLB ’08 The Show videogame. Articulate, charismatic and smooth on camera, Howard could pitch any powerful product—from trucks to power tools, PCs to smart phones. And his impressive nose might work well in a Kleenex or cold remedy demo.

Evan Longoria:  Evan hit more like Eva in the Series. But the AL Rookie of the Year favorite is only 23, has an unforgettable name and superstar potential. Sign him now for the long haul. And definitely team Evan up with Eva in a Visa or American Express spot on the dangers of identity theft.

Cole Hamels:  MVP of both the World Series and NLCS, Cole exudes cool. And his stellar performance could earn him significant post-Series exposure. Good looking, articulate and only 24, he has enormous potential as a pitcher and pitchman.

Hamels epitomizes the healthy SoCal lifestyle -- he practices yoga, drinks green tea for energy, and convinced Phillies’ management to hire a full-time masseuse. Wife Heidi -- a former "Survivor: The Amazon" star and Playboy cover model -- adds to the package.

Hamels once slept so well in a Phillies’ hotel room, he bought the bed. Now that’s the kind of product loyalty you hope for from an endorser.

-- Greg Johnson

Photo: Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is introduced during the World Series championship celebration at Citizens Bank Park on Friday. Credit: Howard Smith / US Presswire

World Series TV ratings up on Wednesday, down overall

Ratings for the World Series this year aren't as complicated as the infield fly rule, but thanks to the bifurcated nature of Game 5 -- in which the Phillies won their second Series in franchise history by beating the Rays 4-3 -- it takes a bit of explaining.

Wednesday night's broadcast of Game 5's conclusion drew 19.8 million viewers with an 11.9 rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. Monday night's broadcast of the first-ever suspended World Series game drew 13.2 million viewers and generated an 8.2 rating.

When stitched together by Nielsen Media Research the two halves of the game produced a nine-inning rating of 9.6 and drew 15.8 million viewers. Good enough to make Game 5 the highest-rated and most-watched of the 2008 broadcasts.

But, as Fox noted, Game 5 rating was 17% lower in ratings and drew a 14% smaller audience than the last Game 5 to decide a Series -- the 2006 game broadcast in which the Cardinals beat the Tigers. That broadcast generated a 10.3 rating and drew 16.3 million viewers.

"The rain delay on Saturday and suspended game on Monday, combined with going only five games, obviously worked against the Series reaching its maximum viewership potential," said Fox Sports President Ed Goren. "But even with that, Fox was No. 1 most nights, posted some of its best nights in many weeks and was No. 1 last week in prime time.”

The 2008 World Series averaged an 8.4 rating nationally and attracted, on average, 13.6 million viewers. That makes it the lowest-rated World Series on record, according to Nielsen Media Research data. For comparison sake, last year's Fox broadcasts of the four-game sweep of the Rockies by the Red Sox generated a 10.6 average rating and drew 17.1 million viewers.

-- Greg Johnson

Photo: Carlos Ruiz of the Philadelphia Phillies screams in celebration. Credit: Brad Mangin / MLB via Getty Images

World Series umpires were at least consistent

Right up until the next-to-last pitch, Major League Baseball's umpiring crew for the World Series was consistent.

Consistently bad.

On baseball's biggest stage, bad calls followed bad calls, from a strike zone that was all over the map to a tag that was made but not seen between third and home, to the phantom swing that was registered on Tampa Bay Rays pinch-hitter Eric Hinske on the pitch before his Series-ending strikeout.

Take nothing away from the Philadelphia Phillies, who proved they were the superior team, but with technology that now shows us every umpiring mistake in slow, slower and slowest motion and from seemingly every conceivable angle, baseball needs to make certain that the men it trusts with the game's marquee event are up to the task. This crew was not.

Umpires are only human, of course, and mistakes will be made from time to time. But if I were calling the shots for MLB's umpires, one thing I'd make sure registered is that a good call is not based on style or how fast it's made. Getting the call right is all that matters.

Take that called strike to Hinske, for example. It was the very definition of a check swing. He did not go around. Yet the home plate umpire quickly rang up a strike, as if it wasn't even close. And the problem with that is, the batter, unlike a catcher who can take his appeal for a strike to a baseline umpire with a better angle, a batter who has been called for a swing by the plate umpire has no recourse. A baseline umpire isn't allowed to overturn a strike called by the plate umpire.

Once called a strike, the pitch is a strike. Just like once a call is blown, it's a bad call.

-- Mike Hiserman

Photo: Tampa Bay Rays Eric Hinske stands at home plate after making the last out as the Philadelphia Phillies and their fans erupt in victory in Game 5 of the World Series. Credit: Gary W. Green / Orlando Sentinel

World Series: Madson vs. Balfour

The starting pitchers for tonight's resumption of Game 5 of the World Series: Ryan Madson for the Phillies, Grant Balfour for the Rays.

Balfour already was in the game when it was stopped by rain on Monday, with the Phillies due up in the bottom of the sixth inning and the score tied, 2-2. Monday's Phillies starter Cole Hamels is due up first, but the Phillies will bat for him -- presumably with a left-handed hitter. That could prompt the Rays to summon phenom David Price, a starter during the regular season and thus able to get the game into the eighth inning.

Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel said Madson, his top setup man, would start the seventh inning for Philadelphia.

If the Rays lose, the Series is over. Rays ace James Shields, scheduled to start a possible Game 6 tomorrow, said he approached Manager Joe Maddon and volunteered to pitch tonight.

"He told me I had a better chance of pinch-hitting," Shields said.

-- Bill Shaikin

Photos: In Game 1, the Phillies' Ryan Madson, left, and the Rays' Grant Balfour faced each other. They'll be back on the mound tonight. Credit: Doug Benc / Getty Images

David Letterman adds his two cents on World Series rain delay

David Letterman used Tuesday night's CBS Late Show monologue to take a swing at MLB's never-ending Game 5 of the World Series. The rain-delayed game will try to close itself out tonight.

Baseball fans? The Tampa Rays, the Phillies. You know what happened to the game last night?  They started the game in a deluge. It was raining and pouring by the third inning and then they finally suspended. … I’m telling ya, it was so rainy, so much water coming down, they didn’t really have to water the beer. It was remarkable.

-- Greg Johnson

Play ball! World Series game on

It's 10 a.m. in Philadelphia, with clouds everywhere but no rain in sight. Tonight's forecast calls for temperatures in the high 30s at the scheduled 8:37 p.m. EDT game time.

The Phillies could be World Series champions by 10 p.m., because we'll be picking up the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, with the score 2-2. Nothing like celebrating the Fall Classic in winter gear.

If the Rays win, Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday in Florida, where summer gear is in style all year long.

-- Bill Shaikin

Photo: On Monday, the field was very wet. But the rain has stopped, and the game will be played today in a relatively dry Philadelphia. Credit: Brad Mangin / MLB via Getty Images

Where's the infield fly rule when you need it?

Any true baseball fan knows the infield fly rule -- the one that wasn't invoked during the fifth inning of the World Series on Monday night because miserable conditions, in the mind of the umpires, turned a routine pop-up into an adventure.

Now, for those of you who aren't quite sure of the nuances of the rule, here's a video that makes the infield fly rule crystal clear.

OK, so that might not have been that precise. Here it is in a nutshell: If first and second base are occupied, and there are fewer than two outs, a pop fly that can be caught by an infielder with reasonable effort will be called an out.

Of course, when that situation seemed to present itself in the fifth inning Monday, Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins lost what would normally have been a routine pop fly in the rain and wind. Umpire Tim Tschida said he didn't make the infield fly call because the conditions made it a difficult play.

We do believe that Rollins was in compliance with the above video definition of the pop-fly rule.

(Here's MLB's official explanation of the rule.)

-- Mike James

Photo: Jimmy Rollins misplays a pop fly in the fifth inning on Monday. Credit: Howard Smith / US Presswire

Wake-up Call: Kobe, Pau, Lamar, Andrew, Phil

Where else would you want to start the day except in the Fabulous Forum with the Lakers?

The new season begins and we have seen the future -- thanks to EA Sports. The Lakers win it all this season, according to the video game NBA Live 09. Houston's Yao Ming wins the game's MVP award.

I guess the game masters were too busy living in virtual reality to watch the Olympics, where it was clear Yao couldn't carry a team beyond its own level.

Kobe Bryant wins the EA scoring championship, also racking up points on Guitar Hero.

And, in EA's virtual world, it's a Lakers-Celtics rematch in the finals.

So why play 82?

Perhaps it's so we can see what Portland's Greg Oden looks like against NBA players.

I'd like to revisit Bill Plaschke's idea about playing the World Series at a neutral site -- in warm weather or under a dome. The baseball being played, or not being played, in Philadelphia is classic only in its inability to capture and hold anyone who isn't a die-hard fan.

You think anyone who was watching last night's game who turned the channel to the Titans-Colts game -- or the Kings-Red Wings, for that matter -- would have turned it back to the Series, even if play had resumed?

Now today's resumption has been called off.

If the Kings play all season like they played last night, they could be a playoff contender.

Wake up! You're dreaming! Wake up!

-- Randy Harvey

Photo: Chinese artist Zheng Shouxiang makes adjustments to his wax figure of basketball star Yao Ming at the National Museum of China in Beijing in September. Credit: Adrian Bradshaw / EPA