Youthful dreams of World Series come true

Sitting in rocking chairs on the back porch, sipping beers, the three friends would talk about it: What if we could all play in the World Series someday?

In the Oakland, Calif., house they rented together as young teammates on the Athletics, Joe Blanton, Nick Swisher and Chad Gaudin allowed their late-night conversations to wander through many topics. But they often returned to the career goal that Blanton fulfilled last October, and the other two are realizing this month as members of the New York Yankees.

Pitchers Rich Harden and Huston Street also spent time living in the Oakland house, but the majority of backyard bull sessions involved Blanton, Gaudin and Swisher. When Phillies manager Charlie Manuel announced yesterday that Blanton would start tomorrow's Game 4, instead of Cliff Lee on short rest, he set up a possible matchup between close friends. If Yankees manager Joe Girardi chooses not to start CC Sabathia on three days' rest tomorrow, he will hand the assignment to Gaudin.

"It's pretty cool when you think about it," Blanton said. "To be young together, and talk about how maybe someday we would be in a World Series, and now here we are."

Manuel passed on the chance to have Lee start three times in the series and essentially named Cole Hamels the potential Game 7 starter.

"He hasn't pitched on three days' rest," Manuel said of Lee. "I also like him in Game 5, because we've got an off day Tuesday. If it goes seven games or something, that would be on his bullpen day, and he might be able to pitch or whatever. . . . I don't think he's ready for it on three days' rest. That's really pushing him, because he's never done it before."

Manuel did not seriously consider J.A. Happ for the start, because he wanted the lefthander available from the bullpen.

That combination of factors resulted in Blanton's receiving the second World Series start of his career. Though he lasted six innings against the Tampa Bay Rays in a Game 4 win last year and bashed an unlikely home run, Blanton did not have the pleasure of competing against friends.

All three former roommates are enjoying this moment, the realization of a dream they shared in Oakland - and before. "Joe was my first buddy in pro ball," said Swisher, traded from the A's to the Chicago White Sox last year and from Chicago to New York before this season. "We played in double A together. Now he's got a ring, and I don't have one yet."

Blanton's life has changed the most. In addition to winning the World Series, Blanton is the only one of the three with a family. He and his wife, LeeAndra, welcomed their first child, daughter Adalia, earlier this season.

"He's still the same guy," said the Louisiana-born Gaudin of Blanton, a Kentuckian. "That's probably why we've always gotten along so well. Joe is a country boy who likes country music."

Gaudin's career has taken him to the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Yankees since he left Oakland. Though Blanton and Swisher have drifted from each other, the Phils pitcher and Gaudin remained close. Their contact is mostly limited to brief text messages and looking for one another's name on the ESPN crawl. They meet up when they can. Gaudin was still a Padre when the Phils traveled to San Diego in June, and Blanton stayed at his house during that series.

Whether or not they face each other tomorrow, each has enjoyed the other's success. "You talk about something like that when you're young, but you don't know if it will happen," Blanton said. "It's definitely a cool thing."

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