World Series- Game 1 Thoughts

Posted on October 23, 2008 by Doogan

seriesIt wasn’t the most encouraging win possible, but a win is a win, as they say, and the Phils have one down and three to go in the hunt for the title.  It was basically more of the same from the first two rounds of the playoffs.  Hamels was great, the bullpen was unhittable, and the offense was mediocre at best.  Some thoughts I had throughout the game:

-I was going crazy with excitement as the starting line-ups were announced and the players came out on the field….then the Backstreet Boys appeared.  Absolutely nothing kills your buzz like a 10-minute rendition of the National Anthem by the Backstreet Boys.

-We’ve seen a couple teams in the past put the shift on Utley, but it doesn’t seem like a good idea.  I’m sure the Rays have some scouting reports that say it’s a good move, but Utley is not Howard.  He can spray it all over the field and that shift is libel to backfire if they keep doing it.

-When Utley hit the homer, I liked how the Phils bench stayed relatively calm.  It looked like they came in with a business-like approach.  Of course, it may have just seemed like they stayed calm compared to how I reacted.

-Jimmy Rollins took the prize for worst at-bat of the night in the second inning.  He comes up with the bases loaded and one out.  Kazmir has walked three in 1 1/3 innings, including two of the previous three batters.  Rollins takes ball one, then gets jammed for a shallow fly-out to center, resulting in Victorino getting thrown out at home to end the inning.  Jimmy: Make the guy throw a strike!!!

-B.J. Upton hit into two big double plays in the first three innings, including with the bases loaded in the third.  Amazingly, he didn’t hustle down the line either time.  He’s a fast guy, and he was nowhere near first when the Phils completed the 5-4-3 DP in the third.

-What’s up with Japanese second-baseman against the Phils in the playoffs?  Hamels couldn’t get Akinori Iwamura out last night, and it definitely brought back memories of Kaz Matsui last year.  It was interesting how Hamels seemed to struggle more against the lefties last night, between Iwamura’s three hits and the Crawford homer.

-It was a nerve-racking game, thanks to the continued inability of the offense to add on runs.  A few weeks ago, Bry longoriapointed out to me that Ryan Madson is suddenly throwing 97 mph, and it is crazy.  For years, he basically threw a low-90’s fastball that was pretty straight, and he got guys out (some of the time) with the change-up and curveball.  Now he’s not only throwing 96-97, but the ball is tailing back on to the right-handers hands, and he is looking VERY tough to hit.

-Game 2 tonight.  Hopefully Myers can keep Longoria and Upton off-balance, as Hamels did, and maybe Howard can get going off the righty James Shields. 

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Into the Mind of J

Posted on October 22, 2008 by bry

[Another valued BSB reader making a valued contribution]

“Worth the Wait?!?”

Scott Kazmir, following the game 7 clincher of the ALCS: “It means everything to me, it really does, especially for this city.  It’s pretty much worth the wait, you could say, for what we had to go through the past four years.”

Okay, so Doogan will attest to the fact that I’m the first person to overreact to statements made by a sports figure, especially if there’s any way they could be construed to be a slight against one of my teams.  And from what I’ve seen Scott Kazmir is a likeable guy, but well, this statement set me off yelling at the TV the other night, alone in my apartment.

“Scott, this is your 4th full season in the big leagues!  You’re 24 years old!  Tampa has no baseball history at all, let alone one to feel sorry for!  That city has nothing but fake diehard fans and bandwagoning, blue Mohawk wearing posers!  They don’t deserve anything!  What the hell do you know about strife, Scott?!  Try losing 10,000 games!!  Try waiting 100 years for your first championship!!  Try playing for the quote unquote worst franchise in sports history and seeing your fans still come out in droves year in and year out just to be disappointed one more time, and then see if you still think the city of Tampa deserves this one!”

OK.  I feel a little better now that someone actually heard me.  A little.

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Keys to Winning the 2008 World Series

Posted on October 21, 2008 by bry

Well, here we are…the WORLD SERIES.  What a year, what a year!  I’m back from the two-week wedding/honeymoon extravaganza, and now I get Phillies World Series games to stress about…ugh.

Well, I was rooting for the Rays because I thought that the Phils matched up better with Tampa than the Sox, but the old adage, “be careful what you wish for because you just might get it” is now on a loop in my brain.  The Rays are immensely talented, and they seem simply too young to even be nervous.  The way they blew Game 5 and then lost Game 6 at home with their ace on the mound, it looked like the moment was finally too big for these guys.  But, then they go down 2 batters into Game 7, but Matt Garza dug in and Joe Maddon coached batter-by-batter only to call on a guy with 5 major league appearances to win a Game 7 and here we are–and I’m terrified.  But, the Phils have looked phenomenal in this postseason, so I guess all 12 Rays fans are probably just as nervous as we are.

Anyway, here are the BSB Keys to Winning the 2008 World Series:

1). Get ’em early:  No matter how “experienced” they may play, other than Dan Wheeler’s minor setup role for the Angels in ’02, not one Ray has ever played in a World Series game.  They are led by 24-year olds like Upton and Kazmir and 23-year old Longoria.  I think if the Phillies can jump on them early (either early in Game 1 or by taking Game 1), the pressure may actually mount a little in “Cinderella’s” dugout.  (NOTE: the Phillies don’t exactly have extensive WS experience, either, as only Brad Lidge (3.2 IP), So Taguchi (15 ABs), Pedro Feliz (5 ABs), and Eric Bruntlett (2 Gs, 0 ABs) have even appeared in a WS game).

2). Manage “shortened” games:  Madsen, Romero, and Lidge have been lights out all year, and especially in the postseason.  Durbin is struggling, but still reliable.  Scott Eyre is a solid left-hander.  Uncle Charlie can manage 6-inning games.  Get the lead after six and turn it over to these guys to come in a end it.  What a luxury…I hope I didn’t jinx this.

3). Keep the line moving – trust the whole order:  The whole Michael Jack Schmidt message, “keep the line moving,” has been adopted by this year’s Phillies team.  Though they have clear “RBI guys,” the Phillies have to trust the whole lineup to produce.  Utley and Howard have to be patient and pick their pitches to try and drive in runs.  Taking walks, forcing high pitch counts, and trusting the Victorinos, Werths and Ruizs of the lineup win games may be the answers to solving this talented, but young Rays staff.

4). Keep them in the yard:  One of the more underrated things about this team all year has been their power up and down the order.  People talk about their pitching, defense, and speed, but they were 4th in the league in home runs.  And that is with #2-hitter, B.J. Upton, only hitting 9 all year (he is now healthy and has 7 in the postseason alone), #3-hitter, Carlos Pena, with an incredibly slow start, #4-hitter, Evan Longoria, spending the first month of the season in the minors, and #5-hitter, Carl Crawford, missing almost 60 games due to injury.  The Phillies pitchers have to keep these guys in the yard.

5). Get the Rays to chase:  The one big flaw in the Rays deep lineup is that they do not draw many walks.  This is why I like Jamie Moyer against the Rays–he will get them to chase bad pitches.  Hamels, Myers, and Blanton should do the same thing because they are prone to it.  Furthermore, this team eats up fastballs, so the Cole Hamels change-up, the Brett Myers curveball, and the Brad Lidge slider may the difference in this series.

6). Trust Moyer and Blanton, but don’t be afraid of long relief:  I really trust Moyer and Blanton in this series, and I think that they are going to be the difference in a series that will probably go 6 or 7 games.  But, I also have trust in Clay Condrey and J.A. Happ, so if either Moyer or Blanton get in trouble in Games 3 & 4, Charlie should not be scared to cut the cord and go to the ‘pen early, especially considering what I believe to be the most important key to this series…

7). Pile on if up, Keep fighting if down:  One of the major lessons from both League Championship Series is that no lead is safe, regardless of how good you think your bullpen is.  As reference by Doogan, Chase Utley’s unassisted double-play kept the Dodges at 5 runs in the pivotal Game 4, allowing the Victorino/Stairs heroics to be game-winners.  And, everyone knows what happened to Tampa with a 7-0 lead in the 7th inning–Papelbon put out a seemingly meaningless fire in the top of the 7th, the Red Sox got 4 in the bottom of the 7th, 2 more in the 8th, and 2 more in the 9th to win it.  No lead is safe, so if the Phillies are up, they need to pile on the runs, and if they’re down, they need to keep it as manageable as possible because their offense is potent enough to make it up.

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World Series Notes

Posted on October 20, 2008 by Doogan

dobbsThe DH Question:

Charlie Manuel hasn’t said much about who will be the designated hitter for the games in Tampa, so that leaves us to ponder the question.  Bob Ford covered the issue in today’s Inquirer, and says that Charlie has ruled out the possibility of Ryan Howard DH’ing during the series.  Against righties, I think it’s almost definite that Greg Dobbs will find his way into the line-up, either at third or as the DH.  Geoff Jenkins and Matt Stairs are also pretty good options to DH if Dobbs plays third. 

The options against lefties are not nearly as good.  The right-handed bats are basically just Eric Bruntlett and Chris Coste, who could be freed up to DH with the addition of catcher Lou Marson to the post-season roster.  So Charlie will basically have three options for Game 1: play Bruntlett (.217 BA on the year) in left field and DH Burrell, DH Coste (.107 BA in September), or DH Dobbs (9 out of 226 AB’s this year vs. lefties).  Luckily, one of the benefits of the ALCS going seven games is that the Rays’ only lefty starter, Scott Kazmir, will pitch Game 1.  That means Game 1 will be the only game of the series where the Phillies will face a lefty with the DH, as Kazmir’s next start will be Game 5 in Philly.

The Phillies Rotation:

Charlie has said that they will stick with the same rotation they’ve used in the first two rounds: Hamels, Myers, Moyer, Blanton.  That means Moyer will be in line to pitch Game 7, if necessary.  Personally, I would have flipped Moyer and Blanton, so that Blanton would be there in Game 7, but Charlie is obviously looking at Moyer’s two postseason starts so far as aberrations.  Right now, Moyer in Game 7 is a scary thought, but I’m ok with the decision.  He’s had a great year, he pitched well over the last couple of months of the season, and, with all his experience, he’s capable of putting those bad starts behind him and pitching well in this series.  If he blows up again in Game 3, options for Game 7 will have to be looked at, including pitching Blanton on three days rest. 

The X-Factor:price

The Rays’ rookie phenom pitcher, David Price, may have taken over the closer’s role in Game 7 of the ALCS.  Their bullpen has been strong all season, but Dan Wheeler as a closer isn’t really going to scare anyone.  Price was the #1 pick in the draft last year and is looking like he was a good choice.  He’s got a high-90’s fastball, great slider, and throws strikes.  He’s the type of big, powerful left-hander that can make life very hard for hitters like Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.  If he can be a shut-down closer, and guys like Wheeler, J.P. Howell (2.22 ERA), and Grant Balfour (1.54 ERA) are setting him up, this Rays bullpen is outstanding.  I was rooting for the Rays in Game 7, but as I watched Price work in the 8th and 9th, I saw one of the Rays few weaknesses possibly disappearing.

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On to the Series

Posted on October 16, 2008 by Doogan

philsPhiladelphia Philles: 2008 National League Champions.  It’s a beautiful thing.

As I watched the fairly easy Game 5 win, I was obviously excited, but I wasn’t completely appreciating the magnitude of this Phillie team’s accomplishment until my man Joe Buck started recounting the previous five Phillie teams to win the NL pennant.  For life-long Phillie fans, they are years that stick in your brain: 1915, 1950, 1980, 1983, and 1993.  The Whiz Kids, the Wheeze Kids, and the ’93 team that somehow never ended up with a nickname that stuck.  It’s pretty amazing to think that the ’08 group has now matched the accomplishment of those teams, even if they’ve done it with slightly less memorable characters on the team.

They’ll move on to the Fall Classic now, attempting to match the one Phillie team that stands alone above the rest: the 1980 Champs.  The silver lining in playing for (and rooting for) a team with a history of failure, is that the few teams that find success are revered for entire generations.  I was born two years after 1980, but I can name most of the 25 players on the championship roster.  I couldn’t tell you a single thing about Bake McBride, other than the fact that he was an impressively afroed member of the ’80 Phils.  As a kid, I watched guys like Lonnie Smith and Bob Walk with special interest, knowing that they too had been members of that team in ’80, even if they were young and didn’t contribute much.  Every player on the ’08 Phillies now has the chance to be entered into Phillie lore, to be a member of the team’s pantheon, and be remembered by a generation of Philadelphians and Phillie fans that aren’t even born yet.  That’s pretty cool.

The post-game on-field interview with Jimmy Rollins also brought the win into perspective for me.  As a fan, any time your team has some long-awaited success, it’s the guys that have been on the team the longest that make it that much more satisfying.  Jimmy is the leader of the team, and my favorite Phillie, and it’s great to see him with a chance to play on the stage of the World Series playing for a championship, and doing it with the Phils.  I’ve never been a huge Pat Burrell fan, but he’s grown on me this year, and it’s great that he’s here for this, after having been with the team so long.

To back away from the nostalgia for a moment, it will be interesting to see what the Phillies do with the rotation once they get to Games 3 and 4 in the Series next weekend in Philly.  My guess is that it will be Blanton in Game 3 and Moyer in Game 4, but they will have an option to consider:  Is it time to take the kid gloves off of Hamels and send him out there on three days rest in Game 4?  They’ve obviously refused to do that so far, but this is the World Series and he’s going to have six days off before his Game 1 start on Wednesday.  This would really only make sense if they are willing to pitch him on three days rest again in Game 7.  I don’t see it happening, but it’s a possibility, especially if they’re down in the series after 3 games.

As for the ALCS, I’d still rather play the Rays than the Red Sox, but it would probably be good if the Sox win Game 5 on Thursday night.  If nothing else, it would force the Rays to use James Shields (clearly their ace right now) on Saturday, making him unavailable for Game 1 of the Series, unless they throw him on three days rest.

One last concern will be the six days off for the team before they play again.  After a 7-2 tear through the first two rounds, they could lose some momentum with this long lay-off.  The Rockies and Tigers had long breaks before the last two World Series, and they ended up looking flat.  That may just be a coincidence, and there’s nothing that can be done about it, but it has to be a slight concern this week.

The concerns won’t be too great though, the Phils are World Series-bound and maybe 10 years from now, young Phillie fans will be closely following J.A. Happ for no good reason.

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Thoughts on Game 4

Posted on October 14, 2008 by Doogan

I’m back from the extended celebration of my blog-mate’s marriage, and I’ll do what I can here while he enjoys his honeymoon during one of the more exciting weeks in recent Philly sports history.  After a late-inning comeback in Game 4, the Fightin’ Phils find themselves up 3-1 in the NLCS and on the verge of a World Series berth.  If you take away the struggles of Jamie Moyer, the team has made it look really easy in the postseason.  They’re 6-0 in games not started by Moyer and will have their ace on the mound tomorrow with a chance to wrap up the series.  They’ll be able to play with little pressure tomorrow, because they really only needed to take one of the games in Los Angeles, but they would obviously like to end this as soon as possible and start resting up for the Fall Classic.  Thoughts on the thrilling Game 4 win:

manny-Joe Buck and Tim McCarver criticized Charlie Manuel for walking Manny in the first inning, but it was the right move, as Manny showed later in the game.  You just can’t get that guy out right now, and he should be avoided at every opportunity.  Russell Martin and Andre Ethier are solid hitters, but they’re no reason to throw a strike to Manny with runners in scoring position.

-Surprisingly, Buck and McCarver said something that I actually agreed with in the 6th inning when they said that Shane Victorino should not have been bunting with two on and no outs.  Victorino is the hottest hitter in the line-up right now (and was even before the big homer in the 8th), so there’s no way he should be sacrificing and leaving it up to Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz to get the runs in.  I don’t know if that call came from Charlie or if Victorino did it on his own, but he needs to be swinging in those spots.

-The key to the game was definitely the Phillies getting out of the bottom of the 6th with only two runs allowed.  When it was second and third with nobody out, I was just hoping they could keep it to one more run given up in the inning, but thanks to an Ethier line-out, an intentional walk to Manny, and the incredible unassisted double-play by Utley, they escaped with only a two-run deficit and were still right in the game.  By the way, Ryan Howard really needs to learn how to throw the ball this offseason.

-I know Cory Wade had a great rookie season, but he looks hittable and it seemed like a matter of time before the Phils took advantage of him.  And how about Matt Stairs coming in and clobbering that home run off of Jonathan Broxton, who had given up two home runs all year.  I loved the interview with Stairs after the game.  When players are asked about a home run, they always say the same things, like what Victorino said before Stairs, something like, “I was just looking to hit a line-drive and it happened to go out”.  Stairs response was, “Yeah, I just did the same thing I’ve done my whole career, go up there and swing for the fences”.  Awesome.

-A final strategic note: I agreed with Charlie going to Lidge in the 8th.  With Manny up and two out, it was the perfect situation.  I know he didn’t get him out, but Sandy Koufax in his prime couldn’t get Manny out right now.  It was still the right call.

Kid Cole will take the ball tomorrow and hopefully the Phils will be cracking open the champagne bottles for the third time in the last few weeks.  As for the ALCS, the Red Sox are down 2-1 and have Tim Wakefield going tonight, but they’re far from out of this.  It still could go either way, and I’m still rooting for the Rays.

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Thoughts on Game 2

Posted on October 3, 2008 by Doogan

victorino-I’ll rank the Victorino slam as the second-best Phillies moment of my life, with the Mitch Williams leap when they clinched the ’93 NLCS at #1.  When the ball came off his bat, I jumped up and opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out.  It was like when you go down a huge drop on a roller coaster, and you literally cannot even scream.  When the ball hit the stands I managed a “Grand Slam! GRAND SLAM!!!!”.

-The Myers at-bat that set it up was, obviously, incredible.  That was really a showcase for what makes Philly fans so great.  Like the announcers were saying, you’ll never see a crowd get more worked up for a walk that doesn’t even score a run.  Many of the fans do things that bother me at times (like some that were booing Myers in the first inning yesterday), but most of the time they are some amazing fans.

-It was crazy to see the Brewers intentionally walk Victorino to get to Utley in the fourth inning.  I know Victorino had already doubled and homered off Sabathia, and Utley had struck out twice, but that’s still a questionable move, and a bad one, I think.  The Phils weren’t able to make them pay, though.

-The announcers also pointed out yesterday that the Phillies have only scored in two innings through two games.  I think that’s a bit of a concern.  They’ve had so many opportunities to tack on runs in the last two games and failed every time.  They need to start capitalizing in those spots if they want to keep this playoff success going.

-In the first inning yesterday, Myers was looking like the pitcher that gave up 10 runs to the Marlins a couple weeks ago, but seeing him settle down and pitch the way he did the rest of the game was fantastic.  Things are looking great as the Phils go for the sweep.

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Another Ridiculous Statistic

Posted on October 3, 2008 by bry

Wow, listen to this CRAZY stat I just heard:

In Division Series history, 29 times has a team won the first two games of the series, and in TWENTY-EIGHT of them, the team that won Game 3, won the series.  Think about that:  28 of 29 times that the series started 2-0, the winner of Game 3 won the series.  Fortunately for the Phils, 21 times the team that was up 2-0 completed the sweep.  7 times the team that was down 0-2 came back to win the series.  Only ONCE did a team start 2-0, then lose Game 3, but still win the series.  Kinda weird, huh?

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NLDS Running Diary

Posted on October 1, 2008 by bry

3:12:  Cole Hamels goes 1-2-3, looking VERY impressive.  He has the second best change-up in baseball, and the fact that he threw it 3-1 and 3-2 to Cameron was huge!

 3:15:  Never thought I’d say this about a pair of .249 hitters, but thank god Pat Burrell is healthy behind Howard.  I can’t imagine why the Brewers would pitch to Howard if it was anyone other than Burrell behind him.

3:19:  Thank god we have the brilliant analysis of John Smoltz:  “You know it’s really hard to get 3 outs in an inning.”  Thanks, John.  Is that kind of a firm grasp on baseball strategy required to be a Hall of Fame pitcher or is Smoltzy just blessed?

3:22:  When one game could be the season and then they show the black clouds above the stadium, you have to think about what would happen in a rain delay.  Please don’t rain.  Please don’t rain.  It would be a HUGE disadvantage for the Phillies, who have their best pitcher on the mound, as opposed to the Brewers, who have a guy out of whom they don’t really expect more than 5 innings or so.

3:24:  You know for a guy who stayed in the minors an extra year or two because the Phillies weren’t sure if he could ever play the infield in the majors, Chase Utley has become an outstanding defensive secondbaseman.

3:28:  The difference in Howard in late-August through now is that he is not chasing pitches like he did for four and a half months, particularly breaking balls.

3:33:  I am trying to think back to a team that had such a combination of pure speed and pure power as the Phillies do with this lineup.  The first team that came to mind was the late-80s, early-90s Oakland A’s, but I am sure there are other, more recent examples.  Anyone?

3:41:  Is it weird that I’m not sick of those Frank Caliendo commercials?  I wasn’t even sick of them at the end of last year’s postseason.  But, I tried the show, and it’s kind of terrible.

3:43:  Ruiz has been A LOT better over the second half of the season, which is a big reason for the difference in the Phils’ success because the bottom of their order was a wasteland for 4 months.

3:46:  That is TWICE that a pretty big spot in this game already and the Phillie hitter has gone after the first f’ing pitch.  Make the young guy actually feel the pressure.  Rollins and Burrell should know better than that after all these years in the big leagues.  Ps…that is twice that Smoltz said the word “impatientness.”  I let the first one slide.

3:51:  Defense is SOOO important in the postseason, as was obvious in this big 3rd inning (and was obvious with the Rollins double play against Washington on Saturday).  And, I think we are seeing something we are going to see a lot of this series–an intentional walk to Ryan Howard, which goes back to how important Pat Burrell is for this team right now.

3:59:  Another thing that is so incredibly important in baseball games in general, but especially in October, is the half-inning after your team scores.  And, it may be even more important now because of the youth and inexperience of this Brewers team.  Hamels getting through this top of the 4th without much trouble will be a HUGE step towards the Phillies taking a 1-0 lead in this series.  Add to that, the fact that Hamels spent most of the bottom of the 3rd on the bases (which always scares me about the next inning).

4:03:  Notice that I’m back writing FOUR minutes later?!?  Nice work, Cole.  What a difference one game of postseason experience can make.

4:07:  I think I might be so excited about this game that I am hallucinating.  I thought I just saw Carlos Ruiz try to bunt for a hit.  Weird, right?

4:10:  If you were Ned Yost, would you be rooting for the Brewers?

4:19:  Brian Anderson needs to stop mentioning the fact that Hamels has a #*^&$#*  ^&$#  going through 4 2/3 innings.  Honestly, come on…

4:21:  See?  I blame Brian.

4:25:  And, we are now into the Brewers bullpen.  Not to doubt one of my favorite BSB contributors, but Stri said that all 8 playoff teams were in the top 9 in the majors in bullpen ERAs.  Again, I have no numbers, but I was under the impression that the Brewers bullpen was incredibly shaky.  I mean Solomon Torres is the closer and Eric Gagne is the top setup man.  Hell, Eric Gagne is on the postseason roster–doesn’t that tell you something?

4:31:  Here is something I don’t quite understand.  Ryan Howard is one of the best opposite-field power hitters I have ever seen, but teams put this ridiculous shift on him and he never goes the other way with ground balls or line drives.  It just seems weird to me because, like I said, he is SOOO good at going the other way for power.  In fact, now that I think about it, Mike Piazza was the same way, only from the right side.

4:43:  -deep breath-  So, I was watching the Brewers home broadcast last Thursday night against the Pirates, when Braun (who just popped out in a big spot…deep breath…) hit the walk-off grand slam.  The Brewers “sideline reporter” interviewed Braun after the hit and asked him if this hit might help his confidence, since he had been struggling.  And, he answered, with one of the cockiest looks I’ve ever seen with, “The one thing I don’t need help with is self-confidence…” and just kind of walks away.  How cocky do you have to be to make a cocky joke about yourself being cocky?  Uh…wow.  That being said, the guy can flat-out mash.  -deep breath-

4:49:  So, here’s another question that I have always wondered.  Obviously, the vast majority of major league players were utterly dominant in high school.  Like guys like Bill Hall or Shane Victorino were probably the best players their high schools have ever seen–probably big power hitters and everything.  But, what about guys like Craig Counsell, who are slap hitters?  They are very important major league players, but did they hit for power in high school?  Could you ever see a guy like Eric Bruntlett hitting in the 3-spot?

4:52:  Another thing that has changed a lot in the last 6 weeks for the Phillies is the defense of Ryan Howard.  He has been a lot better (which isn’t hard  because he was brutal early)–almost “good” at firstbase.

5:03:  Wow, how different is the feeling right now than if Mike Cameron had come down with that Chase Utley fly ball that should have been caught?  Not that it is “comfortable,” by any means, but the difference in the physical feeling of a 3-0 lead and 0-0 game in the top of the 8th is incredible.  Do we take this stuff too seriously?

5:19:  Okay, Cole Hamels has thrown 99 pitches and has been basically unhittable, why would he not pitch the 9th? 

5:21:  Whether Hamels pitches the 9th or not (and I have been trying to hold out for fear of the jinx), this has all the makings of going down as a performance that we Phillie fans talk about for generations–like when Schilling struck out the first 5 Brave hitters in Game 1 of the 1993 NLCS.

5:37:  I don’t think I’m in shape for this kind of drama…

5:51:  When the Phillies beat the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 5 of the 1993 World Series behind Curt Schilling, I was 14 years old and had been in high school for a month and a half.  I had Algebra homework, had never had a girlfriend, and was nervous about freshman basketball tryouts.  Today, the day after my father’s 60th birthday and 10 days before my Wedding Day, I have a Master’s Degree, a 401-K, and pain in my knee every time it rains.  And now, the Phillies have another playoff win.  It was worth the wait…

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Quick-fire Postseason Predicitions

Posted on October 1, 2008 by Doogan

Note: See below post for more in-depth looks at the Division Series match-ups. 

With the Phillies involved, I’ll admit right away that I just can’t give completely objective opinions, but I’ll do my best.  I’m all ready on record in picking the Phillies in four over Milwaukee.  Here’s my prediction for the other series in the playoffs:

 Division Series:

–Dodgers over Cubs in 4 games:  The Cubs are the best all-around team in the NL, but I’m going with the hot hand and picking the Dodgers in the upset.  Derek Lowe and Manny Ramirez have been the best pitcher and hitter, respectively, in the league over the past two months.  The 100-year wait will continue on the North Side of Chicago.

–Red Sox over Angels in 5 games:  These are the two best teams in baseball and the winner of this series should be the favorite to win it all.  The Sox have owned the Angels in the postseason, and while I think this series could go either way, I’ll bet on that to continue.

–Rays over White Sox in 3 games:  Even though the ChiSox are just three years removed from a championship, after their miraculous run into the postseason this week, I see them as “just happy to be there” kind of team, and they could also be somewhat underestimating the Rays.  The Rays will use the great home-field advantage to jump out 2-0 and crush the hopes of Ozzie Guillen’s boys.

League Championships:

-Phillies over Dodgers in 6 games:  Again, I can’t ensure objectivity here, but I like the Phils chances, especially with soxhome-field advantage in this series.

-Red Sox over Rays in 6 games:  I know the Rays played the Sox tough in September, but the Rays will be out-classed in this series, as the playoff-tested and pitching-rich Sox power their way back to the Series.

World Series:

-Red Sox over Phillies in 6 games:  Even with Manny gone, and injury concerns for Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew (two heroes in October last season), the Red Sox just have all the things you need to win in October, and their my pick to take home a third title in 5 years. 

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