2008 World Series Highlight Video

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YES US CAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008 PHILLIES WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!

Where to start?

No joke. I have just tried typing out an appropriate sentence six different times, six different ways and had to delete every one because I do not feel it does justice to the sheer pride I am filled with right now in my baseball team. Overcoming some odds and defying the naysayers, the Phillies have won the World Series!

The Phillies. Seriously. The Philadelphia Phillies have won the World Championship! THE PHILLIES ARE WORLD CHAMPS!

When game five was suspended in the middle of the sixth inning Monday night there were many Phillies supporters who grew a little nervous. With the Phillies leading the World Series 3-1, all eyes were on clinching as soon as possible and not having to return to Tampa for any more games until spring training. What if the Rays had won last night? What if the Phillies then lost game six? Who would pitch game seven? The beauty now is that all of those fears and questions are long forgotten. None of it matters.

Resuming game five where we last left off the Phillies stepped to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning. Ace Cole Hamels was due up but naturally he was out of the game for good. Pinch hitting for Hamels was Geoff Jenkins. All post season the Phillies' bench players and unsung heroes have stepped up in big situations. Carlos Ruiz, Matt Stairs, Eric Bruntlett, Joe Blanton, and now Geoff Jenkins. Jenkins got everything jumping when he hit a double into the gap in right field. Watching the excitement and happiness on Jenkins' face was priceless. Jimmy Rollins then put down the sacrifice bunt to move Jenkins to third. If not for last night's shortened game situation Rollins would probably be swinging. Jenkins then scored when Werth hit a bloop single that was just missed by Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura. Perhaps the Baseball Gods were watching over us last night.


Ryan Madson took the mound in relief of Hamels and started off well, getting the first out with a strike out, but Rocco Baldelli momentarily silenced the frenzied crowd with a home run to left field. No worries. J.C. Romero came in to finish off the inning after Madson recorded the second out. Then the play of the game happened.

With Jason Bartlett at second base after a sacrifice bunt Iwamura stepped to the plate. Iwamura got a good hit off of Romero and Chase Utley saved it from going in to the outfield, scoring a sure run. Utley faked a throw to first base, where he had no play, and Bartlett took the bait. Utley then threw home to Ruiz who made an easy tag out to save the potential go-ahead run and end the inning tied at four.

At the bottom of the seventh inning Pat Burrell got his final at-bat of the post season, and possibly his last as a Phillies player. Burrell did not have a very memorable World Series at the plate, but in his final at bat he recorded his first hit. A lead-off double that was just short of a home run to the deepest area of the park. Eric Bruntlett came in to pinch run for Burrell and take over duties in left field in the late innings. Shane Victorino grounded out in the next at bat but was able to move Bruntlett to third base. Pedro Feliz then stepped up and had the hit of the night. Feliz hit a grounder up the middle and in to center field, scoring Bruntlett. From there it was business as usual.

Romero pitched a great eighth inning. Carl Crawford started with a single but B.J. Upton grounded into a double play. Carlos Pena then lined out to left field. The Phillies didn't do anything in the bottom of the eighth but the damage was already done. Up 4-3 the Phillies were about to bring in the best closer in baseball in 2008. Brad "Lights Out" Lidge. This one is for Philadelphia.

Evan Longoria popped to second.

Dioner Navarro singled to right. Fernando Perez came in to pinch run and stole second base. A base hit ties the game.

Ben Zobrist lines out to right field, filing to advance the runner.

Then, this...

Fittingly enough Lidge finished the job with a perfect strike out.


Cole Hamels is your World Series MVP, Jamie Moyer stole the rubber from the mound, and Harry Kalas finally got to call a World Series clinching moment. The Philadelphia Phillies are the World Champions!!!

I will have much more on this for a week I am sure because it is just sinking in that I have witnessed a world championship.



As Shane Victorino says on his blog today, "I guess the curse is gone. William Penn is happy, now."

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One Last Post

Now that I have spread the love to Penn State and Matt Schaub, the time has come to re-focus my energy on the Phillies. This will be my last post of the day.

Tonight could be a night to remember for the rest of my life. My favorite baseball team is close to winning a World Series. Game five will resume tonight at 8:37pm, picking up where we last left off, at the start of the bottom of the sixth inning. Cole Hamels is due up but will be taken out of the game in place of a pinch hitter. I don't know who will pitch for the Phillies in the top of the seventh, but if they can score a run or two in the bottom of the sixth then I would expect to see J.C. Romero or Ryan Madson or a combination of the two.


I feel cautiously optimistic about tonight. I do believe the Phillies will come out hitting and retake control of the game. Any momentum Tampa Bay may have picked up as the game was suspended was halted at the same time. The Phillies bullpen has performed better than the Rays bullpen in this World Series. The Phillies have yet to lose a playoff game at home this year. They want to finish it off at home in front of their fans.

Let's do it tonight guys. Get the pots and pans ready. Leave the cowbell at the door. Maybe I'll break out the trombone.

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sNOw Game Tonight!

Howard Eskin is reporting that game five of the World Series will be pushed back to tomorrow night. No game tonight folks! Instead, catch up on your DVR's!


But hey, at least we get free tacos today, right?

UPDATE: Here is the press release from Major League Baseball; [link]

PHILADELPHIA - Game Five of the 2008 World Series will not resume tonight due to inclement weather. Game Five is now tentatively scheduled to resume on Wednesday evening at 8:37 p.m. (ET), weather permitting. Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig said: "While obviously we want to finish Game Five as soon as possible, the forecast for today does not allow for us to continue the game this evening. We are closely monitoring tomorrow's forecast and will continue to monitor the weather on an hourly basis. We will advise fans as soon as we are able to make any final decisions with respect to tomorrow's schedule."

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Bud Selig is an Idiot

If the commissioner of major league baseball, Bud Selig, was the least bit competent, last night's debacle of a decision to suspend the game when he did would never have happened.

I'm not talking about everything that went down in the decision to suspend game five of the World Series in the middle of the sixth inning and trying to convince people it was in the best interest of the players (when they had already played in that rain for two innings and should have finished the sixth inning if that was going to be the call). I'm going back to the All Star game. No, not this year. The one in Milwaukee, the tied All Star game. If not for Selig's decision to implement home field advantage to the winning league in the All Star game last night's game would have taken place in Tropicana Field, in a dome no less.

The National League would have had home field advantage this year as it used to alternate between the leagues each year.

Bud Selig: American Idiot


The weather in the Philadelphia area looks to be pretty bad all day. I even saw snow this morning. Who knows when the game will resume, tied at two in the bottom of the sixth inning. Nobody can be happy about this on either side. When the game does resume the Phillies will be trying to finish off the Rays and clinch their second World Series title in franchise history. A win would also set off a fantastic celebration in Philadelphia for the rest of the week.

Let's get this game in and clinch it at home!

Heck, I have waited this long for a championship right? What's one more day?

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Joe the Pitcher

For anybody who has not been watching the Phillies in the playoffs this season they are unaware of how well mid-season acquisition Joe Blanton has played. The guy has done nothing but win and with last night's victory he helped the Phillies step one game closer to bringing the city of Philadelphia their first taste of champagne since 1983.

The 10-2 victory in game four by the Phillies was blown wide open late in the game when Ryan Howard capped off the night with his second home run of the evening, scoring two after Jayson Werth had hit a two run home run earlier in the eighth inning. Having no need for Brad Lidge in the rout of the Rays, J.C. Romero closed it out in relief. Winning early in the morning in game three the Phillies showed no signs of sleep deprivation and jumped out to a 2-0 lead early.

Jimmy Rollins got things off on the right foot with a lead off double in the bottom of the first and was the beneficiary of a blown call when the third base umpire missed a tag from Evan Longoria during a run down between third base and home plate. While Rollins got away with "missed tag" the Rays could have had an inning ending double play if they had used proper baseball logic. As a result the bases were loaded on the fielder's choice and Pat Burrell worked a walk off of Rays pitcher Andy Sonnanstine to force Rollins home for the 1-0 lead. The Phillies left the bases loaded but in the end it would not matter.

Leading 2-1 in the fourth inning the Phillies took a firm grip on game four when Ryan Howard blasted an opposite field home run scoring three runs with Rollins and Werth on base. The Rays responded in the top of the fifth by getting one run back on a bomb to dead center field from pinch hitter Eric Hinske but Blanton was unfazed. In the bottom of the same inning Blanton would smack his first career home run, getting the run back all by himself. If you see a replay of the Blanton home run, the first home run in a World Series by a pitcher since 1974, just watch the sheer joy on Blanton's face. It is classic. He must have known he hit it out of the park when he made contact, judging by his face.


When Blanton's night was done he had recorded six full innings of work, allowing two runs on four hits, striking out seven and walking two. Chad Durbin, Scott Eyre, Ryan Madson and Romero combined to work the final three innings without letting Tampa Bay cross the plate. Some of the "experts" told you before the World Series started that the Rays had the decisive advantage in pitching. You were told that Cole Hamels aside, the Rays have the better starting rotation. You were also told by many hat the bullpen of the Rays was better. Say what now?

While Blanton pitched a solid game it was the offense that carried the team in game four. Rollins has been on fire since returning home to Philadelphia. Going 3-5 last night it was Rollins who set the table for the offense. Howard hit two home runs for five RBI's. Only Burrell and Shane Victorino failed to get a hit. Showing patience at the plate was once again successful for the Phillies on offense. Rays pitchers only struck out the Phillies four times. Conversely the Rays struck out 12 times.

So here we are, the Phillies one game away from a championship. Game five will see baseball's best pitcher this post season when Hamels takes the mound for the Phillies in the key role. Is there anybody else Phillies fans would want to see pitching tonight? Let me answer that for you.


Not a chance.

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A Case of Cold Bats

SERIES TIED 1-1

The Tampa Bay Rays got on the board early off of Phillies starter Brett Myers and the Phillies continued to struggle at the plate with runners in scoring position. The Rays evened up the World Series at one game a piece before the series moves north to Philadelphia.

The Phillies are now 1-28 with runners in scoring position in the World Series. That is a disturbing trend. To think that if they could have gone a dismal 5-28 they would be coming home up two games to zero on the Rays. Despite the struggles according to the numbers there were some positives to take out of this. The one thing that stands out to me is the patience the Phillies have shown at the plate, for the most part.

Shane Victorino was the exception again last night, swinging at the first pitch and popping out after Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell had gotten on base after very patient at bats. Credit given to Rays pitcher James Shields for not allowing a run, but anybody who watched that game knows that the Phillies are shooting themselves in the feet.

Speaking of Shields, and to steal a Bill Walton line, "What did he do wrong?" Shields went five and two-thirds of an inning without allowing a run when manager Joe Maddon pulled him. Perhaps it was the pitch count going over 100 so early? I don't know but what I do know is that Maddon will actually have to do some real managing in the next three games. He won't be able to just switch his pitchers up so freely without the designated hitter in place at Citizens Bank Park. This is one reason I believe the Phillies will do some serious damage to the Rays in the next three games.

In the first two games the Phillies, offense as lacking as it has been, have not let a starting pitcher see the seventh inning. Ironically it is the Phillies starters who are having more effective outings. We all know about Cole Hamels but I feel Myers had a good enough game to win. Myers was in the game for all four runs but one run was unearned, and the home plate umpire gave the Rays an extra out when he called Rocco Baldelli out on strikes and then appealed to first base. I still don't understand how that happened and Myers still had a job to do which he didn't, but when a team gets four outs they should take advantage. The Rays got two four out innings from the umpire and Werth. Myers also got no offensive help behind him (maybe he should have been the DH) but went seven solid innings but not without faults.

Myers walked Akinori Iwamura to lead off the game for the Rays. B.J. Upton then hit a single to right field, which Jayson Werth recorded an error when picking the ball up, allowing Iwamura to get to third and Upton to second. Carlos Pena then grounded out to what would have been a sure double play, but instead it was a one out RBI. Evan Longoria followed that up with a ground out that scored Upton from third. What should have been a good inning from Myers turned in to a two run first for the Rays.

Let's hang our heads in shame as we talk about the offense.

Jimmy Rollins was 0-5 yet again and left four on base. He was also hit by a pitch in the ninth inning (the ball clearly grazed his jersey) and he was not awarded first base. Is that making up for the questionable balk call form the night before? Who knows what could have happened if Rollins reached base. Maybe nothing. They still had to score two runs at that point, but who knows. In any event, Rollins needs to get his approach figured out quickly. This is not the time of year to be figuring things out.

The time is now to switch Victorino and Werth in the lineup. Having Victorino in the six spot is supposed to help balance out the bottom of the lineup but having Werth follow up a lifeless Rollins is even more hurtful. The bottom of the lineup is ok. Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz are not what's hurting this team's chances to win, rather it is the top of the lineup. I would expect to see Victroino back in his old two-spot and Werth moved down to sixth. I wouldn't expect anything more drastic than that for game three adjustments.

Ryan Howard found a way to beat the shift last night, notching two hits in his first two at-bats but he did that in a lead off spot in the second and fourth innings. Go figure that nobody was on base in front of him. With runners on Howard was 0-2, including the last out of the game. Pat Burrell needs to find his game as well. Burrell went 0-3 last night and is still looking for his first hit of the World Series.

Look, it is time to be nervous and concerned, but it is not time to panic. The Phillies did what they needed to do in Tampa and that was to win one game, taking home field advantage. They are getting runners on. They are being patient. They just need to start hitting with runners in scoring position. The Rays may have won last night but there was nothing that sold me that they are vastly superior to the Phillies. The Phillies should feel fine coming home for three games. I know I feel fine. I expect the Phillies to win two of the three games in Philadelphia (Cole Hamels is slated for game five). They are in a good position.

-----------------Random Thoughts-----------------

• Greg Dobbs is clearly a better pinch hitter than designated hitter. Maybe Matt Stairs should have been the DH. Dobbs looked uncharacteristically bad.
• J.C. Romero showed he is ready when called upon with a perfect eighth inning.
• Brett Myers pitched well and was much more economical with his pitches. He is not a reason to be worried.
• Los Lonely Boys and Backstreet Boys are the best Tampa can come up with?
• I stand firm in my prediction; Phillies in six.
• Jamie Moyer has had plenty of time to think about his last couple of starts. He sure will be rested for game three.

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The Phillies prevailed in game one of the World Series, beating the Rays 3-2. Tonight Brett Myers takes the mound and the lineup has a different look as the Phillies look to take a commanding 2-0 lead on the American League champs before heading home to Citizens Bank Park.

Game time: 8:29pm
Where to watch: Fox
Radio: 1210AM, 950 ESPN

World Series: Phillies lead 1-0

Pitching Match-Ups: James Shields (Rays 1-2, 3.72)vs. Brett Myers (Phillies 2-0, 5.25)


Injury Report: PHILLIES - None RAYS - Shawn Riggans (15 day DL)

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Phillies Escape With Victory

PHILLIES LEAD SERIES 1-0

It doesn't matter how it gets done, as long as it gets done.

That statement could not be any more true when it comes to the World Series. Last night the Phillies jumped a number of hurdles in the form of stranded runners and a first baseman named Ryan Howard to take game one of the World Series from the Tampa Bay Rays, winning 3-2.


Getting things started early was Chase Utley, swinging for a two run home run in the first inning after Jayson Werth had walked. Cole Hamels was much appreciative of the early lead. Extending the lead to 3-0 in the fourth inning with Shane Victorino scoring from third on a Carlos Ruiz groundout would be all Hamels needed. The Rays would score a run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Carl Crawford smacked a home run off of Hamels. In the bottom of the fifth inning the Rays would put together one more run when Jason Bartlett scored from second off of an Akinori Iwamura double. Iwamura was the only Rays batter who could seem to find some effectiveness against Hamels, notching three of the five hits Hamels allowed.

Hamels, once again, was fantastic. This Rays team came in as hot as anybody and their offense is very explosive. To only allow two runs in seven innings is darn good. When he did get in some trouble he found ways out of it. To think his outing would have been even better if Ryan Howard could play a semi-decent first base. While Hamels and Utley had memorable debuts in the Fall Classic, Howard had one he would love to forget.

Howard went 0-4 on the night with three strike outs, leaving four on base. He did walk once but his struggles continued in the field. Only credited for one error either he or Hamels made a mistake in the first inning when Iwamura was the beneficiary of a gaffe on someone's behalf of not covering the base in time. Hamels was beat to the bag, but he had let up as Howard appeared to be charging to take it himself.


Jimmy Rollins went 0-5. Chris Coste, inserted as the designated hitter, went 0-4. Pat Burrell was 0-3. Ruiz was 0-3 but he knocked in a run so he is forgiven. All in all the Phillies left eleven batters, including way too many men at third and lead off base runners. This is truly an area of concern and why I believe the Phillies were lucky to escape with a victory in game one.

Don't get me wrong, the Phillies earned this victory. They proved to be the better team in game one against the favored Rays and game one is huge. The Phillies take control of the home field advantage and prove that they can win in Tampa. The Phillies are now three games away from bring a championship to Philadelphia so there is plenty of reasons to be happy today, and I am. The Phillies are still a long way from where they want to be there and there is still massive work to be done.

Tonight in game two Brett Myers takes the mound for the Phillies. On offense the batters will have to continue showing patience I felt they had in game one (for the most part). Winning game one definitely will ease the tension in the Philadelphia club house and may make the Rays a little more eager to get some big hits. That could bode well for Myers. Hopefully Myers shows up with the same controlled intensity he has at home. Getting through the first inning unscathed will be the key for Myers.

---------------------- Random Thoughts ----------------------

• Howard needs to calm down at first. I think his error was caused because he was too antsy to get the out. He had plenty of time.
• Victorino, I love you, but please refrain from swinging at first pitches when the pitcher is struggling and walking guys in front of you.
• What is B.J. Upton doing staring down Hamels? You want some of this?
• This game should have been 8-1 Phillies.
• Mike Schmidt doing the starting line up for the Phillies was a great omen.
• Ryan Madson continues to impress.
• Brad Lidge was awesome once again.
• I didn't think Victorino should have run home from third, testing Upton, but part of me was ok with it. You have to test the arm once since you haven't seen the Rays all year. If you're going to test the "cannon" then Victorino is the one you want running.
  

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Phillies vs. Rays: Game One Open Thread - World Series Edition

Finally, the time has come for the World Series to get started. The National League champion Philadelphia Phillies visit the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays in game one tonight in Tropicana Field.

Game time: 8:22pm
Where to watch: Fox
Radio: 1210AM, 950 ESPN

World Series: 0-0

Pitching Match-Ups: Scott Kazmir (Rays 1-0, 4.02) - Cole Hamels (Phillies 3-0, 1.23)


Injury Report: PHILLIES - None RAYS - Shawn Riggans (15 day DL)

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Official World Series Prediction

Without putting together an actual preview of the World Series I still have to announce my official prediction.

Phillies in six.

As I said I did not put together an actual preview of the World Series but follow the below links to check out my thoughts regarding the World Series...

• This link will show you every post tagged with the term "2008 World Series".
• This link will show you why I believe the Phillies will succeed playing the underdog role.
• This link will help you get rid of all the Tampa demons.
• This link will give you a non-traditional breakdown between Philadelphia and Tampa.
• This link will give you my pitching breakdown of the Phillies pitching staff.

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Fair and Balanced

Taking a phrase from Fox News (gag me now), in being fair and balanced I will share with you what I am told is the real Tampa Bay Fight Song.



True, it is better than that other one I included in a previous post, but seriously folks. Phillies Phever is a classic!

Things are about to go crazy go nuts tonight! Let's go already!

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Get All The Tampa Bay Demons Off Your Minds

Tonight the Phillies and Rays continue a brief playoff history between the two cities when they face each other in the World Series. Previously Tampa has had the last laugh in meetings in the NFL and NHL. Thankfully for Philadelphia there is no NBA franchise to beat the Sixers.

This post is specifically to let all of the Tampa Bay demons off of Philadelphia's mind prior to tonight's game one of the World Series, or if you are reading this after game one, game two etc.

Yes, this is painful to remember, but let's just get it all out now and let this series play out.

Feel free to leave your own torturous memories in the comments.

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Alternative Look at Philly vs. Tampa

What championship round would be complete without a non-sense, no background check, non-relevent comparison between the two teams, their fans, and the cities they hail from. Do these have anything to do with who will win the World Series? Of course not! But it can be fun and good for a laugh. Enjoy. Feel free to leave suggestions to be added later.

PHILADELPHIA VS. TAMPA (BAY)

In Philadelphia we have National League Champions.

In Tampa they have American League Champions.Advantage - PUSH


In Philadelphia we have Rocky.
In Tampa they have Cocoon.Advantage- PHILADELPHIA


In Philadelphia we have a championship football trophy.
In Tampa they have a championship football trophy.Advantage - TAMPA


In Philadelphia we have Rocky II.
In Tampa they have Lethal Weapon III.Advantage - PHILADELPHIA


In Philadelphia we have Citizens Bank Park.
In Tampa they have Tropicana Field.Advantage - PHILADELPHIA


In Philadelphia we have college basketball.
In Tampa they have spring training.Advantage - PHILADELPHIA


In Philadelphia we had Macho Row mullets.
In Tampa they have Ray Hawks.Advantage - PUSH



In Philadelphia we have Phillies Phever.


In Tampa they have...this.

Advantage - PHILADELPHIA


In Philadelphia we have the Phillie Phanatic.

In Tampa they have Raymond.

Advantage - PHILADELPHIA

There you go. The facts are in. By this logic the Phillies should win the World Series pretty easilly. Much more coverage will be brought to you tomorrow via a series of scheduled posts, concluding with the game one open thread which will upload at 7:30 pm.

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Congratulations to the Rays

Last night the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox in game seven of the American League Championship Series, earning their place in the 2008 World Series.

Congratulations to the Rays for the accomplishment. Welcome to the Fall Classic. Starting pitcher Matt Garza was named the ALCS MVP. Congratulations Garza.

Prepare to lose.

More on this series tomorrow folks. Busy day yet again here for me.

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Still Doing the Guest Blogging Thang

Don't forget to check out my guest posts over at The Launching Pad. Click here for my reflections on the 2008 National League Champions.

The Phillies are still waiting to find out their next opponent for the World Series. The Boston Red Sox did what the Red Sox do last night, rallying from a 7-0 deficit in the seventh inning to win 8-7. The ALCS now heads back to Tampa for game six with the Rays up three games to two.

Man I hate these guys...but I want them to extend the series to seven games (and lose)

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Meanwhile in That Other Series...

I want to take things one game at a time when it comes to the Phillies, but with the Fightins up 3 games to 1 on the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series you have to admit that advancing to the World Series seems almost certain. Is there any way the Phillies lose three games in a row to the Dodgers? I really do not see that happening. With Cole Hamels taking the mound tonight a loss would still send it back to Philadelphia for game six for a fired up Brett Myers and who knows what would happen in a game seven.

In any event I have been keeping an eye on that other best of seven series of some significance from that other league with the goofy designated hitter rule. After last night the Tampa Bay Rays find themselves in the same situation the Phillies do, up three games to one on the Boston Red Sox. They aren't just controlling that series, they are flat out dominating it!


After losing the series opener in Tampa by a 2-0 score the Rays have been carrying a big stick and have pounded the Red Sox by scores of 9-8, 9-1, and 13-4. It is scary how well they are playing. With both the Phillies and Rays now up 3-1 on the road all signs are now pointing towards a Phillies-Rays World Series. At this point is just a formality to wrap these series' up.

While I will wait to analyze the World Series match-up in more depth until the Phillies officially clinch the National League, something that I expect to happen tonight, I will tell you that the Rays seem like a team of destiny at this point.

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