Phour Wins Away

PHILLIES WIN NATIONAL LEAGUE!!!

Wow. Folks, for the second time in my life my favorite baseball team is officially the best team in the National League (I do not include 1983 since I was just about two years old). The Phillies punched their ticket to the World Series. I have been in love this team for a while now and today I could not be happier. But there is still business to take care of and that means focusing on the World Series, whether it be against the Tampa Bay Rays or the Boston Red Sox, who are entering their game five tonight in the ALCS with the Rays up 3-1.

Today is a deserved day of celebration though.

Cole Hamels, despite my concerns earlier, was terrific in his third start of the 2008 post season. Hamels went seven full innings and only allowed a solo home run by Manny Ramirez to put a number besides 0 on the scoreboard for the Dodgers. Hamels issued only three walks and struck out five before handing the game off to Ryan Madson in the eighth inning. Hamels was given some early run support when Jimmy Rollins hit a lead off home run off of Chad Billingsley.

The Phillies did enough on their own offensively to win but Rafael Furcal's three errors in the fifth inning helped the Phillies score two runs and open up a 5-0 lead. I could not help but feel bad for Furcal, but of course I was elated. Three errors in the fifth inning by one player? Two of those errors were on the same play. Furcal failed to play a ground ball and wound up kicking it towards the stands on the third base side. With Utley running home after the kicked ball Furcal tracked down the ball and attempted to throw Utley out at home, but the throw was errant, scoring Utley. Ryan Howard advanced to third base on the first error and was held there because of a lucky bounce of the errant throw off of the backstop. Howard would score when Carlos Ruiz hit a ball to Furcal and Furcal made another poor throw to first, sending the ball bouncing away from James Loney. Pat Burrell could have scored on an erratic throw home but remained at third base.

With a 5-0 lead in the fifth inning was there ever a doubt that the Phillies and Hamels would win that game?

While the offense actually provided run support for Hamels the pitching of the Phillies in decisive game was outstanding. For starters where did the fastball from Madson come from? Was Madson hiding that ability all year or was Madson so fired up he couldn't help but throw that major heat. Of course Brad Lidge came in to close the game out. In a non save situation Lidge was the man you wanted to see out there anyway. He was brought here to solidify the ninth innings of games and that is exactly what he did. After a lead off hit by Loney, Lidge got the next three batters to fly out, culminating with Nomar Garciaparra popping up in foul territory. Ruiz caught the ball for the clinching out and the Phillies are on their way to the World Series.

Hamels was named NLCS MVP and it would be hard to argue that. With two ace-like starts in the NLCS it was clear that Hamels was the best player in the series. Sure, Shane Victorino may have been the guy behind many key moments in the series, but it was the cool and steady Hamels that set the pace for the Phillies. In game one he dug a 2-0 hole to the Dodgers at home but never panicked and knew his team would rally behind him. He stayed in long enough to earn the victory after Utley and Burrell connected for home runs in the sixth inning. In three playoff starts Hamels has given up three runs and six walks while striking out 22 batters in 22 innings of work.


Congratulations to the Dodgers for a hard fought series. This was a tough one but the Phillies had some breaks go their way when it really counted and, let's face it, the Phillies were just the better team. I am a big fan of Joe Torre and appreciate the way he treats the game. Torre made a trip in to the Phillies clubhouse after the game last night and spoke briefly with Charlie Manuel and offered his congratulations and some words of advice. Manuel's response? He was thankful and told Torre that he was Manuel's idol.

Now it is a much deserved and needed week off. Manuel will move on to his mother's funeral. Victorino's family is actually holding off on any memorial services for Shane's grandmother until the post season is over. Hopefully the Phillies can send Victorino off with a championship.

Much more on this and the World Series as we move forward. For now we watch the ALCS and scout the opposition. Will the Rays finish off the Red Sox tonight? Or will the Red Sox make a run to extend the series. I like the Red Sox tonight but like the Rays to win this series.

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No World Series For You! One Year!

Just to complete the most unwanted tri-fecta in ticket lottery history I got the following e-mail from the Phillies.

World Series Ticket Purchase Opportunity Thank you for registering for a chance to purchase tickets for the Phillies postseason. Unfortunately your entry was not selected for our online World Series sale. Should additional World Series tickets be made available, you are automatically eligible for any potential World Series second chance sales. Winners for potential World Series second chance ticket sales will be notified via the e-mail address submitted on the phillies.com Postseason Ticket Opportunity form. Thank you again for your participation.

If me not getting the opportunity to purchase post season tickets at Citizens Bank Park means the Phillies will win that round, then I suppose I am happy to not have won a chance to buy tickets to the World Series. As usual I have not heard from many people who had any luck. How did you do?

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Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball

In my top five baseball video games of all time, Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball ranks second.

1. RBI Baseball
2. Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball
3. Major League Baseball 2K8
4. Mario Superstar Baseball
5. Triple Play Baseball 2001

Gametrailers.com recently did a Video Game Vault segment on my favorite baseball video game on the Super Nintendo.



My favorite parts of the game were the animation sequences of the batters when striking out. Your batter would simply hang his head in shame in the batter's box, break his bat over his leg, or turn toward the TV screen (where the umpire would be) and shout "OH COME ON!"

The game had a unique manager mode in which you let the computer control all of your moves on offense or defense, but you as manager would give instructions to bunt, pitch out, steal etc. After playing one game that way I switched it back to the regular mode after three innings.

With no Major League Baseball Player's Association license Griffey was the only real player in the game. All of the remaining names, of course, were made up. What I did not realize though was that each team had a theme. The Phillies names paid homage to Philadelphia celebrities and historical figures. Darren Daulton was replaced with R. Balboa. Dave Hollins was named A. Creed. Another player was named L. Bell. The Red Sox were given names from the classic TV show Cheers. The Mariners, except for Griffey, consisted of names from the Nintendo of America. Nintendo is based in Redmond, Washington and owns a majority ownership in the Mariners.

The video above is accurate though. Ken Griffey Jr. was unfairly awesome in the game. You could not beat him in a home run derby to save your life.



There was a sequel later released under the title Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run for the SNES but that version failed to live up to the greatness of the first game. All it offered was some updated graphics and some new music. Still no player's license so Griffey was the only real player.


Somewhere out there in blogger land, a dedicated gamer shares his Ken Griffey Jr. Presents MLB experience for the love of the game. If you are interested check out Ken Griffey Jr. Presents MLB Fan Blog.

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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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Stone Cold Matt Stairs?

Maybe. Maybe not. In any event get Matt Stairs some ice cold Steveweisers because Stairs just walked into the Smack Down hotel in Los Angeles, checked into room 3:16 and burned Dodger Stadium to the ground.

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Stairs Way to Heaven

NOTE: I swear I wrote this before checking my Google Reader and finding that Todd Zolecki used the same headline.

Matt Stairs has just penned his name into the lore of Phillies baseball and the hearts of their fans forever. He made his own path to Philadelphia heaven in the city of angels.

One win away from the World Series is where the Phillies now find themselves after last night's game four of the National League Championship Series. If you went to bed early frustrated with the Phillies I don't blame you necessarily, although you should know that a Phillies game is never over until the final out is recorded. The Phillies turned an abysmal loss in which Ryan Howard handed the Dodgers a 5-3 lead into one for the ages with a dramatic come from behind victory. Philadelphia won 7-5.

Talk about a back and forth game. This was it. The Phillies jumped on Derek Lowe and his short rest early, scoring two runs in the first inning. Chase Utley, who has been playing very well in this series, hit a double down the right field line to score Jimmy Rollins and advance Jayson Werth to third. Ryan Howard grounded out but drove home Werth and moved Utley to third. Things were looking good. Giving Joe Blanton a two run lead to start the game would be huge.

Blanton allowed a run in the first inning, cued by a slug bunt hit by Rafael Furcal over the head of Greg Dobbs. But Blanton only allowed the lone run in the first inning and pitched effectively through five innings. Los Angeles was able to score three times off of Blanton who was showing signs of fatigue in the fifth inning. Leaving the game down 3-2 may have been demoralizing for Blanton but the Phillies scored a run in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game when Ryan Howard scored on a wild pitch. When the Dodgers came up in the sixth inning is when the insanity started.

Chad Durbin came in to relieve Blanton and promptly let the Dodgers retake the lead on a lead off home run by Casey Blake, who was pushed by his teammates to take a curtain call. Durbin then gave up a double to Juan Pierre and then a walk to pinch hitting Matt Kemp. With nobody out and two on Charlie Manuel called on Scott Eyre to try and wiggle his way out of Durbin's mess. But the mess was just beginning.

Rafael Furcal put down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners but was safe when Howard picked up the ball and threw wide, glancing off of Chase Utley's glove into right field. Pierre scored and Kemp and Furcal each advanced a base to put two men in scoring position with nobody out. I admit I was yelling "Ryan Howard just threw the game away! He just threw the game away!" Premature obviously. I let my emotions get the best of me. I calmed down a bit and said if the Phillies could get out of that inning without any more damage then they had plenty of time to come back. Genius, right?

Andre Ethier lined out to Howard for the first out. Manny Ramirez was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out in hopes of a double play. Ryan Madson then came in and got the much needed double play when Russell Martin lined to second base where Chase Utley made the play of the game, diving to tag second base to double off Furcal at second. That was the defensive play of the series so far.

After a solid seventh inning from both teams the fireworks were about to start in the eight inning. With the score finding the Dodgers in front with a 5-3, the Phillies were looking to get something going with what was likely to be the meat of the lineup's last try. Howard lead off the inning with a single up the middle in to center field. Shift that. Pat Burrell popped up, failing to advance Howard. Then the villain came to the plate.

Shane Victorino, full of emotions from his grandmother passing and the incident from the previous night, tied the game with a two run home run that lined just over the wall in right field and into the Phillies dugout. All of a sudden the Phillies were breathing a sigh of relief. The game was tied late and who knew what would happen next.

Pedro Feliz lined out sending Carlos Ruiz out to try and extend the inning. Ruiz did just that, sending a single in to left field and setting up Stairs for the most dramatic home run of his career. Stairs, a veteran of the game, showed great patience at the plate in drawing a 3-1 count. Stairs then let loose on the next pitch and drilled one to deep right field midway up the seats in the right field section. It was a moon shot. No question about it. This one will be remembered by Phillies fans for a long time. It was majestic.

With that the Phillies had an improbable 7-5 lead in the eight inning. From there it was all about getting the game to Brad Lidge. J.C. Romero did just that, retiring the first two batters he faced when he got Ethier to ground in to a double play. Now batting, Manny Ramirez.

Rather than have Romero go after Ramirez Charlie Manuel brought in his closer for a four out save opportunity. With a two run lead it did not matter what Ramirez did, and Lidge almost got him but Ramirez made Lidge look like nothing with a double into right center. With Russell Martin up you had to feel good that Lidge would get the third out of the eighth. He did with a strike out but the ball got away from Ruiz and Martin (and Ramirez) each advanced a base. Now all of a sudden the Dodgers had runners at the corner with two outs. But Lidge had no fear. He knows Ruiz makes the stop much more often than not. No need to sweat with a two run lead. Lidge then got James Loney to pop out to left field.

The ninth inning was just played as a formality as Lidge finished the deal with a perfect ninth inning. The Phillies had just stolen a game from the Dodgers and with it a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

I mean it when I say that this was probably the best baseball game I have ever seen, at least the best Phillies game I have ever seen. Tuesday is a well deserved day off for both teams, but the Phillies have the advantage on Wednesday when they send Cole Hamels to the mound likely against Chad Billingsley.

One win away from the World Series

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Phillies vs. Dodgers: Game Four Open Thread

The National League East Division champion Philadelphia Phillies visit the National League West Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the National League Championship Series. The Dodgers won the third game 7-2 and the Phillies have a 2-1 lead in the series.

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

NLCS: Phillies lead 2-1

Pitching Match-ups: Joe Blanton (Phillies 1-0, 1.50) - Derek Lowe (Dodgers 1-1, 3.18)

Injury Report: PHILLIES - Tom Gordon (60 day DL) DODGERS - Takashi Saito (Day to day), Scott Proctor (Day to day)

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At least this happened this weekend...

Sure the Phillies capped off the sports weekend with a 7-2 drubbing to the Dodgers, but at least these things happened in football...

Matt Schaub ran for a game winning touchdown with three seconds left against the Dolphins.

The Eagles won in San Francisco, 40-26 in a must win game.

The Cowboys lost despite the refs attempting to hand them the game.

And of course...


...thanks to these teams...

Penn State won and is now the #3 team in the country.

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Please, No Moyer!

Attention Jamie Moyer! The playoffs have started. Will you be attending this year?

Moyer has pitched two games this year in the playoffs and has not pitched past the fourth inning. His second outing was worst than his lone appearance in the NLDS against the Brewers, as he allowed five runs to the Dodgers in the first inning. After giving up a lead off home run in the second inning, after the Phillies had gotten one run back in the top of the second, Charlie Manuel made the switch and brought in Clay Condrey, starting a long night for the bullpen.

The Dodgers won game three of the National League Championship Series 7-2 on a night when tempers would flare.

The good news to come from Moyer's short night was that the bullpen was very good, only allowing one run in seven innings of work. Unfortunately the Phillies continued their struggling against Hiroki Kuroda. Jimmy Rollins continues to be non-existent in the lead off spot, going 0-4 last night with two strike outs. Shane Victorino, who would be a player of interest later in the game was also sub par with an 0-4 night. The struggles at the top of the order limited the effectiveness of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard who combined for three hits and the only runs of the night for the Phillies.

The night started off ominously as the Dodgers pounded Moyer for five runs in the first inning. Rafael Furcal lead off the bottom of the first for the Dodgers with a single. Andre Ethier followed that up with a single, bring Manny Ramirez to the plate with two men on. Ramirez notched a single that scored Furcal, getting the Dodgers on the board early 1-0 with two men on and nobody out.

The inning continued when Russell Martin was hit in the knees. Now, Martin was upset and so were the rest of his teammates because the Dodgers felt Brett Myers was throwing at Ramirez in game two.

If you were smart enough you would know that wasn't the case. If Myers wanted to throw at somebody, he would have hit you. Case in point, Chase Utley lead the league in being hit by a pitch. Did the Phillies ever retaliate? Not once. The Phillies do not have a history of ever throwing at anybody under Manuel. That is just flat out the truth! Myers was quick to point out that he was trying to pitch inside (the only way to get Ramirez out) and the ball got away from him. That should have been the end of the debate. But the Dodgers were not satisfied. So when Moyer hit Martin the Dodgers felt the Phillies were going after their hitters again, or at least Martin did. While the Dodgers went on to score four more times in the inning they were not happy with having a five run lead.

In the third inning Hiroki Kuroda and Martin, who at that point was upset about another pitching coming high and inside on him (and grounding into a double play) waited for their spot for retaliation. Shane Victorino would be their mark. When the opportunity came Kuroda threw his pitch up and in on Victorino, going over the head of the ducking Victorino. Give Victorino credit. He could have charge the mound for the head hunting, but he restrained himself and vehemently gestured to Kuroda that if he wanted to throw at Victorino to throw at his ribs. Stay away from the head.

The Dodgers were totally at fault for this whole incident. The Phillies never threw at Ramirez. The Phillies never threw at Martin. None of those pitches were intentional. But the Dodgers, who were down 0-2 needed something to spark their team and that is the way they wanted to handle things. Fine. Cry babies.

Russell Martin after the game said "...we didn't throw at his head. We threw it over his head." Only because Victorino ducked.

Victorino said after the game "Someone was bound to get hit. The situation called for it. Just don't throw at my head." He added later "I think it's over. I'll squash it."

Hopefully for the sake of the game this non sense is over. I would expect nothing less from a pair of teams managed by Charlie Manuel and Joe Torre. I admit though I would love to hear what Larry Bowa and Davey Lopes had to say to each other when the benches cleared.

Let's move forward to game four. Joe Blanton will take the mound for the Phillies, who need to slow down the Dodgers momentum from last night. Blanton was fantastic in game four against the Brewers but the Dodgers are not the Brewers. Derek Lowe is going to start for the Dodgers on short rest. Lowe pitched brilliantly against the Phillies through five innings in game one but gave up three runs on two home runs in the sixth inning. The Phillies won that game 3-2.

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Phillies vs. Dodgers: Game Three Open Thread

The National League East Division champion Philadelphia Phillies visit the National League West Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the National League Championship Series. The Phillies won the second game 8-5 and have a 2-0 lead in the series.

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

NLCS: Phillies lead 2-0

Pitching Match-ups: Jamie Moyer (Phillies 0-1, 4.50) - Hiroki Kuroda (Dodgers 1-0, 0.00)

Injury Report: PHILLIES - Tom Gordon (60 day DL) DODGERS - Takashi Saito (Day to day)

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How Low Can You Go?

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Phillies vs. Dodgers: Game Two Open Thread

The National League East Division champion Philadelphia Phillies host the National League West Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers in game two of the National League Championship Series. The Phillies won the first game 3-2 and have a 1-0 lead in the series.

Game time: 4:35 pm
Where to watch: Fox
Radio: 1210AM, 950 ESPN

NLCS: Phillies lead 1-0

Pitching Match-ups: Brett Myers (Phillies 1-0, 2.57) - Chad Billingsley (Dodgers 1-0, 1.35)

Injury Report: PHILLIES - None DODGERS - Hong Chih-Kuo (Day to day), Takashi Saito (Day to day)

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John McPenguin

Stef showed me this video yesterday and I just had to share it! It cracks me up every time. Sad, I know.

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Six Pack of Picks for the Weekend: Postponed

For the second straight week there will be no Six Pack of Picks for the Weekend. Why? Two reasons.

1. I am way too busy today, therefore only a pair of auto-scheduled posts will be thrown up today. Stay tuned.
2. I am way to wound up on baseball right now to concentrate on football at all.

Also I decided to hold off on Part IV of NLCS Phlashback and I now have it auto-scheduled for Saturday, the first off day in this year's NLCS. I didn't want it to get lost in the hoopla of the start of the series yesterday.

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Welcome to the Playoff(s) Chase

You can read my headline any way you wish. Both applied last night in game one.

Biggest Philadelphia win since game one of the 2001 NBA Finals.

As amped as I was for game one of the National League Championship Series between my Phillies and the Dodgers, I was even more psyched when the crowd shots started to be shown on TV and you could hear the "Beat LA!" chants roaring through Citizens Bank Park with the rally towels waving. Even with Cole Hamels letting up a run in the first inning I had a feeling that it was going to be a good night for the Phillies. I started getting frustrated around the fifth inning but as is usually the case in baseball, patience can be a virtue. The Phillies made the wit for offense worth it with three runs in the sixth inning with a two run home run from Chase Utley and a solo shot from Pat Burrell and the Dodgers could not come back. Phillies take game one, 3-2.

On a night in which it seemed for a long time as though we would be calling out Hamels for not stepping up his game it was Hamels who would be praised for doing just that. Through seven innings Hamels gave up two runs and had the ability to shut down the Dodgers offense when the Phillies needed it. Hamels gave up back to back doubles by Andre Ethier and Manny Ramirez in the first inning and escaped with only allowing one run. It could have been worse. Ramirez hit his double to what is probably the deepest part of the stadium that won't be a home run. Fate? Not sure. Lucky? Oh yes.

Ramirez went 2-4 on the night but the kept at bat was in the eighth inning facing Ryan Madson in relief. Charlie Manuel made a rare trip to the mound to discuss the game plan with the pitcher's approach to one of Manuel's former players. Whatever Manuel said to Madson and the rest of the infield, it must have worked. Ramirez swung at the first pitch, which was low and outside, and lined it straight to Pedro Feliz. Key out.


After getting through the eighth inning, leaving one man on first, Madson got the game to Brad Lidge in the ninth with the lead. Lidge, showing how clutch he really is, had a 1-2-3 inning. They say pitching wins championships in baseball, and the Phillies had the upper hand for game one. Derek Lowe was cruising for the Dodgers through five innings, although the Phillies got some pressure on him in the second inning. Lowe could not get through the sixth inning though.

Chase Utley was the story of the night. Many people had questions about Utley's offensive performance through the NLDS and worried about his playoff reputation which was soiling early. Utley got off on the right foot early with a single to center field in the first inning. Utley would come on in the sixth inning and deliver the big hit of the game. With Shane Victorino advancing to second base after Rafael Furcal threw a grounder past the first baseman, Utley uncharacteristically swung at the first pitch.

Let's take a break real quick. I have said before that one of my pet peeves in baseball is swinging at the first pitch. It's just stupid. However, I do have an exception too that rule; It is ok to swing at the first pitch when you hit a multi run home run that ties or gives your team the lead.

Utley must be familiar with my rules and exceptions. Utley hit a two run home run that switched the momentum of the game from one dug out to the other. While Utley only tied the game with the home run, Burrell finished it off with a solo home run two batters later, giving the Phillies the lead and officially sending Lowe to the showers.

One of the keys for the Phillies and their offense coming into this series was having the middle of the lineup produce. While Ryan Howard went 0-4 on the night Utley and Burrell didn't let that bring the team down. Jimmy Rollins was 0-4 too, which is another concern. If the top of the order isn't putting base runners on, the effectiveness of the middle of the line up will be at a minimum. Luckilly for the Phillies, Victorino would have reached on Furcal's errant throw anyway. With Utley's home run it didn't matter if he had reached second or been held to first on the error, but kudos to Victorino for advancing a base, putting himself in scoring position in a key inning.

Here is the lone complaint I will share with you though.

In the seventh inning with Carlos Ruiz on first base, Manuel sent in So Taguchi to pinch hit for Hamels. Taguchi then bunted in an attempt to move Ruiz to second. On the first pitch Taguchi popped his bunt in the air and Dodgers first baseman James Loney made a diving catch. Ruiz stays at second and Rollins grounds into a questionable double play to end the inning.

Now, if Manuel's decision was to bunt to advance the runner why would you use Taguchi? considering the two best bunters on the team are Victorino and Hamels why couldn't you just keep Hamels in for the bunt? It was a situation where you are not bunting for a hit so having Hamels at first was unlikely (Hamels by the way had a hit earlier in the game as well). I understand the decision not to use Greg Dobbs, the league's best pinch hitter this year, and agree with that decision. In a one run game in late innings I would conserve Dobbs until I really needed him in the ninth or extra innings if it got to that point. I blame Taguchi for not being able to get a bunt down on the ground, but I blame Manuel for using Taguchi. There were so many other players to use for that. Eric Bruntlett? Maybe Manuel was saving him for the defensive replacement for Burrell. Ok. What about Brett Myers? Jamie Moyer?

Whatever. The Phillies won and Manuel made up for his gaffe by telling Madson to get Ramirez to line to Feliz. So let's not dwell on that.

What we can be concerned about as Phillies fans is the fact that the Phillies scored all of their runs in one inning yet again. They escape with a victory in game one and that is all that matters, but I am sure I'm not alone in wanting to see the Phillies produce more often than one inning a a night.

Game two is this afternoon at 4:35pm. The American League Championship Series starts up tonight, getting the prime time slot. This will be the only game of the NLCS that will start in the afternoon. All remaining games, no matter how long it goes, will start at 8:22pm EST. Brett Myers looks to continue his post season performance and I believe he will come out strong today.

Game two open thread is auto-scheduled for 4:00pm this afternoon.

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Maverick

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Phillies vs. Dodgers: Game One Open Thread

The National League East Division champion Philadelphia Phillies host the National League West Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers in game one of the National League Championship Series.

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

NLCS: 0-0

Pitching Match-ups: Cole Hamels (Phillies 1-0, 0.00) - Derek Lowe (Dodgers 1-0, 3.00)

Injury Report: PHILLIES - None DODGERS - Hong Chih-Kuo (Day to day)

For a refresher, here is my NLCS preview.

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Brady Quinn Endorses Sarah Palin; Fox News Rant

It has been far too long since I last talked about this guy.

Former Notre Dame pretty boy quarterback, and current back up to Derek Anderson on the Cleveland Browns, Brady Quinn formally endorsed the John McCain-Sarah Palin ticket for President of the United States.

I am almost positive that Charlie Weiss would also tell you that McCain-Palin were mentally tough and how they would take care of business and let their actions in the oval office speak for themselves. Ironic considering both men's history with Michigan...

If Notre Dame is behind McCain and Palin then you can write another reason on my list of reasons to NOT vote for them!

Speaking McCain-Palin, they sat down for an interview with Sean Hannity on the Hannity and Colmes show on Fox News. Lately in the morning I like to get my political fix by watching CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. I like to get a view from all sides I suppose. Perhaps that is the inner media junkie speaking. What caught my ear was when Brian Kilmeade, after watching a clip from that interview sounded pleased that Fox News had the first interview with both McCain and Palin. He then said to Steve Doocy and Gretchen Carlson that this was the first interview with both sitting down. Doocy and Carlson agreed and seemed pleased and sent an open invitation to either candidate and their running mate to come in for their show sometime.

First time both sat down for an interview?

Excuse me Fox and Friends, did you forget about this?

You betcha!

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Ten Reasons Why the Phillies Will Beat the Dodgers

Contributions continue at The Launching Pad as the Phillies embark into the NLCS. Be sure to continue following up over there. Here are my ten reasons why the Phillies will beat the Dodgers and advance to the World Series.

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Dodger Videos of the Day

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NLCS Phlashback - Part III

This is part three of a four part series chronicling the history of the Phillies and their appearances in the National League Championship Series. Part three will focus on the 1983 NLCS between the Phillies and the Dodgers.

To catch up follow these links below.

Part I: 1977 - Part II: 1978

The 1983 National League Championship Series

Game One

When we last saw the Phillies playing in October they had won the World Series against the Kansas City Royals. While the Phillies were absent from post season baseball the following two years the team was getting older. They had made an effort to win one last title with the group of players they had and brought in Joe Morgan. Where the Phillies of 1950 were given the moniker of "The Whiz Kids", these 1983 Phillies were given the nickname of "The Wheeze Kids" playing on the average age of the players.

To advance to the 1983 World Series they would have to play a familiar foe, a past post season nemesis to a younger group of Phillies years before. The Los Angeles Dodgers.

Opening in Los Angeles this more experienced Phillies team did not care about the history between them and the Dodgers in October. Mike Schmidt was probably the most ready to get past his ghosts against the Dodgers in the playoffs. In the first inning Schmidt belted a two out solo home run to give the Phillies the early 1-0 lead on the road. That was all the Phillies ace Steve Carlton would need in a 1-0 shut out of the home town Dodgers. Al Holland came in to relieve Carlton, who had gotten into a jam in the seventh inning with an old Phillies killer, Dusty Baker. Holland continued to shut down the Dodgers to keep the final score 1-0.

The Phillies had won a key road game in Los Angeles and were ready to take the commanding 2-0 lead heading back to Philadelphia.

Game Two
Phillies lead 1-0

Fernandomania was the rage in game two as Fernando Valenzuela took the mound for the Dodgers. With a 1-0 lead in the second inning though Valenzuela gave up a solo home run to Gary "Sarge" Mathews. The Phillies had Cy Young winner John Denny hurling for them but the Dodgers chased him from the game.

Gary Maddox misplayed a fly ball in the fifth inning, allowing Valenzuela to reach third base. Was Maddox having horrible flash backs to his last playoff game in Los Angeles? It could not have been a great feeling for the man who could cover everything on this planet not covered by water. Valenzuela though was thrown out at home on a Greg Brock ground ball. With Brock on first base Denny then walked Dusty Baker with two outs.

Pedro Guerrero stepped up to the plate and did some damage to Denny's fine pitching outing. Guerrero hit a two run triple to give the Dodgers a 3-1 lead. The Dodgers would score one more run in the eighth inning for good measure and held on to win game two by a final score of 4-1.

The series was tied and heading back to Veterans Stadium.

Game Three
Series tied 1-1

When the Phillies returned home, so did their offense. Having only scored two runs in two games in LA they may have been feeling lucky to be tied heading into game three at home.

Aside from the offense though was the terrific performance from the rookie Phillies pitcher Charles Hudson. Hudson pitched a complete game and allowed only four hits. The Dodgers were able to score two runs off of Hudson when Mike Marshall connected for a two run blast in the fourth inning.

That home run had cut a Phillies lead to 3-2, but the Phillies responded with a run in the bottom of the inning to push the lead to two runs. Gary Mathews lead the charge for the Phillies, driving in four runs on three hits. The Phillies scored six runs between the second and fifth innings en route to a game three 7-2 victory.

It took a while but the Phillies were finally on track to eliminate the Dodgers and advance to the World Series.

Game Four
Phillies lead 2-1

The tone was set early by none other than Gary Mathews. On the brink of getting past the Dodgers for the first time in the NLCS the Phillies jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning off a Mathews three run home run. With Steve Carlton on the mound, that was all the Phillies needed.

Dusty Baker hit a home run off of Carlton but it did not matter. Sixto Lezcano hit a two run home run for the Phillies in the sixth inning and the rout was on. The Phillies were victorious by a score of 7-2, identical to the game three result.

Carlton earned his second victory of the series and Mathews was named the MVP of the NLCS. Finally the Phillies had gotten past the Dodgers in the NLCS.

Epilogue

But there was no joy in Philadelphia. After winning game one of the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles in Baltimore, the Orioles proceeded to win the next four games. A young Cal Ripken Jr. caught the final out in the clinching game five at Veterans Stadium.

It would be a painful ten years before the Phillies returned to the World Series. Over that time the Phillies saw future hall of famers move on to other cities to close out their careers (Steve Carlton), retire when they realized they couldn't play any more (Mike Schmidt) and go on to manage teams and get caught betting on the sport of baseball (Pete Rose). The Phillies went through some bad seasons and the one bright memory remaining was the 1980 world championship.


To this day the 1980 World Series remains the lone signature moment in Phillies history. Funny thing is the World Series was not even the best playoff series from that year. It was the 1980 NLCS that remains the best playoff series in not just franchise history, but baseball history.

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Brad Lidge Not "Clutch"

When you think of "clutch" what do you think?

I think 41 saves in 41 opportunities. I think 92 strike outs in just over 69 innings pitched with only 35 walks issued. I think of a 1.95 ERA. Who did that?



So when I received an e-mail from Major League Baseball asking me to vote for the 2008 Pepsi Cluth Performer I was ready to certify my pledge to Brad Lidge. The only problem was Lidge is not a finalist. Somehow six players were nominated for the award given to the most "clutch" player in baseball this season. Are you trying to convince me that Lidge isn't one of the six most clutch players this season?

Where do I begin with this rant? How about with the fact that four players nominated were not in the playoffs (Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman, Cliff Lee, Justin Morneau) and the other two players both failed to perform in the "clutch" as recently as within the last week!

CC Sabathia should be nominated for his valiant efforts coming down the stretch, pitching on short rest start after start and doing so again in the NLDS. But did anybody see his outing in game two against the Phillies? I sure did.

Yes, Francisco Rodriguez was amazing this year, setting a new record for saves in a season, but he also blew a number of saves. If you are going to laud him for his successes then you must point out his short comings. Lidge did not blow one single save. Ask the New York Mets if a "clutch" player like Lidge would have made a difference in their season.

How can Morneau, in his team's one game playoff for the AL Central Division title go 0-3 and be considered "clutch"?

Albert Pujols is not "clutch." He is just the best player in the game. Clutch performers carry their team to big wins into the post season. The Cardinals were an after-thought as the calender turned to September, if not before.

Lance Berkman? Please! He and the Astros imploded down the stretch in so many ways it is not even funny. Carlos Delgado would be more appropriate than Berkman.

Cliff Lee? He is a Cy Young worthy pitcher but none of his performances can be considered "clutch".

Look, I'm going to vote because I want a chance to win those tickets to next year's all star game, but I wish there was a write-in option. This is also another reason why I prefer Coke over Pepsi.

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