One thing we know for sure: Charlie Manuel has been given a contract extension through 2011. He deserves it and his raise. But I've been a Charlie fan since he took over in Philadelphia. Will the Phillies do anything else at the winter meetings, which mercifully end today? The rumor mills are ridiculous. I now understand that I've been lucky usually to be out of the country at this time of the baseball year.Comcast started showcasing some of the key points in the Phillies' run to the World Series. First up was the division-clinching game against the Nationals on September 27. I was at that game and was happy to see it replayed on TV. The stupendous doubleplay turned by Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley to end the game is burned into my memory. I confess that I had already forgotten the other great, and very clutch, plays made by Rollins in that game, including a remarkable basket catch that led to a scary collision with Shane Victorino. Chase Utley, too, made some super defensive plays. The defensively-minded Pedro Feliz was already showing his flair for late-inning clutch hits and Carlos Ruiz proving his value in catching Brad Lidge.
About time: FOX has scrapped its largely useless baseball pregame show. No more Jeannie Zelasko (sic) or Kevin Kennedy. Unfortunately, Mark Graceless is being retained as a color commentator.
If the latest rumor I heard today turns out to be true, there go my season tix.
