have fun. play hard.

The neighbor came by early this afternoon. When conversation turned to the Phillies, he put things in fine perspective. "Just so they have fun," he said. "And play hard. Just do what they've done all year." That's exactly it. Go, Phillies!

game 2 goes to yankees

Pedro Martinez pitched really well but A.J. Burnett was better, thanks to an outside curveball that kept Phillies' batters offbalance. Final score: Yanks 3, Phils 1.

It's Cole Hamels vs. Andy Pettitte tonight, weather permitting. I caught Hamels' presser yesterday and concluded that the dude is thinking way too much. He should do what A.J. Burnett said he did, take a page from the Cliff Lee songbook. It's all about confidence.

Joe Blanton is scheduled to start Game 4 for the Phillies. It's stil TBD for the Yanks. A year ago today it was wild exhilaration in Philadelphia. Today, "we got high hopes!"

love lee---and utley, too

Cliff Lee made his first World Series start a romp, throwing a complete game, striking out 10, walking none, and surrendering just one unearned run. Chase Utley provided all the offense that the Phillies needed, twice taking C.C. Sabathia deep. In the 1st, Utley worked a walk off Sabathia, who had quickly retired the first two batter. He then loaded the bases before getting Ibanez to ground out. Utley had two more terrific at-bats in the 3rd and 6th innings, going deep each time on two-strike pitches. The first homer was a Yankee Stadium cheapie; the second was dramatic.

It was the first time that Sabathia had given up a homer to a lefthanded hitter at Yankee Stadium. It was also the second time ever that a lefthanded hitter had homered twice off a lefthanded pitcher in a World Series game. The first to do it? Babe Ruth. The Phillies scored two more in the 8th and another two more in the 9th off the shaky Yankee bullpen, in the 6-1 win. By the time the Yankees scored their unearned run in the 9th, the stands were half-empty.

Sabathia was good, allowing just four hits in seven innings, but never looked comfortable. Lee, however, was spectacular. As in the two games I saw him pitch this postseason, he made it look breathtakingly easy. In four postseason starts he is now 3-0; the Phillies are 4-0 in those starts. In 33.1 postseason innings pitched, he has allowed 20 hits and two earned runs, while striking out 30 and walking just three. His ERA is now 0.52. Lee also made a couple of ridiculous defensive plays last night. Too bad he did not get a chance to hit.

Not surprisingly, most of the national/ESPN/FOX pregame hype about this pitchers' match-up focused on C.C. Sabathia. If the NY-based media ever gets its head out of its elbow, maybe the Phillies will get some long-overdue recognition.

Jimmy Rollins was part of a heads-up double play, with a little help from a Yankee blunder on the base paths. Oh yes, Chase Utley last night set a major league postseason record by reaching base in 26 consecutive games.

Tonight: Pedro vs. A.J. Burnett. If Pedro's pitching lives up to his presser yesterday, a vintage performance including an irresistible reference to red beans and rice, it should be an entertaining game.

world series game 1

Lee vs. Sabathia. Two old friends who came up with Cleveland meet tonight in New York in the World Series. The weather is wet and raw but let's hope that the rain stops well before game time. Only four National League teams in the history of the World Series have won consecutive championships: 1908 and '09 Cubs, '21 and '22 Giants, and the '75 and '76 Reds.

Not surprisingly, the media hype is pretty much all pro-Yankees. That's OK with me. These are two pretty evenly-matched teams. In the end, the one that plays better will win. Gotta love the Phillies, though. As their manager often says, they love to play baseball. They love to play baseball together. And they love the bright lights. Go, Phillies!

red, hot, and sexy

"Red, hot, and sexy" was the front page headline of today's Philadelphia Daily News. Yes, talking about "the boys", as I heard two middle-aged women sporting red Phillies' World Series hoodies, call them the other day while I was standing in line at a bakery in Delaware Water Gap.

Cliff Lee goes tomorrow vs. C.C. Sabathia. Pedro Martinez is the choice for Game 2. He will face A.J. Burnett.

Lots of people are talking about this series going seven. I say five.

it's the yankees vs. the phillies

Last night's victory over the LA Angels of Anaheim gave the NY Yankees the AL pennant. The World Series starts on Wednesday in NY, where the media hype machine is no doubt already in full bore.

The Phillies' series with the Dodgers was summed up for me earlier on, with a Philadelphia Daily News headline after the first game: "Dodgers are tough but the Phils are tougher". Who knows what will define this series. It's come down to the two best teams in baseball.

The Phillies are the first team to reach the World Series the year after winning a World Series since the '00 and '01 Yankees. They are the first National League to do it since the '95 and '96 Braves. The last National League teams to repeat as World Series champions were the '75 and '76 Cincinnati Reds. Go, Phillies!

bye-bye, dodgers

For the second year in a row, the NLCS ended the same way, with the Phillies beating the Dodgers in five. This time though the Dodgers had home field advantage.

Game 1 (Phillies 8, Dodgers 6) was a slugfest. Touted as a pitching duel, it turned into an offensive battle. Carlos Ruiz and Raul Ibanez both had three-run homers. Cole Hamels got the win by the skin of his teeth.

Game 2 (Phillies 1, Dodgers 2) was a pitching duel between the brilliant Pedro Martinez and the erratic Vicente Padilla. A defensive lapse and shaky bullpen work in the 8th gave the Dodgers a 2-1 edge.

Game 3 (Phillies 11, Dodgers 0)was all Cliff Lee with a little, to the tune of 11 runs, help from his mates.

Game 4 (Phillies 5, Dodgers 4) was the dagger, delivered by Jimmy Rollins, with two on and two out, in the 9th. Put that one in the gap, score two, and win the game. And that's what Jimmy did. Shades of Game 4 in the NLDS. Oh, baby!

Game 5 (Phillies 10, Dodgers 4) was the game that ended early. Jayson Werth answered Andre Ethier's solo home run in the top of the 1st with a three-run shot in the bottom of the inning. That's when the "take a shower" chants started, aimed at Manny Ramirez, who had revealed on Monday night that he was taking a shower as the Dodgers were being beat in the 9th by the J-Roll double.

Lots of questions before the World Series but they will have to wait until the Yankees and Angels finish the ALCS.

phillies win the pennant!

Yes, the Philadelphia Phillies last night thumped the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-4 and won their second-consecutive National League pennant. Woohoo! Cole Hamels gave up a solo home run to Andre Ethier in the 1st to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. In the bottom, though, Vicente Padilla, after getting two quick outs, walked Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. That set the stage for Jayson Werth, who belted a homer to right. The Phillies went up 3-1 and never looked back.

Padilla gave up six runs in three innings. Hamels was lifted with one man out in the 5th after an uninspiring start. The Dodgers threatened in the 8th but Ryan Madson prevailed. There were seven homers in the game. All three Dodger homers were solos. For the Phillies, Jayson Werth added a solo homer to his 1st-inning blast, Pedro Feliz showed sudden life with a solo shot, and Shane Victorino clubbed a two-run homer deep into left. Don't diss the 'take-and-rake' approach at the plate. According to Peter Gammons of ESPN, in the past 29 playoffs, teams that have outhomered their opponents are 26-3, while those with the higher slugging percentage are 28-1.

The best team won. The Dodgers' only strength coming into the series was their bullpen, and it turned out to be woeful. The beleaguered Phillies' bullpen came through. Manuel brought Brad Lidge in for the final three outs. When the game ended, on a fly to center by Ronnie Belliard, the first guys to reach the mound were Chooch, Madson, and Durbin. It was sweet, it was fitting.

Ryan Howard was the series MVP. Way to go, big man! Way to go, Phillies!

orionid shower

lone cricket--
now close, now distant--
star shower

I was out around 5:30 to look at the Orionid shower. Peak time was supposed to be around 6:00. The sky was already more gray than black, but the stars were out and the constellations shining brightly. I saw two meteors before six, one faint and one flashing. I saw three more before 6:30, all of them brilliant. At first it was quiet except for one cricket calling in the early morning. Then the neighbor started his truck and left it warming up for about 10 minutes. He finally left for work but then lots of other cars and trucks started going up the road. I then noticed a dull roar far in the distance. It had to be the sound of traffic on I-78. Only the stars were still silent overhead.

tonight padilla vs. hamels

Two pitchers with something to prove go in Game 5. As Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News pointed out yesterday, Padilla is pitching for a big contract next year. Hamels, last year's MVP in the NLCS and World Series, is trying to put his frustrating season behind him.

I heard David Gregory of Meet the Press on the Philadelphia radio this morning, along with his boss Steve Capus. Gregory is a Dodger fan, Capus a Phillie fan. Monday night Gregory was in the box that had the temerity to hang a 'Welcome to Dodgertown' banner. Gregory said that when he gets over the loss, he will always remember the explosion of sound that rocked the ballpark as the ball went flying to the wall. He said he had never heard anything like it anywhere.

j.a. happ sporting news roy

J.A. Happ was voted the Sporting News Rookie of the Year for the National League. Third baseman Gordon Beckham of the Chicago White Sox won for the American League. Happ, who was moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation in late May, went 12-4 with an ERA of 2.93 in 35 games, including 23 starts. Congratulations! Seems like only last year that we were watching Happ pitch for the IronPigs here in the Lehigh Valley.

'9th wonder!'

I've now had time to check today's newspapers. The best headline was on the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer: "9th Wonder!". It was a tidy parallel to the one after the Game 2 loss: "Eighth Blunder". The Philadelphia Daily News, is continuing its series of double-page posters showing game shots. This morning's of course featured J-Roll. It's a great series and I've saved every poster that I've happened to see.

Other fave headlines this series: "It's LAja Vu All Over Again", "Managers: One is a pick-up, one a limo", and "Flawless Lee Leads the Way", all from the Inky. From the Daily News: "WOW-UUUUUUUUL!", "Bats More Like It", "Zero Hero", and "Rockin' Roll".

Joe Torre, looking bleary-eyed after last night's loss, called it "one of those things."

At yesterday's manager's press conference, someone asked Charlie Manuel about his "stagnant" line-up. Joe Torre had changed his up from game to game, but not Charlie. Manuel took tart exception to the word "stagnant", concluding his comments with, "Stagnant? Ask Kuroda about our stagnant line-up."

The Phillies led the National League in comeback wins this season and were second only to the Yankees in all of baseball. Third? The Dodgers. Last night's comeback was the best of the best, though Angel fans might beg to differ. Two terrific games yesterday, both ending in comeback wins.

why we love the game!

When Matt Stairs came to the plate in the 9th last night, everyone had inevitable flashbacks to his previous appearance vs. Jonathan Broxton, in game 4 of last year's NLCS in Los Angeles. Guess Broxton did too, as he obviously wanted no part of Stairs, hitting .190 this year, whom he walked on four pitches. Rattled? Maybe a bit, because he then plunked Carlos Ruiz. Then, with two outs and men on 1st and 2nd, Jimmy Rollins came to the plate. On a 1-1 count, J-Roll laced a ball to the wall in right center. Eric Bruntlett, pinchrunning for Stairs, scored easily, with Ruiz just behind him.

The Phillies poured out of the dugout and the Dodgers walked off. It was an awesome finish, a classic game, and another red-light moment for Jimmy Rollins, who just about defines red light on a team loaded with red light players.

Ryan Howard started the game with an emphatic two-run homer in the 1st, giving him RBI in eight straight postseason games. That ties Lou Gehrig's record. But Dodger starter Randy Wolf settled down after that and got the Phillies flailing at junk. The Dodgers meanwhile clawed back against Joe Blanton, getting their fourth run courtesy of a Pedro Feliz error. In the 6th, Chase Utley singled in Shane Victorino, who had tripled, to make it 4-3. There it stayed into the fateful 9th. Ah, the beauty of baseball, a game of 27 outs. One thing about the Phillies, they play all 27.

Brad Lidge got the win. Broxton blew the save and took the loss. Once again, the vaunted Dodger bullpen came up small. Brad Lidge, meanwhile, is--dare we say--perfect. On the other hand, the defensively-minded Phillies have been undone twice by their fielding. One constant in the series has been the electrifying atmosphere in the ballpark in Philadelphia.

The Dodgers now trail 3-1. To advance they have to win three straight. Maybe they do it, maybe they don't. The Phillies would have to lose three straight.

cliff, will you marry me?

My seat last night was in the second row from the top just off of home plate. On a frigid evening, it afforded a great if distant view of Cliff Lee.

The best sign last night at the ballpark was held by a strapping fellow wearing a blonde wig with pigtails. It read: "Cliff, will you marry me?" I second the emotion.

Cliff Lee was fabulous, throwing eight scoreless innings in an 11-0 pasting of the Dodgers. He struck out 10 and walked none. Only one Dodger made it to second base all night. The Phillies, on the other hand, jumped on starter Hiroki Kuroda early and drove him from the game in the second. Ryan Howard led the attack with a two-run triple to right. Jayson Werth followed with a two-run homer to deep center. Once Shane Victorino reached base in the 1st, Kuroda was obviously out of sorts.

The Dodger bullpen took over in the 2nd but the Phillies kept hitting. By the 5th inning, every position player had scored a run. Lee got into the act in the 8th with a single; he later scored on a Victorino three-run homer. Chad Durbin finished the shutout in the 9th on a terrific catch by Carlos Ruiz. Senor Octubre was again on his postseason game. So was Ryan Howard, who now has ridiculous postseason numbers.

It was a cold night but the 'Zen was rocking. Manny Ramirez drew the ire of the crowd in his last at bat by stepping repeatedly out of the box and otherwise trying to disrupt Lee's pitching. That's when a wave of chants swept through the park: You took steroids, you took steroids. I doubt that Ramirez even noticed but it was funny.

A Hot Corner was set up on the third base side of the park, selling tomato bisque, chicken soup with wild rice, grilled cheese sandwiches, hot cider, and other treats. I had brought food but stopped for a cup of the tomato bisque--delicious, full-bodied heat. Business was brisk.

joe blanton for game 4

It's official: Joe Blanton starts Game 4 tomorrow night, not having pitched since October 2. Today, though, it's all about Mr. Lee.

J.C. Romero has had successful surgery on his arm and should be ready for spring training. Which brings to mind the bullpen. OMG, how do I keep forgetting them? Alas, the difference this year is the bullpen.

tomorrow lee vs. kuroda

Jessie Foyle, aka Mrs. October, sent this cute napkin, which folds into a Phillies jersey. She too will be at tomorrow night's game. Starting pitchers: Hiroki Kuroda for the Dodgers and Cliff Lee for the Phillies. Go, Phillies!

pedro magnificent, eighth inning a disaster

Pedro Martinez dazzled yesterday for seven innings, allowing just two hits. Vicente Padilla of the Dodgers was just a tick behind, giving up just a solo home run to Ryan Howard in the 4th. Pedro left after seven, with the score 1-0. For all who want to second guess his leaving, Martinez seemed to know he was done at the end of the inning and did not appear to make any case to keep himself in the game.

Chan Ho Park came in for the 8th. As soon as the first batter sliced a catchable ball past Pedro Feliz at third, I thought uh-oh and left the house to run errands and listen to the rest of the game in the car. Unbelievably, the inning was still going on when I reached my third stop, just in time to see J.A. Happ walk Ethier and allow the winning run to score. It was a woeful eighth, featuring a double play not turned, a throwing error by Chase Utley (his second in two days, which is unimaginable), and five relief pitchers needed to get three outs.

The Phillies are an excellent defensive team but yesterday their defense let them down. It ruined a Martinez masterpiece and cost them a win. The series is now tied 1-1.

the chooch, raul, and chan ho show

As with so many highly-touted pitching duels, this one was a fizzle. Clayton Kershaw didn't even make it through the 5th, when the Phillies put five on the board, with the help of a three-run homer by Carlos Ruiz (Senor Octubre) and a two-run double by Ryan Howard. Great to see how well Ruiz plays in postseason and how locked in Howard is. Alas, Cole Hamels had the kind of outing that has typified his season: not as bad as it looked but not Hamelesque. He got the hook in the 6th, having given up four runs. Hours later, he also got the win.

It was then down to the bullpens; 11 relievers in all were used. Raul Ibanez hit a three-run homer off George Sherrill in the 8th, the first homer Sherrill had allowed all year to a lefthanded hitter. He also walked two to set up that home run. The Dodgers scored two in the bottom of the 8th but Brad Lidge worked out of trouble in the 9th to preserve the 8-6 lead. It was Chan Ho Park, pitching for the first time in a month who restored order in the 7th, after Andre Ethier led off with a double against Antonio Bastardo.

It was a crazy four-hour game, with 10 walks issued, 22 hits combined, and 15 men left on base. Kershaw threw three wild pitches in the 5th, an NLCS record for wild pitches in an inning. He walked five and struck out three. Joe Torre can certainly be second-guessed for his handling of his starter.

Excuse me, but the Mannylove exhibited by the media is revolting. As Harry Kalas said last year the night the Phillies won the World Series: Manny my fanny!

Today it's Pedro Martinez, who came up with the Dodgers, vs. Vicente Padilla, who played for years with the Phillies. A talented pitcher, Padilla is also moody and erratic, with a penchant for hitting batters.

I couldn't watch even a complete inning on TBS. Chip Caray is terrible. And Ron Darling is not much better. Caray's voice is too creepy. Both guys make grating mistakes. I fled to the radio before the first had finished and eventually fell asleep (I blame this all on TBS and its crappy coverage) only to wake just as the game had finished. Luckily, I found out this morning that 1210 AM, the flagship station of the Phillies, has synched their broadcasts to the TV broadcast. Problem solved.

go time in l.a.

A friend sent this card from 1983. She found it the other day in a shop somewhere on the coast of New Jersey.

It's Cole Hamels vs. Clayton Kershaw, already hyped as the second coming of Sandy Koufax, tonight in Game 1 of the NLCS. Pedro Martinez goes tomorrow, against former-Phil Vicente Padilla. Chan Ho Park, deemed ready to go, has been added to the roster, along with the handy Eric Bruntlett. To make room for them, Brett Myers, who did not look recovered from his back strain, and Kyle Kendrick have been cut.

Charlie Manuel did a brilliant job of managing in the NLDS and last year outmanaged Joe Torre in the NLCS. Keep it rolling, Charlie! Let's go, Phillies!

tbs needs to do better

"Baseball is the only game you can see on the radio." I saw this quotation, by Phil Hersh of the Chicago Tribune, posted at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. I love listening to baseball on the radio and still follow more games that way than on television. One reason nowadays is that Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen, the Phillies radio guys, are very good. With Harry Kalas now gone, there's no one better at a call than Scott Franzke.

I watched most of Monday's game with the Rockies on TBS, often with the sound muted. Brian Anderson did the play-by-play and Joe Simpson the color. Both have low-key, monotonous voices. Neither brings a lot of flavor. That would be OK but coupled with the very pedestrian TBS camerawork, it's hard to like. The use of their computer-generated strikes and balls tracker struck me as arbitrary, used when the broadcasters wanted to make a point. But what about when it did not support their point? And how precise is this device anyway?

Brian Anderson also did play-by-play of the Milwaukee-Philadelphia NLDS last year. I was at both games in Philadelphia and only saw replays weeks later. I was stunned when I heard how Anderson described Brett Myers' memorable at-bat vs. C.C. Sabathia. "These fans appreciate effort," was his description. Uh, Brian, it was all about the pitch count. Most of the fans in the park were well aware that Myers was running up Sabathia's pitch count. If Anderson was, he never mentioned it. Duh.

So when the Phillies lost the lead in the bottom of the 8th on Monday night, I turned to the radio to hear what Franzke and Anderson had to say in the 9th. It turned out to be both thrilling and amusing. And when the game was over, I went back to TV, not to TBS for its postgame coverage but to Comcast and MLBN. On TBS it was a dull combination of Eckersley, Wells, and Ripken, with Ernie Johnson as moderator.

Chip Caray, master of the obvious, and chatty Ron Darling are doing the NLCS on TBS. In season, Caray works for the Braves and Darling for the Mets. I'll be listening to much of the series on the radio.

being in the moment

Get me to the plate, boys. That, said Raul Ibanez, is what Ryan Howard was telling his mates in the dugout in the top of the 9th last night. With two on and the Phillies down to their last strike, Howard laced a double to deep right. Victorino flew in from 2nd, with Utley hard on his heels to tie the game at four. Next up: Jayson Werth, who, again down to the last strike, singled hard to right to score Howard and put the Phils up 5-4. Talk about being in the moment. And it all took place minutes after the Rockies had broken through in the 8th for the lead.

Lefty Scott Eyre, who was knocked out of Sunday night's when he sprained his ankle, was back on the mound for the 9th. (Big cheers for Eyre, who is coming up big in the absence of J.C. Romero.) He got two outs but allowed two to reach. With Troy Tulowitzki due up for the Rocks, Charlie Manuel went to his closer, Brad Lidge, who got Tulowitzki swinging. The Phillies won 5-4 and advanced to another NLCS with the Dodgers.

It was an amazing game and one that was finally played at a reasonable time of day. Cliff Lee started against Ubaldo Jimenez. Both were great. Jimenez gave up a home run to Victorino in the 1st, then another solo to Werth in the 6th. Lee allowed just one run in seven innings. In the 8th the Rockies capitalized on an incredible move by base runner Dexter Fowler, who vaulted over Chase Utley, fielding a ball hit by Todd Helton. Utley tossed the ball to Rollins, who was blocked by Fowler and unable to make the catch. By the end of the inning, the Rockies scored three times to take a 4-2 lead, setting the stage for the Phillies' magical comeback in the 9th.

The game had lots of moments as well. Ben Francisco, in for defensive purposes in the 8th, made a superb catch in left. Carlos Gonzalez, aka Car-Go, made a great throw from right to third, which almost got the advancing Victorino. Car-Go, a terrific young player, was outstanding; he led the Rocks with 10 hits in the series. In the 9th Victorino almost blew the game when he missed third on his dash home. Luckily, he did a quick U-turn, tagged up, and sped home just in front of Utley.

Last, there was Brad Lidge, again getting a one-run save. The 'powderkeg' closer came out of the NLDS with an 0.00 ERA, while others--Franklin, Papelbon, Nathan, and Street--,all of whom had sterling years, blew up. Bye-by, Cardinals, Red Sox, Twins, and Rockies. One night after the Angels, trailing by two in the 9th and down to their last strike, pulled off an amazing three-run comeback win in Boston, the Phillies did the same in Denver. Baseball is such an incredible game.

Phillies, Phillies, Phillies!

phils chill rocks

The game ended around 2:15 in the morning. It started at 10:07. I fell asleep somewhere in the second inning, with J.A. Happ suddenly, disappointingly pitching like a rookie. I woke just before two, with Jimmy Rollins in the act of scoring on a Ryan Howard sac fly to give the Phillies a 6-5 lead in the top of the 9th. Rollins was on third thanks to yet another heads-up play by Chase Utley. Yes, he is the man. Then Brad Lidge came in and I was catapulted out of bed. If not exactly commanding, Lidge was in the end victorious. Baby steps, baby steps.

Game time temperature was 35F and dipped into the mid-20's. Not good for the players, not good for the poor fans. I missed much of what was a thriller but caught the high-stress end. The Phillies took Game 3---thanks to the bullpen. Happ was lifted after three; Rockies' starter Hammel was chased in the fourth. Scott Eyre left--oh, no--in the 7th with an ankle injury.

Game 4 today is a rematch of Game 1: Cliff Lee vs. Ubaldo Jimenez.

snow change

Game 3 was postponed Saturday night in Denver because of snow and temperatures in the teens. Commissioner Bud Selig, he of the waffle job last October during the World Series in Philadelphia, called the postponement a "no-brainer." Game 3 tonight, with J.A. Happ now going in place of Pedro Martinez and Cliff Lee tabbed for Game 4 tomorrow. The timing of all these games is ridiculous.

around the playoffs

It's beginning to look a lot like autumn.

Some emerging themes in the playoff games: trumped aces (Beckett, Carpenter, Hamels, Lester), sketchy umpiring (Phil Cuzzi leads the pack), lack of clutch hitting (Twins strand 17, forget how to bunt), and choking closers (Franklin, Nathan). The goat so far is Matt Holliday for his muffed play on a ball that caught him in, ahem, the stomach. If it turns out to be the Dodgers-Yankees in the World Series, it will be a match-up of dueling bullpens. I don't however think the Dodgers have the starting pitching or the punch to make it much of a series.

it's pedro for game three

Pedro Martinez will start game three tomorrow night in Denver. A high of 32F is forecast for the day, with snow and freezing rain showers. Game time temperature should be in the 20's. Oy vey. Game time Saturday is at 9:37 pm here on the East Coast; on Sunday it's 10:07. That means I won't be seeing much of either game. I can only wonder how long Pedro will last in the cold against the Rockies' lineup. He looked ready to rock, in a red cap and hoodie, at today's press conference, but the guy is going to be 38 later this month. On the other hand, Jamie Moyer made a valiant effort two years ago in a game three in Denver in similar weather conditions. Guess game three is 'old goat' time.

everything but the kitchen sink--and it wasn't enough

Yesterday's frustrating loss to the Rockies had a bit of everything and everybody. Cole Hamels kept his dismal record in day games this season intact, giving up four runs in five innings, including a two-run homer to Yorvit Torrealba, a light hitter who always manages to sabotage the Phillies. Lifted after the 5th, Hamels rushed to the hospital to join his wife Heidi, who had gone into labor. (She gave birth this morning to a boy.)

Charlie Manuel managed all-out, using starters J.A. Happ, who was quickly lifted when hit in the leg by a line drive, and Joe Blanton, who made a key defensive mistake. In all the Phillies used seven pitchers and the Rockies six. The problem, though, was the offense. The Phillies were simply unable to do anything against Aaron Cook, a pitcher they have pretty much handled. They put up a fight late but it was not enough.

Whatever the problems in the 'pen, the deficiencies on the bench are also scary. Cliff Lee (!) came in as a pinch-runner for Matt Stairs in the 9th, when the Phillies got the winning run on base but Victorino looped one to Barmes at second to end the game. Rockies 5, Phillies 4. The game lasted three hours and 48 minutes. How lucky am I that my ticket was for Game 1?

today hamels vs. cook

High-fives after yesterday's 5-1 win over the Rockies. The cream unis and red jackets looked yummy. Most of the fans lingered after the game to sing High Hopes, the signature song of the late Harry Kalas. The song is sung in honor of Kalas after each home win.

Today Cole Hamels goes against Aaron Cook. Again, it's a weird start time of 2:37. Of note, Hamels, notoriously poor in day games, is 0-6 in them this year. Let's go, Hamels! Let's go, Phillies!

terrific lee

Flags were blowing, towels were waving on a windy day in Philadelphia for Game 1 of the NLDS between the Rockies and the Phillies.

Cliff Lee was terrific, throwing a complete game in his first postseason performance. He missed a shutout only in the 9th, when, he later admitted, he got seduced by the atmosphere in the park and, with two outs, allowed a run. It was the largest crowd (46,643) ever at Citizens Bank Park. In the ninth, the rally towels were whipping around and the park was rocking with chants of "Let's Go, Lee!" It was awesome on a day of brilliant sunshine and winds gusting upwards of 40 mph. The wind was fierce; even driving down to the ballpark was an adventure.

Lee's performance yesterday reminded me of the first time I saw him in person, in his Phillies' debut in San Francisco. Both games had easy tempos to them, and Lee was a complete player in both. Yesterday he gave up one run on six hits, with five strike-outs and no walks. He threw 113 pitches, including 25 first-pitch strikes. He also singled, sacrificed, and stole a base. The Rockies had a small chance in the first and second innings, when they got three of their six hits. They did not, however, score. After that Lee set down 16 Rockies in a row.

Rockie starter Ubaldo Jimenez, a fabulous talent, was almost as good. I was impressed just watching him through warm-up tosses in the outfield before the game! Through the first innings the big right-hander threw just 46 pitches, relying on his blistering fastball, which was routinely at 98 and several times touched 100, and a great curve. In the 5th, though, Jayson Werth worked a walk and once on base proved a distraction that Jimenez could not overcome. The next batter, Ibanez, doubled Werth home. Carlos Ruiz eventually brought Ibanez in to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead. Jimenez needed 35 pitches to finish the inning.

The Phillies added three more runs in the sixth for a 5-0 lead. Everyone in the line-up, inlcuding the pitcher, had at least one hit. Howard, Werth, and Ibanez had two each.

Because of the wind, everyone expected balls to be flying out of the park. Instead they were swirling high in the air, making the fielders shuffle and jitter to make catches. Jimmy Rollins made an outstanding catch on a pop-up to third.

It was a great game.

go, phillies!

Another image from Rt. 209 last week.

"Whatever it takes." Says it all. Go, Phillies!

lee to pitch game 1

Cliff Lee will start Game 1 of tomorrow's NLDS. Cole Hamels will start Game 2. That means that both will be pitching on normal rest. More surprising perhaps is that Kyle Kendrick, Antonio Bastardo, and Miguel Cairo all made the postseason roster, over Clay Condrey, Tyler Walker, and Eric Bruntlett.

Packing my baseball bag earlier for the park tomorrow got the butterflies going.

good-bye to all that

Good-bye to the slumping Jimmy Rollins and to the often-injured and inconsistent Cole Hamels of the first half of 2009. Good-bye to the lackluster offense of August and September. Good-bye to the so-so starting pitching of September. Good-bye to the injured Brett Myers and Raul Ibanez. Good-bye to the slumping Chase Utley. Good-bye to the shaky Brad Lidge and his injury-riddled mates. It was a tough season in so many ways. Kudos to the Phillies for hanging on through it all to finish first in the East. Time again for high hopes!

3rd base lunch

Any time the local paper does a piece on Joe Maddon, manager of the Tampa Bay Rays, it mentions that he was born in Hazleton and went to school here in the Lehigh Valley, at Lafayette College in Easton.

It also usually mentions that his mother still works at the 3rd Base Lunch, an old sandwich shop in Hazleton, which is an hour or so away away. Last week I finally made it up to the 3rd Base for lunch and it was super, all quite basic but super. The decor is as it was when the shop opened 60 years ago, with a couple of little counters and stools that seemed to be about a foot off the floor. What makes the 3rd Base, though, is its food. The sandwiches and hoagies are excellent.

Why the name 3rd Base? Because, I was told, it's the closest thing to home.

ironpigs get it done

It was an IronPig kind of day for the last game of the season at Citizens Bank Park. It was all reserve players except for Jayson Werth, who needed just one RBI for 100 and starter J.A. Happ started, who was pulled after two innings for more bullpen auditions.

Miguel Cairo, playing second, had a homer (his first in four years) and Andy Tracy, at first, had a triple. Wrap your mind around that! Cairo also added a triple to his afternoon's work. But it was in the 10th, with the score tied 6-6, that the IronPigs got it done. John Mayberry Jr. led off with a single, Cairo singled him over, and with two outs Paul Hoover, just into the game, lined one off Wes Helms' glove to score Mayberry and give the Phillies the 7-6 win. A sweet ending to a back-and-forth game that was unexpectedly entertaining. I listened to it in the kitchen.

The Phillies finish what has been for the most part a difficult year at 93-69. Final attendance figures a franchise-record 3,600,693, including 73 sell-outs. Of the eight games that were not sell-outs, only three were below 40,000.

Werth, by the bye, went one for four. He was walked in the 10th, to boos from the crowd and a moue of disappointment from Ryan Howard in the dugout. Werth did, however, steal his 20th base of the season. Not a bad number to go with his career-high 36 home runs in what has been his first year as a fulltime player.

Thanks for the season and on to the postseason!

it's the rockies

I liked the colors at this railroad crossing on Rt. 209, but don't recall what town it was.

Shortly into yesterday's game with the Marlins, the Phillies had clinched homefield advantage in the first round because the Cardinals lost again to the Brewers. Cole Hamels hasn't beat the Fish since his rookie year in 2006 and he didn't beat them yesterday. Ryan Howard provided the early offense again, with a mammoth home run off the second deck facing. Jayson Werth later added a two-run homer, for his 98th and 99th RBI of the season, but the Phillies fell to the Marlins 4-3.

Charlie Manuel pulled Hamels after three, raising the possibility that he may start Game 1 on Wednesday against the Rockies, losers last night to the Dodgers, who finally clinched the West.

After the third inning yesterday, it was pretty much bullpen auditions. Maybe today the offense will show up? Josh Johnson goes for the Fish against J.A. Happ.

another snooze

Flatline offense and suspect pitching added up to another snooze at the ballpark last night---and a 7-2 loss to the Marlins. (Watch out for those Fish next year. They are coming on.) Ryan Howard hit his 44th, a two-run blast into the bullpen, then the offense rested. The Phillies are limping into the play-offs, but then so is everyone else in the NL except the Rockies, who keep rolling along. A little home field advantage might go a long way vs. the Rox. The Phillies will have to win a game or two here this weekend to secure that.

On the IronPigs' watch, Andy Tracy had another pinch-hit and Miguel Cairo played shortstop for the resting Jimmy Rollins.

Bad news getting worse: J.C. Romero, whose year started with a 50-game suspension and only got worse, is out for the season with forearm tendinitis. Chan Ho Park will miss at least the division series.

hangover game

Last night's rally towel was a departure from the usual!

Last night was definitely a hangover kind of game. Utley and Victorino were out; Bruntlett and Francisco took their places. Ben Francisco, who went 3 for 3 with a walk, was just about all the offense there was against another barely pedestrian Astros' starter. Like Pedro the night before, Cliff Lee did not inspire in his tune-up outing. The Phillies staged a small uprising in the ninth but fell 5-3. It was another sell-out but there were few chances to wave the towels. Instead, it was the murmur of the ballpark all night long.

More bad news about the bullpen: J.C. Romero is off to see another doctor and may be done for the postseason. Chan Ho Park left a simulated game in Florida early and is headed for Philadelphia and a visit with the team doctor. Getting down to baling wire and chewing gum.

dig it while it lasts

Nine-year-old Nick S. stopped for a photo op outside of Citizens Bank Park before going to his first game at the park.

I hope that young fans such as Nick savor each and every moment of this golden run by the Phillies. Talented, likeable teams like this don't come around all the time, especially home-grown ones like the current Phillies. This is a special time for Philadelphia fans. Dig it!

The numbers say that fans are indeed digging it. Since opening in 2004, the Zen has drawn under three million only twice. This year has already seen 70 sell-outs, with three more looming for the final series of the season. Season attendance will be around 3.6 million, a franchise record. The park, the hottest place to be in the city, is part of the reason but the bigger one is this team.

make it three! nl east champions!

About a minute before Brad Lidge threw the last pitch of last night's game, the Atlanta Braves lost to the Florida Marlins, assuring that the Phillies had clinched the division. But that didn't matter, because the Phillies were well on their way to their third NL East championship in a row, with a 10-3 drubbing of the Houston Astros.

Pedro Martinez went four uninspiring innings, giving up three runs. He gave way to Kyle Kendrick, who pitched three scoreless. Chad Durbin handled the eighth, then, with Lidge warming up in the bullpen, Scott Eyre came on to get the first two outs of the ninth. At that point, Charlie Manuel came out, took the ball from Eyre, and called for Lidge to face Lance Berkman. Lidge came in to the roar of the crowd and the frenzied waving of rally towels and with one pitch put the game away. It was an awesome moment. Gotta give it to Charlie Manuel for setting up one of the sweetest moments in an evening filled with memorable moments. No wonder his players love him. No wonder this is a true team.

Awesome moments: Pedro Martinez pitching in the clinching game, to be followed by Kyle Kendrick, who, after toiling all season in the minors to add supplementary pitches to his sinker, has come back to demonstrate that he got the message. It was good, too, to see Scott Eyre, though still battling pain, out again on the mound. Last was the wonderful Brad Lidge moment.

Other things to remember: back-to-back triples by Rollins and his "shadow", Shane Victorino, more clutch hitting by Pedro Feliz, and a second-deck two-run homer by Raul Ibanez, which gave him a career high 34 for the season. Last, Carlos Ruiz was back behind the plate.

After the usual splash party in the locker room, the team came back out and assembled at the HK sign in left field to toast the late broadcaster Harry Kalas with champagne and cigars. (See the fab photo of a smoke-breathing Jayson Werth at http://zozone.mlblogs.com) Lots of players, including newcomer Raul Ibanez, spoke eloquently about Harry and how much he still means to them. Utley and Werth later returned to the sign and sprayed it with champagne, to the delight of the many fans still in the park.

One of the coolest scenes occurred in the bullpen, with all the bullpen guys gathered in a knot, hands stretched to the center. I guess Brad Lidge was the guy in the middle of it all. The bullpen has gone through a lot this year but they remain tight. It was another sign that this team is a band of brothers.

There was also the smiling face of GM Ruben Amaro Jr, who gave kudos to his predecessors, Ed Wade and "genius" Pat Gillick. Amaro looked truly happy. So did the players, so did the fans. The only downer was the news that Jamie Moyer, injured the night before, will have season-ending surgery.

I was at the clinching game in 2007, a party from the get-go, then again last year, which ended with a spectacular double-play turned, of course, by Rollins and Utley. I spent last night switching between TV and radio and could only wish I were there.

Congratulations to the Phillies. In the past 30 years only four NL teams have even made it to the play-offs the year after winning the World Series.

October baseball. As the song goes, "better than anything except being in love."