Balls, Sticks, & Stuff | Phillies, Eagles, golf and other matters of great importance...

NLCS Game One Notes...

...First off, the question must be asked, which media love affair is more nauseating, the one with Brett Favre or the one with Manny Ramirez?  For my money, it's Manny Ramirez.  Don't misunderstand, I would never want to find myself in between a talking head and Favre for fear of being trampled, but he's never been caught blatantly cheating, and he's never given up on his teammates the way Manny did in Boston.

...I'm pinch-hitting a bit this weekend over at The 700 Level while Enrico does his best Zach Galifianakis impression out in Vegas.  This morning, I wrote about El Señor Octubre, Carlos Ruiz.  Chooch really steps it up for the playoffs, doesn't he?

...The more I think about the nature of playoff baseball versus the nature of regular season baseball, the more I think the two are different.  Obviously, it's fundamentally the same game, but there's no doubt intestinal fortitude plays a bigger role in the playoffs.  How else do you explain Raul Ibanez' 3-run homer off of lefty George Sherrill, who hadn't surrendered a home run to a left handed batter since tee-ball?

...Funny, when Chan Ho Park jokingly checked his pulse when he got back to the dugout after saving the Phillies' bacon in the 7th, I was rapidly patting my chest over my heart.  Great, great pitching by Park, just great.  He's been off for three weeks and he looked better than any Phillies pitcher not named Cliff Lee.

...I don't know about you, but I can't wait until 4:07 today.

What a Whirlwind

Shane knocks one out... Clifton Phifer Lee paints the corners... Werth puts on his hulk hands and makes it 2-0... Raul pulls a mini-Holliday... Pete Happy swings at the first pitch [first pitch!?!?!]... Lee comes out for the 8th and gets into trouble, Madson and Ben Francisco in, Lee and Ibanez out... Fly to leeeft, BENNY BABY!!! Charlie's a genius until... Rockies knock around Madson, we're down two runs with only three outs left... Dobbs K's, Jimmy singles... Shane almost hits into a DP... Uts walks... The Big Piece doubles!... Shane almost misses third on the way home, Chase is chasing him, they both score and we're tied at 4!... Werth singles and The Big Piece rumbles home! 5-4 Fightin' Phillies!... Eyre and his loose bodies and sprained ankle come out for the bottom of the 9th... Two outs and two singles later, Charlie calls on Lidge to face Tulo... the Delaware Valley holds their breath... Struck him out!

He's Ba-aaaaack

Don't ask where he went, don't ask why he came back, just be glad Cole Hamels... is back.

He's rattled off 19 consecutive scoreless innings and in his last two starts has 17 innings pitched, one complete game, 16 strikeouts, only 3 walks and only 9 hits allowed.  It's been a thing of beauty to watch.  Carlos Ruiz sets up on the outside corner and a split second later, the ball that was once in King Cole's fingers is dancing right into Chooch's mitt.

Don't look know, but things are really coming together for defending World Champions.  More thoughts below.

How Long Before the "MVP!" Chants Begin?

Given the way the three-game series unfolded in New York (30 total innings played), and given the chilled, damp weather, the latest installment of Phillies/Mets felt like a playoff game.  Two take two of three and extend the lead in the NL East to four games is very important for your Fightins.

No one was more important in Thursday night’s Phillies’ 6-3 victory than Raul Ibanez.  Going into the top of the 10th inning, Ibanez was 0-4, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t chipped in.  Earlier in the game in the fourth inning, David Wright hit a ball hard off the leftfield wall, which Ibanez quickly fielded with his back to the infield.  Just as quickly, he turned and fired a bullet to Chase Utley at second base to throw out Wright.

But in the 10th inning of course, was the game-winning home run.  A home-run that capped off a 7-3 road trip in which the Phillies swept the Padres and broke their 10-game win streak, split four games with the best-record-in-baseball Dodgers, and then 2 of 3 from their arch nemesis Mets.

Afterwards, Ibanez said in a post-game interview, after downplaying his contributions, that he was “proud to be associated with this team.” Well Raul, I think I speak for a lot of phans when I say we’re proud to root for you every night.