Tag Archive for '2008 World Series'

Champions Fit for Philadelphia

Sorry Mr. Bon Jovi, but there’s a new Champion in town.

The Fightin’ Phils closed the lid on the feel-good Rays in Part Deux of Game 5 tonight, and in doing so exorcised the demons of the past 25 years in this Championship-starved town.

Thanks to a sudden ability to get timely hits with men in scoring position, an incredibly heads up defensive play by Chase Utley, and a rock steady back end of the bullpen (minus that insane shot Rocco Baldelli muscled out) the Phillies can call themselves World Champs for the next year.

You could just feel the love these guys have for each other. From Geoff Jenkins’ incredible enthusiasm despite getting so little playing time, to Shane Victorino’s constant dugout chatter, to the respect the players all heaped on their leader, Charlie Manuel, during postgame interviews. That made them an easy team to like and root for, despite the frustrations we all had with them during the ups and downs of the season.

No prima donnas. No one was above the team (see Jimmy Rollins and Brett Myers), and they always played hard.

Did they always get the big hit, or make the big defensive play? No. But it was never for lack of trying. Superstars Chase Utley and Ryan Howard got just as dirty as grinders like Greg Dobbs and Carlos Ruiz.

Now alongside the names of Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Larry Bowa, Del Unser, Gary Maddox, and Tug McGraw, Philadelphia fans will hold Howard, Cole Hamels, Rollins, Dobbs, Victorino, and Brad Lidge (screw that Pujols thing once and for all) close to their hearts. And like the guys from ‘80, none of this year’s crew will ever have to buy a cheesesteak in this town again.

And hats off to Pat Gillick, Ruben Amaro Jr., Mike Arbuckle, and -gasp- Ed Wade, for slowly putting this crew together. Gillick is finally paying the Phillies back for for that 1993 Blue Jays team he crafted, and rides into the sunset knowing he did something in Philadelphia that only The Pope, Paul Owens, can hang their hats on.

It was great to see Pat Burrell get the big hit in the 7th inning after struggling so much until that point. The long-time Phil who, despite taking his fair share of abuse over the years, loves playing in Philadelphia, probably played his last game as a Phillie tonight. But if that indeed is true, The Bat went out a winner.

The heroics of Eric Bruntlett and Ruiz, both players who heard a boo or two during the season, will not soon be forgotten in City of Brotherly love. Bruntlett, best known for being Burrell’s defensive replacement, scored the game winning run in 2 games. And Chooch absolutely taking control of the pitching staff, and getting big hits throughout the postseason.

How sweet it is for Sellersville native Jamie Moyer, who JRoll referred to as the “50-year old” in his interview with Peter Gammons after the game. After 22 years in the majors the quintessential crafty left-hander wins his championship. You can just tell when Series MVP Hamels talks about Moyer, how respected the guy is.

Ultimately this team took on the personality of their manager. Manuel instilled a toughness and simple approach to the game that players truly took to heart. Veterans, rookies, stars, and scrubs all bought into what the big West Virginian was selling. Kudos to Uncle Charlie. You are now a legend in Philadelphia.

Whether or not the 2009 version of this team can repeat next season is another post for another day. Today, and probably the next year, is for celebrating the 2008 club. A team we Philadelphians can truly be proud of.

Party like it’s 1980 Philadelphia, we are World Champions again!

Published
by
Jared
on October 29, 2008
in Phillies
. 0 Comments

Sanity Prevails Tonight. Why Didn’t it Yesterday?

Like most Phillies fans right now I’m annoyed, frustrated, pissed off (insert other anger-related emotions here). How could MLB screw this up? The web is now saturated with articles on the suspending of Game 5 it’s driving me batty. There is NO WAY this game should have ever started! With the horrible weather forecast, it should have been postponed early on Monday - exactly how they’re handling tonight’s “game” until Wednesday. Jayson Stark sums it up pretty well in his article on ESPN.com.

Now, one soggy, half-baked, suspended-animation debacle later, they’ve essentially wasted a Cole Hamels start…

…In Philadelphia, nothing is ever easy. Nothing. So this mess just fits right in.

Clearly, no one, even the players, wants to win in a rain shortened game, especially to win the World Series - it would be forever tainted.

Reporter: “Would you want to win a World Series based on a rain rule?”

Utley: “No, absolutely not.”

How could Selig not have had better weather information? There was simply no chance of getting that game in. Bill Conlin even references AccuWeather’s own site in the Daily News:

Phillies fan and climatologist extraordinary Joe Bastardi had fired off an angry 6:30 p.m. update to his blog on AccuWeather’s professional site under the headline: “Cancel the Game Tonight.”

Gene Wojciechowski at ESPN hits the nail on the head when calling Selig out for starting the game, or not at least being creative enough to move the start time up. Or was it Fox pushing to get the game in so it didn’t mess up their TV schedule? God forbid we miss an episode of the Sarah Connor Chronicles.

…and if Selig had “significant” concerns, why wasn’t the game time pushed up by 60-90 minutes? It still would have allowed for a 7 p.m. start…

I was lucky enough to be at Games 3 and 4. I sat (ok, stood) through the 90 minute rain delay in Game 3. While it sucked getting home at 3am, to sleep at 4am and up with the kid at 730am, it was worth it, and it was done to make sure the game was played in fair conditions. The rain during Game 5 was as hard, if not harder than it was during the rain delay of Game 3, not to mention that the wind was stronger. No matter who wins, it has impacted the outcome of Game 5 and maybe even the whole series.

Even the Rays thought it was ridiculous to continue playing past the 4th as Trever Miller told reporters when asked when he thought the game should have been stopped:

“I would have said no later than the fourth inning. As soon as Jimmy Rollins had trouble with that fly ball [Rocco Baldelli's uncaught popup leading off the top of the fifth], right then and there that would have told everyone that conditions were not conducive to playing good baseball.”

So in the end, a Cole Hamels start was wasted, and if we end up losing in 7 games (and the entire city implodes), there will forever by the “what if?” hanging over our heads. What if Cole had been able to pitch under non-torrential conditions? Hamels isn’t one to make excuses, but even he thought the weather played a role. From Stark’s piece:

Before we get to the ramifications of that tie, though, let’s go back to that fateful rally. Asked if he thought Rollins would have thrown Upton out at first base had this been regular old weather — as opposed to monsoon season — Hamels had no doubt.

“On a normal day? Oh yeah,” he said. “Definitely. I think he might have caught Longoria’s ball, too [i.e., the ground-ball single that drove in the Rays' first run, in the fourth]. But you know, that’s the way luck [works] in baseball.”

While Cole, along with the rest of the Phillies, only care about the team winning the game and the series, he quite possibly would have gone 7 or 8 innings giving up 2 or less runs - especially considering he’d be able to grip a curveball. He was on his way to winning his second game of the World Series and the Series MVP. He may still win the Series MVP if we win this thing - it has to be him or Carlos “I’m from Panama damnit” Ruiz, doesn’t it? While Kazmir may have benefitted too, I cannot imagine he would have matched Cole (I’m sure Rays fans will dispute that). Maybe they can wait to play this game until Friday or Saturday so Cole can get back in there. Wishful thinking!

Ok, I’m done crying over spilled milk. If the Phils can score at least one more run than the Rays and get 9 more outs, the curse of Billy Penn will be over and the new Water-gate will be forgotten.

Published
by
Jared
on October 28, 2008
in Phillies
. 0 Comments

It’s Never Freakin’ Easy

I’ll make this quick because the last 3 nights have been exhausting.

It just wouldn’t be Philadelphia if we closed things out tonight in a normal fashion. Cole Hamels pitching 8 innings and Brad Lidge closing out the Series in the 9th just doesn’t fit the city.

I wish it did sometimes. Goodness knows my beer and crap food intake would be dramatically reduced, but it’s the price you pay for being from Philly.

God dammit.

With the game postponed till tomorrow morning we just have to hope Chad Durbin isn’t the guy we see start the Top of the 7th. I know nothing is easy but lets not thumb our noses at the baseball Gods.

Go Phils.

Published
by
Jared
on October 28, 2008
in Phillies
. 1 Comment

Bombs Away! - The Good, Bad, and Ugly from Game 4

The Good

Kentucky Joe Blanton. The chunky kid from Kentucky (actually born in Tennessee) came up huge on the mound and at the plate, pitching 6 innings and only giving up 2 earned runs. Blanton kept the ball down and had the Rays flailing (7 strikeouts). Blanton also pitched in a HR in the 5th inning, the first HR by a pitcher in the World Series since Ken Holtzman did it for Oakland in 1974.

Howard to Left. And to Right. Ryan Howard seems to be out of his slump. First he finally takes a ball to left field on his 3-R homer in the 4th inning. Then in the 8th he takes lefty Trever Miller DEEP into right.

Ryan Madson sitting ‘em down. Madson has emerged as Brad Lidge’s Mariano Rivera. Madson entered the game with 2 men on in the 7th inning and mowed down BJ Upton. He then K’d the once-dangerous Carlos Pena and “Eva” Longoria. Four batter, 3 strikeouts. Not bad.

Two-out hit. How nice was it to see Pedro Feliz knock Chase Utley in with a two-out hit in the 2nd inning.

Too much else to list. This was the most complete game the Phils put together in the series. From JRoll getting on base to the hitting with RISP, the Phils had a lot of good things going last night.

The Bad

Tim Welke keeps it going. Third base ump Tim Welke continued the umpiring crews’ ineptitude by blowing a call in the 1st inning on a tag of Rollins during a run down. But hey, it was the first call going our way so far, so I won’t list it under Ugly.

The Ugly

Pat the Flat. Pat Burrell’s terrible showing keeps on going as the slugger is now 0-12 for the series, with nary a hard hit ball to be had. He did have a bases loaded walk in the 1st inning, but even on that he came real close to swinging and missing.

Published
by
Jared
on October 27, 2008
in Phillies
. 0 Comments

Phils Win - I’m Just Waking Up - The Good, Bad, and Ugly from Game 3

Although by now this post is old news, the fact I didn’t get home from the game last night until 4:30AM did not allow me to post anything relatively coherent this morning.

The Good

Chooch! The Latin Lieby continued his improbable run for Series MVP last night by hitting a HR and “knocking” in the game winning run in the bottom of the 9th. Carlos Ruiz may have taken his lumps from the fans all season, but he’s quickly becoming a legend with his timely heroics.

82 mph fastballs. Jamie Moyer and Rays’ starter Matt Garza couldn’t be more different. One is a 24-year old flamethrowing hothead, while the other is a cool-as-a-cucumber AARP member. Moyer’s tantalizingly slow and slower repetoire kept the young Rays flailing for nearly 7 innnings. His exit hastened by yet another terrible call by the umpiring crew, Moyer got Charlie Manuel exactly what he wanted - a chance to start the 8th inning with Ryan Madson.

Jimmy gets on base. When JRoll hits the Phillies usually win. Rollins broke out of his Series slump with back-to-back singles to start the game. Granted, he got caught stealing the second time on an amazing throw from Dioner Navarro, but he definitely got into Garza’s head and scored the first run of the game.

The Bad

Jayson Werth’s continuing brain farts. I love what Werth has brought to the team this season, but on this big a stage his mental game has to catch up to his physical skills. Getting picked off at 2nd last night, while Jason Bartlett literally stands on the base like a first baseman was inexcusable.

Situational hitting still killing them. With the amount of chances the Phillies continue to have this series shouldn’t even be close. The striking out, pop ups, inability to lay down bunts, and general awareness is brutal.

The Ugly

Umpiring, again. Again, the Phils were on the wrong end of a lazy umpire’s call. Moyer’s spectacular play on Carl Crawford’s 7th-inning bunt was negated by Tom Hallion’s missed call. Hallion was in a terrible position to make the call, and the Rays went on to score 2 runs in the inning.

Pat Burrell. Burrell’s horrific run continues. He missed Carl Crawford’s fly ball in the 2nd (it was a tough play, but Pat’s poor foot speed had a lot to do with it) and went 0-3 again. He is not 0-9 with 5 K’s. His late-inning replacement Eric Bruntlett, who hit a homer in Game 2 and scored the winning run last night may need to start a game. Burrell needs to refocus.

Published
by
Jared
on October 26, 2008
in Phillies
. 0 Comments

Phils Bat with Wet Noodles - The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Game 2

The Good

Ummmm. Unfortunately this isn’t a Tampa Bay Rays blog, so the pickings are slim.

Carlos Ruiz should bat clean up. Ruiz had a solid night, going 2-2 with 2 doubles, a walk, a run, and a SB. Each of his at bats were tough, grind-it-out affairs. The much maligned Chooch is really making his mark as the man behind the plate for the Phils.

Brett Myers battling. Despite his struggles early, shaky defense, and less than friendly umpiring, there was Myers finishing off the 7th inning by getting BJ Upton to ground out into another double play. On most any night I’ll take 7IP and 3ER from the big guy.

The Bad

Jayson Werth. Werth had a rough evening. He went 1-5 with 2 K’s, made a 1st inning error that helped Tampa score their 2nd run, and got caught off first on Chase Utley’s fly ball in the 5th inning. He’s got to be better than that.

Kerwin Danley sucks. Danley, the home plate umpire, blew a strikeout call on Rocco Baldelli in the 2nd inning (which led to a run), and then missed an obvious hit by pitch on Jimmy Rollins in the 9th inning. He just looked uninterested and unaware.

The Ugly

Where to begin.

Jimmy Rollins slumping. JRoll continues to kill the Phillies at the top of the lineup. His inability to get on base in any situation will ultimately doom this team. He is now 0-10 with 5 K’s. Not good.

Even worse situational hitting. Could the Phillies come up with more ways to NOT score guys from third base with less than 2 outs? Again, this was never something Charlie Manuel’s guys did well, but they’re taking this to a whole ‘nother level.

God damn hitting. They just looked so clueless at the plate I had to mention it again. They rode Cole Hamels’ coattails in Game 1, but they weren’t able to skate by this time. Lets hope their trip home to the Bank wakes them up.

Published
by
Jared
on October 24, 2008
in Phillies
. 0 Comments

Phils Win! - The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Game 1

The Good

Cole Hamels continues his postseason mastery. The guy has no fear, and doesn’t get rattled by anything. He had the Rays off balance the entire game, and was as sharp in the 7th inning as he was in the 1st.

Chase Utley against lefties. Utley broke out of his postseason-long slump, and did it against tough left-handed pitchers Scott Kazmir (2-run HR) and JP Howell (single).

Ryan Madson’s heat. The Phils set it up perfectly, getting Madson the ball to start the 8th, and were rewarded with some serious gas from the tall righty. Madson hit 97 mph against the overmatched BJ Upton.

Brad Lidge and his slider. Lidge spared our gag reflexes this time around and set down the heart of the Tampa lineup in order, making Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria

The Bad

Chris Coste at DH. I had almost forgot Coste was even on the team when he was announced as the DH. I’m sure there have been worse DH’s in World Series history, but I’m hard pressed to name one. I think we’re seeing the last of Coste as a Phillie, in this series and probably his career. The bat is just not there anymore.

Jimmy Rollins not getting it done. J-Roll’s travails continue as he goes 0-5 with only 1 hard hit ball. If the Phillies are going to put this Tampa team away they’re going to need his spark.

Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. They just suck. Joe Buck is a pompous ass and McCarver is Captain Obvious. At one point they showed catchers Dioner Navarro and Carlos Ruiz chatting at the plate and McCarver calls them “fellow countrymen”. Unfortunately, Navarro is from Caracas, Venezuela and Ruiz is from Panama. Then in Akinori Iwamura’s final at bat Buck says he’s 3 for 3 with all singles while the graphic below him shows he has 2 singles and a double - the double that scored 1 of Tampa’s 2 runs. Just sloppy.

The Ugly

Ryan Howard and his inability to make contact. Howard is killing the Phillies right now. His propensity for striking out is becoming less and less digestable. He just looks lost at the plate, especially against lefties. The fact the Rays walked Chase Utley intentionally with Jayson Werth on second in the 8th inning to get to Howard speaks volumes.

Situational hitting. Never a strong suit for this team, the Phils were 0-13 with runners in scoring position. Enough said.

Published
by
Jared
on October 23, 2008
in Phillies
. 0 Comments

WhatifSports Simulation Predicts Phils Win! Barely.

The folks at Whatifsports.com are on a bit of a hot streak. Through their magical simulations they predicted the Boston Celtics would win the NBA Championship in 6 games over the Lakers, the Red Wings would beat the Penguins before the playoffs started, and that Kansas would beat Memphis for the NCAA championship on Selection Sunday. Pretty good.

Of course they have now run the Phils and Rays through their simulation 10,001 times - and the result is…

PHILS WIN! At a less than stellar 51.2% of the time, but I’ll freakin’ take it.

Here are some fun facts from their simulation:

  • The most likely outcome is a Phillies win in seven games at 16.6% of the time. The Rays in six (16.4%), Phillies in five (15.0%) and Rays in seven (14.9%) are also fairly likely.
  • Chase Utley is the most likely WS MVP, averaging 1.5 HR, 4.6 RBI and 4.0 R. He is followed by Evan Longoria (1.5 HR, 4.7 RBI, 3.7 R) and Cole Hamels (0.9 W, 3.45 ERA, 13.0 IP, 13.2 K)
  • The Phillies win 58.2% of Cole Hamels’ starts, including 54.2% of the time in Game 1 and 62.9% of the time at home in Game 5.
  • In the example series on the site, the Phillies win Games 1 (13-4), 4 (7-3), 6 (6-2) and 7 (5-3). Jayson Werth wins the MVP and Brad Lidge earns the Game 7 save (after blowing Game 2) by striking out the side.
Published
by
Jared
on October 22, 2008
in Phillies
. 0 Comments

Obama Flip Flops on Phillies - Panders to Rays Fans

Presidential candidate Barack Obama is out and about politicking, shaking hands and kissing babies. All typical bullsh#t a politician does. But with the World Series just a day away Obama’s political doubletalk has gone too far. Butasforme.com reports on Obama’s flip-flopping on who he’s rooting for in the fall classic.

At a rally in Tampa right after the Rays took out the Red Sox Obama said saying:

“I’ve said from the beginning that I am a unity candidate. Bringing people together
so when you see a White Sox fan showing love to the Rays, and the Rays showing
some love back, you know we’re on to something right here. I was going to cut my hair in a mohawk in solidarity but my political adviser said they weren’t sure how that was going to play with ah, swing voters.”

See for yourself.

Ugh. But only a week before in Philadelphia Obama played the Phillie card in his quest for the White House.

I guess he really believes his own “Change” motto.

Published
by
Jared
on October 22, 2008
in Phillies
. 0 Comments

The Phils and Rays at the Movies

There is no getting around it - the Tampa Bay Rays are this sports year’s great story. The long-time not-so lovable losers from one of the worst baseball cities in the majors make good. If Tampa wins the World Series a movie called “Ray of Hope” will be made one day, with Dennis Quaid sporting the Tina Fey glasses as Joe Maddon, and the little Japanese guy from Heroes playing Akinori Iwamura.

But will the Phillies give this movie a happy ending? Or will it end like the Bad News Bears with Carl Crawford getting thrown out at the plate a couple of innings after Charlie Manuel slaps Brett Myers on the mound?

The Rays certainly seem to have the tools to beat the big, bad Phils. Namely a bullpen with hard throwing lefties Trever Miller, JP Howell, and rookie David Price*, and an amazing defense that sadly doesn’t feature anyone of Rafael Furcal’s or poor little Timmy Lupus’ ilk.

* Note: Remember Dennis Quaid played Tampa Bay lefty Jim Morris in “The Rookie”. Dammit if this clip doesn’t make me tear up every freaking time.

What the Rays lack is a consistent threat offensively. The have some good hitters, but no one who’s going to scare the bejeezus out the Phillies like Manny Ramirez. No Kelly Leak.

Ryan Howard is going to have to regain his form and capture his inner-Haywood (who was played by former Cy Young award winner Pete Vuckovich in Major League) if the Phillies are going to contend.

I’m hoping “Ray of Hope” never makes it to production. I mean how many more times can Quaid pull it off? And doesn’t Philadelphia need another Rocky? Not a Rocky 1 mind you, but the sweet ending from Rocky II. And god dammit if THIS clip doesn’t getting me weeping 10 seconds into it.

Published
by
Jared
on October 20, 2008
in Phillies
. 0 Comments

Oh Crap - Boston Getting their Mojo Back

The fact that the Red Sox are on the verge of making yet another miraculous playoff comeback cannot be settling for Phillies fans. Nothing good seems to come to those NL teams that ultimately face the Sox after they win these things.

Watching the young Rays slowly succumb to the pressure and the veteran Sox is getting painful. The thought of Boston peaking is down right scary. I’m certainly not saying the Phils can’t possibly beat the Red Sox, but there’s just something magical about these freakin’ guys. Did Terry Francona make a deal with the devil? Has Bud Selig asked them to hold back once a postseason to make things more interesting?

I’d rather take my chances with the Rays and their feel-good story of the year than the Sox and their black magic in the World Series. I don’t like these goings-on at all folks, so lets try to ward off Satan’s minions tonight and say a prayer for Matt Garza,

Published
by
Jared
on October 19, 2008
in Phillies
. 0 Comments