Results tagged ‘ Phillies ’
Back to the ALCS…
Congratulations to the New York Yankees for their
ALDS series win over the Minnesota Twins!
Neil Miller/New York Post
I don’t know why the Yankees have enjoyed success
against the Twins. Perhaps it is why the
Toronto Blue Jays love playing the Yankees.
Some teams have other teams number and the Yankees certainly hold a psychological
edge over the Twins.
I’ve been reading many articles about which team
the Yankees would prefer facing in the American League Championship
Series. While I am still not convinced
that the Yankees have “it” this year to see them through a World Series that
most likely will feature a frontline rotation of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and
Cole Hamels, the two potential AL contenders (Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers)
certainly have their own issues.
As for a potential ALCS opponent, I’d have to say
that I’d prefer to see the Tampa Bay Rays.
I don’t really want to see the Texas Rangers advance to the World Series
(not that I want to see the Rays go there either), but a series with the
Rangers would result in very bitter confrontations with Rangers ace Cliff
Lee. Win or lose, it could potentially
impact Cliff’s decision this offseason regarding where to sign (or
re-sign). CC Sabathia neutralizes the
advantage of David Price, and with the other starters rested, I like the team’s
chances against the other Rays starters.
AP
Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants for
their NLDS ouster of the Atlanta Braves and future Hall of Fame manager Bobby
Cox. It was a tough fought series, and I
give the Giants credit for much heart in this series. They thrived on stellar pitching and used
small ball to topple the Braves and send Cox away at the end of the long and
successful managerial career. It was odd
seeing the final out recorded by former Yankee Melky Cabrera, who had seemed to
thrive in walk-off situations in 2009.
With the tying and winning runs on base, Melky hit a grounder to third
to end the game. With the series win in
Game 4, the Giants saved scheduled Game 5 starter Tim Lincecum for a first
round NLCS match-up against Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies. It should be a terrific pitchers’ duel…
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Well, with just one division series left to go, I
guess I’ll end with saying, ‘Go Rays!’…
–Scott
From Minneapolis to New York, with Love…
I am pleasantly surprised at the Yankees’ success,
so far, against the Minnesota Twins…
I had been so disappointed with the team’s pathetic
September performance that saw them lose any chance of winning the AL
East. Within a matter of days or even
hours, they went from the possibility of the AL East Championship with home
field advantage to a road-traveling Wild Card team. It was hard to be excited about the start of
the play-offs with the team playing so poorly.
For the first two games of the ALDS series against the Twins, the
Yankees have risen to the challenge.
Granted, the Yankees have a history of success against the Twins, but I’d
be the first to say that past domination does not guarantee future domination. 2004 wasn’t that many years ago…
Vincent Laforet/The New York Times
While the Yankees have the series advantage and are
now headed for the Bronx to resume the series on Saturday night, the Twins are
far from out of it. If they can get
solid pitching and timely hitting in New York, they have a chance to take the
series back to Minnesota for the deciding Game 5. Outside of perhaps CC Sabathia, the Yankees simply
do not have a pitcher that is capable of putting up a Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee
type of performance. Even CC has his bad
days. But going into the play-offs, I
knew that the lesser guys would need to stand up and so far, Lance Berkman and
Curtis Granderson certainly have.
Sipken/NY Daily News
I am very surprised to see the AL East Champion
Tampa Bay Rays trailing their ALDS series to the Texas Rangers (down two games
to none). I realize that the Rays
struggled in September like the Yankees but I felt they were probably the best
team in the American League based primarily on their pitching staff. Like the Twins, the Rays can still get back
in the series but the Rangers have to like their chances.
AP
There have been great pitching performances in the
National League with the no-hitter thrown by the Philadelphia Phillies’ Roy
Halladay and last night’s 14-strikeout, complete game shut-out thrown by San
Francisco’s Tim Lincecum in the Giants’ 1-0 victory over the Atlanta
Braves.
Michael Macor/San Francisco Chronicle
Regardless of what happens, the League Championship
Series in both leagues should be very exciting this year. I still think the Phillies will win it all,
but the Yankees certainly have as much talent as anyone to get on a roll.
Going off-topic but staying with the ‘Minnesota to New York’ theme, I was very pleasantly surprised to
see the return of Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings play the Jets in the Meadowlands on Monday night. I have retained my purple #84 jersey all
these years but never thought that I’d get a chance to wear it again. I knew that Randy had become quite vocal in
recent weeks about the lack of a contract extension and of course there was
last weekend’s blow-up with a coordinator.
Still, I did not expect the New England Patriots to trade Moss. The Vikings have clearly been missing Sidney
Rice who will be out until at least mid-season due to hip surgery. It will be interesting to see if chemistry
develops between Moss and QB Brett Favre.
It is going to be weird watching Moss catching passes from Favre after
all those years of playing against each other in the Packers-Vikings series.
At 1-2, the Vikings face a very challenging
October. After the game against the Jets, they will face the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers and
New England Patriots to close out the month.
The team should definitely know where they stand by Halloween.
–Scott
A September To Forget…
The going gets tough, the Yankees decide to bail…
The Yankees should be able to clinch the Wild Card
slot at some point, but I’ve given up hope of taking the AL East unless things
change very quickly. The Tampa Bay Rays
have great momentum right now, and the Yankees don’t. So far this month (going into Saturday’s
game), the Yankees are 10-12. When you’re
racing for the pennant, that kind of record is not going to get it done
(obviously). The Yankees’ magic number
remains at 3. With a single win against
the Red Sox, they could reduce the number to 1 but at this point, the Red Sox
are playing like the superior team and they certainly have not given up
hope. After the end of the home stand
against Boston, the Yankees take to the road to play the Blue Jays and the Red
Sox (both challenging places to play).
This month, the Philadelphia Phillies have definitely
shown they are ‘in it to win it’. They’ve
clearly distanced themselves from the Atlanta Braves and they’ll head into the
play-offs as the hottest team in the National League. It’s been a great season for the Cincinnati
Reds, but I think the Phillies, even with their injuries, are the better
team. The trading deadline pick-up of
Roy Oswalt was huge and it gave the Phillies pitching superiority (even against
the likes of the San Francisco Giants who boast a very strong rotation). Speaking of the Giants, they’ve also been
playing good baseball and currently lead the NL West by a slim margin. I like the Giants as an underdog if they can
stay on top against the San Diego Padres, but I don’t think anyone is going to
beat the Phillies and they’ll head to the World Series for the third straight
year.
Michael Bryant, Philly.com, Staff Photographer
Back to the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays and
the Minnesota Twins are playing the best baseball. As much as I would like to say “Rays suck!”
or “Twins suck!” or “Yankees are going to win it again!”, the truth is that the
AL Championship Series will most likely feature the Rays and the Twins. The Rangers are fading and of course so are
the Yankees. If the Yankees’ freefall
results in a miraculous achievement of the play-offs by the Boston Red Sox, it
will definitely rank as one of the greatest September flops in recent
memory.
Reuters
In the NL, the Atlanta Braves and the Colorado
Rockies are fading, and the Padres aren’t far behind. For a time this season, I thought the Padres
were the team to beat, but now they’re fighting to make the play-offs.
John R. McCutchen/San Diego Union-Tribune
At this point, it is hard to visualize the 2010
World Series involving any teams other than the Tampa Bay Rays and the
Philadelphia Phillies (a repeat of the Phillies’ championship year in
2008). More than likely, the outcome
will be the same.
Congratulations to my friend, Julia (of Julia’s
Rants), for winning the latest wager between she and I. With today’s 7-2 victory, the Boston Red Sox
have ensured that they will take at least two of the three games in the Bronx
and they’ll go for a sweep on Sunday. I
guess the Yanks could have used those 6 home runs today instead of yesterday. The Yankees, now 10-13 for September,
continue to give the Red Sox hope that they can reach high enough to eclipse
the Yanks for the Wild Card slot. The
Sox are now just 5 ½ games behind the Yankees.
I guess there’s a Red Sox cap on its way to my home in CA… L
Noah K. Murray/The Star-Ledger
Maybe I think a motivational pep talk by Tony
Dungy. Then again, it didn’t seem to
help the Yankees. Let’s hope that next
weekend is more exciting than this weekend is turning out to be…
–Scott
Moving Forward…
With the franchise’s 9,500th win (dating back to the New York Highlanders in 2003), the Yankees moved into sole possession of first place…
The two central figures in today’s win against the New York Mets were CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira.
Aristide Economopoulos/The Star Ledger
Sabathia has struggled at times this season, and held a 7-3 record heading into today’s action. Teixeira had a very cold April, started to warm up in May before lapsing back into a deep freeze in June. But today, they did what it took to win. CC pitched 8 scoreless innings, giving up only 4 hits with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts. The Mets couldn’t stop him but a 20 minute rain delay finally did as Mo Rivera finished the game in a non-save situation after the delay ended.
Aristide Economopoulos/The Star Ledger
Teixeira came up huge in the third inning with a grand slam that provided the former Highlanders with the only runs they would need. Credit Brett Gardner, Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher for excellent play and hustle in loading the bases on three singles, only one of which made it out of the infield. It was very enjoyable to hear John Sterling’s trademark “Tex Message!” call.
Aristide Economopoulos/The Star Ledger
Despite losing Friday night’s game, the Yankees came back to win on both Saturday and Sunday to capture the series and end the season series in a split.
I was surprised to see Roy Halladay lose again. This time to Carl Pavano and the Minnesota Twins. Like his record against the Yankees, Halladay sported an excellent mark against the Twins. But it was not meant to be today against the Twins as he fell 4-1. I am not saying that Cliff Lee is a better pitcher than Halladay, but so far, the regular season performances in Phillies uniforms is tilted in Lee’s favor. Of course, it’s not all Doc’s fault given his 2.43 ERA which implies that he has not had run support given his 8-6 record.
I guess Joe Torre did not have a joyful return to Fenway Park, and neither did Manny Ramirez as the Boston Red Sox swept the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend. The AL East couldn’t be tighter with both the Tampa Bay Rays and Red Sox just one game behind the Yankees. The Toronto Blue Jays continue to lurk in the shadows, just 5 ½ games back although they did lose today.
The Yankees now head to Phoenix to play the Arizona Diamondbacks. I don’t have great memories of the Yankees in Phoenix, but fortunately Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling are no longer on the mound and Luis Gonzalez is not in the outfield. The D-Backs have a good team and former Yankee Ian Kennedy has done well in the rotation. Nevertheless, I will be hoping for redemption anyway. Besides, we have a one game lead to protect!
I was bummed after the 2010 NFL Draft when the Minnesota Vikings did not draft a quarterback. They did select Joe Webb of the University of Alabama-Birmingham, however, the immediate talk was that Webb would be shifted to wide receiver. During the recent mini-camps, Webb, with his 11 inch hands and athleticism, showed that he can be a quarterback of the future. So, at least for now, the move to wide receiver has been postponed. The Vikings will take a long look at Webb as a QB in training camp.
Andy King/AP
I hope it was a great Father’s Day for all the baseball-loving Dads!
–Scott
Time To Break The Ice…
On Tuesday, the Yankees were on top of the world
after defeating Doc Halladay and the Phillies…
Saed Hindash/The Star Ledger
Since then, all they have managed to do is to lose
the series to the Phillies and allow the New York Mets to win their 8th
game in a row. I am not quite sure how
you can from clubbing one of the best pitchers in baseball today to a total
inability to score runs. Good pitching
beat good hitting, I know. But still,
the Yankees have had their opportunities but the clutch hit just hasn’t come.
Hats off to Javier Vazquez’s performance on Friday
night despite the loss to the Mets. He
went 7 innings and only gave up 3 hits and 1 run. For the past month, he has been the team’s
most consistent pitcher. Too bad the
bats weren’t there to support him. I was
one of many who were booing Javy early in the season, but like they say, we
wouldn’t boo if we didn’t care. This is
the Javy that we had expected to see, and hopefully, this will be the Javy that
will take us to October.
Sipkin/NY Daily News
Last night’s bullpen was disappointing. Chan Ho Park and Boone Logan allowed the Mets
to increase their lead from 1-0 to 4-0.
The Yankees still had their chances which included bringing the tying
run to the plate in the bottom of the 9th. Granted, Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher failed
to bring home any runs, but if the gap had been closer, it is possible that the
players would not have been trying so hard and could have made something
happen.
Despite the losses, the Yankees remain tied atop
the AL East with the Tampa Bay Rays who have encountered their own rough
patch. The only team winning these days
is the Boston Red Sox who have crept to within one game of the lead (two in the
loss column).
Today will be the battle of 9-1 pitchers as Phil
Hughes will face the Mets’ Mike Pelfrey.
Pelfrey is 1-0 in this match-up so far this season so hopefully Phil
will be able to exact revenge. It would
be great for him to reach 10 wins today.
Noah K. Murray/The Star Ledger
Another wager with Julia of Julia’s Rants, and yet
another win! We had bet on the NBA
Finals…Los Angeles Lakers versus Boston Celtics. My state against hers. Julia was so confident throughout the
series. She was sure the Celtics were
going to win the championship in six games.
She kept ranting that the Celtics would capture their 18th
NBA championship. She insisted that the
Lakers would not win and that Kobe Bryant would not be the MVP. Hey, Julia, how did that work out for
ya? 
LA Times
As a result of the loss, Julia is now obligated to
post photos of herself on her blog wearing the newest addition to her collection…a
Lakers championship locker room t-shirt.
The t-shirt was ordered through the Lakers website while the locker room
celebration was underway. I knew that
Julia would be very anxious to get her new shirt. She wouldn’t want to miss out on the
celebration of the LA Lakers as the 2010 NBA Champions! Enjoy Julia! I look forward to the Lakers post on your blog! :)
P.S. The Lakers now have 16 NBA Championships. Isn’t that just one less than the Celtics? Well, that’s what we have next year for! Go Lakers!
–Scott
A Win And A Loss And A…
A split against Doc Halladay and Jamie Moyer is not so bad until you realize that the loss was against the latter…
The Yankees pummeled Philadelphia starter Roy Halladay on Tuesday night with three home runs in defeating the Phillies 8-3. The victory was somewhat of a surprise given that Halladay held an 18-6 mark against the Yankees going into the game. Time and again, Halladay has frustrated Yankee bats, but last night was not one of those times. If memory serves correctly, Halladay has also lost to the Boston Red Sox this season so his reunion with the AL East has not been very enjoyable for him.
Tonight, ancient starter Jamie Moyer got revenge in helping the Phillies defeat the Yanks, 6-3. The seats at Yankee Stadium were barely warm by the time the Phillies had surged ahead 6-1 after three innings. The relief contingent of Boone Logan (freshly called up from AAA Scranton/Wilkes Barre to replace DL-bound Marcus Thames) and Chad (is he still around?) Gaudin pitched superbly and gave the Yankees a chance to climb back into it. The Yankees weren’t really able to get anything going although they did bring the potential tying run to the plate before Jorge Posada struck out to end the game. Where are those grand slams (or at least a 3-run dinger in this case) when you need them? Oh well, tomorrow is a new day. Fortunately, the Tampa Bay Rays also lost (6-2 to the Atlanta Braves) so the Yankees remain tied for the AL East lead despite the loss.
Moyer became the oldest pitcher to beat the Yankees at 47 years, 155 days. The previous oldest pitcher was former Yankee Phil Niekro who was 47 years, 122 days when he last beat the Yanks according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Julia will be quick to point out that the Boston Red Sox are only three games back after their 6-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The city needs something to cheer about given that they will lose the NBA Finals to the soon-to-be World Champion Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night! J
There has been much speculation that the Yankees should pursue a trade for a frontline pitcher like Cliff Lee or Roy Oswalt. That’s a tough one. As much as I would like Cliff Lee, I have a tough time finding a spot in the rotation for him. CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, and Phil Hughes are locks and not going anywhere. A.J. Burnett, as frustrating as he can be at times, isn’t going anywhere. So, the only spot would be Javier Vazquez but he’s been arguably the Yankees best pitcher for the past month. I guess the question would then become whether you can trust Vazquez for the remainder of the season. If the Yankees can trade for Lee contingent upon signing him to a new contract, perhaps it makes sense given Javy’s impending free agency. But, of course, at what cost? If you are talking about Jesus Montero or Austin Romine and other top talent, it is probably not worth it (and that is what it would take). It would be better to take your chances during free agency in the off-season. The downside is that you wouldn’t have Lee in the play-off rotation should the team get that far. Okay, I know they’ll get that far, but it is a little early yet. It’s probably better to build a stronger bench for the stretch run…
Apparently, the Yankees have tentatively reached an agreement with top 2010 draft pick shortstop Christopher “Cito” Culver. Culver, who had signed a letter of intent with the University of Maryland, withdrew from his commitment to the school. The Yankees cannot formally sign Culver until he officially graduates from high school.
A Pac-10 match-up between Colorado and Utah? It could happen if the Utes accept the conference’s invitation to join. Wow, this has been a crazy off-season. Colorado to the Pac-10, Nebraska to the Big 10, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and others staying put in the Big 12. Growing up in the Midwest, there was always something special about those Nebraska-OU games so it will be sad to see the rivalry, as we know it, come to an end. Granted, Nebraska hasn’t done much in recent years, but the Cornhuskers are still a premier school. As a fan of the University of Iowa, it will be fun to see Nebraska-Iowa on a consistent basis, but it won’t be the same.
–Scott
And Then They Were Tied…
“I must be in the front row!”…
Bob Uecker, by Steve Moore/Getty Images
The Yankees capped a very successful weekend in sweeping the Houston Astros by moving into a first place tie with the Tampa Bay Rays. Of course, the Yankees need to keep the pressure on to avoid falling behind the Rays again but they should be in good shape if CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett can keep the momentum going.
With Alex Rodriguez still on the bench due to an ailing hip, the Yankees rode Jorge Posada’s second grand slam in as many days to a 9-5 victory at Yankee Stadium.
Sipkin/NY Daily News
Manager Joe Girardi stayed with starter Phil Hughes a bit too long in the 6th as the Astros scored four runs after trailing 7-1. When the Astros scored the first two runs of the inning, I thought that Hughes should have been pulled. He was over 100 pitches but I know Girardi wanted to see him finish the inning. It turned out to be a big mistake as light-hitting Kevin Cash delivered a two run homer to end the day for Hughes.
William Perlman/The Star Ledger
The Yankees answered with several runs of their own and the bullpen was up to the task of securing the win for Hughes. It was his 9th win of the season to tie him for the league lead with David Price and Clay Buchholz. I thought Damaso Marte’s strikeout after relieving Hughes was huge. The Astros had seized the game momentum but it quickly evaporated with Marte’s strike out of Michael Bourn.
The Yankees get a much deserved day off on Monday. They’ll need it since they’ll be staring at Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night. The Phillies will definitely be seeking revenge for last October. It should be a great series.
Speaking of grand slams, here is a look back at a great one…
So Close Yet So Far Away…again…
A wasted Phil Hughes performance…
From the movie, Hangover
Hughes did his part. Unfortunately, no one else did. Pitching into the 6th inning with only one run allowed, Hughes saw a potential victory evaporate in the hands of relievers Boone Logan and David Robertson.
Thanks, in part, to a throwing error by Jorge Posada in the 8th, and a subsequent hit by Cesar Izturis, the Baltimore Orioles had the insurance run they would need to hold off a late rally by the Yankees.
A fielder’s choice groundout by Alex Rodriguez in the 9th inning ended the game after two runs had scored in the inning to bring the Yanks within one run, 5-4. The blazing hot Robinson Cano was left standing in the on-deck circle.
Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post
This was a very disappointing performance by the Yankees, who have been very uninspired of late in losing four of the last five games. Not even a Monday trip to Washington to meet President Barack Obama helped motivate the squad.
AP
After a terrific start, the Yankees are now 12-7, 2 ½ games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. The Boston Red Sox have won two straight to pull within 3 games of the Yankees and into third place.
Boston Globe
In typical Curt Schilling fashion, controversial remarks were abound as he indicated Yankees pitcher Javier Vazquez was not an American League guy. Manager Joe Girardi defended Vazquez. “Guys are asked to analyze situations, and so they make their analysis. We still believe Javy’s going to be successful, and he’s going to pitch at a very high level for us.” I hope Joe’s right, but I have to admit I had the same reservations when I first heard the Yankees had re-acquired Vazquez. His greatest successes have come in Montreal and Atlanta, both National League cities. I am still hopeful Javy will succeed in the Bronx but the concerns and fears will remain until he proves me wrong…
Bazemore/AP
Hats off to San Francisco pitcher Jonathan Sanchez for outdueling the great Roy Halladay in the Giants’ 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies last night.
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
We are the Champions of the World!…
The 2009 World Champions!…
Nick Laham/Getty Images
I knew that Andy, at his best would give up about 3 or 4 runs, and I had a feeling that this would come down to the bullpen.
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
On my FaceBook page, I started the day by posting this Bob Lemon quote:
It was sad that George Steinbrenner could not be in attendance, but perhaps this championship was for Hal Steinbrenner. In 1923, the original Yankee Stadium opened with a World Championship. In 2009, it’s a new stadium but the same result. What a way to christen the new home of Aura and Mystique!
Nick Laham/Getty Images
Manager Joe Girardi earned the number on his back, and he can always wear it with pride. He personally delivered it to the fans of New York, and it will be great to see the parade return to the Big Apple.
Al Bello/Getty Images
Is there anyone who doesn’t believe that Mariano Rivera will be a first ballot Hall of Famer? It has been tough for closers to gain entry to Cooperstown, but the legend of Mo Rivera will be long remembered. He is the greatest closer in Yankee history, and certainly one of the best ever in Major League baseball.
Nick Laham/Getty Images
Going away from the Series, I have to say that I am glad the Yankees didn’t have to face Chase Utley more than they did. The guy is a stud, and certainly one of the premier players in the game. Cliff Lee also proved that he is truly an ace. It’s not like he had anything to prove before the Series, but on the grandest stage of all, he showed that he is a champion. There is no doubt that the Phillies will be back…
Nick Laham/Getty Images
A World Championship celebration in the Bronx…the way it was meant to be. Life is good.
Sipkin/NY Daily News
Hey Julia, I am ready for Opening Day 2010! Bring on the Red Sox! My friend, it is Game On!
Your Mission, Should You Chose to Accept It…
Here we go…
Getty Images
The World Series hits the home stretch with a return to Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night. Perhaps this is the way it was meant to be. A championship in front of the home crowd instead of a slew of Phillie Phanatics…
It was a gamble to pitch A.J. Burnett on short rest. CC Sabathia was one thing, but A.J. has proven this season that he is not CC. A.J. relies too much on the perfection of his pitches, so when he’s off, he is really off…
Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images
The result was a hole that the Yankees couldn’t dig out of, although to their defense, they tried. I really thought they had a chance in the 9th inning of Game 5 until Derek Jeter hit into the double play.
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
In the end, the two home runs by Chase Utley were simply too much. So, the Phillies emerged with the 8-6 victory to cut the Yankees’ Series lead to 3 games to 2.
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
The Yankees are gambling in Game 6 with Andy Pettitte on short rest. With Andy, you are most likely not going to get a stellar performance. It will either be an average performance with no more than 3 or 4 runs to keep the Yankees in the game, OR it will be a disaster like Game 6 of the 2001 World Series when Andy lost to the D-Backs, 15-2. I was at the game, and accidentally dropped a beer in disgust (sorry to those of you who were around me!).
Getty Images
The Yankees need to go into the game with Plan A and Plan B. Plan B should be to have Chad Gaudin ready to go in case Pettitte doesn’t have it. I’d hate to be three or four innings in and down 7-0. If it’s obvious that Andy doesn’t have it, manager Joe Girardi should be quick to make a change. This is where a solid pitching acquisition at the trading deadline would have been huge. Not that I think the Rays would have been agreeable to trading within the division, but having a Scott Kazmir at this point would probably be much preferable to pitching Andy on short rest. Nevertheless, this is the hand that we have been dealt so it is up to the Yankees to make the most of it.
If Ryan Howard comes around, this Series is going to get ugly in a hurry. They’ve got to continue to keep him off the bases, and they need to figure out how to stop Chutley. They also need to keep the game close until they can get into the Phillies bullpen which is clearly a weakness. This has been the season of walk-off’s for the Yankees so it’s time to finish the season with one…
Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post
Before the series is over, I do want to say that baseball is not the same without Harry Kalas. The long-time Phillies announcer passed away earlier this season, and he is missed. It is very unfortunate that he was unable to experience the back-to-back World Series for the Phillies. Here is a quote from Wikipedia:
“Swing … and a long drive, and this ball is … outta here! Home run <insert player’s name here>.”
I have been a fan of the University of Iowa since I was, as the saying goes, “knee-high to a grasshopper”. Kalas was a 1959 graduate. So, win or lose (hopefully lose!), this one’s for Harry…
Fid
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