Let’s also give credit to the Phillies offense – they did what they did against all of the teams prior to the Yankees. The Dodgers (twice), the Rockies, the Rays, and the Brewers – each series the Phillies won game one and in each series the Phillies offense made those teams pay. They outlasted C.C. Sabathia, got to the Yankees’ bullpen (a bullpen that seems to be more of a concern than the Phillies’ bullpen), and exposed them.

Onto Game 2. Wondering what we’ll see from Pedro. The dispassionate observers want a good series – I want the Phillies to destroy the Yankees. Let’s hope this is the beginning.

The Angels are a good team, and if they come back to win the series, they would have big momentum on their side. My choosing the Yankees has nothing to do with that though. I want the Yankees because beating them with make the rest of the league stand up and take notice. I have no doubt that the Phillies are the best team in the majors. We have what everyone else wants, even the Yankees. They have a couple of guys that were around in 2000, but most of them weren’t. The Phillies walk with a swagger and a confidence that reveals a true champion.

Bring on the Yankees. Let’s see if the Phils can bring “mystique and aura” down a peg.

CNN Latino in America – Phillies’ Raul Ibanez
Philadelphia Phillies’ Raul Ibanez sits down with Soledad O’Brien for CNN Latino in America. Tune in to CNN on October 21 and October 22 at 9pm (EST) to watch his interview and more.

Link:

Jimmy Rollins has always been my favorite player on the team – he plays the game with a swagger; he not only excels in the big moment, he looks forward to it and embraces it. I can’t say I knew Rollins was going to hit that game winning hit, but I wasn’t surprised. (My neighbors will probably tell you I was – but was jubilation and excitement – not surprise.)

These Phillies are something special.

About that 9th inning: the opposite of red light player is Jonathan Broxton. He pitches around Matt Stairs, a .194 hitter. Before this series Broxton stated that he was looking forward to getting Stairs again – and this was what he does? He’s throwing 101 MPH, and he pitches around a guy that has done nothing, nothing except embarrass Broxton. On the other extreme let’s give Brad Lidge a ton of credit. He comes in and keeps that game in check, giving the offense a chance to come back. Six closers have blown saves this postseason – not one of them is Lidge. Who’d have thunk?

As for Wednesday’s game – bring on Vincente Padilla. He is in no way Cliff Lee, someone who you fear seeing a second time in a series. I don’t think Padilla can repeat last Friday’s performance. Give me Padilla at Citizens Bank Park and we’ll see what happens.

If the 11-0 loss Sunday night was hard to forget for the Dodgers – how do they put tonight’s loss out of their heads?

Special bonus reason: 10 pm start time.

• The Phillies have one of the best defenses in baseball and today it made a big difference. While the Rockies had troubles dealing with the wind, making critical mistakes on the Ruiz hit that drove in a run and the Ryan Howard double, the Phillies made a couple of great plays, and never let the conditions bother them.
• I love Cliff Lee’s performance – at the plate. Getting his first sacrifice bunt when it matters shows what this guy is all about
• I hate the fact that we’re stuck with TBS for the playoffs, but it’s better than having to listen to Joe Buck and Tim McCarver
• Nice to see the Phils get some runs without the long ball. (Although on any other day both Werth and Howard have home runs)
• Apparently the stadium announcer asked fans to waver their rally towels when the game was starting for the TV cameras. FRAUD!
• This was one of the worst umpired games I’ve seen in awhile. I counted at least 4 blown calls. At least each team was screwed evenly and home ump Gerry Davis had a good and consistent strike zone
• If Ryan Howard doesn’t hesitate on his steal, he’s safe easily. That said, the Phillies ran the basepaths well, asides from Howard and Carlos Ruiz having a brain cramp at second base. Chase Utley scoring from second and Jayson Werth scoring from first. The cherry on top is the Lee steal.
• Too bad TBS couldn’t show us some of the Bacon Brothers doing the National anthem
• The look on Ubaldo Jiminez’ face after the Werth double was priceless
• Can we stop double guessing Charlie Manuel? The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Bob Ford owes Manuel an apology for suggesting the Phillies were playing scared. This is why we get the rep of Negadelphia. Just shut up and enjoy the ride.

I’ll be going to my first playoff game since seeing the Sixers in 1990 and my first Phillies playoff game since seeing the Phillies lose in game 5 of the 1983 World Series to the Orioles (I was 15 at the time). Hoping for a better outcome.

At some point someone needs to represent the paying fan. 3.6 million fans supported the Phillies fans this year by buying tickets for this team. This is despite a recession, escalating unemployment rates, and an economy that doesn’t look to get better for some time. The Phillies sold more tickets that at any point in their history even though though Veterans Stadium held 17,000 more fans per game. Someone needs to represent us.

It’s never a good idea for businesses to entirely disregard the wishes of their customers. When times get tough, businesses rely on loyal customers to get them through. All it would have taken is just one evening game to satisfy most fans – but the fact that both games come during the work day on the east coast is a slap in the face.

Hopefully the MLB will hear their customers/fans on this and make changes going forward.

I keep hearing how the Phillies have to keep him as closer because they don’t have a better option. Wrong. Right now Lidge is the worst option. It’s time for the bullpen by committee. Maybe Ryan Madson can’t do it day in day out – but one day at a time Charlie Manuel and Rich Dubee can select a pitcher based on the situation. When Romero and Myers are back – forget the “Bridge to Lidge” – that bridge goes nowhere. Here’s another crazy idea – how about Chan Ho Park?

The Phillies are too close to another World Series to let it slide away because of misplaced loyalty. We have enough time to figure something out and at least patch things together for the playoffs – but sticking our heads in the sand isn’t going to work. The worst thing we can do is nothing.

Thank goodness the Phillies have come back to their rightful spot as #1 in my sports heart.

That said.

There’s a lot of talk about how he shouldn’t be allowed back in the NFL, that he was given his chance and he blew it. Well that isn’t how this country works. I can see preventing him from taking jobs that are related to his offense – so he can’t work at a kennel or at a pet store, but the NFL is a sports league, and I think a lot of people forget that. Each NFL team is their own company and makes the decision on their own. It seems somehow un-American for people to be saying that the NFL should have prevented the teams from making this hiring decision. I don’t know if that is a country I want to be part of.

I think that people want him to pay and pay and pay again. That again is not how this country works. If you want that type of legal system, move to Iran – I think we all see how people are treated there.

I do wish someone else had signed him – I don’t want my team associated with a thug like him. We now have the most hated man in all of sports. It kind of sickens me, but that said – he’s done his time, I see no need to punish him further.