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14 years for this?

The Good: Besides Hamels’ melt down in the second, he pitched a great game. Usually allowing 3 runs in CBP will result in a win. Myers and Romero continued to look dominate in their innings.

The Bad: Utley and Howard completely choking in their first playoff game. I’m glad the MVP voting is done before the playoffs, cause Rollins certainly didn’t earn himself any recognition after that game. What’s the point of pitch-running Bourn when you don’t even have him steal?

Well that was a waste of day. 8 hours at the stadium. Actually 6 hours and 20 minutes. The other the other hour and 40 minutes was spent trying to get out of that mess of a parking lot. The last thing I wanted to do after that pathetic loss was to stand around in a parking lot.

That game absolutely sucked. They looked the same way they did last Saturday. As soon as this team falls behind, they all just start swinging for the fences. That strategy worked well once for Rowand and Burrell, but the rest of the game it backfired in their face. The fans at the stadium wanted so badly to get into this game, but when your “ace” is giving up free passes to every other batter, it’s hard to get excited. And when 2 of your best hitters rack up 7 strikeouts between them, I was looking to hit something. This team looked like they were a bunch of young kids playing in their first playoffs. But I don’t want any excuses. If they want to use this post-season to try and get comfortable playing in October, they won’t be playing very long.

Kendrick is really going to be on the hot seat now. Not only is this (and every start after this) going to be his biggest start, but he’s starting a “must-win” game for the Phillies. But he has proven all year long that he has ice water in his veins and consistently puts out a good performance. Now’s a good time for another one of his gems. Needless to say, it’s going to have to be against a team that he’s struggled against so far this year. In 2 starts this year, he’s 0-1 allowing 7 runs in 9.0 innings pitched.

Last start (9/27): W / 6.0 / 3 ER / 6 H / 1 BB / 2 SO / Atlanta

If anyone is going to have butterflies inside their stomach at tomorrow’s game, good chances are it’s going to be Franklin Morales. This rookie who only has 8 major league starts under his belt, will be taking the mound for the Rockies in Game 2. One thing is for sure, Utley and Howard are going to have just as much trouble. Lefties are hitting .129 off of him. In his short period in the majors, he did face the Phillies. In that game he went 5.0 shutout innings. Thursday is sure going to be an interesting game.

Last start (9/27): W / 5.0 / 3 ER / 4 H / 1 BB / 4 SO / Los Angeles

Last words . . . Eaton should’ve started Wednesday.

HIGH HOPES!!!

This is by far the greatest day of my life. Having the Phillies make their first playoff appearance since 1993 is awesome. But being at the stadium, 6 rows from the dugout, made me the happiest guy alive. I’m going to try and go through this entire day so that years from now, I can remember that this team once made me happy.

Me and my father got to the stadium around 12:00. I started getting chills just walking through the parking lot to the stadium. And I have to admit, that once I got inside the stadium, I really didn’t feel anything special. But while eating my hotdogs, waiting for the game to start, Jamie Moyer leaves the dugout and heads out to the bullpen. And the crowd went nuts. This is a perfect example of how Philadelphia fans get a bad rap. We don’t like to boo, we just like to win. Moyer hasn’t been having a great year, but the loyal Philadelphia fans but that behind them and cheered for him as if he had already won the game.

The loudest the stadium ever got (except of course for the final out) was whenever the Mets/Florida game was updated. My dad was the most popular guy in the section as he had brought his head set to listen to the New York game. So we were spreading the word of Glavine’s meltdown. And when the numbers were put up on the scoreboard, the noise was absolutely deafening. Part of my hatred of the Mets is obviously because they are our rivals. But it’s also because I sincerely HATE the players and fans. I wish I could see the face of Lo Duca when they were ELIMINATED. He’ll think twice before flipping his bat after hitting a homerun against the Phillies. And maybe now all the Mets fans can go home and shower now, dirt bags. And hopefully they’ll learn to shut their huge mouths and enjoy watching not their team play.

I’m not gonna lie. That final out brought tears to my eyes. Even before the game stared, during the National Anthem, I tried imagining this team winning. And I started tearing up just at the thought of it. But I knew that is was going to be a long day and I had to wait. But with that last strikeout, it was 14 years of weight off my shoulders. I absolutely loved how Burrell was the first to hug Myers on the mound. I was waiting for the traditional catcher hugging the pitcher, but that speedster Burrell beat him to it.

I have two favorite parts of the after-game celebration. My first one was when Shane Victorino got the infield hose and just started spraying everyone. The players, fans, media. It was the exact type of random/funny thing that Victorino would do. And of course, the classic scene of Harry the K singing “High Hopes.”

I guess I should talk a little bit about the game itself too. But I’m sure if you’re reading a Phillies blog, I would like to think that you saw the game. JIMMY ROLLINS is the National League MVP. That’s all their is to say on that topic. Whether you want to give him the title because of his offensive numbers, his speed, his defensive abilities, his 700+ at bats or his ability to back up his early season claim, this guy is certainly deserving.

Last year Howard always seemed to come up in the clutch. But this year he seemed to always be pressing, trying to do too much. But he did just enough Sunday driving in 3 runs, including a bomb out to the right-field stands.

Moyer did exactly what was required of him. I guess he’s our #3 guy for playoff games. It’s clearly Hamels, Kendrick, ______. Unless you want to put good ol’ Eaton out there. Or the reliable “Real Deal.” He got exactly what he needed from Phil Cuzzi, the homeplate ump. Though he was at time inconsistent, he was calling the low strike. Had he not had that specific strike zone, we all might be singing quite a different tune right now.

The bullpen once again performed above and beyond. And by bullpen, I mean Gordon, Romero, and Myers. 2.2 innings of 0 run/1 hit ball is about as good as it gets. I just pray that this will continue ino October. And God help me if any of them complain about an arm injury. They have all winter to rest themselves.

Well, this was fun. But I am certainly not yet ready to be satisfied with a NL East Championship. This team has got about as much momentum as any team could get. Once the Phillies find out who they’ll be playing, I’ll be sure to write about how the Phillies are going to wipe the floor with the Padres/Rockies.

Last words . . . I just want to thank my dad for everything he’s taught me about the Phillies. Maybe finally, we can be proud of our team.

It all comes down to this.

The Good: At least the Phillies still have a chance to make the playoffs.

The Bad: Howard really needs to become a DH. We all know how bad his throwing is. But then again, that’s why he plays first. And his glove has NEVER been anything to brag about. But his defensive intellignece is lacking. Only 6 hits, and no one was able to get more then 1. This was a boring, ugly game.

I knew this was going to happen. I got my hopes up and they play one of their worst games of the year. Getting 6 hits in a game is nothing that shocks me from the inconsistent Phillies offense. But the 2 HUGE errors my Ruiz and Howard is what blew this game. Those were the type of things which the Phillies weren’t doing in their most recent push for the playoffs. They were playing good, smart baseball. But Saturday they looked lost out there, especially at the plate. How the hell do you get shut down by a pitcher named Matt Chico? He didn’t have anything spectacular. It just seemed like once they fell behind, they all just started swinging for the fences. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day. I hate scoreboard watching, but that’s what happens when you choke late in September.

Well, biggest game of the year and we send out maybe not our best pitcher, but our most experienced. Moyer is going to have to use everything that he’s learned over his career to get this win. We all know that he hasn’t had a great year, but he has had a handful of decent starts. All I’m asking for is one more. And the good news is that he’s had relatively good success against Washington. In 2 starts, he’s 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA.

Last start (9/25): L / 5.1 / 6 ER / 6 H / 3 BB / 4 SO / Atlanta

Jason Bergmann will be the individual trying to rain on my parade Sunday. He comes in with a 6-5 record and a 4.33 ERA. Sept. 20th Bergmann had a start against the Phillies. He got a no decision after going 6.0 innings and allowing 2 runs.  This guy is either going to get blown out of the water by an emotional Phillies die that refuses to lose.  Or will follow up on Chico’s performance and shut down a Phillies die that will once again chock under pressure.

Last start (9/25):  W / 5.2 / 3 ER / 7 H / 3 BB / 3 SO / New York

Last words . . . this is it, now or never.

The team to beat.

The Good: That was an unbelievable start by Hamels. That may have been his most dominate performance of his career. Rollins continues to blow everyone away with his run production. Something not very common for a lead-off hitter. That catch Rowand made in the outfield may have been the second greatest catch by a Phillies outfielder ever. Next to his broken-nose-grab of last year.

The Bad: Getting the win was the most imortant part of last nights game. But I thought that Hamels should’ve been left in to close out the game. He was never really in any trouble of giving up any runs (except the bases loaded jam which he got out of). I would’ve liked to see him get a complete game shutout. But when that’s all there is to complain about after a game, I’d call it a good day.

We all now what might happen today. We all now that the Phillies are the closest ever, since ‘93, to making the playoffs. Once again I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I cannot believe what might happen. My mind does not have the complexitiy to understand that the Phillies could be in the playoffs. These players have absolutely over-performed getting themselves here (or maybe they’ve just underperformed the last few years). I don’t want to start talking about their chances in the playoffs because they have to get there first. So I’ll save those thoughts for tonight or possibly tomorrow night.

Well, no one said it was going to be easy. And there’s no more proof in the statement then the fact that Eaton is going to start for the Fightin’s. But if he can shock everyone with a decent performance, I’ll never criticize him again (for at least another week). I just can’t help but laugh when I look at his ERA. He’s getting paid millions of dollars for an ERA of 6.33. How is that legal. However, against Washington this year in 3 starts, he is 1-0 with a 5.71 ERA. I guess that’s an improvement.

Last start (9/21): W / 5.0 / 3 ER / 5 H / 5 BB /2 SO / Washington

Starting for Washington will be Matt Chico. He comes in with a 6-9 record and a 4.75 ERA. He has a sneaky delivery and good control of his fastball, curve, and change-up. But he sometimes can get knocked around when he believes he throws harder then he really does. He can’t exactly blow peple away. In 1 start against Philadelphia this year, Chico lasted 4.2 innings allowing 4 runs.

Last start (9/24): W / 5.1 / 3 ER / 9 H / 2 BB / 0 SO / New York

Last words . . . WE’RE IN A PENNANT RACE!!!

Tied in 1st . . . for now.

The Good: Kyle Kendrick showing that he is a season veteran by getting a crucial . . . What? He’s a rookie? Nice. I’m glad he’s on my team. Howard and Burrell both hitting the biggest homeruns of their careers. Unless you’re considering every homerun Burrell hit off of Wagner. And maybe Howard’s 58th homerun last year. But still, those were pretty important homeruns.

The Bad: What are you a freak? How could there be anything bad about todays game?

Do you believe in miracles? This is unbelievable. I don’t want to say too much because this season is still far from over. But you gotta like our chances. The 2007 Phillies are about to erase all the bad history that came from teh 1964 Phillies. This team cannot be knocked down. Throughout this season I have been trying to convince everyone not to get your hopes up on this team. You can look back on my blogs and see that I claimed that this season was over many many times. I said it when Howard went down. When Utley went down. When Hamels went down. When Gordon and Myers went down. When Victorino and Bourn went down. Gillick made the trade for Iguchi and I couldn’t understand why he was wasting his team making a transaction that won’t make a difference. When they blew the 6-run lead late in the Atlanta game I thought that was the final nail in the coffin. I had completely given up hope.

Then the New York Mets decide they don’t feel like playing in October. 7.5 game lead with 17 games left. How do you mess that up? When the Phillies swept them twice, I just thought it gave me a key arguing point when the obnoxious Mets fans wanted to talk trash. I never thought that it would the Phillies to take over the lead. I really want the Phillies to put that 4-game sweep of the Mets on a DVD set. I will be the first in line to buy it and play it until the DVD burns away. Now I should’ve went to bed, then wrote this blog after a night’s sleep. I would’ve settled down and realized that the Phillies could very easily blow this chance. But who wants to be a pessimistic fan. This is our year. At least for a playoff berth.

Our “ace” takes the mound for Friday’s game. Cole Hamels needs to pick up where he left off in his last start. He went 5.0 innings (due to his recent coming off of the DL) and only allowed 2 hits. I know I said before that I’d rather have Hamels played on a side of caution since he is so young and has an incredible amount of potential. But that went out the window when they found themselves in first place of the NL East. Against Washington this year, Hamels is 1-1 in 4 starts and has a 2.63 ERA in 24.0 innings.

Last start (9/23): ND / 5.0 / 1 ER / 2 H / 2 BB / 6 SO / Washington

Tim Redding is coming off of a tough no decision, which he got after allowing 1 run through 6.2 innings. He also hasn’t had a great month of September. In 3 starts, he’s0-0, lasted a total of 13.0 innings and has an ERA of 4.85. He has a mid-90 fastball and the ability to work himself out of jams. However he rarely goes deep into a game and doesn’t have any great secondary pitches.

Last start (9/22): ND / 6.2 / 1 ER / 8 H / 0 BB / 7 SO / Philadelphia

Last words . . . who cares about the Eagles, Phillies are in a Pennant race.

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