World Series Game 7, Guaranteed

This may be illogical, this may be naive, or this may just be a home town Phillies fan wishing his positive thinking helps his team fight back in the World Series...but I GUARANTEE a Game 7 will be played in the Bronx this Thursday.

Cliff Lee has pitched better than anyone over the last 3 months and tonight he takes the mound against an overrated A.J. Burnett. Yankee fans should be cheering for Lee to win any way so they can see their beloved bombers "win it all" (cough, cough...it won't happen) in the new Yankee Stadium on Wednesday against NYC's number one enemy, Pedro Martinez. That is the story book ending for Yankee fans ... but there is always a twist.

Pedro will win Game 6 in the Bronx on Wednesday, get the last laugh once again, and walk off the field into the sunset as a bigger legend than he already was.

(Continue to Philadelphia Sports Scene)

Read more »

The Empire Strikes Back

With Halloween two days away, it looked like Pedro Martinez would bewitch the bats in the Bronx but AJ Burnett was able to do just a little bit better, tricking Phillie hitters all night long.

Phillies went down 1-2-3 in the top of the first after A.J. Burnett threw a first pitch strike to each batter. Pedro started off by striking out Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon while Yankee fans obnoxiously chanted, "Who's your daddy."

Let me comment on that chant by the way...Pedro came up with it and it does not bother him so please be quite. Come up with something original. The Wolf Pack, Duck Pond, Howard's Homers, Coste Guards, Padilla Floatia, Cole Miners, Burrell's Girls, RAAAAUUULLL, and the Philly Phanatic are all original ideas New York Yankee fans cannot possibly conceive by themselves.

(Continue to Philadelphia Sports Scene)

Read more »

Phillies in the World Series, Baby!

Fighting back from behind in clutch situations...jumping out ahead early on...forgetting mistakes and making the next play...this Phillies team has done it all this postseason.

They removed the hearts of the LA Dodgers for the second year in a row and have shown the character of a championship team.

This team has captured the hearts of the city of Philadelphia and their chemistry is unmatched--even by the New York Yankees which is basically a team of mercenaries, free agents with big contracts and low levels of loyalty...(Damon and Boston...A-Rod and his wife and the integrity of baseball...Teixeira and the Braves/Angels/Texas...Burnett Blue Jays...Sabathia Brewers).

(Continue to Philadelphia Sports Scene)

Read more »

Phils 10 Wins Away from Repeat

Hearing nearly 50,000 people chanting "Lee, Lee, Lee, Lee" in the 9th inning at Citizens Bank Park gave me goosebumps. It also helped the Phillies starting pitcher dig deep and finish off the Rockies in a 5-1 win after he threw 113 pitches.

If Harry Kalas were alive he might have said at the end of Game 1, "Cliff Lee, You are the MAN!"

Cliff Lee: 6 hits, 1 run (late in the ninth), 5 strikeouts, and (most importantly) 0 WALKS. Not to mention he went 1-2 from the plate and recorded the first stolen base of his career.

(Continue to Philadelphia Sports Scene)

Read more »

Phillies: Most Talented MLB Team

Take a step back from the regular season and begin to think about playoff baseball.

It is about power pitching, experience, defense, and timely hitting. Most of all, it is about match-ups and I will take the Phillies roster over any team in the playoff picture. Needless to say, I really like the Phillies chances of repeating as World Series Champions.

(Continue to Philadelphia Sports Scene)

Read more »

The Rise and Fall of Brad Lidge

How the mighty have fallen.

This will be the fourth and, I pray, final time I write about Brad Lidge blowing a save. The same Phillies closer who was perfect last season. He finished 4th in Cy Young voting and 8th in MVP ballots in 2008.

Now, his stats are looking eerily similar to the horrendous year in 2006 only worse!

Tonight, he lost his 8th game of the season, has blown his 11th save, and increased his ERA to an unheard of 7.48. Two run lead, bottom of the ninth....Phillies have a problem. I have ignored this obvious concern to the best of my ability but I can no longer turn a blind eye to how pathetic Brad Lidge has been this season.

I am not sure what season was more remarkable and beyond belief: the success of last season or the failure of this one.

(Continue to Philadelphia Sports Scene)

Read more »

Phillies Closer Nightmare

Enough Already!!!

To quote Green Day: Wake me up when September ends.

I don't want to write or debate about the Phillies current closer predicament any longer. This is ridiculous...and almost laughable because the team is on the verge of collapsing like the Mets have the last two seasons.

The Florida Marlins are five games back and play the Phillies six more times, including the final series of the season at home which should make things interesting.

(Continue to Philadelphia Sports Scene)

Read more »

Philadelphia's Big Baby

The Eagles franchise, 26 year old offensive linemen, Shawn Andrews, is a dominant and gifted football player.

He has a love-able, youth personality that earned him the nickname "The Big Kid." Andrew lists Willy Wonka as his favorite movie of all time and owns a framed copy of a golden ticket. A few years ago, he went up against professional sumo wrestlers outside of the NovaCare Complex. He even sports a dyed "bro hawk" hairdo to show that he can joke around and have fun.

(Continue to Philadelphia Sports Scene)

Read more »

Phillies Closer Experiment: Success

What Charlie Manuel did tonight with the Phillies bullpen is probably going to be the best solution to the closer crisis.

It is a term that scares many people but the Phillies might have a closer by committee. I am not sure on how many World Series winning teams employed such a strategy and I know how reassuring a feeling it can be as a fan to know that the 9th inning is taken care of (Brad Lidge last season), but this looks like a good move.

(Continue to Philadelphia Sports Scene)

Read more »