The Phillies' World Series win is very emotionally satisfying: for all of us fans who have ridden the ups and downs; for the home-grown players like Utley, Howard, Rollins, Myers, Hamels, Burrell, etc; for Charlie Manuel and Brad Lidge, etc. Some notes on last night's game:
It was poetic justice for Burrell and Jenkins to have key hits last night. Jenkins has been odd man out for months, but he never seemed to lose his enthusiasm, and was ready on the rare occasions when he was called upon. Burrell in likely his last Phillie at bat redeemed himself for the umpteenth time. An aside: It was curious that Manuel didn't pinch run for Jenkins although Geoff was able to score easily on Werth's bloop hit.
Utley made a remarkable play in the 7th inning to throw out Bartlett at the plate. The play didn't require anything exceptional physically but for Utley to recognize in an instant that he couldn't get the runner at first and to throw home instead showed remarkable presence of mind. The importance of the play cannot be overemphasized. It was another reminder of how significant a role the Phillies' defense played in their championship season.
It was fitting that Brad Lidge closed it out. Lidge was the one constant for the Phils all season. With the offense sputtering for a good part of the year, he enabled his team to win a lot of close games that they would not have won otherwise. You can talk about Hamels, Howard, Utley, Rollins, Victorino - Lidge was the Phils' MVP.
The Phillies were 11-3 in the post-season. That sounds dominating but the fact is that most of their victories were nailbiters, a pattern we saw throughout the 2008 campaign.
Showing posts with label World Series 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Series 2008. Show all posts
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Phils-Rays Game 5
The excitement of being on the doorstep of a world championship season is in danger of being overshadowed by a comedy of errors by baseball's hierarchy:
Last night's game should not have been played. The conditions were appalling such that the quality of play was severely compromised and there was significantly heightened risk of player injuries. Early in the game, Joe Buck described a heavy mist while one could clearly see on the TV screen a driving rain. Obviously he has a different conception of "mist" than most.
Baseball is quite unique in that starting pitchers are very fragile. Once they warm up and start pitching, they are pretty much at a point of no return, particularly in cold weather. They cannot survive long delays or suspensions. Now the Phillies' ace and a top starter for the Rays are lost for the series, except for a possible relief role if the series is extended. This alone could taint the outcome of this World Series.
Although it is old news, it is worth mentioning that the use of the DH in some games and not others is absurd. Having two sets of rules in a championship series devalues the competition.
The regular starting time of the games is too late and the Saturday night start at 10 PM was worse. MLB seems to be making every effort to make its showcase event inaccessible to children.
The poor caliber of umpiring has been much discussed. There have been blown calls in virtually every game. However, last night's balls-and-strikes calls by home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg were off the charts. And truth be told, this time around, the Phillies were the prime beneficiaries. Kellogg's bizarre calls, more than Phils' bats, drove Matt Kazmir from the game.
Getting back to actual baseball for a moment. Carlos Pena's single drove in B.J. Upton from second base in the top of the 6th inning to tie last night's game. Upton is one of the few players in baseball who could have scored on the play. The base paths were muddy and slick but Upton runs with such an effortless, loping style, he was able to navigate his way around third without sacrificing much speed and thus was able to beat Pat Burrell's excellent throw.
Last night's game should not have been played. The conditions were appalling such that the quality of play was severely compromised and there was significantly heightened risk of player injuries. Early in the game, Joe Buck described a heavy mist while one could clearly see on the TV screen a driving rain. Obviously he has a different conception of "mist" than most.
Baseball is quite unique in that starting pitchers are very fragile. Once they warm up and start pitching, they are pretty much at a point of no return, particularly in cold weather. They cannot survive long delays or suspensions. Now the Phillies' ace and a top starter for the Rays are lost for the series, except for a possible relief role if the series is extended. This alone could taint the outcome of this World Series.
Although it is old news, it is worth mentioning that the use of the DH in some games and not others is absurd. Having two sets of rules in a championship series devalues the competition.
The regular starting time of the games is too late and the Saturday night start at 10 PM was worse. MLB seems to be making every effort to make its showcase event inaccessible to children.
The poor caliber of umpiring has been much discussed. There have been blown calls in virtually every game. However, last night's balls-and-strikes calls by home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg were off the charts. And truth be told, this time around, the Phillies were the prime beneficiaries. Kellogg's bizarre calls, more than Phils' bats, drove Matt Kazmir from the game.
Getting back to actual baseball for a moment. Carlos Pena's single drove in B.J. Upton from second base in the top of the 6th inning to tie last night's game. Upton is one of the few players in baseball who could have scored on the play. The base paths were muddy and slick but Upton runs with such an effortless, loping style, he was able to navigate his way around third without sacrificing much speed and thus was able to beat Pat Burrell's excellent throw.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Phils-Rays Games 3 and 4
Notes on Game 3:
A couple of points about Ruiz's winning swinging bunt. Although Carlos Ruiz has been swinging a good bat, he has been a double play machine all year and letting him swing away with the base loaded was a roll of the dice. A safety squeeze would have been the prudent play. The swinging bunt was successful because it replicated a safety squeeze, but it was very fortuitous. On the other side of the play, Evan Longorian has been second-guessed by some for not giving the ball a chance to roll foul. But I think this is unreasonable. Given the circumstances and the bang-bang nature of the play, the third baseman reacted the way most everyone else would have in a similar situation.
Notes on Game 4:
Pat Burrell was up with two men on in the 7th inning. Burrell is hitless in the Series and has shown no signs of breaking out of it. Dobbs, Stairs, and Jenkins were available to pinch hit. Burrell was soon to be taken out of the game for defensive purposes. Manuel should have pinch hit for Burrell. At that point, the Rays were still in the game and the Phils had an opportunity to blow it open. Manuel's loyalty to Burrell and a few other players can be admirable at times. But at other times it is downright foolish.
The Phillies struck out 4 times last night, an atypically low number. Half of those strike outs were by Chase Utley who was hitless. Utley has come up with key hits throughout the playoffs and has played solid defensively. But he is still not hitting the way we have come to expect. And he is not the type of hitter who should be striking out as frequently as he is. The Rays struck out 12 times last night. You would have to search far and wide to find another game this year where the opposition struck 3 times as many as the Phils.
Chad Durbin continues to struggle but fortunately he has not been needed in critical situations. J.C. Romero, on the other hand, has been rock solid; his sometimes wayward control has not been in evidence.
The Rays offense has been a study in futility. The ineptitude of Longorian and Pena, in particular, has been well documented. It would be satisfying to conclude that this is all due to dominant Phillie pitching or, as been reported, brilliant scouting reports. But it is likely that a large part of it is slumpingTampa Bay bats. This may continue but it would be wise for the home team to fight complacency.
A couple of points about Ruiz's winning swinging bunt. Although Carlos Ruiz has been swinging a good bat, he has been a double play machine all year and letting him swing away with the base loaded was a roll of the dice. A safety squeeze would have been the prudent play. The swinging bunt was successful because it replicated a safety squeeze, but it was very fortuitous. On the other side of the play, Evan Longorian has been second-guessed by some for not giving the ball a chance to roll foul. But I think this is unreasonable. Given the circumstances and the bang-bang nature of the play, the third baseman reacted the way most everyone else would have in a similar situation.
Notes on Game 4:
Pat Burrell was up with two men on in the 7th inning. Burrell is hitless in the Series and has shown no signs of breaking out of it. Dobbs, Stairs, and Jenkins were available to pinch hit. Burrell was soon to be taken out of the game for defensive purposes. Manuel should have pinch hit for Burrell. At that point, the Rays were still in the game and the Phils had an opportunity to blow it open. Manuel's loyalty to Burrell and a few other players can be admirable at times. But at other times it is downright foolish.
The Phillies struck out 4 times last night, an atypically low number. Half of those strike outs were by Chase Utley who was hitless. Utley has come up with key hits throughout the playoffs and has played solid defensively. But he is still not hitting the way we have come to expect. And he is not the type of hitter who should be striking out as frequently as he is. The Rays struck out 12 times last night. You would have to search far and wide to find another game this year where the opposition struck 3 times as many as the Phils.
Chad Durbin continues to struggle but fortunately he has not been needed in critical situations. J.C. Romero, on the other hand, has been rock solid; his sometimes wayward control has not been in evidence.
The Rays offense has been a study in futility. The ineptitude of Longorian and Pena, in particular, has been well documented. It would be satisfying to conclude that this is all due to dominant Phillie pitching or, as been reported, brilliant scouting reports. But it is likely that a large part of it is slumpingTampa Bay bats. This may continue but it would be wise for the home team to fight complacency.
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