EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

With Halloween two days away, it looked like Pedro Martinez would bewitch the bats in the Bronx but A.J. Burnett was able to do just a little bit better, tricking Phillies 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.

Excuse the little tangent...back to the game:

Raul Ibanez came up big again, scoring the first run and making a nice diving catch in the 2nd inning. Remember that this guy was leading all of MLB in AVG, HR, and RBI over the first few months of the season.

Burnett started to unravel in the third like a tempestuous teenage boy and I enjoyed every second of it. He was too focused on Jimmy Rollins on first base, got stuck in a battle with Shane Victorino, and when Chase Utley came to the plate Burnett missed the strike zone badly. Oh sureeee he was worth every penny Yankee fans...in typical NY fashion--over pay for something of low quality because of the hype.

(Martinez, World Series Champion, 3 Cy Young's, 8 time All-Star, 1 year deal $1.4 million---Burnett, ...?..., 5 year deal $85 million.)

Unfortunately, Ryan Howard was unable to kick the door open in the third, especially when considering how poorly the Yankees bullpen has been pitching. Burnett buckled down and got through 7 innings.

Even after Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui hit solo shots, there was no sense of panic from the Phillies and no energy from the Yankee fans. Martinez must have put a spell on them.

Eventually the Yankees were able to tack on another run but the Phillies continued to fight til the final strike.

This series features the two most talented teams in baseball...the teams I predicted to be in the series together...and so far it has lived up to the hype. At some point I would like to see a double digit sluggfest. In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy some masterful pitching.

Looking ahead to a big day at Broad and Pattison:
SUNDAY, NOV. 1
GIANTS VS. EAGLES 1PM

YANKEES VS. PHILLIES 8:20PM

SIXERS: They opened the season against the defending Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic and lost by more than 20 points. Marreese Speights went 10-11 from the field for a career high 26 points.

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).

Regardless of who makes it from the American League (Angels or Yankees) this World Series will be enjoyable simply because of the Phillies. They can and have done it all: homers, small ball, steal bases, amazing starting pitching (see Cliff Lee), and left fans holding their breath (sometimes for negative reasons like errors and bases loaded jams).

I can't wait and I can't believe that the Phillies are going to back to back World Series for the first time in team history.

I am sticking with my initial playoff prediction--PHILLIES OVER YANKEES.

TUNE IN WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28TH--and cheer for not only the most talented team in baseball or the nicest group of guys...but the team that is the most fun to watch.

Some of the Phillies fans are fun to watch too.
(Most Watch!!!)

Phillies 10 Wins Away From Repeat Title

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.

He got into a few jams throughout the course of the game but was able to work his way out of them. The key was that pounded the strike zone (113 pitches-79 strikes) and he avoided the big mistake or critical walk.

Trivia: In his first career game with the Philadelphia Phillies, Lee pitched a complete game in a 5–1 victory. In 2002, Lee was drafted and traded by the Expos along with Brandon Phillips and Grady Sizemore to the Indians for Bartolo Colon.

Cole Hamels goes tomorrow and the bullpen is fully rested (shhh...don't say it...don't even think it...have faith in them).

Phillies Offense:

Chase Utley is now 24-24 in steals in 2009. Taking into consideration all that this guy does, could he be the most underrated player in baseball? He very well may have a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger coming his way...and hopefully another World Series Ring.

Every single player in the Phillies lineup got a hit in the game, showing the depth of the lineup. The knock against the Phils has always been their inability to manufacture runs. Well, on a windy day in South Philadelphia this powerful group of hitters put 5 runs on the board without one home run.

Can't wait to see what these guys will do when they swing the bats at Coors Field.

Speaking of lineups--looking at the Rockies team you wonder how in the world this team made the playoffs...the Braves and the Marlins had much more talent on their rosters but that's the beauty of the Rockies playing the Diamondbacks, Padres, and Giants.

First Pitch: Geoff Jenkins threw out the first pitch to try and was greeted by the fans with great warmth. That goes to show you how one timely hit in the World Series can wipe away a season of below average play.

Count Down to Repeat Title: 10 more wins.

FLYERS

The Orange and Black are now 3-0!

First, a shut out. Then, a 5-2 win over the Devils. Tuesday, a 6-5 OT win over Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals.

Thursday, they face the interstate rival and defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

If you don't know about this Flyers team you better ask somebody.

Sixers

They started their preseason schedule and defeated the Toronto Raptors on back to back nights. The regular season starts Wednesday October 28 at the home of the defending East Conference Champion, the Orlando Magic.

Phils Boast Most Talent in MLB

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.

Starters: Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Joe Blanton, and Pedro Martinez.

The Cardinals have a nice one-two punch with Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter but luckily the Phillies will only face them in a seven game series were depth players a larger role.

Line-up: Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez, Pedro Feliz, and Carlos Ruiz. The first six batters on the team have made an all-star team, five did so this season. Speed. Power. Average---they've got it covered. Utley and Howard will likely finish in the top 5 in MVP voting.

Bench: Matt Stairs and Greg Dobbs (lefty), along with John Mayberry and Ben Francisco (righty), have the pop needed in the late innings from both sides of the plate.

Bullpen: No, I will not even attempt to make an argument for the Phillies bullpen as the best of the playoff teams but I do think it is definitely strong enough to accomplish the job. All they have to do is stay healthy and get mentally prepared for the most important month of the season.

Defense: Pedro Feliz, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Shane Victorino should all be in consideration for a Gold Glove. Carlos Ruiz, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, and Jayson Werth are all solid at their positions as well. No Pat Burrell liability on this squad.

Here are my playoff predictions:

National League
Phils over Rockies Cardinals over Dodgers

Phils over Cardinals

American League
Yankees over Twins (or Tigers) Red Sox over Angles

Yankees over Red Sox

Philadelphia Phillies over New York Yankees

Bring on the Yankees...then Alicia Keys and Jay-z can change their song "Empire State" to "Keystone State" and every time they say New York we'll say Philly.

Other Philadelphia teams:

Flyers are 2-0! A shutout in the first game and then 5-2 win over the Devils...it will be a good year on Broad Street.

Eagles should have two easy wins coming their way against Tampa Bay, followed by Oakland.

Sixers start their preseason schedule tomorrow.