World Series Game Five - Phillies 2, Rays 2

Raindrops are falling on my head
I was excited when after five innings the phils led
With Hamels on the mound, but
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling

Although we were wet, we were having lots of fun
Until, thanks to Bud Selig, the Rays scored another run
Was he sleeping on the job? And
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling

But there's one thing I hope
That fans at Game 5 and a half won't start to cuss
It won't be long 'til happiness is there to greet us

Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that won't stop me from wearing my Phillie red
Tonight could be the night and
We're never gonna stop the rain by complaining
I guess we'll see, nothing's worrying me

It won't be long 'til happiness is there to greet us

Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that won't stop me from wearing my Phillie red
Tonight could be the night and
We're never gonna stop the rain by complaining
Phils win 5-3, nothing's worrying me...

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World Series Game Four - Phillies 10, Rays 2

Sharp on mound and at the plate, Blanton puts Phillies up 3-1

I don't know about you, but I'd call that a slugfest, even if Tampa Bay didn't join the party. So the only thing left to do is for Cole Hamels to go out and clinch this thing at home. The Phillies will have their World Championship and I will have pulled off one hell of a trifecta, prediction-wise.

But first we wait, which won't be easy. In fact, I'm sure the only reason I'll be able to fall asleep tonight is because I'm still so tired from staying up for Game Three. And speaking of exhaustion, as much as I would love to spend some time nitpicking Buck McCarver and the Fox Traveling Circus, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to bed. Monday is shaping up to be a pretty big day.

But before I do, I thought you might appreciate some haikus inspired by tonight's game. Enjoy:

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He of dirty hat
Whether with one arm or two
Blanton is the man

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Dearest Jimmy-legs
Crack crack crack and run run run
When you score we win

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One, two, three runs home
When Ryan swings mighty bat
Oh! Oppo poppo

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Huh? No hits, two runs
Worry not for Utley, still
Quite a strange boxscore

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Big blow by Jayson
So welcome to the party
Could you stay a while?

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Ryan in the eighth
Still holding mighty bat - oops!
He did it again

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Say it ain't so Pat
Will he stay, will he go, or
Will he get a hit?

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Steely-eyed is he
Our Hamels will take the ball
One more win to go

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World Series Game Three - Phillies 5, Rays 4

Moyer's return to form, longball give Phillies 2-1 series lead

Jamie Moyer is one cool customer (or "cucumber" according to mrs. tmmullen). What a performance in game three of the World Series by the ageless lefty: seven innings, one run, four hits, five strikeouts, and only one walk. It was a well-deserved win for Moyer, whose return to form was forecasted in this very blog.

What's that?

Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to mention something: I have this new television with a great feature that shows alternative endings to games where, in this instance, ANOTHER umpire did not blow ANOTHER important call in ANOTHER World Series game allowing the Tampa Bay Rays to score ANOTHER couple of runs that would not have otherwise scored.

Of course, I'm referring to the Carl Crawford bunt to lead off the seventh inning. If that call is made correctly, he's the first out, followed by Navarro's double, after which Gross and Bartlett each ground out. That's the end of the inning and the Phillies still lead 4-1. From there it's Madson, Lidge, ballgame. But it wasn't.

I'll try to put this behind me - mrs. tmmullen is already tired of me grinding my teeth about it - but this is unacceptable. This is the World Series. These umpires are supposed to be the best of the best of the best. So what does it say about the quality of umpiring when the defensive play of the game - perhaps the series, or even the entire playoffs - didn't even record an out?

You want to know how good Jamie Moyer was tonight? See his strikeout of Carlos Pena in the 6th inning on four pitches (click on the link, click on the 6th inning, click on Pena's at-bat, then enjoy). This is a guy that came into the game with a career OPS of 1.495 in 22 plate appearances against Moyer. I understand it's only a personal stat, but that umpire robbed Moyer of a World Series win tonight. Shameful.

Now that I got that out of my teeth, there was a lot of good in this game. Jimmy Rollins had two solid base hits, Carlos Ruiz went yard, and Chase Utley and Ryan Howard went back-to-back. While I sincerely apologize for putting him on the spot, I need to mention that not long ago Mike Hillman's patience with Ruiz had run out and he was making some radical suggestions. Then, after Ruiz's home run, these two text messages passed each other nearly simultaneously in the cell phone cybernets:

From: Hillman, Michael
To: tmmullen
I always liked Ruiz!

From: tmmullen
To: Hillman, Michael
That's your boy!

Then that mother-effer goes and wins it with a bases loaded infield single. Could he be halfway to World Series MVP? Wrap your head around that one my friends.

Lost in the euphoria of this walk-off win are some curious moves by Charlie Manuel. While I think he handled the bullpen superbly, I'm beside myself over his decision to take Pat Burrell out of the game in the seventh inning. This has been a bone of contention with me beyond this season and perhaps, time permitting, I will elaborate in a separate post before game four.

Also, why burn Greg Dobbs when it was fairly obvious they were going to walk the next hitter to load the bases and set up a force play at home? Let them walk Pedro Feliz and the let Ruiz (or Dobbs) hit. Worst case scenario, Ruiz gounds into a double-play and then you use Dobbs for the pitcher.

Fortunately, we saw the best case scenario and, just like that, the Phillies lead the series 2-1.

Finally, before we turn the page, it's worth noting a special moment that occurred what seems like a lifetime ago. During his participation with a Boys & Girls Club pre-game ceremony on the field, country singer Tim McGraw, son of the late Tug McGraw, took a brief moment to scatter some of his father's ashes on the pitcher's mound. The modest gesture was intended to honor Tug, but, as the story spreads, there is little doubt it will have a tremendous and far-reaching effect on Phillies fans who fondly remember the left-handed reliever, his antics, and his role in the only baseball World Championship this city has ever seen.

Until Tuesday.

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World Series Game Two - Rays 4, Phillies 2

Rays even series on errors by Werth, home plate umpire

It's time for some straight talk, my friends.

That was a terrible game - and a bullshit win. Can I say "bullshit" here? It doesn't matter, nobody's reading this. As great a game as game one was, this game was the total opposite - and not because the Phillies lost, but because the home plate umpire couldn't get out of his own way. Yet despite their failure (on a mammoth scale) to hit with runners in scoring position, the Phillies still had the tying run at the plate in the ninth.

On the other hand, because of their youth, it's likely the Rays have no clue how truly lucky they were to win that game. There is no arguing the fact that if Jayson Werth fields B.J. Upton's single in the first inning cleanly, then the Rays don't score on any of the next three ground ball outs (one of which might have been a double play). You could also make a good argument that if Kerwin Danley had the balls to continue with the strike out call on Rocco Baldelli that he started, which would have been the second out of the second inning, then the Rays don't score there either and the game is scoreless instead of 3-0, Rays. The run they scored in the fourth was just good baseball.

But none of this matters - not even the ridiculous "nope, sorry Jimmy, that ball didn't hit you" call by Danley with nobody out in the ninth - when the Phillies are 1-28 with runners in scoring position in these two games. That is truly inexplicable.

The bright spots were obvious - if few and far between. Carlos Ruiz turned in some truly remarkable at-bats Wednesday night, which could be a great sign not only for this series, but for next year as well. Shane Victorino continued to collect hits, which may put him back in the two-spot on Saturday. Plus, it is truly a pleasure to welcome the real Ryan Howard back. You were missed. If you have any information on the location of the real Jimmy Rollins, please let us know. By the way, I contacted the authorities about Pat Burrell and I was told I had to wait 48 more hours before filing a missing hitter report.

So what have we learned after these first two games? It's hard to say. Most of the "experts" felt that game one was a must win for the Phillies with Cole Hamels on the mound - and they won. These same experts then proclaimed game two a must win for the Rays because they couldn't afford to leave Tampa down 0-2 - and they won. I'm going to guess that game three will now be a must win for the Phillies so they don't relinquish home-field advantage and they might be right.

At the end of the day - or the beginning of this one - mrs. tmmullen and I both knew that if we wanted to attend a World Series game this year, the Phillies would have to lose at least once (we have tickets for game five). She commented on how odd it was to secretly hope that they would lose one just for that reason and I felt that same way. But I also confided in her - before the series started - that I thought the Rays might feast on a pitcher with a style like Brett Myers and that the Phillies might lose game two. Well, the bad news is that they lost game two, but the good news is that, well, Myers didn't pitch poorly at all. So if he needs to come back for a game six, I will have plenty of confidence in him.

But I'm thinking there won't be a game six: Jamie Moyer returns to form, Joe Blanton wins a slugfest, and then Hamels clinches it at home. Yeah, I'll say it: Phils in five.

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World Series Game One - Phillies 3, Rays 2

Fightins' steal home field advantage, lead best-of-seven series 1-0

Let's play 20 questions:

(1) When was Twisted Sister hired by the Rays?

During the frustratingly long pre-game show, Kevin Kennedy was really overselling the Rays new attitude, which was, "We're not gonna take it anymore!" This was a good example of the completely pointless information shared with viewers during a completely pointless pre-game show. Poor little Paige just wanted the game to start - and so did I.

(2) Regarding the National Anthem: What the hell was that?

If you didn't see it, count yourself among the lucky ones. If you did, well, seriously, can you tell me - what the hell was that?

(3) After Chase Utley hit his two-run home run, was I the only one who thought Pat Burrell was going to hit a solo shot?

Come on, be honest. I'm sure there were some others somewhere who were instantly reminded of what happened in the sixth inning of Game One of the NLCS. The good news is it came early, the bad news is that Pat struck out.

(4) Which was more confusing - understanding the ground rules or listening to Joe Buck incorrectly explain the ground rules?

To his credit, he did review them again later and got them right.

(5) Why try to score Shane Victorino on Jimmy Rollins' pop fly in the second inning?

First of all, I don't understand why you wouldn't give Jayson Werth, who was on deck, a chance to bat with the bases loaded (and two outs), and, perhaps more importantly, the ball was in shallow center field. No matter who made it, it was a bad decision.

(6) How concerned should I be that I agreed with Tim McCarver's assessment of the "weird" infield alignment when Ryan Howard was batting with Chase Utley at third base and one out in the third inning?

There were three infielders on the right side and they were in. The third baseman was standing practically next to third. Fuck the heck?

(7) Is B.J. Upton slow or lazy?

Clearly I'm being facetious, but I thought Upton was fast. He dogged it down the line when he grounded into a double play in the first inning. He dogged it down the line when he grounded into a double play in the third inning. And then he didn't run down Shane Victorino's single - in fact he didn't even catch it. It just bounced past him. I think mrs. tmmullen summed it up best, "Way to hustle - it's not like it's the World Series or anything. I'm sure you'll be back again." I added, "Yeah, just ask Cal Ripken."

(8) Did Joe Maddon really think that Scott Kazmir "looked good" after giving up three runs in the first four innings?

All things considered, he pitched okay, but he was constantly having to pitch out of trouble. With his pitch count climbing, he came out of the game early. Sure, the bullpen was effective, but how many times will Maddon be able to go to that well before the Phillies start hitting them? My point is that, after listening to Maddon's spin, just for a moment, I thought I was listening to an interview on "Fox & Friends."

(9) How many viewers had strokes when McCarver said, "Pack the bags and the light the lights, curves are coming left and right."?

Seriously, fuck the heck?

(10) How annoyed was Mike Hillman when Buck McCarver talked about "the two countrymen," Carlos Ruiz and Dioner Navarro, who hail from Venezuela?

He was pretty pissed. Probably because, while Navarro is from Venezuela, Ruiz is from Panama.

(11) How sweet was Ryan Howard's catch in the stands of Upton's foul pop?

Yes, he had a couple issues in the field Wednesday night, but that play was sweet. And so was his throw to second after Hamels picked Carlos Pena off first (see question 13).

(12) Did I really see and hear a Brit promoting Mexican food in the United States?

Hey I'm all in favor of a free taco [insert the joke of your choice here], but if I have to listen to Buck McCarver, spare me that transcontinental confusion.

(13) Did you think that was a balk?

Neither did I.

(14) What is with the pitch-trax or Fox-trax or whatever it's called?

That thing is useless. If the strike zone was really as small as that graphic makes it look, games would last six hours and pitchers would walk two batters an inning - at least.

(15) How lost is Ryan Howard?

I still can't decide which at-bat was worse, the one when he swung and missed at the pitch that bounced either on the plate or in front, or the one in the ninth when he struck out looking after they intentionally walked Chase Utley to pitch to him. I need to repeat that: THEY INTENTIONALLY WALKED UTLEY TO PITCH TO HOWARD. If the real Ryan Howard can show up sometime in the next five days, the Phillies will win this at home. If not, it could be a long slog.

(16) Why was Pat Burrell taken out of the game in the seventh inning of a one-run game on the road?

I would have preferred it if Charlie would have put Eric Bruntlett in left field after Chris Coste batted in the eighth inning, moved Burrell to DH, and taken Coste out. I realize this might leave you in a dangerous situation if Ruiz were to get hurt, but it's a risk worth taking - especially if you can keep Pat's bat behind Howard. Ugh.

(17) How enjoyable has it been to watch Ryan Madson evolve into arguably the best set-up man in baseball right before our eyes?

In eight games in the post-season, he has given up only one run on seven hits in 10 innings (0.90 ERA) while striking out seven and walking one. This follows a September (13 games) where he gave up only one run on 12 hits in 14 innings (0.64 ERA) while striking out 17 and walking one. Joe Owens can suck it.

(18) How lost is Jimmy Rollins?

He was 0-5 with two strikeouts and was swinging at pitches above his eyes. He's hitting .214 in the post-season and, let's be honest, it's been an ugly .214. But if the real Jimmy Rollins can show up sometime in the next five days, the Phillies will win this at home. If not, it could be a long slog.

(19) How good is Brad Lidge?

Very good. He made the first two hitters in the ninth look like minor leaguers. He flirted briefly with what a friend of mine calls "Mitch Lidge," but still turned in a perfect ninth. Who knows, he may yet blow a save in the World Series, but it wasn't on Wednesday. And that's that.

(20) How good was that game?

I realize some fans like slugfests - and I don't mind those every once and while. Other fans like it when the Phils blow the other team out, which, obviously, would allow us all to relax a little more later in games. But I do love me a good old-fashioned pitchers' duel. Every single pitch is magnified exponentially - for both teams - as a one run game like this creeps closer and closer to finality. Fortunately, the good guys came out on top Wednesday despite leaving 11 runners on base and going 0-13 with runners in scoring position. That won't get it done in the World Series.

As we wait for Game Two, hopefully the two or three people who visit our little corner of the internets will add their thoughts on the game or the series and - dare I dream? - maybe Mike will make an appearance. Only time will tell.

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