NLCS Game One - Phillies 3, Dodgers 2

It's a Beautiful Night for a Home Run - Let's Hit Two



There is plenty to say about Thursday night's game, but it will have to wait because of the quick turn around time for game two. Ashburn Alley opens at 2:00 p.m. and the inflatable slide outside the park (Paige's favorite) will be ready to go long before that. The family and I are moments from departure, which leaves me just enough time to say this:

Beat L.A.

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NLDS Game Four - Phillies 6, Brewers 2

Phils clinch series with long-ball



The rest is silence.

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NLDS Game Three - Brewers 4, Phillies 1

Blanton set to start game four

That was tough to watch.

Something I may not have ever mentioned here is that I am a certified PIAA basketball official. I share this with you for two reasons. First, I will be at Kutztown University all day today for the second day of a two-day officials clinic, which means I will not be able to watch Game Four [I literally arrived home from day one of the clinic just in time to see the first pitch on Saturday].

More importantly, it gives me some credibility when I say that the most important thing that players, coaches, and managers want from officials and umpires is for them to be consistent. If it's a foul in the first quarter, it needs to be a foul in the fourth. Or, in this case, if it's a strike to one hitter, it needs to be a strike to another hitter.

I think there are few people who would disagree that the home plate umpire was inconsistent last night - and it killed Jamie Moyer. Some might argue that Jamie needs an umpire who will give him a little off that plate and I will admit that certainly helps him. But what is more important for him is to find that spot that the umpire will call a strike and keep pounding it in there until the hitter has to swing at it. Moyer couldn't do that on Saturday because the umpire was inconsistent.

In one at-bat in the second inning I watched Moyer throw four straight pitches in virtually the exact spot after which the count was 2-2. I said to mrs. tmmullen, "This is not going to be good." Unfortunately, it wasn't.

The good news is that the Phillies hitters will face Jeff Suppan today. He is 0-2 in his last three starts with an ERA north of 10.00. Even better, in their careers, the Phillies are hitting .307 as a team against him with good numbers from Utley (.474), Burrell (.429), Rollins (.333), and Howard (.300) - the four guys who need to start hitting right now (although Howard looked good last night).

The Phils counter with Joe Blanton, who is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in his last three starts. Milwaukee hitters, as a team, have only had 40 plate appearances against him, so, despite their .297 average, that could work in his favor.

There you have it. I'm off to Kutztown and I'll hear the good news - or the bad news - on the radio on the way home. Although I've told Mike in the past that "hope is not analysis," I do hope the Phillies clinch today. I'm going to predict a 6-3 Phillies win.

Then bring on the Dodgers.

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Sportswriting for dummies

I am confident most people have, at least once in their life, expressed their disappointment in an official way about either poor service or an inferior product they received - and we should. Good businesses and managers want to know when things are wrong. But I wonder how often any of us do the same when we are lucky enough to experience excellent service or an outstanding product. Too few probably.

I mention this because, after all, a lot of what I like to do here is really just my way of expressing my dissatisfaction with the quality of the sportswriting and sports reporting that appears in print and/or on the internets. And with that said, it's time to highlight something I really liked.

This is sportswriting.

Of course, as much as I like Rich Hoffman and love reading his work, I can't help but point out - politely of course - one minor flaw in this otherwise wonderful piece:


The fifth pitch of the at-bat was ball two, and then [Brett] Myers hit another foul ball and broke his bat. As he walked over to get a new one, that was when the crowd really took the thing to Defcon 5.

Defcon 1 was what he meant. And if you were there, you know that description was spot on.

Rich Hoffman ladies and gentlemen. Read all you want, he'll write more.

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NLDS Game Two - Phillies 5, Brewers 2

Phils lead series 2-0, Vizza vies for MVP

After the game, while most of the talk inside and outside Citizen's Bank Park was about the at-bat by Brett Myers in the second inning, there were a few of us in attendance that went home focused on something else.

"We want four! We want four!"

The chant began with one man standing in centerfield next to the Brewers' bullpen and quickly spread to, well, no one as Shane Victorino stepped to the plate with the bases loaded two hitters later.

Ball one.

"Are you asking Shane to go to the deli? And perhaps pick up some salami?" I asked. Yes, I was proud of that little joke - and it's a personal favorite of mrs. tmmullen's even if she won't admit it.

Called strike.

The fan from Northeast Philadelphia quickly told me of another time when the bases were loaded and he and his group took up the call, "We want four! We want four!" only to be followed by a grand slam.

Foul ball.

"Re-karma! Re-karma! Re-karma!" he cried.

Crack!

We watched the ball rise. The entire stadium seemed to inhale in unison and hold their breath, following the track of the baseball until it disappeared from sight and insanity ensued. Euphoria engulfed me. I remember little after that.

When I rejoined reality, I realized that somehow I was able to snap a picture of this harbinger of Victorino's heroics in the midst of celebrating. His name is Lorenzo (Ren) Vizza and if he ever visits our little corner of the internets, hopefully he'll share the longer version of how the "We want four!" originated. Also pictured is his wife Christy who is a big - we're talking HUGE here people - fan of Jayson Werth.



Under penalty of violence, I am required to report in this space that Jayson Werth went 2-4 with two doubles, a run scored, and a stolen base in Game 2.

As you may have already surmised, I spent Game 2 out in centerfield. My brother and I originally dropped anchor there for a close-up look at CC Sabathia (who Christy kept calling CC Sabastian for some reason, along with some other unprintable names). He did not disappoint:



While many of the fans joined together to heckle the behemoth, at one point during a break, I offered, "Don't listen to them CC, come play for Philly next year!" A few people laughed, but, more telling, I heard one fan say, "Yeah, like the Phillies will spend the money." I wondered if Joe Owens was nearby to write that down.

And so it went. Whether true or not (and he didn't admit it was), five starts in 18 days (the last four on three days rest) may have finally worn CC Sabathia down. John Henry may have beat the machine, but he died in the process. CC couldn't beat the Phillies. Let's hope his arm isn't dead either.

[Although, tangetially, I doubt the Brewers care. They aren't going to re-sign him after this year, so why not trot him out every three days and get their money's worth. Arm issues? What arm issues? That's the next team's problem.]

Finally, listening to 920 AM on the way home, I heard a number of people make a case for Shane Victorino as the NLDS Most Valuable Player (should the Phillies win of course). But right now, my vote is for Mr. Vizza. Not only did he do his voo-doo to coax the grand slam, he also bought me an adult beverage.

Find me a Philly fan who doesn't consider that an MVP performance.

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NLDS Game One - Phillies 3, Brewers 1

Phillies lead the best of five series 1-0

Just as the Brewers were kicking up a fuss against Brad Lidge in the ninth inning on Wednesday, the wind and rain suddenly reappeared. Fortunately for the fans, the rain was the only thing blown at Citizen's Bank Park that day.

Note: By the time this appears, I will already be inside the park for game two. When time permits, I will add more to this post, but for now, please enjoy a few snapshots of how we saw the first post-season win for the Phillies in nearly 15 years. [Click on them to enlarge]




Philles Ball Girl Jocelyn Brown, mrs. tmmullen, and Paige at the pre-game rally. This isn't the first time Paige met "Miss Jocelyn," as we call her, and I'll save that story for another post. For now, I will simply say that Ms. Brown represents the Phillies organization well. Whether or not the same thing can be said of mrs. tmmullen's representation of this blog depends on the audience. I am referring, of course, to adult beverage prominently displayed in the picture. You make the call.




Mitch Williams makes his way through the crowd to attend the pre-game rally. He's not as wild in person as he is on television.




The two teams wrap up pre-game introductions and get ready for the national anthem. There are few things in life I enjoy more than being at the ball park to hear that song and then, moments later, watch the first pitch be thrown. Although one of them is doing the same thing with my daughter in my arms.




Speaking of which, here she is waving her rally towel like a maniac. She was quite popular in our section with many of the fans around us giving her high-fives after strikeouts and other, well, high-fiveable moments of the game.

Sure, like our first game in march, it was windy and it was cold, but to us, and most of the rest, it just didn't matter.

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Steaming cup of something

There is a fine line between making excuses and offering an explanation. Hopefully, you will see this as the latter. I truly enjoy posting here, but I only do it when I can offer something that is up to my own personal standards. If I were to post just for the sake of posting, you would end up with a steaming pile of something like this from Joe Owens of the Easton Express Times.


As a Phillies fan who has attended games for 39 years, I can't tell you how many times I have seen them clinch the National League East Division championship in person.

Well then let's start with an easy one, were you there last year?


I saw it today.

So did more than 40,000 others. Were you there last year?


By my count, this is the eighth time they have won the division in those four decades. I have been there for World Series victories and I was there the night they clinched the National League pennant in 1993. That was crazy.

Good for you. Were you there last year?


The only year the Phillies won the World Series - 1980 - they clinched the division in Montreal. So, basically, I don't remember being there for a division-clinching game, although it's possible.

First of all - fuck the heck? You don't remember if you were Montreal when Mike Schmidt hit his 48th home run of the season to seal the deal? Wow. I wasn't there, but, and maybe it's just me and it's just because that season was so special and because I was 12 years old, but the call still echoes in my head:

Harry Kalas: Swing and a long drive... Deep left field...

Andy Musser: He buried it! He buried it!

Harry Kalas: Way back... That ball's outta here! Home run Mike Schmidt puts the Phillies up 6-4!

Andy Musser: Whoo!

Harry Kalas: What a drive by Schmidt, unbelieveable, he hit that ball deep to the seats in left field. Mike is clapping his hands, he's shaking hands with all his teammates. What a wild scene here in Montreal!

I got goosebumps typing that. But back to the point - were you there last year or not?


Some observations:

I guess we'll never know. So what was the point of that steaming cup of nonsense? Perhaps a lead-in to this steaming pile of, well, you decide.


It was really cool, even though I purchased my standing-room-only tickets exactly six hours before the game.

I don't need anyone to tell me that being at the game when they clinch the division is "really cool" - but hey thanks. You really earned your money with this post. Plus, who cares when you got your tickets and why the need to say it was "exactly" six hours before the game?


Jamie Moyer is the man. Three months younger than me, the guy is my hero. Six innings, six hits, one run. Say no more.

What kind of sportswriting is this? The only thing that your age tells me is that you were 18 years old in 1980. So you don't remember if you went to Montreal for the Phillies clincher when you were 18? It was October, so maybe you were in college somewhere? Really? Still drawing a blank? Yikes.

Hey, maybe I'm being mean, I wouldn't trust this guy to tell me the time or the weather, let alone his analysis of a sporting event. Although Jamie Moyer was spectacular. Maybe he heard one of the fans standing next to him say that and decided to write it down.


Jimmy Rollins isn't lighting it up at the plate, but the man is a great shortstop.

Whatever.


Temple played a dreadful football game across the street. I believe there were more people in the lower level first-base-side restroom at Citizens Bank Park than watching the Owls at Lincoln Financial Field.

First of all, yuck. What would possess someone to write this? I don't ever want to imagine anyone in a public restroom anywhere. Why not say "there were more people in line for a beer" or "there were more people at Bulls BBQ?" Seriously, that was unecessary and gross. Second of all, why did Temple suddenly appear in an article about the Phillies? Do you have ADD or something?


Abner's cheesesteaks are OK, but I should have gone to Pat's. My bad.

Apparently you do. Nonetheless, while I admit it's been a few years since I've been to Abner's, I love their cheesesteaks and prefer them over the much-hyped competing duo of Pat's and Geno's. Still, it's hard to argue that you shouldn't have gone to Pat's if you don't say why.


Ryan Madson is not dependable. Sorry.

Okay, after a detour to the Owls football game and a cheesesteak break, we're back to game analysis. And you're just wrong. Madson gave up one earned run in 13 appearances (14 innings) in September. That's an 0.64 ERA. He struck out 17 and walked one. One! Can you get any wronger?


Pat Burrell is clueless. Same inning: Trots down to first for a base on balls only to be called back to home because the count is three balls and two strikes. Moments later, he's at second base with one out. His teammate hits a little looper that is tracked down by an infielder. Big Pat is galloping around third and the Nationals flip to second to double off Burrell and end the inning.

Apparently you can. Is this the only game you've seen Pat play this year? Sure, he looked silly during that inning. But it would be hard to find a sample size smaller than that by which to judge any player, let alone Burrell.


Try the American League, Pat. It's less taxing.

Try watching more games you steaming cup of spit. He carried this team (along with Chase Utley) while Ryan Howard was hitting .200. Plus, not resigning him for next season would be a mistake. Get your head out of where steaming piles come from. Oh, wait, like above, maybe he just heard one of the fans near him say it and decided to write that down too. It all makes sense now.


I have no idea where the Phillies are going in this postseason. In fact, I have my doubts. But they are there, in the mix, which was not the case for more than 30 of my suffering seasons with this club.

I have no idea what the point was of this steaming cup of insanity. In fact, I have my doubts that you are even a professional writer. But you are here, on the internets, which I wish wasn't the case because I had to spend more than 30 suffering minutes reading and ranting about your post.


Give 'em a puncher's chance.

Actually, the oddsmakers favor the Phillies to beat the Brewers. Of course, that doesn't mean they will, but it does help me make my case that you are a steaming pile of idiot.

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