The grand Canyon

I’m working a job in NYC and my life was made that much harder yesterday by a bunch of rowdy, bleached white Yankees fans blocking all the streets as I tried to make my way to Brooklyn.

The parade down the Hero of Canyons, or Crevasse, or Canyon of Heros or whatever the lame name is was just that: Lame. Other than creating a huge mess, a huge clean up and a huge headache for drivers, there wasn’t much going for the celebration.

Always one to be overcome by sports enthusiasm, I thought even in my bitterness I’d have a soft spot for the carefree revelers. Not so.

What a ham

Oh Cole, why must you go running your mouth?

It’s been broadcast all over the game, ESPN, radio and everywhere you turn just how much of a prima donna Cole Hamels is. If you haven’t heard, the former ace ran his mouth in the middle of a doubtful World Series run, with his teammates scratching and clawing at the Yankees cleats as they tried to climb over them, about wanting the season to be over.

It has since been qualified that Cole meant his season, you know, since he’s been throwing so poorly. Since when was a roster mainstay’s season separate from the team’s?

We all knew he was a primadonna, but I don’t know why his wife doesn’t tell him to keep his yap closed.

Between the day-game complaints and the self-centered moping, I’m all for putting the ball in Happ’s hands. At least he’ll have some conviction behind it.

No Frills

I glossed over the Eagles embarassing loss to the (cringe) Raiders because it was really offensive.

That’s sort of how I feel about Phillie losing to New York.

Despite the immediate similarities in the Phillies and Yankees teams’ play, the two could not be more different in reputation. The pinstripes have long been a storied group of talented, overpaid pretty boys who spend more time on the cover of the Daily News or Star Magazine than in the batting cages. The talent is there, but the high payroll makes them less ballplayer more celebrity.

Conversely, the Phillies are the rough-and-tumble team in the east, winning people’s love on the baseball field and in the community. In the decade I have spent in Philadelphia, I can nary recall a salicious article about a player’s personal life or scandal. We just don’t do that. (OK, maybe Meyers had a few slip ups)

Our guys are there to play baseball, not to date actresses or make appearances at local hotspots.

One of my favorite aspects of this reverential culture is the rumors told by many bartenders about players frequenting their watering holes as regulars. I’ve never seen it, but I was told Utley is a mainstay at Southwark.

As the homegrown players that play for the love of the game, I can’t allow the possibility we lose to a city that decided calling us the “Frillies” was an inventive enough headline to put on the cover of their newspaper.

Battle in the East

It seems the much-anticipated Phils-Yankees series will be happening. Though the Yanks are no doubt a formidable opponent, there trouble with the Angels was good news for the Phils.

The extremely prolific offense of both teams is going to put on quite a show, and the proximity of the two cities is going to make for some intense games and atmosphere.

In line today at Subway in Tribeca, the night after the Yanks made it in to the Fall Classic, I eavesdropped on two business men:

Man 1: “I saw standing room only tickets on sale for Game 3 in Philly for $400.”

Man 2: “Really? But you can get them?”

Man 1: “Umm, ya, for $400. You want it?”

Man 2: “Ya, let’s do it then.”

I was overjoyed that the New Yorkers were planning a trip down to Philly to support their team. These were not Yankees fans, en route. No, they were transplanted Philophites representing in NY and wanting to watch their transplanted home team get beat by their old one.

We enjoyed a little commiserating while I waited for my 6-inch Italian herb and cheese. And laughed at the jubilant New Yorkers whose celebrating would be short-lived.

Beyond all doubt

The Phillies have a well-deserved 3-1 command of the NLCS after last night’s ninth-inning heroics. It was not the first time the Phils, backs against the wall, came out swinging — and clawing, slicing and sprinting.

I’m embarrassed to say, I stopped watching at the end of the eighth. But, hear me out. I was without television, and relying on some lame kid who streams all sorts of sports through his blog. By about the third inning, he and his lame cronies turned their attention to Monday Night Football, and when the Phillies feed went down, he didn’t care to fix it.

Scrambling, the only other thing I could get to work was audio from the Dodgers’ radio coverage. With the game easily leaning in the Dodgers’ favor up til the eighth, listening to them fawn over the slightest of Dodger successes and blame everything from the series standings to the War in Iraq on the Phillies “struggling defense” I couldn’t take it anymore. So I shut it off.

About 30 minutes later, my BlackBerry was telling me “5-4 Phillies, Final.”

Naturally, I read what happened. Walk, hit batter, pop fly … and one of the most amazing triples (scored a double) in Phillies history, courtesy of the relatively quiet, but always possibly lethal, Jimmy Rollins.

I spent this morning watching the calls from around the league of the winning drop. Yes, it was great. No, it was not the same as watching it live. As holding your head in your hands and hearing the completely unexpected crack that makes your heart flutter, your eyes lift and your hopes think, “just maybe …”

I apologize, dear Phillies. I will doubt no longer. I never had reason to in the first place.

In four

The Phillies-Dodgers series has proven to be everything it was touted to be. Game 1 was the expected hot-hitting offensive surges, while Game 2 was a completely unexpected pitching dual featuring a throwback-calber Pedro Martinez.
Unfortunately two flubs by the dependent Utley have us standing on even footing heading into tomorrows contest.
With the dismal forecast and everything but errors working in their favor thus far, expect the Phils to close the NLCS in dominant fashion in 4.

Covering their Trax

The California sunshine will be a welcome addition to tonight’s opener for the Phils-Dodgers NLCS opener — in stark contrast to the freezing nights of Colorado and the drab weather we have for the next four days in Philadelphia.

But that will be the only welcome addition.

The Dodgers’ own up-and-down pitching and prolific offense will be an interesting match-up for the similar stats on the Phils side.

Though I thought we would be lucky enough to make the jump from TBS to FOX once we got to the NLCS, I was dismayed to realize we will have to endure the inept announcing of TBS until we are World Series bound.

I just want to have a talk with the inventor and/or maintainer of the “Pitchtrax” technology — you know, that completely arbitrary box on the right side of TBS’ broadcasts that purports to show where in (or out of) the strike zone the pitch landed. However, balls in exactly the same spot often end up in wildly different locations on the Pitchtrax. It’s so frustrating I contemplated taping over the left third of my TV.

Getting rid of that once we make it to the World Series will be present enough. Well, for the time being.

Win, lose or draw

Yesterday’s game was everything you feared would happen to the Phils in the post. The bats could barely get the ball past the second-base bag, and while Hamels held on for a bit, he got rattled early and the bullpen got depleted rather quickly.

The brightside, however, is that even when everything you hoped wouldn’t happen happened, we only lost by a run. But a loss is a loss — whether by 20 or 1 — and with the series at deuce, the Phils will pack it up and head into the chilly Colorado atmosphere to try and shake off the last of the icy feeling of defeat.

It’s hard to know what to expect in Game 3 on Saturday. The weather could play a factor, as could the inevitable pitching shortage the Phillies knew would come and bite them in the butt. Mainly, the key to the Phillies success is keeping the offense prolific. Obviously, that would be the key to any ball club’s success; however, with the pitching as it stands, the Phils are going to have to rely on their bats and feet to get the job done.

The B team

The Eagles’ bye week left a Sunday full of room to watch some ‘new’ Phils close out the regular season with a 10-inning win with an RBI single clincher off the bat of a pitcher.

It also saw some out-of-market games, like the undeafted Broncos, able to grace Philadelphia-area TVs.

Watching Dawkins donning Bronco orange and blue, run around the field like a sprite 10-year-old, was depressing and uplifting at the same time.

I miss his Tarzan-like chest pounds and animalistic posturing, but its good to know the fight hasn’t left him although he was forced to leave us.

The magic number

With closing troubles, the Phillies new magic number to clinch the NL East division is 3.

Ryan Madson managed to establish himself today as a viable playoff closer with (finally!) a successful save against the Brewers after a five-run late surge to bring Milwaukee within one.

However, this deal should have been sealed long ago — or at least two days and as many games ago when the magic number was four.

In other news, Wildcat Michael Vick was happy with his non-role role in today’s game. The real winner today was Kolb, with another 300-plus yard performance and no interceptions.