Final pitch

It’s been a wonderful few years talking with you, South Philadelphia. We had a World Championship and our usual ups and downs, but like most things, this is coming to an end.

I am handing over the duties of blogging about the players, games and characters that come through this fine city to someone new. And probably someone who knows a heck of a lot more than I do.

But, let’s be real. This was never about how much I knew or didn’t know. Sports isn’t really about the line-up card or the stat sheet or the player trades. It’s about enjoying the game and all the memories that go along with being a Philadelphia sports fan.

I won’t be posting my thoughts here any longer, but I will always be rooting on our favorite teams.

Thanks for listening.

Start ’em young

Did your kid wear a Westbrook onesie? Do they sit next to the couch during Sunday Night Football?

If so, get them the hottest ticket in town for ages 14 and under and sign them up for Eagles’ kidsclub. The year-long membership gets them access to Eagles-related events, contests and prizes that are strictly members-only.

Some of the potential winnings include Take a Player to Your Sports Practice or two pregame sideline tickets and two game tickets to an Eagles’ home game.

Register your kid here.

Playing the odds

Last night was why we are fans. Last night was why we watch every game, scrutinize every injury, pretend we know better than Charlie Manuel.

Last night the Phillies overcame a 9-2 deficit in the eighth to mount an unimaginable seven-run comeback to finish with a 10-9 win over the Dodgers with a walk-off double by Carlos Ruiz.

Major League sports, with its endorsements, politics and shameful money, can seem like a ridiculous investment of time. How, on earth, are we so devoid of meaning that we waste countless hours a day on fantasy sports or stat checking?

But then you remember its about more than that: It’s why you played halfball in the street as a kid. It’s those rare moments when you’re presented with  insurmountable odds and you get to laugh in their face.

Fair game

Getting a seat at the Linc can put you back thousands of dollars. And — as one of my friends unfortunately found at at the turnstile — some Craigslist sales are fake.

Avoid scalper anger and get your tickets directly from the source tomorrow at 10am Eastern time. Due to high demand, the Eagles have kindly provided a first-come-first-served sale of standing room only tickets for $55 to all eight regular season home games. The limited number of tickets will go on sale Aug. 12 on Ticketmaster.com or Charge-by-Phone directly at (800) 745-3000.

Down but not out

Woe is me.

It’s been a rough one for the Phils line-up, and somehow they are managing to inch closer to the league-leading Atlanta Braves with almost every game.

Long-criticized for keeping their prospects in waiting, the Phillies have a pretty good crop of young talent that may get the chance to show their skills in the bigs as each games seems to see our ranks drop another man down. The much-anticipated Domonic Brown has lived up to his hype as he continues to have strong outings for the Fightins.

With Howard out for an undetermined amount of time, it’s exciting to see who will pop up this week.

Out of luck

Want to start hitting? Fire someone.

After letting longtime hitting coach Milt Thompson go last week, the Phillies have enjoyed a five-game streak the likes of which we haven’t seen in months. But was Milt and his hitting policies, that brought us two NLCS titles, a World Series ring and league-leading season RBI totals, really the problem?

I’ve always hated the superstitions of baseball — the playofff beards, the lucky jersey/jockstraps/pinky finger, not talking about no-hitters. The fact that Manuel seems to agree that firing Thompson was nothing more that grasping at straws doesn’t particularly make it any better.

Many people find the superstitions (lunacy) of baseball players endearing. Perhaps since I am a bit of an athletic headcase myself, I hate a climate and social environment that supports and encourages this sort of play. Especially when it costs a good man his job.

A heavy toll

Blows keep coming to the Philadelphia Phillies line-up as Moyer, who exited the game Tuesday after one inning, will probably miss a considerable part of the second half of the season, if not all of it.

Moyer, who was bumped off the end of the Phillies’ World Series roster last season, came out with a vengeance in 2010, something rarely seen in his more than 20-year career. Proved my prediction wrong. Or did he?

Earlier this year I said Moyer would be done by the All-Star break. A week after my fated prediction, Jamie is likely hanging up his glove for the remainder of 2010. Yes, I thought he would be pulled because of an ERA close to 10; Instead, his own muscles did the pulling for him.

Billboard’s hot one

Cruising down 76, drivers are greeted by a Hunt for the Heisman billboard for Temple University. Heisman? Interesting. From the team that couldn’t put together a win for the life of them a few years back.

The billboards have always existed, with somewhat ironic sadism, touting the exploits of the Temple football team, mostly when their major skill was losing.

And then along came Bernard Pierce, the running back that helped move Temple to a winning record team in 2009. Other than the overt shamelessness of the Heisman campaign, as it were, it got me thinking about the whole idea of the Heisman.

Is it really something that should or even can be campaigned for? I liked to think it wasn’t, but I suppose if you say Heisman enough times people in Pennsylvania may begin to believe it.

Are you ready for some futball?

Next Wednesday will be the much-anticipated visit of the world’s premier soccer club to Lincoln Financial Field.

July 21 the Philadelphia Union will be going toe-to-toe with Manchester United. I am assuming that many of the players will be hot off their World Cup duty and many more names will be recognizable. No rest for the weary.

Recidivism?

Vick. Is this going to be the story of 2010? I sure hope not.

Though cleared of any wrongdoing in the June 25 shooting outside of his birthday party, it really depends on the definition of “wrongdoing.”

If you are making millions after being a convicted felon, and allowed to play in the NFL once again, are you allowed the leniency of hanging out with your co-defendants? I say no. No, you are “wrongdoing.”

Commissioner Roger Goodell is taking a similar stance, but Philadelphia management should take a stronger one. He’s had more than three strikes and there while there are second-chances, Vick has had enough.