Tagged: Cole Hamels
Congratulations to the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies
So my Red Sox have finally been replaced as World Champions. Let’s all pause for a moment of silence.
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Okay. Congratulations to the 2008 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies for a spectacular World Series finish. They waited two days for these last three innings!
The Rays pulled out every trick they could, but in the end, the bag was simply not deep enough. Congratulations to Tampa Bay on a fantastic season in which they shocked everyone by simply reaching the postseason, not to mention to World Series.
No one is more deserving of the World Series MVP than Cole Hamels. This kid was fantastic. He is the Josh Beckett of 2008, and with him on the mound, it’s almost as light’s out as having Brad Lidge pitch.
By the way, Lidge closed out a tight game perfectly tonight. He allowed the plot to thicken just enough to allow fans to think that Tampa Bay had a chance, then he slammed the door in their face. I mean really, no one besides Tampa Bay fans wanted this series to go on any longer – we’d have to decide between baseball and Halloween. Very un-American (Sarah Palin, take note).
In all seriousness, this World Series was fantastic. With the exception of Game 4, both teams kept it close, played their best, and showcased all that baseball has to offer. On one side, you had a very young team who’s highest player made $6 mil a year. That’s a bargain on the Yankees. On the other side, you had a spirited bunch who grabbed hold of their division while keeping the most senior ball player in the leagues from retiring.Â
The big markets didn’t take this World Series; it wasn’t in New York or LA or Boston (side not to Floridians: 40 degrees is NOT cold enough for ski masks and ear muffs. It’s not even freezing) hosting the fall classic. It was two scrappy teams that illuminated and excited their respective cities, bringing people together under the name of baseball.
And in the end, isn’t that what it’s really all about?
Once again, congratulations to the Phillies. This is a fantastic accomplishment. Enjoy the parade and relish every moment of the next year.Â
Rays Extinguished?
Edit: The weather in Philly looks reminiscent of a scene out of Noah. However, there is probably about a 2% chance of the umpires calling the game. Imagine calling a World-Series clinching game because of rain. Very anti-climatic. What would the Phillies do, charge the mound with their umbrellas? Improvise a slip-n-slide in the outfield?
On another note, the umpires again have not been overly impressive. The strike zone for Kazmir was flat-out ameobic. Also, Utley’s double play, while definitely skillful, may not have actually been a double play. Did he actually tag the runner? The replays were unclear, but perhaps the umpires saw something the replays didn’t show. Correct call or not, the umpiring has definitely been sub-par for the entire series.
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When a pitcher hits a home run, the opposing team is in for a long night.
Joe Blanton propelled his team a strangling 3-1 series lead last night after some top notch pitching AND hitting. The Phillies are clicking right now in every area of the game. They’re even getting breaks from umpires.
The Tampa Bay Rays have proven to the world that great things can come from a team you least expect it from, but time is quickly running out for them. Carlos Pena has been 0-12 in the World Series, and Longoria hasn’t picked up the slack with an 0-17 slump of his own. The same team who hit 16 home runs in seven games against the Red Sox has hit just three home runs through four games.
To top it all off, the Rays will face Cole Hamels in Philadelphia tonight. The same Cole Hamels who has not lost a game in the playoffs and has a 1.55 postseason ERA. The same Philadelphia where the Phillies have not lost this postseason.
It seems as if the Rays of hope are all but gone.
However, the Rays did just come off of a series against a team who fell to a 1-3 deficit, seemed to have nothing going for them, then came back to force a Game 7. The Rays offense is still scary. They could explode at any moment. Let a Ray on a basepath and chances are, he’ll steal a base. Six teams have come back from a 1-3 deficit to win the World Series. October is the month of magic.
We’ll see what magic both sides have cooking tonight at 8 on FOX. Hopefully the umpires will show up.
Photo from philly.com
Bringing it to the Youth
Edit: Because the entire world is now on facebook, we have a facebook group going. Join now and meet all sorts of people who all love baseball. Comment and keep this blog rocking like the Trop tonight during the game!
This is Arielle from over at Dispatches from Red Sox Teen Nation and I’ll be taking over this blog. We simply can’t have a guy who graduated from college in the same year that Game 2 starter James Shields was born cover an under-30 World Series blog.
Anyways, back to the Series.
Ideally, Josh Beckett would be facing off against Brett Myers in Game 2, but the Red Sox ran into some mishaps in the ALCS, so the Tampa Bay Rays are representing the American League.
(Beckett ran into some arm troubles, Rays represented by Arthur, King of the Britons.)
Tampa Bay was beat in every aspect of the game last night by the Phillies, but don’t be fooled. The Rays are here to make some noise. This team is not only young in age, but also young in experience, so forgive them if they were a little intimidated last night. The World Series is kind of a big deal.
And how ’bout them Phillies? Cole Hamels pwned last night (pwned = pitched really well, for you older folks out there). He wasn’t even alive the last time the Phillies won the World Series, but he pitched last night as if he’d been on the mound for a lot more than his three years in the big leagues.
Then there’s “Lights-Out” Lidge. For all the competition in the American League over which closer is the best, the National League probably has the answer to that. He was 41-41 in saves in the regular season and is six for six in the postseason. At almost 32 years-old, he’s a little bit of a grandpa in this series, but Phillies fans will probably take it.
Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard have not even gotten started in this series yet, and the Rays will probably show up in Game 2 now that they have gotten the big game skittishness out of their systems. Tonight at 8 PM (ET of course), Big Game James faces off against Big Bat Brett in a battle at the Trop.
Will the Rays leave Tampa tied? Or will Philly return home with a dominating 2 game lead? It’s all on FOX tonight.
P.S. Thanks for the taco, Jason.
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