Peter's Red Sox Forever

This & That In Major League Baseball

2009-11-08T05:09:00.005-05:00

Well, the Sunday baseball news, so to speak, took a little time for me to find, but I managed to search it out. Let's start with the Boston Red Sox, my team. They are sure to try and acquire the services of San Diego first baseman slugger Adrian Gonzalez. Why? A MLB expert recently said this...

“Then you’d have two teams, the Yankees and the Red Sox, that would be impossible to pitch to. Gonzalez would come close to 50 homers if he played half his games at Fenway. I don’t think that’s exaggerating.’’

Last year Adrian hit 40 home runs and drove in 90 runners while playing half his games in San Diego. He is a lefty who loves to go to the opposite field (think Green Monster) and would hit a ton of taters with his swing. He said this about hitting in our cozy and historic ballpark...

“I’ve never played there, but I’m told I would like it.’’

He still has two years left on his contract but the San Diego powers-that-be know which four or so Red Sox players it would take to get the power hitting lefty first baseman with the dependable glove who is just entering his prime at the age of 27. My goodness! Theo and company will be working day and night on this one. DO NOT be surprised if next year you see Gonzalez at first, Youk at third and either of the two DH's, Big Papi or Mikey Lowell, traded to other places, other spaces.

Next up...Boston infielder and jack of all trades Nick Green will have surgery Monday to repair a disc in his back that caused his leg to go what he called "dead." Think Timmy Wakefield. He should be fine for next year.

In non-Sox news, Manny Ramirez excersised his $20 million contract option with the LA Dodgers and will be playing for them and Joe Torre in 2010. Last year he hit .290 with 19 taters and 63RBIs in only 104 regular season games. Enough about him.

Finally, on this still dark Sunday morning, here is the up-to-date list of the current free agents. Eligible players may file through the 19th...

AMERICAN LEAGUE

BALTIMORE (4) -- Danys Baez, rhp; Mark Hendrickson, lhp; Chad Moeller; c; Melvin Mora, 3b.
BOSTON (3) -- Rocco Baldelli, of; Jason Bay, of; Billy Wagner, lhp.
CHICAGO (3) -- Ramon Castro, c; Jermaine Dye, of; Scott Podsednik of.
CLEVELAND (2) -- Jamey Carroll, 2b; Tomo Ohka, rhp.
DETROIT (5) -- Adam Everett, ss; Aubrey Huff, 1b; Placido Polanco, 2b; Fernando Rodney, rhp; Jarrod Washburn, lhp.
KANSAS CITY (3) -- Bruce Chen, lhp; Miguel Olivo, c; Jamey Wright, rhp.
LOS ANGELES (6) -- Kelvim Escobar, rhp; Chone Figgins, 3b; Vladimir Guerrero, dh; John Lackey, rhp; Darren Oliver, lhp; Robb Quinlan, of.
MINNESOTA (4) -- Joe Crede, 3b; Ron Mahay, lhp; Carl Pavano, rhp; Mike Redmond, c.
NEW YORK (0)
OAKLAND (4) -- Bobby Crosby, 1b; Justin Duchscherer, rhp; Nomar Garciaparra, dh; Adam Kennedy, 3b.
SEATTLE (5) -- Miguel Batista, rhp; Erik Bedard, lhp; Adrian Beltre, 3b; Endy Chavez, of; Mike Sweeney, dh.
TAMPA BAY (3) -- Chad Bradford, rhp; Troy Percival, rhp; Russ Springer, rhp.
TEXAS (7) -- Joaquin Benoit, rhp; Hank Blalock, 1b; Marlon Byrd, of; Eddie Guardado, lhp; Andruw Jones, of; Ivan Rodriguez, c; Omar Vizquel, ss.
TORONTO (3) -- John McDonald, ss; Kevin Millar, 1b; Marco Scutaro, ss.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

ARIZONA (3) -- Doug Davis, lhp; Scott Schoeneweis, lhp; Chad Tracy, 1b.
ATLANTA (5) -- Garret Anderson, of; Mike Gonzalez, lhp; Adam LaRoche, 1b; Greg Norton, 1b; Rafael Soriano, rhp.
CHICAGO (2) -- Rich Harden, rhp; Reed Johnson, of.
CINCINNATI (0)
COLORADO (4) -- Alan Embree, lhp; Jason Giambi, 1b; Jason Marquis, rhp; Yorvit Torrealba, c.
FLORIDA (3) -- Brendan Donnelly, rhp; Nick Johnson, 1b; Ross Gload, 1b-of.
HOUSTON (6) -- Aaron Boone, 1b; Darin Erstad, of; Mike Hampton, lhp; LaTroy Hawkins, rhp; Jason Michaels, of; Miguel Tejada, ss.
LOS ANGELES (11) -- Brad Ausmus, c; Ronnie Belliard, 2b; Jon Garland, rhp; Orlando Hudson, 2b; Doug Mientkiewicz, 1b; Guillermo Mota, rhp; Eric Milton, lhp; Vicente Padilla, rhp; Jim Thome, 1b; Jeff Weaver, rhp; Randy Wolf, lhp.
MILWAUKEE (5) -- Mike Cameron, of; Frank Catalanotto, of; Jason Kendall, c; Felipe Lopez, 2b; Corey Patterson, of.
NEW YORK (5) -- Alex Cora, ss; Carlos Delgado, 1b; Ramon Martinez, ss; J.J. Putz, rhp; Brian Schneider, c.
PHILADELPHIA (3) -- Miguel Cairo, 2b; Pedro Martinez, rhp; Brett Myers, rhp.
ST. LOUIS (8) -- Rick Ankiel, of; Mark De Rosa, 3b; Troy Glaus, 3b; Khalil Greene, ss; Matt Holliday, of; Jason LaRue, c; Joel Pineiro, rhp; John Smoltz, rhp.
SAN DIEGO (2) -- Henry Blanco, c; Brian Giles, of.
SAN FRANCISCO (5) -- Bobby Howry, rhp; Bengie Molina, c; Brad Penny, rhp; Juan Uribe, 2b; Randy Winn, of.
WASHINGTON (5) -- Josh Bard, c; Livan Hernandez, rhp; Austin Kearns, of; Ron Villone, lhp; Dmitri Young, 1b.

That's it for this Sunday. Enjoy your day and as always, BE WELL. Leave a comment if you have time and just have a totally terrific day. I'll see you tomorrow if not sooner.

Sittin' On The Doc Of The Bay

2009-11-07T04:46:00.003-05:00

Hello to you, my Constant Readers, on this still dark and very cold Saturday morning. I couldn't sleep...you've had one of those nights when you fall asleep and then WAKE UP and see by looking at the bedside clock that 20 minutes have elapsed. 20 MINUTES!!! Well, that happened to me multiple times last night and I finally got SICK of it. I shuffled out of bed at ten minutes before 4am, took my sugar and had a small breakfast and I'm now sitting here and typing to my blog friends. That's you, by the way. My subject of the day, although this post will be a short one, is what the Boston Red Sox should do, if anything, to reacquire left fielder Jason Bay.

I do not think that Bay will settle for anything less than a five year contract and the Sox would tend to lean towards a three year deal, like their right fielder, JD Drew. 14 or 15 milion bucks per year? John Henry's wallet can do it but does he want to? Ay, that's the question. Both Bay and Drew have comparable statistics. During Jason's career, only five outfielders have more RBIs. I'm going to leave this up to Theo and company. There are other capable outfielders out there who plan to become free agents in the next few days. I'm totally sure Theo and company will find someone to guard the Green Wall turf and put the ball in the glove and into the seats, be it Bay or someone else. I just know it. Rmember, Hermida will be a fourth outfielder. That's a fact.

Have a great weekend and thanks for popping in. If you have any thoughts on this or just anything, simply leave a comment and I'll answer you as best I can. Thanks.

Wnids Of Change, Already, For The Boston Red Sox!

2009-11-06T04:37:00.004-05:00

The Boston Red Sox have acquired 25-year-old left-handed hitter and outfielder Jeremy Hermida from the Florida Marlins for LHPs Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez. Talk about quick work! They envision him to be the fourth outfielder. Marlins GM Larry Beinfest had this to say about Hermida...

"He had a lot of opportunity here. We wish him well. ... I think that goes with a lot of first-round picks. Our expectations were high for Jeremy. He had his moments where he was highly productive, like the second half of ’07. But, given his talent level, I think the expectation was for more. Hopefully he’ll realize his potential elsewhere.”

And here's OUR GM, Theo Epstein, on the whys of Hermida...

“Hermida’s the kind of player who hasn’t fulfilled his potential yet,” Epstein said. “We acquired him for a reasonable cost to see if he can fulfill his potential for us. There’s a chance that he can turn into the player he was once thought to be. He’s about to turn 26, he’s about to turn into his prime years. Sometimes it makes sense to do deals like that at something we deemed to be a very reasonable cost.”

He has a career average of .265 and earned 56 walks last season with 13 taters and 47 RBIs in only 129 games. He's no replacement for Bay but as a fourth outfielder, he might become invaluable. We hope he'll do well wherever in the outfield he might play. I'll tell you one thing...Boston will be intently looking for a starting left fielder. Jason Bay has filed for free agency (no surprise) as well as Billy Wagner (we knew he was leaving to find a club that needs a closer) and the oft injured Rocco Baldelli. Bay's possible (probable) absence induced the Red Sox to successfully acquire Hermida. I like this very early post-season move by Theo and company. I really do. I do not think Boston will meet Jason Bay's wishes in terms of years on his contract. He wants 4 or 5...Boston would gladly opt for three...tops. It's a long fall and winter until we reach the spring warmth and the sound of the round ball hitting the catcher's mitt. I'll be here every step of the way, God willing, I assure you. Have a great Friday and I'll type to you tomorrow morning, if not before. As always, BE WELL. Thanks...your comments are always welcome and ALWAYS answered. That's a promise.

The 2009 World Champion New York Yankees

2009-11-05T04:54:00.003-05:00

The New York Yankees won the 2009 World Championship of baseball by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies by a convincing score of 7-3. Hideki Matsui, after driving in six runs last night, was named MVP of the Series, deservedly so. He couldn't even play games 3, 4 and 5 in DH-less Philadelphia but was named nevertheless. He will be a free agent in the off season. Can you see him playing leftfield at Fenway if the Red Sox can't agree to terms with Jason Bay? I can't...his knees probably will require him to be a deluxe DH, a needed requirement for many searching teams. Yankee manager Joe Girardi, through thick and thin (he has his own unique style of managing a baseball team), delivered. With the talent bought by the Steinbrenners, notably Teixeira, Sabathia and Burnett, they were clearly the cream of the MLB crop. Here's part of what manager Joe Girardi had to say after game's end...

"I really believe in this club. I've always believed in this organization, the job the Steinbrenner family has done, Cashman and his staff and it's where we wanted to be and the guys did it," Girardi said." "The guys have been through so much," Girardi said, standing on a stage at second base, clutching the championship trophy that will always accompany his name in the record books. "It's unbelieveable how this team came together in spring training. They just kept fighting and fighting and fighting."

I'm a Boston Red Sox fan. I live to hate the Yankees and love the Red Sox. But I tip my hat to them, the 2009 World Champions. They did a great job and it's easy to see why. Great hitting, three superb starting pitchers, a good bullpen (with Chamberlain in it), average outfield defense but excellent infield defense and the best closer in all of major league baseball added up to 100 plus wins in the regular season and a World Series championship. Good for them. They clearly deserved it...that's a no-brainer. For Boston Red Sox fans, there's always 2010.

Just because the 2009 baseball season is officially over does not mean I'm going to take a blog break. I've never done that since I started this blog in November of 2005. God willing, I'll have an every morning post for you, twelve months per year. I love the early morning writing and Boston's hunt for ultimate victory after 162 regular season games and eleven post season victories. I thrive on it, in fact. So please stop back over the daylight-deprived winter months for all the Sox news I can gather. I love to watch the snow falling and accumulating on the frigid earth below while I pound on these keys. So I'll be here and I hope you will be, too. I need you...more than you'll ever know.

As always, BE WELL. I'll see ya soon...that's a promise. Oh, you can click on this post's title for complete game six coverage from SI dot com, the year the Yankees put it all together (it would have been hard NOT too) and won it all. Congratulations New York Yankees, 2009 World Champions.

Can The Phillies Do It On The Road? Or As The Beatles (Paul) Wrote & Sang..."Why Don't We Do It On The Road?"

2009-11-04T05:18:00.010-05:00

That's the big question for baseball fans the world over as game six of the 2009 World Series approaches. Tonight at Yankee Stadium, Andy Pettitte, on three days rest, will face Petey Martinez. It's "one and done" time for the team from Pennsylvania...can they pull it off? Jon Heymon from Sports Illustrated dot com poses these points. I'll give you my spin on 'em. My thanks go out to Mr. Heymon...

1. "The Phillies aren't called the Fightin' Phils for no reason."

No, they're not. They've come from behind to win games more times than I can count. If any team in baseball can come into the House that George Built and take two of two, it's Philadelphia.

2. "They are road warriors."

The Phillies had the best road record in all of major league baseball at 48-33. Obviously, that's not an easy thing to do. If they win tonight behind Petey, anything will be possible on Thursday night, including skyrocketing ratings for the Fox television network. That's a given. The Fox executives are drooling for a game seven...literally. I KID YOU NOT.

3. "Chase Utley is currently unstoppable."

Yankee pitchers will have to watch out what they throw to Utley. Chase will pounce on any little mistake in location and bash it into the seats. Yes, Ryan Howard might be in a three for nineteen slump so far but watch out for Chase Utley. CC Sabathia had this to say about the Philly slugger supreme...

"He's not missing pitches. He's tough," Sabathia said. "He's not missing, so you have to make all quality pitches."

Well said, CC. He hit three taters off you, as well you know.

4. "The vaunted, balanced Yankees lineup isn't all that balanced right now."

I don't believe this for one single second. The Yankees will find a way to win, tonight, and Petey's outing will be a short one. I also think that Andy Pettitte will be inneffective and be out of the game before he toils five innings. Those are just my early morning thoughts. They're the only things I have to go on.

5. "Cliff Lee may not quite be through."

Philadelphia's manager has not decided who will pitch Thursday night if the game is needed. But you can bet your bibby that Cliff Lee will be ready at any moment to step in and help his team accomplish something special...winning a second world championship in a row. Tomorrow night, if the series goes that far, there ARE no benches. Everyone (except for AJ Burnett, who stunk up the whole state two nights ago) will be available to toe the mound. Lee said this...

"I'm available. I think I'll be fine," Lee said. "If it's going to help the team win, I'm in."

That's team spirit and he has the "goods" to back up his words. 'Nuff said.

Again, my thanks go out to Jon Heymon from Sports Illustrated for providing the fodder for this pregame blog post blather. Well done, Jon. I hope every one of you enjoys tonight's contest which will begin at 7:57pm EST on FOX and FOX HD. Will it be the last baseball game until 2010? I'll let you know in about 18 hours. Click on the title of this post for more baseball news and as always, BE WELL. Thank you for popping in and I hope you enjoy live baseball while we can.

New Nadi's Nosh

2009-11-03T09:13:00.002-05:00

Yes, she's back with a new concoction. What is it? Just click on the title if you like lasagna done Nadi's way. Click away. Thanks.

The World Series Goes Back To The Big Apple...Philadelphia 8 Yankees 6

2009-11-03T04:29:00.005-05:00

AJ Burnett reverted back to his on-again, off-again form Monday night in Philadelphia. He only lasted two plus innings and gave up four base hits and SIX big runs. Most times against Cliff Lee, it would be "game over" after that, but the valiant Yankees tried to catch the home team with four runs in the last two innings. They fell short by a score of 8-6, sending the World Series back to New York City with the Yankees holding a 3-2 series edge. Phillies' starter Cliff Lee was also nowhere near as sharp as he was in his last series start, surrendering seven hits and giving up five earned runs. Andy Pettitte will try to nail it down tomorrow night for the pinstripers. He'll pitch against Petey, also know as Pedro Martinez. I'm sure Petey would like nothing more than to pitch well against the team he loves to hate and force a game seven. GO PETEY! But Series MVP-in-the-making (possibly, probably) Chase Utley pounced on two pitches and hit 'em both out. With those two taters he tied Reggie Jackson's World Series record of five home runs. Does he have another one in him? Hmmm. Here he is...

"First home run was a fastball, first pitch," he said in response to a question after Monday night's World Series game. "The second home run was a fastball, as well."

Fastball, fastball, seems he likes fastballs. His swing is so sudden, so compact, so powerful and so sweet, it's amazing. His manager, Charlie Manuel, agrees...

"He's one of the most prepared, one of the most dedicated, he has the most passion and desire to play the game that I've ever been around. I used to say Kirby Puckett was my favorite player, and all those things I just said I used to say about Kirby Puckett, and I said Kirby Puckett was my favorite player. The only thing Kirby might have on Chase is he's more flamboyant, because he smiles a lot."

Wonderful words of praise from someone who knows Utley's game better than just about anyone. And so the 2009 World Series moves back to the new Yankee Stadium with the home team looking for just one elusive victory to earn their 27th World Championship. Yes, they've been stuck on 26 for a long time but I have a feeling, like most of us, that 27 will be a reality within, oh, say, 48 hours. I'd be shocked if the Phillies win the next two but stranger things have happened in this game we love called baseball. How about Boston's 0-3 comeback win against the dreaded pinstripers, complete with a bloody sock. I remember it as if it were yesterday. I smiled.

Enjoy your Tuesday, a non-baseball day as we get ready for game six from the city that never sleeps tomorrow night. If the Yankees win another one Wednesday or Thursday, sleep will be out of the question. The weather will be dark and cool...I guarantee it! Temperatures will fall from the mid fifties to the mid forties during the game and the sun will set well before the first pitch. I heard they have lights, though. Click on this post's title for more coverage of last night's Philly win and as always, BE WELL.

NY Yankees ONE Win Away From World Championship Number Twenty Seven

2009-11-02T05:03:00.005-05:00

It all came down to the top of the ninth inning for the NY Yankees. The score was knotted at four and Johnny Damon was at the plate with two outs. Philly closer Brad Lidge had been untouchable until that moment. After a fierce nine pitch battle, Damon slapped a single and the proceedings started to resemble a bit of the Twilight Zone. Hats off to you, Rod Serling. The infield shift was on for Teixeira and, with two outs and his team needing one run, Damon headed to second, where the third baseman was covering. This was a heads up play. Damon noticed nobody was covering third after motoring safely past second base and he just kept going! And going!! He was credited with TWO stolen bases. Teixeira was hit by a pitch and AROD, who has come to life bigtime, doubled him home easily for the go ahead run. Posada padded the lead to three with another base hit and the untouchable Mariano Rivera ended it quickly as the stunned crowd filed out of the building into the dark beyond. Johnny was asked by a member of the media after the game why he kept going to third base. He said this in response...

"Trying to keep Lidge from throwing a slider. We battle," Damon said.

That they do, Constant Readers, that they do. AROD had this to say about his huge game breaking RBI which came off a fastball, thanks to Mr. Damon...

"I've never had a bigger hit," Rodriguez would say afterward.

Ya know, he's right. The Phillies are down three games to one and have a tough battle ahead of them. Yes, their best starter and one of the best in all of Major League Baseball goes tonight. It'll be Cliff Lee facing AJ Burnett with the first pitch to be tossed at 7:57pm EST. Yes, eastern STANDARD time. Should Manuel have gone to his ace last night, a night where Sabathia was vulnerable? We'll never know. Manuel has repeatedly said he did not want to disrupt Lee's routine. But coming back from a 1-3 deficit is a tall mountain to climb. The Yankees will try to clinch tonight on FOX and FOX HD. Pregame stuff will start at 7:30pm EST. Enjoy it.

Have a great Monday as we lurch into a new week and click on this post's title for more World Series coverage from SI dot com. As always, BE WELL. Thanks. Comments anyone?

NEW YORK YANKEES Take Charge With 8-5 Victory Over The Philadelphia Phillies

2009-11-01T05:11:00.006-05:00

I was only able to see the first five innings of the Yankees' 8-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. From the fourth inning on, the Yankees, who were zero for everything through the first three frames, took charge with eight (!) runs on eight hits. There was no doubt about it even though Andy Pettitte's performance was up and down. I'm saying that kindly. His teammates bailed him out at the plate...there are no two ways about it. In the fifth, with Cole Hamels nursing a one run lead, pinstriped pitcher Pettitte (that has a nice ring to it) strode to the plate with a runner at second AND ONE OUT. The reason I capitalized it will become obvious in a minute. Andy had only been to the plate twelve times this year and what Hamels did next baffles me and SI's Tom Verducci. I "borrowed" these quotes from that article. Thank you, TV. The score was 3-2 Phils with a guy on second, one out. Pettitte could have been put away rather easily with fastballs but Hamels' first pitch, unbelievably, was a curve upstairs. Pettitte slapped a single and the game was tied, just the beginning of the end for the team from Pennsylvania. Why on Earth did Cole throw something slow and up? Verducci asked him exactly that...

"I made the right pitch to Pettitte," Hamels explained. "A pitcher doesn't hit an oh-and-oh curve in a bunting situation."

Verducci was baffled. Why would ANYONE bunt a guy from second to third with one out? If there were no outs, yes, in most cases the runner would get to third with one out and could score on a fly ball. This was not the case Saturday night. Tom Verducci asked Hamels if he thought the Yankee pitcher was going to bunt. He said this...

"Yes," Hamels said. "He swung and got a hit. Baseball is very, very difficult to understand sometimes."

It's obvious to me and Verducci and many others that Hamels was unable to understand. He made a huge mental error that tied the game and was instrumental in the game's final outcome. The Yankees have taken charge of this series and more and more it appears that the only two games Philadelphia will win are the two that Cliff Lee will start. Tonight's starters will be CC Sabathia and Joe Blanton. Will CC pitch two mediocre games in a row? I doubt it.

That's it for this still dark Sunday morning. You can click on the title of this post for full coverage of last night's game and as always, BE WELL. I hope you remembered to turn all your clocks back!

2009 World Series Game Three Tonight

2009-10-31T05:19:00.007-04:00

The World Series begins again with game three from Philadelphia, home of the Philadelphia Phillies and cheesesteaks. If you're going to one of the games and want to try one, hop over to either Geno's or Pat's (I like Genos but I've tried both). They're known for their delectable and cheesy concoctions that melt in your mouth with greasy greatness. The fries ain't bad, either. Oops, I guess I went off on a tangent. Tonight's starting pitchers will be Andy Pettitte ( 14-8 4.14...2-0 2.37 postseason) versus Cole Hamels ( 10-11 4.32...1-1 6.75 postseason). We all know about Sir Andy, the MLB leader in post season victories. Hamels has not been the go-to-guy he was last October when he recorded a post season ERA of 1.80. So far this October, he's 1-1 with a bulging ERA of 6.75. He has allowed 20 base hits and six taters. Opponents have batted .328 against him. Those kind of numbers will put your team behind really quickly. He was last year's World Series MVP, by the way, and the Phillies would love to see him return to that form. His problem, or at least one of them, is that he relies on just two pitches, the fastball and the change. His coaches and manager wants him to develop a third pitch for 2010, a pitch to keep the hitters guessing, maybe a cutter or a slider. Still, the Philly manager has all the faith in the world. Here he is...

"I expect him to pitch a good game,'' Manuel said. "He's still very capable of beating people.''

The first pitch will be thrown at 7:57pm EDT, the evening before we turn the clocks back and begin eastern standard time, but weather in the form of rain might be a factor. I'll have more on that later with a link to the live radar from the city of brotherly love. Look for the festivities on FOX and FOX HD with pregame coverage beginning at 7:30pm EDT. Enjoy, and as always, BE WELL. Click on the title of this post for more Series coverage from SI. Have a terrific weekend. Thanks for popping in. See ya.

Yankees Even The Series At One

2009-10-30T04:59:00.005-04:00

The New York Yankees evened the World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies at one behind AJ Burnett's tremendous effort. The final score in the Bronx was 3-1 Pinstripers. Pedro "Petey" Martinez was admirable in defeat, giving it all he had. He went seven innings and gave up six hits and three earned runs, walking two and striking out seven with his assortment of looping curveballs and other off-speed pitches. YES, he'll be back with some team (hopefully Philly) in 2010. What would we do without him? On the other hand, AJ Burnett took a lesson from Cliff Lee, who pitched a gem the night before. Lee spoke of confidence, of establishing your pitches and making the hitters BEWARE. Folks, that's just what he did, establishing his inside pinpoint fastball to induce swings and then using his deadly, and it IS deadly, curve to baffle the 2009 Red Machine (I couldn't call it BIG Red Machine). He was tremendous and went seven innings before Joe Girardi gave the ball to Mr. Mighty, Mo Rivera, who pitched the final two frames, with a little help from a double play, to seal the deal. Yankees 3 Phillies 1. Game three tomorrow night. Here's the Yankee starter, Mr. Burnett, on just about everything that helped him win last night...

“I knew it was a big game, it’s no lie,” Burnett said. “It was the biggest game I’ve ever thrown for this team. But at the same time, you can’t let that affect you and I tried not to let it affect me. Teammate CC Sabathia threw a great game on Wednesday night, you couldn’t ask for anything more. I knew I had a big task ahead of me with Pedro Martinez on the mound and I wanted to go out and pitch the best I could. After Game 1, I wanted to set the tone early and be aggressive."

He did just that and this 2009 World Series is knotted at one. That's what I was hoping for. The Phillies will face Pettitte and the Pinstripers will go against Cole Hamels. Andy was 14-8 with an ERA of 4.16 and Cole's record was a disapointing 10-11 with an ERA of 4.32 in the regular season.

Enjoy your non-baseball Friday and I'll leave you with a link to the World Series coverage from Sports Illustrated. Simply click on this post's title. That's it!

As always, be well. I'll have a full look at game three of this soon-to-be-seven game World Series first thing in the morning. I'll see you...soon.

The Cliff Lee & Chase Utley Show...Philadelphia 6 NYY 1

2009-10-29T05:08:00.005-04:00

Great starting pitching and the long ball earned the world champion Philadelphia Phillies a well deserved 6-1 victory over the NY Yankees in the Bronx. Lefthander Cliff Lee pitched a complete game masterpiece, giving up one run (in the ninth) on six base hits. He walked none and struck out ten. He dominated, to put it mildly. Some of the Yankees had words of praise for the Phillies' ace. First up is their pitching coach...

“You have to tip your hat to the other guy,’’ Yankees pitching coach Dave Eiland said. “That’s the best pitching performance we have seen all year.’’

And now, first baseman Mark Teixeira and third baseman Alex Rodriguez speak up...

“He pitched really well; if he is going to pitch like that you aren’t going to score many runs,’’ Mark Teixeira said.

“He threw the ball to both sides of the plate,’’ said Alex Rodriguez, who went 0-for-4 and fanned three times in his first World Series game. “CC pitched well enough to win. We didn’t swing the bats well.’

I watched the entire game and was amazed by Lee's control and his location. He had the feared Yankee hitters guessing all night. Most of 'em guessed wrong. The batting hero of the game was none other than Chase Utley, who became the first batter since Babe Ruth to hit two home runs off a lefthander in a World Series game. Impressive. Sabathia pitched well but the two Utley home runs coupled with the complete game effort by Lee swung the home field advantage over to the world champions. CC said this after the loss...

“We lost and I didn’t pitch well, I had three walks and I was behind everybody pretty much the whole game,’’ said Sabathia, who gave up two runs and four hits in seven frames. “That’s not the way you pitch in the postseason.’’

Sabathia is right...he wasn't as sharp as his last two starts, not by a long shot. But give credit to the Philly hitters. They never gave in and they can bop with the best of 'em. This should be a good series but New York has a stronger top three rotation guys. Speaking of that, tonight's starters will be none other than Pedro "Petey" Martinez (5-1 3.63 ERA 0-0 0.00 playoffs) versus AJ Burnett (13-9 4.04 ERA 0-0 4.42 playoffs). If Petey can pitch a beauty like he did in his last start against the Dodgers, a start that his bullpen imploded, depriving him of a victory, the Phillies will have a nice 2-0 lead going into game three in Philly. Burnett is sometimes great, sometimes shelled, but Pedro is just as much a question mark. He loves to whup the Yankees, though. This one should be fun! First pitch time will be at 7:57pm EDT with television coverage on FOX and FOX HD.

Have a wonderful Thursday and enjoy the World Series in the northeast, or wherever you might be. Click on this post's title for more on last night's action and as always, BE WELL. See you...soon.

Hungry?? Nad's Blog Is Here!!

2009-10-28T16:53:00.003-04:00

Simply click on the title of this post to see three or four delicious recipes from my girlfiend Nadia every week. You will not be sorry. I've tried them all.

Click away!!

There WILL Be A Game Tonight In NYC

2009-10-28T16:02:00.002-04:00

All you have to do to be zapped to a high resolution radar that will show you any precipitation near Yankee Stadium, live, is to click on the title of this post. It's raining moderately here in north central Connecticut at 4:15pm EDT, way too wet for baseball. But in NYC, the radar looks fine for diamond action. I'll say again...there will be a game one tonight. Who will win? That's a horse of a different color. I'll be rooting for the Phillies. Sabathia has been tough and so has his mound opponent. Go RED.

ENJOY. FOX AND FOX HD will carry the first pitch shortly before 8pm.

2009 World Series Game One...NYC

2009-10-28T05:44:00.005-04:00

The 2009 World Series begins tonight with the first pitch thrown at 7:57pm EDT on Fox and FoxHD. The very first pitching matchup will be a real doozy, with the Phillies' Cliff Lee (14-14 3.22...2-0 0.76 postseason) versus CC Sabathia (19-8 3.37...3-0 0.88 postseason). What a matchup it will be for all baseball fans, even for those in Cleveland. Both pitchers hurled for the Indians last year, by the way. The Bronx will be alive and kicking tonight as the baseball nation watches. We here in the northeast and my Constant Readers know plenty about the New York Yankees but maybe not as much about the word champion (yes, that's right) Philadelphia Phillies. They have a power-packed, American League power type of lineup and they WILL score runs. Their rotation is not as solid as the Yankees' big three but Cliff Lee can hold a candle to anyone, including Mr. Sabathia. Pedro Martinez, or Petey, as I call him, will pitch game two, probably against AJ Burnett. If Petey can put together seven innings like he did against the Dodgers against this Yankee lineup, well, anything will be possible. I hope he can.

We all know about the Yankees' lineup and about the postseason Alex Rodriguez has had so far, but don't forget about the Phillies' Ryan Howard, a hulk of a man who can literally smash and crush a baseball, sending it into orbit. Here's the Philadelphia General Manager, Ruben Amaro, Jr...

"Well, if pitchers make a mistake he's going to pound it," says Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. of Howard. "Even when he miss-hits the ball, he hits home runs. He's got that kind of power. You can't really teach that. It's kind of God-given."

Howard is hitting .355 with 14 RBI through the first two playoff series. Not bad. Here's one of his teammates with a few words...

"We've seen Ryan go on tears where he's doing this with home runs," says Jimmy Rollins. "He hasn't gotten to that point yet, and that's a good thing. That means it's still coming."

Almost every Boston Red Sox fan...no, make that EVERY Red Sox fan hopes that his home run barrage will come soon, but if Howard can keep that average at or near .355 and add to his fourteen 2009 postseason RBIs, well, everything's going to be all right, especially with the power hitters who surround him in that potent Philly lineup. This series should be a great one. I pick the Phillies in seven even though many scribes are picking the pinstripers in seven because they have the home field advantage. It should be that close.

Enjoy your Hump Day Wednesday. It's raining here in north central Connecticut, 100 miles northeast of the Big Apple, but by gametime, the precipitation should be spotty at best. How's that for the latest info? They'll play ball...count on it.

You can click on the title of this post for SI's World Series coverage and as always, BE WELL. If you'd like to leave me a comment with your pick for the next world champion, I'd love it! See ya.

PETEY Comes Back To NY

2009-10-27T04:45:00.004-04:00

I have always loved Pedro Martinez, well, almost always. When he left Boston I had moments of, ah, dislike, but all in all, I like the man and I admire his talent and ability. After spending time in his native Dominican Republic and fielding many offers from many MLB teams, apparently none near the five million dollar per year salary he desired, he decided to join the Philadelphia Phillies for roughly one million dollars. He picked the right year and the correct team, that's for sure. He'll be one of the four Philadelphia starters in the 2009 World Series. On October 16th, he pitched one run, two hit, no walk baseball for seven wonderful innings before his bullpen imploded and Philadelphia lost the game. He didn't have his blazing fastball...that's a thing of the past. He used guile and deception to confound the Dodgers and the world champion Phillies hope he has one (or two) more magic starts in him. I'd love to see it and he'll be going against the team he loves to hate (me too), the New York Yankees. Here he is...

“I knew there were doubts in me,’’ Martinez said. “But I did not doubt myself. I knew I could still pitch. But I was willing to wait for the right situation.’’

He found it, that's for sure. Ex-Red Sox teammate and now Yankee Johnny Damon had this to say recently...

“I’m happy for Pedro,’’ said Yankees left fielder Johnny Damon, Martinez’s teammate for four years with the Red Sox. “Not too many teams bid on him to pick him up during the offseason. But he waited, picked the right team, and now he’s back in the World Series. It’s a strange thing, facing guys from that team because we were like brothers,’’ Damon said. “But I’ll always hope the best for Pedro. What a great teammate. I was fortunate to play with him and against him for all these years.’’

I'll always hope the best for him, too. Petey will be just one part of what is shaping up to be an unforgettable series. Both teams know that their opponent is far better than the two teams they previously faced. So tomorrow, it's WORLD SERIES TIME! Bring it on. It'll be televised by Fox and Fox HD.

Click on this post's title for more World Series coverage ala Sports Illustrated and as always, BE WELL. I'll be back first thing in the morning with a more detailed look at the Series itself. See ya.

The Yankees Will Play The Phillies In The 2009 World Series...NYY 5 LA 2

2009-10-26T05:44:00.006-04:00

Last night in the rain-free Bronx, the Yankees proved they are the best team in the American League by besting the LA Angels by a score of 5-2. In one of my posts before this ALCS series began, I said New York would take it in six, and lo and behold, that's just what they did. Now we're faced with a World Series consisting of the two best teams ( this year ) in major league baseball. It will be a seven game series with the Phillies pulling it off if, and that's a BIG IF, they can defeat World Series MVP CC Sabathia at least once. The Red Sox were able to do just that a few years ago and look what happened. Good luck to them.

Yankee starter Andy Pettitte had all that New York needed. He went 6 1/3 innings and gave up a harmless earned run on seven base hits. He walked one and whiffed six. The 'pen took over with Joba Chamberlain in for the balance of the seventh (two outs) and the best reliever in baseball, Mariano Rivera, took care of the eighth and the ninth. Case closed. As I said before, CC Sabathia earned the MVP award for this ALCS, deservedly so. The Angels helped the Yankee cause by commiting two errors and walking 9 (!!!) men. Sloppy, guys. When NY scored four runs in the fourth frame, that was all they needed. Good pitching from the starters and their bullpen propelled NY to the 2009 World Series. There's no other way to analyze their advancement to American League champions.

The 2009 World Series will begin on Wednesday evening and will be televised by FOX and FOX HD. I'll have the first pitch times and the starting pitchers tomorrow. You can click on the title of this post for all the updates, SI style, from last night's action. Until then and as always, BE WELL.

ALCS Game Six...Take Two (We Hope)

2009-10-25T05:16:00.005-04:00

OK, it's take two time tonight shortly after 8pm EDT at the new Yankee Stadium. Because of a steady moderate Saturday evening rain that promised to turn into a monsoon (it eventually did), the umpires called the game and rescheduled it for Sunday night. Hey, that's tonight! Again, it will be Andy Pettitte (14-8) versus Joe Saunders (16-8). The pinstripers lead the best of seven series three games to two. An Angels victory will force a deciding game seven. Yankee manager Joe Girardi has already stated that, if needed, his starter will be CC Sabathia for that final game. What he really wants is for CC, who's been virtually untouchable in this 2009 postseason, to pitch game number one against the Philadelphia Phillies. Girardi wants to end this ALCS TONIGHT...no mistake about it. GO ANGELS! Here's the Yankee skipper...

"Our focus is completely on Game 6. Does it give one team an advantage or not? I don’t know,’’ Girardi said. “Maybe the extra day helps us more. I’m not really sure. I’m sure there will be a lot written about it. But I don’t know.’’

And here's tonight's starting NY pitcher, who was the only player to take the field before the game was correctly (!!) called at 6pm EDT...

“The worst part of it is just the wait,’’ Andy Pettitte said before embarking on his soggy workout session. “This was the longest day ever. And I was just about to start getting in my routine and they come walking in there and tell me it got canceled."

Hey Andy, there was NO way the game could have been played last night. You'll pitch (and lose?) tonight. The game will be televised on Fox and Fox HD with the pregame beginning at 8pm EDT. Enjoy it. The weather will not be a factor in the Big Apple, not tonight. No way, no how, very impossible. So let's PLAY BALL!

Click on the title for SI's full playoff coverage and as always, BE WELL. Leave a comment if you'd like. I read and answer every one of 'em. Thanks.

ALCS Game 6 Or A Rainout?? LIVE NYC Radar Right Here

2009-10-24T05:37:00.010-04:00

The California LA Angels will do battle tonight, weather permitting, shortly after 8pm EDT at the new Yankee Stadium. Slated to pitch are Andy Pettitte (14-8) for the pinstripers and Joe Saunders (16-8) for the Halos. Right now in north central Connecticut, there is an intermittent on and off rain. A warm front that has already reached New York City, where the temperatures at 6am are hovering around sixty degrees, will pass through here early this afternoon, driving our temperatures now in the low forties up to sixty to sixty five degrees. But then a strong cold front will drop those temperatures and be accompanied by heavy rain, wind and possible thunder. In a nutshell, it'll be a very stormy night. Depending on the time of the cold front's passage, the game might be postponed or delayed. The only way to tell would be to monitor a radar screen of the Big Apple. You're covered...just click on the title of this post to see the latest live enhanced-view radar screen from Mt. Holly, New Jersey. It might take a few seconds to load but it will give you a birds-eye view of what kind of precipitation is going through the city and any more future rain heading easterly from the city's west. Just click on that title and see for yourself. Ta-da!

The Yankee starter, Andy Pettitte, the Yankee career leader in post season victories, had this to say about the confidence of his team, the future World Series opponents (I'm fairly certain) of the Philadelphia Phillies. My thanks for the quote go out to the NY Daily News. Thanks, guys...

"I don't think anybody feels like we're pinned up against a wall right now," said Andy Pettitte, who will make his 38th career postseason start at the Stadium tonight. "We're back home, we love playing here, and I think everyone is extremely comfortable and confident with where this club is. I can't say it enough, they're a good team. This was not going to be an easy series."

So we go to a game six while the Phillies watch intently. A huge part of me knows they'd rather play the Angels rather than the Yankees but I don't think it will happen that way. But it'll be fun watching, won't it?

Enjoy your Saturday and tune in to Fox and Fox HD at 8pm EDT for what promises to be an entertaining game. Don't forget to click on this post's title before gametime to see what kind of weather is in store for the Big Apple as gametime approaches and as always, BE WELL. Thanks. See you soon.

Soupy Sales Dies At 83

2009-10-23T06:50:00.002-04:00

The "pie in the face" comedian Soupy Sales passed away yesterday at the age of 83. Soupy, you will be missed...

"If President Eisenhower would have walked down the street, no one would have recognized him as much as Soupy," Usher said.

"I'll probably be remembered for the pies, and that's all right," Sales said in a 1985 interview.

Yes, it's all right. It always will be. Rest in peace, funny man.

Angels Hold Off The Yankees And The ALCS Heads To New York City...LA 7 NYY 6

2009-10-23T05:20:00.007-04:00

The California LA Angels scored four runs off AJ Burnett before he recorded a single out but the Yankees, as they do so often, made it verrrry interesting. With a four run plush leather cushion through six innings, Halo starter John Lackey was cruising...until the seventh inning. It was then that the Yankee bats awakened with a six spot. Could they record nine more outs and keep their World Series appointment with that team from Philadelphia? Torii Hunter, the Halo's centerfielder, said this...

"Everybody thought we were down," Angels outfielder Torii Hunter said.

They weren't, that's for sure. The Angels scored three in the bottom of that seventh inning to go ahead by a score of 7-6. The top of the ninth was a real postseason nailbiter. Johnny Damon started the inning off with Brian Fuentes on the mound. He hit a scorched line drive right at first baseman Kendry Morales. One out. Next up was Teixeira, who popped up on one pitch. Two outs, one to go. The score was 7-6 Halos and they were within one out of winning the game and sending the series back to the Big Apple. AROD strode to the plate with the bases empty, devoid of runners...and Angel's manager Mike Sciosia intentionally walked him. Yes, the tying run was on first base. AROD was immediately replaced by pinch runner Freddy Guzman. Man on first, two outs. One pitch could end it. But nooooo. Guzman never even took a big enough lead off first to hint at a steal. He watched the battle between Fuentes and Matsui that resulted in a walk. First and second, STILL two outs. Fuentes hit Cano with a pitch and the nervous Yankee Stadium buzz became a capital letter BUZZ. Nick Swisher approached the plate in a one run, two out, bases loaded situation. The following is from Sports Illustrated dot com, with my thanks. Remember, the bases were loaded and the game was on the line...

"So they (Fuentes and Swisher) battled -- the hard-hat closer and the lunch-box hitter ... a chopper that was just inches foul ... another foul ... a change-up way outside ... another foul ... a high fastball ... an outside fastball. And then the count was 3-2, and the tension had hit its crescendo, and Fuentes simply threw the challenge pitch, his best fastball (91 mph) right down the heart of the plate. Swisher swung and hit a pop-up to shallow left. Angels shortstop Erick Aybar ranged back and caught it."

Phew, wow, holy you know what. This was playoff baseball the way it was meant to be, uncertain until the final pitch. Now, the two teams travel east and the Angels will have to take two games from none other than Andy Pettitte and the so far untouchable CC Sabathia. It's highly doubtful but it will be fun watching them try. This also gives to National League champion Philadelphia Phillies a chance to rest their aching bones for a few days as Saturday's contest might lead to a Sunday game seven battle. We'll see but on the scale of WOWness, not much could beat last night's drama. FOX must be thoroughly thrilled by their viewing numbers even though I haven't seen them yet. I'll pass them on to you when I do.

I hope you enjoy your getaway Friday as we await game six at the new Yankee Stadium Saturday night. Rain might be a factor as it's supposed to begin raining here in north central Connecticut late tonight (Friday). I don't know how long it will last but I'll have the full weather outlook in my Saturday morning post. Promise.

Click on this post's title for full coverage of last night's game and as always, BE WELL. See you...soon.

Wakefield Surgery News...Phillies World Series-Bound...Yankees Try To Join Them Tonight

2009-10-22T05:04:00.005-04:00

Tim Wakefield had successful back surgery to remove a herniated disc that was split into many fragments. Some of those tiny pieces were pinching the sciatic nerve, causing intense leg pain and weakness. I speak from personal experience. Back in the good old days, a bunch of us were playing volleyball on a half sand, half harder than sand backyard. I lunged to make a shot and hit the ground (not sand) hard on my right side. As I dusted myself off, I knew I had hurt myself in some way, but I felt fine and resumed play. Flash forward about two weeks. It was in the morning and I had to get up for work. NO WAY. The most tremendous pain was traveling from my rear all the way down the right leg. It was the worst pain I had ever experienced, accompanied by weakness in that leg. Holy you know what! After many examinations which didn't show where the disc was hitting that same nerve, they decided to open me up (gulp!) and remove it. Like Timmy's, it was shattered into many pieces, most the size of REALLY big peas. When the anesthesia wore off (a local from the waist down), the first sense I had was NO PAIN. It sounds like our Mr. Wakefield went through the same thing...no wonder he had so much trouble pitching. The man is a bundle of courage and I love him. He is rehabilitating now and I wouldn't be surprised to see him in the number five rotation spot. Good for him. Here's Theo...

"Wake is someone that is in our plans," general manager Theo Epstein said after the Sox lost to the Angels in the ALDS. "We hope he makes starts for us next year as well and is a member of the rotation. We haven’t sat down and finalized anything. We obviously want to wait and see how the surgery goes and then both sides will sit down and talk."

It went well, thank God. Over in the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies completed their five game whupping as they eliminated the LA Dodgers with a 10-4 victory last night. Their offensive star was Ryan Howard, and here he is...

"I think it was just everybody's mindset," said Ryan Howard, who was named MVP of the NLCS. "It was that little underlying expectation that we had for ourselves that, hey, we know we can get back there and try and win it again. The AL is supposed to be a slugging league, but this offense fits right in. Playing AL-style won't be too tough for us, but it might be tougher for an AL team being without the DH."

True. Once again, the better team won. The same thing will happen tonight as the Yankees, with AJ Burnett, face off against the LA Angels, who will put first game starter John Lackey on the mound. Look for the pinstripers to win and play the Phillies in what should be a great World Series. The two best teams in MLB in a seven game series? It doesn't get any better. The difference-maker could be CC Sabathia. We'll see but first NY must win one more game. When, and I said when, they do, I'll be rooting for the team from the City of Brotherly Love. Hey, I'm a Red Sox fan!!

I hope your Thursday will be a terrific one and you can click on this post's title for more coverage of the Phillies' clincher. As always, be well.

Yanks One Win Away From World Series

2009-10-21T05:15:00.004-04:00

The New York Yankees are one win away from their first World Series appointment in six years after they clobbered the California Anaheim LA Angels by a score of 10-1. And yes, it was CC Sabathia, pitching on three days rest, no lest, who again was able to go eight innings as his team racked up a lead. He was brilliant. He said this after the game...

"This team's good. We have great players, Hall of Fame players," said Sabathia, who has won three of the Yankees' seven playoff games. "We've got all the confidence in the world. We've still got a little ways to go, but I've been feeling good," Sabathia said. "I never had any doubt about me being able to perform on this stage and to pitch well late in October, but it seems like people did. But I feel great. You know, hopefully I can keep it going."

If he keeps it going, the pinstripers might find themselves as 2009 World Champions...I don't see anyone beating them but the Philadelphia Phillies are clearly the other "great" team in the equation. If the two meet, it should be a memorable six or seven game series. Face it, the Dodgers are as good as gone and Manny was up to his old tricks, taking a shower after he was pulled from the game in the eighth inning on Monday night without staying in the clubhouse to watch his team fall apart in the eighth inning. LA ended up losing to Philadelphia that night while Manny was soaping himself, maybe even singing. The media is calling the incident "Showergate." I call it "Manny Being Manny"....again. Either way, it sucks, HE sucks.

Tonight, the Phillies try to put away the team from California with Cole Hamels (10-11 4.32) going against Vincente Padilla ( 12-6 4.46). The game will be televised at 8pm EDT on TBS and TBS HD from the city of brotherly love. Enjoy. Obviously, it's a must win for the Dodgers. Hey, they had a great 2009 but they're not as strong in SO many ways as Philadelphia is. The Yankees/Angels series resumes on Thursday where New York will try to wrap it up with AJ Burnett. I wouldn't put it past 'em. Not even a little. They're going to win it all this year. I wish it wasn't so, but it will be.

Have a great Hump Day Wednesday and enjoy tonight's baseball if it suits you. And for complete SI coverage of last night's playoff game, simply click on this post's title. It's easy! As always, BE WELL. I'll see you soon. Leave a comment if you wish and I'll answer every one. Thanks for sticking around. I appreciate every single one of you. I really do.

Bye.

ALCS And NLCS Inch Closer

2009-10-20T04:49:00.011-04:00

Both the American League and the National League Championship Series inched a little closer as the teams that were behind in their respective battles both emerged victorious. First up, the Yankees and the Angels. After many curious and questionable moves by Yankees skipper Joe Girardi, most of which worked well until last night, one finally caught up to him in the eleventh inning. Even though it would have been righty versus righty, he brought in Aceves to pitch to Howie Kendrik after Robertson had easily gotten the first two outs of the frame. Needless to say, Kendrik drilled a single and the next guy to step to the plate, Halo's catcher Jeff Mathis, pounded a double which plated the winning run. Hey skipper Joe, maybe one too many moves? The Yankees are still up 2-1 in this best of seven series and they'll have their ace, CC Sabathia, going against Scott Kazmir in game four today starting at 7:57pm EDT (7:30pm pregame) on Fox and Fox HD. The NLCS will take a day off. Speaking of that series...

In the NLCS, the Dodgers, who were down two games to none, made it a little closer with a 5-4 win over the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies, who are still, like the Yankees, my strong pick to advance to the World Series. Jimmy Rollins clubbed a walk-off run scoring double to end it. It was quite an exciting way to finish a baseball game, a playoff one at that. Now it's two games to one in favor of Philadelphia and anything can happen. I still expect the Phillies to advance, as I said before.

It's another baseball night and I have to tell you that I'm rooting for Scott Kazmir to spin a beauty so the Angels/Yankee game will stay close into the later innings. After all, he'll be opposing Sabathia and even though CC will be pitching on three day's rest, he's one tough customer. To be honest, I didn't even think the Halos would take a single game from the pinstripers. They proved me wrong yesterday and if they win tonight, and that's a BIG if, the series will be knotted and super glued at two. Easier said than done, however.

Have a great Tuesday, click on the title of this post for Sports Illustrated's tremendous and terrific playoff coverage and as always, BE WELL. I'll see you here tomorrow, if not before. Now click on that title. I'll preload the post title link to go directly to the SI baseball page. You can take it from there. See ya!

Phillies & Lee Romp...ALCS Continues

2009-10-19T06:00:00.004-04:00

Cliff Lee has proved to the Philadelphia Phillies that he was worth every penny they paid for him as he pitched eight wonderous innings in the 11-0 Philadelphia romp over the LA Dodgers yesterday. His manager hit the proverbial nail on the head when he said this...

“Cliff Lee, what can I say about him? He was absolutely outstanding,” Manuel said.

And Joe Torre espouses his west coast version of "turn the page." Here it is...

“You never want to get your rear end kicked,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. “But you don’t toss and turn and wonder if you made the right move. It’s still only one game and we’re in position to tie the series tomorrow.”

Game four will begin in the City of Brotherly Love shortly after 8 pm EDT and it'll be televised by TBS and TBS HD. OK, that's it for the NLCS, where Philly leads the series two games to one. Now, let's go to the ALCS, where the NY Yankees have firm and total control over the California Angels. They're up two games to none and have lefty Andy Pettitte, who was 14-8 in 2009, going against Jared Weaver, who had a gaudy 16-8 record. The Yankees are up two games to zippo. This will be game number three in the series and the first one played in California. It's also a must win for the Halos, that's for sure. Pregame coverage begins at 4pm EDT on FOX and FOX HD. After last night's NLCS game, my dream of seeing Joe Torre march into the new Yankee Stadium is getting more and more remote, but in the game of baseball, ya never know. Clearly, the two best teams out there are the Phillies and the Yankees and they are the probable World Series adversaries. If so, it whould be a great best of seven series that MIGHT take all seven games to decide. That would be terrific, wouldn't it?

I hope you have a great Monday and you arrive home in time to watch a little baseball, doubleheader style. Click on the title of this post for more playoff coverage from Sports Illustrated, leave a comment or two and as always, BE WELL. That's the most important thing. I'll see you soon.