Last Fall, everyone in the Phillies' clubhouse was ecstatic. A parade was being planned. And sports writers and their editors were mapping out special sections.

But tonight, writers waited in a somber Phillies clubhouse as players shared hugs and handshakes with coaches, the PR staff and each other. Others took a peak at the flowers and "Thank You" balloons that were waiting at Pedro Martinez's locker (he was already gone and didn't take them with him).

It's not the ending they wanted.

"I can feel what [Eric] Hinske felt last season," said Shane Victorino, who made the series' final out against Mariano Rivera. "I guess I'll be watching highlights of that all offseason."

Probably. It's unavoidable.

But watching that should be a reminder of what this team accomplished. They made it to the World Series for the second year in a row, a first for a National League team since the 1995-96 Atlanta Braves.

"As disappointed as I am, I realize we put ourselves in position to be World Champions again," second baseman Chase Utley said.

That they did.

And you never know. We may find ourselves back here again next year.

Until then, I'm going to enjoy some time off. Tonight was work day 38 straight. I'll be working again tomorrow when I make the 2-hour drive home and write a follow-up story and if I can, I may just try to squeeze in writing my Sunday column as well. So, come either Friday or Saturday, I'll be off for a while.

I'm ready to sleep, watch TV, go for some long runs (they've been drastically shortened lately), cook and enjoy some home-cooked food and see my family. I know my husband is ready for me to start cleaning again and my nephews are asking about me!

So you might not hear from me too, too much over the next couple of weeks. But I won't be gone long.

I promise I won't disappear. If there's news, you'll find it here.

Until then.....

"I don't know yet," when asked point blank if Lee was still in the running to start a possible Game 7.

He is, however, unavailable to pitch tonight. But Cole Hamels isn't.

"We've gotta win tonight," Manuel said when addressing the Phillies regular beat writers in the dugout around 4:15. "I don't see where it's gonna affect Game 7. At the same time, we'll use anybody except Lee tonight."

SHANE'S OK

After hitting him with a pitch in the first inning Monday, Shane Victorino is in tonight's starting lineup. Manunel said the swelling has gone done and added that his center fielder said he could hold a bat and grip a ball.

"If there's any problem, I'll take him outta the game," Manuel said. "But I'm gonna watch him in BP and when he warms up and everything."

LEFTIES VS. LEFTY

The Phillies need more from Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez tonight than they got from them when they faced Andy Pettitte last week.

In Game 3 against Pettitte, the Phillies' three big lefties were a combined 0-for-9 with six strikeouts.

"He threw balls inside, and the best thing he did was he threw some real good sliders away," Manuel said. "He threw good, sharp sliders away at times. And when they didn't swing, the ball was always still close. He hit the outside corners. At the same time, he kept them honest by busting his fastball in and off the plate. Trick is to get that slider in the middle. If he's throwing it over the plate, if he's hitting the outside corner with it, then you've got to make an adjustment and go with it."

1. Rollins

2. Victorino

3. Utley

4. Howard

5. Werth

6. Ibanez (DH)

7. Feliz

8. Francisco

9. Ruiz

“I wanted to know how my finger was,” Victorino said of why he got X-Rays in the second inning. “I just wanted to find out what it was. It was a lot of pain, but nothing to the touch. It wasn’t really sore. The gripping [of the bat] was definitely tough. I should be fine. I’ve got a day off tomorrow.”

With both teams being issued warnings after Joe Blanton hit Alex Rodriguez in Game 4, everyone wanted to know if Victorino thought Burnett hit him intentionally.

“No. I know for a fact he wasn’t trying to him me. He apologized,”  Victorino said. “He looked over at me when I got to first and he gave me nod, like, My bad. He looked at me again and was like, ‘I’m sorry.’ I know it wasn’t intentional. He wasn’t trying to throw up and in. There was no reason to retaliate there.”

Then, when Burnett came to the plate in the second, he talked to Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz about it.

“During his at-bat, he told Carlos, ‘Tell Shane, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to hit him,’” Victorino said.

 COLE AND CHARLIE HAVE A POW-WOW; GAME 6 STARTER IS PEDRO

After pitcher Cole Hamels got wind of how his remarks after Saturday’s loss sounded, he wanted to clear the air with manager Charlie Manuel, so he marched into his office after Monday’s game to have a chat with him.

“I wasn’t able to sleep for the past couple nights because of that,” Hamels said. “I didn’t understand what I said until I read it…actually I didn’t read it, I was told. I went to Charlie just to talk to him because that’s who I am. I wanted to tell him my thought process and that I’ll never, ever quit. I want to play this game until someone takes it away from me.”

Someone might take it away from him this year, though.

Manuel said Pedro Martinez will start Game 6 on Wednesday. Although the Game 7 starter (if needed) is still up in the air, it’s hard to imagine Manuel giving him the ball. Don’t be surprised if Manuel goes with a combination of Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ and a smattering of Cliff Lee, since it’s his day to throw on the side.

“How much can I expect out of [Pedro]?” Manuel said. “I expect probably something similar to what we got the other night [in Game 2]. He should throw anywhere from six to seven innings, maybe longer depending on how many pitches he throws early.”

SOME TIDBITS

--The Phillies have now hit 10 HRs this series, second most by a NL team. Only the 2002 Giants hit more (14).

--Cliff Lee has worked at least 7 innings in all five of his postseason starts. His ERA in the playoffs is now 1.56.

--The Yankees will announce their Game 6 starter on Tuesday. Don’t be surprised if it’s Andy Pettitte pitching on short rest.

--Chase Utley has seven career WS homers, most ever by a second baseman. … Of his five HRs in this series, four have come off left-handers.

The 1979 Pirates, the 1968 Tigers and the 1958 Yankees all came back to win the title.

These Phillies have a tough task ahead of them.

But manager Charlie Manuel didn't show a single sign of doubt when he met with a handful of regular Phillies beat writers in his office around 3:45 today.

"I’m ready to go. I’m looking forward to it," Manuel said. "I feel good about Cliff, but we gotta outplay them and score some runs.  We came to the ballpark to win today."

Yankees manager Joe Girardi announced this evening that A.J. Burnett, the Game 2 winner, will start Game 5 on three days' rest. He will face Phillies ace Cliff Lee, the Game 1 winner.

Burnett held the Phillies to one run and four hits in seven innings, and struck out nine Thursday at Yankee Stadium. The night before, Lee allowed one unearned run and six hits while striking out 10 in nine innings in the Phillies' 6-1 win.

Lee and Burnett share an agent. Both are also from Arkansas, a bond that has led them to become friends.

"It's not very often two guys from the state of Arkansas make it to the big leagues, much less square off against each other in the World Series," Lee said during his pregame press conference tonight. "So if that does happen, that's going to be a neat deal for our state and going to be a lot of fun, and something we can talk about for the rest of our lives.

"Yeah, it's going to be a neat experience."

Girardi would not commit to a Game 6 starter, but it seems likely Andy Pettitte would get the ball on short rest should the series return to Yankee Stadium.

-- Stephen Miller

But players in the Phillies' clubhouse feel good about tonight's Game 4 against the Yankees.

"We're going to find a way to get that win," shortstop Jimmy Rollins said.

It won't be easy. The Phillies are facing Yankees ace CC Sabathia, who allowed only two earned runs in Game 1.

But Rollins and Co. won't be intimidated.

"He throws the ball, we find ways to hit and score runs," Rollins said. "He isn't God by any means. So no need to fear him."

Jayson Werth, who hit two home runs, is going to lean on his team's never-die, never-panic attitude over the next couple days.

"No big deal," he said. "We've got a chance to come out tomorrow and play the type of baseball we've been playing all year and get this series back even."

OTHER TIDBITS

--Jayson Werth became the fourth Phillie to hit two HRs in a World Series game. The others are Ryan Howard in Game 4 last year, Chase Utley in Game 1 this year and Lenny Dykstrain Game 4 in 1993. Werth's seven WS home runs are tied for the third most ever. He trails Barry Bonds (2002) and Carlos Beltran (2004), who are the leads with eight.

--Cole Hamelshas a 7.58 ERA in 4 starts this postseason after going 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five playoff starts a year ago.

--Howard has struck out seven times in his last eight at-bats in Games 2 and 3 of this series. His nine total strikeouts are just three shy of the overall World Series record. Kansas City's Willie Wilson holds the record of 12, which he set in six games in 1980 against the Phillies. "That's baseball," Howard said. "You could have it one day and not the next. Probably a little too anxious right now."

--There have been 10 home runs so far, the most in the first three games of a World Series since 2002 when the Angels and Giants combined for 13.

--The Phillies were 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

--Rollins, Shane Victorino, Utley and Howard were a combined 1-for-15 with five strikeouts.

And it's not one I agree with.

Listen, I know I'm not the manager, and I haven't been in baseball nearly as long as he has, but I'm still entitled to an opinion, and I'm not feelin' Charlie on this one.

This is the biggest stage there is. Ya gotta go for it. Like Joe Girardi said, "This is the World Series. There is no baseball for four or five months. There will be plenty of time to rest."

That was part of his reasoning for going with CC Sabathia on short rest, in addition to the fact that he feels fine.

Charlie insisted that the biggest factor in his decision was the fact that Lee has never pitched on short rest. But there has to be a first time sometime. And what better time than now?

You can't worry about his confidence, as Charlie said he would be if he got hit around. You're showing a ton of confidence in him by putting him out, and he has to be strong enough to overcome the (minor) blow if he were to get beat up on short rest. The Phillies beat up CC last year on short rest in the NLDS and it had no impact on him this year, mentally or physically.

I like a lot of the decisions Charlie makes. I think he's an excellent management. But I'm not with him on this one.

AND THE SAGA CONTINUES

As Pedro Martinez left the game, he couldn’t help but hear and see some things that were going on in the stands.

“It’s a new Yankee Stadium, but the fans are the same,” he said. “I remember one guy sitting right in the front row with his daughter in one arm and a cup of beer in the other hand and saying all kinds of nasty stuff. I just told him, ‘Your daughter is right beside you. It’s a little girl. It’s a shame you’re saying all these things.’

“I had to stop and tell him because I’m a father myself, and God, how can you be so dumb to do those kind of things in front of your child? What kind of example are you setting?”

DID YOU KNOW?

Pedro was sick. But he didn’t want to use that as an excuse.

“I wasn’t going to give anybody the opportunity to take me out, regardless of how much I coughed and how much my chest hurt and sore throat or whatever,” he said. “It doesn’t matter.  I was going to make this start because there was something I had in my mind when I first chose this team. It was to pitch a game in the World Series. I got it. I can say I finally got it. And I’m extremely happy to have had that opportunity.”

WHAT ELSE HAPPENED?

--The Phillies’ 3-4-5 hitters were a combined 1-for-11 with four strikeouts. Jayson Werth had the lone hit among the threesome; however, he was picked off first after that.

--Alex Rodriguez became the first position player in history to strike out three times in consecutive World Series games.

--Pedro’s eight strikeouts matched his second most ever in a postseason game. It’s the fourth time he’s done so with the last coming in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS at New York.

--A.J. Burnett’s nine strikeouts were the most by a Yankee in a postseason game since Mike Mussina fanned nine on Oct. 21, 2003, which was Game 3 of the World Series.

--Mariano Rivera made his 21^st career WS appearance, moving him past Mike Stanton into second place on the all-time list, one behind Whitey Ford. It was his 10^th World Series save.

--The 39 pitches Mo threw were the most he’s ever thrown in a WS game. His previous high was 35 in Game 3 of the 1996 WS against Atlanta.

--Jorge Posada had been hitless in eight career postseason pinch-hit at-bats before his seventh-inning single.

--Ryan Howard became the 12th player to strike out four times in a World Series game. The last was Colorado’s Brad Hawpe in 2007.

--Chan Ho Park became the second South Korean to appear in a World Series game. Byung-Hyun Kim was the first in 2001 when he was with Arizona.

--Mo lowered his career World Series ERA to 1.09. Of his last nine World Series outings, six have been two innings.

--After homering twice on Wednesday, Chase Utley was 0-for-3 with one walk tonight.

He said his decision (Matt Stairs) was a pretty simple one.

"It wasn't that hard," Manuel said before Thursday's game. "I think [fellow lefty Greg] Dobbs has the flu.

He's pretty sick. And I have Stairs hitting behind Ibanez because I wanted to put as many of our left-handers in there as I could."

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. actually said it was a stomach virus. But in any case, Dobbs was not at Yankee Stadium on Thursday.

"We had to send him home," Amaro said. "It's more precautionary because we didn't want it to affect everybody else. He wasn't going to be able to perform today, so rather than have him be here in the clubhouse and affecting people, [team trainer] Scott [Sheridan] recommended sending him home."
Amaro added that Dobbs had not yet been tested for either type of flu.

MANUEL KNOWS WHAT JIMMY LIKES

Even a few days later, people are still talking about shortstop Jimmy Rollins’ prediction. Now, it was Manuel’s turn to chime in.

“I think [he did it to] generate something for himself,” Manuel said. “I think he likes that. If things are not going the way he wants or if he’s getting kind of bored, he wants to find some way to get his motor running. He wants to find a way to pump himself up.

“I think it’s very good.”

Manuel isn’t surprised anymore when Rollins’ makes headlines for taking a risk with something he says.

“Actually, he likes the mic,” Manuel said. “He likes to talk. He likes the attention. He likes everything about that.”

OK….more on the game.

This lived up to every expectation around. Lee was outstanding. CC Sabathia was very good too. Really, stop and think about it. He allowed only four hits, two of which were solo home runs to Chase Utley. Yes, he walked three, but they didn’t factor in except for upping his pitch count. And even that wasn’t terrible. He still lasted seven innings.

“He got some balls in the middle of the plate to Utley, and Utley made him pay,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “We all know Utley is a great player. He’s got power, he’s got a short stroke, and CC missed some spots, and [Utley] didn’t miss them.”

That short swing of Utley’s certainly is unorthodox, and Little League coaches might not want to go around teaching that. But it works for him.

“He has tremendous balance and rhythm,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “And his swing produces a lot of bat speed, too. His weight shift definitely produces a lot of bat speed, and he’s got real quick hands to the ball.

“He’s very simple. He’s got a very simple load. He’s just got his bat in a nice, easy, comfortable position. Just pushes it straight back and loads a little bit. Got a good cut.”

OTHER TIDBITS

--The only Phillies to not have hits Wednesday were Ben Francisco and Pedro Feliz.

--Lee pitched the first complete game in the World Series since Florida’s Josh Beckett went the distance in decisive Game 6 of the 2003 Series at Yankee Stadium. The last left-hander to go the distance was Randy Johnson in 2001.

--Lee’s 10 strikeouts were the most by a pitcher in a World Series game since Beckett fanned 10 in Game 3 of the 2003 World Series (also against the Yankees).

--It is the fifth time in the last eight World Series that the road team has won the Series opener. The Phillies did it last year against the Rays, and we all know how that series ended.

--The Phillies have won their last seven World Series games when scoring first, which they did on Wednesday.

--Raul Ibanez grounded out with the bases loaded in the first, struck out in the fourth and sixth before, hitting an RBI single in the eighth.

--Sabathia retired the side in order three times.

With the right-handed A.J. Burnett starting Game 2 tomorrow, Manuel will almost definitely use one of his lefties (Matt Stairs or Greg Dobbs) to DH. But he wouldn’t say who.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I haven’t got there yet.”

NO WORRIES

While the Phillies have faced some of the Yankees relievers, they haven’t seen all of them. But Manuel said that shouldn’t have an impact on how they fare against them.

“We haven’t seen a couple of their relievers, but there are some relievers in the national league that we did good against that we hardly ever have seen,” Manuel said. “We just gotta have a mindset that is somebody gets in there we’re going to get a good ball to hit. That’s what the video system is for, too … if you want to look and see what he’s got.”

PEDRO WON’T BE BOTHERED

Manuel doesn’t think Pedro Martinez’s mindset or stuff on Thursday will be affected by the outcome of tonight’s game.

“I think in his mind he knows how he’s going to attack all of the hitters,” Manuel said. “He’s definitely going to be prepared and ready and have an idea on what he wants to do. I think he’ll start on what he knows about pitching and what he thinks is going to work.”

HE DOES WHAT?

Like so many other ball players, Manuel is superstitious. To write out every Phillies lineup throughout the year, he will only use a pen from Le Parker Meridien, the hotel the team’s stays at in New York.

“I’m been doing that since last year. I started using those last year because we started winning games,” Manuel said. “It’s just a hotel pen. I use that same kind of pen.”

And for home games, he takes the same route to the park every day. He has to come across the Walt Whitman Bridge.

1. Jimmy Rollins

2. Shane Victorino

3. Chase Utley

4. Ryan Howard

5. Jayson Werth

6. Raul Ibanez

7. Ben Francisco

8. Pedro Feliz

9. Carlos Ruiz

1. Derek Jeter

2. Johnny Damon

3. Mark Teixeira

4. Alex Rodriguez

5. Jorde Posada

6. Hideki Matsui

7. Robinson Cano

8. Nick Swisher

9. Melky Cabrera

I didn't quite know what to expect when I went downstairs for the open-interview session, and I found out real quick that it's like a free-for-all.

Most players had a table to themselves that was placed on a riser with their name hanging above them. Some less sought-out players, such as Scott Eyre/Chad Durbin and Carlos Ruiz/Miguel Cairo, shared a table.

The crowds were 4-5 reporters deep for A-Rod, Jeter, Rollins and Pedro. I got whacked in the head by photographers and camermen more times than I can count (although that's not really anything new) and almost got pushed to the ground by another very large reporter, which in turn almost knocked two other people over.

I couldn't believe when I saw reporters running toward tables. Some writers looked at each other in disbelief....others laughed outloud.

What was ridiclous was the fact that music was playing quite loudly in the background. So in case it wasn't hard enough to hear the person you were interviewing when you were four reporters deep, you had some music thrown in there too just to make things a little more challenging.

But what was the most annoying was having one reporter ask Pedro at least six consecutive questions in Spanish. One or two, even three, I don't mind, but I draw the line at four. It's not fair to the other 40 reporters there who want to hear him answer in English. Pedro's too funny to miss!

Well, the tarp is now on the field. Everyone is bracing for more rain. Let's just hope for no delays....or worse, a postponement tomorrow.

The Phillies Hall of Fame pitcher is 83 and has a mind like a sponge.

He can recall what pitch he threw in what situation, who was on base, what the score was and what inning it was. It's incredible.

On Monday, he recalled moments from the 1950 World Series in which the Phillies were swept by the Yankees; however, three of those losses were by just one run.

"It was fantastic," Roberts said of the team's climb. "We went from last in 1948 to third in 1949. But in 49, at the end of the season, they knew we were coming." 

Clearly, he still loves the Phillies. He said he's not only watched many games this season, but has been to the park many times too.

Roberts has a way of respecting today's players and the changes in the game while being able to express his opinion. He played in a day and age when starting pitchers regularly threw complete games. That's not the case anymore. It's something Roberts has a tough time comprehending, but never once did he degrade today's guys or the unwritten rules.

"It was typical if you had good rhythm and you were getting them out, that they let you in," Roberts said. "When you see a good pitcher [now] and they're getting them out in the seventh and eighth and they don't let him pitch in the ninth, that's still a little different from my viewpoint. But they've bought into it and that's the way it is."

Every time I'm around the man, I gain more and more respect for him. Can't imgaine how great it would have been to cover him.

We need more guys like Robin Roberts.

I'll be appearing on Comcast on Monday at 10:30 p.m. for another edition of "Race 2 Repeat."

Not sure who'll be on with, but I know it will be fun again. It has to be...we're talking about baseball!

LIVE PITCHING

While players aren't concerned about the lengthy layoff from the time the NLCS ended until the World Series begins, they were happy for the chance to face live pitching on Sunday.

Pedro Martinez, Kyle Kendrick, J.A. Happ, Chan Ho Park, Brett Myers, Antonio Bastardo, Clay Condrey and Tyler Walker all threw a simulated game.

"That's really helpful for your timing, even if you don't take a swing," Raul Ibanez said. "Just standing against a live pitcher as opposed to taking batting practice all the time is very beneficial."

Chase Utley, who was just 4-for-19 (.211) in the NLCS, was grateful for the chance to face some of his teammates.

"It is important because baseball is a game of rhythm and repetition, so when you don't play for four or five days, there's a possibility that you can lose that," he said. "Facing live pitching is always a good thing."

THE ROTATION

Manager Charlie Manuel officially named Cliff Lee the starter for Game 1 Wednesday, but hasn't determined the rest of the rotation.

"I ain't answering that," Manuel said in his pre-workout press conference. "I ain't ready to answer that yet?"

HAVING A DH

With the lineup the Phillies have, Manuel is psyched to have a designated hitter for a few games.

"You can put us in the American League and I think you can say that we can be an American League team," Manuel said. "The Yankees and Angels have big offensive teams. At the same time, we can put a guy in our lineup that is going to make us better. If we use Matt Stairs or Greg Dobbs against righties or Francisco against lefties, our lineup can get stronger.

If that's the case, it gives the Angels a chance to re-align their pitching. Lackey would likely get the ball in Game 6 on Sunday, making things even tougher on the Yankees.

The Phillies, meanwhile, have yet to announce who will pitch beyond Game 1.

And that's what is one everyone's minds. There are lots of opinions out there on whether it should be Cole Hamels or Pedro Martinez.

I'm strongly leaning toward going with Pedro. He has the experience of pitching in big games at Yankee Stadium (assuming the Yankees win) and won't be flustered by the crowd or atmosphere. Plus, he loves the stage. The bigger the show, the better his performance. We saw that in the NLCS at Dodger Stadium.

Quite frankly, Hamels is too fragile this season. I don't think he can handle the frenzy. Plus, his stuff just isn't there. If he wants to bounce back next season, he needs his curve ball to be better...much better. Even former GM Pat Gillick said so earlier this week.

You can't be a starting pitcher and expect to get by on two pitchers. Heck, even closer Brad Lidge added a third pitch late in the season. The fastball/slider pitcher now throws a cutter.

If Manuel is going to stick with a four-man rotation, I think it should be Lee, Pedro, Happ and Blanton. Happ has shown, with all he's been through this season, that he can handle the pressure. We already now Lee and Pedro can. And there's not a doubt in my mind that Blanton has what it takes.

Hopefully, I'll have more news for you tomorrow after the workout. Limited availability though...just Charlie and a couple players. No clubhouse access.

And I'm also glad I didn't get nearly as drenched this time. Wet -- yes. Soaked -- no.

I loved seeing the look on my dad's face after they won. I got a brief moment to walk over to see him for the first time since the 30 seconds I saw him before the game and he was so happy. He was just standing near the third-base line taking it in. He looked like a kid. Keep in mind this is a man who came from a very poor family and only ever went to one professional baseball before he was married and had kids. One. That's it. One game at Ebbets Field....and he didn't even tell me that until I was an adult (last year as a matter of fact). Made me realize how lucky I was to see probably 80  big league games in person when I was growing up (plus some Triple-A games since I grew up 30 minutes from Lackawanna County Stadium where the Red Barons played). Seeing him made my night!

OK....more about the game....

---Chase Utley tied Boog Powell for the ML record by reaching base in 25 consecutive postseason games.

---Shane Victorino has 21 career postseason RBIs for the Phillies, second in postseason team history behind only Ryan Howard (22).

---Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez and Pedro Feliz entered Wednesday's game hitting a combined .098 (4-for-41) with two HRs and six RBIs in the NLCS. On Wednesday, they were a combined 5-for-12 with three HRs, five RBIs and one double.

---Werth became the fourth Phillie to record a multi-home run game in the playoffs, joining Howard (Game 4 of the 2008 World Series), Pat Burrell (Game 4 of the 2008 NLDS) and Lenny Dykstra (Game 4 of the 1993 World Series).

---Dodgers starter Vicente Padilla threw just 55 pitches. His ERA went from 0.63 in two previous postseason starts to 6.10 now this postseason.

---The game featured seven home runs, just six singles and seven walks.

---Utley was 0-for-4 with walk, run scored and three strikeouts.

---Victorino, Howard and Ruiz all hit .333 or higher in the NLCS.

---Ibanez and Feliz both hit under .200 in the series.

---Jimmy Rollins was hit by pitches in consecutive at-bats.

---Every 1-8 hitter in the Phillies' lineup reached base at least once. The 1-7 hitters all scored at least one run.

DID YOU KNOW?

---Joe Torre is making his 14th consecutive trip to the postseason, which ties him with Braves manager Bobby Cox. Torre guided the Yankees to the playoffs from 1996-2007 and took the Dodgers there last year and this year.

---That he went to the Bruce Springsteen concert at the Spectrum after Tuesday's workout. "My wife laughs at me when I go to concerts like that," he said. "But the thing I find really remarkable is how every single person there feels he's there for them. He connects with all those people, whether they're sitting close or way back in the upper deck somewhere. And his energy is crazy. Sixty years old. That's pretty darn good."

---The crowd greeted Torre with a "Beat LA" chant. "They were very kind," Torre said. "It was more a dig than of a serious nature. I think everybody was thrilled to see Bruce, not me. But they had some fun with me."

---So, is there anything these Phillies have in common with Torre's Yankees? "I see a lot of similarities with the Yankee-Phillie thing because they have a lot of confidence. And that's the one thing my ballclub had. When I sent them out there to play, I didn't really worry about if they were going to get lost."

If they clinch tonight, there are going to be a lot of tired people at work tomorrow. I have family here and they've resided themselves to the fact that they'll get home at 3 a.m.

I'm so happy for my dad. He's 65 years old and attending his first NLCS game ever. My sisters and I got him tickets to tonight's game and one World Series game (if they make it). He took me to countless games as a kid even though we lived two hours away, so to be able to do this for him feels great. I know and love baseball because of him. The look on his face tonight when I saw him for just a moment was pure ecstasy. It's a look I will never forget!

I'm better prepared (clothes wise) if they win tonight. Since we were in Denver last time, I didn't have a rain coat (only my good winter coat) to wear if I got drenched with beer and champagne (so I didn't wear it and I was freezing once Brett Myers drenched me). Tonight I not only have an appropriate coat, but a change of clothes too. I won't have to sit with smelly clothes and try to write...and I won't wreak!

At Tuesday's press conference, he offered up some behind-the-scenes scoop of what transpired in the ninth inning when Jimmy Rollins came to bat with two on and two outs and the Phillies trailing by a run.

"I'll share something with you guys," he said. "[Jim] Thome (who played for Manuel in Cleveland and Philadelphia] is standing over in the [Dodgers] dugout and he looks at me, and I motion that Jimmy is going to hit one. I point to the right-field stands. I had a good feeling about it, really. It wasn't like I was joking or kidding or nothing.

"He was shaking his head no...no he's not."

Thome said Manuel is the only manager in baseball he could do that with.

"That's the fun of Charlie," Thome said. "He's like a dad to me and you can do that with your dad."

SHANE LOVES THESE GUYS

Center fielder Shane Victorino said this 2009 team is unique. He pointed to their unselfishness and their willingness to share the limelight as the biggest factors in their success.

"No one individual thinks he's better than the next guy," Victorino said. "I've said that from Day 1. You have Ryan and Jimmy, two MVPs. You have Chase, a potential MVP. You're got many all-stars in this clubhouse and Pedro Martinez and Cliff Lee, Cy Young winners. I'm not saying it doesn't happen with other teams, but I think sometimes you have so many personalities that make up a team that sometimes you have one (dominant person). There are so many difference personalities that make up the team that sometimes you have that. Here, I think it's hard for that to happen. It's the individual characters of the guys in the clubhouse. This clubhouse is made of character. We're all a bunch of good guys pulling for each other."

Greg Dobbs agreed that it takes a special group to pull off 43 come-from-behind wins, which is third in MLB and tops in the NL.

"It's something you can't quantify," he said. "This clubhouse is very unique. The cast of guys in this clubhouse...we all have that in us. We don't give up."

When you have a team that racks up that many big hits in late moments, the celebrations on the field surely will be wild.

"You wanna do it," Dobbs said. "But you better watch out if you're that guy. You better be ready for the consequences."

PEDRO MAKING EVERYONE LAUGH....AGAIN

Pedro Martinez is always good for some light-hearted moments as well. He provide some more on Tuesday.

"This team has everything it needs to become a World Series champ," he said. "They did it last year and they have the same pieces this year, and they've added a couple of old goats like me and [Raul] Ibanez."

That prompted someone to ask if those old goats still had enough get-up-and-go.

"The fact that we're old goats in baseball doesn't mean we don't have energy," he said. "I'm always hyper and loud and everything because I don't know how long it's going to last."

DODGERS NEWS

Ned Colletti is staying on as general manager of the Dodgers. Owner Frank McCourt said Tuesday the team has reached a long-term contract extension with Colletti, who has seen the Dodgers reach the postseason in three of his four seasons as GM.

Colletti is one of just three active ML GMs to have reached the postseason in three of his first four seasons, joining Yankees' Brian Cashman and Boston's Theo Edstein as the others.

“The pile-up and the beat-down that happens afterward, that can be pretty dangerous, especially when Ryan Howard is the first guy out there,” Rollins said. “But then I guess he’s kind of like a shell, a little bit of protection.”

At 5-foot-8, 170 pounds, Rollins can’t afford to take too much of a beating.

But Ben Francisco did everything he could to get in on the action.

“Only thing I didn’t want to do was get crushed,” Rollins said. “So I just kind of went in a fetal position and started throwing punches, and whoever got hit, got hit. Ben Francisco did a pretty good job of throwing his arm around my neck and restraining me, so I think I caught the worst of it.”

But this team never believes the worst, even when they’ve been part of it.

After having never lost a game after the eighth inning last year, the Phillies have endured more than a few of those. In fact, they led all of baseball in blown saves this season. That statistic, coupled with the never-die attitude of this team, had Rollins thinking good thoughts when he got to the plate in the ninth.

“We’ve been on the other end of that a number of times this year, so just because you have two strikes and two outs, things can still happen,” Rollins said. “All it takes is a slip-up of a pitch, one swing of the bat, an error, anything to get the ball rolling. And as long as you continue to believe in good things…I believe and I think we believe….good thing will happen.”

STAIRS COMES THROUGH WITH A WALK

Manager Charlie Manuel said he gave Matt Stairs the green light after Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton fell behind the power hitter 3-0 in the ninth.

“We were down a run and that’s why I hit him there,” Manuel said.

Stairs is a guy who readily admits that every time he swings, he swings for the fences. Had he connected on one, it would have tied the game at 4.

But he was patient throughout his at-bat in the ninth and took four pitches.

So let’s find out how hard it was to lay off those pitches.

 “It’s not hard when they’re by you,” Stairs said laughing. “Those first few he was throwing gas. He threw the first one inside and I was like, Damn, that was hard. I looked up and saw 100 and I was like, Oh Lord. It was just one of those things where the crowd gets behind you, the adrenaline gets going. I’ve never turned down a fastball and never will. I’m going to be swinging at fastballs until I’m 50. They might be slow pitch fastballs….”

SOME LEFTOVERS

--Howard has recorded and RBI in eight straight postseason games, which ties Lou Gehrig's mark that spanned the 1928 to 1932 seasons.

--Rollins' walk-off double marked the fourth walk-off victory in postseason history (last was Game 3 of the 2008 World Series).

--Chase Utley has now reached base safely in 24 consecutive postseason games. Boog Powell owns the all-time record of 25 consecutive postseason games reaching base safely. Utley can tie that mark Wednesday in Game 5.

--The Phils are 10-1 at home in postseason play since 2008 and have outscored opponents 63-29 in those 11 contests.

--The Phils now lead the series 3-1. The only two teams to  lose the NLCS after jumping out to a 3-1 series lead are the 1996 Cardinals and the 2003 Cubs (the seven-game format for the NLCS was introduced in 1985).

--The Phillies have a workout on Tuesday, so be sure to check on Wednesday's paper...and don't forget to watch Comcast at 10:30 p.m.

Signing off!!!!!