Phillies Nation

79 Responses to “Hamels, Bullpen Silence Rays For 1-0 Lead”

1. JOsh Says:
   October 23rd, 2008 at 12:15 am

   Awesome game! The pitching was great. Just gotta get the bats going a little more for the rest of the series.

2. SJ Will Says:
   October 23rd, 2008 at 12:17 am

   GO PHILS!! This shuts up all those bitches that said the rays would sweep. You don’t even know what you’re dealing with. Let’s Go Phillies! Great win! Keep ‘em coming.

3. Karch Says:
   October 23rd, 2008 at 12:18 am

   A beautiful, beautiful game and now, only three more wins to go! I would have liked some more clutch hitting, but here’s hoping for more of that in game 2.

4. dan Says:
   October 23rd, 2008 at 12:19 am

   HELL YES!

5. J-Man Says:
   October 23rd, 2008 at 12:19 am

   Yea the bats gotta show up with RISP,we went like 0-13 i think it was and your right Tim,Howard looked lost and so did J-Roll

6. dan Says:
   October 23rd, 2008 at 12:19 am

   If you have five dollars and Cole Hamels has five dollars, Cole Hamels has more money than you.

7. Chase Mutley Says:
   October 23rd, 2008 at 12:25 am

   Amazing! Apologies to Grumpy Miner for being the best Mets fan this year but still, stay the F out of this series unless you’re for our team.

   “Come writers and critics
   Who prophesize with your pen
   And keep your eyes wide
   The chance won’t come again
   And don’t speak too soon
   For the wheel’s still in spin
   And there’s no tellin’ who
   That it’s namin’.
   For the loser now
   Will be later to win
   For the times they are a-changin’.”

   - Chase Mutley

8. Isaiah Says:
   October 23rd, 2008 at 12:31 am

   Hey Jim Caple, STICK IT. And way to go BRIDGE TO LIDGE. I dont know where 97 mph came from but i dont care. Let’s get two tomorrow.

9. christopher Says:
   October 23rd, 2008 at 12:31 am

   pitching was out of this world this game. shut the rays down. winning this first game in tampa bay is so big, i couldn’t be happier.

10. JoshinDC Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 12:36 am

    Ok so Howard, Rollins, and Burrell didnt do that well hitting. A WIN IS A WIN! I just don’t care how anyone wins, just WIN!

    Go Phils. PLEASE win in Philly!

11. Jim Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 12:37 am

    Did hamels get the ashburn award (again) or has this just not been updated. I’m all for him getting it tonight, but I wonder about Utley as a candidate.

12. christopher Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 12:38 am

    they just made a great call on the post game show. remember when jimmy predicted this team would win 100 games? well guess what number win this was for the phils? the man is a prophet!

13. T Marty Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 12:43 am

    How Big was that! Cole, you did done good, as did Madson and Lidge. 11 runners stranded, gulp!, But the Phillies Win Game One!!!

14. Rick Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 12:45 am

    Chase appears locked-in and that will help Ryan after tonight…

    Jimmy will come around! Dont’ worry and have faith in this special team! I know they left a lot of guys on base tonight, but they will hit better after this game with RISP.

    When Cole has pitched, at times all season, they have let off the throttle a little bit after they gained a lead. I think tonight was about honing back in on the live pitching! Luckily they had the luxury of Cole pitching tonight to afford them the opportunity to do just that.

    Tomorrow’s game should be a different story since they just sat around taking BP for the past seven days! Now they’ve seen the gametime situations, they’ve avoided the layoff caused sweep, and Brett WILL come out tomorrow gunnin to beat this team.

    BTW – After tonight, I don’t think homefield advantage is much of an advantage at all for the Rays. That crowd was tame. Let them ring their bells all they want, but when this Rays team comes to “the bank” they WILL hear the loudest crowd they’ll ever hear throughout their careers. I honestly believe they have no clue what they’re entering into and they have not seen anything even close to it thus far.

15. Rick Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 12:49 am

    Oh and one more thing, I think Chad Billingsley has better ’stuff’ than any one of these Rays pitchers (with the exception of maybe David Price) and we saw what this lineup did to him.

    Not only once, but twice!!!!

16. Mazinman Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 12:57 am

    I’m not too surprised that Howard stuggled. I think log layoffs hurt a power hitter more than one who bats for average. I am sure he will produce before the series is over.

    Thank goodness for the beauty that this Hamels-Madson-Lidge. They way they are going right now they can shut down any offense.

    Three more!

17. fills fan Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 1:06 am

    I’m putting this out there for tonite….. Let’s give myers a free pass to do whatever he want no questions asked with his wife we need his a game tommorow!

18. Phillyguy Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 1:06 am

    I really felt that Hamels won the game for us this time, but, the problem was that we couldn’t clinch all those opportunities we had to score. I feel that we need to be more aggressive with our batting. we were very aggressive in the first several innings which had our best opportunities to score.

    Howard is clearly not a factor in these post season games, so I suggest the fans forget about him. Our offence guys are Victorino, Burrell, Utley, Ruiz.

    Don’t get me wrong I hope Howard and J-Roll can turn it around but I just feel that if they havn’t done it by now, its not happening.

    I thin Phillies win this in 5!!!

19. Rick Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 1:12 am

    Phillyguy, all will be well!! Have some faith.

    Ryan and Jimmy are TOOO good of hitters to NOT be a factor in this Fall Classic. Seriously, tonight they were just knockin off a little rust. Tomorrow they’ll be a better and after some BP with Uncie on Friday, they’ll be primed for Saturday!

20. maxhole Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 1:23 am

    you forgot werth

21. NEPA Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 1:30 am

    I agree that the bats will come alive tomorrow night. Whether it was a little rust from the long lay off or just some minor pressing caused by the pressure of the WS, I expect this team to come out a lot looser tomorrow. Getting a win in this first game is so huge. It allows everyone to relax a little bit while still keeping that competitive edge. And another great thing is, no matter what happens tomorrow (actually tonight) we will still have a chance to celebrate a world championship in Philly in Game 5. It may be a lot to ask, but it sure would be nice.

22. Phillyguy Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 1:37 am

    I’ve been a Philadelphia sports fan since I moved to Philly when I was 12, in 96, that year we lost the Stanley Cup to the Red Wings. Since then I’ve rooted for nothing but Philly teams, however, we haven’t won anything. I think this is our best chance ever. We WILL WIN THIS IN 5 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! even if Nutter thinks we’ll win it in 6.

23. J-Man Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 1:58 am

    You guys think Dobbs gets the start at 3rd tomorrow and Stairs DH?Thats what their saying on ESPN they think Cholly will do…The Rays have clearly shown the are going to pitch to Howard because he got pitches to hit tonight and they also pitched to Big Papi in the ALCS,i just hope he can break out of his slump soon and make em pay.

24. Keith Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 2:05 am

    I think they should do that, what would the lineup be?

25. SarconesDeli Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 6:33 am

    Sarcone’s Deli Supports its Phillies !

    Bring home the World Championship !

    http://www.sarconesdeli.com

26. C.J. Henry Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 6:46 am

    I don’t know about that, I think Feliz is too valuable at 3rd base with his glove. I mean he made a very clutch play to save a couple runs in the 3rd inning. It might be more important to stop runs than to get them as we saw in game 1.

27. rich Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 7:08 am

    I can’t believe you Tim, you’ll mention how Howard was 0-for-4 and Jimmy was 0-for-5 and no mention of Coste 0 for 4 (totally sucked) with 5 LOB and Burrell 0 for 3 (with his shuffle). Boy talk about influencing the readers in an unfair way.

    Straight up bias. Straight!

28. mikemike Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 7:09 am

    Was it me or am I just being a homer. But the announcers just kept praising rays and madden. It sounded like the atlanta announcers, when they had skip carey.

29. Jim Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 7:12 am

    I know you are all going to think that Hamels pitched a great game. I am a diehard Phillies fan. Young enough to have never seen a championship in Philadelphia. Hamels was one big play away from getting blown out of the water (the Upton groundout with the bases loaded for example).

    He didn’t go inside at all, he stayed outside and over the plate. I’m so happy the phillies won, and hopefully quieted down some of the critics who don’t get the fact that the phillies are just the better team. Hopefully Myers comes out firing inside tonight, early and often.

    GO PHILLIES!!!

30. Jim Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 7:13 am

    Tonights Lineup Should be:

    Rollins SS
    Utley 2B
    Werth RF
    Howard 1B
    Burrell LF
    Victorino CF
    Dobbs 3B
    Stairs DH
    Ruiz C

    Stack it with lefties against the righty starter.

31. chase mutley Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 7:14 am

    reading all the major outlets this morning you would have thought that we lost last night.

    3 to go!

32. Chuck Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 7:44 am

    MVPs of this game for me:

    *Utley
    *Hamels
    *Madson
    *Lidge
    *Feliz (HUGE DP to end threat AND, what really isn’t being talked
    about…….a big play to end it. That catch was not easy!)

    Notables:

    *Werth
    *Coste (Remember……he moved those runners over so the 3rd run
    could score)
    *Howard (What???) Ok he looked horrible at the plate and was rusty
    in the field…..BUT……He made a HUGE play off the bat of Upton
    when he caught that pop-up near the rail to end the inning.

    Needs Improvement:

    *Howard
    *Victorino
    *Burrell
    *J-ROLL!!!

33. Isaiah Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 7:51 am

    Jim, I dont believe Hamels had any troubles going inside. I recall him doing it numerous times. While Hamels did get into some trouble, part of the reason I think it was a good game is he was able to make the pitches to get out of the trouble. Now come on Brett let’s get #2.

34. bull Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 8:04 am

    hamels went inside often, upton specifically couldnt catch up inside the double play in the first his pop ups…and longoria was caught looking inside as well…if anything i thought he was coming inside too much to the lefties…and please no more curves to the LH hitters…he gets killed on that

35. harry Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 8:14 am

    hamels went inside a lot, thats how he set stuff up outside. the upton check swing double play in the first inning was a pitch he got jamed on inside. i think the key to this series is pitch inside and keep the ball down. boston didn’t do that. thats why their pitching got ate alive.

36. Jeff Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 8:30 am

    Great win. Awsome pitching. Too many RISP left on base.

37. Jim D. Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 8:37 am

    god reading foxsports this morning you would think the phils lost by ten runs. they all have that tim mccaever mentality.

38. Phils2611 Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 8:55 am

    I want to see what happens when the Phillies win the World Series…

    Fox sports announcers will probably say something like:

    “WOW! What an amazing series by these Tampa Bay Rays! Talk about a remarkable season, going from last, to almost 1st!”

39. Mark Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:01 am

    Great pitching by Hamels, Madson, Lidge. Great to see them hit the scoreboard early. Hopefully, they’ll score more runs to give pitchers elbow-room in the next games. They’re gonna need to score more to win the series.

40. Jason Bintliff Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:26 am

    This is ridiculous. We are now three games away from the World Series and these friggin announcers sound as if Cole Hamels just shot thier very yappy dog. I’m sorry, but I was under the assumption that a Nationally televised game was supposed to have nationally unbiased commentators. Ken Rosenthal is a sad, sad, little man who wears a bad hairpiece. Tim McCarver who also said n ‘93 that the Phillies would never beat the Braves in a seven game series ought to appreciate the Phillies for extending his misreable playing career. Yo Tim, Kruk you and shut your Kruking mouth. And Lastly, Joe Buck… He’s too pretty to announce a baseball game. He should be a staple on the Golf network, but leave Baseball to the pros. THis is the worst possible broadcasting team I have ever seen. I hope they all choke on the free Tace from Taco Bell and just do us all a favor and Shut Up!

41. Manny Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:27 am

    Today we need offense, Coste was terrible as DH and Howard, Pat, and Rollins were clearly not feeling well. Werth was really good hitting the ball in No.2 spot and Utley was HUGE with that 1st inning homer.

    Hamels, Madson, Lidge: brilliant!

    For today’s game, I think Pedro should start and Dobbs be the DH. I prefer Stairs in one-AB-situations as a pinch-hitter; either he strikes out or he homers.

42. Jason Bintliff Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:28 am

    By the Way… GO PHILS!

43. Don M Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:31 am

    Did anyone else think the umpire was ALL OVER THE PLACE with calls on the inside to Right-Handed batters?? I couldn’t tell what was a strike or not the entire game on those pitches..

    Hamels looked good.. but nowhere near as good as he did in the past 3 games.. .I was nervous that he was going to get rocked at any moment.. leaving the ball up and away a lot, thankfully those guys not trying to poke those changeups into RF. Anyone else notice Upton swinging out of his shoes a few times? too late on fastballs..too early on changeups..

    I heard that Victorino went home but Steve Smith tried to hold him up when he get thrown out at the plate..

    Madson looked awesome, overpowering.. Lidge.. takes it right to the heart of their order, and they couldn’t touch his slider!

    I like the lineup suggestion with Dobbs at 3b tonight.. with a RHP- Myers on the mound, I think Charlie will do that.. However, against a tough RHP-Shields, I don’t think you move Werth to #3, cause he struggles against RHP anyway.

    Big games last night, under the radar.. Feliz and Werth!

    wow… we’re up 1-0 in the World Series!!!!

44. Chuck Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:32 am

    Wow, Jason……tell us how you REALLY feel, bro. Yeah, these guys are sickening. I wonder how much teeth whitener Buck uses on a daily basis. He is such a loser!! And Tim McC. is just a lousy piece of dried up dog poop. The man needs to fade into the sunset and take his miserable hatred toward the Phillies with him.

45. Don M Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:34 am

    I said to my dad after the game… when Ken Rosenthal was interviewing Lidge, that Lidge should have just said, “Oh, didn’t you just pick the Rays to beat us in this series? Have a good night!” and walked away…

    BUT… it’s a good thing he’s not a douche and doesn’t hold a grudge..

46. Gabriel Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:35 am

    does anyone know the story if game 3 rains out???? i have game 5 tix, would they play those games as normal and push game 3 to the end like they did with st louis a couple of years ago?
    TIM – HELP!!!

47. Wilson Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:36 am

    I really think Feliz should get the start in every game of this series. His glove is invaluable done on the hot corner. And hey he got a couple of hits last night, granted off a lefty but still, saving runs is just as good as driving them in

48. Chuck Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:38 am

    Top o’ the mornin’ Don M, Yes, Welke was NOT consistent at the plate at all. Unbelieveable. You echoed what I said earleir…..Feliz and Werth had BIG games in my opinion. Werth’s play to hold that runner at third was absolutely HUGE!!! And the play by Feliz to end it was NOT a can of corn. He misses that and the Rays are still alive…..however, the way Lidge was pitching the inning was probably over anyway.

    I like Dobbs at third to at least start the game and what about the DH? Stairs is my pick but I’m afraid Charlie might tap Jenkins.

    Yeah, and keeping Upton quiet was very big. Hopefully, Brett can continue that trend tonight.

49. Don M Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:39 am

    How about Chris Myers throwing in a plug for “FRINGE, the great now show on FOX”….

    these guys are clowns… Interviewing the CEO of Taco Bell during the game!???

    Anyone else see that the largest crowd in the history of that stadium was 47,000+ people… for a New Kids on the Block concert!!!! That’s cool, right?

    Talking all night about how the Phillies need to stop stranding runners on base.. not how Kazmir sucked and was all over the place.. Or then that pickoff move by Hamels when McCarvers starts talking about an imaginary line, a 45-degree angle.. and then they show Hamels replay and he steps no more towards Home Plate than he does towards 1st Base….. and the BEST UMPIRES IN THE WORLD, the ones working the World Series don’t call a BALK.. McCarver throws out these open ended questioning calls… they suck at life..

50. Don M Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:43 am

    I LOVE Feliz for his defense… and have argued that way a ton on here this season.. but with Myers on the mound you won’t get as many ground balls to 3b as you do with Hamels or Moyer. and a RHP on the mound for them.. Dobbs has a better shot to get hits than Feliz..

    I read that Charlie only goes with the “Dobbs vs. the RHP” theory, when the Phillies also have a RHP on the mound.. because 3b won’t get as many balls hit to him.

    at this point, I’m seriously 100% FINE with whatever decisions these coaches make.. they got us this far!!

    I wonder what kind of numbers Stairs/Jenkins have against Shields?? I’ll check Yahoo and see what I can find

51. Chuck Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:46 am

    Talking about crowds at the Trop, it seemed to me like there were a lot of empty seats. And cowbells??……..please. Even when these fans WERE into it,it was no louder than a game at CBP in June!! Who’s the pitcher for the Rays that actually wears earplugs to drown out the sound. Wait til he pitches in Philly….he’s gonna need freakin’ earmuffs.

52. vendor71 Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:47 am

    The best road team in the NL beats the best home team in the AL. And, they play like an AL team. I think the Rays just realized they have run into a buzzsaw. No worries about the 11 LOB, this is all about pitching and 3 run innings.

    BTW, if you’re in or around Austin TX, the place to go is the La Vaca Lounge, 405 S. La Vaca, in downtown Austin. We had about 30 people there last night, and want to see more tonight. See you all in Philly on Saturday!

    LET’S GO FIGHTIN’ PHILS!!!

53. Chuck Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:49 am

    That’s a good theory on the ground ball thing. I’m totally fine with Dobbs at third for at least 3 ABs. I mean the guy isn’t Mike Schmidt or Brooks Robinson in the field, but he’s not terrible either.

54. Don M Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:50 am

    THAT was easy..

    THIS year Stairs, in 11 at-bats: .273 avg, 1 HR, 2 RBI

    From 2003 to 2007 vs Shields: .150 avg, 1 HR, 2 RBI in 20 at-bats

    The only other guys that faced him before:

    Coste 2-for-4, 2 RBIs.
    Rollins 1-for-3, 2 RBIs.
    Howard 1-for-3.
    Utley 0-for-3.
    Burrell 0-for-3.
    .

55. Chuck Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:56 am

    So I guess its Stairs. Poor numbers vs Shields…..but that’s all out the window at this point.

    Also, with Coste’s #’s (ok it’s only 4 ABs) do you start him behind the plate? Might be more comfortable for Myers. I hate to take Ruiz out of the equation thought.

56. Chuck Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:56 am

    though.

57. Gabriel Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 9:57 am

    wasnt that CEO for taco bell australian? hah i will never again eat australian tacos…

58. Phils2611 Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 10:06 am

    Already can’t wait for tonight’s game…

    Taking game 2 would be huge. Can’t wait to see what unfolds. Based on what’s happened throughout the rest of the post-season, here’s what should happen:

    Game 2: Highest scoring game in the series for both teams, however, Phillies prove victorious at the end of this game.

    Game 3: Rays beat Moyer in the Phillies home opener.

    Game 4: Blanton slams the door on the Rays, giving up only 3 runs in 7 innings. Phillies take this game 7 – 3.

    Game 5: Hamels returns to the mound to bring home the World Series Championship. No idea what the score will be, but who cares, we win!

    Lets hope that all happens… Although, I’d love to see Moyer get a win, and I’d gladly accept a WS Championship in 4 games

59. Phils2611 Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 10:09 am

    Did I mention I can barely function at work today? So distracted by Phillies stuff. Can’t complain though!

60. Jamie Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 10:15 am

    …and now from the mind of baseball genius Ken Rosenthal…

    “But the Phillies aren’t that good, at least not when their starting pitcher is someone other than lefthander Cole Hamels.”

    Yup. You read that right…on FoxSports today:

    http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8710120/With-Hamels-out-of-the-way,-Rays-far-from-done

    Un-phucking believable. Not that good? Is he serious? We are in the World Series, no?

61. Nationals#1 Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 10:16 am

    from fox sports: “Don’t get carried away, Phillies fans. Although your Game 1 win was nice, Ken Rosenthal says the Rays will respond — as always.” I think i speak for everyone here when i say: F*CK YOU Ken Rosenthal

62. Greg B Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 10:17 am

    If I was managing, I’d have keep Feliz in the lineup over Stairs as a DH. I dont think Stairs is that much of an offensive upgrade than Dobbs over Feliz is a defensive downgrade. Play as you normally would in Philly. Also, I would have Howard bunt to 3rd like 3 consecutive ABs. If he can bunt. I don’t know if thats even possible.

63. Nationals#1 Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 10:23 am

    oh, there’s also a really insightful article by mark kriegel on there about philadelphia fans booing sara palin and santa claus (neither of which was at a phillies game) http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8701610

64. Chuck Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 10:43 am

    Jumpin’ on our bandwagon, Nationals#1? That’s ok, I guess. At least we’re all in agreement that Rosenthal is a useless turd.

65. Richie Allen Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 10:48 am

    I never realized how much everybody out there hates the Phils…..All of what you guys said above is true,from the announcers on down ..they plain cant stand it when we win..
    I love it…Just keep freakin goin..keep the wins coming.
    Its almost getting comical,in most articles this morning you would think the Rays won.
    Cant wait till tonight..Go Phils

66. Chuck Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 10:55 am

    I really think it’s because this city has a bad reputation for so much. The national media hasn’t been caught up on all the great changes that Philly as a city and population center has gone through over the past 10 or 20 years. It all just trickles down to everything that represents Philly, sports being at the top of the list I guess. Ok, so what if we ARE loud and come across as obnoxious. So freakin’ what!!! Deal with it America!!

67. Don M Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 11:02 am

    Wouldn’t Sarah Palin get golly-gee-gosh Booed at EVERY sports arena besides places in Alaska??

    Most major cities are Democratic.. Dems outweigh Republicans 6-1 in Philadelphia.. what the hell did they expect??

    I now agree with myself from last night that Lidge should have said to Ken Rosenthal, “Oh, didn’t you just pick the Rays to beat us in this series? Have a good night!” and walked away…

    None of the Phillies players should grant him an interview since he keeps saying they’ll lose… its one thing to say you think they could lose in 7 games and base it on Home Field advantage… no matter what, at the end of the series.. the focus is on the great season the Rays had.. fcuk it

68. Jamie Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 11:19 am

    Don, I’d like to see him interview Howard, Burrell, or “Crazy” Myers after tonight’s game. Then I’d like to see then turn Ken Rosenthal into a “prop” by using his midget ass to either:
    A) try to see how deep they can bury his head in the Tropicana Field field-turf
    B) how far they can hit a Ryan Madson or Brad Lidge 97mph heater with ol’ Kenny as a bat
    C) how far they can “insert” Rosenthal in Joe Buck and/or Tim McCarver’s rectal region
    D) all the above

69. Chase Mutley Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 11:24 am

    While all of those scenarios would be awesome, I really hope the team hasn’t been reading the papers this past week.

70. Grrrumpy Miner Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 11:24 am

    First off CM,apology accepted and I knew I’d hear it from everyone,but I have to be honest good or bad or indifferent.Next Nats#1 is a Phils fan and I know its a stretch but it is what it is.Back to my rant….I am rooting for the Devil Rays on the sole purpose of the Mets debacle in the Kazmir trade and would be very satisfied to see the Mets higher ups eating Crow for that trade, on top of what the Mets have eaten the last 2 years.I am not bitter about the Phils made it,they deserve to be in their position.

71. Geoff Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 11:26 am

    Great win last night. They shouldve knocked Kazmir out of the game in the second inning. Bad call by Smith to test Uptons arm. Upton was terrible at the plate last night but hes thrown out 17 baserunners from centerfield this year. no reason to waste that opportunity. More patience wouldve allowed utley, whos hittting again, to get an at bat with the bases loaded and a chance to drive in some runs and chase Kazmir, who was awful in my opinion for a staff ace in a World Series game. Kazmir was ALL over the place, allowing baserunners in all but one inning i think. Not efficient at at. Not a good night for the WHIP statistic for Kazmir. Hamels was really solid. He jammed Longoria and Upton and those two guys cant hit when theyre getting sawed off in on their hands. Hamels was agressive and pitching inside all night. Big time performance in a big game again from Hamels. Hes taken it to another level in the psotseason. Madson is pitching out of his gord too and Lidge has been delivering smoother saves in the past two or three saves. Great pitching last night.

    Tonight, again, I think a fully rested Brett Myers will pitch well enough to win. All the Rays starters except Sonnanstine are tired. Garza isnt consistent enough to repeat his remarkable game 7 performance and Shields is tired enough, and right-handed enough, to get knocked around tonight by the Phillies. This could be the game where Ryan Howard explodes. I think theyll win it tonight regardless and come back here in the drivers seat, only needing to take two of three in CBP to win the WS.

72. Grrrumpy Miner Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 11:28 am

    One more thing……..Ken Rosenthal is a frequent member on Mets post games and sportsnite on SNY……draw your own conclusions.

73. Don M Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 11:37 am

    That ball that Victorino went on wasn’t deep at all… I think maybe Vic was trying to catch them by surprise.. BUT.. dude I work with said that Smith was trying to hold Vic at 3rd, but he went anyway??? not sure where he saw that.. I haven’t seen that yet.

    Bad slide by Vic too, I thought he was going to plow into Navarro and set a tone.. instead he just slid right into him.. at least go far to the 1st base side and try to sneak your finger tips in.. i dunno.. that was annoying

74. Chuck Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 12:06 pm

    This whole Victorino thing has me annoyed too. I also heard that Smith had the stop sign up and that Vic blew past it. I mean, it could have been huge for the pHillies had he snuck a hand in there and beat it but………and Upton made a great throw. However, a foot in either direction and the play…..and outcome…..is different.

    Geoff, to pick up on your point about Myers…..I have a feeling he will just feed off Hamels’ performance. Something tells me he brings his A game tonight.

    Prediction: (I don’t know…..just sort of came to me right now…..no basis for it……Utley goes YARD again and Howard is in the mix.

75. Richie Allen Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 12:43 pm

    I can just see the headlines after the PHILS WIN TONIGHT..
    PHILS EXTREMELY LUCKY…RAYS FAVORED TO WIN SERIES ,NEED TO WIN ONLY 4 OF NEXT 5.
    The guy I really hate is McCarver …that SOB was a former Philly player

76. vendor71 Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 12:48 pm

    I saw somewhere that Vic said it was a miscomm between him and Smith….Smith said “NO”, and Vic heard “GO”

77. Andrew Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 2:14 pm

    At least now the Phillies will know to pay Cole Hamels. We can build our rotation around him. I believe he will be a great pitcher for a very long time.

78. Nationals#1 Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 3:14 pm

    chuck, i’m a phils fan. i’ve been posting under this name for about 4 months because it was the first name i ever used here and my computer saved it

79. LH Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 3:36 pm

    I expect to see Cole on a Bob Costas special a few years after he retires

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