Phillies Place Calls To A.J. Burnett & Derek Lowe

While contract negotiations continue between veteran pitcher Jamie Moyer and the Philadelphia Phillies, the Phillies have added an interesting twist to the situation.

Reportedly, Philadelphia has contacted the agents of Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett.

Phillies analysts believe that the Phillies contacted Burnett  and Lowe to help speed up the process of working out a deal with Jamie Moyer.

However, other sources such as The Bleacher Report are reporting that Burnett has narrowed his list of potential teams down to six. Still on the list is Philadelphia!

Also, caught up in this bidding war are the Boston Red Sox who are continuing to pursue catcher Jason Varitek. The ‘Sox have been after Burnett also since the beginning of the off-season, but recently the Atlanta Braves seem to have the upper hand on Burnett.

How much will A.J. Burnett impact the decision surrounding the addition of Jason Varitek back to the Red Sox roster? Timing seems to be the key.

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Sabermetrics 101: VORP

For those of you who did not read my first post here on RBI Magazine, here is the textbook description of VORP thanks to Baseball Prospectus.com.

VORP stands for Value Over Replacement Player, which is broken down as the number of runs contributed beyond what a replacement-level player at the same position would contribute if given the same percentage of team plate appearances.

However, Wikipedia defines value over replacement player (or VORP) in a slightly different way.

In baseball, value over replacement player (or VORP) is a statistic invented by Keith Woolner that demonstrates how much a hitter contributes offensively or how much a pitcher contributes to his team in comparison to a fictitious “replacement player,” who is an average fielder at his position and a below average hitter.[1] [2] A replacement player performs at “replacement level,” which is the level of performance an average team can expect when trying to replace a player at minimal cost, also known as “freely available talent.”

Although VORP sounds funny, it can be a very useful tool for the Sabermetrician or the fantasy baseball player/owner. It can help you to decide if a player is just on a hot streak or if he’s the real deal. Compare his VORP to others at his position and make wiser decisions in your league. What VORP does not take into consideration is a player’s defensive ability. This is one of the flaws I see in this statistic.

Here’s what Wikipedia says about the usefulness of VORP.

VORP’s usefulness is in the fact that it measures contribution at the margin (as in marginal utility). Other statistics compare players to the league average, which is good for cross-era analysis (example: 90 runs created in 1915 are much better than 90 RC in 1996, because runs were more scarce in 1915). However, league-average comparisons break down when considering a player’s total, composite contribution to a team. Baseball is a zero-sum game; in other words, one team can only win if another loses. A team wins by scoring more runs than its opponent. It follows, then, that a contribution of any runs helps a team toward a win, no matter how small the contribution. However, the Major Leagues are highly competitive, and talent distribution in baseball does not resemble normal distribution’s traditional “bell curve”; rather, the majority of players fall within the category of “below-average” or worse. Therefore, the so-called “average player” does not have a value of zero, like in Pete Palmer’s Total Player Rating, but instead is a valued commodity. One alternative is to rank players using “counting stats” — simply their gross totals — but this is unacceptable as well, since it is likely that the contribution a marginal player makes, even if it does help a team win one game, is not enough to justify his presence in the Majors. This is where the concept of the replacement level enters the picture.

As far as fantasy value goes, I think that VORP is a good tool for evaluating offensive talent given the above matrixes, but for MLB in general, I’d prefer to see a statistic developed that combines VORP with one’s deffensive aptitude. What do you think?

Next time out we will discuss the Sabermetric stat by the name of Runs Created which was mentioned above.

Peter Schiller also writes monthly for Seamheads.com and almost daily at his personal baseball blog, Baseball Reflections.com. Please follow the hyperlinks to read his work at these two other sites.

How To Fight Cancer One Baseball Card At A Time

I was recently contacted by The Bench in reference to helping out a great cause - Fighting cancer one card at a time! Many of us are familiar with family, friends, and neighbors who have been diagnosed or lost a courageous battle to cancer. In honor of these people RBI Magazine asks you to reach out in and donate a few baseball cards. This is a great way of combining the efforts to fight cancer using the game of baseball and the fans that love the sport.

As an online trading community ( www.thebenchtrading.com ) our goal is to collect the entire 6600+ base card 2008 Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy set.  We will then auction the set on eBay and donate the proceeds to the “The V Foundation” (for cancer research).

Information about our benefiting charity:

www.jimmyv.org

How can I help?  I am glad you asked!  As we are collecting this to donate the proceeds to charity, we ask that any members who are interested in helping to donate any cards they pull to the cause.  As a site we hope to eventually be able to trade duplicate cards we receive for cards we need, however we will be unable to buy single cards form members.  The cards will be seeded 1 in every 4 packs of Upper Deck cards across all 8 UD brands this year.  Even if you personally do not open any UD product this year, you can still help.  As we all make trades with each other and across the internet, if you have a deal where your trade partner needs a little more in trade to make the deal even but they have nothing else of your wants, pick up one or two of these cards for The Bench!

I have already been in contact with Upper Deck, Beckett, Tuff Stuff, Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and the V Foundation about cross promoting the project and hopefully gaining us some national exposure!  We also have a couple of card shops committed to donating any cards they pull as well!

Here is the MySpace page created for the project:
http://www.myspace.com/thebenchyankeestadiumset

Here is the link to the official project website.
http://www.thebenchtrading.com/thebench/yankeestadiumset.html

Again this is a huge 6600 card set and we need your help in completing it! If you have any questions or you would like to help beyond donating cards please contact me.  Lets show the world what baseball card collectors can do and help make a nice donation to a worthwhile charity.

Tim Danielson
taliasen@charter.net

Philadelphia Redemption! Phillies Win The 2008 World Series

[RBI Magazine-Philadelphia, PA] - In 1993, The City of Brotherly love was brought to its knees as Joe Carter of the Toronto Blue Jays connected with a Mitch Williams fastball producing a walk-off homerun for the ‘Jays in the bottom of the ninth winning the ‘93 World Series for Toronto. In 1993, I was 7 years old and followed everything that had to do with every second of the Phillies World Series run. I remember that night in ‘93 as one of the worst sports moments I have ever experienced as a Philadelphia baseball fan. Tonight, October 29, 2008 after 15 years, I can finally retire those memories forever and celebrate a Phillies World Series victory for a lifetime.

The 2008 World Series was unlike any other previous Fall Classic. Records were shattered, history was made, and the weather in Philadelphia seemed to steal the show at the end of October drenching game 5 under torrential rain. The anticipation of 24 year-old Cole Hammels taking the mound on Monday night was indescribable. Phillies fans from all over the country expected nothing short of a World Championship as Hammels proved himself to be untouchable during the 2008 post season.

Hammels allowed only 2 runs through 5 innings while the Phillies offense evened the scale on the offensive end. The Phillies offense struck first in the bottom of the 1^st when Shane Victorino singled on a line drive to left field scoring Jason Werth and Chase Utley. The Rays however answered Victorino in the top of the 4^th when Evan Longoria singled to center field scoring Carlos Pena to cut the Phillies lead down to 1.

As the wind speeds increased on this chilly Monday in late October the rain began to beat down on the pulsating stadium also known as Citizen’s Bank Park. In the top of the 6^th the Rays B.J. Upton chopped the ball hard into the ground and beat out the throw from short-stop Jimmy Rollins. With Carlos Pena at the plate, Upton stole an ever so slushy second base. Carlos Pena delivered the critical last run of the night for the Rays hitting a line drive down the left field line scoring Upton to tie the game at 2. Evan Longoria then flied out to end the inning.

My high school baseball coach always proclaimed that “If the cap drips, we will come back and play tomorrow”. Unfortunately, for the Phillies this theory was not implemented by MLB commissioner Bud Selig Monday night. Instead play continued until the Tampa Bay Rays tied the game in the top of the 6^th. For the first time in MLB Playoff history the World Series was delayed and suspended not one day but two days as a persistent Nor’Easter continued to pound Philadelphia and the East Coast.

Series Time line

Game 1: Cole Hammels brought everything and more to the mound for the Phillies in game 1 of this year’s Fall Classic. Hammels worked through 26 batters striking out 5 and allowing only 2 runs to win his fourth post season game. Chase Utley became the 34th player in MLB history to homer during his first World Series at bat, while Cole Hammels has  become one of the only 10 pitchers in history to win four postseason games in a single year. In the bottom of the 5th Rays Jason Bartlett stole second awarding America with a free Taco!!!

Game 2: Philadelphia could not score with runners in scoring position-period!  James “Big Game” Shields owned up to his nickname holding the Phillies scoreless through  5 1/3 -innings leading his team to a 4-2 victory to even the series at 1 game. Pena, Longoria, Upton and Bartlett each had key hits all picking up RBIs.

Game 3: The start of Game 3 was delayed by rain that soaked much of Philadelphia’s Citizen’s Bank Park most of the day. When play began non-stop action took place all the way until the end. With the game knotted at 4 in the bottom of the ninth, Carlos Ruiz dribble the first walk-off hit in World Series history allowing Eric Bruntlett to cross the plate at 1:47 a.m. The almost 2 o’clock ending of Game 3 was the latest a World Series game has ever gone.

Game 4: In Game 4 the Phillies blew the Rays clear out of the ocean. Ryan Howard had an exceptional night at the plate producing two homeruns and 5 RBIs. The pitcher Joe Blanton also added his contribution at the plate smacking his first ever homerun off of Edwin Jackson. Blanton was the first pitcher to hit a homerun in the Fall Classic since 1974.

Game 5 (after 5.5 innings): Once again history was made in 2008, after 5.5 innings Bud Selig and Major League Baseball decided to suspend game 5 after torrential down pours made playing conditions unbearable. The Rays just tied the game in the top of the sixth when B.J. Upton dribbled an infield single to shortstop Jimmy Rollins. Upton hydroplaned into second base stealing his way into scoring position. Carlos Pena drove Upton home from second tying the game at 2. Hammels jammed Longoria as he flew out to center fielder Shane Victorino.

After what seemed to be the longest 46 hours ever for Philadelphia baseball fans finally did pay off. Play resumed Wednesday night and the Phillies offense continued in stride with a lead-off double by Geoff Jenkins. Jimmy Rollins laid down a perfect bunt advancing Jenkins to 3^rd base with one out. Jason Werth connected underneath the very next pitch from J.P Howell slicing a single into shallow center just over the head of second baseman B.J. Upton. Jenkins scored giving the Phillies the lead 3-2 in the bottom of the 6th.

Despite a Rocco Baldelli solo homerun that tied the game 3-3 in the top of the 7th, the Phillies Pat Burrell led of the bottom of the 7th with a double off the wall in left-center. After Shane Victorino advance Bruntlett to third (pinch runner) Pedro Feliz delivered a base hit up the middle scoring Bruntlett and the Phillies took the lead for the third time in the ball game.

Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton, and Carlos Pena started the eight for the Rays, with Crawford belting a single into center field. However a 6-4-3 double play and a routine fly ball to Phillies left-fielder Pat Burrell took care of the threat from the Rays offensive trifecta. The Phillies now stood three outs away from a World Championship with “Lights Out” Brad Lidge due to close out the series in the ninth.

Longoria, Navarro, and Baldelli had nothing going against Lidge and for the first time in 25 years a Philadelphia Sports team has won a world Championship and the “Curse of William Penn” has been broken forever!

RBI Magazine Live Blog Game 1 (FINAL PHILLIES Win 3-2)

Announcement - RBI Magazine will Live Blog game 1 of the 2008 World Series on Wednesday October 22, 2008. Be sure to tune into RBI Magazine while the Philadelphia Phillies take on the Tampa Bay Rays in year’s championship series. The live blogging schedule is as follows;

Live Blog Schedule:

Pregame: Live Blogging begins at approximatley 7 p.m. Eastern Time

Game 1: 8 p.m. Coverage includes first pitch until game conclusion.

Who will win game one? RBI Magazine wants you to tell us!

Check out this player-by-player breakdown of the Tampa Bay Rays on Phillies Nation!

WE ARE NOW LIVE****

Starting Lineups: Utley leaves the Phillies dugout covered in goosebumps. Did anyone catch that?

National Anthem: Howie from BSB needs some rogaine! The reflection of his head could start a fire!

****Technical difficulties with our server prevented us from covering innings 1-4. All issues have been resolved.****

Inning- Top 1

Chase Utley drives a two run shot over ther right field wall to put the Phillies up 2-0.

Inning- Top 4

Carlos Ruiz grounds out to Jason Bartlett scoring Shane Victorino, increasing the Phillies lead  3-0.

Inning- Bottom 4

Rays rebound on a Carl Crawford solo homerun, reducing the Phillies lead to only two runs.

Inning -Top 5 

2 outs. Ryan Howard at the plate with no runners on base. Phillies lead 3-1. Joe Maddon is reportley from Hazleton, PA which is 20 miles north of RBI Magazine’s location.

Ryan Howard walks with 2 outs.

Pat Burrell steps to the plate. He has struck out twice so far. 

The 95th pitch of the night is dribbled down the first baseline. E-3! Burrell is safe!

Victorino bats grounds out to the Rays second baseman. We move to the bottom of the 5th!

Inning - Bottom 5 

Navarro steps to the plate for the Rays. Hamels strikes out Navarro for Out #1.

At the plate: Ben Zobrist. Bartlett awaits on deck.

Zobrist grounds out to Pedro Feliz for Out #2.

No. 9 hitter Jason Bartlett. Bartlett takes his second walk of the night against Cole Hamels.

1 on-two outs for Iwamura.

Bartlett steals second and America is awarded a free Taco!!!

Iwamura finds a gap in left center scoring Bartlett from second. Iwamura doubles. The score is now 3-2 Philadelphia.

Ryan Howard leans into the stands to catch a B.J. Upton towering infield pop-up. After 5- the score is Philadelphia 3, Tampa Bay 2.

Inning -Top 6 

Pedro Feliz  leads off with a base hit up the middle to start the sixth.

Chris Coste flies out to Rays second baseman Iwamura for Out #1.

Carlos Ruiz flies out to Rays left fielder Carl Crawford for Out #2.

Jimmy Rollins at the plate 0 for 3 on the night. Rollins lines out to center fielder B.J. Upton for Out #3.

Inning -Bottom 6

Carlos Pena reaches first base due to an error on Philadelphia first basemen Ryan Howard.

Pena is picked off by Hamels! Questions are raised about a possible baulk. 1 Out!

Longoria strikes out! 2 Outs!

Carl Crawford grounds out to Chase Utley for Out #3!

After 6 innings of play- Philadelphia 3, Tampa Bay 2.

Inning -Top 7

Jason Werth strikes out. 1 Away!

Utley drills a hard ground ball up the middle skipping over second base. 1 on 1 out for Ryan Howard.

More tacos for AMERICA!! Utley steals second base!

Pick off attempt at second. Close but no cigar! Utley is safe.

Wild Pitch. Utley cruises over to third -still only 1 out.

Pick off attempt at third. No dice for the Rays! Utley is safe once again!

Burrell waits on deck.

Ryan Howard swings at a low breaking ball for strike three. 2 Outs!

Pat Burrell is a two out walk.

Pitching Change for the Rays. Grant Balfour will continue the inning for the Rays.

Victorino comes to the plate with 2 Outs. Victorino strikes out. Inning over! Philadelphia has left 9 runners stranded.

And we stretch ‘em and bless America!

This live blog stream is sponsored by Fatheads.com. Support our sponsors and get huge decals for your favorite room in the house! Thanks. RBI Magazine.

Inning -Bottom 7

The score- Phillies 3, Tampa 2.

Willy Aybar steps to the plate 0-2. Durbin and Eyre warm up in the Phillies bullpen.

Aybar flies out to shallow left. Jimmy Rollins makes the catch. 1 Out.

Dioner Navarro is struck out by a Hamels change-up. Hamels records his 5th strikeout of the night. 2 Outs.

Zobrist hits a hard ground ball to Hamels. The ball is flipped to Howard to end the inning.

After 7 innings of play - Phillies 3, Rays 2.

Inning -Top 8  

Pedro Feliz flies out to Zobrist in right field. 1 Out!

Coste shatters his bat - grounds out to Rays pitcher Balfour. 2 Outs!

Carlos Ruiz lines out to right. 3 Outs!

Inning -Bottom 8  

Ryan Madson Replaces Cole Hamels.

Jason Bartlett flies out to Ryan Howard. 1 Out!

Iwamura flies out to Jason Werth. 2 Outs!

B.J. Upton steps to the plate. Madson delivers a 97 mph pitch for strike 2. Pena waits on deck.

Madson strikes out Upton! 3 Outs!!! We head to the 9th with the score 3-2 Phillies lead.

Inning -Top 9 

Jimmy Rollins leads off. Rollins strikes out chasing a high fastball. 1 Out!

Jason Werth slaps a ball to deep left bouncing over the corner fence in left field. Stand-up Double.

The Rays intentionally walk Chase Utley. 2 on 1 out for Ryan Howard.

Pitching Change for the Rays. LHP Trever Miller replaces Grant Balfour.

Ryan Howard strikes out looking at a pitch right down the pipe. 2 Outs!

Rays Pitching Change. Dan Wheeler Replaces Trever Miller.

Eric Bruntlett comes to the plate with 2 Outs.

Both Werth and Utley advance to second and third!

Bruntlett flies out to shallow right. We head to the bottom of the 9th. Still 3 -2 Phillies!

Inning -Bottom 9  **LIVE 

Lights out Brad Lidge will take the mound for Philadelphia. Due up: Pena, Longoria, and Crawford.

Pena tries to check his swing - strike three! 1 Out!

Longoria once again for the Rays tries to check- No DICE! STRIKE THREE! 2 OUTS!!

Crawford flies out to Feliz.

PHILLIES WIN GAME 1 OF THE 2008 WORLD SERIES!!!

 

 

The Improbable Dream! Rays Win Game 7!

First the New York Yankees, then the Cleveland Indians. NOT added to the victim list - The Tampa Bay Rays!

In 2004, the Boston Red Sox became the first team in history to survive a 3-0 deficit by winning 4 straight games against the New York Yankees to advance to the 2004 World Series. Last year the Red Sox found themselves trailing the Cleveland Indians 3-1. The ‘Sox rallied like rock stars winning three in a row and eventually sweeping the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 World Series. This year trailing the Rays 3-1 the Red Sox just could not get it done!

Dustin Pedroia lead off the attack for Boston in the first inning driving a solo home run (his third of the series and the 25th home run of the ALCS), deep to left putting the ‘Sox on the board first in Game 7. The Rays fought back in the bottom of the 4th when Evan Longoria doubled on a fly ball hit in the right field gap near J.D. Drew scoring Carlos Pena. The Rays then took the lead in the bottom of the 5th after an RBI single hit by Rocco Baldeli scoring Willy Aybar from second. After 5 innings of play, the Rays lead 2-1.

Series Timeline

Game 1: Daisuke Matsuzaka held the Tampa Bay Rays scoreless through seven innings in game one and cruised his team to a 2-0 victory and a 1-0 start to the ALCS.

Game 2: A four home run night in Game 2 proved not to be enough after 11 total innings for the Red Sox. A sac fly by Tampa’s B.J. Upton late in the 11th tied the series at one game a piece and a 9-8 victory over Boston.

Game 3: Tampa over powers the Red Sox with two 3-run home runs hit over the Green Monster by B.J. Upton and Rocco Baldelli. The only run for the ‘Sox came from a seventh-inning sac fly from Jacoby Ellsbury. Boston finds themselves down two games to one in the ALCS after a 9-1 pounding.

Game 4: The Rays continued their hot streak in Game 4 blasting 14 hits including home runs from Pena, Longoria, and Aybar handing the Red Sox a 13-4 loss and a 3-1 deficit in the ALCS.

Game 5: The wheels fall off for the Rays. After leading game 5 7-0, the Tampa Bay Rays gave up 4 runs in the 7th, 3 in the eight, and a game-winning line drive by J.D. Drew scoring Kevin Youkilis. The biggest comeback in MLB playoff history since 1929 proved to be nothing short of miraculous.

Game 6: Kevin Youkilis and Jason Varitek hit solo home runs as the defense only allowed two runs allowing the Red Sox to beat the Rays 4-2 and force Game 7 after trailing in the series 3-1.

The bottom of the 7th inning may have been the turning point for Rays. Willy Aybar slapped a solo home run against John Lester deep to into the seats above the left field wall giving the Rays a 3-1 lead. Aybars home run was the 16th home run hit by the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS and it set a ALCS post season record of 26 combined home runs for the series.

Once again Boston faced a 3-1 deficit in the 7th inning. The doors seemed to open in the top of the eight when right fielder J.D. Drew came to the plate with bases juiced. In his second Major League appearance Rays left-hander David Price caught Drew looking on an “Priceless” outside fastball to end the inning.

David Price continued to be “Priceless” in the 9th striking out Mark Kotsay and Jason Varitek with the same pitch that claimed J.D. Drew back in the eight.

The Tampa Bay Rays are your American League Champions defeating the Red Sox 3-1 and advancing to the World Series for the first time in franchise history and will face off with the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2008 World Series.

8 Reasons Why The Red Sox Are Failing In The ALCS

The Boston Red Sox have returned from 3-1 deficits in the playoffs 3 times in their team history. Now down 3-1 to the Rays in 2008, the Red Sox will have to make a few major adjustments to have any hopes of advancing once again. Here are 8 reasons why the Red Sox are failing in this year’s ALCS.

1. The Red Sox have surrendered 31 runs in the last 3 postseason games. Blame the pitching if you must, but the other areas of the defense have also tipped the bucket this postseason.

2. They can’t pitch! Pitching has allowed 14 combined runs in the first three innings of the last three games. Enough said.

3. The only thing the Boston bullpen can produce is runs for the Rays. Time after time the Rays are simply crushing the ball no matter who Boston sends to the mound.

4. Oh no! Papi left his bat at home. Big Papi is 1-14 against the Rays, and in the process he has left 10 runners on base. You can’t blame David Ortiz for everything, or can you? When his bat does not hit statistics show that the Red Sox will struggle to win games. The ignition for the Sox offense is “spuddering”.

5. Everyone is focused on Ortiz not crushing the ball. Baseball is a game of failure and instead of dwelling on one individual player the Boston Red Sox need to step up and deliver when David is not. Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies lead his team from the top of the lineup all season until the playoffs. As soon as Rollins began to slump Shane Victorino picked up the slack leading the league in postseason RBI’s. In other words, Boston needs a Victorino, someone who can ignite the offense.

6. Manny Ramirez is playing for the Dodgers! Ouch! Sorry Red Sox fans, I just had to bring it up. Mlb.com is reporting that since the “Manny Trade” Ortiz batted .262 in 49 games, with nine homers and 42 RBIs. These stats are not particularly terrible, but they are way under the bar in respect to Big Papi standards. In 2007, Ortiz finished the year with 117 RBI and a batting average of .332-incomparable to his average of .264 in 2008.

7. Last year’s World Series MVP, third baseman Mike Lowell is on the bench with a hip operation pending. In the regular season Lowell had 419 plate appearances, 17 home runs and 73 RBIs. His presence is definitely missed in the 6th spot.

8. Wakefield’s knuckleball is not working! Heading into game 4, Wakefield had an ERA of 5.87. When a knuckleball pitcher’s most deadly weapon is not deadly anymore, one side of the score board will rise just like gas prices do when a thunderstorm hits Florida.

The Rays have proven themselves fearless with nothing to lose throughout the entire playoffs, hitting the ball hard in every at bat. However, these failures mentioned above do not necessarily mean Boston can not adjust. As history tells us, THEY”VE BEEN HERE BEFORE!! Rallying from a 3-1 deficit seems to be always in reach especially for the Boston Red Sox. Anything is possible in October and I think Boston fans will be glad to see Daisuke Matsuzaka on the mound as we head into game 5 Thursday night.

Pitching is Great In ‘08

When Brett Myers took the mound for the Phillies in game two of the NLCS, everyone hoped he would pitch a great game and be the ultimate factor in producing a Phillies victory on Friday night. During the regular season, players, and especially pitchers can play with amazing talent sometimes exceeding everyone’s including their own expectations. During the playoffs, however, some players can hit an all-time high level playing with talent and charisma that words can no longer describe. Brett Myers may have done just that, Friday night against the Dodgers.

It all began in the top of the first when Manny Ramirez stepped to the plate for the first time against Myers. The first pitch was tucked right under Manny’s chin almost propelling him to fall backwards out of the batters box. The next pitch was thrown three feet behind the back of Ramirez and immediately the Dodgers dugout rose to their feet. If Myers was intending to deliver a message of any kind he definitely made sure his point was made later in the game.

Some describe his performance at the plate as “reaching mythical status”. Brett Myers went 3-for-3 knocking in the go-ahead run for the Phillies in the 2nd. Before you knew it, Myers was at it again the next inning driving a single up the third base line with bases loaded. Two runs scored and Myers stood on first in disbelief. In the fourth he spanked one into the ground directly in front of home plate and beat out the throw as he gimped down the first base side. All-in-all Myers went 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs which now gives the new slugger a post season record of 4 hits in only five at bats.

However at the conclusion of the game, the mood in the clubhouse was still dimm as Charlie Manuel and the Phillies were mourning the death of Charlie’s mother, June, who died Friday morning. Also, at the conclusion of the game Shane Victorino was informed that his 82 year-old grandmother, Irene, had also passed away. What proved to be a tough win for the Phils also became a tough day in life for the organization.

Now over to the American League, Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched seven scoreless innings as the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0 to take game 1 of the 7 game ALCS. Matsuzaka was not as great as Myers was offensively but defensively he did not allow a single hit until the 7th inning when Carl Crawford belted one to right. Matsuzaka has a perfect record on the road with an 18-3 record on the year. Jonathan Papelbon threw in the ninth to pick up the save as the Red Sox beat the Rays 2-0.

Chicago Teams Not Great in ‘08

The Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Dodgers are both a single win away from advancing in October baseball.  The Rays sunk the White Sox last night, in game 2 of the ALDS, securing a two game advantage in the series. The Dodgers also have a perfect record, taking the first two games of the NLDS from the Cubs at the infamous Wrigley. The Dodgers have been “rocking out” at the plate outscoring the Cubs 17-5 after only two games.

Why have the Dodgers been so hot in post season play? You might just want to thank the Dodgers entire organization for acquiring Manny Ramirez. Experience combined with his “larger than life bat” can pose a threat to any team’s defense. Ramirez has gone deep twice against the Cubs, leading the offensive attack for LA, while in the pitching department, Chad Billingsley and the entire Dodgers pitching staff has been nothing short of stellar. As we all know, pitching and defense will win games, and with offensive factors like Manny Ramirez streamlining the next fastball out of the park - you can become the team to beat!

Now to the Rays. If you are familiar with word analogies, Akinori Iwamura has been like salt is to popcorn for Tampa Bay - absolutely essential! Friday came with a great start for the White Sox and optimism floated throughout the entire dugout until Akinori smashed a go-ahead two run shot that eventually led his team to a 6-2 victory over Chicago. Talk about a tough break! The momentum that the Sox possessed coming into the playoffs has now dwindled to merely a trickling stream.

Why not so great in ‘08? According to ESPN, hopes were set so high for the Cubs, that the city of Chicago had to limit alcohol sales around Wrigley field during the event of a clinching game. Fans meant business! Celebrations of the Cubs clinching and advancing have been prepared by millions, and now after 100 years those fans may need to live their lives one more year without a championship. Three straight wins and an offensive explosion from the Cubs will now be needed in order to even think about lifting the curse.

The White Sox also had great expectations from the city of Chicago, but the Sox have not been able to execute at the plate. Friday night came and left 12 runners stranded on base and not a single hit was recorded for extra bases. The team will now head home to Cellular Field for game 3 and 4 hoping for a miracle. Unfortunately, for the Chicago clubs, only four teams ever have come back from a 2 game deficit to win a division series.

FELIZ NAVIDAD! Phillies Clinch NL East

[RBI Magazine-Philadelphia] Bases were loaded with 1 out in the top of the ninth. The score 4-3, Phillies lead, as Ryan Zimmerman stepped to the plate and delivered a hard sharp ground ball to Phillies short-stop Jimmy Rollins. Rollins slid on his knees and willingly fell forward as he flipped the ball towards Chase Utley hovering over second. Utley elevated himself above the bag to avoid the slide and threw the ball across his chest.

When the ball hit Ryan Howard’s glove across the diamond, the Philadelphia crowd erupted like a volcano that has been dormant for years. Fireworks exploded from the outer perimeter of Citizen’s Bank Park while 45,000 fans plus threw rally towels, cup holders and those rather tasty buckets of Chickies & Petes crab fries were also tossed into the late September sky as the Phillies repeat of Division champions became a reality.

When the game began, Phillies fans had already heard about the performance of Johan Santana up in New York, shutting out the Florida Marlins 2-0. The Phillies knew however, that it was time to take care of their own business. Jamie Moyer took the mound and allowed only 1 run and 6 hits over six innings. Moyer earned his 246th win tying Joe McGinnity for 47th on the all-time career win list. When 45 year old Moyer was removed from the game in the sixth, 45,000 fans rose to their feet applauding their season long hero. Jamie finished the season 22-11 after 33 starts.

The game progressed with a few scary moments. In the eight, pitcher Ryan Madson delivered the ball with runners on second and third with no outs. Washington National Lastings Milledge slapped the ball to shallow center. Rollins had a great jump on the ball and made an incredible grab over his right shoulder. However in the process, center fielder Shane Victorino also had a great start at the ball and collided with Rollins after the grab was made. Victorino tried to avoid Rollins by sliding on his back but made heavy contact with Rollins near the shin area. Victorino fell to the ground favoring his left leg but still remained in the game. 

As the night continued, Citizen’s Bank Park was nothing short of electric. Not a single fan sat. Rally towels waved continuously between every pitch. The beer vendors that circulated throughout the stands all unoticabley stopped their alcohol distribution to take part in the last few innings. What was taking place on the field seemed to be better than looking for that next beer. Hard to believe! Pedro Feliz stepped to the plate in the bottom of the eight and delivered a key base knock with 1 out. Victorino followed using his Gap gift card as he launced a bullet into the left-center gap. Feliz scored the insurance RBI that lifted the Phils 4-2 over the Nats. The stage was now set. Three outs. National League East Champions.

The ninth inning followed producing ups-and-downs of the century for Phillies fans. The first out did come easy, but after the Nationals loaded the bases, Phillies fans began to expect the worst. However, the waving of rally towels and the roar from the crowd never ceased except when Zimmerman connected with the infamous 2-2 pitch. You could have heard a pin drop as the ball appeared to be in slow motion, traveling from Rollins to Utley and then finally floating to Ryan Howard completing the succesful 6-4-3 double play to win the NL East!

At the games conclusion not a single fan left the stadium. Jimmy Rollins expressed his appreciation to his teammates and the fans of Philadelphia. When Ryan Howard took the mic the chant of “MVP” echoed throughout the entire stadium. Pedro Feliz rode a bicycle around the warning track thanking the fans for being a huge part of the Phillies success this season. Champagne rained inside the Phillies clubhouse and the celebration of the Phillies season began all across the city of Brotherly Love.

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