A Phillies Thread!!!!!!

[DAKustodial]

You're right Ian...all they really need to do is steal one of these games in L.A. All of the drama and finger-pointing doesn't help the Phillies here...they're in the driver's seat and need to go out tonight and put all of that stuff behind them and just play their game.

Derek Lowe on three days rest shouldn't scare anyone and Blanton really pitched a heck of a game last time out against the Brewers. And, lost in all of the Pro-Dodger talk in last night's game, the bullpen was fantastic last night. They shut the Dodgers down completely. I think the Phils get to Lowe early tonight and Blanton gives them six strong innings, maybe giving up two or three.

Go Phils!

[Ian]

Yeah, Lowe didn't have that great an outing against us in game one on full rest. We'll see how he does tonight, but I suspect you're right. I think they get to him early and we see a quick exit for him.

All that garbage last night with the pitching was absurd. It totally distracted from the game, seemed incredibly manufactured to me, and came across like the media trying to help get the Dodgers riled. During that bench clear, Manny reminded me of a playground bully ... "Hold me back, man! Hold me back!"

Honestly, I totally believe Myers was having control issues in game 2. I don't think for a minute he intended to hit anyone. And Moyer obviously didn't have his control. For Martin to get all riled up about it was ridiculous.

[DAKustodial]

You're right on about both Manny and Martin. If Manny was so sure that Myers was sending a message in game 2, why didn't he even give Myers a look after that pitch? He's a smart baseball player and knew that the ball slipped out of Myers' hand. All of the stuff that happened last night was created by him between games 2 and 3. And it was ridiculous that he had his teammates holding him back when everyone knew they wouldn't let him anywhere near a Phillies player (and he knew it too!).

Martin made no attempt to get out of the way of Moyer's 75 mph cutter and then had the nerve to set up behind Jimmy Rollins on a few pitches before the finally threw at Victorino. His temper tantrum in the dugout was ridiculous. The Phillies just need to keep their emotions in check tonight and they'll be fine.

[Ian]

Agree totally. I think the entire thing was manufactured just to try to rally the team. It worked to some degree last night, but you can't ride that kind of fake emotion more than a game or two at most.

Personally, I think tonight we'll see a riled up Phils team really take it to the Dodgers.

[Ian]

Wow ... what a roller coaster of a game! We're up 3-1 in the series, though, and that's all that matters.

I have to say that I'm starting to develop an intense dislike for this L.A. team. I'm not really sure what it is about them, but I'm very much looking forward to sending their over-inflated selves packing.

They seem to lack any type of humility, I see a lot of crying and whining going on (how about Lowe's ridiculous antics after the 1st inning??? ), and I don't know it's like they feel like they're entitled to win or something. Making faces after every pitch, complaining about the quality of the baseballs ... it's almost like they're doing anything and everything they can do line up the excuses for when they get beat.

And the announcers last night were brutal ... just brutal. When Howard scored on that wild pitch, Tim McCarver actually said, "Howard just barely touched home plate there!" It was almost like he was somehow hoping he could talk umpires into taking away the Phillies' run!

First off, how can you "barely" touch home plate?? You either touch it or you don't. And the really irksome thing about it was that the replays showed that Howard not only touched home plate, he dragged his big ole hand across the entire bag ... it wasn't even close to a non-touch! And then McCarver didn't even say anything about it ... I'm sure he was disappointed.

When the Phils put this series away tonight, and the Red Sox ultimately get booted by the Rays, I'm going to open a bottle of scotch, light up a big ole cigar, and puff away, enjoying the fact that baseball couldn't manage to close on their dream "Manny vs. Boston" matchup.

I hate those stupid manufactured storylines anyway. Let the best two teams play baseball and shut the you-know-what up.

[PirateLover]

Ian, I can't believe McCarver said that about Howard! I too noticed Howard's hand covering almost the entire middle of the plate. We did stay home last night, but friends came over. The radio was almost synched perfectly with the HD feed, so we muted Buck and McCarver.

Last night was a "classic" game. Up and down and back and forth and your heart going crazy. I am so glad for Shane Victorino. He has a lot of humility and won't admit it, but he's gotta love sticking it to the Dodgers.

[Ian]

I am so glad for Shane Victorino. He has a lot of humility and won't admit it, but he's gotta love sticking it to the Dodgers.

I don't know if he loves it, but I sure do! After those absurd antics the other night and the way the Dodgers fans (who are quite annoying in their own right) took to booing him, the fact that he was the one to single-handedly crush their hopes ... that's very fitting.

I really enjoy kicking people when they're down ... in a sports context, of course.

[DAKustodial]

Good morning Phillies fans!!! Last night's game was probably the worst and best Phillies game I have ever seen! It was absolutely gut-wrenching, exhausting, and incredibly exciting all at the same time. See, my wife and I were friends for seven years, dated for three, and now we've been married for nine months. She's from New York and wasn't a sports fan before, but I have slowly converted her (haha) to a Philadelphia sports fan. When Howard threw that ball into right field last night she stood up and fired her Phillies hat across our family room (it got WAY to close to our DLP TV for my liking) and told me it was my fault that she was so upset. I saw in her the same exact reaction that I was having inside...it was beautiful! Anyway, right before Victorino hit his game-tying shot, her "A homer ties it" was followed by my "Yeah, but you can't ask for that, he's not really a homerun hitter." Then, BOOM!

You guys are so right about the announcers. I thought I was just a whiny Phillies fan for the first few games but it has gotten out of hand. Even bringing in Eric Karros, a former Dodger, to do the pre-game and post-game with Kevin Kennedy so they could both predict that the Dodgers would win not only last night's game but tomorrow's game as well. McCarver's call about Howard not touching the plate was brutal, but he also said that the eighth inning was "devastating." Well, it wasn't for the Phillies!

And Ian, you're 100% right about this Dodgers team. There is almost a sense of entitlement there...you can see it in their faces and reactions. Someone needs to tell the Dodgers that they won 84 games in the woeful N.L. West and they are simply being beaten by a better team. Sorry for the long post! Go Phils!

[Missy_Mouses_Dad]

I agree 100%. The only thing worse than the Manny-Red Sox fairy tale is having to listen to McCarver tell it. He irritates the cra* out of me to the point where I will listen to the games on the radio when he does tv.

How sweet is it to have a guy who looks like he should be playing bar league softball (Matt Stairs, ex-Brewer) go house to win the game.

Go Phils!!