WORLD CHAMPION PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

World Champion Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are Champions of the World! Congratulation to the Phillies and the City of Philadelphia. It has been a long time coming and the Phillies finished with flair. It should have been over a couple of days ago but you didn’t let that discourage you. You stayed focus on the task at hand and now stand king of the mountain, Champions of the World. It all came together at the right time and now you get to enjoy the fruits of victory. Enjoy your parade tomorrow and suck it all in, these moments are rare. The last time the city of Philadelphia got to celebrate like this was when Mike Schmitz was the man. Because of those days Mike Schmitz is still the man.
It was only a matter of time before Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins and Case Utley were going to contribute and the other team didn’t take advantage of it. The Phillies had players Shane Victorino stepped up in a big way to make up the void. Again Congratulation and enjoy the spoils.
Mike Davis

Phillies Go Up 2 Games to 1

After a ninety minute rain delay the Phillies and the Rays played some great baseball. I told myself I wouldn’t be interested in this series because of the teams in the series; but WOW! This has been fun.
Who would have thought that anyone would have wanted to watch this series… this has been great baseball. These teams are in a battle and matched up well. When you have a rain delay you don’t know what kind of game will follow because of the conditions of a wet field. The grounds crew did a great job to have the field in top condition after the long delay. With back to back homerun by Chase Utley and Ryan Howard the Phillies seemed to be in command of the game. All year lone the Rays have come from behind and they continued to not give up, as the rain delay took the game into Sunday morning. The Rays tied the game up in the 8th . With an infield single and two stolen bases by BJ Upton. With the bases loaded and no out in the ninth… a BLEEDER properly placed wins the game for the Phillies and puts the Phillies up 2 games to 1.
I wasn’t planning on watching this series; it has turned out to be quite interesting even if the Dodgers aren’t playing in it.Mike Davis

The Fall Classics Begin

The fall Classics begin tonight. The Tampa Bay Rays vs. Philadelphia Phillies…. The last two teams standing after a long grueling season. The battle that no one wants to see with the exception of the Rays fans and the Phillies fans. Let me say it for you… BORING!!!
This series can’t get my attention; there is nothing to get excited about. Yes the Rays went from the worth team in the league a year ago to the best team. And yes, they have some great young players, but give me a break who wants to see the Rays vs. Phillies…. Not me.
I love baseball just as much as the next guy; I’m not going out of my way to watch this small market baseball. Mark my words this series will have the lowest ratings in history. Both of these teams should be proud of themselves for their accomplishments this is the reason we play the game … they have had an awesome years. The unity they have experienced this season will be with them the rest of their lives, my only issue with this series is…. There were so many possibilities of capturing all baseball fans with the Cubs vs. anyone... in their hundred year drought. The Dodgers vs. Boston would have been awesome built around Manny Ramirez. The Angels vs. Dodgers for king of the city. Plus so many other combinations; we get the Rays vs. Phillies, to me this is a letdown for everybody except the Rays fans and Phillies fans. Congratulations to Tampa Bay and Philadelphia I hope you all enjoy the World Series it has been a long year and I’m going to the gym.
Mike Davis

The Quiet Before the Storm

The Quiet before the Storm
As Construction rears its head at Dodger stadium we still have plenty unanswered questions. The number one question for all Dodger fans; are we bringing Manny Ramirez back next season? My bet is Manny Ramirez will be a Met or a Yankee. More likely a Yankee just to be able to go back to Boston for the rivalry between the two organizations. The New York Yankee will be opening up in their new stadium and they will want to put a product on the field that will be ready to win immediately. It will take a boat load of money to sign Manny with the kind of season that he put together he is in the driver’s seat. There are only a couple of markets that can afford to carry a player of his magnitude and New York and Los Angeles are it. Manny Lives in New York and at this stage of the game it will play in his decision making. What will the Dodgers do with Jeff Kent? Will he retire? Does he have another Year is Dewitt ready to step in as an everyday player. How about Nomar Garciaparra will he retire? There is something to be said about having experienced player on your team.
Playing in the A’s and Dodgers organizations the one thing I learned was they added young players to their line up each year if they were ready, this kept the flow of talent coming and the team chemistry balanced. Both the Athletics and the Dodgers had consecutive rookie of the year players. The Question is are the Dodgers ready to put their young player out there every day? Can the team compete without the superstars?Leftside

Manny Ramirez' Dodgers vs. Boston Red sox...

Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers vs. Boston Red sox ….
I want to congratulate the Dodgers on the thrills you’ve given me this year. We have had a lot of ups and downs in your race to the title but in the end you made it exciting for everyone. It has been great reminiscing on all the feeling of being in a pennant race and how a team came together with everyone pulling on the same side of the rope. The joy and excitement of reaching your goals and the whole city bubbling over because they were a part of it all.
I wanted the 2008 Dodgers to have the same experience and the city was ready after twenty years. One couldn’t help but think of a series between Manny Ramirez’ Dodgers vs. the Boston Red sox. That is the stuff movies are made of. The game everyone wanted to see will never happen, but it truly was something to look forward too. As the Dodgers clean out their lockers and head home for the winter the team and the stadium will be having a makeover.
The Dodgers have a lot to look forward to in the new season. They have developed a great crew of young talent that will be around a long time. Major decisions must be made on their free agents and nobody knows what this team is capable of without Manny. It had been a great year for the Western Division Champion Dodgers. Hold you head high you guys.
Leftside

I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up….
It hurts so much that I can’t shake it, the loss to the Phillies yesterday in game four will be hard to let go. You have so much of yourself invested in the game mentally that you put everything on the line in playoff baseball. You’re so high when things are in your favor the brain releases endorphins that lather you with a satisfaction and a new fight. When things turn against you, you fight to stay positive and believing you will overcome whatever obstacle you are faced with…. The Dodgers battled last night… they fought a good fight…. They threw some big blows… The Dodgers did enough to finish the Philadelphia Phillies off. They didn’t quit! They wouldn’t give up! The Phillies tried to steal our mojo… the tried to rob us of the spirit of a champion.
The Phillies out lasted us in fighting for dominance's in the National League and won game four. To get to the Fall Classic from this point will take a miracle. When you put it all on the line like the Dodgers did last night, and that bubble bursts… so much goes out of you that it’s very difficult to understand what you lose, the energy that leaves your body in disappointment is picked up by your opponents in confidence and momentum and focus.
It doesn’t look good for the Dodgers; very few teams have come back from a 3 games to 1 deficit. It could happen, but the team will have to let go of last night’s lost and that will be hard.

Joe Torre has been through this a couple of times; he has been on the team that lost a 3 game lead. He will be able to share his experience with the Dodgers. Manny Ramirez has been on a team that has come back from the elimination game and won the World Series, he will be able to share that with the Dodgers. Emotions are high when you come this far, the Dodgers have no choice but to regroup, for tomorrow is not promised to them. To get it done will require the spirit of a champion.
Leftside

Home Cooking is a Good Thing for Dodgers

Great to be home with the Dodgers faithful fans. The collective energy from the fans makes its way down to the field like a toxic elixir. and the Dodgers were drinking it all up. Being at home proved to be the thing the Dodgers needed to start their engine again. Manny picked up where he left off smashing baseballs in every at bat, this time he had some help with big hits from Dewitt and Rafael Fural. Hirroki Kuroda, pitched a brilliant game to slow up the Phillies and get to within one game of tying up the series. You are so close to the end for one of these teams that the tensions are running high. The team that wants it the most or the team that make the least amount of mistake at this stage of the game will win. This has been a long season and nobody wants to go home at this point, but the cream will rise to the top when it counts and we are in Dodgers County. "Get her done!" Men in Blue.

Leftside