The only thing that gives me clear hope is that Howard gets shuts down by southpaws.

Well, not the only hope. CC is really nice to have.

I think the Dodgers win tonight.

New Mythbusters and South Park tonight for me. I wouldn't mind an East Coast (Yankees) vs. West Coast (Dodgers) series, but it looks like it's shaping up to be a Joisey Toinpike series.

Jon Weisman has up some elementary school kids' letters to Jonathan Broxton.

Whoa - please tell me you mean it will be tough for the Dodgers to beat the Phillies. Don't you dare jinx us by putting the cart before the horse if you meant that other thing!!!

[6] yeah i'm pretty sure that's what he meant - the dodgers are hoping to bring the series back to la but it is going to be tough for the dodgers to beat the phillies

i am still having a hard time accepting that vicente padilla is pitching in the lcs

Karmically, the Dodgers must pay for signing Padilla. That being said, I'd love to see them win tonight.

Someone forgot to tell Padilla and Hamels that the NL is the low-scoring league.

Phils have two hits and four runs. Note to AL pitchers: in WS, do not walk any Phillies, esp. Rollins, Victorino, Utley.

[10] that's a good strategy

[1] Bring 'em on ... FUCK 'EM ALL.

Simple as that.

[12] to be more clear ... i don't have a horse in this race (assuming the yankees finish off anaheim).

if the phillies win, i can actually watch all the games at home.

if the dodgers somehow come back and win, i get to go to a world series game.

can't decide if i want this series to go longer, or have the phillies win and have to sit for a week.

[10] Two hits, four runs. I suspect some rally-killing HRs were involved?

[14] base-clogging walks, THEN rally-killing homeruns!

Yep, there was definitely plenty of base-clogging and rally-killing. If it comes down to a base-clogging plus rally-killing contest, the Dodgers have no hope, of course.

[15] Ai yai yai. How can the expect to win like that?

I guess having Miguel Cairo on the roster counterbalances the otherwise selfish approach.

Gonna be ugly in the LA Times tomorrow ...

Yeesh.

V. Padilla = Kevin Brown, Game 7

i feel some order has been restored by padilla getting driven from a game in the 4th

[17] but don't forget the most selfish player is on the dodgers

[16] how is son of riyank?

[19] Except Brown was good at one time.

[19] oh here is the other sick patient - did you get swine flu from padilla :}

[22] Padilla does seem to always be sweating..is it the booze?

[20] Not too bad, thanks. It's just flu, and he's a strong kid, so it's not too worrying, but, you know, the flu still sucks.

[22] yeah i noticed that too - he is gross - but he did really have swine flu - ya feeling any better? have you made cumin and ginger tea yet?

[24] that's good - yeah the flu really does suck

no defense for a base-on-balls is a real gem of an insight from cowchip

[25] Still exhausted and achy, but better than yesterday when was like this guy http://www.bulldogblog.net/articles/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/flu3.jpg
Thanks for the kind words everyone!

Steve Phillips..what's worse, his announcing or his husbandry?

Boring game, time for more slumber..

So, things aren't looking so good for our old buddy, eh?

RIYank, best to your boy as well, at least he gets some days off school, which I'm sure he's not too upset about :)

[28] his eye for talent???

[32] i suppose, to be *obvious*, that should be ... "talent"

[30] Yep, though he told me this evening he would gladly go back to school if he could get rid of the light-headedness, queasiness, stuffed up head, etc.

[29] Which old buddy? Things are looking up for Cairo. For Torre? Not so good.

Whoa, George Sherrill. That's like bringing on Hughes in the fifth inning.

Not enough attention ot paid to how stupid George Sherrill looks in that hat

[35] That a long way from 2004...I have to give him credit for trying to keep this a game here.

Slip-sliding away...

Well, that didn't work.

I didn't think the Dodgers were this bad, but yeah, they are. Wow.

[37] That's true.

Sometimes, it's all in vain when an angel pees down the barrel of your gun ...

[37] I think maybe he didn't pull Padilla early enough. Though his relievers aren't exactly getting the job done either, so it's hard to give Torre much credit or blame.

Cole Hamels looks like a bit of a Choad, I hope the Dodgers come back..

[42] Poor guy, if he'd rather school it must have been a real bad flu!

[42] yeah the dodgers pitching hasn't gotten it done - i am not sure torre could have done much with it even if that were his strength

[44] How are you doing, anyway? On the upside of the curve at least?

By the way, I wonder whether the Philadelphia crowd appreciates the significance of the "Beat LA" chant. Do you guys remember, the NBA Eastern Finals 1982?

[34] Cairo???

Really? Had no idea.

Yes, I was referring to Joe.

[48] Yep...Miggy spent the year in the minors and was called up late in the season, and found himself on the PS roster for the Phils. Veteran leadership or the ability to play every position poorly or something.

Man, they have to burn Sherrill for the PH. Kershaw can pitch a few, I guess. All hands on deck.

[49] Knows how to win.

[46] I made the mistake of going to the office yesterday, that took way too energy. Rest and a bag full o' medecine now is doing the trick. Doc said to expect 2 more days till "normal".

Good news is, the sofa is comfy and got "Spinal Tap" downloaded for afternoon viewing..life is what you make it!

Hudson with the tater! Go Go Dodgers!

That get's one back. Unfortunately, he also killed the rally.

[51] NY Times has a bit on "Eric Bruntlett: good luck charm"...
please come back, FJM, please come back!!

So, I've seen like a very small handful of innings of these Phillies, and those, casually, so I have to ask: are they as good as they seem?

[52] Oh, "Spinal Tap", Bronx Banter, and a post-season baseball game where you don't care about the outcome... great way to relax!

[49] A year of Wilson Betemit made me appreciate Miguel Cairo.

Come on, Dodgers...

[55] Well, they won the WS last year and had the fourth best record in baseball this year. I imagine they are pretty good!

[52] What's wrong with being sexy?

So, I ordered the Smithsonian and Library of Congress baseball books. They seem awesome.

[57] You hated Betemit, and I appreciate that. But I would take him any day of the weak and twice on Sundays over Miggy.

[55] Well, they won 93 games, in the National League. I figure they can't be all that good.

[59] Heh heh. Fair enough.

I like the spirit the Dodgers are showing. Or maybe Hamels is just mediocre.

[63] *That's* what I want to hear!

[47] i was kind of young then, but i do remember the 1982 finals - that's about when i started really getting into basketball

[62] Wilson Betemit couldn't catch balls that were thrown to him. He couldn't play any position in the field well, he couldn't pinch hit, he couldn't regular hit all that well, and he couldn't pinch run.

If nothing else, Cairo could steal a base.

pretty quick hook on hamels

[67] Oh, good (but the Eastern Finals, is what I mean).
In Boston Garden, when the Sixers were up by 15 with five minutes left, the Celtic fans started chanting, "BEAT LA! BEAT LA!" The broadcasters, and I have absolutely no idea who they were, couldn't get over it.
So, my point is, it's not just another chant. In a way it's the antithesis of "Yankees suck!", though it has the same city of origin.

[52] It really never gets old:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll7rWiY5obI

[68] As bad as he was, he hit better than Cairo did in any year of the latter's career save two. Betemit had good platoon splits. Cairo was worthless. Betemit was mostly worthless. That Betemit was exposed through overuse and misuse does not negate the objective fact that he was measurably better than Miguel Cairo.

[70] i don't know why i typed finals - i meant eastern conference - yeah shows how much the boston fans hated la - i guess in a way it shows how obsessed they get with certain opponents

Manny vs. Chad Durbin. This should be good.

Manny's going to come through here...

Wow.

How come he never did that against us?

shouldn't have swung at that emmanuel

[76] Oh, he did. It's just that you only remember the bombs and bullets.

Hm, he could have run a little harder on that one, seems to me.

[72] He couldn't hit water falling out of a boat coming off the bench, so in order to use his platoon splits (and even that was way, way overblown. He didn't hit righties a little better than he didn't hit lefties) you had to start him somewhere, where, as noted, he couldn't catch a ball thrown to him. That's without even getting into the constant use of him as a LIDR and pinch runner.

David Ortiz he was not.

That was pretty spastic

[79] Yes, he was not David Ortiz. And yet he was extraordinarily better than the putridity that was Miguel Cairo in 2006 and 2007.

BTW, his splits suggest that he was actually more effective as a substitute/PH--

2008: As starter: .694 OPS (awful, but better than Cairo), as a sub: .798 OPS
2007 As a starter: .720 OPS, as a sub: 1.066 OPS

Your hatred of the man blinds you from the objective evidence.

Now, I defer the last words to you on this topic, because I have little interest in rehashing arguments that we had last season or before.

This game is o-vah.

[82] Not yet?

[83] OK, how about now?

How do you not pinch hit Thome for Blake there? Blake has been AWFUL and Thome is the perfect guy to pop one there. Saint Joe indeed. But at least Thome can lead off the next inning.

[84] Yep, now.

So are we scared of the Phillies? I am a little scared of their O..but their pen is so vulnerable I think we can beat them.

Well then. Lets join them tomorrow.

[87] I'm scared of any good team in a short series--Sox, Angels, Dogers, Phillies...

Yankees in six, after they take out the Angels in five, tomorrow.

[88] Indeed, we agree on that!

[89] Yankees in five.

[91] Yankees in 7, Phils pen blows it, Mo saves it. A-Rod MVP

i missed the little party here. congrats to the phils.

now, let's BEAT LA manana and then beat the phitin's!!!

LET'S GO YAN-KEES !! !!!

[54] i was just thinking about FJM before! their reunion last month was awesome. i really do wish they'd come back...

nomaas has a funny steve phillips post up...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=4584376&sportCat=mlb

Astonishing that people get paid to write such awful, awful pieces. Terrible attempts at humor, flawed analysis, badly written..yuck. And am NOT saying that just because I'm a Yankee fan..

In any case, if we make the WS, the Phils are a great opponent. Worthy champions last year, they'll make it a great WS for sure..

Kanye style: Yo, Phillies, I'mma let you finish celebrating, congratulations, but this is one of the greatest Yankee teams of all time... OF ALL TIME!

[55] I haven't seen much of them either, but I work with a bigtime Phillies fan, and we talk a baseball almost every day so I know a little bit about them. They're very tough. From what I've seen Cliff Lee's awesome. Total stud. The club seems to win despite their manager, and bullpen (but the struggling Lidge seems to have turned it around) - hence "only" 93 wins.
Lee, Hamels, Happ, Pedro vs CC, AJ, Pett & Co. would be an amazing series. Before the postseason started Diane had a poll question asking who would be the Yankees toughest opponent, and with all due respect to every other team on the list I clicked on the Phillies.