An Open Letter to Jimmy and Ryan

Dear Jimmy and Ryan,

You can do this. I know that New York is hostile territory and the Yankees are very good, but the opportunity to realize your year long goal of repeating can be found in Yankee Stadium over the next couple of days. Broad Street is still an option.

A World Series Championship last year and a return to the fall classic with a chance to repeat is terrific, but you sit on the brink of greatness. This team has an opportunity to be recognized as the best Philadelphia sports team ever. With this nucleus of talent and tremendous team chemistry, this team also has the chance to be recognized as one of the greatest baseball or even sports teams ever.

The two of you have been important leaders through the rise of this Phillies team, both on and off the field. The foundation of this team's winning attitude, demeanor  and highly appealing personality trace directly to the two of you, and Chase, of course. You have been greatly instrumental in the success of this organization's current era. For evidence, you need to look no further than your mantle to see the glistening MVP trophy that you each earned through extraordinary contributions. Those seasons surely are not your total body of work, but serve as shining testimony to what you mean to this team.

To this point in the 2009 World Series, the baseball world has not witnessed your true capabilities or the way you can take a game over. But, it's not too late. The first opportunity starts at 7:57 PM tonight, and I am confident that the second opportunity will follow on Thursday night- same time, same station. The Phillies can do this, and it sure would be easier if the real Jimmy and Ryan show up starting tonight.

The team, and particularly the both of you, have a history of responding well with your proverbial "backs to the wall." Whether its been overwhelming the Mets to steal the NL East from their grasp down the stretch, or more recently in this year's playoffs, down to your last strike with your team facing defeat, crushing clutch two baggers- you have come through in a big way.

Jimmy, you're the igniter. Besides the marvelous defense that is always part of your game, you have the ability to be the catalyst for the entire offense. Everyone is aware of the statistics that show how well the team does when you score a run, but how about three? The Phillies are at their best when you are getting on, stealing bases, ripping liners into the gap and racing around the bases. Remember the feeling and results of "catching" the ball on your bat.

And, Ryan, as you demonstrated so well over the last four months, you are pretty much capable of putting a team on your back, even a team loaded with stars. You were clearly the most valuable player in baseball over that period of time until you hit a little snag in this series. There is no question that the Yankees have pitched you tough, but an adjustment here or there and that will be over- in a prolific way. Perhaps its simply a matter of staying back and taking those outside pitches the other way?

Nothing that has happened in the first 5 games matters now. Everything is in front of you- the whole season, the team's quest, the Phillies destiny. Treat every at bat like its your last, applying maximum intensity and concentration on each and every pitch. But at the same time, as hard as it may be, relax and enjoy the moment. Bring those trademark smiles that light up a room and channel the adrenaline coursing through your veins into the type of performances that have made you our  hometown heroes.

No matter what happens over the next two days, this Phillies team has been an absolute joy to watch and has a lot more to offer in years to come. And, I know as always, the players will leave everything out there on the Yankee Stadium field, but the two of you simply being Jimmy and Ryan could go a long way towards realizing the dream of another trip down Broad Street. You can do this.

Sincerely,

Gary

Star Performances by Star Players

The 2009 World Series surely is loaded with star power as many of the best players in the game are assembled on one stage. It is an abundant accumulation of MVPs, All-Stars, CY Young winners, Gold Glovers, World Series heroes, playoff stars and media darlings.

Big time performances by big time players on the biggest stage not only create the best theatre, but also cements legacies along the way. Many great players never have the opportunity to perform on this exclusive stage, but those who do and perform well, etch their reputation in the annals and in the forefront of baseball fans minds for generations.

The Yankees have gathered their biggest stars largely through the allure of money. A-Rod, CC and Tex were brought in with record contracts to join home grown stars Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Robinson Cano. And, Andy Pettitte is a hybrid, having come up through their system, but brought back through free agency. Across the field in the opposite dugout, the Phillies have a bevy of stars who have been nurtured within their own organization and a couple more that they obtained with talent from their own farm system.

J Roll, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino all were young players who have blossomed within the Phillies organization. Cliff Lee and Brad Lidge came to the team in exchange for top minor league players. And, of course, Raul Ibanez and Pedro Martinez were signed through free agency this season.

Last season, Hamels and Lidge played starring roles that launched them into the vocabularies of baseball fans everywhere. This season, a new group of players have moved to the foreground. Lee has put on the type of dominant pitching display throughout the playoffs that will forever add "big game pitcher" next to his other credentials. Werth has registered on the World Series Richter Scale with 7 post season home runs. Now, Utley is making his mark with a World Series record tying 5 home runs.

Similar to the way NFL quarterbacks can have excellent careers, but never be recognized among the elite unless they win a Super Bowl, baseball players are often validated through starring performances in the post season, especially the fall classic. Although Phillies fans recognize Utley as the best second baseman in baseball, this year's performance will likely place his name in discussions about the all-time greats. His record setting performance already has his name included with icons such as Reggie Jackson, Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby.

It is great to see this happen to a player who has been the model citizen on and off the field. He is a quiet, lead-by-example guy on one of the best teams in recent years and one of the hardest working, best prepared players in the game. In some ways, Utley has been hamstrung by his own greatness when it comes to the post season. The bar has been raised so high by Utley himself that anything less than a super hero-like performance is deemed as failure.

A couple players are lurking in the background who still might have their own statements to make before this series ends. Specifically, despite winning MVPs and noteworthy accomplishments in the playoffs, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins have yet to distinguish themselves as big game performers on baseball's biggest stage. Both are due to breakout, which could bode well for the Phillies prospects of a come from behind World Series victory.

Utley Powers Phils Back to New York

Facing elimination, the Phillies came out swinging last night to keep their World Series Championship hopes alive. Chase Utley got them jump started with a 3-run homer in the first inning and then added a World Series record tying 5th home run later in the game, but the Phillies had to endure drama to fend off the Yankees to preserve the 8-6 win. Cliff Lee kept the Yankees in check most of the game to run his post season record to 4-0. The teams now head back to New York with the Yankees leading the series 3-2.

What had been an 8-2 lead, shrank to 8-6 as the Yankees scored three in the 8th and one in the 9th before Ryan Madson struck out slugger Mark Teixeira to end the game. Jorge Posada led off the inning with a double high off the wall in right-center and then pinch hitter Hideki Matsui bounced a single to left to put the tying run at the plate with the top of the order coming up. Madson battled to get Derek Jeter to ground into a double play that was perfectly executed by Jimmy Rollins and Utley. Matsui came home on the play and then Johnny Damon kept the game alive with a single. Once again, the tying run came to plate in the form of Teixeira, but Madson got him to swing over a diving change-up to end the game.

For the first 7 innings, it was pretty much all Phillies as they mounted a 6 run lead. Utley accounted for 3 runs in the opening frame, and the team rallied again in the 3rd to chase starter AJ Burnett. Utley walked and stole second before Howard drew another walk. Jayson Werth then smacked a liner to center to score one run and Raul Ibanez followed with a single to right to score Howard. Werth came across on a fielder's choice to extend the lead to 6-1.

After the Yankees scratched out a run in the 5th that probably could have been avoided with good fundamentals, the Phillies added two more runs in the 7th on a pair of solo home runs. Utley launched his second home run of the game into the right field seats, giving him a National League record and tying Reggie Jackson for the most home runs in a series. Two outs later, Ibanez launched a tape measure shot off the facing of the upper deck in right to make it 8-2.

At that point, Charlie Manuel decided to insert Ben Francisco for Shane Victorino, who had a swollen finger from a fast ball fired at him by Burnett in the first. Victorino was confused by the switch, figuring that Manuel meant to replace Ibanez, but that was not the case. The move was looking very dubious when the Yankees rallied for 3 runs in the 8th inning, particularly since Ibanez and Francisco played roles. First, A-Rod's 2-run double to left bounced off Ibanez's glove and most likely would have been caught by the faster Francisco. Then, Rodriquez scored on a short sacrifice fly to center as Francisco hesitated and followed with an off target throw. Again, it is likely that A-Rod would not even have tried to score on Victorino.

Lee was not as sharp as he has been in previous post season games, but still pitched well. He lasted into the 8th inning and was charged with all 5 runs- a number that belies the true quality of his outing. Howard could have prevented the 2nd Yankees run by looking the runner on 3rd back and tagging the batter, but instead ran back to tag first on a ground ball. In the 8th, besides the aforementioned plays, Damon reached on an infield chopper as Rollins could not get the ball out of his glove.

Chan Ho Park relieved Lee in the 8th and turned in an excellent performance to escape further trouble. He set down three hitters in a row with Phillies fans starting to get very nervous.

Manuel was not done making decisions that could be second guessed, though. In the bottom half of the 8th, Carlos Ruiz led off with a single, but the Phillies skipper elected to pull Park for pinch hitter Matt Stairs rather than bunt, who promptly bounced into a double play. An insurance run would have been big and a strong argument could have been made to send the veteran Park back out for the 9th.

A game that the Phillies seized and then controlled most of the night, ended in high drama with memories of the previous night still fresh in everyone's mind. Although Manuel had Scott Eyre, Brett Myers and Brad Lidge all warming up in the bullpen, it seemed apparent that he was going to let everything ride on Madson. After the game, Manuel told reporters that he wanted to give Lidge a break. Hind sight notwithstanding, this was probably the right call because Lidge had the enormous added burden of the Game 4 loss.

Once again, the Phillies demonstrated the resiliency that many have attributed to the team. Despite a very disappointing loss one night earlier, they came to the ball park prepared to attack and win, rather than fret about the past or play not to lose. Although the scenario in Citizen's Bank Park did not go as they had hoped this weekend, the Phillies were able to secure a victory in a true "must win" game. And, it now gives this talented group of gamers an opportunity to return the favor by going to New York and winning a couple games in the Yankees own house.

Taking Stock of the Situation

The Phillies find themselves in territory that has been unfamiliar to them over the past couple seasons. They have dropped a pair of games at home and trail in a post season series for the first time, a period that saw them go 19-5 until the Yankees rung up three consecutive wins. They now find themselves fighting to preserve their fading hopes to repeat as World Champions.

The task is daunting as they trail 3-1 and face the "best team that money can buy", who recorded the most wins of any team in baseball in the regular season. The Yankees have ridden a rotation of high priced free agent acquisitions and a line-up of big salaried free agents anchored by A-Rod and Mark Teixeira to their current position. And, being the beneficiaries of some bad calls in the playoffs and an array of lucky hits in the World Series has not hurt their cause.

The Phillies find themselves behind in the series for a few reasons. Some of their biggest bats have not been able to solve the Yankees pitching. Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino have all struggled mightily in the World Series and are hitting a combined .190 with no home runs. And, Howard and Ibanez have struck out 19 times in 33 ABs. Chase Utley has owned CC Sabathia, cracking 3 home runs and a double off him, but is hitless against everybody else.

From a pitching perspective, last year's two post season heroes have not come through as the team was counting on them doing. In Game 3, Cole Hamels started very strong, but then could not get out of the 5th inning and took the loss. Last night, Brad Lidge also started very strong, but then strayed from his slider and let the game slip away.

That is primarily what has not gone right. The good news is that the Phillies have the talent and mental toughness to turn it around, so not all is lost. Everyone is familiar with the lopsided statistics associated with a 3-1 series lead and that few teams find a way to overcome the deficit to win.

That being said, though, it is not impossible. Especially for a team with the players and winning demeanor of the Phillies. To put it in perspective, the Phillies need to turn the tables, and do to the Yankees what they just did to them. The Yankees won a game at home and then came to Philly and took the next two. All the Phillies need to do is look across the field to the opposing team's dugout to see that it can be done.

It won't be easy, but if they simply return to form, a 3-game win streak is surely within their grasp. Tonight the Phillies have their ace on the mound, who has been the most dominant pitcher throughout the post season. The Yankees counter with AJ Burnett, a pitcher noted for top notch stuff and mediocre results. It is hard to envision him shutting down the Phillies again like he did in Game 2, especially since he is pitching on short rest.

If the Phillies can take care of business tonight, a healthier Pedro could actually improve upon his earlier performance. He would face Andy Pettitte, who looks beatable and would also be throwing on 3 days rest. And, if they can force a 7th game, the Phillies would probably trot out their entire staff, but the hunch is they would elect to give The Sporting News Rookie of the Year J.A. Happ the start.

Of course, none of that matters and is pure speculation unless the Phillies can find a way to reverse fortunes tonight. And, if they do, then the same goes for Wednesday night.

The best way to reverse fortunes would be for their All-Stars to find their form. More than anything, the Phillies need Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard and Ibanez to be themselves. Jayson Werth has hit home runs at a record pace through the post season, but the Yankees are going to force others to beat them. After a quiet post season, it was a good sign to see Pedro Feliz have a big game.

Usually when players slump, somebody ends up paying down the road. The Phillies have, at most, three games left in the season to make that happen. What better time to start than tonight? This is a team with a history of playing its best with its proverbial backs to the wall, whether they are chasing the Mets in the standings or needing a big late game rally against the Dodgers. I don't know about you, but I think too much of them and too much of their ability to count them out. I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night.

Eagles Crush Giants in Twin Bill Opener

The Eagles continue to establish their personality as a big play team on both sides of the ball as they hit on multiple long scoring strikes and forced Eli Manning into turnovers. They seized control of the game on the third play from scrimmage when Leonard Weaver burst through the middle on a 41-yard touchdown gallop and never let up on the way to crushing their NFC East rivals by a score of 40-17.

The final score might actually make the game seem closer than it really was, as the Birds dominated the Giants in all phases of the game. If not for a fumble, an onside kick and the Eagles playing conservatively to eat up the clock, it could have been much worse. The Eagles moved the ball easily, seemingly scoring at will while pressuring Manning into erratic throws and mistakes.

Donovan McNabb had his strongest game of the season, completing 17 of 23 passes for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns. And, true to 2009 form, all were from longer range as he hit on a 54-yard strike to DeSean Jackson, a 23-yard pass to Jeremy Maclin and a 17-yard throw to Brent Celek. Adding to their long ball array, were Weaver's run and a 66-yard touchdown sprint by LeSean McCoy.

On defense, the Eagles rotated linemen and used a variety of stunts and blitzes to put pressure on Manning. Similar to last season's playoff game, the tactic exploited Manning's poise and average arm strength. On the Giants third play from scrimmage, Asante Samuel jumped a route to intercept a pass and returned it 37 yards to set up the Eagles second touchdown.

The Giants had many experts singing their praises as they beat up weak opponents in the early part of the season. Yesterday's thorough domination at the hands of the Eagles, along with losses the previous two weeks, has knocked the Giants out of first place and has them questioning their abilities. The soft part of their schedule is behind them and they face a tough slate of games ahead.

Meanwhile, besides their lapse in Oakland, the Eagles reinforced that they are a legitimate Super Bowl contender, possessing possibly the most explosive offense in the NFL. Jackson, Maclin and Celek give McNabb the best array of play making receivers that he has ever had around him. The team has largely been without the services of Brian Westbrook, so his return adds an elusive runner and pass catcher to a running corps that has been bolstered by McCoy and Weaver. Jason Avant and injured Kevin Curtis are nice accessories. This is clearly the greatest set of offensive skill position players the team has ever assembled.

Despite still in a learning mode, Will Witherspoon looks like a considerable upgrade for the defense as he flashes around the field making plays. The pre-season loss of promising Stewart Bradley left a big hole that now seems closed. This allows the defense to be aggressive with their pass rush and re-enage their secondary to concentrate on pass coverage rather than helping with run support.

Next week is the third leg of the NFC East round robin as the Eagles host the Cowboys, who also improved their record to 5-2 with a convincing win yesterday over Seattle. Dallas seems to have found their mojo as QB Tony Romo has gained confidence with the emergence of wide receiver Miles Austin. Marion Barber and Felix Jones have returned from injury, so the Cowboys are feeling like they have their own explosive array of weapons. Next Sunday night's game should prove to worthy of the prime time spot light.

A Painful Fall After a Night of Climbing

The back-end of yesterday's day/night, football/baseball, New York/Philly grudge match found our hometown heroes in an uphill struggle almost all evening. The Phillies quickly fell behind and found themselves in what seemed to be a perpetual battle to catch up, only to take a painful plunge in the end. They now find themselves on the ground looking up at a steep 3-1 series deficit.

With Mariano Rivera looming in the bullpen prepared to pitch the 9th, Pedro Feliz smoked a Joba Chamberlain fastball into the left field stands with two outs in the bottom of the 8th inning to tie the score at 4-4 and send the Citizen's Bank Park crowd into a brief frenzy. The momentum had shifted dugouts and confidence was teeming through the stadium as come back wins are now familiar territory to this team and city. Unfortunately, the prospects of a huge World Series win shortly evaporated as Phillies closer Brad Lidge yielded a 3-run rally after

being 1 pitch away from a 1-2-3 9th inning.

The last inning Yankees beat down was one last blow that wounded team spirits as they now faced their biggest climb against the most prolific closer in MLB post season history. "Mo" quickly dispensed the Phils and the Yankees celebrated a commanding 3-1 series lead.

The Yankees wasted no time jumping in front, and quickly responded every time the Phillies pulled themselves even. On this evening, the Bronx Bombers did very little bombing, doing most of their damage with an abundance of luck until their 9th inning rally.

In the first inning, Derek Jeter started the game with an infield single when Chase Utley slipped on the wet turf. Johnny Damon ripped a double that bounced off the right field wall and both runners scored on a ground out and a short sacrifice fly, respectively.

Shane Victorino and Utley hit back-to-back doubles in the bottom half of the inning to cut the lead to 2-1. Utley's drive hit high off the wall in right-center, just missing being a two-run homer by a couple feet. If not for being on the opposite ends of fortune, the lead could have been reversed after one inning.

The Phillies scratched out the tying run in the 4th when Ryan Howard singled, stole second and scored on Feliz's two-out hit to left. Within minutes, though, they found themselves behind again, mostly through bad fortune. Nick Swisher walked to lead off the 5th and Melky Cabrero chopped an infield single that looked like a possible double play. One out later, Jeter hit a pop up to left that fortuitously landed between three converging fielders, sending home Swisher. Adding further insult to injury, Damon hit a pop up to right that somehow again dropped in and Cabrero ran through a stop sign to restore the Yankees 2-run lead. The walk was on Blanton, but the rest was on "Lady Luck."

After two hard outs in the 7th, Utley continued his assault on Sabathia by launching a ball into the right field stands to cut the deficit to 4-3. Yankees skipper Joe Girardi opted for Chamberlain to pitch the 8th to set-up the save for Rivera. After blowing fastballs past Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez to record two strikeouts, the Hip Hop hurler quickly found himself in the position to do the same with Feliz. But the Phillies 3rd baseman jumped on a 3-2 fastball and sent it deep into the left field bleachers.

Besides igniting the crowd and his team, the shot briefly sat Rivera down as Girardi wanted to keep him for a save situation. Charlie Manuel called on Brad Lidge to hold the Yankees in the 9th and give his team the chance to win in the bottom half of the inning.

Lidge looked confident and seemed to have his best slider of the season. He got pinch hitter Hideki Matsui to weakly pop out and then struck out Jeter on a couple of nasty sliders. He got ahead of Damon, who barely ticked a foul tip and then after 9 pitches, dumped a single into left. Damon quickly stole second and continued to third when no one covered. Lidge nailed Mark Teixeira with an inside fastball and then surrendered a double to A-Rod to make it 5-4. The Human Rain Delay, Jorge Posada, followed with a crushing two-run single.

Inexplicably, Lidge was burned for all the hits on fastballs, despite having possibly his best slider of the year. It is his signature pitch, yet was not called upon with the game and possibly the whole season on the line. Last night's failure was not about lack of confidence, command or stuff, but rather very questionable pitch selection. Many pundits suggested afterward that Lidge had to throw fastballs out of fear of throwing a wild pitch with a sharp breaking slider, but it seems unlikely that after two years the pitcher and catcher would suddenly be deterred by a runner on third.

After a night of getting knocked down and climbing back up, the Phillies finally fell too far to recover. Sensing being on the brink of another big come back to pull even in the series, it was a sudden, painful twist of fate. The team sends Cliff Lee to the mound for the last game of the year in Citizen's Bank Park. They hope for it not to be the last game, period, and that they can return to Yankee Stadium in an attempt to climb back up to repeat as champions.

Phils Pitching Falters as Yanks Win Game 3

For a few innings, it appeared that the Phillies were back on track as they seized a 3-0 lead, but their pitching came unraveled and they dropped Game 3 of the World Series. After a strong start, Cole Hamels faltered in the 4th and 5th innings and suddenly found himself in the dugout with a 5-3 deficit hoping J.A. Happ could bale him out of further trouble. The bullpen allowed the Yankees to tack on more runs over the course of the game, effectively throwing cold water on the prospects of a come back.

The Phillies wasted two more home runs by Jayson Werth, who now has a Phillies record 7 in the 2009 post season. His first home run got things started in the 2nd inning and seemed to ratlle Yankees starter Andy Pettitte. A Pedro Feliz double, a Carlos Ruiz walk, a Hamels bunt single and Jimmy Rollins walk made it 2-0. Shane Victorino plated a third run with a sacrifice fly, but might have taken Pettitte off the hook for a really big inning when he swung at three pitches out of the strike zone. The Yankees pitcher averted further damage by striking out Chase Utley for the second time.

Meanwhile, Hamels had not given a hit through the first 3 1/3 innings. Then, a 3-2 pitch to Mark Teixeira that appeared to be a strike was called ball four. Hamels clearly disagreed with the call, which may have been a distraction as the next hitter Alex Rodriguez drove a ball down the right field line that was initially ruled a double. After reviewing TV replays, the umpires ruled that the ball hit a TV camera and would have cleared the fence, so it was suddenly 3-2.

Hamels encountered more trouble in the 5th. Nick Swisher's double and a pair of bloop singles by Pettitte and Derek Jeter tied the score. Johnny Damon then lined a double to right-center to plate two more. Happ worked out further trouble, but surrendered a home run to Swisher in the 6th to make it 6-3.

Werth countered in the bottom half with a bomb that hit the facing of the upper deck in left to get them within a pair of runs. Once again, though, relievers Chad Durbin and Brett Myers each gave up runs to make it 8-4.

After Ruiz homered with one out in the 9th to make it 8-5, Yankees skipper Joe Girardi called for Mariano Rivera to close out the game. He quickly got two outs on 5 pitches and the Yankees had a 2-1 series lead with ace CC Sabathia returning to the mound this evening.

Charlie Manuel hoped that Hamels would regain his winning form from last season, and for a few innings it looked like he had. Unfortunately, similar to many other outings this season, a borderline call that went against him, a home run and a couple bloop hits later everything came undone. Additionally, it appeared that the Phillies had Pettitte on the ropes and could land a big blow in the second, but he settled down when that did not occur.

The Phillies find themselves being down in a post season series for the first time in two years. They look to Joe Blanton to battle Sabathia tonight, who has not pitched well against the Yankees in his career. Although this might be their most difficult challenge over the past couple of years, this Phillies team has always played well with its back to the wall.