Howard Wins Playoffs MVP, But Stars Abound

At the completion of last night's game and NLCS series, Ryan Howard was deservedly named MVP of the National League Playoffs. His performance was an extension of his 2009 stretch run play that has also made him a regular season MVP candidate. Howard was a consistent force throughout the playoffs and surely a worthy choice, but several other teammates played starring roles as well.

In 9 games, Howard hit .355 with 2 home runs and 14 RBI, tying a Major League Baseball record with RBI in 8 consecutive games. The streak came to end last evening, when the Dodgers hurlers were determined not to let him wreak further havoc, as they pitched around him throughout the game. Howard posted a .462 On Base Percentage and a .742 Slugging Percentage. He also provided some very timely hits, including a last strike game tying double in the NLDS clincher.

He surely had help, though. Carlos Ruiz continued his stellar post season play by hitting .346 with 7 RBI. If it seemed like Chooch was on base every time you looked, it was because he was 50% of the time. He contributed a big 3-run homer in Game 1 of the NLCS that got the team on the board and seemed to launch them in the series.

Shane Victorino had another big game last night, drilling his 3rd home run of the post season and missing a 4th by inches. Overall, he hit .362, scored 8 runs, drove in 7 and was often the catalyst for the Phillies offense. And, as usual, he played stellar defense, covering wide expanses in the outfield.

Last night's hero was Jayson Werth, who put on a power display last evening and throughout the post season. He cracked two long home runs, including a 3-run shot in the first inning that grabbed momentum for the team in red. Over the course of the playoffs, Werth clubbed 5 homers and narrowly missed a couple others, registering an .813 Slugging Percentage.

Cliff Lee dialed up the early Phillies version of himself, and contributed 3 strong pitching performances in as many starts. If not for some quirky plays and a late comeback by the Rockies, he would have added one more win to his 2-0 record. He posted a 0.74 ERA and has been the clear ace that the team needs for another run at a World Championship. Lee saved his best for last, totally dominating the Dodgers on Sunday night in the Phillies 11-0 win.

Possibly the biggest story of the post season has been the return to form of Brad Lidge. The bullpen was the Phillies one concern heading into the post season, which had baseball pundits doubting that the team could defend. That has all changed now as Lidge has found his pitching rhythm and mojo. He did not yield a run in the playoffs, saved 3 games and earned the win in Monday's come from behind thriller.

Speaking of Game 4, how could we exclude Jimmy Rollins from any discussion about starring roles? J Roll provided the biggest hit of the season and one of the most clutch hits in the history of the organization when he ripped a 2-run, game winning double with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th to turn defeat into victory. What appeared was going to be a 2-2 series deadlock suddenly became a 3-1 series lead and crushed the Dodgers' spirits. He surely made other contributions during the post season, but this will forever stand out in his career and team history.

Although he was only given one opportunity, Pedro Martinez made the most of it. Pedro shut down the Dodgers in Game 2, holding them scoreless while limiting them to 2 hits and no walks. The Dodgers eventually came back to win that game against Phils relievers, but prior to that, he dazzled them by mixing an assortment of pitches.

Some other noteworthy performances include Chad Durbin and Chase Utley. Durbin did not yield a hit or run in 4 innings of work, and shut down the opponents in some big moments. The bar is set high for Utley by his own stellar track record, so there is sometimes a tendency to expect other worldly performances from him. That has not been the case, but he has been very solid at the plate, batting .303 with a .439 On Base Percentage.

Whether its the Yankees or Angels, their World Series opponents can easily lose sleep thinking about the depth and breadth of talent on the Phillies. Any night, as they have proven throughout the post season so far, any or all of these players can make life miserable for their opponents. It could be any or all of those players who have played a starring role thus far, or it could be another player such as Cole Hamels, Ryan Madson, Pedro Feliz, J.A. Happ or others. It will be fun to watch, unless of course, you are rooting for the American League entrant.

Phillies Earn NL Crown, Now Series Bound

This is a team on a mission. They came out swinging in the first inning and didn't relent at anytime, pounding long balls into the October night air energized by 46,000 fans anticipating a celebration. This 2009 Phillies team edition possesses a singular focus- end their season with a trip down Broad Street and stake their place in baseball history. The team took the next step on that quest by defeating the Dodgers to earn their second consecutive National League Championship.

After the team's 2008 magic run to a World Championship that still captivates an entire city, the players, coaches, manager and executives set their collective sights on repeating the same feat that has been rare in Philadelphia sports history. In the marathon that is a major league baseball season, as players bounce from city to city and game to game, the path to that goal can sometimes get blurred. The means to get there remains in the distance and the sense of urgency can be dulled. But, now that the path is clearly within their sights, the Phillies players are passionately launching towards it with intense focus and desire.

Last night, the Phillies quickly shook off Andre Ethier's first inning solo shot in the bottom half of the inning and never looked back. With two outs, Dodgers pitcher Vicente Padilla walked Chase Utley and then did the same with Ryan Howard, appearing to not want to give the red hot slugger anything at all to hit. That proved to be a treacherous tactic as Jayson Werth launched a 3-2 fastball into the right-center field bleachers for a 3-run homer. Knowing they had the Dodgers down after an 11-0 demolition and a heart breaking walk-off win, Werth and the Phillies quickly struck them to the turf again.

Phillies starter Cole Hamels surrendered another solo home run to James Loney leading off the second, but then seemed to settle down to retire 10 of the next 11 hitters. Meanwhile, his teammates continued their assault when Pedro Feliz homered to right-center to start the bottom half of the second frame to give the Phillies a 4-2 lead.

In the 4th inning, Werth smacked a hit to left and Raul Ibanez drove him home with a double between Matt Kemp and Ethier. Facing elimination, Manager Joe Torre elected to pull Padilla, who had dominated the Phillies just five days earlier. Unfortunately for Torre, his relievers struggled with their command, allowing another run via a walk and two hit batters.

When pinch hitter Orlando Hudson launched the Dodgers third solo home run of the evening, and Rafael Furcal followed with a double to left, Charlie Manuel was not taking any chances. He replaced last year's post season hero, Hamels, with J.A. Happ, just two outs away from earning the victory. This move clearly reinforced that the team is all about achieving its goal, and to Hamels' credit, he understood the decision and praised the work of the bullpen after the game. He was also stayed in the dugout and showered after the game.

Phillies hitters continued to pour it on, battering a Dodgers' bullpen that many pundits lauded as their advantage in the series. After the previous game's hero Rollins was hit by a pitch again in the 6th, Victorino drove a ball deep into the left field stands to increase the lead to 8-3. One inning later, Werth crushed a 410 foot homer to center, his second and the team's fourth of the night.

The Dodgers appeared to have the fight for one more run in them and put together a rally in the 8th inning that momentarily silenced the crowd. After Ronnie Belliard and Ethier singled off Chan Ho Park to open the inning, Ryan Madson walked Manny Ramirez. Kemp lined a single to center to plate one run and instill hope in his teammates. Madson pulled it together, though, setting the next 3 hitters down with blazing fastballs and a wicked change-up to escape further trouble.

A Rollins single and another Victorino smash that was touched by a fan a foot below the right-center field fence put them in position to score again with two outs in the 8th, and Rollins later crossed the dish on a wild pitch to make it 10-4. Manuel summoned Brad Lidge to pitch the ninth, who once again looked like the 2008 vintage, putting the Dodgers down 1-2-3.

Fireworks erupted, music blared, fans roared and Phillies players poured onto the field to celebrate. The team took another leap forward towards its goal, once again closing out the Dodgers in the NLCS 4-1 as they did a year ago. Although the Phillies celebrated happily, it was apparent that the team feels that they still have unfinished business and the real celebration awaits on the horizon.

When Superior Talent Combines with the Hearts of Champions

Monday night's hero was Jimmy Rollins, who magically turned defeat into victory with one swing of the bat in the Phillies final chance. It was a game, and particularly a moment, for the ages. As the winning run scored, he raced around the bases into the waiting arms of his teammates to celebrate one of the biggest clutch hits and victories in team history.

That 20 second slice of time personifies this Phillies ball club, highlighting the key ingredients that make the team so special. Down to their last out, facing an overpowering pitcher, one swing and a flurry of runners speeding around the bases provided a deep glimpse into why the team is successfully competing to defend its World Championship.

It first starts with talent. Monday night it was Rollins. The night before it was Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino. In Game 1, the stars were Carlos Ruiz, Raul Ibanez and Howard. Brad Lidge has re-emerged as the 2008 "Lights Out" version, gaining 3 saves along with last night's win in the post season. Pedro Martinez was sensational in Game 2 despite the Phillies eventually losing.

The bottom line is that the team is a truly remarkable collection of talented players, second to none. That wasn't just anybody rocketing the ball into the gap with two outs in the ninth. It was Jimmy Rollins- former MVP, Silver Slugger, 3-time All-Star, 2-time Gold Glover and current reigning World Series champion. Any night, every day, it could be someone different. Perhaps tonight's hero will be 4-time All-Star, 3-time Silver Slugger and current reigning World Series Champion Chase Utley?

The next ingredient is the mindset of the club. They possess an incredible tenacity, a drive to succeed and the mental toughness to persevere through adversity and show up in the game's biggest moments. It is Jimmy Rollins' walk-off thunder bolt when the team was down to its last out in the ninth. It is Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and Brad Lidge coming up big when they were down to their last out in the clinching win of the NLDS. It is Chase Utley shaking off his throwing difficulties early in the series, ripping a first inning single and wheeling to gun a difficult throw in the 5th inning of Game 3. It is no coincidence that the Phillies led the league in come from behind wins. In other words, it is apparent that the Phillies possess the "hearts of champions."

First it was Matt Stairs in the ninth, admirably foregoing his chance to be the hero by swinging for the fences, and instead showing great discipline to work a walk. That is what a true team player and a winner does in that situation. Besides the obvious enormous clutch hitting by Rollins, this quality also showed with the determination and intensity demonstrated by pinch runner Eric Bruntlet and Ruiz in their quest to score. Both raced around the bases with precision and likely their fastest pace ever, neither relaxing until they safely crossed home plate. No show boating along the way, no celebrating until the task was done.

When things do not go as planned or hoped, the players support each other, shrug off the disappointment and quickly turn their attention to what they can control- their next at bat, their next pitch, their next game. Critics sometimes want them to ruminate on their failure, but this team knows that resilience starts with leaving it behind. There is no sense letting events of the past derail your plans for the future.

Lastly, the personalities and leadership within make for a superb team chemistry. The players, manager and coaches rally around each other, and have a lot of fun in the process. It is Ruiz bouncing across the plate into a mob of happy teammates. It is J Roll circling third and landing in a pile of jubilant Phillies players.

When things go right, like Monday night's thrilling finish, all the players are front and center to lavish kudos and celebrate the moment together. First the players raced to home to greet Ruiz as he bounced across the dish, then quickly threw a party on the third baseline for the night's hero. When Rollins stepped to the plate, you can be assured that none of the Phillies were in the clubhouse taking a shower, but rather perched on the top of the dugout steps, on the edge of their seats or anxiously milling to get a better view.

This team continues to grow through overcoming adversity as well as through its accumulated success and accomplishments. At this point, nothing that they do should be surprising to anyone, except one thing. Considering the ingredients that make up this team. what would be surprising is if this superb Phillies team does not repeat as World Champions.

11-0 NLCS Win...Fabulous, J Roll Walk-off....Priceless

Jimmy Rollins has had his up and down performances this year, but he saved his best act for the biggest stage and created one of the biggest moments in Philadelphia sports history. Trailing by a run with two mates aboard and down to their last out, squaring off against the National League's top relief pitcher throwing 100 mph seeds at him, J Roll rocketed a liner that landed in the right-center field gap to vault the Phillies to a dramatic come from behind victory. As Carlos Ruiz bounced across home plate with the winning run, Rollins raced around third to jubilantly jump into the middle of his teammates welcoming party.

In the space of seconds, J Roll had lifted his team from a 2-2 dead lock to a commanding 3-1 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. From the moment the barrel of Rollins' bat cracked against Jonathan Broxton's triple digit fastball, it was apparent that the ball was returning faster at a speed and location that was not going to be caught. The 45,000 Phillies faithful knew they were witnessing one of those truly spectacular moments for the ages unfold in front of them. The crowd exploded into boisterous celebration, overtaken by indescribable joy. It was pure bedlam throughout the stadium, on and off the field, with the notable exception of the Dodgers dugout.

Although the previous night's game was laced with excitement throughout the game as the Phillies continued their onslaught from start to finish, last night's game made up for any lull with a heroic finish of epic proportions. Considering the dramatic agony of defeat to thrill of victory ending, the import of the game, and the setting in Citizen's Bank Park, last night's game was arguably the most thrilling victory in Philadelphia sports history. Game ending, World Championship clinching strikeouts by Brad Lidge and Tug McGraw are surely special, but suddenly going from loser to winner in a handful of frantic seconds in the NLCS is stunningly momentous.

The night started out with the two teams following the same script from the previous night. Joe Blanton set the first 10 Dodgers down in order. Meanwhile, Ryan Howard smoked a line shot into the right field bleachers to give the Phils a 2-0 lead. Howard and Blanton had the crowd feeling the song still persistently playing in their head, "I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night." Of course, little did they know what was in store for them a couple hours later.

The Dodgers weren't ready to roll over, though, and strung 3 hits together with a pair of walks to tie the game in the fourth. Blanton finally got Casey Blake to ground out to end the threat after a 38 pitch inning. Matt Kemp hit a solo home run to dead center in the 5th inning to stake them to a 3-2 lead.

After surrendering Howard's homer, former Phil Randy Wolf made things tough on his former team, retiring 12 batters in a row. The Dodgers tacked on a run in the 6th, capitalizing on a Pedro Feliz error, a Texas League single by Ronnie Belliard and Blake's soft single to right.

The Phillies countered in the bottom half of the inning, though, when Shane Victorino tripled into the left field corner and Chase Utley knocked him in with a line single to right. Howard drew a walk, and was forced at second by Jayson Werth. Raul Ibanez then smashed a sinking liner to left, but Manny Ramirez immediately broke in and made a somewhat improbable shoe string catch to end the inning.

With George Sherrill on the hill, the Phillies mounted a threat in the home 8th. Victorino was a hit by a pitch and Utley walked to put a couple runners on with one out and Howard coming to the plate. Sherrill used an assortment of off speed pitches and fanned Howard on a pitch out of the strike zone. Joe Torre made the slow journey to the mound and summoned Broxton into face Werth, who battled valiantly to fight off 99-102 mph fastballs, but eventually flied out to right.

After Scott Eyre recorded an out and then yielded a single, Charlie Manuel opted for Brad Lidge to pitch to Kemp and Andre Ethier. Lidge made another strong case that he has re-found his 2008 form by striking both hitters out, sending the game to the fateful bottom of the ninth.

Broxton got Ibanez to ground out to start the frame. Manuel then sent Matt Stairs up to pinch hit for Feliz, and seemingly fearing a repeat of last year's events, Broxton walked him on four pitches. Ruiz was hit by a pitch, but pinch hitter Greg Dobbs lined out softly to Blake for out number two. The stage was set and up stepped Rollins to the roar of the crowd still trying to coax a last ditch rally out of the team. J Roll proved up to the challenge, smacking a blistering line shot on a 1-1 fastball between Kemp and Ethier that hopped against the right-center field fence. Pinch runner Eric Bruntlett and Ruiz raced around the bases and scored easily, with deafening noise echoing throughout the Bank.

It was truly a spectacular moment to cherish, one that will be remembered for many, many years to come. An 11-0 demolition the previous night, featuring a pitching gem by Cliff Lee and various pyrotechnics from Phillies hitters, was fabulous. A two out, bottom of the ninth inning, come from behind win via a walk-off double by J Roll was....priceless.

Raiders 13, Phillies 11, Eagles 9

By all appearances, the Eagles got caught looking past the woeful Oakland Raiders, and could never gather themselves to avoid a painful 13-9 loss.  And, to add insult to injury, when Shane Victorino tacked on a late game field goal, the Eagles found themselves outscored by their baseball playing brothers across the street. Of course, the Phillies big victory deflected a great deal of scrutiny off the Eagles lackluster performance and eased the pain of Philadelphia sports fans.

Although no one can really say for sure, Sunday looked like a case of a strong team taking a struggling team too lightly. The Eagles quickly fell behind and could never find their rhythm on offense to put a touchdown drive together. And, the defense could not come up with crucial stops in the fourth quarter to get the ball back into their hands of the offense.

Somehow, some way, the Eagles found a way to lose a game where they had no turnovers, collected two interceptions and held their opponent to 13 points. The biggest culprit was the offensive line's ability to pick up Raiders blitzes and provide protection for Donovan McNabb. This was further exacerbated by the great imbalance in play selection as the Eagles ran the ball on only 14 of 66 plays. This allowed the Raiders to keep McNabb under constant pressure, limit him to less than 50% completion percentage, while getting sacked 6 times.

With the Eagles coming off consecutive high margin victories, and the Raiders coming off 3 straight large margin defeats, the prospects of the Eagles losing this game seemed highly unlikely. Of course, this is the NFL, and "on any given Sunday...." Unfortunately for the Eagles, this was either one of those given Sunday's or the team feared the Raiders so little that they fooled themselves into thinking it would be a "cake walk." I am not sure exactly what type of walk that represents, but lets just say the Eagles players left the field with batter all over their uniforms.

Conversely, the Raiders showed up motivated to save face with an aggressive, attacking game plan. Their defense took a page out of the Eagles book, deploying a blitzing defense all day to limit McNabb's time and harass him into erratic passing. The formula worked, and by the time the Eagles seemed to get a sense of urgency, they could not sufficiently "turn things on" to overcome the deficit.

As it has from day 1 of training camp, the offensive line continues to present questions and concerns. It has played well at times, but it has never been settled. With Peters going down with an injury, the line played most of the day without its top four players as projected prior to the season. Shawn Andrews is on IR, Stacy Andrews is being limited in playing time, Todd Herremans is still fighting back from injury and Peters has a sprained knee. In order for the Eagles to establish themselves as legitimate contenders, they will need to get some order in terms of the players and their roles on the offensive line.

No matter how good, due to the competitiveness of the NFL and simple human nature, most teams experience an unpredictable upset along the way. Lets hope that yesterday was an aberration and the experience awakened a sense of urgency to avoid a similar scenario down the road. A couple small silver linings are that the NFC Eastern Division leading New York Giants also lost and the Raiders are a non-conference team. Beyond that, Sunday and the ensuing dust trail gloomily hang over head. The Eagles would be wise to learn from their red pinstriped brethren, and simply put this one behind them to place their undivided attention on the opponents ahead.

I'm just saying.....

A weekly collection of random thoughts and observations for you to consider.

• As crazy as it sounds, and as much as Brett Myers wouldn't want to hear it, the uproar over Cliff Lee pinch running probably led to him being left off the NLCS roster.
• Cole Hamels histrionics after some misplays in the field can be insidiously damaging to a team and reminds you that he is still very young. His comments suggest that he does not understand the import of eliminating this from his repertoire, so it is critical for Charlie, Chase or Jimmy to remind him how uncool it is and that it has got to change. I wonder how Cole would react to Rollins or Utley throwing their hands in the air when he surrenders a home run or issues a walk?
• Does the Jumbotron in Dallas display "Yeh, baby!" when the Cowboys new found star receiver makes a big play?
• Is that a mullet under the cap of Troy Tulowitzki?
• What"s up with Craig Sager standing next to Jimmy Rollins in the batting circle prior to Game 1 while delivering a somewhat unflattering portrayal of batting discipline? Nothing worse than a tactless, smarmy, smart aleck to match his attire.
• Watching Joe Torre lumber to the mound seemingly weighed down by gravity and the embarrassment of wearing a uniform designed for young athletes makes me wonder about the purpose of such a ritual anyway? Why does baseball require a reluctant manager to make a slow trek to the mound every time he wants to change pitchers?

Oh, What a Game!

Last night the Phillies overwhelmed the Dodgers from start to finish, tallying an 11-0 win in Game 3 of the NLCS. Cliff Lee continued his brilliant post season pitching, thoroughly dominating the Dodgers with his best outing, yet. And, Phillies hitters wasted no time in supporting him, putting 4 runs on the board in the 1st inning and 2 more in the 2nd, seemingly knocking the life out of the Dodgers.

After great efforts in his first two playoff games, somehow Lee improved on those efforts by completely shutting down the Dodgers. He limited them to 3 base runners all evening, punching out 10 hitters. The Dodgers could manage only 3 harmless singles over 8 innings and never advanced a runner past second base. On a crisp October evening, Lee demonstrated the determined, laser-like focus that has become his signature, aggressively pounding the strike zone with an ever changing array of pitches.

Meanwhile, the Phillies were scoring runs early and often. Ryan Howard continued to show his growing maturity, transitioning from slugger to big game, clutch hitter. Once again he was in the center of the action, ripping a 2-run, 1st inning triple down the right field line to begin the scoring parade. He even added a subtle, yet important contribution when he made a terrific scoop of a Chase Utley throw that quieted any potential further scrutiny of Utley's defensive struggles.

The guy behind him, Jayson Werth, continues to mature in his own right and followed Howard by launching a rocket deep over the center field wall into the ivy covered brick wall. His growing reputation as a right handed power presence behind Howard has surely played a role in Howard's second half tear as it deters pitchers from pitching around him and provides separation from the next looming left-handed slugger, Raul Ibanez.

After posting 4 runs in the first, the Phillies did not let up on starter Hiroki Kuroda in the second frame. Doubles by Carlos Ruiz and Jimmy Rollins sent him to the showers after 1 1/3 innings, and helped the Phils increase the lead to 6-0.

The Dodgers appeared to deflate, seemingly becoming resigned to the notion that coming back on this cold night was unlikely. While Lee was pounding the zone with unhittable pitches, Phillies hitters were pounding Dodgers pitchers. On a night that the team in blue was having trouble simply laying wood on Lee's offerings, the prospect of reversing a 6-0 deficit was becoming increasingly daunting.

Chad Billingsley restored order for a couple innings before the Phillies struck again with two outs in the fifth. Ibanez walked and Pedro Feliz then tripled high off the wall in right-center. Ruiz continued to build his reputation as post season hitter, quickly driving home Feliz with his second hit of the game.

With the crowd still roaring, enjoying the events of the night and cherishing the tremendous capabilities of their beloved team, Shane Victorino punctuated everything with an exclamation point by jacking a 3-run homer into the second deck in right to extend the lead to 11-0. At this point, Manuel thought better of sending his ace back out, and instead called upon Chad Durbin to finish things off. Durbin preserved the shut out by setting the demoralized Dodgers down in order and sent the fans to the exits still buzzing from an electrifying performance.

The Phillies appeared to make a resounding statement that they were not about to let their disappointing Game 2 loss have any lingering effect or derail their mission to repeat as World Series Champions. This is about what you would expect from a team that continues to only get better, secure in knowing they have a truly special team on a mission. The two teams go back at it tonight, with Joe Blanton facing off against former Phils hurler Randy Wolf. The Phillies hope to pick up where the left off last night.