Tagged: Philies
Let the Madness begin
Happy Halladays to start the postseason
In a somewhat sarcastic way I proclaimed on October 5th that the Reds would not get a hit throughthe NLDS against the Philies.
So far so good huh.
There was not a better way to script the opening day of the postseason than the first playoff no hitter since Don Larsen’s perfect game in 1962.
So close to a perfect game too. Unbelievable. And to do it twice in one year simply baffles me. Just imagine if Roy Halladay happened to be out of Toronto for more of his career. He could possibly be one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history. He still has a lot of gas in the tank and judging by this season alone he has punched his ticket to Cooperstown. A first ballot hall of famer in my book.
One game that may hold him out could very well be May 18, 2010.
He lost to the Pirates.
Zach Duke went toe-to-toe with the Philadelphia ace in a 2-1 ballgame where both pitchers
went the complete game. It was one of the most precise games the Pirates put together in 2010 and the best contest of Duke’s wretched year.
As I type this the game in Minnesota is going swimmingly well for the Twins. Something to say that I am pleased to see. Francisco Liriano is pitching masterfully.
Pitching has been a common theme when discussing the highs of the 2010 MLB season. So far it looks like the playoffs are going to be no exception. Cliff Lee shut down the Rays this afternoon. Halladay had a freaking no hitter. Liriano is coasting right now.
Tomorrow presents a new day with two similiar teams pinned against each other. It is sure to be anothers pitchers duel as Tim Lincecum faces Derek Lowe.
When it comes to picking a team to root for in the postseason, it hasn’t been the easiest thing. Last year I chose the Dodgers because of my good blogging friends Emma and Cat were so very kind to me. This season is a bit trickier, but not really. I am sticking with the NL West theme and will be adorning the orange and black.
I’ve always liked the logo and color scheme. The city is one of a kind. The ballpark blew me away. Besides those intangibles the Giants also offer something special for the playoff run, one of my favorite players of all time.
Freddy Sanchez.
His time in Pittsburgh was headlined by a batting title in 2006 but what may have been overshadowed was his hospitality. Sanchez is a class act and was always a fan favorite. His work ethic and gritty glove work is topped only by his consistent bat. He is finally overcoming injuries that have haunted his whole career and he is showing he belongs in an everday lineup, especially on a contending team.
Nobody deserves the honor of winning games in the post season than Freddy Sanchez.
Go Giants!
photos: ap, yahoo.com
Bucs own Phils on a Halladay Weekend
I owe that pun to my good friend Eric. Not only was it a Holiday weekend with the 4th of July celebrations heating up all weekend but the Philies were in town.
Now it was a four game series, a series in which I attended two games, but Roy Halladay did not even pitch. Still funny nonetheless, thanks Eric for the blog title.
I helped PNC Park open the series on Thursday with some of my favorite guys; Eric, my brother Zach and my dad.
We had just amazing seats located just two rows back from the field.
We got there right as the gates opened in hopes of autographs and balls thrown from batting practice.
Ryan Howard was one of the players signing before the game. Actually just one of two players who we saw signing. The other was pitcher Jose Contreras. Howard was only out for about 30 seconds so neither of us had the chance to get something signed.
This would come back to haunt Howard as he struck out twice, much thanks to Eric, Zach and my chants of “Quiznos, Quiznos, Quiznos” in reference to his sponsorship deal with Subway. To tell you the truth I enjoy Subway more than Quiznos anyway.
The rest of warmups were fun as the players were animated with their stretches.
Raul Ibanez tied his shoes with the Pirate Parrot. The Parrot would also steal the batting gloves and balls from the Philies as they were warming up. I don’t think theres a question that he is the best mascot in all of baseball.
Philies fans easily outnumbered Pirate fans in the crowd of 27,000. A very nice crowd in Pittsburgh especially on a Thursday so I do have to extend a thanks you to the Philies fans who helped pack the yard.
Except this chick in the John Kruk jersey. Now I’m all fro Krukky, I am a big fan, love his personality and he is from West Virginia believe it or not, but she was one annoying brat. Everything out of her mouth was delusional and downright stupid. I don’t want to say typical Philly fan but ehhhh. Compliments on the jersey girl!
The Pirates held on to a 3-2 victory.
The Bucs won on Friday, 2-0, thanks to masterful pitching from Ross Ohlendorf.
I made my PNC Park debut of my Pedro Alvarez t-shirt on Saturday. It brought about much fanfare as Alvarez belted his first major league home run. It was an opposite field blast over the right field wall. Ryan Church would also add a homer but it wasn’t nearly enough as the Philies rolled the Pirates 12-4. The worst part was being serenaded with “Let’s Go Philies” leaving the ballpark. Citizens Bank Park West was what it was like.
However the greatest feeling in the world is being at a baseball game, enjoying a beer and hotdog (in my case a big helping of Quaker Steak and Lube wings) and fireworks.
There is no place in this great country better for fireworks than Pittsburgh, Pa. Put to a grand score of American tunes the post-game firework show was awe-inspiring leaving the sellout crowd breathless.
This weekend brought over 120,000 people to the North Shore. It was much like a playoff atmosphere and the best feeling I have had at a game all season, aside from opening day. It seemed that the whole crowd hinged on every pitch as players and fans alike treated the games as a budding rivalry for state bragging rights.
I only hope I can feel this some October in the near future.
Yanks spook the Phils in a Halloween Game 3
While “Thriller” was probably heard playing at your Halloween party last night, the baseball game was anything but that.
The Yankees handily defeated the Philies 8-5.
It surely was a good and memorable game and I’m dissapointed that I missed a good portion of it. Considering it was Halloween and the fact that I am a college student, one would assume that I had other plans-which I did.
While I could go on and on with Halloween stories and West Virginia tales we’ll stick to baseball.
Cole Hamels looked like he did in last year’s World Series-dominant. He had the confidence in an early 3-0 lead, but things headed south in the 4th inning.
This guy finally showed up. A-Rod went deep for a 2 run homerun and his first hit of the World Series. The call which was originally ruled a double was over turned thanks to instant replay. Instant replay has been a hot topic for discussion in this series. Many pundits argue that it is a necessity in all facets of the game. I disagree. If you are going to have it, why do you need umpires. Put robots on the basepaths if you really want the right call. I’m all for instant replay on the homeruns, it’s great that every run is accounted for.
However, on the basepaths, keep it up to the umpires. For all the heat they take, they’re not praised enough for their expertise. It’s not like these guys are slouches they are seasoned and have so much experience following baseball. Yes, there have been some buthcered calls on those bang bang plays at first but its the game of baseball. Nothing is perfect-why mess with tradition?
Even though there is obviously not a DH in the National League, Hideki Matsui still showed up. He came in to pinch hit for Joba Chamberlin in the 8th inning and pulled off his best Matt Stairs impression. There was another Godzilla sighting except this time the Philly Phanatics got a glimpse of the beast. Matsui went deep for a pinch hit solo shot. If there is to be named a World Series MVP, Matsui looks to be a frontrunner for the title.
You want to talk about a comeback player of the Series look no further than Nick Swisher.
Batting a miniscule .111 through the course of the playoffs its safe to say Yankee fans have been dissapointed in their rightfielder. He was benched in favor Jerry Harriston Jr. in game two. Game three was a different story. Swisher belted a homerun and nailed a double to go 2-4. He was so pumped up and brought a new life to the New York club. All season long Swisher has been a leader and brought the fire. Game 3 was a big confidence booster not only for Nick, but the Yankees as well.
The series has flip flopped completely. Many people already gave this to the Philies after their domination in game one. After three games people are jumping for the Yanks. All along I figured the Yankees are the better team but the Philies do no need to be taken out of the discussion completely.
The Pittsburgh Peas 