Phightins

Alright, after having some time to cool down and think about this, I am not ready to throw in the towel yet. Obviously, we have a major uphill battle ahead, but I actually think the pitching matchups for games 5 and 6 are in the Phillies favor. Cliff Lee will pitch tonight on regular rest, and as everybody knows he has been dynamite lately. AJ Burnett was nearly unhittable in game 2, but he kind of strikes me as a right handed Cole Hamels. Electric stuff, but a major head case. He needs all of his conditions to be perfect in order to succeed, and he can be rattled easily. He prefers pitching at Yankee Stadium than the road, which is understandable, but also makes me feel a bit better about the Phils chances tonight. Burnett will be on short rest too, which will hopefully play into that "conditions" thing. For a potential game 6, it looks like it will be Pedro Martinez on 5 days rest vs. Andy Pettitte on 3 days rest, another matchup which I like. It looked like the Phillies were getting good looks at Pettitte in game 3, and were this close to delivering the knockout blow in the 2nd inning. Pedro pitched well enough to win in game 2 but did not get any run support. So, win those two and get it to game 7 where all the pressure will be on the Yankees, and who knows what will happen. This is probably a pipe dream, but it's a reason to remain optimistic I guess. Phillies probably need a miracle, but I am not giving up hope.

I just really don't want to see the Yankees wrap it up in our yard. Don't want that to sound like I'm conceding the series, because I am not, but that is just a starting point. Win tomorrow, don't let them celebrate on our field, and get this thing back to NY where anything can happen.

Have to keep the faith.

Well I am glad you are manlier than all of us, then. I do not take losses well, much less (arguably) the worst loss in the history of Philadelphia sports.

No, this loss is going to take a while to get over. You are talking lightly about it, you really have no idea. I don't even know if there is an NBA equivalent I can give. Just imagine the Lakers losing in the finals in one of the worst ways imaginable, and you might have an idea. So if I have really offended you here tonight, I apologize, but my OTR rep is not at the front of my mind right about now.

If we were to post this stuff after a Lakers loss we'd be banned. Just sayin'. And thanks Slaven.

Well, no matter what happens, I hope that Phillies fans are able to appreciate what this team did this year. Best time to be a Phillies fan ever. Love this team.

Cool

There is not one Phillies fan on here who you could call a fake. We have all been through thick and thin with this group for years and years, and we all just had our hearts ripped out. But I am glad you enjoyed that, kudos.

Don't [expletive]ing tell me to man up. I do not have to accept this loss. This was the most painful loss I have ever gone through as a Philadelphia sports fan, I do not have to accept it. And for the record, I did not say a word about money, one Phillies fan did.

I liked that.

I like how one Phillies fan makes a comment about money, and all of a sudden all of the Yankees fans (and Yankees "fans") come in and turn it into a big deal. Jesus, just enjoy the win, don't worry about what other people are saying.

COOL

The most painful loss I have ever gone though. Speechless. I just hope Cliff shuts them down tomorrow so I don't have to see them lift the trophy on our field. Can't even think about baseball right now.

That would be nice. This has the potential to be one of the best days in a while if the Phillies can pull out a W too.

Great game, great way to start the Philadelphia/NY day. 1 win down, 1 to go.

Because then it would be Hamels vs. Sabathia tonight, which is even less favorable lol.

I think it goes without saying that tonight is a must win for the Phillies. They have had some success off CC in the past, and they will need to find a way to get it done again tonight. Everything needs to go right. Joe needs to be at his best. It sucks for him because he hasn't really gotten consistent starts this postseason, so who knows how he is gonna pitch. If he pitches like the regular Joe Blanton, then I don't see any reason why we can't keep it close and hopefully get to the Yanks bullpen (well, the people in it not named Mariano). But we really need for everything to go right tonight. Must win. I really like the matchup tomorrow night of Cliff Lee vs. either AJ Burnett on short rest or Chad Gaudin, but if we are down 3-1 going into that, it won't really be as big of a deal.

He said a lot of things he shouldn't have. He is an idiot sometimes, he doesn't think before he talks.

Anyway, so many things to point at for losing this game. Shane Victorino's at bat in the 2nd inning with the bases loaded and 1 out was absolutely horrible. I know he wound up with a sac fly, but he swung at 3 straight pitches when we had Pettitte on the ropes, and right after a bases loaded walk to Rollins. He had to show a bit more patience there. We could have blown the game open right there. Also, I am still upset over the A-Rod homerun call. Unless the umpires have an advanced degree in physics, there is no way they could have determined for sure that the ball would have left the park and not hit the top of the wall. And they took about two seconds to review it.

The tickets up for resale have generally been cheaper for the games in NY than the games in Philly for this series. And thanks for the life lesson, but it still blows. I went to about 30 games this year and get shut out from the World Series games because of the ridiculous prices. Obviously, I realize why it is. But don't you see why I'd be disappointed with the fact that most of the people at these WS games probably haven't been to a game all season, and really don't care about what they are watching?

Also I hate the fact that the "real fans" do not get to go to the games, and we get stuck with disgraceful crowds like we had tonight. It was the same deal for the two games in New York. There are a lot of people at these games who do not give two [expletive]s about baseball or the game, they just are there because they have money to burn. The real fans who support this team all year long just do not have the money to be there. Really disappointed about that. I would love to be there but I am not paying $400 for a standing room ticket.

Bleh.

Game 3 lineups.... Yankees: Jeter SS Damon LF Teixeira 1B Rodriguez 3B Posada C Cano 2B Swisher RF Cabrera CF Pettitte P Phillies: Rollins SS Victorino CF Utley 2B Howard 1B Werth RF Ibanez LF Feliz 3B Ruiz C Hamels P

Agreed. Much better idea to use him in game 5 on his regular cycle and let him do what he has done for the past month. Some guys are okay pitching on short rest, and others aren't. Just depends on the guy. The World Series is not the time to experiment and find out whether or not Cliff Lee is one of those guys who can do it haha. Should this series go to game 7, Cole Hamels will pitch for the Phillies, but Charlie said that Lee will be available out of the bullpen to throw 65-70 pitches if need be. If it comes to that and Hamels shows any signs of being bad, Charlie will go to Lee right away I'd imagine. It would be all hands on deck, obviously.