Sunday, September 30, 2007

How it happened

I stalled before the games started Sunday, watching Silence of the Lambs.

Lovely stuff: "His pulse never got above 85, not even when he ate her tongue."

My pulse was closer to 4,000, and I was ready to eat my own tongue. The Phillies and Mets were tied for the division lead with one game to play each.

I commandeered my lovely, understanding fiancee's computer, watching the video feed of the Phillies on my laptop and following the progress of the Mets on the other.

Though I hadn't had breakfast, all I could eat during the games was two bites of fried chicken. It's like it was when I ran track and XC ... too nervous to get anything down.

As both games went in a positive direction, I began to count half-innings ... three at-bats left for the Mets, four for the Nationals. I left the couch maybe twice. And when the last pitch buckled Wily Mo Pena's knees, I bellowed a few ohmygods, high-fived, hugged and kissed my girl, and then, um ...

OK, I cried. Pretty enthusiastically. But only for 15 to 30 seconds.

Then it was time to place a few phone calls and texts to fellow long-suffering Phillies fans. Dad, Mom, Joel and Duc and Stew.

I also got a congratulatory message from a guy who had a lousy day: my brother-in-law, Brian, the classiest Mets fan in the business. And I don't mean that in a damning-with-faint-praise manner. Mets in '06, Phils in '07 ... one of these years, we'll both be there, man.

Now on to baseball-nerd business: the postseason roster. The Phillies can bring 25 players to the Division Series. If they make the LCS, they can tinker with the roster to bring another 25, and same with the World Series. Here's who I'd take:

Starters: Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, Kyle Kendrick, Kyle Lohse.
(No surprises here. You only need four starters in the postseason, and Adam Eaton is the obvious odd man out. I wouldn't even want him around as an innings-eater if one of the four starters does an Adam Eaton impression and stinks up the joint.)

Relievers: Brett Myers, Tom Gordon, J.C. Romero, Geoff Geary, Clay Condrey, Jose Mesa, Fabio Castro.
(The first three are obvious. The next two pitched brilliantly in September: Geary 2.65 in 17 IP, Condrey 0.73 in 12 1/3. Mesa was at 3.72 this month, and he's a former closer, whatever you think about him now, so he's in there. Castro's the wild card, a lefty with potential, though his stats have been nothing to write home about. Maybe Antonio Alfonseca or J.D. Durbin takes this spot instead. But I think the other six have to be a lock.)

Catchers: Carlos Ruiz, Chris Coste.
(I haven't heard anything about how badly Ruiz was hurt on the HBP that knocked him out of the game. Rod Barajas only makes this roster if Ruiz absolutely cannot play anymore this year.)

Infielders: Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Tadahito Iguchi, Jimmy Rollins, Greg Dobbs, Abraham Nunez.
(Enough with Wes Helms. I don't see him making a positive contribution.)

Outfielders: Pat Burrell, Michael Bourn, Aaron Rowand, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Chris Roberson.
(Roberson not Helms? Yeah. This team has enough hitting ... pinch-runners and defensive replacements are more important in the playoffs than in the regular season.)

4 starters
7 relievers
2 catchers
6 infielders
6 outfielders
= 25

Maybe that roster is sort of the one I WANT them to use. I think it'll be hard for them to leave Alfonseca and Helms off the roster in favor of Castro and Roberson, and maybe Barajas squeezes on even if Chucha Ruiz can still go.

I guess we'll see Monday or Tuesday. Can't wait. And can't wait to relax Monday night while our two prospective opponents fight each other.

Best of all, the Padres throw Jake Peavy, the best pitcher in the National League, Monday night, and the Division Series games are Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday.

That means if the Padres win, they'd have to throw Peavy on two days' rest at least once to start him in two games. Thursday, then Tuesday? More likely they save him for Saturday on four days' rest, pitching Game 3 in San Diego. But regardless, the fact that the Padres saved Peavy for Monday rather than throwing him today to sew things up was a huge miscalculation.

OK, enough blogging for tonight. Enjoy the playoffs, those of you who are so inclined. As court jester extraordinaire Dane Cook says, "There's only one postseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeason!"

...

The Phillies are in the playoffs. They did it.

That's all I got, my brains are mush. What a phenomenal feeling.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

I can't come up with a post headline to save my life

The last few days have been dizzying to Phillies fans. With a cruise-control win last night and the Mets' death-by-a-thousand-HBPs loss, the team suddenly controls its destiny.

Regardless of what the Mets do this afternoon, if Adam Eaton can throw five innings of three-run ball or less in the later game, I think the Phillies will win the division. Joel Hanrahan gives the Phillies hitters fits, but they're hitting too well in the clutch right now to choke, I think. I hope.

Last night, I watched both games in a bar with my friend Shea, an Astros fan and mercenary Phillies supporter this week. If this post reads like I'm tired, well, you can thank the Blue Moons and White Russians that were part of my balanced diet last night.

Quite a mix, actually - Blue Moons and White Russians. I call that diet Cerulean Sputnik.

Nothing? Bah. OK, fine, I'll get some more sleep. Go Phillies.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

There were two beers left in the fridge.

At 7:05 p.m., I drink the first one to calm my nerves.

Holly's already asleep, set to wake up around 4 a.m. to start a 27- to 30-hour surgery shift. I'm in the next room, the living room, sitting on the leftmost of the three couch cushions, crouched over looking at my laptop screen.

The computer video feed is flawless, even at full screen. The computer provides the only light in the apartment -- and the only sound, apart from the occasional AC kicking on.

Well, and apart from my occasional strangled cheers and groans, and my punching the air with every strikeout and double play.

The game was quite an experience, and it started as well as a game possibly could.

First pitch: Rollins slaps a single through the box.
Second pitch: Batting left, Victorino drops a gorgeous bunt down the third-base line as Rollins steams into second. Smoltz grabs it bare-handed and fires it wide of Teixeira at first. The ball smacks into the rolled-tarp at an angle and kicks into right field as Rollins chugs home and Victorino streaks to third.

Utley works a late count, then knocks an average grounder to Teixeira as Victorino takes a few tentative jab-steps toward home. Whether Teixeira was truly distracted by Victy (as Philly announcers surmised) or not, I don't know, but he booted the grounder, Shane walked home and Utley made first safely.

And then Howard came up. And I swear to you, I knew what was coming next.

Howard has struck out so much, SO much, this year that I no longer get those occasional pangs of "uh oh, here he comes, I'll bet he hits one a mile" like I did last August and early September. That's no knock against Howard, but ... OK, maybe it is a knock. But regardless, when he came up against a rattled Smoltz in the first tonight, it was the first time in a while that I really thought, "Smoltz doesn't have a chance here."

And he didn't. It looked like somebody had put the ball on a tee, lined up a fire hose, set it on "STUN" and flipped the switch. Kalas could barely get a mouthful of words out before the ball was in the right-field seats.

Four batters. Four runs. No outs. At least one fan having a silent, slack-jawed seizure. (I'm sure it was more than one, but as a reporter, I don't want to speculate.)

Kendrick was a wizard for five innings, scattering three hits and a walk or two. He left two balls over the plate that Chipper and Teixeira hit out for three runs combined, so he couldn't make it into the seventh. Myers left a ball up for Francoeur to pound out in the ninth, too.

The difference ended up being Burrell, who broke through against a guy who has terrorized him. He came in with two hits in two dozen at-bats against Smoltz, and he left with a two-run dinger that eked into the left-field seats.

There were a few tense moments, but I've seen tenser this year. In the end, I treated myself to another seizure, then popped open the other beer.

And oh yeah, the Mets lost. To Joel Pineiro, who did his best impression of a healthy Chris Carpenter.

So now the Mets and Phillies are tied for the lead of the National League East. The Phillies haven't had a meaningful lead (or share of one) for any potential playoff spot since the last week of 2003, when they proceeded to drop seven of their last eight to the Reds, eventual world champion Marlins and the Braves.

And that was it for Veterans Stadium -- simply a brutal way to end the stadium's life. (The NFC title-game loss to Tampa Bay a few months later managed to top that.)

Now, the Phillies are at home, the Mets are at home. The Phillies are 87-72, the Mets are 87-72. The Phillies play a losing team that has terrorized contenders this fall, and the Mets? Yeah, they do that, too.

Phils v. Nats. Mets v. Fish. Three games each.

If there's still a tie when the weekend's done, the Phils and Mets will meet at Citizens Bank Park for one game. The Phillies would throw Kyle Lohse. The Mets? It'd be Philip Humber's turn in the rotation, but I'll go ahead and guess they'd use Pedro, who threw tonight, instead.

Accckkkkkkkkkkk. Stay tuned.

Here we go

The biggest game of the season is tonight for the Phillies. They face John Smoltz, the Braves' best pitcher, while they throw Kyle Kendrick, their youngest.

The Phillies absolutely, positively need to win this game to still have a realistic chance of making the playoffs. And the game starts in 18 minutes, and I'm nervous.

Will the Phillies' hitters be loose enough? Will they watch Smoltz closely enough to have better luck against him the second time through the order? Will they take enough pitches to make him work? And will Kendrick shut down the Braves' hitters, who will be hacking with impunity knowing that they have nothing to play for and nothing to lose?

Let's find out. And let's feel like we want to vomit. Hooray!

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

What happened to my perspective?

Apparently, perspective is for the live-easy fans of the Yankees, and I guess M.C. Escher.

For fans of the Phillies and other less phortunate phranchises, there is only the grainy aftertaste of an Almost smoothie.

Mini-vent

I hate everything and everyone, everywhere.

Yeah, it's still baseball season. Talk to me in five or six days.

Bleak night

Phillies lost to the Braves' worst starter, while the Padres won with an excruciating four-run comeback in the ninth because Bruce Bochy has no idea when to pull a pitcher.

Not to be too melodramatic, but tonight was a crushing blow to the Phillies. They pretty much have to win out.

Monday, September 24, 2007

The knot!

No, this is not a wedding-related post. The Phillies are tied for the wild-card lead, thanks to a plummeting Padres squad.

NL EAST
Mets 87-69
Phils 85-71

WILD CARD
Phils 85-71
Padres 85-71
Rockies 84-72

All four teams have 6 to play:
Mets: Two against Washington, one against St. Louis, three against Florida.
Phils: Three against Atlanta, three against Washington.
Padres: Two at San Francisco, four at Milwaukee.
Rockies: Three at Los Angeles, three against Arizona.

I like the Mets to go 5-1 on the way out, putting the East out of reach. FINAL: 92-70.

Rockies? They'll take two of three in demoralized L.A., and two of three at home against a potentially coasting Diamondbacks team. FINAL: 88-74.

As for the Padres, they throw Brett Tomko against Matt Cain on Tuesday, then Jake Peavy against some random dude on Wednesday. Figure a split there, then a split in Milwaukee against a team that'll either be fighting for a slim chance of a playoff spot or playing pissed-off baseball in front of fans that didn't honestly expect (before the season) that they'd be a factor the whole season. It could go either way, and the Pads could sweep, but they don't look like a team capable of that right now. 3-3 puts them at ... FINAL: 88-74.

So. Phillies. They face Chuck James, Tim Hudson and John Smoltz on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I like them to beat James and beat either Hudson or Smoltz while getting punished by the other. That'd mean they'd need to win the Nationals series to make the postseason or avoid a D.C. sweep to join a three-team playoff that I simply can't imagine unfolding. With the Phillies' three best starters taking the hill in the last series and an all-hands-on-deck bullpen (Myers for AT LEAST two innings in the finale, if it's relevant), I think they'll squeak by. FINAL: 89-73.

If I believed in jinxes, I'd now be erasing the previous paragraph instead of typing this one. I've seen enough sports-level heartbreak in the past four Septembers (and four recent Januarys with a certain close-but-no-cigar football team) to take as much enjoyment and as little angst as I can. Jinxes, reverse jinxes and body English are crap, no matter what Carlton Fisk tells you.

That's not to say that I'm completely sane about this thing. Trust me, this will be a ridiculously unproductive work week (staying up to watch West Coast games sucks) but at least it's only one more week. And then it's over, for better or for worse.

The Phillies may make the playoffs this year, they may not. They may win five more World Series in my lifetime, they may never make it there again. But it's pretty safe to say they'll always be around to root for the next spring, so let's keep things in perspective.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Getting closer

The Phillies have seven games left to play, and they're only a half-game behind the Padres for the wild card, a game and a half behind the Mets for the NL East title.

Mets 86-68
Phillies 85-70

Padres 85-69
Phillies 85-70

The Mets still have one in Florida, three at home against Washington, one at home against St. Louis and three at home against Florida. I predict they finish 6-2, losing once each to Washington and Florida, forging a record of 92-70.

The Padres close with one at home against Colorado, then three in San Francisco and four in Milwaukee. I think they'll take the Colorado game and two of three in San Francisco. The question is whether Milwaukee will still be in contention by the time the Padres visit them.
-If Milwaukee still has a shot at the Cubs, I think they split the final series.
-If not, I think the Padres take three of four.
So that would make the Padres either 6-2 or 5-3 to close, making them either 91-71 or 90-72.

What's that mean for the Phillies? Well, if I'm right, the Phillies must finish no worse than 5-2 to tie the Padres. Only by winning out could they catch the Mets.

Can the Phillies win out? Their final seven starters line up this way, unless the off day changes something: Hamels, Moyer, Lohse, Eaton, Kendrick, Hamels, Moyer.

Here's a dramatic idea: Bump Eaton back. There's an off-day Monday, so you can make it Hamels on Sunday, then Moyer, Lohse and Kendrick (with four days' rest) Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I much prefer sending sinker-baller Kendrick against the Braves' boppers (in the Citizens Bandbox, mind you) than putting Eaton out there for one final stinkfest.

Then you've got Eaton, Hamels and Moyer for the final set against Washington in Philly. Hey, at least you have a chance to sweep the Braves that way. Maybe even bump Eaton back to the final day of the season, if the first game of the last set is a must win.

Or hey -- what about Hamels, Moyer, Myers? I know it's ludicrous, but you've just seen Myers pitch five straight days and say over and over to the press how willing he is to do ANYTHING right now with the season on the line. Is it beyond the realm of possibility that he could pitch at least the first three, maybe four innings of the finale, then give way to whoever can still lift a ball?

I dunno.

But anyway, prediction for the Phillies' final seven, if the rotation stays as is: Win Sunday in Washington, take two of three from Braves and two of three from Nats at home. That's 5-2 for a 90-72 finish.

Would it be enough?

Arrrgh, I don't know. Maybe the week ahead will be as painful as the final week of '05 and of '06. But at least we're still talking about the team.

By the way, can anybody tell me why on earth Wes Helms pinch-ran for Shane Victorino Saturday night?

Monday, September 17, 2007

Forgot two things:

1) I got passed in the final quarter-mile of the half-marathon by a guy in a pink tutu.
2) My legs were SO sore all day and night Monday. Holly and I are supposed to start a daily regimen of pushups and situps, but it may have to wait a few days.

Really?

Being a sports fan is supposed to be fun? Mmmmm nawsir.

Scores tonight: Phillies 13, Eagles 12.

The Phillies led 11-0 and 12-3, but won the freakin' game 13-11. What a travesty. Shades of the Atlanta game from two weeks ago. Somehow they pulled out a win, but Charlie Manuel is going to be roasted for lifting Kyle Kendrick after six frames.

It's amazing, the razor-thin margin of emotions in sports. The Phillies game ended with two guys on base and Russell Branyan, who I'm convinced could hit a baseball over the Gateway Arch, at the plate. Full count, ball down the middle of the plate.

If he hits that ball out of the park, I'm turning beet red and rolling my eyes back in my head. As it is, I'm flipping over to Baseball Tonight to continue following a pennant race.

Eagles? I don't really care about the Eagles right now, frankly. That'll change when the Phillies' season is over. Suffice it to say that the Eagles wouldn't be giving me much to care about even if I were so inclined.

Success

I didn't wake up at 6 a.m. for a week straight or anything, but I got close enough to a good sleep schedule to be awake for the half-marathon Sunday. And it went surprisingly well.

For the week before, I'd had what felt like sciatic pain in my right leg, so I was afraid that'd subconsciously slow me down, even though there wasn't anything structurally injured. It nagged me a bit before the race, but I didn't feel it at all during and I don't feel it anymore now.

I had a marvelous stroke of luck in the minutes before the race. With 15 minutes to go before the gun, I had to use the bathroom, but the lines for the dozens of portable ones in front of the museum were 50 people long. Duc suggested running to a building a quarter mile down Kelly Drive, so we headed that direction but soon saw three portopotties just behind a fence at a construction site behind the museum, with a little crack in the fence that runners had been squeezing through. No line. In and out in a minute, and I still had time to stretch.

The field was enormous, 16,000 runners squeezed onto Ben Franklin Parkway. My goal was to break a 7:30 pace. That was my mile pace in the marathon I ran in April 2006, and considering I'm not in as good a shape now as I was then, it seemed reasonable.

My first mile was a 7:16; it was tough to get any leg room out there. I mentally cackled at the dudes who had to stop after a mile to use portopotties. Second mile a 6:50, definitely too fast, but I still hadn't started breathing hard. The herd mentality, being surrounded by runners on similar paces, made it impossible to go too much faster or slower.

Starting with the third mile through the 11th mile, all my splits were between 7:03 and 7:10. The slight hill of the final two miles found me slowing down a bit and getting passed by at least a hundred people, but I still came through in 1:33:47, a 7:09 pace.

Duc ran significantly faster than his predicted pace, too, and I think two factors were in play:
1) With so many runners in the race, you could pick anyone to pace off of and then switch to somebody else a minute later if that person suddenly seemed to be too fast or slow for your taste.
2) The weather was immaculate. Low 50s and cloudless when the race started at 7:45 a.m., it was maybe the best running conditions I've experienced.

So what's next? Probably a winter 5K or 10K, then deciding whether to try to beat my 2006 time in the 2008 Louisville marathon. For sure, I'm not going to rest on my laurels for a full year like I did last time.

Monday, September 3, 2007

Stuck in the middle

Weeeeeeell it's 2:29 a.m. and I'm facing a dilemma that should not really be a dilemma and is entirely of my own making.

In 11 days and four and a half hours I'm running a half-marathon. That's at 7 a.m. Despite the fact that I sleep next to a future doctor who has taken to waking at 4 a.m. or earlier to go to surgical shifts, I haven't successfully woken up before 8 a.m. more than a handful of times since the last race I ran, which also was an early-morning affair.

Obviously, I can't sleep. The three-day weekend was a good one, but it screwed up my biorhythms or whatthehellever and now I can't sleep and now it's 2:35. And in 11 days I have to wake up before 6, probably closer to 5, and be lucid and loose enough to run half a marathon at 7.

How best to get on an appropriate sleep schedule?
  • Stay up all night tonight, plow through the day somehow and crash at 9 p.m.?
  • Go to sleep when I'm tired, wake up when I'm not, then go to sleep the next night way, way before I'm tired?
  • Do it in stages? A half-hour earlier each night?
I have no idea. It's frankly bewildering that I'm 27 years old and seemingly incapable of managing my time even in the most basic sense of when I should conveniently sleep.

Also, I have the meat sweats. That is, I ate a lot of meat tonight at a barbecue and it's making me sweat a little bit. And the house is plenty cool. Meat sweats. Yuck.