It's been a crazy 24 hours, so I apologize for not blogging. I think we had enough coverage in the paper today for you to absorb.

Make sure to check out our special section tomorrow detailing the Phillies season.

For those of you not up to date on the particulars of the parade, here you go:

The procession is scheduled to start west of City Hall at 20th and Market around Noon. It will then proceed east to City Hall, before making a right turn onto Broad Street. The parade is supposed to arrive at the Sports Complex around 2 p.m. The ceremony inside Citizens Bank Park will last an hour, which means the whole shebang should be wrapping up around 3 p.m. Just in time for Halloween.

Should be a crazy day.

^

It's hard to believe baseball season is over. The city was buzzing today, as was expected.

Cole Hamels is going to be on Letterman tonight. Hollywood is going Hollywood, I guess.

^

I'll get back into the blogging habit tomorrow. Promise.

Well, at least one part of the strategy going into tonight's abbreviated Game 5 has been revealed.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel announced that righthander Ryan Madson will pitch the top of the seventh. Madson has allowed only two earned runs in 12 postseason innings.

Rays catcher Dioner Navarro is scheduled to lead off the seventh.

More later ...

Walking into the press box this afternoon was like walking into Pompeii, minus the volcanic ash. The line-up from Game 5 was still on the dry-erase board. The flags in center field were still blowing left to right. My game story was still half-written.

I'm anxious to see what tonight is like. Some of the questions on my mind:

1) Will they sing the Star-Spangled Banner? If so, this game will surely set a record for shortest time between the National Anthem and God Bless America.

2) Will they announce the line-ups?

3) How many empty seats will there be? I'm sure those who can't make it tonight will find a way to get rid of their ticket$, but what about the poor guy who mis-placed his ticket stub? I know they give people plastic ticket holders. And I know a World Series stub isn't exactly something you throw away. But between the rain and the beer and the ensuing confusion, I find it hard to believe that all 46,000 fans left the ball park with their stub.

4) On a baseball note, how will the nature of this game affect both team's bullpens? The conventional wisdom in baseball is that relievers are creatures of habit. It is why teams try to save their set-up men for the eighth inning, even if there is a critical situation in the sixth. It is why Brad Lidge's numbers in non-save situations are so much worse than his numbers in save situations. Although whoever takes the mound for the Phillies to start - I'm guessing it will be Scott Eyre - will technically be pitching in the seventh inning, their biological clock will tell them that they are pitching in the first inning. It will be interesting to see how both sides react. The Rays could go with lefty David Price, who came up through the minors as a starter. Will they have an advantage if that is what happens?

As for the weather, it is a beautiful day, minus the near-freezing wind chill. There are blue skies and cumulus clouds and no sight of pending rain. I talked to my dad a little while ago and he said the skies were looking ominous in Bucks County. But I figure M. Knight Shyamalan is just filming his next movie or something like that. Here in Philly, Mother Nature looks like she is either co-operating or setting all of us up for the cruelest punchline yet.

Remember when you'd be all wrapped up into an episode of Perfect Strangers, and Larry and Balki would spend the entire half hour involved in their usual hijinks, and then you'd look at the clock and realize it was almost 8:30 and the episode was nowhere near a conclusion, and than around 8:25 the three most dreaded words in prime time television appeared?

To be continued. . .

Here we sit, waiting for the Next Episode.

At eight oclock tonight the forecast calls for a temperature of 39 degrees with a 14 mile an hour wind that will make it feel more like 30 degrees. By 10 oclock, if the game is still going, the temperature is expected to get down to 37 degrees.

The good news? No rain. Or snow.

But put your plants inside before you go.

In today's paper, I tried to figure out what will happen on the field tonight, given the rare nature of some of the managerial decisions that wait Charlie Manuel and Joe Maddon. Here is a quick synopsis:

1) Is this now a battle of the bull-pens?

Yes. Both managers have said they will rely on their bullpens rather than calling a starter into action. The Phillies bullpen has been great thus far in the playoffs. In 37 1/3 innings, they have allowed just seven earned runs. All six releivers who have pitched at least three innings have an ERA of 3.00 or less, including closer Brad Lidge (six saves) and set-up man Ryan Madson (two earned runs in 12 innings). The Rays bullpen has allowed 19 earned runs in 46.0 innings and have been charged with two of their seven losses. The Phillies bullpen has yet to be tagged with a loss.

2) Who will pitch for the Rays?

Righthander Grant Balfour, who pitched the fifth in relief of Scott Kazmir, will be on the mound to start the inning, which means Manuel would likely send a left-handed bat to the plate to hit for Hamels, who leads off the inning. Manuel has his pick of Greg Dobbs, Matt Stairs and Geoff Jenkins. But Maddon could then counter with a left-handed reliever, forcing Manuel to either waste a pinch-hitter or hit a lefty against a lefty.

Rays top prospect David Price, a lefthander who has allowed one earned run in 4 2/3 innings this postseason, is a natural starter who can pitch two or more innings. It wouldn't be suprising to see Maddon call on him at some point.

3) What about the Phillies?

They have plenty of options. Rays catcher Dioner Navarro, who is scheduled to lead off the seventh, is a switch-hitter who has much better numbers batting left-handed than right-handed. So it would make sense to use either Scott Eyre against him. With the potential of dangerous lefties Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena coming to bat with men on base later in the inning or during the eighth, he might choose to save J.C. Romero for that type of situation. After Navarro,  Manuel could leave Eyre in to face the bottom of the order or call on Madson against righties Jason Bartlett and Rocco Baldelli. A lot depends, of course, on how many - if any - runs the Phillies score. Manuel has said he will not hesitate to use Lidge for more than four outs.

Just received the official word: Game 5 has been postponed again.

The tentative plan is to play the final three-and-a-half innings Wednesday night starting at 8:37 p.m. Acccording to Weather.com, there is a 30 percent chance of rain with rain and snow showers likely occuring in the morning. The high temperature is supposed to be 48 degrees. So it looks good that the Phillies and Rays will play a cold, abbreviated Game 5 tomorrow night.

Here is another interesting sub-plot:

Now, there is a possibility that Cole Hamels could be available to pitch Game 7. All it would take is Major League Baseball keeping an open travel day instead of playing Games 5, 6 and 7 consecutively. If that happens, Hamels would get four days rest before Game 7, putting him in line to start the game if it happens.

This would be the scenario:

Monday - Hamels pitches six innings in the first half of Game 5

Tuesday - Off (Rainout)

Wendesday - Off (End of Game 5)

Thursday - Off (Travel to Tampa Bay)

Friday -  Off (Game 6)

Saturday - Game 7 on normal rest.

But it remains to be seen what Major League Baseball is going to do about travel between Philly and Tampa. Everyone knows how much this depends on TV, and Friday and Saturday nights aren't great television nights, so I imagine Fox would rather play Game 6 on Thursday and Game 7 on Friday if necessary. But that would also force both teams to pull a potentially late night. Let's say Game 5 goes extra innings and lasts another two hours. The game would end at 10:37 p.m. By the time all was said and done, they probably wouldn't leave on their flights until 1 a.m. at the earliest. That would put them in Tampa at 3 a.m. and in St. Petersburg and checked into their hotel no earlier than 4 a.m. They would then play an important baseball game 16 hours later.

Regardless, the Phillies will now definitely have both Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton available for Game 7.

Alright folks, this is what we know:

1) The game will be played whenever the weather breaks, though nobody from Major League Baseball was willing to put a potential time on the thing.

2) Pitching coach Rich Dubee said the Phillies will definitely have a reliever on the mound, not Game 6 starter Brett Myers or anybody else.

3) The Phillies will lead off in the bottom of the sixth pinch-hitting for Cole Hamels, then will proceed to the top of the line-up.

4) Commissioner Bud Selig said he would have suspended the game whether or not the Rays tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the sixth, as they did on Carlos Pena's RBI single that scored B.J. Upton from second. The game would have continued with the Phillies leading 2-1.

5) Tickets for Game 5 will continue to be honored. So don't throw them away.

6) We'll have complete coverage in the paper.

It seemed like nothing could go wrong.

Cole Hamels was on the mound and pitching well.

The line-up had an early lead.

The ballpark was electric.

Then the rains came. Tonight's game has been suspended in the middle of the sixth inning with the score tied 2-2. The Phillies had a 2-1 lead heading into the inning, but the Rays tied it in the bottom of the frame.

More later.

For the definition of the word "buzz," simply walk around the city today. I took a cab from my apartment in Northern Liberties to meet the Inquirer's John Gonzalez in Rittenhouse for a ride to the stadium, and there was already an electricity in the air. Everyone was talking Phillies. The newspaper racks were completely sold out. We got to the park today and as I got out of Gonzo's Ford Escape I overheard a conversation between a 20-something Phillies fan and another Phillies fan.

"My kids are going to be dead before this happens again," the 20-something said.

Nothing like a little perspective five hours before the game.

In 1980, I was negative-two years old, so it is safe to say this is the biggest Philadelphia sports event I've ever covered. There have been some pretty disturbing reports today about some of the behavior toward Rays fans and family members. I can only hope everyone in this city keeps in mind that the eyes (and lenses, an notepads) of the country will be on them tonight. Win or lose, I'd encourage everyone to try to act with a modicum of class. Chanting "Eva, Eva" when Evan Longoria is at-bat is good. Pouring beer on his family's head is bad.

That said, the reaction to last night's win has been fascinating. I have yet to meet a single person in this city that thinks the Phillies are going to lose tonight, which is remarkable. This town isn't known for its optimism.

But there is a game to be played. And while it sets up perfectly for the Phillies -- in 1980, ace lefty Steve Carlton was on the mound; tonight, ace lefty Cole Hamels is on the mound -- Game 5 will not be a walk-over. There was little doubt in my mind prior to Game 4 that the Phillies would handle Andy Sonnanstine. But Scott Kazmir is not Andy Sonnanstine. When he is on, he is really on. Game 6 would feature James Shields. Game 7 would feature Matt Garza. So it isn't over, by any means.

There isn't a whole lot of X's and O's that needs to be covered right now. The Phillies need to give Hamels an early lead. If that happens, he will be very tough to beat. But strange things happen in October. The temperature is expected to be in the 40's tonight. I'm sitting in the press box right now and the wind is howling out to right field. From what I understand, the wind is supposed to die down. The Phillies have two of the best left-handed power hitters in the game. But the Rays have some good ones as well. Hamels has been known to give up a home run or two. I find it hard to believe Carlos Pena will continue to be a non-factor. But we'll see.

The red 1980 pennant in dead center has sat alone since Citizens Bank Park opened. Perhaps tonight will be the night it finally finds a mate.

Never before had a Phillies team led a World Series three games to one.

Now, one has.

The Phillies capped off a ferocious outing with a 10-2 victory over the Rays. They are now one win away from the city's first major sports title in 25 years.

I'm running down to the clubhouse.

I'll be back with much more later

^

BOTTOM OF THE FIFTH (Phillies 6, Rays 2): Joe Blanton and Brett Myers are friends. They hang out together. Apparently, they both like to hit too. Myers has had a couple of great at-bats this postseason. Blanton might have trumped him, becoming the first pitcher since 1974 to hit a home run in a World Series game. Blanton took Edwin Jackson deep for a solo shot that made up for Eric Hinske's homer off of him in the top of the frame. The last pitcher to hit a home run in the World Series was Oakland's Kenny Holtzman in 1974 against the Dodgers.

TOP OF THE FIFTH (Phillies 5, Rays 2): Eric Hinske, pinch-hitting for pitcher Andy Sonnanstine, just hit one of hte more impresive home runs you'll see, sending a 2-1 pitch from Joe Blanton off the brick wall in dead center field. It was a solo shot, so it didn't do too much damage. Nevertheless, the Phillies don't want to let the Rays creep back into this game. They had a three-run lead last night and watched it slip away. Here's a fun fact: A team that takes a 3-1 lead in the World Series has gone on to win the World Series in 36 of 42 occasions. The last time that a team with a 3-1 lead wound up losing a series was in 1985, when St. Louis lost the last three games to the Royals. The final two games were in Kansas City. Just sayin'.

BOTTOM OF THE FOURTH (Phillies 5, Rays 1): My apologies for missing the top of the fourth. We'll call it technical difficulties. Carl Crawford shaved the Rays deficit to 2-1 with a two-out solo home run. Just heard Ken Rosenthal on Fox saw Blanton looked bewildered walking off the mound, thinking he at first had given up a routine fly ball. Welcome to Citizens Bank Park. But the Bank taketh away, and the Bank giveth as well. In the bottom half of the frame, Ryan Howard went oppo with a three-run home run that lifted the Phillies to a 5-1 lead. It wasn't the most well-hit ball you'll see off his bat. But it was more than well enough to clear the left field fence. Jimmy Rollins led off the inning by reaching on the second error on Akinori Iwamura. Rollins has now reached base in all three of his plate appearances.

BOTTOM OF THE THIRD (Phillies 2, Rays 0): The odds were certainly in the Phillies favor as Pedro Feliz stepped up to the plate with two out in the thrid inning. They'd already gone hitless in their first six at-bats with runners in scoring position, and were 2-for-39 in the series. Somebody had to get a hit. It ended up being Feliz, who sent a ground ball through the left side of the infield to score Chase Utley from third. Utley reached on an error, then advanced to third on a single by Ryan Howard. Pat Burrell and Shane Victorino both popped out to short stop, leaving the Phillies on the verge of another frustrating collapse. But Feliz came through, and the Phillies lead 2-0. Carlos Ruiz loaded the bases with an infield single, but Joe Blanton's success on the mound hasn't translated to the plate -- he  fouled out to first base to end the inning. Regardless, Andy Sonnanstine is already up to 69 pitches.

TOP OF THE THIRD (Phillies 1, Rays 0): The Phillies are getting exactly what they need out of Joe Blnton. He gave up a one-out single to Rays pitcher Andy Sonnanstine, but got both Akinori Iwamura and B.J. Upton to ground out. He is locating his fastball very well and mixing in his slider. He is also keeping the ball out of the air -- only two outs have been fly balls.

BOTTOM OF THE SECOND (Phillies 1, Rays 0): After a rough first inning, Rays righty Andy Sonnanstine settled down, getting Carlos Ruiz to fly out and striking out Joe Blanton before giving up a single to Jimmy Rollins. Jayson Werth popped out to end the inning, but the heart of the order is up next.

TOP OF THE SECOND: (Phillies 1, Rays 0): Another impressive inning by Joe Blanton. He got Longoria swinging, adding to the frustrations of the rookie third baseman, who is hitless in 13 at-bats this series. Longoria is obviously frustrated. Blanton then got Crawford to swing at a slider out of the zone. He did give up a hit to Dioner Navarro - a single to right field - but then got Ben Zobrist to pop out to end the inning.

BOTTOM OF THE FIRST (Phillies 1, Rays 0): The good news for the Phillies is that they manged to take a 1-0 lead. The bad news is similar to what it has been all series: they let a chance for a big inning slip away. Jimmy Rollins led off with a double down the first base line, then moved to third on a sacrifice fly by Jayson Werth. Chase Utley then walked, putting runners on the corner with one out. The Rays seemed to be on the verge of escaping the jam when Ryan Howard sent a tapper back to the mound. But instead of wheeling to second for a potential double play, Andy Sonnastine ran to the third base line to catch Jimmy Rollins in a run down. Rollins got behind Evan Longoria at third base, diving under his arm and to the left of the base. Longoria swiped his arm, and may have tagged Rollins (Longoria thought he did), but third base umpire Tim Welke ruled him safe. That loaded the bases with one out. But the Phillies couldn't come up with a big hit. Sonnastine walked Pat Burrell to force Rollins home, but Shane Victorino hit a soft tapper back to Sonnastine, who threw home to get Utley in a force. Pedro Feliz then flied out to end the inning. The Phillies are now 0-for-4 with RISP tonight and 2-for-37 in the series.

TOP OF THE FIRST (Phillies 0, Rays 0): A scare off the bat of Akinori Iwamura not withstanding, Joe Blanton looks sharp early. A key for him has always been finding the strike zone and avoiding walks, and he did just that in the top of the first. Iwamura sent a ball to the wall the opposite way, but it petered out in the glove of Pat Burrell for a long out. Blanton then struck out Upton looking on a 1-2 fastball before getting Carlos Pena to foul out to catcher Carlos Ruiz. First inning struggles have plagued the Phillies in the past, so a scoreless start is a very positive sign. Nonetheless, getting Blanton a lead early will be key.

NATIONAL ANTHEM: Turns out, Patti LaBelle still has her vocal chords. The Philadelphia native and soul queen just belted out a, shall we say, spirited rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner. We're about to get underway here. Stay tuned for some updates throughout the game.

It's a beautiful, clear night hear at the park. Not freezing, but there is a nip in the air.

Here are the lineups:

Phillies

1. Jimmy Rollins SS
2. Jayson Werth RF
3. Chase Utley 2B
4. Ryan Howard 1B
5. Pat Burrell RF
6. Shane Victorino CF
7. Pedro Feliz 3B
8. Carlos Ruiz C
9. Joe Blanton RHP

Rays

1. Akinori Iwamura 2B
2. B.J. Upton CF
3. Carlos Pena 1B
4. Evan Longoria 3B
5. Carl Crawford LF
6. Dioner Navarro C
7. Ben Zobrist RF
8. Jason Bartlett SS
9. Andy Sonnanstine RHP

Maddon going with Zobrist in right for the second time this series. Manuel sticking with the lineup he has used throughout the series, though this might have been a day in the past where he would put Greg Dobbs in the lineup. Dobbs' bat is such an assett off the bench, though.

Keep it locked here for more.