THINKS THE EAGLES STOLE ONE
As I type, the Phillies' clubhouse is about five minutes away from opening to the media, so that will be our first chance to gauge the atmosphere of the Local Nine 26 hours away from the NLDS opener against the Brewers.
Some Phillies-related news to pass along. . .
Major League Baseball has chosen Phillies closer Brad Lidge as their National League Comeback Player of the Year, another accolade for the righthander after a regular season in which he went 41-for-41 in save opportunities. Indians starter Cliff Lee was named the American League Comeback Player of the Year.
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Once things settle down here in a couple of hours I'll check in with a lengthier blog post complete with what Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo had to say about facing the Phillies in just his fifth start of the season.
A word of warning: I was listening to sports radio on my drive down to the ballpark and I came away with the impression that people are grossly underestimating the capability of Gallardo. This isn't just some 22-year-old kid getting thrown into the fire. He had some dominant outings last season, including one against the Phillies, and last year was being hailed as a future Cy Young Award winner. He missed most of this season, but it had nothing to do with his right pitching arm: he had knee surgery on his left knee in spring training and on his right knee in May.
This is a lot more difficult of a match-up than people might think on paper.
Anyway, check back later for more Playoff Goodness.
