THINKS THE EAGLES STOLE ONE
Chase Utley stole the show at Citizens Bank Park this afternoon when he told the crowd during its World Series champion, "World champions!"
Pause.
"World f------ champions!"
I was shocked, but I loved it. I also loved Jayson Werth's reaction. Priceless.
Here's a link. (parental guidance is advised).
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The Phillies announced they have declined the 2009 club options righthander Tom Gordon and outfielder So Taguchi. The Phillies had a $4.5 million option on Gordon, but took the $1 million buyout instead. The Phillies had a $1.25 million club option on Taguchi, but took the $125,000 option instead.
Today already has been pretty surreal. Looking outside my kitchen window this morning I felt like I had relocated a couple blocks from Broad and Pattison. Phillies fans were everywhere. Everywhere. Of course, I'm sure some of that is because I live just up the street from a SEPTA station, but still. This was crazy. This parade is going to be crazy.
The parade route already is a sea of red.
Fans already have started to file into Citizens Bank Park. Mr. Greenjeans is playing on the stage, which is set up at second base.
Phil Sheridan shares some of his thoughts about being on the field after Brad Lidge recorded the final out Wednesday.
Bob Ford tells us how Charlie Manuel outmanaged Joe Maddon in the final innings of Game 5.
Parade begins at noon.
Have fun.
And enjoy Cole Hamels' appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman.
I know this video has been on other blogs, but I've got to post it because I love Harry's call and Wheels' reaction. I love it because I'm guessing Wheels didn't want to shout over Harry, but he also had to celebrate. So he pumped his arms over and over and over again.
Loved it.
It's amazing how many e-mails I've received in the last 24 hours since the Phillies won the World Series. Here's just a sample:
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Sports Illustrated Presents has published a special collector’s issue commemorating the Philadelphia Phillies’ 2008 World Series Championship. The 84-page magazine, with a limited press run of 370,000 copies, will begin hitting newsstands and area retailers tomorrow, including Acme, Giant, Genuardi’s, Barnes & Noble and Wal-Mart throughout the state of Pennsylvania and is available online at Amazon.com. The special edition, which will be sold at a price of $7.99, features the entire team on the cover (left) with a billing that reads Philadelphia Phillies…Phantastic!
The limited-edition commemorative features an original essay by SI senior writer (and longtime Philadelphia resident) Michael Bamberger, a photo essay of the Phillies’ successful regular season and a snapshot of 125 years worth of Phillies baseball, including an all-time Philadelphia roster.
Writes SI senior writer Tom Verducci: “Like the ’02 Angels, ’04 Red Sox and ’05 White Sox, all teams that ended long championship droughts, the ’08 Phillies changed the identity of the franchise. These Phillies are winners. In this case, though, the psyche of the entire town was changed by the Phillies beating the Tampa Bay Rays…. Philadelphia had gone 0 for 99 in major professional sports seasons since the Sixers won the ’83 NBA championship, the longest stretch without a parade for any metro area with teams in the four major sports—a stretch that includes the entire life span of 24‑year-old lefthanded ace Cole Hamels, the World Series MVP.”
Highlights from the commemorative edition include:
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A city that had a baseball team with the dubious distinction of having the most losses in professional baseball history is today on top of the world for only the 2nd time in more than 100 years, and the first time since 1980 after defeating the Cinderella Tampa Bay Rays in five games of the 2008 World Series. The celebration had to be put on hold because of baseball’s first suspended game due to rain on Monday night, but less than 48 hours later the long-awaited baseball trophy belongs to the fans of Philly.
How sweet it is!
Likewise, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Philadelphia and Susquehanna Valley is also celebrating this historic moment as Nikco Sports has announced it will continue its post-season program to raise funds for the youngsters at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Philadelphia and Susquehanna Valley. Many of these youngsters have life-threatening medical conditions.
Did that really happen?
Did that really happen?
It did. Brad Lidge really threw that 0-2 slider to Eric Hinske at 9:58 p.m. last night at Citizens Bank Park, and Hinske really swung and missed to beat the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 of the World Series, 4-3. The Phillies really are World Series champions.
Believe it.
Savor it.
Un-freaking-believable.
Phil Sheridan asks you to cherish the moments that made this postseason so unforgettable. That would be a smart thing to do because everybody in Philadelphia knows how rare moments like this are. It had been 25 years since Philly enjoyed its last sports championship. It had been 28 since Tug McGraw bounced off the mound at Veterans Stadium.
So enjoy it.
Oh, yeah, parade at noon tomorrow.
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Bob Ford writes that in perhaps his final at-bat with the Phillies, Pat Burrell came through with the biggest hit of his life.
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It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Bill Lyon writes.
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John Gonzalez kisses Negadelphia good bye. Gonzalez, Ford and Sheridan wonder where the 2008 Phillies rank among the most beloved teams in city history.
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Jim Salisbury takes us Inside the Game.
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How about Geoff Jenkins? He hadn't had a hit since Sept. 28. He had been hitless in three postseason at-bats. But then he ripped a double to right-center field to leadoff the bottom of the sixth inning. ... Chase Utley made a hell of a defensive play in the seventh inning. ... You can be perfect. Just ask Lidge. ... Cole Hamels is World Series MVP. ... Frank Fitzpatrick isn't happy about the alcohol policy at the ballpark because it makes people act like, well, idiots. On that note, it's a shame that some idiots had to light fires and loot a luggage store in Center City. It's too bad morons in the Northeast were throwing beers at police. Unfortunately, people outside of Philly see that stuff on TV and think we're barbarians. ... Fitzpatrick surveys the scene from the stands. ... Joe Maddon some questionable pitching decisions last night. ... Some fans had a brutal night with tickets.
Brad Lidge struck out Eric Hinske with an 0-2 slider at 9:58 p.m. last night at Citizens Bank Park to capture the Phillies' first World Series championship in 28 years and second in 126 years.
The 25-year major sports championship drought in Philadelphia is over.
Enjoy it.
Charlie Manuel announced that Ryan Madson will start the seventh inning tonight in Game 5 of the World Series.
"He's got experience, and a couple of years ago he was a starter," Manuel said. "He's been throwing the ball real good. I think from a mindset he also knows that, we've just got three innings of baseball for our bullpen to pitch."
A reporter asked Manuel about the Rays being a team of destiny based on what happened in Game 5 on Monday. Manuel had a great response.
"I wouldn't trade positions," he said. "So I guess I feel like I have an advantage. That's kind of how I look at it. Destiny is one thing, but if they're destined, we want to definitely fight through destiny."
Just got an e-mail from MLB with the subject line that read, "Game Five of the 2008 World Series to be Resumed Tonight."
Information from the Phillies:
Game 5 of the 2008 World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies will resume tonight at Citizens Bank Park, Major League Baseball announced today. First pitch is scheduled for 8:37 p.m. (ET). The Phillies will be coming to bat to start the bottom of the sixth inning with the game tied, 2-2. Game 6, if necessary, is scheduled for tomorrow night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Ticket Information: Fans holding tickets for World Series Game 5 should use their ticket(s) for re-entry. The game is sold out. Fans without tickets for tonight’s Sixers game or tickets from Monday night’s Game 5 should not come to the sports complex.
Public Transportation: Fans are strongly encouraged to use public transportation. SEPTA will provide additional service plus park and ride options. For information about SEPTA’s Broad Street Line service, call (215) 580-7800 or visit www.septa.org.
Parking Information: Fans who choose to drive to the complex should plan on arriving earlier than usual. Parking will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Fans with parking passes or receipts from Monday (October 27) will be permitted to gain re-entry into any of the sports complex lots. They will not be required to park in the same lot. Those without passes or receipts from Monday, October 27, will be required to pay for parking. Fans who do not have tickets for tonight’s events should not park at the sports complex.
Gate Openings: All Citizens Bank Park gates will open at 5:30 p.m.
There will be baseball tonight at Citizens Bank Park.
Or not.
It's all weather permitting, of course. But the last time I checked weather.com, there's only a 20 percent chance of rain, so I'm guessing Game 5 of the World Series between the Phillies and Rays will be played. Of course, it also will be 38 degrees outside, so it will be freeeeeeezing. But the cold is the least of the Phillies' concerns right now. They need to make sure they're refocused. These guys were upset leaving the ballpark Monday. Have they put those frustrations behind them?
We'll see.
Phil Sheridan reminds everybody that this is still the Phillies' series to win: "Imagine if someone came to the Phillies in March and offered this proposition: You can play 31/2 innings, with four times at bat to the opponent's three times, to win the World Series. And if you somehow manage to lose that shortened game, you get two more full games. Win just one of those and you're the champs. Think the Phillies would have taken that? Every team in baseball would take that."
He also says enough with the only-in-Philadelphia talk:
"If the Phillies fail to win the 2008 World Series, it won't be because the fates are aligned against them. It won't be because it snowed before Halloween or because Bud Selig's glasses fogged up during the fifth inning of Game 5a or because William Penn is still honked about One Liberty Place. No, it will be because Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Pat Burrell couldn't score one more run than the Tampa Bay Rays with three extra outs to work with.
"These things aren't supernatural. The Eagles didn't lose their 1988 playoff game in Chicago because of the sudden arrival of thick, impenetrable fog. They lost because they had two touchdowns called back for penalties they committed in plain sight, and because tight end Keith Jackson, uncovered in the end zone, dropped a touchdown pass. The Eagles were inside the Chicago 20-yard line nine times and failed to score a touchdown.
"We all remember the fog better than the details, and years from now we'll remember the first World Series game ever to be suspended better than we'll remember Shane Victorino's two-run single in the first inning."
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So who's going to pitch? Who's going to hit? Neither manager is saying, but I took a crack at what might happen when play resumes in the bottom of the sixth inning.
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Jim Salisbury takes a trip to the firing range, where Brett Myers spent his unexpected day off.
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Bob Ford pretty much crushes Selig, which is a popular pastime around here these days.
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Bill Lyon writes about what could have been and what is.
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John Gonzalez opens the mail bag and finds that fans think God hates the Phillies. Gonzalez, Ford and Sheridan talk more about this mess.
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So you know that light rain baseball said its three weather services called for? They also predicted the rain would pick up around 10 p.m., which it did. Meteorologists aren't surprised that there's bad weather right now. Because, you know, it's late October!
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More people in Philly are watching the World Series than people in Tampa Bay. ... The Rays love Wilmington! Quick Wilmington, get your tourism brochures updated! ... Game 5 tickets remain an expensive ticket.
