A Bad, Bad Joke
The more I think about it, the more I can't believe continued to play last night in Game 5.
A Bad, Bad Joke
Todd Zolecki
Question: What would have happened had the Phillies been leading at the end of the sixth? What's the rule and what was the contingency plan?
Bud Selig: The rule, we would have gone into a rain delay, and that rain delay would have lasted until, weather permitting, we could resume the game. And that might be a day or two or three or whatever.
Question: So the game wouldn't have been called --
Bud Selig: No, sir. I was not going to allow that to happen.
Question: You mentioned that you came down and talked to the grounds keepers in the fifth inning when it started to get really hard. Why then was the call not made until the middle of the sixth inning?
Bud Selig: When I came down in the fifth inning ... he said, "We're OK." He then called the weatherman and he said, "Look, I think we're OK, but let's see what happens." And the problem was it got worse. The winds changed. I mean, things happened that we didn't -- that's why I came back again because I was really getting very, very concerned. The first three innings it didn't rain at all. I got lucky, I thought in the last of the third, hey, the guy was wrong, there's no rain at all. So I guess I'm the jinx here.
If you're a Phillies fan, you should be livid that baseball suspended Game 5 of the World Series in the middle of the sixth inning. The game should have been suspended no later than the fifth. It was obvious. Obvious. You should be livid because the Phillies burned through their best pitcher last night, and he might not be available again the rest of the series.
But you should be a little nervous, too, because the Phillies lost their momentum and the heart of the Rays order -- Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria -- finally showed signs of life. The Phillies were steamed baseball allowed play to continue. Cole Hamels had no changeup because he had no feel for the ball. But baseball played. It continued to play until the Rays tied the score in the sixth, when nobody could get a grip on the ball.
Like one player said last night, "It's a (crap) show."
It was.
*
Phil Sheridan writes, "Major League Baseball should be ashamed for allowing its most important game of the year to deteriorate into an embarrassing mess because of slavish obedience to its pimp, the Fox Television Network."
*
Bob Ford talks about Charlie Manuel's silence afterward.
*
Bill Lyon writes about a night that ended in ruin.
*
Jim Salisbury goes Inside the Game. Frank Fitzpatrick Touches 'Em All.
*
John Gonzalez also writes about the travesty that became Game 5. Gonzalez, Sheridan and Ford talked the favorite World Series moments ... well before the rains came.
Dead on, Todd. The problem is the timing of the suspended play...it is totally unfair to call it in the middle of an inning. Also, Joe Buck is a Tampa Bay jock-sniffing dweeb....it is sooooo obvious he is favoring Tampa Bay. Look moron, the Phillies have had to endure the same strikezone problems as Tampa....and Joe, your crying about the poor conditions taking away the Rays running game were right on the mark, as two pitches later Upton stole 2nd. Your crying and whining is pathetic.— MrPhillie
Selig claims they would not have ended the game early regardless of which team was winning. I'm not so sure.— bobby- What would have happened if the Rays had scored 2 runs in the top of the 6th? Would the game have ended then? If so, there might have been a riot! I agree that a team should not be allowed to win that way. Just wondering what would have happened. First of all, the game should never have been played. Then, when the conditions deteriorated, they didn't stop it fast enough. Probably should have been called in the 3rd or 4th inning and restarted from the begining. They opened up a large can of worms when they allowed the top of the fourth inning to end. That made the game official. I hope the Phils persevere and win this thing. If they don't perhaps the Phillies just aren't meant to win a World Championship. It might be a very long time until they get another chance. GO PHILS!!!!— James TL
- By the way, remember the last time the Phils played a WS game in similar weather? The two teams combined for 29 runs. Glad this one didn't go THAT way.— NJLouis66
- Here you go, consider this: Kazmir threw over 100 pitches in 4.0 IP. and the Phils scored TWO runs. That's the story of this game.— NJLouis66
- All of this talk about the weather and how the game was handled is amazing. The real story here is this: the Phils should be up about 7-2 in this game. The issue is not what happened in the top of the 6th, it is what happened just before that in the bottom of the 5th. 2 on, no outs, and they were just left there in the rain. Three straight popups. Didn't even move them up in a one-run game with Hamels on the mound. THAT is the story here. I think the Phils will win this suspended game. But if for some reason they do not, PLEASE don't cite this weather-related stuff as the reason. The reason is all of the runners LOB. In fact, the fallout of all of this may actually favor the Phils - middle relief vs. bottom of TB's order in the 7th, Madson and Lidge in the 8th and 9th. The Phils should be able to keep the Rays off the board. The Phils have three extra outs and need, hopefully, only one run. And if for some reason this doesn't work out, a cancellation tonight gives Hamels an extra day's rest and might make him available for a possible Game 7.— NJLouis66
- I originally was thinking Myers for this resumed game, but I agree with several others who have made the point that he seems to take an inning or two to settle in, and that's a luxury we don't have in this situation. This is really a relief situation, and who exactly gets the call may depend on whether the Phils come out of the 6th with the lead. If so, then I think it's no question: Madson to pitch 7 and 8, and Lidge to pitch 9. Lidge will be ready to step in early if Madson needs help in the 8th. But if the game is still tied when the 7th starts, there's a possibility of leading off with Durbin or Condrey, maybe Romero, depending on who's batting. The key is to get the lead so we can get into our normal back of the bullpen strategy.— bobby
- Nothing matters except that the Phillies have two giant holes in the middle of their lineup. You can spin this any way you want, but if they don't hit - we lose. And, I don't want to hear about Howard's Sunday game. Hitting home runs in a 10 - 2 game is not a sign of redemption. Let's see one of them do something in a pressure situation, besides walk or fan.— Bama
- First of all, there is no truth to the rumor that the remainder of game 5 would be played anywhere other than Philadelphia. Second of all, there will not be a travel day between games 5 and 6, if indeed, there is a game 6. Yes, it is time for Gillick, Montgomery, and Manuel to step up and say what has to be said. I don't think there would be any chance the game would be played tonight. I am worried about tomorrow night. It is going to be very cold and windy, with an outside chance of rain/snow showers. Again, conditions not suitable for a World Series game. Game 5 should be played Thursday night. The Phillies should insist on nothing less.— glennboe
- Bud Selig said last night that will NOT happen. The game will be played in Philly.
- Nothing on ESPN.com about that, and I will bet my house that does NOT happen.— bobby
- Todd - it doesn't take much to incite a negative reaction in philly - ease up! Fact of the matter is, the past is the past. The Phils have a better bull-pen and have 4 at bats to their 3. Advantage is definitely ours if the Phils can keep their heads on straight.— vinceabs
- The heavy rumor on ESPN is that they are trying to shift the remainder of Game 5 to Tampa. Todd, can you confirm?— Mike H.
- Surely you mean Myers in game 6. And yes the travel day must be fought for by Phils management. Gillick, Montgomery its time to step up in more ways than one. Absolutly no one takes the field if it is raining. PERIOD! We were hosed over rain 30 years ago and it must not happen again.— Wally 24
- If they have a travel day, I would go with Myers in game 5. Releif pitchers shouldn't start games, it's all about their mental aproach to the situation. The reason I mentioned travel day is that it could free up Hamels in game 7.. No travel day, I save Myers for game 6...No Chad Durbin , He's been toasted the last 2months. no no no no Durbin.. Go Phils...— pat h
- The Phils need to focus on the task at hand and WIN THIS THING!!!! Anger, griping, etc., is nothing but a distraction from that objective. As for how to handle this in the future, it's not that complicated: Don't start World Series games in the rain, or suspend the game when the conditions are too poor to play properly. I absolutely agree that they should not have won on a shortened game. That would taint a championship for sure.— bobby
- I thought there was rain all along! But I wasn't there. Clearly, play was continued way too long. Even Rays' pitcher Trevor Miller (excuse me if I don't recall the right last name) said that the wind taking the popup out of J-Roll's waiting glove at last second was an indication conditions were too poor to play. We fans are feeling burned and nervous, Todd, as you suggest we should be. Rosenthal and Stark agree the game lost it's so-called prized integrity by even beginning in poor conditions when the WS is meant as a showcase for the two best teams. HOWEVER, there's nothing to do now but move on, refocus and play to win! The players are tough and must rise above this foul weather and everything else. We need them not to concede an edge to the Rays on this, they must continue to play with "relaxed intensity" to quote Greg Dobbs and WIN this thing for themselves and the fans. Meanwhile, MLB needs to take a goo long look at this to better handle it in future. Go Phils!— gbrettfan
