Phillies Nation

Tim, No lie, I thought the same thing when Vic got to the plate. When Stairs got up i thought ” Wouldn’t this be awesome if he went Yard!”. So I can Honestly say I called ! of the 2.

Anyway. Shane should without a doubt be the NLCS MVP when we win tomorrow!

Yes, what an emotional game. Actually, it was an ulcer-inducing game. In the sixth inning, when we were down by one run with men in scoring position, I was literally yelling at the television… loudly…VERY loudly…calling for Charlie Manuel to be fired right there in the middle of the game! He pinch hit Pedro Feliz for Greg Dobbs. What an asinine thing to do. When that didn’t work, he put up So Taguchi to pinch hit. That, of course, was even asininer and didn’t work, either. I was pulling my hair out. And then another Ryan Howard throwing error on a routine play that cost us a run. (He’s been doing that all year.) Good thing for Manuel that Vic and Stairs came through. And Lidge, as usual, made things interesting. I’m glad we have a day off today. My fingernails need time to grow back.

Yea, I sort of had the feeling on Stairs because he takes the biggest swings I’ve ever seen. I posted last night moments before the HR that Stairs will hopefully just close his eyes, take his usual big hack, and connect – sending it probably out of the stadium. Didn’t quite leave the stadium but it was a towering shot; one of my favorite Phillie moments waiting for that ball to land.

It is kinda crazy how different the ballparks are… when they were hit.

I thought Loney’s was a HR.

I did not think Blake’s was a HR.

and I did not think Victorino’s would clear the fence height-wise…

Its great to be wrong sometimes!

To be honest, I called them as well but I also called homeruns every time Burrell or Howard came to the plate as well. So, I didn’t really call them, I just said “Homerun (insert player name here)” before every at bat.

From MLB.com HEADLINE:

“Dodgers show heart and hustle in tough defeat”

Seriously? How ’bout “40 year old journeyman crushes un-hitable Broxton to dim the lights on this over-rated wild card team.” I would have been fine with “Dodgers lose, again.”

I can’t wait for this f’ing series to be over.

“Manny is a Great Hitter, but can’t help team win games ever” …that would be a good headline

I think all Phillies fans “called” the Stairs home run if by “call” they mean “When I saw Stairs come up to bat I thought he might hit one out.” I know that’s how I was. When you see Stairs come up to the plate against a guy that throws 97+ MPH, obviously your not gonna say “I think Stairs is gonna leg out an infield single to Furcal.” We know Stairs is much like Branyan from last year. He’s either going to pound the ball into the stands or strikeout. So we were all 50/50 on that one.

The Vic HR though, that’s a pretty impressive call.

I feel bad for whatever pitchers are going to face us in the near future. Chase and Ryan are just heating up. Vic is on fire. If Jimmy and Jayson start setting the table, who knows how many runs we can score. Pat could strike at any time. Chooch is getting hits in spots where we need them (two outs to turn he lineup over or bring up Stairs). Better yet, we already know we can own Billingsley. It’s gonna be a fun game tomorrow night.

Dan, trust me, I believe in this team but the problem with “if Jimmy and Jayson start setting the table” or “Pat could strike at any time” is that the Rays don’t need to heat up, they’re already red hot. Not to look ahead but the next series scares me to death.

We’re we all thinking the same thing? Haha, I said to my mom, “Wouldn’t it be great for Shane to stick it to the Dodgers with a 2 run HR to tie it up?” and then Chooch with the clutch hit setting it up nicely for Stairs – what a night, what a team.

This is soooo great …I tuned in last night again when Victorino hit his blast..(I had to turn it off when the Dodgers went ahead,I felt for some reason they would go ahead if I didnt watch).
I didnt expect Stairs blast though..but it was just as great…

Are any of you bothered by the McCarver -Buck dissing of the Phils ..
.That bugs me so much..It was Dodgers this..Dodgers that..There is Fonzie,Mary Hart..etc..who the f–ck cares about those fossils anyway?

I got so wrapped in that game that I couldn’t take it and I went out of the room to catch a breather. That was after the bottom of the 7th. If I still smoked I would have been puffin away. Instead I came back 20 minutes later having missed the glory that was the 8th. It was just like the time I went to the bathroom during the superbowl halftime because I didn’t care about Timberlake or Janet and heard all my friends yell “was that a nip” as I was zipping up.

Not trying to take anything away from Lidge or Hamels, just I feel Victorino singlehandidly saved 2 games with his offense and defense.

But you can make strong arguments for others too, no doubt.

Looks like the Dodgers pissed off the wrong guy (Victoino) with that brushback pitch

Victorino is this year what Rollins was last year… a sparkplug..

He’s not the best player on the team, and he’s not the best hitter in this series… but he’s been involved in so many clutch plays, that he has the spotlight on him right now. . and I wouldn’t be surprised in he won an MVP of the series, nor would I complain..

But I think Utley is carrying this team right now too…

I dont see how Burrell with 5 hits, 1 BB, and 2 RBIs could be higher than Utley.. who has 6 hits, 5 BB, and 3 RBI, all while playing better defense

Victorino only has 3 hits in the series.. but 6 RBIs stand out a lot

Depending on what happens in the next few games, but I’d go with Utley, Lidge, Victorino.. and see if Hamels can keep his posteason magic going, he would jump up the list!!

Victorino may have a .188 average, but he has 6 RBI in this series, which means all of his hits have been timely or “clutch” ones (and he the same amount of RBI than Howard, Utley, Burrell have put together).

He also leads all MLB players with 11 RBI total in the postseason.

You can make cases for others being series’ MVP worthy, but to bash Victorino for “only” having a .188 BA is seriously overlooking the facts.

Utley’s double play at second base last night was amazing also. That was a game saver/changer also.

Don: I agree; it’s a fun debate to have. It’s much better than waking up in L.A. this morning, that’s for sure.

Hey Richie Allen, I agree with you. I can’t stand Tim McCarver. He is always saying stupid things about the Phillies, about us – the Phillies Fans, baseball in general. I wish he would just go away.
Another Point: lets get rid of the national broadcasters and let the local announcers call the games. We need Harry, Wheels, LA, Franskie, McCarthy, etc.

ohh…. yea its only like 9:30 in the morning out there… what a long day this most be for Dodgers fans..

Did anyone else notice the fans right behind home plate, getting up, putting their jackets on and leaving with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th!!! Those “fans” would definitely have had stuff yelled and thrown at them in Philly.. even in the expensive seats.. what a bunch of fake fans.. “celebrities” like Penny Marshall, Pat Sajak (spelling).. etc..

Like many have said.. I didn’t used to think anything at all about Dodger fans.. but now I can’t stand them… everytime a camera showed them, all they cared about was actually getting on TV.. not like putting Dodger stuff in front of the camera.. but actually posing for it..

Mitchypoo was saying that very thing on PGL last night–why guys who call the games all year long throughout the 162 grueling season are not allowed to call the most important games of the year?

Philly fans bitched enough back in 1980 after Kalas wasn’t allowed to announce the WS that they made allowances; perhaps we should use our powers to rectify this crap.

I’d rather have Harry, etc., in the booth with Scully calling these games or switching off inning by inning. At least they know a little bit about the players and can offer some real insight.

My biggest issue isn’t with the Buck/McCarver obvious Dodger cheerleading; it’s with their complete lack of knowledge on either team. To insist that the Phils were constantly throwing at the Dodgers Sunday shows they haven’t followed the team all year. Why does Utley lead the majors in HBP? Because they don’t retaliate. Pitching inside is strategy and it’s how the game is played. Idiots. McCarver should at least know that as a former “personal” catcher to one of the best lefties of all time.

I think that the home announcers should at least get a couple innings in for these national broadcasts. It isn’t uncommon for ESPN to allow the local guys to a couple innings.

I’ve heard Harry in the booth with John Miller many times on Sunday Night. I wouldn’t have minded hearing some of the LA team. From what I hear, they have a good broadcast team also.

Yea Tim – as soon as I saw that on the pitcher scouting report graphic I was thinking the same thing. He uses the entire strike zone but he’s usually very accurate. He had some control issues when first coming over, but they seem to be totally worked out for some time now. Probably had a lot to do with that minor bicep (or maybe elbow?) injury he had.