Odds And Ends: Chih-Kuo, Manny, Bowa, Rant

A few odds and ends before game one:

• Hong Chih-Kuo is close to being added to the Dodgers playoff roster, taking the place of Takashi Saito, who has struggled after being injured.

Chih-Kuo, a lefty, is 5-3 with a 2.14 ERA in 42 games this season. He has struck out 96 and walked 21. I call that a good move.

• The Los Angeles Times points out Manny Ramirez is hitting .155 in 58 at bats in Philadelphia.

His career on-base percentage is .219.

• Larry Bowa said Philadelphia fans are awesome:

“The one thing they’re not is front-runners; they come out.” He then added that he warned his players on how loud and hostile Philadelphia will be. “It’s not even close,” he said, comparing Philly to Wrigley Field. Take that, bleacher bunnies.

• Here’s a head-scratching read: Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star says he knows Philadelphia fans.

So did Kelly speak to one? Did he poll Philly fans about the upcoming NLCS and their level of fandom?

No, of course not. For one, he says mentioning the “Oronto-Tay Lue-Bay Ays-Jay” in Philadelphia is dangerous. Okay, no one likes watching Joe Carter romp around the bases, but Mitch Williams is an integral part of Philadelphia baseball these days, so … ummm … you’re wrong? Then he brings up Jimmy Rollins’ frontrunner comments. How original. Then he brings up Bowa’s above quote. And misreads it, saying going to a Phillies game sounds like a public hanging. Really? Have you ever been to a public hanging, Cathal? So there’s a town square in Toronto where people just chop off heads? Tell Marie Antoinette I said “‘ello.”

Then he says we have “memories of elephants,” whatever that means. He uses Bowa’s defense of the Phils in the 1977 LCS as proof that Phillie fans dwell on everything. I’ll say this — not once has my mom or dad (Phillies fans in 1977) ever spoke about Black Friday. In fact, the only person I’ve ever seen or heard speak about that day is Bill freakin’ Conlin, and that’s because all he ever does is reference the past.

Then there’s this nugget:

If Philadelphia fans weren’t thinking negatively about baseball, they wouldn’t have any reason to watch at all.

Go f*** yourself, Cathal. What a slap in the face to all of us.

Of course, this is the kind of crap you get when you’re thrust onto the national stage.