Phillies Lock up First World Series Spot -- Await Yankees

 October 21, 2009
The Monday Morning Quarterback

The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-4 on Wednesday, and locked up their second straight National League pennant, becoming the first NL club to make back to back World Series appearances since the 1995-1996 Atlanta Braves.  Philadelphia won the series 4-1.  I picked the Dodgers to win this series as I felt they had a better overall roster, especially when it comes to the bullpens.  The Phillies slugged their way to victory in this series, getting timely home runs with runners on base.  Their pitching still doesn't impress me.  Cliff Lee was great, but beyond him, Cole Hammels, Pedro Martinez, and Joe Blanton are mediocre at best.  Assuming the Yankees win the American League pennant, and I will do just that, the Phillies aren't going to stand in the way of their 27th World Series title.  Like I said, Lee was great.  But he is just another good AL pitcher to switch leagues and become great.  The Yankees traded Jeff Karstens, a guy who couldn't record an out in the A.L., to the Pirates, where he was a couple of outs from pitching a no hitter.  The National League just isn't as difficult as their counterpart, and it isn't uncommon to see ex American Leaguers find new life over there.  Not to take anything away from Lee, who has given the Yankees some trouble in the past, but New York probably knows more about him than the Phillies, having faced him while he was with Cleveland.  Lee would definitely be the best weapon (pitching wise) that the Phillies will throw at the Yankees, but like I have previously stated, the Yankees offense is simply too powerful to be stopped.  When it comes to bullpens, New York has a big advantage.  Their pen has been virtually unhittable in the postseason, and that is in the American League.  I don't care how good Brad Lidge has looked in the playoffs.  He blew 11 saves in the regular season and a lineup like the Yankees have will be a tough task for him.  When looking at the lineups of these respective clubs, you will see what will be the truly intriguing matchup of this series.  These are probably the top two lineups in baseball, and they both play in band boxes as opposed to ballparks, so there should be plenty of tape measure shots.  Though both teams can hit, but New York's pitching is so much better, I expect them to be the neutralizer.  When all is said and done, I'm taking the Yankees in six.  Philadelphia is another good team the Yanks will face this postseason, and I can envision them taking a couple of games.  In the end, New York's pitching will be too much for the Phillies.  I will have a lot more about the World Series, but I am going to hold off until the Yankees or Angels clinch.  Tomorrow, I'll take a look at the upcoming ALCS game 5, where the Yankees will have to opportunity to join the Phillies in the fall classic.  In the coming days, I will compare the two lineups head to head.  Wow, all this World Series preparation, and the Yankees aren't even in yet?  I hope this doesn't blow up in my face!  I will say this much,  I am glad the people of Philadelphia actually realized they have a baseball team in the last two years.  You can call yourselves die-hard fans all you want, but we know you that 95% of you weren't around for the "hard times".  This isn't the Eagles or the Flyers.  The Phillies have some of the worst "fairweather" fans I have seen.  So to the 5% of true Phillies fans, and to the organization, I say congratulations.

ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY


1) Apparently, Steve Phillips has a little bit of David Letterman in him.  The former Mets General Manager, and current ESPN personality has admitted to an extra marital affair with a female ESPN staffer, who happens to be 22 years old.  Phillips admits to a consentual sexual relationship, of which his wife, Marni Phillips, is aware.  Apparently the staffer, Brooke Hundley, became obsessed with Phillips as she  repeatedly placed calls and text messages to Phillips' wife, kids, and home, in an effort to gain information on the family and break the marriage up.  It escalated to police involvement when Marni came home to find Hundley leaving a letter at the family's front door which revealed details of the relationship.  Hundley fled the scene, smashing her car into a stone column and taking off across the Phillips' front lawn before law enforcement arrived.  This story gets weird after that, but it's definitely one you should check out.  The New York Post did a great job of covering it and provide several pieces of evidence as well, so I am going to defer to them.  You can read the full story HERE.  I imagine more details of this story will pop up in the next couple of days, but the one thing I can tell you about this is that Brooke Hundley isn't terribly attractive, so I have to wonder: Exactly what was Phillips thinking?  NEW YORK POST COVERAGE