And Now for something completely different

[Steve]

I stayed up late to watch last night too. The seventh inning was particularly revealing. This Rays club has a gutsy manager with a talented bullpen. Impressive indeed.

I'm watching. Rays in 6 (should be faster but they haven't enough experience to make it happen faster, but that bullpen will wear out patient batters.) Oh, and one more thing, with a manager like that, the DH rule shouldn't matter as much. Surely ONE of those pitchers can still hit??

But I must alter this previous prediction:

a broken collar bone when "The Littlest Phillie," Victorino, is tagged out at the plate by Varitek.

Change Varitek to Dioner Navarro and I'll keep that as the whacky prediction.

Got an alternate scenario?

[bobdapoet]

The interesting thing-

1- Supposedly, Maddon was the only other candidate for the sox manager in 2003 other than Francona, I'm not sure how much stock i place in this because I don't really remember hearing his name too much.

2- The Rays, with their new GM, have taken a similar stats driven, internal development approach that Theo Epstein has taken with the Sox.

3-  Other teams (read= Yankees) continue to adhere to a regimen of 'buying talent' on the open market, choosing to fly in the face of the imperical evidence that now TWO teams within their division have been able to demonstrate that success can be built from within- even when their own World Series Runs were feuled by home grown players.

I like the Rays as the underdog team, but I think the Phillies are hungry, they got to the playoffs and got snuffed last year, and I think that's created a stronger sense of purpose for them than the Rays, who's conception of the World Series has been nebulous, they know it's good, but I think the hunger might not be as acute.

I'm leaning Rays, but I would genuinely not be suprised if the Phillies get it. Either way, I believe this will be a great World Series for Baseball.

[Steve]

And we are down to a best of 5 series. Great duels so far.

[Steve]

Wacky wacky wacky

[bobdapoet]

Indeed. But maybe it's what the series needs to draw some interest...

[Steve]

So the record is TB 1 and 2/3, Phillie 3 and 2/3??
1-3-.66??

I'm just in foreign space right now.

[Steve]

This is the oddest piece of baseball history ever: From New York Times 10-28-08

PHILADELPHIA — With the World Series in the balance, a meeting of baseball officials turned into a room full of amateur meteorologists Tuesday morning. After electing to suspend Game 5 in the sixth inning on Monday night due to frightful weather conditions, the decision before them was when to squeeze in the final three innings.

And in the end, Major League Baseball decided to delay resumption of the game one more day, meaning Game 5 will remain tied 2-2 until Wednesday night, when play is now scheduled to resume, presumably without any rain coming down.

[bobdapoet]

bwahaahahahahahahahahahahahh!

   Selig has effectively reduced the game to rediculousness... All I can say is that this adds to the lore of baseball future, in 50 years people will be talking about this (and presumably laughing).

[Steve]

I agree if the Phillies win. But if the Ray win it won't matter (unless the Rays go on to win the series.) Wacky!

[Steve]

Well, I'm wrong, wrong and wrong. Phillies? Really!? Good on 'em. I remember Tug McGraw and he was an early hero of mine. No championship in the City of Brotherly Love since the early 80's? None?! Good on 'em. But it sure was wacky.