Just take the bus, Jimmy

The Phillies lost 3-1 this afternoon, ceding first place to the Mets who hold the spot by themselves for the first time since April 19. But the story of the day, of course, is that for the second time in less than two months, MVP Jimmy Rollins was benched by Charlie Manuel - this time because he had to drive himself to Shea Stadium and was late for the game.

Back in June, when he was benched mid-game for not hustling, it was a cute story: Manager has the guts to discipline a star player. Star player handles it gracefully. Team keeps rolling. But today is just odd. J-Roll said he understood the punishment but disagreed with it. And yes, it was a rare noontime start, but why risk being late when you need to win a series against your rival with first place on the line?

It just has a bad feeling to it. I'm starting to think the Phils, who've been middling for some time now, may not be able to pull off this one.

Well, at least the Phillies host the Braves this weekend. They own Atlanta this year (8-1).