Chasing down a beer chucker on getaway day

On a day when both the SoxandPhils finished their games before we got home from work, the news of the day is the manhunt for the fan who dumped a beer on Shane Victorino last night.

When I first saw it, I couldn't believe that Shane was able to make the catch when the suds hit his face just as the ball was landing.

Even Shane was impressed with the fan's attempt, handling his postgame comment like a skilled diplomatic politician:

It was definitely in my face and all over me, you know, it was perfect timing, it was right as the ball was hitting my glove. I tip my hat off to the guy, he had good timing but he had to leave the park and it's one of those things we can't have happen.

He was a little more serious today, saying he would file a complaint with the police and may press charges:

I hope he gets to understanding that you can't do stuff like that. If it happens on the streets, I don't think he'd be walking too far with something like that happening in the streets. It's just not something that you do. The big picture is this guy should be held accountable.

This whole thing is surreal. I want to say it's comical, but then I remember Christine's view that if it happened in Philadelphia, the national media would again condemn Philly fans as heathens. It would go on the list right behind booing Santa Claus and throwing batteries at J.D. Drew.

But since it's the lovable Cubbies, this is perceived as a joke. At least Lou Piniella took it seriously:

That shouldn't happen. It's not good sportsmanship ... We apologize to Victorino and the Phillies for that.

Fortunately, it did not affect Pedro's first win as a Phillie.

Today's tilts: Cliff Lee is being called this year's CC Sabathia, improving to 3-0 as a Phillie. He was dominant again: one run in eight innings on six hits, three walks and eight strikeouts in a 6-1 win. He was backed largely by Ryan Howard, who hit a three-run home run and stole his fifth base of the year. He had two career swipes before this season.

Against the Tigers, young Clay Buchholz was nearly as impressive, giving up two runs (one unearned) on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts over seven innings. But Justin Verlander was better, shutting out the Red Sox on four hits and a walk with eight strikeouts over eight innings. The Tigers may be a formidable foe for us in the ALCS with this guy leading the way.

Both teams hit the road to play teams chasing them in the standings: Phillies head to Atlanta to play the second-place Braves, while the Red Sox head to Texas where the Rangers are chasing them for the Wild Card.

[Photo credit: Chicago Sun-Times via Zolecki]