The leader of the ink popularity contest is Jayson Werth, who, according to a FanGraphs blogger, is not just underrated but has been the second most valuable outfielder in all of baseball for the past two seasons.
(Christine, still bitter about the 2007 playoffs, doesn't like that No. 1 has been Matt Holliday.)
Werth is not only productive, but a goodwill ambassador for a city and fan base that has taken more than their fair share of knocks over the years. Consider this ESPN feature in which he turns the tables and says the Philly fans are an asset, not a detriment. He recalled an encounter with a Ray during the World Series that convinced him that the fans helped the Phillies win last year:
One of their infielders came up to me and said, "'Do you like it here?" He was so distraught in the middle of the game about the people in this town, and I knew then that we had them.
They were so rattled, because they didn't feel like they could even walk down the street. They were uncomfortable just being in Philadelphia. Look at Evan Longoria -- he didn't get a hit the whole World Series. [Longoria actually went 1-for-20.] I'm not saying it's because of what the fans did. But I'm not saying it wasn't, either.
So remember that the next time you hear about Santa Claus, batteries or dog fighting. Actually, that last part is fair game.
Another Phil touted today is sturdy Joe Blanton by Paul Hagen, who argues he's been the Phillies most valuable pitcher this year.
For the Red Sox, because they're in Kansas City, it is time to look back at the Ramon Ramirez trade and how the Red Sox got the better of that one. Yeah, the Royals are bettering the Red Sox this week, but Ramon doesn't want to go back. He's excited about the chance of pitching in the postseason:
I've never been, but I want to be there. I want to pitch, and I want to do the best I can. I know a lot of people say there's more pressure. It's good, because I want to do the best I can for my team. I don't feel nervous or nothing like that.
I hope I didn't just jinx a playoff implosion on him.
Tonight's games: The other beneficiary of the Ramirez-Coco Crisp trade, Jacoby Ellsbury, just doubled in two runs to tie the game in the 5th inning. Dustin Pedroia followed that with an RBI single to give the Red Sox the lead. They now lead the Royals 6-2 in the 6th. Josh Beckett isn't in playoff form tonight: two runs on 10 hits and a walk in four innings.
The Phillies playoff MVP pitcher, Cole Hamels, also wasn't in postseason form - four runs in seven innings. That should be good enough to win behind homers by Raul Ibanez and Ryan Howard, but we won't know for awhile because they're in a rain delay with the Phillies leading the Marlins 6-4 in the 8th inning. Christine is upset because they waited until Ryan Madson took his warmups before they stopped action. Hopefully, they just send everyone home and give the Phillies an abbreviated win.
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