Election Day

It seemed tempting, but I refrained from writing in Cole Hamels for president. A local merchant posted that note last week on one of the signs outside of his store; Greg was tempted to stop today and ask if anyone voted for Hamels, but he ran out of time on his way to work. He probably ran out of time because I think he stopped at more than one Starbucks for his free coffee. And yes, he did vote, even though it was no longer required to claim a cup of joe.

A few random thoughts and notes tonight as I await election results.

**Les Walrond's short-lived Phillies career is over. He was claimed today by the Blue Jays. (It is so refreshing to say "Blue Jays" without having the cloud of 1993 hanging over my head anymore.) And yesterday, Rudy Seanez filed for free agency.

**As the 2008 team disperses, I'm reminded of something important that I overlooked the other night. As I was reminiscing about players who will soon be part of the Phillies' past, I forgot to mention Chris Coste. I'm afraid that he's not long for this team. Lou Marson is waiting in the wings, and it's only a matter of time before he's in the big leagues for good. I expect that Marson will start in AAA in the spring, but once he's ready, Coste will probably be expendable. Sadly, he probably already feels that way, as Charlie Manuel made it clear in September and October that Carlos Ruiz is his preferred catcher. Well, whatever happens, Coste will always be welcomed in Philadelphia, and I'm glad that he got the chance to play here and be part of the magical 2007 and 2008 teams.

**Last week, after the Phillies won, I checked the Baseball Prospectus page. I wanted to see it officially say that the Phillies had a 100% chance of winning the World Series. But a little part of me still thought that it would say something like the Phillies only had a 99.2% chance of winning. (OK, so maybe it will take a while to shake away all of the negative thoughts.) Anyway, I love looking at those numbers - on Sept. 30, the Phillies were given only a 5% chance of winning it all.

**Following the Phillies lead, the Red Sox signed their GM. Jeez, what has he done to deserve a new contract? It's not like he's won any World Series lately.

**Crazy Scott Boras thinks Jason Varitek is going to get a huge contract, along the lines of Jorge Posada's 4-year $52 million contract. I think Scott Boras is nuts. I'm not the stats person on this blog, but 2008 was a dismal year for him. Yeah, he can still catch, but he was a liability offensively. Carlos Ruiz was no better offensively, but he's seven years younger than Varitek. Not to mention the fact that Ruiz is making just over the league minimum and isn't even due for arbitration until 2010. If baseball really is going to be feeling the economic crunch, I think the Sox should take a pass on resigning their captain.

**Current Sox and former Phil Mike Timlin filed for free agency today. Actually, barely a former Phil. I forgot that he was with the team for only half a season. It seems like it was longer. I guess because I've had to listen to Greg rave about him for the past six years. And complain about him this year.

I'm off to set up camp in front of CNN until Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert come on at 10 p.m. Let's hope this election is decided earlier in the night than some of those marathon playoff games I endured over the past few weeks.

The morning after

I bailed on the game around 12:15 a.m. with the score 8-8 heading to the bottom of the 9th. I woke up five hours later and saw they lost 9-8.

Remind me again why Mike Timlin was activated for this round? Couldn't we figure out a way to manipulate the rules to get Eric Gagne on the roster? Probably lost in the ugliness of the game is the good job by the bullpen (Timlin excluded).

Before Timlin gave up a run on three walks in two-thirds of an inning, five Red Sox relievers gave up no runs with three hits, no walks and four strikeouts in four and two-thirds innings.

That came after Josh Beckett's gave up eight earned on nine hits and a walk in four and one-third innings.

My thoughts from last night still stand. I'm not concerned about losing Game 2 - it's now a five-game series with home-field advantage in Boston. But I'm very worried about forging ahead with this version of Beckett.

Fewer worries, and hopefully an earlier ending, for tonight's game as Jamie Moyer leads the Phillies into Los Angeles. A win will pretty much lock up the Phillies first World Series appearance since 1993. But after 2004, I won't guarantee a series until I see players dancing on the field.

Cole shut me up

This is the game we expected a year ago from Cole Hamels when he made his playoff debut. Today he truly became an ace, shutting up critics like me with a signature performance that earned the Phillies their first playoff win, 3-1 over the Brewers, since Game 5 of the 1993 World Series.

As early as the 2nd inning, when the rain began to fall, people around us were talking perfect game. The innings flowed so smoothly for Hamels that I thought it would happen.

With my scorecard in a plastic bag to protect it from the rain, I noted Hamels' brilliance - four perfect innings. In the 5th, I asked Christine if she were nervous even though the Phillies were leading 3-0.

"I'm not nervous about the game," she said, an apparent reference to Hamels' shutdown performance to that point.

But then, after 14 in a row, Corey Hart - who robbed Pat Burrell of a spot on the All-Star team earlier this year - lined a clean single to right. The next inning, Hamels gave up a single and a walk, then set down the final eight he faced. Hamels faced only three batters over the minimum with just 101 pitches through eight innings. I think he should have been out there for the 9th, but we'll have more on that later.

Observations from the stands: When introducing the playoff rosters, the Phils made sure no one was left out, from the manager of umpire services to the video coordinator to Rudy Seanez and Lou Marson. OK, they didn't introduce Adam Eaton. ... The Mastersingers Archmere Academy directed by David John Ifkovits did the anthem complete with police sirens in the background and fireworks overhead. ... Injured Philadelphia police officer Richard Bowes tossed the first pitch, then Phillies playoff her-, er, goat, Mitch Williams, came out to Wild Thing and promptly fired one right down the middle. Well, he missed the catcher, but he kept the ball in the park this time. ... The announcer pleaded with fans to wave their rally towels as TBS began its broadcast. Then we sat and waited for awhile, I guess for commercials to run before the Phils took the field. ... I finally ended a bad stretch and won the scoreboard ice cream shuffle game for the first time in ages - impressive, considering we had an obstructed view of the scoreboard. ... The Phanatic had a great bit today. They had three guys in cheesy-looking hot dog costumes, portraying the famous racing Milwaukee Sausages. One link was distracted by a ball girl, then the next was taken out by Randall Simon. We're still not sure if that was really him. It would be great if it were. The last wiener was tackled really hard by the Phanatic. It was a good hit, and I'm surprised the guy didn't need medical attention. ... Lauren Hart sang God Bless America.

Post-game: Walking out, we saw someone in a Sal Fasano Phillies shirt. Christine tried to snap a photo for Straight Cash Homey, but we couldn't get close enough and the photos came out blurry. ... Exiting our parking lot, cars always turn too tight and wind up hitting a big block of concrete on the curb line. Christine and I knew this Lexus in front of us was going to hit, but we didn't expect it to become stuck on this concrete with its wheels in the air. I offered to help the driver, but really there was nothing I could do.

In-game action: Besides Hamels and some good defense behind him, largely Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, the Phillies' play did not match the game's outcome. The offense was awful, and Brad Lidge did his best to fulfill Christine's prediction/worry that today would be the day he would blow his first save as a Phillie. (I predict she's going to make that prediction for the rest of the month.)

All the scoring came in the 3rd inning. Carlos Ruiz singled, the first hit for either team, and Cole reached on an error during a sacrifice bunt. Then, Jimmy Rollins flew out and Jayson Werth struck out, so Yovani Gallardo should have been out of the inning. But defense is crucial in the playoffs, and Chase Utley made the Brewers pay with a two-run double after Mike Cameron misplayed a ball in center field. An intentional walk to Ryan Howard and an unintentional walk to Pat Burrell loaded them up for Shane Victorino, who walked in the third run. Pedro Feliz then thought it would be a good idea to swing at the first pitch he saw and later in the at-bat flew to center to end the inning.

The game was rather uneventful until the 9th, when Comeback Player of the Year Brad Lidge came in to shut the lights. He's pictured above striking out Corey Hart to end the game, but not before he gave up a run, two hits, a walk and a wild pitch while throwing 35 pitches. Even J-Roll seemed annoyed - he didn't huddle with the rest of the infielders when they paid a visit to the struggling closer. It seems lately that every appearance is like this for Lidge. I still think Hamels should have started the inning, but at least Lidge held on for the save.

The Phillies shot their fireworks in the air earlier today, but now it's time to get ready for the 2007 World Champions to begin defending their crown against the Angels.

J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell are in the lineup, and there were a couple of roster surprises: Mike Timlin didn't make the cut, but a third catcher did, meaning Terry Francona may have realized that Jason Varitek can't hit anymore.

"We're carrying three catchers to put our roster in its best position," Francona said. "Believe me, we're going to do everything in our power to win these games. If we feel like running or hitting for anybody is the right thing to do, we will."

Administrative notes: Tonight's game will end too late to update. I'll catch up with the champs tomorrow. Our game photos are a bit off today. Our seats, along the left field line, and the rain didn't make great conditions for picture-taking.

Phillies draw first blood

In the first game of the 2008 World Series prequel, there was about five minutes all night when it seemed like the champs would win in Philly. Then the Phillies soundly beat the Red Sox, 8-2.

Before Bartolo Colon could say cheesesteak, Jimmy Rollins hit a lead-off homer. Then Ryan Howard squared off against fat Bart in what may be the heaviest matchup in baseball history - more than a quarter ton combined. Ryan Howard won the battle of the bulge, creaming a two-run homer. He made it 4-0 with a solo shot in the 4th. Colon was lifted after four with back spasms.

In the bottom of the 5th, the Sox showed some life with solo home runs from Dustin Pedroia, who snapped out of a slump tonight and was a triple shy of the cycle, and J.D. Drew, who is still so beloved in Philly that all the fans go "Dreeeeewwwww!" whenever he bats. {I think Greg needs to get his hearing checked. They were saying Boo-urns.}

But then things got ugly in the 6th when Terry Francona called upon Mike Timlin, an unsung hero for several Red Sox postseasons. He didn't have it tonight: He recorded two outs, but gave up four runs. It was painful. Timlin's been a warrior for us, but maybe he's done. His ERA is now 7.06, although a fellow Red Sox fan points out that in 19 games between his first four disastrous outings and tonight, he has posted a 2.89 ERA. When Francona removed Timlin, for some reason the fans again started their J.D. Drew cheer for the former Phillies manager.

Individual stars: Cole Hamels shut down the champs for 7-plus innings. He also showed great hustle, almost beating out a ground-out to first. He did get a hit in his fourth at-bat. ... Howard, 3-5 with two homers and a triple. Yes, a triple. Jacoby Ellsbury misplayed it. ... Rollins, 3-5 with a homer and three RBI. ... Pat Burrell, 2-2 with two walks and a triple. Yes, a triple. (See Ryan Howard's.)
The plastic Red Sox helmet the Phanatic smashed put up more of a fight tonight than my team.

Observations from the stands: Our seats were 12 rows higher than our normal seats. We couldn't believe what a difference that made. Then again, we were only one row from the top of the stadium. ... Worst heckle of Manny Ramirez: "Get a haircut." ... They played "Feliz" from Feliz Navidad again after a nice defensive play in the 5th. ... Colon striking out feebly in his two plate appearances was hysterical - he lost his helmet on one swing. ... Hamels made a nice snare on a liner hit by Jason Varitek. ... The crowd was actually civil for a Sox-Phils game. I didn't get heckled, and there really didn't seem to be any ugliness. ... Time of game: 2:42.

Musicians at Citizens Bank Park: Jimmy Buffett and his Parrotheads left the field a mess. It looked worse in person than it does in the picture. The grass was yellowed all over the outfield. Thankfully, it seems mostly cosmetic, and no one got injured. Hooters frontmen Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian were more respectful of the playing surface when singing the National Anthem tonight. {Amusingly, they played the beginning of "And We Danced" before kicking into the anthem.}

Bumped, but not beaten

I wish continued luck in the playoffs to the Flyers and Sixers, who beat the Pistons again tonight, 95-75. But I won't be too upset when their seasons end. Once again, the Phillies were bumped to CN8, so I was stuck with just the radio broadcast.

The game started out great, and the Phils were ahead 5-0 when I went outside to help Greg finish off the shed. So I definitely was not expecting a 6-5 game when I checked on the score a while later. Then again, it wasn't completely shocking, considering that Adam Eaton was pitching. Todd Zolecki's description reminds us of Eaton's start on Sunday, when he also pitched well early in the game and then gave up multiple extra-base hits in one inning.

Luckily, the best bullpen in the National League pitched excellent for the rest of the game, and the Phils won the first game of the weekend series.

Not as much luck with the Red Sox bullpen tonight. Mike Timlin blew it for the Red Sox in the 11th, losing to the Rays, 5-4.