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Where did the good A.J. Burnett come from?

Written by Mike Mariano | 30 October 2009

Who the hell was that guy pitching for the yankees last night?  That wasn't the human base on ball machine that I've been so used to.  The guy has incredible stuff, we knew that, but since when does he fill the strike zone like that?  He threw first pitch strikes to over 20 hitters.  Now of all days he decides to show up and earn a little of his massive contract.  Damn.

Burnett took apart the Phillies lineup from start to finish.  He was incredibly impressive throughout and really surprised me.  I'm still in disbelief that he was as good as he was.  The normal Burnett is exactly the kind of guy that the Phillies hit well.  He throws a ton of balls, they work some deep counts, he gets tired, the Phillies put up runs.  But none of that happened last night.  Burnett was fantastic and Mariano Rivera closed it down to seal the win.

There wasn't much to be excited about for the Phillies.  Pedro looked good and you can't ask for much more than what he gave us.  3 earned over 6 is a solid outing from him, a team like the Phillies isn't expecting to be held to less than 3 most nights.

Offensively, a whole lot of nothing as well.  All game there was a waiting for the Phillies to do something.  Waiting for a rally.  Waiting for a home run.  Waiting, waiting, waiting.  And it never happened.  Some games it just doesn't happen at the plate.

Frankly, I think we still need to be in good spirits despite the loss.  The Phillies needed to take one of two in New York and they did just that.  We're going back to Philly in good shape.  Halloween night should lead to some wacky happenings.  Game 3 should be fun.

I'm naming my first kid Chase

Written by Mike Mariano | 29 October 2009

Game one couldn't have gone more perfectly for the Phillies.  A dominant win over the Yankees was exactly what the doctor ordered to start the series.  Wild hangovers prevented me from blogging this morning, so I'm sorry for this late entry.

How cool is Cliff Lee?  He dominated from start to finish.  He had all three pitches working strong.  He big leagued the shit out of it on that pop up (which was awesome) and went complete game near shutout.  He has taken his dominance to the next level.  This is '08 Hamels-like, he should pitch on two days rest.

Chase Utley.  What more needs to be said?  My predicition of a Jerter vs. Utley series is looking great after last night where they both put forth a terrific effort for their teams.

It was amazing to watch the difference in attitude and body language between the teams.  From the first pitch the Phillies were loose and confident and polar opposite of the Yankees who seemed nervous and appeared to be pressing.  The Phillies jumped all over Sabathia and the Yanks were taking poor defensive swings against Lee.  It was a complete win in all facets by the Philly ace.

Tonight, Big Poppa Pedro goes out there to sweep the games at Yankee Stadium.  I think the Phils might drop this one but I'm expecting a great game.  Make sure you get to the bar early to find a good seat, you don't wanna be standing all night long!

Series Spotlight: Chase Utley vs. Derek Jeter

Written by Mike Mariano | 28 October 2009

The Yankees and Phillies should combine for one of the best World Series battles in recent years.  Two juggernaut offenses and cy young starters, what more do you need?  There are superstars everywhere and should be home runs flying out of both stadiums.  Ryan Howard.  Alex Rodriguez.  C.C. Lee. Werth. Damon. Uncle Charlie and Joe Girardi.  But the most interesting match-up of them all, lies in the team leaders.

Derek Jeter & Chase Utley.

Both guys are consummate professionals, supremely intelligent ballplayers, team leaders, and x-factors on their teams. Derek Jeter is one of the best postseason baseball players of all time.  Chase Utley is a perenial all-star and incredible defensive second basemen.  Jeter is the official captain, Utley more unofficially.  Neither is particularly outspoken, with the exception being Utley's post-title speech last year.  Most importantly, both guys are beloved by their fan bases.

For this series to really explode, Utley and Jeter need to step up and set the tone for their team.  Jeter has been playing pretty well, but Utley has been struggling this postseason. One of them is going to decide the series for their team, I'm counting on it being Chase.

Somebody better have bought that guy a beer

Written by Mike Mariano | 22 October 2009

When James Loney homered last night, did you notice the guy who immediately rocketed the ball back onto the field?  He turned that ball back towards the field quicker than an Utley transfer on a double play.  It was fanhood perfection.  He even got in a Philly.com story, check out the quotes:

Next came the Loney ball, landing three rows back. Steve Belfiglio, a Penn graduate who grew up in Newtown Square, never got out of his seat. The whole section was talking about how Belfiglio caught the ball and threw it back in one motion, almost reaching the infield.

"I didn't want to touch it for any longer than I had to," Belfiglio said.

"He didn't even hesitate," said Tom Little, sitting down in Row 4. "Jayson Werth turned around and went like, 'Oh, yeah.' "

Absolutely flawless excecution.  If nobody in his section bought him a beer, I'm ashamed.  Way to represent for the Penn Baseball team.  Steveo was a great Penn Baseball player in his day and obviously still has the juice.  That was a fantastic throw.  When I saw him at the end of the night he said he wanted to reach the infield, but he didn't want to hit accidentally hit Chase in the back.  Well played, Steveo.

Sadly, his drunk buddy Ryan Kearny (who could also be seen briefly during the TV broadcast, didn't get any quotes in.  I'm sure there would have been some gems.  One thing that must be noted is that his unselfishness allowed this incredible moment to happen.  A note to all my buddies, if a home run ball comes flying at our seats, I will attempt to catch it.  In Ryan's case, when the ball was hit all he said was, "This one is you Steveo".

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE HIGHLIGHT -- (God Damned MLB.com won't let you embed videos.)

Back to the Series, bring on the AL!

Written by Mike Mariano | 22 October 2009

It's a surreal feeling to be back in the World Series after last year's dream season.  Making it back to the World Series in back to back years in something that no fan should be lucky enough to experience.  Now we get to buzz around for a week and celebrate our success up to this point.  Then we do battle against most likely the Yankees.  What a series.  Sucks for the west coast if it happens, but I could care less.

There is only one rational response to what has happened.  And that is singing at the top of your lungs:

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