The Red Sox-Rays series was a modern classic. Games 5, 6 and 7 featured some quality baseball action, and I was literally on the edge of my couch watching the last three innings of game seven. How about the stones showed by Joe Madden, bringing in rookie David Price to get the save, in a game seven? As big as Madden's were, Price must have even bigger ones.
And I was happy to see Rocco Baldelli drive in the winning run. He's one of the many young players drafted and developed by the Rays, a talent who was once compared to Joe DiMaggio. Baldelli has been sidelined most of the last three season with a variety of injuries and ailments. Most seriously, he was diagnosed with mitochondrial myopathy this season, a disease that makes him fatigue easily and could end his career after the Series is over. Here's the link to a good article about Baldelli from the New York Times.
The Rays are one of the best baseball stories in a long time, one that gives (false, due to Bowden, etc.) hope to teams like our home town Nats. If they win the World Series they will become the first team in any American sport to go from having the worst record in the league in one season to winning a championship the next.
And as most of you know, the Rays weren't just bad last year, they've had 10 years of being really really bad. But they had a plan, or at least drafted very well, made a few shrewd trades for players like Kazmir, Garza and Bartlett, and made some savvy free agent signings (Floyd, Pena, Iwamura). It all came together this year for 97 wins and an American League championship.
The Phillies are a pretty good story too, a team of likable players who represent America's toughest sports town.
In recent years, American League teams like the Yankees and Angels were lauded for winning championships by playing a more National League-style of baseball: pitching, defense, moving runners over, not just bashing homers. The Phillies have turned the tables this year; they are a National League team that plays an American League brand of baseball. Howard, Utley and Burrell all hit more than 30 homers, and Werth had another 24. Three other starters hit more than 11, so the Philies dig the long ball.
I'm still not sold on the Phillies' pitching staff. After Hamels there is a pretty steep decline. I'm surprised that cousin Charlie Manuel has Myers pitching game 2, with Moyer slated for game 3. That means Blanton will only get one start, which seems odd to me; neither Moyer nor Myers pitched that well against the Dodgers so I wonder why each get two starts?
Starting pitching will decide this series, so I see the Rays, the Tampa Bay Rays, winning the Series, 4 games to 2 (Hamels two starts, basically).
Obama Update
Good to see six Rays players appear with Obama at a rally in Tampa yesterday. It's good to see some liberal athletes, something that is usually rare, and athletes acting like engaged citizens instead of aloof millionaires.
The Rays showed up at the event even though Obama said, with the White Sox eliminated, he was rooting for the Phillies since his campaign manager is a big Philadelphia fan. The appearance and Obama's rooting interest generated quite a few stories, including this one in The Politico.
Orlando Menendez Update
I don't how many times readers of this blog have asked me: donde ahora esta el, Orlando Melendez? Well, the former 9th man of the Heels during the Guthridge era, after playing in Europe and South America, is now the first Puerto Rican member of the Harlem Globetrotters. He may also be the first Tar Heel to play for the Trotters; need to get my intern on that bit of research.
As part of ESPN's coverage of Hispanic Heritage Month an article about Menendez is in this month's issue.
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