Give "Back" to a Good Cause

As I watch this torturously late Phillies-Rockies National League Divisional Series playoff game (11pm Eastern Time, with only 2 innings in the books), I had a thought... I think it's time to reevaluate the batboys' uniforms.

Huh?

Just follow me here.

So the batboys for each game wear the home team's uniform and usually the back of their jerseys are emblazoned with the clever statement of "BATBOY."

Instead of wasting this prime space, which is seen by millions of people every game, why not give "back" to a good cause by outfitting each batboy with a shirt that features a local non-profit's name, website, and/or logo? And perhaps after each game, the shirt gets signed by some of the players and given to the charity to get auctioned off. This simple act raises awareness for the charity, then raises a bit of money via the auction, rather than wasting the space on the jersey with an uninspiring noun.

Just trying to think of some ways to give back in this age of big-business baseball. Maybe I'll even have some more ideas to throw out there before the end of this (long) night...

Oh Well

Well, I stand corrected. Having predicted a playoff victory for the Eagles today, I must say that the Cards are deserving of a Super Bowl berth.

The Cardinals' offense was on a roll, and their defense, though not dominant, held their own. The Eagles gave a good fight, but got outplayed.

Some mysteries from the game:

-What happened to David Akers? He missed a field goal, extra point, and kicked a kick off out of bounds.

-What was Quentin Demps doing out there? He got burned several times and had a ridiculous penalty.

-How was there no pass interference on the Eagles' last pass of the game to Kevin Curtis? Maybe it wasn't a hack job, but seemed noticeable enough that a flag should have been called.

Well, whatever, I'm not going to go all sour grapes up in here. Eagles lost, time to move on.

Today's Battle of the Birds

The soaring Eagles take on the high-flying Cardinals today in the City of Desertly Love to determine which team earns a trip to the Super Bowl. Should be quite a battle as both teams have been hot during the playoffs.

Yesterday I watched the classic movie Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. Very apropos to today's game. In the movie, the two "gentlemen bandits" get chased by a squad of hired hitmen, so to speak, who are hot on the trail of the two wanted gunmen. What ensues is an epic chase where the two outlaws try every trick in the book to get away from their followers. Ultimately, they head for the hills to escape capture. I have a feeling that is what today's game will be like. A back and forth chase, where one false move could determine the outcome of the game. And with the backdrop of the Squaw Peak/Piestewa Peak, it's eerie how much the movie and the game could have in common. Well, metaphorically, at least.

That said, I think the favored Eagles do pull it out by less than a TD, 27-24, and wind up flying down to Tampa for a final battle with another bird team... the Baltimore Ravens.

Phair Weather Phans: Phoenix, not Philly

So the Arizona Cardinals will be hosting the Philadelphia Eagles in the Battle of the Birds, at next Sunday's NFC Conference Championship game.

And surprise, surprise, demand is at an all time high in Arizona as the tickets sold out in six minutes, according to this Inquirer article.

But also in that article it states that the Wild Card game that the Cardinals hosted needed an extension in time to sell out the game, or else it would have been blacked out.

Way to go Cards fans, you really showed your true colors there.

Meanwhile I guarantee you that there will be plenty of green in the seats as Philadelphia Eagles fans trek down to Phoenix to show them what real sports fans are all about.

Can you imagine a playoff game in Philly NOT selling out... ever? P-shaw! :-)

My Outlandish Prediction for Today's Eagles v. Giants Game...

Sav Rocca fumbles a long snap in overtime... BUT recovers the ball, stiff arms 3 players and returns for a TD!!!! EAGLES WIN 6-0!!!!

Get ready for the Thunda from Down Unda!

Ugly Win? I Think Not

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Bob Ford wrote a column entitled "Eagles win ugly, but they win" after the Eagles beat the Vikings yesterday in Minnesota to advance in the playoffs.

In the column, he goes on to say that Donovan McNabb turned the ball over twice, there were times when they should have scored touchdowns instead of field goals, and tackles were missed on defense. Okay... and?

I don't know what better way there is to say this, but when you get to the playoffs, you're playing the cream of the crop in the league. Chances are your opponents are going to come out and play you tough and force things to happen against your team. That's the name of the game. Even though the Eagles weren't "perfect" they showed a solid team effort and stuck with it the whole game. Personally, that's all I can ask of a team. True, in games in the past, the Eagles have collectively dogged it (see: Eagles v. Cincinnati, November 16, 2008). But that didn't happen yesterday, and the word ugly should not play into it.

Sometimes I just get this feeling that if Coach Andy Reid and McNabb don't execute to perfection in a game, so many people in this city get up in arms. And this column is a perfect example of this micromanagement by fans. Like I said to a friend who kept sending me emails during the game, sarcastically pointing out the Eagles' faults... chill out! Enjoy the team, enjoy the game, and if they lose, THEN you can have some concern, especially if they played an ugly game.

Let's just say that if the Eagles can score 26 points in a game, and win by double digits, I'll take that "ugly" win any day of the week.

Clever Television Programming

On one channel sports fans can find the Miami Dolphins playing against the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC playoff Wild Card game.

On another channel, movie buffs can watch Ace Ventura, Pet Detective solve the crime of what happened to the Dolphins' mascot Snowflake, right before a pending Super Bowl game between the Dolphins and the Philadelphia Eagles.

After the Dolphins' game at 4:30, the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC playoff Wild Card game.

Well played.

Rooting for Oakland Raiders, New York Giants, and Houston Texans, and Other Philly Oddities

Yesterday Philadelphia Eagles fans had the privilege, errr, duty to root for three teams that we normally would have ignored or hated. The Oakland Raiders needed to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to help the Eagles pave the way to earn a playoff berth, which they did (sorry once again Tampa Bay!). Then we needed either the Houston Texans to beat the Chicago Bears (which indeed happened), or the New York Giants-- yes, the Eagles' bitter rivals-- to take down the Minnesota Vikings, which they didn't, but no matter.

The stage was set for the Eagles to have a chance at making the playoffs with a win against the Dallas Cowboys. And the rest is history.

But when, if ever, has the Philly fan had to root for three disparate teams to pull out wins like that? It could prove that yesterday was one of the weirdest and most historical days in Philly sports history. This will especially prove true if the Birds wind up winning the Super Bowl. But let's just root for a first round win by our boys in green before we think that far ahead...

A Thought on Home Plate Umpires

Whilst watching the Phillies lead the Dodgers in game 1 of the National League Championship Series, I had a thought about home plate umpires who are charged with the unthankful task of calling balls and strikes.

As anybody who has watched baseball can attest, the best umpires are those that can make accurate calls on balls and strikes the vast majority of the time, and do it quickly.

Well what if we gave the umps a half second extra or so to just pause and think about the pitch and make sure it was a ball or strike? During the course of a game there are dozens of pitches that will be right on the borderline, but it is expected that the ump make the call immediately after it hits the catcher's glove, causing the ump to make a judgment based on instinct rather than analysis. Would fans be willing to allow a momentary pause to think about what he just saw and make sure his initial instinct is accurate? I would think this would increase the accuracy of the calls over the course of the game.

One of the allures of baseball is the quick action the bang-bang of the ball hitting glove, umpire pumping his fist or calling a ball instantly afterwards. And perhaps the heated debates that ensue after a controversial call is made is also part of the allure of baseball. As is the catcher slinging the ball down to third base after the ump calls strike 3.

But perhaps every now and then it wouldn't be a bad thing if the ump took a quick mental pause to ensure the accuracy of the call. Just a thought.

Strike three on a swing and a miss, Phils win game 1. Who cares about the umps! Go Phils!

Go Phils! Yo! Down in Front!

Great first game in the National League Division Series between the Phils and Brewers last night. And thus far in game 2, things are even better. The way the Phils are getting things done this could be a quick series, but that's another matter.

While at yesterday's first playoff win for the Phils since 1993, I celebrated with 45,000+ Phillies fans and had a great time at Citizens Bank Park in chilly Philly. My seat, which was given courtesy of a friend, was pretty decent... clear view of everything, small section, aisle seat, easy in/easy out... it was all good.

But you know what was really annoying? People walking through the aisles during the game! How much more frustrating does that get? When people are in their seats watching the game, the last thing they want to do is stand up so some yutz can squirm by you and then you miss a double in the gap because he couldn't wait a minute. It's a matter of etiquette: wait till a stoppage in play, THEN go to your seat. Have respect for others, that's the name of the game. Perhaps the section attendant should have regulated as well, asking people to wait until they head back to their seat. I don't know.

So anyway, it was a great win for the Phils over the Brew Crew and hopefully the Phightins will pull out another victory tonight. And I'll watch the rest of this game from the comfort of my own chaise lounge without anybody walking in front of me!

Go Phils!

A Small Request for Phillies Playoff Berth

Baseball runs for a long, long season. I can only imagine how emotionally draining it must be to be a player and have to fight for 162 games during the year. And without a doubt making the playoffs is an amazing accomplishment since only 8 teams in the entire league get there. Fortunately, the Phillies should very well be one of those 8 teams this year. We'll find out tonight (hopefully) or tomorrow if they're in.

My one small request for the Phillies clinching the playoffs is... after you clinch a playoff berth adhere to this quote:

"Act like you've been there before."

That quote applies more usually to football players scoring a touchdown, but I think it would help the Phils' chances in the playoffs since they won't be going through an emotional roller coaster, but rather stay level and focused. Win the World Series? Go nuts, hell the fans will. But clinch a playoff spot, show your cool and get ready to get down to business in a couple of days.

That's my 2 cents.

Phillies... Playoffs???

I know, I know, it's sacrosanct to utter the "p-word" when talking about the Phillies until they actually clinch the right to go to the p-word, but I just had to delve into a little bit of history, to discover some trivia gems. To wit:

-Should the Phillies make the postseason in 2008, it will be the first time since the Wild Card system was enacted they made it in back-to-back years.

-The last time the Phillies made the playoffs in back-to-back years, it was 1980 and 1981. And yep, we all know what happened in 1980... Tug McGraw jumped off the mound to celebrate the team's World Series victory.

-Prior to that, in the team's 125 year history, the Phils had back-to-back playoff appearances only one other time, and that was in 1976, '77, and '78.

-Interestingly, the Chicago Cubs, the NL Central winner last year and this year (they clinched already), also hadn't been in the Major League playoffs in back to back years since the Wild Card system was implemented, and the last time that they earned playoff rights in consecutive years was in 1906, '07, and '08. And guess what? They won the World Series in 1907 and 1908.

Little eerie, huh?

Thanks to baseballreference.com for allowing me to do some playoff research.

Countdown to 10,000 Revisited

So a few distant months ago, we Philly fans were excited about the Phillies' "Countdown to 10,000." It was a landmark event that "honored" the Phils and their 125 years and 10,000 games of futility. It was an ironic, self-deprecating (from a fan's point of view), almost funny event that came and went. The players didn't want to talk about it, and the team seemed to bitterly prevent it from being publicized.

Fast forward to today. Finishing the year as one of the hottest teams in the National League, in conjunction with the Mets' generous contribution to crash and burn, we now have a Phillies' team that is officially playoff bound. And the coverage is all over their web site and commercials.

But here's the thing... if the Phillies are going to embrace their exciting playoff berth, why not recognize the 10,000th loss as well? It's part of the game, it's part of the team's history, it's an undeniable fact. Celebrate it, laugh about it, and move on.

Now I'm going to move on and say, let's go Phils! I want a championship! 10,000 championships!

Just Imagine...

So tonight the Phils pulled to within one game of the slumping Mets, and they can be tied up with the Padres by the end of the night if San Diego loses. If the Phils take the lead in the NL Wild Card race in the next couple of days, Philly fans will be able to hear a certain phrase that we haven't heard in ages, probably since 1993:

Magic Number!

Yes, just imagine the words "magic number" and "Phillies" in the same sentence.

But truthfully, MAGIC NUMBER could soon be part of our vocabulary if all goes well. Usually the Phils land on the wrong side of the Magic Number countdown and fall short of the playoffs, so we'll see if we magically pull into the lead over the next few days. Question is... who's the ace up the Phils' sleeves?

Age Old Saga: Phillies and Playoffs, Can the Twain Meet?

Well the age old saga that is weighing heavily on Philadelphians' minds these days is, once again, "Can the Philadelphia Phillies make it to the playoffs?"

While any Phils' fan wants the team to win a World Series, it's been a frustratingly long time since the Phightins last made the playoffs. 1993 seems to ring a bell. Indeed, it seems the twain never meet.

One statistically-minded sports fan has built an entire web site called SportsClubStats.com to determine the chances of any given team's likelihood to make the playoffs at any given time. As we speak, the site has the Phillies' chances of making the playoffs at 23.2%, which will obviously fluctuate depending on when you read it. The site is updated regularly.

Well, 23% is a decent chance, but for better or worse, statistics don't play baseball. Real people do. With 52 games left to play, let's see what these Phils can accomplish. If history is on our side, it'll be another long offseason.

(Then again, history doesn't play baseball...)