Delaware Parlay Play Picks for Week 8

Pick 3 games in the comments to win! Get the odds from USA Today and make up half point spreads if there are none. I'd link to the PDF of the actual parlay card if I could find it on delaware onlines site, but their search feature is as worthless as a Yankees fan.

Shut down

These are more fun to do when the Phillies win, and of late that's all they've been doing. But not tonight. Guess you can't win 'em all.

What's frustrating is this game was there for the taking, as the Phillies got another strong performance from Pedro Martinez, but he gave up a few too many in the end and the Yankees evened up the Series.

More than the Phillies pitching though, this was really a case of the Yankees getting the ideal performance from their hurlers, with starter A.J. Burnett taking the lead to the eighth and handing off to closer Mariano Rivera. No one has ever doubted Burnett's stuff, and it was effective tonight, especially that nasty curveball. He allowed only one run, coming in the first off the bat of DH Matt Stairs.

Rivera got the last six outs, but wasn't exactly lights out, and so the game was still in play late as it always is with the Phillies. Maybe the decisive play came in the eighth when, with Rollins on second and Victorino on first with one out, Charlie Manuel did not send the runners with a full count to Utley. Utley grounded to second and the Yankees pulled off a close double play to end the potential rally. Announcer Tim McCarver was all over it, criticizing the non-move, and I have to agree. There was little chance of eigther runner getting thrown out if Utley struck out, which he didn't look like he was going to do anyway based on his at-bat to that point, provided he swung.

NOTES:
• Umps blew another call, letting the Phils get out of trouble in the seventh when they ruled Ryan Howard caught a ball in the air, thus doubling off Posada at second. In reality it was a short hop, and both the batter and Jorge Posada running to second should have been safe, as Howard threw wildly to second. This one was a really close call to the naked eye, but I'm not sure why an ump would assume it was caught cleanly, especially when Howard throws to second right away. I do have to give the umps credit for getting the previous night's weird play — when Rollins caught it in the air to start a double play — correct though.
• I missed the run being scored in the first and keep missing it in the hightlights. Anything weird there needing to be addressed?
• Raise your hand if you have as many hits in the World Series as A-Rod. OK, everyone put your hands back down.


Hamels vs. Pettitte back home Saturday. Andy Pettitte looks like a stereotypical New Yawka to me, and he has four T's in his last name. Him him around, Phillies.

First real opponent in awhile

11/01 1:00 PM ET	Opening	betED	Bodog	5Dimes	SPORTSBETTING
New York @ Philadelphia	45.5 -3	44 -1	44 1	44 0	44 0

Matchup • Expanded Odds • Line History

Bonus Question: Anybody have a good question?

Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good

If you heard Yankees fans at all in the past week, you would have thought Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson would be on the field Wednesday night to help kick off another World Series victory. They weren't. Unfortunately for the Yankees, Cliff Lee was.

Lee was dominant in pitching a one-run complete game. The one run came in the ninth after Jimmy Rollins made the Phils' lone miscue in going for a double play that wasn't really in the cards. But by that time the Phillies had a 6-0 lead, and Lee was never in any real danger. He simply struck out the last two guys in the ninth to close it out.

C.C. Sabathia was very good for the Yankees as well, but he gave up two home runs to Chase Utley that pretty much sealed the game considering Lee's performance. Eleven out of the last 12 game 1 winners went on to win the Series, and the Phillies just took game 1 on the road, with their ace winning while the Yankees' ace lost. That's a big win.

Utley was the hitting hero early on, but the rest of the bats opened up on the vaunted Yankees bullpen. Good to see the long layoff meant nothing.

NOTES:
• Lee, and a lot of the Phillies actually, looked super relaxed on the field, like they were playing a spring training game. That can't make the Yankees feel good.
• Utley set a MLB record by reaching base in his 26th consecutive playoff game. He also got a lot of airtime for his Gordon Gekko look. Why does he care about hat hair while he's playing baseball? He doesn't have to go home like that. Whatever works for ya, I guess.
• I might have missed it, but I was happy to not see Kate Hudson at all when I was expecting it 37 times. I saw Kurt Russell, but Kurt's cool by me.
• A-Rod A-no show at the plate.
• Ron sent me this funny photo of Jay-Z. Can't think of a caption, so provide your own.


Pedro tomorrow. Should be interesting, especially as it's not a must-win for the Phils, so do the Yankees come out with guns blazing, or uptight?

The Phillies Are a Good Team!

To be contrasted with the Skins and Eagles (and Raiders and Bucs and Chiefs, etc...), they are really good. They're World *bleeping* Champions!

Lee in Game 1. I like Pedro in Game 2 if they win 1. I'm a bit cautious about it otherwise, but how can you not start him after what he did in LAD? Anyone? I probably would have started Blanton, but who knows. I totally agree with Hamels in Game 3 at home, definitely not in NYY. Odd to hear that given he was last year's MVP of the playoffs, but... WOW. That could mean Lee back on the mound for game 4, although I'm guessing Charlie might wait to see what the Series is at by then.

WOW. Game 1. Under 24hrs away. Woo hoo!

The Redskins are a bad team

Another very painful game to watch even though the Eagles won 27-17. Just imagine if you were a Redskins fan. The Eagles offense and McNabb were weak and anemic once again except for 2 big plays that went for touchdowns thanks to DeSean Jackson. The Eagles offense barely sustained any drives, did nothing with turnovers except hold onto the ball for Akers' fieldgoals, and did absolutely nothing in the second half. (Of course this didn't stop the ESPN crew from lauding McNabb in the 4th quarter as if they game in front of them wasn't happening.)

The biggest factor in the Eagles victory was how much the Redskins thoroughly sucked. Redskins generously gave the Eagles 13 points via turnovers and when they made a play a penalty would be called to negate it. When they had momentum they'd destroy it with a terrible turnover or a costly sack. If the Redskins didn't really, really suck this game would have been a lot different.

Other notes:

• Wow, two runs to start the game, a third down conversion, and an end around that worked. End arounds should not work against a pro defense like that.
• Witherspoon made an immediate impact, at least in the first half.
• In the 1st quarter Gruden nicely regurgitated the conventional wisdom about Reid, McNabb and the Eagles, which of course is what somebody that doesn't watch the Eagles every week would say. And I don't care how many games Reid and McNabb have won at this point, what's their record in the biggest games?
• Reggie Brown played in this game, believe it or not.
• Weaver got a touch! I'm sure glad we signed him and are fully utilizing his talents.
• Once again Celek pretty much disappears with McNabb at QB.
• McNabb and Campbell both missed a bunch of plays in the first half.
• I watched some of the new Jay Leno show for the first time during the half. It's actually more unfunny than Saturday Night Live and less entertaining than this game.
• DeSean Jackson probably got a bunch of votes for the Pro Bowl from this game.
• Lots of Eagles penalties still, but none that costly.
• Suzy Kolber is starting to look old. Her hair looked like a wig.
• Trent Cole was good when he wasn't jumping offsides and giving the Redskins first downs.
• Another middling tightend (and a backup at that) had a good game vs. the Eagles.
• The Eagles got a lot of pressure and a lot of sacks, but how much of that was the Redskins?
• Jason Campbell has really gone downhill. I almost felt sorry for him watching this game - bad coaches, no good receivers, Cooley went down, Portis is cooked, and his offensive line is terrible.
• People still dress up as the hogs? Why?
• Four for fifteen on third down conversions. Good work, offense.
• That meaningless touchdown the Redskins scored at the end put the game over the total.
• Vick still sucks.

Hopefully this time next week New York will be crying in their beer like DC is now.

Mid-Game Notes

Totally unexcited for this game all day, and I'm still quite unexcited about it, but I'm watching it and having all these thoughts.... Ron will be cleaning it all up for us in the end, but....

Flyers win 5-1

Briere scored twice, Gagne got his first of the year and James van Riemsdyk got his first of his career. But the big story in the game is Richards hitting David Booth in the head and knocking him out.



I think Richards should be suspended for as many as 10 games because I think the NHL needs to eliminate all hits to the head. I also think all hits to the head are dirty. It's laughable that an elbow to the head is "dirty," but the a shoulder with the full force and weight of a players body behind it is "clean." And of course any stick to the head, even if it's a tap, has a good chance of receiving a suspension.

We've seen Lindros's career end because of hits to the head and Primeau's too. And almost every week now a new report showing the long term damage from head injuries in sports is released. Here are 2 articles just from this week in the New York Times:

N.F.L. Data Reinforces Dementia Links
Concussion Trauma Risk Seen in Amateur Athlete

Monday Night Mediocrities

10/26 8:30 PM ET	Opening	betED	Bodog	5Dimes	SPORTSBETTING
Philadelphia @ Washington	38.5 6.5	37.5 7	37.5 7	37.5 7.5	38 7

Matchup • Expanded Odds • Line History

Bonus Question: Can someone take away the play calling from Andy Reid too?

Delaware Parlay Play Picks for Week 7

Pick 3 games in the comments to win! Get the odds from the Delaware Park 1/2 Point Parlay Card HERE.

World Series: Once again it's on

Maybe it's because I didn't catch the first inning (in which Hamels gave up a homer), but this game never seemed in jeopardy as the Phillies closed out the Dodgers and the NLCS.

Hamels seemed to settle down after a while, but still couldn't get out through the fifth. This was kind of par for the course for Hamels this season, but it didn't matter as the bats were hot, and the Dodgers pitchers just didn't have it tonight. That meant more home runs for the Phillies, particularly Jayson Werth who had two.

So it's on to the World Series, and a likely meeting with the New York Yankees.

Notes:
• Ryan Howard had a hit and a run, but his RBI streak ended.
• With the early closeout of the Dodgers, the Phillies will have their rotaion set up for the World Series. Meaning Cliff Lee goes in game 1, and who knows beyond that.
• I didn't see the Manny hit in the first, but the Phillies pitchers just pounded him inside with fastballs the rest of the night and he could do nothing with them. Hit the showers, Manny.
• Do we want the Yankees to finish off the Angels tomorrow, and get the Series started? Or do we want the ALCS to go 7? I say bring on the Series ASAP, but either option has its advantages.

Ooooooooh!

As EMF once sang and Ron Wood once tweeted, the Phillies were (once again) unbelievable tonight in rallying for the win in the ninth. With two on and two outs, Jimmy Rollins smoked a double to the wall in right-center, and Carlos Ruiz rounded from first for the winning run.

They did all this against the Dodgers' fireballer closer Jonathan Broxton who, having retired Werth as the last out in the eighth, looked off his game in the ninth, inexplicably walking Matt Stairs with one out, then hitting Ruiz with a pitch before retiring Greg Dobbs on a humpbacker to third. Broxton was hitting 100 on the radar gun, and went right after Rollins, but J-Roll was able to pull the ball to the gap and that was that.

Stairs homered off Broxton to take game 4 of the 2008 NLCS, and his walk tonight felt just as big. Not sure what Broxton was thinking — did he prefer to just go after Ruiz and the probable pinch-hitter Dobbs? — but he was nowhere close to the plate. I don't think coming in the eighth helped him, as he never goes more than one inning.

NOTES:
• The Ryan Howard legend ascension watch continues. Another homer makes it six this postseason — tying Mike Schmidt for the club record. He's got 14 RBIs, with at least one in eight straight games to tie some old Yankee's record.
• I wouldn't want to be a pitcher tonight, as that ump had a super-small strike zone. He was randomly inconsistent too, and it must be said the Phillies seemed to get more of the breaks on the calls.
• The Phillies bullpen was pretty good tonight, even if it seemed like everyone let at least one guy reach base. Lidge got the win.
• MLB.com = breaking news FAIL.
• I didn't see what he was wearing tonight, but Craig Sager had a burgundy velvet jacket on last night. Pimp.


Hamels against Padilla Wednesday night. If Hamels wants to step it up, this would be a good time.

Easy peasy LEEsy

As Dire Straits once sang, "That's the way you do it."

If you don't want to worry about the back end of your bullpen blowing up — and Uncle Charlie helping it blow up — then the best thing to do is jump all over the rusty opposing starter, and have Cliff Lee throw eight fairly effortless shutout innings. Done and done, and the Phils lead 2-1.

Not much to say about this one, except the Phillies were pretty awesome in an 11-0 win. Aside from Lee's dominant, 10-strikeout performance, the batters were hitting and driving in runs up and down the lineup, with the lone exception of Raul Ibanez. Even Lee got himself a single.

If the series gets back to Dodger Hideki Kuroda's spot in the rotation, you'd have to believe L.A. might go with Chad Billingsley instead, as he was solid in relief, and Kuroda got lit up. But that's Joe Torre's problem.

Joe Blanton against Randy Wolf tomorrow.

Jokeland, ha ha

Seemingly full of themselves after beating powerhouses like the Chiefs and the Buccaneers the Eagles, not the Raiders, were the joke today. A sad, pathetic joke, especially the McNabb and Reid run offense. So while we all laughed it up because Dallass had to go to OT to beat the Chiefs, the Eagles did them one better by losing in 60 minutes to the Raiders.

All the Eagles offense had today was a few big plays and nothing else. And the big plays did not score TDs so the Eagles lost. This of course is a complete indictment of Reid and his concept of how offenses should work. I have no hope that Reid will ever learn the lesson that a running game is important and so is a normal, non-gimmicky offense that can just simply grind things out.

Let's look back at the last 5 minutes of the first half as a distillation of the Eagles ineptitude and stupidity.

McNabb tosses it to Westbrook who takes it 34 yards to the Oakland 27. That's followed by an incomplete pass to McCoy and then a timeout. The next play is an incomplete pass to Celek and then another timeout, their last of the half. Then the next play McNabb takes an 8 yard sack and in the process takes the Eagles out of field goal range, which went completely unnoted by the terrible Fox announcers. Then Rocca brilliantly punts it into the endzone.

A couple plays later Russell throws a stupid pass that's picked by Mikell who returns it to the Oakland 40. There is 1:53 left on the clock. McNabb passes to Celek for 14 which is followed by a dumb pass to Weaver for 3 yards. Westbrook then runs it for 4 with 1:04 left. The next play, a pass to Jackson for 4 yards starts with 35 seconds left. Classic McNabb/Reid time management. But at least on this play Jackson gets out of bounds to stop the clock. So what does Reid do?

For some insane reason Reid thought it would be a great idea to run out a wildcat play with Vick. Turns out McNabb's now racing and panicky brain couldn't handle this, and decided to do a Chris Webber and call a timeout that didn't exist. The 5 yard delay of game penalty was then followed by a 5 yard sack where half the team didn't seem to know what the play count was. Then with 12 seconds left McNabb spikes it on 3rd down and out comes Akers to kick one of the field goals he didn't miss.

Horrible. And it was like that ALL day.

Other notes:

• Is the Trotter experiment over yet?
• Great effort by Hobbs on the Raiders TD. Gee, I wonder if Dawkins would have made that play.
• Did the refs not feel like calling obvious penalties against the Raiders because they felt sorry for them or something? (I'm not blaming the refs in any way for this loss though.)
• Looks like the the straw landed on the offensive line's back this game.
• Is the wildcat experiment over yet? It better be. P.S. Vick SUCKS.
• So I compliment Akers last week, this week he sucks.
• McNabb was terrible.
• Tackling was pretty bad today.
• How many times are you going to pass (and get sacked) when it's 2nd and 2?
• Didn't the Giants run all over the Raiders last week?
• Did anyone on the Eagles have a good game?
• I'm glad Fox can spot a stupid pigeon on the field and feature it in its coverage, but can't tell the difference between DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin.

I sure hope those contract extension negotiations with Reid go well.

The Dumb World Champ

I'm glad we got a Championship last year after 80 some sports seasons with nothing. And, Uncle Charlie is forever enthroned in Philly as a "good guy." So, he's special to me, and he deserves some slack. But, good gracious, he sure is stoopid.

While I know the guy doesn't have a lot of bullpen options and will be forced to manage situationally, playing matchups, etc.... I have no idea why after doing so (fairly well) in the NLDS he has suddenly switched back into "autopilot" mode as if he has a sound 7-8-9th inning standard pitcher routine, particularly when Pedro was pitching GREAT.

Memo to Charlie: When you get a shutout (two hits?) outing from Pedro and are up by one run, DO NOT remove him from the game, especially for Dobbs as a ph. Memo to Charlie: Happ was your best consistent starter all season, he is NOT a short reliever, in case you didn't realize that in game 1 (or after seeing all those pitches he threw in the first three innings in his last start of the playoffs). Memo to Charlie: if you need a lefty in the 8th inning, it's ok to use Eyre! Memo to Charlie: Madson doesn't have it this year, even in the eight inning, and he regularly gives up a walk to the first batter. Just last night he blew his relief appearance. Memo to Charlie: You just lost to an ex-Philly scrub. This is your second HORRIBLY managed game w.r.t. pitching - glad we won last night off of the HRs.