Over the course of a seven game series, the better baseball team is usually going to prevail, so I know my joy at seeing the Rays improbably knock off the Red Sox should probably be filed under the “be careful what you wish for” category.  That said, it would be hard for the Phillies not to pine for the Not-Devils over the reigning champs.

Why? The first reason may seem glib, but I believe it’s important: The Red Sox are scary.  They beat the Phillies earlier in the season, they have the bling, and they play in an historic park.  There is a scene in Catch Me if You Can where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character’s father asks his son about baseball:

DiCaprio’s dad:           You know why the Yankees always win, Frank? 
DiCaprio:                    ‘Cause they have Mickey Mantle? 
DicCaprio’s dad:         No, it’s ’cause the other teams can’t stop staring at those damn pinstripes. 

Now one should be careful when attempting to analyze intangibles - or forgetting just how good Mantle was - but no one on the Phillies is going to be staring at those ever changing Rays unis and forgetting about the prize.  On top of that, I think it’s fair to suggest that the young Rays are going to be a little happier just to be in the World Series than the battle-tested Sox would have been.  

There are baseball reasons to be excited as well — Moyer suddenly becomes as asset again; the Rays lack a shut down closer; and their deep starting rotation isn’t as effective as it was over the course of a long season, for example — but I’ll save that for later. Right now?  For the second series in a row it looks like the Phillies got the team they wanted. Lets hope that, for the second series in a row, they can take care of them now that they got em.

via Boston Globe

“This might sound funny to everyone, but I don’t want to go home and have to see every single person that I know rub it in my face every single day for the rest of my life. And that would happen [if we lost]. I’m 100 percent serious. To beat those guys and not have to listen to everyone where I live, it’s a nice feeling.”- Rocco Baldelli, talking like he just won the World Series

Three lines on their world:

1. Tampa Bay moves on to the World Series
   
   
2. The first BCS rankings were announced
   
   
3. And Bernard Hopkins took down Kelly Pavlik in AC
   

Three lines on ours:

1. The Phillies learned their fate and will head to Tampa Bay
   
   
2. With the Hopkins win, Philly gained a champion
   
   
3. And Penn St. climbed to third in the BCS rankings
   

Phillies, Birds, Sixers, Flyers and what everybody is talking about, after the jump

PHILLIES

John Smallwood looks at how the young Rays did it. READ

Rich Hofmann checks in with Pat Burrell’s college hitting coach and says Bait has always been able to rake. READ

Bob Ford hates the junior circuit. SKIP

Todd Zolecki asks Brad Lidge why he blew the Phillies’ home field advantage. READ

Frank Seravalli checks in with several Phillies’ old high school managers. READ

Frank Seravalli brings you 15 facts about the Rays. SKIP

Mark Kram talks with Ruly Carpenter, the former Phillies’ owner, about the 1980 championship. SKIP

David Murphy checks in with Frank Coppenbarger, the man in charge of making sure the Phillies get to where they’re going. READ

Joe Juliano writes that the DH hasn’t been set yet. SKIP

Joe Juliano talks with Charlie about June. READ

Phil Sheridan gushes about the Phillies’ personality. He must love boring. SKIP

A couple months ago I remember someone asking John Gonzalez when his first “emotional” column would be, the one where he lets down that rough exterior just a little and opens up to the reader, offering a hug instead of sly witticisms.  It’s here. SKIP

Jim Salisbury says that in Jayson Werth’s family, it’s all about that ring. SKIP

Marc Narducci checks in with Chuck LaMar, the current Phillies’ pro scouting director and former Rays’ GM. READ

Gonzalez tries to start a conversation; Ford seems to hate conversations, so that doesn’t go over well; and Sheridan notices that baseball is unlike football. SKIP

In looking at who the Phillies will use at their DH, Mike Sielski points out that, in the postseason, minor flaws become magnified. READ

Kevin Cooney looks at the time off. SKIP

Randy Miller talks to the Phillies’ wearing rings. It isn’t a long list. READ

Kevin Cooney looks at why Philly has embraced Mitch Williams. SKIP

EAGLES

Marcus Hayes looks at Sav Rocca’s excellent season. READ

Ted Silary checks in with the Ryan’s as their son Matt gears up to come home. READ

Ray Parrillo takes stock of the Birds’ playoff chances. SKIP

Reuben Frank looks at Jevon Kearse’s greatest addition to the eagles: Juqua Parker. READ

SIXERS

Phil Jasner looks at Willie Green’s new role. SKIP

Phil Jasner talks Phillies with Donyell Marshall. SKIP

Tom Moore breaks down the fight for backup guard minutes. My take: trade Willie Green and thank me later. READ

FLYERS

Ed Moran can’t figure out why the Flyers are awful. READ

Frank Seravelli reports that the Flyers have changed their start time to so it won’t conflict with the World Series. SKIP

Wayne Fish on Mike Knuble’s family origins. SKIP

Wayne Fish on the Flyers’ “good” losses. SKIP

TODAY and MORE

Bernard Fernandez wonders why Bernard Hopkins isn’t better round these parts - he reps Philly through and through and looks ahead to next week’s PSU v. TOSU matchup. Good stuff. 

Around here, expect a fairly slow morning followed by plenty of Phillies tidbits in the afternoon.  It’s World Series week, so it doesn’t really matter if every angle is being disucussed elsewhere, we’re covering it too (and better!) As always, feel free to email with any questions, suggestions, comments or complaints.  

This entry was posted on Monday, October 20th, 2008 at 8:54 am and is filed under Morning Rounds. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.