Rain Rain Go Away

So baseball didn't get finished last night. The hope is that the game can be finished tonight, but more rain is in tonight's forecast. Score is 2-2 in the 6th inning. It should be interesting tonight in the rain, especially from a pitching standpoint, as in Who? Who is going to pitch when the game resumes, Hamels is obviously not gonna go back out there. Do you throw a starter out there and hope he can go three strong before handing it over? Hmmmm, very interesting indeed.

*********************UPDATE**************************

Game 5 will not finish tonight due to more rain in the Philadelphia Metropolitan area. Bud Selig assures us that he will not give up and call it a tie...

Phillies win World Series!!!!!! (I think)

The game, Game 5, hasn't actually happened yet. In fact, we are roughly four hours away from the first pitch. That being said, I'm taking Cole Hamels and the Phightin's to win tonight. My original prediction was Phillies in 6, but after last night, I think they win at home tonight and let the people of Philly take to the streets!

Phillies @ Rays: Game 2

My prediction for tonight: Rays win 9-3

Short and sweet is the order of day. Enjoy the game.

Fallish Classic begins tonight! Does Florida have Fall?

In my research leading up to tonight's historic game 1, I found something very interesting. Most gambling sites offer the Phillies as a favorite, a small favorite but a favorite nonetheless. However, there are a couple that are posting the Rays as a small favorite. I asked around to some friends, and I get the exact same result, more people think the Phillies are going to win, but there is some strong belief in the Rays as well.

I think tonight is going to showcase a very interesting pitching match-up, Hamels v Kazmir. Both pitchers are left-handed and both have good hard fastballs. It will interesting to see if each pitcher has his strike-out pitch working early in the game, Hamels his devestating changeup and Kazmir his slider. I think it will be a pretty safe bet that this game will not be high-scoring.

Both teams are batting around .250 against leftys this season, with the Phillies holding a slight edge. Jason Werth will be a guy to watch for the Phillies tonight. He batted .303 against leftys on the year, perhaps not all of his at bats were against a pitcher the caliber of Scott Kazmir or on the stage as larage as the World Series, but .303 is .303 and he could be a game 1 difference maker.

For the Rays, BJ Upton is the guy to watch. He has been on a tear, and his next homerun will tie Barry Bonds' record for most homeruns in a single postseason (Upton and Evan Longoria also have a chance to break Bonds and Rich Auriela's record of most postseason homeruns by teammates). Upton wasn't great against leftys this year batting .269, but his OBP was an impressive .415! Upton's average against right-handers is higher, and his OBP is much lower. Perhaps this is due to the smaller number of at-bats, but more probable I think is that Upton sees the pitches better out of a lefty's hand. Also, Jason Bartlett has been hitting leftys extremely well all year, so it will be interesting to see if that continues against Cole Hamels.

I like the Phillies in this game 5-3. And to win the series in 6.

Who do you like?

PS: For 10 bonus points, can you name the Rays mascot without looking it up...?

The Tampa Bay "Don't Call Us Devil" Rays are headed to BIG SHOW!

Congrats to the Rays. I for one am happy to admit my wrongness about Game 7, I thought they were done after losing game 6. I predicted that they would win game 6, but if they didn't I thought for sure they were doomed by the Baseball (read: Red Sox) Deities. I am so thankful I was wrong. I couldn't imagine having to watch one more game involving Kevin Youkilis. Matt Garza was lights out, and the young Rays got some clutch hitting and late inning pitching. David Price was sensational, and I think he will play a really big role in the World Series. As for predictions...Phillies in 6. Although with no Red Sox or Yankees around, I can sit back, watch, and cheer for great finishes and historic performances, with no ill-will towards either team. I'm gonna side with generic Mom answer on this one, "I wish they could both win, why can't they both win?"

Game 1: Wednesday in Tampa

Enjoy!

ALCS Tonight

James Shields (above) gets the start for Tampa Bay. If you wanna play a fun drinking game with your friends, drink every time someone on TV references James Shields as "Big Game James". If anyone decides to count this occurrence, please post the final count. Josh Beckett is starting for the Red Sox. I think Tampa gets it done tonight to go to the world series to face Philly. That being said IF Boston wins, I think we all understand that game 7 wouldn't even need to be played, Boston would roll. Should be entertaining, come for the James Shields drinking game, stay for baseball!

Best. Sign. Ever.

Good for you buddy! Not so good for your Rays.