They Called Him The Kid

It was the summer of 1989 and I was 11.  I was trading baseball cards with my cousin, four and a half years my junior, as we often did.  I saw that he had a 1989 Donruss Rated Rookie for a guy named Ken Griffey, Jr.  It was early in the season, and though I didn’t know a whole lot about him, I remembered hearing some things about Griffey being an up-and-comer.  I thought I’d make a play for the card.  Not wanting to completely rip off my own flesh and blood, I found a card I thought would make for a reasonably fair trade…a 1988 Topps Danny Tartabull.  Sure, in retrospect it looks like a fleecing—the only stat Tartabull eclipses Griffey in now is Seinfeld appearances—but go look at his stats, they’re better than you think, and at the time Tartabull, of MLB pedigree himself, was something of a rising star also.  Of course, in a matter of weeks it was clear that, as fine a player as Tartabull may have been, Griffey was going to be something special and the value of the two cards reflected that.  At one point not long after the deal the Griffey was around the $5 mark, the Tartabull not more than a common card, maybe a nickel.  From that point forward, all trades between my cousin and me were to be pre-approved by his dad (though in my defense, that same year he offered me a Jose Canseco rookie for a slice of pizza and I declined knowing it was a rip off…for me.  And also that same year, I traded him a Barry Bonds rookie, among a few other cards, for the 1989 Upper Deck Jim Abbot rookie.  A pretty even trade at the time, but I shudder to look up the values of those two cards now).

Anyway, thus began my idolization of Ken Griffey, Jr.  Even though he played for a division rival to my beloved Angels, the Mariners had always been terrible and posed no credible threat (until 1995….sigh).  Plus, I had a soft spot for them since meeting and going to lunch with second baseman Harold Reynolds (now of the MLB Network) a few years earlier.  The Angels had never had a potential star of that magnitude on the roster before.  Even as great as Wally Joyner was his first couple years, he didn’t have the grace or magnetism of Griffey.  Besides, even by ’89 Joyner’s numbers had come remarkably down to earth; he never again even approached the 30 home run plateau after 1987.  So as counterintuitive as it may have been, I was an Angels fan first and foremost, but I always cheered for Griffey, Jr.

Through my formative sports following years he didn’t disappoint.  There was nothing he couldn’t do.  Power, check.  Speed, check.  Defense, check.  Look like you actually enjoy playing baseball, check.  With his hat turned backward, million dollar grin, and picture perfect swing, Griffey took the game by storm.  His posters were on my wall and for a long time my most prized possession was his 1989 Upper Deck rookie card that I got for Christmas that year.  That card still probably ranks in the top three of my all-time favorite Christmas gifts.

I lamented when he broke his wrist in 1995 (though I should’ve been rejoicing), I was dejected when his shot at 62 was taken away by the Strike in 1994, and I was thrilled when he finally won his first MVP in 1997.  By 1999, the question “Is Griffey the best ever?” could be asked and no one would think someone completely insane for asking it.

I predicted that he would take less money to go back to his roots in Cincinnati a year before he did.  Of course, I didn’t actually know anything about Ken Griffey, Jr. other than what I could see on the baseball diamond, but I just felt like that’s the kind of guy he was.  He was different than all those other superstars.  He was a good guy who put his family ahead of the big dollars.  He did things right on the field, why couldn’t he be that way in life also?

That sort of talk is more than a little risky when it’s said about professional athletes.  Time and time again we put them up on pedestals, and then we knock them down.  Most of the time, it seems, they deserve it.

But as the arc of Griffey’s career is now at a close, maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t too far off.

Once he reached Cincy, his career seemed to hit the skids.  He put up good numbers his first year there, but not necessarily Griffey-good.  The next several seasons were a litany of one injury after the other.  From 2001 to 2010 he really only had two of what would be considered “good” seasons.  The rest were mediocre at best, in some cases a disaster, none approaching his former greatness.  Meanwhile, as he was fading and seemingly aging at an unnatural pace, many of his contemporaries appeared to have found the Fountain of Youth…and Muscles.  They were putting up monstrous and unheard of numbers.  Players who would would’ve been considered Griffey’s near-equals rocketed past him in production and those who would not have previously been mentioned in the same breath with him as far was talent was concerned, were also now eclipsing the numbers of even his greatest seasons.

Of course now we know why.  While Griffey was appearing to age unnaturally, he was in fact doing the exact opposite.  It was all the rest who were unnatural.  When Griffey began to break down in his mid-30’s as players had for generations, at similar ages the Sosas and Bonds’ and Palmeiros of the world were playing like their hyped up video game avatars.

Can anyone other than Ken Griffey, Jr. ever truly know or prove that Ken Griffey, Jr. never did any performance enhancing drugs?  No.  But we can sure look at the evidence and make a pretty good guess.  His name has never been whispered, mentioned, shouted, or intimated to have been involved with PEDs.  Did his body change as he got older?  It sure did…a little rounder around the middle.

That is Griffey’s true legacy.  It’s amazing that we still ask the What If question for a guy that hit 630 home runs.  That is, I think, a result of a combination of the otherworldly expectations we all had for him and us still adjusting to the game that is (somewhat) post-PEDs.  We’re still re-acclimating ourselves to the fact that it is more unusual than not for someone to hit 50 home runs in a season.  But I think as years pass and we look back at Griffey’s career and the context in which he played, that 630 number will become even more impressive.  In an era of drug assisted video game statistics, Griffey’s were just as gaudy, but the only assist he needed was that sweet swing.

Here’s a pretty good highlight video.

World Series Preveiw 2009!!

Disclaimer:  I wrote most of this before Game 1 actually started.  Honest.

So here we are on the cusp of another World Series and with it another disappointing display by my beloved Angels in the playoffs against a Beast from the East.  Sure we may have broken out the broom on the much despise-ed Red Sox and avenged the suicide (literally) bunt-that-wasn’t from last year—and trust me, it fell really good…since, you know, I had so much to do with it—but once again the brains had their hearts set on an early winter vacation and costly blunders cost us a shot at the pennant.  Sigh.  But enough about me.

In this, my 7^th Annual Monster World Series Breakdown we’ll take a look at two powerhouses and break it down position by position to see who has biggest hypodermic needle.  And it’s the Yankees by a syringe!  Ok, that was a low blow…even if it is true.  Enough already.  As Flight of the Conchords would say It’s Business Time!  You know how I know that?  Because it’s Wednesday.

Catchers – This one really isn’t close.  The Yankees will run Jorge Posada out there most days, with the possible exception of when A.J. Burnett starts, when Jose Molina will be the receiver. Posada is an old hand at this postseason stuff and is a good hitter besides.  Not much of a catch and throw guy, but then again he does resemble Templeton the rat from the old Charlotte’s Web cartoon.  Google it.  You won’t be disappointed.

For the Phils it will be Carlos Ruiz.  Exactly.

Edge – Yanks

1^st Base – Here’s where it gets interesting.  Both squads are fielding superstar 1^st basemen; Mark Teixera for the Yankees and Ryan Howard for the Phillies.  Their regular season stats are pretty much a wash.  Howard may be slightly more powerful, Teixera makes better consistent contact.  In the postseason however, Howard has been a beast, while Teixera has been mostly toothless, save for the 11^th inning HR to beat the Twins in the ALDS.  However, Teixera was a wizard with the glove in the ALCS.  And while I’m pretty sure wizardry counts as an illegal performance enhancer, no one seems willing to call him on it.  Bottom line, both of these guys are studs and therefore cancel each other out…but Teixera did spurn the Angels in the offseason….

Edge – Phillies

2^nd Base – As much as I hate to say it, Robison Cano is really good.  He looks like he doesn’t care, doesn’t move particularly quickly, and is prone to the occasional mental lapse, but he puts up huge second base numbers and turns the DP just about better than everyone.  But, Philly’s guy is pretty good to.  Maybe you’ve heard of him, Chase Utley?  Also monster numbers, but more of a middle of the order presence than Cano.  For that and his highfalutin country club type name, Chase Cameron Utley gets the nod.

Edge – Phillies

3^rd Base – Pedro Feliz is about as ordinary as a player can get, but a mere four weeks ago would it have been so absurd to give the Edge to the Phillies at this spot?  In his previous three trips to the playoffs with the Yankees that mirror-kissing-Madonna/Kate Hudson-dating-steroid-injecting loosey goosey Alex Rodriguez had 44 at-bats with exactly one home run and one RBI.  Mr. Steinbrenner and son weren’t exactly getting their money’s worth.  Now?  Yeeeeeeeeaaah.  Sorry Mr. Happy.  You are officially a very distant second.

Edge – Yanks

SS – Jimmy Rollins is only two years removed from an MVP season, but doesn’t it seem like a long time ago?  He salvaged a dismal season with a decent second half this year, but doesn’t seem to be the player he once was.  Not to mention he hasn’t done much of anything in the postseason, his game-winning double off Broxton not withstanding.  Maybe he needs to bring back the corn rows.

On the flip side, Derek Jeter had something of a comeback year.  The previous two years saw declines in power and speed and according to everyone who is supposed to know this kind of stuff, he was not long for the shortstop position.  But 2009 proved to disprove those who disapproved of his skills.  Plus as much as I loathe the Yankees, and I do loathe them, there’s something about Jeter and the way he plays that makes you grit your teeth and say, “You know?  That Jeter guy is pretty decent.”  I hate him.

Edge – Yanks

Left Field – When will Johnny Damon just go away?  Every time you think he’s done, he comes back.  He’s like a little gnat that keeps flying into the corner of your eye while you’re driving.  You swat and swat and think it’s gone just when you relax and let out a sigh of relief it flies into your mouth.  That’s Johnny Damon.  A bug that flies into your mouth while you’re driving. Do you realize he tied a career high in home runs this year?!  At least when he had the Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer look going it gave us something to distract from his awkward playing style.  Oh, and I’m disturbed to learn that we share the same birthday.  Terrific.

The Phillies will start Raul “I’m the best player you’ve never heard of” Ibanez.  Go look at his stats for the past four seasons.  Go ahead, I’ll wait.  Crazy right?  It’s about time he got some respect.

Edge – Phillies

Right Field – Nick “I’m the worst player you thought was good” Swisher.  Mr. Moneyball himself.  I’m sure someone thinks it’s pretty cool to walk and strike out 100 times in the same season on a regular basis while batting around .240, but not me.  Never liked him, never will.

For the Phillies it’s another member of the “best player you’ve never heard of” club, Jayson Werth.  The guy is ridiculous.  Why wasn’t he a regular before last year?  Late bloomer?  Late doper?  Whatever the case, this guy is legit.  Too legit.  Too legit to quit.  Hey.  Hey.

Edge – Phillies

Center Field – If I see Melky Cabrera do that karate chop thing he does after getting a big hit again, I’m going to leap through my TV and punch him in the stomach as hard as I can.  You can’t do things like that Melky!  Only good players can!  You’re name is Melky!!!!

For Shane Victorino I reprise what I said last year because I like it so much:  Shane Victorino’s name sounds like a WWII-era patriotic Chef Boyardee product.  “Show Hitler he can’t keep America down by eating your Victorino, now with more MSG!”

Edge – Even

Starting Pitching – Fun factoid, not only will Game 1 feature the last two Cy Young award winners, but they were teammates just last year.  That can’t have happened before.  Both Cliff Lee (Cy Young 2008) and C.C. Sabathia (Cy Young 2007) are horses (in Sabathia’s case almost literally).  Both struggled early in the year but ended up with solid seasons, especially Lee after he was traded to the Phillies midseason where he dominated all that AAAA had to offer.

The rest of the Philadelphia starting staff is a high risk/high reward group.  Pedro Martinez has seemingly revived his career (and jeri curl) in recent months, Cole Hammels was brilliant last postseason, Blanton is serviceable, and Happ has the tools but is inexperienced, if they decide to use him as a starter.  They have the potential to be exceptional or a massive train wreck.  Just what you want in a starting staff.  Personally, I like their chances.  Especially if Don Zimmer makes an appearance.  We know Pedro has no qualms about beating up octogenarians.

After CC the Yankees are also full of questions.  AJ Burnett wasn’t stellar, but wasn’t terrible all year, and always has the potential to be overpowering.  Pettite is about a seasoned a postseason pitcher as you could hope for and still has enough left in the tank physically to go with all that veteran savvy.  After that, if they go with a fourth starter, it’ll be the always dangerous Chad Gaudin.  And by that I mean dangerous to the Yankees.  Very very dangerous.

Edge – Phillies (by a Pedro jeri curl)

Bullpens – The bullpen was supposed to be a major asset for the Yankees going into the ALCS but had some struggles against the Angels.  Joe Girardi’s incessant (and wonderful, from where I sat) micromanaging is partially to blame, but Hughes, Coke, and Joba certainly didn’t instill a lot of confidence.  Of course, their ace in the hole is Mariano Rivera, who has 968 career postseason saves and an ERA of -0.92.  I don’t know how that’s possible, but that shows just how good he is.  The guy has one pitch and yet completely dominant.  It’s the definition of insanity:  continually doing the same thing and expecting a different result.  Maybe he’s not expecting a different result, but I AM!!!!

The Phillies bullpen was slightly above league average during the regular season, and has been very good in the postseason.  But how long can that last with Brad Lidge as closer?  After being perfect in save opportunities last years, Lidge has been horrendous in 2009, blowing 11 saves and posting an ERA over 7.  7!!!  How he kept his job is anyone’s guess, but it may have something to do with no better options.  Yikes.

Edge – Yankees

Benches – For all their cash and willingness to spend it, the Yankees have a shockingly thin bench.  Look at these world beaters:  Brett Gardener, Jerry Hairston, Eric Hinske, and Jose Molina, who may actually START when Burnett pitches.  They do fill roles I suppose, and they’ll have Hideki Matsui to pinch hit in Philly where there is no DH, but none of those guys scares me.

Philly at least has a couple guys that can hit the ball over the fence with some consistency in Matt Stairs and Ben Francisco.  Francisco…FrrranCISco.  That’s a fun name to say….FranCISco.

Edge – Phillies

Manager – Joe Girardi is already on Yankee fans’ nerves with the aforementioned micromanaging, but as long as he stays away from those binders in the dugout he should be OK.  However, after the Yanks missed the playoffs for the first time since 1995 last year with him at the helm and after the Steinbrenners dropped nearly a half BILLION dollars to bring in Sabathia, Teixera, and Burnett, I suspect he’s feeling a little pressure.  If it gets to him and he starts trying to pull all the right strings it could go badly.  And I’m OK with that.

On the other bench you have Charlie Manual, who sounds like a hillbilly who just wandered out of the Ozarks or something.  You wouldn’t think it to look at him, but the guy must be one heck of a manager.  His players love him, and he seems to push the right buttons.  And he looks a little slimmer than last year.  Don’t count out the new self-confidence that comes with weight loss.

Edge – Phillies

Mojo – As much as I hate to say it, the Yankees are freaking good.  They’ve got the big names that are actually living up to their billing and are oozing confidence.  But, if there was one team from the National League that could match them nearly punch for punch, it’s the Phillies.  Other than 3B there isn’t a weak spot in their lineup and they’re pitching has all the pieces if they can figure out how they all fit.  The Phillies have had an easier time of it in the postseason thus far (a few bounces and breaks go the other way in the ALCS and the Yanks could’ve been the ones facing a 3-2 deficit in Game 6) and I, Andy Bauer, predictor without equal think the Philadelphia Phillies have what it takes to be the first repeat World Champs since…the New York Yankees.

My pick – Phillies in 6

YouTube Friday: Battle of the Network Stars

As any longtime reader of Life of Ando should know, Bill Simmons is my favorite sportswriter.  No blends sports and pop culture quite as hilariously.  His only real drawbacks are that he cheers for Boston sports teams and he was born just enough before me that I miss out on some of his older pop culture references.  But really, that’s his parents’ fault so I won’t hold it against him too much.  A recent column of his in ESPN the Magazine falls into this category, but thanks to YouTube I am able to see what he’s talking about and while it may not have the same resonance for me after first viewing it as a 31 year old as it did for him viewing it as a pre-teen, its still hilarious.  I’m talking of course of the Gabe Kaplan vs. Robert Conrad race on Battle of the Network Stars.  Any more words of mine on this matter would be hollow and empty compared to Bill’s so I’ll let him do the rest of the talking.  Read the column, watch the video, and enjoy.

Bossman Junior and Completely Unrelated Personal Stories

No, those are not my wings

- For those of you with the intestinal fortitude to make it halfway through my elongated World Series preview, you may recall my wondering how a guy named Melvin Emmanuel Upton ended up with the nickname B.J.  Well, it turns out that the B and the J are initials to the awesomest nickname ever.  The Yahoo Sports baseball blog explains.

- The House of Bauer is just now recovering from a pretty unpleasent bout with the influenza.  Lily was the first to succomb, vomitting all over herself and then her mother multiple times late Friday night.  She was fine for the most part after that, and even made the planned trip to the blazing hot, fly infested pumpkin patch on Saturday (ok, neither the heat nor the flys were planned).  I was the next to fall, waking up Monday morning feeling, as I told Jen, either really hungry or about to barf.  It was the latter.  After making hourly trips to the porcelain pony to do the technicolor yawn (though it was mostly just greens and yellows) from 7AM to 1PM, the scurge had mostly left my body.  I say mostly, because it returned for one encore at about 7PM.  Tuesday Jen fell victim and spent most of the day writhing, while I tried to recover/take care of the baby.  Not as easy as it sounds.  Especially when the dog gets loose after a squirrel when you’re trying to take him outside for some air and you end up running through bushes and leaping over brush to keep him from running into four lanes of busy traffic, all in your pjs and slippers.  We all seem to be on the mend now, but it has not made for a pleasent several days.

- The outlook was much brighter on Friday night, when we attended our annual costume party.  Jen and I came as 1960′s bowlers, for which we won the coveted Most Unique Costume bag of M&M’s, and Lily came as an adorable sock monkey (see above).  There were a lot of really good costumes, some of which can be seen here (unfortunately I didn’t get pictures of everybody), and we had a great time.  Mostly because we won something.

- Tomorrow our recovering trio heads, yet again, for Sacramento, though for business rather than pleasure this time.  Jen will be attending a teachers convention while Lily and I do something fun like hang out in the hotel and watch soap operas.  Just kidding, we’ll probably just go to a bar and watch them.

Ando’s Superfrantasticamazinglyaccurate 2008 World Series Preview

          VS.         

After the Angels were ingloriously eliminated from the playoffs by the Red Sox (again!) I thought I wouldn’t do a World Series preview this year.  Besides being just too painful, my previews always end up being only slightly shorter than the United Nations Charter and only slightly less boring for the reader.  If it had turned out to be a Dodgers vs. Red Sox series, the Manny Returns To Boston hype would have caused me to clean out my ears with an ice pick and I would’ve been unable to write because I would’ve be dead, and happily so.  But fortunately for my wife and child and unfortunately for you, I am alive and well thanks to a Tampa Bay Rays vs. Philadelphia Phillies World Series match up.

There’s no doubt this is not the pairing the TV execs were hoping for, rating only slightly above a Milwaukee/Tampa series in cash reaping potential, or lack there of, but I for one am glad to see some new faces.  It may not be the sexy matchup that will draw in the casual fan, but for us hardcore seamheads it should be a fun series.  The out-of-nowhere Rays, who had never had a winning season in their eleven year history and feature some of the best young, up and coming talent in the league, against a Phillies team who have, frankly, underachieved in recent years, but have finally gotten over the hump.  They’ll trot out a lineup that features probably the games best slugging infield.  Let’s break it down, yo!

Catchers-

The Phillies’ backstop is Carlos Ruiz and while he didn’t hit at all in the regular season (.219 BA, 4 homers) he is at least consistent, continuing his batting futility in the postseason (.200 BA, 1 RBI).  He must be good defensively.  Right?  Where’s Mike Lieberthal!

Meanwhile, the Rays will counter with 2008 All-Star Dioner Navarro, who is a better hitter than Ruiz by a fair margin and, having actually seen him play a little, is a solid receiver.  Look no further than the success of the Rays’ very young pitching staff this year for evidence of that.

Edge – Rays

1st Base-

The first sackers for both teams are all-or-nothing type lefty sluggers.  This year the Rays’ Carlos Pena and the Phils’ Ryan Howard combined for 79 home runs and 265 strike outs andboth sported a batting average around .250.  Both are dangerous to the oppositions pitchers, particularly Howard who was one of only two major leaguers to top 40 bombs this year and led the Bigs in RBI.  But his greatest strength has to be his sweet half-beard.  Crocket would be proud.  Oh, whoops, that’s the wrong Ryan Howard.  Pena is better with the glove, but people don’t care so much about your defense if you can smack a baseball a country mile like Howard can.

Edge – Phillies

2nd Base-

Japanese import Akinori Iwamuraplays a pretty good second base, but for a guy who only hit six home runs all season he strikes out waaaaaaaay too much.  One hundred and thirty one times in 2008.  Yikes.  On the plus side, I’m sure he loves his mother.

On the other hand, the Phillies’ Chase Utleyis probably the best second basemen in the majors.  He hits for power and average andplays solid D.  He had a pretty rough second half of the season and hasn’t done much in the postseason yet, but that just means he’s due, right?  Isn’t that how its supposed to go?

Edge – Phils

3rd Base-

At the hot corner the Rays sans Devil will run out one of the next generations best players.  Rookie wunderkind Evan Longoria (that’s Evan with an N, not Tony Parker’s wife) is already becoming one of the best players in the league.  He hit 27 home runs and drove in 85 despite having fewer than 500 at-bats and, oh by the way, he already has six home runs this postseason.  On top of all that he’s also extremely good looking.  Yeah, I said it.

From the City of Brotherly love will be Peter July Happy, or as his name translates in Spanish, Pedro Julio Feliz.  A former Giant and constant frustration to Bay Area fans, Senor Happy is slick with the glove and sloppy with the bat.  He’s got a little pop, but is a sucker for a breaking ball low and away and has killed more rallies than tear gas with his flailing.  Look for Gregg Dobbs, the Bizzaro Feliz, to get some AB’s.  He’s lousy with the glove, but has been on fire at the plate this offseason, batting a scorching .545.

Edge – Rays

SS-

Jimmy Rollins didn’t have near the season in 2008 that he did in 2007, but is still a very good player who can cause havoc on the basepaths.  An Oakland native and former wearer of dreadlocks, he, like most of the other big guns in Philladelphia’s lineup, hasn’t really gotten hot yet which does not bode well for the Rays.  If Rollins, Utley, and Howard all hit their stride at once, this will be a very tough go for even the Rays’ talented pitching staff.

Speaking of the Ray’s talented pitching staff, they’ve been helped out all season by the shortstop play of Jason Bartlett, so much so that manager Joe Maddon calls Bartlett his most important player.  Now, we all know that Bartlett must have been in the room when Maddon said that and he was just trying to boost his confidence because how can a guy who bats .286 with one home run all season really be your most important player when you’ve got guys like Longoria and B.J. Upton on the team?  But good for Maddon, looking out of the little guys on his team.  That’s managing.  Seriously though, Bartlett is a pretty solid glove, though he made a couple errors in the Red Sox series.

Edge – Phils

Left Field-

The left field pairing is a study in contrasts:  one is fast, one is slow, one hits bombs, one hits singles, one bats left, one bats right, one is black, one it white.  I could go on, but I won’t.  While the Rays’ Carl Crawford–the longest tenured Ray–does his damage on the basepaths, Philadelphia’s Pat Burrelldoes his best work trotting around them.  They’ve both been hitting well in the postseason so far…so…there you go. 

Edge – Push

Center Field-

First things first, how do you end up with B.J. as a nickname when your given name is Melvin Emmanuel?  Answer:  your name is Melvin Emmanuel.  Anyway, after Longoria, maybe even before, Upton has the brightest future of all the Rays.  He only hit nine homers in 2008, but has almost equalled that total in the postseason already with seven, just one shy of the single postseason record.  And unlike a certain Bay Area left fielder and holder of said record, Upton is doing it clean.  At least presumably so, thanks to the crusading Bud Selig, dogged pursuer of truth and justice and noble custodian of our sacred national game and instituter of an infallible drug testing program.  Upton hit 24 homers in 2007, so the power surge shouldn’t come as a complete surprise, but it is impressive.  Plus he’s really fast.

Upton’s counter-part is speedster Shane Victorino, whose last name sounds like a WWII-era patriotic Chef Boyardee product.  “Show Hitler he can’t keep America down by eating your Victorino, now with more MSG!”  Victorino is playing well right now, and will be a key ingredient to the Phillies’ success.  A delicious, pasta-inspired ingredient.

Edge – Rays

Right Field-

Jayson Werth, whose parents apparently couldn’t spell either his first or their last name correctly, patrols right field for the Phils and has been a nice surprise for them and my fantasy team.  He started the season in a platoon with Geoff Jenkins, but tension soon developed between the two and Werthshot Jenkins in the jungle when no one was around.  Wait, I’m sorry that was Platoonnot platoon.  What actually happened is that Geoff Jenkins sucks so Werth got most of the starts and performed very well.  In fact, I think its safe to say he’s werth his weight in gold.  You all have permission to email me crippling computer viruses.

The Rays will counter with a platoon of their own “featuring” a combination of Rocco Baldelli, Gabe Gross, and Fernando Perez.  So far in the postseason that trio is batting a combined .103.  They are worth their weight in poop.  Maybe.

Edge – Phils

Starting Pitching-

I’ve already mentioned the Rays’ young and talented pitching staff several times, but I have to do it again.  Because this is the pitching section of the preview.  All season these guys pitched very well and have carried that over to the playoffs for the most part.  Maddon has gone with Scott Kazmir, James, Shields, Andy Sonnanstine and Matt Garza–who was brilliant in Game 7 of the ALCS–as his four playoff horses and they’ve all performed well.  With a young staff you always worry that they might implode if they get into trouble, but so far so good for the Rays.

The Phillies have a legit ace in Cole Hammels, whose change up is among the best in the league.  He’s been as advertised in the postseason, posting a 1.23 ERA and 0.86 WHIP thus far.  Unfortunately he can’t pitch every game and after him things get a little dicey.  Everyone loves Jamie Moyer and the fact that he’s been able to pitch so well this far into his 70′s, but the fact is he’s the softest of all soft-tossers and in the playoffs you want guys that can miss bats.  The only way Moyer is going to miss anyones bat is if he throws the ball into centerfield instead of to the plate.  He’s been beat up all ready this postseaon with a 13.50(!) ERA in two starts which he only went 5.1 innings combined.  Not so good.  The other starters, Joe Blanton and Brett Myers, have fared better, but in Myers’ case not by much.  One of these guys has to step up behind Hamels or things could get ugly real quick.  The one other plus is that Moyer and Hamels are lefties and the Rays have struggled against lefties all season (though they did do a number on Jon Lester at least once).

Edge – Rays

Bullpen-

And speaking of lefties, that’s a strength for the Phillies.  They have three lefties that can come out of the pen, though only one is really reliable.  But in the right situations those other guys will come in handy, like some No-Doz when trying to read this post.  The other relievers leading up to the closer are all pretty decent with Ryan Madson being the best.  Brad Lidge, the closer, was perfect in save opportunities in the regular season, 41 of 41, and strikes out roughly seven batters an inning.  How is that possible?  I don’t know, the guy just gets it done.  He has five playoff saves already and as long as Albert Pujols doesn’t somehow end up on the Rays’ roster, he should continue to dominate.

The Rays’ pen was very good for most of the season, but broke down towards the end.  Closer Troy Percival went down with old-itis late in the year and has not appeared in the postseason.  He could end up on the World Series roster, but despite his championship pedigree (with the 2002 Angels, just in case you forgot) there’s no guarantee he’ll be effective.  Two other top dogs in the pen, Grant Balfour and Dan Wheeler have struggled recently, but rookie David Price has emerged as a force and is looking for some rookie playoff magic a la Frankie Rodriguez (also in 2002).  I expect to see him late in close games.  They also have sidewinding Jackson, Mississippi native Chadwick Lee Bradford who came to the Rays just after fighting in the Battle of Vicksburg in the Civil War.  During the fight he received a battlefield commission as a major in the Confederate army.

Edge – Philles, due to Lidge

Bench-

The benches are pretty evenly matched, both having guys that can run and guys that can hit a ball out of the park when it counts (see Matt Stairs and Willy Aybar).  Presumably Aybar will DH for the Rays at home and probably either Stairs or Dobbs for the Phillies.  But these are bench players and thereby less interesting than starters.  Lets not dwell on them anymore.

Edge – Push

Manager-

I’ll admit that I’m partial to the Rays’ Joe Maddon because he was a coach for the Angels for years, has clearly changed the losing culture in the Tampa Bay clubhouse, wears uber-cool dark-rimmed glasses, and once used the word “amorphic” to describe an umpires strike zone.  Plus he has this pollup on the left side of his neck which looks absolutely stunning in HD.  But I won’t count out Charlie Manuel.  The guys been aroundforever, had great success with Cleveland back in the day, and is doing all this with a heavy heart, his mom having died about a week ago.  Don’t discount the “Let’s do it for Charlie” vibe the Phillies might be riding.  That can be a powerful thing.

Edge – Rays, by a pollup

Mojo-

I’m throwing this one out there because the Rays just feel like That Team.  They’re the underdogs, the worst-to-first crew.  They’re young and exciting and appear to actually be having fun.  Not that the Phillies aren’t, but they don’t have that same aura right now.  But that could all change.  Look at the Rockies last year.  Red hot coming in and got absolutely spanked.  Still, I like any team that can take a division from the Red Sox and Yankees, beat the Sox in the playoffs, fairly handily despite the seven games, and has every member, manager included, sporting a mohawk.  Plus, don’t think its a coincidence that the year they drop “Devil” from their name is the year they just happen to get good.  Hmmmmmm.

My Pick:  Rays in 6