World Series Game 1: Pre-game chat

by jonk on Oct 22, 2008 3:32 PM EDT

I figured we could start up a pre-game chat on the day of each World Series game. I know there is a lot of anxiety out there and we are all pumped to get this series started.

If you haven't yet, read MattS's player by player splits. It's definitely an interesting read, especially for those who are just picking up on higher end statistical analysis lately.

Or his similarly excellent team-by-team splits and analysis.

Or Whole Camels' Series preview.

Or enter our World Series prediction contest . . . with prizes!

Or take a look at the Rays/Phillies history (not so good for our Phils).

Lots to read here. That being said, comment away!

MLB World Series blog coverage on SB Nation

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Patience is the key for tonight’s game. Need to have Kazmir throw a ton of pitches. In fact, maybe we should never swing. Get into their bullpen early and take some arms out of tomorrow’s game if possible. This could really set the tone for the entire series.

For Who? My teammates.

For What? To Win.

How Much? Where do I sign?

by jonk on Oct 22, 2008 9:31 AM EDT 0 recs

I agree with patience. Kazmir is a really good pitcher, but he usually will not go extremely deep into games. If we are fairly patient and make him come to us, I think we can be effective and get him out of there early.

"When you get that nice celebration coming into the dugout and you're getting your ass hammered by guys - there's no better feeling than to have that done." - Matt Stairs 10/13/08

Gold... Pure Gold...

by foos05 on Oct 22, 2008 10:25 AM EDT 0 recs

Yes! J-Roll can set a nice example by working his way into a hitter’s count to lead off like he did in Game 4.

by eddieot on Oct 22, 2008 11:07 AM EDT 0 recs

i’d be satisfied if he just got on base

"When you get that nice celebration coming into the dugout and you're getting your ass hammered by guys - there's no better feeling than to have that done." - Matt Stairs 10/13/08

Gold... Pure Gold...

by foos05 on Oct 22, 2008 11:21 AM EDT up 0 recs

I am feeling good about Werth and Burrell here. Both are patient and both should crush Kazmir.

For Who? My teammates.

For What? To Win.

How Much? Where do I sign?

by jonk on Oct 22, 2008 11:38 AM EDT 0 recs

The Rays were a tremendous home team during the regular season, but they only split with Boston there in the ALCS. Given the pitching matchups, the Phils absolutely have to get at least a split in the first two games, and tonight is probably the much better shot.

Stepping back from it, today is the first day I think I’ve really grasped that WE’RE IN THE WORLD SERIES. I’m already nervous and jumpy and a little giddy.

by dajafi on Oct 22, 2008 12:09 PM EDT 0 recs

Agree

It’ll be very, very difficult to make this a real Series without winning tonight, I’m afraid.

Luckily we gots Cole.

http://www.thegoodphight.com
WHY CAN'T US?

by WholeCamels on Oct 22, 2008 12:18 PM EDT up 0 recs

It really sunk in for me this morning as well. When I was thinking about what I was gonna do tonight and I realized “oh shit, I am going to watch the Phillies, in the World Series.” It is hard to describe the feeling that swept over me at that moment. I am not the nervous wreck I was before games 4 of the NLDS or game 5 of the NLCS. I REALLY want them to win it all, but I am more just happy to be able to watch my team play in the last MLB series of 2008.

P.S. Is it weird that I have been dreaming about the Phillies winning…like every single night since the beginning of the NLCS?

by FuquaManuel on Oct 22, 2008 1:05 PM EDT up 0 recs

No weirder than my dreaming about not being able to watch the game because I was lost and out of money somewhere in the English countryside (where I’ve never actually been, mind you).

by dajafi on Oct 22, 2008 1:19 PM EDT up 0 recs

Correct. Not weirder than that.

For Who? My teammates.

For What? To Win.

How Much? Where do I sign?

by jonk on Oct 22, 2008 1:21 PM EDT up 0 recs

I feel like I should elaborate on this dream because I have nothing better to do. It is a recurring dream and it is very very vivid:

The Phillies are at home, it’s a clinching game. It’s the bottom of the 9th, the game is tied 2-2. Batting 9th, in on a double switch, Pedro Feliz pops the 2nd pitch up – 1 out. Rollins follows by singling up the middle in a 1-1 count. Werth takes the first pitch for a ball. The next pitch is a strike and Rollins steals second. Werth then flies out to deep right in a full count – Rollins tags and moves to 3rd. 2 outs, bottom of the 9th, Utley at the plate. First pitch is a ball high. Then, on the next pitch he drops a perfect bunt down the first base line catching everyone off-guard and allowing Rollins to score…and the Phillies win the World Series! Of course, if I was managing, I wouldn’t squeeze with Utley up in that situation, but I can’t control my dreams.

by FuquaManuel on Oct 22, 2008 1:23 PM EDT up 0 recs

uhh i seem to remember a situation like this from somewhere… can’t quite place it… but I think it involved Willie Mays Hayes, Jake Taylor, and Rick “WIld Thing” Vaughn at some point… just sayin

"When you get that nice celebration coming into the dugout and you're getting your ass hammered by guys - there's no better feeling than to have that done." - Matt Stairs 10/13/08

Gold... Pure Gold...

by foos05 on Oct 22, 2008 1:26 PM EDT up 0 recs

You are right! That must be why I am having this dream…that movie is like stored deep in my subconscious, so when I have baseball on my mind, my brain replays that inning from Major League (with Phillies players instead) when I dream.

by FuquaManuel on Oct 22, 2008 1:45 PM EDT up 0 recs

FYI it’s on the HBO family this month… Watched it the other night

"When you get that nice celebration coming into the dugout and you're getting your ass hammered by guys - there's no better feeling than to have that done." - Matt Stairs 10/13/08

Gold... Pure Gold...

by foos05 on Oct 22, 2008 2:07 PM EDT up 0 recs

Hats for bats! Keep bats warm!

by taco pal on Oct 22, 2008 3:38 PM EDT up 0 recs

I hear Howard wants some extra power for the night… Someone better get him a whole chicken, and none of that KFC shit…

"When you get that nice celebration coming into the dugout and you're getting your ass hammered by guys - there's no better feeling than to have that done." - Matt Stairs 10/13/08

Gold... Pure Gold...

by foos05 on Oct 22, 2008 3:42 PM EDT up 0 recs

holy christ, I just thought of something… we can have our own Faux Major League lineup…

Willie Mays Hayes – Rollins
Jake Taylor – Coste
Rick Vaughn – Myers
Roger Dorn – Bruntlet (out of position, but light hitting shitty fielder)
Eddie Harris – Moyer
Lou Brown – Cholly
Harry Doyle – Harry Kalas

It’s meant to be boys!

(although Rachel Phelps is alot hotter than Monty and the ownership crew)

"When you get that nice celebration coming into the dugout and you're getting your ass hammered by guys - there's no better feeling than to have that done." - Matt Stairs 10/13/08

Gold... Pure Gold...

by foos05 on Oct 22, 2008 3:46 PM EDT up 0 recs

Actually my recollection is that Dorn was supposed to still be a good hitter in Part 1, he just didn’t feel like giving any effort until Taylor lit the fire under him.

by taco pal on Oct 22, 2008 3:48 PM EDT up 0 recs

You'll know a lot by the 3rd inning

Kaz has been pretty much terrible in the 1st inning over the last few months, but some nights will settle down after that. As a Rays fan, I’m just hoping for 5/6 innings and 2 or less runs out of him. He hasn’t set the bar high lately. That being said, he is capable of matching anything Hamels is capable of….it’s just doubtful right now. If he can find a useful slider, he can be flithy.

Will also be interesting to see how each team plays on this stage. Game 1 of the ALCS, the Rays were very tight, and very bad…but that’s understandable for a young team going against the RedSox. Tonight….is there anybody that really matters (or is expected to) that has WS experience? I think that’s tonight’s biggest question, and will likely determine the outcome.

by TallMatt on Oct 22, 2008 12:32 PM EDT 0 recs

sounds like you guys have your own version of Brett Myers there

"When you get that nice celebration coming into the dugout and you're getting your ass hammered by guys - there's no better feeling than to have that done." - Matt Stairs 10/13/08

Gold... Pure Gold...

by foos05 on Oct 22, 2008 12:41 PM EDT up 0 recs

Not really. The only Phillie who’s been on a WS winner is So Taguchi, and most of us hoped (in vain) that he would be dumped from the roster. Lidge, Feliz, Eyre, Bruntlett and I think one other guy have played in the Series, but lost.

Both teams are mostly going in cold. Which at least has the advantage of making it harder for the likes of Tim McCarver to talk about The Value of Having Been There Before.

by dajafi on Oct 22, 2008 1:04 PM EDT up 0 recs

McCarver

He’ll manage to make Taguchi the key to the Series since he’s won it all.

by David S. Cohen on Oct 22, 2008 1:08 PM EDT up 0 recs

Rain out?

Lots of rain scheduled for Philly this weekend. What’s the protocol for a World Series rainout? Have there been some in the past? Will they play another game Tuesday in Philly if need-be?

by David S. Cohen on Oct 22, 2008 1:31 PM EDT 0 recs

Answering my own question

Information from mlb.com about World Series rain outs is here. Selfishly, I’d love a rainout (or two!) this weekend as I have long-standing California travel plans for a 70th anniversary this weekend that will put me in the air for games 2 and 4 and at the party for game 3. I couldn’t be more upset about it.

by David S. Cohen on Oct 22, 2008 1:56 PM EDT up 0 recs

Wonder if that means Cole could start more games.

GOD IS ON OUR SIDE!!! HE LOVES HIS SON!!!

For Who? My teammates.

For What? To Win.

How Much? Where do I sign?

by jonk on Oct 22, 2008 2:13 PM EDT 0 recs

tonight's starting lineup!

Rollins SS
Victorino CF
Utley 2B
Howard 1B
Burrell LF
Werth RF
Feliz 3B
Ruiz C
Coste DH

I’m glad it’s Coste. But I probably would have hit him 7th, and I really don’t like the failure to split the lefties against Kazmir and, potentially, three lefty relievers.

Probably I would have gone Rollins/Utley/Werth/Howard/Burrell/Victorino/Coste/Feliz/Ruiz

by dajafi on Oct 22, 2008 2:48 PM EDT 0 recs

Coste could really write the final chapter to his inevitable Disney film tonight.

Or the inevitable Malamud-esque tragedy.

http://www.thegoodphight.com
WHY CAN'T US?

by WholeCamels on Oct 22, 2008 2:51 PM EDT up 0 recs

What a stupid effing lineup. Really. Ugh, I can only hope the players are good enough to overcome this.

For Who? My teammates.

For What? To Win.

How Much? Where do I sign?

by jonk on Oct 22, 2008 3:48 PM EDT up 0 recs

Can’t win ‘em all. Cholly should be splitting the lefties, but given that I really believed Bruntlett would play LF tonight, I’m not completely devastated. Good on Cholly for getting Coste into the lineup.

For what it’s worth, I would have run out the exact same lineup, dajafi.

by PhillyFriar on Oct 22, 2008 4:14 PM EDT 0 recs

I think I may have actually done this:

Rollins
Utley
Werth
Howard
Burrell
Coste
Feliz
Ruiz
Victorino

I figure that the Phils are (and have been) scoring runs in bunches and I don’t care so much about black holes over bunching all the best hitters together. Coste on base before Rollins kinda kills the whole concept of a leadoff hitter in my mind. At least with a pitcher before Rollins you can say he is going to get on without someone on before him.

For Who? My teammates.

For What? To Win.

How Much? Where do I sign?

by jonk on Oct 22, 2008 4:22 PM EDT 0 recs

Manuel’s lineup shows WAY too much confidence in Utley/Howard’s ability to hit a lefty with a great slider. I think they can win, but only if they replicate the Sabathia game, as I think it’ll be another 0-7, 6 Ks type night from Utley and Howard unless Kazmir (and the pen is sufficiently wild or unusually hittable.

Really glad Coste is in the lineup, though. Good for Charlie, and I think that definitely outweighs any lineup construction issues.

by bugbear on Oct 22, 2008 4:38 PM EDT up 0 recs

Or (more likely) unusually wild.

by taco pal on Oct 22, 2008 4:41 PM EDT up 0 recs

well, with Kazmir

I don’t think it’d be unusual. he’s shown quite the propensity for it.

by bugbear on Oct 22, 2008 4:43 PM EDT up 0 recs

Woops, didn’t read your first comment closely enough.

by taco pal on Oct 22, 2008 4:49 PM EDT up 0 recs

lineups v. 1.1

Per Todd Zolecki:

Phillies

Jimmy Rollins, SS
Jayson Werth, RF
Chase Utley, 2B
Ryan Howard, 1B
Pat Burrell, LF
Shane Victorino, CF
Pedro Feliz, 3B
Chris Coste, DH
Carlos Ruiz, C
Cole Hamels is on the mound.

Rays

Akinori Iwamura, 2B
B.J. Upton, CF
Carlos Pena, 1B
Evan Longoria, 3B
Carl Crawford, LF
Willy Aybar, DH
Dioner Navarro, C
Ben Zobrist, RF
Jason Bartlett, SS
Scott Kazmir is on the mound.

Go Phils! Will we soon see William Penn holding a rubber ducky?

by another Mike on Oct 22, 2008 5:40 PM EDT 0 recs