Looking In the Mirror

Now that the celebration has subsided, at least somewhat, we can finally focus on the task at hand for the Phils – namely, the Milwaukee Brewers in the Divisional Series. This definitely won’t be an easy series for the Phils, but I’m confident this team will put forth a better showing than they did against Colorado in last year’s Divisional Series. My reasoning won’t be the most in-depth, statistical-driven, or scientific analysis you’ll hear over the next few days, but here it is anyway.

This 2008 Brewers team mirrors the 2007 Phillies pretty closely. Much like the last year’s Phillies, the Brewers were pretty much left for dead with two weeks left in the regular season. Granted, they were not 7 out with 17 left to play, but their momentum had clearly plummeted after dropping 4 straight to our Phightins. The Brew Crew fell into panic mode, even firing manager Ned Yost with roughly two weeks left in the season –all of this while still in the midst of a wild card chase. Then, suddenly the Brewers surged when it counted and squeaked their way into the playoffs in dramatic fashion on the final day of the season. During that last day of the season, the young and inexperienced Brewers felt the highest of highs. Sound familiar? But, maybe the Brewers peaked that day. It sure is possible, isn’t it? We saw it with the Phils last year. It sure looked like the Phillies thought they won their World Series on that Sunday afternoon against the Nationals. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Brew Crew head down the same path.

Meanwhile, our Phillies have been there before and you can’t discount experience in postseason play. (I can’t believe I just wrote the Phillies have been there before. Still hard to believe this team has won two straight division titles.) I imagine they have churned last year’s embarrassing showing in the NLDS over and over in their minds throughout the past twelve months. Now, they have the chance to do something about it and I think they ultimately will. The Phillies had the past three days to come off their division-winning high. They had the opportunity to relax on Sunday, which enabled them to set the rotation as they saw fit. All of this should breed far better results than last year.

Of course, in order for the Phillies to take this series, I still think they need to jump on the Brew Crew in Game 1 and then finish it off within 4 games. If the series comes down to a Game 5 and the Brewers throw big C. C. out there for the second time, the Phils chances decrease dramatically. Presented with that situation, not even I, the quintessential optimist, would not like the Phillies’ chances. However, if they jump on this kid tomorrow and take advantage of every non-C. C. day, the Phils may just punch their ticket to the NLCS.

Gulp...

Panicked? Nah. A little more concerned than I was three hours ago? You betcha.

I guess I spoke a little too soon. Maybe, I even counted my proverbial eggs a little prematurely. With tonight's loss, coupled with a Mets win, the race for the division just became a little more interesting. I knew the Phillies couldn't coast into the playoffs. That just wouldn't be their style. By now, I'm used to nervous final weeks of the season. Why should this year be any different?

Should I Be This Relaxed?

I hope the Phillies don't blow the division lead over the next 5 games. If they do, I can only blame myself. I sent the following text message to my buddy Dan today:

"So, we're going to win the division. How about that? I
have tix for Friday so I hope they clinch it then."

Followed by this:

"Now that I said that they will lose 5 straight and the
Mets and Milwaukee will pass them."

Dan's Response:

"Yea, if that happens, I'm gonna have to forward these
text messages to W.I.P."

Nothing like throwing me to the wolves.

On a serious note though, something seems extremely weird about the way the last two weeks of the season have played out so far. Here's a brief rundown of the questions racing through my head:

Aren't we usually the team chasing?

How did we end up out front?

And why aren't we clinging on for dear life?

We actually have a magic number?

Quality starting pitching?

Timely hitting...from Pedro Feliz?!!?!?!?

You mean we may have to watch the final regular season game this Sunday with sweaty palms and a knot in our stomachs?

This is craziness. My head is spinning. I need a drink.

Here We Go...

Counting down. 90 minutes until kickoff and I can barely sit still enough to write this.

I figured I'd go on the record with my pick for tonight's game.

Clearly, the Eagles face a much tougher test tonight then they faced last week. We're not talking about the Rams anymore. Dallas surely is a pretty good team...as much as I hate to admit it. However, this is definitely a winnable game for the Birds. To do so, the Eagles will need to find a way to confuse the hell out of Tony Romo. If they are able to throw the house at this guy, they should be able to pull this one out. I see Jim Johnson using all sorts of blitz packages and schemes tonight and I think this ultimately bodes well for the Eagles.

So, here it is. My optimistic prediction: Eagles 20, Dallas 13.

Apparently, Jessica Simpson doesn't agree with my pick. God, they make me sick.



By the way, today is my 1 year wedding anniversary. I guess I should put a note in here about how my wonderful wife insisted we stay home, order some wings and watch the Birds tonight. That's why I married her.

Go Birds!!

A Tale of Two Seasons

I'm sure glad last year's Brett Myers is back. Since returning from the minor leagues around mid-summer, Brett has been nothing short of dominant. Tonight, he continued that trend by throwing a gem in the second game of today's doubleheader...on three days rest, mind you. We always knew Brett was an emotional pitcher. He's at his best when the pressure mounts. And, despite his early struggles, Brett looks like he will continue that trend this season. Simply, you can't say enough about what this guy has accomplished in the second half this season. Brett definitely has my vote for MVP of the second half.

***

Amazing.

Just this past Thursday, I had pretty much given up on the Phils for the season. They sat three games behind the Mutts and, I believe, four behind the Brewers for the wild card. Clearly, their playoff hopes looked pretty grim.

Then, in the most unlikely of scenarios, the pull off a four game sweep of the Brewers and insert themselves back into the race. Somehow, this team seems to do this every year. They wait until just about everyone counts them out and then somehow find a way to sneak into the playoff picture. Clearly, this team is more comfortable when we don't pay as much attention. Either way, I'll take it.

We still have 13 games left, so I'm not getting too excited. This team has had a way of letting us down through the years. And, like most, I'm still not convinced last year's division title was anything more than an aberration and, quite frankly, most luck. However, the schedule sure looks pretty favorable for the Phils down the stretch. Hopefully, we'll have some fun over the next two weeks.

1-0

I know it was four days ago and most of you are already focused on next week, but I never got a chance to throw down my thoughts on the big Eagles W this past Sunday. The Birds were quietly getting a lot of buzz heading into week 1, but I didn't expect what I saw on Sunday. This team looked pretty impressive. Sure, they only beat the Rams, arguably the worst team in the league, but a win is a win.

Anyway, here's the three thoughts that ran through my head after the game on Sunday:

• First, I'll take my shot at the dead horse here and start with how unbelievable DeSean Jackson looked in week 1. DeSean really impressed just about every Eagles fan in the area this week. But, I'm still not exactly ready to put too many expectations on him just yet. Afterall, it's only been one week. However, even if he doesn't catch another pass this year, you have to be excited about the possibilities this guy brings to special teams. The Eagles finally have a legitimate chance to take one to the house on every punt return. Reno Mahae didn't exactly give us that.


• The quarterback finally looks like he's in 2004 form again. He moved pretty well when he had to (which wasn't all that often) and he looked confident in his options, something he definitely lacked last season. Just think, if DeSean Jackson does blossom into the kind of threat a lot of people think he can be, Donovan may be looking at a pretty productive season. We'll see what happens, but starting the season with a 21-33, 361 yd, 3 TD game can't hurt, right?


• Finally, buried in the game story was the performance of Stewart Bradley. This guy is really opening some eyes. Hopefully, this is the only the start of good things for Bradley and the rest of the young linebackers. If we're lucky, maybe this situation with young, unproven linebackers will turn out like 2004 when Lito and Sheldon were young, unproven corners. That ended up pretty well for us.

One down. Fifteen more to go. And now...Dallas week. Thank God football is back.

Back to Business

Yeah, I know. It's been awhile.

But I finally think things are settling down enough to get back into the blogging thing.

Summer's over. The Eagles have started. Much to talk about. I can't make any more excuses.

I should be able to write something of substance tomorrow night. I appreciate the patience...if anyone's left.