Congratulations to Andy Weinrib and his 2011 Philadelphia Phillies - KOD 20 Champs

It was a hard fought 7 game series that was completely enjoyable to watch.  Yes, I did watch it via the technology of Webex I got to see every play in all 7 games.  Game 1 ending in a triple play left both managers speechless and shocked.  The Yankees scoring a boat load of runs in the 10th inning off of Kyle Kendrick was certainly Andy's darkest hour during the series.  Yet KOD20's championship manager kept on fighting and his Phightin's delivered him his first ever KOD Championship.  Special congratualtions to Michael Hopcroft on winning his first KOD Pennant and taking his team all the way to the wire in game 7.  In the end a Met fan from Brooklyn wins it all managing a team from Philly that he rooted hard against !  What an awesome story !  Congratulations Andy !

World Series Game 7 - "Hall-a day Celebration in Philly"

GAME 7
Hamels vs Pettitte
Phillies 10, Yankees 5
You couldn't have drawn up a better script.  Hamels vs Pettitte for all the marbles.  Each manager couldn't have been happier to have their big game lefties out on the hill for Game 7.  On one had you have Cole Hamels, the 2009 NLCS and World Series MVP.  A man, who at 27 is in the prime of his career with the history of pitching in a Series clincher and a 7-4 (3.09) lifetime post season record.  In the other corner you have Andy Pettitte, who has pitched in 8 Fall Classics and sports 19 post season victories...the most in history.  With all that build up and emotion the truth is neither of these men were a factor in today's game.  Hamels was bad, giving up 4 runs in 6 innings.  Pettitte was worse, giving up 4 runs in 5 innings.  By the time Hamels left the game, in the middle of the 7th inning, he had given up 4 runs, but still had a 2 run run lead.  The real pitching story was Doc Halladay, who manager Weinrib tapped to finish the final 3 innings and protect a tenuous 2 run lead.  Doc was on 3 days rest and today would have been his normal "throw day".  With no more games to be played after today manger Weinrib elected to have Doc do his bullpen session in the fishbowl called game 7.  Doc was shaky at first allowing the runners Hamels put on to score, but he quickly righted the ship.  With the score 6-5 after 8 the tension began to mount.  Manager Hopcroft made the necessary decision that Torre and Girardi both would have made...he elected to give Mo the ball to start the 9th.  The strategy was sound.  You hand the ball to the greatest releiver of all time and have him

protect a one run deficit and you get 3 outs in the bottom of the inning to score 1 run to tie or two to win.  No one in their right mind would do otherwise.  What Hopcroft, and any other manager, couldn't predict was the melt down that would occur.  Mariano Rivera, the greatest reliever in the history of both the regular season and the post season gave up 4 runs in one inning and recorded just one out.  When all the dust cleared the Broad Street Bombers were sitting on a 5 run lead with 3 outs to go.  Manager Weinrib got both Bastardo and closer Madson up in the pen, but thought the better of it and said, "Doc, you got us this far, go finish it out".  Halladay made his skipper look like a crafty riverboat gambler by rolling 3 more sevens in a row to set the Yankees down in order to clinch the KOD20 title.  The first man to hobble over and hug his manager was injured 2B Chase Utley, who managed to play through the pain and deliver a big RBI triple against Mo in the 9th.  How he made it to third was a minor miracle.  There would be no celebrating in Stan's Bar on River Street tonight.  That celebration would be held on 9th and Passyunk as the crowd waiting on line in front of Genos and Pat's went ballistic.  Never before has a man born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and a lifelong Met fan (Andy Weinrib) been celebrated so much by the fickle fans of Philly !
Phillies win World Series 4-3

World Series Game 6 - "Tex Message"

GAME 6 - Yankee Stadium
C.Lee vs Burnett
Yankees 7, Phillies 4

Game six will go down in Yankee lore as Mark Teixeira (3-3) day.  New York's slick fielding 1st baseman sent two "Tex Messages" deep into the Bronx night to knock in 4.  The Bombers scored 7 times and chased Cliff Lee (7 runs 5.2 IP) once again from the hill.  Placido Polanco and Raul Ibanez each had 3 hit days in a losing effor.  A.J. Burnett (6IP/2ER) fanned 5 and finally came up big in a pressure situation, with the Bombers back up against the wall needing to stave off elimination.  The Phightin's most definitely missed Utley in the lineup and hope he can make it back for tomorrow's decisive game seven.
Series tied 2-2

World Series Game 5 - "Doc carves up Bombers"

GAME 5
Sabathia vs Halladay
Phillies 2, Yankees 1

 

In a rematch of game 1 starters, Doc Halladay once again bested C.C..  This was a classic battle of heavyweight (No puns intended) champs going toe to toe without either giving an inch.  The Phightins got on the board first when Doc singled home Polanco with one out.  A two out Robby Cano homer in the top of the 6th tied it up at 1-1, but Ryan Howard answered back in the bottom of the frame with a bomb of his own.  Halladay was finished after 8 innings and 108 pitches.  Ryan Madson took the ball and set the bombers down in order to notch the save and give the Phils a 3-2 series lead.  The only dark spot on this fantastic day in South Philly was the ankle injury that Chase Utley sustained.  Wilson Valdez did an amiable job replacing Philadelphia's perennial All-Star secondbaseman.  Utley twisted his ankle on a routine  grounder by Melky Cabrera with 1 out in the top of the 5th.  He is listed as day to day, but medical experts believe he is gone for the series.  This would be a huge blow to the Phightin's chances.
Phillies lead series 3-2

World Series Game 4 - "This is Wor"

GAME 4
Hughes vs Oswalt
Phillies 9, Yankees 4

2 runs in 1/3 of an inning was all that manager Weinrib needed to see before he played captain hook and yanked Roy Oswalt from the hill.  Vance Worley came on and threw 5 perfect innings in relief where he didn't allow a hit and fanned 9.  That performance was more than enough to help the Phils grab back the momentum.  A 3 run blast by Raul Ibanez in the bottom of the 2nd didn't hurt either.  JRoll chipped in a 2 run shot later in the game as the Phigtin's turned a early deficit into much ado about nothing en route to a big win.  Both JRoll and Ibanez posted 3 RBI games.  Polanco chipped in with 2 RBI's as every Phil reached base via the hit.  Phil Hughes was Yanked by skipper Hopcroft after 3 and a third.  Once again a small ballpark and the longball victimized this flyball pitcher.
Series tied 2-2

World Series Game 3 - "Handy Andy"

GAME 3 - Citizen's BB
Pettitte vs Hamels
Yankees 6, Phillies 1 (10 inn)

 

The night was electric as the Fall Classic returned to the City of Brotherly Love.  Yankee fans who traveled 90 miles south on the Turnpike were targets of abuse dished out by the Broad Street Faithful.  Wearing a Jeter jersey and sitting in the upper deck was a dangerous thing to do.  Philly fans were yelling "Yankees Suck" at the top of their lungs.  There is no love loss between Philly and New York.  With two big game lefties on the mound fans expected a tight one and they weren't disappointed in the least.  A Chase Utley solo shot in the first drew first blood for the Phightin's off of Andy Pettitte.  That would be the only blood they would from the winningest pitcher in post season history.  With Pettitte in rare form Cole Hamels was forced to step up his game, and boy did he ever step up.  The only blemish on his 8 inning tour was a RBI double by Swish in the 4th.  Other than that he fanned 13 Yankees, but couldn't get the run support to get the win.  Tied 1-1 after the 9 the game headed to extra innings.  At least 4-5 fights broke out in the stands as both fan bases went after each other. Yankee fans make up a loud minority and Philly fans weren't taking any more.  When Howie Kendrick gave up 5 runs in the top of the 10th all the air seemed to be sucked out of CBB.  Yankee fans who made the trip became even louder and more obnoxious.  Security had to respond to this powder keg in order to keep it from exploding.  All of the damage happened with two out thanks to 4 successive Yankee hits, which included RBI singles from Cano and A-rod.  Mark Teixeira's two bagger accounted for 2 runs and Swish'second double of the game ended the scoring.  Mo would get the win in relief as the Yanks took a 2-1 series lead and manager Weinrib was left cursing his porus pen.
Yankees lead series 2-1

World Series Game 2 - "Another Thrilla From Godzilla"

GAME 2
C.Lee vs Burnett
Yankees 6, Phillies 4

Cliff Lee spotted the Bombers a 3 run lead, but the Phightin's offense got in gear and rallied back with 4 unanswered runs to take a 4-3 lead which they held until the bottom of the 8th when Johnny Damon tied the game up with a leadoff homer.  Robby Cano doubled and scored on Hideki Matsui's 380 foot shot into the right field bleachers.  David Robertson, who fanned two in a perfect 8th got the win and Mo pitched a perfect 9th (what's new ?) to grab the save.
Series tied 1-1