A.J. Burnett was scintillating.
The New York Yankees starter earned his offseason payday.
Make no mistake about it, though, the biggest moment came when Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter bailed Rivera out.
Now the series moves south to the City of Brotherly Love, where Philadelphia fans should give the Yankees a warm greeting.
The Philadelphia Phillies Cliff Lee has definitely arrived. Maybe those headlines of Frillies will disappear.
Cliff Lee was absurd.
First, there was the casual catch, then there was the "You're doin' great there," pat on the rear end tag.
Then he just plain showed off with the routine behind-the-back play.
That's one every Little League coach has in his playbook.
But he topped all that off by saying afterword that he wasn't nervous.
Joe Posnanski, for one, doesn't believe him.
Every year, it seams, we're told we're going to have a great World Series.
We're usually disappointed.
So, we here at The Southpaw have decided to preview each individual game.
Let's start with Game 1, which looks like it could be a great pitching matchup.
You know the names: New York Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia is going up against the Philadelphia Phillies' southpaw Cliff Lee.
You also know the background: Both have Cy Young Awards in their back pockets.
Both were teammates on the Cleveland Indians last May. You know the last time the Phillies faced CC Sabathia in the postseason Shane Victorino slayed the dragon with a grand slam. You know the last time the Phillies played the Bronx Bombers, the boys from New York swept the Phillies aside.
Now, here's what you don't know.
Former Indians Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia, above, will face of in Game 1.
Cleveland Indians can only ask themselves, "What if?"
It's a question that haunts us all, but is really pertinent to Tribe followers during this World Series.
Consider what they have to watch in Game 1.
CC Sabathia, who was the Indians' ace just more than 16 months ago, will throw out the series' first pitch. And not the ceremonial type either.
The Big Boy will be the Yankees' Game 1 starter.
To answer, the Phillies will throw Cliff Lee to the hill. He's the man who won the Cy Young while pitching for the Indians last season.
So, the Indians could have been much better off with those two making 40 percent of their starts.
Three good friends of the Southpaw - York Daily Record/Sunday News sports copy editor Matt Goul, St. Louis Post Dispatch photographer Emily Rasinski and Frederick News Post sports writer Greg Swatek. - are Indians fans and were willing to offer their perspective.
Here's what they had to say.
Here are some of the World Series stories worth reading from today's media outlets:
Bruce Jenkins says this could be a historic classic.
Jayson Werth almost left the game, but now is a key player on a team that has made it to consecutive World Series.
Joanna Malloy has a good time poking fun at Philly's new-found pride.
A Whiz Kid recollects
Aces abound in Game 1.
Let's marvel at the Yankees' ability to win over such a long stretch of time.
Here are some things we'll discuss.
Did you ever notice that the Yankees are not as successful when the Grand Old Party holds the White House?
What decades have been kindest to the Bronx Bombers?
How many World Series games have the Yankees won compared to the seven teams that have yet to win a World Series?
We know the Yankees have never had a real World Series drought, but how exaclty do their lean years compare to some other clubs?
How have Yankees managers done when they've been at the helm of other teams?
Every World Series has its memorable moment. Or two. Or three.
One player can make a name for himself as a goat or a hero.
Here is each World Series summed up in one sentence.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim had a shot, albeit a very slim one.
All they would have to do was score one run against Mariano Rivera. Of course, Rivera had given up just 12 runs in 83 post-season games heading into Sunday's sixth game of the American League Championship Series.
But it was just one run. A bloop, an error or a hit batsman - anything strange - could have helped the Angels score one run.
Then, the Angels, who have an extra city in their name, gave away an extra run they could not afford to give up.
Then another scored.
So they would have to score three runs against Mariano Rivera. In the ninth inning. At Yankee Stadium
That's like scaling Everest in flipflops. Or losing weight on the Arby's diet.
You get the picture.
The Indians have hired former Washington Nationals manager Manny Acta.
Basically, the Indians ate their vegatables and pushed the desert tray away by not choosing Bobby Valentine.
Terry Pluto, the Cleveland Plain Dealer's columnist, thinks the Tribe needs to see results soon.
Acta has enough respect in the game that he was, according to reports, offered the Astros managerial job as well.
The reason Acta is the right man for the Indians' job is his ability to get a young, talented team fired up and playing above expectations.
In Washington, Acta just had a young squad.
In Cleveland, he'll have some talent too.
"I think it's a benefit for both teams."
Mike Scioscia, Friday night.
There are four teams who have made it to the World Series at least 15 times. Who are they?
All these Yankees need is an opening.
They got it when Mike Scioscia took John Lackey out of the game with two-out in the seventh.
They were on their way to a date with the Phillies.
But all of a sudden something happened: The Angels spoiled the party.
Eric Bruntlett might be the best "throw-in" in Phillies' history.
Hal Bodley says these are the glory days.
Lee Jenkins wonders what happens if the Phillies do the unthinkable.
Ted Keith says the Phillies didn't celebrate like you thought they would. They treated the pennant like it was just another step toward where they want to go.
Rich Hofman shields his eyes from the glow of Ryan Howard's awesomeness.
Bill Lyon takes you on a trip through a glorious night.
Tom Boswell says these players are Charlie's boys.
Jayson Stark says the Phillies are as much about erasing history as they are making it.
Gene Wojciechowski says the Phillies are the team you need to root for.
Historically, if you grew up a Philadelphia Phillies fan, you developed an inferiority complex along the way.
You looked to the north and saw the Yankees perennially winning pennants and the Mets occasionally pulling off the trick. You looked to the west and saw that the Pirates, until recently, were always in contention. Down south, the Orioles were always the class of the American League off the field and often on it.
You were surrounded by success. Just not a part of it.
The Braves, whether in Boston, Milwaukee or Atlanta, had plenty of reasons to cheer. They had Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, Eddie Matthews, Dale Murphy, The Four Aces and division crowns in 14 straight seasons. Below them were the Marlins. They came around in 1993 and won it all four years later. It took your Phils 97 years to do that.
Then the Fish rubbed it in your face and won it all again in 2002. They'd done in 10 years what you hadn't been able to pull of in more than a century.
And let's not talk about the Cardinals or the Dodgers. But I guess we have to, at least to give the kiddos a lesson. In 64, the Cardinals did to the Phillies what the Phillies did to the Mets two years ago. The Dodgers beat the Phils in the playoffs twice in the 70s, giving Black Friday a totally different meaning in the City of Liberty.
The Phillies were't lovable losers like the Cubs or tragically cursed like the Red Sox.
Your team just lost in unlovable ways that meant they didn't even need a curse.
That's not the case now.
Three years ago, as a sports writer for The Evening Sun in Hanover, I was able to attend my first NFL game, a Baltimore Ravens-San Diego Chargers match-up.
I'll be honest, I was pretty excited to see Ladainian Tomlinson in person. However, sports writers aren't supposed to be fans. We're supposed to be professional and I've got no complaints about that.
I remember walking down to the field, where the media can go for the game's final minutes, and seeing the television reporters openly cheering the Ravens on to victory. One guy went so far as to hop up and down. Even the Ravens cheerleaders smirked.
The wrinkled, snarly reporters, including yours truly, shook their heads.
That's not what your supposed to do. Even if, deep down inside, you're pulling for one team.
That's the balance sports writers have to strike: They need to be professional, but they also need to be the voice of the fan.
And writers are most fun to read when they write like a fan.
If you read Phil Sheridan's story from the Phillies' 2008 World Series victory, you would have had chills. The same goes for Bill Lyon's column from when the Phillies rallied past the Mets in 2007.
That's why Mitch Albom, Bill Plaschke and Tom Boswell are such a joy to find in the morning's paper.
You want tears, look up Dan Shaughnessy's coverage from the Red Sox 2004 run.
Of course, we don't know what those guys looked like, way up in the press box when the team's they covered won.
I doubt they pumped their fists and high-fived.
We do however, know how Ricky Bottalico, Darren Daulton, and Michael Barkann reacted to the Phillies' NLCS Game 4 victory over the Dodgers Monday night.
And it's priceless.
Bottalico isn't someone we expect to react like that.
He spent 12 years in the Major Leagues and pitched in 524 games. He was an All-Star who owns 116 career saves and a 3.99 ERA.
But Ricky Bo looked like a fan.
Not like someone who didn't know what it was like to have to answer questions from the media after blowing a save. Not like someone who went through the dregs of salary arbitration or signed autographs till his hands ached.
Bottalico looked like the guy who could be next to you at the bar or on the school bus in the morning who's so excited to talk about Tim Lincecum's 14 strikeouts the night before.
He looked more like the kid who sat the bench through four years of high school than the kid who made it to The Bigs.
So it was really refreshing to see Ricky Bo's reaction.
These American League playoffs belong to Alex Rodriguez.
CC Sabathia was nothing short of fantastic.
The umpiring, of course, was erratic.
Blogs have been abuzz since Monday's Angels-Yankees games.
It appears, at least at first glance of a video, that Mariano Rivera is spitting on the baseball.
The conspiracy theorists are having a day with this, as well they should be. This could be Major League Baseball's Zapruder film.
Now, if MLB makes the Web sites take this video down, but doesn't address the matter at all then there could be something to the conspiracy theories.
This was passed along by ever observant sports editor Chris Otto.
Jimmy Rollins and the Phillies are one win away from reaching the World Series for a second straight season. If the make it to the Fall Classic, they will be the first National League team since the 1995-1996 Braves to do so in consecutive seasons.
The responsible thing, work-wise, was to go to bed.
The responsible thing, fan-wise, was to fight the yawns stay by your team's side.
The compromise was to crash on the couch and catch a couple winks between innings and hope to wake up when memorable things happened.
The last thing the Southpaw remembers is Jayson Werth's lazy fly ball in the eighth inning.
Then there were dreams of dancing Phillies in his head.
A deep double by the backup catcher gave the Angels a much needed win over the Yankees in Game 3.
Now, let's look at Andy Pettitte's career.
And stop praising Derek Jeter for routine plays.
He's not wearing his mask, but could Bobby Valentine be donning the Cleveland Indians' threads in 2010?
The Cleveland Indians appear to be closing in on bringing in their new manager.
One of two possibilities is Bobby Valentine, who led the Mets to the World Series in 2000.
The affable Valentine has spent time in the broadcast booth with ESPN and managed in Japan.
Which former manager with local connections is Option No. 2?
If the Philadelphia Phillies reach the World Series this year, which they are just two wins away from doing, they will join select company.
You see, the Phillies would not only be the rare team to reach the Fall Classic in back-to-back seasons, but they would be doing so without ever having won 95 games in either seasons.
In all of baseball history there have been just three teams that have reached the Series in consecutive seasons while never winning 95 games in either.
Charlie Finley's Oakland Athletics won 93, 94 and 90 games but earned trips each year from 1972 to 1974.
John McGraw's New York Giants won 94 and 91 games while reaching the World Series in 1921 and '22.
Then there were Ty Cobb and his Tigers in 1907-08. They won 92 and 90 games respectively.
However, history bodes well for the Phils.
The Athletics and Giants won all of the series they played in even though the Tigers did not.
At this point, Eagles games had better be awash in chants of "P-H-I-L-L-I-E-S."
Cliff Lee was superb.
The Phillies' offense was much more impressive than the Birds.
But what's up with wearing batting gloves if you're not going to hit?
Who is the only player to win the All Star Game MVP and World Series MVP in the same season?
One bad inning kept the Phillies from going home with a 2-0 lead.
Don't blame the bullpen, blame the bad defense.
However, the World Champs still have Cliff Lee waiting and home field advantage.
But you have to give a very talented Dodgers team some much deserved credit.
With another hour until game 2 of the NLCS, here's a little something to ponder about the Dodgers' starter.
Dave Allen at Fangraphs has broken down Padilla's splits when throwing his fastball to righties against lefties. Only three pitchers in baseball throw more fastballs than Padilla and all of them are sinker-ball pitchers.
The results suggest Charlie Manuel's lefty lineup is right now in the clubhouse licking its chops. Of course two of those lefties -- Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez -- both hit actually hit lefties better than righties this year. And given the Phillies previous luck with Padilla, he'll probably use 97 pitches to throw a perfect game.
Carlos Ruiz blasts a three-run home run against the Dodgers in Game 1 of the 2009 National League Championship Series. The Phillies won the contest, 8-6.
First of all, Randy Marsh' strike zone is smaller than a baby smurf.
Second of all, Dodgers fans are much more attractive than any other fan base. It's too bad most of them don't know who Ronnie Belliard or Ron Cey is.
Lastly, we've got tons of good stats, anecdotes and nuggets on the inside.
You know who The Southpaw is picking.
He's picking the Dodgers.
If you believe that you don't know The Southpaw. And he has a bridge to sell you.
Check inside to find out what the Dodgers need to win but why the Phillies will do so.
They Yankees are expected to win this thing.
But the Angels, who are not household names, are just as talented.
So who will win this thing?
Will the Yankees' big money boys win out?
Or will the Angels run rampant?
Who was the last catcher to win the World Series MVP award?
This morning I sat with my wife in a pew of Bruton Parish in Colonial Williamsburg. It's the place where Thomas Jefferson - the father of the Declaration of Independence - and James Madison - the father of the Constitution - once went to religious services while they were in college.
I couldn't help but wonder what it had been like for them when they were idealistic college students. Would Jefferson have been mulling the questions of self-government? Was this where Madison first came up with the seeds of his theories of limited government?
Then another thought popped into my head: What's more important to me, a Yankees' loss or a Phillies' win?
Yes, you just can't break The Southpaw from thinking about the game, especially in October.
This weekend has brought three of my favorite passions together: baseball, American History and hating the British crown.
In case you were wondering, I have been able to mingle with re-enactors and keep up with the playoffs during our three days here in the Old Dominion.
At least as best as I could.
I missed all of the Cardinals-Dodgers finale.
And I didn't find out who won until I was watching the Yankees-Twins game tonight.
Sometimes you sacrifice things you love for the ones you love.
Anyway, I have a couple thoughts on how the playoffs have panned out so far.
Is Matt Holliday going to be a goat?
Momentum swings away from Philly.
The Yankees look to go 2-0.
Three teams are one win closer to the next round.
Three teams are one loss closer to tee time.
Are the Giants shopping for Prince Fielder?
The quest to repeat starts here.
Or is it going to be another Roctober?
The Minnesota Twins celebrate a thrilling victory that earned them the 2009 American League Central crown.
This column had better be in The Best Sports Writing of 2010:
By Jim Souhan
Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Dome would not go quietly. Our belittled bastion of baseball butterflies has never done anything quietly, or conventionally.
As one last sellout baseball crowd stood and shook Homer Hankies, the Metrodome, having insisted on one extra baseball game before the Twins leave for Target Field, now insisted on one extra inning after another.
In a building known for pop-ups that never come down, the Twins won their final game in typically improbable fashion, with two benched best friends finally producing the game-winning run to give the victory to a journeyman reliever who contemplated retirement last winter. When the Twins finally won, 6-5, in 12 innings, in this one-game playoff for the American League Central Division title, the identities of the Twins' protagonists were as improbable as the game itself.
"I've never been involved in anything like that," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I started laughing. I'd go out there, talk to the guys on the mound, start giggling and say, 'OK, I'm out of here, boys. Good luck.'"
"This game is going to live forever. People are going to talk about this game forever."
The Angels and Red Sox match-up in a high-powered ALDS that features many stars.
Do the Red Sox still own the Angels?
For Los Angeles, patience is a virtue.
Plus we have scientific proof the Angels are going to win this thing.
From the AP:
PHILADELPHIA -- Cliff Lee will start Game 1 of the NL division series for the Philadelphia Phillies against Colorado on Wednesday.
The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner got the nod over Cole Hamels, who was MVP of the World Series and NLCS last year. Lee was 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 12 starts after the Phillies acquired him from Cleveland on July 29.
Lee, however, was shaky after an excellent start in Philadelphia. The left-hander was 2-4 with a 6.13 ERA in his last seven starts after going 5-0 with a 0.68 ERA in his first five. Overall, Lee was 14-13 with a 3.22 ERA in a career-high 231 innings this season.
Hamels struggled all year, hardly pitching like the dominant ace who went 4-0 last October. Hamels was 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA this season.
This series has the National League's two most dominant franchises.
It's got Albert Pujols.
It's got Manny Ramirez.
It's got Captain Clutch.
It's managers have brought their teams to 11 World Series.
What more could you want?
Well, we know who's going to win.
Of course, everyone remembers the out.
Vic Wertz did everything he could to beat the Giants that September day. Nobody remembers that he had four hits and drove in each of his team's 3-2 runs in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series.
Nobody remembers any of that.
When baseball fans hear the name Vic Wertz the thought they develop is not that he absolutely clobbered the ball all day, but that his furthest hit was chased down with a beautiful, over-the-shoulder catch by Willie Mays.
It was the center fielder's signature moment and has been immortalized with statues, pictures and the video of him spinning like a top, his arm unfurling at the right moment as he launches the ball toward the infield to keep the runners from scoring.
When the play is over and being described as an "optical illusion" Mays looks like he's screwed himself into the ground.
Wertz of course is nowhere in the picture.
Like the other York and Adams countians who've made it to baseball's biggest stage, he never shines in the spotlight. Sometimes it wasn't a lack of effort or even production that kept the local boys from being the star. Sometimes there's a connection to a teammate or opponent's glory. Usually, though, their playoff experience is lost to the dusty shelves and box scores of history.
And Wertz is the prime example.
Come to think of it, nobody seems to remember that Wertz had one of the most dominant performances in series history that year. He batted a robust .500. That's right, with a "5." Not .400 or .300.
He also hit a home run, a triple and two doubles.
But he's remembered for the out.
The problem for Wertz is that his teammates never seemed to get on base in that series. So he only drove in three runs.
Again, the circumstances just weren't right.
Which seems to be the theme for area players who've made appearances in the playoffs.
Now that the season has reached its final day, let's take a look at perspective.
If The Southpaw was talking to you at the beginning of the season and promised ...
... your designated hitter would hit 28 home runs, drive in 97 runs, collect 35 doubles and 73 walks, would you take him?
... your leadoff hitter would hit 21 homers and 43 doubles, score 100 runs, drive in 77 and steal 31 bases, would you take him?
... your team would have a winning record, have five starting pitchers make at least 25 starts and combine for an ERA under 3.60, would you take them?
... your catcher would hit 21 homers, drive in 94 runs and bat .281, would you take him?
Of course you'd take all four of these guarantees, however all four have been knocked for their seasons.
Now check the jump to find out who they are.
So yeah, this Ted Williams' head story is pretty disgusting.
But that won't stop us from putting out the 10 ways to misuse the Hall of Famer's head.
Rooting for the dead guy.
Roctober is here to stay.
Thirty-one years ago, Bucky Dent earned his middle name.
Nearly lost in the joy of winning the National League East Wednesday night was the news of Jamie Moyer's season-ending injury.
At his age, and with his early season struggles, it's not hard to imagine that the veteran southpaw has thrown his last Major League pitch.
But he shouldn't be without a job.
More appropriately, he shouldn't be without a job with his hometown team, The Philadelphia Phillies.
It just so happens the Phillies have an opening. ...
Who would have ever thought they'd see Pedro Martinez in a Phillies jersey? Or that he'd be helping the Phillies win their third straight division title?
The Phillies clinch.
Streaks continue.
Promises for October.
For just the second time in history, the Philadelphia Phillies will play in the post season for three straight season.
The Phillies clinched their playoff berth with Brad Lidge on the mound preserving a 10-3 win that was sparked by a big night from Jimmy Rollins.
That's how the blueprint was penciled in.
Phillies fans, however, know the season didn't go exactly the way it was planned for two of the team's biggest stars.
But now, those players can look forward to their second season.
