The Phillies Aren't Losers

In each of the last 5 seasons (2005-09), the Philadelphia Phillies have been, at the least, Playoff contenders.

In each of the last 4 seasons, the Phillies have pushed the Mets for the National League Eastern Division title.

In each of the last 3 sesaons, the Phillies have won the NL East -- the 1st 2 of those, being the beneficiaries of a "choke" while the Mets have been the victim of a "miracle," each team turning its own history on its head.

In each of the last 2 sesaons, the Phillies have won the NL Pennant.

Last season, the Phillies won the World Series. This season, they came within 2 wins of back-to-back World Championships.

John Madden (the coach-turned-broadcaster-turned-video game pitchman) likes to say that the biggest dropoff in sports is the difference between the winner and the loser of the Super Bowl. If you win the Super Bowl, you're the World Champions and you go down in history; if you lose the Super Bowl, you get ridiculed more than the 30 teams that didn't make it.

I'm not sure that's true. Seriously, who's gotten more ridiculed since February: The Arizona Cardinals (who have had a lot of ridicule in their time, but damn near won the Super Bowl last season), or the Detroit Lions?

The Phillies are not losers. They did not lose the World Series: They got beat by the better team. Probably the only better team in their sport.

Most of the Phillies walked away with their heads hanging for no reason but exhaustion. Most of them walked away with their reputations enhanced:

* Chase Utley, who became only the 2nd player to hit 5 home runs in a World Series. (The 1st, of course, was Mr. Reginald Martinez Jackson... again rocking the fedora, this time at the City Hall celebration.) He also made some big defensive plays.

* Cliff Lee, who handcuffed the Yankees in Game 1, dominating them like no pitcher has in World Series play since Sandy Koufax in 1963. Even Bob Gibson in 1964 (they did beat him in Game 2, if not in 5 or 7), Greg Maddux in 1996 (in Game 2 if not in Game 6), Randy Johnson in 2001 and Josh Beckett in 2003 didn't put the clamps on them like Lee did.

* Jayson Werth, who hit maybe the quietest 36 homers ever in the regular season, and woke people up with his shots in this Series.

* Ryan Howard, who set a new Series record with 13 strikeouts, but still got some big hits. After all, strikeouts don't cost you any more than any other kind of out, and only half as much as groundouts into double plays.

* Ryan Madson, who came in to relieve in the 9th in Game 5 and stopped the Phils' collapse from 8-2 at 8-6, prevented it from being yet another classic Philadelphia sports choke, and allowed the Fightin' Phils to keep Fightin' for another game.

Who on the Phillies, then, left with their reputations damaged? Only 3, that I can see, and not Brad Lidge, since his was already affected earlier in the Playoffs:

* Cole Hamels, who whined about wanting the season to be over. That's not good when it looks like you're going to be named the starting pitcher a potential Game 7. He spit the bit without even getting it into his mouth. Speaking of mouth...

* Pedro Martinez, for choking in postseason play again, and laughing about it, during his Game 2 exit if not in Game 6, where we found out the answer to the question of who's his daddy: Hideki Matsui.

* And Charlie Manuel, the manager who failed to learn the lesson of Grady Little: Better to take Pedro out a batter too soon than a batter too late, because that too late is far too late.

But Delaware Valley fans, from Scranton to Rehoboth, from Atlantic City to Lancaster, have nothing to be ashamed of. Your team is good, it is tough, it has spirit and drive, and it took a team like the 2009 Yankees to beat them. No shame in that.

Besides, the Phillies still make the Mets look bad. Not that they need help in that regard.

Still: Thank you, Phillies, for playing good, solid, entertaining baseball. I couldn't have asked for a worthier opponent in this World Series. And if the Yankees had lost to you, I wouldn't have liked it, but I could have lived with it.

Thankfully, I don't have to.

Besides, you're still the National League Champions. And if Met fans, Cardinal fans, Dodger fans and the rest don't like it, here's what you can do: Sit back, relax, eat a hoagie, or a Cheesesteak, or a pretzel, or a Tastykake, enjoy it, wash it down with a Yuengling... and watch 'em squirm from down below. The Pennant still takes the Broad Street Line down to Pattison. Ain't nothin' wrong with that.

And Eagles: Beat the damned Cowboys tomorrow! DALLAS SUCKS!

I Was Wrong: A-Rod Is a Winner

The main course is steamed crow. The dessert is humble pie.

I am forced to admit it: Alex Rodriguez is a winner. If he ever was a loser, he is not anymore.

Back in March, after the steroid controversy, I said in this space that no player had ever embarrassed his team more, and that the Yankees should cut A-Rod. They should find a way to nullify his contract. I said the Steinbrenners and Brian Cashman had to "Cut Alex Rodriguez. Do it. Now."

They did not. They were right, and I was wrong.

Not because A-Rod had an OPS+ of 143 this season. Not because he hit 30 homers and had 100 RBIs despite an injury limiting him to 124 games. Not because he is a lifetime .305 hitter, with a 147 OPS+, 583 homers (only Aaron, Ruth, Mays, Griffey and Frank Robinson have more honestly, and Bonds and Sosa have more, and McGwire as many, with "help"), and 2,531 hits. Not because he's 3 stolen bases shy of 300 and 3 Gold Gloves (so far) make him a complete player. And not because he was more honest about his steroid use than any other big-name player. (He was not completely honest, but he was more honest than Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez). Not even because a fabulous babe like Kate Hudson likes him, and not even because he seems to have straightened his personal life out, after he'd messed it up so badly.

No. Alex Rodriguez is a winner because he decided, having seen the alternative, that it would be better to be a good person, and a good teammate. To make himself a winner on the field and off of it.

Goldie Hawn, Kate's mother, and Kurt Russell (a Met fan but otherwise a good guy) have never married, but, like Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins (also Met fans but otherwise good people), they've been together longer than most Hollywood marriages. I don't think she would like Kate gallivanting around town with a guy like the guy A-Rod was perceived as being before this season. That she's okay with him speaks volumes -- especially if you forget that she was the "dumb blonde" on Laugh-In. (If you've never heard of it, try Wikipedia, as I don't think you can "Look that up in your Funk & Wagnalls.")

He played the regular season as if he didn't have to be Superman at the plate. He knew he was surrounded by talent. Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira, Jorge Posada, Hideki Matsui, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Melky Cabrera. He actually seemed relaxed in that "pocket."

He hit like an animal during the Division Series against the Minnesota Twins, and again during the League Championship Series against the Anaheim Angels. He did not hit so well during the World Series, getting just 2 hits in the first 4 games, but both hits were key. And he came on after that.

It's strange, how good you can be when you don't have to be The Hero. When you can be One of the Best, instead of The Best. Vince Lombardi might disagree, but he'd probably agree with something I often say: "I don't need stardom, but I demand competence." Once competence is established, then I can look for excellence. All too often, A-Rod was excellent when it was superfluous, and incompetent when competence alone would have sufficed.

No more. Alex Rodriguez is a World Champion. He is a New York Yankee, by anybody's definition. He has earned his money. He has earned our respect.

Those of you who've seen my criticisms of him are probably expecting me to say, "Now, all he has to do is do it all over again."

No. He doesn't have to do it all over again. Because "it all" was a lot to do. He doesn't have to build the massive career stats he already has; as hard as it is to believe, he has already played 16 seasons in the major leagues. He doesn't have to rebuild his reputation after scandals inside the ballpark and out. He doesn't have to earn the respect of Yankee Fans. He has done all he has to do.

He doesn't even have to win a second World Series.

But I'd like to see him do that anyway. And I think he wants it, too. After all, if you can win it once, and you see how nice it is, why wouldn't you want to do it again?

I was wrong about Alex Rodriguez. And I'm glad of it. He became the kind of player that both of us, he and I, wanted him to be.

(UPDATE: He went back to his old ways -- using steroids and choking in the postseason. But he did buy himself a lot of time.)

Yankees Win 27th World Series

In the words of the immortal Mickey Mantle, "I was in the john. What did I miss?"

Well, Arsenal smacked AZ Alkmaar of the Netherlands around in Champions League play, going up 4-0 in London before allowing a late tally. Elsewhere among British teams, both Liverpool and Glasgow Rangers choked 1-0 leads away in the waning minutes.

The New Jersey Devils remained undefeated on the road, beating the Washington Capitals 3-2 in D.C., although the Caps were playing without the injured Alexander Ovechkin.

And I think there was something else...

Oh yeah: At 11:50 PM on November 4, 2009...

Cue John Sterling: "Ballgame over! World Series over! Yankees win! Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Yankees win!"

Cue Phil Rizzuto: "Holy cow! I tell ya, these Yankees are unbelievable!"

Cue Mel Allen: "How about that!"

*

After leaving Nevada Smith's to watch the Champions League action, I walked over to Union Square and got on the Number 4 train, and went up to the new Yankee Stadium -- and it really does make sense to call it that now, as it is now the home of baseball's World Champions -- and wondered if there would be a miracle, if I could get in.

No chance. You know how you come out of the Subway, and you hear guys yelling, "Anybody buying? Anybody selling?" Well, tonight, there was a lot of begging for extra seats, but nobody, and I mean nobody, was selling.

I also tried a "back door" method of getting into The Stadium. Almost literally. I saw one of the guys holding up a "May I Help You?" sign and asked him if the Hard Rock Cafe and NYY Steak were open to non-season-ticketholders. They weren't. Oh well. As I told him, it was worth a shot. (At least he told me that the dress code at NYY Steak wasn't particularly strict. No jeans, and although my footwear was sneakers, they were black and he couldn't tell they weren't regular shoes, and he said they would be okay if I wanted to eat there, either during a game or on a non-game day.)

But I did get to see Freddy Schuman, the Pan Man. Freddy's Wikipedia entry says he's 84 years old. I have to say, he looked that old when I first saw him close to 20 years ago. But there's no doubt that the Yankees keep him feeling young. Lots of people wanted their picture taken with him. And I was thrilled for him when he was allowed onto one of the trucks for the 1996 World Championship parade. He deserves it.

I can't remember what his sign said tonight, but does it matter? He'll have a sign for the parade, likely saying, "FREDDY SEZ: Yankees 2009 World Champions!" Or something to that effect.

Across River Avenue from the old Stadium, which looks so sad now, were 4 former Yankees, signing autographs outside Stan's Sports World: Joe Pepitone, Fritz Peterson, Mickey Rivers and Jim Leyritz.

Peterson never played on a Yankee Pennant winner. Pepitone got a ring as a backup on the 1962 World Champions, and was a key figure on the Yankee teams that won Pennants in 1963 and 1964 before losing the World Series each time. Mick the Quick was the leadoff man for the 1976 Pennant winners and the 1977 and 1978 World Champions. Leyritz had the big hit in the 1996 World Series, left the Yanks the next year, played against them for San Diego in the 1998 World Series, and returned to the Yanks in mid-1999, and hit the last home run of the 20th Century in that year's World Series.

Leyritz has been in legal trouble lately, but so was Pepitone once, and he was able to straighten himself out and once again be "a member of the Yankee family." Then again, Leyritz is in hotter water than Pepi ever was.

*

So I got on the Subway and went to the Outback Steakhouse in the Chase building at 56th & 3rd. I saw the first 5 innings there, while having a nice meal, and was very pleased, particularly with the gutsy pitching of Andy Pettitte, hurling on 3 days rest at the age of 37 -- or, as it would have been said in the old days, "Yeah, so?" I was also particularly pleased with Godzilla vs. The Thing -- or, as I said it at the moment, "Hey, Pedro: Who's your Daddy? Matsui!"

(UPDATE: In 2014, that Outback closed. Bummer.)

When I got to Times Square and its big video board, I heard that Pettitte gave up a home run to Ryan Howard to cut the deficit to 7-3 in the 6th, and I got nervous. But Joba was fine in the 7th. I was glad to see Girardi bring in Damaso Marte to start the 8th, but it was only to pitch to one lefty, and then in came Mariano Rivera. Oh no, a 5-out save. Did Girardi learn nothing from Torre? And Mo did get into a little trouble, but, like Pettitte did a few times, he got out of it.

Then followed the longest bottom of the 8th of my life. I actually wanted the Yankees to make outs and get this thing over with. I knew that the Yankees had a 4-run lead, but this was the World Series: You do not take anything for granted. After all, as it turned out, there was no "unlikely hero" in this Series as I suggested there might be in my last post.

I also knew that, if this thing went to a Game 7, Girardi would have started CC Sabathia, while Phils manager Charlie Manuel would have a huge decision to make. It would not be J.A. Happ, who pitched in relief tonight. Maybe the inconsistent-this-season Cole Hamels? Maybe, in a truly desperate move, Cliff Lee on 2 days rest? (It worked for the '64 Cardinals with Bob Gibson. It worked for the '65 Dodgers with Sandy Koufax. It almost worked for the '50 Phillies with Robin Roberts. It did not work for the '67 Red Sox with Jim Lonborg.) Still, whoever Manuel chose, the Yankee starter would still have been CC on 3 days rest. Again. And that made me nervous.

No fooling around. I wanted this thing finished tonight.

It was. I wanted to be in Times Square because that's where I was when Aaron Boone hit the homer that gave the Yanks their last victory of any consequence (by Yankee standards) before the 2009 Pennant. That night, the Square was a zoo. But no damage, and as far as I know, no Red Sox fans were physically harmed.

This time, it was actually not as loud as that one, but it didn't matter: We won, and we celebrated like human beings, not like those animals in Boston do.

I don't know how many people between Times Square and Port Authority Bus Terminal were wearing Yankee caps. Thousands. I do believe, however, that only one was also wearing an Arsenal scarf. Me.

The Bronx Bombers and the Gunners? They would seem to have 3 things in common: A lot of championships (though Arsenal are 3rd all-time in their league, not 1st like the Yankees), they play in their country's biggest city, and Tottenham are the Mets of London -- or are the Mets the Tottenham of New York? I have an idea: Let's get David Wright and Robbie Keane together, and settle it with a lasagne-eating contest!

(Those of you familiar with the Arsenal-Tottenham rivalry, you know what I'm talking about. Those of you not familiar with it, Google "Tottenham lasagne." You may be disgusted, but, as did, and as do, Arsenal fans, you will laugh yourself to bits.)

One thing the Yankees and The Arsenal do not have in common is that the Yankees have now won their League since moving from their historic stadium to a new-and-"improved" one. Arsenal, as yet, have not.

*

I'm always interested to know which celebrities are in the stands. Say what you want about Donald Trump, but he is a true Yankee Fan. He was sitting next to Regis Philbin, a Bronx native, and I don't think Notre Dame's game against Army at the new Stadium in 2010 was on his mind much tonight. 

Spike Lee was there, and it's now easy to forget that he was a Met fan back in 1969, but Reggie Jackson and company made him a Yankee Fan in the late Seventies.

I saw Kurt Russell. Kurt is a Met fan, but his wife (they've never married but they've been together a eon by Hollywood standards, so I'm calling her his wife) Goldie Hawn is the mother of Kate Hudson, who's dating A-Rod, and I appreciate Russell putting on the cap and jacket of his enemy to watch them beat his other enemy.

Rudy Giuliani was there, of course. That wasn't a shock. What was a shock was that Judi was there. He's still with Wife Number 3! He hasn't moved on!

Mike Bloomberg was there, too, wearing a Yankee cap and a Yankee jacket and trying to make people forget that he grew up as a Red Sox fan; that he, as much as anyone else, including the Steinbrenners and their lackeys Randy Levine and Lonn Trost, is responsible for the death of the old Stadium; that he violated the will of the people by changing the law to allow him to run for a 3rd term, and that he damn near lost to a guy who barely showed up -- if the Democrats had nominated a warm body instead of good guy but nonentity Bill Thompson, Mayor Moneybags would have lost.

I'll say this for Giuliani, who I can't stand: I have never doubted that the one thing he loves nearly as much as himself and power is New York City. But he respected the voters of the City enough to abide by their law and give up power. Bloomberg did not. He doesn't care about the City, he only cares about himself and power. (I'm not happy about Chris Christie unseating Governor Jon Corzine here in New Jersey, either.)

And do you know who else was in The Stadium? Jimmy Fallon. That's right, the guy who played Sully in the Saturday Night Live "Boston Teens" sketch -- famed for his praise of Nomar Garciaparra: "Nomah has gawdlike powahs!" -- and starred alongside Drew Barrymore in Fever Pitch, the U.S. baseball version, the one I consider a horror movie because of the way it ends: With Fallon corrupting Drew (who I love) and helping the Red Sox beat the Yankees, break the Curse of the Bambino, and win the 2004 World Series -- not realizing at the time that the Red Sox cheated. (I'll later have a separate post about the Red Sox as well.)

But I just found out that Jimmy's actually a Brooklyn native. I also found out that he met his wife, Nancy Juvonen, on the set of Fever Pitch, because she is Drew's production-company partner. So, in a weird way, art imitated life for him. (She's also 7 years older than he is, but looks pretty good for 42.)

As for myself, I have now seen the Yankees win the World Series 7 times in my lifetime. That's more than every franchise has ever done, except the St. Louis Cardinals (10, but 2 in my lifetime), the Oakland Athletics (9, but 4 in my lifetime, and the 1st 5 were in another city and thus shouldn't be counted), and the Boston Red Sox (7, but 2 in my lifetime, 2 in pretty much everybody currently living's lifetime, and those 2 are illegitimate because they cheated, and they know they did, and we know they did).

I have seen the Devils win 3 Stanley Cups. I have seen East Brunswick High win 4 Middlesex County Championships and a Central Jersey Championship in baseball, State Championships in girls' basketball and soccer, a Central Jersey Championship and 2 County Championships in boys' basketball, and that elusive Central Jersey Championship in football.

And I have been to some of the most amazing places, from Yankee Stadium (both) and Madison Square Garden (only the "new" one) to Fenway Park and the Boston Garden (both old and new), the Montreal Forum and Olympic Stadium, Franklin Field and the Palestra and the now-demolished Philadelphia Civic Center, Baltimore's Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards, Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park (the old one, not yet seen a game in the new one), Harvard Stadium and the Yale Bowl and Michigan Stadium.

And I have seen the end of the Reagan-Bush and Bush-Cheney regimes, and the rises of good and decent men to the White House, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

I have not seen Rutgers win the Big East Football Conference, or a major bowl game. I have seen the Nets in the NBA Finals, but not win it. I have seen Arsenal play very well, but not yet win a significant trophy (Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League) since I started watching them. And I missed some of the great buildings, such as Chicago Stadium and the old Soldier Field, to say nothing of stadiums and arenas that were abandoned and demolished before I was old enough to go on my own, like Ebbets Field, the Polo Grounds and the old Madison Square Garden.

But I can relax a bit now. I'm not saying, "My life is complete. God, take me whenever you're ready."

I am reminded of that sign at the new Garden, when the Rangers (who suck anyway) won the 1994 Stanley Cup after 54 years of failures and chokes: "NOW I CAN DIE IN PEACE." For once in my life, I wanted to buy a Nike T-shirt: "JUST DO IT."

When the Devils won the Cup the next year, I saw a sign at the Brendan Byrne Arena that said, "NOW I CAN LIVE IN PEACE."

I know the feeling. I am relieved.

*

On a slightly related subject, when it was over, I headed over to Port Authority to prepare for the ride home. Just because I'm a wiseass and a half, I went down to the bottom level, where the Greyhound buses dock. I walked over to Gate 84, which is where the buses to Boston wait for passengers.

No one was there. No one wanted to go to Boston overnight.

Not even, as they would say in England, to "take the piss."

As Arte Johnson used to say on Laugh-In, "Verrrry intereshting. But shtupid."

*

I don't know how much sleep I'm going to get. But I can't wait to see Ashley and Rachel tomorrow. Their Uncle Mike is going to ask what the Yankees did last night.

Ashley is going to say, "Yankees go boom!" And Rachel is going to say, "Home run!"

I wonder if their mother, my sister, will let them watch the parade with me. On TV, of course. I'm not taking them into The City to see the Yankees in person until they're a bit older. Or, as Rachel would say, "Oh-der." As Ashley would say, "Maybe too-mah-woh."

Now, the Yankees have won the World Series in their lifetime. I was nearly 8 before that happened. And I was nearly 27 before I actually saw it, thanks to my parents making me go to bed too early to see the last outs in '77 and '78. But the girls see it happen when... How old are you, Rachel? "Two!"

We are going to have so much fun watching the Yankees together. Tonight is a good night to be alive. Tonight is a good night to be a Yankee Fan.

Enjoy it responsibly. I want you all to live long enough to enjoy the next title. And the next. And the next. And so on.

Unlikely Heroes Are Likely In the World Series

Tonight could be the night. Who could be the one?

The World Series has a history filled with unlikely heroes. Particularly Yankees.

1920: The Cleveland Indians had Tris Speaker, one of the greatest players ever, as both center fielder and manager. But it was Elmer Smith who hit the first Series grand slam, Jim Bagby who became the 1st pitcher to hit a Series homer, and 2nd baseman Bill Wambsganss who turned the only Series triple play, unassissted no less -- and all 3 did it in the same game! The Indians beat the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1931: The Philadelphia Athletics won 107 games due to big boomers like Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Mickey Cochrane, and had already beaten the St. Louis Cardinals in the previous year's Series. But it was 3rd baseman John "Pepper" Martin who got 12 hits to lead the Cards to victory.

1942: The Cardinals had Enos Slaughter, Marty Marion, Terry Moore, Harry Walker, and a rookie who went on to a fair career, kid name of Stan Musial. But it was another of their 3rd basemen, Whitey Kurowski, who hit a 9th-inning home run to win a game and send the Cards to the Series win.

1943: This time, Kurowski was the victim of an unlikely hero. With most of the Yankees' stars except for Bill Dickey (who was soon to join them) off to war, it was Johnny Lindell who slid into 3rd base, knocking the ball out of Kurowski's glove, that led to a key run that won the key game of the Series.

1947: Floyd Bevens of the Yankees nearly became an unlikely hero by coming within 1 out of the 1st World Series no-hitter, against the Dodgers. But Cookie Lavagetto -- by this point washed up, so that made him somewhat unlikely -- doubled to send home the tying and winning runs that Bevens had let on base with walks. Two games later, Al Gionfriddo made a great catch to rob Joe DiMaggio of at least a double. But the Yankees won the Series anyway, due to a really unlikely hero, who became far likelier as his career went on: A funny-looking backup catcher and outfielder named Larry Berra (as Yogi was still signing his name at that point).

1948: Gene Bearden may have won 20 games, including the Playoff for the Pennant, for the Indians, but the lefty knuckleballer was still 30 and had never done much before (and never would again). But he still won the clincher over the Boston Braves.

1952: The Dodgers were threatening in the 7th in Game 7, had the bases loaded, when Jackie Robinson hit a popup that nobody could see. At the last second, Billy Martin rushed in from 2nd base to get it, and save at least the lead for the Yankees. Bob Kuzava, who had closed out the 1951 Series against the Giants, was still sort of unlikely himself, but he pitched another 2 innings of solid relief for the win.

1953: Billy the Brat strikes again. He's so well-known as a manager now that it's easy to forget his playing heroics. In the regular season, he was ordinary, but in World Series play, he was every bit as dangerous as his teammates Berra and Mickey Mantle. Billy tied what was then the Series record with 12 hits, the last of which drove home Hank Bauer with the winning run in the clinching Game 6 against the Dodgers.

1954: We all know about Willie Mays making The Catch to shock the Cleveland Indians. When Willie was the hero for the Giants, nobody was surprised. What was surprising was James "Dusty" Rhodes hitting a pinch-hit home run to win Game 1 (with Willie, 2 innings past The Catch, on first base), and getting another pinch-hit in Game 2 and staying in the game to hit another homer. The Indians won 111 games in the regular season, but the Giants swept them.

1955: Johnny Podres was a young guy, not expected to be the Dodger pitching hero the way Don Newcombe or Carl Erskine were. But he shut the Yankees out in Game 7, largely thanks to the unlikeliest position of all, if you knew the Dodgers' history: Left field. Sandy Amoros' catch of a Yogi Berra drive near the left-field pole, starting a double play, snuffed out the Yanks' last real rally, and the Dodgers had their first World Series win -- their only one in Brooklyn.

1956: He may have been 11-5 that season, but it's hard to find a less likely hero than the erratic, hard-drinking, poor-driving, already-roughed-up-in-Game-2 Don Larsen. But he's the one who threw what remains the only no-hitter in the history of postseason play. A perfect game. In the World Series. Against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1959: The Dodgers, now in Los Angeles, had Don Drysdale, Roger Craig, and a young, somewhat wild but very talented guy named Sandy Koufax on their pitching staff. But it was Larry Sherry -- whose brother Norm, a catcher, would later straighten Koufax out and turn him into the defining pitcher of the 1960s -- who came up large for the Bums against the Chicago White Sox.

1960: You would expect Bill Mazeroski to make great fielding plays for the Pittsburgh Pirates. But a home run to win the World Series? Roberto Clemente, perhaps, but not Maz. But Maz it was. Hal Smith's homer making it possible was also pretty unlikely.

1962: Bobby Richardson got 12 RBIs for the Yankees in 1960, and set a new Series record with 13 hits in 1964. But both were losing efforts. This time, against the now-San Francisco Giants, his catch of Willie McCovey's line drive for the last out of the Series made him a hero in a winning cause.

1964: This time, the Cardinals had a likely hero at 3rd base, Ken Boyer, whose grand slam provided the margin of victory in Game 4 against the Yankees. But it was Tim McCarver -- yes, kids, the broadcaster -- who hit one out in the top of the 10th to win Game 5 that made as much of the difference as Boyer.

1965: The Minnesota Twins stunned first Drysdale, then Koufax. But Claude Osteen turned in a terrific performance to turn the Series around, as Drysdale won Game 4, and Koufax Games 5 and, on just 2 days rest, 7 with a complete-game shutout. Koufax was likely, Osteen was not.

1969: The Miracle Mets had plenty of unlikely heroes, from Ron Swoboda's catch to Donn Clendenon and Al Weis hitting Game 5 homers.

1975: That Carlton Fisk hit the homer that won Game 6 isn't a huge surprise. That Bernie Carbo hit the homer that sent the game into extra innings is.

1978: Bucky Dent had already drifted into unlikely hero territory with his Playoff homer against the Boston Red Sox. But he batted .417 in this Series to be named MVP. Even less likely was Brian Doyle, batting .438 in place of the injured Willie Randolph at 2nd base.

1986: Does Mookie Wilson count as an "unlikely hero" if he was more the benefit of the goat? (Whether you think it was Bob Stanley or Bill Buckner doesn't especially matter... in this case.) Bob Ojeda was definitely an unlikely hero, after first Ron Darling and then Dwight Gooden were beaten. And Sid Fernandez, saving Darling's bacon in Game 7 to give the Mets a chance to finish it off, definitely counts.

1990: Billy Hatcher didn't get the press coming in that Barry Larkin and Chris Sabo got for the Cincinnati Reds, and none of them got the press that the Oakland Athletics' "Bash Brothers," Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire got. But the Reds swept the Series, led by Hatcher putting up batting numbers that hadn't been seen since the Ruth-Gehrig era.

1991: Jack Morris pitched a superhuman 10-inning shutout in Game 7, but it was Gene Larkin who singled home the winning run. Larkin had gone to Columbia University, where he broke most of Lou Gehrig's school records. No relation to the aforementioned Barry Larkin, Barry, who is black, had lots of good moments in his career; Gene, who is white, has this one.

1996: Despite hitting a walkoff homer in the previous year's Division Series against the Seattle Mariners, Jim Leyritz was not exactly the easy pick for heroism against the Atlanta Braves. (And his post-playing DWI makes him considerably less than heroic.) But his homer tied up Game 4, completing a 6-run comeback for the Yankees, and they never looked back, winning the Series.

1997: Craig Counsell drove in the tying run for the Florida Marlins in the bottom of the 9th of Game 7, then scored the winning run on a single by the nearly as unlikely Edgar Renteria in the 11th, and the Marlins beat the Indians.

1998: Trevor Hoffman, meet Scott Brosius.

1999: Mike Remlinger, meet Chad Curtis.

2000: Turk Wendell, meet Jose Vizcaino. (Actually, they'd already met, as they had been teammates on the Chicago Cubs.) Al Leiter, meet Luis Sojo.

2002: Ed Speizio had hit the 1st home run in San Diego Padres history, 33 years before. His son Scott Speizio hit the most important home run in Anaheim Angels history, to complete a 5-run comeback that beat the Giants.

2005: Scott Podsednik was a good player, but he wasn't known as a home run hitter. But, I guess, when you're facing Brad Lidge, and it's not 2008, good things happen, especially in the postseason. His walkoff home run in the bottom of the 9th of Game 2, following the White Sox blowing a 5-4 in the top of the inning, turned a 6-5 deficit into a 7-6 win over the Houston Astros. Game 3 went to 14 innings, tying the Series record, and it was the longest Series game ever by time, 5 hours and 41 minute. Geoff Blum homered in the top of the 14th to win it.

2006: The winning pitcher for the Cardinals over the Detroit Tigers in the clinching Game 5 was Jeff Weaver. You can't get any less likely than that.

2009: The Yankees can clinch tonight. Who will be the hero? Andy Pettitte on the mound? Derek Jeter? Alex Rodriguez? Jorge Posada? Mark Teixeira? (It's about time he started hitting like one.) Or...

I have a suspicion. Melky Cabrera's injury means that Brett Gardner has to play center field. Not known as a good hitter, mainly as a great runner and a great fielder. Not originally intended to start. Didn't start much all year long. Steps in due to injury. Not really on anybody's radar. Hmmmm...

As Doris Kearns Goodwin, a professional historian who so often ignored the history of her favorite team -- the Brooklyn Dodgers as a child, the Boston Red Sox as an adult -- and rooted for them anyway, likes to say, "There's always these omens in baseball." Is Brett Gardner's entrance into this Series an omen?

"Your attention please, ladies and gentlemen, batting for the Yankees, Number 666, Damien Thorn. Number 666."

But then, I root for a hockey team called the Devils. Who play at Washington tonight, with the Capitals' star Alexander Ovechkin unavailable. I wonder if I'll even notice the score of that one?

Tonight's the night. Let's finish it off. 27 for 27. Come on, Andy. Unload the lumber, Bronx Bombers. Smack Pedro the Punk around. Do it. We play today, we win today, that's it. Let's Go Yankees.

UPDATE: The hero turned out to be Hideki Matsui. Not particularly unlikely.

Better to Clinch at Home

The Phillies won last night, and the Yankees' lead is cut to 3 games to 2. The Phillies are too good a team and too proud a team to not win at least one game at home. That's what happened to them in 1983: They won Game 1 in Baltimore, then dropped the next 4, including all 3 at the Vet.

This Phillies team has a different pride, and they may have seen what I saw on TV in the 9th: A lot of fans looking very worried that this might be the Philly choke to end all Philly chokes. Granted, blowing a 6-run lead in the 8th -- 3 in the 9th -- when you already trail 3 games to 1 isn't as bad as leading by 6 1/2 with 12 to go, as in '64 when it was still single-division play, no wild card, and blowing it entirely. But I could see it in the fans' faces, and these Phils said, "Not tonight. Not in our house."

Fine. It's better to clinch at home anyway. It gives us a chance to smack the Punk around.

It's 27 outs to go for Title 27. And a net +1 in runs. And even with the "travel day," how effective can the Philly bullpen be when Pedro, inevitably, either gets knocked out of the box or runs out of gas?

I plan to be in the City tomorrow, if not in The Stadium (II) itself, for the big celebration. I'm ready. Is everybody else ready?

The Yankees Aren't Coming Back (Not Tonight, Anyway)

It's 6-2 Phillies after 6, and Cliff Lee looks very strong again.

The Yankees are not coming from behind to win this game. No chance.

Now, let's see if the old "reverse jinx" works.

Update: If only Girardi hadn't brought in Phil Coke-is-not-it. It would have been 6-6. Instead, it was 8-2, and ended 8-6. A valiant effort, and I could see some people in the stands with horrified looks on their faces, wondering if this was the Philadelphia sports choke to end all. Fortunately for them, and unfortunately for the Yankees, it was Ryan Madson on the mound, not Brad Lidge. The Yankees came back from a 6-run deficit in Game 4 in '96, but despite having Damon on 2nd, Teix up, and A-Rod on deck, this one was not to be. Phillies 8, Yankees 6.

Day off, then, Wednesday night, Yankees vs. Pedro in Game 6. Time to punish the son of a bitch for everything.

Yeah, I made a remark about your mother, Pedro, you goddamned punk coward. What the fuck you gonna do about it, pato?

I'm reminded of the words of shortstop turned manager Alvin Dark: "The Lord taught me to love everybody, but I learned to love the sportswriters last."

It's wrong to hate people. But Pedro makes my sense of right and wrong go haywire.

Shred him.

And, Joe Girardi: After we win this game, if you should manage to get Jose Molina lost during the parade, that wouldn't be a bad thing.

Especially if someone sees him lost, and directs him to Citi Field. The Mets haven't had a good defensive catcher since Gary Carter left, anyway.

Another Great A-Rod Moment... Wiped Out

Top of the 1st, A-Rod gets his 3rd hit of the Series, a double to score Damon. Already the Yanks have done better against Lee than they did in Game 1.

We got the +1 run. 27 outs to go.

Come on, A.J., get Rollins out. Rats, a hit. Oh boy, now I'm nervous.

I did hear the Bleacher Creature Roll Call again. Good. We ain't intimidated by no Philly Boo-Birds.

Oh, shit, A.J. hit Victorino. Two men on, nobody out for Utley. And then Howard. This lead could vanish in an instant.

Oy vey, what this game does to me.

Looks like Victorino is okay.

And so the lead does vanish. Fourth homer of the Series for Utley. First pitch, no doubt about it. 3-1 Phils. Damn it. So much for A-Rod's hit meaning much.

Walks Howard. He hasn't retired a batter yet. Get Chad Gaudin warmed up?

No, after that Burnett settled down, and, thanks to a great play by Teixeira, he got out of the bottom of the 1st with no further damage. Down 2 after 1? As John Sterling would say, "That's just a bloop and a blast." Especially in a yard like Citizens Bank Park.

Let's take it back, Bronx Bombers.

Through the bottom of the 3rd, still down 3-1.