[Phils20]

Omens pointed to Phils' win

[IMG]http://media.philly.com/images/40*40/may08_dn_paulhagen.jpg[/IMG]
By Paul Hagen
Philadelphia Daily News
Daily News Sports Writer
If you believe in omens and foreshadowing and a hint of the supernatural, ya gotta believe there was no way the Phillies were going to lose.

Country music superstar Tim McGraw was enlisted to deliver the first ball before Game 3 at Citizens Bank Park last night. It was fitting. Steve Carlton, the winning pitcher in 1980 when the Phils won their first and only world championship, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

McGraw’s father, Tug, got the save that night and danced an Irish jig after striking out Kansas City’s Willie Wilson to end the game, a memory that is indelibly etched in the mind of every Phillies fan.

Tug passed away in January 2004, only months after re-enacting the famous scene on the day the Vet closed down.

But Tim did more than bring out the baseball last night. Phillies sources confirmed that, in a gesture so quick and subtle that few in the sellout crowd even noticed, he bent over and sprinkled a small amount of Tug’s ashes on the mound.

So if you’re one of those people who believes in omens and foreshadowing and a hint of the supernatural, it’s not surprising that the Phillies gave away a lead late then came back to beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-4, at Citizens Bank Park.

Or that a team that didn’t have an RBI hit for the entire series finally got its first one when catcher Carlos Ruiz’ swinging bunt with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth scored Eric Bruntlett from third for the game winner.

Prior to that, the Phillies had been 1-for-32 with runners in scoring position. And that lone hit didn’t drive in a run.

THUMBS UP: Catcher Carlos Ruiz, who struggled offensively all season, had a pair of doubles in Game 2 and a homer plus the game-deciding single last night. “Coming into this season, I told a lot of guys that Carlos could put himself in the same (offensive) category as Russell Martin and Brian McCann,” said backup catcher Chris Coste. “So this isn’t a case of a blind squirrel finding a nut. He just got off to a slow start and never got going.”

Lefthander Jamie Moyer. Those two previous poor playoff starts seemed like a distant memory as the 45-year-old mesmerized the Rays for most of his 6 1/3 innings. It was the first World Series start ever for a local guy who cut school to attend the 1980 parade. And it repaid manager Charlie Manuel’s faith in him.

THUMBS DOWN: After the Rays tied the score in the top of the eighth, Jayson Werth led off the bottom of the inning by working a walk against Tampa Bay reliever Chad Bradford and then stole second after lefthander J.P. Howell came in. Utley struck out... then Howell picked Werth off second. In Game 2 at Tampa Bay, Werth made an error that opened the door for two Rays runs and was later doubled off first.

First base umpire Tom Hallion admitted that he missed a bang-bang call at first in the seventh. Carl Crawford led off with a bunt up the first base line. Moyer went sprawling as he shoveled the ball to Ryan Howard, who caught it barehanded. The lack of the sound of a ball smacking into a glove and the crowd noise were contributing factors, Hallion said.

DID YOU NOTICE?: That Rays starter Matt Garza pitched in short sleeves while veteran lefty Jamie Moyer wore long sleeves? While the official game time temperature was 55 degrees, the rains that delayed the start an hour and 31 minutes left a damp chill in the air.

That the sellout crowd chanted E-va! E-va! every time Rays clean-up hitter Evan Longoria came to the plate, an obvious reference to the similarly named actress who stars in “Desperate Housewives.” Bet he’s heard that before.

Home plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth had a generous, but consistent, strike zone.

Believe it or not, the Rays have scored their last eight runs with just one base hit.

How close has this series been? Each team has scored a total of 10 runs in the first three games.

DECISION TIME: When Carlos Ruiz topped a slow roller up the third base line, with bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, it seemed that Rays third baseman Evan Longoria’s only play was to hope the ball would roll foul. Instead, he shoveled the ball over the head of catcher Dioner Navarro.

“I don’t think the ball would have gone foul,” said Rays manager Joe Maddon. I didn’t even think of that. I thought to myself, ‘How is he going to throw this ball?’ Because it’s really an awkward play. It’s just an unfortunate situation.”

YOU SEE SOMETHING NEW. . .: With the bases loaded and nobody out in the ninth, the Rays brought in rightfielder Ben Zobrist and stationed him on second base to give Tampa Bay a 5-man infield.

Joe Maddon said the Rays tried that in Seattle earlier this year and won a game with it and also did it against the White Sox and got beat.

NUMEROLOGY: 3 – Extra base hiots by Tampa Bay in the first three games, all doubles.

22 – Stolen bases by the Rays, a new postseason record.

THE SECOND-GUESSING CORNER: What: Joe Maddon started Gabe Gross, a lefthanded hitter who is batting just .063 this postseason, in right field against Phillies lefty Jamie Moyer. Other options included switch-hitting Ben Zobrist or Fernando Perez or righthanded-swinging Rocco Baldelli.

What happened: Gross went 0-for-2 in three plate appearances against Moyer, but drove in the first two Tampa Bay runs with a sacrifice fly in the second and a ground out in the seventh.

What: After the Phillies went 1-for-28 with runners in scoring position in the first two games, manager Charlie Manuel decided against shuffling his lineup. He didn’t split up his 3-4 hitters Chase Utley and Ryan Howard with a righthander, nor did he flip flop Jayson Werth, who has been batting second, and Shane Victorino, who has been hitting sixth.

What happened: They still didn’t hit in the clutch, but three solo home runs (Carlos Ruiz, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard) made the difference.

HAMMERIN’ HOWARD?: The winners of the Hank Aaron Award, presented annually to the most outstanding offensive player in each league, will be announced before Game 4 tonight. And Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard has to be considered among the favorites.

Voted on by broadcasters, with input from fans through mlb.com, this trophy tends to go to the players who put up the biggest production numbers; Howard led the majors with 48 home runs and 146 RBI.

Howard won the Aaron Award in 2006.

PLAYING WITH MATCH-UPS: Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has frequently observed that the Phillies are a team that loves to hit fastballs. Which means that they may not love facing righthander Andy Sonnanstine.

The Rays' Game 4 starter tonight features a heater that tops out in the high 80s. But he changes speeds well, throws strikes (1.72 walks per nine innings) and has enough moxie to have gone 13-9; Tampa Bay was 20-12 in his starts.

“I’ve had quite a few naysayers through my career,” he said. “Whether I was in high school, college, minor leagues or major leagues. So I kind of take that as a chip on my shoulder and I feel like I have something to prove at every level. I think that’s helped me have success.”

Sonnanstine will be opposed by righthander Joe Blanton, acquired from the Athletics in July. “It’s been a rough year personally, just the ups and downs, for whatever reason,” he said. “Over there (Oakland) it was almost like I couldn’t catch a break the first half of the year. I let myself get in a rut. . .Then the traded happened and I was going to a new league, new team. It was almost like starting over.”

After his mulligan, Blanton went 4-0 and the Phillies were 9-4 in his starts and have won both times he was on the mound, including the divisions eries clincher ion Milwaukee, during the playoffs.

THE FOOD CHANNEL: Joe Maddon is an American League manager, from a team that had no national profile before this season, who has never managed a big league game in Philadelphia before.

However, he said before yesterday’s game, that he ran into a lot of baseball fans who recognized him when he went out to dinner after Friday’s workout.

“I went to Panorama, a really cool wine bar with some really good Italian food and some wonderful homemade limoncello,” he said. “I really recommend it.

“The Philly fans have been very cool. I’ve been astonished by the whole thing. I went and had lunch (yesterday) downtown and the same thing happened. . .More than anything, the people are sports nuts. They know who’s the manager of this team. They know the manager of every team and they would recognize, with glee, almost anybody managerial-wise, walking down the street. That’s how in tune these folks are.”

ADD FOOD CHANNEL: It has been well-reported that Joe Maddon’s mother, Beanie, still works a regular shift behind the counter at the Third Base Luncheonette in Hazelton, Pa. She came down for yesterday’s game and she didn’t come empty-handed.

“Three bags and a box,” the Rays manager reported. “That might be like 36 to 40 hoagies, cold cuts, and the bellhop sent the cheesesteak that they make back there. We have enough to almost feed the entire team.”

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Rays will take the series...and Hamels will be MVP...there both sides will be happy...lol..

[Phils20]

No, I think not.

What is up with everyone loving these Rays....

It just kills me.

[diablo1111]

What bothers me is that last night was the first world series game in history changed by the weather.Tampa won that game in reality even if we do not want to admit it.Longoria,s blast with a man on was headed for somewhere on the moon and was a monster HR in any park.Only that huge wind saved Jamie and the Phills on that one.I agree that our Phills are destined to win this but I hope no more games are decided like that.Rays are without any doubt the best team in baseball for 2008.Their record in the toughest division in all of baseball is proof positive.Yes we are here and might win but call a spade a spade.We play in a far weaker division but it would be nice to win this on our efforts not on those of the weather.

[Phils20]

No, in reality, the Phils won the game.

They still had more than enough bad luck with all the calls in this series, and they haven't even started to hit yet.

The elements are just a part of it. They both played in the same stadium.

I am rooting hard for the Phils, as I see you are, but that wind was just fate stepping in to ward off all the BS that has gone Tampa's way!

you got to be kidding me.I was ashamed of the strike zone difference that favored us.The plate ump was all for us my friend.Garza was not getting dead strike calls but Jamie got more ks than he ever does on some wicked calls.One Tampa guy was called out at the ankles another 2 feet outside.That is what you call umping against us?The only bad call we got was a close play at 1st when the ump was not in good position.As I said there is no doubt that Tampa is the best team in baseball for 2008.I want to beat them too but I want our guys to do it.There is no glory in having the weather and umps decide this.With that shot by their Longoria on an average day or night they would have won.I studied their team all year and their manager is something else.He would have pitched the 8-9 much different with the lead.We would have seen the 99-100 mph stuff of Jackson or Price.Wish we could deal for that Price kid.

[Phils20]

I don't comment to unregistered users.

[diablo1111]

I am not unregistered and I am not picking on the Phills.It has been a long time comming and they deserve the title.What I am picking on is the ridiculous umpiring in this series.When the announcers,and both broadcasters and telecasters as well as the commish express concern of different strike zones for the two teams, something is wrong with baseball.Phills do not need the umpires to help them and would be first to say so.The strike out of Iwamura and also of Upton was absolutly silly.If you watched the rain game 5 Iwamura called out on a pitch eye level and 18 inches outside.Upton called out on a pitch 6 inches inside and over the shoe laces.Then 2 walks to Burrell on absolute strikes.The umpires are hurting the Phills in the eyes of baseball fans other than Phills fans,not helping them.I know that with 3 of the 5 umps in this series living in Philly they have to live with their neighbors after this series.That is no excuse for calling games like they have been doing.

[Phils20]

Please, the calls have been horrible on both sides.

There is no one that can say only one team has benefitted from the horrible calls.

The umpires are just incompotent, not biased.

Actualy this was without any doubt the second fixed world series in history and will be placed beside the one in 1919.The 5 umps gave Philly 14 men on the field.Don`t know why it was so important to the umps for Philly to win they just won it in 1980.I hope they never win it again if this is how they have to win.

[Phils20]

Blow it out yer wazoo!

4 games to one isn't fixed, it's called kicking that ass!

Register or go home, coward!

We are the Champs!