Thursday: Manny makes playoff experience authentic

The addition of Manny Ramirez, a veteran of 98 playoff games, adds juice to the National League Championship Series and National League as a whole. From the opposite dugout, the Phillies see Manny and know it’s for real.

The last thing I did before drifting off to sleep was read Tom Verducci’s Sports Illustrated cover story on Manny. Instead of producing nightmares, it generated excitement and anticipation for tonight's Game 1. Manny is an icon formerly reserved for October match-ups involving the Red Sox and their hated rivals, exclusive company the Phils were never privy to. Manny makes for a heightened reality, more than Milwaukee, and more than Colorado. He’s the ultimate playoff VIP and he’s in South Philly tonight, where the champagne room will not be as hospitable. Call it a hunch: Manny has a quiet series following an emotionally charged NLCS and long layoff away from the flashbulbs.

Dodger Thoughts: It’s not a subhead, it’s the name of a blog run by Jon "West Coast Weitzel" Weisman. Yesterday, Weisman delivered a nice preview of the NLCS with surprising ambivalence about the Dodgers’ three-game sweep over the Cubs.

“I continue to be struck, if not slightly haunted, by how easily the postseason could have been different,” Weisman writes. “If the Cubs bring in left-handed reliever Sean Marshall to face James Loney in the fifth inning of Game 1 ... if you take away just one of their errors in Game 2 ... if Martin is out by a hair instead of safe in the first inning of Game 3 ... that's how easily the Dodgers could have been sweptees instead of sweptors.”

Los Angeles Times links: Dodgers vs. Phillies match-ups [Link]. Dodgers bullpen might not include Takashi Saito [Link].

Comments

[Kutztown fan]

I'm nervous as hell about this series as flashbacks to 1977 and 1978 keep popping up in my memory. My teenage years were scarred forever by the baseball playoffs from 76 to 79. 80 didn't do much to relieve the pain.

This story might appeal to Beerleaguers, especially those who love to crunch numbers:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27089678/

[redbeard]

let get it on.

[clout]

Not to belabor the Gillick thread, but NEPP yesterday defended Gillick's track record by saying that every GM, including Billy Beane, makes bad trades. This is so obvious as to be silly. The issue is the ratio of bad trades to good ones. I will be happy to compare the trades made by Beane with the trades made by Gillick during his tenure with the Phillies, NEPP, but you won't like the results.

[thephaithful]

mlbtraderumors used to run a peice that summarized every GMs move in their entire career. It was pretty interesting, I'm sure you could dig that up. I think the world has caught up with Billy Beane, hes no longer doing anything others are not.

His whole moneyball theory didnt look too good this year, Oakland had 5 of the top 13 players with 500+PA for the worst OPS in the majors.

[Bonehead]

Re Jon Weisman's analysis: Nearly every playoff series; heck, nearly every regular season series can be analyzed that way.
In our Brewers series, a play here, a play there, and the outcome could've been different.

It may be a cliche, but that's baseball.

[dah123]

Speaking of LA Times links...check out this doozy. Something about this article makes me want to beat the Dodgers even more.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-simers9-2008oct09,1,5516438.column

[Tony D]

I want one of those Manny dreadlocks hats that they sell.

[RSB]

Consolation if the Dodgers win might be watching Ramirez pull a Deion Sanders on Tim McCarver in the locker room...

[timr]

Bonehead: I disagree. The Phils were clearly the better team against the Brewers, and likely would have ultimately won the series even if some of the important plays hadn't gone their way.

Also, Dodger Thoughts may be a good read, but the design's got nothing on the East Coast Weitzel's.

[Lake Fred]

Jason, thanks for the link to the West Coast Weitzel. He had a nice write up on the Dodgers. This will be an interesting series from a fan standpoint. I don't think much of the nation gives a rip about the Brewers, but the Dodgers are a different story. I'd imagine there's old guys in Brooklyn still passionate about this legendary team. The Manny angle will also make it exciting. To me, exciting games are ones where the Phillies jump out to a big lead and coast to a victory.

I saw on the tube this morning where our "buddy" Tim McCarver was ripping on Manny. Good for him.

phargo wrote about the luxury of living in Central time where the game starts an hour earlier and ends an hour earlier. The dirty little secret is that those that live in Central time (like me), get up an hour earlier, go to work an hour earlier, watch the news an hour earlier, eat an hour earlier and go to bed an hour earlier. The dirty little secret is that Central timers align all activities with Eastern timers in a synchronous fashion, only the time on the clock has been changed to protect the innocent.

[thephaithful]

Dah123: THanks for the link, that guy is an idiot. Feel free to send him fanmail as I did.

Mr. Simers:

Such an enlightening and original viewpoint from a grown man that goes by the name TJ. I'm stunned that your thorough research didn't dig up the event where Santa Clause was booed, for it is certain that such a goldmine tidbit like that would be included in your opening paragraph.

Also, congratulations on the excellent analysis of a playoff series where the pitcher without a 2009 contract is guaranteed to be the most motivated and that face painters will be the X Factor of the series outcome.

The LA Times must be proud.

Admirably,

Jason

[Bubba]

With articles like Simers and Manny being Manny, we may wind up hating LA more than NY by the time this series is over.

[phargo]

Fred, I had not noticed the synchrony myself, but it's true!

[Ribbies]

I agree with everyone whose saying let's play some games already! Unfortunately for me I'm travelling for work on the other side of the world, so tonight's game doesn't start until 2:30 am. I'll just have to wake up and see the results. However, depending on how the series goes I do get back to Philly the morning of game 7. Go Phils!

[Lake Fred]

I just read Kevin Baxter's matchup analysis of the NLCS in the L.A. Times. He looks at offense, defense, starting pitching, bullpen and management. The only places the Phillies get the edge is defense and bullpen. He picks the Dodgers to win it in five games. He has no respect for Jamie Moyer, either. Go Phillies!

[Bonehead]

NLCS roster is out. No changes. As expected. Happ still in. Seanez still out.

[Lake Fred]

phargo, I grew up in Eastern time and want to go to bed at a normal Eastern time hour. Using that logic, I stay up too late and do with little sleep and drag through the workday. I try to catch up on weekends. Because tomorrow is a work day, we cannot have an extra inning game tonight.

[Bonehead]

NLCS roster for Dodgers. One switch. Saito out. Kuo in.

[Lake Fred]

Bonehead, if the L.A. Times guy is right about Moyer, then Happ will pitch in game 3. Hurting Seanez was the fact that he sucked in the second half of the season. On the bright side for Seanez, at least he was considered. Eaton will be home watching the game tonight wearing his Phillies pajamas.

[Bonehead]

Fred - That means Eaton and I have a few things in common:
1. Watch game in pajamas
2. Unmotivated slacker
3. Can't pitch

[Lake Fred]

LOL, Bonehead! I usually wait until late in the game before I change into my PJs. Other than that, I, too fit your Eaton profile, except nobody's paying me millions of dollars to be this way.

[Bob]

Let's hope you are right about Manny's quiet series, Jason. Your hunch is a nice one.

I read the article in the link by dah123 (thanks). SI, all the media, the celebs, all the cognoscenti, are all in a twitter over the Dodgers. They played .500 ball most of the season, received Manny and got hot, and suddenly they are the toast of the sports world.

All the themes and templates are developing.
Manny eating sushi and embracing LA, and the town is thrilled to have him. The Dodgers are back, with all that Dodger Blue tradition. LA's casual, laid back lifestyle vs. Philly's gritty, chip on the shoulder 'tude.

Like I said, I hope the Phils are quietly working into their prep the realization that they will get very little respect from the media, and that it would be fun to lay a good old fashioned rear end kicking on the Dodgers.

Nothing would make me happier than having the national TV guys stammering into their mikes wondering what went wrong and why an LA/Boston series was no longer in the cards. Go Phils!

[Sophist]

thephaithful - take a look at what Beane has actually done in the past year, and you'll see the what OPS his current roster has is beside the point. He was at no time making moves to win games this year.

Look what he did in the past year.

Athletics give up:
Dan Haren, Connor Robertson, Nick Swisher, Rich Harden, Chad Gaudin, Joe Blanton

Athletics land:
Carlos Gonzalez, Brett Anderson, Chris Carter, Dana Eveland, Greg Smith, Aaron Cunningham, Gio Gonzalez, Fautino De Los Santos, Ryan Sweeney, Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton, Eric Patterson, Josh Donaldson, Adrian Cardenas, Josh Outman, Matthew Spencer

[Deutsche Phan]

Phils = the new Seabiscuit?

Please save us from depression Chase.

[Dan]

T.J.,

As a Philadelphian who is typically a fan of your work, your "10,000 reasons" article is pretty weak. Would love to know your thought process when formulating this literary masterpiece...."hmmm...I've got a deadline....people trash Philly all the time, so I can't go wrong! Eureka! 10,000 losses! There's an angle....i know theyre one of the oldest franchises in professional sports, but 10,000 losses is the epitome of failure...I can work with this...what else....ahh the Liberty bell has a crack..pure genius...they're fans are mean and scary..."

I'm surprised you didn't reach into your bag of tricks to call us out for booing Santa 40 years ago.

Funny you failed to mention the effects us "pit bulls" had on Dodger pitcher Burt Hooton in the Black Friday game in the '77 NLCS. I wasn't even alive yet but I know enough about sports and Philly history to do my homework. You were probably a balding middle-aged beat writer back then. I'm sure you took notice that the man was completely flustered by the Phils faithful and lost all control of his pitches as a result. If the game were in LA, folks probably would have just been arriving to the park, oblivious as to what was actually taking place on the field, as usual.

Your overconfidence is also laughable. Lowe better than Hamels because he is in a contract year? Please. Have you watched Cole pitch outside the one game he threw at Chavez Ravine this season?

I think you'll be singing a different tune in about a week.

If you're looking for a great museum, restaurant or park to visit while you're in town, let me know. You'll probably be a little safer here than in Compton or South Central....though you might find a few more pit bulls running wild...or fighting each other in those hoods. Welcome to Philadelphia!

Phils in 6

[Johnny Appleseed]

Maybe Mr. Simers can let us Philadelphians know what a 6-day riot is like. Is it worse than face painting and booing or throwing snowballas at Santa? I really don't know the answer. I've never participated in any ... well, except for booing.

[zach]

Call it a hunch: Manny has a quiet series following an emotionally charged NLCS...
Hopefully Manny won't have any kind of series following the NLCS...

[Lake Fred]

I know this is the wrong time to make such a post, but I heard on the Houston radio last Friday that Randy Wolf no longer has "pitching on the west coast" as one of his requirements as he heads into post season free agency. He said that he used to think that way, but since being a member of both the Dodgers and the Padres, he has come to realize that being on a west coast team is not what he thought it would be. The Astros want to resign Randy Wolf.

[Craig P]

I posted in the previous thread but worth repeating here, please don't take Simers seriously at all. He's not taken seriously by the Dodgers, I know that, and certainly not by any Dodger fans I know. On Dodger Thoughts not a day (or half a day) goes by where someone doesn't want to strangle Simers for being a tool or Plaschke for being an idiot. Sad to think, how many great writers that paper once had in the sports section. So I wouldn't waste your time getting hot and bothered by Simers because he's not worth it. (But if you enjoy it, go to town! ;-) )

Also, here's Joe Sheehan taking down Tim McCarver on the latter's Manny tirade:
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=1052

Good luck tonight and beyond! Cheers.