Charlie Manuel

Normally, loyal reader, this space is reserved for bone heads in the NFL. However, while watching the World Series I couldn't help but make an exception tonight.

In the top of the ninth with Brad Lidge on the mound and a 4-4 tie and two outs, the Philadelphia Phillies seemed to be cruising to a bottom of the ninth where they would only need one run to win it and tie the series at two games apiece.

Then Johnny Damon picked up a base hit for the New York Yankees.

So, we tasted the agony of defeat.

Actually, it’s quite good on toast.

You could say I’m making light of the fact that the PA team focused on a World Series repeat came up short.

You’re right.

By keeping Cliff Lee in the game in the ninth inning after losing his shutout bid, Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel may have hurt the Philadelphia Phillies chances of winning a second straight World Series. 

Top of the eighth, Yankees lead 3-1. Jimmy Rollins at first, Shane Victorino at second, and one out. The legendary Mariano Rivera toes the rubber, then delivers the payoff pitch to Chase Utley.

In a move so bad that even the Fox broadcasters lampooned it, Charlie Manuel did not send the runners on the pitch. The Yankees turned an easy, inning-ending double play, and Ryan Howard was left hanging in the on-deck circle.

But that wasn’t the stupidest decision Manuel made last night.

The boo birds are lying in wake. They are getting ready to let loose a tirade the likes of which have not been seen in a very long time in the Bronx. Last night there were rumblings, signs of things to come.

Despite the fact that Alex Rodriguez was hitting over .430 in the post season and hit clutch tying home runs late in games, here he was on baseball’s greatest stage with the opportunity to completely bury his past failures and finally be accepted as a true blue New York Yankee.

Not only does Cliff Lee compLEEte me, he pulled another compLEEte game out of his hat. His domination of the team with the best record in the majors, the most home runs, and the highest payroll was something out of a storybook.

Hey, they should act that out on Broadway.

Wait, they are.

Asked last April who were the last two teams I would like to see in the World Series, anybody and everybody who knows me well enough would have said the Yankees vs. the Phillies.

As a lifetime New York Mets fan and college student Red Sox, fan nothing in baseball could be worse than to have these two rivals competing for a world title. For close to 15 years, I hated the Atlanta Braves. They gave me so many ugly nights and subsequent nightmares it’s no wonder I still can’t get enough sleep.

Last week the lady behind the counter at Wawa told me people are always nice when the sun shines and the Phillies win.

Well, it’s a great time to work at Wawa.

You practically can feel the loving wealth, spreading around the streets of Philly. At a point when Philly cheese steaks aren’t as tasty or lovable as the Philadelphia Phillies, the rabid town has again gone nuts, not over the Eagles or Michael Vick’s craze, not over the Sixers season-opener next week, and definitely not over the Flyers.

In the last 96 hours, we have witnessed the Phillies advancing to their second World Series. As many years—and with an Eagles loss to a team run by a man who still uses an overhead projector at press conferences—never has it been more clear.

The Phillies are everything the Eagles are not.