Philadelphia Phillies

Via Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk:

There is something to be said about great rivalries in sports. They change, they go cold at times, and then there are times the rivalry will heat back up like never before.

This year, the Atlanta Braves have put their bid in to be the king of the NL East again as they seek to knock off the new beast in the east, the Philadelphia Phillies.

Since May 31st, the Atlanta Braves have been all alone in first place atop the NL East.

The Braves have seen their lead rise to as much as seven games this season, but now they find themselves only one game ahead of Philadelphia with just two weeks left to play in the regular season.

With that said, who is really the team to beat in the National League East?

Is it Bobby Cox's Braves in the legendary manager's final season or the reigning champions of the National League?

The 2010 baseball season has clearly been the year of the pitcher.

Six no-hitters, three perfect games (I'm including Armando Galarraga's), fifteen no hit bids broken up in the seventh, and four no hit bids broken up within the 8th inning or later. One would be so cruel not to call it the year of the pitcher.

Over the past few weeks, the Phillies have been winning in a variety of ways. Whether it's a big win, a late comeback, a close pitchers' duel, or just a game won on smart baseball like the one they played Saturday night against the Brewers, they're getting the job done.

That's what we're used to seeing from the Phillies, but it had been a rarity for a lot of the 2010 season. This didn't look like a championship-quality team only a month or so ago, but now they look like a group that could definitely make a push.

On the fourth day of September, our true love gave to us,
four games unbeaten,
three aces pitching,
two straight World Series,
and a game back the NL East.

It feels like a holiday doesn't it? So I figured a song would be appropriate.

Maybe it was poetic justice, or simply baseball justice, that the Phillies fought back to win a game for their ace tonight. After all, it was Labor Day Saturday, and the man often mispronounced as Roy “Doc” Holiday was clearly laboring tonight.

The Philadelphia Eagles have been the talk of the town for so many years. From Randall Cunningham, to the endless plethora of quarterbacks in between, to Donovan McNabb, they have pulled a big part of this city's sports weight, if you will, behind them.

The Flyers, Sixers, and Phillies have always played second, third and fourth fiddle to the mighty Eagles.

What if you were told that the Philadelphia Phillie with the best on base percentage on the team was hitting eighth in the regular lineup?

Well, it would be a lie. Carlos Ruiz doesn't have the best OBP amongst Phillies' regular starters.

Just the second best.

"Chooch," as he has been affectionately dubbed by his teammates and the fans, has gained a reputation this season a stellar clutch-hitter and key cog in the Phillies' nucleus.

What else is there to say about the starting pitching and, more specifically, Cole Hamels?

The guy has been lights out for most of the season, and appears to be more focused than he's ever been during his time in Philly. The immature side-issues seem all but gone, he appears to have grown up, and he seems to really be hitting his stride as a consistent pitcher.