Phenomenal pitching performance by Cliff Lee to lead the Phillies to a 6-1 victory in game one of the World Series last night.
As the poll on the right proves, a lot of people that read this blog are picking the Phillies to win. I think that's largely because we consider ourselves fans of the National League, or more importantly, haters of the Yankees.
However, if you look at the national scope, virtually everyone is picking the Yankees (look at yesterday's post where I linked to the ESPN.com writers picks).
That doesn't make sense to me. I realize the Yankees won more games this season, have the highest payroll, and they are the Yankees for crying out loud. But why is everyone forgetting that we are talking about the Phillies -- THE TEAM THAT WON THE WORLD SERIES LAST YEAR. This isn't David vs. Goliath. It's Goliath vs. Goliath.
I realize the Yankees have the more impressive pitching staff and perhaps New York proves that over the next 2-3 games to get the series back on track. However, I'm just amazed at how everyone is sleeping on the Phillies this year. I can't think of another time in history that the defending champs are considered this much of an underdog.
Anyhow, enjoy the Series over the next few days. I am spending Halloween with my adorable 3-year old twin nieces, so the blog is going to get a few days off. I'll be back on Monday with more World Series thoughts. Don't eat too much candy this weekend!
Cliff Lee pitched great. I am enjoying the quality of starting pitching during the playoffs. In recent years thought, I feel teams are going with their best 2 or 3 pitchers thanks to the ease of schedule in the playoffs, it takes away which team has better pitching or depth in pitching when you just rely on a few to get the job done.
ReplyDeleteThe Yankees have fans all over the US and have a huge fan base (they are also hated by many).
Dave