My Name Is Lee, Too! - Russakoff Rules - Comcast.net Sports

Silly New York media. You had to call the Phillies the "Frillies." You had to put Shane Victorino in a skirt on your front page. You had to insist cheesesteaks are made from minced-meat.

All that did was make Cliff Lee angry ... and as I'm sure you know by now, you don't want to see Cliff Lee angry.

Lee is going to get a ton of praise today. And deservedly so. He now owns the lowest career postseason ERA (0.54) in the history of baseball (minimum three starts). Yea, you read that right. But I’ll get to Cliff.

I want to start this column with my favorite Louis Pasteur quote (just bear with me, it’s late):

“Chance favors the prepared.”

The quote is my favorite quote from Pasteur because (a) it’s the only one I know; but more importantly (b) it applies to every facet of life.

Including baseball.

Exhibit A: Chase Cameron Utley

Charlie Manuel has seen a lot of hitters over his 40 years of baseball. He’s worked with scores of incredibly talented players. But according to Manuel, Utley "is the most prepared player I’ve ever been around.”

Ever.

And if Chase prepares harder than everyone else every day of the season, imagine the advantage he can gain when he’s given an entire week to watch film and envision success.

Forget it. You don’t have to imagine. The results speak for themselves. Chase has had that full week exactly two times in his career: The last two World Series Game 1s.

The results: Three home runs, two of which were game-winners.

With a nod to HK, let me say:

Chase Utley, you are the MAN.

Of course Chase downplays his success in openers. “That’s not your goal going into the game,” Utley said of his home runs. “Your goal is to try to put good at-bats together and see what happens. Obviously, I was able to squeak one over the fence early in the game, but it’s a good feeling when you can help your team win.”

To tell the truth, that’s what was most impressive about Utley on Wednesday night. Not the fact that he launched two balls into the Bronx sky … the fact that he went out at-bat after at-bat and made CC work … hard.

It began in the first inning when he drew a two-out walk. It continued with the HR in the third inning on the ninth pitch (ninth!) of the at-bat. And it didn’t stop in the sixth, when Chase pummeled an 0-2 pitch onto the tracks of the “4” train. Utley came in with a game plan – a plan he worked on for seven days.

Make CC work. Recognize the pitch. Make sure to hit the fastball.

Boy, did he execute.

“I remember he was pitching me tough,” Utley said. “He was throwing sinkers in and he was throwing sliders. The approach I had, the approach I was going to try to have against him was to try to lay off the slider because the slider is a tough one to hit on the barrel, and try to hit his fastball, and I was able to do that. He left one kind of middle of the plate, and you can’t miss those pitches against that type of pitcher.”

Some might argue CC made the mistake. Some may say Chase got lucky to get a fastball in a spot he could handle.

But you know what I say to that? Chance favors the prepared.

“My approach was to try and make [CC] work a little bit,” Utley continued. “He’s a big, strong guy that can throw a lot of pitches and still be fine. Like I said, I was trying to hit the fastball. That was I felt my best way to be successful.”

"Successful" has never been such a big understatement.

Chase’s two dongs put him in elite company. He is now the third Phillie to have a multiple home run game in the World Series (Lenny “Don’t Audit Me” Dykstra, Game 4 vs. Toronto; Ryan “Don’t Pitch to Me” Howard, Game 4 vs. Tampa).

Not impressive enough for you? Try this one on for size: Utley became just the second lefty ever to hit two home runs off of a left-handed pitcher in the World Series. Who was the other lefty slugger, you ask … George Herman Ruth (you can call him, Babe)

Rarefied air.

On a day where CC was virtually unhittable for every other Phillies starter (everyone but Utley went 2-for-21 against him), Chase put this team on his back and went 2-for-2 with two HRs and walk.

How did he do it? Simple. He prepared all week to succeed.

Be Cool Until It’s Time Not to Be Cool

Forget about Cliff Lee mowing down every player in pinstripes not named Derek Jeter (DJ is now 14-for-31 off Lee). Last night, all the press wanted to know from Lee was how he learned to be so “cool.” Lee had an interesting response for the jock sniffers' questions regarding his Willie Mays Hayes catch on Johnny Damon and his buttocks patting of “Hip, Hip” Jorge Posada.

“About being cool, I've always been that way,” Lee said. “This is the same game I've been playing my whole life. This is the stage I've wanted to get [on] from the time I was a little kid. Now that I'm here, I've already put all the work in, there's no sense in being nervous and worry. It's time to go out there and let my talents and skills take over and execute pitches. I've already done everything I know I need to do to prepare for it so there's no reason for me to be nervous."

But while others were fawning over Lee like high school girls around David Wooderson, I was reflecting on the history of the moment. What did we just witness?

And the more I thought about it … the more the 122-pitch, 10-strikeout outing stuck out as one we will remember for a long, long time.

From his dominance on the mound to his incredible plays in the field, Cliff Lee just pitched a game generations will speak about for generations.

I know that seems like a bit of a reach right now, especially considering it’s only Game 1 of a World Series that most experts think is only getting started (many predicted it would go all seven games).

But I want you to think about the last time you saw an elite athlete in a zone like the one Cliff Lee was in Wednesday night. When was a player so good, that even he couldn’t explain what was going on with him?

The answer for me is easy.

Game One of the 1992 NBA Finals.

After hitting his sixth 3-pointer of the first half, Michael Jordan famously shrugged his shoulders to the crowd, as if to say, “I don’t know how I’m doing this either.”

I have never seen an athlete do that since … until now.

After Cliff Lee made that behind-the-back stab on Robinson Cano, even Lee couldn’t explain the ridiculous night he was having. So what did he do? He smiled … and he shrugged. Just like MJ did 17 years earlier.

It’s rare when an athlete gets into a zone like that. It happens once or twice a decade. As fans we need to sit back and enjoy these moments. Savor them.

Because for sports fans, that’s as good as a moment ever gets.

This Thing Over Before It Start?

How important was Game 1? The winner of the opener has gone on to win 11 of last 12 World Series.

Does that mean the Yankees are dead? Hardly. But New York just lost a game with its ace on the mound … an ace the Yanks plan to throw two more times if this series goes to the limit. Sabathia has been the Yankees’ ace in the hole the entire season. He was their big-money free agent acquisition. He was the horse that was supposed to carry the Bombers to their 27th World Series crown.

Now he’s 0-1 in the World Series. And no matter how you slice it, that’s very bad news for New York.

Twitter MVP of the Night

I’m a big fan of my own tweets. But I’m also one of those guys who is constantly the only one laughing at my own jokes. So when I tweet, “2009 Phillies MVP: JP Ricciardi,” I think I deserve consideration.

But believe it or not, I recognize not everyone gets my “humor.” So my Twitter MVP goes elsewhere … to Jayson Stark. This guy can flat-out rake stats.

I know we all read his columns. And I know he’s famous for littering them with interesting and intricate nuances of the game. But until I started following him on Twitter tonight, I had no idea how rapidly he spits them out.

Check out what he posted in a span of 30 mins last night:

The Phillies don't always grind at-bats tonight. But they're doing it tonight -- 11 of their first 15 AB have lasted 4 pitches or more.

Jeter now hitting .413 lifetime vs Lee (12 for 29) -- the second best avg of any active player vs Lee (with at least 20 AB).

CC hadn't allowed a HR to a LH anywhere since Aug. 2. Jim Thome hit that one. No surprise there. Of CC's7 HR to LHs in '08-09 - Thome hit 4!

Most shocking Yankee Stadium fact of the night: That was the first HR the Yankees had given up here in the whole postseason (53 2/3 IP)

Chase Utley was 0 for 5 lifetime vs CC coming in, with 3 strikeouts. He's seen 15 pitches in 2 trips tonight -- with a walk and a homer

Cliff Lee's last 10 postseason innings: 14 strikeouts, 0 walks, 4 hits. It isn't this easy, is it?

If you are a Phillies fan … or just a baseball fan in general … join Twitter right now and follow Mr. Stark. Even if you only use the service to get his updates, it will be well worth it.

Pedro Is the Son of God

You think the theater is over now that Cliff Lee has pitched his gem? Think again. Pedro will entertain you … I promise.

Don’t believe me? Check out what he said last night:

“I don’t know if you guys realize this, but because of you guys in some ways, I might be at times the most influential player that ever stepped in Yankee Stadium.” [emphasis added]

He honestly said that. Honestly.

Know what else he said?

“You know, any time I hear that, 'Who’s your daddy?' it really reminds me that God is my daddy. It gives me strength.”

Yea … so in 20 minutes Pedro insisted he was more influential than Gehrig and Ruth and Mantle and DiMaggio and apparently admitted he’s Jesus … or brothers with Jesus (half-brothers at the very least).

So buckle up, America. If you thought Game 1 was memorable, with Martinez on the mound, Game 2 may just blow your socks off.

See everyone tomorrow.

Your Feedback Who will win Game 2? Will Pedro finally confess he's the Batman? Was Cliff Lee's outing something you think you'll tell your grandkids about? Sound off here.

Email me at russakoffrules@comcast.net; follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/russakoffrules.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.



Message Edited by Lee_Russakoff on 10-29-2009 10:18 AM