The Empire Strikes Back - Russakoff Rules - Comcast.net Sports

Why all the long faces, Philly fans? Philadelphia beat New York Saturday night. It was a great battle; both teams fought hard. But in the end, the Sixers put up 141 points and took down the Knicks in OT.

Take that New York.

What? There was a World Series game, too? Cole Hamels was on the bump?

Uh oh … That can’t be good.

Saturday night hurt. It hurt badly. The city was ready for a party. Sure, the Phightins dropped Game 2, but Philly is used to the team dropping Game 2 … and only Game 2. For four straight playoff series, the Phillies had bounced back after Game 2 losses to win Games 3, 4 and 5 and take the series.

That streak is over.

Now the Phillies have lost two straight games for the first time in two postseasons. They are trailing in a playoff series for the first time in two years … and their 2008 World Series MVP is a hot mess.

All seemed right in the world for three innings. The Phils jumped on Pettitte early, Cole was pitching like he turned the clock back to 2008 (friendly reminder, turn your clocks back now) and the rain that delayed the game 80 minutes had dissipated to a mist.

But it was all a trap. Hamels had been corrupted by the Dark Side. Sure, he appeared to be Phightin with the Alliance, but apparently he made a secret deal with Darth Swisher to save his soul at the expense of the men in Red.

Hamels sailed through the first 3 1/3 innings without allowing a hit, then he lost Mark Teixeira on a close 3-2 pitch and all hell broke loose.

“It was a strike,” Hamels said.

No, Cole, it wasn’t. The umpire gets to decide which pitches cross the plate and which do not, and the sixth pitch of the Teixeira AB was most certainly called a ball.

How do I know? Because I watched you implode as soon as the call didn’t go your way.

Hamels followed the Tex walk with five hits, another walk and five earned runs over the next three outs. By the time Charlie finally went to get him, Hamels had turned a three-run lead into a two-run deficit. And for his effort, he was serenaded by the Philly crowd with a boisterous Bronx cheer.

And thus ends Cole Hamels’ free pass in Philadelphia. The city is very appreciative of Cole for helping break the 100-season championship drought. But now that we’ve tasted success, we’re addicted. We want more. And we’re not going to stand idly by while Hamels throws away a back-to-back title chance because his panties are in a bunch over a ball/strike call.

I hope you enjoyed those 367 days of boo-free ball, Cole (well, as boo-free as ball gets in Philadelphia). Because that’s over now. As of November 1, you’re going to be treated like every other athlete in this town, and me thinks you aren’t going to like it.

Especially if you fold like an omelet every time a call doesn’t go your way.

That’s seven straight horrendous starts for the one-time Phillies ace (1-5, 7.32 ERA over that span). And it’s not like he’s slowly figuring it out. In his four postseason starts, Hamels is 1-2 with a 7.58 ERA. He’s also given up seven HRs this postseason. Seven. That ties the MLB single-postseason record.

There’s no coming back from this … there’s no redemption. Not from a guy like Cole, who is already reserved to the fact that anything that can go wrong for him this season, will go wrong.

"That's been the story of my whole season," he said. "I can cruise through batters and, then, boom!

"I don't hit a small speed bump. I hit a big one."

When a reporter asked Hamels if he was ready for the season to end, Cole said, “I can’t wait for it to end. It’s been mentally draining.”

Really Cole? You can’t wait for the season to end? You’re down 2-1 in the World Series. You were the presumptive starter for Game 7. You should be cheering on this team to extend the year, not begging to get it over with.

And now the real problem sits with Charlie Manuel. What if this series does go seven? What if the Phillies can get two wins out of Blanton, Lee and Pedro? There’s no way you can throw Hamels back out there, can you? There’s no way you can expect him to suddenly turn it around after seven straight horrendous outings. Not after he’s publicly said he’s ready to throw in the towel.

But before we get to Game 7, this team needs to figure out how to win Game 4. On paper, Blanton vs. Sabathia is a huge advantage for New York. But this game isn’t played on paper. And this team won’t believe it’s beaten until it has made all 108 outs. The Yankees now have gotten them 54 times.

That’s halfway there. The glass is half-full. Or is it half-empty? I’m still not sure. I’ll have to get back to you once Game 4 is over

Take That and Rewind It Back

Saturday night, late October, Citizens Bank Park, Game 3 of the World Series, unseasonably warm … rain delay.

Hmm… didn’t we do this already? You know, like 371 days ago?

If only the happenings on the field could’ve been as similar as the circumstances around the game… but alas, these Yankees aren’t the Tampa Bay Rays. Don’t forget, Phillies fans, you wanted the New York Yankees. You begged for the best.

Now that you got it, let’s not get queasy just because the Phillies are being pushed to the limit.

Remember, "Anything in life worth having is worth working for." – Andrew Carnegie

And also, “You don’t call retarded people retards. It’s bad taste. You call your friends retards – when they’re acting retarded.” – Michael Scott

Pettitte Is Irritating and Has Way Too Many Ts in His Name

Being an NL guy, I haven’t seen much of Andy Pettitte this year. But every Yankees fan I know insists he had a great year, so I’ll buy it (though 14-8 with a 4.16 ERA doesn’t qualify as great in my book).

But after watching his Game 3 start, I’m beginning to believe his entire strategy is based upon annoying opposing batters until they eventually give up. I mean, is there a more painful pitcher to watch? Those first two innings were absolutely brutal. I’m pretty sure he took a bathroom break between pitches in that first-inning Ryan Howard AB.

But if you ask Pettitte, he was just grinding.

“It was a battle tonight. I wasn't able to get ahead. I wasn't able to get my breaking ball over. You know, fortunately enough, they had some lefties in the lineup that I was able to cut some balls, get them away from them in some big situations and able to get some outs when I needed to get some. But it was a grind tonight for me, where I've been feeling like I've been able to put the ball right where I want to all post-season so far.”

Wait, a pitcher who is able to win despite not having every little thing go his way? What a novel concept.

That right there was your entire ballgame. Pettitte struggled and overcame. Cole struggled and imploded.

Ninety percent of the game is half mental. And when you compare the mental strength of the two Game 3 starters, you get the biggest mismatch this series has seen yet.

Line of the Night

My buddy lives in New York, but is a born and raised Philly fan. He took the train in today and is going to all three games. When he got off at 30th Street, three large men decked head-to-toe in Yankees gear.

He turns to them and asks,

“Hey boys, you staying for the parade?”

God, that would be a lot funnier today if the Phils had won Game 3 …

Tweet of the Night

The tweet of the night comes from Enrico, over at the700level.com. No lead up necessary:

“This game better start soon because Cole Hamels turns into a pumpkin at midnight.”

See, it’s funny because Cole has been more of a mirage than himself all season … and like a pumpkin, he’s soft and mushy inside…

Actually, it turns out Enrico is a bit of a prophet. He was just off by about an hour. Cole’s night fell apart just as the clock was striking the 11 pm ET hour. Maybe Hamels got confused about which way to push the clock. I know I can’t be the only one perpetually confused by that spring forward/fall back mnemonic.

Glee Cast Moment of the Night

I peed next to the handicapped kid from “Glee.” Guess what? He can walk! It’s a miracle.

Maybe those evangelical healers are as amazing as they appear on television, maybe I’m a cast member on ABC’s “Lost.” Either way, I’m in the middle of pretty badass scenario.

Halloween Costume of the Night

Many people have a crisis of conscience when their childhood hero lets them down later in life. I was never one of those people.

I will always love Lenny Dykstra. I don’t care how many grandmother’s pensions he steals or World Series rings he hocks or creditors he doesn’t pay. For me, Nails will always be that spunky centerfielder who hit .348 with four HRs, eight RBIs, and slugged .913 in the 1993 World Series (and he did it clean!).

So there’s probably a bit of bias involved in this pick, but when Nails shows up in costume … he going to get my vote every time.

Your Feedback Is this series already over? Can the Phils come back? Is Game 4 a must-win for Philly? 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 11-01-2009 03:57 AM