It's a week later and the Phillies have a 1.5 games lead in the NL eastern division. The Fightin' Phillies control their own fate. It's not 2007, where the good guys were trailing. It's 2008 and the bad guys have fallen behind.
According to the TBS web site, the first two days of the playoffs will include both National League games. Wednesday October 1st and Thursday October 2nd would be the first two games of the Phillies' post season. The NL wild card winner and the NL east division champ will determine who plays when and where. Should the Phillies win the east, and the Mets win the wild card, the Phillies would play the 2nd of three scheduled TV times for TBS's national broadcasts, against the west division winner. The game times would be 5pm or 6:30pm both days. If the Brewers win the wild card, the Cubs would not be able to play them in the first round, due to the rule of "wild card winners do not face the champ of their own division in the first round", so the eastern division champ would get the Brewers in the first round, and they'd play the first scheduled game time both days. Those games times would be either 1:30pm or 3pm. That second scenario would similarly apply if the Phillies win the wild card. The Phils would then play the Cubs in the early games on both days.
Alternating AL series will have the prime time game time of 8:30 or 10pm both nights. Both AL series will play on Friday, when both NL series will have an off day. Both NL series will resume Saturday, when both AL series are off.
And speaking of the post season, your question to ponder- which 25 Phillies would make the post season roster? Burrell, Myers, Hamels, Moyer, Lidge, Romero, Utley, Howard, Dobbs, Feliz, Coste, Durbin, Ruiz, Rollins, Shane, Werth, Jenkins and Madson are all locks. That is 18 guys. Fill in a few more with the likes of Eric Bruntlett, Matt Stairs, Joe Blanton, Scott Eyre and Rudy Seanez. The total goes to 23. Those last two spots...Clay Condrey? I say no. He is not needed, as Blanton could fill his righty role out of the bullpen. Adam Eaton? Definitely not. He is not needed anywhere in professional baseball, unless he'd like to act as an usher or grounds keeper. Greg Golson is not eligible, since he was a September call up. Kyle Kendrick, at this point, is not someone a playoff team should rely on.
1 extra hitter/runner and 1 additional reliever are needed on this roster. The additional pitcher should be "Jay" Happ. A third lefty reliever is smart to have going up against tightly managed teams in the playoffs. The additional offensive player will likely be So Taguchi. He can still run. I would have to think that if Golson was eligible, he might be the preferable choice over the weak bat and weak mit of So Taguchi.
In closing....what time is it? It, of course, is PHILLIES TIME!
Comments
Yes, Happ makes the roster, Eaton and Kendrick do not. I am frequently wrong, and could be now, but I believe Stairs came through waivers after the deadline, which makes him ineligable. Place anyone (i.e. Taguchi)on the DL, and Golson can go to the dance. So, the extra spot goes to Condrey, who's been outstanding of late.
I'd like to hear what the rest of you out there think about this.
Magic number = 4
Go Phils!!
The Floyd's will be there.