Rays vs Phillies: RATINGS JAMBOREE!!!

Last night, I watched a perfect game of baseball. Not too long (just a shade about 3 and a half hours), very well pitched, very well managed, and just enough Philly fans grabbing the side of their faces/yelling obscenities at the screen/holding their breath moments to make the whole thing exciting. A couple of things I noticed from last evening's game (I very nearly decided to name this section Krenek's Kernels of Knowledge. It didn't occur to me until I typed out the words "KKK for short!" that I realized this would be a faux pas.)


-I felt very old when the Backstreet Boys took the field and the "Bad Boy" of the group had a hairline that receded past his ears. My entire generation is going to feel a twinge of sadness when he appears on one of those spray on hair infomericals.

-While everyone was caught up in "Will Beckett be the Beckett of old?", Cole Hamels has become Mr. Postseason, going 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA, striking out 27. That's better than Beckett was during his run with '03 Marlins, and just a hair below his legendary run with Boston last year.

-I think a documentary entitled "Charlie Manuel Jogs from Place to Place" would be funnier than half the comedies put out by Hollywood.

-Philadelphia was 0-13 with runners in scoring position, stranding a whopping 11. That's the type of statline you write about being the "reason for a loss." But winning in spite of such things is the hallmark of champions.

-Umpire Tim Welke has a very ladylike voice and that made me giggle. Then I realized giggling was ladylike. Touche Mr. Welke.

-Upton is a Five Tool player. I think a sixth tool needs to be added. "Unlikely to hit, kill, or knock up a stripper." This is a vital attribute for any athlete to possess.

-Tampa Bay looked tight last evening, which I plain don't understand. I don't even have a witty joke here. How do you survive Boston the way they did and then come out tight in your own place? Its mindblowing.

-Pedro Feliz's name is infinitely more enjoyable when translated into English...You can't tell me you wouldn't buy a "Pete Happy" jersey.

-To listen to Charlie Manuel speak, you'd never guess that this was a man who was offered a scholarship to UPenn. Yes that's right. UPenn. Ivy League UPenn.

-I never thought I'd say this, but with Mad Dog Madson and Brad Lidge in your bullpen, you have the luxury of playing a 7 inning game. Unless of course, Brad Lidge sees the ghost of Albert Pujols at the plate and slides back into his turtle shell of failure.

-Philadelphia is undefeated in World Series play when they win Games 1 and 2 (1980), but in World Series that they win Game 1 but lose Game 2 they are 0-2. (Including the very relevant 1915 Red Sox/Phillies matchup)

-As if I didn't prove that you can swing numbers anyway you want with the above paragraph, Tampa Bay has NEVER lost (or won) a World Series in franchise history after losing Game 1.

-I hate stats like the afforementioned records.



So there you have it, some Quick Hits from last evening's game one. Tonight's game should be another interesting one. The Artists Formerly Known as the Devil Rays need a victory badly tonight, as you don't want to walk into The Santa Booing, Battery Throwing, City of Brotherly Love down 0-2. With Brett Myers however, they face the type of pitcher they are not used to. Myers will come inside, brush you back, and do everything short of slapping you in the face at a block party to make you uncomfortable at the plate. Sometimes get uncomfortable and he dominates. Others respond by knocking him all around the ball park. I'm interested to see how a young, already uptight (seemingly) Rays team will respond to the domestic disturbance Myers causes in the batter's box. (Too soon?) Plus James Sheilds is 2-0 thus far this playoffs and his fellow Rays have taken to calling him Big Game James. Is THAT too soon? He can certainly earn that nickname this evening.

Hopefully we follow up a near perfect Game 1 with an equally enjoyable Game 2. The shame of it is that I would venture a guess however, that quite a few baseball fans missed out on an excellent Game 1. That's a crying shame...Do yourself a favor, whether you be a fan of the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Everett Aqua Sox, or the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, tune in to Game 2 this evening. The storylines are limitless...A must win for the Rays! Will Brett Myers show up? Or will his evil Philadelphia-hating bizarro twin take the mound? Can James Shield officially take the "Big Game James" nickname from the be-goggled mantle of James Worthy? All this and more, tonight on Fox!!!!