Tag: Philadelphia Phillies (Page 25 of 31)

      Media Link Dump: Wednesday

      October 29, 2008 /

      Here’s what sports columnists are saying around the country on a variety of topics:

      Bud Selig– Mike Celizic writes that Bud Selig is not cut out to be MLB’s commissioner. (NBC Sports)

      – Joe Henderson wonders aloud if this year’s World Series could get any worse. (St. Petersburg Times)

      – Hugh Falk lays out Part 1 of his blue print on how to fix the BCS. (RealClearSports.com)

      – Johnette Howard writes that Jerry Jones is running the Dallas Cowboys into the ground. (Newsday)

      – Bill Simmons hands out his predictions for the 2008-09 NBA Season. (ESPN.com)

      – Cedric Golden says that the San Antonio Spurs’ title window has already closed. (Austin American-Statesman)

      – Dave Kriger notes that a fixed site for future World Series would make more sense. (Rocky Mountain News)

      – Drew Sharp says the Lions should start second-year quarterback Drew Stanton on Sunday. (Detroit Free Press)

      – Peter King notes that we should expect the NFL Replay Rule to be tweaked. (Sports Illustrated)

      College Football, MLB, NBA, NFL

      Do the Rays have a small edge if the weather continues to delay Series?

      October 29, 2008 /

      Game 5 of the World Series is supposed to continue tonight…maybe.

      “While obviously we want to finish Game 5 as soon as possible, the forecast for today does not allow for us to continue the game this evening,” he said. “We are closely monitoring tomorrow’s forecast and will continue to monitor the weather on an hourly basis. We will advise fans as soon as we are able to make any final decisions with respect to tomorrow’s schedule.”

      The forecast for today calls for clearing skies by the early afternoon, with temperatures in the upper 30s by (partial) game time.

      “We get to bat four times, they get to bat three. We get 12 outs, they get nine,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “We are definitely coming with the mind-set that we are going to win that game.”

      This situation has to benefit the Rays slightly. The Phillies had all of the momentum when they went up 3-1, but the longer the series draws out, the more Tampa probably settles in and relaxes. This is one of the craziest situations facing a Series in some time.

      MLB

      Vegas says Phillies World Series Champions…kind of.

      October 28, 2008 /

      Despite what MLB says, the Philadelphia Phillies won Game 5 of the World Series on Monday night, at least according to Las Vegas.

      The game was suspended because of rain in the middle of the sixth inning with the score tied 2-2. The Rays had tied it in the top of the sixth when Carlos Pena’s two-out single scored B.J. Upton.

      However, even though the suspended game is scheduled to be completed today, the betting result is final.

      According to Nevada gaming rules — often referred to as “house rules” — the final score of an official game is determined by reverting to the last completed inning. The Phillies led 2-1 after the fifth.

      Las Vegas sports books are paying off Game 5 side bets on Philadelphia, which was about a minus-170 favorite. Wagers on totals and run-line bets are being refunded because rules stipulate that at least 81/2 innings must be played.

      “We’re just following the regular baseball rules. This is a very common rule,” Las Vegas Hilton sports book director Jay Kornegay said. “We can’t make exceptions.

      That sucks for people who bet on the Rays, but one has to assume that most of the public was on the Phillies anyway.

      MLB

      Baseball tainted by Game 5 of Series

      October 28, 2008 /

      Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer blasts Major League Baseball for what transpired due to the driving rain that the Phillies and Rays had to play in before Game 5 of the World Series was finally called.

      2008 World SeriesSimply put, Game 5 is hopelessly tainted by what transpired between the time the game should have been called and the middle of the sixth inning, when it was finally suspended.

      Whatever happens when play resumes, whether the Phillies celebrate their first World Series championship or the Rays force a Game 6 in Florida, MLB can’t justify its decision or its decision-making process.

      The first problem here is TV’s insistence on scheduling these games for 8:30 p.m. or even later. There are plenty of lovely autumn afternoons – and yesterday was one of them – that give way to cold and blustery evenings. When baseball, like other sports, sold its soul to the networks and their craven need for prime-time sports programming, it created a situation where young fans couldn’t stay up to watch the most important games of the year.

      Rollins, rain pouring into his face, dropped that pop-up in the top of the fifth. The play was rather nastily ruled an error, as if it had occurred in acceptable conditions. Hamels got out of that inning without allowing a run. The Phillies led, 2-1, in the middle of the fifth.

      At that moment, a regular-season game would become official. A rainout would mean the game was over, with the Phillies winning.

      “This is not a way to end a World Series,” Selig said. “I would not allow a World Series to end this way.”

      Selig is right on that point. The problem is, it appears MLB allowed play to continue in unplayable conditions because the Phillies had a lead. It seems like more than a coincidence that play was suspended after the top of the sixth, when the Rays tied the game on a base hit by Carlos Pena.

      I agree with everything Sheridan said. I thought Selig would have made the right call not to allow the World Series to end that way, but if that was the decision anyway, why allow the game to continue? As Sheridan suggests, it’s almost like Selig was hoping the Rays tied the game so that he wouldn’t be under the microscope for having to change a rule. It’s just a mess.

      MLB

      World Series Game 5 suspended – Bud Selig actually would have made correct call

      October 27, 2008 /

      Game 5 of the World Series was suspended 2-2 Monday night in the sixth inning and will be resumed either Tuesday or Wednesday depending on the weather.

      The Rays scratched across a run in the sixth inning but interesting enough, had they not scored and tied the game, the Phillies would have won by rule because it would have been considering an official game. But baseball commissioner Bud Selig said he wouldn’t have allowed Philly to win that way.

      Carlos Pena hit a tying, two-out single in the sixth for the Rays, and the umpires called it moments later. By then, every ball and every pitch had become an adventure because of the miserable conditions.

      If Pena had not tied it, Selig said he would not have let the Phillies win with a game that was called after six innings.

      “It’s not a way to end a World Series,” he said. “I would not have allowed a World Series to end this way.”

      Had the Rays not scored to tie it and the game was called, then Selig allowed the Phillies to win that way, the baseball world would have been turned upside down. There’s no way that Selig could have allowed Philly to win that way had Tampa not scored because it would have been one of the biggest farces in sports history.

      Let’s just all take a moment and thank the baseball gods that the Rays scored and Selig didn’t have to make such a monumental decision, although he deserves credit for saying all the right things at the end of the game.

      MLB

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑