The Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants have shocked the rest of the baseball world into submission — none of us predicted the Giants to advance to the World Series in our League Championship Series predictions!

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to predict who will win the World Series and why. And for bonus points, why not try to guess the World Series MVP for good measure…

-DSF

Dr. Sports Fan

I really have no clue which team will win, after all, I picked the Yankees and Phillies to win their respective LCS. Overall, I think the American League was better than the National League this year, but I think AT&T Park favors the pitching heavy Rangers. The only problem, Cliff Lee will be pitching one of those games. The problem for SF is that the Rangers offense is as good on the field as it is on paper (not mentioning any names on this one… COUGH-Phillies-COUGH). While I think the Giants have enough fight in them to take this one the distance, I don’t think it will be enough to finally end Frisco’s title drought.

So here goes nothing: Lee and the Rangers take game one, lose game 2, take 2-of-3 at home, and hold on for a win in either of the final two games in San Fran.

World Series Champion: Texas in 7

MVP: Why not? Cliff Lee

P.S. Even though the Giants beat my favorite team, I’m still excited to watch them (and the Rangers) play in the World Series. Am I alone?

Mr. Dude and Stuff

Man, some egg on our faces with our LCS picks, huh?  Even my MVP picks were duds with Teixeira pulling the hammy running to first and Howard caught looking to end the whole series.  Sheesh, did I call it wrong.

This could be a pretty epic World Series considering both teams played spoilers and upset elite defending champions who were all but shoe ins for a rematch.  Both teams played their asses off to get where they are so I tip my cap to both of them.

That being said, I like the Rangers in this series.  Granted, I could be totally wrong again so that bodes well for the Giants, but Texas has been playing with that magical winning run grit that stifled the Yankees.  At first I thought it was just pure luck (and some pretty questionable umpiring) with the Tampa Bay series, but after what they did to the Yankees, I’m sold.  Cliff Lee will very likely gun down these Giants hitters as well as a big series out of CJ Wilson I think as well.

World Series Champion: Rangers in 6 or 7.

MVP: Josh Hamilton if it’s in 6 or Cliff Lee if it’s in 7.  Sorry, I can’t decide.

Sports Drone

I have no interest in watching this World Series.  And it’s not because I’m not a baseball fan.  I will watch any team… any time.  I reserve the right to pull my “poor sport” card out at this moment.  I am so pissed off about the Phillies catastrophic failures at the plate that I don’t want to watch another game until April.  That being said… I probably will anyway and I’m going with Texas in 5.  Texas is batting something like .286 BAA as a team.  The Giants are batting .230 BAA.  Texas went through the Rays and the Yankees like a hot knife through butter and they’ll take down the pack of nobodies and journeymen that are the Giants.  The Giants went through a tired and depleted Braves team and a Phillies team that refused to play small ball and seemed content to stare at pitches down the heart of the plate and swing at balls that bounce on home plate.  The Giants could have rolled the ball from the mound and the Phillies players would have probably swung at it.  Plus… I want to see Cliff Lee win a World Series title.

World Series Champion: Texas Cliff Lee’s.
MVP: Oddly enough, not Cliff Lee.  I’m going with Nelly Cruz, he’s been a beast.

Interesting side note… Bengie Molina will get a World Series ring no matter which team wins since he played for the Giants earlier in the season.  Lucky him.

The Phoenix

Okay .. stop me when you’ve heard this one:

The Giants are going up against a team with a vastly superior offense…

“.. stop ..”

…their pitching as a team may be the difference in this series…

“.. please stop ..”

…and their inexperience in this situation may come back to haunt them at the wrong time.

“.. I beg you to stop because it still hurts ..”

In short, I’ve heard this argument before, and I’m not going to get fooled into thinking Texas can pull this off. Unless Cliff Lee is pitching nine innings in every game, the Giants are winning this series. Texas’s offense is just as good (if not better) than Philadelphia’s was. They may be swinging a bit hotter of a bat, but as we saw in the NLCS, Lincecum, Sanchez and Cain sprinkled with that re-donkulous bullpen was enough to keep CBP quiet until March — much to my chagrin.

World Series Champion: Giants in 6.

MVP: Tim Lincecum.

Jack Bauer of All Sports

World Series Champion: Rangers in 6

MVP: Josh Hamilton

Both teams are playing great, especially Texas. I think both teams are equal in pitching matchup, but offense slightly favors Texas. I know its a cliche argument, but I’m Jack Bauer of All Sports, and I approve this prediction

Living on the West Coast has its privileges — nicer weather, better countryside, and year-round beach towns — but that little 3-hour time difference tends to be a major hindrance as a sports fan. Yesterday’s afternoon NLCS game, in particular, is just one of many sports events that people like me on the West Coast, with normal 9-to-5 jobs, cannot watch live. For anyone that’s ever heard of the term “East Coast Bias”, I think this is where it gets its name. And as much as I like to know how my team is doing, I’d much rather watch the game myself and enjoy all the drama and uncertainty that comes with watching a live event — even if that means watching a live event several hours later.

As any passionate sports fan knows, if you’re taping a game, you have to avoid hearing anything — and I mean anything — about the game. No scores, no injury news, NOTHING! Luckily out in San Diego, I am almost certain to avoid hearing a co-worker mention a Phillies game score. Unfortunately, the information age that we live in — a world dominated by cell phones, internet, and social media — can just as easily burst my bubble.

With that, I give you the All Media Blackout. You turn off your cell phone; you don’t check Facebook, Twitter, or (if you’re still holding out) MySpace; and you must definitely do not go on any sports websites — in fact, general avoidance of any and all news websites is a best practice — because in today’s world, there are just far too many ways to find out if your team won or lost to take any chances. Even if it means you have to party like it’s 1989.

After watching the first three uneventful innings during my lunch break, I commenced the All-Media Blackout until at 5:30 Pacific Daylight Savings Time. We’ll pick it up in the 4th inning…

Top 4

After Placido Polanco made a quick out, both Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth reached base for Jimmy Rollins. The Phillies have had a lot of runners on base and hit some balls hard off Cain thus far. You have to think they’ll break through soon, right? Well, not in this at-bat after Rollins flies out to left on a 1-2 pitch. McCarver and Buck both seem to think Pat Burrell had trouble with that sun — nevermind that he caught it easily. File this one under the much ado about nothing category. Speaking of much ado about nothing: Ibanez strikes out on a high fastball just after the stadium operator puts up a “Wave Your Rally Towels” graphic.

In other news, the Giants didn’t sell out their first NLCS home game in 8 years. Note to one particular Frisco scribe: Take a good look at your own fans’ short-comings before ripping our fans, asshole. (Or look at New York fans.)

Bottom 4

Cole Hamels and his 2010 revival have continue through three innings here in the Bay Area as he is perfect through three innings. That is until Edgar Rentaria leads off with a line drive over Utley for the Giants first base-runner. As Bob Uecker might say, “I think I’ll wet my pants.” Freddy Sanchez follows with a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to second, leaving rookie catcher Buster Posey with a duck on the pond. After Hamels throws an inside strike to get the count to 1-2, FOX cuts to a quick shot of that bastard Cody Ross. His presence alone leads to two straight balls from Hamels. No matter, Hollywood gets Posey to chase a high 94 mph fastball for strike three. Burrell’s turn now and after whiffing badly on the first pitch, Hamels throws him four straight balls later. Here comes that Ross guy with runners on first and second and two outs.

The first pitch to Ross was an inside fastball for a ball. The 1-0 pitch was a changeup for a swinging strike, followed by a high looping curve for a borderline ball. Amid a “Lets go Cody” chant, Babe Ruth reincarnated lines a low and away fastball to left field for a 1-0 Giants lead. &#$@!!!!!!!

At this point, can’t we just intentionally walk him?

Aubrey Huff steps in and he quickly grounds one off the glove of Chase Utley to score Burrell. Rare emotion from Utley after that one after that ball tipped off his glove. That was a tough play to make, and he really shouldn’t feel too sorry about that one. Give Huff credit for hitting it an inch too far from him. If we can give credit for that…

Now it’s Juan Uribe in another first and third situation. Need to stop the bleeding here, Cole! After falling behind 0-2, Uribe looked to have offered big time on the next pitch, but the first base ump disagreed. Even the Fox announcers are a bit flaggerghasted by that call. More much ado about nothing as Hamels got him to pop up to Utley on the next pitch.

Inning over but the damage has been done. A pair of RBI singles with two outs have SF in the lead, 2-0.

Top 5

Ruiz led off with a fly out to the now-wearing-glasses Burrell. (Guess he got the memo.) Hamels follows with a hard hit ground ball to Huff at first, who in-turn flipped to Cain for the second out. Victorino walked thanks to a suddenly shrunken strike zone to bring up Utley with two outs. I sense that he wants to atone for coming up short in his diving attempt last inning. Victorino stole second thanks in no small part to a bouncing throw from Posey that ended up in shallow CF (Victornio did not advance). Not that it mattered because Chase Utley grounded out to second to end the threat.

Bottom 5

Former Phillie Aaron Rowand smashes the first pitch of the inning into the left field corner for a leadoff double. You have to credit manager Bruce Bochy, as Buck and McCarver just did, for inserting Rowand into the lineup and juggling his order. Each move as paid off big time. Of course, if you aren’t in the mood to give him credit with the Phillies losing 2-0, I don’t blame you one bit.

After a Cain strike out and Renteria fly out, Sanchez up now trying to salvage Rowand’s lead-off double. One pitch after Hamels just missed the outside corner at the knees on an 0-2 pitch, Sanchez sends an inbetween hop to Utley, who boots it into center field allowing Roward to score. Tough play as the ball was probably spinning weirdly, but definitely one you’d like to see your All-Star second baseman make. That’s his third error of the postseason.

Thankfully, Hamels blew a high fastball by Posey to end the threat, but not before the Giants add an insurance run for a 3-0 lead.

Top 6

We could use some runs or this column might begin to get a bit angrier. I’m holding it back now, but trust me, it’s beginning to bubble under the surface. This inning didn’t help as Polanco (ground out to second), Howard (ground out to second), and Werth (fly out to right) went down in order. Nice trip through the heart of the order…

In other news, Bob Uecker underwent successful heart surgery. Good luck in your recovery, Ueck!

Bottom 6

Is it just me or did Fox skip over the obligatory in-game interview with a coach or batter? Finally! Also the official scorer just gave Sanchez a hit on the Utley boot. Tough earned run for Hamels there.

Hamels gets Burrell swinging on a 3-2 pitch. Up comes Ross as well as another montage of Ross highlights from Fox — you know, in case we missed the last five times they showed those highlights this game. Ross’ follow through on a 2-1 strike nailed Ruiz in the facemask. I’ve had it with this guy. Luckily for Ross’ safety, Hamels finally gets him with a swinging strike. One pitch after his eighth strikeout of the afternoon, Hamels calls for and catches a pop up in front of the pitcher’s mound.

Nice to have a clean inning…

Top 7

As Rollins grounds out to second to start the frame, it’s beginning to look like the Phillies lineup — the same one that used to be the team’s undisputed strength — will probably be the reason that they lose today. Ibanez then follows with a hot shot right at Huff, who snared it before it dropped for out number two. Probably not going to be the Phillies’ day is it?

Jose Contreras is up in bullpen in case Ruiz reaches, and I’m thinking that Hamels might be a better option than our pitch hitters at this point. He did, after all, get the team’s lone hit back in that one Mets game right? Poor Hamels. He pitches another good game, gets no run support, and then his defense also lets him down.

Chooch gets hit by a pitch and up comes Ryan “I’m about to strike out” Gload. I missed that part of the season that he was good. I know it happened, but I wasn’t there to witness it. So naturally I think he’s an automatic out every time he walks up to the plate. Apparently, manager Charlie Manuel does not think that way as Gload has been his go-to pinch-hitter this postseason. So I will give Gload (and Charlie) credit for a good AB after working a walk after a falling into a 1-2 count.

Bruce Bochy out to se if Cain wants to continue, since he’s only allowed two hits in his 6.2 innings pitched, Boch lets him stay in for Victorino. You hope Shane can make something out of this at-bat with side-arm lefty Javier Lopez ready in the pen to face Utley. Victorino’s worked a 3-2 count, putting the runners in motion for what’s surely to be Cain’s last pitch, number 119, which was — you guessed it — another ground out to second base.

Punchless offense for Hamels once again. Maybe the Phillies will score some runs for the bullpen.

Bottom 7

The first pitch from Contreras was popped about 10 feet from home plate where Chooch was there to squeeze it for the first out. He then got Roward to strikeout on a nasty splitter that seemed to have very little spin on it. A groundout to the mound on the next pitch ended the inning.

Quick work by Contreras.

Top 8

Lopez in to pitch now and he gets Utley to pop out to second on the second pitch of the inning. Remember when he used to be good? With the black-bearded Brian Wilson warming up in the ‘pen, Polanco grounds out meekly to third and Howard follows with a strike out.

Three more outs to a 2-1 series lead for the Giants.

Bottom 8

Three up, three down. The much-maligned Contreras did his job today.

Top 9

Beard vs. Beard Round 2 as Wilson is on to face Werth. While Werth singled in their first meeting, this round goes to Wilson after Werth struck out swinging. J-Roll then launches a ball off the wall in right, but it was hit so hard — and JRoll’s so slow nowadays — that Ross was able to hold him to a single. It’s been that kind of day.

Wilson starts Ibanez with a generously called strike low and outside. Next pitch: 4-6-3 double play. Game. Set. And Match.

Amazingly, my DVR recording turned off just 30 seconds after the game ended. So instead of stewing on this loss — and talking about how the Phillies offense might just be bad enough to keep the team from the World Series — I’m just going to move on and wait for Game 4.

I suggest you do the same.

The weather is getting cooler, the leaves on the ground are beginning to outnumber the ones still in the trees, and the calendar has reached mid-October. That means final four time in the baseball playoffs!

With both League Championship Series set to start this weekend, the Taking Back Sports writers have taken the time out of their busy schedules to make some ALCS and NLCS predictions in today’s 5-Minute Break column. While none of these predictions will amount to hill of beans in this crazy world, it’s a time-honored sports writer tradition to attempt the impossible and predict the future.

ALCS Preview

Let’s start with the defending champion New York Yankees (95-67). Alex Rodriguez reached 600 home runs and owner George Steinbrenner passed away while the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays waged battle all season for the NL East title. New York faded a bit down the stretch and finished as the AL Wildcard. Yet losing home-field advantage didn’t seem to matter much for the Bronx Bombers, who beat Minnesota like red-headed stepchildren in the ALDS. The Yankees might not be clicking on all cylinders like they did in 2009, but their lineup will make for a tough out in any series. Just being a tough out in the playoffs is not enough because the World Series is the only series that matters in Yankeeland.

The Texas Rangers (90-72), meanwhile, are the unexpected guest at the postseason party. This team wasn’t supposed to emerge from bankruptcy. It wasn’t supposed to have new (and competent) ownership. It wasn’t supposed to have a productive Vladimir Guerrero. And it most certainly wasn’t supposed to deal for postseason ace Cliff Lee before the trading deadline. But thanks to all of that as well as an MVP-caliber performance from “The Natural” Josh Hamilton, Texas ran away with the AL West Division. Thanks to a pair of dominant starts from the aforementioned Lee, the Rangers upset the Rays in their ALDS series. Now Texas is four wins from the World Series. All the Rangers have to do is beat the team that had ousted them from all of their previous playoff appearances.

In the ALCS, either the Rangers will exorcise their postseason demons or the Yankees will once again rain on the Texas parade.

Dr. Sports Fan

That should be enough, but I have been wrong (many times) before. In the ALCS, I really just think New York is that much better than Texas. Josh Hamilton is too banged up, and Cliff Lee will not be able to match up with CC Sabathia. Bad news all around for the Rangers.

ALCS: Yankees in 5 (CC Sabathia MVP)

Jack Bauer of All Sports

The Rangers seem to be a team of destiny this year with the acquisitions of Vlad and Cliff Lee, emergence of Nelson Cruz, and the MVP performance of Josh Hamilton. This is a very, very good team, and it showed with the Rangers surviving September with Hamilton on the DL. And the Rangers, yes the Rangers, have a better pitching staff than New York. The Yanks are the Yanks, and the defending champs, but I like the team with home field advantage in this series.

ALCS: Rangers in 7 (Vladimir Guerrero MVP)

Mr. Dude and Stuff

With the ALCS, the Yankees have a whole bunch of question marks and don’t feel as elite as they have before, but I still think it will be too much for Texas to overcome by anyone not named Cliff Lee.  I also see Mark Teixeira living up to that gigantic contract and getting himself some big late inning hits to win what I think will be relatively tight games.

ALCS: Yankees in 6 (Mark Teixeira MVP)

The Phoenix

In the AL, you have to keep your eye on one guy — not Cliff Lee, because I think we’ve figured out the guy is just good.  I’m talking about Josh Hamilton.  Ginger ale celebrations aside, the guy hit .111 in the ALDS vs. Tampa Bay with six strikeouts.  Seriously if it weren’t for Ian Kinsler (.444 BA, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 1.444 OPS), we wouldn’t be having this discussion.  We’d be breaking down the C.C. Sabathia/David Price matchup.

If the Rangers can steal game 1 vs. Carston Charles Sabathia with C.J. Wilson, they’ll have an early edge, but that’s a lot to ask – win game 1 of the ALCS in New York.  Lee wouldn’t go until at least game 3, and if Texas is down 0-2, this is going to be a really short series no matter how ungodly Lee is in the postseason.

I really hate to say it because I hate mentioning his name, but Alex Rodriguez needs to wake his bat up.  After all the talk about him breaking out in the postseason last year, A-Rod is back to being pretty pedestrian.  Teixeira is going to need all the help he can get, and I don’t think Robinson Cano is enough.

When all is said and done, these are still the Yankees.  It’s October, and somehow these guys somehow always win when everyone doubts them.  Well, I didn’t just walk in here from the cotton fields.

ALCS: Yankees in 6 (Robinson Cano MVP)

Jack Bauer of All Sports

Fact check, Adio: Texas is hosting Game 1. They have home field.

The Phoenix

Don’t the yankees have a better record..?!?

Dr. Sports Fan

Wildcard teams don’t get home-field advantage (regardless of record) unless its in the World Series after their All-Star team wins. Nothing I said makes any sense, but that’s just how MLB rolls…

Jack Bauer of All Sports

Just ask the ‘08 Eagles. Hard to argue a 9-6-1 team is more deserving than 9-7, but you get the idea…

Sports Drone

I’m not really an AL guy… but I think the Rangers are going to win this series.  Yes, the Yankees have the experience, but I trust the pitching of the Rangers much more.  Sabathia is really the only pitcher on the Yankees I trust.  I know, I know… Pettite is one of the best playoff pitchers of all time, but he’s coming off a recent injury and has only pitched 2 games since being back.  The way that the Twins were playing, I don’t really believe any of the Yankee pitchers had a challenge in the ALDS.  We’ve also seen what Cliff Lee could do against the Yankees from last year’s WS and if it comes down to 7 games… Texas has the huge advantage with Lee over the probable starter of Hughes.  Even if Sabathia pitches on 3 days… I think Lee will still have the advantage.  I think these teams match up really well, but I think it will wind up being Roy Halladay vs. Cliff Lee in game 1 of the WS.  Can you imagine what that would be like in Philly?

ALCS: Texas in 6 (Josh Hamilton MVP)

NLCS Preview

The two-time defending National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies (97-65) rode a rollercoaster season to white-hot finish with baseball’s best record. After spending much of the season in deep offensive malaise, the Phillies used a midseason trade for Roy Oswalt and the re-emergence of Cole Hamels to spark a 27-9 finish to clinch their fourth straight NL East Championship as well as the best record in baseball. Along with some pitcher named Roy Halladay, those pitchers are the main reason that Philadelphia is the odds-on favorite to win the 2010 World Series. Ironically, it’s the Phillies offense that causes most of the nail biting in the Delaware Valley. That same offense was once the strength of a team that’s been to the last two World Series and won it two years ago.

The Phillies trio of aces have nothing on the big 3 atop the San Francisco Giants (92-70) rotation. The Giants made the playoffs on the strength their big three of Tim Lincecum (reigned two-time NL Cy Young winner), Jonathan Sanchez, and Matt Cain. Thanks to an MLB-record 1.78 team ERA in the month of September, San Francisco surpassed the upstart San Diego Padres and clinched the NL West on the last game of the season. Newcomers Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell as well as rookie catcher Buster Posey have given Kung Fu Panda some offensive help. Even though Philly is the clear favorite, no one around the game would be shocked if the Giants advanced to the World Series.

Dr. Sports Fan

The Giants and Phillies have similarly matched pitching, but I give the edge to the Phillies in hitting, fielding, and experience.

NLCS: Phillies in 6 (Shane Victorino MVP)

Jack Bauer of All Sports

The Phils have the bat power to overcome the Giants pitching. The Giants do not have the offense to overcome the Phils’ pitching. That said, the Giants are a good team and will be able to compete in the series.

NLCS: Phillies in 6 (Roy Halladay MVP)

Mr. Dude and Stuff

The Phillies just have too much more offense than the Giants, even with it under-performing in the NLDS. The Giants are relying too much on their young pitchers and Buster Posey to produce in the middle of the lineup, I just find it too hard for them to overcome the Phillies, especially in a rowdy Citizens Bank Park atmosphere to start off.

NLCS: Phillies in 6 (Ryan Howard MVP – That’s right, my MVP money is on the first base power bats in both LCS.)

The Phoenix

CAUTION — LONG WINDED

.. .. .. as a devout Phillies fan, I must beg and plead you not to toy with the baseball gods. I like how Mr. “I Don’t do Predictions” is the primary author behind this, by the way.

Anyways…

Initially when the topic of NLCS predictions came up, my initial response was “I don’t want to and please don’t make me. I test not the baseball gods.” However, since I’m a responsible journalist of sorts, I shall submit.

First of all, can we just say that this is probably one of the greatest collections of pitching in the history of the postseason: Halladay, Hamels and Oswalt on one side with Lincecum, Cain and Sanchez on the other. Both teams were top-10 in ERA, and they’re 1-2 in ERA in the postseason.

Both trios of pitchers are equally impressive, so in my opinion, pitching is kind of a wash. With all the conversation about the anemia behind the Giants offense, people fail to realize that the Phillies were equally unimpressive against the Reds. As a team, they’re only batting .212 and only Chase Utley has a home run so far. Not good. The difference between the two offenses is that Philadelphia has the personnel to get runs on the board quick, fast and in a hurry. Putting up fat numbers against SF pitching keeps the bullpen (another strength) … well, in the bullpen. Of all the people that need to get going in the NLCS for Philadelphia, the most important is Placido Polanco. Batting .111 in the two-spot is NO BUENO!

You have to like the matchup if you’re a Phillies fan for one reason: who in San Francisco’s lineup scares you? Bottom nine, two on, two outs, two run deficit: .. who’s gonna get that home run? Burrell? Strikes out too much. Huff? Kinda doubt it. Posey? Not necessarily a home run guy. I would be worried if the Giants had some kind of speed on the base paths, but they don’t have that, either, really.

I trust Philadelphia’s offense a lot more than San Francisco’s, and I trust that Howard and Utley will be “bashing the ball like the Cerrano of old.” However, since I respect the Giants starting staff, I’ll say Phillies in 6.

NLCS: Phillies in 6 (Roy Halladay MVP)

Sports Drone

The Giants really scare me as a Phillies fan. I’ve seen the Giants, even when they weren’t in the playoff race, come into Philly and dominate them the past few seasons. The fact the Phillies didn’t hit very well last series against pitching that was much, MUCH weaker than San Fran’s also scares me a little. I think the Phillies can do ok against Lincecum, but I’m really nervous about Jonathan Sanchez in game 2. He seems to always get the best of the Phillies. I still think the Phillies are going to win, but I think they’re going to have to scratch and claw to get there. I think the Phillies playoff experience is the difference here. San Fran is talented offensively, but they’re all a pack of journeyman. It won’t be enough for them to beat Philly.

NLCS: Phillies in 6 (Brad Lidge MVP — I know, I know, it sounds crazy… but I think every game is going to be won by 1-2 runs and I think Lidge will baffle the Giants hitters.)

The Phoenix

If what you say about Lidge is true, then I better go to the pharmacy and stock up on heart medication…

-The Phoenix (10-13-10)

The Phoenix

For me, there is only one answer: BUD BLACK!  The San Diego Padres weren’t expected to do anything this year.  They finished last year at 75-87; their big free agent signing was Jon Garland and the only player worth any mention was Adrian Gonzalez.  What did Bud do?  Oh, only have a first place team for virtually the entire season until the last week and a half.  The Padres were contending until the last weekend, but unfortunately, their youth and inexperience showed up at the wrong time (see 10-game losing streak in August).  I know what the main argument is going to be: “The Padres didn’t make the playoffs, so Black shouldn’t be considered.”  I call b/s on that.  In 2006, Joe Girardi was named NL Manager of the year with the fourth place Marlins, and in the American League for back to back years, the manager of a third place team (Tony Pena in ‘03 with the Kansas City Royals and Buck Showalter in ‘04 with the Texas Rangers).  Playoffs shouldn’t dictate this award nor should the retirement of a future Hall of Famer.

Black did more with less.  Give him the trophy!

Jack Bauer of All Sports

I’ve got nothing to add. It’s Black, hands-down. Only other person you could make a case for MIGHT be Bruce Bochy in SF, but the Giants’ success was much more a function of their trade activity and having a totally revamped team after the 7/31 trade deadline compared to the opening day lineup. That said, I’d vote Brian Sabbian as NL General Manager of the year.

Dr. Sports Fan

Bud Black is a fine choice, but why not Phillies manager Charlie Manuel or Houston manager Brad Mills. Manuel’s team ended the season with the best record in baseball despite a terrible year from the offense. For anyone that had Carlos Ruiz as the team’s most consistent hitter this year, congrats on assuming the Sports Nostradamus mantel. As for Mills, his team went 59-52 after June 1 despite losing the first 8 games of the season and a 17-34 start. For a team that was easily the worst in the majors at the start of the season to finish in the middle of the pack, that’s nothing to snicker at. Plus the Astros played their best without Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt.

As for my rebuttal of Black: How can we reward the man that steered the ship into the ground? I remember that little 10-game losing streak during the stretch run. Sorry, but my Manager of the Year’s team doesn’t choke away its shot at the playoffs.

Phoenix

I got nothing against “Uncle Cholly” for Manager of the Year since there is some weight to a manager who led the team to the MLB best record.  Can’t argue that.  I can’t say I completely disagree with Mills since Houston’s second half was MUCH better than the first — causing at least the pausing of Ed Wade effigies.

The ten game losing streak did hurt Black’s case a little, but even with that losing streak, the Padres were still in it until the last weekend.  Right about then is where the Padres could have just wrapped it up and called it a season, but they kept clawing and fighting.  Even with a ridiculous slide, the Padres showed some fight and some resiliency the rest of the way.  They didn’t give up, and that’s a byproduct of good leadership.  If Black doesn’t win the award, it doesn’t kill me one way or the other.  I just hearken back to my argument he did more with less.

Jack

Once again, I am 100% with the Phoenix. Houston was a good story, but they never competed for the playoffs, the Padres did. As for “Chuck”, he did exactly what he should have done, lead the Phils to the best NL record with the best team top to bottom, despite the hiccups of the offense at times. No props to “Chuck” for doing what he was expected to do with the most resources at his disposal.

DSF

Fair enough. Like I said before, Black is a good choice. But I take umbrage that Charlie just merely met expectations. I mean his entire starting lineup spent time on the DL and some players — Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley — spent significant time there during the season. Factor in the on-going Brad Lidge issues, in which Manuel stuck with him and was rewarded with a new Lidge by the season’s stretch drive, and I don’t see why Charlie isn’t as good a candidate. Yeah his team has more resources, but they could have very well turned into the 2009 Mets, whose season was ruined by devastating injuries. I credit Manuel (and GM Ruben Amaro) for avoiding that doomsday scenario.

Jack

Umbrage? That’s a big word! Good prodution, Mr. Phoenix.

Chuck has a long track record of success and getting the most out of a team, even when the injury bug strikes. While he may have done one of his best jobs this season given the up and down health of the team, we expect nothing less out of him. He was a good manager this year, but not the best.

DSF

That’s Dr. Sports Fan to you!

Jack

Sorry Doc!

Verdict

National League Manager of the Year: Bud Black, San Diego Padres

Cincinnati hitters didn’t just swing and miss at Halladay’s pitches in their 4-0 loss in Game 1 of the National League Divisional Series; they sometimes missed balls by more than six inches. His sinking fastball and cut fastball — which break in opposite directions at about 93 mph — were darting all over the place, and just when the Reds thought they had a handle on them, Halladay unleashed a devastating curve ball or change-up to make them really look silly. His stuff was so filthy that the league’s best lineup was reduced to cheap defensive swings, pesky time-out calls, and abject failure. It almost wasn’t fair.

Carlos Ruiz wasn't the only one in South Philly who wanted to hug Roy Halladay. (Carr/AP)

So in case you haven’t heard, Roy Halladay is really, really, really good. What did the Reds — who led the National League in most statistical categories, including average (.272), homers (188) and runs (790) — think about him? They did, after all, have an up-close-and-personal look at Doc’s stuff.

• “Tough night,” manager Dusty Baker said. “The sumbitch was dealing.”
• “It’s like trying to hit nothing,” first baseman and MVP candidate Joey Votto said. “He’s an ace among aces.”
• “That is the best pitched game I’ve seen since I’ve been going to the playoffs and World Series,” Baker said.
• “Luckily, he’s not pitching the next game or the following game,” outfielder Jonny Gomes said.

Bad news to Reds fans: Halladay was the team’s third best starting pitcher in the month of September. Cole Hamels is back, having regained his transcendent 2008 form, and Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. dealt for former Houston ace Roy Oswalt before the deadline. Both pitchers have no-hit stuff in their own right which means that the league’s best offense might fall victim to baseball’s postseason adage: great pitching beats great hitting.

With that I owe Amaro a BIG apology. Sure, the Lee trade looks atrocious now, but he didn’t compound the error by standing pat or trying to reacquire him at twice the value they traded him for. Instead, he went with Plan B and acquired another playoff-starved ace in Oswalt. Since coming to Camelot Philly, Oswalt looks every bit the 20-game-winner he was five or six years ago. With Hamels looking like a future 20-game-winner in his own right, suddenly Cliff Lee is old news — which is good news for Amaro, who probably was kicking himself mid-May. If you still aren’t convinced of Amaro’s greatness, check out the top three starting pitchers on the three previous Phillies teams:

• Hamels, Kyle Kendrick, Jamie Moyer in ‘07
• Hamels, Brett Myers, Moyer in ‘08
• Lee, Hamels, Pedro Martinez in ‘09
• Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels in ‘10

I call that progress.

Yesterday, Cliff Lee opened the playoffs with yet another brilliant pitching performance and improved his postseason record to 5-0. On any other day, Lee’s work on the mound would be the top story, but Roy Halladay followed him with perhaps the most dominant pitching performance of my lifetime. It was as if Doc Halladay had been waiting all year to finally upstage his predecessor, who shined his brightest in the postseason. How fitting then for both pitchers to lead off the 2010 postseason with a pair of dominant performances. After all, they’re the two best pitchers in baseball — Roy being 1a to Cliff’s 1b. Yes, it would be nice to have both of them — and still have J.A. Happ on the roster — but that is now a thing of the past. The Phillies have moved on, and now it’s time for us fans to move on as well.

Lost in all the shuffle of this past offseason, I didn’t realize that Halladay took Lee’s number (34). Talk about putting pressure on yourself! And as obsessive (that’s the word) as I am about Philly sports, how did I not know that?! While I was living under a rock, it was actually Halladay’s wife who put this little issue in the proper perspective:

“Everybody says, ‘Oh so interesting, he’s taking Lee’s number,’” Brandy Halladay said at the time. “It should have been ours to begin with.”

Agreed. And if Halladay has a few more games in him like he did last night, something tells me that no one else will wear the number 34 in red pinstripes ever again. I guess the new 34 is helping me finally get over the last 34. I call that progress, too.

As Harry Kalas would put it: “Roy Halladay, you are the man!”

Sure there was the occasional award-worthy performance, but it came with a lot of baggage. From the moment he stepped off the plane from Boston and into a tight National League West division race in 2008, Manny produced fantastic offensive numbers, but he left the Dodgers during a significant season-long slump in ‘10. That sort of says it all right there.

Let’s take a quick look back at how we got here.

Ramirez’s instant offense after his deadline acquisition brought an energy level to Dodgers stadium that hadn’t been seen in twenty years since the last time the Dodgers won the World Series in 1988. With this came inspiration to a young, talent-rich Dodgers team that had been waiting for a spark. This all allowed a .500 Dodgers team to overcome the defending NL West Champion Diamondbacks and win the division crown.

The 2009 season started out so promising with Jack receiving a batting practice ball from Manny Ramirez at Opening Day in San Diego. (Jason Branch)

Had it not been for a total meltdown in Game 4 of the NLCS by closer Jonathan Broxton (that, for some strange reason, Dr. Sportsfan and The Phoenix keep reminding me of), the Dodgers may have very well rode that inspiration all the way to a World Series Championship. From the moment of his arrival, the Dodgers organization built its entire marketing around Manny, even dubbing a section of left field seats “Mannywood” — and coincidentally charging outrageous prices to sit in those lousy seats and get a “Mannywood” t-shirt. The seats did not even come with bandana and dreadlocks headwear, which didn’t stop it from becoming a staple at Dodgers Stadium very quickly.

The party was seemingly just getting started in April 2009. One of my personal feel-good moments as a baseball fan came on Opening Day in 2009 when the Dodgers came to San Diego. As Manny was shagging an errant ball in the outfield during batting practice, he seemingly nodded in acknowledgment to my “Hey, Manny”, then flipped the ball high over the fence to keep it out of the reach of little kids, and into my glove. This was a definite high for me as a baseball fan as the Dodgers won the game and raced out to 21-8 record, the best record in baseball at the time.

Manny Ramirez had plenty of highs in L.A., but his time in Dodgers blue wasn’t the subject of multiple baseball pieces from CTU Sports Division just for the good times.

The first moment of drama came with the inept offseason negotiations between Manny and  the Dodgers. There were no other visible bidders for Ramirez, prompting team owner Frank McCourt to say “we are bidding against ourselves”. Despite McCourt’s statement, negotiations ultimately resulted in a highly-scrutinized two year, $45 million contract (with the second year a $20 million player option) for Ramirez. Suddenly, this spectacle looked like a small screen Sundance film.

It all came crashing down May 8, 2009: the day Manny Ramirez tested positive for steroids and would be lost for 50 games! With that, a promising 2009 campaign was instantly in jeopardy, and the integrity of a magical second-half run in 2008 suddenly came into question. Manny Ramirez’s presence was certain to not come without serious drama at some point, but this was a Hollywood-style bombshell fit for the cover of National Enquirer.

The “experts” were quick to write-off the Dodgers, but I maintained faith in the still-young Dodgers. I believed they would be just fine without Manny’s physical presence on the field and in the clubhouse, and they had already learned a lot from him. Those who know Jack Bauer know Jack Bauer’s track record of predictions…

When Manny returned, he was not the same. Maybe he was rusty after missing such extensive time, or possibly he was now playing worse off the banned substances. Either way, he was still a valuable asset who hit for a decent average and represented the only true fear factor in the lineup. And Manny still sold seats.

Even though the fans were clearly annoyed at the steroid news, they remained loyal and the energy Manny brought to Dodgers Stadium did not waver. Dodgers fans will never forget when Manny hit a grand-slam home run on “Manny Bobblehead Night” in late July 2009. Only a moment like that could’ve occurred in Mannywood.

Manny Ramirez touching home after his pinch-hit HR in late April 2010, his last great Dodgers moment.

Despite the drama, the Dodgers cruised into the postseason and advanced to the NLCS for a second straight season only to fall again to Philadelphia. After the dust settled, the sports paparazzi quickly questioned the future of the Dodgers, and the decision to bring back Manny at that steep price after a possibly tainted 2008 season. Manny quickly exercised his player option to return for $20 million in the wake of his sub-par 2009 season.

Ramirez came out of the gate sluggishly this season, partly due to poor health and an inability to stay on the field. It was clear by the end of April that Manny’s relatively short time of stardom in Hollywood was at its twilight, like many who tried to make in Hollywood before him.

The fans — once maniacally supportive — were no longer energized by Manny — even when he could play — and fan support quickly faded.  Like every fading Hollywood star, Manny did offer one attempt at a comeback, a game I had the privilege to attend in late April. He delivered a pinch-hit, two-run home run in the bottom of the eight against the hated Giants to win 2-1. This only delayed the inevitable collapse of Mannywood.

As a Dodgers fan, I was satisfied with the Dodgers’ decision to allow the Chicago White Sox to claim Manny off waivers. Even though it was the final act of the Dodgers’ fading playoff hopes, Manny had simply worn out his welcome and was clearly no longer the player he was paid expected to be. Despite the lows, I am thankful for the time he spent in Dodgers blue and memories he gave me.

At the end of it all, Ramirez’s time was just an overpriced Hollywood product — excuse me — Mannywood product.

Where would Phillies fans be without the second coming of Johnny Bench? Okay, that’s a stretch and a half, but still, the Phillies catcher’s hot bat lifted the amazingly lifeless Philadelphia lineup during its August hot-streak with clutch RBI after clutch RBI. And with each big hit, the cheers have grown louder and louder, and his legend is equally magnified. In short, he has everyone and their mother in Philadelphia screaming:

CHOOCH!

CHOOOOOOOOCH!

Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz has emerged as one of the team's most clutch hitters.

Things weren’t always this way. Flashback to October 25, 2008, the night of Game 3 of the World Series, back when Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz was just another poor-hitting catcher. Sure he handled the pitching staff well, so we were told, and sure he had a cool nickname, Chooch, but there was nothing in him that suggested he was about to become one of the Phillies most dangerous and clutch postseason hitters.

Until that night, Chooch was a career .242 hitter in his three MLB seasons. His .300 slugging percentage was a joke, which gave opposing pitchers no reason to pitch around him to get to the pitcher’s spot. Every time he came up to the plate in the playoffs, I had the inner dread of expecting, or rather, knowing that Ruiz was about to make another out. Sure there were signs that he was rounding into form — his solid showing in the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers, for instance — but I still didn’t believe in Chooch.

Then it happened, and I started to believe.

It wasn’t when Chooch ripped a towering solo home run off Rays starter Matt Garza that broke a 1-1 tie in a 1-1 series — although it helped. Later on, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard went back-to-back with solo home runs in the sixth inning, but the Rays would rally for three runs in the seventh and eighth, thus setting the stage for the biggest — as well as perhaps the shortest — hit of Ruiz’s career.

After Eric Bruntlet was hit by a pitch to leadoff the ninth, he took second and third after a wild pitch and a wild throw to second, respectively. Tampa manager Joe Madden, who wears some pretty cool glasses if I do say so myself, opted to intentionally walk the next two hitters to load the bases for Chooch. He even brought in outfielder Ben Zobrist to play gym-class second base to take away a base-hit up the middle. (Don’t you remember when that annoying kid in your class would call playing second base and then just stand on the bag like that was the position? If you don’t remember this then YOU WERE THAT KID).

At the time, I can remember running out of nails to chew. For us Philly fans born after May of ‘83, this was the time when we watched opportunities go down the drain, when hope sprung fatal, if you will. Here was our black-hole of an eight-hole hitter — the one batter in the lineup that really was really not an offensive threat — who had already shot his proverbial wad with his earlier home run. There was no way Ruiz was going to be the hero — or so I thought. Then, with a tremendous swing of the bat, Ruiz hit the ball all of 30 feet down the third-base line in what may be the greatest swinging bunt in Philadelphia Phillies history. Even the golden-gloved Evan “Eva” Longoria wasn’t able to bare-hand the ball and successfully throw home in time to beat the chugging Bruntlett.

So began the legend of Señor Octubre…

Has there been a more enigmatic Phillie than Eric Bruntlett?

(Quick side note on Eric Bruntlett. Has there ever been a Philly athlete with a more under-the-radar roller coaster season than Bruntlett. From his disastrous, error-plagued start for the injured Jimmy Rollins in Shea Stadium to scoring two winning runs in the World Series, Bruntlett was there and back again like a hobbit. Also, he had the alpha beard in Philadelphia long before Jayson Werth inherited the title. I mean look at this thing! If there’s one thing I love, it’s a good, shaggy beard that looks like it’s about three weeks overdue for a trimming. In honor of the Jersey Shore, I’m calling Bruntlett’s beard “The Beard Before the Beard”.)

(Also, congratulations to the people that got that Tolken reference in that last paragraph.)

Now it appears that Ruiz’s early career offensive woes are now safely in the rear-view mirror. He is hitting a career-high .292 in 2010 with six home runs and 20 doubles — all very solid numbers for an NL eight-hole hitter. Even with his numbers this year, no one can argue against the fact that Chooch has done his real damage in the postseason. According to Baseball Reference, he’s hit for over .300 in each of his last five postseason series, dating back to the 2008 NLCS. For his postseason career, Ruiz has a .303 average. His on-base-plus-slugging-percentage (OPS) for the past two World Series is a Ruthian 1.194. Even Albert Pujols would blush at that.

This past offseason, the Phillies front office rewarded his strong play with a three-year, $9 million contract extension. Now he’s stepping up once again when the Phillies need him, and we can only hope that Chooch continues to do so as we inch perilously close to another September to remember.

Let’s just hope that the rest of the Phillies bats join him so the team gets back on track for its scheduled season-closing hot streak.

The most recent example of such arrogance was demonstrated in the wacky and bizarre 16-inning game between the Phillies and the Astros this past Tuesday.  Let me set you up with what happened here, although there is plenty of video showing the Ryan Howard ejection as well.

Basically, Scott Barry wanted to solidify his position as a certified drama queen by reacting in a theatrical way to an appealed strike on a check-swing by Howard.  Howard became visibly upset when he reacted to Barry’s strike call, defiantly putting his hands on his hips.  Barry proceeded to mirror Howard, acting like a 5-year-old using the “I know you are, but what am I?” comeback.  Howard addressed the home plate umpire saying that he was mad at himself, not at Barry.  Regardless, Barry got his vengeance of douche-tastic proportions by having the opportunity to call Howard out on almost the exact same kind of check swing appealed strike, although on a closer call on the check-swing this time.  Howard threw his bat — no harder then any other player usually does — but that was all Barry needed as motivation to eject Howard, as though the big fella was showing him up.  What followed was Howard going berserk.

This was not an isolated incident. If you think Howard’s rejection was unwarranted, check out what happened last week when Barry ejected Nationals’ Ryan Zimmerman in a similar manner. This time Barry thought Zimmerman showed him up after he broke for first on a strike call on a borderline backdoor breaking ball. It’s a presumptuous mistake made by a lot of hitters, but a fairly innocent one at that.  When Zimmerman later struck out swinging in that same at-bat, he threw his helmet and bat in disgust at himself without saying a word.  Barry didn’t like it and tossed Zimmerman, who is really one of the game’s all-around good guys and had never been rung-up before in his MLB career.

It’s very clear from both these objections that Scott Barry, normally a minor league umpire, used emotion as a catalyst to pick a bone with these two players.  Granted, Howard and Zimmerman did provoke him slightly by throwing their equipment, but rarely does a game go by without seeing that multiple times on a regular basis.

I would be remiss if I only mentioned Barry because he is not alone in this regard.  One of his umpire crew-mates for the Phils-Astros series, Greg Gibson, refused to confer with the home plate umpire, upon Charlie Manuel’s request, to seek a second opinion on whether Michael Bourne’s somewhat obvious route outside of the base path should have resulted in an out by the divot created in the grass.

Actions like these are nothing but blind arrogance by umpires that are so power-hungry that admission of guilt or wrongdoing somewhat emasculates their position of supreme caller of the game.  More often than not, on nights after controversial close-calls, these umpires also refuse to speak to the media so they won’t engage in conversation about it either. And that folks is the problem with MLB Umpires lately.  They refuse on every level humanly possible to take any accountability for their actions, right or wrong.  The only umpire I can think of in recent years that has manned up and admitted a mistake was Jim Joyce with his infamous safe call to erase Armando Galarraga’s perfect game.  Joyce was classy and is not one of the umpires I’m speaking of here.

Joyce is in the minority because there are other umpires, like “Cowboy” Joe West, who are more interested in putting on a theatrical show with their cockiness to put themselves in the limelight. (I wonder if Joe’s country music career might have anything to do with that.) Don’t even get me started on CB Bucknor either, the same umpire that tossed Shane Victorino last season from center field without any warning.  Both West and Bucknor have consistently been voted worst umpires by the players.

UPDATE: Ed Rapauno was the arrogant ump who ejected Shane Victorino from Center Field last year. (Thanks to Larry, whose comment corrected our error here at Take Back.)

(Editor’s Note: Bucknor was voted the MLB’s worth umpire in a players’ poll conducted by ESPN the Magazine, with West finishing a close second-worst. Joyce, despite his “perfect gaffe”, was voted Best Umpire.)

The problem here all comes down to the highest authority of baseball right now though, and that is Tweedle-Dee himself, MLB commissioner Bud Selig, the same man who allowed the steroid era to go on under his nose. Selig and baseball hold zero accountability to umpires. If they make a mistake, the worst punishment feels like a small slap on the wrist — if that. There is no system of checks and balances to maintain order amongst the personalities of these umpires and their incredible God complex.

Maybe it’s me, but I feel there’s more accountability and less arrogance in other sports because the threat of instant replay is near to keep the officials in checks.  The closest vanity we see amongst Basketball, Football, and Hockey officials is Ed Hochuli flexing in his tight shirts during the games.  That is why instant replay needs to be expanded to baseball.  It isn’t even so much about getting the call right, but it is keeping balance between the umpires’ egos and the game’s integrity.

Even for the rugged man of steel who is Jack Bauer of Taking Back Sports, the 72 hours I endured last week were the kind of pure torture not even suffered by the real Jack Bauer of CTU. What happened to me last Saturday, Sunday and Monday must be illegal. It must be somewhere in the fine print of the Geneva Convention. United Nations of “Sports World,” where were you last weekend?

It was so bad, I wouldn’t wish my weekend even on USC fans, San Francisco Giants fans, or Dallas Cowboys fans, my sworn enemies of the Sports World. So here goes the recap, and I challenge everyone reading to top the pain I went through in such a short span of time.

Saturday 10/17: Saturday began at about 6:30 a.m., when I woke up an hour before my alarm because I was rudely awaken by unexplained forces. I had a 9:20 a.m. flight up to the Bay for the weekend to hang out with friends and watch my Eagles hopefully whip on the punchless Raiders, who were not who I thought they were heading into this season. I’ll admit I had a small element of concern going in because ticked off NFL teams are dangerous at home. The Raiders were bound to be ticked off, coming off a 44-7 road loss to the G-Men, but still, it’s the Raiders! The Raiders (in Allen Iverson “practice” press conference form)!

Anyways, so I wasn’t going to leave for the airport two hours before a Saturday morning flight, so I put on ESPN College Gameday and was quickly greeted by Lee Corso and another dose of his pitiful and arrogant commentary. Not a good way to start any morning, let alone a weekend chock-full of sports. I couldn’t turn the TV off fast enough, and with nothing else on that early worth watching, headed for the airport.

Being in transit Saturday morning and hanging out with friends the entire day, I missed quite a few good college football games, much to my disappointment, and every result was completely the opposite of what I wanted. First, my UCLA Bruins fought hard but were just overmatched at home against a better Cal team. (I’m not nearly as passionate about college football as other sports because one, I really grew up on the NFL, and two, Division I college football teams do not play for a championship, so at the end of the day, what’s the point?) Still, I do follow UCLA football and very much want them to win and am disappointed when they don’t.

My two sworn college football enemies and the evil empires of the sport, USC and Florida, both were pushed to limit, but like they always seem to, they both pulled out victories, much to my dismay.

Sunday 10/18: Sunday is for the pros in football, and the day started out promising. The Giants were already trailing when I woke up at about 10:00 after a late night out, and the Redskins were poised for another defeat from a winless team (which did end up happening). And during my travels from my friend Frank’s (Frank is a Raiders fan, for the record) house and our seats at the 35-yard line in a lower-level suite, there were no issues with the much- hyped hostile Raider fan base. A few words were said in fun at me walking from the car to the seats, but nothing close to nasty. The only real jabs came from the police officers working traffic, who jokingly didn’t want to let Frank and I into the parking lot because they spotted my beautiful midnight green DeSean Jackson jersey and Eagles hat. When you are a visiting fan of team that is 3-1, not even a conference rival of the home team, let alone division, and the home team is 1-4 and hasn’t looked like an NFL team since opening weekend, you aren’t treated as bad. Also worth considering is the fact that the Eagles and Raiders fan bases are considered among the most hostile and violent in all sports, so there is a mutual respect for each others’ capabilities if someone goes too far in the hazing.

Frank, Jack of All Sports, Dr.Sportsfan, and Frank's friend in some suite seats at the game. Sadly, the seats were the only sweet thing about the game for Jack and "the Doctor".

Once Frank and I got to the seats and met up with Dr. Sportsfan, it was all downhill. The Eagles and Raiders both looked like playground teams, with the exception of the Raiders D-line, which came to play. The Eagles, led by the Master of Poor Play-calling and Clock Mismanagement, Andy Reid, did not find the end zone the entire game despite benefiting from playing against the Raiders offense, one of the worst in the league, which surrendered two INTs. The Eagles offense managing just nine points against the Raiders is a flat-out disgrace worthy of Joe Banner cutting off contract extension talks with the “fat man.” It’s a shame Dr. Sportsfan and I saw him in an elevator at the stadium before the game, as opposed to after.

So as bad as it went for me in football, the 72-hour time period under examination was just getting started. My fantasy football team, riding a three-game winning streak to climb to 3-2 after catching horrible breaks the opening two weeks, was poised to continue the streak against The Phoenix’s 1-4 fantasy team, which conveniently had Drew Brees benched in favor of Carson Palmer. The problem for me was my team looked like the Eagles, managing just 70 points and needing a 21-point performance from Antonio Gates on MNF to get a win against one of the worst teams in the fantasy league. Talk about insult to injury and shattered dreams, losing to two 1-4 teams in the same weekend. Only in a fantasy world could that happen. Perhaps I should’ve swallowed the red pill instead of the blue one and not gotten myself into this fantasy football mess.

So that’s football, now for baseball. It frankly didn’t look like the Dodgers had a shot Sunday night against Cliff Lee at home, but to not score a single run is not becoming of a team playing for a championship pennant. That is just embarrassing and depressing to watch as a fan. The Eagles may have failed to find the end zone, but at least they found the scoreboard! Come on, Dodgers! Really?

So that does it for Sunday sports, in all their non-glory for me, leaving me crying and battered inside. But won’t this horrible day ever end? I sincerely thank United Airlines for that one. Curses to Southwest Airlines, the best airline in the country, for not having any seats out of San Francisco on Sunday night when I booked my trip. I was on a 10:24 p.m. flight out of San Francisco, as soon as I could, to escape the Eagles’ giant stench left across the Bay and the bar where I watched the Dodgers leave their own trail of stink in Philadelphia. Jack Bauer simply got raped by the entire city of Philadelphia on Sunday.

The cause of my day not being allowed to end was my United plane. It was still sitting on the runway in Las Vegas 20 minutes before scheduled takeoff. At least it wasn’t in Philly, but that would’ve been more fitting. So when I finally left Frisco and landed at home in San Diego, it was 12:45 a.m., MONDAY MORNING! The torture that was Sunday for me never ended.

Monday 10/19: Sports for Jack Bauer Monday consisted solely of the Dodgers, with minor interest in the Chargers-Broncos as I wanted to believe Gates could reel off 100 receiving yards and two TDs to give me a victory from the jaws of defeat in fantasy. Not meant to be, though, as the Broncos are for real and the Norv Turner is who I — and the entire Sports World — thinks he is. A lousy coach who has a 2-4 record with one of the most talented teams in the NFL. A Chargers win could’ve given me some hope for my predictions in my regular season outlook. The Broncos now have six wins, one more than I predicted for them to get the entire season. Bill Belihcick screws me again, by way of his offspring.

It started out bad once again for the Dodgers, falling behind 2-0 after just one inning. But the Dodgers team I have seen all year, resilient and never quitting, showed itself at last and rallied back, tying the game 2-2 before taking a 4-2 lead, and clinging to a 4-3 lead going into the final frame. As iffy as Dodgers closer Jonathon Broxton has been in the past in big games, he had been money for much of the season and had been nails for the past few months. Against a powerful Cardinals lineup, he slammed the door to secure a 5-3 win in Game 1 of the NLDS, and two nights prior, shut down the Phillies in the ninth innig to even the NLCS at 1-1. I did not expect him to repeat his 2008 performance in Game 4 of the NLCS against the same team. But it was not meant to be, and Broxton once again did his best impersonation of Trevor Hoffman in a big-save situation. Broxton’s Achilles’ heal, his control, once again reared its ugly face and he allowed to two Phillies to reach without a hit before throwing a 99 MPH belt-high dart over the middle of the plate that any major league hitter could hit. Jimmy Rollins made him pay with a two-run hit, capping off a magical three days of sports for yours truly.

The only good news for me was that Tuesday was an off-day for sports, because whatever team I wanted to win would have probably lost. And it was unlikely to improve Wednesday, as I didn’t know how any team (the Dodgers) could come back from what happened that Monday night, other than you don’t (my point was conveniently proven as the Phillies secured a second trip to the Fall Classic that Wednesday night). The Phoenix is officially off my Christmas card list this year, but Dr. Sportsfan can stay because I didn’t play his 1-4 team in fantasy football and lose.