Thoughts before Game 1 of the World Series
I have to be honest, I really have no idea what to expect from this World Series. I feel like this Phillies team is better than last year's, but this Yankees team is clearly better than last year's Rays. I've read all sorts of Series previews and most seem to favor the Yankees, and with good reason, they seem to be the more talented team on paper. But there's something inherently wrong with judging which team is more likely to win a game against another based on position by position advantages. It doesn't really matter that the Yankees may have a stronger offense. Or that Chase Utley is a better second baseman than Robinson Cano. Or that Mariano Rivera is a better closer than Brad Lidge.

Last night was fun; Hope for more tonight
The Phillies, oh my wonderful Phillies. Last night, in a tremendously entertaining yet excruciatingly difficult game, they found a way to hold on for a 6-5 win over the Colorado Rockies to take a 2-1 lead in their National League Division Series matchup. Three good games and it could just as easily be the Rockies with the advantage, but somehow the Phillies have managed to scrap their way to a lead and they now turn the ball over to Cliff Lee with a chance to close things out tonight in Denver.Gosh, this team never fails to keep me engrossed in what's happening. Sure, they may go through longer slumps than you would expect of a championship caliber team, but they always respond w

It all starts again today!
Will the Philadelphia Phillies win a second consecutive WFC? Only time will tell, but despite a bullpen that appears to be in shambles, I'm feeling pretty good about things. Cliff Lee takes the mound today in Philly with Cole Hamels set to start game 2. With the league's top offense and one of the best defenses in the game, anything seems possible. Sure they ended the season on a down stretch, but hasn't this team repeatedly responded to down stretches with immediate stretches of great baseball over the last three years? Why should that change now?GO PHILLIES!!!!!

Now is not the time to panic, Phillies fans
I'm getting the feeling that many of my fellow Phillies fans are beginning to panic. Sure, what was once an 8.5 game lead in the National League East is now down to 5 games, but please remember there is only one week of baseball remaining in the season. It would take an unprecedented collapse for the Phillies to fail to win a third consecutive division crown. Please relax a little bit because a collapse like this simply won't happen.What is worrisome is that there are glaring weaknesses on a club that otherwise looks like a strong contender to repeat as World Series Champions. The bullpen has been terrible lately, turning what could have been a 100 win team into one that will be l

Read the first chapter of A Year of Hitchcock on Amazon.com
Hey, folks, just a quick note to tell everyone that, if you haven't picked up my book, A Year of Hitchcock: 52 Weeks with the Master of Suspense, you can now check out the first chapter. Just click THIS LINK, or the image below, and then click on the image of the book cover to read the first chapter or search the entire text. Pretty cool stuff, I think.