Mr. Cole Hamels up and dominated last night in a game that took only 2 hours and 13 minutes. He went the distance, giving up only 4 hits and walking 2 batters in 9 innings. Mr. Hamels’ ERA now sits at 2.89 and he has 54 Ks in 65.1 IP. The only downside was it took 120 pitches to get there, and manager Charlie Manuel has been keeping Hamels in the game longer than last season, such as when he threw 121 pitches against Milwaukee on April 23rd. I would hope that Manuel keeps an eye on this and makes sure Hamels doesn’t routinely hit 120. This isn’t the 50s when teams would run a pitcher ragged and ride him until he breaks.
Still, it’s a great sign that Hamels has been pitching so well, considering he’s the anchor of this rotation. He’s been the only consistently good starter on this team. With the other four being so up and down it’s great to have a probable win every 5 games.
Oh, and he had 2 more hits and is hitting .320 for the season. It always helps to have the pitcher collect a couple of hits and be more than an absolute void at the bottom of the lineup.
In-game handslap action in the middle of a double play from LF to 1B = Like the coolest thing of all-time in the history of people catching balls with gloves
It took until May 13th for Brad Lidge to let a runner touch home plate. Quite an impressive feat considering he’s pitched in 18 innings thus far this season. The first 17 were scoreless and he was lights out during that stretch, but last night he finally gave up a double to Brian McCann which scored a run. Even that was a play that was misplayed in the field by Jayson Werth:
Lidge then walked Greg Norton, but retired Jeff Francoeur on a fly to right field to end it.
“I read the swing, the crowd was yelling and I wasn’t able to hear the contact,” Werth said. “It was a one-handed swing. I read in all the way. It was definitely a miscue. You learn from it.”
Well, I’ll let Lidge slide on this one, even though his ERA has now ballooned to 0.50. However, I’ll be on his ass quicker than all hell if I see this guy give up another run throughout this season. Jerkface.
Maybe this guy needs to develop some technical or computer skills because this pitching thing ain’t working out. Scott Mathieson is still being bothered by setbacks from his Tommy John surgery and it could affect the future of his floundering career:
Mathieson, the team’s 17th-round pick in 2002, has seen team physician Michael Ciccotti and noted orthopedic surgeons Lew Yocum, who performed the first surgery, and James Andrews, who will perform the second surgery, for opinions on his right elbow. His latest MRI shows the ligament is intact, but stretched out. Andrews will scope the elbow first, but Phillies athletic trainer Scott Sheridan said a second Tommy John is most likely.
Mathieson could be a good reliever or average starter if his body would cooperate. Sadly this may not be in the cards for the Phillies, and perhaps Mathieson might have to give up his dream of being a big league pitcher. There are some success stories, but it looks like most people who have multiple Tommy John surgeries just don’t resurface as major league talent.
Good luck to Scott, but I’m wondering if he should put himself through this sort of long, slow process again. He may just not be built to do this stuff.
He’s getting a Webby Award for his special achievement!!! Check it out:
Stephen Colbert will be honored for the innovative way he has used the Internet to interact with fans of The Colbert Report - from Google bombing to make him the top search result for “greatest living American” to challenging the “truthiness” of Wikipedia. In his presidential campaign, the “One Million Strong for Stephen T. Colbert” Facebook group attracted more than 78 members per minute in its first week, while his supporters have raised more than $250,000 for the education charity DonorsChoose.org.
Stephen Colbert has finally been recognized by the most impressive awards show that deals with the internet. Colbert has changed the way his fans interact with his television program. He deserves kudos for that. Other media outlets seem to ignore the way that Colbert rules, and even attempt to mock him:
Despite aggressive campaigning on Larry King Live, Today and his own show, the voters have spoken — and the winner is not Stephen Colbert. The falsely outraged host will reportedly address this slight on his eponymous pretend cable news program later this evening.
Rollins flew to San Francisco yesterday and will join the Phillies today at AT&T Park, where they open a three-game series against the Giants tonight. Rollins, who has been on the disabled list since April 20 with a sprained left ankle, played three games this week on a rehab assignment in Clearwater, Fla.
Rollins was believed likely to be activated before tonight’s game, but the Phillies stressed there was no guarantee. They planned to have athletic trainer Scott Sheridan run Rollins through a series of drills to test the ankle.
If the Phils deem the ankle OK, they will activate him. If not, they won’t.
Entering last night, Chase Utley, with 13 home runs, and Pat Burrell, with nine, had combined for more homers than six teams: the New York Mets (20), San Francisco Giants (19), Oakland A’s (18), Washington Nationals (18), Kansas City Royals (16) and Minnesota Twins (16).
Wowzers. The Twins ARE in first place in the AL Central division, albeit only 1 game over .500. The As are 22-14 and tied for 1st in the AL West though.
It’s been the talk of the nation: who will Tom Hanks vote for in the presidential race? Will he go for Hillary Clinton’s ties to her husband’s 90s presidency? Or would the venerable actor back McCain’s senatorial experience? Or would he perhaps go with a message of change and pick the senator from Illinois? Well folks, he’s made his decision. End the discussion. Stop the rumor mill. He’s picked a side.
IT’S OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OBAMAMANIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here’s more: “As an official celebrity, I know my endorsement has just made your mind up for you.”
You certainly have Tom. Thank you. Surely Indiana voters heard of this selection off the wire and headed to the polls in large numbers and pulled that lever for one Barack Obama. We’ve got the official celebrities like Tom Hanks and Sheryl Crow, not fake celebrities like Perez Hilton.
Well, Mrs. Clinton did get one celebrity endorser that I would call a real one, unfortunately:
Bill Simmons gets his man (courtesy Awful Announcing). Shame on Kimmel for perpetuating this lie upon both his company and the public. Roger Clemens is saddened:
The skirmishes of the first six games boiled over with 9 minutes, 9 seconds left in the third quarter, with Boston already leading 51-28, when Rondo got the ball on a breakaway in the third quarter and had only Marvin Williams to beat.
Yes, they won 99-65 and held the Atlanta Hawks to 26 points in the 1st half. Only two Hawks players, Joe Johnson and Salim Stoudamire, managed to amass double-digit point totals and the team shot 29.3% from the field for the game. 29.3%. I have never seen a shooting percentage that low. NEVER. I’d say it was a pathetic showing by the Hawks but I promised I wouldn’t comment.
Next up for the hated Celtics will be the Cleveland Lebrons, er Cavaliers. Perhaps the Celtics have exercised their demons with this long series against the Hawks. This series against the Cavaliers could go down like butter with them sweeping or winning in 5, or they could have another long series which requires a game 7 victory. I would pick the latter simply because Lebron James CAN win you a game or two in every playoff series by himself. The man averaged 29.8 pts, 9.5 rebounds and 7.7 assists against the Wizards.
In any event, I’ll be rooting for a Cavaliers/Orlando Magic conference finals. I’ve had it with the Detroit Pistons and I don’t like the Boston Celtics. The Western Conference is where it’s at anyway.
The biggest news to come out of yesterday’s post-game quotes was the fact that Phillies manager Charlie Manuel doesn’t faint from seeing San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum enter a room:
Lincecum, a shaggy-haired, 170-pound righthander, got a no-decision but lowered his ERA to 1.49.
“He’s good,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “To me, he looks like a little clubhouse guy or a batboy with that long hair, but he’s got a fastball.
“I wouldn’t say he’s pretty, though,” Manuel added with a laugh. “They call Cole Hamels ‘Hollywood.’ I don’t think they call him that.”
Cold. Just cold. Tim’s been crushing on Charlie all season and then he does him like that. You could’ve let him down easily Charles, but instead you have to dig the knife and give it a little twist. Why you gotta be like that?
Manuel said that shortstop Jimmy Rollins, recovering from a sprained left ankle, is expected to play in minor-league games in Florida beginning tomorrow.
Could Rollins be ready to play over the weekend in San Francisco? “Maybe,” Manuel said.
Maybe this guy needs to develop some technical or computer skills because this pitching thing ain’t working out. Scott Mathieson is still being bothered by setbacks from his Tommy John surgery and it could affect the future of his 
I read a fun little stat in the
No comment on this score:
