BASE-BALL

[webny99]

^ I agree with you....my Astros are getting eliminated by the Yankees in six games.  I predict the Yankees will take the first three games, then the Astros will stave off elimination for the next two games at the Bronx, and finally Yankees knock us out in Game Six at Minute Maid.  It's been a good season Astros, six straight ALCS is nothing to be upset about, but my team will have to regroup after the ALCS and find a way to get better for next year.  Congrats Yankees on making it to the World Series for the first time in 13 years; I believe they have the better team.

So, uh, you were saying?

If it was a reverse jinx, it seems to be working.

[NWI_Irish96]

Playlist to have on in the background while watching the Astros:

"Bang on the Drum" by Todd Rundgren
"Get it On (Bang a Gong)" by The Power Station
"Bang Your Head" by Quiet Riot
"Bang Bang" by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nikki Minaj
"Bang and Blame" by R.E.M.
"She Bangs" by Ricky Martin

[epzik8]

My roommate is a Phillies fan and is beside himself right now.

[jeffandnicole]

With Baseball in the Philly area, every pitch in nerve-wracking.  I was at Game 3, and when the Phillies added a run in the bottom of the 6th that game to give us a 4-2 lead, I never felt the stands shake the way they did. Just before this, Philadelphia Eagles' Jason Kelce made an appearance with the Phanatic after the 5th inning.  He's a center for the Eagles, and normally a position that doesn't get much attention.  Kelce is one of the fun-loving Eagles though, and after he picked up the Phanatic and jumped around, he was given a beer to chug to the delight of the crowd.  An inning later, we scored that important insurance run to give us some breathing room as the game played out its final innings.

If you've ever stood on a large bridge and felt it vibrate with the traffic running over it, or a strong wind allowing it to wobble, that's what it felt like when the stands shook.  If you were watching the games and saw the outfield cameras shake on a home run ball - that wasn't a bad cameraperson, that was the vibration of the ballpark.

Tonight's game wasn't a must-win for the Phillies, but it would be awesome to win in front of the home crowd.  An emotional Harper hit that HR in the bottom of the 8th to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead, and after a tense 9th, we were the NL Champions.

[CoreySamson]

The Astros have swept the Yankees and are headed to the World Series!

[jeffandnicole]

Phillies-Astros. They ended the regular season playing each other. They'll end the playoffs playing each other also.

[jgb191]

I was so glad to be wrong about the Yankees, I totally over-estimated them as an opponent!  Initially, I didn't think the Astros could match the firepower of Aaron Judge, especially considering the Astros were drained after the 18-inning "double-game" (it's like coming back to work after working a double-shift on a job site) but it was a complete team performance. 

For the first time ever in baseball history, the Astros advance to the World Series on an even-numbered year (2022), which had never been done before!

[kurumi]

Philly should be pretty happy right now: in the World Series, and leading the NFL. I'll have a banh mi (California cheesesteak :-) and join the Philly bandwagon for the Series

[Stephane Dumas]

Philly should be pretty happy right now: in the World Series, and leading the NFL. I'll have a banh mi (California cheesesteak :-) and join the Philly bandwagon for the Series

And add to the list the Philadelphia Union of the MLS who beat the CF Montréal. Will they win the MLS Cup?

[Henry]

Phillies-Astros. They ended the regular season playing each other. They'll end the playoffs playing each other also.

In addition, it's the second time that this postseason matchup has occurred, the first being the 1980 NLCS (with Houston representing the NL West at that time), which preceded the Phillies' first-ever World Series championship.

[spooky]

Phillies-Astros. They ended the regular season playing each other. They'll end the playoffs playing each other also.

In addition, it's the second time that this postseason matchup has occurred, the first being the 1980 NLCS (with Houston representing the NL West at that time), which preceded the Phillies' first-ever World Series championship.

Games 2 through 5 of that 5-game 1980 NLCS went to extra innings, with the Astros winning a 1-0 game 3 in the 11th inning, and the Phillies winning both games 4 and 5 in Houston in the 10th inning.

[jeffandnicole]

Philly should be pretty happy right now: in the World Series, and leading the NFL. I'll have a banh mi (California cheesesteak :-) and join the Philly bandwagon for the Series

And add to the list the Philadelphia Union of the MLS who beat the CF Montréal. Will they win the MLS Cup?

This could get freaky.  If the Union are in the Championship game, and the World Series goes to a 7th winner-take-all game, those games will occur on the same night, back to back, both televised by Fox!

As it is, Philly sports fans are going to be treated to an intense week of non-stop sports.  Fortunately, the scheduling Gods must've had the foresight to see who would be playing this week.  Of the following, no games will overlap.

Starting this Friday (and knowing Games 5, 6 & 7 are if necessary)...
Friday: Phillies, World Series Game 1
Saturday: Phillies, World Series Game 2
Sunday: Eagles vs Pittsburgh (and remember, the Eagles are undefeated currently)
Monday: Phillies, World Series Game 3
Tuesday: Phillies, World Series Game 4
Wednesday: Phillies, World Series Game 5
Thursday: Eagles vs Texans
Friday: Phillies, World Series Game 6
Saturday: Potential Union MLS Championship Game, followed by Phillies, World Series Game 7

And this doesn't include the Flyers & Sixers.

Our stomachs and livers are going for a wild wide coming up...

[Roadgeekteen]

Yankees will keep Boone and Cashman. I welcome that move.

[jgb191]

How did the fans of the Red Sox and those of the Yankees become such bitter enemies?  A former colleague of mine from Massachusettes informed me of a major celebration in their largest city this past Sunday night, the night of the Yankees shocking elimination from the ALCS.

[Roadgeekteen]

How did the fans of the Red Sox and those of the Yankees become such bitter enemies?  A former colleague of mine from Massachusettes informed me of a major celebration in their largest city this past Sunday night, the night of the Yankees shocking elimination from the ALCS.

Part of it is the curse of Bambino, where the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees. The Yankees would end up winning tons of world series, while the Red Sox would have to wait 86 years for their next win.

[NWI_Irish96]

How did the fans of the Red Sox and those of the Yankees become such bitter enemies?  A former colleague of mine from Massachusettes informed me of a major celebration in their largest city this past Sunday night, the night of the Yankees shocking elimination from the ALCS.

Part of it is the curse of Bambino, where the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees. The Yankees would end up winning tons of world series, while the Red Sox would have to wait 86 years for their next win.

That certainly started it, but the Boston-New York rivalry has been heated in every sport. At various periods of time, Knicks-Celtics, Rangers-Bruins and even Jets-Patriots have all been big rivalries.

[webny99]

How did the fans of the Red Sox and those of the Yankees become such bitter enemies?  A former colleague of mine from Massachusettes informed me of a major celebration in their largest city this past Sunday night, the night of the Yankees shocking elimination from the ALCS.

Part of it is the curse of Bambino, where the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees. The Yankees would end up winning tons of world series, while the Red Sox would have to wait 86 years for their next win.

That certainly started it, but the Boston-New York rivalry has been heated in every sport. At various periods of time, Knicks-Celtics, Rangers-Bruins and even Jets-Patriots have all been big rivalries.

In my experience Giants-Patriots is actually a bigger rivalry, mostly because of the two Super Bowls the Giants won over the Patriots with Eli Manning. The Patriots have owned the Jets in recent decades so it hasn't been as much of a rivalry.

[triplemultiplex]

Jets-Pats as a rivalry was more of a pre-Brady thing, before it became obnoxiously one-sided.

Tough to pick a side in this year's WS.  Do I go with the city with the biggest asshole fans in all of sports, or the team with the most tainted WS title in a hundred years?

Well last time Philly won the WS, it lead to a good episode of It's Always Sunny, so I guess I'll go that route.

[jgb191]

Tough to pick a side in this year's WS.  Do I go with the city with the biggest asshole fans in all of sports, or the team with the most tainted WS title in a hundred years?

Looks like you've never met a Cowboys fan....they are STILL to this day rubbing it in about all their Super Bowl years like they just won it yesterday.  And many of the players from the 2017 Astros are now with other teams, so where ever those players went, the dislike should follow them to their new teams.

[Henry]

Tough to pick a side in this year's WS.  Do I go with the city with the biggest asshole fans in all of sports, or the team with the most tainted WS title in a hundred years?

Looks like you've never met a Cowboys fan....they are STILL to this day rubbing it in about all their Super Bowl years like they just won it yesterday.  And many of the players from the 2017 Astros are now with other teams, so where ever those players went, the dislike should follow them to their new teams.

The Celtics like to brag about how many championship banners they have in the rafters, while the Lakers have stars all over the middle of their floor representing their own titles.

I hate teams that cheat, so I'm going with Philly here.

[therocket]

Rooting for the Phillies because I hate the Astros, but I have Astros in 5.

[elsmere241]

This Phillies team sort of reminds me of the 1995 Mariners, who came from way behind to win their division at the last regular-season game.  They did win one round of the playoffs before Randy Johnson ran out of juice in the ALCS.  The question is, how much more juice do the Phillies collectively have?

[Stephane Dumas]

I thought of something, if the Phillies win the WS and the Union win the MLS Cup. I wonder if we could play Elton John's song "Philadelphia Freedom" to celebrate their victory?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9587satTQDg

[CoreySamson]

My prediction is either Astros in 5 or Phillies in 7, depending on how this game goes. Astros pitching is deep, but for the Stros to win I think they have to find a way to hit Nola and Syndergaard. If not, the Phillies will win.

[therocket]

NICK CASTELLANOS WITH A GAME SAVING PLAY AND GAME 1 GOES INTO EXTRAS!!!!!!!!