ghost of miles

So much for that. Philadelphia is manhandling the Yanks so far...Pettitte's already thrown 60 pitches in just three innings, and Hamel ain't givin' up nothin'. CC will absolutely have to win it tomorrow and NY will be lucky to leave Philadelphia down 3-2, at this rate.

Hamels looked very good in the first inning (albeit benefiting from a high strike zone IMO) and the Yankees continued to look crappy at the plate. And Citizens Park is definitely louder than Yankee Stadium, for whatever the reason...NY really needs to put up a couple of runs early & quiet them down a bit.

They're gearing up for a 9:15 p.m. EST start. Glad I've got an extra hour of sleep banked tonight due to the time-change.

Rain delay, but MLB is saying that they'll play... man, this one will go past midnight for sure.

A.J. on three days' rest at Philly against a very well-rested Cliff Lee? Chalk that one up for the Phils.

Coming out at Christmas...I saw the trailer this summer and felt ambivalent, though I'm excited about Downey and Law in the two main roles: Sherlock Holmes trailer Anybody heard any early buzz about this?

That's also the version of THE CONNECTION w/Tina Brooks on tenor sax. Right now: Stan Getz/Bob Brookmeyer, FALL 1961.

Bassist on this date, Jeremy Allen, is a friend of mine who now teaches at the IU School of Music.

Up for the holiday.

He said in an interview before the WS that he could pitch on 3 days, if needed. Lee: "I'm capable of pitching on 3 days rest." I think you have to start him 3 times. The Phils starting pitching is lousy after Lee & Pedro. I predict a good start from Hamels tonight. Hope I'm wrong, of course...

Confidence on the Phillies part, I guess, and not necessarily a bad decision if they at least split the first two games in Philadelphia... that would give you a good shot at a 3-2 series lead and Pedro for a Game 6 in NY. And surely they'd use Lee in some sort of relief form for a possible Game 7. No word yet on whether CC's starting Game 4 for NY? If he doesn't, Phillies fans can rest assured that they'll get somebody perhaps as equally vulnerable on the NY side of the mound. When was the last time Chamberlain started a game? Or Gaudin, for that matter? Gaudin's hardly pitched, period...one inning against the Angels and that's all, correct? Interesting analysis from a Pinstripe Alley commenter:

Picked up a book today that I'd long been meaning to get: The Smiths: Songs That Saved Your Life ...and here's a Halloween-appropriate performance from the band ('86 era--note second guitarist Craig Gannon on the left):

Pinstripe Alley on why the new NY stadium might sound quieter. Also: Jeter says decision to attempt bunt w/2 strikes was his, and a stupid one.

No TCM here, sadly, but I have the Val Lewton DVD box and may be breaking it out tonight for a get-together with the in-laws. Here's one I know you'll appreciate, Berigan--thanks to my dad's VHS dub from a previous TCM broadcast, we will be viewing that perennial Halloween classic, YOU'LL FIND OUT.

Ken Rosenthal: new Yankee Stadium crowds are tame, civil I kind of noticed that myself--the crowds don't seem as loud as they did at the old Stadium. Even Pedro Martinez didn't seem to draw that much invective, at least in the later innings that I was able to watch--though there was great drama in seeing him pitch again against the Yankees in a big postseason game. Yeah, a few "who's your daddy" chants, as Rosenthal notes, but his departure was quieter than I would have expected: Martinez exits ...I love his grin as he walks off! I actually have this weird kind of affection for Pedro at this point... like he's some recurring, likeable archvillain character in the Yankee narrative.

Will Phillies start Lee on 3 days' rest?

Tend to agree with FFA here, though I'm a bit more negative--really found this to be a snooze of an album. And I'm by no means a kneejerk anti-Krall listener... I like & have LIVE IN PARIS, THE GIRL IN THE OTHER ROOM, and FROM THIS MOMENT ON. But there were only 1 or 2 cuts that held my interest at all on this latest release. Nothing "wrong" with the album...just nothing that conveyed much spark. To me, anyway.

Yeah, they did give it back to us with that call--I was still smarting over the inning-ender in the 7th when that one went down. But I really hate this karmic-cancellation business. I agree--as I said above, my biggest concern is that his newfound postseason confidence is going to vanish and that he's going to do a head job on himself. He was so patient, so cool in the AL playoffs, even when he was behind in the count...he's been looking a bit more desperate in those situations (to me, anyway) in the WS. I'd like to see him do well for his own sake, as well as the team's--they wouldn't be here if it weren't for his performance in the ALDS and ALCS, but if he has a terrible WS, the "Ms. October" moniker might get hung on him again. Again, I think he should come up simply looking to smoke a single or something in Game 3...that's what got him going against the Twins in Game 1. People had gotten to the point of expecting him to hit a HR every time up in the past 2 weeks, and I'm worried about the burden-of-expectation bugaboo coming to rest on his shoulders again. Thankfully, Tex and Matsui took care of business tonight. McCarver and Buck seemed to be speculating that Jeter had decided to bunt on his own with two strikes, but I have no idea what, if any, basis they had for thinking that. Uncle Joe and his Three Ring Binder! Thanks for the much-needed laff. He's a decent guy, I liked him as a player, but his managerial approach continues to be an enigmatic source of consternation-- from my admittedly amateur armchair POV, anyway.

I didn't see Ibanez' double--was still at work at that point and following things on Google's Game Day. As for the 4th NY starter, search me--Chamberlain? Gaudin?

Yes, although statistically Hamels has been a better pitcher at home. Plus Ryan Howard must be spitting-bat-splinters mad after whiffing 4 times tonight (and yes, Mo getting a lucky call on that last pitch, which was clearly outside...did you see/hear Fox going to Howard in the dugout afterwards and then quickly pulling away after he yelled "F*&#!"?) He'll be out for offensive blood at Citizens Bank Park. And again, who does Girardi go to after 6 or 7 innings? Pettite rarely goes beyond 7...you can't keep pulling 2-inning saves out of Mo, especially at age 39. Chamberlain's been erratic, Hughes has been consistent--consistently bad. That's a big ol' thermal exhaust portal on the Yankee death star. Also--does Girardi go to CC for Game 4, or not? There'll definitely be a Game 5 now, though the Yankees will surely not want to be down 3-1 going into it...esp. if Lee is slated to start.

Whew--not the most overwhelming win, and potentially an expensive one, with a 39-year-old Mo throwing 39 pitches to save it. Hard to see NY getting through the rest of this series without having a reliable set-up man...they can't keep bringing Mo in to pitch as much as he did tonight. And he is not as unhittable as he used to be. Thoughts on A-Rod: I fully expected him to slow down in the WS, given that he'd been on a tear since his double-home-run-inning season finale against Tampa Bay...inevitable that he'd cool down, but 6 Ks in 8 AB is pretty awful. I just hope he doesn't psyche himself out over it and goes into Game 3 looking simply to get a good, clean hit. Pedro Martinez certainly has nothing to be ashamed of--very good performance tonight. Through the first several innings I was afraid that we were on our way to another "clunker" series, with the Yanks on the hapless end of it. With Pettitte on the mound next, I think we've got a fighting chance for Game 3 in Philly.

Some quick thoughts on the bottom of the 7th: (1) Why on earth was Jeter still trying to bunt with two strikes? (2) WHAT on earth was that horrible call on Damon's alleged lineout? For those who constantly claim that the Yankees get all the breaks--an absolutely terrible call! The replay showed clearly that Howard caught the ball on a short hop... Yanks should have had the bases loaded with 1 out and Tex at the plate. Instead, inning over. I haven't watched the playoffs this intensely in a few years... has there been a previous postseason with this many blown calls? Phils have two on and one out now in the 8th...that series of events in the bottom of the 7th could prove to be huge.

I really like several of the sides on her new CD, NORMAL AS BLUEBERRY PIE (a Doris Day tribute). Her version of Jobim's "Meditation" in particular. She skirts preciousness at times but for the most part avoids it.

Yes, Hughes is definitely a problem reliever to bring in right now, nowhere near as effective as he was in the regular season. Truth be told, nobody in the NY bullpen outside of Mo makes me feel really confident right now. Robertson's been good, you're right, though he gave up a damaging hit last night. Whatever happens, I really, REALLY want to beat Cliff Lee. In Philly. All of the basket-catch, Posada-ass-tag stories today are starting to irk me. Jeter solved him...he's not invincible. If the bullpen had kept the game at 2-0, we would've had a very different vibe in the bottom of the 9th. When it comes to the overall shape of the series, NY's middle relief worries me more than another Cliff Lee start.

Sorry to hear this, TTK. It's been a rough autumn for me that way as well...lost both of my boys, who I'd had for just over 20 years, ever since they were kittens.