This is a notes column that won’t be bulleted because I’m not about to have yet another fight with WordPress over my use of HTML.
When you cover these things, you tend to limit your world a bit. Hotel, box, pressers, field, clubhouse if you have access. You don’t get around enough. This evening, I skipped BP and walked around Citizens Bank Park, where the crowd always seem to arrive early. I wanted to get a feel for the fans, see if there was a resignation in the air or optimism. By the standards set in the last two postseasons, this crowd wasn’t that live last night, getting punched in the mouth early and rebounding during the Phillies rallies, but never quite reaching the heights we’ve seen and heard from them in the past. As I mentioned on Twitter last night, they started leaving, and quickly, after Jorge Posada knocked in the last two runs of the game. I’m not criticizing-I was just surprised.
Walking around this evening, listening in on conversations, talking to a few fans, I don’t get anything but optimism. These people think they’re going to win tonight, that the season won’t end on their watch, and what happens in New York happens. I’ve yet to come across anyone who’s been willing to say that the Phillies will come back and win it all, but for one night, everyone is back on board. This crowd, win or lose, isn’t going to leave early.
Having Cliff Lee on the mound is part of the optimism. The Phillies have won 75% of his starts, including all four in the postseason, where he’s been fantastic. Expecting him to be as good as he was in Game One may be a stretch, though, and especially with winds that blew towards left during the afternoon. We’ve seen a bunch of homers here in the first two games, and the Yankee lineup, even missing Melky Cabrera and Jorge Posada, can go deep. The Phillies need to get their offense going, and that means Jimmy Rollins has got to be on base. He’s posted a .368 OBP in the series, just .306 for the postseason, and even that’s an upgrade on his .294 mark during the season. The Phillies have a top-heavy offense (the performance in this series of ZZ Bottom notwithstanding) that requires the table-setters be on base for the scary monsters that follow. Manuel has gone this far with Rollins atop the lineup, but if Rollins can’t be something more like his career self, that loyalty is just going to hasten the Phillies’ exit.
The bottom of the Yankee lineup is unusually weak, as Brett Gardner replaces the injured Melky Cabrera in center field, which against a lefthander is a loss; Jose Molina once again catches A.J. Burnett and hits just in front of him. It’s a minor blessing for the Yankees that Lee is pitching, in that Molina has at least shown a little power against southpaws in his career. Still, the Yankees also need the top spots in their order to produce if they’re going to end the night damp and inebriated. (Me, I just need a reason.)
Cabrera is off the roster in favor of Ramiro Pena. I fail to see why Pena is the choice rather than Freddy Guzman, who would replace Gardner as the pinch-runner and fill an outfield slot. Pena is just a backup middle infielder with no tactical value at all, and he’d need to see an injury to get on the field at all. Guzman at least has speed; Pena’s best tool is his glove, and you’ll see Joe Girardi be forthright and open in front of a microphone before you’ll see Derek Jeter removed for defense.
I had my first cheesesteak of the trip today, from the ballpark stand, Tony Luke’s (American, without). It was OK…there’s a small chain in Southern California that still has the best cheesesteaks I’ve ever had, by a bunch of Philly expats who import pretty much everything they sell from here. I’ll have to get to Cheesesteak Corner here on a different trip-it seemed a bit heavy for breakfast on this one, especially since I want to try both.
It’s cold. We’ve been pretty spoiled since Game One in New York, but tonight is going to be about 15% below “crisp,” into that area where baseball is less play and more a chore. That probably helps both pitchers, maybe enough to cut down on the problems with the wind.
My guess on Pena instead of Guzman is that Hairston is now the pinchrunner/defensive replacement for Swisher/Damon, which means that Girardi no longer thinks he has a utility infielder and, therefore, felt he needed one in case of injury. I don't think this is a good reason (it will only matter if Hairston is used as a pinch runner and then taken out of the game and then an IF gets injured, and what are the odds of that?
The other thought is that I trust Pena to get a single more than I trust Guzman, so that if the game goes into extra innings and the Yankees need to pinch hit for the pitcher one more time, Pena's a better person to bring in than Guzman. This also strikes me as highly unlikely.
Skip the cheesesteak tourist traps. The best cheesesteak in the world is at John's Roast Pork at 2nd and Snyder in South Philadelphia... and it's only the second-best sandwich on their menu.
Joe, next time skip the cheesesteak and get Tony Luke's Roast Pork Italian. A superior sandwich. Good at the park, better at the original stand at Front and Oregon (good call, tylernu).
Or get a Schmitter at the McNally's Tavern stand. The Bull's Bar-B-Q is surprisingly good too, even if the idea is a rip off of Boog's stand in Baltimore.
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What's the SoCal cheesesteak chain? There used to be a great place in Pasadena which closed down recently...
Philly's Best. Orange County mostly, but I know there's one in Downey. Or was maybe a year ago.
They have the real Amoroso rolls. So good.
Amoroso is the real key. If you get a chance, the best place in Philly is out in Manayunk called Dalessandro's.
Hot wiz with is what you want from Tony Luke's
We'll need a BP Ballpark Food columnist soon enough...
*trademarks the SAbR-sausage*
Like those are ever in demand.
Sheehan's Snippet of Salsa!
I agree, this is my fave cheese steak. BTW, it's in Roxborough, not Manayunk.