In-Game Twinsights

If you’re not watching the Phillies game right now, we beg of you…

TURN IT ON.

Forget that the score is 8-0 and we’re cruising. The boys right now are playing with energy, tenacity, and a little bit of straight ANGER.

We all hated to see that bush league loss yesterday but maybe it left the little sour taste in the mouths of the Phils that we needed to fire us up for tonight.

Things to watch:

Shane is back to playing the way he usually does versus the Bravados. He’s running everywhere for the ball in center, getting great at-bats, getting big hits, and even trying to get creative with his base running to go for a double steal.

Chooch is so fiery that whether or not the umpire is calling the third strike, he has been sprinting away from home plate as soon as he thinks it is. Multiple times in the game now, he has had to come back to finish catching an at-bat because he thought it was strike three so he took off for the dugout.

Utley threw in one of his trademark glove flips to first on a close play (We’re Lovin’ It.)

Howard (still struggling a bit running the bases from just being beat up) is making ballerina-like dives in foul territory for balls. (Oh and don't forget the mammoth long ball he just hit - Wow, Mr. Big Piece)

The Boys are cookin’ – just sit back and soak it all in – we’re getting the Phils’ version of September baseball.

Funny detail from the game today: During one of Wheelers' senseless rants today about who knows what, something funny popped up on the bottom of the screen.

L- Wheeler (2-2)

Now this was obviously speaking of Dan Wheeler, the relief pitcher for the Red Sox, but this automatically made us think about how Wheels loses in the hearts and minds of Phillies fans on a daily basis with his awful stories and repetitive unfunny sayings. In our record books, he is more like (2-1008).

R.I.P.

This blog has been very upbeat so far, but with tragedy comes the need to slow down and remember the things that have left us. With that, comes a moment of silence for the career of a legend...

Matt Wade Stairs' Career

1992-2011

Matt Stairs retired as a member of the Nationals' Organization in almost his 20th full year of service in Major League Baseball with 265 career homeruns. He spent time with a number of teams and was clearly known as a guy just lookin' to hit the long ball, and when he did, it was a beautiful thing. Watching Matt pinch-hit was fantastic because no matter what - everyone knew that he wanted one thing: a fastball to put in the right field bleachers. All of this had to come with some tough adversity considering he was born in Canada and was probably picked on for not wielding a hockey stick 24/7 (stupid Canadians).

Matt Stairs was a phenomenal, recent Philadelphia sports hero for really only one reason - his moonshot. But based on the fact that he hailed from the north, this is more than enough to make him a legend. Canada is really second-rate anyway so he is still probably their best commodity. Matt lifted the entire city up on his shoulders even if only for a few brief seconds.

The alternative is much worse. And when I say that I clearly am talking about the highest paid Canadian athlete of all-time who still blows and has done nothing exceptional for even a few seconds in his whole career. Sidenote: Is it really sinking in for everyone that Jason Bay (yes, that guy in left field for the Mets) is the highest paid athlete for an entire country? Yeah, me neither.

Anyway...

Matt has had a pretty impressive career. He has the most pinch-hit career home runs in MLB history at 23, and he also holds the MLB record for playing with the most teams (13). In our books, that makes him all-time.

Here's wishing you the best Matt, and we hope you can go back to your true passion soon...

We salute you.