Fightin' Phils Make it a Fight

Utley's sweet swing enabled the Phils to fight back and save face on their home turf. Utley hit his 4th and 5th HRs in this World Series to tie the 1977 record set by Yankees' October legend Reggie Jackson (It took Jackson 6 games, Utley only 5).

As in 1977's "Star Wars," the Phils are the Rebel Force that must fly low and hit the Evil Empire Yankees where they least expect it to disrupt their system and destroy their base.

Yankee helmsman Joe Girardi, ala Darth Vadar, has decided to go with 3 pitchers on 3 days rest each, rather than the more conventional 4 man rotation on the standard 4 days rest, respectively. Now, Joe Girardi's decision is in question as the visible chink in the armor has led to Yankee bloodshed. A.J. Burnett handled short rest poorly Monday night, as the Phillies swatted him like an obstructive fly for 6 runs in 2 innings.

Johnny Damon showed what he was made of, once again in Game 5, never saying die a day after single-handedly crushing the Phils with a feisty 2-out hit, followed by stealing 2nd and 3rd base, then scoring the winning run in the 9th inning of Game 4.

In that game, it was Chase Utley who gave the Phillies life when he cut their deficit to 1 run, at 4-3 in the 8th, by pounding a HR off Sabathia for the 3rd time in this World Series.

Monday, it was Utley again with 2 HRs and 4 RBI to lead the "more fight left in us" charge. Utley, the Phillies' consummate gamer, stepped into the shoes of legends in Game 5, appearing a dominant slugger on baseball's biggest stage like few before him.

"He's the first guy that comes to the ballpark every day," Manuel said. "If you walk in there and you want to go eat lunch with him, he's going to tell you to go take a hike -- that he's going to do his work. I love that part about him."

"Anything that doesn't involve getting better is like background noise to him," said Phillies reliever Chad Durbin. "You can almost see him thinking, 'I have to eat -- crap. I'm not going to get that extra five minutes of video because I have to throw down this peanut butter and jelly sandwich.'"

"Chase -- he's just Superman," said Rollins with a chuckle. "He really is."

The Phils may come back to pull off a miracle in this one, they may not. One thing is for sure: they have made their mark and they won't go down without a fight. Utley, among others, are making sure of that.

After self-sabotage of Games 3 and 4, where '09's proven losers Cole Hamels (who has spent more time preparing his hair than his pitches this year) and Brad Lidge were asked to secure wins, but predictably failed, Cliff Lee was handed the ball and asked to save the team's season in Game 5.

He was able to, but not as convincingly as he had in Game 2. After 7 solid innings, Manuel brought him back in the 8th, seemingly tipping his hand that Lee won't start a potential Game 7, only to see the lanky lefty nearly give the game away. The Phils held on-- barely-- by utilizing every run their early offensive onslaught had provided when they built an 8-2 lead, which eventually shrunk to 8-6, but held up.

The Phils accomplishment is clearly greater than the Yankees. The Yankees' payroll could swallow the Phillies' for breakfast, lunch and dinner and still have change. The Phils have home grown their talent, added just the right spice here and there to compliment the dish and serve it with heart and soul, every day. They are the polar opposite of a Yankees team built on dollar signs and compiled like self-respect-less prostitutes bought and sold to the highest bidder. The Phillies hope that Pedro Martinez is the Yankees 'daddy' when he takes the mound in familiar-to-him NY for Game 6 on Wednesday.

The Phils are trying to become the 4th team in the history of the World Series to overcome a 3-1 hole and win Games 6 and 7 on the road. Still, if anyone can do it, this team, with their abundant heart, just may play the hero:

"How hard is it to kill this team? Hopefully it's like trying to run over an armadillo," said Jimmy Rollins, after the Phils survived Game 5 to return to the Bronx. "Just roll up and put our shells on. And after the car goes over us, we unfold and walk away."

notes:

In the same game as Utley's HR accomplishment, Ryan Howard tied Willie Wilson's all-time S.O. record for a single World Series, set by Phillies' pitchers in the 1980 World Series.

Cole Hamels conundrum:

Last year's World Series and NL Championship Series MVP is 1-2 with a 7.58 ERA in 4 starts this postseason after going 10-11 in the regular season.

"I can't wait for it to end," Hamels was quoted as saying after Game 3. "It's been mentally draining. At year's end, you just can't wait for a fresh start."

That prompted a telling article in the Phila. Inquirer on Cole not fitting in with Phils: click here.