T Minus 8 Hours

Less than 8 hours until the start of game V, part II



In what has become a circus of a World Series, tonight's game 5, part 2, will be a compelling event for the entire country.

We've already beaten it to death by now about the game that should have never been played and the conditions the players played in, but the game tonight will be as compelling a game as we've ever seen in Philly.

And, it's not just because the curse could be broken. Never before has a playoff game been continued like this. And, the weather conditions will be football-like. Game time temps are expected to be in the 30's and with the crowd down there I must say it will be tough for the Rays to pull this one off.

I'm sure I'm not alone here, but I feel a lot better about this game than I did yesterday. It took a day for it to settle in and was good to take a step back. Maybe it helped the team as well. No doubt they'll be mad as hell that they are forced into this position and look for the Phils to channel that anger and take it out on the Rays.

Look for the Rays to put their stud rookie David Price on the hill tonight. He hasn't been tested too much thus far. He pitched 14 innings in the regular season and had a 1.93 ERA with 12 K's. And, in the postseason he's logged just 4 2/3 innings and allowed 1 earned run, and it came against the Phils in game two.

He's the wildcard in all of this. Rookie pitchers can sometimes go unconscious and pitch lights out. Just remember Francisco Rodriguez's performance in the World Series in 2002. Or, they can be lit up like Rick Ankiel was in the playoffs. And, he never bounced back.

Charlie Manuel will most likely go with Chad Durbin tonight. And, if he struggles immediately (which he has a few times in the playoffs) then he won't hesitate to yank him. Manuel has done a masterful job of managing the pitching staff and bullpen and is further proving that he's a pretty good manager at the Major League level.

Make no mistake about it-the Phils have the upperhand here. They'll have the amazing Phillies fans roaring behind them and they have 12 more at-bats to the Rays' 9.

Game starts at 8:37.