Nov 4, 2009 6:00 pm US/Eastern
Phillies vs. Yankees Trash Talk: CBS3 vs. WCBS
Pizza & Cheesesteaks Are Sure To Fly When Producers Steve Beck and Jeff Capellini Do Battle Over The 2009 World Series
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees will battle in a bitter clash for the 2009 World Series title.
While the battle between the two teams will certainly be heated, the quarrel between Phillies fans and Yankees fans will be equally as heated.
CBS3.com (Philly) Web Producer Steve Beck and WCBSTV.com (New York) Producer Jeff Capellini have taken their smack talk to the information superhighway.
Check out what die-hard Phillies fan (Beck) and die-hard Yankees fan (Capellini) had to say.
BECK (11/4 After Game 6):
As much as this pains me, congrats goes out to the Yankees. However, the Phillies will definitely be back next year!
BECK (11/4 Before Game 6): So it's Game 6 and we have Pedro Martinez dueling with Andy Pettitte. The Series has shifted back to Yankee Stadium, which on paper seems to favor the Yankees (DH, crowd, etc.).
I could be wrong, but I have to think Yankees fans are a tiny bit worried about Pettitte going on 3 days rest. History tells us that pitchers on 3 days rest in the postseason seem to struggle and it's not like he shut down the Phillies in Game 3.
Now I have to admit, it's not exactly like we have Steve Carlton going for the Phillies, but Pedro has been down this road before and knows what it takes to get it done.
I think Pettitte struggles to get through 4 innings and the Phillies get on him early. The Yankees come back late, but the Phillies hang on to force a decisive Game 7.
See you Thursday night for Game 7!
BECK (11/2 Before Game 5): Well, let's pull out every cliché in the book. Backs against
the wall. Do or die. You get the point.
Due to a ton of factors, the Phillies are facing an
elimination situation in Game 5. One of those factors is that the inconsistency
of closer Brad Lidge came back to bite them in the you know what.
The most depressing part of the Game 4 loss was the fact
that the damage all occurred with 2 outs. And I for one am not a huge fan of
the major infield shift that several teams employ against left-handed batters.
The Phillies did it against Teixeira
in Game 4 and because of that, Damon was able to steal 2 bases in one try. Now
the shift is not the reason why the Phillies lost, but it was a questionable
strategy.
So now we move onto Game 5 and
it is Cliff Lee vs. A.J. Burnett. Burnett seems to be a totally different
player when he pitches on the road and hopefully Citizens Bank
Park will be a rowdy
place Monday evening.
I like the Phillies to jump on
Burnett early Monday evening and I think Lee pitches his usual brilliance and
this Series shifts back to New York
Wednesday evening for Game 6.
BECK (10/31 Before Game 3): So pivotal Game 3 is upon us and it is a match-up of big time left-handed pitchers. Cole Hamels vs. Andy Pettitte.
Obviously, for the most part, you pretty much know what you are going to get with Pettitte. He will give you 6 innings and keep his team in the game.
Hamels, as for most of this year and this postseason, has been a giant question mark. With that being said, if Hamels can somehow keep the Yankees' big guns silent, this crucial game could swing the way of the Phillies.
The Phillies have to work Pettitte and make him throw pitches. Pettitte does not get rattled very often, but this rowdy crowd and the weather can potentially get to him.
With all this being said, this game is HUGE for the Phillies because on paper, the match-up between CC and Blanton Sunday night seems to favor the Yankees.
If the Phillies can jump out to an early lead in Game 3, it can help calm Hamels and help him pitch like the guy he was last year. And it can go a long way in this Series.
CAPELLINI (10/31 Before Game 3): Through two games the pitchers have ruled this World Series.
But that should change on Saturday.
Citizens Bank Park may be more of a home run hitter's park than the new launching pad in the Bronx -- and that's saying something. Balls have a tendency to fly out of that place. The question is: what will Andy Pettitte and Cole Hamels do in Game 3 to prevent a potential onslaught?
Often, when a series is touted as being a slugfest before even a single pitch has been thrown, as was the case this time around, it doesn't live up to the hype. Cliff Lee made sure of that in Game 1 and, shockingly, A.J. Burnett followed suit in Game 2. CC Sabathia and Pedro Martinez weren't too shabby either.
Bot now we've got Hamels, who was largely unspectacular during the regular season at 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA and has followed that up by going 1-1 with a 6.97 ERA in three postseason starts against the likes of the Rockies and Dodgers, teams that don't hold a candle to the Offensively. This has come one year after Hamels was unbelievable in helping the Phillies to their first World Series crown since 1980.
What happened to this guy?
As far as I am concerned, the Yankees have the dge here. Pettitte, also known as "Big Game Andy," has quieted many of the naysayers who took him to task for going from being a great postseason pitcher to start his career to a guy you get nervous about now that he's come toward the end of his career. The 37-year-old southpaw went 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in three starts during the first two rounds. Odds are, with the way he's throwing the ball right now, he'll also silence those who point to his 3-4 mark in 11 career World Series starts as a "problem."
Advantage: Yankees.
Both of these left-handers rely on precision because neither will blow opposing hitters away. Considering how each has performed so far this postseason, the respective lineups they will face and the stadium they will pitch in on Saturday, you have to like the Yankees' chances.
Personally, I've never liked Hamels because of what he said about the Mets being "chokers" during their late-season collapses in 2007 and 2008. Granted, the Mets did blow huge divisional leads only to end up watching the playoffs from home, but Hamels should've kept his mouth shut. To borrow a familiar adage from the NFL, he should've acted like he's been to the end zone before. Maybe, because Philadelphia is town filled with mostly disgruntled souls who always have something to say, he just adapted to his surroundings.
Either way, I view Saturday night's game as the perfect stage for the "Bronx Bombers" to finally make an appearance in this series. I also think Alex Rodriguez will finally get his act in gear and show that he's not only the best regular season player in baseball, but also that his stellar first two rounds of this year's playoffs were indeed no fluke.
A-Rod is 0-for-8 with six strikeouts so far against the Phillies. But why do I think he's going to put a dent in some left field seats at Citizens Bank? Saturday's game is huge for this guy. He pulls another o-for and the sharks will be out for blood. For the record, A-Rod is 0-for-4 lifetime against Hamels. Take that however you like.
Looking ahead, I think Charlie Manuel isn't truly serious about starting Joe Blanton in Game 4. If the Phillies lose on Saturday, Manuel will cave and start Cliff Lee on short rest against Sabathia. If he doesn't, and the Yankees send the big man out there up 2-1, well, this series may not end up as the classic we all figured it to be. Lee should be starting, period. Imagine the hysteria in Philly on Monday if the hometown team is up 3-1, with its ace having beaten Sabathia twice.
I'm calling your bluff, Charlie. Your team isn't that good.
Believe me when I say I'm impressed with the Phillies, but Burnett showed Thursday that any pitcher on any given day can shut down even the most explosive of lineups. Lee did the same in Game 1, but all things being equal Burnett is not Lee on even his best day.
And right now Hamels isn't Pettitte.
Just like a hoagie isn't a hero.
BECK (10/29 Before Game 2): So, I really hate to start this off by saying "I told you so" but here goes: "I told you so."
While this Series is FAR from over, the convincing Game 1 win by the Phillies has to be summed up by one word for the Yankees and their fans, demoralizing.
The Phillies controlled Game 1 in every aspect. From their timely hitting to the downright amazing performance by Cliff Lee, the Phillies made a HUGE statement.
And the best part about Game 1 was that the Yankees bullpen was completely exposed. We both agree that Rivera is the best closer in the game, hand downs. However, if Burnett, Pettitte, etc. go 6, 7 innings, who is going to get the game to Rivera?
You think Girardi goes back to Phil Hughes in a clutch situation the rest of this Series? No way!
Now, will the Yankees big bats remain silent like they did in Game 1? Absolutely not. But, the longer they are asleep, the deeper the deficit becomes.
And one quick note, any of those fans who left early in Game 1 are complete fraud fans. Every Yankees fans rants and raves about their high-powered offense, but yet there is not enough confidence to believe that their team can comeback from a 4 run deficit at the time? To make matters worse, you pay thousands and thousands for a seat and leave early??
Would never happen in Philly!
In Game 2, I see both Pedro and Burnett struggling, but with Burnett giving up more runs. I think the bats come alive and we are looking at a 7-5 Phillies win.
CAPELLINI (10/29 Before Game 2): A friend of mine and I were having a conversation not too long ago where he tried to explain from an outsider's point of view why most every non-Yankees fan hates Yankees fans.
And I'm starting to really understand the mindset. Maybe it's not sheer jealousy afterall.
Forget the fact that Cliff Lee pitched circles around the Bombers' vaunted lineup in Game 1 of the World Series. I don't care who stepped into the batter's box -- "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Roy Hobbs, Mr. 3,000, Pedro Serano, whomever -- nobody was touching that man on Wednesday night.
Yet many Yankees fans (note how I say "many" and not "all"), out of frustration, being wet and cold, or simply because they might have had one too many, reverted to that all-too-familar stance of turning on their team when things started to go bad.
Or, as my buddy said, "You're my guy ... until you're not."
Why are you filling the airwaves with demands that Johnny Damon be benched? Why are you booing a young stud like Phil Hughes off the mound? Why oh why are you leaving in the seventh inning of a 2-0 game when you know full well the Yankees led the majors this season in late-inning comebacks and walk-off wins?
I don't get it. I seriously don't.
So the Yankees lost. Boo-hoo. Last I checked it was just the Series' opening game. Last I checked the Yankees have been embarrassed in Game 1s in the past only to come back strong later. Remember 1996 against Atlanta? How about 2001 against Arizona? In both cases the Bombers were down 0-2 and made magic happen regardless if they ended up lifting the trophy or not when all was said and done.
Maybe a good percentage of Yankees fans are just winning fans, not true fans of their team. If this is indeed the case, you have to realize you are the reason why the Bombers' fan base as a whole lacks credibility in the eyes of the rest of the sports world.
It's one thing to expect greatness, as most of us do, but it's something else entirely when you expect greatness on YOUR terms. I said the other day I'd never buy an AL champions hat. That's because I expect a world championship. I have CONFIDENCE that one will be captured. But if there are hurdles the players must leap over along the way I leave it to them to do it. How dare I impose demands?
More importantly, how dare I turn my back on them when things don't go letter perfect by MY design?
Now, you may think that beating traffic on the Deegan Expressway is the prudent thing to do on a work and school night. But how many of you would be eager to run to your cars if CC Sabathia and the Yankees led 2-0 in the seventh? Believe me when I tell you it would be a fraction of the percentage.
Make no mistake, it is about winning. But it's also about going through hell and coming out on the other side with a medal of valor for courage. It's about fighting that urge to say the sky is falling after a loss. It's about being loyal to the bitter end.
The Yankees may get swept. They may also win in five games. They may lose a heartbreaker in seven. They may also stage an improbable ninth-inning rally in the deciding game to take home title No. 27.
Where will you be when this happens? Crying to anyone who will listen about how Joe Girardi stinks as a manager or how Mark Teixeira has been a postseason bomb for the most part?
Or will you be at the stadium or in front of your television fighting the good fight and praying to your respective god, while all the while doing what all true sports fans truly do, believing in your team regardless of the perilous senario it finds itself in?
I know where I'll be ... and it sure as hell won't be on the phone to WFAN or on a train from the Bronx in the seventh inning.
Win or lose.
CAPELLINI (10/28 Before Game 1): Earlier this week I wrote in my blog that I respect the Phillies more than any team the Yankees have faced during their run of 14 playoff appearances in the last 15 years. You'd be crazy not to.
This World Series will be a classic in many ways, but mostly because the right teams and players are vying for all the hardware. To me, the Phillies are already true champions. Beating them, should the Yankees do so, will be oh-so-sweet because they are currently the MLB standard bearer and will continue to be a force well into the next decade. Most everyone the Yankees faced in their previous six appearances in the Fall Classic were not at the Phillies' level. Hence, the bitter disappointment that came with the seven-game loss to Arizona in 2001 and the six-game embarrassment against Florida in 2003.
But that's sometimes how things go at this time of the year.
I have been accused of many things over the years -- everything from being a typical New York fan, full of arrogance and sarcasm, to being a bit of a bully, like I have this sense of entitlement when it comes to the Yankees and October (and also November, now that television has totally taken over everything).
Well, I say to all those people, get used to it. Those are the A-B-Cs of me baby.
The Yankees are held by their fans to the highest of standards. And now Phillies fans, after years of wondering if 1980 would ever happen again, are entitled to similar expectations. Ruben Amaro has put together an incredible organization over there, from the lowest level of the minors all the way up to Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins.
The fine folks that once booed Santa Claus and applauded like at a Metallica concert when Michael Irvin was nearly beheaded at the Vet will not sit idly by and accept losing this series, nor should they.
I will take no solace in the Yankees losing to a great team, because I believe the Bombers to be a great team. And all things being equal, which these teams appear to be, New York still has the best starting pitcher, position player and reliever going in this series, all due respect to Cliff Lee, Howard and Brad Lidge aside. That should be the difference. Any time you have a CC Sabathia going three times in a seven-game series, Alex Rodriguez not caught up in controversy and totally focused on the task at hand and the greatest closer in baseball history in Mariano Rivera waiting in the wings, there's simply no room for settling for a good showing, no room for excuses of any kind.
Then again, the Phillies are certainly capable of smacking around all three and probably have the overall edge in any position-by-position breakdown. But I need to see them light up Sabathia, frustrate A-Rod and get to Rivera to be convinced that the Yankees won't win this series. Clearly the Yankees are not a three-man team, but with the way all three are currently performing it stands to reason that they hold the Yankees' fortunes in the palm of their hands.
Would I be shocked if the Phillies win it? No. But I would be stunned if they do it any less than six games. I expect Philly to beat A.J. Burnett about the face and neck because he's been his usual erratic self this postseason and the Phillies seem to thrive on beating up second-tier pitchers, which until proven otherwise is exactly what Burnett is. The Phillies can almost certainly handle Andy Pettitte. And if for some unforseen reason Chad Gaudin gets the ball in Citizens Bank Park, well, I'd tell every Yankee fan to quickly turn away from the television.
I think too much is being made of this Pedro Martinez Game 2 start. I think the "Who's Your Daddy" chants are old and busted at this point. I'd be more concerned with Cliff Lee on Wednesday. I will also be nervous if the Yankees face J.A. Happ because they never do well against pitchers they have never seen before or have faced on a limited basis.
Then again, the Yankees are notorious for looking silly the first two times through the lineup before hanging 7 on someone in a late inning.
Then again, so are the Phils.
In the end, we all have something truly special to look forward to. I'm sure as this series progresses the back and forth between myself and my esteemed colleague at KYW will take a turn for the vicious.
But that's what this time of the year is all about.
With that I say let's get this thing on already.
The Boogie Down is waiting and eager to take the first step toward world title No. 27.
BECK (10/28 Before Game 1): So I have to admit, I am a little shocked and stunned that you did not throw into my face the whole "26 World Titles" speech.
It seems to be a perceived rite of passage for many a Yankees fan. However, your last title came in 2000, which nowadays, is a long time ago my friend.
And I know, I know, you have 26 banners floating around Yankee Stadium and we only have 2.
But guess what? I won back-to-back titles in Tee-Ball in '86 and '87. You don't hear my bragging about that. The point is, what have you done for me lately?
The Phillies ARE the defending champs and until someone takes them down, they will remain the champs.
With all this being said, I am extremely looking forward to this match-up. These are perhaps two of the most evenly matched teams that have met in the Fall Classic in a long time.
From pitching, to hitting, to fielding, etc., these teams have it all.
However, I firmly believe that the Phillies have the edge in starting pitching, especially in Game 1. Cliff Lee is locked in and nothing is fazing him at this point. And even though it is a different season and different team, you can't deny that CC has visions of the Phillies rocking him in last year's NLDS.
Call me crazy, but I will put my money on Pedro in Game 2 over A.J. Burnett. Burnett is not and never will be a shutdown pitcher. Hamels and Pettitte are a wash in Game 3.
And if a fourth pitcher has to be used, I will take Happ and/or Blanton over Gaudin or whoever else you might throw out there.
The closer discussion is not even close. If it comes down to a closer duel, Rivera obviously wins hand down.
With all this being said, it is almost time to watch an entertaining and exciting World Series. As I write this, I am sitting here in my #26 Utley jersey counting down the minutes to first pitch.
So my prediction is that the Phillies will be celebrating another parade down Broad Street.
Phillies in 7!
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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