JIMMY!!!!

Props to my friend Cravitz for calling this as soon as he saw Jimmy's hit in game 4.

phillies

Damn. That's about all I can say about the Phillies right now. They are playing so well and with so much heart I can't remember a time in my life I have been so excited to see a team play. After their heroic 5-4 victory over the Dodgers in game 3 on Monday, this team looks poised for a match up with the infamous Yankees in the World Series. I'm still in a state of shock about Monday's game. With Jimmy Rollins up, two out, down by a run, tying run on second, winning run on first, Rollins hit the most important hit in his career, and arguably in Phillies history. When I saw that double smoked to right center I went from feeling crushed that the Phils were gonna blow a close game and allow the series to be tied, to super excited when I saw the ball was going to drop for a hit, then out of mind histarical when I realized that the ball was going to get to the wall and that Ruiz would score from first.

And do you know what's even better? It's not the first time they've done that in these playoffs. Against Colorado in game 4, Ryan Howard and Jason Werth each had huge hits in the ninth inning with two outs, netting 3 runs, and a 5-4 victory to close out Colorado. Howard also had a go-ahead RBI in the 9th inning of Game 3. This team is never out of a game. I am unbelievably excited for tonight's Game 5, and the Phils are sending Cole Hamels to the mound. I think this is gonna be a breakout game for Cole in the playoffs. He hasn't pitched great, but he looked much better in Game 1 against the Dodgers than he did in Game 2 of the Colorado series. I think he's going to continue to improve a pitch tough to the Dodgers tonight. I also think the Phils will be able to score a few more runs off Vicente Padilla. With the rowd behind the Phils, I see Padilla getting rattled and struggling to throw strikes at some point in the game. If the Phils can continue to capitalize on walks and other Dodgers mistakes, I think they can put up enough runs for Cole to get us a lead late in the game. But I guess we will see. I cannot wait.

GO PHILS!!!!!

its gay to smoke

FIRST EVER PHILLIES LIVE BLOG!!!

---Posted at 4:26 PM CT---

And that will do it. Cliff Lee had a complete game and the Phils won 5-1! They now lead the series 1-0. Overall it was a great performance. If they can that kind of starting pitching the bullpen won't be much of a problem. Now let's get it done again tomorrow! GO PHILS! WORLD PHUCKING CHAMPIONS!

---Posted at 4:23 PM CT---

Well with two outs in the 9th, Lee finally gave up a run. I hate Troy Tulowitzki. Hopefully, he can just get one more out, and the Phils can take a series lead.

---Posted at 3:47 PM CT---

So Cliff Lee just finished the 7th, and still hasn't allowed a run. Back in the dug out he walked towards Cole Hamels, who was sitting on the bench. Hamels looked up Lee with this dead stare that only a World Series MVP has, and then gave a little head nod and stuck out his hand for a fist pound. I can't describe the encounter well enough to do it justice. It was just plain bad ass. Man the Phillies are bad ass.

---Posted at 3:41 PM CT---

Terrible call at first! Jimmy definitely beat out that play at first base, but he was called out. That would have scored another run. I know we have had a couple of calls go our way earlier, but none of them were run scoring plays. Hopefully that what come back and play a role in the final outcome of the game. Still 5-0 Phils, top 7. Lee still cruising. He has now retired "more than I can count number" straight.

---Posted at 3:27 PM CT---

5-0! Ibanez gets another RBI, knocking in Werth. Man the offense is clicking. This team looks dangerous.

---Posted at 3:23 PM CT---

Now the offense is clicking! After a lead off hit by Utley, Howard nearly hit one out to left, but ended up doubling off the wall. Werth followed that up by nearly hitting an inside the park home run, but decided to hold up at third with nobody out. Things are looking good! 4-0 Phils, and they just knocked Jimenez out of the game. This is just the type of ball they need to play to win a second consecutive WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!

---Posted at 3:13 PM CT---

Cliff Lee has a super important shut down inning after the long inning by the Phils. The importance of a pitcher coming in and getting a 1-2-3 inning after you get the lead can't be understated.

---Posted at 3:01 PM CT---

What a great at bat by Carlos Ruiz! 2-0 Phils! He battled throw eight pitches before hitting the ball hard, getting by the right fielder and cruising into second with a double! Let's get a big inning now!

---Posted at 2:55 PM CT---

AND RAUUUUUUUUL GETS THE PHILS ON THE BOARD FIRST. He pulled double down the line and Werth ran very well to score from first. Feliz then grounded out so Ibanez is on third with one out. We need another run!

---Posted at 2:45 PM CT---

Cliff Lee is rolling. After giving up a couple of hits in the early innings he has really settled in and is simply mowing down the Rockies hitters. Need to get some offense going though if we are gonna pull out a W in game one. Game is flying by as well.

---Posted at 2:23 PM CT---

Cliff Lee gets a hit then steals second? Damn. Too bad Jimmy couldn't knock him home. The Phils look a little lost vs. Jimenez right now. I'm not worried though. Somebody is gonna guess right on one of those fastballs sooner or later and hit it a mile.

---Posted at 2:00 PM CT---

GREAT THROW BY WERTH TO GET TORREALBA AT THIRD BASE! Who cares if he was actually safe. They called him out! Get's them out of the second inning.

---Posted at 1:45 PM CT---

A little bit of a shaky start for the Phils. Howard really needed to make that double play. The two hits were a blooper and an infield single with Utley playing back so I'm not worried about Lee. He was able to get out of the jam. Hopefully there were just a couple nerves and the Fightens will get through it. Need to get some runs early. Look for the big backs to be swinging away with the wind blowing out hard to right field.

---Posted at 11:23 AM CT---

Well if you so happen to be reading this right now, you are in luck! Today during the Phillies first NLDS game with the Rockies I will be blogging live! That's right, you will get to see the emotional roller coaster that is me during a Phillies playoff game. It should be very interesting. My bet is that I right them off as bums at least twice before the game is over. Cliff Lee will face Ubaldo Jimenez today, with the first pitch at 2:37 PM ET. I'm pumped the Phils will get to face a righty, so get ready for some baseball!

lions recap and a look back at cash for clunkers

Penn State easily played their best half of football yet this season when they thoroughly dominated Illinois in the second half on Saturday, en route to a 35-17 win in Champaign. Despite a disappointing first half (PSU led 7-3 at the break), the running game allowed Penn State to control the clock and the ball in the second half, and the offensive line finally learned how to run block. Both Evan Royster and Stephfon Green (pictured below) eclipsed the 100-yard mark, helping PSU out gain Illinois 208-8 in the third quarter. This is exactly the recipe that PSU needs to repeat if they hope to remain competitive in the Big Ten title race. By running the ball and controlling the clock, PSU can keep there defense off the field and fresh, allowing them to do what they do best: simply dominate Big Ten opposing offenses. This also takes some pressure off QB Dayrll Clark, who by the way responded very well after having the worse game of his career against Iowa. If Penn State can run the ball effectively, they will be a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten and against whoever they end up facing in a bowl game.


On a completely unrelated note, I want to say a few words about the federal government's recent cash for clunkers program. Over the Summer, the program was hailed as the most successful of all the stimulus programs. Over the lifetime of the program (including when it was extended in late august) approximately 700,000 car buyers took advantage of the program where they traded in an old "clunker" for credit towards a new, more fuel efficient vehicle. Sounds great right? Old gas guzzlers off the roads, and it's a boost to American automakers at a time they really need it. Well guess what? Looking back it seems like the plan was all that environmentally beneficial, and in the long run it probably did more to hurt the U.S. economy than it did to help it.

U.S. auto sales plummeted in September, down 25% from 2008 (GM was down 45% and Chrysler 42%). And this is compared to September 2008, right when the banking meltdown was becoming apparent. Critics predicted that the cash for clunkers program would do little than cannibalize future auto sales that would have occurred anyway, and that seems to be the case. September sales are down because many people who would have bought in September simply bought while the program was in effect. Although the automakers may have gained a marginal amount of sales that would not have occurred, there is no way the boost was enough to justify the $3 billion cost of the program. Not to mention that dealers were forced to destroy all the cars traded in during the program. Instead of recycling perfectly capable vehicles, most likely at lower costs that middle and lower class Americans could afford, the feds mandated that we destroy these economic resources.

Additionally, the environmental benefits have been overstated. One study by Hudson Institute economist Irwin Stelzer found that at best the program would reduce oil consumption by 0.2% per year, which amounts to less than one days use of gasoline. Even despite future savings in fuel costs, the program still is very unstimulating. Two University of Delaware economists recently attempted to sum all the benefits and costs of the program (increased auto sales, reduced gas consumption, environmental improvements vs. cost of the program) and found that the benefits do not outweigh the costs, and the true cost to GDP is -$1.4 billion. So much for helping the tanking economy.

In short, the cash for clunkers program is nothing more than the federal government once again attempting to redistribute wealth. The fat cats in Washington spent over $3 billion of our money (adding to the national debt) in order to subsidize new car buyers, and attempt to subsidize car manufacturers. The sad part is that it seems as if they didn't even succeed in reaching their second goal. The editorial board of the Wall Street Journal said it best in their editorial Clunkers in Practice (*please also note that this article was the basis for my post and I used many of their statistics*):

The basic fallacy of cash for clunkers is that you can somehow create wealth by destroying existing assets that are still productive, in this case cars that still work. Under the program, auto dealers were required to destroy the car engines of trade-ins with a sodium silicate solution, then smash them and send them to the junk yard. As the journalist Henry Hazlitt wrote in his classic, "Economics in One Lesson," you can't raise living standards by breaking windows so some people can get jobs repairing them.

Too bad in Washington, having a simple and catchy slogan, regardless of whether the program itself has huge hidden costs, is the goal. Politicians make a living off misleading an uneducated and uniformed electorate, and nothing will change until we vote them ALL out of office.

after the games recap

Well boy was I wrong about this year's Penn State team. I guess my blind hope for a national championship allowed be look past their unproductive running game and slew of mistakes by the offensive line over the first few games. But Iowa should made everyone recognize that the offensive line is by far the biggest weakness on this PSU team. They have weapons and an excellent defense as usual, but without consistent play on the o-line they are going to lose three more games this year. The could not protect Clark, couldn't open any holes for Royster AND committed several costly penalties. Throw in a blocked punt and that is no recipe for a win. Thank God I decided not to go up for the game because if I had there would have been a chance I would never have been seen ever again after the game. Is was brutal to watch on TV, and if I had trekked all the way up there I might have run away and moved to Northern Alaska to live as a hermit where I would never be forced to see another agonizing loss by a football team I root for ever again. Book your tickets for early January in Orlando now. Penn State is Outback Bowl bound.

On a brighter note, the Eagles destroyed the Chiefs this weekend. Kevin Kolb was excellent throwing the ball to Desean Jackson and Brent Celek (who is now officially the most underrated tight end in the league), giving the Eagles a solid win heading into the bye week. This victory was huge considering McNabb, Westbrook and Kevin Curtis all did not dress. In the NFL any game where you go out and take care of business, no matter who you are playing, is a good victory, especially when you are missing your two best offensive players.

The other big news is the return of Micheal Vick. Although he only threw two passes and had one run for 7 yards, it was good to see him on the field. My bet is that each week you will see more and more from Vick, as Andy Reid works him into the offense. I also think Vick had a more limited role because Kolb was cruising and Reid didn't want to get him out of rhythm. Also, there is no reason to pull out the stops against the Chiefs, let's save the crazy "Wild Eagle" plays for the Giants and Cowboys.

It's going to be a tough football weekend this week, as the Eagles have a bye and the PSU loss has left me so devastated I am no longer excited about this team at all. I'm sure I'm being overdramatic and I will watch the Illinois game saturday, but man did that Iowa loss hurt. Not only did they beat us last year, but this loss ends any chance we had at a national championship and its not even October. Penn State just doesn't have a tough enough schedule to win it even if they somehow win out (which they won't).

I'm thinking about going to ACL instead of watching the NFL on Sunday where I would at least get to see Pearl Jam. Even though I have a ticket I probably will just stay home though since I will see Pearl Jam in a month anyway at the last ever performance in the Spectrum on October 31st. Gonna be sick. Not to mention I will be going to the Eagles-Giants game at the Linc the next day. Should be one hell of a weekend in Philly.

So anyone interested in buying my Sunday ACL ticket? Asking $200, but mention this blog and it's yours for $150.

college gameday, the pigeons and bros

First, sorry about the long break. I have no excuse other than laziness. I would like to promise that I am going to pick up the pace of theblogging front, but no promises. First and foremost, college gameday (Presnted by the Home Depot) is coming to state college, pa this weekend for PSU's big revenge matchup with Iowa. Let me assure you that Happy Valley is going to be a very rowdy valley this weekend. Although I still think this Penn State team needs to improve quite a bit in order to compete for a national title, I think they will take care of business this weekend against an overmatched Ioaw team. After last year's tough loss, the nittany lions should be coming in with a chip on their shoulder and it is going to be LOUD in Beaver Stadium. Penn State also got the run game going last week, even if it was against Temple, and I think that Daryll Clark will be very effective passing the ball against a defense which can't matchup with PSU's skill players on offense. My prediction is that Clark opens up ther passing game early, which in turn opens up Royster in the second half. Final score: Penn State 31, Iowa 13.

Man did the eagles look terrible or what? Way too many mistakes in all aspects of the game. Hobbes had a fumble onb a kickoff return, the defense couldn't get consistent pressure on Drew Brees, and Kevin Kolb, although he played relatively well, had a very costly turnover to open up the second half and couldn't get into much of a rhythm after halftime. Basically, the Eagles played as poorly as they possibly could against a Saints team I believe should have no trouble winning the NFC South. Regardless, it is only one game, and the good news is the Eagles get Kansas City next week. The even better news is they also get Michael Vick. One of the few bright spots for the Eagles last week is how well they ran wildcat formations. With Vick in there that shold only improve. As far as quarterback, I think we should give McNabb one more week off (effectively two weeks because the birds have a bye in week 4), and give Kolb one more start. As I said, he didn't play too poorly and if he had made a couple of throws he missed (like when he thrdew behind Westbrook on third down after he burnt Jonathon Vilma) the Eagles could have actually won that game. They were only down by six at halftime before the two turnovers that basically sealed the loss. If those breaks had gone the Eagles way, it could have been a very different second half. I still think this is a playoff team, and they will show why once McNabb is able to play again in Week 5. Additionally, the next four games are all very winnable, so this is probably as good a time as ever to rest McNabb.

Lastly, check out this site: http://www.broslikethissite.com/. It is a great rundown of what life is like for all the bros out there. Man life is tough.