Roy_halladay_jerseyI'm going to need you for big games, Doc

This is it. One game, do or die. It’s all up to Doc. They can’t lose, if only because I really want to be able to get this up again tomorrow… and for the rest of October. 

Reals: I’m nervous. The words haven’t flowed as easily as they normally do. It’s difficult to snark about Jose Reyes being naked on the cover of ESPN The Magazine (careful, that's a video, and yes, he has racing stripes in his eyebrows) and it’s even more difficult to make fun of Alex Rodriguez for whiffing at the final pitch of the Yankees’ season. I really want to… but I can’t. I’m at about 40% confidence, and for those of you who don’t know, that’s below water level on the glass half empty side of things. I don’t trust the lineup. Jimmy Rollins has finally turned into a singles hitter (contract time, yo), but now everyone else looks lost. 

Chase Utley just hits ground balls to the right side of the infield. Ryan Howard is about 12 feet in front of every off-speed pitch- he no longer makes contact. Hunter Pence hits choppers to the shortstop. Every time. Raul Ibanez chasing brewmaster Jason Motte’s 98 m.p.h. fastball the other night was the most predictable outcome since, well, Howard’s at-bat five minutes earlier. Polanco and Ruiz? They’re now contact hitters who don’t make solid contact. 

The Aces have been average. The bullpen is unreliable. And, according to J-Roll™, the crowd sucks.

If you can’t tell, I’m not feeling too good about this thing. Ms. CB told me I was being a Nervous Nelly, to which I replied, “Great, he’s from St. Louie.” Where apparently it’s a fine day.

I’m sorry to bring you down. I’m going to Game 5, the Phillies’ first deciding game in my lifetime. I’m 28. I, you, should be excited, but this isn’t one of those please win this game games, it’s a please, please don’t lose because this is going to be ugly if you do games. There’s no satisfaction in victory, just relief. 

But that's not always a bad thing…

Jimmy Connors once said (yep, tennis): I hate to lose more than I love to win. 

Perhaps that is what’s needed tonight. Doc hates to lose. I don't know him, but call it a hunch. You can just see it in his eyes.

Roy_halladay_eyes

It doesn't matter, anyway. Everything I just said can be thrown out the window when Lauren Hart takes the field to sing God Bless America before the bottom of the seventh, as the Phillies work to break a 2-2 tie. Rally towels will wave, lips will quiver, and, moments later, the Phillies will take a 3-2 lead when Shane Victorino lines an RBI single to right-center. All these complaints, all this negativity? Gone as we prepare to watch Cliff Lee douse the mound with excellence in Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday. Book it.

FOX Philly offed a six-foot squirrel this morning:

Crazed Squirrel Invades Fox 29 Studios: MyFoxPHILLY.com

Much better than their counterparts in St. Louis, I suppose.

In case you haven’t heard yet, Roy Halladay and Chris Carpenter are friends.

Some stats on the Phillies’ struggling bats.

John Finger on the Phillies' other two deciding games.

Paul Hagen calls it the most important game in Phillies history.

Gulp.

Game time tonight, 8:37 PM.