Go Nats!

2007 Fleer #7 Ryan Zimmerman
2007 Allen & Ginter #3 Austin Kearns
2008 Topps (ser 2) #562 Ronnie Belliard (Gold 282/2008)

What a difference a weekend makes? This has been the Phils entire season. one week they are on life support the next they are right in there with the leaders. The Mets, Brewers, Phillies and now Houston are all incomplete teams and this is keeping one of them from running away with this race.

This all brings us to today's cards. What do the Nats have to do with this playoff chase. Well tonight they host the Mets for the first of four games. If John Lannan does well on the mound tonight, I may partially forgive him for break Utley's hand with an inside pitch last year.

Go Nats!

Plus - Sweeping a critical series late in the year.

Minus - The final game of the sweep was not televised locally because of ESPN's exclusive rights to Sunday Night. ESPN carried the Chisox - Tigers game.

Shenanigans - Astros really get the short end of the stick playing in Milwaukee during hurricane Ike. Not only do the Astros lose the home games, but they end up playing in Milwaukee, which can look like a Cubs home game even when they are playing the Brewers.

But hey the Cubs faitful who made the trek up to Milwaukee were sure rewarded getting to witnees Carlos Zambrano toss that no-hitter. Out of curiosity was that game even on broadcast TV in Chicago - or were they blacked out like us in Philadelphia? The only Highlights I have seen were off the Astros network.

BlogBlogBlog - Fielder's Choice has a fine report on a recent trip to Fenway Park. Also the Nennth Inning has a report on a trip to PetCo and some succesfful autograph hunting.