Who Would You Root For?

2010 Phungo #32 Tim Lincecum

Like most Phils fans, I am trying to come to terms with the teams season which while somewhat successful can only be considered a disappointment at this time.

Looking beyond that for the short term, I remind myself that I am a baseball fan and I will attempt not to sulk to long - The 2010 World Series is upon us and I bring up an interesting question for Phillies fans and sports fans in general.

Do you cheer for or against the team that has just eliminated the squad you follow and cheer rabidly for all season.

It is an interesting question when I was younger I would of automatically rooted against the team that just kicked my teams butt. Things are different now - I have developed an allegiance to the NL over the AL for a variety of reason. I also see it as a badge of honor to be beaten by the champs.

There are a variety of other reasons I will support one team or another if I really don't have a stake (emotional or finaincial) in the result. In no particular order:

- NL over AL
- lowest payroll
- oldest stadium (those driving up tix prices be damned)
- former Phils I like over former Phils I detest
- players I like in general
- teams that have not been in the mix for a while
- rooting against players that annoy me and ex-mets.

This year I will be backing the Giants - congrats to the SF nine for their triumph over the Phils and their game 1 win v Texas. This is mainly due to NL over AL, plus for me Pat Burrell's several years of mixed service, but 1 World Championship trumps Cliff Lee's incredible half season of sheer dominance.

The Photo on the Phungo Card is a of course a picture of Tim Lincecum prior to a Giants-Phils game in 2009. Lincecum is a great study for amateur photographers like myself. His long dark hair makes him instantly recognizable even on the grainiest shadowy low-contrast photo.

The 2010 Phungo set did not go up to 55 so I gave Lincecum the card number of one time Phils Ace Steve Carlton. I also listed his position as ACE as the 2 time Cy Young award winner has definitely earned that distinction and now has a W in game one of the World Series to add to his already gaudy resume.

Phungo Game Report - 2010 08 17 Giants @ Phillies

Great night to be at the Ballpark - The Confluence of several events made for a great evening.

1) Going into the game the Phillies and Giants were both playoff contenders locked in a virtual tie for the wild card spot in the NL playoff race.

2) Pat Burrell also returned to Philadelphia, playing left field for the Giants.

3) The game was the 2nd home start for recent acquisition Roy Oswalt.

4) There was one final bit of spice that added to the electricity of the evening - Phils All-Star 2nd Basemen Chase Utley returned to the lineup after several weeks on the DL.

I must also add that it was a rare perfect night for baseball, in what has been an extremely hot and steamy summer here in the Northeast.

SnapShots

Cards That Never Were

Roy Oswalt - notice that the 2009 Topps Style card specifies Oswalt as RHP rather then just P for pitcher.

Mike Sweeney - the new Number 5

The Old Number 5

Pat Burrell was given a short ovation when he batted and cheered positively when lineups were announced. He got booed a lot more after he hit a line drive 2-run homer in his first at bat.

Good Guy Awards

Tim Lincecum was doing his thing signing many autographs and interacting with fans. I also saw Buster Posey sign a couple of autos and Giants First Base Coach Roberto Kelly signed an item for a fan.

Game Notes

Roy Oswalt pitched 7 good Innings. He gave up 3 runs off 2 homers, Burrell's 2 run dinger, and a solo shot by Jose Guillen. Barry Zito kept the Phils off balance for the first 4 innings but ran into some trouble in the 5th and could not get an out in the 6th. Zito Left the game down 4-2 giving up 4 earned on 8 hits and 1 walk over 5+ innings.

The Phils would eventually put up a 5 spot on the Giants Bullpen in the 8th to turn a tight game into a blowout. A controversial bulk call, in which Jimmy Rollins would have gotten picked off otherwise, extended the inning - likely contributing to the Phils final 2 runs.

The Phils did something they have not done well all season. They got hits in key situations. It is a rare night when you will see the Phils score 9 Runs without aid of a Homer. Placido Polanco was key in that effort collecting 4 hits in 5 ABs. Rollins, Carlos Ruiz and Shane Victorino all had hits that plated multiple runners. Utley was the only Phils position player to not record a hit or score a run. He did reach once on an error and hit one flly ball pretty well to center.

For a Look back at a previous Game Report Click Here to read about the Team Phungo trip to see some A-Ball between the Salem Red Sox and Wilmington Blue Rocks.

The last Phillies Phungo Game Report was on a July game vs the Braves.

The most recent Phungo Game Report featuring the San Fransisco Giants was last September.

Phungo Game Report - 2009 09 02 - Giants 0 @ Phillies 1

2009 Phungo #35 Cole Hamels

It was a perfect night for baseball and Cole Hamels was nearly perfect himself.

Cole threw a complete game shutout against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night allowing just two hits and a walk while pitching to 2 over the minimum (1 runner erased via pickoff). Jonathan Sanchez was nearly as good as he only allowed one run on an double Ryan Howard hit through a drawn in infield.

Here are some quick shots from last nights game:

Newest Giant Brad Penny

Giants Phenom Tim Lincecum


Raul Ibanez and Harry Kalas Memorial Banner

Other game observations - I cannot figure out why anybody would pitch to Howard right now, He is Red hot while Jayson Werth has sort of fallen off after a couple of great weeks, and after him the rest of the lineup is pretty quiet. Ibanez is really struggling.

Good Guy Awards go out to Phils Phan Phavorite Aaron Rowand and Tim Lincecum who both were spotted siging autograps. Chase Utley gets a GGA for the home team for signing a handul of autos just before game time.

In the Phungo Card above I have listed Hamels postion as ACE, because he was the Ace of the 2008 team and the card number is 35 to match his uni number. I like this one. It is a good action shot and fairly clear.