Game 3 canceled today

Bad news: Game 3 was postponed today due to snow, to be made up tomorrow when they were supposed to play Game 4. The good news? This means Cliff Lee should be ready to pitch in Game 4.

Why do they play baseball in Denver, anyway?

Hamels falters as Rockies even up series

(AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Today will be a memorable day for Cole Hamels but not for anything he did on the mound. Hamels, who everyone hoped would magically be the 2008 shutdown pitcher once again, had a poor performance in Game 2 for the Phillies, giving up 4 runs in his 5 innings of work. The Phillies eventually fought back into the game but the runs Hamels gave put the Phillies in a hole that they never climbed out of as they lost 5-4 to the Rockies. Oh, and the reason today will be memorable for Hamels? Heidi Hamels went into labor with the couple's first child.

Once Hamels was pulled from the game, Charlie Manuel started making some curious decisions with his bullpen. Instead of turning to the usual bullpen suspects, Manuel went with his starters, putting Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ in for the 6th and 7th innings. The move was a definite mixed bag as Blanton got through his inning unscathed but Happ got beaned with a line drive in the knee and had to be pulled from the game. The injury to Happ is the reason why you don't use all of your starters in relief. While Happ only has a knee contusion and X-rays were negative, he most certainly won't be in the mix to start on Saturday, forcing Manuel to go with a right-handed starter against the lefty-heavy Rockies lineup. Manuel still has two good choices in Blanton and Pedro Martinez but the Phillies have yet to announce who will take the mound for Game 3.

The Phillies did well to fight back in the later stages of the game but eventually fell short. Jayson Werth led the way with a homer as the Phils got all of their offense from their first 7 hitters. It would be nice if the team decided to score a few runs in the early innings but you can't fault the offense for this loss, they nearly had a win if Shane Victorino's line drive in the bottom of the 9th was just a little higher.

So the Phillies now head to Denver with the series tied at 1 game apiece. While some of the confidence of yesterday's loss has worn off, the Phillies are still in a great position to win the series. If they find a way to split the games in Colorado, they will head back home for a Game 5 and throw Cliff Lee out there in the deciding game. Of course, if they lose Game 3, they could always put Lee on the mound for Game 4 to ensure they won't get eliminated early.

Game 2 was a tough loss for the Phillies but there are plenty more games to be played in this series. Game 3 becomes the crucial game that gives one team a major advantage; let's hope the Phillies have a starter ready to give them some solid innings.

Almost too easy: NFL Week 5 Predictions

Week 5 could be the worst weekend of football games I've ever seen. Every game seems like a matchup between a terrible team and a contending team, making for a slew of no-brainer picks. Of course, whenever picks seem this easy, there will always be some inevitable upsets, but who in their right mind is going to pick the Raiders over the Giants? Or the Lions over the Steelers? Or the Bucs over the Eagles? You have to be crazy to think any of those teams have a shot.

Here are my picks for Week 5 of the NFL season. I'm coming off another solid week of picks and continue to have the best record I have ever had. Remember, all picks are made strictly based on who I think will win and do not take the spread into consideration.

Record Last Week: 12-2, .857
Overall Record: 49-13, .790

Byes: Bears, Packers, Saints, Chargers

Sunday Day Games:

Browns (0-4) @ Bills (1-3) The Bills are the lesser of two evils in this one although it wouldn't surprise me if the Browns found a way to pull it out. They will have to win at some point, right? Switching to Derek Anderson at QB makes them more tempting, but I've got to go with the home team here. My pick: Bills

Steelers (2-2) @ Lions (1-3) Poor Detroit. Just when things start looking better, Matthew Stafford gets hurt and everything is bleak again. If Daunte Culpepper has to start this game, expect a blowout. If Stafford someone suits up, expect a fairly close game. The Steelers will win this one no matter how poorly they play in the 4th quarter. My pick: Steelers

Cowboys (2-2) @ Chiefs (0-4) The Cowboys aren't any good, but the Chiefs are much, much worse. Not even Tony Romo can screw this one up. My pick: Cowboys

Vikings (4-0) @ Rams (0-4) How good are the Vikings right now? Brett Favre is back to his old self, they have the best running back in football, they still stop the run better than most teams and they have a great pass rush starting with Jared Allen. This team is so good they are making Brad Childress actually look like a respectable coach. The Rams, on the other hand, continue to be awful. They are Steven Jackson and nothing else right now. Kyle Boller shouldn't even be in the NFL right now, let alone a starting quarterback. My pick: Vikings

Raiders (1-3) @ Giants (4-0) Eli or no Eli, this one is a rout for the Giants. If you are betting on this game, no matter what the spread is, you better take the Giants at home. The Raiders have no quarterback and no chance. My pick: Giants

Bucs (0-4) @ Eagles (2-1) Simple math: Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook return + terrible Bucs team = big win for the Eagles. Of course, the Eagles could trot out Kevin Kolb and LeSean McCoy again and still come up big in this one, the Bucs are that bad. It will be more interesting to see how Jeremiah Trotter does in this game against NFL competition for the first time in years. He picked a good game for a return to help him build a little confidence. My pick: Eagles

Redskins (2-2) @ Panthers (0-3) I've never been more confident that the winless team in this game will beat the team with two wins. That's because the Redskins are awful and the only reason they have 2 wins is because of their easy schedule. The Panthers get in the win column this week when they finally face a team with a worse quarterback than Jake Delhomme. My pick: Panthers

Bengals (3-1) @ Ravens (3-1) The Bengals have a chance this week to prove they belong in the playoff picture in the AFC. Lose this game and I see the Bengals sliding their way back towards the pack of mediocrity. Win, and they have to be considered one of the better teams out there. Unfortunately for Cincy, however, there is no way they go to Baltimore and beat an angry Ravens team. The Ravens defense will be pretending every Bengal is Tom Brady and tear things up. My pick: Ravens

Falcons (2-1) @ Niners (3-1) Before the season started, I would never have thought I would be picking the Niners to beat the Falcons. 4 weeks into the season, the Niners are one incomplete pass away from being undefeated. This will be a good, close game but I have to give the edge to the home team. My pick: Niners

Jaguars (2-2) @ Seahawks (1-3) This was actually one of the tougher games to pick this week, but it all boils down to Seneca Wallace. If he plays, and I'm assuming at this point that he will, the Seahawks offense is disjointed and easy to shut down. Should Matt Hasselbeck play, Seattle easily wins this game at home against an inconsistent Jaguars team. As I said, though, Wallace will likely be the guy for another week. My pick: Jaguars

Texans (2-2) @ Cardinals (1-2) I'm not sure what to make of this game, although I know it will be high-scoring. It's amazing how quickly the Cardinals have fallen from their "elite" status to just another bad team in a bad division. It just goes to show that they really weren't that good last year, they just went on a run. The Texans apparently have several players battling swine flu right now so that doesn't bode well for their chances this week; I suppose they could cough on the Cardinals to scare them. My pick: Cardinals

Patriots (3-1) @ Broncos (4-0) This one should be the best game of the week since it's the Broncos putting their undefeated season on the line against the Patriots. Unfortunately, the Broncos are still the worst undefeated team I've ever seen and I will continue to say that even if they knock off the Patriots. Tom Brady and the Patriots offense can only be held down for so long, though, so I see them breaking out in a big way this week against a Broncos defense that has overachieved this season. My pick: Patriots

Sunday Night Game:

Colts (4-0) @ Titans (0-4) How many prime time games does this make for the Colts already? I swear they are on every week. It's too bad, too, because this won't be a good game at all. The Titans aren't a terrible team, but they will continue to slide right out of any possible playoff picture. Who would have thought that 5 weeks into the season the Titans would already be eliminated? Perhaps it's time for Vince Young to get another shot. Nah, there's no point. He still sucks. My pick: Colts

Monday Night Game:

Jets (3-1) @ Dolphins (1-3) Think the Jets defense will be fooled by the Wildcat? Ha, not likely. I wouldn't look for newly acquired Braylon Edwards to do much on the stat sheet although I do expect him to help the Jets stretch the field, opening things up even more for underneath passes and the run. My pick: Jets

Those are my picks for Week Five of the NFL Season. Check back every Thursday during the season for the latest predictions. Feel free to discuss, argue or make your own picks in the comment section!

1 down, 10 more to go: Lee, Phillies cruise past Rockies

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

This was why Cliff Lee was chosen to pitch in Game One instead of Cole Hamels. Lee, in the first playoff start of his career, dominated the Rockies, pitching a complete game 6-hitter as the Phillies beat Colorado 5-1 in Game One of the NLDS. While he had struggled in recent outings, Lee's outing on Wednesday was more like what he did for the Phillies back in July and August when he mowed down hitter after hitter. Lee also made it happen on offense, where he cracked a single and stole a base, the first steal by any Phillies pitcher in postseason history.

Offensively, the Phillies used a total team effort to get their 5 runs. Every Phillies starter had a hit in the game and Raul Ibanez led the way with a pair or RBI on a double and a single. The Phils main weapon on offense was their patience in the early innings as they forced Rockie starter Ubaldo Jimenez to throw strikes and chased him from the game after 5 innings of work.

Lee's start gave the Phillies the perfect start to the postseason. With Lee going 9 full innings, the Phils were able to give the bullpen another full day of rest. Not having to use a carousel of pitchers like the Rockies did will only benefit the Phillies for the rest of the series. Lee also set the tone for the rest of the Phillie pitching staff, hopefully Cole Hamels and whoever Charlie plans to start in Games 3 and 4 will continue the trend.

In all, you couldn't have asked for a better start to the postseason than Game One for the Phillies. They had a dominating start and proved they can score runs without hitting any homers. Let's hope they keep it rolling on Thursday in Game Two.

Good news: Flyers win thriller in OT Bad news: Betts, JVR injured

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

The Flyers continued their hot start to the season, downing the Capitals in overtime in a high-scoring 6-5 contest. Danny Briere was the hero in OT, netting the winner to keep the Flyers undefeated season going. Other studs on the night were Mike Richards, who had a hat trick in the second period, and Matt Carle, who had an NHL record-tying 4 assists for a defensemen in the 2nd period. The Flyers had some issues shutting down Capitals star Alex Ovechkin, who had 2 goals and an assist, but managed to slow him down just enough to keep the game close. New Flyers goalie Ray Emery played his worst game in net so far, stopping 31 of 36 shots, but he made the big saves late in the game when they mattered.

Following the exciting win, the Flyers did get some bad news on the injury front. According to Tim Panaccio on Twitter, newly signed forward Blair Betts, a face-off and penalty killing expert, separated his shoulder in the game and will be out for about a month. Losing Betts doesn't slow the team down too much although it will stretch the solid PK unit a little thinner.

Panaccio also reported one other injury that is a little scarier: Flyers phenom James van Riemsdyk may have suffered a concussion in tonight's game. Flyers fans have had enough experience with concussions to know the severity of them and for a kid like JVR to start down the concussion path at his age brings back bad memories of Eric Lindros and Simon Gagne. Let's hope JVR is all right and can continue his development this season.

Great overtime win by the Flyers tonight. They certainly gave fans everything they could ask for in their home opener. 82-0 is still a possibility!

Phillies vs. Rockies: NLDS Breakdown

The road to a repeat gets under way Wednesday when the Phillies take on the Rockies in the NLDS. Do the Phillies have what it takes to knock out the red-hot Rockies or will this series be just like 2007 when Colorado swept the Phils right out of the playoffs? Here is my breakdown of the two teams, position-by-position:

Starting Pitching:
Phillies: Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ (?)
Rockies: Ubaldo Jimenez, Aaron Cook, Jason Hammel (?)

The Game One and Game Two starters appear to be set, with Cliff Lee facing Ubaldo Jimenez and Cole Hamels facing Aaron Cook. From there, things are a little iffy, although Blanton is a lock in Game Three for the Phils. The Rockies best pitcher, Jorge De La Rosa, is the wild card here. De La Rosa hurt his left groin in his last start and it's unknown as to whether he will be available to pitch. If he can go, he will pitch Game Three and will give the Rockies a big advantage in that game. If not, the Rockies do have a deep rotation and can throw out either Jason Hammel or Jason Marquis. All five Rockies pitchers won at least ten games this year, so there won't be that much of a drop-off if De La Rosa can't go. Despite the Rockie depth, I have to go with the Phillies because of their top-end talent. While Hamels has been off this whole season, if he is even close to the pitcher he was in the playoffs last year, he is going to be a force once again. Lee is also an elite talent and he has to get the edge over Jimenez. While the Phillies are still unsure whether J.A. Happ or Pedro Martinez will pitch in Game Four, the overall edge has to go to Philadelphia. Edge: Phillies

Bullpen:
Phillies: Ryan Madson, Brad Lidge, Pedro Martinez, Brett Myers
Rockies: Huston Street, Franklin Morales, Matt Herges, Rafael Betancourt

The Rockies have one of the best closers in the game right now in Huston Street. The Phillies, well, they had one of the best closers in the game last year in the playoffs but that has all changed now. The one positive for the Phillies is that they go plenty deep, with lots of quality arms that have had success in the past. Of course, it's hard to say who the Phils can count on from game to game, so we have to rely on Charlie Manuel and his gut calls. The Rockies also have a dependable 8th inning lefty in Franklin Morales who can be called upon to mow down a few of the Phillies lefty sluggers late in the game. Even if the Phillies figure out who their closer is, the Rockies are simply better in the 'pen in every way. Edge: Rockies

Catcher:
Phillies: Carlos Ruiz
Rockies: Yorvit Torrealba

While Torrealba has a big edge over Ruiz in the batting average department, the Phillies catcher is better in nearly every other way. Ruiz has really put it all together this season and become an even better defensive catcher to go with his usually solid offensive power numbers. Edge: Phillies

Infield:
Phillies: Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Pedro Feliz
Rockies: Todd Helton, Clint Barmes, Troy Tulowitzki, Ian Stewart

Offensively, there is almost no comparison between these two infields. The Phillies power numbers put them amongst the best infields in the last decade so they have to be given the edge here. The only place where the Rockies close the gap is at shortstop, where Troy Tulowitzki has outplayed Jimmy Rollins this year. Still, two big edges at first and second and the slight edge at third give the Phillies the nod here. Edge: Phillies

Outfield:
Phillies: Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth
Rockies: Seth Smith, Dexter Fowler, Brad Hawpe

Once again, the Phillies have a huge edge offensively over Colorado. Defensively, despite having great throwing arms, the Phillies lag behind the Rockies a bit. The Rockies actually use a rotation in left field, with Seth Smith, Ryan Spilborghs and Carlos Gonzalez splitting time. The Rockies have better depth, but the Phillies continue to have the better top-end talent. Edge: Phillies

Bench:
Phillies: Ben Francisco, Matt Stairs, Greg Dobbs
Rockies: Ryan Spilborghs, Carlos Gonzalez, Jason Giambi

This is where the Rockies have a big advantage. After Francisco, the Phillies bench really falls off and there isn't anyone they can count on. The Rockies, on the other hand, have speed in Carlos Gonzalez, power in Jason Giambi and a backup catcher in Chris Iannetta who doesn't completely suck. Edge: Rockies

Manager:
Phillies: Charlie Manuel
Rockies: Jim Tracy
Charlie Manuel, while not always the brilliant tactician, has to have a major edge over Jim Tracy. Tracy has exactly 4 postseason games under his belt while Charlie can show off that World Series ring from last year. While Tracy deserves a ton of credit for helping the Rockies go on a run to finish out the year, Manuel has been here before and Tracy has not. Edge: Phillies

My prediction:
The Phillies easily win this breakdown by a score of 5-2, and because of that they should win this series. I'm going with Phillies in 4, with Philly winning the first two games, dropping the third, then winning Game Four in Colorado. This Phillies team is too focused and too talented to fall in the first round, even to a hot team like the Rockies. I expect every game to be close on the scoreboard, but I don't see the Phillies faltering unless the bullpen completely implodes, which isn't all that unlikely.

Strap in, folks, playoff baseball is as good as it gets, and we are in store for another deep run by the Phillies. Things look pretty clear in the National League for the Phils, making a return trip to the World Series a very real possibility. Of course, what happens when they get there might not be as easy as last year, but we'll just have to wait and see about that. GO PHILLIES!