"When I become an All-Star in the NBA, when I become a great player in the NBA, then I'll try football," Davis said. "One of my dreams has always been to play football."

Well there's two things wrong with that quote. First off, you will never be an All-Star. Secondly, you will never be a great player. Ever. I can I stress ever? EVER.

You average 5.8 points and 3.5 rebounds a game for your career in roughly 17 minutes a game. You are a roleplayer, you will continue to be a roleplayer and will always be a role player.

Now Davis did play defensive line and running back in high school. Here is some footage of that.

Ron Ron is Back: After the Lakers' overtime win against Houston, Ron Artest had a confession to make.

He wanted to get a little violent.

Artest said the Rockets were getting extra-physical with him and it led to certain thoughts he had to suppress.

"I wanted to (choke Ariza) because he hit me with the elbow," Artest said. "But then I thought about David Stern, and I thought I wasn't going to do this. I got hit with three or four elbows. It's just not fair. I don't want to fight."

Oh Ron, you're so stable. You shave weird patterns into your hair, you choose your number based on Michael Jackson, oh yeah, and this.

If he doesn't explode and cause a controversy before the end of the season, I'll be stunned.

Performance of the Night: Deron Williams - 27 points, nine assists, five rebounds. A big performance in a big game for the Jazz as Utah topped San Antonio. Utah has struggled early on in the season and getting a big win against a Western power will do wonders for Utah in the short term. Honorable mention goes to Carlos Boozer, who had 27 points and 14 rebounds on the night in his best performance of the year.

Game of the Night: Denver (5-0) @ Miami (4-1) - So many great players in one game, there's no way this isn't a game to keep an eye on. Carmelo Anthony is playing out of his mind so far in the early season and has emerged as a very early MVP candidate. There's also Dwayne Wade who is also tearing it up early in the season. Don't forget, these two were taken in the same draft. Denver is looking like a team that could knock the Lakers off in the spring and it'll be interesting to see how they handle a tough road game across the country.

Just ... wow. What a design. The Pirates unveiled this sweet design for Thursday night's nationally televised broadcast against the No. 23 Hokies. And while they didn't pull off the upset, they certainly did impress.

Notice the state of North Carolina in black around that ridiculously wicked pirate logo. ECU even did away with the old purple unis and ushered in the Jolly Roger era:

View image

Good times all around for our favorite non-north or south directional school in the Carolinas.

-Dan

I feel that Cleveland might be one of the most interesting stories in the NBA this season. The Cavs are trying to do all they can to keep LeBron James in town. They went for broke in trading for Shaq and so far the move has had mixed results.

The Cavs dropped their home opener (a place where it was almost impossible to win for opposing teams last year) and now sit at 3-2. By comparison, it took Cleveland 11 games last season before they were beaten twice.

Chicago is also interesting as last year's rookie phenom Derrick Rose starts to take over this team. The Bulls are currently winless on the road this season and it's definitely going to be hard for Chi-City to get its first road win having to travel to the Q to take on Cleveland.

If that doesn't tickle your fancy, you could always tune in to watch the TNT studio crew. It may be, by far, the best studio crew in all of network sports. I love the randomness of the entire thing, plus there's Charles Barkley. Who doesn't love the Chuckster?

Well everyone enjoy the games tonight and for now, enjoy the top 10 plays from last night's action.

- Tom Kinslow

***

With Alex Ovechkin scratched from the lineup, the Devils took advantage of the Caps last night. While the Caps have other strong players on the team, such as Alex Semin and Mike Green, they need Ovechkin to be healthy. He's the catalyst.

***

Bruins' center David Krejci is the latest athlete to be diagnosed with the H1N1 disease. He will be kept way from the other players on the team until he displays no symptoms for 24 hours. It's a blow for the Bruins, as Krejci posted 73 points last season with a +/- of 37. Though he only had one goal and four assists in 14 games this season, he's still a scoring threat.

***

Do you enjoy skating? Do you have $10,000 burning a hole in your pocket? Well, you're in luck!. You can rent out the rink at Fenway Park. Fenway is hosting the next Winter Classic in January between the Bruins and the Flyers, and the rink will be rented out in December for those rich people what want to skate somewhere other than their local rink or frozen pond. I wish I had $10,000 to spend.

***

Because we all love big hits, I can't think of a better way to kick this thing off with than a video of big hits. Enjoy:

Well, that's all I'll touch on for now. Be sure to keep checking MAKE PLAYS regularly for more coverage of the NHL and keep checking Tuesdays for my Musings.

- Miniaci

Prince's contract (five years, $47 million signed in 2005) is one that could be moved for an expiring deal, most likely for another front court player, someone like Amare Stoudamire (who was rumored to be traded to Detroit last year) and Chris Bosh (the player the Pistons should have drafted instead of Darko).

Dumars has denied these rumors, but as always, you never know what to expect. With the Pistons lack of a solid big man, I wouldn't be shocked to see a Prince/Jason Maxiell package heading to another squad.

The USS Stan Van Is Sounding The Alarm: Following the Magic's 122-100 win over undefeated Phoenix last night, Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy decided he's had enough of the refs calling fouls on Dwight Howard.

Howard picked up another five fouls against the Suns the night after fouling out against Detroit and Van Gundy believes Howard is being unfairly penalized for his size and strength.

"He gets penalized for being so strong. We give guys an advantage in this league for being quick, but we penalize them for being strong like Dwight,'' Van Gundy said. "If you hit a perimeter guy on a drive the way they are allowed to hit Dwight all the time around the basket, it would be a flagrant foul.''

Yep. That's it. It's his strength and his size. Because that's what happened with Shaq his entire career. That's why I watched Shaq bully his way through the paint for years and years. Just ask Dikembe Mutombo what happens when you try to guard Shaq on the block. You get your face smashed in with an elbow. That's what you get.

Maybe Van Gundy should stop whining about the refs, as he's done his entire career and focus on not costing his team a championship with his boneheaded rotations and poor coaching decisions. Remember Stan, if you have a foul to give, USE IT! Otherwise, this happens.

The Memphis Grizzlies have Canswer: Well this didn't take long. After Allen Iverson's outburst following his first game, Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins spoke out after being asked about Iverson for probably the million time this season.

"My frustration is I have to talk about Allen Iverson in every press setting," Hollins said. "I want to talk about the Memphis Grizzlies, and even when Allen was out, I was having to talk about Allen. That's my frustration. I want to talk about the Memphis Grizzlies."

Oh Allen, how many teams must you kill? I know how everyone likes to talk about Kobe Bryant being a selfish player, but isn't Iverson the textbook definition? He skipped a practice in Detroit on Thanksgiving last year specifically called because they wanted to work him into a rhythm with his new teammates. Then he quit on them with a phantom back injury. Now he's already whining in Memphis. I just wanted to know what he expected. Did he expect to win? Did he expect to compete? Did he expect to be anything more than something to put butts in the seats? If he did, he's sorely mistaken. Your days as a superstar are over Allen. I know it, everyone else knows it, why don't you?

Performance of the Night: Kobe Bryant - 41 points, six rebounds, four assists, four steals. I would have given this to Dwayne Wade for his heroic 40 point effort, but since Kobe's came in a one point win over the scrappy Rockets, I sided with Bryant. Can't go wrong with either one in my opinion.

- Tom Kinslow

The 2009 season started on a cold Sunday night in Philadelphia and a 4-0 Phillies loss to Atlanta. The season ended on a cold November night in New York and a 7-3 Phillies loss in Game 6 of the World Series.

For Philadelphia, the title defense came to an end up in the Bronx. But Phillies fans can be proud of the season they've had to make it back to the series after what they've had to deal with this season, injuries and otherwise. Most of this team will be back next year, and there's no reason why they can't be back here again in 2010.

For New York, it's the end of a nine-year championship drought and finally, No. 27. The huge amounts of money poured into CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Teixeira delivered the desired result and finally, the billions poured into the roster in recent years produced a championship. This team will look somewhat different next year. Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, named the World Series MVP, have their contracts up after this season. But the key pieces, like Sabathia and Jeter and Rodriguez, will be back and there's no reason they can't be back here next year.

And with that, we conclude our live blogs here on Make Plays. Thanks for reading.

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Top 9
McCarver throws an interesting statistic out there. Yankees have led by four runs 204 times with Rivera in the game. They've lost once.

Stairs pinch-hits and hits a rocket to the upper deck foul. He then lines out to Jeter for the first out.
Ruiz up now with the crowd getting louder and walks. He's on base for the fourth time tonight. Definitely been the best Phillies hitter tonight.
Rollins has hit into two double plays already tonight. He's up and gives it a ride but Swisher gets it at the wall for the second out. Yankees are one out away.
Victorino up and swings at strike two as Ruiz takes second. Rivera needs one more strike...
Victorino fighting to the last strike as he fouls off a couple...
...but eventually grounds out to second to end the game and the series. Rivera mobbed at the mound as the Yankees win World Championship No. 27.

More to come in a bit.

Game Over. 7-3 Yankees. Yankees win series 4-1.
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Bot 8
A "Win It For George" sign shown on the broadcast. No sign of Mr. Steinbrenner yet, would be really interesting to see if he is here.
Feliz makes a fantastic play on a grounder by Swisher for the first out.
Gardner grounds out to second for the second out of the inning as Manuel probably makes the last Phillies pitching change of 2009, replacing Eyre with Ryan Madson.

Madson's in and is greeted with a single by Jeter. Hairston then pops out to Rollins to end the inning.

End 8. 7-3 Yankees.
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Top 8
Marte still in the game to face Howard and strikes him out on three pitches. Girardi comes out to the mound to take the ball and "Enter Sandman" starts blaring on the loudspeakers. Rivera'll need five outs to seal the series.

Final line on Marte: 0.2 innings, no runs, no hits, two strikeouts, six pitches.

Rivera comes into to face Werth with most of the stadium standing. Rivera strikes out Werth for the second out.
Ibanez up next. Apparently it's misting according to Joe Buck, who's using mist to make a metaphor about the copious amount of inclement weather during the postseason.
Ibanez bloops a double over the head of Gardner. Claps from the office while Rorabaugh cries "Why do you keep giving me hope?"
The double extends the inning for Feliz. He can't get the ball out of the infield as he pops out in foul territory to end the inning.

Mid 8. 7-3 Yankees.
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Bot 7
We're getting philosophical here in the office, with a debate about how this decade will be remembered. Unfortunately, it probably will be remembered in the annals of history by Survivor and a can of Chicken of the Sea tuna.

Park starts the inning with Teixeira as Rivera tosses the resin bag in the bullpen. Any doubt to who's pitching the last two innings?
Teixeira strikes out for the first out in the seventh.
Rodriguez up next and ducks from a pitch somewhat high and inside. Somewhat reminiscent, but not completely alike how Manny Ramirez ducked at an outside pitch that started that infamous brawl in the 2003 ALCS. Really surprised Fox hasn't shown Pedro throwing down Don Zimmer...really thought that would've been shown four times in the pregame alone.
Rodriguez hits a seeing-eye single to the left side and Manuel will make another change, bringing in Scott Eyre to face Matsui.

Matsui gets a standing ovation as he steps into the batters box accompanied by the "M-V-P" chant. Possibly his last at-bat as a Yankee? If it is, it's a strikeout in the dirt on a check swing. Two outs for Posada and he'll be intentionally walked to get to Cano.
Cano steps in as Fox does a celebrity scan. Cameras catch Jimmy Fallon, Donald Trump, Regis Philbin and Spike Lee among others.
Cano strikes out to end the inning.

End 7. 7-3 Yankees.
******************************************************

Top 7
Last half inning Rorabaugh was wondering why there was so much commotion about Francisco and how good he really was (he's been quite the eager beaver tonight). Sports Copy Desk editor Eddie Gentile replied wondering why Rorabaugh would ask a question he already knew the answer too. Rorabaugh's point is proved when Francisco strikes out to start the inning.
Ruiz hits a single to center field. Still hope in the office.
Rollins hits into a fielder's choice at second. Ruiz retired at second and Rollins safe at first with two outs.
Victorino up next as Damaso Marte warms up. Rollins steals second and Chamberlain goes 3-0 on Victorino with Utley on deck. Marte really hustling as Victorino walks, putting two on with two outs. Utley up next and he'll face Marte out of the Yankee bullpen.

Debate among sports staff right now as to who is the Series MVP. If Utley does it again, it would be hard to ignore him.
Huge at bat right now, might be the series right here. Marte strikes him out on three pitches, the third on a check swing that could've gone either way. Inning over as Philadelphia misses a big opportunity.

Mid 7. 7-3 Yankees
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Bot 6
I said losing Damon could be a big loss for the Yankees...if it is, it hasn't showed yet.

Swisher walks as Fox promos its Sunday football, including its special two-hour pregame with the troops from Afghanistan. Great idea for the troops and good timing too because their games this week aren't that great. When you're pushing Lions-Seahawks as watchable television...
Gardner strikes out for the first out.
Jeter up and Manuel to the mound. It'll be Chan Ho Park to face Jeter.

Jeter faces Park and grounds to first. Howard throws to second to retire Swisher but Jeter reaches on the fielder's choice.
Hairston comes to the plate for the second time tonight as this game has grinded to a halt. Has the feeling of a Yankees-Red Sox game right now with the pitching changes.
Rorabaugh's a little down about his Phillies, so he's reading about the latest Dallas Cowboys drama. Says it picks him right up.
Hairston flies out to right to end the inning.

End 6. 7-3 Yankees.
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Top 6
Only the sixth inning and already Buck starting to prepare the crown. Meanwhile the Yankee fans are chanting Andy Pettitte's name as they are probably starting to count down the outs. Might be a little too early.

Victorino grounds out to start the inning.
Utley works a one-out walk. He's been the best Phillies position player in the series by far.
What did I say about it being too early? Howard finally arrives in the series with a two-run home run to left field. Phils fans in the office that were once silent now cheer, followed by "We're still in this," and "What took you so long?" 7-3 Yankees.

Werth strikes out looking for the second out as Joba Chamberlain warms up.
Ibanez lines a double down the right field line with two outs. Phillies trying to rally as Girardi walks out to the mound to make the move to Chamberlain. Pettitte gets pats on the head and a standing ovation from the crowd as he leaves. Another solid postseason outing for Pettitte.

If there's been a criticism of Girardi, it's that he's had a tendency to outthink himself sometimes. He brings in Chamberlain to face Feliz, who homered off him back in Game 4. He's preparing to bring Rivera in in the eighth.
No such luck for Feliz as he grounds out to third to end the inning.

Mid 6. 7-3 Yankees.
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Bot 5
Bottom of the fifth so the game's official. With that comes our first pitching change as Chad Durbin takes over for the Phils. Final line on Martinez: 4 innings, 4 earned runs, 3 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts.

Jeter up first and just barely misses a home run. Instead lands on the warning track and hops over the wall for a ground-rule double.
Hairston has his first at-bat since entering the game. He's 2-for-8 in the postseason but he lays down a sacrifice bunt that moves Jeter over to third. One out for Teixeira as Hairston out at first.
Teixeira lines a single to right field. Jeter scores as the Yankee Stadium crowd can start to sense it. 5-1 Yankees.
Rodriguez up next and walks. Matsui coming up and Charlie Manuel is heading to the mound. This will be it for Durbin as J.A. Happ will come in.

Happ enters the game as Matsui gets a large hand at the plate. Making a strong case for World Series MVP in possibly and listening to Ken Rosenthal, probably his final game as a Yankee.
Matsui crushes a 3-1 pitch and just barely misses another home run, instead hitting a double that hops over the outfielders' heads on the rebound. Both runs score and Matsui drives in his fifth and sixth runs of the night. 7-1 Yankees.
Posada strikes out swinging for the second out of the inning.
Cano up now and strikes out to end the inning.

End 5. 7-1 Yankees.
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Top 5
Almost half way through the game. No contribution from Audrey Snyder yet. We'll keep you posted.

Francisco strikes out looking at a beautiful pitch as Copy Desk starting to get frustrated.
Ruiz up for the Phils and earns a walk. He's been the best Phils batter by far.
Finally a contribution from Snyder via text message. As a Braves fan, she's enjoying this. No slams against me so I'll take it.
Rollins grounds into a double play to end the inning.

Mid 5. 4-1 Yankees.
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Bot 4
Band Hero commercial airs again and Rorabaugh starts the debate again. Tensions are wearing thin.

Cano leads off the inning and flies out to the warning track in left. Footage of Pettitte having a heated argument with the umpire last inning airs. Microcosm of the postseason right there.
Swisher up for the Yankees. Newly re-elected Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg in attendance and behind home plate. Live shot of former mayor Rudy Guiliani can't be far behind. And there he is in a shot of Gardner in the on-deck circle. Swisher strikes out.
Gardner lines out to second to end the inning.

End 4. 4-1 Yankees.
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Top 4
Big surprise in the top of the inning as Jerry Hairston Jr. is in the game in left field. Apparently Damon got hurt running the bases the last inning. Big loss for New York...

Utley leads off the inning for Philadelphia. Joe Buck is reporting it's a pulled calf for Damon as Utley strikes out.
Howard steps up next. He's one strikeout away from setting the record for Ks in a World Series. Girardi better be careful. He's already talking about how many innings he can use Mariano Rivera tonight. Howard lines out to Cano.
Werth now up and earns a walk. Second time Werth has walked tonight.
Ibanez now up. Philadelphia needs a spark right now before the innings start becoming their enemy. Maybe a break as Posada can't handle a pitch and Werth advances to second on the passed ball and Ibanez walks. First and second with two outs for Feliz.
He works the count to 1-1. Just that Feliz didn't swing at the first pitch is a complete antithesis of his M.O.
Feliz finally swings and grounds out to first to end the inning.

Mid 4. 4-1 Yankees.
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Bot 3
Just think. In the next two days, it'll be 2010 before we see a baseball video set to "Boys of Summer" again. Getting nostalgic...

Gardner swings at the 86 mile per hour heat and strikes out
Jeter steps in and Fox addresses the Post front page and the accompanying poster as Jeter drops a single in front of Victorino
Fox is all over the place. They just went from a graphic of Jeter's postseason hits to a shot of Harry Kalas' memorial patch of the Phils' uni, followed by a shot of his blue sportscoat and white shoes hanging in the dugout. Now they're showing blimp images of the old Yankee Stadium (in the dark, with no lights on) as Damon's having another lengthy at-bat.
Damon works a walk on Pedro's 50th pitch of the night. Teixeira up next as Rich Dubee goes for the bullpen hotline in the dugout.
Teixeira gets hit on the first pitch of the at-bat. The office is calling for the hook right now as Rodriguez steps up with the bases loaded. Dubee makes a trip to the mound as J.A. Happ gets loose.
Fox shows two banners at the park, apparently the Yankees don't have a problem with signs like a Washington D.C. NFL team does.
Rodriguez steps in and strikes out looking on three pitches. Big out for Pedro.
Matsui steps in and lines a single to center field. Two runs score and Teixeira stops at second. Matsui has driven in all four runs for the Yankees. 4-1 Yankees.
Posada flies out to left to end the inning.

End 3. 4-1 Yankees
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Top 3
Just saw the Band Hero commercial with Taylor Swift. Rorabaugh (a devout Guitar Hero and Rock Band player) is completely confused, asking what's the difference between Band Hero and Guitar Hero with instruments.

Francisco grounds out to third for the first out of the inning.
Now Ruiz (or Senor Octubre or Chooch or as McCarver calls him, Rues) steps up and crushes it to left center. It hits the ledge of the wall and bounces past Gardner as Ruiz pulls into third with a triple.
Rollins up with a runner in scoring position and less than two outs. They've struggled in this situation all year, but Rollins hits a sacrifice fly to right that gets the job done and scores Ruiz. 2-1 Yankees.
Victorino flies out to right to end the inning.

Mid 3. 2-1 Yankees.
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Bot 2
It's the bottom of the second and Tim McCarver hasn't had one of his Captain Obvious moments yet. Don't worry, it's gonna happen.

Rodriguez is up first, continuing his October Redemption tour. The Phillies have stopped hitting him, instead Martinez walks him on four pitches.
Matsui's up next and he's having one of those Yankee at-bats. He works the count full on a close 2-2 pitch. Rorabaugh wants the pitch and begins to contest the call. Then he sees the replay.
Matsui cashes in, launching a pitch into the second deck in right field for a two-run homer. The Phillies' pitchers not being able to finish off hitters has hurt them in this series. 2-0 Yankees.
Yankee Stadium is buzzing as Posada is up next. For a moment, it feels like they're back across the street at a stadium that doesn't separate ultra-expensive and uber-expensive seats with a concrete moat. Posada strikes out for the first out of the inning.
Cano makes his best contact of this season but lines out to Utley.
Swisher's up next and he continues to struggle, flying out to Francisco to end the inning.

End 2. 2-0 Yankees.
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Top 2
Glad to see Fox has worked out their production issues. Another night, another abrupt return to action from commercial just before the first pitch.
Sports Copy Desk Chief Dan Rorabaugh thinks Howard's series' struggles might be linked to his playoff beard.He grounds out to first to start the inning, so he continues to struggle. But hey, Phillies' fans, at least he put the ball in play.
Werth's up next and Pettitte is looking like vintage Pettitte so far. It would be complete if he picks someone off first before the night's done. Of course, as I type this, Werth earns a walk.
Ibanez swings at the first pitch and shatters his bat, the barrel going almost as far as the ball does as he flies out to shallow right. Rorabaugh went "Blamo!" when Ibanez hit it. I think he meant the ball, but the bat proves him right.
Feliz is up next. Pettitte throws a few times to first, trying to keep Werth close. This backfires, however, when he throws in the dirt and Werth goes to second on the wild pitch. Feliz pops up to Posada to end the inning, so the wild pitch doesn't hurt him.

Mid 2. No score.
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Bot 1
Martinez steps to the mound and Fox quickly cuts to a large "Who's Your Daddy" banner. Won't be long before the chants start.
Jeter makes good contact but he lines out to Francisco for the first out.
Now it's Damon, who's had the at-bat of the series to this point. But Martinez gets him to strike out.
Since I mentioned the NY Daily News' back cover, the NY Post's back cover had a picture of Teixeira with the headline "Earn Your Stripes." For a reference point, the front cover was Pedro's head photoshopped onto a baby's body.
Teixeira doesn't help his cause by flying out to right to end the inning.

End 1. No score.
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Starting Lineups
Phillies
Jimmy Rollins - SS
Shane Victorino - CF
Chase Utley - 2B
Ryan Howard - 1B
Jayson Werth - RF
Raul Ibanez - DH
Pedro Feliz - 3B
Ben Francisco - LF
Carlos Ruiz - C

Yankees
Derek Jeter - SS
Johnny Damon - LF
Mark Teixeira - 1B
Alex Rodriguez - 3B
Hideki Matsui - DH
Jorge Posada - C
Robinson Cano - 2B
Nick Swisher - RF
Brett Gardner - CF

Top 1
Pettitte looks to be on as he gets Rollins to ground out to first to start the game.
Victorino is starting for the Phils and gets an infield single. His hand may be hurting, but his legs are still fine.
Now it's the man Yankee fans are seeing in their nightmares - Chase Utley. But if there's anyone who can neutralize him, it's Pettitte, who's made a career off of down-and-away. And sure enough he gets Utley to ground into a double play to end the inning.

Mid 1. No score.
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Hello Baseball Fans,

Icers reporter Tom Copain back again to bring you Game 6 of the World Series. You can go ahead and run for the hills or a TV with sound now.

For those who have stayed, I thank you. It should be a great game in what's already been one of the better series in a while. For the Yankees, it's the second opportunity to clinch their 27th World Championship and they have possibly their best big game pitcher on the mound tonight in Andy Pettitte. The lefthanded pride of Baton Rouge, La., is 17-9 with a 3.88 ERA in the postseason and has won both series clinchers for the Yankees this postseason.

The Phillies try to fight off elimination and hold their championship throne for at least one more night. They'll counter with Pedro Martinez, who is 0-1 but has a sparkling 2.08 ERA this postseason. In Game 2 of the World Series, Martinez pitched six strong innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out eight. It's absolutely amazing that in their long postseason histories and those epic Yankee-Red Sox playoff series, that Pettitte and Martinez will face each other for the first time in the postseason.

The Phillies are playing with desperation, but the Yankees have all the pressure heaped on them. They're leading the series, they have the chance to win it at home for the first time since 1999 and their first championship since 2000. Not to mention this will be the biggest test to date of Joe Girardi's three-man rotation experiment.

The phrase that says it all was the headline on the back page of the NY Daily News this morning. It's a picture of Girardi with the phrase "You'd Better Be Right". I'm going to go out on a limb and say if they lose tonight, there will be outright panic tomorrow morning.

Starting lineups and first pitch coming up.

It's a relatively new phase for me. Honestly I would have never thought I would be in this situation a couple of years ago when New York and the Yankees was all I knew. Maybe it's because I live in Philadelphia now and I see a lot more of the Phillies now that I became a Phillies fan too.

Pretty much everyone I know here in State College has been asking me what would happen if they met in the World Series and I kept saying I'd decide if it got to that point. I'd made up my mind I'd root for whoever got the farthest, but I dismissed the notion of the two meeting in the Series.

Then it happened. And for the first time, I was a little conflicted. My loyalties since I was a child made me lean toward the Yankees, but a part of me deep inside was wondering if the Phillies could do it, partially because this team has such a gutsy nature about it. Like the Boston teams earlier this decade...only likeable.

I've taken a lot of heat for being a Yanks and Phils fan. The only other person I've heard of in my situation is that poor sap Doyle, the other Yankees and Phillies fan, who's been ridiculed and ex-communicated in print by Philadelphia Inquirer columnist John Gonzalez.

But the biggest difference between me and him? According to Gonzalez, he told a friend "it didn't matter" who wins because he gets a victory parade either way. That's my threshold for dual fandom.

So tonight I'll watch, rooting for the Bronx Bombers to win their 27th Championship. And next April, I'll be back, rooting for both my teams to succeed.

Hate me if you want. But at least I've chosen a side.

- Tom Copain

So I stumbled across this video today on a couple of hoops blogs. It's Indiana forward Tyler Hansborough in a commercial for a local auto dealership. I must say, this is one of the finest pieces of acting I've seen in a long time.

This is like Pacino in The Godfather, this is like Orson Welles in Citizen Kane. His range and his on-screen presence captivated me from start to finish. Just the way he says "Wow!" I can almost feel the raw emotion of his surprise at what a great car it is.

I guess Psycho T had nothing better to do while he sat out nursing a shin injury. Sadly for Pacers fans, this ad will pretty much sum up his style of play and his NBA career -- boring and uneventful.

Game of the Night: Phoenix (4-0) at Orlando (3-1). Two of the best teams out of the gate clash tonight and there's a couple of matchups to keep an eye on. Steve Nash vs. Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard vs. Amare Stoudamire in particular. It'll be interesting to see how the Magic respond to dropping a game that they shouldn't have last night and it'll be even more interesting to see if this undefeated Suns team is for real.

But if for any reason this game gets a little boring or turns into a rout, maybe turn your attention to the Lakers at the Rockets tonight. Trevor Ariza and Ron Artest face their former teams and not to mention that Houston is 3-1 without Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. A scrappy team and a squad that should be fun to watch every night. Let's see how they handle the defending champs.

Enjoy the games tonight and we'll catch you back here tomorrow on the Full Court Press

- Tom Kinslow

Click here to download the mp3 file.

Oh, oh It's Magic: ...for the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons, who were without Rip Hamilton, and Tayshaun Prince, (snapping his streak of 496 consecutive games played) defeated the Magic 85-80 at the Palace last night.

The Pistons were led by Ben Gordon, Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum who finished with 23, 20 and 20 points respectively.

Dwight Howard finished with eight points, five boards, three blocks and six fouls. To say this is poor performance is an understatement. The Pistons ran with a frontcourt of Ben Wallace, Charlie Villanueva and Jonas Jerebko. Howard should have been in full on Superman Mode from the jump but was stifled somehow by the Detroit bigs.

This is why Dwight Howard has not taken the full leap to the next level yet. He disappears in games, he has no post move or a jumpshot in his arsenal and can be taken out of games with the right strategy. Howard and the Magic get the Pistons at home on Friday night, let's see how they respond.

From the Land of Three: Note to the Philadelphia 76ers. GUARD THE PERIMETER! The Sixers gave up 14, that's right, 14 three pointers to the Boston Celtics last night as new look Celtics ran Philly out of their own gym 105-74. New addition Rasheed Wallace had six of those 14 as Boston ran away with this one in the second half.

This performance comes after the Sixers gave up 16 treys to Orlando in the season opener. It's going to be a bumpy road for the Sixers and their fans to start this season (maybe the whole season). Elton Brand looks lost in Eddie Jordan's Princeton offense and they clearly can't defend the arc. This could get ugly fast. The Sixers had just two players reach double figures last night. Show me some sign of life Philly. Please?

Performance of the Night: Dirk Nowitzki - 40 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, five blocks. Not only is that stat line impressive, but 29 of those 40 came in the fourth quarter as Dallas scored 44, no that's not a misprint, 44 fourth quarter points to defeat Utah 95-86. That's what great players do, they take over games and will their teams to victory. Good night to have Dirk on your fantasy team.

Coming Soon to a Poster Near You: I figured I'd find my favorite play from the first week of the NBA season and share it with you. Here Carmelo Anthony puts Paul Millsap all over the highlight reel with this facial. Not even a hot shower will wash that shame off you.

- Tom Kinslow

I hope to get some great segments in here for all of you to enjoy. We'll talk about award chases, standings, who's hot and who's not, up-and-coming stars, fantasy sports, you name it, we'll have it. I'm hoping to start a weekly podcast with men's basketball reporter Andrew Robinson so be on the lookout for that, hopefully starting next week.

I greatly encourage all of you out there to contact me. If you click my name at the bottom of each post, it'll link you to my e-mail address and I'd love to hear from you. What you like, what you don't like, what you'd like more of, or just asking questions. I'd love to start doing mailbags answering some of your questions so don't hesitate to shoot me an e-mail.

Just so this isn't a hokey introduction, let's get this started off right with some hoops talk.
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First off, Stephon Marbury. *sigh*. Remember when he was relevant? Those were fun times. Now he's reduced to being kicked out of the Knicks home opener for sitting in the wrong seat. So as Marbury was making his not-so-graceful exit from the premises, he decided to stand up and start filming the action on the court, blocking spectators' view.

When is someone going to get Marbury some help? This summer, as Marbury had a public meltdown on his UStream channel, that culminated with him actually eating Vaseline, everyone pointed and laughed. However, at some point, something needs to be done and someone needs to get this man help before it's too late.
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Let's take a quick look at how the Allen Iverson Experiment is going in Memphis. What? He's already tired of playing off the bench? How many minutes has he played this season? 18? Sounds about right.

Iverson made his Grizzlies debut on Saturday night after battling a torn hamstring and scored 11 points on 5/9 shooting. After the game Iverson made his priorities known.

"I had no problems (with the hamstring)," Iverson said . "I had a problem with my butt from sitting on that bench so long. That's the only thing I got a problem with. Yeah, I'll be disappointed (if he's a sub this season)," Iverson said. "I'm not a reserve basketball player. I've never been a reserve all my life and I'm not going to start looking at myself as a reserve. ... To answer the question, 'No, I'm not a bench player. I'm not a sixth man. Go look at my resume and that will show you I'm not a sixth man."

I see this ending well. I just want to know what Memphis GM Chris Wallace was thinking this offseason.

"Okay, we've got an up-and-coming OJ Mayo who's our two-guard of the future, a promising Marc Gasol in the middle and a stud in Rudy Gay. You know what this team needs? Allen Iverson! He won't dominate the ball, he won't complain about his role, he's perfect!"

Combine that with the Zach Randolph acquisition and now you've got to believe that Memphis was banking on David Stern passing the "Two basketballs on the court at the same time" rule. There aren't enough shots for everyone in Memphis and there never will be, so enjoy the chaos.

Why Iverson believed he would get his shots while playing with Gay, Mayo, Gasol and Randolph is beyond me. Then again, he's naive to think he's anything other than a sixth man at this point so nothing's impossible anymore.

If Iverson truly wanted to win a championship and make the necessary sacrifices, as he said he would when he came to my Detroit Pistons, before proceeding to dismantle them last season, he would have shut up and been happy with his role on the bench (both in Detroit and now in Memphis).

But that's not Iverson, it's never been Iverson and it's why no team worth anything signed him this offseason. It's why he's stuck in Memphis, it's why he'll never win a championship and when it's all said and done, "The Answer" will look in the mirror and have none for why he walked away without a ring on his finger.
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That'll do it for today, make sure to check back tomorrow and every day as we take you around the Association.

- Tom Kinslow

Some things important and not so important:

- As a grower of facial hair myself, I was of course glad to hear an athlete won the Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year Award. Congrats to Diamondbacks pitcher Clay Zavada.

- I could say something about Tom Cable, as it would dually be funny and annoy Sports Editor Adam Clark. I'll be the gentleman though. Because I'm gentler than Cable.

- Halloween means athletes wearing fun costumes. What did I like? Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews and Adam Burish dressed in the Dumb and Dumber tuxedos. Awesome.

Video of the Week: This player on the semi-pro Las Vegas Cobras makes a pretty good tackle on the kick return. So why is this the video of the week? Because he was on the receiving team and tackled his own teammate. Maybe he's just color blind.

- Miniaci

Well that was definitely another thriller. This truly has been a great postseason and great series, as I expected. I picked the Phillies in six originally, but now I'm going to choose the Yankees in six with Chase Utley being the MVP. Pettite vs. Pedro (or Happ) is bound to be a good matchup, but I think the Yanks will win it in the end because of the energy and intensity at their palace.

However, if the Yankees lose in game six, the Phils will win it in seven. Cliff Lee will come in for relief and the Phils will win at Yankee Stadium. Game 6 is basically a must-win for New York. They can't allow Philly to come back mentally, even though they are on their way.

You have seen the last of Brad Lidge this postseason.

Enjoy Utley this series, because he is putting on one of the best playoff performances ever. Equally exciting has been Ozzie Guillen, the most entertaining coach in sports, who has been a joy to watch and listen to.

It's been fun keeping you posted on a very exciting game. Have a great night, don't forget to folllow the Nittany Lion field hockey team and enjoy the rest of the World Series.

****

Top of the Ninth

Ryan Madson is in. Good choice Charlie. Myers is getting loose in the pen just to give the Phils some insurance. Posada doubles on a deep hit off the top of the wall. Hideki Matsui pinch hits for the pitcher's spot. Godzilla comes through with a single, moving Posada to third. What now Charlie?

Jeter comes up to represent the tying run. The Phils try to console their pitcher who is clearly shaken up. Yankee fans suddenly see life and believe as their captain takes a 2-1 count. All I think about when I see him is Minka Kelly. Clearly, Jeter was thinking of her as well as the captain hits a grounder to short. The Phils turn two but give up a run.

Phillies 8, Yankees 6

The "Idiot" falls behind 0-2 and fouls a ball off a checkswing. With the possible game-ending pitch coming, Fox shows the view from the sky. Nothing but the best from Fox (still better than TBS.) Damon battles back to 2-2. Everybody in the office is having deja vu of last night. I'm still thinking about Minka Kelly.

Damon singles up the middle. Mark Teixeria, the Yankees big (well, one of their big) investments in the off-season is the tying-run. Damon stole second, but none of the Phillies cared. Madson strikes out Tex to finish the game and send the Series back to New York.

More to come...

FINAL: Phillies 8, Yankees 6

****

Bottom of the Eighth

Ruiz singles to bring up Matt Stairs, another former Royal I've seen more in blue and white than red. Stairs grounds into a double play, bringing Phillie fans to question who is about to come pitch. J-Roll steps in looking for his third hit. Madson is getting loose as Rollins grounds out to Cano.

Phils 8, Yanks 5

Top of the Eighth

And Lee is still in the game. He's a monster, sports night chief Dan Roarabaugh said. Though true, and though I'm an optimist, Charlie's gotta pull him. Even Brad Lidge can't blow this. Pul Lee and save him for game seven.

Rollins bobbles a Damon grounder and the self-identified "Idiot" is safe at first. Tex doubles, moving Damon to third. Now it's time to pull Lee because he's losing it.

A-Rod doubles to drive in both runners on a deep flyball that Ibanez dove to make but simply missed the ball. Manuel finally pulls Lee after 112 pitches.

Phils 8, Yanks 4

Lee's line score is 7 innings pitched, 7 hits, 4 earned runs, 3 walks and 3 strikeouts.

Chan Ho Park comes in with six outs to win the game. Park keeps Swisher hitless for out No. 1. Cano pops out to shallow center, but the throw was to the right of the plate, allowing A-Rod to score.

Phillies 8, Yankees 5

Chan Ho gets Gardner to pop out to short to get out of the inning. With an inning left, the question is the same it has been all postseason: Does Manuel give Lidge the ball? I say give it to Madson, but I think John Fox is a good football coach, so what do I know.

Phillies 8, Yankees 5

****

Bottom of the Seventh

For the seventh inning stretch, I just wanted to let you know about this week in field hockey. Penn State takes on No. 13 Ohio State Thursday in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament. The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes played an overtime thriller that ended in a Penn State upset 2-1, and Thursday's game is poised to be just as exciting. My partners, Audrey Snyder and Ryan Loy, and I will post a preview video by Wednesday night, so stay tuned to the Collegian's website.

Back to the World Series, Phil Coke relieves Aceves for New York. Utley jacks a long foul ball on full count. It's no wonder Mac is in love with him. He ends up hitting a homer to center to tie Reggie Jackson for World Series homeruns in a single series.

Phillies 7, Yanks 2

Ryan Howard of Dunder Mifflin is clearly trying to match his teammate, but he pulls a Howard and strikes out to tie the record for the most strikeouts in a World Series. Keep in mind for both records, this is game five.

Werth flies out to center for the second out of the game. Ibanez drives a homer to right field. The office erupts with joy. You wouldn't know they are still down 3-1 in the series with it going back to New York if they hold on.

Phils 8, Yanks 2

Phil Hughes replaces Coke. Hughes gets Feliz to strike out to stop the bleeding.

Philadelphia 8, New York 2

****

Top of the Seventh

Posada strikes out looking, making me look stupid for saying he should replace Molina. I stand by it, though, because as one of the originals from Joe Torre's empire in the 90's, Posada needs to be in for the possible Series-clincher.

Jerry Hairston Jr. in to pinch hit, but flies out to center. Two down.

Lee hits the 102 pitch mark as he tries to retire Jeter. Minka Kelly's boyfriend shatters his bat on a line drive out to Utley.

Philly 6, NY 2

****

Bottom of the Sixth

Ruiz lines out and Lee comes to bat. He stikes out, which is no surprise, but he shouldn't have been in to hit in the first place. You've got to pull him, Charlie.

Rollins hits a two-out single, and steals on a wild pitch to Victorino. Jeter makes a tough play and gets Victorino out, bringing Lee back to the mound. I'm no coach, and maybe I'm looking too far ahead, but I think this is Manuel's second mistake with Lee this series. One more inning, max, Chuck.

Philly 6, NY 2

****

Top of the Sixth

A-Rod flies out to open the inning, and it's getting near the time to ask: How long does Lee go? Let's face it, this is his last start this series. But he could come in as a reliever in a potential game seven (see Randy Johnson/Curt Schilling game 7 2001 World Series) I know the Phillie bullpen is shaky, which is why I think you pull Lee in the seventh or eighth at the latest to rest him up. That way you can use him in game 7.

Swisher hits a fly ball that looked like it had more life than it did. Cano singles for the first hit for the last five hitters of the Yankee order.

Gardner looks at all four pitches for a strike out to end the inning.

Phillies 6, Yankees 2

****

Bottom of the Fifth

Alfredo Aceves relieves Robertson and Posada takes over at catcher. Why he doesn't catch for Burnett is beyond me, but it didn't matter too much.

Posada goes to the mound two pitches into the at-bat, drawing boos from the frustrated Philly crowd. Posada does this often.

Werth hits a deep fly ball to the warning track and Gardner makes a beautiful catch jumping into the wall. Gardner is slow to get up, but he just earned a spot in the Sportscenter Top Ten.

Ibanez grounds out. Remember when he was a threat with the Phils? Me neither.

Feliz also grounds out to end the fifth.

Philly 6, NY 2

****

Top of the Fifth

"Hip hip" Jorge Posada pinch hits into a ground out. Now that Burnett's out, Girardi made the right move and took out Molina in favor of Posada.

Eric Hinske pinch-hits for Robertson and walks. Jeter singles, moving Hinske to third, and Damon grounds out but gets the RBI. Two down.

Tex flies out to end the Yankee rally before it can get interesting.

Philly 6, New York 2

****

Bottom of the Fourth

Victorino is still in the game, despite a possibly broken hand. The flyin' Hawaiian is tough, I'll give him that.

But my thoughts are with Lee. Manuel knew he was taking a gamble not starting him yesterday. Now Blanton isn't why the Phils lost, I know. But there is a mental side to baseball. When Josh Johnson pitches, some Marlins have said they expect to win. It's the same with Lee. It would've been a totally different game. Maybe he would've gone 9. Or the team would've hit better. I don't know, but I think Manuel took a gamble and lost. He may have all winter to think it over.

Victorino and Utley ground out, and Howard strikes out for a much needed quick inning for the Yankees.

Philly 6, New York 1

****

Top of the Fourth

Cliff Lee continues his masterpiece (as of the 2nd inning, he's been great) as he gets Swisher to line out.

I know they're supposed to be big and scary and they do score often, but I am not impressed with the latter half of this Yankee lineup. Jeter, Damon, Tex and A-Rod. That's all that intimidates me. The rest would struggle for time on the National ... well, the Marlins.

Cano and Gardner ground out (what a shocker) and the Phils get out of the inning.

Phillies 6, Yankees 1

****

Bottom of the Third

Burnett opens the inning with a walk to potential-MVP Chase Utley. The camera pans to Victorino who may be out of the game due to a hand injury from the first inning. Utley steals second thanks to Jeter botching the catch. Molina gunned him by a step or two but Jeter couldn't scoop it.

WIth count full, Burnett walks Howard to bring out his pitching coach with Werth coming up to bat.

Werth is swinging for the fences but whiffs to fall behind 1-2. He hits a line drive straight up the middle to drive in Utley for RBI single with Howard on first.

Phils 4, Yanks 1

Utley was booking. He is willing the Phils to victory. Tom Copain has stood and asked for the bullpen, but apparently Girardi has other ideas as he leaves Burnett in.

Bad move, Joe. Burnett gives up an RBI single to Ibanez with Werth moving to third. Girardi's seen enough as he pulls the former Marlin Burnett.

Phils 5, Yanks 1

Burnett's line score is 2 innings pitched, 4 hits, 5 earned runs, 4 walks and 2 strikeouts.

The new pitcher is David Robertson, who gets Feliz to pop out. He follows it up with a RBI single to Ruiz. Ibanez was out at second, but Lee comes up and singles to move Ruiz to second. Runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs.

Phils 6, Yanks 1

Robertson escapes the inning with Rollins looking at strike three.

Phillies 6, Yankees 1

****

Top of the Third

Jeter leads off the inning and grounds out to get the inning started. Lee has definitely settled in after the shaky first. Damon walks, so scratch what I said about Lee's rythmn. On a personal note, I remember Damon back when he played with Kansas City among the likes of Jermaine Dye and Carlos Beltran. When I returned to Kansas a few years later, I saw him get a rise out of Royals fans (a rare sight) when he showed up with the Red Sox.

Tex hits a double play ball but Utley can't turn two. Two down when A-Rod flies out to a clearly hurt Victorino to end the inning.

Philly 3, NY 1

****

Bottom of the Second

In between innings, I looked up Burnett on Wikipedia. A day after critizing the Marlins organization, he was asked to leave. To take his place, the Fish used a young prospect named Josh Johnson. Johnson has since become the ace of the Marlins, while Burnett chased money and found himself a Yankee.

Burnett falls behind to Ruiz 3-0 only to come back and strike him out. Lee ground out to first to bring up J-Roll. Burnett walks Rollins, just when it seemed like he was getting back into a rythmn. Victorino returns from getting beaned and pops out to end the inning with Rollins on first.

Philly 3, NY 1

****

Top of the Second

Gardner grounds out to first to get things started as Lee seems to be settling in. Of course, I could settle in against Gardner, Molina and Burnett. (I had a mean changeup and decent accuracy back in the day.)

Molina grounds out to third for the second out of the night. Lee strikes out Burnett to end a quick and painless inning for Philly.

Philly 3, NY 1

****

Bottom of the First

1. Jimmy Rollins, SS

2. Shane Victorino, CF

3. Chase Utley, 2B

4. Ryan Howard, 1B

5. Jayson Werth, LF

6. Raul Ibanez, RF

7. Pedro Feliz, 3B

8. Carlos Ruiz, C

9. Cliff Lee, SP

My thoughts on this lineup: very complete NL lineup. You got speed up top, power in the middle and competent hitters at the end.

Now you are in for a treat, because I am covering a game in which a former Marlins "ace" is pitching: A.J. Burnett, the lone pitcher on the IR during our 2003 run.

The former Fish gives up a single to J-Roll and beans Victorino in the hand. It scares Phillie fans to see Shane in pain as Burnett gets warned and Girardi comes to argue with the ump. Cooler heads prevail and Burnett shows Marlins fans everywhere (all 7 of us) why we don't miss him as he gives up a 3-run shot to Chase Utley.

Philly 3, New York 1

Sports copy editor Eddie Gentile notes Utley could be MVP for losing World Series team, and I must agree, he has a point. Utley has single-handidly kept the Phils in the series, which is an MVP in my book.

Tom Copain, the lone Yankee fan here tonight, concedes defeat after only three hitters.

Burnett walks Howard. Wow. People thought we needed you in 2003? Please. Even now I'd take Brad Penny, Carl Pavano, Beckett (of course) and even Dontrelle Willis (sane or not) over Burnett. He's arrogant but he rarely backs it up when it counts. He's the MLB version of Jimmy Clausen.

But I digress. Burnett strikes out Werth as Girardi stares on. Raul Ibanez almost gets a hit, but Tex robs him with a nice dive at first to get Howard at second. Two outs, Ibanez at first. Feliz grounds out to end the inning.

Philadelphia 3, New York 1

****

Top of the First

And the lineup for the Bronx Bombers:

1. Derek Jeter, SS

2. Johnny Damon, LF

3. Mark Teixeira, 1B

4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B

5. Nick Swisher, RF

6. Robinson Cano, 2B

7. Brett Gardner, CF

8. Jose Molina, C

9. A.J. Burnett, SP

My thoughts on the lineup: eh. I'm waiting to be impressed. The bottom three and Swisher are average at best. One through four is tough, but the rest is weak. I prefer Alex Gonzalez, Jeff Conine and Juan Encarnacion, the 6, 7 and 8 hitters of the 2003 World Champion Florida Marlins.

Derek Jeter gets things rolling with a groundout to Chase Utley. The Phillie faithful gives Damon their respects in Philly fasion, in honor of his baserunning and clutch hitting last night off Brad L.... well, you know.

Damon hits a blooper in center for a single, ending Lee's no-hitter before it could really begin. Tex comes in and flies out to right, bringing up last night's hero A-Rod. And right on cue, Citizen Bank Park erupts with chants that won't be typed here and endless booing. Mr. Kate Hudson drills a line drive down the line to right to score Damon from first. With his work done, Rodriguez stays at 1st.

New York 1, Philadelphia 0

Lee walks Swisher, causing Philly to remember they have a football team and making me reconsider predicting him to be the Series' MVP. I am proud to see he is proving he is no Josh Beckett, however.

Cano flies out to to left to end the inning.

New York 1, Philly 0

****

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Kurt Bopp of the field hockey and lacrosse beat here to keep you posted on game 5 of the 2009 World Series. The Yankees look to capture their 27th World Series title and first in nearly a decade, but the Phils won't go quietly. Charlie Manuel sends ace Cliff Lee to the hill (arguably one game too late) to stifle the Yanks once again and take the series back to New York.

My prediction: Phils win on 7 strong innings by Lee. When the 9th comes around, Manuel doesn't even consider the L-word and opts for Madson to close out the 5-2 victory.

Click here to download the mp3 file.

UPUA has been fortunate not to be sidetracked with too many rivalries, Keirans (senior-business management) said.

The student body president said even though he thought last night's result was disappointing, he is confident that Philadelphia can secure a win with Lee on the mound. He added that he is hoping to "push New York back" tonight.

However, Keirans does think the rest of the series will be an uphill battle due to the lack of solidity and consistency coming from the Philadelphia bullpen. He called the outlook "a little bit hazy," but is still confident his team can win big.

- Laura Nichols