CalvinBall wrote:Howard just came on and said it is canceled

Official word to come at 2

Bucky wrote:

CalvinBall wrote:Howard just came on and said it is canceled

Official word to come at 2

ryan?

Bucky wrote:

CalvinBall wrote:Howard just came on and said it is canceled

Official word to come at 2

ryan?

Jim (WI): If the game stopped in the 5th the Philly fans would be crying that Hamels only got to pitch 5 innings and that gives the Rays an advantage.

SportsNation Rob Neyer: (12:34 PM ET ) Perhaps. Understandably, Phillies fans would have found something to complain about. After all, they were so, so *close*.

cartersDad26 wrote:i am fine with this - momentum gone anyway - might as well play under actual baseball conditions.
DO NOT want Myers starting the 7th - he is guaranteed to give up 1-2 runs. madson and lidge only plz.

my cousin mose wrote:

Warszawa wrote:

my cousin mose wrote:Am I the only one concerned with Ryan Madson, or another reliever for that matter, potentially 'starting' this game? If so, why shouldn't I be? I realize technically it's the middle of the game, but in effect, it would be like any other normal start as far as nerves, preparation, etc. If half of what I've been told my entire baseball watching life about pitchers needing to be on a routine, etc, is true; then isn't 'starting' a reliever a terrible idea? Why not Happ? I realize you normally wouldn't want James Anthony Happ 'starting' a World Series game, but wouldn't be a more ideal choice than 'starting' a Madson or (god forbid) Durbin; OR burning thru a Myers or Blanton or Moyer?

I'm getting vaclempt, talk amongst yourselves

Maybe the Rays should go with Edwin Jackson?

If they didn't have David Price, who they've been grooming as a starter anyhow, I wouldn't be suprised if they did. While I've been taking the mentality that the Phils need to approach these final innings like Game 7 (b/c I want absolutely no part of this series if it goes back to Tampa. I'll take it to philaphans in just a second); Tampa obviously faces elimination if they lose. I think we need to be prepared to pull out all the stops

Do we have a Jesse Spano graemlin with "I'M SO SCARED!"?

Warszawa wrote:How would you rate Price's composure? Or the entire Rays bullpen's composure for that matter. It will be fairly insane there Wednesday night.

FTN wrote:Weather.com says rain and snow tomorrow, high 48 low 32

stevemc wrote:

FTN wrote:Weather.com says rain and snow tomorrow, high 48 low 32

not anywhere near game time (at least if you're reporting for Philadelphia and not someplace like Utica).

So why play the top of the sixth? Selig, Tschida and Tim Welke all praised the Phillies’ grounds crew for their management of the field up to that point, and apparently everyone involved believed that they could keep the field in playable conditions. However, doing so for the bottom of the fifth and the top of the sixth entailed delaying the game twice while they worked on the field, and when the Phillies didn’t oblige in the sixth, the way the Rays had in the fifth, with a pitching change, the field conditions became a joke. There was standing water throughout the infield. There was a sty around second base. The pitchers’ mound and the batters’ boxes were playable, which as Tschida and Welke pointed out, is the standard they use, but that standard failed last night. The top of the sixth inning never, ever should have been played as long as Selig was aware that not playing it was not going to result in a rain-shortened decision.

When the Rays scored, that allowed Selig to avoid invoking the best-interests clause. Unfortunately, it creates the impression that Selig wanted just that outcome, and allowed the game to continue just long enough to take him off the hook. That may be unfair, but there’s no way to avoid that impression.

Starting the game was the right idea, as the forecast for the evening was for light rain, up to a quarter-inch, but nothing that would force a postponement. Selig’s position that a World Series game must go the distance is also correct, and frankly, one I admire. The problem is simply the sixth inning, where Cole Hamels was asked to pitch in a storm, in which the Phillies were asked to defend in one, and where the game changed, perhaps irreparably, when there was no chance it would be completed that evening. You can argue that both teams played in the same conditions. On the game-tying hit by Pena, the field conditions affected both Pat Burrell, who couldn’t charge the ball, and B.J. Upton, who rounded third like he was feeling for the mines. Tschida made the case that the situation was fair to all: "It turns out we have pretty identical line scores at the end of the day, and it didn’t seem worse for one team or the other. What’s fair is fair."

That is where things fall apart. Tschida is absolutely wrong about this. What happened last night was completely unfair to the Phillies. The line scores are not identical. The Rays have six numbers next to their name, the Phillies five. The Phillies had to pitch and play defense in the worst of the weather, and the Rays didn’t. That aspect of last night, the timing of the decision to call the game in the context of what Selig said afterwards, is the big mistake.

As I mentioned yesterday, in the limited time I’ve been around him, I’ve grown to like Charlie Manuel, who’s just a good guy who likes his job, loves baseball, and is open and accountable. Last night, Manuel would not speak to the media at all. That, as much as anything else, tells me that last night’s decision was a mistake. If Manuel didn’t want to address it, couldn’t bring himself to talk about the decision with the media, his silence speaks volumes.

The decision to play the top of the sixth was the worst we’ve seen in a long time, and whether you choose to blame Tschida or Selig, the truth is that both are at fault. Their optimism about the field conditions and their faith in the Phillies’ grounds crew is noble, but misplaced. The timing of their decision favored one participant over the other, and was an advantage that, in retrospect, did not need to be conferred.