Phillies could ruin must-see TV if this keeps up
T.J. SIMERS
With everyone wanting a Dodgers-Red Sox matchup, it's time for the Phillies to do their part.
PHILADELPHIA -- If this keeps up, it's going to ruin must-see TV, nobody other than the mopes who live here hanging in there for another round of "Frank TV" commercials -- if it's not the Red Sox and Dodgers.
Who wants just another World Series other than boring baseball purists, knowing now the potential high jinks that Manny, J.D., Nomar, Joe and Lowe might deliver in prime time?
It's asking for a lot, of course, the two teams who don't have the home-field advantage having to win, but then it's kind of the responsibility of the Phillies and Rays to step aside in the best interests of entertaining baseball.
A whole lot more can't really be asked of the Dodgers, our heroes only losing because the Phillies insisted on taking advantage of a Rafael Furcal rushed throw and two misplaced Derek Lowe pitches to steal a win.
"I feel badly for Lowe," Furcal said, and what about everyone who wants to watch Ramirez step into the Fenway Park batter's box one more time?
TWO MORE feet and the Dodgers take a 2-0 lead on Ramirez's home run in the first inning, but instead he hit the ball to the deepest part of the park without getting credit for a bomb, the Dodgers leading only 1-0.
"I hit it to the wrong spot," Ramirez said. "I flicked my bat away; thought it was gone."
A timely hit from Russell Martin, James Loney or Matt Kemp might have still allowed Ramirez to touch the plate, but these are still the Dodgers, champions of only the National League West and for everything to go just right, it might be a good idea to save those miracles for when they are really needed.
The Dodgers were winning, 1-0, and then a star was born, Blake DeWitt taking over and making one dazzling defensive play after another before also delivering a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Throw in a great defensive stop in left by Ramirez to give Tim McCarver something to chew on, and the Dodgers were certainly doing their part to get America excited about what they might see when the World Series begins.
"I think we played great," said Ramirez, who knows what it's like to lose playoff games and yet still come back to win it all. "Tonight is over, and now we just have to come back and do something tomorrow. We keep playing like this, and something good should happen."
