the kwok talk forums

Go Cards! (who have been in a very alarming super slump lately)

I’m still bummed we got swept, but definitely a bit more stunned that the Red Sox got swept.

I can't believe the Phillies are in the series again. This team just never lets me down. They've had come form behind wins against two of the best closers in the NL. This whole playoff run has been incredible. It'll be a tough road against the AL, but I really think they have a shot at repeating.

You know what? I really think you guys have a great chance to win this year. The Phillies have both really solid pitching and hitting that’s definitely still hot right now. Just curious whether the break will cool that off. I pretty much had you guys playing the Yankees, but honestly, the longer this Angels/Yankees series went, the more skeptical I was in the Yankees. I think you guys can definitely take out the Angels, but I think the WS will be more evenly matched vs. the Yankees.

I live in NYC, surrounded by Mets and Yankee fans. I've been following the Phillies my whole life, but up until 2006, the Phillies weren't even on the radar here. Now they're the Mets number one rival and trying to repeat against the New York Yankees. It's pretty wild.

Both teams have killer lineups. I think that'll be a toss up. As for starting pitching, C.C. has been on fire. The Phils faired well against him in the 07 playoffs, but he seems like a new pitcher here. Then again so does Cliff Lee. This could be another toss up. The Phillies bullpen has done decent in the playoffs, but during the season it was awful. The Yankees bullpen is disgustingly good. So if the Yankees get early leads, we're in trouble.

I think it'll be important for the Phillies to run all over Posada. He doesn't throw like he used to and the Phillies have to take advantage of that. Walks will also be a major factor, since both lineups and ballparks are prone to the homerun.

Good point about the downtime. That could really cool off the Phillies bats.

The Yankees should be the favorite in this series. Despite that, I'm going Phillies in 6.

Yeah, you never know how that’s gonna play out, but I don’t think it will be that detrimental. I always kind of forget how stacked the Phillies line-up is too. I kind of like this mini-Indians cast-off matchup of Cliff Lee vs. CC. Cleveland must really be kicking themselves now.

I wouldn’t mind seeing the Phillies win back to back, but I think I’m pulling more for the Yankees. Not necessarily b/c I like them that much, but more so just because I’m not a Red Sox fan and I’d like for the Yankees to finally be able to quiet them up for a bit.

And behold your 2009 WS champion Yankees!

I was listening to the post-game discussion on Mike & Mike and Buster Olney started to elaborate on how the current economics of the game are most likely going to result in smaller market teams beginning to shed tons of pretty good players in the next few months in order to avoid paying arbitration money. And because of that, the big teams that are always willing to shell out to the cash are going to be able to start stockpiling some pretty nice gems, furthering the division between the big and small market teams. It could be an interesting off-season.

The playoffs also seemed to hone in the perceived need for instant replay. I think I’m in favor of instant replay, but I’m not quite sure where to draw the line as to what IR should cover. I don’t think it’d be beneficial for the minutia of monitoring balls/strikes, but possibly at close plays at home.