"It Got Late Early Yesterday"

I knew the game was over last night as soon as Utley hit his first dinger.

The game reminded me of the Giants-Saints game where you could see the invevitable outcome after 8 minutes.

For those of you who don't comprehend: The Saints and Giants were both undefeated when they played two weeks ago in New Orleans.

The Saints took the opening kick-off and drove the field in about 7 minutes and 3o seconds.

The Giants never stopped them on passes or running. It was like a steamroller on fresh, warm asphalt. When the Giants got the ball, down 7-0, they went three and out, thereby eating up the remaining 30 seconds of the 8 minutes I referenced earlier.

Last night, the Phillies loaded the bases in the first inning with two outs, and CC ducked a bullet, getting the third out on a ground ball to Cano. But as soon as Derek stuck out, and Johnny Damon tried to bunt his way on ( having gone 1-22 previously against Lee ) and Tex struck out, I started to get rumblings in my stomach.

By the time Utley went yard, it was clear we weren't going to do anything against Lee. And we didn't. The game was over in the third inning. Just like the Giants game was over in the first quarter.

That's the worst part; having to then endure another nearly 3 hours of futility , embarassment and failure. Knowing, with certainty, that the outcome had already been determined.

It is called torture.

The CIA uses this same technique when they order a "rendition"of a citizen. They find out if you are a Yankee fan, and make you watch last night's game in a Philly bar.

So now we turn to AJ. As inconsistent and unreliable a big money pitcher as we have ever known. Kevin Brown comes to mind. Also, Ed Whitson and the driveway we burned.

And we have the ghost of Pedro going against us. All we need is a 2 hit shut out by a former Red Sock pitcher, and we will all flash back to 2004.

So this doesn't look good. Hughes has panicked. Bruney still sucks. Robertson's balloon burst. Marte was always a bad seed of a bad trade.

What we really have is what we have had since 1996: Mariano, Derek, Jorge and Andy.

Tex is slumped. Swish has tanked. Cano swings at anything on the first pitch. A-Rod may have burned out his post season bulb.

And, well, I think the Eagles will beat the Giants on Sunday.

All we can do is drink and take sedatives.

I see another 4 run first inning from AJ.

Let's hope that there is, at least, some measure of suspense and possibility beyond the third inning.

But I do expect Andy to pitch well in game three.