Speaking of umpires, umpires need to enforce the rules rather than either making them up ("No, that's only a strike when the count is 3-0"), inventing them ("Ah, that's the 'neighborhood play' as found in section...um, section...well it's the 'neighborhood play'"), ignoring them ("You have 20 seconds to throw the pitch, Betancourt, and you're now at 18...19...19.5...19.9...19.92...Seriously, throw it soon, ok?"), not noticing them ("No, he's not out unless he's tagged while not on the base. He was? Right in front of me? You don't say!"), or randomly channeling Shakespeare ("Ah, but Mauer, you see: Fair is foul...").

And while we're asking the umpires to enforce the rules, could we make a few of the rules better? Some changes I'd like to see...

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More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

Tim Lincecum takes a quick puff while wondering why the on deck circle is walking towards him. If you think Lincecum's glove is levitating up to the baseball, you might be on something too.

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Several assorted items this fine day...Join me after the jump (it's to conclusions -- what a fun ride!) as we talk about many different topics, some of real substance. And I mean that quite literally.

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Or maybe it's minor tweaks that you'll barely notice, I'm not sure. Who has time to read these memos carefully?

Scheduled for Tuesday (though as with the cable guy, it could be anytime between 1:00pm-5:00pm and may not in fact show up on Tuesday), AN will undergo what is called a "visual refresh." Presumably it's not much.

However, I'm going to reserve judgment, having endured euphemisms too many times before -- such as my dentist saying, "This may pinch a little" (Translation: "You may hit the ceiling when I hit this nerve") and my principal explaining that the new student "Can be fidgety" (Translation: "Hide your breakables, and don't plan on getting any teaching done while he's in the room").

Not that you should rely on me for sophisticated technological information. Having mastered the On/Off button only last year, I just recently discovered that there's a function -- it's actually a single key on the typing-board thing -- that if you keep it pressed down you can type all the same letters, only they show up capitalized. I know!!!

But my understanding, such that I can have any when it comes to the technological side of life, is that while AN will look "pretty much the same, just not identical" following this visual refresh, among other purposes this is the first step in a project to speed up load time (woo hoo!).

I also wanted to let readers know that I have a series of fun and different features planned for the off-season -- I'll wait until the World Series is over to announce them next weekend -- so I hope folks won't take off directly into hibernation, as I plan for this off-season to be especially filled with new features ranging from "entertaining" to "instructive" to "well that's different!" Stay tuned...

Baseball never fails to astound me, and that includes some of the choices that made in an apparent effort to win. Despite Pedro Feliz' heroic efforts to keep tying the game -- first with a single to make it 2-2 off Sabathia, and then with a dramatic HR to re-tie the game 4-4 with 2 out in the 8th off Joba Chamberlain -- the Phillies seemed determined to put their worst foot forward.

From the beginning, when a game that should have, IMO, been started by Cliff Lee, went instead to Joe Blanton, ensuring that Lee will not pitch thrice in the series -- the only way I foresaw Philly pulling off an upset. Blanton pitched a lot better than the numbers suggest, as he was nickel and dimed to death in the 5th by a well-placed chopper, a seeing eye single, and a flair to right field hit so weakly it hit 3 pigeons and 2 of them didn't even notice.

But Lee should have gotten the call, and on a night when the Phillies' offense had 4 runs in them they might have prevailed behind their ace.

And then there's Brad Lidge, throwing his second best pitch, the fastball, to Alex Rodriguez in the season's most crucial moment to date. Not just a fastball, mind you, a fastball right down the middle with the count 0-1. But the location was probably just an execution mistake. Getting beaten with your second best pitch is what drives managers crazy -- assuming they're not busy messing things up from the beginning themselves.

Maybe Lidge was afraid to bounce a slider with Johnny Damon at 3B. Here's a solution: Cover 3B like you're supposed to and a steal of 2B won't end with the runner at 3B. Here's another solution: Bounce the slider if that's what can get the hitter out. It's the catcher's job to block it.

So now the Yankees are one win away from completing their purchase of a World Series title. Pathetic.

4-3 Spoiled Rich Kids going to the bottom of the 8th. Release the gnats! Joba's coming in...

More photos » by Jeff Chiu - AP

"Now it seems so obvious -- I could have had a V-8."

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First of all, when Joe Blanton is your #4 starter you have a very good rotation. And when your ace can pitch on 3-days rest without missing a beat, you have a very good chance of winning the World Series. Such is the stage tonight: Blanton vs. Sabathia, with the Yankees leading the series 2 games to 1, Cliff Lee lined up to pitch Game 5 tomorrow, and tonight's game every bit a "must win" for the Phillies despite the unfavorable matchup.

In 4 career starts against the Yankees, Blanton is 0-3, 8.18 ERA over 22 IP. Interestingly, in those 22 IP Blanton has only allowed 22 hits but has walked 12, which probably speaks to how Blanton pitches differently (i.e., more carefully) to lineups of the Yankees' caliber. We'll see how aggressive Blanton is in the strike zone tonight facing the likes of Teixeira, A-Rod, and The Holy One.

First pitch is scheduled for 5:20PST. Tim McCarver's and Joe Buck's world should make sense again this evening, as it will be November for fans all across the country. Could someone please fire them, kthxbye!

...start Cliff Lee in Game 4. Charlie Manuel has announced that Joe Blanton will pitch Game 4, rather than have Lee pitch on 3-days rest for the first time in his career, and then be set to pitch in Game 7. Game 7 is not going to be a problem the way Manuel is playing it.

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More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

"If you're gonna hang curves, heck I can do that."

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Terrible pitch selection and worse execution have sent Cole Hamels to the showers trailing 5-3 in the top of the 5th.

Happy Hallowe'en, everyone! If there was ever any doubt, there is now conclusive proof that I am a pane in the ass.

Tonight, Andy Pettitte goes up against Cole Hamels as the series shifts over to the City of Brotherly Love likely rain. Hopefully, they can get Game 3 in tonight without difficulty. Even if it's raining pretty hard, though, Derek Jeter should have little difficulty as he can always just walk on water. First pitch is scheduled for 4:57PDT. Enjoy daylight savings time while you can!

UPDATE, 5:15pm PDT: The game is in a rain delay with the score Cloudburst 1, National Anthem 0 in the 0th inning. The weather forecast calls for decreasing showers starting within the hour, so it appears likely they will get the game in, in its entirety, tonight, just not yet...

UPDATE, 6:00pm PDT: First pitch is estimated to be at 6:15pm PDT. It's an exciting moment because Derek Jeter will be in the batter's box, existing.

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

Trainer Gene Mohahan tries to figure out exactly how it is that Derek Jeter can walk on water.

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Final Score: Rich Team That Buys Victories 5, Angels 2.

There were times when it seemed nothing could slow down an Angels team brought together by the death of Nick Adenhart in a season that had already begun with John Lackey, Ervin Santana, and Kelvim Escobar on the DL. Joe Saunders would pitch through pain, Scot Shields would be lost for the season, and Vlad the Impaler would look more and more each day like Vlad the Former Impaler.

No matter. The Angels just kept winning. And winning. And winning. Then they got to the ALCS and forgot how to play baseball. Mike Scioscia, widely considered to be one of baseball's best managers, would make several puzzling moves, including today's choices of sticking with Joe Saunders through thin and thin -- Saunders wobbled through every inning and never came close to getting it together -- and trying Scott "Let me try 25 pitches this inning and see if a few of them are good" Kazmir in a 3-2 game, while Jered Weaver -- he of precisely the breaking stuff the Yankees couldn't handle all series -- sat, and sat, and sat.

Not how I would have played it, but then again I would have caught Matsui's pop up, I would have taken the out at first on Melky Cabrera's ground ball, I would have thrown a bunt nearer to a base than to the malt vendor.

BREAKING NEWS!!!! Derek Jeter has just sneezed. Fox will have the full story right after Tim McCarver says something inane. So that would be right now. Good effing grief, people.

Bye bye, Angels. Go Phillies!