I haven't forgotten my original offer, in case anyone (like, say, quakerfan) is wondering. For true fans of all things Meatheaded, looks like our guy will be heading to Texas, one way or another. Neither park will help much with his FB tendencies, but the state is a great source of big hats for the few cattle he has. And really, didn't we all know that the possibility of signing an overpriced reliever is the easiest ruse to lure Ed Wade into a dark parking lot at night to kidnap him?

And unless I missed a post by not reading carefully, there's still a chance for someone to choose the Rangers and snag some Tastykakes. But you just know he's going to be an Astro. You know it.

via www.staggeron.org

My last few playoff fill-ins on Breakfast Links were wonderful opportunities, for which I remain grateful. This morning, however, I have been passed a bitter cup: Skipper has tapped me to take one for the team on the morning after losing the World Series. Per Skip: Post some links and get out of there. Get on with the offseason while the Blog Lords get a head start cleaning out their lockers. But it breaks my heart. Just hard to watch. Just, just...Hurt.

So I tried to give the Yankees props. I'll even cop to the notion that they were the better team, and think that Matsui being the first Japanese player to win Series MVP is a great story, way better than this one, even though it came at the expense of Chase Utley.  And if you thought last night sucked for you, imagine if you were this guy. Even, to a lesser degree, this guy. 

But then I took a look at this:

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Ugh. This guy again. via nymag.com

Yankees win. Yankees win. Duuuuh Yankees win. Oh, and the Angels just crumbled in the 8th inning when they erred on consecutive sacrifice bunt plays. This leaves the Halos to rue what might have been. 

Now that the matchup is official, let's review the neighborly animosity between the two cities. This kind of stuff is just going to get ridiculous for the next three days. The official border is the State Barbershop in Trenton. Look for a Regis and Katie standup on your morning TV this week.

If you're contrarian about your pre-Series hype, here's a nice piece in the Hardball Times about the worst World Series games ever. How did this one not make the list?

20 things to ponder about the Yankees. Jimmy Rollins once again demonstrates his eerie powers of prognostication when it comes to baseball and New York. And--better sleep tonight alert!--now we know why Joe Girardi wears #27. 

After Lee, Phillies rotation unsettled. Perhaps next year we'll have four off-days between each World Series game to make this pre-series chatter go away.

 

Lee is 4-4 with a 5.02 ERA in nine career starts against the Yankees, but is 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA in his past three against them. That included a 10-2 victory over New York in the opening of the new Yankee Stadium on April 16, when Lee still pitched for the Cleveland Indians.

SEPTA workers authorize city strike. The city will appeal to MLB umpires, who could rule the strike a ball, especially given that A-Rod is going to be at the plate. TWU 234 may walk out right before the World Series starts. How fun would another parade be without buses, subways and trolleys? Ah, SEPTA. We're getting there.

Ibanez may need off-season surgery. And Utley says he's not hurt. And wait, there's a Carlos Ruiz chest protector backpack? Gotta get me one of them there.

Scoscia wants schedule tightened. Too bad this critique will probably go nowhere and be criticized as sour grapes. He's right, you know that?

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There's too much out there, and I have a head cold that makes sleeping a bit of a challenge. So for your Saturday linkin' pleasure, here's an extra edition of links. It's open linky season, so add your own to comments, as ever.

ALCS Game 6 critical for Yankees' World Series Rotation.The Yankees win the pennant! The Yankees win the pennant! whoops. that may be premature. If the Angels don't stop them tonight, maybe the weather will. 

Martinez could make early appearance in the Series. Perhaps Charlie has no fear of pitching him in NYC.

Myers may not be finished yet. Perhaps not such good news for you Bastardo fans out there. At least we've potentially got the guy most likely to throw a sawed-off bat at a Yankee.

Phillies Lee: I'm capable of pitching on three days' rest. Superman: I'm capable of changing quickly in a telephone booth.

Park on top of the world in his first Series. Reflecting on it, it's been quite a journey for Han Cho. Happy for him.

Tickets may cost more in Philadelphia than New York. Assuming...of course. But they'll cost ya.

Werth, Win and Fire. Yet another pun on Werth's name. This is partially written for Orioles fans so they can say, "How'd we miss on that guy?" Remember those article days, Phillies fans?

Letters: can we wait until next year for the Dodgers? Out come the long knives in L.A.

Phils' Lovin' fans party hard in Mayfair. Like there's another way to party in Mayfair. Sheesh.

Phillies' miracles and superstitions. I once worshipped at the site of a hamburger that looked like Matt Stairs. If you think that's kooky, there's a woman who hasn't listened to sports radio since Harry Kalas died.

Speaking of radio, Scott Franzke is livin' the dream. He is from Dallas, though...

Goatees were on the line. As FOX and TBS carry the baseball playoffs, here's what the old-school network employees were up to. And speaking of networks and ratings, perhaps a Yankees-Phils series isn't so bad after all. L.A. a ratings dud zone.

Wild affair goes Halos' way to send ALCS back to Bronx

No matter who you may be rooting for in the ALCS (and let's face it, after yesterday's bloviating, how cool would it be if the Angels ultimately beat the Yankees), you have to want the winner to be completely spent. Games like last night only help the cause. But they do give an indication of how chippy things will get around the strike zone. 

It was quite a seventh inning. Last night the Halos had what we were having in the 9th inning of game 4. 

Rocko the Drunken Mummer Postgame Interview. If you're an Inquirer subscriber, Rocko Rounbehler of Port Richmond also got a huge color photo of himself on the front page wraparound. But he and his distinctive patois are way better live.

So you like that, huh? Wait, there's more. Jackass: The Phillies Fan

Stay classy, Phillies fans. NBC-10 reporter Claudia Rivera did not go to on-the-scene live reporter school for this! 

After all, What's Not to Like about the Phillies? I put this one up in the comments thread yesterday, but it bears repeating. And another I posted--although the premise is, well, questionable, this quote of the day is the best haymaker I've seen thrown toward Yankeedom. 

"Martinez tried to deflect questions about facing his former rival while dodging champagne sprays and beer showers in the postgame celebration Wednesday, but couldn’t resist when a reporter said, “Pedro, you have a long history with the Yankees.” He stopped, leaned in and said, “No, the Yankees have a long history with me.”"

  Afternoon update: Lee, Sabathia swapping texts. Ah, the truncated erudition that correspondence must be. C.C.: UR TEAM SUX  Cliff: U R DED 2 ME. Plus, Notes from

Why, oh why, did the Phillies win? Poor Joe Sheehan picks through the detrius over at Prospectus. Apparently Charlie Manuel managed...better!

More, always more, below --and as we've been doing this week, feel free to linky link in with your own in the comments. 

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It was about the 4th inning last night when Whole Camels went to the bullpen and once again waved to the righthander to do the next three weekdays' worth of Breakfast Links. And of course I was so wired that I was up until 2 a.m. Bottom lines: Add linkys where you may; I'll just get the party started.

via media.philly.com

Back for Seconds: Phillies in Fall Classic. Todd Zolecki tells you everything you need to know in the lede, and makes me suspect that he either checks out our game threads, or that maybe Jayson Werth just has a fondness for beer and cigars.

Jayson Werth held a cigar in one hand and a beer in the other as he soaked in the champagne that had been poured on him and the atmosphere that had surrounded him as the Phillies celebrated their second consecutive trip to the World Series on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park. 

They're nothing quite like last night, but the booth calls of the clinching out are also on this page. Andy Martino's game story is here.

Lots of interesting NLCS records. Perhaps like me, you heard so much about Ryan Howard's consecutive RBI streak, but did you know about Chase Utley's? And here I thought Chooch was a postseason OBP monster.

Don't miss some great pictures of Werth here--the look-in to the dugout shot after his 3-run HR and Pedro Martinez pouring champagne in his mouth are two of my faves (don't worry jonk, neither one is the best Werth picture ever).

Phillies fans celebrate a night of good karma. Just in case you're out of town and were wondering how ugly and angry things got after the pennant clinch. Turns out: Not so much.

Bill Lyon: Savoring a night of triumph. He's right. This comes along like, well, never. Jayson Stark gives the context.

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I'm still confused whether the keys (or off-keys) to yesterday's strange game was Hamels' pitching, Manuel's bullpen maneuvers, the Phillies' double-play-itis, or some poor fielding decisions. Then I took a peek at the Denver Post, and apparently it had to do with either Jason Giambi's bp chatter or Tracy's lineup maneuvers. Or possibly True Grit. And you can't mention gritty without trying to solve the Utley problem. It was a bad day, but was it terrible? Victorino's ball in the 9th was just a few feet from tying the game. Ah, screw it. Let's just blame it on our rude fans.

Speaking of confused, who's going to start the next two (or three, if necessary) games for the Phillies? Charlie says we'll sort it all out on the plane flight to Denver for pivotal game 3. As Scott Lauber notes:

 

How much is at stake in Game 3?

Consider this: Since wild-card play started in 1995, 11 best-of-five NL Division Series have been tied after two games. The winner of Game 3 has won nine of those series. Only the 2002 Giants and the 2004 Astros lost a tie-breaking Game 3 in an NL divisional series and still advanced, both times by beating the Braves.

 

As birth stories go, this has to be one of the more unusual ones. Congratulations Heidi and Cole Hamels on the (pending) birth of your baby boy. (Note to Cole: As a father of two current t-ballers, it takes a lot of effort to get to this level.)

After two midweek playoff starts with predictably low ratings, the Phillies go to Colorado. If you want to look at how the other half is blogging, this along with Purple Row are good places to start. If you're keeping score, three out of the last four postseason games the Phillies have played have featured some pretty wild weather. But this is ridiculous. And if this is the way a sport treats its reigning champion, maybe second prize ain't so bad. Boy, you have a hand in one lowest-rated World Series ever, and it's like the boss takes it personally. 

Aww, might as well jump...

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Fresh off my surprise last-minute addition to TGP's Playoff Breakfast link roster (gosh, thanks Skipper!), I must pause to marvel at and congratulate the Minnesota Twins on their remarkable hunt-down of the Detroit Tigers. I'm sorry I missed this game, but local coverage is worth a look. Did it remind you of another 1-game playoff? If only to spite this MLB/TBS/FOX evil empire, I'll be rooting for them to smite the Yankees. And this nerd-ready, endearing-yet-cliche-ridden William Rhoden piece with Joe Girardi is not going to change my mind, no matter how much it made me giggle thinking about this.

via www.fangraphs.com

More linky-linkys below.

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