A lot has happened in Philadelphia sports since my personal laptop died in its sleep before game six of the World Series. The Phillies fizzled out and lost to the Yankees team in a poorly played series by both teams.

And speaking of fizzling out, the Eagles’ rash of injuries finally caught up to them as they finished the 2009 season in the most embarrassing fashion possible—getting blown out by the hated Dallas Cowboys in two consecutive weeks (the first of which, 24-0, I witnessed in person), the second of which eliminated them from the playoffs.

The Phillies

Let’s take this look back chronologically and start with the Phillies’ inevitable failure in the World Series. I say inevitable because they just didn’t play good baseball that week. Neither did the Yankees, frankly; but in all of the little strategic decisions and details that are part of a game, the Yankees were simply better. Their brain cramps in game four, both on the field and in the dugout, are perfect examples of why the Phillies just weren’t up to snuff in that series.

Hardly resting on their laurels, a few short months later the Phillies made what is probably the largest blockbuster trade in franchise history. Remember how great it felt to have Steve Carlton take the mound every fourth day? Well, get ready to feel that sensation again, only every fifth day, when Roy Halladay takes the field for the Phillies in 2010. Ruben Amaro wound up trading away almost everyone the Blue Jays were demanding when the Phillies tried to get Halladay back in July, but this time they restocked the cupboard with prospects from the Mariners when they dealt Cliff Lee to Seattle in a separate trade.

It’s almost hard to fathom how good the Phillies would be this season with Halladay and Lee in the rotation together. Throw in a rejuvenated Cole Hamels and the rest of the National League would have been in serious trouble. That didn’t happen for three reasons: 1) Cliff Lee was owed $9 million in 2010, as is the untradable Jamie Moyer, and the Phillies were already at their budget limit; 2) Getting Halladay seriously depleted the farm system, so they had to get something in return to make sure they could compete for many years in the future, not just 2010; 3) Amaro is counting on Hamels finding his old form and essentially filling the role of Lee in the No. 2 spot in the rotation.

While having Halladay and Lee together was a wonderful, brief fantasy for both fans and the Phillies brass no doubt, it just wasn’t practical, and it’s hard to argue with their decision to think about the future. They made the current team better for the next four years (if you think Lee was good, wait until Halladay marches through the NL like Sherman marched to the sea), and they made sure they still have talent left in the system to keep them competitive when Halladay and the rest of the core players start approaching the twilight of their careers.

Don’t forget their other significant move: bringing Placido Polanco back to town to play third base, a signing not without irony since it was Polanco’s distaste for playing third which led to his trade to Detroit when Chase Utley took over as the Phillies’ everyday second baseman back in 2005. He is a significant downgrade from Pedro Feliz defensively, but an equally significant upgrade at the plate. Forget all those bad at-bats from Feliz and pencil Polanco into the 2-spot.

I’ll post a more thorough preview of the 2010 club in a few days.

The Eagles

Oh, where to begin?

As I pointed out to my many Cowboy-fan friends, the Cowboys were the healthiest team in the NFL and finished the regular season 11-5, while the Eagles were the most-injured team in the league and also finished 11-5 against basically the same schedule as the Cowboys. What does that tell you? Maybe it’s just a way for me to rationalize the beatdown they took from Dallas in those final two games, but I actually believe there is something to this.

The Eagles lost so many key starters to injury, starting in training camp with middle linebacker Stewart Bradley for the whole season and half the offensive line for various stretches, and on into the season with a secondary riddled by so many injuries Sean McDermott fielded a squad of third-stringers and guys they picked up off the street. Don’t forget Brian Westbrook’s concussions (he’s kind of an important player). When Jamal Jackson blew out his knee in game 15, that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.

My theory was somewhat justified when the Cowboys had their asses kicked by the Vikings the following week, proving that Dallas really wasn’t that good either.

The point is, the Eagles getting to 11-5 and a wild card berth was probably a minor miracle in football terms. In a lot of ways,  2009 may have been Andy Reid’s best job as head coach. There’s a lot of speculation about the future of certain players, most of which I feel is overblown (McNabb isn’t going anywhere, though Westbrook may have played his last game with the team). If the Eagles stay healthy next season, and Reid’s offensive line plan actually works out the way he originally planned in 2009, look out in 2010. This team has the potential to be very very good.

Look for more thoughts from me on the 2010 Eagles around NFL draft time in April. For now, with spring training underway to fill the horrible sports void between football and baseball season, expect a full slate of Phillies coverage now that I’m up and running again.

Yankee manager Joe Girardi’s three-man rotation may prove to be his downfall, and the Phillies finally seemed to overcome his childish stall tactics last night, but he’s still out-managing Charlie Manuel in the games. Or rather, Manuel is out-managing Manuel and handing the Yankees free runs with curious decisions like pulling Shane Victorino from the game in the top of the eighth for Ben Francisco instead of having Francisco replace Raul Ibanez.

With a six-run lead, does it matter if Victorino can’t throw very well from his finger injury in the first inning? If it was that bad, what was he doing in there from innings two through seven? And if it only became an issue to start the eighth, why not move Victorino to left field where throwing doesn’t matter as much? After all, you’re trying to collect six outs the old-fashioned way if possible. Either Francisco or Victorino could have camped under that ball Ibanez dove for and missed, and it cost the Phillies two runs.

It was almost Black Friday all over again.

Fortunately, Chase Utley is absolutely on fire. His two home runs not only tied Reggie Jackson’s single World Series record, they provided the spark and the cushion the Phillies needed to stay alive on a night when Cliff Lee gutted out a tough seven-plus innings in which he did not have his best stuff.

So the Phillies live to fight another day, and they’ve more than a puncher’s chance of seeing game seven. The Yankees send Old Man Pettite to the hill on three days’ rest and the Phils counter with Old Man Martinez on normal rest. Believe it or not, I think game six could hinge on the home plate umpire. A consistently liberal strike zone could mean a pitcher’s duel; a tight strike zone could spell Pettite’s doom. But if the ump feels pressure from the Yankee Stadium crowd and gives Pettite more slack than Martinez, he’ll hang the Phillies with it.

While a 2-0 series lead would have been exceptional, the Phillies accomplished their goal of winning at least one of the first two games at Yankee Stadium to rip home field advantage away from the Yankees.

Apologies for the delayed posts to open the World Series, but I’ve had the whip cracked on me at work while struggling to whip a three-week old cold to boot. When you feel like hell during what little free time is available, spending it in front a computer again ain’t the path I take.

Anyway, what else can I write about Cliff Lee’s game one masterpiece that hasn’t already been written? The whole night it looked like the Yankees had no idea what pitch was coming next. They flailed hopelessly at everything he threw at them. Derek Jeter had a couple of good at-bats, but that was it.

It was a similar situation on the other side for the first seven innings, though the Phillies got a few more people on base against CC Sabathia, and the really good at-bats Chase Utley put together had a more historic result than Jeter’s. They made Sabathia throw a lot of pitches and feasted on a parade of middle relievers once he was out of the game to tack on runs and make a Yankee comeback unattainable.

Game two last night was the polar opposite of game one. This time it was A.J. Burnett with the masterful performance and Pedro Martinez with the good-but-not-quite-good-enough game.

Charlie Manuel is catching a lot of heat for not sending the runners when Chase Utley grounded into what wasn’t really a double play, but that’s after-the-fact managing on what was essentially a coin flip decision at the time. The good news is the Phillies made Mariano Rivera work hard for that two-inning save and proved to themselves they can get to him.

So far what we’ve seen in this World Series is just how evenly matched these two teams are on any given night, and why a lot of people’s predictions of a seven game series just might prove correct.

Starting with Cole Hamels tomorrow night, the Phillies can make sure they have the advantage if this series should head back to New York by winning at least two of the next three at home. The Yankees have been perplexed by the change-up all series, and Hamels has the best one on the team when it’s working. Let’s hope the rest did his fastball some good.

Now that the Yankees finally finished off the Angels, we’ll find out if beating the almighty men in navy pinstripes is the only way this Phillies ball club will get some respect as a great team. If they do, they could go down as one of the best National League teams in 50 years (and even better than that depending on how they perform in the next couple of seasons).

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, because the Phillies definitely won’t. The task at hand is back-to-back world championships, and their opponent this year is certainly more formidable. But could they actually match up better against the Yankees than the Rays?

As unlikely as that may seem, the answer is yes.

Catcher
The regular season stats may not show it, and he may not have his own Sportscenter commercial, but the Phillies actually have a better catcher than the Yankees. For the second straight season, Carlos Ruiz has swung a hot bat in the postseason, while his work behind the plate remains exemplary. Defensively and as a signal-caller, he’s head-and-shoulders above Jorge Posada, who won’t even start every game in the series because he can’t get along with starter A.J. Burnett. Edge: Phillies

First Base
This is easily the most evenly matched position in the series. Ryan Howard’s defense is vastly improved from a year ago, but he still isn’t fit to spit shine Mark Teixeira’s Gold Gloves. On the other hand, he has more power than Teixeira and has driven in more runs this postseason than anyone except Alex Rodriguez. Teixeira is a better overall hitter, except for the postseason, when he has absolutely wilted, even while hitting in front of A-Rod. If Teixeira’s bat wakes up, he get’s the edge; if not, Howard does because he can change the face of any game with one swing. Edge: Even

Second Base
Robinson Cano is a former batting champion who recovered from a dismal 2008 campaign to put up good numbers again this year. A better pure hitter than Chase Utley, Cano doesn’t have the raw power, defense, hustle, intangibles and all-around moxie to compete with Utley—the best second sacker in the game. Edge: Phillies

Third Base
The only area this position even comes close to competitive is defense: Pedro Feliz is really good with the glove, but even he doesn’t match up to Alex Rodriguez, who isn’t even playing the right position (see below). A-Rod will probably finish his career with more home runs than anyone who ever played. The only people who will remember Feliz are Phillies fans. Of course, A-Rod had to pick this year to break out of his playoff funk. Edge: Yankees

Shortstop
This is another fairly even match up. Derek Jeter is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and a better hitter than Jimmy Rollins. J-Roll is a human vacuum cleaner at short, while Jeter should have swallowed his pride two years ago and moved to third base. Both players thrive in the clutch, though Jeter has a lot more experience in that area. Yankees fans idolize Jeter, and well they should, but he’s past his prime at shortstop; and if you offered me a straight-up trade of 2009 Jeter for 2009 Rollins—I’d pass without having to think about it. Edge: Phillies

Left Field
Raul Ibanez was one of the best free-agent signings anywhere in baseball this year, and he picked a good time to come back to life after strug-ga-ling mightily the last few months of the season. Refreshed, he’s a far more dangerous hitter than the almost-as-old Johnny Damon. Neither one of them is exactly Gold Glove material anymore, though Ibanez may have a slightly better throwing arm There’s a good chance Ibanez could DH in New York, putting the better-fielding Ben Francisco in left. Edge: Phillies

Center Field
Shane Victorino is as fast as they come, has a cannon for an arm, and his instincts on line drives and fly balls of all variety are matched by few major league centerfielders. They certainly aren’t matched by Melky Cabrera, the second of New York’s trio of left fielders. Victorino is also a much better hitter who steals bases with the best of them. Frankly, this isn’t much of a contest. Edge: Phillies

Right Field
One minute Jayson Werth looks terrible at the plate and the next he’s delivering a big two-strike hit to right. Regardless, his offensive numbers are much better than Nick Swisher, whose main claim to fame is loosening up the Yankees clubhouse. Werth also possesses a rocket arm and great speed, while Swisher shouldn’t even be playing right field. Again, not much of a contest. Edge: Phillies

Designated Hitter
The edge here depends on who is actually DH for the Phillies. If it’s Ibanez, he’s a superior hitter to Hideki Matsui, whose bad knees have robbed him of power and make him a liability on the bases. If the Phillies decide to mix and match at DH and leave Ibanez in left field, then Matsui gets the edge over whoever the Phillies bring in from the bench. Edge: Even

Starting Pitching
1) Day one is the mother of all pitching duels: CC Sabathia versus Cliff Lee. The two ex-Cleveland lefties have both been unhittable this postseason, and there’s no reason to think they won’t keep throwing zeroes. Of course, the Phillies did beat Sabathia in the playoffs last year when he was with Milwaukee. 2) Another great dual sets up for game two when Pedro Martinez returns to the big stage of Yankee stadium, where he loves the pressure and spotlight; A.J. Burnett used to be a semi-regular punching bag for the Phillies when he pitched for Florida. 3) The way Cole Hamels has pitched most of this year (without an out pitch), it’s hard not to give the edge to veteran Yankee southpaw Andy Pettite, though the Phillies could easily light up his stuff as well. 4) It’s almost a given that the Yankees will go with Sabathia on three days rest because the rest of their rotation… well, they don’t really have one. The Phillies will most likely turn to Joe Blanton, who hasn’t been real good in the playoffs. The good news is, that means Lee matches up against an inferior opponent in game five. Edge: Even

Bullpen
The Phillies bullpen has been much maligned this season, and with good reason; but they seem to have turned it around in the playoffs, with a few hiccups. The Yankees have the opposite problem. What was supposed to be a strength (middle relief) has become a crapshoot in the postseason. But whether or not Brad Lidge has hit the reset button since the playoffs started, there’s a reason Mariano Rivera is nicknamed the Hammer of God. Even the Phillies, with their propensity for late-inning heroics, cannot afford to give Rivera the ball with a lead. Edge: Yankees

Bench
Last year this would’ve been no contest in favor of the Phillies, but Greg Dobbs, Matt Stairs & Co. haven’t been anywhere near as good as last season. Having Matsui on the bench in the Philadelphia games could prove advantageous to the Yankees. Edge: Yankees

Manager
Charlie Manuel has 45 years of professional baseball experience and manages by instinct. Joe Girardi has three years of managerial experience and manages with a three-ring binder that looks like it holds the New York State tax code. Edge: Phillies

Summary
I mark it 7-3-3 in favor of the Phillies. Last year I had the Phillies with a 7-4-2 advantage over the Rays, and that worked out well. Hopefully, my amateur scouting skills haven’t worn off. But it seems clear to me that the Phillies have better team speed, play better defense and their lineup can go toe-to-toe with the Bronx Bombers. Even their pitching staffs are fairly even.

The Yankees are the best team money can buy, but not as many people are ready to hand them their 27th World Series title as you might think. Though the fact that so many are just because they are the Yankees, regardless of which team is actually the defending champion, tells you something about the lack of recognition the Phillies get for being a great team. Well, there’s one way to fix that…

Last year I wrote: “I feel good about this. Much more calm than I should be, really.”

I never would have thought I’d be sitting here at the same time again the following year feeling exactly the same way.

The Phillies may or may not win this World Series. Despite my dominant scouting edge in favor of the Phightins, I don’t share J-Roll’s confidence about a five-game victory. If they do win, I think it will probably take more than that. But I absolutely, 100 percent believe they can beat the Yankees; and so do they.

Not too many seasons ago, beating the Yankees in a World Series would have been unthinkable to both Philadelphia player and fan.

My how times have changed.

I keep telling my father, who I think is still shell-shocked from 1964 despite two World Series titles since then, that it’s hard to accept that this Phillies club actually routinely wins these kinds of games. I’ve seen it a lot the past three seasons and even I shake my head in disbelief; but I never think they’re finished anymore.

After Ryan Howard’s laser shot gave them a 2-0 lead in the first inning, visions of last night’s rout danced through our heads. It was not to be; but the true story was far more exciting.

Joe Blanton cruised through the Dodgers lineup the first time, then had the strike zone reversed on him. Randy Wolf had the opposite experience after his rough first inning. It was a mysterious strike zone all night—another lousy job behind the plate again by the umpiring crews in these playoffs, but at least it was lousy on both sides.

Anyway, Blanton started nibbling and the Dodgers poked away at him from the fourth through sixth innings and took a 4-2 lead. Chase Utley’s RBI single in the bottom of the sixth brought it back to within one. By the way, can we put to rest this phantom bad postseason Utley is rumored to be having? Here’s his line in the 2009 playoffs: .345 BA, .472 OBP, 6 BB, 7 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI. And his temporary case of Knoblauchitis seems to have passed. So knock if off people.

Back to the game, three shutdown innings from Chan Ho Park, Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge held that one-run lead into the bottom of the ninth. Dodger closer Jonathan Broxton wanted nothing to do with Matt Stairs, who must have given him Nam-like flashbacks, because he then went and plunked Carlos Ruiz. After Greg Dobbs weakly lined out to third, Jimmy Rollins was the last best hope, and he delivered in grand fashion.

And the best part? You knew they weren’t finished, even down to their last out.

If only game five were tomorrow. The almost unthinkable is only one step away.