This is my new ringtone: RAUUUUUL IBANEZ

¡Esta pelota no regresa!

Monty Gee on the M-I-C from meech.one on Vimeo.

Video spotted on The Fightins.  Parade suggestion from: My Mom!

Monty Gee on the M-I-C raps his support for the Phillies – Big League Stew – MLB – Yahoo! Sports.

The Rays want chinbeards? THEY CAN’T HANDLE THE CHINBEARD!

A few Joe Blanton items designed to please his biggest fans:

A great article on Joe & family: Blanton’s exploits thrilled parents, confidants – MLB – Yahoo! Sports.

The sweet homerun (Youtube will pull it soon) :

And after the jump, two bonus photos. One shows his eyes clearly open when he swung. He knew what he was doing.

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Play this: “Get Busy” – The Roots

Thank you Jimmy Rollins for putting the Dodger crowd on their heels a bit — the ones that showed up, I mean. From my field level seats, I could easily see over a dozen seats in my section alone that were no-shows for the entire game. But, the fans that did show were hardcore, and I give them a lot of credit for cheering hard the whole game. What a game! I’m unable to bring my writerly skills to bear on it, except for maybe the title I picked for the photo above:

Dodger Fans Tried To Rally Their Team, But the Clouds Turned Philadelphia Crimson and Foretold the Outcome as the Phillies Were Ultimately Victorious

Late in the game, Andre Ethier hurled a ball at our section from a great distance, and it was headed right directly, so perfectly, into my hand — but the guy in the Garciaparra jersey in front of me stretched out and put his hand right into mine and deflected the ball off to the right. Thanks, Nomah!

Now, here’s some bonus crappy video of the final out.

Play it: “Winners Take All” – Aesop Rock

The MLB Playoffs mean way more photogs assigned to cover each game. I was at the Phillies win on Monday night. Quite a tense experience, I can say. I can’t say it was completely fun. For 7 innings, I was the lone red hat in a sea of blue and my team was losing.  I was alone and dejected. Then, when my team took the lead and won, I was alone and a target! But, I survived.

In the post-game searches I thought these four photos were particularly inspiring.

• Matt Stairs’ homer from behind home plate
• Brad Lidge punchin’ suckas out
• Matt Stairs gettin’ mobbed in the dugout
• Manny’s helmet

Other blogs would just steal the photos. I’ll link to them, because they’re commercial. And, I respect the image.

Play this: “Lonesome Loser” – Little River Band

(Ed. note: I have been adding significantly to this post since I published it.)

Trash, seen on exiting Dodger Stadium after the Los Angeles squad eliminated the cursed Chicago Cubs. It was a surreal feeling, happy that the local team won and seeing all the happy people, but knowing all the booing and aggressive, brainless vitriol I’d seen directed towards Cubs fans at the game will be directed at me, should the Phillies advance to face the Dodgers.

I still remember the first Phillies game I went to as a young kid. It was against the Braves in the old Veterans Stadium.  Some Braves fans sat right in front of us, and I was baffled the whole time, wondering what they were doing there. They cheered all the Braves plays, and were not mean or anything. But, as the Braves won the game, they were happy and I wasn’t, and there was something that seemed unfair about that. To this day, I wonder if opposing fans in a home stadium care about the kids whose time they ruin? And, on the flip side. I can see the hope in that handmade sign. Hope that was crushed. I’m sure whoever made it was young and took a heap of abuse for it. I’m probably too sensitive about this. I mean, it was probably adorable when I saw that wheelchair guy in the James Loney jersey to teach his 8-year-old daughter to give the “throat-slash” gesture to Cubs fans. And the drunk fans ejected for flipping people off and swearing? It’s just the fun of sports, yeah?

Is it important that I deck out in Phillies regalia if I go to a Phils-Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium?  Would it be make more sense to do so if I had friends who were Phillies fans? Is it worth the tense confrontation with beer-soaked Dodger fans just to wear a red hat when all around you wear blue? Am I jinxing the Phillies by thinking about this before they clinch against the Brewers?

All the answers will come soon. I can’t wait to be throat-slashed!

Well, I said if Kentucky Joe got a W in September, I’d do it. And tonight, he pitched a piss-poor game against the Marlins, but was somehow bailed out by Jayson Werth’s big bat. Hey, a win is a win! And, I’m taking full credit for it, too. Never let it be said that I’m not true to my word, at least when it comes to ridiculous wagers. Ladies and gents, my ridiculous new chinbeard:

Update: As seen on The700Level

Update II: THis made the lower levels of Flickr Explore. It’s a juggernaut!

My new theme song: “Ugly” – Fishbone

Well, Joe Blanton didn’t have it today against the Nats, getting pulled early. It’s not looking good for the new guy, ol’ Kentucky Joe.  I defended the move when the Phils picked him up, so I’m gonna do what I gotta do to help him be successful.

So, if Joe Blanton records a W in the month of September, I will do it. I’ll rock the chinbeard. I know it’s a drastic measure, but this is a pennant race and I’m stepping up and laying my chin on the line.

Play it: “The Hair On My Chinny Chin Chin” – Sam Sham & The Pharoahs

MLB – Philadelphia Phillies/Washington Nationals Box Score

The past never dies, it gets repackaged as retro chic — or at the very least it always comes back as an ironic indie band name.  ESPN writer Jeff Pearlman highlights a great example of this immortal truth this week.

“We should be ‘Randy Ready,’” one said.

“No,” said the other. “We can do better.”

“We should be ‘Lou Whitaker,’” one said.

“No,” said the other. “We can do better.”

“We should be ‘Steve Balboni,’” one said.

“No,” said the other. “We can do better.”

And then, as if emerging directly from the lips of God, words of inspiration struck.

“We should be … Von Hayes,” one said.

“Yes,” said the other. “We should.”

The result: Von Hayes — the rock band.

Read: ESPN Page 2 – Pearlman: When baseball and music collide

An indie rock band named after one of my favorite old-school Philadelphia Phillies baseball players from the 1980s? There’s no way that could suck!

“Mr. Guts” – Von Hayes

“Superballs” – Von Hayes

Actually, they do kinda suck. (More at http://www.myspace.com/vonhayes09)  But, that’s okay! All music sucks in some way. It’s  a great story and I hope the real Von Hayes calls them back at some point.  I was a big Von Hayes fan in my time.  Cool name, looked cool in Philly pinstripes, and hit two home runs in one inning. Very cool! Bonus Cool Points for ESPN’s nickname machine Chris Berman calling him Von “Purple” Hayes back in the day.

But guys, just don’t let him invite you onto his boat.

Now, onto some bonus video comparison:

Von Hayes, the ex-Phillie and current minor league manager:

Von Hayes, the enthusiastic indie rockers:

In the beginning, there was the Wolf Pack.  In the wake of that followed the Padilla Flotilla, Chase’s Chicks, and even Sal’s Pals. Any Philadelphia Phillie player with any sort of character seems to get a possibly-alliterative, perhaps-rhyming, potentially-punny nicknamed fan club.

Last night, however, a new one surfaced to support sophomore starter Kyle Kendrick.

Full Coverage and credit at Philadelphia Will Do: Kendrick’s Hendrix

I’m not sure I can support this one. They’ll have to start playing lefty and come up with a better drawing. Of course if it leads to KK warming up to “Spanish Castle Magic” then I will be on board.

Bonus flashback: Preseason prank: Kyle Kendrick traded to Japan