NLCS Game 2 OCT 17, 2010

Galye, Ed and I ride to the Olney subway station for the express   train to Phillies land-I thought that the energy for the playoff games was electric. This is absolutely carnivalesque. Outside the ballpark are thousands of people milling about in front of a bandstand, games, party tents, Phillies gear tents, and who knows what else because we couldn't even get through the crowd. Above are banners announcing 'Postseason" and high above is the DirectTV blimp. Everyone is snapping pictures, including moi, though the lights are distorting the images.
The game starts at 8:00, and it is only 7:20, so there is time to walk around the whole park. The smells morph from french fries to some kind of crab spice, from beer to ice cream to hot dogs. The only thing missing is a Ferris Wheel, or bumper cars. Lines form for every variation of food. We are more interested in the Phillies Wall of Fame. Eventually, we part, Gayle and Ed going to their seats in the out field, me to section 428 on the third base line.

My friends for the evening: a mother and 12 year old daughter to my right, 4 young college women to my left, a group of guys in front, and behind a group of men in their 50s. The atmosphere tonight in the second game of the Championship is different than the first night of the playoffs. The Phillies lost the first game, as they watched one player hit two home runs. So there is more of a worried expentency.

Oswalt is pitching erratically at first, but settles down. Ah, good , the Phillies are up.The Giants pitcher, Sanchez, is not in control, and this brings some hope and excitement back to the crowd. The song "tonight's gonna be a good, good night" starts playing.

NLCS Game 2 part 2

The women next to me have brought some colorful signs. One of them painted with the words "thirsty for a world series" another shows a pic of Jason Werth that says, "our beard is better than your beard". Throughout the games, cameras spot fans with signs, so the women, flash them on a regular basis.

Oswalt has settled into a strike groove that thrills the stadium with each pitch. Then comes Cody Ross, the Giants player who hit TWO home runs the night before. The fans boo him each time he steps up to the plate. And then it happens again. Another home run to left field that stills the crowd into an unusual stunned silence. The mood changes so abruptly, something I have not felt before. I've experienced painful anxiety, but not this aura of despair.

Then comes the blooper of the evening that lifts us up for the rest of the evening. The ball is hit to the infield, and 3 Giants players run to catch it, but the ball lands plot down in the middle for a base hit. The crowd goes wild and I say over and over "I can't believe that just happened".

Two men on for the Phillies. The pitcher intentionally walks a player, loading the bases. I've seen this before in the Yankees game, when the next Yankee player hit a grand slam, so I know it can backfire. Sure enought, the next batter gets a base hit, and the momentum builds until the score is 6-1.

I may have the order wrong here, but at some point, Roy Halladay hits a solid fly ball to left field for a very satisfying single. The next batter advances him -then he does something risky. His coach has signaled for him to stop at third but he continues to  head home.  Apparently, the Giants player has seen the coaches signal, so waits just a beat too long to throw it to home. Halladay slides in, a heartbeat ahead of the ball.

The last inning is pitched by the closer, who can't seem to close it!  We are all on the edge of our seats, holding our breaths even. Someone in the stands asks us why we are so worried since the Phillies are ahead 6-1. I remind him of the game when the Phillies came back from an 8 run deficit, so we take nothing for granted.

Finally the last out and we take a breath again. This was a good good night~