For those of you who had Yankees in 6…that pick is still alive…but not without a little trepidation. You only have to look at the starters for game 6 for a little doubt to creep in.
37 year old Andy Pettitte on three days rest for the Yankees…vs. 38 year old Pedro Martinez on full rest for the Phillies.
Just like they did in games 4 and 5…the Yankees are starting a pitcher on 3 days rest. It worked out for them in game 4…even though C.C.Sabathia didn’t get the win.
But A.J. Burnett imploded in game 5 (6 runs in 2 plus innings of work) and it might not be such a great idea after all.
Last night Fox Sports showed a graphic illustrating the risk Yankees Manager Joe Girardi is taking.
Since 1999…when one pitcher starts a playoff game on three days’ rest …against a starter on full rest… the pitchers on short-rest have won 12…and lost 36.
Girardi says he thought it over a long time…consulting with his staff…and his pitchers…and remains convinced this is what they needed to do to win the World Series.
He might still be right.
I think this really comes down to two things: The Phillies offense…vs. the Phillies Bullpen !!! And that’s not a typo!
Can Utley, Werth ,Ibanez, Rollins and Howard (if he ever snaps out of it)…score more runs than the Phillies beleaguered bullpen gives up ??? Can anyone really trust Ryan Madson or Brad Lidge with less than a 10 run lead in the 9th ??? They make Mitch Williams look like Mariano Rivera !!!
If the Phillies somehow win game 6…can’t you see it in game 7…Phillies lead 5-4 in the 9th…with Brad Lidge on the mound…and the Yankees have the top of the order coming up !!!
It’s the ultimate payoff…or let down…and it’s what a lot of Phillies fans have both dreamed about…and anguished over all summer long.

I started writing this blog before Game One…now I’m finishing it before Game Two.

If I didn’t have such an emotional investment into who wins the World Series…I think I would really look forward to watching a nail biting winner-take-all game 7. Being a lifelong Phillies fan…I don’t know if I want it to go that far!!! I would prefer not to have to endure what could be a wild rollercoaster ride to the finish.
That being said…it has all the makings of a great match up. The two best teams in baseball this season…going head to head in the best of 7 Fall Classic.
The defending world champs…against the traditional powerhouse. The team with the most last place finishes in baseball history vs. the team with the most world titles.
Both teams are loaded with stars…Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley etc…vs. Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera and the rest.
Try comparing them by positions…side by side…and it’s very close.

1st Base…Ryan Howard and Mark Teixiera. Two great sluggers. Howard hit more home runs and had more RBI’s…but Teixiera is better with the glove. Howard has shown the ability to rise to the occasion…and has been a clutch performer for the past three seasons down the stretch. The jury is still out on Teixiera…after a sub-par postseason so far.
Advantage: PHILLIES

2nd Base…Chase Utley and Robinson Cano. Both can hit…but Utley is the Phillies answer to Derek Jeter. He is always in the right place at the right time…and does what it takes to win…with the bat or with his glove. Two home runs off Sabathia in Game 1 says it all (Only Babe Ruth has ever done that before…2 HR’s in a World Series game..by a left-handed batter …against a left-handed pitcher…pretty exclusive company!) Advantage: PHILLIES

Shortstop: Jimmy Rollins and Derek Jeter. The 2007 NL MVP vs. one of the all time great Yankees who had a resurgence this season with the bat and the glove. Jeter is a winner…and it’s the intangible that cannot be measured. Rollins is better with the glove…and rises to the occasion when the spotlight is on. Close call. Advantage: YANKEES

Third Base: Pedro Feliz and Alex Rodriguez. No debate. A-rod is one of the best players of all time…who was thriving for the first time in October..until Cliff Lee took the mound.
Feliz has an average bat…and a good glove…but he’s not A-rod. Advantage: YANKEES

Leftfield: Raul Ibanez and Johnny Damon. Ibanez has more power…is a better fielder…and Damon’s arm is weak at best. Damon hit the most home runs in his career this year with 24…but so did Ibanez with 34. Advantage: PHILLIES

Centerfield: Shane Victorino and Melky Cabrera. Victorino is another one of those Red Light players that seems to thrive when the pressure is on. He’s also a gold glove centerfielder. Cabrera started the season as a back up to Brett Gardner…but regained the starting job in July and provides some pop at the bottom of the Yankees order. Advantage: PHILLIES

Rightfield: Jayson Werth and Nick Swisher. Werth has come into his own this season…with career highs in home runs (36), RBI’s (99) and games played. He was an All Star for the first time this season…and may have room to get even better. Swisher also hit 29 home runs of his own…usually batting 8th in the Yankees order…but he has really struggled in the postseason.
Advantage: PHILLIES

Catcher: Carlos Ruiz and Jorge Posada. Don’t sell Ruiz short. For the second postseason in a row he has been a rock behind home plate and a clutch performer at the bat. Posada has more power…but he has lost a step behind the plate. Advantage: PHILLIES

Starting Pitching: I think the Yankees have the edge…but it’s a very close call…especially after Game 1. Cliff Lee was incredible…C.C Sabathia was good…but not great. After that…it’s a toss up. Who will be better ….Pedro or A.J ??? And will the real Cole Hamels please stand up ??? Does Andy Pettitte have another big game left in his bag of tricks ??? Before Game 1… I thought the Yankees had the advantage. After Game 1…I say it’s EVEN.

Relief pitching: Mariano Rivera tips this to the Yankees. He’s the best closer of all time…and as usual is the one key player that no other team has. Brad Lidge was brutal during the regular season…shaky but efficient so far in the playoffs. The other relievers …on both teams …are no guarantees. Advantage: YANKEES

Prediction: I made this before I saw Game 1…
Phillies in 5.
Howard, Utley and Rollins are the best players the Phillies have ever had at their respective positions. Sprinkle in Cliff Lee…Shane Victorino…Jayson Werth…and add a little burst of Pedro magic…and the Phillies will repeat.

The foliage is colorful and the air is crisp. This Sunday, October 18th at Six Flags New England, 3,000 people will be taking part in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s “Walk to Cure Diabetes.”  This walk has been growing every year for the past 11 years,with more and more walkers.

Every year the walk raises thousands of dollars to help find a cure for diabetes.  JDRF’s focus is on finding a cure for Type 1 Diabetes, which affects both children and adults. I’ve been involved with JDRF and the Walk for a number of years now and what is so amazing is how much is raised by family teams, who have a child with diabetes. It really is a grassroots effort, with some of the teams raising thousands of dollars just among family and friends.

I’ll be emceeing the pre-walk events and we always have a great time. There’s music and dancing that gets everyone pumped up. This year’s Walk Co-Chairs are UMass Head Football Coach, Kevin Morris and his wife Rebecca Morris. Rebecca has Type 1 diabetes. And they like all the others taking part can’t wait for the day, there’s a cure. 

 Members of the UMass Football team will be on hand to sign autographs after the walk.  And members of the UMass Marching Band will also be taking part.

Another great thing about the Walk.  Anyone raising $50 or more will get free admission to Six Flags following the walk.  

The Walk to Cure Diabetes begins at 10:30  a.m.  Festivities betin at 8:45 a.m.

  To pre-register for the walk, go to walk.jdrf.org

See you there!

As the leaves turn…and the days get shorter…and colder…the calendar clicks over to October 1st.
I think of two things when I see that date…and they both have to do with the Phillies.

October 1, 1950: The Whiz Kids Win It!

It was the last Sunday of the regular season in 1950…and for the first time in 35 years…the Phillies had a chance to win the National League pennant. They were known as the “Whiz Kids” because most of the players were home grown from the Phillies fledging minor league system…and their average age was about 26 years old.
They were the youngest team in baseball…led by future Hall of Famers Robin Roberts and Richie Ashburn…and helped along by fan favorites like Del Ennis, Andy Seminick and Willie “Puddin’ Head” Jones.
Maybe most important of all…was the flash of brilliance turned in by relief pitcher Jim Konstanty. He was 33…he wasn’t young…and he wasn’t imposing to look at…but he was the grizzled veteran that held the young team together.
Konstanty made 74 appearances, which set a new National League record. He also won 16 games, all in relief…and racked up a National League best 22 saves. Konstanty was the first relief pitcher in baseball history to win the MVP award.
On October 1st…the Phillies were desperately clinging to a one game lead. The Brooklyn Dodgers were breathing down their necks. The defending National League champions had already taken the first two games of this season ending series at Ebbets Field…and they needed just one more win to force a one game playoff. Robin Roberts and Don Newcombe hooked up in a pitcher’s duel…both righthanders were looking for their 20th win of the season. The Dodgers almost won it in the bottom of the 9th…but Richie Ashburn fielded a single in center and threw a strike to home to nab Cal Abrams at the plate and send the game into extra innings.
Then in the top of the 10th…Dick Sisler hit a two out three run homer…the biggest home run in Phillies history …to give the Whiz kids a 4-1 lead! 35 years of frustrations wiped away by one swing !!! Despite Konstanty’s dominant season as the “closer”…it was Roberts who got the last three outs to end it. The Phillies …the Whiz Kids…had finally won the pennant!!!

October 1, 1970: Farewell Connie Mack

That was the night they finally closed down Connie Mack Stadium…home of the Phillies for 32 seasons…and original home of the Philadelphia Athletics…and I was there.
Built in 1909 as Shibe Park…it was America’s first concrete and steel ballpark. Located at 21st and Lehigh in Philadelphia… it was home to Connie Mack’s Philadelphia A’s…the premier franchise of the American League for the first three decades of the 20th Century. The Phillies began sharing the old ballpark in 1938…and became sole occupants when the A’s left for Kansas City in 1954. Known for it’s French Renaissance exterior…and the dome that graced the main entrance…Shibe Park was a green diamond in the slowly deteriorating North Philadelphia neighborhood.
Renamed Connie Mack Stadium…it was considered antiquated by the 1960’s…and Phillies waited to move into a modern ballpark. That would happen with the opening of Veteran’s Stadium in 1971.
But before they did…they held that last game…October 1st 1970.
My father loaded our  family into the station wagon and we headed into North Philly to see the Phillies play the Montreal Expos in the final game of the season…the final game at Connie Mack.
It was quite a show…the old stadium was packed to the rafters. And a lot of fans didn’t come to say good bye…they came to take something home. They started to literally pull the old ballpark apart…seat by seat and brick by brick. I remember sitting in the upper deck along the first base line…and the familiar sounds of a ballgame were replaced by the din of hammers…and wrenches and bare hands ripping seats from their foundations…and the signs off the walls. I still remember the feeling…when the upper deck started to sway as the demolition continued. My father quickly led us back downstairs…because he thought the whole place was going to come down !!
But it was a really good game (!) …so we stayed to watch the end…from the lower stands along the third baseline. The Phillies won it 2-1 in the bottom of the 10th…when Oscar Gamble singled in Tim McCarver with the game winning run. And that’s when the fans stormed the field…and started ripping the beautiful green grass up…and tearing down the outfield walls. It was total bedlam…and very sad. I was only 9 years old…but I could see the look in my father’s eye that this was a heartbreaking way to say farewell to an old friend.
About a year later my dad took my brother and I back into the now vacant ballpark. It was scary and fun all at the same time. The field was overgrown with weeds and debris. Part of the upper deck on the third base side had been heavily damaged by fire in August 1971…and it was now just a conglomeration of twisted metal and charred remains. Rows and rows of stadium seats were actually lined up where the infield used to be. The big Ballantine Beer scoreboard in right was still there…but it was full of holes and missing tiles.
But standing there with my dad and brother …in what was now desolate and quiet…you could imagine that you were Jim Bunning standing on the mound…or Tony Taylor digging in at home plate.
You could almost hear the crack of the bat…and the roar of the crowd from long ago.
My brother and I ran the bases…at least what we figured where the bases once were…and we laughed…and shouted…and tried to make it home….with my dad cheering us on.
For one brief moment…it was a ballpark again.
Before we left…my dad noticed three complete seats…still joined together…along the rows laying in the infield. The three of us carried them out…and took them home…for a final souvenir.
39 years later…I still have those seats…and the memories of Connie Mack Stadium…safe at home.

Here’s another one of those stories that can be followed with a collective “Who Knew???”
The former Heavyweight Champion of the World Muhammad Ali…spend some time in Ireland…the birthplace of his ancestors….as part of a nine-day European tour to help raise money to fight Parkinson’s Disease.
As the AP reports Ali was greeted by scenes reminiscent of a presidential visit as thousands of well-wishers lined the streets in the town of Ennis.
The 67-year-old ex-boxer was honored by the town council with a plaque at the home of his great-grandfather…Abe Grady.
Grady was born on the Emerald Isle…but migrated to America …and settled in Kentucky in 1860 …where he later married a freed slave.
One of their grandchildren turned out to be Ali’s mother…Odessa Lee Grady Clay.
Genealogists uncovered Ali’s Irish heritage in 2002.
Ali suffers from Parkinson’s Disease…and did not speak to the crowd …but he shadow-boxed for the spectators and cameras before meeting his distant relatives.

So Irish Eyes must have been smiling when Ali took it to Liston…battled with Frazier…and knocked out Foreman in Zaire.

And as the great poet himself might say ….”Float like a leprechaun…sting like a bee…the Luck of the Irish…and the punch of Ali !!!”

Who Knew ???

It’s hard not to be touched by the outpouring of emotion with the death of Senator Ted Kennedy. He made a difference in so many lives…not only here in Massachusetts…but also across the nation. There are countless stories of how the Senator took a personal interest and active role in helping his constituents….whether he was helping someone down on his or her luck to find a place to live…to get a green card…or to provide the funding necessary to make a dream come true.
He was not a man without faults…and at times his personal life was the enough to fill tabloids…magazines and “E” True Hollywood Stories. But his life turned around when he met and eventually wed his second wife Vicki in 1992. She changed his lifestyle and helped him regain his focus. I had a couple of opportunities to meet the Senator in person…and one quick chance to interview him. It happened right after the UMAss/Kentucky Sweet Sixteen Men’s NCAA Basketball game in Philadelphia in 1992. The Senator was there with his then new fiancée. I was part of a large number of sports reporters and videographers waiting to get into the locker room to interview the Minutemen after the game. The Senator was allowed in first…to congratulate the team on a job well done…after a tough loss to the Wildcats. Vicki stood alone …next to the wall…away from the throng of media waiting for access to the players. I took the opportunity just to walk over and say hello…and really just make small talk with her. It was really nothing more than…”Congratulations…did you enjoy the game…and how are the wedding plans going ???” But that’s when Ted came back through the door….and walked directly back over to Vicki…and to me.
No one made a move…but here I was…with the Senator…and his soon to be new wife…and I figured he’ll probably say “No”…but I’ll ask anyway. “Senator…would you mind commenting on what you just told the team?”
The Senator saw my microphone cube…saw that I was from 22news in Springfield…and began to speak. As he did…about 50 microphones descended around us…and suddenly the Senator and I were in the middle of a swarm of sports reporters looking for an extra “bite!!!” He told me “What a great season they had…and how much fun they were to watch…and what a great thing it was for the Commonwealth…” and with a quick smile and handshake…he left…but not before I had a chance to whisper a quick thank you to the soon to be Mrs. Kennedy…for helping me be in the right spot at the right time. It was a brief…and probably to some…insignificant encounter…but one I’ll never forget.

He believed in the right to a college education and the right to be able to afford that education. He was always the man I wanted in my corner!

I too have fought against the corruption behind student loan lender Sallie Mae, which is the United States’ largest student loan company. The interest they add to their loans is insurmountable, as the students crumble they become billionaires. For them to say they are “champions of higher education,” is a lie.

Senator Kennedy you pioneered this movement for student loan justice and all your hard work will one day prevail, and never be forgotten!

Sincerely,
Michelle Misiaszek

Statement of Senator Kennedy on Sallie Mae’s letter to college financial aid professionals
“It’s hardly surprising that Sallie Mae would take a proposal intended to protect students and spin it as an attack on college financial aid professionals.  In reality, financial aid administrators and students are the ones being attacked by money lenders aggressively marketing private loans that may not offer the lowest interest rates for students.
This onslaught of pressure is exactly why I’ve proposed the Student Loan Sunshine Act.  Far from being “ill-conceived” or “unwarranted,” the Act responds to the growing number of documented cases in which private lenders pull out all the stops to pitch their wares to woo colleges and gouge students. The vast majority of financial aid administrators are doing all they can to make sure that students obtain the funds they need to pay for college.  The problem is the big lenders who put profits ahead of students, not the college administrators.” – Senator Kennedy.

Kennedy targets Sallie Mae’s role
“The student loan program works brilliantly for the banks, but not for the students,” Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) said in a speech on the Senate floor.

The Student Loan Scandal - Senator Kennedy characterized the student loan system as one that “squanders billions each year to provide corporate welfare to big lenders, rather than serving the best interests of our students.

Senator Kennedy leads Congress in crackdown on student loan scandal
“Banks like Nelnet and Sallie Mae can still drive right through, collecting outrageous profits at the expense of students and taxpayers,” said Senator Kennedy.

Senator Kennedy questions collection tactics
Kennedy says his office has acquired information suggesting that Sallie Mae may have implemented the following tactics in its collection process:

• Attempting to collect debts not owed.
• Firing employees who attempt to help borrowers obtain correct information about their loan status.
• Instructing employees to give borrowers “the run around” rather than providing them with correct information on their loan status.
• Intentionally sending loan-payment notices to an incorrect address to force a borrower’s account into default.
• Telling a borrower’s spouse that the borrower would go to jail if he didn’t pay—a blatantly false assertion.
• Putting a borrower who lost his home in a natural disaster into default, adding substantial default and collection fees to his loan balance, taking tax refunds, and garnishing his wages—all in violation of guidance from the Secretary of Education.
• Regularly calling borrowers at work after being instructed to stop.
• Using abusive and profane language to intimidate borrowers.

In his letter to Tim Fitzpatrick, CEO of Sallie Mae, Kennedy wrote, “I am concerned that several private lenders may be engaging in harsh and inappropriate tactics with regard to borrowers whose payments are overdue.”

Kennedy called for Sallie Mae investigation into student loan errors
In 2002, a billing error performed by Sallie Mae led to dramatic increases in monthly payments, and forced many students to default on their student loans. In response, Senator Kennedy, joined by a bipartisan group of senators and representatives, sent a letter to Education Secretary Rod Paige requesting an investigation into the billing practices of the multibillion dollar company. Senator Kennedy said that, depending on the outcome of the investigation, Sallie Mae should be responsible for compensating any student loan defaults that resulted from the error.

Just checking back on the Baseball Forecast I made back in April.   Some predictions are right on…others are not so close!!!

In April …I said the Red Sox would win the AL East…and the Yankees would win the Wild Card.  Right now it’s reverse order…but still close enough to say it could still happen.

In April…I said the Indians would take the AL Central division crown away from the White Sox.     WRONG!!!    The Indians are so far out ..they have traded some of their best players !!! (Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez etc.)   The White Sox trail the Tigers by a game and a half.

In April…I said the Angels would dominate a weak division….and so far I have that right…but the Rangers are only 2 and a half games back.

  I’m doing about the same  in the National League !!!

In April…I said the Phillies would win the NL East…that looks good.  But I had the Mets winning the NL Wild Card..that doesn’t look like it will happen.

In April…I said the Cubs would win the NL Central…they’re just a half game back of the Cardinals…so that could still happen.  One of those teams will probably win the NL Wild Card.

And in April…I said Arizona would take the NL West…over the Dodgers…but the Diamondbacks are awful..and Manny is still Manny in LA.

  So out of  six divisions…I have two right…two close…and two way off !!!

We’ll see what happens with two months to go in the regular season!!!

The last living survivor of the Titanic disaster passed away in her sleep on May 31st at the age of 97.
Millvina dean died at a nursing home in southern England.
She was just two months old when her family took her on the ship that was called “practically unsinkable.”
But the Titanic hit an iceberg on her maiden voyage…and sank in the North Atlantic in less than three hours.
Dean and 704 survivors were rescued….but more than 15-hundred others…including Millvina’s father went down with the ship…April 15th 1912.

Ed Kamuda is the founder of the Titanic Historical Society. His father owned the Grand Theatre in Indian Orchard back in 1953…that’s when Ed saw the movie “Titanic” starring Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb.
Ed was fascinated by the story of the ill fated ship…and he began corresponding with some of the survivors. “I wrote letters to over 40 survivors in the 1950’s” says Kamuda…and one of them was Millvina Dean.
“She was a very lively person. At first she was reluctant to talk about the Titanic…but she opened up when she realized how many people were interested in her story.”
Millvina was too young to remember what happened…but her mother and older brother did.
They were saved…when her father Bertram put them all on a lifeboat. Millvina said she was told her father felt and heard the iceberg hit the ship…and his quick reaction to the danger is what probably saved their lives.

Kamuda eventually was able to persuade Millvina to come to a few of the Titanic Historical Society’s annual conventions. One of them was held aboard the Queen Elizabeth II. Kamuda told me: “We went on the bridge of the QE II and the captain of the ship asked Millvina if she wanted to press “the tooter”…the foghorn. At exactly 12noon…Millvina pressed a button…the foghorn bellowed…and the 80 year old Millvina “squealed like a little girl.”
Kamuda says Millvina never thought to cash in on her “Titanic” connection. She lived a quiet life in England…never married…and loved to write. They became friends thanks to a correspondence that started when a young boy in Springfield wanted to find out for himself what happened to the survivors of one of history’s greatest disasters.

Ed Kamuda is going to miss his friend Millvina Dean…as he says…”the last human touch” to that night to remember.

For more on the Titanic Historical Society:
http://www.titanic1.org/