Cesmat – This and that from the NLCS in Philadelphia

Greeting from Philadelphia! A few quick hits before tonights Game One

This city has given the Arizona sports scene Charles Barkley, Curt Schilling, Seth Joyner, Jonathan Gannon, and Rick Tocchet among others. I would say that we haven’t sent much this direction(Hassan Reddick would be at the top of my list today). I am not of the opinion that the Diamondbacks will fall apart and give Philly a easy ticket to the World Series. The Phillies should we favored to win simply because they are the defending NLCS Champions. They should be favored to win because they have home field advantage. They should be favored to win because they have a rowdy stadium crowd. They should be favored because they have a Hall of Fame talent in Bryce Harper.
If you’ll allow me a moment I’d like to rant point by point.
Arizona is just coming into creating a home field atmosphere. One home playoff game in two series isn’t how you’re going to build the base from a franchise that’s been down for so long. Games 3, 4, and likely 5 are all in Phoenix later this week. Three games with a World Series on the line. I’m guessing that it won’t be Sunday Church at the ballpark.
Really hard for me to buy into Zac Gallen not having a good performance here tonight simply because the crowd will be loud. Not buying it. Makes for great talk-show segments and reams of online chatter, but not reality. How about the Phillies have a damn good lineup with Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, among others. The Diamondbacks have a generational talent who is just now bursting on the scene in Corbin Carroll. Yep, he’s not Harper, but don’t tell him that he’s putting up big numbers at the plate in the postseason just like Harper.
All that the Diamondbacks have to do is get one of the two games here in Philly. Just get a split. With their two top pitchers on the mound, I don’t think that is asking too much.
In a span of just under two weeks the Hometown Nine has gone from “no one expected us to be here”, to “How do you like me now!”…