2nd to None

"Ring leader...set it off, rap Derek Jeter..."

Ghostface Killah - Mighty Healthy

A few days ago the New York Yankees made me the happiest I've been in a baseball off season in a long time. (I was so happy that I changed the avatar on my twitter page)

Home Base

I love baseball. It's the type of game that never ceases to teach me something new...be it another nuance of the game, or some historical aspect from it's vast history. The interesting thing about this sport is that in order to really get into it, someone needs to introduce you...and it was my family and friends in NYC that opened my mind to the national pastime. Since it was a New York audience to showed me the game, I naturally became a Yankees fan. I also happen to cheer for the Lakers, and Duke, so I'm just an all-around bad person.

Nevertheless, I have a few moments as a Yankees fan that I will remember forever...bar none, at the top of the list is the first time I met Derek Jeter. He was hosting a Jordan Brand event at Niketown New York a week after he dove into the Yankee Stadium crowd to record an out against the rival Red Sox. (July 1, 2004) Not only did my sister and I meet him, but I also had an opportunity to chat for a while and take a picture. I've interviewed and spoken to him since then, and he always remembers me.

Fast forward to the present day, and it was looking sketchy on whether or not the Bronx Bombers would resign him. I don't care what his numbers were last season, or that he is getting older...at the end of the day Derek Jeter is a Yankee, now, forever, and always.

I was elated to see that both sides came to a 3-year incentive based deal over the weekend.

Now that Jeter and the Sandman have been retained, the team is focused on getting the lefty Cliff Lee. If he signs anywhere else, I will be extremely surprised...and speaking of surprises, Jayson Werth made headlines signing a stunning deal with the Nationals...good luck with that...and just know that Phillies fans might boo you a few times next year since you stayed within the division...and you don't have to take my word for it, just call Donovan McNabb.

Photo: Elsa/Getty Images

Red Light

"Depend on me like the first and fifteenth..."

2PAC - All Eyez on Me

It's October and while that means a lot of things to many people...for me it's the month when a World Series champion is crowned. Yesterday I tweeted the following: "Just so I don't look like I jumped on the bandwagon, the @Phillies will win the World Series, and go @Yankees..."

Conflict Resolution

I'm from the City of Brotherly Love...Philadelphia for those who don't know. And while I cheer for the Eagles with fervor, it's my affection for the New York Yankees that confuses everyone. New York City is a place like none other, and yes I lived there for a long time, and one of the things I picked up over the years is a love for baseball. I could never cheer for the Mets, since I'm a Philly native...I knew that much, so I began watching that pinstriped team in the south Bronx.

When the Yankees didn't make the playoffs in 2008, it opened the door for my hometown Phillies to win and bring our championship starved town a winner. I was happy for the Phils in '07, and a year later they did what many thought was impossible...and that made me even happier!

I attend a number of Phillies games because I love baseball, and instead of driving to NYC or Baltimore for the Bronx Bombers, I take a quick trip to South Philly. So here is my moment of honesty...I actually like the Phillies, however the Yankees are my team. I know it makes zero sense, and this post is like covering myself with a security blanket.

Can the Phillies win it all...yes they can. They have 3 Aces in Halladay, Hamels, and Oswalt, and they have an American League style of play with Ryan Howard, Rollins, Utley, Werth, and Ruiz. Pitching is the key to any pennant and World Series...so if the Phils bullpen can hold and save games, it'll be a red October in Philadelphia.

Baseball is tricky and anything can happen, so I wanted to write this ahead of the first game to explain my loyalty to the team everyone loves to hate.

Instant Replay

Patience

"Life is just a game...we're all just the same..."

Prince - Controversy

The Phillies and the Yankees are in the midst of the World Series, and because of my childhood in Philadelphia, and New York, I am more neutral than biased.

RESPECT

When Alex Rodriguez signed with the New York Yankees, I'm sure he had no idea it would play out like this. Switching from his trusty number 3, to 13 seemed to get him to an ominous start...however after many ups and downs, he is now playing for all the marbles, in a post season to remember.

Prior to this morning, there had only been one World Series game in the 11th month...in which Derek Jeter added the name Mr. November with a home run that cleared the outfield wall after midnight. Nevertheless, 8-years later the results are the same, as the Yankees defeated an opponent in a World Series game.

The Phillies/Yankees matchup on Halloween started with a Philadelphia 3-0 advantage for the first 3 innings, but it was in the 4th, that Cole Hamels began to falter using a hanging cure ball numerous times that doomed a chance at victory. Rodriguez got his first hit of the series, and naturally it was the controversial kind, as the umpires needed instant replay to call a ball that caromed off a TV camera...a 2-run home run.

Andy Pettitte, Nick Swisher, Johnny Damon, and Hideki Matsui stepped up for New York offensively with timely hits, and aggressive base running. Jayson Werth went yard twice off Pettitte to keep Philadelphia within striking distance, but in the end it was the Yankees 8-5 over the Fightin' Phils.

After the game I had an opportunity to interview ARod, at which many of my family and friends were able to witness on live TV...this is my first World Series, and I'm loving every minute of it.

By Any Means Necessary...

"No matter how much I elevate, I kiss the floor..."

Common - Forever Begins

Big Brown

Iconic

"Stuntin (stuntin) is a habit, put it in the air..."

David Banner - Stuntin is a Habit

Going into the NLDS the questions swirled around the Phillies and their closer Brad Lidge...now as the team moves into the next round, all the chatter has subsided.

For what its WERTH

The Philadelphia Phillies closed out the NLDS against the Colorado Rockies last night in stunning fashion. They led the game after a 1st inning home run by Shane Victorino...and Jayson Werth added his own blast in the 6th to make it 2-0, however the Rockies came back not only to tie it...they took a 4-2 lead going into the top of the 9th.

There is an old saying...patience is a virtue, and the reining champions personified that, by making the most of their at-bats with 2 outs in the 9th. Ryan Howard hit a 2-run, double, making it 4-4...and Jayson Werth followed that up with a single to bring Howard home.

With the Phils leading by 1, Brad Lidge closed the door for his second consecutive save. It's one game at a time, as they move into the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Phillies are experienced, and talented enough for the next challenge, so you can expect more of the same as Philly battles through the test of October.

Photo: David Zalubowski

No Place Like Home

Fearless

"Well this is the time that you waited for..."

Sadat X - Shinin' Star

On Tuesday night the Phillies played against their NL West rival the Dodgers, and amidst the Manny Ramirez buzz, something amazing happened in South Philly.

Phanatic

Phillies Right Fielder Jayson Werth had one of the biggest games in his career by stealing 4 bases, including home...a base rarely stolen. The Phils won the game 5-3, and with Jimmy Rollins now batting 5th in the lineup, a lot of question marks were settled as he played well, and Werth captured the crowd. He sealed the victory with his speedy play, and determination.