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.

By Any Means Necessary...

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

Common - Forever Begins

Home Base

MVP

"It's the good life like TI said..."

Common - Play Your Cards Right

The Philadelphia Phillies won the National League Pennant Wednesday night, and unlike last year...I was on hand to participate in baseball history.

Memories

My afternoon began with a purchase of a pair of Ken Griffey, Jr. Nike sneakers...I then went home to get ready for Game 5 of the NLCS...fast forward several hours later, and I'm on the field with the Phillies enjoying the celebration. The best way I could soak it all in was to congratulate the players, take pictures, and shoot some video.

Soon after I interviewed NLCS MVP Ryan Howard in the media room. I had a feeling that my question would be the one answered on the ESPN live feed, so I did my best to make it good. Here is the score from the question and answer:

Talk about when you first came up through this organization, winning the World Series last year, and then getting back on that stage this year?

"You know, first coming up, this organization was considered to be a losing organization. And when I first got called up and saw kind of the pieces to the puzzle...where we kind of fell short in 2005, we fell short in 2006, got over the hump in 2007, and then had a quick exit. I just gained a lot of experience over those three or four years going into 2008, and then into this year.

As a team, I don't think I've ever played on a team that's been so fun. It's one of the funnest teams I've played on. Great group of guys. We all get along. Great chemistry, and we all have a lot of fun. To be able to make it to this point again, it's definitely something very special, because a World Series isn't guaranteed to anybody.

For what we did last year, that was something special. But to get back to this point, to have the opportunity to try to do it 2-years in a row...that's even more special."

Photo: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images, Anthony Gilbert/AXG

Dreams

Monumental

Professionalism

"We got to live out our dreams, like the people on tv..."

Alicia Keys - Unbreakable

Around the sports world, I'm known as a basketball writer...and when I was younger my mother would always pray for me, as she still does today...nevertheless I just consider myself ambitious...nothing more, nothing less.

The Real Thing

I have been afforded the opportunity to not only cover not only the Philadelphia 76ers in preseason this week, but I have also been on site for the NLCS to witness the Philadelphia Phillies walk into the history books of Major League Baseball.

Baseball is one of my real loves in sports, and to interview Joe Torre, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and several others delights my heart. I truly love my job. Last night Rollins won Game 4 with one swing in the 9th inning, as the Phils went up in the series 3-1. I've been to Citizens Bank Park numerous times, however when he smacked the ball into right field I'd never felt anything like that, as the building shook, and erupted into a lion's roar.

After the game I interviewed J-Roll, and if you were listening closely on ESPN, you could hear my question. Here is the score on our conversation:

We spoke a few weeks back, and I asked you about your role as a leadoff hitter...and you basically expressed that it's just a teams game...you're out there as a team, playing together. You always hear professional athletes talk about when they step into the moment, when they get into the zone. When you stepped up there for that at-bat...did you feel things slowing down for you?

"Yeah, things do slow down. You know, you--I don't know. You already have it planned out in your head how you want things to go. Sometimes it goes that way, sometimes it doesn't. But being confident in your ability helps a lot. You don't question what you're going to do. And like I said, after the first pitch, I was able to make an adjustment. If you go back, you see me in the box trying to get my feet in the right position. I was saying to myself, 'do I want closed [stance], and not open up? I decided to go with an open because I felt my hands get in the slot. From that point it was just a matter of getting a good pitch. If you think about it, 60 feet is a long ways to see the ball, even at 100 miles per hour, and he threw it basically where I was looking.

Really it was funny, right before he threw it, I say to myself...hit a ball in the right-center field gap. Kemp was playing me slightly to left-center. [Andre] Ethier was squeezing, and I was like 'hit the ball in the gap right over Broxton's head, and that's at least one run...and it went all the way to the fence, so we were able to get two [runs] and a victory."

Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images, Johnathan Grzybowski

Otra vez

Primetime

"I don't want to say goodbye, to you...so I'll just say goodnight..."

Mos Def - Goodnight

The Fightin' Phils defeated the Dodgers in LA, 8-6. The score and hits will fool you, however Thursday night was a pitchers duel, that Philadelphia was able to take advantage of.

Very Familiar

The NLCS got off to a cardiac start, as this series is not for the fair weather fan, or faint of heart. James Loney, Andre Ethier, Manny Ramirez, and Juan Pierre, battled the Phillies starter Cole Hamels, but the Dodgers pitching fell apart beginning in the 5th, as Ryan Howard came up big with runners in scoring position, just as he did in Colorado. Raul Ibanez smacked a 3-run homer in the 8th to give Philadelphia the lead for good, giving Brad Lidge an opportunity for save number 3 in the post season.

While the home runs and final 3 outs will get all the praise from tonight, it was the pitching of former Dodger Chan Ho Park...now pitching for the Phillies, that provided a steady balance in the 7th that kept the 5-4 Philadelphia lead. In baseball it's all about pitching, and the guy that makes the most from the mound will give his team the best opportunity to win.

Photo: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

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

The Glass Slipper

October's Best

"Bare witness to the greatest, can't beat us...join us..."

Beanie Sigel - It's On

The MLB playoffs begin this week...and much has been made about the Tigers collapse (since September 29th), the Yankees starting pitching, and the Phillies closer or lack thereof...Brad Lidge.

Proving Grounds

Instead of joining the ranks of the mainstream media...you know my contemporaries...I'm going to look at the Brad Lidge situation like a glass that is half full. Yes he has blown 11 saves this season, after going a perfect 41 for 41 last year, but starting this week, all of that is in the past, as the Fightin' Phils will face off against the upstart Colorado Rockies.

Yes the closer position is a BIG key to a teams' success, however the Philadelphia Phillies possess a strong offense, and solid starting pitching. The point I'm trying to make is, that if Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez, and Shane Victorino do what they do best, then Lidge may not have to save as many games, which will put less pressure on him and the rest of the pitching staff.

In basketball there is a saying...it's not how you start...it's how you finish, and as it relates to this story and Brad Lidge...if the glass slipper fits...by all means wear it.

Photo: Zelevanskly/Getty Images

Champion

"Hotter than a summer day in California..."

Aaliyah - Hot Like Fire

Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard are my two favorite Philadelphia Phillies players, and while surfing on ESPN's website, I found this video. I'm going to interview J Roll at some point this season, and trust me...it will be as informative as it is entertaining.

28 Years Later

Triumphant

Precision

South Philly

Self-portrait

Phanatical

"We are the champions my friends...and we'll keep on fighting to the end...we are the champions, we are the champions, no time for losers, 'cause we are the champions...of the WORLD!"

Freddie Mercury - We Are the Champions

Philadelphia was once known for their champions and championship mettle. From the 1967 and 1983 76ers, 74-75 Flyers, and the 1980 Phillies. However that was either before my time or I was way too young to remember. Nevertheless, what was once old, is now new again, as the Fightin' Phils, like they did in '80 have emerged victorious.

The Hunt for Red October

The Phillies are the 2008 World Series Champions, hence they are the most recent of the once dying breed of winners in the City of Brotherly Love. Prior to Game 5 the Philadelphia Soul of the AFL were the quasi toast of the town. However as far as this city is concerned, it has been a combined 98 seasons (all the major teams together) since the Sixers gave Philly a ticker-tape parade down Broad Street.

I don't recall '83, as I was just a child, and while Dr. J, Mo Cheeks, and Moses Malone were handed the keys to the city, my family welcomed a new addition, as my sister was born that summer after the fact. Ten years later the Phillies were again vying for supremacy in the '93 World Series, before falling short to the Toronto Blue Jays in 6 games. Now I do remember that, but I wasn't a baseball fan at the time...and while I wasn't apathetic, I wasn't head over heels in love either.

Baseball was always the forgotten sport, as I didn't play it growing up, and I wouldn't watch it on TV, because I thought it was boring. Besides, my father, nor my uncles passed the game down to me, so I followed my brother into futbol, basketball, and football.

Then one day in 1995, everything as I knew it changed when I was officially introduced to the New York Yankees via my friend CJ. He's from Staten Island, and not only did he enjoy baseball, but he also is a Yankees fan, because his mother and father are from the Bronx, so it was in his blood to learn and appreciate the game. Consequently, his fervor had an affect on me, and to this day I remain a loyal fan of the Yankees. As I learned the game, and grew to love it, I started watching my hometown team the Philadelphia Phillies.

Yesterday, I was able to come full circle with Philadelphia, the Phillies, and my affinity for journalism in one memorable trip south down Broad Street.

To make this long story short, I was on the double-decker bus, designated for the members of the working media to cover the celebration. Not only did I ride on the top level, but I enjoyed the love and affection for the Phillies, as my bus drove ahead of the floats the team and management were on.

In a word it was unbelievable. Never have I seen this city united as one. I was waving to total strangers, and I was accepted as a hero. I lead a few cheers of LET'S GO PHIL-LIES, and WE'RE NUMBER 1. I got off the bus and walked for a stretch, shook hands, and kissed babies, all the while, people were calling and texting, to inform me that they see me on the bus, or that I was on television on the bus. When my sister and grandmother saw me on WPVI-ABC 6, that meant a lot. It was the most surreal trip through South Philadelphia that I have experienced in my life.

By Any Means Necessary...

Focus

Ryan Howard and AG. in DC

Power

Respect

"I done played the underdog my whole career, I've been a very good sport haven't I, this year..."

Kayne West - Barry Bonds

Basketball has done so much for my life. From my early days on the playgrounds to the first time I played on the hollowed floor of Madison Square Garden. Of course my playing days are over, and while I still compete, the games are just for fun, not meaningful wins or losses. Basketball is something that I have trouble putting into words. I love it, but to tell you what that means is tough. On days when things are out of order, I can always find an answer on the court. However there is another sport that I love…baseball. It’s just something about it. First team to record 27 outs wins, and while it may look easy, looks can be deceiving.

It’s not checkers, it’s chess.

A BASEBALL DIAMOND IS FOREVER

Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby have changed baseball forever, and throughout the years since then many stars have followed in their footsteps making history of their own…most recently the Philadelphia Phillies slugger, Ryan Howard. I recall hearing about him while he was a minor leaguer with the Reading Phillies in 2004. Within a year he was called up to the big leagues and by July he was playing as the everyday first baseman…by the way he won the NL Rookie of the Year award (2005).

Growing up I collected baseball cards, and that experience of buying packs and looking for some “good” cards is something that I cherish. In fact, I still purchase cards from time to time, looking for a special insert or All-Star player. But it wasn’t there that I fell in love with the national pastime that would happen many years later once I got to college.

I’m from Philadelphia, but it was the New York Yankees that opened my eyes to what baseball was all about. Without crossing the line of allegiance, I have two teams that I cheer for, my hometown National League, and that American League team in the Bronx. For the sake of this column, I’ll spare the details and stick to the script. I first met Ryan Howard 2-years ago. He had just won the NL MVP award and he immediately became the toast of the town.

Sunday, November 12, 2006, is the day I met Howard, as we were both in attendance for the Eagles vs. Redskins game. I had heard that he amongst some executives and without anything to lose, I located the suite, walked in, saw him speaking to a group of admirers,
and like the patient man that I am, I waited for an opportunity to introduce myself. Unbeknownst to me Ryan and I had more in common than we knew…upon figuring out
that we were both into sneakers, we exchanged information and the rest has played out into not only this story, but also a decent friendship.

This story was also built on another friendship…the one of the Philadelphia Phillies Media Relations Assistant Kevin Gregg and I. Naturally our jobs put us in contact with one another but his father, longtime NL Umpire Eric Gregg and my mother, went to West Philadelphia High School and graduated in the class of ’68 together. Pretty interesting huh? Nevertheless, I respect history and I respect sports, so to have the synergy that I did in preparing this column, made it one to remember.

Thursday, August 16, 2007 was the day, RFK Stadium – Washington DC was the place where I would attend my first baseball game as a member of the press. I arrived early and I ventured into the depths of the arena. Next thing I know, I’m in the visiting clubhouse. I enter, and there is Howard sitting on a couch, watching the St. Louis Cardinals game...so here I am feeling like I’m 10 years old on Christmas, and I have to pretend to be smooth like Paul Newman in the movie Cool Hand Luke.

I was so hype about baseball that we didn’t even talk about sneakers. Sorry about that, but I did ask him about everything else…here is the final score on our conversation…batter up!

So how did you begin playing baseball?
“Well it all started in front of the TV watching games, my pops told me that he used to watch me imitating the players. I had my little red plastic bat, and I just stood up there and started swinging like them. It was fun, and my mom always said that I would hit the ball higher and further than other kids my age, and my parents saw something there. I was just enjoying it, playing in the dirt…getting dirty.”

You have such a natural talent, can you talk about that?
“My parents brought us up to remember that no matter what you do, always do the best in what you do, if you are going to go for it, go all out. Actually baseball wasn’t my first love, it was basketball, but baseball worked out in how I was able to go to college. I was on a baseball scholarship and the rest is history.”

What in your opinion is the greatest record in baseball?
“When you think about it, you have to say the homerun, and then the [Joe] DiMaggio 56-game hitting streak.”

Talk about your SUBWAY commercial with Jared:
“It was cool, and it was different. It was a different element, Jared was real cool, and everyone on the set was cool, and I had a lot of fun. I would do it again, but I have a new respect for actors and actresses because I was there for 3 or 4 hours, for a 30-second commercial.”

Remember it’s all about respect, and you must give it to get it.

Peace to my family, Satchel Paige, “Cool Papa” Bell, Buck O’Neil, Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson, Henry Aaron, Willie Mays, Bob Gibson, Ernie Banks, Lou Brock, Frank Robinson, Campy, Don Newcombe, Willie McCovey, Pops, Reg-gie Jackson, Willie Randolph, Joe Morgan, Tim Raines, Dave Winfield, Garry Maddox, Tony Gywnn, The Hawk, Barry Bonds, Big Hurt, Crime Dog, Kirby Puckett, Kenny Lofton, The Sheff, Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins, Juan Pierre, Dontrelle Willis, Derek Lee, and Torii Hunter.

Black Diamond

                                  The best of the best

                Ryan Howard is the most known unknown

               Derek Jeter the Captain and AG the writer

Last night while flipping channels around the 10 o'clock hour, I stumbled upon the show Costas Now on HBO. The sports coverage on HBO is top tier and the telecast on Wednesday was no different, as they did a special on the legends of baseball. 

I absolutely LOVE baseball, and as a black man I respect it more than any other sport. Baseball is considered America's pastime. However when I study the game it shows the history of black people in America, therefore I am not only entertained, it also serves as moments of enlightenment. I have often heard that baseball is a thinking person's game, and does it ever get my gears turning.

During the episode, David Winfield, Jim Palmer, Henry Aaron, and Willie Mays were interviewed and it was truly amazing to hear their stories and struggles within the game that has served as a metaphor for life, for them and countless numbers of fans. One point that Willie Mays made was that, had he not served in the Army during the Korean War, he would have surpassed the home run record (714) that was once held by Babe Ruth. Mays lost approximately 2 seasons away from the San Francisco Giants, and finished his career with 660 home runs. 

Henry Aaron is best known for his playing days in Atlanta as well as having actually breaking Ruth's record and he expressed how trying those times were for him and his family. In fact instead of looking back upon those days with fondness, he actually is more relieved that it is over and that his family survived unscathed. He had to not only play the game, but he also endured death threats, hate mail, and disrespect at the highest power. I don't get it, and it is really a shame that these instances were a part of his life and the game. My grandmother says that when the Brooklyn Dodgers used to come to Philadelphia, that the fans through a black cat on the field because of Robinson. Imagine something like that in today's game?

David Winfield is the ultimate athlete, as he was drafted, yes drafted by teams in 3 professional sports...Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the NBA. I best remember him as a member of the New York Yankees, and during an interview I had with Derek Jeter he recalled watching Winfield. As Jeter spoke, he lit up like a Christmas tree when speaking about his childhood hero. He wanted to emulate him both on and off the field because of Dave Winfield's athletic ability and his work within the community. 

In the modern game of baseball the black hero is there in people, like Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Torii Hunter, Curtis Granderson, Juan Pierre, and Ken Griffey Jr. However the major problem is that no one within the black is looking up to them. In this day and age the children want to play basketball and football first, and sports like tennis, soccer, baseball, and swimming are last on the list or not at all. 

Things have really changed from yesteryear. From the Negro Leagues and the greatest man in baseball Buck O'Neil, to April 1947 when Jackie Robinson was called up to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. 

What happened to the soul of the game? 

I really do not know how to answer this question, but I love baseball and all that it has meant to my culture over the generations. I couldn't imagine Major League Baseball without black players...and I hope that it never comes to fruition. 

Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies is currently leading ALL players with 28 home runs, yet he wasn't in the All-Star Game on Tuesday. If he wasn't tops among league leaders it might not have been an issue, but it was the final All-Star Game to ever be played in the old Yankee Stadium. That was an opportunity that he should not have been denied. 

Somethings in life just don't seem fair. 

Did you know that the top home run leaders of all-time are black? Where would baseball be had Jackie Robinson and Larry Dolby not integrated the sport? 

The only thing constant in this world is change, and in this case, the change was as good as it was necessary.