LINCICOME: Phillies are phinished

Published October 5, 2007 at midnight

Text size

More Rocktober 2007: Colorado Rockies Playoff Run

PHILADELPHIA — It's always sunny in . . .

Well, that's what the TV show says anyhow, and it has been nice here, a little warm for the season, causing a bit of a kerfuffle over how the Rockies choose to keep cool. But more on that later.

From here, sunshine is what is left for Phans of the Phils — that, and the odd spelling that goes along with rooting for a team on the edge of the end.

Phinished. Phlattened. Ophphed. Kafut.

To give it a score. Ten to phive.

Oh, sure, there is that little matter of the Rockies needing to win one of three from here, the next two at Coors Phield . . . sorry, Field. The habit, like cheesesteak, is insidious.

The Rockies have not lost more than one in a row since the aspens were green instead of gold, or, to put actual dates on it, Sept 14-15. From there until now, the incredible trip has had one bump only, the 16th of 17 wins coming Thursday.

Kaboom. Kaboom. Kaboom.

That's the sound of a team working on a pennant.

The noise of the Rockies' bats was loud enough to muffle the Phillies crowd — and early, with home runs coming in the first inning, one after the other, from Troy Tulowitzki and Matt Holliday.

The loudest racket was made by the quietest of Rockies, a grand slam in the fourth inning that gave the Rockies all the runs they would need.

But let's have the grammatically challenged manager of the Phils explain, as he tried to explain to his hometown skeptics why he would bring in from the bullpen a starting pitcher with the bases loaded.

"I liked (Kyle) Lohse on, uh, Matso, what's his name, Matsu," said Charlie Manuel. "That's why I made the move I done."

All the inevitable second guessing may be left to those who care, for those booing Lohse and even Manuel whenever he popped out of the dugout to do something else unwise. The Rockies can say simply thanks for the favor and, oh, Charlie, the name you are looking for is Matsui, Kazuo Matsui.

And here's another name Manuel did dare try. Yorvit Torrealba, he with a big double in the sixth that plated two more runs and had the home crowd booing their own, the one-time Rockies pitcher and vagabond victim, Jose Mesa.

"Mesa sucks, Mesa sucks," the crowd chanted, forgoing the MVP! mantra for Jimmy Rollins, making that two things Philadelphians clearly agree on.

This does seem a little nasty and unsupportive, if typical of the town. But even Manuel understood.

"When someone gives up a grand slam and loses the lead," Manuel said, "then he's going to get booed. They pay their money."

Maybe that's what will become of Denver some day. Passions will be raised by the baseball team to the level of spite, as the Broncos know well. Boos have filled Invesco Field.

But the Rockies have been nice little pets in their short history, either patted or ignored but rarely kicked. The general indifference to the Rockies beyond the Mountain time zone came suddenly upon Clint Hurdle when a question was posed again with the preface, "For those of us who have not seen your team . . . "

Hurdle, ever gracious, could not let this one pass. "Shame on you for not seeing our club more."

And thus was it then explained that this is a pretty good bunch of ballplayers and they were very excited to be where they are but that they had bigger plans.

This may come as a surprise to a greater world still fixed on the Yankees and the Red Sox and the Cubs, yet when the Rockies show up in the World Series, truly anyone who has not seen the Rockies should be shamed.

The spotlight is so unfamiliar that it caused Rockies closer Manny Corpas to suddenly be suspected of . . . well, as I said earlier, cooling himself off. TV cameras caught Corpas dumping water on his shirt, an obvious conspiracy. There was even a suggestion it might be something else, a caffeine drink. Corpas would rub his shirt and touch his hat.

All of this was to explain how someone heretofore anonymous could close out games as Corpas has been doing, as he did Thursday, first with the bases loaded in the eighth and then a comfortable ninth.

"It's hot, so I put water on my head," Corpas said. "I don't do nothing bad."

Here's another way to look at it. When you are accused of cheating, you are being taken seriously. And the Rockies now must be taken seriously.

The mayor of Philadelphia, John F. Street, swore he would not take off his red Phillies jacket as long as the Phils were in the playoffs.

Maybe he put water on it, too, to cool off. But not to worry. The weather being as warm as it has been, the good mayor will get to take it off soon. Saturday, about midnight, Sunday at the latest.

lincicomeb@RockyMountainNews.com

Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News