Cliff Lee Goes Back to Philly

There is always that one guy that you can't get over. Despite his playboyish ways - dating you along with many other girls and eventually sending you packing - you only see his good looks and charm and are always ready to come crawling back. Well for all-star pitcher Cliff Lee, the Philadelphia Phillies are that guy.

Lee, a free agent (meaning he can be signed by any team), has just announced a new deal with the Philadelphia Phillies for a five-year $120 million deal. The Phillies came out of nowhere to win over Cliff Lee, as the Texas Rangers and NY Yankees were thought to be leading the negotiations. Lee not only gave up a bucket full of cash from the Yankees and Rangers, but also was able to overlook the fact that the Phillies once traded him across the country saying they couldnt afford him and yet signed pitcher Roy Halladay to a huge deal! Don't those Phillies sounds like that skeazy heartbreaker you know all too well?

So now Cliff Lee is running back to the Phillies who once sent him packing. The Phillies are also adding Lee to a stacked list of pitchers so it looks like Lee will be just one of many relationships the team will manage. If Lee had stayed with the Rangers he would have been the prized one and only love of the team. Now, he will have to share the spotlight and attention with an organization that once turned their back on him.

It is hard not to cheer for a player move that involves a player placing his interests over money, but in this case, Lee is still getting a big paycheck yet returning to the team that once left him heartbroken. He claims that he is more comfortable in Philly, but isn't that the tactic of a charmer? Sad to see the heartbreaker win out, cause we all know that they don't change.

Baseball Update - Year of the Underdog?

It looks like it is going to be the year of the underdog in the MLB. The SF Giants have the opportunity to go to the World Series tonight by beating out the Philadelphia Phillies. And on Friday night, the Texas Rangers go home to try to knock out the almighty Yankees.

If these two teams can pull out wins it will be bigger than Jason Wu beating out the Oscar de la Rentas for Michele Obama's inaugural gown and Roberto Benigni beating out Tom Hanks and Nick Nolte for Best Actor at the Oscars for his performance in "Life is Beautiful." (Although Benigni's winning speech will never be topped by any game winning celebration!)

What you Missed this Weekend

Since I'm sure you were out enjoying the first taste of fall this weekend, here is a brief rundown of the major sports highlights from the weekend:

MLB:

Roy Oswalt led the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 2 to tie up the series against the San Francisco Giants. Oswalt not only struck out eight batters but he also raced around the bases to score a run. Philly fans had lots to cheer about Sunday, as the Philadelphia Eagles beat out the Atlanta Falcons, Michael Vick's old team, earlier in the day.

NFL:

Big Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers returned to his team with a win after being suspended due to some female indiscretions in the offseason.

The Dallas Cowboys, America's team, hit rock bottom by losing to the Minnesota Vikings yesterday. The Cowboys who were a Superbowl favorite have squandered all of their talent with penalties. There is little sympathy for the C'boys who continue to make the same penalties week after week - yes the players are at fault, but shouldn't the coaches do some better parenting too?

NCAA Football:

Wisconsin badgered the formerly No. 1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, allowing Oklahoma to take the No. 1 spot in the BCS rankings. Boise State is still hanging around at No. 3 in the rankings, but its championship bowl series chances are not looking good.

The Next Round: MLB Playoff Picture

The MLB is divided into the American and National Leagues. Each league crowns a champion that then go head to head in the World Series. Well, after last night's Texas Rangers victory, the fields have been set. In the American League, the Texas Rangers will face the NY Yankees, and in the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies are matched up against the San Francisco Giants.

American League Division Series:

The Yankees seem to always be a favorite, but the Rangers are coming with some strong momentum. The Rangers postseason series win against the Tampa Bay Rays is the first in the team's franchise history! And more importantly, it wasn't only the pitching of Cliff Lee that got them there, but also their heads up aggressive base running. (In last night's game, runs were scored from two infield hits!)

National League Division Series:
The pitching is the talk of the 2010 postseason, but the match up between the Phillies and Giants will be the ultimate pitching exhibition. The Phillies have the big three, Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels, agains the Giants' top four (Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, Bumgarner). Every game of the series will be a showdown with these lineups. The Phillies are hoping to be the next dynasty - if they win this series they will be the first NL team to reach the World Series three years in a row since the 1940s! (Now mind you, there is much more these Phillies will have to prove in the World Series to truly be a dynasty.)

Postseason No-Hitter

Last night in the first game of the playoff season between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cincinnati Reds, Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay had the second no-hitter ever in MLB postseason play. And the last postseason no-hitter was 50 years ago!

A pitcher has a no-hitter, where the opposing team has no hits in the standard nine-inning game. Although this season has seen a relative abundance of no-hitters, this feat is actually incredibly rare. To put it in perspective, it is more likely to see a Chanel suit or black Manolos on sale at Bergdorfs!

Instant Replay

Check out my poll to the right about instituting instant replay into soccer. Looks like the results, thus far, overwhelmingly support making instant replay part of the game. (Make sure to vote!)

Well this topic, becomes even more timely, but within the baseball context, due to the blown call in the Philadelphia Phillies and Florida Marlins game last night. Third base umpire, Bob Davidson, arguably made the worst call in baseball by calling a winning hit foul when the replay shows the ball to be fair. The call, unfortunately, cost the Marlins the game. Davidson claims that even upon watching the replay that he made the right call.

This incident may not be the best case study for instant replay in baseball, but it does raise the question. Institute instant replay or does it change the game? Let me know what you think!