Some bad iPhone pictures I just took of the masses gathered in Union Square

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And people call us crass...

Needless to say, I fucking loved this shit. Kudos to the700level for the link, and to Chase for channeling the thought every Phan has had since Wednesday night and screaming it on the biggest stage possible. Now that he's done it twice, I can officially call him Chase "Fuck"ley:
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One more win

It's still surreal to me, which is why I'm so happy to have an indelible record of so much of this postseason run. I may well forego live-blogging tomorrow night in favor of being able to watch the game in Philly with Radnor, because it just has to be that way. But this could very well be the last night of something I've known for as long as I can remember. And as much as I tend to resist change, I'm not the slightest bit apprehensive about this one. Here's hoping the Phils aren't either. Cole takes the mound tonight looking to stake his claim to the greatest postseason a starting pitcher has ever had. Jimmy leads off tonight looking to make good on his promise to Larry Bowa to put the mark on CBP that Bowa and his Phillies left on the vet. 27 outs from a night we've all waited for for far too long. Click me for the rest!

So here I am, it's in my hands, and I'll savor every moment of this

So, I don't know if you've heard, but it was pretty damn sunny in Philadelphia yesterday, perhaps all part of a grand marketing scheme in advance of this thursday? But never did the light shine brighter than during the nightcap of yesterday's doubleheader between the Phils and the Broomed Crew, as Brett became the first pitcher since my namesake and fellow southpaw Andy Pettite to throw a complete game on 3 days rest. And he did it in 95 pitches. He was essentially one Prince Fielder home run or one Astro hit from splitting national headlines with Zambrano today, but this ain't about bein a rock star and the end result is all the same. Somehow, by the grace of the baseball gods, the Phils have reclaimed control over their playoff fate. Would it be nice to win the East? Of course. But the wild card is now theirs to lose, and there are no two ways about it.

The schedule includes but three more games against a team which can even be described as mediocre, and 9 against Atlanta and Washington. There is simply no excuse for letting the Brewers, who play 6 more games against the Cubs, finish out the schedule with a better record. Don't even get me started about the disgrace it would be if Ed Wade, Randy Wolf, Geoff Geary, Michael Bourn, no Carlos Lee and the rest of the Rastros come from 2 games back. 150 games in, this team has the opportunity to make the Great Drought of '08 a distant, forgotten memory. It has the opportunity to make the 8th inning's metamorphosis from Mr. Tom's Wild but ultimately pretty effective Ride into the DurMadson Triangle nothing more than a post script to the story of what was, ultimately, a wild ride back to the postseason. The only things standing in the way are themselves, and 12 games with teams with a 200-248 combined record and nothing to play for, but nothing to lose. I'm officially out of the prognosticating business, because it's a total no-win from here on out...plus I have no idea what to expect.
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He said, "son I made my life out of readin people's faces, and knowin what the cards were by the way they held their eyes..."

Denizens of the Internet, I was remiss last night in forgetting to call for a huge round of applause and offering my heartiest congratulations, to my friend and one-time poker teacher, Andrew Brown, who earlier this week took down one of the world's most respected card players, the venerable Ted Forrest, en route to winning Event #16 at this year's World Series of Poker. I give you Andrew Brown, bracelet winner.

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