SCOTT JACOBS

Tonight’s the night!  No seriously, they’re going to finish this unprecedented suspended game five tonight.  It’s going to happen.  It’s going to start at 8:37, last nine innings (wouldn’t that be fitting if it went 15 innings) and we will finally have clarity in this series, before a monsoon attacks Citizens Bank Park, suspending the game till Thanksgiving.

Okay, so that’s a little far fetched, but man, what a bizzare turn of events this World Series has become.

First it was the series that looked promising on paper (upstart Rays versus title starved Phils) but then they started the series and people tuned out.  And boy did they tune out in record numbers.  Game two had epically bad ratings, and game three was delayed till 10 P.M., and few people stayed up to watch the Phils walk off single their way to a two games to one lead.  Then Sunday, when the Phils absolutley destroyed the Rays, and that looked like the end was inevitable.  It still kind of does, but when that end comes, no one’s really sure anymore.

When they do resume it will be in the middle of the sixth, with the score tied at 2-2, and a World Series title on the line for the Phillies, who have to start feeling like maybe they are cursed.  One title in 125 years is crappy enough, but then you finally get this close to winning another, and mother nature rains on your parade.  Literally.

They tried to get the conclusion of the Crazy Classic in yesterday, but that was never going to happen, so that leaves tonight, Wednesday, October 29th, as the day that this series will supposedly resume.

We’ll resume this thing on Thanksgiving if we have to, Bud Selig basically said the other day.

So no white flag just yet.  Not until it becomes February, and teams start spring training will this World Series be cancelled.  Baseball will proclaim it never happened, sort of like maniacal extremists claim some wars didn’t happen, and we will move on with our life.

It’s almost hilarious, because Tampa has a dome!  They will never have to worry about this.  Not at least as long as the Trop is standing.  But in Philadelphia they play ball the natural way, on real grass, in the real outdoors.  And unfortunatley for Philly fans and all six Tampa fans who flew to Philly to watch the game, it sometimes rains.  Somedays it pours.  If you’re from Philadelphia, or if you’ve seen Invincible  you know this.

What makes this so interesting though, is that the weather forecast has become the bigger story in this World Series than these two teams.  We’ve learned that no Boston, New York, or Los Angeles equals putrid ratings.  We’ve learned that a team with no superstars can defy the odds, but not excite the masses.  We’ve learned that there is such thing as a lovefest with the underdog dying when people realize that it’s no fluke a team is here.

‘If the Rays win this Little Thickburger of a game five (It’s a World Series game, but little) they’ve got a shot to sweep the final two in Tampa.’

Cole Hamels is the best thing going in this series.  He’s set to bat in the sixth, and I say hell, let him pitch!  How shocked would the Rays be if he came up to the plate, and then got the shot to pitch the rest of the game?  Would it be risky?  Yes.  But sometimes if you want something, you have to take chances, and this would be an epically awesome chance to take.

And enough of this David Price talk.  The kid is a rookie, not a sure-fire future Hall of Famer.  He had a few really good showings this post-season, but let’s not make him out to be some kind of bigger then life hero.  He’s not Danny Almonte pitching against 12 year olds.  He’s a rookie with great stuff pitching at hitters who can hit.

Of course the rain situation actually should help Major League Baseball.  There’s an interest now.  It’s like a freak show yes, but selling the pitchline “watch a World Series get potentially determined by 2.5 innings”, is more effective then “tune in at 11 when the game may be over, or may be in a rain delay.”

So baseball has that going for them.

At this point you start to wonder if the Delaware Rays are rejuvenated.  They’ve been talking like it.  The ride has been fun they keep saying, we don’t want it to end.  No cries of one game at a time.  Simply, let’s keep this thing going as long as we can.

So all of a sudden a 3 games to 1 deficit feels more like 3-1.5, for what that’s worth, and I think, that if the Rays win this Little Thickburger of a game five (It’s a World Series game, but little) they’ve got a shot to sweep the final two in Tampa.  And hey, if this series makes it back to Tampa, there’s one thing we will absolutley know for sure.

Weather will have had it’s time in the spotlight.  A dome makes that scenario moot.

So here’s to 2 1/2 innings of a suspended World Series game five, the first in post-season history.  And for the fans that do get to go to this unique finale in Philly, bring a brown paper bag.  Cause if the Phillies lose tonight, you might want to be prepared for some panick attacks.