In this thread we talk/argue/debate over the greatest contests in sports all over the world, in MLB, Soccer, NFL, the NBA, Nascar, etc.
Here is my nominee for the greatest game of 2007:
August 30th 2007 - Phillies/Mets - Final Score: 11-10.
Why?
- Extra Inning game
- Completed a four game sweep
- Mets scored 5 runs in the 8th, and still lost.
- The score was 5-5 heading into the 8th...Now look at the final score!
- This game almost single handidly make the Mets play tightly the last month of the season.
Here's an article on it from www.philly.com
Phillies complete 4-game sweep of Mets
In what figured to be the most significant victory in the short history of Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies stole a game today from the New York Mets and their indomitable closer, Billy Wagner, who helped christen the park in a Phillies uniform in 2004.
Jayson Werth's two stolen bases on consecutive pitches in the bottom of the ninth ignited a comeback as the Phils stunned the Mets, 11-10.
The slugfest, ending with Chase Utley's RBI single, completed a four-game sweep that left Charlie Manuel's team just two games behind New York in the NL East race and two behind the Padres or Diamondbacks in the wild-card standings.
"This was a huge win," Manuel said. "We won four in a row from them. That speaks for itself. I thought Werth's two stolen bases were huge."
Desperate to salvage a win in the series, Mets manager Willie Randolph elected to send Wagner into the game in the eighth. Wagner had not been asked to record a six-out save since 1999.
Werth's broken-bat single led off the ninth with the Phils behind, 10-9. After speaking with first-base coach Davey Lopes, Werth decided to steal with Tadahito Iguchi at the plate and one out.
"It was a situation where I needed to be on second," Werth said. "I got a couple of reads on him. I took off and got the [first] steal."
That's because Wagner was thinking about his pitches, not about Werth.
"Sometimes Billy doesn't look; he's pretty easy to read," Manuel said.
Said Wagner: "I was just trying to make pitches."
When Werth arrived at second, he studied Wagner some more.
"He gave me one look, then looked at home," Werth recalled. "It was real slow and I took off. . . . I thought I could make it. The count was 0-2, and I thought there was a good chance he might throw a ball, so I took a chance and made it happen."
With Wagner's obvious indifference, Werth stole third. He scored to tie the game on Iguchi's hit to left field.
"He's a very tough pitcher; I'm glad I got it done," Iguchi said.
Iguchi stole second with Jimmy Rollins batting.
"I had a lot of pressure to run," Iguchi said, after seeing Werth's performance. Wagner intentionally walked Rollins.
Utley, who was just 1 for 4 when he came up, worked a full count before lacing a single to right field, scoring Iguchi with the winning run.
"I just found the hole," Utley said. "Wagner is tough. That's why he is one of the best closers in the game. He throws hard and you're not sure what he's going to feature up there."
This game featured a little bit of everything.
After whiffing three times in Wednesday's 3-2 win, Ryan Howard rocked Mets starter Orlando Hernandez with a towering two-run homer to center in the first inning for his 36th bomb of the season.
Torrid Pat Burrell hit two homers (one off Wagner), giving him 24 for the season and 41 for his career against the Mets - the most among active players. Burrell is on a tear, batting .360 (59 for 164) since July 2. In the third inning, his first dinger nearly nailed the Phanatic in the left-field stands.
"I can't say enough about our effort," Burrell said. "Everybody contributed. It's a huge win. Chase got the big hit at the end. I have to give the fans credit. This was as loud as I've ever heard it here with Chase up."
The Phils led by 5-0 after three innings, but starter Kyle Lohse had a poor outing, lasting just 32/3 innings and yielding three earned runs on five hits. He threw 87 pitches.
"We showed a lot heart and scrappiness," Lohse said. "I let the guys down, but they picked me up. I owe them one."
The Mets tied it, 5-5, in the fifth, but the Phils pulled ahead by 8-5 in their half of the inning before New York scored five runs in the eighth off J.C. Romero and Antonio Alfonseca for a 10-8 lead.
"We had a kind of meltdown in the eighth inning," Manuel said.
Wagner, who had not pitched since Friday, shouldered the blame.
"The pitch to Werth, it was a good pitch and he just got enough of it," Wagner said. "I tried to bury a slider on Iguchi's hands. I tried to get Chase to roll over on a ball and he put the pitch in the hole. We battled, but I didn't hold up my end."
People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge.
When there are more laws, there are more criminals.
- Lao Tzu
