Evening update

Alright, now that Bruce is aboard, we have the country's foremost sports authority. I already feel a bit defensive about ragging on Elway as being among the NFL's Ten Best ever, and in particular his selection as the single greatest player ever by two of the panelists. I still disagree, but will have to wait for a longer post to explain why. In the meantime, I hope Bruce begins to tackle naming the NFL Team of the '70's.

May I also add that Charlie Manuel offered a feeble defense of his managerial screw-up last night by claiming that "Bob Hayes wouldn't have scored" on Rollins's double. As former Cowboys' wide-out Bob Hayes died three years ago, Charlie is right. Chavez, though, might well have scored, instead of being "saved" as a pinch-hitter, so that he could swing at three balls (including one which he fouled after it bounced up to the plate, possibly "blocking" a wild pitch with runners on 2nd and 3rd, preventing the tying run from scoring).

Endy stinks, but a manager who doesn't know how to exploit his team's strengths and work around its weaknesses is not a good game-time manager. I fully appreciate that he may have had a wonderful impact on the clubhouse, relaxing the club (maybe they should have relaxed by reading their bank statements, but I digress) and getting them to play up to their potential. But this team is so unsound fundamentally, so unable to do the little things that add up to a handful of wins over the course of a season, that they don't deserve to be in the post-season. But they are my team, and so I agonize through these losses, wondering where I could go to have a team-change operation. Marriage has made the Indians my second-favorite team, but the Phils own my heart. Which they then break annually.