Sarah Palin, the Republican Vice President nominee, was recently in Erie, Pennsylvania. She decided to try to get a few cheers by mentioning how nice it was to be in the home state of the Philadelphia Phillies. That comment was greeted with a chorus of boos.

Why would the people in Erie boo Sarah Palin for talking about the Phillies? Erie isn’t Phillies country. Even though both cities are in the state of Pennsylvania, Erie is almost an eight hour drive away from Philadelphia.

Those Erie residents who booed are most likely either fans of the Cleveland Indians or the Pittsburgh Pirates. Both of those teams are under two hours away. I guess Sarah Palin will know better next time.

Here is the Sarah Palin video of her getting booed in Erie, Pennsylvania:

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Harry Kalas, the legendary voice of the Philadelphia Phillies, had a fantasy call as the Phillies took home the 2008 World Series. You can hear the Harry Kalas call on the video at the end of the entry.

What’s also noteworthy and quite comical is the celebration going on in the booth as Kalas proclaims the Phillies the world champions of baseball after Brad Lidge struck out the final batter for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Kalas began broadcasting in 1961 when he was a minor league broadcasting. He moved on to the Houston Astros in 1965 and then to the Phillies in 1971.

Here is the Harry Kalas video and his radio call as the Phillies won the World Series in 2008:

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Philadelphia hadn’t seen a champion since the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers. The wait can now end as the Philadelphia Phillies captured the 2008 World Series by beating the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

This wacky Game 5 had actually started on Monday night. But after bad weather suspended the game until Tuesday and then suspended it again until Wednesday, the two teams were finally able to get back on the field.

With the score tied at 2-2 as the game started, the Phillies struck first in the 6th. Geoff Jenkins doubled and then scored on a Jayson Werth single. Tampa Bay struck right back when Rocco Baldelli hit a solo shot to tie the game a three apiece.

The go ahead run was scored in the 7th inning by the Phillies. Pat Burrell hit a double off the wall and then scored on a Pedro Feliz hit to make the score 4-3. No team would score another run as Brad Lidge saved the game and win the World Series for the Phillies. Lidge, it should be noted, ended the season 48-for-48 in save opportunities.

Cole Hamels was named the MVP of the 2008 World Series as the city of Philadelphia finally felt the championship glory once again.

Phillies fans weren’t bashful in their celebration of the 2008 World Series championship.

Photo: Newscom

The Phillies did it!

What does it feel like to be a World Series champion? Ask the Philadelphia Phillies, who on Wednesday took home the 2008 World Series title. These Phillies are now the champions of baseball for the year of 2008 and no one can take that away from them.

Ryan Howard has now established himself in history.

You can see Phillies World Series celebration videos here:

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With the score tied 2-2 in the sixth inning, rains forced the suspension of Game 5 of the 2008 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays. Going into the game, the Phillies held a 3-1 lead in the best of seven series. With a win, the Phillies could have won the 2008 baseball championship.

Due to the suspension, Game 5 will continue on Tuesday — which was originally a day off. The game will continue right where it was with the score tied at two apiece.

If the Rays win Game 5 on Tuesday, Game 6 will be in Tampa Bay on Wednesday. If the Rays can also win that game, Game 7 will be on Thursday in Tampa Bay. Each of the three games will be shown at 8PM and can be seen on television on Fox.

Here are BJ Upton and Carlos Pena in a video talking about the postponement of Game 5:

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Ryan Howard showed in Game 4 why he is such a feared hitter.

The Philadelphia Phillies, after their 10-2 win, are now one win away from winning the 2008 World Series and being declared the 2008 baseball champions. Leading in the series 2-1 coming into Game 4, the Phillies dominated in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in the best out of seven series.

The big star on Sunday night was none other than Ryan Howard, the slugging first baseman for the Phillies. Howard hit two home runs and finished the game 3-4 with walk and five RBIs.

Howard wasn’t the only hitting star for the Phillies on this night. Right fielder Jayson Werth had a home run of his own. Starting pitcher Joe Blanton was not only dominant on the mound, he also helped his own cause by hitting a home run in the fifth inning. On the mound, Blanton went six innings and gave up two runs while striking out seven batters.

The Rays could never get things going. Their only two runs of the game were courtesy of solo homers by Carl Crawford and Eric Hinske. Starting pitcher Andy Sonnanstine struggled, but he wasn’t alone. All four pitchers who pitched for Tampa Bay gave up at least one run.

The Phillies will go for the 2008 World Series championship on Monday. The Rays, on the other hand, will try to win the game and send the series back to Tampa Bay. The pitchers in Game 5 will be Scott Kazmir for the Rays and Cole Hamels for the Phillies. Game 5 of the World Series starts at 8PM eastern and will be shown on Fox.

Photo: Newscom

Philadelphia Phillies take the lead in the 2008 World Series.

The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays on an infield hit in the bottom on the ninth inning to win Game 3 of the 2008 World Series. With the win, the Phillies lead the Rays two games to one in the best of seven series.

With the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the ninth, Carlos Ruiz hit a slow roller to third base and the throw home was not in time. The run made it 5-4 and gave the Phillies the win.

Earlier in the game, Ruiz hit a home run in the second inning off of Matt Garza. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard also hit homers for the Phillies. 45-year-old starting pitcher Jaime Moyer went 6.1 innings in which he gave up three earned runs and struck out five.

For the Rays, BJ Upton was again the star. Upton went 2-4 with a run and an American League World Series record three stolen bases. Carl Crawford also went 2-4 for Tampa Bay and scored two runs. Garza, the starter for the Rays, struck out seven batters but gave up four earned runs in six innings.

Game 4 will be on Monday night in Philadelphia. If the Phillies can win, they will be one win away from being the champions of baseball in 2008. If the Rays win, they will tie the series at 2-2 and have two of the final three games at home. The game will start at 8PM eastern and will be shown on television on Fox.

Photo: Newscom

If you are having trouble getting excited about the 2008 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays, you should check out the Game 3 starters. Starting for the Phillies is none other than 45-year-old Jamie Moyer.

Moyer, who is by far the oldest player in the series, is more than just a good story. He’s still a very good pitcher. For stretches of the regular season, he was the best pitcher on the Phillies. Without him, Philadelphia likely wouldn’t be where they are today.

Although Moyer has lost some zip on his fastball, he’s amazingly crafty on the mound and knows just about every secret there is to know. He changes spots well and is still able to keep hitters off balance.

To understand just how old Moyer is, watch this video to see some of the players Jaime Moyer has played against:

The Philadelphia Phillies left the Tampa Bay Rays baffled in Game 1.

Although the Tampa Bay Rays were favored to not only win the game but win the series, the Philadelphia Phillies were able to draw first blood in the 2008 World Series. With a 3-2 victory, the Phillies need just three more victories to be crowned the 2008 baseball champions.

The star for the Phillies on Wednesday night was starting pitcher Cole Hamels. In seven very solid innings, Hamels gave up only two earned runs while striking out five Rays. Brad Lidge notched the save to remain perfect in save opportunities this year.

At the plate, the big hit for the Phillies was provided by Chase Utley. His two-run homer in the first inning gave the Phillies a lead they would never relinquish. On the game, Utley was 2-4 with a walk.

On the other side of the diamond, the favored Rays just couldn’t get a rally going against Hamels and the Phillies bullpen. The only batter who had success was Akinori Iwamura, who was 3-4 with an RBI.

Game 2 on the World Series schedule is to be played at 8PM Eastern in Tampa Bay.

The schedule for the 2008 World Series can be found below. In this championship series, the Philadelphia Phillies will take on the Tampa Bay Rays. The Phillies have long been a talented team but they haven’t been able to put it together in the postseason — until now. On the other side, the Rays have always been either horrible or really, really bad. This year, they are the American League champs and they aim to add another title.

Here is the schedule for the World Series between the Rays and Phillies:

Game 1 - Philadelphia Phillies @ Tampa Bay Rays October 22, 8PM ET
Game 2 - Philadelphia Phillies @ Tampa Bay Rays October 23, 8PM ET
Game 3 - Tampa Bay Rays @ Philadelphia Phillies October 25, 8PM ET
Game 4 - Tampa Bay Rays @ Philadelphia Phillies October 26, 8PM ET
Game 5 - Tampa Bay Rays @ Philadelphia Phillies October 27, 8PM ET
Game 6 - Philadelphia Phillies @ Tampa Bay Rays October 29, 8PM ET
Game 7 - Philadelphia Phillies @ Tampa Bay Rays October 30, 8PM ET