Go Phillies!

It amazed me that at the beginning of the fifth game of the world Series on Monday (Nov. 2), one of the commentators on Fox where the series is being aired already proclaimed the Yankees as the champion.

Well, duh. As far as everyone knows, a team has to win four times to be able to be called a champion. It was like not giving any due credit to the Phillies who still have a fair chance of winning who after all, are the depending champion. They have been on this stage this year. And the ball could be on the either side on any game night.

I'm so glad that at the end of the day, the Phillies won to make it 3-2.

My TV Crisis

Last night, it was a hop between Dancing With the Stars and American Idol, with occasional sneak at the USA vs Puerto Rico World Classic baseball game. It was crazy.

Of course, we missed song renditions, dance numbers, most home runs. But what can we do? It was a dilemma of television programs clashing with time.

Last week, I happen to catch the first episode of the season of Dancing With the Stars so I watched and got involved. I got to have favorites by the time I watched again Monday night. American Idol, I've been watching since January. My husband is a baseball fanatic and he saw Cubs players in the team USA so he really wanted to see the game.

So the crisis went. I'm just glad I did not miss my favorites' presentations in both shows though. I know there will be more nights like this for the coming weeks -- that's eight weeks.

TBS Post Season Coverage

Last Saturday, I was impressed by how the TBS production handled the coverage of the MLB playoff.

At 10 pm, the Brewers and the Phillies were still on the top of the ninth and the Cubs and Dodgers coverage was supposed to begin at 10 pm. What TBS did, knowing how important both games were, was to interrupt the program on TNT, apparently its sister station, to show the Cubs and Dodgers on the first inning.

We had been waiting for the Cubs and Dodgers the whole evening and because they were playing in California, the time difference is three hours (we're in Florida). And so when it flashed on the screen on TBS that the game was being aired on TNT, which is just one channel up, we switched to TNT. After the first inning, an announcer came up to announce that the Milwaukee-Philadelphia game is over and the Chicago-LA game would now begin airing on TBS. TNT resumed regular programming then. The program that was interrupted was the movie Titanic.

So TBS did not compromise the coverage of the Brewers vs Phillies and the Cubs vs Dodgers eventhough there was an overlap in time. For me, that was a very good decision on the production team and I salute them for that.

Just so you know, but I think you already knew, the Phillies and the Dodgers won.

First Ball Game

Last week, I went to my first ball game. It was the Chicago Cubs versus the Tampa Bay Rays. I watched the first two games on TV and the last game, I watched live at the Tropican Field. The Rays sweep the Cubs. The scores are: 3-2, 5-4, 8-3.

Here's my impression. The live show is definitely way beyond exciting compared to the television. You feel the emotional current in the stadium. You shout, you clap, you scream, you cheer. It's different.

Furthermore, I learned that live ball games are a big advertisement. Between innings, while we see the commercials on TV, there are "commercials" going on in the field, too. They have little contests with prizes from a concessioner inside the stadium; they have freebies from local restaurants if the hometeam scores a particular run; they have advertisng flash in the marquee or the big screen all the time.

Morever, I observed that a ball game is a big entertainment. They use lights and drum rolls to get the thrill going; they have a mascot that makes funny dances; they have really pretty girls in shorts who encourage cheers from the crowd.

I realized that these baseball players who have honed their skills and talent to be the best they could ever be in the name of the sports, all come down to "entertainers." After all, they are performers who delight the fans. They enjoy celebrity status because they are in fact like musicians and actors who perform before an audience.

And yes, they should score-- make the paying public get their tickets' worth and go home with a smile.

No Sweep for the Phillies

It could have been a sweet third victory for the Phillies right at their very own soil, but the Cubs did not allow it to happen. The game ended with 6-5. Cubs won and no sweep for the Phillies.

I thought Phillies players are really strong and younger compared to the Cubs. They looked like they were unbreakable.

The big question of the game was if Mike De Rosa really hit a homerun. But it was umpire call. Everyone can ask, debate, and complain but the points are already in the books.

Opening Game Day for the Cubs

Yesterday was the opening season for Major League Baseball and the whole family watched the opening game day of the Cubs at WGN.

It was a great game. It was zero-zero until the ninth inning. Milwaukee scored three at the top of the ninth and Chicago tied it up with a three home run. It went to the tenth inning, much to the excitement of the fans at Wrigley Field. But in the end, the Brewers won with a score of 4-3.

This June, I am going to my first baseball game -- that would be the Cubs versus the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The American team versus the National Team. It would be a first for me. I'm sure it will be fun.