One Step Forward

Phillies Inch Closer to First as Baseball Resumes

If there was ever a better night for a ballgame, it would be hard to top the scene at the Vet on Monday night. The perfect weather had a sweet, autumnal tinge and the big crowd (relatively speaking) provided the perfect backdrop for a game with playoff implications.

But Monday night's game between the Phillies and the Braves was bigger than most mid-September spins around the diamond. It couldn't have been bigger even if it was the seventh game of the World Series — the game was bigger than its sport. It was America getting back to business.

In the wake of last Tuesday's abomination, baseball and sports in general seemed pretty insignificant. Perhaps the last thing anyone wanted was to sit around and watch a silly ballgame or even play in one. But time and space takes away the sting of any sucker punch. Sure, the anger remains but it has manifested itself into pride and patriotism.

	Old Glory was prevalent at the Phillies game Monday night.

What could be more patriotic than a ballgame?

"It felt like we were actually playing for something bigger than baseball," starting pitcher Robert Person said. "It was the most important game I ever pitched. With all those emotions it felt like I was a rookie again."

Add that to the fact that the game was the first played by a major league sport on American soil and a pep rally breaks out. Red, white and blue bunting hung from the dugout, each fan was handed a flag as they entered and God Bless America was sung prior to the game as both teams stood along the base lines and during the seventh inning stretch.

Plus, the game already had playoff implications, which makes it no wonder the players looked like they had extra spring in their steps. After the Phils 5-2 win that put them just 2 ½ games out in the NL East, a lot of the fans left the park feeling as good as they have all week.

Perhaps most interestingly is the fact that the players viewed the game as something more than mere baseball. Hard-nosed Larry Bowa was visibly choked up during the pre-game ceremonies as he stood at home plate misty-eyed and knees knocking. Person took the mound in much the same manner. He said he was trembling so much that he totally lost his poise and pitched the first five innings in a "dream state."

"The was a lot riding on this and it wasn't because of the playoffs," he said.

To a man, the Phillies say they have found a new perspective. Sure baseball is their profession and how they earn their money, but they feel a new sense of togetherness and keep repeating their new theme like it's a mantra:

"Positive thoughts, positive thoughts."

First Person says it, and then across the clubhouse Brian Hunter repeats it. The change seems to have affected Bowa who says he admires the professionalism his team has displayed over the past week.

"The way they approached the game was unbelievable," Bowa said. "It really wouldn't have mattered if we would have lost after a day like this.

	Scott Rolen makes a curtain call after his sixth inning homer.

"I've been here for a lot of big games and none of them were as emotional as this one."

But once the game started, it was business as usual.

Thirty-three thousand, two hundred ninety-two people turned out and saw a crisp, clean ballgame that was played as if there hadn't been a week off. Maybe that's because they played as if there really wasn't anything to lose.

"Right now were an outlet for people," Person said.

Bowa is on the same page.

"It was a different crowd tonight," the skipper said. "They wanted to make a statement and it wasn't about baseball."

When all the songs had been sung and remembrances offered, all that was left was a baseball game — and a pretty significant one at that. Heading into the game, the Phillies trailed the Braves by 3 ½ games in the NL East, having kept pace by whipping the Montreal Expos three times before they were to have played a three-game set in Atlanta. In fact, the last time out the Phillies pounded out 12 runs and have cranked out 28 hits in their last two games.

But that was eight days ago.

The offensive onslaught in Montreal effectively ended a big-time slump where it seemed as if the team was falling out of contention. Over a 20 game stretch, the Phils dropped 15 and scored more than three runs in just six games. But with a layoff of more than a week, it would be very difficult to determine whether the bats would still be able to find the groove. In fact, the Phillies themselves had no idea how they would respond to their first glimpse at live pitching since Sept. 9.

But it wasn't just any old pitcher that toed the rubber against the Phils, either. The team had to jump back into the fray against four-time Cy Young award winner Greg Maddux.

During his seven-inning stint, Maddux was, well, Maddux. If he didn't have to face Scott Rolen, he would have been OK.

Rolen was a one-man wrecking crew, blasting two, solo homers and picking up three RBIs in a 2-for-4 performance. Every one of his at-bats proved to be turning points in the game. His first time up, he smashed a 395-foot shot to left-center to tie it up at 1 in the second inning.

Following a Bobby Abreu triple in the fourth, Rolen drove him home with a ground out to short to put the team ahead, 2-1. His next time up in the sixth caused an eruption.

Rolen pulled one into the visitor's bullpen in left to give the Phillies a lead they would never relinquish. But the blast roused the crowd into a cheering and clapping frenzy that wouldn't relent until Rolen came out of the dugout and waved to them. Thoughtful and introspective, Rolen isn't one who is prone to fist pumping or taking the center stage, but Monday it was different.

	Jose Mesa wipes away a tear during the pregame ceremonies.

"I was three steps from the (clubhouse) door when Bowa came up the runway," Rolen said. "I didn't feel right about coming out. Bowa said 'I know it's not you and you don't want to do this, but there's something special about this night.' We actually agreed on something. I'm glad I did it."

Meanwhile, Person's pitching was equal to Rolen's hitting. Monday marked the fifth consecutive start that the righthander pitched into the eighth inning and is his 11th win in his last 12 decisions. Even though he says he was trembling and lost his poise, it was hard to tell.

Person (15-6, 4.02) threw eight innings, gave up two runs and six hits while walking two and whiffing six. His efficiency was also a key — during his stint he threw 116 pitches of which 75 were strikes.

It didn't seem like he missed a start at all.

But Person could feel a difference. During his pregame preparations, Person says he watched three tapes of himself pitching against the Braves, made thorough notes and went out there and forgot everything. During the layoff, he threw regularly in the bullpen but could tell he was rusty.

"I was concerned about just being able to throw strikes," he said. "I was hoping to do something rather than going out there and doing it."

Whatever he hoped for, he got. At the same time, his teammates helped him out of a jam or too.

In the sixth, the Braves had runners on first and second with just one out. Hoping to catch the Phillies off guard, manager Bobby Cox put on a hit-and-run with Brian Jordan up that effectively ended the Braves' night.

Jordan lined one that seemed headed for the gap in right-center, but Doug Glanville covered the ground like a blanket to make the catch. Noticing Chipper Jones rounding second, Glanville threw to first to double him up to end the inning and the threat.

"The big play of the game was (Brian) Jordan lining out,'" Cox said. "If that ball goes through, we win."

However, Jones helped them out of the gates to a quick start. With two outs in the first, he hit one off the top of the fence and over for his 36th homer of the year to give the Braves a quick, 1-0 lead. But that was the only real mar in Person's performance as he retired 10 of the next 12 after the homer.

Jones' homer elicited boos from the crowd, which gave Bowa the impression that everyone was feeling better.

"You realized the healing had started when they booed Chipper," Bowa quipped.

Jose Mesa worked the ninth for his 37th save in 40 chances.

But in the end, it was the game and not the winner, which made the difference. Although he lost the game and his team lost a game in the standings, Maddux (17-9, 2.96) thoroughly enjoyed being out there and playing ball again.

"It was cool. I actually felt patriotic," Maddux said. "The 'USA' chants were cool. Running my sprints before the game, there were no obscene remarks. It was like everybody was together, people in the stands, players on the field, it was like we were on the same team."

Tuesday, the Phils and Braves continue the four-game set when rookie Brandon Duckworth (2-1, 3.43) faces veteran lefthander Tom Glavine (14-7, 3.66).

Notes: Monday's paid attendance was 27, 910 but there were 33,290 in the stadium. The Phillies gave out complimentary tickets last May to the American Red Cross for people who gave blood. The tickets were to be used on Sept. 3 or Monday. … Rolen's two-homer game is the ninth of his career. The last one came on may 17, 2000 at St. Louis. His second homer was his 100th RBI this season. It is the second time in his career that Rolen has reached the plateu.

John R. Finger
ComcastSportsNet.com