GO PHILLIES! GO PEDRO MARTINEZ!

"You've got to go out there and think you're going to get everybody out, and think you can. I definitely do that. I try not to go over the edge and rub things in and be cocky, but I definitely have confidence, there's no doubt about that." --Cliff Lee , Philly hurler who won first games of the series for the Philadelphia Phillies

Listen up. The folks in Las Vegas say the talented but over-paid New York Yankees will defeat the Philadelphia Phillies and win the 2009 world series. Well, they may, but Philly ace Cliff Lee defeated the big bad Yankees 6-1 in the first game of the series last night. Responding to a reporter's suggestion that Philly ace Lee upstaged his ace C.C. Sabathia, New York's manager Joe Girardi said, "One thing is he can't pitch every day." This was an indirect way of saying the highly-paid Yankees can't beat Lee, who may pitch game 4 of the series.

Meanwhile, the Yankees are confident that they can beat Philly's second starter Pedro Martinez, who, at age 38, has seen his fast ball slow from a blazing 95 miles hour to an 87 miles per hour crawl. But Martinez, who loves the spotlight, believes he can help his team by pinpointing his fast ball inside and throwing curves and sliders at different speeds outside to keep the bronx boys off balance and off the bases.

Listen, The Daddy admits that he hates the Yankees ownership and management, guys with deep pockets and egos the size of Mount Everest, guys who consistently buy off the best players on the market, leaving the teams in smaller markets like Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Minnesota to sulk and cry like a baby lying in a fetal position wailing for his momma.

How arrogant and egotistical are they? So arrogant and egotistical that they believe that they should be in the world series every year. So arrogant and egotistical that they believe that, if they don't win the world series each year, then the entire baseball season was a failure.

Above all else, the Yankee's deep pockets (which makes professional baseball unequal and unjust) and their unrepentant arrogance is why a brotha is hoping that Martinez will hold down the Yankees for six innings, the Phillie's relievers will quiet their bats the rest of the way, and long ball hitters Jayson Werth, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard will blast a few long ones, giving the people from the city of brotherly love a reason to hug and cheer again.

But whatever happens tonight, the Phillies have assured themselves of winning at least once and taken over the home-field advantage. And remember: in the last 2 years the Phillies are 11-1 at home in the postseason.

Go Phillies! Go Pedro Martinez!