Left Field Lite: Don’t Call it a Comeback

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With his win on Sunday, Jamie Moyer tied Roy Halladay as the Phillies’ wins leader.

You know, for a little while there, things were a little scary for Phillies fans. While the Phillies offense has slumped in seasons past, this year anemic didn’t even begin to describe it. Normally the “June Swoon” comes during interleague play. This year, the Phils were slumping entering interleague play. Within a week, the Phillies dropped from being right behind the Braves in the standings to 5.5 games out of first place.

Well, with a solid win against the Blue Jays today, the Phillies look to be back on track, averaging 7 runs a game in their last 5 games, finding themselves now only 2.5 games back and closing in on an early July showdown with the Braves. But as the great LL Cool J once said in his song “Mama Said Knock You Out,” “Don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years.”

Left Field Lite: What I’ve Learned Over My Summer Vacation (So Far)

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Desmond Tutu is now one of my top 5 favorite people ever.

I have to admit: I’ve never been a soccer fan… ever. I have always thought it was just a sport you play until you get serious about baseball or football in high school.

That is, until this summer.

After I was surprised how much I enjoyed hockey and the Stanley Cup playoffs, I figured I would give soccer a try with the World Cup.  I’m very glad I did.

Left Field Lite: When Good Umpires Go Bad

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Joe West: Colorful Umpire or Major League Annoyance?

I must say, I was going to just let this go, but after Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga lost a perfect game bid to a blown call with two outs in the ninth inning, I have to say something to the umpires of Major League Baseball: just call the game. Since the beginning of the season, umpires have found themselves in more sticky situations than usual, even when instant replay was supposed to resolve a whole bunch of controversy for the men in blue.