2 items

Two things of importance will happen today.

1. The vice-presidential debate.

This particular debate is more important than past VP debates. The reason for this is I have a belief that the VP will have to serve time in office without the V before the term is up. Obama is too large a target for hate groups, and McCain is walking death.

Biden can win if does not talk at all. If he chooses to speak, he should speak minimally. He has a tendency to throw words out of his mouth that either he doesn't mean to, whether he didn't mean to physically, or he was just playing around and took it too far, well, there's no way to know. Point is, there are fewer instances than today where he can dig himself into a mineshaft.

Palin has a similar problem. Whereas Biden's gaff issue comes with trying to be friendly ( I bet he actually is), Palin gets gaff-itis when she tries sounding like she knows what she's talking about. The woman has virtually no experience, and it shows when she has to answer any government related questions. I don't know how long the border with Russia is going to hold for foreign policy experience. It's one of the few borders that two countries can share without caring at all about. A lot of politicians get around an issue like this by using rhetoric, however she's also not very versed in that either. It will be interesting to see how she swims, or if she rapidly tumbles to the ocean floor in her homemade cement shoes.

2. Phillies playoff run continues.

I was actually in attendance at yesterday's game. There's really only one thing you can pull from game 1 of the playoffs though. That is how the starting pitcher does. It bodes well for Cole Hamels, as he was amazing. 8 innings, the win, and no earned (or unearned) runs. No one even got on base until I think the fifth (forget exactly, feel free to correct).

Every other player is an everyday player. This means any given game can be thrown out. Any one can have an off day. Even then, most of the play was at least what was to be expected. They didn't get alot of hits, but they got alot of walks, including one intentional. In fact, because of the walks, Ryan Howard only had one at bat in four plate appearances.

The only causes for concern would be Jason Werth, who went 0-4 with 3 K's, and Brad Lidge. The man was lights out all year. He never (ever) blew a save all year, went 41-41. No one does that, even the best blow at least one or two. He got himself into a pretty tight jam, and I just hope this doesn't translate into his reversion into the Brad Lidge who pitched in his last playoff appearance, with the astros.

Regardless, game two is really the only one I think the phillies have a chance of losing. The only reason for this is Sabbathia. He is the only threat at starting pitcher, and he cannot pitch every day forever. The man's arm is going to fall of soon.

--Knuttel