Well its all about who plays better anyway.

A Rumble In The Bronx indeed! 

Here is a tune to kick in gear! (From Sega’s Streets of Rage 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcewDDeofI0&feature=related

GO PHILLIES!!! 

Shortstop: Jimmy Rollins on offense and Davey Concepcion on defense.  (Sorry Hal, no way.  Very close to even on defense, edge to Rollins.  Conversely, I’d give an edge to Concepcion offensively based on consistency.  I would think Bowa would agree with me, bu who knows).
Third base: Pete Rose over Pedro Feliz, not even close. (Again, as in catcher, Pedro is overall better defensively and that narrows the gap.  But if you consider Pete’s intangibles, this widens it again, but defense is not to be overlooked.
Left Field: George Foster over Raul Ibanez, by a wide margin.  (no disagreement). 
Center Field: Shane Victorino on offense and Cesar Geronimo on defense.  (Any defensive difference is small.  Cesar was very good, mind you, great range, especially. Cesar was more skill, Shane is more heart.  I’ll take heart 9 days a week when the talent is close).
Right Field: Ken Griffey Sr. over Jayson Werth because Griffey was a better all-around player.  (absurd.  Griffey was one of these athletic looking specimens who’s potential wasn’t fulfilled until his family did it.  Nice player, but doesn’t match Werth defensively in particular).

http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2009/10/23/the_phillies_are_not_the_big_r.html

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs/2009/news/story?id=4591258

Here is an excerpt that contains an interesting  nugget of info, about which I was unaware:

……But by the third week in June, Ibañez was suffering from a sore left groin and, unbeknownst to the public, a small but serious muscle tear near his abdomen. On a trip to Toronto he was confronted with an excruciating decision: He could have surgery to repair the tear and miss a large chunk of time, or he could return after a short stint on the disabled list and play his dream season hurt. “We all asked him if he would have the surgery,” Phillies first base coach Davey Lopes says, “and he told everyone, ‘I won’t do that. I’ll do anything but that.’”
After consulting with a neuromuscular specialist in Toronto and a surgeon in Philadelphia, Ibañez chose the DL, followed by aggressive rehabilitation. Every day he drops onto a mat in the Phillies’ clubhouse, performs core and hip exercises with trainer Scott Sheridan and then heads for the field…….

Mark (Conshohocken, PA)

Jason – Will Cole Hamels need to get his mojo back in order to beat the yanks with a 1-2 punch of himself and Lee?
Jayson Stark
  (1:07 PM)

I think the Phillies’ best shot to beat the Yankees is for Hamels, Cliff Lee and J.A. Happ to start five times out of seven games if it goes that long. So they need that guy to figure it out. But the way he pitched the other night, and the way he talked afterward, tells you something: He doesn’t have anywhere near the faith in himself he had last year this time.

I feel the same way about Hamels, as I’ve said recently.  Gotta figure he’s going to get 2 starts though, as I doubt Charlie will pitch Lee on short rest unless we are really up against it.  Tough to see us winning with 2 subpar starts from Hamels, so now would be a fantastic time for him to find some magic, to sell his soul to the devil, or whatever else might be required.

Interesting that Stark mentions giving Happ a start.  Not saying that Charlie isn’t thinking about giving him one, but I think we’re still in the same situation, which is that Happ is needed more in the bullpen and will almost assuredly be used regularly in relief.  If that proves to be the case, then I doubt that he will be able to make a start.

To me, that means we are looking at 2 starts from Lee, 2 starts from Hamels, 1 from Pedro, 1 from Blanton, and plan on winning the series in 6 games.