Phillies Bring October Feel to San Diego

SAN DIEGO -- Free of charge, West Coast Bias knows how to fix baseball's outdated playoff format. For the good of baseball, if the Padres and Philadelphia Phillies meet in October, every game should be in San Diego. Splendid weather, visiting fans with a pulse, what's not to like?

Transportation would be easy, as Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels gladly would drive the team bus to his favorite hometown. Heck, he'll take the team out for fish tacos after the game.

"We wish we could come back a few more times," Hamels said on Sunday after the Phils, with a 5-0 victory, wrapped a three-game sweep of the National League-leading Padres.

Hamels has a 1.57 ERA in four games at Petco Park, the Grand Canyon of pitcher's parks. He tossed eight scoreless innings on Sunday and, with Petco swallowing drives to the gaps, would have a silly career ERA had the Padres drafted him in 2002.

"You can't beat the weather, that's first and foremost," Hamels said, and I had visions of the lanky dude on a surf board. "It's a great park. It's definitely a lot different from Qualcomm Stadium (home to the NFL Chargers and formerly the Padres).

"To be in this sort of atmosphere is good for the game of baseball and the city."

About that atmosphere. San Diego is less excited about the prospect of October baseball than it was in 1998, when Hamels was cheering a Padres team led by pitchers Kevin Brown and Trevor Hoffman, and sluggers such as Greg Vaughn and Ken Caminiti. Back then, 62,000 to 66,000 fans filled up Qualcomm Stadium, which was louder than any playoff venue Braves pitcher Greg Maddux experienced in his many trips to the postseason.

The last thing Major League Baseball should want is playoff baseball in front of empty seats or bored fans. The Padres took a 76-50 record into the series against the two-time defending champions of the National League, yet didn't come close to selling out any of the three games. Phillies fans travel well and would bring more energy to San Diego in October than fans of the other two teams currently atop the playoff charts, the Braves and Reds. As a bonus, there would be no threat of rainout if all the games were in Southern California.

"It is nice here," said MLB schedule-maker Katy Feeney, who sat in San Diego's home dugout before the series opener. "But I think the fans in Philadelphia would want to see their team at home."

Phillies fans, whether coming from near or far, found their way to Petco in large numbers. Red was the primary color behind the visiting dugout and down the third-base line for all of the three games.

Hundreds of Phillies fans made more noise than thousands of Padres fans, reminding everyone that shouting comes naturally to Philadelphians.

Come the playoffs, which, by the way, aren't in the bag for either team, the Padres may be tempted to pipe noise into their sound system, unless Phillies fans are here to raise the decibel level.

Padres accountants wouldn't complain. They felt the urge to holler "Y'all come back now" as the red-clad fans departed Petco. Padres tickets on Internet sites go unsold for under $10. Phillies fans and dozens of club employees who made the trip sat in $61 seats.

San Diego, like a lot of cities, is still gripped by the Great Recession. Phillies Nation is nearly recession-proof.

"The passion these people have for this team reminds me of when I was a kid in Boston," said Scott Proefrock, the Phillies' assistant general manager. "It's an amazing affinity they have for this club."

San Diego, like a lot of cities, is still gripped by the Great Recession. Phillies Nation is nearly recession-proof. Even the team's beat writers can be touchy. Or, as Philly folks like to say, passionate. When I suggested that Philadelphians would welcome a chance to escape their city in October, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com told me: "You're always trashing Philadelphia. (Bleep) you. Philadelphia is a great city."

My favorite baseball manager from the Evil Coast is on board with a rematch, Charlie Manuel saying of the Padres, "I'd like to see 'em again." He added, "I'd like to see anybody in October."

For Padres fans, Manuel had consoling words. He called the sweep a mere "bump in the road' that all teams run across. He said San Diego's pitching and defense, if it continues apace, should keep the Padres ahead of the Giants, who are five games back and suddenly can't get anyone out.

"They're going to be all right," he said.

The Phillies out-Padred the Padres in all three games. They allowed only three runs in 30 innings, one on a balk by Phillies closer Brad Lidge that prolonged Friday's game. Philadelphia's defense was both reliable and spectacular, whether right fielder Jayson Werth was running some 100 feet to grab Adrian Gonzalez's 398-foot drive on Friday, or center fielder Shane Victorino was throwing out a runner at home plate on Saturday or catcher Carlos Ruiz was nailing two base-stealers to send a message early.

Impressed by Californians such as Hamels and Chase Utley, and the Hawaiian Victorino, West Coast Bias picked the Phillies to win the World Series this year. I'm sticking with that pick, although Manuel said his team still isn't hitting like it should.

Phillies fans, though, weren't thinking ahead to October after Sunday's victory.

"Beat L.A., beat L.A., beat L.A.," they chanted, referring to the upcoming series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Monday, as the Phillies filed into the dugout.

Said Manuel: "It's like this everywhere we go. They'll let you know what they're thinking, good or bad. They'll get on Santa Claus. We're really fortunate to have such a following, and it's been like this for the last four or five years. It's a tremendous following."