Will the pitching matchup "For the Ages" live up to the hype? Doubt it.

FROM KEITH GROLLER

Some thoughts on this blustery Saturday morning that makes it feel like winter is definitely on the way:

Will the Roy Halladay-Tim Lincecum battle in Game 1 of the NLCS live up to its immense billing? I don't know how it could unless it ends 1-0 with about two hits apiece and both guys striking out about 15.

Since the Phillies haven't played since Sunday and the Giants haven't played since Monday, there has been four full days of buildup to this one. I don't know if it will turn out to be the pitching matchup "for the ages" as ESPN has been hyping it, but it has to be the most sensationalized game ever because baseball usually doesn't have four days to build things up like this.

Neither of these guys haven't pitched in more than a week. There's rest and there's too much rest. Just ask CC Sabathia if all of the rest he had helped him in Game 1 of the ALCS.

I just have a feeling this one may be like Super Bowls used to be and turn out to be a dud in terms of pitching mastery.

By the way, watch out for the wind. It's going to be blowing out of the northwest which means all balls hit to right field should get a boost and balls hit to left will be held up.

Giants in six, huh, Groller?

Took some friendly flak for daring to pick against the Phillies in our special section. I was out and about on Friday and several folks couldn't believe I picked against the Phillies.

And that's the thing about this series. Hardly anyone is giving the Giants a chance. Even Fox's Joe Buck on Philadelphia radio on Friday (97.5 FM, The Phanatic) said the Phillies are clearly the team to beat and he said they are the best of the four that are left.

San Francisco just came off a September in which it had one of the best team ERAs in the history of the game. That's impressive. And the Phillies have been known to experience some offensive doldrums this season. They didn't exactly tear the cover off the ball against the Reds and the Reds don't have the same caliber of pitchers as SF.

We'll see. If Phillies fans paid attention to my NFL picks each week, they'd be thanking me for going with the Giants.

It wasn't fair for Flair

The media found out earlier this week that Phillies manager Charlie Manuel was a fan of former WWF wrestler Ric Flair. Manuel referenced the crazy "Nature Boy" in copying his line that "to be the man you have to beat the man." He was talking about how the Phillies would love to face the Yankees in the World Series. At least that's what everybody thought Charlie meant.

Flair was on Philly radio Friday afternoon and host Mike Missanelli was disappointed when Flair couldn't rise to the same nutso level of his pro wrestling schtick and give a resounding "Woooooo!"

I don't think Flair even follows baseball. I don't think he knows who Charlie Manuel is, or at least he didn't before Friday. At one point he asked, "This is Philly, right?" and then went into a little pro-Michael Vick rant.

And frankly, it was hard to tell if the guy on the show was really Flair. I don't think any of Howard Stern's impersonators were at work here, but really, this guy didn't sound like Flair.

How would I know? My son really loved the WWF back in the late 1980s and early 90s and got me involved for a short period of time, and I found the Flair character amusing.

But this interview just didn't have anybody yelling "Woooooo!"

Easton gets over the Hornet hump

Some football teams just have other teams that are kryptonite for them. For Easton, Emmaus was that team.

But with two fourth-quarter touchdowns tonight in another spirited Homecoming atmosphere in Emmaus, the Red Rovers vanquished some demons against the Hornets and re-established themselves as one of the elite 4A teams in the area. The 23-13 win wasn't a thing of beauty, but important for Easton, which continues to lack consistency on offense.

QB Justin Pacchioli threw the ball well at times tonight in tough conditions as he still battles a sprained wrist that was taped up.

It's clear that Central Catholic is the area's best team and will not be challenged until deep into the 3A state tourney. Their one remaining tough game in the regular season is Emmaus in Week 10 and I just don't believe the Green Hornets have the offensive firepower to pull off the upset. Matter of fact, that one might venture into mercy-rule territory.

But what about 4A?

Whitehall, Easton and Nazareth have separated themselves from the pack in the LVC. And the team that intrigues me the most is Nazareth because of the offensive numbers they put up week after week.

Because they don't have a Thanksgiving game to worry about, I believe the Blue Eagles are better positioned than Easton for a long run.

Parkland-Nazareth next week has the potential to be quite ugly for the Trojans and you know that Rob Melosky would love to win that one.

However, the game that will really say a lot about who is going to win 4A and play into December is Nazareth at Whitehall in Week 9. That should be a dandy.

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