Scott Miller

Jim Riggleman is a good man and a true professional. He isn't flamboyant, there's no controversy in him and his hiring isn't going to spike Washington Nationals ticket sales, at least not until Stephen Strasburg joins the rotation, Ryan Zimmerman gets some help and the Nats start to win.

But what's important to know when the Nationals officially name Riggleman as their manager on Thursday is this:

The guy he replaced last summer, Manny Acta, was actually turning down managerial gigs a couple of weeks ago, telling Houston "no thanks" so he could accept Cleveland's offer.

And under Acta last summer, the Nationals went 26-61, a .299 winning percentage. Under Riggleman after Acta was fired, they went 33-42, a .440 winning percentage.

Same team.

Maybe Riggleman never will be the next Sparky Anderson, but knowing what we know about what transpired in Washington over the summer and in Houston and Cleveland this fall with Acta, there is no question that Riggleman is qualified and capable.

Until now, as I wrote here in September, Riggleman was settling nicely -- but not necessarily willingly -- into a career as the "In Case of Emergency" guy.

Having previously managed San Diego and the Cubs, Riggleman became interim manager in Seattle in 2008 after Mike Hargrove left. And he was named interim manager of the Nats in '09 after Acta was fired.

"There's a new feeling of professionalism in the clubhouse," Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told me when we were discussing Riggleman in September. "Guys are accountable now for how they handle themselves."

It's easy to get labeled in this game, and next to impossible to shed that label once you've got it. Credit Rizzo, a new GM himself, for having the guts to make his own decision on his own man and not steering away from Riggleman because of how some might have perceived him.

Rizzo said in September that he wasn't necessarily looking for a marquee guy and, true to his word, he left Bobby Valentine stranded at ESPN's Baseball Tonight desk in choosing Riggleman.

That surely will make a few managers who find themselves on the hot seat early in 2010 very uncomfortable, because Valentine is a sexy name who will be linked to nearly every fluid managerial situation.

Riggleman is not a sexy name. But he's a solid manager, a good teacher, a guy who obviously commanded respect in the Nationals clubhouse last summer.

In other words, exactly the kind of manager the Nats need right now.

Likes: Ken Griffey Jr. back for another year in Seattle. No, he's not the same player he was, but he made a serious difference in the Mariners clubhouse last year, especially in bridging what was a pretty good gap between Ichiro Suzuki and many of his teammates. ... You bet catcher Jason Varitek exercised his player option with Boston on Wednesday. Where else was he going to go? ... Good luck to my Monroe (Mich.) St. Mary Catholic Central Falcons, who host Manchester in a big playoff game Friday night. Go get 'em, guys. ... Geno's East deep dish pizza in Chicago. The Meaty Legend we had the other night -- sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon and bacon -- was nothing short of sensational.

Dislikes: Airport hotels. ... Man, I hate to see Bruce Springsteen and the E St. Band wrapping up nearly two years on the road. The current tour ends Nov. 22 in Buffalo, and the whole thing has a feeling of finality to it right now. Sure am glad I've got one more show on the docket before they go on hiatus.

Rock 'N' Roll Lyric of the Day:

"God have mercy on the man
"Who doubts what he's sure of"

-- Bruce Springsteen, Brilliant Disguise

CHICAGO -- The word at the general managers' meetings here Tuesday: Don't hold your breath for expanded instant replay in 2010.

The GMs discussed instant replay as one of their agenda items Tuesday morning, then they quickly moved on to other topics -- like revamping the Arizona Fall League in order to get younger prospects in and possibly modifying the amateur draft so it more accurately reflects the previous season (e.g., the World Series winner would draft last, even if it didn't have the game's best overall record).

As for discussing what was expected to be the hot topic this offseason ... not so much.

"If the general managers would come up with some kind of consensus of what they'd like to see [regarding instant replay], they would likely do it through a subcommittee of general managers and the committee probably would speak for the GMs in general and then a report would be made to ownership and to the commissioner," said Jimmie Lee Solomon, executive vice-president for baseball operations.

"If that took place then the commissioner would have probably the deciding vote on it."

As of now, Commissioner Bud Selig, who instituted replays on boundary calls (mostly, involving home runs) during the 2008 season, is on record as saying he is not enamored with adding more.

"Life is changing and I understand that," Selig said during a conversation at the World Series last week. "I do like the human element and I think the human element for the last 130 years has worked pretty well. There have been controversies, but there are controversies in every sport."

Part of the reason the GMs didn't wade too deeply into the instant replay question could be because it's been on their agenda in multiple years over the past decade and never got very far.

Also, it is not up to them to make the decision. As White Sox GM Kenny Williams said Monday, it's up to Selig and the owners. Williams long has been a proponent of instant replay and has placed it on the agenda at the GM meetings himself in the past.

"The commissioner is a very forward-looking person but he also has an ample respect for tradition," Solomon said. "So he doesn't take this lightly and doesn't make a lot of changes without giving them a thorough vetting.

"I think the current process we have came into play because he thought about it long and hard, he saw where technology was and made a decision it would not have an adverse affect on the pace of game, so much so that he decided to go forward with it."

Like most of the rest of us, the GMs watched umpires like Phil Cuzzi, Tim McClelland and C.B. Bucknor stumble their way through a miserably umpired postseason.

Yet here, it's as if that happened years ago, not simply a month ago.

"You've got to understand, we just put instant replay in in 2008," Solomon said. "We only have a season and a couple of months of experience. And now there are those who clamor for more and more instant replay.

"I think we need to digest what we've got. We need to look at the technology and look at where we are in the sport. The commissioner will talk to a lot of different people before making a decision on whether to impact our sport. I think you all will agree that he is very methodical in making those decisions."

NEW YORK -- The World Series takes personal checks. Credit and debit cards, too.

Score one for the Yankees, and their bankers. Hideki Matsui as World Series MVP? Maybe. The three home runs were clutch, and the World Series record-tying six RBIs in Game 6 were smashing.

But the chief bean counter who sat behind the desk last winter and approved the expenditure of nearly $425 million to hoist CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett aboard the U.S.S. Yankee? Now there's a true Yankee.

In the end, Team Steinbrenner delivered a 7-3 gold-plated, Game 6 World Series clincher for the ages, knocking the stuffing out of these Phillies and Pedro Martinez at every turn. On a 48-degree evening Wednesday, they won their 27th World Series title and, finally, climbed out of the muck of their long and torturous drought.

"Pinstripes are bigger than baseball," Teixeira said while The Champs were in Philadelphia the other day.

Consider that a modern update of the old Joe DiMaggio line, "It's great to be young and a Yankee."

"When you play for an organization like this, you humble yourself," Tex continued.

Or you wear a lot of rings.

Andy Pettitte won the clincher on short rest, Joe Girardi proved he can fill (at least partially) Joe Torre's World Series-winning manager's office and Alex Rodriguez no longer is a postseason klutz.

The Yankees are kings of the baseball world. They are Pedro's daddies, and Sugar Daddies. The Bronx Bombers ride again.

The Commissioner's Trophy again will wake up in the city that never sleeps.

NEW YORK -- Shane Victorino, whose right index finger was badly bruised when he was hit by an A.J. Burnett pitch the other day, is starting and playing center field for Philadelphia in Game 6 of the World Series tonight.

"He's fine," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel says.

As usual, Victorino is hitting second behind leadoff man Jimmy Rollins.

Manuel also said that every pitcher other than Cliff Lee is available tonight in Game 6, and he again declined to say who would pitch Game 7 Thursday if the Phillies can extend this series.

NEW YORK -- Now clinging to their season by Pedro Martinez and a very creaky bullpen, one of the most pressing questions surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies heading into tonight's World Series Game 6 is this:

If the Phillies carry a slim lead into the ninth inning, does manager Charlie Manuel trust Brad Lidge to close it out?

"I don't want to sound like smart or nothing, [but I'm] probably going to use him the way I want to [depending on] when we get there and how I feel," Manuel said late Tuesday. "I'll do a lot of talking in the dugout with [pitching coach Rich] Dubee, and we'll decide on which one we want to put out there."

Lidge is either the Phillies closer or former closer, depending on how you read the tea leaves.

His struggles this season already well documented (he blew a major-league leading 11 save opportunities), the Good Lidge was 1-0 with three saves and no runs allowed in five postseason appearances before the Bad Lidge re-emerged in Game 4 of the World Series.

Looking to protect a 4-4 game in the ninth and give the Phillies a chance to win it Sunday, the Yankees scorched Lidge for three runs and tagged him with the loss.

Tellingly, Manuel summoned Ryan Madson to close Philadelphia's 8-6 Game 5 victory on Monday night, leaving Lidge in the pen.

Afterward, Manuel noted Lidge's high pitch count from the night before -- 30 -- as one reason he didn't use him.

On Tuesday's off day in New York -- the Phillies elected not to work out -- Manuel repeated that his still has confidence in Lidge.

"I sure do," Manuel said. "I think the only thing I'm trying to do with Brad Lidge is get him right. You know what, I'll always have confidence in him. He's got a lot of talent, and he proved that last year when he goes 48 for 48 in save situations. I've seen him work out of some tough jams. I've seen him go bases loaded, nobody out and get right out of it. ...

"I said last night, he is our closer, and basically what we're trying to do is get him as good as he was, or somewhere in between."

If the Phillies lead by a run or two or three heading into the ninth tonight, we'll find out whether Lidge is still the closer. He's had two days to rest after throwing those 30 pitches in a tough Game 4 loss.

He will be fresh.

NEW YORK -- A breathless Derek Jeter came hurrying into the clubhouse to dress for Tuesday's 4 p.m. Yankees workout, arriving at 3:42 p.m. and apologizing to reporters for having no time to talk.

The problem?

Same thing as happens to thousands of working stiffs throughout the land every day: Stuck in traffic.

"I didn't think I was going to make it, man," Jeter told one of the Yankees media relations officials while hurriedly dressing for the Yankees workout before Game 6 here on Wednesday. "I was stuck in traffic for, like, an hour and 15 minutes."

At least he was dressed appropriately, wearing blue jeans with a retro T-shirt reading "Genuine Ford Parts."

PHILADELPHIA -- The New York Yankees already having lost center fielder Melky Cabrera (hamstring strain) for the duration of the World Series in Game 4, the Phillies came darn close to losing their center fielder for good in Game 5.

Shane Victorino apparently will survive to play another day, but the knuckle on his right index finger was swollen and purple late Monday night.

Still, he was relieved because when he was hit with an A.J. Burnett pitch in the first inning of Philadelphia's 8-6 Game 5 loss, he feared it was broken.

"The trainer looked at it and we were like, 'Oh no'," Victorino said. "When he hit me, I thought, 'Oh my gosh.'"

The Phillies X-rayed it in the second inning and determined that there were no fractures. Victorino determined he was good enough to keep playing, though manager Charlie Manuel replaced him with Ben Francisco in center field in the eighth inning.

Victorino didn't want to leave and, though he was already on the field when Francisco came out, he said it simply was a "mix-up" and he wasn't upset with Manuel for replacing him.

As for the finger, he said it bothered him more gripping the bat than throwing, though he added "it feels fine."

He also was sure Burnett was not intentionally throwing at him. Some questioned whether the Yankees right-hander might be given that Phillies pitchers have hit Alex Rodriguez with pitches three times in this series.

"During his at-bat, when he walked up [to the plate], he asked Carlos [Ruiz, Phillies catcher] how I was doing and said, 'I wasn’t trying to hit him,'" Victorino said. "For him to do that means a lot."

Victorino also said Burnett acknowledged him on the field as if to say, "Sorry."

"He looked over at me when I was at first base and he gave me a nod like, 'My bad'," Victorino said.

The Phillies' biggest worry now, of course, is whether it will worsen overnight. But with Tuesday's travel day, they get a break and Victorino gets an extra 24 hours to heal.

"Probably [Tuesday] his finger is going to be sore," Manuel said. "It's definitely not broken or didn't have a fracture. ... A couple of days it probably is going to be OK."

PHILADELPHIA -- You might say, for A.J. Burnett, Game 5 of the World Series was sort of like being on the business end of a whipped cream pie to the face.

The staple that Burnett started and fans quickly embraced during the summer, Burnett sneaking up from behind and crushing a pie into the face of a heroic teammate during a television interview -- Look! The Yankees like to have fun just like regular human beings! -- seemed so distant.

The Game 2 virtuoso performance, the pinnacle of Burnett's career so far, seemed so yesterday.

Game 5 was quick and ugly for Burnett, down and dirty for the Phillies. They sent this World Series back to New York with an 8-6 thrashing by jumping Burnett early and often.

The $82.5 million pitcher who was so sharp in Game 2 was incredibly not sharp pitching on three days' rest for the first time all season Monday. He was clocked for three runs in his first eight pitches. The Phillies scored six runs before Burnett had obtained one out in the third inning.

At one point with Burnett on the mound, the count stood at six outs and nine Phillies baserunners.

What knocked him so badly off balance?

Don't tell me it was pitching on short rest. While Burnett hadn't done it this year, he had done it three times in his career and was 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA on those occasions.

No, the difference was a complete reversal of the Phillies approach.

Where their strategy at the plate against Burnett in Game 2 was to take pitches, wait for him to start losing control of his curveball and then make their move, their approach in Game 5 essentially was: To hell with that. Arrive at the plate hacking.

Four days earlier, Burnett threw first-pitch strikes to each of the first 11 Phillies to face him in Yankee Stadium. Of those 11, eight Phillies took the first-pitch strike without swinging.

Facing elimination Monday, three of the first four Phillies swung hard at the first pitch they saw from Burnett. And the only reason it wasn't four-for-four is because Shane Victorino took a first-pitch fastball off of his right knuckles.

Jimmy Rollins swung and missed, then took ball one and then fouled off three consecutive pitches before cracking a hard single. The next two pitches were each first pitches: Victorino was drilled and then Chase Utley crushed a three-run homer. Next up, Ryan Howard walked and Burnett was reeling.

It was the most consecutive batters to reach base safely at the start of a World Series game since Game 2 in 2002 when the Angels' David Eckstein, Darin Erstad, Tim Salmon and Garret Anderson collected four consecutive hits.

Then, this was choice: Second time around the order, the Phillies backed off. Utley and Ryan Howard drew walks, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez followed with base hits and bing, bam, boom, three more runs crossed the plate.

It was the smartest game the Phillies have played so far. It almost made up for them leaving third base uncovered while Johnny Damon ran wild in the ninth inning of Game 4.

While Burnett wound up throwing first-pitch strikes to 21 of the 26 hitters he faced in Game 2, he lasted just 15 hitters Monday before Joe Girardi had to open the doors to a Yankees bullpen that has the tendency to take on water quickly (see Coke, Phil, who threw as many home run balls in the seventh inning as the number of outs he obtained: Two).

For Burnett, it was the shortest outing in the World Series by a starter since Roger Clemens, then of Houston, worked just two innings against the White Sox in Game 1 in 2005.

PHILADELPHIA -- Rather than calling out "Play Ball" to start Game 5 of the World Series tonight, plate umpire Dana DeMuth may want to give one of those "Woo pig sooey!" calls they do so well at University of Arkansas football games.

Tonight's starting pitchers?

Philadelphia's Cliff Lee is from Benton, Ark.

The Yankees' A.J. Burnett is from North Little Rock, Ark.

What's next, President Bill Clinton throwing out the ceremonial first pitch?

"It's interesting," says Burnett, who also shares an agent (Darek Braunecker) with Lee. "They've got two country boys from Arkansas going out. ... We talked [Saturday]. First thing out of his mouth was, 'Look at that Budweiser sign in right, that's what I'm going to be aiming for.'"

Burnett might smile a bit if he thinks of that when Lee settles into the batter's box tonight to face his buddy, but he vows he won't be trumped.

His response when Lee threatened to take Burnett deep?

"Go ahead, because I can hit, too. I was in the National League for six years."

Braunecker negotiated a five-year, $82.5 million contract for Burnett with the Yankees last winter. Lee is signed through 2010, and if he continues dominating as he has over the past two years, Braunecker stands a good chance to top Burnett's contract with Lee.

"I didn't really know him growing up," Lee said of Burnett. "He was a little ahead of me, but I knew who he was, obviously. There's not a lot of guys from Arkansas getting drafted, much less making it to the big leagues.

"For us, we've met each other over the years and became friends and stuff, but it's not very often two guys from the state of Arkansas make it to the big leagues, much less square off against each other in the World Series."

PHILADELPHIA -- As you're watching Game 4 tonight and playing along with the managers, here's one thing to watch for: Don't expect Yankees closer Mariano Rivera to collect a two-inning save, as he did in Game 2.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi says he doesn't expect to use Rivera for more than one inning tonight after Rivera threw five pitches in Game 3 Saturday night.

"I probably wouldn't ... tonight, either," Girardi said of the possibility of using Rivera for two innings, something the manager said he wouldn't do before Game 3, either. "Because he's thrown two out of three days.

"His workload a couple days ago was pretty heavy, so he probably wouldn't do any more than an inning."

In earning the save Thursday night in Game 2, Rivera threw 39 pitches, the most he's ever thrown in a World Series game.

PHILADELPHIA -- If you're a Philadelphia sports fan, this weekend is heaven. If you're a sports fan in Philadelphia, ditto.

And if you love rock and roll -- specifically for now, Pearl Jam -- then you're beside yourself with glee.

The only issue is traffic during what surely is a historic weekend at the city's Sports Complex -- a cluster of stadiums and arenas at the intersection of Broad St. and Pattison Ave., between downtown and the airport off of I-95. Over the four-day period between Friday and Monday, the area is bringing in a few hundred thousand fans.

The Phillies are hosting World Series games Saturday, Sunday and Monday evenings in Citizens Bank Park.

The NFL's Eagles hosted the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field, located across Pattison Ave. from the baseball park.

The NHL's Flyers host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday at 5 p.m. at the Wachovia Center, located next to Lincoln Financial Field.

Meantime, Pearl Jam is closing the old Spectrum, which was the home to all of those great Dr. J, Moses Malone, Maurice Cheeks and Bobby Jones 76ers' teams, with four concerts. The last two were Friday and Saturday nights.

"This is a heck of a place to be right now," Phillies closer Brad Lidge says.

All three World Series games are sold out, of course, as were the Eagles game on Sunday and the Pearl Jam concerts.

The Phillies' Raul Ibanez was among those in attendance at Friday's show. A friend of the Seattle-based band from his days playing for the Mariners, Ibanez received a shout out from the stage as Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder led the crowd in a "Raul!" cheer. (Pearl Jam owns Seattle Mariners season tickets in Safeco Field).

Lidge skipped the Friday night concert (the off night between Game 2 in New York and Game 3 in Philadelphia) but sure hated to.

"I wasn't able to go because I've got family in town," he said. "I wish I was there. They're one of my favorite bands.

"This is a great spot to be right now. Where else would you rather be?"

As for the sporting events, so far the results have been mixed. The Phillies were beaten by the Yankees in Game 3 on Saturday 8-5, blowing a 3-0 lead in the process.

The Eagles, though, crushed the Giants 40-17 on Sunday as a lead-in to Game 4 of the World Series.

Likes: The Daily Beast checking in with baseball's all-time all-star team of wives and girlfriends, playing off of the current Yankees' pairings of Alex Rodriguez and actress Kate Hudson and Derek Jeter and actress Minka Kelly. Check the Beast out here, it's a highly entertaining list. ... A couple of soul-cleansing runs through the streets of Philadelphia the past couple of days, down Ben Franklin Parkway, past the Philadelphia Art Museum and along the river down Kelly Dr. Great fall colors on the trees right now. ... The Philly Cheesesteak (with Whiz) sandwich for lunch today at the Reading Terminal marketplace. Great stuff. ... The Glee cast did a fine national anthem before Game 3. I'm still not much for the television show, but they were good. And they got one of the better receptions from the crowd that you'll see for a national anthem singer. ... Nice work by my Monroe (Mich.) St. Mary Catholic Central Falcons in winning their opening high school football playoff game Friday night, a 42-22 romp over Harper Woods. Well, eventually it was a romp, after SMCC allowed a 28-0 lead to become a 28-22 nailbiter by early in the fourth quarter. Next up: A victory Friday over Blissfield. ... Loved the extra hour's sleep Saturday night, hate the early darkness all winter.

Dislikes: Starbucks should have an express line. Those of us who want a simple cup of coffee are stuck behind 12 people ordering overly dramatic drinks and wait far too long.

Rock 'N' Roll Lyric of the Day:

"Now we went walking in the rain
"Talking about the pain from the world we hid
"Now there ain't nobody nowhere nohow
"Gonna ever understand me the way you did
"Maybe you'll be out there on that road somewhere
"In some bus or train, traveling along
"In some motel room, there'll be a radio playing
"And you'll hear me sing this song
"Well if you do you'll know I'm thinking of you
"And all the miles in between
"And I'm just calling one last time
"Not to change your mind
"But just to say I miss you baby
"Good luck, goodbye"

-- Bruce Springsteen, Bobby Jean

PHILADELPHIA -- Yankees manager Joe Girardi confirmed Sunday what most people have expected all along: He will hand the ball to A.J. Burnett to start Game 5 on Monday.

The move means that Burnett, the winning pitcher in Game 2 (seven innings pitched, one earned run allowed), will pitch on short (three days) rest. It also means that the Yankees will skip Chad Gaudin.

It's also the right decision: Even though Burnett has not pitched all year on short rest, the odds of an effective performance from him still out-weights that of the same from Gaudin.

Besides, there's this: In four career starts on three-days' rest, Burnett is 4-0 with a 2.33 ERA. That includes beating the Yankees 4-1 in July, 2008.

The Yankees still have not committed to a Game 6 starter, though they're expected to swing back to Andy Pettitte on short rest as well.

"We will continue to monitor our guys," Girardi said. "We'll see how Andy's doing on his side day and on the day off. Depending on what happens, we'll see how he's doing.

"But right now, as far as we'll go is Game 5."

PHILADELPHIA -- Alex Rodriguez, who until now could only get himself into a World Series by opting out of his contract in the middle of a game in the 2007 Boston-Colorado series, blasted a two-run homer, the first Fall Classic hit of his career in just his third World Series game.

The rest of the Yankees took it from there in a 8-5 Halloween pummeling of Cole Hamels and the Phillies in Game 3, and now things get scary for the Phillies.

It was an important win for the Yankees, and an especially damaging blow for the Phillies, because the pitching matchup in Game 4 heavily favors the Yankees.

This isn't to say that CC Sabathia is invincible, but he's been rock solid, even on three days' rest. The Phillies will hand the ball to Joe Blanton who, as a World Series starter, makes a pretty good long reliever. In three postseason appearances this year (one start), his ERA is 4.66.

It also was a disheartening loss for the Phillies because they grabbed a 3-0 lead and were threatening to bludgeon a shaky Andy Pettitte further in the second inning. They sent eight men to the plate, Pettitte walked two and he fell behind nearly everyone. The lefty was able to locate his cutter only sporadically, throwing first-pitch strikes to only two of eight Phillies in the inning.

Philadelphia's problem was, Hamels, the Brotherly Love city's darling during last year's World Series run, completely fell apart after zipping through the first 11 Yankee hitters without allowing a hit.

After that run, he lasted only 10 more hitters before the Yankees chased him. During that ugly span, he allowed A-Rod's homer, two walks, two doubles and two singles. He was like a short-order cook taking orders.

The whole while, Rodriguez's penchant for plopping himself smack in the middle of whatever's going on was on full display. He homered off of a Fox television camera in the top of the fourth to cut the Phillies' lead to 3-2, historic because it became the first homer in World Series history to be reviewed by instant replay.

Initially, it was ruled a double. But replays clearly showed it was out, and the symmetry was especially nice, too: A-Rod was involved in the first ever instant replay scenario after baseball instituted it in 2008, when another of his fly balls was ruled a homer. That was in Tampa Bay.

In the Never a Dull Moment With A-Rod Dept., however, he turned right around and booted a ground ball to start the bottom of the eighth, giving the Phillies an opening which they could not take against Pettitte. The left-hander settled down and restored order, retiring 12 of the next 14 hitters he faced as the Yankees' offense thundered to life.

Nick Swisher?

He led off the fifth with a double and came around to score. He homered in the sixth, and talk about relishing it. His trip around the bases clocked in at just under the rain delay that pushed the start of Game 3 back an hour and 20 minutes.

Johnny Damon?

Two-run double in the fifth.

Jorge Posada?

RBI single in the seventh.

And with Sabathia on deck for Game 4, the Yankees are in terrific shape.

They're pulling the tarp on another rainy night in Philadelphia, and baseball officials have announced that the first pitch of Game 3 of the World Series is expected to be thrown at 9:15 p.m.

As the groundskeepers roll up the tarp, Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels is beginning to loosen up and prepare to warm up in the bullpen. The color guard is moving into position for the national anthem.

It's official: Win or lose Game 3 tonight, the Yankees will hand the ball to ace CC Sabathia to start Game 4.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi confirmed it during his pre-game media session Saturday afternoon, adding that Chad Gaudin will be available in relief.

Sabathia will be pitching on short (three days') rest, something with which he has had great success in the past.

"This is the World Series," Girardi said. "There's no baseball after the World Series for four or five months, so there will be plenty of time to rest.

"I think the important thing on short rest is you have to know how your pitcher is feeling physically. We talked, and he threw pretty good game after short rest [in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series against the Angels]."

Girardi also left open the possibility that A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte may come back on short rest and start Games 5 and 6.