Thrilling NLCS Goes Seven. Charles Ramsey Impressed.

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaan, I knew something was wrong when you see a pretty little
 white girl (Nick) jump right into a black man's (Spencer)  arms."

      Well, it came down to two grizzled old rival managers to decide who faces the "Billy Bean" of PTP,  Jon "Tort" Tortomasi in the 2012 NL World Series.  The Nick and Spencer rivalry can be traced back to the mid to late 1980's as both got their first taste of dice rolling in a summer school course taught by the legendary Lynn Held.  Don't let the name fool you, Lynn Held is a man because, as we all know, women cannot play baseball.

The rivalry heated up in the early 2000s as a new league was formed and new competition spawned from all across parts of the state.  Some teams showed promise (DoubleStaxx), some dominated winning multiple championships (Fish) and some, just bad (Keith).
Nick and Spencer both took a similar yet different path to each winning a World Series championship.
While Nick prefers the "platoon" style of mix and matching players to his advantage, Spencer relies on the simple concept of good starting pitching, good solid defense and running with the same lineup.  Both are shrewd GMs who like take risky picks yet know how to find good value in later rounds and fill out and use an entire roster.  Sparks and Weirdeness usually, and did happen in this series.

NLCS 2012 -- #1 Seed NICK HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE

GAME 1 -- Cliff Lee @ Mat Latos

Good solid classic baseball game in Game 1.  Nick busted Lee early for 3 runs in the 3rd inning that included a 2B for Kung Fu Panda, a RBI 1B from Latos, and RBI 2B from Matt Kemp.

Spencer scored one in the Top of the 4th on a RBI 1B from John Buck.  Nick answered right back in the 6th with a Ryan Benigans solo job.  

Spencer closed it to within 4-3 with a pinch-hit 2-R HR from the Hall-of-Fame, chaw-chewing, switch-hitting Chipper Jones.  However, Nick scored a AAA insurance run in the 8th and Spencer did nothing in two innings vs. Drew Storen.  NICK WINS 5-3

W - Latos  7.0, 5h, 3er, 8k, 1hr               HR - Chipper Jones, Ryan Benigans/Hannigan

L - Lee      6.0, 10h, 4er, 10k, 1hr           *Hannigan   3-4, HR, 2B, 2RBI, R

S - Storen  2.0, 1k

GAME 2 -- Tim Hudson @ Cory (Billy) Luebke

Tim Hudson was absolutely dominant.  Huddy throws a CG, 4-hitter as SPENCER WINS IN A ROMP 7-1  Huddy's only blip was a solo job to Matt Kemp in the 9th, but the game was way outta reach at that point.  Spencer stole two runs in the 3rd as he executed a successful double steal with Dee Gordon and Al Pujols.  Ryan Zimmerman cleared the bases after Carlos Beltran's walk.  Dee Gordon added a SAC FLY in the 3rd and Pujols hit a 2-R job in the 7th.

W - Hudson   CG, 4h, 1er, 1w, 2k, 1hr            HR - Al Pujols, Matt Kemp

L - Luebke   6.0, 5h, 5er, 3w, 6k,                     *Andrew McCutchen   2-4, 3B, 2R, RBI

                                                                          *Spencer 5 SB in game  Gordon 2, Pujols 2, Beltran

GAME 3 -- Jordan Zimmerman @ Cole Hamels

Another good solid baseball game, low Scoring.  Nick started strong in the Top of the 1st as that fucker, Ryan Hannigan/Bennigans plated two with a single.  Spencer answered in the Bottom of the 1st as Alien McCutchen led off with a 2B and scored on Beltran's 2B.  That would be the only run Spencer scored as NICK WINS 3-1.  Great pitching from Nick's bullpen (Christy Martinez & Storen) 4.0, 3h, 1w, 4k

W - Zimmerman   5.0, 3h, 1er, 2k 2hbp            HR - NONE

L - Hamels  7.0, 5h, 3er, 3w, 8k                        *Carlos Ruiz   2-3, HBP

S - Storen   2.0, 1w, 1h, 3k                                * Laci Peterson 1-1, PH RBI 3B

GAME 4 -- Vance Worley @ Yovanni Gallardo

Maybe Nick drafted too "platoony" against leftys because Yovanni Gallardo had a lot of tequila in him and put Nick to beddy-bye. 

Yo started the game with five (5) consecutive Ks and struckout 9 of 16 batters through 4. He finished the game with 13 Ks, but could not record the final out as Ryan Madson had to come secure the last out of a bases loaded jam that could have potentially tied the game.  SPENCER WINS 5-1

W - Gallardo    8.2, 9h, 1er, 13k, 2w                HR - NONE
L - Worley       4.0, 5h, 2er, 4k, error               *Carlos Ruiz  2-3, w, RBI, r
S - Madson      0.1                                            *Josh Thole 2-4

GAME 5 -- Mat Latos @ Cliff Lee

Back to the aces for Game 5.  Nick scored two early in the second on a Rueben Tejada 2-R 2B.  Spencer answered with three in the bottom half on a Ankiel SAC FLY and Cliff Lee 2-R 2B.
Matt Kemp's solo bomb on the 7th tied the game 3-3, but Spencer finally got to the overused and now figured out Drew Storen in the 8th as Thick Dick Rick Ankiel slapped his cock for an RBI single.  Jor El Hanrahan saved the 9th as SPENCER WINS 4-3

W - Cliff Lee  8.0, 5h, 3er, 3w, 5k, 1hr, 2-3, RBI                HR - NONE
L - Storen  1.0, 2h, er                    
S - Hanrahan  1.0, 2h, k

GAME 6  Tim Hudson @ Cory Luebke 

Disasterous game for Spencer as he got absolutely beatdown as NICK WINS 13-8.  The major story to come out of the game was the year ending, 9-game injury suffered by Albert Pujols as he crashed into the barricade chasing a foul ball he did not catch

W - Christy Martinez  3.0, 5h, 5er, 2w, 4k                          HR - Holliday x 2, Thole, Beltran                    
L - Hudson                  5.1, 11h, 9r, 7er, 2k, 2h              *Matt Holliday, 3-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI
                                                                                     *Gaby Sanchez (replacing Pujols) 2-3, 2B, 2RBI

GAME 7 -- Cole Hamel @ Jordan Zimmerman

Game 7 again started off as a disaster in the 1st for Spencer as Andrew McCutchen (who had survived a BIZZARE INJURY CHECK  wall crash and diving catch in the series previously) decided to run head-on into Rick Ankiel leading to a Jason Bourgois 2B.  McCutchen was fine.....for now, Ankiel was lost for the season (15 games).  Nick quickly went up 4-0 scoring one in the 2nd and three in the 3rd as Matt Kemp and Blake DeWitt drove in runs.
Things only got worse for Spencer as Andrew McCutchen finally ran into one too many walls and was injured in the 3rd inning for the rest of the game.
However Spencer rallied his troops around his three injured men and depleted bench as he squeaked out two runs in the 4th, as Nate Sheirholtz (replacing Ankiel) drove in a pair with a single.  Chooch Ruiz made it 4-3 Nick as he singled home Gaby Sanchez (replaced Pujols) in the 6th.  Nick made in 5-3 Nick in the 7th on a Blake Dewitt 3B.
(ENTER JJ PUTZ...STAGE LEFT)  Down 5-3 and with no bench left  and the top of the order Spencer went to work.  Dee Gordon led off with a 2B, stole 3rd then scored on a single by Angel Pagan (replaced McCutchen).  After Gaby Sanchez (replaced Pujols) walked, Ryan Zimmerman sent Spencer to the World Series on a 2-R 2B.  Mark Melancon of all people closed out the 9th 1-2-3 on Nick's stunned team as SPENCER WINS 6-5.  SPENCER WINS SERIES 4-3

W - Randy Wolf  1.0, 2w                                        HR - Todfather Helton
L - JJ Putz    0.2, 3h, 3er, 2k, w
S - Melancon  1.0


Wicked awesome series.  Glad I made it back to the World Series.  Looking to win my 2nd championship but am clearly the underdawg with no Pujols or Ankiel all series.  Should be a good matchup!!!!