With a well-documented stud rotation, solid bullpen and evolving offense, no team in the NL should scare the Fightins or their fans.

Now? Now, I want the Giants. I want to send those scofflaws and their beer-muscle-flexing fans back to loser column.

Hey, Giants fans, we want you in October. Don't disappoint us.

Shane Victorino was suspended for his role in Friday’s Brawl by the Bay. His three-game vacation is fair when objectively looking at the film. However, the fact that no Giants (or even Placido Polanco) were suspended makes the Flyin’ Hawaiian’s time for the crime vastly unfair.

Yet, Giants fans took to Twitter and voiced their opinions. They made themselves out to be the uneducated, unanalytical morons we have known them for for decades.

At this point, I want the Giants. I want Brian Wilson and Eli Whiteside, who will be plucking splinters out of his ass by then. I want to be the ones to send them home crying all the way down the trolley line.

October can’t get here soon enough. Giants, I will root for you to back your way into the playoffs. Then, we can pop champagne against you while Hunter Pence yells, “Let’s go eat!”

Victorino threw his bat in disgust and went to first where he continued reaching for his ribs and breathing heavily, ostensibly to see how much pain he was in and see if he thinks it may be broken.

After feeling the wrath of a Matt Cain pitch, Shane Victorino likely yearns for the days of beers being tossed on him.

FOX announcers were quick to say that Cain didn’t throw at Shane on purpose, likely because Shane seemed mad. First, no shit. I don’t think for a second that Cain threw at a guy on purpose to give Chase Utley two runners in the early going of a pivotal playoff game. Second, Shane was upset because the pitch hurt. Ever think of that, jackasses?

The Phillies current leadoff hitter will stay in this game as he is a tough little Hawaiian. However, if there is a break, he likely will be out of the lineup the next few days or longer.

As a result, keep an eye on how Jimmy Rollins fares today. He may need to move back to the top of the order, so you need to hope JRoll keeps the swagger he seemed to have gotten back on Sunday night.

Could it be? Could the Phillies spark plug be cranking up the volume at the most of opportune times — the NLCS?

Let’s face it, the 2010 campaign has not been one of Jimmy Rollins’ best. The 2007 MVP has spent tons of time on the DL after a scorching start. And, he hadn’t found his groove heading into the playoffs. A 1-for-15 slump ended with a freak single, followed by a bases-clearing double in the seventh inning that blew Game 2 wide open.

JRoll loves the spotlight. He thrives on it. He’ll never admit it, but not producing and contributing to this run was killing him. Two hits and a walk could very well be just what the hit doctor ordered for our lightening rod. Just look at his facial expression upon crushing the double. The “I got this” look is back in his eyes.

Jimmy Rollins displays the Eye of the Tiger after crushing a bases-clearing double in Game 2 of the NLCS on Sunday.

The biggest difference between Sunday’s Rollins and the JRoll of before was patience. He didn’t swing at the first pitch each time at the plate. He worked the count, drew walks and put himself in a position to make plays.

If he can ride this momentum and is truly getting his swag on, the Phillies offense may end up being too much for the Giants.

Mayor Michael Nutter ready to take money at the parking lots before the Phillies NLCS game on Sunday. Eagles fans apparently had to leave and re-enter/repay for parking rights.

It isn’t bad enough that you now have to pay $25 per car ($50 per oversized bus) for parking at Eagles games. Now, the city wants another $15 for Phillies parking.

That’s $40 just for parking. Forget tickets, food, liquids, etc. No wonder the economy is in such bad shape.

Philly sports fans who live outside the city, welcome to the life of Philadelphians. You’ve just been “Nutterized!”

Giants closer Brian Wilson and Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino are far from strangers to the UFC/MMA circuit. Both have displayed the intensity fighters display in the steel cages. In a battle, who has the edge? Let’s put it this way, Victorino should be far from scared of Wilson’s “signature” MMA gesture he displays after closing games with the substance on his cheesy, greasy beard.

Giants closer Brian Wilson displays his "signature" MMA tribute gesture after closing out a game. We'd still take Shane Victorino in a UFC-style brawl.

TALE OF THE TAPE

Size:
Wilson — 6’1′, 196 pounds.
Victorino — 5-9, 190 pounds

Age:
Wilson — 28
Victorino — 29

Athleticism:
Wilson — relief pitcher
Victorino — everyday player

Home:
Wilson — New Hampshire
Victorino — Hawaii, lives in Vegas

Intangibles:
Wilson — Fake beard that would lose to Werth’s
Victorino — NLCS ring, World Series ring, UFC friends, heart of a champion

Shane Victorino went UFC/MMA on the umps after being tossed from center field last season. That's more fire than Wilson has shown.

THE PICK: Victorino by submission
Wilson has the size (four inches taller) and the reach on Shane. But, the Flyin’ Hawaiian makes up for that with his athleticism and heart. Shane plays every day and runs a lot more. We’ll give him a slight edge in cardio, which is key to lasting in an MMA/UFC battle. Plus, he’s displayed his intensity before when being tossed out while standing in center field. His bolt toward the home plate ump who gave him the boot was reminiscent of an MMA introduction. Sure, Wilson displays intensity after each save. But, how much does it take to cross your arms and stick out your fingers.

And, there’s this. Victorino is friends with UFC President Dana White and Hawaii native and UFC fighter BJ Penn. We’re thinking Victorino can get training any time he wants it. And, we haven’t even touched on heart and desire yet. Shane has it. Wilson? Well, he has his beard. Shane doesn’t Fear the Beard. In fact, he’s ready to rumble right now.

The Phillies have their most important game of the season in a few hours and their big hitter is looking for his bat. Word is his teammates tried to pill a practical joke by hiding it somewhere in the city, so now Ryan Howard is on a scavenger hunt to find it.

His search took him to Lincoln Financial Field where the Eagles happen to be playing the Falcons.

Ryan Howard asks Barry Bonds if he has any clues for the Great Missing Bat Scavenger Hunt. Howard struck out at the Eagles game.

According to sources far removed from the situation, Jayson Werth gave Howard a clue saying that a former All-Pro had mistakenly eaten the bat at an all-you-can-eat buffet this morning. Howard immediately decided to interrogate Tony Siragusa, FOX’s sideline reporter.

However, he forgot to check with Jason Peters before leaving the Linc on to his next stop still batless.

Pitching beats hitting every time. There’s no way to escape the age-old baseball cliche’, especially not in the 2010 NLCS between two of the top pitching staffs in baseball.

The Giants and the Phillies. Pot smoker Lincecum and Doc Halladay. Jonathan Sanchez and Roy Oswalt. Matt Cain and Cole Hamels. Does it really get any better than this for a playoff series?

Phillies fans have their sights set on another Red October hunt ending in the World Series. Giants fans dream of a postseason run to rid themselves of visions of needles, BALCO, fraudulent home run records and Barry Bonds.

Roy Halladay looks businesslike, while Tim Lincecum looks like he just walked in from the herbal emporium during an introductory All-Star press conference. The Phillies and Giants start the NLCS tonight.

To start, nobody should expect a series won with the ease of a Phillies sweep of the Reds or a Giants whopping of the Braves. The pitching on both sides is just too strong to allow that. This series will go at least six games.

The Giants led baseball with a 3.36 ERA, while the Phillies were 5th in the NL with a 3.67 ERA. That is a bit misleading from the standpoint that Joe Blanton, Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson all pitched much better over the last half of the year to drastically drop their ERAs. Meanwhile, Roy Oswalt pitched lights out after being acquired in July, which also helped drop the ERA.

Still, the Giants pitchers did it all year long and can match up man-for-man with H2O and the Phils bullpen.

With two pitcher-heavy rosters, you’d think the better hitting team gets a slight nod in this series. And, you’d think the Phillies with all-stars at every position except catcher would get the nod. The numbers, surprisingly, say otherwise. The Phillies hit just three points higher (.260 to .257) and went yard just four more times (166 to 162) than the Giants.

Again, numbers on the Phillies end may be deceiving considering the injuries the team had. JRoll, Howard, Utely, Polanco, Chooch and Victorino all spent time on the DL. Wilson Valdez and others filled in admirably, Still, you have to wonder how destructive the lineup would have been had the everyday guys been together more than just a handful of times all season.

THE PICK:Phillies in six.

RATIONAL: No team will be able to truly dominate because the pitching is so close. Halladay and Lincecum will split starts, with Halladay taking Game 1 and the pot smoking hippie wannabe winning Game 5 in Frisco. Expect Roy Oswalt and Jonathan Sanchez to split games 2 and 6 with Oswalt winning the series clincher at home. Yes, that means the Giants go back to Frisco with a 1-1 split.

Cole Hamles vs. Matt Cain will be a classic, but give the edge to Cole who is looking to keep up with Doc. Plus, he is a West Coast guy who loves pitching in Cali. We’ll give the Phils that one. Joe Blanton will make the most of his start and take Game 4. Lincecum gets Game 5 to send the series back to Philly.

That’s where Roy Oswalt takes the ball and flat out dominates.

The Phillies lineup has been hit-or-miss all year and we don’t see that changing. Having said that, they are better than the Giants who are led by Pat Burrell among others.

The bottom line is that the Phillies will keep rolling in Doctober.

Cincinnati fans thought they were bringing their A-game when offering to buy Cole Hamels shots at a restaurant hours before Game 3 of the NLDS. Bush League move that didn’t work.

Guess we need to step it up a notch and show those little Ohioans how it’s done. (OK, this likely won’t work either.)

Seems that a certain pitcher with a bit of a marijuana issue is slated to pitch Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday. Maybe the herb entrepreneurs in the city should try to help Lincecum self-medicate on gameday and get him in an ultra relaxed state of mind.

Giants ace Timmy Lincecum looks really relaxed as he starts to prepare for his first NLCS start on Saturday.

Yes, Tim Lincecum was arrested last winter for possession of marijuana. Somehow, we can’t find any articles showing he was suspended for his misdeed. Hey, Bud Selig, your NFL cohort Roger Goodell would have levied a nice vacation for young Lincecum for violating the personal conduct code. Hey, Bud, it’s not too late to suspend the kid, say, now.

Seriously, let Lincecum bring his dope A game on Saturday. We have a feeling Doc Halladay will shut down the doofus who thinks he can self-medicate.

Having said all that, chants of “weedman” should be heard while Timmy is warming up in the bullpen on Saturday.

Sure, he shut down the Phillies in Game 2 of the series.

You just knew, however, that the Padilla Philadelphians were subjected for five years would show up this postseason. Tonight, Mr. Inconsistency was back in South Philly.

Padilla surrendered six runs on four hits, walked two and struck out two in three innings. The Dodgers best pitcher down the stretch just got yanked in the fourth inning with the Phils holding a 6-2 lead.

The Phillies are now in the Dodgers bullpen, which has logged some serious innings the last two games.

Frankford and Torresdale should be a crazy seen within the next two hours!

Kobe Bryant might be a Mets fan, but the Goodfellas‘ Henry Hill is a Phillies fan.

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