They win old-school way

PHILADELPHIA - What you've got to love about the Phillies is they have a 71-year-old general manager (Pat Gillick) with guile and wisdom, a folksy, manage-by-your-gut 64-year-old skipper (Charlie Manuel), and a crafty 45-year-old pitcher (Jamie Moyer) who ate up the Tampa Bay Rays for almost seven innings in Game 3 of the World Series last night at Citizens Bank Park.

They play old school with old-school players.

They also have the old-fashioned perseverance that enabled them to hold off the Rays, even after the young, trendy, upstart American League team had come back to tie the game, 4-4, after trailing, 4-1. They sent the Phillie Phans into a Phrenzy when catcher Carlos Ruiz's walkoff infield hit to third base with the bases loaded in the ninth inning scored Eric Bruntlett, who had taken second on a wild pitch and third on a throwing error by Dioner Navarro.

The Phillies, like most teams, have the same access to formulas, calculations, and stat sheets provided by the geeks they hire to do such things. But for the most part, this is a good, old-fashioned baseball organization from top to bottom, where the eyes and the heart are the main tools in assessing players and managing a successful team.

From longtime scouting director Mike Arbuckle to Manuel to coaches Jimy Williams, Davey Lopes, and Rich Dubee. From longtime baseball scouts like Gordon Lakey to Charlie Kerfeld to Jim Fregosi Jr. It's pure baseball.

Take last night, for instance.

This should have been a "W" for the Rays with the powerful Matt Garza coming off a dominating American League Championship Series Game 7 win over Boston. Garza throws 95 and nasty. It should have been a win because of the athleticism of B.J. Upton, who stole a record three bases.

But Moyer, the old lefty, defied logic.

Moyer was 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA in two postseason starts after winning 16 in the regular season. Just when it appeared he was done, cooked, ready to pack his bags and retire, he took his game out of mothballs and dominated in his first World Series.

Moyer, who left to a standing ovation with one out in the seventh with a 4-2 lead, will never light up the radar guns, so the numbers don't add up to the power pitchers most teams yearn for. Like the other old guys in this organization, Moyer wins because he's street smart.

He'll snap a breaking pitch over the outside part of the plate for strike three to Carlos Peña or keep poor rookie Evan Longoria completely off-balance. He'll place an 85-m.p.h. fastball where you just can't hit it and by the end of the game he left the Rays shaking their heads and wondering, "What just happened?"

The Phillies also hit the old-fashioned way - home runs. It's like the old Earl Weaver way in Baltimore - pitch well and hit for power. Ruiz, second baseman Chase Utley, and first baseman Ryan Howard all hit solo homers off Garza in the win.

That's it. No frills, no fat, no pork on this staff. Gillick's heir apparent, Ruben Amaro Jr., is the only one among them who owns a BlackBerry, for god sake.

"If they made a movie about 'Moneyball,' " said Lakey, "none of us would be in it."

If Manuel went by the numbers, he would have found a way not to pitch Moyer in Game 3 and hope for the best with Moyer in Game 4. But like anything else, Manuel had a feeling, a hunch, an instinct based on his years in the game, that Moyer was going to pitch well.

Manuel was asked yesterday about his "philosophy" about bringing the infield in and his answer wasn't based on any statistical formula.

"Early in the game I will usually play back because I've got faith in our offense. And basically, that's the way I was kind of taught. The other night they had the middle of their lineup up and they've got guys that can hit the ball right by you. And there's no way I'm going to bring the infield in in the second inning like that," he said.

He's got some Walpole Joe in him.

Lakey's the same way on the scouting side. His 30-plus-years of experience has earned him the reputation of being one of the best scouts in the business. He coordinates the major league scouting that recommends players for potential deals. Lakey was Gillick's right-hand man in Toronto for many years and they won back-to-back championships with their system.

When Brad Lidge was at his lowest moment with the Astros last season, Lakey kept watching him and was convinced that, with a change of scenery, the former Astros' closer could help the Phillies. So Lakey, regardless of how poor the numbers might have looked on Lidge, pushed Gillick to make the deal. Lidge went 41 for 41 in save opportunities and was really the biggest season-changer for the Phillies from 2007 to 2008.

There's also the old-school Williams, the former Red Sox manager and one of the best instructors in the business. Williams works endless hours with Utley and Jimmy Rollins on their defense. He's trying to make Howard a better defender, as well. Nomar Garciaparra, Adam Everett, and Craig Biggio swear by Williams's grass-roots instruction.

At the end of the day, which style is better - the old-fashioned Phils or the modern Rays?

Listen, baseball survived for a century with the way the Phillies, Braves, and Twins do it. Teams like the Rays, Red Sox, Yankees, A's, Blue Jays, and Indians are progressive in their approach, using the Bill James formulas and "Moneyball" theories as well as scouting with mixed success.

None of the Phillies' management begrudges anyone's methods or philosophy. Their way just feels right to them. They are not prisoners to numbers, laptops, BlackBerrys, charts, and graphs.

They don't need their pitchers to throw 100 miles per hour because last night they had an old guy like Moyer throwing almost half that and winning.

Whether they win the World Series or not - and they shouldn't, because on paper they don't have the starting pitching - they are a good baseball team.

And somewhat proud that there are no hard, cold facts to back it up.