Mitch Williams

I watched last night's exhilarating Game 2 of the NLCS. I know Roy Oswalt's a pitching phenom. But with no designated hitter in the National League, I'm always stoked when pitchers turn in offensive performances worthy of a lead-off batter. Oswalt's seventh inning score from second base, off Placido Polanco's base hit, was pure excitement.

But earlier in the game Joe Buck and Tim McCarver had Mitch Williams on the phone for some pitching analysis. Turns out that Williams joined the announcers in the booth for game one, and check the link for Williams during the post-game recap on Fox Sports.

Anyway, forgive me for being out of the loop. My 9 year-old kid hogs the living room TV most of the time, so I don't watch as much sports as I'd like. But seeing Mitch Williams doing the game-time commentary was a throwback. The dude was the Phillies' goat in 1993 after he gave up the series-winning home run to Joe Carter, giving the World Championship to the Toronto Blue Jays. Man, it's tough recovering from that kind of mistake. Donnie Moore eventually ended his life after being booed endlessly by fans for blowing the save against Boston during 1986 ALCS final. The Phillies fans came to respect Williams, however, and he's apparently a well-liked member of the community:

Williams placed the blame on himself for what happened in the 1993 World Series, adding that he had put the ordeal behind him:

“ I'm not going to go home and commit suicide...I wish I hadn't thrown it down and in to Carter. I was trying to keep the ball away from him. It was a mistake...It ain't comin' back...I can't replay it and win it...I can't change this one, much as I'd like to, if only because my teammates busted their butts. I let 'em down...But don't expect me to curl up and hide from people because I gave up a home run in the World Series. Life's a bitch. I could be digging ditches. I'm not. ”

—Mitch Williams on his feelings abot surrendering the home run to Joe Carter.

Although Phillies fans continued to blame him for the Series loss and heap him with scorn and abuse for several years afterward, the fact that he did not make excuses for the blown saves, shift the blame to others, or run and hide from the media or the city of Philadelphia caused many fans to ultimately forgive him and embrace him once again as a local figure.