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• Vote: ALCS: Yankees lead 3-1
• Chat: MLB with Keith Law, 1 p.m. ET.

A few years ago, the big story with the Phillies was the fact that they were the first-ever professional franchise to lose 10,000 games. Now, they may become the first back-to-back World Series winners in the new century.

Last night's NLCS Game 5 provided still more evidence that Philadelphia may be the most balanced team in baseball. With a lineup that features contributions out of nearly every player (even though Ryan Howard went hitless, Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino, and Pedro Feliz all homered), some shutdown starting pitchers, and a suddenly resurgent bullpen, the Phillies are sitting pretty. Surprised, SportsNation? Going by your judgments back in early July, late July, and even just prior to the series, you probably should be. Now, the only thing left for the Phillies to do is wait for the winner of the Angels-Yankees series, which SportsNation thinks won't take too long -- much like seemingly every other series this postseason.

• Your Rankings: Who are the best players in the ALCS and NLCS?

Sid Bream, Aaron Boone and Dave Roberts will attest that it's not always the biggest names who make the plays that get teams to the World Series. But it doesn't hurt to have the big guns on your side. The bad news is SportsNation's picks for the NL MVP (Albert Pujols), AL MVP (Joe Mauer), NL Cy Young (Tim Lincecum) and AL CY Young (Zack Greinke) are all home watching on television. At least we've still got one of the Molina brothers.

Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle are looking for your rankings on the best remaining players for Thursday's "SportsNation" (ESPN2. 4 p.m. and midnight ET), but voters have already made it known who they would least want to face with the game on the line.

You would think Andre Ethier wouldn't have any doubters left at this point (you would also think teams would stop pitching to him in walk-off situations, but hey, the Pirates are the Pirates for a reason). And yet the following comment popped up in the Dodgers-Pirates conversation as Ethier stepped to the plate with a runner on first and his team trailing by a run in the bottom of the 13th inning Tuesday night.

• "Now Ethier facing a lefty? HAHAHAHAH... here comes a grounder.... Might as well be Loretta on 1st base since Furcal wont go anywhere." -- RussMartinAAA

We don't mean to pick on RussMartinAAA, but when you're wrong, you're wrong. Ethier, of course, knocked the ball out of the park for his sixth walk-off hit, and his fourth walk-off home run, of the season.

In early August, 70 percent of SportsNation said it would rather have Manny Ramirez at the plate with the game on the line than Ethier. Has the walk-off king changed your mind?

• Your Power Rankings: Are the Dodgers one of baseball's five best teams?
• Vote: Can the Rockies hold off the Giants, and how important is Dice-K's return?
• Chat: SweetSpot boogger Rob Neyer, 12 p.m. ET | ESPN analyst Steve Phillips, 1 p.m. ET

Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd didn't make the 2003 MLB list, but if they find it, they'll check it twice before talking about it on "SportsNation" TV.

Look for pumped up sluggers, argue the hot topics, vote on the biggest stories and chat during the show, on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. ET.

VOTE NOW!

Do the reported positive PED tests taint Boston's World Series titles?
David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez reportedly are on the list of players from 2003. Of course, the Red Sox aren't the only team to win with players later implicated.

Should the entire 2003 list of MLB players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs be released?
Fans are clamoring to see who else pushed the league toward more stringent testing. They just hope their heroes aren't on it.

Has Plaxico Burress become a sympathetic figure?
The ex-Giants receiver threw himself in front of the New York grand jury that is considering whether to indict him on weapons charges.

Can the Lions exorcise their demons in 2009?
A Lions fan recently performed an ''exorcism'' for his team. Will that help the defense tackle and give Matthew Stafford more time to throw?

Will an American ever be the best soccer player in the world?
So many of the best athletes in the United States play football, baseball and basketball. Will a LeBron James of soccer ever emerge here?

And our final question ...
Brett Favre retired. Or did he? He's not playing for the Vikings. He's not playing for the Jets. He's not playing for the Packers. Anybody else interested?

What is "SportsNation" TV, and how do you make your voice heard? Read about the new ESPN show that features fan opinions with calls, tweets, polls, rankers and more.

Lost among the cheers, applause and wildly flailing dreadlocks that surrounded Manny Ramirez's pinch-hit, tie-breaking grand slam last night was the fact that Manny is closing in on an all-time record.

Manny has somewhat of a talent for hitting with the bases loaded -- his OPS with three men on is 65 points higher than his career OPS. In only 272 at-bats with the bases drunk (we're running out of ways to say "bases loaded," so bear with us), he's hit 21 grand slams. Lou Gehrig, whose personal letters ESPN.com collected to illustrate the course of his illness, holds the all-time record with 23.

A grand slam's a funny thing. It requires a number of disparate factors to align in just the right way. If one runner decides to try to score from second on a single, it doesn't happen. If a pitcher throws a wild pitch, it doesn't happen. In addition, even if you do get the opportunity, you actually have to defy the pressure, get the perfect pitch, and put it out of the ballpark. No wonder the career record is only equal to, say, a few good months from Albert Pujols. Manny could hit two tomorrow, or he could never hit one again.

Additionally, it's tough to find two players of somewhat equal talent who are more different than Gehrig and Ramirez. One was a dour, stout, defensively skilled first baseman who held the record for most consecutive games played. The other is a cheery, flaky, defensively challenged left fielder. One thing they have in common, though: both are hitters of a legendary caliber.

• A huge majority thought Lou Gehrig should start on the American League all-time All-Star Team.
• SportsNation would pick Albert Pujols to come off the bench and pinch hit over Manny Ramirez, despite Manny's heroics.
• Groups: Dodgers Fan Club | MLB chatroom | The New York Yankees Fan Club

Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd have been cleared to play and are in the starting lineup today on "SportsNation" TV.

Discuss the hot topics, vote on the biggest stories of the day and chat during the show on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. ET. And if you miss that, there's a second helping of "SportsNation" at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Should the Patriots pursue Michael Vick?
New England has a system and has a good track record of taking in troubled players who have made surprisingly few waves once in the fold.

Do the Phillies need to upgrade by adding Roy Halladay?
The rest of the National League East is fading fast, but Peter Gammons argues Philly could write in several years of championships by adding the pitcher.

Where do you stand on instant replay in baseball?
Michael Cuddyer sure looked safe in the replay, but instead of tying the game, he was called out at home last night in Oakland.

Who is the better player?
Manny Ramirez and Mickey Mantle both put up incredible offensive stats on some of the best teams in baseball in their given eras.

Is Chris Henry on the verge of a Randy Moss-type career?
Carson Palmer believes in second acts, and he says his wayward Bengals teammate is poised to provide some noncontroversial offense in Cleveland.

What is "SportsNation" TV and how do you make your voice heard on the broadcast? Read about the new ESPN show that features fan opinions with calls, tweets, polls, rankers and more.

Manny Ramirez doesn't seem like that bad a guy. Sure, he does some strange things. He'll loaf on ground balls. He'll mope and sulk on the field. He'll cause the walls of reality to become fluid and indistinct, challenging our notions of what exists and what does not. He also has really long dreadlocks. No big deal, right? People seem to love the guy. He's the ultimate entertainer in a sport meant to entertain.

Still, the man did take a banned substance, and served his punishment accordingly. That has to be worth at least a minor reprimand by the hometown crowd. You expect opposing fans to boo rival players, but judging by SportsNation's general opinion of players who use PEDs, you'd expect at least a few boos out of Chavez Ravine when Manny returned Thursday night.

Or would you? Mannywood was back and rocking hard on Ramirez's return, even though he managed only one hit and two strikeouts in a 3-0 loss to the mediocre Astros. Could it be that fans in Los Angeles are a kind and forgiving bunch? We hesitate to speculate, SportsNation, but it could have something to do with the fact that Manny is putting up BA/OBP/SLG numbers that rival another eccentric outfielder's.

• As usual, SportsNation was of two minds when it came to Manny. His minor league rehab during his suspension brought condemnation from many fans, but most still enjoyed seeing the man perform, regardless of the circumstances.
• Manny still hasn't returned to his old haunting grounds of Cleveland and Boston, but fans from both states would probably boo him. In fact, SportsNation thinks Manny would be booed loudly at Fenway Park.
• User Handyman5454 thinks that Manny is an incredibly talented performer, but that the Dodgers (and baseball in general) would be better off without him.

Back when the season began, voters ranked the Colorado Rockies No. 22 in SportsNation's Power Rankings. Which seems like a bit of a bucket of cold water on the whole "hope springs eternal" thing until you consider they ranked the Giants No. 28, ahead of only the Astros and Nationals. If divisions were restuarants, the NL West was the one that wouldn't survive the next visit from the health inspector.

So maybe it's understandable that despite waking up Friday morning with the Giants and Rockies atop the wild-card standings in the National League, the 'Nation as a whole, and especially the parts to the right side of the Rocky Mountains, remains skeptical that the West will produce two playoff teams.

Then again, when you've got the two best pitchers in the National League through the first half of the season, maybe optimism is lurking like the fog rolling in off the Bay.

• Half of the country -- the half not in the middle -- likes Dodgers for World Series.
• And while far from unanimous, most think the Dodgers can count on Manny.
• More midseason reviews: AL East | AL Central | AL West | NL Central | NL East
• Groups: Dodgers Fan Club | Padres | Brandon Webb Fans

Manny Ramirez brought his own cheers with him when Dodgers fans flocked down I-5 to cheer his return from suspension in San Diego (much to SportsNation's surprise), but the greeting wasn't nearly as warm in his hometown Tuesday night during a game against the Mets. Just imagine what would happen in Boston.

Speaking of which, a day earlier, Nomar Garciaparra returned to Fenway Park for the first time since being traded midway through the 2004 season and received a sustained standing ovation from a fan base that wasn't unanimously sad to see him go.

Which perceived sins come with a statute of limitations, and which are unforgivable?

• At least in comparison to a couple of former Red Sox, Aaron "Bleepin'" Boone is apparently off the hook for the home run that beat Boston in the 2003 ALCS.
• If Rocket were still active, who would get a cooler reception at Fenway: Roger Clemens or Manny Ramirez?
• And nice moment aside, Garciaparra isn't getting to Cooperstown.

"SportsNation" on TV is finally here. Check out the big stories of the day, cast your votes and watch on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. ET!

After a weekend packed with tragic and triumphant sports news, hosts Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd can't wait to debate your answers to the questions below.

Vote: Would it be fun to hang out with Roger Federer?
The tennis great has 15 Grand Slam titles, untold millions and the gold-trimmed clothing, but he presents a very corporate, polished image.

Vote: Is there such a thing as a good loss?
Andy Roddick earned respect but no Wimbledon title in his epic final match against that guy in gold on Sunday.

Vote: Would you boo or cheer Manny Ramirez?
Padres fans have had their chance. The "suspension is over" tour continues this week with stops in New York and Milwaukee.

Vote: Should ESPN show more competitive eating?
For some people, hot dog buns crumbled in water and mouths crammed with food are revolting. For others, like Joey Chestnut, it's a Fourth of July tradition or lunch.

Vote: Which team is the favorite to win the Eastern Conference?
The Cavaliers made the first move, acquiring Shaq. The Magic lost Hedo Turkoglu, and the Celtics added veteran Rasheed Wallace.

Tweet: How will you remember Steve McNair?
After news of the former Titans quarterback's death came out Saturday, NFL players spoke of his competitiveness and toughness.

What is "SportsNation" TV and how do you make your voice heard on the broadcast? Read about the new ESPN show that features fan opionions with calls, tweets, polls, rankers and more.