Offbeat look at the Phillies-Yankees World Series

With Philadelphia and New York 108 miles apart and the New Jersey Turnpike between them, here's an offbeat look:

Love for Pedro

Philadelphia fans aren't the only ones rooting for Pedro Martinez tonight: He's going to be a big favorite among the Boston crowd as well. "I know that they don't like the Yankees to win, not even in Nintendo games," Martinez said. "And knowing that I am part of Boston … I've been a Montrealer, a Bostonian, and now a New Yorker, and somehow I might become a Philadelphian now — I'm pretty sure that every Boston fan out there can feel proud that I'm going to try to beat the Yankees."

Getting political

The cover of Tuesday's Philadelphia Daily News borrowed more than a bit from President Barack Obama's campaign message, with a posterized photo of Phillies manager Charlie Manuel above the word "HOPE."

Damon in a groove and in tune

What does a player do during a night off in Philadelphia during the World Series? Rent a karaoke room, of course. That's what Yankees LF Johnny Damon did at Yakitori Boy the other night, according to the Daily News, and it's the same place then-Rays 2B Akinori Iwamura hung out at last year.

Right there in black and white

David Wells' guest column in the New York Post is becoming a must-read of the Series. The other day he ripped Philadelphia, and Tuesday he offered this analysis of A.J. Burnett's Game 5 start: "A.J. Burnett just looked plain scared. … This was not a clinic on how to pitch in big games. You've got to be aggressive and not afraid to fail. That wasn't Burnett."

Marc Topkin, Times staff writer