Sept. 24 -- HANDICAPPING THE RACE

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Morning, all.

While you continue to ponder the Phillies MVP question (please, don't forget to vote in the post below), here are a few words from Chipper Jones that may help you make your decision. Jones, who finds himself in the rare position of playing for pride during the season's last week, was asked by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution whether he likes the Phillies or Mets to win the NL East.

"The offenses are comparable, and the defenses are comparable," Jones said. "But the Phillies' bullpen [is tougher], with the lefties who can turn guys around and neutralize lefties, and [closer Brad] Lidge being so dominant at the end. With the Mets bullpen, I got a sense the last time we played them [last weekend], that nobody knows their role down there. There's a lot of confusion down there. Jerry [Manuel, Mets manager] is trying to piece it together as well as he can."

So, there you have it. A chipper outlook from The Chipper.

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A costly error by Cole Hamels and a base-running blunder by Pat Burrell led to a Phillies loss last night. So what? Losses happen, Ryan Howard said. And while that's completely true, and one Phillies loss (coupled with a Mets win and a Brewers win) is hardly cause for panic, a repeat of those scenarios tonight could make the next few days very interesting.

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J.A. Happ accepted the Paul Owens Award last night as the Phillies' Minor League Pitcher of the Year. And while the award is an honor, Happ has a few more souvenirs from the 2008 season that are even more valuable, namely the scorecard from his first major-league victory last week in Atlanta. Not bad for a guy who was among the Phillies' first cuts in spring training. Happ has made his case to be on the Phillies' postseason roster, and that's a possibility considering the Phils had a few injuries when Happ was called up Sept. 1.

More in a bit from the Bank.