Through two games....

Here is what I'm thinking as I drink my Vanilla Frosty from Wendy's in my Cherry Hill hotel room. Or do you eat a Frosty? Not sure.

1) Attendance is a highly contested issue in the Atlantic League for two reasons. First, most teams announce paid attendance and not actual attendance, and there is usually a big disparity between the two. Second, the perception is most fans come for the between innings promotions, pregame giveaways and carnival atmosphere. That's what makes the Game 1 crowd of 6,006 -- a very legitimate number -- at Commerce Bank Ballpark so impressive. There were no between innings promotions -- just baseball in the playoffs. That means that if there were 5,500 fans through the gate, they came for the baseball. A very good sign.
2) The Patriots stayed alive with a 3-2 victory in Game 2 despite managing just five hits. That is eight total hits in two games. They scored the game-winning run in the 11th inning on a walk, a bunt, a groundout and a wild pitch. To win Game 3, the Patriots are going to need more offense even though they appear to have the better starting pitcher on the mound.
3) Catcher Randy McGarvey -- who I listed in my series preview package as an under-the-radar to watch -- missed Game 2 with a back injury. Brent Metheny caught in his place and played well overall, but he could not get a glove on the wild pitch that allowed the winning run to score. If McGarvey misses Game 3, that it could make a major difference.
4) Reggie Taylor caused a stir around the Atlantic League when he decided in late August that he wanted to play for the Long Island Duck instead of the Lancaster Barnstormers, where he played in 2006 and verbally agreed to rejoin. The Ducks got a lot of slack for this move, and how did Taylor repay them? By skipping Game 1 of the North Division Championship Series because he returned home to South Carolina after Sunday's regular-season finale and did not make it back in time.
5) The Newark Bears are headed to the Atlantic League Championship Series for the first time since winning the 2002 title. The way the Bears finished the regular season and the convincing manner in which they swept the Ducks makes them the odds-on favorite over the Patriots or Riversharks. They can win by out-hitting or out-pitching opponents.