"It was no doubt the lazy pop fly that Cliff Lee gloved with nonchalant cool in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series that began the love affair between pitcher and city.

Two years later, he still hears from fans about the play routinely. It was quintessential Lee — confident, brash, unflinching.

On the mound, nothing bothers the left-hander. Well, almost nothing.

Lee's unabashed ambivalence gives way to anger each time he walks a hitter. It goes against everything he believes in as a pitcher."