When Philadelphia closer Brad Lidge let out a scream, sank to his knees and raised his shaking arms after striking out Tampa's Eric Hinske to clinch the 2008 World Series, his grandfather believes the 31-year-old pitcher must have been praying and giving thanks for Philadelphia's first World Series crown in 28 years.

"I'll tell you something," mused Gene Detmer of Arcadia, a parishioner at Holy Family Church in South Pasadena --- and, with his wife Colette, a member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul - "that's exactly what he was doing. Absolutely."

"Brad was a very gusty guy," added the 85-year-old retired furniture manufacturer, thinking of Lidge's two crucial saves in the Phillies' 4-1 Series win. "To get behind a hitter doesn't throw him off stride. He's very disciplined. And from that point of view, he's thinking this is not the time to panic - this is the time to bear down."

After a hearty laugh at his suburban home, he added, "That was marvelous."

'I'm gonna play baseball'
Although his daughter Debbie's family, which included Brad and his older sister Catherine, grew up in the Denver area, Detmer and his first wife Joan often visited them and the Lidges did likewise. Brad grew up in St. Thomas More Parish in Denver, where he was an altar boy.

On one trip to Denver, the former businessman recalled the four-year-old boy running up to him exclaiming, "I'm gonna play baseball." They promptly proceeded to the backyard, where grandpa rolled a ball to his beaming grandson.

He also remembered how the high school outfielder's pitching career started, when his coach witnessed what an arm the adolescent had throwing the ball back to the infield. He asked, "Did you ever try pitching?" According to family folklore, Brad answered "Nope," and his amazed coach said, "Why don't you try?"

Brad did, later earning an athletic scholarship to the University of Notre Dame. After his junior year season, when he won the Big East player of the year award, the collegian was a first-round draft pick by the Houston Astros in 1998.

Lidge played in the minor leagues, overcoming a torn rotator cuff and broken forearm with steadfast determination, and he made his major league debut on April 26, 2002, against the Atlanta Braves.

By the summer of 2004, the Astros had moved him from setup man to closer, and he set a National League relievers' record with 157 strikeouts. But the next year, when the team went to its first World Series, he gave up the winning runs in two games as the White Sox swept the Astros.

In 2006, the young reliever seemed to lose some of his confidence. He had six blown saves, his ERA soared to 5.28, and the following year lost his closer's role, while suffering eight more blown saves.

Before the 2008 season Lidge was traded to the Phillies. After a late spring start because of a knee injury and subsequent surgery, something almost magical happened. His four-seam fastball was back up to 96 miles per hour and his hard slider was breaking sharper than ever. The result: an astounding 48 for 48 in regular- and post-season save opportunities.

Lidge was named 2008 Major League Baseball Comeback Player of the Year. Even his baseball aficionado grandfather, who coached his own sons and other kids in amateur ball, was truly awed.

"I knew he was delighted to be traded, because the good Lord was watching over him, but I didn't realize the difference coaching makes even at that level," Detmer pondered, shaking his head. "He mentioned to me that he was mentally set right by the new coaching. He has immense respect for the coaching he's had at Philly from the way he's been used this year - just one inning, either top of the ninth or bottom of the ninth. He's happy as a bird."

Playing catch
For his part, Lidge credits his grandfather for much of his success on the ball field.

"One of the best memories I have growing up is being outside in his front yard in Pasadena and playing catch with him," he said during an interview at Dodger Stadium. "I think when I was just starting to throw the ball with a little bit of mustard on it, he was able to catch it and fire it back to me. It seems like it's a lot of those [small] steps that lead you to where you're going. It was a lot of fun for me."

Lidge said he was inspired by his grandfather's baseball knowledge and treasure trove of memorabilia. "We didn't have a major league baseball team in Colorado, so coming out here the Dodgers were my team," he pointed out. "He took me to Dodger and Angel games. He also taught me how to score a game. I have a lot of great memories."

Lidge's granddad has had no less of an impact on his overall life. "He's been a big role model for me in terms of my beliefs and shaping my values and morals," the pitcher observed. "He's been a big influence on me. Just to hear his wisdom and how he just goes about describing things day to day, he's classic.

"His [volunteer work for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul] doesn't surprise me," he noted. "The one thing I remember about him while growing up is how generous and accommodating he was. It's very inspiring for me to have such a great example. I hope when I'm his age I can give back the way he does, too."

The feeling is definitely mutual. Detmer is somewhat amazed - and more than a little proud - that his grandson, the jock, is studying online for a degree in religious studies from Regis College in Denver, with plans to earn a doctorate in religious history so he can teach at the university level when his playing days are done.

"It is a little paradoxical, isn't it," he said, half-grinning. "But he was always an excellent student, both in high school and at Notre Dame. He's a very organized, serious guy, mentally and everything else. And boy, you tell him something once and you can put that in large black print and put it in your pocket.

"He's a very determined guy and very disciplined. When he's on the mound, I think you could cut off his left leg and he wouldn't even know you were there. Boy, he has total dedication to what he's doing and can really focus. It's a gift. I don't think you teach somebody to do that.

"I think frankly if you're a good pitcher, you're a little cerebral," Detmer stressed. "And Brad really is a thinker."

Budding religious archeologist
One of the things Lidge and his wife, Lindsay, along with their young daughter, Avery Grace, are thinking about at the moment is the arrival of their new baby and sibling. Another matter on the closer's mind, now that his historic baseball season is over, is preparing academically for his second career.

"I am Christian and I do take my religion seriously, but at the same time my interest in it right now is more archaeological," he told the Philadelphia Daily News last month. "Without getting too crazy into it, the start of Christianity and all the different things that shaped it, to where it is now, is very important to me.

"It helps me, in my faith, to understand where the background is," the pitcher, who signed a three-year contract extension with the Phillies this year for $12 million, said. "A lot of people just take things for granted. I'd really like to know the ins-and-outs of what I'm basing my faith on."

Brian Pickering, public relations director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Council of Los Angeles, contributed to this article.