You might call it a double-header.

The Phils play the Brewers in Game 2 of the NLDS at 6 p.m.

I imagine Brad Lidge will be striding to the mound just about the time the main event of the evening kicks off.

That, of course, would be The Great Debate, Part II.

Palin vs. Biden.

Can anyone remember when a contest pitting the two candidates for vice president garnered such attention?

It’s often said that the VP slot is an afterthought. That no one votes for vice president. They make their decision on who sits at the top of the ballot.

Not this year.

That is in large part due to what can only be called “The Palin Effect.”

Sen. John McCain stunned everyone – including many in his own party – when he selected the little-known governor of Alaska as his running mate.

A couple months ago you likely would not have known Palin if you bumped into her on Baltimore Pike.

Now that upswept hair-do and fashionable glasses create one of the most recognizable visages in the world.

Sarah Palin has injected a whole new buzz into this buzzsaw of a presidential horse race. Her detractors simply scoff at her lack of experience and say she has no business being a heart beat away from the presidency, especially when that heart beats inside the chest of what would be the oldest man ever elected to the office.

Her supporters laud her as breath of fresh air, someone outside the usual Beltway Politics crowd.

There’s not much middle ground on Palin; you either love her or hate her.

Her initial spike in favorable ratings has been sliding recently as she has struggled in her limited, carefully selected media appearances.

That all will go by the boards tonight. Palin will be standing on a stage with her opponent, longtime Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware.

I’m not exactly sure what to expect. Will Palin wow everybody, as she did in her convention speech? Or will she struggle as in her most recent interviews.

Upper Darby’s Tina Fey, whose dead-on impersonation of Palin has juiced up “Saturday Night Live,” will join the rest of the nation glued to the tube.

There are those who believe the GOP has intentionally downplayed expectations for Palin, that if she merely survives against Biden that would be considered something of a victory.

I think McCain needs more than that. His numbers are sliding, especially in key swing states like Pennsylvania. That’s in part because of the lingering question about his choice of the inexperienced Palin.

The eyes of the country will be on that stage. Riveted on Sarah Palin and Joe Biden.

Except of course for Phillies fans, who likely will be furiously flipping back and forth between the game and the debate.

You might say Sarah Palin is John McCain’s Brad Lidge. And tonight he needs a big save.