I thought it was pretty clearly Lidge's responsibility. Manuel said Lidge or the catcher, though it seems crazy to ask the catcher to run 90 feet, with gear, after making the throw to second. Seems like Manuel was covering for Lidge (60 feet, no gear, can get an earlier start), which I can understand. I don't think it was mentioned, but I was wondering where the LF was.

Wonder what the baseball minds here think.

I think it is supposed to be the pitcher or the left fielder. I think the issue though is in the normal stolen base situation, the pitcher will just go down, and not toward third base. So their natural instinct is to make that movement first. That is why the left fielder should probably be able to cover the base, too. I would think on a stolen base they can get to third in plenty of time, but it is also a far run.

Honestly, it is a amazing you don't see it happen more when teams put on the shift.

Has to be the pitcher. Too long of a run for anyone else. Lidge has to know the situation there.

He also has to quit being a pussy and throw the slider with a guy on 3rd, but that's another debate I guess...

I would think it depends on the catcher too. A young Pudge Rod or Tony Pena probably covers third. Smokey Burgess not so much.

And the pitcher. Greg Maddux covers, Bob Gibson covers (and then throws at the next fifteen hitters).

And the left fielder. Dave Kingman, Manny Ramirez wouldn't cover. Lonnie Smith would cover FIRST base. Usually your worst OF is in left, so you have to factor that in.

You hope someone is alert enough on the field to cover that sort of thing.

The Phillies didn't have to get someone to third base in time to beat Damon there, they just had to have someone on their way and close enough that there might be the slightest possibility of a play. If there was any chance that he'd be caught, there's no way that Damon would risk making the final out of the game at third with Teixeira and A-Rod coming up.

Bad year or not, if Lidge doesn't think that he can keep his best pitch from going to the backstop, he shouldn't be in there. I wonder if he felt that he didn't have any control over his slider because he had a little bit of foreign substance in his hands (not a big deal to me, though he did keep going to his beard).

Smoky Burgess, wow! I would have gone with Sal Fasano.

There's a great movie about the time they hit 100 fly balls to Lonnie Smith, "Catch-22."

No

In a shift,

Who plays along the first base line.
What plays part way between 1st and 2nd
I Don't Give a Darn plays behind 2nd; and
I Don't Know plays midway between 2nd and 3rd, where I Don't Give a Darn Usually plays.

When the runner attempts to steal 2nd, I Don't Know covers 2nd.
Tomorrow covers third.

So, in reply to your original question, the answer is "No" as Who doesn't cover third on the Damon play.

It's Lidge's play.

The catcher just threw the ball from his knees and the left fielder is way too deep.