Phils Likely to Offer Arbitration to Burrell and Moyer

According to Ken Mandel of MLB.com, the Phillies will likely offer arbitration to both Pat Burrell and Jamie Moyer.

The Phillies will likely offer binding salary arbitration to Type A free agents Jamie Moyer and Pat Burrell by Monday's midnight ET deadline, ensuring Draft pick compensation should either or both sign elsewhere.

Thankfully, we will not offer arbitration to Tom Gordon or Rudy Seanez. I think this is a good move by the Phillies. The Phillies will likely reach a multi-year agreement with Moyer before his hearing, but they're not budging much with Burrell.

The article reports that the Phillies have offered Burrell no more than a two-year deal, so it is unlikely he accepts arbitration. This does not mean that the Phillies cannot negotiate with him, but he'll likely sign somewhere else. If he does, the Phillies will receive a sandwich pick and a first or second round pick based on Burrell's new team's 2008 record.

By offering both of their Type-A free agents arbitration, it seems like a win-win. Both Burrell and Moyer would see raises in arbitration, but not enough to set the Phillies back. If they both accepted the one-year deals, it'll just push the decision making back to next year. If they do not accept and they sign elsewhere, the Phillies will have extra draft picks to work with to help stockpile their bleek farm system.

Continuing reading...

An Interesting Read: 20 Most-Important Phillies

Tim Malcolm of Phillies Nation put together a great post in which he details the 20 most-important people to the Phillies franchise.

1. Ruben Amaro Jr.

He was handed a golden ticket when Pat Gillick resigned as general manager: The franchise’s second world title, a solid core of major leaguers, a slowly improving farm system. Are the Phillies a first-division team like the Red Sox, Yankees and Cubs? Or are they just another flame-out champion like the White Sox, Cardinals and Marlins? Amaro will decide that by how he works the budget.

There are some other interesting names on that list that it is worth reading. Personally, I'd probably put Hamels #1 because Hamels is the first legitimate ace we've had in a long time and him staying here with the Phillies post-arbitration means so much for our future. Then again, Tim is also right because Ruben Amaro, Jr. will be the one pulling all of these strings.

Continuing reading...

Flyers Point Streak Ends

The Flyers traveled to Toronto coming off an over-time loss to Carolina. Still, the Flyers were able continue a streak of registering at least 1 point to 9 games. That streak came to an end last night. Toronto's 4-2 win gave them a 10-3 record against the Flyers since the lock-out.

The Flyers looked sloppy defensively and they were often giving the puck away to the neutral zone. Every goal that Toronto scored came off a Flyers turnover or Biron finding himself way outside of the net.

Biron, who did make some good saves was a little off of his game and probably should not have been playing after being injured last night. I understand that you want to maybe put him back out there to test him out, but you did come off a loss and you do want to make sure that your best possible lineup out there. Niittymaki was rested and very well could have played nicely. Biron's mistakes lead to 3 goals by Toronto including one where he tried to clear the puck, but he put it off a Toronto player into the net.

After the first period, the Flyers just lacked complete energy. They had some opportunities, but they looked to slow to really have them develop in to anything. Mike Richards was able to jam home two goals for the Flyers, giving him 8 on the season. One of his goals was another short-handed beauty. Gagne added an assist to give him 31 points on the year, third in the league.

The Flyers will host Tampa on Tuesday and they're another team that gives the Flyers problems. Stop playing down to damn competition!

Highlights below:

Continuing reading...

Andy Reid Made a Funny

Andy Reid on DeSean Jackson chest bumping him after his second-half TD.

"I thought a moth hit me."

Now if he could only be more descriptive during his press-conferences. At least, for the first time in a few weeks, he finally had some good things to talk about.

Continuing reading...

Your (orange) and Black Friday Update

Wow, I have not been able to write a post in awhile. It's been a bit of a hectic week and I apologize. I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving and if you went out today, it really wasn't too bad. Did anyone head to the arena to get their new alternate Flyers jersey?

- Speaking of the Flyers, they fell in overtime 3-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes. It was the 2nd game of a home and home. The loss snapped their 6 game winning streak, but they have extented their point streak to 9 straight games.

The retro alternates did look amazing, but it is just a shame that they were not able to open up with a win. Jeff Carter and Joffrey Lupul both scored and assisted each other's goals to help the Flyers at least get a point. Also, both goals were on the power play. They Flyers had plenty of opportunities, but just could not finish. Jeff Carter now leads the entire NHL with his 16 goals. He was injured, but returned shortly. His status should be monitored.

- The Phillies added veteran reliever, Mike Koplove. He has only made 7 appearances since 2005. It's a small move that isn't very costly. I'm assuming that he was signed just to give the Phillies some insurance for the bullpen in AAA. It's not often that the bullpen remains relatively healthy for an entire season.

- The Sixers play the Celtics tonight and they're starting to struggle again. They've lost two straight to the Bobcats and Magic and they're going through a rough stretch of their schedule. After their loss in the final seconds to Orlando, they have Boston tonight followed by a home and home with the Bulls, a trip to Detroit, and a home game against the Lakers. Going 1-4, with only a win against the Bulls could be likely. Like the Flyers, the Sixers really need to do a better job of finishing the job.

Don't look, the schedule gets even worse. Two days before Christmas, the Sixers will begin a 6 game road trip and make travels to Boston, Detroit, Utah, the Clippers, Dallas, and San Antonio. Oh, they only return home to face Houston. Thanks NBA schedule makers!

- Nice to see the Eagles offense show up, but all I am going to say is that it is likely too little, too late.

In college basketball, the City 6 is doing alright:
Villanova (4-0)
Temple (3-1) - lost to Clemson 76-72
St. Joes (2-3) - lost to Holy Cross, Texas, and Alabama
La Salle (2-3) - lost to Florida State, UCONN, and Southern Miss
Drexel (1-1) - lost to Georgetown
Penn (1-3) - lost to UNC, Drexel, and Penn State

I hope you enjoy the holiday. Expect regular updates to continue by the weekend. I've been dealing with some things outside of my control.

I am thankful for Erin Andrews being a sideline reporter:

Continuing reading...

Eagles Feast on Cards

The Eagles completely dominated yesterday on Thanksgiving, whupping up on the Turkeys....errr Cardinals 48-20. For most of the game, they were able to keep Arizona's dominant offense in check but did give up 3 TD drives. After jumping out to a commanding 21-0 lead in the second, the Cardinals marched down field easily to score on an 11 play, 81 yard drive, making the defense look bad at times. They also allowed one bad drive in the third and fourth.

It seems that Andy Reid's decision to bench Donovan McNabb for the entire second half last week really got into the head of the star quarterback. He was phenomenal in his return to the drivers seat as he cruised all day.

More after the jump:

Offense: The offense clicked on all cylinders yesterday. McNabb was doing the things we loved to see: passing accurately, avoiding the sack, and making big plays in the air and on the ground. He was sacked only once all game and had 24 yards rushing on 4 runs, which 3 of them came on the last drive of the second quarter. He completed 27/39 passes for 260 yards and 4 TDs. His best stat of the night: 0 interceptions.

His favorite targets were DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, and Hank Baskett. Jackson led the team with 6 catches for 76 yards and a TD. He also gave Big Red a chest bump after his score. During the post game press conference when asked about it, Reid said, "I thought a moth bounced off me."

Curtis had 5 catches for 59 yards, and Baskett had 5 catches for 42 yards, including a spectacular diving catch in the second quarter when McNabb pump faked the camera. Jasan Avant also had 4 catches for 25 yards and a TD. The frustrated Reggie Brown failed to make a catch and barely got any reps. His days may be numbered in Philly.

The star of the offense today was Brian Westbrook. He rushed 22 times for 110 yards and 2 TDs. He also had 3 catches for 20 yards and 2 TDs, giving him a total of 4. In the 4th, Kyle Eckel got some looks as he rushed 7 times for 24 yards. I don't completely hate Dan Klecko but I want to see the full back in Eckel get more reps as a blocker and see Klecko play on the D line because he as a couple sacks this year.
Grade: A

Defense: This unit played very good, minus the 3 scoring drives. They took the ball away from Arizona 4 times. They got an interception from Quinton Mikell, Brian Dawkins, and Jodelio Hansen. Akeem Jordan had the 4th turnover with a recovered fumble forced by a Dawkins hit. Dawkins let his presence known a couple times with big hits and big plays, showing shades of his youthful days but then looked bad on Arizona's scoring drives.

The defensive line was great against the run, but did not muster a sack, the first time all year the defense went sack-less. However, they forced Warner to hurry passes and it allowed the rest of the defense to intercept 3 passes.

If it wasn't for the interceptions, Warner had a good day completing 21/39 of his passes for 235 and 3 TDs with 3 interceptions. Most of his incompletions came on drops or last second plays by the secondary. Lito Sheppard was awful again as he got burnt so many times by Larry Fitzgerald that it was embarrassing. For a player who wants that big contract, he sure isn't playing like he deserves it. Editor's Note: Fitzgerald burns everyone and actually had one of his poorer games on the season. They've only been held under 23 points once since week 3...and that was last night.
Grade: B+

Special Teams: Another solid game by this unit, minus one play by DeSean Jackson. On a punt to him in the third quarter, he thought the ball had bounced off of one of his teammates and he quickly dove on top of it but failed to hang on as Arizona was able to recover. It happens rookie.

Sav Rocca had a good game as he only had to see action 3 times, pinning Arizona inside the 20 two times. He averaged 42.7 yards a punt and had a day long of 58 yards. The Australian's average is up in his 2nd year as he is getting used to punting in America. David Akers continued his dominance inside the 45 yard mark as he nailed both his field goals.

Quinton Demps averaged 24 yards a return on 4 kick offs. Jackson fielded 3 punts and only averaged 3 yards, getting 9 yard return, a muff, and being shut down on the 3rd.
Grade: B

Best Number: 4 (number of TDs by McNabb and Westbrook)
Worst Number: 0 (number of sacks)
Best Play: even though it wasn't a game changer, Brian Dawkins intercepted his 34th career pass, tying Eric Allen and Bill Bradley for most in Eagles history.
Worst Play: the many times Anquan Boldin got open and made big catches. Editor's Note: The worst play was when DeSean Jackson went diving after the ball. However, at game speed it looked like it may have touched a player, so it was not exactly the dumbest play.

3 Stars:
McNabb
Westbrook
Mikell

Next week. Philly plays the Giants in New York at 1pm.

Continuing reading...

Thanksgiving Day Masacre

An eagle is pictured to me mighty and powerful. It soars through the sky and gives a mighty screech. A cardinal, on the other hand, is small and weak. It flutters from tree to tree, singing a sweet melody. Surely the little red bird can not be mightier than an eagle.

Well someone should tell that to the Philadelphia Eagles. After an embarrassing tie to a horrible Bengals team and getting whipped 36-7 by a Ravens team that wins with defense rather than offense, the birds' odds are not looking good against a high powered Cardinals offense led by Kurt Warner and receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald.

I'm not gonna go into full detail on either team but I'll just give a little insight as to why we will be thankful the game is on the NFL Network. It will be showing locally but I doubt it will be on more than a half.

The Eagles offense vs Arizona defense: this game should be a shoot out. It should be a battle of two high powered offenses. The problem is that the Eagles should have put points up vs Cincinnati and failed and the offense didn't score vs Baltimore (Quinton Demps returned a kick for a TD). Will McNabb and the offense show up after his embarrassing benching to an even worse Kevin Kolb? I doubt it.
Edge: Arizona

The Eagles defense versus Arizona offense: This will be ugly. Asante Samuel is hurting and this is the best WR duo in the game in Boldin and Fitzgerald. Warner is still dangerous and Tim Hightower can break big runs.
Edge: Arizona

Special Teams: this is our only bright spot if Sav Roccs isn't kicking into the wind. David Akers has been solid and DeSean Jackson and Demps have broken punt and kicks for TDs respectively this year.
Edge: Philly

Final score: Arizona 35-13.

Continuing reading...

Flyers Make it 5!

Mike Knuble scored two goals, including the late game-winner to help the Flyers defeat the Dallas Stars 4-3. Knuble has joined Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne to become the Flyers third double-digit goal scorer with 10.

Scottie Upshall started the scoring early, but the Stars and Flyers would trade goals back and forth until the eventual Knuble game-winner. Jeff Carter scored his 15th goal of the night after a great check by Luca Sbisa and a great pass from Scott Hartnell.

Marty Biron stopped 22 of 25 shots, allowing 2 goals by Mike Modano. Biron is now 8-5-1 on the season. The Flyers improved to 10-6-4 and they're now tied (in points) with the Devils for third in the Atlantic and 6th in the Eastern Conference.

Highlights after the jump.

Continuing reading...

Sixers Fall to Larry and the Bobcats

The Sixers shot extremely poorly and fell to the Charlotte Bobcats 93-84. The fucking Bobcats. It is not the first time this season that they've played down to their competition. They shot only 39.5% from the field and 3-16 from behind the arc. They've returned to .500 and it seems like they just cannot get away from that mark. Elton Brand lead the Sixers with 18 points and 9 rebounds.

Continuing reading...

Moyer to Sign Multi-year deal?

Ken Mandel is reporting that the Phillies and Jamie Moyer are likely to agree on a multi-year deal, but they have not been able to announce it because of scheduling conflicts.

Jamie Moyer wants to return, and the Phillies want him back, so what's taking so long? At this point, it appears the two sides can't coordinate schedules. One person familiar with the team's thinking believes it's a matter of time for an announcement, and the 46-year-old may sign a multiyear deal.

It'll be nice to have Moyer back as a 4th or 5th starter. You know what you're going to get from him and you do not have to worry about his velocity dropping or anything. He'd also be willing to do anything to help the team. I assume the deal may be announced sometime after Thanksgiving.

For the market being open, teams are moving relatively slow. This could be a good thing because teams may be letting the market reset itself. Some values have been getting extremely high, but we'll see.

Continuing reading...

Snider's Teams Finding the Win Column

Both of Ed Snider's teams, the Flyers and Sixers, have found the win column often lately. The Flyers are winners of four straight and they will host the Dallas Stars tonight at the Wachovia Center. Flyers forward Jeff Carter is 2nd in the league with 14 goals scored and Simon Gagne is tied for 5th with 25 points.

Also, Marty Biron and Antero Niittymaki have given the Flyers much better efforts between the pipes to help take the pressure off banged up and young blue line. A win tonight would really put them back into contention for the Atlantic division. Let's hope they make it 5! The game can be seen on CSN.

The 76ers are winners of 5 of their last 6 to move them into a tie for 2nd place in the Atlantic Division. Outside of a bad loss to Minnesota, their defense has really stepped it up as of late. Last night, they beat Golden State behind a double-double from Elton Brand and 16 rebounds by Dalembert. Brand started a little slow, but he has really picked his game up of late along with the rest of the Sixers. They were also able to win without scoring any fastbreak points, which means they were finally able to play some half-court offense.

Tonight, the Sixers will face off against the Bobcats in Charlotte. That game can be seen on CN8.

Continuing reading...

Should McNabb Have Been Benched?

Donovan McNabb was benched during half-time of the Ravens game. There have been many opinions on the matter, so I have outlined the reasons why he should or should not have been benched. Really, what was the point if the are going with McNabb as the starter Thursday against the Cardinals?

"Sometimes you have to step back to step forward in a positive way and Donovan will do that," Reid said. "This has nothing to do with Kolb's performance or Donovan's performance." [ESPN]

Does Andy Reid even know what the hell he's talking about anymore? I think Charlie Manuel is more coherent with his speech than Reid is with his thoughts.

Reasons why he should have been benched:

- Had an awful first half and has been inconsistent all season
- He put the Ravens in a better situation to win than the Eagles
- He and Reid look lost together. The era is ending for one or both of them.
- Normally, when Reid does not have McNabb, he runs the ball more.
- To reiterate that no jobs are safe.

Reasons why he should not have been benched:

- The game was still in reach, despite McNabb's performance, and the season was not exactly over.
- If the plan was to go to Kolb at some point this season, it'd be btetter to let him start a game after practicing with the first squad all week. The best idea would probably not be to throw him out there against a dominating defense.
- McNabb is still the best quarterback and all players slump at times.
- It looked like a desperation move by Andy Reid, whether it was the correct move or not.
- It signaled that the Eagles have completely hit rock bottom.

I'm going to be honest with you. I'm not hoping for wins. I understand this team needs to rebuild, but I wish the Eagles would understand that. Personally, I'd like to see what Kolb can offer, regardless of wins and losses. We need to try to get him ready for next season, if they are going that route. It is highly doubtful that McNabb will be back after this season. The Eagles need to know if Kolb is going to be the guy or if they need to look toward another QB. I don't think Kolb is great, but I do think he is better than what we saw on Sunday. Just like McNabb is as well, but Kolb isn't one of the highest paid players on football.

Well, what does it matter, right? It's still going to be the same old story with Andy Reid calling the plays. He's literally clueless.

Hopefully McNabb bounces back for fantasy purposes, but Eagles fans need to realize that this team is a lot closer to being awful than being good. Their window shut during the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl and they should have began rebuilding after the 2006 season and most definitely after last season.

Continuing reading...

Westbrook to play; Gaither, Smith Benched

This is what I just received via a text message from Philly.com:

Brian Westbrook will play for the Eagles. Omar Gaither has been benched in favor of Akeem Jordan.

I am shocked to see the first player being held accountable is someone from the defense? Really? Bench the wide receivers who drop passes. Bench the offensive lineman who cannot block. Bench your quarterback who is inaccurate and is terrible with clock management.

The only positive thing from the benching is that it was likely done because Jim Johnson made the decision and he is the one coach who actually knows what he is doing.

24-10 Ravens.

UPDATE: LJ Smith has also been benched. Thank you, finally!

Continuing reading...

What are they doing now? A look at past Flyers players.

With Todd Fedoruk scoring last night, I decided I wanted to dive into the stats of our former players who have left post-lock out. Below, you will see the stats of how they did with the Flyers compared to how they're doing with their new team or teams.

I will not be doing the stats for players that went overseas.

To check out the full list, click after the jump. All Stats are up-to-date as of today, November 23rd.

Mark Recchi
With Flyers: 402 games, 127 goals, 238 assists, 365 points, .91 ppg, +55, 217 PIM

Since leaving the Flyers (Car, Pitt, Atlanta, TB): 256 games, 70 goals, 123 assists, 193 points, .75 ppg, -57, 168 PIM

Current Season: 4 goals, 9 assists, -4, 6 PIM

Michael Handzus
With Flyers: 237 GM, 54 G, 92 A, 146 P, .62 PPG, +29, 166 PIM

(Chi, LA): 109 GM, 15 G, 24 A, 39 P, .36 PPG, -20, 57 PIM

Current Season: 5 G, 5 A, -3, 6 PIM

John LeClair
With Flyers: 612 GM, 333 G, 310 A, 643 P, 1.05 PPG, +197, 377 PIM

(Pitt): 94 GM, 24 G, 34 A, 58 P, .62 PPG, -26, 73 PIM

Retired

Tony Amonte
With Flyers: 93 GM, 27 G, 41 A, 68 P, .73 PPG, +25, 40 PIM

(CGY): 161 GM, 24 G, 48 A, 72 P, .45 PPG, -1, 83 PIM

Retired

Jeremy Roenick
With Flyers: 216 GM, 67 G, 109 A, 176 P, .81 PPG, +53, 211 PIM

(LA, PHO, SJ): 218 GM, 35 G, 53 A, 88 P, .40 PPH, -30, 112 PIM

Current: 1 G, 4 A, +1, 18 PIM

Kim Johnsson
With Flyers: 291 GM, 40 G, 107 A, 147 P, .50 PPG, +44, 140 PIM

(Minn): 174 GM, 8 G, 48 A, 56 P, .32 PPG, -6, 114 PIM

Current: 1 G, 6 A, +2, 8 PIM

Joni Pitkanen
With Flyers: 206 GM, 25 G, 91 A, 116 P, .56 PPG, +12, 210 PIM

(Edm, Car): 75 GM, 9 G, 26 A, 35 P, .47 PPG, -5, 64 PIM

Current: 1 G, 8 A, +0, 8 PIM

Alexei Zhamnov
With Flyers: 20 GM, 5 G, 13 A, 18 P, .90 PPG, +7, 14 PIM

(Bos): 24 GM, 1 G, 9 A, 10 P, .42 PPG, -4, 30 PIM

Retired

Donald Brashear
With Flyers: 270 GM, 22 G, 44 A, 66 P, .24 PPG, +2, 648 PIM

(Wash): 175 GM, 9 G, 14 A, 23 P, .13 PPG, -8, 320 PIM

Current: 18 GM, 0 G, 2 A, -2, 45 PIM

Branko Radivojevic
With Flyers: 88 GM, 9 G, 14 A, 23 P, .26 PPG, -6, 80 PIM

(Minn): 155 GM, 18 G, 23 A, 41 P, .26 PPG, -23, 69 PIM

Not on a Roster

Danny Markov
With Flyers: 34 GM, 2 G, 3 A, 5 P, .15 PPG, +0, 58 PIM

(NSH, DET): 124 GM, 4 G, 23 A, 27 P, .21 PPG, +34, 121 PIM

Retired

Freddy Meyer
With Flyers: 83 GM, 8 G, 24 A, 32 P, .39 PPG, +6, 47 PIM

(NYI, PHO): 99 GM, 4 G, 13 A, 17 P, .17 PPG, +1, 56 PIM

Current: 7 GM, 1 G, 1 A, -1, 10 PIM

Dennis Seideberg
With Flyers: 92 GM, 6 G, 14 A, 20 P, .22 PPG, +0, 26 PIM

(PHO, CAR): 153 GM, 5 G, 39 A, 45 P, .29 PPG, -23, 64 PIM

Current: 20 GM, 2 G, 8 A, -4, 14 PIM

Todd Fedoruk
With Flyers: 48 GM, 3 G, 8 A, 11 P, .23 PPG, -11, 84 PIM

(PHO, DAL, MIN): 87 GM, 7 G, 9 A, 16 P, .18 PPG, +2, 165 PIM

Current: 18 GM, 1 G, 2 A, +0, 26 PIM

Patrick Sharp
With Flyers: 66 GM, 10 G, 5 A, 15 P, .23 PPG, +1, 67 PIM

(CHI): 229 GM, 77 G, 63 A, 140 P, .61 PPG, +12, 191 PIM

Current: 19 GM, 12 G, 8 A, +3, 26 PIM

Ben Eager
With Flyers: 111 GM, 9 G, 10 A, 19 P, .17 PPG, -21, 313 PIM

(CHI): 24 GM, 3 G, 3 A, 6 P, .25 PPG, +0, 70 PIM

Current: 15 GM, 3 G, 1 A, +1, 43 PIM

Ryan Potulny
With Flyers: 44 GM, 7 G, 1 A, 8 P, .18 PPG, 26 PIM

(EDM): yet to play

Denis Gauthier
With Flyers: 60 GM, 0 G, 4 A, .07 PPG, -5, 82 PIM

(LA): 19 GM, 0 G, 2 A, .11 PPG, -6, 21 PIM

Geoff Sanderson
With Flyers: 58 GM, 11 G, 18 A, 29 P, .50 PPG, -16, 44 PIM

(EDM): 41 GM, 3 G, 10 A, 13 P, .39 PPG, -7, 16 PIM

Not on a Roster

R.J. Umberger
With Flyers: 228 GM, 49 G, 67 A, 116 P, .51 PPG, -21, 78 PIM

(CBJ): 20 GM, 8 G, 3 A, 11 P, .55 PPG, -1, 6 PIM

Alexandre Picard
With Flyers: 72 GM, 3 G, 19 A, 22 P, .31 PPG, -25, 29 PIM

(TBJ, OTT): 40 GM, 5 G, 9 A, 14 P, .35 PPG, -10, 8 PIM

Current: 20 GM, 2 G, 6 A, -1, 0 PIM

Randy Robitaille
With Flyers: 28 GM, 5 G, 12 A, 17 P, .61 PPG, -4, 22 PIM

(OTT): 68 GM, 10 G, 19 A, 29 P, .43 PPG, +4, 18 PIM

Not on a Roster

Kyle Calder
With Flyers: 59 GM, 9 G, 12 A, 21 P, .36 PPG, -31, 36 PIM

(DET, LA): 98 GM, 13 G, 25 A, 38 P, .39 PPG, -5, 57 PIM

Current: 14 GM, 1 G, 3 A, +0, 17 PIM

Alexei Zhitnik
With Flyers: 31 GM, 3 G, 10 A, 13 P, .42 PPG, -16, 38 PIM

(ATL): 83 GM, 5 G, 17 A, 22 P, .27 PPG, -4, 72 PIM

Not Playing

Mike York
With Flyers: 34 GM, 4 G, 4 A, 8 P, .24 PPG, -9, 8 PIM

(CBJ): 63 GM, 6 G, 8 A, 14 P, .22 PPG, -8, 4 PIM

Not Playing

Sean Burke
With Flyers: 15 GM, 13 ST, 6-5-2, 2.55 GAA

(TAM, LOS): 58 GM, 50 ST, 20-20-9, 2.94 GAA

Jim Vandermeer
With Flyers: 28 GM, 1 G, 5 A, 6 P, .21 PPG, -1, 27 PIM

(CGY): 37 GM, 0 G, 4 A, 4 P, .11 PPG, -1, 70 PIM

Current: 16 GM, 0 G, 2 A, -5, 31 PIM

Jason Smith
With Flyers: 77 GM, 1 G, 9 A, 11 P, .14 PPG, -13, 86 PIM

(OTT): 20 GM, -1, 16 PIM

Steve Eminger
With Flyers: 12 GM, 0 G, 2 A, 2 P, .17 PPG, +0, 8 PIM

(TBL): 7 GM, 1 G, 4 A, 5 P, .71 PPG, +1, 6 PIM

Steve Downie
With Flyers: 38 GM, 6 G, 6 A, 12 P, .32 PPG, -2, 84 PIM

(TBL): yet to play

Continuing reading...

Captain Clutch and the London Kid

Last night, Jeff Carter was a man possessed. After the Phoenix Coyotes took a 3-2 lead late, Carter had about 5 scoring chances on his own the rest of the way. With 1:07 left, he deflected in a great hard pass from Mike Richards to send the game to overtime.

In overtime, Carter and Richards traded places. Jeff Carter caused a turnover that lead to a 2-on-1 with Mike Richards. Richards skated across the slot and put a wrist shot stick side into the net.

The Flyers looked sluggish for much of the game after a big win last night, but their two young leaders stepped up to carry the Flyers to a win. It was the first time all season where they were able to survive some poor play and still come out on top.

Marty Biron's play was a little down, but he still made some big saves. It was his second game in consecutive nights and Stevens probably should have went with Niittymaki, but what's done is done. Biron stopped 25 of 28 shots. The goals he let in were a little soft, but a win helps us forgive him.

Highlights after the jump

The Flyers have won 4 straight. They were able to move into the 8th seed of the conference. Yes, it is early on, but it should be a huge confidence booster that the Flyers are back in playoff contention. They've developed more consistency, both with goaltending and team defense. They're finally posting an even record at home, now 4-4-1.

How sick has Jeff Carter been? He makes you forget that he's still only 23 because he's been here for so long. He currently has 14 goals on the season, only 1 behind the leader Thomas Vanek. He's now tied with Alex Ovechkin with 92 shots on goal for the league lead. The two kids, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, have the ability to carry this team very far. They team as a whole just needs to continue to develop better cohesiveness. They've often made a mistake because they're out of position or not passing the puck to where a player isn't.

Oh, since acquiring Matt Carle, the Flyers a 5-1-1. He might not be putting up the points, but he's been great in his own end. Things will start clicking for him soon on the power play.

Flyers Goals:
Scott Hartnell (6th)
Mike Knuble (8th) A: Timonen, Gagne
Jeff Carter (14th) A: Richards, Gagne
Mike Richards (6th) A: Carter

Continuing reading...

800th win = Roses

First, I just want to say I apologize to those who have come to the site over the last few days. I've been a little under the weather and I have not wanted to leave my bed at all after work.

Anyway, Penn State capped off Senior Day and their regular season with a 49-18 victory over Michigan State for their 800th win in school history. The win gives them a birth in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day and the Big 10 Championship crown.

Penn State Quarterback, Daryll Clark, had a fantastic game completing 16 passes for 341 yards and 4 touchdowns. Wide receivers Deon Butler, Derrick Williams, and Jordan Norwood all had fantastic games as they played their final game in Happy Valley. Deon Butler caught 3 passes for 133 yards and 3 touchdowns. Norwood caught 5 passes for 132 yards and Williams caught 4 for 51 yards and a touchdown. Penn State had 557 yards of total offense, including 419 in the air.

The first team defense was outstanding. They only allowed a touchdown ater Penn State was already up 28-0. The other 11 points were allowed late in the fourth quarter by the second team defense. It was an amazing performance and they held Javon Ringer to only 2.5 yards per carry, with a long of 9.

Penn State will wait to find out to see if they will be facing USC or Oregon State in the Rose Bowl. If Oregon State beats Arizona and Oregon, they will win the Pac-10 title via a tiebreaker over USC. USC has to deal with UCLA and Notre Dame.

Continuing reading...

To Make Bad News Worse...

Well Birds fans, if you are still swallowing the pill of realizing the Eagles have dug a deep grave, this news will not help it any more. You already know that with a tie to a poor Bengals team has kept the Eagles in the basement of the NFC East and no where near a playoff seed, that your quarterback and coach are completely clueless, and that your playoff hopes won't get any better this Sunday in Baltimore.

Well it gets worse. Brian Westbrook is 50-50 for this Sunday's game, said ComcastSportsNet.com. Not only has he been struggling with injuries and health, but he has also struggled against good teams. And when he isn't playing to his full potential, neither is the rest of the team.

Comcast:

“He has a sore ankle and a little bit of swelling in his knee and inflammation in both,” coach Andy Reid said. “It is gradually coming down. We’ll see how he does here over the next couple days.”

We will thankfully get to see more of Correll Buckhalter, who has not been used at all the past 2 weeks. He had an unbelievable catch for over 40 yards versus Cincinnati and then got 2 carries. He is a good back up and there is no reason to not use him.

At least our bozo coach realized that:

“Correll will have an opportunity to play,” Reid said. “We probably could have played him more last week and probably should have. That’s my responsibility, and he’ll get a few more opportunities this week.”

Continuing reading...

Phillies Returning to myPhl17; CSN replaying 6 games.

According to the Daily News, the Phillies and myphl17 have signed a 3-year contract. Myphl17 will broadcast 45 regular season and 3 spring training games in 2009. It is the Phillies third time using the station.

According to the 700 level, Comcast Sportsnet will be six memorable games from the 2008 championship season. All games will be televised at 7pm.

December 9, 2008 - vs. Nationals, clinched NL East (9/27)
December 14, 2008 - NLDS Game 2 vs. Brewers, Myers walk and Victorino grand slam against Sabathia (10/2)
December 21, 2008 - NLDS Game 4 @ Brewers, Cole/Phils clinch NLDS (10/5)
December 24, 2008 - NLCS Game 4 @ Dodgers, Stairs and Victorino homer in 8th (10/13)
December 30, 2008 - NLCS Game 5 @ Dodgers, Cole/Phils clinch NLCS (10/15)
January 2, 2009 - World Series Game 5 vs. Rays, the night we became World Fucking Champions.

This is just awesome and I've already wrote this shit down on my calender. I only saw parts of Game 4 against the Dodgers and I was driving home from Philly listening to Franzke call the home runs. If anyone is able to record these to DVD, please let me know.

Continuing reading...

Phillies Trade Greg Golson; Add Carrasco to 40-man

According to Scott Lauber, the Phillies have trade 23-year old outfielder, Greg Golson to the Texas Rangers for soon to be 25-year old outfielder, John Mayberry, Jr.

Look, I understand that people that Golson was amazing because of his speed, but with Werth and Victorino, it is unlikely that Golson would become a regular anytime soon. He was also extremely overrated because of that speed. Yes, speed is extremely valuable, but Golson's career OPS was .716...in the minors. Not exactly something that projects well in the everyday lineup. Yes, Golson will still young, but he hasn't soon much promise. His OPS did improve somewhat last year, but Golson still strikes out far too much and doesn't get on base enough for his speed to make that much of a difference.

The player we got in return has similar numbers in terms of 30-40 walks/100+ strike outs in a season, but he does possess more power. Mayberry, Jr. has hit at least 10 home runs in every one of his minor league seasons, but he is going on 25 and is still stuck in the minors. For Mayberry, Jr. to be valuable to this lineup, he'd really need to improve his walk rate. He could be a nice cheap pinch-hitting bat off the bench, but I am not sure if he's ready to be the starter. You never know.

I wonder if this is a sign that talks with Pat Burrell are dying quickly.

In the end, the Phillies did win this trade even if the trade seemed pointless. Mayberry, Jr. will be able to provide more raw power than Golson in the long run. Both players are still young and their biggest difference is speed. Realistically, it'll probably turn out to be a lateral move with a slight edge for the Phillies. So, I would not say Amaro, Jr's first trade was a bad move. At first look, on paper, we'll give him a (+) for this one. I'd say Mayberry, Jr. could range anywhere from Pedro Feliz to Geoff Jenkins in his prime.

Phuture Phillies went even more in depth on the trade. Check it out.

Also, the Phillies added right-handed pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Drew Naylor, lefty Sergio Escalona and catcher Joel Naughton to the 40-man roster.

Continuing reading...

You What?!

OK it's Thursday and I still can't get over what I heard on Sunday. I'm still in denial. It can't be true. Our star quarterback had to have known the rules. He can't be this ignorant or stupid or whatever the excuse was. It has to be something else. And that is what I truly think.

It has become a reoccurring theme that our beloved (not so much recently) Donovan McNabb has been making excuses as to why he has been absolutely terrible. The last 2 years it has been his injuries, which yes were valid excuses for his poor play. But this year it has become something completely different. He has no fire in him anymore. The focus is gone! The care is gone! His ability to drive his team down the field and score has been lost forever.

Instead of making the smart throws and the right reads, he was too busy motioning for a flag whenever he threw the ball into coverage. I saw this at least 4 times during the game where he wanted a pass interference because the defenders were a little too close to his receivers. That's called coverage, Donovan. When a receiver is covered like that, you don't force bad throws to him. Good quarterbacks don't do that. Good quarterbacks don't throw 3 interceptions to the 1-8 (now 1-8-1) Cincinnati Bengals!

Here is what he said by the way:

“I’ve never been a part of a tie,” McNabb said. “I never even knew that was in the rule book. It’s part of the rules and we have to go with it. I was looking forward to getting the opportunity to get out there and try to drive to win the game. But, unfortunately, with the rules, we settled with a tie.”
…
“In college, there are multiple overtimes, and in high school and Pop Warner. I never knew in the professional ranks it would end that way. I hate to see what would happen in the Super Bowl and the playoffs.”

You aren't that good anymore and you don't have that will to win. He also claimed that if he would have known it would have ended in a tie, he would have played to win on that drive. Are you f***ing kidding me? Really? So for the first 4 quarters you didn't have the drive to win the game and beat the crappiest team in the AFC and arguably the worst in the league (I bet the winless Lions could beat the damn Bengals).

He played like crap all game. He went 28-58 with 339 yards and a TD and THREE INTERCEPTIONS! You couldn't complete 50% of your passes and reverse the TD/Interception numbers against the Bengals defense? You sucked. Just say that you lost track of the time like you did in the Super Bowl and versus Chicago, Washington, Dallas, and New York this year. Just admit that you don't care anymore or that you are washed up. Admit that it's time for Kevin Kolb to start his reign as the future of the franchise.

And I blame this also on Andy Reid. McNabb probably forgot about the rule because your fat ass decided to punt with 1:30 left in OT on a 4th and 1 situation. Also Sav Rocca kicked the ball like a little girl into the wind all 4th quarter and over time. Sure you had the ball on your own 29 but at this point in the game, you HAVE to win. A loss is as bad as a tie in this situation. You have to get all or nothing! Not some of it.

Mike Shannahan of the Broncos had balls in week 2 when going for the 2 point conversion with no time left against San Diego. He scored and won the game by a point. He didn't want to take it to overtime. He wanted to win. That's what a real coach does, Andy! A REAL coach.

The Eagles play the Ravens this Sunday in Baltimore at 1pm this Sunday. Maybe McNabb will remember that there is still some little hope in making the playoffs. Maybe his stupidity will fire him back up. I hope he is embarrassed with himself because we, the fans, sure are. Wake the hell up or pack your s*** up. That's what it has come down to McNabb. The ball is in your hands. Don't screw up.

Continuing reading...

Utley to have hip surgery next week

Philadelphia Phillies reported:

Well it's the off season and there is nothing to fear with this surgery. Chase will have right hip surgery that could hinder his availability for Opening Day versus Atlanta but that is all. Also on another note, Pedro Feliz will have surgery on his lower back today and should be ready for Opening Day. Utley's is scheduled for next week.

The Silver Slugger 2nd baseman had hip troubles all season, causing his numbers to fall of drastically towards the end of the year. His 2nd half batting average was still a .292 but his power numbers dropped drastically. He hit 53 extra base hits with 25 homers in the first half but only had 25 more in the final 65 games, 8 of those being homers.

Utley still had a good year, which earned him his 3rd Silver Slugger award, but his numbers could have been a lot better if he was healthy. He would have contended for the MVP as well. Heck, Howard's monstrous RBI total could have been higher too.

Phillies web site said:

Team physician Michael Ciccotti at the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Dr. Bryan Kelly at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York both recommended surgery. The recovery will allow for the initiation of baseball activities after three to four months, though the total recovery time may be four to six months.

Continuing reading...

Justin's Random Thoughts

- So, this week has been rather slow. Right now, I am watching the Sixers-T-Wolves game and trying to think about what I could write about today. I thought about it all damn day at work, but I was just at a loss. I could talk about how the Phillies have set their parameters for a deal with Pat Burrell via Ken Rosenthal. Early on, it was reported that they offered a 2 year, $22 million deal and I doubt they'd be willing to go much higher. I know we've grown to love the guy, but we do not need te Phillies putting themselves in a position that will cost them years of success for maybe one or two.

- Wow, this game is boring so far. Good for the Sixers as they're up 16-5 against the juggernauts from Minnesota, but just boring. Oh shit, a Rodney Carney sighting. I bet this game on centsports.com. Hey, if you're bored, check it out. It's a fun site and it makes random games a little more fun. It doesn't cost you anything and you can actually win money. Sixers were only giving 4 points. Seriously. Oof, Kevin Love, the rookie from UCLA, looks so fucking slow...and the fucking superman (shitty rap) song just started playing.

Oh, sadly, I'm bored, so there is more.

- So, Villanova is playing Niagara right now and they're struggling a little. They're only up 6 and the player I cannot stand to ever watch play basketball is in. That player is Reggie Redding. Last year, he killed the Cats, but Jay Wright still puts him in. I wish I could watch it, but hey, I have Comcast and they're still having their little cock fight with ESPN. Why does this game have to be on ESPNU? Why can I not get some ESPN-Plus action like with college football. Bull shit. (edit: Figures, Reggie Redding is goin off today just to make me look like an asshole.)

- That Sixers' Guys Night Out thing looks pretty sweet. I need to talk to my friends. Sixers Dancers Calenders, man! Only 21-16 now. Dumb pass by Miller, now 21-18. Ouch!

- Anyway, I'm not sure if you guys know, but MLB.com is 30% off today and today only. I think the deal ends at 11:59PM. I picked up an Authentic Alternate Utley Jersey w/ the World Series patch for $150, shipped. It is regularly $209.99. Not bad.

- Who has Xbox 360? What do you think of the new "Xbox Live Experience?" I think it is pretty sweet and it'll surely get better. If you're bored, invite me to a game. Gamertag: j42justin

- Fucking 27-24 Sixers after one. Tied now at 29! Awful! I'll write about it after the game.

Continuing reading...

Flyers Unveil 3rd Jersey

This is truly an awesome video debuting the Flyers alternate orange jersey.

There is one thing that truly boggles my mind though. If the orange is what keeps us together...why did they get rid of hit for that ugly, boring black jersey?

Fuck the black, keep the orange for good. That's what a smart marketing person would do.

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State of the City Address - 11/18/08

With both the Sixers and Flyers off until later this week, it has been a slow start to the week. So, I've decided to give some sort of a state of the city address with regard to our teams. So, here we go:

Eagles:

The birds will likely not make the playoffs for the second consecutive season and the third time i four years. The defense has kept the team in a position to win every game, but the offense has not completed the job. The play-calling is often horrendous and predictable. At times, it seems like they're letting the opposing team set the tone. NO ONE has stepped up to bail the team out in time of need.

Andy Reid has been out-coached in every close game. He's been exploited and it gets clearer every Sunday that his coaching methods were overvalued due to the poor NFC at the start of the decade.

Do you still believe he can coach this franchise to a title? The answer is extremely doubtful. He's proven that he might do well enough to get to the big game, but in 1 out of 5 of those championship games, he's been defeated.

Flyers:

Maybe it was the message sent by John Stevens when he put Lupul on the 4th line. Maybe it was the benching of Scott Hartnell, but the Flyers are finally starting to play complete hockey.

Once again, Holmgren made a great acquisition when he acquire Matt Carle. Carle is looking like the player he was during his rookie year and not the player he was last year and the start of this season. The defense should look solid once Randy Jones and Ryan Parent finally return.

The Flyers need to become a little more physical when they play because they do get beat through the neutral zone at times and rubbed off the puck easily. They're not using what got them to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, but I'm sure that will happen soon.

Currently, they are over .500 and they to make sure they continue to play well or they are going to fall behind the pack in an extremely loaded division. The season is still early enough for them to get on a roll.

Sixers:

The 76ers are in the midst of a tree-game wining streak and they are beginning to play better as a team, both offensively and defensively. Samuel Dalembert and Elton Brand are becoming a good front-court in the key and on the glass. They're both averaging nearly 10 rebounds and two blocks each per game. Also, Andre Iguodala has finally arrived this season with double-doubles in 4 of his last 5 games. His ineffectiveness was a big reason why they struggled to start the season.

Finally, the Sixers are beginning to smother their opponents defensively to get out on the fast break. It took a few games to develop consistency against a tough schedule, but they are really starting to come into their own.

Phillies:

The offseason has begun and we should all expect it to be slow and quiet. The Phillies normally keep their negotiations hush-hush, so don't expect to hear much of anything until their is a done deal. They are negotiating with Moyer and Burrell with plans to bring them both back, but we'll see what happens.

They will likely address the bullpen via free agency. They have been said to be interested in Russ Springer and Doug Brocail. If they do not re-sign Burrell it is expected that they will look at Raul Ibanez and Rocco Baldelli.

They raised ticket prices to combat with raising expenses in general. Also, the laws of supply and demand means that prices should rise because more people will be trying to fill the same 45,000 seats. Who cares though, right? The extra 2-3$ per seat might mean that the team will remain competitive for a long while and continue to fight for the title they just won.

Continuing reading...

What Went Wrong With the Eagles

I really am keeping my analysis on the game to a very bare minimum. I still have a bitter taste in my mouth from that game. It was downright pathetic. Anyway, here is a list of 10 things that went wrong with this game.

10. Not establishing the run.
09. McNabb's fumble on the first drive.
08. Throwing 58 passes on a windy day, with an inaccurate QB & WRs who drop passes.
07. Passing on 3rd and short because offensive line has proven to have no push.
06. Giving Correll Buckhalter only 2 touches.
05. Playing down to their opponent like usual.
04. 41+ minutes of possession for the fucking Bengals.
03. Giving Westbrook only 17 touches.
02. McNabb throwing 3 interceptions.
01. Tying the fucking Cincinatti, one and eight, fucking Bengals!

Good?
The defense had 8 sacks and only 282 total yards.

You.are.a.fuck.up.Andy.Reid.

Continuing reading...

Big Brown Finishes 2nd in MVP Race; Likes Tits

Ryan Howard finished 2nd behind the more deserving Albert Pujols in the MVP race. How received 12 first-place votes to Pujols 18 and finished 61 points behind Pujols overall. Brad Lidge finished 8th and Chase Utley finished 15th.

Listen, I know we all want our guys to win individual awards, but across the board, Pujols was more deserving. Yes, Howard is a better hitter, but Pujols also hits 450 foot line drives. Without a doubt, he is the best hitter in baseball, which was demonstrated by his .653 slugging percentage.

We received the award that matters most.

In other Ryan Howard news, he was seen getting a fair amount of private dances at the Lou Turk's strip club in Essington. Dan Gross of the Daily News reported,

A LOYAL FRIEND kept people from taking cell phone pictures of Ryan Howard as he hung out Wednesday night at Lou Turk's (500 Pawhatton), a strip club in Essington. Not surprisingly, Howard attracted lots of attention from the topless dancers. Sources say the Phillies slugger spent a fair amount of time in a private dance area with one of the ladies.

We're told Howard was friendly to those patrons who could get past his hulking friend to say hello to the World Series champion.

On Friday, a co-owner of the club emphatically denied that Howard was there, which is not surprising, as many strip clubs keep their clients' identities quiet.

A nice little way to celebrate a World Series trophy.

Continuing reading...

Hartnell Feels Benching Has Had Positive Result

Scott Hartnell was benched last week against the Islanders because coach John Stevens felt that he was not giving the team a full effort. Since the benching, the Flyers mounted a 3 goal comeback against the Penguins (only to lose in OT), beat the Canadiens in Montreal, and halted a 6 game win streak for the Atlanta Thrashers. Sure, they probaly should have won the game against Pittsburgh and not made the game against Atlanta look closer than it should have been, but they've registered points in 4 straight games.

Hartnell on his benching:

"I think it had an effect [on the team]," Hartnell said before last night's game against Atlanta. "Now we've had two games in a row with 60-minute efforts and guys not taking shifts off and that's what we're going to need to take this team to the next level.

"It seems like we needed something to send a message to everyone and if I needed to be the one to send the message I'm OK with that." [Daily News]

The Flyers are finding a way to play much better hockey, even with all of the injuries. Their early season schedule sure did not help them, but that's what they'll have to deal with because of the strong parity in the NHL now. The Flyers will have a long break to sure up some things, but long breaks between games usually turn in to a negative result. A negative result that they cannot afford to have up in Boston. The Montreal win will be a good win to turn the corner on and the Flyers need to make sure they do that.

Continuing reading...

Niitty Makes it 11 Straight

The Flyers beat the Thrashers 4-3 to finally move back over .500 with a record of 7-6-4. After starting off very slow this season, the Flyers have been winning more often than not. It was their 12th straight win over the Thrashers and Niittymaki' 11th straight.

Simon Gagne started the scoring early when he put home a breakaway to give the Flyers 1-0 lead, less than a minute into the game. Mike Knuble later scored for the Flyers as they went into the second period with a 2-0 lead.

In the second period, the teams traded goals and Kimmo Timonen scored a power play goal. It was Gagne's third point on the night and Knuble's 200th career assist. The Flyers were 1-3 on the PP. Knuble got the second assist on Timonen's goal and it was his 200th of his career.

In the third period, the Thrashers scored two goals. Joffrey Lupul scored less than two minutes later than the Thrashers' second goal to break the tie and be the eventual game-winner.

Antero Niittymaki stop 29 of 32 shots to help preserve the win.

Wow, Gagne has been just phenomenal in his return to the Flyers lineup. Of all the offseason "acquisitions", Gagne's return to the lineup may prove to be the biggest around the league. He has 22 points in 16 games. He's also provided a balance game with 11 goals and 11 assists, along with being a plus-8. It really makes you think about what could have been if Gagne was healthy last year.

Continuing reading...

Dumb, Dumb, Dumb, Dumb, Dumb!

I can understand if you're a nobody that never plays the game, but even the casual fan knows that an NFL's sudden death overtime can end in a tie. Seriously. This team is just so lost right now.

How can you be a professional starting quarterback and not know about the rules of the NFL? Oh wait, this is Donovan McNabb. He doesn't know the clock continues to run when you fail to get out of bounds or when you throw an incomplete pass during the two-minute drill either.

The worst part is that McNabb was not the only Eagles that didn't know. Buckhalter and Lewis needed to be informed by the trainer.

Check in tomorrow for some more on this abysmal performance. It'll probably be fairly short compared to other posts. There is no point over-analyzing this game.

The short of it is: This team seriously sucks. There you have it.

Continuing reading...

Upper Moreland Advances, High School Playoff Update

Upper Moreland advanced to its' first District title game in history with a 33-14 win over Owen J. Roberts Friday night. The Golden Bears (10-1) were lead by running back Chris Smallwood who had 189 rushing yards and 3 TDs. Upper Moreland scored 14 points in the last minutes in the game to put the game away. They now move on to face second-seeded Bayard Rustin (11-1) for a spot in the State Playoffs in AAA. Rustin defeated Pottsgrove, 21-13. The game will take place Friday night at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School at 7:30.

Catholic League Champion Archbishop Wood dismantled Public League Champion Dobbins Tech, 56-6, to win the District 12 championship and will play the winner of Upper Moreland-Bayard Rustin in two weeks.

Read about the AAAA bracket below.

In AAAA action, The top-seeded North Penn Knights (12-0) beat ninth-seeded Abington (9-3) with a 42-14 win. Friday, the Knights will host Ches-Mont Champion Downingtown West (11-1) who defeated Conestoga (9-3), 28-21.

In the other half of the District One bracket, The Neshaminy Redskins (11-1) rolled to a 31-3 victory over Ridley (9-3). The Redskins will travel on Friday to Garnet Valley (12-0), who advanced with a narrow 14-12 victory over Pennsbury.

La Salle (9-2) defeated Father Judge to win the AAAA Catholic League Championship, 28-20. The Explorers face the 9-1 AAAA Public League Champion Washington Eagles who defeated Northeast High School, 41-34. La Salle and Washington square off at Northeast for the District 12 Title.

We will see some high octane matchups in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Click to see the AAA Bracket
Click to see the AAAA Bracket

Continuing reading...

It's the Fucking Bengals...

If we lose to the Bengals, the Andy Reid era needs to end immediately. No, I am not talking tomorrow or at the end of the season. I am talking about immediately after the final game whistle blows.

It seriously is the fucking Bengals. They've scored only 125 points this season. They've given up 236. We're a 9 point favorite...on the road. You get 3 points just for being the home team, so essentially, we are 12 point favorites.

There's your preview for the week. This team just gets me angry when I write about them. I cannot stand their inconsistency.

Continuing reading...

Biron's 3rd Jersey Mask?

The Flyers are set to debut their retro third jerseys in a little over a week. Well, to mark the special occassion, it looks like Marty Biron will be wearing a special mask designed to remind us of Bernie Parent with a modern touch. (Now only if Biron could play like Parent.)

You can read about it on the blog Icethetics.

It is definitely an interesting touch to an already great jersey. Hopefully if the set spells wins, they get rid of the black and stick with the orange the way the Flyers were meant to look.

Continuing reading...

Flyers Spoil Hockey Night in Canada

The Flyers went into Montreal for the first time since defeating the Canadiens 4-1 in round 2 of last year's playoff. The left same victorious way as they did last May. Goals by Scottie Upshall and Jeff Carter lifted the Flyers to a 2-1 win to move them to 6-6-4 on the season. The Flyers ended their 7 game losing streak to the Canadiens in the regular season.

Scottie Upshall scored on a deflection from a great pass by Mike Richards. Scottie Upshall nearly scored a number of times on similar deflections, but he finally put one home. Upshall was able to provide great energy and it was truthfully the first time I've seen it consistently from him all season.

Jeff Carter's goal came via a perfect pass from Simon Gagne, which allowed Jeff Carter to skate on in alone and bury a wrist shot top shelf.

Martin Biron took a shutout halfway throuh the third period before he was beat on a one-timer out in front. Biron stopped 24 shots and has continued to show signs that he is back to being the same Biron that was there for the Flyers in the playoffs.

Since starting the season 0-3-3, The Flyers have quietly gone 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. In a couple of those losses, they blew leads as well. The Flyers will look to build a winning streak tomorrow when they host the Atlanta Thrashers. Expect the ice to be sloppy with a Sixers game being there tonight.

Highlights after the jump.

Continuing reading...

Sixers back to .500

The Sixers did everything they were supposed to do in their 110-85 rout. The super sophomore, Thaddeus Young, was the game-high scorer for the second straight game. Young shot 10-15 for 23 points to pace the Sixers.

The game's best performer was Samuel Dalembert. Dalembert had 13 points on 6-10 shooting, while pulling down 6 boards and blocking 3 shots. Once again, it was just another great team effort. Andre Iguodala had his most efficient shooting night, shooting 7-14 for 15 point. Elton Brand also added 15.

The Sixers were able to extend their winning streak to 3 games to even their record at 5-5. The team is finally starting to develop chemistry and an identity, both offensively and defensively. Though money in the people's wallets is done, hopefully people start filling in the seats. The Sixers are a good team and they've just needed sometime to get into the swing of things. When you add a lot of players to the roster, expectations get high and things are just a step off. Now, the Sixers are back to playing Maurice Cheeks basketball.

Their next game is Wednesday in Minnesota.

Continuing reading...

The Moron that is Eklund

If his rumors didn't give you enough reasons to think he was a tool, here is Eklund disguising himself to look like an even bigger loser.

Eklund is a failure (e5000)

For those of you who don't know, Eklund runs hockeybuzz.com

The Photo was snagged by Dan when he went to visit the Stanley Cup in Bucks County.

Continuing reading...

Penn State: One Win Away From Roses

Penn State had a sluggish start, but rebounded to beat Indiana 34-7. All everything Derrick Williams was superman again. Williams ran for 61 yards and a touchdown. He also caught 4 passes, for 62 yards and a touchdown. Daryll Clark turned the ball over 3 times, but still completed 20 passes for 239 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Senior wide receiver Deon Butler broke the school's all-time reception record after tying it in last week's game against Iowa. He now has 172 career receptions. Butler's accomplishment is amazing considering that he walked on to the football team as a defensive back.

The Penn State defense was phenomenal as they allowed Indiana to only net 6 first down. The lone touchdown allowed came on a 57-yard run by Indiana running back, Marcus Thigpen. Indiana had only 180 yards of total offense and was able to average only 3.39 yards per play, even with the huge touchdown run.

If Penn State wins next week at home against Michigan State, they will clinch a berth in a BCS Bowl, likely the Rose Bowl, and they will be Big 10 Champions. Regardless of last week's loss, this can still be a special season for the seniors.

Continuing reading...

Say it Ain't So; The Roots are Retiring

99.5% of our posts here are about sports. However, this post is about the retirement of one Philadelphia's most notable music groups. The Roots will be retiring from touring in March 2009 because they have accepted to become the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

I guess I will just to have mute whenever I have to hear Fallon speak. At least he can get away with his uncontrollable laughter during skits now.

Here is the video:

Continuing reading...

Sixers with an Epic Comeback

The Sixers have been the victim of a great comeback and after last night they were the ones who came back. After the first quarter, the Sixers were losing 38-13. Keep in mind the number 38. After the first quarter, the Sixers mounted their comeback to outscore the Pacers 36-19 in quarter number 2 and headed into half down 8.

They traded baskets in the third, but their defense absolutely took over in the 4th. They held the Pacers to only 14 points in the fourth and forced a number of turnovers. The Sixers capped a 9-0 run to take a 94-90 lead with 2 free throws from Thaddeus Young.

Their 94-92 win capped a 26-point comeback. After allowing 38 first quarter points, they allowed only 35 in the entire second half.

"I told them to keep fighting," Cheeks said following a dismal first quarter, which ended with the Pacers ahead 38-13. "We just hung in there, we didn't stop."

Thaddeus Young had a career game. He scored 25 points, 10 rebounds, a block, and a steal. It seems like almost every game, Young is having a career game. He hit 11 of 18 field goals to help lead the great comeback. Willie Green was a huge spark off the bench hitting big shots for 14 points, including a 3-pointer that brought the Sixers within 5.

Both Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala had double-doubles. Brand had only 14 points, but added 15 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. Iguodala, who started the season slowly, didn't shoot well, but had his 4th consecutive double-double. He also had 3 blocks including a key one on Danny Granger late in the fourth quarter. Iguodala took it coast to coast and was able to hit one of two free-throws to tie the game up at 90.

Last night was a character win and it should help build momentum for the Sixers. It is their first winning streak of the young season and they'll have an easy test tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Wachovia Center. The Thunder come into Philadelphia with a 1-8 record.

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Reggie Brown unhappy

Comcastsportsnet.com reported that Reggie Brown is unhappy with his situation in Philadelphia. After being dubbed the team's #1 wide receiver, injuries have knocked him back to 4th on the depth chart behind Kevin Curtis, DeSean Jackson, and Jason Avant. He could be considered 5th as we've seen Hank Baskett in more than him at times. (Editor's Note: Avant is better suited to be the slot receiver. Curtis is starting because he makes more $$.)

The Eagles have encountered a problem that they haven't had in a while and that is having too many decent receivers and not enough snaps. Yes I said it. Curtis (in his 3 games back) and Jackson have been excellent this year. Avant and Baskett have been very supportive of those 2 starters. Brown has only 12 catches for 192 yards and a TD, numbers that don't belong to a starter. (Editor's Note: In the 2 games he started, he had 10 catches for 163 yards.)

“It’s real frustrating. What the hell you supposed to do about [injuries]?” Brown said with an accompanying hearty laugh. “Everybody gets hurt"..."There are always 31 other corporations in this business that are looking for people to work..."I’m 100 percent. I’ve been 100 percent now for a couple of weeks,” he said. “That has nothing to do with the reason I’m not playing.” (Comcast Sportsnet)

Brown has to realize that when he was down, other guys stepped up more than he has offered this season. Kevin Curtis became the weapon last year and Jackson is the weapon this year. Both, Avant and Baskett have improved his well. Brown's game has been moving laterally or downward for a few seasons now. Sure, he says he can run routes well, but I forgets to mention how many balls he drops. He forgets to mention that he's been often running routes on the sideline because he's a fragile wide receiver and is often banged up.

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Demand Rises, so do Ticket Prices

Phillies ticket prices will rise for the 2009 season. Every single ticket will raise at least $2 except for SRO tickets ($13) and the cheapest tickets that were $16.

For example, tickets from Sections 115 to 132, in very high demand because they are located in the lower bowl close to the infield, have increased from $50 to $60 for single-game tickets and $44 to $50 for season tickets. Increases in other parts of the ballpark, based on ticket information at Phillies.com and in the team's 2008 media guide, are in the $1 to $3 range. Prices for standing-room tickets ($13) and some of the next-cheapest seats ($16) remain unchanged.

Phillies to raise some ticket prices. [Philly Inquirer]

It's understandable because there will be more demand to see the Phillies team next season. The raise isn't entirely drastic and the seats will still be filled. Last year, I had tickets in the pavillion section and they went from $25-27, but next year they will be from $27-30.

Here is the seating and pricing chart for 2009.

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Flyers Fall Again in the Igloo

Make that eight straight losses at The Igloo. The Flyers fell behind 3-0 early in the second period, but exploded for 4 goals including one with only 4 seconds remaining in the 2nd period. However, the Penguins had late game success again when Sidney Crosby took advantage of a bad Mike Richards turnover to tie it at 4. It looked like something would finally go right against the Flyers, but Murphy's Law struck again.

The game went to a shoot-out and after of a number of rounds, but Alex Goligoski scored the lone shoot-out goal. Biron was able to stop Malkin, Crosby, Sykora, and Satan. Before Goligoski's goal, Mike Richards was robbed by Danny Sabourin and Timonen hit the crossbar.

The Flyers comeback began when Jeff Carter deflected in a floated from Scott Hartnell to make it 3-1. The following two goals came via the shorthanded magnificence of Simon Gagne and Mike Richards. Gagne was able to net 2 consecutive shorthanded goals to tie the game up, with his first one being on a sick deke. The Flyers go-ahead goal came with 4 seconds left in the period when Joffrey Lupul deflected a shot right over Marc-Andre Fluery and it landed in the net.

The orange and black were still unable to finish the job and they allowed more points to slip away. They've already suffered 4 over-time losses and their record fell to 5-6-3. It's getting to a point in the season where some changes need to be made. The non-aggressive style is not what we're used to in Philadelphia. It is causing the team to play a conservative, sit-back game, which normally allows for a lot of opposing goals. They're getting beat to pucks and they've yet to play a full hockey game outside of beating Atlanta. It was so bad last night that Sidney Crosby lead all players in hits.

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Worst Coach in Football = Big Red

Fox Sports' Jason Whitlock rated who he felt were the 10 best coaches and the 10 worst coaches. Guess who was the worst? He's a hint: He has red hair, he's overweight, he's stubborn, he always wears black, and his children are drug-addicted criminals. If you guessed someone other than Andy Reid, you're wrong.

1. Eagles' Andy Reid: Twice this season Reid has taken the game out of the hands of Donovan McNabb and tried to win at crunch time with his running game. Here's a coach who loves to throw on damn near every down except when the game is on the line. I also blame Reid for the Eagles failing to trade a second-round draft pick for Tony Gonzalez. Other than the one season with Terrell Owens, McNabb has made a living throwing the ball to the James Thrashes of the world. It's ridiculous. I'm convinced the Eagles don't want to win it all.

I'm not sure if Andy Reid is indeed the worst coach, but his decisions do cost them plenty of games and I believe that is what will distinguish him from the coaches who just have bad teams.

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Chase Utley wins Silver Slugger Award

As the best 2nd baseman of the National League, Chase Utley was the only Phillie this year to take the coveted hiting award. Utley batted .292 and a .535 slugging percentage with 33 homers, 104 RBIs, 177 hits and 113 runs. He also hit 41 doubles.

This is Utley's 3rd straight Silver Slugger award. Last year, he won the award with Jimmy Rollins. Ryan Howard was beaten out by Albert Pujols for first base and Pat Burrell didn't get any recognition in the outfield.

The winners in both leagues were:

AMERICAN LEAGUE
C Joe Mauer, MIN
1B Justin Morneau, MIN
2B Dustin Pedroia, BOS
3B Alex Rodriguez, NYY
SS Derek Jeter, NYY
OF Josh Hamilton, TEX
OF Carlos Quentin, CWS
OF Grady Sizemore, CLE
DH Aubrey Huff, BAL

NATIONAL LEAGUE
C Brian McCann, ATL
1B Albert Pujols, STL
2B Chase Utley, PHI
3B David Wright, NYM
SS Hanley Ramirez, FLA
OF Ryan Braun, MIL
OF Matt Holliday, COL
OF Ryan Ludwick, STL
P Carlos Zambrano, CHC

Sources: MLB.com; Phillies.com

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Lasse Kukkonen Placed on Waivers

Lasse Kukkonen was placed on waivers this morning. The Flyers' defenseman is expected to be sent to the Phantoms if he clears waivers. The move is expected to clear over $800,000 off the Flyers' Salary Cap.

Kukkonen Placed on Waivers (CSNPhilly)

However, Kukkonen is expected to play tonight against Pittsburgh, and will be the Flyers' 4th line Center. He is eligible to play for the Flyers until he clears waivers.

The Flyers are still expected to hear back from free agent forward Brendan Shanahan, and the Kukkonen move is expected to hear some cap room in the event Shanahan decides to sign with the club.

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On the Eve of Free Agency

As quickly as the season ended, the offseason is set to begin. It is hard to say that the Phillies have holes, but even defending champions will look to improve. The Phillies biggest needs will be the starting rotation, the bullpen, an everyday left fielder, and a right-handed bat off the bench.

First, we'll look at that the Phillies free-agents:

Type A - Pat Burrell, Jamie Moyer
Type B - Rudy Seanez
Other - So Taguchi, Tom Gordon

Teams that lose a Type A free agent are compensated with two draft picks. If a player loses a type B free-agent in return, they get one pick.

There is good news and bad news.The good news is that the Phillies have most of their championship team returning. The bad news, financially speaking, is that the team will be some some significant raises. Yes, the Phillies won the World Series. Yes, they will see a larger profit from the postseason run and the extra 300,000+ regular season seats sold. However, don't expect the Phillies to make a huge free agency splash because of their extra going money going toward players already under contract or arbitration-eligible players.

Currently, the Phillies are negotiating with Jamie Moyer. Last year, Moyer made $7 million after his salary and performance bonuses. It is expected that he'll make somewhere around the same price tag with a multi-year deal. I the Phillies do indeed sign Moyer, that still only leaves them with 4 veteran starters: Hamels, Moyer, Myers, and Blanton. If Myers and Blanton can replicate their late season success and Moyer can continue to confuse hitters with his soft stuff, the Phillies will have a fairly strong rotation.

They could either look to free agency for a fifth starter or go with J.A. Happ. It is safe to say that Adam Eaton will never be in the rotation again. The Phillies do feel that Carlos Carrassco will be up with the team at some point this year. He is not quite ready yet. They'll likely try to limit his innings as well because he is so young.

If the Phillies decide to go with a free agent, they will need to go big or go home. After the front-line starters, there is a huge drop off. The biggest names available will be C.C. Sabathia, Ben Sheets, A.J. Burnett, Ryan Dempster, Oliver Perez, Derek Lowe, Brad Penny, Jon Garland, and Mike Mussina. The best pitcher for them to look at who would not command such a huge price is likely Derek Lowe. Last year, Lowe only made $10 million, so while he'll see a raise, it will likely not be in the area of Perez, Sabathia, Sheets, and Burnett. The only problem with going for Lowe is that the Mets seem to covet him as well and that may drive up the price.

While the Phillies have a need in the rotation, realistically, I would not expect them to a lot of money for a starter. Truthfully, they probably need another legit front-line starter, but like you saw last year, they can get away with with they have. Their rotation is already better this year than the start of last year.

Next on the agenda is left fielder Pat Burrell. MLB's Ken Mandel stated that if Burrell does return it'll likely be with a short-term contract and a hometown discount. Sure, they could pass on him and look toward free agency, but the market is really thin. The only real interesting name is Milton Bradley and it pretty much ends there. Bradley creates concerns with his durability and being a team cancer, but when he is healthy and not causing problems, he has a career OPS+ of 118. Last year, his OPS+ of 167 and the year before of 153. Last year, Bradley only made $5.25 million, so you'd expect he'd see between $10-12 million after what Aaron Rowand saw last year. So, if the Phillies were to go that route, Bradley is the name we'd like to see pop up.

Burrell has a career OPS+ of 119 and even with his defensive inabilities, it is hard to argue for losing a player who reaches base 37% of the time in his career and averaged 31 home runs and 103 RBIs per 162 games. Sure, his batting average doesn't look flashy, but Burrell is a slugger and the Phillies need a right-handed slugger to compliment Ryan Howard. Burrell has a very good career OBP percentage and slugging percentage that he's worth bringing back for the offense. Adam Dunn is out there, but the Phillies do not need another left-handed power bat and definitely not one who strikes out as much as Howard. The correct move would probably be to pass on Burrell, but you don't want to take a step back with the lineup and truthfully, outside of Bradley, they would take a step back tremendously. I'd rather have a guy that hits .250 with power and only makes outs 63% of the time than a player who hits .290 with less power and makes outs 67% of the time.

In terms of the rest of the position players, there are some stars available, but but not in areas of need for the Phillies. Overall, this free agent class is relatively unimpressive. For any free agency move, the Phillies need to make sure that if they make a lateral move, it is at a cheaper price or if they make an expensive move, it is a drastic improvement.

The Phillies need to look for a right-handed bat off the bench and they should look for that player is a first baseman or outfielder. Casey Blake would be an interesting player, but he'll likely find a starting job somewhere. Blake can play both first and third. Blake would likely make around $8-10 million at least and you really do not want to throw that at a bench player. It'll be interesting to see Amaro, Jr.'s subtle moves similar to what Gillick was known for. Currently, the Phillies have two outfielders of the bench that are left-handed in Matt Stairs and Geoff Jenkins. They're both pretty much one-dimensional power hitters. Once again, there isn't much. The free agent list is filled with veterans that will likely command prices well more than they deserve.

Lastly, though the bullpen was great, the middle relievers do not have career consistency on their side. You can never have enough pitching either. A few interesting names would be Dennys Reyes, Joe Beimel, Will Ohman, and Brendan Donnelly. Donnelly is the oldest of the bunch and he had a poor year last year. Outside of last season, which he was injured, he's had a very good career. Reyes, also right-handed, is coming of a great season and he might see an over-priced contract because of that one season. Both Beimel and Ohman are lefties, with Beimel being the younger and more consistent of the two. I'd love to add Beimel, but I am not sure if putting a lot of money in to a reliever is the route the Phillies are going to take.

The Phillies will have to make some additions. The rest of the National League is going to try and improve, so the Phillies need to make sure they stay ahead of the game. For good reason, the Phillies are now a marked target. The Mets fans were embarrassed over the last two seasons, so with Citi Field coming opening, you'd have to expect a spending spree by them. The Braves have fallen off the map, but they are very close to trading for Jake Peavy. While the Phillies ace is the NLCS and WS MVP, they need to make sure his supporting cast is consistent and better than the rest.

While the East Coast will be mostly sleeping, Ruben Amaro Jr. and other GMs will begin discussing terms with available free agents. Hopeully, the Phillies will work toward becoming repeating champions.

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Sixers Turn Red and Win

The Sixers traveled north of the border tonight to face off against the Toronto Raptors. For the first time all year, the Sixers chose to wear their red alternate jerseys on the road. For the first time this season, the Sixers won on the road after beating the Raptors 106-96. Elton Brand had his best performance for the 76ers: 25 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 assists.

The best all-around performance came from Andre Iguodala as he was one rebound shy of a triple-double. His 18 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds were by far his best output all season. If the Sixers are going to get on a roll, they're really going to need Iguodala to get going.

The 76ers also saw great games off the bench from Willie Green and Marreese Speights. Green scored 17 points and dished out 9 assists. Speights, the rookie, scored 12 points and grabbed 7 boards, 4 off the offensive glass.

The Sixers had great ball movement tonight, which allowed for easy jumpers. They had 30 assists on their 43 field goals and they shot 6-11 from behind the arc. Brand was able to draw the double team and finally the rest of the team was able to knock down their outside shots.

The shooting has been the biggest problem for the Sixers. Defensively, they haven't been getting enough stops, so they were losing their ability to run the ball. Tonight they were able to run better with their 19 fast break points.

The Sixers will play the Pacers in Indiana on Friday.

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