Opening Day

The Phillies have not won on opening day since 2005 and things did not change today as Tom Gordon recorded his second straight opening day loss. After Myers pitched well, holding a 2-0 lead, for four innings, he gave up a one-out hit to Nationals pitcher Matt Chico. Chico's base hit sparked a rally that was also aided by a hit batsman and a walk. The Nationals put up a four spot through a sac fly, and Austin Kearns double, and a Jimmy Rollins error.

Madson gave up a 2-run homer to Milledge to push the lead to 6-2 in the following inning, but the Phillies battled back. Chase Utley started the comeback with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth. In the bottom of the 7th, the Phillies knotted the game at 6 after Carlos Ruiz doubled in Jayson Werth and Rollins hit a two-run home run. The Phillies regained momentum and we thought this year would be different. Nope.

Tom Gordon came into pitch the ninth and was only able to record one out, one. He did find a way to give up 5 earned runs on 4 hits and 1 walk. Clay Condrey let in one of his inherited runners. So, Gordon lost his second straight opening day decision for the Phillies. The Phillies gave up 10 plus runs for the second time in their last 3 opening days. The Phillies went through another off-season where they successfully addressed their biggest need, pitching.

There had to be some good news, right? Well there was as Rollins and Utley both homered after having sub-par springs and added another hit each.

Let's somehow hope this is not the beginning of another bad start in Phillies history.

How the Phillies scored:
Bottom 1st - Chase Utley sac fly, Rollins scored - 1-0 Phillies
Bottom 4th - Pat Burrell RBI single, Chase Utley scored - 2-0 Phillies
Bottom 6th - Chase Utley solo home run - 6-3 Nationals
Bottom 7th - Carlos Ruiz double, Werth scored - 6-4 Nationals
Bottom 7th - Jimmy Rollins 2-run home run, Ruiz Scored - 6-6 tie game

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2008 Phillies Prediction

Opening day is upon us and it is time for our pre-season predictions.
Record: 87-75, 2nd in division, 2nd in wildcard race
Rotation:
Brett Myers - 15-9, 3.95 ERA, 1.25 WHIP
Cole Hamels - 17-7, 3.45 ERA, 1.10 WHIP
Jame Moyer - 14-11, 4.65 ERA, 1.30 WHIP
Kyle Kendrick - 12-9, 4.45 ERA, 1.30 WHIP
Adam Eaton - 12-12, 5.10 ERA, 1.45 WHIP
Bullpen:
Pitcher with lowest ERA - Ryan Madson - 2.55 ERA
Pitcher with highest ERA - Tom Gordon - 5.10 ERA
Most Wins - Ryan Madson - 6
Most Saves - Brad Lidge - 34, 6 blown saves
Lineup:
SS Jimmy Rollins - .285 avg, .340 obp, .525 slg, 25 hr, 85 rbi, 135 r, 40 sb
CF Shane Victorino - .280 avg, .350 obp, .410 slg, 10 hr, 45 rbi, 95 r, 50 sb
2B Chase Utley - .325 avg, .400 obp, .570 slg, 28 hr, 110 rbi, 110 r, 15 sb
1B Ryan Howard - .295 avg, .410 obp, .635 slg, 51 hr, 140 rbi, 105 r, 1 sb
LF Pat Burrell - .260 avg, .375 obp, .500 slg, 32 hr, 100 rbi, 80 r
RF Geoff Jenkins - .270 avg, .350 obp, .490 slg, 20 hr, 60 rbi, 45 r, 3 sb
3B Pedro Feliz - .260 avg, .300 obp, .450 slg, 20 hr, 75 rbi, 60 r, 2 sb
C Carlos Ruiz - .285 avg, .360 obp, .425 slg, 10 hr, 70 rbi, 55 r, 8 sb
Bench:
OF Jayson Werth - .275 avg, .360 obp, 10 hr, 45 rbi, 35 r, 15 sb
Last year, the Phillies pinch-hitters tied for the fourth most RBIs by pinch-hitters in the last half century with 56. If our bench could somehow find similar production that would be huge for a team often finding themselves in late-inning battles.

I am really not sold on the back-end of our rotation. I was rather generous with my predictions for Moyer, Kendrick, and Eaton, but I really think they're the near-optimal results. I really like Kendrick's composure, but his stuff is not a real selling point. I think Moyer's age got to him last year, though he had a few great starts over the final weeks of the season and the playoffs. If he could pitch like ten years prior, that could be a huge boost for a questionable rotation.

The bullpen also has question marks, especially with Tom Gordon's horrible, sorry, pathetic spring. Thankfully, he comes off the books this year. Ryan Madson seems poised for another good year out of the bullpen. His pitching may truly make or break this season. Brad Lidge should be back by next weekend and all signs looked good. Lidge's slider is working again and a dominating closer will be clutch for the Phillies. The good news for the Phillies is that the Mets bullpen is not much better and unless their rotation throws all complete games, the Phillies should be able to knock them off again.

Year after year, the Phillies battle injuries with the pitching staff. If this proves to be a healthy year, the Phillies might be able to take over the division.

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Adam Eaton Named Fifth Starter

Manager Charlie Manuel has been named the fifth starter in the Phillies' rotation.

"Eaton is our fifth guy," Manuel said. "Eaton was our fifth guy all along, [and] no one has really taken it from him. Last year was the first year I really saw him pitch."

Eaton cannot get any worse, right? I mean, seriously, He can't throw worse than a 1.62 WHIP and league-leading 6.29 ERA, can he? The scariest thing in the matter is Eaton was a .500 pitcher with a record of 10-10. If he can find a way to get an ERA close to 5, will that bring 3-4 more wins. I sincerely hope so. The good news from the spring is that Eaton did not walk very many people. The bad news from the spring is that he surrendered 30 hits in 17 innings.

"It's there," Eaton said. "I came into this season anticipating being the fifth starter, doing my best and staying healthy. So far, I have. But coming in as the fifth starter, it's not the way I wanted to do it. I don't think I'm a five-hole pitcher. But I feel a lot better than I did this time last year. I feel healthier. I understand the way things work. I have to prove myself again."

I hope you can prove yourself again Adam, I hope you do.

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Nova's Tournament Run Ends

Villanova's postseason run ended in the Sweet Sixteen match-up against the Kansas Jayhawks. Kansas' depth and experience appeared to outmatch Villanova's youth as Kansas ran away with a 72-57. Kansas nailed 3s early and Nova was never able to close it to within more than 8 points.

"The 3s hurt us early," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "When a team that good is making those kind of shots, it is going to be tough. I didn't think we were that bad defensively in the first half, they are just a very good team that is playing very well right now."

The Wildcats reached the sweet 16 for the third time in four years. For the last team to get an at-large bid in the tournament, things are looking up. Villanova loses nobody through graduation, and their young guards will be a year older. I expect Scottie Reynolds to return to Nova after an up and down year. Also, Villanova is still in the running for top recruit Tyreke Evans who plans to decide between Louisville, Memphis, UConn, and Nova. I expect very good things from Villanova next year especially with a healthier front line. I just hope Reggie Redding gets less and less playing time.

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The Streak Continues -- barely.

After falling behind 3-1, the Flyers battled back to tie the Devils at 3-3. A late goal by Brian Gionta put the Devils ahead 4-3 and it looked like another late loss suffered by the Flyers. However, Mike Knuble found the net with 55 seconds left to tie the game at four.

The Flyers had plenty of scoring chances in overtime, but Martin Brodeur stoned every opportunity to force a shoot-out. The Flyers failed to see similar results to what they saw against the Rangers last week. They lost in the shoot-out despite Jeff Carter and Danny Briere scoring goals. Marty Biron made zero saves for the Flyers, largely to him staying back to far in the net. Flyers are now 2-6 in the shoot-out this year.

The good news is that the Flyers worked their way back to gain at least a point against a Devils team that has now beaten them twelve straight times in New Jersey.

Game Notes:
- Biron stopped 29 of 33 shots.
- Flyers were 0-4 on the power-play
- Flyers Goals: Prospal (Briere, Smith), Dowd (Jones, Timonen), Jones (Knuble, Upshall), Knuble (Richards, Jeff Carter)

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Sixers Offense Struggles in Loss to Phoenix

The 76ers started off the game 0-13 and dug themselves too big of a hole that they could never get out of. They fell to the Suns 107-93, only shooting 39.3% from the field and only 1-8 from behind the arc.

Highlights later.

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Phillies Notes

The Phillies made a few roster moves today. First, they claimed right-handed reliever Tim Lahay off waivers from the Chicago Cubs. Lahay is a Rule 5 guy, so he will have to remain on the 25-man roster for a year before they could move him to the minors. They have the option to waive him, but they will not be able to option or designate him to the minors.

Originally drafted in 2004 as a catcher by the Twins, the 26-year-old Lahey went 8-4 with 14 saves and a 3.65 ERA in 52 games in double-A and triple-A last season.

In other news, Wes Helms will remain on the 25-man roster. Rumors of being traded to San Francisco for reliever Steve Kline were dismissed as San Francisco turned down the offer.

Minor League News: The Phillies signed infielder Chris Woodward to a minor-league contract. Woodward hit .393 in 15 games for the Yankees this spring. Also, the Phillies sent J.D. Durbin, infielder Roy Olmedo and outfielder Chris Snelling to triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Lastly, Myers is sporting a mohawk.

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'Nova is Philly's team this tourny

GAME:
#12 Villanova Wildcats @ #1 Kansas Jayhawks
9:40 PM ET
CBS

After a taking the spot light away from both St. Joe's and Temple, Villanova is Philly's only team left standing in the 2008 NCAA tournament. The #12 seed Wildcats knocked off #5 seed Clemson 75-69 and then #13 seed Siena 84-72, the Wildcats will face their toughest opponent of the tournament and year, #1 seed Kansas.

After losing to Georgetown in the Big East tournament, 'Nova won both games of the first week of March Madness.

'Nova is led by sophomore guard Scottie Reynolds, who is averaging 16.0 points a game. Kansas' four leading scorers, Darrell Arthur, Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, and Darnell Jackson. The Jayhawks is averaging 81.4 points a game, proving a tough task for the Wildcats. The defense will definitely have to step up.

Unlike 'Nova, 11 seed St. Joe's and 12 seed Temple were both early exits in the tournament. After the hype brought up in the A-10 tournaments and 'Nova's early exit in the Big East, no one would have expected 'Nova to even fair well against #5 seed Clemson, who knocked out Duke in the semis of the ACC tournament.

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Benson Reassigned to Minors

Phillies pitcher, Kris Benson, has been reassigned to minor league camp and will pitch in extended Spring Training. Previously, his contract had a March 25 deadline that had an opt clause that would allow Benson to void his contract if the team did not add him to the 40-man roster. Both sides decided to restructure the deal with a May 15-opt out date.

I'm happy here," Benson said on Tuesday. "I'm feeling good with the clubhouse, the pitching coach and the manager. The winning attitude here, the excitement going into the season, it's a win-win situation from my standpoint. I just want to be a part of their plans and get back healthy."

Benson has resumed throwing after being sidelined since March 15 with bicep tendonitis. Ruben Amaro feels that Benson's return will likely come in "late-May/June." Currently, Adam Eaton will be the Phillies fifth starter. He will be pitching today against the Tigers, their last Florida spring training game.

[Phillies.com]

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Updates

Sorry, I've been busy lately.

Mike Richards OT Goals puts the Flyers past the Rangers

Eagles sign TE Kris Wilson

Andre Miller's 18 assists lead the Sixers over the Bulls

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Eagles Mock Drafts

War Room Report - Round 1 - WR Desean Jackson (Cal), Round 2 - DE Calais Campbell (Miami), Round 3 - S Josh Barrett (Arizona St.)
---Not bad, but I still think offensive tackle is our top concern whether the fan base wants to believe it or not.

NFL Draft Specialist - Round 1 - WR Desean Jackson (Cal), Round 2 - S Dajuan Morgan (N.C. State), Round 3 - WR Lavelle Hawkins (Cal), Round 4 - WR Jordy Nelson - Kansas State.
---Is that site clueless? Why would the Eagles draft three wide receivers?

Walter Football - Round 1 - WR Devin Thomas (Michigan State), Round 2 - CB/KR Justin King (Penn State), Round 3 - G Chilo Rachal (USC), Round 4 - SS Craig Steltz (LSU), Round 5 - OLB Bruce Davis (UCLA)
---this is a draft I could definitely live with. They upgrade all their needs and drafting Rachal could allow Herremans to move back outside to tackle.

Draft Tek - Round 1 - WR Devin Thomas (Michigan State), Round 2 - OT Duane Brown (Virginia Tech), Round 3 - S DaJuan Morgan (N.C. State), Round 4 - TE John Carlson (Notre Dame), Round 5 - OLB Ezra Butler (Nevada), Round 6 - DT Frank Okam (Texas), FB Jacob Hester (LSU), Round 7 - RB Cory Boyd (South Carolina)
---this would be a decent draft. Draft Tek felt that both Thomas and Brown would be reaches, but the rest of the draft would all be great value picks. If this was the draft, the Eagles would upgrade every position of need.

Pro Football Talk - Round 1 - WR Malcolm Kelly (Oklahoma)
---According to their draft, OT Jeff Otah (Pitt), Desean Jackson, CB Rodgers-Cromartie (Tennessee State) would all be available and I don't see the Eagles passing on these guys for Kelly. At least it is not something I would do.

The Football Expert - Round 1 - WR Desean Jackson (Cal), Round 2 - DE Calais Campbell (Miami), S Jamar Adams (Michigan)
---Campbell could be a steal, but he had really poor workouts and a poor Junior season. I'm not sure if the work ethic is exactly there. I think we'd be seeing another McDougle.

The Scout's Notebook - Round 1 - OT Jeff Otah (Pitt), Round 2 - WR/RS Eddie Royal (Virginia Tech)
---Finally, someone understands our need for an offensive tackle. I like Royal, but I think it'd be a huge reach in the second round for a player on the smallish side. He does have some big play ability and might be a decent returner.

Pro Draft Guide - Round 1 - WR James Hardy (Indiana), Round 2 - RB Ray Rice (Rutgers), Round 3 - CB Charles Godfrey (Iowa), Round 4 - S D.J. Parker (Virginia Tech)
---I am huge on James Hardy and I love his 6'6" size. His biggest knock is character issues. I like Ray Rice, but I don't like him on the Eagles. Godfrey needs to develop better technique, but he could be a decent third round pick. He can turn and run with any receiver. Parker would be a reach in the fourth round.

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College Basketball is a Religion in Philadelphia

Thanks to the 700 Level,

Jay Wright points out that basketball is like a religion in Philadelphia. Jay Wright was on yesterdays' 950am morning show talking about the Big 5 and the passion Philadelphia fans have for the game of basketball. Hopefully, the entire city pulls behind the Wildcats this weekend regardless of their alma mater ties.



In other Villanova news, Cats' center Casiem Drummond will miss the rest of the tournament because of a broken ankle. If playing Kansas was not already tough, it just got tougher for a Villanova team that lacks front-line size. It has been a rough year for Drummond who was often injured this season.

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Add Our Facebook Page

Hey everyone,
For those of you that use facebook, we've created a page. If you use the site, please add it.

Thanks,
Justin

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Getting Ready for the Playoffs?

Face it, the 76ers are one of the hottest teams in basketball. Since February 5th, the Sixers are now 18-5 after impressive come-from-behind victory over the Boston Celtics, 95-90, in the Garden. Down 80-69 in the fourth-quarter, Andre Iguodala scored 10 straight points to pace a Sixers 19-0 run to take the lead and the Sixers never looked back. The Sixers defense was stout in the fourth quarter and they held Boston's "big 3" to only 5 points in the fourth quarter on 29% shooting.

"It's huge when you come in here and win a game like this against Boston, it does a lot for us,'' coach Maurice Cheeks said. "We still have a long way to go. This is just one step to try and get to where we want to be.''

The win moved them to 36-35, over .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2004-2005, which was the last time they made the playoffs. The Sixers are now in the sixth playoff spot and a game back of the Raptors for the fifth seed.

During the Sixers' hot stretch, it is not like they have beat up on the bottom feeders of the NBA. They've had wins over Washington, Dallas, Orlando, Phoenix, Detroit, San Antonio, Denver, and Boston. More importantly, they've also beat the teams battling for playoff position with them. Your Philadelphia basketball team is hot, start watching them.

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Around the Rink: Flyers News

According to Chuck Gormley of the Courier Post,

The Flyers will likely bring up Denis Gauthier if they make the playoffs. They cannot call him up before April 6th, however, because he will likely be picked up by another team through the waiver process.

"Denis is an NHL defenseman," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said. "He's a victim of the salary cap."

Denis Gauthier, if he doesn't commit the stupid penalties he did with the Flyers last year, would be an improvement of the third-line defensemen that the Flyers have put out thus far this year. When Randy Jones returns, he will replace Lasse Kukkonen in the line-up. Gauthier will compete with Modry and Parent for the final defensive pairing.

Currently, Claude Giroux's junior team, the Gatineau Olympiques is currently in the playoffs and holding 2-0 series lead in the first round. As long as the Olympiques keep winning, Giroux will remain with them, which could be until the end of May. Giroux already has 2 goals and 5 assists in those two games.

Lastly, Paul Holmgren has begun contract talks with Jeff Carter's agent, Rick Curran, but nothing is imminent. Carter becomes a restricted free-agent July 1st and there is a strong possibility that he may receive an offer sheet from another team. It'd be smart for the Flyers to try and lock him up long-term before another team sets his price.

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Brad Lidge Placed on 15-day DL

Phillies closer, Brad Lidge, has been placed on the 15-day disabled list due to his knee injury, joining pitchers Mike Zagurski, Francisco Rosario, and Scott Mathieson. The move is retroactive to March 21, so he will be eligible to be activated April 5, but won't be able to pitch until April 6.

The possibility of this happening has been known for quite awhile. Gordon will become the closer for the five games Lidge will likely miss and Madson and Romero will become the 7th and 8th inning guys.

The Phillies open the season home against Washington and they travel to Cincinatti for a four-game series, followed by a three-game series with the Mets. Lidge is expected back for the third game of the Reds series.

[Phillies.com]

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Eagles Sign Rocky Boiman

The Eagles signed linebacker Rocky Boiman to a one-year deal. He is 6'4" 236-pounds and has played in 86 career games with Indianapolis and Tennessee.

Boiman well be brought in to add linebacker depth to a very young core featuring Stewart Bradley, Chris Gocong, Omar Gaither, and Akeem Jordan. I would expect the Eagles to look at possibly drafting another middle-round linebacker to challenge for a roster spot.

[Eagles.com]

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Flyers win 4-1

Whenever the power play is down, it never hurts to play a game against the New York Islanders. Whenever the goalie play looks inconsistent, it never hurts to play the New York Islanders.

Thankfully, we played the Islanders last night and beat them 4-1 by way of 3 power-play goals to go along great goaltending by Marty Biron. Biron made 32 saves to pace the way to a Flyers win. Biron improved to 6-0 against the New York Islanders this season.

Flyers Goals
1-0 PPG Vinny Prospal (Daniel Briere, Mike Knuble)
2-0 PPG Braydon Coburn (Jaroslav Modry, Joffrey Lupul)
3-0 PPG Daniel Briere (Mike Richards, Kimmo Timonen)
4-0 Scott Hartnell (Vinny Prospal, Daniel Briere)

Since joining the Flyers, Vinny Prospal has 10 points (3G, 7A, +5) in 13 games for the Flyers. Since the addition of Prospal, Briere's play has picked up as well. In the 13 games with Vinny, Briere has 13 points (7G, 6A, +3). I think it is safe to say that Prospal was a very good trade deadline acquistion.

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How Sweet It Is!

Villanova defeated Siena 84-72 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The Wildcats, the last team to make the tournament, were lead by Scottie Reynolds and Corey Stokes who scored 25 and 20 respectively. The Cats survived a foul-ridden game where Siena attempted 39 free-throws, thankfully they only made 26.

Villanova jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as Siena only closed to within 10 points during one possession of the second half. Villanova will have to get off to an extremely fast start against Kansas, their next opponent, if they want to hang with the Jayhawks. It is going to be an extremely tough game Friday night in Detroit.

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Watch the Phillies Live

The Phillies will be on Comcast Sportsnet today as Chad Durbin will try to make a case to become the fifth starter.

They will also be on live tomorrow as they will be CW-57.

Recently, the Phillies have some great pitching out of their entire rotation. Yesterday, Adam Eaton allowed only 5 singles in 5 1/3 to go with no walks. In fact, through 12 1/3 innings, Adam Eaton has yet to walk a batter. He's just been giving up home runs. Let's hope he makes us feel a little better about that paycheck.

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The Cats' Comeback

Villanova, down as much as 18 in the first half, came back to beat the Clemson Tigers 75-69. In a day of upsets in Tampa, Villanova assured that all of the lower seeds that played in Tampa won their games to force two 12-13 match-ups in the second round. They also made the NCAA committee proud for giving them the last at-large bid in the tournament.

Villanova guards Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher scored 21 and 17 respectively to lead Nova back in the second-half. Corey Fisher continued drove at Clemson's big men to force them in to foul trouble and he did something Clemson could not do, he hit his free-throws (9-10).

Outscoring Villanova 48-30 in the second half, was a huge confidence builder for the team on the Main Line. Villanova is a very young team with no seniors and the experience this tournament can give them, will be huge for next year as they will likely return to their recent Top 25 standard. Villanova plays the other upset winner, Siena, on Sunday at 12:10 PM. Let's hope this continues to be a positive Easter weekend for Villanova.

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Flyers Survive

In a game that looked like on of the Flyers best defensive efforts on the season, up 1-0 after a great Mike Richards break-away goal in the first, it suddenly took a turn for the worst. After Daniel Briere's wrap-around goal put the Flyers up 2-0, it looked like for sure that the Flyers would snap the Rangers 7 game winning streak at the Wachovia Center. Not so fast. Three minutes later, the game was tied at 2 after Marek Malik scored a soft goal on Biron, followed by Nigel Dawes slap shot that went off Thoresan through Biron's five-hole.

Less than three minutes later, Danny Briere scored again as he and the puck find their way into the net. With the Flyers back up 3-2, we all pleaded with this team to actually hold onto the lead and not surrender at least another point to the Rangers...it didn't happen. With just under two minutes left, Jaromir Jagr put a puck past Biron and off Jason Smith into the net to force overtime.

Both teams went scoreless in overtime, and the entire fan base practically put their heads in their hands as we went to another shoot-out, a critical part of the "new NHL", and something we've been failures at in ten of our last eleven tries. NOT THIS NIGHT. The Flyers saw goals from both Mike Richards and Jeff Carter as Biron stoned Brendan Shanahan and Nigel Dawes to secure the 2-0 shoot-out win.

With the win, the Flyers are now in the seventh seed, a point up on the Bruins, who have played one less game. The good news for the Flyers was that the Buffalo Sabres lost, so we are now 3 points up on them with 7 left to play. The bad news is that the Capitals scored 4 third period goals to beat the Atlanta Thrashers 5-3.

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The Hawks Fail to Fly

Saint Joseph's who was hyped to be one of the lower seeds to advance to the next round, failed to do so. In what looked like an even game in the books, both teams hitting 24 field goals and 6 three point shots, Oklahoma hit 8 more free throws to win 72-64.

It was all Oklahoma for most of the game as they went on a late first half run to go into the half up 12. Saint Joseph's tried to battle back, but their star, Pat Calathes, was unable to really develop any scoring. St. Joe's climbed back to within four points, but they never got any closer.

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Sixers Streak Ends

The 76ers lost last night to the Orlando Magic 113-95. I apologize that I am not able to recap the game, but here are the highlights. Eight players for the Magic scored in double figures and they shot 14-23 (60.9%) from behind the arc.

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Temple Forgot Dancing...and Shooting Shoes

Temple was the first team out of the field of 64 today as they lost to Michigan State 72-61. The Owls, who skipped their 6:20 a.m. shoot-around, shot only 38% from the field and 6-23 (26%)from behind the arc. Season leading scorer, Dionte Christmas shot 1-12 on the day.

It was a disappointing day for the Owls who only stayed in the game for a little while in the first half. Michigan State had a very good balanced scoring attack and they played great defense, contesting almost every Temple shot.

Temple is the first of three Big Five teams to lose in the tournament. Lets hope Saint Joseph's and Villanova advance to the second round.

It was still a good year for the Owls, who were predicted to finish ninth in the A-10 this season. They were Atlantic 10 regular season runner-up and the conference tournament champion. They will lose seniors Chris Clark, Mark Tyndale, and Orlando Miller. They might be able to do a repeat run, but it'll be tough losing Tyndale's leadership.

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Sixers Beat A.I. and the Nuggets

What a game, what a game. The entire game was a see-saw battle, but the Sixers prevailed after Andre Iguodala made an amazing "pass", while falling to Samuel Dalembert who put the Sixers up 115-113, which would be the final score.

Before I continue to recap the game, check out the ovation that Iverson receiver prior to the game.



Iverson was definitely given all the respect that he deserves. It makes you wonder if he'll ever return at a bargain price after next season. Iverson kissed the halfcourt logo during warmups.

Back to the game. The Sixers were lead by Andre Miller who had a double-double with 28 points and 12 assists, including when he hit a shot after a he made a shotfake that caused Iverson to flip over Miller's back and onto the floor. Samuel Dalembert had 2 huge blocks late in the 4th quarter on Carmello Anthony. Dalember also added 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 total blocks. Andre Iguodala also pitched in 21 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. The Sixers overcame only shooting 18-33 from the line for 54.5%.



Full Highlights



The game had a fast-paced, playoff-game type atmosphere in front of another sell-out crowd. The Sixers have marched back and are now an even .500 heading into a Friday meeting with the Magic in Orlando. Both the Wizards and Raptors won tonight, so the Sixers did not move up in the standings, but New Jersey beat Atlanta and the Sixers now have a 5 1/2 game lead for the 7th playoff spot with 14 games to play.

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The Return of A.I.

Former Philly favorite, Allen Iverson, will make his first return to Philadelphia and he will likely be cheered by the sell-out crowd, at least I hope they do. Despite all of the off-the-court problems, Iverson was always a gamer and left it all out on the floor. Today marks the fifteenth month anniversary of the end of Iverson's Philadelphia tenure. The 76ers plan to not show a video remembrance of A.I. and I respect that. Tonight is purely more about the 76ers reaching .500, winning their fourth straight, and attempting to be winners of 16 of their last 20. However, we all did love A.I and below our some videos of our memories.

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Signs of Something Positive

The Phillies pitchers have put together three straight, very good outings. First on Sunday, Brett Myers continued his great spring when he threw 7 innings and only gave up 2 earned. His line for the day was : 7 ip, 5 h, 2 er, 3ks. The best news was the fact that Myers did not allow one walk.

On Monday, the Phillies got a decent outing from possible 5th man in the rotation, Chad Durbin. Durbin's line was : 5 ip, 4 h, 3 er, 2 bb, 1 so, 1 hr allowed. If Durbin can somehow manage to build some form of consistency around these numbers, Phils' fan might be able to take a sigh of relief. Also, the Phillies turned 4 double plays. The only bad news on the day was Tom Gordon gave up another home run.

Yesterday, Cole Hamels returned to regular season form as he went perfect through 4 2/3 innings before giving up a home run to Evan Longoria. He only allowed one more hit on the day and struck out 7 on 74 pitches in 6 innings of work. His line: 6 ip, 2 h, 1 er, 7 ks, 1 hr allowed. Ryan Madson also continued his great spring training and it'll be huge for the Phillies if he could continue the success he had last year and continue to work towards replicating his 2004 numbers.

Today, Jamie Moyer will get the start against Tampa Bay. Let's hope he can continue the success.

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Smith Jersey Bound?

According the Philadelphia Inquirer,
The Flyers and other sources expect captain and defensemen, Jason Smith, to sign with the New Jersey Devils this summer. Because of this, the Flyers tried to move him at the trade deadline, but they never received a decent enough offer.

The Edmonton Journal reported yesterday that Flyers captain Jason Smith will sign with New Jersey this summer as an unrestricted free agent. The Flyers have not extended his contract and, according to Western scouts, tried unsuccessfully to move the defenseman at the trade deadline. The Devils had tried to get Smith at the deadline, according to one league official, but were not willing to offer a decent return. The Flyers expect Smith to sign with New Jersey this summer, anyway.

After talks slowed down earlier this year, I think we all expected Jason Smith to not remain with the Flyers after this year. The Flyers can use his $2 million cap number and apply to Jeff Carter, RJ Umberger, Randy Jones, or Patrick Thoresen (if they plan to resign him). Jason Smith's defensive ability was inconsistent at times, but he is the Philadelphia type of player. He did everything a captain is supposed to do. Smith will be 35 next season and that may be the biggest reason why the Flyers are not looking to give him any form of long-term commitment.

The Flyers currently have 5 defensemen under contract for next season (Timonen, Hatcher, Kukkonen, Coburn, and Parent). Randy Jones is a restricted free-agent and Modry, Smith, and Fitzpatrick are all unrestricted.
Here is a list of potential free-agent defensemen.

Continuing reading...

Flyers continue dominance over Atlanta

Flyers continued to dominate the Atlanta Thrashers today and gave themselves just a little bit of breathing room. 58 seconds into the game we had an "Oh no not again" moment when Chris Thorbun scored. Mike Richards answered back a little of 6 minutes later with a goal of his own, and after that it was all Flyers...and Kari Lehtonen. Flyers took a season high 47 shots on goal and scored only 3. Goals by Carter and, a beautiful goal by Vinny Prospal, set up by a very nice defensive play by rookie defender Ryan Parent. Tense moments in the final minute of the game when the Flyers decided to break down in their own zone and gave up a goal to Kovalchuck with 30 seconds left, and then left him wide open for a shot with about 2 seconds left, but goaltender Antero Niittymaki made maybe the best save of the season, and quite possibly one of the most important saves of his career.

I really wouldn't worry about the fact we took 47 shots on Lehtonen and only scored 3, as he likes to show why he was drafted so high, yet most of the time he shows why it is a bad idea to rush a young goaltender in the NHL, tonight it was the former.

The Flyers currently hold a 2 point lead over the Washington Capitals, and a 3 point lead over the Buffalo Sabres.

Pogo's 3 stars

1. Vinny Prospal
2. Antero Niittymaki
3. Jeff Carter

Unsung Heros Offense/Defense

Joffrey Lupul, and Ryan Parent.

Continuing reading...

Umberger and Hatcher Out

The Flyers will be without forward, R.J. Umberger for at least two weeks after he suffered an MCL sprain in Sunday's debacle against Pittsburgh.

I feel a little bit better today. I woke up a little stiff, but I did some rehab today and I got a little more movement,” said Umberger. “I can do the forward movement, it’s the side-to-side I can’t do right now. It’s kind of a wait and see.

Defensemen Derian Hatcher will likely be out for the rest of the year after suffering a fractured right tibula against Boston. Also, Hatcher has made remarks that he plans on playing next year, which would be the final year on his contract.

I still have another year on my contract, and as of now I plan on playing,” said the 35-year-old. "I want to play, and I enjoy playing."

These injuries really put a damper on an already disappointing late season attempt to make the playoffs. Umberger has 12 goals and 37 assists this season and he was playing well lately with linemates Daniel Briere and Vinny Prospal. Derian Hatcher's absence from the line-up will mean that Lasse Kukkonen and Jaroslav Modry will continue to see the ice, which spells trouble for the Flyers.

Continuing reading...

Join our Tournament Bracket

Click here to join our bracket. It is run through yahoo. Go Nova!

Continuing reading...

NCAA Tournament Update

Saint Joseph's, Villanova, and Temple are all in the NCAA tournament.

Saint Joseph's is the 11th seed in the East bracket and they will play the 6th seed, Oklahoma.

Villanova is the 12th seed in the Midwest bracket and they will play the 5th seed, Clemson.

Temple is the 12th seed in the South bracket and they will play the 5th seed, Michigan State.

Continuing reading...

Myers Looks Impressive

From Phillies.com,

Myers went seven innings and allowed two runs on five hits. He did not walk anyone and struck out three to lower his spring ERA to 1.64.

Chris Snelling was 1-for-1 with two RBIs, Jason Jaramillo went 1-for-3 with one RBI and Ray Olmedo chipped in a hit and one RBI. National League Most Valuable Player Jimmy Rollins went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino each finished the day 1-for-3.

Brett Myers and Ryan Howard have been about the only bright spots for the Phillies this spring. Myers looks like he is now comfortable in his return to the rotation. This will be huge for the Phillies if he can become that "1a or 1b" pitcher that the Phillies will really need to compete in the National League East this season. The pressure is definitely on Hamels and Myers who will likely need to win at least 16 decisions each to really give the Phillies a shot at defending their division title.

In a 11 Spring training innings, Myers has allowed only 8 hits, 2 earned runs, 0 walks, and has had 4 strikeouts.

We all know how someone looks in the spring can be the exact opposite of how they look during the regular season, but all eyes were on Myers' return to the rotation and he has pitched well. Let's hope that he can maintain this throughout the year.

Continuing reading...

Mind Boggling

Flyers lose 7-1. It looks like the team is starting to just quit on the fans who have supported them through the past two years. Wake the fuck up.

Highlights when they become available.

Continuing reading...

Flyers Injury Update

Derian Hatcher who suffered a right leg injury after he was hit by a puck is not expected to play today in Pittsburgh. The Flyers will also likely be without defensemen Randy Jones who is listed as day-to-day with a hip flexor. For the Penguins, they will without start forward Sidney Crosby, but they will likely see the return of Maxime Talbot and rental player, Marian Hossa to the line-up.

The Flyers are 4-1 against the Penguins on the season. R.J. Umberger leads all players in scoring with 6 goals and 5 assists in those games.

Every game is a "must-win" from here on out, especially against the division. Let's hope that the team actually shows up today.

Continuing reading...

Sixers Inch Closer to .500

Ladies and gentlemen, take notice, your Philadelphia 76ers is playing some of the best basketball in the NBA. Coming in winners of 14 of their last 18, the 76ers hosted the defending champion, San Antonio Spurs, in front of a near sell-out crowd. Behind an injured Andre Miller's 32 points and 7 assists, they Sixers knocked off the Spurs 103-96 for their 10th home win in their last 11 tries.

"We're just playing some good basketball, especially this month," Miller said. "We've held our own and everyone's doing a good job."

Sorry Andre, but your team is playing great basketball. The 76ers have gone from being 18-30 and barely in the playoff hunt to 33-34 and making noise in the Eastern Conference. Currently, the 76ers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Over the last 25% of their games, they are winning by an average of 7.71 points. Only the Celtics, Lakers, Rockets, and Magic have a higher margin of victory during that span. Also, who was the last team to beat the Rockets, winners of 21 straight, the 76ers.

Notes: The 76ers had only one turnover in the first half, the lowest total of the season. Last night's attendance was 19,942, which is a near sell-out. With Allen Iverson in town on Wednesday, expect another sell-out.

Continuing reading...

Temple Makes the Tournament

The Temple Owls are the Atlantic Ten Conference Champions and they have earned an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament. They beat St. Joseph's 69-64. The Owls were down 7 at half-time, but opened the half with a 21-7 run to hold on to the lead for the rest of the game.

Dionte Christmas led the Owls with 22 points, as he shot 5-8 from behind the arc. Mark Tyndale did not shoot that great (1-8 from the field), but he scored 8 points and 9 rebounds and 7 assists. After scoring twelve points in the first half, the Temple defense held Ahmed Nivins to only six points in the second half and one field goal.

A Temple win obviously hurts Saint Joseph's, but it may also put a damper on Villanova's tournament dreams. It really depends on how the Tournament committee looks at things because Villanova beat Temple, but was blown out by St. Joes. Which has more value: the loss to the A-10 runner-up or the victory over the A-10 champion. ESPN analysts feel that Villanova will make it and there is a good chance that the Big 5 may go from have no teams to three teams. If somehow, two or three teams make it, it speaks volumes about Philadelphia college basketball.

Continuing reading...

Where is the Heart?

Editor's Note: Pope Pogo II (Mike) has joined the We Hate to Lose team and he will post blogs and recaps on the Flyers.

For the third straight game, the Flyers have lost a meaningful game. They have lost an opportunity to solidify their playoff chances, have given the Sabres an excellent shot at making the playoffs, and have given the Washington Capitals and the Florida Panthers a shot to sneak in as well. Two of those 3 games the Flyers have been beaten without the opponent's captain, Mats Sundin for Toronto, and Zdeno Chara for Boston. This stretch could have easily been three straight wins for the Flyers; having Toronto down 3-0 and letting them get away with an improbable comeback is unacceptable for a playoff caliber team.

How they could have gone from 2nd in the conference, to struggling against teams they should beat to barely hold the 8th seed is beyond me. I, personally, am still trying to figure out the Eager for Vandermeer, the 3rd rounder for Modry and the Vandermeer for a 3rd rounder debacle myself. Both Vandermeer and Modry should be healthy scratches. I still have not seen anything from Modry that has made me feel happy with Kukkonen being a scratch. Everyone who watches the Flyers with any kind of consistency knows Lasse Kukkonen should be playing every night.

Still this goes beyond what Paul Holmgren and John Stevens do in terms of their decisions. For huge portions of games, and hell for the most part of the year, this team plays without "heart" and at times, while losing, seems to play without a care. They seem to have a "maybe next game" mentality, and that is what makes me sick. It is not the losing, (who am I kidding? I hate to lose.) it is a lack of heart. It isn't the entire team playing without it. There are a few players who do play with that fire that we as Philadelphians love and they are Richards, Hartnell, and Carter (over the last 15 games).

This season isn't lost yet, but tomorrow doesn't get any easier as we face a rested Evgeni Malkin and the red hot Pittsburgh Penguins. The question of heart will most assuredly be answered tomorrow and in the coming weeks with 10 games remaining, including nine divisional games.

Continuing reading...

Kevin Jones Dreams to Be An Eagle

Recently released Kevin Jones, a former Cardinal O'Hara player, has said he wouldn't mind playing for the Eagles and said that they were one of the twelve teams interested in his services.

"When the Lions drafted me, it came as a big shock, because they weren't that much in the picture. It wasn't my dream situation. It would be a dream, however, to play for the Eagles. Going back to Philly, with all my relatives and friends back there, that's home to me. Chester will always be home to me. I have a real support system there in Philadelphia. Playing for the Eagles would be great."

Kevin Jones suffered a torn ACL in his right knee last December after coming back from a Lisfranc injury in his left foot. Last year he rushed for 581 yards and a career-best eight touchdowns.

"I'll be ready by July, I'm ahead of schedule right now and I still think...no, I know I can still play in the NFL," Jones said. "I just look at this whole thing as another challenge. I've faced doubts and challenges my whole life, so this is nothing new for me. I've overcome injuries, so rehabbing is nothing new. My knee right now feels real good."

[Daily News]

Kevin Jones would be a nice addition for the Eagles even with his injury history. They would likely not have to make a huge commitment to him and he's a bigger back (6'1" 230 lbs) that could add a change of pace to the backfield. He can also catch out of the backfield, which he proved in 2006 with 61 receptions. Jones also mentioned that he would love to play alongside Brian Westbrook. Jones would be a huge upgrade over Buckhalter as he could actually move to pile.



Another offensive "weapon" the Eagles may look at is recently released wide receiver Darrell Jackson. After coming off a great 2006 season with Seattle, Jackson was traded to San Francisco, where he struggled. ProFootballTalk reports that Philadelphia is one of four likely destinations for Jackson as he looking to join a West Coast offense. The other destinations mentioned are Minnesota, Tampa Bay, and Washington. The Eagles might be able to get him relatively cheap as he'll be looking to prove some after a down season. You have to think the Eagles will at least be interested in him. He's a veteran wide receiver that could help the team.

Continuing reading...

St. Joseph's and Temple's Roads Cross

Both Saint Joseph's and Temple win their A-10 semi-final match-ups to set up an all-Philly final. The all-Philly final guarantees that a Big-5 team will make the NCAA tournament for the 31st straight year. The two teams will play tomorrow in Atlantic City at 6 pm.

Saint Joseph's beat Xavier 61-53 for the second time in eight days. Temple beat up on Charlotte 60-45.

Continuing reading...

Sixers Comeback to Win

Last night, the Sixers came back from being down 18 early in the fourth quarter. Rodney Carney led the charge with 12 of 18 points in the fourth quarter to help the Sixers beat the Chicago Bulls 110-106.

The Sixers are 6-1 in March and host the San Antonio Spurs tonight.

Continuing reading...

Eagles Sign Dan Klecko

At first, I thought the Eagles were pulling an early April Fool's joke when they announced Dan Klecko was in town. Well, joke no more, the Eagles have signed defensive tackle Dan Klecko to play football. [NFL]

Klecko does have some experience playing fullback in short-yardage and goaline situations. He also caught a four-yard touchdown pass for the Colts in the 2006 AFC Championship game again. I am not quite sure why Andy Reid continues to look for "projects" rather than sure thing especially for a starting role, but at least lets hope this one pans out. We'll see I guess. Maybe Andy finally knows something that we don't know.

I wish I could give you a real scouting report, but I have nothing. Dan Klecko is somewhat of a local kid as he is from Colts Neck, New Jersey and he played for Temple University. His dad is former pro bowler Joe Klecko.

Continuing reading...

Digger Phelps' Brain Fart

Digger Phelps has a brain fart when he thinks that South Carolina should foul Tennessee in the final seconds, though South Carolina was up by 1 point. He probably should have remembered the score.

Continuing reading...

Andre Miller Expects to Pay

Andre Miller expects to return tonight against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago. Willie Green expects to return tomorrow against San Antonio.

"My gut is he will play, but we don't want him to go out there to the point of messing himself up," Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said. "We will see how he feels."

[Philadelphia Inquirer]

This is good news for the Sixers as they'll likely have their starting back court on the floor for their Saturday game against the Spurs. A win tonight will be huge for the Sixers as they attempt to inch closer to the 6th seed and widen their gap for the 7th seed.

If you're expecting to go to the game tomorrow, the Sixers website says that there are still upper level seats available and there are only single seats and club level seats available for the return of Allen Iverson.

Continuing reading...

Mike Richards Unsure About This Weekend

It was reported that Mike Richards may return this weekend from his partially torn left hamstring, but now he seems unsure. [Flyers.com]

Below is his interview:



Also, NHL.com has written a column on Jason Smith.

Continuing reading...

March Madness - Conference Tournaments Semi-Finals

Two big 5 teams advanced today and 1 NCAA Tourney bubble may have been popped.

Big East Tournament
Villanova 63, Georgetown 82 - Villanova really needed the win today to virtually punch their ticket to the tournament, but now they'll have to keep their fingers crossed as they watch Selection Sunday. Will the NCAA give them the pity addition to the tournament because officials blatantly cost them two possible wins?

Atlantic Ten Tournament
Saint Joseph's 61, Richmond 47 - After struggling down the stretch of the regular season, St. Joe's beat Richmond in dominating fashion to advance to Semi-Finals in the A-10 tournament where they'll play a nationally, ranked Xavier team they beat a few weeks ago.

Temple 84, La Salle 75 - Second-seeded Temple will advance to the semi-finals to play the winner of Charlotte and Massachusetts.

Tomorrow's semi-final games will start @ 6:30 in Atlantic City. I am thinking about going down to see the games. If you of anyone giving away tickets or has a way to get them discounted, let me know.

Continuing reading...

Jamie Moyer is Our Third Starter

"Jamie Moyer doesn't mentor Cole Hamels. Cole Hamels mentors Jamie Moyer."

Jamer Moyer has been named the third starter in the Phillies rotation. [Phillies.com]

So, currently our rotation looks like this: Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, Kyle Kendrick, and Adam Eaton or Kris Benson. So...why didn't we sign Kyle Lohse? I don't want to reiterate everything I just said in the previous post, but the whole rotation situation makes absolutely no sense to me. We wonder why Adam Eaton gets paid so much, but what about the guy who signed him, Pat Gillick? Anyway, why keep ranting when the franchise will never understand how important pitching is.

Anyway, good for Jamie Moyer, earning the third spot in the rotation by default at the age of 45. Hopefully, this team hires him as the pitching coach next year. Fuck Rich Dubee.

Let's pray and hope either Carlos Carrasco, Josh Outman, or Joe Savery suddenly become extremely unhittable and MLB-ready.

Continuing reading...

Kyle Lohse Signs with Cardinals

Well for everyone had the hope that the Phillies would sign free-agent pitcher Kyle Lohse, it is time to move on. Lohse has reached an agreement with the St. Louis on a one-year deal worth about $4.25 million. [ESPN]

With the recent, dare I say pathetic, play from our pitching staff in spring training, especially from the guys likely to fill in the #3-5 spots in the rotation, Kyle Lohse would have been a nice "cheap" addition to at least bring some form of veteran consistency to the rotation. It really boggles my mind that the Phillies continue to push off their mistakes onto their fanbase. They overpaid for Adam Eaton, not the fans. The Phillies ownership needs to understand they were wrong and have to make an immediate attempt to fix it. Don't get me wrong, I liked what the Phillies did this off-season, but they did very little to upgrade the back-end of their rotation.

There is basically no one left in free agency and now if the Phillies plan to fix their rotation problems, they'll have to do it internally or via a trade.

Continuing reading...

Dan Klecko - Our Next Fullback

From ESPN Insider,

Klecko, a member of three Super Bowl winners, worked out for the Eagles on Tuesday, according to the Trenton Times.

Klecko, who spent the last two seasons in Indianapolis after beginning his career in New England, is being viewed by the Eagles as a potential fullback and special teams player. Thomas Tapeh, the only fullback on the Eagles' roster last season, signed with the Vikings as a free agent.

Seriously? Are the Eagles really considering signing a 5'11" 275-pound defensive tackle to play the fullback position in the West Coast offense? Do they not understand that this needs a fullback that can catch and block, something Thomas Tapeh could not do. Dan Klecko, former Temple Owl, might be your new offensive weapon.

Continuing reading...

March Madness - Conference Tournaments

Villanova vs Georgetown, noon on ESPN and ESPN360.com
Saint Joseph's vs Richmond, 2:30 PM in Atlantic City
La Salle vs Temple, 6:30 PM in Atlantic City

Continuing reading...

Sixers Beat Pistons 83-82

1st round playoff preview? Tonight the Sixers traveled to Detroit and defeated the Pistons 83-82 in a defensive battle, even while not scoring in the final 2:27. The Sixers shot only 40%, but used 14 offensive rebounds to get second-chance points. The Sixers also had 9 steals and only turned the ball over 6 times compared to 13 times by the Pistons.

Andre Iguodala led all scored with 22 points on 6-22 shooting (27%), but he shot 9-12 from the line. Four other Sixers were in double figures, including Reggie Evans who had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Samuel Dalembert had 15 rebounds.

Tonight was a huge win for the Sixers' confidence after they fell to Boston at home. Currently, the Sixers are slated to face the Pistons in a 2-7 match-up in the first round of the playoffs. Tonight, the Sixers played without Willie Green for the entire game and Andre Miller for a better part of the fourth quarter, because he re-aggravated a lower back contusion.

Continuing reading...

Flyers Lose Another Home and Home Series

If you missed the Flyers game today, don't fret. All you missed was another poorly coached, undisciplined, and sloppy hockey game. The Flyers lost again to the Maple Leafs by the score of 3-2. The Maple Leafs scored the game-winning goal on the Power-play after the Flyers killed the first penalty of a 5-on-3 advantage.

“We did battle back, it’s just that third goal is a killer,” said John Stevens. “You have a five-on-three and then you get back to five on four. The five-on-three was for me the critical part, but they ended up getting one in before the end of that and that was the killer.”

The Flyers will play back to back this games again this weekend when they travel to Boston and Pittsburgh for day games. Buffalo did lose tonight, so the Flyers still hold a 4 point lead for the 8th and final playoff spot, and it looks like we'll be playing Montreal or New Jersey.

Continuing reading...

Villanova Advances

Villanova beat Syracuse 82-63 with 8 second-half three-point shots to advance to the quarterfinals of the Big East Conference Championship.



They will face #1 seed Georgetown tomorrow at noon.

Continuing reading...

Flyers Choked

The Flyers absolutely choked last night. They were up 3-0 with 12 minutes left in the third period and blew the lead, only to lose in overtime...AGAIN, 4-3.

Lucky for them, they have another shot at the Maple Leafs tonight and they will have Joffrey Lupul back in the line-up.

Continuing reading...

Cancel Your Customized Fitzgerald Jerseys

From ESPN,

The Arizona Cardinals and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald reached agreement on a blockbuster four-year, $40 million contract that will free up much-needed salary cap room for the team. Fitzgerald announced the deal on his Web site, saying he will make $33 million over the first three years of the contract.

Over the final two years of his old deal, Fitzgerald was scheduled to make $14,592,500 in 2008 and $17,355,000 in 2009. That put the team in a tight cap bind -- with less than $400,000 of cap room remaining -- so signing players was tough until they struck a deal with Fitzgerald. They had only 48 players on their roster and only 16 players on defense.

Before any of you want to blame the Eagles for failing to acquire Fitzgerald, you have to understand that it takes two to trade and Larry never wanted to leave Arizona.

Now the Eagles will turn their eyes to Roy Williams or Chad Johnson, two other receivers playing for teams who have publicly said that they will not trade. Roy Williams is set to be a free-agent next season, so maybe something could happen close to the trade deadline, but I doubt it. If the Eagles plan to upgrade the wide receiver position, they better hope for a steal in the draft.

Continuing reading...

Sixers Lose to Celtics

The 76ers shot 31.6% from the field and lost to the Celtics 100-88.

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The Injured Trio of Pitchers

Today, Adam Eaton, Kris Benson, and Brad Lidge all through off the mound today. Neither pitcher experienced any problems and felt good.

"I don't feel it at all," said Lidge, who threw from a mound for the first time since having arthroscopic knee surgery two weeks ago. "Not that I'm trying to feel it, but I didn't have to think about it when I was throwing. That's very encouraging. I'm happy with the results."

Pitching coach, Rich Dubee, said Lidge looked very impressive. Adam Eaton said that he felt comfortable enough to resume his competition for the fifth starter's job. Dubee also said that pitcher Kris Benson threw very well.

Personally, I could not careless about any Adam Eaton news because the more he is injured the less he pitches. The news on Benson and Lidge is what I like to hear. It seems more and more likely that Lidge will be ready to pitch by opening day. If not, we're playing the Nationals in the first series and we should be able to beat them by 3 or more runs. With regard to Benson, his progression seems to become more positive each day and he may be ready by the end of April, which could be a huge lift for the Phillies if he can be somewhat productive. The inefficiency of both Kendrick and Eaton this spring has some fans scratching their head. I am still shocked that we have not signed Kyle Lohse for 1 year, $4 million he is looking for.

Continuing reading...

College Basketball Round-Up

Conference Tournmanet time is here, or in the past for one City 6 School.

Drexel - Lost in the first round of the CAA tournament to Delaware. They finished the year 12-20.
Penn - No tournament. Will likely finish third in the Ivy League. It was their worst season in awhile.
Villanova - Will play Syracuse in the first round of the conference tournament on Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. as the #9 seed. The winner will face top-seed, Georgetown, on Thursday. Finished 19-11 in the regular season.
Temple - Temple earned the second seed in the A-10 tournament and will have a first round bye. They will play Thursday at 6:30 against the winner of #7 La Salle and #10 Duquesne. They finished the regular season 18-12.
La Salle - Will play Duquesne Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Finished the regular season 14-16.
Saint Joseph's - Earned the 5th seed and will play #12 seed Fordham. If the Hawks win, they will play #4 seed, Richmond. St. Joe's finished the regular season 18-11.

Continuing reading...

Week Recap 3.3-3.9

Monday, March 3rd
Davy Lopes to Undergo Cancer Surgery
Cole Hamels Upset with Contract
Eagles Went After Moss

Tuesday, March 4th
Sixers Destroy Clippers
Flyers Lose to Sabres

Thursday, March 6th
Eagles cut Takeo Spikes
Carter Leads Flyers of Lightning

Friday, March 7th
Riley Cote vs. Andre Roy

Saturday, March 8th
Sixers Blow Out Sonics
Eagles Make an Offer for Fitzgerald
Benson Looks Good in First Outing

Sunday, March 9
Flyers with a Powerful Win Over Islanders
We Hate to Lose Fantasy Baseball League
Rollins Only Cares About Winning
Phillies Send 14 to Minors
Sixers Make it Look Easy Against Bucks

Continuing reading...

Sixers Making it Look Easy

The 76ers are winning the games they're supposed to win and continuing to expand their 7th spot lead in the conference. Today, the Sixers beat the Bucks in another blowout fashion 119-97. Rookie Thaddeus Young has continued his scorching hot play by scoring a career high 22 points on 8-11 shooting. In the 76ers 4 games thus far in March, Young is averaging 16.3 points and 5.5 boards, all while shooting 77.1% from the field. Nice pick Billy King. Young is more suited to play small forward, but he has played phenomenal defense at both the 3 and the 4 position.

Samuel Dalembert, after saying he wasn't having fun, added 18 points and 10 rebounds. Dalembert how can you not be having fun? The Sixers have won four straight and in their last three have one by more than twenty points in each game.

ESPN's John Hollinger feels that the Sixers have a 93.5% chance of making the playoffs. Also, they have a 2.7% chance of making the finals and a 1% chance of winning the whole thing, both better than the two teams in front of them, the Cavaliers and Wizards. The 76ers are now only a half-game out of the 6th seed, which would set them up for a match-up with the Orlando Magic.

Highlights when they become available.

Continuing reading...

Phils Send 14 to Minors

The Phillies have sent the following to their minor league camp:

Righthanders Ron Chiavacci and Zack Segovia, Joe Bisenius, Scott Mathieson and lefthanders Brian Mazone, J.A. Happ and Joe Savery; catchers Tuffy Gosewisch and Lou Marson; infielders Jason Donald, Mike Cervenak, Brad Harman and Andy Tracy; and outfielder Valentino Pascucci were sent to the minor league camp.

[Comcast Sportsnet]

It appears that pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Josh Outman will continue to get looks during Spring training with the big club, though it is doubtful that either player will make the 25-man roster. The biggest name being sent down is Scott Mathieson who has yet to appear in any spring training games as he continues to rehab from last year's surgery. I'd expect more players to be sent down within the next few days.

Continuing reading...

Rollins Only Cares About Winning

Jimmy Rollins does and says all the right things. In an off-season where both Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels have been upset with their contract situations, Phil Sheridan wrote an article on Jimmy Rollins desire to improve the number in the win column before the money in his pocket.

"I knew what I was signing when I signed it," Rollins said. "At the time, we weren't even negotiating on a new deal.

"I knew there was a chance I would play better and the Phillies would be getting a little bit of a bargain," Rollins said. "But there was also a chance I wouldn't produce as much. I knew the market could change after I signed it. I knew all that when I signed."

You really have to admire a guy like Jimmy Rollins who is a class act on and off the field. Hopefully the rest of the young guys in the clubhouse take note.

Continuing reading...

We Hate to Lose Fantasy Baseball

I have decided to set up a fantasy baseball league for the site. Because of Yahoo's restriction on the number of teams one can have, I had to set it up through ESPN. The Draft will be Monday, March 24 at 9:00 PM.

It will be a 12 team league, with 2 divisions. The Positional Breakdown is as follows: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 3 OF, UTIL, 3 SP, 2 RP, 3 P, 5 BENCH, 2 DL.

It will also be a 6 x 6 head-to-head league: Avg, R, SB, HR, RBI, OBP, ERA, WHIP, W, K, SV, L

If you would like to join, please respond so I can send you an e-mail invite (I will need your e-mail) or send us a message on our myspace with your e-mail address.

Continuing reading...

Flyers with a Powerful Win

The Flyers scored 4 power-play goals to defeat the New York Islanders 4-1. The teams skated through the first period goal-less, but the Flyers scored early in the second when Danny Briere found a bouncing puck and put it in the wide open net. Roughly 10 minutes later, Scottie Upshall and Jeff Carter took advantage of a Rick DiPietro turnover to put the Flyers up 2-0. Jeff Carter now leads the team with 26 goals on the year and has 6 in his last four games. Scott Hartnell scored two power-play goals in the third period to complete the Flyers scoring. Marty Biron made 32 saves in the win.

The Flyers are now 5-2-1 in their last 8 games since their 10 game losing streak. Derian Hatcher returned tonight and Joffrey Lupul may be able to return for the Flyers home and home series with the Maple Leafs this week. Mike Richards remains on his three week time table, which may allow him to return next week.

Continuing reading...

Benson Looked Good

According to Phollowing the Phillies,

Kris Benson was impressive today in his first live-game environment today since September of 2006. Benson allowed 3 hits while walking one and striking out one in 3+ innings of a simulated game. He threw 45 pitches.

"I felt real well, real good I made some good adjustments with the breaking pitches, the curve ball felt good, the slider got better as the game (progressed), so everything felt good physically, everything felt fine," said Benson.

"There was crispness to all his pitches; he was around the strike zone very well for his first time back facing hitters i(in a year and a half)," Arbuckle said. "So overall, a very positive outing and a good step."

This is very positive news for Phillies fans because the fifth spot in the rotation is wide open with Adam Eaton not only continuing to be pathetic, but he is also having back problems. If all things go well, Benson could be ready to pitch April 9th, which would possibly be the first day that the fifth spot in the rotation would be used. Also, another possible starter would be Travis Blackley, but he was ripped in his first spring start. Let's cross our fingers and hope Benson works out for us and finds a way to make that $5.1 million.

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Eagles Make an Offer for Fitzgerald?

According to Delaware Online via Rotoworld, the Philadelphia Eagles have made an offer for Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

According the article, a league source confirmed that the Eagles have made an offer and they're dangling Reggie Brown and Lito Sheppard as trade bait. I may be wrong, but I think the Eagles would only trade one of these guys and then some of their nine picks in the upcoming draft. However, if they do offer both I'm a little uneasy with that, but not to the point where I wouldn't want the move to happen.

I'd prefer to have Larry and Reggie on the outside with Curtis running the slot, but the offense will be extremely upgraded regardless. I don't expect the trade to happen unless the Eagles are able to restructure his contract or sign him to an extension, though we do have the cap space to eat his big salary. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

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Sixers Blow Out Sonics

Last night, the Sixers absolutely dominated the Sonics in the paint to go onto win by a 34-point margin, 117-83. Samuel Dalembert shot 10-11, mostly dunks, for 22 points and he added 13 boards. The Sixers had 7 guys in double figures to extend their 7th seed lead over the Nets to now 3 games.

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Riley Cote vs Andre Roy

Round 1 - I give it a draw. Both Cote and Roy got in some good shots.



Round 2 - Cote with the one punch knock-out.



Later in the game, Andre Roy challenged the entire bench and was mouthing "I'll fucking kill you. You're Dead. Watch me when you're on the ice." (Likely at Cote.) Lightning coach John Tortorella had to grab Roy who was literally shaking in anger on the bench. He never saw the ice again.

What a shame that the teams do not play again. They split the 4-game season series.

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Jeff Carter for a Case of Tastykakes

The Flyers fell behind early again. Very early. Jussi Jokinen scored 31 seconds into the game for the Lightning. In his return to the lineup, Daniel Briere tied the game with top shelf wrist shot after a couple beautiful plays by R.J. Umberger. A little less than two minutes later, Jeff Carter scored on a beautiful back hand to give the Flyers the 2-1 lead and they kept it going into the second period.

The lone second period goal came from Tampa's Quellet as he knotted the game at 2 and it stayed that way heading to the third.

The third period seemed like those of late. It looked like another game going to overtime, and then the shoot-out, and we'd be happy with a point, but Jeff Carter circled in the offensive zone and lifted a wrister pass Lightning goaltender Mike Smith with 1:54 left to give the Flyers the 3-2 lead and victory.

Jeff Carter is really starting to become the player we saw lead the Phantoms to a Calder Cup Championship. He is becoming more physical and extremely hard to take off the puck. Some may say that trade rumors got in his head, but once the deadline passed, he has been playing very well. If he can keep up this play when Richards, Lupul, and Hatcher return, I'll feel much better going into the playoffs. The Penguins and Bruins both lost tonight, so the Flyers gained in both the division and the playoff race.

Riley Cote and Andre Roy squared off for two rounds of fighting. The first fight was a draw, but Cote landed a one punch knock-out in the second bout.

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Eagles Cut Spikes

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles announced on Thursday that they have released veteran weakside linebacker Takeo Spikes.

A two-time Pro Bowl selection and one of the top playmaking linebackers in recent NFL history, Spikes joined the Eagles on March 26, 2007, in a three-player trade with the Buffalo Bills. Takeo, which means "great warrior" in Japanese, was a first round draft choice of Cincinnati in 1998 and spent his first five NFL campaigns with the Bengals before signing with the Bills in 2003.

What does this mean? Are the Eagles making cap space for an expensive Wide Receiver? If not, was it worth it to cut another veteran from the defensive side of the ball? Who will play at linebacker?

By cutting Takeo Spikes, the Eagles can add $5 million to the amount of money they're able to spend. This move opens up more room to bring in the likes of Roy Williams, Chad Johnson, or Larry Fitzgerald. Much of the talk is that neither of those guys are attainable, but we'll see.

Will the young guys fill the veteran void? Last year, Omar Gaither did a phenomenal job at being the leader of the defense. He was extremely vocal on the field and I think he did better than most expected at replacing Trotter. Next year, I'd expect Gaither to return to the weakside with Bradley in the middle and Gocong on the strong side. The Eagles have Akeem Jordan as depth, but I'd expect them to draft another linebacker for depth. Clemons may be able to play some linebacker if need be, but I doubt the Eagles would use him there unless there was an emergency circumstance.

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