Philly Sports Media Watch

2005-04-28T11:07:00.000-04:00

ratings

2004-11-05T10:44:00.000-05:00

By David Scott
Boston Sports Media

Rawhide

I was drinking Jack Daniels DURING the games – worked for me. . .The ”WIPsters” at ”610 AM” in Philly were in a lather about the hiring of Charlie Manuel over that of Jim Leyland. Seems the biggest fear in Phillie Phandom is that Manuel and slugger Jim Thome are “too close.” Seemed to work for Tito and Schill, didn’t it?

Between the Lines of Pages (Internet and non-)So riddle me this: Wasn’t the Ty-Law-Out-Four-to-Six-Weeks-Confirmation/‘scoop’ by the Globe and Nick Cafardo an illustration of just how pre-mature the Michael Smithhire was by ESPN.com? Smith’s been almost ALL-Pats for the Worldwide Bleeder, but potentially the biggest news of the season was reported first by a paper that doesn’t even have a full-time Pats beat guy! ESPN.com should have been breaking that story and overplaying it through its network. Instead they suffered the humiliation of having to credit Smith’s former employer. . . How’s that for a backhanded compliment to the Globe Sports Desk?. . . Carl Poston, he of THE Postons, of course, had to show he was mightier than the Patriot Organization, thus releasing the info early. Surprised he didn’t fly Steve Burton in for another sit-down.

Hoops

Scott’s Shots took a brunch-time jaunt over to the Wyndham Franklin in Philly for yesterday’s annual Atlantic 10 Media Day to check in on the status of the League Calipari Built. Let’s put it this way for Commissioner Linda Bruno’s little league that couldn’t: Temple coach (and legend) John Chaney admitted to Hampshire Gazette scribe Matt Vautour that not only couldn’t he name any expected stars in the league “I can’t even name all the coaches.” See below for some more Chaney magic. . .Before we go any further with observations from the under-attended A-10 media day, let us direct your attention to one of the nation’s most enduring pre-season college hoops packages. Those of you who read this space regularly are A) quite insane and B) quite aware of our fondness for the writings and observations of Yahoo! Sports’ Dan Wetzel. Wetzel is currently undertaking his Fifth Annual Trippin’ Tour (TT V) where he barnstorms from college outpost to college outpost in search of (in order) the game’s heartbeat, a “working tap” in every town and more than a few hilarities. In the interest of full disclosure, I was the shotgun rider for TT I back when hoopstv.com (rest its blessed soul) was burning through cash with astonishing speed. Since then, Wetzel has “upgraded” his traveling companion to the lovable, huggable, basketball teddy bear known as Bret Bearup. Aside from actually having a balance of positive numbers in his bank account, Bearup also outclasses me with his daily humor (one-liners are his specialty), his basketball knowledge and his deftness with the ladies (which I like to attribute to his positive bank balance and not to my repulsiveness). To see the duo of Wetzel and Bearup together is to re-live the WWF tag team days of Andre the Giant and Ivan Putsky (if they weren’t, they should have been). To read the account of their nine-day tour is to discover just what makes college basketball the “Official Sport of Scott’s Shots.” Check it out at http://www.sports.yahoo.com/. . . Meanwhile, back at the A-10 gathering we were happy to run into Vautour, the ever-helpful Ray Cella of the A-10 and old co-worker and roommate, Bill Doherty, one of the Philly area’s finest freelancers. Unfortunately, it was also the occasion to see Dead Coach Lapping, the University of Massachusetts coach who is 19 games under .500 in his three year Amherst tenure (34-53, 10-19 last year), Steve Lappas. Just about the time we were going to go over and chat with the fourth-year head man at his desolate table, the anti-Calipari got on his cell phone and sat at his table on that phone for a good 10 minutes. Now, folks, if Coach Chaney was wrapped up in a phone call, we’d gladly wait 10, 20, 30 even 60 minutes to chat with him. But when the reincarnation of Ron Gerlufsen is giving us the cold shoulder, we’ll gladly move on to someone who cares. So we chatted up Dayton’s engaging young gun, Tom Izzo-disciple, Brain Gregory and Xavier’s first-year (but you’d never know it) head man, Sean Miller, the former feisty Pitt guard. We even got a few moments with Rhode Island’s Jim Baron, who doesn’t necessarily wax poetic, but he doesn’t sit at his table on the cell phone either. . . UMass was chosen third in the East on the men’s side and fourth on the women’s side. Most of the talk of the day centered on the league “being down” this season, which it will be. But, as Gregory pointed out “We’re victims of our own success. We had some major, major wins last year all throughout the season and not to mention the attention (Jameer) Nelson got (at St. Joseph’s)”. . .In fact, it’s the A-10 (not the ACC, Big East or the SEC) that has the past two National Players of the Year in Nelson and David West. How do you like dem apples Basketball Bob Ryan, Teddy Sarandis, Mike Shalin and/or Mark Blaudschun?. . Some numbers plucked from the newest UMass Media Guide (which opens with a fitting memoriam to Jack Leaman): The Minutemen have not been ranked nationally since November of 1998; Percentage-wise, Lappas is averaging just under 18 losses a season, which puts him neck and neck with the aforementioned Gerlufsen, who Roget lists as a synonym for pathetic. Even he was at just under 17 L’s a year. . . Tony Barbee, calling Tony Barbee: Your head coaching position at the alma mater is beginning to open up. (Sadly, Lappas might just mess around and have a winning record with his non-conference slate featuring Birmingham Southern, Yale, Northeastern, Miami, Rider and BU. They do get Gonzaga (away), UConn (home, where it will be a Husky crowd) and BC (home), but overall it is a “job-saving” schedule meant to prolong the agony for those who care deeply about the State U’s once-proud basketball program. GIVE US BARBEE FOR THREE (or four years). .What do you bet I don’t get my Christmas card form the UMass Athletic Department this year?. . . Much love and big ups and major props to ESPN for taking the successful formula used for College Football GameDay and translating it into College Basketball GameDay starting Jan. 22 (Storrs for UConn-Pitt). Putting the combo of Rick Majerus and Jay Bilas on-site (with either Chris Fowler or Rece Davis) should make for a good take throughout the day’s games, leading up to the 9 p.m. tip of the feature game. Watch for Majerus to dominate and develop into the network’s “Next” Dick Vitale, who will work the prime time game with returning Brad Nessler and rising Erin Andrews on sideline duties. AK-47, Andy Katz will serve as the GameDay reporter, presumably adding interviews and features to lead into desk discussion with Bilas and Majerus (or, if you prefer, the Pretzel Rod and the Oreo). What ever way Vitale is worked into the mix, he will need to reel it in a little to let Majerus find his groove and prosper. Other sites on the itinerary include UMass, Holy Cross, Iona – I KID! The stops will include Lawrence, Kan., Syracuse, N.Y, College Park, Md., Lexington, Ky., Memphis, Tenn., Stillwater, Okla. And Washington, D.C. (for the ACC Tourney). . . And even more praise for NOT including Duke’s over-told Trust Fund Woodstock set-up in KVille outside Cameron.

The Wisest Owl of All

Whenever the opportunity and the timing coincide, there is no better way to spend a couple of minutes than sitting at the knee of Temple’s John Chaney. Even when he was the Devil Incarnate to Calipari’s Rising Star, Chaney was a case study in what college basketball coaches were supposed to be. If this sounds like fawning it’s only because it is. Shoot me – I revere the man. Even the 14 pages in the Temple Media Guide barely touch the surface of Chaney, who will begin his 23rd season at Temple (483-224) when Auburn visits Philly on November 19. And don’t think for a minute the 72-year-old doesn’t hear the snickers, the whispers and the Joe Paterno comparisons. “I find myself always in the mode where I want to fight back (at the critics),” said Chaney from under his steel gray Nike running cap. “Especially when the reasoning they use is bad reasoning. I’ve heard for 10 years now. ‘How long are you going to stay?’”The answer Chaney gives is “as long as I’m healthy.” And health is not a concern for the zestful mentor famous for 5 a.m. practices and brutal schedules. “I know what Joe (Paterno) is going through and he’s really hurt inside. But he’s a fighter. And he’s a gentleman. I’m not a gentleman. I’ll bit back, I’ll fight back. He’ll try to answer without profanity, but I don’t give a shit.”Classic Chaney.Later, as the hour-long Gospel According to John wound down Chaney got deep into some political talk, something his own stellar SID, Larry “Doc” Dougherty was hoping Chaney would steer away from (fat chance). “That little rascal (The Philly Daily News’s Mike Kern) got me into it,” Chaney explained as Doc took a seat between his men’s coach and the most underrated women’s coach EVER, Temple’s Dawn Staley (Chaney nearly said as much). It was too late. Chaney had already spoke of the election he found confounding and offered this on “that guy” from Georgia, Zell Miller. “You know Zell Miller’s an asshole,” Chaney surmised before returning to some talk about Salem’s Rick Brunson, an all-time Chaney fave. There was also snippets on ageism in society (and coaching), patriotism, scheduling and, of course, his current team that isn’t expected to do much. . . but probably will.But, as always, there was a bit more to listening to Chaney and actually FEELING his words. “You know, now, in recruiting, I’ve got two strikes against my ass: My age and what they tell the kids are ‘three ay em practices’.” What they can never, NEVER, use against him is his convictions and his character. . . Temple’s Paddington Al Shrier the real guy, not the famous Bobblehead, was in the house, along with the top secret documents he houses in his ever-present briefcase. . . Immortal Mel Greenberg the guru of women’s basketball was present, making it a truly wonderful mid-afternoon. . . Seriously though, the small turnout left many coaches being interviewed by fellow coaches. With no true “national story” (as Nelson was last year), the league is dependent on Chaney’s story to stir the masses. And while he did draw a big (15 media folk) crowd for a brief span, the merits of such Media Days needs to be re-examined. The preview yearbooks are long put to bed and the information gathered is nothing that couldn’t be picked up in a teleconference (much like the in-season weekly ones that are a notebook writer’s wet-dream). There’s also the issue of unnecessarily taking a ‘student-athlete’ (such as UMass’s Rashaun Freeman, last year’s A-10 Rookie of the Year) away form his classes for the day without very much redeeming value (right, Myles Brand?). Worst of all, the media gift was a cheesy A-10 totebag made of burlap or some crap. I remember when spunky little Ron Bertovich used to give away plasma TVs. And that was before there even were plasma TVs. Or Bertoviches for that matter. . . Thanks, you’ve been great. For more A-10 humor like this, be sure to pick up my book titled “The A-10: Forever on the Cusp.”. . . We kid because we used to have to do gamenotes ourselves,

Pigskin

Also stirring up the riveting (or more likely the revolting) hot air at WIP (sort of a poor man’s 1510 AM, The Zone in Boston as a reference point) was Terrell Owens and what has become a fairly ugly on-going war of words with Ray Lewis. Ever the loyalists, Eagles fans are sticking up for THEIR TO, even if a year ago they would have sided with Lewis. Or better yet, not even cared. Oddly, I too find myself in the corner of TO, at least on his point that the NFL (and some of its partners, it should be noted) seem to embrace Lewis despite his dubious past; at the very time the NFL tries to limit TO’s expressions of freedom. Years ago, when he was still very much Jerry Rice’s back-up, Scott’s Shots shared some hours with Owens in Jamaica during the fabulous-to-attend Superstars competition. Most of what happens in Jamaica stays in Jamaica, but Owens did completely crush me in a Sea-doo competition. He must’ve been doing 50 in the water and I was doing like 12. With the brake on. He soaked my ass, sped away and soaked my ass again. You gotta love that in a guy. . . Also unbearable during the monthly Philly jaunt was hearing the Pats’ loss through the weathered lungs of the Steelers radio network’s broadcast veteran, Myron Cope. Next time I complain about Gino Cap, remind me of the awful Cope, would you please? I’ll still abhor Cap, but Cope brings it to another level of awfulness. . . Oh, and Howard Eskin, the WIP blabbermouth and controversial figure? He has so much damn attitude and so much damn ego that you wonder why anyone would call in and be humiliated by the guy’s long pauses and one word answers. He wouldn’t last a minute in the Boston Market.

Rants and Raves

Best of luck to the immortal Jimmy Breslin who called it quits this week from his space inside New York’s Newsday. "Thanks for the use of the hall," he wrote to end his Tuesday column. Classic. Breslin is never far from my thoughts when I look at a story being completely over-covered and attempt to take a different angle. It’s Breslin who is responsible for the JOURN 101 analogy known as “The Gravedigger’s Story.” As the anecdote goes, Breslin abandoned the herd reporting mentality in the aftermath of JFK’s death and instead went and found the guy who was digging the President's grave. It wouldn’t hurt for all of us to try and remember that one on occasion. . . Rachel Nichols of ESPN is officially stalking Shaq at this point. Is she going to all 82 of his games? Which reminds me: It’s so good to have Stephen Angry back in regular rotation. I hadn’t been yelled at and demeaned for a good a three months or so.

-30-

David Scott writes from a seaside shanty on the shores of Hull and can be reached at david@bostonsportsmedia.com

2004-09-23T17:16:00.000-04:00

Let's Not Go There

That seemed to be the stance taken by Terrell Owens and his former coach (when he was with the 49ers), Steve Mariucci. That doesn't stop our little band of media members from still trying to make a story out of this non-story. Bob Brookover couldn't get any good copy out of T.O., so he resorted to ripping quotes from his book Catch This! Going Deep with the NFL's Sharpest Weapon in order to dredge up negative stories. Brookover seems to lay the groundwork here for "more oppportunities to decline questions about his controversial past" that are sure to be plastered across headlines before the season ends. Why can't we just focus on the 2-0 start, and talk about the play on the field? Dana Pennett O'Neil gets Mariucci to mention that Andy Reid never called him for feedback about T.O. before making the decision to acquire him. Mark Eckel says that when Mariucci was asked what his feedback would have been, he answered, "that's a theoretical question that I don't need to answer."

Shannon Ryan writes about Steve Sciullo, was was cut by the Colts and signed by the Eagles shortly thereafter. The article gives some insights just what it's like for a player to go through being unemployed to having to deal with all the ugly details about moving and finding a place to live. Sticking to actual football issues this time, Bob Brookover talks about the Eagles' increased use of the shotgun this season. Jack McCaffery writes about this too, and has Donovan McNabb saying this is a way to keep defenses on their heels. Les Bowen writes that this Sunday's Eagles-Lions game will feature two, perhaps lesser known, brothers facing off in the NFL: Jerome and Stockar McDougle. Sam Donnellon doesn't know what people are up in arms about over the Eagles giving up so much yardage on defense. He says this approach by the Eagles is nothing new, and calls it the Alfred E. Newman "what, me worry?" approach to Jim Johnson's defense. Paul Domowitch says that McNabb might be "the man," but Brian Westbrook is the "most indispensable" player upon whom the Eagles' hopes of getting to Jacksonville lie. McCaffery also writes about what it's like for Kevin Jones to be playing against the Eagles, the team he rooted for growing up. I believe Bob Grotz (not officially credited with the article on the website, but this is his regularly scheduled piece) records Lions quarterback Joe Harrington's response to the question of whether he was impressed by McNabb's career: "Does 100 pounds of dough make a big cookie?" Mmmm...100 pound cookie... [insert Homer Simpson drool here].

The Philles continued their too little, too late "domination" of the Florida Marlins, defeating them 12-4 yesterday at Pro Player Stadium. Todd Zolecki and Dennis Deitch have the game stories. Rich Hofmann thinks he knows why the Phillies failed to live up to expectations, and it has to due with their starting rotation and the lack of "quality starts" (he uses some statistics to try and back up his assertions).

Bill Lyon writes about the ugliness that surrounds the Jeremy Reonick situation, and notes that both sides can't be right. Ed Moran talks with Bob Clark, who insists the Flyers are "a long ways from being on the hook for Roenick's salary." J.R. believes his salary would be covered by insurance anyway. Anthony J. Sanfilippo has Clark admitting he has "no clue why [J.R.]'s doing this. You'd have to ask [him] why he's doing it." Fortunately, Ed Moran reports that the Flyers have not had to lay off most employees. Being a larger company, Comcast-Spectacor has had the advantage of shifting employees around and moving them to other responsibilities during the lockout. Meanwhile, Don Steinberg says that NHL fans might be able to get their fix, in somewhat of a strange fashion, as G4techTV will be "simulating" the entire NFL season, and actually broadcasting the results. Comcast SportsNet is expected to even show highlights packages. Details such as the hardware (XBox, Playstation 2) and software (which game will be used for the simulation) have yet to be worked out, but my guess would be the first one that drops any restrictions with their game license that would prevent it from being used in this manner.

Marc Narducci was there for the press conference announcing Todd MacCulloch's retirement. Eliciting laughter from the assembled audience, "Big Mac" summed up his career: "I was amazing. I was way better than you guys remember. I don't get the credit." Phil Jasner submits his article on the subject as well, and gets MacCulloch to joke that he was going to try his hand at baseball next. Phil also reports that the Sixers are trying to negotiate a contract extension with Samuel Dalembert and his agent before October 29, and before the NBA's next collective bargaining agreement, which could have a completely different set of contract constraints.

CSN has Phillies-Marlins at 7:05.

2004-09-22T17:29:00.000-04:00

Getting Ready for Detroit

Bob Brookover says Sheldon Brown got a little pre-game advice from an old friend, Troy Vincent, who told him he'd be fine. Bob Ford says that Dick Vermeil has often "mocked" past Eagles coaches with his can't-miss-'em-cause-they're everywhere billboard endorsements, but Andy Reid just might end up being the guy future coaches will have to live up to. Shannon Ryan writes about the efforts of the special teams, where Reno Mahe leads the NFL and is 2nd in the NFL in punt returns, and J.R. Reed is 2nd in the NFC and 3rd in the NFL for kickoff returns. This article in the Inquirer, compiled by both Brookover and Ryan, suggests that perhaps Vikings coach Mike Tice could have challenged Terrell Owens' touchdown reception, but also notes that if you want to be picky, defensive pass interference could also have been called. They also throw in a line about T.O.'s slam dunk celebration was probably intended "to show Randy Moss he was a better basketball player." Marc Narducci writes about Steve Mariucci (say that three times fast), who probably won't want to talk about his past relationship with T.O., but won't mind talking about the "highest respect" he gained while working alongside Reid in the past. Dana Pennett O'Neil offers a glimpse into the personal life of Jevon Kearse, whose family has had its share of tragedies. One light moment is mentioned in the story from his first season with Tennessee:

During his rookie season with the Tennessee Titans, he went to a room for his vertical-leap test. He stood on the floor, beneath a 13-foot ceiling and asked the coaches if he was able to jump up and touch the ceiling, could he forgo the test? The coaches laughed. "I jumped up and knocked out a tile,'' Kearse said with a sheepish grin.

John Smallwood says that if Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown keep performing this year, fans won't be moaning about the losses of Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor. Les Bowen says that offensive coordinator Brad Childress is now calling the plays from the press box. Is anybody else surprised he isn't on the sidelines, where you will find defensive coordinator Jim Johnson is? Don't most teams have this the other way around? Just curious. Bowen says he had to double check the tape to make sure Reid really did say Donovan McNabb played "a super game." Meanwhile, his counterpart on the Vikings admitted getting somewhat rattled by Kearse's defensive presence: "He was all over the place. It was like he had a clone or something." Bob Grotz reports that the Eagles go into next week's game against the Detroit Lions as 4.5 point favorites. He also mentions that the Eagles are next-to-last in the league in terms of total yards given up on defense. Fortunately, they don't fare as badly in the category the NFL uses to keep track of wins and losses: points given up. Grotz also mentions that the Eagles are the only team to post consecutive double-digit victories through the first two weeks of the season. Jack McCaffery analyzes McNabb's "what a difference a year makes" comment, and suggests that it translates to: "the Eagles are better -- much, much better, perhaps championship-quality better -- than they have been at any time in their relatively successful recent past." Ashley McGeachy Fox has her weekly NFL rankings. Coincidentally, her top 5 match those of ESPN's Power Rankings which were posted yesterday.

The Phillies were finally able to end their nearly 18-month frustration in Miami, as they beat the Florida Marlins 4-2 last night. Todd Zolecki, Marcus Hayes and Dennis Deitch have the game stories. Deitch's Phillies Scoop gets Bobby Abreu's thoughts on fellow Venezuelan native Ugueth Urbina, and how he's handling the very scary situation where his mother's been abducted by ransomers demanding $15 million. Hayes' notebook says the ESPN analyst John Kruk met with Phillies president David Montgomery earlier this month, but it wasn't to talk about the expected-to-be-vacant manager's job. Apparently Kruk is being considered for "rejoining the team in some other capacity."

The Sixers web site has announced that Todd MacCulloch is retiring (this is not a surprising development). I missed this last week, but their web site also had this Q&A with Billy King last week, and gets his thoughts on the upcoming season, including how he thinks things will go with new head coach Jim O'Brien. Tim Panaccio reports the Jeremy Roenick is still looking to get paid the $7.5 million he would have made this season, because of the concussion he claims would have kept him out of the season that likely won't be played at all due to the lockout. Looks like this could get messy and ugly. Meanwhile, Howard Eskin seems to be getting the hang of this blogging thing. While trying to look smarter than he is, he pats himself on the back for the the Eagles game going "just like I mentioned...on Sunday night's Sports Final." Would he have admitted he was wrong if he hadn't? Not likely, given his past track record (we won't get into his past "stone cold mortal lock" picks in the past that apparently weren't that "stone cold" or "mortal" to begin with. At least Howard and I agree on one thing. Here's what he had to say about Mr. No Comparison:

Now I also realize how easy it is to take Randy Moss out of the game. Get him moody. Just take away the long ball and he gets cranky and VERY moody. While wtaching the game you realize how much Randy Moss is all about himself and not about the team. Great athlete, but a TERRIBLE teammate.

CSN has Phillies-Marlins at 7:05.

2004-09-21T18:01:00.000-04:00

"What a Difference a Year Makes"

A year ago, the Eagles were headed into their bye week with an 0-2 record, and lots of questions swirling around their star quarterback Donovan McNabb. Today, they are 2-0 (for the first time since 1993), after defeating the Minnesota Vikings in a Monday Night Football showdown. Bob Brookover provides us with a game recap. Bill Lyon believes the win confirms the Eagles status as the team to beat in the NFC, and says "there is still no reason to think they can't make another run at the you-know-what Bowl." Stephen A. Smith says, going into this season, there were lots of questions surrounding the team, such as how would they deal with the loss of free agents Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor. Stephen A. says, so far, "there's little for anyone to complain about," as the Eagles are getting it done with their defense. Phil Sheridan says last night's game was "classic No. 5." Shannon Ryan writes about the embarrassing gaffe displayed by the head official, Bill Carollo, who couldn't seem to get out the explanation of why Donovan McNabb was an ineligible receiver on a crafty play. Dick Jerardi says "he got midway through before sounding very much like an elementary school pupil who forgot his lines at the school play." Exactly. Bob Ford writes that the game might have been billed as an offensive showdown between Randy Moss and Terrell Owens, but "for the second straight week, and this time against a much better opponent, the Eagles did more than the other guys, which is how they keep score in the NFL." Ashley McGeachy looks at the play of Brian Westbrook, who quietly got the job done, between the running and short-passing game. Speaking of which, was that the fastest first-half of a Monday Night game in quite awhile? With the running game (and short-passing game that Andy Reid often employs in place of a running game), it seems like the clock never stopped in the first two quarters. Marc Narducci looks at the surprising 2-0 Detroit Lions, who are up next on the Eagles schedule. In his weekly NFL column, Gregg Easterbrook mentions that this game will feature the "one pairing of undefeated teams," while openly wondering if there will be any undefeated matchups left come October.

Ira Josephs looks at ABC's coverage of the game, including the you-could-have-saved-us-the-hooting-and-hollering miking of Randy Moss and his "colorful, but clean, language." Les Bowen has a playful look at Donovah McNabb claiming T.O. should have gotten "a technical for hanging on the rim a little bit" during his touchdown celebration. Les also looks at some of the stranger officiating miscues of the night (including plays that could have been challenged but weren't, and plays that couldn't be challenged because of the initial call on the field). It didn't affect the outcome of the game, but let's just say that this crew didn't bring their A game last night. Rich Hofmann has a look at the confidence that McNabb's teammates have in him. Bill Conlin writes that, it might have taken awhile, but T.O. earned the "equivalent of a TKO" in his matchup against Moss, so to speak. John Smallwood talks about the "bend but don't break" mentality of the Jim Johnson defense, which ranks first in the NFL for fewest points allowed and red-zone defense over the past 4 seasons. Dana Pennett O'Neil has some quotes from an apparently sour Daunte Culpepper, who was upset that his fumble at the "one inch line" was ruled as such, since he felt the "ball might have broke the plane" (it didn't) and that he knows his "body was in" (doesn't matter), "but they didn't even review it" (even if they hadn't, they wouldn't have reversed the call). Maybe instead of hoping that officials will bail him out, he should concentrate on holding onto the ball. ABC displayed a pretty telling graphic during the game, noting how this has been a problem for Daunte. Speaking of which, Bill Fleischman talks about the the ABC coverage of the game, including a production error which briefly had the score of the game at 17-12 (instead of 17-9), as they incorrectly assumed a Minnesota field goal attempt was good (it was short). Bob Grotz opens his article telling Randy Moss he was right: "it wasn't even close," there is no comparison between him and T.O. Jack McCaffery writes that the Eagles "won a potentially dangerous game with relative ease." I'm not sure what Rob Parent's problem is, but he incredulously asks us today, "aren't the best teams in this league supposed to win with defense?" Someone needs to tell Rob the NFL tracks wins and losses by who scores more points than their opponents, not who wins the total yardage game. Meanwhile, Mark Eckel says that Donovan McNabb made plays when he needed to, and so did the Eagles defense. Jon Marks talked eith Rod Hood after the game, who had this to say about covering Randy Moss: "He didn't talk too much. He got mad at the refs and was talking more to the refs than to us." I have to say, I got quite tired of staring at the constant scowl on Randy throughout the ABC broadcast. Nick Fierro summed up the game this way:

On the national stage of Monday Night football, with every mistake magnified tenfold by John Madden's marker, the Eagles needed to be on their best behavior. Once again, as has become the norm under coach Andy Reid in prime time games, the Eagles proved up to the task.

Todd Zolecki has Kevin Milwood calling Gavin Floyd's curveball "stupid good," and talks about the possibility of Ryan Howard trying out in the outfield this fall. Dennis Deitch says the Phillies hope to return the favor from last year and knock the Marlins out of playoff contention (only difference was, the Marlins were treated with a wild card berth, and an eventual World Series championship for their troubles last year, the Phillies will have no such "consolation prize.")

Both Marc Narducci and Phil Jasner report the Sixers signed shooting forward Josh Davis. Finally, Daily News writer Ronnie Polaneczky says she was able to give away all 50 of her remaining "salary caps" due to high reader demand (see yesterday's link).

CSN has Phillies-Marlins at 7:05.

2004-09-20T18:11:00.000-04:00

Are You Ready For Some Football?

The water in the fountain at JFK ("Love Park") has been changed to "Eagle green," which can mean only one thing: the Eagles are hosting another prime time game in the City of Brotherly Love. Bob Brookover gets Terrell Owens to further respond to Randy Moss' comments last week that there is "no comparison" between him and T.O.: "Obviously, it wasn't a smart comment on his part." In yesterday's Inquirer, Brookover previewed a bit of T.O.'s autobiography, which opens with an interesting story that gives a glimpse into his off-the-field life. Bill Lyon is looking forward to the matchup between two quarterbacks in their primes. Since he doesn't have anything to write about the Flyers, Tim Panaccio has been conscripted into following Jerome McDougle's Madden 2005 XBox exploits. Rich Hofmann wonders how much blitzing the Vikings will try tonight (it didn't work very well for the Giants last week). Les Bowen talks about the success of Andy Reid's teams under the big lights (6-1 MNF, 13-1 in prime time games period), except when the NFC Championship is on the line (so he suggests that they move this year's championship to a Monday night, or at least after 8PM). Interestingly, the Vikings haven't played on Monday night in nearly three years. Bowen also gets David Akers' and Dirk Johnson's thoughts on the (perfectly legal, therefore no fine or penalty) hit that Jeremiah Trotter laid on Jeff Feagles last Sunday. Bob Grotz includes some good stuff from the always-quotable Hugh Douglas, where he somehow manages to compare tonight's matchup using analogies involving lumberjacks, axes, and chainsaws. Al Morganti says the "Big Show" circus is in town, referring to Monday Night Football. He also offers a 34-31 Eagles victory as a prediction. Mark Eckel believes the Eagles' red-zone defense will be the key, and offers his own prediction (34-24 Eagles victory). In yesterday's column, Eckel gets former Eagle Troy Vincent's thoughts on the whole "who's better, T.O. or Randy Moss" argument. OK, one more final prediction, this time in Peter King's MMQB (always a lengthy read). He believes it'll be 30-21. Meanwhile, Randy made some rather disparaging remarks toward his organization last week, as reported in Brookover's notebook:

There's a lot of [stuff] around here that needs to be changed. You name it - from people, to the administration, all the way to the... Metrodome. If I was the owner or general manager, I would do it. But I'm not, so to hell with it.

The Phillies actually played a game yesterday. Todd Zolecki, Harvey Yavener and Dennis Deitch have the game stories on their 7-2 victory. Marcus Hayes reports that Billy Wagner wished to personally apologize to umpire Dana DeMuth, who had ejected him from a game a week ago for allegedly throwing at a batter. Coincidentally, DeMuth was on vacation ("interesting timing," says Hayes). Mike Olshin chats with Wagner, who'd just like to put this forgettable season behind him and look to next year. Jim Salisbury ripped Carl Everett in his column yesterday for making negative comments about Phillies fans. Everett alleged that "they throw golf balls, bats, everything." Salisbury set the record straight, and aimed a few shots Carl's way.

Phil Jasner's article shows the NHL isn't the one league with labor issues: the NBA and its refs have yet to come to an agreement, and it's possible that replacement officials could be used this year (but hey, on the bright side, Dick Bavetta won't be able to "fix" Kobe Bryant's Lakers to get into the playoffs). Ronnie Polaneczky tried marketing "salary caps" as somewhat of a gag item the last time MLB went on strike in 1994, and is offering what's left of her inventory to readers who email their requests. When Howard Eskin finally returns to the air, we better not hear him deriding savvy internet folks anymore, since he's resorted to starting his own blog, chronicling his activities during his suspension from WIP. He seems to be enjoying his down time, but a quick look scan of his site (where some pictures show him going to town on a burger loaded with the works), and I'm sure he's lost his credibility as a spokesman for LA Weight Loss. Speaking of bloggers, Jack McCaffery admits he just doesn't "get it" (do you think he's stumbled across this site, and doesn't particuarly care for some of the valid criticisms aimed his way?)

ABC has Vikings-Eagles at 9:00 in the first of three Monday Night Football appearances for Philadelphia this year.

2004-09-16T16:38:00.000-04:00

A Whole Lot of Talk (and Not Much Else)

Bob Brookover looks at the jobs Sheldon Brown, Lito Sheppard, and Roderick Hood will have to do in order to try and at least contain Randy Moss on Monday night. Shannon Ryan writes that Dorsey Levens is just glad to be back with the Eagles (again). Marc Narducci talks about the homecoming of Bryant McKinne, who graduated from Woodbury High in Gloucester County. Les Bowen reports that, even though he was disappointed at being cut, Clinton Hart left a (positive) note for his ex-teammates, to "go get that championship," upon cleaning out his locker on Tuesday. Bob Grotz has Moss pretty much running his mouth about their being "no comparison" between him and Terrell Owens, because "nbody sees the coverage that I see." Why do those sound like lame lyrics to a rap song? Meanwhile, Hough Douglas added his two cents on the subject:

"Who’s better, Randy Moss or Terrell Owens?" Douglas said rhetorically. "That’s just like comparing a cheetah to a lion. They’re both beasts, you know what I mean? They’re both cats. They’re both specimens. And they’re both human."

Mark Eckel says that some of the Eagles "behavior" on the field Sunday earned the scorn of "two unnamed scouts" who werent' happy with the "Eagles swagger and bravado after just one game." I won't mention the web site cited in the article, but let's just say that Mike Florio (writer and editor for the site) shouldn't quit his day job. Rich Hofmann says that, with (at least) two legitimate superstars, things are twice as nice for Andy Reid's team:

Around the Eagles, there used to be one special player press conference every week, McNabb's. Now there are two. There used to be one jersey sales level to track, now there are two (and, really, three if you include Jevon Kearse, who really has flown completely, freakishly below the radar so far).

I came across this poll which indicated that only 3% of the NFL's players consider Reid the best coach in the league (compared to 45% for the league-leading Bill Belichick). David Fleming was at the "Link" on Sunday and filed a column on ESPN.com. If you're going to at least refer to the stadium's nickname, at least get it right, huh David?

As expected, the NHL officially announced its lockout (without using that word) yesterday. Tim Panaccio has the story. The main issue is "cost certainty" (code word for "salary cap," which the players adamantly refuse to accept). In his usual poetic style, Bill Lyon pens: "So if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it...And if a puck drops on the ice and no one is there to see it..." Exactly. Don Steinberg says employees at Comcast-Spectacor, owner of the Flyers (and Sixers) have been feeling the pinch since a hiring freeze was implemented on January 1. Marc Narducci gets a feel for the attitude of the players: one of "resignation, desperation, depression - and even anger." Ed Moran has commissioner Gary Bettman ominously saying, "the very future of our game is at stake." Rob Parent quotes Bettman further, calling the players union's moves "unforgivable," comparing their actions to 'trying to pick a fight.' Adam Kimelman reports that about a hundred people will soon be laid off in the league's office, and talks about the real people who lose out in the whole "bunch of spit." Jack McCaffery seems to be strangely siding with the players on this one: "They've even volunteered to take five-percent pay cuts"--how nice of them! And "the players are way, way ahead...having volunteered give-backs." I'm not quite sure how he can take this position, not that either side is completely correct here. But how can the players refuse to accept the notion that a salary cap (like the one that exists in the NFL and NBA) is the only way for their already precarious league to stay in existence? These eight articles are probably more than you'll see linked here over the next year, assuming this impasse doesn't unexpectedly go away.

The Phillies managed to win a fairly meaningless 9-1 game yesterday over the Reds. Todd Zolecki, Paul Hagen, and Dennis Deitch have the game stories, including the dangerous collision between Todd Pratt and Jim Thome. Zolecki's notebook indicates that Larry Bowa hasn't seen the handwriting on the wall yet, as he fully plans on being here to manage the team in 2005. Hagen's notebook has Mike Lieberthal acknowledging the fans' displeasure at his inability to hit with runners in scoring position.

The locals are off tonight.

2004-09-15T12:03:00.000-04:00

It's Just About Over

The Phillies approached mathematical elimination last night by losing 7-6 to the Reds in Cincinatti. Todd Zolecki and Dennis Deitch have the game stories. Paul Hagen says that technically the Phils aren't eliminated yet, but paints the scenario that must happen in order for them to sneak into the wild card (let's just say there's a better chance of the Arizona Cardinals making the NFL playoffs this year). Zolecki's notebook says that Kevin Millwood will return to the starting lineup for Sunday's game.

Paul Domowitch has a look at Randy Moss' reaction to Terrell Owens' comments that the Monday Night Football matchup would be like "Michael vs. Magic." It seems as if Moss was offended by that pairing, and boastfully claimed "there is no comparison." Domowitch gets several scouts to offer their views on Moss, who some feel "takes plays off." It certainly should set up for some nice drama on ABC. John Nalbone offers an early preview of the matchup of the teams expected to battle for NFC supremacy. Speaking of the Vikings, Marc Narducci says quarterback Daunte Culpepper just wants to 'get the taste of our their mouth' that came from their last game of the 2003 season, when the Cardinals beat them with a touchdown as time expired, keeping them out of the playoffs. Bob Brookover looks at the roster moves yesterday, which had Andy Reid bringing back Dorsey Levens, and cutting Clinton Hart. Les Bowen has some of Hart's former teammates voicing their opinion that he is not likely to remain unemployed for long, as some team is likely to want his services. Bob Grotz gets a few words from Hart's agent, says Shawn Andrews underwent successful surgery on Monday, and reports that the Eagles are 3 point favorites against the Vikings (which is to say, the Vegas oddsmakers are calling this one a pretty dead-even matchup).

Rich Hofmann makes a big deal of the Eagles using instant replay on the Linc's huge end zone screens to their advantage (perfectly legal use, according to NFL officials). If you're interested in some news off the field, Shannon Ryan has a look at Hollis Thomas' car collection. Ashley McGeachy Fox offers her NFL rankings after Week 1. Her #1-3 picks, as well as #32, are pretty much spot on with those from ESPN.com. Monday, the USA Today had an interesting article on the Eagles, which contained a chart showing that "only three teams in NFL history have shown upward mobility [improving records from season-to-season] over a longer period" then the current (1999-present) Eagles, and one of those teams was the Eagles (1940-45). I missed a couple of articles over the weekend that were pretty good. Mark Eckel talks about what its like covering the Eagles in his 20th year as the Trenton Times' beat writer. If you scroll all the way to the end of this article from the Boston Globe's Peter May, you will see him give kudos to Phil Jasner of the Daily News, for being the recipient of the Curt Gowdy Print Media Award.

Finally, Rob Parent chats with Keith Primeau on the day that NHL owners are likely to lockout the players. Primeau says things aren't looking very good, and believes the players could be locked out for two, or maybe even three, years.

CSN has Phillies-Reds starting at 12:35.

2004-09-14T13:14:00.000-04:00

"The Eagles Have Landed"

Sorry for no posting yesterday. I actually did get through the million articles following the Eagles' season-opening win over the Giants, but just didn't get a chance to link to any of them. Anyway, today's headline comes to us courtesy of Jevon Kearse's reaction to Terrell Owens' unique touchdown celebration routine on Sunday. Onto the links...

It's NFL season, which means Bill Lyon is back to his usual job of waxing poetic about the home team. Bob Brookover wonders what Andy Reid will do to to replace Shawn Andrews, who suffered a season-ending broken fibula in Sunday's game. Speaking of shoring up the O-line, Mark Eckel jokes that maybe the Eagles can trade for Kansas City's John Welbourn, who was flagged for 3 penalties on Sunday. Shannon Ryan has a look at Derrick Burgess, who was just happy to make it through the game without ending up on Reid's post-game "Injuries..." report. Marc Narducci provides a glimpse at next week's opponent, the Minnesota Vikings (in a Monday Night Football showdown), who will be without running back Mike Bennett. Les Bowen notes that the Eagles might have gotten out and acquired some "playmakers," but the coach is still plain vanilla. In yesterday's press conference, Reid understated T.O.'s contributions as a "nice job." Bill Conlin thinks that Reid's press conferences seem a little too much like court proceedings to him, and somehow became so distracted by the coach's monotone voice, he attempted to blind him by reflecting light off his watch, I think. Bill Fleischman looks at the FOX ratings for Giants-Eagles. Jack McCaffery says T.O. might be "the man," but it is Donovan McNabb who will need to turn in an MVP-like performance this year if the Eagles are to get to the Super Bowl.

The Phillies weren't able to make it a lucky seven last night, dropping a 4-3 decision to the Reds. Todd Zolecki, Paul Hagen, and Dennis Deitch have the game stories. Zolecki's notebook has Billy Wagner expressing remorse at his post-game rant after getting thrown out of the game on Sunday. Hagen's notebook contains the quotes in question (they feature lots of deleted expletives).

The New York Post's Paul Schwartz has an article on Terry Bradshaw's comments on FOX's pregame show regarding Giants' coach Tom Coughlin:

There's no way I could play for Coughlin, he is mean and hateful. There's a little part of me that hopes this guy falls flat on his face because that's a total lack of respect for the players. I'm realizing this guy is a jerk.

These comments were apparently in response to a report that Coughlin had fined some of his players for showing up "late" for a team meeting, even though they had been "on time."

Asked for a clarification of his rules, Coughlin said his time is different than ordinary time. "Players ought to be there on time, period," he explained. "If you're on time, you're on time. Meetings start five minutes early."

Nice boss. Meanwhile, the Giants punter Jeff Feagles was still complaining about the "helmet-to-helmet contact" he was allegedly the victim of on Sunday. He is hoping the NFL fines Jeremiah Trotter.

Dan Gross says Howard Eskin is doing something with his time off: keeping a daily diary of how he spends his time. Here's a look at yesterday's entry. Glad Howard's discovered the internet is useful for something besides promoting his useless betting advice. As of yesterday, the page was formatted horribly. It appears this was cleaned up today, as Howard must have figured out how to use the "Enter" button on the keyboard. WIP listeners get to experience a "throwback" of sorts this week, as Eskin's former co-host Mike Missanelli is being paired with Steve Fredericks (who is coming out of his April retirement, albeit briefly) during the 3-7 PM time slot. Is there any way to keep these two on the air even after Eskin's suspension is over?

CSN has Phillies-Reds starting at 7:10.

2004-09-10T18:04:00.000-04:00

The Strangest Home Run You'll Ever See

The Phillies somehow managed to win three straight against the Atlanta Braves yesterday, winning 9-4, in a game that featured one of the most bizarre home runs you will ever see. Todd Zolecki, Marcus Hayes, and Dennis Deitch have the game stories. Teammates were ragging on Jason Michaels, who was already asking the SportsCenter folks to go easy on him after the game. Paul Hagen reports that MLB commissioner Bud Selig says fans are very happy with the current wild card setup, and also finds an interesting "Phillies doormat" for sale on MLB.com.

Bob Brookover anticipates the unveiling of the Eagles' defense on Sunday, right along with Brian Dawkins. Sam Donnellon says that if some of the interference calls that were called in the preseason are called now that the games that count have started, it'll be "arena football in the fall." Rich Hofmann writes that one thing you can always count on Andy Reid's teams doing is show up (unless it's an NFC championship game at home; then, all bets are off). Les Bowen says Brian Westbrook will only occasionally be used for punt returns, as Reno Mahe will be featured in that role (along with serving as J.R. Reed's lead blocker on kickoff returns). Shannon Ryan looks at the Giants' Ron Dayne's weight loss, and how he will figure in Sunday's matchup. Bob Grotz captures Jim Johnson's thoughts about this. "I think they want to use Dayne a lot more than they did last year," Johnson said. "Of course, if they play him at all it will be a lot more than last year." Dick Jerardi takes a look back at the many stops on the resume of Giants' new head coach Tom Coughlin, and has him eagerly anticipating being back on the sidelines this year. Paul Domowitch writes about the league's "points of emphasis" on illegal defensive contact this year. He includes this great quote from one of the Oakland Raiders, Ray Buchanan: "Right now, they're treating the wide receivers like sissies. You're running down the field, you turn back and look at the ball, and if you have bad breath, they throw the flag." He also includes quotes in there from a member of the NFL Competition Committee, who expressed concerns that the "overly aggressive" defensive schemes of recent years was causing NFL games to get bogged down like the NBA (which itself has tried recent measures to boost scoring). I missed this yesterday, but Rich Hofmann predicts the Eagles will go 10-6 this year. Jack McCaffery looks at the Vegas over/under line of Eagles wins (10 1/2), and somehow employs new math while pulling out the crystal ball and predicting a "10-6-1" season (unless I'm missing an awful attempt at humor).

Well, Howard Eskin made page 1 of today's Inquirer and Metro, and not in a good way. Don Steinberg's article (linked to late yesterday) on Howard Eskin's suspension appears in today's edition of the Inquirer, with the added information that "attempts to reach Eskin for comment yesterday were not successful." Apparently, Dan Gross of the Daily News was slighly more successful in getting in touch with Howard, as he does have a meaningless 2 sentence quote from him that is the equivalent of "no comment." There are some very interesting quotes ("highlights") in that article from Eskin's despositions related to this case that demonstrate Eskin's ego, as well as his hypocritical stance on lawyers. The Daily News also ran the text of the on-air apologies of both Eskin, and WIP's VP and GM Marc Rayfield, which are being played during Eskin's time slot, which has been temporarily taken over by the reputable Glen Macnow. This leads to the question, why can't Macnow become the permanent replacement in this time slot? According to a philly.com poll originally linked to here last night, over 71% of the nearly 4,000 participants have said they don't want Howard back on the air.

Steinberg also says the Eagles history will sson be available on a DVD collector's set, and also notes that Stephen A. Smith will serve as a judge in ESPN's Dream Job, along with Denver Post columnist Woody Paige. What is Stephen A.'s mindset going into this gig? "I'm not going to be cruel, but I'm not interested in showing sympathy to anybody, either," he says. "My obligation is to the viewers, just like when I'm writing a column it is to my readers. And that is to call it like I see it." Ray Parillo reports on St. Joe's "outdoing" the Eagles signing Andy Reid yesterday through 2010 by extending Phil Martelli's contract through the year 2012. As usual, I have no idea what Harvey Yavener is trying to say. He says "that just as there is a formula for winning, there's also one for losing." Apparently, there's also one for writing columns that confuse the reader by the second paragraph.

CSN has Phillies-Mets starting at 7:10.

2004-09-09T22:49:00.000-04:00

Eskin Suspended

I have not been been able to listen to WIP today, but according to the Inquirer's Don Steinberg, Howard Eskin has been suspended for 30 days as part of a settlement in a civil suit that Allen Iverson's lawyer, Richard Sprague, filed after Eskin made libelous remarks in 2002 during Iverson's legal troubles in the summer of that year. I had been wondering why we were seemingly seeing more of Eskin on NBC 10's sportscasts lately (has anyone seen or heard from John Clark recently?) I have often been critical of Eskin in this space for his blatant anti-Iverson agenda, and for his often single-handed efforts to run him out of town. Interestingly, whenever Iverson is involved in legal incidents, the numerous incidents of his past are dredged up. At the end of Steinberg's article (which will probably appear in tomorrow's print edition of the Inquirer), numerous incidents are cited demonstrating that this is a pattern of inappropriate behavior and commentary by the self-proclaimed "king of bling."

WIP needs to seriously consider whether allowing Eskin to continue to spew his mean-spirited attacks on its airwaves is in its best interests. To cite his often used line, Eskin needs to do the right thing, and either resign, or clean up his act. This is nothing more than what he has demanded of the target of his scathing comments, Allen Iverson, in the past. It's now simply put up or shut up time for Howard. At least for the next 30 days, WIP listeners who are tired of his act can be glad it's shut up time. Interestingly, a poll on philly.com indicates that a majority of listeners (at least those who voted) do not want Eskin back on the air. Of course, these results might just be skewed, as Eskin has not directed his devoted followers to flock to the website and vote in his defense.

2004-09-09T18:15:00.000-04:00

Special NFL Preview

Here's my attempt to provide links to the major articles (there's just too many to link to every one of them) in the area papers today. First off, Bob Brookover reports on the contract extension the Eagles offered to Andy Reid yesterday, as mentioned here yesterday. Les Bowen also reports on the extension, and reminds us that Reid's next win ties him with Dick Vermeil for career total with the Eagles, and that if the Eagles go at least 11-5 this year, he will become the franchise's all-time winningest coach. Les also includes Reid's attempts at self-deprecating humor, when he mentioned that, with the contract extension, 'he'll continue to look at himself under a microsocope. It's a pretty big microscope.' John Smallwood says the extension is well deserved, when you consider that Reid delivered the Eagles from the wasteland that was a 3-13 season to one of the most successful NFL teams in the league. Meanwhile, Jack McCaffery takes the opportunity to question this move and attempt to spread his negativity.

Phil Sheridan says Terrell Owens is one of the few free agents who actually wanted to come to Philly, and that he gets a chance to start here with a clean slate. Brookover's notes column includes T.O.'s response to a reporter's question of whether Donovan McNabb's completion percentage will increase with him in the lineup. Owens says not to get too caught up with the statistics, and to focus on what really matters, just winning. Rich Hofmann believes "Owens has everything to gain. McNabb has everything to lose," since, if the Eagles finally win the "big one," Owens will be seen as the missing piece. Bob Grotz writes that Owens "would like to pencil" the Eagles in the Super Bowl. He also says T.O. expects lots of yellow flags to be flying, at least early on in the season, as defenses and officials adjust to the new "points of emphasis."

Mark Eckel says don't look now, but the Eagles, particularly the defense, is actually healthy going into their season opener against the Giants. Bob Ford looks back at playoff misery past, and concludes that the Eagles "have been unable to survive in the one-and-done world where the better team doesn't always win." Brookover takes a look at the other teams and coaches who have failed in 3 straight tries at the conference championship, and how they did after getting that close (only John Madden's Oakland Raiders went on to win the Super Bowl). Speaking of Madden, Bill Fleischman has him giving Reid some advice: "The worst thing I could do is panic. I thought if we keep getting to the championship game, we're eventually going to win the damn thing." Paul Domowitch chats with a coach who experienced similiar futility, Marv Levy (of the infamous Buffalo Bills who reached the Super Bowl four straight years without coming away with a victory). Levy reminds Eagles fans to keep things in perspective: "It's much more difficult to maintain good depth today than it was then, which makes what the Eagles have done the last few years even more amazing."

Brookover blasphemously turns the Eagles into religion:

They came to Bethlehem (Pa.) to see the newly acquired receiver. The search for a savior was over. Hymn No. 81 - "T.O., T.O., T.O." - was performed on a daily basis as the green-clad congregation grew from 12,000 one day to 25,000 a few days later. The Eagles had themselves a big-play wide receiver, and the good word spread quickly. Praise be to coach Andy Reid and owner Jeffrey Lurie. Praise be to Terrell Owens.

He says that despite all that, No. 5 is still the difference maker on the team. Even Marc Narducci got into the NFL preview act (in addition to turning his Sixers beat writer assignment in), observing that the weekly injury report is the "true equalizer in the NFL," even "more so than free agency." Les Bowen gets Brian Dawkins, Hugh Douglas, and WIP host Anthony Gargano's thoughts on the Eagles faithful. He writes:

As a fandom, it's never a good thing when you have to start labeling your disappointments, to keep them straight: the St. Louis loss, the Tampa loss, the Carolina loss. It sounds a little too much like Red Sox Nation, which tends to label by villain or scapegoat: Bucky Dent, Bill Buckner...

Sam Donnellon talks with David Akers, and his thoughts on the crazy winds down at the Sports Complex. Akers also says if he could pick one kicker in the league to make a clutch kick, it would be New England's Adam Vinateri. Marc Narducci previews the much-maligned, feeling disrespected, offensive line of the Giants. Don Steinberg looks at the multiple delays being introduced into tonight's pre-game musical performances by both the NFL and ABC to prevent a repeat of Janet Jackson-gate. Performer Jessica Simpson will be wearing an "NFL approved" wardrobe (you can't make this stuff up).

2004-09-09T10:36:00.000-04:00

A Day Late and a Dollar Short

This morning, we'll have an abbreviated set of links. We'll follow-up this afternoon with a summary of the exhaustive previews of the upcoming NFL season that kicks off tonight with a special Thursday edition of Monday Night Football (marketing geniuses at work there) featuring a rematch of last year's AFC championship game.

The Phillies managed to win both games of their doubleheader yesterday against the Braves. Todd Zolecki, Marcus Hayes, and Dennis Deitch have the game stories. Zolecki's notebook says its possible that both Placido Polanco and Chase Utley could be on the roster next year, and Deitch's notebook says that John Vukovich's failing eyesight led him to pull himself out of the first game yesterday, but he was back at his position as third base coach for the second game. Deitch also talks about how normally mild-mannered Bobby Abreu went ballistic after a called third strike.

Marc Narducci has the story of the Sixers buying out Greg Buckner's contract, a story originally broken by Phil Jasner yesterday. Jasner provides additional details today, including the unconfirmed report that the Sixers negotiated the contract buyout for almost $5 million less than the nearly $13 million Buckner was due. Interestingly, while both Marducci and Jasner seemed to be able to get quotes from Buckner's agent Steve Kauffman, Jon Marks wasn't able to, listing him as "unavailable for comment."

CSN has Phillies-Braves starting at 7:35. ABC has Colts-Patriots at 9.

2004-09-08T15:31:00.000-04:00

Rained Out

The remnants of Frances probably spared another loss for the Phillies yesterday. But the rain only provided a temporary stay of execution, as they've now got a doubleheader against the Braves this afternoon. With no game to report on, Todd Zolecki alludes to a report in the New York Daily News about Larry Bowa possibly coaching the Mets next season. Marcus Hayes gets a quote from Billy Wagner that leaves you scratching your head: "We definitely need to get a good feeling about ourselves heading into October." Heading into what, the end of a disappointing season? Because they're certainly not heading into the playoffs. Jack McCaffery sums it up this way:

Billy Wagner did not perform as expected this season, and neither did the Phillies. That connection is sturdy and clear. So, that question again: What might have been? And this answer: It’s worth trying to find out again in 2005.

The Eagles have taken steps to keep Andy Reid at the helm into the next decade. Bob Brookover reports that his extension will probably earn him more than Bill Belichick of the defending Superbowl champs. Reid calls Philly "one of the best cities in the country." Meanwhile, Brookover says Todd Pinkston is still trying to live down his infamous "lack of focus" comments after last year's disappointment performance in the NFC title game. Shannon Ryan reminds Kurt Warner that the last time he won as the starting quarterback was against the Eagles--well over two years ago, in the first NFC title game appearance of Reid's team. Bob Grotz says a lot is riding on the offensive line this year. Mark Kram has a nice feature length article on Dhani Jones, who wants to be remembered for being more than just an athlete. Sam Donnellon didn't have anything better to write about, so this is what he submitted today:

Anyway, all these thoughts started to rush through my head yesterday as I sat at a red light and watched the tractors pushing around the Vet's remains, churning it into a parking lot. What if buildings have spirits? What if buildings have tortured souls? What if the Vet is still standing there, invisible among the rubble, sucking opponents popups over the new park's walls, sucking the energy from the Eagles at the most inopportune times, slamming some whammies on pitchers' arms and running backs' foots. Just a thought. Sleep tight, all ye eternally heartbroken fans.

Finally, Don Steinberg reports on ESPN's creation of yet another channel in their lineup, this time one featuring college sports.

CSN has a doubleheader featuring Phillies-Braves starting at 4:35.

2004-09-07T15:16:00.000-04:00

The Unofficial End of Summer

With the Labor Day weekend now behind us, we can now say that summer is (un)officially over. Of course, for the local "boys of summer," the Phillies, summer seemed to end somewhere after the All-Star break. But let's not be picky. The local nine dropped yet another to the Bravers yesterday, 3-1. Todd Zolecki, Marcus Hayes and Dennis Deitch have the game stories. Zolecki's notebook reports that Kevin Milwood wants to return to the rotation as soon as possible. Well, not entirely for the benefit of the Phillies, but more likely to boost his free agent stock. Nice. Rob Parent says that what's wrong with the Phillies is that "the management leaders are followers of a philosophy that begs patience but doesn’t exude confidence or competence."

Bob Brookover has a look at Brian Westbrook's key role in the running game this year, and hints at the possibility that Dorsey Levens will be back (even though he was cut in the initial roster trimming to 53 players). Shannon Ryan has a look at the coach of the Eagles' first real opponent this year, their division rival NY Giants, and their coach, the stoic-faced Tom Coughlin. Rich Hofmann wonders about the "law of unintended consequences" striking with the NFL's new "point of emphasis" (illegal defensive contact), and whether that will mean open season on quarterbacks, as defenses make their inevitable adjustments. Bob Grotz writes that the Eagles will go as far as Donovan McNabb takes them, and has Brian Dawkins seconding that thought by saying "this is still Big 5's team." Tom McNichol says Eagles fans are ready for yet another Superbowl-or-bust bandwagon ride. Mark Eckel has some AFC insiders still questioning how Jevon Kearse will hold up this season for the Eagles. Mark also gets a quote from Jim Mora, who says, "the fact that T.O. actively pursued Philly spells trouble for the rest of the league." At least Eagles fans hope so. Phil Sheridan hopes that both the players and management have learned something over the past couple of years, with the current theme of "Reunited" (reminding me of the late 70s song):

Maybe the players can learn that they're not showing the Eagles anything by finding suckers elsewhere. Maybe the Eagles can learn to prevent things from reaching the point where players feel they have to leave to prove anything.

Mark Eckel also provides his previews of both the AFC and NFC (Eagles fans beware: he doesn't have them getting to the big dance, again). On a better note, ESPN.com has posted its preseason power rankings, and as expected, the Eagles are prominently featured.

Phil Jasner reports that Greg Buckner's agent is hoping the Sixers either trade or buy out his client. I'd like to be the first to offer to drive him to Philly International. John Smallwood is appalled at the audacity of the damn Yankees (as if baseball fans needed another reason to cheer against the Evil Empire).

Have a look below at an email exchange between myself and Boston Sports Media Watch's Dave Scott.

CSN has Phillies-Braves at 7:35.

2004-09-07T15:15:00.000-04:00

BATTLE OF THE DAVES: An Email Exchange (aka A Tale of Two Cities)

Friday Sept 3

Davey Philly -
I'll have to keep this first salvo of Philly observations fairly short - not for a lack of Philly Phodder, mind you, but because I'm heading to Fenway to see Pedro plow down the Rangers. Maybe I should slow down for you: Fenway is a BASEBALL PARK, Pedro is a BASEBALL PITCHER and the Rangers are BASEBALL (sort of) Wild Card Contender. After two days in the City of Brotherly Cheesesteaks, I'm well aware that Ben Franklin's Town is none too enamored with its underachieving bunch of Phillies.

Initially, I would have thought that might make for some compelling talk radio (oxymoron aside). It doesn't, clearly. If 610-AM WIP is the best your city has to offer for alleged talk radio, then your city should be ashamed. I've heard more intelligent discussions among the dogs at young Percy the Dog's canine play groups.

How on earth can I be expected to take a station seriously if they run an ad urging listeners to come see Temple Owls football and billing it as "Big Time College Football?" If Temple's "big time" that must make a school like Lehigh purely NFL-caliber. Big Time? How about Big Shame?

Beyond the false advertising, it's virtually impossible to distinguish the inmates (callers) from the prison guards (hosts). In two days of admittedly limited listening (WXPN-FM is by far the wiser listening option), I heard aspiring brain surgeons call in to inform listeners of how nice the new Phillies stadium (ignoring the bums playing on the field) and one guy, Mike the Cowboys Fan, who lamely tried to espouse his belief that Dallas is better than Philadelphia. The hosts at that particular midday time offered stirring rebuttals to the tune of "yeah, right" and "no sir." I'd never wanted to hear the gruff voice of Fred Smerlas more in my life. And Smerlas is mostly intolerable, at best.

It would appear that Philly sports talk radio has one thing Boston sports radio blatantly lacks: numerous African-American callers (which I infer from the twang of their voice, which may admittedly be a flawed means of audience measure, but I'm comfortable in the assumption. The demographics prove it.) But it wouldn't matter if the get-a-lifers were pink, teal or aqua - they're sorely unprepared to be speaking on anything broadcast to more than one human soul.

And then there's Howard Eskin. Holy crap - is this guy doing the college radio late shift at St. Joe's or major market sports talk? I lasted about 90 seconds with with his grating radio vibrations. He was - I'm not making this up, Boston talk radio listeners - saying something about tennis at about 4:55 on a Wednesday afternoon. If tennis has ever, ever, come up on WEEI, it would have only been to make fun of Bud Collins bow tie, I assure you. I know Boston's provincial and mainly a three-major-sports Pro town, but the next time there's lively tennis debate on talk radio it will be the very FIRST time in broadcast history.

Seeking solace from the radio, I managed a few strong minutes of TV viewing with the "Philadelphia Daily News Live"show. Whoa! What a collection of wits this show featured on Wednesday. I'll get more into in my next correspondence to you, but at one point there were approximately 87 panelists bombarding a Phillies September call-up with questions solely conceived in an effort to elicit some type of headline-making response. Desperation, thy name is Philly Baseball Writers. It was so comical at one point that when one panelist said to the subject, Ryan Howard, "Ryan, This is Paul Domowitch in the studio," it would have been well within Howard's right to as "How man damn people you got in that studio?" Not even the mostly-steady Dei Lynam could steer this ship into safety. Each stiff on set was stiffer than the next and when self-loving Dave Jones got on camera to talk Penn State football, there was more dead-air than a morgue.

All right - that's enough for now, but man, I got to tell you: that town of yours has more not-ready-for-prime-time players than a decade's worth of Saturday Night Live.
On the other hand, I had a 1 a.m. veggie mock steak and cheese at Larry's on Hawk Hill that may have been created by the Food Gods themselves.
Looking forward to hearing how much you enjoyed 'EEI. And maybe the chowdah?
Be well,
Davey Boston

Monday Sept. 6

Well, first of all, I must say, thanks your filling me in on the details of what Fenway Park is, who Pedro Martinez is, and what the sport of baseball is. As a Massachusetts native, I found these news flashes amazingly informative. Almost as much as a Pete would-somebody-please-find-his-darned-chair Sheppard 20/20 segment. And of course, Fenway is just down the street from my alma mater Northeastern. But again, thank you for the condescending attitude. I forgot how much I miss New England.

Yes, I will admit, WIP leaves much to be desired. I suppose that's what happens when the lone sports radio station has a monopoly on the market. Glad to see what competition has done in raising the bar between 850 WEEI and 1510 The Zzzzzzzzz (somebody wake me up now)-one. As far as "big time" college football is concerned, it's well known that this is Penn State country. If you want big time college ball, then this is your city.

So glad you have such a high-minded view of other city's residents. Inmates? Prison guards? And a few sentence later, a covert attack on African-Americans (and in your mind, those probably go together with the previous questions). Amazing how you can tell the race of a caller with the "twang of their voice." I guess you're more comfortable with the ramblings of Dan from Quincy. And you want "stirring rebuttals"? I just loved the exchanges going on with Dale and Neumy on Friday. Apparently, the only members of Sox Nation that could get on the line were fans who foolishly thought the third base coach should be fired. Stirring, riveting listening, I tell you.

So, it doesn't sound like you were thrilled with Daily News Live, eh? Well, from what I've seen on Boston's current offerings, I know you must have really missed Bob why-can't-Philly-get-broadcasters-like-that Lobel. Enjoy it the next time he rambles on with that Dan putting-my-kids-through-college-with-the-same-tired-curse-nonsense Shaugnessy.

Fortunately, we both appear to agree on one thing: Howard Eskin is a moron and a nitwit (though not necessarily in that order). OK, make that two things. Larry's cheesesteaks are among the best to be found in the city. I should know, I used to live up the street from Hawk Hill. But the next time you're fortunate enough to be down this way again, you really should make a trip to South Philly and enjoy a steak from Geno's. Just remember: "a steak WIT" means you'd like fried onions. Heineken's are sold separately.

Looking forward to your next rebuttal.

- Dave M.

Monday Sept. 6 (later that night)

Dave Philly -
So much for Brotherly Love, eh? And I was just getting ready to ask if you wanted to meet at any one of your numerous Wawa stores and have some Wawa Java. Guess not. Maybe another time?

I understand. I'm sure it can can be hard to realize your adopted residence is a Big League town with Double A-caliber sports media. At least if you lived in a real hick college town, you'd have some worthwhile college ball talk. Living in a "big" city should have other rewards besides constant heartbreak, miserable sorrow and a bum on every corner. Those incessant tourism commercials with the Cultured Taxi Driver sure don't seem to represent the Philadelphians we saw. Most of the folks seem to be walk around the area as if they're trying figure out whether Mike Schmidt and Dr. J ever really happened.
But you do have the small things. Atlantic City is nearby. John Chaney is a living legend. And Donovan McNabb gives good quote.

It must also be so comforting to drive by the Philadelphia Park Racetrack on your way home and see the Smarty Jones sign. You guys will always have a horse that choked to hold your heads high about.
Rocky should be ashamed.

Before we go any further, it was a bit PhillyNasty of you to play the Race Card and attack my observation that Philly has more African American sports radio callers. I'm big enough and secure enough to know that, in general terms, whites and blacks have different speech patterns and yes, "twangs." If you don't differentiate between callers that's fine. The rest of the listening public is doing it for you, not to mentiuon advertisers and radio execs.
But it's all good - OUR Pats open Thursday, OUR Sox are generating enough readable stories to fill the Daily Snooze for a year and believe me when I say this: OUR Celts are almost back. (Okay, not even I could say that with a straight face. The Celts suck. They might suck for the foreseeable future. But we're on a roll and face it, the Sixers ain't in no great shakes either. Steve Mix isn't walking through that door and neither is OUR Connor Henry).

My visit to your fair city did include a trip to the gargantuan Manayunk Brewery where the Bohemian ale Scott's Shots drank was blonde and the lady named Cat from Austin, was a brunette. And what a fine brunette she was. Not only did this tall drink of water have two feline-related tattoos below the belt and above the thigh, she also took the SS business card and gave it a loving home between her sizable assets. What a woman!
Sadly though, the one representation of a true Philly woman I could find came from a 27-year-old off-duty cook named Dawn who, we were pleased to find out, was from the Northeast.
"Oh yeah," I asked. "Whereabouts? I'm from Boston."
"Not that Northeast - Cotman Ave in Philly."
Of course. Classy dame, this one. Her lone Boston experience came with her ex-fiance (smart man) when it snowed "like seven feet that week and, without offedning you, Bostonians are f'in j---offs."
No offense taken. You seem to be a good judge of such things.
"We stayed at the Red Roof in Framingham for 60 bucks a night," Dawn continued. "In Boston they're rude as s---. They hear your accent and they think they can screw you. In the city they wanted like $279 a night. I make that in a week. But the Red Roof? We had a huge room and two king size beds."
Wow! Why can't Boston have chicks like that? She can cook (fries, anyway) AND she has a mouth like a trucker. Philly rocks! Let's Hit the Roof!
Don't get us wrong - it was heartwarming to see th Philadelphia Inquirer run a 20-page high school football preview for last Thursday. I learned the top Pennsylvania prospect is Callahan Bright, a defensive tackle and that made me chuckle because in Boston, the only ones who think Callahan is Bright are the Right Wing 'EEI listener(s). Point is, I was impressed with the dedication to schoolboy sports.
Then again, when all you've really got is schoolboy sports, it makes sense to cover the crap out of it.
Listen, Dave Philly. I don't want to have this petty war over our two fine cities bring us apart. We're both just guys on the side of truth providing valuable services to our sister web sites. In fact, to show my gratitude I'll even give you a tip on a great restaurant out on the Main Line called Nectar - take the little Missus Dave Philly over there and spoil her a bit. Lord knows she's not getting any big thrills from your sports teams.

All my best,
Davey Boston

Tuesday Sept. 7

Dave S.,

Well, this certainly has been interesting. Hopefully next time we will be able to schedule this debate so that we can get more timely responses to each other. It's been a bit hectic here lately. The next time we try and schedule one of these things, I might not be very close to a Wawa.

I do find it curious for a Red Sox fan to criticize another city for enduring "constant heartbreak, miserable sorrow, and a bum on every corner." But I guess you haven't gotten away from your little seaside shanty and visited Downtown Crossing in awhile. As far as the whole Smarty Jones thing, that never happened. Let's just say I found it as riveting as that PGA tour that recently passed through Norton, MA (as in, pass the Nyquil).

As far as the "race card," I'd like to remind you that I was not the one who threw that card on the table. But I call 'em like I see 'em, and your remarks certainly didn't come across very well to this reader this side of I-95.

I am glad that you were able to enjoy some of the "finer things" of the city on your visit. And we can agree to not further ignite a "petty war over our two fine cities." Let's just stop throwing so much negative vibes this far south, shall we? If we're going to throw nasty vibes out there, can't we at least pick on a mutually agreeable metropolis that is worthy of such venom, such as the home of the 26-world time champion, New York Yankees?

Sincerely,
Dave M.
PSMW

2004-09-02T17:25:00.001-04:00

Down and Out

It gets harder and harder to come up with attention-grabbing headlines when loss piles up after loss. It seems as if the Phillies last won a game in July. Actually, that's probably not that far off. They lost (again) to the Braves, 7-2, last night. Todd Zolecki, Marcus Hayes, Dennis Deitch, and Mike Olshin have the game stories. Olshin longs for the good old days when the Philies could beat up on the Brewers. Zolecki's notebook says Ryan Howard's name could be thrown out there at the end of the season as trade bait, since he has Jim Thome, signed through at least 2008, blocking him at first base. Olshin's notebook has Howard smacking a ball off the Dodge Durango sign on the right field second deck. Bill Conlin is not very happy with this team's performance:

The team you have helped lavish with your taxpayer contribution to Citizens Bank Park, this $93 million collection of ballflesh - Ed Wade's Misfits - represent a singular milestone in the 122-year history of the franchise. These Phillies represent rock bottom. The pits. It is as bad as it gets when measuring heightened expectation against underwhelming performance.

Sam Donnellon writes that blowing up this team isn't an option, and that it will be another long winter for this team.

Bob Brookover reports that Eagles' offensive coordinator Brad Childress clearly calling Koy Detmer the #2 quarterback, and says "there really wasn't that much conversation about it," stemming any (backup) quarterback "controversy." Les Bowen also reports the same, adding that Detmer's serving as David Akers' holder probably influenced this decision. John Nalbone openly wonders when rookie Shawn Andrews will be releasing a "best hits" album. Brookover's notebook talks about the extension referred to here yesterday on Brandon Whiting's delayed physical with the 49ers. Kevin Mulligan isn't exaggerating when he calls the 2004 Eagles the most "anticipated Philly sports season" ever and says "there hasn't been anything a close second." Bob Grotz has a notebook item about Terrell Owens' reaction to Hugh Douglas being a media magnet. Bob also has a must read interview in a sitdown with Andy Reid. Rob Parent says that with the re-addition of Jeremiah Trotter and Hugh Douglas, could Bobby Taylor and A.J. Feeley be far behind? Meanwhile, the New York Post's Mark Cannizzaro mentions how Herm Edwards' staff was "irritated" when the Eagles starters sat during last year's final preseason game, which "roced the hand of the Jets not to use their starters," as if that had anything to do with their 6-10 season.

Stephen A. Smith says Kobe Bryant still has lots of "issues," regardless of whether his legal troubles are now behind him. Smith writes, "someone is always doing something to him. It is never the other way around." It all boils down to the question, "what kind of man is he", and concludes that "the problem stems from his continual unwillingness to address the question at all."

Dick Jerardi wonders whether Penn State has become a "soft" team.

Mercifully, the local nine are off tonight.

2004-09-01T17:10:00.000-04:00

Lost Cause

The Phillies continued to self-destruct as August turns to September, as they lost to the team that will win their 13th straight division title this year, the Atlanta Braves, by a score of 5-3. Todd Zolecki and Mike Olshin have the game stories. Dennis Deitch includes a free bonus haiku in his game story. Marcus Hayes talks about a "cocky" Gavin Floyd making his way through the Phillies locker room. Deitch compares Floyd to "Leon" from the Budweiser commercials (Welcome to Philly, Gavin! -- Love, The Media) Both Hayes and Zolecki mentioned that Allen Iverson was booed while making an appearance at Citizens Bank Park last night. Zolecki's notebook also mentions Floyd's call-up, and says Ryan Howard will also seem some action in September. Is this a sign that Ed Wade has officially waved the white flag on this season? Not so fast, says Rob Parent. He quotes Ed Wade as saying, "anybody who can predict what it's going to take to win the division or the wildcard is probably kidding themselves a little bit." Ed, who's kidding who?

Bob Brookover covers the Hugh Douglas signing. While Douglas was looking for more than a one-year deal, as he learned with Jacksonville, "I signed a five-year deal..., and that turned into a one-year deal." Rich Hofmann quotes Joe Banner saying that Andy Reid "isn't different, but he also isn't exactly the same." OK, raise your hand if you're a bit confused after that one. Les Bowen also reports on the Douglas signing, and has Hugh really missing Philadelphia, especially the pre-game "Rocky" music. Apparently it beats the "Sweet Home Alabama" that Jacksonville would play before its games. Les also mentions that Brandon Whiting could be yet another ex-Eagle to rejoin his former team, if he doesn't pass his physical with the San Francisco. The original deadline for that was today, but the Eagles website has a statement from the 49ers GM saying that the teams have mutually agreed to extend this until Sunday "in order to explorer possibilities...to make the trade equitable in light of [Whiting's] situation" (he's still recovering from shoulder surgery). Bob Grotz mentions the unusual "greeting" that the Eagles' chief of security Butch Buchanico gave Hugh Douglas upon his return to the NovaCare Complex. Grotz' notebook says Koy Detmer will play the first half of the final exhibition game on Friday. Brookover's notebook says its pretty significant that many of Andy Reid's players want to come back and play for him. Continuing the "Super Bowl or Bust" theme, Al Morganti has this to say today:

The Eagles management expects to reach the Super Bowl. This is the opposite of what had been perceived as an indifference to winning it all when the Eagles were allowing veterans to walk away. As it turned out, the Eagles had good reasons and used good reasoning when they parted ways with players such as Douglas, Trotter and so many others. But the fact that Douglas and Trotter came back is a clear sign that they know the system in Philadelphia works and they know that this is the best spot for them to win a championship.

Bill Conlin submits one of his "when I'm King of the World" pieces and chimes in on A.I.'s performance at the Olympics:

It appears Athens could turn into a career epiphany for Allen Iverson, whose play and bearing was commendable in every way. That can only translate into good news for 76ers coach Jim O'Brien. While A.I. was coming up big, however, his former coach, Larry Brown, had a few layers stripped away from his legend status. The man was a coaching embarrassment, and it was good to see NBA commissioner David Stern voice his displeasure with Brown in no uncertain terms.

Matthew P. Blanchard talks about the backlash in Lower Merion over that school district's plans to enter a marketing agreement with Nike to sell Kobe Bryant's high school jersey, especially while said player is on trial for rape.

CSN has Braves-Phillies at 7:05.

2004-08-31T14:04:00.000-04:00

Chicago Flop and a Reunion Tour

Playing a makeup game against the Chicago White Sox, the Phillies went down, 9-8, in a game that seemed to feature a comedy of errors (at this point, who's laughing?) Jim Salisbury, Marcus Hayes and Dennis Deitch have the game stories. Salisbury says the Atlanta Braves are assuming their annual position atop the perch of the NL East.

Meanwhile, the reunion tour that is the 2004 Philadelphia Eagles acquired yet another ex-member when they picked up Hugh Douglas, who was cut by Jacksonville early yesterday. Les Bowen has the story, and proves to be somewhat culture-savvy, as he reports on this signing's impact on fan message board activity last night, as well as understanding Derrick Burgess calling Douglas' return "like Mase coming back to rap." Paul Flannery also has the story of Hugh's return, and as usual, Mark Eckel has all the nitty gritty details of the one-year contract, including incentives, that could come to just over $3 million. Rob Parent says Douglas gives the Eagles "a semi-healthy body that can muster a few sacks here and there this season, and a more-than-capable presence for defensive coordinator Jim Johnson’s run-stop schemes."

Bob Brookover writes that Donovan McNabb isn't worried about his critics, the ones who say he isn't an accurate passer, while answering them back with "it's all about the wins." Sam Donnellon says that McNabb and Terrell Owens have to just get the job done this year, as there will be no excuses. Bill Fleischman says Comcast SportsNet will soon be entering it's "all Eagles, all the time" portion of its broadcasting schedule, and provides programming times for some of the regulars in the fall lineup.

Ron Goldwyn seems to be in disbelief that the Sports Complex will be a parking nightmare well into winter. I guess that's what happens when you mix "four sports-entertainment facilities, the only such concentration of venues in any U.S. city," with a stadium demoliition that is behind schedule. Jon Marks thinks he knows why Team USA failed to bring home the gold (who doesn't?) And finally, David Scott, of our parent site Boston Sports Media Watch, has resumed his pouring salt in Philly's wounds:

A business trip to Philly mid-week will afford Scott’s Shots the chance to drink in some Philly Media Phlavor at the very time when the Phillies are doing their usual El Pholdo and the Eagles are attempting to reel in their usual array of misguided believers (who will be crushed like soulless gnats come January).

What do they say about pride coming before a fall?

CSN has Braves-Phillies at 7:05.

2004-08-26T10:58:00.000-04:00

Problems in Houston, Part Deux

If the Phillies get swept by the Astros, and nobody's paying attention anymore, do they still make a sound? Apparently, not much of one. Yesterday's 7-4 loss continued the Phils toward their inevitable path toward mathematical elimination. Todd Zolecki and Dennis Deitch have the game stories. Zolecki's notebook manages to compare Chase Utley with Barry Bonds and Scott Rolen with an creative use of statistics. Marcus Hayes writes that next year, pitchers and hitters need to "ignore the bandbox nature of Citizens Bank Park," and maybe that will help. "Maybe next year" seems to be the mantra already, and August isn't even over yet.

Onto more meaningful sports, Bob Brookover reports that, with Correll Buckhalter already out with a season-ending injury, Brian Westbrook is likely to see little playing time in tonight's exhibition game at the Linc. Meanwhile, Les Bowen has Corey Simon proclaiming, "I'll be reading to go Opening Day." Mark Eckel wonders if that will be good enough, since "he would have played zero preseason snaps before he is asked to chase whomever the Giants have at quarterback and stuff running back Ron Dayne." Bob Grotz is the master of 20/20 hindsight today, as he writes:

Buckhalter's loss to a torn patellar tendon planting the right leg opened the Eagles up to second-guessing. Why, for instance, didn't the Eagles add a big veteran running back until 34-year-old veteran Dorsey Levens was about the only capable body left? At various times, Eddie George, Corey Dillon and Antowain Smith were on the market.

Ron Goldwyn writes that, in their ineptitude, not only on the field, but in managing their responsibilities around the Sports Complex, the Phillies have managed to screw up things even for the Eagles. Stephen A. Smith says Team USA will win the gold, despite the negativity of the naysayers. The New York Post's Mike Vaccaro has Allen Iverson saying that if he "had the chance to do it again and represent my country, I would."

ESPN has preseason Steelers-Eagles at 8.

2004-08-25T10:23:00.000-04:00

Problems in Houston

Sorry the links haven't been forthcoming lately, there's some major changes happening for me right now, and I'll do my best to keep this going in the mean time. Today we offer an abbreviated links session, not because I don't have time, but because, quite frankly, it seemed as if all the writers covered the same exact thing, and very few brought something unique to the table...

The Phillies continued their downward spiral, dropping yet another to the Astros last night, 4-2. Todd Zolecki, Marcus Hayes, and Dennis Deitch have the game stories. Zolecki's notebook has Billy Wagner visiting the team doctor today for a "precautionary visit." Sam Donnellon says, no matter the future of Larry Bowa or Ed Wade, Phillies' president Dave Montgomery will be on the hot spot next year. He writes:

It's funny, in a bitter sort of way, to think that one reason the Phillies did not vigorously pursue Schilling last offseason was the thought that, at the advanced age of 37, he might break down. Instead, the rest of the Phillies' staff did. Schilling has been a workhorse in Boston.

Meanwhile, Bob Brookover reports that Corey Simon has a treatable case of plantar fascitis. Rich Hofmann believes the Eagles' success this year will depend largely on the offensive line. He writes:

The arithmetic is really pretty plain. Last season, the Eagles' offensive profile did not fit that of a championship team, not nearly. They ran only 944 offensive plays, fourth lowest in the NFL. They rushed the ball only 417 times, also near the bottom of the league. They scored enough points to win, and made enough dynamic plays, but the Eagles really didn't look all that good doing it, or all that consistent.

Les Bowen looks at the way rookie fullback Thomas Tapeh learned English when moving to this country (it involved watching Mighty Mouse).

Stephen A. Smith says that Pat Croce, while reporting at the Olympics for NBC, caught up with Allen Iverson and Larry Brown and bear-hugged them both. Stephen reminds us of the sad aftermath of Croce's departure:

Croce was supposed to be the president of the Sixers, the captain of a boat steering straight toward a parade at City Hall. It's been three years since he left - three long years of strife, mediocrity and undeniable misery.

CSN has Phillies-Astros at 2:05.

2004-08-19T11:19:00.000-04:00

Fading Fast

The Phillies continue to find new ways to lose, as they dropped yet another to the Houston Astros last night, 9-8. Marcus Hayes, Dennis Deitch, and Mike Olshin have the game stories. Sam Carchidi proposes that the Phillies change their slogan from "Real grass. Real fun." to "Real grass. Real disaster." Carchidi's notes says Ed Wade is "not doing daily updates on [the-manager-at-least-for-now Larry] Bowa," and left reporters with a "Bo is our manager, followed by a vague "You can interpret that any way you want." Wade also seemed to get a few digs in at the media, in response to a "Trade Wade" banner hung from the bleachers this week at Citizens Bank Park:

Everyone has their opinions. Some of them are well-thought out and informed; some of them are not so well-informed and are influenced by people's opinions who aren't well-informed.

Jim Salisbury reports on the progress (or lack thereof) of the owners meetings here in Philadelphia, the most pressing agenda item of which is the relocation of the Montreal Expos. Sam Donnellon picks up on a line from the Inquirer's Jim Salisbury yesterday, when he quoted Bud Selig, "we're going to get rid of Montreal," and said Canada's Homeland Security doesn't need to take that "threat" serilously. Jack McCaffery isn't so certain that Larry Bowa will be fired soon, or even after this current season comes to an end. After all, if Bowa can play the "injury card," why can't Ed Wade? That argument might hold water if Wade wasn't responsible for the lineup Bowa has to deal with, and if he had gone out and gotten healthy replacements instead of perfoming his annual arms-folded routine at the trade deadline.

Bob Brookover says Andy Reid will be going with rookie J.R. Reed for kick return responsibilities. Special teams coach John Harbaugh commented on a bad decision Reed made in the preseason game against the Patriots, when he ran back a ball kicked into the end zone:

It's an aggressive mistake, and you would rather see an aggressive mistake, than a tentative mistake. I mean, the guy thinks he can average 50 yards a return this year, that's where his mind is at right now. But my first thought when he runs it out of the end zone probably can't be repeated for a PG audience. After that, I thought: I guess I didn't cover that part well enough.

Shannon Ryan has Carlos Emmons talking a bit of smack, as he looks forward to lining up against former teammate Donovan McNabb. He also foolishly believes "a lot [of Eagles fans] will probably still cheer for me," even though he's wearing a Giants uniform these days. Imagine that. Les Bowen reports that Reid has eased up a bit at practices, as he does not want to unnecessarily risk further injuries to an already depleted defensive team. Rich Hofmann says Jim Johnson will deserve employee of the year recognition if he can rally his defense to overcome the injuries they've faced already. Bob Grotz writes that McNabb doesn't expect anything out of the ordinary from Ray Lewis when the Eagles face the Ravens tomorrow night in their second preseason game. Marck Eckel says Jim Johnson might be interested in getting Brandon Whiting back (he was involved with the Terrell Owens deal with San Francisco), and says that the 49ers have until September 4 to decide whether he has passed his physical or not. Les Bowen says the 49ers have until September 1 (again, isn't it fairly simple to see which of these dates is correct for these reporters?)

Phil Jasner reports that the Sixers may be interested in Ibrahim Kutluay of Turkey. The New York Post's Mike Vacarro says Team USA should look to its captain to lead the way in the Olympics. Yup, that's right, Allen Iverson. He writes:

You've seen Iverson play harder than any American not named LeBron James. You've seen him be vocal when he had to be, you've seen him offer counsel when it was necessary, you've seen him demand the basketball at important stages of the game. You've also seen him take accountability for the Americans' worst singular moment in the 68-year history of this competition.

He concludes his article, "If the captain thinks it's important enough to show up every game, you think maybe it's good enough for you, too?" Perhaps that was a veiled shot to, not only his current teammates, but to the folks who backed away from their commitments to the team. Regardless, I'm sure Howard Eskin will now label Vacarro a "nimwit."

CSN has Astros-Phillies tonight at 1:05.

2004-08-18T12:13:00.000-04:00

Houston We Have a Problem

The Phillies continue their downward spiral into oblivion, as they got blanked yesterday by the score of 5-0. Sam Carchidi, Mike Olshin and Marcus Hayes have the game stories. Larry Bowa poignantly admitted, "you're not going to win many games when you score zero runs." Carchidi's notebook has Eric Milton talking about the damage inflicted on his Fort Myers' home and neighborhood by Hurricae Charley. "Everywhere you looked, it was destruction," he said. Marcus Hayes writes about Jim Thome recounting a story from the 1998 All-Star Game when Roger Clemens (on the mound tonight for the first time against the Phils) gave him some advice during the Home Run Derby. Jack McCaffery has Larry Bowa saying that the rest of this season "will test guys' mental toughness." Jim Salisbury looks at the tenure of Bud Selig as commissioner, who looks back at interleague play, division realignment, and introduction of the playoff wild card as the biggest of his achievements. He'd rather forget having to cancel the 1994 World Series.

The biggest news out of Eagles' training camp was the loss of N.D. Kalu for the season with a torn ACL. Bob Brookover reports that Derrick Burgess was visibly upset with this unfortunate turn of events. Les Bowen gets Jevon Kearse's take on the latest news on the injury front:

Just knowing that he was going out there, helping out the "threes" and giving them an extra breather, it's the last play, so you figure you just go and get a good little pass rush, then call it a day. All you can do is pray for him and hope that he can bounce back to 100 percent.

Bob Grotz gets player reactions as well, including Hollis Thomas, who says not to push the panic button yet. Brookover also gets the reaction of the players to Baltimore Ravens' coach Brian Billick's comments in yesterday's papers. Thomas had this to say:

He's not the coach of our team. He can question things all he wants. He has no idea who the leaders are in this locker room. He's not here. He's in Baltimore. What he said is just ignorant.

Bob Grotz says Ike Reese may know why Billick seems so bitter:

How would Brian Billick know? Has he ever coached T.O.? How can he even make that statement? It just seems to me there's a whole lot of animosity and a lot of bitterness about T.O. not wanting to go to Baltimore.

Meanwhile, Ashley McGeachy Fox reports from Athens, where Team USA was able to hang on to beat host Greece yesterday, 77-71. Stephen A. Smith has Larry Brown lamenting the poor shooting of his team, and by NBA players in general. John Smallwood is sick and tired of Larry Brown complaining about the players making up the roster, when he had a say in who was selected to the team. He also has some pretty insighful comments from Allen Iverson noticing how the international players play as a team. Ashley McGeachy Fox has Iverson's teammates speaking of him 'taking a licking and keep on ticking,' as he played yesterday with a broken thumb.

Sam Donnellon debunks the "Curse of Billy Penn," while at the same time apparently acknowledging the "reality" of the "Curse of the Bambino" and "Curse of the Billy Goat" in Boston and Chicago respectively. Rob Parent has Bob Clarke's reaction to Jeremey Roenick's admission to gambling, in a published report on Sunday. Clarke simply said, "it's J.R. It's just J.R."

CSN has Astros-Phillies tonight at 7:05.

2004-08-12T19:24:00.000-04:00

No Updates Until Monday

Sorry folks, but I am attending a conference and will not be able to post either today or tomorrow, so we'll resume with the links Monday. Go Eagles, win the first preseason game against the Patriots tomorrow night!

2004-08-11T11:16:00.000-04:00

Home Sweet Home...Not

The Phillies failed to hold onto a lead at home for the second straight night, losing 5-4 to the visiting Colorado Rockies. This is a game they will probably regret if they miss out on the NL wild card come late September. Todd Zolecki, Marcus Hayes, Dennis Deitch, and Mike Olshin have the game stories. Jim Salisbury says "this is getting ugly. No, it was already ugly. Now it's getting uglier." Todd Zolecki's notebook says new Phillie Cory Lidle drove in from Cincinatti yesterday, and also features Kevin Millwood's latest injury woes, which have him not returning until mid-September, which might be too little, too late, for this team. Marcus Hayes wonders if Larry Bowa should tinker with the batting order to help out Jim Thome.

Bob Brookover discusses the supposed "controversy" of some remarks by Terrell Owens that have apparently inflamed the "lesbian and gay community." Owens' comments, which were really only answers to questions about rumors that former teammate Jeff Garcia is gay, will appear in an issue of Playboy which hits the stands this week. I have a question: which members of the "angered community" are actually reading Playboy? Just asking. Sounds to me like much ado about nothing. Bob Grotz chats with Brian Dawkins, who says T.O. just speaks his mind. The Philly media just loves having him around. They haven't had it this good since Charles Barkley was in town. Of course, Howard Eskin still has it that good because he's Barkley's caddy. Or at least, he plays one on TV. Jack McCaffery wonders, amid all the mounting (hopefully not serious) injuries at training camp, whether Owens may have had a point when he questioned the physical nature of Andy Reid's camps. He writes:

Has the level of camp contact been inappropriate for this particular team, at this particular time? There is no answer now, and there will be just one eventually. Either the Eagles, three-time failures in the NFC final, will reach the Super Bowl or they will not. If they play for a world championship, they will be saluted for their every move; if they fall short, they will be criticized like no other Eagles operation in recent history. So there will be closure, but it is months away.

Bob Brookover writes that Freddie Mitchell is a bit miffed his 4th-and-26th play didn't merit consideration at the ESPYs. Les Bowen reports that Nate Wayne gave Jeremiah Trotter his old #54 back, and it only cost Trotter "free car washes for the year" at the car wash that he owns in Cherry Hill. Mark Eckel talks with Todd Pinkston, who says "there were some things going on outside of football" that could explain the dropoff in his play (including a very forgettable performance in the NFC Championship game). Some of Pinkston's comments really make you scratch your head:

I'll be honest, I was kind of down when I heard [the team acquired Owens]. I thought James [Thrash] and I had chemistry. Now, I had to develop a new chemistry with him. There might me more pressure on me this year with him here. If teams are going to double T.O., I'm going to get single coverage and I'm going to have to make plays.

You're "going to have to make plays" Todd? That is what they pay you to do, right? I have no idea what Harvey Yavener is trying to say.

CSN has Rockies-Phillies tonight at 7:05.

2004-08-09T19:36:00.000-04:00

Pat Burrell Done for the Season

Breaking news: During the Phillies broadcast this evening, it was announced that Burrell will have season ending surgery on Friday. ESPN.com has the story as well. The injury puts another dent in the Phillies' efforts to make the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

2004-08-09T17:39:00.000-04:00

Salvaged Season?

The Phillies continued on the winning side of things yesterday by beating the Dodgers, 4-1, thus going just under .500 on this just-completed road trip that had some people wondering if Larry Bowa would still be the manager by the time the Phillies returned to Citizens Bank Park tonight. Todd Zolecki and Marcus Hayes have the game stories. Hayes says reliever Rheal Cormier met with Bowa last weekend to clear the air. Cormier has been one of the more outspoken critics of a clubhouse that allegedly had players "walking on eggshells." Hayes also has the players looking forward to returning home and playing some sub-.500 teams. Jim Thome says "you've got to win the games you're supposed to win." If the Phils do that, they should still be in the hunt for the playoffs by the time September rolls around, despite the injury bug which continues to plague them.

Bob Brookover writes that Andy Reid gave Terrell Owens a bit of a breather during yesterday's practice at traning camp. "He's had a history of groin problems, and I decided to back off his reps this morning," was the official explanation. Jack McCaffery tries to stir up the pot a bit, and wonders whether this unscheduled day off had anything to do with T.O.'s comments earlier in the week about the "physical" nature of Reid's training camp. In any event, McCaffery says, the timing was "odd." Brookover talks a bit about Dhani Jones trying to fit in with his new club. He has an interesting bit in there telling how Jones "worked" the New York City subway as a member of the Giants. Jones also says training camp is a bit different with the Eagles:

Philly is more of a market that is focused on football. It's really cool. In Albany, there are a lot of fans, but these fans are far more vocal and they really get involved in everything. People sleeping out for autographs? Man, that didn't happen in Albany.

Les Bowen has rookie Shawn Andrews making quite an impression early in camp. Bowen even references SI's Peter King and his visit to Lehigh last week. Here's what King had to say:

I saw Eagles right guard Shawn Andrews pulling this morning, and I was amazed at the kid. How can a guard be this fast? He pulls with the speed of a linebacker. And the ridiculous thing is he weighs 330 pounds. I was critical of the Eagles for dealing their second-round pick to move up to grab Andrews last April, but -- and I'm sure this will be the first time -- I may be wrong. One other guy who's having a great training camp: Donovan McNabb. Let's see what happens when the bullets fly, but his deep balls look better than I ever remember in terms of accuracy and form.

Over the weekend, Frank Fitzpatrick says the Eagles may have set some kind of NFL record with 25,000 people flocking to watch a practice on Friday. Jack McCaffery talks about the carnival atmosphere created by a championship-starved fan base:

This much is true, though: Never has an Eagles training camp seemed less like an opportunity for the Eagles to camp for the purpose of training. Instead, it has become a summertime happening of the oddest order, referred to by some as Eaglepalooza, a moveable series of day-long displays of confidence from the fans who seem to believe this football season is the beginning of the end of that 21-year sentence.

Mark Eckel had Donovan McNabb saying the Eagles could very well have "terrifying" talent this year. Eckel also believes the Eagles shouldn't have any problems winning their division, "despite the so-called improvements of the teams around them." Bob Brookover has Jevon Kearse eager to get back to the Super Bowl, so he can forget about his last visit there (as a member of the Titans, who came up "one yard short" against the Rams). Brookover also had a word for those who think Jeremiah Trotter will be a starting linebacker before long: forget about it. Bob Grotz says Mike Ditka is impressed by Donovah McNabb the person. John Nalbone shows just how different the Philadelphia fans can be: they got on Lito Shepphard's case when he allowed Todd Pinkston to blow by him on one play. This was, mind you, after he came away with a nice pick on a pass intended for Owens.

Mark Lelinwalla says Jim O'Brien is happy to have "warrior" Corliss Williams on his team, aka "Big Nasty." Phil Jasner tells the amusing story of Williams' godson talking about how Coleman beat his godfather up a few years ago. Jon Marks writes that Billy King feels that the newly aligned Northeast Division is theirs for the Sixers' taking this year. O'Brien feels "it will be a very closely contested division." One that the Sixers, with their current roster, and with the mediocre teams they are grouped with, should win the division with, I might add.

Howard Eskin had a good interview with Terrell Owens yesterday, taped earlier in the week at training camp at Lehigh. Sports Final will be on a 3-week hiatus, as NBC will be covering the Olympics in Athens for 3 weeks, starting with next Friday's Opening Ceremonies.

CSN has Rockies-Phillies tonight at 7:05.

2004-08-05T11:44:00.000-04:00

Going for a Sweep?

The Phillies continued on the winning side of things last night by beating the Padres, 7-5, remaining 4 1/2 games behind the Braves, who also won. Todd Zolecki and Marcus Hayes have the game stories. Todd Zolecki has two notes columns, one on Marlon Byrd's "fresh start," and another one mentioning that Pat Burrell could be headed for the disabled list. Jim Salisbury writes that, while there's enough blame to go around for the Phillies' woes between Larry Bowa and Ed Wade, don't forget that it's the players who either do or don't get the job done on the field. He closes with a hint of optimism, sort of:

There is still time to turn around this season, and by the time the Phils return home Monday, we'll know if Bowa will get the chance to do that, or if someone else will.

Marcus Hayes chronicles the batting woes of Placido Palanco, Jim Thome and Mike Lieberthal with runners in scoring position, and calls this one of the key reasons "why the Phillies are mired near mediocrity." Bill Conlin believes that Ed Wade should have done his homework before trading for Felix Rodriguez, who apparently did not get along well with Tim Worrell when they were teammates in San Francisco. He refers to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle from about three years ago where Rodriguez apparently demanded a trade because of "a personal disagreement with a teammate."

Kevin Mulligan writes that Terrell Owens was the big hit yesterday as autograph seekers lined up more than 24 hours in advance to get the "T.O." scribbled on various items. Not everybody went home happy, however, as one fan drove 22 hours from Orlando, got to Lehigh at 9:30, but couldn't get his #81 jersey signed because he didn't have a wristband. Owens has also made it clear (through the media) that "he does not sign anything from San Francisco, including old 49ers football cards." Bob Brookover notes that Donovan McNabb seemed to have a bit of fun at Owens' expense yesterday:

One guy held up a sign that said, "Marry me, T.O." That was awesome. We ragged on him for a while about that one. That just shows the love that they have for him in Philly.

McNabb was sure to widen his eyes while emphasizing the "love" when he said this, which seemed to get a chuckle out of the gathered reporters. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Brookover reports Brian Dawkins will miss a week of camp after injuring his knee yesterday. Bob Grotz reports that Dawkins is out "indefinitely," while Mark Eckel notes that the official word is "a week," but speculates the injury may be more serious and that he could be out longer, since "Dawkins had no comment on the injury, according to an Eagles spokesman." Jack McCaffery has a further look at Jeff Lurie's "State of the Eagles" address on Tuesday, and gives him kudos for supporting the aggressive off-season moves that Andy Reid made. Bob Grotz says ESPN's Mike Ditka paid a visit to Lehigh yesterday. Ditka says the Eagles are the favorites in the NFC, but still gives the nod to the Patriots as "the team to beat."

Mark Lelinwalla has an article discussing yesterday's trade between the Sixers and Pistons, in which Billy King was able to acquire Corliss Williamson, while ridding himself of Derrick Coleman, who did not figure into the team's plans anyway. Phil Jasner writes that his Pistons sources say that neither Coleman nor Amal McCaskill, also included in the trade, are likely to suit up for the team. Meanwhile, Allen Iverson was busy hitting the first buzzer-beating game-winning shot of his career (hard to believe, isn't it?), as Team USA barely squeaked out an 80-77 win over non-Athens-bound Germany. Caryl Kauffman says Jim O'Brien "loved" seeing Iverson hit the game-winner, and that "the fact that one of our guys was the one that hit the shot feels great." At the press conference announcing yesterday's trade, Billy King said, "I just spoke to Allen about an hour ago and he was ecstatic about hitting the shot."

Ray Parillo says the Big Ten will be the first conference to adopt a video review system this year. Finally, the Dallas Morning News has former Cowboy's quarterback Quincy Carter defending his name from rumors of cocaine abuse being the reason he was released from the team yesterday:

I'm shocked. I'm at a loss for words. The one thing I know and the people who have been around me all my life know is that cocaine has never been an issue for me. It never will be. And it's disturbing that a rumor like that would come out. I have not one bad thing to say about the Dallas Cowboys, Bill Parcells or Jerry Jones. I have a lot of friends on that team. I just want my teammates and fans to know that cocaine rumor is ridiculous.

CSN has the concluding game of Phillies-Padres at 10:05, with the Phils going for the sweep.

2004-08-04T15:07:00.000-04:00

It's a Start

The Phillies managed to get their series in San Diego ("the greatest city in the world", according to on-the-hot-seat Larry Bowa) off to a good start last night by hanging on to win, 5-2. Todd Zolecki and Marcus Hayes have the game stories. Zolecki's notebook has Bowa's reaction to the constant rumors surrounding his employment status:

I couldn't care less about the talk. I couldn't care less about it. We're the only team in the history of baseball where you lose four or five games and the manager gets fired. I couldn't care less about it. I just go out and do the best I can.

Meanwhile, Phil Sheridan outrageously proposes that the Phillies and Expos swap places. He writes that the Phillies are sounding more and more like a broken record:

Is it 2004 or 2003 or 2002? Does it matter? Not to the Phillies. They are like a computer stuck in an endless loop, doomed to repeat and repeat and repeat and repeat and - OK, you get the idea - until someone reboots it.

Meanwhile, Eagles' training camp coverage is beginning to dominate the sports pages more than the Phillies. Not that this should come as a surprise to anyone. Bob Brookover writes that Jeff Lurie is one happy NFL owner. Rich Hofmann has this interesting quote from Lurie that Glen Macnow played on WIP last night:

You're competing against 31 other teams. If your risk quotient is average, you'll probably be an average team. You'll probably be drafting 16th every year. You've got to be, from the top down, not risk-averse and be willing to make mistakes because the rewards are worth the risk. You take your shots. I'm a big believer in taking risks.

Hofmann notes that Lurie even managed a little self-deprecating humor, in reference to his "Eagles are the gold standard of the NFL" proclamation he made at last year's "State of the Eagles" address:

I try to have a little fun. You know, in today's world, the gold standard is kind of not-that-great anyway. You've got platinum cards. You've got black cards. You've got all sorts of credit cards these days.

Bob Grotz believes that Lurie has changed his tune a bit, noticing that he mentioned "winning the Super Bowl" (singular), as opposed to the multiple championships he may have alluded to in the past. Grotz writes, "A chunk of Eagles fans felt uneasy with the plural, for the Eagles had yet to break the ice with their first title."

Les Bowen talks about a brief scare involving Terrell Owens at practice yesterday, and also has another article talking about assistant coach Marty Mornhinweg's downplaying the part he played in landing T.O. here in Philly. Bob Brookover has a look at officials explaining the NFL's "point of emphasis" regarding illegal contact on receivers this year. Les Bowen has Todd Pinkston wisely saying, "if you look for help from a 'chuck' rule, you ain't doing your job." Bob Grotz has Ron Jaworski and Mike Quick saying the NFL is just trying to increase scoring, which will supposedly increase fan interest (and is this really necessary, since the NFL is already the biggest among the four major sports?), a la arena football. Nick Fierro explains some of the actual rule changes this year, including the banning of "choreographed multiplayer celebrations." The No Fun League at its finest. Paul Domowitch talks with Duce Staley, who can't seem to get the Eagles out of his mind. Here's some of what he had to say:

I strongly believe that, if we had been committed to the run in those three [NFC Championship games], we would've won all three.... I'm just thankful I'm able to move on with a good team that's positive. There's a possibility here I might touch the ball 25 times a game. With the Eagles, you can only dream of that. With the Eagles, to touch the ball 25 times, we've gotta be up 50-0. Even then, we might throw it on third-and-1.

A bit of exaggeration there, don't you think Duce?

ESPN's Bill Simmons is looking for suggestiosn from Philly fans about what game to show of the last championship team in this city ('83 Sixers) in a special NBA TV Weekend he is putting together for later this month. Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald wrote this yesterday:

Someone in the NBA home office clearly has a sense of humor. How else to explain a Nov. 3 opening night against Philadelphia at the FleetCenter, marking the return of the prodigal coach, Jim O'Brien? O'Brien and his retooled Sixers, including a new look with Allen Iverson controlling the ball even more at point guard, certainly increases the stakes in terms of drama.

The New York Post reports that Sixers fans need not worry, that Antoine Walker is apparently headed to the Atlanta Hawks.

Don Steinberg says the Phillies are behind schedule in terms of demolishing the Vet and replacing it with lots of parking spots in time for the upcoming NFL season. I guess Bowa's to blame for that too...

CSN has Phillies-Padres at 10:05.

2004-08-01T08:43:00.000-04:00

Off Until Tuesday

I'll be out of town until Tuesday, so we'll return with the links then. Thanks for your patience.

2004-07-30T15:55:00.000-04:00

Swept Away and Fading Fast

Ugly doesn't begin to describe the Phillies continuing woes in Florida, as they lost yesterday to the Marlins on the road, 10-1 for an unprecedented 14th time in a row. Todd Zolecki and Marcus Hayes have the game stories. Hayes says it got so bad the fans at Pro Player Stadium got excited and started chanting "we want doughnuts," since fans get a free Krispy Kreme dozen when the Marlins get 12 hits. Jim Salisbury says it got so bad the organ player even joined in to accompany the chant. Zolecki's notebook believes the Phils are seriously interested in the Yankee's Kenny Lofton. Hayes says that, with the trade deadline fast approaching, "the Phillies find themselves wallflowers at the dance."

Rich Hofmann quotes Ed Wade the GM:

It's better that everybody just figures it out, that we don't get bogged down in a four-game losing streak in Florida, or the fact that we're 3 ½ games out now, or that we're tied with the Marlins. We can't lose sight of the fact that this journey still has a lot of mileage left to it.

Regarding continuing speculation that Larry Bowa is on the hot seat, Wade said, "I don't think, all of a sudden, that people have to do daily job-status reports just because issues like this occur." Meanwhile, Dennis Deitch continues to add fuel to this fire, by citing:

Two sources within the organization said that a gathering of general manager Ed Wade and his brain trust in Clearwater, Fla., this week has involved more than phone calls and powwows discussing potential trades as Saturday afternoon's non-waiver deadline approaches. Apparently the topics at the table include a plan to replace Bowa as manager. This takes the speculation of Bowa's potential firing to a dangerous level.

To this, Bowa replied, "When you write articles like that, no, it doesn't worry me. I don't care." Deitch also chimes in on the miserable trip to Florida:

This wasn't a sweep. It was an epitaph. The Phillies weren't merely swept by the Marlins at Pro Player Stadium. They were buried, eviscerated, humiliated. Thursday's grand finale to the four-game folly was the most insulting, most blatant example of a team that has decided it has better things to do than give a damn. If one of those better things to do involves getting the manager fired, then at least they are on their way to accomplishing something.

In his Phillies Scoop, Deitch talks about speculation involving a three-way trade that would send Ricky Ledee to Boston, Derek Lowe to San Diego, and Jay Payton to the Phillies.

Meanwhile, Eagles' training camp will start seriously heating up this weekend. One of the bigger stories (or non-stories) is whether Corey Simon will show up (as expected). Bob Brookover writes about this, and had Simon wondering whether he'll go the way of Jeremiah Trotter (before he returned this year), Troy Vincent, and Hugh Douglas. Bob Grotz chats with Simon's buddy Paul Grasmanis, who admits, "I've talked to him quite a bit. I mean, I've been living in his house, for Pete's sake, mooching off him while my house was being fixed up." When Les Bowen pressed him for further details about Simon, he said, "I plead the Fifth." Brookover's notebook says Jerome McDougle will likely miss a few more weeks of camp than Andy Reid initially indicated. Les Bowen looks at Camden standout Jamaal Green facing an uphill battle trying to make the Eagles' roster this year. Mark Eckel reports that rookie Dexter Wynn will have the first crack at being the special teams punt returner. Eckel also writes about Kori Dickerson's efforts to make the team.

Phil Sheridan wonders what we really mean when we say "Super Bowl or bust." He writes:

So here we are (again). This is the year (again). It's Super Bowl or bust (again). Nothing less will be acceptable (again). Here's where it stands. The Eagles have an excellent chance to win it all this year. For all the media alarmist talk that the window of opportunity was slamming shut, the truth is that the Eagles will have a chance as long as Andy Reid is the coach and Donovan McNabb is the quarterback. Just as the New England Patriots will have a chance to win it all as long as Bill Belichick is the coach and Tom Brady is the quarterback.

Paul Domowitch continues a big theme of this week's articles, the "what if the Eagles had selected Ricky Williams" scenario. He starts off the column by quoting former Eagles VP of football operations Tom Modrak, who often had fans telling him they absolutely had to draft Williams. Meanwhile, the article reveals some of the reasons (besides Reid's insistence that they build around a franchise quarterback) why the Eagles' braintrust went with McNabb. "A guy has to be wired right to fit in here," Reid said. "You know you're going to have ups and downs, and get scrutinized and praised. You have be able to handle both and keep it all in perspective." And this, "Andy knew this was a tough city to compete in," Eagles president Joe Banner said. "He knew we weren't going to be good from the first minute he got here. He needed somebody who could grow through all of that."

Don Steinberg says Comcast has agreed to carry the College Sports Television network. The channel will likely be available to digital subscribers only.

CSN has Phillies-Cubs at 3:20. ESPN.com reports that the Cubs received the all-clear from the city of Chicago after installing netting under Wrigley Field's upper deck.

2004-07-29T15:00:00.000-04:00

Not Looking Good

If the Phillies are in Florida, then the forecast must call for rain and a loss. Their woes continued yesterday, as they lost their overall 3rd in a row (and a record 13 straight to the Marlins on the road), 6-3. Todd Zolecki, Marcus Hayes, and Steve Wine have the game (aka horror) stories. Dennis Deitch writes, "the Phillies have a new terminology for rain delays in Florida: Prolonging the agony." Todd Zolecki's notebook is the first of many to talk about the increasing tension in the clubhouse, which had Rheal Cormier being called to the "principal" (Larry Bowa's) office yesterday. Marcus Hayes describes it this way:

As onlookers gathered to gape at the pileup, the police chief stood on the curb amid mutilated egos and leaking life strewn all over the clubhouse and said, "Move along, move along, nothing to see here." Right.

Rich Hofmann believes "that the players hold Bowa's fate in their hands, just as they did after last year's infamous blowup in Montreal, just as they have since the beginning." He concludes "that on the subject of Larry Bowa, the players' actions will speak louder than their words." Jim Salisbury reports on this "poisonous" incident:

Position players, for the most part, hushed up on the subject of Bowa and environment yesterday. The boys who throw the ball for a living are probably a little more vocal because they don't exactly enjoy life under pitching coach Joe Kerrigan. In fact, there's an open disdain for Kerrigan. How else do you explain one pitcher greeting broadcaster Larry Andersen with "Hey, coach!" in the clubhouse, in front of plenty of uniformed personnel, on Monday?

Dennis Deitch takes a break from the clubhouse chaos and talks about a couple of the latest trade rumors, one which involves Houston's Carlos "he'll love the cheesteaks here" Beltran and the Yankee's Kenny Lofton. Dennis also mentions the potential for problems with the Phils' upcoming weekend series against the Cubs at crumbling Wrigley Field. George King of the New York Post also talks about the Phils' interest in Lofton.

The Eagles opened training camp yesterday at Lehigh University with all of their expected players. Phil Sheridan takes a look an "alternate" or parallel universe in which the Eagles selected Ricky Williams instead of Donovan McNabb. Bob Brookover writes about McNabb's increasing leadership ability and has him saying:

Although we've lost some key guys and key veterans, we also have some veterans here who have been in this situation. They know what it takes to prepare to get to the [NFC championship] and possibly further. So it's up to us to pick up our game another notch and lead the younger guys in the direction which we're all trying to get to.

Apart from his headline writer's inability to properly use a spellchecker, Les Bowen has a good articlea about how McNabb got together with some of his receivers in the offseason. "The chemistry is flowing now," McNabb said, after cracking a joke about bonding over "drinks with umbrellas." McNabb also had some words for those who feel the Eagles' season doesn't begun until the NFC Championship game:

Don't talk to us until Jan. 24th, then. Cut off your DirecTV packages and don't watch us on Sunday night or Monday night, wait and read about us in the newspaper the next day. If that's the way they feel about us, that's nothing we're going to get upset about. We're going to go out and give all we have on the field. It's great to know people feel we'll be back in the NFC Championship Game.

Bob Brookover has a look at the concerns regarding Shawn Andrews' nasal passages, which were recently operated on. Les Bowen also had Andrews a bit overwhelmed by the large media presence surrounding Eagles' training camp (hey Shawn, welcome to Philly!) Bob Grotz says Andrews is very thankful to be able to buy his mom a house with his newly signed contract money. He says "she's living a lot better than I am right now and that's the goal I set for myself." Jack McCaffery wonders, "has there been too much change for a franchise that regularly enters the NFC Final Four with a good chance to reach the Super Bowl?" After McNabb talked about taking the next step, Mark Eckel writes, point blank: "That next step is obvious. Anything less than the Super Bowl and the Eagles season will not be a success."

Meanwhile, John Smallwood has the Team USA basketball players saying that with "a lot of hard work and sacrifice," they can be a better team than the one that qualified for the Olympics last summer. It seems as if Smallwood is the only columnist from either the Daily News or Inquirer to be in Jacksonville this week. I've read from plenty of other writers this week, from Orlando to Boston (sorry, they didn't get linked to yesterday because it was a busy day), that wrote about Allen Iverson's feelings on being the team's co-captain. As I mentioned earlier this week, I find it curious that none of the Sixers beat writers (in particular, one who is still making his regular appearances on Daily News Live with Michael Barkann on Comcast SportsNet) were assigned to cover this. This would be the same writer who continued to belabor the point late last season that "it has been X number of days since Iverson met with the media," but who has been curiously silent on this issue since Iverson's surprise appearance at a Sixers' rookie workout in recent weeks.

At last check, the Phillies were on route to getting swept and "embarrassed" (I'm sure that's Larry Bowa's take) by the Marlins this afternoon 10-1. Has a manager ever been fired during a game before?

2004-07-28T22:37:00.000-04:00

We'll Be Back Tomorrow

Sorry I didn't post a message earlier, but I wasn't able to compose a post today. I'm in the middle of switching laptops that I use for maintaining the site, and hopefully everything will be back to normal tomorrow. Thanks for your patience.

In the meantime, Eagles training camp officially started today. Fly, Eagles, Fly...

2004-07-27T14:21:00.000-04:00

Not The Start They Were Hoping For

The Phillies dropped the first game of their 13-game road trip yesterday, 11-3, to the Marlins. Todd Zolecki, Marcus Hayes and Dennis Deitch have the game stories. Kevin Millwood says these trips to Florida have been good, except "from 7:05 to 10:05 it has pretty much sucked for us here." Jim Salisbury writes about Ed Wade heading to his Clearwater bunker so he isn't bothered by annoying reporters this last week before the trade deadline. He concludes:

Florida is an important state for the Phillies this week. Over in Clearwater, they're trying to pick up some talent. In Miami, they're trying to pick up some wins. Neither will be easy. But if the Phillies are going to stay in the race for the long haul, they will need success on both fronts.

Zolecki's notebook reports that Ryan Madson is likely headed to the disabled list today. Rich Hofmann has something to say about this:

The assumption all along was that, if nothing else, Wade would come up with the reliever to bolster a bullpen teetering on the edge of overwork. Well, teeter became totter sometime after 9:30 last night, when the Phillies announced that righthander Ryan Madson has an injured right hand and is "99 percent" certain to be going on the disabled list after an examination in Philadelphia today.

He goes on to add:

The question has been there for weeks, unasked and unanswered: If you have guys in your bullpen you can't use except to mop up, why are they there? Now, take away Wagner and Madson and it becomes official: The Phillies cannot survive this road trip without some immediate bullpen help. The stretch here is too hard, and too crucial - 13 road games in 14 days in four cities. And the Braves have now moved 1 ½ games ahead. The trade deadline is no longer Saturday, not if the Phillies are serious about this thing.

Bill Conlin weaves in Trading Places references and imagines what would have happened if he had ended up as the Phils' GM and Ed Wade was the Daily News columnist. He also provides a few more details about the "incident" that Ed Wade had with a reporter over the weekend:

Wade sputtered an angry denial and was still steaming when a veteran sports writer, who has filled in for his paper's baseball beat men for years, asked for a trade-deadline update. You have to understand this is a question Wade non-answers every day with name, rank, serial number and little more. But the way the GM game is played, it's a question a beat writer must ask to perform - using one of Ed's favorite phrases - due diligence. Wade started the exchange by suggesting if the man came out to the Money Pit more often, he wouldn't have to ask the same question he has been non-answering for weeks. The writer suggested Ed should call his editors and request he be assigned more often.

Marcus Hayes also writes that, without issuing any ultimatums, Billy Wagner is keeping a close eye on what moves (if any) the Phils make this week, as he has an option to become a free agent after this season.

What they do as the trading deadline gets closer will weigh as part of my decisionl. That, and where we finish, and what they do right after the season - what free agents they want, who they bring back, all of that. It's not, like, if they don't bring in Randy Johnson I'm leaving. I just want to see what they do.

Dennis Deitch also finds it curious that Placido Palanco sat out last night's game. Polanco was apparently not happy with the move. He concludes, "Oftentimes a sign of an imminent trade is when an everyday player sits out a game or two so an injury doesn't throw a wrench into the deal. The Yankees and A's are in the market for help at second base. Stay tuned."

Bob Brookover has a look at the players headed to Eagles' training camp this week. One of the players who may (or may not) be at camp is rookie Shawn Andrews, whose agent is still trying to work things out with the Eagles' front office. As there was when Jeremiah Trotter was signed to a contract a few weeks ago, there seems to be some confusion among the writers as to just where things stand with Andrews' situation. Bob Brookover has Andrews' agent saying "it's not looking like he's going to be in camp on time." Les Bowen has the agent saying, "I'm working on a counterproposal right now, but I don't think the deal will be done." Bob Grotz has the agent saying, "we're trying to get him into camp and we're working on doing it now, and we'll keep working on it." Doesn't sound very promising does it? Yet, Mark Eckel reports the following:

Eagles first-round draft pick Shawn Andrews should be with the team when rookies report for training camp at Lehigh University tonight. At the latest, he should be there when the rookies practice for the first time tomorrow morning. According to sources close to the situation, Andrews' deal was "90 percent" done as of yesterday afternoon and just needed some final touches.

So which is it? Meanwhile, Jack McCaffery offers his look at the upcoming season:

There will be Eagles in Bethlehem Wednesday, and they will be executing purposeful football tasks for the first time since their annual loss in the NFC final, not including minicamps and volunteer gatherings. And that means it is the best time of all for a primal scream that has not had as much reason to reverberate in 23 years: How 'bout those Eagles?

The Daily News' John Smallwood looks like he's the only writer (from a Philly daily paper anyway) who made the trip to Jacksonville to report on Team USA. The Inquirer had to resort to an AP feed for an article about Allen Iverson's thoughts on being reunited with his old coach Larry Brown. Marc Stein has a more indepth interview with Iverson, and gets his thoughts on being named co-captain of Team USA, to his feelings on Larry Brown's winning his first NBA title, and whether he had ever considered being one of the many players who withdrew from the Olympic squad. I would have hoped to read these answers from a certain Sixers beat writer in a certain paper called the Daily News instead of having to surf to ESPN.com to find them. Finally, Don Steinberg has a look at the "airfare economics" that many sports teams in other cities are using when it comes to gouging their fans more than they already are. He also has some good quotes from the local teams as to why they don't engage in such questionable practices.

CSN has Phillies-Marlins at 7:05.

2004-07-26T15:56:00.000-04:00

From No Hitter to No Decision, to Game Winning Walk-Off RBI

A strange day at Citizens Bank Park, as Eric Milton took a no-hitter into the 9th inning, gave up a cheap hit into "no man's land" in center field, proceeded to strike out two, give up a walk, and then gave up a game-tying hit. In either event, the Phillies managed to come out on top, 3-2, and the win went to Ryan Madson, who faced and struck out exactly one batter, Sammy Sosa. Sam Carchidi, Marcus Hayes and Jack McCaffery have the game stories. Carchidi's notebook has Jim Thome saying that if the Phillies go over .500 on their upcoming road trip, it'll have been a good one. Hayes has Bobby Abreu saying this about the trip: "This road trip is the one that's going to put us in the playoffs or keep us out, depending on how we handle it. Every team we'll play is fighting for their division or a wild card. Every game we've played since the All-Star break is a playoff game." Hayes also tells about an irritable Ed Wade, who was not happy about reports in this weekend's papers about whether pitching coach Joe Kerrigan could be on "thin ice", such as this one from Dennis Deitch (who Jon Marks, in an article on the subject, says is not "a regular beat writer"). Hayes also gets reaction from Phils' broadcaster Larry Andersen, who was mentioned in those articles as a possible successor to Kerrigan, and how the whole situation now becomes "incredibly uncomfortable" for him. How does he criticize the pitching staff on-air now without looking like he's throwing Kerrigan under the bus? McCaffery says maybe Kevin Millwood can be an ace yet, and talks about the rumors surrounding him:

For instance, no responsible New England-area baseball column skipped mention of the possibility that the Red Sox might acquire Millwood before the July 31 trade deadline, perhaps because Red Sox scouts were spotted last week in Citizens Bank Park. So, how humorous is the irony? As the Phillies are said to be browsing for starting pitching help, other teams seem to think Millwood is the answer.

John Smallwood has a look at Team USA, and has coach Larry Brown wondering whether they are the favorites to win the gold. Bill Conlin writes that there's only one day left until it's "All Eagles All The Time," predicting that the Phillies will soon be an afterthought. Les Bowen talks about the Eagles trying to nail down a contract with their first round draft pick Shawn Andrews. Over the weekend, Don Steinberg talked about how the Sixers front office staff brainstormed last Monday about marketing ideas for the upcoming season. Interesting ideas, and curious timing of the meeting, in light of my remarks last week on how the marketing materials enticing potential season ticket holders was postmarked on the day Snow was traded.

Sam Carchidi told us that, among players with 3,000 plate appearances, Jim Thome ranks 4th in at-bat/homer ratio (behind Mark McGwire, Babe Ruth, and Barry Bonds). Marcus Hayes said Larry Bowa was a bit surprised that David Ortiz, of the Red Sox, was suspended for only 5 games for throwing bats in the vicinity of the umpires, and if he had done that, when asked how long of a suspension he would get if he did the same thing, responded, "maybe life." ESPN.com has Antoine Walker looking to possibly reunite with his old coach in Philadelphia. Jack McCaffery says Austin Croshere could also be coming to the Sixers. Bob Brookover hopes that the changes made by the Eagles after "NFC Championship Loss III" don't lead to "NFC Championship Loss IV." Speaking of their offseason acquisitions, Bob Grotz (whose headline writer, coincidentally enough, borrowed a phrase I used here last Thursday) had this to say:

Largely because of Owens, the franchise is incredibly hot. It’s fifth in the NFL in merchandising revenue and boasts the most popular player in the league, for Owens’ No. 81 is the most sought-after jersey on the market. On an autograph engagement in Lancaster, fans began lining up for T.O.’s signature the Thursday before a Saturday afternoon appearance. (italics added)

Mark Eckel wrote: "This is the year. This has to be the year.... There will be no more excuses."

On Sunday night's Sports Final, John Clark chided the fans at yesterday's game for booing Doug Glanville. Howard Eskin berated Ed Wade for not being more proactive in making a trade as the dealine approaches this Saturday. Eskin also continued to make a big deal of "369-gate," and wanted to know why the Phillies "made a big deal of it," in his words. This is a complete joke, since he is the one who has made such a big issue of this over the past couple of weeks. Eskin continues to try and make it "all about him" with "reporting" like this. With Eagles getting ready for training camp in a couple of days, this is the type of story he chooses to cover for his "Eskin Inside" report. Pathetic. Reportedly, the Phillies were upset at Eskin getting into the ballpark and taking his own measurements. Question: wouldn't it be trespassing for Eskin to be on the field if the Phils weren't playing at home and the ballpark was closed? Nice example for someone who is constantly barking at others to "do the right thing."

Yesterday, Jim Salisbury and Todd Zolecki had an article hopefully putting and end to the whole "369-gate" madness. In that article, you can see how much the Phillies front office is clearly perturbed about the whole thing (as mentioned earlier regarding Howard Eskin). PR Man Larry Shank said, after the official tape measuring was completed Saturday morning, "Whew.... You guys going to the Linc now?" President David Montgomery offered a mea culpa about the whole fiasco. As for those who aren't buying the whole "we did it for asthetics" argument (Eskin, last night, said this was baloney), Montgomery offered this reasonable explanation:

When we went to place the 369 sign, the workers said, 'It's supposed to be here.' I wanted more space between the sign and the ad. They estimated it would only be a three- or four-foot difference. I said, 'Fine, let's do it.' We weren't attempting to deceive anyone. We made a mistake.

Salisbury and Zolecki also says that the Phillies are reportedly close to a deal to land Arizona Diamondbacks centerfielder Steve Finley.

CSN has Phillies-Marlins at 7:05.

2004-07-23T15:23:00.000-04:00

Up and Down

The Phils mounted a failed comeback yesterday afternoon and fell, 10-8, to the visiting Marlins, dropping again into a first-place tie with the Braves. Todd Zolecki and Marcus Hayes have the game stories. Harvey Yavener says the clutch hitting seems to be "hit-and-mostly-miss." Dennis Deitch describes the season as a "maddening jog up the down escalator." Zolecki's notebook broke my rule from yesterday about not using the words "Pythagorean theorem," so we won't talk about it any further. Mark Lelinwalla looks at Jack McKeon's decision to put in closer Armando Benitez in the middle of Jason Michael's 3-1 count yesterday, with the bases loaded. Hayes' notes says that "since trade talk including Kevin Millwood began (talk the Phillies, to Millwood's digust, did nothing to dispel), Millwood is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA." Bill Conlin has some stinging words for Pat Burrell:

He's the only athlete in the town's checkered professional sports history to be consistently cheered during a season where he hit .209 while stranding more people than the last transit strike. This guy was Teflon with a coating of olive oil, dancing away from blame like a drop of cold water on a hot skillet. Well, big guy, the red laser dot is in the middle of your forehead now.

Jim Salisbury has a look at the upcoming series against the Chicago Cubs and reports the bizarre news that Chicago mayor Richard Daley is threatening to shut down Wrigley Field because of falling concrete from the upper deck. Kevin Mulligan says the city of Chicago is thinking of stealing the idea of the former "Eagles Court" for those hooligans outside of Wrigley Field. Speaking of Chicago, Don Steinberg talks about Comcast SportsNet extending its reaches into the nation's third largest market. He notes:

Unlike in Philadelphia, Comcast won't withhold Chicago games from local satellite TV. "In Chicago, we need to distribute by satellite in order to reach all the homes in the territory," said Jack Williams, chief executive officer of Comcast SportsNet. "It's really a distribution issue... Philadelphia is a small market geographically [where] we don't need to distribute by satellite." Comcast also will sell Chicago games to competing cable operators, because it doesn't dominate TV land lines there as thoroughly as it does here.

In other words, we don't allow satellite to carry CSN because we can get away with it in Philadelphia, and we weren't able to impose our monopolistic will in Chicago. Hopefully the legislators in this city and state remember that in the fall when the whole "give us a new tax-free skyscraper headquarters" issue comes up again. Steinberg also mentions an NFL documentary, Football in Philadelphia, which airs on the NFL Network next Tueday. Again, Comcast customers are screwed. You'll have to wait until the DVD comes out in September.

Marc Narducci looks at "one trade rumor that won't die" that has Antoine Walker coming to the Sixers for Glenn Robinson. Narducci also says another Eastern Conference team is talking to the Mavs about trading for Walker. Jon Marks indicates newly acquired Kedrick Brown would have to be thrown into that deal in order to make the salaries match. Dave Zeitlin has some remarks from Jim O'Brien that seem to insinuate that Eric Snow might not have remained a starter had he not been traded to the Cavs this week. "If Willie Green beat out Eric Snow, that would have been uncomfortable for Eric." Responding to reports about an increasingly "bulkier" Kedrick Brown, Phil Jasner quotes Jim O'Brien, "I think, if you took Kedrick's body fat, you'd be shocked at how trim he is. He's a big guy. The first time I ever stood in front of Kedrick, I was shocked at the size of his shoulders. I've never known him to be out of shape." I will say one thing, after seeing him at yesterday's press conference, Jim O'Brien is right, he is "big."

Paul Domowitch has lots of questions about the upcoming NFL season. He says Carolina and Seattle are the biggest roadblocks to the Eagles' road to Jacksonville, the Patriots are still the favorites in the AFC, and that he doesn't think anybody in the NFC East poses a threat to Andy Reid's club as they look to hold onto their division crown. Finally, Frank Fitzpatrick doesn't like the NHL's move to callously layoff 70% league staff when the owner imposed lockout likely happens in September. He says with $300 million in cash reserves, the NHL should be showing a little more loyalty to its staff.

UPN57 has Cubs-Phillies at 7:05.

2004-07-22T12:59:00.000-04:00

Ledee Saves the Day

In a tight pitchers duel, and the lowest scoring game in Citizens Bank Park's short history, the Phils finally conquered their division nemesis with a 2-1 victory. Ricky Ledee provided the game winning homer in the 7th, after robbing the Marlins of a sure home run earlier in the game. Todd Zolecki, Dana Pennett O'Neil and Dennis Deitch have the game stories. O'Neil talks with the struggling Pat Burrell, who was benched for last night's game. Burrell said, "I haven't swung the bat real good and this is part of the deal. Sometimes it helps to take a break, slow the game down a little bit and get away from it." Jack McCaffery writes:

The Phillies had to know that once it was activated--and it has--the day-to-day Burrell meter would not soon cease its haunting clicking.... The issue will be like the summertime humidity--it's going to linger for a while, and it will neither be comfortable nor aromatic.

Mike Olshin openly wonders, "what if the move that gets the Phillies over the top in the National League East this year is the one general manager Ed Wade didn't make" by sticking with a resurgent Kevin Millwood? Sam Donnellon has Ed Wade talking about some of the "market changes" as the trading deadline approaches. He quotes Ed Wade, "All of a sudden some of these teams that were close to the wild card, things happen and they slip out. And they're sort of stuck." Olshin has Wade stating the rather obvious, "I think we need to approach July 31 with the serious thought that it is an important date." Well duh.

As the fallout from "369-gate" continues, the Phillies admitted, to Howard Eskin's cackling delight, that the posted 369 sign in left-center was incorrect. Zolecki's notes column has Phillies VP of PR saying, "we went out and measured it." CBP leads the majors with 144 home runs over its walls. One pitcher says the Phillies are "going to have a tough time getting pitchers to come here in a few years." Deitch continues on this theme, and says it's going to cost the Phillies more bucks to lure free agent pitchers, as s result of the "bandbox" of their ballpark. In response to the Phillies reasoning for the original placement of the 369 marker for "asthetic reasons," Deitch chastises:

Those who have attended games regularly and don’t spend those three or more hours in a vegetative state know that excuse is outlandish, since the 369-goot sign was closer to the Bud Light ad. The panels to which Wade alluded are five-feet wide; the sign has moved at least 50 feet to the right of where it was.

He also goes on to "prove" the original posted markers were wrong by invoking the Pythagorean theorem. I'm sorry, maybe it's just me, but those two words should never appear in a sports column.

Kevin Mulligan sits down with Phillies Director of Broadcasting Rory McNeil and discusses issues related to current and future broadcasts. Kevin also has nice things to say about a classy Eric Snow as he departs town. I received a marketing promotion from the Sixers this week. I don't know if it was to former season ticket holders, or to just customers who've purchased tickets to single games, but curiously, none of the materials featured Snow. Prominently featured were Allen Iverson, Willie Green, Samuel Dalembert, and Kenny Thomas. The mailing was postmarked the day Snow was traded. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Earlier in the summer, a caller to Glen Macnow on WIP had mentioned that in the marketing materials sent to current season ticket holders with their invoices, Iverson did not seem to appear anywhere, leading to speculation that he might be moved, despite Billy King's insistence that was not going to happen. This was either inaccurate, or just a coincidence, it would now appear.

John Smallwood doesn't want the Eagles' season to be a "one-game season," but he admits that it's Super Bowl or Bust this year, and that "their season will officially begin" on January 23, 2005, the date of this year's NFC Championship game (exactly 6 months from tomorrow, so let the worrying begin!). With training camp less than a week away, Les Bowen has 15 questions about the upcoming season. He also mentions that the Eagles aren't interested in bringing in Eddie George. If I'm Andy Reid, I have to at least be giving this some serious thought, especially with the question marks that seem to always surround Brian Westbrook's health. If the Eagles were to add George, would this year's Eagles represent something like the LA Lakers "All-Star" cast from last year, minus the petulant, selfish player who stands accused of rape? Just wondering.

CSN has Marlins-Phillies at 1:05.

2004-07-21T11:43:00.000-04:00

Wagner (Barely) Saves the Day

Well, closer Billy Wagner made things a bit tight, loading the bases before closing the deal and preserving the Phillies 4-3 victory over the Braves last night, in extra innings, moving them back into a first-place tie with Atlanta. Todd Zolecki and Marcus Hayes have the game stories. Dennis Deitch writes, "say what you want about the Phils. But somehow they continue to bob along in the swirling seas of the National League East." Deitch's notes column also shows how much importance the Braves placed on this 2-game series, recognizing a chance to put a little distance between themselves and the Phillies, by going to their closer John Smoltz for "double duty."' Jim Salisbury looks at Jack McKeon's victory cigar-lighting ways. Let's hope he won't be lighting up too much over the next 6 of 9 games. Zolecki's notebook has some follow-up, it seems, to Howard Eskin's "laser measurements" of CBP, and has the Phillies' apparent response. Eskin reported that the biggest discrepancy was in left-center field, near the 369 foot marker.

But that measurement hasn't been accurate since the season started. It's actually several feet shorter in that particular spot of the park. It should read "369" three panels closer to center field, and the Phillies plan to move that panel there. They apparently put the "369" panel in its original spot for aesthetic reasons. They wanted to avoid putting it too close to advertisements.

It was Eskin's contention for the past few weeks that all of the measurements were short, and he was emphatic that the left field line was off, which he now knows he was wrong about. Hayes' notes column talks about the success rookie middle reliever Ryan Madson has been having. His 0.93 ERA is best in the majors. Sam Donnellon whines that the state of Florida has been besting Philadelphia for the past couple of years. This column was entertaining a couple of months ago, when fellow Daily News columnist John Smallwood wrote it.

Mark Lelinwalla talks about the changing of the guard, with the Sixers trading Eric Snow for Kevin Ollie and Kedrick Brown yesterday. As a courtesy to Snow, Billy King kept him involved in the discussions. Phil Jasner says this is a homecoming of sorts for Snow, and also hints that there may be more deals coming, including "recent" conversations he'd had with Dallas (which could have Antoine Walker reuniting with Jim O'Brien). Caryl Kauffman says O'Brien is satisfied with what he's seen of Willie Green, and this deal shows he will "play a more prominent role than he had in the past." Stephen A. Smith weighs in on the deal, and writes, "to some, it is a sad day. To others, it's time to throw a party." I know "The Professor"', a season ticket holder who sat behind me when I had seats up until 2 years ago, is one of the ones throwing a party. He hated the way Snow would slow down a game (of course, at Larry Brown's pace). Jon Marks has O'Brien commenting on Brown's inclusion in the deal: "Kedrick's extremely athletic and is a big time leaper. He hasn't really found his niche, but when he's in the game he makes things happen." Well, he didn't get any playing time with O'Brien in Boston, and I don't see that changing here. He seemed to be included in the deal to help make the salaries match, with the added bonus that he's a free agent next summer. Unless he makes a serious turnaround this season (he's allegedly put on quite a few extra pounds this summer), look for him to be gone next year.

Bob Grotz writes about how the WIP phone lines have been lighting up with Eddie George talk. According to the Eagles, nothing will be happening here.

CSN has Marlins-Phillies at 7:05.

2004-07-20T15:26:00.000-04:00

Sixers Trade Snow

In an otherwise slow day in sports news, the Sixers have traded Eric Snow. This is likely an indication that Jim O'Brien will have Allen Iverson playing more at the point. This is Kevin Ollie's third stint with the team. Curiously, Kedrick Brown is part of the deal. I say curiously because O'Brien was known to have used Brown very sparingly when he was with the Celtics.

Thanks to our parent site operator for pointing this trade out to me on an otherwise busy work day (for the both of us).

2004-07-20T12:48:00.000-04:00

Chasing the Braves, Again

Talk of the Braves ending their 12-year reign as division champs was apparently premature. With their 4-2 victory over the Phils last night, Atlanta claimed sole possession of the top spot in the NL East. Todd Zolecki, Marcus Hayes, and Dennis Deitch have the game stories. Zolecki's notebook says the Braves have come a long way in the past 4 weeks, as they were 6 1/2 games back on June 23, and this morning, they're up a game on their rivals in the division standings. The Phillies will have to earn a split of the series tonight if they hope to undo last night's damage. Hayes' notebook has Eric Milton looking to remain a Phillie after this year. Stephen A. Smith has nothing good to say about "Mr. Winless, Paul Abbott (0-4)." He says the "city's patience is rail this at this point, tired of the excuses." Tells us how you really feel Stephen.

In his column yesterday, the Boston Herald's Jeff Horrigan adds some fuel to the speculation that the clubs are planning on swapping struggling starters:

Bill Lajoie, who is a special assistant to Sox GM Theo Epstein, was spotted at the Mets-Phillies series at Shea Stadium over the weekend, fueling speculation that Boston and Philadelphia may be considering a swap of disappointing free agents-to-be: Derek Lowe and Kevin Millwood.

A fairly light day in the sports world otherwise. Don Steinberg reports on a new book called Winning the NFL Way: Lessons from Football's Top Head Coaches. Andy Reid's agent is quoted in there, and makes this interesting observation:

These men are able to do what Jack Welch [the former General Electric CEO who inspired countless management books] couldn't do, and that's to get people who make five or 10 times the money they do, every day, to run, jump, skip, hop - and like doing it. If Jack Welch walked into a meeting room where we all made 10 times more than he did and told us 'Go out and get this done, the way I want,' many of us would get up and leave the meeting.

You can help contribute towards the maintenance of this site and its parent site by purchasing this book on amazon.com using the link below.

Finally, at our parent site, David Scott continues to have nothing nice to say about Philly.

Many people still think C Nothing at 8, 9, etc. . . is nothing more than bad community-TV for Philly. Which, with Lou Cannon always hovering, may very well be true. . . NOTE: Philly joke not intended to anger the legions of Scott’s Shots Philly phans who visit our sister site in our brotherly city. On second thought, those visitors can’t read anyway, so what’s the difference?

Not only can we read, but we can also tell you that your columns are examples of the kind of writing our English teachers told us to avoid.

CSN has Phillies-Braves at 7:35.

2004-07-19T10:20:00.000-04:00

Battle with the Braves

Yesterday, the Phillies settled for a series split with the Mets, dropping a 6-1 loss, and ruining a good-but-not-good-enough outing for Brett Myers. Todd Zolecki, Marcus Hayes and Paul Flannery have the game stories. Looking at the upcoming 2-game set against the Braves, Jimmy Rollins confidently said that the worst-case scenario, a Braves sweep "won't happen." Despite Myers' improved performance, Jim Salisbury says "pardon us if we don't share in the giddiness," since a loss is still a loss. Hayes has Jim Thome saying that "starting pitching is what gets it done in the second half." Flannery has Larry Bowa reiterating those sentiments: "Whoever gets the best starting pitching, or makes the most significant move and comes up with a starting pitcher" will have the advantage when it comes to making the playoffs. Bowa is talking, but is Ed Wade listening? Speaking of the GM, Al Morganti says that "if he truly believes that the team that could not put a choke hold on the Mets is good enough to win the division and beyond, there really is no reason to think it will be the Phils in the postseason instead of the Braves or Marlins."

Sam Donnellon offers a mea culpa for being a no-show at the post-game press conference the day he wrote the "Bowa must go" article. He says, in retrospect, he should have been there, but he already had made vacation plans that he wasn't going to cancel. He adds, "that's the fun part of this job, the give-and-take, even if it occasionally requires an insult-filled conversation with Howard Eskin. (Is there any other kind?)" Speaking of Eskin, last week on WIP he continued to whine about the "innaccuracy" of the measurements at CBP. Last night, on Sports Final, he demonstrated that it's "all about him" when he made a big deal about how he had used a laser measurement and checked the posted distances on the outfield walls. Two of the four posted numbers were spot on, center field was actually 2 feet farther than the posted distance, and left-center was allegedly 7 feet shorter than the posted distance. Of course, Eskin did not detail the specific procedures he used, nor did he mention whether he bothered to have someone else verify his measurements. Apparently, if you're Howard Eskin, you can't make mistakes.

Yesterday, Sam Carchidi talks about Bobby Abreu joining the "20-20 club" for the 6th straight year (20 homers, 20 steals), adding him to the unique company of Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonds, and Willie Mays. His improvement has not gone unnoticed by other teams' fans, as he received a smattering of boos when introduced at Shea Stadium over the weekend. As Dennis Deitch notes, "when your performances cause enough heartache in opposing fans that they take time to boo you, you know that you've made it." Jim Salisbury looks at potential moves with the upcoming trading deadline, with Randy Johnson being this year's deadline sweepstakes prize. In Saturday's notes, Carchidi had more on the possible Derek Lowe-Kevin Millwood swap with the Red Sox. Sarah Rothschild had Larry Bowa saying "this race is going to be all the way down the wire."

Over the weekend, Jack McCaffery says Andy Reid listens to the fans, but only takes their advice reluctantly. Or something like that.

In all sincerity, give Reid this: He will admit when he is wrong and then give in, kind of like the Phillies did when they finally started spending money. And if that willingness to bend is what allows the Eagles’ Prime Minister to grand-marshal a world championship parade, well, he will deserve every aggressive salute.

CSN has Phillies-Braves at 7:35.

2004-07-16T13:37:00.000-04:00

Not Exactly the Start You Were Hoping For

The Phils started the second half of the season last night in disappointing fashion, dropping an extra innings affair at Shea Stadium, 3-2. Sam Carchidi and Marcus Hayes have the game stories. The game winning play was a bases loaded infield "single" (scored very generously in my opinion). As I watched the game, I thought the "hit" was quite playable, and should have been caught by catcher Mike Lieberthal at the plate for the force out. The Phils are now 3-7 in extra innings games. Carchidi's notes column has Larry Bowa guessing that it will take 90 wins for the Phillies to take the NL East, which means they will have to do much better than they have so far. Hayes says pitching coach Joe Kerrigan will cease his laissez-faire attitude and will revert to his more hands-on approach. He also has Bobby Abreu calling the All-Star game "the greatest experience of my career." Rich Hofmann has a look at the upcoming difficult stretch for the Phillies and says, "while they can't win the National League East in the next 3 ½ weeks, and they can't lose it, there is the chance to move from favorite to long shot." Frank Fitzpatrick wonders how, with a taxpayer-funded new playground, the Phillies have the audacity to charge admission for ballpark tours ($8 adults, $5 children). This does seem a bit ridiculous, and is something the city should have included in part of its negotiating package with the team. But as usual, the politicians in this city can't get anything right. In the Business section of today's Inquirer, Andrew Cassel looks at capitalism at work with the vendors outside the ballpark.

Contrast this with what happens inside the stadium. It's clear from the moment you pass the ticket gate that different rules apply. Prices aren't based on competition, but on somebody's calculation of what the traffic will bear. That is to say, each pretzel, Pepsi, or plate of nachos costs just marginally less than whatever would make the average consumer walk away.

A very contrite Jeremiah Trotter was introduced as an Eagle again yesterday. He apologized to Eagles fans, and seemed to demonstrate sincere humility throughout his press conference. Even in today's papers, there continues to be confusion over how much the veteran minimum for a player with his years of experience, but it looks like the majority seem to indicate it's in the $535,000 range (thought Comcast Sportsnet still reports it as high as $775,000 on its main page). Several writers have quotes from the press conference. Mark Lelinwalla:

Sometimes in life you make bad decisions, and I should have never left Philadelphia in the first place. I was praying a lot, hoping God would lead me back here, and he did, so I'm happy things worked out the way they have.

Paul Domowitch:

But God is so good. He allows you to make mistakes and still fixes them for you.

And finally, this interesting revelation quoted by Mark Eckel:

I had this dream that I called coach Reid we talked and I apologized to him. When I woke up, I was breathing heavy. That might have been God's way of telling me something. I called my agent (Jimmy Sexton) and told him I needed to talk to coach Reid. He said he would get me his cell phone number. I couldn't believe I got through on the first try. Coach told me when he's on the boat the calls usually don't go through. If he had leaned one way or the other, I wouldn't have gotten him.

Sam Donnellon is sick and tired of teams just looking good on paper. Bob Grotz has the humbled Trotter fine with not having his old #54, now worn by Nate Wayne. "I don't want to step on anyone's toes or ruffle anyone's feathers," Trotter said. "I'll play without a number. I'll be the blank-man."

Phil Jasner clarifies the details of Brian Skinner's 4-year, $20.7 million contract. Stephen A. Smith looks at the mess that the NBA has been this summer. He mentions that with Kenyon Martin getting traded to the Denver Nuggets, "now Jason Kidd wants to be traded." I have not heard this elsewhere.

UPN57 has Phillies-Mets at 7:10.

2004-07-15T18:23:00.000-04:00

Welcome Back, Trotter

That seems to be the theme in today's sports sections, begun yesterday by NBC's John Clark, who "remixed" the old TV show theme song from the 70s. As mentioned here late yesterday afternoon, the Eagles have signed a 1-year deal with former Eagle Jeremiah Trotter, who was cut by the Washington Redskins earlier in the summer. There seems to be some confusion as to what the deal is worth. All seem to agree that it is for the veteran minimum (which has positive salary cap ramifications for the club), but Bob Brookover says it's for around $660,000, Paul Domowitch says it's for $750,000, and Bob Grotz says the veteran minimum is $535,000. So which is it? And shouldn't it be fairly straighforward for NFL beat writers to find out what it is? Mark Eckel believes that "if Trotter is anywhere near the player he was when he left the team as a free agent after the 2001 season, he will be the starter by midseason or sooner." Rich Hofmann has this to say: "It is almost biblical, this story of Jeremiah Trotter, of the prodigal linebacker - except that this is a parable without either a lesson or an ending. Until January, anyway." True enough.

Todd Zolecki begins previewing the second half of the season for the Phillies, which will see them open with 19 of 24 games away from home. Zolecki notes that Jim Thome could be the first player in Phillies history to hit 50 homers in a season. Paul Hagen wonders if the trend of second half of the season collapses we've seen in recent years will continue. Marcus Hayes has the players believing that, for the injuries and pitching woes they've endured in the first half, they're not in bad shape. Dennis Deitch dreams up this wild trade scenario:

If there were no boundaries, the Phillies could have Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez (a hotly rumored deal that the Phillies can’t do has Boston offering those two to the Phillies in a three-way deal that would make Randy Johnson a Red Sox -- but the Phillies would have to unload Jimmy Rollins, Millwood and Cole Hamels).

Jack McCaffery wonders why the Phillies aren't participating in the Randy Johnson sweepstakes. He believes there's reasons the Phillies have to make this kind of move:

A five-star hotel lobby as a clubhouse in a breathtaking new ballpark, that’s why. Money -- the money the Phillies gather nightly from their ever-popular souvenir and concession stands -- that’s why. A rabid fan base that has created 26 sellouts, that’s why.

A hitter's ballpark, I might add. And while the Phillies can be rightly proud of 26 sellouts, one only has to venture a little northward to run into the rabid fan bases of the Yankees and Red Sox, which is why this pipe dream won't happen, Jack. Finally, Mike Olshin looks as the possibility of landing Boston's Derek Lowe:

Lowe might be the most intriguing of all the available pitchers. His ratio of groundouts to flyouts is 3.5-1, and even while struggling he has only given up nine homers in 93 2/3 innings - both ideal numbers for CBP. The Phillies play much better defense than the Red Sox and Lowe could benefit from the Phils' slow home infield. A trade involving Millwood or Polanco could benefit both teams.

Like I mentioned earlier, I think the starting rotation has enough troubles as it is, without venturing into these waters. Just ask Red Sox fans about the "Derek Lowe face," and that should be enough to tell you to run away from this deal, fast.

Billy King admits that letting Brian Skinner sign with the Milwaukee Bucks last summer was a "calculated mistake," according to Marc Narducci. During yesterday's press conference, Skinner also talked about how "frustrating" it was dealing with playing time during his previous stint here, under Larry Brown. He made this telling statement: "The bottom line is that I didn't get the minutes I felt I deserved, and it was a coaching decision." I guess I'm not overly disappointed that Skinner is returning, when I consider that the alternative was overpaying Mark Blount (his deal is about twice Skinner's) like the Celtics did. Phil Jasner has the Sixers being improved by about 8 games next year. He also mentions that in a meeting with season ticketholders yesterday, Jim O'Brien "indicated that it would be difficult for a shooting-challenged player to get many minutes." That's interesting, as that doesn't bode well for nearly everyone on the current roster, and yet this is the team O'Brien claims to "be very happy to go with...into training camp." Jasner also tells of how O'Brien caught up with Kenny Thomas on the golf course. Michael Walsh says O'Brien is "very excited about Willie Green...he can shoot it."

Things aren't looking good for Jeremy Roenick. Ed Moran says he's sitting out the World Cup of Hockey because his "health isn't great" and that he just doesn't feel good. "I tried to work out the other week and I did not feel well." The NHL released their 2004-05 schedule yesterday, assuming there is a season. Adam Kimelman notes that March 26, 2005 will be a historic day, because "on that day, for the first time in NHL history, all 30 teams will be in action." I was somewhat surprised by that.

CSN has Phillies-Mets at 7:10.

2004-07-14T16:49:00.000-04:00

He's Back

Breaking News: In a fairly unexpected move, the Eagles have signed Jeremiah Trotter to what is believed to be a 1-year deal for $600,000. Comcast SportsNet and Philly.com have brief articles mentioning the deal. More details will surely follow in tomorrow's papers. If I am able to catch Daily News Live on CSN today, I will try and add anything else that I find out.

2004-07-14T11:39:00.000-04:00

The Quiet Before the Storm

Todd Zolecki talks about the Phillies' combined 0-3 contribution to yesterday's All-Star Game, where the big story was Roger Clemens getting rocked in the first inning, paving the way for the AL to win (thus securing World Series home field advantage), 9-4. Paul Hagen has quotes from Commissioner Bud Selig's annual "State of the Major League" address, if you will, where one of the topics addressed was possible playoff expansion. Here's what he had to say:

A year ago, I would have said I believed we would. But we've done a lot of work with the schedules and mathematicians and it's become obvious it might not be what I thought it would. We're going to stick with what we've got for a while unless some compelling reason comes along to change it.

Regarding the "This One Counts" theme first discussed yesterday, there seems to be differing opinions about this, even among the players. One player who has an opinion about everything, former Phillie Curt Schilling, was quoted by Jim Salisbury:

I didn't like it from Day One. I don't see why it's so difficult to be like everyone else and let the best record dictate home field. Home-field advantage is big. I'm sure it would be big in a place like Boston. But I still don't like this. It's Fox's game and they have a significant voice. I just don't think people outside the game should dictate something with as much impact as this.

On the other side of the fence is Jim Thome, who had a different take, according to Paul Hagen:

I think it's been good for baseball. They've experimented with it and I think the fans have enjoyed it. I don't know why the National League has had so much trouble winning lately, but we've just got to find a way to turn that around.

Interesting that Schilling (who opposes the idea) and the Red Sox, would benefit from the arrangement this year, whereas Thome and the Phillies would not.

Despite the up-and-down nature of the first half of their season, the Phillies are still one of the favorites to win the World Series (albeit at 5-1 odds, behind the Yankees and Red Sox), according to Vegas Vic.

Phil Jasner has the Sixers set to sign Brian Skinner today, the first official day teams can sign free agents. So this is what the Sixers get me for my birthday? Why do I feel like the kid who got a package of tube socks for Christmas? Stephen A. Smith begins to wonder about the very real possibility that Kobe Bryant will not be playing in the NBA for any team next year. Regarding the current soap opera surrounding the beleaguered star, an unnamed league executive is quoted in the article as saying, "Kobe really comes off looking bad."

Al Morganti wonders when poker became a sport (on TV at that). Rich Hofmann seems to wish it was 1943 again.

Last night on WIP, host Glen Macnow referred to this column by the Boston Herald's Michael Felger from a couple Sundays ago. He quoted Felger's opinion on the Eagles' off-season acquisitions:

Desperate to get over the NFC Championship game hump, the Eagles landed a huge name on each side of the ball. Here's the only problem: Kearse may have a good heart, but he no longer has the wheels. And while Owens is a physical marvel, he is one of the worst locker room influences in football. Prediction: Kearse and Owens won't be the difference and the Eagles still won't make the Super Bowl. The signings will remind the Eagles why they didn't like to spend money in the first place.

Agree? Disagree? Send your thoughts to Philly Sports Media.com using the link above.

The locals are off tonight.

2004-07-13T13:38:00.000-04:00

The Stars Will Be Out

Jim Salisbury previews tonight's All-Star Game in Houston, including the much-hyped Roger Clemens-Mike Piazza pairing from the mound and behind the plate. He warns us that Fox will run drag out the footage of the "history" between these two over and over again. Thanks for the heads up Jim. In a dually authored notebook, he and Todd Zolecki say that the Randy Johnson "bidding" wars may have officially begun, and that the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Cubs, Angels and Dodgers could be in the running. The Phillies? "Their shaky status in the National League East probably wouldn't fit his criteria" to join an actual contender, not "a team that has a theoretical chance to win." Paul Hagen has Jim Thome attributing some of his success to the patient at-bats of first time All-Star Bobby Abreu. Even though he didn't make it out of the first round of the home run derby, Hagen says Thome had "a lot of fun." Hagen also has an article about the "This One Counts" theme (for the second straight year) for this year's All-Star extravaganza. He includes these quotes from Joe Torre regarding what's at stake with the outcome of the game:

You always want the homefield advantage. But there's a certain pressure that goes with having homefield advantage because you play the first two games at home. You probably need to win two games, because otherwise the other team can win on their home turf. I think homefield advantage is good when you get to that sixth and seventh game, but getting there is not easy... I know what Bud Selig is trying to do, but as far as determining the homefield advantage, I don't care for that.

As I mentioned in this space around the NBA Finals, it's interesting how less of an advantage home field seems to be in MLB as compared to, say, the NBA.

Sam Donnellon says the Phillies aren't the only team looking for a pitcher (or two) as the trading deadline approaches. "Eighteen days, 11 suitors, 18 other potential competitors - those are long odds. Pull it off and [Ed Wade] might be in the lead car during an October parade down Broad Street." Jack McCaffery looks on the bright side of things for the Phillies season so far.

Mark Lelinwalla has a look at the flip side of the coin tossed up by Stephen A. yesterday, and notes the decrease in white athletes in the NBA and NFL. Rich Hofmann tries to shield his eyes from the spotlight Kobe Bryan has been focusing on himself for the past year. Once you get past the Kobe stuff, he actually makes an interesting observation regarding the impending Shaq-to-Miami trade:

The result is that the balance between West and East is at least starting to approach equilibrium again. On the other hand, Shaq lives here now. No longer can general managers look at certain names on their rosters and say, "Well, he can play center in the East." Because he can't, not anymore. It used to be such a comfort, being able to get away with fake centers. Well, no more.

Maybe losing out on Mark Blount as a free agent center wasn't so bad after all. Not that the alternative is much better.

FOX29 has the MLB All-Star Game at 8.

2004-07-12T17:29:00.000-04:00

It's Raining, It's Pouring

Well, on the bright side, at least Phillies fans won't have to endure any rain delays while sitting at Citizens Bank Park today, as we have come upon the All-Star Break. The Phils entered the break by dropping a disappointing 6-4 decision to the Braves yesterday, maintaining their first place standing "by a whole one game" (according to closer Billy Wagner). Sam Carchidi, Marcus Hayes, and Dennis Deitch have the game stories. Deitch has starter Randy Wolf at odds with his glove, which was thrown 20 rows into the stands when he was taken out of the game ("I didn't like that glove anymore and it didn't like me.") Larry "Mount" Bowa erupted for the second time this weekend, this time getting tossed after disputing the strike zone of the day. Bowa conceded that he "only had four [ejections] coming into the series. This crew helped me out." The ejection didn't necessarily please Wagner, who said, "When I saw Bo, I said, 'I have no chance of getting a call now.'" Carchidi's notebook has Ed Wade acknowledging "[I'll] be bringing my cell phone [to Houston for the All-Star break], but I think it'll be a fairly quiet three days."

Bill Conlin evaluates the Phillies mid-season, and throws in a bunch of Tour de France references, concluding, "can any amount of trading and body-shuffling do enough to redeem what might be a basic slightly over-.500 team?" Hayes has Kevin Milwood practicing his pitching against a plastic dummy, and somewhat blaming CBP's "wind chutes" for his poor outings at home this year. Jack McCaffery has a look at the statistics for the starting rotation, and well, they're not pretty. He sums it up, "lousy pitching means the pitchers are lousy."

Stephen A. Smith believes more volunteers are needed if kids in the city are to succeed at baseball.

At a time when sports have proven to be both a microcosm of society and a model of meritocracy, they have joined economics and education on a list of things that have left a portion of our society behind.

Jim Salisbury has an article on pitching prospect Rodney Floyd.

Over the weekend, Phil Sheridan summed up the Phillies' hold on their division this way:

They haven't exactly seized it, but they haven't blown it. Unfortunately, given their history, you get the queasy feeling they're more likely to blow it than not.

Salisbury handed out his mid-season awards. Deitch proposes instant replay as a measure which would prevent errors such as the 3-run homer that was incorrectly ruled fair by the umpiring crew on Friday. He also has this puzzling trade conjecture regarding Derek Lowe:

Lowe might be the most intriguing name on the list. He has been awful for the Red Sox, but he has worked with Phils pitching coach Joe Kerrigan in the past (although there are questions how fruitful that working relationship was). The Red Sox are seeking the best deal for Lowe and have interested parties, so it could take Millwood and a little more to get it done.

Why would the Phillies (or the Red Sox for that matter) want to just swap struggling pitchers when that is one of their more pressing needs? Paul Flannery says, "it doesn’t take a super genius to see the Phillies need a starter. Stat." He also refers to the ESPN "Most Tortured Sports City" list I linked to last week, and speculates that Cleveland will win the #1 spot on that list. Harvey Yavener predicts nothing but doom and gloom for the rest of the season.

Phil Jasner has some interesting quotes from Allen Iverson regarding an incident in which he refused to suit up for a game against the Pistons in which he was not going to start.

I wish it didn't get to the point it got to. It's obviously something I'm going to have to learn from. The way that it rubbed everybody, I think wasn't the right way. For people to feel like I would let my team down and I'm not the warrior that I am, it was tough on me, because I'm a fighter, and that's what I do. I've been doing that for the city of Philadelphia my whole career. I've always been a fighter. I've always been there for my teammates. It was just a bad time for me. It was a bad situation I wish had never happened.

Marc Narducci quotes USA Basketball's Stu Jackson, saying of Iverson's being selected, and remaining, on this summer's Olympic team:

He was originally the eighth player picked on the team, and there were those who questioned at the time him being on the team at all. I find it ironic in the end that he showed such a commitment to the team.

Ed Moran wrote that Mark Recchi is now officially an ex-Flyer, as he has signed with the Penguins, as was rumored.

ESPN has the Home Run Derby from Houston at 8.

2004-07-08T12:28:00.000-04:00

Another Disappointing Outing

The Phils dropped their second straight game to the Mets yesterday, this time losing 10-1, slicing their hold on first place in their division to 1 game over those same Mets. Todd Zolecki and Dennis Deitch have the game stories. Deitch's column cites an in-game chat Larry Bowa had with the Comcast SportsNet crew during a point in the game where the Phils were trailing 10-0, where he said, ''Today is one of those days where you wish you just stayed in bed." Zolecki's notebook talks about Bobby Abreu's being selected to the All-Star team by the Phillies fans on MLB.com. Phil Sheridan says when this was announced at the game last night, Abreu got a well deserved standing ovation. Marcus Hayes talks about how close the vote had been, that it had been too close to call on Tuesday night, that he actually trailed by a couple thousand votes around 6PM, and pulled out the win with 2 million votes at the finish. Deitch talks about the Phils finally kicking in some "marketing" efforts to help get Abreu selected: "There was even a skit between innings during Tuesday night's game where a well-fed man with 'Vote For Abreu' painted on his spacious stomach and back danced with the Phanatic."

Hayes also acknowledges that Mike Liberthal was "just joking" when he was discussing retirement plans after Tuesday's game. Hayes was the subject of some minor ribbing on yesterday's Daily News Live on CSN for not picking up on Liberthal's tongue-in-cheek remarks, a mistake the panel readily admitted could have been made by anybody. Bill Conlin has some rather harsh words for the Phillies TV broadcast crew:

There are a lot of brutal umpiring crews in major league baseball, but none more annoying than the crew of Wheeler, Andersen, Kalas and Graham. What non-stop whining. And it wouldn't be as much like falling asleep naked on a red anthill if the umpcasters weren't basing their personal strike zones on a centerfield camera located several degrees to the right of dead-on. That's so that your view of the plate isn't blocked by the pitcher, of course. Put a camera slightly off center and what you see is not going to be what an umpire sees. But, damn, I'll bet every once in a while, the plate umpire does get a close call right.

Kevin Mulligan doesn't understand why people would stand in line 45 minutes to an hour for a cheesesteak at CBP, which is something I openly wondered about in one of last week's post while reviewing the new park. Harvey Yavener talks about some speculation from baseball expert Peter Gammons, who thinks the Phillies might be interested in Barry Zito.

While talking about Sixers summer league action, Marc Narducci also mentions that talks are "ongoing" with free agent Mark Blount's agent. Well, apparently the talks are ongoing no longer. My colleague at our parent site informs me that Blount has decided to re-sign with the Celtics. The story is now posted on ESPN.com.

CSN has Mets-Phillies at 7:05.

2004-07-07T12:40:00.000-04:00

Can't We Come in First for Anything?

Sorry for no links yesterday. It's been a real busy week, and we'll have to stick with abbreviated links for the remainder of the week...

The Phils failed to homer for the second consecutive night, and this time it cost them, as they dropped a 4-1 decision to their division rival Mets. Todd Zolecki, Mike Olshin, and Dennis Deitch have the game stories. Zolecki's notebook reports on the progress of Marlon Byrd's swing down in the minors. Harvey Yavener has Billy Wagner's take on Eric Gagne, closer for the LA Dodgers, and his recently ended 84 consecutive-save record. Wagner believes that record will last "forever."

Marc Narducci has John Salmons trying to use the Sixers' summer league games as an opportunity to adjust to Jim O'Brien's offensive (and defensive) schemes. Al Morganti believes the concept of players getting bonuses for making the All-Star team is bogus, and grinds his axe a bit today with Curt Schilling, who stands to potentially get a check from the Red Sox for $150,000 should he be named the starter for next week's All-Star game. Morganti feels this is just another example of how out-of-touch with the fan base (who typically make significantly less annually than these bonuses) today's professional players are.

And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, Philly comes in second in something, yet again. This time, it's ESPN's "most tortured sports cities" list. Yep, the only city with 4 major professional sports with a championship drought of over 21 years, and we can't even win this. Check out Sal Paolantonio's take on why Philly is cursed. Strange, no mention of the "curse of Billy Penn" in there, you know, the one that says the city is cursed because it hasn't won a championship since buildings started to exceed the height of ol' Billy Pen atop City Hall. Glen Macnow, who was mentioned briefly in the article, made this his topic of discussion on WIP last night. ESPN.com also has a failry accurate list of the top 10 most painful moments, including the absolute gut wrencher that was Bucs-Eagles in the now infamous Last Game at the Vet.

CSN has Mets-Phillies at 7:05.

2004-07-02T17:07:00.000-04:00

Back on Track

Sorry for no links yesterday. Let's just say it was one of those days and move on to today's links...

The Phils powered their way to a 10-5 victory, winning 3 of their 4 against the Expos. Todd Zolecki has the game story. Marcus Hayes says there were fireworks, both during and after the game last night. Zolecki's notebook talks about how moving to the leadoff role has helped sparked Jimmy Rollins' production at the plate lately. Hayes says he's not just doing well at the plate, but that his defensive play should give him consideration for a Gold Glove. Sam Donnellon is calling for Larry Bowa's head on a platter: "Sometimes change for change's sake makes sense. This is one of those times." I'm not sure what Sam has against Bowa, but he certainly sharpened his axe while writing this. His timing is a bit off too. This might have gotten a listening ear had the Phils, say, dropped 3 out of 4, instead of putting up over 40 runs in the past 4 days.

Phil Jasner and Joe Juliano describe the courting of Mark Blount, the free agent who played for Jim O'Brien and the Celtics last season.

Don Steinberg looks at the so-called experts and their Superbowl picks, none of which seem to have the Eagles winning the big one this year (though a few of them apparently have them breaking through their NFC championship game hurdle of the past 3 seasons). Steinberg also mentions the interesting marketing being done by the Red Sox front office, as select broadcasts are being aired in select area theaters. For those who watched the out-of-town scoreboards this week, you can see that Philadelphia fans aren't the only ones who suffer. Red Sox fans can now watch the agony in HD.

Phil Mushnick comes down hard on some comments made by Andy Reid about some of his new players who missed rookie camp to complete their college degrees.

CSN has Orioles-Phillies at 7:05.

2004-06-30T16:22:00.000-04:00

A Football Game Breaks Out at CBP

At least that's what the final score would seem to have indicated last night, as the Phillies clobbered the Expos, 17-7. A night after they had set a record of 14 runs in their new digs, the locals smashed that record last night with an offensive explosion. Todd Zolecki, Mark Kram, and Dennis Deitch file the game stories. While taking in the new park last night, I was wondering why Bowa replaced Pat Burrell at the end of the 4th. According to today's stories, he apparently suffered a mild sprained groin, and should return to action tonight. Kram echoes WIP's Glen Macnow's sentiments from last night after the game, that Eric Milton is the "most umimpressive" 10-2 pitcher in the majors. The Libery Bell (nice touch by the park designers I might add, distinctly "Philadelphia") was ringing so much last night, Paul Hagen says this seemed like "arena baseball." Phil Sheridan cautions against unbridled optimism: "If Wade doesn't do something significant to help this team before July 31 - the sooner the better, frankly - he will not be able to ask the fans, the manager or the current players to trust his judgment." Zolecki's notebook takes another look at David Bell's hitting for the cycle on Monday night (this wasn't the first time someone in his family accomplished that). Mike Olshin looks at the irony that "there was only one Phillies starter who didn't finish with a hit last night. Major-league home run leader Jim Thome. Go figure."

Ed Moran says Mark Recchi already has one foot out the door as free agency approaches tonight at midnight.

As far as the ballpark is concerned, it's truly a great place to catch a game. While the endless offense last night led to quite a long game (much better than the multiple-rain-delay-induced long affairs from a couple weeks ago, to be sure), Citizens Bank Park is definitely a great place to take the family to see a game. Throughout the park, in both the upper and lower levels, there was plenty of space to grab a bite to eat, and stand at the back of a particular section, without missing any of the action. By the second inning, the lines at Geno's and Tony Luke's were ridiculously long, and not worth the likely half hour wait (though the site lines from the outfield area were OK). I don't know if the "blowout nature" affected this (though the Phillies did allow things to get interesting for a little while there in the 5th), but I did notice there didn't seem to be any "electricity" in the ballpark. It seemed to be missing the "buzz" that you would get at a Fenway Park, or one of the older parks. That could be just the nature of a 162-game season, or the fans still getting "used" to the new park (similiar things were said about the Linc when it first opened). If you closed your eyes for a minute, you might not have been able to tell you weren't still at the Vet. But, overall, a pretty enjoyable evening.

CSN has the final game of Expos-Phillies at 7:05.

2004-06-29T14:14:00.000-04:00

Hitting For the Cycle

David Bell managed to accomplish that last night, becoming only the 7th player in franchise history to perform the feat (the last time it was done by a member of the Phillies was 1995). The Phillies slugged their way to a 14-6 win over the Expos. Hopefully they can keep the momentum going for the remainder of their homestand. Jim Salisbury and Paul Flannery have the game stories. Marcus Hayes has a little bit of leftovers from Mike Lieberthal's benching over the weekend (he returned to the lineup last night). He says he was upset, particuarly on Sunday, because he "was excited to face Schilling." Salisbury has GM Ed Wade pondering potential roster moves:

If the right thing comes along and the trade is value for value, we'd consider it. But right now, we're not seeing value for value. Other clubs are looking at our situation with having a new park and they think we'll overpay. We're not going to overpay to the extent these clubs want us to.

Jon Marks has Wade saying, "If the right thing came along there would be no reason to hold off." Hayes has Wade complaining it's "too much of a seller's market" still. Stay tuned.

Joe Juliano was on hand for the unveiling of the Wilt Chamberlain statue at the Wachovia Center yesterday. I had referred to this last week, mistakenly misreading the article I linked to which had pointed to yesterday as the unveling date all along. Sam Donnellon looks back fondly on Chamberlain's life, including an interview he conducted with him back in 1999, less than 6 months before Wilt died.

Kevin Mulligan refers to some idiotic parents who demonstrate just how badly corporate sponsorship has gone, as they named their child ESPN (I wish I were kidding). How long before we have a "Budweiser" and a "Bud Light"? Better yet, how about the "Coors Twins"?

CSN has Expos-Phillies at 7:05. Tonight I'll be at CBP for the first time, so tomorrow I'll try and have a report card of the new park.

2004-06-28T18:07:00.000-04:00

Now's The Time

The Phillies finished a disappointing 2-4 road trip with yet another loss, this time gettting crushed 12-3 at historic Fenway Park by the Red Sox. Todd Zolecki and Marcus Hayes have the game stories. Jim Salisbury says the next 2 weeks will say a lot about what this team accomplishes this year, as they have a 14-game homestand heading into the All-Star break. Zolecki's notebook says Mike Lieberthal wasn't a happy camper about not being included in yesterday's lineup. Speaking of Fenway, Tom DiNardo mentions some interesting studies down by an MIT professor, "warning" of the effects that changes in the configuration of the old ball park (such as putting seats on the Green Monster in left field) could cause, and explains why there's a section of bleacher seats that are off limits to fans during day games (in case Phillies fans were wondering during their visit this past weekend). And it seems that lots of Philadelphians made the trip to Fenway this weekend, as was noted by Mike Shalinin in the Boston Herald yesterday, among others. Shalin also had an article about the red hot Jim Thome. The Phillies faithful were particularly vocal on Saturday (as heard on the FOX broadcast), especially seeing that Red Sox fans bailed during the late stages of the game when the outcome was not in question. However, we could have done without the "Eagles" chants. This just makes Philly fans look foolish, especially when you're going to a baseball game in the metropolitan area that is home to the team that has won 2 out of the last 3 Superbowls. How about next time we just stick to the "Let's go Phillies" chants, OK?

Tim Panaccio has Bob Clarke acknowledging that talks aren't going particularly well with free agent Alexei Zhamnov. Rob Parent notes the Flyers selected John Carter in the NHL draft, and that "Carter also happens to be the first African-American draft choice in Flyers history." Carter spoke of paving the way for others. "Maybe I can make my mark and make the path easier for other African-Americans when it comes to this game." Parent also sees Mark Recchi becoming an ex-Flyer and joining the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Caryl Kauffman gets Jim O'Brien's thoughts on his offensive schemes next year, and how Iverson will be featured: "I think Allen will probably be more comfortable with the way I coach offense than anybody that he has played for maybe in his life." What's the over/under on the number of games into the season before Howard Eskin criticizes O'Brien's game plan? Over the weekend, Stephen A. Smith wrote how the Celtics' picking Delonte West at #24 in last week's draft affected him: "I just started crying when my name came up on TV." Jack McCaffery is still incredulous that Jameer Nelson's stock dropped so far on draft night and says "there will be years and years of NBA games now, after which so many coaches and G.M.s will be caught muttering, 'How'd we miss that guy?'"

On our sister site, David Scott has nothing nice to say about the Philadelphia fans who visited Fenway Park this weekend.

CSN has Expos-Phillies at 7:05.

2004-06-25T17:44:00.000-04:00

Coming Up Short

The Phillies disappointed yesterday afternoon by losing 3-2 to the Expos in Montreal, thus losing the series against them. Jim Thome first came within a few inches (OK, maybe closer to a foot) of tying the game in the 8th, when a long deep ball headed for the stands bounced high off the wall and back into play. Later in the inning, representing the tying run on 3rd, Thome, not particularly known for his speed, ran home after a fly to the outfield, but was thrown out at the plate. Again, a game of inches. Todd Zolecki and Marcus Hayes have the game stories. Hayes also previews the weekend series against the Red Sox, which starts tonight at Fenway Park. Jim Salisbury gets a few comments from some ex-Phils on their new team. Curt Schilling: "I came here to win a World Series. Anything short of that will be a disappointment." Terry Francona: "They're fanatical about this team. A lot of it is good. Some of it is over the top. But it's never dull. I love it." Zolecki's notebook reports that Chase Utley has been called up from the minors again. Paul Hagen wonders if the Phils will enter the trading fray this year since "it's that time of year again."

Meanwhile, the Sixers seem to have lucked out in last night's draft. Joe Juliano says nabbing Andre Iguodala after he fell to the 9th pick was an easy call for the decision makers at PCOM. Iguodala was brought in for a "secret workout" earlier this week, unbeknownst to the media. Speaking of the media, the new Sixer said a close friend of his told him "about the media in Philly being pretty tough." Phil Jasner says the pick falls in line with Jim O'Brien's "vision" for the team. John Smallwood is on board with the pick: "For the first time since they had the No. 1 overall pick in 1996 and selected Allen Iverson, the Sixers not only caught a break, but they actually took advantage of it." Caryl Kauffman has Tony DiLeo remarking that this is "the type of player who can get triple-doubles. He did it in college." Jon Marks seems to be the only writer to have mentioned the Sixers have drafted "another A.I." You can tell Jack McCaffery is not happy the Sixers are sticking with Iverson.

Well, what’s the sense of fighting the reality? Iverson is here, will be here and, well, is not so old that he cannot recapture some of the special qualities that made him the 2001 MVP.

Stephen A. Smith appears to be very angry that more than half the league passed on selecting Jameer Nelson, who, it seems, was being short-changed (no pun intended) by GM prospectors because of his height. Apparently he lacks "upside" (and until that word is banned on draft night, you can expect the parade of high schoolers to continue). He calls it "insanity. Or stupidity." Dick Jerardi has quotes from a visibly upset Phil Martelli.

It's an awful message. They don't want to acknowledge that they are hurting the game. They want to give you lip service about an age limit. They don't want an age limit. They will keep raiding and, if the kids were 10th graders and they could take them, that's what they would do.

Rob Knox notes that Nelson had the support of many who made their way to the Theater at Madison Square Garden last night. Paul Flannery has coach from Chester also lamenting Nelson not being a lottery pick.

The only thing you can say is shame on the NBA. They’re betting on all these young guys. They’re gambling. Here’s a proven winner. He’s the epitome of what we try to teach our youngsters. I guarantee you most of them will live to regret that they passed on this kid.

I think he might be right on that one. While Nelson's stock was inexplicably falling, Delonte West was the surprising pick by the Celtics at #24. Knox has Coach Martelli's reaction: "He took a chance and he won." Many thought he was making a bad decision by remaining in the draft and forgoing his senior year, but apparently Celtics GM Danny Ainge had him in his crosshairs. Adam Kilgore of the Boston Globe had Ainge speaking of West's future:

We think Delonte West can play point. Maybe not in the traditional fashion of point guards, but we think he's one of the best quarterbacks in the game because his decision-making is right up there with the best of the guards.

Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald has new Celtics coach Doc Rivers calling him "one of the best shooters in the draft."

Tim Panaccio believes Bob Clarke and Ken Hitchcock have talked Sami Kapinen out of retirement. Captain Kangaroo (sorry, couldn't resist) said he's "reconsidered, but can't guarantee a decision." Mike Kern has a somewhat comical note about David Stern correcting himself last night when he announced the pick for the "Seattle Super...er, excuse me, Sonics." We blasted him somewhat earlier this week, but today we offer kudos to Mike Kram, has a lengthy piece on the dangers posed by foul balls to fans at major league ballparks. He has a fairly sad story about a woman named Jane Costa, who got severely injured by a ball at Fenway Park several years ago. He also adds this tidbit that I did not know about:

The 1921 Spalding Baseball Guide stated: "All balls batted or thrown out off the grounds or into the stands shall, when returned to the field, be given into the custody of the umpire immediately." That changed one day at the Polo Grounds when a fan, Ruben Berman, chose to keep his foul ball instead of handing it over to an usher. Berman was forcibly removed from the stadium, for conduct that the Giants characterized as "disorderly" and "ungentlemanly." Berman sued. The Supreme Court of New York County ruled in 1921 that he was entitled to keep the ball.

Interleague play continues tonight, and CSN has Phillies-Red Sox at 7:05.

2004-06-24T16:25:00.000-04:00

Hopefully the Start of Something Good

Kevin Millwood finally notched a win yesterday and the Phillies were able to beat the Expos 5-2. Todd Zolecki and Marcus Hayes have the game stories. Millwood says he "couldn't remember the last time I got a win." Jim Thome continues to be on a tear, and tied the franchise record for homers in a month last night. He now has until next Wednesday to break that record. He's also on place to break the Phils' record for homers in a single season. Jim Salisbury has a look at Rheal Cormier's quest for American citizenship, and has a look back at Manny Ramirez of the Red Sox becoming a citizen not too long ago. In his first appearance after reciting the oath, Ramirez took the field at Fenway Park carrying an American flag, which Cormier thought "was awesome." Zolecki's notebook has a look at Paul Abbott's unenviable task of facing Pedro Martinez tomorrow night in Boston. Hayes tells us why Ricky Ledee will miss at least the rest of the current road trip. As far as reliever Elizardo Ramirez joining the team after a visa snafu, Dennis Deitch has Ed Wade promising, "the paperwork is supposed to come by FedEx in the morning."

Stephen A. Smith has a look at the confusion surrounding the league as tonight's NBA draft approaches. Billy King says, "it's crazy." Joe Juliano has Jim O'Brien engaging, perhaps, in a bit of "liar's poker." Phil Jasner looks at O'Brien's approch going into next season, which will likely involve Iverson playing more at point guard, and will feature a "more intricate and demanding" defense. Rich Hofmann thinks anybody who watches tonight's draft tonight thinking the Sixers will be able to land an impact player are "suckers." He suggests "you're better off watching CSI - because, at least on that show, they can always identify the stiffs within an hour." John Smallwood looks at the littany of excuses used by Andris Biedrins in blowing off his scheduled interview with the Sixers on Tuesday: "My leg was a little bit trouble." Or, "I didn't feel comfortable to travel." Terry Toohey also chimes in about the draft:

The bottom line is that for the NBA to get better, league owners, general managers and coaches have to stop taking fliers on high school kids or players from Latvia with names no one can pronounce and start drafting smart. The NBA is not a training ground. That's the job of NBDL, the CBA, the USBL and the European leagues. The NBA is for the best not just those with the best potential.

Jon Marks has his guesses about who the Sixers will wind up with, and won't be surprised if King picks up another draft pick along the way. The Boston Globe's Peter May mentions (and I don't believe I've seen this anywhere else) that "the Sixers supposedly made a commitment to [high school senior Josh Smith], who is the best athlete in the draft." Ray Parrillo says Jameer Nelson has been preparing for life on the road in the NBA for quite awhile now. "I have to get used to it because it's going to be my job," says Nelson. Rob Knox reveals the playful side of Jameer, and adds that he was showing off his cell phone's screen saver, which was "a picture of him going in for a lay-up." Knox also has the city of Chester ready to celebrate tonight. "When Nelson walks across the stage this evening flashing his trademark smile, the entire city will be strolling beside him."

Harvey Yavener takes exception to an article, which was linked to by this site, by Sam Donnellon (without mentioning his name) earlier this week. He says he's "nuts." Interestingly, he adds, "Maybe David Stern is a lot of fluff, a lot of P.R., but the guy who runs the NBA is a real commissioner." Funny, when I linked to this article, I also made the assertion that Stern was on a different level than Bud Selig. You don't think members of the media are reading here, do you? Naah. Kevin Mulligan tells the story of a charity event this week in which, among the many things up for auction were a lunch with Howard Eskin. "'I'll bid $350 not to go,' someone yelled." Classic. Paul Domowitch looks at the correlation between footwear and injuries in the NFL, to which my only response is, "it's gotta be the shoes."

Finally, Ed Barkowitz had a sitdown roundtable with sports broadcasters in the area. The Daily News has quick bios of the participants in the discussion: Harry Kalas, Bill Campbell, Merrill Reese, Tom McGinnis, and Jim Jackson.

Sorry the links didn't get posted until after the Phils lost to the Expos this afternoon, 3-2. They now prepare to meet the Red Sox starting tomorrow night. Catch the NBA draft on ESPN, starting at 7 (if you like to watch more pre-draft chatter). Orlando goes on the clock for the #1 pick beginning at 7:30.

2004-06-23T17:28:00.000-04:00

Not Off To A Good Start

The Phillies didn't start their 6-game road trip the way they wanted to, as they lost to the lowly Expos, 5-2, dropping a full game behind the Marlins for first place in the division. The teams are even in the loss column, as the Phillies have 2 games in hand. Todd Zolecki and Marcus Hayes have the game stories, including one irate Bobby Abreu, who expressed his displeasure over a questionable called third strike, which landed him an ejection. Hayes has Abreu taking a bit of ribbing on returning to the dugout following his ejection. Zolecki's notebook gets GM Ed Wade's thoughts on sending Marlon Byrd down to the minors: "As much as I didn't want to send him down, I thought it was appropriate at this point to do that and get his mind clear. And get his confidence back." Hayes thinks Vicente Padilla will be out at least a month, whereas Dennis Deitch claims that "simple math can conclude that Padilla doesn’t have much hope of returning to the rotation before August." Deitch also laments that the Phillies are "bobbing in the ocean of mediocrity." Looking to tonight's game, Jim Salisbury says, "Kevin Millwood needs to start winning ball games, and he needs to start doing it now." Sam Donnellon takes Phillies fans to task since they have apparently not voted for Jim Thome en masse:

You, the so-called city that loves you back, could not even be bothered with punching a chad, or clicking your mouse a few times online. Passionate fans, my fanny.

Paul Hagen ranks MLB's ball parks, and then provides his reasons for the ranking he gives Citizens Bank Park.

Marc Narducci concludes his 3-part preview of the NBA draft, this time focusing on the international talent. Phil Jasner wonders just how much disinformation Billy King and the rest of the Sixers' brass have been floating lately:

When coaches and general managers respond to reporters' questions, are they shooting from the hip or shooting from the lip? Are they total truth-tellers, or are they offering degrees of what they want you - and, in turn, their competitors - to know? Are they providing clues to their blueprint, or merely leaving a masterfully misdirected trail of bread crumbs?

Caryl Kauffman has King's take on speculation that the Sixers might move up in the draft: "There’s all kinds of deals under consideration right now. The likelihood of anything happening? I couldn’t put a number on it." Phil Sheridan believes "King's legacy will be defined largely by his decisions this week." He feels that "it will be frustrating for Sixers fans to watch O'Neal and Vince Carter and Steve Francis and Tracy McGrady change teams while the Sixers stand pat." The Sixers have no way to land O'Neal, McGrady and Francis are accounted for, and I'll take Iverson over the what-has-he-ever-done Vince Carter any day, thank you very much. Speaking of this latter rumor, Joe Juliano quotes King as saying the Iverson-Carter rumor has "no validity." Kauffman, linked earlier, said this rumor was "nothing but speculation by local radio hosts." I haven't been able to catch WIP much lately, but I'd venture a guess that Eskin was leading the charge on this rumor. Al Morganti worries that not trading Iverson "is the safest path to take, but it is hardly the path with the best chance of landing the Sixers in the promised land of a world championship."

Ray Parrillo looks out how NBA scouts' perceptions of Jameer Nelson have changed in a year. In that article, Jim Lynam, currently an assistant coach under Maurice Cheeks in Portland, and a former Sixers and St. Joe's, says, "It's apparent that Jameer is better than a lot of people thought he was." Dick Jerardi had a phone chat while Jameer was waiting for a connecting flight in Chicago, and Nelson admitted he has "no clue" who will be calling his name on draft night. Jack McCaffery is incredulous that the Sixers will end up with "a lottery pick and take a guy who might be a good college player three years from now -- and at the same time, perhaps, dismiss Nelson, who was the best player in all of college basketball?" Jerardi also has a look at Delonte West, and where in the lottery he might get drafted.

Rich Hofmann writes about the life and legacy of Roger Neilson. Now onto legends: the Daily News reports that a Wilt Chamberlain sculpture will be unveiled today at the Wachovia Center.

CSN has Phillies-Expos at 7:05.

2004-06-22T17:38:00.000-04:00

On The Road Again

The Philies kick off a road trip against the Montreal Expos tonight. Todd Zolecki reports on the progress of starting pitchers Randy Wolf (on target for a return against Boston this weekend) and Vicente Padilla (who suffered a setback in his last outing). Zolecki also has a brief note about Jim Thome being named NL player of the week. Dennis Deitch has Larry Bowa saying "it would be a travesty if he's not on the All-Star team." Deitch notes that it's likely NL All-Star manager Jack McKeon would have to add Thome to the squad. Sam Donnellon writes a puzzling piece in support of MLB commissioner Bud Selig, and believes he "will go down as one of the most significant commissioners in this sport's history, and in sports history." I don't think Selig is anywhere near on the level of David Stern, who took the NBA from relative obscurity in early 80s into the successful league it is today. Of course, having Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan during that era probably didn't hurt.

Hitting on a theme I mentioned yesterday, Jon Marks is concerned many of the young players eligible for the draft just aren't ready for the NBA. He sums up the basic problem this way:

Kids, who have been told forever they are too good to waste their talents on school, have bought this dream hook, line and sinker. There are too few youngsters who elect to stay in school to enhance their understanding of the game and gain a better appreciation for the other four guys on the floor.

Marc Narducci has his second in a 3-part series previewing the NBA draft, today looking at college prospects, with Emeka Okafor at the head of that class. Stephen A. Smith seems to continue on a theme that started over the weekend by an area writer (we'll get to the culprit soon enough). Smith says he hopes Iverson finally "does things the right way" (Copyright, Larry Brown, All rights reserved). Brown's only regret about his championship is that he wishes "we could have done it in Philadelphia. It would have been really, really neat." Brown pretty much reiterated that, and spoke highly of Iverson, when David Letterman brought up the topic on last night's Late Show. Joe Juliano has a look at swirling trade rumors, including some that dredge up a trade scenario from quite some time ago, Allen Iverson for Vince Carter. I must have missed all those NBA Finals appearances by Vince's Toronto Raptors. In response to Howard Eskin's report on Sunday Sports Final that the Sixers were inquiring about the availability of Tracy McGrady (a pretty much moot point now, as we'll talk about in a bit), Phil Jasner has Billy King responding, "my job is to make calls. That's what I do." Speaking of Phil, Rich Hofmann has lots of nice things to say about Jasner, who will be honoroed by the Hall of Fame later this year. Hofmann writes:

That is what you come back to, over and over - that outlook, and that enthusiasm for the job. We all have mind's-eye pictures of Jasner. Here's mine: glasses perched on his nose, firing away at the keyboard like a madman, so intense, so into what he's doing that it's almost comical if someone taps him on the shoulder. He jumps about 3 feet into the air, every time - such is his concentration, and his caring, even after all this time.

Finally, we will again turn our attention to the writings of one Jack McCaffery. He writes a completely Eskin-esque piece of drivel today, even worse than the collection of words that substituted for a column over the weekend. Here are a few gems from today: "Aging, injured, reluctant to practice, unwilling to play when it does not suit his mood, Iverson has become an intolerable energy drain to a Sixers organization in full-speed retreat." He also claims that "McGrady, Carter, Bryant and Francis are all bigger and better than Iverson, all have some measurable style and would not leave the Sixers without an obvious franchise marketing focal point." Just ask how successful Orlando's and Toronto's "marketing focal points" were in last year's standings. He attempts to head off criticism of his article by claiming, "this is not just a garden-variety anti-Iverson rant." No Jack, not at all. It's a complete rip job. Howard Eskin's job as WIP host is already taken, thank you very much, but thanks for playing along. We will keep your resume on file.

Also in the useless drivel category, Mark Kram submits this utterly lame article about a so-called "curse" which-shall-remain unnamed. He talks about the efforts of one "long-suffering Red Sox fan (as if there is any other kind)." Nothing like mailing it in, right Mark? Peter Vecsey is having trouble keeping up with all the latest NBA trade rumors, but he definitely has Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis switching addresses come July 1.

CSN has Phillies-Expos at 7:05.

2004-06-21T12:29:00.000-04:00

Moving On Up

With yesterday's 8-2 win over the visiting Royals, the Phillies moved percentage points ahead of their division nemesis Marlins to take first place. Todd Zolecki has the game story, including third base coach John Vukovich's breakdown of how everything had to go right for Jimmy Rollins to hit the first in-the-park homerun at Citizens Bank Park: "The ricochet. The speed of the runner. That's a big factor. There's a lot of guys I'm not going to send on that, but Jimmy can fly." Harvey Yavener describes it this way:

It may have been the most electrifying moment yet at the new Citizens Bank Park, Jimmy Rollins flying around the bases for a three-run inside-the-park homer - the first of his life. There is no play in baseball to match the excitement of the ball driven to the far reaches of the stadium, the star center fielder desperately hitting the wall trying in vain for the catch, the swiftest runner in the lineup tearing around the bases while the third-base coach knows he has to wave him home or incur the wrath of an overflow crowd.

Zolecki has a "shell-shocked and upset" Marlon Byrd, who was demoted to Triple A yesterday, after struggling at the plate for much of this season. Bernand Fernandez has Larry Bowa trying to look at the positives of Byrd's situation: "A lot of attention's been given to his at-bats every time he comes to the plate. He'll be in a more relaxed-type atmosphere down there. Nobody really cares if you're 0-for-4." Harvey Yavener also has Byrd trying to look on the bright side, as difficult as that might be: ""When you go 0-for-4, it doesn't matter how hard you hit the ball, and that's true here or in the Little League. There's no sense being angry. I have to work through it."

Fernandez says Jim Thome has been on fire, and is on a pace to set the Phillies team record for homers, the current record being held by Philly favorite Mike Schmidt, who hit for 48 for the World Series champions in 1980. Thome leads the majors with 23, but incredibly, does not currently have enough votes to make the All-Star team. How ridiculous is that? Zolecki's notebook also talks about a set back for Vicente Padilla, who was originally slated to return to the starting rotation this week in Boston.

Jack McCaffery says the Phils found an ace pitcher when they weren't looking. He's not talking about Kevin Millwood, but Eric Milton, who, with Saturday's win, is now an eye-opening 9-1. Speaking of Milwood, over the weekend, Harvey Yavener says the Philly boo birds should get off his case. I don't think that's going to happen, not at the price tag he came from the Atlanta Braves with. Don McKee looks at new definition for "standing room only seats" at the new ballpark, as the standing areas that surround the park seem to be the most "popular seat" of choice for many fans, leading to scattered dots of blue seats, which might confuse TV onlookers, who are told the game is sold out. Mike Olshin plays the Phillies version of fact vs. fiction. Jim Salisbury says Phillies fans can forget dreaming about Carlos Beltran appearing in the hometown team's uniform. He concludes, "You can't help but think he could put the Phils over the top this season. But it's not happening. Beltran will end up in the Bronx or Boston or San Diego or someplace else, and the Royals will have lost another young talent, just as they once lost Johnny Damon and Jermaine Dye." In out of town coverage, yesterday, Tony Massarotti of the Boston Herald had a look at the high expectations of the Phillies, who will play at the cathedral that is Fenway Park this weekend.

Marc Narducci has the first of a 3-part NBA draft preview. Today he looks at high school players, and notes that this year's draft might see the most ever first round draftees from that pool. He specifically mentions Josh Smith, who seemed to impress Jim O'Brien during his workout with the team. I caught a show last night on Comcast SportsNet, which had a look at many of these young kids (and they are kids) as they prepared for the McDonald's all-American game. Teams are so afraid to miss out on the next Kevin Garnett that they are more willing to take a chance at one of these young players. If the Sixers hope to return to the playoffs (and for more than just a round), they will have to take somebody who will make an immediate impact, and I don't think one of these guys is the answer. Phil Jasner says Sixers assistant GM Tony DiLeo is still surprised at Delonte West's decision to stay in the draft. Joe Juliano says the "secret" unprotected expansion draft lists weren't so secret after all, which has some GM's, such as Billy King, upset: "The league sent a memo saying anybody who gives up a list will be subject to a fine. It's unfortunate people are speculating, because it's not supposed to be."

John Smallwood defends the city of Boston's honor, over this weekend's insinuations by Barry Bonds that it is a "racist" city. Smallwood finds it interesting that "the Boston Globe has three white sports columnists. None has jumped to Boston's defense." The article raises some interesting points, and is definitely worth reading. Jeff Gelles, in the business section of yesterday's Inquirer, implores Comcast to end some of its monopolistic practices and allow satellite carriers to include Comcast SportsNet on their packages. This comes as Comcast looks to get out of paying taxes for 15 years, so that they can have a new skyscraper and headquarters built here. Exactly how does this benefit of the city of Philadelphia?

Jack McCaffery reveals his anti-Iverson agenda and bias with this bit of drivel yesterday. Not to be outdone, Howard Eskin, in last night's Sports Final, had an exclusive interview with Larry Brown. Most of Eskin's questions, particularly about "playing the right way" were overt attacks on Iverson and his style of play, and it was somewhat pathetic to see Brown having to come to his defense in answering them. Brown revealed that he's spoken with Allen, who was supposedly "crying" on the phone with him, happy that he finally won his ring. Somehow I question Larry's recollection of that, but I guess we'll have to take his word on that (and we all know how much that's worth). Brown also mentioned Andy Reid also called to congratulate him as well. I found it pathetic that Eskin has "adopted" the Detroit Pistons as his team (sure, after they win the title). This just goes to show you what his agenda is all about, and the lengths to which some media personalities will go to in order to further that agenda.

The locals are off tonight, so take the time to enjoy the first full day of summer. If you're a Sixers fan that is still aggravated that Larry Brown won his championship after abandoning Philadelphia, you probably want to miss his appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman tonight.

2004-06-18T14:36:00.000-04:00

Rain, Rain, Go Away

The storm clouds subsided long enough yesterday for the Phillies to get both games of their first home day-night doubleheader at home. Todd Zolecki has the game stories of the 6-2 afternoon win, and the disappointing 5-4 loss in extra innings of the night game. Closer Billy Wagner had his second blown save opportunity in 11 tries, as he gave up the game-tying homer in the top of the 9th. Bob Cooney had Larry Bowa giving the surprising Detroit Tigers some props. "They got three two-out hits. That's hard to do sometimes, and they did it three times in a row." Zolecki's notebook points to some potential lineup changes in the future. Bill Conlin gets specific and says Marlon Byrd "is doomed to vanish from his protected South Philly sanctuary unless he picks up the pace." He later dabbles in some clever humor when adding, "it's no secret, though, that Bowa has turned the heat on Byrd to hit or get off the nest." Paul Hagen is happy that Ken Griffey Jr. failed in three home games to hit #500 "and that the Reds now go on the road for their next six games. It's just bad the owners get to keep the extra money that the quest generated."

Bill Fleischman writes about Comcast SportsNet trying to innovate with some of their game coverage. The Phillies are among six teams participating in a "commissioner's initiative to enhance fans' enjoyment of local baseball broadcasts." He says, "this new service will be really worth watching if Bowa has to stop in midsentence to make a decision or argue with an umpire." Actually, it would be quite humorous if they used wireless mikes here and they could catch Bowa's interactions with the umpire. Frank Fitzpatrick just calls this a "ridiculous TV development" and part of the "pre-packaged, pre-produced, gimmick-riddled, made-for-TV sports events" culture. He obviously doesn't care for what he calls a "cheap in-game intrusion." A typical FOX broadcast features many such gimmicks (if I have to endure one more meaningless fan poll, I'm going to throw a chair at the image of Joe Buck voting on his Sprint cell phone). However, Fitzpatrick is way off here on this one, I feel. For instance, during last night's broadcast, as the game headed for yet another rain delay, the CSN broadcast team spoke with Bowa on air, and got some insights into whether Kevin Milwood would be able to return to the game after a lengthy delay. This was good stuff, and something even the casual fan at home would have learned something from.

Ray Parrillo has an article on Delonte West's decision to remain in the mix for next week's NBA draft. "It was a tough decision, but in the end I had to do what I feel is best for me and my family." This was no big surprise, as the word was, this was the direction he has been leaning in for awhile. Dick Jerardi says he wasn't surprised by the decision either, since West attended numerous private workouts (some multiple times) with teams, the expenses of which he would have had to pay for himself had he withdrawn from the draft. "Now, West won't have to pay back anything. For better or worse, he is staying in next Thursday's draft." Phil Jasner briefly mentions some of the draft prospects the Sixers are looking at.

Rob Knox has additional reaction to Larry Bird's comments last week during an ESPN interview. Charles Barkley had this to say:

Every time somebody says something about race, it’s not always bad and the politically correct police are getting out of hand. Every time somebody says something about race, it doesn’t mean they are a racist. I know Larry Bird is not racist. I’ve got no problem with what he said.

Al Morganti documents the recent trend for the champions in the four major sports to be all about teamwork, and not the big name stars.

It’s a nice marketing tool to have the star players, but all it really means is that a team has a huge payroll. Thankfully, championships are still won on fields, courts and rinks, and not on the basis of who has the thickest wallet or the most stories in glossy magazines.

Sam Donnellon says Larry Brown isn't finished yet. He mentions that a San Antonio reporter joked earlier this week "that amid the celebration Tuesday night, Larry was pondering how to fix the Atlanta Hawks." He then added that Red "Auerbach's right. Until you build your own championship team, there's something missing on your resume. Which is why I doubt this is Larry's last stop." Finally, David Scott gets in yet another obligatory shot at Philly in his most recent article on our parent site:

Stephen Angry Smith seemed to be his most angry during the Finals. Can you even imagine how this guy would handle rush hour in Boston? Philly’s rush hour, from what I recall, consists of three bums chasing the cheesesteak scraps from 6 to 7 a.m.

Quite uncalled for Dave, quite unnecessary.

CSN has Royals-Phillies at 7:05.

2004-06-17T15:37:00.000-04:00

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun?

Because of the non-stop rain here in the city of Philadelphia this week, the Phillies were forced to reschedule last night's game. Todd Zolecki notes today's day-night doubleheader will be the "first-ever home day-night doubleheader requiring separate admissions" in Phillies history. Sorry the first game already started (Business "person's" special, to be politically correct, no?) by the time today's column was posted (laptop problems earlier in the day). Zolecki's notebook has the players disagreeing with Lary Bowa's assessment of the season to date. While Kevin Milwood feels "we should probably be way ahead right now," Bowa says, "with the injuries we've had, I think our team has definitely overachieved." Marcus Hayes has a humorous Doug Glanville commenting on the weather this week and suggesting "maybe we can build arks and race down the Schuykill." Dennis Deitch notes "the Phils have been able to tread water in a division and a league that has no dominant team and where the presumed contenders have been beset by injuries." Hayes also talks about the relationship Bowa struck up with Larry Brown when he was here. Larry (the one who didn't shaft Philadelphia by leaving to coach a conference rival) recalls a conversation with Brown in which he confessed, "I find it difficult to deal with 12 guys. I don't know how you deal with 25."

Speaking of Brown, Chuck Bausman says "yes, we're going to be childish and carry this grudge against the former 76ers coach a little longer. You expected something else?" My sentiments exactly. Bernard Fernandez speaks with Billy King and Aaron McKie and gets their feelings on Brown winning his first NBA title. McKie says, "I'm happy for him. I just wish it could have been with us." Jon Marks of the Trenton Times talks about how excited King "was for his mentor and for the Eastern Conference as a whole, since they would no longer have to put up with hearing how they were the NBA's 'junior varsity' compared to the West." Stephen A. Smith continues to offer mea culpas to the Pistons, "that athletic, feisty, suffocating bunch of bandits given no chance--especially by me--in these NBA Finals." He called the domination over the Lakers a "shellacking the likes of which we haven't seen in some time." He also notes in that article how Joe Dumars "is the first black executive to guide a franchise to an NBA championship." Michael Wilbon, of Washington Post and ESPN's Pardon The Interruption fame, pleads, "can we officially stop with favorably comparing Kobe with Michael Jordan?" Phil Jasner writes of a "Larry moment" earlier in the week when he said that if he won a title, he "might be doing something else" after that, which no doubt had Joe Dumars beginning to mentally compile a short list of replacements. Marc Narducci has King hoping to "move up" in the NBA draft scheduled for next Thursday. "We have talked to some people, but I don't know if it's going to happen," says King. Kevin Mulligan has Jim O'Brien "very, very interested in seeing how Glenn Robinson will be, because I'm putting a lot on Glenn. I think he's going to have a great year and I'm anxious for him to come in ready to go." Rob Knox has a look at Jameer Nelson, and how his dreams of playing in the NBA are close to becoming a reality. He says that some reports having him picked at No. 10 (Cleveland), right after the Sixers 9th pick. A Jameer-LeBron combination? That would be quite an interesting team to watch. Knox concludes, "Nelson has the entire package to flourish and make an impact in a world dominated by giants. Nelson is a winner, a tough on the ball defender, a catalyst every time he’s on the court and quite possibly the steal of the draft."

Adam Kimelman briefly mentions that the Flyers signed R.J. Umberger to a 2-year contract, after he could not reach an agreement earlier with either the Vancouver Canucks or New York Rangers. Bill Conlin has a touching tribute to fallen comrade Ralph Wiley, who died on Sunday. Wiley was a key contributor to ESPN.com's Page 2, and will no doubt be missed.

The New York Post reports that Marv Albert will no longer be the voice of the New York Knicks after a four decades-long relationship. Here's what the Post had to say: "Sources said the Cablevision CEO has sent word to his network executives that negative Knick statistics should be ignored. Knick mistakes shouldn't be replayed. Announcers were told not to compliment Knick opponents. Plus, there should be no video montages extolling the exploits of opponents." So much for journalistic integrity. Aren't we happy the Comcast-Spectacor, owner of the Flyers and Sixers, doesn't impose its will similarly in Comcast SportsNet broadcasters and hosts?

Finally, for those who are "historical statistical geeks" like myself, Fred Kerber notes that the Detroit Pistons are actually the second team to have swept the three middle games at home in the 2-3-2 Finals format. When the Pistons were in Fort Wayne, they actually accomplished the same feat in 1955, the same year the 24-second shot clock was introduced. The next year, the NBA abandoned the 2-3-2 format (after a short 3-year "experiment"), until going back to it in 1985. Interestingly, the team with home court advantage won every one of those series, and those three series also featured two Game 7s (in contrast with the past twenty years using the same format, where we have had the same number--two--Game 7s). With this year's Finals concluded, we now have 20 Finals series under the belt with the "modern" 2-3-2 format. During that time, only 5 teams who began the series on the road walked away with the title (including this year's Pistons). Including the 3 "experimental" years, the teams with home court have won 18 of 23 series, at a 78% winning rate. Also of historical note, until this year, the Minneapolis/LA Lakers had been undefeated (7-0) in the NBA Finals when holding home court advantage under the 2-3-2 format (Note: some of these trends come from information gathered through email conversations with the author of the WhoWins.com website last year). I guess this year's Pistons demonstrated that you can pretty much throw out the statistics when it comes to hustle, hard work, and determination. But it still makes for interesting analysis (if you're into that sort of thing like I am).

CSN has the day-night doubleheader between Tigers-Phillies at 1:05 and 7:35.

2004-06-16T14:36:00.000-04:00

A Good Night for Detroit

First the Tigers beat the Phillies, then the natives no doubt began ramsacking what is left of downtown Motown when the Pistons knocked off the Lakers and "shocked the world" in what is being called one of the more surprising "upsets" in the NBA Finals in decades. Few analysts predicted this outcome, and even those that did could not foresee Larry Brown's crew dominating Shaq and company in the manner in which they did.

The Tigers beat the Phillies 10-3, sending soaked fans home muttering under their breath (watching Larry Brown smile later for the ABC cameras wouldn't soothe their wounds either). Todd Zolecki and Marcus Hayes have all the gory details in their game stories. Zolecki's notebook seems to have GM Ed Wade and coach Larry Bowa at odds over the decision to demote Chase Utley to the minors. Utley surprised a few folks with his performance while filling in for Placido Polanco, and this move will no doubt be second-guessed during the months ahead. Dennis Deitch talks about the comedy of errors last night, including snide references to balls hit in the vicinity of the "Abreu Triangle." Rich Hofmann is concerned about the long-term effects of the injuries to the starting pitchers on the bullpen. Mike Olshin reports that the Phillies are one of only four MLB teams averaging more than 40,000 in attendance (this is probably double what typical attendance was at the Vet, especially in recent years), as they check in at 40,008. Lots of Delaware Valley folks want to get a first hand look at CBP.

Phil Jasner says Greg Buckner (please, please take him), Marc Jackson, Todd MacCulloch, Aaron McKie, and Derrick Coleman were on the list the Sixers submitted for the expansion draft. I guess I'm a bit surprised that McKie's name shows up on that list. Perhaps Billy King and company feel he's been through too much wear-and-tear over the years. Jasner also says last night's loss marks "the end of an era for the Lakers, who can only stare helplessly into an uncertain future." John Smallwood agrees with the assessment that this was "one of the most stunning upsets in Finals history," at least when you consider what the experts were saying before the series began. Smallwood says, "Detroit didn't just bea the Lakers. It humilated them, stomped on their egos, cut their hearts out" (a reference to when Kobe said he would do that to the Sixers in 2001, John?) It was pretty evident watching the game last night that by midway through the third quarter, when the lead was around 15 (and growing), that the Lakers just flat out quit, which you would think to be completely unacceptable for that organization. Stephen A. Smith calls the Pistons' championship "shocking and alarming." He says "the Lakers were completely annihilated, bum-rushed in such conspicuous fashion, they should hestitate to show their faces to family and friends." He lays most of the blame on the "man who-would-not-be-Michael-Jordan: Kobe Bryant." It's hard to imagine what Stephen A(ngry) Smith (as some affectionately refer to him as) would have had to say if he hadn't been waving his purple and gold Laker pom-poms for the greater part of the last five years. Or is he particularly scathing today because the Lakers nearly got swept, thus embarrassing Smith's own reputation as an NBA expert? Meanwhile, Jerry Crowe of the LA Times quotes Phil Jackson from his press conference last night "that it's a pretty slim chance that I'll be back" with the Lakers next year.

If you think about it, not only are the Pistons the only home team that swept the middle 3 games at home since the 2-3-2 format was adopted in 1985, but they are probably now the only team that had to win five games in order to clinch a series--given that they pretty much had Game 2 wrapped up before Larry Brown insisted on "playing the right way" and losing that game. Many of the "experts" (though I wouldn't consider myself one, I would agree with them) felt the Pistons would be demoralized after losing that game in that manner. It kind of reminds me of the "greatest comeback in playoff history," which happened in Nets-Celtics two years ago. Boston came back from a 26-point deficit and beat New Jersey in Game 3, and many (myself included) figured the Nets would be done. They went on to win three straight and take the series. I guess there's nothing to this "demoralizing loss" theory when it comes to the playoffs.

CSN has the Tigers-Phillies at 7:05.

2004-06-15T17:02:00.000-04:00

A Late Night Affair

Jim Thome got his 400th career homer last night, but the few hundred who stayed behind last night to see if it would count had to wait until after 2 in the morning for the game to be "over." Sam Carchidi talks about the fans efforts to try and capture the "photographic keepsake." Jim Salisbury says that sitting Griffey was a "sound business decision," since now he'll be able to go for 500 in front of his home fans, as the Reds will no doubt sell lots of tickets to tonight's game. The Phillies had the largest crowd ever in Citizens Bank Park's young history last night. Carchidi gets a few fans to complain about Griffey's no-show, questioning the Reds' motives. "That's baseball now, it's all about money" lamented one fan. All the better, I suppose. This way, all the attention could be focused on hometown hero Thome. Mark Lelinwalla says Todd Stark, who bought tickets less than an hour before the opening pitch, is the lucky fan who caught the milestone homer. Stark was quickly escorted out of his section by security, and in exchange for the ball, received an autographed ball, bat, and picture with Thome. Paul Hagen says fans had to wait until nearly 4 hours after Thome's homer to find it if it would count. This was just plain ridiculous. The game should have been called after the second rain delay, once the game was official with five innings on the books. That only about 700 fans were left on hand by the time the game was officially ended at 2:06 has to be about the most fan-unfriendly decision the umpiring crew could have made. Hagen also wants to know why, if all Griffey Jr. worries about is winning (and not the "individual stats"), he sat last night. Mike Olshin has former teammate Sean Casey saying of Thome:

He's such a humble guy. Jim is going to finish with 500 or 600 homers, and when he gets there, he'll really appreciate it. It's awesome because he's not only a great hitter, but a great person too. I'm sure he's more embarrassed than anything else about the attention he's getting. He's probably wondering, "OK, when is this over, so we can go hunting?"

Phil Jasner writes that the "pride of Coatesville", Rip Hamilton, had difficulty putting his trade to Detroit behind him, saying that Washington trading him away was "like when you break up with your first girlfriend." I wonder what the Wizards think of that move now, especially since Rip is about to get crowned "prom king"? Stephen A. Smith has several coaches saying nobody deserves an NBA title more than Larry Brown. Brown is on the verge of becoming the only coach ever to win both an NCAA and an NBA championship. John Smallwood references the Bill Plaschke article I referred to yesterday and adds his commentary:

Bryant's supreme belief in himself and his abilities has helped put his team on the brink of elimination. Bryant's greatest strength has become his and the Lakers' greatest weakness. He has shot poorly, yet refuses to sacrifice his individual game to do the one thing that has gone right for the Lakers. Bryant's unyielding drive to show that he is "the man" has all but ended Los Angeles' chances of winning a fourth title in five seasons.

Mark Lelinwalla says the Flyers have signed Keith Primeau to a four-year deal for $17 million (first two years at $4.5 million, last two at $4 million). Primeau says "Philadelphia is where I wanted to be," which explains why he turned down the chance to become a free agent. Ed Moran says Primeau really must have wanted to be here, since he took a pay cut in order to stay (he was on the payroll for $5 million during the last two seasons). Adam Kimelman also has Captain Primeau still trying to convince Sami Kapanen not to retire and move his family back to Finland. Kapinen's "stance is beginning to soften," according to his close friend. Kimelman also submits his "last NHL column for the season." The upcoming 2004-05 season, that is. The one that, from everything he's hearing (including the Daily News report he mentions, that was referenced here last week, where the Flyers told their broadcast crews "not to hesitate to look for work elsewhere") won't happen.

Sam Donnellon wonders what idiots who are overly "aggressive" trying to catch a souvenir at baseball games are thinking, in reaction to the bozo who did so over the weekend at a Cardinals-Rangers game, the replay of which was shown all over the country. "If common sense and decency cannot motivate you, imagine what you look like to your co-workers if you're caught on television trampling on women and children."

Peter Vecsey sounds a bit tired of Phil Jackson's whining about the officiating in the Finals. "I got a technical just to prove a point. I don't think it worked. [Kobe's] first free throws were at the end of hte game," complained Coach Zen Master. Vecsey asks, "why should it work? Why should the refs be expected to bail out Kobe when he's upchucking so many sordid shots while falling away from the basket?"

CSN has the Tigers-Phillies at 7:05. OK, You have my permission to watch potential history-in-the-making with Lakers-Pistons, Game 5 of the NBA Finals, tonight at 9. Detroit is trying to clinch the title and become the first team to sweep the middle three games at home since the league switched to the 2-3-2 Finals format.

2004-06-14T11:53:00.000-04:00

Returning Home

Paul Abbott had a good performance yesterday, and Billy Wagner was able to close the deal as as the Phillies left the Metrodome with a 2-1 victory, and a winning road trip. Todd Zolecki has the game story. His notebook says tonight's makeup game at Citizens Bank Park could be the night for a couple of milestones: Ken Griffey Jr.'s 500th home run, and Jim Thome's 400th. Dennis Deitch says "the right-field seats at CBP [will be] a memorabilia gold mine, with Thome and Junior both hitting from the left side of the plate." I guess this means if Griffey reaches the milestone tonight, this will be one visitor's homer that doesn't get thrown back onto the field, as is the new tradition at CBP? We'll just have to wait and see. In either event, Marcus Hayes has Thome saying both milestones being reached tonight would "be awesome." Over the weekend, Bob Ford seemed to implore the front office to do something to address the injuries and inconsistencies of the starting rotation. Larry Bowa conceded, "Until we get out starters back, we're going to have some problems and that's just the way it is."

Bob Grotz has Terrell Owens explaining some of his comments last week.

Everybody thought I was ragging about getting the ball. But I just felt like, this city is excited about the season. And for us to be able to pull our magic out and make it work, I felt like we needed to be on the same page, as far as chemistry. And that's all that was.

Les Bowen reveals the rather disturbing "deal" that Andy Reid made with T.O., that if he scores 15 touchdowns, "I told him I'd wear the tights." Bowen (and T.O.) noted this is "something one would not yearn to see."

Marc Narducci says "there wasn't a scout or executive questioned who felt [Delonte West] was ready for the NBA" after last week's pre-draft camp in Chicago. On last night's Sports Final, John Clark says that, according to friends and family members, West is leaning toward remaining eligible for the draft.

I may not necessarily be enjoying seeing Larry Brown and the Pistons on their way to winning a championship, but I certainly am enjoying seeing the Lakers self-implode in one of the more stunning outcomes of an NBA Finals in years (decades?) Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press has Phil Jackson whining after the game that his players "just want a fair shake. They want an even break from the refs. They want to feel like they're not playing uphill." Hey Phil, how does it feel? After years of watching MJ, and more recently, Shaq/Kobe, get the "superstar" calls, Coach Zen Master finally gets a taste of his own medicine. Why can't he just admit that his team is just plain getting flat out beat? Albom concludes, "Foks, when they start blaming the referees, it's over." John Smallwood agrees, "this series is over, and the better team is going to win." I wonder what Howard Eskin, who typically drools over Kobe Bryant, has to say about Kobe's performance thus far. If Eskin read (I know, a stretch) what was being said of him by his own beat writers, he might be a bit surprised. Bill Plaschke of the LA Times says that "on Sunday night, ...one trait that he has shown more than all others in his time in Los Angeles, his stubbornness" did the Lakers in. Drew Sharp called it the "Kobe Virus."

CSN has the makeup game of Reds-Phillies at 7:05.

2004-06-11T18:10:00.000-04:00

T.G.I.F.

Looks like the area writers have been putting in a little extra time these past few days, because there was a plethora of links to go through, and that despite the fact that a Philadelphia team has not played a game in the last 36 hours...

Todd Zolecki has a notebook looking at Jim Thome's plans with the ball from home run #400, when it comes in the next few days. Paul Hagen has a look back at the scout that "discovered" Thome. Some interesting stuff in there about the "cloak-and-dagger methods" involved with major league scouting. Hagen also writes about the development of Thome's "natural" swing with the assistance of an old manager. He also talks about the possibilities of the makeup game's scheduling, including the (no doubt rare) chance that it would be rescheduled the day after the regular season ended, and played only if it had playoff implications. He also submits this commentary where he says the Phillies front office "should be asking themselves if, all things considered, this $93 million team is playing up to its capabilities." His opinion is that they certainly are not. Finally, this fifth article by Hagen (see, I told you they were busy yesterday, I guess they were bored by the rainout) has some of the Phillies discussing the difficulties of tracking the ball at Minnesota's Metrodome, where they open a series tonight. Kevin Mulligan has nothing good to say about this year's interleague scheduling.

Stephen A. Smith says that Kobe Bryant's "perpetual smirk...indicative of a blase attitude" seems to be fading. I'm not sure what happened to Stephen A.'s article here, or whether his headline writer got things messed up, but the online version has "Bird has the authority to be frank with truth" as the title of this article (perhaps we'll see Smith's opinion on this subject over the weekend). Phil Jasner is out in Detroit covering what is turning out to be a surprising Finals. Shaq seemed to be doing his usual finger pointing after the game, including his comment that this was the "first time in my 10 years I went to the line once. I thought I was getting bumped, but maybe not." Brown managed to get yet another dig in at his former team, saying after last night's game, "Like my players reminded me, we are not the same team as Philly." What he fails to mention is this is not the same Lakers team either. The 2001 squad steamrolled through the playoffs, and the Sixers were the only team to actually made them earn their wins. Jasner also reiterates Allen Iverson's plans to honor his committment to play in the Olympics this summer, joining only Tim Duncan as the original players picked for Team USA. Phil also just had to mention yet again that Iverson "has not spoken with beat reporters since March 20," as if the fans cared about that. Jasner also speculates on who the Sixers will protect in the expansion draft for the new Charlotte Bobcats. Harvey Yavener almost sums up my feelings perfectly when it comes to finding a rooting interest in this Detroit-LA matchup. Al Morganti points out that Brown's "ego gets in the way of winning championships," since that means insisting on "playing the right way," (which is a euphemism for "Larry Brown's way") even if that means losing, as it did in Game 2.

Peter May of the Boston Globe has the NBA's announcement that it would establish a single-season attendance record this year. Through Game 3 of the Finals, 21,810,973 fans have walked through turnstiles in arenas throughout the league this year, making you wonder about rumors of the league's demise in fans' eyes. However, these figures are slightly misleading, as the the NBA fails to mention that they added at least one, and possibly two, games to each series in the first round (up to a total of 16 games for the 8 series played). Figuring each arena at an average of 20,000, that's an increase of 320,000 due to increasing the number of playoff games alone. Not to say that this entirely explains the new "record," but it does appear disingenious on the NBA's part to cite such statistics. A far more telling stat would be average attendance. This is kind of like David Stern being proud that this year's Finals' ratings spiked compared to last year. Again, it's not mentioned that last year's Finals was the lowest rated since the championship round was shown on tape delay back in the 1970s.

Mark Lelinwalla plugs the 14th annual basketball clinic being held Sunday and Monday at the Borgata in Atlantic City. Marc Narducci looks at Nate Robinson, who is facing a similar decision as Jameer Nelson did last summer. Ray Parrillo gets John Nash's opinion of St. Joe's guard Delonte West.

Mark Eckel looks at the ever-evolving role of Brian Westbrook. Bob Brookover looks at the Eagles paying a visit to the Edward Gideon School in North Philly.

Frank Fitzpatrick watched Game 5 of the 1980 Phillies-Astros NLCS on ESPN Classic Monday night, and didn't miss the ads behind the catcher, the sports tickers across the bottom of the screen, or the AFLAC trivia questions. Don Steinberg has a look at some upcoming programming on CN8 and Comcast SportsNet. Ed Moran says that "according to sources, the Flyers have decided not to renew their broadcasters' contracts if the season does not begin on time and there are no games to air." Rich Hofmann noticed there were only 20,000 who showed up for the Tampa Bay Lightning's championship parade, and wondered:

You wonder what is more galling - to be from Boston and to go for decades at one point without being able to beat the Montreal Canadiens in a playoff series, and to go for a lifetime without being able to beat the New York Yankees in a big spot, to be tortured by historical greatness, or to be from Philadelphia and have your lunch eaten three times in less than a year.

I have to admit that ESPN got me. Their "Larry Bird says more white guys are needed in the NBA" controversial headlines of the past couple days got me to tune in last night to Jim Gray's "Two on Two" interview. I have to say that I enjoyed the interview and failed to see what the fuss was all about. The only thing I was upset about midway through is that ESPN resorted to such tactics before the interview was aired to attract attention and ratings. That is a shame, because the interview certainly should have been able to stand on its own merit.

Tonight, CSN has Phillies-Twins at 8:10.

2004-06-10T14:31:00.000-04:00

Coors Field of the Midwest?

That's what Jason Strait of the Trenton Times has Larry Bowa calling U.S. Cellular Field after the Phillies won last night's "homer-happy" 13-10 marathon. The win puts them two games behind the Marlins, who lost last night. Todd Zolecki calls it "big-league baseball at U.S. Cellular. But at times it looked like intramural softball in Manayunk." Zolecki's notebook has the Phillies just trying to survive the juggling act with their starting rotation by signing Paul Abbott, who was cut from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Paul Hagen has Bowa lamenting, "I'm tired of worrying about it. If you don't have your people, you do the best you can." Hagen also looks at Jim Thome quickly approaching 400 career homers, something he is likely to do before the Phillies return home to Citizens Bank Park.

Bob Brookover says Eagles' fans should get any ideas of bringing back Jeremiah Trotter out of their head. Les Bowen has backup quarterack Jeff Blake making a good early impression. He says he's "stumbled only once calling plays the last 2 weeks, and that was because Todd Pinkston was making a face at me." Mark Eckel has N.D. Kalu working hard to maintain his role as a starter. Led Bowen has a pretty good feature on Terrell Owens and his generous side. A longer article, but worth the read, I thought. In the article, Owens addresses comments Ray Lewis made last week:

Ray Lewis isn't but one person. I'll be ready. They can say what they're going to do to me, this and that, it doesn't bother me. If they want to take all their frustration out on me, good. That means they're probably not going to be doing what they're supposed to be doing. My main thing is the Eagles winning the game. It's not me against Ray Lewis.

Bob Brookover also discusses an interesting "field trip" the newest members of the Eagles made yesterday, including a T.O. visit to Pat's Steaks. Owens says he's never had a cheesesteak, and from the sounds of it, he plans to keep it that way. He didn't exactly give a ringing endorsement of the Philly delicacy:

I've got to keep these six packs. That's not part of my diet. I had a fresh tuna salad sandwich on the bus over here. My body is clean. I put good gasoline into my body. If I ate here, I'd be done for the rest of the trip. I'd be on the toilet.

I'm sure Pat was overjoyed by that sound bite. He did mention that Andy Reid might have a "field day" there, and might enjoy "four or five." In the words of Homer Simpson, "mmm...cheesesteak..." (followed by drooling sounds).

Stephen A. Smith continues to wonder at the coaching blunder at the end of Game 2, and includes this quote from a Joe Dumars' confidant: "Chances like that don't occur every day. Joe knows that better than anyone, so just imagine how furious he is. I'm practically family to him and I'm scared to talk to him. So I know LB should feel that way." Stephen A. reminds us that Philadelphia is all to familiar with the frustration and the "moments of the inexplicable" that accompanies the "greatness and genius" of Larry Brown. ESPN's David Aldridge joins in on the second guessing of "pound for pound" LB's decision-making.

Phil Sheridan looks at a special "Two on Two" interview that will air on ESPN tonight (see below for more details), and disagrees with Larry Bird's opinion that "the NBA needs more white stars to appeal to the white fans," and feels that might have been true in the past, but one look in suburban middle schools full of "skinny white boys with baggy jeans and sideways baseball caps" is enough to dispel that notion. A pretty good article, I think, that doesn't make a mountain out of a molehill when it comes to Bird's comment that pro basketball is a "black man's game."

Marc Narducci has a look at what Randy Ayers has been up to since being fired by the Sixers last year. Ayers is still on the team's payroll through the remainder of his contract (another two years), unless he takes another job. Ray Parrillo looks at St. Joe's guard Delonte West's workouts in Chicago. According to one anonymous scout, West is "a second-rounder all the way." I also found it interesting that because he made trips to Portland, New Jersey, Indiana, Boston, Orlando, and Chicago, he is obligated to reimburse those teams if he decides to stay at St. Joe's. Yet another reason the NCAA should be ashamed of itself.

UPN 57 has Phillies-White Sox at 8:05. ABC Channel 6 has Game 3 of the NBA Finals at 9. ESPN is airing what is turning out to be a controversial interview session hosted by Jim Grey featuring Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Carmelo Anthony, and LeBron James at 7.

2004-06-09T14:15:00.000-04:00

Swinging for the Fences

There was a whole lot of that going on in last night's opening game of interleague play, and the Phillies dropped a 14-11 decision to the White Sox, wasting two 3-run homer shots by Jim Thome, in the 1st and 9th innings. Todd Zolecki has the game story. His notebook says closer Billy Wagner is ready to go. It's too bad he didn't have a prayer of getting in the game last night. Paul Hagen has Thome saying "the ball was carrying well to all fields. You see the ball real, real well here. I don't know if it's the lighting or the background, but you can pick up the ball well." Hagen also notes Jimmy Rollins' improved confidence at the plate. Hitting coach Greg Gross says, "it's pretty obvious. His whole body language is completely different." Bill Conlin says the radio hosts that are daily calling for Larry Bowa's resignation can stop wasting their breath.

Mark Eckel says disgruntled Green Bay Packer Mike McKenzie isn't even on the Eagles' radar in terms of some kind of deal. Bob Grotz worries that this could be a mistake, as "the last thing the Eagles need is to finish only a corner away from the big game." Meanwhile, Bob Brookover highlights Terrell Owens' appearance on the cover of Sporting News. Owens continues to make an issue of Andy Reid's dress code, which requires players to wear shorts. In what must have been a humorous scene, Owens spent the first couple of days of voluntary camps walking by Reid and, probably muttering under his breath, saying "these shorts suck," which elicited a chuckle out of Big Red. Owens complained further, "If I just have my tights on, I feel smooth, fluid, Spider-Man-like, I have given up a lot; for me to wear tights wouldn't be much. At least give me a leash. I understand having structure, and I guess that is him making a statement. I don't have any problem with that, but it's a big adjustment." What's the over/under for the week number of Owens' first mid-season tirade?

Bob Ford says that, according to ABC, the ratings for the Stanley Cup Finals revealed a somewhat surprising fact: "the ratings for the Philadelphia market were fourth-highest in the country on Monday night. Only Tampa, Orlando, and Detroit paid more attention to the broadcast than Philadelphia." Ford added:

That means, if you choose to look at it this way, Philadelphia was the top-rated market in the United States for those cities that had no particular stake in the outcome or reason to feel boosterish about the game.

OK, I admit it, the appeal of watching the mighty Lakers go down 0-2 in this supposed coronation of a Finals got to me. I should have known better. Read these quotes from Phil Jasner on the Lakers' 99-91 OT win:

You know, we're crushed. I mean, shoot, that was...we had a winnable game. And everybody in that locker room is down...We came here, should have won two games, [given] ourselves a hell of a chance.

You can't tell whether that was said last night, or from 3 years ago when the Sixers also blew an opportunity to take a shocking 2-0 lead on the Lakers, can you? And can the media stop acting so surprised that a team from the eastern conference is competing in the Finals? Case in point, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald (and what's up with his headline writer: "Kobe, Lakers stun Pistons"--I thought the Lakers were the favorite?) So far, Detroit has done nothing more than the Pacers in 2000 (actually, the Pacers fell into an 0-2 hole) or the Sixers in 2001. What these so-called experts seem to forget is that even though the Sixers eventually lost the series 4-1, every game in that series was competitive, and had the Sixers either had home court advantage (something that Brown completely blew a chance at by giving away the last game of the regular season) or had they won Game 2, the series would have taken on a whole different look. At least they didn't choke away a 6-point lead with 48 seconds left in regulation (including a mindless foul when Shaq dunked a Bryant miss with just over 30 seconds to play, like Detroit did last night.

I am now fully on board with the Peter Vecsey philosophy: why, oh why, didn't the Lakers foul Kobe Bryant instead of allowing him to take a "miracle" 3-pointer that nearly everybody watching the game just knew he would make? Peter May says Larry Brown's excuse was that he would have fouled if the ball had gone inside to Shaq, but since it went to Bryant, he feared a 4-point play. Actually, Marc Berman of the NY Post says Brown "didn't think they were going to throw it to him." Huh? Yes, what a huge surprise, Kobe Bryant getting the ball in that situation. Who would have thought? ESPN.com's Marc Stein says that even Kobe Bryant "was waiting for them to foul." One more Finals note, Peter May followed up with the Brown-Hamilton exchange mentioned yesterday, in which Hamilton said that Detroit was "a different team" and that Brown "wasn't in Philly anymore," implying that they wouldn't lose 4 straight to the Lakers like the Sixers did 3 years ago. Brown's reply to Hamilton? "Yeah, but you've got the same coach." To the delight of Lakers fans across the nation today.

OK, enough ranting for today. You can catch Phillies-White Sox at 8:05 on CSN.

2004-06-08T10:52:00.000-04:00

The Jameer/O'Brien Saga Continues

It certainly isn't anywhere near "Larry Brown/Allen Iverson" drama, but it certainly makes things interesting and stirs up the pot in an otherwise slow sports day. Joe Juliano quotes Jameer after his workout yesterday: "I'm not saying he was being negative; he was just stating his opinion. Everybody's entitled to their own opinion. But it just gives me a little chip to play harder and just prove people wrong." Phil Sheridan gets Jameer to jokingly say, "He made me cry. I got a lot of calls from a lot of people afer that. He made my mom mad." Kevin Mulligan has Nelson putting things into perspective, adding, "if I go out there and play like I know I will, everything will take care of itself." Speaking of their 9th pick, Caryl Kauffman writes in her notes that there seems to be some confusion between Jim O'Brien and Billy King regarding the prospects of moving down in the draft. King says they "like the players we're seeing in the top nine."

Interleague play begins tonight, which led Larry Bowa to complain about the fairness of scheduling. Jim Salisbury got these Bowa quotes on the off-day yesterday: "The way it's set up is not right. Nothing against Tampa Bay, but the Marlins have six games with them, and we've got to play Boston." However, Phillies president David Montgomery is quite happy to play against the likes of the Red Sox and Orioles, as attendance tends to go way up against these opponents.

Now that the Stanley Cup Finals are over (can you believe Tampa now has 2 championships in 2 different sports in the past 2 years, and we're still waiting for our first in over 2 decades?), Rich Hofmann takes nearly 1,000 words to say that "between now and the contract expiration in September, well, if isn't even worth talking about." Then why did we write about it? Can I have that 5 minutes of my life back?

And in case you needed any further reason to despise Larry Brown and the Pistons (not that you can root for the Lakers either), Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald notes that after the Pistons upset the Lakers in Game 1, Larry Brown reminded the team that the Sixers did the same thing in 2001, only to then lose 4 straight to the Lakers. Rip Hamilton rebutted, "This is a different team. You're not in Philly anymore."'

You can catch Phillies-White Sox at 8:05 on CSN. ABC (Channel 6) has Game 2 of the the NBA Finals (Pistons-Lakers) at 8:30.

2004-06-07T11:30:00.000-04:00

Milwood Struggles Continue

After jumping out to a 4-0 lead, Kevin Milwood let his four run cushion get away, and lost again to his former team, 6-4. Jim Salisbury and Marcus Hayes have the game stories. In Salisbury's notes, it's mentioned that Placido Polanco will return to the Phillies' lineup as interleague play begins tomorrow. Dennis Deitch had Milwood's take after the game, in response to whether any of his former Braves' teammates ever needle him about his struggles against him when they hang out in the offseason. His reply? "No, I have a gun when I'm hunting."

John Smallwood puts in writing what goes through my mind every June: how the 2-3-2 format in the NBA Finals significantly stacks things against the team without homecourt advantage (repeating the often-quoted stat that "no home team has ever won all middle three games"). The format also doesn't lend itself to many Game 7 situations, at least in the NBA. Since the league adopted the format in 1985, there have been only two Game 7s: 1988 and 1994. In contrast, the Stanley Cup Finals, which employ the standard 2-2-1-1-1 format, have featured twice as many Game 7s (including tonight's game) in that time span. Interestingly, MLB, which uses the same 2-3-2 format in the World Series, has featured many more Game 7s (seven since 1985, though they've been using the format for longer than the NBA). I forget what my point was in all this. Except that it's very difficult to pull off an upset in the NBA Finals. In yesterday's column, the Boston Globe's Peter May notes that this is the first time in 10 years that neither #1 seed has made it to the Finals. Even worse, it's the first time since 1978 that one of the Finalists wasn't even tied for the best record in its conference. For all you conspiracy theorists out there who believe David Stern's marketing folks would have had a nightmare over Minnesota-Indiana, I'm sure Detroit-LA will surprisingly do better in the ratings than last year, which is a shame.

Speaking of upsets, Al Morganti penned this insightful piece following the Smarty Jones disappointing loss in his bid for the Triple Crown. He also seems to tell people to chill out with this "Philadelphia is cursed" nonsense, since "many times, the favorte is knocked off, and it is not a curse that is only heaped on the shoulders and psyches of those people who root for things Philadelphia." Did I mention Al is a Red Sox fan? Morganti also reminds us that the term "upset" was used in sports when a horse named Upset defeated Man O'War. You learn something new every day.

Berry Federovitch of the Trenton Times blames the "Curse of the Bambino" on Smarty's loss. Apparently there was a Red Sox fan in the house, and the New York and Philadelphia "fans" in attendance began chanting 1918. Can we take the Boston Globe's Dan Shaugnessy in the back and shoot him and put him out of his misery for foisting talk of this curse upon sports fans everywhere? (and before getting accused of making "terroristic threats," that's a tongue-in-cheek reference). On our "sister site," David Scott is "overjoyed...that we were spared a Philadelphia riot (aka parade)." Apparently riots are reserved only for Boston college campuses following Patriots' Super Bowl victories.

Over the weekend, Caryl Kauffman reported on Lester Conner's hiring by the Sixers. Conner said, following his hiring, "I guess there's somewhat of a rivalry between the Sixers and Celtics, so I guess we'll continue that." Looking forward to it. Phil Jasner had O'Brien explaining what Conner's addition was for: "What this really means is that if I get kicked out of a game Lester will be our coach."

Bob Grotz made note of some comments Ray Lewis made on Sporting News Radio last week. Speaking of Terrell Owens (who spurned the Ravens so that he could join the Eagles), Lewis said, "Sooner or later, he's going to have to run into me one way or the other. It's hard to respect guys that pose and do things like that." Pose? I guess that must have been someone else preening and posing for the cameras when I watched the Ravens lose to the Titans in this year's playoffs. Perhaps it was Lewis' evil twin brother or something. The Boston Herald's Michael Felger noted in his column yesterday that Richard Seymour of the Patriots is keeping tabs on the Corey Simon situation here in Philadelphia. Seymour fired his agent last year, and hired Eugene Parker last year, who also represents Simon, and who is apparently giving him the advice to sit out the Eagles' "voluntary" mini-camps.

Finally, ESPN published a "city standings during the ESPN era" on its website in which Philadelphia came in 4th (just behind Boston). Obviously, championships weren't the deciding factor (bonus points were awarded for championships and finals appearances however). However, overall team winning percentages figured prominently, and for all of the times they come up short winning the big one, Philly teams generally make a good showing nonetheless.

The locals are off tonight. If you absolutely must find something to watch, you can join the other 7 people (six of which are Canadian residents) who will be watching the Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 on ABC (Channel 6) at 8.

2004-06-04T11:52:00.000-04:00

On a Roll--In the Wrong Direction

Sorry for no post yesterday, I was experiencing technical difficulties (the AC adapter in my laptop was not cooperating), and had a busy day at work, which left no time for the daily submission. Besides, it was deja vu all over again when the Phillies lost to the Mets, in extra innings, on Wednesday night, in about the same exact manner that they lost on Tuesday. so did we really want to beat that dead horse again? And speaking of beating horses, can we give this Smarty Jones coverage a break? I agree with WIP's Glen Macnow. It's a nice story, but must we see this non-stop continuous coverage? At this point, I don't think the horse can relieve himself without having some news station's camera catching his every move. Anyways, rant over, onto today's links...

One of yesterday's bigger stories involved yet another controversy from Eagles' "voluntary" camp. This time the holdout is Corey Simon. Bob Brookover had the story. Les Bowen chatted with Joe Banner, who was "a little surprised" at Simon's absence. The insightful Mark Eckel of the Trenton Times cited a league source regarding the situtation:

They got another situation on their hands. [They] don't blink. If [he] wants out, he's doing the right thing. If he wants a new deal, he's not going to get it that way.

Simon's representatives claim he will report to training camp as usual come July 31. We shall see. Today's "controversy" involves Terrell Owens, who is already demanding that McNabb 'throw him the damn ball' (OK, that "Me-Shawn" reference was a bit over the top). Bob Brookover has T.O. claiming he is "behind on adjusting to Donovan because his ball comes a little faster and I need more work on that." Les Bowen also submits an article about the T.O. "situation." Meanwhile, Mark Eckel talks about Freddy "Fred-Ex" Mitchell, of 4th-and-26 fame, and his being "happy" in his role as slot receiver.

Sam Donnellon thinks the NHL should consider contraction as it gets ready to head into an offseason of uncertainty. Ed Barkowitz invites folks to email him with their opinion on whether Phil Jackson should be considered the NBA's greatest coach once his Lakers win the title this year. Finally, Rich Hofmann, on one hand, says Philly isn't "all that different from other big Northeastern cities" when it comes to their fans, since "booing really is a regional, big-city thing." On the other hand, he claims that Philly is unique when it comes to the way they hold their grudges (see: Scott Rolen, J.D. Drew, and currently, Larry Brown). I beg to differ. Apparently Rich never caught a Yankees game at Fenway in which Roger Clemens was pitching. The Fenway fans' creative chants tell you all you need to know about holding grudges. Look for more of the same fun with A-Rod now in the pinstripes.

Update: The Sixers have announced that they have added Lester Connor to Jim O'Brien's staff of assistants. Conner was with the Celtics for six years, including O'Brien's tenure as head coach.

UPN57 has Phillies-Braves tonight at 7:35.

2004-06-02T12:20:00.000-04:00

Working Overtime for Nothing

The Phillies dropped another game yesterday to the Mets, losing a 4-1 decision, and spoiling an otherwise good pitching performance by Kevin Millwood. Todd Zolecki and Marcus Hayes have the game stories. After the game, Larry Bowa lamented, "we're just not hitting." Zolecki's notebook also mentions that Jim Thome is only 4th among NL All-Star vote-getters. He seems to encourage Phillies fans to stuff the ballot boxes a little to change that. Rich Hofmann quotes Millwood saying his "confidence is as high as it's been in awhile." Hayes talks about Bowa's lineup shakeup, which didn't seem to change the outcome last night. Harvey Yavener of the Trenton Times wonders whether the Phillies will consider mortgaging their future come the trading deadline, if their hitting struggles continue, by moving young pitching prospects in exchange for some power swingers. Bill Conlin resurrects a 1998 debate and column about who is better: Scott Rolen or Mike Schmidt, no doubt sparking outrage in Phillies fans once again.

Phil Jasner says that Jim O'Brien successfully lured one of his former assistants from Boston, Frank Vogel, to his staff with the Sixers. He still hopes to add Lester Connor and Joe Gallagher, which makes sense since new Celtics coach Doc Rivers is likely bringing in all new staff of his own. Jasner also mentions, in an article where Larry Brown is looking forward to Iverson being on the Olympic team, that Iverson "has not spoken to Sixers beat writers since March 20." John Smallwood wonders who Sixers fans should root for in the Finals: LA or LB. How about "C", none of the above? Personally, I know I've watched my last NBA game of the season already. Isn't it a bit odd that a matchup of the #1 seeds in each conference would have yielded a "small market" Minnesota-Indiana Finals (hello NHL's Tampa Bay-Calgary), but instead we're "treated" to a Detroit-LA finale? Conspiracy theorists, start your engines (you don't have to go back to far, just to Derek Fisher's "buzzer-beating" shot against the Spurs, which as I, and others, have pointed out, should not have counted).

Also, a point of discussion on WIP late yesterday afternoon involved Sixers season ticket holders, who are receiving their invoices for next season in the mail, along with a promotional poster of some sort (during my season ticket holder days, I would have been able to provide a first-hand report, but all I have to go by are WIP hosts and callers at this point). Anyway, it seems as if the Sixers' marketing folks have chosen not to feature Iverson in any of the promotional materials for next year, which is quite interesting. Perhaps an indication that, approached with the right offer, the team wouldn't be against moving him. Certainly something to keep an eye on as the summer approaches, and will no doubt be a topic for discussion when next season's trading deadline approaches as well, especially if O'Brien doesn't get the Sixers ship righted quickly.

Tim Panaccio reports on Robert Esche's successful surgery yesterday, and notes that his rehab and subsequent return will be two months earlier than originally projected (mid-July instead of mid-September), meaning he should be able to participate in the World Cup of Hockey in August.

CSN has Mets-Phillies tonight at 7:05. ESPN2 has Red Sox-Angels at 10.

2004-06-01T09:45:00.000-04:00

All Wet

The Phillies finally got a game in yesterday on Memorial Day, after multiple, lengthy rain delays. Unfortunately. For them. They dropped a 5-3 decision to the Mets at a soggy Citizens Bank Park. Todd Zolecki has the game story, and writes of Marlon Byrd's struggles at the plate. His notebook says Ed Wade is not going to be 'pushing any panic buttons when you're playing well.' Marcus Hayes notes that the Phillies have struggled mightily with runners in scoring position, including slugger Jim Thome, who stranded 5 runners all by his lonesome yesterday. Hayes talks about the growing ranks of the injured, with Jimmy Rollins and Vicente Padilla as the newest members of the disabled list. Meanwhile, Placido Polanco has heard the trade rumors, especially with the suprising play of Chase Utley in his absence. According to Dennis Deitch of the Delaware County Times, Polanco says "I've been through it before." Kevin Kernan writes about the "special" location of the visitor's bullpen, while also encouraging his readers to "take a ride down the Jersey Turnpike to Citizens Bank Park...and you'll see what you are missing."

In Sunday's Inquirer, Tim Panaccio said Sami Kapanen is considering retirement, as he wants to stay in Finland so his kids can go to school there. Adam Kimelman of the Trenton Times discusses some of the possible offseason moves for the Flyers, and vaguely references Panaccio's report.

Joe Juliano submitted his weekly NBA article on Sunday as well, where he quotes Jim O'Brien as saying high school players 'scare him,' especially the thought of using a lottery pick on someone who has the remote possibility of being the next Kevin Garnett, but a more likely chance of being the next Kwame Brown. Meanwhile, Bob Ford is happy the Sixers have a coach who is willing to speak his mind. Jeff McCaffery of the Delaware County Times agrees. "Being so blunt with his thoughts is likely to make him quite popular in his hometown. Beats clearing his throat and saying, 'Injuries...'"

In his Sunday column, Peter Vecsey called Philly's own Stephen A. Smith a "fool" and "Stephen A(nal)." Nice. And now that TNT has completed yet another playoff run, can we make one request to the Inside the NBA crew: please get rid of Magic. There's nothing like the objectivity of a part-Lakers owner on the "expert" panel, right Ernie Johnson? The next insightful and meaningful comment Magic makes will be his first.

CSN has Phillies-Mets tonight at 7:05. ESPN has Game 6 of Pacers-Pistons at 8.

2004-05-28T10:46:00.000-04:00

Not So Fast

Perhaps talk of the Braves' demise has been a bit premature. At least from the Phillies perspective. Kevin Millwood was shelled yesterday, sending fans home muttering under their breath. Jim Salisbury says Millwood can't seem to locate his fastball. Marcus Hayes chronicles the first grand slam in Citizens Bank Park history. I would imagine the fan did not take home that souvenir, in the tradition of the new park. Salisbury says "it will take several years to accurately determine if Citizens Bank Park is the Coors Field of the East," as many visiting managers have complained. The power lineup the Phillies have assembled, coupled with the unseasonably warm weather, have no doubt contributed to the high home run totals. Salisbury's notebook says Billy Wagner and Jeff Cooper have "kissed and made up" (not that there's anything wrong with that): "I went in, we sat down, and we're on the same page. Now me and Coop love each other and we're expecting our first child." Hayes quotes Wagner (since Cooper does not speak to the media): "I thought the forum of communication needed to be opened. He's not a big talker."

Frank Fitzpatrick submits his weekly Morning Bytes and includes this tidbit:

From ESPN the Magazine comes this quote from an anonymous Red Sox teammate about camera-craving Curt Schilling. "If I had one big game to pitch, I'd take Schill over anyone I've ever played with," he said. "But every other day I want to kill him."

Ray Parrillo gets Phil Martelli's predictable reaction to Jim O'Brien's comments earlier this week.

The beauty of this whole thing is some people like vanilla ice cream and some people like chocolate, and to each his own. I don't know what was gained by it. I'm not sure who benefited by that. Every other indication I get is that Jameer is going to be a top-10 pick.

ESPN.com's Bill Simmons rates Philly as the fourth most tortured sports city, behind Buffalo, Cleveland, and Minnesota. He says not winning a championship since 1983 "warrants mentioning." Warrants mentioning? The fact that Philly is the only major city with 4 professional sporting teams without a title in over two decades should give it the #1 spot (as John Smallwood mentioned earlier this week, that's 84 combined seasons without a title, and counting, thank you very much Flyers). At least let us win first place in something. Sheesh. And to answer David Scott of Boston Sports Media Watch, who asked this question earlier this week:

Does SmartyMania actually cure Flyeritis– that annual affliction that cripples the little Philly puckheads for three to six months, depending on when the Phillies or Eagles are available to provide another Phabulous Philly Phlop[?]

The answer is no, as I mentioned earlier this week.

CSN has Braves-Phillies tonight at 7:05. ESPN has Game 4 of Pacers-Pistons at 8.

2004-05-27T18:09:00.000-04:00

Escape from New York (wth a victory)

The Phillies split their series with the Mets, exploding for 6 runs (5 unearned) in the 7th inning, which enabled them to win, 7-4. Todd Zolecki and Marcus Hayes have the game stories. Both Zolecki's notebook and Hayes' notebook both talk about the rift between closer Billy Wagner and Phillies trainer Jeff Cooper with regards to his rehab. Apparently, Wagner was used to taking muscle relaxants when dealing with a similar injury while with the Astros, and Cooper seems as tight-fisted as an HMO, so Wagner had to acquire them on his own. Asked what he thought of the rift, Wagner replied, "that's not my problem.... He has all the medical degrees. I've got a degree in pitching.... I'm not doubting his ability." Hopefully this doesn't get more ugly that this, and doesn't jeopardize Wagner's long-term future with the team. Jim Salisbury looks at the Braves, who are coming to town, in fourth place, for the first time (after 44 games) since May 1990. Ohhhhhh...oh...oh-uh-oh...Ohhhhhhh...oh-oh. Could their reign as division champs be over? Finally!

The Sixers had just as much luck in the NBA draft lottery as they had battling injuries all season long. Marc Narducci says Billy King "would have liked to have moved up, but the odds weren't in our favor." Stephen A. Smith is pretty much indifferent about the whole thing. John Smallwood submits his annual "the NBA needs a real minor league" article. I remember the first time I read this. Wasn't it five years ago? Phil Jasner has Billy King wondering about the "brown stains" left behind from Smarty Jones' not-so-lucky horseshoe (well, at least they didn't drop to the 10th spot...) in his fashion-conscious suit jacket. Jasner also speaks with an elated Pat Williams, who has now landed an amazing total of four #1 picks (once with the Sixers, and now three times with Orlando). Williams, referring to the Magic's horrible season, seemed proud of having "the most pingpong balls. And we earned them." David Stern also added some humor, saying he has Russ Granik preside over the proceedings now because he "was tired of congratulating Pat."

Les Bowen says Eagles' draft pick Shawn Andrews can now stop and smell the flowers. Literally. But he seems to prefer smelling pizza, cheeseburgers, grilled chicken, and steaks.

CSN has Braves-Phillies tonight at 7:05. TNT has Game 4 of Wolves-Lakers at 9:00.

2004-05-26T11:28:00.000-04:00

Are Ya Feelin' Lucky? Well, Are Ya?

Hopefully the Sixers are. Phil Jasner breaks down the Sixers odds in tonight's NBA draft lottery: 3.6% chance to land #1, 4.2% chance to land #2, 4.9% chance to land #3, 72% chance to remain at #9, and 14.6% chance to drop to #10. Sixers coach Jim O'Brien made some headlines this morning after comments yesterday that he "would not necessarily have Jameer in the top 10 in the lottery," according to Jim Juliano. Jasner called in to WIP late last night while Dick Jerardi was on to discuss the comments. In one of his articles today, Jasner quotes O'Brien, "If I had to make the call--I'm not making the call--I don't think that scenario is going to happen." Keep an eye on the situation. Let's hope O'Brien and Billy King have a great relationship, since it was the souring of the GM-coach relationship that led to his resignation from the Celtics. Also, I find it interesting that a St. Joe's guy would flat out say the Sixers weren't looking at Nelson. Plus, the comments do seem a bit premature, as the Sixers don't even know where they will be selecting in the draft yet (they will after tonight). Shouldn't they at least blow a little smoke and feign interest, if only to throw off the other teams? Unless they are using reverse psychology and that is what they are doing...

Todd Zolecki says the Phillies' offense finally stalled last night, as they got blanked 5-0 at Shea Stadium last night. Marcus Hayes talks about Jim Thome's return to the lineup. Larry Bowa knows that the Phillies can't keep expecting to win like they did last week when "Big Jim" is out of the lineup.

Ed Moran talks a bit about some comments Bob Clarke made on Monday getting back to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Clarke said the Flyers should be considered a "high revenue" team, not a "high payroll" team, and they shouldn't be "penalized for doing a good job selling out our building, having a good television contract, and marketing and stuff like that." When told of Clarke's comments, Bettman responded, "I may need to have a direct conversation, which may have some economic consequences." Is that a threat to fine? Tim Panaccio also covers this topic, and relates that as far as negotiating a new CBA, neither the owners or the players "can get past the 'threshold' issue of a salary cap." That doesn't bode well for either side. Sam Donnellon wonders if Robert Esche has proved anything yet, as he makes some comparisons to a very simliar run that Brian Boucher made 4 years ago when the Flyers lost in a Game 7 in the conference finals as well. He recalls one of those games, one in which Boucher made an amazing 57 saves in the infamous five-overtime thriller against the Penguins (I still have the black circles under my eyes from that one). Bob Ford wonders what "truth" is, in following up comments from Ed Snider on Monday that the Flyers lost money this year. Flyers' president Ron Ryan is quoted as saying, "where it becomes confusing is that it sounds like there are two sets of books. The difference is that the report we make to the league, as directed by the players association, is different from our own internal audited statement, which we view as the more accurate statement." Two sets of books? Gee, can I operate my personal finances this way? Sounds like it would be a great way to deal with taxes come April 15.

Mike Kern lets us know what Pat Croce has been up to these days. He's parntered with the Inquirer's Bill Lyon to write another book, which can be found on amazon.com. He also has a new reality show coming next fall called Moving In.

CSN has Phillies-Mets tonight at 7:10. ESPN has Game 3 of Pacers-Pistons at 8:30.

2004-05-25T11:55:00.000-04:00

Boys of Summer

Well, with the Flyers ousted, the Sixers hoping for a lucky ping pong ball bounce, and Eagles' training camp still over a month away, there's not much by way of links today...

Ed Snider was on Comcast's Daily News Live yesterday. Tim Panaccio cites Snider's claim that the Flyers lost money this season, despite making it to the conference finals, due to their high payroll. Panaccio also infers from Bob Clarke's comments that John LeClair and Tony Amonte won't be back next year, likely casualties of the as-yet-unnegotiated new labor agreement. John Smallwood reminds us that we've now had 84 seasons (combining the city's 4 major sports franchises) without a title, certainly a record in that category. Smallwood says it was bad enough when we were losing to cities like Boston, Chicago, LA, and New York. But losing to Tampa Bay (which isn't even a city, but a body of water), is just plain demoralizing (and Smallwood says he's "really starting to hate the place.") John also says even if he wins the Triple Crown, Smarty Jones doesn't count. I agree. Which is why you haven't seen any coverage on here.

Todd Zolecki submits his article for the Phillies off-day. He says Pat Burrell's confidence has been the biggest difference so far this year. He also notes that the Phillies rank second in the league in average attendance (39,624), which certainly seems like a huge jump from the last year at the Vet. Marcus Hayes writes about pitching coach Joe Kerrigan's "hands off" approach to managing his staff.

CSN has Phillies-Mets tonight at 7:10. TNT has Game 3 of Wolves-Lakers at 9. And exactly 5 people will be watching the Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 between Calgary and Tampa Bay on ESPN at 8.

2004-05-24T12:23:00.000-04:00

So, when does Eagles training camp begin?

The Flyers gave it all they had, but came up one goal short in Game 7 of a grueling series that went the distance. Tim Panaccio has Jeremy Roenick calling the loss "devastating." Phil Sheridan quotes JR as saying "there was no better shot than this year" to win the Cup. Tough loss indeed. When the final horn sounded, many of the Flyers were bent over, in sheer exhaustion and disbelief. Sam Donnellon says these guys have nothing to hang their heads over. He references a favorite Cheers quote of mine, spoken by "the great philosopher" Norm Peterson: "It's a dog-eat-dog world and I'm wearing Milkbone underwear," and suggests this could be the new Philadelphia slogan, since our sports teams seem to always take us to the brink of a parade, only to have the carpet pulled from under them. Rich Hofmann gives kudos to coach Hithcock, calling his hiring "the best move this franchise has made in a generation," which bodes well for the Flyers next season. If there's a next season. If there's an NHL. Ed Moran says Robert Esche was happy to prove "a lot of people wrong." Moran also captures two unique (and very different) perspectives of the future from Esche and Roenick. Which side is closer to reality? Moran leans toward the dark and foreboding it seems. Chuck Bausman says its pretty amazing that the Flyers got this far, seeing as some of them were playing with serious injuries, such as Kim Johnsson playing with a broken hand. In yesterday's Inquirer, Panaccio had an "update" on the Ken Hitchcock/Italian community uprising story. There didn't seem to be anything new here than what he'd already reported earlier except for the revelation that WIP's Al Morganti's full name is Alfonso Morganti.

On the brighter side of things, the Phillies continued their winning ways yesterday. Todd Zolecki has Jim Thome complimenting his teammates, because "our bench guys have really stepped up." Bernard Fernandez has Larry Bowa calling them a "special bench." Zolecki's notebook has a few injury updates, including Thome, who will be "ready to play Tuesday" against the Mets, and closer Billy Wagner who is "pretty much not pitching for two-and-a-half weeks." In yesterday's Boston Herald, Tony Massarotti had Dodger's manager Jim Tracy complaining about the "hitter (homerun) friendly" confines of Citizens Bank Park. According to Massarotti, the Phils are on pace to knock in "a preposterous 157 home runs" out of their new park this season.

Phil Jasner writes that Billy King will be bringing a lucky charm with him to Wednesday's NBA lottery. He also mentions St. Joe's Jameer Nelson and Delonte West's workout schedule, including a visit to the Nets tomorrow. Shira Springer of the Boston Globe mentions that he's scheduled to visit with the Celtics in June. And in further evidence that he can never truly close doors of his past, Steve Bulpett tells how Larry Brown recently noted that NBA official Joey Crawford missed games of the playoffs with plantar fasciitis, while his player, Rasheed Wallace, was still toughing it out. Then Brown admitted he was "joking" and that "Billy King told me to say that. He and Joey are both Philly guys."

Finally, in yesterday's New York Post, Peter Vecsey was a bit puzzled at the "not-so-subtle smack" that Phil Jackson allegedly laid down after the Lakers victory in Game 1. I heard Jackson's postgame press conference, and while certainly no Jackson apologist, I am puzzled at Vecsey's reaction to a non-story. If you take Jackson's comments in context, he was happy to have taken Game 1, and home court advantage of the Western Conference Finals, since they would now be able to win the series "with games on their home court." In other words, in winning Game 1, the Lakers stole home court advantage, and, by winning their 3 home games during the course of the series, the Lakers would move onto the Finals. Vecsey, along with Ernie Johnson in TNT's postgame show Inside the NBA, seem to have taken Jackson's words in ways they were not said.

The Phillies are off today. ESPN has Game 2 of Pistons-Pacers at 8.