Bye Bye Bobby

Finally, the long rumored deal has to come to fruition and Bobby Abreu is headed up to the Bronx along with Cory Lidle for four minor leaguers, none of which the experts say are can't miss. Not only did we get nothing for our best player, but the Phils also had to pay Abreu $1.5 million to buy out his contract option for 2009! I really didn't expect a salary dump type of deal. I thought we would at least get a top prospect and one major league ready player, especially when they threw Lidle into the deal.

I don't normally do this, but I'm going to give Gillick the benefit of the doubt here. The Phils must not have gotten any decent offers for Abreu AND his salary or this less than stellar deal would not have been made. The more I read, it appeared that the Phils were only going to get decent prospects if they agreed to pay a portion of Abreu's salary. After agreeing to do so for Jim Thome's salary in the Rowand deal, it doesn't take a scientist to realize they weren't going to do the same for Abreu.

I have mixed emotions on seeing Bobby go. I didn't really love his game. I thought he was a horrible outfielder and looked scared sh*tless when hitting in clutch situations and the games last September when they were fighting for the wild card. I think he was simply misplaced as a star player here. He's clearly a guy that is at his best when he is complimentary player. We'll see that when he is hitting 5th or 6th in the Yankees lineup. However, I still think he'll be a dog in big spots for the Yanks. As I told the people in Boston when I was up there for the Phils trip to Bean Town last month, "you guys want the Yankees to trade for Abreu. If you think A-Rod is dog in the clutch who has hollow numbers, wait until you see Abreu."

This just adds a little more interest for me in the only rivalry in baseball that matters. I already got a message from a Yankee fan buddy saying "thanks for giving away Abreu to us." I can't wait until the Yanks head up to Fenway and Abreu comes up against Papelbon in a big spot and comes up small. Any other result will infuriate me. I can't root for the Yanks. Sorry to you Yankees fans, but as the Sports Guy says, rooting for the Yanks is like "rooting for the house in a game of blackjack" or as Rick Reilly says, rooting for the Yanks is like "rooting for Brad Pitt to get laid".

I give credit to the fans in attendance today for giving Abreu a standing ovation on his way out of town. That was a classy move and Abreu was gracious today in his going out of town press conference. However, I get the distinct feeling that we will hear contrary statements from him about how horrible we are as a fan base.

My only regret with Bobby Abreu's nine year stint in Philly was that I had no idea about this story. Since he didn't talk to the media a lot, he seemed as boring as watching paint dry. Had I known this story and that this was his former fiancee, I would have looked at him in a totally different light. Oh well, I suppose we hardly knew you, Bobby.

Am I a Baskett Case?

Every now and again, we’re lucky enough in this town to see a guy come out of total obscurity to become a key contributor to one of the local teams. There was….wait…what was that guy’s name?....Who am I kidding? We’re never lucky enough to have that guy like Antonio Gates who comes from out of no where to become an a star player position. And no, I don’t count Vince Papale. (I will see his movie opening night though. It looks great and hopefully portrays this city positively.)

Since I’m not getting on board with Buckhalter’s come back attempt until he does something in the regular season and not getting excited about Bunkley’s hold out, Pinky’s inevitable struggles coming back from his torn Achilles, or the pipe dream of the Birds picking up Jerry Porter via a trade, the most interesting story to come out of Eagles’ camp for me has been the emergence of rookie free agent, Hank Baskett.

Normally, rookie free agent’s don’t excite me. I laugh at how much the Birds have relied on guys like Fraley, Greg Lewis, Sam Rayburn, Josh Parry, and Quintin Mikell over the years instead of having productive draft picks filling those slots. As I told my buddy Nicodemo the other day, undrafted rookie free agents are usually undrafted for a reason: they don’t have the skills to play in the NFL.

However, when the Birds traded Billy McMullen – a 3rd round draft bust – to the Vikings for Baskett, I raised an eyebrow. Seriously, who in the NFL trades a veteran for an undrafted free agent? I’ve never heard of such of thing. Then, I checked out Baskett’s measurables (6’4”, 220 lbs, runs a 4.49 40, productive receiver in college with 67 receptions for 1,071 yds. and 9 TD’s during his senior year, a former high jump champion, and a 4.0 GPA at New Mexico) and viewed his video highlights on PE.com, which were pretty impressive. At that point, the cynical side of me took over and I started wondering why the hell did this guy not get drafted? Did he run an illegal alien smuggling business down on the New Mexico border? Does he have a health issue or a drug problem? Everything I read showed me that this guy was on the “up and up”.

Now, to my surprise, Baskett has been betting some run with the first team in the first week of camp. I’m reading about Baskett teaming up with McNabb on touchdown passes. Eagles’ team proganda master, Dave Spadaro reports that “Hank Baskett has been terrific. He is a big body who has a good feel for the offense. Most important, he has made big plays.” Plus, the kid has been in Philly for about five minutes and already he gets it. Look at this quote:

"You've got to do what you've got to do. If I want to be here in the fall, if I want to stay here ... whatever I have to do to catch that ball, I'm going to do it. . . . It's kind of cool when the fans get behind you because Philadelphia is such a fan-based town. They want to see people come out here working. For them to be cheering for you is definitely a good thing.”

(I think someone in the Phils’ organization should show those complaining dogs these quotes.)

Ok, I understand that when this guy is cut in three weeks, I’ll look like a complete moron, but I’m going to be positive about my Eagles for once and hold out hope that Hank will make the “Baskett catch” a regular feature of the Birds offense and team up with Reggie Brown to give the Birds the formidable pass catching duo that we’ve been clamoring for the last decade.

Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

Just when I thought I was getting pretty good at this writing thing, I read a well reasoned article like this and realize I'm still a hack. My buddy Johnny Gold's favorite writer, Phil Anastasia of the Camden Courier Post, has finally put into words exactly why we are so frustrated by this franchise. The Phils' brass treat this franchise like a college fraternity instead of the cold, hard business that it is. Continually, they prove to be too "buddy, buddy" with everyone and are afraid to make the necessary moves to improve the team because they would have to trade away their personal favorites who are great with the fans and management. Honestly, I could care less. Give me 25 pricks on this team that don't talk to the fans or media. As long as they win, I'll roll with them.

Ok, without further adieu, here's the Phil Anastasia article:

It was cold and calculated.

The Chicago White Sox decision to release reserve catcher Chris Widger, a Pennsville High School graduate, was hard business by an organization in the hard business of winning in professional sports.

You know, an organization not like the Phillies.

The White Sox released Widger, a popular veteran who played an important supporting role for last year's World Series champions, to shake up the clubhouse. It was a message move. It was a decision designed to stir the team from the complacency that sometimes surrounds a defending champion.

Fair?

No.

Widger is a good guy, decent player and respected veteran.

But in a sense, that was the point.

Chicago management used him as a reminder to the rest of the team that the White Sox need to pick up their play. The organization's reference to a disappointment in Widger's "game preparation" was code to the rest of the team: Snap out of it.

Cold?

Yes.

Calculated?

Yes.

But these guys are in a hard, hard business.

Losing is unacceptable.

Heads will roll.

Now let's contrast that with the clubby, collegial atmosphere in the Phillies' organization, where no amount of year-after-year losing can change the culture.

This is a team that after Wednesday night's win is still eight games under .500.

This is a team in fourth-place in the NL East, just a game-and-a-half out of last place.

This is a team with a $90 million-plus payroll and a better record than all of three other clubs in the National League.

Doesn't something, anything, have to be done?

(And, no, trading Sal Fasano to the Yankees for a Single-A infielder doesn't count).

Doesn't the manager have to go, just to remind the players, the coaches and most of all the fans that this level of performance will not be tolerated?

Doesn't the third baseman, or the catcher, or somebody, anybody, have to take a hike just to establish that this is unacceptable?

It's not about scapegoating. It's not even about fixing this season, which is beyond repair.

It's about setting a tone, creating a new climate, and making sure that young stars such as Ryan Howard and Chase Utley understand that this organization is better than this.

It's about the cold, hard business of professional sports.

MISSING PERSON ALERT, PART II

Name: Pat (aka “Stand Pat”) Gillick

Age: 68 years old (born 8/22/37)

Distinguishing characteristics: Has two World Series rings from his days with Toronto and wears rose colored glasses…(How else can you explain the Ryan Franklin signing?)

Last Seen: In Boston, telling reporters that the Brett Myers fiasco was “not an embarrassment to the franchise."

************************************************************************************
Tick…tick…tick…tick….tick

That is the sound of time ticking away before Monday’s trade dealine. Despite the urgency which everyone else in the Delaware Valley seems to sense, the Phils don’t seem to be willing to get off their collective a$$es and deal one of their several tradable assets. (No, I do not count yesterday’s trade of Sal Fasano as a meaningful deal. They basically released him two days earlier.) The Phils’ brass has to realize that the season is over and it’s time to become sellers at the deadline. Wait, maybe I don’t want to know the answer to that question.

It seems that the same sports terrorist group that kidnapped Bob Clarke at the start of the NHL free agency period has recently turned their attention to Pat Gillick. If Gillick’s not being held captive somewhere, then maybe he got held up going through customs at the Philadelphia International Airport as part of his weekly commute from Toronto to Philly. (Seriously, are we the only professional sports team in the country that has a GM that spends a portion of his week working out of his home in another country? Who would allow such an arrangement? Hmmm, none other than the hammerheads that own the Phils. The same group who thought it would be a good idea to let Brett Myers pitch one day after getting arrested for beating his wife.) For our sake, someone better inform Gillick that there are only 5 shopping days left for the contenders to pick over our roster and it’s time to get a move on if we hope to get some pieces in place to help this franchise in the future.

I have the distinct feeling that we’ll be left with Abreu, Burrell, Gordon and Cormier, but lose Delucci, who I’d love to keep as a replacement for Burrell, and Lieber and/or Lidle. However, while that plan seems predictable to us, we may be giving the Phils too much credit based on their lack of urgency.

The clock is ticking, Gillick. What are you going to do? What are YOU GOING TO DO!

Chase Utley: Total Stud

I've realized that I've been kind of negative towards the Phils lately. I know it's not entirely fair. As such, I just wanted to play "The Master of the Obvious" and report that Chase Utley is a total stud. I was at the game tonight and watched him extend his hitting streak to 26 games. I love watching him play. To quote Larry Brown, he "plays the game the right way." If we had more guys like Chase in this town, our championship drought would have been over a long time ago.

I just hope we don't alienate this guy like Rolen, give him too much money too soon and have him turn into another Burrell, or fail to surround him with the necessary talent to succeed like Barkley and Iverson. Even if Chase did get a huge contract in the next year or so, he seems like the kind of guy that would continue to show the grit and determination necessary to make himself an even better player. You have to admit, the organization's failure to surround him other stud players is a scary, but not entirely unlikely, possibility.

Let's hope Chase and side kick Ryan Howard stick around here for awhile. From this perspective, they have a chance to become all time Phillies. (Seriously, if they continue at this pace, what former Phil compares to them at their positions?) As long as we keep these guys away from Burrell and Lieby, things should be all good.

Pat Must Go

Clearly, Pat Burrell has worked his way into becoming one of the most unliked players in the city. He's right up there with Todd Pinkston, Dhani Jones, Chris Therien and Samuel Dalembert. Judging from conversations with Phils' fans recently, he's far surpassed Abreu as the corner outfielder we'd most like to see leave town, even it meant getting little - if anything - back in return. Unfortunately for us, it didn't have to be this way.

When "Pat the Bat", the first overall pick of the 1998 draft, joined the Phils in 2000, everything looked so promising. He hit 37 HR's in 2002 and when the Phils signed Jim Thome it looked there would be no containing his potential by having another big bat to protect him. He was loved by the fans, especially those of the female variety. Even when Burrell had a catastrophic 2003, hitting .209 with only 21 HR's and 64 RBI's, the fans stood behind him in support and did not viciously boo him. (In fact, the fans' reaction to Burrell's season long 2003 slump is still one of my favorite reactions from the Phils fan base. I use this reaction to counteract claims by non-Philly fans that we are a horrible a fan base which only boos their own players.) However, just like Lindros, Barkley, Randall and T.O. before him, things fell apart at the seams pretty quickly and Burrell is now on the outs with the fans and apparently the Phils brass.

I can't pin point the exact moment when the fans turned on Burrell. It seems to have been a gradual annoyance. We have just grown tired of his continued failure to hit in the clutch, especially his inability to hit with men in scoring position and two outs. Personally, I'm tired of his lack of fire and "I don't care" attitude. I really can't stand how many times he strikes out looking, or when he tries to influence an ump's call by jumping back off the plate three feet even though the pitch was barely off the inside of the plate.

Plus, he seems more concerned with partying and chasing skirts than bettering himself as a player. (In order to avoid potentially libeling the guy, I'll keep the various stories I've heard to myself, but here's one I found on another site .) Hey, I'll never blame a guy for having a good time, but there comes a time for a guy to grow up and fulfill his potential, especially when his partying affects my beloved baseball team.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that once Burrell got a 6 year, $50 million deal after the 2002 season with only one stud season under his belt, he got lazy and stopped working as hard on his game. I've read in many places that you never know how an athlete will react to getting a huge guaranteed contract. As such, I've always had respect for guys like Jordan and LeBron, who continued to strive to be the best despite being financially secure for the rest of their lives. It just goes to show that some great athletes have the drive to be champions no matter how much money they are making, the rest take the money and come play in Philadelphia. Lucky us.

In any event, the Phils' need to get rid of this cancer and let him bring his brooding attitude and faulty swing to another team. If it means we just get rid of him as part of a salary dump, I'm all for it. We can do better than this latter day Dave Kingman. I'd roll with David DeLucci in a hearbeat. We just need to find a sucker to take him off our hands. Maybe Gillick can find the Major League Baseball equivalent of Billy King and pull off a trade.

Peter King Weighs In On The Birds From Lehigh

Peter King stopped by the Birds' training camp today and weighed in with the following observations:

1. I think Donovan McNabb is doing everything in his power to laugh off Terrell Owens. It's almost as though he's so determined to not have Owens affect this camp that he's bending over very far to show that the departed wide receiver has no bearing on his life or his team.

2. I think the running backs here worry me. Not only am I unsure of Brian Westbrook's ability to stay healthy for 16 games, I'm equally unsure whether Ryan Moats or the rehabbing Correll Buckhalter -- two ACL surgeries in the last three years -- can handle the job if Westbrook goes down.

3. I think I will be extremely surprised if tight end L.J. Smith isn't in the Pro Bowl this year. Smith is a man. If I were a safety and he was coming down the middle, I would think Mark Bavaro was heading my way.

4. I think I like both lines, offensive and defensive, a lot. I'll be surprised if many other teams have the depth the Eagles have in the trenches. The one guy who looked good in one-on-one pass-rush drills today was former Falcon Ed Jasper. But the 295-pound defensive tackle will be hard-pressed to get on the field given the high-draft-pick depth in front of him.

5. I think Jeff Garcia is a 500 percent improvement over either Mike McMahon or Koy Detmer as McNabb's backup. Garcia looks like he's spent about six hours a day in the gym for the last six months.

As a Rutgers' alum, I love LJ Smith more than most Eagles' fans. That being said, I still think he's inconsistent. Is Peter King crazy comparing him to Bavaro? I haven't seen LJ successfully block someone yet. Bavaro would pancake guys. Anyhow, this is a big year for LJ. In fact, he better step it up if this team is going to move the ball consistently. Although, he seemed ready to break through last year before McNabb's injury.

I agree with King's comments about the running backs. This was a major faux pas by the Birds this offseason. They need to pick up a bigger back to supplement Westbrook and Moats. They have a huge offensive line. Why not pick up a big running back to allow them to pound the ball when the passing game is not working? Oh well, I suppose they are due some lenience as they are the football geniuses and I'm just a schmoe writing a blog.

I really hope PK is right on with his comments on the defensive line. They sure seem more talented than any of their defensive lines in recent memory. Plus, this article had the following comment from Jim Johnson regarding this year's defensive linemen:

"I think this is the best rotation on the line we've had since I've been here."

Let's hope so. If they don't have a great year, we might see Lito do an awful lot of chasing again this year.

This Just In.....

The Phils' pitching still stinks.

In case you missed it (and judging by tonight's attendance, many of you didn't see it), Ryan Madson tied a major league record tonight by throwing four wild pitches in one inning. Way to go, Ryan. You the man!!! That's a record to be proud of.

By the way, the Phils lost again, 6-5 in extra innings after Ryan Franklin gave up another bomb.

I'm going to the game tomorrow night. I can barely contain my excitement.

A.I. to Stay

After all the trade talk, it appears A.I. is coming back.I'm very underwhelmed by the news. I could see the fresh start on the horizon, but now it is gone. As a result, it appears as though I'll be ignoring the Sixers for another year.

I'm happy for A.I., if this is what he wants, but unhappy for the rest of us Sixers fans. You can put me in the camp of people that want to see the Sixers tear it down and start over. It is pretty clear that with A.I., the Sixers will either be a low playoff seed or back in the lottery without any hope of getting the top spot. This would be unfortunate as next year's draft could be especially deep due to the number of high school players who had to wait a year before they could enter the draft. The prize of next year's draft will likely be this year's High School player of the year, Greg Oden, a 7 foot center who will attend Ohio St this year. I would have traded a horrible year by the Sixers, if it meant a shot at the league's next dominant big man. However, with A.I. coming back, we can kiss that possibility good bye.

In any event, I can't see bringing AI back as working out real well for the Sixers. After being shopped all summer, I am waiting to see a reprise of the Nomar Garciaparra mess in Boston when he was nearly traded in the 2004 offseason for A-Rod and then sulked his way through the first half of the season until he was finally shipped to the Cubs at the trade deadline. Similarly, I think Iverson wants out. I believe he wants a fresh start on a team with a shot at winning a title. If I'm right, just like Nomar, he'll be traded in season for a lesser package than those rumored over the last few weeks.

Way to go, Billy. You also got me back on board and paying attention to the Sixers, but once again you have proven how incompetent you are.

[UPDATE: ESPN is now reporting a rumor that A.I. may be traded to the Kings. So who knows at this point. I guess I won't be surprised by anything at this point.]

Ari Gold: Dead To Me

Due to the success of the show and the “buzz” surrounding it, I’m pretty sure there are a decent amount of readers of this blog who also watch Entourage. So, I’m guessing the rest of you were as annoyed I was with Ari’s pot shot at the Eagles in the following exchange with Vincent Chase on this week’s Entourage:

Ari: How are you holding up?

Vince: Not bad, considering the LA Times called me the ‘Terrell Owens’ of Hollywood.

Ari: Hey now — the Philadelphia Eagles got rid of T.O. and look what happened to them...

Thanks, Ari. I used to love you. Now, you’re dead to me. I want 24 hours notice before you decide to make an appearance on my television so I can make the necessary arrangements to avoid you.

By the way, HBO has to be run by Giants’ fans. In addition to the above Eagles’ slight, there was a Sopranos’ episode this year where Bobby Bacala and Tony were watching an Eagles/Giants game and you could hear the game announcer say the Giants were winning decisively. Last week, Bryant Gumbel also gave T.O. some more publicity for his “children’s book” on Real Sports.

Once you add the above slights to the fact that the most recent seasons of Entourage and the Sopranos have been less than mediocre, it is a wonder that I still subscribe HBO. In fact, this Eagles’ phan might have to reevaluate whether to continue to plunk down good many on this channel. Maybe I’ll switch to Cinemax. In addition to their enjoyable late night movie lineup, I’m sure they won’t rip the Birds nearly as much.

Peter King: 2nd Best Sports Writer On The Web

As many of you know, I am a disciple of ESPN.com’s the Sports Guy. His writing, along with some prompting from JK and my buddies George and Johnny Gold, has inspired me to create this blog. Although, as much as I love the Sports Guy, I put Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback article on SI.com right up there as must read material. For instance, I love how smug he is in taking the following shot at T.O. this week in his latest article:

“As of 11:26 Sunday evening on Amazon.com, despite being discounted $9.25 (to $15.75), Terrell Owens’ new book, T.O., was not on the Top 100 list of best sellers, and it was only 15th on the list of best-selling sports books. It was seven slots behind Dave Pelz’s Short Game Bible: Master the Finesse Swing and Lower Your Score, and 12 slots behind Phil Gordon's Little Green Book: Lessons and Teachings in No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em.

But T.O. currently is edging Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting, by Robert McGivern.”

I also especially love the “Ten Things I Think, I Think” section of his articles. During the season, it is required reading if you want to stay up to date on the comings and goings of the NFL.

Peter has been on vacation lately, but in his latest article he provided this little nuggets of information like this:

“4. I think we'll never hear the real truth about this story, unless we get it 10 miles off the record, and even then it'll be homogenized. The two defensive leaders of the Dolphins are Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor. Taylor and Thomas' sister, Katina, are getting a divorce after six years of marriage. How will the players react to the situation, working side by side for the next five months? Great story, but we'll never hear it.”

(Of course, his wife is on the left.)

Ok, maybe this tidbit is better placed in US Weekly or People instead of an article dedicated to the NFL, but I find it fascinating. After reading this, I feel a hell of a lot worse about the future’s bet I put on the Dolphins while I was in Vegas this past March. If you think the Birds were torn apart by the T.O./Donovan feud last year, I can’t wait to see what happens in South Florida this year. The family strife between these two long time leaders of the Dolphins defense, could definitely tear this team apart. I’m sure they’ll say all the right things about being professionals and not letting this affect their play, but it has to make things pretty weird at the least, right? Depending on how bad the events were that led to the divorce, you could see a full fledged battle royale breaking out with teammates being forced to take sides.

I just wish the Philly, Boston, or NYC media were down there to cover this story and fan the flames. If the press down had more heavy hitters, instead of butt kissers like Dan Lebatard, reading the web version of the Miami Herald would definitely fall into my daily routine.

Anyhow, if I’m Nick Saban, I trade one of them. As the Eagles’ showed last year, chemistry plays a huge role in the NFL. In order to save my futures’ bet, I implore the Dolphins to trade one of them and get the karma right in their locker room.

These are just examples of what you will get in Peter’s weekly column. Give him a try. I highly recommend his writing, especially during the season. He might not be as funny as the Sports Guy, but he provides a ton of useful information on a weekly basis.

NASCAR WEEKEND IN THE POCONOS

Yes, yours truly is a Nascar fan. I used to be afraid to admit this, but now I'm a full fledged fan and unafraid to show my loyalty to the second biggest spectator sport in America. The fact that I'm a Nascar fan can be blamed on the Phillies. As I stated in my last post, I only ask the Phils to bridge the gap from the end of the Flyers season until the beginning of Eagles' camp, and usually they don't follow through. As a result, I've had a lot of summer Sundays to fill over the years. Thankfully, I have found Nascar to fill this gap.

In addition to the Phils, my buddies Mistar Nascar and George can also be blamed for bringing me to the world of restrictor plates and catch cans. My buddy Mister Nascar was turned onto the sport by his brother Big Daddy Chad, who started following it when he was stationed in Alabama while in the Army. Mister Nascar then systematically persuaded the rest of our crew to follow the sport. At least Mister Nascar can blame his brother for his loyalty towards the sport, I'm pretty sure George was born into it without a choice. Anyhow, they both did a pretty good of selling me because for the last three seasons I've attended multiple races a year. For crying out loud, I even have a #17 magnet (my favorite driver, 2003 Winston Cup Champion, Matt Kenseth) on the back of my car.

This weekend marks "The Over The Wall Gang's" 3rd annual trip to the Pocono Mountain area to see the Pennsylvania 500. My father has a house in the mountains about 15 minutes from the track. So, we're not so much up there for the race (which is nearly impossible to follow on Pocono's 2.5 mile track), as we are up there to get away for a weekend and have a great time. Plus, we usually come away with multiple stories which get better every time we tell them.

During our first trip two years ago, Big Daddy Chad asked Nascar driver Brendan Gaughan (a former Georgetown University basketball player and roomate of AI's), if The Answer "ever made you drink the bong water" at an autograph session. The look on Brendan and the woman working the autograph line were absolutely priceless. Brendan mumbled something like "yeah, he was pretty wild" and Chad got escorted away before he did any more damage.


Last year, after a long day of sitting in the sun at the track, Mister Nascar and I went to the local Pocono grocery store to get some last minute supplies for our big tailgate the next day. As we got into the check out line, we noticed Nascar driver Kyle Petty standing right in front of us. I've never met a nicer professional athlete in my life. He joked with us and then gave Mister Nascar an autograph. As he was leaving, he told us "make sure you boys stay out of the sun tomorrow" as we were both red as tomatoes. (Try to imagine a similar exchange with Pat Burrell or Chris Webber at your local Shop Rite...Don't worry, I couldn't imagine it either.)

Who knows what funs awaits us this year, but this weekend has tons of potential as we have pit passes for Sunday and we plan on shooting assault rifles at a local gun range on Saturday. We might also find time to make a run over to the "Pleasure Dome" some time this weekend. (Just kidding, JK. I wanted to make sure you were still paying attention.)

In any event, while a good amount of you guys will be home watching the scuffling Phils get belted by the streaking Braves, I'll be up in the mountains watching the good ol' boys "git ur dun" on the track and make a whole bunch of left hand turns. Try not to be too jealous.

FOOTBALL IS BAAAACCCCKKK!!!

Finally, football has returned to the sporting landscape and not a moment too soon in this God forsaken sports city.

After being forced to live through the Flyers' spectacular flameout over the last two games of their opening round playoff series and the Phils' catastrophic first half of the season, I need football, you need football, we ALL need football back in our sporting lives. Football is just flat out, a better sport than the other options.

As the TV ratings for Nascar have proven, the one game per week model translates into tremendous anticipation and excitement. Just about every week, I can't wait to wake up on a Sunday and turn on the pre game shows and read my Sunday paper. Since gambling and fantasy leagues are much easier and more fun for football, just about every game per week interests me. Plus, football is by far the best televised sport. It's the only sport that my buddies and I get together for to watch over some wings and beer. Even the weather during football season is more pleasant. Very simply, football completes me.

As my man Colin Cowherd of ESPN Radio said the other day, "we're all football fans at heart and just pretend to care about baseball and basketball until football returns." This statement pertains to pretty much every sports fan I know except my buddies, the Hayes Brothers, who have decided to live their lives as if we were still in the 40's when the NFL didn't matter. I feel sorry for them. They don't know what they're missing.

Plus, with the dawning of camp, we are thankfully about to be rescued from the most blah sports month of the year where all we have is our ridiculous local baseball franchise to occupy our time. Every baseball season, all I ask of the Phils is to bridge the gap from the end of hockey season until the beginning of football season, but once again, the Phils have failed to even fulfill that simple task.

Now that my good friend Football has returned to my life, I'm a happy camper, but we've got a lot to catch up on. So if you other sports don't mind, please excuse us for the next seven months as we get reacquainted.

Wednesday Roundup

Here's your wrapup for a relatively slow Philly sports day.....

Flyers sign free agent Geoff Sanderson - I suppose the missing person alert can be withdrawn as Clarkie finally signed a guy that casual hockey fans have heard of. Signing the 34 year old Geoff Sanderson (pictured above) was a great move....if it was 1999! In all seriousness, signing a guy that scored 25 goals last season has to help. I'm just afraid that he could turn into this year's version of Brian Savage.

Primeau not giving up yet - Thanks, Captain. Way to be a leader and help out the team. This is where Clarkie needs advice from cold blooded Joe Banner. Do you think the Eagles' bean counter would let a player with a history of injuries tie up his beloved cap space? Didn't think so. In any event, some guy "in the know" from my Flyers message board claims that Primeau has been told by his doctor to hang up the skates and it is only a matter of time before he retires and takes a scouting job with the team. At this point, we can only be so lucky.


The "Casa Bonita" South Park episode - (This story fits into the "other interesting topics" category that this blog will cover.) One of the top five episodes in South Park history was re-aired tonight on Comedy Central. Damn, I love this episode. The plot involved a plan put in place by Cartman where he tried to get in Kyle's good graces so that he'd get invited to his birth day party at a local Mexican Restaurant, Casa Bonita. In the process, Cartman hid Butters in a bomb shelter and at a Dump for an entire week in order to open up a free spot so he could be invited to the party. The entire town was looking for Butters and when he was finally located the South Park police went looking for Cartman and chased him into Casa Bonita, which led to a hysterical ending. This is truly a classic episode and I highly recommend it. Interestingly, Casa Bonita is a real place in Denver, CO. I was flabbergasted by this tidbit.

Bobby Abreu gets a big 9th inning hit to prevent a sweep in San Diego - Boy, Bobby must really want to be traded. He's now even producing in the clutch. Right now, he's reminding me of an NBA player who plays hard in the last year of his deal in order to get a bigger deal in free agency. Although, I don't think whatever he does in the next week will impact whether he gets traded. The more I read, the more it seems like he won't be traded.

RUTGERS & THE HEISMAN TROPHY, PERFECT TOGETHER?

Before I get a bunch of hate mail, I realize that this topic doesn’t really involve a “Philly” sports team, but with only one Division I football team within an hour’s drive of the city, I feel I deserve the right to discuss my beloved alma mater, the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers University. Never in my life did I think I’d read the name of a Rutgers’ football player and the Heisman trophy in the same sentence, until I opened today’s Camden Courier Post and saw the following:

Brian Leonard was 8 years old when he first broke into a Heisman Trophy stance for a picture.

These days, Leonard is as reluctant to take a Heisman pose as he would to don his old Pop Warner uniform, but that hasn't stopped Rutgers from promoting its star running back as a candidate for college football's most esteemed award.

Leonard's Heisman candidacy officially got under way Tuesday at Big East Media Day despite some admitted apprehension from Rutgers' all-purpose running back.

"I'm not an individual award guy, but really it is a great honor to be recognized like that," said Leonard, whose picture is displayed prominently on the cover of the Rutgers' 2006 media guide with the words "Heisman Candidate' in the upper left corner. "I always dreamed of it, but right now it's just a nomination."

It's more than that, of course. For Rutgers, it's the start of what school officials say will be a media blitz to turn Leonard into a legit Heisman candidate.

"Our main focus is to get his name out there to as many people as we can," said John Wooding, Rutgers' associate director of athletics communications. "He's probably the best all-purpose back in the country."

Yet, even Wooding understands his job will be made more difficult by Leonard's lack of gaudy rushing statistics. As a junior, Leonard's 740 rushing yards didn't even lead the Scarlet Knights but, coupled with his team-leading 568 receiving yards, his 1,308 all-purpose yards ranked third in the Big East.

"You have to look at his total yardage numbers, look at his scoring numbers," Wooding said. "He's certainly the most versatile back in the country, so we just have to make sure people are aware of him and know who he is."

Big East coaches sure do.

"What's the criteria for being a Heisman candidate?" West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez mockingly said when asked if Leonard is worthy of such recognition. "Is it a campaign, a bunch of guys sending out bobble heads? I mean, what makes him a candidate?

"To me, if a guy's a great player he deserves to be mentioned and Brian Leonard is not only a great player, he's one of the best players that has ever played in the Big East Conference. I don't know what more he has to do to get looked at nationally. He's certainly in my opinion one of the best football players in America."

Added Louisville coach Bobby Petrino, "The different things he can do running the football and catching it, blocking, I got a tremendous amount of respect for him."
And yet, the people who really count the ones who vote for the Heisman award don't know much about Leonard.

"To be honest I didn' t really know much about him until today," said Ivan Maisel, who covers college football for ESPN and is one of about 900 Heisman voters nationally. "But hearing (Rutgers coach) Greg (Schiano) talk about him and getting a sense of the buzz around the league about him, you realize he's a pretty unique football player."

I’m really excited about Leonard’s senior season and the potential exposure it will bring to the Rutgers program, but I can only imagine the onslaught of jokes from the national media it will bring. Anyone who has watched Leonard through his career knows that he is a legit pro prospect and has been an outstanding player on some less than stellar teams. However, that is what the national media focuses upon: the history of losing. If Leonard stays in the Heisman picture for a good portion of the upcoming seaon and the team makes another bowl trip, then it is entirely possible that the perception of the program will change.

In fact, with the Eagles’ penchant for bringing in players with local ties (Westbrook, LJ, Mike McMahon, Bruce Perry, etc.), don’t be surprised if the Birds use an early pick next April on Leonard to finally replace the current inept fullback, Josh Parry. If you are an Eagles’ fan, you can only hope this prediction comes true because I promise you, Brian Leonard will not disappoint.

The T.O. and Bryant Gumbel Show

I just caught tonight's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" on HBO, which included the latest T.O. interview regarding his recently released book titled "T.O." By now everyone in the city of Philadelphia has been bludgeoned to death with the basic facts of this story, which included T.O.'s suspension and departure from the Birds for various acts of mischief and his eventual signing with the Cowboys this offseason. Nevertheless, I was hooked from the very start when Bryant Gumbel and T.O. were shown sitting in the same room, with Gumbel seated so close to T.O. that he was practically sitting in his lap.

I have to admit that Gumbel is a fantastic interviewer. He could easily be placed in a trial setting and take the direct or cross examination of a hostile witness without missing a beat. He challenged T.O. in a way that his buddies in the media, like Michael Irvin, would never do. He also asked some of the questions that many of us wish we could have asked T.O. in the past year, including "you're a big boy....If it all it took to make things right with the team was to apologize to Donovan, why didn't you do it?" T.O.'s response to this question: "I was going to apologize....On my time."


Here are some additional notable T.O. quotes from the interview (some of which are paraphrased):

"Donovan was one of the best individuals I ever met, but Donovan changed."

After the incident in the 2004 Giants game where Donovan told T.O. to "shut the f&*k up", T.O. says that after the game "I tried to clear things up, but (Donovan) blew me off. It was more than being competitive. He was jealous of me."

When asked why he claims to be sensitive of criticism, he said "I got picked on so much growing up and I'm still being picked on." (Clearly, tears were about to flow, but they cut to another shot.)

Basically, T.O. was disappointed that Big Red picked Donovan over him and he's upset with Donovan because he could have changed things if he wanted to.

As for his future in Big D, T.O. said that "I'm not going to have any problems in Dallas", even when faced with a quote from the Big Tuna saying that he "does not want players on his team that call attention to themselves." He followed up by saying that "people can change".

As for his past problems with both Jeff Garcia and Donovan, T.O. claims that it was just a coincidence that his last two relationships with his QB's went sour. Gumbel was clearly incredulous with this answer and followed up by asking him if he was serious that these two relationship meltdowns were just a coincidence and not a pattern. T.O. responded that he was at fault for the break up with Garcia, but "was not going to take all the blame for problems with Donovan."

I only wish Gumbel asked him about Donovan's claim that T.O. lashing out against him was the equivalent of "black on black crime". I'm sure a response to this question from someone with the mouth the size of T.O.'s would have become headline news.

Gumbel reported that the Eagles, nor Donovan (surprise, surprise), wanted to respond to T.O.'s book or the interview despite being given the opportunity to retort. (I actually think this is the smart move. This story can't go away fast enough if I'm a member of the Eagles' organization.)

Here's another news flash: at the end of the segment, Gumbel reported that T.O.'s jersey is the #1 seller in the league. (This further solidifies my theory that the masses love rebels, whether it be Elvis Presley, Allen Iverson, James Dean, Fifty Cent, or Dale Earnhardt, Sr.)

As a die-hard Eagles fan, I still can't watch the fall out from this relationship and not feel like the child of a nasty divorce where there are no winners. Sure, T.O. may have success in Dallas, and I'm sure D-Mac will be maniacal in trying to get the Birds back into the playoffs, but they had the opportunity to be a part of something special here in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, they both let greed and jealousy get in the way, but isn't that always the way things turn out in Philly.

Finally, since this is a family website, I won't comment on the story which followed on "Real Sports", but I'll just say that a trip to Germany could be very interesting. Check your local listings for times and dates.

MISSING PERSON ALERT

Missing: Robert Earl Clarke (a.k.a., Bob, Bobby, “Clarkie”, and “Mr. Snider’s Boy”)

Date of Birth: 8/13/49

Distinguishing Characteristics: Wears false teeth, bad Canadian accent, hates Russians and the Lindros Family

Last seen: On June 24, 2006 in Vancouver, Canada, at the NHL Entry Draft where he forgot the name of his first round pick just as he was about to announce it at the podium.

Ok, ok…Clarkie is presumably not missing. I did see him last week on Comcast Sportsnet’s Philly Sports GM Symposium and Pinaccio did have a couple quotes from him in today’s Inquirer, but his moves this offseason, or lack thereof, prove otherwise. Clearly, someone is asleep at the wheel of the local hockey team in town that wears those funny Halloween colors.

Do the names Lars Johnnson, Nolan Baumgartner, Mark Cullen, Brad Tapper, Marty Murray, and Randy Robataille excite you? Wait, do they even register any other reaction than “who are these guys?” Well, the aforementioned fellows happen to be the sum of the Flyers’ offseason moves. They have scored a combined 121 goals in 845 NHL games (a total of .143 per game). It doesn’t take a hockey connoisseur to realize that the Flyers clearly needed an infusion of depth, skill and speed in this offseason after they were unceremoniously dumped from the playoffs last year by the faster and more talented Sabres. So, I ask you again, are you excited about the prospects of your 2006-2007 Flyers? Didn’t think so.

Poor Clarkie clearly isn’t adjusting to the “new NHL” and it’s new cap restraints. It has been well documented by the local beat writers how the Flyers are cap strapped due to last offseason’s poor free agent decisions. In this space, I also took Captain Keith Primeau to task by preventing the Flyers from moving on and using his available dollars under the task. However, Clarkie has no one else to blame for these problems, but the man in the mirror.

He was the one that signed big lumbering defensemen last offseason to huge dollar, no trade contracts, even though Mr. Snider served on the league’s competition committee and advised him that the rules in the “new NHL” would emphasize speed and skill over size and strength. He’s the one that has locked up additional dead cap space by not giving Primeau a deadline to make a decision on his future. He’s the one that has not been creative in restocking his team through trades, even though he has assets such as Robert Esche ready to be moved out of town.

In the old days, Clarkie could improve the team by throwing huge money at free agents or trade off unproductive players and pick up part of their contracts. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, the Orange & Black don’t have this luxury anymore. It pains me to say, but I think it’s time Mr. Snider moves Clarkie to a cushy position upstairs and brings in a younger GM better equipped to piece together a team in today’s new environment. (Voegs, notice I didn’t call the 56 year old Clarkie a senior citizen.)

As for the rest of us who love our “Fly Guys”, I have a distinct feeling that we’ll be suffering through a great deal of mediocrity this year, which will likely ended up with another first round playoff exit. Of course, I’m reserving my right to change my opinion if someone finally locates Clarkie and returns him to Flyer Land so he can make a promising trade or two.

Mike Golic Reminds Us Why We Loved Reggie White

Over the last year or so, I pretty much stopped listening to the WIP morning show. I am simply tired of Angelo Cataldi. I just can't relate to him anymore. I usually enjoy the rest of the crew, but Angelo annoyed me to the point that I needed to find another media outlet to entertain me in the morning. Since I am a XM subscriber and huge sports fan, I was naturally attracted to ESPN Radio.

I highly recommend the Colin Cowherd and Dan Patrick mid day shows. I find both shows far superior to the Cuz and whoever he's been co-hosting the WIP mid day show with lately. I must admit that I'm not a huge fan of ESPN Radio's morning show, the Mike and Mike show, as I find them entirely too cheesy, but this morning I heard a great story relayed by former Eagle Mike Golic about Reggie White from a preseason game back in the Buddy Days.

In the middle of the game, a young offensive tackle started talking trash to Reggie White and swore at him profusely. Reggie responded by saying, "don't you cuss me." This got the young lineman talking more and more, swearing at Reggie. Each time Reggie replied with the same answer, "don't you cuss me." Eventually, Clyde Simmons, Golic, Jerome Brown, and Seth Joyner attempted to calm Reggie down as they could see how mad he was getting, but Reggie was able to keep his cool. In response, Reggie simply told the young lineman, "Jesus is coming....Jesus is coming....Jesus is coming."

Before he lined up for the next play, Golic told the guard in front of him, "Just to let you know, I'm taking a play off. I need to see this!" As the young offensive lineman approached the line of scrimmage, he continued to talk trash and cuss at Reggie. Once they got into their stances, Reggie repeated, "Jesus is coming...Jesus is coming...Jesus is coming". When the ball was snapped, Reggie yelled,"Here comes Jesus!!!!" and hit the lineman in the chest, shoving him back into the quarterback for a sack. Reggie then stood over the young lineman and said, "I told you don't cuss me."

Not suprisingly, the player didn't say another word to Reggie the rest of the game.

WEEKEND WRAP UP

Since I, like the most of you, are pretty busy during summer weekends, please look for my weekend wrap up column every Monday presented in a PTI/Peter King's “Monday Morning Quarterback - Ten Things I Think I Think" format.

1. Brett Myers – I hate the fact that this scumbag is the Phils’ only legitimate pitcher, but it was nice to see an actual professional pitching performance for a change yesterday (7 innings pitched, 5 hits, 2 earned runs). Of course, his effort yesterday doesn’t lead anyone to forgive him for brutalizing his wife on the streets of Boston a month ago. However, it raises other questions. Can this team afford to trade this guy? Can we ever forgive him if the team decides to keep him?

I don’t think so, but those knuckleheads in North Jersey seem to have forgotten the transgressions of Marty Brodeur. For those of you who don’t remember, Marty Brodeur forced the break up of his brother in law’s marriage by sleeping with the poor guy’s wife. He also almost lost his own marriage in the process. I’m not sure if this is worse than beating your wife, but the Devils’ fan base sure seemed willing to give Marty a pass for his off ice behavior as long as he was bringing his team home a Cup.

Will we treat Myers similarly? Initially, I say no. We will boo the bejezus out of him, but if he withstands it, pitches well and stays out of the police blotter, anything is possible. I still think he’s a scumbag, but I really can’t see the Phils getting rid of a legit starting pitcher when there is such dearth of quality arms in this organization.

2. AI’s news conference – I don’t know about you guys, but he sure sounded like a guy resigned to the fact that he’s about to be traded. He even seemed ready and willing for a trade. Now, let’s see if Billy King can stun the Delaware Valley and pull off a decent deal.

3. We now interrupt your summer for the E-A-G-L-E-S! The Eagles are set to take over our lives for the next seven months. Hope you enjoyed the offseason. Starting with the coverage in Sunday’s Inquirer leading up through your nightly local news updates from Lehigh after the rookies report to camp on Thursday, our town will turn into all Eagles, all the time, from now until the end of the season. (Certain friends of mine hate how football dominates this city is. All I can say is learn to deal with it or move to New York, Boston or St. Louis where baseball is front page news 365 days a year.)

On the same note, I love how the Phils once again blew their opportunity to own the city for the summer. I’ll check back with you guys next March during Spring Training. Thanks for making the month of May interesting.

4. The Barbaro Watch - This is getting totally ridiculous now. I can’t take the roller coaster of emotion. It is way too much for anyone to handle….Of course, I’m kidding. I read somewhere that Barbaro has taken the place of the Barry Bonds steroids scandal as the story that most sports fans could care the least about. I agree 100%. I don’t care anymore.

At this point, Barbaor could make a complete come back, win a three way match race with Smarty Jones and Afleet Alex on Pay Per View and it wouldn’t raise an eyebrow for me. Although, can you imagine the glut of around the clock media coverage such a race would cause? I think ESPNEWS would convert to a 24/7 Barabaro channel just to appease the masses.

5. Lindros signs with the Stars – Count me as one of the only guys in Philly that is rooting for Lindros to reclaim his past glory and regain his position as one of the best players in the league. People really forget how dominating the “Big E” was in his first 5 years as a Flyer. I will agree that he let his parents dominate his life for way too long, but I place more of the blame on Clarkie for Lindros’ failure to realize the glory much of us predicted when the Flyers traded for him back in 1992. Wow, 14 years ago this summer! Man, I’m getting old.

6. Kyle Busch wins the Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at Loudon, New Hampshire – As I told my good buddy Mister Nascar, the Busch brothers are becoming perilously close to over taking Afa and Sika of the WWF’s Wild Somoans as the most hated brothers in sports history. I truly get ill when I see either of them win a race.


7. Par & Bar at Scotland Run – Never in my life have I gotten as much out of $53 as I have the past two Fridays. The Scotland Run Country Club in Williamstown, New Jersey has a deal on summer Fridays where $53 gets you 9 holes on a premium South Jersey golf course, a cart, open buffet and open keg served up on their porch overlooking the first tee box. If you like enjoying a summer evening with good golf, cold beer, decent food and outstanding service, then I strongly encourage you to check this place out. I must apologize to my buddy Jones by holding him back from completing an outstanding round. I give him credit for keeping his composure while golfing with a hack like me.

8. Fishing on the Delaware Bay – I completed my weekend as a “Sportsman” by fishing in the Delaware Bay with my good buddies Mister Nascar and Big Daddy Chad in a boat chartered by Captain Mark and his son. I’m not much of a fisherman and didn’t do much except feed the fish in the first hour or so, but after channeling the spirit of the Fishin’ Magician, Capt. Tullio, I started catching some fish. Overall, our crew did pretty well and caught a good amount of fish.

9. Entourage – I was half awake after getting back from my fishing trip, but it seemed like another less than par episode. Ari was great as usual, but I the threesome thing with E, Sloan, and her hot friend seemed like a gratuitous way to appease their fans wanting to see a return to the crew’s decadent ways. The ending of this week’s episode gives me hope that the show will get back on track in future weeks.

10. Pirates of the Caribbean – Judging by the box office results the past two weeks, I’m far from the only one who has caught this movie recently, but I was really unimpressed by anything but the special effects used in creating Davey Jones and his crew. Otherwise this movie was completely too long with a plot that was all over the place. Since the ending of this movie set up a third segment, I’d fire Keira Knightley and bring in an actress that looks like she’s eaten a sandwich or two in the last decade.

Thanks for those who stuck around through this entire article. I know…way too long, but I had a busy weekend!

The Next AJ Feeley?

I know I’m a couple days late on this, but the Birds announced the other day that they signed their 5th round pick, former Olympic Free Style Mogul Skier, Jeremy Bloom to a four year deal. Is this significant in terms of production on the field? Not really. He may contribute in the return game at some point next year, but I wouldn’t count on it. According to special teams coach, John Harbaugh, Bloom needs to get back to his football speed and stated:

“I think his change of direction and burst is being redeveloped. He has to get that back. I guess when you are in those [skiing] boots; it's like being in a cast. So, his ankle strength and the fluid movement stuff - he looks really good. To me it's exciting, because he runs a 4.49 coming right out of skis and you can see he does not have the ankle flexibility. When you see him walk, you can tell he's not quite where he was before with the ankle flexibility and all that stuff. 3 months from now, when our trainers and weight coaches get through with him, I think he is going to be really exciting. What you see with him right now is just a shadow."

As my good buddy the Captain said, what kind of crap is this? Ankle flexibility? How the hell does training as a skier reduce someone’s speed? You either can run a 4.3 or not. I’ll buy that a world class athlete may need a couple weeks of training to get back up to peak speed, but this is utterly ridiculous to me. My guess is that this white boy ain’t running a 4.3 forty, unless he’s zipping downhill on his skis.

Anyhow, the point of this post is that where Bloom really will produce this year is in the amount of attention he gets from your wife, girlfriend, or significant other. My wife got one look at him on the 11:00 news when he made an appearance at the White House with the other 2006 Winter Olympians and she was immediately smitten with his so called “Abercrombie good looks”. She forgot all about her former Eagles heart throb, AJ Feeley in a nano second.


Plus, my main man Johnny Gold is already calling him a pretty boy. Believe me, the last thing an athlete wants in this world is for Johnny Gold to put a label on you. Rarely does a guy shake a Johnny Gold label. I then noticed him in an Under Armour print campaign with big name players like Julius Jones, AJ Hawk, Jonathan Vilma and Vernon Davis. I’m now fed up.

With respect to Jeremy Bloom, I’m like a resident of Missouri because he has to show me he can play. No benefits of the doubt here, but I’m sure he’ll get plenty of slack from your lady once she catches a look of him.

Tom Heckert: Stand Up Guy

It has taken nearly seven years since Andy Reid has taken over stewardship of the team, but finally someone within the Eagles' organization has said something of consequence. In yesterday's Daily News, all four of the general managers got together to talk a little shop and discuss the challenges they face in today's sports world. The most interesting comments were delivered by Heckert. (Notably, I think Mr. Snider sent Clarkie to the meeting drugged, because very few of his comments were included in the article and those that did make it were either paraphrased or pretty incoherent.)

When asked about the T.O. situation, Heckert said the following:

"We took a gamble. We knew it was a gamble, and we lost. We all knew the situation [going in]. It worked for a while, and then it didn't work. We're ready to move on. . . Obviously, the T.O. thing, if I had it to do all over again, I probably wouldn't do it. Not that it was completely awful from a value standpoint. But just the events that happened afterward, the price wasn't worth it."

Finally! Someone in this organization has let their true feelings be known. It must have been so cathartic for Heckert to say something of substance. Although, considering how secretive the Eagles' organization is, I'm sure when he came into the office the day the article was printed, there was a Post-It on his computer screen from Joe Banner reading "SEE ME, ASAP!" and Heckert spent the next hour getting his ass chewed out.

Hopefully, the days of the bland, uninformative press conferences will be a thing of the past. Reid, D Mac, Dave Spadaro and the rest organization are more politically correct than a politician running for re-election or my corporate human resource rep describing a change to our benefit package.

For once, instead of saying "I think we'll be ok at wide receiver", I wish Reid would let down his guard and say "I absolutely value the wide receiver position and due to some misjudgements on players we drafted, we're not as strong at the position as we'd like to be, especially considering how much we like to throw the ball. Although, if we can spread the ball around to the backs and tight ends, we feel that Reggie Brown, Gaffney and the other guys can develop into serviceable NFL wide receivers." I might fall over in shock if that was actually uttered by Big Red, but it would be a nice start.

Anyhow, for anyone who has felt frustrated by the Birds' close to the vest style, this was a welcome change. Let's hope it starts a trend and the Birds' power trust realizes they aren't the Politburo entrusted with national secrets, but just a bunch of guys lucky enough to run a NFL franchise. In any event, I applaud you, Mr. Heckert. You stay classy!

* * * * * * *

Other interesting tidbits from this article:

Gillick said the following about long term contracts:

"Sometimes you think you know somebody but you really don't. And once they get $30 million or $40 million in their pocket, all of a sudden there's not the same commitment there. It doesn't mean they have to be hard-nosed, but they've got to go out and leave it on the field or on the court every night or every day. Sometimes players get a little too comfortable in that situation."

Call me crazy, but wouldn't it make a bit of sense to have these guys do psychological testing to determine if they are the type of person that would get complacement or continue to work to be the best. Christ, a ton of companies do this for employees that they pay $50,000 a year. Is it asking too much for a team to do a battery of tests before throwing $50 million at a guy over 5 years?

Heckert also said the following:

"I talk to [Jeffrey Lurie] a lot, every day, especially during the season. In the offseason, he'll call me at home or in the office... He'll bring up questions, like, 'What about this guy?' on another team, or somebody gets waived... he's never told us we couldn't do anything... He'll bring up what-ifs, like, 'What if this guy gets cut?' Or, 'What if we need to sign this guy to a long-term deal, can we do it now or do we need to wait?' He's very involved, but he lets us do our jobs.''

Is it any wonder that the Eagles have been the most successful team in town? Lurie seems involved just enough to make sure his guys are on top of things, but not so much that he meddles into their work.

Let The Fire Sale Begin!

Now that our Fightin’ Phils are about to embark on the second half of the season out of contention, we can turn our attention to the trading deadline, which is only a short 18 days away. Since we’re about to be put a lap down by the Mets, there’s no reason for the Phils to be anything but sellers at the deadline. Plus, I have to agree with Billy Wagner’s comments on SI.Com a couple weeks ago that the nucleus of this team will never win a thing. So why waste time? Let’s start trading off any and all spare assets in an effort to rescue the future of the franchise.

It also doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that this team needs pitching, pitching, a young catcher and third baseman, as well as some more pitching. So let’s look at our tradeable assets:

• Bobby Abreu – I think our gold glove winning right fielder needs a fresh start as much as AI does at this point. He has a big contract, but with only two years remaining it is not impossible that big spenders like the BoSox, Yanks and Angels could be interested. However, every ESPN talking head I’ve heard interviewed in the past week says that Gillick still wants one front line starting pitcher for him, so I can’t see him being dealt at the deadline. A trade could likely happen in the offseason, but not now. However, if we want to pick up decent prospects at catcher, third base, and starting pitching, this may be the chip to move. I guess Abreu will be moved only if Gillick changes what he’s looking for. Although, if it was up to me, I’d keep Abreu and trade …..
• Pat Burrell – I hope the rest of you were as infuriated as I was when I read the story this week about Pat the Bat walking out of the clubhouse in DC last September with a six pack ready to start his offseason of chasing skirts and golfing, as the rest of the team was crowded around a television rooting for the Cubs to beat the Astros in the last game of the season to force a one game playoff for the Wild Card. This guy is a cancer in the club house and a complete dog. He is the latter day Dave Kingman. I want him off the team. I don’t care if we have to pay half his salary for the rest of his contract. Just get rid of him. Plus, if he’s traded I won’t have to hear Wheels and Graham talk about his dog “Elvis” during the broadcasts, which annoys me to death. I’d love to see him end up with the Yankees and get booed up there for the rest of his career. All this being said, it’s not realistic to believe he will be dealt, so we’ll have to continue to suffer through his numerous strike outs where he tries to influence the ump by jumping backwards out of the box and his .068 batting average with men in scoring position and less than 2 outs.
• Rheal Cormier – My buddy George absolutely loves Cormier, which is as dumbfounding to me as someone who loves Temple football. Anyhow, Cormier’s stock will never be higher after compiling a 1.16 ERA in the first half of the season. I can’t imagine this Canadian dog getting anyone out in a big spot in the postseason, but maybe some contender will give up a prospect or two to bolster their bullpen with a lefty reliever. A return to Boston wouldn’t be a total shock.
• Flash Gordon – If it was up to me, I’d deal him as a desperate contender could give up the next Jeff Bagwell, Jason Varitek or John Smoltz much like Boston, Seattle and Detroit did in picking up Larry Anderson, Heathcliff Slocum and Doyle Alexander respectively, in ill fated trade deadline deals. I understand the importance of having a decent closer to raise the confidence of a young starting staff, but an All Star closer on a bad team is as superfluous as tits on a bull. (I’ve always loved that line.)
• John Lieber – He’s been a bust this year, but he’d be a perfect fit as a 4th or 5th starter for the Sox, Mets or Yanks. People forget that he had a strong postseason for the Yanks in 2004 before they completely folded against the Sox. A couple young prospects in return would be a windfall. I’d even drive his fat ass up to either destination.
• Lieby – I’ve heard there is some interest in Lieby from other teams. I really can’t believe these rumors. Who wants a horrible defensive catcher that is always hurt and has declining skills at the plate? If we can get a prospect, I’d be ecstatic. If he sticks around, at least this is the last year of his contract.
• Delucci/Victorino – If we can’t trade Burrell and Abreu, then there is absolutely no reason to keep them when a contender will surely overpay for an extra bat off the bench. These are the kind of guys you can trade for decent pitching prospects.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless. Gillick has the chance to reshape the future of the losing-est team in professional sports history and put his stamp on this team for years to come. However, if this team “Stands Pat”, we’ll just see more of the same mediocrity we’ve become accustomed to out of our Fightins’.

The Captain Is Holding Us Hostage

I have to start off by saying that I’m a big Primeau fan. Christ, I have a framed picture of the guy in my basement. In fact, I believe that Primeau’s playoff run in 2004 belongs up there with the all time great Philly postseason performances including the clutch hitting of Nails in the 93 playoffs, AI’s dominance in 2001, Hexy’s sublime goaltending in ’87, Gang Green’s suffocation of Michael Vick in the 2005 NFC Championship Game.

However, I really feel like he owes it to the team to team to retire so they can move on in another direction. If you’ve missed it, the Captain is still experiencing concussion related headaches 9 months after getting crushed by a cheap shot from some pinko Commie bastard up in Montreal. The Flyers did the right thing last year and waited for their Captain to heal and gave him every opportunity to make it back for the playoffs. The time for waiting is over. If Preems can’t make it back, the Flyers have to cut the cord on his comeback attempt and use his cap space to help improve the team. Plus, there is no guarantee that even if he does come back, one hit won’t put him back out of the lineup for the entire season. The Flyers simply can’t afford to carry his nearly $4 million on the cap and get nothing in return.

There is still time to improve the team for next year if Primeau retires. Mike Peca is available and he should be able to sufficiently replace Primeau’s leadership, penalty killing and defensive presence. He won’t be on the open market forever though, so the Flyers should force their Captain to come to his senses and call it a career.

The Orange and Black did get some good news this week when they announced that Peter Forsberg will not need surgery on his left ankle and could possibly be ready to play by the beginning of the season. This sounds great, but the pessimist in me says that by February we’ll be wishing he had the surgery.

Please Make Them An Offer They Won't Refuse

I’m sure many of you have read Bill Giles’ comments the other day in the news papers. Most of what he said didn’t really shock me. I realize that he is old and out of touch. A couple years ago I lived with my grandfather for a time period so I know the kind of stuff old, demented senior citizens tend to say. Frequently, they go on about real bizarre stuff to try and make themselves feel relevant in a world that has moved on without them.

Basically, the 71 year old Bill Giles was happy to have some of the spotlight back on him and couldn’t help himself from babbling on ridiculously about the state of the Phils. I loved how he would say he shouldn’t speak on a topic because he’s not a spokeman for the team, but would then ramble on giving his views on an issue.

My favorite part of the entire story was how David Montgomery had to basically b*tch slap him the old man back into whatever cave he was in by telling the media how Bill must have misconstrued some of his statements concerning the Brett Myers fiasco.

Later on Monday night, I turned on 610 and listened to all MacNow’s callers petrified over Giles’ edict that the current ownership group would not be selling the team anytime soon. Please people, do not get all worked up over this. I distinctly remember Harold Katz and Norman Braman making similar threats before selling their teams when they received overwhelming offers. In fact, I heard a rumor that the Phils once contacted Comcast to see if they had any interest in buying the team before the new ballpark was built. In my opinion, this team will be sold as soon as the owners receive what the Sports Guy likes to call “A Godfather Offer”…who you know, the kind you can’t refuse.

I begging someone, anybody…please send Luca Brasi down to Citizens Bank Park and make such an offer. We can’t get this group out of town soon enough and bring someone in who has a clue about running an organization.

I'm Certainly In the Minority With This One

It has become a foregone conclusion in this city that when Billy King eventually trades AI, it will be universally panned as a complete disaster that will leave the Sixers in the depths of a nuclear winter for the foreseeable future. I can't say I blame the unsilent majority. His history shows he is a below average G.M. He has made his share of bad trades. He has given out more ill advised long term contracts than the knuckleheads across the street that run the Phils. In fact, King has either signed or obtained 3 of the players included in the top 25 worst contracts in the NBA. List of 25 Worst NBA Contracts) Fortunately, his drafts have been slightly better than his signings.

However, whenever public opinion is so slanted in one direction, I can't help but get suspicious and start to lean in the other direction. The most common refrain I hear when a potential AI trade is brought up is that "I agree that AI should be traded, but I don't trust Billy King to pick the right deal." I haven't heard a single person express any confidence that King will cure the Sixers uninspiring and downright boring play of recent years by dealing "The Answer." I'll admit that I'm not ultra-confident that he'll broker the right deal, but this many people can't be right on a single topic. I am going out on a limb and predicting that whenever AI is dealt, it will work out just fine for your Seventy Sixers. Plus, after the disastrous results the last 3 times they traded a franchise player (Wilt, Moses, and Charles), the Sixers have more karma on their side than Earl Hickey.

The deals rumored to date have been mildly interesting. Getting a young athletic power forward (Al Jefferson) as well as a capable low post scorer and rebounder (Boozer) for AI wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. It just leaves the question...who eff would be our point guard? Maybe that's why Billy was working so hard to obtain Randy Foye on draft night. I think Foye would have looked great in Sixers uniform even though he played at that school on the Main Line with all those elitist snobs. Anyhow, if Billy can work a deal where we get a first round pick, a young athletic power forward and a point guard not adverse to playing defense, passing to the open man and knocking down the occasional open J, I will be ecstatic. Don't get me wrong, I love AI and believe he will go down as the quintessential Philly athlete, right up there with Lenny Dykstra, Chuck Bednarik and Bobby Clarke, but it is time for him to move on for both the best of his career and the future of the Sixers.

As Skee Lo from Gnarls Barkley sings, "Maybe I'm Crazy. Probably", but here's one vote of support for good ol' Billy King pulling off a decent deal to make our hometown team relevant again.

Ryan Howard Wins the Home Run Derby

To quote everyone's favorite former Sixer, Derrick Coleman, "whooptee damn doo". I really could care less. It just shows the nation once again that Philly athletes can come up big in ridiculous skills events (remember Randall winning all those QB Challenges in the early 90's?), but wilt under the pressure of real competition.

Serioulsy, I think I speak for the entire city....I sure hope this competion doesn't f&*k up Howard's swing in the same way Abreu never recovered from last year's unreal display of power in the HR Derby. Howard should be fine since he's a more natural power hitter than Abreu, but with the Phils luck, anything's possible.

My favorite part of the evening was Big Papi's interaction with Howard. Hearing him call Howard "my twin brother" and telling him "to come on DAWG!" in his Dominican accent was way too funny. Clearly, there is not a more likable athlete in all of professional sports than Big Papi. He's clutch AND personable. Not too shabby a combination, huh? Boston fans are lucky to have him.

Would a Title Change Us?

This topic has been rattling around my head for the past couple weeks after attending a couple of the Phils-BoSox games last month up in Bean Town. I was absolutely astonished at how positive these people were. How can these be the same fans that three years ago went into the fetal position for an entire winter after the Aaron Boone home run in Game 7 of the ALCS? Wasn't this the very same fan base that vowed to make life very unhappy for the Red Sox front office, not to mention the Grady Little family, if he was brought back for another year after failing to pull Pedro?

For a second there, I seriously thought I had been transported to a game in the Midwest where the fans tend to be more positive in a Stepford Wives/Mindless Sheep type of fashion. This positivity is rarely seen in Northeastern cities like Philly, New York, Boston and D.C, which are usually vociferous, raucous, cynical, and not afraid to let their true feelings be known to those seated around them. Here are a couple of examples of surprising Sox fans behavior:

-During the 7th inning of the Saturday 6/24 game, which Big Papi won with a moon shot in extra innings off Flash Gordon, journeyman middle reliever Javier Lopez got the Sox out of a mild jam and got a standing ovation for his work. I sat there incredulously and looked around to figure out what the hell everone was so excited about. Excuse me, but the last time I checked the job of a reliever is to pretty much get your team out of innings like this. If the roles were reversed and the game was in Philly, I don’t think Cormier doing the same thing would have raised much of a ripple through the crowd, much less a standing ovation.

-In the bottom of the 8th with 2 outs and two men on base, Tito Francona (the fact that he’s a beloved World Series winning manager in Boston after his ignominious tenure here is another story for another day) brings in rookie closer Jonathan Papelbon out of the pen. The ovation from the crowd was simply unbelievable. I’ve never seen or heard anything like it. Not since Ricky Vaughn entered the 1989 single game playoff between the Yanks and Indians for the AL East title had a crowd gotten so excited by the sight of their closer taking the field. Frankly, I only expected a reception in Boston like that if Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Bobby Orr, Tom Brady, Doug Flutie and Yaz all took the field at the same time. Then I noticed all the Papelbon jerseys in the crowd. At that point, I realized that the Red Sox fan base has completely lost their friggin' minds.

Anyhow, back to my premise. Would a World Series win and three Super Bowl titles in 5 years change us in the same way the Boston faithful have been transformed from a cynical lot to the nauseatingly positive group they've become? I doubt it could happen here, but I’d really like to see what it would feel like to test my hypothesis.

A title for the Birds, Phils, Fly Guys, or Sixers would be absolutely fantastic, but can you see an Eagles fan biting his tongue when D Mac overthrows a wide open receiver the next year in a tense NFC East battle? Will the collective Flyers’ fan base show some patience and withhold the urge to yell “shoot” and boo when the Orange and Black squander a 5 on 3 power play after celebrating a Cup a year or two earlier? Is it possible that Phils' fans could turn a blind eye to Pat “the Bat” whiffing with 2 outs and men in scoring position simply because he was a hero in the postseason the previous autumn?

Sorry, but Philly fans are an impatient, demanding bunch by nature. I don’t see a title or two undoing years of behavior ingrained in our collective DNA. The Sports Guy talks about a 5 year grace period when a team wins a title and the fan base should give the team a pass for any and all ineptitude. As usual, the Sports Guy has a point as it makes sense for most towns, but not here. In Philly, such a grace period with the fans would last 5 months…strike that…5 weeks before we’d return to our normal selves and question the effort and expertise of the front office and team at issue.

Oh well, it was a nice hypothesis and like I said, I sure like to test it out when a team finally breaks through with a title.

Please Give It A Rest!

Is it me or has anyone else had enough of Pat Burrell's at bat music? Hey, I love Ronnie James Dio's "Holy Diver" just as much as the next guy, but if you were in a 2 year slump, wouldn't you be looking to switch some things up to change your fortunes? I'm thinking Pat "the Bat" picked this song after getting a few laughs when it was featured on South Park, but clearly the time has come to pick a new song. If anyone has an idea, please add it to the comments section and I'll try to find a way to forward a suggestion to the Phils staff.

By the way, did anyone hear the dialogue between Scott Graham and Wheels on the radio broadcast this past Saturday night about Burrell's dog, Elvis? I distincly remember hearing them comment that Burrell's dog looks like "it should be more fearsome for its size". Like owner, like dog.

The Sports Guy Makes Sense

Anyone who knows me understands that I think Bill Simmons is an absolute genius who entertains me with his unique writing style. He usually doesn't speak to a lot of Philly topics since he is a Boston guy, but his statement today about the Philly Sports Scene really makes sense. In his latest post on ESPN.com, the Sports Guy says the following:

"Here's a prediction: Within the next 15 years, Philadelphia becomes the first city to ban professional sports for an entire calendar year to preserve everyone's collective safety. We're really getting to that danger point. Hooligans, rioting, you name it."

The Sports Guy really makes a point here. I really think things will get out of hand if the Birds have another losing season. We are so starved for a championship here and within the last two years it looked like the Eagles, Flyers, and possibly the Phils were getting close to making a championship run and breaking the 23 year drought. However, if the Birds don't make a run this season for the Super Bowl, things could get seriously U-G-L-Y in the Delaware Valley.

The Flyers flamed out horribly in the new NHL team with a team built to compete under the old rules. After teasing the fans through a torrid month of May, the Phils have fallen off the face of the earth with a typical underachieving season. As a result, Philly fans are overly relying on the Birds to reclaim some of their dignity. However, the question in my mind is whether we are placing our hopes into a team that did very little in the offseason to compete with their much improved interdivision rivals. I was up in Boston this month to watch the Phils-BoSox series and heard the E-A-G-L-E-S chants by the locals to take their minds off the ridiculously embarrassing Brett Myers fiasco.

We really need the Birds to come up huge and restore our faith in the local teams, but I really don't see the Birds getting it done this year. They just didn't do enough this offseason to compete with the rest of the NFC East. The seemingly impressive draft was nice, but how does it help them make the leap this year?

When the Birds fall flat this year, pro sports in this town will hit an all time low. None of the 4 teams seem to be anywhere close to winning a title. We might not need to suspend pro sports for a year like the Sports Guy suggests, but it might be wise for the local fans to lose their religion for a season or so and take up other interests.

Who the hell am I kidding? We live in Philly. What else do we have in our lives that even compares to supporting the local teams? Of course, we'll be back supporting our teams with the same passion as we always have. However, it might be smart to check our expectations at the door.