Turtle the Prognosticator

In case anyone cares, Turtle (aka Jerry Ferrara) of HBO's Entourage picked the Panthers to roll the Birds on Monday night while on ESPN Radio's Sports Bash tonight.

Seriously, who gives a crap about Turtle's opinion on the Eagles/Panthers game? I'm pretty sure we'd all rather know what Johnny Drama thinks. I don't know about you guys, but I'd feel much more confident about the Birds' chances to pull an upset if I knew Johnny Drama was on our side.

(Actually, I still don't really give a sh*t about this game. I'm desperately trying to find things to get me the least bit interested. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.)

The Best News We've Received In Weeks!!!

The most incompetent athlete in the city is considering retirement and ridding our team of a exorbitant, stifling contract...Sorry, I'm not talking about Pat Burrell, it's none other than the human pylon, Mike Rathje of your Philadelphia Flyers! I just read the following on Hockeybuzz.com:

Mike Rathje's reaction tonight here on Long Island:

“I'm always in pain, especially during the games. It’s obvious that I m not plying where I should be and its affecting me, the team and my family. It’s something I can’t really hide from."

Has retirement crossed your mind?

“Yes it has for the last year. This whole scenario of me playing injured all the time and taking medication all the time to play. It runs through my m ind and I am at the point you can only take drugs so long to play hockey.".

**

The Flyers will likely discuss placing Mike Rathje on long term injury tomorrow at their practice facility.

Rathje has been bothered by back and hip problems for two years now and has considerable pain in his sciatic nerve, running through his back, leg and buttocks on the right side.


Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said last night he would speak to Rathje today because the club is running out of options.

“It’s no secret that Mike is pretty beat up,” Holmgren said. “We need some plan to deal with this. He has things going on with his back. We need to find a plan. And we need to find out what is going on.”

As bad as Rathje has played this season, I truly believe his total lack of mobility is related to this on-going injury which the FLyers either didn't know about when they signed him two summers ago or simply felt they could manage.

I think this is the first step to getting Rathje's $3.5 million salary off the cap this year and for the next 3 years left on his deal. The Flyers have a strong case since he was in pain all last season even though he missed just 3 games back then.

Should Rathje retire?

"You have to ask Mike about that," Holmgren told me. "You talk to him and right now he is down in the dumps. He is really depressed about this. He’s a hockey player and he wants to play.”

One target goes down, but can we be so lucky to see Burrell follow him out the door? I doubt it, but you never know. Maybe Gillick can work some magic.

Turning a Corner?

I was at the Flyers 3-2 loss to the Preds tonight. I'm not going to say that all their problems are cured, but they sure do look like a legit NHL team. I saw tape to tape passes, decent scoring chances and excellent goal tending. If they could only find someone to kidnap Mike Rathje, they might go on a run and win some games. Until then, expect gift goals like the one Rathje gave up tonight to hand the game to Nashville.

By the way, thanks to the good people at GMAC Re for taking me to the game tonight! I had a fabulous time.

Changing Teams?

(Of course this item has nothing to do with Philly sports, but look at the alternatives. I could post about how I'm neither excited nor turned off by the Adam Eaton signing. I'm indifferent. Or, I could continue to rip the Birds. I figure I can take a day off from that pursuit. The Flyers are actually playing better, but I'm not expecting that to last. I will be at tomorrow night's game though to if the O&B have made any real progress. As for the Sixers, you all know I no longer care about this franchise. Although, I did hear that AI is leading the league in scoring once again....yawn.)

It's not every day that you receive news that a friend has changed teams. However, I'm here to share a recent surprising revelation from a big sports fan's change in allegiance from one team to another. (Don't worry...names will be withheld to protect the guilty.)

As you may expect, this information was not shared willingly. My buddy was forced to come out of the closet, so to speak, with his team change by a friend. I have to admit his reasoning for his switch was a bit shaky. He explained that he decided to switch allegiances because the star player of his former team scored a goal which eliminated his country's national team in an international tournament. Frankly, I was flabbergasted by this explanation.

Did I decide to switch NHL teams when Flyers goalie Antero Niittymaki backstopped Finland to a win over the US Olympic team and knocked them out of the tournament? Hell no! After decades of following the Flyers, I'm Orange and Black to the core, my friends. But using my buddy's line of reasoning, I'd be looking for a new NHL team to follow.

I started wondering if there is additional reasoning behind his decision. Has his "old team" fallen on hard times? He roots for other teams that have had their share of rough times. Plus, he lives here in the Philly area and has seen first hand how we live and die with our pathetic teams. So I figured this couldn't be a plausible explanation. However, after a little research, I've learned that his "new" team has become very successful in the last couple years while his "old team", has experienced some hard times of late. This surprised me. As every fan knows, you very simply have to live with your teams through thick and thin. You can't go running into the arms of a hot new team because your old team has grown a few warts.

In any event, I feel it is our duty to convince my friend that this was a horrible decision. I hope this post has opened his eyes. This guy has to realize that everyone in Philly would love to stop rooting for the Birds, Phils, Flyers and Sixers and find successful new teams, but we just can't do it. We don't have the heart. At least for me, these teams have become like family members. I can't picture myself rooting for another team.

If anyone has any other advice for him, please add it to the comments section. I don't think it's too late to convince him that he's made a mistake.

He's Still Running!

There's no truth to the rumor that Joseph Addai is really one of those Kenyan marathoners. Just watching him run, run, and run all night on the Eagles' defense made it seem that way.

At Least Someone Is Still Positive

I'm not sure what the good people at PhiladelphiaEagles.com are smoking, but I think someone should administer them a urine test after emailing the following story under the subject line of "Crunch Time For Eagles:

Despite the extraordinary brilliance of running back Brian Westbrook and some solid quarterback play from Jeff Garcia, the Eagles lost 45-21 on Sunday night in Indianapolis, dropping their record to 5-6. Still, despite the struggles, the Eagles remain in the NFC playoff picture and will ride the veteran leadership and skill of Garcia as they attempt to get back on the winning track. The big question is the team's defense, which has had trouble getting off the field all season. It is an issue on the table in this week's Hot Button. Check out PhiladelphiaEagles.com for the very latest on the team

I needed a pick me up today, and this email sure delivered.

Absolutely Embarrassing

The best part of tonight's 45-21 thumping by the Colts was that I only watched about a quarter of the game. I listened to most of the first half on the radio and then watched the third quarter on my PIP screen as I watched the latest episode of Dexter, which I highly recommend checking out on Showtime.

The defensive effort was as embarrassing as some of the early season Flyers games we've suffered through. I'm glad that Jim Johnson's philosophy of drafting undersized linemen and de-emphasizing the linebacker position is finally being exposed. Since there is no way Reid gets fired this offseason, this team needs to dump JJ, hire a new defensive coordinator that realizes stopping the run is important and then bring in about 3 new defensive linemen and a whole new corps of linebackers. By the way, whoever decided to draft Matt McCoy and believed he'd be a starting NFL outside linebacker, needs to be fired tomorrow.

If I remember correctly, McCoy was the only guy who was not invited to the Scouting Combine to get drafted on the first day of the 2005 draft. This move personifies my distaste for the Birds' front office. They continually think they know more than everyone else by taking risks on players that no one else values as highly as they do. It frustrates me to no end.

By the way, the offense is fine with Garcia at the helm. If the defense was above average, we'd probably go .500 the rest of the way, but since we saw tonight how pathetic they truly are, I don't expect this team to win more than one more game all season.

Looks like I'm going to have some free Sundays the rest of this fall and winter.

I Give Thanks For....

Since this is the greatest holiday in the world, I wanted to give thanks to some very important people:

-Readers like St. Joe's Nick, Jones, Jorge and Crazy Hayes, Jeff Peacock, The Irish National/Biggest Irish Jets Fan in Pine Hillbilly Ville, Tony G., Johnny Gold, The Capt, The Cleveland Steamer, Gump Bove, Biggsy McSmalls, O Hick, My At Work Wives I and II, and last but surely not least "The Wife".

- My dad and step mom, as well as all my family and friends

- My in laws. I got pretty lucky in this category.

- Deadspin.com

- Fantasy Football, and my co owner, Vinny T. You are the man, but I'm 100% sure you'll never look at this site

- My neighbors, Andy G and Aran

- The Sports Guy

- Miller Lite

- Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Cole Hamels

- Donovan McNabb.....when healty

- Jessica Biel

- Scarlett Johanssen

- the NHL

- Sami Kapanen....you don't score, but you show effort night in and night out

- Matt Kenseth

- Rutgers Football - Their rise to prominence this season has made me so damn happy this year

- The Birds, The Phils, The Orange and Black and your 1-2-3-4-5-Sixers!

- Brian Dawkins...when he's not playing like he did last week

- A.I....when not playing like a ball hog

- Billy King....Yeah right, just checking to see if you're still reading. Other than John Street, he is the most incompetent person at his job in this city.

- Business Person Specials....can't think of anything better than watching the game in the afternoon sun and drinking beer

Have a good one everybody! Happy Thanksgiving!

Bloggers Gone Wild

I don't want to send all seven of my readers away to other sites, but if you are looking for some other sports blogs to check out, here are a couple of sites I enjoy.

Kissing Suzy Kolber

This guy appears to be a 'Skins fan, but he is the most irreverent sports writer I've come across on the net. He's also one of the funniest. He even had the balls to take on the Genius that is Bill Simmons (aka "The Sports Guy"). I highly recommend this guy. Anyhow, here's a taste of what his site about as he comments about our Birds:

Donovan McNabb
Status: Torn ACL, Out For Year
This will be the third regular season that McNabb has failed to finish in his career. Making matters worse is the fact that the Eagles have a penchant for picking up backup QBs based upon their knowledge of the West Coast offense, and not based upon whether or not they blow. Hence, the 2006 Eagles are the new 2005 Eagles. Yay! Now you Eagle fans get to spend the rest of the season with the fabulous Jeff Garcia at the helm. Garcia has already suggested new fonts and paper stock sizes for the Eagles' playbook. He's also thinking a sort of creamy butter interior for the team's indoor practice facility. That will soften the harshness of the Eagles' future offensive performances.

Oh, and a note to one Andy Reid: Do you think that perhaps throwing the ball 9,000 times a game puts your QB at greater risk than is necessary? Here's an ingenious idea for you, you stupid mustachioed fat tub of shit: RUN THE BALL.

Oh, and all of the Eagles' skill position players have now been rendered useless. Thanks for playing.

Deadspin

Forget ESPN.com. If you are looking for sports news with a funny slant, here's the place to go. I got a kick out of this comment today:

As the holidays draw ever closer, it's time for us to address the serious issues; such as what should we get Barbaro for Christmas?

With Leather

I just found this blog recently, but he has won me over with comments like this:

Steve Slaton, who I once beat in a race to that telephone pole, ran wild on Pitt last night and the Mountaineers cruised to victory in the Big Fight in the Backyard. I was sad for Pitt. Not that I like Pitt, but one of my old girlfriends had a snug vintage Pitt Panthers tee shirt that she wore without a bra. So for me, cheering for Pitt is like cheering for tits.

The Sports Guy

Then there is the king, the aforementioned Bill Simmons. I meant to post this funny Sixers related email from his mailbag:

Q: So, one day last week I see Sixers GM Billy King in a restaurant in Philly. I started thinking "Does he deal with ordering food the same way he signs NBA players?" If he ordered the steak, if it's an OK steak but nothing fantastic, does he offer to pay double or triple the market value for it? Maybe there could be a show where Billy King negotiates car prices for people who stand by dumbfounded as he offers $27,000 for a 1987 Toyota Camry with 167,000 miles.
-- Adam, Philadelphia

SG: I had a sarcastic follow-up joke here ... then I remembered that my favorite baseball team just spent $51.1 million for the right to negotiate a free agent contract for a Japanese pitcher who's represented by Scott Boras. I'll shut up now.

I threw this email from the Sports Guy's latest column because I think it is absolutely hysterical. I truly don't understand the Dane Cook phenomenon, but this fella may be on to something:

Q: I'm 99 percent positive that Randolph and Mortimer Duke recently wagered $1 that they could turn the funniest, most successful stand-up comic into a disturbed bum on the street and turn a random unfunny guy off the street into the hottest comic in the land with TV specials and a feature film. How else can you explain the fall of Dave Chappelle and the rise of Dane Cook? It is the only answer. Looking good Dane Cook! Feeling good Dave Chappelle!
--DeVito, Washington

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to share this level of writing with you guys. I fear I have exposed myself for the hack that I truly am!

Some Good News...Finally

In case you live under a rock and only check this site for sports news, I thought I'd pass along that Ryan Howard won the NL MVP. This is great for Ryan and the Phils. I'm not really sure he deserved it as he kind of came of up a bit small the last week of the season, but whatever, this is very welcomed good news.

I just hope the Phils realize that if they want to guy to have similar production next year, they better find a right handed bat to protect him. Plan A (Soriano) is gone and so is Plan B (Sheffield). Is there even a Plan C??? I wouldn't mind seeing the Phils go after Carlos Lee. I read a wire report indicating the Phils have contacted his agent, but Eskin today said the Phils don't like him. He's probably right. I guess we'll get to see another 140+ games of Pat Burrell taking called third strikes and letting balls drop in front of him in left field. I can just feel the excitement, how about you?!?!?!

R.I.P. Dirty Waters

Today is a very sad day for all Eagles phans. Andre Waters is dead at the age of 44. Reports indicate that this was a suicide. What a tragic loss.

Even though he may have grown up in Florida and moved out of the area, we lost one of our own today. He was one of the few guys that have played for our Birds that truly embodied the spirit of this town. He was the Birds' answer to Lenny Dykstra and Bobby Clarke. You know.... the scrappy, hard working guy that would overcome his talent deficiencies to do ANYTHING to win a game.

I know I will remember him as a self made player that turned himself into a fearsome safety that laid the wood to anyone who dared come across his part of the secondary.

Rest in Peace, Andre. Rest in Peace.

24

If you were questioning whether we were living in sports hell here in the Philadelphia area, then the 24 hours between 8 pm Sat and 8 pm Sunday removed any and all doubt whatsoever. By the end of this time period, any hope for any consequential sporting success in the foreseeable future was removed.

Lets recount the horrors:

Saturday, 7:45 to 10:45 - My Rutgers Scarlet Knights fail to show up and get absolutely pounded by Cincinnati killing their Impossible Dream Season, and ruining my chances of hooking up with my buddy Matt, a HUGE Ohio State fan, for some debauchery at the National Championship Game.

10:30 - 1 am - The Flyers get crushed yet again, this time by the San Jose Sharks, 6-1. At this point, the Flyers have become the town ho and everyone is getting their turn. As a huge Flyers phan, this is very upsetting to me. I'm going to have to get the Center Ice package. I can't go the winter without interesting hockey to watch.

10:30 - 1 am - The Sixers blow a lead and lose in OT to the Clippers in L.A. (They've come back to earth in a hurry, huh?) I could care less about the Sixers, but this is just more mounting evidence of how bad a day this was.

Sunday, 1 am - 1 pm - Thankfully, nothing bad happens in Philly sports, but who knows....I'm sure some Philly athlete got arrested, started a bar brawl or impregnated some chick. I wouldn't be shocked if some one of the Big 5 hoops teams had a raging kegger that ended in violence. It's only a matter of time until something comes out in the news.

1 pm - Birds start slow...Titans stuff the ball down our throats, take a 7-0 lead and then D Mac throws a horrible interception in the end zone.

2 pm - The Birds' first series of the 2nd quarter results in no points, but one torn ACL to our most indispensable player. Thanks for coming out folks, but the season is over! Don't forget your parting gift of Jeff Garcia and A.J. Feeley for the next 6 games! Eagles Football...Feel the Excitement!

4:30 pm - Finally, the Titans put the Birds out of their misery as they lose 31-13 in a pathetic, horrible, disgusting, boring display of football.

5 pm - We learn that the Phils' main target in free agency, Alfonso Soriano, spurns us to sign with the Cubs for an amount slightly lower than the GDP of most Third World Countries. (As a result, get ready for Ryan Howard to see about 17 pitches to hit all next year.)

7:30 pm - The Cowboys knock off the previously unbeaten Colts. To make matters worse, me and Johnny Gold are at our buddy Mister Nascar's place, who also happens to be a huge Cowboys fan. We have the distinct pleasure of watching him jump around with the glee of one of those spoiled teenagers on MTV's "Super Sweet Sixteen". We then leave his house with our tail between our legs cursing him under our breath. What a fitting end to these 24 hours.


All in all, I think these 24 hours we all suffered through rivals anything Jack Bauer has experienced in the last 5 five years.

PSP's Eagles Prediction

In the Andy Reid era, the team has never really gotten up to play AFC games. They either play uninspired football and lose, or barely hold on for the victory. Rarely do you see a clear cut win when they play an interconference opponent.

I don't see this pattern being broken today, but I see the latter scenario occuring. I think the Birds trot out another maddening performance, but hold on for a 17-16 win.

It doesn't take a genius, but a key to winning this game will be stopping the guy pictured above. I think it can be done. Although, Vince Young is starting to show himself as having more moxie throwing the ball than Michael Vick, which is what I suspected since I always though he was more comparable to Randall than Michael Vick.

As for the Birds, I think B West and LJ will be the keys on offense today.

Go Birds.

There Is A Morning After

The Dream Season is over. My mighty Scarlet Knights got whupped by Cincinatti...yes CINCINATTI, 30 to 11. It was a pathetic performance. The offense made mistake after mistake and the defense gave up numerous big plays. When you play like they did, it doesn't matter who the opposition is. You are going to lose.

Surprisingly, so many people saw this coming. I even had an inkling this was possible. I just never thought it would be as bad as it was.

I'm upset, but don't worry. There is no need to call the suicide watch on me. I'll be ok. I did get swept up with all the National Championship talk, but deep in my heart, I knew this team was not on that level. This team is still in the building process. In college football, you don't go from a doormat to title contender in two years. It takes time. I have been ecstatic about this season, but have told friends that the national championship talk was premature. This program did not set out this year with that as a goal. That's why you see Ohio, Howard, Illinois, and North Carolina on the schedule. This year was all about taking the next step from a low level bowl team to a ranked team that plays in a bowl closer to New Year's Day.

All that being said, the season is not over. RU needs to head home, lick their wounds and come out ready to play a rejuvenated Syracuse team. If they can bounce back, they will still be playing for a BCS bowl 12/2 at West Virginia. I don't love our chances there, but you never know. I didn't like our chances against Louisville either and we know how that turned out.

Here's a pretty decent article from NJ.com that I totally agree with. This guy is right, this still is a Dream Season.

Hiiiigh Fiiiiive!!!

It's a slow week in Philly. I can't get excited about the prospects of Vince Young and Titans coming to town, and I'm not getting my hopes up about Soriano becoming a Phil. Sure, if we somehow land him, he hit a ton of home runs and steal a bajillion bases, but he'll strike out just as much as Burrell. Plus, how long will the Flyers goal explosion last? I'm going to go out on a limb and say...not for long. So, excuse me if I'm not overly excited about expounding on our local teams. Not surprisingly, I find myself counting down the days until Saturday when RU continues their impossible dream season at Cinci on ESPNHD again!

I've even tried to fill my time with other non-sports related pursuits including trips to the local movie theater and catching up on this season's episodes of The Office. I caught The Departed Friday night, which I though was pretty darn good despite a far fetched ending and unrealistic performance from Leonardo DiCaprio. The Office got off to a slow start this season, but tonight's episode was by far the best of the season. I love the Andy character from Connecticut. He adds a lot to the show.

I also got to see the Borat movie. Contrary to what other people have told me, it's not the funniest movie I've ever seen, but it is without a doubt in the top 5. I highly recommend checking this movie out. Sacha Baron Cohen is a damn genius. There are so many scenes that had me laughing so loud that I embarrassed my wife. I won't reveal anything, so if you see it. Please let me know because I have to share my thoughts with someone.

The Daily News....Masters of the Obvious

You know that sports have hit an all time low when the Daily News decides to take up a ton of space with a symposium about our streak of futility....Oh well, check out this link for some interesting reads (if you didn't catch them previously).

Phils Get A New 3rd Baseman

Something tells me Wes Helms won't be making us forget Mike Schmidt...or even Dave Hollins, any time soon.

The Phillies have reached agreement with free-agent infielder Wes Helms on a two-year deal worth approximately $5.5 million, FOXSports.com has learned.

The deal includes a club option for a third year that could raise the total value of the package to approximately $8.5 million, according to a source with knowledge of the deal.
Helms, 30, earned $800,000 last season as a part-time player with the Marlins. He signed with the Phillies after receiving assurances that he would get a chance to play every day at third base, the source said.

The Phillies had shown the most interest of any club in Helms, who produced 10 homers, 47 RBI and a .965 on-base/slugging percentage in 240 at-bats last season with the Marlins.

Only once, however, has Helms batted more than 274 times in a season — in 2003 with the Brewers.

General manager Pat Gillick recently flew to Alabama to meet with Helms in person. The Phillies' addition of Helms likely will return Abraham Nunez to a part-time role.

The Phillies had been pursuing free-agent infielder Mark DeRosa, who signed a three-year, $13 million contract with the Cubs on Tuesday.

Next Question!

Faced with a slow news day, I figured it was time to reach into the mail bag and return to the "Next Question" segment.

This week's question comes from St. Joe's Nick:

WIP has been running a commercial bumper for quite a while with the Rocky theme in the background and a voice over stating “Philly Pride…Philly Passion! Sports Radio 610 WIP.” Am I the only one that has a problem with our “pride” being in a 30-year old fictitious boxer? Isn’t there anything else sports-wise to be proud of in this city? I know we haven’t won anything for about 100 years, but there has to be something other than an old, fake boxer to be proud of. The Rocky cliché has been played out for a long, long, LONG time. It’s irked me for a while. Every time I hear that stupid promo it gets under my skin.

Phan – give me some reason to be proud of Philly sports. I am already proud of the historical value of the city since I am a bit of a history fan, but I am more of a sports fan than anything. I can’t see any reason to be proud of the Eagles, Phillies, or Flyers in the past few years, even despite the Eagles’ Super Bowl run. Something told me that entire season that we would end up disappointed again. The future doesn’t look too great either for our teams.

Wow...isn't that the $64,000 question in town these days. As you point out, I can't really give you any reason to be proud of any of the particular Philly teams at the moment, other than possibly the Phils. Normally, you can point to at least one Big 5 team to get excited about, but not this year. And you wonder why I'm so gung ho about the dream season my alma mater is having over at RU.

I could come up with some smart ass answer about being proud about cornering the market in Triple Crown quality race horses, or being awfully successful at finding players who come up small in big spots. I could also point out that we surely lead the nation in petulant superstars over the past 15 years with Randall, Barkley, Lindros, T.O., A.I., and Pat Burrell.

In all seriousness, all I can really offer is that we should be proud for being the most demanding phan base in the world outside of the English Premiere League. We can sniff out a bum better than any fan base in America. (I wish this ability would rub off on some of our front office people.) We won't accept anything less than a team's best effort when it is apparent they have the talent to compete.

My favorite aspect of a Philly Phan is that we are not trained sheep like fans in the South and Midwest. We don't show up and pay good money to watch a team when the front office isn't putting out the best product possible. When people ask why the Phils and Sixers don't sell out, I usually reply that when the front office makes a commitment to the fans by putting a decent product on the field, we'll make a commitment to them. All one has to do is look at the attendance stats for the Phils after the ownership decided to put some money into the team as opposed to the 80% empty Vet in the late 90's.

As for on the field issues, the pickings are slim, but we can be proud of the Phils. They have four outstanding young players in Howard, Utley, Hamels and J Roll. Plus, I really think Gillick will get a couple more pieces to finally put us in the playoffs next year. I think we should also be proud of the fact that we have the franchise's all time best QB currently under center every Sunday for the Birds. We can be proud of the little things like the heart and determination of A.I. and the prolonged greatness and leadership of Dawk. Even though they didn't result in a championship, we can also be proud of all the playoff appearances over the years by the Birds, Flyers, and Sixers.

I know, I'm not giving you the warm and fuzzies, but we are at an all time low point right now for Philly Sports. Maybe the lowest I can remember for all four teams at once. Maybe we need to hit rock bottom before we can rise to the top. I can't give you any time table for when it will get better, but it has to get better? Right???

Finally, last time I checked, you live in Jersey. You can feel proud of the undefeated State U in New Jersey. There's plenty of room on the band wagon.

As for the Rocky thing, I can't agree more. I'm BEYOND tired with this City's fascination with Rocky. I saw a comedy show this summer where Bill Burr ripped our city for, among a multitude of other things, getting so wrapped up in a fictional champion when we had a real live champ in Joe Frazier. Check out this link. You might want to send death threats to this guy after checking it out, but I guess you had to be there to understand why this tirade occurred.

Until we meet again, NEXT QUESTION!

Flyers Lose...Again, but Pick Up a Used Fridge

The Flyers lost....AGAIN. However, they are starting to show the semblance of playing NHL quality hockey as of late. It pains me to see them lose games like tonight against the Pens, 3-2, but at least they are showing up and acting like they give a crap. It especially pains me to have to give credit to Malkin and Crosby as those kids are absolute studs. At least, I can solace in the fact that Malkin looks like a complete dork. (He is the one on the left below.)


Earlier today, the Flyers brought back Todd "Fridge" Fedoruk for a 4th round pick via a trade with the Ducks. I don't totally understand the move as this teams desperately needs help back on defense and with scoring goals, but Fridge is a leader who plays responsible defensively and this team sure needs a whole lot of those qualities as well. However, I don't expect the Fridge to contribute a whole lot as he got his face broken in this fight a couple weeks ago.

Far From Impressive

Lest anyone believe the Birds are back on track after their sloppy 27 to 3 victory over the Skins on Sunday. As many have noted, the Birds offense got back to many of the same bad habits they showed in the losses to the Saints and Bucs. The over-reliance on the big play is going to kill this team because they simply cannot focus long enough to sustain drives.

Obviously, the talent is there with this offense to patiently go up and down the field, but this group looks like an NBA "two guard" who has fallen in love with his three point shot and no longer does the dirty work and goes to the hole. Or, as my buddy "The Capt" and I discussed on Sunday, we should rename this group the "Pat Burrell Offense". It's either feast or famine. A bomb or a strike out.

This offense drives me nuts. I couldn't even get excited by that ridiculous "fumble recovery" touchdown by Buckhalter. Although, my buddy Mike correctly pointed out seconds after the touchdown that "this play makes up for the 62 yard field goal".

The commotion over Morningwheg taking over the play calling is also a little bit ridiculous. It really didn't make a difference. On the surface, it looks like they ran the ball more, but upon closer inspection it was pretty more of the same run/pass imbalance we've seen all year. The running calls at the end of the game when the game got out of hand and the weather turned bad was the only reason for the supposed balanced play calling. I give this Morningwheg experiment about two more weeks before Reid takes back the reins.

There were a few bright spots. I thought the db's and Reno played well. Westbrook was outstanding as usual, and Stallworth finally looks completely healthy. Boy, does he add another dimension to the offense. Dawk also reminded us why he is a borderline Hall of Famer. The rest of the defense was ok.

One thing to be alarmed about is the fact that Matt McCoy is getting thrown around like former WWF jobbers Rene Goulet and the Brooklyn Brawler. McCoy is simply getting exposed. It's a shame. Johnson has to do a better job at hiding him, but expect him to be singled out again next week as the Titans come to town with the red hot Travis Henry. The defensive line didn't get much pressure Sunday, but that could be due to all the 3 step drops and short passes by Brunell. They've really haven't recaptured the promise they showed in the first month of the season.

Overall, this team has a lot to prove before I get on the playoff bandwagon. However, as I predicted, the Birds have sucked me back in like the Phils did multiple times this summer. Anyhow, I'd like to see our Iggles build off this week and get healthy against a Titans team coming off a tough loss against the Ravens. Could the Titans be heading for a let down? I think so. I also think we'll see the "Michael Vick" defense JJ rolls out against the Falcons in order to frustrate rookie QB, Vince Young.

(I'm shocked that I went a whole article without mentioning Rutgers. Man, was it tough!)

PSP's Eagles Prediction

We now interrupt your 24/7 Rutgers coverage to give you some Philly Sports!

I see today as a Birds victory simply because it seems this city is losing fome of our vigor for this team. Of course, they are going to suck us right back in with a victory and likely a Giants loss tonight. The Birds are going to toy with our emotions just like the Phils did.

Yeah....that's all I got to base my pick on. Sorry. Oh, and because I think the 'Skins will have a Dallas hangover like we did.

Due to today's weather, I'm predicting a 17-10 Birds victory. But take that with a grain of salt since my picks have been horrible since the Dallas game.

Un-F&*K-ing Believable!!!!

This is the second best sporting night of my life right after the NFC Championship Game where the Birds beat the Falcons. This is just absolutely awesome. I feel friggin' awesome. Actually, this is a totally different feeling than the NFCG. This was an upset...how many times in your life does a team pull off a legit upset? I can't remember a Philly team doing something like this in years...yes, YEARS.

I'm still shaking...I just can't believe it. I never expected it. I really didn't, despite my pick on the site. I thought Brohm and the Louisville receivers would carve up the RU DB's, but it didn't happen. When RU's pass rush started pounding Brohm, he turned into a different QB altogether. Wow, it just shows you what a solid defense and a running game can do for a team....maybe Big Red should take some notes.

My wife even called610 and bragged on good ol' RU. She talked to Marc Eckel and sounded more knowledgeable about the team than he did. She was even on the radio with him for about 5 minutes +!

I just have to say....the "Same Old Ru" is DEAD. FINALLY!!!!!

Disappointing

A who's who of who will be in the crowd tonight at the Rutgers - Louisville game:

James Gandolfini (aka Tony Soprano)

Celebrity Chef Mario Batalia

Donovan McNabb

L.J. Smith


Cowgirl Jenn Sterger

Who won't be in the crowd:

Yours truly. I got shut out of tickets. Thanks band wagon jumpers...Yes, I'M VERY BITTER!

Here's Your Problem....

I just came across the following in today's Delco Times:

Well, Stevens didn’t go to Home Depot as promised, but he did hook up a plastic "Shooter Tutor" to help the Flyers get their shots higher into the net.

The device is used frequently in youth hockey, but is hardly ever seen employed with multi-million dollar athletes -- which should say a lot about this Flyers team.

Stevens employed a competition to see which player could net the most shots in a row on the Shooter Tudor.

The winner of the event? How about Ben Eager with five straight shots.

No knock on Ben, but if he’s winning accuracy contests, the problems are far worse than even the Flyers brass might realize.

Call me crazy, but the last time I checked the object of the sport of hockey is to put the puck in the net. This being the case, shouldn't the Flyers - a team notorious for shooting high and wide, or more frequently right into the goalie's chest - be using a tool like this more friggin' often!?!?!?!

PSP's Rutgers - 'Ville Prediction

Since I won't get a chance to post this prior to tomorrow night's showdown, I'm making my Rutgers/Louisville pick right here and now! I'm taking my boy Jone's advice. The skirt is coming off. I'm going to be a fan and make a pick through my Scarlet colored glasses. Lord Baby Jesus, knows I've been waiting my whole life for a game like this.

After my tepid post last night, I'm guessing most of you expected me to pick a narrow victory for the 'Ville. But not so fast my friends! (I just love that line from Lee Corso.) I think RU's defense will rise to the occasion and disrupt the high powered Cardinals offense. Remember, Cincy and Syracuse gave them a hard time and if those two scrub squads could make the 'Ville work hard for points, why can't the 2nd ranked scoring defense in all the country do the same???

I also expect QB Mike Teel to play the best game of his career. The kid is a flat out winner. He's lost one...yes, ONE... game since his high school days at North Jersey Power House, Don Bosco Prep. Plus, even though the numbers didn't show it, Teel turned a corner in their last game against UConn. On a couple of long balls, he put the ball right on the money, but his absurdely yound WR's just weren't up for the challenge. This week, someway, somehow they will be. Teel also needs to utilize his All Big East Tight End, Clark Harris. He should be a constant threat down the middle of the field.

Most importantly, I just don't see Louisville being able to stop RU's power running game with Rice and Leonard. For all Brian Leonard has done to put this football program on the map, he deserves to have a key role in the biggest game in school history. Plus, if Ray Rice wants to be a serious Heisman contender, he will have a national stage to make a legitimate statement.

In any event, I hope Coach Schiano called fellow Jersey Guy, Bill Parcells and asked for his game plan from Super Bowl XXV, when the Giants held off the high powered Bills for the championship, because that's exactly the kind of clock controlling game the Knights will have to utilize to be successful. If they play a ball control, mistake free offense, sprinkled with their usual outstanding special teams play and the defense gets a few stops and a key turnover or two, RU can win this game.

Plus, the RU fan base has been waiting for a game like this for their entire lives. It's like U2 showed up at a out of the way County Fair in Iowa as part of their World Tour. The RU crowd should be fantastic. If you have ever seen what a student section of 3,000 is like for a game at the RAC for a basketball game, you know how loud a Rutgers crowd can be. I can only imagine what a student section of 11,000 will be like tomorrow night. Frankly, it's never happened. I can't wait to see how the fans react. If the RAC attitude carries over, they will simply not let this team lose.

For all of the above reasons, I see a 24 to 21 Rutgers victory!

R-U, Rah, Rah,R-U, Rah, Rah,
Whoo-Raa, Whoo-Raa;Rutgers Rah
Up-Stream Red Team;Red Team Up-Stream
Rah, Rah,Rutgers Rah!!

(Sorry guys, I promise to get back to your regularly scheduled viewing of Philly Sports after this game. For now, I ask that you be patient and let me get this out of my system. Thanks!)

Ryan Howard - Player of the Year

I just came across the following tonight on Phillies.com:

PHILADELPHIA -- Just like the home runs he bashed over the past week in Japan, the postseason accolades keep coming for Phillies slugger Ryan Howard.
After tantalizing the Far East as a member of a barnstorming group of Major League players who participated in the Japan Series, Howard has collected additional honors for individual excellence. Howard won the Player of the Year Award and the National League Outstanding Player Award, as determined by his peers. Those awards come after Howard was named Player of the Year by The Sporting News (also voted on by players) and after winning the 2006 Hank Aaron Award, as determined by the fans.

All this could be leading up to the NL MVP Award, which will be announced on Nov. 20 by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

"He's amazing," said Mets third baseman David Wright, who's watching Howard mash in Japan. "He has so much power to all fields. He's fun to watch. You sit in the dugout and just when you think you've seen it all from him, he does something that's just absolutely incredible."

The Players Choice Awards winners are selected by all Major League players via secret balloting under the supervision of KPMG LLP, the audit, tax and advisory firm, and are given annually to the top pitcher, player, rookie and comeback player in each league as well as an overall player of the year and man of the year. This year's balloting took place on Sept. 12-13.

Each Players Choice Award winner will designate the charity of his choice to receive a grant from the Players Trust, a not-for-profit foundation created and administered by the players, in an amount ranging from $20,000 to $50,000.

In winning the Player of the Year honor, Howard beat out St. Louis' Albert Pujols and Boston's David Ortiz. He topped finalists Miguel Cabrera of the Marlins and Pujols for the NL Outstanding Player Award.

"I've never seen anyone in the Major Leagues who is treating the game almost like an oversized kid in the Little League World Series," Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt said about Howard in September. "All he's got to do is get a ball out over the plate and it's a home run. If it isn't, it's a ball hit on the line that had he got it up, and [it would've been] a home run."

Howard's smooth left-handed power stroke has drawn favorable comparisons to Willie Stargell, and Howard's opposite-field blasts often leave opponents shaking their heads in amazement and opposing pitchers lowering their heads in disappointment.

While hitting .313, Howard led the Majors in home runs (58), RBIs (149) and total bases (383), while finishing third in slugging percentage (.659) and seventh in on-base percentage (.425).

On Aug. 31, the slugger smashed his 49th homer, setting a franchise record for homers in a season. He passed Schmidt, who held the previous mark of 48, set during his 1980 NL MVP season. That drive by Howard also gave him the most homers by any second-year player in baseball history.

In a little more than half a season in 2005, Howard clubbed 22 homers and drove in 63 RBIs, enough to become the NL Rookie of the Year. For an encore, he made the NL All-Star team this past season and won the CENTURY 21 Home Run Derby.

With 58 homers, Howard fell two shy of becoming the sixth player to hit 60 in a season. He hit two homers in his final 21 games, in large part because pitchers either intentionally walked him or rarely threw him a strike. The big slugger received 31 intentional walks in the second half.

Howard also proved to be the man in big spots for the Phillies, batting .290 in close and late situations. Twenty-nine of his homers came with at least one man on base. At Citizens Bank Park this season, he became the first player to hit a ball over the batter's eye in center -- estimated as a 496-foot blast -- and also christened the third deck, a feat he did off Mike Mussina of the Yankees.

Though he was dazzling in Japan, Howard has stayed humble.

"I'm feeling really good playing in Japan," said Howard. "Balls are jumping off my bat."

So what if he doesn't win MVP?

"If he doesn't, you don't even want to know my opinion," shortstop Jimmy Rollins said. "That's all I have to say."

Let's hope this award is only a precursor for the NL MVP award announcement.

Another Astounding Factoid

I just read the following on Scarletknights.com:

For the first time in school history (137 seasons), a ranked Rutgers team will face a ranked opponent as No. 15/14 Rutgers hosts No. 3/4 Louisville Thursday, Nov. 9 in primetime on ESPN. The game features a battle for first place in the BIG EAST as both squads are a perfect 8-0 overall and 3-0 in the league.

And you guys thought I was kidding when I said this was the biggest game since 1869.

By the way, the above picture is all the RU students in line for tickets. All I can say is WOW. Christ, students even camped out for tickets! What is this world coming to????

When I was on the Banks of the Raritan, I would roll up to the ticket booth the day of the game and pick up about 10 tickets for me and my crew. I guess a game of undefeated, ranked teams changes things a bit, huh?

Tick Tock...Tick Tock

Every day we move closer to the biggest game in Rutgers history, since it played the first football game in history against Princeton in 1869. (see above)

In case you missed it, the undefeated and #15 ranked Scarlet Knights are taking on the #5 ranked and undefeated Louisville Cardinals for the Big East lead this Thursday night in front of a sold out Rutgers Stadium on ESPN. The funny thing is that over 137 years of football, you'd think at least a game or two would at least approach the importance of Thursday's game, but sadly, it's not even remotely close.

Most Loyal Sons of Rutgers are excited beyond belief. Most of you know that I'm an absolute diehard fan of Rutgers, but I have to admit...I'm deathly afraid of this game.

RU is getting such great publicity both locally and nationwide that a bad loss could ruin things for a long, long time. For those unaware, this is pretty much the same team that lost 56 to 5 at Louisville last year. And you wonder why my enthusiasm is a bit tempered? Longtime RU fans have a common refrain to explain our history of futility..."Same Ol' Rutgers". I just hope I'm not using that phrase come late Thursday night.

Maybe I should take off the skirt, grow a set of balls and show some faith that my team, which is finally playing like I always dreamed, will step up and shock the football world. Although, we all know that's not possible. I'm a Philly Phan at heart and after years of disappointment and heart break, I don't have a whole lot of optimism left in me, even for my beloved Knights. As a result, my objective side has taken over and you don't have to be Kirk Herbstreit to realize Louisville is the better team with their high powered offense.

So in that vein, I ask You, Lord Baby Jesus, if RU can't win, at least let them play galantly and not lose the tremendous momentum and respect they've built up.

Return To Normalcy

The Sixers lost to the Pacers in Indy tonight, 97 to 86. Thank God, I was worrying that these guys might force me to pay attention to them this year.

PSP's ALL TIME EAGLES' OFFENSE

Like the rest of you, I'm completely bummed by the Philly sports scene. I just watched a strong Flyers effort fall apart over the span of a couple of penalty kills. I thought they had a shot tonight, but oh well. As Morganti just said on the Post Game Show...."Your goal scorers HAVE to score goals." It sounds elemental, but he's right. Gagne, Forsberg, Carter, Umberger, and even Calder have to score, or this slide into hockey purgatory will continue. Anyhow, enough about those bums. I have something more fun to talk about.

In order to feel a bit better about the current state of the sports teams in our fair city, I thought I'd harken back to brighter days and give you guys my all time favorite Eagles offense. (One disclaimer: remember, I'm only 32, so don't expect to see anyone on this team prior to the mid 80's. I don't have many recollections of the Vermeil era Eagles other than the stars.)


Wide Receiver - Terrell Owens - Yes, he was a complete douchebag last year, but in 2004 he a flat out STUD. He turned in one of the best all time seasons by any Philly athlete. What a shame it all fell apart so fast after his dominant Super Bowl performance.


Left Tackle - Tra Thomas - This is a pretty easy position to pick...wait, the entire offensive line is pretty easy to pick considering the sieves the Eagles have thrown out there between the Stan Walters led crew and the line Big Red put together. Anyhow, Tra was a Pro Bowler at the offensive line's most important position. That's good enough for me. (Honorable Mention: Ron Heller...not gifted physically, but very nasty.)

Left Guard - Jermane Mayberry - Again, this isn't a hard selection. "One Eyed" Mayberry was the first Eagles Pro Bowler since some fellow named Walter "Piggy" Barnes in 1951.

Center - Raleigh McKenzie - I had no idea who to pick at this spot, but Ricky Watters and Charlie Garner ran for a lot of yards when he was starting at center. I suppose that's good enough.

Right Guard - Shawn Andrews - I might be a bit premature in this selection, but he shows all the tools in only in his second year as a starter. It's only a matter of time until he's a perennial Pro Bowler. (Honorable Mention: John Welbourn...great pass blocker at guard and pretty dirty also.)


Right Tackle - Jon Runyan - Again, this is an easy pick. I love his reliability (when he was blocking anyone but Strahan) and his borderline dirty style of play.


Tight End - Keith Jackson - This 3 time Pro Bowler was one of Randall's favorite receivers and totally screwed me when he left via free agency to play with the Dolphins. I had just bought his jersey near the end of his last season with the Birds and it was worthless six months later. As great as he was, I'll always remember that sure touchdown he dropped in the Fog Bowl. No hard feelings though.


Wide Receiver - Mike Quick - The Birds current radio color analyst was a five time Pro Bowler, who teamed up with Jaws for the longest play in Eagles history - a 99 yard touchdown reception to win an overtime game against the Falcons. I'll never forget the ending of that game. I was playing midget football for the Gloucester Township Colts and we got to see the ending in the team club house after a beating up on some clearly inferior squad. Good times. (Honorable Mention: Fred Barnett ... I loved Arkansas Fred)


Quarterback - Donovan McNabb - This appears to be a tough choice, but it really isn't. Donovan got the Birds to a Super Bowl and three other NFC Championship Games. How can argue against that kind of success? Barring injury, he'll be the owner of all the Eagles passing records before long. His throw on 4th and 26th against the Packers will never be forgotten, neither will his 4 touchdown performance on a broken leg against the Cards. (Honorable Mention: Randall Cunningham...the NFL's Human Highlight Film of the late 80's and early 90's)


Full Back - Keith Byars - I offer anyone to argue against this one. We all hated the little baby steps he took when he took a handoff, but when he was finally shifted to his more natural position of full back, his career really took off. He was another of Randall's favorite targets and led the league in receptions by a running back. Plus, can you think of a better block than the decleater he laid on his former Ohio St. room mate Pepper Johnson? Didn't think so.


Running Back - Wilbert Montgomery - This two time pro bowler was the heart and soul of the 1980 Super Bowl Team. His 42 yard touchdown run on the Eagles' first offensive play in the NFC Championship Game against the Cowboys alone gets him on my squad. By the way, he ran for a total of 194 yards that day. I wish more Philly athletes could be so clutch. (Honorable Mention: Ricky Watters...people forget how productive he was when he was here.)

Kicker - David Akers - He clinched this spot on my team when he kicked that field goal last year with a torn hammy. The fight he got in against the entire Giants side line was just icing on the cake. Gotta love tough guy kickers that knows kung fu.

Offensive Coordinator - Jon Gruden - Anyone that could score points with Ty Detmer, Rodney Peete and Bobby Hoying at QB is a friggin' genius. Imagine what he'd do with this lineup?

Ok, so there you have it, Philly Sports Phan's All Time Eagles offense. I welcome all comments and disagreements. Let me have it.

COMING SOON: PSP's All Time Eagles Defense

What's a Philly Sports Phan To Do?

With the Birds off today, what is a guy to do?

I could sit here and try to watch a NASCAR race for the first time since the NFL season started or I can go to a buddy's house and watch all the NFL games on the dish and be mildly interested. Maybe, I can watch all those My Name Is Earl and The Office episodes filling up my DVR. Or, I could rake leaves filling up my tiny piece of lawn. Nah, none of these options are all that appealing for yours truly, nor do I have a choice. Unbelievably, I have another Sunday wedding. Since I'm not missing an Eagles game and will be sitting with a bunch of my buddies, this one should actually be fun.

What a Sunday. By the way, I heard the Eagles are a 3 point underdog to the Bye Week....(Yes, I did steal that joke from the Sports Guy, but it always makes me laugh.)

On the bright side, my Scarlet Knights are getting big time press in the local papers. Check out this front page (yes, front page!) article in the Inquirerand this outstanding article in my buddy Coz's paper, the Gloucester County Times.

Also, the Flyers message boards are humming about a potential major trade involving the Flames and Flyers with the main players involved being Iginla and Gagne. After last night, it's pretty clear that a reshuffling of players is definitely needed. I just hope whoever makes this trade (Holmgren, Mr. Snider, Hitch or Clarkie) realizes that they better get some defensemen back in the deal because the current group is BRUTAL.

In any event, have a great Sunday everyone! For your entertainment on this Lazy Sunday, I give you this classic: SNL Video

Doesn't Make a Lick of Sense

I hope you haven't gotten your fill of Eagles Defensive Tackle Mike Patterson, because he's going to be occupying the middle of the Birds' defense through 2016. Yes, I kid you not, 2016. The Birds' 2005 First Round Draft pick must have showed the front office a little something more than I've seen the past 1 1/2 years because I'm trying to figure out what the rush was to extend this guy's contract for so long. The guy has 5 sacks in a season and half and he gets a $40 million extension, which translates to $8 million a sack.

And you thought the Birds were cheap. I think not.

Still Living In the Past

I attended tonight's mildly intesting Flyers game, which they lost 5-2 to the Lightning. The game got a little out of hand at the end after the Flyers finally showed some anger and closed to a one goal deficit mid way through the third. Although, I got quite a laugh when I got to my seats and learned that tonight's game was "70's night"....Wait a second, I was under the impression that this organ-I-za-TION has been living in the 70's for the past couple decades?

On a serious note, Joni Pitkanen turned in a truly pathetic performance. He was -5 and looked totally uncomfortable with the puck. I have serious doubts if this guy will ever reach his potential.

In case you missed it, the Orange and Black have now lost 10 straight to the Lightning. I guess the Birds aren't the only ones who have a hard time against teams from Tampa.

Sixers Win! Sixers Win! Sixers Win!

I suppose the Hawks are worse off than our Sixers because AI and the crew rolled the boys from Hotlanta tonight 88-75. Surprise, suprise, AI led the way with 32 points.

I watched about 30 seconds of the game. I just can’t get into this team. I did notice that most of the phans celebrated Halloween a day late and came dressed as empty seats...I know, that was lame, but I always loved that line. The Sixers are going to have a hard time drawing fans this year. There is no excitement surrounding team as detailed in the Sports Guy's NBA preview. The official attendance is generously listed as a little over 17,000, but it looked more like 12-14,000.

Although, I have watched a good bit of the Suns/Clips game tonight. Maybe there is a spot in my life for the NBA after all.

Past the Point of No Return

Eagles.com flunky Dave Spadaro has totally lost it. Check out this statement regarding the signing of new 4th corner, William James(formerly Will Peterson of the Giants):

The addition of William James is one of those signings that, in different circumstances, would make you stand up and say, "YES! The Eagles just gave themselves a boost that shows how smart this front office really is."
I believe that is how much adding James can mean to this defense. It's a reason I'm still so high on this team, on this organization, on the vision here and on the confidence I have that the second half of the year will be so much better than the first half.

Going out and getting James is a credit to Andy Reid and Tom Heckert and Joe Banner and Jeffrey Lurie. I like the vision. I like thinking outside the box like this.

Is he kidding me? Why would anyone get all that excited over a 4th corner that hasn't played so far this year as he recovered from a broken back? Look, it's great to have depth at the position, but it doesn't address the bigger problems on the defense. I'm just underwhelmed that's all and don't really understand "Spads" over the top optimism for the signing.

By the way, I never get the warm and fuzzies over a guy that has an aka after his name. That usually is a clear indication that a guy is running from something...usually, the law, but in this guy's case, who knows.

Got Protection?

The Inky reported today that the Phils have a great deal of interest in Washington Nationals Leftfielder, Alfonso Soriano, to bat cleanup and provide right handed protection in the lineup for Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. What's not to like? Last year, Soriano successfully made the move to left field and joined the exclusive 40/40 club. Plus, if we sign the guy, it means bye bye for the Midnight Mayor of Center City, Pat "Please Swing the Bat" Burrell.

The question is....will the Phils pony up the necessary cash to make it happen? I can't see it. With teams like the Cubs involved, I see his salary demands spiraling out of control to the point where Montgomery and the boys get antsy and bow out of the competition.

It's a shame. I think Soriano would have been a perfect compliment. He's battle tested from his years with the Yanks and looking to get back into a winning situation.

Hey, let's hope I'm wrong, but I have strong feeling we're only going to get teased here. I'm not getting my hopes up.

The Sixers Are Back! Does Anyone Care?

The Sixers are set to start their season tomorrow night. Does anyone really care? I know I sure don't. The team was brutal last year and they are bringing back the same exact cast of characters save a few rookies. Consider me extremely underwhelmed.

Seriously, how can you get excited about this team when you see ridiculous headlines such as:

"Dalembert could emerge as a defensive force"
"King sees good things, wants more"
"Cheeks expecting players to listen to him this season"

Some of my really good buddies absolutely love this franchise and are pretty much Sixers Stepfords. I don't see it. It's going to be a long, long winter at the Wachovia Center.

If someone has any reason for me to be excited about this team...or crap, about the entire league, please enlighten me.