My Eyes Must Have Deceived Me....

But Adam Eaton threw six innings of one run baseball and lowered his overall ERA to under 5 after the Phils 6-1 win over . Congrats to the Phils and Adam Eaton. It's about time he started to earn his salary of $24.5 million over three years.

Finally, Uncle Cholly has figured out how to use this guy. He is strictly a six inning pitcher. If he gives you a strong six innings, you have to gladly accept it and get him out of the game quicker than Joe Banner says no to a contract re-negotiation. It seems that the Phils have figured this out and realize they need the bullpen ready to roll on nights he pitches.

In any event, it looks like the Phils are starting to put things together at the right time as the first place Marlins are coming to town for a weekend series. We are about to learn a great deal about both teams. (As an aside, I just hope we get Hanley Ramirez out a few times. He is the biggest Phillie killer playing today.) If the Phils can take 2 out of 3, I'll start feeling pretty good about this squad.

And You Thought His Bat Was Big....

You may be aware that Ryan Howard swings a rather large bat. He uses a 35 inch, 34 1/2 ounce bat. However, according to this article from Deadspin.com, he may be the owner of another large "bat" if you catch my drift.

This article reminds me why I didn't choose sports writing as a career.

ERUPTION!

Well, it was bound to happen eventually, but the Phils offense finally woke up in a big way over the past two days. After failing to live up to expectations in the early part of the season, the Phils combined for 35 runs and 35 hits over the past two days. Surprisingly, the Big Man did not contribute a home run either day, but he did have 3 RBI's in tonight's 20-5 win over the Rockies. The only bad thing to come out of the last two nights was that they wasted these runs on starts by Hamels and Moyer, two of our more reliable pitchers. How about save some of those runs for the Wife Beater? He sure needs a laugher to give him some confidence.

Overall, it was nice to see the offense knock around the opponents the last couple nights, let's hope it's a start of a trend.

When We Do Finally Win A Championship, Here's How It Will Play Out

This is too funny. It almost seems like this was scripted as part of a bad movie. I can seriously see the championship trophy breaking like this in Mike Richards, Chase Utley or Donovan McNabb's hands as we finally have our moment in the sun. Hopefully, this snafu causes future trophy makers to ensure that the trophy is in tip top condition before it reaches the trophy presentation.

Positives & Negatives

Tonight was a classic good news/bad news game for the Phightins. Once again, Cole was outstanding and the bullpen was air tight. The Phils need to lock up Hamels long term. He once again showed that he has the potential to be the backbone of the pitching staff for a decade. With all the young guys that have been signed recently to long term deals, Hamels' agent should be phoning the Phils weekly to get something done.

As for the negative, the Phils offense just ain't getting it done lately. They've scored one run in two games. Tonight, they left 10 men on base. That ain't good enough. The Phils have to get their act together. This is a team predicated on their offense. There's no reason to believe that a team with three MVP type players in the middle of their order won't turn things around, but it has reached the point where the Phils need to get the bats going again.

An Absolute Must Read

Came across this great article on SI.com on Philly's long, long, long title-less droughts and the all time low moments during this stretch.

Since we seem to be every writer's favorite punching bag, I love it when someone in the national media finally sticks up for us. This list should be required reading before a national columnist rips us. My buddy Farrell can never understand why I'm such a negative phan. Read this list Farrell and you'll understand. I think you'll agree that 100 title-less seasons kind of takes the warm and fuzzy positivity out of the equation as a sports phan.

There are a ton of low lights on this list and it pretty much explains why I'm such a negative phan. However, these moments are remedial - Philly Sports Moments 101. If you don't remember all of these moments and can't describe them vividly, you're not a true Philly phan.

Anyhow, I unequivocally agree with the moment he ranked as the all time worst. (The 2002 NFC title game loss to the Bucs) . I have never felt worse after a sporting event...(wait, that's not entirely true. I did feel worse when RU lost the Big East Championship and an Orange Bowl bid two years ago to West Virginia. In any event, it is the worst I've ever felt after a Philly loss.) I really thought my buddy the Captain was about to go postal. I worried about him that night. As a phan, I'm not sure I've ever fully recovered from that game. I will never completely turn my heart over to a Philly team. Until we win a title, I will always expect the other shoe to drop and the worst to occur. The Bucs stole our Super Bowl. That was our year. Everything was set up perfectly, until Blaine Bishop blew out his groin musle trying to cover Joe Jurevicius on a 3rd and 2 that turned into a game changing 71 yard pass play.

The only thing I'd add in here are moments when we passed up more talented players in the draft for the stink bombs we've taken (Mike Mamula over Warren Sapp, Freddie Mitchell over Reggie Wayne and Chad Johnson; and Larry Hughes over Dirk Nowitzki) or bad coaching hires (Cholly Manuel over Jim Leyland and Rich Kotite over Jeff Fischer).

Actually, I'm starting to revel in our losing ways. I suppose it is kind of uplifting that we keep coming back over and over, despite years and years of being knocked down. However, on the other hand, our willingness to keep supporting our teams could show that we have something wrong mentally. The most famous Philadelphian of them all, Ben Franklin, did say:

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

Maybe good ol' Ben was on to something. I did spend the good portion of the night watching Brett Myers and expected him to pitch better.

Best Decision I've Made In Years

I know we're all down that the Flyers' season came to crushing end this afternoon, but I have a confession to make....

I missed most of the game while golfing. I did catch the first period, which in retrospect was all I needed to see, but that was only because rain interrupted my round.

From what I've seen in the highlights, I didn't miss anything. Plus, the more I think of it, I'm glad I missed today's game. I now only have good memories of this team. I can head into the offseason with a clear vision of what our Orange & Black can become next year.

However, we all must come to grips on something. Pittsburgh is good. Real good. They might be a bunch of whining little bitches, but those little bitches can play and they are in our division, which means they will be road blocks for the foreseeable future. From here on out, our thinking needs to change.

For years and years, Clarkie molded this team in an effort to beat the Devils. Now, we must look for players that will match up with Crosby, Malkin and Crew. I think this series showed that we need another scoring forward, a good defensive centerman and at least two more defensemen.

In any event, I just want to thank the Flyers for a fun, enjoyable season. They came so far in just one season. I'm pretty Flyered up for the future.

We Live To Play Another Day

I'm thrilled that we won tonight and I have another game to watch before the season ends, but I'm truly not surprised. The NHL totally choreographed this victory. There was no way that the NHL, Gary Bettman, the referees and the Head Of NBC Sports were going to let the Flyers get swept and prevent NBC from showing at least one game showing their Game Of Week on Sunday afternoon.

I told a bunch of people today that the refs would turn their heads away from several calls and make a few others to give our Flyers a chance. There was no way the NHL was losing the opportunity to broadcast their fair haired boy. I really don't care if this was a charity win. I'll take it. Hoefully, we can build on this.

The Guy With The Ten Cent Head No Longer Has A Million Dollar Arm

It used to not be such a big deal that Brett Myers was a complete head case because he had a pretty good arm that would help pull his ass out of the fire. After moving back into the starting rotation this year, that arm, which had served him so well in years past, has seemed to abandon him. Tonight, he gave up gopher ball after gopher ball to the Braves on his way to picking up another loss. His pitching line tonight: eight runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. That line is plain old UGLY.

It sure seems that Myers hasn't changed his mindset from being a closer to being a starter again. His velocity is down and he's giving up home runs at an alarming rate. Myers better pull his head out of his ass because this team desperately needs him. There is no way this team can compete without him or someone else to fill the #2 starter role behind Cole Hamels.

On the bright side, at least he didn't rip the fans for booing him. He at least understands that he sucks right now.

It's All Over. Thanks For A Great Season

After tonight, it's become abundantly clear. The Flyers have brought a knife to a gun fight.

Unfortunately, while the Pens are at the top of their powers, the Flyers have been neutered by the loss of their two top defensemen. I still believe they could have competed in this series with a healthy Kimmo and Coburn, but at this point what does it matter? There's nothing left in this series, but the crying because this series is O-V-E-R. I just hope they can either win a game, or more preferably, take out Malkin or Crosby.

In any event, this was a wildly successful season. I don't think anyone expected them to get to the Eastern Conference Finals. I just can't wait to see what Holmgren does with another offseason. After what he did last year, I can only imagine what he'll do this summer.

This series is not goodbye. It is hello. I have the distinct feeling that we're going to see many more postseason runs by this team. They just have that gritty, gutty feel to me.

Sick To My Stomach

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Flyers coverage with some Eagles news. I apologize in advance for any inconvenience.

I think I'm ready to turn the page on the Andy Reid era. I'm just sick and tired of his act. I think his time has come and gone. Just listen to this interview (click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2) and tell me you are not annoyed.

Normally, Angelo Cataldi annoys me, but he does a pretty decent job here.

Missing Person Alert!

Has anyone seen Danny Briere this weekend? Seriously, I am not sure I witnessed #48 out on the ice in Games 1 or 2. Did he have a single good scoring chance in either game? Even when he was bad in the second half of the season, he still made plays while on the man advantage. So far in this series, he's not even noticeable while on the power play. Hopefully, when the Flyers get home and have the last change, we can get better matchups for Briere and he can make more of a difference.

By the way, where was the Penguin Killer tonight? Did RJ Umberger make the trip to the Igloo. I didn't notice him at all.

However, as bad as Briere has been, he has not been as bad as the Versus broadcast. They are absolutely brutal. The announcers, Joe Beninati and Darren Eliot, are flat out killing me. They bring zero emotion to the game, miss things over and over, fail to show key replays, and give the game the general feel of a preseason matchup instead of the league semi finals. This series is crying out for Gary Thorne and Bill Clement or Doc Emerick and JD (yes, I realize he's not available), but instead we're given a couple guys that sound like they are auditioning for the WNBA. Overall, I'm totally depressed watching these games and it's not because we've lost two straight.

The refs were pretty bad tonight, but fortunately they were bad both ways. I still can't figure out how the video ref couldn't determine that was a goal late in the first period. The Hatcher penalty that led to the Pens' second goal was brutal. He played text book defense and somehow the refs found a penalty. The Briere goaltender interference penalty was pure and utter bullshit. I'm still shaking my head at that one. All in all, the refs didn't lose the game for the Flyers tonight or in Game 1.

The Flyers have lost the first two games because of the loss of Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Cobourn tonight. If you take the top two defensemen off any team, they are going to struggle to the point where they look like an entirely different team. That's what we're seeing now. They miss these two guys tremendously. The other defensemen are stepping up admirably in the defensive zone, but other than Randy Jones, they are adding nothing offensively. It is downright frustrating to see how this team is changed due to injuries.

Finally, I'll throw in a few positives. Mike Richards is a stud. A complete stud. He is a winner. He just needs a little help. Jeff Carter had a goal tonight, but we need more from him on a shift by shift basis. I also like the way Scottie Upshall is playing. His speed, grit and effort are noticeable on just about every shift.

With the series heading back to Philly for Game 3 on Tuesday, the season comes down to the next game. I just pray that our gritty, gutty Flyers have another victory or two in them. I'd love to see this series extended.

On a More Positive Note....

A friend of mine from high school, FBI agent Bill Shute helped find the third cop killer yesterday. What a great job, by Bill and the rest of the people involved.

Bill even gets a few quotes Check out the article.

Un-F&*king-Believable

This city is cursed. There's no other way to put it. How many times does bizarre shit have to happen before everyone just accepts that the Sports Gods will not let us win. How else can you explain the bizarre timing of the announcement of Timonen's injury. We might be the first franchise in Sports history to lose a top player during a week layoff.

Christ, why couldn't this happen to Lasse Kukkonen or Randy Jones? No, it has to happen to our best effing player! That my friends, is how we roll. No matter how good things look, trouble is just around the corner. I've been pretty much beside myself. I really thought this team had a chance to win the Cup. Now, we'll be lucky to win a game against Pittsburgh. Yes, that's how much Timonen means to this team.

I really can't explain what's going on here. It's way too depressing.

In any event, I suppose I'll make a pick on the series. I see the Pens in 5.

Calm Before The Storm....

This break between series is killing me. After three straight weeks of nightly playoff games between the Flyers and Sixers, I am bored. I need the Eastern Conference Finals to start today.

I have been reading story after story about how these teams hate each other and it has me totally jacked up. Plus, I love how every single expert has picked the Penguins to win the series. It's time like these you wish you could have Bill Bellichick consult with the Flyers. You know he'd have a print out of these picks in each player's locker and start chanting "the whole world is against you. No one thinks you can win." That type of stuff seems to work real well in the NFL. Maybe John Stevens can use this tactic to our benefit.

Anyhow, I also have the feeling that after this series we will hate Sidney Crosby worse than any athlete in this city since Joe Carter, T.O. or Michael Irvin. T oget you ready for the hate, here's some of Crosby's antics:

From the Lottery To the Final Four!

There's not many things in sports quite as satisfying as a team coming together at exactly the right time. We haven't had the privilege of that happening to many of our Philly teams over the years, but I think our Flyers are close to something really great happening in our city. To my eye, this team is starting to get a worst to first, '93 Phils feel to them. They even have the Mitch Williams type flair for the dramatics with their inability to hold leads.

Right now, the Flyers have all 18 skaters playing as a team. These are not the Eric Lindros era Flyers where we have one dependable line and an entire team of supporting characters. Different lines step it up every night. The current team has three lines that can score and play defense, and a fourth line that brings energy and puck possession. The defensive corps is quite possibly the best we've had since the Keenan era. The top pairing is as good as any left in the playoffs and the second pairing isn't bad either. Plus, now that Stevens has finally realized that Kukkonen is a better option than Modry, the third pairing isn't such a detriment anymore.

They seem to have a ton of intangibles going for them. Since none of us are in "the room", it's hard to say for sure, but this team certainly seems to have a ton of leadership coming to the forefront right now. I love the resiliency with which they play. Nothing seems to bother them all that much. They just keep plugging along from game to game and series to series.

Most importantly, Mar-TAN BEE-ron is playing excellently right now. He's making the big save at the right time and giving us a chance to win every game. For once, it has been nice to see one of our goal tenders get inside a team's head instead of the other way around. Seriously, when is the last time that happened? The last goalie to do that in Orange & Black, has to be Hextall back in '87, right?

While watching the series against the Canadiens, I had a bout of deja vu. The way the Flyers beat the Habs seemed to be the textbook manner in which the Devils have toyed with the Flyres for the past decade. I've always come away from Devils losses saying to myself, "how did we lose that game? We outshot and outchanced them. They just scored on a couple lucky bounces and we couldn't convert ours." It's nice to finally be the team that maximizes their chances while letting the more "offensively gifted" team compile shots and chances from the perimeter.

Later in the week, I'll get into how we match up with Pittsburgh and how I see that series ending up, but let's enjoy this one for a while. Post season series victories like this don't come around too often, so we should definitely savor them.