"Stand Pat" Stood Pat On His Last Deadline Day

Pat Gillick's nickname during his tenure in Toronto and Seattle was "Stand Pat" for decision to rarely seek to make a trade on deadline day. He is in his final year of his contract with the Phils and it appears to be his last trade deadline day. He stayed true to his nick name and failed to provide his team with needed ammunition for the stretch run.

While we didn't make a deal today, the day was not a complete loss. At least Manny didn't end up in Florida or with the Mets. Plus, the Mets nor the Fish added anyone of consequence for the rest of the year.

Sure, post deadline deals can be made, but it is rare that a useful piece moves from one team to another. It sure seems that the team that was on the field tonight is what we have for the rest of 2008. The extra bat or left handed reliever is not walking through the locker room door. The Phils are going to have to make due with what they got.

Buckle up guys, it is going to be an adventurous ride.

In Case You Are In Need Of A Good Laugh

Some of you might have heard this famous David Lee Roth phony phone call that was played on the Howard Stern Show, but I just came across another Diamond Dave phony phone call on Comedian Billy Mira's website and I can't stop laughing. Enjoy.

This might be the best impression I've ever heard in my life.

Well, That Didn't Take Long

After a week stay in 2nd place, the Phils climbed back atop the National League East with a 8 to 5 win over the Nats. This Phils have won 4 straight and the suddenly resurgent offense has been a big part. The pitching efforts of Brett Myers and Jamie Moyer have been pretty helpful the last two nights, but it sure has been nice to see the offense get back on track.

Now that the Phils have scored over 8 runs in three of the last four games, can we now say the bats are back? I am cautiously optimistic, but I'd first like to see a 6 or 7 run outburst against a team that hasn't given up on on the 2008 season.

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By the way, I pray to God Manny Ramirez does not end up on the Marlins. He scares me a ton. I think I would pitch around him in every big spot at games in Citizen Bank Park.

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Is anyone expecting the Phils to make a move of consequence at the trade deadline tomorrow? I'm not. It just seems like there is nothing even being rumored at this point.

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Is it me or does the bullpen feel shaky since the All Star Break. Ryan Madson looks completely unreliable in a big spot. It would be nice to see another reliever brought in tomorrow, but it doesn't seem to be in the cards.

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I was going to rip on Ryan Howard for being one of the few (maybe the only guy) players using an Adidas glove. Who knew they even made baseball gloves? However, he's made a couple surprising plays the last couple night. Sometimes, it seems like he breaks into a smile because he's even surprised himself.

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Have any of you guys been to the new DC park? It sure looks nice. I would like to get down there as soon as I get some time.

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My brother in law and buddy Tommy freak out every time Pat Burrell is taken out of a game for defensive purposes citing the fact that he leads the league in outfield assists. Jayson Werth's debacle in left field in the 7th inning got them both going tonight. Sorry fellas, but your argument is inane. Pat Burrell is slow as a glacier. It takes him forever to get to routine fly balls. How is the decision to replace him every night not self evident? Replacing Burrell is a no brainer.

New Feature - The Top Five List

Just looking to add something new and spark debate from time to time. I will add a weekly Top 5 list. It could be about sports, music, movies, life, etc.

My first Top 5 list involves my favorite top 5 albums.

1. Pearl Jam (Ten) - This may be the best debut album releases of all time. As much as I love Pearl Jam, their first album was their best and everything went down hill from there. Black, Alive, Even Flow, Jeremy, and Oceans are some of the best rock songs ever written.

2. Nirvana (Nevermind) - I can listen to about every song on this album. Near perfection from Cobain and Crew. The fact the album was produced by Butch Vig probably explains why I like Garbage so much.

3. Tribe Called Quest (The Low End Theory) - If there is a better hip hop/rap album ever made, I'd love to hear it. I think I listened to this CD every day of my sophomore year at Rutgers.

(NOTE: My top three were all released between August 27th and September 24th, 1991. Is it a coincidence that the top three albums of all time were released in a one month period? I think not! Also, if you want to say my musical tastes ceased evolving after my sophomore year of college, you're probably on to something.)

4. Van Halen (Van Halen I) - If Ten is the best debut album of all time. This album may be #2 on that list. I loved the original Van Halen line up. To me, Van Haggar was a crime against humanity that I never truly accepted. When you look up Rock Star in the dictionary, you'd find a picture of Diamond Dave staring you in the face. Eddie was also completely sober so he was at the top of his powers. If the opening riff of "Running With The Devil" doesn't get you excited, you are probably a complete musical idiot.

5. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band (Born To Run) - I'm from New Jersey. If you are from Jersey and were born before 1980, but don't understand the significance and importance of this record, you should probably move out of the state. This album contains absolute anthems. I'm shocked this record has never been turned into a Broadway Musical like that fraud Billy Joel did with his music.

It really pained me to leave The Foo Fighters (The Colour & The Shape) off the list. I really, really love that album.

I could care less if you disagree with any of these. Just give me your top 5 if you decide to comment on any of these.

Now It All Makes Sense

For a while there, I was really trying to understand the motivation behind the Phils sending Brett Myers down to the minors. However, after tonight's outstanding performance by the Wife Beater against the 30 game under .500 Washington Nationals, I finally figured it out. He was sent down to Lehigh to learn how to beat Triple A teams. Tonight, the lessons he learned paid off as Myers gave up 1 run, 4 hits and 1 walk over 7 innings on his way to earning his 4th win.

Kudos to JC Romero and Chad Durbin for getting out of the 8th inning jam. It could have gotten ugly quick when JC entered the 8th with two on and nobody out, but our bullpen did the job again.

I have to say I'm still concerned with our inability to score runs without home runs. It is a frightening trend that has plagued this team for years. This team is crying for an outfielder that just makes contact and puts the ball in play.

Odds and Ends

Sorry I've been out of touch for the last half week or so. I was running around like crazy getting ready for my daughter's first birth day party this past weekend. Thanks to everyone who could make it. I really appreciate it. Here's a pretty recent picture. I still can't believe she's turning one this week. Where has this year gone?

Now, onto the sports:

-Shawn Andrews fails to report to camp: I can't believe that in today's era of technology, journalism, etc, that we still don't know why he is not in camp. Christ, couldn't some blogger just make something up? Is he thinking of retiring and joining a cult, does he have a sickness, has he become a pacifist, or is he just too out of shape to deal with this heat? I just want an answer. Since there is a severe lack of rumors, maybe this is my shot of breaking news. My sources tell me that he wants to quit the NFL in order join the clergy.

-Phils demote Adam Eaton: This one should be filed in the "what took so long?" department. Adam Eaton now goes down with Matt Geiger, Chris Gratton and Jevon Kearse as the worst free agent pick ups in city history.

-Phils take a wild series from the Braves: Thank God I do not manage this team. I think I would have needed to enter AA after some of the pitching performances we saw over the weekend.

-Abriamiri needs wrist surgery: I absolutely despise training camp injuries. They are usually so unfortunate. The Birds could miss this guy. I was looking forward to watching him play. I hope he doesn't miss too much time.

Cheesesteaks and Minor Sports Championships

Yes. Cheesesteaks and Minor Sports Championships. That's what Philadelphia does. It doesn't matter if it is minor league hockey, lacrosse, indoor soccer or Arena Football. If there is a minor league and Philadelphia has a team, we will win a championship. It's kind of like having a fat and ugly wife, that is a world class foot model. Sure, it's great to be a foot model, but who really gives a crap.

That's how I feel right now. It's a great story and all. I suppose I take a small measure of satisfaction out of this title, but the Soul's victory certainly does NOT end the curse. It lives on until the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers or Sixers win a title.

By the way, kudos to my boy Botts for coming up with that headline. That was all him. In case you don't get the joke, it's a take off from this line in Wedding Crashers:

Buzz Kill

Thanks, Brett and Ryan Madson, you guys really know how to take the life out of your phan base. I haven't seen such a buzz kill since my buddy's wife came home one night and broke up a kegger by throwing us out of the house in the a middle of a keg stand being performed by a hot, young blond wearing a short skirt. Yes, it was that bad.

I turned the game on in the top of the 2nd and to my dismay saw that the Mets had scored two runs in the first inning without any hits or errors on the Phils. Is anyone else glad to see that Brett came out so well prepared after his banishment to the minors? He really wasn't ready to pitch and could not locate his fastball in the first three innings. Overall, he walked five in five innings and gave up three runs on three hits. He was far from great, but wasn't actually terrible either. He was able to battle out of a couple of jams, which was a positive sign. I suppose if he regains control of his fastball, he should start to resemble an effective Major League pitcher.

Brett didn't lose the game though. That was left to Ryan Madson, who reverted back to his 2006 form. Entering the game in the 6th, he put the first two men on base and then floated a change up to Jose Reyes who promptly crushed it over the right center field fence. This was followed by Wheels throwing a tantrum over Reyes' ridiculous show boating. I actually got a laugh out of it because Wheels wasn't very convincing in conveying his anger. I didn't buy it.

I wonder if Madson will ever be someone I completely trust. There are times when I start to feel like I'm ready to believe he can be an above average reliever and then he melts down in a big spot like tonight. He is the very definition of a "c*ck tease".

This series now comes down to whether the Metropolitans can lay off Jamie Moyer's 82 mph fastball and glut of junk balls. I'm not feeling overly confident.

What An Unbelievable Surprise

I totally missed tonight's unbelievable comeback by the Phils. I was at a golf outing and when I left the Phils looked lifeless as they were down 5-2. I got in the car for the hour ride home and called my buddy Tommy to tell me the Phils were done and we should just move on to football season. Imagine my surprise when I received the news the Phils won. I was completely taken by surprise. I love unexpected little gifts like that.

Sorry guys, but I got nothing on tonight's game. I'm tired as hell and since I missed most of the game I can't add anything of substance except that my brother in law was up in Shea tonight and said it was a mad house up there. Apparently, there were fights galore.

I'll catch back up with you guys tomorrow.

Odds and Ends

I've come across some interesting items lately that I figured I'd share.

Check these out:

-This is a pretty decent preview of the upcoming Phils/Mets supremely important showdown this week. I love how fat ass Joe Blanton was described as burly. Is this replacing "big boned" as the complimentary way to describe a fat guy? If so, I'm not longer the chubby guy, I'm the burly guy.

-You can tell it is a slow part of the sports season when the Inquirer takes up half a page in the Sunday paper to talk about B West's horse farm in Maryland. My life is complete now that I know Westbrook finds horse riding as a peaceful alternative to his football career.



-Joffrey Lupul's contract was extended for 4 years at $4.25M per. I can't say I'm totally on board here. I don't think he did enough last year to justify a nearly $2M per year raise. Yeah, I understand he was hurt pretty much the whole second half and still scored 20 goals. Plus, he does look like a cool guy to hang with judging from this photo so maybe he's worth it.(He's the nut with the green sunglasses.)

-According to Peter King in his MMQB column, the Birds are more than $18 million under the 2008 salary cap. Can someone please explain to me why the Westbrook extension hasn't been completed yet? They have a ton of money this year. Friggin' use it and make this guy happy. I swear the Eagles drive me f'n crazy.

-We received good news/bad news as far as the NFC East goes. One Pro Bowler (Jason Taylor) is coming in, but another is leaving (Jeremy Shockey). I'm going to miss Shockey I loved to hate him, but I would have loved him on the Eagles. By the way, whatever happened to the Birds adding another top notch player this offseason?

FOOTBALL IS BACK!!!!

It is my little tradition on this blog to re-post this article every opening day of training camp. (Yes, I realize I totally stole this idea of "re-posting favorite articles" from Bill Simmons, but I have some new readers who probably never saw this previously.) Of course, some things have changed since the original posting of this article on 7/20/06. The Phils are actually an honest to goodness contender and the Flyers gave us an amazing run in this year's playoffs. As such, I'm not as desperate for football in July 2008 as I was July 2006, but it is awfully close.

Just today, I was walking around the office with a big smile on my face after spending 1o minutes talking about college football with a friend at work. Another co-worker stopped me and asked "what the hell are you smiling about?" All I could say is, "I just realized football is back and I'll have something to look forward to again." Unfortunately, I'm that simple a creature.

Now, onto one of my favorite posts:

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.

Hollywood Hamels

I am totally pissed about the result of today's Phils' game for various reasons. Our offense came up woefully small yet again. The Phils had a chance to win a series, with their ace on the mound, but failed to put additional ground between them and the upstart Marlins. Also, my buddy George ripped me last week for somehow failing to notice the accomplishments of Clay Condrey this season. Talking about laying the moosh on someone. Condrey flat out gave the Marlins the game in the 11th by failing to get a single out against 4 straight batters. Finally, I had a whole column planned about Cole Hamels unexpected recent transformation into Hollywood Hamels, but the Phils ruined it all.

I could go and on about how frustrating it is to watch our offense blow game after game by failing to produce (apparently, I'm not the only one feeling this way), but I've chosen to write about something a bit more fun. So here we go with my ode to Hamels and his new look.

Not sure how many wrestling fans I have here, but some may recall that in the 90's Hulk Hogan moved to the WCW and eventually turned heel (which means becoming a bad guy) under the character "Hollywood Hogan". As part of his transformation, Hogan grew a beard and became a sneering bad ass.



Today, Cole Hamels broke out of his pretty boy persona and came to the mound, not only with a newly grown beard, but also with an attitude. My favorite part was the sneer he gave to Pat Burrell in the bottom of the 6th when it took Pat Burrell an inordinately long time to run down a shallow fly to left. Cole shot him a look like "if your slow ass wouldn't have got to that ball, I would have cut your balls off." As long as the new Hamels finds a way to stop giving up so many damn home runs, we'll be fine.

I'm kind of digging the new Hollywood Hamels and hope Cole keeps this character the rest of his career. It's quite entertaining and has enormous potential. Matter of fact, I wish they cut to him after Clay Condrey came in the 11th and handed the game to the Marlins. I wonder if he hit Condrey in the back with a steel chair in the shower after the game.

Plus, Hollywood Hamels is going to need a couple of sidekicks. I could see Shane Victorino and JC Romero as part of his posse. They both have a bit of an attitude also.

Sorry to get all Pro Wrasslin' on you guys, but I didn't want to relive today's game and get all pissed off again.

Deals Made Under Duress?

I think someone needs to call the police. There is a hostage situation that needs to be reported. Someone needs to head out to the Main Line and check on the homes of the Phils' owners because I think they may have been kidnapped. How else can you explain their actions of late?

First, they gave Brade Lidge an extension, when they normally would have just let the guy leave town. Then, they make a 2 year $20M offer to Pat Burrell. I thought they'd just let him leave for nothing. However, last night's move takes the cake. I almost fell over when I read this report from Ken Rosenthal on Fox Sports.com:

The Phillies were working multiple fronts before acquiring right-hander Joe Blanton from the A's. Among the possibilities that reached a standstill: A blockbuster for Rockies left fielder Matt Holliday and closer Brian Fuentes.

The talks probably will not revive, major-league sources said, even though the teams continue to scout each other and the Phillies used different players to obtain Blanton than they would need for Holliday and Fuentes.

Rival executives say that the Rockies are asking high for both, and that a deal for Holliday, in particular, is unlikely. But a combined package would make sense for several clubs — notably the Dodgers, who just lost closer Takashi Saito.

For Holliday and Fuentes, the Phillies probably would need to part with a package of Shane Victorino, left-hander J.A. Happ, Class AA right-hander Carlos Carrasco and Class AA catcher Lou Marson. Another of their better prospects, Class AA righty Antonio Bastardo, has a slight tear in his labrum.

Holliday would play right field, with Jayson Werth taking over full-time in center, then return to left next season if Pat Burrell departed as a free agent. After that, Holliday, too, would become a free agent.

The Phillies would prefer not to move Marson, who looms as the eventual replacement for the disappointing Carlos Ruiz. Payroll also would be an issue; Holliday and Fuentes are owed almost $6 million combined for the rest of the season, Victorino only about $190,000. The addition of Blanton already has added about $1.5 million.

I am flabbergasted. What has come over the Phils' ownership group? As detailed brilliantly in this Philadlephia Magazine article, they are notoriously cheap and don't care a whole lot about winning. They are more concerned with not stirring the pot and keeping a low profile. The only thing I can think of with this sudden change of philosophy is that some deranged phan has taken the owners hostage and is placing undue influence upon them to make these decisions. Either that or one of the owners, probably billionaire cigar magnate John Middleton, is pressing the issue and wants to see the Phils really make a push for a championship.

Can you imagine a lineup that goes J Roll, Chase, Holliday, the Big Man, Pat Burrell? Christ, I think Brett Myers can even be a successful Major League starter with the run support he'd get. Adding Fuentes to the 'pen would further solidify one of the better groups in the National League. I really hope the Phils come back to this move and do what they have to do to sweeten the deal. We need this to happen. The 25 year curse would finally come to an end!

The more I think about this, it makes even less sense to me. What is the motivation on either side of this deal. Oh well, I'm just going to roll with it and see what happens. I think we can all admit that it is fantastic to know that the Phils are even considering this move.

This Is Our Big Acquisition? Well, He Is Big

Tonight, I checked my hotmail account and was greeted with seemingly good news from an email sent by the Phils with the subject line of "Phils shore up staff". I then excited opened the email and learned that the Phils just traded their best position player prospect for an overweight pitcher that has a 5-12 record and a nearly 5.00 ERA this season. I was left wondering, how exactly does this "shore up" our starting staff?

I then checked out all the Phils message boards I frequent and they were all in full meltdown mode. They universally despised the trade. I also found out that Blanton is a fat turd, which automatically makes him more endearing to me. They even already started photoshopping pictures making fun of his largess.

I then read Todd Zolecki of the Inquirer's take on the deal and feel a little better. Here's his take:

Why Blanton over other pitchers out there? There could be a few reasons. Take away his four worst starts this season and he has a 3.58 ERA, which is more than respectable in the American League. He went 16-12 in 2006 and 14-10 in 2007, so he has a winning track record. He also has thrown more than 194 innings each of the past three seasons, which makes him an "innings eater" -- something Eaton is not. But he’s also intriguing because he can’t become a free agent until after the 2010 season, so this isn't a 2 1/2 month rental.

I guess I'll give this move some time. Blanton can't be any worse than Myers or Eaton. Plus, maybe I'll run into him making a late night cheesesteak run at Tony Luke's some time this season. You know....fat guys like to stick together.

Here We Go Again Part II

If you got a little disturbed by our potential third corner hiring Drew "next question" Rosenhaus to likely force his way out of town, then you are probably downright distraught by the news today that B West has hired a new agent and is looking to renegotiate his contract. The Inquirer reported the following today:

The Inquirer has learned that Westbrook, the team's superstar running back, has fired agent Fletcher Smith, who also represents quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Smith and the Eagles had been in negotiations for the last nine months in an attempt to upgrade the running back's current contract, which has three years remaining. It is believed Westbrook fired Smith Monday, which means he cannot officially hire a new agent until Saturday.

A source close to the situation indicated that Westbrook may end up hiring All Pro Sports & Entertainment Inc., the group that includes agents Peter Schaffer and Lamont Smith. That is the same group that represented Sheppard before he hired Rosenhaus earlier this week. Agent John Rickert is also part of the All Pro group and represents Eagles running back Correll Buckhalter, another former client of Fletcher Smith.

Westbrook, in a recent interview with The Inquirer, made some strong comments about how dissatisfied he was with his current deal.

"When I signed my contract with the Eagles 2½ years ago, they paid me for the level of play I was playing at the time," Westbrook said. "I'm not at that level no more. I'm at a higher level of play. There's no question about that. The numbers don't lie. My numbers have steadily increased from that point until now. Now, I'm at the point where I'm one of the elite backs in the NFL, and I should be compensated that way."

It's difficult to argue that point. In the two full seasons since Westbrook signed his extension, he has compiled 4,020 yards from scrimmage, including a team record 2,104 last season when he led the NFL. Only San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson has more yards from scrimmage (4,272) in the last two seasons. Westbrook wants to be paid like Tomlinson, who received an eight-year extension worth $60 million, including $21 million guaranteed, before the 2004 season.

A team source said the Eagles agree that Westbrook should be better compensated for his services over the final three years of his current deal and that they initiated the contract talks with the running back late last season.

Fletcher Smith, during an interview yesterday, confirmed that he was in negotiations with the Eagles, but he did not reveal that he had been fired by Westbrook.

"We haven't been able to come to a meeting of the minds," Smith said.

And now, another agent will take a shot at getting something done with the Eagles.

All Pro Sports & Entertainment will be the third agent representing Westbrook during his seven-year career. Anthony Agnone and Eastern Athletic Services of Hunt Valley, Md., negotiated Westbrook's rookie contract but were fired by the running back and replaced by Smith in 2005. Smith negotiated a five-year, $24.9 million contract extension for Westbrook during the 2005 season but only after the running back staged a holdout from training camp.

Asked last week if he would consider holding out from this year's training camp, Westbrook said, "to be honest with you, I don't know. I don't foresee me holding out of this training camp, but . . ."

If the friggin Eagles play hardball with Westbrook, you can pretty much kiss the season away. B West is the be all and end all of this offense. If he isn't happy and holds out, we are looking at Armageddon.

Yes, I realize I'm being fatalistic, by why not pay B West what he's worth. They have to spend all that cap space on someone, might as well spend it on their best player. Plus, I really want to enjoy the Eagles this year and not be penalized because Joe Banner and his young apprentice, Howie Roseman didn't want to destroy the integrity of their beloved salary cap.

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By the way, I'm watching the Who "Rock Honors" special on VH1 tonight and I have to say that Baba O'Reilly is one of the top 5 rock songs ever made. This statement cannot be disputed. Every time I hear that song, I remember how much I love that song.

Here We Go Again

Things are about to get real interesting around here. I just read the following on Philly.com:

History repeated itself yet again today when an Eagles player unhappy with his contract fired his former agent and replaced him with Drew Rosenhaus.
The player this time is cornerback Lito Sheppard, who missed the Eagles' two-week voluntary camp last month and has made it known that he's unhappy with his contract, which has four years remaining and will pay him a base salary of $2 million this season.

Exactly what this means for Sheppard's immediate future isn't clear. Sheppard and most of the other Eagles veterans are scheduled to report to training camp a week from today at Lehigh University.

The Eagles confirmed that they are aware of Sheppard's decision to dump former agent Lamont Smith in favor of Rosenhaus. A league source said the team and the high-profile agent are determined not to have a repeat of the circus that engulfed the franchise in 2005 when former Eagle Terrell Owens got into an incendiary contract dispute that included heated arguments with his teammates and coaches, well-documented sit-ups by the star receiver on his Moorestown driveway and the eventual dismissal of T.O. from the team.

"We have signed Lito as a new client," Rosenhaus said after a meeting with the Eagles at the NovaCare Complex. "I'm trying to keep somewhat of a low profile. We're going to keep everything real positive. I've had a lot of positive dealings with the team recently. I'm confident that we're going to find a mutually beneficial solution to this situation and we expect things to move in a positive direction."
Sheppard did not return a phone call.

Multiple sources confirmed that Rosenhaus was in Philadelphia today and he met with vice president of player personnel Howie Roseman. Team president Joe Banner, who is on vacation, took part in the meeting via conference call.
"It was a relatively positive conversation and the Eagles expect him to be at camp when the vets report next Thursday," a team source said.
A source close to Sheppard also said the cornerback would report to training camp.

This is horrible news. There is now only one way the Lito saga can end in Philadelphia: BAD. Remember, Rosenhaus only gets paid if Lito gets a new contract. From past experience, Rosenhaus’ strategy will likely be to try and put some pressure on the Birds to trade him before the season. That would be the Sonny Corleone move. The Michael Corleone move would be to tell Lito to get in top shape, show up in camp and play his lights out in an effort to force a trade next offseason. What would be the Fredo Corleone move, you ask? I suppose it would be to hold out in camp and then show up before the start of the season, which would likely lead to yet another injury and cement his reputation as over rated and injury prone.

Personally, I'm really hoping that Lito shows up and plays in 2008. I think our three corners could be the best in the league and could be a real strength of the team.

Bye, Bye Spectrum

Today, we were greeted with the sad news that the Spectrum is being knocked down for the sake of progress. Comcast plans to put a W Hotel, bars, restaurants, shopping, etc on the current Spectrum site. I'm still dumbfounded by this decision on several levels, but what the hell do I know about business? They get millions of people to pay $170+ month for cable, phone and internet service, while I toil away in the reinsurance industry.

While I understand the need for the extra restaurants and especially bars (have you tried getting into McFaddens lately? It is an absolute mess.) near the sports complex, but why did they need to tear down the Spectrum? Couldn't a creative engineer/architect come up w/ a plan to build this "Philly Live" project around the Spectrum? Plus, by tearing down the Spectrum, Comcast Spectacor is going to lose a ton of event dates. I'm not sure why they are so anxious to forgo all those Country Music concerts, Indoor Soccer games, and Moto-Cross events.

The other thing I don't quite understand is why they think an upscale W hotel will be successful down at the sports complex. I figure that the place will do boffo business every time the Eagles are in town, and I'm sure various visiting teams will stay there, but if you are coming in for business, why on earth would you stay down there, so close from the business district in Center City? I'm really befuddled by this move. I've been in other cities with W hotels and they were never this far from the main hub of the city. W Hotels are usually pretty swanky. It would make more sense to me if it was down in Old City, not in the middle of a waste land of parking lots.

Finally, I'm pretty pissed that this move forces the Phantoms to be moved to another location. I like the fact that they still play in the city and give families another option if they want to see a hockey game. I hope they don't move too far.

Chase Utley: Total Stud

Sure, Chase failed to get out of the first round of the Home Run Derby, but who really cares. This is why we love him:



Chase basically told those scum bag New Yorkers, "you want to boo me at a feel good event like this? Well F&*K YOU!"

Chase Utley, you may be mired in a slump right now, but you are my hero.

First Half Is In The Books

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The Phils and Mets have both played over 95 games this year and find themselves in the same exact spot as the end of last year. Once again, the Phils hold a slight lead over the Metropolitans and it appears that both squads are poised to fight it out to the end of the year to determine the division champion.

However, I get the feel that the Phils' lead is quite tenuous. They desperately, desperately need another reliable starter. Not only is Brett Myers still in Allentown working on his game, but now Adam Eaton has completely gone into the tank. At the very least, this team needs to trade for a starter and hope that Myers can hold down the fort as the de facto 5th starter.

I've made a some other observations after watching the first half:

-J Roll needs to get his head out of his ass. Right now, he is brutally average.

-Geoff Jenkins sucks. He adds nothing.

-Pedro Feliz isn't great, but he's 10 times better than the Wes Helms/Abe Nunez platoon from last year. Plus, the guy has chipped in with a couple of big hits. However, he hasn't found a double play he couldn't hit into.

-Did Clay Condrey make the team out of Spring Training? I didn't notice him until 2 weeks ago.

-Carlos Ruiz is brutal. I'm still trying to figure out what he brings to the team.

-The month of June replaced April as our trouble month. Although, our inability to compete with the American League was the main reason for our failure this year.

-I hate how much this team is still reliant on the home run to score runs.

All this being said, the Phils are still in first place. Things could be worse.

I

Top 5 Questions For The Defense

After watching the Birds’ defense struggle since 2004, it looked like the Jim Johnson blitz heavy, “bend but don’t break” defense had seen its time come and go. Then, lo and behold a Jim Johnson style defense won the Super Bowl last year. Unfortunately, that defense belonged to the Giants and was piloted by former Eagles’ linebacker coach, Steve Spagnuolo. Nevertheless, it does give the Birds’ hope that they can become a contender once again with their style of defense.

While there was definite improvement in the run defense and Jim Johnson’s guys gallantly kept the Birds in a lot of games in ‘07, there are a lot of areas on the defense with question marks. This post tackles the top 5 questions that face the defensive side of the ball that will need to be answered positively if the Birds are contend in the NFC East.

(1) Will the Birds create more turnovers in ‘08? Last year, the Birds finished dead last in the NFC in takeaways with a paltry 19 and were the only NFC team that failed to score a single defensive touchdown. Obviously, these two stats will have to change next year if the Birds are to make it back to the playoffs. The addition of Asante Samuel, along with having B Dawk and Lito healthy all year should undoubtedly increase the interception total. An improved pass rush and playing with the lead more often than last year should also lead to an increase in takeaways. Overall, turnovers usually come in bunches depending on how the ball bounces. After a year of failing to get many bounces, I think the Birds’ turnover total will increase simply because they are due.

(2) Who makes the team and gets the majority of playing time at Defensive End? I don’t think there is another position on the team that is so unstable. Other than Pro Bowler Trent Cole, every other guy is a question mark. Juqua Parker (formerly Thomas) was exposed last year as a guy that performs pretty well as a rotational guy, but isn’t a starter you can count on to play the majority of snaps. Darren Howard was pretty much ineffective all year. We didn’t see enough of Victor Abiamiri to determine if he can play. At 240 lbs, free agent Chris Clemons looks to be a situational pass rusher. He racked up a decent amount of sacks for the Raiders, but that team played a ton of garbage time last year. I wonder how many sacks came in meaningful minutes. I really don’t expect much out of third round pick, Bryan Smith, a 245 lb, Div IAA defensive end. To be that small and succeed in the NFL at DE, you really have to run. Smith ran a 4.86 which is pretty pedestrian for a DE in the NFL. If you are looking for a bust from our 2008 draft, I’m putting my money on Smith.

So, who gets the majority of the playing time next to Cole? I’m guessing you’ll see a lot of Parker, Abiamiri, and Clemons on every third down. They can’t be any worse than the combination of Jevon Kearse and Darren Howard from last year. I also expect Darren Howard to be cut (although I did read he is tremendous shape, which may save him from the scrap heap.)

(3) Can the linebackers actually play on a high level? I really want to share the excitement of all my fellow Eagle fans when it comes to the potential of the ’08 linebackers. However, I am a realist and I use prior history to gauge future performance. In their entire tenure in Philadelphia, Andy Reid, Jim Johnson and Company have never drafted a single decent linebacker. With that history of past draft failures, why is everyone so ready to canonize former draft picks Stewart Bradley, Omar Gaither and Chris Cogong as solid NFL starters? As Bill Parcells once said about Tony Romo, can we “put away the anointing oil?”

Plus, a lot of people are basing their opinion on two meaningless games at the end of last year for believing Bradley is the real deal at MLB. I’d like to see him out there in a crucial NFC East game before I get overly excited about Bradley. I think Gaither is a decent player and is ideally suited to play the weakside, but what did Chris Gocong really show anyone last year? The best thing that I can say about Gocong was that he was better than Dhani Jones, which isn’t really saying anything.

I want to see these guys succeed as much as the next guy, but I need to see more before I commit that they are the second coming.

(4) Where is the depth at Defensive Tackle? We can all agree that Mike Patterson and Broderick Bunkley are an above average starting tackle duo in the NFL. However, they seemed to wear down as the year went on due to the lack of depth behind them. The Birds’ brain trust must have seen the same thing because they drafted a defensive tackle with their first pick of the draft. Unfortunately, Trevor Laws is a bit undersized for DT and it may take him some time before he learns how to play on the NFL level. Montae Reagor was basically invisible last year, so I’m really not expecting much from in ’08. For some reason, Kimo von Oelhoffen was brought back to the mix, but he didn’t show he had a lot left in the tank last year. Basically, the success at this position could come down to how quickly Trevor Laws gets acclimated to the NFL and begins to contribute.

(5) Who starts at Strong Safety? The contenders for this job appear to be Sean Considine, who went down after the 8th game of the year, and Quentin Mikell, who started 11 games last year. Mikell started 11 games last year and was a total, 100% improvement over Considine, who reminds me of Mike Mamula in that he is always a step late from making a big play. On the other hand, Mikell, and even the one footed JR Reed, made more plays than Considine. I will make this one simple. If Sean Considine wins the starting job, we are totally screwed.

Is This The Flyers' New Third Jersey?

He Gets Alot of Bang For His Buck

You can't come away from the last two Phils' game without having some hope that Ryan Howard has finally turned it around and is ready to go on a tear. Sure, it's easy to get on the guy because he is only hitting .234 and at times can look absolutely lost at bat, but damn is Ryan Howard productive. Currently, he's leading the NL in Home Runs and set a Phils' franchise record for most RBI's before the All Star Break with 83. Howard could end up with 50 homers and 150 RBI's yet not get his batting average may never get above .250. This could be the most schizophrenic season in baseball history.

It is downright amazing how Ryan Howard is compiling these stats since he looks completely over matched at times. I'm willing to bet that some left handers could tell him that a low and outside slider is coming and he still wouldn't come close to touching it. Why anyone throws him anything "middle in" is beyond me. At this point in his career, he's basically become a left hand hitting, American version of Pedro Cerrano. Unfortunately, I don't think even Jobu will help him hit a breaking ball.

Let's hope Howard continues to work out the kinks because his success is absolutely essential if the Phils want to hold on to the division lead.

I Love When People Make Fun Of The French

The next time I golf (hopefully in the near future), I'll have that tune "gotta get a six, gotta get a six" running through my head. Unfortunately, a six is a good score for me for most par 4's and definitely par 5's.

LL Couldn't Have Done It Better Himself

Do not let the initial frame on this You Tube clip dissuade you. You will find this very funny.



It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia never disappoints. I just wish it wasn't on FX. I always forget its on because I rarely get that high on the dial.

By the way, Rob McIlhenny is doing for Danny DeVito what Quentin Tarantino did for John Travolta.

Five Question Marks Facing The Offense

(FYI - This is the first article I turned in for Eaglesgab.com)

As the July 21st opening of training camp approaches and the offseason comes to an end, we pretty much know all the major pieces that we will see lining up for our Eagles come opening day. We can now start to analyze the line up and figure out the question marks facing Big Red for the upcoming season. This post will focus on the offense and an upcoming post will look at the defense.

1. Will The Red Zone Offense Improve? – Last year, the Birds were 24th in the NFL in TD efficiency in the red zone. Clearly, if the Birds want to become a contender again, they cannot leave as many points on the field. One step in the front office’s plan to rectify the red zone problem included tagging Tight End LJ Smith with the franchise designation. The Birds’ brass claimed that LJ would be a key to opening things up in the red zone. I partially agree. Having a legit tight end in the game will occupy the linebackers and safeties opening up the passing lanes for slant patterns and swing passes to B West. However, I believe two other factors need improvement before the Birds will see an increase in their Red Zone efficiency: McNabb’s accuracy and Reid’s play calling.

D Mac has to do a better job of putting the ball into small openings. My biggest complaint about McNabb throughout his career has been his unwillingness and/or inability to put the ball in small windows. Since everything tightens up in the red zone, we will need to see more “stick throws” from D Mac. Also, would it kill Big Red to bring some imagination to his play calling in the red zone? I cannot recall the last time the Birds scored an easy red zone TD due to a brilliant play call. To paraphrase Andy, he has to do a better job of putting his guys in position to make a play.

2. Will A Third Receiver Step Up? - As much as the fan base grumbles about our starting receivers, it looks like we are going to have to accept that Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown are our starters. There are no Pro Bowlers walking through that door to suit for our Birds. I cannot really put my finger on why, but I believe that Curtis and Reggie Brown can be functional starters, especially if a third receiver that compliments them is developed. It would appear that a big, physical slot receiver would be a great compliment to our smaller, quicker starting wide outs. If we are to have a good deal of success on offense this year, this is the season that either Hank Baskett or Jason Avant has to assert themselves. They both have the physical tools to become successful slot receivers. I would like to see D Mac and Big Red show a little faith in both guys to accelerate their development. By the way, I am not counting on DeSean Jackson producing much on the offensive side of the ball as a rookie. Look for him to make his mark solely as a punt/kick returner in 2008.

3. Will The Offensive Tackles Stay Healthy For Another Year? – The Birds’ venerable tackles Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan were superb and mostly healthy last season. However, they will be turning 34 and 35 respectively in November. Can the Birds realistically expect both to play at the same level as last year? We better hope they do not show any slippage. I think you will recall the nightmare that is the first tackle off the bench should one of them go down. One of the great errors of this past draft was failing to spend one high round draft pick on a tackle to groom.

4. Will A Back Up Running Back Be Utilized? – It is an unquestioned fact throughout the league that the Birds’ most indispensable weapon is Brian Westbrook. In his first five years, the Birds pretty much treated him like fine china and tried to keep his number of touches at a manageable level. Last year was totally different. He set career highs in both rushing attempts and receptions. As great as B West is, I would like to see his number of touches reduced. I think Big Red agrees with me as over the last two years he has brought in Lorenzo Booker (a similar back to B West) and Tony Hunt (a big back who was underutilized last years). Developing a reliable back up would not only preserve B West, but it could diversify the offense and give Reid more play calling options.

5. Who Are We Kidding? The Biggest Question Is Which Donovan McNabb Shows Up? - Let’s be clear. If the same Donovan McNabb shows up that played most of last season, then the Birds are basically cooked and we can start getting ready for the Kevin Kolb era in 2009. However, I really believe that we will see the Donovan McNabb we have become accustomed to seeing in Midnight Green. Coming off an offseason of rehabbing his ACL injury, McNabb struggled most of last season as he never looked healthy or comfortable with his receivers. Towards the end of the year, he started to move around the pocket a little better and his level of play increased greatly. After another complete offseason to recuperate and practice with his receivers, it would appear reasonable to expect a return to form by D Mac.

Broadening My Horizons

Hey Guys,

Just wanted to let you all know that I'm going to doing some blogging for a new Eagles website, www.eaglesgab.com and maybe even its parent site www.nflgridirongab.com . Check out the site when you get a chance. It's a pretty good place to get all your Eagles' news in one spot. You can catch my bio on both sites here and here. Plus, judging by the list of contributors, it appears the infamous Jenn Sterger will be one of my co workers. Very nice!

I plan on basically providing the same content for Eaglesgab.com that I would put on this blog. In fact, I will likely post the same content here as I will submit for that site. I will actually have an editor, which is probably a good thing.

I hope you guys will check me out over at Eaglesgab.com.

Thanks,

PSP

Maybe I Should Stick to Football, Baseball and Hockey

This past weekend, I wrote my first post on the Sixers in months and bitched about how the Sixers could be left holding the bag in the Free Agency market. Tonight, it was reinforced to me that I know nothing about the sport and should shut my pie hole.

ESPN.com is reporting that Sixers have signed Elton Brand to a 5 year contract worth $82 million. I shit you not. A legit NBA star has signed with your 1-2-3-4-5-Sixers! I sure hope he's worth the $82 million.

This is the highlight of the last 3 weeks. Right now, I'm stuck watching the NFL Cheerleader Playoffs on the NFL Network. (Can you imagine being the guy that picthed this show in a meeting? I would have laughed at him for five minutes non stop and then fired the guy.) Yes, I'm completely bored.

If You Are Looking For A Pick Me Up....

If you need a laugh after watching the Phils for the past 4 games, check this out from today's Daily News:

GIVEN THE TEAMS, the town and the times in which we live as Philadelphia sports fans, it seems a good place to measure exactly how bitter we all are. Just pick the answer that best reflects your opinion. With that, 15 questions to determine your Bitterness Quotient (BQ).
Ryan Howard is:

a) A player in the midst of making history.

b) A great force, even with the strikeouts.

c) The worst first baseman you've ever seen.

d) Destined to flame out and fail.

Rafael Nadal's five-set victory over Roger Federer in the Wimbledon men's final was:

a) Sport at its finest.

b) Diminished by the rain delays.

c) In desperate need of an American.

d) A freakin' tennis match.

Andy Reid is:

a) The best coach in Eagles modern history.

b) Dull by design, stubborn beyond reason.

c) A lousy general manager.

d) Way past his sell-by date and should be fired.

Andre Iguodala is:

a) Worth an enormous new contract.

b) A jump shot short of greatness.

c) A second banana on a good team.

d) A third banana on a great team.

Phillies ownership is:

a) Spending at the level of its income.



b) Invisible.

c) Cheap.

d) Laughing at you.

Jeffrey Lurie and Joe Banner are:

a) Doing everything they can to win.

b) Sitting on a billion, thanks to you.

c) Hiding behind/too tolerant of Reid.

d) Laughing at you.

Ed Snider is:

a) Unquestionable in his desire to win.

b) Too diversified in his business interests.

c) Living in the past.

d) Laughing at you.

The Tour de France is:

a) Despite everything, still the hardest event in sports.



b) A pleasant enough hangover companion.

c) Dirty, discredited, done.

d) A freakin' bike race.

Golf without Tiger Woods is:

a) Still a great display of skill.

b) Lacking.

c) Unwatchable.

d) Really, really unwatchable.

The Beijing Olympics will be:

a) The greatest, purest example of sport.

b) Flawed but still compelling.

c) Corrupt filth wrapped in the flag.

d) An irritant during Eagles training camp.

Donovan McNabb is:

a) The greatest quarterback in modern Eagles history.



b) A good man and good soldier.

c) Inaccurate and inadequate.

d) The guy who threw up at the Super Bowl.

The Phillies' current level of performance is:

a) Good - first place is first place.

b) Feast, famine, flawed.

c) Barely acceptable in a lousy division.

d) A mirage.

A Phillies division title will be:

a) Another sign of a franchise hitting its stride.

b) Reason to celebrate.

c) The barely acceptable minimum.

d) Prelude to a disaster.

An Eagles wild-card playoff berth will represent:

a) Another chance to win a title.

b) A disappointment.

c) McNabb's swan song.

d) Reid's swan song.

Twenty-five years without a championship is:

a) A conversation piece, nothing more.

b) A badge of honor for long-suffering fans.

c) A testament to lousy ownership.

d) A freakin' disgrace.

That's it. The scoring is easy enough - one point for each A, two for each B, three for each C, four for each D.

If you scored from 15-22, you are unscarred, unburdened, always looking on the bright side of life. You also are probably new to the region.

If you scored from 23-37, you are a wide-eyed realist. You have seen all of the disappointment, seen it and lived it but, at the same time, refused to become consumed by it.

If you scored from 38-53, you are prone to cynicism, a bit beaten down, influenced by the media. You have booed Pat Burrell, at least considered throwing a snowball at the Vet, and entertained the possibility that the curse of Billy Penn might be real.

If you scored from 54-60, well, you simultaneously live the Philadelphia stereotype and complain that people stereotype you. You will celebrate the next Philadelphia championship for about a week before starting to complain. You are beyond hope.

Surprisingly, I scored a 41. I guess I'm not as scorned and pessimistic as I could be.

What Happened To The Magic?

After today's 4-2 12 inning loss to the Mets, it's becoming abundantly clear that the Phils have lost their mojo. You simply can't lose games when you have a dramatic 9th inning home run to get you into extra innings. I don't know what happened to this team, but this lineup has definitely lost its killer instinct. Maybe Sam Donnellon of the Daily News was on to something when he argued that the Phils are really missing Aaron Rowand's leadership. In any event, they better get their crap together before they piss away the season.

A couple of other things I need to point out:

-J Roll, it's about time you showed up and did something of importance this season. It's time to stop the "Pro Bowl Glide" that Ray Rhodes used to talk about and actually produce.

-Did I actually see Tyler Green co-hosting the Phillies Post Game show? I guess Don Carman was busy tonight and couldn't make it.

-Is there anything more fun than seeing Billy Wagner blow a save against the Phils? Well, maybe watching T.O. drop a pass against the Birds.

-Kyle Kendrick is going to be a fixture on this pitching staff for years to come. I love the way he battles.

-I am absolutely shocked that Brad Lidge has re-signed with the Phils. I'm pretty much overjoyed to see him sticking around for 3 more years. I think it spells the end of the Brett Myers era. The Phils will get rid of him somehow. Although, short of fabricating another domestic disturbance for the Wife Beater. I'm not sure how they get Brett off the roster.

All Our Eggs In One Basket?

As I'm sure you've all read, the Sixers entertained Atlanta Hawks' free agent forward Josh Smith last week. Their pursuit of Smith makes a lot of sense on a lot of levels. The Sixers desperately need a power forward and Smith not only plays the position, but won't slow down the offense as he can really run the floor for a big man. He averaged 17 points and 8 boards a game in only his 4th season. Sure, this sounds like a potentially great move.

However, there are two problems with the Sixers' pursuit of Smith. First, he's only a restricted free agent and Atlanta can match any offer sheet. Plus, there appears to be no Plan B. There are no other power forwards out there except Elton Brand and he doesn't appear all that willing to take a $5M/year pay cut to leave the Clips.

That's why I'm starting to get the feeling that if the Sixers don't pull off their courtship of Josh Smith, they could be left holding the bag....well, a bag filled with $11 million in unused cap space. I'm pretty sure they can take that money with them next year and use it on a potentially better group of free agents, but I'd really like to see the money used this year as the Sixers really have the opportunity to build off of last year.

We could be pleasantly surprised and Smith could end up a Sixer. Unfortunately, as a Philly Sports Phan, you often don't have the luxury of being pleasantly surprised.

Hopefully, This Doesn't Start A Trend

Tonight's Phils' 9-4 loss to the Mets reminds me of the following line from the best movie ever made:

Normally, both of your sorry asses would be deader than f*&king fried chicken by now, but you happened to pull this sh*t while I'm in a transitional period, so I don't wanna kill you. I wanna help you.

If you haven't figured it out, I'm talking about J.C. Romero and Tom Gordon, in terms once used by Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction.

It's really hard to be mad at our 'pen for blowing tonight's Phils' game with a pretty f*%ked up, repugnant performance (Yes, I now have Jules Winnfield on the brain). Christ, the bullpen has been pretty much air tight all year and haven't blown a game like this in a pretty long time, so I'd look like a complete fool if I ripped them. Plus, my boy Aran has been trying to convince me to view life more positively.

Nevertheless, I think we learned something this evening. We might be using Juan Carlos it bit much. As effective as he's been, it's hard to forget he was let go twice last year before ending up with the Phils and finding his groove. In any event, we might want to find another lefty to use before J.C.'s arm falls off.

I also don't think I'm surprising anyone when I say that we've seen the end of Flash Gordon as a reliable set up man. Maybe this is where we could use the Wife Beater. We could banish Flash to being a utility type reliever (aka the one currently held by the worthless Rudy Seanez) and move Brett Myers into the 8th inning role. Of course, that does leave a giant hole in the rotation, but I'm fairly confident another starter will be brought in before long. (Whether the starter we pick will be a stud is another question for another day.)

The thing that really set me off is that this performance had to happen against the Mets. I hate watching their scum bag fans celebrate in our stadium. In fact, it sickens me. Hopefully, Lt. Kendrick picks up the slack tomorrow.

(By the way, if you think this post was an excuse to throw some Pulp Fiction lines into my blog, you know me too well.)

A Personal First

I've been meaning to comment on a personal matter that brought great satisfaction. Matter of fact, my buddy Donny is probably shocked that it took me this long to mention. I'm proud to announce that back on Friday, June 27th, yours truly recorded his first Birdie in a round of golf on the 418 yard, Par 4, 2nd hole of the Scotland Run Golf Course.

Of course, some people may chalk this happening up to something along the lines of "the blind squirrel finding a nut". This may be true, but I'd like to think there was some skill involved. I did my drive over 250 yards and then put my approach shot about 3 feet from the cup. (Although, Donny did tell me that had I hit the approach crisply, I probably would have over shot the green, but really who gives a crap? It's only the results that matter, right?)

I then calmly drained the Birdie putt to the excitement of my playing partners. Ok, truth be told, I barely made the putt and just about everyone else thought I missed it off the putter.

I quickly redeemed my true level of skill on the third hole, which I promptly triple bogeyed. Nevertheless, that birdie will pretty much keep me playing for at least the rest of the season.

A Little B&E Never Disappoints

Whenever I'm experiencing a pretty crappy day, I usually turn to the Philly sports scene to brighten my day. The Phils and Tom Gordon further sullied my day in the 8th inning, so I turned to the Birds' website and my spirits were raised pretty quickly. I came across a "Where Are They Now?" article on PhiladelphiaEagles.com about Byron Evans and boy did it bring back some good memories.

As I've mentioned several times, the Buddy Ryan years, while maybe not as successful as the Andy Reid era, were infinitely more fun and interesting. Sure, Randall was exciting with his "three big plays a game", but the defense was what got everyone jacked up about those teams. With All Pro's all over the field, they could be downright scary at times. Whenever they were really rolling, it always seemed like B&E was in the middle of some big play. Here's a pretty good example:

God, that play brings back some memories and it reminds me how much I hate the G-Men.

The other thing I'll never forget about B&E is how he lost out on the chance to make big money. As some will recall, he suffered a career ending leg injury shortly after being offered a large contract extension by the Eagles. His story is one of the sadder twists of fate I remember an Eagle suffering, so it was nice to hear that it sounds like he is doing well in his post football career.

Myers Demoted...Finally

There's not a whole lot to say on this one, but the Phils finally realized that they can't afford to allow Myers to work out his issues in games that count. I hope Brett figures something out while pitching in Lehigh because this team desperately needs him down the stretch. I can only imagine what we're going to do to replace him for the next couple starts. We could have a couple of real ugly games ahead of us.

Very Underwhelmed

Today was the first day of free agency in both the NHL and NBA. While both the Sixers and Flyers are poised to become major contenders, neither team did much of anything today. I can give the Sixers a pass as there is not a ton out there and not many players were signed today, the Flyers spent most of the day watching the big name players sign else where. They did add an improved 4th line center and another depth defenseman, but they did not add the puch moving second pairing defenseman they so desperately need.

Tomorrow, restricted free agent Josh Smith visits the Sixers, so maybe we'll have something to talk about if we are lucky.