Birds Draft Wrap

Now that the smoke has settled and draft weekend has passed, we can take a slightly more objective view of the Birds' draft. I have to say that my opinion has changed somewhat after taking a couple days to let my thoughts marinate.

Initially, I was a bit underwhelmed by the Maclin pick. I had a hard time understanding why we needed a receiver with pretty much the same skill set as DeSean, albeit in a bigger package. I also have a prejudice against receivers that come from spread offenses. In my mind, it's so hard to tell how good they are because the deception of the offense causes so many coverage breakdowns instead of the receiver shaking himself free due to running a good pattern. Plus, receivers in the spread never face press coverage. However, the more I got to thinking about it. I really like the pick of Jeremy Maclin.

McNabb has always been at his best when he has a legit deep threat (T.O., Donte Stallworth and DeSean.) D Mac was at his best in 2004 when he had two deep threats (T.O. and Pinky - don't laugh...he was a decent long ball threat that year.) Now, #5 is going to once again have two deep threats with the addition of Maclin, as well as a number of guys to throw to underneath. If the O Line gels early, we could be in store for a very good season offensively.

While I think Maclin will be eased into the lineup while he learns the intricacies of the pro game, he should be an instant contributor to special teams as I think we'll see him take over as the #1 kick returner and take some punt returns from DeSean as well.

I really like the Maclin's speed, hands and ability to run after the catch. He's not huge, but he's not tiny either. I really like this pick. I started to like the pick even more when I read how the Birds outmaneuvered the G Men for Maclin. However, as Bob Brookover of the Inky points out, let's hope this move works out better than the last time we beat the Giants to the punch for a first round draft pick.

As for second round pick LeSean McCoy, I absolutely love this selection. As a RU season ticket holder, I have watched LeSean for the last three years. I really like the kid's game. I think he can absolutely fill B West's shoes in future years, but certainly compliment him this year. I think he's a better runner between the tackles, but is not a true pounder. (In fact, I'd like to see one more back brought in to fill the big back role.) Actually, I would have been fine with McCoy as a first round pick, so I was ecstatic to see him picked up by the Birds in the second round.

As for the rest of the draft, nothing really stood out. I think the TE has a chance to be a player if he can make the change from the spread to a traditional offense and overcome past injuries. I love "Macho" Harris' nick name, but not sure where he fits in today's NFL with his 4.6 speed and below average size. I'll admit to not really knowing a thing about the rest of the picks, but the fifth round tackle sounds like he has a shot at becoming a backup.

I was kind of annoyed with the fact that it seemed that Birds mailed in a good part of the second day of the draft. I would have liked to have seen them use their 3rd round pick or pick up a 4th by trading one of their fifth's. I thought the Birds' could have used another DT or even another RB to hedge their bets. That's the only faults I see.

However, when evaluating the Birds' draft, you really need to factor in Jason Peters and Ellis Hobbs. Peters is a borderline Pro Bowler and Hobbs can be viewed as either an adequate starter or a great nickle corner. Either way, once throwing these two guys into the mix, how can you not really like what the Birds did with the draft?

Overall, I give the Birds an A- and can't wait to see this team on the field. If the trades work out and if the Birds get anything out of the first two picks, we could see a very good team this fall.

Need A Raincheck

Hey guys I promise to give a full run down on Birds draft (loved it) and the end of the Flyers season (absolutely brutal), but I got a lot going on the last couple days (shore on Sunday, lawn mower shopping last night and the Bruce concert tonight). I will be back Wednesday with my draft recap.

Breaking News: Train Wreck At The Wachovia Center

I am speechless. A three goal lead vaporized moments after my brother in law proclaimed "yeah baby! Game 7 Monday night!L

I have never seen a guy get his ass whupped and change a game for the positive. Although I guess you have to give the Pens credit. They kept plugging away and eventually won the game.

I am done. Nothing left to say. I am fully expecting the Eagles to push me to a full on bender after they blow this pick in 20 minutes.

Staring Down the Barrel of a Gun

Tonight, the Flyers did something rarely seen in Philadelphia. They won an elimination playoff game. How many times in recent years have we seen a Philly team tuck its collective tail between their legs and go out meekly in an elimination game? I think there have been more than we all care to remember.

After watching Marc Andre Fleury steal Game 4, Marty Biron did his best to return the favor and blanked the Pens in Game 5. Marty wasn't quite as challenged as Fleury in Game 4, but he made big saves in the First Period when they were needed the most. He kept the Flyers in the game until Arron Asham unleashed the shot of his life and gave the Flyers the lead. Marty then made that goal stand up until the rookie phenom (he's now surpassed "rookie sensation") Claude Giroux scored to give the Orange & Black a 2-0 lead. There was no turning back from that point as the Flyers locked things down and the Pens just got more and frustrated. The final minutes of the third period were quite fun to watch. The Igloo was dead quiet and Crosby took two dumb, lazy penalties.

Now, the bigger issue is whether the Flyers can keep this momentum going in Game 6 and force a deciding game back in Pittsburgh on Monday. If the Flyers can keep playing the way they have been since Game 2, I don't see why they can't win this one on home ice. They really have been the better team since the series opener.

The scary thing is that none of the big guns for either team have really stepped it up yet. Malkin, Crosby, Richards and Carter have been relatively quiet. Something tells me Game 6 will be decided by which team's big time centers steps it up and leads their team victory.

My Kind Of Girl

This picture that I came across on Deadspin says it all. Does anyone disagree with her?

Completely Depressing

I don't know have a whole lot to say about tonight's Flyers' game. The Orange & Black completely controlled play, but simply could not get the puck past Marc Andre Fleury.

It looks like we have an early summer coming for the Flyers and I'm completely depressed. No one loves playoff hockey more than me, but it seems we are going to be deprived a long playoff run so that Gary Bettman can push his fair haired boys (Crosby and Malkin) deep into the playoffs this Spring.

All that being said, the refs didn't lose the game for us tonight. Instead, I think the league (and the refs) wanted us to win. Think about it...if the Flyers win tonight, that guarantees a Game 6 which is scheduled to occur on Saturday with the game being carried on NBC. There is no way the NHL wants to miss another opportunity to promote Crosby. I'd be shocked if the refs didn't give the Flyers another 8 power plays on Thursday.

Anyhow, I have taken a few things from this series...

1) Claude Giroux is a complete stud. He may be the best young athlete in Philly. I don't know when our moron coach will figure it out, but our best passer (Giroux) should probably be playing on a line with our best goal scorer (Jeff Carter.)

2) Joffrey Lupul blows. Next year he will get paid $4.2M. I want his agent. This guy will be one of the most overpaid players in hockey next year and pretty much untradeable.

3) Matt Carle is not terrible, but he's overpaid also.

4) If Randy Jones was a dog, his owner would mercifully put him down. He needs to go also.

5) If someone could harness what we got from Dan Carcillo tonight, I think you'd have a serviceable 3rd/4th liner.

6) If the Flyers lose tonight, at least we'll be spared Coatesy's ridiculous playoff beard.

7) Now that B Dawk no longer plays in Philly, the bravest warrior playing in our city is Kimmo Timonen.

8) Speaking of B Dawk...I think we found his replacement. He wears #18 for the Flyers. Mike Richards just kills people in open ice.

9) Mike Knuble is done. He probably should not be re-signed this offseason.

10) Martin Biron hasn't lost the Flyers any of these games.

11) Jeff Carter is snake bit.

12) The Flyers desperately need a big center to match up against bigger centers like Staal and Malkin.

13) I won't say much about those fairies wearing Black and Gold from the Western part of PA, but that Sidney Crosby kills me. Just flat out slays me. I can't stand the man from his B.S. first goal that should have never counted to how he mouthed off to our phans at the end of the game. I don't think I will be able to put up with him for the next decade.

Ok, enough said. This game has just ripped the heart out of me.

Double Standard?

After watching yesterday's Flyers/Pens game, I am wondering if there is a double standard in how the league calls things for and against the Orange and Black.

For your consideration, here is yesterday's hellacious hit on Kimmo Timonen by Chris Kunitz which went unpenalized:



Now, compare that "clean" hit to this hit by former Flyer Steve Downie last year which resulted in a 20 game suspension.



Sorry, I don't see much difference in these hits. Clearly, there is a double standard. If a guy on the Flyers receives a hit like this, it's fine. We'll just move on and say that's "tough, physical hockey". However, if it is a Flyer doling out the punishment, then Bettman and the Hockey Gestappo will put an end to it as quickly as possible.

I truly want to believe their is not a double standard, but when you see things like this, it really makes you wonder.

You Stay Classy, Philadelphia

Kudos Philadelphia Phans. You deserve a round of applause for your actions Saturday evening after Brad Lidge's streak of perfection ended. As great as your actions were, I severely doubt anyone in the National media will pick up on it and ever use it as evidence of how great a phan base we have here in Philly.

In case you missed it, Brad Lidge finally blew a save opportunity on Saturday evening. When Cholly went out to remove him from the game, Lidge was given a standing ovation to thank him for his level of perfection over the past year. The applause truly fit the moment and I was so proud at moment to call myself a Phillies phan.

I bet Wilbon and the rest of the boys at ESPN will never acknowledge that this ever occurred.

Does The Jason Peters Trade Signal A Philosophical Switch For The Birds?

(Editor's Note: This article is also posted on Misterfootball.com)

In one uncharacteristic move, the Birds have dramatically altered the face of their offensive line for the 2009 season. I went from thinking that D Mac would be running for his life for the first half of '09 as his two new tackles grew accustomed to playing the position, but now it looks like Peters could be an upgrade at the position and finally give the Birds a left tackle who isn't totally adverse to run blocking. Peters, a two time Pro Bowler who ate himself into playing left tackle after lining up at tight end at Arkansas, should be a huge bonus to team that faces DeMarcus Ware and Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck two times a year each. I watched today's press conference and Andy Reid seemed to have a man crush on Peters. He called him "dominant" and "the best left tackle in football" multiple times. Lofty praise for a guy that gave up 11.5 sacks last year (the highest attributed to any offensive tackle in football).



This move flies in the face of everything the Eagles usually do in the offseason. Normally, they totally underwhelm with their offseason pick ups and then spend the months of March through August telling their phan base that "we're ok" at every position that clearly needs up grading. However, for once, the Birds reacted aggressively to a glaring need, but I truly doubt that the move would have been made if Buffalo stuck to their guns and sought true market value for a franchise left tackle. Anyone will tell you that a Pro Bowl, franchise left tackle is as rare as a stud #1 pitcher, 30 point per game big man or a Vezina winning goalie. These guys don't grow on trees and it usually takes a King's Ransom to wrangle one from another team. The 28th overall pick in the draft, along with a 4th rounder and a late round pick in 2010 is clearly NOT a King's Ransom. I'm still trying to figure out how the Birds got this deal done for so little and whether they used the Jason Smith visit as some sort of leverage to show the Bills that they had other options.



Now, let's get to the basic premise of my post. Does the Peters' move signal a change in philosophy by the Birds? Are they really going to make a run at it this year? After all, the move does show a willingness for once to address voids in the lineup with veteran players. Now that Peters is in the fold, it seems logical to reason that the Birds really could be looking to make a run this year. Could this move be a precursor to a run at Anquan Boldin to finally fill the Eagles need for a physical, play making WR? Personally, I doubt it. I think the Birds believe they "are ok" at that position and for once I will agree with them. With DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, Jason Avant and Hank Baskett, I do think they are just "ok". Not great, but probably the best group of WR's McNabb's ever had (notice I said "group"...the 2004 WR's were T.O. and a bunch of future substitute teachers.) Plus, I don't think you'll see the Birds do anything else of consequence at the draft except for trade back to the very end of the 1st round or possibly the 2nd round and maybe use one of the plethora of 5th round picks to move up to the 3rd or 4th round. While we all want a RB or TE with the 21st pick, Hugh Douglas (and a few other sources) is reporting that the Birds are looking to take a DE with their first pick. (I value his comments when it comes to the draft because he was the only person two years ago that said the Birds would take a QB with their first pick.) Thus, it appears that the RB void will not be filled until the 2nd round or later. All in all, I don't think we're seeing a major change in philosophy and equate this move to the Jevon Kearse and Asante Samuel free agent moves that we've seen. When the Birds really like someone in the prime of their career and they have the money under the cap, they will make a deal.



Although, my philosophical change question is really two pronged. The other change is whether the Birds are considering incorporating more running plays into the offense next year. While the two new offensive tackles should allow the Birds to run it more effectively this year compared to last year when Tra and Runyan were breaking down physically, I don't think we'll see a major shift in play calling. Now, if the Birds are to take a RB with their first pick. We might be seeing a change to make the run a bigger part of the offense. Lord knows the Birds should make such a move. It's hard to get a leg up on a NFL defense when all you do is throw, throw, throw and throw some more. Plus, increasing the rushing attempts protects this team when Donovan goes into his yearly funk. While I doubt we're going to see a major change, I'm hoping Andy Reid and crew prove me wrong by drafting Knowshon Moreno with the #1 pick next Saturday night.



On that note, it's time for bed. Time's yours.

What A Day!

I challenge you to find a more positive day in all of Philly Sports. Let's us review all that occurred today:

(1) the Flyers broke through and beat the Pens in one of the more enjoyable games to watch since Gary Bettman castrated the league coming out of the lockout. As much as I loved the style of this game, I am 100% confident that we see a steady stream of penalties to calm things down in Game 4.

By the way, I can't believe the announcers missed making a big deal about this, but Jared Ross scored his first NHL goal today in the third period. He's from Alabama...repeat, Ala-freakin'-Bama! He has to be the first guy to score a goal in the NHL born from Alabama, right? Terrible research job by the NBC crew. They should have commented on that. I am a demanding television consumer and these are things I want to know.

(2) The Sixers won their playoff opener against the Magic. Since I did not watch a second of this game, I don't feel qualified to talk about it. I'll let my buddy the Captain (the only friend I have that still watches the Sixers) add a comment about how great a win this was. Personally, I don't have any ill will towards them, but I wrote them off a couple weeks ago when they were losing to the likes of the Bobcats and Raptors.

(3) Raul Ibanez hit a two run walk off home run to give the Phils a very much needed victory. Is there any doubt that Ibanez has been the best Phillie through the first 11 games?

(4) the Birds unveiled their new Pro Bowl left tackle, Jason Peters, to the media.

What a day! I can't remember when I have felt this good about our teams at the same time.

Thursday Round Up

There are a number of things I want to touch on, so we're going with a round up format.

1) The Flyers' season has exactly 3 games left. I've had a suspicion that last year's deep playoff run was possibly the worst thing that could have happened to this young group of Flyers. As a result of last year's success, they seem to think they can just flip a switch and the entire team will turn it on and defeat teams. Sorry guys, that's not how it works in the NHL. I think this young group is about to learn another lesson when they get swept by a hungrier, more skilled team of Penguins. All in all, this might not be a bad thing. John Stevens must go. He never seems to have this team ready to play or overly prepared. A sweep might be the impetus to send him out of town.

2) Harry to be honored like few others in history - I love how the Phils are honoring the life of Harry Kalas. He was so special to this city he deserves to be honored in the same manner as Babe Ruth and Jack Buck. For those who haven't seen it, here are the plans:

On Saturday, Kalas’ casket will be placed at home plate of Citizens Bank Park, and fans will have a full four hours to pay their respects. A memorial service will follow. According to Sal Paolantonio of ESPN.com, it’s only the second time that anyone will have been remembered in this way since Babe Ruth’s funeral in 1948.

The other baseball figure to receive such treatment was legendary Cardinals announcer Jack Buck, who died in 2002 at age 77.

3) The Phils' pitching is starting to give me concern - The lack of quality outings is starting to make me lose that loving feeling about these guys so far this season. I just have a feeling that we're about to see a collective stink bomb from many of this year's pitchers. I hope I'm wrong.

4) Rumors persist that the Birds may trade for 'Quan Boldin - Sorry guys, it ain't happening. The Birds just don't trade 1st and 3rd round picks for established players. I'm not even going to give this trade rumor or anything else involving the Birds another thought because it is not worth my time, or yours.

5) Comment of the Week - My boy, Botts had the following to say about the Phils' Ring Ceremony last week:

My hero is Adam F-ing Eaton!!! This guy has some of the biggest balls in the world... to bad he couldn't throw them for strikes.

Botts, you hit the nail on the head. Truer words have never been written. Does Eaton have anyone to advise him? Who in their right mind thought it would be a good idea for him to show up and pick up a ring he absolutely did not deserve. He must be a glutton for punishment.

6) In 2014, it's on like Donkey Kong! A New Border War will commence. It’s Rutgers vs. Penn St in Happy Valley in ’14 and then in 2015, it will be Pandemonium in Piscataway!! Mr. Jones if you want to see your squad play in a stadium approximately an hour from your home, we will have to set up some sort of quid pro quo. I wish this was an every year event held at the Linc as a quasi neutral site.

7) I just got a new Blackberry Curve. If anyone has a cool app to recommend, I'm all ears.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Our Dugout's Tribute To Harry

Not sure how many of you guys check out the The Fightins website, but I came across this interesting tribute by the Phils yesterday to Harry the K and his penchant for lighting up.

Schedule Day

Tonight, the NFL finally got around to announcing the 2009 schedule. So, let's get right to it and look at what the Birds have in front of them for 2009 (my projected result is in brackets):

Sun, Sep 13 @ Carolina 1:00 PM [L]
Sun, Sep 20 New Orleans 1:00 PM [W]

Sun, Sep 27 Kansas City 1:00 PM [W]
BYE WEEK
Sun, Oct 11 Tampa Bay 1:00 PM [W]
Sun, Oct 18 @ Oakland 4:05 PM [W]
Mon, Oct 26 @ Washington 8:30 PM ESPN [L]
Sun, Nov 1 NY Giants 4:15 PM [W]
Sun, Nov 8 Dallas 8:20 PM [W]
Sun, Nov 15 @ San Diego 4:15 PM [L]
Sun, Nov 22 @ Chicago 8:20 PM [L]
Sun, Nov 29 Washington 1:00 PM [W]
Sun, Dec 6 @ Atlanta 1:00 PM [L]
Sun, Dec 13 @ NY Giants 8:20 PM [L]
Sun, Dec 20 San Francisco 1:00 PM [W]
Sun, Dec 27 Denver 1:00 PM [W]
Sun, Jan 3 @ Dallas 1:00 PM [L]

Yup, I have them at 9-7. Just about where they were last year. I have them getting off to a great start (6-2), but then limping to the finish when the schedule gets noticeably tougher.

The big question then appears to be: Will 9 wins be enough to get them back to the playoffs? I really don't think so. They can't be that lucky twice in a row.

I will add another prediction....B Dawk will be injured and won't play in his return to Philly. I hope I'm wrong, but he's pretty old, Denver sucks and it is a loooooonngg year. I can foresee an injury late in the year that will keep him out.

Although, let me add one caveat. If they somehow do something spectacular at the draft and make a trade for an established veteran (which I believe is doubtful), my prediction is subject to change.

Hard to Believe, Harry

I haven't had this bad a day in a long time. In the span of about a half hour, I realized I screwed something up to really upset a family member and then learned that our beloved Harry the K had passed away way too soon at the age of 73. Without a doubt, today was a rough one. I really had a hard time getting through the rest of the day.

I've seen it written in many places, but a baseball team really is like a family member. From the beginning of April through the beginning of October, they come into your living room on a nightly basis and as familiar as anything else in your home. As a life-long Phillie Phan, Harry has been in my life for 36 years and it's going to be awfully hard to say goodbye.

Harry celebrated all the good times (except for the 1980 World Series) with us and commiserated with us during the bad times. My fondest memory of Harry was listening to him right after Game 6 of the World Series. I was up at Rutgers and watched the game with my buddy, Gump. Like everyone else, we were completely devastated by the loss, but when we got to his car, he turned on the Phils radio station and Harry and Whitey did their best to make us feel better about the game. However, more importantly, they made us feel like we were back home watching with family. I also never forget all the times he sang "High Hopes" after big post season wins. (Unfortunately, we didn't see this scene enough over the years.)

Not only was Harry the voice of the Phils, but he was the face of the team. Players come and go, but Harry was a Phillie from 1971 until today. He will be sadly missed. The only comforting news today is that His Whiteness is no longer all alone up in the Great Big Press Box in the Sky.

RIP Harry.

Today, We Celebrate Jesus' Resurrection And The Flyers' Death

Today is one of those days where it truly paid off to be a sports phan. The final round of the Master's was compelling from beginning to end. Tiger and Phil kept things interesting in the beginning of the round and then the final holes and playoff was golf drama at its best. I still can't believe that a guy won the Master's after inadvertently banking a ball out of the rough, off a tree and into the middle of the fairway. The Golf Gods were smiling on Angel Cabrera today.

Not only was the ending of the Master's fantastic, but the Phils and Flyers did their best to make me look like an ADD kid who forgot to take his Ridilin. Thankfully, the Phils came up big. Matt Stairs delivered another game winning, pinch hit homer which instantly made us all recall Game 4 of the NLCS. Good times for all, right? Unfortunately, that's where the Good Times ended.

Today's loss to Rangers, which knocked the Flyers out of home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, put the cherry on top of an unbelievably underachieving year. Sure, they made the playoffs, but I never felt that this team was running on all cylinders at any point this year. They kind of slept of walked through the entire season rarely putting together more than two straight strong games together. For all of their scoring depth, this team plays in way too many close games, which seems to exploit their biggest weaknesses: inconsistent goaltending and lack of defensive depth.

Timonen and Coburn are very good defensemen and Ryan Parent looks to have a great deal of promise as a defensive defenseman, but the rest of the top 6 leave much to be desired. Matt Carle is overpaid, undersized and not nearly tough enough or dependable enough to play in the Top 4 of any Eastern Conference team's defensive corps. He shows flashes of offensive brilliance here and there, but he flat out underwhelms me. Andrew Alberts is actually ok. I'm fine with him as a #5 or #6, but his partner Randy Jones is flat out brutal and does not look like he has ever recovered from early season hip surgery. At $2.5M this year and $3M next year, Randy is also completely over paid. You want to know why we had to dump Scottie Upshall for salary cap reasons? Just look at Randy Jones and Matt Carle, they are Exhibits A and B.

The most depressing thing about today is that without home ice advantage, I really don't see how the Flyers can beat Pittsburgh in a seven game series. Not only has Pittsburgh been better than the Flyers since changing coaches at midseason, but they are more talented overall and the refs always favor the Pens since the League wants the repulsive Sid the Kid to progress deep into the playoffs. Unless this team starts showing attention to detail on the defensive side of the ice, we are looking at a short series, which is sad.

However, the fact that no other Flyer did anything at the end of the game when Sean Avery and the rest of the Rangers were laughing at the Flyers floored me. They looked totally emasculated. I really hate today's NHL.

So, who is to blame for what appears to be a disappointing season for the Orange and Black? I think you can only point to two people: John Stevens and Paul Holmgren. Stevens rarely gets this team emotionally ready to play. Perhaps that's because he appears to lack a pulse and rarely shows any emotion himself.

After having a phenomenal two year run as the Flyers' GM, I don't think Homer made one successful move this year. While his offseason free agent pick ups were total busts and his in season trades gave the team little to no spark, his pre season contract negotiations put this team squarely behind the 8 ball for years to come. $4M plus to the ultra inconsistent Joffrey Lupul? $2.5M to Randy Jones? What was this guy thinking? He is crying out for a Joe Banner type to help him manage the cap. Now, he has to hope that some team will take one of these over paid stiff off our hands to give the Flyers some salary cap flexibility.

I realize I'm bitching quite a bit for a team that hasn't even played a playoff game yet, but I know how this one is going to end and I think one of the two mentioned above could end up losing their job.

Most of all, I would like to thank the Flyers for putting a disappointing ending to a great Easter holiday.

Reader Appreciation Post & Comment Of The Week

Based upon the comments this week, both on the site and off, I didn't totally scare away my readers. Frankly, I'm shocked. I thought my blogging career...er, I mean hobby was deader than Fried Chicken. In the blogosphere, when you show less activity over a couple month period than the Birds did in this offseason's free agency market, your readers typically disappear faster than Donovan McNabb in a big game. Therefore, I'd like to thank anyone who is still out there reading this site during my extended sabbatical.

I wish I could say it was something intriguing that kept me from this blog. I didn't have a drug or drinking problem, have a torrid love affair or God forbid put that Law Degree to use by handling some cases on the side to boost my discretionary income. Mainly, I was away from the blog for a couple lame ass reasons. First, as I've said numerous times, I moved at the end of January and it has taken quite a while to really get settled. Plus, all the moving activity sapped so much energy that I have had trouble staying up during my prime late night blogging hours. Finally, that frigging Facebook website has occupied so much of my time on the web that I feel like banning it from my computer. It's cool and all to catch up with some old friends, but this whole Facebook phenomenon has become ridiculous. I think I need to quit cold turkey and get back to this site.

In any event, I'm apologize to anyone that was wondering where I'd been. I'm back and hopefully here to stay....at least until I get completely lazy again.

Also, I have to address a comment from my buddy Gump. He makes the following brilliant point (which RU grads are known to do pretty frequently):

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the hero status the Phaithful have bestowed upon Pat the Bat. I don't love that he's gone, but....come on everyone, think back to how many times in the last 8 seasons you cursed him for taking that called third strike on the inside corner as he pulled his fat ass out of the way. I rooted for him too, and really do hate to see him go, but if this was an American League city, than he'd probably still be here as the DH, but he's not, and quite frankly, the hero-status is a bit exaggerated!! And again, I am NOT a Pat hater by any means!! Your thoughts??

Gump, you make a great point. Other than Donovan McNabb, I don't think any other Philly athlete frustrated me as much as Pat the Bat did in his tenure with the Phils. I think had it not been for his 8th inning double to set up the winning run in Game 5 of the World Series, we would all remember "his move" (i.e., sticking his ass out on any pitch on the inside of the plate trying to influence the call of the home plate ump) more than his multiple seasons of 30 HR's and 90+ RBI's. However, he did have the biggest hit of our lifetime (by far) and I think he deserves a lot of appreciation for that.

Plus, if I worked in the front office of the Birds, Flyers, Sixers or Phils, I'd hire Burrell to do a yearly seminar with the players on how to handle playing in Philly. I don't think any player in my lifetime did a better job of handling us (B Dawk is probably second). He seemed to understand our special brand of "tough love". He never bitched about how he was treated. When he was booed, he pretty much shrugged it off knowing he deserved it and when the adulation finally came, he ate it up.

He is the complete contrast to D Mac. Last year after getting ripped early in the season in the press and eventually benched by Big Red, McNabb took every opportunity once he righted the ship and led the Birds to the NFC title game to point out to the phans how we were all wrong about him. He was so petulant about the whole situation, that I really have a hard time rooting for him now, but that's a another story for another day.

Basically, Burrell painted the perfect setting to enjoy the hero worship we've seen this week. In his last game as a Phil, he got the biggest hit of the franchise in 28 years. He then left town without saying a single bad thing about the city or the phans and more than went out of his way to say how much he loved it here. If he had a PR firm guiding him through his exit from the Phils, he more than got his money worth because his move was handled perfectly.

Overall, I have to agree with you for the most part. The hero worship for Pat has gone overboard in comparison to his overall career, but I think in this case it is justified due to what he did in October.

Time To Hit The Panic Button!

I fully expect sheer panic to envelope the Delaware Valley after the Phils' 0-2 start which has featured a grand total of one...yes, ONE freakin' run. Come on, boys. Time to break out the bats and start knocking in some runs.

On the bright side, at least Jamie Moyer didn't get totally shelled.

Also, in case you missed it, the Flyers cliched a playoff spot this evening with a win over the Panthers. I can't wait for the NHL playoffs to start. No other playoff is better than the Stanley Cup playoffs.

I Really Do Know The Pysche Of the Philly Sports Phan

Way back when I started this blog (you know, back when I gave a crap and updated the site on nearly a daily basis without taking long, unexcused sabbaticals), I pontificated on the following topic: "Would A Title Change Us?"

At the time, I wrote:

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

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

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

As if I needed any additional confirmation, the phans at the Phils opening game last night showed that I really do have the pulse of the Philly Sports Phan base. However, I sure was generous with the five week grace period. As we saw last night, that grace period lasted more like 5 batters before the phans turned on Brett Myers and his new physique. (As I said the other night on Facebook, I really liked the chubby Brett Myers better. He was a much better pitcher with the extra girth. Someone needs to introduce him to the Andy Reid Diet...fast!)

Last night proved that we as Philly Phans, are who we thought we were.



(Sorry, I just couldn't help myself. Denny Green completes me.)

Brett Myers came out and pitched like sh*t after getting through the first two hitters and having Chipper down 0-2 before Larry took a decent pitch the opposite way. Then, the notorious Phillie killer, Brian McCann, absolutely Matt Stairs-ed a ball to the upper deck in right and moved Myers into full melt down mode. Clearly, he deserved to be booed and last night's crowd did not disappoint.

The performance of the crowd last night moved me to write again. I figure if Phils' phans still have the same passion despite the unforgettable moments of last Fall, then why can't I ratchet it back up again?

Let's hope we can both keep it going. However, for at least one day, we were both back in the saddle again.