Rutgers Football 2007 Season Preview

Everyone has their own passion project. You know what I’m talking about…something you care more about more than just about anyone in the World.

Andy Reid had Reno Mahe. Larry Brown had Derrick Coleman. Pat Gillick has Rod Barajas and Wes Helms. My buddy Mister Nascar has the mediocre Nascar Driver, Robby Gordon. My main man Johnny Gold has his mid 80’s re-runs of Miami Vice. Kevin Costner had Waterworld and now Vinny Chase has Medellin.

I have Rutgers Football.

Sure, it’s fashionable to be a Rutgers fan nowadays, but as anyone who knows me will tell you…I’m no Johnny Come Lately to this squad. I have been a fan of this football program since attending this fine institution in the early 90’s. I’ve been to countless games and suffered through a lot of losing. Therefore, I don't think last year's season will ever be topped. It was pretty much a dream season. All I'd ask for is the ability to change two plays from the triple OT, West Virginia loss and RU would have been in the Orange Bowl....yes, the f'n ORANGE BOWL! Sorry, I still can't believe nowadays we're talking about RU in the same sentence as Penn St., Michigan, Virginia Tech, Alabama, etc.

This year sure seems to be shaping up well. RU returns 6 starters on defense and 7 on offense, including Heisman candidate Ray Rice. Plus, RU has 8 home games and only 1 seemingly tough road game (L'Ville in late November.) I expect the defense to have a slow start as the newcomers get acclimated (the Navy game next week scares me). However, they have enough returning starters that they should be kicking butt by the end of the year. Offensively, I expect the Knights to be much better despite losing Brian Leonard. The offense should be much more diverse as the receivers should be ready to step up and give Mike Teel consistent targets. In fact, I truly believe Wide Receiver Kenny Britt will be a star by the end of the year.

In any event, this team could finish anywhere from 1st in the conference to 4th. I suppose 2nd or 3rd is most likely. However, I have two goals for this year:

(1) make sure that Rutgers has a successful enough year so that no one says last year is a fluke and recruiting can continue to progress. I figure 9 wins would definitely solidify RU as a national player; and

(2) quite simply...BEAT WEST VIRGINIA! I've had enough of losing to these inbred red necks. It's time to finally give them some payback.

Here's a video to get you ready for the season.

What Goes Around, Comes Around

The ending of tonight's game shows you that over a 162 game season, bad umpire calls are eventually evened out with fortuitous decisions. So, as much as you want to bitch and complain over bad calls, you are better off just being patient until some calls eventually go your way. (Yeah, I know...I'm wasting my breath here. No one in this town will ever heed that advice.)

Just last Friday, the Phils were screwed by the umps when a base runner interference call negated a key run against the Padres. The frustrating thing was that the base runner interference had no bearing on the runner scoring. Even if Giles turned the double play, the run still would have scored as there was no outs at the time. It really seemed that the Phils were jobbed out of an important run by that dubious call.

Fast forward to this evening and worm turned in the Phils' favor. Game 3 of the 4 game series ended when the Captain's former favorite Phils' 2nd baseman, Marlon Anderson, was called out for baserunner's interference. Once again, the interference didn't make much of a difference as to whether the run would have scored. It sure seemed like there was no way Iguchi would have thrown out Shawn Green at first, but nevertheless the umpire still called out the runner at first for Anderson's over-enthusiastic slide into Tad.

So there you go, as pissed off as I was over Friday night's call, I can't help but feel like the cat that ate the canary after seeing how the Phils got the benefit of an umpire call tonight. My favorite part of the evening was Anderson's reaction to the call. That was just priceless.

By the way, I'm still not back on the bandwagon...no yet anyway.

Resurrected?

As I'm sure most of you read in my Sunday evening post, I pronounced the Phils dead and buried after Saturday's horrendous loss to the Padres. I even typed up a friggin' obit. Since then, the Phils have won three straight, including tonight's dramatic 4-2 win featuring The Big Man's walk off homer.

Is there still life in this team??? Have they been resurrected from the dead? I still say not so fast my friend! This team still trots the suddenly inept Jamie Moyer, free agent bust Adam Eaton, and journeyman starter JD Durbin to the mound every fifth day. With pitching like that, I can't realistically get behind these guys. However, moments like tonight's sure are fun.

Interesting Eagles' Point of View From Peter King

As I've detailed in the past, I never miss Peter King's MMQB column on SI.com. It is always chock full of information and never disappoints. Here are a couple interesting Eagles' tidbits from Peter's column today:

4. I think I'm not sure I buy Donovan McNabb's outrage over the waiving of Jeremiah Trotter. It seems a little convenient to me. For starters, McNabb has never been close to Trotter, who aligned himself with Terrell Owens during Owens' ill-fated tenure with Philadelphia. But more important, McNabb has always been viewed by some corners of the locker room as too much of a company man, so by publicly questioning Trotter's release, McNabb can say to his locker room: I'm beholden to no one here, and I call 'em as I see 'em.

In the end, Trotter had lost some speed, and the Eagles, who have been borderline ruthless with some personnel decisions in the Andy Reid Era, decided it was better to give Trotter a chance to find a job out there before the final cutdown -- because the team knew he wasn't a part of its future. From his Trotter outburst, McNabb also seems to be saying to Reid: I'm not going to be your blindly loyal guy anymore.

I don't care how many niceties come out of the mouths of either McNabb or Reid. Their relationship was affected by the drafting of Kevin Kolb in the second round on draft day. McNabb sent a message that he didn't appreciate that, and I think you'll see him become more distant from Reid as time goes by.

5. I think these were the most impressive players I saw over the weekend:

f. Eagles defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley, who was a waste of a roster spot last year in Philly, after being a mid-first-round pick. Now he's playing like the interior space-eater he was drafted to be. Embarrassed by his poor play and his weight last year, Bunkley reported in shape this year and is playing like a house possessed.

i. Nice goal-line stuff by the Philly linebackers in Pittsburgh early on. Takeo Spikes has taken on a nice leadership role and an even better hole-filling role on the D.

I can't agree more with his point that the Reid/McNabb relationship if forever changed and it ain't ever going to be the same. I think they can work together, but it is never going to be the same. I thought Bunkley looked good last night, but a "house possessed"? He might be going overboard a bit.

It is also interesting to me was that it took the drafting of his eventual replacement before McNabb dropped the company man persona. If McNabb had spoken out like this previously, I wonder if the T.O. thing could have been different or would the Birds have sought out other bigger name players. In any event, it appears McNabb is feeling his own mortality and has decided to let his displeasure be known. Unfortunately, it does not seem that D Mac has the sway in the organization that he used to have.

Too Good Too Not Be Shared

The funny thing about this video is that my buddy Vinny called me 10 seconds after it happened and played it for me off his DVR. He knew right away that this was an instant classic.

Although, something tells me that this chick isn't going to need to use her brains to succeed in life.

RIP: 2007 Philadelphia Phillies (April 2nd-August 25th)

We gather now today to send off the 2007 Philadelphia Phillies and their post season hopes to the after life.

They gallantly played through horrible bull pen and starting pitching, injuries, offensive slumps by important cogs of the lineup, and inept managing, but when the cards were laid on the table versus the Pads this weekend, they ultimately showed what they are: a gutless, cowardly and timid bunch that could not perform in the clutch.

While some people will point to the three home runs given up by Flash and The Wife Beater on Saturday night, I'll look at the Phils inability to appropriately respond to the Marcus Giles' beef with Ruiz's take out slide and Milton Bradley's b.s. on Friday night. These were the moments that truly demonstrated that the Phils' had no chance at the postseason.

However, we ask that you do not weep for our Phils, they will go quietly into the night over the next four with the Mets, then we can truly focus upon the Birds and the upcoming football season. Unfortunately, last night may have revealed that they have their own issues as well.

This Clown Must Go

I'm so sick of this a-hole. He simply must go. He is the classic example of the ten million dollar arm and the ten cent head.

In case you missed it, Myers had a little run in with an Inquirer reporter after the Wife Beater blew Saturday's game. For your listening enjoyment, here's the audio.

Back By Popular Demand....

(Some of you may be wondering where I was all last night. Well, here's a re-posting of a story I did last year that explains a few things. )

In a million years, I never would have imagined myself officiating a fantasy football draft for a bunch of chicks, but I'm here to say that I proudly served as the draft master for the "Girls Gone Wild Fantasy Football League" that my wife and friends started. I can only imagine the snide comments that my buddies Johnny Gold, The Captain and Mister Nascar are conjuring up as they read this, but in all honesty, it wasn't that bad.

These ladies set a land speed record by finishing their 14 round draft in under two hours. The funny thing is that it takes most of the women in this league an hour and a half to pick out a skirt and a pair of shoes, but they were on the clock on an average of less than 20 seconds for each pick. (This sociology experiment really shows that men and women live on separate planes, as you can totally flip the time for a man to do each of these tasks.) In any event, the biggest surprise for me was the level of preparation by each of these ladies as I only had to veto one pick through the first 3 rounds.

Overall, I'm still not sure if this was a good idea or just some clever ruse by these ladies to further intrude on the free time of their husband/fiance/boyfriend. Johnny Gold has already warned me to be very wary of this idea. I'll keep you all up to date on this one, but the first night was pretty painless.

The Best News We've Received In This Town In A While

One of the posts I've considered writing, but totally procrastinated on was my distaste for Stephen A. Smith's Inquirer columns since he became a big shot at ESPN. Prior to becoming a multi media celebrity, I found his work pretty insightful...as long as he stayed away from hockey. However, since starting his New York radio show and short lived talk show, his columns seemed to lack much substance and seemed as if they were dictated to his secretary as he drove up the turnpike. Well, it appears I wasn't the only one dissatisfied with his work. I found the following on Deadspin.com and The700Level.com:

Inquirer sports columnist Stephen A. Smith has been stripped of his column and has been offered a job as a general assignment reporter in the Inquirer’s sports department, according to sources inside both the Inquirer and the Daily News. Things reportedly came to a head during a meeting last Friday, when Smith was told of his re-assignment. Smith reportedly told his bosses he would give them an answer when he gets back from vacation in two weeks.

Sources believe Smith’s column has been in the cross-hairs for some time. “There was a time when the powers that be were just happy to have somebody that’s on ESPN on the masthead,” says a source who spoke on condition of anonymity. “But I think the new leadership has been asking itself for a while now whether or not the columns [he] was turning in were justifying his [reportedly generous] salary. And I think they decided he wasn’t bringing his A-game.”

I, for one, will miss Stephen A's use of the exclamation point. If you read any of his columns lately, you know that he was running a one-man grass roots operation trying to bring back the "!" into the daily lexicon. Unfortunately for "!!!!" lovers around the world, he'll no longer be able to keep up the effort.

Good Bye and Good Luck, Axe Man

Today, the Birds waived good bye to a true warrior and the majority of the phans and his teammates are in an uproar. Things really don't change a whole lot over at the Nova Care Complex, huh?

After seven years with the Birds, Jeremiah Trotter truly became a fan favorite and the best middle linebacker I've ever seen play in green. I'll always remember his passion and sheer physicality. He was a prototypical middle linebacker. When you looked up a middle linebacker in your NFL handbook, you had a picture of Trot starting back at you. At 6'1", 260 he had the size to take on guards and centers, but during his prime he also had the speed to chase down plays. There was nothing better than seeing Trot blow up running plays in the backfield when JJ sent him flying in through the "A gap" to create havoc.

All this being said, I can't say that Trot's departure caught me 100% by surprise. At the end of last year, you could hear the whispers from Eagles' insiders in the media that Trot could be replaced and that he would have to be better if he wanted to make the team. Then, the Birds unsuccessfully pursued free agent middle linebacker Ryan Fowler during the offseason. These were all clues that the Axe Man could be axed. Plus, we all know how the Birds have no problem cutting bait with players over 30.

Although some have questioned the Birds' frugality as reasoning for the move, I truly don't believe this had anything to do with Trot's salary. The Birds just think the guy is shot. For a middle linebacker over the age of 30 with two bad knees, is this such a surprise? I even think Trot was expecting such a move. Look at his comments today:

"I just told them it was a privilege to play here," said a choked-up Trotter during a news conference, three hours after the Eagles announced his release. "Everyone gets to this point in their career at some point or another. Now it's my time. I'm just thankful that I spent this many years here in Philadelphia. I truly believe that if you were to cut me I'd bleed green. Even when I went away for those two years (in Washington) I was always an Eagle at heart, and I will always remain an Eagle."

These statements sound like ones that have been percolating in the back of his mind for some time. I give Trot and the Birds credit. They handled this situation with class.

As for my opinion on the move, I'm not getting too worked up about it. I think Trot's legs must be shot. Watching the last two preseason games, it sure seemed that Jeremiah was having a hard time patrolling the field form sideline to sideline. Stretch running plays (like the one the Colts killed us with last year) haven't been stopped since late last year. Even during the preseason these plays were getting big yards.

Additionally, it's time I've come clean on something. After getting worked up over various personnel moves over the years and then getting proved wrong by Big Red and Co., I've decided to give these guys carte blanche on all their roster decisions. There is a reason Big Red and Tom Heckert are doing their jobs and I'm sitting here in my underwear at 11:30 on a Tuesday night writing a blog. They know what they're doing and who the eff am I to question them? Plus, I can only think of one time when they've cut a guy who they were wrong about (Derrick Burgess). The players over 30 who've proven to have life remaining is a big fat goose egg. Chances are that Trot is done and won't be a contributing member of the NFL any longer. Based on the Birds' track record, I'm fine with this move.

I just wish I had as much confidence in Omar Gaither as Big Red and his cronies do.

In any event, I think I speak for all Eagles phans in thanking Trot for his time with the Birds and wishing him the very best in whatever he decides to do in the future.

Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Any Worse...

Just came across the following tonight:

Hamels (14-5, 3.50 ERA) will have an MRI exam and skip his scheduled start Wednesday against Los Angeles after complaining of persistent soreness in his left elbow. Hamels could miss up to three weeks depending on the results, team doctor Michael Ciccotti said Tuesday night.

What does this city have to do to receive some good luck on the injury front? Philadelphia has given this country Liberty, Freedom, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, not to mention cheesesteaks, American Bandstand, Kelly Rippa and Kelly Monaco....Taking these things into account, is it too much ask for at least one f'n injury free season by one of our sports teams?

Apparently someone disagrees because injuries have derailed every single contending team in recent memory. I thought the week where we saw Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Michael Bourn and LJ Smith go down in one was the tipping point, but I suppose I was wrong.

Absolute Stupidity

I really don't want to get involved in the Michael Vick story other than to say that Michael Vick's actions prove him to be the least intelligent sports figure in my lifetime. Sure, Uncle Cholly sounds as dumb as a box of rocks in a press conference, but even he would be smart enough to not leave a money trail that traces him back to an activity as depraved as dog fighting. This idiot threw away his career, his reputation, and his wealth. Does anyone foresee him playing again? I sure don't.

All the legal experts predict that Vick is going away for at least a year and then he will likely be suspended by the NFL thereafter. Then, you'd have to find a team willing to take a chance on a QB that rarely showed the ability to beat teams with his arm. In my opinion, the only way he'd make a team is as a Kordell Stewart jack of all trades. (Surprisingly, Emmitt Smith just agreed with me on Sports Center tonight.) Although, at 30 years old, would his body be able to make such an adjustment after sitting in the pokey for so long?

Was there not any person in his life that knew he was involved in dog fighting that could have advised him against being involved in such an activity? Perhaps his biggest mistake was his inability to surround himself with the right people, which once again is a sign of his idiocy.

Sorry Mike Vick fans, I'm having a hard time getting my head around the fact that this guy was willing to throw his career away in order to run a dog fighting ring. I just don't understand it. I don't feel bad for Vick because anyone that would intentionally kill dogs in the method he did is absolutely sick, but I do pity this man.

Chase On His Way Back?

Finally, some good news on the Phils injury front. Here's the latest:

All-Star second baseman Chase Utley has been cleared to begin swinging a bat for the first time since he broke his hand in late July.

Utley also got the green light Monday from hand specialist Dr. Randall Culp to begin throwing without a splint.

A timetable for Utley's return will be set later in the week, but it is welcome news for the Phillies, who trailed the National League East-leading New York Mets by five games heading into Monday night. The Phillies were one game behind San Diego in the wild card race.

The way this team has looked against righties lately, Chase can't get back soon enough.

Big Day Saturday

This past Saturday was a big day in the D'Angelis household. First, I broke 100 for the first time in my golfing life at Riverwinds as a shot a mostly legit 95. Second, my Rutgers tickets came in. I will no longer have to worry about missing moments like above.

Life is good.

Lost Opportunity

The Phils flat out gave away two games this weekend to the Bucs. These are the type of games we'll look back at when this team misses the postseason by a game or two. As usual, the Phils were bitten by their Achilles heel this year, the 'pen. (Their repetitive inability to provide a professional level performance is really getting old.)

I don't know about you guys, but it really looks like this team needs Victorino and Chase back.

By the way, it might be time to put an APB on The Big Man. Where has his swing gone?

Your Guess Is Good As Mine

Does anyone really know the deal with Shawn Andrews. One day, he's on the verge of tears and makes comments that would make you think that he's gone for the year. Then, you hear comments from D Mac and Big Red and they try to make you think that the Big Kid just over reacted and he'll be the lineup opening day. I, for one, am totally confused. Why would Andrews get all worked up if this was a minor injury. I don't want to get all conspiracy on you, but I think something fishy is going on. Lord, I hope I'm wrong though because this team desperately needs the Big Kid if it is going to be a success this year.

Takin' Care of Bidness

Tonight, the Phils didn't play particularly well, especially offensively, but just like Tuesday night, they did enough to win. It was great to see some well pitched games this series, including tonight's gem from Hamels, but is anyone getting a bit concerned with the offense? Over the entire Nats series, the Phils struck out a whopping 36 times and scored only 9 runs. Chase and Victorino can't get back soon enough.

The Mets and Braves also lost tonight cutting the Phils' deficit in the NL East to 3 games. Things are looking up for the Phils as they head across state to face the Pirates. J.D. Durbin replaces Adam Eaton in the rotation for Friday night's game. We'll see this one turns out. I don't have a good feeling about Durbin lately.

Good News, Bad News

Last night was a good news/bad news (mostly bad news) evening for the Phils. As you are all aware, the Phils failed to get a key 7th inning hit and they fell 4-2 to the Nats. Compounding things was that both the Mets and Braves won. Plus, news came out that Victorino re aggravated his calf injury.

However, there was some good news. Adam Eaton, and his league worst ERA, was put on the 15 day DL. Rejoice people! This is good news!

Yo Russell, Welcome to Philly!

Wow, this guy couldn't have picked a better time to hit a game winning three run homer in his first Phils' at bat, huh? I had this game in the loss column for the Phightins and didn't even catch the homerun as I had flipped the channel. I guess I learned my lesson with this team. They never quit. Wins like these are what you need to make the postseason. The onlly unfortunate issue about last night's game was that we didn't pick up any ground in the division or wild card chases.

By the way, is it me or is Branyon the first power hitter we've had on the bench in forever?

Welcome Back To The NFL, Pinky

Upon hearing the news that Todd Pinkston was returning to the NFL with the 'Skins, I had to find and post a video of everyone's alltime favorite Pinky moment.

Enjoy!



God, I can't wait to play the 'Skins this year and see Pinky's reaction to B Dawk. He might sh*t his pants right and run faster to the locker room to change his drawers than Joe Pa did last year against Ohio St.

Did His Parent's Forget To Hit Spellcheck?

Today, the Flyers introduced potential second line winger Joffrey Lupul to the Philly media and I have a few questions.....

First, did Joffrey Lupul's parents just spell his name wrong on his birth certificate or was the ridiculous spelling of his name intentional? If it was intentional, what the eff is wrong with these people?

Also, was it necessary to have a press conference for a second line winger a month and a half after he was picked up in a trade?

Finally, can anyone believe this was the second story on Comcast Sports Nite this evening? There had to be something else more important, right?

By the way, Flyers training camp opens in less than a month.

Good Night, Good Hockey!

Uninspired

The above headline just about sums up tonight's 29-3 loss to the Ravens. Tonight's game was pretty much a debacle played by a bunch of guys who left their legs back up in Lehigh.

About the only guys who showed up were Brent Celek, whom I will never warm up to, and the Aussie punter. He killed the ball tonight with punts of 56 and 65 yards, but he later got belted with a cheap shot because he did not have his head on a swivel while running down field on punt coverage. I suppose he wasn't used to cheap shots like that back when he was playing Aussie Rules Football. The pretty boy kick returner, Jeremy Bloom, was not horrible, but I did expect to see more explosiveness. My wife was quite excited to see him on the field finally. If Bloom turns into a better than average kick returner, I'd say the odds of my wife buying his jersey are 98%.

Since this was only the first preseason game of the year and starters played limited minutes, you can't get too upset. However, the most disheartening issue was watching our #1 defense getting pushed around by the Ravens' starters. They couldn't stop the run and got limited pressure on the quarterback. Sounds awfully familiar, huh? I need to see improvement on Friday night before I start getting comfortable wit these guys.

The backup offensive line looked pretty terrible also and Tony Hunt really needs to work on his blitz pickup. He might get one of the QB's killed. On the bright side, the Birds didn't seem to get too beat up. Moats broke his ankle, but chances were slim that he was going to make the team. Let's also hope that Bloom and Ramsey's injuries are minor.

Overall, I wouldn't get too alarmed by tonight's game, but there wasn't much to get excited about either. Let's forget this game ever happened and move on to Friday's game.

Things To Watch For Tonight

There is no Phils game tonight, so I expect you all to watch the Birds' pre-season opener. That includes you, George!

To assist with your viewing pleasure, the Philly Sports Phan, a true football expert, has graciously provided you with several things to watch for during tonight's game (in no particular order):

1. Does Chris Gocong seem out of place out there with the first team defense? (I.E., Can he cover tight ends? Does he look comfortable making plays "in space" or is he mostly used as an aggressive blitzing outside linebacker? Hand in hand with #1 is how does the other competitor at strong side linebacker, rookie Stewart Bradley, look? He is a natural linebacker, so I will not be shocked if ultimately he beats out Gocong for the job.

2. Does Sean Considine look bigger and is he a factor in the run game?

3. Is there anyone other than Quentin Mikell that can possibly be a reliable backup safety?

4. How does the gigunda, Aussie punter, Sav Rocca, look in relation to Dirk Johnson?

5. Kevin Kolb

6. Kevin Kolb

7. Kevin Kobl. He is the only reason to watch the second half.

8. Broderick Bunkley. Is he penetrating and making plays in the run game or is he being pushed around?

9. Jevon Kearse. Can he get through the game healthy? That's all I care about. I wish the guy could wear a red jersey limiting his contact.

10. Jeremy Clark...he is a rookie DT that the press has been raving about at camp. An unsigned free agent always makes this team. Could he be the guy? If so, Reagor or Scott won't be here.

11. Kevin Curtis....how does he look? He's been the star of the camp according to reporters. Will it translate to the game field?

12. Max Jean Gilles and Winston Justice: Do either look like the could step in and play? With the way we are racking up injuries, they may get a chance to play this year.

13. Pray that Ryan Moats has a great preseason. If he does, we may be able to trade him.

14. Jeremy Bloom....Does this guy really have a shot to be the kick returner for this team?

15. Brent Celek....He's about our only hope at TE if LJ is out for an extended period of time. However, I refuse to fully acknowledge this guy due to this play.

Now pay attention to these items. There will be a test on Tuesday.

Now, Are You Starting To Believe?

Well, do you? Do you believe in this team?

This weekend's series against the Braves reminds me of that moment in the Matrix (I'm pretending the two sequels never happened) when Morpheus turns to Neo, after he rescues Trinity from a helicopter on its way to a crash landing, and says "Now, are you starting to believe?" Taking 2 out of 3 from the Braves certainly has the potential to convert a lot of non believers.

After the game, I received a message from my brother in law, an eternally optimistic Phils' phan, letting me know that he has the Phils in the postseason. I totally expected this message since he loves every guy on the team. He'll tell you J.D. Durbin could be a 15 game winner if given the chance. However, the more surprising message I received after the game came from my boy, Johnny Gold. He told me his totally believes in this team's post season chances. This message absolutely blew me away. Johnny usually doesn't give his heart over to the Phils so easily, but something about these gutty, gritty Phils has softened his stance.

As for me, I'm cautiously optimistic about the Phils' chances of making the posteason. I look at the schedule and it appears that the Phils could do some damage over the next 10 games. I also love how scrappy this group of Phils are and how they keep fighting. Friday's night's game was a perfect example as they did not get rattled when their ace was shelled in the first inning, but the team battled right back and tied the game in the bottom of the inning. I also really like how effective Myers is every other appearance. Most importantly, since it doesn't seem that the Mets are going to run away with the NL East, nor is anyone else totally dominating the Wild Card chase, the Phils should stay in both races. However.....

I still see Cholly make moves which range from head scratching to downright ridiculous. (As we witnessed tonight, his third base coach is just as bad.) We also have Adam Eaton getting shellacked every fifth day. Victorino, Bourne and Utley all appear to be out for at least another week. Don't forget that Myers looks like shit every other appearance also. How can this team stay in the race with these issues?

At the moment, I'm still undecided on this issue, but the Braves series sure makes me feel better about this squad's ability to knuckle up in big games.

Adding Insult to Injury

Philadephia may be "The City of Brotherly Love" and the home of cheesesteaks, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and Rocky Balboa, but it also houses the busiest orthopedic surgeons in the country.

After today's injury to Eagles' tight end LJ Smith, I started to go through all the injuries Philly teams have suffered in the past year and quickly realized that the list is staggering. The Phils have lost Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Brett Myers, Ryan Madson, Freddy Garcia, Jon Lieber, Shane Victorino, Michael Bourn and Tom Gordon for significant periods of time. The Flyers have suffered through injuries to Peter Forsberg, Mike Knuble, Jeff Carter, Todd Fedoruk, Antero Niitymaki, and Mike Rathje. Last year, the Birds lost D Mac, Lito Sheppard and the Freak. LJ Smith was hurt in the offseason and aggravated his injury today. The funny thing is that the only team we were hoping to suffer major injuries to improve their lottery standing was the Sixers, but the Sports Gods didn't smile on us with them.

Clearly, enough is enough. I think we've all had it up to our ears with the freakin' injuries. If I have to hear one more time how one of our athlete's condition will be diagnosed after a review of an MRI, I think my head might explode. Seriously, what do the sports teams in this city have to do to cure this problem? Is it a karma or feng shui thing? Should we consult a witch doctor or replace the training staffs?

I'm starting to think that inability for our athletes to stay healthy has become the single biggest issue preventing our teams from winning a title. (Yes, I do realize that talent has something to do with it, but look at the Phils. Add those injured players back in the lineup and what would their record be?)

Maybe we should all say a prayer for our athletes' health. Until someone else has a better idea, that's what I'm going with.

Uncharacteristic Victory

As I'm sure you've all noticed, the Phils are teasing us again. They have won their last three and are now seven games over .500 and only a game and a half out of the wild card spot. Whether they can keep up this tease remains to be seen. I think we all know my thoughts on the topic.

Anyhow, tonight's 6-4 win over the Marlins was really out of character for the Phils. We've all seen how the Phils have mastered the blowout victory rife with homers. However, tonight's game was a close fought game where the Phils had to manufacture most of their runs. Only two of their runs were courtesy of home runs. During the third inning, the Phils actually looked like an honest to goodness National League team. It was a sight behold.

The most part of tonight's games was the 2 and 2/3 innings of lights out pitching from the bullpen. The 7th, 8th, and 9th worked out just like the Phils brass drew it up. Brett Myers looked just about as unhittable in the 9th as we've seen Papelbon and Mo Rivera look. God, if only he can consistently repeat that performance.

As for other thoughts about tonight's game, Pat Burrell's awkward dive in the 7th (see above) was just about the funniest thing I've seen in months. I haven't seen a fall that awkward since the time Kelsey Grammer fell...see below:

-Big Suge's (Mister Nascar's new nickname for Ryan Howard-pronounced like Death Row Records Owner Suge Knight - is really catchy) failure to run out of the box after his 6th inning single to the left field corner annoyed the Philly Sports Wife to no end. Clearly, he would have had a stand up double had he been running upon contact. Since he scored on Rowand's homer during the inning, I suppose it doesn't matter all that much.

-Brett Myers needs to cut down his goatee. If he is going to continue to let it grow, he should just shave his balding head and he would look just like Scott Ian of Anthrax.

Football Fever....anyone else got it?

I don't know about you guys, but I cannot wait for the football season to get here. I simply can't get enough. I know I'm not alone. The ratings show that many of you agree...well, pretty much everyone except my buddy George.

At this point in the summer, I'm reading pretty much all the NFL and College Football information I can find. Christ, I even read a season preview for the freakin' Browns and J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS! With the Birds' and Rutgers in the midst of training camp, there is no shortage of information for me to follow. Plus, ESPN Radio is slowly turning into all football all the time. Now that the Bonds story is out of the way, I have a feeling that even more football will be discussed over the next couple days.

Things can't get any better right now. D Mac is predicting that the Birds reach the Super Bowl and RU is getting ready to take another shot at the Big East title.

The Birds' first preseason game can't get here soon enough.

Phils Roll and Bonds Takes His Place In Perpetual Infamy

As is their custom, the Phils got going early against the Fish and then piled on the runs last night on their way to a 11-1 laugher. The Big Man hit 2 homers and Burrell's hit streak came to an end. Other than that, there ain't much to say about last night's game. However, I do have one observation....did anyone notice that the Phils' broadcast graphics don't show the pitch speed when Jamie Moyer is on the mound. This annoys me to no end. I really want to see how slow Moyer throws the ball. I would find this very entertaining.

In any event, the Phils better load up this series because the Braves are coming and they look like the Texeira trade has them peaking.

By the way, Barry Bonds hit 756 last night. Thank goodness. As I said last night, I'm totally drained by the whole Bonds/Steroid story. Sports Center, I beg you. Can we please move on with our lives?

Great Eagles Camp Observations

I came across a really good Eagles' training camp summary from SI.com and figured I'd attach some excerpts for everyone's enjoyment:

1. Memo to anxious Eagles fans everywhere: He's fine. Really. Everything's going to be OK. Donovan McNabb may not be all the way back just yet, but if you didn't know the Eagles quarterback had blown out his right knee a little more than eight months ago, you wouldn't be able to tell from his early work in training camp.

"If that's being 75 percent for him, I'd love to see him get to 100 percent,'' Eagles running back Brian Westbrook said Friday after McNabb turned in another strong practice performance. "Minus the [knee] brace, you'd be hard-pressed to tell anything had happened to him.''

McNabb has been very accurate in camp thus far, and I saw him put pass after pass on the hands of his receivers Friday morning. He hit the newly acquired Kevin Curtis in stride on a bomb down the left sideline midway through live team drills, and he's moving around with aplomb, avoiding the pass rush and occasionally taking off if there's no open receiver in sight.

I'm convinced he could start a regular season game next week and fare pretty darn well for himself, but in reality he has more than a month before Philly's Sept. 9 opener at Green Bay to continue making progress. He'll make that without breaking a sweat, even though the Eagles may hold him out of the first two preseason games for precautionary reasons.

I asked him Friday if he wanted me to spread the word that he's good to go, so folks can stop asking him about the state of the knee?

"I've tried to do that in so many words,'' McNabb said. "But this is Philadelphia. It's something to talk about. The biggest question in camp this year is 'How's Donovan?' But really, I'm good. There are steps in this process, but getting back on the field and playing again, it's just like riding a bike.''

2. I think one of the trickiest things for the Eagles to figure out early this season will be how to duplicate the prominence Westbrook had in their offense during last year's late-season run to the playoffs. Westbrook himself is interested to know if a run-pass balance will be the byword with Philly's offense this season, after he was successful carrying so much of the load while the Eagles were winning six consecutive games without McNabb last season.

"I think a lot of people around the league were surprised, but I've been asking for that, to carry the load, for a while now,'' Westbrook told me between practices. "We've been a quarterback dominated team and we've won that way. But I would hope [last year] would influence us to run the ball a lot more than in the past. Andy [Reid] loves the passing game. Sometimes he gets bored with the running game.''

It wasn't too boring when Westbrook was helping the Eagles rescue their season last year. It was smart football by Reid and offensive play-caller Marty Mornhinweg. McNabb comeback or not, Philly shouldn't forget the winning formula that had Westbrook front and center.

3. I can't help but root for Takeo Spikes a little bit this year. The Eagles new weakside linebacker has been one of the best at his position in the first nine years of his career, but has yet to sniff the playoffs. He spent the past four years in Buffalo, and the five previous in Cincinnati. He made the questionable move of leaving the Bengals as a free agent after the 2002 season, just before head coach Marvin Lewis returned them to respectability (and the postseason in 2005). In four seasons as a Bill, Spikes played on just one winning team (9-7 in 2004).
With the Eagles, he's finally on a team that's favored to win, and has a recent track record for success. "That's your motivation, to be playing meaningful games late in the season,'' Spikes said. "Dick LeBeau, who coached me in Cincinnati and Buffalo, said you never reach your full potential as a player unless you have other great players around you. Now I do.''

4. Looks like Jeremy Bloom, the former Olympic skier who Philly drafted in the fifth round in 2006, is well positioned to handle the Eagles punt and kick returns this season. Bloom spent all of his rookie year on IR with a hamstring problem, but he's healthy again and has looked sharp in camp. The former moguls champion said last year that it would take his body time to transition from skiing to football, because of the different muscles and movements he used in each of them. Bloom's speed in the return game should give Eagles fans a few thrills along the way in 2007.

5. The Eagles are pretty happy with their depth at numerous positions. From this vantage point, they're deep at linebacker, receiver, tight end, quarterback, defensive end and in the secondary. For a team that lost a lot of key players to injury last season, Philly has done a nice job of trying to ensure that it can withstand a few such subtractions this year.

I think they're especially well stocked at linebacker with Spikes, Jeremiah Trotter and Chris Gocong as the expected starters, with rookie Stewart Bradley and a pair of second-year vets in Matt McCoy and Omar Gaither in reserve. At tight end, the Eagles go four-deep, with L.J. Smith, Matt Scobel, rookie Brent Celek and Lee Vickers all having chances to stick.

Of the three NFC East teams I've visited in camp (all but Dallas), the Eagles easily have the best depth. They're going to cut some players in the next few weeks who will be quickly snapped up by other NFL clubs. If I had to choose now, Philly would get my nod to defend its surprising division title of a year ago.

The more I read over the last day or so, I'm starting to think Matt Schobel will be cut. It also sounds that since McNabb looks pretty healthy, Big Red may return to his pass happy ways, which will surely aggravate us all. I'm also encouraged to hear that the linebackers appear to be a position of depth instead of a group of question marks. I'm not ready to jump on the Bloom bandwagon until I see the kid play on the pro level.

By the way, did anyone notice that both T.O. and Dante Stallworth are fighting injury problems? I have the feeling we're not going to be missing those guys all that much this year.

Don't know about you guys, but I'm really getting psyched for football.

Things That Annoy Me Tonight

While writing the last blog, I came across several things that annoyed me. Here is a brief list and they are not in sequential order:

The Wiggles: I just caught a commercial promoting this group's stop in Philly during a supposed World Tour and I felt compelled to mention a few things. There's no way around it....These guys are absolutely scary. I don't think they are human. In fact, I'm pretty sure they are hermaphrodites sent to America by Al Qaeda to soften the children of our country. There is no way I'm letting my daughter discover this crew. And if I had a son, I'd be awfully afraid of the impact these dubious life forms would have on his future well being.

The Dane Cook MLB commercials simply must go. I can't take him or his painfully forced commercials any longer. This guy looks as comfortable talking baseball as I would discussing the merits of a well balanced diet. Sorry, Dane Cook fans, I cannot find one redeeming quality in this guy. I still beg someone to explain to me his popularity with the 18-25 crowd. I know that fellow O&A fans like Johnny Gold and Tom Coughlin Blows agree with me on this point. Dane Cook is the Anti Christ and he must be stopped.

Barry Bonds : Dear Mr. Bonds, I implore you to please just hit that one last home run so I no longer have to hear about the dreadfully annoying steroids story. Barry, remember one more thing, when you be gone, you stay gone.

Note to the media: We all understand that all available evidence indicates that Bonds juiced. Therefore, can you please stop smashing us over the head with this topic over and over again. I think I speak for a lot of phans when I say that I simply do not care anymore. I’d rather hear much more about the Michael Vick and NBA ref scandal. The Barry Bonds/Steroids story is so 2005.

Thanks for listening guys, I just had to go on a brief rant.

Aaron Rowand Sighting...Continued

I finally got a chance to speak with my brother in law tonight about his Aaron Rowand, JD Durbin, and Kyle Lohse sighting. It turns out that Rowand was cool to my brother in law, but the rest of his friends thought he was a douche. Although, something tells me that he might have been a tad bit leary of getting too chummy with a bunch of dudes that have been drinking for 72 straight hours.

DK also reports that Rowand claims that his beer pong champion wristband was purchased in a store, but he's still pretty damn good at it. The bruise on Lohse's right arm extends from his right elbow to wrist. Not surprisingly, Rowand and his fellow Phils hung out at the bar for quite a few hours after the game. It appeared that the boys needed more than a few shots and/or beers to get the taste of Saturday night's horrendous loss out of their mouths.

My buddy Coz told me that Rowand nearly went apeshit when some dude tried to cut the bathroom line. Sounds like the heat of a pennant race and impending free agency is wearing on somebody, huh?

I wish I had some more juicy stories about this sighting or DK's Phils' road trip, but it appears to have been fairly tame. Plus, I doubt anyone cares for hearing about DK's alleged romantic conquests in the Cheese State.

Random Thoughts

First of all, I would like to thanks all of you for the well wishes on the birth of my daughter. Things are great so far. We are all adjusting to her being home. I return to work tomorrow and hope to get back on a normal schedule. How fatherhood affects my blogging remains to be seen, but it's not like I'm the first guy in the history of man kind to become a father. So, I'll go out on a limb and guess that everything with my blog, etc will work out. Plus, since football season is coming, it is pretty easy to find material to write about.

-Phils come back to earth out in the Midwest: While the lack of big hits in games against the Cubs and Brewers certainly didn't help, the return of our old friend, the brutal bullpen, doomed the Phils as they finished their 7 game road trip against the best of the NL Central one game under .500. Some things never change. The talent level ain't changing anytime soon in the 'pen, so we're sure to see more games like Saturday night's. Poor Cole Hamels. The guy could be looking at Cy Young level season if the bullpen didn't blow at least 3 wins for him.

The best thing about Sunday's come back was that I had no idea that the Phils rallied from 5 down in the 9th to tie the game. I only saw the highlights on Sports Final. I'm glad I missed it. I'm sure I would have been incredibly frustrated.

By the way, my brother in law went out to Wrigley and then Milwaukee to catch some of the Phils' road trip. He even told me that he ran into Rowand, Durbin and Lohse out at some Milwaukee bar. He said he was going to talk to them, but I never heard if he did. I'll fill you guys in if he did actually talk to those guys. I told him to ask Rowand about the "Beer Pong Champion" wrist band that he wears.

-Birds training camp continues: The best thing about this camp is that it has been quiet. As far as I'm concerned, no news is good news. However, I did catch a highlight of McNabb connecting with Kevin Curtis on a bomb over Sheldon Brown. That was nice to see.

-Rutgers opens the season at #16; Penn State is #18: I'm pretty satisfied with this ranking for RU. I think it is fair. To say I'm a bit worried with how this team will react to being the hunted instead of the hunter would be an understatement. I think that is the key to their entire season. If their heads did not get over inflated from all the good press this offseason, then they are on their way to at least a 2 loss season. I think Penn State's ranking is pretty justified also. I've heard a lot of people say that they could surprise in the Big 10. The best part of the opening rankings is that those frauds from South Bend, IN are unranked. Life is good.

-300: Caught the movie 300 this weekend. Pretty decent flick. The visuals were awesome and from I understand, the plot line is pretty close to being realistic. I give this movie the "serious high five". (Bonus points to anyone other than Muller that knows that movie reference.) Something tells me that 300 will be the new movie that every high school football team watches before a big game to pump themselves up.

-Michael Irvin cries like a little beeeeyotch at his Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony: Rumor has it that he was told prior to his speech that all drug dealers in the Greater Canton, Ohio Metropolitan area were tapped out of both weed and coke.