Flip Flop on Foppa?

It sounds like the Flyers are finally coming to their senses and going to shop Forsberg around to the highest bidder for the rest of the season. They also seem hopeful that Foppa will come back to the Flyers after the season (ala Mark Recchi's trade last Spring to Carolina and resigning in Pittsburgh this Summer).

Here is some interesting tidbits from Anthony Sanflippo's article in the Delco Times:

One informed rumor circulating out of New York has the Rangers expressing interest in Forsberg, but Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren said New York G.M. Glen Sather has not contacted him about the availability of the Flyers captain.

And while Holmgren wouldn’t go so far as to say the Flyers are shopping Forsberg, he did say the team would like to trade a group of players, which technically, Forsberg fits into.

"The assets that we have that we’re looking to move are guys in the last year of their contracts that are unrestricted free agents at the end of the year," said Holmgren. "And we only have a few of them. You don’t have to be a genius to figure out who those guys are."

Here’s the list: Forsberg, Kyle Calder, Mike York, Robert Esche, Sami Kapanen, Todd Fedoruk, Dmitry Afanasenkov as well as a couple guys on the Phantoms roster in the AHL.....

Forsberg has a no trade clause, but might approve a deal to a team that is in playoff contention, much like the Rangers.

"Yeah, that would make sense --but that’s you saying it," Forsberg told a reporter when asked about waiving his no trade clause.

"I don’t think I would go to a team that’s in 15th place or 14th place."....

Speaking of questions, how would the Flyers be assured Forsberg would return to Philadelphia in the summer, and not sign on with another team?

While it would be against NHL policy to have a handshake agreement between the two sides that would guarantee his return, there has been a precedent of sorts in many instances where deadline deals basically amounted to rent-a-player situations.These situations have ended with the traded player eventually re-signing with his former team....

The Daily Times has learned from a separate source that the answer is yes, the Flyers do anticipate both a trade of Forsberg before the deadline and will hope to re-sign him during the summer’s free agent signing period.

"I know he likes it here and we like him and we think he’s a great player and we think he can help us both now and down the road," Holmgren said.

Hell, the Flyers absolutely have to take this gamble. For all intents and purposes, this season is over, so why not get something back for Forsberg. Plus, there is no guarantee that Foppa doesn't decide to head back to Sweden for good after the season. If the Flyers can get a bidding war started between a couple of contenders, then the Flyers could get a couple of useful pieces for the rebuilding process.

To me this is a no brainer. I just pray that Holmgren doesn't screw it up.

Vindication!

To all those, including my buddy George, that did not consider Rutgers' outstanding football season as a local story, please see the following:

Rutgers head football coach Greg Schiano will be a guest on Comcast SportsNet's "Daily News Live" Monday evening at 6 p.m. Schiano, the 2006 National Coach of the Year and BIG EAST Coach of the Year, will be in attendance at the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Awards Banquet on Monday evening in Cherry Hill, N.J. as the PSWA honors the Rutgers football team as its "Team of the Year."

The honor is the latest in a long list from a memorable 2006 campaign for Schiano and the Scarlet Knights. Four Rutgers players earned various All-America honors in 2006 while 14 players collected BIG EAST All-Conference honors, the most of any conference school.

The Scarlet Knights ended the season 11-2 overall and 5-2 in the BIG EAST after the program's first bowl championship. Rutgers defeated Kansas State 37-10 in the Texas Bowl to tie a single-season school record with 11 victories.

Rutgers made its first appearance in the Associated Press Top 10 rankings in 2006 and ended the season ranked 12th – the highest season-ending ranking in school history.

So, I guess I'm not alone in considering the Rutgers' football season a local story. However, it is kind of sad when all the local pro teams are so bad that we have to turn to a team an hour away in Central Jersey as the local team of the year.

Are You Kidding Me?!?!?

Yes, for the first time since Andre Miller's first game with the Sixers, I half paid attention to a portion of a Sixers game. I watched the end of regulation when the refs bailed out D Wade and let him go to the line for three potential game winning free throws. I then watched the beginning of OT, but then quickly lost patience and realized about five minutes later that they actually won.

In case anyone cares, on Wednesday, they lost to the worst team in the league and then beat the defending champs tonight. This group of Sixers make absolutely no sense. Didn't someone send the memo to this team that they are supposed to lose out the rest of the year to ensure we get the best draft pick possible!?!?!

(FUTURE SIXER ALERT: By the way, Kevin Durant of Texas will be in Philly tomorrow playing 'Nova at the Wach. If you want to watch one of the guys I pray we are in position to pick, tune into CBS at 1:30.)

I heard rumblings tonight that Larry Brown may be back on the bench next year. I can't think of anyone better to mentor whomever we get in the lottery. No develops younger players like Larry Brown. I'm so excited about this idea. I just can't wait.

Andy Reid: Clock Management Expert, He Ain't

I read this in today's column by the Sports Guy and got a huge chuckle:

"Andy Reid's time-management skills are so pathetic that, if he was the ball dropper in Times Square on New Years Eve, I'm convinced the ball would hit at about 12:03 a.m.."

After all these years as a head coach, it still amazes me how bad Andy is at clock management. Although, things seemed to get better when Morningwheg took over the play calling because we were no longer wasting two time outs a half because of failing to get the play call to the QB in time.

In any event, Andy just has to get better at little things like clock management if the Birds are ever going to win a title.

Lifeless On The Ice And In The Stands

I went to the Flyers game tonight and came away feeling totally bummed. It's just not right what has happened to this once proud franchise. I felt like I came across an old friend and found him jobless, lonely, depressed, and having a bit of a drug problem.

Things just can't get any worse for the Orange & Black. Not only is the team is absolutely uninspired on the ice, but the Wach feels like a funeral parlor on game nights with no emotion whatsoever. The only thing that seemed to get the crowd mildly interested in the third period was some fat kid dancing in the upper deck during stoppages of play. What a shame. Flyers games used to be an electrifying experience. Now, they are more sleep inducing than Nyquil.

It seems like they just don't know how to get out of their own way. They have such a hard time in the defensive zone, whether it be making a clean pass out or defending odd man rushes. If this was a video game, someone would have hit the reset button and started over altogether. Unfortunately, the Flyers don't have that option.

Thankfully, the Flyers have a truckload of cap space going into next season as Tim Pannaccio detailed today on Hockeybuzz.com.

Hopefully, Mr. Snider will spend the money in the right places and right this ship. This franchise and its long time loyal phans deserve much better.

P Distracted

Sorry, but I'd be pretty distracted by Jessica Biel also. She's phenomenal!

Thanks to the people at What Would Tyler Turden Do for pointing out this one.

Banner Day For The Daily News

When the Eagles season ended, I thought the local sports media would basically mail it in until the Phils start in April and barely register a blip on my radar. Boy was I wrong. Yesterday was one of the more enjoyable days of sports writing that I've witnessed from the Daily News in quite a while.

Initially, it is quite apparent that the Daily News believes that Philly Sports Phans should be placed on suicide alert. They went way out of their way to make us feel better about the Phils' postseason chances this year, and also started trying to get us excited about the potential draftees that the Flyers and Sixers may be looking at now that it is pretty clear that both teams may end up with the first pick in their respective drafts. (By the way, have two teams in the same city, let alone two winter sports teams, ended up with the first overall draft pick during the same year? If anyone can provide this information, I will be eternally grateful.)

The Daily News included a very interesting article about how Paul Holmgren is scouring the planet to find the best available player to pick in next year's draft. As this article details, it appears to be the absolute worst year to have the first pick as there are no bona fide stars available....Figures, huh?

I particularly took notice that one of the kids they are looking at is a center from Quebec, named Angelo Esposito. Tell me you don't see this kid fitting in here in Philly. He'd be a fan favorite in South Philly and Washington Township about five minutes after he's drafted.

Next, Paul Hagen argues in his Phils Winter Carnival puff piece that Philly is really a baseball city. He details that:

In the period from 1983 to '85, when Marion Campbell was coaching the Eagles and the Phillies were coming off a time when they were going to the postseason nearly every year, it was the local baseball team that dominated the sports landscape.

And yet...

The Eagles, by losing to the Saints last weekend, assured that they will not be the team that triggers a championship parade down Broad Street this year.

All of which sets the table nicely for the Phillies, who will assemble for the first official workout for pitchers and catchers at the Carpenter Complex in Clearwater 29 days from now......

The coast is clear. The Eagles are done until training camp. The 76ers and Flyers have little to play for beyond a shot at the first overall draft choice. The Phillies suddenly have a roster chock-full of exciting young players - Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels - that fans can root for. They have been on the edge of making it to the playoffs for the past couple of years and have added a proven starting pitcher, Freddy Garcia, who could help push them over the top.

And should it all come together and result in a world championship, well, that would most likely result in a seismic shift in the football-baseball balance in the area.

"We're sitting in a good position," assistant general manager Mike Arbuckle, who has been with the organization since 1992, said yesterday at the media availability that coincides with the start of the team's offseason promotional push.

"Now we need to go out and win. The fans are hungry for a winner in any sport, so we have a great opportunity. I think the city wants to embrace this club. I think people are just waiting for the opportunity.".....

So is Philadelphia a football city like Pittsburgh and Oakland? Or a baseball city like St. Louis, and Boston?

The answer is both. Which way the pendulum swings just depends on which team has won the most lately. And, beginning April 2 against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park, it will be the Phillies' turn to try to stake their claim.

Puhhhleeeze. Sorry Paul, Philly is a football town. People only care about the Phils when they are doing well, which is basically never and I'm not counting on it happening this year either. The only thing that could change my mind is if someone guaranteed me that Pat Burrell regains his old form and a reliever falls out of a tree to help eat up innings. So, since the Phils will never win anything significant, I guess we'll never know if Philly can be a baseball town.

The venerable Bill Conlin also checked in with a great column. He humorously points out the flaws in Pat Burrell's swing as demonstrated in a picture of "Pat the Bat" from the January 2007 page of the Phils' calendar. He also notes that since Burrell was included as Mr. January and not featured in one of the "baseball" months, there is a still a possibility that he will be traded. (If we could only be so lucky.) However, most importantly, Conlin details that recently signed Phils' reliever Antonio Alfonseca has 6 fingers on each hand AND 6 toes on each foot!!! Frankly, this is amazing. I wondered if the extra finger somehow helps his pitching, but I learned on Wikipedia that "his extra small fingers next to his pinky have no influence on his pitching, as they don't touch the ball." Bummer. I also couldn't find any pictures of his hand...Bigger Bummer.

The fun did not stop there, my friends. Old Timers' Day continued with an enjoyable column from Stan Hochman who told us about a documentary film being made about the supposed curse of Billy Penn over our beloved sports teams. He even furthered the filmmakers' argument by smartly pointing out that the Birds lost to the Saints because:

Joe Banner had offended the gods of football by whining about the lack of love shown to owner Jeff Lurie (bad management); Shawn Andrews, their best offensive lineman, got hurt (bad luck); they couldn't stop Deuce McAllister all night (bad tackling); and they squandered their last shot at victory by punting on fourth down with less than 2 minutes left (bad coaching).

Yep, Saturday was another superfecta of Philly Sports Phutility. Thanks for so succinctly pointing it out, Stan.

Over the last two days, both the Inky and the Daily News ran full length articles detailing how the target of the Sixers draft affections, 7 foot Ohio State Center Greg Oden, is a great player and a great person. Admittedly, it really does sound like he's a good kid. I'd love to see him here after having a star that left something to be desired in the role model category. In any event, the Sixers sure appear to be in full tank mode hoping to get Oden.

Tonight, they did not disappoint as they got blasted by Memphis, who came into tonight with an even worse record. The great thing is that even if we lose the lottery and don't get Oden, the consolation prize, Kevin Durant of Texas, ain't so bad as the Sports Guy waxed poetic about in his colum about the Suns today. As a result, I'm sure Durant will be the subject of another article this week as the Daily News desperately tries to talk all of us Philly Sports Phans off the ledge.

Yeah...I know this was a long column, and I apologize, but there was way too much good stuff to let go uncommented upon. Plus, if our teams are going to suck, it helps if the sports writing is good. Thanks guys. If you can keep me entertained between now and Phils' opening day, you will certainly have earned your money.

I Guess The Loss To The Birds Finally Drove Eli Over The Edge

Check out these pics, Eli is losing it...I welcome facing this knucklehead twice a year.

To see more pics and an accompanying story, click here.

What Did You Expect?

If anyone was banking on free agency for the Birds to improve over the offseason, you can forget about it. Eagles' flunky Dave Spadaro has already set the stage for the Birds' offseason plan with his article today, titled "Eagles Must Trust Draft In This Off-Season".

Try not to get too frustrated by some of these comments:

You can take this to the bank, and you can factor this into how you fill the holes on this Eagles team: The Eagles must, must, must trust the draft of the last couple of years when they look ahead. There are some players who must step up and play key roles in 2007.

I know that when March rolls around, the fans are going to yell and scream that Player X "Is a great fit!!" And that "Player Y can put us over the top!!"

But it doesn't work that way. Free agency fills a hole here and there, but history shows that free-agency additions miss more often than they help.

Now, hey, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the Eagles will target one or two or three free agents and go hard after them. They've always been aggressive when they've seen players they think can make a difference and the results, frankly, have been mixed.

For much of this past season, the Eagles' 2006 draft class was largely criticized. There was minimal impact from the group, and in the end only linebacker Omar Gaither (fifth round) was a real contributor. Wide receiver Jason Avant (fourth round) saw some time here and there and defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey (sixth round) played early and then spent the rest of the season on the sidelines.

The Eagles insist that the '06 draft class will prove to be outstanding, so we should start seeing some of those players stepping into prominent roles in 2007.

And that, in the end, has to have an impact on how the Eagles approach their off-season thinking.

For example, the Eagles defense was described as "soft" by defensive coordinator Jim Johnson after the loss in New Orleans. It was the second time he referred to his group that way, and as the Eagles wade into the months ahead, they know they need to toughen up, add a harder edge, get better on defense.

Spit in the wind all you want. It's what we do in the off-season. Just don't forget that the Eagles have some young talent on here that has to play an important part of success in the immediate future. The Eagles have to trust their draft.

Since we all know that Spadaro is pretty much parroting things he's heard from the Eagles front office, this article is probably pretty legit. Great....I'm completely underwhelmed.

I'm so excited about trusting Bunkley (pictured above) and LaJuan Ramsey, guys that couldn't get off the bench all year, to be our running stuffing DT's. Even less thrilling is the fact that it looks like we'll be relying on Chris Gocong, a guy who was on IR all year and played against D II competition, to be our answer at strongside outside linebacker. Plus, that article seems to hint that we'll be replacing our small, slow, Polynesian kick returner with a smaller, slightly faster, white kid who hasn't competed in a legitimate sporting even since he flamed out in the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Wow...I don't know about you guys, but I already can't wait for next year. The 2007 Philadelphia Eagles: Feel the Excitement!

Our Trash Is Another City's Treasure

In case you have missed it, Jabar Gaffney is tearing things up for the Pats in the post season. So far, Gaffney has 18 catches for 207 yards in two games. If the name sounds familiar, it should. He is the same bum that the Birds cut out of training camp as he failed to learn enough of the offense to beat out either Greg Lewis or Hank Baskett.

This article goes hand in hand with the one I wrote last week regarding Chris Webber where I listed all the athletes we picked up past their primes. There is also an equally long list of players like Gaffney we cut or traded thinking they were bums, but turned out to be productive, or some times even All Star level, professional athletes. Just this past baseball season, Endy F'N Chavez was a productive role player for the Mets after being a total scrub for the Phils the year before.

Let's add a few more Philly mistakes to the list, shall we.....Derrick Burgess, Jimmy Smith, Cris Carter (Yes, I know the reasoning behind his release), Ferguson Jenkins, Lonnie Smith, Johnny Estrada, Ryne Sandberg, Brad Daugherty (yes, we did trade him in essence), Raja Bell, Tim Thomas, and, to a smaller extent, Matt Harpring.

Please feel free to remind me of more.

Is it me or does this happen more to our teams than any other city in the country?

Jack Is Back!

Now that the Birds' season is over and there is no reason to watch either the Sixers or Flyers, many of you are wondering how to occupy your time. Well, if you are one of the five people left in America who doesn't watch it, I strongly suggest you get on the 24 bandwagon. It seldom disappoints.

Right now, we're 4 hours into this season and already terrorists have detonated a nuke in LA and Jack has killed his right hand man in CTU field ops. Not a bad start, eh? Plus, the terrorists are in possession of other nukes and threatening to use them. If this doesn't get your attention, I recommend you go to a doctor to see if you still have a pulse.

In any event, this show turns me and my main man, Johnny Gold, into 14 year old chicks sending giggly text messages back and forth to each other, which usually consist of something along the lines of "Jack is a bad mofo" or "This is the greatest tv show in the history of earth". Well, Gold had me rolling on the floor Sunday night after Jack told CTU that he wanted out of the "life" because he didn't think he had the stomach for torture, killing, etc. I immediately got the following text message:

He doesn't know if he can do this anymore? Didn't he just kill a guy by eating his throat out about ten minutes ago?

See what the uninitiated are missing?

In case you're interested, here's a pretty good summary of what to expect this season from The Best Week Ever.com.

Big Red and 4th and 15

In case anyone is wondering about my take on 4th and 15, I believe Andy should have went for it, but to me it is a really close call and I have the benefit of hind's sight. I was not all that opposed to his decision, but realized it was risky with the state of the Birds' dog-tired, ineffective defense.

Although, as I wrote right after the game, this decision did not win or lose the game for the Birds. The game was lost on the 3rd and 1 call down at the goal line early in the 4th quarter and the play calling prior to the 4th and 10 play after we recovered Reggie Bush's fumble late in the game.

Basically, I think Eagles phans are harping on 4th and 15 as a convenient play to place their anger. It's time to move on, guys. There are other areas to place your anger. Quite simply, the coaches and players as a whole have to be held accountable for this loss.

The Birds did not deserve to win this game as the Saints were better than them Saturday night, but the game was totally winnable and there for the taking. They received a gift turnover late in the game that they could have used to take the lead or tie the game, but did absolutely nothing with it. Put the Pats, Belichick, and Brady in the same spot and those guys take the ball down field and leave no time on the clock as they score the winning touchdown.

This game simply showed that there is a difference between Reid and Belichick as game day coaches. Big Red is a fine head coach during the week while putting together a game plan and getting the team is ready to play, but on game day, he just doesn't do enough to win close, pressure filled games against the very best of the profession. Unfortunately, it's something we're just going to have to accept.

The Biggest Controversy Of Saturday Night....

Thank You Note Located At Nova Care Complex

Dear Andy Reid, Marty Morningwheg, Jeff Garcia, Brian Westbrook and especially Scott Young,

I would personally like to express my gratitude towards your generosity for not ruining my rookie year by taking advantage of my gift fumble late in last night's game.

Right after I totally dropped that perfectly placed pitch, I fully expected you guys to march down field to win last night's game and subject me to an entire offseason of questions about how I ruined our dream season. Thankfully, you guys totally choked and didn't even get a first down, let alone get in position to win or tie the game.

To Scott Young, please be advised that I will be making a donation in your name to the Church of Latter Day Saints. Thanks again, buddy!

Finally, I would like to wish the Eagles and the entire city of a Philadelphia a great offseason, but please excuse me as I must be going. I have to get ready to rape and pillage that fraudulent Bears defense next week.

Your friend,


Reggie Bush

P.S. Please tell Sheldon to not get too excited about that hit he laid on me yesterday. I was hit harder last year in Pac 10 games.

You're Back On Deck, Big Fella

The Birds are done....

The Sixers and Flyers absolutely blow and have no chance to make the playoffs....

The city is yours again, Big Man. It's yours to take by the balls and do with it what you please.

See you in April.

I Guess Life Could Be Worse....

Well...I'm pretty freakin' far from ok after tonight's loss, but guess what, as upset as I am, I still wouldn't switch places with this guy:

Strahan ordered to abide by prenup, pay $15.3M

NEWARK, N.J. -- New York Giants star Michael Strahan was ordered to pay his ex-wife $15.3 million -- more than half his net worth -- in keeping with the couple's prenuptial agreement.

Under the agreement, Jean Strahan was entitled to 50 percent of their joint marital assets and 20 percent of his yearly income from each year they were married.

"She's grateful to the court," Jean Strahan's lawyer, Ellen Marshall, told The Associated Press on Saturday. "She looks forward to her future, raising their children and moving forward."

A call to Michael Strahan's attorney, Robert Penza, and his agent, Tony Agnone, were not immediately returned.

The NFL star had contended he wasn't responsible for the 20 percent because his wife failed to ask for it every year. But state Superior Court Judge James Convery disagreed, ruling "the plaintiff is not credible in his claim that the defendant never asked for her separate funds."

In addition to the $15.3 million, Convery awarded Jean Strahan hundreds of thousands of dollars in child support. The couple married in 1999.

"It pays to tell the truth, and I told the truth," Jean Strahan said in Saturday's New York Post. "I never asked for a penny more than the prenup that Michael and his lawyers wrote and made me sign. And all I ever asked for was that to be upheld."

ESPN.com

Hahahahhahahhaha...Couldn't happen to a better guy! And you wonder why all the sudden he's doing Subway commercials....I think we have our answer.

Thoughts On Tonight's Game

• We lost tonight's game mainly in two sequences....the play calling when we had a 2nd and 1 early in the 4th quarter and only came away with a field goal. The other spot where we lost this game is obviously the play calling after the recovery of the fumble. Just brutal. In the two games we played against the Saints, I don't think we ran one successful screen pass. Their defense was too keyed in on that play. The second down pitch didn't fool anyone either. Great teams take advantage of that gift turnover. We didn't....We weren't a great team I suppose.


• The team spited themselves by never getting Michael Lewis back into the lineup. He would have been much more effective against the Saints running game than Considine, who once again proved to me that he is not a starter in the NFL.


• The loss of Andrews hurt. He was missed. It sounds like his injury could be serious. I think I speak for the entire Delaware Valley when I say I pray that he is fine.


• Juqua Thomas, Garcia, and Stallworth should all be re-signed.


• Did all of you Garcia supporters finally realize that the shine came off the turd....We could have used #5 tonight. He would have made the difference.


• Hey Banner....I told you that your comments were a bit presumptuous. I guess I was right, huh?


• Dick Stockton and Moose Johnston were brutal announcers tonight.


• I can't believe it took me this long to say, but B West is one helluva running back. I hope these last two months show Big Red that next year they have to utilize him more even if D Mac is healthy.


• Why didn't we throw to the tight ends more?


• The most frustrating thing for me is that even though we once again showed we can't stop the run, I seriously doubt we'll spend the money or draft players to fill in spots on the defense.


• I thought Sheldon Brown damn near killed Reggie Bush in the first quarter.

How I Feel Right Now

Look, I could go on and on about how tough tonight's loss was to take, but this clip describes it pretty well.

PSP's EAGLES PICK

All day, I've been on the edge of a nervous break down. I've intentionally avoided my buddy the Captain as I know he's feeling the same and I can't add any additional angst to my life right now.

Thankfully, the Flyers have taken my mind off it a bit as they've showed some life in the 2nd period against the Pens, but I'm fully expecting them to fall apart in the last period as I'm sure Commissioner Bettman called the Refs to ensure no one puts a hand on Cindy Crosby the rest of the game.

Ok, back to more important matters....I still haven't thought of a legitimate, rational reason for why the Birds win tonight, but I'm going to be a phan tonight. I'm going to hearken back to the 9th of November, 2006 to find inspiration for this evening. On that night, I gave my Scarlet Knights no chance against the then #3 ranked Cardinals of Louisville. I thought the Cards were too strong and my Knights were not up to the task of beating them. Well, I think we all remember how that game ended....

That game showed me that there are times to throw conventional wisdom out the window and just believe. I think tonight is also one of those nights.

Eagles 27....Saints 20.

Believe.

Go Birds!

No Love For Our Birds From The "Experts"

I was polling the "Experts" on their picks for today's game and not finding a lot of love out there.

• Four out of four writers picked the Saints on SI.com
• The ESPN.com experts are split 4-4 on this game
• Five out of Six CBS.Sportsline.com experts prefer the Saints
• My idol, Bill Simmons (aka ESPN.com's "The Sports Guy"), also picked the Saints to roll.
• Jeez, even 6 out of 9 writers for the Daily News picked the Saints
• I'd give you the Inquirer picks, but it looks like the layoffs have hurt them so much that they didn't even list their writers' picks
• I also found out that my man Coz picked the Saints in the Gloucester County Times today.

I kind of like it when the world is against us...what about you guys?

Philly Has Arrived In The Big Easy

I wish I was down there for this....




Go Birds!!!!

One More Thing....

Does Jeff Garcia need to paraded around like a Yeti captured in the wild? He made another friggin' appearance at a Forman Mills tonight. Call me crazy, but shouldn't Jeff be doing something else....like looking at game film? Seriously, how much money could he be making by hawking these stupid T Shirts? Jeff, please do us all a favor...go home, hang out with that piece of ass pseudo fiance, watch some game film and prepare for Saturday's game.

Plus, Sheldon Brown was a Modells signing autographs. Guys, there will be plenty of time for this B.S. after our playoff run is over.

To make matters worse, a large portion of the good people of South Philly South (aka Washington Township, NJ) camped out hours ahead of time to see Garcia like they were waiting to buy Van Halen concert tickets. I worry about the citizens of this town. I really do.

In case you haven't been able to tell, I'm really starting to worry if this team has jumped the shark between these ridiculous appearances and Joe Banner's ill will generating comments in the Inky. The Fear Factor for this week is coming close to reaching the red. In fact, right now, I'm a mushroom cloud-layin' motherf*&ker, motherf*&ker. Every time I see another Eagle showing up to a Modells or Forman Mills for a meet and greet, I'm like "SUPERFLY TNT." I'm "THE GUNS OF THE NAVARONE."

In short, be afraid of the Saints, people. Be very afraid.

Say It Ain't So, Joe

By now you've all heard about Joe Banner's comments in today's Inky. In case you missed it, here are the excerpts causing all the fuss:

The fans' reaction to Lurie bothers Banner, who also would not rank among the region's most popular people even though he has helped produce a consistent winner.
"I have to tell you, that's personally frustrating to me in a public-relations sense," Banner said. "I know this is controversial, but I don't think there's another owner who would have kept this team in Philadelphia for the economic deal we got on our stadium.

"I'm not trying to belittle the public contribution, but as it relates to what other cities did and other offers we had from other cities, I can't imagine many owners that would have come from someplace else and had the kind of loyalty that he demonstrated to these football fans and this city and the history of the franchise. I don't think anybody recognizes that. I don't think anybody thinks of that."

Seriously, were these comments necessary? We're on a roll, Joe. Shut your mouth and know your damn role. I think there are some beans in the office that need counting.

Plus, the whole tone of this article seems way too self congratulatory for a team that is only in the 2nd round of the playoffs. We haven't won a damn thing yet, Jeff and Joe. Can we please just wait until we get to the Super Bowl before we start genuflecting to each other?

Another In A Long Line Of Pick Ups Past Their Prime

Dale Murphy, Art Monk, Dale Hawerchuk, Dikembe Mutombo, Lance Parrish, Mark Bavaro, Paul Coffey, and Jeff Hornacek....The list goes on and on.

While Philadelphia may not win titles, we sure do lead the world in picking up star players about a year or two past their primes.

We can now add Chris Webber to the list of former All Stars that flamed out in Philly. For those of you have missed it, Chris Webber and his bad knees are on their way out of town as the Sixers bought out his contract.

Bye, bye C Webb. I'm sure we'll see you providing quality bench depth this Spring for someone in the playoffs.

Birds' Question of The Week

How in the world do we stop Drew Brees, his merry band of WR's, Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister?

Seriously, with the limited talent available to him, how is Jim Johnson going to slow this offense down? The easy answer is to pressure Drew Brees into mistakes, but we haven't gotten a pass rush from the defensive line since the first Dallas game. As a result, if JJ wants to get any pressure on Brees, he's going to have to bring the blitz. However, if we do blitz, Brees will likely get rid of it before the pressure reaches him. Plus, Sean Payton seems pretty confident in having figured out how to beat JJ's defensive schemes. As SI reported after the Saints/Birds first matchup:

Before coming to New Orleans, Payton had been an offensive assistant for seven years in the NFC East (with the New York Giants from 1999 to '02 and the Dallas Cowboys for the past three years), and at a meeting last Wednesday he told the team he'd gone 9-6 against Philly during that span. Stressing the importance of avoiding turnovers and third-and-longs, Payton assured his Saints, "Follow my formula, and we'll win the game."

Well, if we aren't going to pressure the QB, then our DB's and LB's are going to have to play the game of their lives. Making this scenario less likely is the fact that Lito is out this week with Rod Hood taking his place and Will James (formerly Will Peterson) stepping in as the nickel corner. I'm sure Marques Colston, Devery Henderson and the hobbled Joe Horn are licking their chops over these matchups. Plus, B Dawk can only help so much with covering the wide receivers when he is likely our only hope to slow down Reggie Bush coming out of the backfield.

Also, let's not forget about our less than stout run defense. With our defense being overly concerned with stopping a potential aerial circus, will our front seven be able to stop Deuce between the tackles and Reggie Bush out on the flanks? Based on past history of this defense, the easy answer is obviously NO.

Ok, feeling confident now? Sorry guys, but the realist in me has me feeling less than overly confident about our chances of slowing these guys down. The only hope I see for our Birds against the Saints offense is to be opportunistic with all potential turnover opportunities. Additionally, we need our offense to have long clock consuming drives to keep Brees and Co. on the sidelines and not let them get into any rhythm. (Think the 1990 Giants/Bills Super Bowl.) If anyone else has any other views, let me hear them.

Of course the phan in me says we still win some way, some how. I just can't think of a tangible reason yet...Don't worry, I'll come up with something before Saturday.

Yep, It Has Become This Bad for the O&B

Now, only if I could find a similar picture of a guy in a Sixers' jersey....

Does Anyone Think This Is A Good Idea?

I love the Birds as much as the next guy, but frankly, I think tattooing the Eagles logo anywhere on your body (especially a visible portion of your body like this Gentleman) is batshit crazy. Anyone disagree?

Shawn Andrews' Interesting Take on Weight Gain

I got a chuckle out of the bolded comment in this excerpt from this intesting ESPN.com article on Shawn Andrews:

Philadelphia's first-round choice in 2004 and the 16th player selected overall, Andrews looked promising his rookie season. He earned the starting job at right guard with an impressive training camp on a Super Bowl-caliber team. But his first season ended after just one game when he suffered a fractured fibula in his right leg against the Giants.

"Someone fell on my leg from behind and I just heard a snap and had this warm feeling," Andrews recalled. "I just thought, 'Wow, there goes my year.' Part of me said 'uh-oh,' because I never had an injury of that caliber before."

He quickly dropped 12 pounds after the injury. The broken leg prevented Andrews from being able to get up and eat regularly. "Once I was back on my feet," he said, laughing, "I was able to get back to my cheesesteak places, and I put the weight back on again and then some."

Somehow, I don't think I'd have the initial weight loss success if I suffered a similar injury. However, I'm quite impressed with how quickly Andrews found a favorite cheesesteak place in his rookie year. Nicely done, Big Kid.

What If....

...Jim Mora had coached Ohio State last night? If he did, I think the press conference would have sounded like this:

View From The Linc

I love these camera phone videos that pop up after every great sporting moment or execution of a world leader. Here's the latest:

Random Thoughts After Birds/G Men

Of course, I couldn't let Sunday's win by the Birds over the G Men just fade away without a couple more comments.

1. I caught the following from Jerry Izenberg's outstanding column in the Sunday Newark Star Ledger:

Over the years, the Eagles fans have taken a hard rap up in the Great Megalopolis, starting with the December afternoon when they pelted Santa Claus with snowballs. But they are more like Giants fans than Giants fans would ever admit. Both groups set the bar extremely high. Both groups are passionate to a fault. Both groups are not at all averse to booing the hell out of the objects of their affection if they feel they are performing below expectations.
******
The Giants are coming into a town where the constituency feels the scorn with which New York arrogantly sees it.

That bolded statement pretty much sums up my feelings towards the Giants and their fans. It's shame it took a guy from North Jersey to verbalize it, but that's the state of sports writing in this town, I suppose.

2. According to Peter King in this week's MMQB column, the Birds play an NFL leading 9 playoff teams next year. Wow, more the reason to take advantage of our opportunity this year!

3. I'm so happy the NFL chose to protect the comfort of Bears fans instead of ensuring that the Birds have an equal opportunity to prepare for Saturday's game against the Saints. As for the NFL's scheduling of Saturday's Birds/Saints game, the Daily News reports:

A league source told the Daily News that worries about having Chicago fans sit outside for a second consecutive night game - the Bears finished the regular season on Sunday night, Dec. 31 against the Packers - are the reason the Bears-Seahawks game is on Sunday afternoon while the Eagles-Saints (to be played indoors) is on Saturday night.

That it is a real competitive disadvantage for the Eagles apparently did not compare to the comfort of Bears fans. Weather ruled over a level playing field - even though this is a league that has played night playoff games in cold weather cities repeatedly in recent seasons, including in Green Bay and New England.

4. As both John Smallwood and Screamin' A. Smith both point out today, I still don't think the Giants realize that they stink. Here are some great comments:

From Plaxico Burress: "We can still do special things, but when we go out there and do things the way we do, we're just an average ballclub. I do really believe that we are a better team."

From Jeremy Shockey: "Everybody said we just skated into the playoffs. I think we played hard today and left it on the field. We could have won this game and been on our way to Chicago . I'm proud of this team."

From Tom Coughlin: "We played our tails off. We fought. There was no quit in this team. Obviously, you can always find things you're disappointed in, that you could have done better, following a loss. But that doesn't take away from the fact I'm proud of these guys. Proud to coach them. Proud of the season we've had."

5. Picture Of The Game....maybe of the season:

6. Spadaro being Spadaro...I found this in his column today:

By the way, is anybody complaining about the field at Lincoln Financial Field now? I didn't see guys slipping. I didn't see any kickers lose their plant foot on field goals. The grass isn't August-green, but it played firm and held up extremely well. I love have a real-grass field. Play with the elements. The only thing that stinks about Saturday is playing in the Dome. Hate 'em.

This guy must be blind. That field is brutal. His homerism never disappoints.

FLYERS LOSE AGAIN...WHO CARES! BIRDS WIN!

Yeah, the Flyers blow...Of course, today is about the Birds. Just trying to fake you guys out. Read the next two posts for my Eagles coverage.

Long Strange Night For PSP

When it comes to my Birds, many of you know that I am incredibly superstitious. I've worn the same clothing during win streaks. (I will not touch my McNabb jersey, as I was wearing it the day #5 tore his ACL and put the season in jeopardy). I can just about remember where I've watched every big Eagles game in the last two decades in order to avoid watching games at places that didn't bring the best of luck.

Plus, I try to watch big games with just about the same crew of people. I understand their quirks as a Birds phan, and they understand mine. Sure, it's become harder to catch the games together as we're all married now and most have children, but when it's time to knuckle up for a big Birds game, we get the band back together. My crew includes:

1. The Captain: The Biggest Eagles Homer this side of Merrill Reese;


2. Johnny Gold: One half of Doom and Gloom with yours truly. Johnny quits on this team about 74 times a season...and that's when they are making a playoff run;


3. Mister Nascar: A huge Cowboys fan and Eagles hater....Why do we watch the games with him? I'm not sure. He tempers our enthusiasm most of the game and puts down the entire Eagles' franchise at every turn. It's kind of like watching the game with old time WWF heel announcer Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. However, he gets into incredibly heated, but enjoyable arguments with The Captain, really knows football and just generally makes things more fun despite his hatred for the Birds; and


4. Big Daddy Chad: Mister Nascar's brother is pretty quiet for most of the game, but Chad is the master of the dry, seriously funny one liner when no one is expecting it to loosen the tension of big games.

In addition to my Eagles' superstitions, I think most of you also know that I'm a huge fan of the show "My Name Is Earl" and believer of the whole karma thing that show promotes. Tonight, I really tempted fate, karma, juju, etc. and if the Birds had lost, you could have all blamed me.

Here's the story....Sunday was my father in law's birthday and my mother in law decided to have "The Wife" and I over for a little dinner for him during the game. Since he has a huge big screen, we were ensured that we wouldn't miss a second of the game. You're all probably saying "what's the big deal? You weren't going to miss the game!" Normally, that would be the case, but since yours truly, the Birds, and the Kelly house at 6 Hartford Circle are all involved, a history lesson is needed.

The first time I ever watched any moment of an Eagles' game at my in laws was back on October 7, 2001. The Birds promptly lost a heartbreaker that day to the Arizona Cardinals as Jake Plummer threw a desperation TD pass on one of the last plays of the game. I knew right then and there that this house was cursed and I should never watch another game in these premises as the karma just ain't there for me. Before today, I had only watched one other game there....the final game of the 2003 season, which the Birds did win 31-7, but the consequences of this game ultimately ended their season as Westbrook was lost for the year due a triceps injury.

Taking this prior history into account, I still decided - against my better judgment - to celebrate may father in laws birthday by heading over to their house for the second half of tonight's game. I had watched the first half with the usual crew and when I left, the Birds were up 17-10 and looking like they were ready to go on a run to put the game away. I got a ton of grief from the crew, but I wanted to see my father in law and enjoy my mother in law's veal saltimbuca.

Well, as soon as I got there, I could tell this wasn't a great decision. The Birds couldn't get out of their own way for most of the second half and the defense started to loosen, allowing the G Men to tie the game.

As soon as the G Men tied the game, I made my decision. I had seen enough. 6 Hartford Circle had beaten me. I hightailed it out of there and drove back to Mister Nascar's to salvage victory for our Birds, or I don't think I would have been able to look myself in the mirror for the entire offseason.

I think we can all agree. I made the right call. As soon as I left, the Birds drove right down the field, eventually winning the game on David Akers' 38 yard field goal as time expired.

Here's the catch. I did not see any of the last five minutes of the game. As I pulled up to Mister Nascar's, Akers field goal had just split the uprights. In any event, I still feel good about my decision. I sacrificed my own viewing pleasure of the game to sacrifice for the good of the Birds. I feel much better. I will sleep well tonight.

Of course, there may be some of you out there, including my wife and in laws who think I am absolutely crazy, but I disagree. I knew exactly what I was doing. You can all thank me later.

Win And Move On

It is the mantra of every team in the NCAA Hoops Tourney. Win and Move On. The Birds' last second 23-20 win over the G-Men embodies the very spirit of that slogan.

It was ugly and incredibly frustrating at times. The overall effort was a bit uneven. Jeff Garcia was inconsistent for most of the game. The defense reverted to some of its bad habits from earlier in the year by failing to stop the run and get off the field for some key third downs. In the end, all these things did not matter as they still won due to B West, the o-line, the early play of the defense, and clutch kicking on the part of Green Akers. (I guess Big Red knew what he was doing bringing back Koy Detmer, huh?)

It is one of the few truths of the NFL: a win, is a win, is a win in the NFL playoffs. Plus, as the Cowboys have proved over the past decade, playoff wins sure aren't easy to come by. So, let's not get too critical over this one even if this performance looked as good as Britney Spears after an all night drinking binge in Vegas.

As I predicted, this was a close one, but it was a little too close for comfort. Plus, I doubt there was anyone in the Delaware Valley who didn't have that "deja vu"/"here we go again" feeling when the G Men came back to tie the game with five minutes left in the fourth . In fact, in order to change things up, I totally left my in laws after the G Men tied it and went to my buddy Mister Nascar's house to catch the end. More on that later....

What more can you say about B West? Not only was his second quarter 49 yard TD run a work of beauty, which easily becomes the second most famous run in Eagles' postseason history, but he absolutely willed the team down the field to set up the winning field goal. It seemed as if he and the o-line knew that they had to rise to the occasion if they were going to win this game. As we all witnessed, they very simply would not be stopped by the G-Men's patch work defense on their way to securing this win.

Plus, along with B Dawk, B West is now the heart and soul of this team. I think Tiki said it best tonight in his post game press conference when he said that Westbrook "reminds me of myself" and "is so underrated". He also added that "when they needed a play, he made it for them." (I think you'll all agree that we can only be so lucky, if B West replicates Tiki's great career.)

In any event, if the Birds have any plans on reaching Miami, we're going to need two more of these performances out of Westbrook. Although, does it anyone else think it curious that B West is not utilized as much in the short passing game with Garcia at the helm? I'd like to see that change next week.

Now that the G Men have been vanquished back to Soprano-land, we're off to N'Awlins to get some revenge against America's "New" Team. This is going to be a tough one as everyone wants this team to win and they're pretty damn good on offense, but the Birds definitely have a shot if they can control the ball on offense and limit the big play on defense. Without a doubt, they have to play much better this week. The effort they gave today, will not cut it down in the Big Easy.

The Birds just need to remember the mantra: Win and move on, baby. Win and move on!

Fear And Loathing in Philadelphia

We are still 2+ days from Sunday and you know what that means before a big Eagles playoff game in this city....the fear is kicking in.

I can feel it listening to 610. I feel it talking to my friends (especially the Captain). We are starting to get a little edgy about this game. We think we can win, but we're not entirely sure.

We see the stupid bulletin board comments by Trent Cole and it unnerves us a bit. We hear that Shockey practiced today and we get a little more unsettled. Panic really sets in after read Les Bowen's Daily News article today about how the Giants are the first team to get a second shot at Version 2.0 of the 2006 Eagles and the adjustments they plan to make.

Sure, the media eggs it on, but we really can't help it. It's in our DNA. No matter how much it looks like we outclass an opponent, at some point during the week leading up to the game, our city will reach a point where a mass nervous breakdown could ensue.

I've read and watched various interviews with noted Philadelphia Sports Psychologist, Joel Fish, where he has opined that our insecurity towards our teams arises out of our inferiority complex as a city compared to N.Y.C. and D.C. I disagree. I think it arises out of our fear of being hurt again by our teams.

After 23 years without a title, we've become like love scorned chicks. We're afraid to give ourselves up totally to our teams and believe in them. We're always waiting for the next shoe to drop. That might lead us to be negative and impatient towards our teams, but I think that's natural. I doubt even Mother Theresa could stay positive through this title-less streak.

Surprisingly, I have felt pretty positive about this week's game. I had two Giant fan friends tell me today how they feel they have no shot on Sunday and even want to see the G Men lose if it hastens the firing of Tom Coughlin. This led me to email my buddy the Captain and tell him how confident I was feeling about Sunday. Judging by his response, I think my positivity freaked him out. He reminded me that I'm one half of "Doom and Gloom" with our buddy Johnny Gold and things wouldn't be right if I started getting positive about our chances. I took his statement to heart.

I have to admit that I'm back on the nervous side after listening to a little bit of NY's WFAN and reading Bowen's article on the way home tonight. So much for trying to be positive, huh?

Sunday can't get here fast enough.

You Make The Call

More Annoying Injury: Barbaro's Hind Leg or Peter Forsberg's Foot?

Of course, the coverage of the Barbaro broken leg was a bit over the top, but it was somewhat understandable as the poor horse's injury was life threatening.

I don't know about you guys, but I've had enough with the Forsberg Right Foot problem and the inability to find a skate and orthotics to fit his foot properly. I read today that 16 different specialists have looked at the foot/skate issue this season alone. This is absolutely ridiculous. I don't think this guy wants to play with this group of stiffs and and wants to get back to Sweden.

Why doesn't he just retire and speed up the process so we can be spared the same story over and over again for the next 4 months?

Tiki In A Rush To Start His New Career?

Of course this is a great photoshopped picture from Profootballtalk.com, but if I'm a Giants fan, I have to wonder if Tiki is mentally prepared for this game. I read the following in Peter King's MMQB column this week:

I think I'm not sure I buy Tiki Barber to Disney. Not yet, anyway. The New York Post reports today he'll take a four-year, $10-million deal to work for ABC news shows and ESPN football shows. Agent Mark Lepselter scoffed at the story this morning but wouldn't deny it. "I give it no credence,'' he said. "There's only two people in the world who know what Tiki's going to do in TV -- me and him. We haven't told anyone at the networks yet.'' Look for an announcement a day or two after the Giants' season ends.

Giants fans, do you really think this guy is focused for Sunday?? He's considering a $10 million offer and ready to make an announcement that soon after the season. Puhleeeeze. If the Birds start pounding this guy like they have done in their two previous matchups this season, he'll be ready to quit in the first half and it will be early ending for the G-Men.

Eli At His Best and Worst

I know...I know....this one has been around forever, but I'm sorry. It just makes me laugh every time I look at it and figured I'd share it with the one or two people who might not have seen it.

How can I be afraid of this week's game, when this is the guy that will be leading the Giants against our Birds?

By the way, that is one fine looking white woman he's hanging with.

Yawn...Sixers Beat AI and Nuggets & Surprise, Surprise, AI Rips Franchise

I watched about 20 seconds of tonight's game, but the Sixers won again beating AI and the Nuggets 108-97. AI dropped 30 on his old mates, but it wasn't enough as he was tossed out of the game in the 4th quarter.

(By the way, will someone please tell the Sixers to stop f'n winning!!!! We're trying to win the damn lottery! Knock this sh*t off!)

Also, AI ripped the franchise before the game. Here are the highlights:

"Just to hear me out. I think any coach would, and any organization would,… When you're losing basketball games, 12 of 14, 18 of 20 basketball games, you should listen to somebody because something obviously isn't working."

"I thought Andre's playing the point guard position wasn't the right move for us and that team that we had. They wanted to do that and I didn't feel like that was helping us win. We were losing basketball games. Andre Miller is a better fit at point guard for that team. He was put directly into that position. They felt I couldn't get that job done there. But I'm pretty sure I can get it done here."

Iverson said he wouldn't greet Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks before or after the game at the Pepsi Center, either.

"I don't feel like I have a need to. It is something that I don't want to do. For what? I don't have no beef with him. I don't feel it is necessary for me to go out of my way to speak to anybody. The trade is done. But things still linger."

"I still feel bitter about the way things happen. It didn't have to happen like that and I think I deserve a lot more respect than what I got. Those people had the chance to give me the respect I deserved and they weren't willing to do that. So why I should I try to give any respect back?"

"I haven't anything to say to Mo. Or to my teammates. I miss them. I never had any problem with any of those guys. None of them on the whole roster. … I never expected Billy [King, the Sixers' team president] to let it happen the way it happened. I never expected Mo to let it happen."

"I would have expected for him to fight for me. He has a job to do and he works for somebody else. I lost a lot of respect for guys that I had respect for around there. It is a feeling that I have and it can't just go away overnight."

Thanks for the insight, AI. Now please go away.

Best Finish Ever!

Not sure how many of you guys stayed up long enough last night to catch the end of the Boise State/Oklahoma game, but it was the best last three minutes and overtime of any football game I have ever seen. Yes, I know it is easy to get swept up in the moment, but I've spent a good part of the day trying to think of a game that compares to all the action packed into the final three minutes and overtime and can't think of anything remotely close.

Early in the third quarter, I thought Oklahoma was cooked. They showed no life whatsoever for most of the game and their offense made mistake after mistake as they fell behind 28-10. Then suddenly, the Sooners woke up and worked their way all the way back to 28-26 after they scored a TD on a tipped pass. At that point, all hell broke loose.

First, the sequence that led to the tying two point conversion by Oklahoma on their third attempt was amazing. I was then stunned when the Sooners' picked off the Boise State's QB pass to nobody in particular and returned it for a TD with less than 90 seconds left in the game. I was sure the clock had struck midnight for the Cinderella Broncos. However, I was wrong.

The Broncs got the ball back and quickly moved into Sooner territory. Then on 4th and 18 and under 20 seconds left, Boise State pulled off a play for the ages. They used the ol' hook and lateral to perfection and tied the game with seven seconds left. Boise's version was similar in design to the one the Giants tried back in 2001 at the Vet, but they pulled it off successfully unlike the G Men. The execution and drama of the Don Strock/Nat Moore/Tony Nathan hook and lateral that the Dolphins used for a TD in that classic early 80's playoff game against the Chargers was close to this one, but Boise's miracle touchdown was more deceptive and executed more crisply. It left me flat out flabbergasted. The game then moved to OT....

On their first possession of OT, the Sooners o-line and Adrian Peterson bitch slapped the tiring Boise State defense on their way to a 25 yard td. Then, Boise State got the ball back and the magic started all over again.

It took six plays for Boise State to score a TD, but all but two of the plays were gimmicky trick plays. I loved the shots of OU coach, Bob Stoops on the sideline. He clearly seemed pissed that Boise didn't line up and play "big boy" football and kept trying these gimmicky plays. I have to admit I was getting annoyed as well, but the what the hell do I know? The strategy worked as the final trick play, a direct snap to the half back, which led to a TD pass to the Broncos TE pulled them within one. What followed next was sheer genius.

Boise State's coach realized that his defense was tiring and would not be able to hold off the Sooners throughout OT, so he decided to go for two and the win. As I'm sure you've all seeon on TV at this point, Boise used the most inventive Statue of Liberty play I've ever seen. The fake flanker screen/Statue of Liberty was executed so flawlessly, RB Ian Johnson could have walked into the end zone. Undoubtedly, this play will be in every high school and college playbook by August 1, 2007. Hey, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Plus, right after the game, the guy that scored the winning two point conversion asked his girlfriend, a Boise State cheerleader, to marry him. I wonder if he'll follow through with it when all those ladies start throwing themselves at him when he reaches the pros. It won't take long for him to realize that the quality of NFL women is about 83.5 times higher outside Boise.

Anyhow, I have a couple questions after watching this game.

1. If you are a white dude in Boise, are you required to get a least ten bad tats? Man, those Boise State guys had some brutal tattoos;
2. How often does Boise State practice those trick plays? They must spend a portion of every practice on them. They execute them way too well; and
3. Will Adrian "All Day (aka AD)" Peterson ever let his old man watch one of his games again? For those uneducated on the topic, earlier this fall, AD's pop, Nelson, was released from a federal pokey after an eight year stint. He then showed up at the Oklahoma/Iowa State game to watch his son for the first time and AD broke his collarbone on a meaningless 4th quarter TD. Well, believe it or not, but Nelson was back in the house last night and the Sooners got upset by Boise State in a crushing loss. If I'm Peterson, there is no way I'm bringing him to the NFL draft as it will surely mean he gets drafted by the Texans and their non-existent offensive line and passing game.

Well, I just hope we get one more BCS bowl that even comes close to the level of excitement this game provided. I'm sitting here watching the 'Ville/Wake game and I'm just not feeling it despite the fact it is a four point game half way through the 4th quarter.

A Hot Streak!!! (and Foppa is Hurt Again, Surprise!)

Holy Cow! The Flyers are legitimately hot! They are now on a three game winning streak and don't look now, but some of the young players are starting to make an impact. Calder scored his fourth goal in five games after failing to score for the first quarter of the season. Ryan Potulny also scored his second in two games. Plus, some of the young defensemen are starting to pick up their play and no longer looking like fish out of water. I will also begrudgingly admit that Esche is playing pretty decent in net and all three wins are with him at the helm. He seems to have picked the team up a bit.

Will all this last? Probably not, but it is nice to have legit hockey to watch.

The funny thing is that I started writing this entry when Potulny scored to make it 3-0. I figured it was safe to assume that the Orange and Black could hold a three goal lead with about three minutes left. They did hold on, but they sure made it interesting. I had to put down my laptop to further jinx them.

As for Forsberg, he did not return after the first period with the ever popular "lower body injury". It was later revealed that he has a right groin strain.

I found the following quotes from Foppa on Hockeybuzz.com:

"Well, it's the same as usual. It's a pulled right groin. It's the same problem as before. it's coming back."

"I don't think I totally tore it off. It's just frustrating. It goes on and on and on the same thing. Don't know what to do."

"Obviously it all comes from the foot. I want to get through this, so we'll see what we can do. We'll try to figure it out. We're working, working working. But if it is from the foot, we don't know that, maybe it's just a regular groin pull. We'll see. It's hard to say. I don't know how long I'm going to be out, it's hard to tell the first time. We'll see."

It's been like this for a while. It got better, the foot is always crooked. We got the boot to work a little better, but maybe it's not 100 percent. Maybe that's why it's pulling I can't say for sure."

Well, I guess the win streak was nice while it lasted, but it's not going to last with out Forsberg.

Do You Believe In The SI Cover Jinx?

I don't know about you guys, but I'm not getting the warm and fuzzies over SI's choice for a cover boy this week. Thanks to above cover picture, it appears that the Birds will battling forces of nature other than just Tiki Barber and Antonio Pierce. The legendary SI cover jinx has now been brought into play for Sunday's first round playoff game at the Linc.

While I hope there is no validity to the SI cover jinx, past history shows that it has affected our Birds. Two out of the last three times the Birds have appeared on the cover (after the NFC Championship Game in 2004 and after the 4th and 26 game in 2003), a loss followed the next week. On the bright side, the last time an Eagle appeared on the cover (9/25/05), the Birds won the next week.

Is it possible that the guy that picks the covers is a Giants fan and trying to mush the birds? I sure hope so, because reverse karma will definitely set in and win the day for our Iggles. In any event, thank you, SI. It's not like I needed something else to worry about with this game.

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope everyone has a great 2007. I especially wish our Philly Sports Teams a great 2007, even though, the last day of 2006 couldn't have gone any better for our Birds.

I really doubt a title is in the forecast for any of our teams in '07, but let's hope the Phils and Birds build off what they started this past season and the Sixers and Flyers have some good fortune in starting the rebuilding process.

Predictions for 2007:

Birds:

-McNabb comes back and squelches this ridiculous QB controversy
-Stallworth and Garcia will be resigned....Hood and Lewis will be gone.
-The Birds sign a big name CB or S in free agency
-They will draft a LB in the first round and Brian Leonard in the 2nd.
-They will again win the NFC East and get a 1st round bye.

Phils:
-Will finally make the playoffs this year in a down NL East.
-Strength of team will be starting staff
-Madsen returns to form in 'pen
-Will add the bat they need at the trade deadline

Sixers:
-Iggy will continue his development as a starter
-Andre Miller will help them win enough games that we don't have enough ping pong balls to get the #1 pick. We'll instead up with the third pick, which will be used on one of the following: Durant of Texas, Joakim Noah or Al Horford of Florida
-The team will only be marginally better next year

Flyers:
-The Flyers will get back into playoff contention over the next couple of months, but eventually fall short of the playoffs
-Forsberg is not re-signed, but the Flyers spend truck load on free agents
-Either Nitty or Esche will be traded and a new goalie brought in
-They will be back in playoff contention next year

Ok, maybe these are half baked, but everyone else in America is running a predictions column, so figured I'd throw my hat into the ring as well.