I Am Still Annoyed

It's been a couple days since the Eagles debacle against the Skins and my anger towards the Birds hasn't subsided one bit. I thought the Phils' success would have somehow brightened my outlook on the Birds, but it hasn't happened.

Since I never really got a good feeling for the game as I was distracted by the Phils, I just forced myself to watch the condensed version of the game on the NFL Network. Boy am I depressed now. The Birds were thoroughly whooped. They were pretty much beaten up on both sides of the ball. The linemen were dominated and we lost one on one battles on the perimeter as we couldn't cover their guys on third down and our receivers rarely got open.

The other thing that has me concerned is how Andy the GM's decisions are now affecting Andy the Coach. Since Big Red has traded out of the 1st round the last two years, we don't have the tight end or safety we desperately need. These personnel defects have been highlighted in the 'Boys and Skins, game as we watched Jason Witten and Chris Cooley dominate our safeties and have left me longing for a big time player of our own at TE. We're going to have to wait to next year as we don't have any candidates on the roster. Interestingly, Brian Baldinger flat out called our Tight Ends "turds" and LJ doesn't take a single confident step on the field. He said the film showed that every thing he does is tentative.

Overall, I'm really getting fed up with this team. If they don't turn things around soon, I might be forced to turn my back on them.

The Ultimate Good News/Bad News Day

I'm pretty sure we all had a similar day on Sunday. We are all left totally and utterly confused and exhausted after a strange three hour journey from 1 to 4 pm this afternoon. My emotions ran the gamut of just about everything you could go through in a sporting event.

Also, did anyone else find it strange that both games ended at almost exactly the same time. What a difference between the two endings. In Milwaukee, you had jubilation and excitement. In Philly, you had a stadium full of annoyed, frustrated people marching towards the exits wondering if the true nature of the 2008 Eagles had been revealed.

I think you would like to read about the good news first, so let's talk about the Phillies. Today, Joe Blanton entered the Phils pantheon of unexpected big time post season pitching performances. Unfortunately, that list is pretty small in my life time and before today only consisted of Bob Walk in the 1980 World Series and Danny Jackson in the 1993 NLCS. Did anyone expect Joe friggin' Blanton to pitch 6 innings of one run baseball? I surely did not. Other than his two masterful starts in early August, I thought he was pretty average and not the "innings eater" he was advertised as. Today, he had command, got in front of hitters early and showed more velocity than I've seen lately. He was absolutely not intimidated by the moment, which is something we surely do not see enough of in the City of Philadelphia. I'm not sure if we can count on him to deliver a similar performance in the NLCS, but it's sure comforting to know he's capable to locking things down in a postseason start.

The other hero was everyone's favorite whipping boy, Pat the Bat. I would have been shocked by him stepping up, but my new buddy John Smoltz told us how Pat has owned Jeff Suppan over the years right before the game changing blast. Part of me is happy for Burrell. He's been here for years and years (9 altogether) and his days on this franchise (God willing) are numbered. He deserved a little enjoyment for all the years of putting up with underachieving teams. His second home run was pure gravy, but it was much appreciated as it allowed us to breath a bit easier in the last couple innings. Let's hope Pat keeps up this hot streak in the next round as there are a couple guys in this lineup that are killing us, which brings us to.....

What the hell happened to Chase Utley? I never in a million years thought he'd appear gutless, but that's what we've seen the last couple months. Seriously, does anyone have any theories? There were whispers that he is hurt, but if so, why would he be able to move around so well on defense? I truly don't get it, but we need this guy to return to form. We really need him.

In any event, the Phils took care of business and won a series against a team which was not as good as they are. I was happy to see them win, but there is still work to be done. This team can beat the Dodgers. It will be much tougher, but it can be done.

Although, did anyone else think the celebration was a bit excessive? Was champagne really warranted? Ok, maybe I am being a killjoy because of....

We all realized today that the Eagles just aren't good enough. They are clearly the worst team in the "toughest division in football". The sad part is that they might be a winning team this year, but from what we've seen, they aren't beating out the G Men, Skins or 'Boys. They can't get off the field on third down, they can't stop the run when it counts, their offense goes into long funks for way too long.

After opening up the season scorching hot, the offense has scored only 5 offensive touchdowns since the second half of the Dallas game. I think the WR's have come back to Earth. The Greg Lewis', Hank Baskett's and Jason Avant's are doing nothing. For some reason today, DeSean Jackson caught only one ball. Donovan also appears to be hurried and inaccurate. I can't tell if it is the talent, execution or if the coach isn't putting his players into position to make plays, which brings me to......

Andy Reid has lost it. I don't think he has the drive or innovation necessary to get this team back to the top. I really can't remember the last time he called a play that made think, "wow, that play worked because of the design of the play" or "wow, Big Red really fooled the defense there." It's time for him to go. I really want to see a new era in Philly. (Am I over reacting?)

By the way, LJ Smith is a turd. Eskin just announced on Sports Final that the 3rd and 1, late in the 4th quarter didn't work because LJ lined up in the wrong spot. What an idiot. He really needs to go.

Overall, I'm just annoyed. Today's game announced that this team is done. They pretty much have no shot at the playoffs. It's just sad to see your season over in early October, but that's what today's loss did to them.

Honestly, I was pretty much watching the Phils all day. I don't have a real good feel for what happened today. I suspect that I'll have to watch the NFL Network Replay to get an idea as to what really happened. It just seemed that every time I looked up, the Birds were punting, Clinton Portis was abusing our run defense, or Jason Campbell was converting another third down to Chris Cooley (Christ, will this team ever cover a TE?). As much as I want to see it, is this really a smart thing? Why should I subject myself to such punishment, when there are other things to be excited about, which brings me back to....

Game One for the Phils is Thursday. I have the opportunity to buy 3 tickets at $140 a pop, but I have to get an answer to my buddy by 7 pm tomorrow. If you are interested, email me, text me, etc.

John Smoltz: Expert Prognosticator

Earlier today, I met John Smoltz at a golf outing as he's in town broadcasting the Phils/Brewers series for TBS. He seemed like a nice enough guy and talked to a couple of us about the Phils/Brewers series. He said he thought Brett Myers "would pitch a great game tonight" and the Phils would definitely win this series. He also said that Cole Hamels is a stud and will undoubtedly win a Cy Young in his career (I was tempted to ask if it would be with the Phils or another team when we fail to meet his contract demands.)

After talking to him today and listening to him do the game on TV, you can tell he knows the game inside and out. I learned more today than I have in years. You learn so much more from guys currently in the game or those who have just left it as opposed to guys like Sarge who haven't played in 20 years.

Unfortunately, I did not ask him how far he saw the Phils going. I would have liked to hear that response.

Live From Citizens Bank Park

I had every intention of blogging on and on and on about yesterday's Phils' game, but I got home from the game sat on the couch and totally zonked out. I have to get out to work early today so I can't say much, but wanted to get a couple things up before I head out the door.

I think we finally saw that Cole Hamels is a big game pitcher. He was absolutely masterful yesterday. If he can continue to pitch like that, we may be onto something big this postseason. I just wish we got to see him end the game, which brings me to...

When did Brad Lidge turn into Mitch Williams? (Wild Thing was in the park yesterday to throw out the "Second Pitch". Maybe Lidge was somehow inspired to follow in his footsteps.) Anyhow, I know it has been slowly coming over the last month, but the tight rope Lidge's been walking might kill me. If he continues this B.S. this postseason, I might have to buy a defibulator and have it on stand by because he might just kill give me a heart attack one of these times.

Also, where's the offense? We need the entire lineup to hit. Four hits is not going to get it done. We need everyone to contribute.

Finally, I have to thank my man Uncle Farrell. The seats we had yesterday were the best I have ever had. Unbelievable. Three rows from the field. I can't thank him enough. There is a much better story of how we ended up three rows from the field, and I will tell it later on. I have to get out of here.

Talk to you guys later.

PSP's Phils' Pick

I don't know about you, but I'm heading into this post season in a much more relaxed and confident mode than last year. I really think this Phils team can do some damage this postseason. As everyone has pointed out, the key to our postseason will be Brett Myers. If he performs well and returns to the form he showed after his trip to the minors, but prior to his last two brutal starts, then the Phils could make this a pretty short series.

When I look at the Brewers, they look awfully top heavy. Sure, they have Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and CC Sabathia, but what else do they have that scares you? Not a whole lot. Do Ray Durham, Corey "I Wear My Sunglasses At Night" Hart, washed up Mike Cameron, Jason Kendall, Jeff Suppan, Dave Bush and Manny Para get you excited? Didn't think so.

Plus, yours truly will be in the stands tomorrow and as of right now, I have an extra ticket. If you are interested, email me, call me or text me. I'm pretty excited about going to my first ever post season baseball game. I can't thank my main man Uncle Farrell enough.

By the way, Phils in 4 for this series.

Where This Game Was Lost

Sure, everyone will point to the goal line stand and the muffed punt by DeSean, but I think this game was lost in two places:

1) David Akers. He's done. His kick offs leave something to be desired and he now longer can make kicks over 40 yards. It seems like he is compensating for lack of leg strength, which causes him to be incredibly inaccurate. I would not be shocked to see the Birds bring in some kickers this week. Kickers are too valuable to keep a guy around for sentimental value; and

2) On the third down prior to the Bears' last field goal, Kyle Orton clearly, clearly grounded the ball, but it was not called. Had that 10 yard penalty been called, the field goal would have been a 51 yarder, which would have been much tougher.

There were so many missed opportunities tonight. They really shot themselves in the foot. Hopefully, a game like this doesn't come back to haunt them, but it could in such a tight division as the NFC East.

By the way, Reid just said he didn't call a QB sneak on 4th and goal because D Mac was banged up from last week. Sorry. That's a total bullshit play. Had they called a sneak, he gets in. No doubt. Watch the replay and watch the initial line surge by the guards and center. They got some push. D Mac would have gotten in the end zone. What a friggin mistake.

PSP's EAGLES' PICK

This game feels way too much like last year's Giants' Sunday night game where the Phils clinched on the same day and a ton of guys were out injured. I see a Bears 17-10 upset.

Don't kill the messenger. Just trying to read the tea leaves.

Please, Can We See Three More of These?!?!

I'll blog more on this in detail in the next day or so, but how friggin' awesome was it to see this again.

Two straight years of division titles is unbelievable. Now, let's do something in the postseason this year. Last year's division series, didn't seem like it actually exisited since the games were relegated to either late afternoon or late night viewing. Let's hope the friggin powers that be put us on at a decent hour so we actually watch the games this year. (I'm hoping the Mets lose out for this very reason.)

Anyhow, I was bitching about the lack of signature plays this year, but we finally got one for this year. It just took 161 games. The double play to end yesterday's game was beyond clutch. I think we'll be remembering that one for years to come.

I just read that Kendrick is starting today. I was really hoping to see Adam Eaton get a start and get torched. That would have been humorous.

Have a great, stress free Sunday....at least until 8:30. And, let's all root for the Mets and Brewers to have a similar result so they have to play a playoff game and tire out their pitching staff's even further.

Cue The Anxiety

I would like to personally thank the Cubs for throwing in the towel tonight and failing to put a major league lineup out on the field. Thanks guys. You brought a pitcher in the top of the 9th with a 6.50 ERA. You had no intention of helping out the Phils tonight. We'll see how Karma pays you back in the playoffs.

I guess we'll now have to sweat out the weekend with the Phils up a game and the Nats coming to town. The Mets have the Marlins coming in and let's hope we see a repeat of last year.

As for the Wild Card situation, at worst the Phils will go into the weekend 2 games up on Milwaukee. They face the Cubs, which isn't such a good thing since it appears they are now more concerned with getting their team set up for a postseason run instead of playing it straight.

On the bright side, this team over the past two years always seems to react well to situations like this. They seem to rise up and play well just when it looks like they are ready to implode. Lord, I can't tell you how bad I would like to see a 5 or 6 run 1st or 2nd inning tomorrow night. I don't think this weekend will be that easy though. It never is.

The Roller Coaster Ride Continues....

I'm going to go on the record now....Brett, you never had me fooled. I knew you were a piece of shit no matter how well you pitched for a six week span after you were sent to the minors. Your last two starts just confirmed my suspicions.

This team drives me up a wall. I was totally confident that we'd have a spot wrapped up by Thursday and we'd have Adam Eaton pitching this weekend for shits and giggles. Now, we'll all have to endure an excruciating, pressure filled weekend of baseball. We'll probably be tied in the division and have a one game lead in the Wild Card come Friday night with fat ass Joe Blanton going to the mound. I can't wait to have that worthless turd pitching with our season on the line.

The more I think about it the more I realize that I completely despise this team. There is nothing romantic about this group. Even if they make the playoffs, there's not many memorable moments about this team except for their inconsistency.

You Didn't Think It Would Be That Easy, Did You???

Once again, we were reminded what it is like to be a Philly Sports Phan. Nothing ever comes easy. There are no hand outs given to the teams which inhabit sterling facilities in South Philly. The Phils are going to have to work for their post season spot as they lost one tonight to the Braves and the Mets conveniently won and it looks like the Brewers will win also. I knew things were going along too smoothly.

Anyhow, is anyone else questioning whether Cole is a true ace? He has not had his best stuff in his last couple outings. His last two starts were a struggle despite not giving up a lot of runs. I'm just waiting for him to grab the team in a big spot and carry them on his back. We haven't seen that this season.

Ok, I'm going to bed. I'm pretty perturbed tonight.

Impeccable Timing

Pat Burrell hasn't done much the last couple months, but he has hit two mammoth home runs to win games against the Braves in the past week or so. Christ, I'm really going to miss his inconsistency when he's DH'ing in the AL West next year.

As big as the Burrell homer was, the quality start from J.A. Happ and especially the run scratched out by Greg Golson may have been bigger. Thank God the Braves didn't start Brian McCann because the rookie in his place did a real shitty job blocking the plate. It almost seems to me like the Braves are trying to stick it to the Mets.

As for the Mets, they lost again, with the big hit being a grand slam by the Cubs starting pitcher, Jason Marquis. Yes, the Mets gave up a grand slam to a pitcher. Folks, you can't make this stuff up at this point. We are moving to the "Theater of the Absurd" area. How else can this team blow games?

As promised, I am not commenting on our prospects to make the post season.

I Can Admit When I'm Wrong....

I was wr...wr....wro.....wrong! B Dawk is not done. He showed on Sunday that he's still an outstanding blitzer and can play close to the line in the box on run downs. However, let's not forget what happened last week. I don't think you can leave him in single coverage anymore, especially against top notch Tight Ends or WR's. I am not really sure if he can play a pure centerfield either. I suppose I'm being slightly negative and should bask in the glow of his outstanding performance Sunday.

In any event, this picture:

is almost as good as this one.

I think we have to agree on one thing, no one has better action shots than B Dawk.

With Victory Comes The Spoils....

Last week, I shared a picture of Mike Richards and Porn Star Gina Lynn. He is apparently not the only Philly athlete scoring with a chick with a questionable reputation. Today, it is all over the gossip sites that Hank Baskett is nailing pseudo Playmate and Girls Next Door star, Kendra Wilkinson.




After watching his 8 catch performance yesterday, I suppose Hank has been, as Sarge Matthews would say, "generized" by his new woman. Good for him, I guess. From watching the show, she seems like a complete slut and I hope he doesn't spread any potential diseases in the locker room.

I also came across Ryan Howard's girlfriend. He apparently has taken a more low key approach as he's dating some chick from Kutztown. Call me crazy, but I think this is a much smarter approach. Plus, I'd definitely hit it.



She's the last girl on the right.

Slug Fest

I'll go into more depth tomorrow, but today's game had a bizarre feel to it with our various injuries and the return of our pass rush. We moved the ball pretty well until D Mac was pile drived onto his right shoulder and B West twisted his ankle on successive plays. From there on out, moving the ball was quite a chore.

Thankfully, the defense stepped up and every member of the defense played their best game of the season. Stewart Bradley finally flashed the promise that he showed last year. The defensive ends were disruptive and the safeties were a factor. In fact, Dawk made one of the best plays I've seen him make in years. He might have a little more in the tank than we all thought. Sav Rocca also played his best game as an Eagle. He was absolutely booming some of those punts.

However, the health of B West is the real issue facing this team. We all know what this team becomes with out him.

Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil

The Phils continued their series with the Fish this weekend. However, since any time I write anything positive about this team, it seems to spur them to a losing streak, I won't acknowledge what happened out of my desire to not derail anything positive they have going on. I'll just post a few pictures that explain what occurred the last couple days.

Although, I would like to thank the Mets' bullpen for making things a bit easier on the Phils.

That Was Fun While It Lasted

Fuck Brett Myers you wife beating piece of shit...Fuck Rudy Seanez for being an old ass scrap heap pick up....Fuck Alfredo Amezaga for hitting that gut wrenching homer...and Fuck Les Walrond because every time you come into the game I feel like I'm watching a Triple A game. Yes, I'm pissed. We just can't beat these guys.

Plus, since the Mets won, we're back in 2nd place in the NL East, but lucky us, we're still leading the wild card race. Since the Brewers look to have totally hit the skids, I suppose it doesn't matter if we win the East or not. A post season spot is a post season spot.

Was anyone else incredibly frustrated watching Brett Myers giving the lead right back after the Phils clawed back from a 5 to 2 deficit? It was all started after Ryan Howard dropped a pop up that he made ten times more difficult than he needed to.

Let's see if fat ass Blanton can pick up where he left off last Sunday. I'm not getting the warm and fuzzies for this series.

Is Anyone Else Too Afraid To Mention What's Going On With The Phils?

I know I am. I really don't want to acknowledge the fact that they've won seven in a row since I wrote them off. We've been trained to expect the worst in this city (our most recent example being Monday night) and I'm just not ready to fully give myself up to this team. They have toyed with my emotions most of the year and I'm not really sure what to expect night to night, inning to inning, let alone over 9 games.

I'm just going to leave it at that and hope they can keep raking in victories over the next 9 games and somehow claw their way into the postseason.

Biggest No Brainer Of The Year

In one of the least shocking moves in recent club history, the Flyers announced Mike Richards will their 17th Captain in franchise history. Seriously, was their any other choice? Sure, the kid is only 23, but he is the closest thing to a Bobby Clarke/Mark Messier I've seen on this team since...Bobby Clarke! Ok, Dave Poulin and Keith Primeau were pretty good captains over the years, but neither combined the leadership, scoring and physical play that Richards brings to the table.

In the early part of his career, Richards has been the epitome of Flyers hockey. I can't agree any more from this comment from Coach Stevens:

“I just think Mike Richards is a player that has all the characteristics we want on our team. We want a guy out there, that when we see him playing, he is representative of the identity of our hockey team. I think Mike is all of that.”

I know we have a lot going on in this city with the Phils' post season push and the Birds looking pretty strong in the early season, but I'm always excited to talk a little hockey. Can't wait for training camp to get here.

By the way, I came across this picture of Mike Richards and Porn Star Gina Lynn. I guess he scores off the ice as well.

Separated At Birth?

Has anyone noticed that Jayson Werth has slowly started morphing into Edge from the WWE? It just stuck me this evening and thought I'd share.

Tastes Great....Less Filling

Last night's Birds/Boys Monday Night Football game, provided a ton of great, fun moments and memories, but ultimately the Birds just couldn't get it done as the Boys took advantage of a curious fumble at a very inopportune time and the defense pretty much let the Cowboys do whatever they wanted all night long.

Despite the loss, I came away from this game feeling really good about this team. D Mac looks completely healthy and has the look of a mature QB ready to lead his team to great things. Other than the ridiculous fumble in the 4th quarter, I really do not have any complaints about D Mac' s performance thus far in the 2008 season. He has the look of a guy who is ready to dominate. Unfortunately, the same thing can't be said of the defense.

Last night's loss falls squarely on the shoulders of the defense. The Birds failed to generate any pressure on the QB and had no answer for stopping Jason Witten, which maily fell to the responsibility of Brian Dawkins. While I think Trent Cole and friends will show up at some point this season and provide a better than average pass rush, I really think we have to come terms with the fact that B Dawk is done as a useful player in the NFL. In fact, if we had anyone competent behind him, I think the Birds would have done to Dawkins what they did to Trotter last year. It's sad to say as I really appreciate everything the guy did for the Birds over the years, but he's done and the Eagles would be better off with someone younger at that spot on the field.

The Birds now come back to Philly for another big time matchup against the formidable Steelers. We really could be looking at a 1-2 hole after this Sunday. However, if the offense shows up and plays similar to how they looked last night, I think we'll be ok.

Here are some other thoughts:

-I heard a rumor that the ball that Tony Romo fumbled on the Birds first defensive TD in more than a year, was the same K ball he bobbled at the end of the Seahawks/Boys Wild Card game two years ago.

-When DeSean Jackson prematurely celebrated his touchdown last evening, I thought it was the first time I had ever seen anything like it in my life. Boy was I wrong. Not only has there been several similar moments like that, but it wasn't DeSean's first experience screwing up a TD celebration.



I guess my memory is starting to go on me.

-Why wasn't one of our three main corners used to cover Jason Witten? Christ, the Boys barely have a 2nd WR option, let alone a 3rd.

-Did Stewart Bradley even suit up last night? Other than get beat deep by Marion Barber, he was inconspicuous last night.

PSP's EAGLES PICK

I'm on my way out the door to meet up with my boys to watch the Birds/Boys up at Skeeter's Pub (formerly Reggie's). Please with hold your jokes as to how I weaseled my way out of the house to the end of this post.

Anyhow, before I leave, I want to put my pick up on the site.

I see an Eagles 24 to 21 victory....in overtime. Yes, OT. I just have a feeling that after a pretty dramatic week of football, the Birds/Boys will cap it off with an instant classic.

Go BIRDS!

D-Day

Dallas Day is finally upon us and I am beyond myself with excitement. I think we are faced with the defining game of the season. If the Birds can play with or possibly beat the Boys tonight, I really think we'll be setting ourselves up for a season of excitement.

I, for one, think we are definitely going to bring our "A game". We may lose, but the Boys will know they were in a fight.

There are two keys for me:

1) Keep the pressure off D Mac; and
2) Get after Romo.

If the Birds are successful on both fronts, we win the game. However, those things are easier said then done.

By the way, if DeSean Jackson has a big game, I'll be afraid of the hysteria he will cause in this city.

Resurrected...And It Feels So Good!

Nothing wakes up our Phils like yours truly counting them out. I had them dead and buried after losing 2 out of 3 to the Marlins. Well, lo and behold, the Phils swept four straight games from the Brew Crew to pull themselves even in the wild card race and one game back in the division. Now, they have totally sucked me back in Godfather III style...see below.



I've only given up on them once so far this year, which means I'm way behind last year's pace. I have to say that truly don't know what to expect down the stretch this year. The number of guys that have been up and down over the last month has been overwhelming. One night, Blanton looks like a bum and then today he gives a solid performance. J Roll looks like shit for 2/3 of the season, then flips a switch and now seems poised to get on a hot streak. (By the way, he had 3 walks in tonight's night cap. I'm not a stats guy. Can someone look up how many times that's happened in his career? It has to be under 10.) It took up to September, but Brett Myers finally is showing why he was named the #1 starter out of Spring Training.

At this point, I think I'm just going to enjoy these last 12 games and see if the Phils can pull out a post season spot. I offer no predictions whatsoever. It just depends who gets hot when, and Christ would it be nice for Chase to finally contribute.

Well, This Sums Things Up My Feelings Perfectly

Yup, things were that bad on the Banks of the Raritan last evening. As horrible as the game was, three good things did come out of it:

1) I no longer have to worry about Penn State trying to steal Greg Schiano away when Joe Pa retires. (Something tells me Greg woke up this morning rethinking his decision to turn down Miami AND Michigan.)

2) so many people left early, I was able to get home at a decent time; and

3) my schedule of Fall Saturdays just opened up quite a bit!

I don't think you guys are going to have to worry about me talking RU sports any time soon. This season is OVER for all intents and purposes.

Yes, I am an eternal pessimist.

Dearly Beloved....

(I wrote this after the game on Wednesday, but due to technical difficulties it is being posted today. Sorry about that!)

We are gathered here today to pay our respects to the 2008 Phillies. They officially died today in the top of the 8th inning when Brett Myers and Chad Durbin combined to give up the deciding runs agains the Marlins. The Phils are now 4 games back in loss column in both the NL East and the NL Wild Card with only 16 games left to play. We should not expect another miracle. I simply can't see the Mets or Brew Crew falling apart down the stretch like the Mets did last year when both teams have stud #1 pitchers.


We will be left wondering what happened to this year's team. At different parts of the season, the Phils had a productive offense, respectable starting pitching and a dominant bullpen. Unfortunately, they could never put it all together and the offense went ice cold at several points in the season with the bullpen absolutely shit the bed since the 13 inning game victory against the Mets last month.


I'll remember the great early season by Utley, Ryan Howard's moonshots and horrible at bats, the whacky up and downs of Brett Myers, Brad Lidge becoming the most reliable Phils' closer of all time and that crazy finish early in the season when Victorino threw a Brave out at the plate to save a victory.


However, since we are a pessimistic group of phans, I'll remember more the frustration level that I experienced with this group of Phillies. Something was missing with this group. Alas, the magic just wasn't there and now it's time to say good bye to this group as they head into the afterlife.

Criminally Negligent

Tonight, Cholly Manuel and the rest of the Phils' braintrust quite possible gave away the season. Should the Phils finish a game out of the playoffs, something tells me that we'll be looking at the decision to put Kyle Kendrick back on the mound tonight as a turning point.

I am having a hard time figuring out the thinking behind starting Kendrick after skipping him in the rotation last week. Lt. Kendrick has not been the same since late June as he hasn't gone more than 6 innings since June. However, more problematic is that he gave up 6 or more runs in three out of his last five starts. Basically, heading into tonight, it was pretty clear that he's lost it and the league has caught up to the guy. Throwing him into a pennant race was down right criminal. We deserve Cholly's head on a platter.

I truly believe that J.A. Happ would have been a better option tonight. Instead of thinking outside the box a little, the Phils went with the predictable option and now we're behind the 8 ball again. To compound matters, the Mets won again putting the Phils 2 and 1/2 games back.

It's a shame how far Kendrick has fallen so fast, but I sure hope we are done with him until next year. I've seen enough from him in '08.

*********************************

By the way, when the hell did the Phils pick up Tad Iguchi? We now have the Japanese invasion on our better.

Not Everyone Was All That Impressed

Dallas' part time cornerback and full time scumbag thug, Adam "Pacman" Jones, wasn't blown away by the aerial show unleashed yesterday by D Mac, DeSean and Co. When asked about whether he was impressed by the Birds' performance yesterday, Pacman responded:

"They played the Rams, dude."

As if we needed another reason to hate this team. I sure hope Donovan "Makes It Rain" all over his criminal ass next Monday night.

Mr. September is Back!

Boy, could I have not been more wrong about what to expect from the Birds' offense today. I predicted the following:

As for the offense, I see it being kind of a struggle to score without Curtis and Brown, but I think we'll make enough plays to get the job done.

Well, the Birds had more than enough big plays in their 38-3 destruction of the Rams earlier today. After watching the Cowboys in the 4 o'clock game, I wish they had held on to a couple for this week's upcoming Monday Night showdown with the dysfunctional egomaniacs from Big D.

Today, McNabb once again showed why he is the greatest quarterback to ever play in the month of September. Of course, I have no statistics to back this up, since I have a life and no time to run queries through the NFL statistical data base. However, I'm willing to bet a very large sum of money that D Mac has the best quarter back rating for games playing in the month of September in league history. (The only hole in my theory is last September where he was mostly brutal except that Lions game where they wore the funny uniforms and blasted the Lions.)

While McNabb didn't scramble for much yardage, he certainly looked more nimble when avoiding the rush, which bought him time and enabled him to get the ball down field to his backup receivers who looked pretty damn impressive, especially DeSean Jackson.

I loved what we saw from DeSean today. I just don't know if he can keep this up all season. He is woefully small and I'm afraid of whether he can hold up to the pounding or get off the jam of corners like Al Harris, etc. However, for one day, he was electric. Undoubtedly, the most exciting receiver we've seen since that WR who must not be named.

The defense played pretty well also. The most impressive thing they did was hold the Rams without a third down conversion. That is something we must see more of this season. The only downer was the lack of turnovers which we saw way too much of last year. The law of averages has to turn around, doesn't it? In any event, today's game was more like a 5th preseason game for the defense. They'll see a much stiffer test against Romo and crew next week.

As great as the defense played, I'm pretty sure this is the only defensive play from this game that we'll remember at the end of the year:



As if we needed to be reminded again, Sheldon Brown can flat out lay the wood to people.

Today's win was a great way to kick off the season, but more importantly, it sets up the upcoming week perfectly. There is no better way for us to head into Dallas week, then to come off a pounding. Next Monday night can't get here soon enough.

PSP's EAGLES' PICK

Finally, week one is here and I can start talking about my beloved Birds.

Today's game will be very telling. If the Birds' defense doesn't dominate today, we could be looking at a long season. These are no longer the "Greatest Show On Turf Rams" that we recall from years gone by. In fact, if you had a Ram on your fantasy roster last year, you probably didn't make the playoffs in your league. About the only good thing I can say about the Rams is that they employ my favorite all time Rutgers player, Brian Leonard. (I hope we see the above pictured Leonard Leap sometime today.)

As for the offense, I see it being kind of a struggle to score without Curtis and Brown, but I think we'll make enough plays to get the job done. I think we'll rely heavily on B West to move the ball for us and make the big plays (like this is news to anyone.)

Overall, I see a 21-10 win. Hopefully, it will be as comfortable as I envision it.

NFL Predictions

As I detailed in my last post, I have a friggin' Christening Party today, so I don't have the time to put in a detailed 2008 Season prediction, but I do want my picks on the record before the season starts and someone has a catastrophic injury that screws up a team's season (Adrian Peterson and the Vikings come to mind).

Let's get the Birds out of the way first. I came into the preseason thinking the Birds were a 10-6 team this year and then the National media came along and for some reason anointed the Birds as this year's fashionable team to make a giant leap. I'm not sure I agree with all the love that the Dr Z's of the world have showered upon them. Where is it coming from? It's not like the Birds looked phenomenal in the preseason or added anyone of significance in the last two months. I've made up my mind that I'm not going to let this tidal wave of support sway me in any way.

So, with that being said, I'm just going to stick to my gut and put them at 10-6. I think McNabb will have a great early season, but wear down as the year goes on as he always does. I think the defense will be better than last year also. My big prediction for the season is that the Birds' 6th Round Pick, Joe Mays, will be the starter at MLB by week 8, with Stewart Bradley moving to the strong side and Chris Gocong moving to DE full time. I also think Lorenzo Booker will help the offense immensely.

I see a wild card season, with one playoff victory before losing to one of the top two NFC seeds in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. If that happens, I think we'll probably all be happy.

As for the rest of the NFL, here it goes:

NFC EAST:

1) Cowboys - 12-4

2) Birds - 10-6

3) Giants - 9-7

4) Skins - 7-9

NFC South:

1) Saints - 11-5

2) Panthers - 9-7

3) Bucs - 7-9

4) Falcons - 3-13

NFC Central:

1) Vikings - 11-5

2) Packers - 10-6

3) Lions - 8-8

4) Bears - 6-10

NFC West:

1) Cardinals - 9-7

2) Seahawks - 8-8

3) Rams - 6-10

4) Niners - 5-11

Playoff teams:

1) Cowboys

2) Saints

3) Vikings

4) Cards

5) Eagles

6) Packers

AFC East:

1) Pats - 11-5

2) JETS! - 10-6

3) Bills - 9-7

4) Dolphins 7-9

AFC South:

1) Jags - 12-4

2) Titans - 10-6

3) Colts - 9-7

4) Texans - 7-9

AFC Central:

1) Steelers: 9-7

2) Browns: 8-8

3) Ravens: 7-9

4) Bengals: 5-11

AFC West:

1) Chargers: 12-4

2) Denver: 7-9

3) Chiefs: 7-9

4) Raiders: 6-10

AFC Playoff Teams:

1) Chargers

2) Jags

3) Pats

4) Steelers

5) Titans

6) Jets

FINAL FOUR:

NFC: Cowboys over Saints

AFC: Chargers over Jags

Super Bowl:

Cowboys over Chargers (I just threw up in my mouth as I wrote this. We could be in for a long year.)

Great Sports Day

I wake up this morning excited on one hand, yet incredibly frustrated.

Today, we have an incredibly important double header for the Phils as they try to gain ground against the Mets in the NL East. We also have the Birds' NFL opener and all the fun that comes with week one of the NFL. If you care (and I do), the final "race before the Chase" in the Nascar season takes place today after being delayed a day by Hurricane Hanna. I suppose there are some people excited about the close of the U.S. Tennis Open, but I don't know of any of them.

Despite all this excitement, I am totally pissed off right now. I am going to miss part of today's Eagles' game and likely most of the first Phils' game as I have to go to a Christening party that was postponed from yesterday to today. I understand that the weather was bad yesterday, but what the fuck? How selfish a move is it to have a party on a day like today. I just got in a huge blow up with the wife over this. Of course, by not wanting to go, I'm being viewed as totally selfish and not wanting to spend any time with my daughter. I offered to take her all day and let her go to the party without me and the baby, but this was not an option.

Why does this shit always happen to me?

Finally, PSP Has Returned To Cyberspace!

Hey Guys, I'm finally moved into my in laws, picked a new place to live, got through Labor Day weekend, and drafted all my fantasy teams. I'm now ready to back to blogging.

Over the next couple days, I hope to get my Eagles' season prediction and a quick comment or two about the Phils. (You may recall that I broke up with them last month. Well, I'm happy to report that we may be getting back together.)

I hope that most of you come back to read my meandering musings on the world of Philly sports and promise not to leave you so long in the lerch again...At least until when I move into my next place.

(By the way, does anyone have ESPNU? I want to watch the Temple/UConn game, but Comcast doesn't have access to ESPNU. I'm really pissed off about this.)

Temporarily Out of Service

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. We are in the process of moving. It's all I do. I work. I come home. I pack. I go to bed exhausted. I then start it all over again. Yes, I realize I sound like a whiney punk, but it's my reality and it has severely cut into my blogging time.

I'd love to comment on the Phils and how they've fallen on hard time after I dumped them, or how the Sixers secretly brought back Billy King as a consultant to help them overpay for Andre Iguodala, or how Andy Reid is an idiot for playing his starters in a monsoon, but I don't have the time. You can check here and there, but I wouldn't expect a whole lot until after Labor Day when I finally move out of my house.

I really need a break right now. I think I'm about to pass out.

The Top Five List

In recognition of the Summer Olympics and the phenomenal Michael Phelps, I've decided to give my Top 5 Summer Olympics U.S. Athletes and/or Teams. During my research, I was reminded that Atlanta hosted an Olympic Games. Can someone explain to me how the fuck that happened? Still doesn't make any sense to me how a city that can't even sell out MLB and NFL playoff games was considered such a world class sports city that it deserved the Summer Olympics, but I digress....

Here's my top 5:

1) Carl Lewis - He won 9 gold medals and 1 silver over 4 separate Olympic Games. I'm as impressed as anyone over Michael Phelps, but I put more stock in Track and Field than swimming. Plus, he's a Philly area guy. He is a no brainer as the #1.

2) Michael Phelps - His Olympics aren't over and he still has a chance to extend his all time Gold Medal count to 14 gold and 2 bronze. At this point, he's become Tiger Woods/Michael Jordan like. When I see him compete, I totally expect thim to win.

3) The 1992 Dream Team - This was the greatest collection of basketball players ever put on the same team. The only reason they aren't #1 is that there was no one to push this group (their closest game was a 32 point win). God, I wish we still had a basketball team that routinely crushed their opponents like these guys did.

4) Mary Lou Retton - I am a child of the 80's and this chick's face was every where after winning the Olympic Gold medal back in 1984. I don't know if that qualifies her as one of the best, but who cares...it's my list.

5) 1984 U.S. Boxing Team - Of the 12 weight classes, the U.S. medaled in 11 of the weight classes with 9 gold medals. Future professional champs on this team included Evander Holyfield, Meldrick Taylor and Pernell Whitaker. Of course, they benefitted from the Cuban and Russian boycott, but their record was still pretty impressive.

This Is Newly Added To My Christmas List

Pretty sweet beer pong table, huh?

Donovan Is Coming To Grips With Reality

In an interview with ESPN.com, Donovan McNabb provided a startlingly refreshing interview on his past, present and future with the Birds.

Of course, you can’t talk about Donovan’s past without brining up T.O.. D Mac had the following to say about the Man That Single Handedly Ruin The 2005 Season:

"It could've been great [if they had stayed together]. What did we have, 30 TDs? You don't see that type of combination very often. That's like Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison. We would've been up there."

Thanks Donovan, not only are you a great QB, but you are also Master Of The Obvious.

D Mac further ingratiated himself with T.O. by adding these comments:

"In his situation, he's finally maturing at age 35 [actually 34]. Sometimes it's you, sometimes it's me. [T.O.] thought for so long it was someone else, but at some point, maybe it dawns on you that it's not everyone else's fault. I think once Bill [Parcells] left, T.O. realized that Jerry [Jones] truly loved him. And now he has a quarterback that he feels comfortable with. He's listening. Sometimes you have to understand the reality of the whole situation, and I think he did that."

As for the upcoming season, Donovan appears to like the Birds’ chances in the NFC this year. He confidently indicated that:

"I still put us at the top of the NFC. I feel confident in saying that because all the best teams are pretty much in our division. The Giants and Cowboys are coming off great seasons and the Redskins had a decent year."

He also claims that the injuries he played through last year will help in ’08:

"[Last year] was a grind, but the injury actually helped acclimate me to being the type of quarterback that I've wanted to be. It's helped me in certain areas."

Most surprisingly, McNabb seems to have resigned himself to the fact that his days with the Birds are numbered as he will eventually have to hand over the car keys to Kevin Kolb. Donovan added:

"I might end up somewhere else. And I'm prepared for that."

However, if McNabb keeps playing like he did Friday night and regains his ability to stay healthy for an entire season, he won’t be turning over the reigns anytime soon.

I Love Them, But I'm Not IN Love With Them

Normally, I break up with the Phillies about 5 times a season. Today, I decided that we are going on a break. Here's the message I've left with them:

Dear Phillies,

I think we need to see other people. They totally annoy me. All of their little idiosyncrasies are totally pissing me off. I just need some Tony time. Maybe we can be friends during this break, but it will probably be best if we go some time without seeing each other and then trying a fresh start in about two weeks.

Seriously, I can no longer take their failure to support the staff ace. I hate their dependence on the home rum. I really can't stand their inability to beat the Mets and Marlins this year.

Ok, I've said enough. It's time to hit the stripper bar and find PSP a new girl friend.

Love,
PSP

The Top Five List

With the Brett Favre/Green Bay Packers divorce dominating the national sports landscape, I figured this week's Top 5 list should detail the most memorable Philly Sports Breakups. Lord knows we've suffered through our share:

5. Scott Rolen & Phils - I can't put my finger on why this break up annoyed me so much, but it did. Maybe it was how much he bad mouthed the city and the franchise on the way out of town. I also really disliked how he made a spectacle of himself when he interrupted Harry Kalas Day after his trade to the Cardinals by coming out and shaking his hand. Although, his bitching about the Phils lack of commitment was 100% true. I just don't like the way he went about things. Plus, on the bright side, the exit of Scott Rolen somehow triggered the upswing of the Phils over the past 6 years or so as management used his money to spend on Jim Thome, etc.

4. Reggie White & Norman Braman - This was another sad day for Philly phans. God may have told Reggie to go to Green Bay, but it was Norman Braman that pushed him out the door. That prick broke up the best defense in franchise history because he was such a cheap ass. The more I think about this one, the more I get pissed off. If Reggie stays in Philly, Seth, Clyde, and EA all stay in Philly also. What could have been.

3. Charles Barkley & Harold Katz - The Chuck Wagon was my all time favorite Sixer and I immediately became a Suns fan the day he was traded. Everything the Round Mound of Rebound said about Harold Katz was right. The guy was a complete fraud of an owner that couldn't manage a taco stand let alone an NBA franchise. As such, you really can't fault Charles for talking his way out of town. Plus, he likes the area so much, he has stuck around over the years and never sold his house on the Main Line.



2. Eric Lindros & Clarkie - When the GM and owner are routinely bad mouthing a player's parents in the press, you know things are bad....really bad. Although he remained Flyers property for a year after getting destroyed by Scott Stevens in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, his career in Orange and Black ended more suddenly and completely than any prominent Philly athlete that I can remember (except for maybe The Wild Thing.) The Big E should have retired a Flyer and had many more All Star caliber seasons, but there was no way Lindros and Clarkie would ever be able to work together again. Unfortunately, Lindros was never the same after leaving the Flyers as he bounced around the NHL like a journeyman over the last 5 years of his career. If you had a Pat Croce type in the front office, I really think this marriage could have been salvaged. That and the Big E would have had to grown a set and got his parents out of his every day decision making.

1. T.O. & D Mac & Joe Banner & Andy Reid - This one took the cake. I can't think of an uglier break up than this one. T.O. was like the hot, crazy chick from South Philly or the Great Northeast that you meet in a bar during an all night drinking session, bang a bunch of times and then things go bad really fast, culminating with her keying your car and putting a cinder block through your windshield. While T.O. shit all over anything and everything in order to get out of town and single handedly destroyed the 2005 season, the 2004 season was really freakin' fun mostly because of him.

If you want to compare what city has suffered through the worst break ups, I'll put our top 2 divorces against anything any other city has seen. There was more bad blood in the T.O. and Big E fiascoes, then you see in your ordinary mafia war.

Christ, you know we've been through a lot when the Curt Schilling and Allen Iverson divorces couldn't even make the list.

Finally, The Truth Can Be Told

I don't want to open a can of worms over whether depression is a legitimate illness, but I'm glad to finally find out what was bothering Shawn Andrews. I hope he gets the help he needs so he can come back to the Birds and be a productive member of the team.

In case you missed it, here is an article detailing Andrews' issues.

By the way, I really doubt the daily fines the Birds have levied against him will hold up against an aggressive legal battle. If a doctor legitimately diagnosed him with depression and put him on meds, I really expect the Players Association to get behind him and fight the fine. I will be shocked if the Birds don't rescind the fines in order to escape a potential messy situation that could bring on a messy P.R. battle.

Good News From Lehigh

As I guess you guys can tell, I'm completely bored by Eagles camp. I can't even force myself to read anything further about the contract squabbles, hamstring pulls, or how hard Big Red's camp is. I also might vomit if I have to read another puff piece about how great a shape Darren Howard is in or how LJ Smith believes he's ready to become a premiere Tight End in the NFL. The Shawn Andrews mysterious hold out is mildly intesting, but only because the full reason as to why he's not in camp has not been revealed.

In any event, I was mildly happy when I came across Dave Spadaro's article naming D Mac as the best player in camp. Dave had the following propaganda to spin about D Mac:

Nobody even thinks about the shoulder tendinitis, or the injuries in the past, or the drama that has followed Donovan McNabb for most of his career. When you see McNabb in this camp, you see a player who is at the top of his game, razor-sharp and clearly enjoying himself. McNabb has been outstanding on and off the field and in every way. McNabb has thrown the ball brilliantly throughout the camp. His mobility seems like it is all the way back and, well, he looks like the Donovan McNabb who is one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

Make no mistake, McNabb is the key player in this whole picture. And he has clearly taken care of himself in the off-season and is providing a great, great and super-encouraging showing at camp.

I normally take Spadaro's comments with a grain of salt, but then I came across G Cobb's blog and he had something similar to say:

Donovan McNabb again thinks he's the guy who knows he's holding the cards.
You know the guy who sits at the table trying to keep the smile from creeping out. He knows this is his hand after he looks over his cards.

McNabb feels that way again but that doesn't mean his feelings are totally true. I must admit he looks good at training camp and the offense looks better than I thought.

This is actually pretty good news. A healthy #5 is imperative for a success season. Let's hope we start to see a healthy and improved D Mac when the preseason starts.

I Love Brad Lidge!

What more can I say? The guy is a complete stud. We have not had a closer this reliable in my life time. I'm sitting here watching the 9th inning thinking we're totally effed and hoping to just get to extra innings as the best case scenario. Next thing you know, Lidge fans the last two batters and ho-hum, the game's over. The guy is amazing.

A couple of other notes:

-Ryan Howard is a total butcher in the field. If you needed anymore evidence, you got it in the 8th inning.

-Was anyone else deathly afraid when Ryan Madson came in to face Albert Pujols?

-With all the action at the end of the game, it's easy to forget that Brett Myers turned in his second straight decent start.

-I think we can officially add Ryan Ludwick to the Phillie Killer All Stars along with Hanley Ramirez and Brian McCann. (Anyone have any other candidates?)

-I still hate how much this team has to rely upon home runs to win games.

-This series was huge. With the Mets and Marlins stumbling a bit this weekend, the Phils opened up a little bit of lead going into this week's series against the Marlins.