No Offense, No Problem?

For the second game in a row to start off a young season, the Phillies came up with only one run. This time, it was in 11 innings instead of only 9, and it left a lot of questions out there on the table.

"So... you're telling me its NOT GOOD to hit the ball right to the SS with a guy on first?"

This game, like the season opener in Pittsburgh on Thursday, showed how dominant and talented these Phillies’ pitchers truly are. The other side of the coin is that, it also showed how inept our offense could truly be.  Despite being able to put up 7 hits, they were mostly scattered and gave the pitching staff little to no room for error. Even Kendrick pitched effectively enough out of the bullpen to hold the game close for the Fightins, but no cavalry was coming in to save this team in Pittsburgh. Even though 7 is not an low number of hits and 8 was not a bad number on Thursday, can anyone tell us how many extra base hits have come from that 15?

Answer: 1 double by John Mayberry.

That is roughly 6.7% of our hits for you math enthusiasts out there.

If that isn’t scary enough, the clutch hitting also is proving to be a bit of a problem in the early going. There was a failure to drive in runs on Thursday (See Galvis double play above), and even tonight some opportunities were squandered.  Just look at the first inning in which we had two guys on, one out, and only managed to come away with one run. When you have Clifton on the mound, and a chance to crush the throat of the opponent early, you have to take the opportunity. Also, in the ninth inning when our leadoff runner, Hunter Pence, reached base, we were unable to use our “newly acquired” sense of small ball to get the runner into scoring position. Nix may not be the best bunter in the league, but MLB players have to be able to bunt when called upon. If Nix is that awful at bunting, Charlie should have brought in Cole “The Lumber” Hamels to get the sac bunt down and give us a chance to win in the 9^th.

A couple final statistical tidbits to throw out there at you:

Phillies are currently 2-15 with RISP so far this season (.133)

Freddy Galvis is 0-8 in the first two games of the season.

Galvis grounded into 2 double plays in his first two career plate appearances. He is the first player to do that since 1990, and the only Phillies player ever.

Pence is 1-8 to start off the season (.125)

What does all this mean?

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

The first two games are meaningless in the grand scheme of things to come. The Phillies are starting out slow like many perennial major league teams seem to do (See: Yankees and Red Sox). The pitching looks spectacular as we all thought it would, and the offense is looking a little rusty like we all assumed that it may. Lets not turn the slow start into an Armageddon however. Pence started 2-8 in his first two games last year and we all remember how he finished last year (.317 22 HRs). Also, Galvis is just a kid who has to learn how to hit in the majors, and that isn't just going to happen overnight. It is going to take time for him to round into a solid MLB hitter. 

All those who may be panicking, relax, take a step back, and realize it is the second game of a long MLB season. 

When all else fails, remember: It could be worse, we could be obnoxious fans from DC or New York. 

Have a good night, sleep well, see you back out on the diamond tomorrow. Go Phils.

To the Playoffs... AND BEYOND!

That time of the year in the NHL is approaching fast. The time of year is approaching when even the most casual hockey fan gets excited for a month of intensity. And to get ready for this month of intensity and excitement, the Flyers decided to start practicing the one thing that wins series and wins the Stanley Cup: Defense.

"Follow me to the playoffs... AND BEYOND!"

As all of the complaints about Ilya Bryzgalov have come and gone, and all the critics have scrutinized one easy goal after another, there has always been one caveat to all of the complaints. That one caveat is the fact that the defense in front of either goaltender this year has not really been that amazing. We have a lot of talent at the position, but hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. And through most of this season, even though we have a lot of talent, it looked like we were getting outworked defensively. Whether we weren’t winning battles along the boards, blocking enough shots, or clearing away the garbage in front of the net, it just appeared as if our defense was slacking. As a result of this, it didn’t matter who was in net, there were going to be a lot of goals given up and a lot more offense needed to win games. We have the offense needed to win, but in the playoffs, teams are too good and goalies are too sharp to just try and win on offense alone.

Fast forward to February 28 versus the San Jose Sharks and you will see the beginning of the transformation that Peter Laviolette is trying to instill in this team. Since then, the defense as a whole has only given up three or more goals twice: a 4-1 loss to the Devils (Bobrovsky) and a 6-3 win versus the NY Islanders. Since that time, not only has the goaltending play gotten better, but the defensive intensity has gotten better too. It is easy to sit here and say that Bryzgalov is playing like the best goalie in the NHL right now (Even though he is), but the better answer may be that the defense as a whole is playing better. Laviolette has told these guys that it is time to get in playoff mode and practice the one thing that is proven to bring team championships: defense.

Now this isn’t letting Bryz off the hook just yet, because to be perfectly honest, he has let in a lot of easy goals throughout the year, but as the defense got better and his play started to improve, his confidence has gotten much better. The goalie position is as much mental as it is physical like any kicker in the NFL and if one is off, the other will be affected too. So for someone who is a philosophizer of sorts, the mental game is more important than his physical attributes. But a little bit better defense went a long way in fixing his game overall.

Another aspect going our way as of late has been health. Although we have had to battle through health problems much of the season (Pronger, Giroux, Timmonen…etc), we have battled through it and now are getting healthy at the right time. Angrej Meszaros is back from his injury, getting back in the groove and our new additions: Nicklas Grossman and Pavel Kubina, have added some much needed defensive depth that was lost with the Pronger concussion. Our forwards, especially Jagr, have had a couple of nagging injuries throughout the year, but all of them seem to be getting better at the right time as well, really hitting the peak of their performance.

Put all of these together with the youth and excitement some of our rookies are bringing to the games this year, and it is easy to see why we have a lot of steam going into the postseason race. Matt Read is easily one of the best rookies in the NHL this year who is 4^th among NHL rookies with 43 points (Second in Eastern conference to only Adam Henrique) and 2^nd among NHL rookies in goals scored with 21 (First in Eastern Conference).  Put him along with the speedy newcomer Wellwood, and our young Center Sean Couturier (25 pts, 12 G, 13 A) and we have some young ambitious legs on the ice all the time.

If all the rookies have a sophomore slump next year, we might be in trouble

 Let’s hope that with all of these things put together that this year is as exciting as and more prosperous than it was versus the Blackhawks just a couple of years ago. Maybe, just maybe, we can even end the drought that has been plaguing the city of Brotherly Love since 1975 and bring in Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Quick Hit: Demeco Ryans! (Cap)

The Eagles did what everyone said they needed to do - the Eagles landed the veteran linebacker that they needed to stabilize a defense that (frankly) needed help.

They have traded the Houston Texans  a 4th-round pick in this year's draft and swapped 3rd-round picks for Pro Bowl Lineback Demeco Ryans.

God Bless America... and Demeco Ryans

For many reasons, the twins are jacked about this move, and we'll tell you why.

The man has all the tangibles, stats, and accolades that you'd want in your starting linebacker.

      - Six-year veteran from the University of Alabama (Second round pick)

      - 2006 Defensive Rookie of the Year

      - Two-time Pro-Bowl linebacker

      - All-time leading tackler in Houston Texans' history (636 tackles, 479 solo)

      - Durability (missed a total 10 games in his six-year career from one achilles' injury in 2010)

      - 6'1" 247 pounds!

Now, take all of that and throw it out the window. Let's talk about what really matters - his intangibles.

We can sit here all night and rattle off stats to make a man sound impressive on the football field, but what this defense really needed (and what it got) was a leader. This man is widely known in the locker room as 'Cap' to show the respect that he deserves as a leader on and off the field for the Houston Texans. He was a defensive captain and was very influential for the Texans. He helped lead a team to its first Division Championship in 2011, and a defense to a second overall ranking (4th in scoring defense).

You can say what you want about last year's defense, but it was not short on talent. What it was really short on was leadership and a guy to pull them all together.

This defense has been looking for a guy to take the reigns like the incomparable Brian Dawkins ever since his departure. Now, we're not suggesting he's the second-coming of B-Dawk, but for all of our sakes, let's hope that he is (or at least a guy that will do the trick).

Andy and the boys made a great move today. Well done.

Last Laugh for Personal Friend-of-the-Blog Andy Reid? Let's hope so... 

Demeco, welcome. Get ready for a Super Bowl run. 

P.S. For those of you twitter people - Here's the newest person you should be following... @DRyans59

TebowMania?

The rumors have spread; all the idiots have given their own opinion, and now its time for these idiots to give an opinion as well.

Just thought of a positive: Looks AMAZING with his shirt off.

As some of you may have heard this guy… Peyton Namming… or something like that, signed with the Denver Broncos today. While normally that would be the most important news in the world of sports, it has already been forgotten, put aside, and made way for Tim Tebow. Since that time, rumors have been flying and teams have been named as Tebow’s next destination.

The one name that keeps coming up as a “makes perfect sense, but will never happen” scenario is the Philadelphia Eagles. Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg are obsessed with quarterbacks, and they have proven themselves to be somewhat of gurus when it comes to developing quarterbacks. Obviously, just with this first point being made, the debate starts. The real question is: Yay or Nay?

Why we should trade for Tim Tebow.

The reasons we should trade for Tebow actually make a ton of sense. The first thing is that getting him is not going to cost very much. Elway cannot keep him in house, because if Peyton struggles even one week, the high altitude is going to cloud some fans into believing that in some universe Tim Tebow should start over Peyton Manning. With this in mind, most people are not really sure about him anyway and that may mean a 4^th round pick could get him. The second reason we would want him is that he would definitely be an upgrade at backup quarterback. Right now our second and third options are Trent Green (Old and washed up) and Mike Kafka (Great looking, but not necessarily a winner). Tebow can be a winner as a backup and won’t turn the ball over which is pivotal at that positon. This is one of the most important positions on the football field when your Starting Arm is injury prone and has a hard time finishing seasons. Finally, the last one is a bit far fetched but still a possibility. If Tebow can learn for an entire year under Big Red, he could potentially take the reins in a year or two from Vick. He would have to improve in a big way, but people had just as many doubts as Michael Vick coming out of prison and look where he is now. If he sits behind Vick for a year or two, learns all he can from the quarterback gurus, and works hard (like we all know he will), he could go from freak sideshow to solid NFL quarterback.

Now to the Negatives

All right, there are a ton of positives to having Tebow on the Eagles, but there are always two sides to every coin. The other side of this is very simple: Tebow Mania is painful to deal with. All that the Philadelphia area had to hear was Tim Tebow would be a good fit and Philly blew up. Tebow mania has sparked on television, local sports talk radio, and even blogs like this one. Can you imagine if he actually came here? One interception by Vick and the brainless, idiotic fans that don’t know the sports of football would force Howie Roseman into the same stranglehold that John Elway was forced into. That was John Elway too, who is a superstar, role model in Denver, which is far from what Howie Roseman is here. Another problem that exists here is exactly opposite of what was stated in our “pros” section. This is still putting a lot of faith in the quarterback that Tebow COULD become. What if we give up this fourth round pick, bring him in, and he does nothing besides sit on the bench for two years? It would be the waste of a pick and a waste of time for the Eagles. There are still so many questions about his accuracy and QB IQ that it would really be a lot of work, even for our two gurus.

Final Verdict: Even though he may have divine intervention (and that may very well be the only thing that ever brings Philadelphia a Super Bowl), he is just too much of a headache to deal with. Tebowmania sweeps a team and becomes an infectious disease. It would infect a locker room that already has leadership and ego issues. He may turn out to be a great quarterback one day, but for now, let Tebow go somewhere with an awful fan base that needs jersey sales. Philadelphia will be better off without him.

Would you do it?

A Note from Ruben...

Dear Philadelphia,

It is I, your once beloved, and often talked about, General Manager Ruben Amaro Junior. I have been with all of you for a while now, from highly touted prospect to major league stud to assistant GM and protégé of the Legend Pat Gillick. And here we are now. Where are we now you may ask? That’s a good question.

Up until about 2 weeks ago, I thought I was the toast of the city. I am the man who brought you almost everything that you people could have ever wanted.

You wanted the surgeon from Canada, and I brought you the man they call “Doc”.

You wanted the fun loving Cleveland kid with an attitude of gold, and I gave you Clifton Phifer.

“Oh no! We need more offense!” Boom, I give you the kid who loves post game eats, Hunter Pence.

The gap between Jimmy and I was not only between his teeth, but also between money and years of a contract. Yet, I closed the gap not only between his teeth (Liquid concrete did the trick), but also got the deal done.

Fast forward about 6 months, and we have our current state. You all look at me like some high school boy who wouldn’t know the difference between a 5 year, $40 million deal, and one of those damn Algebra problems about which train is going to get to some fictional stop before the other one does.

Well, I have some news for you. Not only do I know how to make the big deal, but I know how to answer that idiotic Algebra problem too. The answer: I don’t give a shit which train gets their first, because they are both going to Philadelphia and they both have some high price talent that I bring in while staying under the luxury tax.

You can all be mad at me as much as you want, but quite frankly, I don’t care. All I have done is what you ask and now, I can’t foresee lingering injuries to our major stars, and I am a pariah? I know I should be Ms. Cleo, but because I refuse to wear that awful psychic wrap on my head, I can’t see into the future. I mean with this hair would you wear anything on your head?

I put together an amazing bench behind our cast of talent that included some major power and some good matchup type hitters. Also, I brought in some good competition, which Charlie and I always believe drives performance. Injuries are one of those things that no one can predict, and even if I could, I have no more minor league pieces to trade. If you want to know why, see above. Also, because Big Bill Giles is riding me to make sure I don’t go over the luxury tax, I couldn’t sign anybody worthwhile in free agency anyway.

All I have to say to all of you Philadelphia is take a pill or start watching the Sixers, the bar is set much lower there. I have done all I can to help improve this club and it is just Spring Training, we haven’t even given this team a chance yet. We still have 3 starting pitchers who are capable of compiling 60+ wins, and then add in the solid 15 wins Joe Blanton is going to get us, and we are already right there (I know what you are thinking and yes, I am kidding about the Blanton total, I actually expect 20 wins from him also). The offense may not be the dynamo it has been in the past, but if Jimmy and Shane stay healthy, there is no reason we can’t produce enough runs to get the wins we need. And don’t forget, I am the magic man at the trade deadline so it is completely possible I can add one more piece at the end depending on what we need.

Before you start throwing beer on my car and calling for my head, remember I still have done more than any other GM has done for this team in years (unless you count Ed Wade as a member of the Astros). Be a fan, don’t be a critic, and trust in the lineup that we have. In time, all wounds will heal and if we can stay competitive until everyone comes back, we will be fine for the playoffs. We have a target on our back for a reason, we are still number ones in everyone’s’ minds.

If you don’t like what I am saying, go to CBP South and stay there.

Love always,

Ruben Amaro Jr.

Sixers Train on Track...Not at Destination

After watching the Sixers lose to the Knicks last night 85-79 at that hole in the wall known as Madison Square Garden, we learned a couple things about this young up and coming team. We learned that Spencer Hawes may be a bigger part of this team than previously thought, we learned that this team, as good as they have been, is still going to have to get used to playing in the spotlight, and we learned a good hard lesson that this is a league of Superstars and unless you have one, you may be out of luck.

You look up to a higher power, but we in Philadelphia look up to only one man... #00

The first one may have been the most obvious here, but the offense looked pretty disappointing without Spencer on the floor. The constant movement, pick and rolls and fluency of the offense just seemed to become null and void. I know you wouldn’t normally associate movement and fluency with the 7 ft Spencer Hawes, but he actually makes a big difference. His skill set allows him to set numerous screens, roll to the basket, or pop out for the open jump shot. He also makes a big difference on the boards. A couple more rebounds here and there, a couple more second chance point opportunities and possibly 6 or 8 more points that could have been possible. It also threw off our substitution rotation that had been working so well. Without Spencer, Battie had more minutes than he was used to, Vucevic was relied on too heavily, and we were forced to go to a lot of smaller lineups because we were tired. Hawes could have made a big difference.

The new 76ers may not be ready for the spotlight quite yet, but talk about a team that took advantage. (We really just needed Matt Geiger in a picture on the blog)

The second truth that we learned was that this was the biggest game of our early season, and we weren’t ready to show up. We looked nervous early and often which lead to a big first half deficit that we had to work too hard to pull ourselves out of. Even small things like our free throws were off last night. Usually, we hit FTs at a 72.4% clip, but last night we only hit 66.7%. We know that could be a lot of things including just a bad night or the wrong guys getting fouled, but it still bears repeating. We also did not have a field goal for almost the last half of the first quarter and Nikola Vucevic, a kid who has looked great in the early season, scored 0 points in 12 minutes off the bench. Vucevic has played so well for him to not score one bucket shows a lack of the offense and a lack of confidence in the big lights. These little things, to us, were a sign of nervousness in a young team who is still getting used to receiving some attention.

Now, before we start our rant on this last topic, we need to admit some things. Carmelo Anthony had a very good game. He took over in the second half, and after his jawing with Iguodala, was motivated and hit some big time shots with defense in his face. The other point we would like to admit is that we are not saying the Sixers cannot win without a superstar. We believe the team atmosphere can work and will work over time with this young team that is molding together. The only thing that will become evident is that it helps to have a superstar on your team.

They get the calls.

We have been civil and admitted some truths, and now it is time for the rant.

One of the major reasons that this team did not win last night was that the NBA is a league of Superstars, and Superstars get all the calls. Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire will be playing the role of our “superstars” in this rant. The superstars constantly got the 50/50 calls and that gave the Knicks the advantage they needed. Even on the technical foul, where Carmelo Anthony was acting like a baby because he did not get his normal foul call under the basket, he got bailed out by the official calling a DOUBLE TECHNICAL. WHAT DID ANDRE IGUODALA DO TO DESERVE A TECHNICAL? The last time we checked, you had every right to take a ball from the out of bounds position to check it in. However, the referees felt inclined to call a double technical because poor little Carmelo Anthony at his home in MSG couldn’t dare have acted alone. HE WAS PROVOKED. We also missed the new rule where you are allowed to be falling out of bounds and still call a timeout. Doug Collins and our new favorite color analyst, Malik Rose, were livid about this and for good reason.  The refs bailed out the Knicks (yet again) late in the game when they needed another possession. Oh and has anyone ever heard of a clear path foul? Oh, you have? WELL IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CALLED LAST NIGHT. As Malik said, “They must have a different camera angle than we have.” The call was so obvious and the refls blew it. I mean, we probably would have missed one of the foul shots anyway, but you never know. Amare… well we actually like Amare Stoudemire and his wonderful frames, but on numerous occasions it was blatantly obvious that when he goes to the rack and gets bumped is much different than when Brand goes to the rim and gets pumped, or Vucevic, or Battie, it’s just different.  It is a league of superstars and of course they are going to get the extra calls, but when it happens to your team, it puts salt in the wounds. That is why we say that without a true superstar on the floor, the court will always be tilted in favor of the superstar.

Our new favorite thing. Thaddeus is the Janitor or as Malik's Niece pointed out... "Custodian"

Now a couple of good things to leave on.

1.     If it wasn’t for the surprise of the evening, Josh Harrellson, and his completely out of the ordinary 13 points, the Knicks wouldn’t have won. He has blown up on three occasions this season, but most of the games, his point total has ranged between 0-3 points.

2.     Lou Williams had an off night. Now this isn’t a good thing, but when was the last time our beloved LOUUUUU only dropped two points? Expect better from him in future match ups.

3.     No matter how much we scored, we still held the Knicks to 85 points. That is amazing. For a team of SUPERSTARS who average 95 points per game, consider that a big win for the team, regardless of it being a win or loss.

No matter what, in our eyes, relevancy in Sixers’ basketball is back, and it is exciting.

WHAT THE HELL?!?

Incase you haven't noticed, and judging by the attendance, you haven't... the Sixers have managed to win a game or two. 

                                         Well Harry we disagree, people are starting to listen.

Let us rephrase... the Sixers are now 7-2 on the season (assuming we hang on in this nail biter versus the Kings tonight) and in first place in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. 

To be clear: this could be the first time since the early 2000s that we could actually be a relevant team in the NBA and some people in "the media" are even beginning to notice the Sixers. We may still be a couple steps behind the Heat and the Bulls in the Eastern Conference (Debatable) but we are looking like we could be right up there with some of the best talents in the Association. John Hollinger has even marked the Sixers as #1 in his latest power rankings... Yeah, we said right #1. If you read SI.com, Doug Collins' boys  are #4 in the entire league. Let's average the two different rankings... we become 2.5 in the NBA... WOW. In the past 5 or 6 years, actually, ever since we lost the 'Iverson Era' if we were in the top 15 teams in the NBA, we were ecstatic. The PTI guys even mentioned us on "The Big Finish". They were gracious enough to give the Sixers 15 seconds so that Wilbon could tell Cornheiser and Realli that he called at the beginning of the year this team would win the Atlantic Division. The team has done so many things right up to this point in the season and in the recent past that it is paying dividends in a big way on the court.

                                 The first thing that this team did right was hire Doug Collins. 

They should make him wear these shorts after every loss. Talk about motivation.

This is obvious, but this guy brings so much passion and excitement to the team. He has the young guys buying into his system. That system includes constant defense (As poor Marreese Speights learned) and a team first offensive approach in which our leading scorer is a sixth man and our team MVP is a bench player. A team in which every player has the availability to drop double digits on any given night. This is the team that Ed Snider envisioned a couple years ago when he started cleaning house and bringing in the best coach in the game: Doug Collins. Thanks to his leadership, the 76ers are right where they are supposed to be.

Another characteristic that has helped this team is the development of its young talent. With all of the high draft picks we had over numerous years, you had to assume that at some point, some of it was going to come around. The only thing the GMs didn't anticipate was it all coming together at the exact same time. Jrue Holiday is starting to become one hell of a young PG in the league. He knows how to dish it, and the more shots he takes, the more confidence he is gaining as they start to fall. He has been taking good care of the ball which is something he is learning well from his ole ball coach. Lou Williams could always score, but he found his niche with this team as the sixth man. He comes in the game, drops a ton of points, and leads his team each night. There are numerous examples such as Evan Turner who early last year was thought to be a waste of a 2nd overall pick, but since Collins started molding him to the NBA game, he looks like a guy that may have been worth that pick after all. Finally, the most important development with this team has been in the man of Spencer Hawes. It is almost as though the Sixers signed a new player in the offseason and he is starting at Center this year. Spencer has been a whole new player this year. He is a monster on the boards, he looks like Vlad Divac with his wonderful assists and he has a post game all of a sudden leading to offense. Spencer at one point in the season was third in the league in rebounds per game, but since his playing time has been slimmed down due to injury, he has dropped to sixth in the NBA. Pretty pathetic, right? Lets run him out of town for only being sixth in the NBA in rebounds per game. Oh, and when Hawes isn't healthy, just insert one of the best rookies in the game, Vucevic. This kid is only a rookie from USC, but man he is smart and looks like a real player early. With a little more practice under this great coaching staff, I am scared to see what he may become. The biggest piece in all this hasn't even been mentioned: Thaddeus Young. His athleticism, hustle, defense, and energy are irreplaceable on the team. Without him coming off the bench, who knows where this team might be. He is a bench player, but he is more important than any starter on the floor. If this team is going to go anywhere, it is up the leadership and talent of Thaddeus Young. That being said, all of these young players are performing above expectations and driving this team to victory.

Yeah, he doesn't look like much, but so far he's getting the job done.

The final change that has really affected the team is the ownership. This ownership group led by Josh Harris has taken over and made our Philadelphia 76ers exciting again. They have done everything to get the fans on board and in the seats to watch this team. The only real mistake that they have made so far is getting rid of Hip Hop, and we may never forgive them for that, but what they have done has been wonderful so far. The team has a sense of pride and the city will hopefully soon follow suit. The ownership group spent a lot of money to improve the conditions for the fans, the city, and its players and the excitement is fueling this young team. 

Jump on the bandwagon early, because it is going to fill up quickly and you don't want to be the one thats left out. This team is built to win and mark our words: We will win the Atlantic Division. 

Tomorrow night is a true test so tune in to the Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks and see where our boys stand on the young season.

We're gonna wipe that smile right off your face you no hack, couldn't cut it in Denver, clown. Even TEBOW can cut it in a small market town like Denver. Well, you guys do have one thing in common, neither of you play defense. 

247 Thoughts on 24/7: Part 1

First of all, we’re exaggerating. There will not be 247 full thoughts on this story so don’t get your hopes too high, but it should be fun anyway.

1. John Tortorella is a hard-ass. We’re shocked.

Every time a NY Ranger is questioned or asked about their coach there just seems to be a common theme. He is an ‘in your face’ kind of guy that tells you exactly how it is. Multiple Rangers’ players answered questions about him and gave the very typical, very professional answer that he is hard on them, but he cares and they like his approach. All of them are clearly, secretly wishing the Rangers would get rid of him so that he gets off of their asses (let’s be real honest).

He’s in the players’ and referees’ faces (AND THE FANS). He has been rubbing people in the hockey world the wrong way for years now. We can still remember hating him as a coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning for 100 years.

Not that it is a solid place for facts all of the time, but below is an excerpt from his Wikipedia page. Again, we’re shocked.

‘Tortorella is known for his outspoken nature—which has included criticizing his own players—and for his unusual system of regularly rotating goaltending duties.’

All we can say is that we’re happy he went to the Rangers. If he had magically ended up as the Flyers’ coach, we might have had to actually start rooting for him.

2. Madison Square Garden vs. The Wells Fargo Center

The 24/7 show did a little bit of a look at some history of the two teams’ stadiums and history. Now, of course, you would be nuts not to love our blue-class, blue collar approach to hockey. With that being said, MSG is a hockey cathedral. Looking at the back-end entrances of the two stadiums is like looking at two very different cultures and dynamics.

Madison Square Garden displays names of players and pictures of past performances and teams etched in stone in a very classy homage to its history. Watching Callahan go through the halls creates a few goosebumps if you’re a true hockey fan (regrettably). WF Center has old-school plywood charts displaying names of past heroes of the Broad Street Bullies. Again, this is a great way to display our blue-collar hockey approach, but it just doesn’t look as impressive. In all fairness, Wells Fargo Center doesn’t have the history that MSG does either – it really isn’t the Spectrum.

Both represent their cities well, but MSG was a thing of beauty (just an observation that caught us off-guard).

3. Ilya is way off of his Czech Rocker.

Maybe this is truly the perfect goalie. The man seemed completely out of it. There were people talking about him having his own reality show, but maybe he would be better off in a mental hospital?

Listening to this guy talk about the vastness of our universe and how Chinese law is that they will kill anyone that kills tigers – you had to think to yourself ,”Is this guy serious?” The other thought that immediately came to us was maybe he’s perfect. In a town that is given so much scrutiny for how it critiques its goaltending, maybe he would be able to block it all out. Hell, is he even going to hear any of it?

He struggled early and proclaimed that he was having issues mentally adjusting, but maybe, just maybe, he can keep focusing on the universe just long enough to keep it all together.

4. Let ‘em in, Let ‘em in

We know it was only on the show for maybe a minute, but if you didn’t notice, the Flyers’ locker room song after a win is ‘Knock Knock’ by: Mac Miller. If you haven’t listened to it yet, we highly recommend it. It really is a good ‘get jacked up’ song.

It also really speaks to this young Flyers team… (sort of)

“1,2,3,4 some crazy-ass kids come and knocked up on your door so

let em in, let em in, let em in”

More to come. Get ready for Part 2 on Wednesday night as we get ready for the Winter Classic in the Bank…

Turkeys and Things to be Thankful for this NFL Season as an Eagles’ Fan

Turkeys:

After this year, these guys should be cooked. (Funny)

           Juan Castillo

Yeah, we've been scratching our heads, too.

This should come as no surprise to most of you because everyone (as always) is in an uproar about the Eagles. This time it just happens to be about the defense. Normally, the blogging twins are very patient about our coaches and personnel, but this time we are a little tired of this coach. Now, don’t get us wrong, we don’t blame Juan for everything…

Should Andy have named him defensive coordinator? Probably not.

Are the players on the defensive side of the ball playing to the best of their capabilities? No way.

We understand the guy’s passion and enthusiasm for coaching, and that is all fantastic, but he could have done that with the offensive line. It is just clear that the guy is in over his head, and maybe he shouldn’t be the one tweaking the defensive schemes of a good number of over-priced, big-headed defensive players that are struggling to find their way.

You have to know that there is a problem with where a team is headed defensively if a head coach (who just put a whole heap of faith in making you his defensive coordinator) is talking about hiring a ‘defensive consultant’ a few weeks into a season for help. Andy basically created a new position to fill a gaping void.

Yes, the defense has definitely played better over the past few weeks, but can we really say that this is scheming or is it finally just top quality defensive players playing up to their paychecks?

A big test will be this Sunday against a Patriots’ offense that will require more than just talent to stop. It’s going to require a good game plan, and we’re going to see if we’re going to get it.

            Kurt Coleman

Weird, it looks like he knew how to tackle in college... Wonder what happened?

Is anyone seeing a trend here on the defensive side of the ball for the Eagles?

Listing Kurt Coleman here should get one of two reactions.

1.     Kurt Coleman, why? He is in no way important enough to get a turkey distinction.

2.     Now that I think about it, he has been pretty awful.

Our thought process is following number two in the above reactions.

Go back through the Eagles’ games this year… How many times do you remember yelling at the TV (maybe the yelling part is just in our house) about how Kurt Coleman took a bad angle to a ball carrier, or couldn’t wrap up a tackle, or blew pass coverage and had you ripping your hair out? Our bet is that even if you didn’t realize it before –you are realizing it now.

This was even more apparent earlier in the year when backs like Michael Turner, Stephen Jackson, and Frank Gore were running free in the secondary with no one around to wrap anyone up.

For a guy that went to THE Ohio State University, shouldn’t we expect a little bit more?

Michael Vick/ Darryl Tapp

We really have nothing to complain about with these two guys. Michael Vick has not played as amazing as he did last year, but its not exactly easy to play an MVP caliber season every year. He was bound to ‘disappoint’ some people this year because it is hard to duplicate the year that he had in 2010.

Darryl Tapp has also been highly productive for Jim Washburn’s defensive line this year. He has 2.5 sacks in a reserve role and has a total of 17 tackles (11 solo). Since coming over in a trade from Seattle, he has proven to be a valuable asset for depth at the defensive end position.

So you may be asking yourself… why are they turkeys? HOKIES BABY! In case you are unfamiliar, these two played their college ball at our Alma Mater “Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University” which is more often called Virginia Tech. They have to be turkeys… that is what they were in college. Go Hokies! (#5 BCS)

Things to be Thankful for:

Brian Rolle

Such a handsome young man.

We bet you didn’t see this coming… A defensive player on the ‘Thankful for’ list?

This is one Ohio Stater that has lived up to his school’s billing.

Brian Rolle came into the outside linebacker role a bit later than he probably should have this year, but he has been a big part of turning around a defense that was hurting big time. He has been a factor in the running game which has solidified itself after the early going, and he has definitely been an impressive option for shutting down a pesky TE or two in the passing game that has plagued the Eagles in the past. We really haven’t had too many games this year where Brian Rolle was in charge in which the TEs went crazy against the Eagles.

Brian has had 33 tackles this year, 8 assts, 3 passes defended, and 25 solo tackles. While these numbers aren’t staggering in themselves, there are no stats for the amount of times he has been in the right spot to stop a runner or occupy a blocker – allowing someone else to be freed up for a tackle. He has been a pleasant surprise for a team that came into the year assuming that Casey Matthews was going to be its starting linebacker.

Not to mention that Brian is still very young. He is 23 years old and still has time to develop to become even better. Even if you’re sitting there saying that this season is over (which we don’t buy yet), there is still something to look forward to with this defense – we still have young players to build on.

Thank you, Brian. The city of Philadelphia should gather around their Thanksgiving day tables and say thanks for you.

Andy Reid

You Beautifully Jovial Man

Stop right there. We are sure that there are a bunch of smart comments coming out of everyone’s mouths about how crazy we are and how Reid needs to go.

If you’ve read this blog before, you know we completely disagree.

Andy has been a great thing for the city of Philadelphia and its beloved Eagles.

Don’t use the argument that we haven’t won a Superbowl under his tenure as our head coach because we can play that game too. There are plenty teams in the NFL that haven’t won a Superbowl under their current head coach’s tenure.

You know what else we can do?

We can name a bunch of teams that have turned over coaches year after year and have not been nearly as competitive or as well run as the Eagles. The Birds have been perennial favorites to win the division for years and have had Chris Berman pick them to win the Superbowl almost every year for the past 6 or 7 years.

The reason is the stability that Andy has brought into Philadelphia.

We’ve made this argument before, but the players love Big Red. Even when he has to hand out orders (for example, benching Desean Jackson), he has kept a great rapport with the players and they want to perform for him.

Can things be said about his inability to manage a clock? Sure.

Can things be said about his penchant for throwing the ball too much? Yup.

Is it possible that we need a change at the head coach position? Sure.

But right now, he IS the head coach of this team, and his contribution to our team over his tenure is immeasurable. So, sit back and give thanks for Big Red and just enjoy.

The Washington Redskins

We admit, on the surface, this looks like an odd addition to the ‘Thankful for’ list.

But think about it.

No matter how disappointing our year has been – our little buddies to the south always outdo us with disappointment. They started with such a bang this year and then slowly but surely declined to their old forms in the NFC East (actually, it was a pretty sharp decline right as they played the Eagles and we embarrassed Sexy Rexy).

It’s nice to have the stability and familiarity of those Redskins being awful.

Not to mention, we are almost assuredly going to be heavy favorites against the Redskins on Sunday, January 1^st at 1 PM on Fox (even if we are still lower than them in the basement of the NFC East).

Thank you, Washington. Your consistency in stormy weather has been a lifeboat for this football town. 

Jason Babin to the Rescue

 Before we set the scene and explain our thought, let us just say that by this we mean “Jason Babin to the Rescue… For Juan Castillo”.

I was worth the money. Thats for sure, Nnamdi...

Let’s set the scene appropriately here.

The Eagles just finished an 18 play, 80 yard drive that spanned 8 minutes and 51 seconds for a go ahead touchdown strike from Vince Young to the unlikeliest of heroes, Riley Cooper. A once maligned defense was coming back on the field to try and do what they had not been able to do so many times the rest of this disappointing season: hold a 4^th quarter lead. However, on this day, there seemed to be a different feeling in Philadelphia. After the way the midnight green defenders had flown around the field for the last 47 minutes and 15 seconds of game time, the fans held on to a thread of hope that the defense could come through where they had failed so many times before. After a couple of completed passes by Manning, the Giants faced a third and 3 from their own 32, and this is where the dream evening almost became a nightmare. After the Eagles pass rush had generated a lot of pressure on Manning and his subpar offensive line all evening, Juan Castillo made an almost fatal mistake. He decided to try and catch the Giants off guard with a cornerback blitz from Manning’s left. Instead of surprising him, the only thing that happened was he exposed our defense and left Victor Cruz wide open. He took that pass 47 yards to the Philadelphia 21, and put the Giants in prime position for the tying touchdown. The next play Superman, AKA Jason Babin, saved the game for the Birds and Juan Castillo by doing what he has done so well all year, never stop hustling. The rest, as they say, is history. The Eagles rode the legs of their workhorse, Lesean “Shady” McCoy to another victory without Jeremy Maclin or Michael Vick.

Now that the scene has been set, lets break down the problem with this scenario: the blitz. It has been a play that has been largely forgotten because of the heroic effort of Jason Babin on the very next play. But what if Jason Babin hadn’t made that play and the Eagles had lost? We would have been questioning that call up and down, but the final result should not blind us from the call that almost cost us a victory. Up to that point in the game, the defense had pressured Manning and really shut down the entire Giants’ offense. Aside from the abysmal 29 yards rushing they had given up, the ferocious front four held Sheli to just 18/35 for 249 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. Along with this, our boys had recorded 2 sacks and 10 QB hits. Those numbers are impressive considering how well the G-Men have played offensively this year. So with all of this defensive success, why did Juan Castillo go against what had made us successful and decided to blitz? We’re not even sure that he knows why. He took a chance that should never have been made and could have cost us the game. He chose to put us in a bad position and it cost us in a big way, but because of the talent that surrounds him, Jason Babin and the Eagles defense saved him (Of course we shouldn’t forget the solid coverage downfield that made him hold the ball and have to scramble).

This brings up two questions:

1.     Does he really know what he is doing or is he just guessing?

The second one which may be even more heart wrenching and important is this:

2.     What may this season have looked like if we had a different defensive coordinator leading our group of talented defensive backs and lineman into the season?

We may never know the answer to either of these questions, but it does not stop the intrigue that goes into these questions. The season may never be regained, and because of that reason, we may be left wondering the universal questions until 2012: What if?

Phillies Christmas List Part II

1. Grady Sizemore

Him, Cole, and Chase could increase women attendance at the games three fold. 

Now this guy is a name that a lot of you could be questioning significantly, but could be a big help anyway. He has been plagued by injuries a lot over the past several years and that has really affected his productivity. He is a CF by trade, but for right now would be a solid platoon player with John Mayberry in LF due to the leftie/rightie matchups. If one of them starts heavily outplaying the other than we can go with the Charlie Manuel special and ride the hot hand. The last full season Sizemore had free of injury was 2008 when he hit .268 with 33 HRs, 39 doubles AND he stole 38 bases. The most telling indication there is that he has speed and WE NEED THAT. For a team who is struggling to hit, if you can get a guy on base (walk, single, HBP, etc…) and he can steal a bag for you, it may help a team to play some small ball. Also, if a guy is out there stealing a lot of bags, it may get into the head of the pitcher who may make a couple of mistakes. All that Rhino, Chase, or Pence need is one mistake to make a close game a blowout. Grady is also only 29 years of age, which could be a little bit of youth to help an aging lineup get some energy and with all of his recent injuries he could be a cheap pickup. Also, he shows some power. If what we understand about the achilles injury to Howard is correct, he may not have the power right away that he has had in the past and a guy capable of 39 HRs may be what we need to jumpstart this offense again. Obviously Cuddyer is our main focus right now, but if he doesn’t work out, Sizemore could end up on our radar as the next best thing available. (To our best knowledge he hasn't officially re-signed with the Indians yet)

2.     Aramis Ramirez

This could be the biggest help to the Phillies overall, but maybe the hardest to get. Aramis would be the class bat that we need to put us back over the top. Not many people realize how good he actually was for an awful Chicago Cubs’ team last year in which he hit .306 with 26 HRs. He posted the most hits of any season in his entire career with 173 and he was doing it in a lineup where aside from Starlin Castro, he is the only decent offensive player. He is not the youngest player around, but in the closing window that the Phillies currently have, we can’t put too much emphasis on age at this point. He also plays third base and that is a position that we need help with because it is hard to rely on Polly as an everyday player at this stage of his career. Aramis could be a potential player for this club, but there is one factor that may be against the Phillies here: the pricetag. This may be the one guy that could desperately help, but may be the most expensive as well. His amount of years and salary could be something we are not willing to open the coin purse on especially with a Cole Hamels free agency pending next offseason. If we can get Aramis Ramirez at the right price though, this may be a signing that would make sense for the Phillies.