Phillies decisions

I love Aaron Rowand - - his play, production, fire, and the reckless abandon in which he plays the game. But his asking price of $14 million per year for 6 years is a very steep price, probably too steep, to pay for his services. If the Phillies let him walk and go with Plan B of moving Victorino to center and platooning Werth and Bourne in right, then it becomes imperative that the Phillies finally fix their problem at 3B. It’s been a glaring hole for years now, and without Rowand’s bat the team simply can’t afford to accept David Bell/Abraham Nunez production out of that position/spot in the lineup.

Great News for Phillies Fans

“The Phillies have their eyes on Schilling, who officially filed for free agency yesterday. On his weekly radio show on Boston's WEEI-AM, Schilling said yesterday: "There's a very realistic chance I won't ever play with [the Red Sox] again. . . . A one-year deal is all I'm looking for. If truly, physically, I was at the end of my rope, this would be the ultimate way to walk away. I don't think I'm there."

 

A one-year contract would be very attractive to the Phillies, who prefer the payroll flexibility it provides,” reports the Inqy.

Kershaw info

To fill the practice squad hole created by Akeem Jordan’s promotion to the varsity as Matt McCoy’s successor, the Eagles signed William Kershaw, who had been with the Chiefs.

 

Says the Chiefs website, “Athletic linebacker enters his second training camp with the Chiefs … Has the ability to play both middle and outside linebacker … Is expected to concentrate his time at outside linebacker … Could contribute on special teams while mastering the club’s defensive scheme … Spent the first 15 weeks of the 2006 season on the practice squad before being promoted for the final regular season game … Has played in one regular season contest and has seen duty in one postseason game.”

Not Bloody Likely

The only thing worse than the arrogance of the NFL in preempting every 1pm game to go “live to London” and watch the national anthems of the US and UK sung and the kickoff, is the questionable European strategy of the NFL.

 

Reportedly, the league and Roger Goodell want to make a single sojourn to a European city for a regular season game an annual occurrence. The question is…why? What good is one game going to do to spread American football to European fans? The world league was such a flop it no longer exists. What good is trying to build on this year’s London experience by playing next year’s game in, say, Frankfurt?

 

One definitely gets the sense that the whole hot issue of “internationalizing” American professional sports – pioneered by David Stern and the NBA – is at the root of the NFL strategy to grow itself (and its revenues). Alas, it overlooks the simple fact that basketball truly is an international sport – along with soccer – while “American futbol” is no such beast. I’m not even sure football “translates” to foreign sensibilities. Indeed, the demise of the world league suggests that the NFL has tried its European experiment…and failed.

 

Holding one game a year in some distant European land isn’t going to change that equation. Worse, it looks desperate. It looks like a cheap novelty and if Sunday’s game was any indication, it looks just as bad on the field.

Adios McCoy

Eagles LB Matt McCoy was cut yesterday. What was surprising was not that he was ultimately let go – he lost his starting job last year after the Colts debacle – but the timing of it. In the middle of the season with no warning. Clearly Reid wanted to send a message to the team about the ongoing rash of penalties (including many dumb ones such as McCoy’s 15 yard personal foul on Sunday when he went out of his way to hit the Vikings punter). If only Reid had similarly acted last year and cut Jerome McDougle after his retarded personal foul against the Buccaneers that contributed to that loss. To be fair to McCoy, the guy was always out there trying to hit somebody, but there is an important difference between being physically aggressive and undisciplined. He often played right up to that line. On Sunday, he crossed it.

 

I’m also presuming that the move means the Eagles coaches are more and more comfortable with rookie Stewart Bradley backing up most of the LBs, and that if an injury occurred among the starters that some shifting would occur and Bradley would fit in to whatever role was needed.

 

The conclusion of McCoy’s time with the team finally ends what is most likely the worst draft pick of Andy Reid’s tenure, which is saying something in light of the Freddie Mitchell and Jerome McDougle selections. What made the Matt McCoy pick so terrible is that it was such a reach in the second round, #63 overall.

 

McCoy was 2^nd team all conference at San Diego St. But what really added to the misery of Eagles’ fans was that McCoy was clearly not even the best LB on his own college team. Aztec teammate Kirk Morrison was a two-time All-american during the same time as McCoy, the only other two-time AA SDSU beside Marshall Faulk. Incredibly, the Eagles had the opportunity to take either LB at #63 and though any moron could tell just by collegiate accomplishments which was the better defender, the Eagles took McCoy. Since joining the Raiders after being drafted in the 3^rd round (one behind McCoy), Morrison (6’2” 240 lbs.) has been one of the league’s leading tacklers (116 tackles in 2005 and 127 tackles in 2006).

 

Sadly, McCoy joins a long list of failed Eagles LB acquired during the Reid regime. The list is long and undistinguished: Barry Gardener, Quinton Caver, Mark Simoneaux, Keith Adams, Greg Richmond, Tyreo Harrison, Torrance Daniels, Nate Wayne, Dhani Jones, etc. What did they all have in common? They were either dumb (Caver) or physically overmatched (Gardner, Simoneaux, Wayne, McCoy).

 

What is it about the Eagles’ personnel department that makes them absolutely incapable of evaluating linebacker talent? Their track record of failure does not bode well for Chris Gocong nor Omar Gaither in the long run.

 

Perhaps most laughable is the ridiculous statements put out by Reid and Heckert trying to put lipstick on this pig.  "Matt did a nice job when he was here. We just thought we would make the switch. I'm sure Matt is going to hook on with somebody else and do a great job for them," said Reid. “I’d be shocked if he wasn’t a star in this league,” said Heckert (though I can’t confirm this quote and its timing. This may have been uttered at the time of the draft). We’ll see. It’s better than even money that McCoy doesn’t play another down of professional football.

Bounty Bowl?

Phil Sheridan looks back at the history of the Cowboys-Eagles rivalry. He hits many of the highlights and lowlights since the 1970s. Most of it is here. The NFC Championship game. Stuffing Emmitt twice on 4^th and 1. The Cowboy picket crossers beating the Eagle scabs, the James Willis-Troy Vincent INT and lateral TD from the Eagles end zone, and the payback Randall “fake kneel down pass to Mike Quick.”

 

Surprisingly, however, he omits one play in particular that was both a highlight and lowlight. The Bounty Bowl, where Jesse Small made a bee line for…was it Luis Zendajas? And delivered a crushing hit on a Cowboys’ kickoff that left him prostrate and ultimately being carried off the field. I’m pretty sure that what added to the notoriousness of the play – aside from the fact that no team before or since has so blatantly targeted taking out an opposing kicker – was that it occurred on Thanksgiving.

Heads up

The NFL bestrides the national sports landscape like a colossus. Yet there is one dark cloud looming on the horizon threatening its popularity. Actually, there are probably more and I’m not counting the fact that players are literally outgrowing the sport. You pretty much have to weigh more than 200 lbs. to start in high school ball, a huge change from twenty years ago when a majority of the offensive and defensive lines on my beloved East Vikings didn’t crack 190 lbs.

 

But the larger danger is the growing realization of the damage and extent of head trauma and brain deterioration of football players. So this invention might help the situation.

Best Evidence Yet on the Beli-cheat Scandal

Charlie Weis was a renowned offensive coordinator “guru” who helped the Patriots win three super bowls. Curiously, his timing and success with the Pats coincides with the time many believe the Patriots were secretly taping opposing teams offensive and defensive calls.

 

Now that Weis is on his own as head coach at Notre Dame and the results, without the aid of illegal activity, speak for themselves.

 

“Weis' Fighting Irish now stand at 1-7. This record is only the faintest indicator of just how awful Notre Dame is. They have lost nine of their last 10 games, by an average of 24 points….Of the 119 teams in Division I-A, ND is 119^th in total offense, 119^th in rushing offense, 112t^h in passing offense, and 118^th in scoring. If Notre Dame had doubled its scoring output, it would still rank 108^th. If it doubled its rushing output (currently 34 yards a game), it would barely eke out Duke for 118^th place. This is not merely bad. This is ineptitude on a staggering, world-historical scale. Such a performance would be prima facie evidence for firing the coach even at a doormat program like Indiana. At a school like Notre Dame, well … it's simply impossible to describe how awful this performance is,” notes Jonathan Chait.

Beli-cheat

The Tuesday Morning Quarterback has been one of the few in the news media willing to ask tough questions of the NFL about the Beli-cheating scandal. (Two of my theories as to why this hasn’t grown into a bigger issue and national scandal befitting the league’s status as the foremost sports league in the country: 1) sports reporters suck at investigative journalism. They were absent the semester they taught the Woodward & Bernstein course at J-school. And 2) no one can agree on a quick and dirty title to the scandal – “Beli-cheat? “Spygate?” “Patriotgames?” see what I mean?)

 

Anyway, TMQ again tackles the whole Beli-cheating thing in the context of the upcoming Colts-Pats game and he so eloquently expresses many of the questions and feelings I have about the issue:

 

“As for New England's running up the score, supposedly the Patriots are angry about the Beli-Cheat scandal and are scoring points like crazy to express their anger against the world. Wait a moment: What right do the Patriots have to be angry? They, after all, are the ones who admitted to systematic cheating. Other people didn't impose that situation on them -- they cheated of their own free accord, imposing the tainting of their accomplishments on themselves. The Patriots were not wronged; they wronged others. Yet they're mad about being caught, and they seem to want to take out their bad feelings about themselves by embarrassing second-echelon teams…

 

Suppose New England's version of events is true -- that Belichick is a fine person who made an honest mistake about rules that seemed clearly written to everyone else but somehow were confusing to him and that he regrets his honest mistake. If this were so, wouldn't Belichick be attempting to convince the world he is a good guy by showing sportsmanship at every turn? Instead, he is raising his middle finger to the rest of the NFL, to the sporting media, even to the NFL fans who made his wealth and celebrity possible. If he were a misunderstood man who regrets an honest mistake, wouldn't he be candid and open in public because making his life an open book would convince us he's sorry for what he did? Instead, in public, Belichick continues to glare, stonewall and act offended that mere mortals dare to address him. There is not the slightest hint that Belichick is sorry for what he did -- only sorry he got caught. Innocent people falsely accused crave the recovery of their reputation, working hard to convince the world they are good. Creepy people who think they can get away with something act belligerent and show poor sportsmanship, which is what Belichick is doing right now…

 

But if the Patriots are unfairly maligned, why the whole screw-you act they are staging? If the Patriots were unfairly maligned, they'd be trying hard to convince us their hearts are pure, and that distinctly is not what they are doing. Sure, many New England players are awesome performers: Both of Moss' touchdown catches Sunday came when he was double-teamed; the Flying Elvii offensive line was flawless again; Mike Vrabel, waived by Pittsburgh, might be the best linebacker in the NFL. But if the Patriots are so awesome they don't need to cheat, then why were they cheating in Week 1? The whole situation remains creepy.”

More than Somewhat Realistic

Here’s another suggestion for the biggest possible “somewhat realistic” sport-related story question, a la the Sports Guy:

 

The Patriots and Cowboys are set for a rematch in the super bowl but during the two week break between the conference championships and the big game investigative journalists report on what the NFL actually found on the Patriots illegally taped videos, which show them stealing the offensive and defensive signals of the Rams, Panthers, and/or Eagles

Latin for...?

The Philadelphia Inquirer has hired Rick Santorum as a columnist. "How can a newspaper like the Philadelphia Inquirer complain about losing readership when, in a major Democratic city, it is providing news analysis from a right-wing Republican who was soundly rejected by voters, who isn't even originally from Philadelphia, and who actually decided to move out of Pennsylvania while representing the state in the U.S. Senate?,” asks David Sirota.

 

The hiring makes absolutely no sense. Santorum is a western Pennsylvanian and arch social conservative who’s waaay more right-wing than the Rockefeller Republicans (or are they Rendell Republicans?) that reside on the Main Line and other Philly suburbs that is the Inquirer’s bread and butter readership.

 

Just another example of a declining mainstream media property going out of its way, or is it out of its mind?, to show how “fair and balanced” it is, while all the while not actually providing its customers with the subject matter, tone or content it actually desires.

More Headet Problems in Foxboro

Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs said the team experienced headset problems during its game vs. the Patriots at Gilette Stadium. Gibbs called the disruptions to the communications with QB Jason Campbell “intermittent” and created problems on several plays.

Dispatch from Norseland

My friend Warren is a co-season ticketholder. Only he lives in Minnesota, though he does manage to attend about 4-5 Eagles home games/year.

So naturally, he took advantage of a closer home game to watch the Eagles play in Minneapolis.

Here's the picture he took inside the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, and his brief description of the scene: This whole section is Birds fans. Think 700 level. Parking lot is filled with RVs full of Eagles fans too.

Seeing Purple

"’You can see why he's [McNabb] an elite-caliber quarterback,’ Vikings coach - and McNabb's former tutor - Brad Childress said. ‘His demise is much overexaggerated.’"

 

Childress already laying the groundwork to acquire McNabb when the Eagles “quarterback of the future” Kevin Kolb takes over? McNabb would be an infinite upgrade over Tarvaris Jackson, Kelly Holcomb, or Brooks Bollinger.

Trust...but Verify

Rich Hoffman turns in another insightful story today about McNabb’s newfound trust of his WRs, as evidence by two throws yesterday – 30 yard sideline passes, one to K. Curtis and one to R. Brown.

 

Notes Hoffman, ”This is what McNabb has the ability to give his teammates, if he can trust them. This is the kind of explosiveness this offense can potentially show, if he can just throw it up there every once in a while, confident that the receiver will either make a play on the ball or at least prevent the defensive back from intercepting it.”

 

The larger issue is a chicken or egg question. Has McNabb not had trust in his receivers to make plays because they’re not very good, or has the lack of trust prevented the very throws that could show what the WRs could do and gain that trust? Clearly, the answer was “A” with Pinkston and Thrash. Old #81 clearly could make the plays and McNabb had trust in him, even if they didn’t like each other. Notwithstanding the two throws yesterday, the jury is still out on Curtis and Brown.

 

Reggie Brown said such throws/catches give you confidence for the rest of the day. Let’s hope it remains longer than that. Like say, for another 9 weeks?

Go Long

Phil Sheridan explores the Eagles' WR problems, and by extension Donovan McNabb's WR problems, especially as contrasted to the other premier QBs in the league.

This is well-trod territory. Starting back in the Charles Johnson-Na Brown era, through Stinkston & Trash, and now being reprised by Curtis-Brown. The nut graf of the Eagles' wideout issues:

"One thing seems very clear. During the all-too-brief period when he had a proven superstar wide receiver in Owens, McNabb put up great numbers. He threw passes on faith because he trusted Owens to catch the ball in traffic. Before that situation turned toxic, it proved that McNabb could be as effective as any quarterback in the league.

Manning has always had receivers like that. Brady has them now. So do Tony Romo and Eli Manning."

Except for that brief period with He Who Shall Not Be Named, the Eagles have never had a premier, let alone a legitimate #1 WR. Like I said, it's all been covered before (as have the receivers, like blankets.).

Anyway, what would be more helpful would be a story on WHY the Eagles WR have mostly stunk. Sure Andy Reid doesn't put a premium on the position but why doesn't he do so? And when 65% of your plays are passes, why don't you put more value and emphasis on the quality of your wide receivers.

Where is the money being spent on offense? And why are the Eagles so content to "grow their own" WR by trying to upgrade more through the draft than free agency? And why continue to rely on this strategy when a) it has clearly failed and b) your personnel department has shown a complete inability to properly evaluate talent at this position. Heck, even their big WR "signings" have so far shown to be busts (excluding former #81). $10 million extension to Brown? That's not looking promising now. $10 million to Curtis? The former #3 WR on the Rams? Why did they let Stallworth go when he would have signed for Curtis' money? How many other teams have not one, but two undrafted free agents at the WR position (Greg Lewis and Hank Baskett)?

Why have the Eagles tried to split the difference. Instead of paying $10 million for Curtis, why not go all in and pay $15 million for a true #1. Why try to do it on the cheap only to be disappointed with the mediocre play you get in return?

And why when you're QB is so maligned wouldn't Reid do everything in his power to ensure that the offense was as potent as possible.
One need only look north to New England to see a coach protect and assist his franchise QB. The Pats fell just short in last year's AFC championship, a loss that is at least partly attributable to the dreck Brady had at WR....Reche Caldwel, anyone? So what did Belichick do? He went out and stole a WR from a division rival (Wes Walker), signed speedster Donte Stallworth, and traded for the big kahuna (and admittedly big risk) Randy Moss. Now the Pats have one of the most prolific offenses in recent memory. In that light, the Kevin Curtis acquisition pales in comparison (and is even worse when you consider the Eagles weren't really aggressive in the WR free agent market last off-season. they got Curtis after the rest of the FA signed somewhere else.) Throw in the Pats' trade for Corey Dillon and drafting Laurence Maroney in the first round, and it becomes clear that the Pats have made it a priority to surround their QB with plenty of offensive weapons...and not just Brian Westbrook.

Taco Bell "Rules"

I don't get the Taco Bell commercial now in heavy rotation during the World Series. The guy lists his three rules: No lap dogs, no women with dragon tatoos, and always get chili on your Taco Bell nachos bell grande. But then it turns out the guy does have a lap dog and dates a woman with a dragon tatoo. So what, exactly, is the message? The guy is a hypocrite? Don't believe/trust a thing he says? In either case, why would we be inclined to follow his "rule" to get chili on his nachos.

And then there is the accompanying music. Devo's "Crack that Whip." What is that supposed to mean? And then there's the little brother making the little whip gesture with his hand at the end of the ad. I took it as a weird suggestion that the guy is pussy whipped. He's got a lap dog and his dominatrix girlfriend is ordering him to take care of the little rat. But what does being pussy whipped have to with nachos bell grande? And do you want that guy conveying your message? Pussy whipped guys love nachos bell grande, especially with chili on them. Is the whole commercial a goof on the "rules guy." If so, why not have the little brother suggest getting chili on the nachos.

The whole thing is strange. if anyone can explain it to me please post a comment.

Game 2 thoughts

Curt Schillling, as expected but even more - hoped for - came up big again in the playoffs running his post-season career record to a mind-blowing 11-2. And when you consider that one of those losses was against the Yankees with a frayed ankle tendon - and that Byung Hung Kim blew the save to one of his victories in the 2001 world series, he could be 12-1. I'll have to do some research on his other post-season loss.

For a while it looked like Schill wasn't going to be on record for the win because of his own fielding gaffe in not covering 3B. But the Sox offense bailed him out, and Okajimi and Papelbon held on to protect the 1 run lead.

Random Game 2 thoughts:

• I guess i'm showing my age but i actually remember the SI cover of Clint Hurdle as "the next phenom." At the time and as an 11 year old it seemed like being let in on a secret that the SI "experts" were revealing to its readers. In retrospect it looks like a terrible prediction. Also, Clint doesn't look to have aged well.
• What's the deal with these rope necklaces more players are wearing? is this the new fashion trend? And are they made of fabric, leather or some other material?
• Looked to me like Schilling "hit" Willy Taveras with a pitch that was barely off the plate.
• Speaking of pitching. McCarver called the pitch that Youkilis had to dive out of the way of "pitching inside" and "part of the game." Really? Throwing at someone's head is part of the game? Call it a purpose pitch if you want, but don't suggest that  it was business as usual.
• More McCarver idioms...or is it idiocies? Mike Lowell going from first to third on a basehit to right was not "good baserunning" on his part, it was lucky baserunning. Watch the replay, Lowell doesn't run hard till after he passes second base and decides to try for third. If he had been running hard from the start at first base the play would not have been remotely close at third. Just cause a guy is safe doesn't mean it was "smart" baserunning. In fact, if Lowell had been out - as he nearly was - what would McCarver had said? Probably would've noted that Lowell didn't start running hard till after 2B.
• I'm not one to turn down a free taco from Taco Bell next week, but couldn't the "stolen base" that gave us the freebie have been considered defensive indifference? There was a man on third, the catcher didn't attempt a throw, and no one covered second base.
  
• That thing about the Rockies, the sick kid, and "64" is weird. Morales threw 64 pitches and the Rockies won the pennant with a 6-4 win. Eerie.
• How many viewers did McCarver make uncomfortable with his endless talk about hitters' "strokes," Matt Holiday's "short stroke" and Pedroia's "long stroke." McCarver sounded fixated with guys, um, strokes.
• The worst part about announcers and the billions the networks pay sports leagues for the broadcast rights is the total disappearance of league or umpire/referee criticism. Announcers have become league toadies. Game 2 had one "pitch trax" in particular that McCarver said was a good call upon replay even as the graphic showed it completely out of the strike zone. Major props to NFL color man Brian Baldinger who during last week's Bears-Eagles game called one holding penalty "a horrible call."
  
• I hope Fox does a long piece about Denver, Mile High, and their baseball humidor. It would be a teachable moment for many who think that the balls flying out of Coors Field were due to the thin air, lack of wind resistance and pitchers' inability to throw curve balls, when it seems that the real culprit was the very dry air - which dried the ball out, made the balls hard as rocks, and didn't allow pitchers to properly grip the balls.

Offensive remedies?

Bob Ford suggests the offense needs more Buckhalter. He’s tanned, rested, and ready after multiple knee surgeries. He’s also averaging 5.3 yards/carry. Yowza.

 

The Vikings have the league’s worst pass defense. Could we see Reid crack the mythical 75/25 pass-run ratio on Sunday? Anyway, it practically guarantees Bucky won’t touch the ball.

 

Johnson's defenses & lack of sacks

I can’t remember if I posted this rant from my friend PK, following up to the decline in sacks, so if it’s a dupe, apologies.

 

 

Hugh Douglass in the '00-'02 years was twice the defensive lineman that Freak has been, pre- or post-injury. Douglass wracked up years of 10, 12 and 15 sacks in those 3 seasons, which is a feat that no D-lineman has accomplished in recent years, none have been in double figures. (I spent some time googling and found a Yahoo sports page that had season-long stats for all recent years.)

And yes, some of Hugh's sacks were no doubt coverage sacks because Taylor and Vincent weren't just good corners, they were premier guys who played bump and run every down. (I hate this "press coverage" crap, it's bump and run, why don't we call it bump and run anymore?)

When you had guys like Taylor and Vincent completely owning other receivers, you could blitz like mad. Which Johnson did, successfully. Now, you've got Sheldon and Lito, who are nice but not dominant, and you've got LBs who simply aren't blitzers, safeties who are either older or not as good at blitzing. So if either of you Tivo'd that game and want to be a masachist, watch that last drive again. Johnson was clueless. He didn't know what to do. He called a blitz and Griese immediately dinked one underneath to the RB or TE. He faked and dropped into coverage, the D-linemen got nowhere near Griese and he meticulously waited and waited and waited to find an eventually open receiver.

All that being said, it's entirely possible Reid lost the game on 1 play. We get the ball back with 4 mins to play, immediately get a 1st down running the ball. Then run on 1st down, clock running, clock running, Bears have 1 timeout, Reid calls a 2nd down pass play that goes incomplete -- clock stops. Yes, on next play Donovan gets the 1st down by running but he goes out of bounds. Inexplicably on 1st down McNabb is throwing again but gets sacked and thankfully keeps the clock running.

But because he threw incomplete on that 2nd down earlier, it allows the Bears -- with the 1 TO and the 2-min warning -- to get the ball back shortly after the 2-min warning. If he'd run the ball, then they would have handed the ball to the Bears with about 1 min, 20 secs to go.

McNabb then Reid?

Inqy XX columnist Ashley Fox offers up the blindingly obvious insight that between Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid, it is the player and not the coach who will leave the team first. Note to Fox: in the pro football organization hierarchy, the head coach is superior to the QB, even a franchise QB. And with 4 NFC Championship and 1 super bowl appearance in nine years, here’s guessing that Reid could go winless for two straight season before Jeff Lurie would even consider pulling the plug. And after Reid were let go, he would essentially be guaranteed a five year contract from some other team based solely on his Eagles record. Norv Turner and Wade Phillips are head coaches again for gosh sakes.

 

Of course, this all supposes Reid doesn’t quit first – notwithstanding his denials. That would change the equation. And I’m not certain that Reid will escape blame for the Eagles potentially disappointing season and it will all fall on McNabb. Fans are on to Reid’s questionable play calling and he deserves criticism for dialing up more than 60% of pass plays against one of the worst run defenses in the league.

Calling an Audible?

Should McNabb be allowed to call his own plays? That’s what Gordie Jones suggests today as a way to shake up the offense. As he notes, the red zone offense couldn’t get any worse.

Just Look at Me!

Causes? Too many cheeseteaks, too many beers, too many losses.

 

Via Reuters – “Philadelphia is home to the least attractive people in the United States, a survey of visitors and residents showed on Friday. 

 

The city of more than 1.5 million people was also found to be among the least stylish, least active, least friendly and least worldly, according to the "America's Favorite Cities" survey by Travel & Leisure magazine and CNN Headline News.

 

About 60,000 people responded to the online survey -- at www.travelandleisure.com  -- which ranked 25 cities in categories including shopping, food, culture, and cityscape, said Amy Farley, senior editor at the magazine.

 

For unattractiveness, Philadelphia just beat out Washington DC and Dallas/Fort Worth for the bottom spot. Miami and San Diego are home to the most attractive people, the poll found.

 

But Farley pointed out the results don't mean people in Philadelphia are ugly or the city is a bad place to visit.

 

"We were asking people to vote on attractiveness, not unattractiveness. Travel & Leisure editors believe there are a lot of attractive people in Philadelphia," she said.

 

"The relative attractiveness of its residents is only a minuscule factor in evaluating a city's merit."

 

Philadelphians' self-esteem has been undermined by national surveys showing they are among the fattest people in the United States. The American Obesity Association ranked the city in the top 10 for overweight people every year between 2000 and 2005.

 

And sporting pride in a city known for the fierce loyalty of its fans has been hurt by not having had a national champion in any of its four main sports since the 76ers won the National Basketball Association title in 1983.”

 

Game 1 Thoughts

·         Fortunately for the used car salesman currently mismanaging major league baseball, the Red Sox hammering of the Rockies last night has completely overshadowed any questions or concerns about playing game 1 of the World Series in a continuous, soaking, steady game long rain last night. I appreciate why the game wasn’t halted once it started, but what I don’t understand is why it was started in the first place. I’m sure it all has to do with Fox’s TV schedule – having to quickly fill a sudden Wednesday night hole in the lineup and simultaneously pre-empting Friday’s shows – more so than the series and travel schedule being impacted. As per usual, though, MLB was nowhere to be found to explain or elaborate on their decisionmaking process. Glad to see TV, rather than competitive concerns, is calling the shots for the premier baseball event of the season.

·         Yaz read the BoSox lineup. I guess Johnny Damon wasn’t available. Where’s Dave Roberts these days? Is he under consideration. Has “Big Manny” read the lineup yet? If not, why?

·         Jeff Francis pitched like the 17 year old he superficially appears to be.

·         As I called it, the layoff did not help the Rockies’ streak. In fact, they looked like a team that hasn’t played in eight days which, of course, they haven’t.

·         3 straight walks with the bases loaded? Yikes, Ryan Speier.

·         The Red Sox lineup also got a good look at most of the Rockies bullpen. Won’t be any surprises for Boston players in matchups the rest of the series.

·         Amazingly, 11 of the Red Sox’s 13 runs were scored with two outs last night. Indeed, the damage in the disastrous fifth was all inflicted with two outs.

·         In a previous post, I mused about the no-call balk that Franklin Morales used to pick off Ryan Howard in game 2. Thanks to homeplate ump Ed Montague for reaffirming my belief that Morales’ move is indeed a balk. The only strange thing was listening to Buck and McCarver try to deny the visual replays and insist that Morales’ move was merely “funky” and, more importantly, that his right foot stepped toward first while it clearly stepped more to home.

·         I predicted a Red Sox victory in 5 games. After viewing the wreckage of last night I may need to amend my prediction. If Curt Schilling has one more big performance in him, he will put the hammer down on the Rockies and this series will likely be over before heading back to Denver. Heck, he might not even need a big performance, but just 6 solid innings and give up less than 9 runs the way his offense is currently hitting top notch the W.

·         It would only be fitting and appropriate for #38 to get one more big win in Boston and then pass his reputation as the premier big-game pitcher in baseball on to Josh Beckett.

·         Will Schilling’s Hall of Fame credentials be helped by a third World Series ring? Or will it cost him that he was only the second best pitcher on each of those championship teams (Big Unit, Pedro, and Beckett?) Will his next stop in 2008 be Philadelphia?

·         What are the random odds that the college backup QBs to each of the Manning brothers would 1) be playing baseball 2) make the major leagues and 3) be on the same team?

London Calling

Channing Chowder didn’t get much of an education at Florida. Then again, maybe geography is too advanced a course for football players.

 

"Dolphins LB Channing Crowder, who appears likely to start in the middle Sunday against the Giants with Zach Thomas ailing, says he didn't know until Tuesday that people in London speak English.

 

"I couldn’t find London on a map if they didn’t have the names of the countries," he said. "I swear to God. I don’t know what nothing is. I know Italy looks like a boot. I know London Fletcher. We did a football camp together. So I know him. That’s the closest thing I know to London. He’s black, so I’m sure he’s not from London. I’m sure that’s a coincidental name."

 

But wait, it gets better. “After these comments, he was reminded that Dolphins receiver Marvin Allen is from London.  That's when Crowder asked, "He's from London?"  He then went on to proclaim, "I don't want to say he didn't look the part because that's a stereotype, but he didn't look the part. I heard him talk, and I thought he had a recorder and was just mouthing," recounts the Phinsider.

 

Is this guy even capable of understanding the defensive calls? Or not being deceived by a play-fake, audible, or reverse?

A Hoffman

The New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has become infamous during the ever evolving debacle of an invasion/occupation of Iraq for his analyses which constantly warned that "the next three to six months will be critical" to improving the situation. Friedman wrote so many of these articles over the past four years that the term, a "Friedman," was invented to signify a block of time 3-6 months long.

In Philadelphia, we now have the "Hoffman," so named for perhaps the best sports columnist in the city, Rich Hoffman, who continues to exhibit a predilection for dire predictions. A "Hoffman" is a must-win game or personnel decision that will have devastating consequences -- not only for the season but also for future seasons if it doesn't turn out right.

Two years ago, Hoffmans abounded as the TO saga played out. How Andy Reid responded and if he "lost the locker room" would shake the franchise to the core Hoffman warned. Last season, the direction of the organization through 2010 was going to be decided by whether the team could finish strong with a backup QB after losing McNabb.

This season, we now have our first Hoffman in the wake of the devastating loss to the Bears. "One week, 2 weeks, maybe 3 weeks - and the Eagles either fix this thing or the proverbial window closes.

One week, 2 weeks, maybe 3 weeks - and either the staggering turns to sprinting or the window slams shut, with shattered glass being the least of the hazards for this franchise," writes Hoffman.

There, you see it? Not only the Eagles 2007 but the larger fate of the "franchise" could be determined by the next three games. How else to interpret the "shattered glass being the least of the hazards for this franchise?" The impact of the results of the upcoming games will have consequences far beyond this season, Hoffman suggests.

For the Eagles, the next three weeks are a "Hoffman" waiting to happen.

World Series

My prediction? BoSox in 5 games. The Rockies were the hottest team in baseball, but that week-long layoff will have killed their momentum and winning streak. Plus, outside of Francis their pitching is suspect and they have a worse game-day manager than Terry Tito Francona (where did that nickname come from anyway).

What if I find truly remarkable about the Rockies winning 20 of their last 21 is that at one point in September, they were 77-72, a team treading water a couple of games above .500. With their time off, i'm guessing that they'll revert back to the average team they were for most of the season.

(as an aside, in the NL park Francona would be an idiot to sit Youkilis, one of his hottest hitters, and play regular 3B and former Massachusetts Governor, Michael Dukakis. I don't care how many RBIs Lowell has, i could rack up 60 ribbies hitting behind Ortiz and Ramirez (a player my 5 year old daughter has taken to calling "Big Manny," as a natural follow-up to "Big Papi") All of which means, of course, Francona will either play Lowell or platoon the two in Denver to split the difference. Terry Francona, managing not to win games but to not offend his players since 1997.)

Ratings return

The ratings are in for the ALCS and it looks like Fox benefited from the longer series, ratings were up over last year's primetime LCS games (the National League last year).

One other thing i forgot to note the other day. The irony of Curt Schilling benefiting from JD Drew's grand slam that opened the floodgates in game 6. Schilling was one of the most outspoken Phillies in criticizing JD Drew's holdout and Scott Boras' demands for millions in guaranteed money when the Phillies drafted Drew back in the late '90s. A decade later, they're teammates and Drew helped further cement Schilling's status as the premier post-game pitcher. The anti-Mike Mussina if you will.

Coaching geniuses

Sometimes it's stunning how much nfl coaches can out think themselves. The latest example is "offensive genius" Brian Billick's decision to have Kyle Boller pass three straight times while needing only one yard for a first down at midfield with less than two minutes to play in their 19-14 loss to the Bills Sunday.

Here's what Ray Lewis said on his radio show: " Ray Lewis was calm but candid last night on his weekly radio show when asked about the Ravens' play-calling on offense during the second half of their 19-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

"It was as frustrating for you as it was for me," Lewis said in response to a caller complaining about coach Brian Billick's decision to have Kyle Boller throw the ball three straight times, starting with second-and-one at the Bills' 49 with less than two minutes to play. All three passes were incomplete.

"As far as decisions, you have to let Willis McGahee touch the ball on one of those plays," Lewis said..."You can't make oranges be peaches. It doesn't change. It will never change. That's what Billick has to ask himself, why we keep putting ourselves in those situations. In the Cincinnati game, that cost us with those same decisions," reported the Baltimore Sun.

My friend Pk and i were talking about this the other day. It's remarkable that Billick has squandered the Ravens' defensive dominance over the past decade with an offense that has simply failed to perform. How in the world does he still retain his reputation? A lot of the Ravens' problems have to do with Billick's inability to admit his mistake over trading up to draft Kyle Boller. Even a halfway competent QB should have been able to get that team into the playoffs every year. In fact, a downside Steve McNair was brought in for that very reason - to manage the game and not to lose it. They went 13-3 last year, though I don't get a sense that Billick took enough heat for his offense's disappearance in the divisional playoff game vs. the Colts, a game the Ravens lost cause they couldn't score even though Lewis and Ed Reed and company helds the high-powered Colts offense to 5 figgies.

A draft in here

The NFL is to be commended for shortening its ridiculous 15 minute first round selections to 10 minutes each. As an East Coast guy, though, moving the draft start to 3:00 pm seems like an overreaction to those chai-loving football hating west coasters who still won't give a rip if the no longer LA but St. Louis Rams take Colt Brennan in the first round at 9 am or noon their time. Even more nonsensically, the "league" was so concerned about the time difference that they shifted Saturday start time, but left the Sunday start time -10 am - the same. What, left coasters will be more likely to tune it to rounds 3-7 at 7 am than noon? And those rounds are where championship teams are made.

Goomba Alert

At the risk of inciting hundreds of thousands of goombas in the NY metro area, would someone please tell Mariah Carey that she's become a fat pig, whore and should stop dressing in such a way to accentuate her exponentially increasing dimensions (eagleseye applauds the chest measurements, unfortunately the hip, thigh, chin and cheek numbers nowvastly exceed the top number)? Maybe 15 years ago she was a lithe hottie, but in the post-Mrs. Mottola world she's merely a tarted up flounce. the only thing saving her is her incredibly heaving bosom. Seriously, she's a fishnet stocking and hot pants panties away from being Britney Spears. Why BS got spanked for being "out of shape" for her disastrous MTV appearance and no one calls Mariah Carey out on similarly physical shortcomings is beyond me. Indeed, if Spears wanted to truly reinvent herself she should pattern her look and style after the teflon-like Carey, right down to marrying a Hollywood mogul and divorcing him for millions instead of hooking up with some backup dancer and having to pay him millions in support.

Rebuttal

#5 naysayers would we be wise to remember that neither Tom Brady nor Peyton Manning has ever experienced a serious injury during their entire careers, compared to McNabb's broken ankle, sports hernia and torn ACL. in that span, the Eagles have gone to four straight NFC championship games and one super bowl. One can only imagine the "sucess" or rather non-sucesse the Pats or Colts would have without their starting QB (and this doesn't even count the separated ribs #5 suffered in the NFC champ. game vs. the Panthers).

Notes Pro Football Talk, "Vinny Testaverde, whose 1999 season evaporated in Week One when his Achilles' tendon popped. Or Dan Marino, who had the same thing happen when his foot planted on a grass field in 1993. If something like that would happen to Brady and to Manning, the entire 2007 NFL season would be turned upside down, opening the door for other teams to chase a prize that seems to be destined to go to the winner of the seemingly inevitable showdown in the AFC title game between these two teams."

Goodell has surely issued the secret memo to the refs: no QB touching of either player till after Nov. 11.

Chad Johnson on the Block?

Bengals' Chad Johnson to be traded? That's what this AP report suggests. While Ocho Cinco's act may have worn thin in Cincinnati (and didn't the trade deadline already pass?), how could Andy Reid, et al. not go after CJ if he is in fact on the trading block? Sure he is only slightly less volatile than former Eagles Ocho Uno - especially since CJ is now taking shots at Carson Palmer reminiscent of another mouth biting the hand that ampy fed it, but what better way to shake up the Eagles and invigorate the offense than getting Mr. Gold Grill out wide opposite #36. Andy need only look to Boston for inspiration for what a formerly disgruntled WR(s) can do for an offense's output.

Peter King-isms

Peter's latest bizarre comment: " It's getting to be JaMarcus Russell time, Lane Kiffin. At least it's time to peek at him. Doesn't he have a chunk of the playbook he can operate?"

Uh, Peter, the Raiders are only 1 1/2 games out of first place in the AFC West. A little early to give up on the season and tryout the rookie, don't you think. Weirdly, in the same article he mentions that at 1-6 the Jets should get a look at what Casey Kellems can do. The Jets are 6 games behind the Patriots 7 games into the season. A little different scenario out West, Peter.

Damned if he does or doesn't

I've heard from my Mcnabb-hating friends today. And, as expected, they place the blame on a defensive collapse during a 97 yard game winning drive on Donovan McNabb. They are also loudly mocking him for the saying comments in the Delco Times after the game: "The division still has to come through us," McNabb said. "We're still the defending champions and that's the way it goes. But we are in a chase position. And even in this game, it was a must-win for us, an opportunity for us to win and we just didn't capitalize." The division comment that has them most upset.

What else would he be expected to say? That the Eagles are cooked and they have no hope of making the playoffs after their 2-4 start? If he did utter such a thing, surely the McNabb-haters would complain that he gave up on the season so early, just as they now contend that he is overly optimistic.

Donovan is damned if he does and damend if he doesn't.

Et tu, Jeff Lurie?

Pro Football Talk reports that the Bears' coaches radio communications with Brian Griese went out just prior to the game winning drive. "As Jay Glazer of FOX reported on Sunday, Commissioner Roger Goodell is hearing complaints from owners regarding ongoing shenanigans with the audio connection, and Goodell plans to address the situation during upcoming league meetings.

Some Internet hack addressed this and nine other issues for SportingNews.com on Sunday," says PFT.

Radio problems at Foxboro was one of the problems cited by teams when Belichick-gate first happened. Now it would seem the Eagles are guilty of similar audio "problems." I'm wondering if this issue is something common to the teams with, uh, newer owners. You know, like Kraft, Lurie, etc.

Stay tuned....if the NFL doesn't first disrupt our communication.

Hafner vs. Silverman

Sorry, this was the photo that was supposed to run next to the one of Indians DH Travis Hafner, noting the similarities between the two. you never see the Single Guy and the Slugger in the same place. Then again, maybe Hafner is Silverman's bigger, beefier brother.

A matter of perspective

Many in Philly think the Eagles season is now lost after yesterday’s devastating last minute defeat. On the other hand, there is this headline in the NY Times, “Griese Saves Bears, and Maybe Their Season, With Late Drive.”

 

The Bears are now 3-4. The Eagles are 2-4.

 

Grant Gone

Controversy in the executive suites in the Bird’s Nest. Bonnie Grant, the now former director of communication for the Eagles, is gone. It wouldn’t necessarily be notable, except that the supposed email she sent media and other contacts about her departure was not written by her – though it was written in the first person – but by some unnamed Eagles employee. The Philly Magazine has the story about how this is just the latest Lurie-led move to burnish (or is it tarnish?) the image of his corporate brand. As if the front office reputation needed any more sullying, “Ironically, Grant, a breast-cancer survivor, leaves the team during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which she and the team have been working hard to promote as the Eagles are active in raising money for breast-cancer research,” reports Dan Gross.

 

Also interesting is that some are theorizing that Grant’s demise is related to the ham-handed way the Eagles ordered the crackdown on tailgating earlier this season. Maybe she too can now go to work for Donovan McNabb’s PR-machine like her predecessor Rich Burg.

 

Bonnie, the time is yours.

39/23, or 63-37%

Burgeoning nfl analyst PK once again questions the sanity and play calling acumen of Andy Reid. PK, predicted a 45 pass over/under for the Eagles against one of the worst run defenses in the league. The actual number came in at 39. And only 23 running plays in a game that the Eagles never seriously trailed. Indeed, it’s a mind-bogglingly disproportionate ratio given the opponent’s particularly weakness (read: stopping the run).

 

Here’s PK’s take:

Here's the statistical breakdown of the entire game. McNabb actually threw 34 passes. He was sacked 3 times, and he dropped back to pass twice but was under pressure and scrambled for running yards on 2 more plays.

That's 39 pass plays dialed up by Madman Andy Reid. Westbrook ran it 18 times, Buckhalter 3 times and 2 other guys carried it 2 more times. So that's 23 running plays.

That's a 63-37% ratio for pass plays called by the Madman. In a game in which they only trailed for 1 series, Chicago going ahead 12-9 and then the Eags went right down the field and took the lead. Westbrook had 12 carries for 59 yards late in 2ndQ.  Not sure if he got another run or 2 at the very end, but at most he ran the ball 6 times in 2nd half. (emphasis added. What was that about? Way to overcoach things Andy.)

Yes, this is a game that the defense blew. Good god, 97 yards, no timeouts, nothing -- and the Eags D couldn't stop them. But more importantly, it was another disastrous coaching performance by the offensive play callers.

PS -- Sadly, we didn't have the ball enough in the 2nd half in order to get to my 45 pass-play-over-under, so I lost my own bet.

Sheridan - Season "Dead"

Inqy’s Phil Sheridan has no problem declaring the Eagles season over after yesterday’s loss: “a must-win game had turned into a loss and, worse, a salvageable season was officially pronounced dead,” he writes.

Sad Sacks

Following up on my friend PK’s email about the year over year decline in sacks:

 

Oddly, the Eagles’ defense still gets a fair amount of sacks but at least my perception is that they don’t put a lot of constant pressure on the QB from their rush.

 

Maybe someone can help out my memory, but in 00, 01, and especially 02 did they have a particularly good defensive line then? Again, my take, is that even back then a lot of sacks were caused by corner/safety blitzes. The difference is that the defensive line was slightly better and Dawkins was younger and faster and got to the QB before he threw, while now the defensive line can be stopped, and Dawkins is getting to the QB a half-step after he throws the ball…that and the other d-back blitzers just aren’t very good at it and just plunge into the line and are stopped.

 

I’m also wondering how much of those sacks back in 00-01-02 were “coverage” sacks caused not by the d-line but by Taylor, Vincent, and Dawkins just blanketing the receivers.

 

It’s a very bitter loss. As I noted previously, I’m hesitant to declare the season over after such a gut-wrenching L – in light of the losses to Jax and Tennesee last year that looked like season killers, but to give up a 97 yard game winning drive, at home, to a 2-5 team that now drops you to 2-4 – with pending games vs. NE, Seattle, and 2 games vs. Dallas? It is now a huge hole the Eagles have dug themselves. I still don’t think the Skins or Giants are very good, but Dallas is for real and we continue to lose ground.

 

And while it is very easy to criticize the defense for yesterday’s loss cause of the last drive, let’s not forget 1) the offense failed to get a critical first down and maintain possession and 2) the defense, in the end, only gave up 19 points – which is only a FG more than they were averaging. The offense, once again, couldn’t get in the end zone enough. Scoring 1 TD a game is not going to win many games in the “national football league.”

Where the Pass Rush Go?

In the wake of yesterday’s gut-wrenching loss and slow-torture 97 yard game losing drive, my friend PK tries to make sense of the turn of events by looking at the historical trends of the Eagles defense and the prospects for the rest of the season.

 

Ok, so Jim Johnson has somehow coached this D into a tough, stop-the-run unit. But I just really feel like today's game -- and that final drive obviously -- was emblematic of something that's been a problem for a few years now: the pass rush.

I swear they simply just don't get anywhere near the QB, even when they blitz. Most of their blitz packages end up being slow developing corner blitzes/safety blitzes, which QBs totally see coming. They have 20 sacks through 6 games, which isn't bad, but it's all Cole: he has 7 all by himself.

Here's what I found in recent years, an unmistakable drop in pressure on the QB.

Total sacks by Eagles defense in seasons:

'00: 50
'01: 45
'02: 56
'03: 38
'04: 47
'05: 29
'06: 40

From '00-'04, in 4 of the 5 seasons, the D wracks up 45 or more sacks. We'll see how this season goes, but today's last drive was a bad sign of what could come all season.

 

Millar

What did Orioles fans think of Kevin Millar’s video pep talk, first pitch and reading the lineups for the BoSox for game 7? Here’s what one long-time O’s fan had to say:

 

“i'm beside myself with rage.  it was an embarrassment to himself, all parties involved, and the fans of the team he is currently under contract with.  the fact that the Orioles APPROVED this fiasco further embarrasses the current title holder for most pathetic organization in baseball.

 

look, i never liked Millar on the O's to begin with.  he's a washed-up goofball media-whore.  but somewhere in the warehouse someone had to stop and think "i wonder how Orioles fans are going to take this?".  then again, maybe not, since all they care about is selling out Camden Yards when Boston or the Yankees visit, they saw it as a further marketing ploy to Boston fans.  "Hey Boston fans, come see Red Sox mascot Kevin Millar play first base for the division 'rival' Baltimore Orioles!!!"

 

cause that's what he's been reduced to:  Red Sox Mascot Kevin Millar.”

 

 

19-16

this one hurts. I'm hesitant to declare the season over given that the Eagles lost similar games last year to Tennessee and Jacksonville that left them at 5-6 and Jeff Garcia at QB, but to allow a no account offense QB'd by brian griese to drive 97 yards in a 1:30 for the game winning TD... at home? 3-3 playing the Vikes next week would have been a lot better than 2-4 with games vs. New England, Dallas (2), and Seattle left.

My brother called from vacation and said he was literally nauseous at this evening's turn of events. Me too.

Game 6 Thoughts

Curt Schilling looks old, really old. Still, he once again showed that he is the biggest big game pitcher in baseball. 4-0 in the post-season when his team is facing elimination. That is a true "stopper."

I thought Carmona was going to cry after the JD Drew grand slam. And I did think that Carmona got screwed on the "ball" that was called that made Drew's count 3-1, rather than 2-2.

How about Martinez channeling his Jeff Leonard-like turtle-paced home run trot.

What was with Joe Buck trying to amp up the intensity? "How long can the Red Sox go with Curt Schilling?" Uh, he was staked to a 4 run lead in the first inning. Was there ever really a doubt?

Does anything make baseball announcers cream more than the possibility that a starting pitcher, or better yet an ace, will pitch on short rest in a deciding game? I thought Buck was going to climax right there talking about the possibility that Sabathia or Beckett could "be available" in game 7.

I see now why Travis Hafner grew his mutton chops. Now that he shaved he looks like Jonathan Silverman, or at worst Silverman's brother.

Eagles Game Plan

The Bears defense is ranked 15th (out of 16 teams) in the NFC, and 26th in the whole league against the run, and Minnesota rookie Adrian Peterson racked up 224 yards against them a week ago.

In other words, expect Andy Reid to dial up lots of pass plays (again) against a very suspect rush defense. In fact, my friend PK puts the over/under number of pass plays at 45 for today's game.

Defense Going on Offensive

Odd  article by Rich Hoffman yesterday lamenting the lack of turnovers caused by the defense generally and the linebackers in particular. Odd because it seems like nitpicking for a facet of the team that is, by far, its greatest strength. The Eagles D is ranked 7th in scoring (16 points per game), which in the end, is what defense is all about...stopping teams from scoring points.

I guess Hoffman et. al. have gotten bored pointing out the deficiencies of the offense which is ranked 23rd in scoring at 20 points per game. Note that without the 56 point explosion, the Eagles offense would be ranked dead last at 11 points per game (4 games and 44 points), behind even San Fran's measly 12.6 points/game.

Can the defense do anymore? I suppose if you believe Hoffman. They could help the offense by creating turnovers and giving the O a short field from which to score. Bottomline though, Jim Johnson's crew gives the Eagles a more than fair shot to win each week. If the averages hold, all the Eagles need to do is score two touchdowns and field goal each Sunday to win. That shouldn't be too hard for that offensive mastermind Andy Reid to grasp, or accomplish.

Pivotal Game 6

Remarkable stats regarding the "pivotal" nature of game 6s in baseball playoffs. "Since 1975, the visiting team in Game 6 has led the series in 24 League Championship Series and World Series. On 13 occasions, the visiting team won Game 6 -- more than you'd expect. Eleven times, the home team has won both Games 6 and 7 -- again, more than simple probability would predict. However, one outcome almost never happens. Only once, in last season's NLCS, has the home team won Game 6 then failed to win Game 7," writes Thomas Boswell.

In other words, if a leading road team can't close out the series in game 6, they are almost automatic to lose game 7 - at least since 1975. With that trend in mind, Boston couldn't be set up more perfectly - or as perfectly as they could trailing 3 games to 2 - to send Curt Schilling, the league's premier big game pitcher, to the mound tonight.

What about "Three-peat"?

The AP is reporting "Rocktober," the new shorthand for the Colorado Rockies' amazing playoff run, is showing up everywhere from newspaper headlines to handmade ballpark signs. But now the team wants a trademark to keep anyone else from selling keepsakes bearing the word.

The Rockies filed applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Oct. 4 asking for exclusive rights to the name on stuffed animals, Christmas stockings, baby booties, T-shirts, bobble-head dolls and the like.”

 

Album oriented rock stations all over the country can’t be happy about the Rockies trying to big foot this cliché.

Random Thoughts...

While I was watching the Red Sox-Indians game last night:

· What the hell does Fox’s “Actober” promo mean anyway? They just misspelled October. I’m guessing that www.October.com was taken and some Fox suit had the genius idea to rename the month with an A.

· Did Tim McCarver mispronounce Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro’s name or is that really how you pronounce it? McCarver said, “Sha-pyro.” I thought it was “Sha-peero.” And if he did mispronounce it, can that be considered remotely anti-semitic?

· What and how big are those bumps growing out of Kenny Lofton’s temples.

· 2^nd Kenny Lofton thought. He’s got the number, 7, and now he’s got the odd facial features and creaky body of clutch baseball post-season star Otis Nixon.

· Josh Beckett is a big game pitcher. The Red Sox have the two biggest playoff pitchers on their staff, and they are pitching games 5 and 6 facing elimination. Watch out.

· Best part of the Red Sox win is getting to see Schilling again in game 6.

· This goes back to the game 4, but I was astounded, simply astounded, to see Tim Wakefield’s career rankings with the Red Sox. I mean, #3 in strikeouts? For a knuckleballer? And only three strikeouts away from surpassing Pedro Martinez and becoming #2…all-time?!! Speaking of which, he’s #2 all time in Red Sox wins? (actually 3^rd since, amazing coincidence, Clemens and Cy Young are tied for first at 192 Ws. Wakefield 3^rd all-time in innings pitched and 2^nd in games? How loooong has he been with the Red Sox?

· Forget instant replay, how about in the playoffs the league adds another outfield umpire – to the two that now keep an eye on the foul lines. Put him in deep centerfield and he can correctly call home runs that hit the top of the fence. How many more blown calls like game 5’s or Jeffrey Maier’s do we need before Bud comes to his senses on this sensible umpiring idea.

· Does anyone understand this pitch trax? During the Phillies-Rockies series, there’s the inside box and the outside box, but I don’t know what either of them mean since the announcers are usually saying that wherever the ball winds up is a strike.

· Speaking of which, it’s the 21^st century. Poker has lipstick cameras for card shots. Can’t TV figure out a way to put the centerfield camera directly in line with the pitcher and homeplate? The traditional offset position, just over the pitcher’s right shoulder….(why is it never the left shoulder?), makes it hard for viewers to tell if a pitch was too outside or inside – owing to the angle, wait for the more fancy term, parallax view (btw, a good Warren Beatty movie).

· At this high level and this late date in the season, you would think outfield communication would be handled well. But the Red Sox won in large part cause Grady Sizemore and the rightfielder didn’t communicate about who was catching the fly ball in right center. This happens more than you might think in the playoffs. Off the top of my head, there was a similar Bernie Williams-Bubba Crosby mix up that lead to a loss (against the Red Sox?) in a recent playoff series.

· Teachable moment: My learning to read five year-old was practicing her reading by trying to read the players names when the visuals came up. Only the Latino players and odd spellings of some of the names caused her quite a bit of confusion and I was unable to explain why Jhonny Peralta’s name is spelled so oddly. Or why “Julio Lugo” is pronounced “Hulio” and not “Joo-lio.” Gracias, America’s pastime.

· I have yet to hear a cogent explanation of why the throw that picked Ryan Howard off in game 2 of the Phillies-Rockies series wasn’t a balk.

State of the MSM

The Baltimore Sun is seeking the tax records of the family whose 12 year-old sign became the Democratic poster boy for the SCHIP program. If only such tough investigative reporting had been done by the press in the run up to the war in Iraq. But then, again, scrutinizing a poor family’s financial situation is a lot easier than penetrating the Bush administration’s war rationale.

More Big Brother in New England

The AP reports, “New England Patriots have won a bid to get the names of all the fans who bought or sold - or tried to buy or sell - tickets to home games through online ticket reseller StubHub Inc. In a lawsuit against San Francisco-based StubHub, a subsidiary of eBay Inc., claiming that the Web site encourages fans to break state law and violate team policies, the Patriots said they could seek to revoke season tickets of people who use StubHub. Daniel Goldberg, a lawyer for the Patriots, would not say what the team plans to do with the 13,000 names, which StubHub gave it last week after losing its appeal of a Massachusetts state court ruling. Team rules bar reselling game tickets for a profit. State law, though rarely enforced, restricts ticket markups to $2 above face value plus some service charges. Patriots tickets have been offered on StubHub at prices many times higher. StubHub argued that the Patriots' request violated its confidentiality agreement with its customers.”

 

What’s not clear from this report is if StubHub provided just the names of buyers and sellers and/or if it also included data on the prices for which the tickets were bought or sold. And why do the Patriots want the names of ticket buyers? What has that go to do with the scalping of tickets for which the Pats are supposedly trying to curtail?

 

Prospective ticket sellers in Massachusetts should borrow a practice from the NFL teams themselves. When you sell tickets to games online, make it clear that you are not selling the actual tickets, but a license for the opportunity to buy the tickets. The license has no face value, thus can’t violate the state law (plus, the license is such a novel concept it may not even be addressed in the state law). You can sell the license at a mark up and the tickets at face value.

 

More generally, what is up with the Patriots? It’s like George W. Bush is running the team. First, the coach was caught illegally surveiling his opponents, covered it up and glossed over it. (with a nice assist from Roger Goodell, the NFL’s version of the enabling AG Fredo Gonzalez, a man supposedly in charge of enforcing the rules but who in reality does whatever his master wants him to  -which in Goodell’s case meant destroying all the evidence and ordering a league-wide communications blackout about what the Patriots may or may not have done.)

 

And now the team is suing to get the names of fans that bought or sold their tickets. Big Brother is watching in New England. And his name is Robert Kraft.

What's an Extra $3 million

The Brian Westbrook $3 million overpayment saga continues. Though it appears near resolution in how #36 will repay the Eagles the double bonus he was paid earlier, the Eagles have gone ahead and started withholding his paychecks to recoup their cash.

 

It’s all very strange. I mean, how does a billion dollar enterprise, as the Eagles are as a business entity, pay an employee $3 million – twice – and take so long to notice. And then there’s the Villanova alum. Did B. Westbrook not notice the mistaken extra payment? Did he not think the Eagles would eventually catch their mistake and want the money back? Left unasked is if Westbrook actually spent the money which would explain why he’s having a hard time paying it back. Then again, maybe it’s a simple cash flow problem.

 

Of course, those of us that have ever been overpayed by our employers – as I have and my friend ML too – can attest, it’s not so simple to just give an extra paycheck back. Indeed, as the Inqy notes “the Eagles have acknowledged the matter is complicated by the fact that the team has to get $3 million back from Westbrook , even though he only received about an extra $1.7 million because of taxes. Apparently, Westbrook must pursue the refunding of that money from city, state and federal governments.” And that doesn’t count any retirement plan accounts, pension payments, etc for which a slice of that money may have been diverted.

 

Wouldn’t it just be easier to extend/renegotiate 36’s contract to include some sort of new $3 million bonus – for which he’s already been paid – and call it a day?

 

 

 

Baseball playoffs

Sooooo. From a Fox ratings perspective was it good or bad that the Rockies swept the D-backs? Less games to have to broadcast with low ratings, but me thinks the lack of public familiarity with the Rockies will be felt in the World Series’ Neilson numbers. Had the NLCS gone longer than four games, the public could have had a better introduction to Colorado. Now, the hottest team in baseball recedes from public view until Game 1 of the WS next week.

 

Speaking of which, would it be a good or bad thing – again ratings and fan wise – if the Indians close out the Sox tonight? On the one hand, MLB can begin ginning up interest in the Indians-Rockies match, while on the other hand those games don’t start for another week and perhaps MLB execs would prefer some more ALCS games to maintain fan interest in, you know, actual games. Who knows.

I'm Back

Sorry, you may have noticed a lack of activity on the site for the past week but actual work intervened. I’ve been up at our national meeting which was held in Philadelphia of all places.

 

One of our events featured a quartet of Mummers and so I may have some pics to post later this week of me trying to teach conferees the Mummer’s Strut – the dance my Mom taught me on the numerous occasions that we watched the New Year’s Day parade from the Bellevue Stratford while growing up. Good times. (funny story trying to explain the “Mummers” to non-Philadelphians. Many of the conferees literally had their mouths open gaping at the elaborate and colorful costumes of the quartet. And the band wasn’t even in the full regalia with the backpieces and full complement of ostrich feathers. After explaining that the Mummers had “clubs” and prepared all year for the New Year’s Day parade, one person asked me, “so they’re like the masons or Kiwanis?” Not exactly, I said. A little more, uh, social. After thinking about it, the best parallel I could draw was to the New Orleans’ Mardi Gras Crewes. Also on the subject of trying to show people the Mummer’s strut, the “band” was playing “When the Saints Go Marching In” and only one other Philadelphia woman got up to join me and I was pretty winded by the time the song wound down and was looking to head to the bar for a drink – and we had the whole conference looking at us - but then the guys broke into “Oh Dem Golden Slippers,” which to my way of thinking is the penultimate Mummer’s string band song and one that instantly recharged me – so we were good for another three and half minutes, after which I had definitely broken a sweat.).

 

Secondly, yesterday was my birthday. I’m not going to go into details, but it was one of those “milestone” birthdays.

 

Anyway, got a lot of stuff to post and comment on so please bear with me as some of this stuff goes up fast and furious.

Eagles-Jets

Man, when these two teams clash, it’s sure to be a… snooze. What kind of professional football game ends in a 16-9 score? One in which the stoppable force meets the movable object.

 

David Akers continued his Meadowland Malaise. Fortunately, he won’t have to kick on Jimmy Hoffa’s grave until next season at the earliest.

 

Heck, even the 4^th and 1 Jets play from inside the ten in the waning moments of the game during a drive that could have tied a score was humdrum. How does that happen?

 

And while I get the NY “Titans” throwback unis, it is incomprehensible to me that the team had to don “Titans” apparel – paraphernalia that actually read “Titans.” Um, they’re the Jets now, and this ain’t 1960. It’s not even 2006. Hard to believe it was only one year ago that the Jets were a playoff team. Hard to believe it was only one year ago that the Eagles were a playoff team.

 

Other thoughts and observations: K. Curtis’ 75 yard TD catch in the first quarter may have been one of the best passes Donovan McNabb ever made. He lead Curtis perfectly, in stride and put it right into his outstretched arms. Curtis did the rest, and it was a painful reminder of what can happen when, unfortunately infrequently, McNabb can hit the slant pattern perfectly.

 

Terrible 4^th and 1 play call by the Jets that was their final play of the game. Why run QB sneak on 3^rd down (with two yards to go no less) and then throw on 4^th down needing just one yard to get the first. Maybe they were trying to catch the Eagles stopping the run, but S. Brown had it the whole way and made a nice defensive play.

Rockies 3 - Phillies 0

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

 

Toward that end, here’s some interesting insights from NFL Films Greg Cosell regarding McNabb’s quarterback strengths and weaknesses – and that of his receivers. The verdict? Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis are weak WRs and “The 2007 McNabb is a pocket quarterback without the complete skill set to succeed that way. His lack of anticipation combines with his inconsistent accuracy to produce a passing game that can't function with any dependability against press coverage.”

 

 

“Watch film of the Philadelphia offense and what you instantly notice is how much press coverage opposing cornerbacks have played against wide receivers Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis. It has been the defining feature of the Eagles' three losses. The only team that did not play press coverage was Detroit; the result was a 42-point first half and the Eagles' only win of the season.

 

Curtis and Brown are both straight-line runners who do not have the great agility and strength to immediately defeat press corners. Consequently, they do not define their routes quickly enough for Donovan McNabb.

 

And McNabb has never been an anticipation passer. He is what I call an "uncover" quarterback. He waits until his receivers begin to break open before he pulls the trigger; he needs to see the throw. With his receivers blanketed well into their routes, McNabb is not comfortable delivering the ball.

 

The result is the pass rush closes in on him, and because of his ACL injury a year ago he has lost the mobility that allowed him to break down a defense on the move. The 2007 McNabb is a pocket quarterback without the complete skill set to succeed that way. His lack of anticipation combines with his inconsistent accuracy to produce a passing game that can't function with any dependability against press coverage.”

 

And the remedy? What many of us have long advocated. Utilize Westbrook’s versatility by playing him and Bucky at the same time. Split #36 out wide and force a mismatch or make the defense account for him, while keeping the option of power running Buckhalter over Andrews and Runyan.

 

In other words, run to set up the pass. C’mon Andy, it’s not rocket science.

 

Click here for the full article.