Still the One

The Sixers are still the worst team in NBA history.

Vanillanova

It's got to be the height of irony that one of the whitest colleges in America has not a single white player on its men's basketball team. John Pinone must be dying out there.

http://www.tidesport.org/Grad%20Rates/2009_Mens_Bball_PR.pdf

Phantastic?

Interesting take on the effect Citizens Bank Park has had on the Phillies and the fan experience. Article includes the park's appeal to a certain demographic.

Nor in 2004 could they have anticipated that most would be young adults, a generation that appeared to have abandoned baseball. Citizens Bank Park, with its boardwalk atmosphere, became a festive fountain of youth, an appealing destination for a new demographic of younger, thirstier

Phillies fans, many of whom don't much care about squeezes and sacrifices.

"The whole group that enjoys hanging out on Ashburn Alley, those people didn't come to the Vet," Montgomery said. "We were dependent on hard-core fans there and families. Now we're benefiting from that 18-to-32 age group."

Of course, the alleged perpetrators of a murder that stemmed from an incident in the stadium that spilled outside also come from that sweet demographic of tailgating, drinking, testosterone addled young adults. It brings a painful meaning to the word Phanatic.

Say It Ain't So!

A 2nd rounder (#33 overall) and - depending on what you read Oshiomogha Atoge thrown in - for Donovan McNabb?

This deal makes no sense for nearly everybody.

The Rams have the #1 pick in the draft and are widely believed to covet Sam Bradford. If they acquired McNabb they could then pick Ndamukong Suh with the #1 pick. They get a franchise QB and a franchise D-lineman in the deal. They also give up one of their few playmakers on defense (Atoge) to get a defensive playmaker (Suh).

The much better trade for the rebuilding 1-15 Rams is Kevin Kolb. But it's been reported the Eagles are asking for more for Kolb than McNabb. The #1 overall for Kolb is too steep a price. And it is hard to believe the Rams could provide even more value than #33 and Atoge for Kolb.

The Rams also have AJ Feeley. Are they trying to corner the market on Eagles' QBs? Rams O coordinator Pat Shurmur worked with all the QBs in the trade conversations and the Rams GM is very familiar with Vick from his days in Atlanta.

This deal makes no sense for McNabb. His willingness to negotiate a contract extension is key to any acquiring team. Why in the world would he agree to an extension with the worst team in the league? The last thing he wants to do is spend the last fews years of his career on team in perpetual rebuilding mode. McNabb has already made it clear he won't go to Oakland or Buffalo, why is St. Louis an acceptable option?

BTW, it's becoming ever more apparent that the 2-year contract extension McNabb signed before last season was an incredibly shrewd move on his part. The year left on his contract entering the 2010 season gives him a tremendous (and tremendously overlooked) amount of bargaining power both with the Eagles and potential suitors. He can essentially nix any trade by refusing to extend his contract.

The only party this trade even remotely works for is the Eagles and that's assuming Atoge is part of the deal. If not, you are trading away a franchise QB - admittedly an aging franchise QB, but one with at least 3-4 good years left - for a 2nd rounder or, if you want to look at it slightly differently a very, very late 1st rounder (#33).

I doubt this trade gets consummated cause it just makes so little sense on so many different levels. But if the talk has done one thing - and this may be the Machiavellian Eagles' front office plan all along - is to call into question Andy Reid's statements that McNabb is the starter going into the season and legitimately begun preparing the fan base for an actual trade of the best quarterback in Eagles' team history.

A Draft Wonder....lic

McNabb only scored a 14 on the Wonderlic?

Jheri Curls and colon exams: a combine memory | National Football Post

Missing the Big Kid

The Eagles have released former all-pro guard Shawn "Big Kid" Andrews. What a disappointing day. Andrews has (had?) Hall of Fame talent but a career that has been star crossed with the Eagles: from breaking his leg in the home opener of his rookie year (where he cracked the starting lineup, an unheard of rookie accomplishment in the Reid era) to having to leave the Saints divisional game and being taken to the hospital to the bizarre, tearful reaction while describing an ankle injury during training camp to the depression issues that prompted the Eagles to sign his brother in the hopes of providing direct family support in the locker room to the chronic back problems that have kept him from playing for most of the past two seasons.

He had the potential to be one of the all-time great NFL and Eagles lineman. Alas, it was not to be. Can Stacy Andrews' release be far behind?

While certainly a proactive move by the Eagles, the release of a lineman who didn't play in 2009 certainly doesn't help to upgrade a unit that is in desperate need of improvement.

a 2-fer

The W. Post editorial writers join their Timesmen brethren in mischaracterizing the illegal immigration debate to tut tut those policymakers who are trying to curb illegal immigration and takes to task Arizona legislators who are defending their state's borders because the federal government is incapable of securing its own.

Can a state really "usurp the federal government's authority over immigration enforcement" when the federal government's enforcement has been willfully negligent to nonexistent. And the Post really suggests that Arizona dares to "defy the Fraternal Order of Police." Wow. According to the Post, a state better not cross a police labor organization.

It's a sign of how far the illegal immigration debate has gone off the rails that Arizona's law and order attempt to protect US citizens and legal immigrants is described as "malice" toward illegal immigrants.

Even one of my favorite Post op-ed writers is afflicted with the dreaded tunnel vision. Harold Meyerson writes "but no path to legalization has been staked out since 1986 -- a long time for millions of people to live in the shadows."

Of course, there is a path to legalization its just that illegal immigrants have refused to follow it and instead circumvented the orderly immigration process and now demand that their willful disregard for the law be rewarded with US citizenship. And what Meyerson so coyly refers to as the legalization route since 1986 was the grand immigration compromise that granted amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants already in the country at that time in exchange for tough new enforcement and border security measures. Enforcement and security that never materialized. Some compromise. Heads I win, tails you lose. 

It's a cautionary tale about the eventual fate of any new immigration law. Assuredly, we'll have to return to the issue of granting amnesty of millions more illegals who are encouraged to come to the US in future years because of the ignorant munificence of dunderheaded federal lawmakers who confuse legal with illegal and compassion with permissiveness.

Illegal immigrants and their advocates are playing their former countrymen who patiently wait to enter the US legally as suckers along with the US leaders they've duped into believing are "victims" of a system they hold in contempt by their illegal actions.

Duke Less

Unfortunately, the Nationals apparently did not make the decision to part ways with troubled OF Elijah Dukes because of his poor character and history. More's the pity. The Nats could have taken a stand and shown that professional sports is about more than just performance on the field but how a player repeatedly handles himself off of it. And whether he can be a positive role model to the fans, community and youngsters that follow the team.  

What's really sad is the Nationals' front office is going out of its ways to say the decision had nothing to do with off-the-field behavior. The question is, why didn't it? Moreover, the Nats seem to be taking a very short-sighted view about Dukes and the notion of no "recent" off the field problems, other than... you know, the four arrests for assault and battery, the five children fathered with four different women, the threat to kill his wife resulting in a restraining order, and impregnating his 17 year-old foster care daughter.  But hey, in the Nats' world view - none of that happened this off-season. And his negative influence was tolerated until he couldn't start for them anymore.

Not Like Us

Another example of the liberal press bias or of pointy headed liberalism courtesy of the NY Times editorial page, which tries to conflate St. Patrick's day and Irish immigration to this country with the unprecedented tidal wave of illegal, primarily Hispanic, immigration over the past 20 years. "Nearly all of us were mexicans once," notes the editorial. 

Well, know, actually not. Nearly all of us are descendants of immigrants who entered the country orderly and legally, exactly opposite of the recent mexican experience.

Typical media disinformation. Focusing on the immigration aspect of things, and hearkening to the myth of the American melting pot, while disingenuously overlooking the illegal factor which is the key to the concerns of many US citizens.

Better than Reynolds?

Villanova coach Jay Wright was on ESPN's Mike and Mike radio show this morning. Wright was talking about Villanova's game vs. Robert Morris and potential matchup with Richmond in the 2nd round - and all of the Philly connections to those games, with RM's head coach and asst. coach (Phil Martelli's son) hailing from the area and Richmond's Chris Mooney also from Philly.

What was interesting about Wright's comments was that he said Richmond had some size and a really good point guard "who is as good as any of our guards." Surely, Wright meant "most of" his teams guards and didn't mean to suggest that Richmond's point guard is on par with Scottie Reynolds?

The Shocker

The surprise in this Ryan Howard for Albert Pujols rumor isn't the proposed trade itself, but that Howard is a couple of months older than Pujols?! 

I would not have guessed that.

Madness

I am just blown away that Villanova wound up with a 2 seed. What a stunning turn of events. I was hoping for a 3 seed and feared that a 4 was more likely. Just didn't see this coming. Crazy. To the selection committee's credit, they took Villanova's entire season into account. While they lost 5 of their last 7, those losses were all to conference rivals and to teams who all wound up being seeded no later 6 in the tourney.

Other thoughts:  A possible Villanova-Richmond game on Saturday would be the brother-brother alumni clash that almost came to be in the Division I-AA football playoffs this fall.

Questions: If Kansas is the #1 seed why aren't they playing the technically lowest seed in the tournament, the winner of the 64/65 playoff game?

The committee still loves Duke. But it is hard to weep for Syracuse. By being placed in the west, they get to play their opening games in Buffalo. Don't discount the benefit of home court advantage in the early rounds. Villanova may well have lost to American last year - and completely derailed their magical Final Four run - had they been playing on neutral floor rather than in Philadelphia.

The biggest screw job goes to Temple. Weirdly, it almost appears that the selection committee elevated Villanova to a higher seed than they deserved at the expense of the A-10 champ who was lower than they should have been. To add insult to injury, Temple also gets the Bill Packer Screw Job award. Not only were they seeded lower than deserved, they drew an opponent - Cornell -  who was also seeded lower than they should have been. This is the famed Billy Packer rationale, where the committee can justify Temple's lower seeding by forcing them to play - and having them lose - to a 12 seed that really should be a 10. Of course, the real unfairness comes in the 2nd round where Temple, as a 3/4 seed would have been playing a 5/6 seed. Instead, they're going to draw a 4 seed 2nd round matchup.

Having said all that, and notwithstanding Villanova's recent troubles, the South bracket sets up very nicely for them. Robert Morris in the first round and a mid-major 2nd round game. Sweet 16 could be Baylor (in Houston no less) and then winner take all rematch from last year vs. Duke for the Final Four.

Uh-oh

6 weeks ago, Villanova was #2 in the country and a weekly pick to be one of the four #1 seeds in the NCAA basketball tournament.

Now?

They're #10 and just got bounced in their first game of the Big East tournament (admittedly the quarterfinals). Thankfully, the rest of the conference is in complete disarray right now after the Orangeman and Pitt were also upset.

Anyway, Villanova is in real danger of losing a 3 seed and dropping to a dreaded #4. They've lost five of their last 7 - a clearly fading team in the tournament committee's eyes.

You don't want to be a four seed. There is always a 13 that knocks off a four and given Villanova's play it's entirely possible they could be that team.

This team is fading fast. They've got lots of young players and a 3 seed would help them at least get to the sweet 16 and buy them some valuable experience for next year.