Deja Vu

Oh, man.

This article about Doug Pederson's desire to run the ball more...only to call more pass plays is an uncomfortable replay of the Andy Reid years.

As the article notes about the unprecedented number of passes Wentz is attempting:

 Wentz averaged 30.8 passes the first six games, when the Eagles were 4-2.
The last seven games, he's averaged an astonishing 44.7 passes per game – the most in NFL history over any seven-game stretch by a rookie, according to figures from Pro Football Reference and the most in any seven-game stretch by any Eagle quarterback...
So Wentz has thrown more passes the last seven weeks than Donovan McNabb ever threw in any seven-game stretch in his career.
In fact, only nine quarterbacks in NFL history have thrown more passes in any seven-game stretch than Wentz since the Dallas game – Matt Stafford, Drew Bledsoe, Warren Moon, Philip Rivers, Erik Kramer, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Rich Gannon.
So Pederson has called more pass plays the last seven weeks than Andy Reid - owner of the highest pass-run ratio by any NFL head coach in history -- ever called in any seven-week span in his 18 seasons as an NFL head coach.

The Eagles pass/run ratio is 61/39 - which is better than Andy Reid's ungodly 65/35 - but not by much. And at least Reid had a pro bowl QB that was often in conversations about MVP when he did it.

But most disconcerting is Frank Reich's explanation of the unbalanced play calling.

"I know when (Pederson) and I are sitting up there talking about the plan, and the plan of attack in the game, you go in with the idea that we're going to run it 30 to 35 times a game," Reich said Tuesday. "That's what you want to do. But you have to make the calls at the time that you think are necessary to win the game. 

That is scarily similar to Andy Reid's lame weekly explanations as to why, despite expressing a desire for a more balanced pass/run ratio, his team wound up with a 65/35 or - at times a 70/30 (un)balance. Reid would say something nearly exactly like Reich - that they had intended to run the ball more, but gosh darn it, the game situations just forced them to call more pass plays. What's most amazing is that those very same game situations occurred week after endless week.

Like Reid, so like Pederson and Reich. Hello again 65/35

Ugh.

Eagles Town

Really? 

Philadelphia really is a football town. And by football, I mean Eagles.

How else to explain the list of biggest sports stories in Philadelphia this year that has the encouraging but 6-9 play of QB Carson Wentz ranked above Villanova winning the national championship with the only buzzer beater in championship game history. Imagine where Wentz will be ranked next year if he gets a decent receiving corps!

Wentz's return

Carson Wentz may be the only NFL player I can recall who actually went into the locker room after an initial concussion diagnosis on the sideline and then returned to the game.

And Doug Pederson's decision to re-insert Wentz into the second half of the penultimate game - a meaningless contest for the Eagles - was inexplicable. Just because Wentz was "cleared" to return to play doesn't mean you actually have to put him in. He's the franchise QB for chrissakes. Hopefully he plays for 12 years for the Eagles. Why risk that bright future on a middling, pointless game now?

Even more inexplicable was the Eagles' decision to run a double reverse after Wentz returned in which your recently concussed QB became the lead blocker?!?!?! That play calling is downright negligent.

And memo to Cris Collinsworth. The NFL concussion process didn't "work exactly like it was supposed to." The spotter missed Wentz's head slamming to the turn on the roughing the passer penalty. In fact, it took the intervention of pro bowl left tackle Jason Peters to tell both Wentz and the coaching staff that the rookie QB needed to leave the game. That's how this system is supposed to work? It was an utter failure but for a teammate's concern. And once again made a joke out of the league's concussion protocols and of an individual team's coaching staff's concern for the long-term health of one of their players.

But other than that, the win and preventing the Giants from clinching a playoff berth at the Linc was great.

Cam Newtown

Glad to see there was widespread outrage and condemnation of the ridiculous no call on Cam Newton being hit in the head last night. Walt Coleman's crew even seemed to go out of its way to insult Newton by not only not calling a penalty on Washington but calling a 15 yarder on Newton?!

There's been some complaint about the inability of the Washington player to avoid hitting the sliding (feet first) Newton.

Whatever the intent of the defender, the fact is he hit a QB that was sliding. 9 times out of 10 that gets called as a penalty. To add insult to injury, the defender also delivered a blow to the QB's head. In the league's efforts to protect the quarterbacks and prevent hits to the head, it should have been called a penalty. In fact, most people on the field and in the broadcast booth thought the flag was initially on the Redskins. 

Even more egregiously, contrast it with the "late hit" that was called on the Panthers when they shoved Cousins out of bounds later in the game. Replays showed Cousins wasn't actually out of bounds when the defender made contact with him. As such (and Gruden made this point), there shouldn't have been a penalty called.

But the larger point is that  one QB got the benefit of a questionable call and one didn't.  And the one that didn't - Cam Newton - hasn't been getting them all year. After a while, it adds up.

Forgoing Bowl Games

After the disastrous knee injury Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith suffered in last year's bowl game - that dropped his draft projection as a top 5 pick to the end of the first round - costing him approximately $20 million, it's no surprise that top NFL prospects are deciding that the risk of playing in a meaningless exhibition bowl simply isn't worth it. Especially since the players are the only ones not making any money off of the bowl game.

Now the number of players renouncing their bowl game has risen to 3 and Arizona Bruce Arians has said he would have "concerns" if a player didn't want to play in a bowl game. (To which profootballtalk pointed out that Arians wasn't so concerned about a player being suspended for smoking marijuana and missing a bowl game that he didn't draft Robert Nkemdiche.

This is a long-awaited development that's the direct result of the national championship playoff. The already extraneous college bowl system is even more meaningless except for the 3 games and 4 teams vying for the championship. 

Make no mistake - the decisions of Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey (the son of a former NFL pro) and Shock Linwood are only the tip of the iceberg. I would expectx more college stars to choose the same route and those decisions could have serious repercussions in undermining the whole NCAA football slave labor system.  

Look for other NFL coaches to come out against the college players in the very near future and I wouldn't be surprised if the NCAA got involved in some way to try to stop the trend in the near future.

NFL Fines Giants for Walkie Talkies

It's not the violation of game operation rules that has the NFL so fired up. No. In Roger Goodell's NFL, Ben McAdoo's sin was undermining the sponsorship deal the league has with official communications partner, Bose, whose equipment only works occasionally on the sidelines of MetLife Stadium

Wussification

Could  there be any more stark contrasts between the intestinal fortitude of our two political parties as it relates to power and action than what we saw this weekend in Washington, DC and North Carolina.

President Obama gave a calm, reasoned, milquetoast explanation about how Russia helped influence the presidential election and that the US government hasn't really responded to this unprecedented attack on American democracy. At the end of the day, Donald Trump will become president on January 20th and there isn't a damn thing Obama or the Democrats can or will do about it.

Juxtapose that with the Republican North Carolina legislature who called a special legislative session to enact a new set of wide-ranging policies specifically crafted to emasculate the powers of the incoming Democratic governor. 

Republicans at seemingly every level of government now have completely abandoned any pretense of abiding by the traditional norms and customs of politics while the Democrats are helpless to stop these moves and are themselves incapable of copying them for their own benefit.

The wussification of the Democratic party continues.

For the Win

I have no problem with Doug Pederson's decision to go for two and the win this afternoon in Baltimore. In fact, I applaud it.

The Eagles aren't going to to the playoffs. They're playing on the road against a better (playoff) team. The weather is a definite factor in the kicking game and thus field position. They have the momentum having 1) forced the Ravens to punt and 2) drove 60 yards for the tying/winning score.

Why not go for it? If you lose the coin flip for the OT quarter you're going to be at a distinct disadvantage for the whole period. And the 2 pointer gives you about the same percentage chance of conversion. In addition, you have to consider kicking the PAT into a swirling wind which is no gimme.

Pederson's been criticized all year for some over-aggressive 4th down decisions, but this one isn't one of them.

Not a "Bang-Bang" Play

Let's dispel the notion that Deshazor Everett's vicious cheap shot on Eagles punt returner Darren Sproles last wee was a "bang-bang" play as Everett has tried to explain.

A bang-bang play would have occurred had Sproles actually caught the ball. He didn't. Thus it was an egregious penalty worthy of the fine imposed by the league. In fact, it was so flagrant that it should have resulted in his ejection. He certainly should have been ejected after committing a second personal foul on a subsequent punt return when he blind sided Brent Celek (with a helmet to helmet hit no less!). It's also worth noting that thanks to Everett, Sproles is out for today's game vs. the Ravens.

Moreover, Everett's excuse-making also suggests he doesn't understand the rules of football. As Everett said, "You have options. You have ways to protect yourself. It's not like the guy called fair catch, and I still took a shot at him because I'm not that type of player."

Yes, you are exactly that kind of dirty player who also doesn't understand the rules. What does Sproles calling a fair catch have to do with anything? The rules clearly state you're not allowed to hit the punt returner when he doesn't have the football. Everett suggests that, in his mind, punt returners are fair game whether they have the ball or not and the ONLY way to prevent them from being hit is to call a fair catch.

Poor Jon Dorenbos

On the day he tied Harold Carmichael for longest consecutive games played streak as an Eagle last week, he injures his wrist so badly it requires surgery and his placement on IR - ending his season.

So Carmichael and Dorenbos will share the consecutive streak record, though honestly Dorenbos only plays like 8 plays a game.

On another point, how is Harold Carmichael's number not retired by the Eagles? Nelson Agoholor's troubles merely highlight the absurdity of still seeing a #17 on the field for the Eagles. That number should and will always belong to Harold Carmichael.

The Real Dem Vote Decision

To me the issue around Democratic support for the Republican alternative to Obamacare down the road isn't the key question confronting the caucus.

The bugger consideration Dems should be making is whether they should support immediate repeal of Obamacare when the votes happen in January and force the issue to create chaos in the insurance markets and blaming Trump and the GOP now for the loss of insurance.  Rather than allowing republicans to reap the reward of the repeal vote and put off the pain of the consequences till after the mid terms (and pressure Dems then to support whatever alternative they come up with). 

Not only would it be a political victory but it would completely derail the legislative agenda of the Trump administration and GOP Congress who would be consumed with coming up with a health care fix on the fly for at least the first 6 months of 2017 instead of pushing tax cuts, and other Paul ryan priorities. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/12/07/schumer-if-republicans-destroy-our-health-system-we-wont-throw-them-a-lifeline/

Trump’s unpredictable style unnerves biz

Unnerves might not be the right word. How about "intimidated"? I'm guessing that the CEOs of Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Citigroup wouldn't dare miss a meeting with president-elect Trump like Lloyd Blankfein, John Mack, and Dick Parsons did with President Obama back in 2009 (citing weather as an excuse for their absence).

That 2009 meeting was the day after Obama had called Wall Street executives "fat cats." They may have to get used to being called much worse (and penalized) under a Trump administration.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trumps-unpredictable-style-unnerves-corporate-america/2016/12/06/6e3f3976-bbea-11e6-94ac-3d324840106c_story.html

Taiwan

Here's the most disconcerting thought about Donald Trump's diplomatic faux pas of calling the Taiwanese government. He probably doesn't even understand what the problem is and why it is such a big deal.

More on Kizer

Why is it up to journalists to raise the issues of player safety? And not the coaches and officials who oversee the NCAA and NFL?

Chicago Tribune columnist Paul Skrbina raises some interesting questions about the hits to DeShone Kizer's head.

To wit, why isn't it Head Coach Brian Kelly's decision about who goes in to play QB and not some "spotter" on the sideline?

Why wasn't a penalty called on the helmet to helmet hit Kizer suffered?

Kelly doesn't think Kizer was at risk after being reinserted into the game?

How come no one is talking about the hit to Kizer and the obvious distress he was in during one of the last plays of the game?

One can make the case that the NFL players get paid for endangering their health and long-term brain health. The same can't be said of NCAA players. Worse, the NCAA and its neanderthal coaches are willfully oblivious and dismissive of the risks and harm that is going on right under their noses.

DeShone Kizer

Incredibly unremarked this week is the fact that DeShone Kizer left last week's game vs. Virginia Tech not once but twice with head trauma. The NCAA concussion protocols may be even weaker than the practically non-existent NFL's.

Kizer left the game after taking a hit and holding the back of his helmet/head. Kizer went back into the game and one of the final plays had his head slammed again and had to leave the game. No report was given on Kizer's status at any point during the game and the announcers and sideline reporters made no comment about Kizer's status, any diagnosis, or the well-being of him coming back into the game.

Incredible.

Not Either/Or

Another Beltway professional elite who completely misunderstands the election results and the Democrats' problems.

This time it is the Post's Charles Lane who posits this Hobbesian choice - " The Democrats' dilemma, then, is this: They can make only limited political gains with an economic pitch to the white working class, unless they adjust on immigration and other issues of identity too, probably. Yet this would require compromising on what the party defined as matters of basic justice and tolerance, and turn off voters from their racially and ethnically diverse "coalition of the ascendant."

I don't for an instance think that economic pitch to working class voters has to be at odds with the Dems' identity politics. The problem is that Dems have made no economic pitch to anybody, of any color. It's not an either or situation. The reality is that Democrats have ceded the populist economic arguments to the Republicans (ironically enough). 

But here's the harsher reality that Lane fails to acknowledge. The current Democratic strategy on identity politics isn't working. Sure it may have worked for President Obama, but it simply has been a failed strategy for everyone else: John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, congressional Democrats, Democratic gubernatorial candidates, and Democratic state legislators.

Out of His Mind

Nelson Agholor has committed the one unpardonable sin of NFL players: expressing doubt about their abilities. To the casual fan, his "got to get out of my own head" admission seems glaring statement of the obvious from what we've seen on the field with his mental mistakes and physically dropped passes. But to NFL insiders, the acknowledgement of his mental struggles suggests a player who isn't "tough enough" for the NFL. Here's how Doug Pederson reacted to the comments: "Those are definitely concerns that I have, now that he's obviously come out and said that publicly." 

It's akin to the reaction (overreaction) to Kerry Collins' admission to the Panthers' coaching staff that the struggling QB might not be the best signal caller to get them a win in an upcoming game. An acknowledgement that went undisputed (Collins had been playing dreadfully) but was savaged for showing weakness, a lack of confidence, and perhaps "losing the locker room." Strange world the NFL.

Ralph Branca

A great and fascinating obituary of Ralph Branca in today's Washington Post, the "goat" who gave up Bobby Thomson's "shot heard round the world."

Everyone knows Branca as the losing pitcher in the deciding game of the 1951 National League championship. And everyone knows he handled the infamy with class and grace for more than 50 years. But his life included far more than a journeyman's MLB career, including a 19 member family, a revelation of Jewish ancestry, family connections to the Holocaust, later revelations of rampant sign-stealing cheating in the bigs, and a friendly welcome to the integration of the Major League Baseball. A pallbearer at Jackie Robinson's funeral says so much about Branca's basic and long-lasting kindness and decency.

Matthews' Helmet Hit

The glaring no-call on the helmet to helmet hit on Jordan Matthews perfectly encapsulates everything that is wrong with today's NFL and the absurdity of its "new" player brain protection and concussion protocols.

First, the play was such an obvious helmet to helmet hit the fact that no penalty was called is simply astounding. I mean, the Falcons Keanu Neal lowers his head and the crown of his helmet smashes directly into Jordan Matthews' face mask. It's as clear an example of helmet to helmet as you'll likely see. Yet somehow, the refs determined it wasn't a penalty.

Worse, after the hit Matthews is laying prostrate on the ground and grabs his helmet/facemask with both hands in what appears to be reaction to the pain and the hit. As far as viewers could tell, Matthews did not undergo concussion protocol testing after coming to the sideline (or at least the Fox sideline reporter never mentioned it). 

Indeed, Matthews was back out on the field for the Eagles very next possession and nary a word was spoken again about whether Matthews was cleared to return or whether he had been checked at all.

Again, these are just further indications that the league and its referees are clearly not capable of policing helmet to helmet hits. And the league - with the complicity of its broadcast partners - would prefer not to discuss the issue at all even when so obvious examples and subsequent oversights occur.

Midway

Yes, the Eagles are 0-3 in the division. Yes, they've lost to every team in the division. But...they've lost to every division rival on the road. In fact, they have yet to play a NFC East team at home. All of which means that basically they're division rivals have merely held serve. It's not like the Eagles shat the bed in those games, though it certainly feels that way after giving up a 10 point 2nd half lead last week and last Sunday's grind.

The conference record is more problematic given that there are so many teams bunched up in the Eagles' 4-4 range, including the Lions who now have a tie breaker against us. With the cowboys playing really well and favorites to win the division at this point, it's hard to see how the Eagles get a wild card (get ready for a Dallas 3 game losing streak!).

But - there are a whole slew of teams bunched up in the Eagles' 4-4 range, which means that 1) they're not separating from the Eagles and 2) despite the losses the Eagles aren't losing ground.

But yes, overall this season is pretty much a wash, and really - was from the moment they decided to start the rookie in game 1. The WRs are terrible. The offensive line was solid till Johnson got suspended and then what's his face got hurt. Now it's a patchwork at best. The defensive secondary is dicey. I'm not ready to give up the season, but neither am i optimistic that they make the playoffs. Best can be hoped for are competitive games for the duration and plenty of seasoning for what is looking like a real deal franchise QB (fingers crossed).

My main question and frustration is what are they (i.e., Roseman) going to do in the offseason to address these problems? I would have liked to gotten some WR via trade last week. But they didn't see the value in adding Smith or Jeffrey. Fine. What is plan Bin the offseason? Drafting someone again in the first round like Agoholor? Please.

Another frustrating loss. This game was there for the taking. I don't fault Pederson for going for it on 4th and 1 after the Sproles' TD return was whistled at the 15. But the earlier fourth and 3 was really bad. That was a loooong 3 - maybe even 4 yards (i think Fox called it 4th and 2?!). Should have kicked the FG - and that's not hindsight. 

Two questionable calls - at the end of the first half did anyone touch Jordan Mathews on his catch? It didn't look like it to me. 2nd - most QBs, or maybe I should say veteran QBs - automatically get that roughing the passer call when defenders swat them on the helmet. I guess Wentz for all his promise doesn't warrant those calls yet?

Ugh.

The Reckoning

So it was Brexit, II! Who could've thunk it? Well, in hindsight the clear signals were there albeit ignored. To wit,

1. Um, Brexit itself, the uprising of modest middle class Anglo-Saxons against the global elite (i.e., the European Union) even at the expense of their own economic self-interests. 

2. Hillary Clinton couldn't put dispatch with alacrity a cranky 72 year old socialist from Vermont who wasn't even technically a Democrat in the presidential primary. Incredibly, Sanders' stunning upset of Clinton in the Michigan primary gave no pause to the Clinton campaign team that Michigan may be as difficult in the general as it was in the primary.

3. The widespread repudiation of Jeb Bush's attempt to reinstall the Bush Dynasty on the Republican side was an indication that voters overall probably weren't going to be too keen on a similar return of the D's Clinton Dynasty on the left (see #2 above).

4. It turns out the passion, newness, intensity, and size (and violence) of Trump's audiences was a reflection of a burning desire for change and for getting out the vote.

Wednesday Morning - The Aftermath

The presidential election comes to an end, mercifully, tomorrow night. But what happens Wednesday morning? Regardless of who wins, there will be both fallout and follow up from both the campaign and the results. Here are a couple of my key projections.

1. If Trump wins - There is a slight chance that he wins in which case it will be Brexit to the trillionth degree, with millions of voters wondering what they just did and, just like in Britain, googling "autocrat," "recall," and "Canada." If he does pull the inside straight, (in which voters individually vote for him as a protest pick not realizing that hundreds of thousands of others are doing the same), I do not expect Trump to complete a full four year term (for whatever reason).

2. Assuming the polls are accurate, Hillary Clinton is elected the first woman President of the United States. Congratulations! Unfortunately, she will be seen by many as not the affirmative pick despite her historic accomplishment but because she is the lesser of two evils. While she probably won't crack the 370 electoral votes her husband got in 1992, she may exceed his 43% popular vote total (or not).

3. Unless she wins in an unexpected landslide, expect the knives and second guessing by Democrats to come out in droves following the election. Right now everyone is most concerned about losing to Trump and less concerned about the score, but there will be plenty of Wednesday morning quarterbacking about why she couldn't do better against a historically bad opponent. This will be doubly so if she doesn't have long coattails and doesn't flip the Senate and perhaps pick up some seats in the House. After Tuesday, plenty of congressional Democrats might be left wondering what might have been had more popular candidates like Joe Biden or Elizabeth Warren been leading the ticket. And after eight years of Obama's moderation, she won't be getting the liberal pass Obama got when he succeeded George W. Bush

4. Of course, it is possible that Hillary is able to deflect all of this blame for her underperformance to the FBI and Jim Comey who undermined any momentum she had with the late breaking email announcements.

5. The Democratic infighting will look like a preschool sandbox fight compared to the coming Republican civil war. As much as the establishment would like to see him go away after Tuesday, a man of Trump's ego, narcissism, and lack of political couth isn't going anywhere. It will be especially bad if Trump loses in a relatively close race with plenty of finger pointing about who is at fault and rounds of recriminations for those elected officials that didn't support or endorse him.

6. As a historically unpopular president-elect, it will be interesting to see how long the honeymoon lasts. More the point, the GOP 2020 presidential primary begins on November 9th as elected officials fall all over themselves to take on Clinton in four years.

7. What happens to Merrick Garland? Will Mitch McConnell snub Obama one final time and refuse to consider his Supreme Court nominee? Will the Senate GOP relent on hearings during a lame duck? Will Clinton renominate him or pick another (more liberal?) justice? Will however this plays out set a precedent for future nominations?

8. The media - having so obviously taken sides in the Trump-Clinton campaign will the media continue to advocate against anti-democratic rhetoric and machinations or will it have been solely confined to the uniqueness of the Trump candidacy? For instance, Trump was rightly criticized for delegitimizing President Obama's authority, but can't the same be said of a Senate that refuses to consider the Supreme Court nomination of a twice elected president? 

9. Bill Clinton - the former president cum First Dude was last heard on the campaign trail criticizing Obamacare. He was pretty much muzzled after that for the campaign's duration, but we're about to get daily doses of the Big Dog for the next four years. Think of all the coverage Michelle Obama got/is getting then multiply by, oh, infinite.

10. Hispanics ascendant - First there were soccer moms, then NASCAR dads. I expect the voter profile of this election to be known for Angry Latinos bent on sending Trump packing. From the Democratic side, do their numbers and mobilization supplant african-americans as the Dems' key constituency? For the Republicans, does their massive loss among latinos prompt them to appeal to this largest ethnic bloc or does it cause them to double down on their opposition to any immigration reform that the eleven million undocumented residents potential new voters in 2020?

The Swamps of Jersey

A friend writes:

We've now lost 4 out of 5 games, while 4-4 seems like it's possible to come back from, it's not. 
The season basically ended in the swamps of Jersey this afternoon. We're now 0-3 in the division, having lost to all 3 teams, at least 2 of which were eminently winnable (Dallas and today). We're now also 2-4 within the conference. 
It's just going to be very, very hard to get through the tiebreakers having lost so many divisional/NFC games. 
I almost feel as if we should pull back the reins a bit, and basically give up on trying to win games this season. I know that sounds insane, but we can't keep asking a rookie QB to throw 47 passes to a collection of receivers who simply suck. 
Wentz is going to get killed in the 2nd half of the season, especially with a running game that is now simply dormant. They're going to kill Sproles also by making him run the ball as much as he is. He's now at 59 carries on the season, through 8 games, and that's more carries than he got in the entire 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons. 
I would give Daniels more reps during the week, and I'd be prepared to rest Wentz for some stretches of really bad games. 

I like him, he hangs in there. After his worst quarter of football, today's 1st quarter, that 2nd quarter might've been his best quarter of football. 

I just don't want to see him get killed unnecessarily for a season that is clearly not going to produce something really great.

The Crimes of the Parent

Kathleen Kane's incarceration and her plea for mercy on behalf of her teenage sons is just another reminder that we punish children for the crimes of the parents all the time in this country.

Timing is Everything

A mere 48 hours after Mike Lombardi explained his concept of the "55 minute" team (a team that competes for 55 minutes but isn't complete and has trouble closing out games) on the Bill Simmons' podcast last week, the Eagles (i.e., Ryan Mathews) coughed up the lead and the game against the Lions in the last 5 minutes. Eearily prescient.

Lombardi explained that at a "45 minute team," like the Cleveland Browns, can be competitive for 3 quarters of a game but ultimately fall short - and fall apart - in the last quarter.

Lombardi was bullish on the Eagles but thought they were still not a complete team. Thus the 55 minute moniker. And he was certainly proven right on Sunday.

Chairwomen

What is it about DNC Chairs that they can't help but support Hillary Clinton in a contested primary (despite their claims to the contrary)?

No one looks good in the latest instance of DNC Chair and CNN pundit Donna Brazile sharing candidate questions with the Clinton campaign in advance of a town hall event. 

She got caught lying. So did Roland Martin, the author of the question in question who first denied sharing the question with "literally" no one, not even his "executive producer," only to have to admit that he did in fact share the question with his producer and several others on his production team. For such an accomplished journalist, Martin clearly doesn't understand the word "literally."

Of course, this is all par for the course for our national media mavens who try to give the appearance of objectivity and working at arms length of the officials they cover. But as the Brazile email makes clear, that simply isn't the case.

NFC East

I don't want to make too much out of it since it's still only a quarter of the way through the season, but it does feel that there was 20 minutes this afternoon upon which the division may have hinged.

In that span, CJ Moseley fumbled what would have been a go ahead TD for the Ravens that ultimately let the Skins eke out a win against Baltimore they easily could have and probably should have lost. 

Shortly after, Ryan Mathews coughed up the football and instead of sealing a great Eagles comeback win, coughed up a loss to the lowly Detroit Lions. The loss basically makes a wash of the great win vs. Pittsburgh.

So instead of the Eagles going to Washington next week undefeated at 4-0 and playing a reeling 2-3 division rival, the standings tightened up considerably and now it will be the 3-1 Eagles vs. the 3-2 Redskins. Ugh.

Debate

Wow, I can't recall a nastier, more contentious, insult-heavy, less policy-oriented presidential debate with more personal animus between the two candidates than what we just saw tonight at Washington University between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Especially given that this was a townhall format with regular citizens on the stage with the candidates while they pummeled each other with personal insults.

A quick couple of thoughts:

* We knew questions about Trump's lewd taped conversations would dominate, but man was it a disgusting topic to cover.

* In some weird way, Trump may have benefited from the low-road talk. At heart, he's a gutter fighter and he dragged Hillary down to his level.

* Trump knows so little about major policy issues it would be comical if it weren't so scary. Obamacare? "You will have great coverage when I'm president" is the extent of Trump's comments about health care reform.

* What was the deal with the fly that landed first on Hillary's forehead and then on her blouse? Was it attracted to her perfume? Was it the same fly? Clinton deftly shooed the fly away on her face by jerking her head. But she didn't notice when it landed (and stayed) on her blouse to the point where CNN had to cut away from its split screen because it was so distracting.

* Tough to admit, but Trump did score points, specifically the "rigged" primary vs. Sanders; the emails, and the Wall Street speeches, especially the Lincoln retort. 

* For as sharp as Clinton was last de

* He may not have expanded his support but he certainly fired up his base.

* Conversely, not sure Clinton expanded her base with tonight's debate performance, but, then again, as the front runner she just needs to solidify her support which she clearly did tonight.

Thank You Ryan Howard

As the Big Piece takes his final at bats for the Phillies - at home appropriately -  I hope appreciation for him continues to grow after he's gone. Isn't that the Philly way? Although it seems like it is already (post-beer bottle throwing incident). Injuries have ruined his career but i never understood the anger at his huge contract. It's not the fans money and if you look at the team, it's not like it has handcuffed them from acquiring players they wanted. 

I'll be curious if he retires at the end of the season or tries to be a DH in the AL on a much smaller salary. As we know, he can still hit righthanded pitching - with power. 

The legacy of the steroid era has made us all underappreciate the accomplishment of  25 homers a season and how few can do it. And to think back on the 58 he hit! 

My goodness.

Thank you, Ryan Howard for being a good ballplayer, a slugger extraordinaire, and a real gentleman.

Ryan Howard

A friend writes:

Through it all, those incredible highs and incredible lows, what's the worst thing that ever happened in his personal life? It was his own family taking advantage of him financially. 
He never even got so much as a DUI, never got caught in a parking lot banging a Perkins waitress, never got busted for drugs (if he really did take the HGH from the al Jazeera report, he should demand his money back!). 
He's really just a pretty good guy. 
I think that fans collectively realized this when that fool threw the beer bottle at Howard earlier this season, from that point on they started cheering for him. I'd like to actually see Howard's season broken down by the pre-beer-bottle throwing and post-beer incident. 
I wonder if an AL team will sign him to be a left-handed DH as a platoon. The guy still has 30-homer power, even if he's just hitting against righties. 
There are 42 players in the NL with 20 or more homers. There are only 7 of those sluggers with less than 400 at bats, and there are only 2 of them with fewer than 370 at bats: Howard, 23 homers in 307 ABs, Tommy Joseph, 21 homers in 304 ABs. 

More?

Hooray for Alicia Machado. But shouldn't we Democrats - and especially the first major party candidate for president - be denouncing beauty pageants generally as archaic, misogynistic, obsolete relics of a bygone era that really have no place in 2016 America? This part of the problem with Trump and Clinton. 

Democrats criticize Trump for uncouth remarks while accepting of the underlying premise of the topic. Yes, it was wrong to call beauty pageant winner Alicia Machado "fat." But in this day and age isn't it just as inappropriate to judge women on their beauty and looks (and talent) in a formal "competition"?

Serious Steve Case

The Washington Post has trotted out another "economic elite" to endorse Hillary Clinton. This time it is disgraced AOL co-founder Steve Case - he of the most cataclysmic business merger in US history, the infamous Time Warner-AOL deal. The fact that the Post thinks that Case's opinion is worthy of printing is perhaps more telling about the Post's disconnect with the American public than Case's support of Clinton. 

Why again should we be heeding the "wisdom" of a business leader whose company's fraudulent bookkeeping, questionable business practices, and overstated value helped destroy billions of dollars of shareholder investments? All while he walked away with hundreds of millions of dollars for himself.

Does Case even realize that when he writes that, "I get why Trump has been such a potent political force this year. I am well aware that millions of people are angry about their prospects and fearful that the forces of globalization and digitization have left them behind," the anger is directed at people like him and his actions? The Post certainly doesn't.

Debate Wrap

A few quick thoughts on the Clinton-Trump debate:

* Don't kid yourself, Trump scored impressive points early (an important time when more viewers are tuned in) on Hillary's flip-flops on the TPP trade deal. He also scored on his counter when Hillary touted Bill's record on the 90's, specifically NAFTA. And certainly no who is on, or perhaps watches, MSNBC could envision a situation where Hillary is going to get dinged on fact checking. In this case, here "gold standard" TPP claim (or denial depending on your point of view).

* What was up with Trump's sniffling? Post-nasal drip? A nervous tic? Someone get this man some Afrin, stat!

* Hillary "won" the last 45 minutes of the debate, but, honestly it was a tedious slog at that point and it was a surprise that both candidates only talked in broad generalities.

* Not a single question about education. But to my mind, a good thing.

* The revenge of the Gore-ites. For a party that still smarts from Al Gore's debate sighs and attempts at invading personal space, tonight was a god send as liberal commentators have a field day with the speculation that Trump didn't prepare for the debates ("and it showed!" they crow) and the Trump scowl during the split screen. Really? This is what presidential debates have sunk to? Audio-visual asides?

* Lester Holt is definitely in the "less is more" style of moderating. He was so loose - and at times so non-existent - it was hard to tell what the debate rules were in regards to points and rebuttals and time constraints. Admittedly, it was a thankless job but Holt clearly figured that he wouldn't be criticized if he let them play.

* Pay no attention to the polls showing who "won" the debate. Hillary Clinton had a better debate performance. I think most polls will show that. But that is focused on the wrong metric. Donald Trump won in the sense that he didn't commit any profound gaffes and acquitted himself in a way that was not disqualifying to be president. Yes, it's a low bar. But Trump did clear it. Alternatively, Clinton did not dominate to such an extent that made her the undisputed favorite. In short, this debate likely did not change many (any?) voters' minds which, given Trump's momentum at the moment, equates to a win for him.

Tables Turned

Yes, Dan Bongino is a carpet-bagging professional congressional campaigner who has a profanity-laced meltdown in talking to Politico reporter Marc Caputo. But after listening to the tape of the call, Caputo comes of as bad as Bongino as a smug, trolling reporter goading Bongino into anger by pestering him and splitting hairs about whether he called a tweet or a story propaganda. 

No one comes out looking good in this exchange.

Higher Bill

I don't seem to recall it ever being mentioned in the primaries, but it is hard to believe that former President Bill Clinton's position and compensation as "honorary chancellor" of the for-profit Laureate Education colleges never got mentioned at all in all of the debates and conversations around student debt, Bernie Sanders' free college tuition plan, and the controversies surrounding Trump University. Perhaps even harder to believe is that the revelations about Hillary Clinton's husband came about because of the release of their tax returns. Truth really is stranger than fiction.

More Brexit Hysteria

The media elite love whipping up hysteria about the dire consequences of Brexit, esepcially on the poor bastard voters who supported it but didn't know any better (according to the elites' narrative).

The front page story in yesterday's Washington Post is a perfect case in point. The headline in the hard copy edition read, "Britain's Hot Housing Market Might be Making its Way Out the Brexit Door." (Curiously, the online edition of this story has a different, more accurate, headline - "London's lavishly high home prices take a Brexit hit."

First is the question of whether this story even belongs on the front page of the paper. Must have been a really slow news day.

Second, the story breathlessly warns that the "This is still the land of the $200 million condo, with prime central London real estate forming the foundation of British wealth. But a flood of price drops and canceled contracts is coursing through London's streets, hitting even the immaculate enclaves of celebrities and oligarchs and becoming the most tangible sign yet of economic trouble in the aftermath of Britain's vote to exit the European Union."

The story then goes on to cite several anecdotes of million dollar estates having to be sold for about 5-10% less than the asking price. Clearly this is a One-percenter problem as the story notes, "the uncertainty is pitting the megarich against one another in a high-stakes game of who blinks first."

And, indeed, it isn't till the 20th paragraph when the reporters reveal that, actually, the price drops might be a good thing because, "Unaffordable housing has beome a chronic problem here [London] - with a new report this week showing home ownership falling to a 30-year low."

Did you get that? Brexit is causing housing to become more affordable in London?! Egads! Of course, that doesn't fit the dire predictions of Brexit catastrophe and is certainly at odds with the portrait of Brexit voters as rubes who voted against their economic interests in supporting a British pullout of the EU. But the Post suggests, upon closer reading, that the voters knew exactly what they were doing and are reaping tangible economic benefits in the form of more affordable housing.

Why Does Girardi Hate A-Rod So Much?

Word now comes that Yanks' manager Joe Girardi denied Alex Rodriguez's request to play 3B in the final game of his career. It's the final indignity for a Hall of Fame player who also, inconveniently enough, is a world class jerk.

Which is why there isn't more outrage and questioning of Girardi's spiteful action. Girardi claims it's because A-Rod hasn't played 3B all season and the Yankees are "still in the business of winning games." And yet, Girardi continues to play Mark Texeira and his .197 average. Bizarre.

The disparity in treatment makes you wonder why amidst the Yankees' youth movement Texeira is being allowed to retire at the end of the season while A-Rod is leaving - abruptly - right in the middle of it. And what was the point of giving A-Rod a week of games between the announcement of his pending retirement and his final game if Girardi was only going to play A-Rod as a spot DH and sometime pinch hitter?

Of course, this isn't the first time Girardi's animosity toward A-Rod has come through - and also not questioned. During the 2012 playoffs vs. the Tigers, A-Rod was benched twice in favor of Eric Chavez. I'll say again, Eric Chavez. During that series, all of the Yankees struggled. Yes, A-Rod wound up hitting .111 but even the sainted Derek Jeter hit only .200. Texeira didn't get above .200. Russlel Martin hit .143. Curtis Granderson didn't get a hit, and Robinson Cano hit .057 (not a misprint). And yet A-Rod was benched twice and Granderson sat too. But, really, in Girardi's mind the biggest problem in the Yankees lineup was A-Rod? By the way, Eric Chavez went 0-8 with 4 strikeouts in the two games he replaced A-Rod.

I'll say it again, Alex Rodriguez is a very unsympathetic athlete, but there is no denying that he is a world class ballplayer. There's also non denying that Joe Girardi is treating  him - and has treated him - very shabbily. 

In his last game, A-Rod really does deserve better. Let him play.

Assassination?

There's a deserved uproar over Donald Trump's remarks about the 2nd Amendment, gun owners, and Hillary Clinton's safety. 

But am I the only one that remembers the controversy when Hillary Clinton cryptically suggested that Barack Obama could be assassinated? Apparently so, as I haven't seen any reference to the 2008 controversy in any of the stories on the current kerfuffle.

Here are excerpts from the NYTimes in 2008.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton defended staying in the Democratic nominating contest on Friday by pointing out that her husband had not wrapped up the nomination until June 1992, adding, "We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California."
Her remarks were met with quick criticism from the campaign of Senator Barack Obama, and within hours of making them Mrs. Clinton expressed regret,...
Still, the comments touched on one of the most sensitive aspects of the current presidential campaign — concern for Mr. Obama's safety. ...
Bill Burton, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, which has refrained from engaging Mrs. Clinton in recent days, said her statement "was unfortunate and has no place in this campaign."
Privately, aides to Mr. Obama were furious about the remark.
Concerns about Mr. Obama's safety led the Secret Service to give him protection last May, before it was afforded to any other presidential candidate, although Mrs. Clinton had protection, too, in her capacity as a former first lady....
It was against that backdrop that Mrs. Clinton's mentioning the Kennedy assassination in the same breath as her own political fate struck some as going too far. Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, an uncommitted superdelegate, said through a spokeswoman that the comments were "beyond the pale."...
Friday was not the first time Mrs. Clinton referred to the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in such a context. In March, she told Time magazine: "Primary contests used to last a lot longer. We all remember the great tragedy of Bobby Kennedy being assassinated in June in L.A. My husband didn't wrap up the nomination in 1992 until June. Having a primary contest go through June is nothing particularly unusual."

DNC emails

Apparently DNC officials emails read the way Donald Trump speaks. Awkward.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/23/us/politics/dnc-emails-sanders-clinton.html

PGA Tour and Diversity

With the news that the PGA is moving its tournament out of Donald Trump's Doral golf course to...Mexico of all places, is now a good time to talk about the lack of diversity among PGA tour players?

Clearly the move to Mexico is not just a dig at Trump but a giant F.U. There aren't any other US courses that could or would host such an esteemed event. Um, how about Aronomink outside Philadelphia - The largest city without a regular tour event. And they just happened to wind up in Mexico City?

The whole decision is reportedly being prompted by Cadillac pulling out as the sponsor. The unspoken but presumption is that Cadillac didn't want to be associated with Trump. But the bigger question is why Cadillac was ok being associated with an event and an organization with a shocking lack of racial diversity. Or why the PGA is more interested in moving an event to Mexico but isn't as concerned about diversifying its tour roster. 

Kentucky Derby

With 22 horses this thing is a crapshoot. So why not take lani or majesto as long shots. And mor spirit and / or exaggerator as two from the field that are just as likely to be in the money.

I've also heard a number of friends mention creator.

I do not like nyquist.

Times OK with Disenfranchisement?

Ordinarily, I would presume that the New York Times would oppose the disenfranchisement of primary voters. But in the latest example of Trump Derangement Syndrome, the fact that Donald Trump is not getting the appropriate number of delegates based on the primary vote results is ok by the Grey Lady. In fact, not only is it ok, but as delegates are being stolen from him, the NYTimes blames Trump for the situation and essentially calls him a cry baby. Nice.

If Only

Why is it that the federal government has the backbone and negotiating chops to put the big squeeze on Fannie and Freddie, but is incapable of securing similarly sweet deals for the taxpayers from previous wards of the state like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan? Indeed, this story about Fannie/Freddie comes on the heels of the ridiculous settlement the feds made with Goldman that isn't even a slap on the wrist to the Titan of Wall Street for all its fraud in mortgage backed securities in the run up to the 2008 Great Housing Meltdown.

For comparison purposes this case is just another indication that not only Washington, but Democrats - including the Obama administration - are in thrall of Wall Street and nothing can break their iron grip.

No Winners Here

The press may have think it found some winning point against Donald Trump in the sordid situation about his campaign manager's arrest for "battery," but the reality is that no one - Trump, Lewandowski, Michelle Fields, the press generally, or the police- comes out of this looking particularly well.

Yes, Trump is standing by his campaign manager after sort of denying the incident. In his defense, it now appears that Trump is denying that the incident is more serious than it is (which is true).

Should Lewandowski grabbed a reporter's arm? No. Should he be arrested for it? No, even though I understand the strict definition of "battery" supports the charge.

Michelle Fields filed a police report after having her arm grabbed. She said she did it to seek the truth after Trump denied it. If only all reporters went after the truth about campaign tax plans and policy proposals with the same tenacity and intensity. 

As per usual, the Washington Post editorial page wrote about the issue, characterizing her as being "manhandled," "roughly grabbed," and "yanked down." Her arm was grabbed and she almost - almost - lost her balance. She was not pulled down and never left her feet. And if a single "grab" is being manhandled then I guess I don't understand the term. Certainly, Fields can hardly be called a "brave" or intrepid reporter in the mold of war correspondents of yore like the deeply missed David Halberstam. Also, way to make yourself part of the story and insert yourself into the presidential campaign. So much for being a disinterested observer.

I suppose the police had no choice but to file the charge after Field insisted pursuing it. It is scary that what Lewandowski did could land him a year in jail according to Florida sentencing guidelines for simple battery. Wow - talk about overcriminalizing boorish behavior. But I doubt we'll be reading a Post editorial about that public policy issue any time soon. 

The Best Thing

Here's the best thing about Villanova being in the Final Four. All of the media coverage your team/college gets. You get to read plenty of stories about the history, the season, and the players. It's the same thing with your favorite pro team in the playoffs. The farther they go, the more (and exclusive) media coverage you get. It really is like re-living the season or seasons past.

When it clicked for Villanova this year.

Great things should be expected, not a surprise for Villanova.

Why Villanova can win it all.

Outta the East

In hindsight, it was probably best Villanova wasn't put in the East bracket. Notwithstanding playing at the Wells Fargo Center, the Wildcats match up better with Kansas than they do UNC - a team that appears to be really hitting its stride.

Villanova vs. Iowa

I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. Villanova's 19 point win over 7th seeded Iowa was just what was needed to help purge the Wildcats' second round demons. It was a very good win, and much needed. But I'm not as gaga over Villanova's play as Verne and Spanarkel were, or just about any national commentator and the Philly.com sports writing staff.

I only tuned into the game at halftime. I was thrilled (and relieved) by the 25 point lead. But when I watched the first half on Tivo after the win, I was expecting to see a team on an unstoppable tear. Instead, what I saw was a team that hit a lot of deep 3s and played good defense. It wasn't the "explosive" or dominating play I anticipated.

In fact, their play was pretty ragged. Sure they had a good shooting night, but can you count on that every game? They shot 52% on 3 pointers. Sure their defense forced Iowa into 29% 3 point shooting - but even if they had made their season average of 37% Villanova wins.

All of this is to say that while I'm hopeful versus Miami am not entirely entirely confident.

Some other thoughts:

* Can 6'6" Kris Jenkins dunk? It sure didn't look like it when he tried a 2 handed stuff on a breakaway.

* Josh Hart had about 4 plays - maybe more - where it looked entirely possible that he was going to turn an ankle or blow out his knee. Amazingly, he didn't Knock on wood.

* It's been so long now I can't remember. Does Daniel Ochefu always play as if he is running with one peg leg? Hopefully he is more mobile in another 4 days.

* Fran McCaffrey - local boy nicknamed "White Magic." Who knew.

* Saw the big Villanova banner on the side of the Wells Fargo Center (along with the Sixers and Flyers logos of course). Was that wishful thinking? Villanova isn't the local college sponsor of the second round games are they? The NCAA still doesn't allow that, right?

March Madness

A couple of thoughts about the NCAA basketball tournament selection process:

* Is CBS insane? A 2 hour show to reveal the 68 teams in the tournament. Dear God, the show used to be a half hour long. An hour is plenty. They dragged that thing out forever. No wonder the bracket leaked early. Serves the NCAA and CBS right.

* Speaking of CBS, what was the thinking of completely submarining their regular college commentators and their big moment of maximum national attention in favor of turning over most of the broadcast to the TBS NBA guys - Ernie Johnson, Barkley, Walker, et. al.?  And nothing screams amateurism and college basketball like NBA announcers. 

* Having said that, I thought Barkley was spot on in his assessment of the selection committee. They really didn't want to make Villanova a #1 seed. Heck, I'm not even sure winning the Big East tourney would have made the Wildcats a #1 given that Mich. State was the top #2 seed (in front of Nova).

* It's also hard not to see the 'Nova snub as a slight to smaller schools and the Big East. The NCAA has a habit of doing this to some teams - like Gonzaga. They were an emerging power for years and the NCAA kept screwing them by always giving them an extra hard bracket. And when Gonzaga lost, they would just shrug and say, "see, we told you Gonzaga wasn't ready for prime time." 

That's the way it is looking for Villanova right now after they got moved out of the East and given a second round matchup vs. city rival Temple or Big 10 power Iowa. Pick your poison. Until Villanova can show it can get out of the first weekend expect more draws like this. Oh to be the basketball royalty of Duke, UNC, or Kansas.

* There really should be a limit on the # of teams each power conference can send. The magic of the tournament is David slaying Goliath, not Syracuse trying to upset Dayton. I only wish the mid-majors would at some point rebel against the selection committee's tyranny. (speaking of which, when do you think a mid-major AD will chair the committee? Never?)

For the mid-majors it's Lucy pulling the football from Charlie Brown. Monmouth did everything it was asked to do. Play a hard out of conference schedule - UCLA?! Georgetown. Rutgers. Notre Dame.USC - twice! And yet, when it comes down to it, the selection committee found some nitpicky rationale to deny Monmouth. Because their mid-major in conference losses were just too unfortunate. Give me a break. I'd much rather watch Monmouth play this week than a middling Michigan or Syracuse team. And that doesn't even take into account that entertaining bench! 

As Donald Trump would say, "Sad!"

Chip Kelly's Team

How weird is it that the Titans (and not the Eagles) will now have both Marcus Mariota and DeMarco Murray? Chip Kelly's dream backfield is ready to start 2016 in....Tennessee.

Ochefu

I still haven't seen any coverage much less explanation as to why an obviously lame Daniel Ochefu played - and played significant minutes - vs. Depaul the other night. The announcers at the time rightly explained the nearly invaluable role Ochefu will have in Villanova's tournament success as they were observing his clearly gimpy gait. But there was no information about why Wright put him in the game and kept him in the game, especially against an opponent where he 1) wasn't needed and 2) right befrore the Big East tournament and March Madness. Most frustratingly, there was nothing about in the reports after the game.

Media Love-fest

The least surprising development from last night's debate? The media's hagiographic praise for Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly. The Post's Paul Farhi's big wet kiss of an article complimenting the super hot, super smmart (she's a lawyer Farhi interjects!) is a prime example.

The media loves its own, especially when a mean old politician attacks one of the troops. But has the self-love gotten out of hand? Has the desire to promote Kelly and at the expense of Trump blinded the media to its proper role in the presidential debates much less the campaigns?

Farhi for instance, describes the Kelly-Trump interaction thusly: 

During the primetime debate Thursday night, Kelly landed a series of blows that seemed to leave the GOP's front-runner reeling....
At one point it appeared that the debate was between Kelly and Trump, not among Trump and rivals Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and John Kasich.

Farhi doesn't ask the obvious questions and, indeed, it's not even clear he gave a thought to them. Is it the appropriate role for a moderator/journalist to "land blows" in a candidate debate? Hasn't a debate gone completely off the rails when it appears that the "debate" is not between candidates on stage but a candidate at the podium and a journalist by the cameras? 

These are legitimate questions about the role and responsibility of journalists and news organizations. It's almost laughable that the Post's media reporter doesn't see Kelly's combativeness as a problem worth exploring but the very reason to congratulate her.

Winners?

Gov John kasich and Megyn Kelly's false eyelashes. Curious if Chris cilliza agrees.

Highly Suspcious

If the timing of his accident weren't enough - one day after being indicted - Aubrey McClendon's care "accident" is highly suspicious given that it was a one-car accident, in an obscure area, he wasn't wearing his seat belt and the car burst into flames upon impact. Modern cars rarely "burst into flames" when involved in a one-car straight on collision.. 

Court Consideration

Vox has an article about an issue I raised last week about the SCOTUS political calculations. To wit,the rise of Trump and increasing likelihood of him as the GOP nominee might mean that the Senate GOP strategy of waiting till next year for a new president to fill the vacancy might not be the most prudent course of action to get the most conservative justice elevated.

Kelly for the Court

Love, love, love the idea of Janet Kelly as Obama's possible pick for the Supreme Court. Her stint as a public defender will, finally, bring some real world legal experience to the high falutin court.

Is That All There Is?

If this is the best conservative columnists can muster in terms of convincing Americans that they are better off now - after 40 years of wage stagnation - than they were at the turn of the century, than maybe Trump will win in a romp.

I mean, really? You have to argue that the quality of life is better now than it was at the turn of the 20th Century? That's the best you've got?

Maybe the funniest line showing the stunning lack of awareness about how the current service industry schedules workers is this Samuelson beaut: 

Not only was work more dangerous; it was also more insecure. "Factory-workers hours could be shortened from one day to the next," writes Leon, "leaving workers with a severely reduced paycheck." 

Golly. That never happens in 2016. 

Circular Firing Squad

Vox highlights the circular logic of the Anyone But Trump mentality. 

For most of the campaign, the assumption was that Trump would be a lot weaker and easier to attack once he was locked in one-on-one combat with a single opponent. Now the NeverTrumpers want to keep that from happening. And even as they point out (accurately) that Trump has never been hit with a sustained attack from another candidate, and could very well be vulnerable to one, the brokered convention Voltron fantasy makes it less likely that he'll experience that from another Republican.

 Does the GOP establishment want to winnow the field so that there is a one-on-one matchup vs. Trump in the winner take all primaries to come? Or does it want everyone to stay in to siphon off delegates and prevent Trump from getting to the 1,237? Hard to tell. The argument changes by the day...and hour.

The biggest question is whether they hate Trump so much that they're willing to back the almost equally hated (?) Ted Cruz.

Bradford

So Sammy will be staying in Philly for a while. And by a while, I mean two years. Chipper's trade looks pretty good for the Eagles right now. They got a #1 QB and locked him up for a couple of years and they didn't give up much to get someone of Bradford's caliber. The length of the contract gives the Eagles plenty of flexibility to groom a successor or keep Bradford if he continues to play well. The irony is that while he wasn't a great fit for Chipper's offense, he can be just what the doctor ordered for the Pederson era. Thanks, Chip!

Too Close for Comfort?

Last week's wildly hysterical Washington Post editorial about Donald Trump deserves another look. Is it that the Post is overselling Trump's faults or is it that they have rose-colored glasses on when it comes to the current and immediate past Presidents?

Here's they key part of the Post editorial with some additional context added that is both accurate and telling - both about Trump but also about the state of American politics and the presidency. The bold faced type is the added language.

This is a front-runner with no credible agenda and no suitable experience. He wants the United States to commit war crimes, including torture and the murder of innocent relatives of suspected terrorists, just like the extensive use of waterboarding that occurred under President Bush and the extra-judicial drone strikes that are routinely executed under President Obama's direction in foreign lands. He admires Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in much the same way President Bush did when he looked into the Soviet dictator's eyes to see his soul and then ascribed to him the cutesy "Pooty Poot" nickname and sees no difference between Mr. Putin's victims and people killed in the defense of the United States. He would round up and deport 11 million people continuing the widescale efforts begun by the Obama administration that has resulted in 400,000 deportations per year, a forced movement on a scale not attempted since Stalin or perhaps Pol Pot. He has, during the course of his campaign, denigrated women, Jews, Muslims, Mexicans, people with disabilities and many more. He routinely trades in wild falsehoods and doubles down when his lies are exposed on a scale akin to the Bush administration's dubious claims that Saddam Hussein was responsible for 9/11, that Iraq was in possession of WMDs, or that the US "does not torture" (i.e., waterboarding) - wild assertions that were all categorically untrue but never repudiated by the President.

OscarsSuchaBummer

Hugely disappointing to not see Sylvester Stallone get the best supporting actor award. I was really looking forward to his speech and the full circle arc of his career Rocky Balboa. Has any actor been nominated for a best actor part and then gotten a second nomination (best or supporting categories) for the very same character? Certainly not forty years apart!

I always thought Creed and Stallone's nomination were the unspoken foundation of the #OscarsSoWhite protest in that the deserving Michael B. Jordan didn't get a nomination but Sly did. The fact that Creed wasn't nominated added insult to injury. I hope Sly's defeat wasn't prompted by the Oscars' protest but I have a sinking feeling it was exactly that reaction from the Academy's voters. What a shame.

Speaking of shame, how ironic that the protest movement against the lack of diversity in the Oscar nominations was itself so lacking in diversity? Chris Rock was hysterical and completely on point in his withering critique. But the protest was #OscarsSoWhite - not #OscarsNotBlackEnough. To hear Rock tell it from the stage, the problem was not enough African-american representation in movies and in the nominations. He completely left out Hispanics and Asians as similarly - and in many cases - even more excluded from Hollywood movies. Highlighting this shocking blindspot was his stereotypical joke about Asians that was made even more awkward and offensive by bringing out Asian children to be the butt of the joke. Talk about awkward and insensitive.

Mamula Retrospective

To coincide with the NFL draft combine, Profootballtalk takes a look back at workout wonder Mike Mamula and tries to dispel some myths about his reputation, college career, and Eagles tenure. 

It's a fair analysis. But it fails to mention the frustration Eagles fans had with Mamula's "just not good enough" play. Sure, his stats looked fine - even pretty good at times viewed at a certain angel. But that distracts from his actual play on the field where Mamula became more known for "almost getting to the QB" and not actually knocking down or God forbid sacking the quarterback. It was so endemic that the nickname "Almost Mamula" organically sprouted up.

But the big takeaway from the view that Mamula was a bust is because the Eagles traded up to get him. Yes, they could have stayed at 12 and gotten Warren Sapp. They also could have stayed at 12 to get Mamula. From a fan's perspective, it's not just your overall draft position that sets the expectations for your play but how you were picked. In Mamula's case, he's held to a higher standard because the Eagles were so aggressive (mistakenly so) in trying to draft him.

So it's not about "gaming" the combine but the draft day dynamics that should be the big lesson in the disappointment over Almost Mamula's career.

V for Valid

A pretty fair and spot on analysis of Villanova's recent tourney flameouts. Notwithstanding their regular season success and the first #1 ranking in school history, the dread about underperforming - again - in March hangs over this team and only grows with every win between now and the tournament.

2015: No. 8 seed NC State 71, No. 1 seed Villanova 68 (round of 32)
2014: No. 7 seed UConn 77, No. 2 seed Villanova 65 (round of 32)
2013: No. 8 seed North Carolina 78, No. 9 seed Villanova 71 (round of 64)
2011: No. 8 seed George Mason 61, No. 9 seed Villanova 57 (round of 64)
2010: No. 10 seed Saint Mary's 75, No. 2 seed Villanova 68 (round of 32)

And this dismal list doesn't even include the near loss to 15th seeded Robert Morris (!) in the 2010 opener nor a game 20009 AU team that played Nova a lot closer than the 80-67 final might suggest.

The irony is that Wright has had high seeds and flamed out early while Rollie Massimino usually squeaked into the tournament each year with a low seed but managed to upset a higher seed at least and regularly made it through to the round of 16.

Washington Post Editors

Hysterical editorial from Washington Post editorial elite demanding GOP elite to stop Donald Trump from being so popular with Republican voters. Does it get any more elite than that?

I'll have plenty more about this ridiculous editorial that somehow got published in one of the nation's (if not the world's) premier newspapers. The entire premise of the editorial is absurd, as is the editorial's analysis of the current political environment and Republican party.

To wit, this nugget:

A political party, after all, isn't meant to be merely a collection of consultants, lobbyists and functionaries angling for jobs. It is supposed to have principles: in the Republican case, at least as we have always understood it, to include a commitment to efficient government, free markets and open debate.

"Open debate?" The Washington Post editors must not be aware that the very Republican leaders they are appealing to - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch just announced that the Senate would not even consider any Obama nominee for the Supreme Court. So much for open debate.

When will the news media like the Post understand that the problem isn't that Donald Trump is out of the Republican mainstream. No, the problem is that he is adhering to the party's principles.. 

Tapper a Phillies Fan

CNN reporter Jake Tapper is a Phillies fan and thinks the team needs pitching to get the World Series. He also thinks Rubio supporters are similarly delusional in touting all the long shot ways their man- and his team - can win it all.

"You guys sound like, I mean I hate to say this, I'm a loyal Philadelphia Phillies fan. You guys sound like Philly fans." - Jake Tapper.

Down Goes #1

You kind of knew it wouldn't be Villanova's night when Phil Booth managed to miss a dunk. And, indeed, Nova missed any number of runners and shots from less than 3 feet. At other times they looked disjointed and disinterested. While the Wildcats will lose the #1 ranking, it's hard to be too upset. They were never going to go undefeated the rest of the season, the Big East tournament, and the NCAAs.

This was a good loss - a competitive game in a hostile environment. They definitely had trouble with Xavier's 1-3-1 defense. And while I had just mentioned to my brother that unlike teams' past, this one was balanced so that no one player going cold would sink them. Alas, they all went cold. Well, except for Kris Jenkins who had the misfortune of fouling out.

Still, they stayed in the game and only lost by 7 on the road to the #5 team that was playing really well and got every bounce. Hopefully it's a learning experience.

Fair and Balanced Revealed?

Ezra Klein's excellent analysis of the state of the GOP includes this revealing nugget about Trump and Fox News:

The first Republican debate featured Fox News — arguably the single most powerful actor in the modern Republican Party — trying to cut Trump's candidacy to shreds. The harsh questioning, which touched on everything from his past heterodoxies to his friendship with Hillary Clinton to his misogyny, kicked off a feud between Fox News and Trump that continues to this day.

The post-debate focus has always been on Megyn Kelly's hemoglobin count. But completely overlooked has been the justification for Trump's anger with her for the provocative and unfair treatment as moderator. Klein suggests he had a point.

Supreme Court Strategery

Word is that the White House is considering Republican Governor Brian Sandoval as a compromise pick to fill Antonin Scalia's vacancy.

Republicans, of course, have insisted the next president will fill Scalia's seat. Which is an interesting strategy given Donald Trump's improving chances of being the GOP nominee. Is Mitch McConnell really willing to let Trump and his proto-libertarian views really pick the next Justice? The alternatives, of course, are Clinton or Sanders which might be only slightly worse - from McConnell's perspective - than Trump.

Then again, on the Democratic side is it worth caving to GOP intransigence and swallowing a "Republican centrist" (whatever that means) now in the form of Gov. Sandoval instead of allowing holding firm, calling the GOP's bluff and allowing - at worst - a President Trump to nominate someone who could very well be more liberal than Sandoval?

Has Trump and his unpredictability so upset the political calculations when it comes to this Supreme Court that Republicans might actually be better off with Obama nominating a Republican judge. And on the flip side, might Democrats be better off letting the GOP run out the clock and having Trump potentially selecting a pro-business liberal for the Court? 

Interesting that in light of Trump's romp in the Nevada caucuses last night for his 3rd straight win that I haven't seen anything about potential Trump judicial candidates.

The Difference

Here's the fundamental difference between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to intransigence over filling a Supreme Court vacancy in an election year (and really this applies generally to all political protocols not just judicial nominations): Democrats talk and threaten and bluster about being obstructionist and running roughshod over decades of well-understood and established political norms and customs. But in the end, they never actually do anything. Republicans, on the other hand, usually do carry out their threats.

So it was with the perpetual gamesmanship about increasing the debt ceiling over the past 30 years. Democrats complain and kvetch but ultimately they vote for it. Republicans draw lines in the sand, don't raise the limit, close the government down, and force US credit downgrades.

So it is with Scalia's replacement. The important thing to remember about then Sen. Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer's nomination comments is that that's all they were...comments. They didn't actually ignore an actual nominee (and I would also argue there's an important time difference between June and February of an election year but that may be splitting hairs too fine) Contrast that with Mitch McConnell and Orrin Hatch who are now not just talking about not considering a nominee but actually doing it.

Crazy.

BS Report

Bill Simmons could have a field day with this Peyton Manning story about lawsuits and allegations of cheating, harassment, and settlements.

1B Coach?

The strange turn of events that has led  Ruben Amaro to become the Red Sox first base coach(?!), just adds to the bizarreness of Amaro's legacy (to say nothing of his judgment) as Phillies GM.

Perhaps the best that can be said about Amaro is that he was never as bad as many made him out to be. And while he did preside over a 102 game winning team and a World Series appearance, this best sums up his record:

Most of the credit for the good times went to his predecessor, Pat Gillick, and most of the blame landed on Amaro. 

To his credit, he did get Cliff Lee in the middle of the 2009 season that helped push the Phils to a second consecutive World Series. And Amaro did acquire Roy Halladay and did assemble the Aces wild starting rotation. But the one trade that still haunts is the bizarre (panic?) move to trade Cliff Lee at the end of the 2009 season immediately after landing Halladay, in an ill-fated attempt to "restock" the farm system. That replenishment - in the form of Phillipe Aumont, JC Ramirez, and Tyson Gillies - was an utter failure. And the whole point of getting Halladay was to bolster the existing rotation. Practically speaking, it became a trade of Halladay for Lee.

To be fair, he was put in the unfortunate situation of having to extend and keep many winning and popular players just as they started to decline in much the same way that Lee Thomas and then Ed Wade kept too many players from the wildly popular 1993 pennant winning team too long. Indeed, at this point we should be so lucky if Amaro is a repeat of Ed Wade who wound up drafting the core of the 2008 Championship team: Burrell, Utley, Howard, and Hamels.

Maybe Amaro would still be GM if he had pulled the trigger on the rebuilding trades he made in 2015 a year earlier. In any case, the bounty of prospects Amaro did stockpile on his way out the door may be his greatest legacy of all.

Come inside these walls

Forget about the debate about the Vatican City's wall as a lame rebuke to the pope's comments about immigration and border security. The more relevant question is how many immigrants or refugees the Vatican - a sovereign state that is a member of the UN - has accepted this year or in the recent past. My bet it is close to if not 0.

It's Not Just Republicans

Interesting take on the Trump phenomenon and how his campaign is highlighting yuuge fissures between rank and file Republicans and the party leaders.

At the same time, the stubborn popularity of Mr. Trump, who defies Republican orthodoxy on issue after issue, shows how deeply the party's elites misjudged the faithfulness of rank-and-file Republicans to conservatism as defined in Washington think tanks and by the party's elected leaders.
The dichotomy is particularly vivid here in South Carolina, the most conservative state on the nominating calendar so far, where Mr. Trump holds a double-digit lead over his closest rivals in the latest polls.
"In a lot of senses Republicans have overestimated how much dedication to ideology was motivating their voters," said Ben Domenech, publisher of The Federalist, a conservative online journal.

Of course, this mismatch between the Republican grassroots and the governing elite is also something Democrats overestimated as well. It's a pity Democrats didn't recognize and try to exploit it before Donald Trump came along. Even more to the point, electorally speaking, it highlights that the threat of the Republican bogeyman voter that will be in lockstep opposition to any Democratic appeal or proposal is more fiction than fact. Indeed, Democrats may have overestimated this electoral force more than Republicans. 

So, for instance, when Democrats in swing states like Manchin in W. Virginia, Tester in Montana, Heitkamp in ND, or Shaheen in NH beg off supporting planks of the party's legislative platform because they need to burnish their conservative bona fides - they're overstating their political challenge and not trying hard enough to persuade all the state's voters of the plan.

Villanova - Temple

I'm getting pretty fired up for tonight's game. I re-watched this classic 1988 Villanova- Temple game (at McGonigle Hall!) last night. At the time, the Owls were the #1 ranked team in the country and Villanova was #20 (before they expanded it to the Top 25). 

Wow, what a game. Many consider it one of if not the best game in City Series history.

Doug West, Mark Plansky, shot blocking and future Sixer Tim Perry, freshman Mark Macon, and Ramon Rivas. It also featured Rodney Taylor who passed away much too soon. For what it's worth, 7', 2" super stiff Tom Greis had a very solid game both offensively and defensively. 

I think both these teams went to the Final 8 that year. If the refs hadn't called a bunch of questionable bogus 5 second calls on Kenny Wilson, Nova could have (should have) knocked off Billy Tubbs' Oklahoma team with Stacey King, Mookie Blaylock, and Harvey Grant.

It was the last time a Big 5 matchup included the #1 team in the land. Until tonight. And as if the rivalry game and top ranking weren't big enough, Villanova can claim the Big 5 title with a win. A Temple win means a three team tie between Villanova, St. Joe's, and Temple all at 3-1. If only it were being played at the Palestra.

Go Nova!

A Dome?

One of the overlooked minor details in the Rams move back to LA is that Stan Kroenke's relocation proposal was for a domed stadium. I'm not sure what the rationale is for a dome in perpetually sunny LA (will it increase the flexibility/utility of using the stadium for other purposes besides football) but it will be a shock to TV viewers who tune into a game only to discover the artificial light and artificial turf of the LA stadium. Showing off my East Coast bias - one of the most aesthetically pleasing things about watching the 4:00 pm (eastern) games in November and December is to see the sunny skies, warm weather, and green grass of games being played in San Diego, San Francisco and Oakland (with the dirt cutout infield). But the LA domed stadium will offer views nothing like that. What a pity.

A Much Different Time

Notre Dame Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lattner has passed away. His obituary hearkens back to a time long gone - when Heisman Trophy winners would leave the NFL to serve in the military. It is inconceivable that such a thing would happen today - even for players from the service academies -  and as this nation is "at war" with terrorists. And for those that want to cite Pat Tillman, he was not a top college player (in addition to winning the Heisman Lattner was drafted 7th overall), and in fact is the exception that proves the rule.

Who's to Blame?

Did Richard Cohen really blame the police for the hundreds of Middle Eastern refugees who sexually assaulted German women on New Year's Eve in Cologne?

Here's what he wrote:

The Cologne incident, too, while larger in scope, has not — or not yet — been repeated. There, too, the police have learned from their mistakes.

What, pray tell, were the police's mistakes (note the plural Cohen uses)? Not racially profiling MIddle Eastern migrants? Presuming that refugees would tend to be law abiding? Allowing migrants to assemble in large groups? Downplaying the incident initially so as not to draw attention to it?

It''s a pity Cohen doesn't elaborate on this important point.