Philly Fans

I've come to accept, indeed embrace, the national reputation of Philly fans. You know the drunken tough boors who boo Santa, kick little children, and cheer Michael Irvin's neck injury.

And I've also made peace that the national caricature isn't accurate, even as the non-Philly media inflate minor incidents to further burnish our "image."

Take the Caps-Flyers series.

Here's what the Washington Post's columnists have had to say about the fans (not the games mind you but the fans):

"Midway through the third period of this demoralizing 6-3 loss at Wachovia Center, 20,000 people in fluorescent orange howled for their World Extreme Cagefighters, and a crowd in the upper bowl chanted vulgarities at Ovechkin that went beyond the bounds of loutish fan behavior. As the frothing masses left the arena, they felt good about the bull being struck and killed -- checking the multi-generational Russian wizards Ovechkin and Sergei Fedorov into humility as much as the boards"

"For most of the evening, there was this unmistakable air of testosterone coming from the Flyers' direction that just reeked of physicality, a way of exerting their mauling style on the Capitals that just sent their denizens into some medieval state of euphoria."

" Did we mention they show fights on the video scoreboard every period here, more than most arenas show dunks in the NBA?"

" The Capitals didn't come out as Eastern Conference foes; they entered the playing surface like Russell Crowe entered the Coliseum in "Gladiator." Flyer fans didn't want to beat Washington as much as see Ovechkin bludgeoned, his teammates emasculated."

" It's almost impossible to fathom, but the Capitals took the ice in front of a building as loud as Verizon Center last Friday. The fans wore orange instead of the Capitals' red, and many of the women and children looked as if they could work security for Megadeth."

"the invincibility the Flyers have found in their love-'em-or-loathe-'em city, where the real-life Vince Papale, not Marky Mark, shows up with his son in orange and black?"

"That" Team

My brother called me at the end of Caps-Flyers regulation last night. "So we're 'that' team," he said. I knew exactly what he meant by "that" team, as probably anybody that has watched Flyers over the past two decades.

The Flyers are now, finally, the team they have always seemed to play against in the playoffs, really since the Gretzky, Coffey and Kurri skated circles around them in the late '80s. The Flyers transition well. They counterattack beautifully. They hit the blue line with speed. They get odd man and even man rushes. They have tic-tac passing.

What a refreshing change from twenty years worth of dump and chase hockey. From endlessly cycling the puck, from mucking in the corners. From constantly working, working, working not just to get a goal but just to get a shot. Unfortunately from an aesthetics point of view it was as effective for the Flyers as it was ugly to watch. And it was especially frustrating while watching the other team (like the Red Wings or Sabres) appear to work half as hard for twice the results.

Oddly, though, there is a difference of opinion about the Flyers' new style. While my brother and I enjoy the freewheeling Flyers - and think that, Alex Ovechkin notwithstanding - it is the Caps who are now the grinders, Capitals fans and their reporters think it is the same old "Broad Street Bulllies" just because the Flyers have been fun and physical and the Caps have shrunk from the challenge.

"The tenor of this rugged series is terrible news for hockey progressives everywhere, the way the Flyers have punked a nice bunch of free skaters who train in Ballston and used to be among the most feared offensive teams in the NHL...When the Caps' offensive-minded defenseman lost it, Philly had won: Washington was trying to play the Flyers' bump-and-grind game," writes the Washington Post's Mike Wise.

Says Wise, in a second column, "The tired cliches about Europeans being soft skaters, unprepared to handle the physical and mental grind of April the way good, old Canadian farm boys do, went out the window in the first 20 minutes. For the first time in four games, the postseason neophytes were finally making the Flyers' hit men pay for their crimes."

And more, "The Flyers act like they would rather demoralize a psychologically wounded offense than score a short-handed goal...The Flyers are an instant repudiation of what Gary Bettman wanted the league to become. They are a reminder of the NHL's pugilistic past that just won't go away."

Jeez, you'd think Danny Briere and Mike Richards are Dave Schultz and Bob "Hound Dog" Kelly.

But we know better. Plus, it's the Caps who have Donald Brashear - not the Flyers anymore.

A True Sleeper

How is Jayson Foster, a guy that won the Walter Payton award for best small school football player (previous winners Steve McNair, Tony Romo, Brian Westbrook) not even on some teams’ draft boards as Ray Didinger contends?

"Banner Day"

Champion Eagles Cheerleader Joe Banner highlights how out of touch he is to the attitude and response of season ticket holders to the news of an Eagles Thanksgiving night home game.  

 

Says Banner: “I think when people see it, they'll be fired up about it. It will fit perfectly. People will have their Thanksgiving dinner around one o'clock or four o'clock, and then a lot of people will head down to the game and a lot will be together with their families and watch the game. I just think it will be a great day."

 

What world is Banner living in? The game essentially precludes any kind of tailgating and will force most people to leave their holiday dinner tables by 6pm at the latest to navigate the game traffic to have any hope of getting to their seats by the 8pm kickoff.

 

Banner is correct that it will be great for most Eagles fans to watch the game that night. But for season ticket holders that are paying the freight for Lincoln Financial Field, the Thanksgiving game is a travesty wrapped in an outrage. This is exactly why it would have been preferable for the Eagles to have played a Thanksgiving game on the road.

 

That Banner can’t admit that, or the fact that it appears – once again - that Lurie was once again snookered by the league’s scheduling office, in this case into hosting this white elephant of a game, is a disgrace.

Another opinion

My brother has had a chance to review the schedule and offers his considered opinion.

 

“Schedule sucks!!!

 

3 night games and one is thanksgiving!!!”

6 Nationally Televised Games

So by my quick count, the Eagles will play six nationally televised games this upcoming year: at Cowboys, Steelers, at Bears, Giants, Cardinals, and Browns. And that doesn’t include anyone of those games vs. the NFC East in December that would be a natural to be moved to Sunday night under NBC’s “flex” schedule. It also doesn’t count the 4 o’clock starts of their west coast games of which, I’m guessing, the Seahawks tilt would be a nationally televised possibility.

 

 

Sept. 7                    St. Louis Rams                1 p.m.

Sept. 15 (Mon.)      at Dallas Cowboys           8:30 p.m.

Sept. 21                  Pittsburgh Steelers           4:15 p.m.

Sept. 28                  at Chicago Bears             8:15 p.m.

Oct. 5                     Washington Redskins      1 p.m.

Oct. 12                   at San Francisco 49ers     4:15 p.m.

Oct. 19                   Bye 

Oct. 26                   Atlanta Falcons                1 p.m.

Nov. 2                    at Seattle Seahawks         4:15 p.m.

Nov. 9                    New York Giants             8:15 p.m.

Nov. 16                  at Cincinnati Bengals       1 p.m.

Nov. 23                  at Baltimore Ravens         1 p.m.

Nov. 27 (Thurs.)     Arizona Cardinals            8:15 p.m. (Thanksgiving)

Dec. 7                     at New York Giants        1 p.m.

Dec. 15                   (Mon.) Cleveland Browns 8:30 p.m.

Dec. 21                   at Washington Redskins 1 p.m.

Dec. 28                   Dallas Cowboys              1 p.m.

 

Thanksgiving!?!?!?

The Eagles 2008 schedule is now out. The Eagles play Thanksgiving night vs. the Cardinals!

 

Upon first glance, it is not a good, fan-friendly schedule with 4 of the 8 home games not being played on Sundays at 1pm.

 

A more thorough analysis later.

No Comprende

Here’s a story that perfectly illustrates the ways in which the liberal media can spin a story and an issue. A murderer in Washington, DC was caught because an illegal immigrant stepped forward with key information. Unrestrained immigration advocates suggest that case might not have otherwise been solved if governments started more aggressive immigration enforcement and intimidated immigrants from cooperating with police. But here’s the thing. The murderer (he confessed) is himself an illegal immigrant. So really the crime would never have happened if aggressive immigration control had been in place to start with. Of course, no one points that out because it’s that paper’s policy to promote immigration at any cost. They don’t decry the capital crime wrought by an illegal immigrant, but only cheer when an illegal immigrant helps solve the murder.

Hardball Inferiority

Wonder what my friend PK has to say about this terrific profile of fellow LaSalle High grad Chris Matthews and the “help” the Hardball host offered or didn’t offer to the up and coming reporter when he first got to Washington?

 

Regardless, this line in particular caught my attention about our shared native city. “Matthews fashions himself a blend of big-think historian and little-guy populist. Steve Capus, the president of NBC News, who is also from Philadelphia, says that Matthews has internalized the ‘inferiority complex’ of his native city.”

Nails

Funny profile of Phillies centerfield cum businessman and publisher extraordinaire Lenny Dykstra. Who knew Nails had such a head for business? Best is that they picture Dykstra with a Phillies hat on his head, so you Mets fans can stick it.

 

This all gibes with a story I heard from the maitre d at Chef Tell’s restaurant (nee the Stafford Inn) on the Main Line. Dykstra was a regular there and one night was extremely boisterous in the dining room. Then state senator Earl Baker (R-PA) was eating there that same night and asked the staff to please ask Dykstra to tone it down. Dykstra only upped the volume and started getting obnoxious with Baker. Baker asked the staff to have Dykstra leave. Only Dykstra was such a lucrative regular customer that the restaurant told Baker to leave instead.

Upshaw Upshot

Strange, strange behind the scenes doing at the NFLPA and the leadership of executive director Gene Upshaw. Ravens kicker Matt Stover sent an email to player reps suggesting that Upshaw be replaced by next year. Stover has since backtracked and now there is news that it was Upshaw that broached the subject of succession plans with the NFLPA executive committee and subsequently the player reps. Bizarrely, Upshaw says that the replacement plan Stover floated was actually the plan Upshaw presented to the payers’ association.

 

Upshaw has earned a reputation as the owners’ stooge. And yet he did manage to negotiate a labor deal in which the players get 60% of total league revenue for the salary cap. The deal has been so “unfair,” some owners have suggested re-visiting the deal, which the agreement allows so long as it occurs before November 8, 2009. Call me skeptical, but Upshaw has been so accommodating and such a great cover for the owners’ behind the scenes ability to print money, I don’t for a second believe that the owners would re-open the deal. I suspect that the owners’ complaints is actually a conspiracy meant to protect Upshaw and give him a better reputation among the players, all the better to keep him in place and allow the Jerry Jones to continue to outmaneuver the union.

 

Aside from Upshaw, the association appears to be leaderless since Troy Vincent stepped down as president last month.

 

Self-Inflicted

Just the latest example of how incompetent the campaigns of Democrats and former Democrats actually are. And to think this clown was once a vice-presidential candidate. FBI confirms Lieberman is a Moron. Sanctimonious Senator Refuses to Apologize for Scurrilous and Baseless Charge Against Opponent. You’re doing a heck of a job, Joe!

The new college trend

Coaches win championships and then days later, literally days later, get big buck contract extensions to stay at the school. Bill Self is the latest to cash in on this relatively new phenomenon.

drug free

Presumably, the dismissal of Mike Patterson’s drug charge means that Andy Reid won’t have to too badly discipline his starting defensive tackle or appear to be a hypocrite about tolerating drug use on his team – or in his own family.

 

I’m betting this is the last we hear of the Patterson case.

Satisfied Smith

Good to see LJ Smith sign the one year franchise tag tender. Sometimes disgruntled players – already bound to their team’s by the tag – avoid signing the contract so that they don’t have to participate in mini camps or parts of training camp as either a form of protest or just to take it easy. Of course, Smith has to be somewhat content to collect his $4 million salary this year considering that it will exceed all of the money he has made to date from the Eagles on his first contract – if the USA today salary database is to be believed. To say nothing of getting an opportunity to showcase his skills while healthy and enter free agency next year.

Tiger Tales

This article which disputes the notion that Tiger Woods needs a worthy adversary – a Frazier to his Ali – for Tiger to transcend his sport. True, Tiger’s main competitor is Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors. But this all misses the larger point. It isn’t that no one has emerged to take on Tiger mano a mano, it’s that the field of golfers he routinely pummels just plain suck.

 

Look at Nicklaus’ competition: Arnie Palmer, Lee Trevino, Gary Player, Tom Watson. Those are the greatest golfers of all time. No wonder Nicklaus was runner up an astounding 19 times in majors. Look at who he was playing against – the best of the best.

 

In contrast, Woods’ primary competition reads less like a who’s who of professional golf, but a sad list of has beens and never was’s. Robert Gamez, Justin Leonard, David Duval, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els? Please. What a joke. Does anyone even remember when Duval and Leonard were any good? These stiffs either didn’t have the game for the long haul or lacked the intestinal fortitude that it takes to dethrone the champ. Lee Trevino famously said that putting for $500,000 was no pressure compared to putting for $50 when you only had $5 in your pocket. Mickelson can’t even comprehend what Trevino is talking about and, besides, he’s content to cash the second – or third, place check and grab some endorsement money. And that goes, sadly, for Els too, one of my favorite golfers. He got his major and seems content to just keep cashing a top ten finish check. They don’t call him The Big Easy for nothing. And it’s why they also call Tiger…well, Tiger.

 

Nicklaus played against worthy opponents. Woods is playing against Jack and history. Tiger’s opponents can barely play at all.

Long=Wrong Pick?

If this ESPN story about the Dolphins negotiating with Jake Long and/or Vernon Gholston are true, it would appear to undermine the rankings of so many draft sites that have put DE Chris Long at the very top of most draft rankings.

Running a Relay

I worked on the Olympic Torch relay for the ’96 summer Olympics in Atlanta so it is with some sadness that I have been reading about all of the  problems the torch and the Chinese are experiencing right now. (If I can find it, I’ll try to post a picture of yours truly running with the flame outside Salt Lake City circa May 1996.)

 

But I can’t help but wonder if I were working on the relay right now if it would all make a difference. Probably so. I’m known as a peacemaker and exceptional torch relay advance man. But alas, the Red China Commie leaders never bothered to call me.

 

And as Chris Suellentrop points out, the Torch Relay was the brainchild of Adolph Hitler for the 1936 Olympics. Make no mistake, the Olympic games are entirely political and uber-nationalistic. Why do you think they play the national anthems and hoist the flag of the winner’s country during the medal ceremony? So please spare me the purity of the athletic competition b.s.

 

 

Chester West

My hometown gets a dateline on the front page of today’s Washington Post – in an article NOT written by Montco native Paul J. Kane.

A Shining Moment

So for the third straight time, Villanova has lost in the NCAA tournament to the eventual champion. Was that part of the subconscious reason I picked Kansas to win it all in my bracket? Who knows. This year was the first in which I knew the least about college basketball, quickly selected teams, and somehow got the right champ and the correct runner-up, Memphis. Of course, this isn’t too hard when all #1 seeds make the Final Four, but I am giving myself some credit, as most everyone I know (defined as everyone in my office who entered the pool) did not have the Kansas-Memphis matchup, going instead with some combination of N. Carolina and UCLA.

 

More interestingly, the overtime scoring got me very close to the 148 overall points I had down as the tiebreaker. Not bad. Not bad at all.

 

Two things I didn’t like about last night’s game (aside from the often ragged play. The Kansas-UNC semi-final was a masterpiece of up and down basketball compared to this, uh, uneven contest.).

 

Anyway, the three things: 1) can the media give Bill Self and the Jayhawk faithful at least one day, or even 12 hours, to celebrate their victory before peppering the head coach with questions about whether he is going to jump ship? Can’t everyone let Self bask in the glow of his team’s accomplishment for at least a little while? CBS grilled Roy Williams 5 years ago outside the loser’s locker room about whether he was leaving Kansas to go to UNC. There’s a time and a place for those questions. Minutes after the championship game is not one of them.

 

The two other things I didn’t care for are Jim Nance’s now insufferably pithy crowning statements. Last night it was “rock, chalk, championship.” At one time they were, or at least seemed, unscripted and accurately captured the moment, probably because they sprung from the moment. Now they reek of advance planning and focus group testing. It’s really, really annoying.

 

Second: I’ve been a Billy Packer-basher ever since Packer had the gall to ask Dwayne McClain in the 1985 post-championship game interview whether he pretended to get hurt after missing an embarrassing dunk during the game. A disbelieving McClain insisted he was really hurt and Packer quickly backtracked and moved on. Hey, Billy, if you are going to make that charge in that moment (see above) don’t backpedal so quickly, see it through. But what really put me initiated me into the hate Billy Packer club was his bizarre and irrational hatred for Jameer Nelson and Delonte West’s #1 seeded St. Joe’s team from a few year’s ago. Packer seemed personally offended that St. Joe’s got that high a seed and actually gloated when the Hawks lost to the #2 seed Ok St. in the regional final as some sort of justification for his ridiculous position.

 

Anyway. It was not a good night for the college basketball refereeing community – what with the Derrick Rose miscalled three pointer that they eventually reviewed and changed to a two, and John Calipari wondering how hard his players had to foul on Kansas’ last possession for a whistle to be blown.

 

But the icing on the cake occurred with 3:12 to go in the first half when the Memphis guard dirbbled, put both hands on the ball for a chest pass, dropped the ball and then picked it up and made a pass. It was either a travel, discontinue, and/or double dribble – take your pick-  in the back court and in clear view of everybody yet no whistle was called. That’s right. A rare triple turnover for Memphis that was, incredibly, not called. As bad as it was for the refs, Nance and Packer also blew it.

 

Nance said the ball got away from the player. The Memphis guard hesitated to pick it up and finally did, astounded that play was not immediately stopped. The Kansas player guarding him quickly signaled for traveling, but no call came.

 

Packer sagely proffered that the player was allowed to pick up the ball and that “you have to know the rules.”

 

Really? Does Packer understand the basics of traveling? Can Packer define discontinue? How about double dribble? I wouldn’t be making as much of a big deal about this except that Packer is such a pompous windbag to suggest that he knew the rule, and the Memphis player somehow didn’t (but did since he hesitated to retrieve the ball). Packer’s only been covering basketball for 30 years, you would think he would know better.

More Cheesesteaks to Go

And here's a link to the controversial story/study by the Lower Merion high school students - with an assist by the Inqy's restaurant critic - about searching for the best cheesesteaks in the area.

At the time, many doubted whether a quartet of white, affluent suburban teenagers had the chops to assemble such a list. A doubt that was only stoked when they tapped sleeper pick John's Pork Roast as the best cheesesteak in the city. However, history has borne out that the LM kids made the right call and  gave JPR the props it deserved and to that point been overlooked.

cheesesteak rankings

WIPs Glenn Macnow sampled 45 cheesesteaks for his Philadelphia area rankings. Once again John's Pork Roast came in first. Pat's and Geno's while the most famous cheeseteak purveyors didn't make the cut. Slack's Hoagie Shack is on the list, worth mentioning cause I still love their old promotion with Mike Quick wondering if that Hugh Douglas sack would be the "Slack's Hoagie Shack Sack of the Game."

West Chester's own cheesesteak Nirvana (though astronomically priced), the Pepper Mill was ranked #16 - one of the highest rated cheesesteaks among among the suburban locations.

the rankings, like all rankings, are rife with controversy. For instance, Garrett's in Villanova, a favorite of mine back in the day, that was a top choice in Philadelphia Magazine last year wasn't tried by Macnow.

And the radio personality made it to the Pepper Mill but doesn't appear to have actually gone into the borough to try Riggtown's offering.

Phils

Pace my earlier post about Adam Eaton pinch running, only the Phillies could squander a lead off single and then a double and not score a run in the inning.

Eaton

I love the Phillies new “day game” uniform. Very sharp, very old school. Love the cream color, the deeper blue and the multi-colored hats.

 

Adam Eaton just came in to pinch run for Pat Burrell at 2b after Burrell hit a double in the bottom of the 7^th. Phils up 7-6. Howard went to 3^rd on the double. I’m intrigued by the use of Eaton in that situation. Does he really have that much more speed than Burrell? Is this some sort of punishment for Eaton? Is this a statement of the value they put on their 5^th starter? Why didn’t Burrell’s defensive replacement pinch run?

Roger Goodell: Majority Leader?

Congressional leaders, particularly the party leaders and whips, are known for counting votes and then releasing rank and file members from their voting obligations - to "vote their district" and not the party line - if the final winning tally is assured near the end of the roll call.

Did Roger Goodell, whose father was U.S. Senator, channel his inner Nancy Pelosi on the league vote on whether to allow defensive players to use a radio set in their helmets like their quarterback counterparts? That's the question I have in looking at the team yeas and nays on the rule change that passed by a vote of 25-7 (24 teams needed to sign off on the change so Goodell had a two team winning margin). Or perhaps Goodell didn't release teams from a commitment so much as pressure some teams to vote against the measure for public relations sake.

The defensive communication proposal is, of course, all wrapped up in the Patriots Spygate scandal. So it is more than a little curious that of the seven teams who voted against allowing a defender the use of a radio receiver,  one was actually a known victim of the Patriots - the Packers - and two other teams - the Eagles and Rams - are suspected of having their signals illegally stolen either during or in the run-up to their super bowl contests with the Patriots. (Seattle, Oakland, Tampa and Washington rounded out the opposition).

Then again, maybe we give Goodell too much credit. Considering how much of a hash he has made of this entire "investigation," including the ludicrous decision to destroy all the evidence so quickly, Goodell has shown an inability to organize a one car caravan much less maneuver to ensure that enough teams - and the right teams - all voted for and against the proposal. Maybe it's just that the seven teams in opposition all employ head coaches who fancy themselves offensive gurus and thus disinclined to support any plan to level the playing field for the defense.

Now they tell us

Four months after the fact, the NFL now admits that its refs blew one of the 2007 season's most pivotal plays.

Belichick Won't Cheat Anymore

The Patriots and Bill Belichick's reputations are so tarnished from Spygate that Belichick's affirmation to follow league rules in the future merits a story and this headline in the Washington Post, "Belichick Says Videotaping Transgressions 'Won't Happen Again.'" In other words, the Pats really mean it this time when they say they won't cheat or break any more league rules.

While Belichick and Pats' owner Bob Kraft were doing their mea culpas before NFL poo-bahs and the media at the annual league meeting, questions and controversy continue to surround the whole issue, and the league's continued mishandling of the situation. As everyone awaits a possible smoking gun admission by former Pats videographer Matt Walsh, i have yet to see - nearly nine months since the scandal broke - anyone clamor for a statement by star QB Tom Brady. Besides Belichick and Walsh, the New England golden boy would seem to be one Pat with significant knowledge about the cheating operation and what, if anything, the Pats did to gain a competitive advantage with an opposing team's defensive signals. Bizarrely, Goodell's Inspector Closeau investigation interviewed Patriot "officials" but apparently no players nor the quarterback who would be in the best position to know something. Why this is only Roger can explain.

23 Years Ago

23 years ago tonight, the greatest April Fool’s joke in college basketball history was made in Lexington, Kentucky.

 

Villanova 66

Georgetown 64

 

Davidson’s improbable run to the Final Eight gave Villanova’s championship some visibility this weekend as CBS was constantly putting up the graph of the lowest seeded teams to make the Final Four: LSU in ’86, Wisconsin, George Mason, a N. Carolina 8 seed. But only the 8^th seeded Villanova Wildcats actually made the Final Four and won it all.

 

Perhaps even more incredible than their near perfect game versus the defending champion Hoyas, was their run through the tourney to get to that point. Barely surviving Dayton, they shocked #1 seeded Michigan, than got through Maryland and met the #2 seed North Carolina in the regional final. They caught a bracket break by getting Memphis State in the national semi-final instead of either of their Big East rivals, G’town and St. John’s, that were left to duke it out themselves. Indeed, though Memphis St. was a #2 seed, they were still the weakest of Villanova’s possible opponents given that the two Big East schools were one seeds.

 

Really, Villanova’s win was the culmination of my college basketball fandom. Oh to be a young college basketball fan in Philly back then. It started with Penn’s surprising Final Four showing in 1979, carried through to St. Joe’s shocking upset of DePaul in the 1982 tourney and crystallized with ‘Nova’s national championship in 1985. For anyone that followed college basketball or attended a game at the Palestra, it was reaching the summit of a very steep mountain.

 

Oddly enough, I got my acceptance letter to Villanova on this same day,

Pick 3

So the Eagles got three compensatory draft picks for losing Donte Stallworth, Michael Lewis, Rod Hood, and Jeff Garcia last year. Those players were worth an additional 4^th rounder and two 6^th rounders.

 

The upshot is the Eagles now have 11 picks in this year’s draft, the same number of picks they had in 2005.

 

You remember the 2005 draft, don’t you? The Eagles’ roster was supposedly already stocked and predictions were that the Eagles would be drafting with an eye toward the long term and either packaging picks to move up in the order at key points in the draft or trading the picks for picks in future drafts.

 

Andy Reid threw everyone a curveball by subscribing to the “more is more” player personnel philosophy and using all 11 picks to select players. Some of them are familiar and/or maligned names. A couple of panned out pretty well, while half are no longer on the team if they even made the roster as rookies in the first place.

 

Mike Patterson (31), Reggie Brown (35), Matt McCoy (63), Ryan Moats (77), Sean Considine (102), Todd Herremans (126), Trent Cole (146), Scott Young, Calvin Armstrong*, Keyonta Marshall*, and David Bergeron*.

 

Actually, it’s a pretty solid draft, with three starters on defense and two on offense, all a mix of linemen and skill players. Trent Cole was a steal in the 5^th round but McCoy’s inclusion, however, in the 2^nd round no less (!) prevents this draft from being anything more than a solid B. And if Ryan Moats had panned out (since he suffered a season ending injury in the Baltimore preseason game last year, he’ll have to be cut at some point during training camp and not beforehand) this could have been a stellar draft.

 

The three * players were selected with compensatory picks. Let’s hope the Eagles have more success with this year’s extra selections.

Random Weekend Thoughts

Aside from blowing the lead in the 9th, the Nationals victory yesterday at their brand spanking new ballpark couldn't have ended any better than if the Lerner's had written it themselves (note: I am not entirely discounting that possibility by the way). The Nats' golden boy Ryan Zimmerman hits a dramatic walkoff homer to christen the new park with a win.

Is it possible that Davidson's Stephen Curry will make the all-tournament team even though his team did not make the Final Four? Speaking of Final Four, how annoying is it that the NCAA insists on calling what was once known as the "Final Eight" the "Elite Eight" now for the sake of the alliteration and consistency with the "Sweet 16" and "Final Four." No doubt their all trademarked terms.

But back to Curry. Man, am I bummed that Davidson blew their last possession. Is there anything more exciting than a red hot college hoops player - or any athlete for that matter - put a team and a school on his back and nearly singlehandedly slay the Goliaths of the Game?

And what a terrible last play called by their coach. No movement, no screens. Nothing. Their three frontcourt guys just stood there on the baseline for an iso play for Curry, who couldn't break down his man. When he couldn't, there was no plan B. That was their best play with 14 seconds left? Jeez, even the other white guy guard who was bombing three's during the Kansas game didn't get a look, much less a touch, in the final 14 seconds. Just terrible. How can your best player nor your second best player not take the game winning shot? It was like Dale Brown was back coaching a tournament team.

But not as bad as Villanova stinkin' out the joint two days earlier. Holy intimidation, Batman. I'll err on the side of suggesting that the short shots they put up throughout the game was because of the perception problems caused by playing in such a large arena and not because they were fearful of the imposing Jayhawks' presence. Corey Stokes was just abused by the KU defenders, who denied him everything on the offensive side of the court all night long. And the alley oops. Oh may, as Enberg would say.

Liability Lawsuit?

God forbid Scottie Reynolds or any of the Kansas pro prospects get hurt falling OFF of the court tonight and seriously injuring themselves. And Dwayne Anderson makes the important point that it’s not the same, visually, as playing at Syracuse’s Carrier Dome.

A "Villanova Guard"

Amazing to think that one of the prime reasons that Villanova is in the Sweet 16 is because Kelvin Sampson is a crooked coach and Alan Ray and Randy Foye set a very high standard. Jay Wright must be pinching himself. Though I’m not sure about the assertion that Scottie Reynolds plays more under control this year after watching him dribble all over the place against Clemson.

V for Villanova, V for Victory

Hours before Villanova takes on Kansas in the Sweet 16, I have two Villanova factoids of little interest to anyone outside of Radnor. 1) Recently resigned Centcom commander Admiral William “Fox” Fallon is a Villanova NROTC grad. In fact, he is the third Villanova NROTC alum to be appointed to the Centcom post. No surprise to those that know how big the NROTC program is on campus. Indeed, my good friend and former Stanford Hall roommate, the “Big Sperm,” was a NROTC sailor and went on to be a naval aviator flying P-3s out of Jacksonville NAS (among other stations, but Jax had the best base golf course).

 

The other factoid is one previously mentioned, but especially pertinent in tonight’s 1 vs. 12 seed matchup. Villanova has the best record of any team in the tournament when playing a higher seed. Just something to think about.

 

This run hearkens back to the unexpected 2005 run with another young team. Both faced traditional powerhouses, North Carolina back then, Kansas tonight – which many feared would/could be a blow out. Here’s hoping for another competitive game and one that doesn’t come down to some lame traveling call against the Wildcats with three seconds to go and a chance for the win.

The Biggest Loser

While the Eagles got screwed by having two division rivals get the luxury of playing in the Thursday night season opener, the game’s biggest loser has to be John McCain. The night of Thursday September 4 is the last night of the Republican National Convention and the big moment for McCain’s acceptance speech. (My prediction, the punditocracy will nearly unanimously suggest McCain needs to “hit a home run” in the speech. And the post-speech analyses from same pundits will confirm that, indeed he did just that.)

 

But I digress The season opener is going to be stepping all over McCain’s nationally televised address. So much so that the league will move the game’s start time up an hour and half so that it ends before McCain’s 10pm EDT appearance. (Here’s hoping the Skins-Giants goes into overtime). Even with the earlier start and notwithstanding the possibility of OT, I can already hear the sound of TVs being clicked off after the game or remote buttons being punched to something other than a heavy political speech (what will TBS counterprogram on Thursday night in the 10 pm slot? Roadhouse? Point Break?).

 

The situation is delicious just desserts for partisans like myself that are glad that the Republicans are being hoist on their own scheduling petard (since, you know, Democrats are genetically incapable of besting the R’s themselves). Republican conventions have been starting later and later.

 

In 2004, the RNC was held from August 30 through September 2. It was held in New York City, and clueless Democrats (an oxymoron, I know) and the politicos all parroted the conventional wisdom that President Bush was trying to take advantage of the proximity in date and location to further wrap himself in the cloak of 9/11. (though it’s never been fully explained to me how or why the President benefits from so closely associating himself with the worst foreign attack on American soil in history and on his watch. Roosevelt didn’t speak from Pearl Harbor in ’44).

 

As we now know, though many Democrats still don’t get it, the real reason the Republicans held their convention then was to take advantage of the presidential finance rules that distinguish between the primary season and the general campaign, with the nominating convention as the official transition mark between the two. In short, Republicans were able to avoid having to expend any of their general campaign funds until the beginning of September. By contrast, incompetent Democrats (another oxymoron, I know) held their 2004 nominating convention from July 26-29 in Boston. The result being that while nearly everyone fixated on the Republican dates and the linkage to 9/11, Karl Rove was focused on giving his candidate a month long financial advantage. Ultimately, John Kerry and the Democrats had to pay for a general election campaign that officially lasted one full month longer than George W. Bush’s and the Republicans presidential campaign. One month is an extraordinary advantage when the general election campaign only lasts from September to November (or in the case of the Democrats, from July (!) to November).

 

Democrats may have finally realized their strategic ineptitude by scheduling this year’s convention for August 25-28, forcing the incumbent party to go after that, and into the Thursday night of the NFL opener.

 

What’s amazing to me is that for the past 40 years (!), the Republicans have only held one convention in July (1980 - though the 2000 convention did start on July 31). The two most recent ones were held in September. In contrast, Democrats have held 5 (!) conventions in July during that same time span and have NEVER held a convention that had at least one September day. In other words, Democrats have systematically and self-inflictedly disarmed themselves financially against their Republican presidential opponents. Is it any wonder Dems have lost 5 of the last 7 presidential elections? They can’t even schedule their conventions to give their nominee a level playing field, much less a favorable one.

 

But finally, this year, things are finally looking in the Dems favor.

 

They needed a miracle. And they got…the N-F-L.

Getting Tight at End

The Eagles are now a little more than full at the tight end position after signing Kris Wilson to a three year (!) contract. So who is the odd man out? Probably not Brent Celek who showed promise in his rookie year. LJ Smith is famously on a one year, franchise contract. Wilson would be nice insurance for LJ’s departure after the season, but not before it. So that leaves Matt Schobel as the odd man out. Will Schobel cut before the next mini-camp? Having 4 TEs in the rotation can only delay Celek’s development. He needs as many reps as possible.

NFL Schedule Screws Lurie, Again

Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.

 

The NFL scheduling poobahs have once again screwed the Eagles with the season opening matchup. It was going to be bad enough to have the Giants get the Thursday night, but that’s understandable since they are, after all, Super Bowl champions. Ironically, in a league that prides itself on trying to provide as much parity as possible (weighted schedules, reverse draft order, etc.), giving the champs the benefit of the opening Thursday night game is a pretty big competitive advantage. Unlike the late season Thursday night games – seen (or rather, not seen) on the NFL Network which are short weeks for the teams involved due to the previous Sunday’s games, the Thursday night opener involves no such quick turnaround. And then the Giants get to sit back and have an extra three days off compared to their week 2 opponent who plays the following Sunday. It’s like getting to play a 15 game/week schedule, while everyone else is playing 16 games/weeks (I’m not counting the bye weeks).

 

But like I said, the Giants are the champs and the new tradition is for the defending champs to open on Thursday night. But to schedule a second division rival, in this case the Redskins, for the Thursday opener adds insult to injury. Now two NFC East teams will enjoy the opening day advantage.

 

Most savvy football fans were aware that the league had slim pickings for the Giants home opponent for Thursday, September 4. Aside from the division games, the Giants home games are against: San Francisco, Seattle, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Carolina. Given no obvious marquee matchup among that bunch (though a Seahawks game would have been intriguing and beneficial for a team making the transcontinental trip), many suspected it would be a division game, and Philly fans were hoping it would be the Eagles. I suppose the best that can be said about it is that at least it wasn’t the Giants playing the Cowboys.

 

The larger question is why Jeff Lurie doesn’t appear to have any juice with the league office and Commissioner. We’re only one year removed from the Eagles having to play THREE STRAIGHT DIVISION GAMES ON THE ROAD… in December no less. One would think that after the ritual scheduling screw job the league annually gives the Eagles and its fans (last year going a full month between home games) – and as one of the victims of the Patriots spying in a super bowl - it would have been inclined to throw Lurie a bone by tapping his team for the season opening matchup. Obviously, the league isn’t too concerned about what Lurie thinks.

 

I can’t wait to see how bad the Eagles 2008 schedule actually is when its released next month. Given that it will involve two west coast trips (San Fran and Seattle), here’s betting that they will be scheduled on back to back weeks.

Giving Schmidt His Due

Bill Lyon touches on a point I made yesterday about Philly fans and their love of grit. I mentioned that fans were cool to Mike Schmidt cause they perceived his unemotional yet flawless play as indifference, while they have a special affection for the grinders, guys that make it look hard all the time.

 

Bill Lyon elaborates, “He [Schmidt] played the position with feline grace, with such casual elegance that for much of his career the affection that should have been his all along was denied because they perceived him to be nonchalant. His fluid style was seen as lack of hustle. At last, in the twilight of his career, the fans came to understand that for all those years they had been privileged to witness genius.”

Real Life Rocky

So the Eagles signed a real life Rocky, LB Rocky Boiman late of the Indy Colts and out of Notre Dame. AT 6'4", 236 Boiman, like just about all the current Eagle LBs, is a tweener. Not necessarily big enough to play the middle (though undersized Omar Gaither acquitted himself nicely there last year) and or with the requisite speed and size to play the outside spots.

He did start at strongside LB for the Colts last year after the starter went down, so that's encouraging. And it's hard to believe that Boiman will now be the most experienced professional in the Eagles LB corps (seven years). And the Colts coaches have a proven ability to develop LBs such as Marcus Washington, Gary Brackett, Rob Morris, etc.

What's more discouraging is that he's a linebacker and he's from Notre Dame. The Eagles have not had much success with Golden Domer LBs (and it pains me to say that as I'm a huge Fighting Irish fan). Scott Kowalski, Tyreo Harrison are just two of the ND LBs that have not panned out for the Eagles. Interestingly, I was reviewing the Eagles recent draft history. The Rhodes and Reid's eras have shown a proclivity for taking players out of South Bend (whether that is a wise or good thing is a matter for debate since that time span has coincided with a dropoff in Notre Dame success a cause not unrelated to the quality of high school talent they've been recruiting, but I digress).

Here's the thing. The Eagles nearly have always selected Notre Dame defensive players: Victor Abiamiri, Bobby Taylor, Allen Rossum (DB), the two aforementioned LBs. You'd have to go back all the way to 1992 and Tony Brooks to find a ND offensive player the Eagles selected. It's kind of remarkable given how much Andy Reid loves linemen and it is the one position that ND has consistently excelled at producing over the past two decades, guys like Jeff Faine, Mike Gandy, Luke Pettigout, and Aaron Taylor.

Here's hoping the Eagles Rocky has as much fight in him as the fictional Rocky

PK = The Eagles, NOW Phillies, Jinx

I’ve been meaning to post this for a while. But the news that Brad Lidge will start the season on the disabled list is the hook I need.

 

It comes from my friend and walking jinx PK, who was down in Clearwater for spring training several weeks ago and actually witnessed Lidge get hurt. To completely understand the context, you have to appreciate that PK has never attended a game at an Eagles game with us in which the Eagles have won, including the conference championships against both the Bucs and Panthers. His dismal record has given him a reputation for being an Eagles no good luck charm. It was so bad that in the 2006 season we actually all thought he should attend the Eagles-Titans game (where the Eagles were heavily favored given it was Vince Young’s second professional start) so that he could get a win under his belt and end the whamma jamma. An exorcism of sorts. Pk wound up not going to that game, but for even contemplating his attendance, the football gods responded by tearing McNabb’s ACL – and ensuring that the jinx would take on a new life of its own. Oddly enough, PK is money on the road. Since he lives in Washington, DC he has attended nearly every Eagles game in Washington which they have won over the past seven years.

 

Comes now that his jinx is no longer bound only to the Eagles or home games but has extended to Philadelphia’s other sports teams and second homes. What follows is his account. And just to be clear, it is all his fault.

 

So I actually saw his injury yesterday. Saw it in person. Have been in the Tampa area on a golf trip for 5 days and yesterday we skipped golf to go to Clearwater. Cool experience just watching the boys practice.

 

Got to see Myers and Howard go head to head in BP. Saw Dallas Green patrolling the place like he was still The Man and everyone - including Garry Maddox and Mike Schmidt, both on hand - knew to treat Dallas like The Man.

 

So, with rains approaching, I notice that Lidge just threw a couple warm up pitches. My friends and I are directly behind home plate - directly. Think being behind one of those chain link fences you watch little league games at, that was us except that our little stands also had an overhang directly above us where The Man was sitting and surveying the troops.

 

What transpired next is no lie - and it's pretty much spot on why I just can't do/say things like this, why I'll never go to an Eags game with you guys because I'm a jinx.

 

"Guys," I say, "it's Lidge on the mound. Check it out, Lidge. This is THE GUY who's going to determine how good our season is going to be."

 

Next pitch was the 1st pitch of the simulated BP. And the last pitch of Lidge's spring trainng. "Oh my god," my brother yells. "He's hurt. Already.  Good god."

 

Yep, this is what it's like to be a Phillies fan.

Weekend Stats

·         24 – the number of consecutive games Davidson has now won this season.

·         1969 – the year in which Davidson won it’s last NCAA tournament game before this season.

·         3 times in 4 years – the number of times Villanova has been to the Sweet 16 in that number of years.

·         1 time in 7 years- Number of Duke appearances in the Sweet 16 since 2001.

·         70 – number of points scored by Davidson’s Stephen Curry in the first two games of the tournament.

·         10-5 – the Big East’s record in the tourney so far.

·         2 of 4 – Number of #2 seeds that got into the Sweet 16, the same number of 12 seed teams that made it.

The Resurrection

Siena vs. Villanova is a matchup of two catholic institutions on Easter. Jesus would be proud it comes in the second round of the tournament.

Wildcat Man Crush

"I love you man."

"No, I love you...and Scottie Reynolds."

"We get to play Siena next?"

"Awesome!"

Wildcats Beat Tigers

What the heck happened to Clemson? They were on the verge of blowing Villanova out last night in the first half - to the point where the Washington, DC feed that I was watching switched over to the Indiana game - yet somehow managed to not only let Villanova get back in to it but actually lose the whole shebang by 6 points?!

Clearly, Nova was nervous and Clemson looked as physically imposing as advertised in the first 15 minutes. But the entire game was eerily similar to the Big East tourney game versus Syracuse - trail by double digits, scratch back to within hailing distance by the half and then overwhelm the opponent in the second half. Against the Orangemen it was making 3s, against Clemson it was hitting their free throws, tenacious defense, and Jay Wright's hack a tiger strategy. Seriously, according to a CBS graphic there are 300+ college basketball teams better at free throw shooting than Clemson. Who knew? They are so bad at free throw shooting that I actually got concerned when Booker and Mays, two of Clemson's big starting 3 fouled out. Sure they were starters, but really how much worse could their backups be on the court. And the two subs had to be better free throw shooters, didn't they?

Ah well, Villanova survived, even with Jay Wright picking up that dumb technical.

And now, here's where the beauty of the 12 seed comes in. #13 Siena actually beat #4 Vandy so 'Nova will actually be favored tomorrow.

Undoubtedly these words will come back to haunt me, but I can smell the Sweet 16.

Play Like It's 1985

Can history repeat itself, Bill Conlin wonders. “Twenty three years ago, the imperfect team played a perfect game,” he writes.

 

And tucked into his reflection of that magical run and the fact that no on the current team was ALIVE back in 1985, is this interesting stat nugget: Villanova “is the team with the best record as a lower seed of any team in tournament history.”

 

My brother and I were talking, and the beauty of being a 12 seed, we agreed, is that if you can win the first game, things get easier after that. Unlike an 8-9 game where the winner gets rewarded with a matchup against a #1 seed, a 12 gets to play a 4 seed in the second round - a winnable or least competitive game. In Villanova’s case, it would be Vanderbilt. Sure Vandy’s a 4 seed, but really Clemson may be the tougher team. Beat them first and it gets slightly easier after that.

 

Kind of like Villanova in 1985. Once they upset #1 seed Michigan in the second round, they were playing lower seeds until the Final Four. Could it happen again? Only if they can shoot the 3s like they did vs. Syracuse.

 

 

The Cards Other Pro Bowl WR

Can the Eagles still do a WR deal? With the Cardinals? Yes, says John Nalbone who suggests Sheppard and the Eagles #1 pick for the Cardinal’s other pro bowl WR, Anquan Boldin. Nalbone even floats the name of Roy Williams as a long shot possibility. Interestingly, Nalbone also suggests that it was U. Miami S Brandon Merriweather that the Eagles were targeting last year and once the Patriots snatched him two spots ahead of the Eagles, Andy Reid traded down out of the #26 pick for Kevin Kolb.

In Memoriam

When I was a kid, I played dungeons and dragons. What surprised me in reading about the death of D&D’s creator, Gary Gygax, was how new the game was when I first played it in the late 70s. At the time, I thought it had been around for much longer, not realizing that it had been recently invented. I can still remember counting my dollars to buy my first D&D book/game manual at the Kay-Bee toy story in the Granite Run Mall.

 

But more than a D&D player, I am a huge fan of the 60s syndicated TV show, Hogan’s Heroes. It was one of the best things to look forward to when you were home sick from school. Broadcast weekdays at 1 and 1:30 pm on channel 17 or maybe 48 (nee 57). In any case, Ivan Dixon, or “Kinch” on the show – the token black radio operator and the calmest, sanest soldier in Hogan’s squad - passed away this week.

The Globe of Death

I recently took the kids to the circus and couldn’t help observe what an anachronistic enterprise it was. The pacing of the entire show and the events themselves were relatively ho-hum compared to the stimulation overload experienced by today’s kids. Animal trainer? Trapeze? Clowns? Yawn.

 

But I gotta tell you, the grand finale – 7 motorcyclists in a steel globe - was UNBELIEVABLE! And may have been worth the price of admission – it certainly accurately described “death-defying.”

 

Now comes word that the Ringling Brothers circus act is going to try for a world record 8 cyclists in the sphere at one time.

How Can that Be?

The Sixers traded Allen Iverson in December 2006, so how can this be the FIRST time Iverson has played in Philadelphia since the deal? A year and a half?

 

The fans’ thundering ovation of him last night is not surprising. The sub 6 foot Iverson is a warrior on the court (though not much inclined to practice), and Philadelphia fans have a very special, lasting affection for their athletes who spill their blood and guts in the ring -- doubly so if they’re scrappers with chips on their shoulders. Thus, Philadelphia appreciates players of such immense talent like Mike Schmidt and Randall Cunningham but still fawns over players like Lenny Dykstra and AI. (I think this dynamic is also part of the reason fans hate Kobe Bryant, who’s gone so Hollywood he can’t even spell Lower Merion anymore, and are cool to McNabb, he makes it look to easy and doesn’t show his competitive fire enough to the public.) The love even extends to coaches, which is why you still see Dick “emotions on his sleeve” Vermeil pitching products in the Philadelphia area twenty years after he last coached here.

 

The defining Iverson memory for me will be the 2001 NBA finals, and two plays in particular. Iverson dropping a three on and then stepping over Tyronne Lue, who had been hounding him most of the game, in overtime. The second is of the thunderous chants of “M-V-P” and Iverson cupping his hear to the crowd as he ran along the sideline during game 3 when it looked like he could almost single handedly pull out a miracle win for the Sixers at home against the vastly more talented Lakers and actually make a series of it.

The Hawk Will Never Die

Jameer Nelson will always be bound to former Hawks teammates Delonte West, Dwayne Jones and their great run in the NCAA tourney. By the way, Nelson is an Eagles fan and hopes Donovan stays with the team.

Philly Fans In Mid-season form at Spring Training

A good friend of mine was down in Florida for spring training last weekend. Though a lifelong Mets fan, he visited Clearwater to take in a Phillies game. Below is his account.


I returned last night from my long weekend Spring training in Florida.  We did our last game in Clearwater -- one of the best ballparks and home to the fightin' Phils.  It was a great reminder of all that is Philadelphia sports fans.

First, off the place was packed (it was St Paddy's day), people were pounding beers and everyone is was in green Philly outfits or red philly outfits (and there is absolutely no diversity in the place).

The crowd reinforced that there are only three types of Philly sports fans:
  (1) White Women - generally hotter than you would expect
  (2) Fat old white men with all their girth located in one giant beer belly
  (3) Fat young white men (who will turn into fat old men) with all the girth in their belly.

By contrast, when I saw the Mets, it was the usual smorhgasbord of pathetic looking people of all ethnic varieties

It was 1 o'clock and hot and the tiki bar in left field was mobbed with people boozing it up.

In the 6th inning, some (fat) Philly fan proposed to his (fat) girlfriend on the field and was roundly booed by the entire stadium.

I was sitting next to some 14 year old Philly kid and his dad.  When the dad went to get a beer in the 6th inning, the kid (who had been eyeing my Mets lid all day), looked at me and said "you suck".

Of course, the kid was who we all hope our kids will turn out to be a ... a walking encyclopedia of baseball (and specifically Phillies knowledge).  I kept up with him for about two innings but then he dipped into the Phillies prospect system to explain why they should have traded some minor league outfielders for someone and I just couldn't keep up anymore.

My 14 year old buddy made his dad take him to Clearwater at 9 30 every day to watch the practice fields and get autographs, then insisted on being the first person to enter the actual stadium when those gates opened.

Finally, they had Sean Landeta -- the Eagles punter (somehow forgetting his Super Bowl rings were with the Giants) there to sign autographs.  I passed on the autograph but took the occassion to ask him about the 1985 punt in Chicago in the playoffs that blew off his foot -- a great conversation.

On Guard

NFL guards are getting new props – and bigger paychecks. And yet this article highlighting the new appreciation offensive guards are getting (cause they have to handle elite defensive tackles) makes no mention of the best guard in the NFC – Shawn “The Big Kid” Andrews. Interestingly, the article mentions that good guards used to be converted to tackles, whereas Andrews, a tackle in college, got converted to a guard (though we’ll see if shifts to tackle after his linemate Jon Runyan retires.

Scholarship Sob Stories

Getting a Division I sports scholarship is not all it’s cracked up to be – nor as lucrative as many presume. This NY Times series looks at individual athletes at Villanova and the University of Delaware.

A Mole on the Committee

Does Joe Lunardi, ESPN’s “bracketologist,” have a mole inside the NCAA selection committee?

 

Lunardi is being touted for correctly naming all 34 at-large teams in this year’s tournament. Interestingly, however, Lunardi had Villanova missing the tournament in his second to last bracket prediction Saturday night. But then, on Sunday afternoon, Lunardi’s last bracket before the tournament was announced included Villanova.

 

So what changed in the interim? Villanova certainly didn’t win any more games.  And 17-16 Georgia’s shocking run to the SEC championship certainly didn’t help by squeezing out another at large slot. The obvious conclusion is that Lunardi was privy to inside information about the bubble teams and which were the very last to make the tournament.

Last One In

It looks to me like Villanova was the last at-large team to make the NCAA tournament, the lowest seeded non-automatically invited team.

Wildcat Wildcard

For a city that just a few weeks ago was pondering whether all the local teams would be shut out of the NCAA tournament, last night’s news couldn’t have been better, or more surprising. Temple, St. Joes, AND Villanova all got in.

 

Though I have to wonder if it would have been better if ‘Nova didn't make it. What is the point of one and done other than to say you got into the main event when they could have gone to the NIT and won a bunch of games, maybe even made the final and got a whole lot more experience than just to go and likely lose to Clemson Friday.

 

Though, having said that, i am glad they got seeded 12th. Villanova could win that game, and given the history of at least one 12 seed winning each year, there is even more hope.

 

BTW, Jay Bilas during the G'town-Nova game said he thought Nova was in and would be an 8-9 team. Looks like Villanova made it in by the skin of their teeth.

Fitzgerald Watch

So how did Cardinals' wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald wind up with an astonishing $14 million base salary for 2008 and a staggering $17 million BASE salary for 2009? Escalator clauses based on incentives that turned out to be too easy to reach. As this Arizona Cardinals' beat writer explains it all, the real problem is that Fitzgerald made two pro bowls in his first four years. Each pro bowl appointment earned him a $5 million increase in pay. Really, as Kent Somers points out, if Fitzgerald hadn't made the second pro bowl his salary would be a "manageable" $9 million/year and not the $14 million monstrosity, and certainly not the looming $17 million salary cap disaster next year.

 

Sure the deal was designed to incentivize Fitzgerald to be one of the best receivers in the NFC. And who can blame the Cardinals for not seeing that there would be a sudden dearth of talent at the WR position except for He Who Shall Not be Named but Plays in Dallas? Torry Holt nursed a bum knee all year and might have challenged Fitzgerald for the starter spot, at which point only one other WR has to emerge to bump either Fitz or Driver off the Honolulu roster entirely.

 

Weird how if Fitzgerald was only slightly less good and, say, his teammate Anquan Boldin got the call, or Steve Smith had a better year, the Cards might not be in this position.

 

Burying Favre

Philly's own Sal Pal splashes a dose of cold water on the Brett Favre deification. It's stunning stuff: ", Favre won just three of his last 10 playoff games. Eli Manning had more postseason wins in a 29-day span this past season than Favre had in his last decade with the Green Bay Packers."

Or, "But no matter how many dumb passes he threw and how many playoff games he lost, Favre remains immune to criticism."

Ouch!

Sal even touches on the two worst INTs of Favre's career - the in January to Corey Webster and the one four years ago to the Eagles' Brian Dawkins (remarkably, outside Philadelphia that terrible -- TERRIBLE - pass/INT has somehow been forgotten). That both came in overtime of playoff games has gotten short shrift from the media all these years.

Indeed, where was this realistic look at Favre's faults and the criticism of the media hagiography of #4 for the past ten years?!

Free agent winners

USA Today declares the Eagles one of the “winners” in free agency so far based on the Samuel and Clemons signings.

How to Structure a Fitzgerald Deal

Note, if you are an Arizona Cardinals’ executive, please stop reading now.

 

It would seem that the only thing holding back Larry Fitzgerald’s renegotiated contract would be the ability of the Cardinals to pay him the upfront cash he so desires. Not sure if Jeff Lurie has $25-30 million just sitting in the bank, but given how much of an ATM the team and the Linc are these days, I’m guessing he does. Indeed, with 2008 season ticket payments now due, Lurie has money literally rolling in.

 

So how to structure an Eagles contract for Fitzgerald that gives him the money he wants and the cap flexibility the Eagles so desire?

 

How about a 4 year, $32 million contract with $28 million in guaranteed money – structured similar to Asante Samuel’s deal with a $12 million signing bonus, an $8 million 2008 roster bonus, and a $8 million 2009 roster bonus – and $1 million base salaries over the next four years?

 

That would mean that that Fitzgerald’s salary cap figure would be $8 million/year…or $1.6 million less in cap space than TO’s current deal, or even slightly less than Marvin Harrison, and slightly more than Chad Johnson and Torry Holt – whose 2007 cap #s are in the $7.7 million range.

 

Heck the Eagles could still pay out the signing/roster bonuses at the levels mentioned above and even bump up the base by $2.5 million – to $3.5 million per year – for an even 4 year $40 million deal that makes Fitzgerald’s cap hit $10 million per year, or “only” $400,000 more than the wide receiver who shall not be named.

 

I’m guessing the two things holding up the Cardinals from doing this simple deal are a wish for a longer contract period beyond four years so they can lock him up for most of his prime – six years? – and the lack of that much money on hand for the famously tight-fisted Bidwill family.

Fitzgerald Watch - Brown/Sheppard for Fitz?

Renegotiations over Cards’ WR Larry Fitzgerald’s monster 2008 $14 million salary/cap hit have appeared to have hit an impasse.

 

What will it take to get Fitzgerald? His agent is asking the Cardinals for a four-year deal with $25-$30 million in guaranteed money.

 

And this Arizona Republic article reports that the Eagles have offered Lito Sheppard and Reggie Brown for Fitzgerald.

The Fightin' Blue Hens

I post this specifically my friend PK. U. of D QB Joe Flacco is drawing interest from teams, some even more than national sensation UK QB Andre Woodson. (How’s that for initial overload?)

 

Is Flacco the next Andy Hall? Or the next Rich Gannon?

Spiked

The free agent signing period started off terrific for the Eagles in landing pro bowl CB Asante Samuel and pass rush specialist DE Chris Clemons. The cherry on top was the reports of the Eagles negotiating with standout WR Randy Moss. It was great that the Eagles indicated an interest in upgrading at WR, even better that they didn’t acquire such a polarizing and indifferent player.

 

But now they’ve gone and cut LB Takeo Spikes for the $5 million in 2008 cap savings. This move has all the feel of the Eagles being penny wise and pound foolish. Flashbacks to Jeremy Bloom!

 

Yes, Stewart Bradley’s play at the end of last year was encouraging, as was Akeen Jordan’s. But can they do it over an entire season? We’ll see. Spikes gave the Eagles depth and veteran experience. The way Jim Johnson has shuffled his LBs, an injury to either Gaither, Bradley, Spikes or Gocong meant that one of the others would be able to take his place. Now, with Spikes gone, much of that flexibility to move the LBs around is gone too and the much more untested Jordan is now the plan B if one of the starters gets hurt.

 

Perhaps this is an indication that the Eagles are trying to clear cap room to bring in Larry Fitzgerald, as Bob Brookover hints at today. But otherwise, it looks foolish. Presuming whoever takes Spikes’ place in the LB corps will earn anywhere from $1-2 million/year, the real savings of the Spikes departure is “only” $3-4 million. For that price why not keep Spikes for one more year during this super bowl push?

Post Editorial "Gender" Gap

The always consistent Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post editorial pages proves her inanity once again with a column so contradictory and so inaccurate that the Post should have considered running a correction.

 

Marcus’ musings are about the impact Hillary Clinton’s sex has had on the presidential race. The piece is entitled “The Force of Gender,” and Marcus sprinkles the term “gender” throughout. Alas, perhaps Marcus or the Post generally can’t bring themselves to print the word “sex,” but that is the more accurate word for what Marcus is referring to. “Gender” of course really means having masculine or feminine traits. Sex is the biological term for whether you are male or female. Marcus’ whole point is about Clinton’s sex, not whether she is masculine or feminine enough.

 

So right off the bat, Marcus is off to a poor start.

 

Then she writes, “If anything, the playing field has been demographically tilted in Clinton's favor. Women account for nearly six in 10 Democratic primary voters.” Remarkably, Marcus displays no self-awareness that seven sentences later – 7! – she then writes “the gender gap in Clinton's support is persistent -- and striking” owing to a 22 point deficit among male voters.

 

So in MarcusWorld, the Democratic primary demographics have been “tilted in Clinton’s favor” even though she suffers from a 22 gap among men. And Marcus mimics the rest of the national media in their inability to reference the blatant demographic effect race is having on the election. Obama is killing Clinton among black voters, routinely winning this demographic subgroup by 85-15 or even 90-10. So much for a demographic tilt in her favor.

 

Indeed, the numbers are so stark among male and black voters that they are the sole reasons Clinton is trailing Obama. It’s basic math, though Marcus does her best to play grand pundit, “Clinton's loss, if it comes to that, will have more to do with squandered and mismanaged resources; a shapeless, shifting message; a loose-lipped spouse; and arrogant strategists who dismissed the threat from Barack Obama and assumed the past would predict the future.”

 

Uh, no it won’t. It will have to do with the 20 point gap among men and the 65 point gap among blacks. Not even the most persuasive arguments are going to sway black voters who can support the first legitimate black presidential candidate in history.

 

And finally, after expending 600 words pooh-poohing the notion of a gender gap, Marcus abruptly pivots to warn of the “ominous” problem for future female candidates: “whether the country, particularly the male half, can comfortably fit a woman into its mental picture of a president.” But with so little time to explore this last minute thought, Marcus curtly ends the piece with this bizarre non-conclusion to her thesis: “Gender isn't the most restricting force in American life. It remains a force to be reckoned with.”

 

Say what? If you’re like me, you are more confused and more misinformed after reading this drivel than before. That it was published in nation’s preeminent political papers is astonishing.

 

 

MLS expanding to Philly...er, Chester

Here’s a story you WON’T be reading about in the Inquirer or Daily Local.

 

 

 

CHESTER, Pa. (AP) -- Men's professional outdoor soccer will make its return to the Philadelphia area in 2010 after a three-decade absence.

 

Major League Soccer officials and Gov. Ed “Fast Eddie” Rendell announced plans for the league to set up a new franchise along the waterfront of Chester, a once-proud manufacturing city trying to turn its fortunes around.

 

State officials hope the franchise will be a key part of a $414 million revitalization effort for the waterfront of Chester, an economically struggling city southwest of Philadelphia.

 

Earlier this month, Rendell announced $47 million in public funding for the 18,500-seat, soccer-only stadium. The rest of the plan calls for a convention center as well as commercial, retail and residential space.

 

Rendell noted that there has been criticism of using public funds for the stadium, but he said the impact of the sports franchise on the troubled city's psyche could not be quantified.

 

C.E Wolff, long-time suburban Philadelphia resident, expressed some mild concerns with the choice of location. "Chester!  What the f**k...What other locations in the area made the short list?  Coatesville?  Camden?  the 2 blocks in and around the Italian Social club in downtown West Chester?  Maybe Baghdad should get an MLS franchise next."

 

“Hey, I’ve already been in the line of fire...That f*cker Eric Stuart popped a cap in me in 1986 and that goddamn bb pellet is still lodged in my chin.”  

 

Mr. Wolff goes on to add, "This is a total clusterf*ck.  The only way I'm going to see a game in Chester is if the tix are free, the cheerleaders are nude, and the stadium is BYOB.  How do I get there?  Where do I park?  Sure, I could drive down in my cira '78 Eagles bego, but I would have to up-armour that b*tch or trade it in for a used V-shaped Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle.  I sure as h*ll am not bringing my family down to a game!  Maybe I could persuade my Eagles posse to drive down, but that group is collectively the biggest bunch of pussies in the tri-state area." 

 

"Tell the j*ck*ss architect designing the stadium to add a Delilah's or Thirsty Camel annex and I might reconsider my position.  Also, tell the coach my services are available if the team needs an own-goal scoring specialist willing to chop-down "Chuckie style" any scoring threat the opposing team puts on the field.  I was the Dave Schultz of the Centennial league.  I may not be able to cover 40 yards in 30 seconds, but it won't matter if I insert my knee you into your nuts.  You also may want to evaluate Jimmy O'Hora for this role.  Now stop bothering me....”

3 for 3?

PFT's Philly "tipster" accurately predicted both the Asante Samuel and Chris Clemons signings so it's worth considering that this same source says that "the Eagles made a run at receiver Larry Fitzgerald but the Cardinals wanted too much, and that cornerback Sheldon Brown likely will be moved to safety."

Could it be that the Sheppard for Fitzgerald rumors were true but a deal couldn't be done, so the Eagles' Plan B is to keep 3 starting CBs on the roster?

As my brother said, he hopes the Eagles don't trade Sheppard to move up in the first round. That would mean they essentially traded a pro bowl (albeit injury-prone) corner for 3 worthless wins in a lost season.

Obscure Mark Twain reference

courtesy of PFT: " After signing Asante Samuel yesterday and Clemons today, perhaps tomorrow the Eagles should coax former Colts and Browns receiver Reggie Langhorn out of retirement."

Interest in Lito

Pro Football Talk lists the following teams expressing an interest in trading for Lito Sheppard: Texans, Saints, Buccaneers, Browns, Rams and Jets.

The Cardinals are conspicuously absent from that list.

Press Confirms Eagles-Fitzgerald Trade Rumors

Here's the first printed report of the wild Larry Fitzgerald for Lito Sheppard trade rumors that have been swirling around Philadelphia. Oddly, it comes courtesy of the Arizona Republic.