Jaws Says Ahh

A friend writes:

Interesting points made late in tonight's MNF game by Jaws about Donovan.

Remember, we let him see all our game tape in the special Eagles-Jaws relationship. He said that while reviewing tape, he's seen that McNabb is not seeing open receivers down field and not making decisions to get them the ball.

This was something we heard a lot of 6 yrs ago, in the height of the Pinkston-Thrash era. Then it sorta disappeared after TO arrived. Now it's back.

Not sure what to think.

Interesting. I remember a year or two ago some scout saying that McNabb is the type of QB that only throws the receiver after he gets open and not while the receiver is in the process of getting open. My friend is right, all that kind of died down for a while. Now it's back.

The big question that I and and my brother were trying to answer last night is....what happened to the offense? They put up 37 vs. Dallas and looked really good. 27 versus a playoff contending Falcons team. 38 against the hapless Rams. Heck, even three weeks ago they scored 31 against a tough Giants D.

How did it all collapse so quickly where they can only score 13 against a lousy Bengals team and not have a single offensive point vs. the Ravens? What has so dramatically changed from earlier in the season? Westbrook's injuries limiting him as a threat? The complete disappearance of the tight ends?

Someone needs to explain all that.

McNabb's always had the problem with the downfield receivers. But it hasn't been this detrimental to the offense till now. Why? What has changed recently to make that happen?

Blaze of Glory?

Ironically, and I say this as a huge McNabb fan – in the wake of yesterday’s loss and basically being eliminated from playoff contention – questions about Kolb starting were going to come up today regardless of the second half substitution. In fact, I thought about it in the first half when they looked so pathetic. I was thinking that if they lost – that was going to usher in the Kolb era but would they really start Kolb on a short week?

It should be interesting to see how he plays Thursday night. Here’s hoping he lets it all hang out, with nothing left to lose…cause, really he doesn’t. and oh what a supporting cast he will have. Westbrook and Buckhalter are missing practice this week with their injuries. The starting backfield could be Lorenzo Booker and Dan Klecko.

It seems obvious that this will be McNabb’s last game starting. Kolb will come in for the Giants game after a week and a half of preparation. Can McNabb carry the team on his back one more time? Probably not if his performance this season is any indication but here’s hoping.

The Party's Over

A friend wrote to me yesterday:

At 3 pm today the Donovan McNabb era ended in Philadelphia.

Benched at halftime, Kevin Kolb is now under center. Barring injury to Kolb in the next 5 games, it's hard to see how McNabb will ever play again as an Eagle.

And, it's nice to see how little changed. They came out throwing, throwing, throwing. A pass was dropped, one was bounced at a receiver's ankle. Then they punted.

Of course, the jackass who's calling the plays is still there. At least for another few games.

PS - the last time the Eagles were in Baltimore, '97, at old Memorial Stadium, I was there for a similar "big" moment. The dawn of the Bobby Hoying era. Game ended in a 10-10 tie, Burger, my high school friends and I nearly got into a brawl with fellow Eagles fans afterward - and 3-yr run of incredible ineptitude began. So it goes today.

"Blackout"

Talk about ill-timed promotions. The Eagles will wear their alternate black jerseys on Thursday night vs. the Cardinals and are encouraging the fans attending the game to similarly dress in black. A very appropriate color to mourn the death of their playoff hopes but it also raises a question. Could a game on a short week, Thanksgiving night and their recent poor play result in a game that isn't a sellout and "blacked out" in the Philadephia television market? 

It's Over

So that's how a season's playoff hopes and an entire era end...in a dismal second half against the Ravens in Baltimore.

So much for running the table or making a playoff push. There is now a very real possibility that this Eagles team finishes the season at 5-10-1.  Who could have known?

My prediction of a 12-17 Eagles victory was very much a possibility right up until Andy Reid panicked and benched McNabb for the second half down only 10-7.

Incredibly, Reid could still have saved face and perhaps the game had he reinserted McNabb after several ineffectual Kevin Kolb offensive series. Take your pick, he could have done it after the safety or Kolb's first INT. Post-game Reid could have suggested the "temporary" move was meant to spark his team. Either way, the Eagles were still only down by 5 and then 8 with more than a quarter to play in A MUST WIN GAME.

Admittedly, McNabb was not very good in the first half. But that's what you get with him, often slow uneven beginnings to games. Fortunately, over the past ten year he has shown a knack for getting hot at some point during the game.

Kolb's second half put the full extent of this team's now glaring deficiencies on display. To wit,

A complete breakdown in special teams. A blocked punt for a safety? From right up the gut? If Reid really wants to make changes and "shake things up," he shouldhe fire special teams coach Rory Segrest. Yes, Q. Demps had that kick return for a TD that helped keep the Eagles close, but that has been a single bright spot in a very disappointing special teams season.

Personnel decisions. Westbrook's injured status and Buckhalter's sprained knee in the first quarter showed that 1) the Eagles don't have much depth at RB and 2) why in the world did Lorenzo Booker not suit up given the banged up halfback situation. Was it really so important to have Greg Lewis available rather than have an extra running back in case Bucky went down and Westbrook had nothing in the tank, which is exactly what happened.

Play calling. It's a cliche that second stringers are expected to step up when called on and that coaches don't adjust their game plan (i.e., simplify it) to compensate. And yet, Reid apparently gave no consideration that his second half quarterback had not played with the first team all week and hadn't had the practice and reps as the starter. So why on earth did Reid/Mohrninweg call a pass play on second and goal from the 6 inch line? Surely even Westbrook in his banged up condition, Jackson out of the wildcat formation, or even Dan Klecko could have gained six inches in three plays (it was four down territory). Instead, we're treated to a play action pass with LJ Smith and Reggie Brown as the two primary receivers. Result? Ed Reed 108 yard touchdown INT the other way.

Clock management. Letting 30 seconds burn off the clock at the end of the first half while the Ravens lined up for a FG was inexcusable. It would have given the offense at least two more plays when they got the ball back and may have allowed them to get into range for an Akers field goal attempt. Is McNabb benched if the score is 10-10 at the half?  

Replay Challenges. How can a head coach not know when he can or can't challenge plays. More importantly, why doesn't Reid challenge pivotal plays? Look again at Ed Reed's "illegal forward lateral." Was it really a forward pass or did the ball carrier's momentum make it appear as the ball was thrown forward. In any case, the Eagles recovered the ball and it was critical that the Eagles not give the Ravens the ball at the 7 yard line. Why not challenge the call there? So you burn a first half timeout. The risk/reward of getting the ball back there vastly outweighs any other consideration.

Ed Reed Knows

"They've been throwing the ball 40-plus or 50-plus times a game. You throw the ball like that, eventually, you know, something's got to give," Reed said. "Either you're going to have an awesome offense and everybody's going to be talking about you, which rarely happens when you're throwing the ball 50 times because you have no running game."

Today's Prediction

Eagles 21
Raves 17

Keep hope alive!

Browns

Clock mismanagement is one of my huge pet peeves in NFL games and gives lie to the fact that it is the "most competitive sports league in the world." Please.

if it was the "most competitive" league, Romeo Crennel and Norv Turner would not still be head coaches in it.

Anyway, a casual observer might have fallen asleep before the conclusion of the Browns-Bills game and not understood how bad the Browns and Bills mismanaged the clock at the end of the game.

Down by 1 with 2:25 to go in the game and with 3 timeouts, Brady Quinn and the Browns offense drove to the Bills 39 with 2:00 to go. Where Quinn proceeded to throw three straight incompletes on sideline routes - WITH 3 TIMEOUTS and the entire middle of the field for the taking. To say nothing of a simple running play, draw or screen to keep the defense honest and to gain some yards. The bone headed play calling necessitated a Phil Dawson 56 yard field goal in the fridged autumn of a Buffalo evening.

Incredibly, the Cleveland gaffe turned into a bonus when dick jauron's offense got the ball back needing a field goal to win but with only 1:33 to go.

after blowing the kickoff (a kick out of bounds would have netted more than the squib kick that gave the Bills the ball at their own 43) the first play was a 22 yard Trent Edwards' completion to the Browns 34 with 1:03 to go.

Obviously overly mindful of the Browns remaining 3 timeouts, the Bills called 3 straight running plays that seemed more designed to make the Browns burn their timeouts than gain additional yardage to make a potential FG easier on their kicker. (special note: for as bad as the Browns clock management was, using the TOs in this last minute as the best thing to do. Too many teams don't use the TOs in this situation and let the clock run down to 0 with the hope that the pressure of the game winning kick alone is enought to force a victory.).

The ultimate result of the Bills' conservative play calling and the Browns timeouts was a Bills' 47 yard attempt from the Browns 39 yard line with 43 seconds to play. Enought time for 2 maybe three plays after the Browns get the kick to try another long Phil Dawson FG.

Alas, Al Michael put the wamma jamma on Lindell by noting that the 47 yarder was the same distance as Scott Norwood's super bowl miss that cost his team a championship. With HOFer Jim Kelly looking on from the sidelines with a camoflage colored hat, Lindell imitated his predecessor's miss, right down to the rightward drift.

10 yards in and it would have been good. But 10 yards in would not have forced the Browns to burn their last time out.

That is why Romeo Crennel and Dick Jauraon are Romeo Crennel and Dick Jauron. As long as these and other frauds continue to be the head men in the NFL, it will never be the "most competitive" sports league in the world.

The Missing Linc

At least one reason why Lincoln Financial Field is worse than Veterans Stadium.

This should all sound familiar to a long-time Eagles fan that had season tix at the Vet. though i can't figure out how Pats fans "wake up" at 7:45 am and still got a full morning of tailgating in. We leave W. Chester at 8:00 am

10 year cycle

The second worst thing about the Eagles-Bengals tie last Sunday - aside from dropping them farther back in the playoff hunt - was how boring the game was.

10 years ago, friends and i gathered to watch an Eagles-Giants game at a sports bar in Washington, DC. I think it was Andy Reid's first year with Doug Pederson still the QB of the team. The Giants and Eagles exhibited a terribly played game that I believe went into overtime with the Giants finally, mercifully, winning by some score like 10-7. After the game, both the Eagles and Giants fans agreed it was one of the worst most boring NFL games they had ever seen.

Which brings us to Sunday's Eagles-Bengals game. We all know it was a stinker for the tie but also an awful aesthetic game (as most AFC games are, particularly AFC North and East games). And the quality of play was even worse. Anyway, McNabb is gone after this year - if for no other reason than to free up $8 million in cap space - regardless of any renegotiation - but the Bengals game brought back memories of that Giants game and how we've come full circle on the McNabb/Reid era. they started with a God awful OT loss - and now they are ending with a God awful OT tie. The circle of life is complete.

but don't just take my word for it.

You know how Mike Holmgren is retiring after this season? I think Andy Reid retired three years ago. That's the only explanation. He just didn't tell us. Our friend Mike Lombardi did a nice job breaking down the epic "Four Two-Minute Drills" debacle Sunday in Cincinnati; that game was so unbelievably bad that NFL Films should be working on a one-hour documentary about it. I'm not even kidding. That was the worst football game ever played. We need to spend a solid year interviewing people and breaking down the key moments so we can place it in its proper historical perspective.

(Note: I was forced to monitor it for fantasy purposes, which reminds me: Congrats to Donovan McNabb for throwing 58 times in a five-quarter game against a 1-8 team, ending up with just 17 points and officially ending my West Coast season once the Bills' D and Marshawn Lynch somehow combined to make up a 26-point deficit on me, marking the fourth time this year that I lost in heartbreaking fashion on Monday night. I wish I had the heart to write a "Goodbye to Fantasy Football" letter like when Joey wrote his "Goodbye to Drugs" letter on the "Real World: Hollywood." Dear fantasy football, I'm saying goodbye to you because you've done nothing but trick me and disappoint me. You told me you were my friend, but all you did was let me down. You wasted my Sundays, you wasted my Sundays …)

So, what would the Bengals-Eagles documentary be called? I vote for either "Four Hours Of Life That Nobody Will Get Back" or "The Longest Turd." Either of these will do. I don't care. And, yes, I wanted this show even before McNabb pushed the epicness (epicity? epiciousness? epicism?) of such a memorably putrid game by admitting he didn't know the overtime rules. I thought Warren Sapp summed it up well:

"Donovan, your legacy will be throwing up in the Super Bowl, Rush Limbaugh and now -- not knowing there were ties!!!"

I'd also throw in Campbell's Chunky Soup commercials, but, yes, that's probably it. I have watched far too much of the Eagles this season (again, for fantasy purposes) and would evaluate McNabb's 2008 performance like so: out of shape, careless, semi-competitive and uninspiring. The fact that Philly can't run the ball in short-yardage situations but McNabb never, ever, EVER runs QB draws or sneaks should tell you something. I think he just doesn't want to get hit anymore. He seems like a guy on his way out of the league to me.

(Funniest e-mail of the week, from a Philly fan calling himself "Andy Reid": "So, I pulled into my local drive-thru. After analyzing the menu for 25 minutes I quickly placed my order. As I pulled to the first window I was shocked to see Donovan McNabb working the register. Unfortunately, I pulled a foot away from the window. I had no idea how to get my money in there. Do I hand it in or try and throw it? I decided it would be better to waste five minutes backing out and pulling back in. After I handed Donovan my money, he threw my change five feet over my car. After receiving my food, I double-checked to make sure I had the right order. I checked for three minutes and knew they messed it up. I pulled back to the window to complain. After giving the employee a stare of mild confusion, he informed me that I had received what I ordered. I pulled away stunned.")

Hip of a Champion

The (hip) heart of a champion. And Bill Conlin gets to spooge about his now correct speculation Chase Utley has been hurt all summer based on his altered swing.

A Sad, True State

Phil Sheridan nails the current state of the Eagles

they really have no one but themselves to blame for the beating they are taking this time around. There is no mess quite as unpleasant to clean up as a mess you made yourself and really should have avoided.

The Eagles are 5-4-1 for the many of the same reasons they were 5-8 at one point last season and 5-6 in 2006.

Reid won't run the football. McNabb has been inconsistent. There are glaring personnel errors. Worst of all, the team seems to play in a kind of fog at the worst possible times. All of this is interconnected, of course, making it almost impossible to untangle Reid's play-calling from McNabb's cold spells from the defensive lapses from the occasional time management gaffe or head-slapping penalty or special-teams miscue.

McNabb Becomes National Punchline

Ties in the NFL? Everybody Knows That, Right?

New York Times 

McNabb among several Eagles oblivious of NFL overtime rules

Minneapolis Star Tribune 

McNabb's OT gaffe may haunt him

Arizona Republic 

Eagles' McNabb is more than his gaffe about tie-game rule

Los Angeles Times 

Low-Scoring Tie Game Rejuvinates Interest In Football Amongst ...

FOXSports.com 

Clueless

Other Eagles that didn't know that a regular season NFL game could end in a tie:

Omar Gaither

DeSean Jackson

Greg Lewis

Correll Buckhalter

How is it even possible that a professional football player, much less a significant number of starters - who have been playing and presumably watching football since high school - don't know NFL games can end in a tie?

Tidbit Only of Interest to Me

Since the NFL's modern day overtime rules were established in 1974, 17 regular season games have ended in a tie. The Eagles have played in four of those games. Put another way, the Eagles have played in nearly a quarter (23%) of all NFL games that have ended in a tie. Or in other words, this obscure stat neatly encapsulates the team's general offensive mediocrity and defensive dominance over the past three decades.

Steelers-Chargers

Why wasn’t there a booth review of the final play of the Steelers-Chargers game – Troy Polamalu’s touchdown?

 

And since it was the last play of the game, why can’t the NFL amend the final score to accurately reflect the proper call that should have been made?

$8 Million Reasons to Cut McNabb

ProFootballTalk reports that the Eagles would free up $8 million in cap space for 2009 if they parted ways with franchise QB Donovan McNabb after the season. And that's after they eat $1.6 million in prorated bonus money.

Considering it would be Kevin Kolb's third year in the league next season, it is looking less and less like McNabb will be in Philadelphia next year.

Not Hopeless

Bob Brookover reminds everyone that all is not completely lost for the Eagles' playoff hopes.

Before you pull the plug, however, there is one thing to remember: Sometimes weird stuff happens in professional sports.

In their 11th game a year ago, the New York Giants lost 41-17 at home to the 4-6 Minnesota Vikings, falling to 7-4. Quarterback Eli Manning threw three interceptions that day and they were all returned for touchdowns. It's hard to imagine the Giants sitting up at the Meadowlands the following Monday plotting the design of their Super Bowl rings.

There are more stories like that one from this decade, too.

Pittsburgh lost its last two games in November and its first in December to fall to 7-5 in 2005. Had they lost again, they wouldn't have made the playoffs. They didn't lose again.

The 2000 Baltimore Ravens went five straight October games without scoring a touchdown and were 5-4 after nine games and they, too, won a Super Bowl.

He could have added the Eagles 2006 run, when no one projected them to win three straight division road games with Jeff Garcia at quarterback.

Certainly the Cowboys win last night hurt the Eagles since it could have dropped the Cowgirls to 5-5 and ceded a tie breaker to the Skins. Still, the Eagles are 1/2 game behind both Dallas and Washington and have upcoming games with them. The other two teams ahead of them for a wild card spot are Atlanta (6-4) who they have a tie breaker against, and Tampa, which is 1 1/2 games ahead, but has games against the Vikings, Panthers, and Falcons coming up.

So never say never. The Eagles still have a playoff shot and in most regards still control their destiny. Win and their in. It's as simple and daunting as that.

The Difference

The difference in talent and playcalling couldn’t have been more stark between the Eagles and Cowboys than last night’s game. The Cowboys pounded Marion Barber for 16 runs through three quarters and then ran him 8 times in the 4^th,most of it on a clock killing, game winning drive. He started the game with gains of 1, 3, 2, and 4 yards and finished with runs of 5, 5, 4, and 6 yards (or something like that).

 

And needing a yard to get the first and win the game, Barber got it with plenty to spare.  And unlike the Eagles who ran 4^th and 1 last night off a double tight formation with only Hank Baskett split out wide (i.e., 10 in the box). The Cowboys split receivers wide on each side and ran a guy in motion. In any case, there definitely were not 10 in the box to try to stop the rampaging Marion Barber.

 

The end of the McNabb was sealed after the game when he admitted he didn’t know the game could end in a tie.

Worse than Kissing Your Sister

Rich Hoffman has it right off the final whistlew www.philly.com/philly/sports/Eagles_tie_die.html. An Eagles tie today isn't like kissing your sister, it's death to the Eagles playoff chances.

As I illustrated mere hours ago, a 10-6 season (even 11-5) was contingent on beating the hapless Bengals on the road. Instead, we get a disastrous 13-13 tie.

At 5-4-1 it's hard to see where the Eagles get the 5 wins in the final 6 games to get to the important 10-6 marker, (now, 10-5-1). Especially considering the mediocre exhibition they put on in Queen City today.

And yet, for as bad as the Eagles played, it's important to remember that the Giants also played the Bengals into overtime, at the Meadowlands no less. Of course, the Giants ultimately beat the Ben-gals. And while the Eagles didn't lose to Cincinnati, they didn't win either.

Hindsight is 20-20. But given how erratic the offense was, if you're like me you really thought Reid maybe should have given lots more weight to go for it on 4th and inches from the Bengals 9 yard line with 5:22 to play in regulation. (In imitable Andy Reid fashion, he chose to call a timeout to think long and hard and come to the conclusion that he should kick the field goal for the tie. Either kick the field goal and save the time out, or go for it on 4th down after having time to consult with your QB and O-coordinator. It was the worst of all possible worlds - a lost time out in a close game late and opting for the safe choice upon further reflection).

Surely the Monday morning QBs would have screamed for Andy's head had he gone for it on 4th and failed to get it. But as equally pathetic as the Bengals offense was, leaving them at their own 10 with 5 minutes to go and a full complement of timeouts would likely have resulted in one more field goal chance for the Eagles before the end of the game. Indeed, the Eagles had THREE posessions in the final 5 minutes after kicking the tying field goal.

Post-Giants

3 final thoughts before the Eagles - and I - move on to the Bengals game.

1) Why was NFL officiating chief Mike Pereira conferring with NBC producers on Sunday night about the placement of the "red" superimposed line of scrimmage graphic. I thought that line was "unofficial." So why are official NFL officials involving themselves with it? And can anyone give a straight answer as to whether that line is visible to the referee during instant replay challenges?

2) The Eagles final play last week was awful, and it started with the formation. Double tight with only Hank Baskett flanked out wide to the left. This formation and personnel allowed the Giants to pack 10 defenders into the box to stop the run. Why wasn't DeSean Jackson in the game to give even the appearance of a deep threat and maybe make the safety play a little more honest?

3) For all of the talk about all of the teams in front of the Eagles for playoff spots, the fact remains they are on pace for 10 wins, which usually is enough to get you in. Pay no attention to the number of teams in front of them. History shows that losses - and strange losses - befall teams throughout the season (see, Eagles, Bears and Giants).

The Eagles should beat the Bengals today, the Ravens on the road against a rookie QB next week and the Browns in two weeks coming off a 10 day rest. Which means they only have to find 2 wins among games against the Cardinals, Redskins, Giants, and Cowboys. Really, if they are to have any playoff shot, they have to win at least one against an NFC East team. they should also be favored against a Cardinals team traveling to Philly on a very short week. Mark my words, they should still get to 10 wins, with 11 not being completely out of the question.

11-5? it is still possible. 10-6. Very likely.

Crossing the Line

The networks superimposed red line indicating the line of scrimmage is "unofficial," except when officials use it to determine replay challenges. Or is that only against the Eagles?

#14? Really?

We’re all still trying to process the reasoning behind Cole Hamels’ decision to wear AJ Feeley’s #14 jersey Sunday night as an honorary captain of the team. Understandably, his fellow honorary co-captain Pat Burrell wore #5, though I couldn’t see if it said “Burrell” or “McNabb” on the back. But Feeley for Hamels?

 

Are they friends or workout buddies? It is such an odd, bizarre choice: the third string/disaster quarterback. My brother likened it – if the teams roles were reversed – in McNabb coming out in a Kyle Kendrick or Tom Gordon jersey. I can’t believe more hasn’t been made of Hamels’ strange jersey decision and sought an explanation for it.

 

 

 

 

 

More Random Thoughts from the Giants Game

·         Fan reaction to the offensive introductions: as always, Jon Runyan and McNabb got big ovations. But the biggest cheers were reserved for DeSean Jackson and the biggest for Brian Westbrook. TE LJ Smith got booed.

·         A real missed opportunity for the Eagles video department. During the pre-kickoff video montage of Rocky interspliced with Eagles highlights meant to whip the crowd into a frenzy, a couple of Phillies highlights from the World Series – any of Ryan Howard’s home runs, Burrell’s 8^th inning game 5 blast, Lidge’s final strikeout – would have blown the roof off the Linc (if it had a roof). Come to think of it, maybe that’s why they didn’t include it.

·         Speaking of opening kickoff, why did Tom Coughlin choose to receive the opening kick after winning the coin toss and having to send his offense out there while the crowd was so fired up. He should have deferred and taken the ball in the second half and let the Eagles offense go first. It backfired even further when Mike Patterson intercepted Manning, the Eagles scored and the crowd was even more frenzied for the second possession (of course, they quieted down during the ensuing touchdown drive).

 

 

 

Baskett's Catch

How did Hank Baskett and his playmate fiancé even meet? She's lived in the playboy mansion since 2004. Baskett went to college at New Mexico and has played for the Eagles for the past two years.

Theories among my friends is that Jeff Garcia made the love connection. He’s married to another playmate and he was on the Eags in '06, when Hank Baskett made a potential season-saving catch from Garcia in New Orleans, only to have it called back for holding. Maybe for a consolation prize Garcia brought him to the mansion.

Another friend thinks Baskett did it on his own. “He’s a pro athlete. They are at the mansion all the time. I dont find the news surprising in the least,” he says.

To which my brother counters: He was an undrafted player who had like 10 career catches before this year. Yes, I am very surprised. She’s not just “some” playmate. She was one of Hef’s top girls/girlfriends. And Baskett? He is the 4th or 5th WR on the depth chart.

Who took Baskett there – Jason Avant, G Lewis, Kevin Curtis – those guys can’t have any juice. Does Baskett hang around Scott Baio? Seriously, very surprised. Wouldn’t be as surprised if it was a good player, but the former WAC high jump champ. This is like Kevin Elster banging broads in the middle of games. Strawberry or Doc sure, but Elster? No way.

They Might Be Giants

My Giants friend writes:

Giants tried to lose the ball by their decisions not to run it down your throat on every play (although they finally did at very end). I was going bonkers

 

To which I respond:

            Quite honestly, it was a relief to us every time the giants chose 1) not to run the ball and 2) to pass to somebody other than Plaxico.

Why they didnʼt run Jacobs 40 times and throw to Burress the other 20 is beyond me.

 

 

So Predictable

Though I was at the game last night, friends who watched it on NBC tell me that in the post-game studio, Reid’s play calling was so predictable – particularly the final two failed running plays of the night – Westbrook sweep for two yards, Westbrook off right tackle for no gain – - that Patrick and Collinsworth mocked Big Red because Tiki Barber was calling out what the plays were going to be on third and fourth before they were run.

 

Let me tell you how predictable Reid is.. so predictable that it was nearly a carbon copy of last year’s Giants-Eagles game at the Linc.

 

That game, of course, is known for Akers doinking a 63 yarder off the upright that would have tied it at the end of regulation. But what is often overlooked is the Eagles second to last possession of that game. I remember it as one of the worst clock management fiasco’s of Andy Reid’s tenure – which is saying something. But the playcalling was nearly exactly as we saw last night. No wonder Tiki and the Giants knew what was coming.

 

I looked up the exact play by play from last year

 

1st and 10 from Giatns 48 with 3:11 to go – Bucky runs up the middle for 5 yards

2nd-5, NYG43 2:55     B. Westbrook rushed to the right for no gain

3rd-5, NYG43 2:19     B. Westbrook rushed to the left for 1 yard loss

4th-6, NYG44   1:57     D. McNabb incomplete pass down the middle

 

Putting aside the terrible clock management – pass happy Reid decides to run the ball 3 straight times to take the clock under 2:00 and wastes the 2 minute warning for his defense!?!?

 

Even last year, Westbrook couldn’t gain a yard or two or 3 when they needed it most. So last night is no surprise.

 

Seriously, since all the Philly media that will have an opportunity to ask Reid questions at today’s press conference were at the game last night, who will know/ask about Tiki was calling all the Eagles plays? Who in the media will call Reid out on it?

 

I wish predications about Marty taking over the playcalling in the wake of last night’s final drive fiasco were correct, but that his not the history of Reid and this team. Reid will always be involved in calling the plays…to the detriment of the offense. (and how ridiculous is it that you can’t get a straight answer from the head coach about who is actually and in the end calling the offensive plays).

Schematic

As in, “we couldn’t gain a freakin’ yard when we needed it most yesterday because of our ‘schematics.’”

 

See also, player personnel.

 

 

Reid's Word of the Day...

Courtesy of today’s perennially phlegmatic press conference…

 

“Schematic”

Nice Catch!

Hank Baskett engaged to Hef's old girlfriend. She’s lived in the playboy mansion since 2004. Baskett went to college at New Mexico and has played for the Eagles for the past two years. How do you think they even met?

Phillies not Eagles

The nut graph of Bob Ford’s insightful piece about how the Phillies, and not the Eagles, were the Philly team to parade down Broad Street with a championship trophy:

 

The Eagles made four straight trips to the conference championship game, advancing to the Super Bowl on the last of those. Since that game - that three-point loss to the Patriots that is best remembered for the wretched two-minute drill and the retching quarterback - the see-saw has steadily shifted on its fulcrum.

 

They are 28-27 in the regular season since and the air of expectation has slowly escaped from the balloon. The stadium is still packed, the revenue is still streaming into the organization and the Eagles have pulled off the difficult exacta of remaining popular while not being particularly liked. The fans root for them with their heads, but have zipped their scarred hearts into a back pocket for safe keeping.

Pat the Bat

My brother has been asking people for days – do they keep Burrell if he hits the GW, series clinching HR in walkoff fashion?  Some said no.  Wed night everyone he asked (he was at the game) said yes – just trot him out there every game and get cheered forever.  “Came close to actually happening.  Wish it were a homer,” he said.

 

He further reports there were “great “Charlie” chant after game.  Seemed very loud.  Definitely best chant, the boos for Selig were good too.  Burrell also got lots of love.  He seemed to really enjoy the moment –he spent more time than anyone high fiving fans as team went around the park with trophy.”

 

That ties in with some interesting comments by Burrell after the game about how he thinks he, more than any of the other players, now understands the Phillies fans.

 

It was a great article too, as whoever wrote it reviewed the excitement about Burrell’s great initial promise, the huge contract, the underperformance, the boos, the solid numbers and the grudging acceptance of the fans.

 

I think too he understands that he’s not going to be a Phillie next year and he got what will probably be the biggest hit of his entire career Wednesday night.  So I think he also understands that he’s going down in Phillies lore.

 

How crazy would the stadium have gotten if he had actually hit it out?

 

My opinion is that I think I want Pat Burrell to leave now. Go get another 8 figure contract with another team, probably in the AL as a DH, with my blessing.

 

What I don’t want is for you to be in a slump next August and hear the boos after you strikeout swinging with the patented “Pat Burrell ass-out flailing whiff.”

 

No, what I want is for the longest-tenured member of the 2008 championship team, the once promising hitter turned veteran slugger with bad feet, who put up with more than his fair share of abuse over the years, to be fondly remembered and wildly cheered every single time he steps foot in Citizens Bank Ballpark for getting the big hit that was the winning/clinching run of the world series.

 

 

A Winner

This email included in Rich Hoffman’s column today sums up so much about the Philly fan experience and captures a lot of my own feelings as well. It actually kind of misted me up.

 

"My uncle, who worked for KYW-1060, took me to my first game back in '85 just after my father passed away. I was 7 at the time and still remember the red and yellow seats at the Vet. Little did I know or understand that then and there I'd become a Philly fan. I now reside in Chicago and have put up with massive amounts of crap because of my sometimes painful loyalty to teams that don't pull through. But now that's different. As of last night, with the Phils winning, I now know what it's like to root for and feel like I'm a part of a winner."

   - Brendan

 

Hallelujah!!!

HALLELUJAH!!!!

 

 

MLB scheduling

Weirdly, MLB has scheduled game 6 - if necessary - for tomorrow night but is still listing game 7's date as "TBD."

Strategery

Kind of interesting strategy tonight.

who will be the Phillies first pinch hitter? I'm thinking Greg Dobbs, their best lefthanded bat. Will Maddon allow the right hander Balfour pitch to him and then Rollins (switch), & Werth (r) before bringing in a lefty to pitch to Utley and Howard?

Or will Maddon burn a lefty first (not Price)?

with the Rays pitcher up fourth in the next innning, i don't think they will bring price in till after they get their ups in the top of the 7th. They are still too high in the order for a double switch in the bottom of the 6th, the most likely candidate being Baldelli i would guess, but he will be up in the 7th. It will be important for the Phils to set them down in order in the 7th but by then they could do a double switch.

Knowing Price will be pitching in the later innings and not in the 6th makes me think Dobbs will be the call at that point. I checked some stats and Stairs has 2 strikeouts and a sac fly against Balfour this year so don't think i will be him.

If Burrell gets up in the 6th it means they've scored so I think Bruntlett probably comes in as a defensive substitution in the 7th.

who will pitch the 7th for the Phils? I hope it is Eyre. Durbin was shaky against them earlier. Ideally, they get out of the inning and can pitch Madson in the 8th and Lidge in 9th. i would hold Romero in reserve for any needed tough outs  - like Pena. If

this short game sucks, but it is kind of interesting strategy-wise.

BTW, my brother is  going to the game - again - tonight. 6 rows back in leftfield. He's been up in Philly all day on business. says it is misting rain right now and that there were patches of snow in Doylestown this morning.

Rain delay

What absolutely galls me is that Selig is somehow getting credit for making the call to suspend the game when he, once again, is a profile in cowardice.

1)      The game should not have been started.

2)      Selig is lying when he says forecasts indicated the game could be played

3)      Really the game should have been stopped in the 4th inning but I'm guessing Selig didn't want the heat for actually having to cancel a World Series game and have to make it up.

4)      If I heard once, I heard a thousand times in the lead up to Saturday's game that the overriding concern of baseball when it comes to inclement weather in a post-season game is that they don't want to stop a game once it has already started.

5)      Monday night's conditions were completely unworthy of a championship game

6)      This whole thing about how selig let both teams know the game would not be called is kind of shady. It seems that neither Maddon, Manuel, or any of the players knew this. Gillick and the Rays GM never communicated it to their teams or managers? That's kind of strange.

7)      I don't know what input the rays or Phillies had in the ultimate decision to play, but it is in the end the commissioner's call. And he blew it. I also think it telling that the Phillies are furious at the whole situation - which is why you didn't see Manuel or any other phillie in the post-game press conference.

Thoughts on the Suspended Game

Ultimately they did the correct thing - in stopping the game - they didn't have much of a choice given the weather, but fundamentally, that game should not have even started last night. Selig is lying through his teeth when he says the weather reports suggested they could get the entire game in. That's what absolutely galls me.

And really, if the game was never going to be called -  why didn't they suspend the game an inning or two earlier?

Selig's Folly

The Washington Post's Dave Shenin neatly captures the essence of Bud Selig's leaderlesship and the countless questions that remain from his decisions/nondecisions on Monday night:

While Tuesday provided a day of rest and a chance to plot strategy for Wednesday night's resumption of play, it also invited further scrutiny of what occurred -- and what almost occurred -- during the extraordinary events of Monday night.

Much of the criticism of MLB's handling of the situation focused on the timing of the stoppage, in the middle of the sixth inning -- shortly after Carlos Peña's RBI single tied the game. Playing conditions began to deteriorate rapidly beginning in around the fifth inning, at which point, had it been a regular season game, play almost certainly would have been halted.

However, if the game had been halted in the bottom of the fifth or top of the sixth, with the Phillies ahead by a run, Selig -- who had already decided the game would played to completion, no matter what, and had conveyed that intention to both managers before the game -- would have been forced to utilize his vaguely outlined "best interests of the game" powers to suspend a game that, by rule, would have been over, with the Phillies claiming a rain-shortened victory.

But neither manager informed his players of Selig's intentions to play nine innings regardless, which, in the case of the Rays, had them playing the top of the sixth inning as if it were the ninth, with the possibility of elimination bearing down on them.

"We thought we had to score," Rays left fielder Carl Crawford told reporters. "We thought we'd better do something, or that was going to be it."

Ump

Oh yeah. And that was an atrociously umpired game last night. Between the baldelli strike out cum walk and Rollins hit batsman, it was not a major league umped game.

 

 

Rain?

I gotta think the Phillies will push to have game 3 postponed if there is the slightest bit of rain. Then they can pitch Myers in game 5 at home rather than game 6 back in Tampa.

 

Weirdly, the decision – which is MLB’s – may come down to tv ratings and their concern that the already low viewership could be decimated by people in the Philadelphia tempted to tune in (or not come back to the game after a rain delay) to the Penn State-Ohio State game which will air head to head with the world series tomorrow night..

 

Pk, your plan can still hold – just doing it on Sunday and not Saturday…though it will make for an exhausting Monday morning.

 

As bad as last night was – could you ask for more than sending both Utley and howard up as the tying run in the 9th?

 

Werth’s first inning error was the difference in the game.

 

Ruiz and victorino need to be moved up in the order. Even feliz is producing more than the top of the order.

Factoid of Interest Only to Me?

All of the Phillies World Series losses have been to every other team in the AL East.

 

 

Game 1, Con't.

A friend writes:

 

what a win.

I watched it in a suburbia Detroit office park shopping center bar, without sound. After Chase's homer, I decided I couldn't leave until we were behind. Couldn't do anything to change the momentum. Sure enough, we never fell behind.

That said, I've no clue what McCarver and Buck were saying but a big World Series moment came in the bottom of 5th -- because the game was in Tampa, the 9-hole slot came up and their guy got a hit, their PH guy. Then stole a base, and then the damn Japanese guy slapped another single.

If it was in Philly, if it was an NL game, Kazmir would have come out for a PH -- in which case we get to their pen earlier -- and we would have gotten to their 'pen earlier.

As for how bad we were with men in scoring position, yes, it sucks. We were terrible. Howard was the worst he's been, just about all year. Might have been his worst game of the season. But, we won. Which is better than being down 1-0 and hating how Howard played.

Now, on to something else that I never realized until tonight, until I had the time to really bear down on these Rays. They're a good team, but not a great team. There's not a single guy in the lineup who hit .300 for the season in their lineup.

Also, as for power, it's just Pena (31 HRs in about 140 games) and Longoria. Mr. Desperate Housewife is gonna be great, and I don't doubt that. But he hit just 27 HRs in about 130 games he played. For the season, he has the power equivalence of Burrell/Utley.

Again, this Rays team is really good, but go back and look at their season-long stats. (Not the post-season stats, the reg season.)

They aren't great. We aren't facing the '04 Red Sox or the '00 Yankees.

Game 1

Whew. 1 down, 3 to go.

 

Howard looks just totally lost at the plate, especially last night. Hopefully he can hit a homer that gets him back in his groove.

 

Hamels just gets better and better. Madson too. For a guy that was mediocre for the phils for a long time, he’s really found his niche as Lidge’s set up man. Both teams’ relievers throw heat.

 

I really wish Fox would show each players season stats when they’re up at bat and not just the post-season ones so you can see what the guy has done over the course of 162 games and not just 10. That said, the Rays had a huge power surge vs. the red sox but they’re not that much of a power team – as Pk pointed out.

 

Still don’t know how I feel about victorino tagging from third. It definitely shifted the momentum the rays way after that. could werth have knocked him in? it wasn’t that deep a flyball and upton has a good arm. On the other hand, even with a perfect throw and tag Victorino was only out by a 8 inches.

 

Phils got a lot of breaks last night on calls. Especially victorino not getting called out on the pick off at 2^nd  and the Hamels non-balk.

 

In the early innings I thought all the stranded runners meant the phils were putting constant pressure on the Rays – and being aggressive on the bases. In the later innings, I was afraid the phils were going to blow the game and look back at all the missed scoring opportunities.

 

Did you notice Maddon’s lineup was lefty-righty-lefty the entire way through?

 

Play of the game: Feliz’s spear of the liner and double play with the bases loaded.

Honorable mention Utley’s 2 run homer

Red October Likes and Dislikes

What i don't like - the team sitting around a whole week with no games to play. especially a team that was so hot sitting around just cooling off.

 

What i do like - maybe the rest will have done ryan howard some good. he couldn't be any worse in the world series, could he?

 

What i don't like - the rays are riding high

 

What i do like - Cole Hamels starting in game 1. the key to the whole series might be getting the phils back into the swing of things quickly. a hamels’ game 1 win would go a long way toward that. (as stark pointed out, sort of like the white sox contreras winning game 1 for a team that had sat for a week.

 

What i don't like - homefield advantage to the rays and brett myers not getting a home start in the entire series

 

What i do like - the rays barely beat a red sox team that doesn't have half the talent the phillies do right now.

 

What i do like - all the interest and predictions are for the rays. gammons was the only one of the espn baseball experts to pick the phillies to win the series and he was the only one who thought it would go past 5-6 games.

 

 

 

shocking stat of the day

Courtesy of Jayson Stark

 

Another August trade (in 2006), another trade for a player Gillick went way back with, to their days in Seattle. Moyer was 43 when the Phillies traded for him and was viewed by some folks as being close to the end of the trail.

 

Well, apparently not. Since then, he has exactly the same record (35-21) as Josh Beckett and Carlos Zambrano. In fact, only six pitchers in baseball have more wins than Moyer since that trade.

 

 

Football World Series?

Both USA Today and the NY Times play the Buccaneers vs. Eagles NFC Championship game angle in setting up the Tampa Rays-Philadelphia Phillies 2008 World Series Contest.

 

 

Out of the Hunt

Multiple wrong answers on Tony Hunt.

 

McCoy DUI

Matt McCoy gets a DUI. Can this guy do anything right?

 

Black Tuesday

The Cowboys do whatever it takes to upgrade their team by trading 1st, 3rd and 6th round picks for Lions' WR Roy Williams.

The Eagles wind up cutting Tony Hunt, last year's 3rd round pick and in the process highlight their gross misjudgement in draft picks. And it's not like Tony Hunt was a fluke. The Eagles cut their previous 3rd round pick, Ryan Moats, this preseason.

The difference could not be more stark. The Cowboys, already with TO at wideout, went out and landed a professional WR.

The Eagles with Hank Baskett and Reggie Brown at the top of the depth chart aren't willing to trade the Panthers' # 1 pick (or the Eagles' own #1) and Tony Hunt or Ryan Moats and a 6th round pick for Roy Williams. Simply incredible!

Are the Eagles really going to rely on kevin curtis fully recovering from hernia surgery done 7 weeks ago? Seriously? that's the game plan? With Westbrook currently out nursing cracked ribs?

Yes, WR take about 6-8 weeks to learn an offense. how perfect that Williams will be getting fully up to speed just in time for the playoff stretch drive. The Eagles certainly wouldn't want to make a 8 week investment in Williams that way - not the way they are currently doing with Abiamiri or Curtis.

Note to the Philly sports media that for months complained that a trade for Anquan Bolding, Ocho Cinco or Roy Williams was a fan fantasy and would never happen. Guess what? The fans were right.

Say what you want about Jerry Jones. And a lot has been said. But he gets things done. And closed a deal that improves his team. All while the Eagles dithered and couldn't make a move.

One team made a move to upgrade WR with TO on the team. The other couldn't part with a too precious 3rd round future pick while cutting a previous 3rd round pick that would have been the difference between Reggie Brown or Roy Williams lining up opposite rookie phenom Desean Jackson.

I'm disgusted. The Cowboys have their eyese on the super bowl. The Eagles have their eyes on the wild card.

So?

My brother writes:

 

Why is So Taguchi on the team?  It's like Andy Reid had some say in that personnel decision just worthless.  It's like Manuel doesn't care about righties off the bench (like Reid and punt returners and WR's).

 

Lefties - Jenkins, Dobbs, Stairs

Righties - Bruntlett, coste, taguchi

 

Unbelievable.

 

Special Teams Punishment

Eagles special teams have committed a third of the team’s total number of penalties (7 of 23) through five games, an astonishing number considering how few plays have the special teams on the field compared to the number of offensive and defensive snaps.

 

Just one more reason why Rory Segrest is a lousy special teams coach. His players are undisciplined and penalty-prone.

No 2nd Half Team

This article was written before the Redskins-Eagles game. Sadly, it still holds even more truth afterwards.

www.delawareonline.com/article/20081005/SPORTS02/810050375/1002/SPORTS

 

What happens to the Eagles offense after halftime? Or even the 2^nd quarter?

 

Angry

The Phillies NLDS win did not dampen my anger at the Eagles one bit.

I’m so tired and angry at Reid. It’s time people stop bashing McNabb and focus on the fundamental reason for this team’s offensive ineptitude and lack of success.

I’m angry at Reid’s lousy play calling. I’m tired of the questionable personnel acquisitions. I’m tired of their inability to get a real fullback or deploy a blocking tight end or to start WRs that were actually drafted by somebody. I’m tired of starting a season without a legitimate punt returner and having that simple fact cost us the Packers game last year.

I’m angry at having the “largest offensive line” in the league be blown off the ball near the goal line and on short yardage downs. I’m tired of the offense’s inability to gain 3 yards when they really need it. I’m tired of all the freakin’ pass plays. I’m tired of 3rd and short being a passing down – the resulting incomplete or 2 yard swing pass – and a punt.

I’m infuriated at the sheer incompetence of clock management and replay challenges – he doesn’t challenge plays he should and does plays he shouldn’t.

I’m tired of hearing how Reid and Mohrninweg split the playcalling, just like I was tired of hearing how Reid and Childress split the playcalling. I’m tired of a head coach who was never anything more than a QB coach, be so involved in calling the plays. I’m tired of those plays being so predictable that even I can figure out what is coming (i.e., a running play on second down after a 1st down incomplete).

I’m tired of this defense having to carry the team and overcome the offense’s deficiencies. Quite honestly, if there were another head coach and Reid were the offensive coordinator and Jim Johnson the defensive coordinator, Reid would have been fired several years ago for not holding up his side of the bargain and a new offensive coach brought it.

Unfortunately, Kevin Kolb will not address any of Andy Reid’s fundamental flaws as a coach. they will still be there and we will have to continue to endure them.

The only good news is that while the Eagles have dug themselves a quite a hole for themselves in the first five games of the season, there are still plenty of games to play and their schedule really eases up.

Beat the Niners, bye, beat the Falcons, beat the Seahawks. All extremely winnable games against inferior opponents.

5-3 going into the November 9 Giants game. That is the game of the season, the one that will likely determine the Eagles fate.

Burt Hooten = CC?

A friend asks:

 

Did yesterday's game remind anyone of the infamous Game 3 against the Dodgers in '77 when the Vet fans just took over the show and completely dominated an opposing team's pitcher?

Maybe I'm overstating it, but the entire fate of this series was all wrapped into that 1st Myers at bat. The crowd was sorta in the game, we'd been hitting CC -- 3 doubles at that point -- but he still looked dominant against most batters.

Then, 0-2, Myers hits the foul ball. The crowd went crazy. A couple more foul balls and a couple balls, the crowd goes crazier. By the time he got the count to 3-2, CC was completely rattled. You could see it, he'd been squeezed on 1 or 2 pitches, but he was baffled. As I think Smoltz said, I've never seen a walk that didn't directly score a run draw that kind of reaction ever from a crowd.

At that point, CC was toast. A 4-pitch walk to JRoll, and the crowd was in a pandemonium. You could almost feel the grand salami coming.

Anyway, it was Hooton (or Hooten?) all over again. Except this time we kept our cool and slammed the door.

 

 

To which my brother, who was at the game yesterday, concurs:

 

I was sitting in row 29 parallel with 3^rd base.  My buddy leaned over after the inning (the 2^nd) and said he honestly felt crowd got to CC.  the Myers at-bat was AWESOME.  It is no accident that he walked Rollins next (I believe on 4 pitches).  There were some serious CC sucks and CC (drawn out) chants during both at-bats.  Myers was down 0-2 and after the first foul people started getting really into it.

 

Fact – I know this because I was watching CC’s pitch count half the game hoping to get him out of there – by the time CC went through the order twice (in the 4^th).  He had 82 pitches.  19 of them to Myers.  Think about that.  It’s unbelievable.  Especially considering Myers batted .069 for the year.  After Myers 2^nd at-bat (10 pitches) Rollins hit a double.

It's LJ's Back

This story is the first I’ve seen in the Philadelphia media that actually specifies what kind of injury LJ Smith has. The ambiguity of Smith’s injury has been surprising. In his last two Monday afternoon press conference when he updates the injury status of his players, Andy Reid has not identified the location of Smith’s injury, only that he was healing.

 

Deep in Les Bowen’s story we learn LJ suffered a back injury in the 3^rd quarter against the Steelers.

Uh-oh

Brian Westbrook’s brother, who plays for the Redskins, is quoted in today’s Washington Post as saying that his ankle injury is more serious than the Eagles are letting on.

Phillies Talking Points

From Slate Magazine's Playoff Primer:

After a slow start, Ryan Howard led all of baseball with 48 home runs and 146 RBI—including 10 homers and 28 RBI in September. Nevertheless, the Phillies are the only playoff team in recent memory that's built around its middle infielders. Lucky for the Phillies, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins are really, really good—Utley hit .292 with 33 home runs and a .380 OBP while Rollins, although down from his usual numbers, nonetheless hit .277 and stole 47 bases. It doesn't matter that the outfield is mediocre or that the starting staff gets battered after Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer. As long as Utley and Rollins are in, you can't count the Phillies out.

Historical context: Just like in 2007, the Phillies came from behind in September to take the division away from the New York Mets. Unlike in 2007, it didn't feel like a fluke this year. And also unlike 2007, the Mets will never, ever, ever have the chance to win a playoff game in Shea Stadium again and will send that stadium to its grave not in a spirit of celebration but of defeat. Eat it, New York City! Eat it, Mets! Philly! Woooo!

Thank You Dale Sveum!

For your incredibly boneheaded decision to start CC Sabathia in game 2 today on three days rest, again. Your decision-making is positively Bud Selig-like and may well hand the NLDS to the Phillies.

 

Sabathia may pitch effectively for 7 innings today. But there is a greater likelihood that Sveum has gone to the well once too often with Sabathia on short rest during the Brewers stretch drive and he will pitch about as well as Ben Sheets did on 3 days rest last Saturday, lasting just 2 1/3 innings. What then for the Brew Crew?

 

Sveum is pitching Sabathia today so that he can pitch again in a game 5 if there is one. Trouble is, that would also be on 3 days rest. The chances are even greater that Sabathia will be ineffective on Tuesday (if needed).

 

Aren’t any of the Brewers other fully rested starters better than an exhausted and overused Sabathia? Sveum obviously doesn’t think so.

 

What would have been the smarter play on the Brewers part would have been to pitch their 3^rd starter in the rotation (now their 2^nd guy after Sheets was left off the playoff roster) and try to steal the game today versus Brett Myers. That way, the Brewers get to rest Sabathia and pitch him on Saturday in game 3 with an extra day of regular rest.

 

If the Brewers win today, they would then get to pitch their ace in game 3 that could put them one win away from winning the series and really ratchet up the pressure on the Phillies.

 

If the Brewers lost today, they would still get to pitch their ace in game 3 to stave off elimination.

 

I suppose some of this was dictated by yesterday’s result. Maybe Sveum would have had second thoughts after a win and moved Sabathia back a game in the rotation. Obviously, after the loss he doesn’t want his team to go down 2-0 in the series.

 

The problem is that game 3 is the pivotal game, not game 2. And don’t discount how demoralizing it would be for the Brewers – and what a momentum builder it would be for the Phils – for their ace to lose and be on the brink of elimination with little left to backstop Sabathia in the rotation.

 

My guess is that Sabathia doesn’t last five innings today. And the Brewers will find themselves in a 2-0 hole with no help on the horizon headed back to Milwaukee for the pivotal game 3 that could very well decide the series.

 

 

148!

First Phillies playoff win since game 5 of the 1993 world series when the Phillies beat the Blue Jays 2-0 and Curt Schilling threw 148! Pitches.

Sinking feeling

Yes, he’s still a perfect 42 for 42 in save opportunities this season, but Brad Lidge is getting less and less dominant and struggling more and more for each save.

 

Why do I have the sinking feeling that Lidge’s first blown save of the season will come in game 7 of the NLCS or the World Series.

Perfect Ending

How appropriate that the decisive division-clinching double play that won the East title involved the entire bedrock foundation of the Phillies’ roster: Rollins, Utley, and Howard.

 

How ironic that the heart of the Phillies order more known for their offensive punch made the difference in the field and not in the batter’s box.

 

Go Phillies!

Press coverage

gotta love the quality of sports journalism...or is the low quality merely confined to Philadelphia.

In the wake of a brutally disappointing loss to the mediocre Bears - including poor clock management, offensive execution,& playcalling - and the first three questions posed to AndyReid in his press coference are about his kicker David Akers & whether he's "lost" it after missing 2 45-plus figgies into a swirling wind.