Hamels and Harper

On the Hamels thing:

 I don't understand why Hamels said he tried to hit Harper.

But I really don't understand everyone coming out criticizing Hamels and how ripped the Nats are. Just watched the espn guys all say that Pence better watch out vs. the Nats.

3)      Why isn't anyone mentioning that Hamels got hit later in the same game. According to the Nats' view, it's gutless to throw at their guy but not our guy?

Why hasn't anyone asked Zimmerman if he tried to hit Hamels? If Nats' GM Mike Rizzo expects the same rule his team goes by, if Pence gets hit by Strasburg than Strasburg should expect to get hit later in the same game.

Halladay

A friend writes about tonight's game:

He simply doesn't have any stamina anymore. He can't go deep into games. This is the 3rd straight game that he's melted down in the 5th or 6th inning, after great starts. He got to 2 outs and 2 strikes in the 6th inning -- after having retired 13 straight batters -- and then he simply fell apart. 

I would add that thought Halladay looked tired and laboring in the 4^th inning! After only throwing 44 pitches. He was cruising but looked spent, but I wasn't sure if that just wasn't the normal Halladay look.

 

And crap, now Papelbon just gave up a 3 run HR to blow the tie.

 

Bad loss

B Dawk

Can there be any higher praise for an Eagle than to be described as "Jim Johnson's 'go-to guy.'"

Next Stop, Canton

Congratulations to Brian Dawkins for a spectacular, Hall of Fame career. 

4 plays immediately come to mind:

1. The interception of Brett Favre in OT that lead to the game winning FG in the 4th and 22 divisional playoff game.

2. The turnover against the Cowboys at Dallas on Christmas in a must win game for the Eagles that led to a playoff spot.

3. The heat seeking missile who stopped Mike Vick on the goal line in the divisional playoff game against the Falcons at the Vet.

4. The flying leap, strip and fumble recovery against the Steelers. My kids were watching that game with me and when they showed Dawkins leap over the lineman and go horizontal -  with his arms outstretched it really did look like he was flying. My kids asked, "Daddy, is that Superman?" 

Yes, children. Yet it was. You got to watch Superman play for the Eagles.

Phillies Preview - A month late

so i was watching a long ago taped version of espn's 30 clubs/30 days preview about the Phillies.

2 things jumped out.

1. Shane Victorino bats 70 points higher when he is 2 (.306) or 5th (.308) in the order compared to lead off (.236)

and 2. baseball prospectus projected the following records for the NL East this year

88 wins

Phillies and Braves

87 wins

Marlins

83 wins

Nationals

71 wins

Mets

The Best for Howard?

My friend also writes:

Meanwhile, assuming that he can come back from the Achilles injury and again become a 35-homer guy, or more, for a few more seasons, let me say something controversial: The Achilles injury is the greatest thing to happen to Ryan Howard since we won the World Series.

Here's why: When he grounded out to end the 2011 season against StL, 96% of the Phils phans blamed one person and one person only: Ryan Howard.

Now that we've started out this season so incredibly sluggish offensively, 96% of the phans are blaming one thing: Howard's absence from the middle of the lineup.

A Tale of Two Teams

A friend writes:

I think it's unequivocal what's going on here -- 1 team with a long history of having a very good eye at the plate, the Phillies, has lost its marbles; another team with a history of having a terrible eye at the plate, the Nats, now has one of the best in MLB.)
 
HITTING
Team batting averages:
Nats, .249
Phillies .248
Team slugging %s:
Nats .334
Phillies .331
Team home runs
Nats 6
Phillies 6
Team stolen bases
Phillies 12 (caught 1 time)
Nats 7 (caught 2 times)

PITCHING
ERA
Nats 1.92 (best in NL)
Phillies 2.48 (2nd best)
BB
Nats 39 walks issued (best of teams that played 13 games so far)
Phillies 24 (best of teams that played 12 games)
WHIP
Nats 1.01 (best in NL)
Phillies 1.10 (3rd best)

So, these are two insanely balanced teams. The Nats have an almost negligible difference tipped in their favor offensively; pitching wise, their ERA is better, clearly, but the Phils are walking far fewer people. Anyway, these are 2 teams that are incredibly balanced and -- by all these measures -- should have roughly the same record. They don't. The Nats are 4.5 games ahead of the Phillies. Why is that case? For one reason, and one single reason alone: they take pitches and walk.
HITTING
Bases on balls:
Nats 57 walks (No. 1 in NL)
Phillies 20 (tied for last with Pirates)
OBP
Nats .335 (tied for 2nd)
Phillies .284 (14th)

http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/sortable.jsp#sectionType=st&playerType=QUALIFIER&statType=hitting&page_type=SortablePlayer&season=2012&season_type=ANY&sportCode=%27mlb%27&league_code=%27NL%27&split=&team_id=&active_sw=&game_type=%27R%27&position=&sortOrder=%27desc%27&sortColumn=avg&results=&page=1&perPage=50&timeframe=&extended=0&last_x_days=&ts=1334859863229&tab_level=child&click_text=Sortable+Team+hitting

Scheduling good news

Remember this now.

The Phillies play 6 of their last 9 games of the season against the Nationals. And with Stephen Strasburg limited to 160 innings this year, it's practically assured that the Phils' won't have to face the Nationals' ace at all in the homestretch.

Stat that may be of interest only to me

How is it that Shane Victorino didn't attempt a bunt the entire 2011 season?

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20120228_Pierre_leads_Phils_in_the_art_of_bunting.html

3-4

Wow, Utley-Howard didn't even make the honorable mention in Jayson Stark's column about the best 3-4 lineups in baseball while discussing Fielder's new contract.

Not sure if it's cause Howard's hurt or Utley's been struggling.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/hotstove11/story/_/id/7500071/miguel-cabrera-prince-fielder-pack-powerful-3-4-punch

Media elite

John King = Bernie Shaw?

Newt Gingrich shows Mike Dukakis how to answer a personal debate question

TO?

The Patriots hiring of free agent coach Josh McDaniel last week in the middle of their playoff run had plenty of people chiming in about the appropriateness of a coach, particularly a former head coach for the team the Patriots are playing, joining a staff just prior to the playoff game. Some tried to equate it with free agent players joining teams during the post-season.

Of course, that is the reason why player contracts run through March - to avoid this possibility. But there are players that have been released who aren't contractually bound by these restrictions. 

And then there is one player who wasn't even under contract this year and could conceivably still join a team.

How crazy would it be if the Niners won tomorrow's game and then signed Terrell Owens for the super bowl?

TO is a former Niner. The Niners need help at WR. And with the two week super bowl break, he would have time to learn a fair amount of the plays - certainly way more than if he had only a week to prepare.

Truly circus maximus.

Wierd only to me?

NFL referee Gene Stenatore is also a college basketball referee?!?

Nice Al

Al Michaels just referred to the Saints 4th quarter TD as a "kill shot" touchdown. Nothing like referencing gun violence and murder - in New Orleans no less - to the nation's game.

Flag?

Congratulations to the University of Michigan for winning last night's Sugar Bowl on a field goal in overtime. The announcers didn't mention it - other than to marvel at the ability of the Michigan kicker to make the field goal after a stutter first step BEFORE THE BALL WAS SNAPPED.

My question is shouldn't the kicker have been flagged for illegal motion or a false start because of his stutter, false step just before the snap?

It's ironic that some football plays are endlessly scrutinized and reviewed in slow motion to determine if a pass was actually caught, but a kicker can commit an infraction in front of the world (and the refs) and not a word is said about the lack of a penalty call.

Revival or Collapse?

One of the things (among many) that is driving me crazy about all the articles now being written about whether Reid keeps his job or not is this (and this is a question the reporters should be asking themselves before they write the story as well as Lurie should ask himself): What is the purpose of firing Reid? Is it to "punish" him for a poor season that was the result of some of his pre-season moves? Or is it that there is a belief that another coach can make the team more of a success in 2012? And if it is the second, then the follow up question is who is that coach?

My own take is that we're the 2008 Saints (or the 2009-11 Packers - lost a playoff game one year (to those same 2008 Saints), then snuck in to the playoffs as a wildcard (what the Eagles almost did this year - sneaking in), and then dominating the league the following season).

There's too much talent on this team to "blow it up" and "rebuild," though as my brother has long noted there is no such thing as "rebuilding" in the 21st century NFL.

We lost a lot of close games, some on flukey plays (Ronnie Brown's goal line "pass" vs. the Niners, missed FGs, and others on turnovers).

On offense, you've got a franchise-caliber QB, an all-pro RB, a couple of skill position playmakers and a solid O-line.

The D improved steadily throughout the season as much as the Juan Castillo haters hate to admit it. And he did it with a bunch of lousy LBs, terrible safety play, and an at times non-existent DRC (and Nnamdi for that matter). Let's face it, Samuels was the best corner on the team this year, and they're probably unloading him this offseason. I've come around enough to believe Castillo deserves another year as coordinator. Related to the questions above re: Reid, who are they bringing in to replace him? I don't believe the Spags rumors.

I guess the larger answer to your question is that this team is on the verge of a revival. Now where they are next year depends entirely on Vick and whether Reid gets an heir apparent to groom between now and then.

Revival or Collapse

My friend PK asks the question:

I've been a bandwagoner for how this was the 2008 Saints, that we're a super talented squad that will bounce back from 8-8 (just as Saints were in '08) and go 13-3 (as they did in '09). What's more intrinsic to us as Eagles fans, I think, is whether this is 1991 or 1994.
In '91, we had the greatest D ever but no QBs, as Randall and McMahon got hurt. We finished 10-6 and missed the playoffs. Bounced back the next year to make the playoffs and beat Bobby Hebert in NoLa. In '94, however, we had that amazing start and then folded, missing the playoffs. While we scratched our way into the '95 and '96 playoffs, the truth is, we never were contenders for anything with Mr Holly Robinson and Koy Detmer's older brother as our QBs. Truth is, our "era" ended with the collapse of '94.
Where are we now? On the verge of a revival or complete collapse?

Best Move

Lesean McCoy is inactive today vs. the Skins, one of the best decisions Reid has made all year.

The fact is that this game is utterly meaningless to the Eagles 2011 season. All actions now are geared toward making the 2012 playoffs and Super Bowl. So, just like playoff teams right now are resting their starters in preparation for this year's playoff push, the Eagles should be resting their starters to avoid injuries that could in any way impede next year's playoff campaign.

Reid's Clock Mismanagement

My friends and I recalled the 2008 Skins-Eagles game in which Reggie Brown was stopped at the goal line for what would have been the game tying score as time expired. It got us thinking about how Andy Reid's clock mismanagement has cost the Eagles at times, though there is no definitive account of how many points/games it has actually cost.

In any case, this game from 2008, a Redskins 10-3 victory is definitely one of them. While they may not have won the game, his brutal use of timeouts helped them lose the game.

Below are highlights from the ESPN play by play of the game.

Reid called his first second half timeout AFTER THE SECOND PLAY OF THE HALF! At the 14:05 mark.

They called their second timeout to stop the clock on 2nd down of the skins last offensive possession. They didn't have to use their 3rd TO on 3rd down because of a skins penalty.

they used their last timeout on their last offensive drive.

Clearly as you can see by the play by play, had they had their last timeout they in all likelihood would have been able to run at least one extra play from the 1 yard line after the Brown catch (probably in place of the McNabb spiking though they may have called it earlier in the drive. Either way, it would have saved enough time for an extra play).

Of course they may not have scored but without the TO they had no chance to do so.

Fascinating that Brown/McNabb are the goats of the game for not running the route into the end zone (deservedly so) but the larger issue that went unaddressed is Reid's carelessness with the timeouts that was just as important as the final play.

1st and 10 at PHI 17	B.Westbrook right tackle to PHI 20 for 3 yards (C.Horton; A.Montgomery).
2nd and 7 at PHI 20	(Shotgun) D.McNabb pass incomplete deep middle to D.Jackson (L.Landry, M.Washington).
	Timeout #1 by PHI at 14:05.

4th Quarter

2nd and 10 at PHI 45	C.Portis left tackle to PHI 41 for 4 yards (C.Gocong, S.Bradley).
	Timeout #2 by PHI at 04:01.

A skins holding penalty on 3rd down (declined). Skins punt.

Final Eagles drive, got the ball on their own 9 with 3:48 to go in the game.

the last several plays

3rd and 10 at WAS 29	(Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short middle to B.Westbrook to WAS 23 for 6 yards (L.Fletcher).
	Timeout #3 by PHI at 00:27.
4th and 4 at WAS 23	(Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short left to B.Westbrook to WAS 18 for 5 yards (J.Taylor).
1st and 10 at WAS 18	(No Huddle) D.McNabb spiked the ball to stop the clock.
2nd and 10 at WAS 18	(Shotgun) D.McNabb pass deep middle to R.Brown to WAS 1 for 17 yards (F.Smoot, L.Landry).The Replay Assistant challenged the runner broke the plane ruling, and the play was Upheld.
	End of Game

Concussions

Here's something I find curious and wish some intrepid reporter would look more into - hopefully the NY Times which has helped raise national attention about the problem of concussions in the NFL and all professional sports.

To wit, how is it that NHL players like Sydney Crosby and now Chris Pronger are losing entire seasons to concussions and yet not a single NFL player misses more than a week or two? Is there something about the hits the hockey players take that are different than football? Is it related to the head protection each wears? Or is it a different culture among the players wear NHLers aren't afraid to speak up while NFLers hide concussions?

It's worth exploring further.

Playoffs!?

Crazy to see that the Eagles are eliminated from the wildcard but at 6-8 still have a decent shot at winning the division. My friend Scott puts the odds of everything breaking the Eags way - winning the last two games, the Giants losing this week, and beating the Cowgirls next week - at 50%. Not great odds but ones you would certainly take a week ago.

My brother and I started to talk logistics of a playoff game (I know we're getting ahead of ourselves, but still).

In any case, have the Eagles sent any info out about playoff tickets because as a division winner they would host a game in the first round of the playoffs? Complicating things is that Monday is a national holiday so that the earliest a letter could go out to season ticket holders is Tuesday the 27th. And then the ticketholders' response would be delayed by the next national holiday on Monday, January 2nd. Which wouldn't give the team much time to turn around such ticket orders because it's entirely possible the Eagles could play on SATURDAY, January 7th.

Compounding the sensitivity and logistics of the issue are: 1) Reid fatigue. 2) Asking ticketholders to pony up for playoff tickets at a time when said team will still have a losing record. 3) The fact that the team doesn't refund playoff ticket payments but applies them to next year's bill and 4) and a not insignificant point, as a division winner the Eagles have the possibility of hosting the NFC Championship so the ticket appeal is for payment for TWO playoff games - a situation that only reinforces points 2 and 3.

Anyway, here's hoping that everything breaks the Eagles way today. They may not make the playoffs when everything is said and done, but it would be a fun week to see Cowboys fans catatonic, Giants fans despairing of another late season collapse, Eagles fans euphoric that a season which was lost 2 months ago could yield a playoff berth, and national attention to the possibility that the previously written off Eagles could be playoff bound.

Awesome!

Happy holidays.

Which is it

Last week's Bloomberg article on the Fed's massive $7.7 trillion loans to wall street banks included quotes from Judd Gregg and Barney Frank saying they had no idea of the magnitude of the Fed's lending. (interestingly, the quotes from the now retired Gregg and the soon to retire Frank are the EXACT SAME. Are they using the same talking points?)

In any case, Fed chairman Ben Bernanke has now issued a letter refuting the Bloomberg report and asserting that Congress was kept apprised of the Fed's loans. So which is it Mssrs. Gregg and Frank? Were you completely unaware of the Fed's loans or did Ben Bernanke keep you updated on all of this? Obviously, if it is the latter, Bernanke is lying.

Eagles-Giants halftime

Random thoughts from the first half:

Isn't the DeSean Jackson taunting penalty a dead ball foul? The Eagles would decline the Canty hands to the face penalty and then the Giants would accept the taunting/unsportsmanlike conduct from the point where Jackson went out of bounds?

The Eagles stopped a 3rd and 1 or 2 running play for the first time all year.

Steve Smith has been the only Giants WR to make the pro bowl in forty years!?!?

A very chippy game out there tonight.

Police Powers

Peaceful protesters at UC Davis get pepper-sprayed in what law enforcement calls "standard procedure" for non-resistant individuals.
Per Huffington Post:

a law enforcement official who watched the clip called the use of force "fairly standard police procedure." ...

Charles J. Kelly, a former Baltimore Police Department lieutenant who wrote the department's use of force guidelines, said pepper spray is a "compliance tool" that can be used on subjects who do not resist, and is preferable to simply lifting protesters.

After reviewing the video, Kelly said he observed at least two cases of "active resistance" from protesters. In one instance, a woman pulls her arm back from an officer. In the second instance, a protester curls into a ball. Each of those actions could have warranted more force, including baton strikes and pressure-point techniques.

"What I'm looking at is fairly standard police procedure," Kelly said.

Bias against Boise

ESPN's bias for the BCS plays out in a number and often subtle ways.

Like running a survey about the best 1 loss football team in the country and not including Boise St. as an option.

This is America?

Or a police state?

http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/248677/

Frazier Monument

I gotta say I agree with Jesse Jackson

From the NY Times:

 In his familiar, incantatory style, Jackson said that if Rocky, a fighter that existed only on the movie screen, deserved a statue in downtown Philadelphia, so did Frazier, a somewhat forgotten figure whose former gym in north Philadelphia is now a store that sells furniture and mattresses.
Michael A. Nutter, Philadelphia's mayor, has said he was working with the Frazier family to build a memorial, an idea that seemed to gain momentum with the rhythm of Jackson's eulogy.
"Rocky is fictitious; Joe was reality," Jackson said. "Rocky's fists are frozen in stone. Joe's fists were smokin'. Rocky never faced Ali or Holmes or Norton or Foreman. Rocky never tasted his own blood. Champions are made in the ring, not in the movies."        

More Frazier

Sorry, but I don't think Frazier ever got the recognition he deserved as a Philadelphia icon.

The SI article of that fight is fantastic sports writing - what SI used to be before it was all pro basketball/football, etc.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/centurys_best/news/1999/05/05/thrilla_manila/

From wikipedia.

As Ali began to tire from all the energy he had expended in the searing heat, Frazier turned up his own offense and began punishing Ali to the body and the head with his trademark hooks. By the sixth round, Frazier had staggered him in turn and seemed to be gaining control of the bout. At the beginning of the seventh round, Ali reportedly whispered in Frazier's ear, "Joe, they told me you was all washed up" Frazier growled back, "They told you wrong, pretty boy."^[4]
In round 14, Frazier was almost blind as he stepped in, and was met once more with punishing blows from Ali. With the punishment from Ali closing his right eye, Frazier was effectively fighting blind in the last rounds of the fight. By the 14th round Frazier was virtually helpless, and although Ali was desperately tired and hurting, he was able to summon the energy once again to give Frazier a fierce beating, and once again Frazier was staggered and nearly knocked down before the bell ended the round.
Seeing the results of round 14, Eddie Futch decided to stop the fight between rounds rather than risk a similar or worse fate for Frazier in the 15th. Frazier protested stopping the fight, shouting "I want him boss," and trying to get Futch to change his mind. Futch simply replied, "It's all over. No one will forget what you did here today", and signaled to referee Carlos Padilla to end the bout. Unknown to Frazier's corner, Ali had walked back to his own corner after the 14th and instructed Dundee to cut his gloves off. Ali later said that "Frazier quit just before I did. I didn't think I could fight any more."^[5]

Frazier

Jeremy Schapp's Frazier tribute glossed over the Ali taunting, phrasing it as "called him a loser...and worse" - while at the same time Frazier loaned Ali money as he was broke after refusing to be drafted.

You can't understand Frazier's hatred of Ali unless you know how Ali personally and, let's face it - racially demeaned him in the media.

The Original Rocky

RIP Smokin' Joe Frazier. Was there anyone who epitomized Philadelphia - both in personality and in professional career - more than Frazier? 

He was the real life Rocky.

ESPN

USA Today expose on the dark influence ESPN has on college athletics, and particularly the dismantling of the Big East.

What really caught my eye was the fact that ESPN owns and operates 7 (!) college bowl games.

Nobody!

Nobody circles the wagon like the Philadelphia Eagles!!

the day almost couldn't have gone better for them (aside from the Giants beating the Bills). The skins went into their bye 3-1 and 1st in the division, they come out 3-2, in 2nd place and with a QB controversy.

Cowboys lose a heartbreaker - that in the scheme of things from the Eags perspective they had to lose - to the Pats on the road. If they win that, that is a huge advantage they gain over the rest of the division who have to face the pats too.

Howard vs. Pitchers

Real quick in 2011. Based on the most at bats on each staff.

Howard vs.

Lincecum, 0-7, 4 Ks

Cain, 0-6, 3ks

Baumgarner, 0-3, 2ks

Zito, 1-3 (double)

Marlins

Sanchez 3-11, 3BBs, 5 ks

Dunn, 3-6, 5 rbis, 3K

Nolasco 1-7, 3 K

Vazquez 3-6, 2 BB, 2K

Mets

Pelfrey, 5-13, 2Hr, 2 BB, 2K

Byrdak, 2-8, 1BB, 4K

Niese, 0-7, 3K

Dicky, 1-6

Nats

Hernandez, 7-13, 2HR, 2BB, 2K

Lannan, 4-10, 2 BB, 2K

Marquis, 0-6, 1K

Braves

Hudson, 3-11, 1BB, 1K

Lowe, 2-11, 2BB, 1K

Beachy, 1-9, 1BB, 2K

Jurrgens, 1-5, 1BB, 1K

Venters, 1-5, 3K

Hitting Beats Pitching?

My friend's analysis of the Phillies' playoff flame out:

I'm sure there's a way to break it down to figure out how Howard hits
against aces. It'd be complicated, but you can find situational
hitting stats for any batter against any pitcher, so you'd then have
to add those up. My presumption is that the entire team feasts on bad
teams, bad pitching.
Let's face it, the reality is that great pitching and average hitting
is The Worst profile for playoff runs. We are the Braves now. Those
Braves teams won 100+ every season because they had the best 4 and 5
pitchers in the game. Well, those guys are bullpen mates in the
post-season.
Denny Neagle doesn't mean jack in the playoffs. Yet those Braves teams
never had real bats. Just Chipper and some OK guys like Javvy Lopez.
Well, look deep at that Phillies lineup. Polly went from an All Star
to an also ran. Utley is a helluva ballplayer but he's never gonna hit
30 homers again. Rollins is a 6-hole hitter masquerading as a lead-off
hitter.
Look at the last 10 seasons and see how rare it is that great pitching
- teams with 3 or 4 All Star-caliber arms - win the Series. The 2010
SFG are the only example, depending on how you grade the '01 D'backs
(2 Hall of Fame arms and then junk, but great offense).
Once you get to the playoffs everyone - everyone - has 2 pitchers who
can pitch effectively. What wins is great hitting matched up with good
pitching. Like the '08 Phillies and '09 Yankees and '07/'04 BoSox.
Otherwise, you're just the Braves.

A Role Hole

Dare I say that the Phillies need more role players?

Also, is it fair to ask whether Howard should be in the lineup against a leftie in a playoff series given how horrible he is and how it affects his subsequent swing against righties?

This team will partly be remade next year with natural transitions: Raul leaving, Lidge gone among the certainties. The rest - Rollins - who knows. 

why they go into an offensive funk during the playoffs needs to be addressed.

look at this:

Hunter Pence batted .211 in the series. Raul Ibanez .200. Placido Polanco .105. Carlos Ruiz .059.

Thomas Boswell

Well Boswell the supposed baseball expert has some strange column out about the lessons the Nats should learn from the Phillies $170 million payroll - basically don't spend that much.

When you've spent and acquired so much talent as the Phillies have, and fail to win the pennant, much less the world series, you can expect the kind of "I told you so's" that WaPo baseball guru Thomas Boswell writes about yesterday.

It's a particularly odd column since Boswell doesn't really explain why the Nats shouldn't spend as much as the Phils other than it doesn't work out. If by "doesn't work out" you mean 5 division championships, 2 pennants, 1 world series championship and a franchise record 102 wins this year.

Boswell doesn't suggest that a big payroll hamstrings future personnel moves, nor says that it leads to a rise in ticket prices. Really, as a fan - what do i care if a team has a payroll of $150 million?

Boswell's suggestion is that the Nats need to go with OBP hitters, draft smartly, and develop homegrown talent. Duh. Though none of that has much to do with a $170 million payroll, particularly when $100 million of that is on homegrown talent.

Worse, he actually seems to suggest that the Nats write off the next 2 seasons while Strasburg matures and has his innings limits removed and Harper comes up. Not sure where that came from or if that plan is any better than forking out a really high payroll.

holy cow

jesus christ, halladay's going to pitch till his arm falls off!!!

please

Furcal should have been out stretching that triple. Please don't let that be the winning run.

Big Game

PK writes:

I've actually now gone through the entire 130-year history of the Phillies.
In that period, this organization has had just one climactic post-season game like this, a win-or-go-home game for either team.
Oct. 1980, in Houston, game 5 of that LCS. Otherwise, we were swept by the Yanks in '50, the Babe Ruth Red Sox smoked us in '15. Then in '76 the Reds swept us and in '77/'78 we lost to the Dodgers in 4. We won the '80 WS in 6 games, beat LAD in 5 games in '83, then lost in 5 to the O's in the WS. In '93 we took the Braves out in 6, then lost to the Jays in 6.
Then on to the Charlie era, in which every series had ended in 3 or 4 (in the LDS), 5 or 6 (LCS) or 5 or 6 (WS).
Here's to hoping that we conjure up the ghosts of Del Unser, Manny Trillo, Dick Ruthven and Gary Maddox in tonight's game.

Legacy?

Kind of crazy to think the NLCS used to be a 5 game series.

Nothing will ever take away the championship this team won 3 years ago, but this team - right now - is built to win this exact game - a veteran, championship caliber team loaded with all-stars and throwing their cy young worthy ace out there to win the must game.

if they don't.....crushing disappointment. Like I said, nothing will take away 2008, but losing tonight would definitely cause a lot of second thinking about this team and many of its players.

And to think, just looking at the yankees game last night - that often the best team does not win the game (how does team with the bases loaded and no outs not score more than 1 run with their 2-3-4 hitters up) and weird things happen to determine the outcome.

Lindros

Finally, someone - in this case Ken Dryden - calls Scott Stevens' hit on Eric Lindros for what it was... not old-school hockey, but "a crushing hit to the head (e.g., Stevens on Lindros) is nothing less than an attempt to injure."

More Game 1

PK continues:

Also, after the Berkman homer, Roy's pitch count showed 13 Ks, 9 balls. Somewhere in the 5th or 6th inning, it showed 66 strikes, 17 balls -- he had gone on a run where he threw 53 Ks to just 8 balls. That's insane.

Game 1

My friend PK was at Game 1. He writes:

Inside the park the Howard at bat reminded me of Victorino's slam against CC. A long AB, fouling off, fouling off, crowd went bonkers.
Complete deliirum as the ball clears the ATT sign.

Terrible Loss

Did something turn last week with the Eagles under Reid or was it just the anger from the fans leaving the stadium? Something feels different.

 

They are not a very good team right now, especially on defense. Can't stop the run.. Their vaunted secondary is only slightly better in defending the pass (which is to say not much) and the pass rush just isn't there.

 

On offense, Vick is getting knocked around way too much and  the O-line is a patchwork.

 

Pathetic loss to a bad team. You could excuse the last two losses - on the road to last year's #1 seed, and to a tough division rival. But to give up 21 unanswered points to Alex Smith and unable to stop Frank Gore on 4 straight carries when the D knew they were running? Terrible!

 

Does Castillo keep his job?

 

Funny, here's what sport's guy said about the game. Makes loss even worse given how they were ahead 20-3.

 

 

EAGLES (-9) over 49ers
 
… the Niners might be this year's Good Bad Team (a.k.a. a forgettable team that beats all the other forgettable teams). That won't help them this week, though. Here's why this line is so high: Vick or no Vick, San Fran averages 3.7 yards per play and gives up 5.0 yards per play; Philly averages 6.0 yards per play and gives up 5.5 yards. San Fran can't throw the ball at all: 505 passing yards total, no wide receiver has more than 80 yards. San Fran is built to play tight games, so if Philly blows it open, literally, there's no way San Fran can come back unless Ted Ginn starts ripping off kick returns. I'm laying the nine. Cautiously.

Phillies Good and Getting Better

Courtesy of Tim Kurkijian.

It is the only team in major league history to improve its victory total five years in a row, with the beginning of that streak starting with a plus-.500 season. That says they were good, they got better and they keep getting better every season.

Reid and Vick

Forget about the broken hand. It was the fact that Mike Vick played at all that should be the real source of concern and controversy with Andy Reid's coaching.

Vick clearly wasn't himself at the start of the game and probably still feeling the effects of his concussion the week before. Vick took a couple of hard hits that may have aggravated his condition in the first half. Indeed, the hypothesis of us in the stands was that on the helmet to helmet hit Vick took in the 2nd quarter that he was a little groggy and that the Eagles didn't want to call attention to it and force them to re-test his cognitive baseline as part of the concussion protocol.

How else to explain the 8 straight running plays Reid called to end the 1st quarter and begin the 2nd - a streak over two possessions?!?!?

Reid NEVER calls that many running plays, certainly not IN A ROW!!!

Indeed, for a coach who is famous for his incredibly unbalanced 65/35 pass/run ratio, it is remarkable that Reid called an even 50/50 game. The Eagles ran 33 times. Add in Vick's 2 QB sneaks and that is 35 running plays. I can't remember if Vick's 5 other carries were scrambles or designed runs, but including all of them as original pass plays with the rest of the Vick/Kafka attempts totals 35 passes. When was the last time the Eagles ran the ball the exact same number of times they passed it?

Thus, the most criminal part of last week's game, besides Reid starting Vick at all, was calling for 2 QB sneaks from Vick at the goal line: 1) cause he had suffered a head injury concussion the week before and 2) likely aggravated it earlier in the game. The fact that Reid thought it best to plunge one of the fastest players in the league into the middle of the line is just icing on the cake for his ludicrous play calling. With as many playmaking speedsters the Eagles have, why not spread the defense at the goal line?

Hopefully Vick won't have long-lasting damage from Reid's negligent mismanagement of a player's injury. 

Game 1

I love when Jayson Stark gets to write about the Phillies.

A moment of panic in the 2nd inning when Halladay gave up that lead off hit and though he just might not have his stuff today. A feeling that went into the 5th and the fear the Cards would steal game 1.

Another reason it was smart to move Utley to 2nd and Pence to 3rd in the order: La Russa replaced his leftie after Utley hit with a rightie to face Pence. The rightie stayed in to face Howard. Obviously, in the old order the leftie stays in to face both Utley and Howard and them maybe there's a switch for Pence.

Also, I liked Charlie not messing around and bringing in Madson in a non-save situation to nail down the win after Stutes allowed them to cut the lead in half.

162 game madness

My friend PK writes:

Crazy fact: Yankees were 1 strike away from beating the Rays in bottom 9; Sox were 1 strike away from beating the Orioles in bottom 9. Both lost. Wow.
And the Johnson homer in the 9th to tie, and the Longoria homer to win, wouldn't have been homers in almost any other park.

3.5 the Magic Number

WaPo baseball writer Dave Shenin puts the Phillies' post-season magic number at 3.5. As in, if the Phillies can score 3.5 wins/game then they should win the Series, based on the ERA of their pitching staff and their 2011 record of 94-68 when going above that mark.

Stormy Selig

What i do know, is that MLB (Bud Selig) doesn't have the balls to call the Sox-Orioles game in the 7th to give Boston the wildcard. Could be a looong night in Baltimore if the weather doesn't change.

162?

are we rooting for Phils to beat Braves and give Cardinals wildcard or lose and force 1 game playoff?

better to have Cardinals in or exhaust both teams.

Sportstravaganza

When the Phillies were in the World Series in in 2008 and 2009, my friends and I were able to fulfill a rare double header - an Eagles game and World Series game all in the same glorious day.

So took a look at this fall's schedules to see if we could have a repeat of a sportstravaganza in South Philly and, unfortunately, the only possible Phillies home playoff game that coincides with an Eagles home game is this Sunday, which is a lock.

The Phillies will be hosting game 2 of the NLDS and the Eagles play the Niners.

The Eagles next two games after that are road games and then they have a bye. Their next home game is vs. Dallas at the end of October, by which time the World Series is over.

Given the Eagles' schedule oddity - two away games to open the season, two home games (and the latest home opener since 1971), followed by two more away games and then a bye, I have to wonder if the NFL didn't purposely schedule the Eagles' games so that there would NOT be baseball and football games on the same day as much as possible. 

'64 Phillies

The Red Sox looming wild card collapse has writers hearkening back to the 1964 Phillies. 

What about the 2007 Mets?

ATL

How the hell did we blow that game last night, with a 10 point lead heading into the 4th Q?

I don't have a problem with Reid going for it on 4th and 4 with 1:45 to play from the Atlanta 22 - and not kicking the field goal, but why the hell did he call a timeout?!?!?

I know it's a big play - that you need to get the 1st and you've got your backup QB in and need to make sure everyone is on the same page. But don't you kind of have to plan for if you don't make it.

If Reid hadn't called timeout, the Eagles would have gotten the ball back on the Atlanta 45 with approximately 45 seconds to play and not the 5 seconds they did have. 45 seconds is plenty of time to score when you are already across midfield.

Maclin was having a great game right up until he dropped that 4th down pass. And what were they thinking on 3rd down? 3rd and 3 from the Atlanta 21. It's two down territory and, again, you've got your backup QB in. Why not run the ball on 3rd down? You can't get 1.5 yards/carry on 3rd and then 4th down?

Ugh.

What Might Have Been?

This lede from an article yesterday really caught my eye. For all of the Phillies success the past couple years - and how dominant they've recently become (and how spoiled we've gotten as fans), it really is kind of amazing how tenuous their start to this run was. The 7 back with 17 to play, etc. I know they got their doors blown off in that LDS to the Rockies, but that experience i think did help them the following year. How might things be ultimately different had the Mets not collapsed 4 years ago. (both for the Phillies and the Mets)

Four years ago this morning, the Phillies were 5 1/2 games out of a playoff spot with 15 to play. Three years ago today, they were tied with the Brewers atop the wild-card standings with 12 games to play. When you consider that history, what they accomplished yesterday at Minute Maid Park was nothing short of remarkable: not the fact that they clinched a fifth consecutive postseason berth with a 1-0 win over the Astros, but the fact that they did so with little more than a nod of acknowledgment.

Schmidt and Howard

So flipping over to the Phillies Brewers game yesterday, they posted a stat when Howard was up saying that Howard's 6 straight seasons of 30+ homers and 100+ RBIs is a franchise record.

I thought Schmidt had to have had more consecutive seasons than 6 but that maybe the '82 strike screwed up his streak.

It turns out that Schmidt hit 35 homers in 82, but only 87 RBIs. In fact, it is the RBIs that stopped him several years, though he just missed 100:

1975 - 38, 95

1981- 31, 91

1982 - 35, 87

1985 - 33, 93

But the year that really jumped out at me was 1978. Schmidt hit only 21 HRs and 78 RBIs. Baseball-reference says he played in 145 games, so it wasn't a major injury, but I can't recall - being only 11 at the time - why Schmidt slumped so badly that year. It's a huge anomaly, particularly homer-wise, for a guy who averaged 37/107 over the course of his career.

Mom Says

An email from my Mom. Sorry for the belated posting.

Hi all, Phillies 9, Atlanta 0

I gave EVERYONE Cliff Lee shirts for Christmas - how did I know he would be so great?? 6th shutout this year, ERA  .037

Wear those shirts with pride!!

Another view

From my favorite newspaperman.

I haven't gone into a season this unprepared, this not knowing since the Bobby Hoying/Doug Pederson era. I just missed the entire "offseason" because it only lasted about 8 days and it was at the height of my debt-ceiling insanity. I'm still very, very confused by people calling us a "dream team", because we just signed a few defensive guys I'd never heard of -- yes, I get that he's supposed to be the best CB in football, but can 1 corner really be that good? Does that, and adding a former Pro Bowl CB, make you a dream team? I don't know. 
We won 11 games last year and the division with a defense that could be best described as "average" -- but more aptly described as "putrid" whenever we faced good QBs. If these defensive upgrades make us competitive against good to great QBs, then 12-4 or 13-3 seems likely.

However, like last season, that all hinges entirely on the man under center. If he suffers injuries or slides back to his 2005 version of himself, then we're a 9-7 team.

Another prediction

My brother's take on the season.

Okay - the eagles need to start 2-1. 2 road games and the giants to start. We go 2-1 then follow with niners in philly and at DC and buffalo. If we continue our great play against bad qb's we should be 5-1!!!! Remains to be seen (obviously) with castillo still in charge, but my bet is yes based on personnel. That's why 2-1 is big. Because we are off and running. We can rebound from 1-2 and get back to 4-2 (assuming no slip up against inferior team). I think we get 2-1 and 5-1 with back to back HOME prime time games against dallas/bears.

We get halfway home at 6-2.

2nd half games - 3 division games (only 1 at home), dolphins, jets, pats, cards, seahawks. 5-3 (1 division loss that gets us probably 4-2 in division). 

That gets me to 11-5. I think that's it.

Obviously injuries - ous and theirs - will have huge impact. But I think 12-4 is possoble as is 10-6 and if we blow a game - 9-7. I think 11-5 gets us a bye. Because our losses will be against pats/jets. So we have 3 conf losses and I think that'll get us 11-5 tiebreaker over saints.

The 2 seed gets the saints. The 1 seed gets a wild card team or west winner. BIG difference between 1 and 2 seed. I see 3 dominant teams - pack/eagles/saints.

11-5.

Predictions?

So, what's your verdict on the Eagles season?

10-6 seems like the safest bet as far as being + or -1 on the total number of victories. Explosive offensive playmakers, but an untested O-line, a sterling secondary but major questions at LB - and that doesn't even account for whether Juan Castillo will be a competent defensive coordinator.

Candidate Fraud?

Florida's Republican leaders have become notorious for being fixated on "voter fraud" and thus requiring voters provide photo id and other such strategies that really serve to disenfranchise poor and minority citizens.

Now comes news, via the WaPo's style page of all places, that a prominent former Florida Republican senator Cornelius Harvey McGillicuddy IV has appeared on the ballot numerous times under the nickname "Connie Mack." Interesting that Florida doesn't require candidates to be listed on the ballot under their legal names and allows them to be identified by the name of their choosing. All while demanding that the very citizens who will vote for these candidates jump through more hoops to prove their identity than the office holders themselves.

The Cuts are In

Putting aside the on the field impact of the Eagles personnel moves (i.e., cuts) to arrive at their 53 man roster, it's interesting to evaluate the talent evaluation.

Safety Marlin Jackson was brought in to sure up the secondary last year and replace the gaping hole left by Brian Dawkins. Jackson got hurt, never played last year (leading to the emergence of rookie Nate Allen) and now will never play for the Eagles.

Daniel Te'O-Nesheim looks like a 2010 3rd round pick bust.

Though less of a stretch as a fifth rounder, the Eagles didn't hit on Tupuo either.

2008 4th round pick Mike McGlynn- bust.

5th round pick Cornelius Ingram was released earlier.

But the biggest surprise bust has to be touted free agent acquisition Ryan Harris who was brought in to start at RT and protect Mike Vick's blindside. Did Harris play even one preseason game before succumbing to back spams? In any case, he underwent back surgery, got an injury settlement from the Eagles and never played a real game for the team.

Cut downs

I've always had a strange fixation on former U. Miami star and now former Patriot safety Brandon Merriweather. I've long suspected that the Eagles were targeting Merriweather that year to become Brian Dawkins' heir apparent, but then the Pats took him just a couple slots earlier in the first round of the 2007 draft, prompting the Eagles to trade that 1st round pick to the Cowboys, drafting K. Kolb, and kick starting several years of QB drama and the Donovan McNabb departure watch.

My fixation with Merriweather continues and the situation is still odd. The Pats parted ways with Merriweather yesterday, despite having played in the last two Pro Bowls. Reading the Boston papers, it's not entirely clear why he was released - with no real comment on the quality of his play - and the Globe article suggests that recent turnover in the Pats secondary and lack of veterans made it even more likely that Merriweather would have (should have?) been kept.

Ultimately, the Pats and Merriweather found themselves in the exact same position as the Eagles and DB Joselio Hanson, two players that weren't going to make the team but couldn't be traded because other teams knew that they could get them for nothing when they were released.

Knowing the weird Philly-Boston, Reid-Belichek relationship, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Pats snap up Hanson and, admittedly less likely, the Eagles sign Merriweather.