Philly Sports Dude

It's time to move on...

2008-11-10T15:49:00.004-05:00

I hear a lot of complaints about the negativity of Philadelphia fans. I hear it from the media, sports talk radio and even my from my closest friends. For the most part it is true, Philly fans are known to be negative and I definitely fall into that category. As silly as it might seem that has recently changed for me with the Phillies winning the World Series. I find myself rooting more for my teams rather then constantly ripping them apart. The Flyers are not off to a good start but I still enjoy watching the games. The last Eagles game started off horribly but instead of immediately turning negative I watched and hoped for them to turn it around which they did. But not last night, last night I reverted back to the same old negative fan, but can you blame me?

It is time for the Eagles to move on from the Andy Reid era. It has never been more evident then it was last night. Andy Reid, flat out, was outcoached and therein lies the difference between a Superbowl championship team and a team still trying to figure out how to pick up one yard. It is not a lack of talent that is holding this team back from being a contender, it is the coaching. The Eagles have lost 4 games this season and three of them can be attributed to bad coaching decisions (the cowboys just outscored them). First there was the Chicago game where they had first and goal from the one yard line and proceeded to run the same play 4 times with no success. The next loss was to the Redskins where they held a 14 point lead and allowed it to vanish into thin air. And then there was last night.

Lets start with the game plan in the beginning. McNabb has not been able to get off to a good start in a game in quite some time so I would think you would try and get him off to an easy start with some short passes, perhaps even screen passes. Nope. Not Reid. McNabb doesn't complete his first pass until half way through the second quarter. The Eagles only had the ball for 90 seconds up until that point. That is inexcusable. You have an under sized defense going against an offense that is known to pound the ball with the run. They can't spend the entire quarter on the field and be expected to be fresh for 60 minutes. Even with how awful the offense looked in the first half they were only down 20 to 17. The Eagles then come out of the locker room with some life and score to take the lead. Of course, that doesn't last long when your defense can't handle the rushing offense of your opponent and your offense can't do anything other than go 3 and out.

Here is where we get to the part where Andy Reid loses the game. Brandon Jacobs runs the ball from the 3 and after he is down the ball pops out. There is no question that Jacobs was down before the ball came loose, no question at all. Reid disagrees and challenges the call. After looking at the play for about 3 seconds the referee concludes what everyone already knew, Jacobs was down and play is upheld. One timeout burned. The very next play Jacobs fumbles again as he is crossing the goalline and Reid challenges. This was a close play and should have been challenged but it too was upheld so now the Eagles are down 12 points with 1 timeout left. Somehow the offense shows life and drives the ball down the field and scores on a fourth down PASS play from the two yard line. Eagles still have a chance.

After the kickoff, somehow the Eagles defense, although playing more in this game than almost the last two combined, force the Giants to a three and out. Eagles have the ball with 3 minutes and 14 seconds to play and a touchdown wins the game. The Eagles had just driven down the field two minutes prior and scored a touchdown in 13 plays, two of which were runs for a grand total of 2 yards. The Eagles move the ball to almost mid field and on a third and 3 run the ball for two yards to set up a fourth and 1. This year on third or fourth and 1 situations the Eagles have run 14 times and have only been successfuly 5 times. They have passed 3 times and have never failed. What does Reid decide to do? Run the exact same play again!!!! Are you kidding me? Was this a replay of the Chicago game? How can you run the same play again? You haven't ran the ball well all game and you have little to no success running in these situations. The season is on the line and the best you can come up with is to run the same play?

Andy Reid stated in his press conference, as he does in all his press conferences, that he needs to do a better job. He does need to do a better job, but he needs to do that job for a different team.

It's time to move on...

Just my humble opinion...

World Phucking Champions!

2008-11-03T16:44:00.005-05:00

Its Monday afternoon and I am still trying to recover from the Phillies parade on Friday. What a spectacle. Have you ever seen that many people lining the streets of a city? It was overwhelming. Fans shut down the public transportation, when is the last time that has happened in Philadelphia? Has it ever happened before? I have been asked how many people I thought attended the parade and you know what I tell them? I have no idea. I can't imagine how you could fit any more people along a parade route then the fans of Philly did on Friday. The historians say that the Flyers in '75 had the largest parade and 2 million people attended. If that is true I would say this parade must have dwarfed the one from '75.

The one thing that became clear to me as the day went on is how Philly fans are unfairly criticized in the national media. For every reference there is of fans throwing snow balls at Santa Claus and booing injured players on the field there wasn't one incident that occured during that parade that could be considered unruly behavior. Everyone was there for one reason, to celebrate our city's first world championship in 25 years. I have never seen so many joyous faces in one place in all my life. It was a day I will never forget. I saw every age of fan, from infants to 90 year old women, and they were all there to show their support. The city was, for at least one day, unified for one mission, to enjoy being champions.

The biggest moment of the day when Chase Utley summed up what the Phillies had accomplished in three perfect words, World Phucking Champions. No one could have said it better and no one did. It came from a soft spoken, throw back baseball professional and it wasn't tasteless or inappropriate. It basically summed up everything Philadelphia fans have endured over the past 25 years and his emphatic statement was the perfect period at the end of the celebration. Before this season began, Chase was my favorite Philly for the way he played the game, the way he presented himself at all times. Now he is my favorite Philly because he understands the people of this city, he understands what we endured for the past 25 years, he heard the collective sigh we took days after the last out was recorded and we finally realized what this team had accomplished.

We are finally....World Phucking Champions!

Just my humble opinion...

This Phan's Perspective on the Phillies World Championship...

2008-10-30T10:31:00.004-04:00

In case you live under a rock and haven't heard the Phillies are the 2008 World Champions of baseball. They ended a 25 year championship drought in Philadelphia sports. Last night was, in one word, AMAZING.

Ever since I knew what sports were I have been a diehard Philadelphia fan. Some people will say that I might take sports too seriously and maybe sometimes I do. My life would be a lot less stressful if I wasn't so infatuated with Philadelphia sports. Over the last 20 years I have not known what it was like to root for a championship team. Every year that a season ended in any sport, the motto always was "There is always next year." Until today. There is a next year but the wait is over. Our beloved Philadelphia Phillies are World Champions! It feels as though a 1,000 lb monkey has been lifted off my back. I actually think I will now enjoy watching our hometown sports teams play more than I ever have in the past. It will be stress free and I am having a hard time imagining what that will feel like. I am not saying that I won't be as diehard as I have been in the past but I definitely won't live and die with every game. The losses will be a little easier to handle and the wins will be that much sweeter.

I stayed up late into the night watching the post games show on every channel. Seeing the absolute joy and emotion on people's faces in this great city is something that I will never forget. Our country is in the middle of one of the greatest crisis it will ever face with one of the most important and historical Presidential elections six days away. But the only thing that mattered at that moment and over the next few days is the Phillies World Championship. Everyone came together last night, no matter what your background, either poor or rich, white or black, young or old, just to celebrate. That is why I love sports so much, it gives you an opportunity to lose yourself in joyous celebration no matter what your personal situation. So tomorrow, when you are at the parade, cheering on your hometown champions, forgetting all your worries for one more day, look around and soak it all in.

Sometimes it is okay to take sports a little too seriously.

Just my humble opinion...

Does anyone care about kids anymore?

2008-10-29T16:18:00.006-04:00

How many adults do you know that play organized sports aside from softball? I know one, a guy I work with, who is 23, plays on an ice hockey team. How many kids do you know that play at least one organized sport? I actually can't think of a kid that I know that DOESN'T play at least one organized sport. So why are people so against letting kids in this area (Philadelphia) enjoy the first (and maybe only) World Series they may ever see?

The broadcasts of these games are extremely late, games do not start until after 8:30 EDT. That means when the final out of the game is recorded it is usually around midnight. Most kids are not able to stay up that late to watch a baseball game either because they can't stay awake or their parents aren't allowing them to stay up due to the fact all but one of these games were played on a school night. Hell, I am almost 30 years old and I am having trouble staying up to watch every game. Well, I might not be having trouble staying up, but I am definitely having trouble making it to work each day and functioning properly. We all know the reason why the games are on so late...MONEY. That's it and that's all. Starting the game earlier would not allow the network to make as much advertising money and that is all they care about. They don't care about building a base of fans that maybe would provide a larger viewership in the years to come. They care about right now, how much money can we make right now.

So now the Phillies are extremely close to winning the World Series. If they happen to pull this game out tonight, the rumors are the parade for the Phillies will be held on Friday. Wow, I couldn't be luckier. Not only is my team going to win a world championship but the parade will fall on a Friday so when I take off of work to go to watch I end up with a three day weekend. I am completely pumped. Well, I was pumped. I just finished reading an article on http://www.philly.com/ about how Philadelphia public schools will not close for the parade. I am flabberghasted. Its a PARADE! Weren't parades originally intended for kids? The Thanksgiving Parade is targeted at kids, 4th of July parades are targeted at kids. How many adults do you know who say "I can't wait to go to the parade this thanksgiving to see Santa Claus"? So now you are going to have a parade for the heros of this city, the people that these young kids look up to and root for, and you aren't going to allow them to go? I can't understand the logic here. Don't get me wrong, I am not stupid, plenty of kids are going to stay home from school and go to the parade. But is that sending them the right message? Its okay to skip school when you don't agree with authority?

Sports have always been geared towards kids or at least I thought they were. I knew what type of role money played in sports, I guess I just never thought they would alienate their young fans. I wonder if any sport will have as many fans in the future if kids aren't able to be fans today.

Just my humble opinion...

Neutral Site for World Series?

2008-10-29T11:34:00.003-04:00

Over the past couple of years I have become an avid listener of sports talk radio here in Philadelphia. My commute to work each day seems to have gotten longer and longer due to the increased traffic in the area. When I first started at my job it seemed that I would make it to work in under 30 minutes and now its very rare a day goes by when it doesn't take a least an hour. So I have turned to sports talk radio to pass the time. We have two choices in Philly, 610 WIP and ESPN 950. The morning shows of both stations are very good, Angelo Cataldi for 610 and Mike and Mike in the Morning on 950. They usually don't have commercials at the same time so I end up flipping back and forth the entire commute. Mike and Mike brought up an interesting question today, Should MLB consider a neutral site for the World Series just like the NFL does with the Superbowl?

There is definitely a trend growing during the World Series. The later in October the World Series is played the greater the chance of inclement and/or cold weather. All you have to do is look at the last three World Series to see what I am talking about. This year there has been rain twice in the three games at Philadelphia and when they finally finish tonight the weather will be more suited to a football game in Green Bay then a baseball game in Philadelphia. The temperature is supposed to be in the 30's with a wind chill in the 20's. Baseball is synonymous with warm weather. The majority of the season is played in Spring and Summer and rarely is a game played in temperatures under 50 degrees let alone in the 30's. With that said, is the weather impacting the integrity of the game? Should the World Series be played in a warm weather neutral location or earlier in the month?

As I see it there are three solutions to this issue, play the World Series at a neutral site, somehow shorten the season or spring training so the World Series falls earlier in the month, or play the World Series during the day when the temperature is at its peak.

Playing the World Series at a neutral site is an absolute horrible idea. Its one thing to have the Superbowl at a neutral site because it is only one game. How could you expect fans of a team to travel to Phoenix or San Diego for an entire week to watch their team play? The cost of tickets is bad enough as it is, but then you would have to factor in flights, hotel costs, meals, etc. into the cost of watching your team play. Would MLB even be able to fill the stadium at a neutral site for 7 games?

Playing the World Series during the day is obviously not going to work. We all know MLB is driven by money and network TV. Viewership would tank if the game was on during the day. No company would pay the money they do now for advertising during the game if it was held in the middle of the day and no network would pay the money they pay now (Fox paid 250 million dollars for the rights to broadcast this year's World Series) to show the games during the day.

So maybe the solution is to shorten Spring Training or at least start it a little earlier. By shortening Spring Training and starting the season a week earlier maybe MLB could avoid the inclement and cold weather we are seeing recently. Some people will argue starting a week earlier could mean more inclement weather at the beginning of the season. That is true, but you would then have the entire season to make up those games.

Anyway you look at it something probably has to be done to prevent this from happening to future teams during the World Series. Baseball is not meant to be played in freezing cold weather, its meant to be played during the dog days of summer.

Just my humble opinion...

World Series delayed another day...

2008-10-28T16:21:00.004-04:00

It seems as though Major League baseball doesn't want another fiasco like last night as they have decided to delay the finish of game 5 of the World Series until Wednesday night. I believe that is the right move, finally. I know I need some rest after the last few nights of watching the Phils play late into the night and sometimes early in the morning. If my out of shape ass needs rest just from drinking beer and cheering on my team, then I can only imagine how tired the players from each team have to be.

So the major question is this, What team is going to benefit from this layoff? I honestly don't know...I have never seen a game be delayed two days with nothing in between. On the one hand you have the Phillies, who, without a doubt, had the momentum going into game 5. After this layoff is that momentum still there? The Rays have nothing to lose...they must win this game to get the series back to that wiffle ball park they call a stadium. (Seriously, what is up with the rules for the catwalks? I know their team hasn't been any good but come on...you have to do better than this with regards to a real stadium) The meat of their lineup just started hitting again, allbeit in a monsoon, but that had to give them some sort of confidence for their next plate appearance. The Phillies only have to score one run and get nine players out but the Rays have to score one run and get 12 players out.

So I am interested to see how this game will play out. I have had the day to cool off from being completely aggravated from last night and I now realize that the past is the past and the Phils still hold a 3-1 lead in the World Series. Philly is only nine outs and one run away from finally grabbing a world championship. All I really know is that the champagne will still taste just as sweet on Wednesday as it would have last night.

Just my humble opinion...

Staind said it best...its been awhile...

2008-10-28T12:47:00.006-04:00

No...the Philly Sports Dude is not dead...a lot has happened in the past year that has caused my attention to go to other things...but now I am back. And just like any normal Philly fan, I am pissed. In my 17 years of closely following sports and being a die hard Philadelphia sports fan, I have never been this upset. Last night's fiasco during the World Series is incomprehensible.

How can MLB and Bud Selig allow that game to start when they knew there was no possible way for them to finish the entire game? Its the World Series, not some interleague game in August which no one cares about. Not only is it the World Series, but it is a do or die game for Tampa and a chance at an allusive championship for the starved Philadelphia fans. I took a semester of meterology in college (it was my required science lab) and I thought it was pretty obvious it was going to rain, and rain hard, during that game. After seeing the radar, my seven month old daughter could have told you it was going to rain.

But I will let that one slide...Selig isn't a meterologist and only has access to 7 different weather outlets so how would he have known they weren't going to be able to finish.

So they began play on time, but how could MLB and Bud Selig allow that game to go into the sixth inning? The Phillie Phanatic's four wheeler might have gotten stuck had he tried to drive it through the infield. It was comical, the reigning MVP couldn't catch a routine pop up to short. The best pitcher in the playoffs was bouncing his best pitch in front of the plate. There were PUDDLES all over the infield!

But I will let that one slide...Selig wasn't on the field and he probably thought those puddles on the infield were just drops on his enormous glasses...so lets keep playing...

Tampa then proceeds to score the tying run in the top of the sixth and as soon as the final out came to rest in Victorino's glove I could have sworn I heard a collective sigh of relief from Selig, MLB, Fox executives, Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. They then made the decision to suspend the game. The field was not playable in Bud Selig's mind anymore and he was concerned about the welfare of the players. Where was that concern in the top of the 6th? BJ Upton hydroplaned into second and home...that is safe? I am going to go out on a limb here and say Selig's explanation might have been a little hypocritical.

But I guess I will let that one slide too...fair is fair, that is what Selig seemed to think in the post game conference.

I just have one question. How is it fair that the Rays got one more inning at bat in the monsoon where our pitcher was only able to throw one pitch, a fastball, and our fielders couldn't field routine balls? Tampa now gets to come out either tonight, tomorrow or whenever this NorEaster passes by, and play in perfect conditions. Is that really fair? I think the FAIR thing to do would be to restart the sixth inning from the beginning.

Just my humble opinion...

Divisional Playoff Weekend...

2008-01-14T10:22:00.000-05:00

What a weekend of playoff football we had to enjoy this past weekend! Not only did we have two huge upsets but both games on Sunday came down to the final few seconds. About six weeks ago I predicted a Green Bay vs New England Superbowl and that is now close to the reality. Green Bay looked like the best team in the NFC on Saturday as they trounced the Seahawks 42-20 in snowy Wisconsin. The Seahawks could not stop Ryan Grant or Brett Favre and if it wasn't for the two turnovers early in the first quarter by Grant this game would have been a larger blowout.

Jacksonville gave New England all it could handle for 3 quarters on Saturday but in the end the Patriots took control and kept their undefeated season alive. It was fitting the Tom Brady completed 26 of 28 passes and broke yet another record in this game for completion percentage. If Brady plays that well how can New England lose?

In, what I consider, the biggest upset of the playoffs, the Chargers beat the Colts in Indianapolis. Not only did they beat the Colts but they did it with their star players on the bench for most of the second half, Rivers and Tomlinson. How can the reigning World Champs lose to second string chumps? It just goes to show you how far heart can take you. The Chargers wanted to win more than the Colts and it showed in the final score.

The Giants surprised everyone but upsetting the Cowboys 21-17 and left TO crying in his press conference. Neither team played very well and the Giants won this game with better special teams. They worked a short field for most of the game whereas the Cowboys had to drive the length of the field in most cases. You cannot but this loss on the backs of their defense though because when it mattered they forced the Giants to two, three and outs. Romo just couldn't find any open receivers down the stretch and the Cowboys extended their streak of not winning a playoff game to at least 12 years.

So the conference finals are set. The San Diego Chargers have to travel to New England to face the Patriots in the early game and the New York Giants travel to Green Bay to face the Packers. Both games will be played outdoors in cold winter weather, could we ask for a better situation? There is nothing like watching a playoff football game that is being contested outdoors in the cold. I will be wishing for snow in both locations. No matter what the weather is like I feel pretty confident in my earlier prediction for the Super Bowl.

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude.

Manning Up

2008-01-03T07:25:00.000-05:00

Going into the final weekend of the NFL season I was extremely enthralled at the amount of chances to watch good football games all weekend. There were many games with playoff implications, but there was a game on Saturday night that had more than playoff implications. There were many things about Saturday night’s game that intrigued me. The New England Patriots were in pursuit of a perfect season and both the New York Giants and the Patriots were already locked into their playoff spot. While excited about this game, I was nervous that the old adage of resting players for the playoffs would play a part in this historical game. I was also nervous that I would not be able to watch the game because it was on a subscription channel.

At the end of Saturday night I could not have been happier. The NFL Network caved to public outrage and aired the game for everyone to see. Most importantly the Patriots and the Giants threw “caution” to the wind and played their starters the entire game. The end result could not have been better…..Randy Moss and Tom Brady set their personal records….the Patriots set every record in the book including the first ever 16 and 0 regular season…..and Eli Manning and the Giants played like their name suggests, Giants, to compete with history despite the fact they did not even have to show up. The game on Saturday night made me ponder some interesting points.

As Sunday rolled in I wondered what teams would be “Manning” enough to put a product on the field despite the fact they did not have to show up. Washington needed a win and Dallas did not have to play because they already had home field locked up. Dallas played their starters in the beginning but got beat early by a better team. New Orleans and Minnesota both lost not only their game but any chance at the playoffs. Due to their opponents and the fact they could not help their seeding in the playoffs, Jacksonville did not need to play and nor did Seattle or Tampa Bay.

We were left Sunday night with an awesome scenario for the “Flex” game. Tennessee wins and they’re in…they lose they’re out and Cleveland is then in. Standing in Tennessee’s way was the high powered and dangerous Indianapolis Colts.

Would Indianapolis “Manning Up” and play to win? Of course not. In typical Tony Dungy-Peyton Manning fashion, Indianapolis ole’d their way to a pathetic loss, sitting their starters at the said designated time.

Kudos to the Patriots and the Giants and the “lesser” Manning. They showed up and gave the fans what they wanted and needed…..Quality effort…..Quality entertainment…..and a product worth the money that is put into it. Shame on the Indianapolis Colts and the “greater” Manning for not giving the Cleveland Browns a chance to make the playoffs and not giving the average sportsdude a product to watch on Sunday night.

What I find to be the best part of the story is that the Pats went 16 and 0, people got to see it and they were put to the test by one Manning that was willing to “Manning up” and play.

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude

Separation of Church and Sport

2008-01-02T19:06:00.000-05:00

Public schools are not allowed to teach religion to their students. Government cannot involve religion in any of their day to day activities. The laws of this country cannot be based on religious beliefs. It is the foundation of this country to separate religion from our schools, our government, and our law. The separation of church and state is a foundation of this country.

Freedom of religion is also a foundation of our country. People have the right to worship their god and practice any form of religion they choose. Whether it’s Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, or even L. Ron Hubbard, our country gives its citizens the right to have any faith that gives them comfort.

Last month I was watching the Heisman trophy presentation and I was impressed when Tim Tebow approached the podium to give his acceptance speech without a piece of paper. I have spoken in front of large crowds before and never have I been able to complete the task without notes in front of me. I was on the edge of my seat to hear what this young man had to say. Then the words came out….those words spoken so often in sport….. “I just want to thank God.” Those words got me to thinking.

Why do athletes have to thank God for everything? What number does our lord and savior Jesus Christ wear? When was the last time God threw a block? When was last time Jesus Christ made a game winning field goal?

I am a sports dude and as a sports dude I watch sports for entertainment. I appreciate the talent that is put forth in competition. I like to hear what athletes and coaches have to say after they perform at their highest level. But anymore it seems like all athletes and coaches have to say after a game is that they performed to their highest power. I don’t care to hear that God is responsible for a 400 yard passing performance or that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was a part of the game winning play.

I have two arguments to support my position. One….Sport is a billion dollar industry and it is taxed heavily. Religion is a billion dollar industry and is tax exempt. Until all sport gets a free pass on those taxes I feel that religion has no place in it. Two….The federal government has indicted Barry Bonds. The Mitchell Report, put forth by a U.S. Senator, has tainted the reputation of 90 baseball players. Government can reach into sports whenever it deems necessary. Therefore I feel there is a need to call for a separation of church and sport.

Counter arguments to my view would be freedom of religion and freedom of speech. While valid arguments that support the freedom of athletes to thank whatever higher power they wish after a big win or a championship we can pose the question to Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Andy Pettitte….. “Where was God on that one?”

Just my humble opinion....Philly Sports Dude

Baseball and Steroids...Who is to Blame?

2007-12-26T10:58:00.000-05:00

I am constantly hearing the debate from sports writers and reporters on whether or not baseball players from the last 20 years should be lumped together due to the steroid controversy. What they mean is that if there was no steroids testing during this time period and some players were known to use steroids than how can you know any player was clean. It is a valid point and argument. I want to steer away from that argument, though, and focus on who is really to blame for the rampant steroid problem that happened in Major League Baseball.

As I see it, there are only three places where blame can be put, the owners, the players and the commissioner. What I am going to attempt to do is to show you that the owners and the commissioner are the real culprits in this whole scandal and the players are just the syringe they used to shoot the steroids.

In the late 80' and the early 90's baseball was struggling with their normal fan base. Players were beginning to sign enormous contracts paying them exorbitant amounts of money and the NFL was on the the verge of taking away MLB's place as "America's Pastime". After the strike of '94 baseball was no longer the most important sport in the mind's of the American public. The owners were not making the money they expected to make and the commissioner was fearful of losing his job. Steroids were already an issue in the league and after other sports leagues (mainly the NFL) implemented harsh penalties for steroid use, MLB turned its head the other direction. What the owners and the commissioner knew was that the draw of the long ball would bring back the lure of baseball, it would resurrect it from the grave. They had ever opportunity to institute a steroid policy but they failed to do so and because of that reason baseball is now in the state it is today.

People who read my argument will be shocked, the players are the ones who took the steroids, not the owners and not the commissioner (as far as we know but Bud Selig's head doesn't look much bigger). For those people I want to pose a question. If there was something you could take, a pill or a shot, that would not only improve the way you feel and look but would also make you better at your job, would you take it? Not only would it make you better at your job, it would also increase your salary and we aren't talking about the 3% raise you normally get at the end of every year, we are talking very large sums of money. You could go from making $50,000 per year to maybe $300,000 a year. Your company has no policy in place that makes taking it wrong and, in fact, some of your colleagues are taking it and are making that much money. Now, would you take it? There are no repercussions, if your company finds out there is nothing they can do and they might even encourage it. Your family would live more comfortably and other companies might even want to offer you a job for even more money and you might even win awards for being the best at what you do. If you don't take it, there is a small chance you might achieve those results in time but there is also a chance everyone else will pass you by and you will LOSE your job.

Everyone is so quick to fault the players but you have to put yourself in their shoes. Owners were willing to pay upwards of 15 to 20 million a year to the best players in the game. The commissioner wanted baseball to revive and flourish. They both knew of the steroids problem that was everywhere around them. Yet they did nothing to stop it, they allowed it to go on and although this is just a theory, it wouldn't surprise me if they encouraged it. As we all know, baseball is a business and the owners of these teams aren't in business to lose money. Before you go to a game this year and boo a player who supposedly took steroids because they were mentioned in the Mitchell Report, remember there are more people to blame then just the players.

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude.

What About the Old High Five?

2007-12-24T13:47:00.000-05:00

I was watching the New England Patriots improve to 15 and 0 yesterday against their formidable opponent, the 1 and 13 Miami Dolphins and despite the excitement of the second half I saw something that got me to thinking.
Tedy Bruschi made a nice play in the second half and as he was walking off the field he engaged in a celebration with his teammates. It was some form of an arm locking celebration the likes of which I have never seen. I was relieved. Why? Because I finally saw an original celebration.

I don’t know who the first two people were to do the mid air chest bump. I’m sure the first few times this form of celebration was executed it was something that was exciting and unique. At this point it has become completely unoriginal and frankly I’m tired of it. I went to a midget football championship game last week and watched two midget football coaches mid air chest bump for two whole hours. All athletes in all sports seem to have abandoned all forms of post play celebration except for the mid air chest bump. That is why it was refreshing to see the Patriots bucking the norm and doing something original.

I’m calling for a return of the old high five. Or even the index finger extended upward saying “we’re number one!” If you want to really look cool, how about the 50’s hand shake. I think it would be funny and refreshing for Tom Brady to Launch a 50 yard touchdown to Randy Moss and jog into the end zone and simply shake his hand.

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude

Sunday Predictions...

2007-12-22T17:12:00.000-05:00

With two weeks left in the NFL season there are multiple games with playoff implications Sunday and also games that mean nothing. I am going to give you my predictions on each game starting with Cleveland @ Cincinnatti.

Cincinatti has nothing to play for since they are elimanted from playoff contention. With that said this is still a divisonal game between two rivals and there are a bunch of players on the Bengals who will be free agents next year. Cleveland needs to win to keep pace with Pittsburgh in the division after Pittsburgh won on Thursday night. I see Cleveland dominating in this game with Jamal Lewis running wild all over the Bengals porous defense.

Cleveland 31 Cincinnatti 14

Green Bay and Brett Favre face off in another divisional battle this weekend against the Chicago Bears. Again we have another team playing for nothing but pride (Chicago) against a team who needs to win in order to have a chance at home field advantage throughout the playoffs in the NFC. With Kyle Orton leading the Chicago offense, I have trouble seeing Chicago putting up any points against a very improved Packer Defense. Favre will have his usual game and the Pack should win easily.

Green Bay 24 Chicago 3

Houston travels to Indianapolis to face Petyon Manning and company. Neither team have much to play for since Houston has been eliminated from playoff contention and the Colts cannot improve their seeding in the AFC. Tony Dungy insists he won't be resting any of his starters but if Indy gets out to a decent lead, which they should, I doubt you see Manning or Addai finish the game. Indy's talent will be too much for Houston to handle and the Colts should win but it will be closer than you might think.

Indianapolis 24 Houston 20

Kansas City will be in the Motor City of face the falling Lions. Before the season started John Kitna guaranteed the Lions would go 10-6 this year, unfortunately he forgot to show up and play for the last six weeks. This week shouldn't be much different. Even though Kansas City doesn't have anything to play for, I don't see Detroit stopping their losing streak until next season.

Kansas City 17 Detroit 10

New England tried to improve their perfect record to 15-0 against the Dolphins in Foxboro. The Dolphins are coming off their first win of the season last weekend and do have some confidence going into this game. Unfortunately for Miami, confidence doesn't win games, talent does and Miami is way short on talent. New England will not rest their starters. They want to go 16-0 and they definitely want to beat Miami (the last and only team to go undefeated). This seems like the perfect game to pick an upset, all the storylines are there, but it won't happen.

New England 38 Miami 10

The New York Giants will be in Buffalo on Sunday to face the Bills who have been eliminated from playoff contention. New York currently sits as the fifth seed in the NFC with two weeks to play. I am not sure how they are 9-5 because the last couple of weeks they havef looked horrible. It would not surprise me to see the Giants lose out and maybe not make the playoffs. The Bills are going to pound the ball all day against a Giants defense who has not been so good lately against the run. Eli Manning will have a chance to win this game but I believe he will come up short and the Bills will take it.

Buffalo 13, Giants 6

Jacksonville will host the Oakland Raiders and JeMarcus Russell is supposed to see some action. McCown will be the starter but look for Russell to be in the game by halftime. Jacksonville has been playing some good football recently and it will be no different tomorrow. Look for Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew to both have a huge game on the ground. Unless Russell is the next Manning or Brady, Jacksonville will win this game easily.

Jaguars 27 Oakland 13

The Eagles will face the Saints in the Superdome (site of their playoff demise last year). Rumors have been flying around Philly that this might be McNabb's last two games as an Eagle. If that is the case look for him to turn in two big games in order to build his resume for Free Agency. New Orleans still has an outside chance to make the playoffs which is remarkable considering they started the season 0 and 4. Their playoff chances will come to an end this weekend. Philly has been playing better of late and are coming off their biggest win of the season against Dallas. Look for Philly's offense to finally start clicking, too little too late of course.

Philly 35 New Orleans 24

The best game of the weekend will be played on Sunday night. Washington will travel to Minnesota to face the Vikings with major playoff implications on the line. The Redskins need to win in order to stay alive and if the Vikings win they eliminate every team except for the Saints. Todd Collins will get another start for the Redskins with Jason Campbell still out with injury. The Vikings have been playing well of late and most of that is due to the fact that Tarvaris Jackson has shown vast improvement. The Vikings will keep rolling and all but lock up a playoff spot on Sunday.

Vikings 27 Redskins 13

In what could be the most boring game of the season, the lowly Falcons fly out to Arizona to face the Cardinals. Both teams have had dissappointing seasons and to add to the Falcons troubles, Bill Parcels signed with Miami hours after the Falcons thought he would be their new Vice President. Arizona should win this game just because I am not sure if the Falcons are even going to show up. This year couldn't get worse for them.

Arizona 28 Falcons 6

Baltimore, after coming off an embarrassing loss to the worse team in the NFL, now travels to Seattle to face the Seahawks. Seattle has already locked up their division and cannot get a first round bye so their isn't much for them to play for. I would imagine the starters will see some rest in the second half which might make this game closer than it should be. Baltimore's offense is so inept I highly doubt they even score a touchdown.

Seattle 17 Baltimore 9

Tennessee needs a win to have any chance of making the playoffs and luckily they get to play the Jets this week. With Kellen Clemons battling injury, Chad Pennington will get the start this week. The Jets have been awful on the road this year and it will likely continue. The Titans are playing like they want to be in the playoffs and they will take a step closer when the beat the Jets this week.

Tennessee 24 Jets 10

In another yawner of a game, the Bucs will go to San Francisco to face the 49ers. The Buccaneers have secured their playoff spot by winning their division and will not have much to play for on Sunday. They will more than likely sit most of their starters for most of the game if not all. Jeff Garcia is coming off a recent injury and most likely won't see much time. Even with that said the 49ers just don't have enough talent on either side of the ball to pull out a victory here.

Tampa Bay 21 San Francisco 17

The last Monday Night Football game of the year pits the Broncos at the San Diego Chargers. One word describes this year for the Denver Broncos and that word is "underachieving".
The Broncos should have been better this year, especially in the weak AFC West division. The Chargers, on the other hand, have steadily improved throughout the year and have clinched the division. Could this be the year they get their act together in the postseason? That question will have to wait a couple of weeks to be answered. Neither team has much of a reason to play this game so it will come down to whether or not the Chargers starters play the entire game.

Chargers 27 Broncos 24

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude

Where Have All the QB’s Gone?

2007-12-18T15:08:00.000-05:00

How do you have 209 total yards, 32 yards rushing, convert 1 of 14 third downs and have a chance to win a football game? Easy, play in the talent diluted NFL.

Last night’s football game between the Vikings and the Bears was tough to watch. It was two teams on a mission to lose a game despite their defenses best efforts.

The game got me to thinking. I don’t understand how the NFL has reached this point. It used to be that it seemed like there were only 33 punters and 33 kickers that could play at the NFL level. You would see a kicker or punter get cut and then picked up the next week. It seemed like there was only one punter or kicker that would be out of football at a time and they were next on the list to take over for the next cut. Very little new blood was brought into these two positions.

Now it seems that the NFL quarterback position has fallen into this same pattern. When Tavaris Jackson and Kyle Orton are the starting quarterbacks in a late season NFL game that has playoff implications for not only the two teams playing but for four other teams I think it’s a sign that the NFL is lacking talent at QB.

Jackson has shown that he has potential in his young career but Kyle Orton? He hasn’t started in two years and this is the guy the Bears trot out in an effort to stay alive in the NFC playoffs? When you look across the NFL the Bears situation is not unique. The Redskins are relying on Todd Collins to make a playoff run. Collins just set the record for the longest time between NFL starts, almost 10 years. The Giants have their superstar Eli Manning leading them into a quagmire. Phillip Rivers has performed average at best this season. The most exciting and arguably best performer in the NFC this season is Brett Favre who is arguably back from the dead. I saw Cleo Lemon throw the winning touchdown this past weekend for Miami. Never heard of him.

Yes the league has David Garrard, Tony Romo, and Derek Anderson. It appears that the league has future stars in these young Quarterbacks. But Brodie Croyle? Kyle Boller? Trent Edwards? Maybe competent professionals in the future but I just don’t see it.

In the end the Vikings pulled out a victory last night despite 4 turnovers, 3 of them interceptions thrown by Jackson. This eliminated all the 6 and 8 teams in the NFC with the exception of one, the Carolina Panthers. I think this slams the point home regarding quarterback talent in the NFL. The only 6 and 8 team with a chance to still make the playoff is lead by 44 year old Vinny Testeverde. When Kyle Orton is the QB the defending NFC champ’s start in an important game like last night I think it begs the question…Where have all the QB’s gone?

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude.

Masturbation Without Ejaculation...

2007-12-17T14:12:00.000-05:00

The United States is at war. A woman may actually run for President. If she doesn’t an African American will. The real estate market is crashing and gas prices are near an all time high. So why not spend the time and money of our United States Government to come out with a 409 page report regarding steroid use in baseball?

Last week the world of baseball and all of sports forth that matter was rocked by the Mitchell Report, a 409 page report put for by U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell on the issue of steroid use in baseball. 409 pages….When I heard that a 409 page report was issued by a U.S. Senator identifying 90 players current and past as using “Performance Enhancing Drugs” I thought “Wow, I guess these players are screwed!”

As it turns out, no player is screwed. The 409 page report has no effect on any player legally. The 409 page report has no bearing on the current players playing status. Although Bud Selig took a “firm” stance stating that players will be dealt with on a case by case basis, it’s obvious to me that no player will suffer any damage other than a tainted reputation.

It’s obvious that Barry Bonds pissed somebody off. He has been singled out of this steroid mess prior to this 409 page report and mass amounts of time, effort, and money has been spent and will be spent by our government trying to prosecute Bonds for perjury and obstruction of justice. So it begs the question…..who did Roger Clemens piss off? It seems that he is the one singled out in the Mitchell report. The only thing about Clemens being singled out is that there will be no legal consequences as a result of this report.

Which brings me to my point. “The Mitchell Report: Masturbation without Ejaculation” What’s the point? From a legal standpoint no person named in the Mitchell Report will face any criminal consequences and no player can take legal action against the Mitchell report. There is just enough evidence to prevent a libel suit or a slander suit to be brought but not enough evidence to bring legal or disciplinary action against any player named in the report.

In a world where real life issues exist that affect all U.S. citizens it is sad that time, money, and effort are spent by our U.S. Government to create a 409 page report that is pointless. It is also sad that the media creates a buzz around such a pointless report. If you don’t understand my point try something. Lay down before you go to bed tonight and start masturbating. Before you finish just stop.

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude.

Monday Morning Recap...

2007-12-17T10:10:00.000-05:00

I have to start my recap with my beloved Eagles. Just when I finally give up on them for the season they turn in their most impressive victory of the year, defeating the Cowboys 10-6. The Eagles defense played incredible for 60 minutes and even caused 3 turnovers which is one aspect they have been lacking this entire season. This is the first time in 54 straight games that Dallas hadn't scored a touchdown. McNabb turned in another decent performance although the Eagles offense was anemic as usual. They had 8 possesions in which they entered Dallas territory and only came away with 10 points. Here is an interesting stat for all the Philly fans, if the Eagles put up at least 21 points in all of their games they would have 10 wins and 4 losses.

The biggest headline of Sunday's action has to be the fact that the Dolphins finally get their first victory of the season! What has happened to the Ravens? Actually the Ravens should have won this game but the old reliable Matt Stover missed a 44 yard field goal in overtime that allowed Miami to come up with the game winning touchdown. Up until yesterday, Stover had never missed a field goal in overtime. I guess there is a first time for everything. Anyone else find it funny that the 100 people left in the stands at the game celebrated as though they won the Superbowl?

New England improved to 14-0 as they beat the Jets in one of the more boring games of the week. The weather played a huge factor in the game and was probably the only reason the Patriots were limited to 20 points. For the first time this year, Brady failed to throw a TD pass. New England did prove, however, that when necessary they can rush the ball as Maroney went over the 100 yard mark in rushing.

Brett Favre and the Packers keep on rolling by beating the Rams 33-14. Favre continues to rewrite the record book by surpassing Marino as the all team leading QB in passing yards. Ryan Grant did not have as much success on the ground although he did rush for one TD. With the Cowboys loss and the Packers victory the race for home field advantage throughout the playoffs heats up a bit. The Cowboys do hold the tiebreaker since the beat the Packers earlier in the season but don't be surprised if the Packers end up with a better record and the road to the Superbowl has to go through Lambeau.

The Jaguars defeated Pittsburgh 29-22 at snowy Heinz Field. The Jaguars locked up a playoff berth and the Steelers fell into a tie for their division. David Garrad threw for 3 touchdowns and the Jags defense did enough to keep the Steelers from scoring on their final drive.

Cleveland won the Snow Bowl in Buffalo 8-0 in a game where points were scarce and hard to come by. Cleveland, the feel good story of the NFL this season, is now tied for the division lead with the Steelers and have all but locked up a playoff spot for the first time in what seems like a century. Jamal Lewis continued his great play this season rushing for 163 yards. I would hate to be the team that has to face the Browns the first week of the playoffs.

The playoff picture is still hazy in the NFC going into Monday night. If the Vikings can beat the Bears they will take control for the final playoff spot. It should be a good divisional game and the Bears should put up a good fight.

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude.

Fantasy Football Playoffs Are Here!!!

2007-12-14T09:27:00.000-05:00

I have had a slight writers block lately and couldn't find a topic interesting enough to write about. The Mitchell report came out yesterday but I can't bring myself to write about it because it is a joke. Anyone who didn't think that there were multiple star baseball players taking steroids or HGH is either on crack or doesn't have a brain. So, with that said, I want to talk about Fantasy Football.

Fantasy Football has taken off in the past 10 years. I myself started playing about 6 years ago. I love football and I enjoy watching not only the Eagles but any NFL game which is on. Fantasy football has made watching games so much more enjoyable. Sundays in the fall and winter have now become a ritual for me. I now wake up around 9, go get some breakfast and begin watching pregame material around 10:30. I have my setup down, the laptop is on the coffee table with cbssportsline up and running so I can follow the games that aren't on TV where my players are playing. I don't move off the couch (unless to get another beer) from 11 am till 11 pm.

This year I am involved in two completely different leagues. Both playoffs start this weekend. In my one league I am the number 3 seed out of 4 teams. In my other league I failed to make it to the playoffs for the third consecutive year, although I am the #1 seed in the consolation playoffs. The reason I am bringing this up is because although I haven't made the playoffs in three years in my one league, it is the most exciting fantasy football league I have ever played in.

Most leagues, including one of the two I am in, are normal scoring leagues where you get 6 points for a touchdown and points for yardage for each position and you start 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, and a defense/special teams. Usually if you can score 100 points you are pretty much guaranteed a victory. Our league is so much different. If your players scores a TD you can get anywhere from 3 points to 30 points depending on the length of the TD. Points are also given for receptions and the more yardage you gain the more bonus points you can receive. The major difference, though, is in the starting lineup. You have to start 1 QB, 4 position players, a defense and a special teams. The four position players can consist of any combination of running backs, wide receivers, or tight ends with the only stipulation being you can't start more than 3 running backs.

The greatest part of the league is as long as you still have players playing you are never dead. Any player can go for 70 -100 points at any given time. If your teams scores a hundred points, chances are you are not going to win. A good week is over 175 points. This year hasn't been good to me, I have been very unlucky. I ended the regular season 4th in points in a 12 person league and failed to make the playoffs because it seemed as though every week the team I was playing would go off for a ton of points. I had the worst points against average in the league. But I enjoyed every minute of every week.

If you have never played fantasy football I urge you to give it a try next year. It makes Sundays so much more enjoyable.

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude.

NFL Playoff Predictions

2007-12-12T11:17:00.000-05:00

With three weeks left in the NFL season the playoff picture is starting to take focus. Other than maybe one spot up for grabs left in each conference for a wildcard spot, everything else looks pretty much set. In the NFC, it looks as thought Dallas and Green Bay will earn the first round byes with Seattle and Tampa Bay as the other division winners. The Giants have all but secured a wild card spot so that leaves one spot up for grabs. Right now Minnesota is in the drivers seat with the only other record above .500 in the NFC. Arizona has the easiest remaining schedule left but I am not sure they will be able to catch Minnesota who has been playing superb football of late. I am going to go with the team with the most momentum and pick Minnesota to grab the last playoff spot.

In the first round of the NFC playoffs we are going to most likely see Seattle hosting Minnesota and Tampa Bay at home against the New York Giants. I like both away teams in these matchups. Minnesota will have momentum on their side and if they do end up getting the last wild card spot as I predict I believe they will go into Seattle with a ton of confidence and pull out a nice victory. Jeff Garcia should be back healthy for the Tampa Bay Bucs but I think the Giants defense along with a slowly improving Eli Manning will be too much for them to handle.

Going into the second round we should see Dallas hosting Minnesota and Green Bay at home against the Giants. Dallas is going to be tough to beat at home and they just have to many weapons in the passing game for Minnesota to stop considering they have the worst pass defense in the league. Dallas will win that game in a blowout. The other game should be the better of the two with the Giants challenging the Packers. There is no way, though, I am going to bet against Brett Favre at Lambeau in the playoffs. The Packers with their now more balanced offense should win in what will be a closer game than expected.

Moving onto the NFC championship game, where Dallas will be hosting Green Bay. Everyone and their mother will be picking Dallas to win this game. They have already beaten Green Bay once this year at home and Brett Favre has still never won a game at Dallas Stadium. I, on the other hand, think Green Bay will pull it out. It is extremely hard for to beat a good team twice in one year and the first time they met, Favre only played a quarter and a half. This should be Favre's last season and nothing would mean more to him, in my opinion, then to go out on the top of his game. I see him leading a game winning drive to put Green Bay in the Superbowl for the first time since 1998 when they lost John Elway and the Denver Broncos.

In the AFC, New England and Indianapolis have secured first round byes and it looks as though Pittsburgh and San Diego will win their respective divisions. Jacksonville has all but locked up the first wild card spot and Cleveland is in the drivers seat for the final spot. There is a huge came which will probably decide the final wildcard spot this weekend between Cleveland and Buffalo and I am going to say that Cleveland pulls out a close victory and goes onto clinch the final spot in the playoffs.

The first round in the AFC should feature a divisional battle with Pittsburgh hosting Cleveland and in the other game San Diego will host Jacksonville. Pittsburgh at home in the playoffs will be tough but I think they are the more talented and experienced team and will pull out a very close victory. San Diego makes it into the playoffs because their division was abysmal this year. Jacksonville will go into San Diego and destroy them in a blowout.

The divisional playoff round will have the undefeated New England Patriots playing host to the Jacksonville Jaguars while Pittsburgh will travel to Indianapolis to face Petyon Manning on his quest for two straight Superbowls. New England has been a juggerknot this season and I don't see them slowing down in the playoffs. Give Bill Belichick two weeks to prepare for a game and he is almost unbeatable. The Patriots will win this game but I believe it will be closer than people think and the Jags will cover the spread. Indianapolis at home against Pittsburgh will be a good game for about a half and then the Colts will take over and dominate them in the second half. Pittsburgh will not be able to defend the passing attack of Peyton Manning for 60 minutes. The Colts will win the game by more than two touchdowns.

The AFC championship game will be a rematch of the most anticipated game of the regular season. Unfortunately for the Colts I think the outcome will be the same. If the game was played in Indianapolis the Colts would have had a chance to beat what could end up being the best team in NFL history. But its not, it will be played in New England and Tom Brady and company will defeat the Colts and go on to play Green Bay in the Superbowl.

Superbowl XLII will feature arguably the best team to ever step onto the gridiron against one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the position. It should be a good matchup but in the end the Patriots will prove to the world they are the best team in the history of the NFL and go 19-0 to finish the 2007-2008 NFL season.

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude.

A Look at Things to Come...

2007-12-11T22:00:00.000-05:00

I just finished watching the Flyers destroy the Penguins 8-2. This game had it all, goals, penalties and a ton of fights. After an evenly matched first period where the score was 2-2 the Flyers came out in the second and took control. They scored 6 unanswered goals over the last two periods and completely dominated the Penguins.

What I realized while watching this game is how young the Flyers roster is today. Joffrey Lupol and RJ Umburger both had hat tricks, this is the first time two Flyers had hat tricks in a game since 1985 when my all time favorite Tim Kerr and Dave Poulin did it. Neither Lupol or Umburger are older than 25. In fact, 15 out of 24 of the Flyers are under the age of 30.

Not only are they young but they are tough too. There isn't one person on this team who is afraid to mix it up with the bruiser from their opponent. This is the 2007 version of the Broad Street Bullies. Even the league has recognized this and they have warned the Flyers organization they will be watched closely for the rest of the season, whatever that means.

If John Stevens can get this team a little more consistently, which I forsee happening since we are still early in the season, this team could become a perennial Cup contender.

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude.

Sports is a Business...

2007-12-11T10:18:00.000-05:00

Each morning on my commute to work I listen to sports radio and most of the time I listen to Michael Bradley and Glenn Foley's morning show on Sports Radio 950. This morning their guest was Pat Williams, the general manager of the Sixers during their championship season of 82-83 and the current vice president of the Orlando Magic. They were reliving the glory of the last championship a major sports team has seen in the city of Philadelphia. After the interview was over they were taking calls from listeners and as usual everyone was commenting on how the ownership in Philly is awful and never does anything to win a championship. It was the normal barage of whining Philadelphia fans.

Normally I would agree with these listeners. I am as desperate for a championship in this city as anyone else and I am the first to point the finger at the ownership of our teams. But I thought about it for little while longer and I came to a different conclusion this time. The owners of the teams in this city are some of the smartest owners of any sports team in America. They run their organizations for one reason and one reason only and it is the same reason any owner of any organization or company in America runs their business, for MONEY.

Sports had a different meaning in 1983, players did not receive the same ridiculous contracts they receive today. The cost of tickets even after inflation are much higher today then they were back then. Lets face it, sports is a business and a very lucrative one at that. As long as we, the fans, are willing to pay to to watch our teams play and buy the merchandise associated with the teams the owners will be happy. They put a product on the field that is relatively good. Look at the past 10 years, the Eagles have been the dominant team not only in their division but in the less than good NFC. Other than last year the Flyers always make the playoffs. The Phillies season has come down to the last game of the season each of the last three years. They keep our interest all year long and therefore they are profitable all year long.

If you were the head of an organization that is making money hand over fist year after year and profits keep increasing without increasing overhead, why would you change that formula? Why would you increase your overhead (by going out and getting more expensive players and adding to your payroll) when your profits are increasing each year? It doesn't make business sense and whether you believe it or not, sports today is one of the biggest businesses in the United States.

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude.

Eagles Monday Review...

2007-12-10T19:37:00.000-05:00

Now that I have had 24 hours to soak in the loss I want to go back over the game and make some valid points on the 3rd close loss in as many weeks. I have had time to let emotion subside and to really delve into the real reasons they Eagles failed to come up with a win against a Giants team who really isn't as good as their record indicates.

First off, the game time coaching decisions have to be part of the reason they lost. Why are Brian Westbrooks touches so limited during the game. After the first drive where the Eagles looked like they may return to the offensive form of seasons paxst they decided to go against getting the ball in his hands. Westbrook had 4 touches on the first drive and in the 2 1/2 quarters following only had a total of 11 more touches. Your offense runs through Westbrook, he is now your star player and one of, if not the most, versatile running back in the league.
Also, the Giants had two rookies starting at safety. Wouldn't you want to attack the inexperienced players? Yet I cannot remember the Eagles taking even one shot down the field.

Secondly, you have to get better play from your quarterback. McNabb has been in the league for 9 seasons now, does he still not know the rule that he can throw the ball away when he is out of the pocket? He took at least three unnecessary sacks which cost the Eagles a chance to sustain a drive. Those are rookie mistakes, not mistakes made by a veteran, superstar quarterback. Also, when the game is on the line why is McNabb throwing his most important pass of the game to Jason Avant? And he wasn't even past the first down mark! The Eagles are mentally playing like a division 1 A college football team. Their are just too many mental mistakes that shouldn't be happening on the NFL level.

Finally, you HAVE to score when you are in the red zone. Leading 7-6 in the third quarter your defense, who has not been known for forcing turnovers this year, gets you the ball inside the 10 yard line. Next thing you know, after a horrible penalty and a McNabb sack (where again he could have just thrown the ball away) you are facing a third and goal from outside the 20 and have to settle for a field goal.

The Eagles have the 7th best offense in the league at gaining yards but are almost dead last in red zone scoring percentage. That statistic is why come January the Eagles will be sitting at home watching the playoffs for the second time in three years.

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude.

Monday Morning Recap...

2007-12-10T09:45:00.000-05:00

Sundays from September through December are without a doubt my favorite days of the year. Even though the Eagles lost a dissapointing game yesterday it was still a good day. I want to recap yesterday's action in the NFL...with the playoff races heating up some teams made a statement and some teams fell out of contention.

Lets start in the AFC with my surprise team of the year, the Cleveland Browns. They won a low scoring battle with the lowly Jets yesterday to propel them to 8-5 and into the last spot in the wildcard battle. It looks like Jamal Lewis's career has been rekindled as he again rushed for over 100 yards and looked like a man among boys on his touchdown run fending off multiple Jet defenders. Now the Browns return home to play the Bills and if they win that game they should be able to coast into the playoffs.

San Diego was given an early Christmas gift from the Titans and have all but locked up the AFC West, although that isn't saying much because that division is very weak. Tomlinson showed up and ran for over 100 yards and the Chargers offense looked like they might have found what they had last year. Philip Rivers had 2 TD's but also 2 interceptions. If the Chargers want to do anything at all in the post season Rivers has to not turn the ball over.

In the NFC, Minnesota continued their impressive play of late by destroying the lowly 49ers 27-7. Somehow the 49ers held the unbelievable rookie Adrian Peterson to 3 yards on 14 carries but Chester Taylor stepped in and rushed for over 100 yards. Minnesota now controls their own destiny when it comes to the playoffs as they are now over .500 with a 7-6 record.

The Packers clinched the NFC North with a impressive victory over the Raiders, 38-7. Brett Favre started again and extended his streak of not missing a game. I thought he had a separated shoulder last week? That must have been a rumor and not the truth. There is no way anyone can throw for 266 yards with a separated shoulder. Ryan Grant continues to impress with another game over 100 yards rushing, seriously, where did this guy come from?

The Cowboys unfortunately won another game yesterday against the Lions when it looked like they were definitely going to lose. Tony Romo pulls another game out of the depths of defeat in the waning seconds with a touchdown pass to Jason Witten. How hard have the Lions fell in the second half of this season. They have to be a huge dissapointment to their fans, they had a chance to make the playoffs for the first time in what must feel like 100 years and they can't win a game.

Finally, the Patriots are still on their way to history with an easy 34-13 victory of the Steelers. For a while it looked as though the Steelers were going to make this the third difficult game for the Pats but then Brady took over and put up the same staggering numbers he has been putting up all season. He now is only 4 TD passes away from tying the single season record. Now the only thing standing in the way of perfection for the Pats are the Jets, Miami and the New York Giants. The only question that really remains is whether Belichick is crazy enough to start his star players when there is nothing left to play for after next week. I think he goes for the undefeated season and I think he gets it and ends up with his place in football immortality.

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude.

A Giant End to the Eagles Season

2007-12-09T16:02:00.000-05:00

Watching the game today I knew it was a long shot the Eagles could make the playoffs. They had to win their last four games against the Giants, on the road at Dallas, on the road at the Saints and home against the Bills. It would have been a monumental task for a team who has only once won two games in a row this entire season. All hope is now gone. The Eagles offense played a game today where they only showed up on the first drive of the game and the last three drives of the 4th quarter. Akers did have a chance to tie the game with a 57 yard field goal but with plenty of distance it hits the right upright and ends the game and the season.

Today proved that Westbrook is one of the greatest Eagles of all time with 116 yards on the ground and another 38 yards receiving which included Philly's only touchdown of they day. Another week where I don't understand why he isn't used when the game is on the line. Late in the 3rd Quarter with the Eagles down by 3 is where the game changed. First of all Westbrook only had 11 touches since his opening drive touchdown. Eagles have the ball on first down and like he did so many times, McNabb holds the ball way too long and is sacked for -7 yards. On second down he completes a pass to LJ Smith for 8 yards and sets up a 3rd and 9. Now if McNabb throws the ball away on first down instead of taking the sack the Eagles are facing a 3rd and short instead of a 3rd and long. Of course on third down McNabb throws a horrible pass and forces the Eagles to punt and on the ensuing drive the Giants kick a field goal which ended up being the game winner.

I am not going to put the blame for this game on McNabb's shoulders. He had an average game. He didn't lose the game for the Eagles but he didn't win it for them either. The reason they lost this game is the same reason they have lost every game less season, they have a LOFT problem, Lack of Fucking Talent. You can't expect to be a quality team without quality players. The Eagles have absolutely no talent at the receiver position. None. Does everyone remember the season when the Eagles had TO? They were unstoppable that year. Yes TO was a cancer to this team but he had what the receivers this year do not, TALENT. Until Jeffrey Lurie hires a general manager who goes out and recruits talent to play for this team we won't be a contender.

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude.

Sad Saturday...

2007-12-08T10:29:00.000-05:00

Saturday has always been such a good day, hell, its the weekend and I don't have to work. This is the also the first day in a long time where I don't have any kind of obligation, be it from the wife or from other family. And to top it all off I have the entire house to myself because the wife is spending the day with her grandmother. So, with that said, I woke up eager to spend the day in front of my TV watching some good sports. After flipping on the tube and going through the guide to plan out my full day of sports watching I came to the realization that there isn't shit on today. I have my choice of college basketball or the 1 A division college football semifinal. I have been so caught up recently with day to day life I completely forgot college football is over till the bowl season starts up. NFL doesn't start Saturday games yet. They Flyers played last night and honestly who cares if the Sixers have a game. I then realized how dissapointing this day was going to be.

Don't get me wrong, I love college basketball but it is so early in the season that it doesn't spark my interest quite yet. I graduated from the University of Maryland in 2001 so I am a huge Terps fan, unfortunately they are not very good this year. But if they were on today, no doubt that would be a must watch. Unfortunately it isn't very often that I get to catch a Maryland game until conference play begins in late January.

So now I am in a state of shock. I was all prepared to have a nice relaxing day and now I am screwed. So I started to think about what is the best month for sports? What month of the year do I know I will never run into this problem? I would have to say either April or September. April brings the Final Four, the Masters, hockey is reaching the end of their season and games have more meaning and of course the baseball season begins. Then you have September. The NFL regular season begins and baseball's season is ending with the playoff races heating up. All I know...either way...it definitely isn't December.

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude

Orange Crush

2007-12-07T13:21:00.000-05:00

It was brought to my attention by someone that my first couple of posts have been fairly negative. It seems some people in this world believe that all Philadelphia sports fans are whiners and breed failure. I can see where someone can have this opinion of us die hards. What they fail to realize is that most Philly fans are well educated when it comes to their sports and feel as though they could better run the teams than the people in charge.

With that said I have to give the Flyers organization their due. In this past off season Paul Holmgren went out and signed the best players in free agency he possibly could. By getting Briere and Jason Smith, he has upgraded this team to championship caliber. At the end of last year he acquired Martin Biron, a goalie who finally has what it takes to lead this team to the promise land. Although the Flyers are still lacking some consistency they have started off this season very well. Currently they are tied for first with the Rangers and Devils with less games played then both teams.

If the other major teams in Philly could learn anything from the Flyers its that by acquiring talent you can create a winning team. I know it is early in the hockey season but the dramatic improvement over last year is hard not to notice. Our young guys (Carter, Tolpeko, Richards) are also stepping up the way we thought they would last year. Not only is this team stacked with talent but they should be able to be very good for a decent amount of years to come. I, for one, am extremely excited about the possibilites this team brings to our city, they could finally end the championship drought and bring a parade to Broad Street!

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude

Comments...

2007-12-06T10:34:00.000-05:00

Please leave comments about my blogs...I want this blog to me more of a discussion...feel free to agree, disagree, bash me, praise me, whatever you feel is necessary. Enjoy.

Will this be the same old story???

2007-12-06T10:16:00.000-05:00

As everyone knows now the Sixers have finally fired Billy King and have a hired a new GM and President by the name of Ed Stefanski. What took the Sixers so long to fire Billy King is beyond me. He was the worst GM and President in the NBA, if I was as bad at my job as he was at his I would be unemployed right now. I could go on and on about the horrible moves he made but I will only give you two words, Chris Webber.

So last night was the Sixers first game under Mr. Stefanski's leadership and they played as well as could be expected. This year is definitely not about winning...its about rebuilding and unloading some players for future talent and draft picks. Lets hope that Mr. Stefanski is going to get the Sixers moving in the right direction. Andre Miller should be moved...he could provide mulitple teams with the piece they are missing and if they combine him with maybe a Kyle Korver they should be able to get something decent in return.

There is no doubt that Mr. Stefanski has a huge mountain to climb, he has to deal with the mess that Billy King left him...Samuel Dalembert making $10 million dollars, are you kidding me? Only time will tell if he has the knowledge and the guts to get the Sixers moving in the right direction.

I will be honest that I am not the utmost authority on the Sixers, I follow them because they are from Philly but I have become so disenchanted with the NBA that I find it hard to watch. What happened to the days of Jordan, Bird, and Magic? Why is the NBA so boring to watch these days? Money has changed all of today's professional sports but it seems to me it has affected the NBA the most. Do any NBA teams actually run a half court offense? Where have the fundamentals of the game gone? Why is traveling not a rule in the NBA anymore? It has turned into a joke...it is a more of an entertainment league than a professional sports league.

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude.

24 years and counting...

2007-12-05T13:01:00.001-05:00

On my ride into work today I was listening to NPR and there was a columnist talking about the current state of Boston sports. He lamented on how for 80 some years prior to the Red Sox World Series title in 2004, Boston was the most depressed sport city. He claimed that no one in Boston cared about the Celtics 8 championships in the 60's or the fact that the Bruins were a perenial contender for the Cup or the fact that the Patriots are the best football team of the new millineum. It made me sick. Maybe its because I am only 28 and I have no recollection of any championship for any major team in Philly. Yes the Sixers won the NBA championship in '83 but I was not even 5 yet and I was more worried about learning to ride a bike more than I was about Philadelphia sports.

Philadelphia has the longest championship drought than any other metropolitan area with all four major sports by 8 YEARS!. (By the way, that is a good trivia question, how many metropolitan areas are there with all four major sports and can you name them?)
This makes me wonder if I will ever see a championship in this city. It doesn't look like the Eagles will have a shot again for a while, the Sixers are in shambles, the Phillies did make the playoffs this past season but management still has done nothing to prepare for next season. Brad Lidge isn't the answer to all of their problems. That leaves the Flyers, the one team whom I believe will have the best chance. I am not convinced it will be this year but maybe next year. That seems to be the theme of all Philadelphia sports fans. Maybe next year.

Just my humble opinion. Phily Sports Dude.

Eagles Season Over?

2007-12-04T21:01:00.000-05:00

Its December 4th and football in Philadelphia is over. This hasn't happened much in the past 7 years and hopefully it isn't a sign of things to come. The Eagles have lost the last two games in painstaking fashion. With a chance to win on the final drive of each game I sat and watched AJ Feeley throw our season away. I will admit that not only three weeks ago I was calling for a different quarterback, I was tired of seeing the same old same old from #5 including another injury in November. I thought AJ might be the answer and I couldn't have been more wrong. Do I think if #5 was in the game we would have won either of the last two games, NO. What I believe is being overlooked during this whole season is the offense game planning. It doesn't matter if McNabb, Feeley, Kolb, or even Montana is our quarterback, without a balance attack this team cannot win. There just isn't enough talent on offense to keep playing this west coast game plan. Westbrook is without a doubt the best player on the field, he maybe the best player in Eagle's history (we will look at that another time), why when the game is on the line does he not get the ball? I have an idea...lets let our best player win the game!

The ugly realization that I have come to is that it might be time to rebuild. Andy Reid has done a terrific job over the last 8 years but its time to move on. We need some fresh faces, some fresh ideas and a fresh game plan. I can deal with a couple of years of mediocore seasons as long as we see some progression during that time. Sometimes you need to take a step back in order to take two steps forward.

Just my humble opinion...Philly Sports Dude