The Phils Are on Fire, College Football is Here

I know that I promised an extensive college football preview but I just do not have the time or patience right now to put it all together. So you will have to settle on some quick hitters on this Friday afternoon:

• How about those Phillies? The sweep of the Mets in itself was huge, but the way they did it, coming from behind 10-8 in the 8th & 9th after being ahead 5-0 and 8-5, was exciting and great to see. It just goes to prove what I and most Philbert observers have said all season: this team has tremendous heart, and they never give up.
• Pat Burrell has been as good as any player in baseball over the last two months. He has been incredible. I think this means you keep him between Utley and Howard in the batting order for the rest of the year so you do not enable teams to bring in a lefty and face back to back left handed hitters.
• Jayson Werth has been searing lately as well. Shane Victorino may have trouble getting a full time spot back in the immediate future.
• The series against Florida is HUGE this weekend. The Phils cannot afford to lose this series, as it gives back too much (in the standings and psychologically) what they gained in the last 4 days against the Mets. Florida has given them fits over the past several years, so the Phils need to really focus down in Miami.
• Weird week in baseball. Besides the Phillies, the Angels swept the Mariners, the Yankees swept the Red Sox, Tampa swept the Oriloes, the Tribe swept the Twinks, Texas swept the Pale Hose, and the Dodgers swept the Nats. That is an awful lot of broom sales going on.
• College football started last night and two of the top Heisman candidates, Brian Brohm of Louisville and Ray Rice, were outstanding in blowout wins. Of course, I am not certain those Heisman voters (I will have to ask my buddy George Rogers, who gets a vote) will be all that impressed by the Murray St. and Buffalo defensive opposition.
• I am telling you right now, my Duke Blue Devils, holders of the longest losing streak in the country at 20 games, will end that streak tomorrow in the friendly confines of Wallace Wade Stadium with a victory over the Connecticut Huskies. Take the 4.5, and you can send me a thank you note later. This Duke team will be much better than people think this year.
• Georgia Tech will beat Notre Dame in South Bend tomorrow. Who is starting for the Irish at QB anyway? The bettors seems to know this, as they have moved the lines from ND by 3 to ND by 1. Take the Jackets.
• It will be an emotional scene in Blacksburg as the Hokies host East Carolina. Look for a lot of tears to be shed in the stands and on the field before the game. Look for the tears once the game starts to come from the East Carolina sideline.
• The best game of the weekend should be my buddy JPL's Cal Bears who have revenge on their minds as the Volunteers from Rocky Top come calling. Tennessee is missing their best running back due to suspension, and Erik Ainge, who improved leaps and bounds last year as the Vols' QB, is not at 100% with a broken pinky finger. Looks for Nate Longshore and the Bears to win in a good game.

It looks like most of the country is in for a great weekend weather wise. Hopefully everybody will enjoy some great golf, swimming, barbeques, and fun before summer comes to a close.

I will try to get back on this weekend with some observations from the sports world, along with anything else that may suit my fancy....

Psych on the College Football, Umpires deciding the Outcomes of Games, Here Come the Phillies

I know I promised some college football talk, but I am going to put it off until Friday. I just have more stuff to talk about with the gridiron season starting than I can get to tonight. I do, however, want to chat about the Phillies & Mets.....

The Phillies won their third straight against the Mets and 4th overall by a score of 3-2. They survived a shaky 9th by Brett Myers when the closer got bailed out by the second base umpire making an interference call as the Phillies were going for a 6-4-3 double play.

Was the umpire technically correct in his interpretation of the rule as it is written? Yes. Did Marlon Anderson leave the baseline and interfere with Iguchi as he pivoted to make the throw to first? Absolutely. Was it, in my opinion (much to the disagreement of most Phils fans I am sure) a terrible call in which the umps decided the outcome of a game instead of letting the players on the field do so? You bet your ass. Here's why....

The Mets had runners on 1st & 3rd base with one out when the controversial grounder was hit by Shaun Green. When Jimmy Rollins picked the ball up and shoveled it to Iguchi for the force, there was no chance (and I mean ZERO PERCENT) that Iguchi would be able to throw out Shaun Green and complete the double play. Therefore, the tying run was going to score. So even though the play was interpreted correctly from the rulebook, the play by Anderson had no bearing whatsoever on the outcome of the play, and the run should have been allowed to score. And, no, Tim Donaghy was not the second base umpire (that joke will keep on giving for years!)

It is a huge win for the Phillies as they cut the Mets lead to 3 games (from 6 three days ago), and they will have a chance to complete the sweep, narrow the gap to 2, and seize all momentum heading into the last month of the season with a day game on Thursday. I, as a huge Phillies fan, would just have preferred no assists from the umps. And I think it is hypocritical to complain about officiating when the calls go against your team but look the other way when they don't.

Bottom line: the Phils won a game with a little help from the umps, they may have won anyway, and in the end, they will happily take it.

As far as the sweep goes, the Phillies have had 10 opportunities to sweep opponents this season, and are 4-6 in those 10 attempts. Of those 10, one was a chance for a four game sweep, which they lost. Hopefully, they can go to 5-6 in those situations in the matinee.

Kyle Lohse takes the hill for the Philberts, and he has looked great since being acquired a month ago from the Reds. This is what it's all about. Let's hope the home teams completes what looked to be an impossible sweep 4 days ago, and let's hope it's the players on the field, not the umps, who decide the outcome of the tilt.

Phillies Magic, Prognostication Magic

Just time for a couple quick thoughts....

I am now 1-0 in my baseball picks (Yankees last night) to go along with my 1-0 preseason football picks (Birds over Carolina two weeks ago). Hopefully somebody somewhere is benefiting from my prognostications. And hopefully I can stay hot as we head into college football and the NFL. I will have some college football thoughts up tomorrow in time for the first games of the season Thursday night.

As for last night, this Phillies team was true to form as they showed grit and heart and willed themselves to another must win against the Mets. Adam Eaton pitched as well as he has in months, the bullpen came through, and Ryan Howard seems like he may be getting hot just in time. Let's see if Jamie Moyer can throw some good slop tonight and frustrate those Mets' fast ball hitters. They are two more wins away from playing themselves back into real contention!

For anyone that did not get my survivor pool information that is interested in participating, shoot me an email (brian@dilsheimer.com), and I will send you the rules. If you did get the information, make sure to get your entry forms and fees in sooner rather than later.

Back tonight or tomorrow....

Welcome Back, Mr. Utley

Chase Utley missed 28 games. Shane Victorino missed most of those too and Cole Hamels went on the DL a week ago. Ryan Howard has swung and missed at an alarming rate. Still, though smoke and mirrors and grit and heart, the Philberts managed to go 15-13 during the month that Utley missed. But don't kid yourself. This team needed this player back in the worst possible way. They were on their last limbs, and a big effort Sunday probably kept them just barely breathing.

Last night, in a series that is every bit as much a "must win" as a playoff series itself, Utley set the tone immediately. Jose "I am not as good as Jimmy Rollins even though I get all the hype" Reyes hit a sharp grounder to Utley's right. Does Iguchi make the play? Maybe. But Utley half dives, gets the ball, and throws out the speedy Reyes, telling his teammates that he is indeed back.

After the Phils jumped out to a 3-0 lead and J.D. Durbin threw the best 4 innings of his life (12 up, 12 down), the Phils survived a shaky 5th to cling to a 3-2 lead. And then....Chase Utley, 0-2 in his first two at bats, nailed a ball over the 409 foot sign for a dinger. You could almost see the relief show in this team, and it was evidenced the rest of the way as they coasted for a 9-2 victory.

The Phils are still 5 back of the Mets and 3 back in the Wild Card. And there are only about 32 games left. But Mr. Utley is back, and this team has spirit. They are going to get Victorino and Hamels back shortly. And if Howard can start hitting, this team can go on a roll. It is still a long shot that they will make the playoffs, but it sure will be a blast watching them try.

By the way, Jayson Werth has been red hot lately, and now has a hit in 9 straight at bats. That has not been done by a Phillie since the '50's. I guess he will get the start in right field again tonight!

I certainly hope that Country Joe West gets fined for so blatantly missing a call at first last night. Obviously it ended up not affecting the outcome, but at the time you just never know. I mean, even Harry Kalas could see that was a bad call live. Just brutal.

Phillies fans today, in addition to rooting for the Phillies to beat the Mets again, should root hard for the best pitcher in baseball, Brandon Webb, to get a win over the Padres in San Diego and cut that wild card lead.....

One more baseball prediction: after getting walloped 16-0 last night, look for the Bronx Bombers to ride the left arm of Andy Pettitte to a win tonight against Dice-K and the Sawx. With the Mariners failing to open up more than a 2 game lead over the Yanks despite some struggles for the Bombers the last 10-12 days, it will be tough to keep New York out of the playoffs with the schedule the have. And if they get in, look out....

A new Tiger Woods(?) and some Quick Hiiters....

Sorry for the blank space over the past week, but it turns out the Hyatt Regency on the Chesapeake is a great spot. Despite less than ideal weather, they had more than enough activities to keep us busy all week. Great vacation spot if you are looking to take the family somewhere. A couple highlights:

• The little man (who is 4) won both the mini golf hole in 1 contest and two days later won the under-8, 9 hole mini golf tourney. When the pressure was on, the kid got holes in 1 on both the 8th and 9th holes to finish with a 23, winning by 2 strokes. He then proceeded to beat me in a 9 hole match (I know, any of you that have seen me gold probably have a comment here...)
• They have a big chess/checkers board that you stand on to move the pieces. We had a boys vs. girls challenge which quickly led to Abby and Zack moving pieces for the adults as we began to take this checkers game way too seriously. KP had me on the ropes and then made a monumental mistake that led directly to the first ever quintuple jump. I of course was then blamed for being too competitive. But let me tell you, this was the biggest come from behind victory in sports since Mike Weaver came back to drop John Tate for the heavyweight title late in the 15th round in 1980 after getting pummeled the entire fight.
• They had a great water slide in a pool with no heater. George Costanza and shrinkage immediately come to mind....

But enough about vacation. We are moving to a great time of year for sports with a lot going on so I thought it would be appropriate for some quick hitters:

• Everybody has killed Michael Vick so I do not need to harp on it (and what an idiot and jackass he is), but the only point I would make is that his actions represent one of the single dumbest business decision in history. He has perhaps cost himself more than a quarter billion (with a b) dollars. $60 million+ in base salary, the $22 million in signing bonuses the Falcons are going to attempt to re-coup, and probably a couple hundred million (my pure guess) in endorsements. A business decision has not been this bad since Ken Lay told the Enron auditors that he was sure the numbers were all correct.
• Speaking of Michael Vick, someone may want to tell Britt Reid that he is the wrong guy to emulate when working on your stay out of jail strategies. I can't think of anyone who has screwed up a second chance this badly since George Bush won a second term.
• Depressingly, the Philberts just cannot seem to overcome another mammoth injury, this time to their ace Cole Hamels. Injuries are part of the game, but this team has endured more than about any time I can think of. 4/5 of their early starting rotation is out (Hamels, Lieber, Garcia, and Eaton), both closers and their main set guy have been on the DL for months at a time (Myers, Gordon, Madson), many of their position players have been to the DL (Utley, Howard, Victorino, Bourn, and Barajas, although that is probably a blessing since Coste is better than Barajas anyway...). Clearly, today is a must win. Otherwise, they fall to 5 out in the wild card instead of 3 if they can find a way to win. Next week's series against the Mets becomes a must sweep (not sure 3 of 4 keeps them close enough with the season getting short). They just do not have the horses to make this happen. But I will still watch, just in case....
• They say that no pitcher will get to 300 maybe ever. Assuming that Randy Johnson is done and will not get his 16 more wins he would need, that statement on the surface appears to be correct. But I have a long shot for you.....Tim Wakefield. The guy just turned 41, and he may be able to pitch another 10 years (he throws 65 miles an hour, why can't he do that at age 50?). He has 167 wins right now, including 16 this year. It is a longshot, but just remember, you heard it here first.
• I will need to talk to my buddy George Rogers (www.georgerogersradio.com) about getting control of his South Carolina team. The stories out of Columbia remind me of the Miami program when it was creating criminals and thugs.

So much to talk about this week. Besides the Phillies hopefully halting their fade, the NFL and college football are getting closer (college gridiron starts Thursday), so lots to talk about this week. I will be back Monday to start to dissect it all....

Phillies & The Rain: A Depressing Combination

When the Phillies miss the playoffs by 1 or 2 games like almost everybody would guess they would do (I am guess my optimistic friend Mike Gross and Billy Bredt still think otherwise), we can all look back to the dog days of August when the men in the red hats blew 4-0 leads on back-to-back days to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pittsburgh freaking Pirates. And I know there will be people to quickly throw the blame on Jolly Chollie for not going to is bullpen earlier. But I blame Pat Gillick, the GM. As a manager, it is never a good idea to go with a knife to a gunfight. Yes, the bullpen has put up respectable numbers over the last 30 days. But please, it is still a house of cards that is apt to collapse with the slightest wind. They have a legitimate closer in Brett Myers, a bunch of old has beens who are trying to get by on guts and guile (Gordon, Alfonseca, Mesa), a guy with great stuff who is so wild he was cut by a contender earlier this year (Romero) and two young guys who are horrible (Zagursky, Condrey). The GM needs to give Chollie the bullets to use his guns.... (note: the GM is really the face of the organization so he gets the blame, but all Phils fans know that the owners of this team are the real culprits because despite selling out every game, they have just not been willing to spend the extra money to get over the hump.)

The Phillies have a gigantic 10 game homestand that will define them as contenders or pretenders. I think they will rise to the occasion and play pretty good ball, winning at least 6 of the 10. But alas, it is still August. I still think this team will come up just short for the 14th straight year. Which is too bad because the spirit of this team is worth rooting for.

On a personal note, we are heading on a non-Thanksgiving vacation for the first time in over a year on Monday. We are going to this great resort (Hyatt in Cambridge, MD on the Chesapeake) that gets rave reviews. And of course watching the Weather Channel tonight shows that non-stop thunderstorms are pretty much expected the entire week. What do you do in that situation? Just brutal. It has barely rained all summer and it is going to make up for it the entire week we are gone. I guess the good news for you is that it will leave plenty of time for blogging....

Stay dry. Go Phils.

25 Minutes Worth of Eagles Preseason Observations...

Everybody needs the preseason. It’s not just the players. Stadium operations were not yet in midseason form last night at the Eagles game. The ticket scanners at the gates we entered suddenly stopped working. Of course, the employees then had no idea what to do and the line came to a standstill. Ummmm, people, we did go decades without these machines. How about just actually looking at the ticket and ripping the stub? I am pretty sure the counterfeit tickets are at a minimum in the preseason. Of course, my daughter had to go to the potty right while the line got stuck, but she showed the development of her bladder control and rode out the wait.

Once we got in the game, the big downside was that the noise at the Linc (PA announcer volume, fireworks, fans) was so loud that it was too much for my little man. Zack, who is 4 and a complete sports maniac who can tell you every Phillies player, could not really enjoy the game, as the noise was overwhelming for him.

My daughter and I met my buddy Joey Prez and his buddy Chris for a beer (or as my daughter said, “Daddy, I have never tried beer, just Root Beer,” so no malt and hops beverage for her) with about 5 minutes to go in the half. Unfortunately, our visit was interrupted by a major lightning storm, which caused another near riot at the gates, this time with people trying to get out. Once we found the other half of our entourage, we bolted for him before the bolts got us….

As for the game itself, the Birds looked great. They looked to be in midseason form. In the almost-half of action I saw, here are my takeaways:

• McNabb looked great. He looked comfortable in the pocket. He was accurate with his passes. He showed no physical or mental effects from his knee injury. He saw the field well. He looks like he will be ready to pick up right where he left off. After the first half of the first quarter, when the Birds had orchestrated 2 straight successful scoring drives, Donovan was on pace for 1,002 passing yards. That would be a record! As long as he can stay healthy, this team has a legitimate shot to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
• The running game looked non-existent. We did get a couple successful goal line carries from Tony Hunt, who looks like he will push Correll Buckhalter back to third string.
• The pass rush looked strong. They were getting pressure on DelHomme fairly consistently.
• With defensive pressure comes good cornerback play, and Sheppard, Shelden Brown and Will James all looked good, basically shutting down Steve Smith, the best receiver in the league according to many.
* Brent Celek looks better this week that he did last week. This guy is going to be a force. The Eagles should use their 5th round draft pick every year on a guy out of the University of Cincinnati. Besides Celek this year, they nabbed Trent Cole in the 5th round two years ago from the same school...
• Max Jean Gilles looked solid filling in for the injured Shawn Andrews. The offensive line in general looked strong.
• Is it me or is McNabb looking for Kevin Curtis as his #1 option, not Reggie Brown?

If I were the Carolina Panthers, I would be concerned. Their #1 offense could not move the ball and their #1 defense got manhandled. I know it is just preseason, but I am not all that high on this Panther team this year. I do think they need to bench Jake DelHomme and give David Carr the reins to the offense. We will see if that happens.

One final note: The reason, besides his Hall of Fame playing career, that Brian Dawkins is probably my favorite Eagle of all time is that quite simply, he gets it. He always plays to the fans and recognizes that it is a partnership. Despite being injured and not being in uniform, Dawk was still on the field at the 50 yard line leading the fans in the Eagles fight song every time we crossed the goal line. If there is ever a guy who deserved a ring, it is Brian Dawkins.

It is still only preseason, but now I am convinced that the Birds, if they stay healthy, will be just fine this year…..

Fed Rate Cut, Implications of Whole Foods/Wild Oats, Artie Lange, Eagles and Phillies Talk....

I just learned that the Fed gave a surprise 50 basis point drop in rates. I think the market will like that short term, but I am not overly optimistic that it does enough by itself to fix the mortgage problems and in turn the real estate problems that we are seeing today. Hopefully it will make a few more people credit worthy and help unclog the system a little bit. We shall see…

The proposed acquisition of Wild Oats Markets by Whole Foods looks like it is going to be approved. A federal judge rejected a claim from the FTC that a purchase would be anticompetitive, ultimately clearing the way for the merger to happen (barring a success by the FTC to have that decision overturned on appeal). That decision in itself is not all that interesting, although it may serve to bump up the price of organic mil even more. I am interested in that decision because it is similar in a lot of way to the proposed merger between Sirius and XM Satellite Radio. The satellite companies will make similar arguments that the grocers did in saying that while they are the only form of satellite radio, there are not many competitors around. For the grocers it is traditional grocers such as Food Lion, Kroger, Albertson’s, etc. For Sirius and XM, it is terrestrial radio, cable and satellite television, etc. Look for Howard Stern to double his audience when this deal goes through in the next 12 months or so.

Speaking of Howard Stern, I am a big Artie Lange fan. Some of my buddies argued when Jackie left the show that Artie was horrible and that the show wasn’t the same. I disagree. I think Artie adds a dimension to Howard’s show that Jackie never did. I think at this point the show suffers when Artie is not there. So I was excited to watch Artie’s stand up DVD, It’s the Whiskey Talkin’. And quite frankly, I came away disappointed. I was really expecting to be blown away with his comedy, but I found it quite ordinary and not as smart as his comedy on the show. And we all know (actually not all, probably the .01% of people who actually saw it) that his movie Beer League sucked. Bottom line, Artie should stay right where he is, by Howard’s side, where his talents are optimized, and not think about trying to go it alone. We saw how that worked out for Jackie….

Is anybody out there going to the Birds game tonight? I am taking my kids to the game and going early to introducing them to the art of tailgating. It’s never too early (they are 6 and 4) to learn. If anyone will be there, shoot me an email so we can share a beer before the game. Not that preseason matters, but I predict the Eagles will come out with a bit to prove after coming out flat in their 29-3 loss Monday Night. They get their franchise quarterback behind center for the first time since he tore up his knee last October, there are positions to be won, and one head coach who has put them through the ringer after a lackluster performance Monday. Birds will win, and if you actually care, they will cover the 3 points.

The Phillies are certainly exciting (aka nerve-racking) to watch this season. On the bright side, this team never quits, has a lot of heart, and never seems to be out of a game. On the flip side, they have a tremendous knack for taking an easy game and making it a nail biter. Last night, Cole Hamels gave just a tremendous performance. The kid simply did not have it. His control was all over the place, he was frustrated, and his magic just wasn’t there. But this kid is such a competitor. This is why he is headed for greatness. Despite not having his good stuff, he still left in the 7th inning with a shutout in hand. You gotta love this kid. The bullpen, which has been great lately, struggled. Flash Gordon was on the downward swing of the seesaw that has been his 2007 season. J.C. Romero then came in and as usual could not find the plate (note: this kid has closer stuff if he could harness his control). But bottom line, they found a way to hang on, which is what they are doing more and more lately. Could there be magic this year?

One problem the Phils are having in the last 10 days or so is scoring runs. Besides missing Chase Utley and Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard is a big part of the problem. He has been ultra streaky this year. I would argue with my friend Ari Kaufman who believes he is simply a media creation and overrated. In fact, I think he is the best run producer in the National League. However, he has to become more consistent, get back to hitting the ball to left field, and cut down drastically (I mean drastically) on his strikeouts. He has struck out in a horrific 38.3% of his at bats this year. By comparison, Dave Kingman never came within 5% of that figure. If Pat Burrell ever approached that figure, he would be tarred and feathered. Howard has clearly regressed since last year, and needs to get hot soon for the Phils to get in the playoffs and do any damage once they get there….

All for now…..

Book Review: Ken Follett, Pillars of the Earth

For me, one of the indicators that a fictional book is well written is when I find myself wanting more from the characters after I finish the book. Wondering what they are up to. Looking to the night table, hoping the book will still be sitting there so I can learn more. It can be frustrating. Ken Follett wrote such a book 18 years ago called Pillars of the Earth. I read it about 15 years ago (give or take 3 years) and, as a testament to the fact that useless information has taken over my brain leaving no room for anything else, I remembered little about the story.

After almost two decades, Follett is finally putting the finishing touches on the sequel. When I learned this, I realized I had to re-read the original, or I would not get the most out of the new book, called World Without End (Coming out in October). So I set out to conquer the 973 pages that had captivated me so long ago.

Pillars is the story of Prior Philip, who grows up an orphan in a Priory and rises to a position of power within the church. It is his life’s work to build a cathedral. It is the story of Tom Builder, who shares Philip’s dream of building a beautiful cathedral. It is the story of Aliena, the daughter of a powerful Earl who is overthrown, and who is forced to build up her life from nothing. And it is the story of Jack Jackson, the bastard child of the forest witch Ellen.

The story takes place over a 35 or 40 year stretch in the 12th century, and tells in great detail the story of how a cathedral was built over 800 years ago. Follett does this description in a non academic way that is never overbearing or boring. Most importantly, he weaves in powerful storylines and character depictions that weave themes of hatred and loved, greed and ambition, religion and politics in a strong, powerful manner. Once teh story starts, the almost 1,000 pages fly by and melt away as you want to keep learning more.

If you are familiar with any of Follett’s other works, this book is different than the rest. The closest comparison I could find would be A Place Called Freedom, another excellent read. While I am a fan of all his work, I would perhaps give Pillars of the Earth my biggest endorsement of all. The book is interesting yet challenging. It is a really interesting read. And best of all, the sequel is coming out in about 7 weeks, so you won’t have to wait long to see what happens next.

Quick Eagles Review, Michael Vick, RIP Scooter

There is one way, and only one way, to make a preseason game exciting. The Eagles, despite losing 29-3 and in general showing nothing on either side of the ball, successfully figured out the formula. They hired Gus Johnson to do the play-by-play for the preseason. This is the same Gus Johnson that announces some March Madness games for CBS, and the same Gus Johnson that could make a 7th grade chess match sound as exciting as a Duke-Kentucky match up with the Final 4 on the line. For cryin’ out loud, Gus Johnson put excitement behind the words “quantitative analysis” last night. That may be the best move that this organization has made in years. And this is the front office that we, as Philly sports fans, like the best.

As far as the game went, it really didn’t. The team looked bad. Offense looked bad. Defense looked bad. They lost Ryan Moats (if that matters) for the year. If there was a bright spot, it is that Brett Celek, the rookie tight end out of Cincinnati, looked as good as advertised. Mark it down right now: L.J. Smith, who is in the final year of his contract, will not be an Eagle next year. They will look for Celek to step into the starting lineup at that point. Hopefully L.J. will go on a major contract drive and have a huge year in his last season as a Bird.

Nothing really to worry about as far as the level of play goes last night. After all, it is just the first preseason game. If there is a concern with this squad, it is that the injuries, as usual, are mounting rather quickly. Brian Dawkins has not practiced for two weeks due to Achilles tendonitis, and that is not a good sign at his age (33). The Big Kid Shaun Andrews is on crutches with a badly sprained ankle, and when you weigh 360 (er, 335) pounds, that may take a while to be fully healthy.

Besides Celek, the two guys who I saw that may have improved enough to make a positive impact this year are Sean Considine, who looks like he actually learned how to tackle, and Chris Gocong, who looks like he can bring different and much needed dimension to the linebacking corp.

We will see how the team progresses throughout the preseason, but I am thinking the Birds should be the team to beat (AGAIN!) in the NFC East and have as good a chance as anyone to win the NFC. We will see if I still feel that way in a few weeks.

In other football news, Michael Vick is a goner. All three of his buddies have now turned on him, and he is going to the slammer. If he is smart, he will cut a deal right now, minimize his jail time (maybe even get it seasonally set), and maybe, just maybe, take another snap one day in the NFL. As it stands, I think it is less than 50% that Vick ever plays football again. Schmuck!

Finally, just a quick RIP to Phil Rizutto, the Scooter, Yankee shortstop and broadcaster who is known among other things for doing the play by play in the Meatloaf Classic Paradise by the Dashboard Light.

Phils Weekend, Adam Eaton Sucks, and The King of the Jungle is the Tiger

I am going to save my Eagles banter for tomorrow after we all have a chance to se the team’s debut tonight. There will be more stuff to talk about then….

Let’s talk some more about the Philberts. How is Adam Eaton still in the starting rotation? According to Rich Hoffman of phillynews.com, only once in the history of baseball has a pitcher with as high an ERA as Eaton’s been given so many starts. It is appalling that he is still in the rotation, especially in light of the trade for Kyle Lohse that gives the Phils 5 starters other than Eaton (Hamels, Moyer, Kendrick, Lohse, Durbin). With Eaton tossing gasoline on the fire every five days, the Phils find themselves having to win 3 of the other 4 games they play between his starts to play .600 ball, which they may have to do from here on out to make the playoffs. In other words, get Eaton out of the rotation now. The Phils cannot make the playoffs unless they do.

The Phils won a big series against the Braves this weekend. They need to follow that up with two winning series in the Nation’s Capital and in Pittsburgh against two extremely beatable teams. My buddy Billy Bredt warns against counting your W’s against the Buc-O’s before they are in hand as the Men in Red have not won a series near the Allegehny River since the 2001 season. And the Phils proved they can tank against the Nationals in DC last September when they desperately needed wins. These guys need to focus on the task at hand this week instead of looking ahead to next week’s huge home stand (Dodgers, Padres, Mets).

While the Phillies were winning their series against the Braves, Tiger Woods was dominating yet another major, his 13th title. My bussy Stitzer argues that Nicklaus is a better overall golfer than Tiger because Tiger has not shown he can come from behind in a major to win. I refute his theory, arguing that Tiger is the best golfer ever to play because I do not think it matter if you come from behind or lead wire to wire. The only thing that matters is winning, and before it is all said and one, Tiger will have won more majors than Jack, and done it at a time when there is much more breadth and depth of talent to compete against. Plus, his wife is hotter.

I will be back tomorrow with my take on the Eagles game and some comments on the NFL in general….

NBA Corruption & Some Sixers Banter

Some quick thoughts on the NBA and then we will begin the football coverage next week, unless I am motivated to post something over the weekend.

For years, my buddy Stitzer and I have been going around telling anybody that besides the product being fundamentally flawed, the NBA was not worth anyone’s time because the games were fixed. Too many times in big spots, poor calls were made, and referees were deciding the outcomes of games instead of the players on the floor. Well, who knew that we would end up being right????

On the George Rogers Show (www.georgerogersradio.com) last week, they asked me whether the NBA, NFL or MLB had the biggest problem based on recent events. I loudly (yes, I know that may be redundant and obvious) answered that it is not even a discussion worth having, because the NBA has done irreparable harm to its integrity with the Tim Donaghy incident. Looking forward, every time there is a questionable call, people will question whether it was shaky judgment or something more sinister. Looking back, you have to ask yourself whether the fix was in this past season, actually costing teams games, and, more importantly, Phoenix the championship.

David Stern coming out and claiming that Donaghy was a rogue operator and that this was an isolated incident was naïve and ridiculous. How the hell could he possibly know this for sure? He will be learning the details about all this as it unfolds over the next several months. Maybe Stern should spend less time enforcing ridiculous rules like the one that kept Stoudamire out of the all-important Game 5 in the San Antonio series, and spend more time trying to police the integrity of his beloved league.

As for the Sixers, I liked what Billy King did in the draft. I thought Thaddeus Young was a gutsy but sensible pick over the hyped Al Thornton and Julian Wright. Young is a better fit for the Sixers with more upside and much better shooting range. The Sixers need some outside shooting desperately. He will likely struggle more in his first year than the alternatives, but I believe the Sixers will be much better off with the talented Young over the long-term. Getting Derrick Byars, and all around performer who does everything pretty well was a steal.

Also, everybody is always quick to bash King, and it has been warranted at times, but he was responsible for picking Louis Williams a few years ago in the second round and then letting him nurture in the background. Williams now looks like he could be a major contributor. My prediction here is that he will make Andre Miller expendable by the midway point in the season and Miller will be dealt.

Finally, I love Lou Amundson. This guy is one of those players that just has a motor that never stops. He is in the right place at the right time, and does all the little things well. Mark my words, if the Sixers do not find a place for him, he will surface somewhere and make a good team better. Keep Lou Amundson, Billy!!!!

All for now. Back over weekend or Monday with the first of the football chatter.

Back with some Baseball Chatter

Two months is a long enough hiatus, even for me. Plus, at least three people have complained about my lack of writing, so clearly there is huge demand to read my stuff. So I’m back, and the blog will stay active (more or less) through at least college hoops season. As always, guest columns are welcome and comments are encouraged. I thought I would start off with some baseball chatter….

Let’s start with baseball. The Phillies seem headed straight for where they have been the last several years. In it until the end, then just short of making the playoffs. Somehow, this team sucks me in. They play hard, they seem to like each other, and they are exciting. Even Jolly Chollie has avoided getting on my nerves too badly this year, although we all know his strategic abilities seem to be on a similar level to George Bush when it comes to Iraq. The real problem with the Philberts is that Pat Gillick has done a mediocre job at best. He went out and signed Adam Eaton to a ridiculous contract last year, and has been rewarded with Eaton earning the worst ERA in the NL. Then at the trading deadline he did not do enough to shore up the bullpen. Dealing for Russell Branyan is not going to get you into the playoffs. So I will continue to watch (I have to because my 4 year old’s world seems to revolve around this baseball team), but I am convinced this team will end up just short, AGAIN.

As for the rest of baseball, the Yankees are coming on like a closer in the derby who spotted the field 20 lengths in the first half mile only to draw just about all the way back as Dave Johnson screams “Down the stretch they come!” The AL better hope that they can keep the Bombers out of the playoffs because they do not want any piece of a team that can throw Wang, Clemens, Pettitte (a great big game pitcher), and Hughes or Mussina to go with that offensive juggernaut. It will be really interesting to see if A-Rod can keep up his offensive wizardry as the pressure begins to mount and the competition gets better down the stretch (the Yanks feasted on bad teams after the All Star break).

Bonds breaking of the home run record may not mean as much as it would have because of steroids, but Bonds has proven himself to be the best player during the steroids era. After all, there were a lot of other guys using the sauce during the past 15 years, but only Bonds hit more homers than Aaron did. McGwire, Palmeiro, Sosa and scores of others all came up short. And Bonds was a legitimate 5 tool player for much of his career. I am not condoning what he has allegedly done, I am simply saying that while the steroids may have padded his stats, they also blurred this man’s great accomplishments. Maybe in retrospect Barry would have thought twice about using. However, let’s say Barry would have stayed clean and ended up with 600 or 650 home runs. America probably still would have assumed he cheated.

Back tomorrow with some NFL and NBA discussion….