South Broad Street

Against all Odds Flyers Move on to Conference Finals

2010-05-15T13:45:00.005-04:00

The NHL promised that "history will be made" this post season, and on Friday night in Boston's TD Garden the Philadelphia Flyers obliged, becoming just the 3rd team in NHL history to rally to win a series after being down 3-0. The Flyers fought furiously to win games 4,5 and 6 to earn a one game do or die game 7 in Boston.

The Flyers found themselves in a familiar position in the 1st period, down 3-0. The Bruins, fueled by desperation and ruckus crowd dominated the Flyers in the first 15 minutes of the game. "I'm glad you guys wanted to talk about the last 45 minutes of the game and not the first 15." said Flyers coach Peter Laviolette.
The Flyers looked flat and giddy at the start of the game, which resulted in a few bad penalties. The first, a high-sticking penalty charged to Scott Hartnell led to Michael Ryder netting a power play goal and the first of the game. Less than 4 minutes later Danny Briere found himself in the box for the same offence and the Flyers, now looking at a 2 goal deficit as Milan Lucic received a beautiful pass from behind the net off the the stick of Dennis Wideman.

Lucic was not finished, sloppy play in the offensive end led to a turnover and an odd man rush for the Bruins. Lucic carried the puck up ice, and finished himself, scoring his second and the teams 3rd. The Bruins had taken a 3-0 lead with 5:50 still to play in the first period.

To calm the troops Laviolette called a time out. "Lets get 1" Laviolette said. Rookie James van Riemsdyk answered coach's order as he got the Flyers on the board with hustle, a nice move and a weird bounce. "We hopped on a 20 year old's shoulders for the first half of the game" said Flyers captian Mike Richards.

With the damaged being managed at only a 2 goal deficit after 1, the second period was owned by the Flyers. Scott Hartnell scored early in the second period, on a goal that epitomes the Flyers play over the last 4 games of the series. Hartnell carried the puck into the corner, got knocked down, passed the puck back to the point to Ryan Parent on one knee. Parent then wrapped the puck around the boards to Danny Briere, who was behind the net. Briere then threw a quick pass in front of the net, where Ville Leino in traffic, got off a spinning back hand shot that took an opportunistic bounce onto Hartnell's stick who burried a backhand top-shelf goal. "The Stanley Cup is a sacrifice you have to be willing to do that" said Laviolette.

The game was tied by the Flyers' postseason leader in points, Danny Briere. Hartnell found a streaking Briere who took the puck around the net and ricocheted the puck off Boston defender to square the score at 3-3. "My head was thinking go to the net and my hands went around" said Briere. "He is sneaky around the net" Hartnell said. Perhaps a better word would be stealthy or deadly as Briere has 15 points in 12 postseason games in 2010.

At the end of second period every thing was all even. Score 3-3. series 3-3. It was only fitting that this game 7 would come down to one period with the score tied. The third period had a feverish pace, with both teams generating scoring chances. With 7:08 remaining in the third, the longest tenured Flyer on a bad foot, Simon Gagne scored a power play goal to put the Flyers up 4-3. That would prove to be the game winner. "Simon is an elite player in the National Hockey League, he is a pure goal scorer" said Laviolette. "We didn't do it the easy way, we took the hard way, but we're part of hockey history now" Gagne said.

The Flyers have launched themselves into the conference finals by defying all odds with hustle, hard work and belief. "Belief in our system, belief in the way we play and belief in ourselves" said Hartnell.

Game 7 was filled with energy on every shift, and contributions from every player even if it doesn't show in the box score. "It was a complete team effort, the leaders lead the way and everyone else followed" said van Riemsdyk.

The Flyers fought through a seemingly insurmountable amount of adversity, not only dropping the first 3 games of a series, but losing their top goal scorer in Jeff Carter for the series, starting goalie Brian Boucher, and key contributor Ian Laperriere. "There are the right people in that locker room to come back from 3-0 and win a game like [Friday]" said Laviolette.

The Flyers will come home on Sunday to face the Montreal Canadiens, a team in which their odds are probably equally unlikely to be in the conference finals after eliminating the Presidents trophy winning Washington Capitals and defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. No team has ever defeated the Presidents trophy winner and the defending champions since the current format was adopted in 1994 until the Canadiens pulled off the feat Wednesday night.

The the 2 teams of destiny, the 7th and 8th seeds, will square off for the Eastern Conference finals. The series will certainly be a test of wills, teamwork and of course sacrifice. "If you make it until the end, and you reach to grab that thing you know you sacrificed. You play injured, you play hurt, you do anything to move on" Laviolette said.

The Flyers have made plenty of sacrifices thus far and have given us a team that we can be proud of. "I'm proud of the way they played, I'm proud of the way they represented the organization" said Laviolette.

(all quotes courtesy nhl.com)

Tom Brookshier, A Legend in HIs Own Right

2010-01-31T07:36:00.006-05:00

Philadelphia has lost a legend, an icon.

Tom Brookshier, former defensive back for the Philadelphia Eagles, broadcaster for CBS with Pat Summeral, talk show host on Sports Radio 610 WIP and creator of WIP passed away late Friday night following a brave battle with cancer. He was 78.

Brookie was loved by everyone. His distinctive and unique laugh, as well as his down to earth style made him an instant fan favorite. Not to mention, the guy was an All-Pro defensive back for the Eagles and was a key part of their 1960 championship season.

Everybody loved him and he did so back. Unfortunately, I've never heard clips of Brookie on air as a broadcaster or met him in person, but I've been he was one of a kind. Not to mention, I've he was heck of a defensive back during his playing days.

Rest In Peace, Brookie. You will without question be missed.

There Is One Positive To Take From This Game...Believe It Or Not

2010-01-03T19:18:00.003-05:00

Think about it.

After getting annihilated by a division opponent for so much at stake, how many times has the team on the losing end had the opportunity to redeem themselves against the same exact foe the next week?

I can't think of any. If there has been situations like this before, they're definitely one of the few.
It is very difficult for any team to beat another squad three times in a season, let alone back to back weeks. There is no reason the Eagles shouldn't be able to rebound after this disheartening defeat.

Putting next week aside for a second and recapping what we just watched, this was a game that the Eagles got beat in every single facet-from the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Even the special teams were not as good as the Cowboys.

This 24-0 loss hurts. It stinks. It leaves a sour taste in your mouth. While minuscule, being able to call yourself the NFC East Champions means something. The fact that the Dallas Cowboys get to call themselves that is disturbing. But hey, just as Troy Aikman said on the Fox broadcast today, if the Eagles win next week, all that is for nothing.

You get a second chance next week Eagles. This time, please come ready to play.

The Decade In Philadelphia Sports Part 12: SOUTH BROAD ST 2000-2009 ALL-DECADE AWARDS

2010-01-01T20:05:00.023-05:00

This is the final part of our coverage of the past decade in Philadelphia sports. It's been an exciting 10 years. The fortunes of our teams definitely turned around as the decade came to a close. We had our favorite teams, not so favorite teams, favorite athletes, not so favorite athletes and the same for every category out there. We watched winners and we watched losers. We rooted for our heroes and booed those who we couldn't stand. We cheered and cried at the most thrilling moments and cursed at the most disheartening. We lost several beloved sports figures and welcomed new ones that will hopefully be here for years to come. In the end, the following people/moments were voted the best of the first decade of the new millennium in Philadelphia sports.

Team of the Decade
2008 Phillies

Sportsman of the Decade
Chase Utley

Coach of the Decade
Charlie Manuel

Executive of the Decade
Pat Gillick

Unsung Hero of the Decade
David Akers

Eagle of the Decade
Brian Dawkins

Flyer of the Decade
Simon Gagne

Phillie of the Decade
Chase Utley

76er of the Decade
Allen Iverson

Eagles Game of the Decade
January 11, 2004-NFC Divisional Game vs. Green Bay Packers
"4th and 26 Game"
Eagles Won 20-17 in Overtime

Flyers Game of the Decade
May 20, 2004-Eastern Conference Finals Game 6 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Flyers Won 5-4 in Overtime

Phillies Game of the Decade
October 27/29, 2008-World Series Game 5 vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Phillies Won 4-3

76ers Game of the Decade
June 6, 2001-NBA Finals Game 1 @ Los Angeles Lakers
76ers Won 107-101 in Overtime

Eagles Moment of the Decade
January 11, 2004-NFC Divisional Game vs. Green Bay Packers-"4th and 26"

Flyers Moment of the Decade
May 4, 2000-Eastern Conference Semi-Finals Game 4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins-Keith Primeau Goal in 5th OT

Phillies Moment of the Decade
October 29, 2008-Resumption of World Series Game 5 vs. Tampa Bay Rays-Brad Lidge K's Eric Hinske to be Crowned World Champions

76ers Moment of the Decade
June 6, 2001-NBA Finals Game 1 @ Los Angeles Lakers-Allen Iverson Steps Over Tyrone Lue After a Big Shot in Overtime

Best Individual Season/Performance of the Decade
Brad Lidge 48 for 48 in Save Opportunities in 2008

Quote of the Decade
Harry Kalas's World Series Winning Call in 2008
"The 0-2 pitch...SWING AND A MISS! STRUCK HIM OUT! THE PHILADELPHIA ARE 2008 WORLD CHAMPIONS OF BASEBALL!"

Broadcaster of the Decade
Harry Kalas

Venue of the Decade
Citizens Bank Park

PA Announcer of the Decade
Dan Baker

Mascot of the Decade
The Phillie Phanatic

To close out our decade in review series, one of our posters, Michael Stubel, has some questions regarding what will happen in the next 10 years of Philadelphia sports. Whatever happens, like the past 10, it should be fun.

Questions for the future:

For the 76ers: Where is the reliable foundation? Are Holiday, Iguodala, Speights, and Young starters for the future? Who will be the next free-agent pickup? This team needs a dominant player.

For the Eagles: Can the young talent push this team over the top? Is McNabb his generation's Jim Kelly or John Elway? Who is McNabb's heir?

For the Flyers: Who will be the rock in goal for a team in need of a consistent stopper? Are Jeff Carter and Mike Richards dependable leaders and scorers going forward?

For the Phillies: Will they capitalize on their World Series-caliber roster with more championships in the coming years? Is it possible to hold onto Hamels, Howard, Utley, and Victorino?

Here is to hoping that we add more championship trophies in the next decade.

The Decade In Philadelphia Sports Part 11: 2009 Year In Review

2010-01-01T15:35:00.047-05:00

In the Wild Card round against the Minnesota Vikings and as the sixth seed, the Eagles won 26-14. Clearly, they were the better team in this battle.

The Divisional Round was going to be the tough game. At the Meadowlands against the top seeded Giants, no one thought the Eagles would win. They proved everyone wrong. The defense took care of the Giants stellar running game and the Birds won 23-11.

Heading onto their fifth NFC Championship Game in eight years, everyone thought with how hot this team is and the fact that the Birds were facing the Arizona Cardinals…the Arizona Cardinals…there was no chance of a loss.

Well, think again.

The Cardinals came out firing and took a big first half lead. The Eagles fought back and actually took the lead in the fourth quarter. But, the Cardinal running game killed the clock and Arizona scored late to take a 32-25 lead. Donovan McNabb could not lead the team down the field to tie the game. It was another heartbreaking NFC Championship loss.

This was the last game Eagle legend Brian Dawkins ever played in green and white, as he signed with Denver in the off-season following the loss.

Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas also played their last games as Eagles in this crushing defeat.

FLYERS: Couldn’t Carry Over The ’08 Magic

It’s safe to say the 2009 was not as fun as 2008. Mike Richards was now the captain and Jeff Carter got off to a roaring start, but cooled off as the regular season came to a close.

Although the Flyers finished with a better record of 44-27-11, a late season collapse and backing into the playoffs put the Flyers as the fifth seed.

They faced the fourth seed and eventual Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins again, but this time in the first round.

The Orange and Black lost the series in six games, with Game 6 having them give up a 3-0 lead to lose.

It marked the last season for Marty Biron as goalie. In the off-season following, the team traded for big time defenseman Chris Pronger and signed Ray Emery to be their full-time starter.

76ERS: Brand New Player, But Same Old Recent Story

In the off-season prior to the 2008-09 campaign, the 76ers made a big time move signing Elton Brand to a long-term lucrative deal.
The idea behind this move was to get the 76ers to the next level and also get the fan base reinvigorated. However, Brand struggled to fit into the Sixers running style and as a matter of fact, injured himself a little over a quarter into the season. After his dislocated shoulder happened, he was done for the year.

Also, a poor start by this team, a squad that was expected to be one of the top competitors in the East, led to the firing of Maurice Cheeks in December of 2008. A member of the organization's front office, Tony DiLeo, took over.

With Andre Iguodala as the team leader and Andre Miller the floor general, the Sixers finished 41-41, good for sixth in the Eastern Conference.

They faced the eventual Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic in the opening round of the playoffs. This series read almost exactly as the previous season's playoff series against the Pistons.The Sixers overcame a huge Game 1 deficit to win the first game.

They dropped Game 2,but won Game 3.

The Sixers almost won Game 4, but Orlando's Hedo Turkoglu wouldn't have it.

After dropping Game 5 to the Magic, a hard foul by Dwight Howard in that contest forced him to get suspended for the sixth game back in Philly. Everyone thought the Sixers could at least pull this one off.

Not the case. It was a bit embarrassing.

DiLeo would not resume his head coaching duties after this season. Instead, the Sixers brought in Eddie Jordan to fulfill that role. And recently, they brought back fan favorite Allen Iverson out of retirement. The city, along with the Answer, was very happy.

PHILLIES: Win One For HK

The 2008 season was definitely one of champions. The Phillies ended the city's drought of 25 years with a major sports championship and in 2009 with basically everyone back, a second title was expected.

This year, unlike the previous two seasons, was one where the Phillies dominated the NL East and cruised to a third straight division title. With a record of 93-69, the Phils were headed back to the postseason. Not only that, but they also received their 2008 World Series Championship rings!

Putting that aside though, 2009 was not only about the success of the team, but remembering the voice that brought Phillies fans the team for 38 years. Prior to the seventh game of the season, on April 13, Harry Kalas sadly passed away due to a heart attack. He was in the booth at Nationals Park preparing for the Phillies/Nationals game and suddenly collapsed unconsciously. HK was rushed to the hospital, but pronounced dead at the young age of 73. This crushed the Delaware Valley, the world of baseball and the world of sports. Harry was our friend.

How loved was Harry? The fans made an impromptu memorial for Kalas outside of Citizens Bank Park, right on the Mike Schmidt statue.

Thus,the rest of the 2009 season was dedicated to the memory of Harry The K.

On April 17, the Phillies held a memorial service for Kalas inside of Citizens Bank Park. Fans were able to come down the stadium to walk by his casket. It was only the third time in baseball history something like this happened. The other two people-Jack Buck and Babe Ruth. Pretty darn good company for Kalas.

In the end, as you can see above, HK was carried out by the Phillies players and organization members to the sounds of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water," which was one of Harry's favorite songs.

HK's renditions of "High Hopes" would be played after every home win for the Phillies fans to sing along with.

Harry would have been proud no matter what, but with the way 2009 went, you knew he was estatic. The big addition to the team was Raul Ibanez in left field, replacing the popular Pat Burrell. While many fans were upset to see Burrell gone, Ibanez quickly entered their hearts as well. He got off to a roaring start, hitting home runs left and right. It wasn't uncommmon to hear a "Rauuuuuuuul" chant in the ballpark. He made his first All-Star team in 2009.

Also having a good season was Ryan Howard, who lost weight and improved his defense to make him a better overall player. Once again, "The Big Man" or "The Big Piece" finished with 40 plus homeruns and over 140 RBIs.

Chase Utley remained solid. Jimmy Rollins, albeit a really slow start, was J-Roll as usual. Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth became All-Stars in the outfield. Carlos Ruiz was solid behind the plate and J.A. Happ in his first full season in the bigs, was a stellar 12-4 and major candidate for NL Rookie of the Year.

The big difference between 2008 and 2009 was the pitching staff struggled more in 09. Cole Hamels could never really gain back the dominance he had in the 2008 playoffs and Brad Lidge was anything but perfect, having 11 blown saves. Jamie Moyer, after going 16-7 in 2008, was moved to the bullpen in 2009. J.C. Romero, after a 50-game suspension to start the season, never really got into the form he had before. Ryan Madson was awesome at times, but switching him from set-up man to potential closer disrupted his rhythm.

Near the trade deadline, the Phillies signed future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez to a one-year deal. When he started to pitch in August, Pedro went 5-1 and was a solid addition to the rotation.

But the big deal for new general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., as he replaced the retiring Pat Gillick after 2008, was trading prospects away to the Cleveland Indians for Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee and solid outfielder Ben Francisco.

Lee was sensational.

In his first game as a Phillie, he pitched a complete game win against the Giants. The lefty carried that over for the rest of the month of August. Although he struggled a little in September after getting off to a hot start with his new squad, in the playoffs, as we will go over, he was even better than when he started with the club.

In May, the team visited the White House to honor their World Championship. Here is what happened.

On September 30, the Phillies clinched the NL East to a capacity crowd at CBP.Manager Charlie Manuel did something pretty impressive that night. Instead of bringing the off and on Lidge in to the game for the entire ninth inning, he waited to the last out. The "symbolism" as broadcaster Tom McCarthy of bringing Lidge in like that was something to cherish. Although he struggled in 09, he is the reason the Phillies won in 08. It was fitting for him to get the final out.

It only took one pitch and actually gave Lidge a lot of confidence heading into the playoffs.

Going into the postseason, there was a lot of concern about the Phillies bullpen. But in actuality, they didn't do that bad. And to sum up the National League playoffs in one word, a couple of examples could be nail biting, nerve wracking and UNBELIEVABLE!

In the NLDS against the Wild Card winning Colorado Rockies, it was sweet revenge for the Phils as they knocked out the Rockies in four games 3-1, with Game 4 being a huge come from behind win in the top of the ninth inning.

In the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was a rematch of the previous year's championship series. This one went almost the same exact way. The Phillies win in five games 4-1. In Game 4, they were down to LA and its dominant closer Johnathan Broxton in the bottom of the ninth inning by one run.

With two men on base and Rollins up to the plate, J-Roll sent the CBP crowd into a frenzy.

The Phils won Game 5 easily and headed onto the World Series for back to back seasons. It was the first time that ever happened in franchise history. Ryan Howard, setting a Phillies record for RBIs in a postseason, was named NLCS MVP.

In the World Series against the New York Yankees, the Phillies struggled a bit. After taking Game 1 with a 6-1 laugher and Lee throwing a complete game, the Phillies dropped the next three contests to go down 3-1. Game 4 was especially disheartening. The score was tied 4-4 in the top of the ninth at home with Lidge on the mound. Prior to this appearence, he was pretty darn good in the playoffs. He was one strike away from getting out of the inning untouched in Game 4 against New York. But, Johnny Damon got on base, stole second and took third on a non-covered third base. A couple of hits later, the Phils found themselves down 7-4.

Game 5 with Lee on the mound agains was great. The Phillies won 8-6 and were headed back to New York for Game 6. Unfortunately, the Yankees won that game 7-3 to win the 2009 World Championship. Howard's bat cooled off in the series and the Phils pitching did not match up to the Yankees.

Even in defeat, some performances were worth taking note of. Chase Utley hit five home runs in the World Series to tie a major league record. And Lee was 4-0 in the postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

In this current off-season, Amaro has made some more moves to tinker the club. Pedro Feliz is no longer on the team. Placido Polanco returned and is going to play third base. Also, Cliff Lee was traded to the Seattle Mariners for prospects because Amaro dealt two of the club's main minor league players in Kyle Drabek and Michael Taylor to the Toronto Blue Jays for stud Roy "Doc" Halladay.

With "Doc" as our ace and hopefully a rebounding Hamels and Lidge, along with this lineup, the Phils should once again be contenders in 2010.

We have "High Hopes" for them.

EAGLES: High-Powered Offense and Let's Win One For J.J.

Like the Phillies, the Eagles also lost a beloved member of their family in 2009. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson sadly passed away during the summer due to cancer. He was only 68. He was a hard-nosed, tough love coach that orchestrated top notch Eagle defenses for 10 seasons.

Like the Phillies did with HK, the Eagles dedicated their 2009 season to J.J. Sean McDermott, who coached the secondary and linebackers at one point or another, took over his position.

So far this season, the Birds are 11-4 and going into a Week 17 battle with the Dallas Cowboys in the new Cowboys Stadium. The winner takes the NFC East. If the Eagles win, not only do they win the division, but they also get the No. 2 seed and a first round bye.

This team is anchored by an explosive offense with Donovan McNabb, new fullback Leonard Weaver, star wide receiver DeSean Jackson, Brian Westbrook, Brent Celek, Jason Avant, rookie running back LeSean McCoy and rookie wide receiver Jeremy Maclin.

Something that caused major controversy in the pre-season was the surprise signing of quarterback Michael Vick to a two-year deal. The Eagles said it was a football move and that he can help them on the offensive side of the ball.

For most of the season, Vick didn't do much, but lately after he has gotten back into the flow of the NFL game more, he has been a little more effective.

Another thing that happened this season so far was we got to see a little bit more of backup QB Kevin Kolb. After McNabb injured himself in Week 1, Kolb got to start two games and set an NFL record for most passing yards by a quarterback in his first two starts.

And fittingly, the Broncos were on the Eagles schedule this year as a home game. Dawkins returned to the town he played in for 13 years. Here is how the fans responded to him when he was introduced.

What will happen with the Eagles in the rest of this season? Only time will tell as 2010 is now upon us.

ONE FINAL NOTE:
The year 2009 was definitely one that had a lot happen in it. One more thing to take note of, this was the last year the Wachovia Spectrum (formally with other names and previously just The Spectrum) hosted events, whether they were sporting events, concerts or shows.

Replacing the great building, which is scheduled to be knocked down in 2010, will be a shopping center called Philly Live. Without question, the Spectrum will be missed and will always be something to cherish on.

Thanks for the memories!

2009 SOUTH BROAD ST AWARDS

Here are the results of the 2009 South Broad St Awards ballotting, as voted on by you the readers. Thanks for voting!

Team of the Year
2009 Phillies

Athlete of the Year
DeSean Jackson

Coach of the Year (The Jim Johnson Memorial Award)
Charlie Manuel

Rookie of the Year
J.A. Happ

Newcomer of the Year
Cliff Lee

Is this an oxymoron?

Executive of the Year
Ruben Amaro Jr.

Unsung Hero of the Year
Carlos Ruiz (Senor Octubre)

Game of the Year
Phillies National League Championship Series Game 4

Moment of the Year
Jimmy Rollins Walk Off Hit in Game 4 of NLCS

Quote of the Year
"We lost our voice today."-Phillies President Dave Montgomery on the sad passing of Harry Kalas

Signing/Transaction of the Year
Phillies trade prospects to Cleveland Indians for Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco

Broadcaster of the Year (The Harry Kalas Memorial Award)
Merrill Reese

Venue of the Year
Citizens Bank Park

PA Announcer of the Year
Dan Baker

Mascot of the Year
The Phillie Phanatic

The Decade In Philadelphia Sports Part 10: 2008

2010-01-01T13:52:00.034-05:00

FLYERS: Something to Hope For and Be Excited About

The 2007-08 Flyers were an interesting team. Led by the talents of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, the Flyers welcomed several new players to the team. Paul Holmgren was a busy dealer in the pre-season. The team acquired forwards Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell and Joffrey Lupul, along with defensemen Kimmo Timonen and captain Jason Smith.

With Marty Biron as the full-time starter now and John Stevens in his first full-season as head coach, the Flyers got off to a roaring start and were in second place in the Eastern Conference by mid-season. However, a long losing streak in the second half of the campaign almost caused them to miss the playoffs. Fortunately though, they finished 42-29-11, good enough for 6th in the Eastern Conference.

In the first round, they faced the upstart Washington Capitals and star Alexander Ovechkin. After dropping the first game in a crushing, give the lead away defeat, the Flyers won the next three contests, with Game 4 going to double overtime and Mike Knuble netting the game winner.

But, the Flyers dropped the next two games, leading to an epic Game 7. This game, like Game 4, went to overtime. Lupul scored the game winner and series decider.

In the second round against the top-seeded Montreal Canadiens, the Flyers gave up Game 1 the same way they did against the Caps. However, this series finished much differently. The Flyers won the next four contests decisively, with young forward R.J. Umberger playing sensationally.

In 17 postseason games that season, Umberger scored 10 goals and had 5 assists for 15 points.

In the Conference Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers struggled against the Pens stars Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. The Orange and Black lost in five games to Pittsburgh, but had a lot of promise going into the next season.

76ERS: Turning in the Right Direction

The Sixers got off to a rough start in the 2007-08 season. This led to the firing of Billy King as President and General Manager and the hiring of Ed Stefanski in that position.

By the time the second half of the season came around, the Sixers started to turn it around and finished with a record of 40-42. Amazingly, with the poor records for a lot of Eastern Conference teams that season, 40-42 was good enough for the seventh seed in the playoffs.

The Sixers squared off against the Detroit Pistons with nobody giving them a chance.

Led by Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller, with the promising play of rookie Thaddeus Young and hustle of Reggie Evans, the Sixers came from behind to win Game 1 in shocking fashion.

The Sixers got annihilated in Game 2, but in Game 3 at home, they returned the favor to the Pistons, crushing them.

But after that the Pistons woke up and won the next three games to win the series 4-2. While Games 1 and 3 were without question big highlights of the season and a lot to be positive about for the future, arguably the main highlight of the season had something to do with a player on another team.

The year 2008 marked the return of Allen Iverson. In March, he played his first game in Philly since he was dealt the previous season. He got a very warm welcome.

Oh…and by the way…it felt good to win the game too.

PHILLIES: Phinally!

May 31, 2008 marked the 25th anniversary of the last major sports championship our beloved city had seen. With the Flyers and Sixers both being eliminated in the playoffs, it was a quarter century since one of our teams were No. 1.

A lot of us believed we were cursed, the Curse of Billy Penn.

Call it what you want. Believe in these things or not, but after that smaller statue of Billy Penn went up on the Comcast Center, our fortunes changed.

In the off-season, the Phillies dealt the talented Michael Bourne and other players to the Houston Astros for Eric Bruntlett and closer Brad Lidge.

Lidge was known for a mean slider, but had not played up to his potential in recent seasons. Following the first postseason appearance for the team in 14 years, 2008 was a year where the Phillies had to make that next step. Getting to the playoffs wasn’t good enough anymore. We as fans needed more.

Lidge, as we all know, was crucial in that happening.

Coming from behind the Mets in the standings for the second year in a row, the Phillies finished with a record of 92-70 led by the same group of players pretty much. Aaron Rowand was gone, but Shane Victorino filled in nicely in center field and Jayson Werth proved he could be an everyday starter in right. Cole Hamels was once again sensational and the ageless Jamie Moyer went 16-7.

Brett Myers in the second half of the season was as good as he ever was and steady Joe Blanton, who the team acquired at the trade deadline, was a good addition to the rotation.

But the key was Lidge and the bullpen, who established themselves as the best in the league that year. Ryan Madson, J.C. Romero, Chad Durbin and Scott Eyre complimented “Lights Out” Lidge well.

On September 27, the second the last game of the season, all the Phils needed to do to win the division for the second year in a row, was win that game.

They had a two-run lead heading into the bottom of the ninth with Lidge coming in for the save. He was 40 for 40 at that point in save opportunities. However, the Washington Nationals got to Lidge a bit and cut the lead to one. With the bases loaded and only one out, Ryan Zimmerman came up to the plate. On the 1-1 pitch, here’s what happened.

What a thrilling way to clinch the division. Now it was, as that season’s slogan was, “Go Time.”

In the NLDS against the wild card winning Milwaukee Brewers, the Phils won that series 3-1. The highlight was in Game 2 when the Phils faced off against stud pitcher C.C. Sabathia, who was basically untouchable after coming to the NL.

The Phils got to him.

In the NLCS against Manny Ramirez and the hot Los Angeles Dodgers, the Phils dominated, winning the series 4-1.

The highlight-Game 4 in the top of the eighth inning with one man on and pinch hitter Matt Stairs at the plate. The result-a shot to right field that is still going to this day.

Stair’s reaction to the go ahead home run:

The Phils won Game 5 easily and were on to the World Series for the first time since 1993. Hamels was named the NLCS MVP.

Lidge up to this point was now 45 for 45 is save opportunities.

In the World Series against the surprising Tampa Bay Rays, the Phils ended the curse. They eased our pain. They eased Billy Penn’s pain.

They won Game 1 in Tampa Bay behind the stellar pitching of Hamels 3-2.

Lidge was no 46 for 46.

After dropping Game 2 2-1, the series headed on to Philadelphia. Game 3 had about a hour and a half rain delay. With the hometown native Moyer on the mound, the crowd was electric even in the rain. Moyer was phenomenal. After having a 4-3 lead with Moyer out of the game, the Rays tied it in the eighth at 4-4. In the ninth, the Phils loaded the bases with no outs and Carlos Ruiz up to the plate. This is what transpired.

It was the biggest-little-hit in club history.

Game 4 was an annihilation of the Rays as the Phils bats erupted for four home runs to win 10-2. Blanton, as a matter of fact, hit one of them.

On October 27, Game 5 began. Due to heavy rainfall, it had to be suspended until two days later with the score tied at 2-2.

On October 29, Game 5 resumed and ended. The final score–your Philadelphia Phillies 4, the Tampa Bay Rays 3. What did that result in? A World Series Championship, second in franchise history. The first championship this town saw in a quarter of a century.

Brad Lidge went 48 for 48. Remarkable. Also, Hamels won the World Series MVP.

October 31, 2008 was a magical day. After hard rainfall for a good portion of the latter half of the series, this was a bright, sunny day in Philadelphia. A great day for a parade.

That Game 5 would definitely had not been won without the clutch hit of Pat Burrell in the bottom of the seventh inning. His hit, replaced by pinch runner Eric Bruntlett, ending up leading to the game winning run. It was the last time we ever saw "Pat the Bat" in a Phillies uniform. The Phillies did not resign him after the season, instead they brought in Raul Ibanez to play left field, which ended up, as we will learn in the 2009 post, working out pretty good.

Without question though, the Philadelphia Phillies of 2008 were without question the team of the decade.

EAGLES: You Have Got To Be Kidding Me!

This was an interesting season, one of the most odd ones in recent memory. We were introduced to rookie sensation DeSean Jackson at wide receiver and punt return man, along with the re-emergence of Brian Dawkins at the free safety position and Asante Samuel as one of our new corners.

The 2008 Eagles were an up-and-down team that you never really knew what the heck was going on. Midway through the season, they were 5-3 and possibly headed in the right direction. Then, a loss to the Giants in Week 10, a tie against the lowly Bengals in Week 11, then an annihilation by the Ravens in Week 12 (on top of a Donovan McNabb benching that game) put the team at 5-5-1 and an outlook of most likely missing the playoffs and the end of the McNabb era.

But then, as things usually did for the Birds in late November/month of December, everything turned around.

McNabb was back in as the starter and the Eagles won three in a row with two games to go. At 8-5-1 all they pretty much needed to do is win their last two games and have a little help to creep into the playoffs.

But after a disheartening loss to the Redskins in Week 16, it looked like that wasn’t going to happen.

For the Eagles to make the playoffs at that point, they had to beat the Cowboys at home in Week 17, along with having the lowly Raiders defeat the Buccaneers and Houston Texans beat the Chicago Bears.

Amazingly, both the Bucs and Texans won, giving the Birds the opportunity to defeat Dallas, prevent them for making the playoffs and have us go instead. Well, the Eagles did more than beat them.

The 2008-09 playoffs were something to remember after that.

Putting that aside for a second, it's definitely safe to say 2008 was a pretty darn good year in terms of Philadelphia sports.

The Decade In Philadelphia Sports Part 9: 2007

2010-01-01T08:58:00.014-05:00

After clinching the NFC East on the final day of 2006, the Eagles were primed and ready to go into the postseason against division rival New York. The Giants were led by Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress and a solid defensive line. The Eagles were riding their hopes on backup quarterback Jeff Garcia, running back Brian Westbrook, wide receiver Donte Stallworth and a another strong defense.

In the Wild Card round against New York, the Eagles took a 20-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter. It looked like they could just cruise to a victory. That was quite the contrary. The Giants came back to tie the game. However, with the Eagles having the ball last, David Akers had a chance to kick the Eagles to the next round.

In the Divisional Round in New Orleans against the Saints, the Eagles were underdogs, but favorable ones at best. There was no reason they could not win this game. To tell you the truth, after one of the Saints early offensive plays, we all thought they were going to win.

However, due to good clock management by the Saints, questionable decisions by the Eagles and penalties, the Eagles lost 27-24, ending their impressive run.

FLYERS: Will the Real Orange and Black Please Stand Up

Despite the Flyers lack of Stanley Cup Championships since the 1970s, one thing always stood true with this team–they were a team that competed in the top ranks every year and made the playoffs with a chance to go all the way.

The 2006-07 season was quite the contrary.

After a disastrous start, Ken Hitchcock was relieved of his duties as head coach and replaced by John Stevens. Also, Paul Holmgren took over for Bob Clarke as general manager. Peter Forsberg was now the captain, but he was on the injured list a lot. By mid-season, the Flyers dealt him to Nashville for Scottie Upshall, Ryan Parent and draft picks.

At other points in the season, the Flyers traded for Braydon Coburn, Lasse Kukkonen and Marty Biron.

One positive point of the season as the play of Simon Gagne, netting 41 goals and collecting 68 points.

But in the end, the Flyers finished 22-48-12, good for worst record in the NHL and worst in franchise history.

In the off-season, Holmgren would make several moves to improve the roster and change the team's struggling fortunes of 2007.

76ERS: No More Answer...Just a Load of Future Questions

To be frank, the 76ers did not have a good second season under Maurice Cheeks. They finished 35-47 and missing the playoffs.

But the most significant thing that happened this season, occurred in the 2006 part. In December, constant fueding with Allen Iverson forced the Sixers to deal him to the Denver Nuggets.

The Sixers also dealt Ivan McFarlin in the deal. In return, they received Andre Miller and Joe Smith.

This season also marked the end of Chris Webber's 76ers career. In January, his over $20 million contract was bought out. Clearly, the franchise was going in a transition period. The question was, would it be one for the good?

PHILLIES: "The Team to Beat"

The 2007 campaign was looking like another one of "those years" with the Phillies coming up just short of a postseason birth.

But, this season would be different. Despite losing their 10,000th franchise game in July, Jimmy Rollins made a bold statement in the off-season prior saying the Phillies were "the team to beat" in the National League East.

This set off a bitter rival with the New York Mets and a sensational last two months of the season between the two squads. The Mets had a seven game lead in the division with 17 games to play. It looked like they could just ease their way to a second straight division title and the Phils would have to go for the Wild Card.

Yet, the Mets began to collapse and the Phillies continued to win down the stretch in September. In a season dedicated to the late John Vukovich, the Phils and Mets were tied for first place in the division on the last day of the season.

On September 30, the Phils were hosting the Washington Nationals and the Mets the Florida Marlins. If both teams won, there would be a one game playoff in Philadelphia the next day. If one won and the other lost, the team that would win would be the champs. If both lost, there would be a one game playoff.

The Mets lost 8-1.

With hometown native Jamie Moyer on the mound for the Phightin' Phils, the Nationals stood no chance. The Phils won the game 6-1 and were headed to the postseason for the first time since 1993.

Although the Phils lost in the NLDS to the eventual National Champion Colorado Rockies in three games, that didn't take away from the season Jimmy Rollins had. He finished witha a sensational line of .296 batting average with 212 hits, 30 homeruns, 94 RBIs, 41 stolen bases, 38 doubles and 20 triples, putting in him in the 20-20-20-20 club for home runs, stolen bases, doubles and triples. Only three other players in major league history have accomplished such a mark. His stats and his demeanor of "the team to beat" awarded him the 2007 National League MVP Award.

EAGLES: 75th Season of Eagles Football and Westbrook Shines

To make it clear, although it was the 75th season in franchise history, the 2007 Philadelphia Eagles struggled. With Donte Stallworth now gone, newly acquired Kevin Curtis was now considered one of the go to guys for Donovan McNabb on the offensive side of the football.

Not to mention, for one game, they wore possibly one of the ugliest throwback jerseys ever created.

However, although Curtis had over 1,000 yards receiving and Brian Westbrook had the best statistical season of his career with 2104 yards from scrimmage, the Eagles finished 8-8.

It was a frustrating season and left fans wondering what was in store for this team in the future.

The Decade in Philadelphia Sports Part 8: 2006

2010-01-01T00:42:00.007-05:00

Flyers: Welcome Back and An All Too Familiar Finish

Hockey was back and, as usual, Philadelphia had high expectations for their Flyers. With the addition of Peter Forsberg, the team had a true game-changer. Despite nagging injuries (388 man-games lost), the Flyers cruised to an early lead in the Atlantic Division. Gagne scored 47 goals, Forsberg had 75 points in his 60 games, and fan favorite Mike Knuble added 34 goals. Antero Nittymaki and Robert Esche split the goalie duties, each posting a 2.97 goals against average. The team's momentum, however, slowed in the second half of the season as injuries piled up. They finished with a 45-26-11 record, good for 101 points and second place in the division. Unfortunately, the Flyers bowed out in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Sabres won the series 4-2, after the Flyers had tied it at 2 games apiece after getting in an 0-2 hole.

76ers: Cheeks Returns, But No Playoffs

A year removed from posting 43 wins, former franchise great Maurice Cheeks returned to Pattison Avenue to coach the Sixers. The season began with optimism, as the team expected to reap the benefits of a full season from stars Allen Iverson and Chris Webber. Sprinkle in the promising Andre Iguodala and the sharpshooter Kyle Korver, and rotation had its merits. However, while scoring was never a problem (ranked 8th of 30 teams), the defense struggled (25th of 30). The Sixers finished a disappointing 38-44, good enough for the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference. It was yet another in a slew of middling campaigns for the team, leaving them empty handed in both playoff prospects and elite draft picks. Statistically, Iverson produced arguably his best season: 33.0 points per game and 7.4 assists per game. Webber added 20.2 ppg and 9.9 rebounds per game.

Flyers: Welcome Back and An All Too Familiar Finish

Hockey was back and, as usual, Philadelphia had high expectations for their Flyers. With the addition of Peter Forsberg, the team had a true game-changer. Despite nagging injuries (388 man-games lost), the Flyers cruised to an early lead in the Atlantic Division. Gagne scored 47 goals, Forsberg had 75 points in his 60 games, and fan favorite Mike Knuble added 34 goals. Antero Nittymaki and Robert Esche split the goalie duties, each posting a 2.97 goals against average. The team's momentum, however, slowed in the second half of the season as injuries piled up. They finished with a 45-26-11 record, good for 101 points and second place in the division. Unfortunately, the Flyers bowed out in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Sabres won the series 4-2, after the Flyers had tied it at 2 games apiece after getting in an 0-2 hole.

Phillies: Ryan Howard's Coming-Out Party

Although they logged an 85-77 record and missed the playoffs again by only a few games, the Phillies 2006 season was full of magnificent individual accomplishments. First baseman Ryan Howard put together one of the best offensive seasons in years, hitting .313 with 58 home runs and 149 RBI. He won the National League MVP award. Here is his 49th home run of the year, which pushed him past Mike Schmidt for the single season home run leader in club history. Howard also put on a clinic in July at PNC Park, home of that year's All-Star Game, winning the Home Run Derby.

Another 2006 highlight came when center fielder Aaron Rowand sacrificed his body for a deep fly ball in early May. It was a gutsy play, something the Phillies had been missing in past years. Rowand slammed his face against a metal bar on the outfield wall, breaking his nose. The fans instantly fell in love with Rowand.

While shortstop Jimmy Rollin's 38 game hitting streak came to an end, second baseman Chase Utley turned out a 34 game streak of his own. It tied the longest streak for a second baseman and the longest for a left-handed batter since 1945.

Left fielder Pat Burrell blasted 29 home runs and 95 RBI. The season was also noteworthy because it marked the departure of Phillie fixture Bobby Abreu. He was traded to the New York Yankees along with Cory Lidle for not much in return. Hey, you can't tell me the Jayson Werth experiment didn't work out.

Eagles: What a Ride

Off to a 4-1 start, the Eagles appeared ready to bounce back from their nightmarish 2005. McNabb tossed 11 touchdown passes and only 1 interception in those 5 games, one of the most dominant stretches of his career. The good times, though, did not last long. The Birds lost five of their next games, including a blowout defeat at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts. McNabb was injured and lost for the year. Jeff Garcia was in and the Eagles were 5-6, seemingly on the fast track to nowhere. What followed, however, was one of the most inspired playoff runs in recent memory. Led by the disciplined and consistent Garcia, the Eagles won their final five games to finish the season as champions of the NFC East. The stretch included three consecutive road wins against division opponents. Garcia finished with a 95.8 passer rating as a starter. Running back Brian Westbrook compiled 1916 yards from scrimmage and 11 total touchdowns. Some of his key highlights:

More on the playoffs coming in the review for 2007...

The Decade In Philadelphia Sports Part 7: 2005

2009-12-31T19:40:00.007-05:00

With Terrell Owens out and the starters having a three week break basically because of everything being locked up, no one really knew how the playoffs were going to go for this Eagles team.

In the Divisional Round though against the Minnesota Vikings, the Birds beat them with ease 27-14. Now, it was on to the big game. Would the Eagles get over the big hump, or would they be the Buffalo Bills of the NFC? That was the big question. Here is the answer.

The 27-10 win over Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons sent the Eagles to Super Bowl XXXIV against the two-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots.

Owens made a quick recovery and returned to play. Albeit still injured, he played masterfully, a legendary performance. This is how the game transpired.

The crushing 24-21 loss to New England was hard to take, but in the end, a lot of promise for future success was in store for this team. With Owens on our side, what could go wrong? A matter of time would tell.

FLYERS: Lockout...No Hockey

The title speaks for itself. But hey, the Phantoms won the Calder Cup! That's something to be positive about.

76ERS: C-Webb the Answer for "The Answer?" No.

With Jim O'Brien as the head coach, the 76ers did improve off of their dreadful 2004 season. They drafted Andre Iguodala with their first round lottery pick and traded for All-Star Chris Webber at the trade deadline. The Sixers were supposed to be one of the teams to beat basically in the Eastern Conference. That was not the case though.

The Sixers finished 43-39 and seventh in the East standings and although Allen Iverson won the All-Star Game MVP for the second time in his career, that didn't mean the magic of 2001 would equate in 2005.

Webber was not as good as people suspected. He was getting old and battling injury. Basically, he wasn't the player he used to be.

The Sixers fell to the eventual Eastern Conference Champion Detroit Pistons in the first round 4-1. Jim O'Brien was fired at the end of the season and former Sixers guard and team legend Maurice Cheeks was brought in. Would this help their fortunes?

PHILLIES: One Stinking Game Away...ONE STINKING GAME!

The now Charlie Manuel led Phillies once again had high expectations of going to the postseason, whether it be by the division or Wild Card. With Jim Thome going down with a long term injury, that prompted the bringing up again of Ryan Howard. Well, "The Big Man" shined, hitting .288 with 22 homeruns and 63 RBIs in only 88 games. His numbers led to him winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

Also, Bobby Abreu had himself a pretty nice season, as he won the Home Run Derby, setting a contest record with 41 total home runs.

Not only that, but the team was better than the year before, going 88-74. However, they finished two games behind the Braves in the division and only one behind the eventual NL Champion Houston Astros in the Wild Card. On the last day of the regular season, the Phillies did their part to force and one game playoff at Citizens Bank Park by beating the Washington Nationals, however, the Astros won their game to clinch the Wild Card not too long after. It was a heartbreaking way to end the season.

After the campaign, general manager Ed Wade was fired due to eight years of no postseason play. Pat Gillick was brought in and with Howard's sensational play, the Phils dealt Thome and Gavin Floyd to the Chicago White Sox for a deal that included hard-nosed center fielder Aaron Rowand.

EAGLES: "Next Question..."

Prior to the 2005 season, T.O. started brewing up big controversy as he was so appropriately known for. Making comments that were negative towards QB Donovan McNabb and demanding a new contract from the Eagles, Owens held out of training camp for a good amount of time, then was dismissed early for poor behavior.

This led to an infamous press conference at his house with his agent Drew Rosenhaus and a public workout in his front lawn that attracted tons of media.

Owens eventually returned to the team, despite the fact him and McNabb did not get along, and the Eagles started off the season on a good note with a 4-2 record. However, Owens continued to cause problems and after Week 8 with the team at 4-3, he was indefinitely let go. In seven games, Owens had six touchdown receptions and 763 receiving yards.

Key players such as McNabb and Brian Westbrook were eventually lost for the season and the Birds finished a disappointing 6-10, missing the postseason for only the second time in Andy Reid and McNabb's time in Philly.

The Decade In Philadelphia Sports Part 6: 2004

2009-12-31T18:11:00.010-05:00

The 2003 Eagles had high expectations going into the playoffs. Anchored by the three-headed monster throughout the season of Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook, and Correll Buckhalter and another good defensive team, what could stop the Eagles? Injuries. In the last game of the regular season at the end of December of '03, Westbrook injured himself against the Redskins and was done for the season.

This showed in the playoffs. In the Divisional Round against the Packers, the Eagles had to struggle, claw and fight off an early two touchdown deficit. With the season in the balance late in the fourth quarter down 17-14, the Birds offense faced a 4th and 26. If they failed to convert, the season was over. Here's what happened.

Clearly one of the greatest plays in Eagles history, this led to a David Akers field goal that tied the game and forced it into overtime. After a Brian Dawkins interception in the extra session, Akers once again kicked another clutch field goal in the swirling winds of the Linc to win the game 20-17. Onto ANOTHER NFC Championshiop Game and ANOTHER NFC Championship DEFEAT.

The next week against the Carolina Panthers, Donovan McNabb injured himself in the contest and the Eagles receivers were non-existent against the Panthers secondary. The team only scored three points and lost 14-3. This left fans angry. This left them frustrated. And this led to the trading for Terrell Owens. What would follow happened on the other end of 2004.

FLYERS: Su-Primeau Almost Takes the Orange and Black to Lord Stanley's Grail

In Ken Hitchcok's seond season at the helm, the Flyers encountered one of their more successful campaigns of the decade. With Robert Esche as the full-time starter now, the team finished 40-21-15-6, good for first in the Atlantic Divisiona and third in the Eastern Conference.

Winning the Atlantic was key because the New Jersey Devils, who fell to second on the last day of the season, were the sixth seed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Obviously, they faced off in the first round.

What transpired in the 2004 playoffs was one of the greatest postseason performances by any Flyer. That is the play of captain Keith Primeau.

In the opening round against Jersey, the Flyers won in five games.

Finally, the Orange and Black had those stinking Devils number.

In the semi-final round, they squared off against the Toronto Maple Leafs. This is where Primeau really came out of the wood works.

With the series in favor of the Flyers 3-2, Game 6 in Toronto was legendary. The contest went to overtime and in the extra session, it looked like the Maple Leafs were going to tie the series. Darcy Tucker put an absolutely nasty hit on Sami Kapanen, leaving him confused and lost. The Leafs had a clear advantage.

But Primeau was able to lead him back to the bench. Not to soon after, Jeremy Roenick got the puck on a two on one break away with Tony Amonte. This is what happened.

After this thrilling win, the Flyers squared off against the top seeded Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Orange and Black dropped the first two games in Tampa Bay, but then tied the series with Games 3 and 4 in Philly. Primeau continued to be a magician on the ice.

The Flyers lost Game 5 in Tampa Bay. Game 6 back in Philly could be considered the game of the decade for the Flyers.

Even after this goal by Primeau, the Flyers found themselves behind late in the third period 4-3 with the season on the brink. Who came to the rescue though? I need not to say his name.

In the extra session, the Flyers had all of the momentum and as the first overtime nearly concluded, this happened.

Sadly, Game 7 was not as joyous. The Flyers fell behind 2-0, scored in the second period to make it 2-1, but the Lightning were just too good. The Orange and Black's season unfortunately came to a halting end and Tampa Bay won the whole show.

However, even in defeat, Primeau's play in the playoffs was majestic. In 18 games, he score nine goals and had seven assists for 16 points. He was sensational.

This would mark the last season for John LeClair in a Flyer's uniform and the last full season for Keith Primeau in a Flyers jersey. He would get a concussion that ended his career two years later. As we will learn in the next post, there was no hockey in 2005 due to the lockout.

76ERS: A Down Year

To replace Larry Brown, general manager Billy King hired assistant coach Randy Ayers as the new head honcho. This would not last very long as poor play by the 76ers led to his firing mid-season and promoting assistant coach Bob Ford as interim coach. However, Ford and Allen Iverson did not see eye to eye. Although there was no "practice" press conference, the team did finish 33-49 and did not make the playoffs.

Eric Snow was dealt in the off-season and Philadelphia native Jim O'Brien hired as the new head coach.

PHILLIES: A New Home

In March of 2004, one of the most beloved venues in the city's history was imploaded. Veterans Stadium, sadly, was no more.

The Phillies moved into beautiful Citizens Bank Park across the street. It changed the entire persona of the franchise. More than 20,000 people showed up each night for a ball game because going to a game became socially acceptable.

The 2004 campaign also sported Jim Thome's 400th home run and the debut of Ryan Howard. Not to mention, Billy Wagner was acquired in a trade prior to the season.

Even with all of these new happenings and being in first place at the All-Star break, the team still could not get over that postseason hump, finishing second in the division at 86-76 and six games behind the wild card winning Houston Astros.

Larry Bowa was fired with two games left in the season. Bench coach Gary Varsho took over as interim manager. In the off-season, the Phillies hired hitting guru Charlie Manuel.

EAGLES: One Team, One City, One Dream...One Big Play Away

The San Francisco 49ers were looking to deal their star wide out Terrell Owens to another team because he was becoming a major problem. They actually made a deal with the Baltimore Ravens, but T.O. flat out made it clear he did not want to go there. After a few trials and tribulations, the Eagles were able to acquire the star and pull off the deal.

The addition of Owens at wide receiver and Jevon Kearse at defensive end put the Eagles as one of the front-runners once again for a Super Bowl championship.

In the first home pre-season game of the season, the first chance for the Philly fans to see Owens in Eagle green and white, this is what happened on the Birds first play from scrimmage.

Without any doubt, it was going to be a great year.

T.O. lived up to all of the hype.

The Birds started off the season 7-0 with Owens receiving nine touchdowns and Donovan McNabb playing the best football of his career. No. 5 threw 31 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions, good for almost 4,000 yards. Owens finished with 77 receptions and 14 touchdowns. One more touchdown, Andy Reid would have been in tights due to a bet him and Owens made at the beginning of the season.

But, in Week 15 against the Cowboys, Owens suffered a high ankle sprain, forcing him to miss all of the NFC Playoffs. The team finished 13-3, once again with home field advantage and an ENORMOUS MONKEY on their back.

The team went into the playoffs with the slogan "One Team, One City, One Dream." What was going to happen?

The Decade In Philadelphia Sports Part 5: 2003

2009-12-31T09:38:00.006-05:00

Carrying over from the Eagles 2002 season, in the Divisional Round against the Atlanta Falcons, McNabb returned and the Eagles won 20-6. They were a far superior opponent than Atlanta and the defense, led by the coaching of Jim Johnson, held their own and carried the team as they did all season.

The win would set up a NFC Championship Game match between the Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team who the Birds eliminated the previous two seasons and beat them easily in the 2002 regular season campaign.

Yet, this game was a much different story. No matter the result, it was the final Eagles game ever played at Veterans Stadium. It was supposed to be a fantastic day, a day where the Eagles would go to the Super Bowl for the first time in 22 years. Tampa Bay didn’t stand a chance, or at least we thought that way.

To tell you the truth, after the first drive, how could we not think that way?

Unfortunately though, that would be the highlight of the day for Eagles fans. After that, everything went down hill. A lack of a running game and an inability to stop the Buccaneers from making big plays, the Eagles lost the game 27-10.

The Vet was silent.

FLYERS: Improving, But Have a Ways to Go

The heartbreaking end for the 2002 Eagles was not washed away by Flyers success. With Ken Hitchcock now at the helm for the Orange and Black, they finished 45-20-13-4, one point behind the Devils for the Atlantic Division.

That put them at the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and a much tougher road to the Stanley Cup Finals.

This was a season where Jeremy Roenick led the team in goals and points, while Mark Recchi was the assists leader. Sami Kapanen and Tony Amonte were acquired at the trade deadline and Romy Cechmanek set a club record in net with a 1.83 GAA.

Yet, despite their talented team once again, the Flyers fell short for Lord Stanley’s Grail. In the quarterfinals against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Flyers won a gut wrenching seven game series 4-3, with three of the games going in to overtime (all three were in Toronto).

In the semi-finals however, inconsistent play by Cechmanek and the team led to them falling to the top seeded Ottawa Senators 4-2.

76ERS: Solid, But Not Good Enough

Following a disappointing 2002 campaign, the 2002-03 Philadelphia 76ers were looking to rebound. In a matter of speaking, they did. Basically led by the same core group of guys–Allen Iverson complimented by Eric Snow, Derrick Coleman and Aaron McKie, the Sixers finished 48-34, good for fourth in the Eastern Conference.

The only difference in this year's roster was Dikembe Mutombo was shipped to New Jersey for Todd MacCullough and Keith Van Horn, and Tyrone Hill returned to the squad during the season. Also, forward Kenney Thomas made himself an important force on the team and Greg Buckner as a defensive stopper.

One of the highlights of 2003 before the postseason was the 76ers played the Washington Wizards in Michael Jordan's final NBA game. It was an electric night in the then First Union Center as all of us Philly fans showed our class by sending Jordan off in style.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Sixers squared off against the New Orleans Hornets and beat them 4-2.

In the second round, the team battled the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. After dropping the first two games on the road, the Sixers won Games 3 and 4 in Philly. In Game 5, it came down to a last second game winning layup by Detroit's Chucky Atkins and then the Pistons pulled out Game 6 to win the series 4-2.

After the season, head coach Larry Brown stepped down from his position. Then, in a stunning move, he signed a deal with the Pistons. It sparked a lot of angry fans in the city even though Brown was instrumental in making them as good as they were in his five years as coach. The Sixers have not been as good since.

PHILLIES-Changing the Outlook in More Ways Than One

The 2003 season was one that changed the face franchise as before the campaign began, the Phils made a big move by signing first base slugger Jim Thome. They also brought in David Bell to play third base and traded Johnny Estrada to the Braves for Kevin Millwood. Maybe this was the year the Phils would break through and actually make the playoffs.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. They finished with a record of 86-76, good for third in the NL East. Also, they fell just short of winning the Wild Card, losing out to the eventual World Champion Florida Marlins.

The highlights of this season included Jim Thome hitting 47 home runs and Kevin Millwood getting a no hitter.

However, nothing compared to something with significance as big as 33 years–the final season at Veterans Stadium. On September 28, 2003, the last sporting event took place on that sacred ground and within those infamous walls of the Vet.

The Phils ended up losing the game to the Braves, but the result of the contest was unimportant. This day was more about remembering 33 years at Veterans Stadium...remembering all of the triumphs and heartbreaks. Here is some footage from that memorable and sad day, the last day inside of Philadelphia Veterans Stadium.

It all concluded with Tug McGraw reliving that magical pitch against Willie Wilson to win the 1980 World Series. Sadly, it was the final time we ever saw the Tugger on the ball field as he lost his courageous battle with brain cancer prior to the 2004 season. It was also the last time we saw Paul "The Pope" Owens in public. He unfortunately passed away due to chronic respiratory problems also before the 2004 season.

EAGLES: The Linc-New Building, But Same Story

The 2003 Eagles campaign started off with the opening of a new home facility, Lincoln Financial Field. On Monday Night Football to start the season, the Eagles faced off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team that broke their hearts to close to the Vet. Well, they did the same thing to open up The Linc. The Bucs won 17-0.

After starting the season off 2-3, the Eagles won nine in a row and finished the season 12-4, once again good for home field advantage in the playoffs. What set off that motion of events happened in the sixth game of the season. The Eagles were playing the Giants at the Meadowlands. Down 10-7 late in the fourth quarter, a punt return by Brian Westbrook literally saved the team from going into a 2-4 hole. Without question, this was one of the plays of the decade for our beloved Philadelphia Eagles.

What would proceed in the playoffs happened in the new year.

The Decade In Philadelphia Sports Part 4: 2002

2009-12-31T09:16:00.010-05:00

The 2001 Eagles started their post season run at the beginning of 2002, and once again took care of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home 31-9. In the Divisional Round at the old Solider Field in Chicago, the Eagles were not favored to beat the 13-3 NFC Central Champion Bears. However, the play of Chi-Town native Donovan McNabb and the stingy Eagles defense upset the Bears 33-19 and put them in an even tougher task of playing the St. Louis Rams in the NFC Championship game. Inside of the haunting dome of St. Louis, along with the Rams potent offense, the Eagles battled and fought, making it one heck of a game. Not to mention, defensive back sensation Troy Vincent was out with an injury. For a good part of the contest, the Eagles were in control with the lead. But Kurt Warner and the Rams were just too much. With the Eagles trying to take the lead late in the game, their magical 2001-02 run ended on this play.

Even in the loss, there was major promise for the next season and expectations of doing even better.

FLYERS: Welcome J.R.

The story of the 2001-02 Flyers season is one of “that same old story.” This was another talented team, finishing with a record of 42-27-10-3, good for first in the Atlantic Division and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, although this team was one with big promise, they were upset in the first round by the Ottawa Senators in five games. This led to the firing of head coach Bill Barber at the end of the season and the hiring of Ken Hitchcock.

However, even in a disappointing ending, this season would have significance towards what would transpire in the proceeding campaigns.

Eric Desjardin gave up his captaincy duties to Keith Primeau and the team welcomed in a new superstar and face of the franchise–Jeremy Roenick.

J.R. would be that fiery forward who would replace the likes of Eric Lindros as the main stay superstar on the team. In 2002, he led the team in assists and points. For the next three seasons, J.R. would supply his fair share of commercials, most notably with Phillies catcher Mike Lieberthal, and sound bytes that would entertain the Philly fans.

76ERS: Post Ecstasy and Kobe Sucks

It’s safe to say the 2001-02 76ers did not live up to the jubilation and excitement of the previous season. In the off-season due to cap room problems, the team had to deal a lot of its core from the year before. George Lynch was traded to Charlotte for the return of a much mature Derrick Coleman. Also, players such as Tyrone Hill, Jumaine Jones, Todd MacCullough were not on the squad anymore.

Another key newcomer was outside threat Matt Harpring, who was brought in to be the “second scorer” to compliment Allen Iverson.

Unfortunately though, nagging injuries that carried over from the previous season and not the same quality of play from the year before, the Sixers finished 43-49, sixth in the Eastern Conference and fourth in the Atlantic Division.

The team would play the upstart Boston Celtics in the first round and lose in five games 3-2. After dropping the first two games in Boston, the Sixers won the next two in Philly with exciting Games 3 and 4.

But decisive Game 5 was a disaster. Boston took a big lead early with the Sixers catching up at the end of the first quarter. However, not too shortly after, the Celtics broke it open again and cruised the whole way through.

Not only that, but the eerie end led to an infamous press conference from Iverson. Reports were looming that he missed another practice, something that he was highly scrutinized for. How did Iverson respond?

PHILLIES: HK Gets the Call to the Hall

After a promising 2001 season, it was safe to say 2002 did not live up to expectations. The Phillies, with basically the same core group of players, finished 80-81, which was good for third in the NL East.

Pat Burrell had his best statistical season with 37 home runs and 116 rbi’s an Scott Rolen was dealt at the trade deadline to the St. Louis Cardinals for Placido Polanco, Mike Timlin and Bud Smith. Rolen wanted out and it was clear he wasn’t going to sign with the Phillies at the end of the season. So, General Manager Ed Wade made sure to get something in return for him. Another thing to take note of that happened in 2002 was Cole Hamels was drafted with the 17th overall pick in the June amateur draft.

Putting those things a side though, the highlight of 2002 was Harry Kalas getting inducted into the broadcaster’s wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame with the prestigious Ford C. Frick Award.

The Phillies honored HK with a special ceremony in August at Veterans Stadium and gave out a most special give away–a Harry and Whitey dual bobble head figurine.

EAGLES: Heartbreaking Way to End the Vet

With the way the Birds closed out the 2001-02 season, the 2002 campaign had extremely high promise. A Super Bowl was expected out of the Philly faithful.

The Eagles started out the season with a disappointing loss to the Titans on the road. It was a game where they gave up a big lead in the second half. However, they responded with six straight wins and by the mid-point of the season, the team was 6-2.

In the 10th game of the season against the Arizona Cardinals at home, Donovan McNabb injured himself early in the game to what eventually would be diagnosed as a broken bone in his ankle. Amazingly, No. 5 stayed in the game and threw four touchdowns.

Koy Detmer started the next week in San Francisco on Monday Night Football, a game that NOBODY thought the Birds would win. Detmer came out firing and led the Eagles to a victory. However, he injured himself in that game with a separated shoulder.

Third string QB A.J. Feeley started the remaining games in the regular season. Everyone expected the Eagles to falter at this point. But, they didn’t. Feeley came in and only lost one game for the rest of the schedule. The Birds finished 12-4 and took home field advantage for the entire NFC playoffs.

What happened next would go down as one of the greatest disappointments in Eagles history.

The Decade In Philadelphia Sports Part 3: 2001

2009-12-26T10:16:00.009-05:00

Carrying over from a thrilling Wild Card playoff game win over Tampa Bay at the Vet, the Eagles set their sights on the Meadowlands to face the powerhouse Giants, a team that had their number for a number of meetings prior to the upcoming one. Well, on the opening play of the game, Ron Dixon returned a kickoff 97-yards for a touchdown, which set up the inevitable, an Eagles 20-10 loss.

FLYERS: Unable To Rebound After Heartbreaking 2000

Roger Neilson was not asked to come back and retain his head coaching duties after his treatment was finished, leaving Craig Ramsay still at the helm. However, he was replaced mid-season by former Flyer great Bill Barber, who was previously coaching the minor league team Philadelphia Phantoms. This was a season where Eric Lindros sat out waiting for a trade and where Brian Boucher, who was stellar the year before, lost his starting job to Roman Cechmanek after sub-par play.

The Flyers finished with a record of 45-25-11-3, good for 100 points, 2nd in the Atlantic Division and 4th in the Eastern Conference. However, the Orange and Black were upset in the opening round by the Buffalo Sabres 4-2. Keith Primeau led the team in goals with 34 and Mark Recchi led in assists with 50 and points with 77.

76ERS: Scrappy Bunch that Never, Ever Quit

The 2000-01 76ers seasons is without question the most memorable one of the decade for this particular franchise. After much speculation in the previous off-season as to whether or not Allen Iverson would say a 76er, all of the rumors and one extremely near-trade sparked a message into "The Answer's" head that he has to get along with his coach, Larry Brown, and do whatever it takes to win.

The team, in the 2000 part of the season, started out an incredible 10-0 and made the fans believe this team could be for real. Like the previous years' squads, Iverson was complimented by steady role players. Guys by the likes of Eric Snow, Aaron McKie, Theo Ratliff, George Lynch, Tyrone Hill, Jumaine Jones and others anchored this team with Iverson's dominance for the first half of the season.

At the All-Star break, they had the best record in the Eastern Conference, thus allowing Brown to coach the East All-Stars, which by the way had Iverson on the team starting.

Iverson sparkled in a game the East was not favored to win. With the game being in Washington, D.C., near Iverson's home town of Hampton, the East fought off a deficit (down 95-74 with nine minutes to play) and won 111-110. Iverson received the MVP honors for scoring 15 of his 25 points in that stretch and when he was handed the award, he fittingly said:

"Where's my coach? Where's my coach? Coach Brown? Is he around?"

He wanted to personally thank Brown for the job he did in turning his career and attitude in the right direction.

This game would also be a precursor of things to come. Theo Ratliff, who was selected to be an All-Star, couldn't play due to a broken wrist and was slated to be sidelined for a while. Dikembe Mutombo, who was on the Atlanta Hawks when he played in that year's All-Star game, was dealt to the 76ers for Ratliff not too long after the game happened so the team could compete with the powerhouses of the West.

The Sixers finished with an incredible record of 56-26, good for the No. 1 seed in the East along with first place in the Atlantic Division. Not to mention, Iverson was eventually named the league's MVP for 2001, with Mutombo getting the Defensive Player of the Year Award, Brown Coach of the Year Award and McKie the Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Iverson finished the season leading the league in scoring by averaging 31.1 points per game and steals with 2.5 steals per game. He also averaged 42 minutes a night.

In the playoffs, the Sixers would once again face the Indiana Pacers, this time in the first round and favorites. In Game 1 at home, they took a big league purely off of emotion, but lost it and the Pacers on a Reggie Miller last second three-pointer took Game 1 79-78. This left the Sixers angry and realing. It forced Brown to make adjustments and that is exactly what they did.

Game 2, with Miller scoring an astonishing 33 points in the first half alone, the 76ers fought and clawed their way to a 116-98 win. Iverson led the way.

"This is one of my most rememberable...did I say that right," Iverson asked the media. "How do you say it? Memorable. Whatever man. Y'all know what I'm talking about. I'm going to remember this game (laugh from the media)."

The Sixers won Games 3 and 4 in Indiana to slay the dragon that knocked them out the previous two seasons. In a sense, people might of thought the toughest challenge was met. That however, was clearly not the case.

In the second round, the Sixers faced the Toronto Raptors, led by superstar Vince Carter. This would be an epic series of two perennial All-Stars dueling against each other-Iverson vs. Carter. The Raptors took Game 1 in Philly 96-93, but the Sixers rebounded in Game 2 behind 54 points from Iverson in a 97-92 win.

With the series tied at one and headed to Toronto, the Raptors annhilated the Sixers in Game 3, winning 102-78. Carter had 50 in the contest. In Game 4 with Sixers against the ropes and potentially facing a 3-1 series deficit, Iverson hit a key three-pointer with 2:21 left in the game to give the Sixers the lead for good. They won 84-79.

Prior to Game 5, Iverson got word that he won the MVP award. I'll let the video below describe the excitement Game 5 brought to the Philly faithful.

The 52-point performance by Iverson without question added to his already tremendous young career. But the Sixers still had one more game to win to get over that hump of advancing to the Conference Finals. In Game 6 back north, Carter went off by hitting a slew of three-pointers for 39-points to win 101-89. This set up the historic Game 7 back in the then First Union Center.

Constant double-teaming on Iverson and an injured back forced Iverson to play a different game-a passing game. To go along with his 21 points (not even the team high-McKie with 22) he dished out a phenomenal 16 assists. The Sixers had the lead 88-87 with seconds remaining and Carter took a desperation fade-away shot from the left corner. It rimmed off the basket and the Sixers came out victorious.

In the Conference Finals, the Sixers, believe it or not, had to endure another seven-game series. Against the No. 2 seed Milwaukee Bucks with their big three of Ray Allen, Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassell, the Sixers won Game 1 93-85, but lost Game 2 92-78. At this point, Iverson's left hip joint that he injured in the Toronto series was really bothering him. He was forced to sit out Game 3 in Milwaukee and NO ONE gave the Sixers a chance. The Sixers battled without A.I., but ended up losing Game 3 80-74. This type of resiliency, albeit in a losing result, fueled Iverson to come back even more and the Sixers won 89-83 with him scoring 11 of the team's final 13 points.

Game 5 was the key contest in the series. The Bucks took a big lead early and it looked like they were going to cruise along for the win. But the Sixers, even with all of their injuries, battled back. Iverson had his ailments. Snow found out before the game his sprained ankle was more severe than orginally though and there were several other knicks and crannies the Sixers players were dealing with.

The score was 87-86 with less than a minute to go and Snow had the ball. Iverson was having an off shooting night and Snow was doing well up to that point, with 16 from the floor on 6-8 shooting. Guarded by Cassell, Snow made a move and took a 20-foot jump shot that went in to put the Sixers up 89-86.

Moments later, the Bucks put the score at 89-88 and then McKie was fouled and sent to the line. Usually, he was solid, but he missed both free throws giving the Bucks one final chance. With less than 10 seconds to go, Robinson got the ball and fired up a good look from the short corner. However, he missed it and the Sixers won! That was key because now the series was 3-2 going to Milwaukee. In that Game 6, the Sixers got behind early and battled back once again. However, this time their efforts werent' enough, losing 110-100.

A key moment came early in the game when former Sixer Scott Williams fouled Iverson hard, elbowing him in the shoulder when he was driving. This would lead to Williams, who had a good Game 6, being suspened for Game 7.

June 3, 2001 was a magical night in South Philadelphia. The video below explains the whole story.

The Sixers won 108-91 and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1983.

The NBA Finals was a match of storied franchises-76ers vs. Lakers-David vs. Goliath. The Lakers up to that point in the playoffs were 7-0 and had not lost a game. No one expected the Sixers to even compete. Well in Game 1, they did just that.

After getting down early, the Sixers fought back and commanded the tempo for the most of the game.

But the Lakers, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant forced the game into overtime where the Lakers once again pounced on the 76ers early. It looked like L.A. was going to come out victorious after the Sixers played so well. But the 2001 76ers was a team that never quit, ever. Iverson, along with his scrappy cast of role players, led the comeback.

Unfortunately, the Sixers would lose the next four games, as the injuries piled up and started to tire the 76ers, and the Lakers were just too good.

At the end of Game 5, every fan in the First Union Center chanted "Let's Go Sixers! Let's Go Sixers! Let's Go Sixers!" thanking the team for a most incredible run.

PHILLIES: Stepping in the Right Direction

After another season in the dumps with Terry Francona as manager, the Phillies hired Larry Bowa in the off-season prior to the 2001 campaign to hopefully put the team in the right direction. Bowa brought a new attitude to the team, one of a fiery, no nonsense skipper.

Not only was there a new manager, but there was also a new shortstop. Jimmy Rollins made the team in spring training and he quickly sparked a lot of poeples' eyes with his ability and talent. Rollins was an All-Star in his rookie season.

Along with Rollins, the team had Scott Rolen at third, Mike Lieberthal and Johnny Estrada behind the plate, Bobby Abreu in right field, Doug Glanville in center and Pat Burrell in left. Not to mention, Robert Person was proving to be a solid guy in the rotation, having a very good season. The Phils got off to a great start and led the way in the NL East for a good chunk of the season. But, the Atlanta Braves crawled back and the Phillies inexperience showed down the stretch. The team finished second in the NL East with an 86-76 record, much improved from the year before. Thus, Bowa received Manager of the Year honors.

This year also had many other occurrences in the it. At the start, Jim Bunning's No. 14 was retired, along with the jersey's of Chuck Klein and Grover Cleveland Alexander. This also marked the final season in Andy Musser's fabulous broadcasting career, which began back in the '70s.

And of course, the tragic happenings of the attacks on September 11, 2001, postponed the baseball season for about a week. The Phillies were in the first game being played after the tragic attacks and it was held at Veterans Stadium, in front of a very emotional crowd.

EAGLES: Almost There

Following a very promising 2000 season that saw the team make the playoffs, the Eagles were roaring back and ready to do even better. Behind the play of quarterback Donovan McNabb, the Eagles finished 11-5 again, this time however for first in the NFC East.

This season also ended the Giants nine-game winning streak against the Eagles. On Monday Night Football early in the year, the Birds won a defensive struggle at the Meadowlands, the Eagles came back in the 4th quarter to win 10-9. Later in the season in the second to last game, the Eagles once again played the Giants, this time at the Vet. Like the previous meeting, the Eagles had to come from behind in the 4th quarter and did so to take a 24-21 lead with only a tackle on a kickoff needed to win the game. Well, Dixon returned David Akers kick deep into Eagles territory and was brought down by Damon Moore inside the five-yard line to prevent the Giants from winning. That clinched the division.

What happened in the playoffs occurred on the flip side of the calender.

The Decade in Philadelphia Sports Part 2: 2000

2009-12-25T09:41:00.016-05:00

FLYERS: "Elias Scores!..."

The 1999-2000 Flyers season was filled of moments we like to remember and others...not so much. Head coach Roger Neilson had to take a leave of absence in February due to detected bone cancer. Replacing him was interim coach Craig Ramsey. Not to mention, within a month of Ramsay under the helm, captain Eric Lindros suffered his second concussion of the season, forcing him to miss an extended period of time. In March, the front office decided to give the "C" to defenseman Eric Desjardins because of Lindros's extended absence. This was a squad not only anchored by the play of these two guys, but also John LeClair, Mark Recchi and rookie Simon Gagne.

Not to mention, in January, long time fan favorite Rod Brind'Amour was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for Keith Primeau.

This campaign was dedicated to the lives of two very close people to the organization. In 1999, the Flyers lost their beloved long-time broadcaster Gene Hart to cancer and talented young player Dmitri Tertyshny to a freak boating accident. By the time the playoffs came around with a record of 45-25-11-3, the Flyers collected 105 points to win the Atlantic Division and acquire the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

In the first round of the playoffs behind the incredible goal tending of young Brian Boucher, they demolished the Buffalo Sabres easily 4-1. In the semi-finals, the Flyers faced off against the Pittsburgh Penguins and found themselves down 0-2 after the first two games. However, the Orange and Black managed to win the next four, with Game 4 being the most memorable. This game went an unheard amount of five overtimes. In the end, it was Primeau who netted the winning goal.

The conference finals that season is the series that left and continues to leave a lot of Flyers fans cringing and thinking "what if..." After dropping Game 1 to the hated New Jersey Devils, the Flyers would go on to win the next three and cement themselves one game away from going to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in four years. In Game 5 at the then First Union Center, the Devils won 4-1. Then, in Game 6 with the return of Lindros after a long time on the injured list and missing the entire postseason up to that point, the Flyers lost 2-1. Lindros scored the lone goal for the Orange and Black. Game 7 is the contest that leaves a bitter taste in Flyers fans' mouths. Early in the game, Devils defenseman and captain Scott Stevens put a vicious hit on Lindros, knocking him out cold and out of the game.

That was the final time Lindros ever stepped on the ice in a Flyers uniform.

With the game tied 1-1 late in the 3rd period, New Jersey's Patrick Elias scored the game winning goal, which was the second for him in the contest. The Devils won the series and went on to eventually win the Stanley Cup.

76ERS: Pacers Run Over The Sixers Again

After a very exciting 1999 season that saw the 76ers make the playoffs for the first time in almost a decade, the 1999-2000 season was filled with just as much excitement. In a season dedicated to the memory of the late Wilt Chamberlain, Allen Iverson made his first All-Star game and the team improved under the head coaching of Larry Brown, finishing with a record of 49-33, good for the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference.

The 76ers were gradually becoming one of the cities favorite teams. To compliment Iverson were role players such as Eric Snow, George Lynch, Aaron McKie, Theo Ratliff, and Toni Kukoc, who the Sixers traded for during the season.

In the quarterfinals, the 76ers easily handled Derrick Coleman and the Charlottle Hornets in four games, 3-1. However, in the semi-finals, they met the Indiana Pacers again, the top team in the Eastern Conference. After finding themselves down to the Pacers 3-0 for the second year in a row, a Matt Geiger/Reggie Miller in-game brawl led to a Sixers Game 4 win and a Miller suspension for Game 5 back in the Indiana. The Sixers excitingly won that contest to force Game 6 back in Philly, but sadly fell to the Pacers in that one, losing the series 4-2.

Constant bickering between player and coach, Iverson and Brown, led to major off-season speculation of whether or not "The Answer" would be a 76er for much longer.

PHILLIES: In The Cellar, But Building Towards A Promising Future

The 2000 Phillies season was a tale of "the same old story" since that magical 1993 Pennant winning year. The Phils finished with a dismal record of 65-97, good for last in the NL East. They were led by third baseman Scott Rolen, first baseman Rico Brogna, catcher Mike Lieberthal and pitcher Curt Schilling. Yet, at the trade deadline, the team dealt Schilling, per his request, to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Omar Daal, Nelson Figueroa, Travis Lee and Vicente Padilla. Other notable occurrences that happened in this season was Pat Burrell and Jimmy Rollins made their major league debuts, on May 24 and September 17 respectively. Oh yeah, and a guy by the name is Chase Utley was drafted with the 15th overall pick in June's amateur draft.

As you can see, Burrell is not wearing his usual No. 5. When he came into the bigs, he sported the No. 33. Anyway, since the Phils finished with another losing season way behind in the standings, the Phils felt it was necessary to excuse Terry Francona (yes...the guy who won two World Series with the Red Sox) and hire fan-favorite Larry Bowa as the new manager.

EAGLES: The Resurrection of The Birds

The 1999 season finished with a losing record, but much promise with the play of rookie quarterback Donovan McNabb and first year head coach Andy Reid. The 2000 campaign was about getting over that hump and making the postseason. The Eagles did just that. In McNabb's first season as full-time starting QB, it started off with a memorable onsides kick to open the first game in Dallas and finished with an impressive 11-5 record and a trip to the postseason for the first time since 1996. Not to mention, McNabb compiled the most rushing yards this season in any of the other ones he played in with 629 yards. He also had six rushing touchdowns.

The defense started becoming a name stay throughout the league under defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, with players like Hugh Douglas, who recorded a career high 15 sacks in 2000, Brian Dawkins, Troy Vincent and Jeremiah Trotter.

On the last day of the year, the Eagles won their Wild Card playoff game as they demolished the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21-3 at Veterans Stadium to advance to the Divisional Round, which happened on the other end of the calender.

The Decade in Philadelphia Sports Part I

2009-12-22T18:46:00.005-05:00

This is simply a primer for bigger things to come. Below is some background and history on the last decade in Philadelphia sports. An extensive array of polls will be coming shortly, as well as a detailed time line of the past ten years, to separate the good, great, and exhilarating from the frustrating, maddening, and heartbreaking moments of the last ten years. Enjoy!

Players have come and gone. One venue is no more (Veterans Stadium), while two others have risen on Pattison Avenue (Citizens Bank Park and Lincoln Financial Field). The Philadelphia fandom experienced frustrating cases of déjà vu (three consecutive NFC Championship Game losses by the Eagles) and exhilarating highs (one significant moment comes to mind). We watched as a legend pack his bags, only to return three years later in an attempt to reinvigorate a franchise on the fast track to nowhere. We witnessed the tenuous marriage between a disgruntled wide receiver and his oft-maligned quarterback disintegrate into a national mess. We held out hope that the underachieving Orange and Black would get over the hump and we cried in triumph when the boys of summer finally ended the championship drought on a cool October night.

From the mastery of Allen Iverson (remember Tyron Lue and 60 points?) to the recent excellence of Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson in the final days of 2009, the decade in Philadelphia sports was certainly never dull. For all the grumbling, fans will never forget 4th and 26, Keith Primeau’s multiple postseason heroics, or Jimmy Rollin’s magical swing to win Game 4 of the 2009 NLCS. Of course, there were plenty of villains and heartache. The Flyers collapsed after holding a 3-1 series lead over the hated New Jersey Devils in the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals. The 76ers ran into the Lakers dynasty of Shaq and Kobe, falling 4-1 in the 2001 NBA Finals. The Eagles were thwarted by the likes of Ricky Manning Jr., Tom Brady, and Kurt Warner (twice). The Phillies became the first professional sports team to reach 10,000 losses and continually fell short of the playoffs.

The Numbers

76ers (with five games remaining in 2009)- Regular season record: 416-399 (.510), 1 division title, 7 playoff appearances (including the one after the 1999-2000 season), 1 NBA Finals appearance, 0 championships. Best description for the decade: An opening flash of success, followed by early playoff exits and poor roster moves.

Eagles (with two games remaining in 2009)- 103-55-1 (.651), 5 division titles, 8 playoff appearances, 1 Super Bowl appearance, 0 championships. Best description for the decade: Although the story can be rewritten in the weeks to come, the Eagles of the Reid-McNabb era have fallen painfully short of their ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl. Very good? Yes. Great. No, not yet at least.

Flyers (with four games remaining in 2009)- 360-253-55-65 (94 points per year), 3 division titles, 8 playoff appearances, 0 Stanley Cup appearances. Best description for the decade: Always in the thick of the chase for the Cup, but never an elite team when it counted.

Phillies- 850-769 (.525), 3 division titles, 3 playoff appearances, 2 pennants, 1 World Series title. Best description for the decade: Who would have guessed that the Phillies would end the title drought? They built a strong foundation around homegrown talent, including Pat Burrell, Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and Chase Utley, and grew into one of the greatest teams in the city's history. With the help of some key acquisitions, they became the best National League squad in more than a decade.

Stay tuned for more within the next week!

DeSean Jackson Is The Ultimate Weapon

2009-12-22T17:40:00.002-05:00

The Eagles 27-13 win over the 49ers this past Sunday not only put them into the playoffs for the eighth time in the last 11 years, but also solidified that the Eagles would be no where without No. 10, DeSean Jackson.

His six receptions for 140 yards are due in large part to the fact that no one can cover him, along with he has unbelievable talent and speed. Where would the Eagles be this year without their No. 1 wide receiver? I think it is pretty obvious.

The Eagles have 3609 passing yards this season, with 1087 of those going into the hands of Jackson. They have 24 passing touchdowns between Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick, with eight of those being Jackson's receiving scores.

It's safe to say this has been the most explosive and talented Eagles offense in the McNabb/Andy Reid regime. They have more weapons than any previous year, including 2004 with Terrell Owens. To go with Jackson, LeSean McCoy is an impressive rookie that plays like a veteran. Jeremy Maclin has been fairly solid in his rookie season. Brent Celek is the tight end that we never got out of L.J. Smith. Leonard Weaver has been nothing but a breath of fresh air, minus his ridiculous debate with a 49ers defender late in the first half two days ago.

Even with all of that ability, Jackson accounts for a third of the Eagles offense in terms of the receiving part of it. Factor in that Reid didn't start having a balanced attack with the passing and running until the past few weeks.

The big issue with Jackson is his contract. Although he has not come out and complained about it, with an agent like Drew Rosenhaus and with what he is currently being paid, it's only a matter of time before something hits the fan.

As of last year, Jackson is signed to a four-year, $3.058 million contract. Now, for a rookie, which he was last year, that was appropriate. But, he is not a rookie anymore and it is crucial that the Eagles extend the contract this incredible football player as soon as possible. In 2009, Jackson is only being paid $385,000. The majority of the team is receiving a larger pay check than him this season.

Regardless of what happens with his contract though, it's for certain that when the playoffs come around, Jackson will continue to light up the highlight reals. Maybe we'll even see another chest bump with Reid. Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a fun ride with No. 10 in the game.

2009 SOUTH BROAD ST AWARDS

2009-12-21T14:13:00.003-05:00

This year will mark the first of what will be the annual "SOUTH BROAD ST AWARDS." These awards, voted by you, will be given out to the most deserving players, coaches, executives, team, moments, etc throughout that specific year. Vote now for the 2009 SOUTH BROAD ST AWARDS. You have until next Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. EST.

UPDATE: I see the Phillie Phanatic is spelled wrong. I spelled it "Phanactic." Can't go back and change it now without deleting the poll as a whole. Sorry for the typo.

76ers Snap Celtics 11-Game Winning Streak With Comeback Victory

2009-12-18T22:19:00.005-05:00

Elton Brand put the naysayers' opinions on hold tonight, as the much maligned forward tipped in the game winning basket in the Sixers 98-97 win in Boston tonight.

The Celtic's 11-game win streak is over.

Coming off the bench, Brand led the team with 23 points on 7-12 from the floor and eight rebounds.

Marreese Speights was phenomenal as well, collecting a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards.

The Sixers had a 96-95 lead within the final minute and the referees made a horrific foul call on Speights, putting Kevin Garnett at the line. The Celtics forward made both to put Boston up 97-96.

On the ensuing position, the Sixers set up a play for Speights to shoot a mid-range jumper, which he missed, and then Brand tipped it in.

With 11 seconds to go, the Celtics put the ball in Paul Pierce's hands against Andre Iguodala. Pierce missed his shot attempt but Ray Allen got the o-board with time to go. A shot thrown up by him at the buzzer was no good-Sixers win.

It's the Sixers first win against a team with a record over .500 this season and is a bright point after a heartbreaking loss to Cleveland the other night.

Allen Iverson did not play in this game. At the very, very, very "old" age of 34, he has arthritis. He is questionable for tomorrow night's home game against the Clippers.

Update: Just heard this on CSN's Sports Nite-Amy Fadool reported that if team doctors clear Iverson after examination, he will be listed as probable to play tomorrow night.

Putting The Phillies TradeSSSS in Perspective

2009-12-18T20:48:00.004-05:00

Yes, they were trades. Plural. It wasn't a three team deal as the Phillies made it out to be. The Phightins' traded Cliff Lee to Seattle for a load of prospects, and then traded Kyle Drabek and Michael Taylor to Toronto for Roy Halladay. The Mariners and Blue Jays had no transactions between each other.

Now, I understand why Ruben Amaro Jr. did this deal–Halladay was "his guy." Amaro wanted Halladay since July and when this opportunity came up again to possibly acquire him, you knew he was going to jump all over that, especially when Toronto was going to throw in some money to pay Doc right now.

On the other deal, with getting rid of Drabek and Taylor, it makes sense to re-booster the farm system by getting these prospects from Seattle. Yet we all know the real reason for getting rid of Lee was because the Phillies didn't want to pay him now, or "big market" money when his contract is up at the end of the season.

Therefore, it was a load of bologna when Amaro explained the Lee deal as a "baseball move" because even though there was an importance to re-fueling the minor league teams for the future, the main goal when it comes to this current day is WINNING NOW.

If they would've kept Lee for at least one year, which they could've, it would've made this rotation DOMINANT and practically a lock to definitely go back to the World Series, if not win the whole thing.

I love that we have Halladay because he is definitely the best pitcher in the game. But isn't it incredible that at the same time we brought this great pitcher in, a lot of fans, including myself, are frustrated the Lee is no longer a Phillie. The guy went 4-0 with an ERA below two in the post-season. He was sensational. It is so weird that he just got here at the end of July, and now in the middle of December he's gone.

Thanks to Lee for the amazing run in the postseason last year.

On that same note-"Doc" Halladay, welcome to Philadelphia. Not that you can't do it, but you have big shoes to fill.

Phillies Bolster Bench

2009-12-16T23:18:00.003-05:00

During the offseason, it has been clear that Ruben Amaro Jr. has set out a number of goals in which he wanted to accomplish by opening day 2010. Two of these goals include improving the bullpen and bench players. The solution for the bullpen has yet to be seen largely in part due to the unclear status of Scott Eyre and Chan Ho Park. Chan Ho seems more and more unlikely to return to red pinstripes this year. He believes many teams see him as a starter, although he was a very effective reliever for the Phillies in 2009.

The bench has been improved greatly in my opinion. Ruben has cut the dead weight which held this team down in late game pinch hit situations. For the most of the 2009, Matt Stairs and Eric Bruntlett were unreliable. Their averages proved this fact. The first signing came in the form of Juan Castro. He is a utility infielder who assumes the role previously held by Eric Bruntlett. Although his career average is below .250, he is going to be an upgrade defensively and will be used as a late game defensive substitution. He will be an upgrade in my opinion over Eric Bruntlett. The second signing brought the phillies a solid backup catcher, Brian Schneider. He is a very good defensive catcher and is an upgrade over the Chris Coste/Paul Bako connection of 2009. The third and most recent signing was that of Ross Gload. He led the majors in pinch hits last season. How else could you find a better bench player. He also brings some pop from the left side of the plate. He fills the role of Matt Stairs, but with a better average. This will mark the third straight season in which the phillies have the leading pinch hitter from the previous season on their opening day roster the following year. In 2008, it was So Taguchi. In 2009, it was Greg Dobbs. In 2010, it will be Ross Gload. Lets hope Gload works out better than Taguchi did.

So to sum up the Phillies projected opening day bench players their will most likely be 5 players. From the right side, it will be Ben Francisco, Juan Castro, and Brian Schneider. From the left side, it will be Greg Dobbs and Ross Gload. This group may be one of the most balanced in the league. The only thing that they lack is a switch hitter, but I believe that they will be just fine with this current group.

IT'S OFFICIAL! "DOC" A PHILLIE!

2009-12-14T16:41:00.003-05:00

The deal is confirmed according to espn.com. Cliff Lee is out, Roy Halladay is in.

This obviously splits up the lefties and righties in the Phillies rotation by having an even balance between the two. I think it can be a move with positive effects because of that reason.

Your thoughts?

One Lasting Note: Thanks to Cliff Lee for a tremendous three months in Philly, especially the playoffs and World Series.

UPDATE: Not quite yet. I told Michael Stubel to not jump the gun like Asante Samuel and now I will tell myself that. Nothing is official, but it looks imminent.

SI.com Is Confirming The Trade, But The Only Media Outlet To Do So

2009-12-14T16:38:00.001-05:00

Jon Heyman Reports

How Good Are The Philadelphia Eagles?

2009-12-14T16:15:00.003-05:00

AWESOME chest bumps between big and small people, as well as long yardage plays aside, last night's 45-38 gridiron slug fest with the Giants was surely entertaining.

However, the important question to take note of is how good is the Philadelphia Eagles team...really.

This big play offense and all of these weapons are great and as Eagles fans, we've been crying for these pieces for years. YEARS! But, when we were crying for them, the team's defense was sensational.

I'm not looking at the numbers. I don't even care what the numbers are because they're unimportant to me. What I'm looking at is the makeup of this defense, the way they play, and how stupid they can be sometimes.

The Linebackers-They can't cover a soul. Jeremiah Trotter is a tremendous run stopper and that's where he shines. Not to mention, he is a phenomenal leader and is key to this team's sucess. But in the passing game...big problems. Will Witherspoon and Chris Gocong are average linebackers. They are really missing the talents of a Stewart Bradley.

The Secondary-Big play offense...big play secondary. Sheldon Brown is OK in pass coverage, but he gets beat a lot on double moves. Asante Samuel, as a buddy of mine texted me last night, can't cover a turtle. All he gets are interceptions. Quinten Mikkel, while he's been solid since becoming a starter a couple of years ago, played AWFUL last night. He got way too many penalties and he couldn't tackle anyone.

That seems to be a recurring problem with everyone on the defense-tackling. No one of the Eagles D is tackling anybody and if this continues, it will bite them in the big games.

The Eagles have a chance to make a run this year, especially with their talented offense. But if they can't play any defense, teams like New Orleans and Minnesota in road playoff games for the Eagles will be able to control the tempo and clock down the stretches of the fourth quarter.

Defense wins games, defense wins championships. Will the Eagles?

Reports Looming: "Doc" Has Been Called On

2009-12-14T16:06:00.003-05:00

It has been reported that Roy "Doc" Halladay is in Philadelphia and in talks with the Phillies front office about a possible extension. There is no official word on whether the Phillies have traded for the dominant right-handed pitcher, but there is high speculation that a deal went down.

If a trade did happen, it would be a three-team deal with the Blue Jays and Mariners. The general nature of it would be the Phillies ship Cliff Lee to Seattle and Toronto gets the Mariner's prospects.

Obviously, more on this to come later when everything is cleared up.

Hear This: Phillies Front Runners For Halladay...Again

2009-12-10T11:50:00.002-05:00

I'm going to go with the "don't get your hopes up" approach this time, opposite of what I did during the season. The reason? Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com is reporting that the Phillies and Angels are the front runners to trade for Blue Jays ace Roy "Doc" Halladay.

Is Rosenthal and respectable journalist? Yes.

Am I going to get my hopes up? No.

Why? Because I don't want to be disappointed when the Phillies don't get him.

Why did I say "when?" The reason is Rosenthal is reporting that the Phillies would have to trade J.A. Happ and either Michael Taylor or Dominic Brown. I'm pretty sure they won't want to do that. But hey, if it happens, that would be phenomenal.

And The 76ers Lost Nine In A Row

2009-12-05T23:12:00.004-05:00

A layup from Raymond Felton with the seconds winding gave the Charlotte Bobcats a 106-105 win. Seems like the 76ers are not only losing lately, they are doing so in the winding moments of the game.

How do we solve this? Let's just get The Answer on the court a.s.a.p.

Well...That Went Well...

2009-12-05T22:47:00.006-05:00

The Flyers got EMBARRASSED in Peter Laviolett'es coaching debut with the team tonight 8-2 AT HOME against the Ovechkin-LESS Capitals. Helloooooo! I mean I understand that maybe a new philosophy would cause some confusion in the first game, but not an annihilation.

Ray Emery gave up 5 goals and was pulled halfway through the second period. In Brian Boucher's first four minutes, he gave up two goals.I always say this and I will continue to say this–you can have all the talent in the world and your coach could be Scotty Bowman, but GOALTENDING wins hockey games. The Flyers haven't had solid goal tending since the Ron Hextal days of the late-80s.

Now, the game was tied 1-1 with a little over five minutes to go in the first period. That's when Philadelphia's Favorite Idiot, Dan Carcillo, decided to get in a tustle with Matt Bradley.

The Caps right winger gave Carcillo a non-called cheap shot high stick against the boards and then Carcillo instigated a fight. Both dropped their gloves and immediately after Bradley dropped his, Carcillo laid him out with one easy punch, thus giving him a two-minute penalty for cross checking, two for instigation, five for roughing, a 10-minute misconduct and a game misconduct.

Bradley got bup-kiss because the officials concluded that he never threw a punch. However, that could be argued. Just take a look at the video, courtesy of YouTube, below.

The nine-minute power play led to three goals for Washington. Many will probably blame this blowout on the questionable call by the ref to not give Bradley any minutes.

Let me make this clear, anyone who feels that way should think twice about their opinion. The Flyers penalty kill has been one of the best in the league all season. Regardless of whether Bradley should have gotten any minutes or Carcillo less, that doesn't mean that letting in goals in not condonable. I'm sure if it was only one goal instead of three, people wouldn't feel that way.

The fact is, after it was 4-1, it later became 7-1. So, the Flyers quit. I guess that lifeless style of play that John Stevens instilled in the team carried over to the new guy.

And one more note before this post concludes–DAN CARCILLO IS DUMBER THAN JESSICA SIMPSON. Just laying that out there.

At some point, shouldn't he realize that there is a fine line between being a goon and still playing hockey. I understand that the Flyers had cap issues last season. I understand that part of what I'm about to say is the Scottie Upshall fan in me, but receiving him and a third round pick for Upshall last season was a total bust a waste.

Carcillo has done NOTHING for this team. The fight against Talbot last year in the playoffs led to the Penguins making that miraculous comeback and he contributes nothing to the hockey part on the ice. Homer–GET RID OF HIM NOW!

Oh and by the way, Laviollete has a no fighting rule. It will be interesting to see how he handles one of the stupidest players in Philadelphia sports history.

The Iverson Signing Looks Even Better Now

2009-12-05T18:26:00.002-05:00

According to Kate Fagan of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jrue Holiday injured his shoulder while blocking a dunk during yesterday's practice. He had an MRI taken on it today and is a game time decision tonight in Charlotte, who the Sixers ALWAYS struggle against.

Now if Holiday doesn't go tonight, it means that Willie Green will probably get the nod. As we all know, Allen Iverson isn't supposed to play until Monday when the 76ers host the Nuggets at the Wachovia Center.

By the way, is it ironic that if Iverson does play Monday, his last two games at the Wachovia Center would be between the 76ers and Denver, with him playing on a different end in the two games? I find it hilarious...

An Unforgettable Week Of Changes In Philly Sports

2009-12-05T17:53:00.005-05:00

Wow...what a week in Philadelphia sports...well, not in terms of victories, because I don't think any of our times got a W...jeez. But, they sure made headlines. The 76ers brought back Allen Iverson and the Flyers canned John Stevens, something that was probably should have happened a while ago.

Iverson's return brings back excitement and enthusiasm to the 76ers, something that has been gone for a good four/five years.

The Flyers bringing in Peter Laviollette will hopefully change their struggling ways around. Hey, it was with Pittsburgh last year as they switched from Michel Therian to Dan Bylsma. Why can't it happen to the Orange and Black?

ALLEN IVERSON IS ONCE AGAIN A PHILADELPHIA 76ER

2009-12-02T10:05:00.003-05:00

MORE ON THIS LATER...HOPEFULLY. I'm in class right now and have a lot to do today...but to sum things up...THE ANSWER IS BACK!

To Be Thankful For In Philly Sports

2009-11-26T16:58:00.005-05:00

It's safe to say that 2009 has been a roller coaster year thus far. Of course, a recap of this year's major ups and devastating downs will come once we're ready to open the book on 2010. However, with today being Thanksgiving, it would be a mistake not to look back on the previous 10 plus months and realize what we are thankful to have in our world of Philly Sports right now.

So, here is a list of the Top 10 things I am thankful for in Philly sports, including the media aspects of it, starting with number 10.

10. The Eagles
Although they frustrate me now at times...a lot of the time...they're first name is still Philadelphia. They're here and not in another town. I'm thankful for that and for the fact that I can watch the NFL rooting for a hometown team.

9. The 76ers "New"/Old Logo
It is one of my favorite logos in sports. I am so glad they went back to it this season. It makes me forget how bad they currently are, then I just watch them play and remember. For my birthday back in August, my aunt got a 100 dollar gift card to Modell's. I haven't used it yet. Tomorrow morning I am getting up early to go the Modell's and take advantage of all of the great Black Friday sales. It is without question that a portion of that 100 bucks will be used on 76ers merchandise.

8. Thaddeus Young and Mareese Speights
These guys are promising young players for the horribly coaches and completely uninteresting Philadelphia 76ers. Hopefully they can get rid of the incredibly annoying and goofy Samuel Dalembert and open up some cap room to get a star player that still has good legs. I love the Sixers, but they are frustrating to watch, minus the talents of Thad and Mo Speights.

7. The Flyers...
...that is until they break our hearts in April again. This team has a chance, like always, so I can't help but be thankful for a consistently GOOD hockey team that HAS A CHANCE every year. The question is, will they be GREAT?

6. Comcast SportsNet
I have the unfortunate situation of being tortured by SNY, MSG, YES and God knows what up there in Central New York State during the year. CSN is definitely the best local sports station I know.

5. The Sports Complex
No other city in the country has all of its sports venues in one spot. Fortunately in Philadelphia, all four of them, including the legendary Spectrum, are within walking distance of each other. I never despise a day where I am fortunate enough to head on down to South Philly and enjoy the comforts of Citizens Bank Park, the grit of Lincoln Financial Field, the luxuries of the Wachovia Center and the stories and memories of the Spectrum.

4. Philadelphia Sports Broadcasters
We have great ones in every sport. Not too many towns can say that. Thank you Harry Kalas, Richie Ashburn, Gene Hart, By Saam and Dave Zinkoff for setting the bar high.

3. The WIP Morning Show
This might sound like a "homer" one because I interned for them this past summer and still consider myself an intern even though I'm at school most of the time now, but one of the highlights of my day while I'm at school is waking up in the morning (yes at 5:30 in the morning) to hear The Overlap Show between Angelo Cataldi and Big Daddy Graham and then four hours of entertaining sports and pop culture talk before I go to class. They're, as Ang always says, SENSATIONAL and PHENOMENAL. Oh and by the way, the other programs on 610 WIP are pretty darn good as well.

2. The Duo of Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen
Unlike No. 4, this is about the chemistry between these two guys. Nobody will ever replace Harry and Whitey together, but Franzke and LA sure make it a very close second. During the playoffs when we had to suffer through Brian Anderson, Chip Carray, Joe Buck and others, it was easy as 1-2-3 to turn down the volume on the tube and put on the radio to listen to these great Phillies broadcasters and the friendship they display through the airwaves.

1. The Phillies
Back to back National League Champs and one of those times they won the whole thing. It's pretty obvious to me why I seemed more enthused about Philly sports over the summer than I do now–The Philadelphia Phillies and watching baseball in general.

And last but not least, my Turkey of the year in Philadelphia sports...I can't say otherwise I would lose my job as an Eagles program vendor. I'm sure you get the picture.

So, what are you thankful for in Philly sports and who is your Turkey?

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Conclusion Of A Storied Career...

2009-11-25T22:25:00.003-05:00

...if you look at it in a certain perspective...the non championship winning perspective. In the end, the man accumulated a total of 20,040 points, 1965 steals, 36,786 minutes and a career points per game average of 27.0. He did this in almost 14 years in the league. Without question, he is a future member of the Hall of Fame. This is Allen Iverson.

The Answer announced his retirement today from the NBA; this after being released from the Memphis Grizzlies after only playing three games and a failure to find an NBA team to play for that will let him "run the show." Although Iverson still feels he can play the game and this retirement announcement could turn around "Brett Favre style" in the snap of a finger, for now, we'll assume that Iverson has played his last NBA game.

Looking at his career objectively, he Iverson was not "The Answer" for winning. His style of play unfortunately does not suit a championship caliber system. However, that does not take away the ten exciting years of watching him play for our Philadelphia 76ers. The man is a legend in the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Moses Malone and Charles Barkley in terms of 76ers greats. He provided us with the magical season of 2001. The gritty, scrappy and thrilling Eastern Conference Champions of that season is one of the favorite teams of my life. They're up there with the 2008/2009 Phils, the 2004 Eagles and even the 1993 Phillies (even though I was 5 then).

I remember when he was presented the MVP Trophy in 2001. I was in the building and that is maybe the loudest I have ever heard the Corestates/First Union/Wachovia Center. The place erupted as this controversial and troubled individual had such a positive moment in his life. He was such a small player for the NBA, but he was a warrior at the same time and he represented our blue collar city on the court to the fullest extent.

While I have no regrets of A.I. playing here and ALMOST winning a title, it always sticks in the back of my mind that if we would of taken Kobe Bryant in the 1996 draft instead of Iverson, our fortunes might have been quite different. Yet, even though sometimes I feel that, Iverson is still my favorite basketball player of all time and one of my favorite Philadelphia athletes of all time. I can't wait until next year, the 10 year anniversary of the 2001 team, where Ed Snider and Ed Stefanski hopefully have a reunion and The Answer once again steps on the Wachovia Center floor. It will bring the house down, much more than this team is doing right now.

Thanks for the memories Allen.

This Team Is Something Special

2009-10-23T08:07:00.003-04:00

We're not done. By no means are we as Phillies fans and the team as the ones competing are we finished. There is one more step to accomplishing the goal for this season. That is to take it one game at a time and win a World Series for the second year in a row.

However, two days after the euphoria of winning back to back National League titles, it is much easier to put into perspective how special this team really is.

Think about it–only two of our current teams have won back to back world championships–the 1948 and 1949 Eagles and the 1974 and 1975 Flyers. Connie Mack's Athletics won back to back World Series in 1910 and 1911. Then they won another one two years later in 1913 (not to mention they were AL Champs in 1914).

This Phillies team is the only team in club history to win back to back NL Pennants. They are only the second team in club history to win three division championships in a row. They are one of only about a handful of teams to sport five All-Stars in one year.

Without question, regardless of what happens over the next two weeks (hopefully something great), this team is one that will go down in history as one of the best.

We're Back!...and I am Too!

2009-10-23T08:02:00.003-04:00

It's been a while hasn't it. I have to admit, I've been quite busy since my last post was, whenever it was. And to be perfectly honest, I'm still pretty busy. Yet, I'm also in the mood to write about my teams, our teams. And that's what I'm going to do. I know I've said that before, but this time I'm serious. Stay tuned for continuous update in posts. It's going to be a great time.

Been a While.....GO PHILS

2009-10-15T13:34:00.003-04:00

As a side note before I get to what I actually want to say. I just want to say I'm going to try to end the patheticness of this blog by pretending that the last couple of months have not been totally ignored. It would take more than a couple a posts to get back up to speed. Eagles, Flyers and Sixers all making noise right now, but we all know the focus.

...

The Philadelphia Phillies picked up on their 2009 playoff run right where the 2008 one ended. The Phillies knocked off the Colorado Rockies in a tidy 4 games, even though it was the only division series that did not conclude in a sweep.

In game 1 of the series Cliff Lee pitched a gem going all 9 innings with 6 hits, 1 earned run, 5 strike outs and 0 walks. The Phillies offense was silenced for the first 4 innings of the game by the Rockies, Ubaldo Jimenez. The Phillies then put up 2 runs in the 5th and 3 in the 6th enroute to a 5-1 Phillies victory.

Game 2 would prove to be rougher waters for the Phillies. Cole Hamels, with the impending birth of his first kid on his mind, was chased from to game after only 5 innings giving up 7 hits and 4 earned runs. The Phillies offense pitched a furious rally late in the game, but with a runner on first and second with 2 outs in the 9th inning Shane Victorino lined out to second to end the game. Huston Street registered the save for the Rockies, which would prove to not be a sign of things to come.

Game 3 shifted its scene to frigid Colorado where the first pitch temperature was 31 degrees. The Phillies struck first, scoring in the first inning on a home run by Chase Utley. However J.A. Happ was touched up for 2 runs in the bottom of the inning. Happ would only pitch 3 innings, allowing 5 hits and 3 earned runs. The Phillies offense again was not going to go quietly, they put 3 runs in the 4th inning to give them the 4-3 lead, then retook the lead in the 6th inning only to see it relinquished in the 7th. Ryan Howard would eventually deliver the final blow on a sacrifice fly to left field that platted Jimmy Rollins. Unlike (or much like) Huston Street this would be a foreshadowing of things to come.

Game 4 featured a marginally warmer temperature and an even more dramatic ending. The Phillies sent out the man who started things to end them. Cliff Lee pitched a solid 7.1 innings with 5 hits and 1 earned run. Colorado was hoping to get a different result when sending Ubaldo Jimenez to the mound for his second start. This game would not come down to starting pitching, as both starters were credited with a no-decision. This game would be be settled by the teams bullpens. The score was 2-1 Phillies going into the bottom of the 8th inning. Colorado would break out to score 3 runs in the inning. With the Phillies trailing by 2 going in their final at bat the Rockies called on their closer, Street, again. With 2 out in the top of the 9th the Phillies had a runner on first (Chase Utley) and second (Shane Victorino) when Ryan Howard roped a double to deep right field scoring Utley and Victorino easily. The next batter was Jayson Werth who blooped a single into right that scored Howard. The Phillies called on Scott Eyre to close the game out, but left the game. To get the last out the Phillies looked to Brad "Lights-out"(knock-on-wood) Lidge to preserve the victory, and like he did all of 2008, he did just that.

As a side note to the series, and all the divisional series for that matter, the umpiring was horrendous.

The Phillies will now face a familiar foe in the National League Championship Series, the L.A. Dodgers. The Phillies knocked the Dodgers out of the playoffs last year to advance to the World Series. Obviously the teams are not exactly the same as they were last year, however the cores are still the same and the Dodgers definitely have a bad taste in their mouths from last year. The regular season series belongs to the Dodgers, they hold the 4-3 advantage. This will be the 5th meeting between the Dodgers and the Phillies in the NLCS the series, currently tied at 2

Overall, starting pitching and hitting should out last bull pen. Phils in 6

Baseball's Top 100 of All-Time

2009-08-03T15:15:00.002-04:00

Baseball’s Top 100 of All-Time (Pitchers and Negro League players not included)
* (S)- Steroid use confirmed

1. Babe Ruth- Predictable? Cliché? I dare you to find someone more dominant. Babe’s numbers have stood the test of time. Are you going to argue with a .342 average, 714 homers, and a .690 slugging percentage? In 1920, only one team hit more home runs collectively than Ruth did as an individual. To top it off, he logged a 94-46 record with a 2.28 ERA and 107 complete games as a pitcher.

2. Willie Mays- What couldn’t Willie do? Whether at the plate, on the bases or in the field, Mays was the ultimate natural. Say Hey managed to slam 660 career homers while spending most of his prime in the spacious Candlestick Park. Mays was a two-time MVP, 24-time All-Star and a 12-time Gold Glove winner. The list goes on: 3,000+ hits, 12 seasons of at least 100 runs and 300+ stolen bases. He remains the only player in history with at least 3,000 hits, 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases.

3. Ty Cobb- He was nasty, brutish—and amazing. The best player of the dead-ball era, Ty Cobb’s .366 career average remains one of baseball’s greatest feats. The Georgia Peach is 2nd all-time in hits, runs and triples, and third in doubles. Cobb stole nearly 900 bases and won a Triple Crown. In 24 seasons, he batted below .300 just once.

4. Lou Gehrig- The Iron Horse was an RBI machine. A gentleman to his last day, Gehrig’s consecutive games played streak is second only to Cal Ripken Jr. (#35) With nearly 2,000 RBI in just 17 seasons, Gehrig had eight straight years of at least 120 RBI. The numbers truly boggle the mind: a .340 average, a .447 OBP, a record 23 grand slams and 6 championships.

5. Ted Williams- He is quite possibly the greatest pure hitter in baseball history. Despite missing three years of his prime while serving his country during WWII, Williams managed 521 homers and a .344 average (the highest for any member of the 500 HR club). The Splendid Splinter won not one, but two Triple Crowns and he is the last player to hit .400 in a season. Williams hit a home run in his final at-bat and his lifetime .482 OBP is simply astonishing.

6. Hank Aaron- In many eyes, Hammerin’ Hank is still the home run king. For more than two decades, Aaron was the model of consistency. He hit at least 24 homers in every year from 1955 to 1973, and is the only player to belt at least 30 or more in at least 15 seasons. The all-time leader in RBI, extra base hits and total bases, Aaron stole a commendable 240 bases and won three Gold Gloves. He is a true hero for all he was put through in his pursuit of Babe’s record.

7. Barry Bonds (S)- A cheat or not, you cannot ignore Barry Bonds’ accomplishments. From 1987-1998 (it is alleged that his steroid use began following the 1998 season) Bonds compiled the following averages per season: 107 runs, 31 doubles, 32 home runs, 97 RBI, 34 SB, .294 AVG and .981 OPS. Whether you like it or not, he is the leader in career home runs. Bonds is first all-time in walks and second in runs. An 8-time Gold Glove winner, he stole 514 bases and finished with a 1.051 OPS.

8. Rogers Hornsby- The only National League player to win two Triple Crowns, Hornsby may be the greatest right-handed hitter in history and he is easily the game’s best second baseman. Between 1921 and 1925 Hornsby, a career .358 batter, hit an amazing .402. He belted more home runs and had more RBI than any other National Leaguer in the 1920s.

9. Stan Musial- The bedrock of the St. Louis Cardinals for nearly a quarter of a century, Musial won three MVP awards and finished with more than 3,600 hits. He remains an underappreciated and underrated star. Stan the Man won seven batting titles and compiled 725 doubles, 475 homers and a .976 OPS.

10. Joe DiMaggio- Joltin’ Joe’s career was limited to 13 seasons, but, gosh, they were a spectacular 13 seasons. Holder of the coveted 56-game hitting streak, DiMaggio was an All-Star in each year of his career and was a three-time MVP winner. He was a 9-time world champion. Although Yankee Stadium was not suited for right-handed power hitters in those days, DiMaggio blasted 361 round-trippers anyway. He averaged 132 RBI per year between 1936 and 1942. All of this while missing 1943 to 1945 due to military duty.

11. Jimmie Foxx- The greatest right-handed slugger ever, Foxx is the second-youngest player to reach 500 homers. He lived to rip the cover off a baseball. Between 1929 and 1940 Foxx averaged 40 homers, 136 RBI, a .334 AVG and a .644 SLG% per year. With 12 consecutive years of at least 30 homers, Foxx finished with 534 for his career.

12. Honus Wagner- Wagner is the best shortstop to ever play the game. He stole 722 bases and pounded out 993 extra base hits. An 8-time batting champion, Wagner had 3,415 career hits and finished with a .327 average.

13. Mickey Mantle- Despite injuries and a high-flying lifestyle, Mantle had a stellar career. He was a three-time MVP and a seven-time world champion who still holds a number of postseason offensive records. The greatest switch hitter of all-time, Mantle blasted 536 homers and is famous for his tape-measure shots. He averaged 42 homers per year between 1956 and 1961.

14. Ken Griffey Jr.- After all these years, through injuries and “what-ifs,” Griffey stands as the greatest clean player (let’s pray) of his generation. His numbers between 1996 and 1999 are unreal: four consecutive years of at least 45 HR and 130 RBI. Fifth on the career HR list, Griffey also has 10 Gold Gloves.

15. Tris Speaker- Another all-timer who doesn’t get much ink, Speaker is baseball’s career leader in doubles and outfield assists. He was a lifetime .345 hitter with more than 3,500 hits and 400 steals. In 7,707 at-bats between 1913 and 1927, Speaker, a three-time world champion, struck out only 215 times.

16. Albert Pujols- Although he has completed only eight full seasons, Pujols, another presumably clean player from the steroid era, no doubt deserves this lofty ranking. He leads all active players with a .333 average and a .628 slugging percentage. Sir Albert has already amassed eight All-Star selections, two MVPs and a world championship. Along with Ralph Kiner, Pujols is the only player to hit at least 300 homers (319) in his first eight seasons. He has averaged 122 RBI per year and is arguably the best defensive first baseman in baseball.

17. Mel Ott- Master Melvin was the first National Leaguer to hit 500 homers and lead the league in round-trippers six times. A New York Giants fixture for more than two decades, Ott averaged 103 RBI per year between 1929 and 1945. He was a career .304 hitter.

18. Frank Robinson- Robinson remains the only player to win MVP awards in both the American and National Leagues. He finished with 586 career homers and 1812 RBI, all while hitting .294 and stealing 204 bases.

19. Rickey Henderson- Henderson is the greatest leadoff hitter of all-time. He ranks first in career runs and stolen bases, and second in walks. The Man of Steal managed to swipe more than 100 bases in a season three times. Although Henderson was only a .279 career hitter, he belted 297 home runs and batted .339 in World Series appearances.

20. Pete Rose- Charlie Hustle was a ball of energy. Baseball’s all-time leader in games played, at-bats and hits, Pete Rose was an MVP, a 3-time world champion and the 1975 World Series MVP. He was a 17-time All-Star at five different positions (1B, 2B, 3B, RF and LF). Rose averaged 100 runs per season between 1963 and 1981. He was a .321 postseason hitter in 268 at-bats. Although he made his share of mistakes, it’s time to put Rose in the Hall of Fame.

21. Mike Schmidt- Schmidt is undisputedly the game’s greatest third baseman of all-time and possibly the best player of the 1980s. From 1974 to 1987 Schmidt averaged 99 runs, 36 homers, 103 RBI, .274 AVG and a .933 OPS. Although he was only a .267 career hitter, he blossomed in later years. In his first nine seasons he .259; in his last nine, his average increased to .276. In addition, Schmidt was a magician at third, winning 10 Gold Glove awards. He led the National League in homers eight times.

22. Nap Lajoie- As one indicator of his hitting prowess, Lajoie is one of only five players in history to be intentionally walked with the bases loaded. He won the Triple Crown in 1901 batting .426 with 14 homers and 125 RBI. He also scored 145 runs and pounded out 232 hits. In 21 seasons, Lajoie stole 380 bases and batted .338.

23. Al Simmons- Born Aloisius Szymanski, “Bucketfoot” Al Simmons recorded 11 consecutive seasons of at least 100 RBI and a .300 AVG. A career .334 hitter, Simmons won two batting titles and was the anchor of the 1929 and 1930 World Series champion Philadelphia Athletics. His averages for those two seasons: 133 runs, 211 hits, 35 RBI, 161 RBI and a .373 AVG.

24. Hank Greenberg- Although WWII disrupted about five years of Greenberg’s career, the original Hammerin’ Hank belted 331 homers and had 1276 RBI. He had more than 140 RBI in a season four times. Greenberg was a two-time MVP and led the league in homers four times. All he did in 1937 was hit .337 with 40 homers, 183 RBI and 137 runs—and came in third in MVP voting.

25. Charlie Gehringer- Gehringer produced at least 200 hits in seven seasons and finished with a .320 AVG. A great fielder, Gehringer’s 7,068 assists are the second highest total in history for a second baseman. He was the 1937 AL MVP and finished with nearly 1,800 runs.

26. Eddie Collins- A staple of the Philadelphia Athletics teams that won three World Series titles between 1910 and 1914, Collins was a career .333 hitter and a defensive extraordinaire at second base. He twice stole six bases in a game and also holds the record for career sacrifice hits.

27. Tony Gwynn- Mr. Padre, as it were, spent two decades in San Diego. Amazingly, Gwynn struck out only 434 times in 9,288 at bats. A career .338 hitter, he batted no lower than .309 in any full season. Throw in 15 All-Star appearances, 5 Gold Gloves and 319 stolen bases and it’s easy to see Gwynn’s worth.

28. Carl Yastrzemski- Yaz was a Red Sox fixture for more than two decades. In that time, he amassed 452 home runs, 7 Gold Gloves and more than 3,400 hits. A 18-time All-Star, MVP winner and the last player to achieve a Triple Crown, Yastrzemski is second all-time in games played.

29. Roberto Clemente- One the game’s greatest all-around ballplayers, Clemente is remembered as a humanitarian and gentleman. He won four league batting titles and 12 Gold Gloves. Clemente was a career .317 batter and also had impressive postseason totals.

30. Ed Delahanty- Big Ed was a member of the Phillies’ famed 1890s outfield that he shared with Sam Thompson (#38) and Billy Hamilton (#58). He led the league in slugging percentage five times and RBI three times. Delahanty finished with a .346 AVG, a .411 OBP and 455 stolen bases.

31. Dan Brouthers- Big Dan is often recognized as baseball’s first great slugger. He led the National League in batting five times, a 19th century record. Brouthers finished with a .342 career average, which stands as 9th highest of all-time. He also led the league in OPS eight times and pounded out 205 triples.

32. Joe Jackson- Sadly, Shoeless Joe is remembered only for his role in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal that ended in a lifetime ban from baseball. From 1911 to 1920, however, Jackson was a dominant force. His .356 career average is third all-time and his .423 OBP ranks among the best. Jackson compiled at least 200 hits in four of his ten full seasons.

33. Paul Waner- Paul “Big Poison” Waner had a .333 lifetime batting average and compiled 200 or more hits in eight seasons. The 1927 NL MVP, Waner had nine years of at least 100 runs.

34. George Brett- Brett’s 3,154 career hits are the most ever for a third baseman. Brett is one of only four players—Willie Mays (#2), Hank Aaron (#6) and Stan Musial (#9) are the others—to achieve a .300 average, 3,000 hits and 300 home runs in his career. A 13-time All-Star, he was terrific in the postseason: .337 AVG and 10 home runs. Brett led the Royals to a World Series title in 1985.

35. Cal Ripken Jr.- The Iron Man played his entire career for the Baltimore Orioles and broke Lou Gehrig’s fabled consecutive games played streak in 1995. By the streak’s end in 1998, Ripken played in 2,632 straight games. He was a 19-time All-Star and a member of the 3,000 hit club.

36. Alex Rodriguez (S)- Long considered the “best ever” in the making, A-Rod’s ranking takes a significant hit because of his positive steroid test from 2003. While his numbers immediately come into question, Rodriguez is great nonetheless. The youngest player to reach 500 home runs, he has twelve 100 RBI seasons and 3 MVPs.

37. Frank Thomas- Assuming he was clean, Big Hurt’s legacy is enhanced in an era full of cheaters. Thomas had a .301 career average to go along with a .419 OBP, two MVPs and nine seasons of at least 30 HR and 100 RBI. He amassed at least 100 walks in 10 seasons. If it had not been shortened by an untimely strike, Thomas’ 1994 season was shaping up as one for the ages.

38. Sam Thompson- The only 19th century player to drive in at least 150 RBI in a season. He did it twice. His career .923 RBI/game average is still a record. Between 1893 and 1895, Thompson batted .388 with 432 RBI in 349 games.

39. Ivan Rodriguez- With a .301 lifetime average, more than 2,605 hits, 14 All-Star Game appearances, 13 Gold Gloves and an MVP, I-Rod is the greatest catcher of all-time.

40. Wade Boggs- From 1983 to 1989, Boggs was an unrivaled force in the American League. He won five batting titles, compiled seven consecutive 200-hit seasons, seven consecutive 100-run seasons and produced an incredible .446 on-base percentage in that span. Boggs finished his career with 3,010 hits and a .328 batting average.

41. Derek Jeter- When you think of the modern day New York Yankees, you think of Derek Jeter. The backbone of the Bronx dynasty that won four World Series titles in five years (1996, 1998-2000), Mr. November is the ultimate gamer. He is a 3-time Gold Glove winner, a 10-time All-Star and carries a .316 lifetime average. Jeter has collected 100 runs in 11 seasons and holds countless postseason records.

42. Mike Piazza- Piazza is the greatest hitting catcher of all-time. He batted a stellar .308 for his career at a position not known for offense. In fact, 396 of Piazza’s 427 home runs came while playing catcher. His best year came in 1997, when he hit .362, belted 40 home runs and drove in 124 runs. Piazza had eight consecutive seasons with at least 30 home runs (1995-2002) and nine overall.

43. Manny Ramirez (S)- Man-Ram is a true enigma. The statistics are amazing, but they are tainted by confirmed steroid use. No one can say when the use began, but, regardless, Manny must make the list. His 165 RBI in 1999 were the most in a season since Jimmie Foxx’s total in 1938. A .315 lifetime hitter, Ramirez has 12 seasons of at least 30 home runs and 100 RBI. He has amassed an astonishing 21 career Grand Slams and he holds the record for postseason home runs.

44. Joe Morgan- A vital member of the 1970s Big Red Machine, Morgan was a 10-time All-Star, back-to-back NL MVP (1975, 1976) and a two-time World Champion. He had an impressive blend of power, speed and fielding ability. Morgan compiled 268 home runs, 689 steals and four Gold Gloves during his career.

45. Johnny Bench- Morgan and Bench go back-to-back on the list as two key members of the Red’s Big Red Machine. He was a 14-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner, two-time NL MVP (1970 and 1972) and the 1976 World Series MVP. Bench revolutionized the catcher’s position with his large frame and athletic skills. He had four seasons of at least 30 home runs and finished with 389 for his career.

46. Vladimir Guerrero- Though he has been slowed by injuries late in his career, Vlad’s resume is impressive. Between 1998 and 2008, he averaged 34 home runs, 111 RBI and a .325 batting average. Known for hitting without batting gloves and swinging (and hitting) everything in sight, Guerrero also has a cannon arm in right field.

47. Johnny Mize- One of the best National League hitters in the 1930s and ‘40s, Mize led the Senior Circuit in batting once (1939), RBI three times (1940, ’42 and ’47) and home runs four times (1939, ’40, ’47 and ’48). He finished with 359 home runs and a .312 lifetime AVG., despite the fact that missed three full seasons (1943-1945) due to military service in World War II.

48. Ichiro Suzuki- Like Albert Pujols (#16), Ichiro has only completed 8 full seasons. Since coming from Japan’s pro league, however, he has been unstoppable. He is a 9-time All-Star, an 8-time Gold Glove winner and a two-time batting champion (2001 and 2004). Ichiro broke George Sisler’s (#76) single season hits record with a total of 262 in ’04. He holds a .333 career AVG., has scored at least 100 runs in every year of his ongoing career and averages nearly 40 stolen bases per year.

49. Rod Carew- Carew was an All-Star in every year but his last. He was the 1967 AL Rookie of the Year and the 1977 AL MVP, hitting .388 with 128 runs and 100 RBI that season. Between 1973 and 1977, Carew batted an astonishing .358. Carew was a 7-time batting champion; he finished his career with 3,053 hits and a .328 AVG.

50. Yogi Berra- Though often overshadowed by his famous Yogiisms and oversized personality, Yogi Berra’s career was quite extraordinary. He appeared in a record 14 World Series with the New York Yankees, winning ten titles. Yogi still holds World Series career records for hits and doubles. He received MVP votes in every year from 1947 to 1961 and won the honor three times (1951, 1954 and 1955). Berra was a 15-time All-Star, a career .285 batter and a very good defensive catcher. He belted more than 20 home runs in 11 seasons and finished with 358 for his career. And you better go to his funeral, because, if you don’t, he won’t go to yours!

51. Eddie Murray- A member of the elite 3000 hits/500 HR club, Murray had 20 consecutive seasons of at least 75 RBI. He holds the record for career sacrifice flies and he was a 3-time Gold Glove winner.

52. Harry Heilmann- Possibly the most underrated player of the 1920s, Harry “Slug” Heilmann won four American League batting titles between 1921 and 1927. In that span, he batted at an unbelievable .380 clip, averaging 103 runs, 202 hits and 116 RBI per year. Heilmann batted .403 in 1923, but finished third in MVP voting behind Babe Ruth (#1) and Eddie Collins (#26). He finished with a .342 lifetime average and 1,539 RBI.

53. Goose Goslin- Leon Allen “Goose” Goslin helped led the Washington Senators to their first and only championship in the nation’s capital in 1924. He would again win a title in 1935 with the Detroit Tigers. Goslin produced 11 seasons with at least 100 RBI and was a .316 lifetime hitter. He also pounded out 500 doubles and 173 triples.

54. Paul Moliter- Moliter is one of only four players—Ty Cobb (#3), Honus Wagner (#12) and Eddie Collins (#26) are the others—to compile at least 3,000 hits, 500 stolen bases and a .300 lifetime AVG. He is the only one of the group to accomplish the feat while hitting 200 home runs. In two World Series appearances, Moliter hit at a superb .418 clip and was a career .368 hitter in the postseason. He also had 605 career doubles.

55. Dave Winfield- Winfield falls in just behind Moliter in a close contest. One of the game’s greatest athletes, Winfield starred in baseball and basketball at the University of Minnesota. Believe it or not, he was drafted by MLB, NFL and NBA teams before going pro in baseball! He went on to become a 12-time All-Star and a 7-time Gold Glove outfielder for the Padres and Yankees. Winfield finished with 15 seasons of at least 20 home runs, 8 seasons of at least 100 RBI and 3,110 hits.

56. Hugh Duffy- Sir Hugh was one of the best hitters of the 1890s. He batted .332 with an average of 126 runs, 108 RBI and 48 stolen bases per year during the decade. Duffy won the National League Triple Crown in his incredible campaign of 1894, batting .440 with 160 runs, 145 RBI and a .502 OBP. He finished his career with a .324 AVG. and 574 stolen bases.

57. Cap Anson- Baseball’s rise in the late 1800s would not have been possible without Cap Anson. One of the best players of the sport’s early era, he played a record 27 consecutive seasons from 1871 to 1897 and was the first to reach 3,000 career hits. Anson led the National League in RBI on eight occasions; he is 3rd in career RBI, behind only Hank Aaron (#6) and Babe Ruth (#1). He was a lifetime .333 hitter.

58. Billy Hamilton- Hamilton starred for the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Beaneaters (now the Atlanta Braves) during the 1890s. A career .344 batter, Hamilton averaged 143 runs and 79 stolen bases per year between 1890 and 1898. In 1894, he batted .404 with a .523 OBP, 192 runs (the Major League single-season record) and 98 stolen bases. His 912 career stolen bases are the third most all-time. Hamilton scored an amazing 1690 runs in 1591 games.

59. Eddie Mathews- Between 1953 and 1961 Eddie Matthews put on an incredible power display, belting at least 30 home runs in nine consecutive seasons. Ty Cobb (#3), a man who granted few compliments, paid Matthews an enormous one: "I've only known three or four perfect swings in my time. This lad has one of them." Matthews finished his career with 512 home runs.

60. Reggie Jackson- Mr. October was a flat-out winner. A leading member of both the Oakland Athletics’ three-peat (1972-1974) and the Yankees late ‘70s mini-dynasty (1977 and 1978), Jackson was a 14-time All-Star and two-time World Series MVP (1973 and 1977). Forever the clubhouse lightning rod, Reggie mashed 563 career home runs and averaged 30 home runs and 92 RBI per year between 1968 and 1982. Although he struck out at a record-setting pace in his career, Jackson hit .357 with 10 home runs and 24 RBI in his World Series appearances.

61. Harmon Killebrew- Killebrew was arguably the best slugger of the 1960s, hitting more home runs (393) in the decade than any other player. He led the American League in dingers six times and belted at least 40 home runs in eight seasons. From 1959 to 1972, Killebrew averaged 101 RBI per year.

62. Sam Crawford- The first player to lead both the National League (1901) and American League (1908) in home runs, Crawford was one of the dead-ball era’s greatest sluggers. His 309 career triples are still a record and he finished with a .309 AVG and 2,961 hits. Crawford compiled 366 career stolen bases and had six seasons of at least 100 RBI.

63. Ernie Banks- Mr. Cub was an 11-time All-Star and a two-time NL MVP (1958 and 1959). At the height of his career, between 1957 and 1960, Banks hit .293 with averages of 44 home runs and 122 RBI per year. He collected one Gold Glove and finished with 512 career home runs.

64. Craig Biggio- Biggio played his entire career with the Astros, collecting 3,060 hits, 1844 runs, 668 doubles and 414 steals. He was a four-time Gold Glove winner and a 7-time All-Star. In 1998, Biggio accomplished the astonishing combination of 50 doubles and 50 stolen bases in the same season.

65. Ralph Kiner- Despite injuries that limited his career to 10 years, Kiner accomplished as much as some do in two decades of service. He led the National League in home runs in every year beginning with his rookie campaign in 1946 and lasting until 1952. A 6-time All-Star, Kiner hit more than 40 home runs five times and more than 50 twice. He had amassed 369 home runs and 1019 RBI at the time of his retirement.

66. Jeff Bagwell- Bagwell, along with Craig Biggio (#64), was the face of the Astros franchise during the 1990s and early 2000s. His overall legacy and ranking here, however, are dependent upon one important question: Was he a steroid user? Bagwell’s incredible statistics came at the height of the steroid era, but he has never been directly linked to illegal use. If this is truly the case, his stretch between 1996 and 2001 is amazing: Six straight years of at least 30 home runs and 110 RBI. Bagwell was a .297 hitter with nine years of at least 100 runs, including an astonishing 152 in 2000. To top it off, he finished with 202 career steals and a Gold Glove.

67. Rafael Palmeiro (S)- Palmeiro is one of only four members of the exclusive 3,000 hits-500 HR club—Mays (#2), Aaron (#6) and Eddie Murray (#51) are the others. Despite a long and consistent career, Palmeiro’s impressive statistics were immediately tarnished by his positive steroid test in 2005 and his blatant lies in front of Congress. Like Barry Bonds (#7), Alex Rodriguez (#36) and Manny Ramirez (#43) before him, however, Palmeiro cannot be excluded from the list. He belted at least 38 home runs in nine consecutive seasons between 1995 and 2003, breaking Babe Ruth’s (#1) record of seven consecutive seasons (1926-1932). Palmeiro was a 3-time Gold Glove winner; he finished with 569 home runs and 1,835 RBI.

68. Willie McCovey- Bursting on the scene in 1959, the original Big Mac won the National League Rookie of the Year award by batting .354 with 13 home runs in just 52 games. McCovey was a 6-time All-Star and the 1969 NL MVP. Between 1963 and 1970, he averaged 36 HR and 99 RBI per year. He would finish with 521 career home runs.

69. Lou Brock- Before Rickey Henderson, there was Lou Brock. A 6-time All-Star, Brock was an integral part of the 1964 and 1967 St. Louis Cardinals World Series championship teams. In fact, he hit .391 with 14 stolen bases in the three World Series in which he played. Brock led the National League in stolen bases eight times, swiped more than 50 bases in 12 seasons and stole 118 in 1974. He was lifetime .293 batter and had 3,023 career hits.

70. Roberto Alomar- Arguably the best defensive second baseman in history, Alomar won 10 Gold Gloves during his career. He was a 12-time All-Star, a two-time World Champion (1992 and 1993) and a career .300 batter. Alomar scored more than 100 runs in six seasons, stole more than 30 bases in eight seasons and finished with 2,724 lifetime hits.

71. Kirby Puckett- In his twelve-year career, Puckett was a 10-time All-Star, 6-time Gold Glove winner and led the Minnesota Twins to two World Series titles (1987 and 1991). In 1991—in what many believe to be the best World Series ever played—Puckett blasted a game-winning home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to win Game 6 and force a deciding game. He led the American League in hits four times and collected more than 200 hits in five seasons. Puckett finished with a .318 career AVG.

72. Al Kaline- Mr. Tiger was a 15-time All-Star and won the 1955 American League batting title at the age of 20. Kaline won 10 Gold Glove awards, belted at least 25 home runs in seven seasons and finished his career with a .297 AVG. He amassed 3,007 career hits and batted .379 with 8 RBI in the Tigers’ seven-game World Series triumph in 1968.

73. Jeff Kent- Kent, a 5-time All-Star, was one of the more underappreciated stars of the late 1990s and early 2000s. His production from 1997 to 2005 is nearly unrivaled among second baseman in baseball history. During that stretch, Kent batted .296 with averages of 28 home runs and 110 RBI per year. He is the only second baseman with six consecutive seasons of at least 100 RBI. Kent was the 2000 NL MVP and holds the record for most home runs by a second baseman.

74. Jim Rice- Rice finally got his due when he was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2009. An 8-time All-Star, Rice was the 1978 AL MVP when he collected 406 total bases while leading the league in hits, triples, home runs, RBI and slugging percentage. He was a .298 career batter, had at least 200 hits in four seasons, belted at least 20 home runs in 11 seasons and reached at least 100 RBI in eight seasons.

75. Roy Campanella- Campy was a prominent face of the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1950s, one of the game’s greatest catchers and a pioneer in breaking the color barrier. An 8-time All-Star and 3-time NL MVP (1951, 1953 and 1955), Campanella played in the Negro Leagues prior to his Major League career. He batted over .300 with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBI in each of his MVP seasons. Campanella’s record 41 home runs in 1953 stood for 43 years as the most by a catcher.

76. George Sisler- Gorgeous George’s single-season hits record (257 in 1920) lasted for 84 years before it was broken in 2004. He was the 1922 American League MVP, batting .420 with 134 runs, 105 RBI and 51 stolen bases. Sisler led the league in stolen bases on four occasions, finished with 6 200-hit seasons and held a .340 lifetime AVG.

77. Chipper Jones- Chipper is the only switch-hitter in history to carry a .300 AVG and at least 400 career home runs. He’s a 6-time All-Star, won the 1999 National League MVP, and was the 2008 NL batting champion. Jones and Paul Waner (#33) are the only players to have an extra-base hit in 14 consecutive games. Between 1996 and 2003, he averaged 32 home runs and 107 RBI per year while batting .313.

78. Duke Snider- The Silver Fox was the king of Dodgers during the 1950s and early 1960s. Between 1953 and 1956 Snider averaged 42 home runs, 124 RBI, 123 runs and a .320 average. He propelled the Dodgers to World Series titles in 1955 and 1959. Snider was an 8-time All-Star and finished with a .295 batting average and 407 home runs. In fact, no one hit more home runs during the ‘50s than Snider.

79. Albert Belle- Long-derided by the baseball media, Albert Belle gets a boost in these rankings because he was never implicated in the steroid mess. Sure, he was combative and abrasive, but his numbers speak for themselves. A 5-time All-Star, Belle had 9 consecutive 100-RBI seasons from 1992-2000. In that span he batted .300 with an average of 38 home runs per season. Belle finished with an incredible 52 doubles and 50 home runs in 1995. He compiled more RBI (1,099) than any other player during the decade of the 1990s.

80. Chuck Klein- The greatest hitter in Phillies history before the arrival of Mike Schmidt, Klein’s best stretch came between 1929 and 1936 when he batted .340 with averages of 30 home runs and 118 RBI per year. He led the NL in hits twice, in RBI twice, in runs three times and in home runs four times. Klein won the 1932 NL MVP award while leading the league in both homers and steals.

81. Todd Helton- Helton’s legacy could be tarnished by his stay in hitting-friendly Colorado (.367 home batting AVG. vs. .295 road AVG.), but his numbers speak for themselves. The active leader in on-base percentage, Helton’s 2000 campaign is one of the best ever: .372 AVG, 138 runs, 216 hits, 59 doubles, 42 home runs, 147 RBI and a .698 slugging percentage. He reached the 400 total bases plateau in both 2000 and 2001; he is also a 3-time Gold Glove winner.

82. Billy Williams- Williams was the 1961 National League Rookie of the Year and a 6-time All-Star. He batted .298 with averages of 28 home runs and 98 RBI between 1961 and 1973. Williams finished with a .290 AVG, 2,711 hits and 426 home runs.

83. Andre Dawson- Dawson blended speed with power to produce a stellar career. An 8-time All-Star and an 8-time Gold Glove outfielder, he was the 1977 NL Rookie of the Year and the 1987 NL MVP. The Hawk blasted at least 20 home runs in 13 seasons and amassed 438 in his career. He also stole at least 20 bases in 7 seasons and finished with 314 for his career.

84. Dave Parker- The Cobra was a 7-time All-Star, a 3-time Gold Glove winner, a two-time batting champion (1977 and 1978) and the 1978 NL MVP. Parker hit at least 20 home runs in nine seasons and finished with 2,712 hits to go along with a .290 career AVG.

85. Willie Stargell- Willie “Pops” Stargell was famous for his monstrous home run shots. He belted more home runs (296) during the decade of the 1970s than any other player. A 7-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion (1971 and 1979), Stargell was the face of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1979, he was the National League MVP, the MVP of the League Championship Series and the MVP of the World Series. Stargell finished with 475 round-trippers.

86. Brooks Robinson- The Human Vacuum Cleaner won an astonishing 16 consecutive Gold Glove awards, easily making him the best defensive third baseman ever. Robinson was a 15-time All-Star and a two-time World Champion with the Baltimore Orioles (1966 and 1970). After losing the ‘70 World Series to Robinson’s Orioles, Cincinnati Reds manager Sparky Anderson said, “I'm beginning to see Brooks in my sleep. If I dropped this paper plate, he'd pick it up on one hop and throw me out at first.” In his prime years between 1960 and 1975, Robinson averaged the respectable totals of 15 home runs and 79 RBI per season. He was also the 1964 AL MVP (.317 AVG, 28 HR and 118 RBI).

87. Jim Thome- One of the more complete sluggers of his generation, Thome has never been linked to steroids (at least not yet), so I am assuming he’s clean. Thome is the active leader in walks and boasts a career .405 OBP. He has 12 seasons of at least 30 home runs and 9 seasons of at least 100 RBI.

88. Robin Yount- Playing his entire career as a Milwaukee Brewer, Yount won two American League MVP awards (1982 and 1989), one Gold Glove and was a 3-time All-Star. He was a .285 career hitter and compiled 3,142 hits, 251 home runs and 271 stolen bases.

89. Carlos Delgado- Delgado has quietly put together a stellar career of impressive power numbers without a cloud of steroid suspicion. A two-time All-Star, he once blasted four home runs in one game. Delgado has 12 seasons of at least 90 RBI and 11 seasons of at least 30 home runs.

90. Dick Allen- When he exploded onto the scene in 1964, Allen was the best hitter in Philadelphia since Chuck Klein a generation earlier. He won NL Rookie of the Year that summer, batting .318 with 13 triples, 29 home runs and 91 RBI. Allen swung a massive bat (44 ounces) and his moon shots were a thing of legend. He once hit a home run over and out of Connie Mack Stadium. Willie Stargell (#85) said of Allen, “Now I know why they the Phillies fans boo Richie all the time. When he hits a home run, there's no souvenir.” Despite trouble off the field, Allen managed to hit at least 30 home runs in six seasons and bat .292 for his career.

91. Fred McGriff- The Crime Dog was a consistent power threat throughout the 1990s. He was a 5-time All-Star and finished with 493 home runs and 1,550 RBI. McGriff accomplished the rare feat of leading both the American League (1989) and National League (1992) in home runs. From 1988 to 2002, he averaged 30 home runs and 97 RBI per year while batting .288.

92. Mark McGwire (S)- What can you say about Big Mac? He deserves a place on this list for his sheer power, despite the allegations, the steroids and the embarrassment. McGwire hit a home run every 10.61 at-bats during his career—a rate even Babe Ruth (#1) did not match. Of course, he ranks so low because his career totals are highly suspect and nearly all he did was hit home runs (36% of his hits left the ballpark). As a rookie in 1987 he mashed 49 home runs. Between 1996 and 1999, McGwire averaged 61 home runs and 132 home runs per year! During the famous (infamous?) summer of 1998, the nation was behind McGwire as he tracked down Roger Maris’ single-season home run record. More than a decade later, McGwire is a forgotten outcast.

93. Tim Raines- The Rock stole at least 70 bases in each of his first six full seasons and lead the National League in steals in four consecutive years (1981-84). Raines led the league in batting once (1986), runs twice (1983, 1987) and finished with a .294 career average. His 808 steals place fourth all-time and he holds the second-highest stolen base percentage in baseball history. It’s time to put Raines in the Hall of Fame.

94. Mickey Cochrane- One of the more nimble catchers of his generation, Cochrane’s speed and running ability were adequate enough that Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack would place him in the leadoff spot on occasion. Cochrane was a two-time All-Star, a 3-time World Champion (1929, 1930 and 1935) and he won two AL MVP awards (1928 and 1934). He finished with a lifetime .320 AVG and .419 OBP.

95. Ozzie Smith- The Wizard of Oz’s defensive prowess warrants a place in the top 100. A 15-time All-Star, Smith won 13 Gold Glove Awards in his career. He finished with 2,460 hits and 580 stolen bases.

96. Sammy Sosa (S)- Once an icon and a fan favorite at Wrigley Field, Sosa fell out of favor after his notorious corked bat incident. In 2009, as most had long suspected, it was revealed that Sosa had tested positive for steroids during his playing career. Only five players—Bonds (#7), Aaron (#6), Ruth (#1), Mays (#2) and Griffey Jr. (#14)—have hit more home runs than Sosa’s 609. Between 1998 and 2001, Sosa hit .310 with monstrous averages of 60 home runs and 149 RBI per season.

97. Larry Walker- Walker was a 5-time All-Star and 7-time Gold Glove winner. Although his Coors Field-fueled home (.348 AVG, 1.068 OPS) vs. away (.278 AVG, .865 OPS) splits diminish his ranking, Walker had an impressive career. Between 1992 and 2002, he averaged 93 runs, 27 home runs and 92 RBI per year. Walker won three National League batting titles (1998, 1999 and 2001) and finished with a .313 AVG.

98. Gary Sheffield (S)- Although he was named in the Mitchell Report for having obtained and used steroids, Sheffield grabs a spot on the list. He is a 9-time All-Star and won the 1992 National League batting title. A member of the 500-home run club, Sheffield has 8 seasons with at least 30 home runs and 8 seasons with at least 100 RBI.

99. Tony Perez- The fourth member of the Big Red Machine to be included here, Perez was a 7-time All-Star. He averaged 23 home runs and 98 RBI per season between 1967 and 1980 and compiled 7 seasons of at least 100 RBI.

100. Roger Conner- An obscure player of dead-ball era, Conner’s contributions are deserving of the final slot in the rankings. Conner’s 138 career home runs stood as a record for 23 years after his retirement in 1897. He is credited with hitting the first over-the-wall home run at the Polo Grounds in New York. Conner had 8 seasons with at least 100 runs, 233 lifetime triples and a .317 career AVG.

Close, but no cigar…
Orlando Cepeda, Lance Berkman, Jesse Burkett, Joe Medwick, Bill Terry, Sherry Magee, Joe Cronin, Bill Dickey, Dale Murphy, Heinie Manush, Don Mattingly, Dwight Evans, Carlton Fisk, Barry Larkin, Ryne Sandberg, Juan Gonzalez, Edgar Martinez, Willie Keeler, Luke Appling, Richie Ashburn, Hack Wilson, Frankie Firsch, Joe Carter and Omar Vizquel

UNBELIEGABLE

2009-07-12T21:41:00.002-04:00

What a homestand! Winning nine out of 10 games is not too shabby, although this screams for 10 out of 10. We won't touch on that though. What we will touch on is that this team is going into the All-Star break hot and playing better. Are they where they exactly need to be? No, not quite yet. However, you don't want them to be at their top in July.

It's "hittin' season" so the bats are fine. The problem is the pitching is a bit inconsistent. Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ are bringing electric stuff to the mound. Jamie Moyer is pitching very steady. Rodrigo Lopez was pitching well, but who knows how is elbow inflamation is. As far as the other starter goes, let's just leave that conversation for another day. The fact is, we know Big H is one of the best in the game. He will turn it around and I'm not just trying to be optimistic to be optimistic.

Now that "South Broad Street" is back, I want to start something new with a lot of my posts. That something new is lists, lists and more lists. I want to rank things on various different levels. On this post, I am going to rank the top five players from this past homestand, starting from five to one.

5-Jayson Werth
-The guy is having a great season and picking it up especially at this point. Why else do you think Charlie named him to the NL squad?

4-Shane Victorino
-The Flyin' Hawaiin is making every game exciting. Batting over .300, he has shown this past homestand why he collected the most "Final Spot Votes" in MLB history. His hustle and defense is spectacular.

3-J.A. Happ
-As I mentioned earlier, Happ is bringing top notch stuff to the mound. Will he be traded?

2-Joe Blanton
-Same thing as Happ. Technically, these two guys should be tied.

1-Jimmy Rollins
-As Jimmy goes, the team goes. If Jimmy isn't hitting, the team isn't winning. If Jimmy isn't scoring, the team literally doesn't win. They're winning percentage is mid-day afternoon sun to middle of the late night hours when he scores and doesn't score. It's obvious.

Is getting Halladay the smart move?

2009-07-12T04:32:00.002-04:00

This is related to this week's poll. I'm not going to give my opinion because it doesn't matter. It's yours that counts. Should the Phillies make a big splash for Roy Halladay? You know, it's funny. This is very similar to last season-the Phils were in first place, but they're pitching staff was dubbed to having problems. Everyone thought they needed another pitcher. Thus, people were SCREAMING for C.C. Sabathia. They were saying the window is open and it may never be open again, so the Phils should send their prospects to Cleveland for the big southpaw.

Well, they didn't. They ended up getting "steady" Joe Blanton. The Brewers traded Matt LaPorta for Sabathia. Who won the World Series?

The Phillies. And what are you going to have to give up to get Halladay? Most likely it is highly noted prospect Kyle Drabek and other young guns, or maybe even decent third or fourth starter in J.A. Happ. I also heard people talking about the Phillies might have to trade an everyday position player. Do you want to give up a Jayson Werth or Shane Victorino. Doesn't this team have excellent chemistry? And one more thing-Halladay has NEVER pitched in a big game. Since he debuted in the majors in 1998 with Toronto, the Blue Jays have NEVER been in a pennant race or a playoff game. Also, in regards to 2008, Sabathia never really has had or did have success in the playoffs/big game. Obviously, Halladay and Sabathia are two different pitchers. But it just goes to show that getting the A-List doesn't always work.

That's one side.

The other side is you did it one year, but can you do it a second year with the B-List pitchers? Halladay is arguably the best pitcher in baseball. If Cole Hamels pitches like he did in October last year along with Halladay...oh my. You without question have the best one-two punch in terms of starting pitchers on paper. Also, your starting rotation, which has taken some bruises, is much stronger.

It's a win-win either way (Knock on Wood), with hopefully the more successul one with the choie you pick.

So, do you risk the future and make the deal or continue the "Pat Gillick Way" of getting that B-List guy.

It's Been A While...

2009-07-12T04:03:00.004-04:00

...wow...what the hell have I been doing?

1. Interning Non-Stop at WIP
2. Working at the Phillies games
3. Doing my normal daily routine of working out/playing basketball and such

Blogging has just been a tough thing to do. And unlike what I used to do previously, as I come back and resurrect myself to what I used to write endlessly in, I won't use a whole post to make up what I missed...because I missed a lot. In other words, "South Broad Street" is back and finished with stupid construction (like we have on Route 76 and the Roosevelt Boulevard). In other words, there never was construction. I just didn't write. But, now I will. Now, we will.

So, here's to the start of a lot of great Philly Sports blogging.

Amen.

VOTE VICTORINO

2009-07-05T18:57:00.001-04:00

Shane needs our help. Vote as many times as possible.

June-isms

2009-06-28T20:44:00.001-04:00

Thought I had faded into Bolivian? Never fear Mike Tyson and friends, I have simply been working hard during the day and watching way too much television at night. I know how much all of you have missed my bumbling and off-the-track thoughts on sports so I will again lazily provide you with a bullet point formatted listing of the recent goings on.

-Kobe Bryant has finally captured that elusive Shaq-less NBA title. I rooted very hard against him, as I remain bitter that he has basically destroyed the early 2000's "Iverson or Kobe?" argument. Barring a late career jump from Iverson winning a few Championships, the argument will remain in Kobe's favor and will continue to be "Kobe or LeBron?" I'm pulling for LeBron. Although, I was satisfied with Kobe's awkward interview on Conan a few nights after the '09 season concluded. His track suit and knack for trying to be too 'hood made me smile.

-The Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup months after they were not even a surefire bet to make the playoffs. While I did not want to see the Red Wings get engraved onto Lord Stanley's for the dozenth time, I would have rather had them suck the life out of Sidney Crosby and his Pens repeatedly. The only solace I could take in the Penguins victory was at least it was in Detroit where the eighteen thousand fans could only stare at the ice in silence as the Penguins had no audience to feed off of while taking mini-laps with the trophy in front of a camera.

-Is it just me, or did this NBA finals paired with the NHL's Stanley Cup make you realize how lame the NBA Championship trophy is? Even compared to the Super Bowl and the World Series, I just feel that the NBA trophy is somewhat anti-climactic. Can't explain it.

-Up until yesterday the Phillies had lost 8 of 9 and 11 of 13. All the while I remained relatively calm, texting my friends who had bombarded me with misery and loss of faith. Most seem to have given up the season as a lost cause. I would think that the true mark of a good team is where they stand when the going gets rough. It can't get much rougher than losing 11 out of 13, and all the while the Phillies remained in first place. A Yankee sweep over the Mets tonight would put the Fightin's 2.5 up despite the fact that they have only managed to win one series out of the last five. Pessimists may remind you that we can only thank the competition for beating down the Mets, Braves, Marlins, and the lowly Nationals but let me remind you, you can only play the cards you are dealt. It doesn't matter how bad the Phillies play if the Mets and everyone else in the NL East continue to play even worse.

-Also, Raul Ibanez was put on the DL, Brad Lidge joined him, as well as Scott Eyre and Clay Condrey. Ryan Howard had a 104 degree fever, Brett Myers was lost for the season, our fifth starter is Antonio Bastardo who was not even drafted. Things can only get better as Lidge notched a one-run save today and Ibanez is set to comeback against the Mets (could there be any better timing?).

-The Flyers traded for Chris Pronger, a "puck clearing defenseman" as defenders of his size have come to be known. He will give us at least 40 points and should team up nicely with Timonen and Coburn to protect the puck in front of the net while Ray Emery ponders which Flyers coach to punch after the game and on which highway he will hit 130 mph. Paul Holmgren mortgaged the future of the Flyers with this move and the only way he will not take a huge bashing is if the Flyers can return the Cup to Philly and tie up the Cup race with the hated Penguins. 2 first round picks, a 25 goal scorer and a promising defensive star is too much to give up for an aging defenseman with one year left on his contract. On a COMPLETELY unrelated note, Jay Boumeester was had for a third round pick and below average free agent Jordan Leopold. Does that make any sense? No? Didn't think so.

-Never pieced together that McNabb's touchdown celebration dance moves were a tribute to His Popness. Five reminded us that his leg kicks and attempted moon walks were meant to impersonate the Prince of Plastic, the Sultan of Race Changing, the Master of Molesting, and the Colossus of Crotch-Grabbing. Michael Jackson, if you couldn't get the Babe Ruthian hints (to all of my Sandlot junkies out there, I solute you).

-Brett Favre: you win. I will write nothing about you in this post. Just know that you win. Now go home, chew some tobacco, and fish. And for God's sake please leave us the hell alone.

-How is sports gambling actually supposed to be illegal when the newspapers publish the lines for every game?

-Who caught the moment when Fox picked out a black man in the stands of the Phillies-Yankees game back in May and promptly decided that he must be John Mayberry Sr. Any idea if Fox got in trouble for this bit of hilarity?

-I used DVR for sports for the first time. I managed to record the entire Monday of the U.S. Open and stayed away from the results (phone, computer, told people not to talk about it) and experienced the (lack of) thrill of seeing Lucas Glover win the silver trophy. Phil Mickelson, you truly have taken choking to a new level. Oh, and Tiger Woods apparently stinks at putting.

-Sticking with the Country Club sports, I enjoy how ESPN continues to compare Tiger with Roger Federer as if the argument held any actual validity. One plays golf while the other plays tennis. Just because they both dominate their respective fields has nothing to do with each other. Except for the fact that America is only interested in watching dominance in two sports that are basically off the map.

-The second half of the Confederation Cup today was a rude reminder as to why America has not embraced soccer. It was as if they fielded the U.S. team from 1984-2008 Philadelphia or a pre 2004 Red Sox team. On Bill Simmons' "levels of losing", this has to be up there. Hopefully the nation does not accept the defeat of soccer as easily as the U.S. accepted 45 minutes of Brazilian offensive occupation in the second half. Brutal, just brutal.

-I currently am at a streak of 1 for ESPN's Streak for Cash.

-I visited a sports card and memorabilia show yesterday for the first time in seven years. Hoping that my childhood passion would ignite again, I was sorely disappointed, as were my cousin and uncle. The 10 cent card boxes just aren't appealing anymore. Check back with me in another seven years and maybe I will have had a change of heart.

-How did Dejuan Blair fall so far in the draft? Is it even conceivable that a team would rather have an unknown entity from the Congo than a player that, as Jay Bilas so eloquently put it, "beasted" Hasheem Thabeet (pick number 2)? Blair should put the Spurs back into title contention, as they have also added Richard Jefferson to make a formidable bunch of weapons.

-Not much to say on the Jrue Holiday draft pick by the Seventy Suxers (clever I know), other than on paper it is utterly, completely, visibly, obviously, totally moronic and wrong. But what else can we expect of a franchise that has time and again proved to be inept with running a basketball team? So when it comes down to it, it wouldn't make sense for the Sixers to pick the proven winner in Ty Lawson.

-Is it possible that Ricky Rubio and his agent can be even more greasy than RickRubs hair?

-David Akers was recently named the 17th most underrated player in the NFL. Does that make you feel better?

-Me neither.

-My first trip to Citi Field with my dad resulted in a 5-4 11-inning victory. My dad also enjoyed a personal victory when I pointed out that the drunk [expletive]...err girl who had forcefully tried to remove him from a seat that wasn't even hers was being ticketed for underage drinking in the eating area. He walked up to her, pointed at her and laughed and when she asked what he was laughing at, he of course said "you" and continued to double over in laughter.

There it is, sports as I know it over the past two months. I am sure that I have not accounted for a thousandth of what I should have written about (Manny Ramirez, Manny Ramirez, and Manny Ramirez) but have no fear. I shall be back.

Phils are on Fire

2009-06-10T01:19:00.001-04:00

Despite what their record may be the Phillies are on fire. They ended May with 3 straight wins. They started June with a sweep of the Padres and then moved on to LA. In LA Cole pitched amazing. A 95 pitch complete game shutout. The next night the Phils played well for 8 2/3 innings. It was that final out in which they could not get as they dropped a heart breaker. On Saturday it was a similar story as Lidge blew another save in as many days. On Sunday night on ESPN in the national spotlight new pitcher Bastardo shined. I like the direction this team is heading. Their playing real good baseball and Phillies fans should be excited to see how they do this month.

Weak Post? Yes.
This is the only time of day I've had a chance to write. Hopefully more to come this week.

This Guy Was One Popular Flyer

2009-05-27T11:34:00.002-04:00

Peter Zezel was one heck of a member of the Orange and Black in the mid to late-80s. He became a Flyer at the age of 19 and was a member of their 1985 and 1987 Wales Conference Championship teams. In the '87 season, he scored 33 goals, handed out 33 assists and collected 72 points.

While his game was pretty good, he is also remembered for his image. The ladies lovvvvvved Zezel. They liked his looks and the whole young persona he brought to the team. In the Flyers 40th Anniversary DVD, Steve Coates quoted Zezel as a " 'Superstar.' " And while Zezel was a great player and team figure, he was also an outstanding human being. During the late-90s his niece was terminally ill with cancer and he wanted to be traded to the East from Vancouver to be close to her in Toronto. But callously, they traded him to Anaheim and thus he decided to retire early. He also ran many hockey and soccer camps. This morning on the 610 WIP Morning Show, Al Morganti, who used to cover hockey for The Philadelphia Inquirer, called Zezel "a good kid."

Sadly, Zezel died of a blood disorder and in fact, this disorder called hemolyptic anemia almost took his life in 2001. Fortunately, he recovered then. Unfortunately, he had complications this time around and went into a coma. Yesterday, he was taken off of life support. During the treatment to try and make him get through this, he had his spleen removed and went through chemotherapy.

Rest in peace Peter Zezel. You will never be forgotten.

Peter Zezel

2009-05-26T23:27:00.003-04:00

As I'm sure a lot of you have heard, Peter Zezel passed away today at the young age of 44. As I mentioned before, I was planning on making a post on the former Flyer before, but it's 11:30 p.m. and I have to get up in less than four hours to go into my internship tomorrow. Without question, there will be a post about this great man tomorrow. Without question.

Awful News For Philly Sports Fans

2009-05-26T14:46:00.002-04:00

It has been reported that former Flyer Peter Zezel, 44, is near death in a Toronto hospital due to a blood disease. Shortly after that was reported, Glen Macnow of 610 WIP said on air that he found information saying Zezel will be taken off of life support.

This is horrible news because first of all and most importantly, Zezel is a human being and second of all, he is one of the most loved Flyers of all time. I'm at the station right now and about to go home. Then, I have to do some things before I go to my job tonight. But, there will definitely be more on Zezel later.

Once again, it crushes me that this transpired.

Happ Flips Spots With Park

2009-05-20T13:32:00.002-04:00

Title speaks for its self. I don't particularly like just posting links but Inquirer writer Andy Martino breaks it down pretty well not much else to say besides its about time.

Poll Results For Week Of 5/10/09

2009-05-19T10:54:00.002-04:00

The question was which Eagles move over the summer was the most exciting. The results went as followed:

Drafting of Jeremy Maclin: 2 votes
Trading For Jason Peters: 1 vote
Signing Stacy Andrews: 0 votes
Getting Rid Of L.J. Smith: 1 vote
Other: 1 vote

What's the other?

The State Of Philly Sports...Holy S*** Are We Behind

2009-05-18T15:28:00.007-04:00

OK, no more screwing around. This post will hopefully catch us up on the state of our teams.

Eagles:
-They had a very good draft, getting wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and running back LeSean McCoy in the first round. Even though he is not in the link, tight end Cornelius Ingram was a good pick too.
-During the draft, they traded for corner back Ellis Hobbs. This was pretty much to get Sheldon Brown, who was upset with his contract and overall state with the Eagles, to shutup. Even though Andy Reid wouldn't admit it, you knew that was the case.
-Apparently, the Eagles tried to trade Sheldon and a third-round draft pick for Anquan Boldin, but obviously it didn't work out.
-L.J. Smith is a Baltimore Raven—YES!
-Lito Sheppard is opening his trap again, talking bad about the Eagles and saying the Sheldon situation won't work out.
-And the worst news of them all, not just for football purposes, but MOST IMPORTANTLY for his sake as a human being, defensive coordinator Jim Jackson is taking a leave of absence from the team for more chemotherapy treatment on the tumor in his spine. It crushes me to know that this great man is suffering like he is. I only hope the best for him, not just as a coach, but as a human being most importantly because that is the most important thing.

Flyers:
-Captain Mike Richards had surgery on his shoulder and will need ten weeks after it to recover.
-Defensman Randy Jones had surgery regarding his hip. It was successful. Will he play better now?

76ers:
-Tony DiLeo decided the not be in the candidate list for 76ers head coach next year. He is returning to his previous position as assistant general manager. Now, Ed Stefanski has the difficult of finding a new head coach. I say they should get Avery Johnson. But, Stef met with Eddie Jordan this past Friday and I have a feeling he has a good chance of being the guy because Stef and him worked together in New Jersey when Jordan was an assistant there. Who knows though? There were orginally big talks about Doug Collins, but now those allegations are denied.
-The 76ers didn't renew color analyst Bob Salmi's contract for next season. Do people agree with me when I say bring back Steve Mix?

Phillies:
-Here is a list of the Phillies scores that weren't posted on this site
May 10: 4-2 Loss vs. Braves
May 12: 5-3 Win vs. Dodgers
May 13: 9-2 Loss vs. Dodgers
May 14: 5-3 Loss vs. Dodgers
May 15: 10-6 Win at Nationals
May 16 Game 1: 8-5 Win at Nationals
May 16 Game 2: 7-5 Win at Nationals
May 17: 8-6 Win at Nationals

Yeah, the Nationals stink and they couldn't have come at a better time on the Phillies schedule. Now, the team is 20-16 and a half game behind the first place Mets in the division.

And , one more point, before the game on Friday, the Phillies had their re-scheduled visit to the White House to meet President Barack Obama. The previous one was postponed due to the sad and unexpected passing of the great Harry Kalas one day prior to the originally planned visit.
OK...caught up. Hopefully, there is no more slacking.

State of the Phillies

2009-05-17T22:49:00.001-04:00

It's been awhile since I last updated this. (100% due to college finals/papers) Our beloved Phillies are off to an average start. Going into the Nats series we were sitting at .500. Great Baseball? No. Bad Baseball? No. Just flat out average baseball. During the past four games we saw the real Phillies come out. The Phillies that won us a championship last year. Yeah, you can say we played the Nationals and we should win. On paper all signs point towards the Phils, but that is why you play the game. The Phils did what good teams do, they swept all 4 games.

At 20-16 the Phils have life. Not bad for a team who's starting pitching has been nonexistent. The offense has dominated. Rauuuuuuuuuuul, like I predicted here, is having a big season. Feliz is off to a hot start. The rest of the offense is doing there thing except for one person, J- Roll. Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy. This isn’t the same J-Roll we have seen in past seasons. Hell, this isn’t half the J-Roll we have seen in past seasons. I'm not starting to boo, yet. I'm 100% confident Jimmy won't continue this all year. By mid June he will find his swing and we will all forget about his atrocious start.

The pitching on this team has been bad.

Hamels- Had zero breaks to start the season. Now that he's back and healthy, I expect nothing less than the Cole we saw last fall.

Myers- After a few rough outings that boosted his ERA he had recovered. He went 7 strong against the Nats the other day. What his problem is right now is the homerun ball. If Myers can fix that we could see a great pitcher emerge.

Moyer- As much as I love this guy I feel like his time on the diamond is coming to an end. I saw a stat the other day that showed that Moyers last few quality starts have all been against inexperienced teams. (Ex. Marlins, Reds) Teams with young hitters. When he faces experienced teams he just can't fool the hitters. I would give him a few more starts to see if anything changes, but if this trend continues we may see a major move in the rotation.

Blanton- He has had a quiet season. Not much talk about this guy so far. He is off to a bad start. Not much to say then he might also be replaced soon unless he starts pitching up to his abilities.

Park- After an awesome spring Chan Ho could not continue it at the MLB level. After a few bad starts to start the season he bounced back and pitched excellent against the Mets and Dodgers. After a horrible start today against the Nats it leaves us all wondering, what Chan Ho are we going to see each start?

Happ- This man deserves a shot. He's been patient. He hasn’t complained. He has done everything right. Now it's time to hand him the ball. Give him a start and see what he does. If he gets shelled, hey its one game. If he succeeds he earns himself another shot. I'm excited to see what this kid can do. I think he is A LOT better than many people think.

The bullpen has been pretty good this year with the exception of Lidge. After a perfect season you can only go down and that’s what Brad has done. Am I worried? No. Yes he has given up the homerun ball, but he will pitch out of this funk. It's only a matter of time until he starts a new streak and restores his confidence.

The Phils have an off day tomorrow then head out to Great American Ballpark to take on the Reds. I will try to update this as much as possible to keep you up to date on all the latest Phillies news.

Funny...People Are Voting, But Nobody Is Writing

2009-05-15T11:34:00.003-04:00

This week so far, our poll has gotten more votes than previous weeks. But, there is one problem. We haven't had a post since Sunday. Remember I said how since the school year was up I would have more time, well it's actually the opposite. I have had less. I have an internship at 610 WIP and have been going to a bunch of Phillies games, so I haven't had time to write much. No excuses though. I will find time to write about these teams. Keep visiting the site. Just like how we don't quit on our teams when they are struggling, I am glad people aren't quitting on us.

Poll Results For The Week Of 5/3/09

2009-05-10T21:02:00.001-04:00

The question was which Phillie have you enjoyed watching the most so far this season.

Raul Ibanez got three votes and Shane Victorino got on.

I am totally not surprised about that. Rauuuuuuuuulllll has been awesome. Also, I'm not shocked about Victorino either. He has been a real joy to watch, especially with the nice hitting streak he put together.

Chuck Daly: More Than Just The Coach Of "The Bad Boys"

2009-05-10T20:45:00.003-04:00

As most people probably know, legendary and Hall of Fame basketball coach Chuck Daly sadly passed away yesterday at the young age of 78 due to his battle with pancreatic cancer. He was the coach of the two-time champion "bad boys," also known as the Detroit Pistons, as well as a coach with Cleveland Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets and Orlando Magic. Adding onto that, he coached the 1992 USA Olympic Gold Medal "Dream Team" (which is argued as one of the best assembled basketball teams ever) and as a matter of fact, was an assistant for the 76ers under Billy Cunningham during the late-70s and the beginning part of the early-80s. He left Philadelphia to become the coach of Cleveland before the 1983 championship season. Oh yeah, there's more. He coached Penn for seven seasons as well as other colleges. He was the coach of Penn for one of there more successful eras, if not their most succesful and took them to the NCAA tournament numerous times. He is somewhat of a a local guy too since he was born in St. Mary's, PA.

Considered one of the best coaches of all time, Daly is more recognized for stuff other than basketball. He touched so many people in and outside of the game. Players connected with him and he could weal, deal and mix together a wide range of personalities and egos to create something special. Former Piston John Salley nicknamed him "Daddy Rich" for his custom tailored suits. He was a competitor and a wonderful human being. If you haven't noticed, announcers and coaches throughout the playoffs have been wearing "C.D." pins on their clothes to acknowledge Daly while he was in his battle with cancer. That's what he meant to everyone. It's sad to see him go, but his memory and spirit will live on forever as one of the greatest basketball minds, coaches and overall human beings on and off the court at all times. Rest in peace Chuck Daly and thank you for what you did and are doing to this great game.

Happy Mother's Day To All MOMMA'S

2009-05-10T20:41:00.004-04:00

I took my mother to the game today and even though the Phils lost, it was a nice mother/son time together. Our boys dropped the game 4-2 because Jack Taschner gave up two runs after Brett Myers left with a 2-1 lead and then Brad Lidge in ANOTHER non save situation gave up a run. Today's game was the exact opposite of this year's trend. Myers did well but the bullpen had some problems. Usually, the starting pitching has difficulties and the bullpen keeps the team afloat while they try to come back with the bats. But, I still believe the best baseball from this squad is still yet to come. I'm serious. The starting rotation has the potential to do better and the team has the potential to click on all cylinders. Let's hope that it happens (Knock On Wood).

Series Is Tied One-One...Mother's Day Rubber Match Is Set

2009-05-10T01:00:00.002-04:00

To get this out of the way, did anyone get a chance to see that kid run on the field Friday night like I did? Haha! It was soooooo funny. I know that there is a danger risk and the kid is an idiot, but man I have never laughed at someone running on the field like that before. First off, he shaked Pedro Feliz's hand, which was a hoot and even more so since Pedro was smiling. Then, the kid shook like three security guards while ten were chasing him. Unbelievable.

Now, to the game.

Man did that feel good watching Big H pitch Friday night. He was awesome. The Phils won 10-6 and it was that close because Brad Lidge gave up a three run homer in the ninth in a non-save situation. I'm not worried about that because Lidge is usually shakey in non-save situations. And I'm not worried about his numbers either because he hasn't really pitched in save situations this year. He has come into 12 games and only five were save opportunities. It is because the Phils are usually coming from behind in their wins. He needs to get in there for save opportunities. But anyway, the bats were good Friday night and Cole Hamels was solid. Good win.

Today, not so good. Javier Vazquez dominated the Phils potent lineup and Joe Blanton, while pitching eight innigns and for the most part doing OK, had a bad stretch of three batters in a row in the middle of the game and another bad couple of batters late in the game. The Phils lost 6-2, making Sunday's Mother's Day Game a rubber match between Brett Myers and Kenshini Kawakami. I'm not concerned about the Phils hitting Kawakami. What I am going to focus on with this game is how Myers pitches. I expect him to have a good outing because I just got a feeling about it.

"The Wizard of Oze"

2009-05-08T11:05:00.007-04:00

It has been a tough time for the Phillies family. A month ago Harry Kalas passed away and yesterday former manager Danny Ozark left this earth as well.

Ozark managed the Phils from 1973 to 1979 and amassed a record of 594-510. He is the third winningest manager in the history of the franchise, only behind Gene Mauch's 645 and Harry Wright's 636. Yet, both Mauch and Wright managed a couple hundred or so more games than Ozark and they are the only two who managed more Phillies games than him.

Oze was the manager for the most successful era in Phillies history as he led the team to division titles in 1976, 1977 and 1978, after the team was absolutely putrid in the early-70s. No other manager did that. Charlie Manuel has the chance to do that this year (Knock On Wood). In 1976 and 1977, the Phillies won 101 games, a feat that no other team in franchise history has done before. Also, the '77 is considered to be the best out of any other year.

But, there is a dark clowd that overshadows Ozark's success as manager. Back in those days, only two teams from each league (NL Western Division and Eastern Division winner) made the playoffs. So, there were no division series. Not to mention, the league championship series back then were only best of five. During the three years the Phillies made the playoffs under Ozark, they failed to advance to the World Series. In '76, they got swept by "The Big Red Machine" a.k.a. the Cincinnatti Reds and then in '77 and '78, they fell to the hated Dodgers.

The '77 series is rememberd more than any other. With the series tied at one game a piece and the final three games in Philadelphia, the Phils had a 5-3 lead with two outs in the top of the ninth inning. One Dodger got on base by a bunt and then a player by the name of Manny Mota stepped up. He hit a fly ball deep to left field, where troubled defensive player Greg Luzinski was standing. Usually, "The Bull" was replaced by defensive specialist Jerry Martin in those types of situations. But, Ozark left him in. Luzinski dropped the easy fly ball against the wall, leaving the tieing runs on base.

Next up—believe or not it was current Phillies first base coach Davey Lopes. A speedster, Lopes hit a hard ground ball to Mike Schmidt. The ball carommed off of Schmidt and took an interesting bounce to shortstop Larry Bowa (now the Dodgers third base coach...how ironic), who made an OUTSTANDING intstictive bare handed grab and toss to first baseman Richie Hebner. Lopes was clearly out, but the umpire called him safe. The two runs scored and the Phils eventually loss 6-5 and then fell in Game 4 on a poor outing by Steve Carlton to lose the series. Here is a link to footage of the play. It's in this kid's video and unfortunately I can't embedd it to the post becasue an embedd link is disabled by him. When you watch, just go to the 3:15 mark to see the play.

But, back to Game 3 and the play. To this day, that game is referred to as "Black Friday." It was definitely one of the more sour moments in Phillies history and Ozark, even though Lopes was CLEARLY out, was blamed for that. In 1979, the Phils fell to fourth place and on August 31 of that season, Ozark was let go. He was replaced by Dallas Green who led the Phils to a World Championship the very next season.

Oze was a lot like Charlie Manuel. He had an easy, relaxed approach to the game, but if needed, would lay down the law. His fueds with "Lefty" are well documented and he wasn't afraid to let his voice be heard if need be. He also had his fair share of funny quotes that are always fun to make a crack about in a non-demeaning way.

Sadly though, his tenure as Phillies manager is always going to be clouded by the debacle of '77. Yet, in all fairness, we should look at what Ozark really was. "The Wizard of Oze" helped develop that great team of the '70s and 1980. He was key in young players like Mike Schmidt developing. Without him, the Phillies might not have grown like they did and the 1980 World Championship may have never happen. It's a shame that he didn't get to bring it home because 1980 was as much as his team as it was Dallas's becuase he made those players into what they were due to his managing the previous years.

Me personally, I'm always going to remember and look back on Danny Ozark as the manager of the great '70s teams. These teams, barring that the current team does not surpass them, provided the best era in Phillies baseball. Rest in peace Danny. You are well respected and will surely be missed.

All of the photos above are from philly.com.

Oh My Word Was That Game 6 For The 76ers UGLY

2009-05-08T10:54:00.002-04:00

Yeah...I know it was over a week ago. But, the 114-89 non-spirited loss to the Magic in Game 6 at home WITHOUT facing Dwight Howard or Courtney Lee is definitely a overshadowing cloud on a pretty good series.

I'm not going to analyze this game. It was ugly. But, what I am going to talk about it what this team and general manager Ed Stefanski can do to make it better.

TALK to Doug Collins and see if this can work: I didn't say GET Dough Collins. I'm not going to knock Tony DiLeo. Even though Theo Ratliff thought he was too "soft," he did do a good job after Maurice Cheeks was fired. But, Stefanski has to talked to the experienced and former 76er Collins to see if it is going to work. If Collins looks promising, I think it would be a pretty good pick up for a coach. But, I like what DiLeo did and if he is the one who coaches the team next year, I feel good about what this team can do with him coaching for 82 games.

Andre Igoudala has to develop a jump shot: And the economy has to get better. Same story, different day. Blah blah blah blah blah. I'm tired of talking about Iguodala's shooting dificiency. If he wants to help this team out, rather than voicing his opinion with Stefanski and calling his teammates out towards the press, he should get in a gym and work on that shot.

The 76ers Need A 3-Point Shooter: Same thing...blah blah blah blah.

The 76ers Need A BIG Non-Awkward Post Man: Samuel Dalambert has to go. I know Larry Brown was and is a great coach, but that was his draft pick. Gettin Slamin On Sammy D has to take a hike. He has no offensive game, he is as thin as hay and as awkward moving as a man on stilts. The Sixers need a big, overpowering figure (like a Dwight Howard). I'm not saying there is anyone out there like Howard, but I will sure take "The Polish Hammer" a.k.a. Marcin Gortat than Samuel Dalembert. Oh yeah... a couple of defensive rebounds would be nice too.

The 76ers Need A Lockdown Defender: This is one you probably haven't heard before, but the 76ers are awful perimeter defenders. They give up so many threes. Having a guy out there who is a tremendous defender could help.

Well, those are my thoughts on the 76ers. They need to get these things done to get over that hump of Game 6 of the first round. Oh, one last thing. Did anyone notice that in terms of wins and losses, last year's series against the Pistons went the same exact way and almost the same way in terms of how the games were played. Is that disturbing or what.

Phirst 6 Games In May For The Phils

2009-05-08T10:32:00.003-04:00

Here are the results for the first six games for the Phils in May:

-May 1: 7-4 Loss vs. Mets
-May 2: 6-5 10th Inning Walk-Off Win Due To Walk vs. Mets
-May 3: Postponed vs. Mets
-May 4: 6-1 Win @ Cardinals
-May 5: 10-7 Win @ Cardinals
-May 6: 1-0 Loss @ Mets
-May 7: 7-5 Loss @ Mets

A key issue in the Phillies play so far this season is the starting rotation. They are having a little trouble getting good outings in. There is some discussion that J.A. Happ should move to the rotation. But, what really needs to happen is Cole Hamels has to step it up. It is not that he is pitching poorly because he is not. He's had some bad breaks in terms of freak injuries, but he is the ace of this staff. The ace is supposed to be the leader. But to solve this problem, Big H can't speak it, he has to pitch it. I honestly feel a good eight/maybe even nine inning outing by Hamels tonight can send a message to the starting rotation that it is time to turn it around. I think they can get it done.

Poll Results For The Week Of 4/26/09

2009-05-06T00:42:00.003-04:00

The question was why do the 76ers have a problem selling out the Wachovia Center for big games.

The results were:

The Economy: 1 vote
The Post Iverson Era: 2 votes
The .500 Nature of the Club: o votes
This City Just Doesn't Really Get Excited For Pro Basketball: 1 vote

I like that nobody voted for the third option. It shows that it doesn't matter what our teams records are and that we still follow them no matter what. I understand that the post-Iverson era has caused a drop in attendance and that the economy doesn't help the 76ers cause. I really hope the real reason is not the fourth option though. The fact is, the NBA is one of the four major sports in this country. We are fortunate enough to have a team in each of those four leagues and all four are actually located in our city. I would hope people care about pro basektball. I care about it.

So Yeah...We Haven't Had A Post Since Last Thursday

2009-05-05T13:02:00.003-04:00

"Hard to believe Harry," is what Whitey would always say to his dear friend. Well, it's hard to believe that this site hasn't had a post since last Thursday. The reason—finals. As I mentioned before, this blog is run by a bunch of college kids who right now are either:

A. Studying Until Their Brains Don't Function Right Anymore

B. "A"

C. "A"

D. "A"

You get my point.

HOWEVER....

I am one three to four minute speech away from being done my sophomore year at Ithaca College. Therefore, this "no posts because we're good college kids" crap is over, for now at least.

I promise, we will have another "status of the Phillies" post, a post about the inadequate play of our 76ers and a post...finally...on the state of the Eagles. Believe me, there has been a lot that has been going on with the Eagles.

Also, I know it's hard to follow a blog that doesn't post anything. Stay with us as we scrap ourselves back together into one form. There will be a new poll this week, as well as an updated "Picture Of The Day."

It will hopefully be a good summer a head for Philly sports and this blog will be with you the whole way.

The Current State Of The Philadelphia Phillies

2009-04-30T11:41:00.002-04:00

OK, so this blog has been doing a real crappy job on updating what's going on with Philly sports lately. I will take the blame for that. It's run by a bunch of college kids and we all have finals right now. And if teams like the Flyers, 76ers or Eagles were just playing, it would be a lot easier to make up missed dates. But not with the Phillies who play almost everyday. So, this post is going to be about the state of Phillies since our last post, which was the 7-3 ninth inning comeback in Florida.

After that game, the Phillies won four in a row, beating the Marlins 6-4 and 13-2. The 6-4 game was another come from behind victory in the ninth inning and the Phils won it in the tenth. The 13-2 game was nice because it was a relaxing way to enjoy a Phillies game since most of them have been exciting come from behind victories. Jamie Moyer also continued his dominance over Florida in that blowout win.

After the weekend series in Florida, the Phils had a three game set at home against the Nationals. On Monday, they won 13-11. It was a game in which the Phillies hit two grand slams. One was by Ryan Howard and the other by Rauuuuuuuullllll Ibanez (more on this guy later). Howard's tied the game at 6-6 and Ibanez's gave the Phils a 13-11 lead in the eighth inning. Something to take note of is Brad Lidge didn't save this game. Ryan Madson did. Lidge apparently has problems with the knee he had surgery on before last year. He is going to throw a bullpen soon and see how he goes from there on whether or not he is going to the DL.

Tuesday was a thrashing of the lowly Nationals 7-1. It was also Charlie Manuel Bobble Head night, which looked like a sweet give away and in a more serious story, Cole Hamels left another game early. This time it was a sprained ankle. He said it was mild though and that he should be alright. Poor Big H. He can't get a consistent outing this year so far. His last two outings he was doing well until he got hit by a line drive and then turned his ankle.

So, after five wins in a row, the Phillies can't win every game. Last night after a first inning homer by Shane Victorino, Brett Myers gave up three runs and Jack Taschner gave up one as the Phillies lost to the "Natinals" 4-1.

Last night's game ended the month of April as the team is off today. They start a three game home set with the hated Mets tomorrow.

Some Thoughts On The Recent Play Of The Phillies:

-I am really liking the way this team is playing right now, minus last night. They are showing resiliency by coming from behind and their hitting is picking up for their pitching. Once this staff gets back into normal form, I feel we are going to be very good. And the past couple of games, the Phillies have been scoring runs throughout rather than in the latter innings like they did in some of their wins last week.

One of the brightest spots so far about this season is Raul Ibanez. The guy can just flat out play baseball. He is such a ball player. He has given us more than anyone expected. We thought he would hit and he's hit better than we thought and we thought he was an "iffy" fielder and he has turned out to be a very good fielder. Quickly Ibanez is becoming a fan favorite, especially after replacing a huge fan favorite in Pat Burrell.

76ers Drop Game 5, But Gain Something At The Same

2009-04-30T11:29:00.002-04:00

I didn't get to watch. I was so mad. I had to do a group project and the game was on NBA TV in out of market towns. So I was not able to go to a sports restaurant as I did for Game 2.

But, I did follow the score through written play-by-play on the Internet and the Sixers lost 91-78 and are on the brink of elimination. Once again, the 76ers shot just as well as the Magic as they have been doing most of this series. Yet, the thing that hurt this team was the lack of defensive rebounding and ability to score. When you hold a team to 91 points, you should win. Also, there is no reason why a team should get 15 offensive rebounds and one of their players gets 10 of them. That would be Dwight Howard. He had 24 total on the game.

While the 76ers did lose this game, they are still a live and have some extra incentives to get hyped up for Game 6. Both Dwight Howard and Courtney Lee will not be playi ng. Howard elbowed Samuel Dalembert in Game 5, received a technical foul and thus the league decided to suspend him one game. The elbow game after Dalembert was basically holding him down while he was trying to go for a rebound. But the refs didn't see that. They saw Howard's elbow shot and penalized him for it. Oddly enough, Howard accidently elbowed his teammate Lee in the game as well. Lee fractured his sinus because he got hit in the face. He is expected to be out longer than one game.

If the Sixers lose tonight, it will be a very embarrassing loss. With Howard out, the 76ers should be able to get to the basket better and that is 20 something points the Magic will have to make up with either Marcin Gortat or Tony Battie. These two guys are no "Superman."