This is 100 percent about Philadelphia professional sports. As Sports Radio 610 WIP always says, "Made for the fans, by the fans." This mentality is exactly what "South Broad Street" intends to uphold.
This is coming after a 85-77 win over the Miami Heat Sunday at the Wach. I think it is important to mention that the 76ers defense held a guy named Dwayne Wade to only 18 points that game.
The team is on a four game winning streak and playing inspired basketball. It's funny. I was reading the700level.com's post on last night's Flyers and Sixers games and both played the top teams in each league's respective Western Conference.
For those of you who read my Flyers post from last night know that I am extremely discouraged about how that Flyers game panned out. I even went as far as to say how can we expect his team to win a Cup if they get totally outplayed.
Let me make this clear, although the Sixers came back from double digits in the fourth quarter, won a great game last night and are on a winning streak, this doesn't mean they are NBA Title contenders. Sorry to disappoint. But, nonetheless, we root for them and hope they prove me wrong. It is there first win ever in the Staples Center, so one bad streak was ended. Unfortunately, the Flyers bad streak of not winning a game in the Jou Louis Arena since 1988 did not end.
I thought about this last night. I was born in August of '88. The Flyers last one a game in Joe Louis Arena in the 1988 half of the '88-'89 season. I have only lived for one Flyers win in the Joe Louis Arena. That's a tough realization to handle.
They had a 2-0 lead in the second period and Marty Biron was absolutely stellar. STELLAR! But, the Red Wings ability and talent over shadowed the Flyers effort and their talent, leading to three unanswered goals, one in the second and two in the third about 90 seconds apart.
While you can't knock the Flyers effort, one stat that really stands out tonight is the amount of shots the Wings got compared to the Flyers. Detroit out shout the Orange and Black 48 to 26. That means, in a loss, Marty made an unbelievable 45 saves.
Wins usually result when your goalie makes 45 saves.
This leads to the point of this post. How are we supposed to believe that this Flyers team is Cup bound when they get totally outplayed ability wise by the Detroit Red Wings? Take note, this is a Red Wings team they will probably have to beat to win the whole thing.
This loss, while I know anything can happen in the post-season, is pretty discouraging when you think about it. Don't look at the score. The 3-2 score is not a good description of this game.
Just look at how this game was played. Detroit outplayed the Flyers throughout and then, the tired Flyers were non-existent in the winding minutes. I can't take anything positive from this game except that Marty was freaking awesome.
Keith Jackson (tight end) -Played tight end for the Eagles from 1988 to 1991 -Three-time Pro Bowler as an Eagle -Three-time All Pro Selection as an Eagle -In his rookie season, he had 81 receptions for 869 yards and 6 touchdowns -Won the NFC Rookie of the Year in 1988
Aaron Asham (yes Aaron Asham) scored two goals in the third period and Mike Richards and Scott Hartnell also added goals.
Marty was once again stellar between the pipes making 39 saves. People like to knock Biron for his inconsistency and his horrible stick play, especially WHEN HE'S NOT IN GOAL. Not to be mistaken, I am one of these people.
Ask Tim how many times when we go to games together I say "GET YOUR ASS BACK IN NET!"
But I'll tell ya, when Marty's on, he's on and close to a brick wall. Hopefully he can stay hot, especially in the playoffs and take us far. As far as the immediate future goes, the Flyers are back in action tomorrow at the Garden to take on the Rangers in the second part of a home and home. Hopefully, two more points results in this matter.
Tonight will definitely go down as one of my favorite nights in Philadelphia sports. You're probably thinking that I'm crazy. Well, I can counter with this.
Forget that it was a regular season 76ers game that featured a below .500 Chicago Bulls team versus a 31-30 76ers team. Quickly remind yourself that the Sixers won 104-101 in a sloppy, yet exciting game and that Thaddeus Young scored a career high 31 points, beating his previous 29-point career high that he set the previous game.
This game was about closing out the Spectrum in terms of Philadelphia sports in style.
It was about remembering the days of Julius "Doctor J" Erving, Moses Malone and other Sixer greats. It was about remembering Dave Zinkoff. Zink is the voice of the 76ers and his raspy tone remains in the aura of the Spectrum.
Fortunately, I was thinking on my feet and taped most of the pre-game ceremonies on my camera. Unfortunately, in the middle of Doc's speech my memory filled up. However, instead of being cut off in the middle of one of his sentences, my video has a somewhat good ending to it.
Just so everyone takes note, this is not Dave Zinkoff actually speaking. Unfortunately, Zink died over 20 years ago. I'm pretty sure this is the talented Joe Conklin acting as Zink's voice. But, no matter who the imitator is, this sounds exactly like Zink. I get chills listening to this guy, which leads me to my next point.
Some people today want to knock on the Spectrum for it being old and ill-equipped with the technological times. But truly, why do we go to these sporting events, whether they be 76ers, Eagles, Flyers or Phillies? For the game, right?
That's what I go for. I don't go for the lights or the enhanced high definition sounds. I don't go for the eating areas or the big jumbo screens. I don't go for the extra amenities. Don't get me wrong, they are nice. But, I go for the game.
While watching tonight's game in the Spectrum, it was so much fun because it was an intimate setting and a great place to watch the game. The atmosphere was electric. It wasn't a half empty or two-thirds full gigantic Wachovia Center. It was the nice, cozy Wachovia Spectrum. Right when I walked in the building, memories flooded through my head of going to watch bad 76ers teams with my dad. Right when I walked in the building, I felt like I was in the old days again. It felt good.
I am truly sad to see this place go, because really it is not a bad place. I'll take it over the Center any day of the week, month or year. It is unique. It is special. It will forever be in my heart and memory, as it should be for you as well.
As Zink always said, "THIS IS FOR YOUUUU. YOUUUU. AND YOUUUU!"
Thanks Spectrum. You truly are America's Showplace and there will never be another one like you.
Andy Martino, new Phillies beat writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer, wrote this great story on Marcus Giles in the Inky today. It is about how Giles has to deal with two significant deaths in his life and his drive to play the game of baseball after having an injury and struggling at the plate.
Read it. It will make you appreciate this guy who is in contention for one of the last roster spots on the team.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! NO SMOKING IN THE SPECTRUM! NO SMOKING IN THE SPECTRUM!"
Aaah...good ole Dave Zinkoff and the legendary Philadelphia Spectrum (now called Wachovia Spectrum).
Tonight, the 76ers will play their final game ever at America's Showplace and I will be attendance with some of my family members. Also, today is the day that would have been my dad's 50th birthday. So, this is what we wanted to do to celebrate my father's 50th.
I remember when my father first took me to the Spectrum back in the 1992-93 season. It was for the 76ers because Flyers tickets were really hard to get back in the day. Even though the team was brutally awful, led by Jeff Hornacek and God knows who else, it was still a fun experience to be in the building.
I also remember going to the game that the Sixers last played in the Spectrum back in 1996. Stupidly though, because I was afraid of fireworks as a young kid, my family and I didn't stay for the post game festivities.
But today, I will be at the festivities and can't wait to see Julius Erving, Bobby Jones, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley, Billy Cunningham and other 76er legends.
I can't wait to hear Zink's voice announce "JULIUS "THE DOCTOR" ERRRRRRVIIIIIIIIIIIINNNGG!"
And hopefully, the 76ers can defeat the Bulls, a team that used to always beat the 76ers back in the day of Sir Charles' Thump N' Bump squad.
All I can say is this. Whether you are going to the game, watching it on television or listening to it on the radio, enjoy. I know I am going to enjoy this and that my father will be too (wherever he is) just like we used to back in the day.
There will never be another place like America's Showplace.
He had the chance to reach the 30-point mark, but missed two free throws in the fourth quarter.
Damn Thad.
Samuel Dalembert also played well. It was raining yesterday, right?
Anyway, I don't know how many times I have posted something on the 76ers that has mentioned them reaching the .500 mark. Too many to be as exact as I can.
Hopefully they win Friday at the Spectrum. That will be something special.
The Flyers got off to a slow start and allowed Buffalo to score a minute and a half into to the game on their first shot. Buffalo also was able to frustrate the Flyers with good defense in the first half of the first period including a penalty kill that made the Flyers look foolish. However the Flyers were able to take a 1-1 tie into the first intermission on a goal by Scott Hartnell, from 2 beautiful passes by Richards and Giroux.
In the 2nd period the Flyers turned the pressure up, both offensively and defensively. The Flyers did not net any goals in the 2nd however they did get 11 shots on goals.
The Flyers carried their relentless attack from the 2nd period into the 3rd. The reward came almost instantly for the Flyers as Jeff Carter netted his 37th goal of the season just :27 seconds into the 3rd period. From there the Flyers did not look back putting on what is an almost routine at this point a 3rd period blitz of goals. After a great start to the period the Flyers followed up with goals by Mike Richards(26), Carter(38) and Hartnell(24).
In a game that featured 2 goals apiece from Carter and Harnell, the game also featured plenty of well advertised penalty minutes from new-comer Dan Carcillo. Marty Biron played a solid game between the pipes. Not to be forgotten was a great fight by Arron Asham in the latter part of the 3rd period.
Next on the plate for the orange and black, stands Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. The Capitals will come to the Wachovia Center losers of 4 out of their last 5, however the Capitals are holding a 6 point lead in the Eastern Conference standings.
Hey, I realized the Ken Hitchcock and John Stevens ballots didn't have a "None of these guys" option on them. So, I had to delete both and make new ones.
The Hitchcock ballot had one out of one vote for Charlie Manuel and Andy Reid and the Stevens ballot had one out of one vote for Dallas Green/Fred Shero.
I hope the person or people who voted on those two ballots already will realize they were re-done and vote on them again.
-He played wide receiver for the Eagles from 2004 to 2005
-He was a member of their 2004 NFC Championship team
-In 2004, he compiled the best season for any wide receiver in Eagles history, collecting 77 receptions for 12,000 yards and 14 touchdowns
-In Super Bowl XXXIX, after being out with an ankle sprain and fractured fibula, he unbelievably came back and caught nine passes for 122 yards in a losing effort
Yeah...I know what you're thinking when you see that:
"WHY THE FUCK IS HE ON THIS?!" or possibly saying out loud, "WHAT THE FUCK?!"
I agree. I had to think hard about this one on whether or not he should be on it.
But, I came to realize that we should put the personal stuff aside, leave the drama packed away and realize that he had the best season for any wide receiver in franchise history. Not to mention, helped us reach a Super Bowl appearance.
Also, didn't like the whole Eagles fan base want him back on the team a week or so ago?
So, don't stop voting when you see his name. Keep voting and remember him for his play and not for his mouth.
Due to the large amount of Wild Card ballots, instead of this round of voting being just for one week, it will be for two so the chances of each ballot being voted on a lot increases.
This past week's question dealt with whether or not Brian Dawkins signing with the Broncos was about money.
The results were:
Yes: 5 votes
No: 1 vote
The Eagles had no intention of keeping him to start with. They were just pulling our leg: 3 votes
Undecided: 0 votes
Well, it's safe to say our voters were definitely not undecided.
It is also safe to say that the Dawkins departure was about the money.
But, the votes between "Yes" and "The Eagles were just pulling our leg" are pretty close. Personally, I feel the Eagles did want him, but really insulted Dawk with their initial offer. That's why he didn't call them back. I honestly feel if the Eagles first offer was two years instead of one, or three years instead of one, Dawk would have at least called them back after he heard Denver's offer. Or, even better, he would have been satisfied with two or three years and signed with the Birds right away.
With the initial balloting closing in a little over 24 hours from now, here is how the Wild Card and Tiebreaker Balloting will go.
The Wild Card Balloting will be first and will take place all next week. A select group of players, chosen by myself and the rest of the contributors of this site, will be eligible for the Wild Card Balloting.
This is how it is going to work. Each player in the Wild Card Balloting will have a chance to make the Tiebreaker Balloting round.
Pretty much each category will have Wild Cards and here is an example of what one will look like (take note...this is just an example and will probably not be what the actual ballot looks like):
Which player or group of players does Jim Thome belong with?
1. Mike Schmidt 2. Steve Carlton 3. Jimmy Rollins, Richie Ashburn, Darren Daulton 4. Larry Bowa 5. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and so on 6. Doesn't belong with any of these groups
In order for the Wild Card to make it to the Tiebreaker Round, he (or the venue) has to get at least 50 percent of the voting in one category. If he doesn't or gets 50 percent in the "Doesn't Belong" option, then he is done and does not make the Tiebreaker Round.
In the Tiebreaker Round, if there is a tie between two or more players, the ballot will obviously decide who finishes where. That will take place during the week after the Wild Card Balloting.
If you have any question, leave a comment or drop me an email at duram1@ithaca.edu.
This is the final Info Session for the initial balloting.
I will post something probably tomorrow on how the Wild Card and Tiebreaker balloting will work. So, when putting it all together, expect the ALL-PHILLY TEAM results to be finalized in at least two weeks after the initial balloting closes. But, a time table has not been finalized yet.
Anyway, this final Info Session for the initial balloting deals with all of the championship teams our city has seen. And when I say championships, I mean the whole thing. None of these teams just won a division title or a conference title. They went to the promise land and finished No. 1 in their respective leagues. So, here we go.
-Managed by Connie Mack, the 1910 A's finished with a regular season record of 102-48, 14 1/2 games in front of the second place New York Highlanders, to go to the World Series -In the World Series, they defeated the Chicago Cubs 4-1 in the series to bring home their first World Championship.
-They won the first two games at Shibe Park and then Game 3 in Chicago's West Side Park. The Cubs pulled out Game 4 4-3 in 10 innings, but the A's routed the Cubs in Game 5 at West Side Park, 7-2.
-Managed by Connie Mack and led by the "$100,00 Infield" of John "Stuffy" McInnis (first base), Eddie Collins (second base), Jack Barry (shortstop), Frank "Home Run" Baker (third base), Eddie Plank (pitcher) and Charles "Chief" Bender (pitcher), the A's finished with a regular season record of 101-50, 13 1/2 games in front of the second place Detroit Tigers in the American League
-In a World Series where the location switched every game, the A's dropped the first game to the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds, but then won three straight to go up 3-1 in the series after four games. In Game 5 at the Polo Grounds, the Giants beat the A's 4-3 in 10 innings to stay a live in the series, but in Game 6 at Shibe Park, the A's demolished the National League Giants 13-2 to win their second championship in a row.
-Once again managed by Connie Mack and led by the "$100,000 Infield", which the 1913 version is considered by some to be the best infield of all time, finished with a record of 96-57, 6 1/2 games ahead of the Washington Senators in the American League.
-In the World Series, they once again defeated the New York Giants, this time 4-1.
-After the series was tied 1-1 after two games, one at the Polo Grounds and the other at Shibe Park, the A's won three in a row to win their third World Series title in four years.
-Led by player/coach Guy Chamberlain, the Yellow Jackets of 1926 finished with a record of 14-1-2, which was the best in the league, finishing a head of the 12-1-3 second place Chicago Bear. By that virtue, they were crowned the 1926 NFL Champions.
-Managed and owned by Connie Mack and led by future Hall of Famers such as Lefty Grove, Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx and Al Simmons, along with other guys such as Big George Earnshaw, the A's finished with a regular season record of 104-46, 18 games better than the second place New York Yankees.
-This club is considered by some to be one of the best teams in Major League Baseball history, if not the best.
-In the World Series, they defeated the Chicago Cubs 4-1.
-They took the first two games at Wrigley Field, lost Game 3 at Shibe Park and then won the last two also at Shibe Park.
-Once again managed and owned by Connie Mack and led by the same core group of stars, the A's finished with a record of 102-52, eight games better than the second place Washington Senators in the American League.
-The won the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals in six games, taking Games 5 and 6, after the series was tied 2-2 after four games. This would be the last World Series Championship for the Philadelphia version of the Athletics.
-Coached by Eddie Gottlieb and led by center Joe Fulks, the Warriors finished with a record of 35-25, which was second in the Basketball Association of America's (now called National Basketball Association) Eastern Division.
-The won in the BAA Quarterfinals over the St. Louis Bombers 2-1, BAA Semifinals over the New York Knicks 2-0 and in the BAA Finals over the Chicago Stags 4-1.
-Led once again by Greasy Neal and the same group of the players, the 1949 Eagles finished 11-1 (first in the Eastern Division)
-They repeated as NFL Champions defeating the Los Angeles Rams 14-0 in the rain in L.A. Steve Van Buren ran for 196 yards, which stood as an NFL Championship Game record for 40 years
-Coached by George Senesky and led by Paul Arizin, Neil Johnston and Tom Gola, the Warriors went from worst to first in a span of one season, finishing 45-27 and first in the NBA's Eastern Division
-The won the Eastern Division finals against the Syracuse Nationals 3-2 and the NBA Finals against the Fort Wayne Pistons 4-1
-Coached by Buck Shaw and led by Norm Van Brocklin, Tommy McDonald and Chuck Bednarik, the 1960 Eagles weren't considered contenders at first
-They got demolished in their first game of the season versus the Cleveland Browns and then barely beat the expansion and eventually winless Cowboys of 1960 the very next week due to two missed extra points by Dallas
-But, they somehow came together, overcame all the negativity towards them and went 10-2 to win the Eastern Division
-This is the year the Eagles really became popular in town. In the second meeting against the Browns, they upset them in Cleveland, causing of wave of new interest in the Eagles.
-In the 1960 NFL Championship Game against Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers at Franklin Field the day after Christmas, the Eagles offense was dismal, but still managed to win in a fourth quarter comeback 17-13. Chuck Bednarik made the final tackle to end the game.
-This is also the season Bednarik put that vicious hit on Frank Gifford at Yankee Stadium
-Coached by Alex Hannum and led by Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Luke Jackson, Chet Walker, Wali Jones and Billy Cunningham, they went 68-13 and finished first in the Eastern Division
-In the playoffs, they defeated the Cincinnati Royals in the Semifinals 3-1 and dethroned the 9-time defending Boston Celtics in the Conference Finals 4-1. This left the 76ers fans chanting "BOSTON'S DEAD! BOSTON'S DEAD! BOSTON'S DEAD!"
-In the NBA Finals, they defeated the San Francisco Warriors 4-2
-Until the Chicago Bulls won 72 games in 1996, they held the best record in NBA history and still to this day, they are argued as the best team ever to play
-Coached by Fred Shero and led by Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber, Gary Dornhoefer, Joe Watson, Rick MacLeish, Bernie Parent and many others, the Flyers finished 50-16-12
-In the playoffs, they swept the Atlanta Flames and defeated the New York Rangers in seven games in the Conference Championship (each game was won by the home team)
-In the Stanley Cup Finals, they faced the heavily favored Boston Bruins. They Flyers took a 3-1 series lead after the first four games, dropped Game 5 in Boston, then came back to the Spectrum for Game 6
-Kate Smith, the Flyer's good luck charm, made a rare in person appearance to the Spectrum to sing God Bless America
-The Flyers won 1-0 on a first period goal by MacLeish and stellar goaltending by Parent
-Bernie Parent won the Conn Smythe Trophy and Vezina Trophy
-Fred Shero won the Jack Adams Award
-The 1974 Flyers were the city's first Championship Parade and according to many, 2 million people attended
-Coached and led by the same guys, with the addition of Reggie Leach, the Flyers went 51-18-11
-In the playoffs, they swept the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round (first round bye) and beat the New York Islanders in seven games to go to the Stanley Cup Finals
-In the finals, they faced the Buffalo Sabres, won the first two games at home, dropped Games 3 and 4 in Buffalo, won Game 5 convincingly at home and then closed it out in Buffalo in Game 6
-Bernie Parent once again won the Conn Smthye and Vezina Trophies and Bobby Clark won the Hart Memorial Trophy
-It was said that even more people showed up to the '75 Parade
-Managed by Dallas Green and led by Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton, the 1980 Phillies finished 91-71 and defeated the Montreal Expos by one game in the NL East. However, they without question underachieved for most of the year and it took a club house scolding by General Manager Paul Owens to get this team playing good ball in September.
-This was a team that did not really like each other very much and especially had issues with Green. But, that is what makes them so special.
-In the NLCS, they faced off against the Houston Astros. This series, to this day, is one the most intense League Championship series in the history of baseball. The Phils won Game 1 at the Vet, but dropped Game 2 in extra innings the next night. It was a game that they had a chance to win in the bottom of the ninth, but blew it when Third Base Coach Lee Elia held up right fielder Bake McBride at third because he thought he was going to get thrown out at home.
-In Houston, the Astros won Game 3 in extra innings, the Phils won Game 4 in extra innings and Game 5 in extra innings (after being down three runs in the eighth to Nolan Ryan and blowing a 7-5 lead in the ninth). The series was absolutely awesome.
-In the World Series against the favored Kansas City Royals, the Phils took Games 1 and 2 at the Vet (came from behind in both), dropped Games 3 and 4 in Kansas City, won Game 5 in KC (after being down in the top of the ninth and facing Dan Quisenberry) and won Game 6 at the Vet behind the great pitching of Steve Carlton. In the ninth inning of Game 6, Tug McGraw, who was having a great season, loaded the bases with one out, but the next two outs came by a crazy foul out from Frank White and a strikeout to Willie Wilson.
-Schmidt won the NL MVP that year and the Word Series MVP. Carlton was the Cy Young Award. -The 1980 Phillies Parade was also a joyous celebration.
-Coached by Billy Cunningham and led by Julius Erving and Moses Malone, the 76ers finished 65-17, which was first in the Atlantic Division
-Before the playoffs, Malone said they were going to go "Fo', Fo', Fo'."
-Well, after a first round bye, they swept the New York Knicks in four games and then defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, but in five games
-In the NBA Finals, they faced the Los Angeles Lakers, the team that beat them in 1980 and 1982 for the championship. However, this time around, the 76ers had Malone and swept the Lakers in four games to win the crown. At one point in the series, Cunningham said, "We want to end it in four.We want someone to remember this team."
-Malone was the Finals and League MVP that season
-The 1983 76ers Parade was another joyous celebration
-Managed by Charlie Manuel and led by Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino, Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, Brad Lidge and many others, the Phillies finished 92-70, winning the NL East by three games over the New York Mets
-This team had great chemistry and really liked Manuel
-In the playoffs, they beat the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS in four games and defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS in five games to go to their first World Series since 1993
-In the World Series against the cinderella Tampa Bay Rays, the Phillies took Game 1 in Tampa, dropped Game 2 in Tampa and won the next three Games at Citizens Bank to end the city's 25 year championship drought
-In Game 5, it started to rain extremely hard and the game had to be suspended after 5 1/2 innings with the score tied at 2-2
-In the resumption of Game 5 two nights later, the crowd was revved up more than ever and the Phils won 4-3
-Brad Lidge got the save and finished perfect in save chances for the 2008 regular season and post-season, going 48 for 48
-This left the city in a frenzy as the quarter-long century drought for all four teams and the 28-year drought for the Phillies ended.
-And then, of course, the 2008 Phillies Championship Parade was probably the most joyous, appreciated and needed one to date.
I finally got all of the initial Info Sessions done! WOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Oh yeah, one note, just because the 2008 Phillies is the longest doesn't mean they were the best team. They might be, but that is up to you because the other teams are very worthy as well. The only reason the 2008 Phillies is the longest is because there is the most multimedia on them and that is obviously because their championship is the most recent in our city.
Anyway, stay tuned for the Wild Card Balloting and Tie Breaker Balloting. Keep voting. The amount of people who voted already is awesome. Keep it up guys!
