As if things weren't looking bad enough...

Our star center is sidelinded with a busted jaw and a concussion. Our captain is also seeing stars. We've replaced one worn out goaltender with another worn out goaltender, while our only hope in net is nursing a sprained knee. As if all of this wasn't bad enough our playoff picture just got a little darker now that the Capitals have traded Bondra to the Sentators. Bondra, a five time all star right winger has spent his entire career with the Capitals and is first on their all time points list. Bondra will join an already stacked roster in Ottawa.

Tonight the Flyers will face off against the Boston Bruins. Keith Primeau, Todd Fedoruk, Donald Brashear, Robert Esche, Eric Desjardins and Jeremy Roenick all remain out of the lineup for the Flyers. Phantoms Boyd Kane and Kirby Law will help fill in for missing players.

It's easy to coach a winning team but what does Hitch have to say when things aren't going so well?

"They are playing really well as a team right now."..."They are getting sound goaltending, and timely scoring from some key people so that's giving them a chance to win every night.

"It's another significant opponent. The game will probably be no different from the last two games in that we're going to have to be better defensively, and better in attention to detail. If we do those things it will give us a chance to win."

Sound goaltending!?!? From who, Burke? Are we watching the same team? And I agree the game probably will be no different then the last two, but weren't they both losses? I say its time for a trade but not for goalie, for a doctor, or a medicine man, or a voodoo preist or something. We need to get the walking wounded back on the ice.

Philly Soul Make a Move...For OB!!

The Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League has announced they have obtained wide receiver/linebacker Brian Leigeb from the Los Angeles Avengers in a trade for Luis Almanzar. Almanzar, currently with the Denver Broncos, was a member of the Soul’s other league exempt roster.

Iverson asks to be traded without asking to be traded

Iverson didn't show up for practice the other day so Chris Ford, who appears to have the cojones that Brown and Ayers lacked, fined and the benched Iverson for a mere 7 minutes, 21 seconds to start last night's loss. Afterward Iverson, proving his critics right, whined that his excuses weren't believed:

"The first thing that happened, I gave him a reason and told him why I wasn't there and why I couldn't make it, and it wasn't enough," he said. "So a relationship between us goes out of the window from the door, 'cause obviously, I was thought of as a liar for the reason I told him."

Finally a coach ceases to appease Iverson - once - and he can't take it. I think Iverson wants out of here because he can see the Sixers aren't going to get better anytime soon but he can't come out and say it. Sure he goes on and on about how he always wants to be a Sixer but he's giving the Sixers every reason to trade him.

John Smallwood has had it too.

Major Free Agent Resigning to Benefit Eagles

No, it's not the big name WR everyone is waiting for. In fact, the Eagles didn't do a darned thing yet. But, since we'll have to play these folks again next year, this resigning should only benefit the Birdies....

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Kicker John Kasay signed a five-year contract with the Carolina Panthers on Tuesday to remain the only original member of the relatively young franchise.

Three missed field goals against the Eagles during the regular season and a kickoff choke in the Super Bowl were not enough to scare the Panthers away from John Boy. Fly, Eagles, Fly!

Hey, anything football related amidst the boredome and stankdome of the Flyers / Sixers is semi-exciting. Bring on free agency (yes, I'm hoping this year's FA is better than past years) and March Madness.

Big Daddy B

Fedoruk Threatens Holik, Roenick Out 4-6 Weeks, Prims is Fine

Getting back to Primeau, Flyers tough guy Todd Fedoruk said he won't have revenge on his mind today.

"If you get too wrapped up, it takes away from what you want to do in the game plan because guys get focused on one player," Fedoruk said. "We don't feel it was a cheap shot or intentional shot...

"Holik is a good centerman. He is big and gets under your skin. He is not going to fight. He doesn't have the [guts] to fight. He is a chicken... when it comes to stuff like that. He'll still run around there. Take the instigator rule out of the game, and he's taken care of. He's a quiet player. At the end of the game, he was skating by and I said he's dead tomorrow night. It's in the back of his mind."

NHL rule changes

If you haven't heard, at the NHL meetings in Nevada they've proposed some drastic rule changes.

The following proposals are subject to further discussion and refinement but are likely to be adopted next season:

A reduction in the size of goaltenders' leg pads from 12 inches to 10.

Banning goaltenders from handling the puck behind the goal line.

Moving the nets and bluelines three feet closer to the end boards to simultaneously shrink the area behind the net and increase the size of the neutral zone. Doing so will restore the dimensions to what they were before the nets were moved out prior to the 1990-91 season. The space from the end board to the goal line would shrink to 10 feet from 13.

Restoring the tag-up offside rule, which was dropped prior to the 1986-87 season.

Two more proposals will be tried in the American Hockey League next season for at least one year before they may be adopted by the NHL.

One is to award three points for a win earned in regulation time, up from two, and two points for a win in the five-minute overtime period. The one point for an overtime loss would remain, while a shootout will be introduced to eliminate ties.

The AHL will also be asked to increase the width of the bluelines and the centre redline from one foot to two feet. This also increases the size of the neutral zone in hopes of creating more offensive flow.

Here's my opinion: Good on reducing the goaltenders' pads to the size they were back in the 80s. Bad on penalizing goalies for being able to handle the puck. It's like the NFL saying quarterbacks can't scramble anymore because McNabb and Michael Vick are so good at it. To solve the goalie handling the puck "problem", make them fair game to the forecheckers. Good on increasing the size of the neutral zone and increasing the width of the blueline to make both neutral and offensive zones slightly bigger. Don't know about the other rules. But the main thing to do if you want to increase scoring and offense is to shrink the league and stop diluting the talent.

A Goalie Controversy in Philadelphia?

No, I'm not talking about the recent maneuvering by Bob Clarke to bring a mediocre veteran goalie to town (which along with his trades resembles moves made by an amateur fantasy league manager, tinkering with his roster). I'm talking about Nittymaki's recent win over the venerable and despised NJ Devils. While Nitty's wins over Washington and Atlanta were observed with a tempered excitement, the recent win over those Devils (with some nice higlight reel saves) should raise some eyebrows here in Philly. It's like Chilly said, these guys are in first place after all that we've seen. If they can get some high caliber performance from their goaltender(s) (and, heck, beat those Devils consistently), then they very well could contend for the Cup. Knowing what we have in Burke, it's in the hands of Esche or Nitty to make it happen. What do you do now, though, as soon as Esche returns? Reserve Burke until one of these guys can prove he deserves to start?

Big Daddy B

Firings

As reported in the Inquirer:

Sixers coach Randy Ayers has been fired, sources close to the team said today. A news conference is expected at 12:30 p.m.

Sixers assistant and former Boston Celtics head coach Chris Ford will take over immediately.

Sixers have been losing regularly this year at multiple game clips. Sure Ayers was crippled with injury after injury but Iverson questioned the team's heart so I'm sure that had something to do with the firing. That and the Sixers were a couple of free throws away from making the conference finals last year and now they're in freefall. So add the Sixers into the Atlantic Division firing your coach club. New Jersey, New York, Boston, Miami and Orlando welcome Philadelphia into their ranks.

I like how the Inquirer ended their article on a positive note:

With 30 games remaining, the Sixers can still salvage the season and make the playoffs for the sixth straight year, even though they are likely to be blown out in the first round.

Tam also posted this nearly simultaneously, but my post was better. heh.

Trades

As reported in the Inquirer:

In a busy evening, the Flyers acquired goalie Sean Burke from the Phoenix Coyotes in a multiplayer trade. Burke will replace Jeff Hackett, who last night announced his retirement. Hackett has been suffering from vertigo.

In addition to Burke, the Flyers acquired rugged right wing Branko Radivojevic and the rights to unsigned draft choice Ben Eager in exchange for center Mike Comrie.

Earlier in the day, the Flyers traded defenseman Eric Weinrich to the St. Louis Blues for a fifth-round choice in the 2004 NHL entry draft.

Once again Clarke trades from a position of weakness and gets weakness in return. Seeing how this is probably the last year anyone has to win a Stanley Cup Clarke makes the big move and gets Sean Burke. Awesome. I can't wait for the playoffs to start.

In Non Flyers News: Big Red on the Hot Seat, McNabb Overrated

REID FEELING THE HEAT, TOO?

On Sunday, we reported that Packers coach/G.M. Mike Sherman could see one or both of his jobs in jeopardy if the Packers don't go at least a step farther in the playoffs in 2004.

We're now hearing that Eagles coach/G.M. Andy Reid might be in the same boat, following three consecutive swings and misses in the NFC title game.

As the Eagles continue to flirt with a Super Bowl berth, there are rumors of owner Jeffrey Lurie's growing impatience. The current thinking in league circles is that, if the Eagles don't make it to the next level in 2004, Reid will depart pursuant to a "mutual agreement," since he most likely will not agree to give up the G.M. title in order to stick around only as the coach.

As we see it, the process begins and ends with upgrading the receiving corps. Reid the G.M. hasn't been very successful when it comes to locating pass catchers who can perform well in the NFL. Guys like Todd Pinkston and James Thrash are simply too thin to stay on their feet and/or avoid being rerouted, and former first-rounder Freddie Mitchell is developing far too slowly, his late 2003 strides notwithstanding.

With quarterback Donovan McNabb playing the "no comment" game when pressed by Chris Mortensen during the Pro Bowl regarding whether there have been internal discussions about free-agent-to-be Terrell Owens, our guess is that Reid will take his chances on the cancerous Owens, primarily because Reid is backed into a corner, and he must succeed in 2004 or he'll be looking elsewhere for work.

LIMBAUGH VINDICATED?

Love him or hate him, Rush Limbaugh's prognostigative skills were validated in the end. He was on the Pats bandwagon even when former colleagues like Tom Jackson were blathering about the Patriots players "hating" coach Bill Belichick, and Limbaugh was pointing out Donovan McNabb's limitations long before McNabb faltered in yet another NFC title game.

As to McNabb, several personnel execs agree with Limbaugh's observation that McNabb is overrated.

"Limbaugh is a jerk," the source said, "but the real gist of what he said -- that McNabb is overrated -- is an opinion that most NFL personnel guys have."

McNabb is "good but not great," the source added, "unless it's a nonmeaningful game."

Sean Burke!?!?!?

According to published reports Sean Burke is coming to Philly. This deal isn't offical but I have two sources saying it will happen today. FoxSports is reporting that Mike Comrie will be sent to Phoenix in exchange for goaltender Sean Burke. Sean Burke is a three time All-Star with a carreer record of 298-316-99 with a 2.97 goals against average. Sean Burke's playoff numbers are more interesting, 12-22 3.33 GAA. Compare those numbers to the old Checkman who was run out of town by screaming mob due to his poor performance in the playoffs, 9-14 2.33 GAA. How is this an improvement? It seems to me that once again Bobby Clarke is refusing accept the fact that what it takes to win a cup is a quality goaltender. THN.com FOXSports.com

Don't Forget About the Run and Duce!

Taking the opportunity to follow up on John's Runyan's comments I heard Thursday evening on the way home from work, Big Daddy took another look at pass-happy Andy on Friday and was all the more convinced that my prior cries for more running here on the blog are as important as ever. The Eagles are on the verge of further compromising their run attack by all the griping for a WR (which plays right into AR's pass-blinded thinking) and very little mention of how to solve the running back problem. There is a running problem!

For further consideration (which factors AR's offense in the context of the last 20+ years of Eagles football and true West Coast offenses of the 49ers and Packers), Read Here!

Nittymaki's Big Day

Well the doctors to a look at Esche's knee and they're saying a class 2 sprain, out for three weeks. Meanwhile Hackett is skating in practice with the team but Coach Hitchcock says he won't be back till after the All Star break. So tonight Antero Nittymaki will get his fist NHL start. Nittymaki has played 68 games in the AHL. He had a fairly average year last year (14-21-2 record and 2.58 goals against average) but according to Mark Recchi he has stepped it up this year:

"Huge, huge difference from last year to this year,"..."Last year he was a real little guy in net, but he's really adjusted his style to North American hockey. He challenges more and plays bigger, and it's a big difference."

Big difference indeed as he was recently named as the Phantoms' player of the month for January after going 7-1-1 with a 1.64 GAA and two shutouts. Philadelphiaflyers.com

Help Wanted: One NHL Goalie No Experience Needed

The Flyers lost last night to the Tampa Bay Lighting with a score of 2-1. The big problem however was an injury to goaltender Robert Esche. Gange collided with Esche who suffered a slight sprain of his knee. He tried to keep playing but Neil Little was quickly sent in to relieve him. While the injury doesn't appear to be serious the Flyers current Goalie situation is. Hackett still has vertigo, not to mention even if he is healthy he is a mediocre goaltender at best. So that leaves Neil Little and Antero Nittymaki as back ups. Neil Little is a great guy but there is a reason he has played most of his career in the AHL. Antero Nittymaki is a rookie with about a half a pre-season game's experience, neither of the guys are an acceptable backup with the playoffs around the corner. Clarkie has been mulling over a possible trade and had this to say:

"We'll know better tomorrow after we do an MRI,"..."It all depends on [Jeff] Hackett. He's almost ready."..."If Esche's injury is bad, we might not have a choice."

Speaking of trades did anyone see how Khabibulin was stopping everything in the last two minutes? Philly.com.

New England Patriots: The Gold Standard

With all due respect to Lurie and Co., the Patriots have demonstrated a real gold standard after winning their second Super Bowl in only three years. Yes, a team with a flat roster and virtually no stand-outs has now won two championships with a spread out offense and disciplined defense. While the Eagles have strived for a championship with a similar approach, they've not produced a single Super Bowl appearance yet.

There's always next year (and several thereafter)!!!

Stupid Eagles!