Fans correct once again, everyone wins

Anyone with eyes could see the Eagles' receivers were weak, weaker, and weakest. Failing to get Jevon Walker during the off season, not wanting Lelee (who sucks anyway), not willing to pay Branch (NE is probably just messing with him), Reid and the Eagles continued to pretend that "the receivers are good enough". Now I don't know if the Eagles got really lucky in getting Donte Stallworth or pulled off a masterful heist, but either way it was a great move. Cherish it for now because these kind of breaks don't happen in Philadelphia. Simoneau sucks and maybe was even going to get cut with the rise of Matt McCoy and Jason Short. Sike, I mean Omar Gaither.

Stallworth was the first receiver taken in the 2002 draft at 13 and the only one in the first round. The second receiver taken, first in the second round, was Jabar Gaffney (who sucks). Deion Branch was the last pick of the second round at 65 and another big receiver name this offseason was Randle el, picked at #62. Stallworth supposedly has the speed to make the safeties back off while at the same time has toughness, will go over the middle, and is hard to bring down, i.e. lots of after the catch yards.

As a result of the trade, that pathetic 4 yard catch vs. Pittsburgh will probably be Todd Pinkston's last reception as an Eagle unless they run that quick pass to the sideline play (aka 2nd and 11) vs. the Jets as a tribute to Pinkston's storied career as an Eagle.

Now, will they do anything at running back? Rumor has it Domanick Davis of Houston is going to be cut, but he's injury prone as well. Then there's also the linebackers...

Mr. Glass 2006

I held off on this post to see if Buckhalter could make it through half a game; and he did. He even had a long run on a nice shovel pass screen and almost scored. Due to these developments however Buckhalter may lose his Mr. Glass title after a 3 year reign where he was untouchable. He won't be able to run away with it this year (no pun intended) like he has in the past. This season he has stronger competition than ever, the rest of the team has caught up, and the judges may now consider Buckhalter to be a one trick pony and want to see something new. There's only so many times you can blow out your knee completely untouched and still impress.

Pinkston made a really strong play last year for Mr. Glass but was just a rookie in the competition and rookies don't easily knock off the champ. Since then however he's shown he's learned alot and has remained injured the entire training camp without ever being hit. That's the strategy that made "Buck" the champ and now Pinkston seems to have adopted it as his own.

Buckhalters strongest competition the previous 3 seasons has been McDougle and this year he's challenging once again. After missing most of his rookie season, he went all out last year by getting himself shot and missing every game, but the judges frowned on the tactic because it happened off the field and was deemed "hotdoggish". Observers believed he was overcompensating to avoid the dreaded "sophomore slump". This year McDougle has gone the more subtle cracked ribs route, but he still hasn't mastered the art of getting severely hurt without getting hit.

Always placing in the top 5 but never winning it all is Westbrook. Westbrook makes a play for the title every year but you can tell his heart really isn't in it. His injuries are always bad enough to miss a couple crucial games but not bad or spectacular enough to really catch the judges' eyes. I think Westbrook sees himself more as an injury "auteur" and goes for weird things like torn triceps and this year's odd foot sprain. Injuries that are very subtle that no one saw happen. It might be art, but it doesn't win the title.

So who will win Mr. Glass 2006? There still is plenty of preseason left and plenty of cutbacks to make in practice before the opener versus Houston so all is not lost for Buckhalter. Never count him out -- He's the champ 3 years running for a reason. Pinkston has gotten this far with the Achilles thing but it's really run its course. He'll have to do something new and spectacular to legitimately take the title. Westbrook is always in the mix but I just don't think he will ever really have what it takes to be Mr. Glass. If I had to pick right now I'd take McDougle. He's worked really hard and paid his dues the last 3 years and you can tell he really wants it. Plus he's due -- don't think the judges are oblivious to that. I look for him to take it this year, maybe with a broken foot running out onto the field opening day, ala Hollis Thomas.

NCAA vs. NFL

ESPN is debating which is better, the NFL or the NCAA.

I used to be a big fan of college football but no longer. College football to me is best represented by teams like the University of Delaware - players playing not to go pro, but because they love playing.

I went to Rutgers for undergrad and Penn State for grad school. Both experiences at those universities turned me off to college football. Rutgers, for its pathetic attempts to go big time, wasting millions of dollars every year. Penn State, for the moron fans who up until last season were demanding Joe Paterno's head for a few losing seasons. But those fans are emblematic of what big time college football now is but can't admit -- a big giant cash cow for the NCAA and the few successful universities. Today winning is everything in bigtime college football so giants of the game like Paterno who have run their programs cleanly and with high graduation rates must go if they have 3 poor seasons out of 50.

In addition, Penn State probably makes as much money from its football program as some NFL franchises but it's all made on the backs of the players who get a pittance of that in the form of a scholarship. (The pro-college arguer says the NFL is the last bastion of socialism. The NCAA is the last bastion of indentured servitude and serfdom.) But the NCAA is loathe to admit what it really is and instead tries to maintain this huge phoney facade of purity, amateur athletics, and tradition. The NCAA is far more corrupt and just as money hungry as the NFL, but the NFL and its players have the decency to admit it's all about money and entertainment. The NCAA thinks their product is far more grand and "holy" and it's all BS. They're lying to themselves and they're lying to you.

Give me the NFL anyday. The NFL is sometimes cold, brutal, and mercenary, but they rarely pretend otherwise. Plus the level of competition, and more importantly the hitting, is about 100x better.

Various sports happenings

There has not been much traffic on this site lately, but that does not mean there hasn't been that much going on in the world of Philadelphia (and national) sports

The Eagles begin their long road back to respectability tonight, facing the Oakland Raiders in a meaningless 5 hour crap fest called the Hall of Fame game, one of 5 boring scrimmages the squad will partake in this summer. In Eagles camp, McNabb is a book critic, Mr. Glass (Buckwalter) is hurt yet again, some guy drives around with a gun because he still thinks he is in Texass, and Pinkston is soft. Also, here is another reason to hate the refs.

Chase Utleys hitting streak was stopped after 35 games, but his streak of moistening the panties of Northeast Philly chicks continues unabated. Phils did win 4 in a row until they blew the game yesterday with poor fielding. Apparently the Phillies are still in wildcard contention, which means that the Nationall League sucks. And who will Howard Eskin bash now that Bobby Abreau has left town?

Sixers may or may not be for sale. Pat Croce feels great, and is lining up investors as we speak, of course after first divesting himself of a certian pirate themed North Philadelphia slots parlor.

Michael Handzus was traded to Chicago for Kyle Calder. I like Handzus, but this is an acceptable trade, provided Richards and Carter continue to develop. More importantly, it's just 2 months till NHL action.

Floyd Landis' super Shoo Fly pie that got him back into the Tour de France may have had some unnatural ingredients Poppa Strohman would be so disappointed.

Please comment below.

McNabb could learn a thing or two

From the hot dog gluttony contest:

"When the hot dog came up, and some of it came out his nose, Kobayashi sucked it back down. To me, that's the testament of a champion and great athlete."

Ok, back to snoozing through the summer. Wake me when the Eagles start playing for real, Clarke signs someone other than Randy Robitaille, Lars Jonsson, or Nolan Baumgartner (who might actually be good though), or when the Phanatic starts using his ATV to do hot dog cannon drive-bys on Philadelphia cops.

Flyers

Flyers picked up two guys who were playing overseas. Marty Murray and Brad Tapper. Murray played with the Flyers before. He sort of did nothing, which is why you don't remember him. Here is Tapper in action.

Flyers draft

It seems the Flyers have made an attempt to adapt to "The New NHL™", at least in the NHL entry draft that took place this weekend. Here were their picks:

R1/22 Claude Giroux (RW)
R2/39 Andreas Nodl (RW)
R2/42 Michael Ratchuk (D)
R2/55 Denis Bodrov (D)
R3/79 Jonathan Matsumoto (C)
R4/101 Joonas Lehtivuori (D)
R4/109 Jakub Kovar (G)
R5/145 Jonathan Rheault (RW)
R6/175 Michael Dupont (G)
R7/205 Andrei Popov (RW)

Giroux is supposed to be another Doug Gilmore or Scott Gomez. All these guys are small and fast, with the exception of Rheault and Dupar/Kovar (goalies). A lot of these guys are European too. Lehtivuori is 5-11, 167lb. And he plays defense! I doubt any of these guys will have an immediate impact on the club (like Carter or Richards), most are in college and are years away from the NHL. No goons drafted but I hope that some will be invited to camp as unsigned free agents. More Analysis here.

Anyone else sickened?

Or at least bitter? Last night the Miami Heat won a championship. They became a franchise in 1988. The Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup. They stole their team from Hartford in 1997 and 9 years later, championship. In 2004 the Stanley Cup winner was the Tampa Bay Lightning -- they started playing in 1992. We also have the Dallass Stars winning the Cup 6 years after moving from Minnesota and the Colorado Avalanche winning 2, the first one during their first season in Denver.

In baseball the Florida Marlins have won 2 World Series, the first 4 years after they started. Also the Arizona Diamondbacks won one 3 years after they started. And lastly the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl (in what was probably the worst one ever) 5 years after they stole their team from Cleveland.

Philadelphia hasn't won anything in 23 years.

Random

The Phillies are continuing to stumble along, typically mediocre with their usual needs for consistent starting pitching and hits with runners in scoring position. So far it's pretty much a rerun of the last couple of seasons but with just a little more hope thanks to Utley and Howard.

When Greg Lewis starts a media boycott in response to WIP calling him Mr. Softee, doesn't that just prove them right?

Why do local sportscasters like Beasley Reese think Hartford is happy about the success of the Hurricanes? Hartford hates them like Cleveland hates the Ravens and Baltimore hates Indianapolis.

How Philadelphia was it when Oilers goalie Dwayne Roloson, the guy that carried them into the playoffs and into the finals, got hurt for the series in the last minute of game 1 which was then lost when his backup misplayed the puck? It figures, I wanted them to win.

It's hard to want a Dallass team to win anything but I like Mark Cuban and his ref hating ways but even more important is I hate Shat.

Germany should win the World Cup. It seems the host country steps up and wins it all in this thing more often than not. I will be rooting for the USA of course and against England. For some reason I hate them. I'd enjoy watching soccer alot more if the players didn't fake injuries constantly. Every little bit of contact illicits dramatic flailings and grimaces and pathetic paroxysms of pretend pain. Darcy Tucker I'm sure is a huge soccer fan.

I have found the Eagles their short yardage back

Who? 76 year old Pat Robertson. Apparently he's been drinking an energy shake that allows him to leg press 2000 pounds. With that strength he could easily bulldoze any team's front four + 2 linebackers backwards a couple yards. Now it's just up to the Eagles to make him an offer.

Open thread

Discuss the Phillies recent good play, A-Row plowing himself into the wall (not as impressive as I was led to believe but funnier than I was led to believe), the Eagles mini-camp, the Forsberg double surgeries and coming half season absence, all the other Flyers surgeries, or even the must win game for the Soul.

Let's go Phils

I watched the majority of a Phillies game on TV for the first time in over a decade and what I saw I actually liked. The Phillies, led by Utley and Howard, actually responded to the situation. Instead of meekly playing their role as the Washington Generals to Barry Bonds' Homerun Parade, they stepped up and played with an attitude and crushed the Giants with a homerun parade of their own. What was disappointing though was Bonds first at bat where the boos were pretty anemic. As the game progressed the fans stepped up their game but still didn't deliver what I was expecting. Maybe tonight they can redeem themselves.

And what's up with these Bonds fans they were showing on TV? Are they aware this guy is a cheating scumbag that has made a mockery of the integrity of baseball's records? Are they aware that he has shown that the league doesn't care, is corrupt and feckless to the core, and that all they really care about is selling tickets? Are they aware that he's made baseball a cheater coddling laughingstock?

What also amused me during the game and exemplifies why I don't really like baseball, were the injuries Moises Alou and Pat Burrell suffered. Alou seemed to break his ankle running after a foul ball as he was unable to negotiate the treacherous transition from grass to dirt. The next inning Burrell, in a sad sliding effort to take out the shortstop on a double play ball, came up way short, came up lame, and left the game. Meanwhile on OLN, Ottawa's Redden was crosschecking Buffalo's Gaustad in the face. Gaustad didn't miss a shift.

I also have a question since I don't watch the Phillies much, what's this guy Floyd's deal? To me he seems to be doing great with a really good curve or breaking ball but then just totally serves up one that goes out of the park. He just loses his concentration for a stretch. And after a homerun ball he is clearly effected as the next guy up gets a hit on the next pitch. Is it he's just young and will get better with more experience and patience or does he suck?

And lastly, take Barbaro in the Derby. Don't take Therien's horse.

The worst?

Listening to WIP, people are calling this the worst defeat. To me, the worst was only scoring 2 goals in the first round vs. Ottawa in 2002 and then publicly blaming it all on the Barber and Cechmanek. Do you know the Flyers were a 2 playing a 7 and the Ottawa goalie was Patrick Lalime? They had a "stacked" team and a high payroll and went out in the first round again. I still can't believe they won a game, 1-0. (Can you name who scored that goal?) After that series my Flyers fandom was never the same. They took something out of me that I haven't gotten back. Some returned during the run they made in 2004 but not all. Maybe this series is having the same effect on people today.

I was completely proud to be a Flyers fan in the 80s. I was completely proud to be an Eagles fan in the 90s with their great defense. The modern versions of these teams I will be a fan of and root for and want to win just as badly but there is just something missing. Both versions lose and come up short, but today's teams embarrass me in defeat instead of make me proud in defeat. Instead of scratching and clawing till the end they give up, instead of playing with heart and passion they lay down and die, instead of overachieving and exceeding expectations they continually underachieve and disappoint (with the 2004 Flyers the exception). Today's teams come up pathetically small and go out like suckers

every

single

time.

Predictable, but totally pathetic nonetheless

Knuble had to score. Hatcher had to score. Savage had to score. They didn't, Buffalo did and the game was over. That makes 90 combined seasons of failure.

The following players were good in the series:
Esche
Forsberg (-4 tonight though)

The following player was ok, sorta:
Gagne

The following players came up extra small in the series but can stay:
Pitkanen
Carter
Richards
Knuble
Meyer
Radovojevic
Kapanen
Handzus - possible injury dispensation
Umberger - injury dispensation

The following players must go:
Desjardins
Hatcher
Nedved
Rathje - I don't care if he was injured
Savage
Stevenson - even though he didn't play

Great, 4 months of Philadelphia sports desolation. Let's go Phils!

Draft aftermath

No one really knows how this years draft will pan out but... If their picks play as advertised they did great. They got a guy at 14 that was supposed to be long gone, in the second round they got a guy that was supposed to be picked in the first round, in the third round they picked a guy from 1-AA that may be something special but probably will only play special teams, and in the 4th round they got an offensive guard that also was supposedly highly rated but inexplicably dropped down the board. Who knows about the rest. So either the Eagles got really lucky with guys falling in their lap or all the other teams know something that they dont.

Here's what some of the "experts" think:
USA Today - Eagles 4 out of 4 stars.
About.com - Eagles ranked #1
CBS Sportsline - A+
Fox Sports - a C?
NFL.com - 5th best.

Want to know how the Eagles did it? Haven't had enough? Scouting the 2007 draft.