Flyers trade one underachiever for another

At the NHL draft the Flyers traded 2007's #2 overall draft pick, James van Riemsdyk for 2008's #5 overall draft pick Luke Schenn. Both players entered the league to great expectations, but despite showing some flashes of truly great play, both players have never lived up to their hype. The Flyers are mostly addressing need with the trade- the team's talent is deep at forward, but Philadelphia's lack of defenseman, and especially physical defenseman, hindered the team last year.

Most experts are surprised by the deal, valuing van Riemsdyk more highly, and praising Toronto GM Brian Burke for executing the deal. However JVR just came off an injury plagued season (he still may have to undergo surgery) and that is enough to have lowered his perceived value. While this is not one of Paul Holmgren's highway robbery deals like the Foresberg trade, this is a good trade for the Flyers who pick up the physical defenseman they need. Here is what the Flyers are hoping to get with Luke Schenn:

Phrauds drop 2 of 3 to Baltimore

The Phillies lost two of three games in Baltimore, with both losses coming in extra innings. The Phillies did this because they suck, because their offense sucks and Joe Blanton pitches every 5th game. But mostly just because their offense is pathetic, like when their best player, Carols Ruiz, leaves 8 men stranded on base, and it would have been 9 if Juan Pierre did not come home on a wild pitch. The offense was the reason they lost to St. Louis in the playoffs, and it’s the reason they are under .500 this season. The offense will suck regardless of who plays, so ignore the fans and pundits waiting like members of a cargo cult for Utley and Howard to return. The front office made many mistakes this off season, and now the fans are paying for them.

The front office somehow translated the playoff failure into a need for a better closer, and went out and spent a ton of money on Jonathan Papelbon instead of spending that money on another batter. Now Papple Bum can save the 30 or so opportunities he will get this year, while also blowing all the tied games he enters.

The front office thought Howard would be back by now. An Achilles injury is going to take a year to heal. That’s the 100% scenario and anything else is gravy. I like Ryan Howard and I think he is a good ball player, but he is not someone who I would say is in great shape and likely to come back from an injury sooner rather than later. The Phillies should have planned for this. Instead Hunter Pence is forced into a role in which he is awful because the back up plan was to bring in 40 something Jim Thome who cannot play the field and therefore cannot bat regularly in the real baseball they play in the National League.

The front office’s failure to see the decline in player production and address it was weak. Yeah, Utley or Utley’s injury screwed the team (depending on your feelings about his disclosure of the injury), but Chase was already a rapidly declining player who could no longer hit for power. Injury prone Palanco was also declining by the day. At least the Phillies did not award these dudes a huge 3 year contract like they did Jimmy Rollins who’s awesome .240 batting average and habitual first pitch swinging is the antithesis of a lead off man.

The front office’s singular success was signing Juan Pierre. This is not good enough to compete for the World Series, or even the East crown when every other division team but the bankrupt Mets got better on paper during the off season, and, when play began, all the teams ARE improved, including somehow, the Mets.

Charlie Manuel lost the series to the St. Louis because he was waiting for a 3 run homer that never came and was never going to come. But I will give Manuel credit as he has changed up his managing style this year and actually attempted to manufacture runs with sacrifices and steals and the like. But the players betray him when they cannot score a man from third with less than two outs.

The Phillies will trail the division leader by double digits at the all star break and no amount of quality starts from Lee, Hamels and Holiday is going to overcome the deficit.

Igcredible

Here were my texts starting midway in the third:

• If Sixers could box out they'd be up by 30.
• Sixers blowing it.
• Sixers suck.
• Sixers awful. Total shit.
• Totally choking now.
• Sixers will be booed off the court when they lose this game.
• Miracle!

Check out this stat: Sixers were crushed on the boards, 56 to 33. The Sixers only had FIVE second chance points, the first coming with 8 minutes left in the game, and the Bulls had 29 second chance points. 56 is the most rebounds ever allowed by the Sixers in a playoff game. Their shooting in the second half was brutal but yet somehow they still won the game.

The Sixers were assisted in the win by the Bulls who were stupid enough to pass it to Omer Asik when they were trying to run out the last ticks on the clock. The Sixers immediately fouled Asik and he immediately bricked 2 free throws. Iguodala got the rebound and took it right at him at the other end and drew a foul. Iguodala MIRACULOUSLY drained 2 huge, clutch free throws with 2.2 seconds left for the 79-78 win.

So the Sixers clinched the series thanks to Andre Iguodala's late game free throw shooting. Exactly what he's know for, right? (33% shooting from the line in the final 3 minutes of games) And the Sixers actually won 3 of this series' games by single digits. Exactly what they're known for right? In the regular season the Sixers were 2 and 25 when they were behind entering the 4th quarter, but versus the Bulls they were 2 for 2.

On to hated Boston.

There's always next year x 100

Flyers had more talent, had the "better" coach, blah blah blah. Yet once again they were easily disposed of by a team that played better as a team. The Devils outworked, outplayed, and outsmarted the Flyers in all but 2 periods in 5 games.

There are too many players to blame for this dismal showing so I'll just say everyone from the coach down to the players watching in the pressbox is to blame. You may have other ideas in the comments.

Flyers play like chumps, Lose to Devils, 4-2

Game 4 was pretty much the same story as game 3: The Flyers were forechecked into oblivion, turned the puck over about a hundred times, spent most of the game bottled up in their own end, and were doubled up in shots. Thanks mostly to an outstanding effort by Bryzgalov, the game remained tied until late in the second when Zubrus scored after Henrique won yet another battle for the puck in the corner. In the third period, Zubrus added an empty net goal to seal the victory. He also took a cheap headshot from Claude Giroux at the end of the second period, a possible suspension worthy offense.

It is hard to pinpoint any real goats when all Flyers skaters were completely dominated, but Grossman, Jagr and Simmonds had especially poor games. Like us fans, Laviolette could only yell and scream in frustration at the team. His go to tactic of calling a "crucial" time out was ineffective for the third straight game.

Flyers lose again

Flyers have more talent, Devils have the better team. Oh well.

I don't feel like writing a recap.

Sixers win!

The Chicago Bulls played a third quarter like the Flyers played the second and third periods and got outscored 36-14. Pretty impressive Sixers. Of the starters, Holiday and Turner did the majority of the damage with Williams being great off the bench and Allen chipping in with a lot of quality minutes. So with the 109-92 win, the Sixers even the series with the Derrick Rose-less Bulls.

At least someone had a good night. (The Phillies also beat the Braves 4-2, but it ain't the playoffs...)

Terrible

How can a team go from looking like world beaters to looking like the Toronto Maple Leafs in the span of 2 days? And the ironic part of this horrible effort is that Bryzgalov played great. If not for him it would have been another 10 goals against game.

The Flyers for a change came out on fire and scored early thanks to a bad angle shot by Read. Briere put another off the crossbar and the Flyers had several other good chance. After one period the Flyers were up 1-0, but they still were really sloppy and gave up a lot of good chances to the Devils.

The second was brutal the entire period except for Bryzgalov. The Flyers only 2 shots of the ENTIRE period came in the final minute. The majority of the period was played in the Flyers end. Absolutely pathetic. The second intermission did nothing to change things and it was only a matter of time before the Devils scored. And then they deservedly scored another, and then another. And then an empty net goal to make the final 4-1. The Flyers did nothing in response.

The Devils dominated the final 2 periods and deserved to win the game by 8 to 1 or more. Seemed like the Flyers thought they'd just have to show up (just like they thought in game 4 vs. the Penguins) and they'd just waltz to victory. Doesn't anybody ever learn?

Flyers take game 1

Flyers had a slow start as usual, but this time it was really slow. For the entire first period the Flyers were terrible and were being beaten in every aspect of the game - faceoffs, board battles, races to the puck, etc. Fortunately Bryzgalov made some pretty good saves (when he wasn't mishandling the puck and giving it away) and the Flyers only trailed 1-0.

In the second the Flyers started to warm up. Voracek made an incredible pass to Briere to send him in on a a breakaway which he casually flipped past a flopping Brodeur and the Flyers had momentum. Brodeur than made a bonehead giveaway, dove back in net for a miracle save on Gustafsson, but then wasn't so lucky on JVRs rebound bullet that popped the water bottle. Flyers were rolling - for awhile. The ref called a phantom hold on Carle that even the announcers had to criticize and the Devils capitalized thanks to some slow, sloppy play and bad Bryzgalov goaltending. At the end of 2 the Flyers had taken control of the game but were tied 2-2.

In the third the Flyers power play woke up and Giroux blazed a one-time slap shot to the top of the net. The Flyers continued to dominate and control the game but Sievgalov made another appearance. Petr Sykora, who is 1,000 years old and who hasn't scored a playoff goal in 4 years, skated in on a breakaway - not down the middle of the ice, but over to the side - and "unleashed" a pass more than a shot at Bryzgalov that trickled through the 5 hole again. In fact, if the puck hadn't hit the inside of Bryzgalov's right pad the shot would have gone wide. Pathetic. Devils had 2 scoring chances since the first period and scored on both of them and managed to take the game to overtime.

Overtime was totally dominated by the Flyers. Devils had 1 scary flurry thanks to Bryzgalov appearing totally spooked and unconfident, but luckily the puck did not take a crazy bounce into the net, but it had a chance. Briere kicked a puck in that was disallowed and then a minute later blasted it in from above the circle thanks to a great screen by JVR and set up from Voracek for a 4-3 victory.

Other notes:

• As the game wore on, Flyers played better and better.
• As the game wore on, JVR got stronger and stronger.
• As the game wore on, Bryzgalov looked shakier and shakier.
• Coburn played really good - do you think he was missing the net on purpose with all those point shots though?
• Simmonds looks to be more a factor.
• Jagr did not look all that good to me and played with the puck too much instead of doing something with it.
• I thought Brodeur had won the game with that save on Hartnell in OT. You know, great save at one end and then a goal at the other...
• The new line of Briere, JVR and Voracek appears to be a masterstroke after 1 game.
• I hate Eliass.

Eagles move up to grab Cox

The Eagles were aggressive once again during the draft and traded up to 12 in order to get Fletcher Cox, a 6'-4" 298 pound defensive tackle from Mississippi State. Many beat writers and radio hosts predicted this pick as it was unfolding because the Eagles let it be known that they loved Cox. The fans also seem happy with the pick for a change. Some comments regarding his play:

"He's quick hitting the hole and quick penetrating... Good push up the middle and has great tools. 'Total package.'"

Ray Didinger considers him to be the best defensive lineman in the draft.

More to come as the draft progresses.

Finished them

Sigh

After the Flyers become the 5th team in history to blow a 3-0 series lead, I won't delude myself that they will win the Cup the next year to wipe away the disgust and bitterness.

Hope the Eagles draft someone good on Thursday.

Pathetic

Being a long time Philadelphia sports fan I could feel this one coming in my old bones. Fans were extremely overconfident just like they were before other disasters. And the lame and poorly executed Daily News cowardly penguin cover along with the Flyers free t-shirt giveaway that singled out Crosby for ridicule instead of touting the Flyers orange crushedness or something were also reliable indicators that something really bad was going to happen. Most thought and acted like the series was over. Don't you people remember you live and root for Philadelphia teams?

And the team played like they thought it was over too.

The Giroux goal was the first time the Flyers scored first in the series and it was the Duce Staley TD vs. Tampa Bay all over again. We won! Let the celebration begin!

When the game finally ended the Flyers were annihilated and embarrassed 10-3 and didn't score in the 2nd or 3rd periods. And it wasn't just a terrible loss with a terrible effort, terrible goaltending and terrible defense. It was a game that gave the Penguins life, confidence, momentum and also allowed them to right themselves. By the end Fleury could make a save again and Malkin was no longer missing the net. This series is going 7 as most originally predicted and the Flyers will probably blow 4 straight games. The goaltending is not going to improve. The sucky Sievegalov is back and he can't move post to post.

Also, the refs suck for calls on both teams.

3-0 vs gutless Penguins

The old sports cliche of teams taking their cues from their captain appears to be very true for the Pittsburgh Penguins. A tweet by @FlyGoalScoredBy summed up today's game:

Gutless Rankings:

1. James Neal
2. Byslma
3. Asham
4. Crosby
5. Person who was born without guts

But strangely I was not that irate by all the penguins punk moves because the Flyers were again crushing them on the scoreboard by putting up another 8 goals. Fleury and his ridiculous soul patch has been absolutely terrible and the main reason the Flyers are up 3-0 in the series. His lowlights include a Bugs Bunny backhand by Talbot that was probably the worst goal I've seen allowed since Dempsy scored vs. England during the World Cup. The effort vs. Read was bad and the goal by Simmonds that everyone in the building knew was going to be a shift to the backhand finally put him on the bench.

At the other end of the ice though, Sievegalov has made his return. Bryz let in goals that in my view were all imminently stoppable. The first allowed was awful and the fourth even worse. The Neal goals in between were shots through gaping 5 holes. The best sign though was the Flyers did shut out the Penguins in the third.

Let's see now if the NHL hands out any suspensions. Asham is probably guaranteed, but probably not for Neal despite his late, interfering, leaving his feet hit on Couturier and his head hunting hit on Giroux a minute later because that's how the NHL rolls.

Flyers need to end this series on Wednesday.

Imagine if the Flyers played all 3 periods

Flyers had the usual pathetic first period (which never fails to anger me), but they fought back from 3-0, got some big breaks and prevailed in OT, 4-3, on one of the weakest efforts by an opponent you'll ever see. Nice play Letang!

And nothing is more satisfying than seeing Crosby's pouty, crybaby face at the end of the game. Because he sucks.

Holmgren's trades are looking better and better...