Yesterday Philadelphia Eagles fans had the privilege, errr, duty to root for three teams that we normally would have ignored or hated. The Oakland Raiders needed to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to help the Eagles pave the way to earn a playoff berth, which they did (sorry once again Tampa Bay!). Then we needed either the Houston Texans to beat the Chicago Bears (which indeed happened), or the New York Giants-- yes, the Eagles' bitter rivals-- to take down the Minnesota Vikings, which they didn't, but no matter.
The stage was set for the Eagles to have a chance at making the playoffs with a win against the Dallas Cowboys. And the rest is history.
But when, if ever, has the Philly fan had to root for three disparate teams to pull out wins like that? It could prove that yesterday was one of the weirdest and most historical days in Philly sports history. This will especially prove true if the Birds wind up winning the Super Bowl. But let's just root for a first round win by our boys in green before we think that far ahead...
Monday, December 29, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Phillies and the Hall: Not This Year, Not Even for a While... PART II
Around this time last year, I noted in this post about how the Phils were lacking in the Hall of Fame department as a result of the dreary teams of the late 80s and 90s.
Guess what.
The drought continues.
Last year the only player on the ballot who even wore Phillies pinstripes at some point in time was the GIDP-master Dale Murphy. An incredible hitter in his heyday, by the time he played in Philly, he was a shell of the player he once was. But he's still a borderline Cooperstown candidate simply because of his solid body of work from earlier in his career.
Besides Murphy, two more players wore Phils pinstripes at the tail end of their careers and now are on the HOF ballot: outfielder Ron Gant (like Murphy, another longtime Brave) and pitcher Dan Plesac.
To give you an idea of how long these three former stars donned Phils laundry versus how long they played in the MLB, the three of these players combined to play a total of 497 games as Phillies out of a total of 5076 games during their collective careers. That's about 9.7% of their careers played here. At the tail end, no less.
So the moral of the story, I reckon, is if you want to have a good career but not quite good enough to make the Hall of Fame, finish up your career in Philly. Or something like that.
Now, in order to give us Phils fans something to root for during the off-season, we must find a way to convince the baseball writers to get Desi Relaford on the ballot...
Guess what.
The drought continues.
Last year the only player on the ballot who even wore Phillies pinstripes at some point in time was the GIDP-master Dale Murphy. An incredible hitter in his heyday, by the time he played in Philly, he was a shell of the player he once was. But he's still a borderline Cooperstown candidate simply because of his solid body of work from earlier in his career.
Besides Murphy, two more players wore Phils pinstripes at the tail end of their careers and now are on the HOF ballot: outfielder Ron Gant (like Murphy, another longtime Brave) and pitcher Dan Plesac.
To give you an idea of how long these three former stars donned Phils laundry versus how long they played in the MLB, the three of these players combined to play a total of 497 games as Phillies out of a total of 5076 games during their collective careers. That's about 9.7% of their careers played here. At the tail end, no less.
So the moral of the story, I reckon, is if you want to have a good career but not quite good enough to make the Hall of Fame, finish up your career in Philly. Or something like that.
Now, in order to give us Phils fans something to root for during the off-season, we must find a way to convince the baseball writers to get Desi Relaford on the ballot...
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Mo Cheeks is Gone, Back to the Merry Go Round
The NBA is one big circus of coaches. I'm not sure what the mentality is with general managers, but it seems like once a month of every season there's another NBA coach getting fired. Maurice Cheeks, in his fourth season with the Sixers, was let go this weekend by the Sixers after his team just never took things to the next level as hoped, and in fact have gone through a slump in recent weeks. Now another coach will lead the team (temporarily it will be Tony DiLeo) until he proves that he cannot take the team to the next level, and so on and so forth. (Sorry to be negative Tony, even after winning today, but let's face facts, you're already on the hot seat, just like every other coach...). All in all, this is the fifth firing of the year in the NBA. In other words, don't get too comfy on your folding chair if you run a pro basketball team.
The NBA's internal job opening department must go through reams of paper to keep up to date with all of the new job postings, and each team's HR department must be scrambling to keep up with all of the interviews, personnel info, and health insurance plans with so many changes. Interestingly, it always seems to be the same coaches getting circulated amongst the teams. To a certain extent that's true in every sport, but seemingly more so in basketball. The Sixers are a perfect example, having had 6 different coaches in the last ten years and 12 different coaches in 20 years. That's a far cry from the Utah Jazz, where Jerry Sloan has reigned for the entire time in that span. But unfortunately, more teams are like the Sixers in this regard than the Jazz.
At any rate, best of luck to Mo Cheeks in whatever he does, and hopefully Tony DiLeo proves himself worthy enough to hang around for a while. Ultimately, as the saying goes, you can't fire the players, you fire the coaches, so we'll see how that old motto plays out. And we'll see how DiLeo's term plays out...
The NBA's internal job opening department must go through reams of paper to keep up to date with all of the new job postings, and each team's HR department must be scrambling to keep up with all of the interviews, personnel info, and health insurance plans with so many changes. Interestingly, it always seems to be the same coaches getting circulated amongst the teams. To a certain extent that's true in every sport, but seemingly more so in basketball. The Sixers are a perfect example, having had 6 different coaches in the last ten years and 12 different coaches in 20 years. That's a far cry from the Utah Jazz, where Jerry Sloan has reigned for the entire time in that span. But unfortunately, more teams are like the Sixers in this regard than the Jazz.
At any rate, best of luck to Mo Cheeks in whatever he does, and hopefully Tony DiLeo proves himself worthy enough to hang around for a while. Ultimately, as the saying goes, you can't fire the players, you fire the coaches, so we'll see how that old motto plays out. And we'll see how DiLeo's term plays out...
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Christmas Comes Early in Philly
Budget cuts are never something you want to hear, especially during times of need as many people find themselves in now. Unfortunately, Mayor Michael Nutter made the decision to cut various programs in Philadelphia's budget due to a major deficit. Some of those programs include libraries, swimming pools, and hockey rinks, all of which are places that help keep kids off the streets and actively engaged in hands-on activities.
Fortunately, however, Christmas has come early, as the Philadelphia Flyers' owner Ed Snider has announced that his Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation will pick up the tab to keep three Philly hockey rinks open for the public to enjoy. This is a classy move that will help many kids and families, and save the city $150,000 annually. It's also very fitting since the people that helped Snider make his fortune will now benefit from his generosity. Well played Ed!
Fortunately, however, Christmas has come early, as the Philadelphia Flyers' owner Ed Snider has announced that his Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation will pick up the tab to keep three Philly hockey rinks open for the public to enjoy. This is a classy move that will help many kids and families, and save the city $150,000 annually. It's also very fitting since the people that helped Snider make his fortune will now benefit from his generosity. Well played Ed!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
NBA Basketball: Yawn
I don't know. Maybe it's me. But I just can't seem to find much room for NBA basketball in my life.
I ventured to the Sixers game tonight with 3 friends. Free tickets, great seats, Sixers had a blow out win over Oklahoma City (who??). But the most memorable part turned out to be listening to my friend get excited over Matt Cord's echo effects on the PA system. This enthrallment led to endless imitations of said echo by using a plastic drinking cup and saying stupid words and sentences and ending them all with a fake echo. Oh yeah, that and seeing the Camden High School band win the evening's battle of the bands contest. In other words, the game was quite boring.
Unfortunately the NBA just doesn't have that spark like it once did, at least in my eyes. Maybe I got spoiled watching Jordan, Magic, Barkley, Bird, and players from that era who seemed to have a lot of personality, skills and heart. Or maybe it's just that it's the same old highlights over and over... dunks, blocked shots, and three pointers. It's not like football where there are so many possibilities of what will happen on any given play, or like baseball where there are countless intricate strategies going on at any moment, or even soccer where the players essentially do the same basic things as basketball players do but do it using their feet instead.
Not only that but every single second at the game there's some incessant music playing, promotion being announced, ad flashing all over the place or other unnecessary distraction going on. There really wasn't much noise at the half-empty Wachovia Center other than when there was music trying to pump people up or a few pep squad wannabes banging on boards trying to make noise. Just doesn't feel genuine to me, not to mention the fact that you can't even talk to your friends because the music's so loud.
Well, what can I say, I'm not much of an NBA fan. But at least college basketball is starting...
I ventured to the Sixers game tonight with 3 friends. Free tickets, great seats, Sixers had a blow out win over Oklahoma City (who??). But the most memorable part turned out to be listening to my friend get excited over Matt Cord's echo effects on the PA system. This enthrallment led to endless imitations of said echo by using a plastic drinking cup and saying stupid words and sentences and ending them all with a fake echo. Oh yeah, that and seeing the Camden High School band win the evening's battle of the bands contest. In other words, the game was quite boring.
Unfortunately the NBA just doesn't have that spark like it once did, at least in my eyes. Maybe I got spoiled watching Jordan, Magic, Barkley, Bird, and players from that era who seemed to have a lot of personality, skills and heart. Or maybe it's just that it's the same old highlights over and over... dunks, blocked shots, and three pointers. It's not like football where there are so many possibilities of what will happen on any given play, or like baseball where there are countless intricate strategies going on at any moment, or even soccer where the players essentially do the same basic things as basketball players do but do it using their feet instead.
Not only that but every single second at the game there's some incessant music playing, promotion being announced, ad flashing all over the place or other unnecessary distraction going on. There really wasn't much noise at the half-empty Wachovia Center other than when there was music trying to pump people up or a few pep squad wannabes banging on boards trying to make noise. Just doesn't feel genuine to me, not to mention the fact that you can't even talk to your friends because the music's so loud.
Well, what can I say, I'm not much of an NBA fan. But at least college basketball is starting...
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Quite Amazing...
World Series Champs! Amazing!
This has been quite a climb for a team that wallowed in obscurity in the late 90s and suffered frustrating underachievement in the 2000s. Fortunately that's all behind us now and we can celebrate the Phils' big victory in the WORLD SERIES.
Perhaps most amazing is to take a look at the individuals on this team. Considering all of the following backgrounds, whoda thunk we'd win it all?
-Cole Hamels: a long-time rising star who, in 2005 broke his hand in a bar fight, is now World Series MVP and a candidate for Cy Young award
-Ryan Howard: the all time leader with the most strikeouts in a season, is also the 2006 MVP and a candidate for winning that award again this year
-Pat Burrell: booed heavily for years for not living up to expectations of being a #1 pick, won the World Series on a monstrous double
-JC Romero: the eventual 2007 World Series champions Boston Red Sox cut him, and now he is an ace setup man
-Carlos Ruiz: could barely buy a hit during the regular season, all of the sudden turns out to be one of the most productive offensive players in the World Series
-Jamie Moyer: we all know the drill... 45 and still pitching, say no more
-Matt Stairs: was basically ignored when the Phillies picked him up at the trade deadline, wound up having one massive home run that may have turned the momentum in Philly's favor for the rest of the World Series
-Brett Myers: involved in an assault case for beating up his girlfriend, a couple years ago, and then this year struggled to throw a strike in the beginning of the season, was subsequently sent down to the minors, and then came back with a vengeance for much of the season, and performed admirably in the playoffs (particularly with the bat in hand!)
-Joe Blanton: people yawned when the Phillies got him before the trade deadline because his last name wasn't "Sabathia", but guess what? Blanton more than held his own and even socked a home run in the World Series
-Shane Victorino: picked up by the Phillies from the Dodgers from the Rule 5 draft; Philly tried to give him back, LA didn't want him, and he wound up being an incredible force in the Phils lineup many times this season
-Charlie Manuel: the ultimate underdog... ragged on by fans for being a country bumpkin, he's now the toast of the town. I can't say I've always been in favor of him, but at long last he pulled it together and led the Phils to the Holy Land
And I could probably go on, but hey, you get the drill! This was a team that surprised me and surprised a lot of other teams out there. Congrats to the 2008 Phillies for proving that the past is past and a World Series ring can erase all of those memories! (Except on stupid blogs like this one!)
This has been quite a climb for a team that wallowed in obscurity in the late 90s and suffered frustrating underachievement in the 2000s. Fortunately that's all behind us now and we can celebrate the Phils' big victory in the WORLD SERIES.
Perhaps most amazing is to take a look at the individuals on this team. Considering all of the following backgrounds, whoda thunk we'd win it all?
-Cole Hamels: a long-time rising star who, in 2005 broke his hand in a bar fight, is now World Series MVP and a candidate for Cy Young award
-Ryan Howard: the all time leader with the most strikeouts in a season, is also the 2006 MVP and a candidate for winning that award again this year
-Pat Burrell: booed heavily for years for not living up to expectations of being a #1 pick, won the World Series on a monstrous double
-JC Romero: the eventual 2007 World Series champions Boston Red Sox cut him, and now he is an ace setup man
-Carlos Ruiz: could barely buy a hit during the regular season, all of the sudden turns out to be one of the most productive offensive players in the World Series
-Jamie Moyer: we all know the drill... 45 and still pitching, say no more
-Matt Stairs: was basically ignored when the Phillies picked him up at the trade deadline, wound up having one massive home run that may have turned the momentum in Philly's favor for the rest of the World Series
-Brett Myers: involved in an assault case for beating up his girlfriend, a couple years ago, and then this year struggled to throw a strike in the beginning of the season, was subsequently sent down to the minors, and then came back with a vengeance for much of the season, and performed admirably in the playoffs (particularly with the bat in hand!)
-Joe Blanton: people yawned when the Phillies got him before the trade deadline because his last name wasn't "Sabathia", but guess what? Blanton more than held his own and even socked a home run in the World Series
-Shane Victorino: picked up by the Phillies from the Dodgers from the Rule 5 draft; Philly tried to give him back, LA didn't want him, and he wound up being an incredible force in the Phils lineup many times this season
-Charlie Manuel: the ultimate underdog... ragged on by fans for being a country bumpkin, he's now the toast of the town. I can't say I've always been in favor of him, but at long last he pulled it together and led the Phils to the Holy Land
And I could probably go on, but hey, you get the drill! This was a team that surprised me and surprised a lot of other teams out there. Congrats to the 2008 Phillies for proving that the past is past and a World Series ring can erase all of those memories! (Except on stupid blogs like this one!)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Ahh, How Far We've Come
Ok, so the Phils have a leg up on winning the 2008 World Series as they are just one game from winning it all (wow-- is this for real???). Just think about how far this team has come from just a few years ago. And just think about how far this team has come from the mid-1980s when it was a perennial basement dweller.
Now, watch this clip and you'll see how far this team has come since 1986 in so many ways. As a marketer by trade, it kind of hurts to watch this series of commercials from the 1986 Philadelphia Phillies, because they're just so bad. Yet I couldn't take my eyes off of it...
So, without further ado...
The 1986 Philadelphia Phillies "It Only Happens When You're Here" commercials...
Now, watch this clip and you'll see how far this team has come since 1986 in so many ways. As a marketer by trade, it kind of hurts to watch this series of commercials from the 1986 Philadelphia Phillies, because they're just so bad. Yet I couldn't take my eyes off of it...
So, without further ado...
The 1986 Philadelphia Phillies "It Only Happens When You're Here" commercials...
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Sarah Palin Hockey Jinx
(Editor's Note: What I am about to write is merely a recap of the facts and should not be construed as a political bias in any way, shape, or form!)
My suggestion to NHL teams: DO NOT allow Republican Vice Presidential nominee and professed "hockey mom" Sarah Palin to drop the first puck at any of your upcoming home games.
Here are the facts:
-Palin dropped the first puck at the Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Rangers opening game to a mixed chorus of boos, cheers, and blaring music. Thanks to my friend Ryan for pointing out that the Flyers not only lost that game, but then remained winless over the next five games, until last night when...
-Palin dropped the first puck in St. Louis before the Blues vs. Los Angeles Kings game. The Blues, a respectable 4-2 coming into this game, got blown out 4-0.
-Meanwhile, the Flyers broke the Palin Jinx last night and beat the archrival New Jersey Devils 6-3.
-Oh, and one more thing... the Blues' goaltender, Manny Legace, tripped over the carpet laid out for Palin, and injured his hip, causing him to have to leave the game early.
It will be interesting to see if a winless streak starts for the Blues as well.
My personal suggestion: keep Palin as far away from your home ice rink as possible and let her stick to making jokes on SNL.
My suggestion to NHL teams: DO NOT allow Republican Vice Presidential nominee and professed "hockey mom" Sarah Palin to drop the first puck at any of your upcoming home games.
Here are the facts:
-Palin dropped the first puck at the Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Rangers opening game to a mixed chorus of boos, cheers, and blaring music. Thanks to my friend Ryan for pointing out that the Flyers not only lost that game, but then remained winless over the next five games, until last night when...
-Palin dropped the first puck in St. Louis before the Blues vs. Los Angeles Kings game. The Blues, a respectable 4-2 coming into this game, got blown out 4-0.
-Meanwhile, the Flyers broke the Palin Jinx last night and beat the archrival New Jersey Devils 6-3.
-Oh, and one more thing... the Blues' goaltender, Manny Legace, tripped over the carpet laid out for Palin, and injured his hip, causing him to have to leave the game early.
It will be interesting to see if a winless streak starts for the Blues as well.
My personal suggestion: keep Palin as far away from your home ice rink as possible and let her stick to making jokes on SNL.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Whatever Happened to Andy Musser?
From 1976 to 2001, Andy Musser was a mainstay of the Philadelphia Phillies broadcast team, sitting in the booth alongside the famed Harry Kalas, immortal Richie Ashburn, and the Penn State alum Chris Wheeler. During that span, Musser missed only two games, both due to laryngitis. And prior to that, he could be heard calling Eagles and Sixers games, according to baseball-reference.com. He retired from the Phils in '01 and has subsequently, seemingly disappeared.
I did some internet trolling and had a hard time finding good stuff on Musser or any real updates. But here are some things I did find:
-Check out the three calls by Musser on this 1980 Philadelphia Phillies World Series tribute page
-Unbelievably funky photo of the Phils 1980 broadcast team on the same 1980 Phillies World Series tribute site
-And unfortunately other than a few wry comments on random blogs and articles about Musser's apparent love for beer, philosophical chatter, and dry conversation during games, I didn't find much else online. Anybody else got anything to contribute???
If you're out there Andy, drop us a line and give us an update... and go Phils!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Some R and R for the Phillies
Well folks, it's World Series time, and guess what? The Philadelphia Phillies are 4 wins away from bringing home some hardware. Whoda thunkit??
Having clinched a World Series berth last week, they will have had about a week of R & R to get ready for Wednesday's Game 1 battle against the Tampa Bay ("Don't Call Me Devil") Rays. That rest and relaxation should help, and hopefully it will get them off to a hot start compared to the Rays who have ridden an emotional roller coaster of late.
But the other R & R that I felt like blogging about today was the one and only Randy Ready. Yes, you remember Randy Max Ready, the quintessential utility position player for the Phillies in 1989-1991 and then again in 1994 and 1995.
Having bounced around from team to team with six different stints from 1983-1995, Randy unfortunately wound up on some bad squads and only played in one single playoff game during his career (he struck out to Tom Henke in his only at bat, unfortunately). This playoff appearance was during his days of playing for the Oakland A's who went up against the infamous Toronto Blue Jays in the 1992 ALCS. The A's lost and the Jays went on to win the World Series, and then, as all Phillies fans know, went on to win the World Series again in 1993.
Otherwise, Ready was a pretty reliable guy to have off the bench. During his career, in fact, he played every single position except catcher, pitcher, and shortstop. He played 234 games at second base, followed by 203 at third base, and scattered his time across the field, as well as DH, throughout his career.
Another fact of note... in 1989, Ready was traded along with the quintessential '93 Phillies fan favorite, John Kruk, to the San Diego Padres for Chris James. His best season was actually in 1987 for the Padres when he hit .309 with 12 homers and 54 RBIs in 124 games. Unfortunately it was pretty much all downhill from there as his playing time steadily dropped.
Today, at age 47, Randy Ready manages the Portland Beavers, the triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. In his first season, the team finished fourth with a 70-74 record. Now for some fun facts... are you Ready for this one... Randy (whose middle name is Max) is flanked by Max Venable, hitting coach, and John Maxwell, trainer. Oh and one more doozy for ya about the Beavers: from the span of 1983 to 1987, the Beavers had four managers over five seasons, starting with John Felske (who later managed the Phils), Lee Elia (who later managed the Phils), and yes, the legendary Charlie Manuel, current manager of the Phils. Now THAT'S six degrees of baseball separation right there. Go sleep on those gems for a little bit... just make sure you wake up by Wednesday night...
Having clinched a World Series berth last week, they will have had about a week of R & R to get ready for Wednesday's Game 1 battle against the Tampa Bay ("Don't Call Me Devil") Rays. That rest and relaxation should help, and hopefully it will get them off to a hot start compared to the Rays who have ridden an emotional roller coaster of late.
But the other R & R that I felt like blogging about today was the one and only Randy Ready. Yes, you remember Randy Max Ready, the quintessential utility position player for the Phillies in 1989-1991 and then again in 1994 and 1995.
Having bounced around from team to team with six different stints from 1983-1995, Randy unfortunately wound up on some bad squads and only played in one single playoff game during his career (he struck out to Tom Henke in his only at bat, unfortunately). This playoff appearance was during his days of playing for the Oakland A's who went up against the infamous Toronto Blue Jays in the 1992 ALCS. The A's lost and the Jays went on to win the World Series, and then, as all Phillies fans know, went on to win the World Series again in 1993.
Otherwise, Ready was a pretty reliable guy to have off the bench. During his career, in fact, he played every single position except catcher, pitcher, and shortstop. He played 234 games at second base, followed by 203 at third base, and scattered his time across the field, as well as DH, throughout his career.
Another fact of note... in 1989, Ready was traded along with the quintessential '93 Phillies fan favorite, John Kruk, to the San Diego Padres for Chris James. His best season was actually in 1987 for the Padres when he hit .309 with 12 homers and 54 RBIs in 124 games. Unfortunately it was pretty much all downhill from there as his playing time steadily dropped.
Today, at age 47, Randy Ready manages the Portland Beavers, the triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. In his first season, the team finished fourth with a 70-74 record. Now for some fun facts... are you Ready for this one... Randy (whose middle name is Max) is flanked by Max Venable, hitting coach, and John Maxwell, trainer. Oh and one more doozy for ya about the Beavers: from the span of 1983 to 1987, the Beavers had four managers over five seasons, starting with John Felske (who later managed the Phils), Lee Elia (who later managed the Phils), and yes, the legendary Charlie Manuel, current manager of the Phils. Now THAT'S six degrees of baseball separation right there. Go sleep on those gems for a little bit... just make sure you wake up by Wednesday night...
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Craving Creativity in Chants and Cheers
Last night I revelled in the revelry that was reveling on the streets of Philadelphia as the Phightin' Phils wrapped up the National League Championship Series by humiliating the Los Angeles Dodgers in stunned Dodger Stadium in Chavez Ravine. It's great to see Philly fans having a good time celebrating the win and I'm glad that there were no reports of people getting hurt, doing stupid stuff, or generally misbehaving. It was a memorable night for Philly.
But I couldn't help but notice how weak we are when it comes to chanting for the team we embrace so strongly. The best that fans can come up with, be it at a game or at the intersection of Frankford and Cottman, is "Let's Go Phillies" (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap). Or "Beat L.A." And of course the ever-popular derrogatory yell of "(Fill in an opposing player's or team's name) sucks!" That's basically it. Where's the creativity?
In soccer- (football-) loving nations the world over, each team has its own distinct chants that are belted out, songs that are sung, or rhythms that are pounded out. But for some reason in Philly, like every other American city I suppose, the best we can do is three words at a time and a couple of claps on occasion.
At least in football (American football), the Eagles have a fight song, though that has gotten played out more than any MC Hammer hit ever was, likewise to the "E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!" chant.
Yes Phillies fans and Philly fans in general are passionate about their teams, but I find it hard to believe that we can't raise the bar in terms of creative chant choreographing. And come to think of it, ever since our teams left the Spectrum and Veterans Stadium, the signs have become a lot lamer and less frequent too.
My message in all this to fellow Philly fans is... keep up the intense passion for your teams, but how 'bout we scream out something new for a change?
But I couldn't help but notice how weak we are when it comes to chanting for the team we embrace so strongly. The best that fans can come up with, be it at a game or at the intersection of Frankford and Cottman, is "Let's Go Phillies" (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap). Or "Beat L.A." And of course the ever-popular derrogatory yell of "(Fill in an opposing player's or team's name) sucks!" That's basically it. Where's the creativity?
In soccer- (football-) loving nations the world over, each team has its own distinct chants that are belted out, songs that are sung, or rhythms that are pounded out. But for some reason in Philly, like every other American city I suppose, the best we can do is three words at a time and a couple of claps on occasion.
At least in football (American football), the Eagles have a fight song, though that has gotten played out more than any MC Hammer hit ever was, likewise to the "E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!" chant.
Yes Phillies fans and Philly fans in general are passionate about their teams, but I find it hard to believe that we can't raise the bar in terms of creative chant choreographing. And come to think of it, ever since our teams left the Spectrum and Veterans Stadium, the signs have become a lot lamer and less frequent too.
My message in all this to fellow Philly fans is... keep up the intense passion for your teams, but how 'bout we scream out something new for a change?
Thursday, October 9, 2008
A Thought on Home Plate Umpires
Whilst watching the Phillies lead the Dodgers in game 1 of the National League Championship Series, I had a thought about home plate umpires who are charged with the unthankful task of calling balls and strikes.
As anybody who has watched baseball can attest, the best umpires are those that can make accurate calls on balls and strikes the vast majority of the time, and do it quickly.
Well what if we gave the umps a half second extra or so to just pause and think about the pitch and make sure it was a ball or strike? During the course of a game there are dozens of pitches that will be right on the borderline, but it is expected that the ump make the call immediately after it hits the catcher's glove, causing the ump to make a judgment based on instinct rather than analysis. Would fans be willing to allow a momentary pause to think about what he just saw and make sure his initial instinct is accurate? I would think this would increase the accuracy of the calls over the course of the game.
One of the allures of baseball is the quick action the bang-bang of the ball hitting glove, umpire pumping his fist or calling a ball instantly afterwards. And perhaps the heated debates that ensue after a controversial call is made is also part of the allure of baseball. As is the catcher slinging the ball down to third base after the ump calls strike 3.
But perhaps every now and then it wouldn't be a bad thing if the ump took a quick mental pause to ensure the accuracy of the call. Just a thought.
Strike three on a swing and a miss, Phils win game 1. Who cares about the umps! Go Phils!
As anybody who has watched baseball can attest, the best umpires are those that can make accurate calls on balls and strikes the vast majority of the time, and do it quickly.
Well what if we gave the umps a half second extra or so to just pause and think about the pitch and make sure it was a ball or strike? During the course of a game there are dozens of pitches that will be right on the borderline, but it is expected that the ump make the call immediately after it hits the catcher's glove, causing the ump to make a judgment based on instinct rather than analysis. Would fans be willing to allow a momentary pause to think about what he just saw and make sure his initial instinct is accurate? I would think this would increase the accuracy of the calls over the course of the game.
One of the allures of baseball is the quick action the bang-bang of the ball hitting glove, umpire pumping his fist or calling a ball instantly afterwards. And perhaps the heated debates that ensue after a controversial call is made is also part of the allure of baseball. As is the catcher slinging the ball down to third base after the ump calls strike 3.
But perhaps every now and then it wouldn't be a bad thing if the ump took a quick mental pause to ensure the accuracy of the call. Just a thought.
Strike three on a swing and a miss, Phils win game 1. Who cares about the umps! Go Phils!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Small Request to Charlie Manuel
Ok, this has been bugging me since Charlie Manuel first became manager of the Phillies.
Scenario:
It's time for a pitching change in the middle of an inning.
Coach Manuel walks to the mound.
And walks.
And keeps walking.
And what does he forget?
Oh yeah-- to signal to the bullpen to send the pitcher in.
Just a thought, Charlie... when first stepping onto the field from the dugout, wave to the bullpen right away so you don't forget. It's a long walk out to that mound and anything can happen from start to finish.
In today's playoff game against the Brewers, he walked all the way out to the mound and then finally waved in the middle of conversation with the players who had convened together. Oy.
It's a simple matter, really. Just wave.
Scenario:
It's time for a pitching change in the middle of an inning.
Coach Manuel walks to the mound.
And walks.
And keeps walking.
And what does he forget?
Oh yeah-- to signal to the bullpen to send the pitcher in.
Just a thought, Charlie... when first stepping onto the field from the dugout, wave to the bullpen right away so you don't forget. It's a long walk out to that mound and anything can happen from start to finish.
In today's playoff game against the Brewers, he walked all the way out to the mound and then finally waved in the middle of conversation with the players who had convened together. Oy.
It's a simple matter, really. Just wave.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Go Phils! Yo! Down in Front!
Great first game in the National League Division Series between the Phils and Brewers last night. And thus far in game 2, things are even better. The way the Phils are getting things done this could be a quick series, but that's another matter.
While at yesterday's first playoff win for the Phils since 1993, I celebrated with 45,000+ Phillies fans and had a great time at Citizens Bank Park in chilly Philly. My seat, which was given courtesy of a friend, was pretty decent... clear view of everything, small section, aisle seat, easy in/easy out... it was all good.
But you know what was really annoying? People walking through the aisles during the game! How much more frustrating does that get? When people are in their seats watching the game, the last thing they want to do is stand up so some yutz can squirm by you and then you miss a double in the gap because he couldn't wait a minute. It's a matter of etiquette: wait till a stoppage in play, THEN go to your seat. Have respect for others, that's the name of the game. Perhaps the section attendant should have regulated as well, asking people to wait until they head back to their seat. I don't know.
So anyway, it was a great win for the Phils over the Brew Crew and hopefully the Phightins will pull out another victory tonight. And I'll watch the rest of this game from the comfort of my own chaise lounge without anybody walking in front of me!
Go Phils!
While at yesterday's first playoff win for the Phils since 1993, I celebrated with 45,000+ Phillies fans and had a great time at Citizens Bank Park in chilly Philly. My seat, which was given courtesy of a friend, was pretty decent... clear view of everything, small section, aisle seat, easy in/easy out... it was all good.
But you know what was really annoying? People walking through the aisles during the game! How much more frustrating does that get? When people are in their seats watching the game, the last thing they want to do is stand up so some yutz can squirm by you and then you miss a double in the gap because he couldn't wait a minute. It's a matter of etiquette: wait till a stoppage in play, THEN go to your seat. Have respect for others, that's the name of the game. Perhaps the section attendant should have regulated as well, asking people to wait until they head back to their seat. I don't know.
So anyway, it was a great win for the Phils over the Brew Crew and hopefully the Phightins will pull out another victory tonight. And I'll watch the rest of this game from the comfort of my own chaise lounge without anybody walking in front of me!
Go Phils!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
A Small Request for Phillies Playoff Berth
Baseball runs for a long, long season. I can only imagine how emotionally draining it must be to be a player and have to fight for 162 games during the year. And without a doubt making the playoffs is an amazing accomplishment since only 8 teams in the entire league get there. Fortunately, the Phillies should very well be one of those 8 teams this year. We'll find out tonight (hopefully) or tomorrow if they're in.
My one small request for the Phillies clinching the playoffs is... after you clinch a playoff berth adhere to this quote:
"Act like you've been there before."
That quote applies more usually to football players scoring a touchdown, but I think it would help the Phils' chances in the playoffs since they won't be going through an emotional roller coaster, but rather stay level and focused. Win the World Series? Go nuts, hell the fans will. But clinch a playoff spot, show your cool and get ready to get down to business in a couple of days.
That's my 2 cents.
My one small request for the Phillies clinching the playoffs is... after you clinch a playoff berth adhere to this quote:
"Act like you've been there before."
That quote applies more usually to football players scoring a touchdown, but I think it would help the Phils' chances in the playoffs since they won't be going through an emotional roller coaster, but rather stay level and focused. Win the World Series? Go nuts, hell the fans will. But clinch a playoff spot, show your cool and get ready to get down to business in a couple of days.
That's my 2 cents.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Phillies... Playoffs???
I know, I know, it's sacrosanct to utter the "p-word" when talking about the Phillies until they actually clinch the right to go to the p-word, but I just had to delve into a little bit of history, to discover some trivia gems. To wit:
-Should the Phillies make the postseason in 2008, it will be the first time since the Wild Card system was enacted they made it in back-to-back years.
-The last time the Phillies made the playoffs in back-to-back years, it was 1980 and 1981. And yep, we all know what happened in 1980... Tug McGraw jumped off the mound to celebrate the team's World Series victory.
-Prior to that, in the team's 125 year history, the Phils had back-to-back playoff appearances only one other time, and that was in 1976, '77, and '78.
-Interestingly, the Chicago Cubs, the NL Central winner last year and this year (they clinched already), also hadn't been in the Major League playoffs in back to back years since the Wild Card system was implemented, and the last time that they earned playoff rights in consecutive years was in 1906, '07, and '08. And guess what? They won the World Series in 1907 and 1908.
Little eerie, huh?
Thanks to baseballreference.com for allowing me to do some playoff research.
-Should the Phillies make the postseason in 2008, it will be the first time since the Wild Card system was enacted they made it in back-to-back years.
-The last time the Phillies made the playoffs in back-to-back years, it was 1980 and 1981. And yep, we all know what happened in 1980... Tug McGraw jumped off the mound to celebrate the team's World Series victory.
-Prior to that, in the team's 125 year history, the Phils had back-to-back playoff appearances only one other time, and that was in 1976, '77, and '78.
-Interestingly, the Chicago Cubs, the NL Central winner last year and this year (they clinched already), also hadn't been in the Major League playoffs in back to back years since the Wild Card system was implemented, and the last time that they earned playoff rights in consecutive years was in 1906, '07, and '08. And guess what? They won the World Series in 1907 and 1908.
Little eerie, huh?
Thanks to baseballreference.com for allowing me to do some playoff research.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Phillies Random Locker Room Postings
Lately I've read about two separate locker room postings that caught my attention.
First I heard about Mike Schmidt emailing this message to the Phillies in regards to the storm of the Phillies/Mets series:
"The Mets know you're better than they are. They remember last year."
For starters, I'm rather impressed that Mike Schmidt uses email. It's kind of cool to think of my childhood idol shooting a motivational email off to a bunch of younger guys. As of right now the email seems to be working as the Phils are closing the gap on the Mets, having won the first two games of the series.
Today I read about another locker room message that was posted between games of today's doubleheader. According to ESPN, Charlie Manuel apparently wants to keep his team focused before the second game of the day, so he posted the following directive:
"No football on any TV after 7:15."
Hmmm... I hate to break it to Charlie, but football games are basically over at 7:15, not to mention that I'm sure most or all of these guys could sneak a game on their cell phones if they really wanted to. Not to mention the other fact that the game time is 8:05 so I'm sure most of the guys will be warming up at that time anyway. All in all, it's not quite the spine-tingling "Win today and we walk together forever" message left by Fred Shero for the Flyers final game in the Stanley Cup.
Now we wait for the next exciting message to be found on the Phillies' locker room wall...
First I heard about Mike Schmidt emailing this message to the Phillies in regards to the storm of the Phillies/Mets series:
"The Mets know you're better than they are. They remember last year."
For starters, I'm rather impressed that Mike Schmidt uses email. It's kind of cool to think of my childhood idol shooting a motivational email off to a bunch of younger guys. As of right now the email seems to be working as the Phils are closing the gap on the Mets, having won the first two games of the series.
Today I read about another locker room message that was posted between games of today's doubleheader. According to ESPN, Charlie Manuel apparently wants to keep his team focused before the second game of the day, so he posted the following directive:
"No football on any TV after 7:15."
Hmmm... I hate to break it to Charlie, but football games are basically over at 7:15, not to mention that I'm sure most or all of these guys could sneak a game on their cell phones if they really wanted to. Not to mention the other fact that the game time is 8:05 so I'm sure most of the guys will be warming up at that time anyway. All in all, it's not quite the spine-tingling "Win today and we walk together forever" message left by Fred Shero for the Flyers final game in the Stanley Cup.
Now we wait for the next exciting message to be found on the Phillies' locker room wall...
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Spotted: Small Ball by Phillies
Lately I've written a lot about the Phightin Phils, including a post or two where I've ripped their lack of hitting lately. One thing that has really bugged me this year is that the Phillies can only score in big innings (read: home runs or doubles), and have not been able to steal a run here or there just by playing small ball (read: singles, walks, steals, wearing down the pitcher, etc.).
Well that finally changed yesterday against the Cubs. Here is the recap of the sixth inning, as reported by ESPN.com:
J Rollins flied out to center.
C Utley singled to right.
P Burrell flied out to center.
R Howard singled to right, C Utley to third.
S Victorino hit by pitch, R Howard to second.
J Werth singled to right, C Utley and R Howard scored, S Victorino to third.
P Feliz flied out to center.
Notice there's no mention of "home run" in that recap? They picked up two big runs off of a tired starting pitcher merely by getting three singles, a hit batsman, and aggressive running. And they made the pitcher throw 22 pitches that inning. That's baseball folks! True, home runs can (and do) play a huge role in a team's offense, but not relying on the home run will get you places. Especially when you play against a great team like the Cubs, on the road, and down the stretch.
It's the little things in life...
Well that finally changed yesterday against the Cubs. Here is the recap of the sixth inning, as reported by ESPN.com:
J Rollins flied out to center.
C Utley singled to right.
P Burrell flied out to center.
R Howard singled to right, C Utley to third.
S Victorino hit by pitch, R Howard to second.
J Werth singled to right, C Utley and R Howard scored, S Victorino to third.
P Feliz flied out to center.
Notice there's no mention of "home run" in that recap? They picked up two big runs off of a tired starting pitcher merely by getting three singles, a hit batsman, and aggressive running. And they made the pitcher throw 22 pitches that inning. That's baseball folks! True, home runs can (and do) play a huge role in a team's offense, but not relying on the home run will get you places. Especially when you play against a great team like the Cubs, on the road, and down the stretch.
It's the little things in life...
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Phillies Lack Hitting Discipline (Yet Somehow Still Win)
I'm watching this ridiculous 13 inning marathon between the Phillies and the Mets right now. And while I do credit the Phils for making an incredible comeback after an ugly 7-0 deficit to start the game thru four innings, this game should have been long over. And what it comes down to, in my humble opinion, is the hitters not having discipline and being smart hitters.
I don't know how many times in this game (and many other games) where I've seen men on base in crucial situations and the batter-- be it Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Pat Burrell and probably others-- either strikes out terribly or pops out weakly to the infield. This is terribly frustrating.
So the moral of the story is not only did the hitters NOT get a hit in a crucial situation and bring home a big run, but they didn't even move a runner over when they made an out. These are the things that this team too often fails to do to squeeze out extra runs and, subsequently, extra wins. Sure, other teams around the league have this problem too, but I have to think that with so many talented hitters on this team, the Phils should be all means be more disciplined and smart at the plate.
By the way, thanks Chris Coste for finally ending this craziness!! Ahh, first place...
I don't know how many times in this game (and many other games) where I've seen men on base in crucial situations and the batter-- be it Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Pat Burrell and probably others-- either strikes out terribly or pops out weakly to the infield. This is terribly frustrating.
So the moral of the story is not only did the hitters NOT get a hit in a crucial situation and bring home a big run, but they didn't even move a runner over when they made an out. These are the things that this team too often fails to do to squeeze out extra runs and, subsequently, extra wins. Sure, other teams around the league have this problem too, but I have to think that with so many talented hitters on this team, the Phils should be all means be more disciplined and smart at the plate.
By the way, thanks Chris Coste for finally ending this craziness!! Ahh, first place...
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Phillies Power Tickets: A Sham
Twice this year I've gone to Phillies games where I had a "Power Ticket", which is a cute way of saying I have a $10 gift card. And twice this year I've realized that they're a waste of money. If you're considering buying this type of ticket, think again. Here's why:
-For starters, you can ONLY use the $10 voucher on the day of that game. So if you have a couple bucks left over, it goes right back into the Phillies' pockets rather than being able to use it at another game. For example, what if you have to leave the game early before you can cash it in? Sorry, you lose.
-In reality, you're either going to not spend exactly $10 (meaning that the leftover money goes right to the Phillies), or you're going to go over that $10 to buy food, merchandise, etc. in which case why bother with the Power Ticket anyway?
-My feeling is that they call it a Power Ticket rather than reminding fans that there's a $10 credit built into the ticket thinking that they'll forget they have this money available and thus the money will go unspent (read: free money for the team!).
So save your money and avoid the Phils' Power Tickets. It's a no-win situation for the fans.
-For starters, you can ONLY use the $10 voucher on the day of that game. So if you have a couple bucks left over, it goes right back into the Phillies' pockets rather than being able to use it at another game. For example, what if you have to leave the game early before you can cash it in? Sorry, you lose.
-In reality, you're either going to not spend exactly $10 (meaning that the leftover money goes right to the Phillies), or you're going to go over that $10 to buy food, merchandise, etc. in which case why bother with the Power Ticket anyway?
-My feeling is that they call it a Power Ticket rather than reminding fans that there's a $10 credit built into the ticket thinking that they'll forget they have this money available and thus the money will go unspent (read: free money for the team!).
So save your money and avoid the Phils' Power Tickets. It's a no-win situation for the fans.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Weird Phillies Fans
At today's Phillies game, I had the chance to observe some weird Phillies fans in action. A few that caught my eye included:
-A guy sitting a few rows in front of us yelled at another fan in the next section over who was trying to start "the wave." Anytime the wave-starting fan stood up to start the wave, this old codger yelled "NOOO!!! Sit down!!!" and proceeded to mutter how much he hates the wave. Why? It's a game, not a funeral... if people want to have some fun, well, that's the whole point! Not to mention the fact that the guy was wearing a baseball glove (which is perfectly fine), with a batting glove on underneath (which is just bizarre). (Good observation Mike D!)
-A guy sat on the aisle next to us with a fat baseball stats book, a yellow legal pad, and a bag full of pistachios. He took notes every so often, flipped through the book's pages, and had shells strewn all over the aisle. To add to it, he had nose hairs that practically reached down to his upper lip. No real wonder why he was alone...
-While walking along the concourse, two college-aged dudes came up to me and one of them asked "Do you know where Billy is?" I assumed it was a joke and played along, saying "Yeah I think I saw him go that way." And I of course kept walking and didn't turn back.
Weird. Very weird. But at least the Phillies won.
-A guy sitting a few rows in front of us yelled at another fan in the next section over who was trying to start "the wave." Anytime the wave-starting fan stood up to start the wave, this old codger yelled "NOOO!!! Sit down!!!" and proceeded to mutter how much he hates the wave. Why? It's a game, not a funeral... if people want to have some fun, well, that's the whole point! Not to mention the fact that the guy was wearing a baseball glove (which is perfectly fine), with a batting glove on underneath (which is just bizarre). (Good observation Mike D!)
-A guy sat on the aisle next to us with a fat baseball stats book, a yellow legal pad, and a bag full of pistachios. He took notes every so often, flipped through the book's pages, and had shells strewn all over the aisle. To add to it, he had nose hairs that practically reached down to his upper lip. No real wonder why he was alone...
-While walking along the concourse, two college-aged dudes came up to me and one of them asked "Do you know where Billy is?" I assumed it was a joke and played along, saying "Yeah I think I saw him go that way." And I of course kept walking and didn't turn back.
Weird. Very weird. But at least the Phillies won.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
A Phone Call to Ryne Sandberg
Ryne Sandberg, the Hall of Fame second baseman who was drafted by the Phillies in 1978 and then played 13 games in Philly before infamously being given away to the Cubs, made the news recently. But not necessarily for something good. Or even for something he was a part of.
In a downright scary basebrawl, Sandberg's team, the Peoria Chiefs mixed it up with the Dayton Dragons. During the ugly scuffle, which you can see on any number of videos on YouTube, Julio Castillo of the Chiefs rifled a ball towards the Dragons' dugout, but instead nailed a fan in the face. Interestingly, Sandberg, the team's manager, was in Cooperstown during this debacle, but I can just imagine his reaction when hearing this news...
(Phone rings)
"Hello?"
"Hey Coach! It's me, Julio!"
"Hey Julio, how are you buddy? Sorry I couldn't be there for today's game... how'd we do?"
"Well funny story, Coach..."
"Excellent, I love funny stories!"
"Heheh, ummm, yeah about that. I don't really have time to explain right now because I'm kind of in jail."
"What?!? Jail? I leave you alone for one weekend and you call to tell me you're in jail? What did I tell you about having liquor in the clubhouse?"
"Well, it was a little more than that. I kind of, umm, launched a ball at a fan's face."
"You launched a ball... wait, was he trying to run on the field to attack you?"
"Umm, no, not really. I was aiming for the Dragons' dugout and then..."
"Wait, you mean to tell me you were aiming for the other team's dugout and you hit a fan in the face??"
"Yeah"
"Okay, that's all I need to hear. From now on, you're showing up to practice two hours early to work on your pitching..."
Okay, so I jest about this sad situation, and I can't imagine the position that Sandberg's in. Hopefully they iron this out and I'm sure Castillo, and his teammates, will be punished harshly for his barbaric actions. What it comes down to is, you don't cross a man known as "Ryno" and get away unscathed... the Phils learned that the hard way.
In a downright scary basebrawl, Sandberg's team, the Peoria Chiefs mixed it up with the Dayton Dragons. During the ugly scuffle, which you can see on any number of videos on YouTube, Julio Castillo of the Chiefs rifled a ball towards the Dragons' dugout, but instead nailed a fan in the face. Interestingly, Sandberg, the team's manager, was in Cooperstown during this debacle, but I can just imagine his reaction when hearing this news...
(Phone rings)
"Hello?"
"Hey Coach! It's me, Julio!"
"Hey Julio, how are you buddy? Sorry I couldn't be there for today's game... how'd we do?"
"Well funny story, Coach..."
"Excellent, I love funny stories!"
"Heheh, ummm, yeah about that. I don't really have time to explain right now because I'm kind of in jail."
"What?!? Jail? I leave you alone for one weekend and you call to tell me you're in jail? What did I tell you about having liquor in the clubhouse?"
"Well, it was a little more than that. I kind of, umm, launched a ball at a fan's face."
"You launched a ball... wait, was he trying to run on the field to attack you?"
"Umm, no, not really. I was aiming for the Dragons' dugout and then..."
"Wait, you mean to tell me you were aiming for the other team's dugout and you hit a fan in the face??"
"Yeah"
"Okay, that's all I need to hear. From now on, you're showing up to practice two hours early to work on your pitching..."
Okay, so I jest about this sad situation, and I can't imagine the position that Sandberg's in. Hopefully they iron this out and I'm sure Castillo, and his teammates, will be punished harshly for his barbaric actions. What it comes down to is, you don't cross a man known as "Ryno" and get away unscathed... the Phils learned that the hard way.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Phillies Notes: A Word on Slumps
It's been almost a month since my last post on this here blog. I guess you could say I've been in a slump when it comes to blog posting. I can't blame it on a broken keyboard, just lack of time or thoughts on what to write.
Similarly, "slump" seems to be a common thing for the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies.
I know that Charlie Manuel doesn't like to call it a "slump" when a hitter can't get a hit for an extended period of time. But whatever you call it, (a funk, not seeing the ball well, a cold streak, etc.) it can be ugly, and this year the evil slump has reared it's ugly head for Phils' hitters quite frequently.
Just out of curiosity I did a quick Google search for "Phillies 2008 hitting slumps" and I got a veritable buffet of hits (no pun intended) on the subject. And interestingly, just on the first page alone there is a diverse listing of names in the headlines. Here are the headlines of some of the top 10 results:
-Phillies Notes: Slumping Jenkins working on swing | Philadelphia ...
-DelcoTimes - Shane's slump buster a beauty as Phils rally to top Mets
-Phillies offense going through epic slump
-Ryan Howard's Slump - Philadelphia Phillies, Baseball
-FOX Sports on MSN: Chase Utley, Second Base, Phillies, MLB
-Slumping Burrell given rest vs. Astros | Phillies.com: News
What this tells me is that there is a dangerous trend going on with the Phillies hitters. Collectively, they are an offensive powerhouse, pumping out homers, runs, and RBIs... which is good. But strangely the hitters are quite manic on an individual level. To demonstrate the hitters' struggles this year, here are some slump statistics that I dug up from the articles found in my search, with links back to the articles if you care to read more:
-Geoff "Jenkins entered last night hitless in his last 26 at-bats with just two hits in his last 41 at-bats."
-Shane "Victorino's recent struggles - he was in a 3-for-28 slide when he stepped to the plate in the ninth..."
-Chase "Utley's double in the third inning on Sunday ended an 0-for-24 skid at the plate."
-Pat "Burrell, who hit .326 through the end of April, had gone 3-for-27 the previous eight games, including 0-for-11 the last three..."
-Carlos "Ruiz is stuck in an 8-for-60 slide that dates to May 25."
-Ryan "Howard, who is hitting .176 with 34 strikeouts in 85 at-bats..."
-I know that Chris Coste also had a big slump recently and went 20+ at bats without getting a hit during the middle of July.
-And So Taguchi, by my calculations, had only 3 hits in 22 at-bats (all three in one game, BTW) during a cold snap this year.
Hopefully this year's round of batting slumps for the Phillies will be on a decline from here on out. I realize it's a long season and hitting in and of itself is a tremendously challenging thing to do, but this inconsistency is uncharacteristic of this bunch of otherwise stellar hitters.
As for me, if the Phils' hitters keep getting into these hitting funks, I might have to break a bat over my head just watching them continue to unfold. And recognizing that slumps can affect us all, I will be hitting the keyboard more often to keep my blog posts flowing. I certainly don't want my Philly sports blog to hit a cold snap...
(Note: photo from Getty Images)
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Juan Samuel: Wall of Fame Worthy?
I heard the announcement today that Juan Samuel would be the 2008 inductee to the Phillies Wall of Fame.
Yes, THAT Juan Samuel.
I was a big fan of Juan Samuel in his heyday. He was a graceful, energetic guy, and who could forget the Jheri curls? But let's be real here... does a guy that played only 4 years in Philly count as a Wall of Famer? What if I tallied off these stats as a Philly:
-Samuel hit .263
-He averaged about 150 strikeouts per year (he led the league from 1984-1987 in this category)
-He was perennially at the top or near the top of the NL in outs
Ok, perhaps I'm being a little harsh and I don't mean this to be a bash session, but my point is, does Samuel belong up there with the likes of:
Mike Schmidt (Hall of Famer)
Robin Roberts (Hall of Famer)
Steve Carlton (Hall of Famer)
???
I humbly submit that he does not. Samuel had two stellar seasons (1984 and 1987) in which he earned a few votes for having MVP-type numbers, but he's not Wall of Fame material in my personal opinion.
That said, he was a solid all around second baseman and, from what I hear, a good all around guy.
So since the decision is already made, I'll say Congrats Juan Samuel... thanks for your contributions in Philly and best of luck with your coaching career.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
DUI Reprise: Jevon Kearse
Just a few days ago I ranted about the disappointing tendency for pro athletes to party on the town and then head home by driving under the influence, aka DUI.
Sadly, a former Eagle has failed the sobriety test in the past 24 hours. Jevon Kearse, a defensive end for the Iggles for the past four years tippled excessively on the bottle then decided he was Superman and put his SUV on the road, according to this Associated Press article.
Here's a guy worth over $70 million. Let me repeat. $70 BIG BIG FREAK-ISHLY BIG BUCKS. And he chose to pinch pennies by not paying a few bones for an alternative way to get home.
I don't know about you but I'm getting increasingly tired of paying good money to see these types of guys play sports and then risk their lives, and, more importantly, the lives of others by driving drunk. Doesn't this anger anybody else?
With all due respect, Jevon "The Freak" Kearse does seem like a decent guy based on his image that I saw in Philly. But this DUI is a major setback on that otherwise good image. Unfortunately, in all likelihood, this will quickly be forgotten, put to bed, and set the example for other players to do the same egregious decision-making. Of course he'll have a press conference or media interview and say that he's sorry to the fans for making a poor decision, yadda yadda yadda.
Well anyway, cheers to the players, coaches, and teams that are smarter than Jevon Kearse was last night...
Sadly, a former Eagle has failed the sobriety test in the past 24 hours. Jevon Kearse, a defensive end for the Iggles for the past four years tippled excessively on the bottle then decided he was Superman and put his SUV on the road, according to this Associated Press article.
Here's a guy worth over $70 million. Let me repeat. $70 BIG BIG FREAK-ISHLY BIG BUCKS. And he chose to pinch pennies by not paying a few bones for an alternative way to get home.
I don't know about you but I'm getting increasingly tired of paying good money to see these types of guys play sports and then risk their lives, and, more importantly, the lives of others by driving drunk. Doesn't this anger anybody else?
With all due respect, Jevon "The Freak" Kearse does seem like a decent guy based on his image that I saw in Philly. But this DUI is a major setback on that otherwise good image. Unfortunately, in all likelihood, this will quickly be forgotten, put to bed, and set the example for other players to do the same egregious decision-making. Of course he'll have a press conference or media interview and say that he's sorry to the fans for making a poor decision, yadda yadda yadda.
Well anyway, cheers to the players, coaches, and teams that are smarter than Jevon Kearse was last night...
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
A Non-Philly Oriented Rant: End Pros' DUIs ASAP
I would just like to take a moment to rant about something that has bugged me for a long time.
With the recent report on Lofa Tatupu's DUI (driving under the influence) charge, I just can't understand why it is that these pro athletes can't get their, shall we say, "stuff" together.
Almost on a monthly basis, reports surface about another athlete driving while intoxicated or something of a similar nature. It's a plain and simple formula to me:
drinking during a night out on the town + earning multi-millions of dollars per year = GET A CHAUFFEUR!!! For a relatively small amount of money, you can hire a limo driver, call a cab, or have a good old fashioned designated driver take you back to your crib. There are no excuses!!!
These are young guys at the prime of their lives earning big bucks, and they want to risk it by driving home in a two ton machine that could easily squash them (or somebody else) with one poor mental lapse.
With all of the people around these guys, you'd think somebody would help them make smarter decisions in times like these. Coaches, teammates, management, agents, not to mention family should all be available to help straighten them out, but apparently there's a major link that is weak in this chain.
Shame... I just hope we don't have to see another Josh Hancock catastrophe.
With the recent report on Lofa Tatupu's DUI (driving under the influence) charge, I just can't understand why it is that these pro athletes can't get their, shall we say, "stuff" together.
Almost on a monthly basis, reports surface about another athlete driving while intoxicated or something of a similar nature. It's a plain and simple formula to me:
drinking during a night out on the town + earning multi-millions of dollars per year = GET A CHAUFFEUR!!! For a relatively small amount of money, you can hire a limo driver, call a cab, or have a good old fashioned designated driver take you back to your crib. There are no excuses!!!
These are young guys at the prime of their lives earning big bucks, and they want to risk it by driving home in a two ton machine that could easily squash them (or somebody else) with one poor mental lapse.
With all of the people around these guys, you'd think somebody would help them make smarter decisions in times like these. Coaches, teammates, management, agents, not to mention family should all be available to help straighten them out, but apparently there's a major link that is weak in this chain.
Shame... I just hope we don't have to see another Josh Hancock catastrophe.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Glenn "The Gunn" Wilson
Ok, so I made up the nickname there. But anybody who remembers the Phillies in the mid-80s remembers Glenn Wilson's gun of an arm in right field. Shane Victorino certainly has a cannon in the outfield today, but Glenn Wilson always sticks out as having the best arm of any outfielder the Phils have had in the past couple of decades. In fact, Wilson chalked up 20 assists in 1986 for his career high, while Victorino's career high is 11 in 2006. Wilson's "gun" came to mind after Victorino iced the Phils' victory over the Braves this past weekend by gunning out a runner on a play at the plate.
If I remember correctly, Wilson may have gunned down a runner or two at first base on hard singles, but I could be thinking of somebody else. At any rate, it was a pleasure watching him launch the ball. And let's not forget his one inning of pitching in 1987 where he shut down whoever it was in mop-up duty, and actually struck somebody out. Good times.
Today, Glenn Wilson helps future prospects get recruited, according to his website glennwilsonbaseball.com.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Tom McHale: Off to Pancake Block Heaven
The Philadelphia Eagles mourned yet another death of a former player from the early 90s, 6'-4", 290 lb. offensive lineman Tom McHale. While McHale was never a star athlete in the NFL, it is a sad affair and hopefully the last one for a long time. McHale can be added to the list of died-too-young Eagles from that era, including Jerome Brown, Reggie White, and Andre Waters (am I forgetting anybody??).
Considering that most players who played then are or would be only in their late 30s to early 50s now, that is a disproportionate number of deceased players from one team. Hopefully this is just coincidence, but it makes one wonder about the level of danger and damage these young men battled thru week in and week out. Not a pretty picture when you think about it.
R.I.P. Tom... be sure to give Reggie a pancake block in your next practice game in the big football field in the sky...
Considering that most players who played then are or would be only in their late 30s to early 50s now, that is a disproportionate number of deceased players from one team. Hopefully this is just coincidence, but it makes one wonder about the level of danger and damage these young men battled thru week in and week out. Not a pretty picture when you think about it.
R.I.P. Tom... be sure to give Reggie a pancake block in your next practice game in the big football field in the sky...
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Soul Not So Strong Anymore?
It's quite likely that even the most die-hard Philly sports fan didn't notice that Derrick Strong was cut from the Philadelphia Soul on May 19. While this type of transaction wouldn't normally catch my attention, I just had to think about what a shame it is to have a last name like Strong and get cut from a professional football team.
Kind of like a guy named Takeo Spikes getting cut from the Eagles.
Or like Bill Champion, a Phils' pitcher in the 70s, never even making it to the playoffs.
Or like Don Biggs being one of the smallest guys on the Flyers in 1989-90.
Or like Dave Hoppen, a 6-11" center for the Sixers, only recording 29 blocks in his NBA career of 169 games.
Ok, so I don't know what my point is. I guess one's last name does not necessarily reflect on the field/ice/court performance, or something like that.
Kind of like a guy named Takeo Spikes getting cut from the Eagles.
Or like Bill Champion, a Phils' pitcher in the 70s, never even making it to the playoffs.
Or like Don Biggs being one of the smallest guys on the Flyers in 1989-90.
Or like Dave Hoppen, a 6-11" center for the Sixers, only recording 29 blocks in his NBA career of 169 games.
Ok, so I don't know what my point is. I guess one's last name does not necessarily reflect on the field/ice/court performance, or something like that.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
College Recruiting and the Head Coach Issue... Total Insanity
I read an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer today about a press conference that Penn State football coach Joe Paterno held yesterday. In the article, Paterno talked about how people always ask him how long he'll be coaching Penn State. I assume this is meant to reflect some sort of future stability at Penn State, or lack thereof, when a recruit decides what school to attend. To that I say... this question is totally insane.
In principle, this question is actually not totally insane. Sure, if I'm a budding star football player, I'd most certainly like to know which coach I'm going to be playing for. It would give me a sense of what to expect, and allow me to find the coach that best suits my preference.
But in reality, this question is totally insane. Coaches switch jobs, get fired, retire, or become lame ducks left and right. Just think about these names in recent years and consider how stable the college coaching profession really is (click on the links to see coaching changes from the past year in each respective sport):
College Basketball Coaches
-Billy Donovan
-Fran Dunphy
-Roy Williams
-Bobby Knight
-Kelvin Sampson
College Football Coaches
-Rich Rodriguez
-June Jones
-Dennis Franchione
-Bobby Petrino
-Chan Gailey
Those are some big names that have changed places, in both sports. So what it comes down to is the overall program. Coaching changes occur on practically a weekly basis, across the country. That's the reality of college sports now. What recruits really should be looking at is the overall program. Is it strong? Is it up and coming? Is it going downhill? Worrying about what coach is going to be there next year, or next week for that matter, is pretty futile. Kind of like timing the stock market-- will it be up this month? Down this month? Or over the next four years will it be pretty good overall? Long term is always the best way to go.
So yes, Coach Paterno is nearing the end of his career, unless he finds the fountain of youth (maybe he already has?), but I think every athlete in America knows what he's getting with Penn State football. As the saying goes, "It is what it is." In fact, in today's game, college sports are more about the overall brand than they are about the coach. But some people haven't caught on to this fact of life.
While some people are busy trying to follow the dizzying coaching carousel, I think athletes are much better off trying to figure out how they'll fit in the whole program-- how they mesh with the entire coaching staff, the entire team, and the entire university. That's the most sane way to look at it all...
In principle, this question is actually not totally insane. Sure, if I'm a budding star football player, I'd most certainly like to know which coach I'm going to be playing for. It would give me a sense of what to expect, and allow me to find the coach that best suits my preference.
But in reality, this question is totally insane. Coaches switch jobs, get fired, retire, or become lame ducks left and right. Just think about these names in recent years and consider how stable the college coaching profession really is (click on the links to see coaching changes from the past year in each respective sport):
College Basketball Coaches
-Billy Donovan
-Fran Dunphy
-Roy Williams
-Bobby Knight
-Kelvin Sampson
College Football Coaches
-Rich Rodriguez
-June Jones
-Dennis Franchione
-Bobby Petrino
-Chan Gailey
Those are some big names that have changed places, in both sports. So what it comes down to is the overall program. Coaching changes occur on practically a weekly basis, across the country. That's the reality of college sports now. What recruits really should be looking at is the overall program. Is it strong? Is it up and coming? Is it going downhill? Worrying about what coach is going to be there next year, or next week for that matter, is pretty futile. Kind of like timing the stock market-- will it be up this month? Down this month? Or over the next four years will it be pretty good overall? Long term is always the best way to go.
So yes, Coach Paterno is nearing the end of his career, unless he finds the fountain of youth (maybe he already has?), but I think every athlete in America knows what he's getting with Penn State football. As the saying goes, "It is what it is." In fact, in today's game, college sports are more about the overall brand than they are about the coach. But some people haven't caught on to this fact of life.
While some people are busy trying to follow the dizzying coaching carousel, I think athletes are much better off trying to figure out how they'll fit in the whole program-- how they mesh with the entire coaching staff, the entire team, and the entire university. That's the most sane way to look at it all...
Monday, April 28, 2008
I Love the Flyers, but...
I love the Flyers but I have one issue with the team.
Right now I'm watching the game against the Habs (what's a Hab, by the way??) and the fans are decked out in orange shirts... an "orange crush" as they call it.
But here's the issue I have...the Flyers hardly even have any orange in their freakin jerseys anymore!
For whatever reason, a couple of years ago, the Philadelphia Flyers management and marketing mavens decided to take out the classic orange color out of the sweaters. Now their home jerseys are black just like 68% of the other teams out there. (Okay, that's an unofficial calculation, but probably close to being true.)
When the Flyers wore the orange uni's, you KNEW the Flyers were playing. Now, the Flyers look like every other team out there. I miss the orange identity.
But at least the orange lives on in the stands...
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Johnny Dawkins... Flying out of Duke to Coach Stanford
Most 76ers fans of the 90s will remember the unique kick-leg jump shot of Johnny Dawkins and his steady play as point guard playing alongside the likes of Charles Barkley and Kurt Nimphius. Now Dawkins is flying the coop at Duke to coach the Cardinal of Stanford. Good for him and good move for Stanford... he must have good experience not only as a player but as an assistant coach next to Coach K.
Lest you thought you'd get away with just informative news story, allow me to add some interesting side notes for thee:
-Johnny Dawkins had 29 career blocks in the NBA in 9 pro years. At this rate it would have taken Dawkins about 130 "Johnny Dawkins Years" @ approximately 3 blocks per year to equal the total number of blocked shots that Manute Bol had in his rookie year alone (397 blocks in 1985-6 for Washington).
-Conversely, Manute Bol tallied 171 assists in 10 years. At that rate, he'd take 35 Manute Bol Years to reach Dawkins' assist mark in his best year 1989-90 at 601 assists.
So take that for what it's worth.
At any rate, best of luck to Coach Dawk. I look forward to seeing a familiar face in the land of the Cardinal...
Lest you thought you'd get away with just informative news story, allow me to add some interesting side notes for thee:
-Johnny Dawkins had 29 career blocks in the NBA in 9 pro years. At this rate it would have taken Dawkins about 130 "Johnny Dawkins Years" @ approximately 3 blocks per year to equal the total number of blocked shots that Manute Bol had in his rookie year alone (397 blocks in 1985-6 for Washington).
-Conversely, Manute Bol tallied 171 assists in 10 years. At that rate, he'd take 35 Manute Bol Years to reach Dawkins' assist mark in his best year 1989-90 at 601 assists.
So take that for what it's worth.
At any rate, best of luck to Coach Dawk. I look forward to seeing a familiar face in the land of the Cardinal...
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Thank the gods of hockey for...
...Mike Knuble!
Nice goal Mikey baby... big win for the Flyers tonight.
For those of you keeping score, here are the only other players in NHL history, according to hockey-reference.com to have names that begin with "Kn":
Bill Knibbs (great name by the way)
Rick Knickle (another one)
Fred Knipscheer (wow, they just keep getting better!)
Nick Knott
Paul Knox
Espen Knutsen
Other point of note here: Mr. Knuble is also the NHL's all-time leading scorer for "Kn" players with 182 career regular season goals. In second is Espen Knutsen with 30.
So that's just me trying to drop some KNowledge on ya. Now you KNow...
(Thanks to the Knew York Times for the great photo from '06, BTW.)
Monday, April 7, 2008
Dan Baker Announcement Maker
Caught a segment on Comcast Sports today about the old mainstay of the Phillies' PA system, Mr. Dan Baker, who has announced Phils' games for 37 years. The story showed how his gameday routine works from pre-game preparations like getting the pronounciation of players' names accurate (Julian Martinez is pronounced like Hulian Martinez, for those who didn't know) to fighting his way up through crowds to get to his PA booth. While the story about him wasn't all that intriguing, quite frankly, I do find it intriguing that announcers (public address announcers or broadcasters alike) have the ability to last so long at their respective jobs. If you look around the city as well as national scene, it seems like once you get "in" you're "in" for life. For instance, consider these big names and how long they've been or once lasted on the job:
-Harry Kalas
-Merrill Reese
-Marv Albert
-Andy Mussberger
-Keith Jackson
-Howard Cosell
-Vin Scully
-John Madden
-and so on...
I'm not quite sure what the reasoning is for this, but my hunch would be that these on-air personalities develop a certain rapport and comfort with the fans and become instantly recognized with the team, channel, or sport they represent. As a result, these announcers maintain their job security and boost their salaries over the years (not to mention picking up endorsements and other speaking gigs), while simultaneously preventing younger up-and-coming announcers from getting their day in the sun. And as it is easy to see, not only do these announcers not gracefully just hang up the mic and go away... they practically have to be dragged out of the booth.
Ironically, this longevity is why so many college students go to study broadcasting... because once you establish yourself, you can be around a long time, not to mention get to watch sports and talk sports all day. Paradoxically, with so many broadcasters lasting so long and a limited number of announcing gigs, it becomes harder and harder for these young graduates to get work. Murphy's Law I guess.
So at any rate, thank you Dan Baker for your your three+ decades of in-game announcing. And if you happen to have an inkling as to when you plan to leave, please give me a shout and I'd love to try out for your job!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Benito Santiago: Driving on the Wrong Path
Benito Santiago is lighting up the presses today with his connection to a cocaine conspiracy in Kansas City, Mo. Click here for the details. Basically, a car he owned was seized as part of this investigation, and it's not known to what extent Santiago was involved.
True, he's innocent till proven guilty, but it just makes you wonder what happens to guys like him in professional sports who just can't control themselves after they're done playing... or even when they are playing. DWIs, domestic violence, drug charges, gambling. The list goes on. Seems like something should be done by the teams or the leagues to help these guys transition into a new phase in their lives rather than go off into troubled waters.
Benito Santiago played for the Phillies at age 31 in 1996 and was brought in as a free agent to help provide some veteran leadership. He had a pretty decent year, hitting .264 with 30 home runs and 84 RBIs in 131 games, though the team floundered to a disgraceful 67-95 record. In all, Santiago had a pretty respectable career and was always known for his rocket arm.
Now let's just hope he's not driving down the wrong path...
Friday, March 28, 2008
Phillies' Opening Day Memory: 2002
Allow me to reminisce for a spell.
With the Phillies' opening day less than 3 days away, I'm harkening back to the Phillies' home opener six years ago. Actually I don't think it was the home opener but it was definitely one of the first games of the first home series. Who needs exact details?
Anyway, I don't remember a single moment from the game. It was just another non-descript Phils game from a dull team in unremarkable Veterans Stadium. This was back in the days of Travis Lee, Joe Roa, and yes, Nick Punto. So I do remember that much. But even moreso, I most definitely do remember the weather.
It was NASTY.
It must have been about 30 degrees, and having the pleasure to stand on the frozen concrete of the Vet was nothing short of dismal. The wind whipping around the top of the stadium's bowl in the 500 level didn't help a bit either. I remember my cousin having to go to the bathroom where there was a heat vent and he had to thaw out his feet. Some baseball weather...
On the bright side, I got the tickets for free from the neighborhood bank that I went to every day to take checking deposits for my work downtown. That was nice of them. I think it was Citizens Bank, but even that's a bit fuzzy now.
But the cold is not fuzzy in my memory.
I'm looking forward to attending the Phillies opening day game on Monday but hopefully the weather will be more favorable.
And without a doubt the team will be much better than from the days of yore.
With the Phillies' opening day less than 3 days away, I'm harkening back to the Phillies' home opener six years ago. Actually I don't think it was the home opener but it was definitely one of the first games of the first home series. Who needs exact details?
Anyway, I don't remember a single moment from the game. It was just another non-descript Phils game from a dull team in unremarkable Veterans Stadium. This was back in the days of Travis Lee, Joe Roa, and yes, Nick Punto. So I do remember that much. But even moreso, I most definitely do remember the weather.
It was NASTY.
It must have been about 30 degrees, and having the pleasure to stand on the frozen concrete of the Vet was nothing short of dismal. The wind whipping around the top of the stadium's bowl in the 500 level didn't help a bit either. I remember my cousin having to go to the bathroom where there was a heat vent and he had to thaw out his feet. Some baseball weather...
On the bright side, I got the tickets for free from the neighborhood bank that I went to every day to take checking deposits for my work downtown. That was nice of them. I think it was Citizens Bank, but even that's a bit fuzzy now.
But the cold is not fuzzy in my memory.
I'm looking forward to attending the Phillies opening day game on Monday but hopefully the weather will be more favorable.
And without a doubt the team will be much better than from the days of yore.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
An Editorial on Basketball: College vs. NBA
Pardon me while I express my opinion for a moment.
I've been glued to the NCAA tournament this weekend. It's always been one of my favorite sporting events, and probably my current favorite event, and not just because it's fun to fill out brackets. It's because I'm simply amazed at the level of play in the vast majority of games... unlike what goes on in the NBA on most nights.
I'm admittedly disenchanted with the NBA game. Sure, it's the cream of the basketball crop, but I feel like the game has no energy compared to the college game. NBA players slack off on defense, the crowd isn't into it in the same way as college (so to make up for it, NBA teams try to pump in loud music to make it seem like it's exciting), and I just get the feeling that NBA players don't really care if they lose because they've got it made otherwise. In the college game, players zoom up and down the floor, cover their men on defense with only inches to spare, and are genuinely distraught when they lose. It's like two different worlds.
To put it in perspective, while I'm happy that the Sixers are doing well and in line for a playoff bid, I just can't get as excited as I would for, say, Villanova, a team (one of many in the tourney) that fights and scraps and energizes the fans.
Plus you can go to a college game and not have to get a second mortgage on your house unlike an NBA game.
That's my opinion. Thank you.
I've been glued to the NCAA tournament this weekend. It's always been one of my favorite sporting events, and probably my current favorite event, and not just because it's fun to fill out brackets. It's because I'm simply amazed at the level of play in the vast majority of games... unlike what goes on in the NBA on most nights.
I'm admittedly disenchanted with the NBA game. Sure, it's the cream of the basketball crop, but I feel like the game has no energy compared to the college game. NBA players slack off on defense, the crowd isn't into it in the same way as college (so to make up for it, NBA teams try to pump in loud music to make it seem like it's exciting), and I just get the feeling that NBA players don't really care if they lose because they've got it made otherwise. In the college game, players zoom up and down the floor, cover their men on defense with only inches to spare, and are genuinely distraught when they lose. It's like two different worlds.
To put it in perspective, while I'm happy that the Sixers are doing well and in line for a playoff bid, I just can't get as excited as I would for, say, Villanova, a team (one of many in the tourney) that fights and scraps and energizes the fans.
Plus you can go to a college game and not have to get a second mortgage on your house unlike an NBA game.
That's my opinion. Thank you.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Exploring for LaSalle
The Big Five schools from Philadelphia are in the news lately, what with three schools (Temple, Villanova, and St. Joseph's) earning spots in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Unfortunately Temple lost today and 'Nova and St. Joe's are underdogs, but it's still exciting to see three local squads represent the city. By the way, how many New York City teams made the trip? You can count them on less than one finger. But that's not my point here on Philly Sports Quest this evening.
I want to chat about another big name in Philly bball: LaSalle. Oh, but it's not that LaSalle. While LaSalle University is a Big Five institution, the LaSalle I'm thinking of might be even bigger. This LaSalle is listed as 6 feet 10 inches tall and 245 pounds. It's none other than LaSalle Thompson.
Thompson played ball for the Sixers in the 1995-6 season, totalling 44 games. He racked up 1.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, averaging about 17 minutes per game. During Thompson's career, he made 3136 field goals compared to 3143 personal fouls. He grabbed 6689 rebounds in 985 games. During his NBA career he put up 7.9 points and 6.8 boards per game. He was the 5th overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft, coming out of the University of Texas, selected by the since-relocated Kansas City Kings. And I never even knew this but his nickname was "Tank."
Want to know what Thompson is up to now? Check out this undated article on LaSalle.
There's your LaSalle update. Now let's go Nova and St. Joe's!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
More Moyer Facts
In case you missed it, the Philly Inquirer ran an insightful interview with the Phils' 45 year old lefty Jamie Moyer today. The article pointed out that over his career, Moyer has faced a challenging group of Hall of Fame hitters and he reviewed his perspective of facing each one. Some of the names on the list include Mike Schmidt, Wade Boggs, Tony Gwynn, and some other pitchers' nightmares.
I'd like to add on to that list with a few facts and some names of players Moyer has faced over the years...
-According to Baseball Reference.com, my calculations show that Moyer has faced a total of (get this) 2,149 different batters in his career. There's no other way to say that that is an insane number of batters to face.
-Furthermore, Moyer has faced a whopping 15,102 batters in his career during the regular season
Now, here are some other results he's had against various batters throughout his career:
-He has faced Garrett Anderson the most times (107 plate appearances), and Moyer has not fared well, allowing him to hit .317 with 5 homers and 17 RBI's.
-Scott Brosius has the distinction of having the lowest batting average against Moyer out of any player who has faced him 50+ times (currently listed as 50 plate appearances), and having an average below .200. He's hit a meager .146 against Moyer throughout the years.
-Moyer has never faced Nick Punto.
-In 50 plate appearances, Juan Samuel had Moyer's number, hitting .364, compared to a .259 career average.
-Steve Jeltz faced Moyer 13 times and managed a Mendoza line against him. He hit .200 on the button against the veteran lefty.
-The highest batting average against Moyer for any player with a minimum of 10 at bats goes to Alan Ashby, who had 11 plate appearances and hit .636 against the lefty. Ouch.
-The most home runs agains Jaime Moyer by any one batter is 10 by Manny Ramirez in just 57 appearances. Wow.
-Tim Salmon struck out the most times out of anybody with 17 K's in 99 at bats. Scott Brosius is second with 16 in half as many appearances. Back to the batting cage fellas.
-In all, Moyer has faced 18 current Hall of Famers. Taking out the pitchers on this list (Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, Don Sutton), the 15 remaining Hall of Famers hit a total of .331 with 8 homers and 44 RBIs and 1 triple against him in a total of 284 at bats. All things considered, that's not too bad. That's 1 homer in 35 at bats and not a ton of RBIs. It appears that Moyer has managed to make his living by allowing the "big dogs" to basically scatter around some hits, but not do a ridiculous amount of damage against him. That's cool.
So there's your update on our favorite 40-something fella on the Phils. I hope he's able to continue his consistent pitching this year, and maybe in a few years we'll be able to go back and look at the numbers again to see how things have changed.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Five Teams to Boo...
Pardon me as I act the negative Nelly here, but I had a little email discussion with my good friend Scott and he jokingly brought up a good point... now that Philadelphia will be getting a new MLS soccer team, does that mean we'll be stuck with another team that teases us Philly sports fans into thinking we'll have a chance at a title, only to be let down by inevitable failure?
Admittedly I hate to think this way, but consider the fact that the new soccer team playing in Philly, errr, Chester will be an expansion team and likely won't have a star studded lineup for a few years. That doesn't bode well for the team to help us break the curse on Cups for this city.
On the bright side, however, the new, yet-to-be-named team will have a better shot percentage wise because there are only about half the number of teams in the league compared to the other major sports leagues. So we have, technically, DOUBLE the chance of winning a trophy based on these odds!
So what do you think... should us Philly folks fear a fifth team failure? Or should we be optimistic and say that we can expect a parade down Broad Street soon after the team is up and running in 2010?
Hopefully some other Philly team will win it all before then, but I'm not going to get my hopes up...
Admittedly I hate to think this way, but consider the fact that the new soccer team playing in Philly, errr, Chester will be an expansion team and likely won't have a star studded lineup for a few years. That doesn't bode well for the team to help us break the curse on Cups for this city.
On the bright side, however, the new, yet-to-be-named team will have a better shot percentage wise because there are only about half the number of teams in the league compared to the other major sports leagues. So we have, technically, DOUBLE the chance of winning a trophy based on these odds!
So what do you think... should us Philly folks fear a fifth team failure? Or should we be optimistic and say that we can expect a parade down Broad Street soon after the team is up and running in 2010?
Hopefully some other Philly team will win it all before then, but I'm not going to get my hopes up...
Monday, February 25, 2008
Ed Wade Revisited
As we all know, Ed Wade was the Phillies' General Manager for quite a long stretch... two presidential terms worth of time as a matter of fact. During Wade's 8 years here as GM from 1998 to 2005, there was simultaneously quite a lot going on and almost nothing going on. Confused? Well, here's what I mean:
On one hand, Wade managed to draft future stars such as:
-Chase Utley
-Ryan Howard
-Brett Myers
-Cole Hamels
-Pat Burrell (say what you want about him)
(Amazingly all of them have 10 letters in their names, as listed above. Secret to Wade's success, perhaps? You be the judge.)
Wade also brought in a good handful of productive players, with the likes of:
-Bobby Abreu
-Placido Polanco
-Jim Thome
-Kenny Lofton
-Billy Wagner
By all accounts, that's an impressive cadre of players right there, between draft picks and other acquisitions under his watch. Not to mention the fact that he signed Terry Francona as manager, then fired him, allowing Francona to win two World Series titles in Boston, and a generous contract extension that can keep him in Beantown for five more years.
Meanwhile, however, the Phils, under Wade's direction never made the playoffs though they did come within a game or two of making it a couple of seasons in a row. Ultimately, his downfalls came by not bringing in the one or two players (pitchers, most likely) that could have put the team over the top. Us peon fans will probably never know the full story of whether or not Wade couldn't figure out how to land the right deal or if Phillies management held the purse strings too tightly, or what, but the fact is that the team signed too many underperforming players under Wade's watch, including but not limited to: Eric Milton, Kevin Millwood, David Bell, and Travis Lee. Big names, but also big duds for the Phils.
So on one hand we should be grateful for the solid foundation Wade built for us with tremendous draft picks. On the other hand, the walls, A-frame, and roof never went up, leaving us with a half-completed house that finally started to be built this past year as the Phils made the playoffs for the first time in a dozen years. Hopefully there will be even more building this year...
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
A 76ers Throwback Moment
Looking for a highlight featuring the dynamic duo of Andre Turner and Armen Gilliam? (Well, who isn't?)
If that sounds like you... look no further!
If that sounds like you... look no further!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Highlighting Philly-bred Athletes During Super Bowl Weekend
Kyle Eckel and Kareem McKenzie were both featured in Philadelphia Inquirer articles this week about local players that are in this year's Super Bowl between the Patriots and Giants. Good to see local boys doing well for themselves.
While it's unfortunate that no local players on the Eagles made it to the Super Bowl, for obvious reasons, at least some local gents are going for the glory.
Which gives me an idea...
Instead of the out-of-control, over-hyped Wing Bowl that has grown to become a poor man's version of an annual local Super Bowl, let's put the Philly-bred players that are not in the Super Bowl to good use. I propose a flag football tournament featuring 8 teams, each one captained by an NFL player that hails from Philly but is not in the Super Bowl. The remaining 4 or 5 players on each team would be up-and-coming high school stars. The game could be played at the Spectrum indoors on the Soul's arena football field, and money raised by attendance would go to a local charity.
This would give the city many benefits. First off, it would be a fun competition to look forward to during the usually painfully long January/February lull in the local sporting schedule (since the Eagles usually aren't in the Super Bowl, the Sixers are usually not competitive, and the Flyers are just kind of cruising along waiting until the playoffs to get exciting). Secondly, it could boost local pride and help encourage local athletes to excel on the field (and there could also be academic requirements to add to the mix) so they would have the chance to play alongside a pro player. Third, it would generate some good PR for the region. Last, a local charity would benefit from the ticket sales.
But unfortunately, just like the possibility of a Philly team winning a championship, this doesn't sound likely to happen, does it? Can't hurt to dream though...
While it's unfortunate that no local players on the Eagles made it to the Super Bowl, for obvious reasons, at least some local gents are going for the glory.
Which gives me an idea...
Instead of the out-of-control, over-hyped Wing Bowl that has grown to become a poor man's version of an annual local Super Bowl, let's put the Philly-bred players that are not in the Super Bowl to good use. I propose a flag football tournament featuring 8 teams, each one captained by an NFL player that hails from Philly but is not in the Super Bowl. The remaining 4 or 5 players on each team would be up-and-coming high school stars. The game could be played at the Spectrum indoors on the Soul's arena football field, and money raised by attendance would go to a local charity.
This would give the city many benefits. First off, it would be a fun competition to look forward to during the usually painfully long January/February lull in the local sporting schedule (since the Eagles usually aren't in the Super Bowl, the Sixers are usually not competitive, and the Flyers are just kind of cruising along waiting until the playoffs to get exciting). Secondly, it could boost local pride and help encourage local athletes to excel on the field (and there could also be academic requirements to add to the mix) so they would have the chance to play alongside a pro player. Third, it would generate some good PR for the region. Last, a local charity would benefit from the ticket sales.
But unfortunately, just like the possibility of a Philly team winning a championship, this doesn't sound likely to happen, does it? Can't hurt to dream though...
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Former Eagles Coaches Making the News
I recently reported here on this blog about the wealth of former Phillies players and coaches that have gone on to coach elsewhere in the big leagues. Now that trend is shifting to the Eagles as well.
In today's news, you may have heard about Ray Rhodes being scooped up by the Texans to serve as a defensive backs coach, as well as Rex Ryan being signed by the Baltimore Ravens. Okay, so Rex Ryan never coached or played for the Birds, but his dad did, and it's important to note that he'll now be working under former Iggles coach John Harbaugh.
Assistant coaches aside, this (un-updated) list of NFL head coaches shows that quite a few are indeed ex-Eagles, namely:
-Brad Childress (Minnesota), former coach
-Jon Gruden (Tampa Bay), former coach
-Jeff Fisher (Tennessee), former coach
-Emmitt Thomas (Atlanta-- okay, well he was only there temporarily), former coach
-Herm Edwards (Kansas City), former player
Perhaps if I have time I'll dig down deeper to find assistant coaches that were once Eagles, but that could take a lot of time which I don't quite have since there are so many assistants out there!
But all in all, even though the Eagles have been in a slump of late, it shows they must have done something right to have so many alumni in the head coaching ranks.
Good job gents... now do us proud and make your teams lose to us so we can go on and win a Super Bowl, wouldya?
(Thanks to viewimages.com for the photo!)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Cris Carter: Hall-Worthy?
In an old Seinfeld episode, the character of Elaine hordes a stash of sponges (the prophylactics, not the dishwashing kind), and quizzes each potential mate to determine whether or not he is sponge-worthy. Well, a similar process goes on in the world of sports, and this one has to do with making the Hall of Fame in a player's respective sport.
Cris Carter, the famed former Eagles wide receiver is up for nomination this year, which brings the question, "Is he Hall-Worthy?" Let's take a look at some of his highlights, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com and discuss...
*8 Pro Bowl selections and 4 All-Pro selections
*1101 Receptions, placing him second all-time
*13,899 yards all time, ranking him 6th
*130 career receiving TD's, good for second, and sixth all-time for TD's for all wide receivers and running backs
*5 2-point conversions made, ranking him third (okay, not the most important stat, I just thought it was kinda cool!)
So those are Cris Carter's highlights. Based on them, and other stats you can find at the above link, is he Hall-Worthy???
My verdict...
YES! Send him to Akron to the Hall of Fame.
He had a stellar career and deserves to be enshrined. Too bad that most of his career was spent outside of Philly, else we may have seen a Super Bowl, assuming he could have done just as well here as he did in Minnesota.
For the record, Carter, an Ohio State alum, was drafted in the 4th round by the Eagles in 1987, and stayed in Philadelphia on the steely Veterans Stadium turf until 1989. He spent the bulk of his career with the Vikings, and then fizzled out with 5 games in Miami in 2002.
Unfortunately Buddy Ryan let him go, as this statement from Wikipedia reveals:
During training camp in 1990, while coaching the Eagles, Ryan released an up-and-coming young wide receiver named Cris Carter. Ryan subsequently explained to the media that he had cut Carter because Carter "only catches touchdowns" - an explanation for which Ryan was widely ridiculed for several years, especially after Carter was signed by the Minnesota Vikings with whom he almost immediately developed into one of the NFL's premier passcatchers. Years later, however, it was revealed that Carter had had a serious drug problem, and that Ryan had released him from the Eagles to send him a wake-up call. Carter credits Ryan's actions with helping him to turn his life around.
So there you have it. At any rate, good luck on your HoF bid Cris, and you're more than welcome to suit up and try out for the Eagles again this summer...
Friday, January 11, 2008
Eagles Throwback Jerseys: Which One Would You Choose?
At Modell's the other day, I peered up at a wall of throwback Eagles jerseys. I was looking to spend my gift card and I wanted an Eagles jersey since I didn't own one, and didn't particularly feel like getting a current player, for no other reason than pretty much every Iggles fan has a Westbrook, McNabb, Dawkins, or other familiar player's uniform. So the throwbacks caught my eye but I had a decision to make on which player to spring for. The choices were:Harold Carmichael (#17)
Randall Cunningham (#12)
Keith Jackson (#88)
Ron Jaworski (#7)
Vince Papale (#83)
Mike Quick (#82)
Reggie White (#92)
For any Eagles fan, this is a tough call!
Quite honestly, on any given day I might have chosen a different one depending on my mood. I must have been in a hungry mood that day because I wound up going with the "Jaws" jersey. In reality, it was a very close call for me, with each player having a different selling point. Cunningham was silky smooth and wore my favorite number, Vince Papale was gritty and a unique star (though I was too young to see him play), Reggie was a legend, and so on and so forth. Once you get thinking about it, it gets pretty tough!
So I ask you... what throwback Eagles jersey would you have chosen?
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
An Eagles Analysis from a Different Point of View
Please pardon me as I stray away from my normal undertaking of digging up Philly sports minutiae, but I just had to jot my thoughts down on the 2007 Eagles.
I saw two amazing stats that were pretty much buried deep in the Philly Inquirer, one from today one from the weekend. Before you read what I'm going to report, you need to essentially drop any knowledge you have about the Eagles... forget any opinions you have about the coaches and players, and just take in the stats for what they are:
1. The Eagles had the HARDEST strength of schedule in the ENTIRE NFL. Teams that the Eagles played won 56% of their games. The next closest team was Washington. Meanwhile out of all the playoff teams other than Washington, the next highest percentage was 51%.... and most of the playoff teams had much easier schedules. That definitely makes a HUGE difference over the course of the season.
2. The Eagles were one of only FOUR teams to be in the top 10 for both offensive yards gained and defensive yards allowed. Patriots, Dallas, and Indy were the other 3 teams. If that company doesn't amaze you then I don't know what does.
So all in all, I think we can all agree that the Eagles should have had a better record this year, but unfortunately a few costly mistakes and poor executions and coaching decisions when needed killed this team. But I think that on the whole this team's still on the right track, despite the flukiness of this past year. If they can fill in a few key positions, watch out in '08.
Unfortunately the Inquirer sports writers tend to focus on the same issues of "we need another wide receiver" (true, but so do most teams), or "we need to run the ball with Westbrook more" (debatable, since if he runs the ball 20-25 times a game he's a lot more likely to get injured or worn down during the course of the season and ultimately shortening his career), or "McNabb/Reid/fill-in-the-blank must go (or must stay, depending on the time of year)". While they do make good points, it gets pretty tiresome reading the same basic commentary over and over and over. Though he's not perfect, I generally trust Andy Reid and his decisions and I think it's a waste of time to second-guess every single one that he makes. Move on with life!
That's all I wanted to say. Happy New Year's y'all!
I saw two amazing stats that were pretty much buried deep in the Philly Inquirer, one from today one from the weekend. Before you read what I'm going to report, you need to essentially drop any knowledge you have about the Eagles... forget any opinions you have about the coaches and players, and just take in the stats for what they are:
1. The Eagles had the HARDEST strength of schedule in the ENTIRE NFL. Teams that the Eagles played won 56% of their games. The next closest team was Washington. Meanwhile out of all the playoff teams other than Washington, the next highest percentage was 51%.... and most of the playoff teams had much easier schedules. That definitely makes a HUGE difference over the course of the season.
2. The Eagles were one of only FOUR teams to be in the top 10 for both offensive yards gained and defensive yards allowed. Patriots, Dallas, and Indy were the other 3 teams. If that company doesn't amaze you then I don't know what does.
So all in all, I think we can all agree that the Eagles should have had a better record this year, but unfortunately a few costly mistakes and poor executions and coaching decisions when needed killed this team. But I think that on the whole this team's still on the right track, despite the flukiness of this past year. If they can fill in a few key positions, watch out in '08.
Unfortunately the Inquirer sports writers tend to focus on the same issues of "we need another wide receiver" (true, but so do most teams), or "we need to run the ball with Westbrook more" (debatable, since if he runs the ball 20-25 times a game he's a lot more likely to get injured or worn down during the course of the season and ultimately shortening his career), or "McNabb/Reid/fill-in-the-blank must go (or must stay, depending on the time of year)". While they do make good points, it gets pretty tiresome reading the same basic commentary over and over and over. Though he's not perfect, I generally trust Andy Reid and his decisions and I think it's a waste of time to second-guess every single one that he makes. Move on with life!
That's all I wanted to say. Happy New Year's y'all!
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