Archive for August, 2009

Phillies Back on Track

August 14th, 2009 BroadStreetHero
Shane probably wouldve rather had one to drink after the game than a beer during the game.

Shane probably would've rather had one to drink after the game than a beer during the game.

In case anyone forgot, the Phillies did sweep the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field yesterday. Behind another sensational performance by Cliff Lee, the Phillies brought their division lead back up to 5 games. Lee pitched 8 strong innings, allowing only one run while striking out 8. In three starts with the Phillies Cliff Lee has shown why he was the AL Cy Young Winner last season. His stats so far: 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA, 24 innings pitched, 23 Ks, and 6 BB. Plus he has 3 hits which is equal to the amount of runs he has let up.

Lee wasn’t the only highlight of the game.  The Phillies brought their bats out in the series and remembered how to hit with runners in scoring position for the first time in a while.  Ryan Howard hit his first home run of August and Pedro Feliz also homered to spark the Phillies in the finale.

The Phillies were able to sweep the Cubs at Wrigley for the first time in the last 25 years.  The Wrigley faithful had something to say about it, trying to help out their Cubs by throwing a beer on Shane Victorino as he was trying to make a catch late in the game.  Fortunately Shane kept his concentration and caught the ball while receiving a shower of beer.

After this energy boost, the Phillies traveled to Atlanta to face the division rival Braves.  Tonight Joe Blanton squared off against Braves ace Jair Jurrjens, who the Phillies hadn’t scored a run against in his last two starts.  After the Braves got out to a 1-0 lead, Chase Utley provided a spark for the Phillies by hitting a two run homer off of Jurrjens (his first of August) to make it 2-1 Phils.

Of course they gave one run back the next inning to tie the game at two.  Both starters pitched through 7 innings as the game remained tied due to some tremendous fielding, especially by Shane Victorino, who made two sensational grabs in center field.

In the top of the 9th inning, Ryan Howard showed that he is back in the home run hitting groove, smacking a solo shot to deep center field.  This gave the Phillies a 3-2 lead, and it was Howard’s 205th career home run, passing Dick Allen on the Phillies all time home run list.  Not-so-lights-out Brad Lidge came into the game in the bottom of the 9th to close it out for the Phillies, who were going for their 4th win in a row, one that they sorely needed to put some more room between themselves and the Braves.

After getting the first out, Lidge allowed a base hit, then a stolen base.  Brad then threw some 97 mph high heat to strike out Ryan Church.  With a man on 2nd and two outs, Lidge faced the poor man’s Matt Stairs in Greg Norton, who he walked.  This brought Nate McLouth to the plate for the Braves with two men on.  McClouth hit a fly ball to left field that fell into the glove of Raul Ibanez, securing the win for the Phillies!

Posted in Phillies Tags: , , , , , , 1,519 Comments »

The Eagle Has Landed: Why Philadelphia’s Signing of Michael Vick Is Smart

August 14th, 2009 BroadStreetHero
Is someone playing a joke on us or is Michael Vick really an Eagle?

Is someone playing a joke on us or is Michael Vick really an Eagle?

Now that I have had time to get over my initial reaction upon hearing the news that Michael Vick signed a 2 year contract with my Philadelphia Eagles I feel that I can finally analyze the pros and cons of the situation.

On one side, I am still shocked that the Eagles, of all the 32 teams in the NFL, went out and signed a person with the public relations problems that Michael Vick brings.  When Vick got reinstated I think everybody was waiting for someone like Al Davis to sign him to a ludicrous contract, but NOBODY, and I mean nobody, saw this coming.

Every single person that I talked to within 15 minutes of hearing the news was shocked, but everybody had a different perspective.  So, now that Michael Vick is a Philadelphia Eagle, let’s discuss how he will affect our team.

There are many negatives that go along with the signing of Michael Vick.  Now we have to deal with PETA and the various animal rights and humane groups that despise Vick, and rightfully so.  The Eagles now have a shadow over the organization and really need Vick to prove that he has changed or else, as Jeffrey Lurie said, “This will have been a terrible decision.”

As an organization, the Eagles will take a lot of heat for this decision.  Why the hell would they sign a convicted felon and not resign their Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins?  Dawkins is probably the most beloved player in Eagles history, and the organization turned off many fans, including myself, by being frugal and not matching the Broncos offer when they had $41 million to work with.

On the football side, Vick hasn’t played a down in 32 months, when he lost to the Eagles in the playoffs in 2006.  He has been serving time in jail where he probably has been able to stay fit, but over two years away from the NFL will hinder his reentry to the league.  Vick’s future also hinges on the decision of Roger Goodell, who may not even allow him to play football this season.

When Vick is cleared to play, will he be able to compete in the NFL?  We simply don’t know how his skills will carry over from over two years ago.

Initially, I thought that there were many more negatives than positives when it came to signing Michael Vick.  After hours of thinking and researching, I believe that the upside is huge.  If Vick can contribute to the team and to the Philadelphia community then the Eagles just made the best investment of all time.

The man is on a mission to change his life, and I believe Tony Dungy when he says that Vick is truly remorseful for what he has done in the past.  I also trust Andy Reid, who understands the predicament that Vick is in after dealing with the multiple problems that his sons have had.

Think about this: Michael Vick now has the opportunity to redeem himself as a person and a football player.  Many people remember that Vick was not the greatest passer when he was in Atlanta.  I agree with this, but on the upside, Vick hasn’t thrown a pass in two years.  That’s two years less of repeating poor habits.

The Eagles have great coaching and a mentor in Donovan McNabb, and I’m sure that this will make it easier for the Eagles to teach Vick how to be a proper passer.

By not playing football in two years, Michael doesn’t have the wear and tear of two football seasons.  Instead of being a veteran with 8 years of grueling football under his belt, he is fresh and has only played 4 full seasons of football in his career.  The upside is tremendous.

Not only can Vick refine his game and become a better quarterback, but he has the opportunity to learn from one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the game in Donovan McNabb.  While quietly improving his passing game, Vick can add a new dimension to the Eagles offense that could make them Super Bowl bound.

I am so happy that the Eagles have signed Michael Vick because of how much I dread the end of the McNabb Era and the beginning of the Kolb Era in Philly.  Now I am certain who Donovan’s successor will be, and I am fine with it.  When the Eagles picked Kevin Kolb I was livid.

I had waited over 6 hours for the Eagles to make a pick, and they took an unproven QB out of Houston.  No offense to Kolb, but I just don’t think he has the skills and demeanor to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

As I have always said, I support Donovan McNabb.  There are many McNabb haters throughout the country and throughout Philadelphia, but am a firm believer in #5.  I remember the days of Bobby Hoying and Doug Petersen, of Ty and Koy Detmer, and I ask Eagles fans, “Why do you hate McNabb?”

Before McNabb we were losers.  With him the Eagles have made the playoffs 7 times with 5 trips to the NFC Championship and one trip to the Super Bowl, which we were cheated out of.  What more can you ask of a guy who has endured so much criticism.  Give him some respect!

Someone once said, “You don’t know what you got til it’s gone,” and that feeling will hit Eagles fans once Donovan retires.

People have called for change and Obama is now showing his true colors, and it’s not what the American people thought it would be.  Philadelphia fans have to realize that Donovan has brought us some of our most cherished memories, and I wouldn’t change that for the world.

Let me paint a picture of a possible scenario for you.  The Eagles have the ball on offense.  It is late in the season and everybody is healthy and Michael Vick has learned the playbook and is ready to contribute.

The offensive line is playing like a cohesive unit with Todd Herremans, Jason Peters, Jamal Jackson, Shawn Andrews, and Stacy Andrews providing a brick wall to protect Donovan McNabb.

Split out on the field are Pro Bowl bound DeSean Jackson and sensational rookie Jeremy Maclin, both speed demons that are touchdown threats on every play.  Kevin Curtis or Jason Avant is lined up in the slot.  In the backfield, Donovan McNabb is lined up in the shotgun.  On his right is a healthy Brian Westbrook, or if he has gotten hurt, a fresh LeSean McCoy.  On his left is Michael Vick…

If you are one of the other 31 defensive coordinators in the NFL, how do you defend that?  How?  Andy Reid could do anything in this offense.  Donovan can do a normal pass play, hand it off to Westbrook or Vick, they could direct snap to Vick, who can run or pass.

It’s almost impossible to defend!  If that doesn’t get you excited to see Michael Vick in Eagles green, I guess you just aren’t fan enough.

Posted in Eagles Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , 5,922 Comments »

The Manny Effect

August 8th, 2009 BroadStreetHero

The Los Angeles Dodgers are considered to be the best team in baseball this year. They have the best record in the league at 67-43 and lead the NL West by 6.5 games. They are driven by a host of young stars who all revolve around one tainted veteran, Manny Ramirez. Players like Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Andre Ethier have shined in a Dodger’s lineup that contains Manny.

When Ramirez was suspended 50 games for testing positive for PEDs in early May, one of those young stars declined dramatically, and that is what I call “The Manny Effect”.

I have heard about Right Fielder Andre Ethier since before he was a household name in Los Angeles. My younger brother is an avid fan of Arizona State baseball, and Ethier was the star of the team that he followed. My brother has followed his career, all the while collecting memorabilia from baseball cards to game used jerseys and bats. Even though he is as much of a Phillies fan as I am, he still would root for Ethier when he played against us.

So far this season, Andre Ethier has had some of the most memorable late inning heroics in baseball. He has five walk off hits, four of which are home runs, and two of which came against the Phillies in back to back games. The most recent of these walk offs came two nights ago in the bottom of the 9th inning against the Atlanta Braves when Ethier hit a three run shot into the night to win the game for the Dodgers by a score of 5-4. That’s what happens when you fall behind 2-0 in the count and throw a pitch over the middle because you would rather throw that to Ethier than allow the man behind him, Manny Ramirez, to step up to the plate.

Manny’s presence in the lineup has been very significant to Andre Ethier, and his performance shows it. Ethier has played in 59 games this season with Manny in the lineup and in 48 games without Manny due to his suspension. The statistics I compiled on Ethier during both of these times shows the Manny Effect.

59 Games with Manny Ramirez in the Lineup

.314 BA      14 HR      47 RBI      34 BB      36 K

48 Games without Manny Ramirez in the Lineup

.222 BA      9 HR        25 RBI        16 BB        42 K

As you can see, Ethier’s production is drastically lower without Manny there to back him up.  Without Manny, Andre’s batting average is 92 points lower, he has hit less home runs while driving in less runs, and his walks to strikeout ratio is remarkably different, from about 1:1 with Manny to 1:2.5 without him.  That means Ethier gets on base less, puts the ball in play less, and is less productive overall without Manny Ramirez.

There seems to be a euphoria in Los Angeles that revolves around Mannywood, and from the looks of it, Andre Ethier should be his biggest fan.

Posted in The Rest Tags: , , , , , , , 1,172 Comments »

Phillies Win 7-0 on Happ’s Complete Game Shutout

August 5th, 2009 BroadStreetHero
The Phillies are back to their winning ways

The Phillies are back to their winning ways

J.A. Happ just showed Phillies management, coaches, players, and fans why he deserves a spot not only in the starting rotation for the rest of the season, but also as the fourth man in the playoff rotation. Tonight, Happ pitched 9 shutout innings for his 2nd complete game shutout of the season. He racked up a career high 10 strikeouts as well, showing that he can be dominant. On a night where Pedro Martinez pitched 6 strong innings in AA ball where he fanned 11 batters, J.A. Happ overshadowed with a more dominant performance against the Wild Card leading Rockies.

J.A. wasn’t the only story tonight. After a 6 game stretch where the Phillies bats were limp and the team went 1-5 while scoring a total of 13 runs, they finally started hitting. Each starter got a hit, including a double by Happ, and Jimmy Rollins, Pedro Feliz, and Jayson Werth hit homers for the Phils. Ryan Howard also recorded an RBI tonight, and Chase Utley got hit by a pitch for the 17th time this season and 100th time in his career.

The hot summer night was all the Phillies needed to get back on track in front of a crowd that acted as if tonight’s game was a playoff game. The atmosphere was absolutely electric as J.A. Happ struck out the final batter of the game, demonstrating poise that is needed out of a playoff pitcher.

Tomorrow afternoon Cliff Lee makes his home debut. He will have to do something extraordinary to overshadow his first start where he pitched a complete game while allowing only one run. Hopefully he is the competitive type and will only want to improve on his performance, and maybe try to beat out Happ’s outing from tonight.

Posted in Phillies Tags: , , , , , , , , 5,775 Comments »

Dear NHL: Get Your Priorities Straight!

August 5th, 2009 BroadStreetHero
Bettman demonstrating the gap between the NHL and other professional sports leagues

Bettman demonstrating the gap between the NHL and other professional sports leagues

Over the last week I have been grimacing in pain due to getting my wisdom teeth pulled.  It has given me time to sit around, watch television, and live on yogurt, soup, and pudding.  As I’ve waited for the pain to subside I was lucky enough to observe the idiocy that is the NHL front office.  For a league that is struggling to maintain it’s place in the popular sports hierarchy, it doesn’t look like they realize that there is a huge public image problem.

This has been escalated even more by the recent news stating that the NHL is looking into contracts signed by star free agents.  Evidently, they are concerned that teams are front-loading the contracts so the player gets paid the bulk of the money in the earlier years of the deal, providing the team with less of a salary cap hit in the later years of the deal.  For example, defensemen Chris Pronger of the Philadelphia Flyers just inked a 7 year deal worth $33.5 million, $28 million of which will be paid in the first 4 years of the contract.  The fishy part about the contract is that Pronger is now 34 years old and will be 35 when the season starts, so the odds of him playing until he is 42 years old is very slim, although NHL defensemen do enjoy long careers.

The problem with the entire contract situation is this:  the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) was designed so that teams would have to abide by a set salary cap.  By front-loading the money in contracts, teams look like they are trying to circumvent the cap hit that would occur should a player retire before playing out his deal, which would mean that a team signed a player and discussed his retirement, something that is forbidden.

The NHL shouldn’t be overly concerned with this issue, and that is why I’m writing a letter to Gary Bettman, the Commissioner of the NHL, telling him exactly what he should do to bring the league back to prominence:


Dear Commissioner Bettman,

Why are you concerning yourself with the ethics behind contracts being signed by your star athletes when there are more pressing matters at hand?  Do you want to see your league take a step back to what it was like during the 2004-05 NHL Lockout?  I sure as hell don’t.  What you need to be focusing on is the promotion and image of the league.  The one good thing that you have going for you: the attendance numbers are extraordinary!  Total attendance throughout all thirty teams totaled 21,495,541 fans, with only the Atlanta Thrashers filling less than 80% of their seats.

Both of these numbers are better than the NBA, which plays the same number of games in front of comparable crowds.  The NBA had 21,398,899 fans come to their games, but seven franchises failed to reach 80% average attendance, with the Memphis Grizzlies bringing up the rear at 70.3%.

To compare the two leagues, in Philadelphia, a strong sports market, you had the Flyers average 19,545 (100.2%) in attendance at the Wachovia Center versus the NBA’s 76ers who averaged 15,802 (79.7%) in the same arena!  The amazing thing is, both teams made the playoffs in 2008-09, but the disparity in attendance heavily favored the NHL team.

So Gary, now that you have brought back the original fan base to the NHL, it is now time to expand the league’s horizons and grab sports fans and casual viewers alike.  How should you do this?  First, focus on obtaining media contracts!  The NHL may as well be in the Stone Age compared to the rest of the major professional sports leagues.  While the NFL has $3+ BILLION in television contracts with CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, ESPN, and NFL Network, the NHL has a measly $70 million per year contract with Versus along with a two year contract to broadcast about 10 games on NBC a year (including the Winter Classic through 2011).

Here is a list of things to do to promote the NHL:

  • Get a deal done with ESPN to broadcast games.  Some of my best memories from when I was younger was watching Gary Thorne do a game on ESPN, then keeping the TV on to watch NHL 2 Night.  ESPN does a great job of promoting the content shown on their station, and with the amount of viewership they get, it will be worth it, this I guarantee.
  • Recognize that you have a great thing going with the NHL Winter Classic.  The event has rejuvenated hockey and is something that the media can jump on board with.  One idea that has been floating around is a possible matchup between rivals Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in the middle of the Keystone State at Beaver Stadium at Penn State.  I suggest working as hard as you can to get the Penn State Athletic Department to agree to let you have a Winter Classic there.  The 2009 Winter Classic was the most viewed game in 34 years.  Image the viewership and attendance numbers if the reigning Stanley Cup champion Penguins faced off against the division rival Flyers in a packed stadium of 107,282+ people!  Not only are you competing with College Football Bowl Games on New Year’s Day, but you will have the biggest College Football stadium to host a game in!
  • Promote your star players more effectively.  Other leagues do this very well through community service programs which they advertise during games on television.  For example, the NFL is teamed up with the United Way, the MLB has the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and the NBA has their own NBA Cares program.  What does the NHL have?  Show some of the league’s top stars interacting with people in their communities in a likeable and humorous way.  That should spark more interest in the teams and players around the league.
  • We all know who Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin are, but instead of jamming more of them down our throats, why don’t you do something to promote the other stars in the league.  I am a Flyers season ticket holder and know of the accomplishments of Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, and Simon Gagne, but other hockey fans might not.  Most likely, if fans can’t reach the players on a personal level, then they won’t be as likely to keep watching.  Get the best players in the league in the spotlight and keep them there!  The NHL All Star Game was great this year at doing this, the problem is that not many people saw it.
  • As a fan of all sports, I can probably name the top stars in each league, but none more so than the NFL.  I could probably name the starting QB, RB, and WR as well as top defensive personnel and head coaches for each team.  For the NHL, I could only do this with about half of the league, and I probably only know about 5-10 coaches in the league.  This shows the pathetic job that you are doing in promoting your own people.  When avid hockey fans don’t know the teams around the league then you have to work at getting more people to watch more games.  By changing up the schedule to make it easier for people to watch more games, or by broadcasting more games nationally you have a much better chance at success.

There are a lot of problems with the NHL, but things have gotten much better since the Lockout.  Attendance numbers are great, but what you need to do now is promote the league and it’s image.  The NHL has some of the most talented athletes in the world right now and is dominated by young, exciting stars.  People should know about them!  If you do your job and actively promote the league, no matter how much it costs the league and the owners, you will make the NHL a premier league once again.

Sincerely,

A Hockey Fan Who Cares

Posted in Flyers Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , 5,832 Comments »
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