The Flyers welcomed the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Wachovia center tonight as they looked for their 3rd straight win. Tampa came in to the game weary, and it showed as they Flyer's held them to just 18 shots on goal and Micheal Leighton, in goal maybe for the last time with Ray Emery slated to return tomorrow, stopped 17 of them. Meanwhile, Simon Gagne, assisted Claude Giroux on a power play goal, for his 500th career point, late in the 1st period, Scott Hartnell scored his first goal in some time early in the 3rd period, and Blair Betts scored twice late in the 3rd period, including an empty netter, to cap off a 4-1 Flyer's victory. It was just a solid effort all around for the Flyer's and they deserved the win. At this point, with 47 points overall, the Flyer's are up to 9th in the Eastern conference, just 1 point out of 8th. So today 2 of the 3 Philly teams won and you know what they say, 2 out of 3 ain't bad. Of course that 1 was a little more important than those 2 but oh well better luck next year.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers traveled to Detroit tonight for a matchup with the Pistons. Once again they jumped out to the early lead in this with a dominant first half. In fact they were up 56-30, that's right 26 points heading into the 3rd quarter and that's without AI who sat out with his bad knee again. Once again they almost blew it, but somehow they managed to hang in there enough in the 4th quarter for a 104-94 win to break their 2 game , losing which should have been a winning, streak. Elton Brand's 25 points off the bench led 6 Sixers in double figures. Iggy had 16, Thad Young had 10, Sammy D had 16 and 9 rebounds, Lou Williams had 14, and Willie Green, subbing in for AI, added 15. The Sixer's D was better tonight then it had been, as they held Detroit to just 41% from and only 5 threes, while outrebounding them 40-34. So all in all it was a good effort for the Sixers and their 11th win of the season. Let's just sat they need quite a few more games like this to have a chance of doing anything this season.
EAGLES NEWS
Well it's all over for the Birds and maybe that's a good thing. Once again in their wild card playoff game today they couldn't stop Tony Romo and Cowboys offense and they could do nothing against the rampaging Cowboy's defense. Early on the Eagles tried to hang in there with Micheal Vick firing a 76 yard TD pass to Jeremy Maclin to tie at 7 early in the 1st quarter. It was just about all Dallas after that. Mcnabb was under pressure on every snap and his receivers against a more physical Dallas secondary could not get open on most plays. He still managed to pass for 230 yards and TD to Desean Jackson early in the 4th quarter but by then it was already 34-7 Dallas and the Eagles hopes for a comeback had been dashed. There is really not much to say. The Birds were just overmatched by Dallas in every phase of the game and I don't know that there is anything they could have done different that would have helped. I think with another year of experience the Eagle's young safeties could be very good and with a healthy Stewart Bradley back in the middle, the Eagle's linebacking core will be fine next year. I think the o-line will be fine next year with a healthy Jamal Jackson back in the fold. We just weren't quite ready for liftoff this year I think, but next year watch out Cowboys, we're coming for you.
Friday, January 08, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers welcomed the Toronto Raptors to the Wachovia center tonight. With Raptors currently 6th in the Eastern conference this was a big game for the Sixers to win if they wanted to make any kind of run for the remainder of the 1st half of the season to get back into a viable position for a playoff push. Unfortunately the results were all too familiar. The Sixers came out firing and led by 11 at halftime. Then everything went Toronto's way in the 3rd quarter as they outscored the Sixers 34-25 to pull back within 2. This time the Sixers didn't Toronto get ahead and get away from them. Instead they managed to stick with them in a tight 4th quarter. With 20 seconds remaining Sammy Dalembert slammed back a layup to put the Sixers up 105-104. Then he was tasked to guard Chris Bosh on the other end of the floor to preserve the win. He got Bosh to move to his off hand, but didn't quite have enough left in the tank to keep him from banking in a hook shot and a foul with 8 seconds left for a 108-106 Raptor lead. The Sixers then got the final possession but AI got stuck in a double team, and was forced pass off to Lou Williams who could only get off a wobbly 3 pointer which missed badly. So there you have it 108-106 Raptors and milestone 25th loss for the Sixers. I can't decide what the problem is with this team but after tonight there's only two things that come behind. Either they have some kind of mental block with holding leads in the 2nd half, or its just bad coaching by Eddie Jordan. I don't know what do you think?
Thursday, January 07, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
After an easy win over the Toronto Maple Leafs last night, the Flyers traveled to Pittsburgh for a key matchup with the Penguins. Coming Pittsburgh was without, Ruslan Fedotenko, Sergei Gonchar, and others, so you knew the Flyer's had a chance to pull out the win, but only in an intense and hard fought manner. Instead they surprised eveyerone with 7 goals and a convincing 7-4 win. Micheal Leighton was very good in goal again , with severall key saves which kept the Flyer's at least a nose in front of the Pens all night long. In the first 7 minutes of the game Jeff Carter scored on the power play and James Van Reimsdyk scored a minute later for a 2-0 lead. Late in the period after a Sidney Crosby score, Matt Carle scored on the power play for a 3-1 lead. It was only 3-2 as the 2nd period, but quick goals by Chris Pronger and JVR pushed the Orange and Black lead back up to 5-2. Jeff Carter made it 6-2 about halfway through the 3rd and then with a little over 40 seconds to play Mike Richard scored on the Pens' empty net to cap off a 7-4 win. So at last the Flyer's have knocked off the Penguins, the shorthanded Penguins sure, but considering how poorly the Flyers have competed with the Pens in recent years, just beating them with any roster out there is huge. So let's here it for the Orange and Black and here's hoping they keep it going. Currently with 45 points overall, they are 9th in the Eastern conference, just 2 games out of 8th.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers welcomed the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Wachovia center tonight and politely blew them out 6-2 as Danny Briere scored his 500th career point and Micheal Leighton had yet another solid night in goal with 30 saves. Briere got it going early with a power play goal just 4 minutes into the 1st period for a 1-0 lead. Later in the final seconds of the period Danny Syvret added his second career goal for a 2-0 lead. Midway through the 2nd period Dan Carcillo made it 3-0. Finally in the 3rd period the Orange and Black scored 3 times in the first 7 minutes to put away the Leafs. Mike Richards and James Van Reimsdyk scored on the power play, and Briere scored to knotch his 500th point. So all in all it was a heck of tonight to be a Flyer's fan and here's hoping the Orange and Black keep it going tonight against those darn Penguins. As of right now with 43 points overall, they are 10th in the East, but just 2 points out of 8th, so a win tonight could put them back up 8th which would be nice.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers finally played a home game tonight, as they welcomed the Washington Wizards to the Wachovia center tonight. The Sixers actually came in having won 3 of their last 5 and looking for their 2 win in a row. The Wizards on the other hand came in having lost 4 in a row, so you would think the Sixers would have a pretty good chance of winning this one. In fact, they got off to a blazing start in the 1st half, jumping out to an 18 point lead at one point, before settling for a 14 point lead at the half. Seemingly rolling to victory, everything came to a screeching halt for the Sixers in the 2nd half. Washington suddenly heated up from beyond the arc, as Nick Young, Antawn Jamison, and Gilbert Arenas all just couldn't miss for a while. The Sixers on the other hand, totally cooled off from the field and starting making mistakes and turning the ball over. All told Washington outscored the Sixers 60-39 in the 2nd half and when the dust had settled the Sixers had not only blown their 14 point lead, they had lost embarrassingly by 7 while putting up little resistance down the stretch. Overall Washington shot 51% from the field, mostly thanks to their 65% shooting in the 2nd half, while the Sixers shot 48% from the field, but only 35% in the 2nd half. The Sixers also turned the ball over, more than 10 times in the 2nd half, almost in the 4th quarter when it mattered most. So ultimately, they totally blew what should have been an easy in just about every way imaginable, effectively wasting an outstanding effort by Sammy Dalembert, who posted 20 points and 20 rebounds(of course he was also the only pure center on the floor all night long, with Brendan Haywood out with an injury) , and solid efforts by Andre Iguodala with 20 and 8 assists, and Lou Williams with 19. While the Wizards, really aren't as bad their records indicates, frankly they just don't try enough most nights, there's no really no excuse for the Sixers in this one. When you get a team down like that at the half you have to put them away and the Sixers simply did not tonight. Better luck next time I guess.
Monday, January 04, 2010
Sunday, January 03, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers finished their west coast road trip tonight in Denver with a matchup against Nuggets in AI's first return to Denver as a Sixer again. Early on the Sixers started slow, falling behind by 9 after a quarter of play. By the half they had used hot shooting to rally within 1. By the 4th quarter they were up by 8 and in hang on for the win mode, which they did despite a furious Denver rally, for a 108-105 win. Overall the Sixers shot 50% from the field, and only 26% from beyond the arc, but hit 5 threes, which you makes you wonder why they can't shoot like that every night. At any rate, in his return to Denver, AI led the way with 17, Elton Brand had 16, Thad Young and Lou Williams each scored 12, and Rodney Carney chipped in with 11 off the bench, while hitting 3 of the Sixer's 5 threes. Defensively, the Sixer's were not very good. In fact, they were lucky Denver decided not to give their best effort for whatever reason. I guess they thought they could coast and still beat the Sixers, but the reality is that Sixer's are far more talented then they're record would suggest. They just have to shoot lights out every night to win. So anyway at 10-23 overall now the Sixers remain 4.5 games out of 8th in the Eastern conference and who knows maybe this strong road trip will be the start of something for them.
EAGLES NEWS
The Birds traveled to Dallas this early evening for their 1st game at the Cowboys brand new stadium. With a win they would finish 12-4 overall, win the NFC East, and clinch a 1st round bye as the #2 seed in the NFC, a golden opportunity for them to perhaps host the NFC championship game and get back to the superbowl for the first time since losing to the Patriots back in 2005. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. Coming into the season the Eagles had the 2nd youngest team in the NFL, in terms of average age and they really showed that youth on this day. For many of the Birds this was their first taste of a high pressure situation and they just weren't ready to handle it. There were 6 dropped passes, poor run defense, blitzes that didn't work because of the poor run defense and overall just a total lack of execution and focus. All of which led to a bitter 24-0 loss to the Cowboys. Despite missing Jamal Jackson at center the Eagles o-line actually held up just fine. Donovan Mcnabb had time to throw, but his receivers either dropped his passes or didn't get open. Mcnabb himself also missed an opportunity early in the game when he overthrew Desean Jackson down the field, on a play that could have gone for 6. At the same time though, it appeared Jackson stopped running once he got open and starting looking for the ball before Donovan ever let it go. If he had just kept going at full stride he probably would have been able to run under Donovan's throw. When they ran the ball they did it okay, but they just fell behind so quickly that they didn't have time to run that much. Ultimately, you can't blame one person or another for this one. It was a total team loss. The Bird just didn't have it today for whatever reason. So the Eagles finish 11-5 overall, 2nd in the NFC East, and 6th in the NFC which means they will go back to Dallas next week for a wild card matchup. Given that Andy and Donovan have never lost a wild card game, while Tony Romo and Wade Philips have never won a playoff game, there is still a good chance the Birds will get through next week at least, but it will be very tough for them to beat the Saints in the divisional round, although New Orleans has been struggling as of late so who knows.
FLYERS NEWS
Fresh off gutty, but losing performance at the winter classic the Flyers traveled to Ottawa this afternoon to finish off their road trip. Perhaps mentally letting down a little from the classic, they came out flat in the first period. They scored first in period, with Ian Laperriere depositing a rare goal for a 1-0 lead, but from there Ottawa quickly jumped to a 4-1 lead, with Alexei Kovalev scoring 2 of the 4 goals. Thank's to the quick Ottawa start Micheal Leighton was pulled just 9 minutes into the game in favor of Brian Boucher and initially it looked like the right move. From the flat beginning the Orange and black put together an inspiring comeback in 2nd period. Quick scores by Darroll Powe and Aaron Asham early in the period cut the lead to 4-3. Then with a little under 8 minutes to play in the period Mike Richards slapped in a power play goal to knot it up at 4. Unfortunately, the fun stopped there. Early in 3rd period Boucher failed to glove a rebound, allowing Kovalev slip behind him and slap in the live puck for a 5-4 Ottawa lead. A few minutes later rookie defenseman Oskars Bartulis misplayed a puck behind the net, slapping it right in front of the net to Chris Kelly who shot it by a surprised Boucher for a 6-4 lead. Just 6 minutes later Kovalev scored his 4th goal of the day, the 5th given up by Boucher, to put away a 7-4 Senator's win. So the Flyers drop their 2nd in a row and fall to 19-19-3 overall, for now still 2 points out of 8th in the Eastern conference. Anymore games like this though, and they won't be that close for long.
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