Wednesday, December 31, 2008
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers continued their road trip tonight as they traveled to L.A for a matchup with the struggling Clippers. Fortunately for the Sixers the Clips continued to struggle and the Sixers had another solid night offensively, to pull out a much needed win. Defensively the Sixers had a much better night then they had been having lately, as they held the Clips to just 40% shooting from the field and 22% from beyond the arc, while forcing 16 turnovers , including 10 steals. Offensively, Andre Iguodala with 28 and Thaddeus Young with 20 were the leading scorers and just about the only Sixer scorers with Andre Miller the only other Sixer in double figures on the night. Still, the defense was good enough for once that Iguodala and Young were all they needed to win. The Clippers actually led by 1 after a quarter of play with the score 27-26. By the half the Sixers had pulled ahead by 3 with the score 50-47. By the start of the 4th quarter the Sixers had stretched their lead to 4 with the score 69-65. Finally in the 4th quarter the Sixers pulled away for good eventually hanging on to win by 8 with the final score 100-92. So the Sixers improve to 13-18 overall and now just a game out of 8th in the Eastern conference. We'll see if they can get anything going from this.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers continued their road trip tonight as they traveled to Vancouver to faceoff with the Canucks. Marty Biron got the start in goal and had a dazzling night saving 29 of the 31 shots he faced, to help preserve a hard fought Flyers victory. Meanwhile, Jeff Carter had yet another stalwart night with a goal and an assist to power the Orange and Black to a win. Early in the first period Carter scored for a 1-0 lead. Late in the period Daniel Sedin knotted it up at 1. Then a minute later Scott Hartnell scored for a 2-1 lead. Early in the 2nd period Jon Kalinski scored for a 3-1 lead. Late in the period Ryan Kesler scored to cut it to 3-2. From there it came down to a battle between Biron and the determined Canucks. Thankfully Biron won the day with some spectacular saves to close out the 3-2 win. So the Flyers win their 20th of the season to improve to 20-10-7 overall for 47 points, and now 5th in the Eastern conference, and still 2nd in the Atlantic division 2 points behind the Rangers.
Monday, December 29, 2008
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers continued their road trip as they traveled to Utah for a matchup with the beat up Jazz. Unfortunately it was the Sixers who were beat up on this night. Once again while the Sixers were solid offensively as they shot 48% from the field and had 5 scorers in double figures, the defense was abysmal. Utah with no Carlos Boozer, and a banged up Deron Williams, shot 51% from the field and 44% from beyond the arc and pumped in 112 points. There is simply no excuse for defense that bad. You just can't win if you allow your opponent to score at will. Utah basically never really trailed in this one. They led by 4 after a quarter of play, 8 at the half, 15 through 3 quarters and finally by a laughable final wining margin of 17 with the final score 112-95. So the Sixers drop their 4th game in a row and fall to 12-18 overall which mind you is actually still only a game and a half out of 8th in the Eastern conference. So there is still time for the Sixers to turn things around, but they had better find some answers quick or they'll be going nowhere this season, assuming they aren't already going nowhere.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
EAGLES NEWS
In one of the wildest season ending weeks in recent history, the Eagles got the losses they needed early as the Houston Texans rallied to beat the Bears, and the Oakland Raiders rallied to knock of the Bucs, and they then crushed the arch rival Dallas Cowboys to earn the NFC's final playoff spot. It is not just that the Eagles played so well, that made their win today so impressive it's that Dallas with all of its high payed stars played so poorly. The Cowboys literally fumbled away their chances in this one, with 4 fumbles, an interception and a plethora of stupid penalties. Not only did they look unprepared, but the Cowboys also just did not appear as if they wanted to win this one. It was almost as if they were not aware of what was at stake in this game. The Eagles on the other hand had their eyes on the prize right from the beginning. Donovan Mcnabb completed 12 of 21 passes for 175 yards and 2 TDs as the Eagles went a perfect 3 for 3 in the redzone on the day. Correll Buckhalter was the other headliner on the offense with 3 catches for 59 yards and a TD, and 10 rushes for 63 yards. Defensively the Birds were equally up to the task forcing 5 turnovers, and limiting the Cowboys to just 298 total yards of offense, only 87 rushing yards, and just 6 points. It was simply a dominating performance on both sides of the ball today. Halfway through the first quarter David Akers booted a 40 yarder for the early 3-0 lead. Dallas and Nick Folk matched him late in the quarter to tie it at 3. From there it was all Eagles. Early in the 2nd quarter, Mcnabb himself plunged in from a yard out for a 10-3 lead. With just over 2 minutes left in the half Mcnabb finished off another drive with a 4 yd TD pass to Buckhalter for a 17-3 lead. After stopping Dallas on their ensuing drive the Birds drove down for another TD, this time a 1 Yd td pass from Mcnabb to Brent Celek for a 24-3 lead. Pacman, er Adam Jones then fumbled the ensuing kickoff to set up David Akers with a 50 yarder for a 27-3 lead. Early in the 3rd quarter Brian Dawkins sacked and stripped Romo, and Chris Clemons scooped it up and scampered 73 yards for 34-3 lead. BDawk did it again on the next Dallas drive this time stripping Marion Barber inside the Eagles five, and Joselio Hanson grabbed it and ran it back 96 yards for another scored and a 41-3 lead. Finally a couple minutes later after another Romo fumble Akers drilled a 41 yarder for a 44-3 lead. From there the two teams merely played out the remaining time on the clock, as Nick Folk booted a 42 yarder late in the 4th quarter to cut the Eagles lead to the eventual final score 44-6. So the Birds finish the season 9-6-1 and claim the final playoff spot in the NFC. They will now travel to Minnesota next week for a wildcard matchup with the Vikings and if they win that they'll head to the meadowlands for a 2nd rematch with Eli and the New York Giants in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers continued their road trip tonight as they traveled to Columbus for a faceoff with the Blue Jackets. Coming into tonight the Flyers had never lost to the Blue Jackets in their history. However, Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason changed all that history saving all of the measly 20 shots he faced on goal to power the Jackets to a historic win. The Flyers were simply both tired, thanks to some flight scheduling issues, and a bit shorthanded as Kimmo Timonen joined Scottie Upshall among the Flyers on injured reserve. Clearly they were just too out of gas for this one. The Blue Jackets league worst power play even scored a goal, which shows just how weary the Flyers must have been tonight. Early in the first period Jan Hejda scored for a 1-0 Jackets lead. Late in the period Andrew Murray scored for a 2-0 lead. Finally early in the 2nd period Manny Maholtra scored for a 3-0 Jackets lead. From there the weary Flyers could muster no offensivee push whatsoever and fell by that score. So the orange and black drop to 19-10-7 overall, but remain 4th in the Eastern conference and 2nd in the Atlantic division still just 2 points behind the Rangers. Hopefully they will better rested before their next game.
Friday, December 26, 2008
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers began a long road trip tonight as they traveled to Chicago to faceoff with the Blackhawks. Marty Biron returned to start in goal at last, but perhaps he should have stayed away as he saved just 33 of the 38 shots he faced. Meanwhile Mike Richards scored the only Flyer goal of the night. As hot as the Flyers have been lately they simply ran into an even hotter team tonight as the Blackhawks garnered their 8th consecutive win in bumping off the Flyers tonight. Early in the first period Andrew Ladd and Patrick Sharp each scored for a 2-0 BlackHawk lead just 2 minutes into the game. Richards countered a few minutes later to cut it to 2-1. It stayed that way until the third period where Brian Campbell, Kris Versteeg, and Dave Bolland all scored within the first 5 minutes of the period for a quick 5-1 lead. The Flyers never recovered from the unexpected barrage, eventually falling by that score. So the Flyers drop to 19-9-7 overall for 45 points, and still 4th in the Eastern conference and 2nd in the Atlantic division 2 points behind the Rangers.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers continued their road trip tonight as they traveled out to Denver for a matchup with the much improved Nuggets. Unfortunately despite 16 points from Lou Williams off the bench and 19 points and 8 assists from Andre Miller the Sixers came up on the short end of the stick yet again. Offensively and defensively, the two teams matched up fairly evenly on the night except in one important area. The Nuggets drilled 15 3 pointers to just 5 fort the Sixers. Thus, they had the firepower to hang on at the end and some more poor Sixers defense couldn't stop them. At halftime the Sixers actually led by 3 and heading into the 4th quarter they were up by 11. Then Denver just started hitting threes and didn't stop until they had rallied all the way back to escape with a 4 point victory over the Sixers with the final score 105-101. So the Sixers drop to 12-17 overall but remain within striking distance of the playoffs at just 1.5 games out of 8th in the Eastern conference.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers looked to keep their hot play of late going as they welcomed the Ottawa Senators to the Wachovia center. Antero Niittymaki continued in goal and had a less than spectacular night saving just 17 of the 21 shots he faced, but it was enough on this night. Meanwhile, Simon Gagne had a late goal and an assist to push the Flyers to victory. Early in the first period Nick Foligno scored for a 1-0 Senator lead. Matt Carle followed a minute later to knot it up at 1. Late in the period Joffrey Lupul scored for a 2-1 lead. Early in the 2nd period Danny Heatley scored to knot it up at 2. A few minutes later Jeff Carter scored his league leading 26th goal for a 3-2 lead and Andreas Nodl followed a minute later for a 4-2 lead. Early in the third period Heatley scored again to cut it to 4-3. Then halfway through the period Chris Phillips scored to knot it up at 4. Late in the period Gagne came to the rescue scoring for a 5-4 lead. Finally with about 50 seconds to play Gagne assisted Mike Richards on an empty netter for a 6-4 lead capping another Flyer victory. So the Flyers move to 19-8-7 overall for 45 points and still 4th in the Eastern conference and 2nd in the Atlantic division now just 2 points behind the Rangers for first.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers traveled to Boston tonight to celebrate the holiday with the Celtics. Unfortunately the Celts were not in the giving spirit as they thoroughly outclassed the Sixers for the 2nd time this season. Actually it was a slightly closer game this time around, as the Sixers only lost by 19. So perhaps the Sixers are playing a bit better right now after all, but they still have a long way to go. The Sixers actually came into the night shorthanded with just 10 active players, with Willie Green out with an ankle sprain, Elton Brand still recovering from his shoulder injury and Theo Ratliff out with the flu. Thus, Kareem Rush found his way into the starting lineup and things didn't go so well for the starters. Lou Williams and Maurice Speights were actually the leading scorers off the bench with 16 a piece. That was not the only problem for the Sixers tonight, they also went 0 for 11 from beyond the arc, and turned the ball over 20 times. The game was actually somewhat close for 3 quarters with Boston only up by 12 heading into the 4th. In the 4th quarter the Celts turned it on for good pushing out to a 20 point lead before settling for a 19 point win, with the final score 110-91. So the Sixers drop to 12-16 overall and will need to work harder if they ever hope to get back to other side of .500. but hey they're still only 1 game out of 8th in the Eastern conference so maybe they don't need to.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
EAGLES NEWS
The Birds came into this afternoon's matchup with the Redskins in Washington riding high off a three game winning streak and in control of their own destiny, following a loss by the Tampa Bay Bucs earlier in the day. Many thought a win would be assured against the struggling Redskins, but that would not be case. While the Eagles defense had another impressive game limiting the Redskins to just 249 total yards and 10 points, despite Washington's average starting position of inside the Eagle's 48 yard line. If not for the Eagles defense the Birds would never have even had a chance to win the game as the Offensive did nothing all night long with just 275 total yards of offense and 3 points, including almost nothing in the 2nd half until it was nearly too late. Basically the Birds just kept trying to throw on every play when they probably should have been running the ball and it cost them. Late in the first half Shaun Suisham booted a 33 yard field goal for a 3-0 Skins lead. Halfway through the 3rd quarter Mcnabb was hit and fumbled the ball the away deep in Eagle's territory, setting up Clinton Portis for a 1 yd Td run a few plays later, for a 10 -0 lead. Finally late in the 3rd quarter the Eagles offense came up with their only quality play of the day as Mcnabb hooked up with Brian Westbrook for a 30+ yd completion, eventually setting up David Akers with a 22 yd field goal to cut the lead to 10-3. After a bunch of 3 and outs the Eagles got the ball one last time and at last put together a drive when they needed it the most. They actually had first and 10 inside the Skins 20, with 12 seconds to play, but a completion to Reggie Brown came up just inches short of tying the game at 10 and caused the remainder of the clock to run out, to cap off a disheartening loss to the Skins. So the Birds drop to 8-6-1 and now must win next week and get losses from the Buccaneers and either the Vikings or Bears to reach the playoffs. In other words their playoff hopes are kind of slim now, but hey it could happen.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers traveled to New Jersey this afternoon for a matinee with the arch rival Devils. Antero Niittymaki got another start in goal and produced another solid performance saving 24 of the 26 shots he faced. Meanwhile, Jeff Carter scored his league leading 25th goal of the season and assisted on the only Flyer's goal, just enough of an effort to forge a tie and force overtime. Early in the 2nd period Patrick Elias and Brian Rolston each scored within minutes of each other for a 2-1 Devils lead. Late in the period Carter put the Flyers on the board for the first time all night, cutting the lead to 2-1. Finally, with just over 5 minutes to play in regulation Joffrey Lupul scored to tie it at 2. From there neither team could score for the remainder of regulation or an overtime period so the game went to a shootout. There in the first round Simon Gagne and Zach Parisse each failed to score. In the 2nd round Mike Richards scored while Patrick Elias failed. In the 3rd round, Jeff Carter failed to score while Jamie Langenbrunner scored successfully. In the 4th round Kimmo Timonen amd Brian Gionta each failed to score. Finally in the 5th round of the shootout Lupul failed to score while Travis Zajac beat Niittymaki sucessfully to finish off the 3-2 Devils win. So the Sixers drop to 18-8-7 overall and remain 4th in the Eastern conference.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers were forced to go another night without Marty Biron in goal as they welcomed the Washington Capitals to the Wachovia center. This time Antero Niittymaki made sure Biron's absence would not be a problem saving 47 of the 48 shots he faced. Basically Washington threw everything but the kitchen sink at him, and somehow he weathered the storm to help guide the Flyers to victory. Meanwhile, Jeff Carter scored 2 more goals and Scott Hartnell posted another hat trick to help the Orange and Black crush Washington. Early in the first period Joffrey Lupul began the scoring for a 1-0 lead. Late in the 2nd period Carter quickly scored both of his goals within a minute of each other for a 3-0 lead. Early in the 3rd period Scott Hartnell quickly scored his first goal for a 4-0 lead. Brooks Laich finally put the Caps on the board a minute later to cut it to 4-1. Hartnell scored again a few minutes later for a 5-1 lead. Simon Gagne quickly followed Hartnell to make it 6-1. Finally with just over 4 minutes to play Hartnell completed the hat trick to cap off a 7-1 Flyers' win. So the Orange and Black move to 18-8-6 overall for 42 points and still 4th in the Eastern conference.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers faced off against their 4th consecutive awful team tonight in the Indiana Pacers, looking to take advantage of a golden opportunity to win their 4th game in a row and pull to within a game of .500. Instead they coughed up a 15 point lead early and couldn't hang on late, squandering the opportunity. In the process they wasted a triple double by Andre Miller(10 boards, 12 assists, 14 points) and Sammy Dalembert's best game of the season with 11 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks. Statistically, except from beyond the arc where the Sixers went 0 for 8 on the night, they outplayed the undermanned Pacers , but they just couldn't put them away and eventually Indy found away to steal one from the Sixers. In the first quarter it was all Sixers as they jumped out to a 13 point lead, but the Pacers battled back late in the 2nd quarter, cutting the lead to 4 at the half with the score 48-44. From there the Sixers tried desperately to hang on to their slim lead the rest of the game and almost did, but with 4 seconds to play T.J Ford nailed a jumper to put Indiana ahead at last 95-94. Andre Iguodala had a chance to win it for the Sixers at the buzzer but his desperate lunging runner at the basket rimmed out harmlessly to close out the 95-94 Pacer win. So the Sixers drop to 12-15 overall and 10th in the Eastern conference still somehow only a game out of 8th.
Friday, December 19, 2008
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers traveled to Washington tonight to face the Wizards for the 2nd time in 3 games. Once again they got better of the Wiz for their 3rd straight win. Once again that doesn't necessarily mean much since all 3 wins came against bad teams, but hey it's something to hold onto. This time the Sixers actually had a decent night offensively, shooting 49% from the field and 42% from beyond the arc, while dishing 23 assists to 12 turnovers, and compiling 51 points off the bench, 26 from Lou Williams and 17 from Maurice Speights. Defensively they were not so sharp but were able to turn it on when they needed it. All in all it was a solid performance for the Sixers tonight, considering they were without the services of Elton Brand for yet another night, as he recovers from the dislocated shoulder he suffered in the Sixer's last game. For most of the night,largely because the defense was so poor on both sides, it was a close game. In fact Washington led by just 2 heading into the 4th quarter, with the score 86-84. Fortunately, in the 4th quarter where it really counts the most, the Sixers were able to turn on the D and seize control of the game, eventually hanging on to win by 6 with the final score 109-103. So the Sixers move to 12-14 overall and are suddenly back from the dead, in the 8th place in the weak Eastern conference.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
FLYERS NEWS
Well, sadly all good things must inevitably come to an end, and so the Flyer' s winning streak did so tonight at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal. Antero Niittymaki got another rare start while Marty Biron recovers from the flu, and he wasn't as good tonight allowing 5 goals on just 31 shots. Likewise, the Flyers scoring touch fizzled out, at least for tonight. Early in the 1st period Matt D'agostini scored for a 1-0 lead. Midway through the period Sergei Kostitsyn scored for a 2-0 Montreal lead. Late in the period Steve Begin made it 3-0 before Aaron Asham quickly cut it to 3-1 to restore hope for the Flyers. Early in the 2nd period Andrei Kovalev scored for a 4-1 lead. With just over 7 minutes to play Braydon Coburn scored to cut it to 4-2 and again briefly restore hope of a Flyer's victory, but it was too little too late. Just a couple minutes later Guillame Latendresse scored for a 5-2 lead to put the Flyers away for good. So the Orange and Black drop to 17-8-6 overall but remain a solid 4th in the Eastern conference.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
SIXERS NEWS
After an easy win over the mess that is the Washington Wizards, the Sixers welcomed the equally dreadful Milwaukee Bucks to the Wachovia center tonight, and what do you know they won again. Tony Dileo must be a genius, or perhaps the Wiz and the Bucks really are that bad, but who cares 2 wins in a row for this team is 2 wins in a row no matter how you slice it. Honestly the Sixers didn't play all that well tonight and even lost Elton Brand to a dislocated shoulder early in the game, but somehow they reached deep down and figured out a way to stink just a little bit less than the Bucks and a pulled out a much needed win. Okay, so they did shoot 50% from beyond the arc, while Milwaukee stupidly threw up 15 threes and hit just 2 of them. and yes they did outrebound Milwaukee 45-41, but other than that there's not much to talk about. Well, except for the bench which actually came to rescue for once, with 47 points, 25 for Lou Williams. The Sixers starters combined for just 44 points, so they can thank the bench for this one. Milwaukee actually led virtually the entire night, 2 after a quarter of play, 7 at the half, and 6 heading into the 4th quarter. Finally in the 4th quarter, the Sixers put together a solid rally thanks to the bench, took the lead with just over 3 minutes to play and eventually held on to win by 5 with the final score 93-88. So the Sixers move to 11-14 overall, nothing to brag out but at least respectable enough for 9th in the Eastern conference.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers had won 4 in a row coming into tonight. Well make it 5 in a row, after a drubbing of the Colorado Avalanche at the Wachovia center tonight. Antero Niittymaki got another rare start in goal and delivered saving 29 of the 31 shots he faced. Meanwhile, Simon Gagne led the way offensively with a goal and 2 assists. Midway through the first period Paul Stastny scored for a 1-0 Avalanche lead. A couple minutes later Mike Knuble scored to knot it up at 1. Late in the period Jeff Carter scored yet another goal for a 2-1 lead. Just a little past midway through the 2nd period Joffrey Lupul and Mike Richards scored goals within minutes of each other for a 4-1 lead. Late in the period David Jones scored to cut it to 4-2. Finally early in the 3rd period Gagne scored to put it away for good, as the Flyers eventually hung on for a 5-2 win. So the Orange and Black move to 17-7-6 overall for 40 points and still 4th in the Eastern conference, and 2nd in the Atlantic division now just 2 points behind the Rangers.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils have come to an agreement with Jamie Moyer on a 2 year deal. The exact terms have not been disclosed but at any rate Moyer, the 46 year old lefty, will be back with the Phils next season and then the season after that, when he will likely retire. In other news the Phils have also signed pitcher Chan Ho Park to a contract. Park will probably compete along with J.A Happ and Kyle Kendrick for the 5th spot in the Phils rotation behind Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Moyer, and Joe Blanton. Park could also wind up as the Phils long reliever, even though Clay Condrey is already pretty handy at that trade.
Monday, December 15, 2008
EAGLES NEWS
The Birds kept on rolling tonight at the Linc as they welcomed the Cleveland Browns to town. With the Browns nursing one of the worst defenses in the league and an offense down to its 3rd string QB, this one was destined to be no contest. However, thanks to some stupid Eagles plays in the red zone, namely two turnovers right at the goal line, the Browns were able to keep it close for a while, before the Birds finally pulled away late. Statistically the Eagles crushed the Browns on offense, with 21 first downs, and 418 total yards, but they were only 2 for 9 in the red zone, so the final score wound up much closer than it should have been. Individually, Donovan Mcnabb completed 26-35 passes for 290 yards and 2 TDs, and one very meaningless interception, and Jason Avant the proverbial 3rd down reciever, had a big night with 5 catches for a 101 yards. Finally, Brian Westbrook was not effective on this night has he had been the last 2 weeks, rushing 16 times for just 53 yards, but the constant threat of him in the backfield or splitting out for a pass, was enough to open up the rest of the offense and allow it to often move down the field seemingly effortlessly. Defensively, it was another stellar night for Jim Johnson's boys, as they held the Browns to just 196 yards of offense, and 0 offensive TDs, while intercepting Ken Dorsey twice. The individual most directly responsible for that performance was Trent Cole, who harassed Dorsey all night, forcing him to throw before he wanted to, again and again. The Eagles opened the game by driving straight down field for a Mcnabb TD pass to Kevin Curtis and a 7-0 lead. Cleveland responded with a Phil Dawson field goal to cut it to 7-3. David Akers booted a 24 yd field goal to finish the first quarter with the Eagles ahead 10-3. It stayed that way until late in the 2nd quarter when Asante Samuel intercepted Dorsey and then raced 50 yards for a TD and a 17-3 lead. The Birds then had a golden opportunity to go up 24-3 at the half, but Mcnabb was intercepted in the end zone on the final play of the half, just underthrowing a fade route. Finally with a little over 3 minutes to play in the 3rd quarter the Eagles managed to add to their lead, but had to settle for another Akers field goal to make it 20-3. Early in the 4th quarter Akers booted yet another field goal for a 23-3 lead. A few minutes later Mcnabb fired a TD pass to Greg Lewis for a 30-3 lead and his night was done. A couple minutes later Kevin Kolb came in to finish out the game and watched Brandon Mcdonald intercept him and return it 24 yds for a score to cut it to 30-10 and that would be about all she wrote. So the Eagles move to 8-5-1 overall and for now remain alive and well in the playoff race.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils got their off season underway yesterday coming to a preliminary agreement with leftfielder Raul Ibanez on a 3 year $31.5 million deal, pending a physical. Ibanez, is 36 years old, but batted .293 last season with 23 homers and 110 RBIs, so he's still got a little bit left in the tank. Most likely, this means that Pat Burrell will not be returning to the Phils next season, as Ibanez would take his place in left, but you never know. The Phils also signed utility infielder/outfielder Eric Bruntlett and reliever Clay Condrey to one year contracts, avoiding arbitration with the two. However, Bruntlett and Condrey are just a couple of the numerous Phils that are arbitration eligible, so they have their work cut out for them in the coming months.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers welcomed the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Wachovia center tonight for a key divisional matchup as both teams were tied in the standings coming in at 36 points a piece. Marty Biron returned to the net tonight and had a solid night holding the top scoring team in the NHL to just 3 goals on 26 shots. Meanwhile, the Flyers exploded offensively, compiling 6 goals, including 2 for Mike Knuble, in romping to an impressive win. Early in the first period Joffrey Lupul cleaned up a rebound in front of the net for a 1-0 lead. Late in the period Knuble scored his first for a 2-0 lead. Early in the 2nd period Jordan Staal cut it 2-1 for the Pens. Midway through the 2nd, Mike Richards scored for a 3-1 lead. Scott Hartnell followed a couple minutes later for a 4-1 lead. Then late in the period Knuble scored his 2nd goal for a 5-1 lead. Unlike Carolina a few nights ago they would not cough it up. Midway through the 3rd period Eric Godard scored to cut the lead to 5-2. With just over 4 minutes to play, Jeff Carter scored yet another goal for a 6-2 lead. Finally with just under 2 minutes to play ex-Flyer Ruslan Fedotenko recorded a meaningless tally that did little but change the final score to 6-3. So after demolishing Pittsburgh, the Orange and Black improve to 16-7-6 overall for 38 points, 4th in the Eastern conference, and still 2nd in the division 4 points behind the Rangers. I think we can now say this team is hitting its stride.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers made news today even before tonight's game against the Washington Wizards, as GM Ed Stefanski relieved Maurice Cheeks of his head coaching duties, and replaced him with team vice president of player personnel Tony Dileo. Dileo hasn't coached since the 80s but boasts an impressive resume nonetheless. Clearly the move was an attempt at a wakeup call for the players, in order to get them to play up to their potential and tonight at least it worked. Of course the Sixers did play the agent zeroeless Wizards tonight who have compiled all of 4 wins so far this season, so in a way a win should have been inevitable tonight anyway, but who knows the coaching change may have already started to help as well. Statistically the team had one of its most complete games. Offensively, it may have been their best night of the season. The bench contributed a season best 50 points, Elton Brand dropped a season best 27 points, and the team shot close to a season best 51% from the field, and dished out 24 assists to just 13 turnovers. Defensively, they were not as impressive but still solid. Essentially They did just enough to get a win, out rebounding Washington 46-37, and holding them to just 41% shooting from the field. Early on the Sixers jumped out to a 5 point lead with the score 25-20 after a quarter of play. Rather than sit on that lead they kept pushing it in the 2nd quarter and by the half the lead was up to 11, with the score 51-40. They just kept it going in the 3rd quarter and by the beginning of the 4th quarter the lead was up to 14, with the score 79-65. Finally in the 4th quarter the Sixers did not let off the gas pedal and eventually sprinted out a 15 point win, with the final score 104-89. So the Sixers improve to 10-14 overall and have perhaps been given the wakeup call they needed. Only time will tell though if inserting Dileo at head coach was the right move.
Friday, December 12, 2008
SIXERS NEWS
Well another night another loss for the Sixers as they traveled to Cleveland to finish a home and home with Lebron and the Cavs. They played better D this time around but Lebron still dropped 28 and the Sixers still struggled to score themselves. This is really beginning to sound like a broken record at this point and I am not sure I even want to talk about it. So let' s just say this, it was a close game for a quarter, but the Cavs pulled away in the 2nd quarter and never looked back eventually hanging on to win by 16 with the final score 88-72, nuff said. So the Sixers drop to 9-13 overall, what a team.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
FLYERS NEWS
Well if it's the Flyers it must be overtime. Yes that's right they went into OT again tonight at the Wachovia center as they welcomed the Carolina Hurricanes to town. Antero Niittymaki got the rare start in goal and did not have his best game, saving just 26 of the 31 shots he faced, but it was enough to keep the Flyers in it which seems to be just about all they need at this point. Meanwhile, Scotty Hartnell scored a hat trick to lead a furious Flyers comeback that forced overtime and eventually helped to pull out the win. Early in the first period Eric Staal scored for a 1-0 Canes lead. Early in the 2nd period Matt Cullen scored for a 2-0 lead. About halfway through the period Hartnell scored his first to cut it to 2-1. A few seconds later Sergie Samsonov pushed it to 3-1 Canes. A few minutes later ex-Flyer Joni Pitkanen made it 4-1. A few minutes later Staal score again for a 5-1 Canes lead and all hope seemed lost. However, Niittymaki finally bared down and shutout the Canes in the 3rd period and halfway through the period Hartnell had finished off his hat trick to cut it to 5-3. With just under 5 minutes to play Scottie Upshall scored to cut it to 5-4. Finally with just under 2 minutes to play Simon Gagne scored to knot it up at 5 and complete the comeback. From there neither team could accumulate another tally until the game had gone into a shootout. There Tomo Ruutu and Rod Brindamour each missed their attempts, while Gagne and Mike Richards were each successful on their attempts to close out the 6-5 shootout win for the Flyers. So the Orange and Black move to 15-7-6 overall, good for 36 points, 5th in the Eastern conference, and 2nd in the Atlantic division, just 4 points behind the Rangers for first.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers welcomed King James and the rest of his Cleveland Cavalier cohorts to the Wachovia center tonight. Cleveland came into tonight with the 2nd best record in the Eastern conference so there was little hope the Sixers would be able to beat them, even with Elton Brand back in the lineup. It was actually a close game for a while but eventually Cleveland's fire power proved to be too much as Lebron dropped 29, and Mo Williams chipped in with 27. Meanwhile, the Andres, Miller and Iguodala with 22 and 27 points respectively kept it close for the Sixers. The Sixers actually had the early 3 point lead after a quarter of play with the score 28-25. By the half Cleveland had pulled ahead by 2 with the score 48-46. In the 3rd quarter the Cavs took control of the game, and actually led by 20 at one point before settling for a 19 point lead, with the score 84-65 heading into the 4th quarter. Finally in the 4th quarter, the Sixers mounted a serious comeback but it was too little too late, and eventually Cleveland hung on to win by 8, with the final score 101-93. So the Sixers drop to 9-13 overall and it doesn't look like anything can save them at this point.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers finished a game in regulation for a change tonight as they faced off with the New York Islanders. Marty Biron got the start in goal and had another solid night saving 24 of the 27 shots he faced. Meanwhile, Jeff Carter scored yet another goal as the Flyers pulled out a nail biter. About halfway through the 3rd period Andy Hilbert scored and Doug Weight followed a minute later for a quick 2-0 Isles lead. Aaron Asham answered a minute later to cut it to 2-1. About midway through the 2nd period Darrell Powe tied it at 2. Then late in the period Carter put the Flyers up for the first time 3-2. Early in the 3rd period Brandon Comeau scored to knot it up at 3. Finally with just under 9 minutes to play Simon Gagne scored to put the Flyers up for good 4-3. Thanks to Biron that lead stood up the rest of the way and the Flyers got the 4-3 win. So the Flyers move to 14-7-6 overall for 34 points and yes still 6th in the Eastern conference.
PHILLIES NEWS
After the leading the Phils to their first world title in 28 years this season, manager Charlie Manuel was rewarded by the Phillies today with a contract extension through 2011, hopefully just enough time for a few more parades down broad street.
Monday, December 08, 2008
Sunday, December 07, 2008
EAGLES NEWS
On life support just a few weeks ago the Birds are now alive and well after totally dominating the Giants this afternoon for their 2nd win in a row. From the beginning the Giants offense appeared distracted and was totally out of sink. As a result the Eagles defense had its best game of the season thus far holding the Giants to just 211 yards of offense, just 88 rushing, and 123 passing. NY was also just 3 for 11 on 3rd down, o for 3 on 4th down, and wound up with just one offensive score all game long , a touchdown late in the game. The Eagles offense on the other hand took a page out of the Giants book with a methodically efficient performance with lots of runs and short passes, that ate up over 30 minutes of clock including most of the 2nd half, while racking up a solid 331 yards on the day. Brian Westbrook was the star with 33 carries for 131 rushing yds and 1 TD, and 6 catches for 72 yards and another TD. Donovan Mcnabb did not have his best day, but he managed the game well, did not make any mistakes, and completed 19 0f 30 passes for a solid 191 yards and a TD. Late in the first quarter David Akers gave the Eagles the early 3-0 lead with a 51 yard field goal. Late in the 2nd quarter Westbrook finished off a long Eagles drive dashing 30 yards for his 1st score and a 10-0 lead. After the Giants failed to do anything on their final drive of the half, the Eagles appeared poised to go up 13-0 at the half with another Aker's field goal, but it was blocked and then scooped up by Kevin Dockery who ran it back 71 yards for a score cutting the Eagles halftime lead to 10-7. The Eagles, unfazed, put together another long drive to start the 3rd quarter, before Akers was blocked again, this time with no return. Fortunately, New York again went nowhere on offense, and the Eagles preceded to run out the rest of the 3rd quarter on another long drive, capped off early in the 4th, by a 40 yd TD pass from Mcnabb to Westbrook for a 17-7 lead. After another empty Giants drive, the Birds preceded to eat up all but the final 2 minutes of the game on their next drive, before Akers finally booted another field goal through the uprights untouched. The Giants finally put together a nice drive on their next possession as Eli Manning hooked up with Darcy Johnson for a 1 yd TD pass to cut the lead to 20-14, but with only 15 seconds to play it was too little too late ,as the Eagles recovered the ensuing onsides kick an ran out the clock for the huge win 20-14 win. So the Birds move to 7-5-1 overall, and with the Redskins dropping to 7-6 , and the Cowboys and Falcons both dropping to 8-5 today, they are right back in the thick of the playoff race, at 3rd place in the NFC East, and just a half game out of the last playoff spot in the NFC.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)