The Sixers played game 2 of their opening playoff series with the Orlando Magic tonight, looking to take a commanding 2-0 series lead. They played well and actually had an early lead, but the Magic again managed to build up an 18 point lead. This time, despite Dwight Howard fouling out, the Sixers couldn't quite come all the way back. The Sixers performed well defensively, limiting Orlando to just 26% shooting from the beyond the arc, and holding superman to a more pedestrian 11 points and 10 rebounds. Unfortunately, they also allowed the Magic to gather in 14 offensive rebounds and that ultimately cost the Sixers the game. Offensively, Thad, Iggy, and Andre Miller combined for 71 points. Unfortunately, the rest of the team contributed just 16 points. That just won't cut it the rest of the series. Still, the Sixers probably could have won this one. The game was tied after the 1st quarter, and the Magic led by just 7 at the half. Things went south in the 3rd quarter as the Magic built an 18 point lead. The Sixers again managed to rally back and were within 5 with under 3 minutes to play and Howard done for the night. Unfortunately, the Sixers couldn't get the stops they needed in the final minutes and Orlando was able to hang on for the 96-87 win. So the series is even at 1 game a piece, but the Sixers still have the home court at this point with the next 2 games at the Wachovia center and if they can just shore up the defensive glass they have a good chance of holding serve.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Brewers tonight on yet another wet and rainy night. Although the rain didn't delay the game at all it seemed to throw off the Phils, at the plate, in the field and on the mound, just enough for Milwaukee to eke out a win. Joe Blanton got the start and pitched well, allowing just 3 runs on 8 hits, but he was bested by Braden Looper who tossed 6 shutout innings. So in all it was not a fun night for the Phils. In the top of the 5th J.J Hardy lined a solo homer into the seats for a 1-0 Brewer lead. In the top of the 6th Mike Cameron doubled in a couple of runs for a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the 9th Jayson Werth finally put the Phils on the board with a solo homer to cut the lead to 3-1. Alas, it was too little, too late, and a few batters later with the tying run on first, Chris Coste struck out to end it. So the Phils drop to 6-7 overall and will look to bounce back tomorrow and win the series.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
Fresh off their unexpected day off the Phils welcomed the Milwaukee Brewers to the Bank tonight to begin a 3 game set. Thus far this season the Brewers, the reigning NL wild card champs, have struggled mightily. Their struggle only continued tonight. Jamie Moyer got the start and produced his best outing of the season thus far, allowing just 4 runs on 7 hits in 6 solid innings of work. Meanwhile the Phils victimized Brewer pitching on the night for 11 runs on 13 hits. In fact every member of the Phils starting lineup, even Moyer, managed to reach base safely at least once. The Brewers simply can't get outs right now and from the very beginning the Phils took advantage of them. In the top of the 1st Ryan Braun slammed a solo homer for a 1-0 Brewer lead. They would never lead again. In the bottom of the 1st, 3 straight hits, a double by Jayson Werth and singles by Raul Ibanez and Pedro Feliz, produced 4 runs and a quick 4-1 lead. In the bottom of the 3rd Feliz lined a solo homer for a 5-1 lead. In the top of the 5th Braun launched a 2 run shot into orbit to cut the lead to 5-3. In the bottom of the 5th the Phils came right back to just about put the game out of reach, as Ibanez walked, stole second and scored on a fielder's choice, "the Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino singled in a 2nd run, Chase Utley worked a bases loaded walk for a 3rd run, and finally Victorino and Jimmy Rollins each scored on a wild pitch and a subsequent error by catcher Jason Kendall, for a 10-3 lead. In the bottom of the 6th Werth doubled and scored on an infield single by Feliz for an 11-3 lead. In the top of the 7th Braun struck again with an RBI infield single to cut it to 11-4, but Braun's heroics proved meaningless as the Phils bullpen eventually closed out the 11-4 win. So the Phils move back to .500 overall at 6-6 and jump to 2nd in the NL East. Not bad for a day's work.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers played game 4 of their opening playoff series with the Penguins tonight. Just as with game 3 it was a must win for the Flyers to even the series at 2. Unfortunately, although they came out with the same spark they had in game 3, it was to no avail, as the man of the hour tonight was Pen's goalie Marc Andre Fleury. Fleury compiled 45 saves, many of them spectacular, out of the 46 shots he faced. So in the end the Flyers didn't lose this one, so much as Fleury took it away from them. Early in the 2nd period "the Kid" Sidney Crosby scored on a fluky play in which the puck was passed to him as he slid on his back into the net, sliding the puck in with him for a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later Tyler Kennedy scored for a 2-0 lead. Halfway through the 3rd period Dan Carcillo, of all people, got the Flyers on the board cutting the lead to 2-1. From there the Flyers had their opportunities to score the equalizer but could not. Finally with a minute to play Marty Biron was pulled from goal in favor of the extra attacker, but Scott Hartnell turned the puck over off a faceoff in the Pen's zone, and Max Talbot preceded to fire the puck into the empty net to close out the 3-1 Pen's win. So the Flyers trail now 3 games to 1 and should probably start booking their flights home for the offseason.
Monday, April 20, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
Unfortunately the Phils series finale with the Padres was rained out today and will be made up at a later date. Hopefully the extra time off won't slow down their progress and if nothing else it will give their pitchers some time to work through all their problems.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers began their opening round playoff series with the Magic tonight in Orlando. No one, myself included, gave the Sixers much of a chance to win this series and through 3 periods tonight it looked like they didn't believe they could either. Dwight "superman" Howard was dominating underneath with 31 points and 16 rebounds, but the Magic were abnormally cold from beyond the arc shooting just 27%. Also Hedo Turkoglu, usually one of Orlando's big three, struggled mightily shooting just 2 of 8 from the field for 6 points. The Sixers meanwhile, shot 51% from the field and 58% from beyond the arc. Thus, although Orlando was able to build an 18 point lead at one point in the 3rd quarter they couldn't hit the threes they needed to put the Sixers away. With their big three(Iggy with 20 points, Thad with 14, and Andre Miller with 15) all on their game the Sixers were able to slowly chip away the lead, cutting it to 14 heading into the 4th quarter. Still there was no way the Magic would blow a double digit 4th quarter lead was there? Fortunately no one told the Sixers they couldn't come back. They picked it up on defense just when they needed too, hit every shot they needed to fall, and seemingly pulled down every rebound they had to have. Twice in the final 4 minutes Donyell Marshall answered seemingly back breaking Orlando threes, with threes of his own. The first brought the Sixers within two and the 2nd tied the game at 98 with 35 seconds to play. After Rashard Lewis missed a jumper with 27 seconds to play the Sixers ran the clock down and gave the ball to Iggy who drilled an 18 footer with 2 seconds to play for a 100-98 lead. From there Turkoglu missed a 3 pointer at the buzzer and the Sixers had themselves a stunning 1-0 series lead.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers returned to the Wachovia center for game 3 of their opening playoff series with the Penguins. Down 2 games to none they had to win to keep hope of winning the series alive. Thanks to 26 saves by Marty Biron, a goal and an assist by Claude Giroux and 2 goals by Simon Gagne they were able to get the win they needed. Frankly they just came out with more energy than they had in the first 2 games and kept at it until the end. If they can figure out a way to play like that for the rest of the series they can still win this thing. Getting back to this game, Jeff Carter got things started with a score early in the first period for a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later Mike Richards made it 2-0. Late in the period Evgeni Malkin scored to cut it to 2-1. Just seconds into the 2nd period Rob Scuderi scored to knot it up at 2. A few minutes later Giroux scored for a 3-2 lead. A few minutes later, an incredible effort by Giroux led to a shorthanded goal by Gagne for a 4-2 lead. Early in the 3rd period Jared Ross made it 5-2. A few minutes later Malkin scored off the Pens power play to cut it to 5-3. Finally with just under 2 minutes to play Gagne scored again to put away a 6-3 win. So the Orange and Black cut the Pens series lead to 2-1 and now must win game 4 to even the series at 2 and put the pressure back on the Pens.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Padres this afternoon, looking to avoid their 4th straight loss. Chan Ho Park got the start and was a bit better than in his first start but still had to be rescued by J.A Happ in the 6th inning after allowing 4 runs on 8 hits in just 5 innings of work. For San Diego Josh Greer kept the Phils in check most of the day going 7 strong innings, while allowing just 2 runs on 6 hits. So the Phils would need some late heroics to pull this one out. In the top of the 3rd Jody Gerut singled in one run and Edgar Gonzalez tripled in a run ,after Raul Ibanez muffed his fly ball, and scored on a fielder's choice for a 3-0 Padres lead. In the top of the 5th Adrian Gonzalez slammed a solo homer for a 4-0 lead. In the bottom of the 6th Chase Utley slugged a 2 run homer to cut it to 4-2. In the bottom of the 8th Jimmy Rollins, who didn't start the game, lined a pinch solo homer into the seats to cut it to 4-3. Finally in the bottom of the 9th following a leadoff single by Ryan Howard, Ibanez had a chance to redeem himself, and he did, crushing a game winning 2 run homer to lift the Phils to a 5-4 win. So the Phils move to 5-6 overall and can now at least finish the series tomorrow at an even 2-2.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Padres tonight, looking to even it at one game a piece. Brett Myers got the start and pitched well, allowing just 3 runs on 2 hits in 6 and 2/3rd's innings of work. The Phils meanwhile slugged 3 homers and took a lead into the 9th inning once again poised for a win, but would it be enough this time?. In the bottom of the 2nd, Raul Ibanez slapped a solo homer for a 1-0 lead. In the top of the 3rd Adrian Gonzalez lined a 2 run homer into the seats to put the Padres up 2-1. In the top of the 5th Brian Giles doubled in a run for a 3-1 lead. In the bottom of the 5th Myers himself doubled and scored on a sac fly by Shane Victorino to cut it to 3-2. In the bottom of the 6th Ryan Howard crushed a solo homer to tie it at 3. In the top of the 8th Nick Hundley singled in a run to put the Padres up again 4-3. In the bottom of the 8th Chase Utley clobbered a solo homer and Ibanez singled and scored on a sac fly by Pedro Feliz for a 5-4 lead. That set the stage for Brad Lidge to convert his 48th consecutive save in the top of the 9th. Sadly it was not to be. First Jody Gerut doubled and scored the tying on a fielders' choice, then Kevin Kouzmanoff stunned the Phillies faithful by blasting a 2 out 3 run homer to put San Diego up 8-5. In the bottom of the 9th the Phils again came up empty to finish off their 3rd consecutive loss and drop to 4-6 overall. These San Diego Padres are just too hot for anyone right now.
Friday, April 17, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils returned to the Bank tonight for the first time since the death of beloved announcer Harry Kalas. The night began with several tributes in Kalas' honor, including the naming of the tv broadcast booth as the Harry Kalas broadcast booth(the radio booth is already named after Richie Ashburn), among others. The Phils were looking to add to the tributes with a win over the visiting San Diego Padres, to get back to .500 at the Bank this season and back over .500 overall. With Cole Hamels on the mound the honorable win seemed destined to be a reality. However, Hamels again did have his best night, allowing 5 runs on 8 hits in 6 innings of work. For a while though it looked like that would be enough as the Phils were equally jarring to Padre's ace Chris Young, tagging him for 7 runs on 9 hits, but in the end it was not to be the Phils night. In the bottom of the 1st, Chase Utley slammed a 3 run homer and Chris Coste slapped a 2 run double for a quick 5-0 lead. In the top of the 3rd Luis Rodriguez launched a solo shot to cut it to 5-1. In the bottom of the 3rd Raul Ibanez tripled and scored on a single by Pedro Feliz for a 6-1 lead. In the bottom of the 4th Ryan Howard doubled in a run for a 7-1 lead. In the top of the 5th Scott Hairston lined a 2 run homer into the seats to cut it to 7-3. In the top of the 6th, Nick Hundley hit another 2 run homer to cut it to 7-5. It was still 7-5 heading into the 8th which with the Phils bullpen would seem to assure victory, but Padres weren't done yet and Ryan Madson just wasn't himself tonight. Jody Gerut singled in one run, and Hairston doubled in two more and suddenly San Diego was ahead 8-7 in the top of 8th. Brad Lidge managed to get it to the bottom of 9th with the score still 8-7, but Howard struck out leading off and Matt Stairs went down looking with one on and 2 out and the Phils had lost 8-7. So the Phils drop to 4-5 and will have to honor Harry with a win tomorrow instead after his memorial ceremony at the Bank early tomorrow morning.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers continued their opening round playoff series with the Penguins tonight in game 2. The Flyers played much better tonight but got unlucky late in the game. Marty Biron was spectacular with 46 saves out of the 49 shots he faced, and Braydon Coburn picked up two assists. In the though 46 saves just weren't quite enough for the Flyers on this night. Late in the 1st period Scott Hartnell scored off the power play for a 1-0 lead. Late in the 2nd period Bill Guerin tied it up at 1 for the Pens. Early in the 3rd period Darroll Powe scored for a 2-1 lead. From there Biron did everything in his power to push the Flyers to a win, but with just under 4 minutes to play Evgeni Malkin tied it up off the power play and the game wound up in overtime. There with about a minute and a half remaining in the overtime period, and the Pens holding a 5 on 3 advantage following a stupid penalty by Claude Giroux, for breaking another player's stick, Guerin scored to break the Flyers hearts and win it for Pittsburgh 3-2. So the Flyers trail 2-0 now and probably have only a slim chance of winning the series at this point, but you never know stranger things have happened.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles finally made a big offseason move today trading the lower of their 2 1st round picks, and a 4th round pick in this years draft, and an undisclosed pick in next year's draft, to the Buffalo Bills for left tackle Jason Peters and then signing Peters to a deal. Peters is a two time pro bowler and at 27 is still in the prime of his career. So on paper this is a great move for the Eagles as it finally completes the rebuilding of their offensive line(Tra Thomas signed elsewhere, and Jon Runyan is likely unavailable to anyone this season as he recovers from knee surgery). Presumably at this point with two new tackles, in Peters and Stacey Andrews and a healthy Shawn Andrews back at right guard, the Eagles could now have one of best offensive lines in the NFL. They also still have one first round pick left in the next weekend's draft with which to go after a running back or other offensive playmaker. Of course they could also use that pick a long with their 3rd round pick in a trade with the Cardinals for WR Anquan Boldin. Either way they're in good shape.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
After two rainfilled afternoons, the Phils concluded their stay in Washington tonight. Joe Blanton, who was supposed to start yesterday,got the start tonight. Once again as in hirst first game Blanton was not able to put forth his best effort, but he was decent, allowing just 3 runs on 8 hits in 6 innings of work. Meanwhile his teammates didn't give him much support as the Phils plated just 2 runs on 5 hits on the day. So in the end the Phils just didn't quite have what it took to keep the Nats winless, but they did keep playing hard to the end. In the bottom of the 1st, Adam Dunn slammed a 3 run homerun for a 3-0 nat's lead. In the top of the 4th Raul Ibanez singled in a run to cut it to 3-1. In the top of the 5th Lou Marson doubled and scored on a sac fly to cut it to 3 -2. In the bottom of the 7th Josh Willingham slammed a solo homer for a 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the 8th Elijah Dukes and Alberto Gonzalez each homered and Roger Bernadina and Ryan Zimmerman each singled in runs for an 8-2 lead. From there the Nat's bullpen closed out the Phils, as the Nats got their first win 8-2. So the Phils drop back to 4-4 overall and will look to bounce back tomorrow night at the Bank.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers finished the regular season in Cleveland tonight and seemingly caught a huge break as Lebron, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Mo Williams, and Ben Wallace all sat the night out. However, they stupidly allowed the Cavs to do one thing they still could to hurt the Sixers, and that is to shoot threes and lots of them. In all Cleveland hit 10 three pointers and that was really all that kept in the game. If the Sixers would have just stayed with their man, instead of triple teaming every guy who drove to the basket, they could have won easily. I guess they maybe they were trying to both win and expend as little energy as possible at the same time. In the end their lazy play probably caused them to have expend more energy they may have wanted, in order to eek out an overtime win. Frankly they should be embarrassed that they needed overtime to beat a bunch benchwarmers. Anyway, they got the win and I guess that's all that matters. 24 points from Iggy, 20 from Thad, and 30 from Andre Miller were just enough for the win. Despite all that scoring the Sixers actually trailed until late in the 4th quarter, but finally at that point they found themselves ahead by 3 and seemingly headed to victory with the score 98-95 and just 4 seconds remaining. Instead Thad fell down trying to defend Daniel Gibson, who then drilled the resulting open three to send the game into overtime. In overtime again the Sixers seemed safely ahead, but Andre Miller missed a pair of free throws that probably would have sealed it, leaving the Cavs down 111-110 and and yes 4 seconds left. This time Royal Ivey defended Gibson and forced him to lose control of the ball long enough to not get a shot off. So the Sixers finish the season 41-41, their first .500 or better record in years, and thanks to a Bulls loss earlier in the night, just good enough for the 6th seed in the East. So the Sixers will be play the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs and although the Magic swept the season series, they were all close games, so the Sixers have a shot to beat them, even if it is a slim one.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers opened their first round playoff series with the Penguins tonight in Pittsburgh. From the beginning they looked sluggish and never really managed pick it up. Marty Biron was solid saving 29 of the 33 shots he faced, but the Flyers struggled to score all night, needing 8 power plays before finally lighting the lamp. So ultimately the Flyers did not put forth their best effort tonight and will need to play better if they expect to win this series. Early in the first period "the Kid" Sidney Crosby scored off the power play, after the puck somehow bounced off his skate without being kicked and went in, for a 1-0 Pens lead. Early in the 2nd period Tyler Kennedy made it 2-0 Pens. Early in the 3rd period Evgeni Malkin made it 3-0 Pens. Midway through the period Mark Eaton made it 4-0 Pens. Finally with just under 5 minutes to play Simon Gagne put the Flyers on the board with a power play goal. Alas, it was too late and Pens went on to win 4-1. So the Orange and Black trail the series 1-0 and will want to win game 2 to avoid putting themselves in to deep a hole against the defending Eastern conference champions.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils got an unexpected day off today rain washed out their nightcap with Nationals. No word yet on when that game will be made up, although they could probably just play a doubleheader tomorrow if they really wanted to, its' much more likely that they'll do so later in the season.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers welcomed the Celtics to the Wachovia center tonight hoping to catch a break and get a win, as with nothing left to play for, the Celtics were expected to use their starters only sparingly. Unfortunately, Paul Pierce kept annoyingly finding his way onto the court, and he alone with 7 three pointers was enough to thwart the Sixer's hopes of victory. Even Thaddeus Young , finally back in lineup tonight, couldn't save the Sixers despite 18 points and 3 steals. The Sixers' defense just wasn't good enough once again to win this one, as they allowed Boston to shoot 51% from the field and 56% from beyond the arc. It was a close game in the end only because Boston played about of half their starting lineup and only Pierce was still in the game at the end. The Sixers actually had the lead by 8 at half time with the score 58-50. Boston slowly cut into the Sixer's lead and by the halfway point of the 4th quarter they had themselves a lead. With 2 seconds to play and the Sixers possessing the ball, Boston was still leading by 2 with the score 100-98. Andre Iguodala took the inbounds pass and managed to get off a three from way beyond the arc amidst a swarm of defenders. Not surprisingly it fell short and the Sixers lost 100-98. So the Sixers drop to 40-41 overall and into 7th in the Eastern conference. At this point they cannot finish any lower than that but they can still get at least that 6th seed, if they can just figure out a way to win their last game of the season against the Cavaliers, and the Bulls lose their final game.
Monday, April 13, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
I can't tell you how many times I have heard the old saying, "nothing lasts forever". I can tell you that until now I never believed it. I grew up listening to Harry Kalas call Phillies games and for as long as I can remember there was never a spring or summer night in the house when that familiar baritone was not heard reverberating from somewhere. While the players and other members of the franchise came and went, Harry was always there. No matter how bad things got with the team you knew you could still turn on the TV, hear his voice, and enjoy the game. Somewhere deep inside I always thought it would be that way every summer, but today at the age of 73, just hours before the Phillies game, Harry Kalas passed away in the broadcast booth getting ready for the game, just the way he probably would have wanted. It is often in this world, that you don't realize how much someone means to you until they are gone. That was true for me today. I did not know much a part of my life he'd become until I sat down to watch the Phils today and the voice wasn't there. I don't know how it will be to watch the phils the rest of the season, but it won't be the same. Harry wasn't just some hall of fame announcer to those of use who listened to him every night. He was so much more. The coverage of his death on TV today seemed to reaffirm as much. So often when a legendary figure passes away, some news anchor just reads off some short statement saying I was deeply saddened, he will be sorely missed etc; That was not the case today with HK. The amount of people seen or heard commenting on how Kalas touched and even changed their lives, not just on CSN, but on ESPN and all the News channels was simply amazing to me. It goes to show just how much he meant to so many. He was more than an announcer, has was one of us, just another fan watching the game with us in our living rooms every night, just like one of the family, a father, a brother, a friend. I would like to finish this brief tribute by expressing the shock and yes, sadness I felt upon hearing of his death today, but I know not the right words to express such feelings. I only know I wasn't ready to say good bye.
It almost seems inconsequential now to talk about how the Phils did today, but the show must go on. With heavy hearts, simply because Harry would have wanted them to play, the Phils took the field in Washington this afternoon for the first of 3 games with the Nationals. Fittingly, Jamie Moyer, the lone Phillie from the Philly area, got the start. He didn't have his best stuff, but Moyer manageed to tough out 6 innings, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits, and that was enough for the determined Phils. In the bottom of the 1st, Adam Dunn doubled in a run for a 1-0 Nats lead. In the top of the 2nd, the Phils came right back with 2 runs on a bases loaded walk to Chris Coste and a sac fly by Moyer for a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the 2nd, Cristian Guzman singled in a run to tie it at 2. In the top of the 3rd "the Flyin Hawaiian" Shane Victorino slammed a solo homer for a 3-2 lead. In the top of the 4th Jimmy Rollins slapped a 2 out double for a 4-2 lead. In the bottom of the 4th Guzman singled in another run to cut it to 4-3. In the bottom of the 5th Elijah Dukes lined a solo homer into the seats to tie it at 4. In the top of the 7th, Ryan Howard crushed a 3 run homer, and Raul Ibanez followed a couple batters later with a solo homer for an 8-4 lead. In the bottom of the 7th Adam Dunn clobbered a 2 run homer to cut it to 8-6. In the top of the 8th Eric Bruntlett delivered a pinch double and scored on a sac fly by Victorino for a 9-6 lead. Finally in the bottom of the 9th, after allowing Ryan Zimmeran to hit a 2 run homer, Brad Lidge closed out the Nationals for his 2nd save of the season and a 9-8 Phils win. So the Phils move to 4-3 overall with their 3rd win in a row. They'll look to make it 4 in a row on Wednesday.
It almost seems inconsequential now to talk about how the Phils did today, but the show must go on. With heavy hearts, simply because Harry would have wanted them to play, the Phils took the field in Washington this afternoon for the first of 3 games with the Nationals. Fittingly, Jamie Moyer, the lone Phillie from the Philly area, got the start. He didn't have his best stuff, but Moyer manageed to tough out 6 innings, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits, and that was enough for the determined Phils. In the bottom of the 1st, Adam Dunn doubled in a run for a 1-0 Nats lead. In the top of the 2nd, the Phils came right back with 2 runs on a bases loaded walk to Chris Coste and a sac fly by Moyer for a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the 2nd, Cristian Guzman singled in a run to tie it at 2. In the top of the 3rd "the Flyin Hawaiian" Shane Victorino slammed a solo homer for a 3-2 lead. In the top of the 4th Jimmy Rollins slapped a 2 out double for a 4-2 lead. In the bottom of the 4th Guzman singled in another run to cut it to 4-3. In the bottom of the 5th Elijah Dukes lined a solo homer into the seats to tie it at 4. In the top of the 7th, Ryan Howard crushed a 3 run homer, and Raul Ibanez followed a couple batters later with a solo homer for an 8-4 lead. In the bottom of the 7th Adam Dunn clobbered a 2 run homer to cut it to 8-6. In the top of the 8th Eric Bruntlett delivered a pinch double and scored on a sac fly by Victorino for a 9-6 lead. Finally in the bottom of the 9th, after allowing Ryan Zimmeran to hit a 2 run homer, Brad Lidge closed out the Nationals for his 2nd save of the season and a 9-8 Phils win. So the Phils move to 4-3 overall with their 3rd win in a row. They'll look to make it 4 in a row on Wednesday.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers traveled to Toronto tonight for a matchup with the lowly Raptors. Considering it was to be the only one of their season ending games against a non playoff team, it was imperative that they get the win. Once again their defense just wasn't good enough to pull it out. An 18 point 12 rebound night for Sammy Dalembert and a 23 point effort by Lou Williams were both wasted. An impressive night of offensive rebounding, with Sixers pulling down 22 of their 47 rebounds off the offensive glass, was also wasted. All told Toronto shot 53% from the field and when it mattered most they were able to get the scores they needed, while the Sixers could not. At the half the game was actually tied at 53. By the 4th quarter the Raptors were clinging to a one point lead with the score 81-80. Finally the 4th quarter went the Raptors way early, as they built up a 14 point lead with 6 minutes to play. The Sixers then were able to make one final push, but it was too little too late, and eventually they lost by 7 111-104. So the Sixers drop ro 40-40 overall, but remain 6th in the Eastern conference, via the tiebreaker over the Bulls. Also with the Miami Heat winning today, the Sixers can no longer get the 5th seed in the East.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils finished their series with the Rockies this afternoon. Chan Ho Park, as it turned out actually made his first start of the season today, rather than Tuesday. Unfortunately, he was shellacked, allowing 5 runs on 7 hits, in just 3 and 1/3rd innings of work. Fortunately, the bullpen then preceded to toss 5 and 2/3rd's scoreless innings the rest of the way. Meanwhile, just like yesterday the Phils managed to mount a rally, racking up another 13 hits, again many of them occuring at just right time. In the bottom of the 1st, Brad Hawpe doubled in one run, and singles by Garret Atkins and Clint Barmes produced three more runs for a 4-0 Rockie's lead. In the top of the 2nd Ryan Howard doubled and scored on a single by Raul Ibanez to cut it to 4-2.In the bottom of the 2nd Dexter Fowler slammed a solo homer to for a 5-3 lead. In the top of the 4th, Chase Utley singled and scored on a single by Jayson Werth to cut it to 5-2. In the top of the 6th Werth slapped in another run to cut it to 5-3. In the top of the 8th Utley slammed a 2 run homer to knot it at 5. In the top of the 9th Matt Stairs clobbered a 2 run homer for a 7-5 lead. Finally in the bottom of the 9th Brad Lidge came in to record his 2nd save of the season, in closing out the 7-5 Pnils win. So the Phils move to 3-3 overall and seem to have turned things around.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers welcomed the New York Rangers to the Wachovia center this afternoon. They needed a win or a tie to clinch the 4th seed in the Eastern conference. For two periods it looked the 4th seed would be theirs. Then the Rangers posted a few late goals in the 3rd period and poof went that 4th seed. Marty Biron had 27 saves, and Danny Briere had a goal and an assist, but it was not enough. Early in the first period Claude Giroux scored for a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later Brandon Dubinsky scored to knot it up at 1 for the Rangers. A few minutes later Jeff Carter scored off the power play for a 2-1 lead. A couple minutes later Dubinksy scored again to knot it up at 2. Early in the 2nd period Briere scored for a 3-2 lead. Early in the 3rd period Sean Avery scored to knot it up again 3. A few minutes later Blair Betts scored for a 4-3 Ranger's lead. From there the Flyers had their opportunities to tie it up again and get the one point they needed, but Henrik Lundqvist came up with some big saves to preserve the win for the Rangers. So the Flyers finish the season 44-27-11 overall for 99 points and the 5th seed in the Eastern conference. Therefore the first round of the playoffs will begin in PittsBurgh for the Orange and Black.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
After 4 unimpressive outings by their starting pitchers to open the season, the Phils finally got a decent start tonight from Brett Myers. In becoming the first Phils starter to win a game this season, Myers held the Rockies to 4 runs on 4 hits in 7 strong innings of work. Fittingly, at mile high Coors Field, 3 of those 4 hits were homeruns. So it wasn't a Myers masterpiece by any means, but it was enough, as the Phils finally started collecting hits. In all on the day they pounded Rockies pitching for 15 hits, many of which came at just right moment. In the bottom of the 2nd Troy Tulowitzki slammed a 2 run homer for a 2-0 lead. In the top of the 3rd, Ryan Howard socked a 1 out bases clearing double to put the Phils up 3-2. In the bottom of the 4th Garret Atkins launched a solo homer to tie it at 3. In the top of the 5th Jayson Werth legged out a 2 out triple, knocking in 2 runs for a 5-3 lead. In the bottom of the 5th, Clint Barmes lined a solo homer into the seats to cut it to 5-4. In top of the 7th, Raul Ibanez absolutely crushed a solo homer for a 6-4 lead. In the top of the 8th the "Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino lined a 2 out double, his 3rd hit of the day, and scored on a single by Chase Utley for a 7-4 lead. In top of the 9th, Ibanez doubled and scored on a single by Pedro Feliz for an 8-4 lead. Finally in the bottom of the 9th simply because they were playing at Coors where no lead is safe, Brad Lidge came in and closed it out. So the Phils move to 2-3 overall and look to be just fine thank you. By the way if you're wondering what happened to Chan Ho Park, the winner of competition for the 5th spot in the Phils rotation and the guy who was scheduled to start tonight, he was scratched from his start tonight reportedly because he was feeling tightness in his hamstring during warmups. So he'll likely start on Tuesday instead.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers traveled to the Nassau Coliseum today for the last time this season, looking to victimize the Islanders for one more important win. Thanks to 30 saves by Marty Biron and a goal and assist from Simon Gagne they did indeed get the win they needed. Late in the 1st period Sean Bergenheim scored for a 1-0 Islander lead. Early in the 2nd period Joffrey Lupul scored to knot it up at 1. Midway through the period Mike Knuble made it 2-1. Late in the period Tim Jackman scored to knot it up again at 2. A minute later Gagne posted his score for a 3-2 lead. From there Biron ensured that the Islanders would not again forge a tie, as the Flyers eventually hung on to win 3-2. So the Orange and Black move to 44-26-11 overall for 99 points and still 4th in the Eastern conference. They also lock up at least the 5th seed in the East and no matter what they will face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs. If they defeat the Rangers tomorrow, they will finish as the 4th seed and host that series, otherwise Pittsburgh finishes 4th and hosts the series.
Friday, April 10, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers returned home to the Wachovia center tonight for a highlight reel matchup with Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. For a change they actually played hard on the defensive end, limiting the Cavs to under 50% shooting from the field. Unfortunately, they had a few too many lapses behind the arc, allowing Cleveland to hit 12 threes. So while the Sixers were able to keep it close with Iggy scoring 26, and Miller and Lou Williams each adding 17, everytime they got close, Cleveland was able to drill a 3 to hold them off. The Sixers were actually only down by 6 at the half, and remained down by that same margin heading into the 4th quarter. There, despite their best efforts the Cavs managed to hold them at bay until victory was assured by 10 with the final score 102-92. So the Sixers drop to 40-39 overall, remaining 6th in the Eastern conference and 1 game behind the Heat for 5th, while dropping to just a game ahead of 7th and 8th place Chicago and Detroit. So things are getting a bit dicey for the Sixers who once seemed assured of at least the 6th seed in the East. Now they may wind up down in 8th, and they might not even finish at .500 this season.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils traveled to Colorado this afternoon to begin a series with the Rockies. Cole Hamels made his first start of the season, and was decidely less than Hollywood allowing 7 runs on 11 hits in just 3 and 2/3rd's innings of work. Of course it was at Coors field which tends to make a lot of good pitchers look bad, so I wouldn't be freaking out just yet. Still the Phils couldn't muster too much offense of their own again and that could be a problem though it is probably too early tell right now. Anyway In the top of the 2nd Jayson Werth doubled and scored on a sac fly for a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the 3rd, the pitcher, Jason Marquis singled in a run and scored on a fielder's choice, Garret Atkins slugged a 2 run homer, and Troy Tulowitzk tripled in a run for a 5-1 Colorado lead. In the top of the 4th Werth doubled again and scored on a fielder's choice to cut it to 5-2. In the bottom of the 5th Ryan Spillborghs singled in a run and scored on a single by Tod Helton for a 7-2 lead. In the bottom of the 8th singles by Spillborghs and Dexter Fowler and a sac fly by Helton produced 3 more runs and a 10-2 lead. Finally in the top of the 9th Werth slammed a solo homer before the Phils finally succumbed 10-3. So the Phils drop to 1-3 overall but it's too early to worry too much about it right now. They'll turn it around eventually.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers traveled to Chicago tonight for a matchup with the Bulls. Once again they played well in the first half as the Andre's performed admirably, with Iggy posting 19 and 10 assists, and Miller dropping a game high 20. Alas, Miller and Iguodala, just don't appear to be the type of dynamic duo that can win games on their own. This was clear in the second half as again the Sixers couldn't sustain any scoring, without the threat of Thad spreading floor and creating baskets for himself. Dispirited and sluggish on D, they could only watch as Chicago handed them their 3rd consecutive loss. This could be a long Thadless last week or so of the season. Still it is not as if the Sixer's played poorly tonight. They actually shot 52% from the field and 63% from beyond the arc, but they allowed Chicago to shoot 52% from the field as well. That just won't cut it. Without Thad they can no longer outscore teams and must rely on their defense to win games. Thats' a scary proposition. Sure teams are averaging under 100 points per game against the Sixers this, which is good for a team that likes play an up tempo game. However, because they like to get out on the break, the Sixers can have a tendency to get a little too attached to their scoring, and get lax on D as they did tonight. With Thad they had enough scoring that they could afford to do that sometimes. Now they can't any longer, and they really haven't proven this season that they can play tough D consistently enough to rely on it night after night. So they are in the unenviable position of being a team where they could up their best effort every night the rest of the way, and still lose. If they are still somehow able to finish 5th in East it will have been because of an extraordinary effort down the stretch or because Thad pulls a Willis Reed and limps onto the court every game the rest of the way, inspiring the team to victory. Anyway to get back to what happened tonight let's just say this, at half time the game was tied at 50, by the 4th quarter the Sixers had fallen behind by 10 and they never recovered losing 113-99. So the Sixers drop to 40-38 overall, but because Miami was idle tonight, they are still just a game out of the 5th spot in the East, while of course maintaining the 6th spot.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers traveled to New York tonight to faceoff with the stinkin Rangers. They played well enough to win on most night, but the desperate Rangers, who needed the win to clinch a playoff spot, figured out away to pull it out. 29 saves by Marty Biron and a sweet power play by Danny Briere just weren't enough. Early in the first period Markus Naslund scored for a 1-0 Ranger lead. Late in the period Ryan Callahan made it 2-0. Midway through the 2nd period Briere cut it to 2-1. From there despite their best efforts the Flyers were not able to forge a tie and the Rangers got the 2-1 win. So the Orange and Black drop to 43-26-11 overall and into a 3 way tie for the 4th spot in the Eastern conference, which maintain via the fact that they still have one more game left to play than the Carolina Hurricanes and Penguins. They'll probably have to win their last two games in order to hang on to that all important 4th seed and home ice advantage in the 1st round of the playoffs.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
After two disconcerting losses to start the season the Phils took the field against the Braves one last time this afternoon looking to avert a sweep. Before the game they received their world series rings at last, pure silver bling with a large Phillies P on the front to boot, and for a moment the joy that enveloped the city just a few months ago, surrounded the bank one last time. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to inspire the Phils all that much early on, as Joe Blanton was tagged for 7 runs on 9 hits in just 4 innings of work. It was only the beginning of yet another wild day in Philly, but it didn't feel like it at first. Brian Mcann slammed a 2 run homer in the top of the 1st. Raul Ibanez followed with a 2 run shot of his own in the bottom of the 2nd to forge a tie. In the top of the 3rd, Mcann and Jeff Franceour each slapped RBI singles and Matt Diaz doubled in a couple of runs as Atlanta quickly retook the lead 7-2. In the bottom of the 3rd "the Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino tripled and scored to cut it 7-3. In the top of the 5th Eric Shafer sent another 2 run shot to the seats for a 9-3 lead. In the top of the 7th, things went from bad to worse as Chad Durbin walked in a run for a seemingly insurmountable 10-3 Braves lead. Then in the bottom of the 7th, the impossible happened as the Braves bullpen simply came unglued issuing an unbelievable 4 bases loaded walks. Coupled with RBI singles, by Victorino and Pedro Feliz, and a Ryan Howard ground out which scored another run, the Phils were able to put up 8 runs in the inning and suddenly they were ahead 11-10. In the bottom of the 8th, Ibanez doubled and scored on a sac fly by Eric Bruntlett for a 12-10 lead. Finally in the top of the 9th, after serving up a solo homer to Matt Diaz, Brad Lidge got his first save of the season and remained perfect as a Phil, for the 12-11 Phils win. So the Phils go to 1-2 overall and vacate the NL East cellar to accomodate the winless and hapless Washington Nationals.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
After an embarrassing loss to the Nets in their last game the Sixers traveled to Charlotte tonight for a matchup with the desperate Bobcats, who are still trying to find their into the playoffs. For a while it looked like be another dissapointing night, as the Bobcats built up a 14 point lead at the half with the score 63-49. Thanks to the Andres, as Iguodala posted 19, and Miller dropped 23, the Sixers were able to rally back ahead by heading into the 4th quarter with the score 81-79. Then unexpectedly they just went away in the 4th quarter and Charlotte was able to steal back the win they desperately needed to stay alive in the playoff picture, by 3 with the final score 101-98. So the Sixers drop to 40-37 overall, but fortunately since the Heat lost tonight as well, the Sixers remain 6th in the Eastern conference, just a half a game behind the Heat for 5th. They won't keep getting this lucky and probably will have to win 3 or 4 of their last 5 to wrestle that 5th spot away from the Heat.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers welcomed the Florida Panthers to the Wachovia center tonight. After losing two of their last three games the Orange and Black still needed at least a tie in this one to clinch a playoff spot. Thanks to 29 saves by Marty Biron and and yet another goal scored by Jeff Carter they were finally able to book their ticket to the postseason. Early in the 2nd period Brett Mclean scored for a 1-0 Panther's lead. Late in the period Joffrey Lupul scored to knot it up at 1. Early in the 3rd period Carter scored unassisted for a 2-1 lead. From there Biron ensured the night would belong to the Flyers as they held on to win 2-1. So the Orange and Black improve to 43-25-11 overall for 97 points and still 4th in the Eastern conference. They'll probably have to win at least 2 of their last 3 to lock up that 4th seed.
PHILLIES NEWS
After a tough opening night loss, the Phils were looking to rebound against the Braves tonight in the 2nd game of their series at the Bank. Jamie Moyer got the start and was roughed up a bit allowing 4 runs on 8 hits in just 5 innings of work. The Phils meanwhile, continued to struggle at the plate mustering just 4 hits against Brave's starter Jair Jurrjens, and just 2 more the rest of the way after Jurrjens left in the 5th inning. So it was another less than satisfactory night for the Phils. Right off the bat in the top of the first Kelly Johnson slammed a solo homer and Chipper Jones doubled and scored on an error by Chase Utley for a 2-0 lead. In the top of the 4th, Jeff Franceour singled and scored off a pair of infield singles for a 3-0 lead. In the top of the 5th Chipper continued his season opening hot streak with a solo shot to put Atlanta up 4-0. From there the Phils had some opportunities down the stretch to get back in it, but were not able to take advantage, and finally lost 4-0. So the Phils drop to 0-2 overall to start the season. Yeah it is only 2 games, but the Phils aren't going to win much, if they keep playing like this.
Monday, April 06, 2009
Sunday, April 05, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
After a hard fought win over the Pistons yesterday afternoon, the Sixers traveled to New Jersey tonight for a matchup with the Nets. Coming in the Sixers had won 3 in a row, and appeared to be rolling toward locking up the 5th seed in Eastern conference. Unfortunately the party came to an abrupt end on this night. With Thad Young on the shelf the rest of the season the Andre's, Miller and Iguodala , have become the go to guys for the Sixers. As they go so go the Sixers. They simply didn't have it in this one, as Iguodala went 1 for 8 from the field and Miller went just 3 for 9 from the field and had nearly as many assists, 4, as he had turnovers, 3. As a result the Sixers struggled on whole, shooting just 35% from the field and 39% from the free throw line. In fact just one Sixer, Lou Williams, managed to score in double figures one the night. The Nets didn't necessarily play all that well either, but the Sixers play was just so poor, that they didn't need to play that well. While seven Nets did score in double figures, none had more than Vince Carter's 15, a performance that would be more than beatable for the Sixers on most nights. Tonight was not one of those nights. After a decent run to end the first quarter with a 20-18 lead, everything went bad for the Sixers and fast. The Nets were up by 11 at the half, by 17 at the start of the 4th quarter, and mercifully by the end they had themselves a 29 point win with the final score an embarrassing 96-67. That's right the Sixers posted just 67 points. Frankly it is hard to imagine the Sixers performing any worse than they did tonight, and one can only hope this is not a portend of the things to come. They'll be lucky to get better than the 8th seed, if they play anymore games like this and as it stands now at 40-36 overall, they find themselves back down to the 6th seed, .5 games behind the 5th place Miami Heat.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils began their first world title defense in 28 years, as they opened the regular season at the Bank with a game against the Atlanta Braves. Brett Myers got the start and was decent allowing 4 runs on 8 hits in 6 innings of work. However, the Phils were not able to give him much support, scoring just 1 run on 4 hits, thanks to new Brave Derek Lowe who went 8 innings allowing just 2 hits. The Phils simply looked rusty in this one, but it's only one game and hopefully they'll be able to shake off the rust before long. In the top of the 1st Brian Mcann slammed a 2 run homer to put the Braves up 2-0. In the top of the 2nd Jeff Franceour and his new swing went deep for a 3-0 lead. A couple batters later, in his first major league at bat, Jordan Schafer sent one into the seats for a 4-0 lead. Finally in the bottom of the 9th inning, Jayson Werth slapped a one out single to push across the Phils only run of the night, before Mike Gonzalez struck out the side to close out the 4-1 Braves win. So just like that the Phils are in last place at 0-1 overall. Somehow I don't think they'll be there for long.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers welcomed the Detroit Piston to the Wachovia center this afternoon for a key matchup. Coming in the Sixers could also clinch a playoff spot with a win. Early on it looked like they wouln't able to do so, as they did what they normally do during games, falling behind early, and then desperately attempting to rally back. Thanks to some stellar defense in the 2nd half, holding the Pistons to 37% shooting from the field, and the Andres, with Iggy scoring 31, and Miller compiling a triple double with 21 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds, the Sixers were able to mount a rally and this time it did not come up short. Early on after clinging to a 2 point lead through a quarter of play,the Sixers found themselves down by 4 at the half with the score 50-46. By the 4th quarter Detroit had their lead up to 6 with the score 74-68. Finally in the 4th quarter, when they needed to the most, the Sixers were able to pick it up on both sides of the ball, as they rolled to a 5 point win, with the final score 95-90. So the Sixers move to 40-35 overall and remain 5th in the Eastern conference by percentage points over the Miam Heat. Perhaps more importantly though, the Sixers have now clinched a spot in the playoffs as well.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers traveled to Ottawa tonight for a matchup with the Senators. Coming in the Flyers could have a clinched a playoff spot with a win and for a while it looked like they would do just that. Then the wear of playing their 2nd game in as many nights, caught up to them and the win slipped away. Antero Niittymaki had a decent night in goal, saving 35 of the 38 shots he faced, but there would be no offensive onslaught on this night. Late in the first period Nick Foligno scored off the power play for a 1-0 Ottawa lead. Early in the 2nd period Chris Kelly scored for a 2-0 lead. Seconds later Darroll Powe scored to cut it to 2-1. Late in the period Mike Richards scored off the power play to knot it up at 2. Early in the 3rd period Simon Gagne scored for a 3-2 Sixer's lead. It lasted just 3 minutes before Jason Spezza knotted it up again at 3. Finally, after neither team could score for the remainder of regulation or in the overtime period, the game went into a shootout. There, in the first round, Danny Briere scored while Mike Comrie was unsuccessful. In the second round, Mike Richards was unsuccessful while Daniel Alfredsson scored. In the 3rd round Jason Spezza and Simon Gagne were each unsuccessful. In the 4th round Jeff Carter and Nick Foligno were each unsuccessful. Finally in the 5th round, Claude Giroux was unsuccessful while Mike Fisher scored to clinch the 4-3 Senator's victory. So the Flyers get just one point and move to 42-25-11 ,for now, 95 points overall, but remain 4th in the Esstern conference.
PHILLIES NEWS
Raul Ibanez and Greg Dobbs each slammed homers, but Cole Hamels allowed 5 runs over 6 innings of work and the Phils dropped their final exhibition game to Tampa Bay Rays 9-7. Tomorrow night they begin the regular season and defense of their world title against the Atlanta Braves. With their lineup returning mostly intact, and the rotation probably a little better than it was last season, assuming Cole Hamels is healthy, there's no reason the Phils can't repeat.
Friday, April 03, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers finished a home and home with the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight back at the Wachovia center. This time Cujo got the night off and the Flyers put on an offensive display as Jeff Carter posted a hat trick. So good was the Flyers offense tonight, that Marty Biron couldn't even screw them up as he allowed 5 goals, many of them pretty weak. Early in the 1st period Randy Jones scored for a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later Claude Giroux scored for a 2-0 lead. A couple minutes later Simon Gagne scored for a 3-0 lead. Late in the period Scott Hartnell scored for a 4-0 lead. A few minutes later Carter scored his first for a 5-0 lead. Early in the 2nd period Carter scored his 2nd for a 6-0 lead. Late in the period Luke Schenn scored to cut it 6-1. A minute later Boyd Deveraux scored to cut it to 6-2. A couple minutes later Mikhail Grabovski scored to cut it to 6-3. Early in the 3rd period Carter scored his 2nd to push the lead back to 4 with the score 7-3. A few minutes later Nikolai Kulemin scored to cut it to 7-4. A few minutes later Danny Briere scored off a pretty pass from Giroux for an 8-4 lead. Finally a minute later Jamal Mayers scored to cut it to 8-5. From there Biron finally shut things down, and the Flyers hung on to win 8-5. So the Flyers improve to 42-25-10 overall for 94 points and still 4th in the Eastern conference.
PHILLIES NEWS
Joe Blanton allowed just 2 runs over 6 innings of work, as the Phils knocked off the Rays 3-2 in the first of two exhibition games at the Bank. The Rays just don't know how to win in Philly.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers welcomed the struggling Milwaukee Bucks to the Wachovia center tonight. Without Thaddeus Young in the lineup they were going to need someone to pick up the scoring slack. Surprisingly, Reggie Evans who got the start in Young's place, did so with 13 points, as well as Maurice Speights and Lou Williams with 14 and 21 respectively off the bench. In fact as a team the Sixers shot 50% from the field and got to the free throw line 43 times. So they really picked things up as a team, to get on without Thad. Defensively, the Sixers had a decent night as well outrebounding Milwaukee 44-28 and holding them to 28% shooting from beyond the arc. Early on after playing to a tie in the first quarter, Milwaukee actually took a 9 point lead into the half with the score 59-50. In the 2nd half however, it was all Sixers. By the 4th quarter they had already rallied back ahead by 1 with the score 80-79. Then in the 4th quarter, thanks to the clutch scoring of sweet Lou the Sixers were able to comfortably pull away to a 10 point win,with the final score 105-95. So the Sixers improve to 39-35 overall and move at last to 5th in the Eastern conference by .5 games over the now 6th place Miami Heat.
PHILLIES NEWS
In their last game of the spring at Brightfouse field, Ryan Howard crushed yet another homer, but Jamie Moyer allowed 9 runs on 11 hits in 4 innings of work and the Phils eventually fell 12-10 to the Washington Nationals. So now the Phils will return to Philly to finish off a few exhibition games and open the season on sunday.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers traveled to Toronto tonight for a matchup with the struggling Maple Leafs. Unfortunately, it was the Flyers who looked like the ones who were struggling tonight as in a rare start, the wily veteran Curtis Joseph, better known as Cujo, came up with 32 spectacular saves to stall the Flyers. Meanwhile, Marty Biron allowed three early goals, and was replaced halfway through game by Antero Niittymaki. Although Niittymaki kept the Leafs scoreless the rest of the way the Flyers just didn't seem to have enough in the tank to rally back. Early in the first period Jamal Meyers scored for a 1-0 Leaf's lead. Halfway through the period Arron Asham scored to knot it up at 1. Early in the second period Lee Stempniak scored for a 2-1 Leaf's lead. Late in the period Ian White scored for a 3-1 lead. In the 3rd period with just under 3 minutes to play Claude Giroux finally pushed across another Flyer's goal to cut it to 3-2, but it was too little too late. The Flyers just weren't able to get another one past Joseph and fell 3-2. So the Orange and Black drop to 41-25-10 overall but remain 4th in the Eastern conference.
PHILLIES NEWS
Since it's that time of the spring when the regular season is drawing, and teams are simply trying to avoid injuries, minor leaguer Kyle Drabek got the start for the Phils today, and was roughed, allowing 5 runs on 5 hits, as the Phils lost to the Yankees 8-5. Jayson Werth slammed his 6th homerun of the spring in the loss.
SIXERS NEWS
The news came back on Thaddeus Young, it wasn't great. Fortunately, it also wasn't that bad either. He will miss 2-3 weeks, which means his services will not be available for the rest of the regular season, however, he will be back at least for the playoffs, so assuming the Sixers don't collapse without him for the rest of the season, he'll be back.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers welcomed the Atlanta Hawks to the Wachovia center tonight. After consecutive losses, the Sixers actually came in still able ,with a win, pull within .5 games of 5th place in the Eastern conference, with the Miami Heat idle on the night. Fortunately, Sammy Dalembert suffered only a calf strain, was able to play tonight. Thus, with Sammy back patroling the middle the Sixers picked it up on defense, and frankly the Hawks missed a lot of open shots, in shooting just 44% from the field. The Sixers weren't much better shooting just 46% from the field, but they hit em the when the Hawks missed em, and were able to build up enough of a lead early on, to hang on for the big win. The Sixers jumped out to a 12 point lead after a quarter of play, and a 14 point lead at the half with the score 51-37, but Thaddeus Young went down with an ankle sprain. In the 3rd quarter without Thad to keep up the scoring the Hawks made some inroads, but the Sixers were still up by 8 heading into the 4th quarter with the score 77-69. The Hawks actually made it tighter in the 4th quarter, but the Sixers stayed composed and Maurice Speights came up big with 16 points, as the Sixers were able to push back out to a convincing 13 point win, with the final score 98-85. So the Sixers move to 38-35 overall and remain 6th in the Eastern conference, now just .5 games behind the 5th place Heat. Also at the moment Young is listed as day to day.
PHILLIES NEWS
Brett Myers allowed just one run on 3 hits in 4 innings of work, while Jimmy Rollins, Jayson Werth, and Raul Ibanez each collected 2 hits as the Phils knocked off the Toronto Blue Jays 9-1. In other news Brett Myers was announced as the Phils opening day starter, since Cole Hamels just won't quite be ready in time. Also in a somewhat surprise move the Phils released Geoff Jenkins. At 35 years old, he spent a good bit of last on the DL, and didn't seem to have much left in the tank, save for one huge hit. So for now, the Phils bench is Matt Stairs, Greg Dobbs, Eric Bruntlett, Chris Coste, and for now anyway, Miguel Cairo. The Phils are still shopping though for a righthanded bat to add to their bench, and have reportedly contacted agent of Gary Sheffield, recently released by the Tigers, with 499 career homers in a once stellar career now tarnished by accusations of steroid use. He looked pretty washed up himself at times, last season, but it could interesting to have him around.
Monday, March 30, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
Chan Ho Park allowed 2 runs on 6 hits in 5 and 2/3rds innings of work while Jimmy Rollins, Eric Bruntlett, Ryan Howard, and Carlos Ruiz each smashed homeruns as the Phils clobbered the Astros 13-3. This is Park's last start of spring training so it won't be long now before the Phils decide who will start their 5th game of the season. In other news the Phils made some roster decisions today, releasing Marcus Giles, who had been competing for a job on the Phils bench but had a terrible spring, and optioning off top prospects John Mayberry and Carlos Carrasco to triple A, so they'll be ready to be called up later in the season if need be and so that they can continue to develop, rather than just getting spot duty with the big club. So the Phils bench for now, will be Greg Dobbs, Geoff Jenkins, Eric Bruntlett, Matt Stairs, Chris Coste, and possibly Miguel Cairo if the Phils decide to go into the season with only 11 pitchers, or if Jenkins or Stairs is traded before the season.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers traveled to Detroit for a matchup with Allen Iverson and the Pistons, as they looked to rebound from their loss to the Bobcats on Friday. Early on it looked like the Sixers would handle the struggling Pistons, but then Sammy Dalembert went down with an injury, and at the end without Sammy D protecting the middle the Pistons were able shred the Sixers defense and pull out the win. 27 points from Andre Iguodala, and 22 from Thaddeus Young just were not enough, as the Pistons shot 52% from the field. Early on the Sixers had the lead and actually were clinging to a one point lead at the half and a 4 point lead heading into the 4th quarter with the score 83-79. Then the Pistons turned it on in the 4th, and with no Sammy D to shut them down, they rallied to a point lead of their own and did not relinquish it, winning 101-97. So the Sixers drop their 2nd in a row and fall to 37-35 overall, still 6th in the Eastern conference, but now 1.5 games behind the 5th place Miami Heat.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers welcomed the Boston Bruins to the Wachovia center tonight, looking to add another one to the win column. Just like last night, they fell behind early, just like last night rallied back in the 3rd period, unfortunately this time Boston had an answer. With the Flyers playing on back to back nights, Antero Niittymaki got the start in goal, and allowed 3 goals early, but from there he saved 15 of the next 16 shots he faced to help the Flyers rally back. Early in the first period Claude Giroux scored for a 1-0 lead. Late in the period Milan Lucic scored to knot it up at 1. A few minutes later Dennis Wideman made it 2-1 Boston. A few minutes later Lucic scored again and it was 3-1 Boston. Late in the 2nd period Mike Richards scored to cut it to 3-2. Early in the 3rd period Mark Recchi, the ex Flyer, scored for a 4-2 Boston lead. Finally with just over a minute to play Simon Gagne scored to cut it to 4-3. The Flyers then had chances to to tie it up late, but they could not, and finally fell 4-3. So the Orange and Black drop to 41-24-10 overall, but remain 4th in the Eastern conference.
PHILLIES NEWS
Joe Blanton allowed just 2 runs on 4 hits in 6 and 1/3rd innings of work, but Jon Lester allowed jusst 1 run on 6 hits in 5 innings work, and the Red Sox outlasted the Phils 3-1. It's okay it is only spring training.
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