Wednesday, October 21, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils squared off with the Dodgers tonight in game 5 of the NLCS as they looked to clinch their 2nd NL title in a row. Cole Hamels got the start but was a little uneven allowing 3 runs on 5 hits in just 4 and 1/3rd innings of work. It didn't matter though as the Phils powerful lineup proved to be too much on this night, racking up 10 runs on 8 hits. Jayson Werth slammed a 3 run homer in the 1st inning, Pedro Feliz lined a solo homer in the 2nd inning, Raul Ibanez slapped an RBI double and Shane Victorino got clunked with the bases loaded in the 4th inning, Victorino tomahawked out a 2 run homer in the 6th inning, Werth slugged a solo shot in the 8th inning, and finally a wild pitch plated Jimmy Rollins in the 9th inning. Meanwhile, although Hamels struggled a bit and could not get out of the 5th inning, the bullpen was sublime yet again. J.A Happ, Chad Durbin, Chan Ho Park, and Ryan Madson combined to get the game to the 9th while allowing just 1 run. There, Brad Lidge came in to close out the Pennant and even in a non save situation he was perfect again, getting Ronnie Belliard to pop out to Victorino in center and begin the celebration. So the Phils advance to the World Series for the 2nd year in a row and with the way they're lineup and pitching have performed thus far in this postseason, you have to like their chances to take their 2nd world title in a row, regardless of whether they face the Yankees or the Angels. Let's Go Phillies!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles made a rare move at the NFL trading deadline today sending rookie WR Brandon Gibson to the St.Louis Rams for LB Will Witherspoon. With no Stewart Bradley, and Omar Gaither questionable for next week, and with Jeremiah Trotter showing his ag, the Birds needed someone to fill in at MLB and Witherspoon fills that void. He is also versatile enough to play weak side linebacker as well and led the Rams in sacks with 7 and tackles with 132 in 2007. He's also very good in coverage on pass plays, so he can make some things happen that the Eagle's current MLB's can't and should be a solid addition to the team. As for Gibson he was lucky to be on the Eagle's roster. Normally the Birds only take 5 WRs into the season, but with Gibson they had 6, so he was expendable and at least he gets to go somewhere where he can contribute.
Monday, October 19, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
After drubbing the Dodgers 11-0 last night you expected the Phils to go for the kill and come out firing tonight with Joe Blanton on the mound. For 3 innings they were able to do just that, as Blanton retired the first 10 batters he faced and Ryan Howard slammed a 2 run homer off ex-Phil Randy Wolf in the first inning, for his 8th straight playoff game with an RBI, tying him with the "Iron Horse", Lou Gehrig for the most in major league history. So it was 2-0 heading into the 4th and it was there that Blanton ran into trouble for the 1st time, as singles by James Loney and Russell Martin knotted it up at 2. In the 5th inning Matt Kemp crushed a solo homer to dead center field to put L.A up 3-2. In the 6th inning Casey Blake slapped a 2 out single to make it 4-2 and it looked for all intensive purposes that the series was destined to be tied at 2 after this game, with Randy Wolf getting one final win in Philly. As usual though, the Phils would not make it easy. Chase Utley lined a single right on numbers into right field to score Shane Victorino and cut the lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the 6th. Still, from there all the way up to the start of the 9th the Dodger bullpen kept the Phils without a hit, including a strikeout by Howard in the 8th inning with 2 on and only 1 out. That left the Phils with Raul Ibanez plus the bottom of the order to face ultra tough Dodger closer Jonathan Broxton in the 9th. Ibanez started it off with a groundout and the 4-3 loss seemed inevitable at that point. Then Matt Stairs, who left Broxton beaten in this same game just a year ago with a 2 run 8th inning homer, worked a walk as Broxton wanted no part of him. Next Broxton hit Carlos Ruiz with a pitched ball and suddenly there were 2 on and 1 out for pinch hitter Greg Dobbs. Dobbs came close to flaring a game tying single to left field, but Casey Blake was able to snare it for out number 2. So it was up to Jimmy Rollins to keep the game alive and at most tie it up at 4. He had never gotten a hit off Broxton before so it was crazy to think he would get one now and apparently Broxton felt the same way as he layed a slider over the plate for strike 1 and then went for the fastball inside. He didn't throw it inside enough and JRoll timed his shortened swing just quickly enough to rip Broxton's 0-1 offering into the gap in right field for a game winning double, as Eric Bruntlett, pinch running for Stairs, scored from 2nd, and Ruiz dashed all the way around from 1st to score the winning run, with his teammates literally already surrounding the plate before he even slid in safely. They then mobbed JRoll who had kept running all the way to 3rd, even though the game was already over. Perhaps just as remarkable as JRoll's was the game's winning pitcher, Brad Lidge, who pitched brilliantly to get the final 2 outs in the top of the 9th and keep it at 4-3. Lidge was winless in the regular season at 0-8 so this was actually his first win of the year, in game 4 of the NLCS no less, Believe It!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
After a heartbreaking loss in game 2 of the NLCS the Phils returned to the Bank tonight looking to retake control of the series with their ace Cliff Lee on the mound. Lee delivered soundly with 8 scoreless innings on just 3 hits and while striking out 10. The Dodgers really never had a chance against him. Meanwhile, the Phils destroyed Hiroki Kuroda and virtually every other Dodger pitcher that came in to pitch, scoring 11 runs on 11 hits. In the 1st, Chase Utley tripled in 2 runs and Jayson Werth bashed a 2 run homer for a quick 4-0 lead. A Jimmy Rollins double and a fielder's choice pushed the lead to 6-0 in the 2nd inning. In the 5th inning Pedro Feliz tripled off the wall in center field and Carlos Ruiz followed with a single for 2 more runs and an 8-0 lead. Finally in the 8th inning Shane Victorino Tomahawked a 3 run homer just inside the foul pole in right field for an 11-0 lead. From there since it was 11-0 Lee was replaced in the 9th in favor of Chad Durbin who finished off a combined shutout. So the Phils now lead the series 2-1 and remain in control of the series. Now they only need to win 1 of the next 2 to at least take a lead back to L.A if need be. Hopefully that won't be the case though and they'll close it out home.
EAGLES NEWS
Fresh off an easy win over the Tampa Bay Bucs, the Birds traveled to Oakland this afternoon for a date with the lowly Raiders, who came in with just 1 win on the season. Thus, it was going to be another easy Eagle's win. There was no way the Raiders would be able to challenge them. Unfortunately left tackle Jason Peters went down with a knee injury in the 1st quarter and that spelled the Eagles' doom. With no Peters, King Dunlap was forced into his first regular season game and he spent the day watching Richard Seymour run circles around him as Donovan Mcnabb was sacked 6 times, hit about 30 times, and under pressure and running for his life on just about every snap. It's hard for any quarterback to be successful under that kind of pressure, and Mcnabb was not on this afternoon. Nor was the rest of the Eagles' offense which gained just 283 yards, most of them passing yards, while failing to score any TDs on the day. Inspired by their defense, the Raiders were able to score a TD, by taking advantage of an apparently still rusty Jeremiah Trotter, who misdiagnosed a play action and left TE Zach Miller wide open to rumble for an 86 yd TD pass. In the end that TD was the difference, as the teams traded field goals the rest of the way in a 13-9 Raider victory. The Eagles actually could have won even without scoring any TDs, but David Akers missed 2 field goals on the day. In reality though, for offense with as many weapons as the Eagles, it should not have come down to Akers hitting field goals and I don't know too many kickers who could have hit 5 field goals of over 40 yards, as Akers kicks all were today. The only bright spot for the Birds on the day then was the defense, which intercepted Jamarcus Russell twice and sacked him twice, while holding Oakland out of the end zone other than that one TD pass. It wasn't enough though and now the Eagles must go back to the drawing board as they prepare to play their first divisional games against the Redskins and the Giants in the next 2 weeks. At 3-2 overall and with plenty of season left the Birds are still in position to have a sucessful season, but they can't lose anymore games like this.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers finally returned to action tonight after a long, long layoff. Unfortunately, the layoff proved to be too much to overcome against on this evening against the Florida Panthers. Considering the Panthers came in with 1 win on the season thus far, this was supposed to be an easy way for the Orange and Black to come back from their layoff. Unfortunately, the Flyers apparently got a little too rested and relaxed and just couldn't quite get up for this game. They did lead 1-0 after the first period and 2 - 1 late in the 2nd period, but the focus was never quite there for them and eventually the Panthers were able to pull ahead of the drowsy Flyers. Nathan Horton scored with under a minute to play in the 2nd period to tie it at 2. Then Radek Dvorak scored shorthanded halfway through the 3rd period to put Florida ahead 3-2. Finally with about a minute and a half to play, Steve Reinprecht scored an empty netter to put away the 4-2 Panther win. Sure it's early in the season so it is okay to lose some focus now, but the Flyers better get it back in a hurry as they play the Boston Bruins in their next game and Boston won't let the Flyers hang around for 2 periods.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils and Dodgers squared off in game 2 of the NLCS this afternoon. Pedro Martinez got the start and was masterful tossing 7 shutout innings, while allowing just 2 hits and throwing just 87 pitches. Meanwhile, Ryan Howard slammed a solo homer in the top of the 4th to put the Phils ahead 1-0. Unfortunately, coming off a 17 day layoff and an injury, Pedro could not come out for the 8th inning and that's where it fell apart for the Phils. Chan Ho Park, who was perfect yesterday, got the call to pitch the 8th and allowed the first 2 batters he faced to reach base, both on fluky plays. First a groundball off the bat of Juan Pierre just got under the glove of Pedro Feliz, then a bunt by Ronnie Belliard got through a diving Park. Next Rusell Martin slapped a dead double play ball, but Chase Utley could not cleanly relay to first for the 2nd out, allowing Pierre to score the tying run and Martin to reach base safely. Next Scott Eyre replaced Park and allowed a pinch single by Jim Thome to put runners at the corners with still only 1 out. So in came Ryan Madson to face the righties. First he walked Rafeal Furcal to load the bases, but he came back to strike out Matt Kemp. Since he had thrown 32 pitches last night, that was it for Madson, as J.A Happ came in to face the lefty Andre Ethier. Happ got ahead of Ethier with 2 quick strikes but he couldn't put him away and eventually, Ethier worked a walk to put L.A up 2-1. Finally after that Chad Durbin got Manny to pop up and end the inning, but the damage was done. In the top of the 9th, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino produced quick outs and it was once again up to Utley to get Howard to plate one more time. He almost did, hitting a screaming liner off Jonathan Broxton, that was unfortunately right at Ethier, who was shaded over to just to the right spot in the usual no doubles defense. So the series is now tied at 1 game a piece as it shifts to the Bank for games 3, 4, and 5 and the Phils will have to win all 3 to take series and avoid having to go back to L.A.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils and Dodgers squared off in L.A tonight in game 1 of the NLCS. A year ago in this same series the Phils dismissed the Dodgers in 5 games en route to winning the world series. Tonight they looked to pick up right where they left off. Cole Hamels got the start and appeared to be in good form dueling with Clayton Kershaw to a 1-0 Dodger's lead through 4 innings. Then in the 5th inning both pitchers lost it. First in the top of the inning, Kershaw issued 2 walks and threw 3 wild pitches, as Carlos Ruiz slammed a 3 run homer, and Ryan Howard slapped a 2 run double for a 5-1 lead. Then in the bottom of the inning Hamels was this close to shutting down L.A, before JRoll and Chase Utley botched a double play, allowing a run to score and opening the door for Manny Ramirez to slam a 2 run homer to cut it to 5-4. Hamels then could not get through the 6th inning, and exited having allowed 4 runs on 8 hits, not his best stuff but enough to get the win if the bullpen could just hold the lead. Fortunately on this night they were up to the task. First Chad Durbin, and J.A Happ combined to bail out Hamels and escape a bases loaded jam in the 6th. In the 7th Antonio Bastardo allowed a leadoff double to Andre Ethier, but Chan Ho Park, finally back from his hamstring injury, picked him up, retiring Manny, Matt Kemp, and Casey Blake in succession. Finally in the top of the 8th, the Phils struck oil again, as Raul Ibanez followed back to back walks to Howard and Jayson Werth, with a 3 run bomb to put the Phils up 8-4. Still, the Dodgers did not go away quietly. Ryan Madson had a rough time in the bottom of the 8th, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, but he got out of it by retiring Manny again, to preserve an 8-6 lead. In the 9th, in came Brad Lidge to get the save, and again it was not easy. Kemp led off with a single, Blake hit into a double play to leave the Dodgers with no one on base and 1 out to work with, but they still would not give up. James Loney followed the double play with a walk to once again run to the plate, but again Brad was up for it, forcing Ronnie Belliard to pop out, to finish off an 8-6 Phils win. I am running out of superlatives to describe this team with, but there are 2 things I'll take with me from this game. First much was made of the Dodger's having a bullpen far superior to the Phils'. On this night however, it was Phils' bullpen that held up, and Dodger bullpen that floundered. Second, much also about this Dodger team no longer needing to rely so much on Manny, yet it seemed to be tonight that when things really got tight they looked to Manny to come up with something and he could not. Well's that it for tonight, Let's Go Phils!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
Never underestimate the heart of a champion. If there were still any doubts that the Phils had that kind of heart they were erased on this night in a game that may go down as the greatest in NLDS histroy. So wild and crazy, was this one that the superb performance of CLiff Lee, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits through 7 innings, before running out of gas in the 8th,went for naught. So too did dramatic solo homers by "the Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino in the 1st, and Jayson Werth in the 6th inning, which had given the Phils a seeming safe 2-1 lead through 7. That was before an 8th inning Rockies rally that seemed destined to force this series to a decisive game 5 back in Philly. Lee gave way after 7 and 1/3rd innings and rare error by Jimmy Rollins that put 2 on with 1 out, in favor of Ryan Madson. Fortunately, Ben Francisco was also inserted into the game as a defensive replacement for Raul Ibanez, as he promptly made a spectacular diving catch just seconds later to rob Troy Tulowitzki of an RBI single. At that point it looked like Madson would hold the lead and get out of the inning , but he could not, and a pinch RBI single by Jason Giambi and a 2 run double by Yorvit Torrealba later, Coors Field was rocking with Colorado ahead 4-2 and 3 outs from a game 5. The word quit is a foreign word though to these Phillies, and so even with the odds against them, as a revved up Houston Street took the mound for the 9th, they did not. Street had blown just 2 saves all year long, but somehow the Phils, particularly Ryan Howard who quietly told his teammates before the inning began, "Just get me to the plate", knew this would be number 3. Thus in a scene reminiscent of a Rocky movie they got off the canvas 1 last time. Jimmy Rollins got it started with a 1 out single, but Victorino grounded into a fielder's choice, with JRoll out at 2nd, and suddenly the Phils were down to their final out and Howard was a still a batter away. Chase Utley stayed calm though and after long at bat, he worked a walk to get Howard to the plate. A couple pitches later, Street gave Howard a gift, laying a fastball right into his wheel house, which the big man, or the "big piece" as Charlie Manuel calls him, deposited it deep to right field for a game tying 2 run double. Next Werth fought off a tough Street breaking ball, to loop an RBI single to center and against all hope the Phils were ahead again 5-4. Now who would close it out in the 9th? Shockingly lefty specialist Scott Eyre, who had crumbled in a heap in front of the mound less than 24 hours earlier after rolling his ankle, was the man who got the call against the Rockie's lefties. Eyre managed to get the 1st 2 outs, but after Todd Helton slapped a single up the middle to put 2 on with 2 out for Tulowitzki, in came Brad Lidge to close the door again. He got the count to 2-2 on Tulowitzki, then tossed a vintage knee buckling slider that Tulo couldn't hold up on, to close out the 5-4 win and the 3-1 series win. This was simply put the performance of the season by a team for the ages and I don't know what else to say about it other than, L.A here we come.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
Oh what a night and what a game between the Phils and Rockies tonight. With the game being played in 20 degree weather the air was supposed to be too thick to score too many runs, instead the 2 teams combined for 11 runs on 18 hits in a wild one. J.A Happ got the start but was pulled after only 3 innings, as the Phils tried to put more runs on the board with pinch hitter Greg Dobbs. Jason Hammel meanwhile lasted just 3 and 2/3rd's innings for the Rockies so it was a battle of the bullpens, and the Phils with the heart of a champion found a way to win. Chase Utley started things off with a rousing solo homer in the top of the 1st, to put the Phils up 1-0. A couple of weak singles allowed Colorado to go ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the inning. A double by Garret Atkins made it 3-1 in the 3rd inning. In the 4th, singles by Ryan Howard, and Carlos Ruiz, and a bases loaded walk pushed the Phils back ahead 4-3. In the bottom of the inning Carlos Gonzalez ripped a solo shot off Joe Blanton to tie it up again at 4. In the 6th Ruiz singled in another run for a 5-4 Phils lead. In the bottom of the 7th Gonzalez doubled and score on a sac fly to tie it up again at 5. Finally in the top of the 10th a sac fly by Ryan Howard put the Phils ahead again 6-5 and this time it would stand up. With Ryan Madson having already pitched in the 7th inning, in came Brad Lidge for the save. After allowing 2 on with 2 out, Lidge got the dangerous Troy Tulowitzki to pop up for the final out, as he remained perfect in postseason save opportunities as a Phil and put the Phils in command of the series again with a 2 games to 1 lead and Cliff Lee to start tomorrow.
EAGLES NEWS
The Birds, inlcuding the wounded, Donovan Mcnabb and Brian Westbrook, returned to action this afternoon against the winless Tampa Bay Bucs. For Mcnabb the return from his rib injury could not have been better, as he completed16 of 21 passes, for 264 yards and 3 TDs, including 2 40 + yard bombs to rookie WR Jeremy Maclin. For Westbrook the return wasn't quite so sweet, but he did compile 6 rushes for 18 yards and a TD, and 2 catches for 17 yards, which is a start at least. Ultimately the star of the offense on this day was Maclin, who caught 6 balls for 142 yards and those 2 TDs. Maclin was so good, the Birds didn't even really need Desean Jackson today, who caught exactly 1 ball for 1 yard. That's how many weapons this offense has. The number 1 reciever was basically shutdown and they still rolled to 325 yards of offense and 33 points. Other contributors on offense, include Brent Celek who chipped in with 4 catches for 58 yards, and new Fullback Leonard Weaver, who scored his 1st TD as an Eagle, on a 20 yard pass from Mcnabb. As for the defense it was solid, which is really all it needed to be against an admittedly god awful Buccaneer offense. They sacked QB Josh Johnson 3 times and forced him into 3 interceptions. Early on Tampa did manage to put together a TD drive to cut the lead to 14-7, but after that they starting committing penalties, and Johnson just couldn't get comfortable in the pocket, which made things easy for the Birds. Individually, it was Trent Cole leading the way as usal with 7 tackles and a sack. Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown were also huge with an interception each. Early on the Birds had a 14-0 lead thanks to Mcnabb's 1st 2 TD passes. Then Tampa cut it to 14-7, before Mcnabb hit hus 3rd TD pass to make it 21-7 at the half. In the 2nd half Westbrook got his score from 7 yards out to make it 28-0 and an Akers' feld goal made it 31-7 heading into the 4th quarter. Tampa Finally got on the board again in the 4th quarter to cut it to 31- 14 before a safety with 58 seconds left pushed the Eagle lead to 33-14 and put away the win. So the Birds move to 3-1 overall and continue their good start to the season.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers were back in action tonight at the Wachovia center, as the Anaheim Ducks and ex Flyer Joffrey Lupul, came to town to faceoff against the Flyers and ex-Duck Chris Pronger. It was yet another nail biter for the Flyers, apparently that's only kind of game they can play now, and for all but about 16 seconds it looked like it would go in the Orange and Black's favor. The Flyers did clean things up a bit, with only 5 penalties today, and fewer turnovers, but the defense just wasn't good enough. They allowed 33 shots on goal and kept relying on Ray Emery to make 1 save after another, which he did for 2 shutout periods, and for most of the 3rd period, as he registered 31 saves on the night. Unfortunately there were 2 shots down stretch he couldn't get a stick on and that was difference. The 1st 2 periods belonged to the Orange and Black, with Mike Richards scoring on the power play in the 1st period, and Pronger ripping a vintage slap shot from point in the 2nd period for a 2-0 lead. Then with a little under 7 minutes remaining in the 3rd period someone reminded Teemu Selanne his team was trailing and he took it from there. With about 6:45 to play Selanne scored to cut it to 2-1. Then with 16 seconds left on one final rush into Flyer's zone Selanne was somehow left open, rumbling into net, and slipped one right by Emery to tie it at 2. Selanne wasn't finished yet. After a scoreless overtime period and two failed attempts in the first round of the shootout and a 3rd by Mike Richards to start the 2nd round of the shootout, in came Selanne and once again he beat Emery to put the Ducks ahead. Then Simon Gagne failed on his attempt to start the 3rd round of the shootout and that was it. So the Flyers drop to 3-1-1 overall and hope Selanne doesn't come back to the Wachovia center any time soon.
PHILLIES NEWS
What is it about Phils and inclement weather, or better yet Phils's postseason games and inclement weather? They just can't get away from it no matter where they go. Tonight's game 3 with the Rockies was cancelled hours before was even scheduled to start due to the fact that was supposed snow, yes snow, with temps in the 20s right at about the time of the game. Funny, when it was scheduled to rain during game 5 of the world series last year MLB didn't seem to have a problem trying to play through the weather then. Well at least this time they were smart enough to do the right thing and it might end up helping the Phils. With no game Pedro Martinez was effectively, bumped out of the rotation for this series anyway, and now J.A Happ will start game 3, and Cliff Lee will start game 4 on normal rest and that probably means that if there is a game 5 Cole Hamels would be the starter. Considering Lefty heavy Colorado generally stinks against Lefthanders, that could work out for the best for the Phils.
Friday, October 09, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils revealed today that Pedro Martinez will start game 3 of the Phils NLDS tomorrow in Colorado. I don't think there is anything particulary wrong with Happ, but I guess Charlie didn't want to chance anything. However, considering Joe Blanton will be available to pitch out of the bullpen, while Happ won't, it seems J.A will start game 4 perhaps. As for game 3, Pedro has a load of experience starting huge games in the playoffs for the Red Sox at every stage and of course he was on the roster for those New York Mets a few years ago, but was coming off an injury and never got into games. So this should not faze him at all, nor should the rumored cold, snowy weather, and you would expect him to be able to get the job done, but we'll see.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
Cliff Lee was dazzling in game 1 yesterday, but unfortunately, Cole Hamels was not quite so impressive today, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits in just 5 innings. He probably would have kept pitching past the 5th, but his wife went into Labor with their first child not long after the 5th ended, ending Hamels stay at the Park for the night. He really did look a bit distracted on the mound at times in this one and that's probably why. The Phils then had piece it together in the bullpen from there and actually did a half decent job of it, allowing just 1 run the rest of the way, while not using up any one reliever for more than an inning, and giving the Phils a chance to mount a late rally. It started in the 6th inning, with an RBI double by Ryan Howard and a 2 run single by Raul Ibanez to cut the lead at the time to 4-3. It was 5-3 by the 8th inning as Jayson Werth slammed a solo homer to cut the lead to 5-4. Then in the bottom of the 9th the Phils put 2 on with 2 out for Shane Victorino, but he could only line out to Clint Barmes to end it. There are those who would say the Phils stunk it up today, but really they didn't. It was truthfully a tight game, and the Phils played well enough to win, they just couldn't pull it out at the end. So the series is now tied at 1 game apiece and it will be a best of 3 from here to see who advances to the NLCS. It will be interesting to see who starts game 3 for the Phils, J.A Happ, Joe Blanton, or Pedro Martinez. Pedro is the freshest of the 3, as both Blanton and Happ pitched today in relief, and Happ took a line drive off his leg which might hamper him a bit. My money is on Happ if he's okay and Pedro if Happ isn't okay.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers welcomed the defending Stanley Cup Champion Penguins to the Wachovia center tonight, as they looked to go to 4-0. Just as in their last game the Flyers were sloppy again on this night and this time Pittsburgh made them pay with 5 goals on only 25 shots. The Orange and Black just made too many mistakes to stick with the champs in this one. They turned the puck over too many times, and committed too many penalties, but did a good job of killing off all but one of them. Ray Emery can't really be blamed for this one. He just had no shot on quite a few of Pittsburgh's 5 goals. I am just impressed he was able to keep them to just 5 goals. Meanwhile, the Flyer's scoring was on par again. Trailing most of the night, they did an admirable job mounting a couple of rallies to keep the game close until the end. Danny Briere and Jeff Carter each scored twice, once at full strength and once on the power play, effectively keeping the Flyers within a goal of the lead most of the night. They just couldn't get the equalizer and eventually ended up losing 5-4. So the Orange and Black drop to 2-1-1 overall now, and will need to clean things up from now on, if they hope to get back on the winning track again.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils began their 2009 postseason this afternoon with game 1 of their NLDS with the Rockies. Cliff Lee got the start and was brilliant, allowing just 1 run on 6 hits in a complete game victory. He was simply too sharp and too commanding for Colorado to handle. Meanwhile, the Phils did handle Colorado starter Ubaldo Jimenez, touching him up for 5 runs on 9 hits in just 5 innings. Raul Ibanez slapped an RBI double, and Carlos lined an RBI single, in the 5th and Ryan Howard doubled, Jayson Werth tripled, and Ibanez singled for 3 more runs in the 6th. That was about all she wrote from there. Troy Tulowitzki did spoil Lee' s shutout bid, doubling in a run with 2 out and 2 strikes on him in the 9th, but other than that it was smooth sailing for the Phils. In his first time in the postseason since 2000, Ibanez was most impressive, with 2 hits 2 RBIs and a run scored. He'll have to continue that if the Phils are to win this series. What an afternoon for Lee. He really set the tone for this series now and helped the Phils avoid using the much maligned bullpen at all, and you just can't ask for anything more than that from Lee. It feels good knowing he's available again if this series goes the full 5. Anyway so the Phils are now up 1-0 in the series and they couldn't have made it look any easier. Game 2 is tomorrow and with Cole Hamels on the mound this could suddenly be a short series for the Phils, which is just the way they would like it.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers finally got a chance to play at the Wachovia center this season, as they enertained Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in the home opener tonight. It was not the most well played game, but it was an enertaining and exciting slopfest that came down to overtime. Ultimately, despite Ray Emery's worst night of the season thus far, with 5 goals getting past him out of the 36 shots he faced, the Flyers prevailed to the joy of the home crowd. Emery's struggles stemmed mostly from the suddenly porous Flyer's defense, which allowed 36 shots on goal, turned the puck over far too many times and committed too many penaties. Offensively on the other hand, the Orange Black had 1 heck of a night. Neither team could score in the 1st period, but in the 2nd period a Kimmo Timonen score, and a hat trick by Mike Richards, left the Flyers clinging to a 4-3 lead after 2. Washington retook the lead in the 3rd period, but a Scott Hartnell put away with just under 5 minutes to play knotted it up again for the Orange shirts at 5. Finally neither team could score in regulation from there, so the game went into overtime. There in the extra period, just under 4 minutes in, Danny Briere slapped in a rebound to give the Flyers the 6-5 win. So this was another impressive win for the Flyers against a very good team, but it was very sloppy. The Flyers will have to clean things up if they want to keep winning games like this against there top competition. Anyway so the Flyers move to 3-0 overall, okay actually 2-0-1 overall but you get the idea.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils begin another postseason run tomorrow afternoon at the Bank against the Colorado Rockies. Cliff Lee will be the starter in game 1 and Cole Hamels will start game 2. After that it's anyone's guess. The game 3 starter could be either Joe Blanton, J.A Happ or Pedro Martinez, but for now they're all available out of the pen. As for the rest of the team it goes something like this. In the bullpen, the Phils will have Brett Myers, Chad Durbin, Kyle Kendrick, Scott Eyre, the rookie Antonio Bastardo(to provide another lefty arm out of the pen, and of course Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge. The starting lineup will be the same as always and lastly, off bench the Phils will have, Matt Stairs, Ben Francisco, Gregg Dobbs, Paul Bako, and in a slight surprise Miguel Cairo.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Sunday, October 04, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils finished off the regular season today against the Marlins, looking to avoid an embarrassing sweep. J.A Happ got the start and was effective allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits, but he was pulled after only a couple innings. Obviously the Phils were still trying to figure out the bullpen for the playoffs, and just wanted to have as many innings as possible to try out some guys. In fact the Phils ended up using 8 pitchers on the day, mostly just to see what they could do. Together they allowed 6 runs on 11 hits, just good enough of an effort to keep the Phils in it. Meanwhile, the Phils lineup for the day was almost totally devoid of regulars, except for Jayson Werth, who was trying to get to 100 RBIs on the season. Despite that, the Phils were able to put together enough offense to stay with the Marlins. With the Phils down 2-0 in the 4th inning, Miguel Cairo lined a solo homer and Ben Francisco slapped an RBI single to tie it up. With the Phils down 5-2 in the 5th, Andy Tracy tripled and scored and Shane Victorino and Greg Dobbs blooped back to back RBI singles to tie it up again. Down 6-5 in the 8th, the Phils came back one more time, with Miguel Cairo tripling and scoring on an error by Dan Uggla. Finally in the bottom of the 10th, with 1 out and a man on 2nd, the 3rd catcher, Paul Hoover, slapped a single off Wes Helms' glove to plate John Mayberry Jr. with the winning run. So it was a thrilling finish to what's been a thrilling regular season and the Phils 93rd win of the season, 1 more than they had last year. Now the hard part begins for Charlie Manuel , picking that playoff roster. It should be interesting to see what the final roster is come game 1 with the Rockies on Wednesday. Can the Phils repeat as World Champs? I am not sure, but I am certainly revved up to find out. Let's Go Phils!
EAGLES NEWS
The Birds got to enjoy their bye week this weekend and thus were not in action today. They return to the field next week against the winless Tampa Bay Bucs. It should be yet another easy win for the Birds.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
Fresh off an impressive win in their season opener, the Flyers traveled to New Jersey for a showdown with the Devils. Once again they were impressive . Ray Emery had another strong night, outplaying Marty Brodeur , to the tune of 24 saves in 26 opportunities, while helping the Orange and Black kill off another3 power plays. The defense was again outstanding as well, killing off 3 out of 5 power plays and limiting New Jersey to just those 26 shots on goal. Finally the scoring was fantastic tonight. James Van Reimsdyk posted 2 assists on the night, but the rest of the scoring was pretty spread out. Late in the 1st period Jeff Carter scored with an assist from Scott Hartnell to put the Orange and Black up 1-0. Late in the 2nd period Ian Laperrierre stunned everyone with his 1st score of the season, and Mike Richards followed some time later with his 2nd goal of the season, with an assist from Chris Pronger, to put the Flyers up 3-0. Half way through the 3rd period Daroll Powe made it 4-0. The Devils finally got on the board a couple minutes later with a power play goal to cut the lead to 4-1, but it was too little too late. Matt Carle added a 5th goal, with another assist from Chris Pronger, and the Flyers eventually skated to an easy 5-2 win. Pronger truly is in a class of his own. He already has a plus minus of +3 and has done more for the Flyers than I could ever have imagined thus far. JVR looks like the real deal for the Orange and Black at this point. If he can just score as well as he has passed thus far, then he's going to be a star. I have to say I really thought opening the season on road at Carolina and at New Jersey would be a real challenge for the Flyers, and I am just so impressed that it's really been no problem at all. Go Flyers!.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Marlins tonight. Cole Hamels got the start and pitched okay, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits, but apparently he was on a short leash, as he was pulled after only 3 innings of work. The bullpen performed admirably from there allowing just 1 run in the final 6 innings, capped off by a great 1-2-3 inning by Brad Lidge. Unfortunately even with their full comment of starters in the lineup the Phils couldn't come up with much offense. They racked up just 6 hits on the night, and up until the 8th inning, only 1 run on another titanic solo blast by Ryan Howard. Coming into the 8th inning the Phils trailed 4-1 and looked down and out for another night. Then Jayson Werth lined out a 2 run homer to cut it to 4-3 and restore hope of a Phils win. However, the Phils never managed to get another baserunner from there and the rare good performance by Brad Lidge went for naught in a 4-3 loss. Lidge usually struggles in non save situations so it was great to see him pitch so well. I don't know if this means he's on the right track again, but I hope it does, because a sharp Lidge would be a big help for the Phils in the playoffs. Charlie does really want more than a couple lefties on his playoff roster as the Phils activated Antonio Bastardo, who had been on the DL since mid summer, to pitch an inning in relief today. He actually looked pretty good so who knows maybe he'll somehow wind up on the playoff roster. I don't know why the Marlins' pitching staff has given the Phils so much trouble lately , but I wish it would stop because they can't afford to go into the playoffs with the bats struggling so much. Anyway so the Phils drop to 92-69 overall, but clinch homefield for their NLDS, as the Cardinals lost again today as well. The Dodgers won, which means they have clinched the NL West finally, and homefield advantage throughout the NL playoffs. They will play the Cardinals in the NLDS, while the Phils draw the wild card winning Rockies with a chance to avenge that 2007 series.
Friday, October 02, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils welcomed the Marlins to the Bank tonight for the final series of the 2009 regular season. Joe Blanton got the start and was decidely not Joe Blanton like, allowing 5 runs on 9 hits in 7 innings. Incredibly the Phils bullpen was even worse allowing a further 2 runs and 5 hits. Only Chad Durbin managed to get by unscathed but that was in the 9th inning when it was already to late. With Raul Ibanez, Jimmy Rollins, and Pedro Feliz all taking the night off the Phils lineup again struggled. They could only manage 7 hits on the night and only a massive 2 run blast by Ryan Howard in the 1st inning, averted a shutout. I am not sure what happened to the Phils tonight. For whatever reason they just came out flat and never recovered. Perhaps they're still dazed from celebrating their NL East title, or maybe they're all just a little tired. Whatever, it is they better get over it quickly or they're going to end up going on the road throughout the playoffs instead of getting the homefield. On an even more somber note, it was revealed today that both Chan Ho Park and J.C Romero will not be able to pitch in at least the NLDS for the Phils. This means that J.A Happ pretty much has to go to the bullpen for the playoffs, otherwise the only left hander in there would be Scott Eyre who has a bone spur in his elbow and can only pitch to a couple batters at a time. Currently the only lefthander in the pen besides Eyre is AAA call up Sergio Escalona, who looked horrible tonight and probably isn't an option, although Charlie always says he likes to have 3 lefties in the pen. At any rate Charlie is going to have a lot of tough decisions to make when he puts together the playoff roster. For now the Phils are 92-68 overall and thanks to losses by the Cardinals and the Dodgers, they remain the 2nd best team in the NL, just 1 behind the Dodgers for numero uno.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers opened the season tonight in Carolina against the Hurricanes. Carolina is a tough veteran laden team that many thought would contend for a cup this season so it was hard to know what to expect from the Orange and Black tonight. There were also a lot of questions to answer going in this one. Would the Flyer's defense really be that improved?, Would Ray Emery still be the Emery that got Ottawa to the stanley cup finals a few years ago, or just a washed up version of that Emery?, and with a defensive minded team would the Flyers still be able to generate enough offense, particularly on special teams, to win even against the stiffest competition? The answer to all 3 tonight at least was yes. Emery was dazzling with 28 saves and a shutout and with the Flyers taking a normally lethal 11 penalties(8 resulted in a power play), they needed every one of those saves. The Flyer's defense, especially the newest addition, big, bad, Chris Pronger was outstanding. I mean the guy already has 2 hits and 3 blocked shots, which is more then most of the Flyer's defense had or seemed to have all last season. Anyway on whole, the D was a perfect 8 for 8 on the penalty kill and limited the Canes to just those 28 shots on goal. Finally the power play really bailed out the Orange and Black on this night. They couldn't score at all at even strength, but on the power play they made the most of their 5 opportunities with 2 scores, both early in the 2nd period, that is very early in the 2nd period. Just 25 seconds into period, on a power play that carried over from the 1st period, Jeff Carter scored the first goal of the night, with an assist from Danny Briere. About 20 seconds later, on another power play, James Van Riemsdyk lasered a pass to Mike Richards for goal number 2. That's an impressive beginning for JVR, scoring his 1st NHL point in his 1st NHL game, Sidney who? just kidding. Anyway so the Flyers got the win 2-0 on opening night and it looks like this could be the beginning of a good season for them.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils completed their series with the Astros tonight. Cliff Lee got the start as he looked to get back on track following a rash of rough outings. This one came perilously close to being another rough outing, but in the end he actually pitched fairly well, allowing just 4 runs, only 3 of them earned, on 7 hits in 5 and 2/3rd's innings. Unfortunately for Lee, the emotionally drained and slightly shorthanded Phils, with Chase Utley and Shane Victorino taking the night off, couldn't come up come with any offense. So Lee left in the 6th inning with the team behind 4-1. Houston then added another run in the 7th, to make it 5-1. It was still 5-1 as the Phils came to the plate in the bottom of the 9th. There they almost came up with a miracle comeback. Back to back 2 out hits, a single by Jayson Werth, and a double by Pedro Feliz, cut the lead to 5-3 and brought the tying run to the plate in the person of Andy Tracy. After working the count in his favor, Tracy ripped a single to get the winning run on base for Miguel Cairo. Cairo got a fastball right down the middle, that he could hammer, but he didn't quite get it right and instead lined out to Micheal Bourn to finish off the 5-3 loss. Brett Myers returned to action tonight finally, and pitched well, allowing 1 run on 3 hits in 1 inning of work. It's hard to tell if he's quite ready to go for the playoffs just yet, but it would seem that if Charlie allows him to pitch a few more times between now and the end of the season he should be ready to go. The Phils racked up 13 hits on the night, but they also left 12 men on base. They'll have to clean that up if they want to succeed in the postseason. Apparently J.C Romero isn't quite healthy yet after all. He felt sore after his last appearance, about a week ago and the Phils just aren't sure if he's ready to pitch every other day again as they might need him to in the playoffs. Anyway so the Phils drop to 92-67 overall and at this point sit 1 game behind the Dodgers for best record in the NL.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers have completed training camp and preseason play. They get the regular season under way tomorrow night in Carolina against the Hurricanes. As for the preseason the Orange and Black went 2-3-2 overall, but played a lot better than their record would indicate. All in all they appear to headed in the right direction as the season begins. There are a few important things to note from the preseason. First backup goalie Brian Boucher was injured during the preseason, and so the Flyer's backup goalie is currently the rookie Jonas Backlund. Apparently Backlund didn't look so good in the preseason and he's also nicked up so Ray Emery better be worth his weight in gold. Of the players to make the Flyers final roster, some notable additions are 1st round draft pick from 2 years ago, James Van Reimsdyk, a 20 year old winger who was participating in his 1st NHL training camp, and veteran center Blair Betts, late of the Rangers, who was just signed to a 1 year contract today. Van Reimsdyk has a lot to live up to. After his exploits at New Hampshire university and as a member of team USA at the junior world cup, he has been touted as the best U.S prospect to come along in some time. It is no surprise to see him join the Flyers this season, it's just surprising to see him start the season with them. Hopefully it won't be too much for him to handle. As for Betts he'll likely center the Flyer's 4th line, filling the one hole the team really had, after all those additions they made on defense this offseason. He is supposed to be very good on faceoffs and on the penalty kill and that's pretty much all you can ask for from a guy on the 4th line.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Astros tonight, looking for the win that would clinch them the division. In the end the Phils ultimatelly didn't need the win, as Atlanta lost again to the Marlins, but it was going to feel a lot better celebrating the division title after a win then after a loss. Thanks to solid bullpen pitching and yet another torrid night with the bats they were able to do the latter. Pedro Martinez got the start, but the Phils did not want to push his sore kneck and so he left after only 4 innings of work, having allowed just 3 runs on 6 hits. Meanwhile, the Phils put up 5 runs in that time, with a fielder's choice in the 1st inning, and a pair of RBI singles, an error, and an RBI double in the 4th innning, to build up a 5-3 lead. Kyle Kendrick took from it there, tossing 3 scoreless innings. At the same time, back to back Triples by Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino, and a sac fly by Raul Ibanez in the 5th, an RBI double by Carlos Ruiz in the 6th, and a 2 run homer by Ibanez in the 7th lead, helped the Phils jump out to a 10-3 lead through 7 innings. At this point you could just feel the electricity in the stadium and you knew the Phils were about to get it done. Chad Durbin tossed a scoreless 8th inning and then Scott Eyre got the first 2 outs in the 9th. The Fish finished off the Braves right at about this point to officially clinch the division for the Phils, but there was still some business left to attend to at the Bank. To take of that business, in came Brad Lidge in a sort of symbolic reminder of what happened just a year ago. Like he had all last year Brad easily got Lance Berkman to ground to Ryan Howard at first for the final out and the celebration was on. It was a little muted as the Phils know this is only the first step in their quest to repeat as World Champions, but there was still plenty of champagne and beer-filled moments to go around, all capped off by a special tribute to Harry Kalas, as the players all gathered in outfield at his memorial poster board, to touch it and of course spray it with beer and champagne. It was a fitting ending to a season full of ups and downs, that hopefully still has a ways to go. It was great to see the Phils clinch the division and I can't wait to root them on in the playoffs. The only bad news for the Phils on the night, was the announcement that Jamie Moyer is finished for the season, with 3 torn tendons, 1 in his abdomen and 2 in his groin, that will require surgery. There was a strong possibility, even if he did make the playoff roster, that Jamie wasn't going to pitch much in this year's postseason, other than in long relief at this point. It is just unfortunate that the injury had to take that decision out of the Phils hands. This probably means now that Kendrick could very well be on the playoff roster, and that, assuming the Phils lefty relievers are ready to go finally(J.C Romero, and Scott Eyre are both healthy and active again), Pedro Martinez will be the long man come playoff time, with J.A Happ the 4th starter. Jamie should be healthy again by spring training next year and it will be interesting to see where he fits in by then. So anyay the Phils move to 92-66 overall now and with 4 games to play they can still finish with the best record in the National League.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Astros tonight, desperate for the win that would cut their magic number to 2. Thanks to a solid 5 and 2/3rd's innings out of J.A Happ, in which he allowed just 4 runs on 9 hits, and a grand slam by Pedro Feliz in the 4th inning, they were able to get the win they needed. Jayson Werth also chipped in with a 2 run shot in the 5th inning, to put the Phils ahead seemingly for good 7-2. From there Jamie Moyer finished the 5th inning and worked his way through a scoreless 6th inning, but unfortunately not before he apparently strained his groin on the final pitch of the inning. Hopefully he's all right because they would really like to have him out of the bullpen come playoff time. He's just been invaluable ever since they put him in there. Anyway, Ryan Madson took it from there toughing out a big time 2 inning save to give the Phils their 91st win of the season and reduce their magic number to 2. Later the Braves fell to the Marlins to drop the magic number to 1, which means the Phils have now clinched at least a share of the division, no matter what happens the rest of the way. This game was essentially just what the doctor ordered for the Phils, particularly the explosive offense, which ripped off 7 runs on 8 hits, and energized the crowd at the Bank and team. You actually feel like there is some momentum behind this team for the first time in a while and they're going to need to carry that momentum into the playoffs if they hope to repeat. I was impressed with the performance of Ryan Madson tonight. He got through the 8th inning only about 7 pitches and although he allowed the tying run to come to the plate in the 9th inning, he remained calm, cool, and collected, as he struck out the side. There's still no word on whether or not he'll be the guy to close games come playoff time, but I can't see why he wouldn't be at this point. Feliz's grand slam was the 11th of the season for the Phils and that's a new franchise record. Anyway so the Phils move to 91-66 overall and now 5 games up in the NL East with 5 to play. Man that feels good to say.
EAGLES NEWS
Well, as I predicted Jeff Garcia' s return to the Eagles was short lived. The Eagles released him today, as Donovan Mcnabb will be ready to play again after the Birds upcoming bye week. Also the Eagles needed to make room on the roster for their latest surprise signing, "the Axman", MLB Jeremiah Trotter. That's right folks he's back. Trotter last played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in 2007 after being released by the Eagles. Following that season he had to have knee surgery and missed all of 2008 because of it. Now the Eagles ,who are thin at LB, apparently liked what they saw of him in a few workouts and have decided to bring him back, presumably to bolster the run defense. At this point, although he claims he can play another 3 years, Trotter is only under contract for the rest of the season, but for however long he stays here, if he is anything like the 4 time pro bowl player he used to be it will be worth it. Realistically at 32 years of age, even with a healthy knee, he no longer has the speed to be effective on passing downs, but from all accounts he can still blow up the holes in the in opponent's running game and that's really all the Birds need him to do. Also he'll be an unparalleled leader for a young defense. So he'll be a solid addition to an Eagles' defense that has already looked pretty good at times.
Monday, September 28, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils returned to the Bank tonight to begin a series with the Houston Astros. Cole Hamels got the start and for a night the Hamels September mystique wore off a bit, as Houston touched him up for 6 runs on 9 hits in 6 and 2/3rd's innings. The Phils actually had the early 1-0 lead on a sac fly by Chase Utley in the 1st but Houston was ahead 3-1 by the 6th inning. The Phils made a final charge there, as "the Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino, doubled and scored on a balk to cut the lead to 3-2. Ryan Howard then worked a walk and stole 2nd, to put the tying run in scoring position for Jayson Werth. Werth worked the count to 3-1 but could only produce an inning ending flyout. Houston then put up 5 runs in the 7th inning and that was about all she wrote. Even though the bullpen managed to keep it at 8-2 the rest of the way, the Phils just couldn't come up with anything in the last few innings. Victorino did triple in the 8th, but a Ryan Howard strikeout ended that threat. The Phils also managed to put 2 on with just 1 out, in the 9th, but Greg Dobbs grounded into a double play to end that threat. The bullpen performed admirably on this night, allowing just 2 runs in the final 2 innings. It was simply an off night for the Cole Hamels that did the Phils in tonight. They also left another 8 men on base, which didn't help much either. Tonight was just a down night for the Phils in more ways than one. Anyway so the Phils drop to 90-66 overall and now just 4 games in the NL East as the magic number remains 3.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
After dropping 2 in a row in Milwaukee the Phils needed a win today to salvage at least a split of the series with the Brewers. They got the win the hard way. Joe Blanton got the start, but he wasn't quite as sharp as usual and the umpire didn't give him a lot of the strikes he normally gets each game. Still, disagreeable strikezone not withstanding, Blanton managed to tough out 5 and 2/3rd innings, while allowing 5 runs on 7 hits. Meanwhile, the Phils exploded early with 6 runs through 5 innings, on a solo homer by Jimmy Rollins, and an RBI double by Ryan Howard in the 1st inning, a 2 run double by "the Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino in the 2nd inning, and a 2 run single by Pedro Feliz in the 5th inning. They actually had a 6-1 lead heading into the 6th inning, before Blanton nearly gave it all back. Fortunately, Charlie pulled him just in time, as Clay Condrey closed out the inning. Chad Durbin got through the 7th inning, and put away the 1st 2 outs in the 8th inning, before giving way to Ryan Madson for the 4 out save. After getting the last out in the 8th and 1st out in the 9th without issue, Madson served up a double to Prince Fielder, putting the tying run in scoring position and suddenly it looked like Milwaukee would break the Phil's hearts all over again. Fortunately, Madson had another ideas. He got Felipe Lopez to ground out and then struck out Mike Cameron on a called 3rd strike. So at last someone closed out a game for the Phils, Hallelujah! Now does this mean Madson is the guy from here on out. I guess only time will tell but this was a pretty good audition. While the Phils did score 6 runs in the game, they also left 11 men on base, including some in scoring position. They'll have to clear that up if they want to close out the division in the next few days. Anyway so the Phils move to 90-65 overall, their next 2nd straight 90 win season for the 1st time since 1978 and just the 2nd time ever, and the magic number drops to 3.
EAGLES NEWS
After an embarrassing loss to the Saints in their home opener, the Birds returned to the Linc this afternoon looking to get back on track against the Kansas City Chiefs. They did so and more. With Brian Westbrook, Donovan Mcnabb, and Kevin Curtis all missing from the Eagles' offense, no one was expecting a whole lot from them today, even against a very bad Chief's defense. That makes the fact that they amassed 420 yards of offense on the day all the more impressive. That also shows the ridiculous depth this team has on offense. Kevin Kolb picked up the slack at QB with yet another 300 yd effort, this time completing 24 of 34 passes for 327 yards and 2 TDs, including a 64 yd TD pass to Desean Jackson. Even without Curtis, the Eagles' receiving was superb. Jackson hauled in 6 balls for 149 yards and a TD, Brent Celek caught 8 balls for 104 yds and a TD, and the rookie Jeremy Maclin chipped in nicely with 4 catches for 33 yards. The rookie Lesean Mccoy was dazzling in place of Brian Westbrook, rushing 20 times for 84 yards and a TD. Oh and lest it be forgotten Micheal Vick made his long awaited debut with the Birds today as well. He didn't do a whole lot, rushing once for 7 yards, firing 2 incomplete passes, and acting as a decoy on some effective plays, but this 1st game was really more about him shaking off the rust of a 2 year layoff then really getting all that involved in the Bird's offense. So anyway it was simply a very impressive afternoon for the Eagles offense. Of course it really wasn't the offense that was problematic last week, it was the defense that really let the team down. This week the defense did an about face, overwhelming the Chief offensive line, to the tune of 3 sacks and 5 hits on QB Matt Cassel. The Birds also limited Kansas City to just 196 yards of offense, 99 rushing, and 97 passing. Essentially they once again looked like the dominant defense that picked apart the Panthers in week 1. Just like in that game they blitzed constantly and were on the attack all game long. Blitzing is exactly what they didn't do against the Saints and it's what they should do a good amount of in every game from here on out. They're just too strong and too fast to waste time dropping back into prevent defenses. Now as for the game it really was never all that close. The Birds scored on their first 2 drives, on a 5 yard run by Mccoy and a 1 yard scramble by Kolb. Kansas City made it close with Cassel and Micheal Bradley hooking up for a 13 yd TD pass to cut the lead to 14-7. It was just about all Eagles from there. Kolb answered the Cassell TD pass on the Bird's next drive with the 64 yd pass to Jackson. After a couple of David Aker's field goals, late in the 2nd quarter and early in the 3rd, pushed the lead to 27-7, Kolb led another long drive early in the 4th quarter capped off by a 35 yard TD pass to Celek to put Kansas City away for good with the lead 34-7. Jeff Garcia came in off the bench to finish off the game from there and promptly fumbled the ball away to set up a Chief TD, but it was too little too late and eventually Garcia came back in to run out the clock and finish the 34-14 Eagles win.
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