Reunion week continued in Philadelphia today as the Phils reacquired former 2B Placido Polanco who spent the last few seasons with the Tigers and is probably best remembered here as the guy who stood in the way of Chase Utley becoming the Phils full-time 2B, before the Phils traded him to Detroit for reliever Ugueth Urbina. The Phils brought him back to play 3rd base this time in place of the departed Pedro Feliz. Polanco has been a steady .300 hitter for the Tigers the last few years and is a two time gold glove award winner at 2nd base. He has last played 3rd base in 2005, but before that in 2001 he had the highest fielding percentage for a 3rd baseman in the NL while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. Although he is 34 age shouldn't be a factor for the fit Polanco, just like it wasn't for Raul Ibanez last year. He should be able to transition back to playing 3rd base seamlessly and he should fit right in to the Phils lineup. So I for one am excited to see him back. The Phils also acquired utility infielder Juan Castro who will probably take the place of the departed Eric Bruntlett. Thus, all that is left for the Phils and ruben Amaro to do at this point is to sure up the pitching staff, perhaps with one more starter and obviously some help for the bullpen.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
Well, it is official, after widespread speculation for some time Allen Iverson will be coming be back to the Sixers. He and tbe team came to terms on a one year non-guaranteed contract. He will debut on Monday against the Denver Nuggets and start at point guard in place of the rookie Jrue Holiday. It should be interesting. Anyway, aside from AI's return the Sixers had a game to play tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder. With 7 straight losses coming into tonight the Sixers desperately needed this one to halt the skid. Unfortunately the Sixers couldn't stop Kevin Durant who scored 33 or the rest of the Thunder for that matter, in their 8th straight loss. Why they couldn't get stops again, the sixers' performed well at least, shooting 50% from the field and a whopping 60% from beyond the arc, while draining 14 threes. The other A I, Andre Iguodala led the way with 28 points and 6 rebounds, Thad Young added 20 points, Willie Green posted 14, Jrue Holiday,, in his best start and now probably last start for a while, scored 15, and finally Elton Brand added 13 off the bench. It was all for naugth though, as Oklahoma City actually shot a higher percentage from the field at 50.6% and hit 10 threes. You're just not going to win many games giving up that much offense. Still, the Sixers had a 1 point lead at halftime and decent opportunity to pull out the win. Then the Thunder rallied ahead by 6 heading into the 4th quarter and never looked back disposing of the by 11, with the final score 117-106. So the Sixers drop to 5-14 overall and I am not sure if even the Answer can fix them now. What the Sixer really need is stronger defense, which is the one thing AI is going to give them. So they'll just have hope the extra 20 points he brings to the table will be enough to simply outscore teams. So expect a lot of high scoring Sixer games from here on out.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles signed tight end Brent Celek to a 6 year extension today. This is really no surprise considering this was the Eagles do. They sign young players to long extensions as soon as they can, so as to keep under contract at a reasonable price for a good amount of years, before they can really ask for a big contract. Celek has been a very good tight end thus far for the Birds and should continue to be in the years to come.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils have signed old nemesis, catcher Brian Schneider to be Carlos Ruiz backup for the 2010 season. Apparently Paul Bako is not coming back next season, but Schneider who is known for his defense, should replace him just fine.
Monday, November 30, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers traveled to Dallas tonight for a matchup with the Mavericks. They were hoping to avoid a 7th straight loss overall and 5th straight at Dallas. As usual they put forth a strong effort, fighting to stay with the hot shooting Mavs all night long, until they could put together another late rally which alas, fell short again. Elton Brand returned from his hamstring injury finally, and was superb with 21 and 10 rebounds, despite enjoying only a limited 24 minutes off the bench, but once he got in the game the Sixers almost couldn't take him out. Aside from Brand, Andre Iguodala had a nice night with 19 points, Willie Green got the start again at shooting guard and pumped in 23 and 8 rebounds, Thad Young added 21 and 7 rebounds, and Sammy Dalembert was large defensively, with 19 rebounds and 3 blocks. In fact the Sixers dominated the boards on the night 60-37. On the other hand they had just one other block beside's Sammy's 3 and allowed the Mavs far too many open looks. Dallas took advantage of the open to hit 10 treys, and keep the Sixer's at arms lenght most of the night. With about 5 minutes to play the Sixers finally managed to string together some defensive stops, allowing to cut into the lead, until Andre Iguodala hit a three pointer with 5 seconds to play to pull the Sixers even 102 all. Jason Terry then broke the Sixer's hearts on the next Dallas possession, as he somehow drained a 17 footer with a little over a 2nd to play. I mean Willie Green could not have defended Terry any better and he still drained it. I guess sometimes it is just not your day. Anyway the Sixers got one last chance to tie or go ahead on the final posses ion of the game, but Andre Iguodala's attempt a game winning 3 pointer, seemed to come up short, although Sammi tried unsuccessfully to guide it in. So the Sixers fell 104-102 for their 7th straight lost, but at 5-13 overall the Sixers are still within range for a turnaround as they sit just 3 games out of 8th in the East.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
EAGLES NEWS
The Birds welcomed the Washington Redskins to the Linc this afternoon. At 3-7 overall and winless on the road coming in the Skins should have been easy pickins for the Birds. Instead they put up a strong effort and forced the Eagles to dig deep in the 4th quarter for the win. Offensively, the Birds were fine with a balanced 381 yards(123 rushing, 258 passing). Donovan Mcnabb had a nice game, throwing for 260 yards and a TD, Jason Avant had 5 catches for 94 yards, and Lesean McCoy rushed 17 times for 76 yards to lead the way. The defense on the other hand was a problem for the Birds. Asante Samuel intercepted two Jason Campbell passes, and Trent Cole was his usual dominant self, with a sack, 3 tackles and countless times pressuring Campbell. However, Washington's normally futile offense piled up over 300 yards and 24 points, which is just embarrassing for the Eagle's defense. They just can't keep allowing that every week and expect to get away with it. Anyway the Redskins had the momentum early as the Eagles botched an onsides kick attempt to start the game, and gave Washington the ball at the Eagle's 19. Just a few plays later it was 7-0 Skins. Thanks to a 35 yd td pass from Mcnabb to Desean Jackson the Birds rallied ahead 10-7 by the end of the 1st quarter. Washington came back with an 80 yard 2nd quarter TD drive, with Campbell firing a 4 yd TD pass to Santana Moss for a 14-10 lead. Asante Samuel then intercepted Campbell on the Skins final 1 drives of the half, to set up 2 David Aker's field goals and put the Birds up 16-14 at the half. Washington came back with yet another 80+ yard drive to open their 2nd half with Campbell tossing a 10 yd TD pass to Fred Davis for a 21-16 lead. Later Mcnabb was hit as he threw and intercepted deep in Eagles' territory to set up a Redskins' field goal and 24-16 lead heading into the 4th quarter. There with a little over 10 minutes remaining the Eagles drove 90 yards, with Eldra Bunkley running it in from a yard out to cut the lead to 24-22. Then Lesean McCoy took a shovel pass, ran into his own line and then somehow stayed up right just long enough to get in the end zone for the 2 point conversion and the 24-24 tie. Washington did nothing on their next drive and the Eagles were drive into range for an Aker's field goal and a 27-24 lead with under 2 minutes to play. The Skins then went 3 and out on their next series to finish off the Eagle win. So the Eagles move to 7-4 overall and are now in good position to at least claim a wild card spot for the 2nd year in a row.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers traveled to San Antonio tonight for a matchup with the Spurs. Having lost 5 in a row, the Sixers desperately needed a win, but coming in they had won just once in San Antonio since the 1985-86 season, so the losing streak didn't figure to end here. Still the Sixers played hard and kept close until the end just as they have been, with Andre Iguodala's 21 points, 7 assists, and 8 rebounds leading the way. Thad Young added 16, Sammy D posted a mammoth 14 and 14 rebounds and Willie Green, who started at shooting guard(Iggy moved over to forward for tonight), provided 17. Unfortunately, outside of those 4 the Sixer's shooting was cold, at a combined 39% from the field. Defensively, the Sixers were solid tonight blocking 10 shots, and producing 17 Spur turnovers, including 12 steals. Unforunately, the Spurs still shot 48% from the field and hit 10 threes, which really hurt, especially in the 2nd quarter where they outscored the Sixers by 7 to jump to a 9 point halftime lead. The Sixers hung tough and were still within 10 after 3 quarters. At one point in the 4th quarter they even pulled within 7 before finally succumbing to Antonio by 8 with the final score 97-89. Once again without Lou and Elton the Sixers just didn't have enough down the stretch and they drop their 6th in a row to fall to 5-12 overall, but they're still just 2.5 games out of 8th in the East.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers went back on the road tonight as they traveled to Atlanta for a matchup with the Thrashers. Having lost 4 of their last 5 the Flyers really needed to win this one to try to get back on track and avoid losing their 2dn in a row. Brian Boucher got the start in goal and was great again as was the Flyer's defense, as he saved 17 of the measly 18 shots he faced. Unfortunately, for the Orange and Black, Johan Hedberg was a just a little better for the Thrashers as he blanked the Flyers despite facing 34 shots to the 18 Boucher faced. So although they tough defense and were even on faceoffs the Flyers just couldn't figure out how to score once again. They had plenty of opportunities with 4 power plays and various other scoring chances and just couldn't make it happen for whatever reason. Danny Briere did sit out for another game with the flu and the Flyer's were still without Simon Gagne, Daroll Powe, Blair Betts, the rookie Jared Ross. Perhaps that was just a little too much to overcome for tonight anyway. Whatever the reason they need go figure it out and refocus fast before they fall any further.
Friday, November 27, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers welcomed the Atlanta Hawks to the Wachovia center as they looked to snap their current 4 game losing streak. Once again Lou Williams and Elton Brand were not able to suit up, leaving Jason Smith and Jrue Holiday in the starting lineup. Mike Bibby took advantage of Holiday's presence in the lineup, torching the rookie for 21 points, including 5 threes. As hole though the Hawks to proved to have to much firepower for the Sixers handle, as they shot 51% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. The Sixers were aslo outrebounded by 10, 42-32, despite an 8 rebound 6 block night out Sammy Dalembert, so it was a tough night all round for them. Still, with 8 threes on the night and decent 44% shooting from the field and beyond the arc, the Sixers were able to hang with the Hawks for a few quarters, as they trailed by only 3 after the 1st, quarter, 5 at the half, and only 9 after 3 quarters. Finally in the 4th quarter Atlanta pulled ahead by double digits annd never looked back easily rolling to a 14 pint, 100-86 victory, the 5th loss in a row for the Sixers who drop to 5-11 overall. Despite all that the Sixers are still only 2 games out of 8th in the Eastern conference and that' s something to be positive about at least. If they want to get out of slump though, Holiday and the defense will have to play much betteer, because right now they're just not getting enough stops to win games.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers finally returned from their road trp this afternoon as they welcomed the Buffalo Sabres to the Wachovia center. The Orangle and Black came in without Daroll Powe, Blair Betts, Simon Gagne and Danny Briere, and during the game Ian Lapperier, and Jared Ross each went out with injuries. So for a while there the Flyers were down to about 3 lines and it showed as they ran out of gas down the stretch in a Sabres' victory. They actually outshot Buffalo 33-25 and fared well on faceoffs against the Sabres, but still lost because they didn't have quite enough left to take advantage of their opportunities down the stretch. The Flyer's actually had the early lead with Mike Richars and Braydon Coburn scoring within seconds of one another to finish off the 1st peroid with the Flyers up 2-1. From there Bufallo rallied with a power play goal in the 2nd period tie it up and then Tim Connolly scored twice in the 3rd period to put the Flyer's away for good in a 4-2 Sabre's win. So the Flyers drop their 4th out of their last 5 games and now desperately need to figure out how to get back on track fast. Fortunately, Danny Briere returns from his suspension for the Flyer's last game so that should help them a bit, but for now at 13-9-1 overall they sit 8th in the East by a slim margin.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
Lou Williams had surgery to fix his broken jaw today and his prognosis is not good. He will have to miss 8 weeks to allow it to heal. He had been playing very well, and was probably the Sixers most consistent performer thus this season so it is going to hurt to not have him in there all that time. On the other hand this means Jrue Holiday will get an extended amount of time to show his stuff, and continues to play well like he has and picks up the slack enough, the Sixer's could have an interesting conundrum on their hands when Lou comes back.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers finished their road trip at last tonight in New York against the Islanders. After losing 3 in a row the Orange and Black desperately needed this one to at least salvage a 2-3 road trip. Brian Boucher got the start in goal and he made all the difference with 28 spectacular saves out of the 29 shots he faced. The Islanders really outhustled and outmuscled the Flyers on this night, but thanks to Boosh they could only come up with one goal and 1-0 lead through most of the first 2 periods. Then with a little over 30 seconds left in the 2nd period Mike Richards scored on the power play, the Flyer's first only power play of the night, to knot it at up at 1. The Flyer's took over from there, with New York registering only 1 shot on goal in the 3rd period. Meanwhile, the Orange and Black kept throwing everything at former Flyer Marty Biron, but couldn't seem to get the winning goal past him. Finally with about 5 and half minutes to play, Scott Hartnell slapped one by Biron for a 2-1 lead that held up the rest of the way, thanks to some relentless Orange and Black defense. So the Flyers move to 13-8-1 overall and skate safely back up to 5th in the East. With Ray Emery struggling his last few times out I wouldn't be surprised to see Boosh out there for another night or two, especially if he keeps playing like this.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers traveled to Boston tonight for a matchup with the Celtics. With Lou Williams out with a broken jaw, Elton Brand out with the hamstring strain, and still no Mo Speights, the Sixers weren't supposed to have a shot in this one. Instead, Andre Iguodala stepped up his game with 25 points, and 9 assists, Thad Young was solid again with 17 points and 6 boards, Jrue Holiday played well again in his 1st NBA start with 10 points and 6 assists, and Jason Kapono and Willie Green had huge nights off the bench with a combined 38 points and 6 threes, to help the Sixers take this one right down to the wire. They actually shot better than Boston from beyond arc at 65% with 13 treys, to Boston's 25.9% and 7 treys, and outrebounded the bigger and stronger Celtics 39-37. All of which allowed the Sixers to take a one point lead at the half and you guessed it, a 6 point lead heading into the 4th quarter. There unfortunately they fell short again. They held the lead until Rasheed Wallace drained a 3 pointer with a little under 9 and a half minutes to play. Boston then raced to a 10 point lead and it looked like the game was over, but Sixers put together another late rally, pulling within 2, at 107-105, with the ball in hand and about 30 seconds to play. Unfortunately Iggy was called for an offensive foul and then Rajon Rondo hit a 17 foot fade away as the shot clock expired to breaks Sixer's hearts and put Boston ahead by 4, with only 10 seconds left. From there Iggy hit a miracle 3 to cut it back to 1 at 109-108, but Boston hit their free throws down the stretch and would not allow the Sixers to put up another trey. So that was all she wrote as they hung on to win 113-110 and the Sixers drop to 5-10. Still you have to at least be encouraged by the fact, that the Sixers, missing 3 of their top scorers, nearly beat the mighty Celtics. If they could just figure out how to win one of these things, I can they get on a roll.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers traveled to Washington today to face the Wizards in Eddie Jordan's first time back to D.C. since he was fired as the Wizard's head coach at about this time last year. Coming in Washington had just 3 wins on the season and were battling injuries with Mike Miller and Caron Butler both on the shelf for the tonight's game. So the Sixers should have had the upper hand in this one. Instead they were cold from the field a good chunk tonight, particularly Andre Iguodala, and Elton Brand who went down with an injury once again, this time a hamstring strain. No word yet on how long he'll be out this time, if at all. Anyway As a team, the Sixers' shot just 40% from the field, while Elton and Iggy were only a combined 3-19 from the field. Obviously it is tough to win when your first 2 optiions on offense can get it done for you. While they were struggling though, Sammy Dalembert stepped up with 15 points and 9 rebounds, Thad Young dropped 23, and Lou Williams pumped in 26 to keep it close for a half. Then Washington got hot in the 3rd quarter and pulled out a 10 point lead heading into the 4th quarter. There the Sixer's mounted a final rally as the rookie Jrue Holiday came off the bench to spark the team with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals in the final 10 minutes of the game. He three 3 pointers in rapid succession and Lou Williams drilled another 2 threes to pull the Sixers within 1 at 106-105. Agent Zero, Gilbert Arenas came right back to put Washington ahead 108-105, before sweet Lou dipped in for a layup to cut it back to 1 again at 108-107. Arenas then turned the ball over on the ensuing Washington possession leaving the Sixers with the final shot and a chance to steal victory from the jaws of defeat. Lou decided to go one on one with Gilbert and got him to bite enough, to create some space and get himself a good look at the buzzer but his 20 footer at the buzzer rimmed out for the 108-107 Wizard's victory. So by the slimmest of margins the Sixers drop to 5-9 overall and with Boston next on the schedule tomorrow, they're in trouble now. For tonight though much can be said. First the defense was not very good, as Washington shot 5o% or better most of the night before cooling off a bit at the end, with Antawn Jamison scoring 32, and Nick Young, in the game only because of the injuries, dropping 20. You just can't let a kid beat you like that. On the flip side it was a kid, Jrue Holiday, who put forth the most remarkable performance for the Sixers on the night. He was just everywhere and nearly rallied the Sixers to the win all on his own. What in the world has Eddie Jordan been waiting for with this kid on the bench. Clearly from now on though Holiday is going to get a lot more playing time. He's just too good to waste on the bench. Speaking of the bench Jason Smith also came off the pine for some big minutes as well, as he scored 14 and played some solid defense. So if nothing else the future looks bright for the Sixers.
EAGLES NEWS
It's official big Jon Runyan is not coming back to the Eagles. He had knee surgery in the offseason and has been a free agent all this season. Today though he signed with the San Diego Chargers, effectively ending the speculation that the Eagles were going to bring him back. Meanwhile, the Eagles signed Winston Justice, who's been filling in for Shawn Andrews all season to a 4 year contract extension today, perhaps signaling that he and not Andrews is the future for the Birds.
FLYERS NEWS
Danny Briere was hit with a 2 game suspension today for a blow to kneck he put on Scott Hannan after he scored a goal in the last night's game. No one on the Colorado bench complained about the hit at the time and no penalty was called so this comes as a bit of a surprise and really hurts the Flyers who were already shorthanded.
Monday, November 23, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyer's completed the west coast swing of their road trip tonight with a stop in Colorado to faceoff against the Avalanche. Having lost their last 2 games, the Orange and Black, desperately wanted to end the skid tonight and played like it. Unfortunately, Ray Emery had his worst game of the season thus far, allowing 4 goals before the end of the 2nd period. Emery was so poor on the night, that he was pulled late in the 2nd period in favor of Brian Boucher. Boucher allowed just one goal the rest of the way but it was too little too late to save the Flyer's on this night. Other than Emery's struggles the rest of the team peformed well. The Flyers had the edge on faceoffs and shots on goal, and even scored the only power goal of the night and yet they still lost. I guess sometimes one guy really does mean everything to his team. Early on it looked like it was going to be a runaway for Colorado as they jumped to a 2-0 lead, but goals by Danny Briere late in the 1st period and Jeff Carter early in the 2nd period quickly knotted it up at 2. Then Colorado struck back midway through the 2nd with a pair of goals to push the lead to 4-2. David Jones also added a 5th score late in the 2nd period for a 5-2 Avalanche lead. The Flyer's weren't finished yet though, as Briere and Carter each scored again to cut it to 5-4 with about 5 minutes to play. From there try as they might the Flyers could not get the equalizer, especially not after Scott Hartnell was whistled for goaltender interference with a little over a minute and a half to plat, giving Colorado power play that effectively spanned the remainder of the game. So the Orange and Black drop their 3rd game in a row and fall to 12-8-1 overrall and down to 7th in the Eastern conference.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles traveled to Chicago tonight for a key game against the Bears. With losses in their last 2 games the Eagles had to win tonight to stay in the playoff picture. It wasn't pretty by any means, but with a little luck they were able to get the win they needed. The Birds really did play a sloppy game tonight, committing 10 penalties, and turning the ball over 3 times, yet they were still able to eke out the win, which tells you how poorly the Bears are playing right now. Jay Cutler had an especially terrible night, missing several wide open recievers, while throwing for just 171 yards and 1 TD. He was so bad that he made the banged up Eagle's defense look good, as they held Chicago to just 284 yards of offense and 1 TD, which is about as good a game as you could have hoped from them. While a bit sloppy, the Eagle's offense was solid tonight and for once somewhat balanced with Lesean McCoy rushing for 99 of the Eagle's 157 rushing yards , and a what turned out to be the game winning TD. Micheal Vick also had a 34 yard run, for his longest play as an Eagle thus far. Donovan Mcnabb meanwhile, threw for 244 yards and 2 TDs, including a 48 yarder to Desean Jackson. In fact Jackson caught most of Mcnabb's passes with 8 receptions for 107 yards and a TD. Jeremy Maclin, was also a key contributor with 6 catches for 64 yards. The Eagles came out firing early, using a no huddle offense to roll to scores on their first 2 offensive drives for a 10-0 lead. They cooled down in the 2nd quarter as Robbie Gould booted 3 field goals to cut it to 10-9 at the half. Gould hit his 4th field goal of the night early in the 3rd quarter to give Chicago their first lead at 12-10. A couple drives later Mcnabb hooked up with Jackon for a 46 yard TD pass and a 17-12 lead. Cutler and the Bears came right back on their ensuing drive, as Cutler hit a few open guys for a change in leading his team down the field before hooking up with Kellen Davis on a 15 yd TD pass for a 20-17 lead. On the next Eagle's possession MCcoy fumbled the ball away after a long run and it appeared as though Chicago was primed to score again and take hold of this tight game. Instead the Eagle's defense held, forcing another Gould field goal attempt. This time, undrafted rookie Antonio Dixon, bashed through the line and blocked it to keep the lead at 3 and shift the momentum back to the Birds. On the ensuing drive the Birds swiftly moved down the field until on first down from the 10 yard line, McCoy burst through the line and danced into the endzone for go ahead TD to make it 24-20 Birds. On their next possession the Eagles, still leading 24-20, could not run out the clock and seal victory, leaving Cutler with one more chance to lead his team to the win. Instead he was intercepted by Sean Jones to clinch the 24-20 Eagle's victory. I know it was not well played, but a win is a win and this one moves the Birds to 6-4 overall, currently good enough for the 6th and final NFC playoff spot.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyer's continued their road trip tonight in Phoenix against the resurgent Coyotes. Considering they were playing their 2nd game in as many nights in the middle of a long road trip, you had expect the Flyers to be tired coming into this one. It appeared they were in fact a bit exhausted with just 24 shots on goal and an 0 for 5 night on the power play. They were also without Darroll Powe and Blair Betts who went down during the game with a shoulder injury. So they didn't have the edge they normally do on faceoffs and they didn't have the power play attack they normally do. Coming into tonight Phoenix had also been playing very well so far this season, and they carried that over into this game. Ilya Bryzgalov had 23 saves, Matthew Lombardi and Keith Yandle each scored power play goals and Shane Doan scored on the Flyer's empty net to lead the Coyotes to a 3-1 win. Scott Hartnell scored the only goal for the Flyers in the 2nd period with assists from Claude Giroux and Kimmo Timonen, but other than that there was nothing to cheer about for the Orange and Black on this night as they drop to 12-7-1 overall but remain 5th in the Eastern conference. Fortunately they now have a little time before their next game on Monday, which they can use to regroup, refocus and get back to winning again.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers traveled to Cleveland tonight for a matchup with King James and the Cavs. Considering they came in having lost their last game to the Grizzlies, this did not figure to be much of a contest. Early on it didn't look good for the Sixers at all as the Cavs jumped out to a 20-4 lead to start the 1st quarter. The Sixers were actually able to fight back though and their chances to steal the win in the 4th quarter, but the King proved to be too much. Like Rudy Gay last night the Sixers just couldn't stop Lebron tonight as he scored a game high 32. The Sixer's scoring was solid again tonight as well, with Lou Williams' 22 leading the way. Also Elton Brand put up 18, Thad Young poured in 21, and Andre Iguodala and Rodney Carney each chipped in with 12, but it wasn't enough. The Sixer's defense actually played pretty well tonight too, holding the Cavs to just 48% shooting from the field and racking up 8 steals. Unfortunately, they also allowed Cleveland to shoot 40% from beyond the arc with 8 threes and that was just as much a killer tonight as Lebron was. Still, the Sixers can hold their heads high knowing they were able to play the Cavs tough and keep this one close. The Sixers trailed by 13 after a quarter of play but were able to close within 3 at the half and take a 6 point lead into the 4th quarter. They just couldn't stop Lebron enough to hang on for the win in the 4th and eventually fell by 6, 97-91. So the Sixers drop to 5-8 overall now and remain 11th in the East, but now a game and a half out of 8th.
Friday, November 20, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers continued their road trip tonight in San Jose with a match up against the Sharks. The last meeting between these two teams was an ugly loss for the Flyers at the Wachovia center. This time the Orange and Black were hoping for a little revenge, but instead they were Shark bait once again. They kept it close for a couple periods, but Danny Heatley took over in the 3rd period completing a hat trick for himself and leading San Jose to victory. It's not that the Flyer's played poorly tonight, San Jose just had too much firepower for even Ray Emery to handle. San Jose scored 6 goals, despite being limited to just 29 shots on goal. Unfortunately, too many of those shots for free shots at Emery, which he could do nothing about. Some of it was just the strength and will of the Shark's scoring attack, but the Flyer's also had a bunch of problems with their skates, as Chris Pronger twice fell over on his own, leaving Emery helpless against Sharks' oddman rushes. If nothing else the Flyer's did play better tonight then they had in the first meeting. In fact they had the lead midway through the 1st period with a funky goal that somehow deflected off Danny Briere's stick and in. San Jose answered on the power play to tie it at 1 after 1, then Heatley scored his first of the night to open the 2nd and put the Sharks up 2-1. Midway through the 2nd, Claude Giroux apparently scored another funky goal which deflected off a Shark and in to tie it at 2. Then with about 5 seconds left in the period Patrick Marleau somehow snuck one by Emery for a 3-2 Shark lead. Midway through the 3rd, Heatley scored shorthanded for a 4-2 lead. Giroux answered a minute later to cut it to 4-3, but the Flyer's would not get any closer. A few minutes later Heatley scored on the power play this time, for a 5-2 lead and eventually the Sharks skated away with a 6-3 win. So the Flyers drop to 12-6-1 overall, but remain 5th in the East.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers welcomed the Memphis Grizzlies to the Wachovia center tonight as they looked to string together back to back wins for the first time in a while. The Grizzlies came in winless on the road thus far this season, so you would think this one was in the bag for the Sixers. Instead Rudy Gay went off for 33 points and Sixer's defense couldn't get it done down the stretch, as the Sixers dropped their 3rd out of their last 4 games. They put up a decent offensive effort with Lou Williams putting up a career high 31 points, Elton Brand posting 22, and Andre Iguadala adding 15 and 9 assists. The Sixer's defense just couldn't stop Memphis which shot 51% from the field. Rudy Gay in particular though was the guy that killed them tonight. He shot 63% from the field, including 2 threes, and no matter who the Sixers put on him, he couldn't be stopped. It seemed like every time the Sixer's tried to get on a run, there was Gay to hit a jumper and end the run. There's just no defense against a guy who can't miss. Despite Gay, the Sixers were right with the Grizzlies all night, pulling to within 5, 96-91, on a Brand Jumper with 2 minutes to play. Then with 43 seconds to play Iggy put back a rebound to cut it to 3, with the score 98-95, only to watch Gay sink a 20 footer with 2o seconds to push the lead back to 5 at 100-95. From there Memphis hit their free throws and walked away with a 102-97 win. So the Sixers drop to 5-7 overall, and now 11th in the Eastern conference, but only 1 game out of 8th in the East.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyer's began a west coast road trip tonight in Los Angeles with a matchup against the surprising Kings, currently 4th in the western conference with the NHL's top points scorer thus far, Anze Kopitar. Kopitar did not score tonight though and the Flyer's walked away victorious. This time it was pretty even on faceoffs and the L.A defense was actually a bit better than the Flyers. Ultimately it was the play of goaltender, Brian Boucher, that saved the Flyer's on this night. After allowing 5 goals in his 1st start of the season, nearly a month ago, Booosh finally got a chance to rebound tonight and he did in a big way, with 37 dazzling saves out of the 39 shots he faced, just enough to hold off L.A for the Flyer's 8th win in their last 9 tries. The Kings had the early lead as Jarret Stoll scored late in the first period to put them up 1-0. Midway through the 2nd period Mika Pyorala knotted it up at 1, with his first NHL goal in regulation time. Then with under 2 minutes to play in the period Mike Richards scored for a 2-1 lead. Early in the 3rd period James Van Riemsdyk scored off the power play for a 3-1 lead. Later in the period L.A tried to begin a late rally with a Drew Doughty power play goal to cut it to 3-2, but Booosh would have none of it and eventually the Orange and Black hung on to win 3-2. So the Flyers move to 12-5-1 overall and remain 5th in the Eastern conference.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers welcomed the Charlotte Bobcats and old friend Larry Brown to the wachovia center tonight as they looked to snap a 2 game losing streak. Thanks to Elton Brand's first full performance of the season and heady play by Lou Williams they were able to end the streak. Elton was just everywhere tonight with 19 points, 11 rebounds, 6 blocks, 3 steals, and 2 assists. So for one night at least the absence of Mo Speights was not a problem. Aside from Brand, Lou Williams had a strong night with 19 points and 6 assists, and Andre Iguodala scored a game high 25 in a determined effort. Collectively though, the Sixers only shot 43% from the field and thus had to rely on their defense to win the day. Fortunately, their defense was superb, as they held Charlotte to just 42% shooting from the field, and amassed 9 steals and 7 blocks. Despite all those positives the Sixers still needed some magic at the end to pull this one out. The Sixers had the lead most of the night, with a 9 point lead at the half, and 4 point lead heading into the 4th quarter. Eventually, Charlotte did manage to push ahead late in the 4th quarter, but the Sixers did not back down. With the scored tied at 84 and only 9 seconds left the Sixers stopped Charlotte at one end, and then on the other end Williams laid in the eventual game winner off the breakaway for an 86-84 lead. Elton slapped away the ensuing Bobcat in bounds pass and Iggy swept it away to run out the clock and close out the 86-84 win. So the Sixers move back to 5-6 overall and seem to be headed on the right track now. They simply need to keep up this kind of defense and Elton just needs to keep playing like he did night and they'll be okay.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers welcomed the Atlantic division leading Devils to the Wachovia center tonight. This was a special night for the Flyers as "the Hammer", Dave Schultz was inducted into the Flyer's hall of fame. The least they could do as honor him with a win and that they did. Once again the Flyer's played tough defense, had the edge on faceoffs and Ray Emery outshined Marty Brodeur with 33 saves out of the 35 shots he faced. Daroll Powe, got things started midway through the 1st period with his 6th goal of the season against 0 assists thus far, to put the Orange and Black up 1-0. Just seconds into the 2nd period Scott Hartnell scored off the power play for a 2-0 lead. A successful New Jersey power play made it 2- 1 heading into the 3rd period. Late in that period the rookie sensation James Van Reimsdyk scored unassisted for a 3-1 Flyer's lead. the Flyer's defense made it hold up from there, although a fluky New Jersey goal at the end did cut the final score to 3-2. So the Flyers have won 7 of their last 8 and at 11-5-1 overall for 23 points, they're now 5th in the Eastern conference. Not bad if may say so myself.
PHILLIES NEWS
The rookie of the year award was given out today, but not to J.A Happ, who was beaten out by the Marlins' Chris Coghlan 17 votes to 10. Unfortunately, it seems all the time Happ spent on the DL towards the end of the season may have cost him the award. He's still the winner in my book though
Sunday, November 15, 2009
EAGLES NEWS
The Birds traveled out to San Diego this afternoon for a matchup with the Chargers, as they looked to bounce back from a loss to the Cowboys. Unfortunately, the problems that have been plaguing them got them again today. On their 1st 3 trips into the red zone the Birds were forced to settle for field goals. The defense, minus another linebacker and most of the starting secondary, was shreaded by San Diego to the tune of 331 yards and 31 points. Finally the Eagles committed 9 penalties on the day, with many of them occurring at the most innoportune times. If they could have gotten a TD on any of those 3 drives, and Sheldown Brown hadn't gone down with an injury early in the game, the Birds might have won this one. Instead they settled for field goals and found themselves down 21-9 at the half. Donovan Mcnabb did manage a pair of TD drives in the 2nd half with TD passes to Brent Celek and Jeremy Maclin to cut the lead to 28-23 with about 7 minutes to play. Once again thoug, like last week against the Dallas, the Eagles' defense couldn't get the stop they needed to put Mcnabb back on the field with a chance to win it and eventually San Diego managed a field goal to push the lead to 31-23 with about 30 seconds to play. Mcnabb then managed to drive the Birds down to about the Charger 30 yard line, but neither of the 2 plays he had time for at that point resulted in a game tying score, so the Birds fell 31-23 for their 2nd straight loss to drop to 5-4 overall, still good enough for 2nd in the NFC East, 1 game behind Dallas who also lost today. I think the blame for this one falls squarely on the defense. Donovan Mcnabb threw for 450 yards and 2 TDs and Jason Avant had a career day with 8 catches for 156 yards. So the offense did it's job, other than those few times in the red zone. The defense just couldn't stop San Diego. Here's hoping that banged up defense gets healthy soon.
SIXERS NEWS
Things went from bad to worse for Sixers today as they learned today that backup center/forward Maurice Speights partially tore the MCL in one of his knees and will be sidelined 6 to 8 weeks. As the Sixer's top scoring big man thus far, Speights has been invaluable this season. It is going to be very tough for the Sixers to win without him, especially considering how poor their defense has been this season. If nothing else this means at least that Elton Brad will get a few more touched than he has been, and so perhaps he'll be able to break out of the slump he's been in and then maybe the Sixers would still be ok
Saturday, November 14, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyer's welcomed the Buffalo Sabres to the Wachovia center tonight as they looked for their 6th straight win. This one was a tight well played game by both teams, but Buffalo was just a little better. They had 2 power play goals to 0 for the Flyers, the NHL's best power play unit, despite having 4 opportunities. The Flyer's were also hit with 9 penalties, including a few on some very ticky tacky calls, and that made it difficult for them to get it going offensively. Ray Emery also had a bit of an off night, allowing 3 goals while facing only 25 shots. Goals by Thomas Vanek in the 1st period, and Tyler Ennis in the 2nd period gave Buffalo a 2-0 lead heading into the 3rd period. There, the Flyer's finally put together a rally. Chris Pronger scored early in the period to cut it to 2-1. Then after Paul Gaustad scored another Buffalo power play goal, to push the lead back to 3-1, Jeff Carter scored shorthanded to cut it to 3-2 with a little under 10 minutes to play. Unfortunately, try as they might the Flyers could not come up with the equalizer down the stretch and eventually Buffalo hung on to win 3-2 to snap the Flyer's winning streak at 5. So they drop to 10-5-1 overall and back to 6th in the Eastern conference, with 3 of the 5 teams ahead of them also from the Atlantic division(Rangers, Pens, Devils). In fact if the season were to end now, literally the entire Atlantic division would be in the playoffs, as the Islanders, last in the Atlantic, are currently right behind the Orange and Black at 7th in the East. That's how bad the rest of the Eastern conference is this year.
SIXERS NEWS
After an embarrassing loss to the Jazz in their last game, the Sixers traveled to Chicago tonight for a matchup with the Bulls. They played much better tonight, and even led by 1 at the half, but Chicago closed better in the 2nd half, as the Sixer's defense broke down again and allowed the Bulls to surge to victory. Andre Iguodala led 4 Sixers in double figures on the night, with 24, Lou Williams netted 20, Thad Young pumped in 16 and Elton Brand chipped in with another 11 points but it wasn't enough. The Sixer's bench had terrible night with just 9 points, while Chicago got 33 points from there bench and that was probably the difference. The Sixers were also outrebounded by Chicago 45-40, and that hurt down the stretch. It's just hard to win when you can't protect the basket late in the game. That said the Sixer's defense was better tonight , compiling 10 steals and 7 blocks, and forcing 20 Chicago turnovers. They just couldn't get it done down the stretch. The Sixers did lead 41-40 at the half, as Thad Young dunked with about 30 seconds left in the half to preserve the lead. From there the Sixers were then outscored by Chicago in the 2nd half 54-47, and eventually fell 94-88 for their 2nd straight loss to drop to 4-6 overall. They're just going to have to go back and learn how to close out games again. Also they really need to figure out how to run this offense, because it still seems now after 10 games, that they're still trying figure what to do out there on offense. It's early in the season and there's still time for them to right the ship, but they can't wait too much longer or this is going to be a long season.
Friday, November 13, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers welcomed the Utah Jazz to the Wachovia center tonight. Normally, this would have been mismatch in Utah's favor, but they came in without all-star point guard Deron Williams, meaning the Sixers perhaps had the advantage. In the end it was ultimately still a mismatch with Carlos Boozer scoring 24, to lead 7 Jazz in double figures. The Sixers on the other hand had just 5 scorers in double figures, led by Thad Young's 17. If they had been able to play even half decent defense that might have been enough to pull out a win over the Jazz, but they couldn't figure out how stop Utah all night long, and so instead they lost badly. Utah was just superb defensively, and far stronger underneath the basket with 44 rebounds to the Sixers 33, and that was the difference. The Sixers were able to keep it close for most of the 1st half thanks to some hot shooting to start the night, but eventually they started to cool off and by the end of 3rd quarter they were down by 20 as they went on to lose by 22, with the final score 112-90. The Sixers really need to toughen up and try harder, because the listless manner in which they played tonight's game isn't going to get it done. Elton Brand had his best night of the season thus far with 11 points, but that is still a far cry from the Sixers need out of him in order to be successful. If he can just pick it up, then I think the team will pick it up as well and then I think they'll still be fine. Anyway so the Sixers drop back under .500 again at 4-5 overall, and now have a lot of questions to answer and a lot of soul searching to do.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers and more specifically Danny Briere, returned to action tonight as they welcomed the Ottawa Senator's to the wachovia center. Riding a 4 game winning streak the Flyers picked up right where they left off. In fact, tonight was about the best they have played thus far during the streak. They committed just 2 penalties, held Ottawa to only 23 shots on goal, and once again dominated on faceoffs and on the power play. Ray Emery was brilliant against his former team, saving 22 of the 23 shots he faced. Briere also seemed to return to form immediately, netting 2 goals on the night, while Jeff Carter, Kimmo Timonen, and Chris Pronger each had 2 assists. It was just an all around superb performance by the Orange and Black. Blair Betts got it going midway through the 2nd period, scoring off the power play for a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later Mike Fisher netted a fluky power play goal off Emery's stick to knot it at 1 for Ottawa, but it would be all Flyer's from there. James Van Reimsdyk answered a couple minutes later with another power play goal for a 2-1 lead. Early in the 3rd period, Briere scored his 1st, for a 3-1 lead. 5 minutes later Daroll Powe pushed it to 4-1. Finally a couple minutes Briere netted his 2nd goal for a 5-1 lead and the Flyer's had their 5th straight victory easily, to move to 10-4-1 overall and now 5th in the Eastern Conference.
PHILLIES NEWS
Chase Utley was awarded his 4th consecutive silver slugger today, with another 31 homers and almost 100 RBIs he was far better this past season than any other NL 2nd baseman, so this too is no surprise. Now only the greate Ryne SandBerg, the last 2nd baseman to be inducted into the hall of fame, owns more silver sluggers as a 2B than Utley, with 5 in a row from 1988-1992. Also Mike Schmidt himself, with 5 silver sluggers, is now the only Phil who has won more than Utley.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers traveled to New Jersey for another matchup with the shorthanded and still winless Nets. Once again it should have been an easy win for the Sixers, but again New Jersey managed to hang around for most of the night before the Sixers pulled out the win. The Sixers had their worst shooting night of the season thus far, at 39% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc, otherwise New Jersey would not have been able to keep it close. Only 20 points from Thad Young and another 19 and 9 rebounds from Maurice Speights off the bench, combined with good tight defense late in the game, gave the Sixers just enough to hold off New Jersey. The Sixers led by 1 after a quarter of play, 3 at the half, 2 after 3 quarters and finally held on to win by 3, with the final score 82-79. So the Sixers move back to .500 at 4-4 overall, but they'll have play better than this, if they ever want to get back above .500 and stay there. If nothing else though it was good to see them play defense like they did tonight because defense it what ultimately wins you the big games.
PHILLIES NEWS
Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino were awarded gold gloves today, for their defensive efforts at shortstop and centerfield respectively, this past season. They both deserved it and I am not surprised.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Monday, November 09, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers welcomed the Phoenix Suns to the Wachovia center as they looked to get back on track after losing to the Pistons yesterday. They played much better offensively on this night, then they had against the Pistons, shooting 53% from the field and 38% from beyond the arc, with 5 Sixers in double figures. Andre Iguodala led the way with 24, Lou Williams had 13, Elton Brand chipped in with 10, Thad Young scored 15, and Maurice Speights came off the bench for 20. Unfortunately, the Sixers just couldn't stop the high powered Sun's, who also shot 53% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. The Sixers hung with them for a while, and even had a 12 point lead at the half, but it was all but gone by the 4th quarter. Still, they managed to hang in there until Phoenix finally pulled ahead for good with a little over 2 minutes to play and eventually hung on to win 119-115. So the Sixers drop under .500 for the 1st time this season at 3-4 overall and hopefully they won't stay there for too long.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers traveled to Detroit this afternoon for a matchup with the Pistons. With Tashawn Prnce and Rip Hamilton both missing the game for Detroit, you would think this would have been an easy eay evening for the Sixers. Instead Ben Wallace played some inspired defense, pulling down 16 rebounds, and racking up 3 steals and block each, as he helped limit the Sixers to just 43% shooting from the field and 16.7% shooting from beyond the arc. The Sixers just simply couldn't get any rythm going offensively. They hung in there though, with Andre Iguodala's 24 points leading the way. In fact after 3 quarters of play they were only down by 4 with the score 64-60. Even as late as about 2 and half minutes to play in the 4th quarter, the Sixers were within 2 and had actually led at one point before that. Then Detroit turned it on even more defensively, the Sixers went cold the rest of the way, and the Pistons hung on to win 88-81. So the Sixers finally lose one they probably should have won as they drop to 3-3 overall. Better luck next time I guess.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils decided today not to pick up the option remaining on 3B Pedro Feliz's contract. Now that doesn't mean yet that he won't be back with the Phils next season. It simply means the Phils are keeping their options open. So ultimately we'll have to wait and see what happens.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles welcomed the Dallas Cowboys to the Linc tonight for yet another showdown to decide 1st place in the NFC East. It was not a well played game with several penalty flags on both sides and 3 interceptions, 1 by Tony Romo and 2 by Donovan Mcnabb, but it was a typical tight NFC East battle. The Boys led early 7-0 on a 2 yd TD run by Tashard Choice following Mcnabb's fist int. The Eagles came back with a couple of field goals in the 2nd quarter to cut it to 7-6, before Nick Folk drilled a 22 yarder as time expired for a 10-6 Dallas halftime lead. The Eagles then opened the 3rd quarter with 77 yard drive, capped off by a Mcnabb TD pass to Brent Celek for a 13-10 Eagle's lead. Sadly they never led again, as luck was just not on the Birds side tonight. First Mcnabb miscommunicated with the rookie sensation, Jeremy Maclin on a crossing route, resuling in Mcnabb's 2 int of the day and a Dallas field goal to tie it at 13. Later the Eagles went for it on a 4th and inches from about midfield. It appeared for all intensive purposes that Mcnabb got the needed yardage on a QB sneak, but the officials did not give him the spot and then would not overturn the spot they had given simply because they couldn't see whether or not one of his elbows was down before he got the needed yardage. That then left the Eagles with no timeouts and a 20-13 deficit after Dallas, taking over from about midfield, drove down into Eagle's territory and turned a 3rd and 14 into a 49 yd TD pass to Miles Austin. It was his only catch of the game, after a combined 300+ yards recieving the last 3 weeks, and it made all the difference. The Eagles put together one more drive to try and tie it, but on 3rd down from inside the Dallas 40, Mcnabb came a shoestring tackle away from scrambling for a 1st down, and the Birds decided to settle for another Aker's field goal, this one 52 yards out. That left the Eagles down 20-16, and with no timeouts, desperate to stop Dallas quickly. Unfortunately, LB Akeem Jordan went down with a knee injury on the ensuing kickoff and Dallas exploited his absence on 3rd and 3 from inside their own 40, with Romo completing a short pass to Jason Witten to move the chains and allow Dallas to run out the clock. The Eagles have the toughest part of their schedule coming up now and really needed to win this one to solidfy their spot atop the NFC East and towards the top of the NFC. Instead they drop to 5-3 overall and now must hope they can survive this upcoming stretch well enough for another shot at Dallas and the division. It won't be easy though.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)