After a 6-2 thumping of the Islanders in their last game the Orange and Black welcomed the Ottawa Senators to the Wachovia center as they looked to make it 2 in a row. Once again they played solid defense, holding the Sens to just 25 shots on goal, of which Brian Boucher saved 23. However, the Flyer's also went back to struggling to score on this night, as Brian Elliot saved all 23 shots the Flyer's threw at him. Try as they might the Flyers just couldn't get anything by Elliot, and eventuallyy fell 2-0 for their 6th loss in 7 tries. The Flyers just can't afford to keep losing close games like these or they'll never be able turn things around. I just hope it's not already too late for them to turn things around.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers welcomed the Detroit Pistons to the Wachovia center tonight as they looked to end their 10 game losing at last. They were this close to doin so, but in the end it was not to be on this night. scoring wise Andre Iguodala led the way with 18 , Sammy Dalembert dropped 17 and 11 rebounds, Elton Brand put 17, and That Young and Allen Iversion each added 11 to round out a balanced night of scoring, although the bench did seem to be lacking at times. Defensively, the Sixers performed solidly as they held Detroit to just 45% shooting from the field and only one 3 pointer. They also compiled 6 blocks and 7 steals, but were outrebounded by Detroit 45-32 which did not help matters. The Sixers trailed by 2 after 1 quarter of play, knotted it up at half and trailed by 4 heading into the 4th quarter with the score 67-63. Initially in the 4th Detroit pulled out to a double digit lead, before the Sixers put together one last furious rally that saw them pull back ahead briefly, fall back again then draw even again with just over 2 minutes to play and again as Iversion sunk a jumped to tie it at 86-86 with only about a minute to play. The Sixers fell behind again though and with 3 seconds left and the score now 88-86, Andre Iguodala got an open look at the 3 and the win but he missed and Detroit hung on to win 90-86 for the Sixers 11th loss in a row. What a team.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles rewarded Andy Reid today for the great job he has done as the head coach the last 11 years, by signing him to a 3 year extension. Reid has taken the Eagles to 5 NFC championship games and 1 superbowl in his tenure and owns more wins than any other coach in Eagle's history. Now it will be more of the same for the next 4 years with hopefully a superbowl victory mixed in.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers welcomed the New York Islanders to the Wachovia center tonight as they looked to end a 5 game losing streak. Before the game even started the Flyer's got some bad news when they learned Ray Emery will be sidelined for the next 6 weeks with an abdominal tear head had been trying to play through. Without Brian Boucher will start most of the games in that time, with the rookie Jonas Backlund, recently called up from the Phantoms, backing him up. The way Boosh has been playing I'm sure they'll be alright. Anyway back tonight's game. For the 2nd time in as many nights they Flyer's came out and played some inspired defense, holding the Isles to just 24 shots on goal, 22 of them saved by Boucher who really didn't face any serious scoring opportunities until late in the 2nd period. The Flyers did pick up 8 penalties though, thus presenting the Isles with 8 power play opportunities, and although they killed off 6 of them, they really can't afford to take that penalties on a daily basis. The 8 penalties didn't matter tonight though, as the Flyer's finally figured how score some goals again, that is 6 of them to be exact. In the first period Mike Richards scored twice, one on the power play and one shorthanded for a 2-0 lead. Jeff Carter scored twice early in the 2nd period to push it to 4-0. Then late in the period Claude Giroux scored the Flyer's 3rd power play of the night for a 5-2 lead. Giroux then scored again early in the 3rd period for a 6-2 lead en route a 6-2 Flyer's victory. So the losing is streak is over at last and you can only hope this will be a springboard to further success this season for the Orange and Black.
PHILLIES NEWS
The phils rounded out their bench for the next season, by signing power-hitting utility outfielder Ross Gload, formerly of the Florida Marlins, to a 2 year contract. This means of course that the veteran Matt Stairs won't return to the Phils next season, probably will retire.
Monday, December 07, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
After their worst performance in some the time Flyer's headed north of the border to Montreal for a matchup with the Canadiens, as they looked to snap a 4 game losing streak and give Peter Lavoliette his first win as Flyer's head coach. They played 100 times better defense on this night then they had against the Capitals, limiting the Habs to just 13 shots on goal and only 3 power plays. Unfortunately, the Flyer's themselves had just 15 shots on goal and did not do a good making them count as they went scoreless on 4 power play opportunities. Brian Boucher got the start in goal, for the struggling Ray Emery and played well, allowing just 3 goals, and saving 12 of the 15 shots he faced. at least 2 of those goals were really not his fault, as one came on a breakaway and the other came on a 100 mph slap shot, both of which Boosh probably never saw coming. Danny Briere scored midway through the 1st period to actually give the Flyer's a 1-0 lead, but they would not score again. By the end of the 2nd period the Habs had already rallied ahead 2-1, with 2 scores on just 9 shots in the period. Halfway through the 3rd period, the Habs went on the power play, during which Marc-Andre Bergeron uncorked a screaming slapshot over Boosh's head and in for a 3-1 lead. From there the Flyer's fought and clawed the rest of the way in an effort to draw even but their efforts proved to be for naught as they fell 3-1 for their 5th straight loss. At least this time though they showed good effort and weren't totally blown out, so Lavoliette is starting to reach them.
SIXERS NEWS
Allen Iverson made his regular season debut tonight with the Sixers, as they played host to the Denver Nuggets and looked to snap a 9 game losing streak. A.I sparked the Sixers to an early lead, thanks to superb team defense, and hot shooting from Andre Iguodala, and Thad Young, and for 3 quarters it looked like Iverson's first game back would be a w, but it was not to be. For his part Iverson played 38 minutes and put up 11 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. Meanwhile, Andre Iguodala led the way for the Sixers on the night with 31, Thad Young dropped in 21, and Elton Brand added 10 and 9 rebounds. Defensively, the Sixers had one of their better nights, with 8 blocks, 7 steals, 47 rebounds to the Nuggets 41, and a 39% shooting percentage from the field for the Nuggets, currently the highest scoring team in the NBA. Unfortunately, the Nuggets also shot 60% from beyond the arc and that proved to be the difference. For the 1st 3 quarters the Sixers played front-runners, never trailing once, and taking a 2 point lead into the 4th quarter. It was all Denver in the 4th though as they began to lock down on defense and the Sixers just couldn't handle it, eventually falling by 10, 93-83, for their 10th straight loss. Still, at this point, with their record at 5-16 overall they remain only 3.5 games out of the 8th in the Eastern conference, so the season isn't over yet.
Sunday, December 06, 2009
EAGLES NEWS
Micheal Vick's return to Atlanta this afternoon was a success for he and the Eagles. Vick himself threw for 48 yards and a td and ran for 17 yds and another TD to help guide the Eagles to another win. Aside, from Vick other offensive standouts for the Birds on the day include Donovan Mcnabb who threw for 238 yards and a TD, Leonard who compiled a combined 100 yards of offense and a TD, and finally Jeremy Maclin and Reggie Brown who each stepped up in the absence of the injured Desean Jackson, to pull in 4 catches for 83 yards and 2 receptions for 64 yards respectively. It was the defense though that was truly the Eagle's big star on this afternoon. They held the Falcons , without Matt Ryan, Micheal Tuerner, or Micheal Jenkins, to under 300 total yards, with only 61 of them through the running game. The Birds also forced 4 Atlanta turnovers and took advantage of each of them in getting the win. The Eagles struck first midway through the 1st quarter, with a David Aker's field goal and a 4 yd TD pass from Mcnabb to Leonard Weaver for a 10-0 lead. Another Aker's field goal made it 13-0 in the 2nd quarter and an interception as time expired in the half kept it that way. In the 3rd quarter Vick ran for his first TD, and Sheldon Brown picked up the 2nd and last interception of the day for the Birds, returning it 83 yds for a TD and a 27-0 lead. That was day for Mcnabb as he left the game early in the 4th quarter to give Vick a chance to play in front of his old home crowd. Vick used the opportunity to drive down and toss a 5 yd TD pass to Brent Celek for a 34-0 lead, but he hurt his hand during the drive and had to leave the game in favor of Kevin Kolb. It didn't seem too serious though so I won't be worried. Anyway from there the Falcons finally managed to get on the board with a TD, to avoid an embarrassing shutout, before the Eagles closed out the 34-7 win. So the Birds move to 8-4 overall, now tied for 1st in the NFC East, and with a win next week against the Giants, they can just about clinch a playoff berth and are in position now to win the division and perhaps do more than just get to the playoffs.
FLYERS NEWS
For the hit that caused him to get a 9 minute major last nght, Dan Carcillo was hit with a 4 game suspension today. That seems to me a bit of a harsh punishment, considering Carcillo only threw one punch , but again the NHL is not on the Flyer's side.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers welcomed the Washington Capitals to the Wachovia center tonight and it wasn't pretty. Peter Lavoliette's first game as Flyer's head coach was about as bad as it gets and downright embarrassing. Midway through the 1st period the Flyers finally scored a goal as Mika Pyrola snuck one by Jose Theodore to tie the game at 1. That was as good as it got for the Flyers tonight though. Dan Carcillo was penalized twice on the same play and the Flyers were hit with an unheard of 9 minute major power play to kill off while Carcillo was sent to the showers. With the lethal Capital's power play on the ice, even without an injured Alexander Ovechkin, those 9 minutes proved fatal to the Flyers. Washington scored not once, not twice, but 3 times on the same power play and each time the Ray Emery, who the got the start in goal, really had no shot to stop the Caps, as replays clearly showed he never saw the puck coming, and you can't stop what you can't see. Washington wasn't yet either. They just kept coming after the Flyers one rush after another and each time the Flyer's were powerless stop it. By the end of the 2nd period Washington had 3 more goals, and a laughable 7-1 lead. Emery was back on bench after the 5th one, in favor of Brian Boucher, but obviously he did no better allowing another 2 goals before the end period. Of course, Boucher had no chance a couple times as well. The Flyer's finally got on the board again early in the 3rd period as Scott Hartnell scored to cut it to 7-2, before another Washington power play finished off the 8-2 massacre. I am not even sure what to say about this one, except I am sure Lavoliette will make sure things get better eventually and it's still early enough in the season for the Flyer's to turn this thing around, but they desperately need to get healthy first.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers' traveled to Charlotte tonight for mathcup with Bobcats, the last team against which they had a victory before the 8 game losing streak they came into tonight with. Thus there was thought that maybe just maybe this would be the night the streak ended. Unfortunately it was not. Before they even took the court the Sixers became even more shorthanded then they already were as the rookie Jrue Holiday went down with a rotator cuff injury, which has him day to day. That left the Sixers with only 10 active players. Then Andre Iguodala turned his ankle and was seen visibly limping down the court late in the game. The loss of Holiday couple with a limping Iggy ultimately cost the Sixers on this night. They actually played well shooting 42% from beyond the arc with 8 threes, which helped to spread the wealth around enough for them to get 5 guys in double figures. Willie Green, in what could be his last start for a while, led the way with 26, Iggy dropped 22, 11 rebounds and7 assists, Elton Brand returned to the starting lineup provided 14 and 8 rebounds, Thad Young had a big night with 17 and 11 rebounds and Jason Kapono hit a pair of threes and scored 14 off the bench. Thanks to the scoring the Sixers were able to built a 10 point lead with a little over 4 minutes to play. However, with their best defended and playmaker limping around the Sixer's defense did not hold up down the stretch and they couldn't score, allowing Charlotte to roar all the way back to take the lead 106-105, on a Raymond Felton layup with just 4 seconds to play. From there the limping Iggy somehow managed to get off a final shot at a buzzer, but it missed to cap off the Sixers 9 loss in a row. What a team. Incredibly though, despite the losing streak, they're still at 5-15 overall, only 3 games out of 8th in the Eastern conference.
Friday, December 04, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers have decided on a solution to the troubles they have had with losses in 6 of their last 7, as they fired head coach John Stevens today and replaced him with Peter Lavoliette. Lavoliette is best known as the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes when they won their first and to this point only Stanley Cup a few years ago. He was fired not long after when the team took a nose dive in the standings during the following seasons. Still he is known as a no nonsense type of coach, willing to get in his player's faces when they don't perform well. That could help the Flyer's immensely. The reality though, is that the Flyer's recent swoon wasn't Steven's fault. The Flyers are just a little too riddled with injuries right now, with top power play man Darroll Powe, top faceoff man Blair Betts, and top scorer Simon Gagne, all misssing due to injury. I am not sure even Lavoliette can win without them. I suppose gm Paul Holmgren had to do something to keep the fans rioting over the Flyers' struggles of late but I am not sure this is it.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers welcomed the Vancouver Canucks to the Wachovia center tonight as they looked to end a 2 game losing streak and get out of rut that had seen lose 5 of their last 6. Brian Boucher got the start in place of the suddenly struggling Ray Emery and played well with 26 of the 29 shots he faced, a number of them spectacular. The Flyers also outshot the Canucks 38-29 and won majority of the faceoffs, but it all went for naught as they were shutout for the 2nd night in a row with Robert Luongo saving all 38 shots the Flyers threw at him. That's a total now of 7 straight periods without a goal for the Flyers and frankly it's kind of an embarrassment for the players and the coach. Tonight aganst the always tough Luongo, it seemed the Flyers just tried to be a little too precise with their shots and often didn't get a lot on them as a result. Still you would think one of them would have found a way in, especially considering the Flyer's had 5 power plays with which to rack up shots and scoring chances, yet they came up with nothing. So they drop to 13-11-1 overall and now 10th in the Eastern conference, but just 2 points out of the 8th. Maybe they should bring Eric Lindros out of retirement. Hey couldn't hurt could it?
PHILLIES NEWS
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.
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.
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