There is nothing new to report
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers have had multiple opportunities this season to string together back to back wins for the first time. Tonight they finally took advantage of one, which is no small feat considering their opponent was the Portland Blazers, one of the most dangerous teams in the Western conference. Portland was struggling coming in, having lost 3 in a row, but struggle or not, they're still better than any team the Sixers had been able to handle before so you can hav stease like the Sixer's changes going in. In their 3 previuos wins this season, the key for the Sixers was defense an that was certainly the case again in this one. In fact the Sixer's defense was tremendous on this night holding the Blazers to just 37% from the field, and 27% from beyond, while collecting 9 steals. Even Bradon Roy couldn't get untracked in, as he settled for just 10 points. The Sixe,er's offense was not quite as impressive, but they did enough with Elton scoring 18, Spencer Hawes with 10, Jrue Hollidsy with 11 and Andres Nocioni with 3 treys for 11.
Early on in the first quarter both teams were deadlocked at 49. Eventually by the end of the half the Sixers had muscled their away ahead and actually stll held a 1 point lead at the conclusion of the 1st half. Portland fought back in3rd quarter and wound up with a 3 point advantage going into the 4th quarter. That's where the Sixers wrestled away control of the game away for good. They simply dominated the 4th, outscoring Portland 22-11 and controlling things defensively. By the time the smoke cleared and the final buzzer the Sixers had scraped away with a 9 point win, 88-79. There may not be many more Sixer top performances like this one so enjoy this one while you can. I for one though, am still hopeful this will be just the start of a much longer streak.
Early on in the first quarter both teams were deadlocked at 49. Eventually by the end of the half the Sixers had muscled their away ahead and actually stll held a 1 point lead at the conclusion of the 1st half. Portland fought back in3rd quarter and wound up with a 3 point advantage going into the 4th quarter. That's where the Sixers wrestled away control of the game away for good. They simply dominated the 4th, outscoring Portland 22-11 and controlling things defensively. By the time the smoke cleared and the final buzzer the Sixers had scraped away with a 9 point win, 88-79. There may not be many more Sixer top performances like this one so enjoy this one while you can. I for one though, am still hopeful this will be just the start of a much longer streak.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
Mike Vick continued his great play, throwing through the Bears cover 2 D for 333 yards and 2 TDs and rushing 9 times for 44 yards, but his first interception of the season, a back breaking one in the end zone in the final 2 minutes of the 1st half, loomed large. The Eagles defense also struggled mightily without Asante Samuel jumping routes and confusing Jay Cutler. In Samuel's absence, rookie Trevard Lindley, and Joselio Hanson combined to get beat several times as the Eagles allowed a plethora of 30+ yard plays. In fact Cutler had arguably his best game as a bear, throwing for 247 yards and 4 TDs and most importantly no Ints. In addition, Matt Forte rushed 14 times for 117 yards, which makes him the first 100 yard rusher the Eagles have allowed all season. So bottom line it was not a good afternoon for the Eagles defense and it cost them.
The Eagles had the early 3-0 lead thanks to a 45 yard Aker's field goal, but the defense hit a rough patch after that and the Birds found themselves down 14-3 at the end of the 1st quarter. In the 2nd quarter the defense finally held a couple times and the Birds actually controlled the ball for most of quarter as another Aker's field goal and an 8 yard TD pass from Vick to Jeremy Maclin to cut the lead to 14-13. The Eagles drove down into red zone again in the final minute of the half and looked poised to take the lead, before a Vick pass on 1st and goal from the 4 was tipped and intercepted by Chris Harris who returned it to about midfield. Just 6 plays later Cutler's 3rd TD pass of the afternoon lifted the Bears to a 21-13 halftime lead. The Eagles never really recovered from that misstep and it was 31-13 Bears before the Eagles defense finally held again.
Still the Birds did not give up, but they were forced to settle for field goals on their next 2 drives and that ultimately sealed their doom. Vick did manage get them in the end zone again with a 30 yard strike to Brent Celek to cut the lead to 31-26, but with only 1:48 left. The Eagles and failed to recover the ensuing onsides kick and just like that their winning streak had ended at 3. For now because, they beat the Giants last week, they stay in first place, but they'll need to withstand a short week and get a win Thursday night against the Texans if they want to stay there.
The Eagles had the early 3-0 lead thanks to a 45 yard Aker's field goal, but the defense hit a rough patch after that and the Birds found themselves down 14-3 at the end of the 1st quarter. In the 2nd quarter the defense finally held a couple times and the Birds actually controlled the ball for most of quarter as another Aker's field goal and an 8 yard TD pass from Vick to Jeremy Maclin to cut the lead to 14-13. The Eagles drove down into red zone again in the final minute of the half and looked poised to take the lead, before a Vick pass on 1st and goal from the 4 was tipped and intercepted by Chris Harris who returned it to about midfield. Just 6 plays later Cutler's 3rd TD pass of the afternoon lifted the Bears to a 21-13 halftime lead. The Eagles never really recovered from that misstep and it was 31-13 Bears before the Eagles defense finally held again.
Still the Birds did not give up, but they were forced to settle for field goals on their next 2 drives and that ultimately sealed their doom. Vick did manage get them in the end zone again with a 30 yard strike to Brent Celek to cut the lead to 31-26, but with only 1:48 left. The Eagles and failed to recover the ensuing onsides kick and just like that their winning streak had ended at 3. For now because, they beat the Giants last week, they stay in first place, but they'll need to withstand a short week and get a win Thursday night against the Texans if they want to stay there.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers welcomed the New Jersey Nets to the Wells Fargo center tonight, as they looked to snap a 3 game skid. This time it was the Sixers who got the early the edge and the Sixers who made it stand up the rest of the way. They shot well from the field again at 51% and solidly from beyond at 38%, both much better than New Jersey, but struggled at the line, shooting their free throws at just 60%. They weren't as quite as affected by that tonight as neither team got to the line all that much. Moreover, that got big nights, out of Jrue Holiday who had 20 and 13 assists, Elton Brand who 14 and 10 assists, Andre Iguodala who had 16 and 7 rebounds, Thad Young who had 13 off the bench and Lou Williams who had 15 and 5 assists off the bench. Put it all together and you've got the Sixers 4th win of the season.
As mentioned the Sixers did have the early edge with a 3 point lead after a quarter of play. New Jersey actually rallied back to take a 2 point lead at the half but that would be their only real momentum of the night. The Sixers rallied back to tie it up through 3 quarters and then dominated in the 4th quarter, outscoring New Jersey 36-20. When the smoke finally cleared at the end of the 4th they had won going away, by 16, in their easiest win of the season thus far, 102-86. Still, at only 4-13 overall the Sixers remain last in the Atlantic division, but at least now they're right there on the Net's heals. This season may yet have some life to it.
As mentioned the Sixers did have the early edge with a 3 point lead after a quarter of play. New Jersey actually rallied back to take a 2 point lead at the half but that would be their only real momentum of the night. The Sixers rallied back to tie it up through 3 quarters and then dominated in the 4th quarter, outscoring New Jersey 36-20. When the smoke finally cleared at the end of the 4th they had won going away, by 16, in their easiest win of the season thus far, 102-86. Still, at only 4-13 overall the Sixers remain last in the Atlantic division, but at least now they're right there on the Net's heals. This season may yet have some life to it.
FLYERS NEWS
After a shootout loss to the lowly Flames, the Flyers looked to get back on track against the equally lowly New Jersey Devils. Unfortunately, the Orange and Black once again seemed to have little energy when it mattered most. They did out shoot New Jersey 41-25 and they did blank them on 3 power plays while finally scoring a power play goal of their own, but there was just something missing. Too many of their shots were easy saves for Johan Hedberg. It's one thing to just put pucks on the net and another to actually create scoring chances and challenge the goalie to make saves. The Orange and Black simply didn't do enough of that tonight and paid for it.
Through 2 periods the Flyers were down 1-0 and looking miserable. That's not an unusual occurence for them against the Devils, that is when Marty Brodeur is in the net, but the mediocre Hedberg should not have been able to do that. Still, a few minutes into the 3rd period, Danny Briere finally helped the Orange and Black cash in on a power play to knot it at 1 a piece. However, neither he nor the rest of the Flyers could manage a goal the rest of the way and the game went into overtime. Neither team scored in OT so for the 2nd night in a row the Flyers went into a shootout and again they came up short. This time Nikolay Zherdev scored in the 3rd round of the shootout, but after that Jason Arnott and Travis Zajac both beat Brian Boucher while Mike Richards was thwarted by Hedberg to hand the Devils the 2-1 shootout win.
Through 2 periods the Flyers were down 1-0 and looking miserable. That's not an unusual occurence for them against the Devils, that is when Marty Brodeur is in the net, but the mediocre Hedberg should not have been able to do that. Still, a few minutes into the 3rd period, Danny Briere finally helped the Orange and Black cash in on a power play to knot it at 1 a piece. However, neither he nor the rest of the Flyers could manage a goal the rest of the way and the game went into overtime. Neither team scored in OT so for the 2nd night in a row the Flyers went into a shootout and again they came up short. This time Nikolay Zherdev scored in the 3rd round of the shootout, but after that Jason Arnott and Travis Zajac both beat Brian Boucher while Mike Richards was thwarted by Hedberg to hand the Devils the 2-1 shootout win.
Friday, November 26, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers looked to continue to a 3 game winning streak as they welcomed the Calgary Flames to the Wells Fargo center. The Flames came in as the 2nd worst team in the western conference and so even a solid effort would likely have been enough for the Orange and Black in this one. Solid they were as Sergei Bobrovsky racked up another 28 saves, and the Flyers held the flames to just 30 shots on goal and 3 unsuccessful power plays. James Van Reimsdyk also scored his 3rd goal in as many games as another 5 different Flyers scored points in this one. However, the Flyers struggled again on the power play, going 0 for 6 and in the end that ultimately cost them.
No one scored in a hard fought first period as the Flyers failed on their first power play. Just 3 minutes into the 2nd period though, Blair Betts and Matt Carle setup Nikolay Zherdev for a 1-0 lead. The Orange and Black then failed on 3 more power play opportunities, even allotting the Flames a shorthanded tally to knot the score at 1. Only a couple after their last power play, Mike Richards fed JVR who one timed one home to put the Flyers up 2-1. For a good while it looked like that would be enough to hold off Calgary but the Orange and Black failed on another power play in the 3rd, that would definitely have put things out of reach, and then seemed to run out of gas afterwards as Alex Tanguay and Jerome Iginla went other way on the rush and fed Steve Staios with the equalizer.
The Flyers continued to the look a bit tired as the game went in overtime from there. In OT the Orange and Black had another power play and this time Mike Richards appeared to score for the win, but Chris Pronger was called for a bogus penalty, nullifying goal and eventually forcing a shootout. Claude Giroux did score in the shootout, but Danny Briere and Richards both missed while Nikolas Hagman and Rene Bourqe both beat Bob to give Calgary a 3-2 shootout win. Oh well, better luck next time.
No one scored in a hard fought first period as the Flyers failed on their first power play. Just 3 minutes into the 2nd period though, Blair Betts and Matt Carle setup Nikolay Zherdev for a 1-0 lead. The Orange and Black then failed on 3 more power play opportunities, even allotting the Flames a shorthanded tally to knot the score at 1. Only a couple after their last power play, Mike Richards fed JVR who one timed one home to put the Flyers up 2-1. For a good while it looked like that would be enough to hold off Calgary but the Orange and Black failed on another power play in the 3rd, that would definitely have put things out of reach, and then seemed to run out of gas afterwards as Alex Tanguay and Jerome Iginla went other way on the rush and fed Steve Staios with the equalizer.
The Flyers continued to the look a bit tired as the game went in overtime from there. In OT the Orange and Black had another power play and this time Mike Richards appeared to score for the win, but Chris Pronger was called for a bogus penalty, nullifying goal and eventually forcing a shootout. Claude Giroux did score in the shootout, but Danny Briere and Richards both missed while Nikolas Hagman and Rene Bourqe both beat Bob to give Calgary a 3-2 shootout win. Oh well, better luck next time.
SIXERS NEWS
Coming off an embarrassing loss to the Toronto Raptors, a matchup with Miami's big three at Miami offered little hope for the Sixers and that despite the fact that the Heat came in struggling a bit. Still, like the last meeting between these two teams the Sixers made a game of it. In fact they out shot Miami from the field and from beyond at 47% and 40% respectively and out rebounded them 40-39. Unfortunately they also killed themselves at the line, shooting just 57% while shot nearly 80% from the line and that's probably where they one game. That especially evident during crunch time when Miami was able to go to the hole and get their points when they had to while the Sixers could not. Evan Turner was also blanked for the 2nd game in a row which didn't help matters. Jodie Meeks with 21 and Thad Young with 11 did try to pick up the slack off the bench but it wasn't enough. Andre Iguodala also 20, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, and Elton Brand returned from his suspension to provide 12 and 8 rebounds but it was all a futile effort.
Early on Miami jumped out to an 8 point lead at the end of 1 quarter. The Sixers trailed by as many as 12 at one point in the 2nd quarter before Meeks came off bench for 18 quick points to spark a Sixer rally that saw them cut the lead to 4 by the half. The inspired Sixers trailed by just 2 heading into the 4th quarter but that's where everything got away again. Where Miami was able to raise their game pull out a nice lead, the Sixers, already playing at their peak, could only stand and watch. Eventually after a bunch of drives to the hope by Lebron the Heat were able to claw their way to a 9 point win, 99-90. For the Sixers it's their 13th loss of the season and another tough pill to swallow, as they continue to rapidly run out of time to find some kind of consistency before everything is too far out of reach.
Early on Miami jumped out to an 8 point lead at the end of 1 quarter. The Sixers trailed by as many as 12 at one point in the 2nd quarter before Meeks came off bench for 18 quick points to spark a Sixer rally that saw them cut the lead to 4 by the half. The inspired Sixers trailed by just 2 heading into the 4th quarter but that's where everything got away again. Where Miami was able to raise their game pull out a nice lead, the Sixers, already playing at their peak, could only stand and watch. Eventually after a bunch of drives to the hope by Lebron the Heat were able to claw their way to a 9 point win, 99-90. For the Sixers it's their 13th loss of the season and another tough pill to swallow, as they continue to rapidly run out of time to find some kind of consistency before everything is too far out of reach.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers traveled to Minnesota tonight as Sergei Bobrovsky returned to lineup. Bobrovsky and the Flyers defense shutdown the Wild almost completely, holding them to just 16 shots on goal, 15 of them stopped by Bob, and blanking them on the power play. The Flyers also continued to flounder on the power play but they still racked up 6 goals, as 11 different Flyers racked up points on the night. Most notably, James Van Reimsdyk had his 2nd goal in as many nights, and Danny Briere and Andreas Nodl each had a goal and an assist. Really, it was pretty much all Orange and Black all night long. The Wild were just no match for the Flyers.
Just 3 minutes into the 1st period JVR was setup by Braydon Coburn and Nodl for a 1-0 lead. A couple minutes later Jeff Carter scored unassisted for a 2-0 cushion. After Minnesota cut it to 2-1 late in the 2nd period, Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino setup Briere in final minute of the period to make it 3-1. Early in the 3rd period Nodl scored shorthanded for a 4-1 lead. A minute later Briere repayed the favor to Leino, setting him up for a 5-1 lead. Finally Jody Shelley of all people, snuck one by Wild goalie, Nicklas Backstrom to end the scoring at 6-1 Orange and Black. The win was the Flyers 3rd in a row and gives them a league and Eastern conference leading 32 points.
Just 3 minutes into the 1st period JVR was setup by Braydon Coburn and Nodl for a 1-0 lead. A couple minutes later Jeff Carter scored unassisted for a 2-0 cushion. After Minnesota cut it to 2-1 late in the 2nd period, Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino setup Briere in final minute of the period to make it 3-1. Early in the 3rd period Nodl scored shorthanded for a 4-1 lead. A minute later Briere repayed the favor to Leino, setting him up for a 5-1 lead. Finally Jody Shelley of all people, snuck one by Wild goalie, Nicklas Backstrom to end the scoring at 6-1 Orange and Black. The win was the Flyers 3rd in a row and gives them a league and Eastern conference leading 32 points.
SIXERS NEWS
Things went from bad to worse for the Sixers tonight as they traveled to Toronto. Owing to his ejection against Washington Elton Brand was suspended for the night, as Craig Brackins finally made his Sixer regular season debut with a 6 point effort. Unfortunately he didn't do much on the defensive side of the ball with 1 rebound and 0 blocks. That kind of defensive effort wrote the story for the Sixers in this one. Coming off an OT loss the night before you couldn't expect much from the Sixer's defense anyway and they obliged allowing 62 first half point to Raptors. Andre Iguodala had another 17, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds, Thad Young had 14 and 5 rebounds in his first start of the season, and Jrue Holiday had a solid 16, 6 assists and 7 rebounds, but it didn't really matter. When even Reggie Evans has a double-double, 12 points, 22 rebounds, you know you've got problems.
By the end of the 1st quarter the Sixers were already down by 15. By the half they trailed by 19 and it was all but over. Somehow the Sixers figured out a way to battle back to within 11 at one point in the 3rd quarter, but by the start of the 4th quarter they were back down by 16. Again in the 4th quarter they managed to get back to within 11 again but turnovers got in the way and eventually Toronto cruised a 16 point win as the Sixers lost their 12th game of the season. Currently only the 3-13 Clippers have lost more than the 3-12 Sixers. What a team.
By the end of the 1st quarter the Sixers were already down by 15. By the half they trailed by 19 and it was all but over. Somehow the Sixers figured out a way to battle back to within 11 at one point in the 3rd quarter, but by the start of the 4th quarter they were back down by 16. Again in the 4th quarter they managed to get back to within 11 again but turnovers got in the way and eventually Toronto cruised a 16 point win as the Sixers lost their 12th game of the season. Currently only the 3-13 Clippers have lost more than the 3-12 Sixers. What a team.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers had seen this movie before, up 3 at Washington with time for the Wizards to take one more shot. Kinda makes you wonder why the outcome wasn't any different. Andre Iguodala had 23 and 8 asssists, and 11 rebounds, Elton Brand had 19 and 7 rebounds before being ejected after a flagrant foul late in the game, Jrue Holiday had 10, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds, Evan Turner had 11, Mo Speights had 16 and 9 rebounds, Andres Nocioni had 11 as he went 3 for 3 from beyond, and Thad Young had 15 to round out 7 Sixers in double figures and yet they still came out on the short end of things. They weren't too shabby defensively either, out rebounding Washington 48-45, racking up 8 steals and holding John Wall scoreless deep into the 3rd period.
Thanks to their strong play on both sides of the ball the Sixers jumped ahead and early and took a 14 point lead into the half. As late as 8:38 in 3rd quarter they were up by as many as 16. Then wall finally got off the deck and by the start of the 4th Washington was within 4. Somehow the Sixers managed to keep finding ways to hold them off until they found themselves up by 3 with 8 seconds left and the ball. Unfortunately Evan Turner missed 2 free throws to give Washington 1 last chance to tie. With 4 seconds to play Wall threw up a prayer from half court that caught iron, but Holiday fouled him and Wall drilled all three freebies to tie the game at 106. Turner had another shot at the buzzer but missed a trey. The Sixers then had a 114-113 lead with 8 seconds left in OT as Young tipped in an Iggy runner. Unfortunately the 'Sixer killer' Nick Young hit a three over Turner to put Washington up 116-114. Once again Iggy got the last shot in OT and once again he caught iron to seal another win for the Wizards. There goes that winning streak.
Thanks to their strong play on both sides of the ball the Sixers jumped ahead and early and took a 14 point lead into the half. As late as 8:38 in 3rd quarter they were up by as many as 16. Then wall finally got off the deck and by the start of the 4th Washington was within 4. Somehow the Sixers managed to keep finding ways to hold them off until they found themselves up by 3 with 8 seconds left and the ball. Unfortunately Evan Turner missed 2 free throws to give Washington 1 last chance to tie. With 4 seconds to play Wall threw up a prayer from half court that caught iron, but Holiday fouled him and Wall drilled all three freebies to tie the game at 106. Turner had another shot at the buzzer but missed a trey. The Sixers then had a 114-113 lead with 8 seconds left in OT as Young tipped in an Iggy runner. Unfortunately the 'Sixer killer' Nick Young hit a three over Turner to put Washington up 116-114. Once again Iggy got the last shot in OT and once again he caught iron to seal another win for the Wizards. There goes that winning streak.
Monday, November 22, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
After outlasting the Capitals on Saturday, the Orange and Black once again had revenge on their minds as they welcomed the Montreal Canadiens to Wells Fargo center. Carey Price was incredible again with 42 saves but this time so were the Flyers. They out shot Montreal 45-31 and blanked the vaunted Hab's power play. Moreover, Brian Boucher was solid in goal with 29 saves and the Flyers got goals from 3 different players and assists from 6 different players in a true team effort.
Thanks to Price, the Orange and Black actually trailed 2-0 with 6 minutes left in the 2nd period. Then Danny Briere setup Ville Leino to cut the lead to 2-1 and it was all Flyers from there. Montreal managed just 11 shots in the 3rd period while the Flyers kept the pressure on Price. Finally about 2 minutes into the 3rd the Habs defense finally broke, as Darroll Powe assisted Claude Giroux on the game tying goal. 6 minutes later Braydon Coburn setup James Van Reimsdyk on the go ahead score. The Orange and Black defense took care of business from there as the Flyers took the 3-2 win and sole possession of 1st in the Eastern conference.
Thanks to Price, the Orange and Black actually trailed 2-0 with 6 minutes left in the 2nd period. Then Danny Briere setup Ville Leino to cut the lead to 2-1 and it was all Flyers from there. Montreal managed just 11 shots in the 3rd period while the Flyers kept the pressure on Price. Finally about 2 minutes into the 3rd the Habs defense finally broke, as Darroll Powe assisted Claude Giroux on the game tying goal. 6 minutes later Braydon Coburn setup James Van Reimsdyk on the go ahead score. The Orange and Black defense took care of business from there as the Flyers took the 3-2 win and sole possession of 1st in the Eastern conference.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles welcomed the New York Giants to the Linc tonight in a showdown for sole possession of 1st place in the NFC East. Coming in the Eagles were looking to defeat New York for a 5th straight time. In the Eagles last two wins over the Giants, turnovers had played a big part in the outcome and they did again this one. Superb play by the Eagles defense and a tough but efficient night by the Eagle's offense were also factor in this battle. Offensively, Mike Vick threw for just 258 yards and 0 tds, and ran for only 34 yards and 1 td, not exactly the same numbers as last week. Still Vick made all the plays when he needed to so as to ensure the Eagles would come out on top. He also had help from Lesean McCoy who rushed for 111 yards and a TD, and Jeremy Maclin who hauled in 9 passes for 120 yards. Defensively, the Birds had an impressive night against the #1 ranked offense in the NFL. They forced 5 Giants turnovers, intercepting Eli Manning 3 times and causing 2 fumbles, held the vaunted Giants running attack to just 61 yards and held Eli to just 147 yards and 2 tds. Ultimately, if not for the Eagle's defense the mistakes and missed opportunities that continued to plague the Birds in this one, would likely have cost them another sure win.
Games between divisional rivals always close battles, and this one was no exception, but it could have been. If not for some near misses by the Eagles' offense it could easily been a blowout win for the Eagles, but instead it went right down to the wire. Initially it was all Eagles as they took their 2nd drive of the game about 70 yards before Vick took a QB draw in from 4 yards out for a 7-0 lead. New York answered with a field goal but that would be their only score of the 1st half. The Eagles should have tacked on an additional 21 points before the half was over but Vick and Desean Jackson twice failed to hookup on sure tds, resulting in a couple Aker's field goals and a 13-3 lead. Then following New York's first turnover, a wide open Jason Avant dropped a sure td and the Eagles were force to settle for another FG, except Akers 3rd attempt of the evening was blocked as time expired in the half. The Eagles followed that disappointment by opening the 3rd quarter with a 7 minute drive, but again they couldn't cash in again and settled for another Aker's field goal for a 16-3 lead. All of those FGs nearly came back to haunt the Birds as New York answered with a quick TD drive and then turned a Vick fumble into another TD drive to jump ahead suddenly, 17-16. Eagles and most importantly Vick did not give up though.
On 4th and 1 from midfield with a little over 4 minutes to play the Eagles decided to go for it and the decision almost back fired as Vick stumbled on the snap and bobbled the ball, but somehow he hung on to it just long enough to execute a perfect pitch to McCoy just before getting clobbered by Osi Umenyiora. McCoy did the rest racing through a huge in the Giants line and untouched 50 yards for a TD. After a successful 2 point conversion the Eagles found themselves ahead 24-17 with under 4 minutes to play. Thank to penalties the Giants got to start their next drive at their own 40 and that's when things got wild. On the first play of the drive Manning was picked off by Asante Samuel, but Samuel attempted to return the interception, fumbled the ball away after a huge hit by RB Ahmad Bradshaw, the Giants recovered right back where they started at the 40. From there the Giants eventually found themselves with a 4th and long which Eli converted by running for it into the Eagle's territory. However, instead of sliding at the end of his run, he went down head first, without being touched and lost the ball. The Eagles recovered and marched 48 yards, thanks to another 40 yard run by McCoy, to an decisive Aker's field goal. Another Eli interception later and the Eagles had themselves a huge 27-17 win. They now move into 1st in the NFC East all alone at 7-3 overall and are near the top of the NFC standings with only the 8-2 Atlanta Falcons ahead of them.
Games between divisional rivals always close battles, and this one was no exception, but it could have been. If not for some near misses by the Eagles' offense it could easily been a blowout win for the Eagles, but instead it went right down to the wire. Initially it was all Eagles as they took their 2nd drive of the game about 70 yards before Vick took a QB draw in from 4 yards out for a 7-0 lead. New York answered with a field goal but that would be their only score of the 1st half. The Eagles should have tacked on an additional 21 points before the half was over but Vick and Desean Jackson twice failed to hookup on sure tds, resulting in a couple Aker's field goals and a 13-3 lead. Then following New York's first turnover, a wide open Jason Avant dropped a sure td and the Eagles were force to settle for another FG, except Akers 3rd attempt of the evening was blocked as time expired in the half. The Eagles followed that disappointment by opening the 3rd quarter with a 7 minute drive, but again they couldn't cash in again and settled for another Aker's field goal for a 16-3 lead. All of those FGs nearly came back to haunt the Birds as New York answered with a quick TD drive and then turned a Vick fumble into another TD drive to jump ahead suddenly, 17-16. Eagles and most importantly Vick did not give up though.
On 4th and 1 from midfield with a little over 4 minutes to play the Eagles decided to go for it and the decision almost back fired as Vick stumbled on the snap and bobbled the ball, but somehow he hung on to it just long enough to execute a perfect pitch to McCoy just before getting clobbered by Osi Umenyiora. McCoy did the rest racing through a huge in the Giants line and untouched 50 yards for a TD. After a successful 2 point conversion the Eagles found themselves ahead 24-17 with under 4 minutes to play. Thank to penalties the Giants got to start their next drive at their own 40 and that's when things got wild. On the first play of the drive Manning was picked off by Asante Samuel, but Samuel attempted to return the interception, fumbled the ball away after a huge hit by RB Ahmad Bradshaw, the Giants recovered right back where they started at the 40. From there the Giants eventually found themselves with a 4th and long which Eli converted by running for it into the Eagle's territory. However, instead of sliding at the end of his run, he went down head first, without being touched and lost the ball. The Eagles recovered and marched 48 yards, thanks to another 40 yard run by McCoy, to an decisive Aker's field goal. Another Eli interception later and the Eagles had themselves a huge 27-17 win. They now move into 1st in the NFC East all alone at 7-3 overall and are near the top of the NFC standings with only the 8-2 Atlanta Falcons ahead of them.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers swapped AHL players with the Anaheim Ducks today. They sent David Laliberte and Pat Maroon to the Ducks for defenseman Danny Syvret, who was previously a member of the Flyer's organization before signing with Anaheim in the offseason, and forward Rob Bordson.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
Fresh off a somewhat embarrassing loss to the Lightning the Flyers traveled to Washington tonight for another faceoff with the Eastern conference leading Capitals. Last time around the Flyers fell in overtime thanks to some questionable officiating. This time around the outcome was different but not by much. For the most part the Flyer defense was sound in this one, controlling the tempo and rhythm of the game, and frustrating Alexander Ovechkin all night long. All told Oveckin had just 3 shots on goal and never got one past the goalie, not exactly a winning formula for Washington. Brian Boucher, who started in goal in place of Sergei Bobrovsky, also had a solid night with 33 saves and only 1 goal allowed at even strength. He and the Flyer's penalty kill did let in 3 late scores, but none of those were Boucher's fault. The Flyer's power play continued to struggle, but they were at least successful 1 out of 9 times on the night to break an 0 for 15 slump. At even strength however, the Orange and Black continued to play at a high level, with Mike Richards picking up a goal and an assist and Chris Pronger picking up 2 key assists.
Early on the Flyers did come out a little sloppy, but they got lucky as Washingtotn found the crossbar and the post instead of the back of the net. Finally about halfway through the 1st period Marcus Johannson slipped one by Boucher for a 1-0 Capitals lead. While the Flyers were not able to answer in the 1st period, they did pick it up after that. Late in the 2nd period the hard work finally paid off as Claude Giroux redirected a Pronger blast for a power play tally to knot it up at 1. Richards followed a few minutes later slapping in the rebound off a Hartnell slap shot and the Orange and Black had the 2-1 lead and seeming total control, heading into the 3rd period. Halfway through the 3rd period Pronger fed Jeff Carter from the defensive zone and he took it rest away before firing a high wrister into the net for a 3-1 lead. That should have been the game there, but back to back questionable penalties on the Flyers led 2 quick Washington power play goals to tie it up at 3. Finally with just over 6 minutes to play Andreas Nodl a beautiful spinning backhand to put the Flyers back ahead 4-3. Again that should have been the game there as Flyers went on the power play a few minutes later.
The Orange and Black couldn't cash in though as Danny Briere ended the power play with a just under a minute left in the game by committing a foolish but obvious high sticking penalty. That led eventually to another Washington power play and yes another power play goal to tie things up at 4 with only 39 seconds left in the game to send it into overtime. Neither team scored in overtime. Although the Flyers did a have a power play to finish to the final 2 minutes of OT they again failed to cash in. So it came down to a shootout which usually means bad things for the Flyers but not tonight. Boucher stopped all 3 Capitals' attempts, including a brilliant glove save on Ovechkin, while Briere beat Washington goalie, Michal Neuvirth, through the 5 hole lift the Orange and Black to a huge 5-4 shootout win.
Early on the Flyers did come out a little sloppy, but they got lucky as Washingtotn found the crossbar and the post instead of the back of the net. Finally about halfway through the 1st period Marcus Johannson slipped one by Boucher for a 1-0 Capitals lead. While the Flyers were not able to answer in the 1st period, they did pick it up after that. Late in the 2nd period the hard work finally paid off as Claude Giroux redirected a Pronger blast for a power play tally to knot it up at 1. Richards followed a few minutes later slapping in the rebound off a Hartnell slap shot and the Orange and Black had the 2-1 lead and seeming total control, heading into the 3rd period. Halfway through the 3rd period Pronger fed Jeff Carter from the defensive zone and he took it rest away before firing a high wrister into the net for a 3-1 lead. That should have been the game there, but back to back questionable penalties on the Flyers led 2 quick Washington power play goals to tie it up at 3. Finally with just over 6 minutes to play Andreas Nodl a beautiful spinning backhand to put the Flyers back ahead 4-3. Again that should have been the game there as Flyers went on the power play a few minutes later.
The Orange and Black couldn't cash in though as Danny Briere ended the power play with a just under a minute left in the game by committing a foolish but obvious high sticking penalty. That led eventually to another Washington power play and yes another power play goal to tie things up at 4 with only 39 seconds left in the game to send it into overtime. Neither team scored in overtime. Although the Flyers did a have a power play to finish to the final 2 minutes of OT they again failed to cash in. So it came down to a shootout which usually means bad things for the Flyers but not tonight. Boucher stopped all 3 Capitals' attempts, including a brilliant glove save on Ovechkin, while Briere beat Washington goalie, Michal Neuvirth, through the 5 hole lift the Orange and Black to a huge 5-4 shootout win.
Friday, November 19, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
Having lost 5 in a row coming into tonight, their last home game before another road trip, thanks NBA scheduling people, the Sixers were desperate for a win. With Brandon Jennings and the MilWaukee Bucks in town, the chances of the Sixers getting that win seemed slim, but that's why they play the games. The Sixers played some incredible defense in this one, holding Milwaukee to just 33% shooting from the field and 0, yes 0% shooting from beyond, as well as out rebounding them 43-42 and forcing 14 turnovers, 8 of them steals. In fact, Milwaukee's 0 for 12 performance from beyond the arc, marks the first time since 2007 that the Sixers have held a team without a 3pt field goal, quite an achievement for a team that isn't known for its defense. Still turnovers and Andre Iguodala's absence nearly outdid the Sixers down the stretch, but the firepower off the bench of Lou Williams who scored 19 and Thad Young who scored 23, was ultimately just enough to hold off Milwaukee in the end.
Early on Milwaukee actually had the lead as Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings came out strong and Elton Brand got into foul trouble. Down the 5 heading into the 2nd quarter the Sixers wouldn't quit. Spurred on by their bench the Sixers rallied back and took a 6 point lead into the half. Despite Brand's continued foul trouble, they kept it up in the 3rd quarter and extended their to 13 heading into the 4th quarter. At one point in the 4th thanks to Young and Williams the lead was up as high 19 and the Sixers seemed primed to cruise to their 3rd victory of the season. Then the turnovers creeped in again and by the 2 minute mark of the 4th Milwaukee had sliced the lead all the way down to 8. Just it when it seemed they might have another let down, Lou Williams drilled a 3 to push the lead back to 11, prompting Doug Collins to literally look to the heavens and say thank you. A bunch of missed shots later and the Sixers had held on for a 90-79 win. Despite the win the Sixers remain last in the Atlantic division at 3-10 overall, but hopefully this win over a decent team is just the start of something bigger.
Early on Milwaukee actually had the lead as Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings came out strong and Elton Brand got into foul trouble. Down the 5 heading into the 2nd quarter the Sixers wouldn't quit. Spurred on by their bench the Sixers rallied back and took a 6 point lead into the half. Despite Brand's continued foul trouble, they kept it up in the 3rd quarter and extended their to 13 heading into the 4th quarter. At one point in the 4th thanks to Young and Williams the lead was up as high 19 and the Sixers seemed primed to cruise to their 3rd victory of the season. Then the turnovers creeped in again and by the 2 minute mark of the 4th Milwaukee had sliced the lead all the way down to 8. Just it when it seemed they might have another let down, Lou Williams drilled a 3 to push the lead back to 11, prompting Doug Collins to literally look to the heavens and say thank you. A bunch of missed shots later and the Sixers had held on for a 90-79 win. Despite the win the Sixers remain last in the Atlantic division at 3-10 overall, but hopefully this win over a decent team is just the start of something bigger.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils prepared themselves for spring training today. They added 5 players to their 40 man roster, including top 1st base prospect Matt Rizzoti who tore up Reading and Lehigh Valley last season. They also sent out spring training invites to 12 non roster players, including Catcher Dane Sardinha who made his major league debut with the Phils last season, after Carlos Ruiz, Brian Schneider, and Paul Hoover all went down with injuries. Sardinha homered in that game to help the Phils get the much needed win and with Hoover gone now, he could very well wind up as at least the Phils #3 catcher, guaranteeing himself a September call up.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers got roped into an old west shootout at the Wells Fargo center tonight, as they combined with the Tampa Bay Lightning for 15 goals. Not once, not twice, but 4 times, the Flyers had a lead and 4 times they failed to hold it, and 3 of those 4 times they were up by 2 goals. It's easy to blame the goaltending on a night like this. After all Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled after after allowing 4 goals on just 11 shots in 1 period of play and Brian Boucher did no better allowing another 4 goals on 22 shots. They pretty good excuses though. Having not rested in 11 games now, Bobrovsky was obviously tired, and having not played in 11 games, Boucher was obviously rusty. Both were also hung out to dry by their defense. While the Flyers only allowed 33 shots on goal, which isn't terrible, far too many were from point blank range. Moroever, the vaunted Flyer penalty kill disappeared, allowing 3 goals out of a whopping 9 power play opportunities. The Orange and Black meanwhile were 0 for 4 on the power play which probably cost them a chance to outduel Tampa in this one.
Early in the first period Nikolay Zherdev and Andreas Nodl scored goals within seconds of another to put the Flyers up 2-0. Their lead lasted just over 3 minutes as Steve Stamkos and Martin St. Louis teamed up for a power play tally, and Adam Hall slipped one by Bobrovsky to tie it at 2. James Van Reimsdyk picked up the assist as Jeff Carter briefly put the Orange and Black back ahead 3-2. Again it didn't last St. Louis setup Ryan Malone on the power play to tie it at 3 just 4 minutes later. With help from Matt Carle and Ville Leino Braydon Coburn registered his 100th career point to put the Flyers back up 4-3. Then Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell combined to make it 5-3 just a few minutes later. Again the breathing room didn't last. Brett Clark scored just seconds after Briere to cut it to 5-4. Then Stamkos and St. Louis teamed up again early in the 2nd period to tie it up at 5.
From there Daroll Powe setup Nikolay Zherdev for his 2nd goal of the night to make it 6-5, less than a minute later. 5 minutes after that JVR picked up his 2nd assist, as Andrej Mezjaros scored for a 7-5 lead. Again though it didn't last. Stamkos and St. Louis teamed up to assist ex-Flyer Steve Downie to cut it to 7-6. Then Stamkos and St.Louis teamed up on the power play again to tie it at 7. Finally, 5 minutes into the 3rd period Nate Thompson scored to give Tampa its first lead of the night, at 8-7. That was finally too much for the Orange and Black to overcome as they dropped their 2nd in a row 8-7.
Early in the first period Nikolay Zherdev and Andreas Nodl scored goals within seconds of another to put the Flyers up 2-0. Their lead lasted just over 3 minutes as Steve Stamkos and Martin St. Louis teamed up for a power play tally, and Adam Hall slipped one by Bobrovsky to tie it at 2. James Van Reimsdyk picked up the assist as Jeff Carter briefly put the Orange and Black back ahead 3-2. Again it didn't last St. Louis setup Ryan Malone on the power play to tie it at 3 just 4 minutes later. With help from Matt Carle and Ville Leino Braydon Coburn registered his 100th career point to put the Flyers back up 4-3. Then Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell combined to make it 5-3 just a few minutes later. Again the breathing room didn't last. Brett Clark scored just seconds after Briere to cut it to 5-4. Then Stamkos and St. Louis teamed up again early in the 2nd period to tie it up at 5.
From there Daroll Powe setup Nikolay Zherdev for his 2nd goal of the night to make it 6-5, less than a minute later. 5 minutes after that JVR picked up his 2nd assist, as Andrej Mezjaros scored for a 7-5 lead. Again though it didn't last. Stamkos and St. Louis teamed up to assist ex-Flyer Steve Downie to cut it to 7-6. Then Stamkos and St.Louis teamed up on the power play again to tie it at 7. Finally, 5 minutes into the 3rd period Nate Thompson scored to give Tampa its first lead of the night, at 8-7. That was finally too much for the Orange and Black to overcome as they dropped their 2nd in a row 8-7.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers finally returned home tonight, as they looked to snap a 4 game losing streak against the lowly Toronto Raptors. The two teams came in tied for last in the Atlantic division as expected it wasn't pretty night, particularly for the Sixers whose shooting touch and bench didn't show up. Overall the Sixers shot just 36% from the field and 12% from beyond. It's just hard to win when you can't consistently make shots. The Sixer's bench coudn't consistently do anything tonight, as it contributed just 14 points, 10 by Thad Young. It's even harder to win when you get that little from your bench. Sure Elton Brand had 27, and Jrue Holiday had 17 and 7 assists, and Evan Turner had 11 and 12 rebounds, but those numbers only go so far when there's nothing to back them up from the bench. Defensively, the Sixers were solid out rebounding Toronto 48-44, and forcing them into 13 turnovers, but they just couldn't stop Andrea Bargnani who dropped 30, or Sonny Weems who fastbreaked his way to a career high 25. Finally when you put all those shortcomings together with a costly turnovers in the final minutes, you get a 5th straight loss.
Early on despite their poor shooting, the Sixers actually had the lead and seemingly control of the game. They lead by 1 after a quarter and 1 at the half, then extended to a 7 point lead in the 3rd quarter. Unfortunately, with Andre Iguodala still on the sidelines nursing a strained achilles, the Sixers didn't have the fire power to pull away from the Raptors. Instead they found themselves still ahead by just 1 heading into the 4th quarter. For most of the 4th quarter the two teams were pretty even. In fact with just under 3 minutes to play they were tied at 85. Then the turnovers creeped in for the Sixers and Toronto used them to pull ahead and then away to a 94-86 victory. With the loss the Sixers fall to 2-10 on the season and last place in the Atlantic division all by themselves. What a team.
Early on despite their poor shooting, the Sixers actually had the lead and seemingly control of the game. They lead by 1 after a quarter and 1 at the half, then extended to a 7 point lead in the 3rd quarter. Unfortunately, with Andre Iguodala still on the sidelines nursing a strained achilles, the Sixers didn't have the fire power to pull away from the Raptors. Instead they found themselves still ahead by just 1 heading into the 4th quarter. For most of the 4th quarter the two teams were pretty even. In fact with just under 3 minutes to play they were tied at 85. Then the turnovers creeped in for the Sixers and Toronto used them to pull ahead and then away to a 94-86 victory. With the loss the Sixers fall to 2-10 on the season and last place in the Atlantic division all by themselves. What a team.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils have signed left reliever and ex-Marlin Dan Meyer to a minor league contract. As a lefty he immediately becomes another candidate to fill the void left by J.C Romero's departure. The Phils will still probably try to add more lefties though.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers came into tonight, in a matchup against the Montreal Canadiens, having a earned at least a point in 10 straight games and they had little trouble doing so. Even the tough Ottawa Senators couldn't keep the Flyers from blowing them away 5-1 last night. Unfortunately, it seems that effort against Ottawa and the long over night travel from Philly all the way to Montreal might have taken it's tole on the Orange and Black in this one. Well that, and the dazzling play of Carey Price. He was just too good tonight. Tired or not, the Flyers still managed to slap 41 shots at him and he stopped them all. The Orange and Black also went 0 for 6 on the power play, mostly thanks to Price, and that didn't help matters either. Moreover, Danny Briere and Claude Giroux, usually more enthused in front of their home crowd, combined for just 4 shots on goal and considering how the Flyers have relied on those 2 this season that was probably the difference.
For their part Montreal was not impressive necessarily,but they were solid and they did what they had to. Mike Cammalleri had the only goal in the first period for a 1-0 Habs lead. Tomas Plekanec followed with the only goal in the 2nd period for a 2-0 Habs lead. Finally, Brian Gionta put the Flyers away with the only goal in the 3rd period for a 3-0 Habs. Price basically did the rest as the Canadiens went on to win by that score. Considering how hot they were coming, the Flyers were due for a night like this and it's not all that surprising. You just have to tip your cat Price in this one and move on.
For their part Montreal was not impressive necessarily,but they were solid and they did what they had to. Mike Cammalleri had the only goal in the first period for a 1-0 Habs lead. Tomas Plekanec followed with the only goal in the 2nd period for a 2-0 Habs lead. Finally, Brian Gionta put the Flyers away with the only goal in the 3rd period for a 3-0 Habs. Price basically did the rest as the Canadiens went on to win by that score. Considering how hot they were coming, the Flyers were due for a night like this and it's not all that surprising. You just have to tip your cat Price in this one and move on.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers finished their road trip with a less than satisfying stop in Cleveland tonight. Andre Iguodala sat out again with his strained achilles which didn't help matters. Still, Jrue Holiday had 11 and 10 assists, Evan Turner had a career high 16 and 9 rebounds, Elton Brand had 13 and 11 rebounds, Andres Nocioni had 12, Thad Young 17 and 8 rebounds off the bench, as Lou Williams was big off the bench as well with 10 and 7 assists, so there was plenty of scoring and defense to go around even without Iggy. The Sixers also outrebounded the Cavs 45-38, and shot better than them at the line and from beyond. Finally the Sixers had the lead after the 1st quarter for one of the few times all season. Yet, despite all of that they still came out on the short end of things. Although they were better than Cleveland for several stretches of time, they just couldn't carry it all the way through the game from start to finish. They also turned the ball over 15 times to Cleveland's 7 and that's probably where this one really got away from them.
Thanks to a hot start from the floor the Sixers did actually have a 4 point lead after 1 quarter. They cooled off a little in the 2nd quarter but still managed to go into the half with the score tied and seemed to be on the right track foe their 3rd win. Unfortunately the turnovers creeped in the 3rd quarter as the Sixers fell behind by 10. They had chances to get back in it, in the 4th quarter and even outscored the Cavs 23-21, but just like the last time these two teams met in Philly, Cleveland had just enough to hold off the Sixers, 101-93. The loss is the Sixers 4th in a row. Fortunately they now host the equally inept Toronto Raptors tomorrow night which is definitely an excellent opportunity for them to get a 3rd win finally.
Thanks to a hot start from the floor the Sixers did actually have a 4 point lead after 1 quarter. They cooled off a little in the 2nd quarter but still managed to go into the half with the score tied and seemed to be on the right track foe their 3rd win. Unfortunately the turnovers creeped in the 3rd quarter as the Sixers fell behind by 10. They had chances to get back in it, in the 4th quarter and even outscored the Cavs 23-21, but just like the last time these two teams met in Philly, Cleveland had just enough to hold off the Sixers, 101-93. The loss is the Sixers 4th in a row. Fortunately they now host the equally inept Toronto Raptors tomorrow night which is definitely an excellent opportunity for them to get a 3rd win finally.
PHILLIES NEWS
Roy Halladay was named the NL CY Young award winner today, making him just 5th pitcher in history to win a CY Young in both leagues, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry. Here's to adding a world series ring to that CY Young trophy.
Monday, November 15, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
It was truly a night for the history books as the Eagles traveled to Fedex field and exacted total revenge on the Washington Redskins for the sloppy early season loss the Birds suffered the last time these two teams met in Philly. Mike Vick became the first the QB in NFL history to throw for 300+ yards and 4 TDs and rush for 50 + yards and 2 TDs in the same game as the Eagles racked up 592 yards offense and a Monday night football record, 59 points. It's not as though the Redskins defense was that poor either, the Eagles were just that good and it wasn't all Vick. Desean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Jason Avant all had over 70 yards receiving and a TD. Lesean McCoy had a combined 97 yards and a TD. Finally, newly acquired Jerome Harrison had his best night as an Eagle by far, with 11 carries for 109 and a TD. The Eagles defense also wasn't too shabby, picking off Donovan Mcnabb, 3 times, two by Dmitri Patterson, and sacking him twice. Washington did have over 300 yards of offense but it did little to help their cause.
The night started with a bang as Vick fired an 88 yard TD pass to Jackson on the first play from scrimmage, stunning the home crowd. After a 3 and out by the Skins ,the next Eagle's drive went 63 yards before Vick scrambled in from 7 yards out for a 14-0 lead. After Donovan's 1st interception of the night, McCoy took a screen pass 11 yards to pay dirt for a 21-0 lead. Finally Harrison finished off the 1st quarter by rumbling 50 yards for a TD, to give the Birds and NFL record tying 28-0 lead after 1 quarter of play. The 2nd quarter also started with a bang as Vick hit Maclin with a beautiful 48 yard bomb to make it 35-0. After a couple Mcnabb TD passes briefly restored Redskin hopes, Vick answered with his 2nd TD run night, this time from 6 yards out on a designed play, to make it 42-14.
Later in the final seconds of the half David Akers booted a 45 yard field goal for a 45-14 halftime lead. They weren't done yet though. After Washington opened the 2nd half with a TD drive, Vick lead a 71 yard drive, capped off a by perfectly patient 3 yard TD pass to Avant for 52-21 lead. A minute Patterson picked off Mcnabb for the 3rd time of the night and raced 40 yards for another score and 59-21 lead. That was all she wrote as Mcnabb and the Skins added a late TD to make the final score a still embarrassing 59-28. At the 6-3 the Eagles are now once again tied for 1st in the NFC East as they welcome the New York Giants to the Linc next week in a showdown for division supremacy. Bring em on.
The night started with a bang as Vick fired an 88 yard TD pass to Jackson on the first play from scrimmage, stunning the home crowd. After a 3 and out by the Skins ,the next Eagle's drive went 63 yards before Vick scrambled in from 7 yards out for a 14-0 lead. After Donovan's 1st interception of the night, McCoy took a screen pass 11 yards to pay dirt for a 21-0 lead. Finally Harrison finished off the 1st quarter by rumbling 50 yards for a TD, to give the Birds and NFL record tying 28-0 lead after 1 quarter of play. The 2nd quarter also started with a bang as Vick hit Maclin with a beautiful 48 yard bomb to make it 35-0. After a couple Mcnabb TD passes briefly restored Redskin hopes, Vick answered with his 2nd TD run night, this time from 6 yards out on a designed play, to make it 42-14.
Later in the final seconds of the half David Akers booted a 45 yard field goal for a 45-14 halftime lead. They weren't done yet though. After Washington opened the 2nd half with a TD drive, Vick lead a 71 yard drive, capped off a by perfectly patient 3 yard TD pass to Avant for 52-21 lead. A minute Patterson picked off Mcnabb for the 3rd time of the night and raced 40 yards for another score and 59-21 lead. That was all she wrote as Mcnabb and the Skins added a late TD to make the final score a still embarrassing 59-28. At the 6-3 the Eagles are now once again tied for 1st in the NFC East as they welcome the New York Giants to the Linc next week in a showdown for division supremacy. Bring em on.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers came in tonight red hot, and looking to stay perfect against Eastern conference teams. This particular night though was supposed to be a much sterner test, than what the Orange and Black had faced before. Ultimately, thanks to a rash of foolish penalties by the Ottawa Senators it really wasn't all that tough at all. Offensively they generated 46 shots on goal and had a 4 different guys score at least 1 goal, with Daroll Powe, Mike Richards, Claude Giroux and Danny Briere all getting in on the act. Meanwhile the Flyer defense was solid again allowing just 29 shots on goal and no power play tallies. Still the stalwart for the D continued be Sergei Obrovsky who collected another 27 saves. He's impenetrable right now.
Danny Briere got things going about midway through the 1st period, with Andrej Meszaros assisting on the contest's first score. Just a few minutes later Claude Giroux and Kimmo Timonen teamed up to setup Powe for a 2-1 lead. Late in the 2nd period Giroux blasted one home off a broken play to make it 3-1 Orange and Black. Early in the 3rd period Richards scored shorthanded for a 4-1 lead. Just a minute later Giroux and Braydon Coburn teamed up to assist Richards as he made it 5-1. Mercilessly for Ottawa the Flyers eased off after that and cruised to the 5-1 win. Next up the Eastern conference's current #3 seed, the Montreal Canadiens. Bring em on.
Danny Briere got things going about midway through the 1st period, with Andrej Meszaros assisting on the contest's first score. Just a few minutes later Claude Giroux and Kimmo Timonen teamed up to setup Powe for a 2-1 lead. Late in the 2nd period Giroux blasted one home off a broken play to make it 3-1 Orange and Black. Early in the 3rd period Richards scored shorthanded for a 4-1 lead. Just a minute later Giroux and Braydon Coburn teamed up to assist Richards as he made it 5-1. Mercilessly for Ottawa the Flyers eased off after that and cruised to the 5-1 win. Next up the Eastern conference's current #3 seed, the Montreal Canadiens. Bring em on.
PHILLIES NEWS
It was busy day for the Phils. First they hired, hall of fame 2nd basemen, Ryne Sandberg to manage the AAA Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. This is not the first team SandBerg has donned the Phils red pinstripes. He actually began his major league with the Phillies in 1991. Unfortunately, at the time, the Phils thought he was only a 3rd basemen and would be perpetually blocked from joining the big club by Hall of Fame 3rd baseman Mike Schmidt. They were wrong on both accounts. Sandberg was traded to the Chicago Cubs where he shifted to 2B and played out a hall of fame career. Meanwhile, Schmidt retired just 7 years after the trade that sent Sandberg away. Not that's he back, Sandberg is immediately a candidate to succeed Charlie Manuel as the Phils manager, when the time comes for old Charlie to retire.
After locking up Sandberg, the Phils agreed with Jose Contreras on a 2 year contract extension worth $5.5 million plus bonuses. Contreras made up a big 3 along with Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson at the back of the Phils bullpen last season. Thus, it's a good thing he's locked up for another 2 years. The Phils will just need to figure out what to do with their middle relief now.
After locking up Sandberg, the Phils agreed with Jose Contreras on a 2 year contract extension worth $5.5 million plus bonuses. Contreras made up a big 3 along with Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson at the back of the Phils bullpen last season. Thus, it's a good thing he's locked up for another 2 years. The Phils will just need to figure out what to do with their middle relief now.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Orange and Black had a huge day saturday in more ways than one. They and Jeff Carter agreed to a 11 year $58 million extension. They might sound high, but the cap hit is only $5.27 million over the 11 years, which is actually quite cheap, considering Carter's age and skill level. With 30+ goals the last 2 seasons and another 30-40 goals, already just about a given this season, he should be worth the investment. Moreover, his meager cap hit, leaves the Flyers room to lock up Ville Leino, also slated to be a free agent after a season, to a long term deal as well. If they do that as expected, with Richards, Giroux, and now Carter already locked up, they'll have a pretty good foundation to build upon and maintain their winning ways over the next few years.
Anyway, the other Flyer news on the night was an easy win over the lowly Florida Panthers. The offense stayed hot with another 5 goals and 6 assists. Giroux and Richards each scored two goals and Leino had 2 more assists to lead the way. Meanwhile, the Flyer defense remained solid, if not strong with 10 takeaways, only 4 penalties, and a majority of the faceoffs won. Still, the real stalwart for the defense, continued to be Sergei Bobrovsky who racked up another 34 saves out of the 36 shots he faced. He's just red hot right now and seeming impenetrable, but he is also a rookie, so there could still be some growing pains, but who cares about that right now.
It was a somewhat tight game for 11 minutes than the Flyers took over. Just 14 seconds into the 12th minute of the first period, Andreas Nodl assisted Richards for a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later Leino setup Scott Hartnell to make it 2-0. 7 minutes into the 2nd period Carter setup Richards for a power play tally to make it 3-0. Giroux followed just a couple minutes later with another power play tally, as Leino picked up his 2nd assist. A couple minutes after that Giroux scored again, this time unassisted to make it 5-0 Orange and Black and that was about all she wrote. Florida did add a couple late goals, but it made little difference as the Flyers cruised to a 5-2 win. Can anyone in the NHL possibly be hotter than the Flyers right now.
Anyway, the other Flyer news on the night was an easy win over the lowly Florida Panthers. The offense stayed hot with another 5 goals and 6 assists. Giroux and Richards each scored two goals and Leino had 2 more assists to lead the way. Meanwhile, the Flyer defense remained solid, if not strong with 10 takeaways, only 4 penalties, and a majority of the faceoffs won. Still, the real stalwart for the defense, continued to be Sergei Bobrovsky who racked up another 34 saves out of the 36 shots he faced. He's just red hot right now and seeming impenetrable, but he is also a rookie, so there could still be some growing pains, but who cares about that right now.
It was a somewhat tight game for 11 minutes than the Flyers took over. Just 14 seconds into the 12th minute of the first period, Andreas Nodl assisted Richards for a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later Leino setup Scott Hartnell to make it 2-0. 7 minutes into the 2nd period Carter setup Richards for a power play tally to make it 3-0. Giroux followed just a couple minutes later with another power play tally, as Leino picked up his 2nd assist. A couple minutes after that Giroux scored again, this time unassisted to make it 5-0 Orange and Black and that was about all she wrote. Florida did add a couple late goals, but it made little difference as the Flyers cruised to a 5-2 win. Can anyone in the NHL possibly be hotter than the Flyers right now.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers continued their west coast trip in San Antonio tonight. Coming in the Sixers had never won in San Antonio before. Thanks an incredible night by Tony Parker who had 24 and 7 assists, they still haven't. The Sixers for the part, played a solid game. 5 Sixers scored in double figures with Jrue Holiday's 16 and 5 assists, and Lou Williams 13 off the bench leading the way. Mo Speights also chipped in with 11 and 7 rebounds, and Andre Iguodala and Thad Young had 10 each. While they're shooting from the field as just okay at 41%, they were actually pretty good from beyond at 44% with 4 treys, and they were great at the line for once, at 87%. Defensively, the Sixers were badly outrebounded 47-38, but had 6 blocks and 5 steals and managed to hold the Spurs to just under 50% shooting on the day. So on the whole it wasn't terrible. The problem for the Sixers in this one was that the Spurs were just that much better.
In the 1st quarter alone the Sixers were outscored 39-28 and looked out of sorts. Somehow they managed to close to within 9 by the half, but that would be their last positive moment of the night. The 3rd quarter was all Spurs, 35-12, as the Sixers went cold from the field and the Spur defense totally locked them down. By the start of the 4th the Sixers were embarrassingly down by 32, their largest deficit all season. As they have all season the Sixers did turn things around in the 4th, outscoring the Spurs 29-20, but it was truly too little too late, as San Antonio cruised to a 23 point victory, 116-93. This is really the first time all the season the Sixers have been really roughed up like this all season. It's hard to say what went wrong. You really just have to give the Spurs credit. They were just in a different class than the Sixers tonight.
In the 1st quarter alone the Sixers were outscored 39-28 and looked out of sorts. Somehow they managed to close to within 9 by the half, but that would be their last positive moment of the night. The 3rd quarter was all Spurs, 35-12, as the Sixers went cold from the field and the Spur defense totally locked them down. By the start of the 4th the Sixers were embarrassingly down by 32, their largest deficit all season. As they have all season the Sixers did turn things around in the 4th, outscoring the Spurs 29-20, but it was truly too little too late, as San Antonio cruised to a 23 point victory, 116-93. This is really the first time all the season the Sixers have been really roughed up like this all season. It's hard to say what went wrong. You really just have to give the Spurs credit. They were just in a different class than the Sixers tonight.
Friday, November 12, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers continued their west coast trip in Dallas tonight against the Mavericks and an ailing Dirk Nowitzki, who played with a sprained ankle. As they have all season they came to play and gave the Mavs all they could handle. In the end though the Sixer's lack of experience in closing out games proved too much overcome against the Veteran Mavs. 12% shooting from beyond and 60% shooting from line were also a major factor for the Sixers in this one. To be fair the Mavs didn't necessarily shoot that well either, at only 27% from beyond,but they hit their shots when it counted and they were solid at the free throw line, at 79% overall.
In fact, the Sixers defense was actually pretty good in this one, as they held one of better shooting teams in the league, to under 50% from the field, and forced them into 10 turnovers, all of them steals. They managed to keep things pretty even on the boards, with Dallas barely edging them 47 to 42. Again though, Dallas got the rebounds when it really counted and none of their turnovers were of the careless variety. They too forced the Sixers into some turnovers, 13 of them to be exact, and only 6 of those 13 were steals. That's 7 Sixer turnovers that probably never should have happened and that alone could have made the difference for them in this one.
Still, despite all of their shortcomings, the Sixers still made it a close, exciting game for the most part and that's about all you can ask for from such a young team. Things didn't look exciting early on as the Mavs jumped out to a 9 point lead through 1 quarter. The play of Andre Iguodala, who had 13 and 7 rebounds in his return to the lineup, and Jrue Holiday, who had 11 and 13 assists, kept Dallas from extending their lead in the 2nd, and in fact the Sixers closed to within 7 at the half. The Sixers continued their march back in the 3rd quarter, eventually drawing even at 71 a piece with 2:25 left in the quarter. Dallas, was just able to hold them off though, as they took a 3 point lead into the 4th quarter. In the 4th, Dallas shifted into a zone and the Sixers, unable to rebound or hit threes down the stretch, never really figured it out. Somehow they at least managed to keep it close, but in the end Dallas cruised to a 99-90 win. So the Sixers drop to 2-7 overall, but still have only one loss by double digits this season, which enough for me to hang on to some hope for the remainder of the season.
In fact, the Sixers defense was actually pretty good in this one, as they held one of better shooting teams in the league, to under 50% from the field, and forced them into 10 turnovers, all of them steals. They managed to keep things pretty even on the boards, with Dallas barely edging them 47 to 42. Again though, Dallas got the rebounds when it really counted and none of their turnovers were of the careless variety. They too forced the Sixers into some turnovers, 13 of them to be exact, and only 6 of those 13 were steals. That's 7 Sixer turnovers that probably never should have happened and that alone could have made the difference for them in this one.
Still, despite all of their shortcomings, the Sixers still made it a close, exciting game for the most part and that's about all you can ask for from such a young team. Things didn't look exciting early on as the Mavs jumped out to a 9 point lead through 1 quarter. The play of Andre Iguodala, who had 13 and 7 rebounds in his return to the lineup, and Jrue Holiday, who had 11 and 13 assists, kept Dallas from extending their lead in the 2nd, and in fact the Sixers closed to within 7 at the half. The Sixers continued their march back in the 3rd quarter, eventually drawing even at 71 a piece with 2:25 left in the quarter. Dallas, was just able to hold them off though, as they took a 3 point lead into the 4th quarter. In the 4th, Dallas shifted into a zone and the Sixers, unable to rebound or hit threes down the stretch, never really figured it out. Somehow they at least managed to keep it close, but in the end Dallas cruised to a 99-90 win. So the Sixers drop to 2-7 overall, but still have only one loss by double digits this season, which enough for me to hang on to some hope for the remainder of the season.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers rebounded from their close loss to the Washington Capitals with a drubbing of the Carolina Hurricanes tonight. Carolina came in full of confidence, fresh off a 7-1 win over the NHL's worst team, the Edmonton Oilers. All of that confidence is probably gone now. Once again, against a bad team the Flyer's the defense was not at it's best, but it didn't have to be as Sergei Bobrovsky continued his torrid pace, with 35 saves out of the 36 Carolina threw his way. Who needs defense when you have goaltending like that. Anyway, Bobrovsky had plenty of help from his friends on the other side of the ice, as the Orange and Black pumped in 8 goals, including a perfect 2 for 2 on the power play. Jeff Carter led the way with a hat trick, while Danny Briere had 2 goals and an assist and Claude Giroux chipped in with 2 more assists.
Briere started things off just under 8 minutes into the first period, with Leino and Hartnell assisting. With just over a minute left in the period Carter registered his first tally of night on the power play to give the Orange and Black a 2-0 cushion heading into the first intermission. Just 1:54 into the 2nd period Carter struck again, deflecting in a Andrej Meszaros slapshot for a 3-0 lead. A few minutes a later he completed the hat trick, with Briere setting him up on the power play and the route was on. The Flyer's weren't done yet though. Early in the 3rd period Mike Richards scored shorthanded for a 5-0. After that Carolina finally got on the board but their momentum was short lived. Just a minute after Scott Hartnell scored unassisted for a 6-1 lead. A couple minutes after that Dan Carcillo setup Briere for his 2nd goal of the day and it was 7-1. Finally, with a couple minutes left in the period Nikolay Zherdev got in on the fun, with an assist from Andreas Nodl and at 8-1 Orange and Black the scoring ended.
Briere started things off just under 8 minutes into the first period, with Leino and Hartnell assisting. With just over a minute left in the period Carter registered his first tally of night on the power play to give the Orange and Black a 2-0 cushion heading into the first intermission. Just 1:54 into the 2nd period Carter struck again, deflecting in a Andrej Meszaros slapshot for a 3-0 lead. A few minutes a later he completed the hat trick, with Briere setting him up on the power play and the route was on. The Flyer's weren't done yet though. Early in the 3rd period Mike Richards scored shorthanded for a 5-0. After that Carolina finally got on the board but their momentum was short lived. Just a minute after Scott Hartnell scored unassisted for a 6-1 lead. A couple minutes after that Dan Carcillo setup Briere for his 2nd goal of the day and it was 7-1. Finally, with a couple minutes left in the period Nikolay Zherdev got in on the fun, with an assist from Andreas Nodl and at 8-1 Orange and Black the scoring ended.
EAGLES NEWS
TE Cornelius Ingram is back with Birds. After cutting him following training camp in September the Eagles have signed Ingram to their practice squad. With Brent Celek, Garret Mills, and Clay Harbor all ahead of him on the depth chart, there's no room for him on the Eagles' roster at this point, but hopefully this will be a spring board for him to join the roster the next season and finally deliver on all the promise the Eagles saw him when they drafter him in the 5th round of the 2009 draft.
PHILLIES NEWS
Juan Samuel is coming back to where his baseball career began. He'll be the Phils 3rd base coach next season while Sam Perlozzo shifts across the diamond to coach 1st base. Like Perlozzo, Samuel spent his last couple years before joining the Phils, as a member of the Orioles' organization, mostly as their 3rd base coach. He already holds two everlasting distinctions in Phils history, with the franchise single season record of 72 stolen bases, and as the guy who was traded to the Mets for Lenny Dykstra. Here's hoping he earns another distinction this season, world champion.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
Andre Iguodala remained on the sidelines as the Sixers began a tough west coast trip in Oklahoma City with a matchup against Kevin Durant and the Thunder. Surprisingly, even without Iguodala, the Sixers were able to give the Thunder all they could handle.They struggled to score at times with Iggy in there but now A=all of the sudden they look like a team that score with anyone. In fact, 5 Sixers scored in double figures tonight. Elton Brand was probably the leading man with 17 and 9 rebounds, but Jrue Holiday was also great with 17 and 11 assists, Evan Turner looked good in his 2nd start with 15 and 8 rebounds, Andres Nocioni had an impressive 12 points while guarding Durant most of the night, and Jodie Meeks poured in 17 points off the bench, while drilling 4 of 5 from beyond.
Unfortunately while they performed well offensively, the Sixer's defense was less than impressive and it cost them tonight. They did out rebound OKC 37-34 and post 8 steals, but other than that the defense was poor. Durant and Russell Westbrooik were both practically unstoppable with 31 points apiece. Oklahoma also shot 49% from the field, 1% higher than the Sixers and they seemed to do a better job spreading the floor. As a result the Sixers struggled to contest shots all night long, and ended up with just 1 block for their struggles. In addition to the mediocre defense the Sixers all turned the ball over way too many times with 16 to the Thunder's 14. Put together turnovers with bad defense and you don't usually get a win. The Sixers came pretty close though.
Early in the contest the Sixers hung right in there with OKC, seemingly matching them shot for shot. They were safely within 4 as the 2nd quarter began. In the 2nd quarter, Sixers' foul trouble allowed OKC to extend their lead a bit as they went into the half up by 8. The 3rd quarter was more of the same as the Sixers found themselves down by 11, heading into the penultimate time period. There in the 4th quarter, as has happened many times this season, the Sixers took command and outscored OKC 29-24. They pulled within 3 of the Thunder a couple of times down the stretch, but the defense never held up enough for them to get closer. Ultimately their 4th quarter proved too little too late as the Thunder hung on to win 109-103. With the loss the Sixers drop to 2-6 overall. If it's any consolation though , the Sixers proved to me at least that they have improved greatly from last season and can pretty much play with anyone at this point. If only they could beat anyone too.
Unfortunately while they performed well offensively, the Sixer's defense was less than impressive and it cost them tonight. They did out rebound OKC 37-34 and post 8 steals, but other than that the defense was poor. Durant and Russell Westbrooik were both practically unstoppable with 31 points apiece. Oklahoma also shot 49% from the field, 1% higher than the Sixers and they seemed to do a better job spreading the floor. As a result the Sixers struggled to contest shots all night long, and ended up with just 1 block for their struggles. In addition to the mediocre defense the Sixers all turned the ball over way too many times with 16 to the Thunder's 14. Put together turnovers with bad defense and you don't usually get a win. The Sixers came pretty close though.
Early in the contest the Sixers hung right in there with OKC, seemingly matching them shot for shot. They were safely within 4 as the 2nd quarter began. In the 2nd quarter, Sixers' foul trouble allowed OKC to extend their lead a bit as they went into the half up by 8. The 3rd quarter was more of the same as the Sixers found themselves down by 11, heading into the penultimate time period. There in the 4th quarter, as has happened many times this season, the Sixers took command and outscored OKC 29-24. They pulled within 3 of the Thunder a couple of times down the stretch, but the defense never held up enough for them to get closer. Ultimately their 4th quarter proved too little too late as the Thunder hung on to win 109-103. With the loss the Sixers drop to 2-6 overall. If it's any consolation though , the Sixers proved to me at least that they have improved greatly from last season and can pretty much play with anyone at this point. If only they could beat anyone too.
PHILLIES NEWS
The NL gold glove award winners were announced today and the only Phillies' representative among the winners was Shane Victorino, who won his 3rd straight gold glove in center field. With a league leading 11 outfield assists, and just 2 errors all season for a .995 fielding percentage, it's no wonder Victorino was so honored.
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Monday, November 08, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
Given his spectacular play thus far this season, it should come as no surprise that the Flyers have signed Claude Giroux to a 3 year 11.25 million extension. If the Orange and Black had not signed him to the extension he would have become a restricted free agent after season. So Giroux has been extended but curiously enough Jeff Carter hasn't. Very interesting indeed.
Sunday, November 07, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
Out since week 4 with broken ribs, Mike Vick returned to the starting lineup today and didn't miss a beat. Out since week 7 with concussion symptoms, Desean Jackson returned for the Eagles today as well and he too didn't miss a beat. Together Jackson and Vick combined for 401 yards of offense and a TD. Lesean McCoy also had a pretty big day with 16 rushes for 95 yards, most of them on a 75 + yard romp to open the game. Together the triumvirate helped the Eagles keep a nose in front of Peyton Manning and the Colts for most of the evening. Aside from their heroics, the Eagles defense also showed surprising poise against Manning, intercepting him twice and holding him to under 300 passing yards and 1 TD. The D also continued their strong play against the run, holding Indianapolis to just 62 rushing yards on the day. The lone damper on the Eagles performance were several questionable penalties, two of which contributed Colt's scoring drives, that marred an otherwise exciting game.
Following McCoys opening scamper. Vick found Jackson from 9 yards out for a quick 7 -0 lead. On the ensuing Colt's drive Asante Samuel intercepted Manning and returned it into Colt's territory. The Colt's defense stepped it up though, and Eagles couldn't punch it in, instead settling for a chip shot Aker's field to make it 10-0. After stopping the Colts on downs near midfield the Eagles got the ball back inside their own 2 yard line, from which Vick directed a 96 yard drive, including a highlight reel 40 + yard pass to Desean Jackson. Unfortunately the Eagles again couldn't punch it in, instead settling for another chip shot Aker's field goal for a 13-0 lead. Finally the Colts offense started rolling after that, as Manning marched them 76 yards, before hitting Jacob Tamme from 3 yards out to cut the lead to 13-7. The Eagles drove right back into Colt's territory again on their next drive, but again they couldn't punch it in and settled for another chip shot Aker's field goal for a 16-7 lead.
It was on the ensuing Colt's drive that the evening's first controversy developed. Halfway through the drive, Manning connected with Austin Collie on deep pass into the Eagle's territory. Collie was then blasted by Quintin Mikell and Kurt Coleman, playing in place of Nate Allen who was injured earlier. The hit by Coleman knocked Collie out cold and jarred the ball loose, prompting the officials to rule an incomplete hit and flag Coleman for uneccesary roughness. Only one problem. Replays clearly showed Collie made the catch, got two feet down, lowered his helmet to protect himself and took a step forward, all before either hit. So he was not a defenseless receiver and Coleman's hit was perfectly legal. The officials didn't see it that way and Colts capitalized on their good fortune a few plays later with a 6 yard run by Javarris James cutting to 16-14. The Eagles couldn't do anything on their next drive and with the ball back to finish the half Manning drove into range for Adam Vinatieri to put the Colts up 17-16 at half.
After a series of defensive stops the Eagles again managed a drive into the Colt's territory and again couldn't punch it in, settling for a 44 yard Aker's kick to push back ahead 19-17. A couple stops later the Eagles had the ball back early in the 4th quarter, and marched 80 yards into the Colt's territory and this time, after Eagles had 3 TDs called back, 1 by penalty, 2 by review, Vick himself snuck one in from a yard out for a 26-17 lead. The Eagle's defense appeared to have things in control after that until another penalty got in the way. With just over 2 and a half minutes to play, and the Colts having to convert a 4th and 18 to keep the game alive, The Eagles came with the blitz and seemed to force Manning into a virtual game ending fumble. Only one problem. Trent Cole was whistled for a personal foul, a blow to Manning's head which gave the Colt's an automatic first down. Replays cleared show though that Cole did not do so intentionally and was instead swatting at the ball. The officials could easily have let it go, instead they flagged Cole and Manning took advantage handing to James for a 1 yard run to cut it to 26-24.
Still the Eagles should have been able to run out the clock after that and actually just needed to convert a 3rd and 2 with just 54 seconds left to do so. Only one problem. The Eagles were flagged for going offsides even though replays clearly showed a Colt illegally simulating the snap count and drawing them off. With a 3rd and 7 instead of a 3rd and 2 the Birds were forced to just send Vick on an outside run and use a much clock possible. When all was said and done. Manning still had 40 + seconds to drive the Colts into field goal range for the win. Fortunately the Eagles defense stepped up. Dmitri Patterson perfectly blanketed receivers down field on a couple deep Manning throws, and then Samuel picked him off for the 2nd time of the evening to seal the huge 26-24 Eagles win, which moves them to 5-3 overall, and solo 2nd in the NFC East with a date with Donovan Mcnabb and the 3rd place Redskins, in Washington, er Landover, Maryland looming next week.
Following McCoys opening scamper. Vick found Jackson from 9 yards out for a quick 7 -0 lead. On the ensuing Colt's drive Asante Samuel intercepted Manning and returned it into Colt's territory. The Colt's defense stepped it up though, and Eagles couldn't punch it in, instead settling for a chip shot Aker's field to make it 10-0. After stopping the Colts on downs near midfield the Eagles got the ball back inside their own 2 yard line, from which Vick directed a 96 yard drive, including a highlight reel 40 + yard pass to Desean Jackson. Unfortunately the Eagles again couldn't punch it in, instead settling for another chip shot Aker's field goal for a 13-0 lead. Finally the Colts offense started rolling after that, as Manning marched them 76 yards, before hitting Jacob Tamme from 3 yards out to cut the lead to 13-7. The Eagles drove right back into Colt's territory again on their next drive, but again they couldn't punch it in and settled for another chip shot Aker's field goal for a 16-7 lead.
It was on the ensuing Colt's drive that the evening's first controversy developed. Halfway through the drive, Manning connected with Austin Collie on deep pass into the Eagle's territory. Collie was then blasted by Quintin Mikell and Kurt Coleman, playing in place of Nate Allen who was injured earlier. The hit by Coleman knocked Collie out cold and jarred the ball loose, prompting the officials to rule an incomplete hit and flag Coleman for uneccesary roughness. Only one problem. Replays clearly showed Collie made the catch, got two feet down, lowered his helmet to protect himself and took a step forward, all before either hit. So he was not a defenseless receiver and Coleman's hit was perfectly legal. The officials didn't see it that way and Colts capitalized on their good fortune a few plays later with a 6 yard run by Javarris James cutting to 16-14. The Eagles couldn't do anything on their next drive and with the ball back to finish the half Manning drove into range for Adam Vinatieri to put the Colts up 17-16 at half.
After a series of defensive stops the Eagles again managed a drive into the Colt's territory and again couldn't punch it in, settling for a 44 yard Aker's kick to push back ahead 19-17. A couple stops later the Eagles had the ball back early in the 4th quarter, and marched 80 yards into the Colt's territory and this time, after Eagles had 3 TDs called back, 1 by penalty, 2 by review, Vick himself snuck one in from a yard out for a 26-17 lead. The Eagle's defense appeared to have things in control after that until another penalty got in the way. With just over 2 and a half minutes to play, and the Colts having to convert a 4th and 18 to keep the game alive, The Eagles came with the blitz and seemed to force Manning into a virtual game ending fumble. Only one problem. Trent Cole was whistled for a personal foul, a blow to Manning's head which gave the Colt's an automatic first down. Replays cleared show though that Cole did not do so intentionally and was instead swatting at the ball. The officials could easily have let it go, instead they flagged Cole and Manning took advantage handing to James for a 1 yard run to cut it to 26-24.
Still the Eagles should have been able to run out the clock after that and actually just needed to convert a 3rd and 2 with just 54 seconds left to do so. Only one problem. The Eagles were flagged for going offsides even though replays clearly showed a Colt illegally simulating the snap count and drawing them off. With a 3rd and 7 instead of a 3rd and 2 the Birds were forced to just send Vick on an outside run and use a much clock possible. When all was said and done. Manning still had 40 + seconds to drive the Colts into field goal range for the win. Fortunately the Eagles defense stepped up. Dmitri Patterson perfectly blanketed receivers down field on a couple deep Manning throws, and then Samuel picked him off for the 2nd time of the evening to seal the huge 26-24 Eagles win, which moves them to 5-3 overall, and solo 2nd in the NFC East with a date with Donovan Mcnabb and the 3rd place Redskins, in Washington, er Landover, Maryland looming next week.
SIXERS NEWS
With Andre Iguodala MIA for the first time in 3 years, due to a strained achilles, Evan Turner stepped into the starting lineup for the first time in his career, at Madison Square Garden of all places and looked very much like he belonged. He had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists and played all the big minutes in the 4th quarter. Jrue Holiday continued to be just as impressive with another 19 points and 8 assists. Elton Brand continued his torrid play with 20 and 7 rebounds. Finally. Lou Williams continued to light it up off the bench with 19. As a team the Sixers were at least solid in all statistical categories and that was enough tonight. They did all the little things the Knicks never do and it worked to say the least. The lone statistical category that went in the Sixers' was 3 point shooting and that proved to be the difference. The Sixers were a decent 7 of 18 from beyond, while New York, which averages 10 treys a game, hit just 3 of 19 tonight and when you throw up that many treys and nothing falls it just kills you.
Early on the Sixers took advantage of some particularly porous Knick's defense, and shot 70 % in the first quarter while racing out an 8 point lead, heading into the 2nd squarter. As per their norm this season, the Sixers couldn't keep it going in the 2nd period and in fact when back to struggling to score again. Luckily the Knicks own poor shooting kept them from truly pulling ahead at the half and instead the Sixers clung to within 2 points of the Knick halftime lead. In the 3rd quarter the Sixers turned things back around again, rallying to back head briefly by 1 before a botched Lou Williams finisher found them done by 1 again heading into the 4th quarter. As they for most of this season the Sixers again owned the 4th quarter, outscoring New York 26-15, thanks in large part, not to the young guys but to the 34 year old veteran, Tony Battie, who played the final 16 minutes and provided a clutch 5 points and 6 rebounds. Together the solid ply of the youngsters and Battie's heroics were enough to hold off the Knicks 106-96 for the Sixers 2nd win of the season.
Early on the Sixers took advantage of some particularly porous Knick's defense, and shot 70 % in the first quarter while racing out an 8 point lead, heading into the 2nd squarter. As per their norm this season, the Sixers couldn't keep it going in the 2nd period and in fact when back to struggling to score again. Luckily the Knicks own poor shooting kept them from truly pulling ahead at the half and instead the Sixers clung to within 2 points of the Knick halftime lead. In the 3rd quarter the Sixers turned things back around again, rallying to back head briefly by 1 before a botched Lou Williams finisher found them done by 1 again heading into the 4th quarter. As they for most of this season the Sixers again owned the 4th quarter, outscoring New York 26-15, thanks in large part, not to the young guys but to the 34 year old veteran, Tony Battie, who played the final 16 minutes and provided a clutch 5 points and 6 rebounds. Together the solid ply of the youngsters and Battie's heroics were enough to hold off the Knicks 106-96 for the Sixers 2nd win of the season.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers faced off with the Washington Capitals this evening in showdown between the top two teams in the Eastern conference. They'll likely have more showdowns later in regular season and perhaps in the postseason before all is said done so this was just the first of the many rounds in this fight. Unfortunately round 1 went to Washington in a hard fought thriller as the Flyers were burned by a questionable boarding penalty, that allowed the Caps to score the winning goal. Before that call the star of the game for the Orange and Black was again Sergei Bobrovsky, who got the somewhat surprising start in goal, despite the fact the Flyers were playing on back to back nights. Bobrovsky reward Peter Laviolette's confidence, with another 36 saves to practically carry his teammates into overtime and salvage at least a point for the 7th straight game. If the Flyers had won Bobrovsky would have tied the Late Pelle Lindbergh's franchise rookie record of 7 consecutive wins, but it just wasn't to be.
Instead penalties, some of them questionable, did the Orange and Black in on this evening. The Flyers actually had the first lead of the game about halfway through the first period, as Andrea Nodl picked up the assist on a Nikolay Zherdev score. Later with just under 3 minutes left in the period, the Flyer's defense, which struggled all night, allowing 39 shots on goal, allowed Eric Fehr to slip one past Bob for a 1-1 tie. Just 4 minutes into the 2nd period Danny Briere, finally back from his suspension, picked up the assist as Ville Leino scored to put the Flyers up 2-1. That might have been enough to win, if not for Leino himself, getting called for a touch high sticking penalty, which opened the door for Alexander Semin to slap in a power play goal to tie it at 2. Thanks mostly to Bob the Flyers managed to hang in there with the game tied at 2, all the way into overtime. It was still tied at 2 with 40 seconds left in OT when Sean O'Donnell was, probably erroneously, called for boarding. That set the stage for Mike Green to beat Bob with 29 seconds left in OT, for a 3-2 win. So the Caps and the officials might have won this one, but we'll get them next time.
Instead penalties, some of them questionable, did the Orange and Black in on this evening. The Flyers actually had the first lead of the game about halfway through the first period, as Andrea Nodl picked up the assist on a Nikolay Zherdev score. Later with just under 3 minutes left in the period, the Flyer's defense, which struggled all night, allowing 39 shots on goal, allowed Eric Fehr to slip one past Bob for a 1-1 tie. Just 4 minutes into the 2nd period Danny Briere, finally back from his suspension, picked up the assist as Ville Leino scored to put the Flyers up 2-1. That might have been enough to win, if not for Leino himself, getting called for a touch high sticking penalty, which opened the door for Alexander Semin to slap in a power play goal to tie it at 2. Thanks mostly to Bob the Flyers managed to hang in there with the game tied at 2, all the way into overtime. It was still tied at 2 with 40 seconds left in OT when Sean O'Donnell was, probably erroneously, called for boarding. That set the stage for Mike Green to beat Bob with 29 seconds left in OT, for a 3-2 win. So the Caps and the officials might have won this one, but we'll get them next time.
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