Now that's what I like to see out of the Flyers. Despite being outshot 40-28 by the Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia had six of their shots find the back of the net, and the Hurricanes could only get one past Ray Emery as the Flyers cruised to a 6-1 win. So far, it's been a good weekend down in South Philly, and hopefully that trend can continue tonight.
This was a great game to watch, and was even better if you're a Flyers fan. The orange and black jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, and then the rest was just icing on the cake. Ray Emery was awesome, stopping 39 Carolina shots, and he looked very good doing it. The Flyers won 32 of the 50 faceoffs in the game, and kept the Hurricanes from scoring on all five of their power play chances. All in all, it was a dominant performance today.
David Laliberte looked great in his first game, picking up a goal and an assist, while James vanRiemsdyk added a goal and an assist of his own. Scott Harntell picked up a goal and two assists in the first period, as he helped on Laliberte's and Matt Carle's goals. In the third period, Braydon Coburn put in two goals in 90 seconds to finish off the scoring as Philadelphia defensmen scored three times today. It's nice to see a scoring force coming from the defense, and the addition of Chris Pronger has certainly had something to do with that.
It was a very entertaining game today at the Wachovia Center, and the fans got to leave in a good mood and quickly move into the parking lots of The Spectrum and Citizens Bank Park for the Pearl Jam show and Game Three of the World Series. Philadelphia is essentially the nexus of the sports and entertainment world this weekend. The Flyers and Sixers have done their jobs so far, now it's up to the Phillies to put a capper on the first half of this weekend. They do that, and everyone's happy tomorrow.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Sixers Open Up At Home in Front of...Some People, but They Beat the Bucks
It wasn't the biggest crowd for the Sixers last night for their home opener, but with the World Series taking place tonight, and Pearl Jam finishing up their four night stay at the Spectrum, something had to give. The good news for the people that did attend was that the Sixers looked a lot better than they did against Orlando, as they handled Milwaukee for a 99-86 win.
The Bucks looked off all night, save for Michael Redd and Brandon Jennings. The Sixer defense did a good job at shutting down Milwaukee's offense, and their offense in turn was well balanced, with six players, including all five starters, finishing with double figures. It's the exact kind of attack that the Sixers need this year to be successful, and while the Bucks certainly aren't on the same level with the Magic, a win is still nice, especially in front of the home crowd.
Andre Iguodala had a much better showing last night, leading the way with 19 points, as well as nine rebounds and seven assists. He started out making his first three shots, and looked much more comfortable last night than he did on Wednesday night. It was a nice turnaround for the man who is going to be looked towards for leadership this season. Elton Brand contributed last night, scoring 17 points and bringing down six rebounds in just 29 minutes. It wasn't his best showing, but he did what he had to do. Samuel Dalembert was...Samuel Dalembert. He's never going to be the dominant big man that the fans want, but he contributes in his own way, scoring 10 points and pulling down 13 rebounds.
The bench had a couple of nice contributors as well. Jason Kapono logged 24 minutes and scored 10 points on 4-8 shooting. He already looks like the outside threat the Sixers were missing last year, as he nailed two three pointers, and had several other long twos that helped turn the Bucks away in the second half. Marreese Speights had a busy night in just 13 minutes, scoring four points and picking up seven rebounds while also getting called for five fouls. I'd like to believe if not for the foul trouble, he would have played more last night, but while he was in there, he didn't look too bad. Jrue Holiday got his first action, and scored his first bucket of his NBA career in seven minutes of work. It was limited time, but he didn't look half bad out there.
It wasn't the best showing last night, but it was a win against a team that the Sixers should beat. They lost control on defense every now and then, but the offense did enough to keep the Bucks out of striking distance for most of the second half. As they showed against the Magic, they might have problems with their defense going south against better teams, but it's still a work in progress. Regardless, the Sixers pulled off a win last night in their home opener, and that's always something to be happy about. If the rest of the sports weekend goes that well in Philadelphia, I think everyone that reads this blog will have a smile on their face.
The Sixers take their act on the road tonight, as they add a third chapter to the Philadelphia/New York sports weekend, taking on the Knicks in MSG.
The Bucks looked off all night, save for Michael Redd and Brandon Jennings. The Sixer defense did a good job at shutting down Milwaukee's offense, and their offense in turn was well balanced, with six players, including all five starters, finishing with double figures. It's the exact kind of attack that the Sixers need this year to be successful, and while the Bucks certainly aren't on the same level with the Magic, a win is still nice, especially in front of the home crowd.
Andre Iguodala had a much better showing last night, leading the way with 19 points, as well as nine rebounds and seven assists. He started out making his first three shots, and looked much more comfortable last night than he did on Wednesday night. It was a nice turnaround for the man who is going to be looked towards for leadership this season. Elton Brand contributed last night, scoring 17 points and bringing down six rebounds in just 29 minutes. It wasn't his best showing, but he did what he had to do. Samuel Dalembert was...Samuel Dalembert. He's never going to be the dominant big man that the fans want, but he contributes in his own way, scoring 10 points and pulling down 13 rebounds.
The bench had a couple of nice contributors as well. Jason Kapono logged 24 minutes and scored 10 points on 4-8 shooting. He already looks like the outside threat the Sixers were missing last year, as he nailed two three pointers, and had several other long twos that helped turn the Bucks away in the second half. Marreese Speights had a busy night in just 13 minutes, scoring four points and picking up seven rebounds while also getting called for five fouls. I'd like to believe if not for the foul trouble, he would have played more last night, but while he was in there, he didn't look too bad. Jrue Holiday got his first action, and scored his first bucket of his NBA career in seven minutes of work. It was limited time, but he didn't look half bad out there.
It wasn't the best showing last night, but it was a win against a team that the Sixers should beat. They lost control on defense every now and then, but the offense did enough to keep the Bucks out of striking distance for most of the second half. As they showed against the Magic, they might have problems with their defense going south against better teams, but it's still a work in progress. Regardless, the Sixers pulled off a win last night in their home opener, and that's always something to be happy about. If the rest of the sports weekend goes that well in Philadelphia, I think everyone that reads this blog will have a smile on their face.
The Sixers take their act on the road tonight, as they add a third chapter to the Philadelphia/New York sports weekend, taking on the Knicks in MSG.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
World Series Game Two Recap: Yankees-3, Phillies-1
Game Recap:
The Phillie bats went silent tonight as A.J. Burnett and Mariano Rivera combined to shut down the Phillies and tie up the World Series at a game a piece.
What went right?
Raul Ibanez was 2-4 with a run scored.
Matt Stairs struck out to end the game, but he also had the only RBI for the Phillies on a base hit in the second inning.
Pedro Martinez was solid, allowing three runs on six hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out eight.
What went wrong?
Ryan Howard was 0-4 with four strikeouts.
Pedro Feliz was 0-3 and saw all of nine pitches the entire night.
Chase Utley was 0-3 and hit into a double play in the eighth inning.
Game Analysis:
That's why winning yesterday's game was so important for the Phillies. After taking down C.C. Sabathia, the Yankees had their backs against the wall tonight, and they came out swinging. A.J. Burnett struck out nine in seven innings, and despite allowing baserunners in both innings he worked, Mariano Rivera got out of trouble in the eighth and ninth for a two inning save. Overall, it wasn't a pretty game for either side, but it goes down as a win for the Yankees, and the World Series is tied at a game a piece heading to Philadelphia.
You can't fault Pedro Martinez for his showing tonight. For a 38 year old to go out and throw six innings, strike out eight and only allow three runs, it's quite impressive. He was on from the moment he stepped onto the mound tonight, and aside from two bad pitches to Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui, he was on point all night long. I think Charlie Manuel made a mistake by having him even start the seventh inning, and that came back to bite the Phils in the form of an insurance run for the Yankees in that frame. Again, I can't praise Pedro enough, but, much like C.C. Sabathia last night, the offense let him down.
Yesterday, the Phillies were able to work deep counts against C.C. Sabathia because he was throwing first pitch balls. Tonight, A.J. Burnett never let the Phils get comfortable, throwing first pitch strikes to 22 of the 26 batters he faced. Once he got ahead in the count, he was able to work the corners and use his breaking ball to keep the Phillies off balance for the seven innings he was in the game. Burnett struck out nine and only walked two, and one of those was an intentional walk to Chase Utley after he started out with a 3-0 count. Simply put, Burnett had all the pressure in the world on his shoulders tonight, and he came through it looking like the man the Yankees paid an $82 million contract for in the offseason.
Last night, the Yankees couldn't get their offense going, and they wasted a solid start by C.C. Sabathia, while tonight, the Phillies let a great outing by Pedro Martinez slip by the wayside because of the pitching of A.J. Burnett. Now, the World Series becomes a best of five affair, with the next three games in Philadelphia. That's why the win last night meant so much. While it would be awesome to be up 2-0 on New York, I said in the preview that a split was imperative for the Phillies in the first two games. They have home field advantage, and they've lost just one game in Philadelphia during the last two postseasons. Also, the Phillies lost Game Two of the 2008 World Series, 2009 NLDS and 2009 NLCS, and those all turned out fine. Saturday's game is still very important though, because the Phillies want to try and keep this series from going back to New York, no matter what.
Game Three is Saturday night, making it possibly the best Halloween ever in the New York/New Jersey area. Cole Hamels (1-1, 6.75 ERA) will hopefully get his mojo back against Andy Pettitte (2-0, 2.37 ERA).
The Phillie bats went silent tonight as A.J. Burnett and Mariano Rivera combined to shut down the Phillies and tie up the World Series at a game a piece.
What went right?
Raul Ibanez was 2-4 with a run scored.
Matt Stairs struck out to end the game, but he also had the only RBI for the Phillies on a base hit in the second inning.
Pedro Martinez was solid, allowing three runs on six hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out eight.
What went wrong?
Ryan Howard was 0-4 with four strikeouts.
Pedro Feliz was 0-3 and saw all of nine pitches the entire night.
Chase Utley was 0-3 and hit into a double play in the eighth inning.
Game Analysis:
That's why winning yesterday's game was so important for the Phillies. After taking down C.C. Sabathia, the Yankees had their backs against the wall tonight, and they came out swinging. A.J. Burnett struck out nine in seven innings, and despite allowing baserunners in both innings he worked, Mariano Rivera got out of trouble in the eighth and ninth for a two inning save. Overall, it wasn't a pretty game for either side, but it goes down as a win for the Yankees, and the World Series is tied at a game a piece heading to Philadelphia.
You can't fault Pedro Martinez for his showing tonight. For a 38 year old to go out and throw six innings, strike out eight and only allow three runs, it's quite impressive. He was on from the moment he stepped onto the mound tonight, and aside from two bad pitches to Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui, he was on point all night long. I think Charlie Manuel made a mistake by having him even start the seventh inning, and that came back to bite the Phils in the form of an insurance run for the Yankees in that frame. Again, I can't praise Pedro enough, but, much like C.C. Sabathia last night, the offense let him down.
Yesterday, the Phillies were able to work deep counts against C.C. Sabathia because he was throwing first pitch balls. Tonight, A.J. Burnett never let the Phils get comfortable, throwing first pitch strikes to 22 of the 26 batters he faced. Once he got ahead in the count, he was able to work the corners and use his breaking ball to keep the Phillies off balance for the seven innings he was in the game. Burnett struck out nine and only walked two, and one of those was an intentional walk to Chase Utley after he started out with a 3-0 count. Simply put, Burnett had all the pressure in the world on his shoulders tonight, and he came through it looking like the man the Yankees paid an $82 million contract for in the offseason.
Last night, the Yankees couldn't get their offense going, and they wasted a solid start by C.C. Sabathia, while tonight, the Phillies let a great outing by Pedro Martinez slip by the wayside because of the pitching of A.J. Burnett. Now, the World Series becomes a best of five affair, with the next three games in Philadelphia. That's why the win last night meant so much. While it would be awesome to be up 2-0 on New York, I said in the preview that a split was imperative for the Phillies in the first two games. They have home field advantage, and they've lost just one game in Philadelphia during the last two postseasons. Also, the Phillies lost Game Two of the 2008 World Series, 2009 NLDS and 2009 NLCS, and those all turned out fine. Saturday's game is still very important though, because the Phillies want to try and keep this series from going back to New York, no matter what.
Game Three is Saturday night, making it possibly the best Halloween ever in the New York/New Jersey area. Cole Hamels (1-1, 6.75 ERA) will hopefully get his mojo back against Andy Pettitte (2-0, 2.37 ERA).
For Those Of You Who Decided to Watch the Sixers Last Night...Ouch
So I'm not going to lie, I didn't exactly watch the Sixers game last night. There were a few more important things on at the same time, and I certainly wasn't going to skip Game One of the World Series for the first game in an 82 game schedule. Of course, the Sixers didn't have their best showing last night, as the Orlando Magic dominated for about 40 minutes on their way to a 120-106 win.
Basically, the Magic put the game out of reach in the second quarter when they outscored the Sixers 41-20. The threes were falling for Orlando last night, with every starter but Dwight Howard nailing at least one. They also got help off their bench from Jason Williams, J.J. Redick and Matt Barnes. Overall, the Magic drained 16 threes, and when you compare that to the seven the Sixers made, that's your difference in the game right there. Dwight Howard also had his typical game, dropping 21 and grabbing 15 rebounds, but that's to be expected no matter who he plays. The key to beating the Magic is shutting down their other players, and last night, the Sixers just couldn't get that done.
It wasn't all horrible, though. Lou Williams was the only starter in double figures, scoring 18 with four assists, and Marreese Speights put in 26 on 10-11 shooting off the bench. He had some trouble guarding Dwight Howard, but hopefully that can come in time. At least last night he showed that flash that I was talking about yesterday. Jason Kapono also logged some serious minutes and finished with 13 points and two threes, so he did exactly what the Sixers brought him in for. We did see the first little look at what happens when Andre Iguodala tries to take over a game, and it wasn't very pretty last night. Iguodala finished with eight points on 3-11 shooting. That won't get it done against any team, especially one as good as the Magic.
Fortunately, it's just the first game of the season for the Sixers. They can hopefully grow from this and move on. Orlando is the defending Eastern Conference champions, and they have a stacked team this year. The game wasn't even as close as the final score showed, since the Sixers added a bunch of garbage time points, but there's at least a glimmer of hope there. Philadelphia still has another 81 games to play this season, so one game doesn't matter that much, especially at the start of the year. The home opener is this Friday against Milwaukee, so the Sixers will be the only sports ticket in town that night. Hopefully, the result is a little better than last night.
Basically, the Magic put the game out of reach in the second quarter when they outscored the Sixers 41-20. The threes were falling for Orlando last night, with every starter but Dwight Howard nailing at least one. They also got help off their bench from Jason Williams, J.J. Redick and Matt Barnes. Overall, the Magic drained 16 threes, and when you compare that to the seven the Sixers made, that's your difference in the game right there. Dwight Howard also had his typical game, dropping 21 and grabbing 15 rebounds, but that's to be expected no matter who he plays. The key to beating the Magic is shutting down their other players, and last night, the Sixers just couldn't get that done.
It wasn't all horrible, though. Lou Williams was the only starter in double figures, scoring 18 with four assists, and Marreese Speights put in 26 on 10-11 shooting off the bench. He had some trouble guarding Dwight Howard, but hopefully that can come in time. At least last night he showed that flash that I was talking about yesterday. Jason Kapono also logged some serious minutes and finished with 13 points and two threes, so he did exactly what the Sixers brought him in for. We did see the first little look at what happens when Andre Iguodala tries to take over a game, and it wasn't very pretty last night. Iguodala finished with eight points on 3-11 shooting. That won't get it done against any team, especially one as good as the Magic.
Fortunately, it's just the first game of the season for the Sixers. They can hopefully grow from this and move on. Orlando is the defending Eastern Conference champions, and they have a stacked team this year. The game wasn't even as close as the final score showed, since the Sixers added a bunch of garbage time points, but there's at least a glimmer of hope there. Philadelphia still has another 81 games to play this season, so one game doesn't matter that much, especially at the start of the year. The home opener is this Friday against Milwaukee, so the Sixers will be the only sports ticket in town that night. Hopefully, the result is a little better than last night.
Cliff Lee's Forecast? Cloudy, With a Chance of Pop-Ups
Seriously, it looked like he was sticking his hand out to check if it was raining. I love this guy right now.
World Series Game One Recap: Phillies-6, Yankees-1
Game Recap:
Cliff Lee pitched a complete game as the Phillies took a one game to none lead over the Yankees in the World Series.
What went right?
Jimmy Rollins went 1-4 with a walk and two runs scored. His throwing error in the ninth inning was the only thing that kept Cliff Lee from a shutout, however. That's bad.
Shane Victorino was 1-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Chase Utley was 2-4 with two solo home runs. He reached base for the 26th straight playoff game, setting a new major league record.
Ryan Howard went 2-5 with an RBI.
Raul Ibanez was 1-4 with two RBI.
Cliff Lee pitched a complete game, allowing one unearned run on six hits. He didn't walk a batter and struck out ten.
What went wrong?
Pedro Feliz was 0-4. Honestly, that's about all.
Game Analysis:
So, after all the talk, all the picks and all the warmup, it was time to play some baseball. One team showed up tonight, and the other (and their fans) seemed to have one foot out the door when they got to Yankee Stadium tonight. For nine innings tonight, Cliff Lee dominated the Yankees with his best pitching performance of the playoffs. For a man who has gone 3-0 with 30 strikeouts and an ERA of 0.54, that is saying something. It was a great sign tonight when he struck out Derek Jeter on three pitches to start the game, and he was in a groove all night. Alex Rodriguez struck out three times, Mark Teixeira and Jorge Posada each went down twice and Hideki Matsui and Nick Swisher both had a strikeout as well. The only time he got into trouble was the ninth inning, when Jeter and Johnny Damon led off the inning with singles. Lee then retired Damon on a fielders choice that allowed Jeter to score and struck out Rodriguez and Posada to end the game. That's what kind of a night it was for Cliff Lee.
The offense worked well against C.C. Sabathia in the early innings, making him throw pitches and allowing the Yankee bullpen to come into play. The Phils only scored two runs off of Sabathia, but they had him at 113 pitches through seven innings, and he walked three batters as well. Chase Utley did the big damage off of Sabathia, taking two pitches into the right field seats for the only runs the Phils would need tonight. Even though the Phillies only managed those two runs, they were patient at the plate for the most part and showed that they are not going swing at bad pitches. When the Yankee bullpen came into play, it was even more obvious, as the Phils worked another three walks and four runs out of New York in two innings.
Look, this series isn't even close to over yet. It's far from it. All that tonight really boils down to was that it was a statement to everyone who thought the Phillies were going to roll over and die and the feet of the Yankees, just because they're the Yankees. Cliff Lee came out and pitched the best game I've seen him pitch, the offense worked C.C. Sabathia just like I wanted them to, and then they got to the New York bullpen, which, aside from Mariano Rivera, doesn't look as good as anyone, myself included, thought. Hopefully, this keeps the Yankee fans quiet for just one night. There's still three more wins to be had, then the Phillies get to celebrate again.
Tomorrow night is Game Two. Pedro Martinez (0-0, 0.00 ERA) is pitching for the Phillies against A.J. Burnett (0-0, 4.42 ERA). All the pressure is on New York now, so this one should be real fun.
Cliff Lee pitched a complete game as the Phillies took a one game to none lead over the Yankees in the World Series.
What went right?
Jimmy Rollins went 1-4 with a walk and two runs scored. His throwing error in the ninth inning was the only thing that kept Cliff Lee from a shutout, however. That's bad.
Shane Victorino was 1-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Chase Utley was 2-4 with two solo home runs. He reached base for the 26th straight playoff game, setting a new major league record.
Ryan Howard went 2-5 with an RBI.
Raul Ibanez was 1-4 with two RBI.
Cliff Lee pitched a complete game, allowing one unearned run on six hits. He didn't walk a batter and struck out ten.
What went wrong?
Pedro Feliz was 0-4. Honestly, that's about all.
Game Analysis:
So, after all the talk, all the picks and all the warmup, it was time to play some baseball. One team showed up tonight, and the other (and their fans) seemed to have one foot out the door when they got to Yankee Stadium tonight. For nine innings tonight, Cliff Lee dominated the Yankees with his best pitching performance of the playoffs. For a man who has gone 3-0 with 30 strikeouts and an ERA of 0.54, that is saying something. It was a great sign tonight when he struck out Derek Jeter on three pitches to start the game, and he was in a groove all night. Alex Rodriguez struck out three times, Mark Teixeira and Jorge Posada each went down twice and Hideki Matsui and Nick Swisher both had a strikeout as well. The only time he got into trouble was the ninth inning, when Jeter and Johnny Damon led off the inning with singles. Lee then retired Damon on a fielders choice that allowed Jeter to score and struck out Rodriguez and Posada to end the game. That's what kind of a night it was for Cliff Lee.
The offense worked well against C.C. Sabathia in the early innings, making him throw pitches and allowing the Yankee bullpen to come into play. The Phils only scored two runs off of Sabathia, but they had him at 113 pitches through seven innings, and he walked three batters as well. Chase Utley did the big damage off of Sabathia, taking two pitches into the right field seats for the only runs the Phils would need tonight. Even though the Phillies only managed those two runs, they were patient at the plate for the most part and showed that they are not going swing at bad pitches. When the Yankee bullpen came into play, it was even more obvious, as the Phils worked another three walks and four runs out of New York in two innings.
Look, this series isn't even close to over yet. It's far from it. All that tonight really boils down to was that it was a statement to everyone who thought the Phillies were going to roll over and die and the feet of the Yankees, just because they're the Yankees. Cliff Lee came out and pitched the best game I've seen him pitch, the offense worked C.C. Sabathia just like I wanted them to, and then they got to the New York bullpen, which, aside from Mariano Rivera, doesn't look as good as anyone, myself included, thought. Hopefully, this keeps the Yankee fans quiet for just one night. There's still three more wins to be had, then the Phillies get to celebrate again.
Tomorrow night is Game Two. Pedro Martinez (0-0, 0.00 ERA) is pitching for the Phillies against A.J. Burnett (0-0, 4.42 ERA). All the pressure is on New York now, so this one should be real fun.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Ok, Who's Ready For Some...Basketball?
Oh yes, for those ten people who won't be watching Game One of the World Series tonight, the Philadelphia 76ers start off their 2009-10 regular season down in Orlando, where they'll be taking on the defending Eastern Conference champion Magic. While the Sixers are sporting some sweet new (old) uniforms, they still have some questions about their team.
Can Elton Brand fit in with this offense?
The running style of the Sixers certainly doesn't mesh that well with the style of play that Brand has, and while he is a good player, the eyes of Philadelphia are going to be on him this year. He has to show that he can stay healthy and play with this young team. If he doesn't do that, then signing him might go down as one of the biggest mistakes in Philadelphia free agent history. He has to show more than last year. It shouldn't take much, but if he doesn't mesh, then it's a big, expensive problem.
Can Jrue Holiday not be mentioned with the words "raw" and "potential?"
Look, Holiday is a talented kid. The Sixers wouldn't have taken him with the 17th pick in the draft if he wasn't. That being said, he is only 19 years old and is coming from a system at UCLA that is worlds apart from what the Sixers run. It should be interesting to see if he can fit into the system in Philadelphia and what the results can be. I'm not expecting much out of him at the start of the year, but I need to at least see something by the time this season is coming to a close. Everyone is going to want to know what kind of player they have with Holiday.
Can the young guns on this team continue to improve?
Thaddeus Young, Marreese Speights and Lou Williams are all going to be called upon to be big contributors this season. While Young has shown that he can be a solid player at the small forward position, Williams is going to be the full time starter at point guard for the first time in his career, and Speights is going to be logging some serious minutes off the bench. Williams is going to have to show that he can at least effectively replace Andre Miller at the point and be the leader in the backcourt for the offense. Things are going to run through him, and while Eddie Jordan's offense is still a bit of a work in progress, Williams is going to have to pick it up fairly quickly. As for Speights, he's going to be a big time bench player this year. With questions surrounding Samuel Dalembert's status with the Sixers (with his $12+ million contract, he's not going anywhere), Speights will have to show that he can fill in when he needs to.
Can Andre Iguodala become the superstar this team needs?
Let's be honest: the Sixers haven't had a true superstar player since Allen Iverson was traded to Denver. Andre Iguodala has tried to fill that void, but hasn't quite gotten there yet. While Iverson could put the Sixers on his back and take them to where he wanted them to go, Iguodala is having trouble getting over that hump. His stats aren't bad, and he's athletic as hell, but there's something missing in him that has been keeping him from reaching that next level. The Sixers need that All Star, that guiding player that can take them as far as he can go. Elton Brand hasn't proven a thing yet, and the rest of this team is so young, half of them could still be in college. It's up to Iguodala to be the glue that holds these guys together. He's going to have to be the one that tells this team where to go, what to do and how to win. If can he can that, then this team might have some success this year and in the coming years. I'm not saying that they're going to catch Cleveland, Boston or Orlando this year, because let's be honest...they're not. This is a young team that, if things go the way that they need to, can surprise some people. If things go wrong, though, it could be a long, long season. All that matters now is that it starts tonight.
Can Elton Brand fit in with this offense?
The running style of the Sixers certainly doesn't mesh that well with the style of play that Brand has, and while he is a good player, the eyes of Philadelphia are going to be on him this year. He has to show that he can stay healthy and play with this young team. If he doesn't do that, then signing him might go down as one of the biggest mistakes in Philadelphia free agent history. He has to show more than last year. It shouldn't take much, but if he doesn't mesh, then it's a big, expensive problem.
Can Jrue Holiday not be mentioned with the words "raw" and "potential?"
Look, Holiday is a talented kid. The Sixers wouldn't have taken him with the 17th pick in the draft if he wasn't. That being said, he is only 19 years old and is coming from a system at UCLA that is worlds apart from what the Sixers run. It should be interesting to see if he can fit into the system in Philadelphia and what the results can be. I'm not expecting much out of him at the start of the year, but I need to at least see something by the time this season is coming to a close. Everyone is going to want to know what kind of player they have with Holiday.
Can the young guns on this team continue to improve?
Thaddeus Young, Marreese Speights and Lou Williams are all going to be called upon to be big contributors this season. While Young has shown that he can be a solid player at the small forward position, Williams is going to be the full time starter at point guard for the first time in his career, and Speights is going to be logging some serious minutes off the bench. Williams is going to have to show that he can at least effectively replace Andre Miller at the point and be the leader in the backcourt for the offense. Things are going to run through him, and while Eddie Jordan's offense is still a bit of a work in progress, Williams is going to have to pick it up fairly quickly. As for Speights, he's going to be a big time bench player this year. With questions surrounding Samuel Dalembert's status with the Sixers (with his $12+ million contract, he's not going anywhere), Speights will have to show that he can fill in when he needs to.
Can Andre Iguodala become the superstar this team needs?
Let's be honest: the Sixers haven't had a true superstar player since Allen Iverson was traded to Denver. Andre Iguodala has tried to fill that void, but hasn't quite gotten there yet. While Iverson could put the Sixers on his back and take them to where he wanted them to go, Iguodala is having trouble getting over that hump. His stats aren't bad, and he's athletic as hell, but there's something missing in him that has been keeping him from reaching that next level. The Sixers need that All Star, that guiding player that can take them as far as he can go. Elton Brand hasn't proven a thing yet, and the rest of this team is so young, half of them could still be in college. It's up to Iguodala to be the glue that holds these guys together. He's going to have to be the one that tells this team where to go, what to do and how to win. If can he can that, then this team might have some success this year and in the coming years. I'm not saying that they're going to catch Cleveland, Boston or Orlando this year, because let's be honest...they're not. This is a young team that, if things go the way that they need to, can surprise some people. If things go wrong, though, it could be a long, long season. All that matters now is that it starts tonight.
The 2009 Philadelphia Flyers: Yep, They're About the Same As Last Year
When you're an NHL team trying to make an impact in a young season, the best thing you can do is take a 2-0 lead midway through the second period while on the road against one of the best teams in your conference, right? Not if you're the Philadelphia Flyers, apparently. The Flyers looked like a solid team for about a period and a half, then let the game slip away in a 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals last night.
After all the talk about improving the defense and bringing in Chris Pronger to help with that, the Flyers still look a lot like the team that lost in the first round to Pittsburgh last season. Yes, the talent is there, but something is missing. Last night was a key example of that. After taking a two goal lead on Washington midway through the second period, the Flyers fell apart. Within four minutes, they had let the Caps tie the game on goals by Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. The third period wasn't much better, as Alexander Semin put in what would turn out to be the game winning goal early in the period, and Ovechkin would add an empty netter to close out the scoring. All in all, it's just another loss in a long season that's going to have losses like this, but it's still disappointing to see.
Things have changed with some of the players on the ice this year, but the mentality still seems to be the same for the Flyers. They had Washington on the ropes after killing a five on three power play and scoring two power play goals of their own in the second period. Rather than finish the Capitals off, they let them back into the game with two quick goals. Yes, they peppered Jose Theordore with 43 shots on the night, but most of them weren't worth much, and only two found their way into the net. Meanwhile, Alex Overchkin did what he does best, and, unlike the first time these two teams played this year, the Flyers just couldn't stop him.
Ok, I might be ranting a bit here after just one game, but I honestly thought that this team would be better than this in 2009. The talent is there, the skill is there, but something is just missing. I don't know if it's the mindset of the team, or the coaching, or something else, but it doesn't seem right. These guys aren't clicking right now. It doesn't help that Simon Gagne is right on schedule with his yearly injury: this time, it's two hernias that are probably going to require surgery. Whatever the case may be, these guys need to get it together, or they're going to be looking at another early playoff exit.
After all the talk about improving the defense and bringing in Chris Pronger to help with that, the Flyers still look a lot like the team that lost in the first round to Pittsburgh last season. Yes, the talent is there, but something is missing. Last night was a key example of that. After taking a two goal lead on Washington midway through the second period, the Flyers fell apart. Within four minutes, they had let the Caps tie the game on goals by Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. The third period wasn't much better, as Alexander Semin put in what would turn out to be the game winning goal early in the period, and Ovechkin would add an empty netter to close out the scoring. All in all, it's just another loss in a long season that's going to have losses like this, but it's still disappointing to see.
Things have changed with some of the players on the ice this year, but the mentality still seems to be the same for the Flyers. They had Washington on the ropes after killing a five on three power play and scoring two power play goals of their own in the second period. Rather than finish the Capitals off, they let them back into the game with two quick goals. Yes, they peppered Jose Theordore with 43 shots on the night, but most of them weren't worth much, and only two found their way into the net. Meanwhile, Alex Overchkin did what he does best, and, unlike the first time these two teams played this year, the Flyers just couldn't stop him.
Ok, I might be ranting a bit here after just one game, but I honestly thought that this team would be better than this in 2009. The talent is there, the skill is there, but something is just missing. I don't know if it's the mindset of the team, or the coaching, or something else, but it doesn't seem right. These guys aren't clicking right now. It doesn't help that Simon Gagne is right on schedule with his yearly injury: this time, it's two hernias that are probably going to require surgery. Whatever the case may be, these guys need to get it together, or they're going to be looking at another early playoff exit.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Big Man Gets His Cover Time
You knew that either a Phillie or a Yankee would be on the cover of next week's Sports Illustrated, but I'm willing to bet most people would have said it would be Alex Rodriguez or Derek Jeter. Instead, behold the wonder that is Ryan Howard.
I know about the SI curse, but come on now. Ryan Howard's killed everything so far in the playoffs. He can take care of that, too. Oh, apparently Andre Agassi hates tennis. Good to know.
(Thanks to these guys and this guy)
So yeah...about that New York Post Article...
You know what amuses me? When I wake up in the morning, ready to go about my day, and I see this all over the internet:
I'll save you the trouble of reading the article, because it seems like the three (yes, it took three of them to write it) writers are about 12 years old. It's your typical Philadelphia bash-fest, with New Yorkers questioning cheesesteaks and Rocky, and having at least one fan that apparently thinks Veterans Stadium is still around. Personally, I don't mind it. New York is confident because their Yankees are back in the World Series. Go ahead, talk all you want. If your paper is so bad that you need to put a photoshopped image of Shane Victorino on your back cover, then you need all the help you can get. Besides, the last time Shane saw C.C. Sabathia in the playoffs, he launched a grand slam over the left field wall. I wonder if Sabathia remembers that?
Eagles Aftermath: Eagles-27, Redskins-17
What happened?
The Eagles put up 27 points in the first half, then coasted the rest of the way for a win on Monday Night Football over the Washington Redskins.
The Good:
Donovan McNabb was solid, going 15/25 for 156 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown pass in the second quarter was the 200th of his career.
DeSean Jackson was awesome, taking a handoff on the fourth play of the game and running 67 yards for a touchdown and catching a 57 yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.
The newest Eagle, Will Witherspoon, was outstanding in his debut. He returned an interception for a touchdown, sacked Jason Campbell and forced a fumble. Not a bad start, new guy.
The defense as a unit played well. They pressured Jason Campbell all night, sacking him six times, and they also forced four turnovers.
The Bad:
The offense went to sleep in the second half, picking up just 58 yards in the last two quarters of the game.
LeSean McCoy didn't have the best game, as he ran the ball 14 times for 37 yards.
Though the Eagles had 122 rushing yards, over half of them came on DeSean Jackson's 67 yard touchdown run on the fourth play of the game.
The Ugly:
Brian Westbrook was knocked out on a play and had to leave the game. He suffered a concussion, and it's not sure when he's going to be back. He had just three carries for 13 yards while he was in there.
The Breakdown:
Just like I said about the Washington Nationals in baseball, there isn't much playing the Washington Redskins in football won't fix. A week after being embarrassed against the Oakland Raiders (who lost 38-0 against the Jets on Sunday), the Eagles came out in the first half and looked like a different team. The offense, though it wasn't always sharp, was much better than a week ago, and the defense played well, too. It wasn't the prettiest win in the world, especially with the way the offense played in the second half, but it's a win, and with the Giants coming into Philly on Sunday, I'll take it.
The game couldn't have started out any better. On the fourth play of the game, DeSean Jackson took an end-around from Donovan McNabb and was off to the races. Sixty-seven yards later, Jackson was in for the touchdown, and that pretty much set the tone for the rest of the first half. McNabb threw his 200th career touchdown pass in the second quarter on a 57 yard pass to Jackson, and after that, the offense didn't do a whole lot. It wasn't the best game for McNabb, as he threw a few passes into the ground that would have gone as completions, but again, it was a win, so just look at it like that.
There are very few ways to make yourself known to a new group of fans better than what Will Witherspoon did last night. Late in the first quarter, with the Redskins pinned inside their own ten yard line, Witherspoon grabbed a tipped Jason Campbell pass and took it into the end zone for a touchdown. Later in the first half, Witherspoon brought Campbell down for a sack, and stripped the ball. The newest Eagle finished the game with six tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and an interception return for a touchdown. All in all, it was a very good day for him and the rest of the defense, who put pressure on Campbell the entire game. Last week, the defense couldn't get to JaMarcus Russell in time to bring him down. This week, they sacked Jason Campbell six times. Trent Cole brought Campbell down twice, giving him 6.5 sacks on the season, and Jason Babin made the most of his playing time, recording three tackles and a sack.
Of course, last night wasn't a perfect game by any stretch, and the injury to Brian Westbrook highlighted that. Midway through the first quarter, Westbrook took an inadvertent knee from London Fletcher and was knocked out cold for a few minutes. Though he left the field under his own power, he got a concussion on the play and did not return to the game. Luckily, the Eagles didn't need him, but their running game never really got on track after he left. While Westbrook was in the game, he carried the ball three times for 13 yards. It's a small sample size, but he was having success against the Washington run defense. LeSean McCoy couldn't find that same success, picking up 37 yards on 14 carries, which equals 2.6 yards per carry. That's not going to get it done against any defense, especially the New York Giants, who are coming into town to play next Sunday. The offense also went into a holding pattern in the second half, but they did have a 17 point lead and the defense was playing well, so I'll look past that this time.
It wasn't the best win in the world, but they still count the same in the NFL. The offense got back on track, and the defense was able to get to Jason Campbell and force some mistakes on his part. Yes, the Redskins are a bad team, but they swept the Eagles last year, and always play them tough. It's good to see the Eagles go down to Washington and pick up the victory.
Things don't get any easier after this. Next Sunday might be the biggest New York vs. Philadelphia sports day ever. The Eagles play the Giants at one, and then Game Four of the World Series will take place Sunday night. This is going to be fun next week.
The Eagles put up 27 points in the first half, then coasted the rest of the way for a win on Monday Night Football over the Washington Redskins.
The Good:
Donovan McNabb was solid, going 15/25 for 156 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown pass in the second quarter was the 200th of his career.
DeSean Jackson was awesome, taking a handoff on the fourth play of the game and running 67 yards for a touchdown and catching a 57 yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.
The newest Eagle, Will Witherspoon, was outstanding in his debut. He returned an interception for a touchdown, sacked Jason Campbell and forced a fumble. Not a bad start, new guy.
The defense as a unit played well. They pressured Jason Campbell all night, sacking him six times, and they also forced four turnovers.
The Bad:
The offense went to sleep in the second half, picking up just 58 yards in the last two quarters of the game.
LeSean McCoy didn't have the best game, as he ran the ball 14 times for 37 yards.
Though the Eagles had 122 rushing yards, over half of them came on DeSean Jackson's 67 yard touchdown run on the fourth play of the game.
The Ugly:
Brian Westbrook was knocked out on a play and had to leave the game. He suffered a concussion, and it's not sure when he's going to be back. He had just three carries for 13 yards while he was in there.
The Breakdown:
Just like I said about the Washington Nationals in baseball, there isn't much playing the Washington Redskins in football won't fix. A week after being embarrassed against the Oakland Raiders (who lost 38-0 against the Jets on Sunday), the Eagles came out in the first half and looked like a different team. The offense, though it wasn't always sharp, was much better than a week ago, and the defense played well, too. It wasn't the prettiest win in the world, especially with the way the offense played in the second half, but it's a win, and with the Giants coming into Philly on Sunday, I'll take it.
The game couldn't have started out any better. On the fourth play of the game, DeSean Jackson took an end-around from Donovan McNabb and was off to the races. Sixty-seven yards later, Jackson was in for the touchdown, and that pretty much set the tone for the rest of the first half. McNabb threw his 200th career touchdown pass in the second quarter on a 57 yard pass to Jackson, and after that, the offense didn't do a whole lot. It wasn't the best game for McNabb, as he threw a few passes into the ground that would have gone as completions, but again, it was a win, so just look at it like that.
There are very few ways to make yourself known to a new group of fans better than what Will Witherspoon did last night. Late in the first quarter, with the Redskins pinned inside their own ten yard line, Witherspoon grabbed a tipped Jason Campbell pass and took it into the end zone for a touchdown. Later in the first half, Witherspoon brought Campbell down for a sack, and stripped the ball. The newest Eagle finished the game with six tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and an interception return for a touchdown. All in all, it was a very good day for him and the rest of the defense, who put pressure on Campbell the entire game. Last week, the defense couldn't get to JaMarcus Russell in time to bring him down. This week, they sacked Jason Campbell six times. Trent Cole brought Campbell down twice, giving him 6.5 sacks on the season, and Jason Babin made the most of his playing time, recording three tackles and a sack.
Of course, last night wasn't a perfect game by any stretch, and the injury to Brian Westbrook highlighted that. Midway through the first quarter, Westbrook took an inadvertent knee from London Fletcher and was knocked out cold for a few minutes. Though he left the field under his own power, he got a concussion on the play and did not return to the game. Luckily, the Eagles didn't need him, but their running game never really got on track after he left. While Westbrook was in the game, he carried the ball three times for 13 yards. It's a small sample size, but he was having success against the Washington run defense. LeSean McCoy couldn't find that same success, picking up 37 yards on 14 carries, which equals 2.6 yards per carry. That's not going to get it done against any defense, especially the New York Giants, who are coming into town to play next Sunday. The offense also went into a holding pattern in the second half, but they did have a 17 point lead and the defense was playing well, so I'll look past that this time.
It wasn't the best win in the world, but they still count the same in the NFL. The offense got back on track, and the defense was able to get to Jason Campbell and force some mistakes on his part. Yes, the Redskins are a bad team, but they swept the Eagles last year, and always play them tough. It's good to see the Eagles go down to Washington and pick up the victory.
Things don't get any easier after this. Next Sunday might be the biggest New York vs. Philadelphia sports day ever. The Eagles play the Giants at one, and then Game Four of the World Series will take place Sunday night. This is going to be fun next week.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Et tu, Jayson Stark?
So, ESPN's experts have made their picks for the World Series, and while I expected the Yankees to get the majority of the picks, there's one man that stands out.
Really, Jayson Stark...really? After every article you write about the Phillies, and one of the best books I've ever read about the 2008 Phils, you go and pick the Yankees to win this year? That cuts deep man. I don't think we can be friends anymore. I am glad that most of these people see this series as a long one, except for Rob Neyer. I think he hates the Phillies at this point. He picked the Dodgers to win the NLCS in five, and now he's picking the Yankees in five, too. Neyer also picked the Rays to win in five games last year, so he might be on to something. Just keep picking against the Phils, Rob.
Of course, if you had listened to the group of ESPN "experts," you would be flat out of luck in the National League. Looking at their initial playoff picks, only Howard Bryant, Jerry Crasnick, Eric Karabell, Eric Neel and Gene Wojciechowski picked a Phillies/Yankees World Series, and none of them picked the Phillies to win. This seems to have changed now, as Eric Karabell has switched his pick. Mr. Karabell, you shall be rewarded when the Phillies win. You were the only one on ESPN to stand up. We will remember this.
Brian Boucher's return to Philly? It sure looked a lot like the last time he was here.
So, lost in the commotion last night was the fact that the Flyers had another game, and while I'm going to recap it, there's not that much I have to say. To make a long story short, the Flyers got beat by a very good San Jose team. They didn't look sharp at all, and Brian Boucher wasn't very good in his first start of the year, which pretty much raises the only question from the game last night.
Ray Emery hasn't been a world beater so far this year, but he's been solid for the Flyers in goal. On the other hand, with the limited budget the Flyers had to go out and sign two goalies with, they could only come up with Brian Boucher. Last night, Boucher showed Philadelphia fans that he's basically still the same guy that the Flyers let go at the end of the 2001-2002 season. Now, it wasn't all his fault last night, but he did let in a couple of soft goals, and couldn't handle a few rebounds in the crease like a starter should.
While the Sharks are a solid hockey team, the Flyers still have to have a little bit of concern with their backup goalie situation. Boucher was solid last year in San Jose, but he's never been more than an average backup for most of his career. He has a career save percentage under 90%, which basically earmarks him as a backup for life. However, if Ray Emery gets hurt and misses a large chunk of time, he's going to be called upon to start for the Flyers. This could be a problem for Philadelphia if that happens. Like I said, Emery hasn't been a superstar so far this year, but he's been solid, and they are going to need him to keep up his current pace if they want to have a shot to make the playoffs. With Boucher in there, things get a bit more questionable.
Look, it hasn't been the best start to the year for the Flyers, but it hasn't been horrible, either. They need to start stepping up with better defensive play if they want to compete with the Penguins and Rangers in the Atlantic Division. Their offense can be one of the best in the NHL, but they haven't put it together yet. When they do, this could be a very, very good team. Last night, it just didn't happen. Hopefully, it does Tuesday against Washington.
Ray Emery hasn't been a world beater so far this year, but he's been solid for the Flyers in goal. On the other hand, with the limited budget the Flyers had to go out and sign two goalies with, they could only come up with Brian Boucher. Last night, Boucher showed Philadelphia fans that he's basically still the same guy that the Flyers let go at the end of the 2001-2002 season. Now, it wasn't all his fault last night, but he did let in a couple of soft goals, and couldn't handle a few rebounds in the crease like a starter should.
While the Sharks are a solid hockey team, the Flyers still have to have a little bit of concern with their backup goalie situation. Boucher was solid last year in San Jose, but he's never been more than an average backup for most of his career. He has a career save percentage under 90%, which basically earmarks him as a backup for life. However, if Ray Emery gets hurt and misses a large chunk of time, he's going to be called upon to start for the Flyers. This could be a problem for Philadelphia if that happens. Like I said, Emery hasn't been a superstar so far this year, but he's been solid, and they are going to need him to keep up his current pace if they want to have a shot to make the playoffs. With Boucher in there, things get a bit more questionable.
Look, it hasn't been the best start to the year for the Flyers, but it hasn't been horrible, either. They need to start stepping up with better defensive play if they want to compete with the Penguins and Rangers in the Atlantic Division. Their offense can be one of the best in the NHL, but they haven't put it together yet. When they do, this could be a very, very good team. Last night, it just didn't happen. Hopefully, it does Tuesday against Washington.
World Series Preview: Phillies vs. Yankees: This should be fun.
It took the American League a little bit longer to crown a champion, but now everything is signed, sealed, delivered and ready to go. After 162 regular season games and two rounds of playoff baseball, the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies will be taking on the New York Yankees for the World Series championship.
I wish I could say this series is going to be easy for the Phillies, I really do. I can't say that, though. Last year, I knew that the Phils were going to win. All you had to do was look at how Tampa Bay celebrated beating Boston in the ALCS. That was their World Series. This year, the Yankees know that they're not done until they get to the top. It's the same attitude the Phillies have had the last two postseasons, and it's going to make this series one of the best in the last decade.
You can throw out the matchup between the Phillies and the Yankees in late May, too. Yes, the Phillies took two out of three that weekend, but so much has changed since then. Alex Rodriguez had been back for all of two weeks, and was still struggling with his hip injury, C.C. Sabathia wasn't the same pitcher he has been since the All Star break, and Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez weren't playing for the Phillies yet. Truth be told, that series might as well be looked at as one that happened last year. It's good that the Phils managed to take two out of three from the Yankees, but all that relates to now is the overall standings. Either way, the World Series starts Wednesday night, so let me break it down for you.
Offense:
For the Phillies, their offense is, and seems it always will be, based around their power game. Ryan Howard was the hottest hitter for either team in the NCLS, and his MVP award tells that story. Aside from a certain third baseman for the Yankees, no one has been as hot during the playoffs as the big man. Howard is hitting .355 with two home runs and 14 RBI in the nine games that the Phillies have played so far, but he's not alone. Shane Victorino leads the team in postseason batting, hitting .361 with three home runs and seven RBI of his own, while Carlos Ruiz isn't exactly a Philadelphia secret anymore. Carlos is batting .346 with a home run and seven RBI, and killed Los Angeles pitching during the NLCS. The Yankees can't ignore his bat out of the eight hole, or he'll continue to rake, just like he did against the Dodgers. Chase Utley hasn't had many RBI chances, but he has been getting on base, and while Jayson Werth only had four hits in the NLCS, three of them were home runs. Meanwhile, Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez and Pedro Feliz have struggled a bit during the playoffs, but even they have all come through with at least one clutch hit so far.
The Phillies are going to have to use their speed more than they have so far in the playoffs, as well. The Yankees did a good job keeping the Angels in check on the basepaths, though most of that had to do with the fact that Bobby Abreu and Chone Figgins were next to useless at the plate. Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are going to have to do a better job than those two did if the Phillies want to have a shot in this series. So far, the Phils have only stolen six bases, and that's going to have to change against the Yankees. C.C. Sabathia has a good move to the plate, and Andy Pettitte is pretty much the best pickoff artist in baseball, but they still have to take their chances when they get them.
As for the Yankees, their offense pretty much revolves around one person right now. Alex Rodriguez has found a new gear so far in these playoffs, hitting .438 with five home runs and 12 RBI in nine games. It seems like the playoff Rodriguez of old is gone, and that might have something to do with him missing the first month and a half of the season this year. If you look at the last three times the Yankees made the playoffs with Rodriguez, he averaged almost 700 plate appearances in those three years. This year, he only had 535 plate appearances. It's fairly obvious that his body is still fresher than it has been in recent trips to the playoffs. In fact, this is the first time he's played in less than 130 games in the regular season since 1999, so it could just be that he needed a little extra rest. He's not as young as he used to be, and he was coming off of major hip surgery, so perhaps the time off has his body still in September, rather than October. As for the rest of the Yankees, the usual suspects are still there, though the offense has really struggled so far in the playoffs. Of course, Derek Jeter is still leading the way, hitting .297 with three home runs and five RBI, and Melky Cabrera has been a surprise out of the nine spot, batting .314 with four RBI. The rest of the Yankee lineup hasn't been up to their regular season talent, especially Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira, who are hitting a combined .165 with one home run and six RBI. However, this is a Yankee lineup that can break out at any time. Eight of their nine starters had 20 or more home runs during the regular season, and that short porch they have in right field is very inviting for any hitter. All it could take is a few good swings, and all of a sudden, that offense is up and running again.
The Yankees also have some speed on the basepaths that they're going to want to use to their advantage as well. Derek Jeter led the team with 30 steals, and Brett Gardner swiped 26 bags of his own. While New York doesn't have as many 20+ basestealers as the Phillies, they did manage to steal 111 bases while only being caught 28 times on the season. That comes out to a success rate of 80%, which is just one percent behind Philadelphia's 81% success rate. Needless to say, the battle on the basepaths could be something that sets the tone for the series.
For the overall offense, while the Yankees were kings in the regular season, they haven't had the same pop in the playoffs. Right now, it comes down to Alex Rodriguez against Ryan Howard, and both of them have been pretty damn even. The same is pretty much true with the rest of the lineups. The most positive thing for the Phillies is the fact that this year, they won't have to start Eric Bruntlett in Yankee Stadium when the lineup includes a DH. That job now falls on Ben Francisco. Even with Francisco, these are the two best lineups in baseball, and they're too close to call.
Advantage: Push
Starting Rotation:
Both of these teams need to send thank you cards to Cleveland for their pitchers in Game One. Both C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee were teammates in Cleveland last season. The Indians traded Sabathia to the Brewers at the trade deadline last year, and he made his way to New York in the offseason. This year, the Indians dealt Cliff Lee to the Phillies at the trade deadline, and both have been excellent so far in the playoffs. In three starts for the Phillies, Lee has been lights out, going 2-0 with a 0.74 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 24.1 innings of work. He's been everything that the Phillies have needed him to be, and more. Behind Lee, the rotation hasn't been as strong, but it's gotten the job done. Pedro Martinez, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton will likely make up the rest of the rotation, with the only question being who will start Games Two and Three. If I had a choice, I would put Pedro on the mound for Game Two. Not only has he pitched better than Cole so far during the playoffs, but he has experience pitching against the Yankees in big games. He's done it as a member of the Red Sox, and his seven shutout innings against the Dodgers make me believe that he can do it again. Cole hasn't been the same pitcher he was last year during the playoffs. He doesn't have the same zip on his fastball, and he's leaving pitches up in the zone, which is making them easy targets for talented hitters. If he does that against the Yankees, they will eat him alive. The Phillies know what they are going to get out of Joe Blanton, and that's about it. He's a solid fourth starter who can sometimes pull a gem out of his hat. Usually, he's going to give the Phillies six strong innings with three or four runs coming across the plate. If he can do that against New York, I think most Phillies fans, myself included, would be happy.
With the Yankees closing out the Angels last night and avoiding a Game Seven, they now have the luxury of starting C.C. Sabathia three times during the World Series. Personally, I don't blame them if they do. So far in the playoffs, Sabathia has been the ace the Yankees needed, winning three games and striking out 20 in 22.2 innings of work. His 1.19 ERA is a tiny bit higher than Cliff Lee's, but is nothing to be worried about. The Yankees were careful with Sabathia down the stretch this year, as they didn't want to burn him out like the Brewers had to do last season. His 230 regular season innings are his lowest in the last three years, and it's showed so far in the playoffs, as he's been able to remove the demons of the last two postseasons. Behind Sabathia, the Yankees have a decent set of starting pitchers. A.J. Burnett is solid, but his 4.42 ERA is one of the highest on New York's playoff roster. He has talent, but can be wild at times, and it's come through a little bit this postseason with four hit batters in the playoffs so far. The Phillies have seen Burnett plenty of times, both with Florida and Toronto, so it's not like they don't know what he's going to throw at them. Meanwhile, Andy Pettitte is the most experienced starter left in the playoffs, and he has done everything the Yankees have needed him to do during this postseason. His 2.37 ERA ranks just behind Sabathia and Lee in terms of starters, and he's struck out 15 batters against only three walks. When you think of the Yankees in the playoffs, you think of Pettitte on the mound in a big game, and that's what he gives that team. He didn't have the best regular season, but regular season stats don't matter when you get to the playoffs. Since New York won last night, it's likely these are the only three starters that the Phillies are going to see.
Both these teams are familiar with the opposing ace. Cliff Lee spent all of his career in the American League before he was traded to the Phillies, and C.C. Sabathia faced the Phils in the NLDS last season, with less than stellar results. The Yankees have hit Lee around a little bit in his starts against them, but the way these two are pitching, it's going to come down to who is pitching behind them. When you stack it up, Pedro/Hamels/Blanton vs. Burnett/Pettitte, there isn't much to set them apart. All five of those pitchers have playoff experience, and you don't get much more big game than Pedro Martinez and Andy Pettitte. Much like the offenses, the starting rotations are damn close.
Advantage: Push
Bullpens:
Like I just said a few minutes ago about the starting pitchers: regular season stats don't mean a thing in the playoffs. Brad Lidge couldn't have saved a Little League game at the end of the regular season, and blew two saves against the Yankees during the regular season, but is three for three with a win and an ERA of 0.00 during the playoffs. He's gotten out of some tough situations, and has done exactly what has been asked of him so far in the playoffs. He's not the Brad Lidge of 2008. I don't think that's ever going to happen again, but he does look better than the Brad Lidge of the 2009 regular season. He's gotten some of his confidence back, and it's showing now. If only he could give some of that to Ryan Madson. The "Bridge to Lidge" has been less than stellar, and his 4.50 ERA is the third worst in the bullpen. He's given up eight hits and four walks in six innings of work, and is going to have to get better, or else the Yankees are going to eat him alive. New York is a team that plays until the last out, much like the Phillies, so the bullpen is going to have to be on top of its game during this series. J.A. Happ has also struggled in the short time he's pitched during the playoffs, with a 7.36 ERA and five walks so far. Luckily, Scott Eyre and Chad Durbin have been lights out, allowing just one earned run in 6.1 combined innings. While Lidge certainly has some of his swagger back, if the moment comes, I'm sure Charlie Manuel will turn to Eyre, Happ or Durbin to start the ninth inning, if need be.
For the Yankees, there is only one name that you need to know in their bullpen: Mariano Rivera. The man has been closing games in New York since 1997, and is the name that you think of when you mention closers in the playoffs. So far this year, it's been more of the same for Rivera, who has allowed just one run and struck out 11 in 10.2 innings of work. He's saved all three games that he has been called in to finish, including a two out save against the Angels last night. Joe Girardi isn't going to be afraid to bring him in if the Phillies have a scoring chance late in the game, and he can pitch just as well to lefties as he can to righties. Basically, the Yankee bullpen begins and ends with him, but getting there has been a little bit of a challenge for New York. The way to Rivera usually goes through Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, but the two of them haven't had their best stuff so far in the playoffs. Joba's given up seven hits in 3.1 innings, while Hughes has been hit so much, he wasn't even used last night against Los Angeles. The Yankees are more than likely expecting at least six innings out of each one of their starters, so if it comes down to it, the pressure is going to be on Hughes and Joba to get to Rivera. Mariano is 39 years old, I'm not sure how many more two inning saves he has left in him.
When you stack up the bullpens, they also look very even, with the one exception. Even if the Yankees have trouble getting to him, they still have Rivera sitting there, waiting to close out games in the eighth or ninth innings. He's only blown two saves in his entire postseason career, and while the Phillies have made a habit this postseason of getting to the opposing closer, Mariano is a different creature. Even at age 39, he's the edge that the Yankees need.
Edge: Yankees
Managers:
Charlie Manuel has gotten the Phillies back to the World Series for the second straight year. Not only is he the first Phillies manager to ever do that, but he's the first Major League manager to accomplish that feat since Joe Torre did it with the Yankees at the end of the last decade. Charlie has this team in a business like state of mind. Just like last year, the Phils know that their job isn't done until they're holding the World Series trophy high above their heads, and there's a parade down Broad Street. He's going to have to manage his pitching staff a little bit, with the big choice being who starts Game Two in New York. He hasn't been wrong much with the Phils, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt at this point.
Meanwhile, this is Joe Girardi's first taste of the playoffs, and while the Yankees have made it to the World Series, he has made some questionable decisions. He seems to overmanage when it comes to the bullpen, and though his bench is thin, the fact that he keeps sticking with Nick Swisher in right field is an odd one. Aside from C.C. Sabathia's starts, Girardi has gone to his bullpen an awful lot, and has made some interesting choices once he's gone there. Of course, having a $200 million payroll helps win games, but sometimes, strategy gets it done as well. I'm not sure how well Girardi can strategize.
Edge: Phillies
Prediction: Here we are, the World Series. For the second straight year, the Phillies are attempting to reach the top of the mountain. So far, the Yankees haven't had to deal with much on their way here, if I can be honest. The Twins were just happy to make the playoffs after catching the Tigers, and the Angels couldn't get out of their own way in a few of the games. The Phillies have been here before, and aren't going to make stupid base running mistakes, or bow to the "Yankee mystique." In the last two years, the Phillies are 18-5 in the playoffs, and have only lost one game at home. This time, I see it coming down to the first two games of this series. The Phillies have to at least split the first two games with New York if they want a chance to win. The first game against C.C. Sabathia is going to be key, but Game Two against A.J. Burnett is going to be just as, if not even more, important. If the Phillies can keep their mistakes down and get to the Yankee bullpen before Rivera, they have a great shot to win this thing. If they don't, and Brad Lidge slips back into his regular season version, this could get ugly in a hurry. Honestly, I think we're all in for one of the best World Series matchups of the decade. This one is going seven games, and in the end, I think the winner is going to be...
Phillies in 7
I wish I could say this series is going to be easy for the Phillies, I really do. I can't say that, though. Last year, I knew that the Phils were going to win. All you had to do was look at how Tampa Bay celebrated beating Boston in the ALCS. That was their World Series. This year, the Yankees know that they're not done until they get to the top. It's the same attitude the Phillies have had the last two postseasons, and it's going to make this series one of the best in the last decade.
You can throw out the matchup between the Phillies and the Yankees in late May, too. Yes, the Phillies took two out of three that weekend, but so much has changed since then. Alex Rodriguez had been back for all of two weeks, and was still struggling with his hip injury, C.C. Sabathia wasn't the same pitcher he has been since the All Star break, and Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez weren't playing for the Phillies yet. Truth be told, that series might as well be looked at as one that happened last year. It's good that the Phils managed to take two out of three from the Yankees, but all that relates to now is the overall standings. Either way, the World Series starts Wednesday night, so let me break it down for you.
Offense:
For the Phillies, their offense is, and seems it always will be, based around their power game. Ryan Howard was the hottest hitter for either team in the NCLS, and his MVP award tells that story. Aside from a certain third baseman for the Yankees, no one has been as hot during the playoffs as the big man. Howard is hitting .355 with two home runs and 14 RBI in the nine games that the Phillies have played so far, but he's not alone. Shane Victorino leads the team in postseason batting, hitting .361 with three home runs and seven RBI of his own, while Carlos Ruiz isn't exactly a Philadelphia secret anymore. Carlos is batting .346 with a home run and seven RBI, and killed Los Angeles pitching during the NLCS. The Yankees can't ignore his bat out of the eight hole, or he'll continue to rake, just like he did against the Dodgers. Chase Utley hasn't had many RBI chances, but he has been getting on base, and while Jayson Werth only had four hits in the NLCS, three of them were home runs. Meanwhile, Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez and Pedro Feliz have struggled a bit during the playoffs, but even they have all come through with at least one clutch hit so far.
The Phillies are going to have to use their speed more than they have so far in the playoffs, as well. The Yankees did a good job keeping the Angels in check on the basepaths, though most of that had to do with the fact that Bobby Abreu and Chone Figgins were next to useless at the plate. Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are going to have to do a better job than those two did if the Phillies want to have a shot in this series. So far, the Phils have only stolen six bases, and that's going to have to change against the Yankees. C.C. Sabathia has a good move to the plate, and Andy Pettitte is pretty much the best pickoff artist in baseball, but they still have to take their chances when they get them.
As for the Yankees, their offense pretty much revolves around one person right now. Alex Rodriguez has found a new gear so far in these playoffs, hitting .438 with five home runs and 12 RBI in nine games. It seems like the playoff Rodriguez of old is gone, and that might have something to do with him missing the first month and a half of the season this year. If you look at the last three times the Yankees made the playoffs with Rodriguez, he averaged almost 700 plate appearances in those three years. This year, he only had 535 plate appearances. It's fairly obvious that his body is still fresher than it has been in recent trips to the playoffs. In fact, this is the first time he's played in less than 130 games in the regular season since 1999, so it could just be that he needed a little extra rest. He's not as young as he used to be, and he was coming off of major hip surgery, so perhaps the time off has his body still in September, rather than October. As for the rest of the Yankees, the usual suspects are still there, though the offense has really struggled so far in the playoffs. Of course, Derek Jeter is still leading the way, hitting .297 with three home runs and five RBI, and Melky Cabrera has been a surprise out of the nine spot, batting .314 with four RBI. The rest of the Yankee lineup hasn't been up to their regular season talent, especially Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira, who are hitting a combined .165 with one home run and six RBI. However, this is a Yankee lineup that can break out at any time. Eight of their nine starters had 20 or more home runs during the regular season, and that short porch they have in right field is very inviting for any hitter. All it could take is a few good swings, and all of a sudden, that offense is up and running again.
The Yankees also have some speed on the basepaths that they're going to want to use to their advantage as well. Derek Jeter led the team with 30 steals, and Brett Gardner swiped 26 bags of his own. While New York doesn't have as many 20+ basestealers as the Phillies, they did manage to steal 111 bases while only being caught 28 times on the season. That comes out to a success rate of 80%, which is just one percent behind Philadelphia's 81% success rate. Needless to say, the battle on the basepaths could be something that sets the tone for the series.
For the overall offense, while the Yankees were kings in the regular season, they haven't had the same pop in the playoffs. Right now, it comes down to Alex Rodriguez against Ryan Howard, and both of them have been pretty damn even. The same is pretty much true with the rest of the lineups. The most positive thing for the Phillies is the fact that this year, they won't have to start Eric Bruntlett in Yankee Stadium when the lineup includes a DH. That job now falls on Ben Francisco. Even with Francisco, these are the two best lineups in baseball, and they're too close to call.
Advantage: Push
Starting Rotation:
Both of these teams need to send thank you cards to Cleveland for their pitchers in Game One. Both C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee were teammates in Cleveland last season. The Indians traded Sabathia to the Brewers at the trade deadline last year, and he made his way to New York in the offseason. This year, the Indians dealt Cliff Lee to the Phillies at the trade deadline, and both have been excellent so far in the playoffs. In three starts for the Phillies, Lee has been lights out, going 2-0 with a 0.74 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 24.1 innings of work. He's been everything that the Phillies have needed him to be, and more. Behind Lee, the rotation hasn't been as strong, but it's gotten the job done. Pedro Martinez, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton will likely make up the rest of the rotation, with the only question being who will start Games Two and Three. If I had a choice, I would put Pedro on the mound for Game Two. Not only has he pitched better than Cole so far during the playoffs, but he has experience pitching against the Yankees in big games. He's done it as a member of the Red Sox, and his seven shutout innings against the Dodgers make me believe that he can do it again. Cole hasn't been the same pitcher he was last year during the playoffs. He doesn't have the same zip on his fastball, and he's leaving pitches up in the zone, which is making them easy targets for talented hitters. If he does that against the Yankees, they will eat him alive. The Phillies know what they are going to get out of Joe Blanton, and that's about it. He's a solid fourth starter who can sometimes pull a gem out of his hat. Usually, he's going to give the Phillies six strong innings with three or four runs coming across the plate. If he can do that against New York, I think most Phillies fans, myself included, would be happy.
With the Yankees closing out the Angels last night and avoiding a Game Seven, they now have the luxury of starting C.C. Sabathia three times during the World Series. Personally, I don't blame them if they do. So far in the playoffs, Sabathia has been the ace the Yankees needed, winning three games and striking out 20 in 22.2 innings of work. His 1.19 ERA is a tiny bit higher than Cliff Lee's, but is nothing to be worried about. The Yankees were careful with Sabathia down the stretch this year, as they didn't want to burn him out like the Brewers had to do last season. His 230 regular season innings are his lowest in the last three years, and it's showed so far in the playoffs, as he's been able to remove the demons of the last two postseasons. Behind Sabathia, the Yankees have a decent set of starting pitchers. A.J. Burnett is solid, but his 4.42 ERA is one of the highest on New York's playoff roster. He has talent, but can be wild at times, and it's come through a little bit this postseason with four hit batters in the playoffs so far. The Phillies have seen Burnett plenty of times, both with Florida and Toronto, so it's not like they don't know what he's going to throw at them. Meanwhile, Andy Pettitte is the most experienced starter left in the playoffs, and he has done everything the Yankees have needed him to do during this postseason. His 2.37 ERA ranks just behind Sabathia and Lee in terms of starters, and he's struck out 15 batters against only three walks. When you think of the Yankees in the playoffs, you think of Pettitte on the mound in a big game, and that's what he gives that team. He didn't have the best regular season, but regular season stats don't matter when you get to the playoffs. Since New York won last night, it's likely these are the only three starters that the Phillies are going to see.
Both these teams are familiar with the opposing ace. Cliff Lee spent all of his career in the American League before he was traded to the Phillies, and C.C. Sabathia faced the Phils in the NLDS last season, with less than stellar results. The Yankees have hit Lee around a little bit in his starts against them, but the way these two are pitching, it's going to come down to who is pitching behind them. When you stack it up, Pedro/Hamels/Blanton vs. Burnett/Pettitte, there isn't much to set them apart. All five of those pitchers have playoff experience, and you don't get much more big game than Pedro Martinez and Andy Pettitte. Much like the offenses, the starting rotations are damn close.
Advantage: Push
Bullpens:
Like I just said a few minutes ago about the starting pitchers: regular season stats don't mean a thing in the playoffs. Brad Lidge couldn't have saved a Little League game at the end of the regular season, and blew two saves against the Yankees during the regular season, but is three for three with a win and an ERA of 0.00 during the playoffs. He's gotten out of some tough situations, and has done exactly what has been asked of him so far in the playoffs. He's not the Brad Lidge of 2008. I don't think that's ever going to happen again, but he does look better than the Brad Lidge of the 2009 regular season. He's gotten some of his confidence back, and it's showing now. If only he could give some of that to Ryan Madson. The "Bridge to Lidge" has been less than stellar, and his 4.50 ERA is the third worst in the bullpen. He's given up eight hits and four walks in six innings of work, and is going to have to get better, or else the Yankees are going to eat him alive. New York is a team that plays until the last out, much like the Phillies, so the bullpen is going to have to be on top of its game during this series. J.A. Happ has also struggled in the short time he's pitched during the playoffs, with a 7.36 ERA and five walks so far. Luckily, Scott Eyre and Chad Durbin have been lights out, allowing just one earned run in 6.1 combined innings. While Lidge certainly has some of his swagger back, if the moment comes, I'm sure Charlie Manuel will turn to Eyre, Happ or Durbin to start the ninth inning, if need be.
For the Yankees, there is only one name that you need to know in their bullpen: Mariano Rivera. The man has been closing games in New York since 1997, and is the name that you think of when you mention closers in the playoffs. So far this year, it's been more of the same for Rivera, who has allowed just one run and struck out 11 in 10.2 innings of work. He's saved all three games that he has been called in to finish, including a two out save against the Angels last night. Joe Girardi isn't going to be afraid to bring him in if the Phillies have a scoring chance late in the game, and he can pitch just as well to lefties as he can to righties. Basically, the Yankee bullpen begins and ends with him, but getting there has been a little bit of a challenge for New York. The way to Rivera usually goes through Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, but the two of them haven't had their best stuff so far in the playoffs. Joba's given up seven hits in 3.1 innings, while Hughes has been hit so much, he wasn't even used last night against Los Angeles. The Yankees are more than likely expecting at least six innings out of each one of their starters, so if it comes down to it, the pressure is going to be on Hughes and Joba to get to Rivera. Mariano is 39 years old, I'm not sure how many more two inning saves he has left in him.
When you stack up the bullpens, they also look very even, with the one exception. Even if the Yankees have trouble getting to him, they still have Rivera sitting there, waiting to close out games in the eighth or ninth innings. He's only blown two saves in his entire postseason career, and while the Phillies have made a habit this postseason of getting to the opposing closer, Mariano is a different creature. Even at age 39, he's the edge that the Yankees need.
Edge: Yankees
Managers:
Charlie Manuel has gotten the Phillies back to the World Series for the second straight year. Not only is he the first Phillies manager to ever do that, but he's the first Major League manager to accomplish that feat since Joe Torre did it with the Yankees at the end of the last decade. Charlie has this team in a business like state of mind. Just like last year, the Phils know that their job isn't done until they're holding the World Series trophy high above their heads, and there's a parade down Broad Street. He's going to have to manage his pitching staff a little bit, with the big choice being who starts Game Two in New York. He hasn't been wrong much with the Phils, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt at this point.
Meanwhile, this is Joe Girardi's first taste of the playoffs, and while the Yankees have made it to the World Series, he has made some questionable decisions. He seems to overmanage when it comes to the bullpen, and though his bench is thin, the fact that he keeps sticking with Nick Swisher in right field is an odd one. Aside from C.C. Sabathia's starts, Girardi has gone to his bullpen an awful lot, and has made some interesting choices once he's gone there. Of course, having a $200 million payroll helps win games, but sometimes, strategy gets it done as well. I'm not sure how well Girardi can strategize.
Edge: Phillies
Prediction: Here we are, the World Series. For the second straight year, the Phillies are attempting to reach the top of the mountain. So far, the Yankees haven't had to deal with much on their way here, if I can be honest. The Twins were just happy to make the playoffs after catching the Tigers, and the Angels couldn't get out of their own way in a few of the games. The Phillies have been here before, and aren't going to make stupid base running mistakes, or bow to the "Yankee mystique." In the last two years, the Phillies are 18-5 in the playoffs, and have only lost one game at home. This time, I see it coming down to the first two games of this series. The Phillies have to at least split the first two games with New York if they want a chance to win. The first game against C.C. Sabathia is going to be key, but Game Two against A.J. Burnett is going to be just as, if not even more, important. If the Phillies can keep their mistakes down and get to the Yankee bullpen before Rivera, they have a great shot to win this thing. If they don't, and Brad Lidge slips back into his regular season version, this could get ugly in a hurry. Honestly, I think we're all in for one of the best World Series matchups of the decade. This one is going seven games, and in the end, I think the winner is going to be...
Phillies in 7
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Hey, what's this odd sport on ice...hockey? Oh yeah, I remember that!
After playing one game in 12 days, the Flyers have gotten back into the swing of things at home. Going into their long layoff, they had dropped two in a row, and it didn't get much better in their lone game during that 12 day span, as they coughed one up to the Panthers, 4-2. Fortunately, some time on home ice has been exactly what they needed to get back on the winning track.
The Flyers started by proving that they actually can win shootouts, as they defeated the Boston Bruins by a final of 4-3. Despite letting the game go to a shootout, the Flyers looked sharp for a team with a lot of time off. They outshot the Bruins 39-26, and Ray Emery didn't look bad in goal. Chris Pronger, Arron Asham and Darroll Powe each tallied goals for the Flyers, before Claude Giroux scored on a pretty deke move to give Philadelphia the win in the shootout. Both teams played disciplined hockey, with each getting just two chances on the power play. The Flyers did allow a power play goal, but other than that, they didn't look bad against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference from a year ago.
Last night, they got a chance at a little revenge against the Florida Panthers. The game itself was great, as the Flyers took Florida down 5-1. Jeff Carter had two assists, Danny Briere scored twice and had an assist, Chris Pronger had two assists, Simon Gagne scored his first goal of the year and James vanRiemsdyk scored and had an assist. Overall, it was a very good game for the Flyers, who once again looked like the team that started the season 3-0 for the first time in a decade.
Of course, that's not what everyone is talking about today. What they are talking about is what happened near the end of the second period. Flyers captain Mike Richards knocked out Florida left wing David Booth with a huge hit that left him down on the ice for seven minutes. Richards was nailed for a game misconduct, and the league is looking into the hit. Now, I've watched the hit over and over again, and while Booth did pass the puck before he was hit, it happened within a split second of the impact. Booth was also skating with his head down, and Richards did not leave the ice to make the hit. It seems to me that the hit was a lot like the one Scott Stevens put on Eric Lindros during Game 7 of the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals. As far as I'm concerned, it was a clean hit that just had an unfortunate result. Booth is a good young player, and you hate to see this happen to anyone, so I hope he recovers quickly from this.
All in all, the Flyers played very well last night. Their offense was back on top of things, scoring two power play goals, and the defense was great as well. The Panthers only managed seven shots in the last two periods, and Ray Emery made 17 saves on the night. Florida also went 0-5 on the power play, and the Flyers handled them like they should have the first time these teams played this year. The schedule speed picks up again, as the San Jose Sharks are in town for a game tonight. Hopefully, this high level of play can continue.
UPDATE: Mike Richards will not be suspended for the hit on David Booth from last night. The word has just come down, as reported by Tim Panaccio of CSNPhilly. That's good news for the Flyers, and it validates what most Philadelphia fans were saying-it was a clean hit, just with a bad side effect. Players have to keep their heads on swivels in the NHL, that's just the way it is. I hope Booth gets back on the ice soon.
CSNPhilly: Richards Cleared in Hit on Panthers' Booth
The Flyers started by proving that they actually can win shootouts, as they defeated the Boston Bruins by a final of 4-3. Despite letting the game go to a shootout, the Flyers looked sharp for a team with a lot of time off. They outshot the Bruins 39-26, and Ray Emery didn't look bad in goal. Chris Pronger, Arron Asham and Darroll Powe each tallied goals for the Flyers, before Claude Giroux scored on a pretty deke move to give Philadelphia the win in the shootout. Both teams played disciplined hockey, with each getting just two chances on the power play. The Flyers did allow a power play goal, but other than that, they didn't look bad against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference from a year ago.
Last night, they got a chance at a little revenge against the Florida Panthers. The game itself was great, as the Flyers took Florida down 5-1. Jeff Carter had two assists, Danny Briere scored twice and had an assist, Chris Pronger had two assists, Simon Gagne scored his first goal of the year and James vanRiemsdyk scored and had an assist. Overall, it was a very good game for the Flyers, who once again looked like the team that started the season 3-0 for the first time in a decade.
Of course, that's not what everyone is talking about today. What they are talking about is what happened near the end of the second period. Flyers captain Mike Richards knocked out Florida left wing David Booth with a huge hit that left him down on the ice for seven minutes. Richards was nailed for a game misconduct, and the league is looking into the hit. Now, I've watched the hit over and over again, and while Booth did pass the puck before he was hit, it happened within a split second of the impact. Booth was also skating with his head down, and Richards did not leave the ice to make the hit. It seems to me that the hit was a lot like the one Scott Stevens put on Eric Lindros during Game 7 of the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals. As far as I'm concerned, it was a clean hit that just had an unfortunate result. Booth is a good young player, and you hate to see this happen to anyone, so I hope he recovers quickly from this.
All in all, the Flyers played very well last night. Their offense was back on top of things, scoring two power play goals, and the defense was great as well. The Panthers only managed seven shots in the last two periods, and Ray Emery made 17 saves on the night. Florida also went 0-5 on the power play, and the Flyers handled them like they should have the first time these teams played this year. The schedule speed picks up again, as the San Jose Sharks are in town for a game tonight. Hopefully, this high level of play can continue.
UPDATE: Mike Richards will not be suspended for the hit on David Booth from last night. The word has just come down, as reported by Tim Panaccio of CSNPhilly. That's good news for the Flyers, and it validates what most Philadelphia fans were saying-it was a clean hit, just with a bad side effect. Players have to keep their heads on swivels in the NHL, that's just the way it is. I hope Booth gets back on the ice soon.
CSNPhilly: Richards Cleared in Hit on Panthers' Booth
Thursday, October 22, 2009
NLCS Game Five Recap: Phillies-10, Dodgers-4
Game Recap:
The Phillies piled six runs on Vicente Padilla in three innings on the way to their second straight National League pennant.
What went right?
Jimmy Rollins was 1-3, was hit by a pitch and scored two runs.
Shane Victorino was 2-4 with a two run home run and three RBI.
Jayson Werth went 3-4 with two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored.
Raul Ibanez was 1-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
Pedro Feliz was 1-4 with a home run.
The bullpen was excellent, pitching 4.2 innings, and allowing one run on three hits.
What went wrong?
Chase Utley was 0-4 with a walk.
Ryan Howard was 0-2 with two walks, ending his consecutive playoff game RBI streak at eight.
Carlos Ruiz went 0-3.
Cole Hamels only lasted 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out three.
Game Analysis:
I believe The Who said it best: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." For the second straight year, the Philadelphia Phillies took care of the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games, and are on their way to the World Series. Unlike last year, when they made it on the strength of their pitching staff, this year, the offense is clicking better than ever, and it showed tonight.
Vicente Padilla dominated the Phillies the last time he pitched in Game Two, but tonight, he was completely ineffective. Jayson Werth smacked a three run home run off of him in the first inning, and the Phils added three more runs in the next three innings before Padilla was taken out of the game. It wasn't always pretty, but it was exactly how the Phillies have played when they have a chance to finish off an opponent. Werth finished the day with two home runs, Shane Victorino knocked a two run shot out of the park and Pedro Feliz added a longball of his own to complete the onslaught. The Dodgers had a few chances in the later innings, but the bullpen did what they had to do, and shut down Los Angeles in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to finish off their last chances.
For the first time since the 1995 and 1996 Atlanta Braves, a National League team has won back to back pennants. That team is the Philadelphia Phillies, and this team is the best that I have ever seen in my fandom history. I've been rooting for the Phillies since as long as I can remember, and honestly, they've entered a golden age. The Dodgers added players to their team in order to compete with the Phillies this year, and they were still knocked off in the same amount of games as last season. This team has more guts, more heart and more skill than any team than I can remember. They play like an American League team, and if their lineup can keep putting up runs like they did in the NLCS, then they can hang with both the Yankees and the Angels.
I've really got nothing else to add tonight. I've got a smile on my face that is going to take about three days to fade away, and the Phillies look like a team that could start talk of a...dynasty. That's all I want to say about it got now.
As for the World Series, the Phillies continue their defense of their world championship next Wednesday. Games 1 and 2 will either be in Anaheim or New York, with the next three games taking place in Philadelphia. There are still four games to go this season, so let's not get too excited yet.
The Phillies piled six runs on Vicente Padilla in three innings on the way to their second straight National League pennant.
What went right?
Jimmy Rollins was 1-3, was hit by a pitch and scored two runs.
Shane Victorino was 2-4 with a two run home run and three RBI.
Jayson Werth went 3-4 with two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored.
Raul Ibanez was 1-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
Pedro Feliz was 1-4 with a home run.
The bullpen was excellent, pitching 4.2 innings, and allowing one run on three hits.
What went wrong?
Chase Utley was 0-4 with a walk.
Ryan Howard was 0-2 with two walks, ending his consecutive playoff game RBI streak at eight.
Carlos Ruiz went 0-3.
Cole Hamels only lasted 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out three.
Game Analysis:
I believe The Who said it best: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." For the second straight year, the Philadelphia Phillies took care of the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games, and are on their way to the World Series. Unlike last year, when they made it on the strength of their pitching staff, this year, the offense is clicking better than ever, and it showed tonight.
Vicente Padilla dominated the Phillies the last time he pitched in Game Two, but tonight, he was completely ineffective. Jayson Werth smacked a three run home run off of him in the first inning, and the Phils added three more runs in the next three innings before Padilla was taken out of the game. It wasn't always pretty, but it was exactly how the Phillies have played when they have a chance to finish off an opponent. Werth finished the day with two home runs, Shane Victorino knocked a two run shot out of the park and Pedro Feliz added a longball of his own to complete the onslaught. The Dodgers had a few chances in the later innings, but the bullpen did what they had to do, and shut down Los Angeles in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to finish off their last chances.
For the first time since the 1995 and 1996 Atlanta Braves, a National League team has won back to back pennants. That team is the Philadelphia Phillies, and this team is the best that I have ever seen in my fandom history. I've been rooting for the Phillies since as long as I can remember, and honestly, they've entered a golden age. The Dodgers added players to their team in order to compete with the Phillies this year, and they were still knocked off in the same amount of games as last season. This team has more guts, more heart and more skill than any team than I can remember. They play like an American League team, and if their lineup can keep putting up runs like they did in the NLCS, then they can hang with both the Yankees and the Angels.
I've really got nothing else to add tonight. I've got a smile on my face that is going to take about three days to fade away, and the Phillies look like a team that could start talk of a...dynasty. That's all I want to say about it got now.
As for the World Series, the Phillies continue their defense of their world championship next Wednesday. Games 1 and 2 will either be in Anaheim or New York, with the next three games taking place in Philadelphia. There are still four games to go this season, so let's not get too excited yet.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
NFL Trade Deadline comes and goes...wait, the Eagles made a trade?
This might be the first time that I can remember that the Eagles have actually made a trade at the deadline, and they made a move for a player that plays at a position of need right now. The Eagles traded rookie WR Daniel Gibson and a 2010 fifth round pick to the St. Louis Rams for linebacker Will Witherspoon. While Gibson had been a favorite for Eagles fans during the preseason, he had been on the inactive list for all five games so far this year, and more than likely wasn't going to see any playing time this season.
Witherspoon has been a solid player ever since he came into the league back in 2002. He started his career with the Carolina Panthers, then joined the Rams in 2007 as a free agent. He's recorded 100 or more tackles five times, and has a reputation as being one of the most durable players in the league. Of course, he left St. Louis' last game against Jacksonville with a knee injury, but I doubt it's that serious if the Eagles were willing to trade for him. More importantly, he's played both weakside and middle linebacker in the NFL, giving him versatility in a position where the Eagles are hurting this year.
I'm not going to sugarcoat how the linebackers have been playing this season for Philadelphia. Jeremiah Trotter hasn't exactly set the world on fire in the two games that he's played, and both he and Omar Gaither are complete liabilities when it comes to pass defense. For those of you that didn't get to see Oakland embarrass the Eagles on Sunday, Zach Miller was able to pick apart the Eagles in the middle of the field, which is the area where the linebackers are responsible for coverage. What the Eagles had out there wasn't working, and I'm impressed that they realized that there was a problem and are trying to fix it. Plus, Gaither sprained his foot on Sunday, and is questionable for the game Monday night against Washington.
Honestly, this is a very good deal for the Eagles. While they had to let a young, potentially talented wideout leave, they did so for a player that could be an instant upgrade at the linebacker position. He's coming from St. Louis, and their head coach, Steve Spagnuolo, worked for eight years under Jim Johnson here in Philadelphia, so he's going to have a basic idea of the system already. Whether or not he's able to contribute right away remains to be seen, but I have a feeling that he will, and this more than likely means the end of Trotter in an Eagles uniform once again. Right now, being able to cover tight ends is far more important than having a player on the team for sentimental reasons. For now though, well played, Eagles. Well played.
Witherspoon has been a solid player ever since he came into the league back in 2002. He started his career with the Carolina Panthers, then joined the Rams in 2007 as a free agent. He's recorded 100 or more tackles five times, and has a reputation as being one of the most durable players in the league. Of course, he left St. Louis' last game against Jacksonville with a knee injury, but I doubt it's that serious if the Eagles were willing to trade for him. More importantly, he's played both weakside and middle linebacker in the NFL, giving him versatility in a position where the Eagles are hurting this year.
I'm not going to sugarcoat how the linebackers have been playing this season for Philadelphia. Jeremiah Trotter hasn't exactly set the world on fire in the two games that he's played, and both he and Omar Gaither are complete liabilities when it comes to pass defense. For those of you that didn't get to see Oakland embarrass the Eagles on Sunday, Zach Miller was able to pick apart the Eagles in the middle of the field, which is the area where the linebackers are responsible for coverage. What the Eagles had out there wasn't working, and I'm impressed that they realized that there was a problem and are trying to fix it. Plus, Gaither sprained his foot on Sunday, and is questionable for the game Monday night against Washington.
Honestly, this is a very good deal for the Eagles. While they had to let a young, potentially talented wideout leave, they did so for a player that could be an instant upgrade at the linebacker position. He's coming from St. Louis, and their head coach, Steve Spagnuolo, worked for eight years under Jim Johnson here in Philadelphia, so he's going to have a basic idea of the system already. Whether or not he's able to contribute right away remains to be seen, but I have a feeling that he will, and this more than likely means the end of Trotter in an Eagles uniform once again. Right now, being able to cover tight ends is far more important than having a player on the team for sentimental reasons. For now though, well played, Eagles. Well played.
NLCS Game Four Recap: Phillies-5, Dodgers-4
Game Recap:
Jimmy Rollins' two out, two run double in the bottom of the ninth inning capped a come from behind win for the Phillies, and put the team a win away from a second straight trip to the World Series.
What went right?
Jimmy Rollins went 2-5 with a run scored and the game winning, two run double.
Shane Victorino was 1-3 with a run scored.
Chase Utley went 1-3 with an RBI.
Ryan Howard went 1-3 with a two run home run. He tied Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive playoff games with an RBI.
Joe Blanton pitched ok, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits in six innings of work. He walked two and struck out two.
The bullpen pitched very well, as Chan Ho Park, Ryan Madson, Scott Eyre and Brad Lidge allowed just two hits over the last three innings of the game.
What went wrong?
Raul Ibanez was 0-4.
Jayson Werth was 0-4.
Game Analysis:
Now, I had something already typed up and ready to post, but that's now sitting in my computer's garbage, never to see the light of day. Instead, for the second straight year, the Phillies managed to work over Jonathan Broxton in Game Four of the NLCS and put themselves one win away from the World Series. I'm not going to analyze much tonight, because I'm still in walkoff shock, but that was the best ending to a game that I have ever seen. It tops the end of Game Four of the NLDS, it's better than Chooch's 45 foot single to end Game Three of the World Series last year, and it's better than Matt Stairs' home run off of Broxton in Game Four of the NLCS last year. Why? Because the Phillies were down to their last out, and were one strike out, ground out or fly ball away from having to take a guaranteed flight back to Los Angeles for Game Six. Now, they have a chance to finish the Dodgers off in Game Five, with Cole Hamels on the mound.
After a good start to the game, the Phillies looked sluggish against Randy Wolf for the rest of the time he was in the game. At one point, Wolf retired 12 Phils in a row, and was really locked in, as the Dodger offense had peppered Joe Blanton with two out runs. Then, it came down to a battle of the bullpens, which is a battle most people, myself included, assumed that the Phillies wouldn't be able to win against Los Angeles. The Phils had two on and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, but George Sherrill struck out Ryan Howard and Broxton got Jayson Werth to fly out to right, and it looked like the Phils had blown their last chance, especially with the bottom of the order coming up.
However, it was the Dodgers that missed their chance in the top of the ninth inning. Rafael Furcal got only his second hit of the series, and was sitting on second base with just one out. Brad Lidge then struck out Matt Kemp, threw a wild pitch that moved Furcal to third, and struck out Andre Ethier to end the inning. I can't say enough about how well Lidge had pitched so far in the playoffs, so I'll just add this: out of the eight teams that made the playoffs, six of the teams have had closers blow saves. The two that haven't? Mariano Rivera...and Brad Lidge. Look at where those two teams are, that should be all you need to know about that right now.
This game just showed how good and determined this Phillies team is. Even down to their last out, against possibly the hardest throwing pitcher in baseball, they didn't give up. The bottom of the lineup did what they had to do, whether it was a four pitch walk by Matt Stairs (who Broxton wanted NOTHING to do with), or getting hit by a pitch, like Carlos Ruiz did. Those guys at the bottom of the lineup hold the Phillies together, and tonight, they were the ones who got the top of the lineup back up there in the ninth inning. Without them, Jimmy Rollins doesn't get a chance to hit, and this series is tied. Instead, Rollins nailed a belt high fastball into the gap in right field, Eric Bruntlett and Carlos Ruiz scored, and the Phillies are up 3-1, with Game Five in Philadelphia Wednesday night.
Ladies and gentlemen, this team never, ever gives up. It took 26 outs tonight, but they got it done. I love this team.
Game Five is Wednesday night. Cole Hamels (1-1, 6.97 ERA), is going against Vicente Padilla (0-0, 1.23 ERA). At least, that's who the Phillies website and ESPN have listed as Los Angeles' starting pitcher. Who cares...the Phillies are a win away from back to back National League pennants!!
Jimmy Rollins' two out, two run double in the bottom of the ninth inning capped a come from behind win for the Phillies, and put the team a win away from a second straight trip to the World Series.
What went right?
Jimmy Rollins went 2-5 with a run scored and the game winning, two run double.
Shane Victorino was 1-3 with a run scored.
Chase Utley went 1-3 with an RBI.
Ryan Howard went 1-3 with a two run home run. He tied Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive playoff games with an RBI.
Joe Blanton pitched ok, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits in six innings of work. He walked two and struck out two.
The bullpen pitched very well, as Chan Ho Park, Ryan Madson, Scott Eyre and Brad Lidge allowed just two hits over the last three innings of the game.
What went wrong?
Raul Ibanez was 0-4.
Jayson Werth was 0-4.
Game Analysis:
Now, I had something already typed up and ready to post, but that's now sitting in my computer's garbage, never to see the light of day. Instead, for the second straight year, the Phillies managed to work over Jonathan Broxton in Game Four of the NLCS and put themselves one win away from the World Series. I'm not going to analyze much tonight, because I'm still in walkoff shock, but that was the best ending to a game that I have ever seen. It tops the end of Game Four of the NLDS, it's better than Chooch's 45 foot single to end Game Three of the World Series last year, and it's better than Matt Stairs' home run off of Broxton in Game Four of the NLCS last year. Why? Because the Phillies were down to their last out, and were one strike out, ground out or fly ball away from having to take a guaranteed flight back to Los Angeles for Game Six. Now, they have a chance to finish the Dodgers off in Game Five, with Cole Hamels on the mound.
After a good start to the game, the Phillies looked sluggish against Randy Wolf for the rest of the time he was in the game. At one point, Wolf retired 12 Phils in a row, and was really locked in, as the Dodger offense had peppered Joe Blanton with two out runs. Then, it came down to a battle of the bullpens, which is a battle most people, myself included, assumed that the Phillies wouldn't be able to win against Los Angeles. The Phils had two on and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, but George Sherrill struck out Ryan Howard and Broxton got Jayson Werth to fly out to right, and it looked like the Phils had blown their last chance, especially with the bottom of the order coming up.
However, it was the Dodgers that missed their chance in the top of the ninth inning. Rafael Furcal got only his second hit of the series, and was sitting on second base with just one out. Brad Lidge then struck out Matt Kemp, threw a wild pitch that moved Furcal to third, and struck out Andre Ethier to end the inning. I can't say enough about how well Lidge had pitched so far in the playoffs, so I'll just add this: out of the eight teams that made the playoffs, six of the teams have had closers blow saves. The two that haven't? Mariano Rivera...and Brad Lidge. Look at where those two teams are, that should be all you need to know about that right now.
This game just showed how good and determined this Phillies team is. Even down to their last out, against possibly the hardest throwing pitcher in baseball, they didn't give up. The bottom of the lineup did what they had to do, whether it was a four pitch walk by Matt Stairs (who Broxton wanted NOTHING to do with), or getting hit by a pitch, like Carlos Ruiz did. Those guys at the bottom of the lineup hold the Phillies together, and tonight, they were the ones who got the top of the lineup back up there in the ninth inning. Without them, Jimmy Rollins doesn't get a chance to hit, and this series is tied. Instead, Rollins nailed a belt high fastball into the gap in right field, Eric Bruntlett and Carlos Ruiz scored, and the Phillies are up 3-1, with Game Five in Philadelphia Wednesday night.
Ladies and gentlemen, this team never, ever gives up. It took 26 outs tonight, but they got it done. I love this team.
Game Five is Wednesday night. Cole Hamels (1-1, 6.97 ERA), is going against Vicente Padilla (0-0, 1.23 ERA). At least, that's who the Phillies website and ESPN have listed as Los Angeles' starting pitcher. Who cares...the Phillies are a win away from back to back National League pennants!!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Eagles Aftermath: Raiders-13, Eagles-9
What happened?
The Eagles looked flatter than month old beer as they dropped a pathetic game to the Oakland Raiders.
The Good:
Nope, nothing to see here.
The Bad:
David Akers missed two field goals that could have made the difference in the game.
Donovan McNabb passed the ball way too much. He went 22/46 for 269 yards.
The Eagles only had one shot in the red zone for the entire game.
The Ugly:
The Eagles only rushed the ball 14 times for 67 yards. Brian Westbrook only had six carries.
The defense couldn't tackle anyone on key plays, and allowed Zach Miller to score on an 86 yard pass late in the first quarter.
The Eagles went 2-13 on third downs.
Donovan McNabb was sacked six times.
Jason Peters left the game in the first quarter with a knee injury.
The Eagles lost to the Oakland Raiders. Let me say that again. They lost...to the Oakland Raiders.
The Breakdown:
There is so much I want to say about this game, but I'm not going to. I could talk about Donovan McNabb trying to call a timeout late in the second quarter when the Eagles were out, but I won't. I could talk about the fact that the Eagles let JaMarcus Russell actually look like an NFL quarterback yesterday, but I won't. I could talk about how the Eagles only converted two third downs during the entire game and only scored nine points on a team that allowed 44 just last week, but I won't even do that.
What I do want to talk about are two main parts of this disaster yesterday, and how they always seem to come up when the Eagles lose to teams like the Raiders. The first is the attitude that the Eagles carry with them into games like this. Are the Raiders a bad team? Yes, they are. Fans are allowed to think like that, but the fact of the matter is that there are 53 guys on that team that are still NFL players. They can still play football with the best on the planet, and, any given Sunday, they can win a game. What the Eagles do in situations like the one they had yesterday is carry a superiority complex with them into the game. They think that just because they're the Philadelphia Eagles that the other team is going to roll over for them. Then, if that other team comes out and hits them in the mouth, like the Raiders did yesterday, they don't know how to respond. The Raiders came out yesterday and blitzed Donovan McNabb over and over again. Once Jason Peters left the game with a knee injury, McNabb was done on that side of the field. King Dunlap is not Jason Peters, I don't care how good he thinks he is. There is no excuse for how the Eagles played yesterday, but I'd be willing to bet money that a lot of it is because of the way they saw the Raiders coming into that game. NFL teams should never buy into the hype that they hear about from people around them. This is what happens.
The other thing that really got to me yesterday was the fact that Andy Reid only called 14 running plays for the game. The Raiders are horrible at run defense, so what does Andy do? He has Donovan McNabb pass the ball 46 times, while Brian Westbrook only carried it six times. How many yards did Westbrook get on those six carries? He picked up 50 yards on six carries. Why the hell didn't Westbrook get the ball more? Even in the fourth quarter, the Raiders only led by seven points at the most. There was still time on the clock. The Raiders basically know that the Eagles had given up on the running game, and were rushing McNabb every single time. The Eagles needed to run the ball more, and this is something that was happened to Andy time and time again while he's been in Philly. He gives up on the run too early, and never looks back. This is what can happen if he does that. All I know is that Westbrook is not going to happy if he only gets six carries a game, so that is going to have to change soon. This team needs to be balanced, I don't care what Andy thinks.
This was a total team loss yesterday. The Eagles came out looking flat on offense and average at best on defense. They abandoned the run far too quickly, and only called two running plays during the fourth quarter. The defense couldn't make stops when they needed to, and the entire team thought that the Raiders would just roll over. Guess what...that didn't even come close to happening. On a day where most people thought they the Eagles would get within a game of the Giants in the NFC East, they took a huge step back. This team needs to get their act together, now. Next Sunday, they play the Redskins, and Washington always plays the Eagles tight. If they come out and play like this again, they'll be staring a .500 record in the face.
The Eagles looked flatter than month old beer as they dropped a pathetic game to the Oakland Raiders.
The Good:
Nope, nothing to see here.
The Bad:
David Akers missed two field goals that could have made the difference in the game.
Donovan McNabb passed the ball way too much. He went 22/46 for 269 yards.
The Eagles only had one shot in the red zone for the entire game.
The Ugly:
The Eagles only rushed the ball 14 times for 67 yards. Brian Westbrook only had six carries.
The defense couldn't tackle anyone on key plays, and allowed Zach Miller to score on an 86 yard pass late in the first quarter.
The Eagles went 2-13 on third downs.
Donovan McNabb was sacked six times.
Jason Peters left the game in the first quarter with a knee injury.
The Eagles lost to the Oakland Raiders. Let me say that again. They lost...to the Oakland Raiders.
The Breakdown:
There is so much I want to say about this game, but I'm not going to. I could talk about Donovan McNabb trying to call a timeout late in the second quarter when the Eagles were out, but I won't. I could talk about the fact that the Eagles let JaMarcus Russell actually look like an NFL quarterback yesterday, but I won't. I could talk about how the Eagles only converted two third downs during the entire game and only scored nine points on a team that allowed 44 just last week, but I won't even do that.
What I do want to talk about are two main parts of this disaster yesterday, and how they always seem to come up when the Eagles lose to teams like the Raiders. The first is the attitude that the Eagles carry with them into games like this. Are the Raiders a bad team? Yes, they are. Fans are allowed to think like that, but the fact of the matter is that there are 53 guys on that team that are still NFL players. They can still play football with the best on the planet, and, any given Sunday, they can win a game. What the Eagles do in situations like the one they had yesterday is carry a superiority complex with them into the game. They think that just because they're the Philadelphia Eagles that the other team is going to roll over for them. Then, if that other team comes out and hits them in the mouth, like the Raiders did yesterday, they don't know how to respond. The Raiders came out yesterday and blitzed Donovan McNabb over and over again. Once Jason Peters left the game with a knee injury, McNabb was done on that side of the field. King Dunlap is not Jason Peters, I don't care how good he thinks he is. There is no excuse for how the Eagles played yesterday, but I'd be willing to bet money that a lot of it is because of the way they saw the Raiders coming into that game. NFL teams should never buy into the hype that they hear about from people around them. This is what happens.
The other thing that really got to me yesterday was the fact that Andy Reid only called 14 running plays for the game. The Raiders are horrible at run defense, so what does Andy do? He has Donovan McNabb pass the ball 46 times, while Brian Westbrook only carried it six times. How many yards did Westbrook get on those six carries? He picked up 50 yards on six carries. Why the hell didn't Westbrook get the ball more? Even in the fourth quarter, the Raiders only led by seven points at the most. There was still time on the clock. The Raiders basically know that the Eagles had given up on the running game, and were rushing McNabb every single time. The Eagles needed to run the ball more, and this is something that was happened to Andy time and time again while he's been in Philly. He gives up on the run too early, and never looks back. This is what can happen if he does that. All I know is that Westbrook is not going to happy if he only gets six carries a game, so that is going to have to change soon. This team needs to be balanced, I don't care what Andy thinks.
This was a total team loss yesterday. The Eagles came out looking flat on offense and average at best on defense. They abandoned the run far too quickly, and only called two running plays during the fourth quarter. The defense couldn't make stops when they needed to, and the entire team thought that the Raiders would just roll over. Guess what...that didn't even come close to happening. On a day where most people thought they the Eagles would get within a game of the Giants in the NFC East, they took a huge step back. This team needs to get their act together, now. Next Sunday, they play the Redskins, and Washington always plays the Eagles tight. If they come out and play like this again, they'll be staring a .500 record in the face.
NLCS Game Three Recap: Phillies-11, Dodgers-0
Game Recap:
The Phillies scored six runs in the first two innings, and that was more than enough for Cliff Lee, who pitched eight shutout innings as the Phillies won Game Three of the NLCS.
What went right?
This could take a minute.
Jimmy Rollins went 1-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
Shane Victorino was 2-3 with two runs scored and a three run home run.
Chase Utley was 2-4 and scored a run.
Ryan Howard went 1-4 with three more RBI.
Jayson Werth went 1-4 with a two run home run.
Pedro Feliz went 1-4 with an RBI triple.
Carlos Ruiz was 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Cliff Lee pitched eight shutout innings, surrendering only three hits. He didn't walk a batter, struck out ten, and went 1-4 at the plate, scoring a run.
What went wrong?
Nothing. Not one damn thing went wrong last night.
Game Analysis:
After a stomach punch of a loss in Game Two, the Phillies had to come out strong in Game Three. What they did wasn't just strong; they damn near knocked the Dodgers back to Los Angeles. Cliff Lee continued his great postseason run, and the Phils jumped all over Hiroki Kuroda early and often. By the time he was pulled after just an inning and a third, the Phillies had already scored five times, and they would add another run by the time the second inning was over. Once the final out was recorded, the Phillies had finished off the most lopsided playoff win in team history.
I have nothing bad to say about last night. All nine starters reached base at least once, and all nine of them scored during the game. The patience at the plate was back, as many early batters against Kuroda forced him into 2-1, 3-0 or 3-1 counts. Those counts are perfect hitters counts, and the Phillies made him pay last night. This is the first time the Phils have ever gotten to Kuroda, who dominated them during the last two regular seasons and a playoff game last year. Last night belonged to Cliff Lee, however.
Lee was absolutely brilliant last night, striking out ten in eight shutout innings. The Dodgers only had one batter get to second base during the entire game. That was it. Aside from Manny Ramirez's two singles, the Dodgers had just one other hit. The rest of the team went 1-26. I said before the playoffs began that the Phillies would need the old Cliff Lee back and ready to go if they wanted to make another run, and that's exactly what they've gotten so far. In three playoff games, Lee is 2-0 with 20 strikeouts in 24.1 innings of work. He's allowed just two earned runs, and his ERA is a whopping 0.74. That, my friends, is how an ace pitches in the playoffs.
On the offensive side of the ball, there is no one in the National League hotter right now than Ryan Howard. The big man drove in three more runs last night, and he set a new major league record for consecutive games with an RBI in one playoff year. If he drives in a run tonight, he'll tie Lou Gehrig's mark for consecutive playoff games with an RBI. That's the all time major league record, and the fact that Lou Gehrig holds it should let you know how long it's been around. That's how good Howard has been so far in the playoffs.
This was the exact game the Phillies needed last night. They had just basically completed a West Coast road trip in October, having played the last four games in either Denver or Los Angeles, and had blown Game Two. If they had come out flat last night, it wouldn't have been good then, or for the rest of the series. Instead, the offense exploded, Cliff Lee pitched a gem, and the Phils are now two wins away from a return trip to the World Series. If they can keep the Dodgers at bay tonight, this series will not go back to Los Angeles.
In about four and a half hours, Game Four is going to get started. It'll be Joe Blanton (12-8, 4.05 ERA) making his first playoff start this year against Randy Wolf (0-0, 4.91 ERA).
The Phillies scored six runs in the first two innings, and that was more than enough for Cliff Lee, who pitched eight shutout innings as the Phillies won Game Three of the NLCS.
What went right?
This could take a minute.
Jimmy Rollins went 1-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
Shane Victorino was 2-3 with two runs scored and a three run home run.
Chase Utley was 2-4 and scored a run.
Ryan Howard went 1-4 with three more RBI.
Jayson Werth went 1-4 with a two run home run.
Pedro Feliz went 1-4 with an RBI triple.
Carlos Ruiz was 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Cliff Lee pitched eight shutout innings, surrendering only three hits. He didn't walk a batter, struck out ten, and went 1-4 at the plate, scoring a run.
What went wrong?
Nothing. Not one damn thing went wrong last night.
Game Analysis:
After a stomach punch of a loss in Game Two, the Phillies had to come out strong in Game Three. What they did wasn't just strong; they damn near knocked the Dodgers back to Los Angeles. Cliff Lee continued his great postseason run, and the Phils jumped all over Hiroki Kuroda early and often. By the time he was pulled after just an inning and a third, the Phillies had already scored five times, and they would add another run by the time the second inning was over. Once the final out was recorded, the Phillies had finished off the most lopsided playoff win in team history.
I have nothing bad to say about last night. All nine starters reached base at least once, and all nine of them scored during the game. The patience at the plate was back, as many early batters against Kuroda forced him into 2-1, 3-0 or 3-1 counts. Those counts are perfect hitters counts, and the Phillies made him pay last night. This is the first time the Phils have ever gotten to Kuroda, who dominated them during the last two regular seasons and a playoff game last year. Last night belonged to Cliff Lee, however.
Lee was absolutely brilliant last night, striking out ten in eight shutout innings. The Dodgers only had one batter get to second base during the entire game. That was it. Aside from Manny Ramirez's two singles, the Dodgers had just one other hit. The rest of the team went 1-26. I said before the playoffs began that the Phillies would need the old Cliff Lee back and ready to go if they wanted to make another run, and that's exactly what they've gotten so far. In three playoff games, Lee is 2-0 with 20 strikeouts in 24.1 innings of work. He's allowed just two earned runs, and his ERA is a whopping 0.74. That, my friends, is how an ace pitches in the playoffs.
On the offensive side of the ball, there is no one in the National League hotter right now than Ryan Howard. The big man drove in three more runs last night, and he set a new major league record for consecutive games with an RBI in one playoff year. If he drives in a run tonight, he'll tie Lou Gehrig's mark for consecutive playoff games with an RBI. That's the all time major league record, and the fact that Lou Gehrig holds it should let you know how long it's been around. That's how good Howard has been so far in the playoffs.
This was the exact game the Phillies needed last night. They had just basically completed a West Coast road trip in October, having played the last four games in either Denver or Los Angeles, and had blown Game Two. If they had come out flat last night, it wouldn't have been good then, or for the rest of the series. Instead, the offense exploded, Cliff Lee pitched a gem, and the Phils are now two wins away from a return trip to the World Series. If they can keep the Dodgers at bay tonight, this series will not go back to Los Angeles.
In about four and a half hours, Game Four is going to get started. It'll be Joe Blanton (12-8, 4.05 ERA) making his first playoff start this year against Randy Wolf (0-0, 4.91 ERA).
Friday, October 16, 2009
NLCS Game Two Recap: Dodgers-2, Phillies-1
Game Recap:
Pedro Martinez pitched seven excellent innings, but some mistakes in the field in the eighth inning cost the Phillies and let the Dodgers even up the series.
What went right?
Ryan Howard went 2-3 with a solo home run.
Pedro Martinez pitched seven innings, allowing no runs on two hits. He didn't walk a batter and struck out three.
What went wrong?
Aside from Howard, the Phillies managed just two hits.
Chase Utley airmailed a double play ball in the bottom of the eighth inning, allowing the tying run to score and keeping the inning alive.
Chan Ho Park didn't do so well, allowing two runs on two hits in just one third of an inning. He picked up the loss today.
Game Analysis:
Sometimes, a game can come down to just a few plays. Today, there were two of them that stood out. The first was Chan Ho Park and Ryan Howard not being able to field a Ronnie Belliard bunt in the bottom of the eighth inning, which put two men on with no one out for the Dodgers. The next came with the very next batter. Russell Martin hit a tailor made double play ball to Pedro Feliz at third base. Feliz threw to Utley for the first out, which was followed by Utley throwing the ball off of the Phillies' dugout. Juan Pierre scored on the error, and four batters and another run later, the Dodgers had the lead.
It sucks, but in all honesty, that's about what this game came down to. Pedro Martinez pitched seven innings that he apparently had left from 2000, as he held the Dodgers scoreless and limited them to just two weak hits. He retired Manny Ramirez three times, and made him look more and more silly each time. I don't know where Pedro got this from today, but by God, it was fun watching vintage Pedro on the mound in a Phillies uniform. Charlie Manuel might catch some heat for taking him out when he did, but honestly, Pedro is 37 years old, had thrown 87 pitches, and the last time he pitched that far into a game, he hurt his neck in his next start. If the Phils actually need him to pitch again in the series, having him get hurt in that start wouldn't help anyone, except Los Angeles, of course.
After bashing the Dodgers for eight runs last night, the Phillies couldn't get anything going all day against Vicente freaking Padilla. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Chase Utley went 1-12, and that was basically the trend for the Phils all day long. Save for a Ryan Howard home run on a hanging curve ball, Padilla handled his former team. He was hitting the strike zone early, and he didn't let the Phillies stay patient at the plate. Most of the batters looked off balance, and there were several times when Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth just looked lost at the plate today.
I don't really want to get into the bullpen today, because honestly, it wasn't their fault that the Phillies lost this game. If Utley can turn that double play, the Dodgers have two outs and a runner on third, and who knows what happens from there? If the Phillies get out of the inning, and Brad Lidge saves the game, then everyone's talking about how the bullpen is starting to get their act together at the right time. Instead, the series is tied headed back to Philadelphia. Honestly, I'm happy with that. Yes, the Phillies had the Dodgers on the ropes, but I said going into the series that a split in Los Angeles would be enough for the Phillies to start this series. That's what they got, and hopefully, it doesn't go back to California.
Game Three is (weather permitting) Sunday night. Cliff Lee (1-0, 1.10 ERA) will pitch for the Phillies against Hiroki Kuroda, who is starting for the first time in the playoffs for the Dodgers.
Pedro Martinez pitched seven excellent innings, but some mistakes in the field in the eighth inning cost the Phillies and let the Dodgers even up the series.
What went right?
Ryan Howard went 2-3 with a solo home run.
Pedro Martinez pitched seven innings, allowing no runs on two hits. He didn't walk a batter and struck out three.
What went wrong?
Aside from Howard, the Phillies managed just two hits.
Chase Utley airmailed a double play ball in the bottom of the eighth inning, allowing the tying run to score and keeping the inning alive.
Chan Ho Park didn't do so well, allowing two runs on two hits in just one third of an inning. He picked up the loss today.
Game Analysis:
Sometimes, a game can come down to just a few plays. Today, there were two of them that stood out. The first was Chan Ho Park and Ryan Howard not being able to field a Ronnie Belliard bunt in the bottom of the eighth inning, which put two men on with no one out for the Dodgers. The next came with the very next batter. Russell Martin hit a tailor made double play ball to Pedro Feliz at third base. Feliz threw to Utley for the first out, which was followed by Utley throwing the ball off of the Phillies' dugout. Juan Pierre scored on the error, and four batters and another run later, the Dodgers had the lead.
It sucks, but in all honesty, that's about what this game came down to. Pedro Martinez pitched seven innings that he apparently had left from 2000, as he held the Dodgers scoreless and limited them to just two weak hits. He retired Manny Ramirez three times, and made him look more and more silly each time. I don't know where Pedro got this from today, but by God, it was fun watching vintage Pedro on the mound in a Phillies uniform. Charlie Manuel might catch some heat for taking him out when he did, but honestly, Pedro is 37 years old, had thrown 87 pitches, and the last time he pitched that far into a game, he hurt his neck in his next start. If the Phils actually need him to pitch again in the series, having him get hurt in that start wouldn't help anyone, except Los Angeles, of course.
After bashing the Dodgers for eight runs last night, the Phillies couldn't get anything going all day against Vicente freaking Padilla. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Chase Utley went 1-12, and that was basically the trend for the Phils all day long. Save for a Ryan Howard home run on a hanging curve ball, Padilla handled his former team. He was hitting the strike zone early, and he didn't let the Phillies stay patient at the plate. Most of the batters looked off balance, and there were several times when Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth just looked lost at the plate today.
I don't really want to get into the bullpen today, because honestly, it wasn't their fault that the Phillies lost this game. If Utley can turn that double play, the Dodgers have two outs and a runner on third, and who knows what happens from there? If the Phillies get out of the inning, and Brad Lidge saves the game, then everyone's talking about how the bullpen is starting to get their act together at the right time. Instead, the series is tied headed back to Philadelphia. Honestly, I'm happy with that. Yes, the Phillies had the Dodgers on the ropes, but I said going into the series that a split in Los Angeles would be enough for the Phillies to start this series. That's what they got, and hopefully, it doesn't go back to California.
Game Three is (weather permitting) Sunday night. Cliff Lee (1-0, 1.10 ERA) will pitch for the Phillies against Hiroki Kuroda, who is starting for the first time in the playoffs for the Dodgers.
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