Pat Burrell Returns

Pat Burrell made his first of three trips this week to visit his old team, when he and the Tampa Bay Rays played the first of two games in this year's "On Deck" series. The exhibition series is being played at Citizen Bank Park before the Phillies host the Atlanta Braves on Sunday to kick off the 2009 season. Following the two exhibition games, Burrell will also be on hand for the Ring Ceremony prior to Wednesday afternoon's game.

The Phillies won tonight's game 3-2, but before it started the Phillies played a tribute video for Pat the Bat, showing highlights from his career with the Phillies.

For a full article detailing tonight's events and Burrell's reactions, check out Jeff McLane's article here

Although the official tribute video that was played tonight is not available yet, check out this Burrell highlight video:

2009 MLB Preview Special Edition

Welcome to the PSP MLB Preview for 2009. Inside you'll find all of Greg's predictions for the division races and individual awards.
After looking through the entire league team by team, here are the official PSP predictions for 2009.

American League

East
1. New York Yankees 96-66
2. Tampa Bay Rays 93-69
3. Boston Red Sox 89-73
4. Toronto Blue Jays 69-93
5. Baltimore Orioles 58-104

Central
1. Cleveland Indians 93-69
2. Minnesota Twins 86-76
3. Kansas City 81-81
4. Chicago White Sox 81-81
5. Detroit Tigers 79-83

West
1. Los Angeles Angels 93-69
2. Texas Rangers 77-85
3. Oakland Athletics 76-86
4. Seattle Mariners 69-93

National League

East
1. Philadelphia Phillies 96-66
2. New York Mets 91-71
3. Florida Marlins 85-77
4. Atlanta Braves 83-79
5. Washington Nationals 68-94

Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals 94-68
2. Chicago Cubs 88-74
3. Milwaukee Brewers 78-84
4. Houston Astros 77-85
5. Cincinnati Reds 72-90
6. Pittsburgh Pirates 58-104

West
1. Arizona Diamondbacks 89-73
2. Los Angeles Dodgers 86-76
3. San Francisco Giants 82-80
4. Colorado Rockies 77-85
5. San Diego Padres 66-96

These would provide the following playoff match-ups:
AL:Yankees vs Angels and Indians vs Rays
NL: Phillies vs Diamondbacks and Cardinals vs Mets

The LCS match-ups would be:
AL: Yankees vs Rays and NL: Phillies vs St. Louis

Finally, the World Series would be:
Phillies winning over the Yankees

Now for the individual awards for 2009:

AL MVP: Mark Teixeira
NL MVP: Ryan Howard
AL Cy Young: Jon Lester
NL Cy Young: Francisco Rodriguez

With my expectations that both New York teams return to the playoffs in 2009, I expect the awards to lean towards those two teams. Teixeira is the most likely candidate from the Yanks now that A-rod is out for the opening of the season. I think the revamped bullpen will go a long way towards getting the Mets back into the playoffs, and K-Rod's Cy Young will be the reward. The other awards are simply that I expect monster seasons from Lester and Howard.

Finally here are my projected All-Star teams:

AL:
C- Jorge Posada
1B- Mark Teieira
2B- Dustin Pedroia
3B- Alex Rodriguez
SS- Derek Jeter
OF- Josh Hamilton
OF- Ichiro Suzuki
OF- Carlos Quentin
SP- Jon Lester

NL:
C- Geovany Soto
1B- Albert Pujols
2B- Chase Utley
3B- David Wright
SS- Hanley Ramirez
OF- Ryan Braun
OF- Alfonso Soriano
OF- Carlos Beltran
SP- Aaron Harang

That's all the predictions for today, be sure to check out our article answering the 5 biggest questions the Phillies face as they open the 2009 season, and come back Sunday for our season preview podcast.

Should We Expect Much from the Flyers?

On March 21, I posted an article asking the Flyers to step up. At the time, the Flyers had 12 games remaining, the most among all playoff teams, and held their fate in their own hands. All I asked was that they show some consistency and build a little bit of momentum as they moved towards the NHL playoffs. Despite notching a 3-game winning streak (only their second since December) including big wins against the Penguins and Devils, the Flyers have once again faded and come up short on effort and heart. If their recent play is any indication of what we can expect in the playoffs, then we probably shouldn't get our hopes up this spring.

The Flyers lost an uninspired game to the Maple Leafs last night 3-2. The Maple Leafs will not be in the playoffs for the fourth straight season. This is not a game that should be lost by a team trying to focus on the playoffs. Despite a late game surge, the Flyers were simply outplayed by a team playing for nothing. Marty Biron, the goaltender that the Flyers will rest their Stanley Cup hopes on, was pulled from the game in the second period.

The Flyers now have 3 loses in their last 4 games, with their only win coming over the hapless Islanders, the worst team in the NHL. Even in the victory, the Flyers were outplayed by the Islanders for the majority of the game, needing a shoot out to finally secure the 'W'.

Their most recent loss has once again placed the Flyers in a tie with the Penguins for the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference with 92 points. Both teams remain only one point over the Hurricanes and three points over the 7th seeded Rangers. The Flyers have 6 games remaining, while Pittsburgh, Carolina and New York all have 5 games left.

As we pointed out on our Podcast, the Flyers path to the Stanley Cup is not an easy road traveled. Despite their explosive offense, the Flyers defense and goaltending are questionable. The Flyers run to the Eastern Conference finals last year was built on as much heart as it was talent. The one thing that the Flyers cannot afford is a lack of effort and focus. If the Flyers cannot stay focused going into the playoffs, can we really expect them to be able to flip a switch and pick up the pace once the playoffs begin? Home ice advantage could very easily mean the difference between the Flyers making it past the opening round of the playoffs. Why don't they get it?

The remaining schedule for the Flyers seems favorable. They have the Maple Leafs again, the Rangers twice, the Islanders, Panthers and Senators. Of the group, the Rangers are the only team that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. The Flyers need to capitalize on their schedule and lock up the 4th seed. The idea that the Flyers can play "consistently inconsistent" and make any noise this spring is over. The Flyers cannot trade wins and loses and think they have a shot at The Cup. My challenge to the Flyers is the same as it was six games ago. Play 60 minutes of consistent hockey in each of the remaining six games, put some wins together and develop some momentum that you can build from. The next six games will reveal a lot. If the Flyers show that they can't handle a group of inferior opponents over the next eleven days, how can we expect much from them in the playoffs?

Stallworth Charged with Manslaughter

Former Philadelphia Eagle, and current Cleveland Brown, Donte Stallworth will be charged with killing Mario Reyes, 59, last month while driving drunk.

The DUI manslaughter charge carries a possible 15-year prison sentence. Stallworth's blood-alcohol level after the crash was .12, well above Florida's legal limit of .08, according to results of a blood test.

Jenkins is Way Outta Here!

Geoff Jenkins has been released by the Philadelphia Phillies. In a well deserved, yet somewhat surprising move, Geoff Jenkins was released today following a season in which he posted his worst offensive numbers since 2002 when he only played in 67 games. Jenkins didn't help his cause after posting sub-par numbers in Grape Fruit league action this spring.

Jenkins hit .246 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 293 at-bats last season, losing the everyday job in right field to Jayson Werth. He hit .250 (11-for-44) with three doubles, one homer and five RBIs in 20 games this spring. Despite his struggles, Jenkins did provide a spark for the Phillies in Game 5 of the World Series last year when he led off the sixth inning with a double.

Despite being cut from the team, Jenkins is owed $8 million, which includes his $6.75million salary plus a $1.25 million buyout on a club option for 2010. This adds to the mountain of money the Phillies are already paying ex-players. The Phils owe $3 million to former first baseman Jim Thome this season and another $9 million to pitching-bust Adam Eaton

The Phillies have confirmed that they have reached out to outfielder Gary Sheffield to gage his interest in filling a reserve spot, with the hopes that Sheffield could provide some right handed power off the bench.

To check out an interview with Jenkins following the news that he had been released click: Here

Inside the mind of the Philly sports fan

During the research and the subsequent debates that were a part of doing our “Greatest Philadelphia Athlete” podcast, I repeatedly came across a common storyline, that we as fans turn on our superstar athletes and run them out of town. Its uncanny how many times the fan base here in Philadelphia have found something wrong with a premiere athlete and how often popular opinion has swung against a player whose performance should grant them some sort of immunity from that type of uprising. Successful or not, over time it seems as if Philly fans just get sick of the same players being the focal point of their teams.



If you try to hypothesize why this is the case, your first instinct would be to say it’s because the fan base demands a winner, and unless you win it all you get the label of a failure. This isn’t actually the case when you look further into this behavior. Mike Schmidt, for example, had a very vocal crowd of detractors throughout the ‘80s despite being a World Series champion, MVP of that World Series, a 12-time all-star, a 10-time gold glove winner, and a 3-time NL MVP. Schmidt was the greatest player of his time, yet still faced the wrath of the Philly crowds. They claimed he didn’t hustle and that he seemed nonchalant in the field, despite his records for fielding. At the time Schmidt grew frustrated with the crowds, calling them a mob scene and saying they were beyond help. Well, 25 years later not much has changed, a new generation of fans has come to be, and they are just as tough as their predecessors. 25 years later, I wonder if the great Michael Jack Schmidt was right, are we beyond help?

I’m not sure if we’re beyond help, but Michael Jack has nothing on today’s superstars. Today we live in a world with a television channel and two radio stations that are dedicated to covering Philadelphia sports exclusively. You think we used to nitpick in the ‘80s Mike? You ain’t seen nothing. Today every facet of professional sports is picked apart and criticized as a part of an endless 24-hour news cycle. Nobody feels this scorn and criticism any harsher than Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb. This pair represents the best the Philadelphia Eagles organization has ever put on the field, the winningest coach and the best quarterback. So why do we as fans do nothing but rip these two apart day in and day out. I often criticize McNabb for things not related to his play, and I claim to know better. Who am I to say that he isn’t a leader, or that he doesn’t command respect like other quarterbacks? Why do fans think that Andy Reid is a smug, arrogant bastard even though all he ever does is win football games and take all criticism on himself. That’s what a real man is supposed to do, chin up, don’t complain, just continue doing what you feel in your heart is right. Andy Reid is a very good coach (although a flawed one), and Andy deserves to get better treatment from Eagles “fans”. If you raise this point to an Eagles fan, they’ll tell you it’s because he has never won a Super Bowl, but ask Mike Schmidt how long the bloom stays on that rose, and he’ll tell you not very long. Once Philly decides your aren’t a “Philly guy”, the chances of escaping that determination are slim to none.

Just ask Scott Rolen. Rolen came up to the big leagues at the end of 1996 and showed flashes of greatness, those flashes materialized into a rookie of the year award in 1997 and Scott was on his way to becoming a Phillies legend. Then something odd happened, Scott won a few gold gloves and blossomed into one of the best young third basemen in baseball when the fans started saying that he wasn’t hard-nosed enough. After time Rolen began to bristle at this distinction and that was a huge mistake. It’s all well and good for the fans to slander you, but if you dare even hint that you resent their opinion, then you’re dead to them. It got to be so bad, that when Rolen started to question the team’s commitment to winning the fans took THE TEAM’S SIDE! So Rolen decided he wanted out, and he got a crybaby label for it. The label was further cemented by his feud with fiery manager Larry Bowa, who had never been a successful manager, yet is still loved by Phillies fans due to his passing the feisty personality litmus test with flying colors.

Scotty Rolen was just the tip of the iceberg. Remember Eagles’ star Randall Cunningham, who went from MVP to pariah in about three years. What about Eric Lindros? He went from hockey god to pansy-ass Daddy’s boy in about three years. You only need to look at The Answer himself. We named Allen Iverson the greatest athlete of the last 20 years, yet he was exiled too. He was labeled lazy for not making a handful of practices, yet all anyone talks about when he’s mentioned is how hard he played and how much effort he gave night in and night out. So what gives? Why do we continue to vilify our stars? Who is next to face the wrath of the infamous Philly backlash?

If I had to guess, the next in line is World Series MVP Cole Hamels. I vividly recall the fans declaring that Hamels wasn’t a big game pitcher, and that he was a pansy and cowardly for not pitching a day early last season, a move that would have matched him up against the Mets instead of the Marlins. That’s right, Cole Hamels had his heart and big-game ability questioned a mere weeks before he carried the Phillies to a World Series title. I remember arguing that if the kid isn’t comfortable pitching early, then respect that he has the maturity to recognize his limitations. Cole didn’t want to risk messing up his routine, and I think that decision worked out pretty well. Brett Myers, meanwhile, returned to the big-league roster after being sent to AAA to straighten out a horrible season as popular as ever, despite having a terrible season and recent legal troubles of a disturbing nature. Part of that was us fans knowing that Myers needed to perform well down the stretch for the Phillies to have a chance to win the East, and we decided that we were going to be behind Brett all the way for the good of the team. Then again, how often are we positive for positivity’s sake, I think as big a part of his maintained popularity is that Brett Myers always had that feisty demeanor on the field, and Philly fans respond to that.

The scary part is that those toughness related criticisms probably aren’t behind Cole. If Cole only makes 50 starts over the next two season, and the Phillies don’t win the East in those two years. I would not be at all surprised if the questions of his toughness crept back onto barstools and into the radio waves of the sports talk world. I heard Ike Reese on Monday evening say that Hamels is “overly cautious” when it comes to his body. This is before he’s thrown a single regular season pitch after a dominating World Series run that you’d think would have granted the kid some sort of a pass. If Cole isn’t currently immune, then is anybody in the Philadelphia sports scene ever going to be safe? After a few seasons without repeating as NL East champions, I could easily see the current group of Phillies falling out of favor. It won’t take much for Manuel to return to being Charlie from Mayberry, and Ryan Howard’s giant strikeout totals could very easily become a reflection of how he doesn’t work hard enough to get better, rather than a natural byproduct of a non-steroid era slugger.

So I ask, are we wrong? Are we hurting our teams more than we help with the way obsess like we do? As much as I love my teams, and as much as I love dissecting every move and game, maybe I’m not helping either. Should I restrict my opinion making data to what happens between the white lines? To answer this questions let’s consider the end of Andy Reid. I feel like when/if Reid is ever released by the Eagles, it will be due in part to the large, vocal group of fans who don’t like Reid because they find him arrogant and condescending. Odds say that our next coach will not be as good as Andy, since he is the winningest coach in team history; in fact odds are the next five coaches won’t be as good. So when Andy goes, if public opinion based on his personality is a factor in that decision, then we as fans will have chosen to have an inferior coach who is a better interview or who is a fierier guy on the sidelines, than a winner who is stone faced and boring. How insane is that? How insane are we?

Well, insane enough to spend countless hours picking apart every angle of the Eagles offseason, insane enough to pack Lehigh every year at mini-camps, insane enough to sell out every game for an entire 81 home game schedule despite a collapsing economy, and insane enough that three guys with full time jobs spend most of their free time building a website about Philly sports. We are very dedicated, is that so wrong? Is it wrong for fans of Lost to pack message boards and go over every frame of every episode? Absolutely not. The only thing that would be wrong is if the producers of Lost read those message board postings and make knee-jerk reactions to the feedback. It’s also wrong if the show’s producers completely ignore what those message boards say, not acknowledging what the show’s most hardcore fans believe.

In the end when you commit to following a team on a daily basis, you are also deciding that the team will be your primary entertainment source. Fans want a payoff for their time, money, and troubles. That is why we dislike boring Andy Reid, we want entertainment, and while the game day on-the-field product may usually be a quality one, what about our entertainment on the other 349 days of the year? If we aren’t working towards a title, the triumph of which is our ultimate payoff from this entertainment, then we need to be getting something else for our commitment, namely drama. The drama of the big game, the drama of the offseason where characters are added or removed from the roster, and sometimes we just need to add the drama ourselves. Drama, after all is second to triumph in what we hope to experience from watching sports to begin with.

That’s really the answer, I think, that when triumph isn’t an option, we want drama, and we are willing to create it ourselves as necessary. When that drama is created it is a pretty basic idea that the bigger the star involved, the bigger the drama. It works in Hollywood, it works on television and it works in Philadelphia sports. That why Scott Rolen was a superstar in the making who got the boot, but Pedro Feliz is a huge underachiever who gets a pass, because one was a leading man, and the other is playing a bit part. I think it really is that simple: we want drama, so we create it, and when we create it, we create it around our biggest stars. So when Philly’s brightest stars find themselves knee-deep in the quicksand of public opinion, don’t blame their downfall on us. After all, it’s our job as fans to follow along with the drama and even to embrace it. It is our right as fans to start the drama when it looks like that triumph we long for isn’t coming anytime soon, or when things are getting boring.

Meet the Phillies 4 Horsemen, Woooo!

“Diamonds are forever and so are the Four Horsemen.”

The Four Horsemen remain the most dominating force the wrestling industry has ever seen. From the mid-1980s through the early 1990s, no one in the NWA could touch the stable of champions. The Four Horsemen epitomized excellence. Although Vince McMahon and the WWF in New York were spending the most money in sports entertainment, not even they could put a stable together to rival the dominance and longevity of the Four Horsemen. Wrestling stables have come and gone, but none have been able to duplicate the legitimacy of the Four Horsemen: Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Barry Windham and Tully Blanchard. Ric Flair was the stylin' and profilin' NWA champion. Arn Anderson would become the “enforcer” and was the hard hat wearer of the group. Barry Windham was the utility guy, the go to guy in any tight situation, the ace up their sleeve. Tully Blanchard was the small, yet smug and cocky guy with Babydoll "The Perfect 10" at his side.

And although in wrestling, the Horsemen will never be duplicated, it looks like Phillies fans may be witnessing the culmination of their own Four Horsemen: Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Cole Hamels.

Briefly glancing at their statistics, achievements and awards leads me to believe that these four may end up being the most dominant “stable” of players the Phillies have ever had together on one team for a significant amount of time. The four of them have been playing together for three full seasons now and will be together for at least another three (as long as the Phillies pick up the club option in 2011 for Rollins). They have already won one World Championship together, have won numerous individual awards and with all four of them in the prime of their careers, there is no limit to the legacy that they may leave behind. Because we are living through it, I don’t think we totally grasp the greatness that we are witnessing. Much like those old crowds at the Omni who cheered and booed the Four Horsemen, I don’t think we are fully grasping the history that is unfolding before our eyes. I want to run down the achievements of these four stars, because when you summarize it all and put it all together right in front of you, it is truly astonishing.

When the Four Horsemen were tearing up the NWA they were the best around. They held the titles, won the big matches and got the job done night in and night out. Sure they would talk some trash and weren’t afraid to speak their minds, but they weren’t the best because they said so, they were the best because they could back up their words.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how the Phillies version of Four Horsemen stacks up to the originals.

Jimmy Rollins will naturally step into the leadership role and will be the Phillies incarnation of The Nature Boy, Ric Flair. Not afraid to speak his mind, no single comment grabbed headlines as quickly as Jimmy’s “team to beat” statement before the 2007 season. Jimmy didn’t just talk the talk though; he backed it up by leading the Phillies to their first playoff appearance in 14 years. In addition, he became only the seventh player to collect at least 20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs, in one season (and only the fourth player to also have 20 stolen bases in that same year). Jimmy completed his dream season by being voted the 2007 NL MVP. Following his stellar 2007 season, Jimmy picked up right where he left off when he began trading “promos” with Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran over whose team was the team to beat in ’08. After cutting a great interview shredding up Beltran (a promo that Ric Flair would have been proud of), Jimmy once again stepped up and played a huge role in leading the Phillies to the World Series in 2008. In addition to winning the World Championship, just like the Nature Boy, Jimmy has grabbed his share of awards as well. Rollins has been voted to the All Star team on three occasions, has the longest hitting streak in Phillies history and became the first player in the history of Major League Baseball to collect at least 200 hits, 15 triples, 25 homers and 25 stolen bases in one season. As Ric Flair put it so many times, “to be the man you have to beat the man” and from where I’m sitting, it doesn’t get much better than Jimmy Rollins.

But let’s move on and tackle the next man in the Four Horsemen, The Enforcer Arn Anderson. Arn was the power behind the Horsemen. The muscle behind the swagger. He was a beast in the ring and simply wanted to pound you until you couldn’t take any more. No one can better fill that role than Ryan Howard. Arn Anderson stands 6’1”, 241lbs; Ryan Howard stands 6’4”, 260 lbs. Both are ridiculously strong and both will back up their squad without question. Ryan has caused more sleepless nights for opposing pitchers than any other batter in MLB over the past four seasons. Howard entered the scene and received his first significant playing time with the Phils in 2005. Ryan won the NL Rookie of the Year in 2005 and as quickly as Arn Anderson could drop an opponent with a spinebuster, the Jim Thome era in Philadelphia was over. In 2006, Howard was voted to his first All Star game and won the Home Run Derby with a total of 23 Home runs. His power display in the Home Run Derby was a sign of things to follow. Howard quickly became the Phillies single-season home run leader and became the 8th player in MLB history to whack 58 home runs in a season. Ryan was named the NL MVP following the 2006 season. The following season Howard became the fastest player to reach 100 home runs in MLB history. Despite his strike outs becoming an issue in 2007, Ryan managed to bat .268 average, with 47 home runs and 136 runs batted in, helping the Phillies make it to the playoffs. Howard again struggled at times throughout the 2008 season with strike outs, but when it mattered he got hot and was able to hit 48 home runs, drove in 146 RBIs and provided the spark that the Phillies needed to make it into the playoffs and eventually win the World Series. Ryan provided 2 home runs and 5 RBIs in Game 4 of the World Series. In 2008 Howard became the fastest player to reach 150 home runs. Despite not being the most polished of players, much like Double A, Ryan Howard still commands respect at the plate and can strike fear into any opposing pitcher that is staring down from the mound at him. The true “enforcer” on the Phils, but let’s continue.

Chase Utley is the Barry Windham of the Philadelphia Phillies without question. Maybe not the strongest or the fastest, he is the most consistent and will put his body on the line to get the job done. Barry was the utility guy; he could be used in any situation. Much the same, Chase is the guy that can get it done, in any situation. As Harry Kalas put it, “Chase Utley, you are the man!” Chase Utley was first called up in 2003 but would not become the Phillies everyday second baseman until the 2005 season. The minute he was given his opportunity, he never looked back. Chase quickly established himself as a premier second baseman and was elected to the All Star game in 2006. During that same season, Utley maintained a 35-game hitting streak, which is tied for first in MLB history for longest hitting streak by a second baseman and is also the second longest hitting streak in Phillies history, behind “Nature Boy” Jimmy Rollins. In addition, he and Rollins began to cement their status as the best middle infield duo in MLB, by being the first middle infield pair to hit at least 25 home runs each in a single season. In 2007 Chase picked up right where he left off and was selected to his second All Star game and won his second consecutive Silver Slugger award, all in an effort that helped propel the Phillies to the NL East title in 2007. In 2008, Chase tied another Phillies record, when he hit home runs in five consecutive games and was voted to his third consecutive All Star game. Utley quickly cut his own memorable promo when, after being booed by the New York crowd said, “Boo? F*ck you,” a statement that was clearly heard on the broadcast. Utley’s performance throughout the 2008 season was a key component in helping the Phillies get back into the playoffs and eventually win their first World Series in 28 years. At the World Series parade, Utley once again ignited the home crowd by dropping another memorable line in Phillies history: “World Champions…World F*cking Champions!” I think for a moment you could actually see Chase and the rest of the Phillies Four Horsemen raise the four fingers on their right hands up, just like the original four used to, letting all of their opponents know that you were looking at the best in the business.

The final member of the Four Horseman was just as important as all the others. Tully Blanchard was the glue that brought all of the talent together into one cohesive unit. Tully was the cool and confident member of the Horsemen. He never needed to scream to get his point across; he let his performance do the talking. After Tully left the Horsemen, the incarnations that followed never quite matched the success of the first squad. In much the same way, Cole Hamels, the laid back lefty who is entering his fourth season with the Phillies, served as the final piece to the puzzle when he stepped into the ‘ace’ role in the 2008 playoffs. Let’s start at the beginning though. In his first MLB game in 2006, Hamels pitched five scoreless innings in which he allowed only one hit, striking out seven batters. This would become the norm as his young career progressed. In 2007, Cole Hamels won his first career complete game and was named to his first All Star game. In 2008, Cole recorded his first career complete game shut out but the best was yet to come, as Cole would step into the national spotlight by dominating the 2008 playoffs. Hamels was named the MVP of both the NLCS and World Series in 2008. Overall, Hamels made five postseason starts in 2008, going 4–0 with a 1.80 ERA. Cole became only the fifth player to win two post-season MVP awards in the same year. If Cole can carry the swagger that he possessed in the 2008 playoffs through the next few years, we have one helluva show waiting for us.

Has their ever been a more dominant collection of young players assembled at one time, on one team? The feat becomes much more impressive when you realize that all four players were developed through the Phillies farm system and were not purchased through free agency. The Phillies Four Horsemen have done it all: they’ve won the individual awards, they’ve won a world championship and they are are still in the prime of their careers. How many more championships and awards are still yet to come? It’s human nature to look at tomorrow instead of enjoying today. But hopefully all of us realize just how good we have it right now and realize how special this team really is.

As Ric Flair once put it, “Whether or like it or not, learn to love it, because it’s the best thing going. Woooo!”

Villanova heading to the Final Four

The Villanova Wildcats pulled out a win over top seeded Pitt, 78-76, on a Scottie Reynolds drive from half court that gave the Wildcats the lead with less than a second on the game clock. The Wildcats secured their spot in the Final Four for the first time since their dream run in 1985 after Pitt's Levance Fields missed a shot from 65-feet away. Fields shot was on target but bounced hard off the back board, sealing Villanova's win.

The game was the most exciting of the tournament, with 15 lead changes, six of them in the last six minutes of play. With both teams playing hard, Villanova responded to Pitt's physical play by making 22 of 23 free throws. However, Villanova almost gave the game away with eight seconds left when Reggie Redding attempted a full court pass to Dante Cunningham. The questionable play led to a Wildcats turnover and Fields making two free throws to tie the score at 76 with five seconds left.

However, Scottie Reynolds would not allow the game to slip away and quickly sealed the game for 'Nova with his last second drive, giving him 15 points for the game. In addition, Dwayne Anderson led the Wildcats with 17 points and Dante Cunningham contributed 14 points. Pitt's Sam Young led all scorers with 28 points and DeJuan Blair tossed in 20 points in the lose. The Panther's are the first No. 1 seed to be eliminated from the tournament so far this year.

Villanova will play the winner of today's North Carolina-Oklahoma South Regional final in next weekend's Final Four in Detroit.

For highlights of the Nova-Pitt game, check out the Sports Shorts video on the Philly Sports Post home page.

Who is Philly's greatest athlete from the past 20 Years?

That's right the greatest we've ever seen this generation is an undersized kid from Virginia who played harder than anyone we've ever seen. Allen Iverson is hands down the greatest Philly athlete of the past 20 years.

B-Dawk had a great career, but he's hardly the player Iverson was, Dawk always had help in his secondary, never playing without another Pro Bowl caliber player either in front of or next to him in the secondary.

Donovan McNabb came in second in our tournament, but Donovan will never be considered among the 50 greatest to ever play pro football, I'm not sure he's even close. Donovan just started to spark debate about whether he should be considered for the hall of fame. There is no doubt that Iverson will be enshrined the first year he is eligible.

So come on in, and relish in AI's greatness. I have a handful of videos to enjoy, so sit back, relax, and watch the greatest player we've had in a generation.




Let's start with his infamous practice press conference. I'd like to note that he's completely right. AI played his ass off every night, yet after one missed practice he has to answer a line of silly questions about his dedication. As fans we frequently make the argument that nobody played harder, yet the notion that Iverson had questionable commitment still lingers. Anyway, enjoy...



I found an awesome 5 minute highlight reel here, but be careful the video is set to a song with questionable lyrics.

I have a two more, Iverson's top ten:



And finally, Iverson's farewell:

The Flyers Make it a Winning Streak

The Philadelphia Flyers have turned it up a notch at the perfect time, winning their third game in a row, defeating the New Jersey Devils 4-2. The Philadelphia Flyers, who have made inconsistency look consistent over the past few months, managed to put together their second 3-game winning streak since December.

The Flyers, who went into their game on Friday against the Sabres tied with the Penguins with 84 points for fourth in the East, have rattled off three straight wins, including huge wins over the Penguins and Devils, to put four points in between themselves and Pittsburgh. In the process the Penguins have actually slipped behind the Hurricanes by one point and into the 6th spot in the East. The Flyers now have 90 points, three over Carolina, giving the Flyers the inside track towards securing home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The Flyers seem to be getting settled as several of their key players continue to play well. Simon Gagne now has 6 goals and 8 assists in his last eleven games, including a goal and two assists against the Devils. Danny Briere has picked up the pace since returning and he now has three goals and two assists during this 3-game winning streak, including a goal and assist against New Jersey. Jeff Carter, who also added a goal tonight, continues to play well as does Mike Richards. In addition, Marty Biron seems to be gaining confidence with each start and seems compelled to step into the role of number one goalie; something that the Flyers will require if they are going to make a serious push towards the Cup this spring.

Just as important as the individual play is the fact that the Flyers power play has finally been revived, and they have scored 7 power play goals in the past three games.

All in all, the Flyers seem to be getting hot at the perfect time. With ten games remaining in the regular season, the Flyers have an opportunity to build some serious momentum heading into mid-April. The Flyers have managed to make the best of their opportunities and made a weekend that started off with some questions transform into a 3-game winning streak and something they can build on. The Flyers next game is Thursday when the welcome the Florida Panthers to the Wachovia Center.

Wildcats Dominate - Advance to Sweet 16

Villanova dominated their game against UCLA on Saturday as they advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, following an 89-69 drubbing of the Bruins.

Villanova began the game on fire and were more aggressive and physical than their sixth ranked opponent throughout the entire game. Two days after their sub par performance against American University, Villanova did what they said they needed to do; they put together a complete game and played aggressive for 40 minutes. The Wildcats led by 13 at halftime and never looked back. Dante Cunningham led the Wildcats with 18 points and helped lead them to their fourth Sweet 16 appearance in five years. The Wildcats, who shot 47% from the field, also dominated on defense, forcing 20 turnovers and grabbing 39 rebounds.

The Flyers Need to Step Up

"We won yesterday. If we win today, that's two-in-a-row. If we win tomorrow, that's called a winning streak; it has happened before." -Lou Brown, Major League, 1989.

The Flyers have started their march towards the NHL playoffs. With only three weeks left in the regular season, every game is meaningful. So why has the Flyers play been so inconsistent? They haven't been able to string together any wins and their play has been up-and-down. The Flyers need to settle down, build some momentum and start making some noise as they prepare for the playoffs. Can they do it?


Is there anything better to watch then playoff hockey? I mean anything that you can watch with the curtains open, the lights on, when people are home? No, I didn’t think so. Playoff hockey is one of the most entertaining times of the year in all sports. For as long and tedious as the NHL regular season can become, once the playoffs role around and the intensity of the games pick up, the NHL becomes Must See TV.

With 12 games to play, the Flyers are essentially playing playoff hockey with each drop of the puck. The Flyers remain the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference following their win over the Sabres, but only remain five points over 8th seeded Montreal and six points above the 9th seeded Panthers. Every game means something as they strive to make their playoff run. It’s now time for the true players on this team to step up and make some noise.

The Flyers will need Mike Richards and Jeff Carter at the top of their games. They need Daniel Briere to start playing like the star they hoped he would be when they signed him two years ago. Martin Biron needs to play like the quasi-number one goalie he can be and stop giving up weak goals. But most importantly, the Flyers must string a few wins together, start playing consistent hockey and build some momentum as they race towards Lord Stanley’s playoffs.

The Flyers have only won three games in a row once in the past three months. They put together three in a row in mid-February. Other than that “winning streak”, the Flyers have traded wins and loses and are 5-5 in March. This type of inconsistent play is not the type of play that a team can build on entering the playoffs. The Flyers need to stay in the 4th seed and do not want to lose home ice advantage in the playoffs. The streaking Penguins have climbed into the fifth spot and the last thing the Flyers need to do is slip behind their cross-state rivals and open the playoffs in the Steel City. The Flyers cannot have games like they did against the Sabres Friday night. The Sabres are not a playoff team and the Flyers should not place themselves into situations in which they are forced to come from behind to beat sub-par teams.

The Flyers fate lies in their own hands. They have more games in hand then any of the other playoff teams. Several of those games are against other playoff teams including the Penguins, the Rangers (2) and the Devils. They also play the Panthers twice. The Flyers season is going to be what they make of it. If they can grab the opportunity that has been presented to them, we may get to see another exciting run through the playoffs. But if they let these games slip away and they can’t muster any consistency then it may be an early spring for the Fly-Guys.

Eagles Sign FB

The Eagles have signed fullback Leonard Weaver to a one year contract worth $1.75 million. Weaver has played with the Seattle Seahawks since 2005 when he was signed as an undrafted free agent.

The Philadelphia Eagles finally addressed one of several needs identified following their lose in the NFC Championship game. They were able to sign the 26-year-old full back who was also talking to the Vikings, Seahawks and Buccaneers, among other teams.

After having a limited role in 2005 and spending the 2006 season on IR, Weaver became the starting fullback for the Seahawks in week 6 of the 2007 season.

Weaver is a significant upgrade for the Birds, as he is a capable blocker and is a decent receiver out of the backfield. Hopefully we'll continue to see the Birds begin to plug some of the holes on their squad. We'll keep you posted.

And another...

Who Gives a Hoot? Owls Done in One

The Temple Owls came up short in their bid to move past round 1 of the NCAA tournament, falling to Arizona State, 66-57. Temple, who backed into the tournament, was eliminated in the first round of the tournament for the second year in a row.


Temple was able to hold Arizona State's Pac-10 Player of the Year, James Harden, to only nine points but were unable to slow the rest of the Sun Devils down, who shot 51.3% from the field; compared to the Owls poor 37.3 team shooting percentage.
Temple senior Dionte Christmas led all scorers with 29 points, but that was just not enough to help the 11th seeded Owls upset the 6th seeded Sun Devils. The Owls have not won an NCAA tournament game since 2001.

Wildcats defeat upset-minded Americans

The Villanova Wildcats managed to erase a second half, 14-point deficit and defeated American University 80-67. Despite Nova's slow start and the Eagles early success from 3-point range, the Wildcats were able to outlast their 14th ranked opponent to advance to the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament.

American University appeared to open the game much looser than the 3rd seeded Wildcats and used 8 of 15 shooting from 3-point range in the first half to take a ten point lead into halftime. However, it was not to be for AU. After going down by 14 early in the second half, Villanova tightened up their defense and slowly took control of the game. American led by 12 with a little over eleven minutes to play in the game but 'Nova continued to battle and it became clear that American was slowly wearing out. The Wildcats received 25-point performances from Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham and in the end were able to outlast the Eagles and advance past the first round of the tournament for the fourth time in five years. Villanova will play 6th seeded, UCLA on Saturday in an attempt to advance to the Sweet 16.

Philly's Greatest Athlete of the Last 20 years?

The tournament to determine the best Philadelphia athlete of the past 20 years is set. Come on in and check out the nominees for the PSP spin on the March Madness Tournament. After checking out the contenders, be sure to show up Monday morning to hear the Podcast and find out who was named #1.


Here's the list of nominees, which will be shortly followed up with a report that will seed the tournament. The tournament will be broken into four brackets, with four athletes in each bracket. The nominees (in no particular order) are:

1. Charles Barkley
2. Randall Cunningham
3. Brian Dawkins
4. Ron Hextall
5. Ryan Howard
6. Andre Iguodala
7. Allen Iverson
8. Eric Lindros
9. Donovan McNabb
10. Mark Recchi
11. Jimmy Rollins
12. Curt Schilling
13. Tra Thomas
14. Chase Utley
15. Brian Westbrook
16. Reggie White

The Seeding is coming soon !!!

Nothing to do about much?

This offseason has been a perplexing one for the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite a handful of needs going into the offseason the Eagles haven’t addressed a single one. The moves the Eagles have made only filled holes that they created this offseason. Even though I believe that Stacy Andrews and Sean Jones can each be an upgrade over Jon Runyan and Brian Dawkins respectively, I do not consider either move as a step towards addressing the team’s needs as they stood at year’s end.


At the onset of this offseason, I considered the Eagles biggest needs to be RB, TE, and WR as well as depth added to the safety position and the offensive line, possibly replacing Dawkins and either Runyan or Thomas with somebody younger. I did not expect a blow out on all older models, which is exactly what we got. Andy Reid has done this before, released veterans when their contracts were up despite a tide of popular opinion going the other way. I don’t remember anything quite like the furor that arose from Brian Dawkins’ departure, but there is a very clear precedent for this cycle of retooling and reaction.

The addition of Sean Jones is a nice pick-up, and I am on record as a Quentin Demps supporter. I am on record as saying that after Jordon Gross, Stacy Andrews was the best tackle due to hit free agency this offseason, and I include Runyan and Thomas in that group. The problem is that despite adding these pieces, you haven’t considerably improved your team. Jones and Demps will never be the player Dawkins was, but either man is capable of replicating, and possibly improving on, what Dawkins has been the last few seasons. Stacy Andrews gives you a boost over the aging Jon Runyan, but it’s hardly night and day.

So what have the Eagles done to get better? The answer is not very much; all they’ve done is make moves that allow them to be as good for longer. However routine maintenance is not sexy and it sure isn’t going to appease the angry mob that is storming the Lincoln Financial Castle. The Eagles now have five glaring needs as I see them RB, TE, WR, LT for the long-term, and PR, and that’s public relations before you ask, I’m quite happy with DeSean fielding punts.

Neither Jones or Andrews’ signing is big enough to put this team over the top, so while they may be good moves unto themselves, they remain unpopular. Unpopular because they aren’t a part of a larger, flashier overhaul as much as they’re unpopular because of the fans’ love for Brian Dawkins. I think Dawkins’ departure would have caused a much smaller uproar if the Eagles had made a big addition like Boldin or Houshmandzadeh in the days leading up to his signing with Denver. To fix this blitz of criticism the team is facing, the answer is to be aggressive. The Eagles simply cannot draft a RB, TE, WR, and OT with their first four picks in the draft and call it a day. They have two options; they can trade up in the first round to land a player at one of these positions, preferably not at LT as it just isn’t the flashy skill position that will help mend the hurt feelings of Eagles Nation. If they decide against moving up for a skill position guy, the alternative is to trade away a handful of the dozen picks they hold in the upcoming draft, and land a prize in return that will cure what ails this offense.

If the Eagles decide to trade up in the first round to land a player, who might they pursue? I think it may be easiest to assess their option by position.

WR: Well the cream of this year’s crop at WR is Michael Crabtree, who projects as the next Larry Fitzgerald, and won’t make it past the top-8 despite a broken bone in his foot. Following Crabtree is another probable top-ten pick in Jeremy Maclin of Missouri. Maclin is a burner, and at 6’ 200lbs. would give you basically a slightly bigger version of DeSean Jackson, which would hardly be a bad thing. The problem is that to land a top ten pick in this draft the Eagles would have to trade both of their first round picks as well as something else. Another option at WR, that would come at a much lower price tag to trade up for, would be Percy Harvin of Florida, who doesn’t project as a traditional WR as much as a Reggie Bush type hybrid. The problem is that you already have one small fast receiver, so why add a second. If the Eagles do move up to get a WR it would probably be Darrius Heywood-Bey of Maryland who is a lot like Maclin in that he’s slightly above 6’ tall, and he runs as fast as anyone in NFL. Heywood-Bey was reported to have given the Eagles a private workout, a sure sign of at least modest interest. If the Eagles stick with the numbers 21 and 28 picks when it’s all said and done, then options at the end of the first round include former Tarheel Hakeem Nicks or Rutgers’ Kenny Britt. Britt is intriguing due to him being about 6’3” which would make him the Eagles tallest threat at WR. I can say that, because despite being 6’4”, Hank Baskett is certainly not a threat.

TE: If the Eagles move up to add a TE, it will be Brandon Pettigrew. This kid has had trouble in the past including a charge of assaulting a police officer, but his talent is unquestionable. The kid can run, catch, and BLOCK, something I haven’t seen an Eagles TE do well since Jason Dunn headed out west. Anyway if Pettigrew gets past Buffalo at 11, then there’s a chance he slides into the late teens where the 21st pick and a third selection should get you to where you need to be to get him.

RB: Four running backs have come up in conversation as 1st round selections. In some mocks they would have to move up to land one guy or another, often they are projected just to select one at either 21 or 28, so let’s just compare the talent. There is Chris “Beanie” Wells, who is the biggest of the group and probably the popular choice among fans, the problem is that you would have to sacrifice the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield a bit to get that size, which makes him less likely to be able to take over once B-West retires. (By retires, I mean gets released before a roster bonus and the fan base goes crazy about it.) Knowshon Moreno is a better receiver but there are questions about his size and versatility, I’m not sure we need another guy listed as questionable every week. There was talk of Pitt back LeSean McCoy being among the 1st rounders, but his stock seems to be falling, so the Eagles won’t have to move up to get him. Another guy the Eagles shouldn’t have to move up to get is UConn RB Donald Brown, who I was unfamiliar with until Mel Kiper interjected this young man into the picture by projecting the Eagles to take him at 21. If they were to do that it would be a disaster, the fans want a name they know like Wells or Moreno. They may not have seen either man play more than 2 college games, but they know they want one or the other.

OT: Then there’s offensive tackle, which there is a ton (literally) of talent at this year in the 1st round. I read Dave Spadaro’s chat on Monday, and he called Oher’s toughness into question. If they had any interest they wouldn’t be insulting the guy on their website. The rest of the guys who project as 1st round picks are:
• Jason Smith, Baylor, 1-3 overall
• Eugene Monroe, Virginia, 2-7 overall
• Andre Smith, Alabama, 4-15 overall
• Michael Oher, Mississippi, 11-29
• Eben Britton, Arizona, 28-40
I can’t really offer too much in terms of talent or scouting, but Andre Smith was the consensus #1 OT before questions about his motivation and staying in shape caused him to drop from as high as #1 overall to as low as the teens. If he falls past the top ten, the Eagles would be foolish not to take a chance on a great athlete, and make the necessary move to land him.

The tough thing about projecting draft picks is that by the time the draft actually arrives the Eagles may have no picks left in the first round at all. If the Eagles are going to trade for help, they won’t do it to get a TE, if they passed on Tony Gonzalez for a second round pick, and didn’t get into the Winslow talks, then there isn’t another TE in the league they would trade for outside of Antonio Gates or Jason Witten. I can’t think of a RB available currently that is young enough to make the sacrifice for, yet good enough that it would justify moving a first round pick to acquire that player. So that leaves OT and WR as holes that the Eagles may make trades to fill.

Obviously the WR everybody is watching is Anquan Boldin, who may or may not be on his way out of Arizona. If he is in fact available, it would make a lot of sense both in football and public relations terms to do whatever it takes to make a deal happen. Other possible WRs worth exploring would be anyone on a team with a new head coach, such as Brandon Marshall in Denver, Braylon Edwards of Cleveland, Calvin Johnson in Detroit, or Dwayne Bowe on Kansas City; I doubt any of these guys would be considered for a trade by their current employers, but then again look at Jay Cutler. Apparently coaches like bringing in their own guys, so it’s at least worth a phone call.

As far as OTs go, I’d have no leads if it weren’t for John Clayton telling Mike & Mike in the morning the he believes the Eagles have interest in the Buffalo Bills’ two-time pro bowl LT Jason Peters. If true, it would be both an upgrade over Thomas, and an aggressive move, so maybe these fans would cut the Birds some slack.

Whatever the plan is, The Eagles had better set it in motion soon. The inaction of this offseason is creating a panic among their fan base, and, as we covered, there aren’t a ton of options outside of the draft. Until the Eagles play a game where either Todd Herremans or Shawn Andrews plays effectively at LT, or until they fill that hole with a legit player or prospect, they have to be considered worse than when we last saw them. We last saw them leaving the NFC title game in defeat, seemingly just a few plays or players short of being a Super Bowl team. For them to take three steps backwards, and only two steps ahead, leaves me thinking that they surely can’t be done adding proven talent. The problem is, as I said at the top, they don’t seem to have anything in the works despite these glaring needs. Although I have faith in this front office to realize the situation and address it, the public is growing frustrated with this inaction. To the fans it seems as if the Eagles are content with having nothing to do about much.

Greg

Are the Eagles in a Rebuilding Phase?

The Philadelphia Eagles were in the NFC Championship game this past season. Under normal circumstances, finishing the season in that position signifies that your team is moving in the right direction. Generally, once your team hits that mark, it is assumed that only a few adjustments need to be made in order to get your team over the hump to become a legitimate Super Bowl contender. However, since free agency began on February 27, the Eagles have given the impression that they are now in a rebuilding mode, despite what they are saying.

Experts say that the way a message comes across mainly depends on the contents of the message. But research shows that at least half (and according to some studies even more) of the effect depends on body language. In this case, the Eagles seem to be shrugging off their free agent departures and despite their verbal reassurance; their body language is screaming that they are rebuilding the core of the team.

The Eagles have allowed long time Eagles Tra Thomas, Jon Runyan, Brian Dawkins, Correll Buckhalter, and LJ Smith to walk away. Former two-time Pro Bowler, Lito Sheppard, was traded to the Jets. Thomas, 34, Runyan, 35, and Dawkins, 35, were all starters and played significant roles on the Eagles for the past nine seasons. LJ Smith, despite his injuries and the fact that he played himself out of a job, was the Eagles starting tight end at the beginning of last season. Buckhalter was a situational player, the “change of pace” back, who was expected to contribute and actually began to be utilized during the Birds run to and through the playoffs. Despite his disappearance after Asante Samuels signed with the Eagles last year, Sheppard has shown that he is a top tier defensive back when healthy. In all, six players have been lost, all of whom the Eagles believed would play significant roles on the 2008-09 team.

I am not disagreeing with the decision to allow some of these players to move on, but these moves do make it appear that the Eagles are entering a rebuilding phase, at least on offense and certainly when it comes to leadership in the locker room. The Eagles identity is slowly changing and although the thought of rebuilding an offense, while keeping the 32 year old quarterback and 30 year old running back, seems questionable, it does appear to be the case.

Would it really be all that surprising to learn that the Eagles have their own long term plan that extends past next season and into the 2010-11 season? The Eagles may be making these changes now with the thought of making more significant changes in the near future. Will we be witnessing the beginning of the Kevin Kolb era in the near future? It is possible, despite how horrid he looked in his brief cameo this past season. Keep in mind, that all of the players who have left the team were synonymous with the success Andy Reid has had in his decade with the Eagles, the “gold standard” era as the Birds front office has termed it. However, those teams are also synonymous with losing the big game: 1-5 in NFC Championship games, 0-1 in the Super Bowl. Is Big Red slowly making the changes it will take to give this franchise a fresh start, out with the old, in with the new?

In all likelihood, Brian Westbrook only has a couple of years left as a top back. The Eagles have no heir apparent for Westbrook, they have no answer for the tight end problem, no quality full back and will need to supply a supporting role if DeSean Jackson is going to flourish. Are Andy Reid and Joe Banner cleaning house before they start to remodel?

I want to win now. For all my criticism of Reid, McNabb, Dawkins, etc., our best opportunity to win a Super Bowl now is by giving McNabb and Westbrook the supporting cast they need. Both have peaked and Jackson is on the verge of breaking out, after a good rookie season. However, it looks like Andy and Joe may already be looking at a changing of the guard of sorts on the offensive side of the ball. Hopefully they have a good plan laid out and hopefully someone on the squad can step up and take over in the locker room. Let’s see what they say, better yet, let’s wait and see what they do.

TO Has Something to Cry About

The Dallas Cowboys have cut ties with controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens.

Since a mid-season trade brought wide receiver Roy Williams to Dallas from the Lions, many people assumed Owens' time in Big-D was limited. That feeling grew during a late season episode in which Owens' claimed that quarterback Tony Romo and Tight End Jason Witten were secretly meeting and devising their own plays, apparently in an effort to limit Owens' role in the offense. Owens' continued to have issues with Witten into the off-season.

Following the end of the season, rumors continued to swirl and in late February, Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones issued the following comment when asked about Owens' possible release: "That [Cowboys vice president and Jones' son] Stephen [Jones] and I were debating about Terrell, that's just misinformation. That's just not accurate. I don't know where that comes from. That's just total misinformation."

Despite Jerry Jones' comments in February, Terrell Owens has been released despite the fact that the transaction triggers a nearly $9 million salary-cap hit against the 2009 salary cap.

Neither Terrell Owens nor agent Drew Rosenhaus have released statements.

There have been no immediate reports regarding potential suitors for the unemployed receiver. We'll keep you posted.

Flyers Traded Who for the What Now?

The Flyers have traded Scottie Upshall and a 2nd round draft pick to the Phoenix Coyotes for Daniel Carcillo. The Flyers also acquired defenseman Kyle McLaren from the San Jose Sharks for a 6th round draft choice.

My initial reaction when I heard the Scottie Upshall deal was...."You have got to be kidding me!" (I used different language, but the sentiment was the same). Essentially these two guys are the same type of player, so why did we have to throw in a 2nd round draft pick? I immediately thought that there was something else coming, another deal with Phoenix possibly, or another deal with another team altogether. Turns out there was nothing. Just a bunch of Flyers fans asking "Seriously? That's it?"

Not knowing much of Daniel Carcillo, other than the fact that he is a third line player for the Winnipeg Jets when I play NHL 09(Why is there a team in Phoenix again?), I headed over to TSN.ca for a breakdown of the trade. Keith Jones and Darren Pang analyzed this deal, and came to the conclusion that it is a win win for both sides.

Here is the video of their breakdown.

I guess I can live with this deal. I don't like the fact that he has been in Wayne Gretzky's doghouse this year for taking "selfish" penalties. We are already the most penalized team in the league at 17.9 penalty minutes per game. A team with Carcillo and Scott "The Skating Minor Penalty" Hartnell doesn't seemed likely to play much 5 on 5 hockey down the stretch. But if he can be a faster, more skilled version of Riley Cote, and he can stay disciplined, then I am all for it. I am guessing he will be thrown out there with Briere and Giroux, which could make for an interesting line. I still don't understand the 2nd round pick being thrown in there though, so I think we overpaid slightly. Maybe Holmgren and the Coyotes both knew Upshall won't resign with Phoenix next year, so the pick is some kind of compensation for that fact. And, for all the Upshall fans out there, it didn't seem likely that we were going to resign him either, so this isn't that big of a loss.

The acquisition of McLaren is basically a depth move as he was immediately placed on the Phantoms. He has some knee issues, so I believe the plan is to let him play in the minors and get his knee healthy, and if we need a veteran D-man come playoff time, he is the guy we put into the lineup.

All in all, I am a little disappointed with the lack of activity from the Flyers. I realize they kind of handicapped themselves by operating right at the salary cap, but there were some moves that could have been made to get the guys they need and still be under the cap. It should be an interesting rest of the season, as the Devils, Rangers and Penguins all seemed to make their teams better.