Category Archives: Philadelphia

Winter Classic Recap

Posted by Tyler Murry on

After months of publicity, planning, and hard-work, the teams took to the ice in hockey’s most anticipated regular season matchup.  Hockey grew up on the ponds and outdoor rinks and it was restored to its former glory on Monday at Citizens Bank Park.

The Philadelphia Flyers led by points leader Claude Giroux battled against Marian Gaborik and the Rangers on center stage.  And what a game it was.

After a stellar goaltending performance in the first period, the two teams were tied at zero after one period of play.  However two quick goals by Schenn and Giroux by the Flyers half-way into the second period gave the Flyers the upper-hand.  Shortly after, Mike Rupp netted a goal from the top of the slot to cut the lead in half.

The Flyers entered the third period up 2-1, but once again Rupp lit the lamp with his second of the game to tie things up at 2-2.  Then with just under six minutes to play, center Brad Richards scored to give the Rangers their first lead of the game.

Richards’s goal ended up being the decisive one as Lundqvist was able to stop the rest including a penalty shot by Danny Briere in the final minute of play.

it was a great outing for hockey, the fans, and both teams at play.  In fact, over 47,000 fans were present at the game and one can only look forward to next year’s Bridgestone Winter Classic that will be unveiled at the end of this season.

Roy Halladay Saves Boy From Anaconda While On Fishing Trip In The Amazon

Posted by Clayton Collier on

According to NESN, Roy Halladay was on a fishing trip in the Amazon with Chris Carpenter, B.J. Ryan and professional fisher Skeet Reese, when he and Reese stumbled upon a local boy being attacked by an anaconda.

Here is what happened according to Reese’s recent blog post:

“Me and Doc Halladay even came across a local, sitting bare naked on a tree by the river. What we were able to figure out is that he was fishing in the river for tropical fish to sell for aquariums when he got attacked by an anaconda.”

“The snake apparently bit him on the ass but he was able to free himself before the snake wrapped him up. Instead the snake wrapped around his motor on the back of his little 14 foot dugout canoe and tore it off the back of his boat. Doc and I helped him gather his gear and flip the boat back over and then towed him home. You could definitely see the bite mark on his ass, but he was able to fight it off; amazing.”

So let me get this straight: The Mets won’t let R.A. Dickey climb Mt. Kilimanjaro but the Phillies will let Roy Halladay wrestle anacondas in the Amazon? Got it.

In Depth Look at Flyers First Round Pick Sean Couturier

Posted by Tyler Murry on

Standing in at 6’4″ 197 lbs Sean Couturier is a force to be reckoned with.  Although he is not the biggest guy on the ice he is almost always the hardes working.

“At his size, he’ll be hard to pass up in the draft. He possesses a very good work ethic and he’s out there for every important face off. He’s very responsible in the defensive aspect of the game — a rare quality for such a young player in junior hockey.” said Central Scouting’s Chris Bordeleau

Couturier was born in Phoenix, AZ and spent the past year playing for Drummondville in the Quebec Makor Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).  The youngster put up 96 points in 58 games including 36 goals last year.

Sean Couturier plays the game hard and as Bordeleau mentioned, he is a hard-worker on and off the ice.  He spends time in the weight room and is 110% committed to his team’s success.  He also has a good defensive mind for the game and understands that hockey is more than just putting the puck in the back of the net.

It was no shock that a the Flyers were ecstatic to get a player like Couturier with the 8th overall pick last June.  As we already know, the Flyers have had a lot of turnover with their roster and this could be a perfect situation for Coutrier.  The Flyers will look for him to be a player of the future and although many think he is ready, he may not see too much time in a Flyer’s uniform.  Expect Couturier to perhaps play 20-30 games in Philly and spend the rest of the time playing elsewhere.  However it is certain that hockey fans will see the name Sean Couturier soon and for years to come.

Eagles-Steelers Preseason Recap

Posted by contributor123 on

By: Chris Salerno

It was a rough night for the Philadelphia Eagles and their superstar quarterback Michael Vick in a 24-14 loss to the Steelers. Vick passed for a below average 5-for-12 with 3 passes being intercepted by the Steelers’ stellar defense and no touchdowns,  resulting in an abysmal 13.5 quarterback rating. Contrary to what occurred in the game on August 18, interceptions are not a familiar part of Vick’s game. Last year, he threw only 6 interceptions and had a quarterback rating of 100.2! That is the Michael Vick that Eagles fans expect to show up every game. Although this game was shaky, especially for Vick, there is little doubt in the minds of the coaching staff and the faithful Philly fans that the reigning NFL Comeback Player of the Year is the one to lead their beloved Eagles back to the Super Bowl.

On the other hand, Vick’s counterpart Ben Roethlisberger had a terrific game. Big Ben went 8-for-12 passing for 125 yards and 2 touchdowns. Roethlisberger’s outstanding performance earned him a passer rating of 140.6. The two-time Super Bowl Champion did all of this damage to the defense and the ego of the Eagles in just one quarter of play.

A notable absence from the game was that of Philadelphia wide receiver and kick return specialist Jeremy Maclin. Maclin has not been to practice since training camp has started. The Eagles wide out had been repetitively stating that he was suffering from an “undisclosed illness” but consistently reassuring fans and coaches that this illness is not career threatening and that he plans to be ready to play for the team at the start of the regular season. The mystery surrounding Maclin’s condition has finally been solved. The Missouri University Alum had been undergoing tests due to a recent cancer scare. The test results were negative for Lymphoma and Maclin should be able to practice within 7-10 days from August 17. Maclin is a vital part of the Philadelphia offense that was 2nd in the NFL. Last year Maclin had 70 receptions for 964 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Possibly the most entertaining part of the night came from broadcaster Terry Bradshaw’s faux pas. Bradshaw mistakenly showed his lack of knowledge of our fine country’s geography. The former Pittsburgh Steeler was quoted saying “I was out of the country for a while, I was in Hawaii.” Bradshaw’s commentary partner Joe Buck quickly corrected him, but Bradshaw dug his hole a little deeper when he responded asking “When?”

Giroux Expected to Lead the Flyers Next Season

Posted by Tyler Murry on

Claude Giroux quietly made a name for himself in his first two years by putting up 74 points in 124 games for the Flyers. Last year he exploded for 76 points in 82 games to elevate himself as a star caliber player in the NHL.  After a second round sweep at the hands of the Stanley Cup winning Boston Bruins, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren decided to take the team in a new direction with Giroux as its center-piece. Within the first weeks of summer, Holmgren shipped out star players like captain Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Kris Versteeg, Nikolay Zherdev, and Ville Leino.  This left a clear indication that the Flyers are being built around their new superstar Claude Giroux.

The real question however is, can he rise to the occasion and lead the Flyers for years to come? It will surely take time considering the fact that Giroux spent most of his time in Philly on the second and third line with lower expectations and pressure on him. Next year he will have to carry the load by being on the first line and only time will tell if he can handle it. No doubt he has the talent to be a capable leader and star for the Flyers, but will he be able to handle the pressure?

Expectations are high in Philadelphia and the media and fans can be harsh when someone does not perform to their capabilities. We saw this with Jeff Carter the past few years. When Carter started to play poorly in big situations, the media pounced on it. Then before he knew it trade rumors started swirling around him as he continued to play worse and worse. If we go back another year we see a similar scenario with LW Simon Gagne who was forced out of Philly after being bashed by the fans and media for his poor play.

The point is that in a sports city like Philadelphia, you will be thrown under the bus if you don’t play well. If Giroux can not let the media or fans bother him as he tries to situate himself in his new leadership role, then he should be just fine. With as much talent as Giroux has, expect another 70-80 points next year.

However Giroux can’t do it alone if the Flyers are to make it to the playoffs. Players like Daniel Briere, James VanRiemsdyk, Jakub Voracek, and Wayne Simmons need to step up.  Giroux can be that leader and star player that the Flyers are looking to build a franchise around, but they will also need supplementary scoring from these players mentioned in order to be successful and compete with the top Eastern Conference teams.

Red Sox vs. Phillies, A Look At The Two Best Teams In Baseball

Posted by Clayton Collier on

 

Just about every baseball website, network fan or analyst spanning the nation has chosen the Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox to be the two clubs to square off in the Fall Classic. The debate all year has been of course which team is the best in baseball, who will win the world series? I’ve decided to compare the hitting and pitching stats side-by-side and let the numbers speak for themselves:

*Denotes leads MLB

*Denotes lowest figure in MLB

It is evident that the Red Sox are a significant cut above the rest in almost every major offensive category while the Phillies have established themselves with arguably the best pitching staff in the game. The Phillies have their “dream team” rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt that will carry them deep into October while the Sox will rely on their star-studded lineup to mash a path to the pennant, but also do not have that shabby of a 1-2 punch either with Jon Lester and Josh Beckett leading the pack.

Barring some kind of drastic collapse down the stretch or a miracle upset in the playoffs, all signs point to these two squads to be going head-to-head in the 2011 World Series. The series will simply come down to four of the league’s best starters going against some of the best mashers in the game including Adrian Gonzalez, Jacoby Ellsbury, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, and Carl Crawford in the middle of the order. The best lineup against the best pitching staff, which one will prove to make the difference?

 In last year’s Fall Classic, the strong pitching beat out the overwhelming offense when the Giants edged the Texas Rangers to become World Champs…What will the outcome be in 2011? That remains to be seen, stay tuned!

Philadelphia Eagles: Why DeSean Jackson’s Contract Dispute Needs to be Settled Immediately

Posted by contributor123 on

By: Geordy Boveroux

While so much has been made of the “Dream Team” being put together in Philadelphia, one of the major components isn’t dreaming of a Super Bowl ring. Wide Receiver DeSean Jackson is going to bed every night with dreams of dollar signs in his head.

Jackson has been in the midst of a holdout since the NFL lockout was lifted, due to his salary being the only thing smaller than the 5’9″ wideout.

His meager $600,000 salary for the 2011 season is barely fair pay to a bench player, let alone one of the most explosive players in the league.

Due to the aforementioned lockout, Jackson and the Eagles’ brass were unable to engage in contract talks for months when both were in agreement that the receiver was deserving of a new deal. By the time a new Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached, Training Camps soon followed which Jackson refused to report to.

The Eagles have stated that they will only negotiate a contract if Jackson is in camp, so now the former Cal Bear will report to camp on Monday, August 8.

Jackson has expressed concerns over injuring himself in camp while in talks for a new deal, so there is a chance he does not participate in any drills or practices while at camp.

While it’s in the best interest of both parties that a deal is reached quickly, that may not happen. Jackson believes that he is a top-tier wideout and expects to be paid like one. But is he really a top receiver when he only caught 47 passes in 2010?

That is something that the Eagles will bring to the table early and often in an attempt to lower Jackson’s asking price which could be unreasonably high.

Lowering Jackson’s demands could be integral to Philadelphia resigning him. With the free agent spending spree they have engaged in they won’t have the spare cap room to sign Jackson to a mega-deal, but low-balling him may alienate Jackson. He may very well feel that if all these free agents are getting flooded with cash, why can’t he?

What will force the Eagles’ hand is that they have no one else. They’ve signed players to upgrade virtually the entire roster, but wide receiver has been left unscathed. Entering the pre-season with an unhappy Jackson, or even no Jackson could severely hurt their chances at the deep playoff run they envision in January.

Philadelphia Flyers’ New Look

Posted by Tyler Murry on

After and embarrassing exit in the Conference semifinals to the Bruins in just four games, Flyers GM Paul Holmgren knew he needed to make changes to the team.

The first move included acquiring Phoenix star goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. Last season for the Coyotes, Bryzgalov had a save percentage of .921 and a goals against average of 2.48.  Bryzgalov burst on to the scene in 09-10 as a Vezina trophy finalist and now is the number one goalie in Philly.  Goalie problems have haunted the Flyers for many years and now they have a true number one goalie as an anchor between the pipes.

The next big move was sending captain Mike Richards to the Kings in exchange for Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmons, and a second round pick.  Mike Richards was a long time Flyer and captain but Holmgren parted ways with the 26 year-old and acquired the King’s 2009 5th overall pick, Brayden Shenn.  Schenn is considered to be one of the league’s top prospects and a big piece of the Flyer’s future.  Also acquired in this trade was Wayne Simmons who put up 30 pints in  LA last year.

Around the same time as the Richards deal, Holmgren made another blockbuster trade that sent star center Jeff Carter to Columbus for Jakub Voracek, a first round pick (8th overall), and a third round pick.  Voracek netted 46 points in Columbus last year and will be a huge part in the Flyer’s future.  Next Holmgren used the 8th overall pick to draft star prospect Sean Coutrier.

The final moves made this offseason were to sign defenseman Andreas Lilja and forward Maxime Talbot.  Lilja is a veteran d-man who will likely be a third-pairing defenseman in Philadelphia next year.  Talbot on the other hand was part of the Penguins Stanley cup winning team two years ago and will add grit and character to this revamped Philly team.

The Flyers were building for the future this offseason and only time will tell if they made the right decision.