Wow. What a huge win! We were all worried it would go to a shootout, and luckily it didn’t, but who cares! All that matters is the Flyers won. They beat the NHL’s hottest team, gaining 3 points in the standings in the process.
I don’t know who I hate more, the Penguins or the Rangers.
Although he gave up 2 goals, Ilya Bryzgalov once again looked sharp, making several key saves down the stretch.
Should be is the key phrase here. We all know how Andy Reid loves to out-think himself when it comes to drafting talent.
It’s clear the Eagles have glaring holes at the linebacker position. Except for Jamar Chaney, I could live without the rest of them. People that don’t know the Eagles, or don’t know their tendencies are always so confused why the Eagles don’t ever draft linebackers higher than the 4th round (with the exception of bust Matt McCoy).
With 11 games remaining in the regular season, the Flyers play 8 of them at the Wachovia Center in South Philadelphia.
Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins should be an interesting one, as the Penguins, the NHL’s hottest team, winning 10 of their last 10 games, look to solidify the number 2 seed, as the Flyers are hoping to get the 4th seed. In those 11 games, the Flyers will face Pittsburgh 3 times, which isn’t exactly a good thing. Look for Sergei Bobvrovsky to get some work, as he has had great success against the Penguins in his young career.
The Philadelphia Eagles have announced the signing of free agent guard Evan Mathis to a 5-year, $25 million deal, with a reported $7 million guaranteed. Not bad for a guy who was brought in in the 11th hour last year during a shortened training camp, and who wasn’t even expected to start.
I love this move a lot for several reasons. Not only because Evan Mathis is a more than solid left guard, but because now Todd Herremans can stay at right tackle where he belongs. It also sures up the middle of the line, and will no doubt give Michael Vick some added confidence.
Evan Mathis literally transformed himself from a scrapheap player to a potential Pro-Bowl talent
Mathis, a 7 year veteran was a journeyman for much of his career before starting 15 games last year, and morphing(literally) into one of the Eagles most consistent players. In fact, Greg Cosssell of NFL Network, who is in my opinion, the best NFL analyst out there, actually graded Mathis as the Eagles best offensive lineman last season during end-of-year film study (Yes, even better than Todd Herremans and Jason Peters). Cosell, a senior analyst at NFL Network, watches the same game film as coaches, and watches every snap, of every game, of every player, on every team. He then grades out each player based on an algorithm that includes blown assignments and other factors.
Look I know it’s early still, but these fluke injuries are driving me crazy. First Ryan Howard last year, and then Chase Utley’s knee, which doesn’t sound like it will ever be the same, and then Dom Brown injures his neck napping on the team bus. Seriously Dom? Seriously?
Now Placido Palanco, the Phillies banged up, 36 year old 3rd baseman has injured his finger diving into first base on a pickoff attempt. I know it’s only a minor injury (apparently only a jammed finger), but I still don’t like this trend.
Palanco when healthy, is one of the Phillies best hitters, and with the absence of Ryan Howard for the foreseeable future, and the question marks surrounding Chase Utley’s knee, it’s guys like Palanco who will have to pick up the load.
What’s next? Is Charlie Manuel going to get injured stuttering?
Before you jump down my throat, just hear me out.
Just like the Eagles relying on the big play to win games, the Phillies have relied on the big play as well, maybe even more so than the Eagles over the last 5 or 6 years. With guys like Ryan Howard on your team, why wouldn’t you? For the most part, this style has worked well for Charlie Manuel and the Phillies, and every team in the league I’m sure would love to have a guy like Ryan Howard on their roster, so they could do the same. The Phillies are built almost like an American League team, which is all well and good, but in my opinion, they have become too dependent on the power game.
Sure, you can never have enough homeruns–I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing, but just like pitching is important come playoff time, so is the ability to manufacture runs.
One thing the Phillies have not been able to do well under Charlie Manuel, at least not consistently, is play small ball. They’re always looking for the big play. How many times have you seen Jimmy Rollins pop up the very first pitch of an at-bat when there’s a guy in scoring position with two outs.
I’ve watched plenty of games thinking to myself, why aren’t they bunting here, or where’s the double steal? Why aren’t they working the count more?
Look at the St. Louis Cardinals for example. They didn’t have a better team than the Phillies. They didn’t have better pitching than the Phillies, but what they did much better than the Phillies, and ultimately every other team on their way the a championship last season, was play small-ball.
Even with a hitter like Albert Pujols on their team, they never put all their eggs in that one basket. Sure they got hot at the right time, but by the end of the season, they were a well balanced team, hitting for both power and average, and were lucky enough to get some timely pitching down the stretch.
The NFL has changed dramatically over the last decade. The rules have been heavily slanted towards the offense, and teams are now relying on big plays from the passing game because the NFL has made it easier to win that way. The running game has become an afterthought. It’s almost been taken out of the game.
There haven’t been any rule changes in baseball though, and you’ll never be able to take small-ball out of the game. Every team needs a power hitter, no doubt about it, but unlike in the NFL, playing the game the right way–the old fashioned way is still a viable way to win.
The absence of Ryan Howard’s offensive production is obviously not a good thing for the Phillies short term, however long term, I believe it could make the Phillies a better team, because it will force them to play a more conservative style, which is not really their comfort zone.
The common denominator in all championship teams, is the ability to hit homeruns and pitch well, but also steal bases, bunt, and work counts.
