Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Who's Next?

It might happen this week, Phillies fans. We may actually get to see Carlos Carrasco pitch in the big leagues. Shocking, I know, but definitely a possibility. With Antonio Bastardo being placed on the 15-day DL with a shoulder strain, the Phils are likely to call up either Carrasco or Andrew Carpenter to take his place through the All-Star break. Carpenter does have limited big league experience, he pitched on May 16th of this season for the Phillies against the Nationals, going 4.1 innings and giving up 5 runs on 8 hits. Carrasco has been one of the Phils most highly publicized minor leaguers over the past few years, but as he has struggled this year questions have begun to surface as to what role he would fill with the club. Here are his stats on the year:

2009 Season

4-7, 4.92 ERA, 15 GS, 86.0 IP, 95 H, 54 R, 47 ER, 25 BB, 84 SO, .271 AVG

Not terrible – not good either. Here are Carpenter’s:

2009 Season

7 -1, 2.75 ERA, 14 GS, 88.1 IP, 82H, 32 R, 27 ER, 26 BB, 61 K, .251 AVG

Better - most notably in the ERA department. He’s my choice.

I have been itching to see Carrasco get a shot with the Fightins for a long time now and would enjoy seeing him get the chance to prove himself, but Carpenter appears to give the Phils the best shot at winning, an elusive feat for the club lately. I don’t expect either to set the world on fire for the next two weeks, but I do expect them to give the team a chance to win. I’ve been down on the Phils lately, and maybe one of these two will be the shot in the arm the team needs to get going again. Stranger things have happened, right? Ex: Kyle Kendrick winning 11 games in 2008. Discuss.


Who would you like to see start in place of Bastardo?

Go Phils!
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Beltran's Career in Jeopardy?

Wow. From the article:
The Mets confirmed yesterday that Beltran was in Vail, Colo., for a second opinion on his ailing right knee, this one from noted orthopedic surgeon Richard Steadman.

The ominous aspect of that for Beltran and the Mets is that
Steadman is the inventor of microfracture knee surgery, an operation that -- if he opts to have it -- could sideline Beltran for the rest of the season, and potentially jeopardize his career
.

Honestly, I hate the Mets just as much as the next Philly fan, but it's a shame to see a players career put in jeopardy because of an injury. The article goes on to talk about the Mets forcing Beltran to play on his injured knee, most likely causing further damage. That's not right. Sacrificing someone's livelihood for the sake of a few wins is disgraceful - screw them. Beltran is signed with the Mets through 2011, with $18.5 million due in each of the final two years of the contract. Mets suck. Go Phils.
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The Morning After


Dodgers 4 Rockies 2: Andre Ethier hit a 2-run walk off home run in the 13th inning last night giving the Dodgers a 4-2 victory over Colorado. It was Eithier’s fourth walk off hit of the season and the Dodgers fourteenth win in their final at bat. L.A. improves to 49-28 and are about to get Manny back.

Giants 10 STL Cards 0: Tim Lincecum pitched a Complete Game, 2 hit shutout as the Ginats beat the Cardinals 10-0. It was Lincecum’s third complete game of the season. Travis Ishikawa hit his fifth home run and Juan Uribe hit his second of the year for the Giants. The Cardinals placed Khalil Greene back onto the DL with Social Anxiety Disorder.

NBA: Yao Ming may miss next season while recovering from a broken foot. Yao’s representatives are concerned that Yao may never play again. The Rockets wil now be without Yao Ming and Tracy McGady, who is expected to be out until February. If the Rockets need a Center, I know a team with an extra one

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Monday, June 29, 2009

Pronger to the Flyers


The Flyers are making a push for the Cup. The Flyers acquired defensemen Chris Pronger and Ryan Dingle from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Joffrey Lopul, Luca Sbisa, Two 1st round picks and a conditional 3rd rounder.

It was a huge price tag but Pronger is one of the top defenseman in the game and it will give the Flyers 2 defensive pairings to defend against the separate Crosby and Malkin lines. I’m all for it. I think the Flyers should be stacked next year and may be the biggest threat in the Eastern Conference to the Penguins. There is still a question mark at Goalie (isn’t there always?), but the defense in general just got a major upgrade.

Flyers do not believe Sbisa’s injury will void the deal.

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The Morning After

A.J. Feeley's girl....

What you missed yesterday...

Phils 5 Jays 4: The Phils won their first series since the beginning of June thanks to a four-run fourth inning yesterday. Carlos Ruiz started things off with a bases-loaded fielder's coice, followed by a Victorino sac fly and topped off with a Chase Utley two-out triple to right center. Jamie Moyer allowed four runs and five hits in five innings to win consecutive starts for the first time since April 21 and 26. The Fightins had lost four straight series and have won just four of its past 15 games. Thank God interleague play is over.

Yankees 4 Mets 2: Mariano Rivera became only the second player in history to record 500 saves, finishing off the Mets last night while also recording his first career RBI. The RBI came on a K-Rod bases-loaded walk in the 9th, adding an insurance run to the Yankees then 3-2 lead. Chien-Ming Wang won for the first time in more than a year and Rivera got four outs, securing the Yankees' fifth consecutive victory, all on the road. Rivera is a freak. Mets suck.

Brazil 3 USA 2: The U.S. soccer team's unlikely run to the Confederation Cup final came to a heartbreaking conclusion yesterday afternoon. Leading 2-0 after the 1st half, the American team gave up three unanswered goals in the 2nd and handed the trophy over to Brazil. A 2-0 lead in soccer after the 1st half is like being up 21-0 in the 4th quarter of an NFL game - you have to hold on to that lead. Still a fine showing for the U.S. squad, hopefully they can carry some of this confidence with them to the World Cup next year.
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Friday, June 26, 2009

Jrue


Ty Lawson was still available. So was Eric Maynor, Jeff Teague and Darren Collison. Each of these guys would have helped the 76ers reach the NBA playoffs next year as a # 6 or # 7 seed, you know NBA Purgatory. Each of these guy’s, the Sixers, more or less would have known what they were getting, solid players but not necessarily difference makers.

Instead they took a chance on a guy’s upside. Jrue Holiday could very well turn out to be a bust but he also has the potential to develop into a top PG in the league. It is tough to get better when drafting at #17 but the Sixers picked with an eye to the future, took a chance, and hopefully will be rewarded down the road.
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Lunch Time Draft Rant


Luch Time draft rant from friend of DirtyWudders R.H....
On the surface, the Magic trading for Vince Carter seems like a good move. I guess they're thinking Turkoglu leaving is a foregone conclusion. But why would a team that just went to the Finals and seemed to have pretty good chemistry bring in Carter? A me-first malcontent that has admitted to quitting on teams. Unless he changes his stripes, no team with him on it will ever win it all (he's like Iverson and McNabb that way). I would've overpaid Turkoglu if I was them.


Anywho, onto the draft, since I can't talk about the Phils right now without banging my head on the keyboard. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't like the Sixers pick, although I am naming my next kid, boy or girl, Jrue. Granted, they weren't gonna get a star at 17. But I would've taken Lawson or Maynor, both experienced and proven, over this guy. First, is he even a point guard? He couldn't play over Collison at UCLA (who I also would've taken). He played it in high school I guess ('08 high school player of the year!.....dunking on 5'11 white kids I assume). I'll admit, I didn't see many UCLA games last years, but when I did see them, I don't even remember Holiday, which can't be good. I don't know, I put more stock in how guys actually played in college than in "potential" and "upside". He averaged 8 points a game and more TO's than assists. Christ. They say he can play the 2 as well? At 6'3 in today's NBA? And don't we already have a shooting guard that can't shoot? At least you know Lawson and Maynor are point guards. And this guy will now learn how to play the point on the job in the NBA from.....Lou Williams? Princeton offense with these two braniacs? Ugh. Again, I hope I'm wrong.

Don't like Harden at #3 at all. Only saw Arizona St. once--against Temple in the tournament, and he was thoroughly unimpressive. Reminds me of a fat, crafty older guy that would clean up in a 3-on-3 halfcourt game, but not in the NBA.
Looking forward to watching Rubio play--him and Love on the same team is intriguing. Two great passers. Don't understand the T-Wolves then taking Johnny Flynn at all. Even if they both turn out to be really good, they can't co-exist. You're telling me Johnny Flynn isn't going to be sulking if he's not starting?? Would've taken Curry. Him and Rubio together would've been fascinating. Flynn's barely 6'0. Only freaks like Iverson can be really good at that height. Seems like a backup PG to me.
Curry would've fit in great for the Knicks and D'Antoni's style, too bad they were one pick late and ended up with Jordan Hill (black Frederick Weis). I love when the NY crowd hellaciously boos and David Stern stands there awkwardly.

After that it was pretty uneventful--lots of point guards and foreigners. I fough to stay awake during the Larry Brown interview. He's gonna teach Gerald Henderson how to "play the right way" (blah-freakin'-blah). Brown and a cocky ex-Dukie? They may be my new least favorite team!

How about Dante Cunningham going before Blair and Sam Young?? I love how they said they talked to Jamie Dixon by phone and he was "shocked" neither went in the first round. Whiny homo. You just knew the Spurs were gonna gobble up Blair, and you know he'll play really well for them. Cunningham was kind of like the first pick in essence for the Blazers too---their first round pick was a foreigner that's a few years away. I think he could be a decent role player.

Kenny (King of) Payne
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The Morning After

Megan Fox, in honor of Transformers 2 coming out today...

Rays 10 Phils 4: The Phillies suck. They've lost 10 of 12 and are somehow still in first place. I really dont want to go into the details of last night's game. They went up 4-0 in the first and were down 6-4 after the 2nd. Jimmy Rollins was benched. Boo.

Yankees 11 Braves 7: A-Roid tied Reggie Jackson with his 563rd home run, and Mariano Rivera earned his 499th career save in the Yankees' 11-7 victory over the Braves last night. Rivera needs one more save to join Trevor Hoffman as the only closers with 500 saves. Boo.

NBA Draft: The Sixers drafted Jrue Holliday with the 17th pick. A lot of mock drafts had Holiday as a lottery pick so the Sixers actually made out pretty well. More to come on the pick later today.

Vince Carter: Vince Carter was traded to the Magic last night in exchange for PG Rafer Alston, SG Courtney Lee and PF Tony Battie. Hedo Turkoglu opted out of his contract with Orlando. In a related story, the Sixers are still 5 years away from being any good. Boo.

RIP Michael Jackson: I'll be honest, MJ is my boy. Aside from the pedophelia and face mutilation, the dude was awesome. Dirty Wudders long time reader/commenter Moose shed a tear and poured his 40 out for his fallen hero last night.

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Thursday, June 25, 2009

Top 5 Cornerbacks


Last week I posted Ray Didinger’s top safeties on DirtyWudders. This week on CSNPhilly, Ray posted his top 5 cornerbacks in franchise history. Here they are with an abbreviated description. To read the full article, click here.

l. Eric Allen (1988-94) – He played 14 seasons in the NFL, seven with the Eagles, and tied the club record with 34 pass interceptions. He returned five interceptions for touchdowns, four in one season (1993). One of Allen’s touchdowns was a spectacular 94-yard return against the New York Jets, a twisting, weaving run that was selected for the NFL Films video “The 100 Greatest Touchdowns of All-Time.”

2. Troy Vincent (1996-2003) – He earned five consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl (2000-04). Vincent was the total package at cornerback. Vincent ranks seventh on the Eagles all-time interception list (28) and shares the record for the longest interception return with James Willis for their 104-yard interception and lateral touchdown against Dallas in 1996.

3.Tom Brookshier (1953, 1956-61) – There is a whole generation – maybe two – that knows Brookshier only as a broadcaster. But once upon a time, he was a star cornerback for the Eagles. He intercepted eight passes as a rookie in 1953 and after missing two full seasons due to military service, he returned to help the Eagles win the NFL title in 1960.

4.Herman Edwards (1977-85) – Edwards started every game for nine seasons at cornerback for the Eagles. His streak of 135 consecutive starts ranks sixth in team history. He intercepted 33 passes, one short of the team record. And of course, in 1978 he scooped up the fumble that became “The Miracle of the Meadowlands.” A rich history, indeed.

5.Irv Cross (1961-65, 1969) –He was voted into the Pro Bowl twice (1965-66), and he did not miss a game in his final five seasons with the Eagles.

Dirty Wudders cannot claim to have seem Brookshier, Herm or Cross in action so I will have to offer my own top 5.

1. Eric Allen
2. Troy Vincent
3. Bobby Taylor –Big DB who was brought in to defend Michael Irvin. Notre Dame’r was not much of a tackler but was a good cover corner.
4. Lito Sheppherd – Always had his best games against Dallas.
5. Mark McMillan - Little guy, 5’7”, made plays

I know there are opinions about this. Lets hear some

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Time for J-Roll to Move Down

Jimmy Rollins had another spectacular game at the plate last night in Tampa Bay, going 0-4 and dropping his average to a meager .211 on the season. Rollins is in the midst of a 6-for-46 slump and not showing any signs of life, having gone hitless since last Thursday against the Blue Jays. Since June 1st he has drawn only four walks as the leadoff hitter for the Phils, his first walk not coming until June 18th! Are you kidding me!? Isn’t your leadoff hitter supposed to get on base? Isn’t he supposed to be the spark plug for your offense, to get things going from the top of the lineup? Shouldn’t he be drawing a few walks here and there? This brings me to my real question: Why does Jimmy Rollins have to be the leadoff hitter of the Philadelphia Phillies?

Let’s take a step back and look at Jimmy’s stats this season compared to the rest of the leadoff men in the NL East, less the Nationals:

2009 SEASON: AVG OBP SLG OPS HR RBI SB
Jimmy Rollins .211 .254 .328 .582 6 27 10

Nate McLouth .259 .340 .466 .806 12 45 10

Jose Reyes .279 .355 .395 .750 2 15 11

E. Bonafacio .240 .289 .290 .578 1 18 13

Look at the bolded stats – aside from Bonafacio his OBP is about 100pts less than the other two, SLG about 150 less and OPS 150+. I don’t care about the HR’s or RBIs, that’s not what he’s there to do. Jimmy’s job is to get on base and get his team going - the longer he spends in the dugout the worse off the Phils will be. Sure he’s secured that spot for the last 9 years or so, but maybe it’s time to mix things up. Where is it written that he must bat leadoff for the Philadelphia Phillies? Shane Victorino has proven he’s capable of filling in for Jimmy at the top of the lineup, look at his numbers: AVG .305 OBP .371 SLG .462 OPS .833. I think it’s a no-brainer.

I’m not saying I don’t want Jimmy in the lineup, just not at the top. I appreciate everything he has done for the Phillies in the past, MVP, Golden Gloves and the like, but I don’t see how that relates to the 2009 season. Jimmy Rollins has been the heart and soul of the Philadelphia Phillies for the last decade and will continue to be that guy into the future - I just hope it’s not in the No.1 position on the lineup card.
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The Morning After


Rays 7 Phillies 1: A pitchers duel through 7+ innings, the Rays opened the game up when Jimmy Rollins made a rare defensive mistake missing trying for a tough force out at second when Pat Burrell was running to first. Joe Blanton pitched very well only to be outdueled by Matt Garza. Pat Burrell had 3 RBI's including a 2-run homer, only his second as a Ray. Jimmy Rollins has zero base hits since Thursday. It is time for Chalie to send him a message. The NL East is tightening as the Mets and Marlins both won.

LSU 11 Texas 4: LSU wins the 2009 CWS! It is their 6th National Title, tied with Texas for second most of all-time. LSU took a 4 run lead with the help of Jared Mitchell's 3 run home run but Texas quickley tied it up. LSU scored 5 in the sixth to wrap it up. Mitchell, the CWS MOP and a first round pick of the Chi Sox, adds to his 2007 NCAA Football title. Congratulations to LSU!

U.S. 2 Spain 0: The US advance to its first men's FIFA Final since starting play in 1916. Spain, a -1100 favorite (cough...whatever that means..cough), was the European champion and had won 15 straight international games, the most since Brazil won 35 straight betwenn '93 and '96 (was that the Baggio days?). Spain had not lost since November '06. Jozy Altidore scored the first goal in the 27th minute and Clint Dempsey put it away in the 74th. Hopefully we have soccer readers that can comment on this game because I am not doing the win justice.

NFL: Julius Peppers signed a 1 yr, $16.7 million tender with the Carolina Panthers.5 months ago Peppers made it clear that he would not sign a long term deal with Carolina but after he signed a 1 yr deal which will give him over 1 million per GAME, he seems willing to sign long term.

Flyers: Sources say that the Flyers will accept an invitation to play the Boston Bruins on New Years day at Fenway Park. Very cool, though I would still like to see a Flyers v Penguins game at State College.

Wimbledon: 2004 Champ Maria Sharapova loses 6-2,3-6,6-4, to Gisela Dulko in the second round. Damn it!

NBA: The Cavs acquired Shaq O'Neal from the Suns for a couple of expensive basketballs and a late draft pick.
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Iverson's "Practice" Mix

In case you have not seen or heard this. Here is a hilarious Mix of AI's "Practice" press conference with a little Jim Mora, Denny Green, Joe Namath, Mike Gundy and T.O. in there. CLASSIC! Thanks to DJ Steve Porter. Press Hop







I miss that SOB. Let's bring him back. Read More

Dirty Wudders NBA Mock Draft

Here is Dirty Wudders picks for the 2009 NBA Draft. Obviously this is subject to change based on teams moving up, down or out of the draft completely, but for now this is what we have. Feel free to disagree in the comments section. On to the picks...


1. LA Clippers - PF Blake Griffin, 6-10 Sophomore, Oklahoma: The Clippers committed to Griffin almost immediately after winning the lottery on May 19th. This was a no-brainer. Griffin has all the tools to have a successful pro career and should make a positive contribution right away.
2. Memphis Grizzlies – C Hasheem Thabeet, 7-3 Junior, Connecticut: The Grizzlies will try to trade this pick, possibly in a package with Minnesota. If they stay put look for them to address their biggest weakness of rebounding and shot blocking.
3. OK City Thunder – PG Ricky Rubio, 6-4, Spain: This is another pick that could possibly be traded to a number of teams looking to land a PG in either Rubio or possibly Tyreke Evans. If the Thunder decide to go with Rubio, however, he would compliment Russell Westbrook nicely in the backcourt. Rubio was known to play off the ball at times in Spain, meaning he and Westbrook could be on the floor at the same time.

4. Sacramento Kings – SG Tyreke Evans, 6-5, Freshman, Memphis: Look for the Kings to possibly swap picks with the Thunder if the Thunder pick Rubio. The Kings need a PG to complement Kevin Martin and Evans could be molded into a dominant one.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves – SG James Harden, 6-5 Sophomore, Arizona St.: Harden is an explosive talent who can probably step right in and contribute to an NBA team.
6. Minnesota Timberwolves – PG Stephen Curry, 6-1, Junior, Davidson: Curry is the best pure shooter in the draft and the Knicks will make a run at him. The T’wolves have 4 first round picks and will try to package to move up or down. They would love to draft Rubio or Thabeet. If they cannot move up, look for them to swap with the Knicks, who covet Curry.
7. Golden State Warriors – PG Jonny Flynn, 6-0, Sophomore, Syracuse: The Warriors need a PG and Flynn is the most NBA-ready talent available. There should be other PG options available to Golden State, but Flynn is the pick in this spot if Curry is off the board.
8. New York Knicks – PG Jrue Holiday, 6-4, Freshman, UCLA: If the Knicks cannot strike a deal to move up, it looks like club President Donnie Walsh will select Holiday. He was held back a little bit playing in UCLA’s system and could fit D’Antoni’s “7 seconds or less” offense. They would be wise to trade down a few slots and still grab him but the Knicks have not made a smart move in years.
9. Toronto Raptors – SG DeMar DeRozan, 6-6, Freshman, USC: Big and athletic, DeRozan is a nice pick at 9. There are questions about his readiness to take the next step, but it would be hard to pass up someone with his ability.
10. Milwaukee Bucks – PG Brandon Jennings, 6-1, Italy: Talented PG who skipped college to play overseas. Stock seems to be falling but Bucks could use a PG to develop if they lose Ramon Sessions, which seems likely.
11. New Jersey Nets – PF Jordan Hill, 6-10 Junior, Arizona: The Nets could use some toughness down low and Hill should provide just that. A bruiser with decent offensive skills, this pick would be a steal if he drops to 11 for New Jersey.
12. Charlotte Bobcats – SG Gerald Henderson, 6-8, Junior, Duke: Gerald Henderson could fit nicely into a 6th man role while eventually taking the job of Raja Bell. Strong, good passer, quick first step, will fit in on Jordan’s Bobcats.
13. Indiana Pacers – PF DeJuan Blair, 6-6 Sophomore, Pittsburgh: With the talent to contribute right away and the toughness to match, DeJuan Blair should give the Pacers a strong presence down low alongside Roy Hibbert.
14. Phoenix Suns – SF, James Johnson, 6-8, Wake Forest: A combo forward with a mid-range game, Johnson fits in to the Suns up-tempo style.
15. Detroit Pistons – C, B.J. Mullens, 7-0 Freshman, Ohio State: He may be a year or two away yet, but Mullens has lots of potential. He’s built like a beast and if he polishes up parts of his game this could turn out to be a great pick down the road.
16. Chicago Bulls – Terrence Williams, 6-6, Senior, Louisville: Unselfish, defensive minded, up-tempo swingman could help fill the void if Gordon leaves. Needs to develop outside shot.
17. Philadelphia 76ers – PG Eric Maynor, 6-3 Senior, VCU: A true point guard the Sixers will need assuming Andre Miller is out the door. A four year player at VCU, Maynor should be able to step in and lead the offense right out of the gate. Not a sexy pick, but a reliable, experienced addition to the Sixers backcourt.
18. Minnesota Timberwolves – PG, Ty Lawson, 5-11, Junior, North Carolina: Proven winner will provide stability to the T’Wolves. Should complement Randy Foye, Al Jefferson and Kevin Lowe well while providing quickness and reliability.
19. Atlanta Hawks – SG, Wayne Ellington, 6-5 Junior, UNC: Solid shooter coming from a team that plays a pro-style offense. His ability to spot up and knock down long range shots makes him desirable, but one of the knocks on Ellington is his inability to create his own shots.
20. Utah Jazz – PF, Tyler Hansbrough, 6-10, Senior, North Carolina: The third straight UNC player chosen, Hansbrough just fits in with Utah and Jerry Sloan. Probably will never be an all-star but will out work other players and be a successful player in the league. Needs to continue to improve his mid-range and outside shooting.
21. New Orleans Hornets – PG, Jeff Teague, 6-5 Sophomore, Wake Forest: All signs point to the Hornets unloading this pick and dumping salary along with it. Teague has speed and scoring ability but probably needs some time to develop, so if the Hornets don’t dump him he would be served well learning from CP3.
22. Dallas Mavericks– SF, Earl Clark, 6-10, Junior, Louisville: Big athletic combo forward. Good value pick.
23. Sacramento Kings – SF, Omri Casspi, 6-9, Israel: High energy player. The Kings are in rebuilding mode so he’ll have time to develop.
24. Portland Trailblazers – SF Chase Budinger, 6-10, Junior, Arizona: Pure shooter will open up the floor for Brandon Roy and the big guys.
25. OK City Thunder – SF Sam Young, 6-7 Senior, Pittsburgh: Good defender and rebounder. Young is a hustler who can score in the paint.
26. Chicago Bulls – PF Austin Daye, 6-10, Gonzaga: Daye may be too skinny to step in and contribute right away but has the potential to be a very talented NBA player.
27. Memphis Grizzlies – PF Josh Heytvelt, 6-11 Senior, Gonzaga: Heytvelt will provide size and decent perimeter range for Memphis.
28. Minnesota Timberwolves – PF Victor Claver, 6-9, Spain: Claver could play overseas another year to develop. Should be NBA ready next year.
29. LA Lakers – SF Jonas Jerebko, 6-9, Italy: The Lakers can keep him off the books and help to avoid the luxury tax by letting him stay in Italy for another year.
30. Cleveland Cavaliers – SF DaJuan Summers, 6-8, Georgetown: Summers can contribute immediately off the bench for the Cavs and develop into an offensive threat.


Thoughts? Complaints?

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Hot Seat

Manny Acta is reportedly on the hot seat to lose his job for the Washington Nationals. He has been the manager for the Washington Nationals since 2007, and has compiled a record of 152-233. He was 6th in votes for manager of the year in 2007 when he led the Nats to a 73-89 record. Taking the manager position for a team like the Nationals is an uphill battle for anyone. A long time assistant for the Expos and a young energetic guy is why the Nationals brought him in to be the manager. I can only imagine how frustrating his time has been as the Nationals manager. Year in and year out the Nationals have been throwing scrubs out there to get beat up by the very tough NL East. My question is, how can this guy be on the hot seat?

Manny Acta has done everything that he possibly can do to try and win ball games. The organization should maybe start to look on the inside if they are going to fire anyone. How about the player development team, or the scouts that draft these bums every year? There is no way that this is Manny Acta's fault. He has nothing but young pitching to deal with, and for some reason they keep trading for outfielders. How many outfielders can you possibly have on a National League team? The reason for the Nationals being on track to lose the most games in MLB history is not because of Manny Acta. This team has been so bad for so many years, and you would think that that they would have some really good prospects on the rise like the Rays did. Where are they? Is Manny Acta to blame, or is it the front office?
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The Morning After

What you missed last night while listening to Chris Wheeler say 'Rock Around the Cock' in the top of the 9th...genius.

Phils 10 Rays 1: Man does it feel good for the Phils to be on the road again. They came out swinging last night, putting up a 6 spot in the top of the 1st while cruising to a 10-1 victory in Tampa Bay. Chase Utley (16) and John Mayberry (3) both homered in the game, combining for 7 RBI's overall. Jamie Moyer pitched 6 strong innings, giving up 1 ER and 5 hits, as the Fightins improved their road record to a baseball-best 24-9. How about they never come home? I think I'd be ok with that.

Cardinals 3 Mets 0: Joel Pineiro pitched a complete game shutout last night, holding the Mets to only 2 hits for the game and inducing an incredible 22 groudouts from New York. Pineiro also contributed at the plate, doubling, singling and scoring a run. Albert Pujols had 2 RBI's in the winning effort. The win is Pineiro's first in five outings, bringing his record to 6-8 on the year.

Texas 5 LSU 1: Freshman Taylor Jungmann held LSU to five hits in his first complete game, leading Texas to a 5-1 victory in Game 2 of the CWS. Russell Moldenhauer hit his fourth HR of the CWS, becoming only the 10th player in history to record such a feat. Game 3 will be held on Wednesday night for the National Championship, winner take all.

NBA Trades: The Wizards and Timberwolves have agreed in principle to a deal that would send Randy Foye and Mike Miller to Washington in exchange for the No.5 pick in Thursday's NBA Draft. If the deal goes through Minnesota would have the Nos. 5 and 6 picks in the lottery. The trade would upgrade the Wizards backcourt significantly with Gilbert Arenas now playing alongside Miller, and Foye most likely coming off the bench. It will be interesting to see if the T'wolves decide to keep both picks, or if they will try to move up even higher in the draft. Read More

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The Morning After


LSU 7 Texas 6: LSU tied the game in the 9th and won the game in the 11th to take a 1-0 lead in the CWS final. LSU has now won 14 straight games and can win their 6th national title with a win on Tuesday night.

Braves 2 Cub 0: Javier Vazquez pitched 6.2 shutout innings and 4 Atlanta pitchers combined to shutout the Cubbies despite allowing 10 hits and 3 walks. Atlanta is 4 games behind the Phils in the East. Chicago falls to 2.5 games back in the Central.

MLB News: MLB Players Union head Donald Fehr retired after 25 years. As head of possibly the wealthiest Union in American History, Donald Fehr will be remembered for Steroids, record contracts and the canceled '94 World Series. I feel like there is more to this story since this is happening 1 week after Sammy Sosa joined Alex Rodriguez as names leaked from a 2003 positive steroid test that the Union could have destroyed. Dirty Wudders will not miss Donald Fehr and is pushing for Bud Selig to join him.
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Time to Panic?


The Phillies just completed their worst homestand since going 1-9 in August 2004, tied for the second worst since 1950. The defending champs are not getting good enough pitching. When they do pitch well, the bats stay in the dugout. The lineup is painfully inconsistent making mediocre pitchers look like all-stars. Jimmy Rollins contines to look like he should be hidden in the 8 hole instead of leading off. Everybody who was yelling for Madson to replace Lidge cannot wait for Lidge to come back and replace Madson. They still have yet to win a game since Ibanez went down. Raul, Myers, Lidge, Eyre and now Condrey are all on the DL. Take away the gNats at they have a below .500 record!

It is time to panic, right? The sports talk 950 and 610 guys are panicking, so we should panic, right? Nah, I am actually not worried at all. It is a slump. Slumps happen over the course of a 162 game season. They won't continue to lose at home, just as they probably won't continue to have the best road record. It will even out. They will have to add players (pitchers) to make a run in the playoffs but I think the current group gets them there. 6 straight losses to Toronto and Baltimore are unacceptable but this team seems to do that, in some form, every June. Last year, after Boston and the Angels slammed the Phillies, we were talking about how the Phillies were clearly inferior to the AL powers. How did that work out?

Nobody else in the NL East seems to have any interest in winning the division. The Mets are running out of bodies and fading before they usually do. I thought the Braves might make a run after aquiring McLouth from Pittsburgh but they are losing more than they are winning. Florida is sitting around .500 and are a team that you would rather not let hang around but does anybody believe they are serious contenders? C'mon the Mets usually peak in June. The Phils peak in September.

I can't believe Jimmy will be this bad all year. Maybe us "front running fans" should get on him before his next pop up instead of after it. Ryan Howard continues to be his -all or nothing- self but isn't he actually ahead of where he usually is, this time of year? Maybe Raul's, couple weeks off, will revive him for a big second half to match his first. The lineup will come around. The pitching is another story. Hamels is the ace, confident every time he's on the rubber. After that? Blanton is adequate, maybe a little bit better than adequate. Moyer is shaky at best. Happ and Bastardo have pitched fairly well so far but how long can they do it? A shaky rotation almost always means a worn out bullpen, which is what the Phillies have right now. Hey Chalie - why have three catchers on the roster when the 'pen is falling apart?

This is where Amaro comes in, hopefully with the guidence of Gillick, he can acquire a #2 starter and a righthanded bullpen arm. Right now there are not many names out there. Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt is where I would look, after the Jays turned me down for Halliday. Maybe another outfield bat like Spilborghs too. Amaro has about a month to tweak the club to ensure a better chance at a run but I'm not worried. I fully expect to be enjoying some Oktoberfest beers watching the Phils in the playoffs.

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Monday, June 22, 2009

Glover Wins The U.S. Open...Phil Chokes

Lucas Glover won the U.S. Open today at Bethpage Black with a 3-over 73 in the final round. Glover finished the tournament -4, two strokes ahead of fan favorites Phil Mickelson, David Duval and Rickey Barnes. He made his only birdie of the day on the 16th hole and never looked back, earning a cool $1.35 million in the process. This is only his second PGA Tour victory, but his third top 10 finish of 2009.

Phil just didn't have enough at the end of the day, finishing even par for the final round and -2 for the tournament. He eagled 13 to put himself in a tie for first, but bogeys at 15 (missed a 3-foot par putt) and 17 (missed an eight-footer) sealed his fate. This makes five second-place finishes for Lefty at The U.S. Open, a record I'm sure he's not too proud to hold. Poor Phil, always a bridesmaid...

Personally, I would have liked to see David Duval pull this one out. His decline from No.1 in the world to his current ranking of No.882 has made him a bit of a joke on tour, having not won a PGA event in 8 years. Hopefully his play this week gets him going again. Duval finished the day at +1.

Rickey Barnes held the lead for 54 holes before imploding during the final round. It probably had something to do with that hat he was wearing. He still played well enough, however, to hold on for a second place finish.

Tiger finished even par for the tournament, four strokes out of the lead in 6th place.
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College World Series Preview

The stage is set. LSU and Texas will battle it out in a Best of Three game series to determine who will be the 2009 National Champion of College Baseball. Both schools have a decorated history, and have two of the best programs in the nation. Texas being the number one team in the nation will have their hands full with a very good team in LSU who just so happens to be ranked 3rd in the nation. These two teams have taken very different paths to get here.

Texas comes into this series winning 2 of their games in the College World Series in their final at- bat. The last game against Arizona State being the most dramatic. Texas hit two home runs in the last inning, including a walk off solo shot to knock off the Sun Devils. The Longhorns style is more small ball and fundamentals though. This is what got them here. Coming into the CWS they have the 4th ranked defense in the nation. What will make this CWS so good is that these teams are exact opposites.

LSU on the other hand comes into the the championship undefeated in the whole tournament. The Tigers have breezed through every team that they have played so far. They have 13 game winning streak going, and they are hot at the right time. LSU will overpower you with all of their bats, hitting 9 home runs in 3 College World Series games so far. This year LSU is 36-3 against right handed pitching, that is really bad news for the Longhorns considering that they do not have one lefty in their rotation.
Prediction LSU defeats Texas 2-0
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The Morning After

Natalie Gulbis...

Orioles 2 Phils 1: Coles Hamels struck out 10 batters over 8 innings yesterday, walking none and giving up 9 hits. He held the Orioles to only 2 runs, but the Phils offense could not get anything going yesterday. They dropped their 6th straight game and were swept at home for the second time in as many tries. The Phils were 1-8 on their homestand, thank god they start a 9 game road trip in Tampa Bay tomorrow. They stink.

Cardinals 12 Royals 5: The Cardinals finished off a sweep of the Royals yesterday in Kansas City to earn Tony LaRussa his 2500th career victory as a manager. LaRussa becomes only the third manager in MLB history to win 2500 games, behind only Connie Mack (3,381) and John McGraw (2,763). Albert Pujols hit his 3rd grand slam of the season while leading the Cardinals to victory on Sunday. The slam was his MLB-leading 26th HR of the season and his 8th in 10 games. He is nasty. *cough* Steroids *cough*.

MLB Injuries: Daisuke Matsuzaka was placed on the 15-day DL Sunday with a mild shoulder strain, but rumor has it 15 days could turn into the rest of the season. In eight starts this season Dice-K is 1-5 with an 8.23 ERA and an opponents' batting average of .378. Last season, he was 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA and a major league-best .211 batting average by opponents. John Smoltz is scheduled to pitch in his spot on Thursday at Washington.

CC Sabathia was pulled in the 2nd inning of yesterday's Yankees-Marlins game after feeling tightness in his left bicep. He is listed as day-to-day and the Yanks are hoping their $161 million man is ok - pulling him was mainly a precautinary measure. Sabathia gave up one run and three hits in 1 1/3 innings. He entered 6-4 with a 3.67 ERA.

US Open: Ricky Barnes and Lucas Glover are tied at -7 one hole into the final round at Bethpage Black. Both players had their shaky moments, but Glover fired off an amazing 32 on the back nine Sunday to keep pace with Barnes. Some notable scores: Phil Mickelson and David Duval sit in 3rd place at -2, Tiger is at Even par. Play resumes today at 9am. Read More

Saturday, June 20, 2009

The Morning After - Weekend Edition













O's 7 Phillies 2: The Phillies home woes continue as Rich Hill pitched a rare good game holding the Phillies to 2 first inning runs over 6+. Antonio Bastardo pitched relatively well allowing 4 runs over 7 innings. Jayson Werth, the only Phillie who showed up for this homestand, had a 2 rbi double for the Phillies in the first inning giving them an early 2 run lead, beofre th Phillies decided to put their bats away for the night. For anyone looking for a bright spot, the Phillies got 7 innings from a starter and only used Bastardo and Jack Taschner so they should have a fairly rested bullpen for tonight's game. The NL East lead is down to 2 games. Happ looks to right the ship tonight against Brad Bergesen, another no-name who the Phillies will try to make look like Cy Young. No, I think Happ pitches a gem tonight and Hamels wins tomorrow. Go Phils

LSU 14 Arkansas 5: LSU cruises into the CWS Final riding a 13 game winning streak. Arkansas tried to keep it close using Closer Stephen Richards to start the game due to an exhausted rotation. He did, up until the third inning when LSU scored 3 runs off of him and relievers. There was no stopping LSU. Tigers starter Anthony Ranaudo pitched 6 scoreless innings, only throwing 77 pitches, which may make him available for game 2 of the finals on Tuesday.

Texas 4 Arizona State 3: Two outs from forcing a rematch to decide who makes the CWS Final Arizona State could not hold on. Texas' Cameron Rupp hit a game-tying solo homerun with one out in the ninth and two batter later Texas won on a walk off homer by Connor Rowe. The Instant Classic sets up a CWS final between Texas and LSU.
U.S. OPEN: Mike Weir (-6) has a 2 stroke lead after round 1.
U.S. Basketball: Villanova's Corey Fisher and Penn State's Taylor Battle are two of twelve collegiate players named to the U.S. Team for the World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia in July. Road Trip anyone?
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Friday, June 19, 2009

Babying Pitchers


David Price of the Tampa Rays may very well be the top prospect in all of Baseball. Last year the Rays did not want to "rush" him to the bigs so they didn't call him up until late in the season as a middle reliever. This year they did not want to "rush" him into a starting pitcher role so he began the season in AAA. I know, I know, there were arbitration reason why he wasn't called up before to stay but my question is, What were they waiting for? I saw an amazing stat on an SI.com article by Tom Verducci. David Price saw the 7th inning for the first time in his career this week as a starter. You say, yeah but he's so young...Here are his vs CC Sabathia's stats at the same age, 2 months before their 24 birthday


Sabathia 45 Wins - 650.1 innings - 29 110 pitch games

Price 1 Win - 40 innings - 0 110 pitch games

This isn't even comparing different generations. I understand that Sabathia was drafted out of high school and Price out of college but all that means is that Price should have more polish at this age. We are getting to the point where a 4 inning game will be a "Quality Start". At least the Phillies starters are getting pulled because well, they stink - Why do they baby these guys so much?
Teams are more worried about them hurting their arms then they are of them helping their team.
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Thursday, June 18, 2009

The Morning After












Blue Jays 8 Phillies 7: Rod 'friggin' Barajas hit a pinch hit home run leading off the ninth inning to give the B Jay's an 8-7 win and a three game sweep over the defending champs. Joe Blanton gave up 4 runs in 5+ innings as the Phillies continue to not get any consistant innings from their rotation. It is a developing problem. Rollins, Werth, Mayberry Jr and Dobbs all homered for the Phillies who lost their 5th out of their last 6 games. Scott Rolen, 6 hits in the series and Rob Barajas, 4 hits, 2 hrs continued the trend of Ex Phils hurting the Phillies this year. Wes Helms anyone? Ronnie Paulino? Their still bums

O's 5 Mets 4: K-Rod blew his second save in a week as the Mets lost to Baltimore 5-4. The Mets have lost 10 of 14. Rookie phenon Matt Wieters led off the inning with a hustling double and after a walk, a bad defensive play and another walk, Aubrey Huff hit a game winning single. The Phillies are blowing a golden opportunity to bury these frauds.

US Open: The first round of the US Open was suspended Thurday due to inclement weather. Friday's forcast calls for morning rain before dry conditions move in during the afternoon. Saturday looks like it could be more like Thursday. Maybe they can get one of those retractable roofs that they have in Arizona? Why would they have a retractable roof in Arizona? Nevermind...Namesake's boy Mediate will pull through once they get going. Heard it here first. Play resumes at 7:30 am

Sixers: Moved training camp from State College to St Joes this year. Camp opens on September 29th and runs thru Oct. 4th. Its because Penn State didn't want YOU Dalembert.

Arizona St 12 North Carloina 5: Hero Kole Calhoun hit a game tying Salami in the fifth and the go ahead double in the 7th to lead ASU over UNC in the College World Series. Calhoun ended with 6 RBI's in the game and has homered in each of the Sun Devils CWS games. The # 5 seed Sun Devils plays # 1 Texas on Friday night. ASU would have to win Friday's game and another Saturday also against Texas to advance to the best of 3 final. UNC is eliminated, finishing 48-18.

NHL: Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals beat out Evgeni Malkin, winning the Hart Trophy for the second straight year. Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins was voted as the NHL's top goalie. The Flyers Mike Richards was robbed by the Red Wings Pavel Datsyuk as the Selke Trophy winner, NHL's top Defensive Forward. Datsyuk edged Richards 945-942 into total votes, but Richards received more first-place ballots. Its rigged.

NFL: Donte' Stallworth has been suspended indefinitely by Roger Goodell and the NFL. Stallworth was sentenced Tuesday to 30 days in jail, a controversial ruling that drew a great deal of criticism.

The conduct reflected in your guilty plea resulted in the tragic loss of life and was inexcusable. While the criminal justice system has determined the legal consequences of this incident, it is my responsibility as NFL Commissioner to determine appropriate league discipline for your actions, which have caused irreparable harm to the victim and his family, your club, your fellow players and the NFL

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Top 5 Safeties

Each week from now until the start of the regular season, Hall of Famer Ray Didinger is giving his Top 5 players, position by position in Eagles history. If you were to tell me that Ray Didinger invented the game of football I would believe you. He also carries Ed Rendell on Post Game live. I will hold off on that rant for another time. Here is his list of top safeties.

#1 Brian Dawkins (1996-08):

Dawkins played in more games than anyone in Eagles history (183) and tied the club record for interceptions (34). He had 23 sacks and forced 41 fumbles, including the postseason.

#2 Bill Bradley (1969-76)

Bradley shares the Eagles’ record for career interceptions (34) with Dawkins and Eric Allen. He still holds the team record for interception return yards in a season (248 in 1971) and a career (536). He was selected to the Pro Bowl three times

#3 Don Burroughs (1960-64)

The Blade was one of the key contributors to the Eagles 1960 world championship. He led the team with nine interceptions (in a 12-game regular season) and 124 return yards. His last interception came in the closing minutes of a 20-6 win in St. Louis that clinched the Eastern Conference title

#4 Wes Hopkins (1983-93)

Hopkins ranks fifth on the Eagles all-time list, with 30 interceptions, but it’s not the picks that the fans remember, it’s the hits. At 6-foot-1 and 212 pounds, Hopkins was an intimidating force who had opponents hearing footsteps every time they came across the middle.

#5 Randy Logan (1973-83)

Logan had 23 interceptions to rank among the team’s all-time leaders, and as a 6-foot-1, 195-pound strong safety, he was a very good tackler.

A couple of these name are before DirtyWudders time so we may ask some old timers to help us out. DirtyWudders is also a little bit upset that Andre Waters was not included.

Here is a list during my lifetime:

20: B Dawkins - My favorite all-time Eagle. Nobody played the game with the passion he did. Future Hall of Famer.

20: Andre Waters - Inspiration for this website. Struck fear into RB's. Great feud with Emmitt.
48: Wes Hopkins - Another great hitter who picked off 5 balls or more 5 times.

36: Mike Zorditch - Penn Stater only missed 1 game in 4 seasons.

47: Greg Jackson - 7 picks in 2 years. Jacson also scored 2 TD'.s

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Lunch Time Rant

Lunch Time Rant from friend of DirtyWudders, RH

McNabb was speaking yesterday at a conference on motivation and leadership??? That has to be the irony of all ironies. Why didn't they just have Andy Reid speak about time-management? They could've alotted him 5 minutes and then watched in frustration as it took him 12 minutes to get through it.

I heard transcripts of Manuel's speech were available at the door. God bless him. Rauuuul to the DL. Starting to break down from the roids I guess...
Mel Hall gets 45 years for child molestation. Is nothing sacred? For some reason, I have no idea why now, I was a big Mel Hall fan in the 80's. It's not like he was even that good. Had a few decent years with Cleveland, then got overpaid by the Yanks (go figure) and was a bust. I think I was an quasi-Indians fan for some reason, I even liked Joe Carter. You know, before he ruined my adolescence and became the anti-Christ.

Reason #896 to dislike Kobe-- I saw footage of their parade yesterday (lame L.A. dog-and-pony show). So all of his teammates (the common folk) are wearing their white Championship t-shirts, and of course Kobe has to wear a black t-shirt to stand out. Insecure egomaniac.
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Say it Ain't So Rauuulllll

Via The700Level comes this piece of bad news:

So with everything going just swimmingly for the Phillies right now, the beat writers share more great news: Raul Ibanez, the team's best player so far this season, will hit the DL with a strained left groin. JohnMayberry will be called up to take his roster spot. David Murphy says Big John will bat 7th and play RF, with Jayson Werth sliding over to left. (Via Murphy and Zolecki's twitters).

This sucks. I have nothing else to say.

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Rumor: Phils Looking at Penny

Rumor has it that the Phils may be in the hunt for Brad Penny, via the Boston Globe:

You can make a case that Brad Penny might be the most-watched pitcher in baseball. Why? Because there are so many teams who would love to pry him from the Red Sox and get him into their rotation.
Last night was no exception, with scouts watching from behind home plate. Philadelphia and Texas appear most interested.

I know we blasted the idea of the Phils getting Penny a few weeks ago, but the guy has been on fire lately. With Peavy and Bedard both going down with injuries, he may be the Phils best bet at this point. They need to do something about their starting rotation and the options are starting to dwindle. I would consider making a move if the price were right.

Your thoughts?
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The Morning After

Mrs. Woods...

What you missed last night...and the U.S. Open...

Blue Jay 7 Phils 1: Rookie Scott Richmond struck out 11 batters in 8 innings last night as the Blue Jays cruised to a 7-1 victory over the the Phils. Jamie Moyer struggled all night, giving up 6 runs and 10 hits in 6 innings, including a 3 run 1st inning. The Phils bats didn't help the situation much either, the way they were swinging you would have thought Doc Halladay was pitching for Toronto last night. The Phillies are 2-10-1 in home series this season. Their only victories are against the lowly Washington Nationals. Pathetic.

Nationals 3 Yankees 2: Speaking of the lowly Nationals, John Lannan went 8.1 innings last night in New York to lead the Nats to victory over the Bronx Bombers. Adam Dunn homered and Nick Johnson hit a two-run triple for Washington, helping to improve their record to 7-24 on the road. Embattled Yanks starter Chien-Ming Wang actually pitched pretty good for a change, allowing 3 runs and 6 hits in a season high 5 innings.

U.S. Open: Tiger Woods begins his U.S. Open title defense this morning at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, NY. Bethpage is one of the toughest courses in America, and the rainy conditions will do nothing but make the course even tougher. Most fans will be rooting on Phil Mickelson, whose wife was diagnosed with breast cancer not too long ago. This will be Lefty's only Major appearance this year and he's hoping to suppress his emotions for the next four days and bring home a victory for his wife. Tiger was set to tee off at 8:06am and Phil at 1:36pm. I'll be rooting for Tiger to dominate.
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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Goodell to Gamblers: "Eff you, pay me".

Gamblers beware, Roger Goodell will not stand to have you attempt to revitalize the US economy! From the WSJ.com:

The NFL, which says it will earn $8 billion in revenue this year, is threatening to file a lawsuit against the state of Delaware, where the supreme court unanimously concluded last month that parlays -- bets on the outcome of two or more events -- are constitutional, opening the door, as early as this fall, for the state to host what would be the first legal sports books outside of Nevada.
The NFL seems to have a hypocritical stance on the issue, the article reports the following:

Critics also say the NFL's position is inconsistent. The league recently decided to allow teams to sell their logos to other state lotteries for games that do not involve the outcome of football games. The logo of the New England Patriots, who were the first to sign a deal, will appear on Massachusetts scratch-off lottery tickets this summer.
The article goes on to state that Delaware projects to make an estimated $55 million in tax revenue to help cover their fiscal shortfall in the coming year. The NFL, apparently, is not interested in helping out the First State's economy.

Let's be honest though, people are going to bet on football games regardless of whether it is legal or not, and the NFL would be naive to think this will have any effect on the number of people gambling on sports each weekend. One of the primary reasons the NFL is so popular in America is because of gambling, and I'm sure their is a correlation between NFL betting trends and high ratings. Fantasy football is an extension of gambling for God's sake, and CBS and FOX seem quite content to inundate their viewers with fantasy statistics throughout halftime. My guess is the only way we will see legal gambling outside of Nevada will be when we begin seeing NFL-licensed casinos springing up around the country.
What are your thoughts?
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The Morning After

What you missed while crying over not getting your Eagles tickets yesterday....

Blue Jays 8 Phils 3: The Phils had the lead in the Top of the 9th when Ryan Madsen gave up a bases loaded walk to tie the game at 3. Scott Rolen hit the go-ahead single in the 10th and the Jays tacked on four more runs for good measure, continuing the Phillies' woes at home this year. Cole Hamels lasted 6 innings, giving up 7 hits and 2 runs.

Rangers 6 Astros 1: The Astros' Ivan Rodriguez homered last night in a game in which he tied the major league record for games caught. The 14-time All-Star and 13-time Gold Glover caught his 2,226th game, tying Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk for the most ever. Rodriguez accomplished the feat against the team he started his career with at age 19, playing with the Rangers for 12 seasons. Pudge has dealt with steroid rumors over the last few years, bringing his Hall of Fame credentials into question. Would you vote him in? I would. By the way, the Rangers won 6-1.

More Steroid Talk: The New York Times is reporting that former Cubs OF Sammy Sosa tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003 during the MLB's survey testing of players. It was during this same testing period that Alex Rodriguez failed a test too. As much as I dislike the whole idea of players taking steroids, it's not right for MLB to test the players "anonymously", and then let their names be released years later. I will always remember Sosa for forgetting how to speak english in front of Congress during the steroid hearings, not so much for his 609 career HR's. That's pretty sad. Hall of Fame? What do you think?
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Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Phils-Jays Preview

The Phils welcome in the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday for the start of a 3 game set. The Phillies come in leading the NL East by 4 games and are looking to change their fortunes at home, where they are 13-16 but with 5 of those wins coming against the Washington Nationals, the AAA affiliate of the rest of baseball.

The Jay birds come in at 34-31, 5 games back in the AL East. The Phillies catch a break missing, arguably the best pitcher in the game, Roy "Doc" Halliday. Former Phil and a guy Dirty Wudders is still mad at, Scott Rolen, is leading the Blue Jays with a .320 AVG. If he thinks St. Louis was baseball heaven, I wonder how Toronto compares. Aaron Hill leads the team with 14 home runs. Former Phil Rod Barajas is also a Jay hitting .268 with 4 homers and former manager Nick Leyva is the 3rd base coach.

Let's take a look at the Matchups:

Tuesday: Ricky Romero, LHP (3-3, 3.71 ERA) vs Cole Hamels, LHP (4-2, 4.62 ERA)

Wednesday: TBA vs Jamie Moyer, LHP (4-5, 6.11)

Thursday: Casey Janssen, RHP (2-3, 6.23) vs Joe Blanton, RHP (4-3, 5.17)

Romero is coming off of a good game last Thursday in Texas allowing a run in 6+ while losing to former phill, Kevin Millwood. Hamels has been pretty bad in 2 of his last 3 starts but the one good one was one of the better performances in all of baseball this year; his shutout against the Dodgers. Outcome: 6-3 phils

Moyer has pitched very well over his last 5 starts after looking like he was finished through his first 7. He is 1-2 with a 3.77 ERA over the last 5 starts. Cito Gaston has not yet chosen a pitcher for this game, or maybe more accurately, he has not informed me who he will throw. Yes that is the same Cito Gaston who manged the Jays to the '93...I can't say it, look it up if you don't know. Outcome: 9-7 Phils

Casey Janssen has not pitched against the Phillies since he shut them out over 6 innings back in '06. Joe Blanton is 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA in his last 4 starts. Outcome 7-4 Phils

Let's go Phils
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Savery improves to 8-1 in AA

2007 1st round draft pick Joe Savery pitched 6 shutout innings in Monday mornings 5-2 win over the Harrisburg Senators. Savery improved to 8-1 on the season. Going into this season Savery had been a major dissapointment after saying that he wanted to contibute to the '08 Phillies and have a starting job by '09. Savery was 9-10 in Single A Clearwater last year and was only bumped up to Reading because he was a former 1st round pick. He seems to have put it together this year and is pitching the way the Phillies hoped when they drafted him 19th overall. He is another guy to keep an eye on.

A good article by Marcus Hayes in todays Philly Daily News.
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The Morning After

Allessandra...

Slow night in the sports world, but here's what you missed...

Brewers 14 Indians 12: Prince Fielder hit a grand slam in the 8th inning last night to rally the NL Central-leading Brewers over the Indians 14-12 in Cleveland. Fielder's bomb gave him 6 RBI's for the game, the HR was his 16th of the season. Ryan Braun also contributed with a HR and 5 RBI's of his own. The Brewers win last night was only their 2nd in 8 games.

Criminal News: Donte Stallworth is expected to plead guilty to DUI Manslaughter charges later this week in court - the plea comes with a short jail sentence. Stallworth is charged with striking and killing a pedestrian in Miami while under the influence of alcohol.

Denver Broncos: Pro Bowl WR Brandon Marshall has requested a trade out of Denver before the start of the 2009 season. He is looking for more money after back-to-back 100 catch seasons, but his inability to stay out of trouble and his health are significant factors that need to be taken into account. The Broncos also signed WR Brandon Lloyd on Monday. Josh McDaniels is off to a hell of a start in Denver. Sucks for Dawkins.
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Monday, June 15, 2009

3 Phils are Vote Leaders


Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez and Jimmy Rollins are all leading their positions in votes to start the All-Star game on July 14th in St.Louis. Utley is now the leading vote getter in the National League, surpassing Albert Pujols. Rollins is leading on name recognition alone and is battling Hanley Ramirez of the Marlins. Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz moved up to 4th in their respective positions, and Ryan Howard is in 2nd place at 1st base. Shane Victorino overtook Manny Ramirez as the fifth outfielder.

Feliz will likey fall behind David Wright and Ryan Zimmerman at 3rd base. It seems like the second, 1st base spot should go to either Ryan Howard or Adrian Gonzalez but Gonzalez may have the edge as the Padres lone representative.

One mans NL opinion: C. Mccann Atl (Chooch), 1B. A Pujols Stl (A Gonzalez), 2B. C Utley Phi (Hudson), SS. H Ramirez (Tejada), 3B. D Wright Nym (Zimmerman), OF. R Ibanez Phi(Upton), OF2. R Braun Mil (C Lee), OF3 C Beltran Nym (Victorino). SP. C Billingsley LaD
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The Morning After

For all the 24 fans out there...

What you missed this weekend....

Phils/Sox: The Phillies continue to struggle at home, dropping 2 of 3 this weekend to the Red Sox at Citizens Bank Park. They went down in extra innings on Friday night thanks to Kyle Kendrick, but it seemed to me they had it won when Greg Dobbs hit a moonshot that appeared to go over the foul pole. The ball was called foul, and maybe it was, but the umpires should have at least reviewed the play to confirm the call. The Phils continue Interleague Play this week with series' against Toronto and Baltimore, both at home.

Lakers: The Lakers defeated the Magic last night in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to take home their 15th Championship in team history. Phil Jackson won his 10th Championship as a head coach, making him the winningest coach in professional sports history. Kobe led the Lakes with 30pts in Game 5 to secure the 4th ring of his career.

Mets/Yankees: The Mets lost 2 of 3 in Yankee Stadium over the weekend, a wild series that included a dropped infield fly to lose Friday in the 9th and a 15-0 blowout on Sunday. The usually lights out Johan Santana gave up 9 runs on 9 hits in only 3 innings pitched on Sunday, the worst start of his career. During batting practice on Sunday, Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Bruney got into a shouting match in the outfield. The fight came one day after Bruney told the media that K-Rod's on the mound antics are a "tired act". I completely agree with Bruney on this one. The Mets are 4 games behind the Phillies in the NL East and the Yankees trail the Red Sox by 2 in the AL East. Read More

Friday, June 12, 2009

Weekend Outlook

What you'll be watching this weekend... maybe....

Game 7, Penguins @ Detroit: Nothing like a Game 7, especially in the NHL. I'm sure it will be exciting as hell, but will anyone be watching. I'll be rooting for Detroit.

Game 5, Orlando @ LA: Congratulations, Kobe. You finally won a championship without Shaq. Now can you please stop walking around with that scowl on you face, tough guy. You are not tough - you are not from the streets - you went to Lower Merion HS. Act normal, loser.

Mets @ Yankees: The Mets make their first trip to new Yankee Stadium this weekend. Adding to the Mets injury problems, John Maine was put on th 15-day DL, making 47 players on the DL for the Mets. The Yanks were just swept by the Red Sox to make it 8 straight losses vs. Boston. Subway Series!!!! Yawn.

Red Sox @ Phillies: Hell. Yes. I'll be there Sunday with Sec202, in Section202 coincidentally. If you're a Boston fan, do not come near our seats - unless you want to hear all about your mother. Read More

Phils-Sox Preview

Big weekend at Citizens Bank Park as the fackin’ Red Sox are in town to take on the Phils. The Phils and Sox have won the last two World Series’, and come into this series as two of the best teams in baseball again this year. The Fightins might have their hands full this weekend, as the pitching matchups seem to favor Boston.

The fanbase matchup goes to Philly. Is there another group of fans more obnoxious than Boston? Where do they get off? I’m sure they’ll be out in full force this weekend, so expect to hear a lot of “This pahk is wicked sweet! Who the fahk is this Ibawnez, he’s no Nomah ”, among other accented annoyances. Losers.

Probables:
Friday: Lester, LHP (5-5, 5.09) vs. Blanton, RHP (4-3, 5.46)

Saturday: Matsuzaka, RHP (1-4, 7.33) vs. Bastardo, LHP (2-0, 2.45)

Sunday: Beckett, RHP (7-2, 3.77) vs. Happ, LHP (4-0, 2.98)

I’ll be honest; I don’t know how much I like the Phils chances to win this series. Lester has been pitching well lately and Becket has been a beast all season. Dice-K has struggled mightily, but the pessimist in me keeps waiting for the bottom to drop out on Bastardo. Blanton is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his last three starts, so tonight’s game should be interesting when he squares off against Jon Lester. It’s hard to bet against Josh Beckett – he has a 13 2/3 inning scoreless streak going right now, is 5-0 with a 1.70 ERA in his last seven, and is 8-3 with a 3.67 ERA career vs. the Phils. To sum it up, I’m not hopeful for Sunday. Regardless of what the stats say, we know the Phils can hit with the best, and they can definitely win this series if the starting pitching maintains the level we’ve seen over the last couple weeks. My prediction: W, L, L.
I am silently booing myself for that prediction.

Go Phils!

**Just for you, NardDog...

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The Morning After

Good Morning, Megan...

Phils 6 Mets 3 (10): RAUUUUL. The Phillies did it to the Mets again. Raul Ibanez broke a 3-3 tie in the 10th inning by sending a Ken Takahashi pitch over the right center field wall for a 3-run home run. It was another come from behind victory for the Phils. Down 3-1 after 5 innings the Phillies chipped away scoring a single run in both the 6th and 7th innings to tie the game before the Ibanez (21st) bomb in the 10th. Jamie Moyer pitched a solid 6 innings, allowing 3 runs, 8 hits and 0 walks (3rd straight outing with 0 bbs) and the bullpen pitched 4 shutout innings with Ryan Madsen getting his second save in as many nights. The win gives the Phillies a 4 game lead over the Mets heading into a home series with the BoSox.

Lakers 99 Magic 91 (OT): In a back and forth, roller coaster ride game the Lakers won game 4 in OT. The Magic had a 12 point lead at half time only to see the Lakers storm back and take a 4 point lead after 3. Jameer Nelson helped bring the Magic back but he allowed Derek Fisher to hit a critical 3 to tie the game with 4 seconds to play to force overtime. Derek Fisher, doing his best Robert Horry, hit a go ahead 3 pointer in OT after a Kobe Bryant elbow knocked Jameer Nelson out of the play. The Lakers take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Sox 4 Yankees 3: The Red Sox scored 3 runs in the 8th to come from behind and sweep the New York Yankees on Thursday night. Somebody remind me to read the Friday New York newspapers. New York is 0-8 against Boston this year. Papi had 2 hits with a solo homer and Dirty Wudders enemy J.D. Drew added 2 hits. Brad Penny pitched 6 shutout innings for Boston out dueling CC Sabathia. The Sox take a 2 gm lead over the Yanks heading into Philadelphia. Jon Lester against Joe Blanton on Friday night. Read More