The Big East is so tightly contested, both Syracuse and Villanova suffered losses today.   Ranked 22nd nationally and seeded 8th, the Georgetown Hoyas stunned the Number 1 seed Syracuse Orange (28-4) 91-84 with an impressive second half surge led by 27 points from Chris Wright.  More important than the loss and the chance of it costing the Orange a number 1 seed in the tournament, was the loss of starting center  Arinze Onuaku. 

Conference player of the year Wes Johnson led Syracuse with 24 points and seven rebounds in his Big East tournament debut.  Johnson’s efforts were not enough as the Orange loss marked the 6th time a number 1 seed has lost in the opening game of the Big East tournament.  The loss marked [...]

It is pretty much a forgone conclusion that Eddie Jordan will not be welcomed back next season as the coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Hopefully, half the roster is shown the door with him.

The Sixers do not have the least talent in the NBA. Their roster includes a former All-star at power forward (Elton Brand); a talented, if overpaid guard (Andre Iguodala); a $12 million center (Samuel Dalembert); a young guard scoring 14.9 PPG (Lou Williams); and a young forward with big upside (Thaddeus Young).

Yet they play like the Washington Generals.

The Sixers aren’t just losing, they are failing to show up. In nine of the most recent 10 losses the team has suffered, the Sixers have been defeated by double digits.

Some [...]

I believe it is foolish to get wrapped up in Spring Training statistics, particularly when they come from players who have already secured roster spots.

When a player goes through an 0-for 10 stretch at the plate, it’s not something that gets me worked up, and likewise if a young player goes through a 7-for-10 stretch I don’t jump to the conclusion that the Phillies have the next great thing on their hands.

But once in awhile I see something in Spring Training that holds my attention. Today Cole Hamels did exactly that.

The notion that the Phillies chances of winning  a second World Series in three years hinges on Hamels being the pitcher of 2008 and not the sub-.500 one of 2009 [...]

The Eagles secondary now has a new member.

Philadelphiaeagles.com is reporting that the Eagles have signed cornerback Marlin Jackson to a two-year contract. Terms have not been released.

A report from profootballtalk.com says that it is believed the Eagles will convert Jackson to free safety — an area the Birds had all kinds of trouble with last season.

Jackson played both cornerback and safety in his five seasons with the Colts, but is coming off of a season where he played just five games due to a knee injury. He has missed 22 games over the last two seasons due to ACL injuries on both knees. That was likely the reason the Colts declined the option to tender him when they had the [...]

One of the bigger busts in the Andy Reid era is leaving town.

The Eagles traded Reggie Brown to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for an undisclosed 2011 draft pick.
Brown never quite found a home with the Eagles, bouncing between roles as high as their No. 1 receiver, to as low as their No. 5. Some weeks he wasn’t even activated.

The Eagles selected Brown with their 35th pick of the 2005 draft, a move that excited the teams fan base. The Birds had spent little attention to their receiving core in years previous and this was a move that looked to change that.

Outside of 2006, when Brown made 61 catches, Brown was never used as more than a last option. Last year [...]

Julius Peppers and Aaron Kampman are not coming to town to help the Philadelphia Eagles.

However the team is taking care of its own.

The Eagles announced a contract extension with wide receiver Jason Avant. Avant, who was a restricted free agent, signed a five-year deal, but terms have yet to be disclosed.

The move comes on the heals of the team’s decision to pick up the $1.5 million bonus for Michael Vick. The bonus is part of the $5.25 salary Vick is set to earn this season. The move does not guarantee that the Eagles will keep Vick and it could just be a way to buy time for a trade.

The other news out of Philadelphia came on Friday when the Eagles [...]

Now its time to look at the American League beginning with the home of the past three American League Champions(Red Sox, Rays, Yankees) and two of the last three World Champions (Red Sox and Yankees).   This quite possibly is the toughest division in Baseball.  Here is how I see 2010:

1. New York Yankees – The Yankees spent freely last season, bringing in Mark Teixera, C.C Sabathia and AJ Burnett and it resulted in their first World Championship since the 2000 season.  This offseason has been much different.  They made trades to get Curtis Granderson from the Tigers and Javier Vazquez from the Braves and in the process lost only Melky Cabrera from their roster.  It remains to be seen what [...]

“Harry the K: The Remarkable Life of Harry Kalas” is currently the number 4 in Biographies and Baseball books at Amazon.com.

From Amazon.com – To Philadelphia Phillies fans, he was the soundtrack of summer. To millions of football fans across America, he was the “Voice of the NFL.” And as open and giving as Harry Kalas was throughout his professional and personal life, there are countless layers of the man that have remained unknown . . . until now.

Author Randy Miller interviewed more than 160 people—including all of Harry’s surviving family, many of his close friends from childhood to present, numerous colleagues from baseball and the NFL, and even Harry’s longtime personal psychologist—to craft a loving and shockingly honest [...]

The Big East finishes with 8 teams with 20+ wins, and the finale is a shocker.   Unranked Louisville gets their 20th victory with a 10 point win over #1 Syracuse.  Kyle Kuric scored all of his career-high 22 points in the second half, and the Cardinals stunned No. 1 Syracuse 78-68 on Saturday before a record crowd of 20,135.

 It was the final game there before Louisville moves into a new downtown arena. 

The Cardinals won both their games against top ranked Syracuse whose only other loss this season came at the hands of Pittsburgh.  It goes to show you how deep on talent this conference is that a team ranked 6th in the conference can not only beat the conference leader, but do it [...]

Well, it didn’t take long. Eagles fans can cross Julius Peppers off their wish list as it is being reported that Peppers and the Bears have agreed on a contract.

The following is from ESPN’s John Clayton.

The Bears and Julius Peppers are in the process of finalizing a six-year deal to bring the top free agent in 2010 to Chicago, according to a source.

After agreeing on the numbers on the deal, both sides are having the language of the contract reviewed by the league and the NFLPA. If the language is approved, the source said, Peppers will be a Bear.

Peppers was looking for at least $12 million a year in the early part of the contract. The agreement could be worth [...]

There is talk of the Eagles being interested in Julius Peppers, which in my opinion would be a great move for the Eagles.  Having peppers in addition to Trent Cole would allow both men to dominate as defenses pick which linebacker to cover on the pass rush. 

There are also rumors that the Birds may be interested in Packers DE Aaron Kampman.  Personally, I think it may be too early to jump on a DE 5 months removed from anterior cruciate surgery but, Kampman was much more effective as a 4-3 defensive end than as an outside linebacker in a 3-4, so a move to the Eagles would make sense.

There are 4 other teams who reportedly have Kampman on their wish [...]