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 [...]

Sometimes it’s hard not to want to slap Bud Selig in the head.

This is one of those times.

SI.com’s Tom Verducci put together a piece today about a 14-person committee for on-field matters that was put together by the MLB commissioner four months ago. Well the committee has already come up with an idea — make that a ridiculous idea.

There is now talk of baseball doing away with its current division alignment in favor of ‘floating divisions’, as Verducci puts it.

Here is an excerpt:

As with most issues of competitive balance, floating realignment involves finding a work-around to the Boston-New York axis of power in the AL East. In the 15 seasons during which the wild-card system has been in use, 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 [...]

On rare occurrences this blog will be include items that grind my gears  not involved with the world of sports.

Today is one of those occurrences.

When I woke up today and stepped outside into the beautiful 58 degree weather, I thought to myself: Nothing can grind my gears on a day like today.

For most of the day I was right. Weather has a way of positively impacting ones life. I’m not sure why but the little things just don’t seem to get to me when I can open up a window instead of turning up the heat.

But then, inevitably, it happened.

As a reporter much of my day is based upon making phone calls and talking to people. For the most part, [...]

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 [...]

It’s time to bring the Blackberry into the woodshed.

Well, not the Blackberry per say, but the references to it by NFL insiders.

Like many football fans I was glued to the TV yesterday, the first day of free agency. I wanted to hear who was going where and for how much. I wanted to see how the landscape of the league would be changed and how different things would be this season without a collective bargaining agreement.

I loved much of what I saw – except the Blackberry’s.

Do we really need to see and hear references to ESPN’s Adam’s Schefter’s phone and how many times it goes off do to text messages? Do I care that The NFL Networks’ Michael Lombardi’s is [...]

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 [...]

The thought of Julius Peppers lining up opposite Trent Cole has had Eagles fans salivating since the team’s season ended in early January.

Apparently the same can be said for the Eagles’ front office.

Comcast SportsNet is reporting that the Eagles have made an offer to the offseason’s top prize. Jordan Raanan of CSNphilly.com wrote “According to Peppers’ agent Carl Carey, the Eagles have made an offer to Peppers and have “strong interest” in the five-time Pro Bowl defensive end.

Though no details were given on the amount of money or years, this confirms that the team’s interest in upgrading the pass rush is legit.

Reports are that peppers is in Chicago today for a meeting with Bears executives. The Bears are without [...]

Forget everything you think you know about Michael Leighton. The fact that he has been a journeyman backup means nothing. The fact that he has had a fantastic year, which has produced a great winning percentage and a sub-three goals against average this season is also meaningless.

Right now everything changes. When the Flyers decided not to bring in a veteran goaltender to replace the injured Ray Emery by yesterday’s trade deadline, everything concerning Leighton changed. He was no longer a Cinderella story that had a nice little run at the NHL level.

He was now the undisputed No. 1 goalie for a Flyers team that has Stanley Cup aspirations. Now the pressure is on and soon we will find out how [...]

LeBron James wants to give up his #23 jersey in homage of Michael Jordan. With that, I have no problems.

However, when talk turns to every team in the NBA retiring Jordan’s number, red flags are immediately raised.

Earlier this week James said “(Jordan) can’t get the logo [Hall of Famer Jerry West's silhouette adorns the NBA’s logo], and if he can’t, something has to be done. I feel like no NBA player should wear 23. I’m starting a petition, and I’ve got to get everyone in the NBA to sign it. Now, if I’m not going to wear No. 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it.”

What?

So your opinion is now the be all and end all of the [...]

Wiht the NHL trading dealine now oast us it’s time to tunr our focus to the FL free agent market, which opens up at 12:01 a.m. on Friday. There is not as much out there this season as the uncapped year has forced many would be unrestricted free agents to become restricted. That means if teams want to aqcuire any of these players they must be willing to fork over mega bucks as well as draft picks.

Not every deal will be so difficult though. Player with more than six years in the league have the right to become free agents, meaning there is still talent in the free agent market.

SI.com’s Don Banks recently chronicled the top 10 free agents and [...]

For two weeks it was like old times at ESPN. Hockey was once again considered a mainstream sport. We got coverage of the great sport – even when video feeds were not allowed. There was discussion, breakdown and passion in the reporting.

But then the Olympics ended and the hockey coverage went right back to crap. I mean why show viewers hockey highlights when they can show us a LeBron James breakaway dunk in 15 different angles?

At ESPN, two points has always been worth more than one goal. Welcome to my woodshed ESPN.

The disgraceful coverage began in 2005 when the network decided not to renew its television contract with the NHL for the following season. So instead of Gary Thorn and [...]

Welcome to “Grinding My Gears”

Every day there is something or someone in the sports world that gets under my skin. This is the place where I take those people to my woodshed. Let the beatings begin.

Today, I welcome John Coomer to the shed.

Who exactly is John Coomer?

Well he’s someone who is out of his mind. Coomer, attending a Kansas City Royals game on Sept. 8, was hit in the face by a hot dog shot into the crowd by the team’s mascot as part of a giveaway.

Now he’s suing. That’s right, a man is suing a baseball team for being hit in the face by a hot dog – thrown by a creature named Sluggerrr!

Coomer is seeking more than $25,000 [...]