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 [...]

 From 1976 to 1980 they won 4 NL East titles, 1 National League Pennant and 1 World Series.

 From 2005 to present they have won 3 National League East titles, 2 National league Pennants and 1 World Series.

The first team included the group known as the Whiz Kids, with nearly every member of the team either in the hall of fame, or close to it, and known nationally as household names due to the exposure they recieved during their dominance.  The second team is still playing so does not have the advantage of securing a historical place in our minds and memories as of yet, but may equal or exceed the ability and statistics of the first group of Phillies superstars. 

This [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

I posted on 12/12/09  when Temple was about to face Villanova and called the Owls the surprise victors in the game.  They went ahead to win.  I expected them to be a strong team this year but have to admit I am impressed with their recent efforts as they have compiled a 6 game winning streak down the stretch.  They are currently ranked 16th nationally and may have a serious impact before they are through.

Everyone expected the Wildcats to be a final four team, but don’t forget our Owls.  We are truly blessed to have 4 or 5 of the best teams anywhere playing locally this year.   Temple has measured up to the task and actually are one victory up on Villanova [...]

Spring Training and pre season usually means high scoring games as managers test their pitching rotation and  hitters usually require less reps to get their timing down.

The Phillies tuned up against a hapless Florida State squad down in Clearwater with a 13-6 outing that meant little, but allowed the pitching staff to warm up their arms in preparation for a long grueling season.

They officially open spring training tomorrow in a rematch with the Yankees, and that game, although also meaningless, may very well show how much fight the Phillies will display as they defend their National League title.  It seems obvious that anything short of a return to the World Series will be considered a set back.

Last year, there was [...]

There is a lot up in the air this off season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Will they keep McNabb ?

Will they draft a linebacker in the first round for the first time since 1979 ?

Will McCoy be a satisfactory replacement for the departed Westbrook ?

Here is my take on the situation.  The Eagles have a very good returning nucleus to last years team that, in my opinion, underacheived by not getting deep into the playoffs.  

They need to keep McNabb.  I have been saying for years that the team, and the fans, do McNabb a disservice by even thinking of replacing him.  Last years pickup of Michael Vick could have been disasterous.  The first two career starts for Kolb could have [...]

There is no doubt that the Big East is the dominant force in college basketball at the moment.  The one question I had last week has also been conclusively answered.  I wondered if Villanova or Syracuse were the better team. 

The Orange have jumped to number one in the coaches poll by virtue of enormous wins, over Providence and Villanova, the latter game against a on campus record crowd of 34,616 at the Carrier Dome. 

In the meantime, Kansas and Kentucky lost key games on the road to help the Orange to vault ahead.   This marks the second time Syracuse has been ranked #1 in the coaches poll, with the first ranking coming on the last poll of 2003 when they won the [...]

A quick note regarding multi sport athlete and former Eagles running back Hershel Walker. 

He recently embarked on a new career, this time trying something decidedly new.  MMA fighting. 

He won his first bout, and now fans, when polled, think his next logical opponent would be retired baseball star, Jose Canseco.  Walker, 47, college football’s 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and a fifth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, floored his first opponent, Greg Nagy in each round, but was unable to force his first foe into submission.  The surprising match up on January 30th shows that Walker has not given up on his training or the world of athletics.

Herschel has generally accomplished great things at everything he tries to do, from playing multiple [...]

Well, recently The Answer was quoted as saying that his Sixers still held a chance of qualifying for the playoffs.

I have been trying to reserve judgement on everything about the Iverson trade this year, but Allen, as we all know, makes it hard to ignore him.  I do have to note that he has been far less of a disruptive force since his return, and until his recent comment about the team’s performance, he seemed to be focusing on keeping his mouth shut and just playing basketball.

But really, after some thought, I have to make an observation here.  The simple truth of the matter is, were Iverson the player he was in the late 90’s through 2006 with this team, [...]

After starting last year against the perennial rival Atlanta Braves, the Phillies will have a chance to start off strong an immediately separate from the rest of the National League East.  Their first 9 games come against 2 teams that went a combined 133-191 in 2009.  With the addition of staff ace Roy Halladay and 5 of their first 8 series coming against sub .500 teams from 2009, the Phillies may have a real shot at the best start in team history.   Halladay may have 3 starts against National League bottom feeders before he is put to his first true test.

It is funny though, from all the reports I have read, and out of all the quotes attributed to Halladay, [...]

With the college season hitting full stride in preparation for March Madness, I have one question I find myself still unable to answer.  Which team is better ?  Orange or Wildcats ?

Everyone is in agreement that the Big East is the marquee conference with five teams that could easily finish in the top 20 and ten that could show in the top 64. 

But the real question remains, who is the team to beat in the conference ?  The Orange hold the top spot entering tonights game against Georgetown after a surprising loss to Louisville at home.  But Villanova lurks a game and a half behind.  The AP and ESPN poll both have Villanova ranked higher than Syracuse. The Orange lost to [...]

Thank God, baseball is back ! 

Pitchers and Catchers reported a day early as the Phillies get geared up to try to make it 4 in a row.  The role that used to belong to the Atlanta Braves as the perennial team to beat seems to have been handed over to our Phitens.   The Braves and Marlins both made off season moves that indicate the team in their sights is in fact the Phillies.  The Mets also signed Jason Bay for 66 million for four years to improve their chances at being competative.  They may finish 15 games out instead of 24, but will never seriously challenge.

I believe this year the race is a two team one.  The Braves and the [...]

After a much needed  sports and writing sabbatical, I return to the scene to observe the streaking Flyers.  At Christmas time, I never would have believed this team stood a shot at leading the Atlantic, I was simply hoping they would qualify for the playoffs.  Imagine my happy surprise when I observed the latest power rankings propelling the Flyers from 21st to 12th in the standings !

There are a few reasons for this resurgance that puts the Flyers in third place in the Atlantic divison and 6th place in the conference at the two week break for the winter olympics.  If they resume play on March 2nd and pick up where they left off, they still stand an outside chance [...]

Three weeks ago many would have written the Flyers off.  Three months ago, many would have picked them to win the Atlantic.  The truth is, this season is not following any logical path, and just when you think the home team can’t do anything right, they have a streak like they have gone through in the past 10 games, going 7-2-1.  Discount the stinker against Ottawa, and they have looked as good as anyone in the conference.

At just past the halfway point of the season, the Flyers sit poised on the edge of the playoff bracket with 49 points in 46 games.   They are third in the Atlantic in wins, but also lead in losses and are currently last [...]