Post Lockout Thoughts

Today the NHLPA ratified the new CBA and the lockout is now officially over.  At the press conference today, comissioner Gary Bettman apologized to the fans for the lockout:

"I'm sorry, I know an apology or explanation isn't enough, but I owe you an apology. I read the letters, I followed the tweets. I read the blogs. We have a lot of work to do. ... That effort begins today."

While there is a lot of speculation that the NHL will offer discounted tickets or discounted merchandise as an act of good will after the lockout, I think the NHL should take a different approach that wouldn't cost them a dime.  Each NHL team, at some point during the upcoming season, should have a carnival day.  Basically fans come to the stadium and get the chance to meet the players and coaches, take pictures, and get autographs free of charge.  I think this would be a great opportunity for the players, coaches, and owners to truly say they are sorry to the fans.

Personally, while I certainly wasn't happy with the lockout and the fact that owners and players were bickering over millions of dollars in the midst of an economic recession, I will still watch and go to games this year.

While the NHL certainly has my support, overall I think they are going to struggle to regain some of their fans.  The NHL will always have the support of the die hard hockey fans, but they will definitely struggle to regain the support of casual fans.

For the Flyers, I think a shortened fast paced season strongly favors them.  The Flyers are young, fast, and have a ton of energy.  Back to back games, and four games in a week really won't slow down this high powered offense.

The big question for the Flyers will be the defense.  With the new buy out clause included in the CBA, the Flyers could potentially look to buy out goalie Ilya Bryzgalov's contract if he doesn't perform this season.  Bryz is going to have to show that he deserves to be here long term.

Overall there is a lot of excitement as the Flyers get set to open the season, Saturday January 19th against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Jon Gruden, Next Eagles Coach

I don't understand the Eagles.  I never have, and I probably never will.

Last week the Eagles fired long time head coach Andy Reid, and shortly after began the search for a new coach.  They interviewed with Chip Kelly, talked with Bill O'Brien, and met with a few other assistant coaches.  That's all fine and well, but why haven't they at least contacted Super Bowl winner Jon Gruden?

Ron Jaworski was on 97.5 The Fanatic on Monday and he reported that he recently spoke with Gruden.  Jaws reported that Gruden would be interested in the Eagles head coaching job but also mentioned the disappointing fact that the Eagles haven't reached out to him.

Why on earth wouldn't the Eagles at least bring him in for an interview?  He used to coach here, he has a terrific coaching history, and above all he has a Super Bowl victory on his resume, something that Chip Kelly definitely doesn't have.

I'm fine with the Eagles taking their time in selecting their next head coach.  Considering the fact that Reid was here for 14 years, the Eagles should definitely not be rushed or pressured into making a rash decision that could hurt them down the line.

But so far I'm not at all enamored with who the Eagles have been interviewing.  In my opinion, to begin this interview process, the Eagles should have at least reached out and contacted guys like Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden because both have won Super Bowls and both coaches know what it takes to win in this league.

Tomorrow, the Eagles will interview with Lovie Smith.  Smith, led the Bears to the Super Bowl back in 2006 and overall he is a very good coach.  The only downside to Smith is that he is more of a defensive minded coach and it is widely believed that the Eagles want to sign an offensive minded coach.

Which leads me back to Jon Gruden.  Is there honestly a better offensive candidate out there?  Gruden is a great offensive mind who would completely revitalize this team.

There could be some political reasons that would make the Eagles hesitant to bring in Gruden.  Remember Howie Roseman is still GM and bringing in a guy like Gruden could significantly decrease Roseman's power and influence on this team.  Personally I feel that Jeffrey Lurie should cut ties with Roseman who has no football background.

Overall bringing in a guy like Jon Gruden would completely shake things up in the NFC East.  Brian Baldinger commented yesterday that other teams and coaches in the NFC East would be shaking in their boots with fear if the Eagles were to hire Gruden.  Overall I'm totally on board for the Eagles to hire Gruden.  He is a Super Bowl winner, he would revitalize this team and fan base, and his offensive mentality would be a great fit.  Unfortunately, politics in the Eagles front office could prevent the Eagles from even interviewing Jon Gruden.

Sixers Acquire Andrew Bynum

Since Allen Iverson's departure in 2006, the Sixers have been searching for that super star.  For years the Sixers have been desperately lacking that go to guy who can be depended on when the game is on the line.

Finally, it seems that the Sixers have their long awaited super star in center Adrew Bynum.
In a 4 team blockbuster deal centered on the movement of Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Sixers came away with the second best big man in the game in Andrew Bynum.  Here is a complete breakdown of the 4 team mega deal.

Lakers Get: Dwight Howard from Magic, Chris Duhon from Magic, Earl Clark from Magic

Nuggets Get: Andre Iguodala from Sixers

Sixers Get: Andrew Bynum from Lakers, Jason Richardson from Magic

Magic Get: Arron Afflalo from Nuggets, Al Harrington from Denver, Nik Vucevic from Sixers, 1st round pick Maurice Harkless from Sixers, Nuggets 2014 1st round draft pick, Sixers 2015 1st round draft pick, Lakers 2017 1st round draft pick

The deal seems rather complicated, but it's pretty simple when its broken all down.  The Sixers definitely gave up a lot in Andre Igudoala, Nik Vucevic, Mo Harkless, and a 1st round draft pick, but they added a 24 year old dominant center to the team who will hopefully be a force in the paint for the Sixers for years to come.  Bynum is entering into the final year of his contract and I feel like the Sixers will definitely look to sign him to a long term deal.

So what does Bynum bring to the Sixers?  First off he brings size.  Bynum is 7 foot, 285 pounds and an absolute force in the middle.  He is also ferocious on the boards as he averaged 11.8 boards per game last year.  Bynum also has a nice close to mid range jumper that helped him average 18.7 points per game last year for the Lakers.

While Bynum is arguably the second best big man in the game behind Dwight Howard, he does have issues off the court.  Bynum is at times immature, but I think he will be fine under the leadership of Doug Collins.

Overall this deal is huge for the Sixers.  The Sixers were lucky to get out of the first round last year, and the addition of Bynum now makes them a legitimate force in the East behind the Bulls, Heat, and Celtics.  Will they win a championship any time soon? Probably not, but they at least have a star to build their team around, and a blueprint for the future.    

Eagles Preseason Game 1 Preview

Finally, the season is almost here.  In just about a month, the Eagles will be back and looking to right the ship after a disappointing 2011 season.  Heading into Thursday night’s preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, there are many things to keep an eye out for.  Here are some of the main story lines and things to watch out for.

Michael Vick
I’m more interested to see how Vick assumes his role as leader of this team than I am in his actual performance.  It seems like this year Vick has really stepped into the role as the outright leader of this football team.  While I’m certainly interested to see how Vick bounces back after a mediocre 2011, I really want to see how he rallies the troops and gets this offense to respond in pressure situations.

Middle Of Defense
The Eagles spent a lot of effort both in the draft and free agency to improve the middle of their defense.  On Thursday night, keep an eye out for newcomers Fletcher Cox and Demeco Ryans, two new additions that are sure to improve this defense.  The Eagles traded up in the draft to select Cox who is a very powerful defensive lineman.  They also traded for Demeco Ryans who is an All-Pro middle linebacker.

Desean Jackson
Desean signed a big deal during the off season so I will be watching to see how he performs now that he is all locked up and set financially.  Desean really has no excuses now.  The spotlight will be on him to as he attempts to prove that he is an elite wide receiver.

Juan Castillo
Castillo has been given a second chance after a sub par 2011 season as Eagles defensive coordinator.  I will be watching to see how Castillo adjusts during the course of the game.
   
Andy Reid
It is likely that Andy Reid will be back for Thursday’s game against the Steelers.  After the passing of his son Garret Reid, my prayers are with Andy and his family during this extremely difficult time.  Tuesday was Garret's funeral and there was a quite a big turnout as many came to pay their respects.  So far it seems that there has been a lot of support from the Eagles and beyond as the Reids struggle through this extremely difficult time.

Overall there are a ton of things to watch for in Thursday night’s game against the Steelers.  The Eagles have added a lot of key pieces and hopefully it will all come together against the Steelers.

What To Expect From Phillies

For the first time in six years, during the final two months of the season, the Phillies will not be fighting for a playoff spot.  Although the Phils are coming off back to back series victories, they are simply too far back in both the wild card and division standings to make a move at the end of the year.

So while the Phillies may not be contending for the post season, there are still a lot of things and players to watch for that could affect the Phils next year.  Here are a few of them.

Dom Brown
Domonic Brown has looked pretty solid so far.  He is hitting .278, and defensively he looks strong.  I think that these last two months are basically an audition for Brown.  He has to show that he has the talent to be an everyday outfielder for this team.  If he doesn’t live up to expectations, the Phils may have to look to sign a veteran outfielder during the offseason.

John Mayberry
Although Mayberry has seen significant playing time this year, the final two months are going to be important for him as well.  Mayberry has picked it up offensively in the past month, but he has been inconsistent defensively.  If Mayberry proves that he can pick it up the remainder of the way, I think the Phillies would be content going into next year with Mayberry, Brown, Schierholtz, and Pierre as their outfield.  It’s a cheap, young outfield with a lot of potential.

Lee, Halladay, Hamels
By signing Cole Hamels to a 6 year extension, the Phillies have shown that they are still committed to pitching.  In the remainder of the year look for Hamels, Lee, and Halladay to hopefully return to their dominant selves.

Third Base
The Phillies need to figure out what they are going to do about the third base position for next year.  Placido Polanco’s contract is up after this year and the Phillies will most likely not pick up his option.  In my opinion, the Phillies should try out Freddy Galvis at third.  While Galvis may not be a huge threat offensively, he was great defensively at second base.  If Galvis can make the transition to third, the Phillies infield will be set for next year.

Overall there are a lot of things to watch in these final two months.  And while the Phillies may be pretty far back in the standings, if they keep winning series, they could put themselves in position for a wild card spot.

Quiet Off Season For Flyers

So far, this off season has been extremely disappointing for the Philadelphia Flyers.  They lost out on Ryan Suter, Zach Parise, and Shea Webber.  They also traded away backup goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and forward JVR.

It seems like Paul Holmgren and the Flyers front office are simply content with this young nucleus. Heading into next season, the Flyers will be relying on young guys like Sean Couterier, Brayden Schenn, and Matt Read to have strong sophomore campaigns.

I really like the young core of players that the Flyers have, but the Flyers didn't win the Stanley Cup last year, and it just seems like they haven't taken the necessary steps to get better.  I realize that they have definitely tried.  The offer sheet they put together for Shea Weber was impressive, and I thought it was a done deal.  But still I think the Flyers are lacking in the defensive department and they have a lot of work to do between now and the start of the season.

All though I'm overall not too happy with the Flyers off season, I am happy with some of the moves they made.

First off, signing Jake Voracek to a new contract was a great move.  Voracek is a great young player with a ton of speed and is a big part of the future of this team.  The Flyers agreed upon a 4 year 17 million dollar contract with the young forward.

I also liked the contract extension given to head coach Peter Laviolette.  The extension will keep Laviolette as head coach through the 2014-2015 season.  Lavy is an amazing coach and I'm glad he will be around to lead this young team into the future.

Overall I think the Flyers are still one or two moves away from being completely ready for the upcoming season.  Tim Panaccio of csnphilly.com seems to believe that Holmgren possibly has a few moves left up his sleeve:

"Given Holmgren was willing to trade with Nashville to secure Weber, there’s nothing to prevent him from contacting, say, San Jose and inquiring about either Dan Boyle, who would have to waive his no-trade or Douglas Murray, who will be the top unrestricted free agent defenseman next season.  Holmgren could also call Montreal about restricted free agent P.K. Subban. The Habs made a two-year offer to Subban this week, but he hasn't yet accepted it."

With a possible lockout looming, the Flyers certainly have time on their side as they gear up for the 2012-2013 season.

Phillies Trades Breakdown

The Phillies front office is coming off a very busy past few days.  Ruben and the boys were extremely busy as they dealt away Shane Victorino, Hunter Pence, and Joe Blanton.  Let's take a look at each trade to see how the Phillies made out.

Trade #1 
Phillies Trade: OF Shane Victorino
Phillies Get: P Josh Lindblom, minor league starting pitcher Ethan Martin, player to be named later or cash

Shane Victorino will forever be remembered for his grand slam against CC Sabathia in the 2008 NLDS.  He will also be remembered for his crucial 2 run homer against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS that set up Matt Stairs' memorable 2 run moon shot to put the Phillies up 7-5.

Off the field Victorino was an outstanding humanitarian.  He helped build an entire athletic facility in Nicetown, and he did a lot of other work with the Shane Victorino Foundation.  Shaner was great for the city of Philadelphia on and off the field.

But the Phillies knew they probably weren't going to resign Shane at the end of the year so they elected to trade him.  In return they got Josh Lindblom, a right-handed reliever who will bring some much needed help to this Phillies bullpen.  This year Lindblom has a 3.00 ERA over 48 innings.  The 25 year old Lindblom will hopefully help the back end of this bullpen and be a guy that the Phillies can rely on in addition to Jonathan Papelbon.

The Phils also received minor league pitcher Ethan Martin who is 8-6 with a 3.58 ERA this season with AA Chattanooga.  The 23 year old is a good prospect to keep an eye on in the next few years.  Martin will finish out the year with the AA Reading Phillies.

Trade #2
Phillies Trade: OF Hunter Pence
Phillies Get: OF Nate Schierholtz, minor league catcher Tommy Joseph, minor league relief pitcher Seth Rosin

Hunter Pence was so goofy.  The Phillies traded for him at the deadline last year, and the right fielder came in and hit .324 with 11 HR and 35 RBI.  Pence was beloved by the fans, and in a year in which the Phillies won 102 games, Pence's defensive blunders went somewhat under the radar.

But this season the Phillies struggled greatly and Pence's defensive woes came under a great deal of scrutiny. Pence still had a solid year at the plate which enabled the Phillies to get some good value for him at the deadline.

In return for Pence, the Phillies received major league outfielder Nate Schierholtz.  Schierholtz hit .251 with 5 HR and 16 RBI this year with the San Francisco Giants.  In 2 games with the Phillies, Schierholtz is 2-5 with a homer.  Schierholtz is 28 and I think has the ability to be an everyday outfielder for the Phillies.  Schierholtz is under the Phillies control through the 2014 season.

The Phillies also received catching prospect Tommy Joseph.  Joseph hit .260 with 8 HR and 38 RBI for the Giants AA affiliate.  In 2 games so far with the Reading Phillies, Joseph is 4-7 .  The Phillies are preparing for life after Chooch by acquiring this 20 year old catching prospect.

The Phils also received minor league relief pitcher Seth Rosin.  The 23 year old had a 4.31 ERA this year with the Giants A+ affiliate.  Rosin will finish out the year with the Phillies Single A Clearwater Threshers.

Trade #3
Phillies Trade: P Joe Blanton
Phillies Get: Cash and player to be named later

Blanton helped the Phillies win a World Series in 2008 and I will forever remember his home run against the Tampa Rays.  He was a solid fourth starter, and was a pretty dependable starter when he was healthy.

But the contract that the Phillies gave him after the 2009 season was simply ridiculous.  3 years 24 million dollars is simply too much for a number four starter.  This trade will help free up some money for the Phillies.

The Phillies didn't outright trade away Joe Blanton.  They placed him on waivers which is a little different.  If you are unfamiliar with the waiver system, Jim Salisbury of csnphilly.com sums it up perfectly:

"The waiver period begins after July 31. Teams can place players on waivers, with the highest priority going to the team with the worst record in that player's respective league.  In this case, Blanton made it through eight NL teams before being claimed by the Dodgers.  At that point, the Phillies had three options: pull Blanton back off of waivers and keep him, allow the claiming team to simply absorb him and his salary, or work out a trade with the claiming team. The Phils chose Option 3."

Overall the Phillies front office did what they needed to do.  They freed up money for next year and filled some very big holes on this team.  The farm system has been replenished after years of buying at the deadline, and the Phils also got some good major league players in Lindblom and Schierholtz.  The Phillies may not make the playoffs this year, but ultimately they took a step back in order to take a step forward.

Playoff Chances Swept Away

4 runs.  The Phillies scored just 4 runs this weekend.  In the biggest series of the season, the series that would determine whether or not they would be buyers or sellers at the deadline, the Phillies scored just 4 runs.  4 runs.

After today's embarrassing 6-2 defeat, the Phillies will now undoubtedly be sellers at the deadline.  The Phillies have approximately 48 hours between now and Tuesday night to trade Shane Victorino, Joe Blanton, Juan Piere, and possibly Hunter Pence.  Let's go through each player to see where he could be playing come August 1st.

Shane Victorino
The Pirates seemed to be the front runners for Victorino initially but have fallen off since.  While I think Pittsburgh would be a great fit for Shane, unfortunately I don't think the Pirates are willing to part with enough talent to land the All-Star center fielder.  The Pirates have a lot of young pitching talent but they simply aren't willing to trade any of their young arms.

I think Victorino could end up in San Francisco.  The Giants desperately need another bat, and Shaner could help spark their lineup.  The Giants have a top outfielder prospect Gary Brown who could be ready for the majors as early as next year.  The 23 year old Brown is hitting .293 with 7 hr and 37 rbi's this year with the Giants' AA affiliate.  

Where ever Victorino ends up, the Phillies are sure to get some good value in return.  Although Victorino is only hitting .261 on the year, since the All-Star break he is hitting .360 with 1 hr, and 3 rbi's.

Joe Blanton
Blanton is a free agent after this year and is another guy who will most likely be traded.  Blanton has pitched extremely well in his last few outings, and as a result his trade value has definitely gone up.  The Phillies probably won't get too much in return for Blanton, but they could get a few young arms to help replenish their bullpen.

Juan Pierre
Pierre was arguably the best pick up by the Phillies during the off season.  But with playoff chances extremely slim, the Phils have no use for Pierre on the field and could get value if they elect to trade him.  Pierre is hitting .305 this year and I think could end up in Pittsburgh.  The Pirates seem unwilling to trade away the talent required to land Victorino, so Pierre could be a good backup option for them.    

Hunter Pence
The Phillies certainly want to part ways with Pence who is slotted to make 11-13 million in arbitration in 2013.  Having said that, I don't think the Phillies are in any rush to move Pence.  They still have him under contract for next year, and I think they will probably wait until the off season to make a trade.

The basic sentiment right now is that the Phillies asking price for Pence is extremely high.  And teams that do try and trade for him have to take into account the fact that Pence will be slotted to make so much money next season.  Many teams, including the Giants, have backed out due to Pence's contract status.  The Los Angeles Dodgers could afford him, but again the Phillies would have to be wowed by an offer.

Overall the Phillies can't afford to stand pat at the deadline.  They need to bite the bullet this year and prepare for the future by being sellers come July 31st.

Time To Sell

Going into the weekend series against the Braves, the Phillies had an excellent opportunity to make up some ground. Unfortunately, during the first two games of the series, the Phillies managed to score just 2 total runs digging an even deeper hole for themselves in the standings.

 Now any chance at making the playoffs is extremely unlikely. The Phils are 15.5 games behind the Nationals, and they now trail the Braves by 11.5 games.

Although I really hate to admit it, I think it's now time for the Phillies to sell sell sell. Interest in Shane Victorino is heating up, as is interest in Juan Pierre. Joe Blanton's trade value also went up after his solid outing against the Braves last night.  And the Phillies also have to start thinking about the possibility of moving Hunter Pence to free up room on the 2013 payroll.

As much as I would love for Ruben to pull the trigger on some much needed trades, I feel like he is going to wait until the absolute last second to do so.  The Phillies still have 2 games between now and the trade deadline, and I feel as though if any deal does come through, it's going to come at the very last minute.

In my opinion, even if the Phillies do win their next two games, they don't deserve to keep the team in tact and go for a run.  In arguably the two most important games of the year, the Phillies' offense managed a total of just 2 runs.  They squandered a great outing from Joe Blanton last night, and overall I think the Phillies need to just bite the bullet this year and be sellers at the deadline.

Think about it from this perspective: for the past five years the Phillies have enjoyed a dazzling record of success.  They have won the N.L. East five consecutive years, and have been to the World Series twice, winning in 2008.  A down year of missing the playoffs isn't going to kill the Phillies or the immense amount of support from this fan base.  If the Phillies do end up selling at the deadline and missing the playoffs, the fans are still going to pack the stadium next year because the fans know that this front office is completely committed to winning.

Being completely committed to winning doesn't always mean that you go out at the trade deadline and acquire the number one player.  Sometimes it means trading away your own top talent to build a better future for your team.

I think Ruben Amaro has some serious thinking to do in these next few days.  After the 2009 season, Ruben proved that he has the ability to prepare for the future when he traded away top talent Cliff Lee for minor league prospects.  Although Ruben has been a buyer at the deadline for the past few years, I think it's time to be a seller for at least one year regardless of the outcomes of the next two games.     

Eagles Fantasy Fix: Season Preview

The Eagles feature a ton of offensive weapons that can rack up huge amounts of fantasy points on any given Sunday.  Lesean McCoy, Mike Vick, and Desean Jackson are just some of the Eagles' fantasy weapons.  Here is a little run down of the Eagles' best fantasy players and my advice as to where you should draft them in your league.

Lesean McCoy
If you have a top pick in the first round, go for Lesean McCoy.  McCoy had 20 touchdowns last year and had over 1,600 all purpose yards.  Shady is a fantasy stud and a guy that you want on your team at all costs.  Unfortunately, if you are stuck with a mid to late first round draft pick, chances are McCoy will be long gone.  But again if he is on the board in the first round, I strongly advise taking him.  He is going to have another big year and he won't disappoint.

Mike Vick
I chose Vick 8th overall last year, and the decision ruined my season.  Vick was hurt for a few weeks, and even when he was playing he was extremely inconsistent.  I was hoping for the Vick of 2010 who could put up 30 plus points any week, but unfortunately he was just a typical QB.  While I do expect Vick to have a bounce back year, I would advise not taking him in the first or second rounds.  I have drafted two teams this year, and in the drafts Vick was selected 25th and 32nd overall.  If he's on the board in the 3rd round, I would say go for him.  I really do believe that he is going to have a better year, and he could be that player that sets your team apart from the rest.

Desean Jackson
My other awful decision last year was drafting Desean Jackson in the third round, 28th overall.  Desean was incredibly inconsistent last year, and I would stay away from him until the 6th or 7th round.  While Desean certainly has the ability to have a big game, he also has the ability to catch just two passes for 20 yards.  With Desean it's either going to be all or nothing.

Jeremy Maclin
Maclin is a somewhat interesting pick.  Maclin is more consistent than Desean, but the most points you are going to get out of Maclin is around 10.  He is consistent but don't expect too much out of Maclin.

Brent Celek
I would advise not drafting Celek as your starting TE.  Celek had two surgeries during the off season, and the Eagles are preparing by working out other TE's around the league.

If you are a huge Eagles fan like me, don't fall into the trap of drafting all Eagles.  If you do draft all Eagles and the Eagles lose, chances are your fantasy team will lose as well making you extra upset.  But you can't go wrong in drafting McCoy and if Vick is available at the right time go for him as well.