Roster Breakdown: Defensive Tackle

The next important position I want to discuss is the defensive tackle position. In the final two games last season against the Cowboys, one of the main reasons the Eagles defense got burned is because the defensive line was unable to get pressure on Tony Romo. And as much as I hate to admit this, Tony Romo is a great quarterback when you give him time in the pocket and he is able to sit back there and go through all of his reads; Romo had all the time in the world in both of those games. So for the Eagles, if they are able to utilize their big boys inside, then that can relieve some of the pressure on guys like Trent Cole who is usually doubled. The Eagles are not very deep at the defensive tackle position and only have 2 main guys that they are going to rely on heavily heading into this season.

Mike Patterson: Mike Patterson really came into his own in 2007 when he recorded 49 tackles and 4 sacks. After being drafted by the Eagles in 2005, Patterson has established himself as a force in the middle and has a great ability to stop the run. Patterson is young and has the potential to be a Pro Bowler. In the season coming up, I expect Patterson to record career highs in both tackles and sacks.

Brodrick Bunkley: After a dissapointing rookie season, Brodrick has blossomed into a starter and a force to be reckoned with inside. Next to Patterson, Bunkley creates problems inside for the opposing team's run game and has the ability to rush the quarterback.

I'm not going to lie to you, behing Bunkley and Patterson, the Eagles have nobody. If Bunkley or Patterson went down, your next best option would be Trevor Laws, and that is not good. Basically the Eagles are banking on both Bunkley and Patterson staying healthy because if either of them goes down, the Eagles are screwed, plain and simple. The Eagles can't bank everything off of these 2 staying healthy. They need to find someone who can be a good backup or it will spell trouble for this Eagles defense.

Is The Offense Back?

Forget for a moment that the Phillies only won 1 out of 3 against the Twins, and look at the bigger picture and the number of runs they scored in each game. On Friday night they scored 9, on Saturday 10, and on Sunday 1. With the exception of Sunday, the Phillies bats were very much alive in the series against the Twins, and gave a very promising sense of hope that the offensive drought might just be over. The series got off to a great start for the Phils who won Friday night's affair by a score of 9-5. Blanton picked up his second win of the season and the Phillies offense did most of their damage early putting up a 3 spot in the first and a 5 spot in the second. Ryan Howard had a triple, a double and 2 solo home runs to total 11 bases in the game and Chase Utley silenced all injury concerns by having a 2 hit 4 rbi game. And if 4 rbis wasn't enough, Utley proved that he was 100 percent healthy by making some dazzling plays on defense. Friday night proves that when Utley and Howard hit the ball, the team wins, no questions asked. On Saturday the Phils sent Cole Hamels to the mound who has been pitching very well lately. Cole pitched another solid game for the Phils going 7 and only giving up 3. You would think with a strong pitching performance coupled with 10 runs the Phils would be able to win right? Unfortunately for the Phils the bullpen, which has pitched so good, gave up 5 runs in the 9th and the Twins went on to win in extras. Even though the Phils lost, it was still good to see that the Phillies offense was coming around. On Sunday I honestly don't know what happened. The Phils wasted another good outing by Halladay who went 8 giving up only 3 and lost 4-1. Maybe the Phils thought they could take the day off offensively because Halladay was pitching? The 2 losses aside, the Phils played very good this past weekend. They should have won Saturday, but the bullpen gave the game away, it happens. Heading into the next series against Cleveland, the Phils welcome back Jimmy Rollins who has been nursing an injured calf for the past 2 months almost. Jimmy Rollins, when he is healthy, makes this offense go. He can provide the spark and the jump start that this offense needs to get going. As good as Shane Victorino played in his absence, I don't see Shane Vitorino as a natural lead off hitter. I see him more as a guy who you have more in the middle of your lineup who can drive in runs. The Phils need Jimmy to come in and be the lead off hitter that he is a capable of being.

Ryan Parent Traded, Could Carter Be Next?

Today it was anounced that the Flyers had dealt defenseman Ryan Parent to the Predators for the rights to defenseman Dan Hamhuis and a draft pick in 2011. I think this move is great for Flyers who needed to get rid of Parent. The Flyers will look to sign Hamhuis now. Looking at the bigger picture, I think that this is the first of many trades the Flyers will make during the off season. With limited draft picks and highly priced free agents, the Flyers need to do focus on acquiring players via trades. With so much emphasis being put on getting players from trades it raises the question, will the Flyers deal Jeff Carter? With just a year left on his contract, Carter could be traded for a goalie or another defenseman. Another reason why the Flyers may look to deal Carter is there is no room for him at the center position. The Flyers already have Richards and Giroux, and during the post season Brierre proved that he deserves to play center. I think that the question is not whether or not Carter will be traded, it is more a matter of where and when. The Flyers can really get a lot of value for Carter, and I won't be surprised if Carter is not in a Flyers uniform next fall.

Roster Breakdown: Defensive Ends

With the start of Eagles Training Camp scheduled for July 26th, football will be back and in full swing before you know it. July 26th, that gives me just about a month to break down this Eagles roster for you, position by position. In the weeks leading up to Training Camp, I want to go through every position and see who's good, who's not and who could surprise some people. First let's start on defense and the all important defensive end position and all of the players that the Eagles have at this position.

Trent Cole: He has proven over the last few years that he is a pro bowler and has the ability to wreak havoc on the quarterback. Trent Cole will be a starter again next season and he will also get some time off as the Eagles have guys who can come in if he needs a breather.

Darryl Tapp: Tapp is listed as second on the Eagles depth chart behind Trent Cole at Right Defensive End. Tapp was acquired in a trade during the off season that sent Chris Clemons and a draft pick to Seattle. In return the Eagles got a very good pass rusher who has great talent. In his years with Seattle he had some very decent years including 2007 when he had 7 sacks and 41 tackles. The important stat for me is that in all 4 of his years with Seattle, Tapp started in all 16 games which proves that he is durable and gives you a lot of depth.

Daniel Te'o-Nesheim: A third round pick out of Washington, he will come into camp and look to compete. He had a strong senior season in which he racked up 11 sacks and a strong combine. He has some real talent and will create competition which is always good for a football team.

Juqua Parker: Parker will return for his 6th season with the Eagles. He is listed as starter on the left end and rightfully so. In his 5 years with the Eagles he has proven that he is strong pass rusher and very durable. He has new draft pick Brandon Graham behind him and they will both be competing for the starting spot.

Brandon Graham: Graham was the Eagles number one draft choice in the past draft. In his past two seasons with Michigan, Graham recorded 10 sacks in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Graham is a very explosive pass rusher and will look to compete for the starting spot.

Victor Abiamiri: There is not too much to say about Abiamiri really. He has been plagued by injuries during his time with the Eagles and will look to have a strong training camp this year.

Overall the Eagles have a lot of depth at this all important position. When you can get pressure on the quarterback, it changes everything. It forces the offense to get the ball out more quickly and lightens the load for the rest of your defense. The Eagles have a lot of depth on the ends, and the key is subsituting guys in and making sure that you always have fresh legs in. I really like the defensive ends the Eagles have, and I think the depth that the Eagles have will really help them down the road.

Sixers Are Closer Than People Think

As I watched Kobe Bryant and the Lakers hoist the NBA Finals trophy on Thursday night, I couldn’t help but think that the Sixers aren’t that far away from winning a championship. I’m not saying that this team is going to win it next year or even the year after that, I realize this team is far from where they need to be. There are a lot of problems that need to be addressed but I feel that their poor record from last year does not tell the whole story. Its almost as if their record from last year is a false indication of what is to come. Look at it this way, a coach’s job is to utilize his players in the most effective way he possibly can, and always get the most out of his players. Last year, Eddie Jordan was brought in as head coach and he did not do the things a coach is supposed todo. He came in with a reputation of not getting it done in Washington even with super star Gilbert Arenas, and he was known for his complex Princeton style offense. In my mind Eddie Jordan did a terrible job last year mainly because he didn’t utilize the talent that he had, and he tried to force a stupid mid court offense down this team’s throat when their best threat is getting the ball out into the open floor and scoring in transition. Talent wise, there is no question that the Sixers have the talent and especially athleticism to win games in the NBA. Athletes like Andre Igudola, Thaddeus Young, Lou Williams all have tremendous athletic ability and when you use them the right way, they can go out there and win ball games for you. One thing that guys like Young, Igudola and Williams are not effective in is a mid court offense. Think back to when Mo Cheeks was coach. The Sixers won games when they pushed the ball and scored in transition. When the Sixers run, there are very few teams that will be able to play at that pace. The Sixers are one of the youngest most athletic teams in the NBA, and when they are out in the open floor they are very dangerous. Eddie Jordan tried to hard to instill his complex offense and the Sixers struggled greatly as a result. Another thing that Eddie Jordan did a very poor job with was utilizing the talent that he had. I realize that the Sixers do not have any big super stars, but at the same time, they do have many young skilled players who can be good when used correctly. Jordan did not use his guys in the right way. He put young fast players who want to score on the run and forced them to play a style of offense that they are not accustomed to playing. Basically the point of this article is not to rip apart Eddie Jordan. I still think that he is a good coach, he just wasn’t the right fit for this team. I think Eddie Jordan may be more successful if he were to go to a veteran team that is willing to learn his offense. The point of this article was to highlight that contrary to prior belief, the Sixers as a team are not that bad, they just got screwed over by the wrong coach. I really like what I’m hearing from Doug Collins so far in this off season, you can tell that he is already plotting and thinking of the best ways to use the guys that he has. And on Thursday night when the Sixers draft Evan Turner, Doug Collins will have his team and it is up to him to utilize them effectively.

Flyers Need To Have A Strong Offseason

Even though the Flyers made it all the way to the Stanley Cup and came so close to winning a championship, going into the offseason there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. The Flyers did not achieve their ultimate goal so obviously they need to make some adjustments. The biggest question is the who will be the starting goalie next season. From what I'm hearing, the Flyers are considering all of their options. Michael Leighton who showed he had No. 1 goalie is being considered for the starting spot. The Flyers are also considering acquiring a goalie in free agency or trying to draft one. The problem with both of these options is the free agent goalies are old and are going to be asking for way too much money. The draft is not that a great of a solution either as the Flyers do not have a first or second round pick and the picks they do have all come the tail end of the rounds. So for the Flyers they have to look to trade some players and try to acquire a goalie. They can package players together and either try to get a goalie or a top notch defenseman. I think that if the Flyers do decide to go with Michael Leighton they need to add help in front of him. Defense is key for the Flyers this offseason, and they need to make the right moves to get this franchise back to the Stanley Cup.

Bye Bye Slammin Sammy

In my opinion Samuel Dalembert was not a bad player for the Sixers, he just wasn't the right fit. In his years with the Sixers his numbers were good, but it was frustrating for everyone because Sammy had so much potential but he just never developed into the dominant player everyone had hoped for. So on Thursday when it was announced that the Sixers had traded center Samuel Dalambert to the Kings in exchange for Andres Noiconi and Spencer Hawes, I was extremely happy because I think that it is best for both sides. As athletic and explosive as Sammy could be at times, he never found his place here in Philadelphia. He would score 20 and rip down 15 boards one night, and then the next night get into foul trouble and be a non-factor. Im also happy with the players the Sixers are bringing in. Andres Nocioni is a guy who can come off the bench for you and really contribute with both scoring and on defense. I also like the 7-footer Spencer Hawes who is young and has a a lot of potential. Going by his numbers, he is definitely going to bring more of an offensive presence to this team. I really like what the Sixers are doing this off season, they are young and have a lot of potential. Im very excited to see how Doug Collins will put it all together.

Swagger

Placido Polanco just saved the Phillies season. Last night, as he laid out on the tarp and made an absolutely amazing catch to help pitcher Kyle Kendrick get out of a jam in the third, he saved this struggling ball club. When a player lays out like that, it can change everything. It can become a spring board for this team to rally around and use as momentum as they head into yet another inter-league series this weekend against the Minnesota Twins. Plays like that can get you out of slumps and and really change the whole dynamics of a season. Think of it this way, all throughout this past tough month, the media, the players, and the fans have all been talking about the offense and how they need their key guys to start hitting the ball. Hitting is extremely important but one thing nobody is suggesting this team do is play hard. Play hard like Chase Utley does night in and night out. Play hard like Aaron Rowand and run into walls if you have to. Good things happen when you play hard, and at this point in the season that is exactly what the Phillies need todo. Before this series started, I talked about the importance of this sereis and what it could mean for the Phils down the road. After dropping the first game behind a poor pitching performance from Roy Halladay, the Phillies rallied on Wednesday night behind Jamie Moyer to earn a 6-3 win. Shane Victorino led the offensive attack with a key bases clearing triple against Burnette. Howard and Werth followed later in the game with back to back homers. The man of the night for the Phillies however was Jamie Moyer who came back after he got absolutely slaughtered in Boston. For him to come back and pitch the way he did speaks volumes about his character, talent, and overall ability. Last night the Phils got a gem from Kyle Kendrick who pitched 7 innings only giving up 1. He had great defense behind him, and the offense supported him beautifully. Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard both had 2 RBI's on the night and everyone got a hit except for Chase Utley who continues to find his stroke. So what does this all mean for the Phils? Well first off it means that they just took 2 out of 3 from one of the best teams in baseball. The Yanks were red hot coming into this series and the Phils found a way to win. It also means that the Phils now have some confidence and a little pop in their step as they head into this weekend's series. If the Phillies can continue playing like this, they will find themselves back in first place in no time.

Cole Hamels Offers Ray Of Hope

Cole Hamels was the only bright spot in a terrible series this weekend against the Boston Red Sox. After getting blown out of the water in the first 2 games of the series, the Phils got an extremely strong pitching performance from Cole on Sunday who pitched 7 strong innings only giving up 1. Placido Polanco had a strong day at the plate with 2 hits and Raul Ibanez had a key 2 run shot in the 4th inning. Jayson Werth even got in on the action as he knocked in a run. The final was 5-3 in favor of the Phillies and they were able to salvage what looked like a definite sweep. Unfortunately for the Phils the schedule does not get any easier as they head to New York on Tuesday to take on the Yankees. The pitching matchup on Tuesday night will be a good one as the Phils send ace Roy Halladay to the mound and the Yanks counter with C.C. Sabathia. This upcoming series is vital for this Phillies team and their confidence. If they go into New York and get swept or only come away with 1 win, it is definitely going to hurt their confidence and they are going to struggle greatly through the rest of this extremely tough stretch in the schedule. If however the Phils can go in there and take care of business and play the way they are capable of playing, they can maybe get some swagger and start playing better overall. If the Phils can sweep or even take 2 out of 3, they can say hey we just beat one of the best teams in baseball so let's go; let's stop messing around and play the way we know we can play. More than anything I hope that this series against New York is a wake up call, because if they keep playing like this, they are going to fall further and further out of first place.

It's All About DeSean

As training camp quickly approaches, the X-factor and secret weapon for this team is undoubtedly DeSean Jackson. In his years with Donovan, Desean had 62 and 63 receptions in 2008 and 2009 respectivly. Last year was his best as he caught 9 TD passes, but I think DeSean's best days as an Eagle are yet to come. DeSean is young and explosive he has lightning quick speed, and when he has the ball in the open field and after catches he is extremely dangerous. While Jackson had very good numbers during his time with Donovan, I don't feel that he ever truly reached his true potential. In other words, I think the Eagles and Donovan were using DeSean in all the wrong ways. This year is going to be different. This year the Eagles are going to start getting the ball to Jackson way more and letting him make plays. Desean is going to run a lot of quick slant routes and Kolb is going to feed the ball to him in a hurry. The most dangerous aspect of DeSean Jackson is his ability to make plays after he catches the football. He's got the speed, the moves, and the jukes to make guys miss in the open field. When you have someone as dangerous and as explosive as Jackson it opens up many things for the rest of the offense. Defenses will be forced to double cover DeSean and this opens up things for not only other wide recievers but also the run game. The run game is something the Eagles have to focus on in this upcoming season. DeSean does so much for this team, and he is an extremely exciting player to watch week after week. With the talent and natural raw ability that DeSean has, the sky is the limit not only for him but also for the Eagles.

Flyers Looking Toward Future

After the Flyers painful defeat in the Stanley Cup, the best thing that they can do now is move on and focus on next season. The Flyers captivated this city and made everyone a believer in this team. They gave everyone magical memories and never, ever gave up. Even after such a thrilling playoff run the Flyers fell short of their ultimate goal, the Stanley Cup. While people may say that the Flyers should consider this season a success, I strongly disagree becasue a successful season means you won a championship. The Flyers have the talent to make another championship run next season. Guys like Brierre, Gagne, Richards, Carter, Giroux, and Pronger will all be back next season. They just need a few tweaks, a few additions here and there to put them over the top. At this point, the Flyers can't dwell too much on the past season. The front office has to focus on free agency and look for guys that can come in and help this team. The players need to first take a deep breath and take a long well deserved vacation. After resting and regrouping they need to hit the weight room and train extremely hard because they know that they have the team to win a Stanley Cup. Going into this off season, personell and players alike will be extremely motivated to work hard because they know how close they came to winning a championship. In the back of everyone's mind this offseason is what can I do to help my team not only get back to the Stanley Cup, but win it and give this city another championship.

Draft Prievew: Evan Turner

If you have been following the Sixers offseason moves, you have definitely heard the name Evan Turner. Evan Turner is a guard from Ohio State and is one of the most taleneted players in the country. Last year, Turner averaged 20.4 points per game and he won many awards including the AP player of the year. It can be argued that Turnere is the best player in the draft so adding him to this team could help the Sixers greatly. Although he is aruably the best player in the draft, Turner is projected to go number 2 overall. I am extremely happy that the Sixers are going to have a real shot at getting this guy. He seems like a smart humble individual who can really contribute to this Sixers team. While he is not a LeBron James or Kobe Bryant, I feel that Turner has the talent and skills to be an All Star in the NBA. His work ethic is also extremely impressive and that could rub off on some of the other guys on the team. Turner also has the mental capability to be a leader, something the Sixers have not had in a while. Turner is someone you can build your franchise around and provides a ray of hope for this struggling team. Evan Turner is the guy I want, hands down. I just pray and hope that come June 24th, the Sixers make the right decison.

Goalie Problems

Heading into this off season, the biggest question surrounding this Flyers team is who will be the goalie next year? While Michael Leighton at times in the playoffs looked like a hall of famer, he also looked at times like he didn't know what sport he was playing. There is no doubt in my mind that Leighton contributed greatly to the Flyers run to the Stanlye Cup. He had the best numbers out of any other goalie in the playoffs, and his home record and goals against average were remarkable to say the least. Still, Michael Leighton is not a number 1 goalie, at least not in the NHL. He is a very solid backup who just happened to be playing with an unbelievably hot Flyers team. And when it came down to the pressure situations, Leighton let the Flyers down big time. There were some goals in games 5 and 6 that could have and should have been stopped. The clinching goal that he gave up to Patrick Kane was a terrible way to end such a hard fought playoff run. I don't want to blame Leighton too much, but if the Flyers had a true number 1 goalie on their team in the Stanley Cup, I might be writing an article about how awesome the parade was. Instead, I am discussing what they need to do deffensively to get better for next season. While the other goal tending options in free agency look to be extremely expensive, there is a good chance that Leighton is your starting goalie next season. If the Flyers do decided to go this route, it is imperative that they sign highly talented defenseman to help Leighton out around the net. Early this offseason the primary focus for the Flyers is defense, because in the end defense wins Stanley Cups.

Draft Prievew: John Wall

With the number 2 overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft, the Sixers have many highly talented players to choose from. While it is very likely that Washington, who has the number 1 overall pick will select John Wall, point guard out of Kentucky, there is a chance that he could be in a Sixer uniform next fall. John Wall is one of the most explosive players in the country. Wall as a freshman, averaged 34.8 minutes per game and 16.8 points. He also averaged 4 rebounds per game and 6.5 assissts. Wall led Kentucky to a 35-3 season and is a pure scorer, and a pure scorer is something the Sixers desperately need. There has been alot of skepticism about drafting another point guard when you already have Jrue Holliday who you drafted last year. My answer to that is who cares. If you have the chance to draft this guy, do it. John Wall is an explosive scorer who can take over games. He is a future super star in my mind and can lead this Sixers team to victory. I realize that it is a long shot that the Sixers will get Wall, but if the Wizards decide to go in another direction and Wall falls into the Sixers lap, it would be huge and just the break that this franchise needs. There are other players that Sixers can draft and we will look at all of them in the next 2 weeks leading up to the draft.

Phillies Pitchers Getting No Help

Since May 17th, the Phillies are 8-14. Since that time they have struggled greatly to produce runs and have failed miserably to find ways to win games. As of last night, the Phillies are currently tied for second place and 2.5 games behind the first place Braves. Last nights 2-0 loss to the Florida Marlins was a microcosm of the entire Phillies losing stretch. Last night the Phillies got an extremely strong pitching performance from Roy Halladay. Halladay pitched 8 innings and gave up only 1 earned run, but suffered the loss because the offense took the night off. This is exactly what has happened during their losing streak, they have gotten strong pitching and their offense has been non- existent. The Phillies have gotten strong pitching performances from their starters including Roy Halladay, Jamie Moyer and Cole Hamels. They have also gotten strong bullpen help from guys like Jose Contreras, and Brad Lidge. Their pitching has been extremely solid during the past couple of weeks but the Phillies have been unable to put together a strong pitching performance and a strong offensive outing. Right now the Phillies have to find a way to support their starters and give them plenty of run support, because right now the pitchers are the only guys out their playing hard. After a quick home stand in which the Phillies went 3-3, they now face a tough inter league schedule in the upcoming weeks. This weekend the Phils will take on the Red Sox in Boston and then head to New York to take on the Yankees. The next couple of weeks are going to be crucial for the Phils who want to finish up strong before the All-Star break. In addition to taking on the Yankees and Red Sox in inter league play the Phillies will also have to play the Twins, Blue Jays and Indians. The next few weeks will be a real test for this struggling Phillies team, and we will all see what this team is truly made of. The Phillies need to dig deep and find the answers to their offensive struggles. This team is too talented and too experienced to be playing like this, and they need to find a way to win ball games once again.

So Close

On Wednesday night, the Flyers magical playoff run came to an abrupt halt. It was a truly unbelievable run that started way back when the Flyers won a shootout on the last day of the regular season against the Rangers. From there the number 7 seeded Flyers then beat the Devils and faced and in their next series an improbable 3 games to none deficit against the Bruins. The Flyers defied the odds and beat the Bruins in 7 games becoming just the 3rd team in NHL history to come back from 3-0. The Flyers took on a hot Montreal team and beat them quickly in 5 games. Already the Flyers had achieved a lot. The Flyers went from being a team who almost missed the playoffs to a team ready to win a Stanley Cup. The Flyers had to get through an extremely talented Chicago Blackhawks team in order to bring this city a championship. The Flyers lost the first 2 games of the series but battled back at home to even the series at 2 games a piece. The series shifted back to Chicago where the Blackhawks won a decisive game 5. Game 6 in Philadelphis was another back and forth close game but Chicago eventually won 4-3 in OT off a goal from Patrick Kane. Kane imediately started celebrating after he scored, but there was a sense of confusion as to whether the puck actually went in. When I finally saw the replay, reality quickly set in. The Flyers magical fairy-tale play off run was sadly over. As I watched the Chicago players hoist the coveted Stanley Cup, I couldn't help but think that we really should have won, that that was our trophy. And maybe if we could have stolen game 1 or gotten a few lucky bounces to go our way the Stanley Cup would be back in Philadelphia. Even though they lost the Flyers gave this city an amazing run and something that I know I will never forget.

New Quarterback, New Team

When the Eagles traded Donovan McNabb to the Redskins early this off season, Kevin Kolb quickly became the new face of the franchise. Kevin Kolb, as the starting quarterback of the Eagles, ushers in a new era of football to this city, the Kevin Kolb era. This new era is extremely exciting because having a quick and accurate quarterback like Kevin Kolb allows you todo a large variety of things on offense. As good as Donovan McNabb was for this team, over the years he turned away from his quick and explosive form to a pocket passer where he relied to heavily on the long ball. Donovan also had problems getting rid of the football. He would go through way too many reads and was unable to hit guys in stride, something a quarterback in this style of offense needs to be able to do. Kevin Kolb brings with him a quick release, and the ability to hit guys like DeSean Jackson in stride. You will see a lot more quick passes this season, and it will be interesting to see how Kolb handles his new role as leader of this team.

Franchise On The Rise

The Sixers finished the 2009-10 season with one of their worst seasons in franchise history. With coaching problems and lack of a desire to win, the Sixers failed to reach the playoffs and were left with many difficult decisons to make at the end of the season. The Sixers started their off season by first firing head coach Eddie Jordan. GM Ed Stefanski admitted that his decison of hiring Jordan was a mistake, and focused his early off season efforts to find a good coach. After many weeks of many candidates and long, tough interviews, the Sixers signed former Sixer player Doug Collins. Doug Collins brings a lot of coaching experience, and he is looking to build on the success that he had with the Sixers as a player. The Sixers also landed the number 2 spot in the upcoming NBA draft and garunteed them either John Wall or Evan Turner. A franchise that looked down and out just a few weeks ago, suddenly looks promising and draft night will be a huge night for the future of this Sixers franchise.

Battling Through The Tough Times

It has been almost a month since my last blog post and a lot has happened in that time. At the time of my last blog post, the Phils were flying high in first place with a comfortable 5 game lead. The weekend after that post they went to Milwaukee and swept the Brewers but when they came home, thats when the problems really began to start. Let's recap and go through series by series and see where the Phils began to struggle and what they can do to become a first place ball club once again.

The Phils returned home from their sweep against the Brewers for a nice homestand which included a 2 game series vs the Pirates, a 2 game series vs the Cubs and a 3 game affair against the Red Sox. The Phils started their homestand in a big way by beating the lowly Pirates by a score of 12-2. They then lost the next game 2-1 and had to settle for a split. Next the Cubs came into town and they split them also. I know that you may be thinking what is so bad about splits? The problem is that you are at home, the teams they split with stink, and when you think about it, apart from the 12-2 bashing they werent hitting the ball that good, and that is not a good sign especially when you are facing lower caliber teams. Next the Red Sox rolled into town and the Phillies started that series off with a win by getting a strong outing from Hamels. The Red Sox took the next 2 games and the series by winning on Saturday 5-0 and on Sunday 8-3 in Roy Halladay's worst outing of the year. Besides the win on Friday night, the Phillies did not play well at all. They got shutout on Saturday and got absolutely destroyed on Sunday. The week to come would not be much better.

After going 3-4 in their homestand, the Phillies traveled to New York to take on the Mets. I really don't want to elaborate too much on this series. In a nutshell, the Phillies got swept, and got shutout in every game. I think it's best to not talk about the series so let's move on to the next series where the Phillies took on the Marlins.

The Phillies finally scored a run on Friday night and ended a horrific streak of shutout innings. After the dismal series in New York, it seemed that the Phillies would never score another run or win another game ever again. Nevertheless, the Phils were able to win a tough game by a fianl of 3-2 and in doing so snapped a 5 game winning streak. On Saturday night Roy Halladay was perfect, literally. Roy Halladay pitched a perfect game, 27 up and 27 down. Luckily for Roy, the Phils were able to muster a run and secure a lead for him. I personally did not get to see the game, but I can assume that he was lights out seeing as nobody got a hit or walk or run off of him. Even though it was a night of celebration and happiness, real Phillies fans were still worried because the Phils were only able to produce one run, an unearned run at that. On Sunday the Phils lost 1-0 and left Florida to take on the Braves next.

The Phillies got swept in Atlanta. The only silver lining in the series was the fact that you could see that the offense was slowly but surely beginning to come out of the slump. The Phils offense scored only 7 runs in the series but sooner or later the Phils had to come back to life. The Phillies ended their disastrous road trip with a record of 2-7. They got swept by the Mets, took 2 out of 3 from the Fish, and got swept by the Braves. The only positive that could be taken was that even after playing their absolute worst baseball of the season, the Phils were only 2.5 games out of first place behind the Braves. The Phillies stumbled home to take on the Padres next.

On Friday night, the Phils got a solid outing from Roy Halladay and won by a final of 3-2. The win snapped a 4 game losing streak and offered a little hope to the fans that maybe the drought was over. Saturday was also another impressive win as Jamie Moyer pitched his second complete game of the season and helped the Phillies win 6-2. The Phillies finally got some offensive production from Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth. The Phils were not able to win the 4 game series and dropped the final 2 games of the series by finals of 6-5 and 3-1. The Phils took on the Marlins last night and won a high scoring affair by a final of 10-8 which brings us to the present date. Overall since May 18 (the date of my last post) the Phils went 6-13. That time span saw 2 losing streaks, a catastrophic offensive drought and a perfect game. At present date, the Phils are only 2 games out of first behind the Braves so even though they played like crap during that span, they still found a way to win ball games. Even when they were playing their worst baseball they were still able to battle through and pick up tough wins, and that is what the truly great teams do. Even when they can't hit the ball to save their life they battle, and keep battling and try to find ways to come out of the slump on the top. So hopefully the drought is over. Hopefully the Phillies worst baseball is behind them, and hopefully they can now focus on being an elite baseball team once again.