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Published Sept. 15, 2009

The Philadelphia Eagles announced on Monday that they have signed free agent quarterback Jeff Garcia, who had previously played for the Eagles in 2006.

To further shore up their quarterback depth, the Eagles also announced the signings of Doug Pederson, Koy Detmer and Bobby Hoying.

Eagles coach Andy Reid released a statement to the media, singing the praises of each of the three new (old) additions.

"I've known Doug (Pederson) a long time and he's been doing a fine job with quality control for our team. He can really do wonders with a clipboard and I think we can count on him for the rest of the year".

At this point of reading the statement, it is only natural to pause while you picture Reid gruffly clearing his throat.

The statement continued, "We all saw what Koy could do for that one half in 2002 against San Francisco, and I think he's got some of that magic left. And his holding abilities are unmatched in the game today. You can always use a good holder".

The Eagles' signing of Bobby Hoying, currently working at his real estate agency in Ohio, seems the most curious of all. But Reid deftly stepped around any questions.

"Anybody who can win a shootout over Boomer Esiason like he did in 1997 is just fine by me. And now at least people who have bought a #7 Michael Vick jersey can tape over the name and put Hoying back on there for the home opener before Michael is eligible to play. Or they can just dig that old Hoying jersey out of the back of the closet if they want to".

The new additions are all expected to take snaps during the week before Reid and his coaches decide who to activate for Sunday's home opener versus New Orleans.

"The time's yours", Reid concluded.

But with all of these signings, it appears the Eagles have decided that now is also their time.

Published Sept. 9, 2009

These days, the fiercest rivalry in the city of Philadelphia doesn’t involve teams from New York or the city’s Big Five. Instead, it is an unspoken but painfully obvious competition between the Phillies and the Eagles, who are battling it out for the No. 1 spot in the hearts and minds of Philadelphia’s fans.

This was not even a valid debate until recently. The city had long bled Eagles green and the other teams were relegated to second banana and needed a deep playoff run to get anywhere near the attention the Eagles received on a year-round basis.

But the Phillies were finally successful in breaking the city’s 25-year championship drought last season, endearing themselves to a generation of fans and creating a crisis situation for the Eagles, no longer secure on their perch at the top of the city’s sports landscape.

Jeffrey Lurie, Joe Banner, and company had to be irritated to no end when the upstart Phillies broke through last year after their “gold standard” football franchise has been on the doorstep of a title for a decade but has yet to seal the deal. You can be sure they hated the idea of their stadium being used for the Phillies parade but were merely afraid of a horrible PR backlash if they didn’t allow it.

Both parties will deny any rivalry and will tell you that they want all teams in the city to succeed. But you shouldn’t believe that for a minute. Professional sports wouldn’t exist if they didn’t create big money for the parties involved. Not only do you vie for supremacy against teams in your own league, but you are also in direct competition with the other franchises in your market to carve out the biggest piece of the revenue pie as possible.

With the Phillies now selling out nearly every game, it stands to reason that at least some of their new cash influx has come at the expense of the Eagles. The teams are also perceived very differently in the media, with the Eagles seen as cold and calculating, doing anything they can to try and get as far under the salary cap as possible.

The decision to let Brian Dawkins leave via free agency this offseason did not help matters. And Joe Banner, regarded as some sort of Dick Cheney-like caricature, is derided for being out of touch with the fans. Many fans think the Eagles should be more like the Phillies, whose management team is considered wise in baseball matters and receptive to the fans. They also seem to keep the right players, bring in ones that fit well, and don’t break the bank in the process. This was not the consensus a few years ago, but winning has gone a long way toward creating the image.

Based on this, it should really come as no surprise that the Eagles are making personnel decisions in reaction to what the Phillies do. After the Phils traded for Cy Young winner Cliff Lee and he paid immediate dividends, the Eagles shifted the focus back onto themselves by signing Michael Vick.

Even though the Vick signing seemingly went completely against the image the Eagles have long tried to create, it ensured increased local and national attention and will make them look brilliant if it pans out. The Eagles realize their window of opportunity has become much smaller. They are employing desperate measures in an attempt to prove they are the city’s top sports franchise.

The Phillies and Eagles are both very successful and healthy, and they can continue to coexist in this fashion for a long time. But they can never be equal in the eyes of the fans. One will always be held in higher esteem than the other at a given time.

At this moment, the Phillies have to be considered the leaders in the clubhouse. But the Eagles are no doubt keenly aware that winning will cure any and all issues. It may very well take a Super Bowl parade down Broad Street to put them firmly back on top.

Published Sept. 1, 2009

Sept. 3  The Phillies lead the Giants 2-1 after three innings when the game goes to a rain delay. Jamie Moyer again comes in to relieve Pedro Martinez, pitching five solid innings. Brad Lidge holds onto the lead by the skin of his teeth as the Phillies prevail 5-4. Charlie Manuel decides to split all of Pedro's starts with Moyer for the rest of the season.

Sept. 6  Cole Hamels is rocked by the Astros, surrendering seven runs on nine hits in just 3.1 innings in a 10-2 Phillies loss. Afterward he complains to the media that he didn't get his full four days' rest since it was an afternoon game.

Sept. 8  In danger of dropping a series opener to the lowly Nationals, the Phillies rally in the ninth inning. The big blow is a home run by Matt Stairs, his first hit in nearly two months. The 10,000 Phillies fans watching in Washington hurl insults at the 500 Nationals fans as Brad Lidge barely hangs on for a 7-6 Phillies win.     

Sept. 11  Pitching on four days and five hours of rest, Cole Hamels dominates the Mets in a 5-0 Phillies win that stretches their division lead to a season-high 11 games over both the Marlins and Braves. Paul Bako hits for the cycle.

Sept. 13  Pedro Martinez starts the first game of a doubleheader versus the Mets but has to be relieved by Jamie Moyer after three innings when the game is delayed by hail. Moyer pitches brilliantly again as the Phillies win 7-3. In the second game, Moyer starts and pitches the first six innings, giving way to Pedro, who posts a three-inning save in the 11-4 victory.

Sept. 17  Hosting the Nationals, the Phillies get a scare in the first inning as Chase Utley is hit in the elbow and has to leave the game. Eric Bruntlett replaces him and makes a critical error when he trips over his beard while running to his left to field a ball. The Phillies lose 4-2 but still finish 16-2 against the Nationals in 2009.

Sept. 20  The Phillies leave 22 men on base in a 6-5 loss to the Braves and are swept out of Atlanta. The division lead is now six over Atlanta and seven over Florida.

Sept. 22  The division lead is trimmed even closer as the Phillies drop a pair of games in Florida. The Phillies fall behind early in both games and Jamie Moyer logs 13 total innings of mop-up duty in 8-2 and 12-5 losses.

Sept. 23  The Phillies are swept out of Florida after Brad Lidge blows a save and the Phillies lose 8-5 on a walk-off grand slam by former Phillie-for-a-week Ronny Paulino. The Marlins and Braves are both within four games.

Sept. 27  The Phillies finish off a four-game sweep of the Brewers in crunch time for the second straight year, effectively putting away the division. Ryan Howard hits two home runs in the 9-4 win, capping off a series where he hits six home runs, drives in 14 runs, and steals home twice. People around baseball still think he is overrated.

Sept. 28  The Phillies lose 7-5 to Houston after another blown save by Brad Lidge. Michael Bourn has four hits and steals three bases for the Astros, as a smug Ed Wade tells the media that he really took advantage of the Phillies in that trade last year.

Oct. 1  The Phillies clinch the National League East with an 11-10 win over the Astros. Wanting Lidge to be on the mound for the final out, Charlie Manuel puts him in the game even though the team leads 11-2 entering the ninth inning.  After six hits and three walks, Charlie summons Brett Myers for the final out. He then announces "Brad is still our guy, I just didn't think he had his best stuff today."     

Oct. 4  After being kicked around in the first two games of the series with the Marlins following the clinching of the division, the Phillies explode for a 19-0 win on the final day of the regular season.  The shutout is a combined effort by J.A. Happ, Jamie Moyer, Pedro Martinez, Chad Durbin, J.C. Romero, Antonio Bastardo, Tyler Walker, Scott Eyre, Andrew Carpenter, Kyle Kendrick, Rodrigo Lopez, Chan Ho Park, Miguel Cairo, and Steven Register. Ryan Howard reaches the 50 home run plateau and Raul Ibanez reaches the 80 RBI mark after being at 79 since Aug. 24.

Oct. 7  The Phillies begin their National League Division Series against the Colorado Rockies, winning 4-2 behind Cliff Lee. Lee throws 110 pitches through eight innings but Charlie decides to stick with him for the ninth after a dozen Phillies fans forcibly restrain Brad Lidge to keep him from warming in the bullpen.

Oct. 10  The Phillies complete a three-game sweep of Colorado with a thrilling 1-0 victory. Brad Lidge faces just three hitters to record the save. He needs an unassisted triple play to end the game again, but it's still just three hitters. 

Oct. 15  Jim Thome cranks a three-run home run off Ryan Madson in the bottom of the eighth to lead the Dodgers to a 5-3 win over the Phillies in game one of the NLCS. The Phillies threaten in the ninth, loading the bases with none out, but don't score. Jimmy Rollins pops to short left field on the first pitch of an at-bat to end it, the fourth time in the game he's done so.     

Oct. 16  Cole Hamels brings the Phillies even in the series as he cruises to a 7-2 win. Rafael Furcal commits three errors apiece in the second inning and the sixth inning.

Oct. 19  The Dodgers even the series at 2-2 behind Jim Thome, who goes 4-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI in the 8-6 win. Manny Ramirez, 0 for 13 so far in the series, mopes like a child at the end of the bench and won't eat his vegetables at the post-game meal.

Oct. 23  The Phillies close out a 4-2 series win with a 10-1 thumping at Dodger Stadium. Cole Hamels is superb yet again, although he complains about having six days of rest rather than four. Chase Utley is hit in the eye with a flying cork in the clubhouse after the game and is ruled out for the World Series.

Oct. 28  Eric Bruntlett, starting in place of Utley, drives in seven runs to set a World Series single-game record, leading the Phillies to a 9-4 win over the Angels in game one.

Oct. 31  The Phillies take a commanding 3-0 World Series lead with a 6-3 win. Bobby Abreu goes 0-for-4 and drops two fly balls, visibly shaken by the pressure and raucous Citizens Bank Park crowd. Abreu has seemed disinterested all postseason long since he is no longer accumulating fantasy baseball stats.

Nov. 1  Amidst a light drizzle, the Phillies lead 11-1 with two outs in the top of the ninth and an 0-2 count on the batter. As Brad Lidge delivers, Bud Selig sprints from his front row seat and hurls himself in front of the pitch, declaring the game suspended.  In the press conference, he says "We'll stay here till Pearl Harbor Day if we have to. But we're not going to resume until it's 78 and sunny with low humidity and at least a moderate UV index."

Nov. 6  On an unseasonably warm day that reaches 73 degrees, Bud Selig finally relents and lets the game resume. FOX goes on the air at 8:00 pm to start their pregame show. Brad Lidge throws the only pitch of the night at 10:23 pm, a fastball right down the middle that Bobby Abreu takes for the final strike of the World Series. Adam Eaton is seen amidst the post-game celebration for some reason.

Nov. 8  Three million people again jam the streets for a championship parade. After checking the Doppler and seeing a chance of light showers, Bud Selig attempts to stop the parade but is run over by one of the floats, his legs curling up and disappearing underneath the truck in Wizard of Oz fashion.

Published Apr. 14, 2009

It is a sad time in Philadelphia. As David Montgomery said, “We lost our voice.” But it’s only during times like these that we realize how truly lucky we have been over the past 39 years.

Watching the Phillies will never be the same. And I don’t think I’m being overly dramatic when I say my life in general will never be the same.

I am 24 years old. To me, Harry has always been there. He is the Phillies. And there are many other young Phillies fans who feel the same way. We have known nothing but Harry. We were spoiled.

In much the same way that we live vicariously through sports to begin with, broadcasters like Harry Kalas become our friends. We can depend on them game after game to be there for us, even when things are going wrong in our own lives.

It’s a one-way dialogue, but when you are as good as Harry was, you truly make the listeners feel like they are experiencing the game with you.    Especially when he was paired with Richie Ashburn, Harry had a way of making it seem like you were sitting down with a couple of buddies enjoying a Phils game. Maybe you never met the man in your life, but if you were a Phillies fan, he felt like a great friend.

I have one personal story about Harry. In the summer of 2001, I went with some friends to Dorney Park in Allentown, PA, on the day before the MLB All-Star Game. Much to our amazement, we spotted Harry Kalas sitting on a bench, waiting for his grandchildren to finish a roller coaster ride.

We swarmed Harry and told him we were huge fans of him and the Phillies. Harry was probably taken aback that these 16-year-old kids were such fans of him. I wonder if it ever dawned on him how much he meant to so many young people because he had been a constant in their lives.   I also told him that his Hall of Fame induction was long overdue. But instead of stating his case and showing any kind of disappointment or resentment about having been left out for far too long, he was humble about it.

He said that he never expected to be in the Hall of Fame but instead would see it as a great honor to be enshrined after he saw how long it took his partner Whitey to achieve that milestone. He clearly had no sense of entitlement about it and was grateful just to be mentioned as a candidate.   I told Harry that I thought he would be inducted the following year and that I would go to Cooperstown to see it. He was, I did...and so did an army of thousands upon thousands of Phillies fans.

We as fans have a special place in our hearts for broadcasters because they are a direct link between us and the organization we so fervently support. Harry was a fan himself and wanted the Phillies to win just as badly as we did. We lived and died along with him.

If you thought it was difficult to get through those 2008 World Series Championship DVDs without breaking down before, just wait until you watch them again and see Harry celebrating among the millions of fans he brought so much joy to for decades.   We were just as happy to see Harry in that parade as we were for any of the players, because players tend to come and go, but we can spend decades enjoying someone like Harry.

He ended his Cooperstown speech with a poem, the last line of which was, “Philadelphia fans, I love you.” Not as much as we loved you back, Harry. It will be difficult without you.

Outta here. But never to be forgotten.

Published Mar. 13, 2009

In addition to being a big Flyers fan and self-professed expert about the team and hockey in general, I have had the privilege of working numerous events over the past three seasons as a freelancer for 3601 Event Productions, formerly known (but still referred to) as ArenaVision.

So far in my time at ArenaVision, it has proved difficult to break into a control room or camera operator position even though I perform these tasks on a daily basis at my full-time job.  So I have largely remained a cable puller, the guy roaming the stands along with the cameraman in search of fans to put up on the big screen hanging over center ice.

Yes, I would greatly prefer to be in the broadcast booth or press row, but I am glad to have the experiences that I do at this point of my life and career.  Who knows what the future may hold?

My most recent assignment was Thursday’s Flyers-Capitals game.  I took notes during it in order to give everyone a glimpse of the experience from a different angle, the one that I see when I work behind the scenes.

4:41 – After taking the employee shuttle over from the NovaCare parking lot, I enter through a side door and walk through the bowels of the Wachovia Center.

4:45 – I take the elevator up to the balcony and cross paths with former Flyer player/current broadcaster Keith Jones, who steps in as I step out.  I walk about fifteen feet to the ArenaVision control room, sign in, and grab a game script.  I pass Flyers play-by-play man Jim Jackson as I go to the office to collect my most recent paycheck.

4:58 – I finally finish wrestling with the extremely tangled cable that I will be using that evening.  I stretch it out in the nice long hallway behind the press boxes.  As people walk by me, they all will inevitably make comments about how much of a mess the cable is as I try to tame it.  I take a camera and head downstairs.

5:25 – I finish “faxing out” the camera, which is basically taking it to all the locations where I’ll be during the game and making sure the connections work properly.  I head over to the lower press dining area and am the first ArenaVision employee there because the rest are all still in a meeting that cable pullers usually skip to get a head start on faxing out.

5:30 – I sit down to eat in the lower press room and the food actually looks palatable for once.  At any rate, I’m just glad I eat for free and don’t have to pay $10 like the press has to.

5:43 – I see 610 WIP personalities Glen Macnow and Brian Startare at dinner, the first time I’ve ever seen either at a game.

6:01 – As I’m about to leave dinner, longtime Flyers public address announcer Lou Nolan comes over and talks to some of my coworkers at my table.  I have a word with him, although I don’t tell him that I want his job.   As I walk over to the Zamboni tunnel for the warm-ups and national anthem, I pass by a group of Flyers kicking a soccer ball around.  Teams love doing this for some reason.  Among the players that I notice on the way by are Ryan Parent, Riley Cote, Arron Asham, Scott Hartnell, Darroll Powe, and Kimmo Timonen.   When I reach the Zamboni tunnel, I notice the ice crew’s digital thermometer.  In case you were wondering, it was 59 degrees in the building with 24% humidity.

6:29 – The Capitals and Flyers hit the ice and warm-ups begin.  Our camera and the others shoot the Flyers as they go through their drills.  And I have to say, I think we do things the wrong way.   We should at least have a camera or two covering the road team as they warm up.  When I come to games as a fan, I’m interested in the opponent as well.  But if I ever made that suggestion, it would fall on deaf ears I’m sure.

6:38 – As I stand in the Zamboni tunnel with Finn, my cameraman, a puck squeezes between the protective netting and the glass and falls in front of me.  Someone picks it up and gives it to a small boy wearing a Mike Richards shirt.  I wish someone gave me a puck or a foul ball or something when I was a kid.

6:55 – We roll a pre-recorded segment featuring Joe Staszak’s “keys to the game”.  Joe is a nice guy, but this segment really bothers me.  He in no way offers keys to winning that night’s game, instead just spouting off statistics and talking about recent developments regarding the Flyers.  Awful.

7:06 – Finn walks out onto the ice and I feed him cable.  Lauren Hart, daughter of the late great Gene Hart, delivers her usual solid rendition of the national anthem.  The game begins but Finn and I miss the first few minutes as we scurry over to section 115/116 for the first period.

7:37 – A fast period ends with the Flyers down 1-0.  Power plays were the difference, with the Flyers looking bad and going 0 for 3 while the Capitals scored on their only chance.  The intermission begins with the tired promotion of shooting t-shirts into the stands.  The Flyers’ ice girls ride around in a $30,000 dune buggy that the powers that be decided to purchase rather than giving raises to its employees.

7:55 – The second period begins.  I just spent most of intermission listening to Finn tell stories about the things he’s seen while working over at PhanaVision for the Phillies.  All kinds of things happening in the stands have been caught on tape over there.  I can’t mention most of them here.

8:03 – I assume that someone near me is wearing a Sidney Crosby jersey for some reason because the Flyers faithful start a “Crosby sucks” chant even though he’s hundreds of miles away.  Or maybe they just hate Sidney Crosby that much.  They reprise the chant several more times during the period.

8:15 – Mike Knuble scores on a beautiful passing play to tie the game.  Finn rushes around to catch shots of celebrating fans in the stands.

8:20 – The third television timeout of the period, all of which have been on our camera as we effectively have blocked off the runway between sections 209 and 209A all period.  A fan tries to leave the section during the break but is told he can’t.  He is clearly irritated and grumbles that he came to watch the game and not the stuff we are putting on the screen.  We really do get in the way sometimes.

8:26 – A horrible turnover by Darroll Powe onto the stick of Alexander Semin, who finds Ovechkin wide open in front.  I could have buried that one.  2-1 Caps courtesy of the best player in the league.

8:40 – We get to section 219/219A for the third period.  If I were with the other camera, I would have the job of going to the Flyers’ tunnel and setting up for player interviews between periods.  But not tonight.

8:55 – Danny Briere makes too many moves at the offensive blue line and puts the Flyers offside.  It’s the most I’ve noticed him all night.

8:57 – Washington has a goal waived off because Biron was interfered with but they do not receive a penalty.  This is stupid.  It’s either a goal or a penalty.  You can’t disallow a goal and not call a penalty for the infraction.  Well, I guess you can because they did.

9:00 – It’s the Flyers turn to have a goal disallowed now, as Knuble gets an interference penalty.  It’s probably a legitimate call but it had nothing to do with the goal.  The crowd starts chanting at the official.  You know what chant I’m talking about.

9:09 – Jose Theodore stones Arron Asham in what will turn out to be the Flyers’ best chance to tie the game.

9:17 – Because of several minutes of uninterrupted play, we miss the last television timeout, meaning that we won’t be able to put Shawn the dancing fat guy on camera tonight.  If you’ve been to a Flyers game in the last three years, I’m sure you’ve seen him.  Fans seem to like him generally, but ArenaVision hates him since the Flyers have apparently ordered us to put him up every game.

9:20 – Game over.  Flyers lose 2-1.  Ovechkin the first star.  It’s unbelievable how he turns an average team into a very good one.  I take the elevator to the main concourse and then walk to the public address box between the penalty benches to break down some equipment with the other cable puller.

9:40 – After finishing my work downstairs, I return to the control room and sign out.  Another night in the books.  I pass by Capitals’ play-by-play man Joe Beninati, as well as writers Ed Moran, Sam Carchidi and Tim Panaccio. And even though the Flyers lost on this occasion, I always think to myself as I pass by the portrait of Gene Hart in the hallway, “Good night and good hockey".

Published Feb. 4, 2009

The NHLPA held a news conference at its headquarters today, announcing that players’ association ombudsman Eric Lindros is resigning from his role.

Seated between his father Carl Lindros and NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly, a somber Lindros addressed the media.  “I regret to announce my decision.”  Stopping abruptly, Lindros began staring off into space for several uncomfortable minutes before Kelly finally interjected.

“What Eric wants to convey is his gratitude to the players’ association for entrusting him with the job over the last year.  We will miss his presence.”  Kelly then brought in former general manager Bob Clarke, who ceremoniously ripped the “O” from the left chest of Lindros’ shirt.

At this point, Lindros continued, “I regret to announce my decision.  I took my role as ombudsman very seriously, but there were obstacles.  First, I still don’t know what an ombudsman does.  After consultation with my dad, I have decided to resign.  This was no one’s decision but my dad’s.”

Carl Lindros responded to his son’s comments.  “Of course I have always looked out for the best interests of my boys.  My son Brett wanted to express his apologies for not being here for his brother today, but we felt the conference room didn’t have enough padding to make it a safe environment for him.”

“This was a difficult decision for everyone involved and Eric really—hey, get back here!” he exclaimed after noticing his son wandering aimlessly around the room.

After Lindros was brought back to the podium, he made his final remarks.  “This was a good experience for me.  I learned a lot.”  The hulky former center paused to take a long drink of apple juice from his sippy cup.  “But, like my dad told me, this job just wasn’t worth the headache.”

Carl wrapped up the news conference by making threatening remarks and accusing everyone there of various wrongdoings, stopping only to take out a handkerchief and remove a strand of drool from Eric’s mouth.