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A+ for Cole

May 9th, 2012 by AmyMac | 1 Comment | Filed in Baseball, General, Phillies

By Amy McGinnis

I would be lying through my teeth if I said I didn’t love the Cole Hamels – Bryce Harper incident and its aftermath (the first one to call this “Cole-Gate”  will need a swift kick in the ass).  That one pitch – one fastball to the back – has spawned national attention.  Everyone has his/her own opinion (you’d better believe I have one) and, just like that, people in this city are getting fired up.  Well played, Cole.  Well played.

For anyone who has no clue what happened the other night in Washington, allow me to welcome you back from your winter hibernation.  For my friends who aren’t interested in baseball, I’m going to make a video re-enactment.  We don’t have enough Ken dolls in my house, though, so I’ll probably have to use Barbies for Harper and Rizzo.  In any event, Cole’s intentional plunk served a few purposes: it welcomed little Brycey-poo to the bigs while also knocking him down a few pegs, it sent a message that Cole has no problem exerting authority, and it got people riled up.

Somewhere, Kim Myers is saying, “See? See what Cole does? He takes it out on the batter. ”

Obviously, I support Hamels and his actions.  I’m not sure I understand some of the thought process behind the opposing argument, though.  Are they more offended by the intentional hit, or by Cole’s admission?  I have no patience for excuses, so it’s nice when I see athletes being candidly honest.  There are some people saying that it was a punk move.  The way I see it, he manned up and told the press – in a pretty lengthy answer, I might add – that he meant to do it.  A punk move would be to turn on the wide-eyed, innocent, and clueless bullshit (sort of like when I get pulled over … “I did what?”).  Cole didn’t do that.  He drilled a douchey 19-year-old kid on purpose and doesn’t care who knows it.  You hover over the strike zone, and Cole is going to take the inside of the plate back.  Period.

Cole has been fined and suspended for the plunk, Mike Rizzo has been fined for his whiny name-calling, and Hamels gets a ton of media coverage.  I’d say the $400k is worth it.  Let’s say it spawns retaliation and we end up with a bench-clearing brawl on our hands (fingers crossed).  Maybe it’s about damned time this team got rowdy and lost their shit.  Maybe that’s what we need to spark some momentum. 

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I Like It

May 9th, 2012 by Christian | No Comments | Filed in Baseball, General, Phillies

Cole Hamels hit Bryce Harper with a pitch on purpose.
When asked about it, he said “I was trying to hit him.”

Gotta love the honesty.  I like it.  Good for you Cole.

"I did it on purpose."

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Spencer Hawes Paces The Sixers To A 3-1 Series Lead

May 9th, 2012 by Sam Shipley | No Comments | Filed in Basketball, General, Sixers

Earlier in the season Spencer Hawes seemed like a true candidate for Most Improved Player as he was putting up double-double numbers almost every single night. However, he was injured just 14 games into the season and when he returned he didn’t seem to be back in his groove yet. Well these last 2 games may have been a sign that he is finally completely healthy and back. After recording 21 points and 9 rebounds on Fridays win over Chicago, Hawes came right back to record 22 points and 8 rebounds in today’s 89-82 victory to give the Sixers a 3-1 series lead.

This is the first time since the 2001 NBA Finals run that the Sixers have recorded 3 straight playoff wins, and they are now just one win away from advancing to the 2nd round of the playoffs since 2003. Hawes picked up right where he left off on Friday by coming out with his hot shooting that kept the Sixers in the game throughout the 1st half. With Holiday, Turner, and Williams all struggling to score, Hawes picked up the slack and his 3 pointer with just seconds left in the 1st half gave the Sixers a 44-42 lead going into halftime.

After having a big game the other night, Jrue Holiday couldn’t have started Game 4 any worse. He was just 1-13 in the 1st half as he seemed out of rhythm and was forcing the issue on the offensive end. His shooting was so bad that even Doug Collins said Jrue’s slump was “0 for the world”. He didn’t get any help from Lou or Evan as well as they shot a combined 5-22 for the game.

Andre Iguodala also helped the Sixers stay in it, despite dealing with right Achilles tendonitis, Andre Iguodala played great defense and also finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds to go along with some ferocious dunks. His defense on Luol Deng has been outstanding to say the least, as Loul Deng has just 24 points on 10-30 shooting over the last 3 games.

The 2nd half was a lot different for Holiday. After shooting 1-13 in the first half, Holiday came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders as he hit 6 of his 10 shots. None were bigger than his back to back 3 pointers with about 4 minutes to play in the game to put the Sixers up 80-73. Holiday would go on to finish the ball game with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists to give him an average of 19.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, and 5.0 apg in the series so far.

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King Cole

May 7th, 2012 by AmyMac | No Comments | Filed in Baseball, General, Phillies

By Amy McGinnis

The Phillies went into last night’s game down 2-0 in the series in Washington.  All this talk about “natitude” and “take back the park” makes me want to vomit, and by 8:05 last night, I was ready for Cole Hamels to take the mound and help take the sting out of the series.  Cole delivered, our offense backed him up, and we avoided the sweep.  Phils won 9-3. Hamels is off to a great season with a 4-1 record and a 2.45 ERA.  The front office needs to make a long-term contract happen before his price tag rises any further.

It’s no secret that I have a Cole Hamels bias; I’ve been loving him the past five years or so.  Over that time, we’ve seen him mature into quite a pitcher.  His composure has changed gradually over time; the kid who used to sometimes get rattled has grown into a pitcher with focus and authority.  My personally favorite part of his development is watching him stand his ground.  He doesn’t take shit from anyone (I’m looking at you, umpire Bob Davidson).  Last night, Cole left a little mark, so to speak, when he showed the young, energetic Nats that he has no problem drilling a kid at the plate.  As soon as I saw Bryce Harper get hit in the back with a fastball, I said, “That was 100% intentional.”  Post-game, Hamels had this to say:

“I was trying to hit him. I’m not going to deny it. It’s something I grew up watching. That’s what happened. I’m just trying to continue the old baseball. Some people get away from it. I remember when I was a rookie, the strike zone was really, really small and you didn’t say anything. That’s the way baseball is. Sometimes the league is protecting certain players. It’s that old-school prestigious way of baseball. I’m not going to injure a guy. They’re probably not going to like me for it but I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t trying to do it. I think they understood the message and they threw it right back. That’s the way, and I respect it. They can say whatever they want.”

Colbert Michael Hamels, I love you more today than yesterday.

 

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Late Surge Gives The Sixers The Win In Game 3

May 6th, 2012 by Sam Shipley | No Comments | Filed in Basketball, General, Sixers

Sixers Win!

Game 3 had a “must win” feel to it for the Sixers. They were just coming off a big win against Chicago in game 2, and didn’t want to give any life right back to the Bulls. The night was started with Dr. J giving the game ball to the officials at half-court which brought the crowd of 20,000+ to their feet.

The game had a very slow start to it, due to a lot of fouls, missed shots, and bad passing. Both teams seemed to come out flat, especially the Sixers. Neither team was able to have any consistency on offense, and that resulted into just a 19-17 Bulls lead after one. Like I said there was a lot of fouls called, the Sixers were in the penalty halfway through the 1st quarter and Jrue Holiday was actually limited to little playing time in the 1st half due to 3 early fouls.

The 2nd quarter was a repeat of the 1st quarter and at the half the Sixers held a 1 point lead which I was happy about because of how bad they played. Coming out of the half, they led 40-39 and you had the feeling this was going to be one of those grind out games that was going to come down to the final minutes. Then the 3rd quarter started and those feelings began to vanish. The Bulls came out and just completely dominated the Sixers and outscored them 21-11, just one game after the Sixers outscored the Bulls 36-14 in game 2. After 3 the Sixers trailed 60-51. There was a scary moment in this one though as Joakim Noah severely rolled his ankle on a fast break halfway through the 3rd quarter and was able to just play for a few minutes after. His status for the rest of the series remains in question.

The beginning of quarter was no different, as a Rip Hamilton 3 pointer put the Bulls up 14 at one point, and with just under 10 minutes to go the Sixers faced a 69-56 deficit. However, this crowd would not give up on this team. They were loud all night long and I believe helped surge what would be one of the most propelling comebacks I have seen by the Sixers in quite sometime. After a Spencer Hawes bucket the Sixers cut the lead to 69-64 halfway through the 4th, and the crowd was going insane as you felt the momentum beginning to shift over to the Sixers. The inspirational videos started to come on, including Rocky’s famous scene when Adrian says “win” which put the crowd into a bigger frenzy.

Hawes once again, who came up huge in the 4th, hit a 20 footer to put the Sixers up 72-71 with just minutes to play. Evan Turner made key plays down the stretch getting fouled, and grabbing some amazing offensive rebounds. His two free throws put the Sixers up 74-71 with 1:24 to play. After Jrue Holiday went 1-2 from the line, Rip Hamilton came back with a 3 pointer to cut the lead to 75-74 with 40 seconds left. Then, according to Doug Collins, Evan Turner made the “play of the year for the Sixers”. He battled down low and grabbed 3 straight offensive rebounds against 3 Bulls defenders to finally get fouled and went to the line to bury 2 free throws as the Sixers held a 77-74 lead with 20 seconds to go. Carlos Boozer missed a wide open 15 footer badly and Jrue Holiday sank 2 more free throws to seal the win which capped off an incredible 23-5 run.

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Leo Interviews Philly’s Hottest Sports Babe/Model Kourtney Reppert!

May 4th, 2012 by ChrisLeo33 | 3 Comments | Filed in General, Sports, talksportsPhilly

Philly's Hottest Kourtney Reppert

by Christopher Leomporra

Philly is famous for its passionate sports fans and Philly is also known for having some of the most beautiful women as well! I have been lucky enough to get to know one of Philly’s most beautiful and hottest one’s Kourtney Reppert over the past year.  Kourtney is highly intelligent and has a realness to her that most women in her position can’t manage to hold on too. We were able to find common ground in our backgrounds, both being from the Philly area and both having lived in LA/Hollywood.  Just recently as we were having a conversation on FaceBook, Kourtney was gracious enough to grant me an interview for TalkSportsPhilly.com.

Let me give you some background on Kourtney and her Sports Modeling career.  Kourtney Elizabeth Reppert grew up in a small town in Leesport, Pennsylvania, which is about an hour from Philadelphia. Kourtney started to pursue a career in modeling in 2006 when people noticed and suggested she had what it takes to be successful. She joined ModelMayhem in 2007 and as her career started growing she started getting modeling  jobs for companies and print advertisers.

It wasn’t long after that Kourtney got recognized as one of the Hottest models in the Philly area.  Kourtney was designated Philly’s Hottest Flyer/Phillies Fan & Philly’s Hottest Blonde from the #1 Rock Station WMMR.  She has been featured in Sports Illustrated & interviewd by top online sites Yahoo.com & Maxim Radio!  As her career began to blossom, she decided to take a risk and move to the big leagues of Hollywood, which has payed of nicely for her.

Keep an eye out for her on TV because Kourtney will be on shows for both FOX and CBS coming soon!

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Jrue Holiday Leads The Sixers To A Big Win In Game 2

May 3rd, 2012 by Sam Shipley | No Comments | Filed in Basketball, General, Sixers

Jrue steps up in Game 2

The Sixers entered Tuesday nights game in Chicago down 1-0 in the series, and they didn’t want to come back to Philly in a 2 game hole. Jrue Holiday made sure that didn’t happen. Holiday was in a zone last night as he dropped 26 points and 6 assists on the Bulls while shooting 11-15 from the field. Derrick Rose, who tore his ACL in game 1 of the series, was introduced at half court prior to the games tip off and received a standing ovation from the Chicago crowd. However, that was one of the few things that they would be able to cheer about on this night.

Holiday did it all last night for the Sixers, his offense was great, and he did a very good job of taking the challenge of defending Rip Hamilton and Kyle Korver all game long. He had to constantly chase them around on the defensive side of the floor while fighting through screens and always taking away their good looks. Hamilton and Korver combined for just 17 points after they had combined for 30 points in game 1.

This game wasn’t all Jrue Holiday however, as all of the Sixers played well in this game. They played as a team, especially on the defensive side of the ball and that showed in the 2nd half. The Bulls scored just 37 points in the 2nd half, including coughing the ball up a total of 5 times. The Sixers came right out of the gate in the 2nd half turning a 55-48 deficit into a 68-61 lead halfway through the 3rd quarter, and they didn’t let up. They outscored Chicago 36-14 in the quarter along with some highlight reel dunks by Andre Iguodala to give the Sixers life and help quiet down that Chicago crowd for good.

Evan Turner, Lavoy Allen, Jrue Holiday, and Lou Williams all set new playoff highs in this game. Evan Turner was able to get his first playoff start in Chicago where he grew up, which was bittersweet for him especially after all of the booing that he receives when he touches the ball. He had 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists and also did a very good job on C.J. Watson by shutting him down the whole game. Lavoy Allen played crucial minutes off the bench for Doug Collins as his number was called early due to 2 early fouls on Spencer Hawes. He stepped up defensively on Carlos Boozer, helped greatly on the boards by grabbing 9 rebounds, and contributed 11 points in the scoring department; this was by far his best all around game as a Sixer. Lou Williams was finally able to find a crack in the Bulls defense as well, he had been controlled all season by Chicago but on this night Lou erupted for 20 points and 6 assists off the bench and gave the Sixers the spark that he has given them all season long.

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