With the Eagles on a losing streak and obviously in a rebuilding year, what do you think will be the end result of the season this year?
Tags: Christopher Leomporra, Eagles, Poll, record, TSP
As we all expect, Andy Reid and Michael Vick are most likely done with the Eagles after this dismal season. The Eagles are 3-7 going into tonight’s game against the Panthers, and could very well be 0-10 (two wins by 1 point, another very close game against the Giants). So I expect (hope) the Eagles clean house after this season is over with and go into rebuilding mode to bring a winner back to this city.
I was listening to the radio a couple of days ago and the guys were talking about what was more important, the next coach or the next quarterback? And the catch was that if you were this teams GM, you could only pick one. The question made me start to think about what was more important, and after going back and forth of both scenarios I decided that the next coach was more important. Don’t get me wrong a quarterback is very important, but he does not control the whole team.
A new coach will bring in his own scheme, he will bring change to the same old story that we watch every sunday, and he will bring in his own personnel. That is what this team needs because it is obvious that no matter who is at quarterback this team will not win a Superbowl, or even contend for one. Michael Vick is not a quarterback, Donovan McNabb gave us the best chance to win Superbowls and yet he couldn’t get it done under the similar staff that we have today. Nick Foles is a young rookie who needs to be developed which is why he should be this teams starter the rest of the season. If Foles can prove himself this season, we can bring in a coach who will fit his skill set and give him the best opportunity to excel. We need to see what the kid has, and if he has the potential to be a good starter every Sunday. If not then he needs to go back to the bench come next season. (more…)
Tags: Andy Reid, Eagles, Michael Vick, Nick Foles, Quarterback, Sam Shipley, TSP
It is no secret anymore, Jrue Holiday has become the Sixers top player this season and it’s not even close. Coming off a season where Jrue didn’t perform as well as we knew he could, Jrue has put that season in the past and has moved on. After 14 games so far this season Jrue is averaging 18.6 ppg, 9.2 apg, 3.9 rpg, and is shooting 45% from the field. On top of that, he has five double-doubles so far this season which is tied with Chris Paul for 2nd most in the NBA trailing just Rajon Rondo. Just to put last season in perspective compared to this one so far, Jrue had just one double-double in 66 games last season.
What makes Jrue’s performance so far this season so impressing is that he is doing all of this without the newly acquired Andrew Bynum. The reason I say this is, when the Sixers traded for Bynum he was supposed to be the impact big man to help Jrue evolve and become a better player. As we all know, Bynum has yet to play a game this season. Of course the increased perimeter shooters that the Sixers acquired in the summer (Nick Young, Dorell Wright, Jason Richardson) are helping Jrue’s assists numbers, but he still has to get them the ball when they are open. Holiday has taken the teams leader role, and also is turning into the teams “star” player.
Lets compare Jrue to some of today’s top point guards in the NBA:
Jrue Holiday: 18.6 ppg, 9.2 apg, 3.9 rpg, 45% fg
Tags: Basketball, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Jrue Holiday, NBA, Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook, Sam Shipley, Sixers, TalkSportsPhilly, TSP
By Amy McGinnis
Wednesday’s men’s basketball game between Morehead State and Kentucky has raised some eyebrows.
With 5:51 remaining in the game, and Kentucky up by eight, Morehead State guard Devon Atkinson fouled out. Head coach Sean Woods was less than pleased, to put it lightly. Woods is a Kentucky alum – he played for UK from 1989 – 1992. (If you remember NCAA basketball in 1992, you’ll recall that Kentucky was knocked out of the tournament by Duke, who would later win the championship. The Duke – UK game that year was legendary.) I will assume that Coach Woods was angry about losing to his alma mater in Wildcats territory. When senior guard Atkinson left the court to approach his team’s bench, Woods unleashed his fury. Video shows Coach Sean Woods yelling in Atkinson’s face – and when I say Woods got “in his face,” I mean he threw personal space to the wind. As Atkins walks toward the bench, Woods approaches him a few more times, still screaming. At one point, he gave Atkinson a shove. People who have seen the video are calling Woods a “bully,” saying that his behavior was inexcusable.
Here’s my opinion on the matter … During the first face-to-face encounter on the video, we see the back of Atkinson’s head. I’m not a great lip-reader, especially from behind, so I have no idea what, if anything, Atkinson said to Coach Woods. For all I know, it could have been extremely inappropriate and disrespectful. I’m not saying that I think that’s the case; I can’t imagine what Atkinson said. (Incidentally, if Woods had gotten in my face like that, I would probably ask him if he’s still mad about Christian Laettner’s shot at the buzzer in overtime back in ’92.) While I appreciate Sean Woods’s, um, passion for the game, I found the shove to be unnecessary. NCAA basketball is different from the NBA – these players are students, and the coaches are authority figures. Generally speaking, I’m opposed to physical aggression on the bench, because it can escalate in a heartbeat. Not to mention, getting in Atkinson’s face once seemed sufficient to me. Going back to scream in his face again and again looks like Woods is looking for some court-ordered anger management classes. Get in his face, let him know you’re pissed, re-focus on the game – for shit’s sake, there was still nearly six minutes to play – and save the lecture for the locker room.
Tags: Amy McGinnis, Coach Sean Woods, Devon Atkinson, Morehead State, University of Kentucky
By Amy McGinnis
The Villanova Wildcats are currently 3-1, thanks in large part to the team’s leader in scoring and average minutes per game.
Ryan Arcidiacono is a 6’3″ guard from Langhorne, Pennsylvania, who is currently averaging 16.3 points and 33.8 minutes per game. We’re only four games into the season, but I’m impressed by his numbers, and here’s why: Arcidiacono is an eighteen-year-old freshman. During Villanova’s November 11th victory over Marshall, Arcidiacono scored 25 points. Last week, he was named Big East Rookie of the Year.
If this is how Arcidiacono delivers as a rookie, I expect big things from this kid over the next four years and beyond. Villanova hosts Columbia (2-1) at the Pavilion tonight at 7:05.
Tags: Amy McGinnis, College Basketball, Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova
Earlier in the offseason, I wrote a piece in which I stated that Ruben Amaro and the Phillies should completely stay away from the free agent class for centerfielders. Alas, what you or I would do is generally the exact opposite of what Amaro does. I’m still advocating staying away from signing either option as both have their flaws that throw up red flags to me.
The case for not signing either one:
First of all, both have their off the field problems. Hamilton’s a walking anxiety disorder. He suffers from alcoholism, has trouble staying on the field, and is already on the wrong side of 30. As we know most “elite” players who are signed to massive contracts after age 30, generally don’t live up to their contract. He is also left-handed. On a lineup already saturated with left-handed hitters, Hamilton doesn’t help the need for a right-handed power bat. On the other hand, B.J. Upton is a right-handed bat with pop, but tends to strike out on par with Ryan Howard. While Upton does manage to stay on the field, his level of “effort” seems to make people wish he wasn’t in the lineup. The biggest reason why neither player should be signed is purely financially motivated. Both are looking for multi-year deals in the neighborhood of 5-7 years at 15-25 million per year. (more…)
Tags: B.J. Upton, Jiwan James, john mayberry jr., Josh Hamilton, Ruben Amaro, Ryan Howard, TSP, Tyson Gillies
Yesterday the Florida Marlins agreed to trade Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, John Buck and Emiio Bonifacio to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Yunel Escobar, Henderson Alvarez, Jeff Mathis, Jake Marisnick, Adeniy Hechavarria, Justin Nicolino and Anothny DeSClafani.
This is bad for the Phillies and bad for baseball. In the days when you have billionaire owners coming into professional sports more and more of them are going to want to spend money to win championships.
The Phillies owners are a partnership which means that they only put in a certain amount of money each year and all have to agree to spend that money. So the likely hood that the Phillies would ever make such a blockbuster deal is very unlikely. Any team that ends up with Mark Cuban as their owner will try to make trades like this and will tip the imbalance in baseball even more. More and more sports are becoming a business and it is hurting the purity of the game. Teams like the Astros, Indians, Twins Reds and even the Phillies with their current ownership structure would never have a chance to win a world series again.
Baseball owners in general should be outraged that this happened as well. Jeffrey Loria just built a brand new stadium in Miami a city that struggles to draw fans to their games even with names like Reyes, Johnson and Buehrle, so there is no way they are going to fill more than 8,000 seats a game with a AAA team at best on the field. The next team that is going to try to build a stadium is going to have that much harder of a time getting money from their state and city because of Loria and his stupidity. (more…)
Tags: Astros, bud selig, Chris Pierce, Cincinatti, Cleveland, Houston, indians, Jeffrey Loria. Baseball, marlins, Miami, MLB, philadelphia, Phillies, Reds, TSP
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