OK, so I'm a smartass. Your fly fly boys either suck big time or they feel sorry for the Bruins and wanted to let them win the first two games here in Philly so they could make a heroic comeback from the 0-2 deficit.
I have yet to see them play since I've already watched 8 1/2 minutes of hockey inaction this year and am afraid that if I watch more guys skating around without scoring I will bore myself to death.
I did watch quite a bit of the NFL draft, and have no problems with the Eagles picks. That probably comes as a surprise to some of you, but how can I be disappointed with an Andy Reid draft? He's always come through in the past. Given how porous the O-line was last year I am not surprised that the fat guy chose Watkins as his first pick. God forbid the Linc ever has a fire, at least the guy can put it out. I would have preferred that he would have chosen Penn State's OL man Wisniewszi who I saw play for four years and watched become a helluva blocker, much like his uncle and father were before him. Perhaps it is fitting that he follows his uncle to Oakland, but he would have looked good in green.
That's it for football, at least for now since there is no football because of the lock-out. It is so hard for me to take sides in this dispute because I either have to root for billionaires or millionaires. I can't decide, so instead I'll root for people who get up in the morning, no matter how they feel, get dressed and go to work. My hat is off for the Septa drivers, trash men, and others like them. If there is no NFL this coming season I'll still have plenty of college games to watch. I can't wait for Penn State to play Indiana State!
Once again, I was criticized the other night for not writing an ode of praise for the Phillies explosion of hits. Once again, I was called on the carpet for not being effusive in praising Superstar for the big bombs he hit over the weekend. I had planned such a post Sunday after the game with the Madoffs. I was going to point out that Superstar had had a good weekend, including a grand slam, but as the game entered the ninth inning (with the hard hitting Phillies having made but two hits), Dan Shulman announced the news about Bin Laden. I turned on MSNBC (I don't even know what channel FOX is on) and forgot about the Phillies. I didn't even know that they had lost until I woke up Monday, as if it mattered.
Yes, the Phillies bats did come awake against the Madoffs in game 1 & 2 of the weekend series. Yes, Superstar did hit some balls into the ionosphere which, I remind you, is what he gets paid to do. Yes, he did show some fancy hitting to drive in the run that tied the game Sunday night. Hopefully his stroke will stay with him for a while because if it doesn't the team will start losing as often as they win.
What I didn't understand about Sunday night's game was Charlie allowing Ibanez to bat in the 8th when the score was tied, the bases were loaded, and with the guy on a 0-33 tear going into the at-bat. None of the guys available to pinch hit for Raul will make anyone forget the '27 Yankees or even the '54 A's, but they are all hitting better than Ibanez. Valdez, Gload, Martinez, and Sardinha were all available, but Charlie let Ibanez pick up the bat so he could hit a weak ground ball to the second baseman, ending the inning and ultimately forcing the game to go into extra innings and a loss in the 14th. I assume that Charlie didn't want to show the guy up, or harm his confidence, but yo - isn't it about winning games? In my opinion, any of the guys available to hit for Ibanez would have given the team a better chance of scoring the go ahead run. Charlie and his girlfriend are looking at property near 3rd & Indiana as this is being written.
Raul Ibanez has been a good player - the operative word being "has," as in past tense. He no longer has the bat speed to hit for average in the majors, and I truly feel sorry for the guy - as he makes a bigger fool of himself every time he picks up a bat. The time has come to sit him down and play Mayberry every day. Ibanez is in the final year of stealing his check and we need to see if Mayberry can get the job done. Thanks for the memories Raul, but now you need to go home.
Ibanez is not the only goat on this year's team. Rollins should not be brought back, and perhaps it is time to make the hard decision about Utley.
OK. Tonight, our friend Jayson Worthless and his Nationals come to town. We need to win at least 2 out of 3. I'm not sure we can do it, but I will watch and hope for the best.
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