BillyV's Blog

What a time to be a sports fan in Philly.  Sunday, the Sixers shocked Detroit in Game One of the playoffs.  On Monday, a Flyers win would wrap up a playoff series victory over Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.  Saturday night, Philly’s Bernard Hopkins, at age 43, came awfully close to beating the guy I consider the best fighter on the planet. 

Upsets and near-upsets for the Philly guys.

Add to that the fact that the Phillies beat the Mets Sunday night.  Eric Bruntlett made a great play to get the final out, which was especially nice considering he will continue to be the shortstop for the next couple of weeks, since Jimmy Rollins was put on the 15-day disabled list.

Also on the injury front, the Flyers found out they will be without Mike Knuble for the rest of their playoff series.  Knuble suffered a torn hamstring in the loss to the Caps Saturday.  What a comedown from Thursday night when Knuble scored the game-winning goal in the second overtime.  I was standing outside the Flyers locker room when they came out for the second overtime period, watching as Braydon Coburn and Mike Richards lined the hallway and exhorted and pumped up each teammate as they came out of the room.  I was still nearby when they came streaking back in, whooping and hollering after Knuble’s goal.  Now, they’ll have to find a way to get pumped up again Monday without Knuble around.

The Sixers continue to surprise people who don’t understand the value of their team-oriented play.  Sure, Detroit had the second-best record in the conference and they have a lot of weapons, but they often fall into the habit of taking turns playing one on one, instead of making sure everyone touches the ball.  The Sixers will continue to play them tough.

As for Hopkins, I honestly didn’t think he’d be able to beat Joe Calzaghe.  Most people haven’t seen much of Calzaghe, since he’s from Wales, but I think he’s the best fighter in the world at any weight; Hopkins, though, made him look ordinary.  Calzaghe usually throws over 1000 punches in a 12-round fight, but only 707 against Hopkins because Bernard is so crafty.  My bet is that Hopkins, who is from North Philly and Germantown, or even Mt. Airy if you listen to his old high school teacher, will fight again rather than retire.