Flexibility, that is.   (And Flyers, too, of course.)  If you are involved, either romantically, platonically, professionally, or genetically with a sports fan, then this time of year can be a challenge.    For the non-sports fan, the level of commitment and desire to view all pre-game discussions, regulation play, overtime, and post-game analysis is incomprehensible.  And most people (sports fans or not) have a social life that requires some advance planning, thus creating a potential competition between your dinner party/charity ball/company picnic/front row seats on the night of an important Flyers game.    Rather than go 15 rounds with the fan, I suggest flexibility.

I have riffed on When Something Comes Up before and my main theme remains one of pragmatism and reality.  I am not a "Boo-hoo, wah, You promised!" kind of girl. If you drag your bf to the Bridesmaid's Ball the night of the 7th game, will either of you have a good time?  Probably not.   However, I offer you three feasible approaches to this conundrum:
1.  Determine whether there will be a tv broadcasting the game at the event.  If so, and if you are able to accept the fact that your date may spend more time staring at the screen than you, go with him.
2.  Take another date.  This doesn't have to be a jealousy-invoking episode where you sidle up to your luscious neighbor and take him while your bf shouts at toothless and concussed men sliding around a rink beating each other with sticks, although it could be.  But that wouldn't be my recommendation--one of the best formals I ever went to was with my hairdresser when my husband had to leave town unexpectedly for a funeral.  (Whether he paid for an assassin to off the elderly great uncle so he could avoid attending the gala is a question I have never felt the need to ask.)   Take a girlfriend, a colleague, cousin or, if you must, your LN.
3.  Don't go.  Give the tickets to someone else, cancel the reservation, donate your contribution back to the charity, and embrace the game (or go to a movie and meet up with your bf afterwards.)

But whatever choice you make, be at peace with it and don't drag it up every time you two disagree on whether to order Chinese or pizza.   "Well, I really want Mu Shu Pork and you owe me because of the time you bagged on me for the Justin Timberlake concert when the Flyers........"  No, Grace, no, no, no! 

If you have the ill-luck to be hosting a dinner party the night of the big game, you have a similar dilemma.  But never fear, Graces, for there are many solutions to this "problem" and you need not go into full panic or rage mode.

1.  Change the format.  Make it a casual, game-friendly menu, and let everyone bring plates into the tv room to watch the Flyers crush the Penguins.   Planned to serve steak?  Slice it thinly, saute it w/ some onions, garlic, hot pepper, salt and Worcestershire, put it on warm rolls with melted provolone and you've got the best Cheesesteak this side of South Philly.  Not to mention the happiest male guests in town.  Chicken?  Marinate it in beer, lime, cumin, soy sauce, and hot pepper, saute or grill, slice it and roll it into tortillas with some salsa for fajitas.  Or, dump the whole cooking thing and order a tray of hoagies or pizza.  If you want to have a more formal element to the gathering, make dessert a sit down event.  By then, the game will be over and you can put out your china, crystal and silver (if you must) and serve at table.  Your guests will either be exhuberantly happy or downright wretched, but hopefully your sweets will carry the day even if their team didn't.

2.  Push back the time.  If you are a night owl, or are not adherent to the hours kept by children and babysitters, serve dinner at 9:30 or 10, by which time the game should be over.  I have a dear friend from India who can't understand the American habit of evening entertaining that starts and the early hour of 7pm.  When she invites us to a dinner party, she calls for arrival at around 9, and we know we won't dine til nearly 11.   We always have a fabulous time, even if we're a bit bleary-eyed the next day.  (Did I mention her pomegranite martinis?)

3.  Postpone the party til after the playoffs.  Some diehard fans are very particular about with whom they will watch a game.  They don't view it as a social occasion--this is serious business. They do not appreciate light conversation during the game (even during commercial breaks and time outs); they do not take kindly to ancillary comments like "Doesn't he realize that his tattoos are icky?"  or  "Isn't he dating that supermodel?" or "I hate orange and black.  What do they think, it's Halloween?  Don't you think pink and green would be cuter, especially this time of year?".   While I strictly oppose violence, comments like these might justify a swat.   My husband is still a bit annoyed at me for the time a few years ago when I invited someone to watch the NFC Eagles Championship Game without first screening him.  The guy had the ill judgement to mention a neighbor's hair style (a severe brunette page-boy if you must know) during the fourth quarter and has been blacklisted ever since.  Another wrinkle:  depending on the type of "home theatre system" you possess, potential guests may not be willing give up their wall-size-hi-def-plasma-screen-smell-the-athletes'-swea
t -blue-ray picture they are accustomed to in their man-room at home, so your party attendance could plummet.

Even if you don't watch a single minute of a game, it's a great thing for Philly when our teams win.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go generate an excuse for skivving off a long-ago-committed to attend cocktail party this evening, cancel a dinner reservation for afterward, buy some beer, order some hoagies, and make sure our orange and black clothing is washed and dried.  Go Flyers!

People calling in to sports talk radio are beginning to wonder if Ryan Howards prolonged early season slump could be a sign of a bad season.Even though the Phillies have played over thirty games,the season is still early.Lets wait until at least the middle of June before we decide to boo him.He got off to a horrible start last year and rebounded but was able to use his injury as an excuse.Howards apparantly healthy now so the expectations are higher.I say let him play out of it and he'll be fine.

Just got back from Chase Stadium! What a blast- Had some Philly fans around us- Stadium was dead though but the Phillies wern't

 :D

5/4/08

On to the conference finals.  The Flyers are a Corvette ZO6, on their way to turning into a Lamborghini, tearing through opponents at an incresingly faster pace.  

When they took a 3-1 lead in their first series with Washington, then lost the next two and had to go to a deciding game 7, people said they didn’t know how to put a team away.  So, after they took a 3-1 lead over Montreal, many in the media kept asking if the Flyers had learned a lesson from the earlier series.  Personally, I didn’t think there was anything to learn.  It’s not like they didn’t try to win games 5 and 6 against Washington, or like they took the Caps for granted. Sometimes the other team just plays well with their backs to the wall.

But maybe I was wrong.  Maybe there was something about the first series that gave the Fl;yers some insight and allowed them to put away Montreal without delay.   I do know that they got tremendous goaltending from Marty Biron in the games where their offense (and their power play) wasn’t very good.  Then, in that last game when Biron let a few go in, the Flyers own offense went into high gear, allowing them to win 6-4. 

I also know that certain players found a great groove in the series with the Canadiens, the most obvious being R.J. Umberger.  After scoring one goal in seven games against the Caps, he broke through for an amazing 8 goals in 5 games against Montreal.  His two goals, plus an assist, were a big part of the win last night that eliminated the Canadiens.

Everything is working for the Flyers right now.  Let’s see if that continues to be the case in the conference finals.  They’ll be playing the Pittsburgh Penguins, who eliminated the New York Rangers this afternoon.   Not to take anything away from the Flyers performance against the top-seeded Canadiens, but the Penguins are, I think, an even better team that Montreal. 

I remember being at that incredible five-overtime game until the wee hours of the morning the last time the Flyers and Penguins met in the postseason in the year 2000.  Should be another exciting series ahead.    

hey, i know that yall are pissed cas of yet another tragedy in the sport of kings....but lets face it....it happens...its just unfortunate that yesterday, chelokee dislocated his ankle, but hes goin to be jus fine, and i did cry at philly park today when i saw eight belles lying on the ground...things happen..theres a risk to everything...these horses are bred to run, and they llove doing it. these animals are treated better than most humans...they treat these thoroughbreds like royalty..i dont know if you remember tiago, from last years derby, well he only drinks fiji water...and you should actually go to the backside of a racetrack one of these days and watch how precious these animals are..and there handeld with care, since there so fragile....

so maybe you should actually know what goes on behind the scenes before you jump to make accusations, on how she was maltreated, and should have never been entered in the derby..well i have an answer to that my friends...

if she was to run in the soup yesterday, worse may have happened..she has never ran on an off track...where today was a fast track....

also...she was one of the few..about 4 horses...that had a triple digit beyer figure..she also is a big filly, as big as winning colors, the last filly to win the derby...she was bigger and better then most of the field...some of us actually know the horse and watch her race...unlike those who just flip on the tv on derby day nd say.."oh..she sucks,. shes a girl..she doesnt belong in here.."

doesnt that sound a little sexist? thats why they offer the triple crown and other stakes races to both sexes, so the talented fillies, like rags to riches and eight belles, can prove to the big boys that theyre all buisness, and what did eight belles do today? she came in second...she prolly would have won it if big brown didnt get a dream trip. this filly was sometihng else, and some people just refuse to believe that sometimes, the girls are better than the guys...

rest in peace eight belles...you gave a battle and made big brown run for his $$$

you truly are a champion in the eyes of many. <3

Anak Nakal- out of Victory Gallop; may be better suited to the Preakness, but can handle the 10 furlong distance.

Big Brown- by Boundary; heres to all you bandwagon jumpers, and heres why he cant win it..im sorry ricky dutrow to down your morale and confidence..but its simple: he has little stamina influence on the female line of his pedigree. the only productive thing he may do is ensure a fast pace in the derby, or sit off of one, but he wont be there @ the wire.

Big Truck- hes by Hook and Ladder; he should get the distance thanks to the stamina on his mother's family, and his sire is chock full of speed.

Bob Black Jack- Stormy Jack; 1st crop for his sire, who was a miler. his mother was a sprinter, and his pedigree just screams sprint. its hard to believe that hed get the 10 furlong derby distance.

Colonel John- Tiznow; sire was dual BC Classic champion, and his dam is a stayer out of Turkoman, who was also the damsire of hard-knocking Hard Spun. this horse can run all day.

Cool Coal Man- hes the 1st crop out of Mineshaft; his great-grandsire is Northern Dancer on the female side.

Court Vision- by Gulch; dam is Weekend Storm, full sister to Summer Squall and half sister to AP Indy. great-grandsire on mother's side is Northern Dancer. should be perfectly suited for the 10 furlongs.

Cowboy Cal- Giant's Causeway; sire and damsire, Seeking the Gold, were runners up in the BC Classic. the cross between those two have already produced Noble Causeway. he should be capable of handling the distance, but can he run as well on conventional dirt as he can on the grass and poly?

Denis of Cork- 1st crop out of Harlan's Holiday; favorable for long distances w/ mix of speed and stamina on the female line. damsire is Unbridled, victor of the 1990 derby.

Eight Belles- Unbridled's Song; grandsire is Unbridled. Dixieland Band is damsire, and inherits sufficient stamina from male side of the pedigree. great-grandsire on female side is Northern Dancer. daughters of D.Band foaled Monarchos and Street Sense. speedy female line.

Gayego- Gilded Time; sprinter's pedigree. lacks maternal depth/quality.

Monba- Maria's Mon; little doubt that he can handle the 1m1/4. Maria's Mon is also sire of Wait A While and Monarchos. damsire is Easy Goer. polytrack questions, but owns a victory over the CD surface.

Pyro- Pulpit; his offspring are better suited to 8 furlonngs. speed on mother's side of pedigree, except for damsire Wild Again, BC Classic winner. WA's best offspring have been sprinters. will need to buck the trends to handle the derby distance.

Recapturetheglory- Cherokee Run; sire was champion sprinter. speed on maternal side of pedigree. 9 furlongs may be limit, but win in Ill. Derby was one of the most highly rated preps from a speed rating perspective. its plausible he won't find the 10th furlong as big a hurdle as some of his opponents will.

Smooth Air- Smooth Jazz; not bred for 1m1/4. 10 furlongs might prove outside his reach, given his breeding.

Tale of Ekati- by Tale of the Cat; beautifully bred. speed on male side, distance on fermale side of pedigree. granddamsire is Sunday Silence. inbred 3x4 to Mr. Prospector, 4x4 to Northern Dancer, and 5x3 to Nijinsky II.

Visionaire- Grand Slam; may have difficulty w/ ten furlongs because of speed-oriented female line.

Z Fortune- Siphon(BRZ); stamina on sire side, speed with mother. quick closer that may be up there, and most likely will be carrying a hefty price.

Z Humor- out of fantastic sire Distorted Humor; sire of Funny Cide. pedigree freatures notable classic influences. looks solid enough to endure 1m1/4. same exact cross as Any Given Saturday, w/ AP Indy as dam sire. DH crosses well w/ Seattle Slew mares, prime example being Funny Cide, whos damsire was Slewacide. inbred 3x4 to Mr. Prospector and 4x5 to Northern Dancer.

tell me your thoughts and predictions for this saturdays 134th kentucky derby.

i like the following horses:

1. colonel john    i dont care about the cali horse and polytrack myths, this horse loves the dirt. just watch his workouts on kentuckyderby.com. there phenomenal. he just eats up the track. and his sire is tiznow, who won the greatest race of his life @ CD. he can deffinitley get the distance.

2. big brown       im not sure he can win it, but hes gonna be up there the whole time. hes gonna be on or near a nice pace that is setting up for saturday. if he can pace himself, hell be in the money.

3. pyro        im drawing a complete line through his blue grass. im blaming the polycrap that he was running on. but, he shouldnt have ran 10th. anyways, that can be his bounce race. hes gonna fare well off the hot pace, since this is seeming to be a closers race.

4. eight belles     i love this filly. shes big. shes got tons of stamina. she can do the distance. i liked her last race in the honeybee, where she showed tha shes a fighter and wasnt giving up to alina in the homestretch. larry jones is making the right decision with this big, leggy filly. lets hope that she doesnt draw the 20 hole. she also will be carrying 5lbs less than her male competition. shes had scintillating workouts over the churchill surface. if she gets a nice post position, watch out boys, cas this little girl can run!

5. court vison    hasnt really done anything since his 2yo season. hes been hitting the board, but nothing impressive. he should fare well off the hot pace. liek i said before, this horse can close off a hot pace, since its going to be liek the 05 derby, a closers race.

6. bob black jack    i loved his SAD. you may call me crazy, but is he runs his SAD, hes gonna be up there, and for a good price too.

7. z fortune       this is a good closer that is gonna carry a hefty price. this horse can run. i liked the way he ran in the ark. derby. ill deff put a couple $ on him to show.

5/6/08 (updated)

The Eagles first post-draft mini-cmp is over.  The rookies will come back again for another session May 21st.   The camp will be all about teaching them, but the process of  bringing them slowly into the system will continue all year.  Andy Reid's not going to play these guys any more than he played rookies Kevin Kolb, Vicotr Abiamiri and Tony Hunt last year.   

Like most fans, I want instant gratification;  I would like to see the Eagles draft to fill their immediate needs and give the team a legitimate shot at a Super Bowl.  But that's not how Andy Reid approaches things.

 If he did, he could have drafted Rashard Mendenhall, the running back from Illinois, who was available.  When I had interviewed Fox NFL football analyst Brian Baldinger a couple of weeks ago, the former Eagle, who watches so much tape of the players, he suggested that Mendenhall would be the ideal pick for the Eagles.  Baldy thought Mendenhall would join with Brian Westbrook to give the Eagles a great 1-2 punch and a lot of flexibility to sometimes use them both at once.  At that time, I thought there was no way Mendenhall would be available, because most mock drafts had him going in the top 10-12 picks. 

But Andy Reid is very consistent.  He doesn’t run the ball, anyway, so why in the world would he use a first-round pick on a running back? 

By the same token, when people argue that a running back could make an immediate impact, they’re forgetting that Reid doesn’t play rookies, anyway.

Why would Reid, the Executive Vice President of Football Operations, draft players that Reid, the coach, won’t use anyway?

So when Andy trades down out of the first round to get a future Number One pick, it’s consistent with the way he goes about doing everything else.  I don’t like the fact that he doesn’t run the ball. I don’t like the fact that he doesn’t play rookies.  But I can’t say he’s not consistent.

Besides, there were a lot of mock drafts that had the Eagles selecting a receiver at #19, and they ended up with a WR who’s probably as good as anyone in the draft, taking DeSean Jackson in the 2nd round.  Granted, most people had Devin Thomas of Michigan State as the top wideout, but Greg Cosell, NFL Films Producer who also looks at tons of tape says Thomas can’t run routes worth a darn.  He feels there was no WR worthy of a first round pick in this draft.

Of course, a guy can learn to run routes, but like so many other receivers, he’s not going to be much of a factor in his first year or two or three.  A look at wide receivers taken in the first round last year proves that.  Two, Calvin Johnson and Dwayne Bowe, had more than 40 catches, but there were four other WR's taken in the first round who didn't. 

But Jackson could have some impact based on pure speed.  He ran the fastest time at the combine for any receiver.

I do wish the Eagles had done more with the bunches of later round picks they acquired; I thought sure, when they kept getting more and more of those picks, that they had some plan to package some of them and get something really good.  Instead, they took a lot of guys in the 6th round that probably won’t even make the team. 

So, there was some good, some bad, in my view.  What’s yours?      

Bet you thought that I would begin someplace heavy, like politics or religion, right? Wrong. If you knew me, you would have had an idea where I would begin. Baseball is not only America's national pasttime, it also happens to be The Greatest Game That God Ever Invented.

So where better to begin than with my own beloved Philadelphia Phillies and their current manager. Don't we all just love to  second-guess moves (and non-moves) by managers, coaches, players and ownership of our favorite sports teams? That was, of course, a rhetorical question.

Truth is, ALL of us who are truly sports fans take on the role of "monday morning quarterback" from time to time, and here in Philly we take on that role more than in most places. Our current football coach, Andy Reid, is one such frequent target. We will save him for another day. Today is Charlie Manuel day.

The truth about Charlie Manuel is that he is neither a horrible manager or a great manager. He does some things extremely well. For one, he is a "people person" in the clubhouse, which is a very important quality in today's age of pampered, spoiled player egoes. Manuel knows how to massage an ego as well as anyone.

On game day, the truth is that Manuel is an outstanding hitting coach, an excellent judge of offensive talent, and strong at putting together a batting order. However, the truth is also that Manuel has proven to be a horrible manager of his pitching staff. He consistently makes bad moves with his relievers and his starting rotation options.

What is also the truth is that the Phillies have been winners since Manuel took over the reigns entering the 2005 season. The Phils finished in 2nd place in the NL East each of his first two seasons, then won the division title a year ago. He currently has the club in 2nd place at the time of this posting, off to their best start in a half dozen years. Despite serious injuries to a pair of lineup regulars in 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins and speedy centerfielder Shane Victorino, and despite a horrible start by 2006 NL MVP Ryan Howard, the Phils are right in the thick of the early race. His overall Phillies regular season managerial record is currently 274-235 for a .538 win percentage.

So while the truth is that Manuel is not a great manager, and frequently makes mistakes in managing his pitching staff, he is a winning manager who runs a steady ship in what can be a long, turbulent sea cruise of a season. The truth is that, at least for the time being, Manuel is the right man to manage the Philadelphia Phillies, and their best chance at success this season.

   Chase utley and Mike Richards .........

   Think about it...

   Both have similar playing styles, hard, clean and anything to win...

   Both are soft-spoken, laid back dudes who let their play do the  talking....

   Heck , they even look alike!    

  Seperated at birth??                                 

   I was just wondering why Jayson Werth just don't ever seem to get the credit he has earned?  I have watched him dive for balls, get base hits and really seem to go that extra  mile his name seems to get overlooked on the news and in articles in the paper.

   It seems the more he does the less you hear about him. Now I know Chase and Ryan are excellent players, but when they are in a slump there isn't anything ever writtten negative about them.  Jayson strikes out and that is all you hear about in the news. The other night he gets and in the park homerun and nothing. Last night he gets a homerun and it don't even seem to matter. Pat gets a double and okay 3 runs come across the plate, but everyone should get the credit not just a few players.

Ok you know I had to write something about my boys! I am so excited! Last night's game had me on the edge of my seat until the end! That is what I love about hockey. The excitement. You never know who is going to win until the last second, ok you can have a complete blow out but honestly they are rare. This time of year is the best to watch. I even end up watching other teams.

This series is going to be exciting. I am glad I had a day to rest up! I actually enjoy game sevens more than sweeps. I will admit it! I have Stanley Cup Fever!! FLYERS bring us the CUP!! I want a parade so badly....don't we all!!

Get your Orange ready because we are in for a wild ride fans!! Let's enjoy it!! Show me I am not alone!!

GO FLYERS!!!

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.