Birds Fly High; Phillies Just Get By

Eagles

Michael Vick returned to the field Sunday for his first regular season game in 33 months but the Eagles offense was dynamite without him against Kansas City.

The most talked about third string quarterback in the history of the NFL (Vick) lined up at wide receiver on the second play of the game, only to serve as a decoy. He would continue to attract attention from the fans, media, and the opposing Chiefs defense but he did not come up with that one spectacular play.

Even without the big play from Vick, the Eagles handled their business and played well on in all phases. The Chiefs were an inferior opponent and the Eagles demonstrated that, defeating them 34-14 and improving to 2-1.

The game was a true testament to the superb job done by the Eagles front office and coaching staff: drafting, signing, and incorporating new players into the system. Of the eleven starters on offense, only two started for the team this time last year (C Jamal Jackson and WR DeSean Jackson).

Little side note on DeSean Jackson: He has four career 100 yard games, all coming in September. He really needs to show he can be a force against solid teams, late in the season before we call him a superstar and he needs to stop with the ridiculous showboating , as well, before he breaks his arm, leg, or neck. This is not the first time he has acted like a complete fool going into the end zone. His first NFL TD was actually a fumble on the one yard line because he was immature and prematurely celebrated. DeSean, you are a year and a month older than me--making millions of dollars--grow up. Have fun, even celebrate some, but tone it down a little.

Kevin Kolb threw for 327 yards and two touchdowns. That might be the first time in NFL history that a QB threw over 325 yards in his first two career starts...check it out.

"Back-to-back 300-yard games. That's quite a compliment to the kid," said Head Coach Andy Reid.

The jury is still out though to see how he does against divisional foes with more talent than the Chiefs.

Phillies


Magic number is 3 with 7 to go. Ryan Madson held on to the lead and picked up his ninth save as he tries to provide some stability in the bullpen. The Phils left 29 guys on base today and still won 6-5...phew. We are so close...and getting closer, as a closer emerges.

Cole Hamels takes the mound tomorrow at home against the Astro's.

RBI Title: Ryan Howard has tied Prince Fielder for the league lead in RBI's (137).

FLYERS

The regular season starts this Friday in Carolina against the Hurricanes. They are 2-4 this preseason.

The Rise and Fall of Brad Lidge

How the mighty have fallen.

This will be the fourth and, I pray, final time I write about Brad Lidge blowing a save. The same Phillies closer who was perfect last season. He finished 4th in Cy Young voting and 8th in MVP ballots in 2008.

Now, his stats are looking eerily similar to the horrendous year in 2006 only worse!

Tonight, he lost his 8th game of the season, has blown his 11th save, and increased his ERA to an unheard of 7.48. One run lead, bottom of the ninth....Phillies have a problem. I have ignored this obvious concern to the best of my ability but I can no longer turn a blind eye to how pathetic Brad Lidge has been this season.

I am not sure what season was more remarkable and beyond belief: the success of last season or the failure of this one.

This Phillies squad has everything, and I mean everything, a championship ball club needs.

Pedigree (defending champs), power (4 guys over 30 home runs), speed (Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Werth, and even Ryan Howard), defense (2 or 3 potential gold glove winners), starting pitching (AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee, League and World Series MVP Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton having a career year, possible NL Rookie of the Year JA Happ, and a future Hall of Famer named Pedro Martinez), and even a solid set up man in Ryan Madson.

The only ? is the mental state of Brad Lidge. Physically, he must be fine because he still has nice velocity with his slider and fastball.

I thought his perfect season last year was a sign he was past the Albert Pujols saga.

However, it seems the fans in Philadelphia are reliving what happened in Houston a few years ago.

I have offered various opinions on what to do regarding Lidge and the closers role in general. Nothing has worked, although Charlie Manuel gave Ryan Madson his fair share of opportunities to no avail.

Post Season play begins in 2 weeks and the magic number remains at 5. The Phillies are a team that everyone fears, but Brad Lidge is one pitcher that batters are happy to face at the moment.

Don't count him out yet. You must have faith because the Phillies will continue live and die with Brad Lidge as their closer this season. Like it or not.

Phillies Ready to Clinch; Eagles Lose Opener

The Phillies and Eagles were both in action on Sunday but only one team came away with a W.

We start, of course, with the more important team in Philadelphia at the moment.

Phillies magic number: 6!

Brad Lidge gave up a run in the ninth ...again...but the Phils hung on to get a 4-2 win over the Braves on the road. With a 3 game sweep of the Marlins, and some bad luck for the Braves, the Phillies could clinch back to back NL East Division titles this week. Obviously this team has loftier goals then a divisional championship.

They are currently 2nd in the National League in terms of winning percentage....waiting to see how the standings shake out to see who their opponent will be in the first round and whether they will have home field advantage.

Eagles

The final score of 48-22 really does not indicate how close the game was at Lincoln Financial Field. Saints FS Darren Shaper picked off the ball in the end zone and returned it 97 yards--causing a big 14 point swing. Eagles KR Ellis Hobbs fumbling the kickoff in Eagles territory to start the 2nd half hurt most of all, giving Drew Brees prime field position and he capitalized.

The good news:

QB Kevin Kolb managed the game well. He was put in some very difficult positions since the special teams played so poorly. There was an infraction or turnover on almost every single special teams play. His yardage numbers were padded a little towards the end when the game was out of reach and the Saints coverage dropped way back.

All Kolb was asked to do was to give the Eagles a fighting chance, control the ball and the clock, and don't try to do too much. Except for one interception, he pretty much accomplished those tasks.

The starting QB in Week three will be...??? Kevin Kolb or Donovan McNabb (highly unlikely...recovering from broken rib). Michael Vick will be activated though and considering how many times the Eagles ran the wildcat formation against the Saints (around 10) Vick should get a number of snaps and hopefully build on the success of DeSean Jackson and Brian Westbrook (ironic side note: Westbrook's Alma mater, The Villanova Wildcats, defeated my Alma mater, Penn, 14-3 Saturday at Franklin Field. Nova is #3 in the country in D-1AA).

Scary but slim possibility: Will the Eagles keep Kolb in over Vick and Jeff Garcia simply to try and prove a point that their first selection in the 2007 draft was not a bust? This team is way to talented and deep to allow a young QB to stand in their way of victories. As Herm Edwards said, "You play to win the game."

Possible Pro Bowl Picks: Trent Cole is a beast, recording a sack and an interception. DeSean Jackson has really made a name for himself and still has not reached his full potential. Way too soon to tell but it's fun to speculate...especially in regard to success.

Thank God for good hands: Jason Avant showed his ability as a tough, sure handed slot receiver last season and he continued to impress against the Saints on a couple of occasions, including a TD. He also happens to love Jesus and can be heard singing Gospel music on the field during practice.

Phillies Poised for another Parade

JA Happ, Kyle Kendrick, Jamie Moyer, Pedro Martinez, Joe Blanton, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels. Who ever has been on the mound to start the game for the Phils over the last month has seemingly been successful. Guys are pitching deeper into games, throwing well over 100 pitches some nights. People may say that means the arms will fall apart in October. Others argue that will build endurance. I am happy sitting back and enjoying the best starting pitching in all of baseball over the last months.

The offense continued to impress last night against Tim Hudson of the streaking Atlanta Braves. Ryan Howard homered twice and Ben Francisco followed Jimmy Rollins 9th inning two run home run with a solo shot of his own. Chase Utley and Jayson Werth are continuing to add to their fine seasons and all that remains is the bullpen...(this is a happy article...no need to bring it down so we will move on).

The Phillies are now 26 games over the .500 mark, the first time that has happened since they went to the World Series in 1993. The magic number is eight...let the countdown begin.

Prediction:
Phillies over the Yankees in the World series.

_________________________________________________________

Quick Eagles note:

I am glad Kevin Kolb is getting his first NFL start so the team can properly assess his ability. With that being said, I think his security blankets will be dumping the ball off to Brian Westbrook and Brent Celek so look for them both to have big games.

Tune in to see Drew Brees and that highly touted New Orleans offense get smashed by a fundamentally sound and highly intelligent Eagles defense.

Flyers preseason hockey is under way...if nothing else, they will be fun to watch and cheer for but I anticipate another competitive playoff appearance.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

A big win by the Eagles, 2 wins by the Phillies in a day-night double header against the Mets, and a sunny 80 degree day...perfection in Philadelphia on September 13th.

Bravo and congratulations to Sean McDermott: an extremely kind, qualified, and gracious successor to Jim Johnson who had to LOVE what his defense did today forcing 7 turnovers and scoring a touchdown.

TE Brent Celek and FB Leonard Weaver both will be welcomed starters and could DeSean Jackson possibly eclipse 1,000 yards this season? Let's not get crazy, it was only week one but I did not expect a win, let alone a 38-10 blowout against a playoff team.

QB issues and articles to come later in the week I am sure. Sadly, since being the Eagles first draft choice in 2007, Kevin Kolb has had chances in the preseason and sporadically when it counts and hasn't shown anything to really hang your hat on.

Bring on Michael Vick in week 3 I guess, or Jeff Garcia, but whatever happens mark September 13th on your calendar for being a wonderful Philadelphia sports day.

Phillies

First, Kyle Kendrick bounces back and looks like the Kendrick of 2007 that went 10-4...blanking the Mets in the first 7 innings and giving up 2 runs, 1 walk, and 7 hits in 7.1 innings of work.

I will skip past all of the late game theatrics with Brad Lidge, I've covered that issue enough over the last two weeks, and just say that he recorded his 29th save.

Kendricks performance and Jamie Moyer's start the other day provide more evidence that Pedro Martinez could be used as a closer.


Then!!! Pedro goes out a turns back the clock for the whole country to see as the game was aired on ESPN...tell me this guy doesn't perform well in the limelight.

8 innings, 2 walks, 6 hits, 7 strikeouts, and 0 runs...now 5-0 with the Phillies 2.87 ERA and 1.09 WHIP.

Ryan Madson gave a much less dramatic performance in the night for his 8th save.

Another nice pick up for the GM Ruben Amaro and the Phillies front office was outfielder Ben Francisco who has provided some right handed production since arriving with Cliff Lee. The 28 year old went 2-4 with a stolen base and a home run in the day game. He has 14 sb's and 14 hr's on the season (He has a long way to go but could he be the future Jayson Werth or Shane Victorino... anyone???).

Side note: In case you haven't seen or heard of the sitcom "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," which airs on FX, might I suggest looking it up on hulu.com.

Phillies Closer Nightmare

Enough Already!!!

To quote Green Day: Wake me up when September ends.

I don't want to write or debate about the Phillies current closer predicament any longer. This is ridiculous...and almost laughable because the team is on the verge of collapsing like the Mets have the last two seasons.

The Florida Marlins are five games back and play the Phillies six more times, including the final series of the season at home which should make things interesting.

I don't want an interesting pennant race. It has been interesting the last few seasons and incredibly exciting but with health care in the state that it's in, I can't afford any late September heart attacks.

I think it is safe to say that Brett Myers, Brad Lidge, and Ryan Madson are not capable of closing a game at the moment. Whether it's health, confidence, or an amazing series of bad luck...further experimentation is needed.

I hate saying this especially after previously writing adamantly against this but...Pedro Martinez needs a shot at closing.

There I said it---knowing full well the list of arguments I have made against it:

1. He is old and might not be able to pitch night after night.
2. He has more value as a starter (he is better than J.A. Happ, Jamie Moyer, and Kyle Kendrick)
3. We have three "capable" pitchers in the bullpen (Myers, Madson, Lidge)--this point is fading quickly.
4. He has three career saves and the last one came in 1994 when he was with the Expos.
5. Putting Pedro in as the closer could potentially destroy any confidence Madson and Lidge have left.

Other options: J.C. Romero but he walks guys a lot and isn't expected back until mid September.

Martinez is supposed to start tomorrow night (Game 2 of the double header) against Tim Redding so it is highly unlikely a move would be made the day of his start but within the next few weeks Pedro Martinez should at least get one shot to come out of the bullpen.

The Big Baby

The Eagles franchise, 26 year old offensive linemen, Shawn Andrews, is a dominant and gifted football player.

He has a love-able, youthful personality that earned him the nickname "The Big Kid." Andrew lists Willy Wonka as his favorite movie of all time and owns a framed copy of a golden ticket. A few years ago, he went up against professional sumo wrestlers outside of the NovaCare Complex. He even sports a dyed "bro hawk" hairdo to show that he can joke around and have fun.

BUT...he has rarely been on the field since 2007 and many issues have arouse from the start of training camp in 2008. The 6-4, 335 pound guard/tackle has had many people in Philadelphia asking questions about his heart, maturity, loyalty, dedication, mental/physical/emotional stability, desire to play football...you name it.

After the Eagles took Andrews with 16th selection overall in the 2004 draft, he stood out from the rest of the guards in the NFC and made the Pro Bowl in 2006 and 2007 (he was the 1st alternate in 2005).

His play on the field and his personality made him a fan favorite--so much so that many people (myself included) still have hope for him and believe he will return to being an integral part of the Eagles offense in 2009.
The trouble began when it was reported that Andrews was unable to work out with the team in training camp last year because of mental health reasons. The Eagles front office did an amazing job this off season in acquiring two-time Pro Bowl and All Pro selection OT Jason Peters who happened to be Andrews roommate at Arkansas. They also brought in Shawn's older brother and former starter for the Cincinnati Bengals Stacey Andrews. Now, Shawn has talent and emotional support on the O-line and in the locker room, but he is still unable to get himself on the field.

Going into the season opener against the Carolina Panthers, it would have been nice to have "The Big Kid" going up against Julius Peppers instead of Winston Justice.

All of the questions and concerns with Shawn Andrews will be put to rest once he gets on the field and we all anxiously await that day.

Bio: http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/eagles_files/html/andrews_shawn_1.html