Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Goodbye Peter Zezel


Sad news from the Flyers tonight. Mid 1980's Flyer standout Peter Zezel has passed away at the young age of 44 from a rare blood disorder. A cool story I read about Zezel today -- apparently at the end of his playing career, he was playing for Vancouver and requested a trade to an East Coast team to be closer to his dying niece. Vancouver promptly deals him to Anaheim and instead of accepting the deal, Zezel retires. That's pretty unbelievable. Says a lot about the guy. Thoughts & prayers go out to Zezel's family.


In other news, apparently Kurt Rambis is OUT as a candidate to replace the recently jettisoned Tony DiLeo (well, jettisoned back to the front office, I should say). That sucks - I was looking forward to Rambis rec-specs night at the Wachovia Center. Word on the street is that the Sixers talked to Avery Johnson, but he's "not ready" to leave his perch at ESPN. Translation, "Thanks Philly, but I'm not interested in that mess you are marketing as the Sixers." I've also heard the Sixers are trying to talk to Jeff Van Gundy about their coaching opening. He is definitely my top choice. I would love to have JVG bring his scrappy ankle biting ways and baggy, sleeped deprived eyes to Philly. Count me as el capital of that cruise ship.

So, should the UGA-UF be moved to the Georgia Dome as is being discussed? My vote is no. The last thing I want to see is the Dawgs self-destructing and losing religiously in Atlanta. That coupled with the sudden influx of jean shorts, gold chains and mullets, known as "Gaytor Nation" is enough to keep this Dawg fan hoping the game stays in Jacksonville, at the so-called "neutral site."

MAJOR props to Anquan Boldin for firing that bag of monkey crap moonlighting as an agent named Drew Rosenhaus. I'm not a hater or maybe I am. I'm a man of peace and high moral integrity - ask my Mom, who still doesn't read and hasn't signed up to follow the blog yet. Clearly, she calls em' as she sees them. Anyway, I believe this will precipitate a deal for Anquan. I'm pretty sure Arizona will do their best to deal him to an AFC team. If you are the Eagles, do you still make a play for him? Before you say yes, understand that he would likely cost a number 2, an angry sheldon and probably another pick. Not that that is highway robbery, but with the selection of Jeremy Maclin along with D-Jax, Kevin Curtis, the very underrated Jason Avant and possibly resurgent Reggie Brown, things are going to be heated at the WR position this summer in Lehigh. That being said, its definitely worth an exploratory call. Could you imagine adding a guy like Anquan to this offense -- wow, hopefully I will be able to sleep.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Still Lights Out???



So, as is typical for Philly fans to do, there is a good bit of concern around whether or not Brad Lidge has IT. I tend to be a little more patient then the average Philly fan (perhaps it was the sort of southern upbringing that took place in my home in Delaware -- by the way my Mom still is NOT a follower of this blog, talk about patience).


Here's the deal. Am I concerned about Lidge -- maybe, a little. But what people have to understand is that this guy converted an unheard of 41 of 41 save opportunities during last year's World Series run. That is completely ridiculous. There's no way he could continue at that pace and judging him by that is foolish.


My friend who we'll call Derrick, is a very knowledgeable, passionate yet often impatient fan (who proclaimed the Phils season to be "over" last year -- in July) thinks Uncle Charlie is doing Lidge a disservice by continually putting him out there. Yeah he's blown 4 saves already, but its still MAY and the Phils are still in first place, fresh off a trip to the Bronx and taking 2 out of 3 from the "all world" Yanks, who some believe to be the greatest thing since the arrival of DVR.


Keep in mind, the guy has been largely dominant throughout his career with the exception of one season in Houston, where he still managed to save 32 games. He's never blown more than 8 saves in a season. Physically, the guy is still hitting 95-96 on his fastball. His slider has been a bit erratic, but that's the nature of the pitch. You cannot remove Lidge from the closers role. I'd much rather him struggle in April-June, than in September and October. Now is the time to keep putting him out there and letting him work through this stuff. I believe we absolutely need Brad Lidge if we want to compete for another World Series. However, if Uncle Charlie panics (which has not been his nature) and removes him from the closers role, that would be send the wrong message and could mess up his head for the rest of the season.

I like John Mayberry Jr. and hope he is able to stay in the majors. He was crushing the ball in spring training and his right-handed power could fit nicely into our all-lefty line-up. Nice to see him HR in his first at bat too.


The Sixers search for their next coach is a joke right now (The aforementioned Derrick is dead-on about this, actually). The names being mentioned are about as exciting as watching competitive badmitton. The one guy I am in slightly intrigued by is Kurt Rambis. He had a winning record, albeit as an interim coach with the Lakers before Phil Jackson came along. Further, could you imagine if the Sixers ran a throw-back night and Coach Rambis wore his goggles (pictured above). That might be worth the price of admission alone.

In other news...
  • Took my first late night road-trip back from the beach last night in a LONG time and forgot how much fun they are. Of course having a pretty girl in the passenger seat, caravaning w/two of my best friends, hearing everything from Al Green to Metallica on the radio, and somehow taking a wrong turn and ending up at a high security military base near Columbus made the 2 AM journey that much more memorable.
  • In my opinion there is no greater place on earth, then the beach; However, throw in a couple days of rain and I can't get out of there fast enough. Don't worry loyal SFC devotees (that's the new acronym for southernfriedcheesesteak). I still managed to get a wicked tan thanks to some crisco and my leopard print speedos.
  • Anyone ever notice that BBQ is a verb in the north, but a noun in the south (more like a way of life); Speaking of which there's few things I enjoy more then grilling out.
  • Does anyone appreciate the miracle that is Rice Krispies? I mean this cereal miraculously pops on its own, once sed user adds milk. Are you serious? How is this not a greater phenomenon? No other food makes noise like this, with the exception of Pop Rocks. I might not be a marketing genius (though I play one Monday-Friday) but I really think food manufacturers are missing the boat here. I'm more captivated by this popping sensation now, then I was 25 years ago.












Monday, May 18, 2009

Dammit - Where is my A-D-D Medicine...


With a lull in the Philly/UGA sports scenes, I bring you some random thoughts. As I said, this blog will focus on sports, but I'm far too A-D-D to keep it to just one topic (or four).

First off, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all of the feedback, participation and good vibes you've sent regarding the blog. This is my toy, and in a sense, you go out w/stuff and don't really know if anyone really gives a crap about what you have to say. I'm still not really sure how many of you really care (and for some reason my own mom will not sign up for the blog), but you pretend well. Regardless, when you get a good response - it feels pretty good.

24 Season Finale: Thoughts? Personally I thought it was a bit weak. I mean, give me something more -- that could have been episode 17 for all I care. Clearly, Jack Bauer will live for a little bit longer and I'm glad to see Ethan Kanen back as Secretary of State. I loathe the President's daughter and think Jack's daughter could kick her ass anyway.

Am I the only person who is totally intrigued by "The Most Interesting Man in the World?" Seriously, I find myself DVRing these commercials and watching them on repeat. I don't drink beer, but if I hung out w/this guy, I might just be forced to drink Dos Equis. He's like a real life Chuck Norris.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1imLlJzcfY&feature=related

On Rollerblading: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfKTDMEoC88

Mike Tyson: did anyone catch him on Jimmy Kimmel last Fri night? I couldn't believe this was the same guy who:

  • Spent time in the big house for allegedly raping an beauty pageant contestant in Indiana
  • Was a maniacal, depressed, psychopath
  • Said he was going to make Joe Hipp's face look like "hamma-burger" meat
  • Bit Evander's ear
  • Told Lennox Lewis he was going to eat his children (even though LL had no children)
  • Bit Lennox Lewis' ankle
  • Told a female reporter he wanted to fornicate with her

The guy was so cool, calm and honest, it was completely refreshing. He even got his silver tooth fixed, which was somewhat disappointing.

Maxwell: How does anyone take 8 years off from "the industry" and come back sounding like this. Completely insane. I'm looking forward to BLACKSummer'snight, though I've been hearing about this trilogy for years. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mLfC2kkvPw

Speaking of music, If you haven't heard the new Ben Harper single, "Shimmer and Shine" do yourself a favor and check this out. It will be the best 3 minutes of your day/night (next to reading this blog). This song kicks ass. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTMqPTIbvzI

Thoughts and prayers go out to Jim Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Coordinator and architect of one of the most dominant defenses of the last decade. He's fighting spinal cancer and will be away from the team, while he gets a second round of chemo to treat his metastized melanoma. No one should have to go through anything like this, sadly, we all know someone who has been affected in some way, shape or form. I really hope JJ gets better very soon.

I'll leave you with this zinger, which took place about 10 minutes ago....Tonight my girlfriend, we'll call her Summer, informed me that she doesn't like to wash her face in the shower, but only at the sink. "Ross, you see when I wash my face in the shower its like I'm getting punched in the face uncontrollably. At the sink its much nicer. It's like, I'm just washing my face. It's nice." The more I know, the less I understand.





Sunday, May 17, 2009

Raaaaaaauuuuullllll....


Since Raul Ibanez signed w/the Phils in the off-season, a few friends of mine were having the debate of how much the Phils would miss Pat Burrell. My friend, we'll call him Jonathan (b/c that's his name), believed Victorino, Utley, Howard, Ibanez gave us 4-lefthanded bats in a row, which would be detriment and that Pat "The Bat" helped keep left-handers honest against the heart of the line-up. My argument was that Victorino could hit from either side of the plate and hitting Jayson Werth 5th could remedy the problem. Further, Ibanez could hit lefties well, was a better defensive player, could run better and was a MUCH better contact hitter. Ibanez also put up these numbers playing in cavernous SafeCo Field, so even though Raul was 4 years his senior and might not have a dog named Elvis he would bring to the World Series parade, I liked the move. Jonathan disagreed.

I know there were a lot of other outsiders, insiders and so-called experts who said we would miss Pat's robust production (typically: .255, 30 HRs, 95 RBI, getting lifted in the 7th inning b/c he's a defensive butcher). Another thing about Burrell, outside of CRUSHING Mets pitching (and that is really one of the great joys in this beautiful world), I swear the guy got more hits in meaningless 10-2 games, then anyone in recent memory. I wish baseball had a stat for that. He wasn't a guy I'd call "Mr. October" or even "Mr. Mid-June."

Don't get me wrong, there is something very cool about Pat the Bat. He played hard and played through lots of boos. I will always appreciate his loyalty to the city, as he was drafted the year after that piece of monkey-crap JD Drew was selected by the Phils and refused to sign w/us. Burrell signed with us, when the Phils were way down, played at the "palatial" Vet Stadium and was a part of some very bad teams. So there was something very refreshing to watch him ride down Broad & Pattison on the Budweiser Truck in October (with Elvis and wife). I'm grateful to Pat for giving the Phils fans what he had during his 9 seasons in Philly.

But numbers are numbers and although we are a mere 6 weeks into the season, take a look at this comparison, through last night (when Ibanez bat single-handly carried us).

IBANEZ: 368 AVG, 50 Hits, 9 doubles, 13 HR, 35 RBI, 14 K's, .735 SLG%
Burrell: 250 AVG, 27 Hits, 4 doubles, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 16 K's, .315 SLG%

Simply put, if Ibanez keeps these numbers up, he should never have to buy his own beer in the City of Brotherly Love for the duration of his 4-year contract. Even if he'll be 4o and a likely bench player at the end of his contract...I'm sure Jamie Moyer who will be in his 50s will still be our #5 starter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNYHoI47fw0&feature=related
























Saturday, May 16, 2009

Southern Fried WHAT?



I'm a die-hard Philly sports fan who decided to stay "down south" after graduating from THE University of Georgia. Did I mention, my heart bleeds for the DAWGS too?

What I am:

  • A voracious reader & listener of Philly sports news
  • A passionate fan, who cannot fathom a world without the ups and downs the Philadelphia teams provide
  • A water ice, WAWA and Peppermint Patty junkie
  • A soldier of freedom (I just like the way that sounds)

What I am not:

  • A person who is not the slightest bit "connected" with any "INSIDE" information
  • The type of Philly/UGA fan who is completely blind
  • An excuse maker -- 99.8% time I don't believe the refs lose a game for you (save the 2002 Kings-Lakers series - game 6)
  • Someone who enjoys mayonnaise or seafood - EVER

I will probably stick to Philly and UGA sports, but don't be surprised to get additional commentary on other things I'm thinking about. Whether that be about my favorite band, my wonderful girlfriend, my 12-year old wonder dog or anything related to what's on my mind. If you're lucky (and I'm lucky enough to have people who actually read and comment on this blog) I might even address your comments.

What you get are my honest opinions and probably some grammatical errors, which would make my 3rd grade teachers hit me with a ruler. I welcome your feedback, especially when you agree. If you disagree w/me, that's fine -- you are wrong. After all, this is my domain. I am king - this is my SOUTHERN FRIED CHEESESTEAK. Hope you enjoy reading it, as much as I will enjoy writing about it!