This Stuff Happened — 5/3/12

An Area Play.

There are bad calls and then there are the ones like the one Tim Welke made that’s pictured above.  This was an out according to Welke, who obviously went brain-dead for a few moments, or simply made the wrong signal?  Ever nod your head yes and say no at the same time?  Perhaps that’s what happened to Welke here, or else Todd Helton is master of illusion.  He is a crafty veteran.  Baseball has an odd relationship with its umpires.  From “area plays” to the old “the ball beat him there,” rationale that Wheels loves to wax about, getting an occasional play wrong has always been one of baseball’s quirks.  The question is, do you accept baseball in that form, or do you want instant replay.  Right now.  On everything.

I’ve read a good bit of commentary about this play, including the argument that an especially bad call doesn’t really help the cause for replay.  If the number of bad calls were steadily on the rise, or big games were being decided by bad calls, you’d have a better argument than pointing to this anomaly of ineptitude by Welke.  I am of the mind that I don’t really want instant replay reviews breaking up the flow of the game.  What I would like to see changed is umpires being able to ask for help on certain calls.  You’re telling me that the other umpires didn’t notice Helton a country mile off first?  A three second huddle probably could have fixed this, but a force out at first base is not allowed to be discussed.  Those are the type of rules that make no sense in baseball, not their insistence on maintaining the human element.

***

Roger Clemens is back in court.  I’m not even sure I know what he’s on trial for anymore, perjury?  I don’t want to dismiss the seriousness of perjury, but this isn’t a murder trial.  We’re talking about a baseball player using steroids and HGH.  I think it’s abundantly clear that the public has lost interest.  Even with Andy Pettitte slightly buckling under cross-examination, there seems to be no interest in Clemens’ 2nd trip to court.  The point, is much like the New Orleans bounty controversy, fans only care to a certain extent.  If you can rid the games of PEDs and bounties, most everyone would be in favor of that, but when it comes to handing down punishments, you lose your audience.  And, the people who are still paying attention often think the punishments are a bit harsh.  An entire year for Jonathan Vilma?

***

The Phillies lost an especially odd and frustrating game to the Braves last night, 15-13.  It had been decades since the Phillies scored 13 in a regular season loss and for me it brought to mind Game 4 of the 1993 World Series–only with much lower stakes.  I think a lot of people this morning are thinking, “Oh my God, Halladay.”  Roy was pretty dreadful after the first few innings yesterday, even if the Braves did bloop him a bit to death before McCann’s crushing blow.  More troubling was Roy looked to be halfway to the heat exhaustion he suffered last season in Chicago.  He insisted after the game he was all right, but then left the team to attend to a personal matter.  So, Halladay may have physically been fine, but perhaps he wasn’t as sharp as he usually is mentally.  I don’t really have time to worry about Halladay, but the bullpen is a major concern.  Brian Sanches.  Michael Schwimer.  Joe Savery.  We’re about 20% AAA these days. Is it any surprise the Phillies have trouble getting to Papelbon?  They’ve lost three games this year on the final at-bat with Papelbon still in the bullpen.  Something about that doesn’t add up.  The Phillies need to find a reliable set-up man aside from Chad Qualls, or begin to use Papelbon in a more non-conventional manner.

***

I’ve got some time-wasters for you if you’re interested on a dreary Thursday.  I’m usually not one to praise Grantland, they are shameless idea stealers after all, but the piece on a group of old sportswriters who were called “The Chipmunks,” is an interesting read.  I think Grantland is at it’s best when it takes some time and uses all the access it has to come up with something like this.  Anyone can write a snarky Mad Men episode review, but it takes some clout to put this together.

Along similar lines, Deadspin’s examination of the Sara Phillips controversy (scam? scandal?) is probably the best thing I’ve ever read on their site.  This is a couple of days old by now, but if you haven’t gotten the particulars, Sara Phillips was an internet personality that rose to some level of fame through the message boards at a sports gambling site called Covers.com.  She was eventually plucked from the boards to create her own content and made her way to ESPN’s Playbook Page, which is a new incarnation of their former Page 2.  It becomes interesting when you start to realize that ESPN may have hired Phillips without ever meeting her in person, and then she started to use her loose association with the company to defraud various bloggers/twitter handles/meme creators by promising them big dollars and a partnership with ESPN.  If you ever wanted to know how to hijack an extremely popular Twitter feed–check out the link.

 ***

Big Flyers game three tonight against Jersey in Newark.  What a shame the Devils don’t play at the Meadowlands anymore.  That feels like a more appropriate home for them.  Last night the Rangers won a game 3 in 3OTs, and those are the kind of games that people love to say turn a series.  I’m not sure if that’s accurate or just some cherry picking hindsight.  Regardless, you want to win those odd-numbered games.  Flyers Kitten?

Still The Beat Bang.

Weak End.

I'm 3.4 billionth in line to be King of England, 5th in Line to be Saints Head Coach.

The picture and caption are my lone comment on the Saints coaching situation.  I don’t have the energy to go into detail.  Hence the title of the post, “Weak End.”  I’m not sure how strong we’re going to close out the week.  Remember those Aussie T’s?  They had a shop at the King of Prussia Mall.  They were so edgy.  I had one that said, “See It. Fear It. Own It,” on the back.  I wore it around like I was free-climbing sheer rock faces on the weekend.  Very regrettable.  Almost like having a “No Fear” decal on your car.  I loved that shirt.  Anyway, they had another shirt that said, “Seven Days Without Soccer Makes One Weak.”  That’s what I thought about when I cranked out that awful pun in the headline.

***

I bet you are all anxious for a Flyers Kitten Update.  What’s he been up to?  Well, I decided to Google our good friend this A.M. and I found out that Flyers Kitten is a lot more famous than we let on here.  Perhaps you remember last year when Flyers Kitten went on a tirade about Ed Snider.  Actually, you probably don’t remember.  Flyers Kitten’s salty mouh wasn’t too well received around these parts.  The post didn’t even generate a “HA.”  It was a total, “is thing on,” moment for me.  But, what was lost on some was latched onto by others.  The Flyers Kitten YouTube video, which now has over 1,100 views, was also posted on Crossing Broad.  Crossing Broad is one of the most popular Philly sports blogs, and I know this because the guy who writes it has tons of haters and there’s no better indication of internet success than people ripping you in the comments section all day.  I’m just sorry I didn’t see this video when it was posted.  Opportunity lost for Flyers Kitten.

In terms of the actual series…The Flyers play tonight and Sunday afternoon against the Penguins.  Golf in 80 degree weather on Sunday afternoon or Flyers game?  Tough call.  By coming back to beat Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, the Flyers flipped the home ice in their advantage and guaranteed that every Flyers fan is now expecting a Cup run.  It doesn’t take much with the Orange and Black faithful.  I’ve already talked myself into it–come on aboard.  Standing in the Flyers’ way is Vegas.  Prohibitive favorites to win the series and favorites to win the Stanley Cup, the Pens have been installed as beefy (-200) favorites tonight.  It’s the biggest line on the board.  That would tell me that we’re coming back to Philly tied at one game each, but if the Flyers don’t get down two, three to zero tonight, who knows?  Flyers Kitten is sticking with his prediction of Flyers in 3.  Still the Beat Bang.

***

About 30 seconds before he homered last night, Ty Wigginton popped up in foul territory.  I had a Wigginton diatribe on the tip of my tongue, another pop up?  In his first two at-bats, he’d seen two pitches.  Ty, this isn’t Grand Slam.  You don’t have to swing at every pitch to get your token’s worth (still operating on 1994 Grand Slam knowledge when they used tokens).  In general, the whole Nix/Wigginton/Thome thing hasn’t exactly flourished in the early going.  Three slow, free-swingers.  Just what the doctor ordered to fill in for one slow, free-swinger who actually hit home runs.  But, Gabby Sanchez couldn’t catch the pop up, Wigginton homered, and he bought himself another six or seven at-bats.  For me, it was symbolic. This team is going to take your right to the edge of losing your mind.  If you allow it…

The second straight win over Florida evened the Phillies’ record at 3-3 and .500 has never looked so good.  There’s a cavernous gap between 2-4 and 3-3.  Don’t want to let the Nationals get too far out in front.  The truth is, every win is going to be important for this team until they get healthier.  A 3-1 win on Thursday was just as pretty as the seven runs they plated the night before.  A realist says the Phillies are starting players at 4 positions who wouldn’t be regulars on many other (if any) teams:  1B, 2B, 3B, LF.  Throw in the pitcher and that’s one patchwork lineup.  The Phils are working at it, though, and look a little better than they did heading into last weekend.

The Mets slink their way into town this weekend without David Wright.  Not seeing Wright on the field should allow Philly fans to curb their obsession for the “Worley and Brown for Wright” Mega-Deal that they seem to think could be pulled off with one simple phone call.  Bad News:  Nobody is coming through a trade for a good while.  Good News:  The Mets started well, but are still crap.  Phillies have to shrug off knuckleballer R.A. Dickey tonight before they get a match against whipping boy, Mike Pelfrey, over the weekend.  Phils got that first two of three last night, time to keep churning them out.

***

Pitcher of the Day Bet:  Status–($125)

Wow.  Never has a theory started so ominously.  I actually think it could be a good sign.  I’ve been humbled, embarrassed, it’s time to move on.  Dust myself off.  It was a mistake taking Greinke on the road.  Lesson learned.

Today’s Pick:  David Price (+105) vs. Boston.  I’ll do 100 to win 105.  Price is another popular Cy Young pick, and had the best start of the aces that are going back to the hill today for their 2nd start.  You’re welcome, Boston!

***

Quiz of the Day For Old Times Sake:  Beer Logos.  

Theme:  Stock Your Coolers.

My Score:  24/25.  Shameful.

Everyone enjoy the weekend, hopefully come Monday, we’re talking commanding Flyers lead and 5-4 Phillies juggernaut.

The Real Hockey Season Starts Wednesday.

The Signature Insouciance of Flyers Kitten.

When was my last hockey post?  It’s been a while.  Winter Classic?  Not sure if I have a valid reason for my Flyers neglect, or if I even can still claim die-hard status, but when the hockey playoff season comes around, everyone starts paying attention.  No other sport experiences the jump in intensity and drama that hockey enjoys during the playoffs.  Playoff hockey is one of the few sporting events I know that can draw in a random person flipping through the channels.  In Philadelphia, the playoffs have become an expectation, but so too has the unfortunate result that has followed for the last 3-plus decades.  The great thing about the hockey playoffs, though, is just about any team can get hot and make a run.  So, as the games start on Wednesday, we’ll belly up to the bar and see what happens.

Part of my Flyers cold shoulder, at least in terms of blog posts, has come from the strange circumstances of this season.  Last summer the Flyers blew up their team.  They shipped the faces of the franchise (Captain Mike Richards and Jeff Carter) out of town to clear the way for younger players and clear cap space for a franchise goalie.  The goalie came in the person of Ilya Bryzgalov, who was given a franchise contract even if he didn’t have clear-cut credentials.  It was a fresh start, though, and one that I embraced.  I just wasn’t sure how quickly the team could come together.  I didn’t know what to do with my expectations for the season.

As it turned out, the moves, with the exception of Bryz, couldn’t have worked out better.  Given the role of lead dog, Claude Giroux emerged as an MVP candidate.  Riding his coattails was Scott Hartnell with a career season.  Rookies Matt Read and Sean Couturier have been excellent.  Wayne Simmonds, who was part of the deal for Richards, surprised with 28 goals and brought a toughness and edge that immediately made him a fan favorite.  The Flyers started the season scoring goals in vast numbers, and not a single fan I know laments the departure of Carts and Richie.

There was that goalie issue, though.  At times Bryz was streaky, at times he was awful.  His play and the loss of Chris Pronger sent the defense into a tailspin.  The Flyers were exciting, but they couldn’t stop anyone.  More importantly, they weren’t playing a brand of hockey that has success in the playoffs.  The mid-season swoon, highlighted by bigger goalie questions than ever put a governor on expectations.  Did the Flyers even have the chance to get hot and make a run?

Coupled with the goalie trouble is the presence of multiple stumbling blocks in the Eastern Conference.  Early in the year, the Bruins looked destined to defend their Cup.  More troubling has been NY’s season-long domination of the Flyers, led by Henrik Lundqvist, who the Flyers couldn’t solve in six losses this season.  Throw in the Flyers’ first round opponent, Pittsburgh, and the road to the Stanley Cup Finals looks to be too tough a task to ask of this particular Flyers team.  But, the final third of the season provided hope, a look at a team that was playing better, looking more solid on defense and in the net, the Flyers did enough as the season came to an end to make you think that maybe they did have a shot, maybe Bryz could steal a series.  They’re certainly not favorites, not even to get out of their first series, but their play warrants a full fan investment.

Flyers vs. Penguins–Round One.

The Subplot:  These teams hate each other.  More than usual.  This rivalry has exploded in recent years thanks to playoff matchups and honestly the presence of Sidney Crosby who is probably the most hated hockey player in Philadelphia.  The boiling point this year was a game about ten days ago where a hit on Danny Briere late in the game set off a wild brawl that included Flyers coach Peter Laviolette nearly climbing into Pittsburgh’s bench.  Along with the on-ice issues, there has been plenty of yapping.  The Penguins have called the Flyers “scared,” Flyers coach Craig Berube called Malkin and Crosby “the two dirtiest players in the league,” and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  If you want soundbites and drama, this is the series for you.

Heath Issues:  For the first time in a long time, the Penguins are healthy.  The return of Sidney Crosby has made them one of the Stanley Cup favorites.  In his absence, Evgeni Malkin turned into the biggest offensive force in the league.   The Penguins are certainly healthier than the Flyers.  Chris Pronger has been out so long, you almost forget he was part of this team.  James van Riemsdyk, who emerged in the playoffs last year is still out of the lineup.  More immediate concerns are the health of Danny Briere and Nicklas Grossmann (who has been a stabilizing force on defense).  Both are considered likely to play, but we don’t know how close they’ll be to 100%.

Goalies:  Ilya Bryzgalov is the wild-card in this series.  He looked mentally checked out mid-season, but was perhaps the best goalie in the NHL during March.  He’s just come back from a foot injury, but contrary to earlier in the season Bryz looks capable of handling the playoff pressure in Philly.  For Pittsburgh, Marc-Andre Fleury has been solid, but he’s not a goalie that has especially frustrated the Flyers this season.

Pittsburgh’s Biggest Strength:  Top-end talent.  As good as Claude Giroux has been this year, the Penguins will still have the two best players in this series in Malkin and Crosby.  Containing their dynamic potential and limiting the chances for Pittsburgh’s dangerous power play is going to be key for the Flyers.   The Penguins probably also have an advantage on the blue line.

Philly’s Biggest Strength:  Scoring depth.  Giroux was 3rd in the league in scoring, which is rarefied air for a Flyer, but when it comes to putting the puck in the net, the Flyers have great depth.  The numbers might not be there for every player, but from Giroux to Hartnell to Jagr to Simmonds and down through Read, Schenn and Voracek the Flyers have three lines worth of forwards who can score in bursts and flip a game with a few strong shifts.  Also working in the Flyers’ favor is their repeated success in Pittsburgh’s building.

Prediction:  This never felt like the Flyers’ year for me.  Maybe that’s a good thing?  We’ll see.  The team came together better than I thought they would offensively, but there’s still a lot of questions on defense and in net.  I think this is a team built for the long-term, and this year might end up being one where the rookies and Bryz got their feet wet.  Also, Pittsburgh is very formidable opponent.  Penguins in 7.

Flyers Kitten’s Prediction:  Flyers in 3.

 

 

The Playoffs Without Sanchize. Now What?

I Imagine Kate Upton will come to Her Senses by Tuesday.

Well, my big takeaway from the week 17 was, if I was still alive in Fantasy Football I would have gotten credit for a David Akers TD pass.  That would have been awesome.  But, in all seriousness yesterday kind of felt like the day that all the disappointment was really hammered home for a lot of teams.  It started here in Philly where the 8-8 Eagles closed the season with another convincing win.  Hard to believe that ridiculous scenario from a month ago came just one Jets win shy of playing out.  Makes the Niners, Cardinals, and other hideous losses all that more unbearable.  And, I imagine similar feelings in Chicago, San Diego, New York, Washington, Minnesota, etc.  For a lot of fan bases now it becomes the time to wonder about your coaching staff, the state of your franchise QB, what will happen in the draft…it’s a long way to training camp.  For the lucky 12 squads moving forward….

Who will Play Playoff spoiler this Year?

Where are the Jets?  We spent the last two post-seasons trashing the Jets and then they won 4 road games and nearly ruined the Super Bowl.  Their playoff runs always seemed to belie their real talent level and now there are big question marks hanging over the head of Sanchize and Rex Ryan.  I imagine Ryan’s act isn’t as endearing to Jets fans right about now.  He’s obviously safe, but this terrible finish probably took away most of his breathing room.  And, when will the Jets draft a QB?  Will it be this year?  It’s certainly coming soon.  Sanchez could be 10-2 in the post-season–right now he can’t win regular season games so it doesn’t matter.  With the Jets off the radar, there doesn’t appear to be a team to fill their role.  I know a few people who are high on the Giants, but I don’t see a shutdown defense or a real match-up problem from any of the lesser playoff teams.  The NFL might get the to form bracket they always dream of.

Will the Saints Benefit from playing this Weekend?

If I’m the Saints right now, I don’t want to break the routine.  You go out on Sunday, put up 45 points, take Monday off and then get ready to do it again the next weekend.  Why would you want to have a bye-week right now?  Don’t mess with the rhythm.  And, by getting Detroit in the wild-card round they’re facing a team that will be more than happy to get into another shootout.  I’m just thinking of overall confidence level here and about how the hot teams seem to have a bigger advantage than ever in the post-season.  The Saints should want to and will keep rolling this weekend.  Bad news for the rest of the NFC.

How Bad are these AFC games?

Oh my goodness.  Pittsburgh at Denver and Cincy at Houston?  Tebow, Delhomme(?) and the Scarlet Lobber?  This is the playoffs, right?  I guess this is a testament to defense?  Denver, Cincy and Houston will all fight you to the death on that side of the ball, but are we talking ratings suicide with Cincy/Houston?  There are enough Steelers fans and Tebow fans to perhaps set some records in that puke fest, but my goodness who is going to watch this other game?  The NFC is only better by default.  The NFC East probably didn’t deserve to send a team to the playoffs this year and the Lions can’t even beat the Packers’ 2nd string.  It looks like a lot of fodder clogging up the tournament, but you know what that means.  Upsets galore.

Which Defense will Submarine their QB?

Brady, Brees and Rodgers.  If you want, you can even throw Eli in there, Matt Stafford too.  These are 5 teams that give up a ton of points.  They make up almost half the post-season teams.  Plenty of experts will pick these squads to make the Super Bowl, but any and all could come up short.  I think you can definitely score your way to a title right now, but it’s a risky proposition.  I think back to a few years ago when Baltimore went into New England and jumped them early.  The Pats got startled at the opening bell and the big offensive guns never caught up.  The Packers defense tanked their chances two years ago.  The Saints couldn’t stop the Seahawks last year–that’s a problem.  People assume these stud QBs are going to meet in the conference championship games, but will their defenses allow that to happen?

***

Winter Classic Interlude:

All right, I’m heading out to the Winter Classic.   It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.  There are no other truths.  I’m expecting the Flyers to maintain the momentum of the Alumni game and pick up a win.  In truth, they’ve been struggling with the Rangers and Lundquist all year.  I’m pretty nervous.  The Flyers, in true Philly fashion, are giving “Bob” the start.  This officially starts the goalie controversy of 2012.  Why wait?  Anyway, should be a cold, thrilling spectacle down at CBP.  I’ll offer a full summary tomorrow if one is warranted.

Flyers Kitten (above center) is READY!