So, I couldn't think of a very good or fitting title for this post, so I had to pick a very corny and cliche one. But for this post, I'm going to take a very different approach to what I have normally been doing. I'm not going to bash other teams or be a loud-mouth Philly fan. Today, I want to focus on some events that occurred a few months ago in the Philadelphia area.
Nadin Khoury is a 13 year old boy who lives in Upper Darby, an area just on the border of the Philadelphia city-limits. His parents moved to the US years ago as refugees from Liberia, and he just recently moved to Upper Darby. Nadin is also a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan. Since he arrived to his new school, he began to be brutally bullied by his classmates. It began with some name calling, but peaked one day when he was brutally beaten up and hung to a fence. One of the bullies decided it would be a great idea to tape it with his video camera and post it to youtube...bad idea for that bully.
The video was discovered and the story went national. Nadin Khoury was brave enough to let the story surface for the public to hear and learn about, and even was invited to the daytime talk-show, The View. When talking about the story, all of a sudden, Eagles players DeSean Jackson, Jamaal Jackson, and Todd Herremans came onto the stage, and sat right next to Nadin. He was so shocked, that he began to cry tears of joy, and DeSean Jackson, our star wide receiver, gave him his jersey, and then spoke some reassuring words. It was a beautiful thing to see.
DeSean Jackson has a reputation for being a big-headed jerk. But after seeing this, it reassured my belief that he is a great guy, and a hell of a football player. His egotistical antics, in my opinion, make him hilarious. I am very proud to call him a member of the football team that I support, and am extremely glad to see athletes so involved in a good cause. Bullying is running rampant across the country, and by having star-athletes, who are the idols of many children, speak against it, we are preventing it from ruining the lives of young children. Here are the links to the Youtube video and the ESPN.com story about it.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=6120346
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYbY1gqAEx0
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
2 Star Athletes to Stay in Philly!
Ok, so maybe I'm kind of lying. At least one STAR athlete is going to be in Philadelphia for his next athletic season. There is another athlete who's also going to remain with Philadelphia, but he's not necessarily a star, and is not necessarily that exciting.
The great news is that the Philadelphia Eagles have placed the franchise tag on Michael Vick. This means that he is going to remain the starting quarterback for the Birds next year. We will pay him the average of the top 5 salaries of all NFL quarterbacks, and he's not going anywhere next year. This is great news. I think Philly would have burned down if we didn't keep him. Now we just have to look into keeping him in the future, which I really hope we can do. A deal will get done with him, and under his leadership, the Eagles will remain one of the premier teams in the league. For now, it will be interesting to see what happens to our "quarterback of the future", Kevin Kolb. When we drafted him about 5 years back or so, I still didn't think it was possible that Donovan McNabb would ever leave...well this is awkward. But anyway, look to see what happens to Kolb, and be happy that Vick is still in Philly.
Now for the news that isn't exciting at all. Pitcher Joe Blanton is not going to be traded, and will remain with the Phillies as their fifth starter. Fat Joe isn't too bad of a baseball player, and even hit a heroic home run in the World Series when we won. He was kind of a key player in the 2008 World Series, but still pitched in the shadow of Cole Hamels. This year, he will be pitching in the shadow of 4 aces! He can't even compare to Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, and Hamels. But it is also true that he could probably be the ace one a few really bad major league teams...so technically, we have 5 aces! But in all seriousness, in conclusion, here is a great picture comparing Blanton to the rest of our pitchers.
Notice his work ethic and concentration compared to Halladay, Hamels, and Oswalt. Now let's add Lee into the mix. This is going to be a great year.
Oh by the way, when I googled that picture, this also came up in the search. Gotta love the Mets, they're going to have a great year. It's a shame that they got caught up in the Bernie Madoff scandal.
The great news is that the Philadelphia Eagles have placed the franchise tag on Michael Vick. This means that he is going to remain the starting quarterback for the Birds next year. We will pay him the average of the top 5 salaries of all NFL quarterbacks, and he's not going anywhere next year. This is great news. I think Philly would have burned down if we didn't keep him. Now we just have to look into keeping him in the future, which I really hope we can do. A deal will get done with him, and under his leadership, the Eagles will remain one of the premier teams in the league. For now, it will be interesting to see what happens to our "quarterback of the future", Kevin Kolb. When we drafted him about 5 years back or so, I still didn't think it was possible that Donovan McNabb would ever leave...well this is awkward. But anyway, look to see what happens to Kolb, and be happy that Vick is still in Philly.
Now for the news that isn't exciting at all. Pitcher Joe Blanton is not going to be traded, and will remain with the Phillies as their fifth starter. Fat Joe isn't too bad of a baseball player, and even hit a heroic home run in the World Series when we won. He was kind of a key player in the 2008 World Series, but still pitched in the shadow of Cole Hamels. This year, he will be pitching in the shadow of 4 aces! He can't even compare to Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, and Hamels. But it is also true that he could probably be the ace one a few really bad major league teams...so technically, we have 5 aces! But in all seriousness, in conclusion, here is a great picture comparing Blanton to the rest of our pitchers.
Notice his work ethic and concentration compared to Halladay, Hamels, and Oswalt. Now let's add Lee into the mix. This is going to be a great year.
Oh by the way, when I googled that picture, this also came up in the search. Gotta love the Mets, they're going to have a great year. It's a shame that they got caught up in the Bernie Madoff scandal.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Pitches and Catchers Report!
It's that time of year again. After a painful fall and winter of Phillies and Eagles' playoff losses, there is something to finally look forward to. On Sunday, February 13th (this Sunday!) pitchers and catchers finally report to Phillies' spring training in Clearwater, Florida. I am already starting to get excited for the season, and couldn't be any more optimistic than I am right now.
Our pitching rotation this year is going to be phenomenal. Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and a wild card, either Big Joe Blanton or Kyle Kendrick, is a pretty solid starting rotation to say the least. It's going to be the best starting rotation in the history of baseball! I guarantee it, when the year is over, this rotation will go down in the history books. Their achievements are outstanding, with a few Cy Young awards, World Series MVPs, perfect games, no-hitters, and outstanding ERAs and records. No big deal. Too bad that we have to put up with Fat Joe, unless he gets traded, in which case Kendrick will get the nod probably....uh-oh. But I'm just being selfish, since I'm used to being spoiled in the past few years...a luxury that almost all Philly fans of any sport have never had. We aren't New York. On that note, to all the haters from the Yankees, you can't say that we bought Cliff Lee. HE TOOK A PAY CUT TO COME TO PHILLY BECAUSE WE ARE THAT MUCH BETTER! After that statement, I've angered about half of my readers, since the Yankees have been able to buy so many fans all across the world. Sorry guys, I have to fill the shoes of being a bitter, spiteful Philadelphia fan.
Our bullpen is going to be solid, as it has been for the most part. Lidge is an amazing closer when he brings his A-game (as in the 2008 season when he didn't blow a save). We just have to hope he gets off to a good, healthy start. Madson is also a good set-up man, and the rest of the bullpen shouldn't be a problem. I'm pretty sure that with the rotation that we have, our mid-relief men won't get too many opportunities to pitch.
My final comment is about the offense. I look back to the 2008 season when our offense carried us with the clutch bats of Rollins, Utley, Howard, and the like. I can only hope that we can get back to that level. Last year we had some health issues, and I really hope that age isn't becoming a factor. I believe that we can become the powerhouse offense that we one were. Look out for catcher Carlos "Chooch" Ruiz to have a huge year. Also, it will be interesting to see who gets the job in right field...either Ben Francisco or Dominic Brown, one of the top prospects in baseball. My vote is for Dom, who I believe has a great future ahead of him.
Well, that's it for my pre-season pep-talk in the spirit of pitchers and catchers reporting in a few short days. Sorry to the New York fans who I've ticked off. But not really.
Our pitching rotation this year is going to be phenomenal. Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and a wild card, either Big Joe Blanton or Kyle Kendrick, is a pretty solid starting rotation to say the least. It's going to be the best starting rotation in the history of baseball! I guarantee it, when the year is over, this rotation will go down in the history books. Their achievements are outstanding, with a few Cy Young awards, World Series MVPs, perfect games, no-hitters, and outstanding ERAs and records. No big deal. Too bad that we have to put up with Fat Joe, unless he gets traded, in which case Kendrick will get the nod probably....uh-oh. But I'm just being selfish, since I'm used to being spoiled in the past few years...a luxury that almost all Philly fans of any sport have never had. We aren't New York. On that note, to all the haters from the Yankees, you can't say that we bought Cliff Lee. HE TOOK A PAY CUT TO COME TO PHILLY BECAUSE WE ARE THAT MUCH BETTER! After that statement, I've angered about half of my readers, since the Yankees have been able to buy so many fans all across the world. Sorry guys, I have to fill the shoes of being a bitter, spiteful Philadelphia fan.
Our bullpen is going to be solid, as it has been for the most part. Lidge is an amazing closer when he brings his A-game (as in the 2008 season when he didn't blow a save). We just have to hope he gets off to a good, healthy start. Madson is also a good set-up man, and the rest of the bullpen shouldn't be a problem. I'm pretty sure that with the rotation that we have, our mid-relief men won't get too many opportunities to pitch.
My final comment is about the offense. I look back to the 2008 season when our offense carried us with the clutch bats of Rollins, Utley, Howard, and the like. I can only hope that we can get back to that level. Last year we had some health issues, and I really hope that age isn't becoming a factor. I believe that we can become the powerhouse offense that we one were. Look out for catcher Carlos "Chooch" Ruiz to have a huge year. Also, it will be interesting to see who gets the job in right field...either Ben Francisco or Dominic Brown, one of the top prospects in baseball. My vote is for Dom, who I believe has a great future ahead of him.
Well, that's it for my pre-season pep-talk in the spirit of pitchers and catchers reporting in a few short days. Sorry to the New York fans who I've ticked off. But not really.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Why I Love Michael Vick
There is nothing in this world that I care for more than my dog, Daisy. She is a five year old cockapoo, and is one of the most important things in my life. So for this reason, I should hate Michael Vick, who killed and tortured countless, innocent dogs in his dog-fighting ring, the Bad Newz Kennelz, right?
Nope. I love Michael Vick. He is one of the most exciting athletes in the history of all sports. There has never been a quarterback who has been able to engage, excite, and surprise every single person watching the game he is playing in, as Vick does. No matter what situation he is put in, he can find a way to win. On December 19th, 2010, the Eagles were down 31-10 in the fourth quarter. With 8 minutes left, Vick put the team on his back to win the game, 38-31. It was unbelievable...most of the city of Philadelphia had turned off their TV by halftime. The man is unreal, and this season was the peak of his career. Nobody can throw a football, and run like a madman nearly as successful as Vick does. He truly is one of the greatest athletes I have ever witnessed.
Now, you can argue that I am judging Vick based purely on his performance on the football field. This isn't true. I also think that he is the perfect example of a successful comeback story, and defines the appropriate use of the American legal system. When he was arrested for his atrocities a few years back, most people thought that Vick would never play football again. His life hit rock bottom, and he went to prison for almost two years, and also had a financial meltdown. Surprise, surprise, no other team but the Philadelphia Eagles signed Vick when he became eligible to play again, but benched him for some time, with Donovan McNabb as his mentor and Kevin Kolb ahead of him on the depth chart. Now, let's fast forward to this season. He had to step up when Kolb was injured, and ended up securing the starting spot because of this, and became a serious MVP contender. As a person, Vick has shown true regret for what he has done, and even goes on various animal rights campaigns to inner-city Philadelphia where dog fighting is prevalent. He has also settled his life down, is involved in various charities, and hopes to settle down with his fiancee and children. He even hopes to be allowed to own a dog one day for his daughter. He shows true development as a person, and true repentance for his past actions. I think that Michael Vick is one of the greatest success stories of our time, and is also one hell of a football player.
Nope. I love Michael Vick. He is one of the most exciting athletes in the history of all sports. There has never been a quarterback who has been able to engage, excite, and surprise every single person watching the game he is playing in, as Vick does. No matter what situation he is put in, he can find a way to win. On December 19th, 2010, the Eagles were down 31-10 in the fourth quarter. With 8 minutes left, Vick put the team on his back to win the game, 38-31. It was unbelievable...most of the city of Philadelphia had turned off their TV by halftime. The man is unreal, and this season was the peak of his career. Nobody can throw a football, and run like a madman nearly as successful as Vick does. He truly is one of the greatest athletes I have ever witnessed.
Now, you can argue that I am judging Vick based purely on his performance on the football field. This isn't true. I also think that he is the perfect example of a successful comeback story, and defines the appropriate use of the American legal system. When he was arrested for his atrocities a few years back, most people thought that Vick would never play football again. His life hit rock bottom, and he went to prison for almost two years, and also had a financial meltdown. Surprise, surprise, no other team but the Philadelphia Eagles signed Vick when he became eligible to play again, but benched him for some time, with Donovan McNabb as his mentor and Kevin Kolb ahead of him on the depth chart. Now, let's fast forward to this season. He had to step up when Kolb was injured, and ended up securing the starting spot because of this, and became a serious MVP contender. As a person, Vick has shown true regret for what he has done, and even goes on various animal rights campaigns to inner-city Philadelphia where dog fighting is prevalent. He has also settled his life down, is involved in various charities, and hopes to settle down with his fiancee and children. He even hopes to be allowed to own a dog one day for his daughter. He shows true development as a person, and true repentance for his past actions. I think that Michael Vick is one of the greatest success stories of our time, and is also one hell of a football player.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
The Top Ten Best.....and Worst.... Professional Philadelphia Athletes of my Lifetime
Welcome to the Philly Phanatic! Being a Philadelphia sports fan is one of my greatest passions, so this blog will be dealing with the endless drama, craziness, heartbreak, and glory (but mostly heartbreak) that all come along with being a Philadelphia fan. For the most part, my posts will deal with up to date events and issues, but for the grand opening of my blog, I feel it is appropriate to give all my readers a feeling of what it is like to be a Philly fan in my lifetime, and a taste of my opinions of Philly sports up to this point. In order to do this, I am going to list who I believe are the top ten Philadelphia professional athletes of my lifetime, and why I feel this way. Furthermore, it wouldn't be a true work of Philly fanhood if there wasn't any complaining or nastiness, so I am also going to list who I believe are the ten WORST Philly professional athletes of my lifetime. But first, here is my list, from 10 to 1, of Philly's greatest athletes of my lifetime.
a) Terrell Owens: A member of the Eagles' 2004 Super Bowl Losers, he had potential to go down in history as one of the greatest Eagles' receivers, and a part of possibly one of the best QB-WR pairs in history, McNabb-Owens. Unfortunately, "TO" is a clown, and only brings destruction to every team of which he is a member.
b) John Kruk: He would be a good candidate for my list, if it weren't for these words that came from his own mouth: "I'm not an athlete, I'm a baseball player." Gotta love Kruk.
10. David Akers: Yes, he's a kicker. But a damn good one. He is the leading scorer in the Eagles' history. I can only recall one year when he was not reliable, when he was injured all of the season, and linebacker Mark Simoneau had to come in and kick extra points.
9. Eric Lindros: Not going to lie, I'm not a hockey fan. But he's the best one I know of.
8. Brian Westbrook: A great running back for the Eagles. Also, very good as a receiver. Definitely one of the most dangerous offensive weapons for the Eagles' Super Bowl year.
7. Curt Schilling: Great pitcher for the Phils in the 90s. Ranks in the top ten for many all-time pitching categories.
6. Roy Halladay: Yes, he's only been with us for one season now, which has held me back from mentioning many other athletes. But this season was unreal. A 2.44 ERA, a perfect game, a postseason no-hitter, and a unanimous Cy Young award. The man is unreal. I can't wait to see him pitch alongside Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt, and yes, Cliff Lee. Trust me, you will be hearing about this pitching combo a lot more in the near future. Also note that I would rank him much higher if he had been with the Phillies for a few more seasons.
5. Chase Utley: Not necessarily a flashy player, but one of the most consistent. A critical member of the 2008 World Series team. Definitely one of the best second baseman around these days. Also a fan favorite, particularly with the ladies.
4. Ryan Howard: Another amazing member of the 2008 World Series Champions. Winner of the 2005 Rookie of the Year and the 2006 NL MVP, Howard has had an outstanding baseball career to this point. His only downfall is the amount of times he strikes out, but the man can crush a baseball.
3. Brian Dawkins: I can not think of any other athlete that plays with more heart and soul than B-Dawk. He truly was an amazing player for the Eagles for so many years, and his intensity will never be matched. By far my favorite Eagles player, ever.
2. Donovan McNabb: Sure, it didn't end to well with Donovan, but there is no denying what he did for the Eagles franchise. Along with Andy Reid, he put the team on his back and carried them out of the abyss that was the 90's for all Philly sports. Too bad he couldn't take the pressure of being a Philly athlete in the Super Bowl, and was on the sidelines throwing up as the final seconds of the Eagles' loss ticked off the clock.
1. Allen Iverson: I think that AI is a no-brainer choice #1. He truly is an amazingly gifted basketball player, and did great things for the Sixers' franchise, in its short bout of greatness. No matter how controversial he was, particularly when dealing with "practice", Iverson will go down in Philly sports history.
THE TOP PHILADELPHIA ATHLETES OF MY LIFETIME
Honorable Mentions: a) Terrell Owens: A member of the Eagles' 2004 Super Bowl Losers, he had potential to go down in history as one of the greatest Eagles' receivers, and a part of possibly one of the best QB-WR pairs in history, McNabb-Owens. Unfortunately, "TO" is a clown, and only brings destruction to every team of which he is a member.
b) John Kruk: He would be a good candidate for my list, if it weren't for these words that came from his own mouth: "I'm not an athlete, I'm a baseball player." Gotta love Kruk.
10. David Akers: Yes, he's a kicker. But a damn good one. He is the leading scorer in the Eagles' history. I can only recall one year when he was not reliable, when he was injured all of the season, and linebacker Mark Simoneau had to come in and kick extra points.
9. Eric Lindros: Not going to lie, I'm not a hockey fan. But he's the best one I know of.
8. Brian Westbrook: A great running back for the Eagles. Also, very good as a receiver. Definitely one of the most dangerous offensive weapons for the Eagles' Super Bowl year.
7. Curt Schilling: Great pitcher for the Phils in the 90s. Ranks in the top ten for many all-time pitching categories.
6. Roy Halladay: Yes, he's only been with us for one season now, which has held me back from mentioning many other athletes. But this season was unreal. A 2.44 ERA, a perfect game, a postseason no-hitter, and a unanimous Cy Young award. The man is unreal. I can't wait to see him pitch alongside Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt, and yes, Cliff Lee. Trust me, you will be hearing about this pitching combo a lot more in the near future. Also note that I would rank him much higher if he had been with the Phillies for a few more seasons.
5. Chase Utley: Not necessarily a flashy player, but one of the most consistent. A critical member of the 2008 World Series team. Definitely one of the best second baseman around these days. Also a fan favorite, particularly with the ladies.
4. Ryan Howard: Another amazing member of the 2008 World Series Champions. Winner of the 2005 Rookie of the Year and the 2006 NL MVP, Howard has had an outstanding baseball career to this point. His only downfall is the amount of times he strikes out, but the man can crush a baseball.
3. Brian Dawkins: I can not think of any other athlete that plays with more heart and soul than B-Dawk. He truly was an amazing player for the Eagles for so many years, and his intensity will never be matched. By far my favorite Eagles player, ever.
2. Donovan McNabb: Sure, it didn't end to well with Donovan, but there is no denying what he did for the Eagles franchise. Along with Andy Reid, he put the team on his back and carried them out of the abyss that was the 90's for all Philly sports. Too bad he couldn't take the pressure of being a Philly athlete in the Super Bowl, and was on the sidelines throwing up as the final seconds of the Eagles' loss ticked off the clock.
1. Allen Iverson: I think that AI is a no-brainer choice #1. He truly is an amazingly gifted basketball player, and did great things for the Sixers' franchise, in its short bout of greatness. No matter how controversial he was, particularly when dealing with "practice", Iverson will go down in Philly sports history.
THE WORST PHILLY ATHLETES OF MY LIFETIME
10. Winston Justice: It's time for him to go. Poor Michael Vick can't get any time in the pocket. Thank god he has superhuman athletic ability.
9.Wes Helms: Didn't contribute whatsoever to an otherwise good Phillies team. 2 years, 16 million dollars wasted.
8. Rod Barajas: See description above. Thank god for Carlos Ruiz.
7. Greg Lewis: Surprised to say that he is the only Eagle to have a TD reception in the Super Bowl. Otherwise, he's trash.
6. Todd Pinkston: I had to deal with too many years of him being an Eagles' starting receiver. Check out this youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls794MhIkU4
5. Adam Eaton: 3 years, $24 million of pain. I can't believe he has a World Series Ring.
4. Jose Mesa: Miserable pitcher.
3. Samuel Dalembert: The Haitian Sensation. Not much of a sensation for the Sixers.
2. Pat Burrell: This is a very tough thing to do. One of the most controversial Philadelphia athletes. I have a love-hate relationship with him. He was a crucial member of the 2008 World Series team, with a clutch double in Game 5. But he has such an interesting personality. Pat the Bat is recognized as one of the biggest, laziest jerks in Philadelphia. I have plenty of stories about him, but they would not be appropriate for this setting. Oh by the way, he batted 1 for 27 in the World Series, and had a very lackluster career, even though he is one of the greatest college baseball players in history.
1. Freddie Mitchell: Fred-Ex. 4th and 26. The People's Champ. What a jackass.
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