Flyers Bounced Out of Playoffs in Game 7

The Flyers started their 2013-14 season with one of the franchises worst starts, posting a 3-11 record through their first 14 games. After dropping the first 3 games of the regular season they fired coach Peter Laviolette, which opened the door for former Flyers left winger Craig Berube to step in to lead the Flyers. Berube had a tall task ahead of him as the new head coach, and as we know he exceeded all expectations, leading the Flyers to the playoffs. It may have been an early exit, but just making the playoffs after that kind of start is something for this group to be proud of.

Flyers Goaltender Steve Mason's Incredible Effort
Not Enough Against Rangers

The 1st period tonight was a pretty even battle. Goaltender Steve Mason continued the dominance he showed in Game 6, repeatedly making big save after big save. Mason's effort kept the Flyers in this one, rejecting some excellent scoring chances produced by the Rangers offense. The 1st period ended with the two team still knotted 0-0.

The 2nd period was a completely different story. The Flyers never showed up in the 2nd period, allowing the Rangers to dominate in every facet of the game. Ex-Flyer Dan Carcillo, who was a healthy scratch in Games 5 and 6, found the back of the net 3 minutes into the 2nd period on a beautiful pass into the slot by Mats Zuccarello. The Rangers were able to score their second goal 8 minutes later on a shot by Benoit Pouliot. Both goals in the 2nd period Mason had no shot at stopping. He made some incredible saves this evening, but these goals were on the Flyers defense. No way a man can go unmarked in the slot multiple times in the same period of a winner take all Game 7. Mason did everything he could in this game, but one man can't win a game in a hockey game, even the man between the pipes.

The Flyers came out in the 3rd period with the fire they should have had from the very beginning. However, Mason's terrific performance kept the Flyers within striking distance, just a 2 goal deficit with 20 minutes left to play. Just 4 minutes and 30 seconds into the 3rd, Flyers forward, Jason Akeson netted his 2nd career playoff goal, beating Henrik Lundqvist top shelf stick side. Trailing just 2-1 with over 15 minutes left to play, the Flyers seemed to be right where they wanted to be. The Comeback Kids were priming yet another comeback to steal Game 7, and the series.

Unfortunately, it just wasn't meant to be. The Flyers seemed to lose some momentum quickly after Akeson's goal, playing more sloppy and desperate, than with a fiery purpose. They were able to add some decent scoring chances late, but no other pucks found their way past Lundqvist in this one.

Overall, the Flyers loss is obviously disappointing. Even though going into the series I thought the Rangers were the better team from an objective standpoint, as a Philly fan I couldn't help but convince myself that the Flyers were going to win this Game 7, move on to play the Penguins in a series they had a shot to win, and possibly advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Then, who knows, maybe Mason is still playing incredible hockey, the Flyers penalty kill stays hot, and they make it back to the Stanley Cup Finals. That's what I do as a Philly fan. Come up with unrealistic expectations, completely invest in the team emotionally, and inescapably get my heart ripped out of my chest every time the opposing team moves on and a Philly team doesn't. Happens every time. Cuts real deep.

Only time will heal the wound this first round Game 7 exit has caused. But there's hope for next year. The Flyers have (hopefully, please please please let it be true) FINALLY found a goaltender they can rely on to win them big games. Mason may have the best glove in the game, and the way he moved these past 2 games makes him seem much older and much more experienced than his 25 years suggests. Definitely need to add a goal scorer who can create his own opportunities. Maybe they have that in Jake Voracek, but only time will tell. Also, they absolutely have to sure up their defense. Need to get some guys on board who not only can hit, but can also move the puck effectively without turning the puck over in the defensive zone.

All we can do is wait, and appreciate the excitement the Flyers brought us this season. There was no playoff hockey in Philadelphia last year, and it was surely missed. The Flyers run may be over, but at least they made a run. The Rangers were the better team in this series and the Flyers were able to stretch the series to 7 games. Gotta give credit where credit is due.
 

Flyers Force a Game 7

The Philadelphia Flyers came into Game 6 with their backs against the wall, facing a win or go home situation Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center against the New York Rangers. They answered the call.

The Flyers were controlling the puck right from the opening faceoff. There were a few defensive zone turnovers early in the 1st period, but goaltender Steve Mason was able to bail the Flyers defense out time and time again. Mason finished the game with 34 saves on 36 shots faced. He was absolutely incredible Tuesday night, flashing his glove, moving post to post, getting set up early, seeing through screens. He played with a ton of confidence, making tough saves look easy. Mason's performance was just what the Flyers needed Tuesday night in a crucial Game 6.

The Flyers opened up the scoring on a powerplay goal by forward Wayne Simmonds 7 minutes into the 1st period. He set up to Rangers' goaltender Henrik Lundqvist's right, and kept gathering rebounds until he pounded the puck into the back of the net.

The Flyers held their 1-0 lead through the remainder of the 1st period. Simmonds hit the twine for the second time in the game just a minute thirty into the 2nd period. The goal was very similar to his first goal of the night. Simmonds was camped on the side of the net where Brayden Schenn found him for the assist.

Wayne Simmonds Celebrates After Scoring His Second of
His 3 Goals in Game 6

The Flyers penalty kill, which was perfect yet again Tuesday night, fought off a penalty committed by recently activated defenseman Erik Gustafsson. The penalty was a weak high sticking call in which Gustafsson's stick barely brushed the helmet of Rangers' forward Derek Dorsett, who has repeated flopped in this series to draw penalties. After the penalty was killed, Gustafsson broke out of the box, received an outlet pass, which turned into a breakaway, and Gustafsson beat Lundqvist through the 5 hole to give the Flyers a commanding 3-0 lead.

Simmonds found his way on the scoreboard again, with yet another powerplay goal to record his first career playoff hat-trick. The goal was set up by a smooth cross ice pass by Claude Giroux to Jakub Voracek, who wheeled into the slot and threw the puck towards the net, which found Simmonds stick for the deflection to beat Lundqvist and give the Flyers the 4-0 lead.

The Flyers were able to hold their 4-0 lead until the14th minute of the 3rd period when Rangers' forward Carl Hagelin put a shot past Mason for the first time in Game 6 to make the game 4-1. 2 minutes later, the Rangers pulled their goalie and Giroux was able to score an empty netter to put the Flyers back up by 4, with a score of 5-1. The Rangers added another tally with less than a minute left in the game with a goal by forward Mats Zuccarello. The final score was 5-2.

Overall, the Flyers played a great hockey game from start to finish. The power play was great, the penalty kill was great, Steve Mason was fantastic, and the Flyers dominated the hockey game.

The Flyers look to keep on rolling and harness the momentum they built up in their Game 6 victory by taking the train up to NYC, and finishing the Rangers off in a winner take all Game 7 Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

The game can be seen on Wednesday night, at 7 PM EST, on NBC Sports.

Fun Fact of the Night: 640 hats rained down onto the Wells Fargo Center ice when Wayne Simmonds recorded his hat-trick.

P.S. It worked for Game 6, gotta keep the mojo going....

.

GO FLYERS!

Flyers Facing Elimination in Game 6

The Flyers find themselves in a must win situation tonight at the Wells Fargo Center in Game 6 against the New York Rangers. Over the weekend the Flyers were able to win Game 4 on Friday night to tie the series at 2 a piece. Goaltender Steve Mason looked fantastic in Game 4. After giving up an early goal on a sick wrap around by Rangers' forward Dominic Moore 4 minutes in to the first period, Mason did not allow another goal. He finished the evening saving 31 of the 32 shots he faced.

Then, Sunday rolled around, and the Flyers that played on Friday night were nowhere to be found in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the 2nd period. Flyers' forward Vincent Lecavalier scored a late 2nd period goal to put the game within reach, just a 2 goal deficit heading in to the final period. Late in the 3rd, with just a minute thirty left in the game, Flyers star Claude Giroux found the back of the net for the first time in the playoffs. The Comeback Kids' effort however was not enough, and Brian Boyle was able to notch an empty netter to seal the game for the Rangers with 15 seconds left to go and subsequently giving the Rangers the 3-2 series lead.

So, the Flyers are facing elimination tonight at home, and if they win, they take that trip up 95 to MSG for Game 7 tomorrow. No team has won two games in a row in this series, so hopefully that trend continues tonight, then the Flyers are able to break that trend tomorrow and move on to the second round.

Even though the Flyers have managed to win 2 games against the Rangers in this series, you get the feeling that the Flyers are simply out matched in this one. The matchup wasn't ideal on paper, and it is showing on the ice in this series. Giroux absolutely, 100%, has to come out of the gates like he did in the 2012 playoffs against the Penguins.....

j

Giroux has to set the tone for the Flyers. The only chance for the Flyers to force a Game 7 is if their star plays like his head is on fire. The Flyers need a spark. Maybe Giroux's late goal in Game 5 will provide the Flyers captain with what he needs to spark a Game 6 win.

This series has been very frustrating to watch, but the Flyers are still just 2 wins away from moving on and facing the Penguins. Plus, the fact that there is no break between Games 6 and 7 aides the Flyers tremendously. If the Flyers pull off a win tonight at home and stave off elimination for 1 more game, they go right back to MSG and play tomorrow. The momentum will be in their favor. The Flyers will be riding high, and the Rangers will be down on themselves for not closing the deal in Game 6.

Time to get FLYERED UP!!!!!



Game 6 starts at 7:30 EST on Comcast Sportsnet, or TSN, or NBC Sports depending on your provider.

Union look to bounce back in Montreal

   After the first eight games of the 2014 MLS season, the Philadelphia Union (1-2-5) are certainly not where John Hackworth hoped they would be. Sitting on eight points, the Union are surprisingly right in the midst of things, occupying the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. And with 26 games left in the season,  it's hardly time to start panicking.
   An unfavorable schedule last week didn't help things, as Philadelphia played three games in six days, ending with a dull 0-0 tie at home with the Houston Dynamo. The Union were lucky to not concede in that first half, being outshot by Houston 12-1. Thank god for Zac McMath. And the post. The Union did manage to turn things around in the second half, controlling 60% of possession and outshooting Houston 11-0, but still could not manage to find the back of the net. Andrew Wenger has looked good in his first three games since being acquired via trade, but he has not helped the Union's scoring issues. While he seems more comfortable than Jack McInernery in the team's system, he has only one goal and missed a sitter in second half stoppage time against the Dynamo.
   Speaking of that trade, the Union travel to Montreal this Saturday to face the Impact and ex-Union striker Jack McInerney. As a Union original, this will be his first career game against the Union and you know he will be out to prove they made the wrong decision in trading him.
   Montreal boasts Major League Soccer's worst record, at 0-4-3, and will be looking for their first win of the season. The Union will struggle containing forwards McInerney and Italian legend Marco Di Vaio, who scored against Philly in their first meeting earlier this season, a 1-1 tie in week 3. The Union face a porous defense but are granted their best shot of finding the back of the net in the foreseeable future. It should be interesting to see the on-field relationship between McInerney and his ex-teammates. You can catch this game on CSN at 4:00pm.
   Sebastian Le Toux was not featured in last weeks starting XI, but should receive the start this Saturday in Montreal. I'll pretend I'm John Hackworth and leave you with what would be my starting lineup for tomorrow's game.
Zac McMath; Sheanon Williams, Amobi Okugo,  Austin Berry, Raymon Gaddis; Maurice Edu, Brian Carroll,  Vinvent Nogueria, Leo Fernandes; Connor Casey, Andrew Wenger.
We'll see what happens.
DOOP

Hamels is Back!

Finally some good news for Philadelphia sports fans. Last night the Flyers lost in horrific fashion by the score of 4-1 at the hands of the New York Rangers, thus allowing the Rangers to take a 2-1 series lead and take back home ice advantage as quickly as they had lost it.

Let's forget about all that because HAMELS IS BACK!!!

Cole Hamels Will Make His First Start of the 2014
Season Tonight Against the Dodgers

Cole Hamels will be making his season debut tonight in Los Angeles when the Phils take on the Dodgers at 10:10 EST time. Hamels suffered from shoulder tendinitis in the offseason and was about a week behind schedule at the start of spring training. He threw a bullpen of about 35 pitches and said that it felt like he had thrown a thousand. He was beyond fatigued after completing his 35 pitch bullpen, which raised a red flag for the Phils ace. Hamels was said to be out until around mid-April after the incident in the bullpen, but many members of the Philadelphia media thought the Phillies organization may have been downplaying the significance of the injury citing last year's incident with Chase Utley. Some members of the media thought Hamels could be out until late May, even early June. Those media members were thankfully wrong and Hamels has been activated and will start tonight. 

The Phillies have been very average so far this season and that is without their ace in the rotation. Hopefully adding Hamels to the mix will allow for some more wins to come the Phillies' way.

The Phillies are currently 10-10 and riding a 3 game win streak. Luckily for the Phils, the Washington Nationals have slipped up a bit and the Atlanta Braves have stayed fairly close to the Phils in terms of record. The Phillies 3.5 games out of first place in the N.L. East at the moment with 142 games left to play. Plenty of time to turn this mediocre team in to a playoff contending team.

Hopefully Hamels will give the Phillies the boost that they need to get back to 2008 style Phillies baseball.

Just to give you a reminder of the brand of baseball I am alluding to...

Sorry for the super small video, just full screen it and it looks fine.                                                               

                                                          

By the way, if you don't get chills at the 4:50 mark, you aren't a true Phillies fan. 

R.I.P Harry Kalas. Phillies games aren't the same without you.                                            

Flyers vs. Rangers Game 2 Recap

Sunday's game started off just as Game 1 ended. The Rangers opened up the scoring 4 minutes into the 1st period with a goal by Martin St. Louis. Flyers' defenseman Andrew MacDonald's pass was intercepted in the neutral zone, which sprung the Rangers' odd man rush, resulting in St. Louis' first goal of the playoffs. Later in the 1st period Flyers' forward Sean Couturier was called for a weak roughing penalty on Rangers' Dan Girardi. The Rangers took advantage of the man advantage when Benoit Pouliot delivered a powerplay goal.

The Flyers were in desperate need of a spark to ignite the offense and get them back on track. Trailing 2-0 in a 7 game series is a huge challenge compared to a series tied at 1-1. Plus, the idea of the Flyers being unable to win at Madison Square Garden kept building momentum and leaving a heavier burden on the minds of the Flyers' players as the consecutive loss number grew. 

The spark the Flyers needed came at the 14 minute mark in the 1st period. Flyers' forward, Jakub Voracek corralled a bouncing puck from Scott Hartnell at the blue line, burnt past Olympic caliber defenseman Ryan McDonagh, made a sharp cut right to left in front of the crease and put the puck past a sprawling Henrik Lundqvist. Voracek put the team on his back and proved to be just the spark the Flyers needed. 

Flyers' Jake Voracek Sparks Game 2 Comeback Putting
Puck Past Sprawling Rangers' Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist

The 1st period ended with a 2-1 Rangers lead, however the Flyers were bulding momentum. Within the first 5 minutes of the 2nd period the Flyers were on the powerplay. Flyers' forward Jason Akeson, who committed the terrible double-minor penalty in Game 1, subsequently killing their chances at a Game 1 victory, came through with a key powerplay goal to tie the game at 2 a piece. About 5 minutes later the Flyers were able to take their first lead of the game. Flyers' forward Vinny Lecavalier drew a delayed penalty (play stops and penalty is assessed once team who committed penalty touches puck) and before the Rangers could establish control of the puck, Flyers' forward Matt Read threw a shot on net. The rebound bounced right to Flyers' defenseman Luke Schenn who was able to deposit the rebound past Lundqvist to give the Flyers a 3-2 lead.

Flyers' goaltender Ray Emery was huge in this game. He allowed those 2 early goals, but after that he was a wall between the pipes. The Rangers' had plenty of scoring chances in the 2nd period, but Emery kept everything thrown at him out of the net. If any of those chances would have turned into goals the momentum of the game would have swung away from the Flyers and back to the Rangers. 

Wayne Simmonds added an empty net tally in the final minute of the 3rd to squash any hopes the Rangers had of taking a 2-0 series lead. 

The Flyers leave New York and take the 80 mile drive down 95 back to the Wells Fargo Center after stealing a win at MSG. The Flyers control home ice after Sunday's win. In the 2 games played at the Wells Fargo Center during the regular season between the Flyers and the Rangers, the Flyers came out on top in both of them. The Flyers look to continue that trend Tuesday night at 8 PM. The game can be seen on NBC. 

Just as a side note, anyone who had tickets for the Miley Cyrus concert at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday, the show was moved to Monday because of the playoff game. And now the show has been postponed until August because Cyrus had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic she was taking to treat a sinus infection. 

Happy Easter!

Recap Of Flyers Rangers Game One

The Flyers continued their woeful streak at Madison Square Garden, dropping their 9th straight game on the Rangers home ice. The Flyers were simply outplayed in this one. They were out shot 36-15 by the Rangers and lost the game 4-1. They managed to keep it close until the third period when it all slipped away.

The Flyers took the lead 7 minutes into the game with Andrew MacDonald's slapshot from the point. The puck found its way through traffic and beat Henrik Lundqvist to kick off the scoring. The play was set up by Scott Hartnell's terrific effort on the forecheck. He laid Olympic Defenseman Ryan McDonagh out with a shoulder check, corralled the puck, and found MacDonald at the point for the assist. Besides that play, the Flyers offense did not look great tonight. The Rangers were able to tie the game on a weak goal let up by Ray Emery. Mats Zuccarello threw a shot on net, Emery made the save but allowed the rebound to bounce right back onto Zuccarello's stick and Zuccarello deposited the puck into a wide open net to knot it up at one a piece.

Flyers' Rookie, Jason Akeson Delivers Blow That Opened The
Floodgates For Rangers' Goals, And Carl Hagelin's Nose.

The game stayed tied at 1-1 the remainder of the first period through the conclusion of the second period. The third period proved to be deadly for the Flyers. Outplayed throughout the whole game, there was still a chance for the Flyers to steal Game 1 at MSG. That was until rookie forward Jason Akeson, who was playing in just his third career game, went to the penalty box 7 minutes into the third period with a high sticking call. It was ruled a double minor (4 minutes, basically 2 separate penalties on one play) because he drew blood when he hit Rangers' forward Carl Hagelin in the face with his stick. In Akeson's defense, it looked like he was trying to shoulder check Hagelin, fell off balance, and in doing so waved his stick around, which happened to catch Hagelin right in the nose. Regardless, it was a terrible penalty to take and the Rangers were able to score 2 goals in 47 seconds on the same powerplay.

Hagelin was able to stop his nosebleed long enough to tack on the Rangers' 4th and final goal with 4 minutes left in the 3rd and subsequently squash any hopes the Flyers had of a Game 1 win. The play began in the Flyers offensive zone. The Flyers rang one off the post causing the puck to deflect out of the zone, and Hagelin was able to capitalize on the ensuing odd-man rush.

Overall, this was a bad bad loss. The Flyers were out-skated, out-hit, out-shot, and thus, out-played. Giroux was completely shut down in this contest. The only reason he made his way into the box score was because he had one hit. Not even a single shot on goal by G. The Flyers need a lot more production out of their captain or else they're looking at a four game sweep.

The Flyers look to turn the tides and even the series at one a piece in Game 2 at MSG before returning to the Wells Fargo Center for Game 3. Game 2 is slated for Sunday at 12 PM and can be seen on NBC.

Jabari Parker Officially Declares for NBA Draft

We share in your excitement Mr. Parker

What a great start to the day. The sun is shining, spring is in the air and Jabari Parker will be drafted to an NBA team this June. As first reported by Sports Illustrated this afternoon, Jabari Parker has declared for the 2014 NBA Draft in a sit-down interview with Jeff Benedict. This means that all those ramifications I talked about are now ancient history! Now that Parker is officially in, all of the "big three" that are projected to be superstars in this year's draft have declared. The consensus is that some combination of Wiggins, Embiid and Parker will go 1-2-3 in the draft but all that's left is to decide that order.

A big part of that order will be decided on NBA Lottery night on May 20th. Since it is assumed that all three of those players will one day become big-time in the NBA, one could surmise that the order will be decided based on team need and not so much on talent. For example, the Sixers would rather draft Wiggins or Parker over Embiid because they already have the center position taken care of in Nerlens Noel. Although, I certainly doubt anyone would pass on Embiid if the other two choices aren't there.

Jabari officially declaring for the draft cements the excitement and hype that will be the 2014 NBA Draft. For all the fans of teams that didn't make the playoffs, May 20th can't come soon enough.

Union hand Red Bulls first win of the season in New York

The Philadelphia Union traveled up I-95 this afternoon to take on their Eastern Conference rivals, the New York Red Bulls, in the first meeting of the two teams this season. Both teams were looking for a win after relatively slow starts to the season: New York was 0-2-4 coming into the game, and the Union were 1-1-4, but winless in their last five games.

From the announcement of Philly's starting XI, this game didn't look too good from the start. A seemingly makeshift back four was surprising to me - Fabinho, Aaron Wheeler, Amobi Okugo, and Ray Gaddis - with Sheanon Williams and Austin Berry on the bench. It didn't bode well with me...or during the game either. I was surprised to see Williams on the bench after such a strong outing last weekend against RSL. Wheeler has been shaky this season in the CB role and the experiment as a defender isn't working out in my opinion. I like him as a removed forward hanging around on set pieces.

This game, however, had issues beyond the starting lineup. On the field, the Union failed to control the majority of possession in the first half, and newcomer Andrew Wenger missed a sitter in the first half. The Union came out slow in the second half - giving up two goals by the 60'. Quick question - how can you leave THIERRY HENRY unmarked and wide open in the box? As long as you get a cross into him he'll punish you every time, and he did with a beautiful one touch finish.

The U started to wake up after that second goal, eventually pulling one back off of a Sebastian Le Toux PK in the 80', but by then it was too late. Vincent Nogueria looked very impressive on the ball in this game, and Maurice Edu looked impressive again as well.

The 2-1 win by New York was their first of the season and pulled them level with the Union at 7 points after 7 games this season. Not impressive for either team, really.

The Union look to bounce back Saturday at home when they face the struggling Houston Dynamo.

Flyers vs. Rangers Playoff Preview

Ah, playoff hockey is back. The most exciting playoffs in the big four of American professional sports. Everything about the game changes. The pace is much faster, the crowd is a bigger factor, the hits are a lot harder, the beards are a lot longer. Any second a puck could hit the twine, light the lamp, and lift you to a euphoric height of emotion. Or punch you right in the gut, depending on which team scored. Players leave it all on the ice, blocking shots travelling at plus 100 MPH, backchecking hard knowing they're about to be demolished by a forechecker. No matter what it is they have to do, they do it all for their chance at hoisting up the Stanley Cup.

The Philadelphia Flyers begin this hard fought quest for Lord Stanley's Cup tomorrow night against the New York Rangers. The two teams split their season series at 2 games a piece, each team winning the two games they had on their home ice. Unfortunately for the Flyers, the series opens up at Madison Square Garden. The Flyers have struggled mightily at MSG, losing the last 8 times they have played there. But, home ice can slip from your grasp in one period of hockey, so let's not write the Fly Guys off quite yet.

One major concern for the Flyers is the goaltending in this series. It was just announced today that Steve Mason, the Flyers projected starting goaltender, would not start on Thursday. Mason missed practice Wednesday because of an injury he suffered during Saturday's game with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Penguin's forward Jayson Megna pushed Flyers defender Andrew Macdonald into Mason, causing the injury. The extent of the injury is not being reported out of the Flyers' camp, however it is suspected to be a possible concussion.

This is definitely bad news, but backup goaltender Ray Emery is a more than qualified starter in this series. He has had some struggles this season posting a 9-12 record with a 2.96 goals against average, and a .903 save percentage. Yet, against the Rangers in his career he is 7-2 with a 1.87 GAA and a .936 SV%. Not too shabby Ray, not too shabby.

The Flyers injury at goaltender is a concern, but it may be the secondary goaltending concern they have in this series. NYR goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is not just devilishly handsome...

...but he is also a pretty dominant goaltender against the Flyers in his career. In 39 games against the Flyers, Lundqvist is 23-11-3 with 4 shutouts and a 2.54 GAA. 

So, the Flyers have their work cut out for them starting tomorrow night at MSG. Gotta hope they can reverse the curse and snag home ice away from the Rangers in the first two games. Then come home to Wells Fargo and take care of business. 

Key Players:

Flyers:

Claude Giroux, Captain, team leader in points (86) and assists (58).

Wayne Simmonds, team leader in goals (29) and my vote for most underrated player in the NHL. And he can fight.

Jakub Voracek, second on the team in points (62) and assists (39).

Sean Couturier, not necessarily a scorer, but a HUGE piece to the Flyers penalty kill.Gets the puck out of the defensive zone and wins defensive zone draws on the penalty kill with the best in the league. 

Rangers:

Mats Zuccarello, team leader in points (59) and co-leader in assists (40).

Rick Nash, team leader in goals (26) and provides veteran leadership.

Ryan McDonagh, shutdown defenseman with world class skating ability who provides offensive fire power (43 points, 29 assists).

Derek Stepan, second on the team in points (57) and co-leader in assists (40).

The game can be seen tomorrow night at 7 PM on Comcast Sportsnet.

Sixers Clinch 2nd Best Lottery Odds

Just a little news to report as an update on the Sixers draft lottery position. Obviously seeing as how this whole year that has been dedicated to tanking, you'd expect the Sixers to end up with the number one pick given how bad they are. With that being said, the Milwaukee Bucks have actually found a way to out-tank the tankers. With the Bucks loss last night to the Raptors, coupled with the Sixers drubbing of the rival Celtics, the Bucks have officially claimed the best lottery odds and will have a 25% chance of winning the first overall pick.

Still not the worst team in the league...

So what does this mean for the Sixers? The Sixers are now locked into the 2nd worst record in the league and will have the second best odds at winning the first overall pick this summer at 19.9%. This also means that the furthest the Sixers can fall is the 5th overall pick in a worst case scenario. The Sixers chances at each pick are as follows:

1st Pick: 19.9%
2nd Pick: 18.8%
3rd Pick: 17.1%
4th Pick: 31.9%
5th Pick: 12.3%

I know it seems absolutely ludicrous that their chances at the 4th pick are higher than their chances at any other pick but consider this: the Bucks actually have the highest chance at scoring the 4th pick at 35.7% chance and the Sixers will have a 55.8% chance of getting a top 3 pick instead of the 4th or 5th so the odds are technically in our favor. You can find the rest of the NBA lottery odds for each individual pick right here.

I guess this lopsided distribution of probabilities is the NBA's way of trying to discourage tanking (obviously isn't working too well) and it seems really odd that the team with the 4th worst record only has 9.9% chance of getting the 4th pick. It doesn't take a genius to realize that the NBA lottery system is flawed in more ways than one but we're stuck with it for at least this year so all we can do is hope that the lottery balls drop in a way that makes the Sixers pain this season worth while.

But What if Jabari Doesn't Declare...

Could Jabari opt to play in front of the Cameron Crazies for another year?

It's been a whole 24 days since the Duke Men's Basketball Team was upset by Mercer in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament. In that time, Duke's biggest star and top 3 pick in the most hyped draft since 2003, Jabari Parker, has yet to declare for the NBA draft. Many sources have indicated that Jabari is taking his sweet old time deciding if he wants to build a "legacy" at Duke or take the money and start the next step in his career. Personally, I think that it's a no-brainer that he should declare and it's pretty ironic that I'm encouraging someone not to stay in school. With all that being said, ultimately Jabari doesn't consult me on his decisions and he will decide what he thinks is best for him. So if the unthinkable happens, and Jabari decides to stay at Duke for another season, here are some of the
ramifications that we will see happen in this year's draft and beyond.

Mock Drafts Will Shift

Basically every mock draft has some combination of Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid and Jabari Parker sitting in the top 3. Here are some examples:

• http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2014/
• http://www.cbssports.com/nba/draft/mock-draft
• http://www.nbadraft.net/2014mock_draft
• http://hoopshype.com/draft.htm
• http://www.thehoopstuff.com/hoopstuff-2014-nba-mock-draft-joshs/
• http://www.nbadraftroom.com/p/2014-nba-mock-draft.html

Had enough yet? 

Jabari is considered to be the most NBA ready of the "big three" and for good reason. Mechanically he is flawless and can already stroke from anywhere on the court. He has an offensive repertoire that would already be 1st class in the NBA. He's also not some slim jim like Kevin Durant was coming out of college; Jabari Parker lifts bro. He wouldn't be able to finish at the rim through contact like he does here if he didn't. 

With all that being said, if Jabari doesn't declare for the draft, it obviously makes this highly anticipated draft much less desirable. It will still be loaded but Parker is an enormous part of the equation because he is seen as one of the three guaranteed superstars. Success in the NBA is determined by collecting as many superstars as possible. Everyone else being projected to be picked after Parker like Dante Exum, Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon, Noah Vonleh, Marcus Smart, would all move up with a chance to take that third spot. That's bad news for the value of the Sixers 2nd lottery pick, as well as their 1st one.

The Tank Doesn't Stop Here

There has been a lot of controversy in the NBA this year about whether or not it is ethical to "tank" or lose on purpose in order to acquire a high draft pick. The problem is so prevalent in the NBA because one superstar player can change the organizations future very quickly. Since this draft is so highly regarded, there have been many teams showing symptoms of tanking, including the Sixers. 

So if Jabari decides not to declare for the draft, it could be argued that many teams would decide not to tank in the future because the obvious risk of a potential star player not declaring for the draft has been realized. I believe that the complete opposite would happen. NBA teams would continue to tank next year in the same blind hope that Jabari will declare for next year's draft, along with another crop of potential superstars that could end up declaring.

Jabari Parker excusing himself from the draft this year will not suddenly make teams decide that tanking was/is a bad idea. If anything they will tank even harder next year because there will only be one top prize, Jabari Parker. The tanking problem is a very tricky one for the NBA and can almost certainly not be stopped without changing the current lottery system.

Duke Will be the Preseason #1 Overall

On an unrelated to the NBA note, Duke will easily be the preseason #1 overall in the AP and Coach's poll when they come out next year if Jabari doesn't declare for the draft. Duke is already ranked #1 in S.I.'s very early preseason poll and that's assuming Jabari leaves. The program will be returning players like Rasheed Sulaimon, Quinn Cook and Amile Jefferson who are veteran leaders the team will need to be in order to counterbalance the #1 recruiting class in the nation coming in. The class includes the #1 ranked center in Jahlil Okafor and the #1 ranked point guard in Tyrus Jones. If Jabari comes back then the team will look almost unstoppable on paper. 

One has to wonder if all that firepower will backfire and make the team too good for its own good... 

I Didn't Call It At All, But I Totally Called It

I was completely wrong about Fernandez's domination of the Phillies this evening. I was oh so wrong. But, I was oh so right!! 

Remember when I said, "The Phillies best chance in this one is to get Fernandez's pitch count up and get into the Marlins' bullpen early. Then, hope that their own bullpen can do their job and shut the Marlins down." ? Keep that in mind.

The Phils handed Fernandez his first loss tonight, shelling him for 8 hits and 6 earned runs in just 4 innings. 4 INNINGS. Get to the bullpen early? CHECK.

A.J. Burnett struggled with his command tonight, but overall it was a pretty good start for him. Besides the 6 walks in 4.1 innings he only allowed 2 runs to score.

So, the bullpen had to close out the remaining 4.2 innings with 4 runs of wiggle room. The collective efforts of Jake Diekman, Mario Hollands, Antonio Bastardo, and Jonathon Papelbon allowed a combined 1 run and 2 hits, while striking out 5 Marlins at the tail end of the ballgame. Bullpen do its job and shut down the Marlins? CHECK.

And thus, the Phillies win 6-3, while facing the Marlins ace no less. Great game for the Phils, but more importantly, great call by yours truly. I put the keys to the game out there, and when they are executed the Phils get a Dub. Coincidence? Oh no. Baseball Genius? The credentials sure are starting to add up on that front.#WorldSeriesHereWeCome

Phillies Vs. Marlins Preview

Well, we all can agree that the Phillies' 3-6 start to the season is far from what we had hoped for. We can also agree that getting swept in the first series at Citizens Bank Park is outright awful. However, there is a ray of hope.
The Marlins, after a hot 5-1 start to their 2014 campaign, have dropped 4 straight games. They lost at home to finish up their series with the Padres 4-2 and were swept by the Nationals in their following 3 games.
So, we have a match up of two struggling NL East teams heading into a weekend series at Citizens Bank Park. Maybe the Phillies can end their own 4 game losing streak tonight and give their home fans something to cheer about.
The downside for the Phils (well, one of many) is the Marlins have last year's NL Rookie of the Year Jose Fernandez on the mound tonight,while the Phillies have aging vet A.J. Burnett throwing. Fernandez is coming in with a 2-0 record and a dominating 0.71 ERA. The only run he has given up in his two appearances thus far is a solo homerun at the hands of Carlos Gonzalez in his first start against the Rockies on Opening Day. Fernandez crushed the Phillies in three appearances last season, posting a 1-0 record allowing just one run in 18 innings.  

Here's Fernandez's Rookie of the Year highlight video. Around minute one he strikes out pretty much every Phillie in the lineup.


The Phils have to jump on this guy early if they want to stand a chance tonight. Burnett is currently 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA. Not terrible, but definitely not worth the $16 million he is being paid this year.
The Phillies best chance in this one is to get Fernandez's pitch count up and get into the Marlins' bullpen early. Then, hope that their own bullpen can do their job and shut the Marlins down.
So, to sum it all up, looks like the Phils will have a 5 game losing streak after tonight, subsequently dropping their 4th game in a row at home. Far from the start that we had hoped for, but there are 162 games in a season. Plenty of time to turn it around.

Who Is The True Homerun King?

April 8th was the 40th anniversary of Hank Aaron hitting his 715th Major League homerun and subsequently breaking Babe Ruth's homerun record, which, until that point, stood for 52 years. Hammerin' Hank went on to hit a total of 755 homeruns by the end of his legendary career.

At the end of the 1973 season Aaron had 714 career homeruns, one shy of tying Ruth's record. He is quoted in saying that his only fear was that he may not live to play in the 1974 season. Aaron received countless death threats during his playing years. Baseball was a white man's sport, and now some black player was about to shatter the most prolific record in all of sports? The white community was outraged that, "their sport" was being dominated by a black player. To his credit, none of this shook him, and as we know The Hammer went on to hit 41 more homeruns after 1973. 

Then, there was Barry Bonds*. On August 7th of 2007 Bonds* solidified himself as the man with the most homeruns in the history of major league baseball by depositing a ball into the right center bleachers at AT&T Park. Bonds* went on to hit a total of 762 homeruns* by the end of his career. 

So, in terms of numbers, Bonds* is the homerun king, right? He has the most homeruns in a career out of anyone who has every stepped onto a Major League Field. So, why the debate?

Because Bonds* cheated. 

Look at the difference between Bonds* at the beginning of his career..

And Bonds* at the end of his career....

That shit ain't natural!

There has never been any debate about whether Aaron did it cleanly. The dude had to fight through death threats and angry fans. He was booed at his home field! And he still belted 755 homeruns. 

So, it sounds like I just summed it all up. Aaron is the TRUE homerun king, not Bonds*, because Aaron never cheated.

If only it were that easy. Just to be fair, let's look at the case for Bonds*.

-Bonds* has 7 more homeruns than Aaron, and numbers don't lie.

-Pitchers, as do all athletes, progressively get better, so more than likely the pitchers that Bonds* faced night in and night out were arguably better than the pitchers that Aaron faced.

-Pitchers were taking steroids too, not all of them, but there is no doubt that a large percentage were, so Bonds* was just evening the playing field by being a no good dirty cheater. If they were cheating why can't he?

There are arguments for why both Aaron and Bonds* should be considered the homerun king. I personally think that it is Aaron, but this whole Steroid Era throws a big wrench in the mix that makes the debate worth having. If Bonds* never used, then no doubt, he would be the king. 

If only it were that simple. 

I would like to hear what you guys have to say on this topic. The varying opinions are out there, so let us hear them! Leave a comment below and we'll get this debate going!

P.S. I fully expect zero comments, but I love surprises.

#KingHank

Where Will The Pelicans Pick Fall?

This season couldn't have gone much better for the Sixers in terms of where their first round draft pick from the Pelicans may fall. With only 4 games remaining in the NBA season, the Pelicans, as of today, hold the 10th worst record NBA. They have lost 6 straight games and more L's may be on the way. It was announced today that Anthony Davis and Eric Gordon will sit out the rest of the season. Anthony Davis was pretty much the only thing keeping the Pelicans competitive down the stretch. Now that he's officially gone, almost all hope of the Pelicans winning another game this season is eradicated.

Don't believe me? Let's take a look at what the scheduling gods have lined up for the Pelicans final four games.

1.) @ Oklahoma City

Without Jrue Holiday, Anthony Davis AND Eric Gordon, is there any way that the Pelicans could conceivably stop Durant? I think this one ends scarier than this little Pelicans fan's encounter with Pierre the Pelican.

2.) @ Houston

Same logic applies here as before. I just don't think that Jeff Withey and Greg Steimsma have enough in the tank to slow Dwight… but maybe I'm biased, I don't know. More nightmares for Pelicans fans.

3.) vs. Oklahoma City

Now we're getting to the bowel end of this NBA season. Just one game left after this one and Pelicans are still facing off against the Filet Mignon of the NBA. At least they're home in this one… and it's the second game of a back-to-back for the Thunder so Westbrook will probably sit. It's possible that Durant will sit too if OKC has the 2-seed wrapped up at this point. It seems like it'll come down whether or not the Thunder can knock off the desperate Pacers on Sunday, but let's assume that Clippers keep the pressure on until at least after this game. Pelicans earn their 9th straight loss. These are dark days indeed Pierre. 

4.) vs. Houston

Last game of the season, last chance for Pelicans fans to watch their hometown team before they ride off into the summer of 2014, last chance for the Pelicans to improve their already slim chance of retaining their 2014 draft pick by sneaking into the top 5. Unfortunately for the Pelicans, there will be no stealing a win here against some team resting their starters for the playoffs. The Rockets are in a dead heat with the Trailblazers for the 4th seed in the West and I don't see that changing much down the stretch unless the Trailblazers collapse. Slim chance the Rockets rest their stars, slim chance the Pelicans prevail victorious. Sorry Pierre, you can play, but you won't win.

I'm predicting the Pelicans go oh-for-their-last-four and finish the season with a record of 32-50. The Cavs are 9th in the standings right now at 32-47 and looked poised to pass the Pelicans until they lost some key games and have since been officially been eliminated from the playoffs. Even with nothing to play for, I still think the Cavs have the talent to win at least 2 of their remaining 3 games against the Bucks, Celtics and Nets. That would put the Pelicans at the 9th worst record in the NBA to finish the season and a collective 6.1% chance of sneaking into the top 3 and retaining their draft pick. Although the Pelicans' draft pick is top 5 protected, because of the way the NBA draft lottery odds work, there's no chance they end up with the 4th or 5th pick by finishing with the 9th worst record. 

It appears that the Sixers have a pretty damn high chance of finishing with two top 10 picks in the upcoming loaded NBA draft. Pretty much a dream scenario considering the Pelicans were supposed to compete for a playoff spot this season. The Sixers and their fans should be ecstatic.

A Look Back At Desean's Departure

The dust has finally settled on the Desean Jaccson Saga, leaving behind a fog of unanswered questions. What did the police find, if anything, after Desean's home was burglarized? Is Desean in a gang, or affiliated with a gang? Was Chip Kelly the one who ran him out of the organization? Why hasn't Howie Roseman, Jeffrey Lurie, or really anyone from the Eagles organization spoken about the situation?

All good questions, and still no clear answers. 

Let's take a look at what we do know:

Desean had a career year in 2013, snagging 82 catches for 1,332 yards and 9 touchdowns. 

The Eagles signed wide receivers Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin prior to free agency.

Chip Kelly wants big guys, "big people beat up little people."
Desean is 5'10'' 175 pounds.

He has repeatedly thrown up Crip signs in games and on his Instagram account. 

He grew up in So Cal, where gangs are a part of the culture.
The Eagles shopped Jaccson, orchestrated it terribly, and ended up with no good offers.
The Eagles released Desean on March 28, 2014.
Eagles players and sources close to the team stated that Desean was released because he was a problem in the locker room.
Desean signed with the Washington Redskins on April 1, 2014 and will now play the Eagles twice a year.

As a listener of Philly sports talk radio, particularly 97.5 The Fanatic, I heard Desean Jaccson talk for 3 weeks straight. The topic dominated 90% of every show during that period, and after listening to it for so long I only have one real reaction to this whole situation....

Shit....

The Eagles, whose secondary is mediocre at best now has to face the best deep threat in the NFL two times a year?! And said deep threat was on their roster and they just let him go?! The Eagles just handed their division rivals a huge piece to their offensive puzzle. That offense is no joke now. Premiere pass catching tight end Jordan Reed, flashy receiver Pierre Garcon, bulldozer running back Alfred Morris, and deep ball specialist Desean Jaccson create a scary good repertoire of play makers for RGIII. I am not looking forward to watching the Eagles secondary get torched by Desean this year, and we all know the dude is gonna make something happen against his former team. This whole ordeal was far from a clean break, and one thing you don't want to do is put a chip on Desean's shoulder. Hopefully our Chip can conjure up some Chip witchcraft and Chip the Eagles to victory.

Regardless of how this saga ends when the fog finally dissipates, we will always have the great memories of Desean Jaccson in an Eagles uniform.    

Gives me chills every time.

#InChipWeTrust

Nerlens Repaired, Embiid Declares

Big news has come out in the last 24 hours or so about two big men with injury problems who may have a huge impact on the future of the Sixers.

We'll start with news about the player who is actually on the Sixers roster right now.

Nerlens Noel Closing in on 100%?

It has been 14 months since we last witnessed Nerlens Noel play in a basketball game. It's been a long wait but some optimistic news has been coming out lately. First it was reported that Nerlens said he feels "about 80%." Then yesterday Noel addressed the media for the first time since media day before the season.

One of the knocks on Noel before the season was that he wouldn't be able to bang with NBA centers in the post because he was too scrawny. It appears that this shortcoming has been addressed. When reporters asked what Noel felt his biggest improvement this year was Noel was quoted in saying "I most definitely think getting stronger -- I've been in the weight room consistently." It's true that with all this time off not playing basketball, Noel has had a chance to sculpt his body to be even more NBA-ready. This wasn't even the most eye-popping news of the day however, as Noel also claimed that he has increased his vertical leap by 3 inches (!!!) since suffering a torn ACL in February of 2013. If true, this would mean the athletic big man has an even higher range in which he will be able to block shots and rebound.

Home Opener Went Just As Expected

Bill-

Who would've thought the Phillies would lose their home opener? Oh that's right they've lost 3 straight and 9 of their last 12 home openers. Not a good way to start off an already dismissed 2014 campaign Phils. The first time your fans get to watch a game at Citizens Bank and it couldn't have gone much worse. They were absolutely shelled. Braun single-handedly bent them over and went three balls deep, depositing each dinger into the seats and finishing with 7 ribbies. That juiced up son of a bitch got the boos he deserved, but the boos weren't just aimed at him. The product on the field was dismal at best. Some players showed some heart, like J-Roll (wait, really?) and Big Benny Revere, but the pitching staff gave up 10 runs and who are we to think the Phils can put up double digit runs two times in seven games.
Pushing the game back a day turned out to be the only positive thing that happened for the Phillies opening day for two reasons. One, obviously it rained all day yesterday and today was beautiful. Two, us fans were allowed an extra day of false hope that the Phils would actually win on opening day this year, and further our false hope that they will be competitive this year.

We can always hope.