Jody Mac
10-25-2011, 09:15 AM
Little late on the Attack this week. Glad we held back a day so we can talk about an extra Flyer game, an extra World Series game and a couple of Phillie off-season moves. But we'll start with the team that has been inactive this week, at least on the field if not necessarily with their mouths.
We have all seem or heard by now that Andy Reid is 12-0 in his Eagle tenure after the bye. That's more than a coincidence and bodes well for the upcoming Sunday night grudge match with the Boys from Dallas. If the Eagles can push Andy to a bakers dozen straight wins following in-season off weeks they can vault from last place to second place with a little help from the Bills against the Redskins in Buffalo Sunday. Their attitude has to be a little bit better and more focused than was presented by Asante Samuel this week. What Samuel said about his work for the Eagles being just that, a job, is perfectly accurate and acceptable. But if you feel that way I have a suggestion, keep it to yourself. Too many fans simplify pro athletes existence, grown men playing kids games for outrageous salaries. The amount of time and effort put in to achieve the highest level in their profession and what it takes to stay there are often under appreciated. Forget the capitalist nature of sports, you get paid what you can generate in spending fans interest, it isn't easy what they do. But guys let the fantasy play on that you care and play for the love of the game as much as the individuals who are paying your way. The fact that the Eagles checked the market value for one of their players at the trade deadline is the exact same as Asante's stance on his Eagle existence...it's just business!! The Eagle business hasn't been great this year as they sit at 2-4, but they are coming off a good divisional win. Not the time to be airing your disgruntled laundry and letting the fan base know that they are probably going to be more upset if the Cowboy game is a loss on Sunday. Here's the good news Asante, whether the Birds win or lose, whether you are booed (a distinct possibility this week) or cheered, the check should clear on the 31st. Oh by the way, next payday is Halloween, how about you treat us to a pick or two!!
I'm sure most baseball fans in Philly are either taking a pass on the World Series or rooting against the St. Louis Cardinals. I get that on either front. If you haven't been watching you've missed some great drama. Tony LaRussa has taken pitching changes to a new level. Ron Washington has tried to match him, change for change. But the reason the Rangers are up 3-2 in the Fall Classic is because of a pitching change malfunction. In the fateful bottom of the 8th inning, the Rangers loaded the bases with the game tied at two. Marc Rzepczynski, the Cards designated lefty getter was inexplicably left in the game to face right handed hitting Mike Napoli who delivered the two run double that was the difference in the game. When asked why he left the lefty in the game, LaRussa opined that he had put the call in twice for his closer Jason Mott but apparently they didn't hear him in the Cardinal pen. Either it's a communication screw up the likes we have never seen before of kudos to the Texas crowd for making so much noise that it was deafening in pen. When LaRussa explained the screw up after the game, the attending media members were dumbfounded. Tony, get with the program and the technology, text your bullpen coach bro!!
I picked the Cards in 7 before the Series started so I'll stick with that for my rooting interest. Certainly rooting for a Game 7, we haven't seen one in a decade since the Angels and the Giants in '02. Got to get there first.
While the Cards fight for a championship, Ruben Amaro can't bring himself to watch. The Phils GM has seen plenty of his own team’s post-season action over the last four years but this year is the earliest they've been eliminated since 2007. Not that he is going to solve all the Phillies problems by watching those still alive, but it can't hurt. Maybe the way the Cards and Rangers are deploying veteran bullpens could be something the Phils could look to upgrade over the off-season. Bringing Brad Lidge back for 12.5 million dollars wasn't going to be part of it at that cost so the Phils declined his option for 2012. While they were at it, they passed on paying Roy Oswalt 16 million for 2012. Either could be brought back for a lesser price. Don't hold your breath on Oswalt. He is likely to get a multi-year deal in the neighborhood of 10 million per year. That's a neighborhood the Phils will not visit. Lidge's neighborhood may not be near as pricey. He may be forced to go one year on a make good, incentive laid-en deal. If Ryan Madson is going to be gone and the Phils want to give Antonio Bastardo a shot at being the closer, having Brad Lidge as a safety net may not be a bad fall back position. Roy O. thanks for the memories and happy trails. Don't write the final chapter of the Brad Lidge story just yet here in Philly.
While the Flyers got a needed win against the Maple Leafs on Monday night, with Jaromir Jagr getting his first 2 orange clad goals and Scott Hartnell lighting the lamp twice himself, it may be a win the comes with a price tag. In a game marred by way too may high sticks; Chris Pronger caught an inadvertent one to his face in the first period. He went down quickly and in a ton of pain. He skated immediately to the locker room. We were told during the game that he suffered an upper-body injury. Yes, hello, we saw him take a stick to the face. After the game GM Paul Holmgren faced the media and reported there was significant swelling around Pronger's eye, that he was seen by a doctor in the arena was told to take 3-4 days of immediate bed rest to try and stop any other potential blood damage to his eye. After Holmgren spoke reports out of the WF Center started to leak that in addition, Pronger was taken to a hospital for further examination. The Flyers captain can be expected to miss at least the next couple weeks. It's set back for the FlyBoys but better now than in April. Holmgren said that when he returns he will be wearing a visor, no questions asked. Will he wear it when he is 100% OK? To be determined. I doubt the Flyers will force him to wear it permanently if he doesn't want to. Making visors mandatory is something the NHL has avoided for veteran players and I believe they will continue to do so, no matter how much sense it makes. It's not a faux-toughness with the Flyer captain, even if it is a foolish one.
There is a serious TV viewing problem coming up on Thursday night. Game 7 of the World Series may be airing from St. Louis. As I said here earlier, there is nothing like a game 7. But also Thursday night at 10 is the return of maybe the greatest cartoon of all-time. Beavis and Butthead's return to MTV. Neither deserves DVR-ing. Two completely different watches but both compelling. What's a guy to do??
We have all seem or heard by now that Andy Reid is 12-0 in his Eagle tenure after the bye. That's more than a coincidence and bodes well for the upcoming Sunday night grudge match with the Boys from Dallas. If the Eagles can push Andy to a bakers dozen straight wins following in-season off weeks they can vault from last place to second place with a little help from the Bills against the Redskins in Buffalo Sunday. Their attitude has to be a little bit better and more focused than was presented by Asante Samuel this week. What Samuel said about his work for the Eagles being just that, a job, is perfectly accurate and acceptable. But if you feel that way I have a suggestion, keep it to yourself. Too many fans simplify pro athletes existence, grown men playing kids games for outrageous salaries. The amount of time and effort put in to achieve the highest level in their profession and what it takes to stay there are often under appreciated. Forget the capitalist nature of sports, you get paid what you can generate in spending fans interest, it isn't easy what they do. But guys let the fantasy play on that you care and play for the love of the game as much as the individuals who are paying your way. The fact that the Eagles checked the market value for one of their players at the trade deadline is the exact same as Asante's stance on his Eagle existence...it's just business!! The Eagle business hasn't been great this year as they sit at 2-4, but they are coming off a good divisional win. Not the time to be airing your disgruntled laundry and letting the fan base know that they are probably going to be more upset if the Cowboy game is a loss on Sunday. Here's the good news Asante, whether the Birds win or lose, whether you are booed (a distinct possibility this week) or cheered, the check should clear on the 31st. Oh by the way, next payday is Halloween, how about you treat us to a pick or two!!
I'm sure most baseball fans in Philly are either taking a pass on the World Series or rooting against the St. Louis Cardinals. I get that on either front. If you haven't been watching you've missed some great drama. Tony LaRussa has taken pitching changes to a new level. Ron Washington has tried to match him, change for change. But the reason the Rangers are up 3-2 in the Fall Classic is because of a pitching change malfunction. In the fateful bottom of the 8th inning, the Rangers loaded the bases with the game tied at two. Marc Rzepczynski, the Cards designated lefty getter was inexplicably left in the game to face right handed hitting Mike Napoli who delivered the two run double that was the difference in the game. When asked why he left the lefty in the game, LaRussa opined that he had put the call in twice for his closer Jason Mott but apparently they didn't hear him in the Cardinal pen. Either it's a communication screw up the likes we have never seen before of kudos to the Texas crowd for making so much noise that it was deafening in pen. When LaRussa explained the screw up after the game, the attending media members were dumbfounded. Tony, get with the program and the technology, text your bullpen coach bro!!
I picked the Cards in 7 before the Series started so I'll stick with that for my rooting interest. Certainly rooting for a Game 7, we haven't seen one in a decade since the Angels and the Giants in '02. Got to get there first.
While the Cards fight for a championship, Ruben Amaro can't bring himself to watch. The Phils GM has seen plenty of his own team’s post-season action over the last four years but this year is the earliest they've been eliminated since 2007. Not that he is going to solve all the Phillies problems by watching those still alive, but it can't hurt. Maybe the way the Cards and Rangers are deploying veteran bullpens could be something the Phils could look to upgrade over the off-season. Bringing Brad Lidge back for 12.5 million dollars wasn't going to be part of it at that cost so the Phils declined his option for 2012. While they were at it, they passed on paying Roy Oswalt 16 million for 2012. Either could be brought back for a lesser price. Don't hold your breath on Oswalt. He is likely to get a multi-year deal in the neighborhood of 10 million per year. That's a neighborhood the Phils will not visit. Lidge's neighborhood may not be near as pricey. He may be forced to go one year on a make good, incentive laid-en deal. If Ryan Madson is going to be gone and the Phils want to give Antonio Bastardo a shot at being the closer, having Brad Lidge as a safety net may not be a bad fall back position. Roy O. thanks for the memories and happy trails. Don't write the final chapter of the Brad Lidge story just yet here in Philly.
While the Flyers got a needed win against the Maple Leafs on Monday night, with Jaromir Jagr getting his first 2 orange clad goals and Scott Hartnell lighting the lamp twice himself, it may be a win the comes with a price tag. In a game marred by way too may high sticks; Chris Pronger caught an inadvertent one to his face in the first period. He went down quickly and in a ton of pain. He skated immediately to the locker room. We were told during the game that he suffered an upper-body injury. Yes, hello, we saw him take a stick to the face. After the game GM Paul Holmgren faced the media and reported there was significant swelling around Pronger's eye, that he was seen by a doctor in the arena was told to take 3-4 days of immediate bed rest to try and stop any other potential blood damage to his eye. After Holmgren spoke reports out of the WF Center started to leak that in addition, Pronger was taken to a hospital for further examination. The Flyers captain can be expected to miss at least the next couple weeks. It's set back for the FlyBoys but better now than in April. Holmgren said that when he returns he will be wearing a visor, no questions asked. Will he wear it when he is 100% OK? To be determined. I doubt the Flyers will force him to wear it permanently if he doesn't want to. Making visors mandatory is something the NHL has avoided for veteran players and I believe they will continue to do so, no matter how much sense it makes. It's not a faux-toughness with the Flyer captain, even if it is a foolish one.
There is a serious TV viewing problem coming up on Thursday night. Game 7 of the World Series may be airing from St. Louis. As I said here earlier, there is nothing like a game 7. But also Thursday night at 10 is the return of maybe the greatest cartoon of all-time. Beavis and Butthead's return to MTV. Neither deserves DVR-ing. Two completely different watches but both compelling. What's a guy to do??