Jody Mac
01-03-2012, 01:40 PM
Alright, I have to admit it. The Winter Classic lived up to the excessive build up. Although I believed it was being overdone and way over hyped, it did deliver. It was a testament to the desire of the Philadelphia fan to go out and support their team and a sport it loves. A young exciting Flyers team, combined with one of the best sporting venues in the country delivered for a memorable weekend of gatherings!! Sometimes it’s nice to be wrong.
But not all that begins well, ends well. After a turn back the clock love-fest with the old time Flyers beating the now aged Rangers in the alumni game, the current day Flyguys could not finish the daily double. The Rangers rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the second period to barely hold on to a 3-2 victory. Danny Brier was thwarted by Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist on a penalty shot with 19 seconds to play and even after that the Flyers got a couple more chances to get the puck past Henrik the Great in the waning seconds but could not ! The excitement level, stupendous. The result, not so much. Be thankful Flyer fans that I was right about this pre-game aspect of the classic, it did count for just 2 points. While the Flyers have lost five of their last seven, I would come up short of pushing the panic button on this hockey squad. They continue to be compromised by injuries and while Chris Pronger is not coming back, at some point the Flyers have to become relatively healthy. What should be a cause for concern for the Flyer faithful is that the Rangers look for real and seem to be here to stay at or near the top of the Eastern conference. In addition to their world class goalie (who has to have a major playoff run yet to cement his status as the top net minder in the game) the Broadway blue shirts have stars in Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards and a hungry bunch of youngsters who are coming together under task master coach John Tortorella. Not to mention the fact that they seem to have the Flyers number having beaten them in all three meetings between the two squads so far this year.
Ah yes, but it’s all just a prelim to when the real action counts in the Stanley cup playoffs. Now that the Winter Classic is in the rear-view mirror what do the Flyers and their fans do to stay excited for the next 45 games? Well beating the Rangers a couple times in the three remaining match ups this season might help!!
The Eagles season ended with both a bang and a whimper on Sunday. They did win their last 4 games to avoid having a losing season but an 8-8 finish for this team with its talent level and high expectations has to be viewed as a disappointment. The blood-letting began around the NFL by the teams like the Eagles who did not earn their way into the post season dance. Coaches and GMs were given walking papers all around the league including an ex-Eagle compatriot, Rams Coach Steve Spagnuolo. Will the same fate befall Andy Reid here in Philly? Highly unlikely! Will there be changes to his caching staff? More probable. A Spags return? To be determined. His services will be in fairly high demand around the league to upgrade some porous NFL defenses. The fact that the Eagles took no immediate actions after the disappointing finale against Washington points to a measured approach to revamping this squad. Some Eagles fans want a brooming and a complete and immediate one at that. Not happening. But changes must and will be made, they just are going to do so at their pace not that of the frustrated fan base!!
One such decision that will be made over time, as in the next month or so, is what to do about DeSean Jackson. The talented, yet trying Eagles wide receiver ended the season on a high note both on and off the field. He had four catches for 86 yards including a 62 yard touchdown grab. More of what was expected of Jackson than we got most of the year. After wards he gave Eagle fans hope of getting things turned around right here in Philly. He apologized for some of the ways he handled his business this year and restated his desire to not have to continue his career elsewhere. He stated the one year franchise tag that would come with a guaranteed 11 million dollar salary is something he would accept. Was this the actions of a young player who really feels at home here in Philly and has no desire to leave or a well-conceived negotiating tactic orchestrated by his infamous agent? Off the season DeSean had, an 11 million dollar pay day would not be a bad result even if it isn't the long term result every NFL player desires. Perhaps the Eagles are ready to move on and they may choose to do so. DeSean said he would take the Franchise tag from the Eagles, he said no such thing about being happy about it from any other team if the Eagles looked to trade him. The game of cat and mouse is at foot and DeSean Jackson played the first off-season negotiation card. It's now the Eagles play. It will be interesting to how the chips fall!
The Sixers have gotten out of the gate 2-2 on their opening five game roadie. They'll wrap it up Wednesday night in New Orleans. They have shown some inspired play and some questionable traits early on. Spencer Hawes' 12.5 rebounds per game is second only to Dwight Howard among NBA centers and his 12 points per rank him seventh among the league's men in the middle. Nikola Vucevic has shown a nice touch and some athleticism when Hawes is of the floor. Who would have thought that center would be a strength early on for the Sixers?? Lou Williams has picked up on his assassin mentality and is their main scoring threat. But, Andre Igoudala still does everything but...make game winning shots at the end and Jrue Holiday is still coming up short on the consistency level you have to have from your point guard. Other good news is that nobody else in the division has gotten off to a great start and the Sixers can get their third win of the season against the Hornets tomorrow night while they didn't get their third win of the season last year till game #13. All in all not a bad first foray for the home town pro hoopers. Plus they have 13 home affairs in January at the Wells Fargo. May be worth getting out for!!
With the Birds having flown the coop prematurely for the winter, it is exactly seven weeks, 42 days till pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater FLA!! Can't get here fast enough!!
Several random sporting thoughts...Despite the Birds absence, the NFL playoffs look like they are going to be a compelling tournament. The high powered offenses of the NFC (Although the Niners do play some de) and the defensive stalwarts in the AFC (Except Mr. Brady and his merry men). Although the Packers should be the favorite to repeat as champs, the best regular season team has had a tough time finishing the Super Bowl deal this century. Let the dual begin...With the unwieldy number of 14 teams in the Atlantic 10, St. Joes and LaSalle play just once this season. I don't know about you but I'd like to see Carl Jones against Ramon Galloway a couple times!!....Andrew Luck will be the first pick in the draft and will be a great NFL QB, but the best player on the field in the Fiesta Bowl was Ok. St. wide-out Justin Blackmon who declared for the draft after the Cowboys OT win. If he is not a top five pick than the teams at the top of the selection order are not paying attention...The bowl season is longer than some NBA marriages these days and when their biggest day has to be pushed back from January 1st to January 2nd because of the calendar it just seems like it is never ending. Oh by the way, the only game that really matters won't be played till NEXT Monday. So you'll have to wait till next week's Attack to see if I'm going Tigers or Tide....Here's hoping your 2012 delivers everything you want, need and deserve and may all our sporting teams stay as relevant as they have been of late !!
But not all that begins well, ends well. After a turn back the clock love-fest with the old time Flyers beating the now aged Rangers in the alumni game, the current day Flyguys could not finish the daily double. The Rangers rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the second period to barely hold on to a 3-2 victory. Danny Brier was thwarted by Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist on a penalty shot with 19 seconds to play and even after that the Flyers got a couple more chances to get the puck past Henrik the Great in the waning seconds but could not ! The excitement level, stupendous. The result, not so much. Be thankful Flyer fans that I was right about this pre-game aspect of the classic, it did count for just 2 points. While the Flyers have lost five of their last seven, I would come up short of pushing the panic button on this hockey squad. They continue to be compromised by injuries and while Chris Pronger is not coming back, at some point the Flyers have to become relatively healthy. What should be a cause for concern for the Flyer faithful is that the Rangers look for real and seem to be here to stay at or near the top of the Eastern conference. In addition to their world class goalie (who has to have a major playoff run yet to cement his status as the top net minder in the game) the Broadway blue shirts have stars in Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards and a hungry bunch of youngsters who are coming together under task master coach John Tortorella. Not to mention the fact that they seem to have the Flyers number having beaten them in all three meetings between the two squads so far this year.
Ah yes, but it’s all just a prelim to when the real action counts in the Stanley cup playoffs. Now that the Winter Classic is in the rear-view mirror what do the Flyers and their fans do to stay excited for the next 45 games? Well beating the Rangers a couple times in the three remaining match ups this season might help!!
The Eagles season ended with both a bang and a whimper on Sunday. They did win their last 4 games to avoid having a losing season but an 8-8 finish for this team with its talent level and high expectations has to be viewed as a disappointment. The blood-letting began around the NFL by the teams like the Eagles who did not earn their way into the post season dance. Coaches and GMs were given walking papers all around the league including an ex-Eagle compatriot, Rams Coach Steve Spagnuolo. Will the same fate befall Andy Reid here in Philly? Highly unlikely! Will there be changes to his caching staff? More probable. A Spags return? To be determined. His services will be in fairly high demand around the league to upgrade some porous NFL defenses. The fact that the Eagles took no immediate actions after the disappointing finale against Washington points to a measured approach to revamping this squad. Some Eagles fans want a brooming and a complete and immediate one at that. Not happening. But changes must and will be made, they just are going to do so at their pace not that of the frustrated fan base!!
One such decision that will be made over time, as in the next month or so, is what to do about DeSean Jackson. The talented, yet trying Eagles wide receiver ended the season on a high note both on and off the field. He had four catches for 86 yards including a 62 yard touchdown grab. More of what was expected of Jackson than we got most of the year. After wards he gave Eagle fans hope of getting things turned around right here in Philly. He apologized for some of the ways he handled his business this year and restated his desire to not have to continue his career elsewhere. He stated the one year franchise tag that would come with a guaranteed 11 million dollar salary is something he would accept. Was this the actions of a young player who really feels at home here in Philly and has no desire to leave or a well-conceived negotiating tactic orchestrated by his infamous agent? Off the season DeSean had, an 11 million dollar pay day would not be a bad result even if it isn't the long term result every NFL player desires. Perhaps the Eagles are ready to move on and they may choose to do so. DeSean said he would take the Franchise tag from the Eagles, he said no such thing about being happy about it from any other team if the Eagles looked to trade him. The game of cat and mouse is at foot and DeSean Jackson played the first off-season negotiation card. It's now the Eagles play. It will be interesting to how the chips fall!
The Sixers have gotten out of the gate 2-2 on their opening five game roadie. They'll wrap it up Wednesday night in New Orleans. They have shown some inspired play and some questionable traits early on. Spencer Hawes' 12.5 rebounds per game is second only to Dwight Howard among NBA centers and his 12 points per rank him seventh among the league's men in the middle. Nikola Vucevic has shown a nice touch and some athleticism when Hawes is of the floor. Who would have thought that center would be a strength early on for the Sixers?? Lou Williams has picked up on his assassin mentality and is their main scoring threat. But, Andre Igoudala still does everything but...make game winning shots at the end and Jrue Holiday is still coming up short on the consistency level you have to have from your point guard. Other good news is that nobody else in the division has gotten off to a great start and the Sixers can get their third win of the season against the Hornets tomorrow night while they didn't get their third win of the season last year till game #13. All in all not a bad first foray for the home town pro hoopers. Plus they have 13 home affairs in January at the Wells Fargo. May be worth getting out for!!
With the Birds having flown the coop prematurely for the winter, it is exactly seven weeks, 42 days till pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater FLA!! Can't get here fast enough!!
Several random sporting thoughts...Despite the Birds absence, the NFL playoffs look like they are going to be a compelling tournament. The high powered offenses of the NFC (Although the Niners do play some de) and the defensive stalwarts in the AFC (Except Mr. Brady and his merry men). Although the Packers should be the favorite to repeat as champs, the best regular season team has had a tough time finishing the Super Bowl deal this century. Let the dual begin...With the unwieldy number of 14 teams in the Atlantic 10, St. Joes and LaSalle play just once this season. I don't know about you but I'd like to see Carl Jones against Ramon Galloway a couple times!!....Andrew Luck will be the first pick in the draft and will be a great NFL QB, but the best player on the field in the Fiesta Bowl was Ok. St. wide-out Justin Blackmon who declared for the draft after the Cowboys OT win. If he is not a top five pick than the teams at the top of the selection order are not paying attention...The bowl season is longer than some NBA marriages these days and when their biggest day has to be pushed back from January 1st to January 2nd because of the calendar it just seems like it is never ending. Oh by the way, the only game that really matters won't be played till NEXT Monday. So you'll have to wait till next week's Attack to see if I'm going Tigers or Tide....Here's hoping your 2012 delivers everything you want, need and deserve and may all our sporting teams stay as relevant as they have been of late !!