Still the "Gold Standard?"

The bombshells came last night while I was at dinner with Summer. About six text messages and five voicemails within a four-minute period. "Vick is an Eagle." My initial thought was amazement mixed with a hint of curiosity. Of all the messages/conversations I had, Barry Martin, your message was the best. "Dammit Ross I need my cheesesteak man! I need to hear your thoughts on this. Man, I got a lot on my mind and I know you better be writing soon. I broke the story on facebook and dammit, you always send me to voicemail. You better start answering your damn phone, jackass." Haha, the message was priceless! Jonathan Ganz (a die-hard Falcons fan & Vick fan) told me he was going to buy an Eagles jersey. Matt Money made perhaps the best point. "How do the Eagles sign Michael Vick and let a guy like Brian Dawkins go?" Danny Silvers, "I can't wait to read the Cheesesteak." Maybe ya'll (that's southern slang, you see) really care what I have to say. Maybe not. Either way, this one's for you.

Based on Facebook and reading some of the message boards, I'd say the reception to Vick has been shock mixed with disappointment. Here's what we know - Michael Vick is an exciting player. RIGHT NOW Vick is easily the second fastest player on the Eagles (behind DeSean). Even today, Michael Vick has one of the strongest arms in the league. If you go to a hotel or a restaurant and see a reservation under RON MEXICO, Michael Vick will be there. Michael Vick committed an absolutely heinous crime and he has made some deplorable decisions in his life. Donovan McNabb actively recruited Michael Vick to the Eagles (well, this is what Donovan said, though I have my doubts). Michael Vick, a 3-time Pro Bowler (Mom & Summer, this means he was an all-star football player, not an actual bowler) has not played professional football since 2007.

Here's my take on the situation. Michael Vick deserves a second chance. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I like animals - especially dogs. My dog (who actually abuses people) is sitting right next to me as I write this. What Vick did was horrendously disgusting and causes me to ponder if he is actually the Tin Man. He ran a dog-fighting kennel and admitted to killing multiple "non-performing" dogs by some of the most violent ways imaginable. The guy went away to the big house for 1.5 years, and he is on probation for another 6 months, and can't play in the NFL until week 6. But, he deserves a chance to show that he has rehabilitated himself. He deserves a chance to show contrite about what he did through his words and more importantly his actions. If you are mad that he hasn't served enough time, then blame the legal system, don't blame the man himself. He's already made several appearances on behalf of the Humane Society and will continue do so, speaking to kids in urban area's about cruelty to animals. I am not saying the guy will ever win any "Citizen of the Year Awards" or that all is forgiven, but at least he is starting to do something positive, which is much better than him doing nothing at all.

Along those lines, if the Flyers signed Danny Heatley (an amazing NHL player who killed a teammate in a drunk driving accident) or the Sixers signed Kobe Bryant who may have had non-consensual, adulterous relationship with a female in Denver, would everyone be so up in arms? You all realize the St. Louis Rams Leonard Little killed someone in a drunk driving accident and six years later was again arrested for drunk driving. Oh, did I mention he STILL plays in the NFL?

The biggest problem I have is not that he doesn't deserve a chance to resume his career, it's that the Eagles don't need Michael Vick. Our biggest needs are TE, OL and MLB. Last time I checked, we were still depleted at those positions due to injuries. Back-up QB is NOT a position of need and we just added a QB who, per Andy Reid (will not sit on the bench). I've heard people say we can use Vick as a WR or a RB. People, the guy is 29 and has played QB is entire life. After spending nearly 3 years out of the league, you can't just bring the guy back into the NFL and change his position. I also don't like this notion that he will run the fad known as the "Wildcat" offense. The final 4 teams in last year's playoffs were: Pittsburgh, Arizona, Philadelphia and Baltimore. NONE OF WHICH RAN THE WILDCAT OFFENSE!

After watching Donovan McNabb for the last decade, he's the type of QB who plays best when he is in a rhythm. You bring in Michael Vick to run some plays here and there and now Donovan's rhythm is off. Another thing to consider is that Michael Vick is making about 7 million over 2 years (1.5 this year and a 5.5 option next year). There is no back-up QB or gadget player who gets paid $5 million a year. Period. I really hope the Eagles front office isn't using this as a way to move Donovan after this season. The bottom line is that Vick could not hold Donovan's jock as a QB. If we want to run a West Coast offense, there are much better choices as a back-up QB then Vick.

Michael Vick is a playmaker, no doubt. If Donovan gets hurt for an extended period of time would you feel better about Michael Vick running this team then Kevin Kolb or AJ Feely? I would be more excited about Vick running the team, but would he be a better fit? I'm not so sure. I'm not a Kolb fan, but Feely has shown he can play. He nearly upset the Patriots in Foxborough two years ago and he won a few games during that 2007 season. Further, the Birds run the West Coast (WC) offense. Vick cannot read a defense to save his life. He gets by on his G-d given ability. This is one of the major reasons he was not allowed to audible while with the Falcons, and he struggled mightily in the WC offense when they ran it in Atlanta. So, while he WAS a very talented QB and an extraordinary playmaker, I don't feel he could run the same offense that our QB's are trained to run.

One theory I have is that Andy Reid is bringing Michael Vick to Philly, as insurance for a McNabb injury. Along the way, Andy will sprinkle in some plays for Vick to run (wish he would run that by me first) and get him back in the groove of being an NFL QB on and off the field. I would not be the least bit surprised if Vick maintains a very low profile while in Philly and come next off-season, the Eagles then trade a rehabilitated Michael Vick to a team like the Raiders, Rams or Vikings for a high (2nd or 3rd round draft pick). Say what you will about the Eagles, but they are ALWAYS looking at the future (remember them drafting Sheldon Brown, Lito Sheppard and Michael Lewis - when they had a pro-bowl secondary of Bobby Taylor, Troy Vincent and Dawk). Just keep this theory in your back pocket.

Finally, to some of the Eagles fans who have said, "I can't support the Eagles anymore," well my sentiment is to not let the door hit you on the ass on your way out. If you have supported this team as long as I have, outside of them signing Osama Bin Laden or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, I can never imagine a scenario where I don't pull for this team. Michael Vick will never be a favorite of mine, but trading in my allegiance isn't even a thought. The team is FAR greater than any one individual and if you chose not to be a fan b/c they signed someone who the NFL and the US legal system agreed served their time, then go cheer for some other upstart, fad team. That's not what the Eagles fan base is about. It's about passion and it's about somehow getting up after another year of disappointment. All any Eagles fan talks about is winning and I GUARAN-DAMN-TEE you that if the Eagles play well this year, you front-running jabroni's will hop right back on the bandwagon. True fans support their teams through good and bad. Several years ago, the Phillies number 2 pitcher Brett Myers beat-up his wife in Boston, but I bet you have long forgotten that while wearing your 2008 Phillies World Champion Shirts. People deserve second chance. I'm willing to give Vick one (regardless of who he decided to sign with) and I'm willing to give you fickle, flip-flopping fans one as well.

Hate Vick all you want. But if your hatred for 1 player over the other 51 is so great that you would stop pulling for the Eagles, then we don't need you to begin with. Sports fanaticism is about winning, losing, getting your heart stomped on and somehow always holding out for a little bit of hope. It's about loyalty and passion. It's about debating, second-guessing, smack-talking and humility. Have your opinions and express them freely, but if you can honestly start cheering for another team and drop the one you root for b/c of this signing, then I must question whether you were really a true fan to begin with?

There's Football and There's Everything Else...

Just a couple of things to speak about on this mid-August day. First off, decent outing by Pedro last night. Exactly what I expected, and not bad considering the guy hasn't pitched in the majors in a year. I appreciate that he is a competitor who has pitched on the biggest stage, without flinching. If he can somehow stay healthy, I think our staff is much improved (coupled with the Cliff Lee addition). Hopefully we can get Brett Meyers, JC Romero and Clay Condrey back to bolster the pen and Brad Lidge will pull his head out of his ass (spoken like a true Philly fan).

Well, the Eagles first pre-season game is tonight and I am psyched. It's the RETURN OF FOOTBALL. I know my fiance shutters at this thought, b/c it means my attention scale on Saturday, Sundays, Monday nights and some Thursday nights will be equivalent to a....a....sorry, we were talking about football right? Absolutely love this time of year.

Anyway, I don't get to discouraged by the Eagles consistently mediocre pre-season play. The play calling is as vanilla as it gets, and the scores are usually the least important things. Let's hope we don't suffer any further injuries, which being Philly fans, you know how that drill goes. Here are 10 things I will be looking for tonight (mind you the first teams are only supposed to play a little over a quarter):

1- How will Joe Mays do as our starting MLB and will he be a total liability if forced to cover a TE or RB?
2- Will Winston "roadkill" Justice (who is the starting tonight for the injured Shawn Andrews) be the human turnstile he was in his nightmare start against the NY Giants in 2007? If so, #5 better wear body armor.
3- LeSean "Shady" McCoy are you as good in actual games as you have been in camp & can you block?
4- How will the triumvirate of Dawgs do (Max Jean-Gilles, Reggie Brown & Sean Jones, who I hope replaces Quintin Demps in the starting line-up)?
5- I'm hoping the Five&Dime connection goes deep at least once (note, that's the name I just came up with for Donovan to DeSean)
6- Will Jason Peters be the dominant left tackle that Andy Reid and the Eagles front office believe he is?
7- Can Jeremy Maclin contribute THIS YEAR and will be as dynamic of a returner as he was in college?
8- Is young Bryan Smith who bulked up to 250 going to be any type of contributor this season
9- Is Kevin Curtis more of the 1,000 yard receiver of 2007 or the injury-proned 2008 version?
10- How will Sean McDermott's defense differ from JJ's? Granted, this will be hard to tell from a pre-season game.

Speaking of football, the Dawgs had their first inter-scrimmage game of the Fall and received some impressive performances. Richard Samuel (who will be our best tailback this season) had 5 carries for 108 yards and 2 TD's (including a 65 yard scamper). He also scored on a 70 yd catch. Orson Charles (a true freshman who will be a monster) had 3 catches for 59 yards, AJ Green (who is a monster) had 69 yards and a TD. Joe Cox was a very crisp 9-13, 158 yards and 2 TD's. They did play a little defense too, led by Rod Battle a senior who apparently was unstoppable with 3.5 sacks. Exhale, it's just a scrimmage.

Couple of cool links here. First one is a link that was leaked regarding the Sixers new road uniforms - I like these a ton. Thank G-d the shooting stars are just a faded memory.. http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=936270

Here's a preview of Ray Emery's Flyers mask. In case you are wondering that is "Smokin" Joe Frazier on one side, Bernard Hopkins on the other and Rocky on top (I actually thought one side was was Donovan, but read it was Hopkins). Apparently Emery is a big boxing fan - shocker! Personally I think the concept is cool but the helmet itself lacks orange, which is synonymous w/the Flyers. Jay Ariano, this is for you.... http://thephillyphour.wordpress.com/2009/08/11/flyers-emery-reveals-helmet-design-for-09-10/

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly...

A lot of news coming out of Eagles camp early. The defense suffered a potentially crushing blow when starting MLB Stewart Bradley was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Make no mistake, this is a HUGE loss, as many believed Bradley was primed for a pro-bowl season. With a new defensive coordinator, losing your MLB is a big, big loss. Joe "Say Hey Willie" Mays will get the first-team reps, with Omar Gaither chomping at the bit to get back in the starting line-up. The early word on Mays is that despite him being undersized at 5'10 and 245 -- the guy hits like a mack truck and he hits everything that moves. The only good news in this injury thing is that Bradley's injury happened early enough in camp that whomever becomes the new starter will get lots and lots of reps w/the first team. Also, Bradley should be able to make a full return for the 2010 season.

Great to hear that the Jeff Lurie said no one will ever wear #20 as long as he is the owner of the Eagles. Traditionally, the Eagles don't really retire numbers (Reggie White's #92 was the last number they retired), and if they decided to bring that practice back, it should start with #20. Great move, Lurie.

FINALLY, first round pick Jeremy Maclin got his arse into camp this AM. Maclin who many believe could get some serious playing time this season, should help tremendously in the return game. Hopefully we won't continue to put DeSean Jackson in harm's way (since he is far and away our best WR) and we can now use Maclin as a punt returner.

Some great news is that it appears Brian Westbrook is ahead of schedule in his return from ankle surgery. Early word is that he looks AND feels great. Hopefully Westy can have a big bounce- back year. What a sick offense we could have if he and Maclin can give us something.

Note to Jacqua (pronounced "Ganja") Parker - you aren't that good, so kindly put down the dope, buddy. Like my buddy Derrick said this AM, how do you wait to training camp to bust out the ganja? The dude had an entire off-season and he picks now to light-up. Brilliant. Apparently they were OL Todd Herremans car...hmm, interesting story.

Phils continue to be up and down. I'm done with Jamie Moyer. I don't care if the guy hasn't pitched out of the pen in 35 years, his ass belongs in the pen (I'm sure most fans probably believe he belongs in an easy-chair). There's no way you can say that the 7-2 JA Happ and his sub 3.00 ERA should go back to the pen. This kid has earned the right to start for the Phils and I will be very disappointed if he heads back to the pen b/c of Moyer or Pedro.

The Sixers signed Primoz Brezec and Royal Ivey this week. Forgive me for drooling on myself, while I drift off to sleep.

Props to former Diamond Dog and current Chicago White Sox third baseman Gordon Beckham has been voted the American League Rookie of the Month for July. In 27 games, Beckham led all AL rookies with a .330 (32-97) batting average, 32 hits, three home runs, 18 RBIs, 10 doubles and a .526 slugging percentage.

In Other News:

• Just heard that Donovan McNabb is the most popular athlete in Philadelphia, followed by Chase Utley. Primoz Brezec is a close third.
• Dale Murphy (former Brave and Phillie) has a son who is expected to be a starter for the Dolphis this year -- how old do you feel?
• Anyone see Jeremy Piven on Monday Night Raw? My favorite part was when he jumped off the top rope and was caught by John Cena. Hilarious. Piven also was in Atlanta last week and stopped in at the Varsity.
• Speaking of Piven, I think Entourage is dancing dangerously close to "jumping the shark." I absolutely love the show, but if I have to watch any more episodes that focus on E and Turtle, I'm gonna write HBO.
• Dear Atlanta radio stations, why do you suck? (not you Dave fm, not you)
• Does the 4th photo of Putin's pictorial make anyone else a little uncomfortable http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/08/05/putin.holiday/index.html
• And finally, as my fiance reminded me when we first started dating --- everyone farts...yes, even the great Tiger Woods. A lot of controversy over who dealt this one. Fartgate 2009 continues. You decide... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL3nZJeHIIE

A CLIFFhanger No More...

A flurry of trades to close out the MLB trade deadline and let me start by saying I really like the Cliff Lee deal. As my 18 loyal readers know, I was not ready to trade our top pitching prospect, our top position prospect and JA Happ (a possible Rookie of the Year candidate) for Doc Halladay. Again, Halladay is a stud pitcher. No doubt. But, the fact that you heard ZILCH about Halladay being traded to another team after the Phillies acquired Lee, tells me that Jays GM JP Ricciardi overplayed his hand.

What the Phils are getting in Lee is a 22-game winning, AL Cy Young winner from last year. This year he is 7-9 with a 3.14 ERA in Cleveland. His ERA clearly indicates that he was a very good pitcher on a very bad team. I think Lee will be a huge boost to the Phils rotation and I'm thrilled with the deal. We traded none of our top 4 prospects (Jason Knapp was definitely the highest rated prospect -- a low A-ball 18 year old who throws in the upper 90s) AND we landed a legitimate #1 pitcher to our rotation. Also, Ben Francisco (a name the Phils fans will have a blast with) gives us the right-handed bat we need off the bench.

The Phils didn't need a great pitcher, they needed a good pitcher to keep them in games. If their staff can keep it close, I fully trust our explosive line-up will continue to win games for us. Cliff Lee happens to be a very good pitcher who will not only keep us in games, but will win them. The million dollar question is whether our bullpen can be as effective as they were last season. That's a whole nother' blog for another day.

Under a heavy heart the Eagles began training camp on Thursday. The good news - football has begun. The bad news - so have the injuries. Asante Samuel, Shaun Andrews, Kevin Curtis and Jason Peters are all hurt. I don't get too worked up about training camp bumps and bruises, but the offensive line needs reps to work on their continuity. I'm hoping Andrews balky back won't continue to be an issue during the season, but I have a feeling it will. Jon Runyan anyone?

The Flyers signed "tough guy" Ole-Kristian Tollefson. Forgive me if you don't see me jumping up and down about a guy who has missed 57% of his games over the last two years. Isn't the term injury-proned tough guy an oxymoron?

The injustice regarding MLB's steroid "list" is disheartening. These players signed a confidentiality agreement stating that their names would remain anonymous. Now, about five names have been leaked from the 103 that tested positive -- including the Roid Sox own David Ortiz & Manny Ramirez. First off, those names should absolutely remain confidential, if that was the agreement. Secondly, how do you release only five of the names? Thirdly, steroids, though illegal, were not listed as banned substances by baseball. Amazing how baseball continues to suffer through the steroid era and simultaneously shoot themselves in the foot (Hey, Plaxico). Maybe they should just have the Roid Wing in the Hall of Fame and be done with it.

In Other News:

• I heard a commercial that the "Most Interesting Man in the World" had been pronounced dead seven times -- I couldn't stop laughing.
• Nice to hear the Atlanta Police Department tried to use their stats to show that violent crime is down in Atlanta. Despite these numbers they still added 139 cops to the force. Maybe the Mayor/Police Chief could better allocate the four cops that sit on E.Roxborough road every morning catching those hideous speeders in the highlands
• The more Joe Jackson opens his yapper, the worse I feel for MJ
• Anyone wanna bet Brett Favre will be on an NFL roster by October?
• Dear Southwest, please come to Atlanta
• My fiance just informed me that the Phils not only traded for Cliff Lee, but that Cy Young was included in the deal. Sweet!
• To anyone who thinks legendary comic Andrew DICE Clay is dead, absolutely MUST watch this clip. This is one of the funniest things I've EVER seen.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M9C6a1K0nI

This One's for you JJ...

Very, very sad news for the Birds family, the city of Philadelphia and really the entire NFL last night. Eagles defensive coordinator and mastermind of blitz packages usually reserved for Play Station usage, succumbed to cancer last night at 68. Johnson, who fellow NFC East fans, offenses and coaches feared for the last 10 years, was forced to leave the Eagles for good in May due to the mestastized melanoma near his spine. Johnson is survived by his wife, Vicky, their children, Scott and Michelle, and four grandchildren. Funeral services are pending. The Eagles are expected to wear a patch commemorating Johnson on their uniforms this season.

Johnson's loss is truly tragic. Not just from a football perspective but from a human perspective. My heart bleeds for anyone who deals with loss, especially something so debilitating as cancer. Johnson was a fighter and many people, including Coach Reid, say Johnson embodied the Philadelphia spirit, probably more than any coach on any professional team.

People have often wondered why Johnson, an assistant for 22 years, never got a head coaching job. I know he interviewed for a few positions (the Baltimore and SF openings come to mind), but he was somewhat of a late bloomer in the coaching world. I think people were a little scared to hire a guy in his 60s, and I also know the Eagles paid him a salary that was extremely high for a coordinator. That underscores what he meant to this team.

The defense we had during our 2008-09 season was among the very best I've seen. I will never forget the run we made to get into the playoffs, highlighted by our defense taking apart Dallas, Minnesota and the NY Giants.

The stats and Johnson's "coaching offspring" speak to his legacy and dominance.

• During Johnson's decade with the team, the Eagles made the playoffs 7 times, including 5 NFC Championship games and 1 Super Bowl.
• In the 10 years he coached the defense, Johnson produced and astounding 26 defensive Pro Bowl selections for the Eagles. That's an incredible stat when you think about it.
• Since 2000, Johnson's defenses have ranked second in the NFL in sacks and in forced fumbles, second in third-down and red-zone touchdown efficiency, and fourth in fewest points allowed.
• Johnson's lineage includes two current NFL head coaches and three NFL defensive coordinators who all started as Eagles coaches (Ron Rivera - San Diego, Leslie Frazier - Minnesota, Sean McDermott - Philly, John Harabaugh - Ravens head coach, Steve Spagnuolo - former NY Giants defensive coordinator and current St. Louis Rams head coach).

Obviously profound sadness has hit the Eagles and their fans, but here's a sample of quotes I found, which resonated with me.

• "He really represented everything this city is all about, with his toughness and grit. That's the way he fought this cancer. At this time, I think it's important that we do think of the good times that Jim brought us, as we go through the grieving process here, remember all the positives that he brought to the Philadelphia Eagles and to the city of Philadelphia. The whole Andy Reid regime here that's taken place, wouldn't have been possible without Jim." -Andy Reid-
• "The moment I'll always remember was last January after we had just lost [to the Arizona Cardinals] and we were in the locker room." There were a few moments where I was alone with Jim and he came over to me and said, 'I'm so sorry we didn't deliver this for us.' I remember thinking to myself, 'Oh, my God, Jim, I have the best defensive coordinator in football for the last 10 years.' I told him, 'You have nothing to be apologetic about. You give more than any owner could possibly expect.' It was one of those rare, emotional moments when things are so upsetting because we hadn't advanced to the Super Bowl. He was so confident we were going to get the ring. He was just so apologetic and I'll always remember that moment." -Jeff Lurie-
• "This is a sad, sad day for myself and my Philadelphia family." Jim was tailor made to coach in Philadelphia. He was a tough coach who wasn't afraid to let you know how he was feeling, but at the same time, he cared about us deeply. He was an absolute blessing to me with the way he used me on the football field and allowed me to show my God-given ability. His confidence in me meant so much - he looked to create new defenses each week to utilize my talents. I have been praying for him every day, and those prayers won't stop now. I'll be praying for his family and their comfort during this difficult time." -Brian Dawkins-
• We went into Indianapolis for a Thursday night or a Sunday night game and they had half their defense out with injuries. We had a respectable team at the time and we thought we were really going to be able to make something happen here. Then Jim's defense came out blitzing us on every single play, and I think we lost by 30 points. Then we hired Andy and he mentioned Jim, and Jeff and I looked at each other and said, 'Wait, that's the guy who coached against us in Indianapolis.' They were missing their whole team and they killed us anyway. We were immediately like, 'That's a good idea.' -Joe Banner-
  

Jim Johnson will be missed, but clearly will not ever be forgotten.

"Philly Don't Need No Holliday"

While I am not here to take anything away from Roy Halliday, he's as good as it gets RIGHT NOW in the majors, I am hoping the Phils don't trade for him. No, I didn't forget to take my meds, but my theory is simple. Jays GM JP Ricciardi is looking for multiple can't miss prospects, which I understand. Heck, the term "can't miss" when used in conjunction with prospect, is a bit of a misnomer. Had the Phils not won the World Series last season, I would probably be all for doing whatever needed to be done to get that elusive championship. However, since we are WORLD PHUC*IN' Champs (thank you, Chase) and our pitching seems to finally be settling down, I don't feel we necessarily need to deal for Halliday.

Here's what it boils down to for me. Several years ago a young minor league first baseman was the subject of EVERY Phils rumor because Jim Thome was blocking his path to the majors. As fate would have it, Thome got injured and a young guy who was tearing the ass out of the minors finally got his shot. That guy??? Ryan Howard.

Need more proof? Look at what our minor league system has been doing lately -- Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz, Howard, Utley, Victorino, Cole Hammels, Ryan Madson, JA Happ - all guys came up through our system and still play in Philly. Don't forget David Bourn (Houston), Gavin Floyd (White Sox) and Gio Gonzalez (Oakland) who also came up through our system. Our once laughable minor-league system is now an MLB producing machine. Bottom line -- I'm not ready to deal the highly regarded Kyle Drabek, Dominic Brown or Michael Taylor for Halladay, and getting Halladay will require AT LEAST one of those guys. Rookie sensation JA Happ is a guy I would move, but I believe Ricciardi will want Happ, in addition to one of the aforementioned (Drabek, Brown, Taylor) and another mid-level prospect or two. As my boy Derrick pointed out, the playoffs usually consist of 3-4 man pitching rotations, so if we can add another quality arm, I think we'll be good enough. The Phils have one of the most explosive line-ups in baseball, which means we will not only score runs, but we just need our starting pitching to be good enough (and our bullpen to be great) to win ballgames. Halladay, is a 32-year old horse, with almost 2,000 innings of mileage on his right arm and he is only signed through next season. Personally, I'd rather take my chances dealing for a Kyle Loshe/Joe Blanton-type as my #3 guy, than give up the farm for Halladay.

In other news -- can you believe the Eagles report to Lehigh on Sunday? What have they waited so long for? Word on the street is that talks with Jeremy Maclin, our highly touted #1 pick, are heating up and he should be in on-time. The Eagles haven't had a first-round pick hold out since Clinton administration.

How sweet to hear the Flyers will be ringing in New Years up in Baaaston with a game at Fenway Park . Yes, you heard me right -- on January 1 the Flyers-Bruins will get it on, outside in the cold, at Fenway. I could do New Year's in Boston.

The Dawgs received a huge commitment yesterday from the #2 rated DT in the country, which is even bigger when you consider they are losing their top 3 DT's after this season. Garrison Smith announced his intentions to attend UGA (AKA - GOD's country) next year. He becomes the 15th commitment for the 2010 class. Was talking with HOJO and it's amazing how strong this UGA class is shaping up. Granted, verbal commitments are non-binding but there are still a number of top-notch prospects that UGA is going after and adding those to an already strong class has me frothing (again).

In other news:

• Anyone watch the TO Show? I watched about 7 minutes and quickly realized I had just used seven minutes of my life and I will never get those back. It is so evident that he is trying to set-up life post-football, which I believe will happen in two years.
• Amazing that DeKalb County home prices have gone down, but taxes are going up - awesome!
• Great second episode of Entourage. Lots of Ari, less E = GREAT TV
• Did anyone see this story? Crazy stuff - http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4339343
• Shaq is going to be on Monday Night Raw next week
• MCAAAAAAAA, here's hopin' you get healthy and get back on the mic soon... http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/20/beastie.boys.cancer/index.html
• This is one of the coolest things I saw this week. Travel firm Cox and Kings has chartered a Boeing 737-700 aircraft to give people the chance to see a Solar Eclipse from 41,000 feet
  Experts will be on board to explain it to passengers, some of whom have paid 1,600 dollars for a "sun-side" seat on the three-hour flight from New Delhi. The eclipse's shadow is expected to pass over the aircraft at 15 times the speed of sound (Mach 15), said Ajay Talwar, president of the SPACE Group of companies that promotes science and astronomy.
• This is a pretty unbelievable feat...I tried it once but dislocated my hip. Kids: please do not try this at home... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXoqfIU0C6Y

Quite a lull in sports right now. Did you know that the day prior to the All-Star game, as well as the day following the All-Star game, are the only 2 days of the year where there are NO SPORTS going on? How awful is that?

Speaking of awful - the HR Derby absolutely stinks this year. Yeah, it was cool to watch Prince go 500 ft deep and see hometown boy Ryan Howard smack a few out - but like baseball, it takes foooorever to complete. I think Prince Fielder and Pascual Perez are in the finals...snoooze.

Looks more and more that the Phils will sign Pedro Martinez to a 1 year deal. Supposedly he's come down a good bit from his $4 million price tag. He flew to Philly today to take a physical and sign his deal. I was kidding with "HoJo," a longtime SFCS follower, that Pedro will ask for Tugger's #45 to be un-retired. HoJo countered by saying Pedro will ask for Howard's #6.

Don't forget to tune in to the All-Star game tomorrow night to watch the the five, count em' FIVE Philly All-Stars -- including their entire outfield (all of who have been featured in blogs on this site). That hasn't happened since 1995. That's truly amazing.

The Dawgs added another commitment to their rapidly strengthening 2010 recruiting class. This weekend, Jakar Hamilton, a JUCO All-American, chose UGA over Alabama and a few other directional schools. Hamilton, definitely doesn't lack for confidence. "I'm not going to let you down," Hamilton said to a pocket of Bulldogs fans, who snapped cell-phone photos of the event and later asked him to sign autographs. "You won't get another guy like me."

Random Notes:

• Just saw a Snickers commercial w/Patrick Ewing - seriously that guy looks like he's put on 50-60 lbs since retirement; maybe he should be thinking about lean cuisine sponsorships
• Anyone see the season premiere of Entourage? Historically the show starts real slow, which is how last night started. Slow. Any episode making E the focus is one I can pass on. Give me more Ari & Johnny Drama. Speaking of weight, Lloyd what the hell have you been doing during "dark times" for the show. Lloyd, meet Patrick. Patrick meet Lloyd.
• Seth Green is on Monday Night Raw tonight. Who's career is falling apart faster? Green's for being the "celebrity GM" or mine b/c I'm watching this over the HR Derby.
• Um, when did Britney Spears become Jewish? http://www.debbieschlussel.com/archives/britneyspearsjewishstar.jpg
• Ok, just saw the end of RAW and it was 5x better than the HR Derby - my career has been redeemed.
• I leave you with this....I find it INCREDIBLY ironic that Joe Jackson suspects "foul play" in his son's Michael's death. Hey Joe, if you steal your son's childhood by not allowing him to play with other kids, and you had him perform in strip clubs at 5, and you physically and verbally abused him at a very young age because your own musical career went nowhere; maybe, just maybe, he would have been comfortable with who he was and he wouldn't have needed 107 different plastic surgeries to "remake" his face in what I believe was an attempt to leave any reminder of his childhood behind. I'm just saying....