Philly SportsCast

Philly SportsCast #186 – July 1, 2009

While it’s hard to watch the Phillies’ lame-ass efforts against the Braves, it is encouraging to see what the Flyers are doing on the first day of free agency.

However, nothing is for certain. We’re looking for a monster second half from the Phils – provided they can get their shit together and we are looking forward to a wild season from the Flyers.

Yeah, and there’s a little football to play in between.

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The Phillies managed just two hits off Jair Jurrjens – the first hit with two outs in the seventh inning – and the Braves gave the Phillies the business 11-1 tonight.

What a mess of a game and the Phillies have a small-as-it-gets lead on the NL East – just a half-game ahead of the Marlins.

Seems a very pissed off Mike Knuble did not want to find out whether or not the Flyers were going to up their offer.

The Flyers free-agent has agreed to a 2-year contract with the Capitals this afternoon. The Daily News is reporting the deal at $2.8 million per year.

You knew someone was going to pay this guy, regardless of the fact that he’s 37. There’s no doubt the Caps are a better team with him.

In other news…

Brian Boucher, who played for the Flyers from 1999 to 2002, has signed a 2 year contract with the the team worth $1.85 million.

Jay Bouwmeester signed a multiyear contract with the Calgary Flames today.

Flames general manager Darryl Sutter traded Jordan Leopold and a draft pick to the Florida Panthers at the NHL draft last weekend to acquire Bouwmeester’s rights – which looks like the best move on draft day for sure.

Bouwmeester, 25, was due to become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow. It is being reported that Bouwmeester signed a five-year contract for $33 million.

While the Pronger deal was terrific for the Flyers, I really wanted this guy.

Martin Prado stroked a game-ending RBI single in the 10th inning and the Braves beat the Phils 5-4 tonight.

It was the Braves’ first home win over the Phillies since 2007 as the team went 0-9 against the Phillies at Turner Field last year.

Chan Ho Park was on the hill for the Philllies as he gave up a one-out single to Matt Diaz who then moved to third on Gregor Blanco’s single to left and Prado followed with his final hit of the night.

The Phillies had a 4-3 lead in the eighth inning thanks to back to back home runs by John Mayberry Jr. Pedro Feliz -a lead that Ryan Madson could not hold.

Prado had four hits in the game.

Ran across this guy a few games ago during a home broadcast of a Phillies game. Perhaps this is reflective of the team’s record at home because if your rockin’ a Chris Coste sign at Citizen’s Bank Park – times are really desperate.

Jamie Moyer won back-to-back starts, Brad Lidge saved the game and the Phillies took two of three from Toronto.

But it was scary.

Lidge came in with the Phillies clinging to a one run lead and faced Raul Chavez who laid down a bunt that has Lidge to test that right knee by sprinting off the mound to field the ball – he was wasn’t able to complete the play as Chavez had the single.

“I walked around the mound just to kind of take inventory and make sure everything felt all right,” Lidge said. “And it did. That was huge for me to know that I didn’t need to worry about that.”

Read the rest of this entry…

Talk amongst yourselves…

(thanks Pair for the headline – can’t write about it anymore)

The Sixers drafted Jrue (pronounced Drew) Holiday, a 6-foot-3 guard out of UCLA, with the No. 17-pick overall at New York City’s Madison Square Garden last night and with the pick essentially told its fans that the team is rebuilding.

Instead of going for flash with either Ty Lawson (North Carolina) or Jeff Teague (Wake Forest), who were also still available, the Sixers went with potential in drafting the 19-year-old Holiday who was a freshman at UCLA last season and the 2008 Gatorade High School Player of the Year the year before.

Ed Stefanski, 76ers’ general manager, seemed very pleased with the pick and perhaps relieved that his plans for the Sixers future have been revealed.

“We’re excited to add Jrue to our roster and we think he will fit in well with our team’s style of play,” said Ed Stefanski, the 76ers’ president and general manager. “He has great upside, displays aggressiveness on both ends of the court, has a great nose for the ball as well as the size and strength to play both guard positions.”

He was the sixth point guard selected in the draft.

Philadelphia’s own boxing living legend, Bernard Hopkins, let his feelings for Donovan McNabb be known to Howard Eskin on WIP yesterday…

“I think he plays for the moment, whether it’s winning or losing,” Hopkins said. “I think he plays to win, but I don’t think his demeanor and I don’t think his personality fits to win tomorrow, to win the next week and to win with any means necessary. There’s a difference than wanting to win and showing that you want to win. I think that most athletes go in the ring or in the court, basketball or football, go in there with the intentions of winning until something is different that they feel that they don’t want to deal with, understand or just be in the mix. Some people just want to be in the mix, Howard. And if they get lucky and be like ‘Oh I can win this’ then they’ll go ahead and they’ll show their swagger. But at the end of the day, you got frontrunners and you got runners, and he’s one of the greatest frontrunners I’ve ever seen in the NFL.”

Hopkins predicted the Eagles will finish 7-9 this season, winning seven games despite of McNabb – “He don’t have the heart,” he said. “He don’t want to fail so he don’t want to try.”

You tell me, what, if anything, that Hopkins said above is not true?