That's More Like It Links

Two three-run home runs. Curbball owning Jonathan Broxton, again. That's a lot more like the Phillies we all know and love, overcoming Kyle Kendrick going all Kyle Kendrick on them for an 8-4 win. And just as important, Ryan Howard went yard, breaking out of his prolonged slump.



It was a great thing to see, the bats finally come to life. Chase Utley had two hits. So did Placido Polanco. Jayson Werth scored twice. And the team managed to get 8 runs on 9 hits. Not bad. Now if they could only find a way to score that many runs, hell even half that many, for Cole, Roy and Roy, they might never lose again. Hopefully this is a sign that the offense is moving in the right direction, and that Ryan Howard is answering the big question.

Links …

-News from JoePa: Ollie Ogbu and Brett Brackett are this year's captains.



It would be a lot cooler of Brackett's first name was Sifl.



Chaz Powell, who as recently as Sunday was listed as a starting cornerback, has been moved back to offense, even with Stephon Morris banged up. That's a good sign for young corner Derrick Thomas, who along with Morris was one of the 6 Penn State players to watch this year according to some genius.

-Evidently, Cliff Lee — once hailed as the greatest man who ever lived — is no longer the greatest man who ever lived.

-Ed gives us 5 NFL players who hold their teams' future in their hands.

-Yikes! If you want, watch Iowa offensive lineman Josh Koeppel get hit by a truck, feel free.



Shockingly, despite wearing no helmet, he suffered no serious injuries. Wow.

-Tyreke is determined to get his outside game back.







If he can get it back, Tyreke might become impossible to guard. He already has proven he can get to the rim whenever he wants. Imagine if he can rediscover his three-point stroke. Damn.

-Is high schooler Andre Drummond a cross between Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett? You decide.



-The new High School Hoop top 50 players, with local boys Rakeem Christmas coming in at No. 17, Amile Jefferson coming in at 36 and Daniel Ochefu at 42.







-More gold from Antone: Shawn Kemp going coast to coast at the 1988 McDonald's All-American Game.



-Ryan Howard will appear in the season finale of Entourage. He and Chase will also be in an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

-The top 5 Heisman busts of the past decade.

-If you are a Sixers fan, please read the Jon Koncak Commemorative Awards. First up, Greg Buckner and Kenny Thomas.

-Word on the street is the Big Ten will announce the divisions tonight for 2011 and beyond, when the Big Ten actually becomes the Big 12 and the Big 12 actually becomes the Big Ten. Except they will not trade names, because why would institutions of higher learning concern themselves with such trivial things as having names that make sense?

-This graph says it all when it comes to UNC football.



-More on Howard and his beastly history in September.

-While we're at it, why the Philadelphia Phillies wil make the playoffs again.

-An absolutely great Bawful series: Worst NBA Champions. Love it.

-Somehow, I don't remember this at all, but once upon a time, then-Philadelphia 76er Jerry Stackhouse fought former 76er Jeff Hornacek.



All I know is Hornacek is lucky as hell that his happened in an NBA arena and not on the playground.

-Nate Robinson was awesome at football.



-10 things learned from Hard Knocks so far.

Oswalt vs. Kershaw at 3:10 this afternoon.