A lot happened this weekend, especially football-wise (which I hope to get to today), but the highlight for Philadelphians, no matter how you slice it, was Jayson Werth's walkoff. While we were watching it on the TV and listening to Wheels and McCarthy, we all wondered what the call sounded like by Scott Franzke. here it is, and it's tremendous as always.
I have a question: Did that guy eat my brain that's on drugs? Because otherwise that's just a waste of an egg brain. And eggs are delicious. Especially fried.
Let's move on, courtesy of uncle jellyfish.
Link time …
-Scott Franzke went On the DL with Dan Levy to discuss Roy Halladay's day of perfection.
-Major League Jerk is without question one of my favorite sites out there, but man, these guys seem to be going through some tough times these days. Diets. Layoffs/sabbaticals. Let us hope the best jerks on the internet hold it all together.
-Listen, rooting for Boston in anything is a painful endeavor. But as the NBA Finals get underway tonight between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers for seemingly the 800th time, there are a few reasons to be rooting for Boston over LA. For starters, it's fun to root against Kobe, the Philadelphia kid who shunned his roots, plus, no one really wants to seem him catch Jordan in the ring department. Secondly, at least Boston has real fans, unlike those late-comers and early-departers in LA. Finally, Boston employs two of the baddest power forwards of all time, and two of my favorite players ever: Philadelphia's own Rasheed Wallace and the Big Kid, Kevin Garnett, both of whom were drafted in 1995, No. 4 (Sheed) and No. 5 overall, respectively. Kenny does an excellent job pointing this out.
I hate the Celtics as much as the next guy, but I really do love KG and Sheed.
Great signing. Stunning that a guy who's been seriously injured the past two seasons got seriously injured again.
-Some Phillies injury updates: Placido could be back in the lineup, Jimmy probably won't be back until next week at the earliest, and J.A. Happ, who is taking entirely too long to recover from what was considered a minor injury if I recall correctly, is finally going to throw a little bit.
-Speaking of the Phillies, their offense has been so horrendous and in need of a spark that Charlie Manuel has decided to bat Jayson Werth in the leadoff spot today. The lineup:
1. Werth 2. Valdez 3. Chase 4. Howard 5. Francisco 6. Raul 7. Dobbs 8. Schneider 9. Kendrick
2 Harrison Barnes 6-7 SF Ames (IA) North Carolina Complete swingman does it all.
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15 Reggie Bullock 6-7 SG Kinston (NC) North Carolina Bigtime shooter with high basketball IQ.
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37 Kendall Marshall 6-4 PG Bishop O’Connell (VA) North Carolina Lefty point guard with a very high basketball IQ.
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51 James Bell 6-5 SG/SF Montverde Academy (FL) Villanova Super strong wing who can score with the best of them.
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74 Jayvaughn Pinkston 6-7 PF Bishop Loughlin (NY) Villanova Skilled bruiser will bolster help Nova up front.
2011
5 Rakeem Christmas 6-9 PF/C Academy of The New Church (PA) Undecided Intriguing post with ideal size and athleticism.
6 James McAdoo 6-9 PF Norfolk Christian (VA) North Carolina Athletic big man who can hit the faceup jumper.
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31 P.J. Hairston 6-6 SG/SF Dudley (NC) North Carolina Powerfully built wing can drill the NBA 3.
I hope for his sake that Rakeem Christmas grows up and matures this year, because when I saw him play live, he acted like a giant, pouting baby. But his athleticism is off the charts.
I especially like the one about Carter. I'd move him off the Richards line and put him on the third line as well, maybe putting Giroux with Richards and Gagne. But I have faith in whatever Peter Laviolette does. The guy has proven himself to be an excellent coach.
-With the Sixers holding the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft, here's a list of the past 20 players selected second overall. The Sixers are on the list twice, and it's not pretty. In 1993, they infamously, and tragically, took Shawn Bradley.
They followed that up in 1997 by taking a player that refused to play for them, Keith Van Horn, who was then traded to the New Jersey for Tim Thomas, the small forward out of Villanova who was taken No. 7 overall.
Yikes. Let's hope this Evan Turner (or Derrick Favors) pick turns out much, much better.
-How bad are four of the Phillies all-stars from last season struggling right now? So bad that Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are all profiled in Big League Stew's Sumpbot .200.
-Whatever happened to Greg Dobbs?. My answer, which has been consistent for the past month: He sucks. The guy is the worst fielder I've ever seen, and now he can no longer pinch-hit. He sucked as a pinch-hitter last year, and he sucks even worse so far this year. Time to send him to the minors or send him packing. A terrible fielder who can't hit is simply a waste of a bench spot.
-Reading Phils centerfielder Quintin Berry made one hell of a catch last night:
The Phillies are playing right now. The NBA Finals finally start tonight tomorrow. And of course, the Flyers play game 3 tonight here in Philadelphia, facing an uphill battle but still just four wins away from immortality.