Born - NE Philly 5/9/79 Started radio - 2/98 @ Q102 in Philly Then went to - Detroit, Orlando, Saginaw (MI), Toledo Teams I like - Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, Sixers, Tigers, Pistons, Magic, 'Nova, Temple, SJU basketball Fave sports day of the year - First Thursday of March Madness Fave all time players - Michael Jordan & Charles Barkley
Phenomenal Phelps- Don't get me wrong, I rooted as hard as anyone for the impossible-to-dislike Michael Phelps, but his eight golds (five solo) just aren't that impressive to me. The sheer quantity of them, and his overtaking of Mark Spitz is obviously historic, but don't forget...Michael Phelps was SUPPOSED to win all these races. The glowing shine of the eight golds is sure to block out Phelps' true greatness, and that's how he annihilated the competition in all but Friday night's race. If the Baltimore Bullet (is that his nickname? If it is, why isn't he Aquaman instead, it's more fitting) lost any of his solo races, or was out performed in any of the relays, we would've been talking about an upset of legendary proportion.
Phelpsian questions as we move into Beijing's second week...
- Is Phelps the greatest Olympic athlete ever? YES - Is he the best athlete on the planet? No, but I'd put him in top ten. - Aside from being caught doping, or in bed with a guy, or even worse - with Paris Hilton, how fast does Phelps sink (no pun intended) into irrelevancy, only to arise again for more dominance in London '12. Answer: He'll stick around longer than the typical Olympic success because of his looks and goofy, but likeable kid next door personality. However let's not kid ourselves, after the success of the US in the '02 World Cup, soccer didn't boom in this country as some predicted, so Phelps' feats surely aren't going to raise the profile of another sport we care about just once every four years. - How does the end of Phelps affect NBC's ratings?Pretty significantly I'd assume. Phelps quest was so monumental, it gave the non sports fan something to tune in for. That's something I don't think the Redeem(ing) Team, with Lebron and Kobe, have the ability to do.
Jamaica's Usain Bolt wins the 100m - With a name like Bolt, he SHOULD be the fastest man in the world. And after his blowout win, he kept running around the track. Not a bad idea! If I ran the 100m in under 9.7 seconds, I'd keep running too. In fact, I might never walk, and I'd probably forget driving too. Think how much money you could save on gas!
"I know it's only preseason but"- The Patriots defense, the side of the ball with questions on it going into 2008, looked really bad against Brian Griese, Luke McCown and Chris Simms.
"I know it's only preseason but" - This Josh Morgankid on the 49ers could be this year's Marques Colston. The Lions haven't been a playoff team this decade, but their offense under Mike Martz turned Jon Kitna, Shaun McDonald, and Mike Furrey into fantasy stars. JT O'Sullivan may be Martz's next Jon Kitna and Josh Morgan could easily become the number one wide receiver on a team with the just Bryant Johnson and Isaac Bruce ahead of him. Morgan's TD from Saturday night.
And some thoughts from NFL.com's Pat Kirwan...
2. Does the team have enough receivers for Martz's offense?
On the day I was here, the afternoon practice was eliminated as a reward for a solid morning workout. Good thing for the receivers, who were down to five men who could actually go without limitation. The Martz system calls for a large number of deep routes in practice every day, and it wears down the players quickly. One player who has distinguished himself through this tough regimen is rookie Josh Morgan. He has size, speed and burst to close on deep balls. Receivers coach Jerry Sullivan, one of the best in the NFL, feels as if there are some similarities between Morgan and the Cardinals' talented receiver Anquan Boldin. Among the other new faces, veteran Isaac Bruceknows the system and has a history with Martz. Bryant Johnson should contribute, but I like Morgan to be the key player.
Sunday Night Football- First, thank god for Service Electric giving us the NFLN on expanded basic, and not having to purchase a sports tier like alot of cable companies. Secondly, thank god for some great color work by Sterling Sharpe. His astute analysis made it a great broadcast. Yea, he was always kind've a loud mouth for ESPN, but since then he's formed a nice on screen chemistry with Brian Baldinger during their break down shows and last night Sharpe had a knack for pointing out things before they happened. He also didn't turn into the typically complacent color guy by just telling us that "so and so made a nice play." Sharpe's explanations of WHY, were informative and educational all night long.
Rollins responds - Jimmy, I think you need to pay closer attention, because there are times when a Philly player isn't performing and he is supported and encouraged. But when you're awful, and not doing your job, you deserve every last boo and cat call you get.
I'm a believer that positive energy can breed positive results, but at times a negative response (booing) can act as the same type of motivation for success. Heck, Jimmy, look at your own case in NY, while it was more of a mean spirited booing, the heat from the Met fans practically turned you into an MVP.
Philly fans are just not the type of people who are going to get up and give you a sympathetic cheer when you come up short of a first down, miss a penalty shot, brick a free throw or go down swinging with two runners in scoring position and you're down by one.
Jimmy, if it makes you feel any better, I'm not a booer. If I ever do feel the need to be vocal it usually towards an official who, in my opinion, made a lousy call.
Forget Michael Phelps, here's my favorite olympian in 2008
The "frontrunner" video
Eagles poor in the preseason - Or was that pour, with all the rain that came down. Sadly, we didn't see anything we didn't already know from the Eagles last night. The special teams aren't real special (muffed returns, a missed great, great handoff...to the Pantherss), the defense isn't very scary and the offense doesn't have a go to guy besides Westbrook. However, my confidence continues to grow in Kevin Kolb's ability to lead this team, if and when McNabb gets injured. Most success stories in preseason are fool's gold, but not with Kolb. In fact, I can't tell you that the Eagles wouldn't win the same number of games with either QB. Problem is, they're likely to only win 8 or 9 of them, and maybe sneak into the playoffs.
Other rain droplets... - Did the Eagles avoid running because Andrew wasn't in the lineup? Maybe they were testing Gilles' ability to pass protect... - The field was a mess and it was a heavy downpour all night, but the Eagles should've drafted a kicker to challenge David Akers. It looks like 40+ might be asking alot from Akers again this year. - Nifty move in the secondary by Tony Hunt to rip off a long run and a TD. It was again future Wawa employees, but it was still a move that gives other teams some tape on Hunt to evaulate him when the Eagles cut him. - And they will likely cut Hunt in favor of Booker, who's got some pretty raw talent to work with. The Birds have to find a way for him to be more consistent so he becomes a threat. - Boy, Desean Jackson is getting every opportunity to prove he can be the #2 option after Westbrook. I've never seen one guy play so much in the preseason. - Fantasy sleeper, a great with a great arm...last night's ref. He was tossing flags every play! He didn't seem to get fatigued either like a guy slightly younger than him (Favre!)
Is Darren McFadden the surefire ROY on offense? Or is this speedster? I'm believing the Chris Johnson hype!
A Guy's Guide to the Internet 8.14
Thursday 08-14-2008 10:46am ET
Ocho Cinco to become Ocho Cinco?- If it were to legally happen, I wonder if Marvin Lewis would trade the Pro Bowl production for giant belly laugh he and Chad haters around the world would get if the Bengals traded Ocho Cinco (real name) to a team who had a vet unwilling to give up the number 85?
Shut your mouth JRoll - It's not that we're against you, we as Philly fans are just more knowledgable than most sports fans around the country. For most of us, your games are our lives. How you play determines how we feel day in an day out. We're aren't the type of town that's going to pat you on the butt, and tell you it's OK, when you've set expectations for yourself and you're not doing your best to live up to them. Look at some of the most revered athletes in Philly history - the list isn't filled with the most talented players, just the hardest working ones.
NL Cy Young- It's Brandon Webb's to lose, but he should be thankful Doug Melvin didn't pull the trigger on the CC trade just a couple weeks earlier. Webb SHOULD get to 20 wins, locking in the award, but CC could wind up around 12-0 record and leading the NL in CGs. A few more starts in the NL and Sabathia would have a more Cy Young-ish 15 wins. He'll win in the offseason though, when he lands a payday with more zeroes than he's allowed on the mound this year.
Eagles preseason vs. Panthers - What are we looking for tonight? - The fewer torn ACLs, the better. Stay healthy - Kick returns past the 20. I'll just during the season, but do we blame the players' execution, or ST coach Rory "Not Ryan" Segrest - Pressure by the defensive front on a line that's just been put together - To see if Desean Jackson can continue to develop as a threat on offense and build on his performance against the Steelers
Olympics on Wednesday night - You probably feel the same way I did - not much on to watch. No Michael, no ratings? Maybe, but we'll find out as those numbers get released. As for Michael Phelps, he couldn't any faster in the water if he was in a boat. It's just not that he's an astonishing and decorated olympic athlete, it's that he's obliterating his competition, other world class competitors. Soon enough, other swimmers will be getting head starts in races vs. Phelps.
Are the Rays in trouble without Longoria?- Take it from this lifelong Tampa fan (who am I kidding?), as good as that pitching staff is (and it'll get better once David Price joins them from Durham), the Rays might not scratch out 10 runs a week while Longoria is on the DL. Bring in Sheff? That's alot of money next year for a guy who might be done. If I were Rays GM, Andrew Friedman, I'd be asking around for Bonds' number. It would be a headache (one the size of Bonds' head?), but an extremely well rested Bonds could add some much needed pop in that Ray lineup. However, that headache could also create a welcome diversion. A welcomed one because Bonds would become the focus, instead of a very young, inexperienced team doing its best to fight off Boston and make the postseason.
A bit more for Iguodala- He turned town about 10 mil last summer, and it turned out to be worth it. It's 80 mil for 6 years for Andre Iguodala. It's an expectional deal for everyone. Brand has a trusty sidekick, for years to come, and Iguodala was rewarded nicely. However, Andre hasn't hit his ceiling for potential yet, so let's hope that his steady progression into an All Star won't quit, now that he's got his big deal.
© 2008