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| 8/26/2010 | | 2/25/2010 | | 11/13/2009 | | 5/10/2009 | | 4/27/2009 |
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1 | | 205 | 2 | | 195 | 3 | | 180 | 4 | | 145 | 5 | | 110 |
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1 | | 54725 | 2 | | 53400 | 3 | | 48550 | 4 | | 47860 | 5 | | 38100 |
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| Warwick | | New Prague | | Hollywood | | denton | | Cleveland |
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The Philadelphia Phillies have to be the most inconsistent team in Major League Baseball history. When they are on - they don't stop winning. When they are off - they look terrible. Why is it that the Phillies now have their entire lineup back off the disabled list and they are doing worse?
Perhaps Charlie should have let Chase Utley, Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard stay in the minor leagues until they were tearing the cover off the ball. Domonic Brown/Ben Francisco, Wilson Valdez and Mike Sweeney/Ross Gload were doing just fine in their respective positions, filling in for the injured All-Star Phillies. Maybe Charlie Manuel should go back to that lineup since the Phillies were actually winning with that lineup.
All I know is the Phillies are EXTREMELY LUCKY to still be leading the Wildcard and only 2 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East division. But on the other hand, if they won 2 out of their previous 3 games at home against lowly Houston, they'd be leading the Wildcard by 2 full games and they'd be only a half-game behind the Braves for the division lead, with a chance to tie them for the NL East lead today.
The Phillies better find their groove at the plate again or they will NOT be playing in October. 
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| I know I'm a little late, but I just found out that LT was released by the San Diego Chargers. What were they thinking? I know he's not in his prime, but he still a decent running back. I wonder where he'll end up.
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| www.afxleague.com
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| When you see the statistics of eight home runs, 21 runs-batted-in and a batting average of .360 compared to one homer, eight RBIs and an average of .254, it’s really easy to say the former line is much better.
To identify the names behind these stats, current Philadelphia Phillies left-fielder Raul Ibanez is the former and former Phillies left-fielder and current Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Pat Burrell is the latter.
Ibanez, who was acquired in the off-season as a free agent from the Seattle Mariners, has caused passionate Phillies fans to forget about the man who occupied left-field on a day-to-day basis for almost nine full seasons. Burrell was a former number one overall pick by the Phillies in the late-1990s and he has been a fan favorite in Philadelphia for most of his time in the City of Brotherly Love.
After the Phils won the World Series in October 2008, all the baseball fans in Philadelphia knew that Pat Burrell was to be a free agent and there was concern around the city that the Phillies organization would not re-sign him. During the winter meetings, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. made it clear that he was interested Raul Ibanez. Of course all the Phillies fans knew was that he played in Seattle, a team that was very rarely seen on televisions in the Philadelphia area, and that he was 36-years old, a whole three years older than Burrell.
Despite all the potential criticism, Amaro knew what a great player Ibanez was and he signed the veteran outfielder to a three-year contract. As a result, Burrell signed with the team the Phillies beat in the World Series, the Rays, and only received a two-year contract to be mainly a designated hitter.
Burrell made a couple memorable returns to Citizen’s Bank Park in the beginning of the 2009 season with an exhibition game and an emotional World Series ring ceremony. In the exhibition game as a member of the Rays, Burrell unloaded on a Cole Hamels fastball, reminding Phillies fans of what they would be missing in the upcoming 2009 season. Then in the ring ceremony, Burrell received the loudest and longest cheer from the Phillies faithful when presented with his championship ring. Pat’s ovation lasted longer than even current Phillies superstars Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.
But to this writer, it seems like ages ago when Pat Burrell was a member of the Phillies, in the ballpark as a member of the Rays and receiving his championship ring. Raul Ibanez has made all of the Phillies fans forget that there was any other Phillies player that played left-field in recent years. The Phils faithful has embraced Ibanez as the great player that he is. Signs in the stands at Citizen’s Bank Park read “I-BOMB-EZ” and now you can see quite a few fans wearing the number-29 Ibanez jerseys. And typical to Philadelphia, a new chant that goes “RAOOOOL” and sounds like “BOOOO” is now heard throughout the ballpark every time Ibanez steps to the plate.
There is no doubt that Raul Ibanez has won over Phillies fans with his timely hitting, solid defensive play and his hustle both in the field and on the base paths. Does anyone in Philadelphia remember the beloved Pat Burrell? I’m sure there are many who do, but Ibanez is easily causing some fans to forget.
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| Villanova point guard Scottie Reynolds made an announcement this past week that he is declaring for the NBA Draft, but is not hiring an agent. By doing this, Reynolds can withdraw his name for the draft if he so chooses and would then return to Villanova for his senior season. Reynolds is coming off a solid junior season, a season in which he led his Wildcats to the Final Four. During that Final Four run, Reynolds hit the game-winning running layup to defeat Pittsburgh in the East Regional Final to advance on to the National Semi-finals where they lost to eventual National Champion, North Carolina.
There is no question that Reynolds can play at the next level. The more important question is should Scottie Reynolds make his jump to the next level now? According to most mock draft boards around the country, Reynolds is projected to be a second-round pick. If you are an underclassman and declaring for the NBA Draft, you want to be a first round pick. The idea is that Reynolds will go to NBA Draft workouts and he will try and improve his draft stock to first-round status. If he can do that, then he may want to take the chance and stay in the NBA Draft. But if he does not, then most likely he will be back at Villanova this year.
But back to the question at hand: Should Scottie Reynolds enter the NBA Draft now? There are still some aspects of Reynolds game that could use improvement before leaving the Villanova campus right outside of Philadelphia for the riches of the National Basketball Association. For all his talents and ability to take the ball to basket and make the big shot, Reynolds still gets careless with the ball at times. When the game is on the line, Reynolds does take care of the basketball and he makes big time plays. This is the part of Reynolds’ game that would attract NBA scouts the most. But his inconsistency during the regular season is something that Scottie can improve upon.
When Scottie is not making game-winning shots and knocking down three-pointers at key times, he does contribute to Villanova in other ways. He puts his teammates in position to make plays and is one of the top defensive guards in the Big East Conference. All those characteristics of Reynolds game is what will make him not only an attractive draft prospect, but a solid NBA point guard.
But is it wise for Scottie Reynolds to enter the NBA Draft now? As a second-round pick, the contract Reynolds would receive would be much smaller than that received if he was drafted in the first-round. If Reynolds decides to stay at Villanova for his senior season, his NBA Draft stock can only rise. If he gets injured, then that of course is another story. But other than his late-game heroics in the Elite Eight game against Pittsburgh and the Wildcats unlikely Final Four run, Reynolds did nothing extremely significant in his junior season.
You can compare this situation to the situation that for Saint Joseph’s Hawks guard Delonte West was in several years ago. In 2004, the Hawks were a number-one seed in the NCAA Tournament and made it all the way to the Elite Eight before losing in the final seconds to Oklahoma State. During that season, fellow guard Jameer Nelson and West were the primary scorers for the Saint Joe’s Hawks. Nelson was a senior that year and was heading to the NBA Draft. With Nelson gone, it was unlikely Saint Joseph’s would make that kind of run and get that kind of national attention against the following season. Therefore, West, who was a junior in 2004, decided to enter the NBA Draft and was selected in the late stages of the first round in the 2004 NBA Draft.
Reynolds is a similar player to West in terms of where he projects to be in the NBA. Villanova lost seniors Dwayne Anderson, Shane Clark and Dante Cunningham, which are all significant losses for the Wildcats. But returning are guards Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes and head coach Jay Wright is bringing in one of the top recruiting classes in the country. So there is a good chance that Villanova will be on the national scene once again this season, therefore giving Reynolds a stage to perform on for the NBA scouts to see.
So it is this writer’s belief that if Scottie Reynolds keeps his name in this year’s NBA Draft, he will not get the results that he wants. If he stays at Villanova for his senior season, barring an injury, he can only improve his draft stock. In all honesty, he will probably be a second round pick no matter what since this writer feels he is simply a backup point guard at the NBA level. Therefore, staying at Villanova makes sense for Reynolds, Jay Wright, the Villanova Wildcat basketball program and the city of Philadelphia.
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| This weekend is probably our toughest game on the road to the suprbowl. In fact, i believe if we win against the steelers the SuperBowl will be an easier game to win as the steelers are the best team in the league i believe.
Go Ravens !!
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| Happy Thanksgiving to all. Despite the critics, I foresee three decent games today.
I'm going against the grain here, and picking the woeful Lions today. Detroit should cover the 11-point spread without a problem because I see a spirited effort from a winless team whose Super Bowl is basically today. But I'm even picking them to win straight-up. Yes, call me crazy, but I believe the Lions are going to upset the Titans today. It's difficult for any team to recover from a beat-down like Tennessee had on Sunday, and a four-day swing to the next game doesn't make it easier. Say all you want about the Titans being mad, angry and wanting to destroy the Lions to make up for their first loss on Sunday. However, unlike Sunday against the Jets, the Titans receivers are going to need to catch balls today, and Jeff Fisher would be smart to use the power game with LenDale White, despite his comments. The Lions are going to surprise with an air attack, and score some points. I predict the Lions to upset the Titans, 24-21.
I will make two other quick picks because I'm needed in the kitchen.
The Seahawks, coming off a frustrating loss to the Redskins on Sunday and a brutal start to the season, should put up a fight against the Cowboys. Although I don't see this being a blowout like last year's dismantling of the Jets on Thanksgiving Day, I do not see Tony Romo and the Cowboys breaking much of a sweat today. The Seahawks offense won't be able to match up to the Cowboys'. And the Cowboys are surely aware that the Giants are sitting back at home, chowing down and watching the game, so they look to put on a show. Prediction: Cowboys 31, Seahawks 17
Tonight's game is intriguing in many ways. Philadelphia is in must-win mode, after three very disappointing weeks, and many questions raised about tearing apart the core of an Eagles franchise that has had great success in the last decade. Arizona also has plenty to prove. Whenever the Cardinals have gone east, it has been a struggle. But the Cardinals have a chance to secure their first division title since I believe the Jimmy Carter administration. But I predict that the Eagles defense will put the pressure on Kurt Warner, and Donovan McNabb will at least temporarily maintain his Eagles starting status for another week. A high-scoring affair. Eagles 34, Cardinals 24.
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