By: Steve Johnson
Yeah we get it Adam Aron and friends. We understand that you just bought the team during a lockout season, we get you're trying to get the interest back. We get that you were trying to milk as many wins out of a mediocre team as possible. We even get the balloons, the confetti, the mascot voting, and light shows. We're Philly fans, we're smart, we've been through this plenty of times. We can see right through you, we don't fall for your little tricks, not here, not in this town. We get it, you tried. In Philadelphia, a city where trying is usually all we ask for, well this year it wasn't enough. If you expect to sell our arenas in this town, you're gonna have to do more than provide light shows and confetti, you have to provide us with a winning basketball team.
The Sixers exceeded expectations but lets not believe for one minute that they are legitimate contender. Yes, they won a playoff series, and yes they took a team that was in the finals two years ago to 7 games. But is that the Sixers identity? Is that who the Sixers really are? Are they a team that is within a game of the Eastern Conference Finals? The answer is no, and for anyone to believe they are needs to set their bias aside and look at the big picture. The Sixers barely made the playoffs after almost blowing an incredible start. Then the Sixers lost game 1 to the Chicago Bulls, and only came back to win the series because of a gruesome injury to one of the games best players, and the Bulls second best player. Then they took a tired and beat down Celtic team to seven games, ultimately losing and being knocked out of the playoffs. Is that something to build on? Of course it is. Young players learned how to win playoff games and you cannot take that away from them. Now they need to build on that, and make the right roster moves to take the next step.
The Sixers need a change, and not the change that sees a certain gangster bunny being fired, and paper being thrown from the rafters after wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards of the world. The Sixers management is going to have to take a long look at the team this off season and realize what it's going to take to give the Sixers die hards a team actually worth rooting for. Give them a team that will actually put money in Mr. Adam Arons pocket, rather than having him pretend his "free ticket" giveaways are from the bottom of the heart not the fact that they can't sell out a game to save their life. Stop with the minor league baseball promotions and promote your team with the good, young talent already on this roster. Going into the 2012-13 season with the same roster would be a mistake. It would be a mistake to believe that this same Sixers team can do what they did last year. The other teams are only going to get better and hungrier. Let's hope this new Sixers management realizes that, because the Sixers have one step out of basketball purgatory. It would be a shame for them not to take the next step.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Phillies not Eagles in financial crisis: The fear of losing Cole Hamels
By: Steve Johnson
Here are 2 teams in Philadelphia, both very successful over the past decade, both beloved, but only 1 receives criticism. Here is what they've done in this off season and over the past few years.
Team #1: Replenished their roster. Signed their home grown players to long term contracts. Filled needs in both free agency and the draft. Still have more money left to spend (in a league that faces a salary cap) than most teams in its league.
Team #2: Spent money on aging players. Have more salary on the DL than 2 teams entire salary in their league. Failed to address 2 major positions that have their 2 best players over the past 5 years injured. Now are facing money problems, forcing them to debate whether to trade their home grown talent or not.
Team #1 is the Philadelphia Eagles, and the city is calling for their managements head, despite doing all the right moves in the off season. They face hatred from people in their own city, that root for the other 3 teams in the city...but hate them for some God forsaken reason.
Team #2 is the Philadelphia Phillies, and they can do no wrong amongst the fans, despite their GM putting them in a position that has their future in jeopardy. They have gained more fans since 2008 than any other team in sports and when they make moves, there is rarely a question to if it's right.
The reason this is brought up is our beloved Phillies are on the verge of losing a 28 year old left handed pitcher in the prime of his career, simply because Phillies management thought money grew on trees. Who's to blame them though? Money does grow on trees, trees located at One Citizens Bank Way in South Philadelphia. In 2003, the Phillies were in the middle of the pack in payroll, around 70 million. Now they're top 3, over 100 million dollars more, competing with the one time evil empires of Boston and New York. Now the problem they face is what to do with Hamels, who will be seeking top dollar. Can the Phillies afford him? They have fellow left-hander Cliff Lee signed till at least 2015 with an option for 2016 at $21 million this year and $25 million every year after that. Roy Halladay, who was just placed on the DL, is signed through 2013 and a 14 option at $20 million a year. Ryan Howard, who is in the Ruben Amaro witness protection program in Florida, will start making a whopping $25 million a year in 2014 through possibly 2017. Not to mention another $40 million locked up to new closer Jonathan Papelbon, often injured second baseman Chase Utley and struggling shortstop Jimmy Rollins. The Phillies are close to the 178 million dollar luxury tax Major League Baseball has set. This means unless Ruben Amaro does some trade deadline whealing and dealing, or Cole Hamels really loves Philadelphia and takes a pay cut, the Phillies are likely to lose one of their own. Is it possible that the California boy heads back to California to play for the Dodgers? What if he went to Detroit to team up with fellow ace Justin Verlander. The Cubbies need a bright new star to keep their team going. The Rangers adding a stud #1 pitcher would pretty much lock up their dynasty. The fear of losing a beloved home grown player, a World Series MVP, and possibly the best young lefty in the game is real, and you should be worried. But this could never happen to the beloved Phillies, who never make mistakes...could it?
Here are 2 teams in Philadelphia, both very successful over the past decade, both beloved, but only 1 receives criticism. Here is what they've done in this off season and over the past few years.
Team #1: Replenished their roster. Signed their home grown players to long term contracts. Filled needs in both free agency and the draft. Still have more money left to spend (in a league that faces a salary cap) than most teams in its league.
Team #2: Spent money on aging players. Have more salary on the DL than 2 teams entire salary in their league. Failed to address 2 major positions that have their 2 best players over the past 5 years injured. Now are facing money problems, forcing them to debate whether to trade their home grown talent or not.
Team #1 is the Philadelphia Eagles, and the city is calling for their managements head, despite doing all the right moves in the off season. They face hatred from people in their own city, that root for the other 3 teams in the city...but hate them for some God forsaken reason.
Team #2 is the Philadelphia Phillies, and they can do no wrong amongst the fans, despite their GM putting them in a position that has their future in jeopardy. They have gained more fans since 2008 than any other team in sports and when they make moves, there is rarely a question to if it's right.
The reason this is brought up is our beloved Phillies are on the verge of losing a 28 year old left handed pitcher in the prime of his career, simply because Phillies management thought money grew on trees. Who's to blame them though? Money does grow on trees, trees located at One Citizens Bank Way in South Philadelphia. In 2003, the Phillies were in the middle of the pack in payroll, around 70 million. Now they're top 3, over 100 million dollars more, competing with the one time evil empires of Boston and New York. Now the problem they face is what to do with Hamels, who will be seeking top dollar. Can the Phillies afford him? They have fellow left-hander Cliff Lee signed till at least 2015 with an option for 2016 at $21 million this year and $25 million every year after that. Roy Halladay, who was just placed on the DL, is signed through 2013 and a 14 option at $20 million a year. Ryan Howard, who is in the Ruben Amaro witness protection program in Florida, will start making a whopping $25 million a year in 2014 through possibly 2017. Not to mention another $40 million locked up to new closer Jonathan Papelbon, often injured second baseman Chase Utley and struggling shortstop Jimmy Rollins. The Phillies are close to the 178 million dollar luxury tax Major League Baseball has set. This means unless Ruben Amaro does some trade deadline whealing and dealing, or Cole Hamels really loves Philadelphia and takes a pay cut, the Phillies are likely to lose one of their own. Is it possible that the California boy heads back to California to play for the Dodgers? What if he went to Detroit to team up with fellow ace Justin Verlander. The Cubbies need a bright new star to keep their team going. The Rangers adding a stud #1 pitcher would pretty much lock up their dynasty. The fear of losing a beloved home grown player, a World Series MVP, and possibly the best young lefty in the game is real, and you should be worried. But this could never happen to the beloved Phillies, who never make mistakes...could it?
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Sixers/Celtics all time teams
By: Steve Johnson, Jon Balant and Mike Duncan
With the Sixers and Celtics playing in this exciting Eastern Conference semi-final matchup tonight, we decided to look back on the Sixers and Celtics historic rivalry and the teams that made it so fierce. The Sixers and Celtics are two of the most proud franchises in the NBA, with some of the greatest players the game has ever seen. While listening to 97.5 the Fanatic today, we went with their show and decided to do a fantasy draft, compiling 3 teams, each with a starting 5, a 6th man, and a coach. We alternated picks with a snake style draft and here is what we came up with. The players had to be recognized as either a Celtic or a Sixer, for example Pete Maravich wasn't the same player in the
1st Pick (Jon) : Wilt Chamberlain, C, Sixers
2nd Pick (Mike): Bill Russell, C, Celtics
3rd Pick (Steve): Larry Bird, SF, Celtics
4th Pick (Steve): Charles Barkley, PF, Sixers
5th Pick (Mike): Julius Erving, SF, Sixers
6th Pick (Jon): Paul Pierce, SF, Celtics
7th Pick (Jon): Allen Iverson, Sixers
8th Pick (Mike): John Havlicek, SG Celtics
9th Pick (Steve): Moses Malone, C, Sixers
10th Pick (Steve): Ray Allen, SG, Celtics
11th Pick (Mike): Hal Greer, PG, Sixers
12th Pick (Jon): Kevin McHale, PF, Celtics
13th Pick (Jon): Bob Cousy, PG, Celtics
14th Pick (Mike): Kevin Garnett, PF, Celtics
15th Pick (Steve): Rajon Rondo, PG, Celtics
16th Pick (Steve): Billy Cunningham, 6th Man, Sixers
17th Pick (Mike): Red Auerbach, Coach, Celtics
18th Pick (Jon): Reggie Lewis, 6th Man, Celtics
19th Pick (Jon): Larry Brown, coach, Sixers
20th Pick (Mike): Dennis Johnson, 6th man, Celtics
21st Pick (Steve): Doc Rivers, coach, Celtics
PF- Kevin McHale Kevin Garnett Charles Barkley
SF- Paul Pierce Julius Erving Larry Bird
SG- Allen Iverson John Havlicek Ray Allen
PG- Bob Cousy Hal Greer Rajon Rondo
6th- Reggie Lewis Dennis Johnson Billy Cunningham
Coach- Larry Brown Red Auerbach Doc Rivers
With the Sixers and Celtics playing in this exciting Eastern Conference semi-final matchup tonight, we decided to look back on the Sixers and Celtics historic rivalry and the teams that made it so fierce. The Sixers and Celtics are two of the most proud franchises in the NBA, with some of the greatest players the game has ever seen. While listening to 97.5 the Fanatic today, we went with their show and decided to do a fantasy draft, compiling 3 teams, each with a starting 5, a 6th man, and a coach. We alternated picks with a snake style draft and here is what we came up with. The players had to be recognized as either a Celtic or a Sixer, for example Pete Maravich wasn't the same player in the
1st Pick (Jon) : Wilt Chamberlain, C, Sixers
2nd Pick (Mike): Bill Russell, C, Celtics
3rd Pick (Steve): Larry Bird, SF, Celtics
4th Pick (Steve): Charles Barkley, PF, Sixers
5th Pick (Mike): Julius Erving, SF, Sixers
6th Pick (Jon): Paul Pierce, SF, Celtics
7th Pick (Jon): Allen Iverson, Sixers
8th Pick (Mike): John Havlicek, SG Celtics
9th Pick (Steve): Moses Malone, C, Sixers
10th Pick (Steve): Ray Allen, SG, Celtics
11th Pick (Mike): Hal Greer, PG, Sixers
12th Pick (Jon): Kevin McHale, PF, Celtics
13th Pick (Jon): Bob Cousy, PG, Celtics
14th Pick (Mike): Kevin Garnett, PF, Celtics
15th Pick (Steve): Rajon Rondo, PG, Celtics
16th Pick (Steve): Billy Cunningham, 6th Man, Sixers
17th Pick (Mike): Red Auerbach, Coach, Celtics
18th Pick (Jon): Reggie Lewis, 6th Man, Celtics
19th Pick (Jon): Larry Brown, coach, Sixers
20th Pick (Mike): Dennis Johnson, 6th man, Celtics
21st Pick (Steve): Doc Rivers, coach, Celtics
Jon's Team Mike's Team Steve's Team
C- Wilt Chamberlain Bill Russell Moses MalonePF- Kevin McHale Kevin Garnett Charles Barkley
SF- Paul Pierce Julius Erving Larry Bird
SG- Allen Iverson John Havlicek Ray Allen
PG- Bob Cousy Hal Greer Rajon Rondo
6th- Reggie Lewis Dennis Johnson Billy Cunningham
Coach- Larry Brown Red Auerbach Doc Rivers
Monday, May 14, 2012
State of the Flyers part 2
By: Steve Johnson
Continued from part 1
Defensemen
Kimmo Timonen ($6.33 million cap hit, 1 year left, UFA in 13-14)
Chris Pronger ($4.9 million cap hit, 5 years left, UFA in 17-18)
Andrej Meszaros ($4 million cap hit, 2 years left, UFA in 14-15)
Pavel Kubina (Unrestricted Free Agent this year)
Matt Carle (Unrestricted Free Agent this year)
Braydon Coburn ($4.5 million cap hit, 4 years left, UFA in 16-17)
Nicklas Grossmann ($3.5 million cap hit, 4 years left, UFA in 16-17)
Marc-Andre Bourdon (Restricted Free Agent this year)
Andreas Lilja ($737,500, 1 year left, UFA in 13-14)
Erik Gustafsson ($900,000, 1 year left, RFA in 13-14)
Breakdown:
Kimmo Timonen once again had a great year and will be back again for the Flyers. He was however breaking down toward the end of the year, and seemed tired. He will be turning 38 next year and who knows how many years him and...
Chris Pronger have left. Pronger barely played this year after head injuries, and some say he will never play again. Losing one of the best defense men this game has ever seen will be huge, especially since they have counted on him for the next 5 years. I don't think he'll be back, and that's not good. Flyers need to get younger at this position.
Andrej Meszaros had back surgery mid way through the year and was out close to 8 weeks. He came back for the end of the Devils series and didn't look his self. He has 2 years left on his deal and takes a larger cap hit than you would want for someone you might not be able to count on.
Pavel Kubina was acquired at the trade deadline and wasn't the player he once was. This was a desperation move and it didn't work out. He won't be on the team and probably will have to retire.
Matt Carle isn't the same player without Pronger playing along side of him. He didn't have the year many expected, but what his normal self at around 40 points. Carle doesn't get hurt, and the Flyers would love to resign the 27 year old. It all depends if another team is willing to give him a big contract.
Braydon Coburn got a big contract extension mid way through the year and he deserved it. He's locked up through 2016 and really is one of the only defense men they can count on for the next couple of years with...
Nicklas Grossmann, who was also given a new contract and is also signed through 2016. He was acquired mid way through the season and you could instantly see the goaltenders playing better.
Marc-Andre Bourdon was called up early with the injuries the Flyers had and he played decent. He played in more than half the games and is still only 22. I would be surprised if they let him walk without getting a bid in for his services.
Andreas Lilja, like a couple of the guys mentioned before is getting old and showing it. He's got 1 more year left on his deal, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Flyers somehow get out of this.
Erik Gustafsson was being called up and down all year with the injuries the Flyers suffered. I thought he played well in the playoffs and think he could earn himself a contract next year if he continues to improve. He's still only 23 years old and is a restricted free agent after next year.
Goalies
Ilya Bryzgalov ($5.66 million cap hit, 8 years left, UFA in 2020)
Sergei Bobvrovsky ($1.75 million cap hit, 1 year left, RFA in 13-14
Breakdown:
Ilya Bryzgalov had more one liners than saves this year. After signing that huge contact, the Flyers didn't get what they expected and they admitted that in the past week. Bryz needs to play better, and needs to get his head into it. I expect him to bounce back, after he settles in the city and learns from his mistakes. He played better toward the end of the season before his foot injury. It seemed like the injury or the pressure got to him in Pittsburgh but then played better in New Jersey. In order to move on the Flyers need him and not...
Sergei Bobvrosky who is nothing more than a 2nd goalie in the NHL. The Flyers didn't get what they expected out of him and he will be counted on for a backup role if he is resigned after next year.
Continued from part 1
Defensemen
Kimmo Timonen ($6.33 million cap hit, 1 year left, UFA in 13-14)
Chris Pronger ($4.9 million cap hit, 5 years left, UFA in 17-18)
Andrej Meszaros ($4 million cap hit, 2 years left, UFA in 14-15)
Pavel Kubina (Unrestricted Free Agent this year)
Matt Carle (Unrestricted Free Agent this year)
Braydon Coburn ($4.5 million cap hit, 4 years left, UFA in 16-17)
Nicklas Grossmann ($3.5 million cap hit, 4 years left, UFA in 16-17)
Marc-Andre Bourdon (Restricted Free Agent this year)
Andreas Lilja ($737,500, 1 year left, UFA in 13-14)
Erik Gustafsson ($900,000, 1 year left, RFA in 13-14)
Breakdown:
Kimmo Timonen once again had a great year and will be back again for the Flyers. He was however breaking down toward the end of the year, and seemed tired. He will be turning 38 next year and who knows how many years him and...
Chris Pronger have left. Pronger barely played this year after head injuries, and some say he will never play again. Losing one of the best defense men this game has ever seen will be huge, especially since they have counted on him for the next 5 years. I don't think he'll be back, and that's not good. Flyers need to get younger at this position.
Andrej Meszaros had back surgery mid way through the year and was out close to 8 weeks. He came back for the end of the Devils series and didn't look his self. He has 2 years left on his deal and takes a larger cap hit than you would want for someone you might not be able to count on.
Pavel Kubina was acquired at the trade deadline and wasn't the player he once was. This was a desperation move and it didn't work out. He won't be on the team and probably will have to retire.
Matt Carle isn't the same player without Pronger playing along side of him. He didn't have the year many expected, but what his normal self at around 40 points. Carle doesn't get hurt, and the Flyers would love to resign the 27 year old. It all depends if another team is willing to give him a big contract.
Braydon Coburn got a big contract extension mid way through the year and he deserved it. He's locked up through 2016 and really is one of the only defense men they can count on for the next couple of years with...
Nicklas Grossmann, who was also given a new contract and is also signed through 2016. He was acquired mid way through the season and you could instantly see the goaltenders playing better.
Marc-Andre Bourdon was called up early with the injuries the Flyers had and he played decent. He played in more than half the games and is still only 22. I would be surprised if they let him walk without getting a bid in for his services.
Andreas Lilja, like a couple of the guys mentioned before is getting old and showing it. He's got 1 more year left on his deal, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Flyers somehow get out of this.
Erik Gustafsson was being called up and down all year with the injuries the Flyers suffered. I thought he played well in the playoffs and think he could earn himself a contract next year if he continues to improve. He's still only 23 years old and is a restricted free agent after next year.
Goalies
Ilya Bryzgalov ($5.66 million cap hit, 8 years left, UFA in 2020)
Sergei Bobvrovsky ($1.75 million cap hit, 1 year left, RFA in 13-14
Breakdown:
Ilya Bryzgalov had more one liners than saves this year. After signing that huge contact, the Flyers didn't get what they expected and they admitted that in the past week. Bryz needs to play better, and needs to get his head into it. I expect him to bounce back, after he settles in the city and learns from his mistakes. He played better toward the end of the season before his foot injury. It seemed like the injury or the pressure got to him in Pittsburgh but then played better in New Jersey. In order to move on the Flyers need him and not...
Sergei Bobvrosky who is nothing more than a 2nd goalie in the NHL. The Flyers didn't get what they expected out of him and he will be counted on for a backup role if he is resigned after next year.
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