My thoughts on current sports news..
EAGLES- Releasing Josh Huff was a surprise, but the Eagles had to show some strength and do it. Life at the Nova care Center has been a circus, and the team had to take charge and send a message, especially to the younger players, that there's a price to pay if you are a "dumbass."
Ir didn't hurt that Huff was a Chip Kelly guy and expendable.
Yes, they may miss him a bit as a kick returner. But huff never did fulfill his potential as a receiver. He turned out to be yet another busted Kelly draft pick.
The Eagles will fill Huff's position by Sunday's game with the Giants. Realistically, the wide receiver corps will not get a much-needed overall until the off-season. Could they do any worse by adding someone on the practice squad or the waiver wire?
Most of all, the Eagles needed to show someone was in charge by making this move. They had to find out more info regarding Huff's arrest, may know he may be in store for jail-time, and decided to cut their losses now.
It was nice to see Howie Roseman do his job and step up today, making himself available to the press. I didn't expect owner Jeffrey Lurie make an appearance-he rarely does during the season- so it was important the front office didn't let Coach Pederson take the bullet as the Sixers did recently with their coach .
PHILLIES- Now that the World Series is over, the Phils can begin to make some moves. The first was hiring former player/announcer Matt Stairs to be their new hitting coach. He can relate to the players and should do a good job, especially with some many younger kids on the horizon.
Who will fill Stair's spot in the broadcasting booth? Rex Hudler was a candidate for the job a few years ago. Why not hire Ben Davis full-time? Do you really need a third voice in the booth?Build a good rapport between Davis and Tom McCarthy, ala Harry and Richie or Scott and Larry on the radio.
I noticed the Phillies play 16 or their last 19 games at home next season. Hopefully these home games matter in September.The world champion Chicago Cubs invade Philadelphia late in August for a weekend series.
Speaking of the Cubs, they deserved to win their first world championship in 108 years. They built their team the right way, first by reconstructing thrir farm system- Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, for example, and then signing key free agents and making key trades. Cub fans suffered for a long time . I can relate, remembering how I felt when the Phillies won their 1st championship in 1980.Aside form the Ryne Sandburg years in the 80s and 90s, I remember the great Cub players of the 60s- Ernie Banks, Ron Santo. Ferguson Jenkins. Great players, Hall of Fame players, but they just could never get over the hump. There were no divisional playoffs or wild cards back then. Win the National League and move on to the World Series or not.In the 60s, it was either the Dodgers, Cardinals, or Giants who dominated, with teams like the Pirates and Mets upsetting the league in certain years.
Good to see the Cubbies finally get their due. What's scary is that Chicago can easily win more championships in the years ahead, as their core group is young, healthy and talented. It will be interesting to see how their front office supplements their young stars in the seasons ahead. Staying in contention is often harder to achieve than getting there in the first place. Free agency, injuries, complacency all could derail a Cubs return trip to the Fall Classic.
As far as the Cleveland Indians are concerned, they now take the dubious mantle of being the longest franchise -69 years- to go with a championship in baseball. The Indians only have to blame themselves, being up 3 games to 1 and losing the last two games in Cleveland.They are still a young team and will be back, and I wouldn't be surprised if they do what the Cubs do and make the playoffs next year.
However, there is a long history of the loser in the World Series, Super Bowl or other championship series, not only not get back to the big series/game, but may times will not even reach the playoffs the following year. It takes so much to make it through a long, grueling season, achieve success, overcome adversity. You get so far, climbing that mountain, with momentum on your side, then you have to start all over, without a championship It takes a lot out of a team, both physically and psychologically. And you have to be lucky to avoid injuries. There is a certain amount of luck involved in a magical season as well.\
So, much has to go right , not only to win a championship, but to get back to the playoffs. We will see if the Indians have what it takes to get that far again.
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