PHILLY SPORTS CORNER-DECEMBER

My take on the current state of Philly sports..

PHILLIES_ I was at last Saturday's Phillies l Christmas tree lighting, my first time at the annual event.It was cold, but fun, seeing the ballpark in the doorstep of winter (the grass looks pretty good!). The Majestic Clubhouse store was open all day and had various sales. I met Phils broadcasters Tom McCarthy and Larry Andersen. Larry was a niece guy and took a lot of time with the fans. I was able to ask him several questions, including: When we will see Dylan Couzens and Phys Hoskins ( the two power hitting prospects in Reading)? His answer was..probably not til September, or 2018. Couzens didn't have a great winter ball experience, plus he got into a fight with a teammate, so unless he lights the world on fire in spring training and in the early spring, he may be spending the entire season in Lehigh Valley.

I also asked him if the rumors involving American League MVP and Millville, NJ. product Mike Trout being traded to the Phillies had any validity. LA's answer was "zero". The Angels, although desparate to restock their weak farm system, aren't ready to unload Trout. Maybe the year before his contract expires in 2020.It would take a boatload of young prospects to get him, which the Phils now have, plus GM Matt Klentak does have connections with the Anaheim front office. Trot is a local Philly sports fan, so if the money is right, I think he would jump at the chance to come home-but not until 2021. He will still only be 28 years old, in the prime of his career. So, a trade for Trout  , or signing the big center fielder as a free agent, may be on the horizon.

Charlie Manuel was at the tree lighting, said a few words, then quickly scampered out of the cold and probably high-tailed it back to warm Florida. Still, it was nice he attended- and the red and white sparkly tree is beautiful.

FLYERS- I also attended the Saturday afternoon game between the streaking Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks. A good game, the Flyers are playing real well, winning 5 games in a row. Goalie Steve Mason is playing better, and the young kids are stepping up Defenseman Ivan Provohov scored two goals on Saturday. The kids bring speed and enthusiasm to the hockey club. With 3 home games this week before heading west for their annual holiday trek, the Flyers have a chance to extend their winning streak and rise in the standings.

SIXERS- The recent fiasco involving their game vs Sacremento being canceled because of condensation on the basketball court was embarrassing. It wasn't the Sixers fault, but they didn't tell the fans the game was off until almost an hour later, instead letting their fans sit, wonder, and buy food. The Sixers are a truly bad, dysfunctional organization. Forget the terrible basketball, and their philosophy of losing games to get higher draft picks. They have an owner who doesn't care about anything but making money, and the organization below him are clueless. I wouldn't waste my time going to a 76er game or giving them money, not only for a shoddy product, but for their incompetence as a business.

VILLANOVA_ The Cats are again number 1, and they have won an amazing 16 Big Five games in a row, with no end in sight. Could they repeat as national champions? No reason why they don't have as good of a shot as any one else.The rest of the Big Five teams can't compare, basketball, recruiting, etc...As much as I hate the Main Line elitism of Villanova, you can't argue with their success and class.

EAGLES- As stated in today's previous post of Chirping Birds, the Eagles have given up and probably won't win another game this season .They will finish with a record of 5-11, which isn't far off most pre-season predictions. We knew it was going to be a rebuilding year with a rookie coach and a rookie quarterback. But after winning their first 3 games, and the way they are getting worse than improving as the season winds down, it's disappointing and depressing for the future.

The Birds will get a last place schedule for next year, which should help. They will get a decent draft pick next spring, but remember their pick goes to Cleveland in the Carson Wentz trade. They get Minnesota's first round pick from the Sam Bradford deal, so hopefully the Vikings' record is worse than Philadelphias. They need help everywhere on the team, but especially at defensive back and wide receiver. Hopefully Wentz doesn't get killed for the remainder of the year, with a  weak offensive line.Plus hopefully his confidence doesn't get shot. All hinges in Wentz, for if he turns out to be a bust, not only do the Eagles QB situation become uncertain again, but the steep price they paid in getting Wentz-while Dallas dramatically improved- will haunt the Eagles for years to come.