This and that...Spring Training continues...The NFL combines begin..The NCAA tournament is only a few weeks away..and the Basketball and Hockey seasons grind toward the playoffs...
SIXERS-
GM Bryan Colangelo comes off as an arrogant, pompous jerk. Plus he lies. Much of his dishonesty may be directed from above him- big-time weasels Scott O'Neill and owner Josh Harris. Their only objective is to screw the fans and make money. As much as I would like to attend a Sixers game next year- when hopefully Ben Simmons and Jowl Embiid play- I can't give my money to these greedy guys. I'll watch the team on TV instead.
Embiid may as well be shut down for the rest of the season now. Why risk further injury, especially since the Sixers want to tank? What bothers me about this organization, other than the fact they seem to screw everything up constantly, is that they seem to draft players prone to injury. What good is a high draft pick when he can't play? Granted, they didn't know Simmons would get hurt. But Embiid, Okafor, Noel all had injury histories before the Sixers took them in the draft.
So, not only do the Sixers need to select good basketball players with their pick (s) in the June NBA draft, they need to select HEALTHY players.
EAGLES-
The Birds continue to ponder whom to cut or trade as the free agent period looms. Niw, it looks like Alshon Jefferies, WR from the Bears, will be available to sign. I'm sure Philadelphia will sign a much-needed wide receiver ( and draft one as well), but the question is, who will it be? DeSean Jackson? Terrell Pryor? Kenny Still? or Jeferies?
The NFL combine starts this week ni Indianapolis. Not only is it a great chance to check-our a lot of the prospects, it's also a week where trade rumors and free agency talks swirl.
PHILLIES-
Aaron Nola pitches this Thursday vs. the Blue Jays. It will be interesting to see how he looks, after resting his damaged right elbow during the off-season. Nola will be on shaky ground all summer. He needs to look good immediately to give the team and the fans encouragement that he will hold up this year without surgery.Luckily, the Phils are deep in starting pitching. If Nola, or anyone else on the staff goes down, there are other options, both at the big league level and down at Lehigh Valley.
Mikel Franco is off to a tremendous start in Florida. He has hit three home runs this week, plus more importantly, he is hitting the ball to right field with authority. This could be Franco's break-out season. 30 homers and 100 RBIs are a realistic goal. His emergence could mean the Phillies would not be as interested in soon-to-be free agent Manny Machado from Baltimore.
It's fun to see the young kids like Hoskins, Couzins, Williams and Crawford in spring training. But I'm just as interested in seeing borderline prospects like Cam Perkins, Brock Stassi and Andrew Knapp battle to make the roster. I'm OK with older guys like MichaelSsaunders and Howie Kendrick in the starting line-up for the first part of the summer. So, instead of vets such as Chris Coughlin on the bench, why not add a Stassi, Knapp and/or Perkins to give the fans a little excitement?
This time next year, with even more salary off the books, with a ton of quality free agents on the horizon, and the young prospects ready to explode into Philly, 2018 and beyond looks to be the start of the latest Phillies resurgence.
Optimism reigns for new hitting coach Matt Stairs to bolster the offense. Let's see if he can approve the team's ability to play small ball, to drive in runs from third base, to take more walks and swing less at bad pitches.
Opening Day is less than five weeks away...
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