PHILLY SPORTS CORNER

Much going on in Philly Sports, such as....

EAGLES-

Reports today that the Eagles are the front-runners to trade for speedy New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks. He is unhappy with the Saints. This would be a great move for the Birds, who were interested in Cooks when he was drafted two picks ahead of Philadelphia in the 2014 draft.

Cooks is only 23 years old ( 9 months younger than Carson Wentz). He would give them the proven burner they need. He already has two 1,000-yard seasons under his belt. Last year he hooked up with Drew Brees on the longest pass play form scrimmage, a 97-yard bomb.

The Eagles would need to sign him to a long-term contract, as he will be a free agent in 2 years.

What would the Eagles have to give up? Tennessee was the other interested team in the mix. They have two first-round draft picks this spring, and they reportedly were willing to part with their No. 18 overall selection for Cooks. The Eagles may need to relinquish their first-rounder ( either No. 14 or 15, which will be determined today at 12:30 with a coin flip), or package a second-rounder with more picks or players.

I think the Birds would still need to draft another wide-out ( maybe Cooper Kupp in the 3rd or 4th round), but they would not need to get a WR in free agency for tons of money. They could get a defensive back instead, and dill their needs for a running back and defensive end later in the draft.

The priority this off-season was to give Wentz some weapons so he can continue to develop. trading for a young, fast and reliable receiver would be a great start.

Free agency does begin next week. The Eagles still need to clear space on their roster ( think Connor Barwin, Mychal Kendricks and Jason Kelce) by then. So much will be happening in the next 6 weeks or so, leading up to the NFL Draft in Philly at the end of April.

PHILLIES-

Good to see Aaron Nola pitch effectively for two innings yesterday in Florida. But the real question will be, can he hold up for the long season? Every start will be tension-packed. The Phils should make Nola their No.5 starter, that way, Nola can rest during the year and not stress his elbow too much. Luckily they have depth in their starting pitching now, just in case.

One area not on their current roster or even in their minors is a No.1 ace pitcher. They will need to develop such a guy or eventually trade for an ace. Actually, a guy like Cole Hammels would be ideal for the staff right now, a pitcher to be the anchor and be a mentor for the young guys. Clay Bucholtz and Jeremy Hellickson are veterans in the rotation who will also be great teachers while they are still in Philadelphia, but they are not aces.

The Cubs made a bid this week to host the 2020 Baseball All-Star game. Why not the Phillies? They haven't hosted an All-Star game since the mid- 90s. Citizens Bank park is one of the few new modern stadiums not to host the Mid-Summer Classic. Imagine the Home Run Derby at CBP? The Phils hopefully will be contenders in 2021 ( maybe the great mike trout will even be in Philly by then), so why not make a bid for the All-Star game in 4 years?

SIXERS-

The 76ers did it again. Now, Joel Embiid is out for the season with a knee injury. The injury itself will probably need surgery, but from all indications, Embiid should be fine. But did the Sixers mis-diagnose the severity of the initial injury or did Embiid make it worse by practicing and playing ( even if on a limited basis) ?

I'm still thinking a lot of this dishonesty was to sell tickets and keep interest in the team, until the organization was outed and had no other choice but to come clean. Same thing with Ben Simmons and his foot injury.

No leadership with the Sixers. They remain a confused, arrogant bunch who seem to have no regard for their fans and no clue how to run a smooth organization.

I wouldn't want Sam Hinkie back, but I still miss Pat Croce. At least you knew he was the Boss when he owned the team.

So, there isn't much to watch for the remaining 20 games or so. Maybe the Rookie of the Year potential in Dario Sarich. Maybe knowing that with each mounting loss, the Sixers get closer to another lottery pick, be it their own, the Lakers' pick or switching picks with Sacremento.

FLYERS-

Curious move by signing  goaltender Michael Niewurth to a 2-year extension. What does this mean for goalie Steve Mason? I would've been surprised to see the Flyers bring back both potential free agents. Now it looks like they would rather keep Niewurth, even though he is the more injury-prone. Would they expose him to the upcoming NHL expansion draft, and go with rookie Anthony Stolarz as their main guy in the net? It all starts with goal tending, and until the Flyers get a solid. dependable No. 1 goalie, they are not going anywhere soon.

The team also needs scoring. They are pretty well set with defense men  in their system. Now it's time to concentrate on high-scoring wingers in the NHL draft, guys who can consistently put the puck in the net.

The rebuilding process continues. Will the coach return next season? Probably, and it will probably be his last if the team doesn't show improvement and especially if the young prospects don't get better,