PHILLY SPORTS CORNER

A lot going on with Philly sports...

EAGLES-

Bringing back QB Nick Foles was another good move by the Birds. He is still young and will work well with Carson Wentz. If Wentz gets hurt the Eagles are screwed anyway, plus Foles can fill in for a game or two without missing a beat. Most of all, it frees up tons of cap space when the teams trades Chase Daniels after June 1.

There may be a few more moves until the draft, but basically the major moves until late April will be cuts. Mathews, Kelcie and Kendricks are all on borrowed time. Expect the Birds to try and trade many of these names around the draft.

Speaking of which, the discussion will heat up about what the team does in the upcoming draft. Stay at #14 and take..a much-needed corner back? Or, since the draft is rich in defensive backs, use that first round pick for a young wide receiver ( Mike Williams?) or an explosive running back ( Delvin Cook?) and still have quality corner backs to take in the second and third rounds? Would they consider taking a CB with the first pick, then trading their second rounder to get back into the late first round and take Stanford RB Christian McCafferty?

So far, I love the Eagles' off-season moves. They haven't tied themselves up in long-term contracts, yet they have given the fans hope for an interesting season to come. It's refreshing to see a Philly team play for today, not just kick the can down the road for the future ( which never seems to come).

The schedule comes out in mid- April, and it should be a favorable one for the Eagles. Since the Phillies are on the road the first weekend of the NFL season in September, look for the Eagles to start the year at home. Wouldn't it be a great kick starter to play the Dallas Cowboys on a Sunday night prime-time opener?

PHILLIES-

The kids are slowly being assigned to their minor league teams this week. It's been the best part of spring training, watching the future on display. I've been most impressed with 1B Rhys Hoskins and 2B Scott Kingery, both already designated for assignment. Hoskins has power- he hit 38 homers in Reading last summer- but he seems more disciplined at the plate than the other prospects, taking walks in camp. Kingery looks like a gritty, hard-nosed player with surprising power, a Chase Utley-type. He should be a fan favorite in Philadelphia. If he continues to progress between reading and Lehigh Valley this summer, look for the Phillies to trade Cesar Hernandez down the road to open up a spot for Kingery.

OF Roman Quinn should have made this roster, if not for the signings of veterans Howie Kendricks and Michael Saunders. Quinn has shown speed, defense and even a touch of power in camp. Most of all, he has provided youth and spark and hustle into the line-up. He and Aaron Altherr should be the extra outfielders, who play often to stay sharp off the bench. Quinn is the team's only legitimate lead-off hitter. He can take a walk, steal a base and make things happen. Hopefully, if Quinn is sent down to Lehigh Valley, we see him again by mid-season.

Nick Williams looks like a keeper; J.P. Crawford  is still young, but needs to have a big year at Lehigh Valley in order to take the next step to the majors and convince the Phillies that he really is the future; Dylan Cozens strikes out too much but has all the tools- power, speed, a strong arm; Jorge Alfaro will take over at the catcher spot for Cameron Rupp soon, and give the Phils another valuable trade chip in Rupp.

Angelo Cataldi , the long-time WIP sport radio host, brought up a good topic last week: Aaron Nola. Cataldi is frustrated with Nola and is starting to question his talent and durability. I agree, but I'm a bit more optimistic about Nola's future. This is a big year for the pitcher. He is still only 24, but he has to prove he can stay healthy and is worthy of being the #1 pick of the Phillies a few years ago. Nola will never be a true ace- he lacks the stuff- but can be a solid 2 or 3. The team knew this when they drafted him. He has an average fastball, and needs to locate and have pin-point control to be a Greg Maddux-type in the majors.

It will be good for Nola to be the # 5 guy in the rotation this season. It will give him more rest, yet he needs to prove that he can not only hold-up for an entire year, but be productive too. Anything less than 10 wins would be a disappointment.

Which again illustrates the need down the road for a #1 starter. The team had nice pitching depth- for the frist time in a long time- but none of the current crop of hurlers looks like an ace. This can be addressed in free agency or trades. Most scouts feel the Phillies' best arms are actually in the lower minors, which gives fans hope for years to come.

FLYERS-

Looks like the team won't make the playoffs, but I think Coach Hackstol will return next year. The Flyers are between a  rock and a hard place with young players on the doorstep and possibly older, aging veterans. Their goalie situation is cloudy, as they extended Michael Niruth's contract, yet Steve Mason has played better as of late. There is still a lot of promise with the young kids, but as with many Philly teams, when will the future be now?

SIXERS-

All of the talk has died down about the front office dishonesty and the injuries because no one really cares now. The 76ers are playing out the string and trying to hold onto their draft spot  (currently # 5).The emergence of Dario Saric may be the most compelling thing to watch now. The NBA Lottery is in mid-May. while the draft occurs in late June. Trade rumors will fly.

VILLANOVA-

Even though Villanova secured the overall #1 slot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in their history, they are still complaining about being in the same bracket as Duke. They should feel lucky they are in the East ( in Buffalo, NY) and won't have to travel. If the Cats are good enough- and I think they are- they will have to beat teams like Duke anyway, so who cares? It will be another fun run in March Madness, and it wil be a switch to actually have one of the local teams favored to win it all. A repeat of the college basketball crown would be the ultimate achievement for Nova. Who is gonna beat them?