PHILLY SPORTS CORNER

Philly sports over the weekend..

* Allen Iverson came back to Philadelphia last night with his Big 3 basketball league. They played at the Wells Fargo Center and the hype was huge to see The Answer play again on his former home court.

Iverson had played-sparingly- in previous games, so it was expected to be a tremendous homecoming, if only for a few minutes.

Problem is, good ol' A. I. didn't play. He opted out of the game 30 minutes before the start of the contest, claiming "under doctor's orders" he wasn't going to play.

No word on what the injury was, or who the doctor is, or why Iverson waiting until almost game time to make the announcement.

Iverson quit. He deserved to get booed by the large crowd after a loud greeting before the crowd knew he had bugged out.

Was it really an injury? A psychologist is a doctor too..hmmmm.....................Or was Iverson to embarrassed tot ake the court back home? He's 42 and a shell out himself as a player. Did it finally sink it that now he is a mere mortal in sneakers and he couldn't handle the truth?

Or did Iverson simply not feel like playing, plain and simple?

Forget the adoring crowd who came to see just him. Iverson stiffed big crowds before, especially an infamous Fan Appreciation Night stiff.

Allen has been portrayed as being a really nice guy deep down inside, generous to a fault with his friends and a truly sweet guy who cares about his fans.

But remember, this is the same jerk who regularly parked in handicapped spots without care. The same guy who allegedly beat his wife, didn't feel like practicing , urinated in potted plants at casinos, and often was late to various events.

So is Iverson's bad behavior any surprise?

I always hate to question if a guy is hurt. Maybe he had a hangover from a late Saturday out on the town ( Atlantic City?). So, give Iverson the benefit of the doubt.

You can say it's no big deal. Eagles training camp opens a week from today, so no one will care. The Big 3 league sucks and will eventually fold. It's trash sports.

But it does tarnish Iverson's imagine in town. Can you trust him anymore, if the Big 3 comes back with Iverson's "4's Company" team, and he is expected to play?

Hurt or not, fans paid money to see Iverson, if only a few minutes. Pull up lame during the first few moments of the game. Go sit and coach the team for the rest of the evening, and fans can say they saw A.I. play again and everyone is happy.

Even with a doctor's restriction, announce that he wasn't going to play way before 30 minutes prior to the event. If Iverson couldn't play due to injury or illness, be honest and tell the fans why. Don't bleed the fans of the money then all of a sudden announce the news?

No one ever said that Iverson is a rocket scientist. His actions have not always equaled his supposed love for Philly fans. Whatever the reason for his not playing last night, his fans deserve better than just a wave.

Above anything else, Big 3 basket ball is dead in Philadelphia. Who in their right mind will buy a tocket in the future after getting ripped off last night?

* Phillies move on to Miami tonight for a three-game series after salvaging a game against Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon. Odibal Herrera messed up on the bases again. Nick Williams, given a chance to play, smack his first grand slam. Hellickson has a so-so outing and didn't do his trade value any good. And the team moved to 30-50 on the season.

With Aaron Altherr likely to go on the disabled list with a hamstring injury, Cesar Hernandez should return. With an outfield spot open wouldn't it be great for Dylan Couzins to finally be promoted., along with fellow  Bash Brother Rhys Hoskind,, who is  expecting to be called up as well soon.

He has hit 22 homers at Lehigh Valley. He may strike out a lot, like Aaron Judge did last summer for the Yankees. Or he may hit a bunch of massive homers at Citizens Bank park and bring some excitement back to the starving fans.

What do you have to lose?

* There is a colorful cast of characters in Philly sports right now. Many are not players. But here are some thumbnail opinions of the current faces in Philly sports nowadays:

- Sam Hinkie- Was he a genius or dope? Will the "Process" work? Either way, Hinkie can't lose. If the Sixers end up making the playoffs and become contenders for years, Hinkie will get the credit. If  the Sixers crash and burn due to injuries or an over-evaluation of talent, current GM Bryan Colangelo will get the blame. Why hasn't Hinke gotten another job?

- Carson Wentz- The savoir and the face of the Eagles. If he fails, so will the Birds and the franchise will be set back for a decade. Consider this: Wentz had no pre-season last year. He was hurt coming out of camp. He didn't find out he was the starting quarterback until Sam Bradford was traded a mere two weeks before the 2017 opener. Yet with all of that, Wentz had a decent year and flashed moments of brilliance. It's expected he takes a step forward this fall, with a  year of experience under his belt and more weapons on his side.

- Joel Embiid- He's fun. He has personality and seems to be extremely fan-friendly. Hopefully he doesn't become jaded and stays fun. But he has only played in a mere 31 pro games. He needs to get on the court and stay on the court and play well as he did in spurts when he was healthy last season. Only them will he truly solidify himself as a superstar.

- Ben Simmons- He needs to play, period. Intriguing with his passing skills and the possibility of playing point guard.He has tremendous potential but I'll believe it when I see it. Other than injury comcerns there are also doubts about his motivation and lack of want to play. Put up or shut up time.

-Howie Rossman- Time to shine for Howie. Are all of the moves during the off-season going to pay-off? Howie stays in Jeffrey Lurie's good graces by proving the team is on the upside, not regressing,a s it should be with Wentz.

- Matt Klentek- Boy Wonder need sot step it up in the next few weeks. Now is the time to show some guts and make the necessary moves to help jump-start the Phillies' rebuilding process. Klentek has an equally big off-season ahead as well. He has only made one significant trade during his tenure in Philadelphia. He made nary a move at this time last July. If he doesn't make the deals he need sot make, or doesn't promote the prospects he needs to promote, then Klentek needs to be fried immedaitely.

- Jeffery Lurie- Long-time owner of the Eagles, let's see if his faith is justified in Rossman and coach Doug Pederson, especially if the Eagles have an average season.I like Luire an dI think he really does want to win. I just think he doesn't have a clue how to win. I can't see Luire winning a Super Bowl. I hope it happens, especially with Wentz on board, but somehow. until Lurie sells the Eagles ( they are currently worth over $2 billion), I can't picture him hoisting the Lombardi Trophy ever.

- John Middleton- One of the owners of the Phillies. Claims he wants to win really bad and will do whatever it takes to win a championship. He chirped about it openly early in the season while the Phillies were still decent. After the team started to implode, Middle ton went into hiding and hasn't been seen or heard form since. The organization has tons of money, between saved-salary on contracts and Comcast TV money, as well as profits from the everyday running of the club. So, let's see if Middleton means what he says when free agency opens this year and next and it's time to shell out the big bucks to make the Phillies great again instead of being the laughingstock of baseball.


 -Brett Brown- He has played the good soldier during the tanking years. Now it's time to coach. If healthy, the Sixers will have the talent that Brown needs to contend for the playoffs. If Brown blows this, Clangelo will be more than ready to replace his ass., with so much on the line.

-Doug Pederson- OK, 2017 was his rookie season as a head coach. Lurie & co. knew what they were getting when they hired Pederson. He had a learning curve and was the front offices' puppet, compared to headstrong Chip Kelly. Now Pederson needs to win, or at least show improvement. Were the really dumb mistakes last season the mistake of a rookie coach or the norm?Like Brown, Pederson will be shown the door quickly if he doesn't cultivate the promise which is Wentz and the improved talent which Rossman gave him.

- Pete Mackanin- A dead man walking? Yes, especially if this horrible team does lose 108 games or so. I don't blame Pete for this disasterous summer, other than some line-up and bullpen objectionable moves, and the sometimes lack of discipline issue. He has garbage to work with, the trash which the stupid front office of Klentek and Andy MacPhail-ure gave him. Pete may be a lifelong Baseball guy, and maybe he deserved his shot to manage a big league team. But let's face it: Pete got the job only because loser Ryan Sandberg wuit. Give Mackanin credit for filling in during a really tough time. But how can you justify, garbage or not, bringing back a manager who may have a historically-bad season?

- Andy MacPhail- A "MacFailure" so far. He has rebuilt teams in the past, but has also presided over bad teams who didn't respond to MacPhail's rebuild attempts. He only recently left his bunker to speak to the media. Klentek spews analytical, nerdy, geeky nonsense. The fans would've been assured long ago if the president of the team, MacPhail, wouldn't let the fans know he cares, somebody in the organization cares, someone hears the frustration of the fans, and changes will be made in due time. Instead, MacFailure remained embarrassingly silent. Time to act, Andy, or else Middleton should start to clean house during the off-season and start over.

- Ron Hextall- Let's see if Hextall's super-conservative approach to rebuilding pays off or not. Will he finally start to promote more of his talented prospects? Will the move to sign goalie Brian  Elliot pay dividends? Will the move to stick with aging vets like Giroux and Vorachek lead to the playoffs? Will Hextall continue to have patience with rookie coach Hakstol before admitting he made a mistake?

- Dave Hakstol- Living on the edge. Will he panic, as he did last season, when tough times come? How will he use the goalies? Will he play the young guys? Will he be able to handle the stress and being under the gun in Philly?

- Fletcher Cox- He need sto step up his game and earn the new contact extension. Forgotten is the absence during mini-camp. Sure, he made the Pro Bowl, but often a Pro Bowl nod is based on popularity and not on merit. Cox needs to become the dominant pass rusher he is destined to be. A fierce pass rush by the defensive line would cover up the Eagles' weak secondary.

- Markelle Fultz- Should be a building block of the future. Will be fun to watch, along with Embiid, Simmons, Covington, Redick and Sarac. The overall No. 1 selection in the NBA draft, he brings hope to a losing franchise. He may also bring stability. He survived an injury-scare recently in summer league action. He need sot stay healthy to counteract his shaky, oft-injured teammates.