PHILLY SPORTS CORNER

EAGLES-

Coach Doug Pederson was interviewed yesterday. He said he feels this year's Eagles team is better than the Super Bowl Green Bay Packers of the late 90s. He also said the Birds should contend for  aSuper Bowl this season.

Pederson is being criticized for putting too much pressure on himself and the team, but I admire his honesty. Why not think positive? If you're on shooting for  a championship, why even play? Too many teams in Philadelphia have a Losers, negative attitude . The Eagles should strive to be great, not mediocre like the Phillies.

Maybe it's good that Pederson is putting pressure on himself. He knows that he needs to win at least nine games this year to be in contention for the NFL East. Anything less and his job may be in jeopardy.

Pederson has said some pretty stupid things since he was hired. The Eagles seem to like to keep him away from microphones, like at the draft in April when Pederson basically stood in the shadows of Howie Rossman and Joe Douglas. But I find his candidness refreshing, especially compared to Chip Kelly and Andy reid,w ho basically gave fans and the media a bunch of bull.

I'm looking forward to the upcoming training camp for many reasons, but especially to hear owner Jeffery Luire's annual State of the Team address.The team may not be "gold standard" yet, but improvement- and the playoffs- are expected, which puts Doug Pederson directly in the cross hairs.

PHILLIES-

The rumors about the Phillies trading for Miami Marlin Guancarlos Stanton is still hot ( along with Christian Yelich and Dee Gorden).At first I was against taking on Stanton's 10-year, over $300 million contract. After age 32, even if Stanton decline, the Phils would still owe the slugging outfielder another 5 years' worth of money. Another Ryan Howard situation?

After destroying the Phillies last night with a pair of homers ( he now leads the National league with 28 homers), I now think the team should go for Stanton. Not because of last night. This franchise needs  a face They need someone to promote, a true superstar.. The fans need someone to cheer for, someone to give them hope.

True, one player won't make the difference. So, the team builds around Stanton. He immediately changes the line-up and makes everyone better. If the Phils can also get Gorden and Yalich as a part of the deal, the Phils will show their fans that they are striving to improve sooner than later. No more waiting.

It's not my money. Plus the Phillies will hav4e tons of cash to spend, especially if they trade Herrera during the off-season. Believe it or not, they can afford Stanton and add more players in free agency in the future. Getting Stanton would also show potential free agents that the Phils are moving forward with the "rebuild". The organization is aggressive, bold and wants to take chances to be great. Playing with a star like Stanton may encourage other stars to come to Philly.

Hitting 50 homers a year for the next decade or so would be exciting for the team and the fans. The stands will be packed again, as fans stand in Ashburn Alley and wait for Stanton to routinely reach the concourse with titanic home runs.

I say, go for it when it comes to obtaining Stanton.