* Baseball season is over. The Houston Astros won their first-ever championship last night, beating the Dodgers 5-1.
Houston fought thru the playoffs, beating Boston, holding of the Yankees, and overcoming the Dodgers. Give Houston credit. They cruised thru American League West. They picked up pitcher Justin Verlander at the July deadline. They overcame the emotional challenges of the floods in the Houston area.
The Astros have a young club and should be in the playoff picture for years to come.
The Dodgers won 104 games, entering the playoffs hot after a brief lapse after the all-star break. LA had the best home record. This seemed to be their year.
But their young studs let them down in the World Series. Cody Bellinger, who will win Rookie of the Year, struck out a record 17 times in the series, a total of 29 times in the playoffs. The Dodgers didn't put the ball in play enough, whereas the Astros were the hardest team to strike out in all the majors this summer.
It was a great baseball season. We had two players-Aaron Judge and Giancarlos Stanton- hit over 50 home runs. There were more home runs hit in 2017 then in any other season.
We had a team win 22 games in a row ( the Indians)The division races were more or less decided early, except for NL Central, where the cubs had to battle Milwaukee and St. Louis all summer, and A:L East, with the Red Sox and Yankees fighting it out.
And , for Phillies fans, it was the season where Rhys Hoskins, Nick Williams and co. emerged as an exciting hope for the future.
Now the real Hot Stove talk begins. Teams can sign free agents and make trades, especially soon when the General manager and Winter Meetings convene.
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The Sixers beat the Atlanta Hawks last night, evening their record at 4-4. They play in South Philly Friday night vs the Pacers before embarking on a 5-game west coast trip, with tough games against the clippers, Jazz and Warriors on tap.
Embiid played 30 minutes against the Hawks, a good sign. Ben Simmons was one assist short of another triple-double.
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The Flyers continue to struggle, losing 3-0 in Chicago to the Blackhawks. Another tough test awaits Philadelphia tonight when they take on the Blues in St. Louis tonight.
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The Eagles prepare for the Denver Broncos this Sunday afternoon. Drizzle is expected during the game, certainly not the total rain-out like last week.
I fear Von Miller, especially lining up over our new left tackle and causing havoc in the Eagles' backfield. On the other hand, the Denver defense has not been able to handle tight ends this season, and the Birds have a tight end in Zach Ertz who is playing like a Pro Bowler.
Confusion reigns in Denver, as they change quarterbacks this week. Denver doesn't want to drop to 3-5 and fall farther behind Kansas City in AFC West. The Eagles want to keep the train rolling, not wanting to go into their bye week with a bad taste in their mouth.
I still like the Eagles, 23-17, in a tight contest.
* The holidays are a special time of the year. But this year, thanks to the Eagles, the holidays could be even more special.
Thanksgiving- after their bye, then beating Dallas on Sunday Night Football, the Birds will sit at 9-1 over Turkey Day, the NFC East just about wrapped up, their sights set on seeding in the NFC playoffs. The Bears come into Lincoln Financial Field the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Fans can sit back and watch the other games after their turkey dinner, knowing the Eagles ar ethe best team in football.
Christmas- After attending church and opening your gifts on Christmas morning, instead of going to the movies on Christmas night, fans can wearing their new Eagle jerseys, jackets and scarves and head to South Philly to watch their Birds feast on the Oakland Raiders.
Or fans can sit back again, after the hectic Christmas Day full of activities, and open one more present- an Eagles win over the Radiers.
Oakland may or may not need this game. It's an AFC game, so losing it wouldn't devastate Philadelphia. But by Christmas the Eagles will be counting the wins to get a playoff bye and home field advantage.
Of course, the guys on Monday Night Football will bring up the tired of "Philly fans throwing snowballs at Santa Claus" routine.
New Year's Eve- The final game of the regular season, a divisional match-up with the hated Cowboys. Could this game mean the NFC East title? Will it be flexed to Sunday night? Eagles-Cowboys, on New Year's Eve, when the booze will be flowing anyway.
There will be reason to celebrate the new year, looking forward to the first playoff game and sleeping off the celebrations on New Year's Day.
Countless CarsomWentz jerseys will be given as Christmas presents. A joyful time of the year, full of parties and good times , mad eeven more special by our Eagles.
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