* The Flyers won their sixth game in a row Saturday night by defeating the Dallas Stars, 2-1, in overtime. Goalie Brian Elliot continues his excellent play. The Ghjost, Shayne Gostisbehere, scored the two goals. Suddenly the Orange and black, after losing 10 consecutive games, are slowly climbing the standings, but still eight points off the lead in their division. They have two more games on this home stand, including tomorrow night's clash with the LA Kings.
* The one sure way the 11-2 Eagles can possibly lose to the 2-11 Giants today is to turn the ball ove rand give NY QB Eli Manning a short field. The Eagles' defensive front should dominate the giants weak offensive line. the new York defense isn't awful, and new QB Nick Foles needs to take care of the ball.
Getting off to a fast start would be a key. Let the Giants hang around- a division rival at home- and you're asking for trouble in the 4th quarter. get a big lead and the Giants- and whatever fans they have in attendance at the Meadowlands- will give up too.
The Birds know what is at stake. They won't let this one slip away. They have come too far this year. Winning today secures a first round bye in the playoffs. Winning, along with a Viking loss to the Bengals, guarantees home field thru-out the NFC playoffs. The road to the Super Bowl would travel thru the Linc in Philadelphia.
* I'm a little surprised how respected members of the media- such as Ray Didinger and Howard Eskin- are against the recent signing of first baseman Carlos Santana by the Phillies. I get it- Rhys Hoskins should be the everyday first baseman of the future Playing him in left field is a risk. He won't be a butcher, especially in Citizens Bank Park, where the power alleys are easier to play than in other ballparks, but he won't be a Gold Glover either. For a team that stressed defense, suddenly the left side of the infield and outfield- with Hoskins in left and without Freddie Galvis at shortstop- is much weaker.
But Santana seems to be an above-average fielder at first base. He brings power and a high on-base percentage. He draws over 100 walks a season. He hits in the clutch, something this team didn't do well in the past ( how many guys were left at third base with less than two outs?).
The money- $20 million a year for three years- isn't a big deal to me. It's about time the organization started to spend money to improve the club. When it was reported the stadium would be upgraded, that decision was criticized. Why not buy better players instead? Now the team gets criticized for bringing in a big-time free agent.
I'm not a big Matt Klentak fan. But I think the Santana signing is a good one. He will stabilize the line-up and give Hoskins more fastballs to hit. His presence should entice other free agents to consider the Phillies down the road. And he brings hope to the fans, who have had garbage to watch recently every summer.
As the Sixers proved, you can only rebuild so long. There comes a time an organization needs to try and win- as the Eagles have done- and stop kicking the can down the road.
The Phils have work to do, including dropping the next show with a trade to clear up the cloudy outfield situation. Would the Orioles trade third baseman Manny Machado ( if Machado agrees to sign an extension with the Philles) for a package that would include Franco, Joseph and maybe Herrera?
No comments:
Post a Comment