PHILLY SPORTS CORNER- EAGLES. SIXERS, FLYERS, BASEBALL HOT STOVE

* 2 days until the NFC  Championship Game between the Eagles and Minnesota. The excitement continues to build. Parties all weekend. Pep rallies galore. Even people who aren't football fans are talking Eagles. It will seem unreal on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. when kickoff finally arrives. Is this really happening? The Birds are only one game away from the Super Bowl/ A home game against the Vikings separates our team from destiny, a match-up vs upstart Jacksonville or perennial powerhouse New England.

What a season it has been! Win or lose, to win the NFC East.. to be the No. 1 seed...to witnesses the emergence of Carson Wentz becoming a superstar..Knowing Wentz will recover from his knee injury and will be the Birds' quarterback for years and years. But Philly has come too far to lose this game. All of the key players hurt- Sproles, Hicks, Wentz. So much overcome. Ultimate underdogs.

 Making the NFC Championship Game is a true accomplishment. Look at the teams sitting home- Packers, Seahawks, Cowboys, Giants. But to come this far and lose, especially at home, would be a letdown. Improbably as it seems with Nick Foles, the area would be depressed for weeks if the Vikings win on Sunday night.

Eagles 20 Vikings 17

* Two times in this postseason games have ended in the last second. By a really stupid NFL rule, teams are forced to "complete the game" by attempting an extra point. How insane. Last week the Vikings were celebrating a miracle game-wining, last-second touchdown pass, ans by NFL rule, the Saints ) who were already in the locker room)  were  forced to come back on the field, already beaten, to line-up for a meaningless extra point.

The Saints should've stayed in the locker room and proved a point to the league. How embarrassing that would've been to only Minnesota line-up for the extra point.

What most coaches are doing is, pretending to go for two points and taking a kneel, so not to humiliate the losing squad. No one, even the winning team, wants to be in that position, trying to tack on an extra point in a game that has already been decided.

It's a dumb rule that the league needs to fix. I get it why they need to finish the game- betting concerns, point totals, etc. But it's meaningless, a waste of time, and a play that neither team wants to have anything to do with.

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* The Sixers avoided a season sweep by the Boston Celtics, defeating the Celts in Boston last night, 89-80. Joel Embiid was voted in as a starter on the All-Star Game, and he celebrated that honor by scoring 26 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.

In the process, the 76'ers move to 21-20 on the year and slide into the 8th spot of the playoff race. Philly and Boston may hook up again  down the road in the playoffs. It's good to know the Sixers can hang with them, as they blew a huge lead in London a week ago against the Celtics.

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* The Flyers retired Eric Lindros' No. 88 last night before their overtime victory over the Maple Leafs. The Big E was emotional during the ceremony, watching his 88 banner hosted to the rafters of the Wells Fargo Center.

With the win, the Orange and Black creep to within a point of a final playoff slot. Hopefully the positive vibes from the Sixer and Flyer victories will carry over to the Eagles on Sunday night.

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* The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded away their star outfielder, Andrew McCuthen, and their best starting pitcher, Garritt Cole, in the span of a week. Obviously they are tanking.  They are conceding the NL Central division to the Cubs and Cardinals for the next several years. They couldn't get over the hump with this current group of players, so they are starting from scratch.

Yet, they resign their star left-handed reliever to a four-year contract. That's dumb. A closer on a bad team is a luxury. How many close games is he really going to have a chance to close?

McCuthen was dealt to the San Francisco Giants, who will move the star center fielder to right field. The Giants, after suffering a horrible season last summer, are looking to retool with veteran players, also picking up former Tampa Bay Ray Evan Longoria to play third base. San Fran is hoping that these vets can team with guys like Hunter Pence, Buster Posey and Madison Baumgatner to give the Giants another playoff push.

But the NL West is strong with the mighty Dodgers and the solid Rockies and Diamondbacks leading the way. Give the Giants credit for trying. They are giving their fans something to watch this year, although a playoff run may be in vain.

The Pirates and the Giants, two teams going in opposite directions, with different philosophies, but, in the end, both losers.

* Meanwhile, the Phillies hold silent on more off-season moves, with spring training looming in less than a month. Tommy Joseph is still on the club, a guy without a position or a job. The catching position is crowded, as is the outfield. And the rotation can desperately use a veteran starter or two.

Joseph is a good player, not spectacular. But he can only play first base, which limits his attractiveness to other teams. Is he stuck with the Phils as a pinch-hitter/ part-time player?

 Between Jorge Alfaro, Cameron Rupp and Andrew Knapp, one of the catchers has to go. Alfaro can't be sent down  ( he is out of options, plus the organization likes his potential); Knapp is a switch-hitter who needs to work on his defense; and Rupp is what he is- a below average hitter and  defensive catcher, with questions about his pitch-calling skills and how well he handles the staff.

Beyond Aaron Nola, the  starting pitching is young and shaky but with potential. Guys like Valasquez, Eichoff and Thompson can blossom with time or are what they are- run-of-the -mill, borderline major league hurlers.

Questions abound, with not much time for answers.