* Howie Rossman continues to be aggressive. Even after winning the Super bowl, the Eagles' GM is making the team even better. Yesterday he traded for Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett. Bennett was an All-Pro the last three years. he's 32.
For Bennett, the birds shipped wide receiver Marcus Johnson and a fifth-round pick to Seattle. The Eagles also get a seventh-rounder in the deal.
It's a great deal. With a defensive line of Cox, Long, Jerrigans, Barnett and now Bennett, Philly will continue to put the pressure on opposing quarterbacks, which defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz loves to do.
The odd man out appears to be Vinny Curry, who played well last year but should be a salary cap casualty.
The deal can't be official until March 14 when the new NFL year begins.
Look for more moves soon. Curry can be traded. So can defensive back Ronald Darby. Rossman will need to recoup draft picks and cut even more salary. Free agency begins next week.
Bennett brings experience and hunger to the group. He will be fresh in the rotation. The Eagles love to rotate their line. Bennett will cause chaos in the NFC and in the NFC East.
I really don't care if he didn't stand for the National Anthem or not. I care about what he does on the football field. Bennett will be OK in the locker room. Rossman researches his players and there are players in the Eagles' locker room who will police any potential problems.
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The Phillies have now won three spring games in a row. Aaron Nola pitched four strong scoreless innings yesterday in Clearwater against the Red Sox.
Looks like Scott Kingery will start the season in Lehigh Valley. The Iron Pigs are featuring Kingery in their promotions.
Even though Kingery has done more than enough to win a job on opening day, the Phils will send him down because of service time issues. He can be promoted to Philadelphia after April 13th.
I get that, but I worry about do-nothing GM Matt Klentak dragging his feet in bringing Kingery up once he is down at Lehigh Valley. Look at the way he handled Rhys Hoskins and Nick Williams last summer. They were ready for the big-leagues yet Klentak was super-slow in granting them the promotions both deserved.
If only Klentak was as aggressive as Rossman...
* Meanwhile, Klentak needs to make some room for players, as well as get much-needed starting pitching. Cesar Hernandez, a good, solid player, should've been traded by now. Hernandez will never be an annual All-Star as Kingery has the potential to be. Why is Tommy Joseph, a man without a position, still on the club? What about the crowded outfield situation?
Lastly, free agent Jake Arrieta remains on the market. At the very least, starting pitchers Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn are also available.
* In other baseball news, the bullpen cart is coming back! The Arizona Diamondbacks are bringing back the cart this season. The last time a cart was used to transport bullpen pitchers to the mound was in the mid-90s when Milwaukee stopped using carts.
The carts became popular in the 70s. Before that, teams using regular cars to drive pitchers from the 'pen to the mound.
This is a good thing, back to baseball traditions. What's next, the twi-light doubleheader?
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* Allen Iverson was interviewed the other night during a Sixers game. He was confused, slurred his words, looked out of shape and seemed disoriented. Either the guy has medical problems or a substance abuse issue, as he wasn't the same Iverson I knew.
Hopefully he gets some help, whatever is going on.
* The courting of LeBron James will only get worse as summer nears. Now Los Angeles has a billboard up, telling James that he is welcome to join the Lakers after this season. Recently a group of Sixer fans erected a billboard near the Cleveland Cavaliers' arena, asking James to consider Philly as a new home. James seemed flattered by the idea.
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The Flyers have now lost four in a row after losing at home last night to arch-rival Pittsburgh. With the loss the Flyers drop to third place in the Metropolitan division, while the Penguins vaulted to first. Hopefully the orange and Black halt their slide quickly, as they are throwing away the fruits of their recent winning streak. The Flyers are consistently inconsistent, if nothing else.
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Some fans are saying that March is their favorite sports month of the year, with march Madness soon to arrive. Me, I like April. Opening Day of baseball, the NFL drat, basketball and hockey swinging into their playoff runs, the Masters golf tournament, and events like the Kentucky Derby and Indy 500 only weeks away.
October would be second on my list, with the World Series, the NFL season underway, and basketball and hockey starting.
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Former Phillie utility man Desi Relaford, a real nobody when he played, ripped Philadelphia and Philles' fans in a recent podcast from an equally- nobody host. Who would have Desi Relaford as a guest?
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Finally, the Wells Fargo Center will be renovated soon, a three-year project for approx. $250 million. Some fans, and even Joel Embiid are saying"Tear it down and start over.' I like all three sports venues in one place. What they need to do is build-up the area around the venues. more restaurants, a casino is planned,a Philly sports museum, and more.
Constructing a brand new arena would cost about $ 500 million more then renovating the old place, so guess which wins/
Personally, I've never liked the Wells Fargo canter. To me it's like a big, drafty barn. The acoustics aren't good. It doesn't have the charm or character of the Spectrum, which wasn't as accessible and featured narrow concourses and limited bathrooms. Still, fans were on top of the action.
Citizens Bank park is easily my favorite current Philly sports venue. It has tons of things to do and see, including fantastic sight lines to see the field no matter where you are. It has Ashburn Alley. CBP should be even more fun after the renovations are done, especially to replace the lousy sound system.
So much more can be done with the Linc. It's a nice football stadium, and football stadiums will always lack the uniqueness of pure baseball parks. Sill, why not personalize the linc more, like an Eagle museum? Winning helps, and the Linc will forever be known as the home of the first Eagle team to win a Super Bowl.
I've never been to the Palestra because it's inaccessible. But places like the Palestra and Franklin Field are shrines to our sports and should be cherished.
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