- I didn't think the Flyers would win last night, or the entire playoff series against the champion Penguins, but I never imagined the team would get embarrassed in Game One. It was a 7-0 blow-out. I can take the fact that Pittsburgh is the better team with better players. What I can't take is the flyers coming out flat in a postseason game.
They have been inconsistent and unemotional all year. After racing into the playoffs with a total wipe-out of the hapless Rangers, the hope was that the Orange and Black would roll into Pittsburgh and steal Game One.
I've said all season that the Flyers will not go anywhere with a new head coach and a true No. 1 goalie. They have neither ( a real head coach or a real stand-on-his-head goaltender). Brian Elliot seems like he is still hurt. Can't trust the back-up goalies. The squad is screwed.
The only hope for Philadelphia is that the Penguins will come out over-confident. That won't happen as the Pens are two-time champs and know what it takes to win. On the opposite end, the Flyers are a young , inexperienced team without emotion. Too much to realistically ask such a young team to knock off a strong Pittsburgh club.
Maybe the Flyers can steal Game Two on Friday night. Rarely is a team so bad, two games in s row, as last night's humiliation. If the Flyers have any heart and pride they will find a way to play well on Friday.
- The Phillies swept the Reds last night. Scott Kingery did it again, throwing out a runner from left field and driving in the game-winning run with a sacrifice fly in extra innings. Nick Pivetta pitched another strong game. Rhys Hoskins had the night off but did pinch-hit late.
Crawford and Hernandez both homered. So where do you play Kingery/ He's got to play everyday. Keep rotating him, as you give guys off to keep them fresh.
Win the win, the Phils are now 6-5, their best record after 11 games since 2011. They jumped over Washington into third place in NL East. The surprising Mets swept the Marlins in Miami and are off to a 10-1 start. The Phillies are four games behind New York.
After a bad opening road trip, the team came home and did what they were supposed to do, beating weak Miami and Cincinnati.
A favorable series looms this weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays. Then it's revenge-time when the Phils travel to Atlanta for the second time in this early season.
- The Sixers won their 16th game in a row against Milwaukee Wednesday night. They face the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA playoffs on Saturday night in Philly. Looks like Embiid won't play in Game one. The team has actually won nine in a row without him.
Playing the same team over and over, the intensity of the postseason, the overall speed of the game- the playoffs are a different animal, so it will be interesting to see how these young players react in a few days.
- The Eagles' pre-season schedule was released. The exact dates haven't been set yet, but we know the Birds will play the Steelers and Jets at the Linc in Games 1 and 4, with road games against the Patriots and Browns sandwiched in-between.
The regular season schedule should be released next week. Hard to believe that the draft is exactly two weeks from tonight. Will the eagles trade down to gather more picks/ Or will they trade players for more picks?
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