At the movies..
All the Right Moves (1983)
Before his roles as entrepreneur in Risky business and fighter pilot in Top Gun, Tom Cruise showed All the Right Moves as a high school football star in a cliche-riddled western Pennsylvania factory town.
Craig T, Nelson cuts his teeth as a hard-nosed coach determined to be more than "just a typing teacher."
Time Magazine called it "the Flashdance of football." Enough said.
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
PHILLY SPORTS CORNER- PHILLIES
My comments about Phillies team president Andy MacPhail's press conference..
- Is MacPhail behind all this mess of a dysfunctional organization? He reminds me of the grouchy old man who yells at kids to stay off his grass. I'm stunned by his comments. The Phillies have hoarded money for years, pointing towards this free agent class. Now, MacPhail says because attendance wasn't high, the organization may not sign a big-name free agent.
Is he kidding me? Now he wows that the free agents next off-season are amazing..and the year after that..and the year after that. Hell, we might as well wait several more years until Mike trout himself is on the market?
The reason more fans don't go to the games, Mr. mac{hail, is because your team plays long, boring, often bad baseball. You had a historically awful collapse at the end of the summer. Plus no changes are likely to occur next year. Same analytical manager. Same stagnant coaches. Same lack of fundamentals. Same passive, clueless general manager who is poor at evaluating talent and not bold enough to make significant moves.
Same old bullshit.
Disheartening to hear this from the team president. Makes you wonder what the owner thinks. Where is John Middleton?
he appears when times are good. he disappears when times are tough. he talks a good game, but with little action.
MacPhail says that Middleton "has been crabby lately." Good. let the fans hear the crabbiness for themselves.
I still get the feeling that, despite Middleton being a smart guy and excellent businessman, he is trusting the morons underneath him too much. Those morons don't have a clue and are out of touch with the city and the fans.
Yes, I'm hoping the young guys, like Kingery, will play their normal positions and play well, develop and grow. But I was also hoping to get either Machado, Harper or even both to accelerate the contenting process.
The Phillies needed to have a 100-plus loss season in order for significant changes to be made. Sadly, by MacPhail's constant harping of "We ere in first place for a month during the summer" the organization is focusing more on the first part of the year rather than the collapse.
Sure, you can't ignore both. But when the chips were on the line the team quit. Nobody brought up the word"quit' on recent days in the news conferences.
The young pitchers did seem to hit a wall, as MacPhail said. So why wasn't a Cole Hamels traded for in case Valasquez or Pivetta stumbled? As MacPhail himself said, can never have enough solid pitching. I now wish the Phils would've lost last weekend and ended on an 11-game losing streak. Winning the final two games and finishing the season improved 14 games than 2018 has the organization wearing rose-colored glasses.
Franco is all but gone Santana was being groomed to play shortstop, not second base. Who knows if they keep the over-rated Hernandez?Is the infield defense any better?
Will they get a true closer? Or let Dominguez assume that role permanently? Or will Kapler continue to use him like a Swiss Army Knife?
Here's hoping the Phillies surprise and spend wisely, make shrewd deals, and show me they want to win.
- Is MacPhail behind all this mess of a dysfunctional organization? He reminds me of the grouchy old man who yells at kids to stay off his grass. I'm stunned by his comments. The Phillies have hoarded money for years, pointing towards this free agent class. Now, MacPhail says because attendance wasn't high, the organization may not sign a big-name free agent.
Is he kidding me? Now he wows that the free agents next off-season are amazing..and the year after that..and the year after that. Hell, we might as well wait several more years until Mike trout himself is on the market?
The reason more fans don't go to the games, Mr. mac{hail, is because your team plays long, boring, often bad baseball. You had a historically awful collapse at the end of the summer. Plus no changes are likely to occur next year. Same analytical manager. Same stagnant coaches. Same lack of fundamentals. Same passive, clueless general manager who is poor at evaluating talent and not bold enough to make significant moves.
Same old bullshit.
Disheartening to hear this from the team president. Makes you wonder what the owner thinks. Where is John Middleton?
he appears when times are good. he disappears when times are tough. he talks a good game, but with little action.
MacPhail says that Middleton "has been crabby lately." Good. let the fans hear the crabbiness for themselves.
I still get the feeling that, despite Middleton being a smart guy and excellent businessman, he is trusting the morons underneath him too much. Those morons don't have a clue and are out of touch with the city and the fans.
Yes, I'm hoping the young guys, like Kingery, will play their normal positions and play well, develop and grow. But I was also hoping to get either Machado, Harper or even both to accelerate the contenting process.
The Phillies needed to have a 100-plus loss season in order for significant changes to be made. Sadly, by MacPhail's constant harping of "We ere in first place for a month during the summer" the organization is focusing more on the first part of the year rather than the collapse.
Sure, you can't ignore both. But when the chips were on the line the team quit. Nobody brought up the word"quit' on recent days in the news conferences.
The young pitchers did seem to hit a wall, as MacPhail said. So why wasn't a Cole Hamels traded for in case Valasquez or Pivetta stumbled? As MacPhail himself said, can never have enough solid pitching. I now wish the Phils would've lost last weekend and ended on an 11-game losing streak. Winning the final two games and finishing the season improved 14 games than 2018 has the organization wearing rose-colored glasses.
Franco is all but gone Santana was being groomed to play shortstop, not second base. Who knows if they keep the over-rated Hernandez?Is the infield defense any better?
Will they get a true closer? Or let Dominguez assume that role permanently? Or will Kapler continue to use him like a Swiss Army Knife?
Here's hoping the Phillies surprise and spend wisely, make shrewd deals, and show me they want to win.
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY- SEPTEMBER 3
"The shot heard 'round the world."
New York 5, Brooklyn 4, (Polo Grounds)
"Hartung down the line at third, not taking any chances. Lockman without too big of a lead at second, but he'll be running like the wind if Thomson hits one. Branca throws. There's a long drive. It's gonna be, I believe- The Giants win the pennant! Bobby Thomson hits into the lower deck of the left-field stands! The Giants win the pennant! And they're going crazy! They've going crazy! Oh-ho!"
- Giants radio announcer Ross Hodges, 1951
New York 5, Brooklyn 4, (Polo Grounds)
"Hartung down the line at third, not taking any chances. Lockman without too big of a lead at second, but he'll be running like the wind if Thomson hits one. Branca throws. There's a long drive. It's gonna be, I believe- The Giants win the pennant! Bobby Thomson hits into the lower deck of the left-field stands! The Giants win the pennant! And they're going crazy! They've going crazy! Oh-ho!"
- Giants radio announcer Ross Hodges, 1951
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
NFL REVIEW- WEEK 4
A rundown of last weekend's pro football games and what to watch for this week..
Rams over Vikings-
Rams won in a shoot-out last Thursday night against the Vikes, Goff out-dueling Cousins. LA goes to 4-0 and takes on the rival Seahawks in Seattle this week, the first of three consecutive road games. Minnesota, now an odd 1-2-1, has 10 days to prepare for their NFC Championship Game rematch with the eagles at the Linc.
Bengals over Falcons-
Atlanta loses another home game to drop to 1-3. Surprising Cincinnati is 3-1 and may finally break the AFC North stranglehold of Pittsburgh. The falcons go to Pittsburgh this week. One team gets buried already. The Bengals play Miami at home.
Bears over Buccaneers-
BearsQB threw for 6 TDs. Chicago is 3-1 and leads NFC North. The Bucs are back down to Earth and now have a quarterback controversy.The bears have a bye this week before traveling to Miami next week. Tampa also has a bye before going to Atlanta for a key division game next week.
Cowboys over Lions-
Dallas squeaked out a last-second home win, going 2-2 in the process, while Detroit comes off their big upset of New England with a 1-3 record. The Cowboys travel interstate to face the Texans as the Lions host Green Bay.
Packers over Bills-
Easy win for the Pack at home as Buffalo has letdown after upset in Minnesota last week. Green Bay plays at desperate Detroit while Buffalo plays Tennessee at home before going on the road again for two more games.
Texans over Colts-
Houston wins it's first game of the year before returning home to play Dallas. the Colts aren't there yet,as they play in new England.
Patriots over Dolphins-
No doubt the Pats weren't going to lose 3 in a row and fall farther behind Miami in AFC East. 3-1 Dolphins now go to hot Cincinnati while the Patriots stay home for Indy and then a huge match-up with undefeated Kansas City.
Jaguars over Jets-
Likewise, Jacksonville wasn't going to lose two in a row. The Jets are the Jets once again, sinking to 1-3. New York does now have 3 straight home games, starting with Denver this week. The Jags go to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Chiefs in a big AFC game.
Raiders over Browns-
Oakland won it's first game in overtime against the improved Browns. The Raiders visit the Chargers this weekend while Cleveland hosts Baltimore
Seahawks over Cardinals-
Seattle goes 2-2, hanging with the Rams as they play in Seattle this weekend. Arizona remains winless and clueless.The Cards go to San Francisco this week.
Saints over Giants-
No problem for Drew Brees in the Meadowlands as the saints stay in the NFC South hunt while the G-men drop to 1-3. New York continues their brutal early season schedule as they visit Carolina. New Orleans goes home to face the Redskins, who are coming off an early bye.
Chargers over 49ers-
Without their starting QB, SF gave the high-flying Chargers a surprisingly close game in LA. Now the Niners host winless Arizona. Los Angeles tries to stay with Kansas City as they host Oakland.
Ravens over Steelers-
Finally, the dysfunctional Steelers no longer have control of AFC North. Baltimore plays their second road game of three at Cleveland, as Pittsburgh plays host to the Falcons.
Chiefs over Broncos-
KC stays unbeaten in a division game vs Denver. The Chiefs host Jacksonville while the Broncos visit the Jets this week.
Rams over Vikings-
Rams won in a shoot-out last Thursday night against the Vikes, Goff out-dueling Cousins. LA goes to 4-0 and takes on the rival Seahawks in Seattle this week, the first of three consecutive road games. Minnesota, now an odd 1-2-1, has 10 days to prepare for their NFC Championship Game rematch with the eagles at the Linc.
Bengals over Falcons-
Atlanta loses another home game to drop to 1-3. Surprising Cincinnati is 3-1 and may finally break the AFC North stranglehold of Pittsburgh. The falcons go to Pittsburgh this week. One team gets buried already. The Bengals play Miami at home.
Bears over Buccaneers-
BearsQB threw for 6 TDs. Chicago is 3-1 and leads NFC North. The Bucs are back down to Earth and now have a quarterback controversy.The bears have a bye this week before traveling to Miami next week. Tampa also has a bye before going to Atlanta for a key division game next week.
Cowboys over Lions-
Dallas squeaked out a last-second home win, going 2-2 in the process, while Detroit comes off their big upset of New England with a 1-3 record. The Cowboys travel interstate to face the Texans as the Lions host Green Bay.
Packers over Bills-
Easy win for the Pack at home as Buffalo has letdown after upset in Minnesota last week. Green Bay plays at desperate Detroit while Buffalo plays Tennessee at home before going on the road again for two more games.
Texans over Colts-
Houston wins it's first game of the year before returning home to play Dallas. the Colts aren't there yet,as they play in new England.
Patriots over Dolphins-
No doubt the Pats weren't going to lose 3 in a row and fall farther behind Miami in AFC East. 3-1 Dolphins now go to hot Cincinnati while the Patriots stay home for Indy and then a huge match-up with undefeated Kansas City.
Jaguars over Jets-
Likewise, Jacksonville wasn't going to lose two in a row. The Jets are the Jets once again, sinking to 1-3. New York does now have 3 straight home games, starting with Denver this week. The Jags go to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Chiefs in a big AFC game.
Raiders over Browns-
Oakland won it's first game in overtime against the improved Browns. The Raiders visit the Chargers this weekend while Cleveland hosts Baltimore
Seahawks over Cardinals-
Seattle goes 2-2, hanging with the Rams as they play in Seattle this weekend. Arizona remains winless and clueless.The Cards go to San Francisco this week.
Saints over Giants-
No problem for Drew Brees in the Meadowlands as the saints stay in the NFC South hunt while the G-men drop to 1-3. New York continues their brutal early season schedule as they visit Carolina. New Orleans goes home to face the Redskins, who are coming off an early bye.
Chargers over 49ers-
Without their starting QB, SF gave the high-flying Chargers a surprisingly close game in LA. Now the Niners host winless Arizona. Los Angeles tries to stay with Kansas City as they host Oakland.
Ravens over Steelers-
Finally, the dysfunctional Steelers no longer have control of AFC North. Baltimore plays their second road game of three at Cleveland, as Pittsburgh plays host to the Falcons.
Chiefs over Broncos-
KC stays unbeaten in a division game vs Denver. The Chiefs host Jacksonville while the Broncos visit the Jets this week.
PHILLY SPORTS CORNER- PHILLIES, EAGLES- TITANS REVIEW
- GM Matt Klentak spoke yesterday, his usual after the season press conference. sadly, I listened.
Same old BS. He actually said stupid things such as "It was a successful season" ( even though the season ended with a historical collapse), to 'We can make a case to bring back all twenty-five guys in the clubhouse".
The third most famous groundhog in Pennsylvania, team president Andy MacPhail, speaks this afternoon. Expect more BS. And boredom.
Where is owner John Middleton? Why haven't we heard from him? all talk, no action.
Klentak used the word "binary" again yesterday. He's clueless and out of touch of the typical Philly fan. He's not smart or bold enough to make shrewd deals, so already he is preparing the fan base for keeping the current players and hoping they improve next summer.
Let's face it- several players need to move on, if for their own good. Herrera, Franco, Crawford, Hernandez, to name but a few.
The more i hear this Klentak the more I miss Ruban Amaro Jr. That's pretty bad.
*********************************************************************
The Eagles blew a 14-point lead last Sunday in Tennessee. I didn't watch the game, as i was at the Phillies game, but kept a close eye on my phone and listened to the cheers and groans of the fans at the baseball game.
The secondary seemed to blame a lot, especially Corey Graham and Jalan Mills. The pass rush didn't get to Titan QB Marcus Mariotta enough. The Birds always seem to have problems with a mobile quarterback.
The Eagles didn't run the ball enough. Coach Doug Pederson didn't seem as aggressive as before. Sure, the Eagles have a bull's-eye on their backs, being Super Bowl champs. Are they fat and sassy? Lost their hunger?
Before the season, when the schedule came out, I had the Tennessee game as a loss. But that was before the Birds lost in Tampa.
I have never been a big Jim Schwartz fan ( defensive coordinator). He doesn't blitz enough and plays way too soft. To come back in overtime, take the lead, then allow Tennessee to drive down the field, including converting on three separate 4th down situations, is unacceptable.
Yes, weapons need to return, such as Sproles. There's a lot of season to be played, including all of the NFC East games. Not too late to turn things around. But the season is 1/4 finished and the record is 2-2. Forget that a team like the Rams is 4-0 when it comes to home field advantage down the road in the playoffs.
Sunday would be a great way to turn things around. Beating Minnesota in a rematch of the NFC Championship Game would be a great start.
Same old BS. He actually said stupid things such as "It was a successful season" ( even though the season ended with a historical collapse), to 'We can make a case to bring back all twenty-five guys in the clubhouse".
The third most famous groundhog in Pennsylvania, team president Andy MacPhail, speaks this afternoon. Expect more BS. And boredom.
Where is owner John Middleton? Why haven't we heard from him? all talk, no action.
Klentak used the word "binary" again yesterday. He's clueless and out of touch of the typical Philly fan. He's not smart or bold enough to make shrewd deals, so already he is preparing the fan base for keeping the current players and hoping they improve next summer.
Let's face it- several players need to move on, if for their own good. Herrera, Franco, Crawford, Hernandez, to name but a few.
The more i hear this Klentak the more I miss Ruban Amaro Jr. That's pretty bad.
*********************************************************************
The Eagles blew a 14-point lead last Sunday in Tennessee. I didn't watch the game, as i was at the Phillies game, but kept a close eye on my phone and listened to the cheers and groans of the fans at the baseball game.
The secondary seemed to blame a lot, especially Corey Graham and Jalan Mills. The pass rush didn't get to Titan QB Marcus Mariotta enough. The Birds always seem to have problems with a mobile quarterback.
The Eagles didn't run the ball enough. Coach Doug Pederson didn't seem as aggressive as before. Sure, the Eagles have a bull's-eye on their backs, being Super Bowl champs. Are they fat and sassy? Lost their hunger?
Before the season, when the schedule came out, I had the Tennessee game as a loss. But that was before the Birds lost in Tampa.
I have never been a big Jim Schwartz fan ( defensive coordinator). He doesn't blitz enough and plays way too soft. To come back in overtime, take the lead, then allow Tennessee to drive down the field, including converting on three separate 4th down situations, is unacceptable.
Yes, weapons need to return, such as Sproles. There's a lot of season to be played, including all of the NFC East games. Not too late to turn things around. But the season is 1/4 finished and the record is 2-2. Forget that a team like the Rams is 4-0 when it comes to home field advantage down the road in the playoffs.
Sunday would be a great way to turn things around. Beating Minnesota in a rematch of the NFC Championship Game would be a great start.
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY- OCTOBER 2
Monster Shot
"It was an insurance run, so I hit it to the Prudential building."
- Reggie Jackson after hitting a long home run at Fenway Park.
40 years ago today, the New York Yankees beat the Boston red Sox 5-4 in a one-game play-off to decide the AL East Pennant.
"It was an insurance run, so I hit it to the Prudential building."
- Reggie Jackson after hitting a long home run at Fenway Park.
40 years ago today, the New York Yankees beat the Boston red Sox 5-4 in a one-game play-off to decide the AL East Pennant.
Monday, October 1, 2018
PHIILY SPORTS CORNER- PHILLIES FINALE
- I was at the Phillies' final game yesterday at Citizens Bank Park, Fan Appreciation Day. Nice win but more bullshit form Kapler, who claimed after the game the Phillies go into the off-season "with momentum."
They gave away free stuff all day, which was nice. Just missed meeting Siranthony Dominguez at the 1st base gate when w eentered but we did meet Phillies announcer Gregg Murphy and beat writer Jim Salsbury in the Hall of Fame club where our tickets were located.
We kept one eye on the Eagles game as the Phils were playing the NL East champion Braves. Cheers and moans from the announced 34,000 fans in the crowd let us know how the Birds were doing in Tennessee.
Phillies staff are the nicest of all the sports teams in the city. From the ticket takers to ushers, they can't be any friendlier and helpful. And the Phanticalways puts on a good show. They even gave away his motor scooter to one lucky fan.
It was a beautiful early Autumn game, and by the end it was both bittersweet there wouldn't be post-season baseball in town, despite the team being in first place for a good part of the summer, and a sense of relief after such a drastic, total collapse recently.
Rhys Hoskins, clearly the leader of the team now, addressed the fans before the game. Couldn't have a better example of a young leader than Rhys.
GM Klentak is scheduled to speak to the media at 2:30 today. Team President Andy MacPhail will speak Tuesday at 2:30 I was hoping owner John Middleton would speak today, but it doesn't look like that iwll happen.
They gave away free stuff all day, which was nice. Just missed meeting Siranthony Dominguez at the 1st base gate when w eentered but we did meet Phillies announcer Gregg Murphy and beat writer Jim Salsbury in the Hall of Fame club where our tickets were located.
We kept one eye on the Eagles game as the Phils were playing the NL East champion Braves. Cheers and moans from the announced 34,000 fans in the crowd let us know how the Birds were doing in Tennessee.
Phillies staff are the nicest of all the sports teams in the city. From the ticket takers to ushers, they can't be any friendlier and helpful. And the Phanticalways puts on a good show. They even gave away his motor scooter to one lucky fan.
It was a beautiful early Autumn game, and by the end it was both bittersweet there wouldn't be post-season baseball in town, despite the team being in first place for a good part of the summer, and a sense of relief after such a drastic, total collapse recently.
Rhys Hoskins, clearly the leader of the team now, addressed the fans before the game. Couldn't have a better example of a young leader than Rhys.
GM Klentak is scheduled to speak to the media at 2:30 today. Team President Andy MacPhail will speak Tuesday at 2:30 I was hoping owner John Middleton would speak today, but it doesn't look like that iwll happen.
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