Phillies enter spring training with new challenges, but high hopes

By Nick Tricome

Last season ended too soon.

The Philadelphia Phillies won a franchise record 102 games in the 2011 regular season, under a dominant rotation that included Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt, and Vance Worley.

The success also came from a rejuvenated hitting lineup. Thanks in part to the trade deadline deal that brought in right fielder Hunter Pence from the Houston Astros.

After the return of Cliff Lee during the offseason, 2011 held World Series or bust expectations.

But, as it is now well known, the Phillies floundered in the postseason.

They struggled to hit when it mattered most, and lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series in game five.

A season that held such high hopes, ended quickly, and it was harder to swallow than past disappointments (sports wise that is).

However, one of the great things about sports is that there is always next year, and the start of spring training is here.

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. did not make an earth shattering move like he did the past couple years with the trade for Roy Halladay, and the signing of Cliff Lee.

Instead, Amaro made smaller, but still important, moves that will help strengthen the Phillie’s bench, and improve the bullpen.

It started with the one-year deal that will bring Jim Thome back to Philadelphia. Thome played first base for the Phillies from 2003-2005, but was then traded to the Chicago White Sox after Ryan Howard proved he was ready to be the starter.

Thome, who became part of the 600 home run club last year, is expected to be a left handed bat off the bench, but he has said that he will prepare to play at first.

He may have to, because Howard tore his Achilles at the end of the NLDS and is not expected to be back until May.

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The next signing addressed the closer role. Jonathan Papelbon signed a four-year, $50 million deal, after establishing himself as one of the best closers in the game (right now) with Boston Red Sox.

The team’s former closer Ryan Madson, was originally reported to have re-signed with the team, before the announcement of the Papelbon deal.

Madson ended up being on the free agent market for a while, and speculation even arose that he would return to the Phillies for one more year as the set-up man, then hit free agency again next year. But Madson finally found a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds.

Next, the Phillies went out and traded for a utility to player that could cover at first and third.

The team made a trade with the Colorado Rockies for Ty Wigginton. He is expected to help fill in at first until Howard gets back, and play at third on days when Placido Polanco is out.

The Phils addressed a few notable problems early on in free agency, but there were still a few notable ones left to fill.

One was left field.

Raul Ibanez’s contract ended after the 2011 season, and he was unlikely to be brought back.

John Mayberry Jr. showed potential to be the everyday left fielder last year. But the Phillies brought in Laynce Nix to platoon with Mayberry, so there is an extra left-handed bat around.

The biggest hole to fill, and the one that generated the most buzz around the Phillies this offseason, was at shortstop.

Jimmy Rollins, who became a free agent for the first time in his career, was demanding a hefty five-year contract.

As time wore on, Rollins’ asking price was deemed by all teams as too high for the 33 year old.

Right before Christmas, Rollins lowered his demands, and re-signed with the Phils for another three years.

Since then, the Phillies made various other signings that will help strengthen their bench and their bullpen.

Pitcher Dontrelle Willis signed a one-year deal in December, and Chad Qualls signed on for a year recently. Both will be relievers out of the bullpen.

At the end of January, outfielder Juan Pierre signed a minor league contract. He will bring speed off the Phillies bench, provided he makes the team (which, at this point, he has a good chance of doing).

The club also got all arbitration eligible players new deals.

Right fielder Hunter Pence, and pitcher Cole Hamels each got new one-year deals.

Infielder Wilson Valdez also got a new one-year deal, but was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for minor league pitcher Jeremy Horst shortly after.

Again, the Phillies did not make the big move this year, like they have in the past. But they still brought in many additions that will keep them as a serious contender.

However, there were some players that they could no longer hold on to.

Valdez and Madson will be in new uniforms this year. So will pitcher Brad Lidge, who will be remembered for a perfect season as closer in 2008 that lead the Phils to a World Series title. Lidge signed with the Washington Nationals.

Ibanez and Oswalt are also players who are free agents. They currently have not signed with anyone (at the time of this writing), but are unlikely to return to Philadelphia.

The competition in the NL East is also getting tougher.

Both the Miami Marlins, and the Washington Nationals made many new additions that make them real threats to the Phillies five time division title defense.

The 2012 season should prove to be an eventful one for the Phillies.

The competition is better, and should prove to be a real test for how good the team is this season.

Pitchers and catchers report on February 18. The new season is almost here, and the expectations are still high.

Also, just pointing this out, the last time the Giants won the super Bowl, the Phillies won the World Series.

Sixers among NBA's best

By Mike Patterson

The Philadelphia 76ers started the 2012 season off with a bang.

After the NBA was delayed due to the lockout, the Sixers lost their season opener at Portland, but came back to win their next game against the Phoenix Suns. By January 16th, the Sixers were 10-3 and undefeated at home. Their first loss at home came on Jan. 18 in an overtime loss at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. Now, as of Feb. 7, the Sixers are 18-7, and lead the Atlantic Division.

The Sixers return this season with a lot of young talent, a handful of veterans, and skilled rookies.

Their starting lineup includes: the highly talented point guard in Jrue Holiday, Jodie Meeks at shooting guard, Andre “Iggy” Igoudala at small forward, Elton Brand at power forward, and Spencer Hawes holds the center position. They also have a highly productive bench filled with many young players including Thaddeus Young, Lou Williams, rookie Nikola Vucevic, number two pick last season Evan Turner, and a few more.

The Sixers are one of the best teams in the league right now.

They average close to 100 points per game (ppg); however, the team is also greatly focused on defense, ranked in the top five overall in points allowed.

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Lou Williams is at the top of his game this year, top scorer on the team and averaging around 15 points per game off the bench.

Evan Turner has also been playing great basketball, not only has he averaged close to 10 ppg but also piles up a a large amount of rebounds and assists each game.

Jrue Holiday is the team’s second leading scorer, then comes Andre Igoudala, picked ninth in the ’04 draft, has been a top performer each game.

Jodie Meeks has been a huge help to the team in many comeback wins by shooting about 45 % from 3-point range each game.

As of Feb. 7, the Sixers have 18 wins and 7 losses. They have improved greatly since last season and taken down top competitors this year.

They beat the Lakers by five points on Feb. 6, a game in which Kobe Bryant surpassed his former teammate, Shaquille O’neal on the all-time scoring list.

They have also beaten the Hawks, the reigning MVP Derrick Rose and the Bulls, and the Magic.

However, they have yet to beat the Miami Heat and superstar Lebron James, losing by nearly 20 points in both of their match-ups this season.

The 76ers are currently ranked first in the Atlantic Division and fourth in the NBA power rankings.

With a roster with this much depth, it is expected to have such a great season.

After struggling last year, Coach Doug Collins has brought the team back for a great year.

The Sixers are shooting high this year, thinking of a playoff run. However, they have to face many tough teams from the East, such as the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, and New York Knicks, if they are to make it to the playoffs.

Hopefully, the 76ers will continue their recent success throughout the rest of the season.

Super Bowl XLVI comes down to the last drive

By Mike Patterson

cbsnews.com

The New York Giants won Super Bowl XLVI in a matchup against the New England Patriots.

In the 2011-2012 season, the Giants had a record of 9-7, and the Patriots had a record of 13-3.

After entering the playoffs with the wildcard spot, the Giants beat the Packers in a shocking upset. Then in the NFC Conference Finals, New York outlasted the 49ers with an overtime victory.

The Patriots, however, had locked up a playoff spot during the regular season. They beat the Denver Broncos and rising star Tim Tebow to earn a spot in the Conference Finals. In the AFC Conference game, the Patriots just barely pulled out a win, when the Raven’s kicker, BIlly Cundiff missed an easy field goal.

Super Bowl XLVI was a very exciting game held in Indianapolis on Sunday February 5.

After being forced into a punting situation on the opening drive, the Giants opened up the scoring, gaining two points on a safety.

Eli Manning, later in the first quarter, connected on a pass to Victor Cruz for the first touchdown of the game.

The Patriots then opened the second quarter with a drive leading to a made field goal. They then shut down New York for the rest of the quarter, and scored a touchdown to make the score 10-9.

Aaron Hernandez got the first touchdown of the third on a pass from Brady to push their lead to eight. The third quarter did not have anymore touchdowns; however, the Giants pulled within two points, making two field goals.

With about four minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Giants got the ball back.

Opening the drive, Eli Manning threw a perfect pass for 38 yards, the longest completion of the game, to Mario Manningham, who just held on at the sideline. The play was challenged by New England, but the ruling was upheld. This play was perfect on everyone’s part, the receiver and the quarterback, and most likely be featured in NFL highlights for years to come.

Manning drove the Giants up the length of the field and the drive was capped off with a run by Bradshaw uncontested by the Pats, taking the lead 21-17.

New England had a minute remaining to score, but Brady could not answer in the final seconds and lost the game.

Eli Manning, an eight-year veteran knows the importance of the fourth quarter, and always pulls through in the clutch.

Manning led 6 comeback wins this season and set an NFL-record with 15 fourth quarter TD passes.

In this game, Eli threw for an outstanding 296 yards, a 30-40 completion-attempt ratio, and one touchdown, earning the title of Super Bowl MVP.

Many believe he now has the elite status of his brother, Peyton Manning, after winning two Super Bowls, being named the MVP in both, and leading a game winning drive in the fourth each time against the Patriots.

New England was hoping for revenge after the Super Bowl loss four years ago at the hands of the Giants, but couldn’t stop Eli. He now added to the Manning family legacy, but who is better: Payton or Eli? Either way, Super Bowl XLVI was a great game all around.

Basketball fans rejoice, the NBA Lockout is over

By Mike Patterson

The players and owners reached a tentative agreement November 26th to end the 149-day NBA lockout.

1015jamz.radio.com

“We thought it was in both of our interest to try to reach a resolution and save the game,” union executive director Billy Hunter said.

The sides met for more than 15 hours Friday, working to save the season. Commissioner David Stern said the agreement was “subject to a variety of approvals and very complex machinations, but we’re optimistic that will all come to pass and that the NBA season will begin Dec. 25.”

The preseason and games through December 15 had been officially cancelled, but now after the two sides reached this tentative agreement, Stern says the NBA hopes to get a 66-game schedule beginning December 25. The players are extremely excited to begin playing again and are expressing their joy through social networking sites as the lockout is trending on Twitter and Facebook.

Christmas day has been said to be hosting three games this year: the Boston Celtics versus the New York Knicks, an finals rematch with Miami versus Dallas, and MVP Derrick Rose and the Bulls face off against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

It is also now rumored that Christmas may be hosting two more games, totaling five games to kick off the 2011-2012 season. Training camps and the free agency period are planned to begin on December 9th, whilst players are now open to workout at team stadiums. Key free agents include: Jeff Green of the Celtics, Tyson Chandler of the Mavs, Samuel Dalembert from the Sacramento Kings, and many more.

Since the lockout began on July 1, teams are finally allowed back in as the arenas are unlocked. The league sent out a memo giving the organizations permission to talk to players’ agents as of November 30, although no offers made or contracts signed until the opening of training camps.

Now that franchises are allowed to speak with agents, rumors have been circulating throughout the NBA.

It is claimed that Chris Paul does not want a contract extension with the Hornets; however, he is hoping to join the New York Knicks, new powerhouse team after trading for Carmelo Anthony before last year’s trade deadline.

Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic is also hoping to be traded this season. These two players may be talking to find a way to play together this season.

If all goes well, the season will begin on December 25 once they finish the negotiations for the new collective bargaining agreement.

Philadelphia to host NHL Winter Classic

By Nick Tricome

The stage is set. On January 2, 2012, the Philadelphia Flyers will take on their Atlantic division rival New York Rangers in the 2012 NHL Winter Classic.

Citizens Bank Park will be home to the fifth annual outdoor game.

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The Winter Classic is the NHL’s biggest event of the regular season, and the Flyers have planned festivities leading up to and following the game.

On New Years Eve (December 31, 2011), Flyers and Rangers greats will faceoff in the Alumni game. Names include the likes of John LeClair, Eric Lindros, Bobby Clarke, Bob Kelly, and Mark Howe on the Flyer’s side, and Brian Leetch, Dan Blackburn, and John Vanbiesbrouck for the Rangers.

Then on January 6, 2012, before the rink has to be disassembled, the Flyer’s AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms, will play the Hershey Bears.

HBO (Home Box Office) is giving fans an in depth look at the two teams in their mini-series entitled 24/7. The network filmed practices and interviewed players and coaches in the weeks leading up to the game.

24/7 is currently airing now.

These games provide more fans an opportunity to experience the Winter Classic, but the main event is the regular season game the day after new years.

The Rangers have never played in a Winter Classic before, but the Flyers will be having their second go at it. They were in 2010’s event at Fenway Park, where they lost to the Boston Bruins 2-1 in overtime.

So, not only do the Flyers have a home ice advantage, but they have an experience advantage as well.

usatoday.net

“The second time around I find, no matter what you do, you're definitely taking it in a little bit more, you know how special it is to get to play in a game like this,” said forward James Van Riemsdyk in an interview with NHL.com. “To have it in the city of Philadelphia will make it that much better. The fans will be going nuts. It'll be a great atmosphere before the game, seeing all the fans tailgating and getting ready for the game. Should be exciting.”

The Flyers appear to recognize the importance of this game, especially since they are the home team this time around.

Aside from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Winter Classic is the NHL’s biggest event, and it is a great honor that the league has chosen them to play, not once, but twice in this game.

Flyers fans should savor every moment of this, because odds are, Philadelphia will not be involved in the Winter Classic for a while, after this year.

NBA Lockout puts season in danger

Mike Patterson

The NBA lockout is taking place right now. A lockout is when the team owners and Player’s Association cannot make an agreement on how much the players and organizations will each get paid. The basketball related income is very important; a team makes money from tickets, souvenir sales, and concession, etc. and must share this income with its players. The owners want more money, but so do the players. The agreement last year was 57% of the basketball related income for the players and 43% for the owners. Now that the owners and players cannot come to an agreement no one gets paid, therefore the players will not play.

hoopspeak.com

The NBA is currently under a lockout that began on July 1, 2011 and has resulted in the cancellation of regular season games. The previous collective bargaining agreement, negotiated in 2005, expired after June 30. The players and owners attempted to negotiate a new deal prior to the expiration of the old one, and have held a series of meetings during the lockout, but they remain far apart on two key issues. The main issues are the salary cap structure and the split of basketball-related income. This is the third major work stoppage in NBA history, and the second one that has resulted in the cancellation of regular-season games

brotherlylovesports.com

NBA commissioner David Stern had already cancelled the first two weeks of the 2011-2012 season. The season was initially supposed to begin on November 1st, but all games through November 14th have been cancelled, costing the players a total of $170 million in player salary. Stern also stated that all games up to Christmas may be in jeopardy, possibly the entire season.


Three days and 30 hours of talking ended October 20th on a bad note. After much negotiation before a federal mediator, the players and owners still remain split on two main issues: the division of team revenues and the salary cap system. "We've spent the last few days making our best effort to try and find a resolution here. Not one that was necessarily a win-win. It wouldn't be a win for us. It wouldn't be a win for them. But one that we felt like would get our game back ... and get our guys back on the court, get our vendors back to work, get the arenas open, get these communities revitalized," said Derrick Fisher, Lakers guard.

As these negotiations move further into the season, more games are at risk of being cancelled. Now the players are not getting paid, and the unrestricted free agents are being negatively affected the most. More NBA players are going overseas to play basketball in European leagues. Hopefully the players and owners can come to an agreement and get the season back on track

Ridley football closer than in previous years

Joey Harmon

The Ridley Raiders are making a name for themselves inside and outside of the central league with wins over Malvern Prep., Haverford, Marple Newton, Radnor, and Strathhaven.

Photo by Ryan Doyle

The Raiders beat Malvern Prep. 21-20 in a game that never had a clear winner. Key plays made by Mike Crowley, Mike Smoluk, Jalen Randolph, Shane Dougherty, and Quarterback Matt Davis helped the Raiders succeed in winning the first game of their regular season. Guard Frank Cullen said "We were the underdogs, and we came out victorious to shock the High School Football community."

"It really came down to the last minute," said middle linebacker Dennis Bryson after looking back on the game.

When each interviewed player was asked what the highlight of their season was, they all responded by saying it was their win over Malvern Prep; A big win for Coach Decker's Ridley Raiders.
Jalen Randolph, running back and outside linebacker for the team, has had an exceptional season, scoring touchdowns, making tackles, and even breaking his own father's rushing record.

“It felt great to break my Dad's record,” says Randolph, “I just wanted to make him proud and to know how much I look up to him so it was a great accomplishment for me.”

When asked if he knew that he broke the record during the game, Randolph stated that he did not know it until “the reporter told me after the game.”

Another great accomplishment for Randolph was the win against Malvern. One of the reasons it was such a big deal was because of the way it affected the team.

Randolph said “The win against Malvern was great for our team because it showed how determined our team was and that nobody on the team gives up on each other.”

When players were asked how they felt about the team in comparison to the previous year, they all agreed that they had to put in a lot of hard work and effort so that the team can be as successful as years past.

"We might not have as good of record as last year but we lost two close games that we could have won. Those two games are the only thing that separates our season last year from this years season," states Wide Receiver Chad Davis.

Photo by Ryan Doyle

Bryson thinks that this year's team is a much closer group.

The bond that these players share is a very tight one. Guard Frank Cullen states, "If you give us their name we will know their number. Almost everyone has a football nickname, and when it comes down to it, we always have each others backs."

The team works together in order to succeed throughout the season. "Everyone respects the person next to them on the field," says Bryson.

Players are confident in their team when the subject of the postseason comes up, Cullen said, "I expect that we could go as far as previous (Ridley) teams have gone, like the semi-finals, as long as we know our assignments and execute correctly, the coaches will do the rest. Although I wouldn't be mad at a Thanksgiving game either."

Bryson knows that if they make playoffs, they will play a high seeded team, but he thinks that if they win the first game, "I expect to go pretty far and end up with a good playoff run."

The players all work together in order to reach this goal. "Our post season successes all depend on us. If we play as a team and work hard at practice we have potential to be a good football team," explains Davis.

Flyers have new faces, same goal

Nick Tricome

The Flyers have experienced one of the most bizarre off-seasons in recent memory.

They traded away their two star players in Mike Richards (the now former captain) and Jeff Carter. Then they lost key players in Ville Leino, Darroll Powe, Sean O’Donnell, Dan Carcillo, and Brian Boucher to free agency and other trades.

In return, the Flyers brought in Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn from Los Angeles (Richards trade). The Flyers also received Jakub Voracek and the eighth overall pick in the NHL draft (Carter trade), which they used to pick Sean Couturier, who was heralded as a top prospect.

In free agency, they brought in Maxime Talbot, and Andreas Lilja (played for Pittsburgh and Anaheim respectively last year).

Oh yeah, and they signed this guy named Jaromir Jagr (pictured). He left the NHL three years ago to play in Russia, but he is supposedly really good.

hockeybaseballtalk.com

And before all of that happened, the Flyers acquired the rights to goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, but he did not officially get signed until after the blockbuster Richards and Carter trades. The 30 year old goaltender received a nine year deal, and for the first time in a long time, the Flyers situation in net finally looked stable.

But for all the Flyers got in return, it still looked like the Flyers took a step back.

Players that have proven to be key to the team’s success were gone, and these new players came with some big question marks.

How would Bryzgalov perform in a larger market, after spending his career on small market teams like Anaheim and Phoenix?

What would Jagr be able to contribute to the team, after being away from the NHL for three years?

Would Schenn and Couturier even play in the NHL this season, much less stay there the entire year?

How were Voracek and Simmonds supposed to fill the huge hole left by Carter and Richards?

This shocking and confusing rebuild came only one year after this team fell just short of winning their first Stanley Cup since 1975. What was this organization trying to do?

Fast forward to October 12, 2011. All speculation vanished, and it became apparent that this newly rebuilt team was even more focused on bringing the cup to Philadelphia, than any other Flyers team in recent years.

After showing a lot of promise in the pre-season, the Flyers opened up with a 2-1 victory over the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins on the road.

Then it was on to New Jersey, where Bryzgalov helped the Flyers accomplish a feat that hasn’t been reached since game four of the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals. A 3-0 shutout over the Devils.

The Flyers beat the Western Conference Champion Vancouver Canucks 5-4 in a scoring frenzy, in their home opener four nights later.

Only one week into the season, this newly re-vamped Flyers team was able to shutout a good Devils team, and both Stanley Cup Finalists.

The absence of Richards and Carter was a little easier to forget, thanks to this team’s great play.

Veterans Claude Giroux, Danny Briere, James Van Riemsdyk, and the newly appointed captain Chris Pronger have picked up the wait considerably this year.

Voracek, Simmonds (pictured), and Jagr have also contributed heavily to the team. They have added a lot of depth to the team, and have quickly made themselves key players.

Philly.com

Couturier, the eighth overall draft pick, earned a spot on the roster, and will be on the team for the whole season.

Brayden Schenn started the season with the Flyer’s minor league team, the Adirondack Phantoms, but was eventually called up to Philadelphia. Unfortunately, Schenn broke his foot in a game against the Montreal Canadiens on October 26, and the injury will keep him sidelined for 4-6 weeks from that date.

The Flyers hit a few more rough patches as well.

Chris Pronger suffered an eye injury after getting hit in the face with the blade of a stick in a 4-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 24.

Then Ilya Bryzgalov went into a slump that reached its worse in a 9-8 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on October 27. Bryzgalov did not start in goal that night though; he replaced Sergei Bobrovsky after he allowed five goals.

Bryzgalov let up four more that clearly frustrated him. After the game, Bryzgalov admitted to playing poorly and said he was “lost in the woods.”

Bryzgalov words made many worry that he would not be able to snap out of his slump, and that he could not handle the pressure of playing in Philadelphia.

In the very next game, those worries were put to rest. Bryzgalov stopped all but one shot in a 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at the Wells Fargo Center.

Without Pronger, the defense went into a slump as well. However, much like Bryzgalov, the defense snapped out of it against Carolina at home.

It is still early in the season, but this team has already faced some tests, and so far they have been able to get through them.

It’s been 36 years since the Flyers brought home the Stanley Cup. Now that this team has had the opportunity to show what they can do, could this possibly be the team that finally does it?