Midnight’s Children

The Phillies started off the season with an 11-6 loss to the Washington Nationals at Citizen’s Bank Park. Brett Myers was not throwing the ball all that well through the first 5 innings and then when it was turned over to the bullpen Ryan Madsen allowed 2 runs to make the score 6-2. The Phillies clawed their way back to a 6-6 after a Jimmy Rollins 2 run homer but when Tom Gordon took the mound in the ninth all hell broke loose. Gordon was charged with 5 runs and if this is any sign of how he will pitch as a closer the team has some problems to resolve. Chase Utley also homered in the loss. 

The Philadelphia Phillies will begin the season Monday at home in defense of the National League East title. The pitching is still going to be key if the Phils are to repeat. The offense will take care of itself but the bullpen and the starting pitching is still quite questionable. The addition of Brad Lidge as closer allows the Phils to move Brett Myers back to the starting rotation where the they really need help. Myers had a good spring and was the most consistent starter. They still have Adam Eaton on the roster which in my opinion is a huge mistake. The guy just can’t pitch. Tom Gordon will start out as the closer and when Lidge comes off the D.L. they should be set as long as no one else gets hurt.

The wins keep coming for the 76ers who beat the best team in basketball 95-90. They went into Boston and played a good game and after being down by 5 points at the end of three quarters the 76ers simply outplayed and out hustled the Celtics in the fourth. The Sixers were led by Andre Iguodala with 28 points. He made some key baskets down the stretch and was the best player on the court. Andre is taking the control a leader needs to assert in critical tight games. He wants the ball and when he gets it he is hittting his shots. The defense is playing outstaning and they were able to hold Kevin Garnett to 18 points. The win put the 76ers a game over 500 for the first time this year. They are still the hottest team in the NBA.

       The 76ers hit a little bump in the road last night called the Orlando Magic and took a 113-95 loss to drop a game under 500. The Magic lights out from behind the 3-point mark making an incredible 14-23 attempts. This was just playing their game and the 76ers could do nothing to stop them. The Magic had 8 players in double figures led by Rashard Lewis’ 18 points. The 76ers were led by Louis Williams’ 18 points in the loss. The Sixers will be home tonight against New Jersey at the Wachovia Center. They need a solid performance to keep the postive momentum they have going.

The Phillies are in the warm Florida sunshine preparing for the upcoming season. The spring season ahs not faired too well for them so far as they have not won too many games. The pitching has got to get better and Charlie Manuel says he is sure it will as the pithcers work on new pitches and tweak their performance for opening day. The hitting has been less than spectacular with timely hitting being the main issue. Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Shane Victorino have not hit the ball very much so far. The offense will take care of itself with the lineup the Phillies possess. Can’t wait to get the season under way.

The Flyers were just totally humiliated at the hand of the Pittsburgh Penguins today 7-1. The loss was the Flyers 4th in a row and hopefully the team has hit bottom. They were just outclassed by a Penguins team that was playing without Sidney Crosby. Evgeni Malkin continues to dominate as he punched in 2 goals to lead Pittsburgh. Marty Biron was his usual less than stellar self starting his 2nd game in two days. John Stevens is aware of Birons record on back to back games but chose to start him over Antero Nittymaki anyway. Bad decision John Stevens. The rumor mill has now started to churn and the word is Stevens’ job is on the line along with future roster spots for players. Paul Holmgren is really hot over the current losing streaks and is ready to take the axe to someone. The Flyers dominated the Penguins in the early season games but wre no match for them today. They had better get their act together quickly before they lose the playoff spot they now hold. I am an avid Flyers fan and can honestly say that the way they are playing right now does not earn them the right to make the playoffs.

The 76ers are contuing to be one of the hottest teams in the NBA as they have climbed to within a couple wins of a 500 record. The style change the 76ers have implemented into their game has made them one of the more exciting teams to watch over the last couple of months. The Houston Rockets and their winning streak of 15 games is the only team hotter than the 76ers at this time. The Sixers surge has lit a flame of interest from fans in the Philadelphia area who had given this team up for dead. Maurice Cheeks has really done a great job mixing his young players in with the seasoned veterans. Joe Stefanski’s arrival in Philadelphia couldn’t have come at a better time. His strategy is working as the 76ers look to become a real competetor in the NBA. Stay tuned for more….

The Flyers have continued their fall from 1st to worst in a matter of three weeks. They were sitting atop the Atlantic division a few weeks ago palying excellent hockey. Then a few injuries to key players including a concussion to Simon Gagne and Joffrey Lupul really hurt the Flyers scoring punch. The defense suffered injuries to Derrian Hatcher and  the bad trade for Jim Vandermeer just didn’t pan out. The next few weeks saw them fall to last place for a few days before they started a rebound. They suffered through a 10 game losing streak that really hurt their fragile confidence. The injuries have continued to mount with Mike Richards the most prominent  name added to the list with a hamstring injury. The Flyers just seem to be hanging on and will need some key people to go the extra mile inorder for them to make the playoffs and advance a round or two.

The 76ers are continuing their run for the playoffs and have moved into the 8th and final seed. They have been playing great basketball and have been surprising teams they ahven’t seen for awhile wtih their new style of play. The fast break is quickly becoming the trademark of the new version of 76ers basketball. The young guys are a lot of fun to watch and each game gives them more confidence. Coach Cheeks has his orders from the top to play these guys and it is really beginning to pay off. If they allow them to stay together the 76ers will be a good team in a short period of time. Check them out if you haven’t watch 76ers basketball in awhile. You will like what you see.