Phillies Win! Phillies Win!

In what can be considered one of the greatest choke jobs of all time in baseball, the New York Mets, who were up by 7 games on September 12th, have been eliminated from playoff contention. Since that time, the Phillies have gone on to win 13 of 17 and now are going to the playoffs for this first time since 1993 when they reached the World Series.

Jimmy Rollins predicted at the beginning of the year that the Phillies were the team to beat in the NL East. Not only has Rollins backed that bold prediction up, he joined an elite club when he hit an RBI triple in sixth inning as only the fourth player to hit at least 20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs, and 20 stolen bases. Towards the end of the game fans were heard chanting, "MVP, MVP, MVP!". And rightfully so.

The last time a team blew a seven game lead in the month of September was pre-WW2. The Pittsburgh Pirates achieved that feat in 1938. The Phillies before today were the greatest choke artists of all time when they blew a 6.5 game lead with 12 games left in the 1964. Now I wouldn't say that the Mets choke job was larger, but it certainly will help Phillies fans forget about that part of our history.

For once, Philadelphia fans will be cheering "Phillies! Phillies!" instead of chanting "E-A-G-L-E-S". A welcome change of pace if you ask me!

East Coast Bias - September 29th

Today's Headlines

- #18 South Florida Bulls Upset #5 West Virginia Mountaineers

- Phillies Take 1st In NL East

- McNabb Is Back

- Oklahoma State's Football Coach Mike Gundy


On the plate for today's podcast is a run down of the USF Bulls upset over WVU Mountaineers. Talk about deja vu! We will also analyze and give our thoughts on the Eagles offensive resurgence and the Phillies improbable run to 1st place in the NL East. Finally the show will end with thoughts on Mike Gundy's media tirade. Next Monday look forward to the NFL Rundown, College Football Rundown and the latest sports headlines from the weekend.

Believe

The Philadelphia Phillies have always had to deal with coming up short, never being able to win the big one, and just looking uninterested in winning. That has changed this year however with what is the funnest team to watch since Lenny Dykstra and the 1993 Phils.

The Phillies were seven games behind the Mets after getting killed at home by the Colorado Rockies 12-0 on Sept. 12. The Phils had not been in first place until yesterday when they tied the New York Mets for first. Philadelphia has won 12 of 15 while the Mets, after losing tonight to the Marlins 7-4, have lost 11 of 15.

The Phillies defeated the Washington Nationals 6-0 tonight thanks a brilliant effort by now 15 game winner, Cole Hamels. Ryan Howard homered for his 45th of the season while Chase Utley had 2 hits and an RBI.

It's time to believe in Philadelphia. We may be challenging for our first NL Pennant in 14 years.

EAST	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	RS	RA	STRK	L10
Philadelphia	88	72	.550	-	46-33	42-39	884	816	Won 3	7-3
NY Mets	87	73	.544	1	40-39	47-34	790	742	Lost 5	4-6

Philles Tied For First Place With Mets

The Philadelphia Phillies are done chasing. The Phillies are tied with the New York Mets for first place in the NL East. The Mets had a 7 game lead with 17 to play at one point and since have lost 10 of 14.

Ryan Howard hit his 44th homer while Pat Burrell connected for his 30th in support of another solid pitching effort from Kyle Kendrick. The Phillies handed John Smoltz his eighth lost of the season and hung on for a 6-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

The collapsing Mets lost 3-0 to the St. Louis Cardinals to drop into a tie with Philadelphia (87-72) for first place. Both teams have three home games left. The Phillies play the Washington Nationals, who just recently swept the Mets, for their final three games. The Phillies lead the series against the Nationals 10-5. The Mets host Florida and also lead their series with the Marlins 10-5.

I haven't been this excited for the Phillies since 1993 when they went to the World Series. Could this be the season in which we forget about the Eagles and focus on the Phillies in the playoffs? It would be a nice change of pace.

EAST	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	RS	RA	STRK	L10
Philadelphia	87	72	.547	-	45-33	42-39	878	816	Won 2	7-3
NY Mets	87	72	.547	-	40-38	47-34	786	735	Lost 4	4-6

New Podcast Before Saturday

Due to Halo 3 and our endless onbsession with everything Master Chief we were unable to podcast due to insomnia. Look forward to a new podcast before this Saturday! While you are waiting make sure to catch last week's!

Sexy Rexy No Longer Starter In Chicago

The Chicago Bears' offense is ranked 30th in the NFL thanks to Rex Grossman, who has thrown 1 touchdown compared to 6 interceptions and compiled a quarterback rating (45.2) that is less than the amount of points the Philadelphia Eagles scored last week (56).

So in comes the 10 year veteran Brian Griese. The 32 year old quarterback has started for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos, and the Miami Dolphins. He has passed for 16,564 yards with 104 touchdowns and 80 interceptions and a 63 percent completion rate.

When asked by reporters regarding the status of Griese starting beyond week 4, Lovie Smith said, "As far as week to week, no. We don't do things that way. Rex wasn't under week to week: 'I have to play a certain way or I'll lose my job.' I always let a player play for a period of time to show us exactly what we are. That's how we'll look at it from here on. Brian is our quarterback. The starting rotation has been established now."

Rex Grossman's contract is up at the end of the year. Does this mean the end of the Sexy Rexy era in Chicago? Maybe or maybe not but the writing is sure on the wall.

Welcome Back Donovan McNabb

Put those jerseys on next week!

The Philadelphia Eagles whipped the Detroit Lions 56-21, no thanks to a career day for Donovan McNabb. McNabb threw for 381 yards including 4 touchdown passes, 3 of those going to Kevin Curtis. Curtis had 221 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns. And finally, Brian Westbrook looked like Marshall Faulk in racking up 100 yards on the ground and 111 yards receiving.

The Eagles who came into the game 0-2, had no offensive identity. McNabb had only 1 touchdown pass to go with a 68.8 QB rating until he posted a perfect 158.3 rating this afternoon. Today though McNabb looked as sharp as ever. Marty Mornhinweg did an excellent job today of balancing the offensive attack that took some pressure off McNabb to make plays and allow guys like Kevin Curtis to step up.

On the opposite side of the ball, the Eagles defense played well considering that Brian Dawkins and Lito Sheppard were unavailable. The front 4 were responsible for 7 of the Eagles 9 sacks. Trent Cole led the way with 3 sacks while Broderick Bunkley lived up to his 16th overall selection with 2.

The Eagles play the New York Giants in the Meadowlands next Sunday which would give them a chance to get to .500 before their 5th week bye. The Giants will be coming off a close win over the Washington Redskins that improved their record to 1-2. Someone will be coming out of that game with a .500 record and if the Eagles offense is still clicking like today, the Giants are going to be in a world of hurt.


Look forward to tomorrow's podcast in which me and Jason will rundown NFL and NCAA football scores along with another top new stories.

Landis in the News Again

He had too much whiskey with his buddies the night before Stage 18. He had "unnormally" low levels of testosterone. These are just two of the numerous excusses Floyd Landis alleged in defense of his positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs following the 06' Tour de France. But the you-know-what hit the fan yesterday for Landis as the arbitrator's ruled the positive tests were accurate, despite Landis's continual denial.

"I am innocent, and we proved I am innocent," Floyd said in a statement released yesterday. The ruling strips the 06' Tour de France title from the Lancaster, PA native and levees a two year ban against him in cycling. Landis becomes the first to lose the title for doping in the 105 year existence of the Tour.

Opinion: Words of Advice, Floyd
-Floyd go away. Move back with your parents in Lancaster because that is one of the few places you can actual escape the spotlight and go "under the radar". Instead of cycling, use the horse and buggies they use in the Amish Country to get around. Who knows, maybe its another sport you can cheat in. And by the way, we are a forgiving nation, Floyd. At any point, drop the charade and admit to cheating.

Mets Lose And Phillies Win, Move Within 1.5 Games

Thanks to a Jayson Werth pinch-hit 3 run home run and an RBI double by Jimmy Rollins the Phillies came back from 4 runs down to beat the Washington Nationals 7-6. Shane Victorino, the "Flying Hawaiian", played for the first time since September 10th and went 1-4.

Kyle Lohse lasted only two innings for the Phillies but the bullpen, yes, I said the bullpen, pitched 7 scoreless innings. Brett Myers picked up his 18th save of the season while JC Romero picked up his first win of the season.

The much scrutinized Adam Eaton is scheduled to start tomorrow for the Phillies against Nationals pitcher Shawn Hill. Assuming the Mets lose again tomorrow to the Marlins, the Phillies could climb within .5 games of leading the NL East.

The Mets blew two three-run leads, stranded eight runners and wasted an opportunity to keep the Phillies at bay. The Mets have lost 3 of their last 4 against the Marlins and are only 3-7 in their last 10 games.

EAST	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	RS	RA	STRK	L10
NY Mets	84	68	.553	-	40-34	44-34	744	686	Lost 1	3-7
Philadelphia	83	70	.542	1.5	43-32	40-38	848	791	Won 1	7-3

College Football Rundown: News and Notes

We are approaching the fourth week of the season in College Football and many teams are making headlines around the country. From Notre Dame's incognito offense to the addition to the sports lexicon the words Appalachian State, as fans we can only hope the rest of the year is as intriguing as the beginning. Here are some of the points of interest on the map of the College Football landscape.

DISAPPOINTING
Though Notre Dame and Michigan are the obvious choices, Virginia Tech and Louisville have also fallen early making them candidates for this distinction. Both teams were preseason Top 10 and VA Tech's 48-7 loss to LSU silenced any Hokie National Championship hopes and possibly shows that winning the ACC could be a tall task. Louisville had lofty aspirations with the return of Brian Brohm and an Orange Bowl victory a year ago, but last week's loss to rival Kentucky ended that and could have been foreshadowed by the wacky 58-42 game the week before they played vs. Middle Tennessee.

GATOR BAIT
Don't sleep on the reigning Champs from the Swamp. They are an absolute scoring machine behind Tebow's running and passing, and WR Percy Harvin's speed and versatility. They put a 59 spot on a good Tennessee Vols team last week in Gainesville. The schedule isn't bad with Auburn and Florida State at home, but the SEC will come down to the Oct. 6 game against LSU in Baton Rouge.

OVERLOOKED
Cal and Penn State. Cal impressed everyone with their nationally televised, primetime man-handling of Tennessee. The offense looks scary good with Longshore, Forsett, and maybe the early Heisman favorite receiver Desean Jackson. With the nation already placing USC in the national championship, I think Cal has a real shot at the Pac 10 title and even a title game appearance with those hopes resting completely on the Nov. 10^th game vs. USC, that is at home for the Bears. Penn State is another team in the "overlooked" category because of the expectations many have for Ohio State and Wisconsin in the Big 10. With QB Morelli playing well and the great crop of receivers they have, look for Penn State to be BCS bound if they can at least split the games vs. the Buckeyes and Badgers. And just like Cal, the key games are at home.

Phillies Win As Mets Drop 5th In A Row

The Philadelphia Phillies 14th inning win over the St. Louis Cardinals and another New York Mets loss to the Washington Nationals allowed the Phils to gain another game in the battle for the NL East. The Phillies are now only 1.5 games back after being as much as 6 games back on September 10th.

The Phillies won a 14 inning marathon in which Cole Hamels made his first start since coming off the DL. Hamels threw 54 pitches over the course of 3 innings. He gave up 3 runs on 5 hits while striking out 2 and walking 1. Hamels next scheduled start will be September 23rd against the Washington Nationals.

Jayson Werth has been a surprise catalyst for the Phillies sudden resurgence. In August Werth had a ridiculous .414 batting average to go along with 3 home runs and 19 RBI's. In last night's game Werth had two triples and 3 RBI's, including 2 on a triple that sealed the win. During this current month of September, Werth is batting .302 with a team leading 15 RBI's.

The Phillies have a chance tonight to complete the sweep of the slumping Cardinals and with the cooperation of the Mets, could possibly be only a half game back.

EAST	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	RS	RA	STRK	L10
NY Mets	83	67	.553	-	40-34	43-33	729	674	Lost 5	4-6
Philadelphia	82	69	.543	1.5	43-32	39-37	840	783	Won 6	8-2

McNabb Sounds Off On HBO

During an interview on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Donovan McNabb told James Brown that African-American quarterbacks face much more scrutiny than their white counterparts.

"There's not that many African-American quarterbacks, so we have to do a little bit extra. Because the percentage of us playing this position, which people didn't want us to play ... is low, so we do a little extra."

When James Brown brought up white quarterbacks such as Carson Palmer and Peyton Manning, McNabb tells Brown that they aren't scrutinized like he is. While I do agree that Palmer doesn't get enough flak I can't say I agree that Manning was never scrutinized. Manning had people yelling into his ear ever since he got out of Tennessee that he couldn't win the big game. And then he did last year.

Personally I think McNabb is shooting himself in the foot. While I don't necessarily disagree with him about the treatment of black QB's, his decision to voice his opinion on national television wasn't a great idea. Especially considering that the Eagles are now 0-2 entering the third week of the season. It'd be different if McNabb had played well in those 2 games but he played poorly.

McNabb, my advice to you is to keep your mouth shut, start believing in your arm, and once again start playing like the quarterback that led us to a Super Bowl and 4 straight NFC championship games. Hell, we wanted the Eagles to draft Ricky Williams instead of you, and he was black! We don't care whether you're black, white, purple, or orange. Just lead us to the promised land.

The Cowboys Bank On Tank

Tank Johnson and his agent have reached a two-year agreement with the Dallas Cowboys just 10 minutes prior to a deadline the Cowboys had set. Johnson will immediately begin serving his 8 game suspension and will be available sometime during midseason. The Cowboys have been in need of a nose tackle ever since Jason Ferguson went down with a season ending biceps injury in Dallas' opening day win over the New York Giants.

The Chicago Bears waived Tank Johnson on June 25, three days after he was pulled over by police in Arizona. Prior to his run in with the police in Arizona Johnson had served a 2 month prison sentence after a raid on his home found enough weapons to arm a small militia. Johnson had previously told reporters on May 18 that he would become the NFL's Man of the Year.

Phillies Move Within 2.5 Games Of The Mets

Rookie Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick picked up his 9th win of the season as the Phillies almost blow a 11 run lead in a 13-11 win against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Aaron Rowand and Ryan Howard both hit 2 home runs, including a grand slam by Howard in the 6th inning. Rowand, who is making it more evident that the Phillies re-sign him, now has 26 home runs on the season while Howard increased his total to 40.

Once again the bullpen for the Phillies almost gave away the game but luckily the bleeding stopped after Kane Davis came in. Francisco Rosario picked up his 1st save of the season last night.

The Phillies continue their 3 game series with the Cardinals tonight. Cole Hamels, making his first appearance since coming off the disabled list, takes the mound against the Cardinals Todd Wellemeyer.

With their win the Phillies have moved within 2.5 games of the first place New York Mets who were handily beaten by cellar dweller, Washington Nationals 12-4.

The Eagles Fall To 0-2

After a lackluster performance on opening day against the Green Bay Packers, the Philadelphia Eagles lost to their home opener to division rival Washington Redskins 20-12 last night on Monday Night Football.

Donovan McNabb once again looked rusty in the first half while completing on half of his passes. Entering the second half McNabb looked much better but still overthrew receivers and beyond his receivers. For the second straight game he averaged less than 6 yard per attempt.

What was probably the most obvious display of McNabb's inaccuracy came on 3rd down when the Eagles were driving to tie the game in the 4th quarter. Kevin Curtis lined up right of McNabb and was in single coverage. Curtis ran a flag pattern and broke for the right sideline and was wide open but McNabb threw at least 2 yards ahead of him.

Not all the blame can be put on McNabb though as Ron Jaworski pointed out during last night's game. The Eagles receivers are not getting separation from DB's. They are getting held up at the line of scrimmage and by the time Donovan makes his 3 step drop the receivers are only 5 yards down field.

Once again the defense played well but didn't seem to get that much pressure on 2nd year starter Jason Campbell. The Eagles defense finished with only once sack against a team in which had 2 reserves on the offensive line.

Third down conversions were hard to come by as well. The Eagles finished the game converting only 4 of 16 3rd down conversions while the Redskins converted 8 of 15.

These were 2 games in which I thought the Eagles were going to sleepwalk through and maybe the team had the same attitude. The last time the Eagles were 0-2 was in 2003 when they went to the NFC championship game. For some reason though I don't think that the Eagles will be so lucky to make it in 2007. The season is young but the future looks bleak.

East Coast Bias- September 17, 2007

JASON MISH IS BACK!!

Today's Headlines

- NFL Rundown - Week 2

- College Football Rundown

- MLB Awards Predictions

- The Weekly Phil


On tap for the September 17th podcast of East Coast Bias we start with a rundown of all the NFL games on Sunday plus the preview of the Monday Night game, Eagles vs. Redskins. We then review the week that was in College Football with a roundup of the action in the Top 25. We hand out the hardware as we predict baseball regular season awards in our third segment and end the show with the crowd-pleaser, The Weekly Phil.

This Time He Didn't Kill Anyone

O.J. Simpson is back in the news after being arrested by Las Vegas authorities on suspicion of being involved in an armed robbery in which they stole his own sport memorabilia. Simpson will be charged with 6 felonies that include robbery with a deadly weapon and assault with a deadly weapon.

Simpson however claims that he didn't rob anybody and was only retrieving stolen property. "You've got to understand, this ain't somebody going to steal somebody's drugs or something like that. This is somebody going to get his private belongings back. That's it. That's not robbery." Sounds like he's got a hell of case there...

Simpson has a long list of run-ins with the law that include, paid a $130 fine for speeding through a Florida manatee zone, allegedly abusing his daughter, and pirating DirectTV broad cast signals. Simpson's reason for not calling the police in this situation was, "The police, since my trouble, have not worked out for me. It just becomes a story about O.J." It's a good thing though that he didn't call the cops because this whole situation hasn't turned into "a story about O.J."

If convicted, Simpson would face up to 30 years in state prison on each robbery count alone.

About Those Picks...

ATL @ JAC - JAC Correct
BUF @ PIT - PIT Correct
CIN @ CLE - CIN Wrong
GB @ NYG - NYG Wrong
HOU @ CAR - CAR Wrong
IND @ TEN - IND Correct
NO @ TB - NO Wrong
SF @ STL - STL Wrong
SEA @ ARI - SEA Wrong
MIN @ DET - MIN Wrong
DAL @ MIA - DAL Correct
KC @ CHI - CHI Correct
NYJ @ BAL - NYJ Wrong
OAK @ DEN - DEN Correct
SD @ NE - SD Not looking good so far.
WAS @ PHI - PHI At this point it doesn't really matter.

NFL Week 2 Picks

In a new weekly segment East Coast Bias will pick the NFL winners of the week and keep tally. Do we think we can beat the experts? Oh yeah.

ATL @ JAC - JAC
BUF @ PIT - PIT
CIN @ CLE - CIN
GB @ NYG - NYG
HOU @ CAR - CAR
IND @ TEN - IND
NO @ TB - NO
SF @ STL - STL
SEA @ ARI - SEA
MIN @ DET - MIN
DAL @ MIA - DAL
KC @ CHI - CHI
NYJ @ BAL - NYJ
OAK @ DEN - DEN
SD @ NE - SD
WAS @ PHI - PHI

New Layout!

Hope you guys enjoy the new digs. Been wanting to change over for a while now that I have some better understanding of HTML. Be on the lookout for a new podcast on Monday and lot's of updates regarding tomorrow's NFL games. Also, be sure to check out Despair for your chance to make a Sports Demotivator.

Sincerely,
Brendan

Hindsight Is 20/20: MLB Free Agent Flops and Gems

The Three Biggest Free Agent Flops

• Barry Zito – San Francisco Giants

Oh how the mighty have fallen. It's hard to imagine that this kid won the Cy Young in 2002. Not since his Cy Young year has Barry Zito won more than 16 games. He has posted double digit losses now for 5 consecutive seasons and posted an ERA over 3.80 four of the last five years. Enough about his past, let's get into more of “What have you done for me lately?” Well.......not much. After signing a 7 year contract worth a ridiculous $126 million dollars, Zito has accumulated a record of 9-12 with a 4.46 ERA. I'm pretty sure San Francisco management was expecting a bit more than what Zito has been giving them. I stressed this in an article I wrote before about Zito, he isn't a #1 starter. He relished the role of pitching behind [[Tim Hudson]] and [[Mark Mulder]]. He just doesn't have enough confidence in himself or his stuff to be an effective #1 starter.

• Adam Eaton– Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies traded him away in 1999 after spending their 11th overall pick on him in 1996. The most wins he ever had in a season? 11 (twice) He has never posted an ERA lower than 4.08 and never pitched more than 200 innings. The Philadelphia Phillies, in their infinite wisdom, handed him a 3 year deal worth $24 million dollars. You know, because that makes sense. He is only making $2 million less than Barry Zito this year and has managed to be a fantastic disappointment. He is 9-9, sporting a 6.31 ERA, and has more earned runs than strikeouts. What a great investment. The last thing I read on a Phillies message board about Adam Eaton? “Can that a**hole please run into a knife?” I think that pretty much sums up whatever everyone thinks about him who's a Phillies fan.

• Jason Schmidt – Los Angeles Dodgers‎

Holy crap. The last two guys I mentioned have at least appeared in more than 6 games this season. Jason Schmidt is making $15.7 million dollars this season and has won one game...one. The Los Angeles Dodgers signed this guy in hopes that he would be their number one starter and instead has become best friends with the Dodgers trainer. Jason is 1-4 with a 6.31 ERA and has pitched a whopping 25 innings. In his six starts he got out of the 5 th inning once. This is the second time in his career that Schmidt has undergone season-ending shoulder surgery. BREAKING NEWS: [[Mike Schmidt]] is not related to Jason Schmidt and has pitched the same amount of innings Jason has since June 16th.


Honorable Mention

• J.D. Drew - .264 BA / 8 HR / 51 RBI / Salary $14.4 million

• Julio Lugo - .241 BA / 6 HR / 69 RBI / Salary $8.25 million

• Mike Mussina - 5.28 ERA / 9-10 Record / .314 BAA / Salary $11 million

The Three Biggest Free Agent Gems

• Dmitri Young – Washington Nationals

Signed a minor league contract with Nationals, is making $500,000, and sports the 6 th best batting average in the National League. A cast off from the Tigers after he assaulted his wife and went through substance abuse problems, Young has become one of the good stories in baseball. Dmitri has accumulated 38 doubles, 13 home runs, and 73 runs batted in this season. Selected to the all-star team for 2 nd time in his career, Young is batting .314 with runners in scoring position and leads his team in BA, OPS, and OBP. The Nationals have rewarded the soon to be Comeback Player of the Year with a 2 year extension worth $10 million dollars. A deserving reward for a player who was on the brink of ruining his baseball career.

• Carlos Pena- Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Pena hadn't played more than 100 games since 2004 and had only 33 at-bats last year when shared time with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. No one was really interested in Carlos when he hit the free agent market but the Tampa Bay Devil Rays gave him a shot, and boy has it paid off. Pena is currently earning $800,000 dollars and in the top 5 in the American League in HR (39), BB (86), SLG% (.613), RBI (111), and finally in OPS (1.013). Consider that [[Jason Giambi]] has been on the DL and is currently making $23 million dollars while batting .243 with 14 home runs, maybe the [[New York Yankees]] should have kept Pena around? Realistically though, no one saw this coming. Before this season Pena never had more than 116 hits in a season, an average over .253, or an on base percentage over .338. (based on seasons with >100AB) I can guarantee you though that the Devil Rays aren't complaining.

• Ted Lilly - Chicago Cubs

Unlike the last two guys I mentioned Lilly is being paid big bucks ($10 million over 4 years) but unlike the three pitchers I mentioned in my free agent flops, Lilly has been solid. He showed promise during just one season in Toronto in which he was 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA and has only gotten better with the Cubs. He is currently rocking a 15-7 record to go along with a 3.85 ERA. Lilly is on pace to set career highs in innings pitched, wins, strikeouts, and games started. Lilly is leading the Cubs in quality starts (18), WHIP (1.15), and ERA (3.85). The 31-year old has always been a solid 3 rd or 4 th starter but this year is really becoming a rock as the Cubs 2nd starter behind fire baller [[Carlos Zambrano]]. Without this guy the Chicago Cubs would certainly not be fighting for a playoff spot.


Honorable Mention

• Matt Stairs - .307 BA / 19 HR / 59 RBI / Salary $850,000

• Mark DeRosa - .288 BA / 9 HR / 69 RBI / Salary $2.75 million

• Sammy Sosa - .255 BA / 20 HR / 88 RBI / Salary $500,000

Eagles Won Super Bowl XXXIX?

Eagles corner back Sheldon Brown was a huge part of the Eagles success in 2005 when they went to the Super Bowl to play the AFC champion New England Patriots. After losing the Lombardi trophy to the Pats Brown was convinced that they just had a better game plan and executed better than the Eagles defense.

After "Tape Gate", Brown isn't so sure anymore. "Do I think about it? Mmm hmmm," said Brown. "It's crazy. I just don't know how far back it goes. Something's not right about that." Eagles defensive leader Brian Dawkins isn't even sure what to believe anymore, "Now there's always going to be questions about the situation," Dawkins said in an interview on Thursday. "Was it great adjustments at halftime or what?"

Even Pittsburgh receiver Hines Ward threw in his two cents and stated that he had suspected the Patriots in 2001 during the AFC Championship game. But, much like any other case tried in court, no one has any hard evidence to back up these allegations. Eagles running back Brian Westbrook said it's all water under the bridge, " For me to think back two years ago about something they may or may not have done, it's not worth my time."

After only gaining 45 yards in the first quarter of Super Bowl 39 Brown said that he noticed a difference in the Patriots play calling. Almost every time the Eagles blitzed the Patriots would follow suit and throw a screen. Over the next 3 quarters the Patriots gained 286 yards and a 24-21 victory. "I was like, 'Man, I never saw that many screens,' " Brown said.

Leave it to the Daily News in Philadelphia to really blow thing out of porportion though, "Counterfeit RING: Spy Scandal Helps Explain Birds' Super Bowl Loss." Donovan McNabb said that the suspicions were overblown. "One thing people are forgetting is that even if you have the answers to the test, you still have to take the test," he said. "If they have an idea of what's coming, those guys still have to be able to execute the play."

For a city who hasn't won a major championship in 25 years we've become fantastic conspiracy theorists. Maybe Roger Goodell will make the Patriots forfeit their rings......? Maybe when pigs fly.

BREAKING NEWS: Greg Oden Likely Done For Season

Doctors have found cartilage damage during an exploratory procedure, and Portland Trail Blazers team physician Dr. Don Roberts had to perform microfracture surgery to repair the damage.

Oden is expected to be on crutches for up to eight weeks. The recovery process is expected to take anywhere from 6 months to a full year.

Oden would join David Robinson as the only two 1st overall picks to not play the following season after they were drafted. Robinson however didn't play due to injury but instead kept his commitment to the Navy.

Perhaps the injury was due to performing to much grinding on white women?

East Coast Bias - September 13th, 2007

Today's Headlines

- "Tape Gate"

- Eagles Loss To The Packers

- Phillies Fading Playoff Hopes

- Update On Bills TE Kevin Everett

On this week's podcast I, Brendan Canney, will once again be soloing the podcast as Jason has become a flake as of late. Today's topics include and update on Kevin Everett, "Tape Gate", the Eagles loss to the Packers, and the Phillies playoff hopes. Hopefully next week Jason will be able to join me so we can once again 2 man the podcast. Until next week!

Mass Blood Test To Be Used By MLB

Major League Baseball is currently contemplating the use of a mass blood test that could detect, among other things, human growth hormone (aka HGH). The use of HGH has become a hot issue as of late after it was discovered that Rick Ankiel had received a 12-month supply of human growth hormone in 2004 from Signature Pharmacy. Jay Gibbons and Troy Glaus have also been linked to Signature Pharmacy.

The blood test was developed under the watchful eye of the World Anti-Doping Agency. It was used sparingly during the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2006 Winter Games. The blood test will be available for mass use within months.

World Anti-Doping Agency science director had this to say about the use of HGH in the current sports landscape, "This is great news, because we strongly believe that human growth hormone is abused in sports."

Gary Green, an MLB consultant and UCLA doctor, said he had spoken to MLB commissioner Bud Selig who commented that he would be in favor of getting the blood test implemented. The only hiccup could come from the MLBPA and Union executive director Donald Fehr, who would have to be approve adding the blood test to the current drug testing program.

While Donald Fehr was unavailable for comment Gene Upshaw, NFLPA Head Rep, said, "There's no way I'm having my guys punched for a blood test every time they walk into a locker room."

Bill Belichick Apologizes...Sort Of.

Prior to a regularly scheduled new conference Bill Belichick issued a statement apologizing to his team and confirmed that he had spoken to Goodell about the Tape Gate incident.

"Although it remains a league matter, I want to apologize to everyone who has been affected, most of all ownership, staff and players," Belichick said. "Following the league's decision, I will have further comment."

Belichick apparently morphed during the new conference into Drew Rosenhaus and refused to respond to a half-dozen questions about the scandal, possible punishments and the potential effect this will have on his team. All relevant questions I might add.

Michael Strahan even found some time in his busy schedule to give his two cents, "It just makes you wonder how long they've been doing this and has it really helped them win some games?" said current New York Gitans That's no different from the cheating ref in basketball."

Packers CB Al Harris also gave comment, "When you look back, it's scary. I don't want to say anything wrong towards their organization, because I think highly of their coaching staff and their personnel, but if that's the case, that's not right. I would consider it cheating. I honestly would."

Roger Goodell has said that he will make a decision Friday, although that is not set in stone. The Patriots could be looking at losing multiple draft picks and Belichick could be looking at a suspension as well.

Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater

New England Patriots team owner Robert Kraft commented earlier today that, "When you're successful in anything, a lot of people like to try to take you down and do different things. We understand that." It looks as if Kraft will have to eat those words.

Roger Goodell has once again brought the hammer down and has made the decision that the New England Patriots were indeed video taping and stealing defensive signals from the New York Jets' coaches this past Sunday.

This past Sunday NFL security officials had confiscated video tape belonging to Patriots video assistant Matt Estrella after being suspected of recording the New York Jets' defensive signals. Jets head coach Eric Mangini claimed he saw the spying but didn't want to get involved, "Those are all league-related matters and anything that deals with an issue like this or anything on a team-by-team basis, they all go to the league," Mangini said. The Jets were blown out in the game 38-14.

This is not the first time the Patriots have been accused of video taping the opposing team. The Green Bay Packers claimed that a similar incident happened with the same employee last year during a game on November 19th. That camera man was subsequently escorted off the field.

In regards to the rule on videotaping games NFL spokesman Greg Aiello had this to say, "The rule is that no video recording devices of any kind are permitted to be in use in the coaches' booth, on the field, or in the locker room during the game. Clubs have specifically been reminded in the past that the videotaping of an opponent's offensive or defensive signals on the sidelines is prohibited."

In addition to the video taping the NFL is also investigating a possible violation into the number of radio frequencies the Patriots were using during Sunday's game. When questioned by the league the Patriots were not able to come up with an acceptable answer.

If the NFL finds the Patriots are guilty of spying on the Jets the team could be fined. In addition to the fine, the NFL could also make the Patriots forfeit draft picks.

Talk about tarnishing the reputation of a franchise...

Raiders Sign No. 1 Pick JaMarcus Russell

The former LSU quarterback has finally ended his lengthy holdout and signed a 6 year deal worth up to $68 million dollars with the Oakland Raiders. Almost half of the contract is guaranteed ($31-32 million dollars). Last year's number 1 pick Mario Williams only received $21 million guaranteed from the Houston Texans, then again, he was a defensive end and not a franchise quartberback. Not since Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Bryant McKinnie in 2002, has there been a holdout this long. As far as top overall picks go you would have to go back to when Bo Jackson refused to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1986.

Russell could see the practice as soon as Wednesday barring any problems during his physical. Russell's lengthy holdout while economically beneficial, was not very beneficial in terms of actually playing a down in his first season in the NFL. As of right now the Oakland Raiders are planning to start Josh McCown and have former Miami Dolphins/Minnesota Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper backing him up. Had Russell not held out for as long as he did he probably would have been competing for the starting quarterback role. And considering his competition at quarterback would have been a journeyman and a washed up veteran, I would've liked his chances.

Eli Manning Sidelined For A Month

A slightly separated shoulder will keep New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning on the sidelines for at least one month. Some people feared Eli had torn his labrum and would require season ending surgery. Giants fans were quick to exhale when an MRI showed no such damage.

In addition to Manning the injury bug also hit top defensive end Osi Umenyiora, and the Giants' new starting running back, Brandon Jacobs. Both players suffered knee injuries and are day to day.

Jared Lorenzen, aka Big Country (6'4" 285 lbs.), will start in place of Eli when the Giants host the Green Bay Packers. Fourth year starter Derrick Ward will start for Jacobs with Reuben Droughns getting more time as his backup.

Other Injuries Around The NFL

• Kevin Everett- Buffalo Bills / Suffered a severe spinal injury. Prayers and wishes that he makes a speedy recovery.
  

• Ko Simpson- Buffalo Bills / Broke his left ankle and is out indefinitely.

• Jason Webster- Buffalo Bills / Broke his forearm and is out indefintely.

• Mike Brown- Chicago Bears / Suffers a season-ending knee injury and placed on IR for the 3rd time in 4 years.

• Dusty Dvoracek- Chicago Bears / Suffered a season-ending knee injury.

• Orlando Pace- St. Louis Rams / Will miss the rest of the season with a torn right rotator cuff.

• Carnell "Cadillac" Williams- Tampa Bay Buccaneers / Bruised ribs and is questionable for next Sunday.

• Jason Ferguson- Dallas Cowboys / Tore his right biceps tendon and will miss the rest of the season.

• Lito Sheppard- Philadelphia Eagles / Out at least one game with a sprained knee ligament.

• Chester Taylor- Minnesota Vikings / Bruised hip and is day to day.
  

• Jon Jansen- Washington Redskins / Dislocated his right ankle and is out for the rest of the season.

Embarassing Loss For The Philadelphia Eagles

I can't believe I am about to say this, but Reno Mahe, if you're still around, please come back to the team. The Philadelphia Eagles lost yesterday's game to the Green Bay Packers 16-13 no thanks to special teams errors and a poor performance from Donovan McNabb. I will however give McNabb a pass only because the guy blew his knee out and still isn't 100% healthy. Watching him throw for under a 50% completion percentage was tough to stomach though.

Now, let's get into the special teams of the Eagles. Greg Lewis had 0 regular season punt returns prior to yesterday's game and was eventually replaced by J.R. Reed, who also had never returned a punt return in pre season or the regular season. Both players fumbled punt returns that led to a Green Bay Packers touchdown and a field goal.

Many fans and media alike are scratching their heads after yesterday's special teams blunders, especially after Jeremy Bloom, whom the Eagles cut, had returned a majority of the punts during the pre season. And while he didn't perform all that well, he at least held on to the ball.

The only good thing that one could take from this game is that the Eagles defense played extremely well. The Packers were held to 215 total yards, rookie running back Brandon Jackson averaged 2.7 yards per carry, and future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre completed 23-42 passes for 206 yards, an INT and a QB rating of 58.2.

The Eagles better get it together when they play the Washington Redskins next week or they might be looking at going 0-2 to start the season.

Appalachian State In Top 25?

After the Mountaineers shocking upset over the Michigan Wolverines the AP decided to balk at tradition and let formerly Division 1-AA schools, now known as FCS (Football Championship Subdivision), to be included in the AP poll.

For the last 71 years of the AP poll, only teams that competed in Division 1-A were able to be ranked. However, some voters felt that if a small school like Appalachian State could compete with the big boys why should they not be included? Adam Van Brimmer, an AP poll voter, said he wanted to put Appalachian State at No. 25 after their win over the Wolverines.

Adam had covered Georgia Southern earlier in his career when they were Division 1-AA powerhouses, much like Appalachian State is now. Mister Brimmer went on to state that some of the FCS schools could compete and beat teams from the MAC and Sun Belt conferences, both of which are Division 1-A conferences.

Unfortunately for the Mountaineers this was there one and only shot to shock the world. They have no games following their win at Michigan which would propel them any higher in the AP poll should they crack the Top 25. USA Today, which also does a Top 25, said they have no intention of deviating from their rule of only considering Division 1-A teams.

And It Begins...

The long awaited day that is the first official regular season football game. Playing tonight are two offensive powerhouses, although you couldn't tell from the current box score, the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints.

Is there anything more adrenaline pumping than NFL football? You are surrounded by friends, family, and strangers you consider your friend every Sunday. A sort of camaraderie is made every time your team scores or makes a boneheaded play. It may only happen but once a week but hell, it may be the greatest feeling ever. You know, other than really good sex.

E A G L E S....EAGLES

The Going's On's Around the NFL

New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan finally ended his holdout and reported to camp on Monday. The 7 time pro bowl DE had been mulling retirement during the offseason and has missed a total of 15 weeks of practice. Not to mention Strahan has also missed all 4 preseason games. His holdout cost him around $500,000 dollars in fines. The Giants fined Strahan $14,288 for each day of his holdout. Strahan will begin practicing today and will have 4 more workouts in order to get ready for the Giants first game against division rival, Dallas Cowboys.

Simeon Rice finally has a new home after being released from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rice will be settling in Mile High country. After mulling other options that included the St. Louis Rams, New York Giants, and the Tennessee Titans Rice accepted a 1 year, $3 million dollar deal to play for the Denver Broncos. Rice has posted 8 seasons with 10 or more sacks but a shoulder injury last year limited him to just 8 games and 2 sacks, both career lows. Prior to last season Rice had never missed a game because of injury in his first 10 NFL seasons.

The much beloved Jeremiah Trotter has found a new home in "America's Wang". Trotter reached an agreement with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday. The deal will be for 1 year while the finances were not disclosed. In a surprising move by the Philadelphia Eagles, they released the MLB to the shock of fans and teammates alike. Trotter is one of just four linebackers (Chuck Bednarik, Maxie Baughan and Bill Bergey ) in Eagles history to earn four or more Pro Bowl invitations. Trotter did not visit with any other team and will battle Barrett Rudd for the starting MLB spot.

The New England Patriots, who stocked up on recievers in the offseason (see Wes Welker, Randy Moss, and Donte Stallworth) have released their leading receiver from last season. The 28 year old Caldwell caught 61 balls for 760 receiving yards and 4 TDs. Those were all career highs for the 6th year veteran. The 2nd round pick has never quite lived up to his potential and had two key drops in last year's AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts.

East Coast Bias - September 3rd, 2007

Today's Headlines

- Appalachian State Win at The Big House

- Clay Buchholz Throws No-Hitter

- NFL Division and Playoff Predictions


On today's podcast I run down the Mountaineers stunning victory over the Michigan Wolverines followed by Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz and his place in Red Sox history. I finally end today's show with a lengthy segment on NFL division winners and playoff predictions. Since college has started Jason and I are planning to make East Coast Bias a weekly podcast in which we record on Mondays. Look forward to another episode of ECB next week. Until then keep checking back here for all the latest news and notes from the sports universe.

Clay Buchholz Throws No No

In just his second career start Clay Buchholz has done something Curt Schilling still hasn't done in his career. He threw a no hitter. The unfortunate team was the Baltimore Orioles. The Boston Red Sox won 10 to 0 no thanks to a stellar performance from their top pitching prospect who had just been called up from AAA Pawtucket days earlier when teams were able to expand their rosters. Using an assortment of fastballs, change ups, and curve balls Buchholz struck out 9 and walked 3. Buchholz became the third pitcher since 1900 to throw a no-hitter in his first or second major league start. Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona summed up Clay Buchholz's future with the Red Sox the best when he said, "There's no going back to Triple-A." Welcome to the big leagues kid!

Mighty Michigan Falls To I-AA Appalachian State

The #5 team in NCAA football lost this afternoon 34 to 32 to a team that isn't even a Division 1 football team. Grant it, the Appalachian State Mountaineers have won the I-AA Championship(now known as FCS) the last two years, but no one saw this coming. This is arguably the biggest upset in college football history.

The Mountaineers were down 14-7 after the first quarter but followed up with 21 points in the 2nd quarter thanks to a great effort by Appalachian St. QB Armanti Edwards. Edwards threw for 2 touchdowns and ran 1 in himself to boot. At one point during the 2nd quarter the Mountaineers were up by as much as 14 points.

Michigan finally woke up in the second half no thanks to their All-American running back Mike Hart. Hart ran for 2 scores including a thrilling 54 yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter. After that play the Mountaineers looked as if their effort to spoil Michigan's season was over.

Appalachian State however had no quit in them. After blocking the Wolverines first field goal attempt of 47 yards at the 1:47 mark the Mountaineers took the field and drove all the way to the Michigan 5 yard line. Their 24 yard field goal put them up by 2 with :30 seconds left on the clock. Michigan QB and Heisman hopeful Chad Henne connected with talent WR Mario Manningham for a 46 yard play that set up the Wolverines to win the game.

The 37 yard field goal never got more than 3 feet off the ground. The Mountaineers blocked their 2nd field goal of the day and sealed what is possibly the greatest upset in college football history. Congrats to the Mountaineers for not only taking down Big Blue, but making Penn State's Big Ten Championship dreams a better reality.