Eagles Coaching Search Continues, Baffles, Amuses
The circus is in town, and it has settled into Lincoln Financial Field and it’s environs. I teased in an earlier post about the absurdities of the names that are being bandied about for the position. I maintain that Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher will not be the next Eagles coach. They’re pipe dreams, and I believe, the wrong men for the job.
Now I hear that Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly has been tapped for an interview. After his team’s scintillating performance against Alabama, I can see why they’d be so hot to trot. Just remember the Chip Kelly and Bill O’Brien lesson: both will likely look for more money from their respective schools, and neither, I believe, had any intention of taking a pro job.
So what else was on what passes for my mind? The Eagles will apparently be interviewing former Chicago Bears head man Lovie Smith. He’s an interesting coach, but, in essence, he’s very much like Andy Reid. Appearances in the playoffs, losses where there should have been wins, and considered a disappointment despite an overall enviable record. If your team is the Seahawks or Browns, Lovie Smith would be a great coach.
Not if you’re the Eagles. The Eagles need someone who is no-nonsense, a regular guy. Someone who comes with little fanfare, has a fairly deep NFL coaching resume, and – most important of all: Can get players to believe in his way and has a strong coaching tree.
In the last 20 years, few coaches have impacted the NFL more than Bill Parcells. His coaching tree includes Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin, who have five Super Bowl wins between them. Parcells is pretty much responsible for the Giants, Patriots, Jets and Cowboys having been competitive teams. All of these teams were in pretty dubious shape when he took over, and all of them improved immediately and for a good long while.
And then there’s the Dolphins. Parcells was named Executive VP of Football Operations in 2008 and named Tony Sparano coach. Sparano led the Fins to an 11-5 record in 2008 and a playoff appearance. Things didn’t go as well after that, and both Parcells and Sparano were gone after the 2011 season. Sparano then resurfaced as the offensive coordinator of the Jets in 2012. He was fired on January 7th after a lackluster season.
The Eagles could do a lot worse than Tony Sparano. The Dolphins were thin on talent in 2011, but they never quit on Sparano, winning six of the last nine games. This was done under great duress, during a time when the Dolphins managment very publicly and unprofessionally wooed coaches while Sparano still held the job. With this type of base leadership, it’s no wonder Sparano couldn’t make a truly decent team there.
Now, stop that scoffing and reread that last paragraph. When was the last time any Eagles team played with that much heart? They quit on Reid. It’s clear that Reid was gone anyway, but there was no team unity and no indication that the team felt anything for their coach. All I got from them was that they were waiting for the season to end. And so it did. With a big splat.
Sparano had to deal with his management interviewing other coaches while he was trying to save a sinking ship. The Fins started the season 0-7 and finished 6-10. That means that they were 1-7 and 5-3 if you split the seasons. Compare that to this year’s Eagles: 3-5 and 1-7.
I like the idea of a coach that inspires loyalty in his team, a coach that the players supported. A coach that the players felt that they had let down. A coach that the players were not happy to see leaving town.
Again, compare that to the Eagles. The fans, and seemingly, the players, were not all that upset about seeing Reid leaving. Everyone who bleeds Eagles green seems all too happy to blame Reid for the team’s woeful performance. Not much team unity or coach loyalty at all.
Oh – and in additon to being a part of Parcell’s coaching tree, Sparano has also spent time on the staffs of Marty Schottenheimer, Coughlin and Wade Phillips. This is a pretty good pedigree.
Philadelphia wants a winner, and it’s clear from the coach talk that the fans are willing to divorce reality when they talk about who should replace Andy Reid. More than anything, the Eagles need someone who is accountable, has a good coaching pedigree and doesn’t get into petty skirmishes with media or players. They need a good football coach.
They could do a lot worse than Tony Sparano. I expect some dissension and dismissiveness directed toward this recommendation, but I stand by it. Compared to some of the other names being proposed, is this idea really all that ridiculous? I think not.
That Buzzing You Hear? Don’t Worry, It’s Just Useless, Annoying NFL Chatter
And here I thought that the endless, mindless drivel dedicated to the speculation about the firing of Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid could not be topped in terms of annoying the crap out of me.
Sadly, local radio stations ESPN and WIP reminded me that I constantly underrate their ability to turn journalism into used toilet paper. And I apologize to the used toilet paper – at least it is supposed to be soiled from time to time, whereas ESPN and WIP rarely do what they are supposed to do.
That is – report on news. Not speculate on it or create it. Clearly, I have some misinformation when it comes to sports radio. Unlike sports radio (and TV – can’t leave out radio’s big and more obnoxious brother) I have converstations with people about sports that include listening to the other person, acknowledging a good point, thoughtful and reasoned insight and a liberal dose of reality.
Now then – the speculation around Reid’s dismissal was about as annoying as sports talk radio could get. Everyone seemed to have a “reliable source” (Miss Cleo, perhaps?) that gave assurances that Reid was as gone as journalistic integrity is. And many were so smug about it, as though they were providing some heretofore unthought perspective to the proceedings. And the sports radio guys got on the bandwagon – and how – actively talking about the new coaching possibilites days before the announcement was made. It was unseemly and unprofessional at best.
I so wanted the Eagles to retain Reid, just to have this smugness shoved back into their faces. Alas, it was not to be as the team cut Reid loose and opened a new gate to sports hell.
Now we are bombarded with a near constant stream of:
- Good riddance, Andy Reid. Usually accompanied by forgetting that the Eagles were very successful during Reid’s tenure and also forgetting that the person bloviating was a huge Reid fan five years earlier. A pity that Reid forgot how to coach. And a good thing that he had a good defensive coordinator, or else he might not have won a game.
- Reluctant reminiscing about Reid: More thoughtful speakers acknowledging that Reid was a pretty good coach who could have run the ball more. Some even go as far as to postulate that perhaps Reid stuck around too long and got stale.
- Endless, brain numbing speculation about who will be the next coach!
Yes, that’s right. What is more annoying than listening to speculation regarding Reid’s firing? The unrealistic and completely scattershot speculation swirling around his replacement.
Remember that scene in Dark Knight when the Gotham City police had a cork board with pictures of possible identities for Batman? I believe that Elvis, Abe Lincoln and Bigfoot were among the suspects. These four (don’t forget Batman, now) seem to be the only names that haven’t been offered as names for a replacement coach.
Here’s a look at some of the names being bandied about, and my thoughts on each:
- Jon Gruden: Hahahaha. Sure – he beat his former team in the Super Bowl. That’s nice. Remember how his tenure in Tampa Bay ended? Let me help refresh that memory: 7-9, 5-11, 11-5, 4-12, 9-7, 9-7 and no playoff wins. Seems that he didn’t do as well against teams that were not the team he used to coach. I think he’s quite comfortable offering nothing resembling actual insight during football broadcasts.
- Bill Cowher: Hahahahahaha. Because it took him 14 years to win a Super Bowl? You just ran a guy with 14 years out of town. Do Eagles fans really have that much patience? I think Cowher might entertain Jacksonville or Carolina. I can’t see him leaving the coziness of the TV studio to coach in a win-starved, overexpecting town like Philly. It’s great that Philly fans want to win. But Cowher is not a guy who would put up with constant armchair quarterbacking easily.
- Chip Kelly: Not sure who he is (Oregon? Yes, this lack of knowledge is a pretty lame oversight on my part, but I don’t watch college football – and I don’t get paid for this, so Suck It, Trebek!). I keep hearing about ‘number of plays’ and ‘option’ when his name is invoked. I just need to hear ‘option’ and I’m ready for the next name.
- Bill O’Brien: Because Bill Belichick assistant coaches have done SO WELL as head coaches in their own right. I know you’ve all pretty much forgotten the Charlie Weis, Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Josh McDaniels and Nick Saban pro coaching tenures. Eagles fans: Do you REALLY want to try your luck with another Belichick disciple?
- Knute Rockne: As so many brilliant speculators have said about Chucky and Steely McBeam: A guy like Rockne would be perfect for the Eagles. Too bad he’s dead (I think).
- Al Pacino or Gene Hackman: Hey – they’d be great, wouldn’t they? They played very driven, successful football coaches. And the prospects of them coaching the Eagles are about as realistic as Gruden or Cowher doing so.
Look – I hate to mock all of this speculation (well, I don’t hate it entirely, I must admit), but Eagles fans: You need to chill out and let this thing run its course. You may think you know better than the owner and GM… but you don’t. Please stop calling the sports shows and pontificating about who would be the ideal coach. It’s embarrasing.
It’s these sorts of callers that fuel the loutish, ignorant reputation that Philly sports fans have. And the freaking Wing Bowl debacle doesn’t help either. Whenever the morning guys descend into Wing Bowl talk, hoo boy! Talk about your can’t-change-the-channel-fast-enough moments.
What you could do instead is look back at the past 14 years and savor that time. It’s unlikely you will ever see one coach at the helm for that length of time. And it’s also unlikely you will see a coach rack up that many wins for the Silver and Green.
So it didn’t turn out the way you’d hoped. Would you rather have been a Seahawks, Bengals, Browns or Bills fan these past 14 years? How many coaches have these four teams had combined? 85? 90? And what do they have to show for it? One supremely underwhelming Super Bowl appearance that was won by a clearly superior team. And that team that won had the same coach for 15 seasons.
The consistency Reid brought to the Eagles should be celebrated. Because you’ll probably have four coaches in the next 14 years – and, more than likely, the same number of Super Bowl wins as were collected in the previous 14 years.
I’d love to be proven wrong. Even though I am a Steelers fan, I’d love to see the Eagles hoist that trophy. I just don’t think that changing the coach will bring this about. And even if it does, you’ll need to be patient. Try to cut the new guy some slack. He’s got big shoes to fill, whether you give Reid credit or not.
Reid My Lips: For the Eagles, 8-8 is not acceptable. Or is it?
As the 2012 NFL season winds down, the inevitable talk of coaching changes is picking up steam. As was the case in 2010 and 2011, Eagles fans are frothingly anticipating the firing of head coach Andy Reid.
I will be surprised if this change is made. Owner Jeffrey Lurie has little reason to do so. He hasn’t listened to the fans before this, why would he start now? The fans have been calling for Reid’s removal for at least two years. And there hasn’t even been a whisper of removing Reid.
But before I get bogged down in mocking those fans who are talking about how awesome it would be to have Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher or Vince Lombardi in the main job, it might be interesting to focus on a pivotal question: How do you get rid of a coach? This question supposes, of course, that the owner is not someone like the late Al Davis and that the team is not a team with a similar history as the Cleveland Browns, both of whom have proven that repeated coaching changes does not necessarily translate to winning games the next season.
So – changing coaches if your owner is not a meddlesome prat or a jerk (like Jerry Jones) who can’t stop himself from saying stupid things to the media after games:
- Stop going to the games (less concession money, less parking, fewer ticket sales)
- Stop buying the team merchandise (overrated Quarterback Michael Vick is the league’s 7th best selling jersey in 2012)
- Stop talking about the team (don’t call the local sports radio to discuss the team)
None of this has happened, and it’s likely it won’t. With no financial incentive to do so, why would Lurie make a change? From a business perspective, I think it would be foolish. And make no mistake, the Eagles are business first, and a football team second.
Lest the one or two readers that come across this article think I have completely lost it, I’ll concede that Reid’s ouster could very well happen. I just don’t think it will. And Lurie’s an owner – we can’t really believe a word that they say. A vote of confidence is often a way of letting a coach know that he should go and get some moving boxes.
As for coaches, in this case, Andy Reid – well, you can’t really trust his word, either. Especially if you’re a QB:
- Donovan McNabb gets vote of confidence – released soon thereafter
- Kevin Kolb announced by Reid as the QB of the future – Then he’s often taken out during certain game situations in lieu of Vick, and then eventually replaced by Vick, then released
- Vick – named QB, 2nd year struggles set in, overratedness and fumblerooski/turnoveritis shine through. Concussion, rookie Nick Foles named starter for rest of season. And the fans calling the sports radio are already saying the Eagles will need to find a new QB for next year, so watch out, Mr. Foles.
It’s probably true that Kolb is the only one Reid pretty much, out-and-out lied to/misled, but this particular “not quite truthiness” quirk of Reid’s doesn’t bode well for any QB looking to come to Philly. Add in the poorly handled Terrell Owens, David Akers, Brian Westbrook and Brian Dawkins releases and the past few years haven’t been good from the player perspective.
The time to make a coaching change would have been after the 2007 or the 2011 8-8 seasons. Why now? What’s so special about 8-8? Why was it “acceptable” in 2007 and 2011? If anyone is at fault, it’s Lurie for giving Reid so much power. Lurie should make Reid coach and coach only and then hire an actual GM (I don’t think many Eagles fans would argue with me that Howie Roseman ain’t cuttin’ it). And if Reid doesn’t like that, THEN Lurie should send him packing.
The Eagles, Reid and Lurie could be something special… if only they weren’t so wishy-washy.
Phillies 2012 Season, Part Doo-doo
So, here we are at the figurative midpoint of the baseball season. The Phils are sporting a comatose 37-50 record, and are 14 games out of first place. And no, I’m not going to use trendy (and annoying) buzzwords like “in the loss column” and I’m not going to bother with speculating on their chances at a wild card berth.
Back to that in a paragraph or two. The Phillies have played dead in 87 games thus far this season. Maybe I’m the only one who’s ever wondered this, but why don’t they play the All-Crap game after all teams have completed 81 games? It would be much neater, as it would be the exact halfway point of the season. Stupid baseball commish McBud Selig. “McBud, you Irish bud!”
Also, what the hell’s up with no games being scheduled tonight? I admit I don’t follow baseball as closely as some folks, but I don’t recall these wangs getting two days off after the All-Crap game! Get them back on the field, what the hell else do they have to do? And I see that Carlos Ruiz did play, against my very persuasive and intelligent judgment.
Anyway, I was on a Phillies rant, wasn’t I? So they’re in quite a state – they don’t hit real well, don’t field real well, and to paraphrase John McKay, the great Tampa Bay Bucs coach, they make up for it by not scoring runs.
In the preseason, we were told fairy tales about how the Phillies were going to play more fundamental baseball. About how even though they would start the season without their two big hitters (Chase “The Informative” Utley and Ryan “K” Howard), that the pitching is the best in baseball and would carry them until the lineup got back together.
Well, Utley has been back for a few weeks, and he’s doing OK. Howard has been back for two games, and is looking decidedly average. On the plus side, with as many games as he missed, he can’t strike out 200 times this season.
So now that the Phillies are about as viable a playoff team as the Bad News Bears, the chatter has begun. Why did they sign perennial undisciplined batter Jimmy Rollins to a pricey 3-year deal? Can they get anything for (in recent times) team mascot Shane Victorino? And the biggie – can/should they trade Bill Hader resemblin’ ace pitcher Cole Hamels for prospects?
Let’s tackle these paltry geopathetic dilemmas in order.
They signed Jimmy Rollins because they had little choice. No Howard, No Utley, No service. Rollins was one of the few names in the lineup that anybody recognized. Sorry, I like Freddy Galvis, but he ain’t a marquee name. Yet. And he’ll probably go and become a decent player for another team, knowing how the Phils are operating these days. As for Rollins – well, he’s going to be around for another 2 1/2 years. Ah, great time to be a Phillies fan.
I don’t know what is up with Victorino. He was good enough and he definitely contributed to that great 2008 World Series win. But since then, the only people he’s contributing a defeat to are the people who enjoy listening to the English language. Seriously. Has anyone heard the Victorino car commercials? It’s like he’s speaking some gutteral form of the language, and if you listen closely enough, you can piece together what he’s saying. Listening to him in that commercial, I’d have assumed he was from the caveman region of Freedonia, and had only recently tried his hand at English.
Phillies, please. When the contracts of Rollins and Victorino are up… feel free to let ’em both walk. We’re cool with that.
The issue of Cole Hamels is a dicey one. There is some pie-in-the-sky talk of trading Hamels for prospects and then signing him at year’s end as a free agent. I don’t like this. Too uncertain. Hamels himself has talked about this idea, and I still don’t like it. I’m sure that teams like the Dodgers or Angels would attempt to woo him (he’s a California native). And how about the Yankees? After the Phils ‘stole’ Cliff Lee from them, I think they’d give some serious thought to getting Hamels just to screw the Phillies.
Sign Hamels now. Don’t take the chance. The Phillies have already wasted oodles of buckage on marginal players. At least in this case, they’d be wasting (spending) money on a proven commodity. A former World Series MVP. A multiple time All-Star. A guy who pitches a lot better than someone on this team has any right to expect.
Right now, Hamels is the only guy on the Phillies that I trust.
Is it time for a managerial change? It probably is. Not because I don’t have faith in Charlie Manuel. More because I think his time has passed. I think that a manager can only expect to have a short timeframe in which he can be effective. I think the honeymoon is over for Cholly. Hey, he won a World Series. I’ll always remember him fondly for that. The Phillies were as good as any team during his tenure.
But they aren’t now. Maybe it’s time to shake this thing up. And GM Ruben Amaro. Don’t think you’re getting off that easy. It might be time for a sweeping change in Philadelphia. It will be interesting to see what happens with this team at the end of the season. Especially if – as I am assuming – they don’t make the playoffs.
The All-Star Game and Carlos Ruiz
Let’s forget for a moment that the baseball All-Star game is an overblown, insignificant, steaming pile of doodoo – and get down to the real question that is circulating my mind.
Why are the Phillies and their broadcasters pushing so hard for Carlos Ruiz to be an All-Star? While it’s probably true that the baseball All-Crap game is more worthy of attention than the NFL’s Pro Bowl or the NBA’s All-Crap game, it is still, at heart, a lame-o game-o.
Anyone who is paying attention knows that Ruiz is one of the best cathers in the game. He’s also a very valuable commodity to the Phillies, because he’s one of the few players on the team that actually posesses baseball smarts and batting discipline.
I agree totally that he has earned All-Star status. He’s that good. But has the notion of being an All-Star earned Ruiz? I don’t think so. Let the Giants’ Buster Posey go to the All-Star game or the Cardinals Yadier Molina go. Have fun with that, dudes. I hear Kansas City is really nice.
Ruiz has already sustained an oblique injury this season. It’s awesome that he is back in the lineup and contributing. Ty Cobb knows they need him desperately.
What the Phillies don’t need is for him to be crouching for two or three innings for some stupid exhibition game that means nothing! I don’t need for him to be behind that plate, in the heat of summer, taking foul tips off his shoulder, possibly being involved in a bang-bang, knock-the-cather-on-his-can play at the plate.
No. Leave Ruiz out of it, thank you very much. I’d rather see Ruiz get votes for American Idol, The Voice or Survivor. Just – don’t vote for him to be an All-Star, Phillies fans.
Give him a few days off, to reflect, and to heal. Maybe it won’t make much difference in the grand scheme of things, but it would make me feel better. I’d rather have a healthier Ruiz than an All-Star plagued by injuries.
Carlos – if elected, put pride aside and please do not serve! Take a few days for Carlos Time.
Oh, did Baseball season start?
For whatever reason, I have not been paying much attention to baseball this year. Normally by this time of the year, I am banging out blog posts that few read, even fewer comment on and fewer still feel was interesting enough to come back and read another post. But in years past, even that reality didn’t stop me from writing.
So what changed? Why am I disinterested? Why am I not writing? I am not sure, but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the Phillies are a second (perhaps even third) rate team. The sports talk is rife with thoughts and solutions to this issue that run the gamut. All the experts have weighed in, and all I can say is that most sports fans (myself included) are morons.
The Phillies entered the year in kind of a cloud. They were coming off a historical team best 102 wins in 2011, which turned out to be a horrible footnote to a severly disappointing season. Once again, the Phillies had to sit idly by and watch an inferior team win the World Series. It should not have ended that way, with their most recoginzable star and K machine, Ryan Howard, lying on the ground, achillies ruptured. His tendon serves as a metaphor for this team.
What’s wrong with the Phillies? Damned if I know. I just have a crappy blog that nobody reads, remember?
They have the best pitching rotation in baseball. On paper, where most games are won, this is true. Roy “Doc” Halladay (a nickname I truly detest, but do not have a better one to offer) is surely one of the greats. Same for winless in 2012 Cliff Lee – perhaps not an all-time great, but certainly one of the best of today’s hurlers. And Cole Hamels – he of incessant chatter about where he’ll play next year, as his contract is up – looks the part of the diva ace coming into his own.
Hitting is an issue. It’s been better recently, but as the season started, it became evident that unless the pitchers could figure out a way to get the game into a -3 run situation, the Phils were likely not going to be able to even provide a run to support a gutsy outing. Give up three runs, and you might as well start thinking about your next start.
Plate discipline, which, in the last five or so years, has been a mess with this team, is on a par with the best of the Little League teams. The football ism of “three yards and a cloud of dust” certainly seems applicable here, but it seems more like “five pitches and the end of a half inning” is the order of the day.
It’s funny to hear broadcasters (Larry Andersen) and radio station callers complaining about the Phillies hitting, and talking about men left on base and all the fundamentals that the Phillies struggle to work out. I bitched about the Phillies wretched LOB numbers in 2008, and multiple Phillies fans dismissed this and told me, condescendingly, that it didn’t matter, the Phillies bats can overcome that.
Well, they sure as heck can’t now. Chase Utley, everybody’s favorite Phillie (mine too), is offered up as a ray of hope for beleaguered fans that are near the end of their rope. Updates of his games in the minor leagues are reported to us (frequently) by the media folks dedicated to filling up gobs of air time. I don’t think we’ll be seeing the 2008 Utley ever again, and this saddens me. It’s the end of an era.
Same goes for Ryan Howard. His progress in the minors, the Philly sports guys would have us believe, is promising. He’s doing well enough that we might be able to see him back with the Phils by July. But do we really want or need that? I don’t think we’ll get the Ryan Howard we want. That guy hasn’t been around for a while. Sure, if he drives in 120+ runs and hits 40+ homers, who cares if he strikes out 180+ times a season? I do. It’s just another case of tolerating poor plate discipline. The best thing about Howard’s return, to me, is that since his time is limited this season… he won’t be able to strike out 200+ times. And I doubt that we’ll get 20 homers from him, let alone 40.
So, all this negativity. Maybe the 7-10 people who read this, and are passionate about baseball or the Phillies will say that I should lighten up and give the Phillies a break. Maybe. But I see this season as, perhaps, the ending of a wonderful run of baseball in Philadelphia. There is an inherent problem when a team relies on superstars the way the Phillies have. Once those superstars are not around, the next level of stars (Jimmy Rollins, Hunter Pence) are left to try to fill the void. But that’s not their job. Their job is to get on base. To be table setters for the big guns. Guns that haven’t been loaded this season.
Fire Charlie Manuel? Why? With the team the way it is, there wasn’t much he could have done to improve things. Sure, it’s nice to hear the lip service of ‘small ball’ in relation to the Phillies. But they’ve ignored this concept for so long, why would anyone expect that they could suddenly just start playing this way? And expect that it would work?
No, I think the team just got too comfortable. They won the hearts, minds and dollars of the great fanbase that is the perenially disappointed Philadelphia fanbase. And, for five years, they gave us a pretty damn good show. Now it’s time to move past the 2008 World Series. Past the signing of Halladay, past stealing Lee from the Yankees. The memories are thick – there’s been some great players in these last five years. And they did something great. Something that the fans who were there to witness will never forget.
It’s time to put that World Series into it’s proper place as a thing of the past. A shiny reminder of what was. And what could be again. They did it once, and who can honestly say they saw that coming? They can do it again. It’s easy to get caught in the web of the past. The Phillies are still a team to reckon with, even if their days as one of baseball’s best teams is over. They’ve lived off a reputation for the past two years.
It’s time to break this thing up, pick out the pieces that still work and look ahead to the future. There’s no way any Phillies fan should leave the memories of the past five years in the dust. But these memories should not be allowed to cloud what needs to be done now. It’s not like 1994-2006, where the Phillies were hopeless and there wasn’t even a World Series in recent memory to cushion that suckitude.
Just don’t forget what that felt like. When the Phillies were baseball’s best. This memory is powerful, and can carry a team – and a dedicated fanbase – through some lean years. The lean years are coming, whether we fans want to admit it or not. Every team that wins for a time, must also lose for a time. Keep your chin up and bide your time. The Phillies will rise again. They’re just going on a much-needed vacation. Whether they’re willing to admit it or not.
For the Fans
So, even though I should just stop listening to ESPN radio in the morning, I was listening yesterday morning. Mike & Mike were talking about Dwight Howard and what will happen with him. I don’t give a rat’s behind about the NBA or anything that goes on within those confines. I’d hoped that they’d blather about this, and then move on to other topics.
But it didn’t just go away. They kept at it, boring me to pieces. Then, just as I was about to change the station, Mike Greenberg mentioned the idea of just letting him go and calling it a day. Guest mouth with no substance Tim Legler hit us with the great sports fallacy that every sports talking head seems to have in their back pocket (paraphrased): “They can’t do that. They’d never be able to sell that to the fans.”
Right. The fans. Because the teams care so much about us fans. Because the teams listen to what the fans think and do what the fans want. Because their actions are taken with the fan in mind. Look – fans aren’t stupid – we know sports is a business, and all teams are in it to make money. We delude ourselves into thinking that the players on a team care as much about team loyalty as we do. And really, we know that this just isn’t so.
But the guys at ESPN don’t seem to know this is the case. Why couldn’t the Orlando Magic just release Howard at the end of the season? What do they care? He won’t be playing for them anyway. Greenberg made it seem as though simply releasing him would clear up some cap space. Sounds good. Use that money for some new ungrateful malcontent who can score points. Done.
Oh, but wait! That’s not what the fans want the Magic to do. No! The fans want the Magic to get something for Howard if you’re just going to let him go. And because the fans want that, why that’s just what the Magic will do. They’ll poll the fans and ask them what they should do. Then everybody will be happy! What a wonderful world. And then the Magic will do exactly what they feel like doing, and what they’ll do will be whatever will get them the most financially.
And as if this nonsense wasn’t enough, the local radio has been humming with talk of “Andy Reid has got to go.” Really? Why? Because of all those winning seasons? Because of the unprecedented success of the past 13 years? While I understand that the Eagles have not won a Super Bowl, the ownership is not going to just get rid of Reid that easily.
Observe the stadium on game day. What do you notice? The place is packed – filled to capacity. And what are most of those fans wearing? That’s right – Eagles jerseys. What did they have to do before they got there? Pay for parking. And what will they do now that they’re in the stadium? Eat and drink at the concession stands.
And why are those fans there? Because every year, Andy Reid puts together a team that the fans get behind and that they hope will win that elusive Super Bowl. Every year. And if the fans keep selling out the stadium, why on Earth would the owners get rid of Reid??
Look, I love to watch football as much as the next guy. I have some hats and shirts with Steelers logos on them. I am part of the problem. But I know the drill. The Steelers are not going to make any team decisions based on fan input. They’re not. I’d love to get a call from Mike Tomlin asking me if they should resign Mike Wallace or if they should draft offensive or defensive line players. They’re the Steelers. I’m pretty sure they can get along just fine without polling Northsiders or Yinzers.
And Eagles fans – despite what Mike Missanelli is bloviating about , the Eagles will not be drafting Robert Griffin III. It’s just not in their makeup to do something like that. They have all the answers, and you have to just go along with what they say. And please – stop presenting your trade scenarios to Missanelli – it’s not going to happen.
And one more thing – for whatever reason, the radio host power tools in Philadelphia have appointed themselves (both WIP and ESPN) the arbiters of what is a ‘violation’ for the callers. In a nutshell, callers call up and present a scenario (using the middle stall, wearing a vest over an NFL jersey) that they think is questionable. Then the pinhead host (seriously, I don’t think there is one worthwhile radio host in the Philadelphia area) weighs in and declares it a violation. There has never been, to my knowledge, any declaration as to what puts these numbskulls in a position to decide such a thing.
Not that it would matter – it’s thoroughly annoying irrespective of how you slice it. I feel that the whole process is a violation and that they should all be forced to stop. As for the callers – why? Why do you play along? It makes me think of these ‘listmania’ people on amazon.com … what on earth would compel you to make a list of “favorite actors” or “best rodeo scene” or “saddest list that nobody reads” or some such. Why would a person spend the time to construct such a list? It’s almost as sad as writing articles for a blog that nobody reads or comments on… 🙂
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Revisiting Past Posts: “We Win! Passing On the 1980 Phillies”
I’m hardly what you would call an expert at this whole blogging thing. I like to write, and I feel compelled to share my thoughts with readers, even if the readers may not be there or care. I write for my own enjoyment.
In 2008, I was writing about baseball a lot, as the Phillies were marching toward their first World Series win since 1980. Now that the baseball season is upon us, and now that I have broken the 2012 baseball ice for this blog by adding a baseball related post yesterday, I was in a real baseball frame of mind.
I had selected a few older baseball articles that I hoped readers might click on and read – perhaps (most likely) for the first time. One of the articles I really wanted to reference was nowhere to be found on this blog. I checked my original sports blog – nothing. I then checked a sports wiki site I used to post for, and the article wasn’t there either.
It seems like such a small thing, but I was really bummed. At the risk of sounding unjustifiably and unpleasantly boastful, I really liked that article, and I was sad that I couldn’t find it. I think when you read it, you’ll understand why.
I’ve written over 225 articles for this blog, and there are a few that were memorable. A few that stood out for various reasons. But this one – this one was personal. And I can’t tell you how glad I was to have finally found it. I managed to trace it down through an unrelated link I’d sent in an email in 2009.
Looking at it now, I think that maybe I am over-romanticizing it because it spoke to me, and the sense of pride was heightened by my thought that I might never see it again. Perhaps it will speak to you. I hope so, as it is a great feeling for a writer to think that any piece of his or her writing has caused a positive emotional reaction in the reader. And I apologize for the impersonal word ‘reader’ to describe you. Please know that I don’t see the relationship between us in such an impersonal context.
At any rate, I am glad that I was able to find this article and to be able to read it again. So, without further ado, I present (or re-present) one of my favorite articles.
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We Win! Passing On the 1980 Phillies
March 9, 2008
Yesterday, I was telling my 8-year-old son about the best year in Phillies history – 1980! We went over the disappointment of the 1976, 1977 and 1978 campaigns and the collapse of the 1979 season. We talked about the greats – Mike Schmidt (or as Harry Kalas intoned: Michael Jack Schmidt!), Steve Carlton, Larry Bowa, Greg Luzinski, Tug McGraw, and Pete Rose.
And the secondary, but still very important players – Bob Boone, Larry Christenson, Dick Ruthven, and Manny Trillo.
He took in the idea that a left-handed thrower is called a southpaw.
He laughed at the great Garry Maddox description: “71 percent of the Earth is covered by water… the rest is covered by Garry Maddox.”
He loved to hear about “Bake” McBride, whose real name I couldn’t remember (Arnold Ray).
I told him about Pete Rose’s arrival and how he was the catalyst that pushed the Phils over the top and brought home that elusive and cherished World Series title.
He wanted to hear more, but it was time to go to bed. When I asked him about it this morning, who was the first player he remembered? Pete Rose. Good boy.
It’s heartbreaking sometimes to be a Phillies fan, but I am too far gone. But baseball is a great sport and I look forward to my sons embracing the Phillies the way that I did. I came along at the right time. I was 11 when they won in 1980. I sincerely hope that I can watch the Phillies win a World Series with him as I did with my father. Before his 11th birthday.
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Epilog: I did wind up watching the Phillies win the World Series with my sons, and it was every bit as wonderful as I thought it would be. I will be curious to see if/how their fandom develops as they get older. It is… subdued at this time, to say the least. 🙂
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Mid December NFL Thoughts: The Eagles & Andy Reid
In the Philadelphia area, the big NFL topic is: The fate of Eagles coach Andy Reid. He’s pretty much reviled by the local media, and, if the local radio call in shows are any indication, he’s reviled by the fans as well. To wit, the call in shows feature very passionate fans all over the area declaring Reid a dead man walking, and naming possible successors to the role of head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Most of the speculation is pure wishful thinking nonsense. Tony Dungy. Bill Cowher. Jon Gruden. I totally agree that all three of these guys would be pretty good names to fill the job and get the fan base excited. But — it’s time to face the facts: these guys are not going to be the Eagles next coach. Remember when Reid was hired? Nobody knew who he was, and that is likely what will happen when it’s time to name a new coach.
As for the dreamy candidates named, let’s have a quick look at them:
Tony Dungy – a guy who put together a very good team in Tampa Bay, but was labeled as a coach who couldn’t win the big one.
Bill Cowher – He did win the big one, but it took him 14 years to do it.
Jon Gruden – He also won the big one, but it was against his former team. And, based on the ease with which Gruden’s defense (actually, Dungy’s defense) ripped the Raiders offense to shreds, his successor in Oakland, Bill Callahan – didn’t bother to update and/or change the playbook for the Super Bowl.
Now – all of these guys would seem to be a great fit for the Eagles. But I can see problems. Especially where impatient Eagles fans (and they are justified in their impatience) are concerned.
Dungy – Couldn’t win the big one, remember? Of course, he did – when he was coach of a team that had All-World quarterback Peyton Manning. I think that after watching the Colts go 0-for-2011 without Manning, we can see who was the more important cog in the Colts success. I’d have to classify Dungy as important – but I’d have to classify Manning as absolutely pivotal.
Cowher – Just like Reid, he has had problems getting past his Championship Round. In fact, for a short while, Cowher and Reid shared the dubious distinction of having been to five Championship games and one Super Bowl without winning any championship. Does anybody remember that in 1998, 1999 and 2000 (all losing seasons for the Steelers), ESPN was questioning whether or not Cowher would get fired? I don’t think that Eagles fans should be so eager to have someone with such a similar postseason history as the guy they have now – and complain so bitterly about.
Gruden – There is no doubt that he had a good run as a coach and made the Raiders something other than an NFL footnote. That said, when he was traded to Tampa Bay, he did win the Super Bowl. But see the above note for why talk of Gruden saving the Eagles might be a bit premature. Besides that above note, he never did win another Super Bowl, now did he? In fact, Tampa Bay was quite pedestrian – some might even say bad, registering a 7-9, then a 5-11 record in the two seasons after that Super Bowl win.
In fact, Gruden’s Bucs teams were pretty much average (4-12, 9-7 and 9-7 in his final three seasons) for the rest of his tenure. With the exception of the 11-5, no playoff win 2005 season, there was nothing to write home about where Chucky the head coach was concerned. After the 2008 season, he was fired quite unceremoneously – like most coaches, no matter how good or successful that coach has been.
The last thing to consider is that it is very unlikely that the Eagles will even be making a coaching change. All this talk of the Eagles new coach just seems to be a waste of energy to me. But I do agree that the Eagles could benefit from a change in their head coaching. Not because I think Andy Reid is a bad head coach, but because he’s been here long enough to have run his course. Sometimes a team makes a change because it’s time. I don’t get this impression from the Eagles.
Under Andy Reid, the Eagles have experienced a Golden Age. They’ve won a lot of football games and had some good times. I understand the fans who have had enough and want Reid to see himself to the door. But I don’t know if they’ll be able to find what they want on the other side of that door. Sometimes it might be better to stick with the devil you know.
Andy Blank
Mike Frangione
Depends on What the Meaning of the Word 'Blog' is 
Gotta Do A Better Job
I’m not one to focus on what the usual voices of Philadelphia sports media (like WIP’s morning radio host (more accurately escaped sociopath) Angelo Cataldi, who thinks he does, but does not, represent the typical Philly fan) have to say about much of what goes on sportswise in Philly. As as Steelers fan, I can look at Eagles situations from an outsider’s point of view. I tend not to get bogged down in the hometown rhetoric.
But this is different. Andy Reid, the polarizing former head coach of the Eagles is returning to Philadelphia to coach against his former team. Suddenly, there is something that has drowned out the ridiculous Chip Kelly bombast that has been swirling for the past few weeks. The Eagles fanbase is alive and talking. And, while this is good for sycophants like Cataldi… it’s not really good for anyone who is objective and retains his or her sanity when presented with a delicious situation like a former coach returning to the city.
Reid was maddening. His press conferences went in circles and he provided no answers to any questions. He was repetitive and condescending and evasive. Despite many voices questioning his coaching moves, he plowed on, striding a very similar path week after week, For a while, things went pretty well. The Eagles went to the Super Bowl in 2005 (based on results of the stellar 2004 season), but lost to the very film savvy New England Patriots.
Now, Reid is the head man in Kansas City. The overhyped (he’s 1-1) Chip Kelly is the head man in Philadelphia. The inevitable game pitting Reid against the Eagles (really, the city of Philadelphia) is here. Obviously, there is a great outpouring of emotion over this event. Most callers to the sports radio station are alight with dreams of the Eagles handing their nemesis a “shellacking he’ll never forget…”
As if this wasn’t enough to cause a frenzy in Philly, there’s more. The Eagles are going to honor equally controversial former quarterback (and a guy that was Reid’s main guy for 10 years) Donovan McNabb that same night. Wow! Reid and McNabb – two of the most talked about Philly sports figures back in town on the same night. I am surprised that the ground didn’t open up and swallow the stadium whole.
Let’s recap:
Philly fans are in a lather because, according to ESPN, Chip Kelly has arrived in Philly and presented the fans with an offense that has never been and never will be again seen in pro football. Something that will live forever and make us forget about football the way it used to be. There is no shortage of talk praising Kelly and his offensive schemes, even if a lot of it is simply a backhanded shot at Reid.
Former coach and media and fan punching bag Reid is back in town, tasked with taking on his former team in what is certain to be a somewhat hostile environment. I think it’s safe to say that Reid will hear some cheers, but he is also certain to hear some boos. Short memories. The team is in a lot better shape now than when he first arrived. But his standoffishness and sanctimoniousness left a bad taste in the mouth of the fans. It’s OK to be a jerk if you win. And while Reid won plenty of games, he never did win the Super Bowl.
Donovan McNabb is going to be honored the night of the game. There are few players that have engendered such emotion from his fanbase AFTER leaving the team than McNabb. The problem is, much like in his playing days – he doesn’t know when to just say nothing. He makes oblique references, and frequently finds someone else to blame for the negative things that happened. A lot of Eagles fans will impugn his skills as a quarterback, but that’s unfair. He was a very good QB, and deserves respect for what he did on the field. It was his inability to accept a leadership role (and also to accept blame for losses) that made him such a controversial figure in Philly. In my opinion, anyway.
So what does all this mean? That the Eagles and their fans will get some measure of revenge by beating their former coach and by booing their former quarterback. Both of whom did many great things as members of the Eagles, but tarnished those achievements by either having too much personality and no backbone (McNabb) or by having zero personality and making too many snarky comments when asked a question (Reid). Chip Kelly and his nothing-like-this-has-ever-been-seen-before offense will see to it that Reid & Co. lose by at least 37 touchdowns.
Not so fast. All the pressure’s on the Eagles. From the fans, from the media… there’s too much focus on Andy Reid. Also, he should know how to get in the head of some of the players. And he might know some of Vick’s tendencies. Add in the McNabb ceremony, and you’ve got oodles of distractions for the Eagles.
It’s rarely good to play when you have too many possible motivators. Reid has nothing to lose. He’s with a new team, he’s 2-0 (already tied last year’s win total) and he’s in a fairly weak division. Despite ESPN’s hyperbole, I think that Denver will crash to Earth soon. Especially if they play a team with a tough defense who will actually pressure Peyton Manning. In the Thursday night game, the pressure is all on the Eagles. They should be careful not buy into their own hype.
The way I see it, these teams are evenly matched. With this much attention on this game, anything can happen. I don’t think home field will be a factor here. Who knows? This ought to be a very interesting game – one played between the fans of a city and their former coach – if nothing else.
As for Angelo Cataldi – he said that he’d be in intensive care if the Eagles lost to Reid and the Chiefs. I wonder if any Eagles fans would think it would be worth it to lose, given this information?