phrustrated philly phan

I was ready to sit down and write about the Phillies pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training but they got upstaged by the Flyers. There are reports that the Flyers have agreed to trade Peter Forsberg to the Nashville Predators for a first and third round pick along with Scottie Upshall and Ryan Parent. Forsberg has had limited action this season because of foot problems.

Upshall is a right winger for Nashville. He is a former first round pick and this is his third year. He has 11 career goals in 77 games played. Ryan Parent is a prospect for the Predators. Parent was a first round pick in 2005. He is currently playing in the OHL. The Flyers traded Forsberg for some young talent and draft picks. This move also frees up some cap room to spend in the offseason. This was the only move the Flyers could make if they felt that they could not resign Forsberg.

Think about this. In the past 16 months, Philly teams have traded Jim Thome, Bobby Abreu, Allen Iverson, and Peter Forsberg. That is a lot of star power leaving town and only the Phillies have the start power to replace their traded stars. Also the Philies began their 8 1/2 month journey towards a World Championship today with Pitchers and Catcher reporting.

Labels: Flyers

The Flyers won at home finally last night, 4-3 in overtime. The big question was obviously who was in goal. Was it Antero Nittymaki or Robert Eshe. No it was unknown Michael Leighton. He played a steady goal behind offense provided by Simon Gagne. Gagne had two goals with Mike Richards and Mike Knuble each adding one goal apiece.

The Peter Forsberg situation looms over this team wielding a large shadow. Forsberg was scheduled to meet with Comcast-Spectacor chairman, Ed Snider today to discuss his future. Will he request a trade, commit to be here in the long-term or as I suspect offer very little into his future plans. Forsberg meeting with GM Paul Holmgren earlier this month got considerable press but very little concrete plans were discussed. Snider is trying to determine whether Forsberg needs to be traded this month or whether he will be resigned for a couple years.

Forsberg has had the title of "best player in the world" for the past couple of years but his play is starting to slip. It may be because of his sore feet or his age. His is still one of the top players and would bring a good return in a trade to a championship contender. He has consistently made the Flyers better whenever he is on the ice, which has been rare.

So three option remain in how to deal with Peter Forsberg. The first option is a bad and I think it is obvious why. That option is to keep Forsberg and deal with the futre in the offseason. Option 2 would be to hold onto him and sign him to a contract extension for probably two years. The third option is two trade him for younger talent.

Option 1 could be a lose-lose situation for the Flyers. If he is not dealt or resigned the Flyers would come out without Forsberg and no younger talent to build around. This option should be torn up and thrown in the garbage.

Option 2 is to hear that Forsberg would like to remain in Philadelphia and to sign him to a contract extension. This would be the perfect solution. Forsberg would be a great talent to build around and for the younger players to learn from. It is always easier rebuilding around a great talent. For example the Sixers rebuilding around Allen Iverson or the Phillies rebuilding around Jim Thome. He raises the play of everybody around him which is important when rebuilding.

The third option and the one I think is most likely is for Ed Snider to give Paul Holmgren the go-ahead to trade Forsberg to a title contender. Forsberg should bring some considerable younger talent in return that the Flyers could pair with some of their own young talent to help expedite the rebuilding process. Forsberg claims to like Philly but which great player wants to play for a team with little chance of winning when the could demand a trade to a team that will make the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The situation with Peter Forsberg should play out over the next week or two. My preference would be that Forsberg remains with the Flyers and signs a two year extension but I believe he will hint that he wants out and Holmgren will grant his wish and deal him to title contender to put them over the top. In return the Flyers should get some considerable young talent to rebuild their team into a winner quickly.

Coming Up: The Flyers will honor former captain, Keith Primeau Monday night before their game against the Detroit Red Wings (reportedly one of the teams interested in trading for him).

On Thursday, the Phillies pitchers and catcher report to Spring Training. Does anyone else smell spring in the cold air?

Labels: Flyers

• The Sixers recovered from a terrible effort against the Houston Rockets on Monday night to halt the New Orleans Hornets six game winning streak. The power rotation of Samuel Dalembert, Steven Hunter, and Joe Smith combined for 33 points and 37 rebounds. Also Andre Iguodala scored 22 points. Call me an optimist but the Sixers seem to have some players to build around and with playing in the Eastern Conferance, I could see a quick turnaround.
• The Flyers actually won a game this week although not a home game. They still haven't won a home game since November.
• Paul Holmgren confirmed the Flyers will be sellers at the trading deadline (surprise). That could spell the end for a players such as Peter Forsberg and Robert Eshe.
• Reports abound that the Phillies are trying to deal Aaron Rowand for the Padres Scott Linebrink. Linebrink is one of the best set-up pitchers in the league. I believe if this deal is made the Phillies will need to trade Jon Lieber for an outfielder such as Kevin Mench or Ryan Church. That said, I would like to see this trade be made as it would stabilize the bullpen.
• The Phillies brass is still evaulating the players as Spring Training approaches along with continuing to determine the best way to pair and use their announcers. No announcer has been hired to do the pre-game and post-game. They are also unsure how they plan on using "Sarge." Sping Training will not only be an audition for some players but also for the announcers.
• Check out Sam Donnellon's article about how Philly pushes away its top players.
• Villanova product, Randy Foye, has been selected to the NBA's all-rookie team for the All-star break. Congrats to Randy.

Labels: Flyers, Phillies, Sixers

• Villanova lost by two at Notre Dame last night. Curtis Sumpter had a three point shot as time expired but it rimmed out. Villanova split the season series with the #21 ranked Fighting Irish.
• Temple fell to Duquense last night. Fran Dunphy has had a tough year with the Owls. Currently, Temple is on the outside looking in for a bid to the A-10 tournament.
• Drexel minus top-scorer, Frank Elegar, fell to the top team in the Colonial Athletic Association, Virginia Commonwealth who is undefeated in CAA play. The Dragons are 15-5 overall and 7-3 in CAA play.
• St. Joes beat Penn last night at the Palestra, 84-74. Penn finishes the City Series at .500 (2-2). St. Joes moves to 2-0 in the Big Five.
• The Sixers claimed their fourth win in six games last night beatin the Atlanta Hawks, 104-89. If not for the meltdown against the Cavaliers it would have been the Sixers fourth straight win. Samuel Dalembert poured in 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and blocked 7 shots.
• The other winter sports team (thats the Flyers if you don't know) lost their ninth straight game despite a strong performance overall and a good effort from Robert Eshe in goal. The Flyers also have not won at home since November.
• In Today's Inquirer, Ed Snider owns up to the failures of the Sixers and Flyers.
• Barbaro suffered another setback in his recovery from his broken leg. Barbaro can no longer put weight on his hind leg that he broke in the Preakness causing his doctors to try riskier procedures to save him.

Labels: Big Five, Flyers, Sixers

• The Sixers won two in a row beating the New Orleans Hornets and the Cleveland Cavaliers before blowing a 17 point lead against the Cavs last night. The Sixers also had won 3 out of 4 moving past the Boston Celtics for the third worst record in the league. Andre Miller pulled a triple double last night (his seventh of his career). Andre Igoudala has also played much better of lately, scoring 34 points in leading the Sixers over the Cavs on Wednesday.
• Simon Gagne partcipated in the all-star game Wednesday night in Dallas. He was the only representative from the Flyers. He was held scoreless.
• The Flyers face the New York Rangers today at 1 P.M. at the Wachovia Center.
• Peter Forsberg denies the trade rumors to Colorado but did admit he would like to sit down and talk to Paul Holmgren when Holmgren returns from a scouting trip. This situation could be resolved in the next week or two.
• The Phillies have officially signed Karim Garcia to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training which is only 18 days away.
• Penn beat Temple by two points in Fran Dunphy's return to the Palestra.
• At 8 P.M. in the Palestra, St. Joes takes on Penn in a Big 5 match-up.

Labels: Flyers, Sixers

• Kevin Durant lead his #21 ranked Texas Longhorns into Philly yesterday and lost to a Villanova team that is coming together. This is the second ranked team the Wildcats have defeated in the past week. Villanova sensation freshman, Scott Reynolds, outplayed Kevin Durant. Reynolds outscored Durant, 26-12 and even helped defend Durant even though he gave up six inches. Sophomore Dante Cunningham also helped shut down Durant. If Durant is a future Sixer, he got off to a rough start in the Wachovia Center.
• The Flyers gave one of their best complete efforts of the year but could not upend the New Jersey Devils. The Flyers never trailed all game, but gave up the lead with just 20 seconds remaining the third period and then lost in a shoot-out. Antero Nittymaki played well in goal and Simon Gagne reconnected with Peter Forsberg to score an early goals. The other goals were scored by Kyle Calder and Ryan Potulny.
• In today's Inquirer Steven A. Smith takes Ed Snider to the woodshed.
• And hot off the presses: The Phillies sign Chase Utley to a seven year/85 million dollar extension as reported by ESPN.com. I will have more on this later.

Labels: Big Five, Flyers, Phillies

• The Flyers continue to lose and last night a bad call may be to blame. Read the Daily News for the full story. The Flyers are not only bad this year but seem to not care at all. That is a great way to lose a fan base.
• Dick Jeradi is reporting that there are plans for a in-season tournament to be held at the Palestra. The tournament would likely include at least one Philly team and Jerardi feels that team will be Penn next year.
• Tomorrow afternoon a potential future Sixer, Kevin Durant, will be playing for Texas against Villanova at the Wachovia Center. Should be exciting.
• In a rare high scoring Big 5 game, Penn outscored LaSalle 93-92. The game included 15 lead changes and LaSalle's Darnell Harris lead all scorers with 32 points.
• Sixer's coach, Mo Cheeks, has hinted that line-up changes could be coming. The most likely is Steven Hunter replacing Joe Smith. Not like it will matter much
• Check out this mornings Inquirer for a way to get through the cold winter without a good sports team.

Labels: Big Five, Flyers, Sixers

• The Sixers came through in the clutch last night and got blown out by the Memphis Grizzlies to establish themselves as the worst team in the league. They are now just percentage points behind the Grizzlies now. With the Grizz playing better of late, the Sixers looked to have a great chance at the number one pick.
• The Villanova Wildcats beat their first top-25 opponent this year by defeating Notre Dame last night. The Wildcats have struggled in the Big East so far but this win could go a long way as they build their tournament resume. Freshman star, Scott Reynolds, scored 27 points.
• Staying on Villanova they host the Texas Longhorns this Saturday at the Wachovia Center. This could be a good chance to see a future Sixer playing.
• The Temple Owls broke their 5-game losing streak last night. Fran Dunphy is having a rough first year in North Philly.
• I wrote an entire post praising Drexel and they haven't been the same since. They have struggled in the CAA and will probably have to win their conferance tournament to make the Big Dance.
• The Flyers' lone bright spot, Simon Gagne, was selected to play in the NHL All-Star game in Dallas. Congrats to Simon but other than that there is not much to look forward too. Paul Holmgren is already out scouting the top prospects in North America.
• Coming Up: A Phillies Report. I haven't commented on them lately an with Spring Training merely 27 days away it is time to look at their recent additions and start a player-by-player breakdown.

Labels: Big Five, Flyers, Sixers

The Flyers continue to chug along at the bottom of the NHL standings with another embarrassing perfomance against the Ottawa Senators. It was a performance that was reminiscent of their ugly games against the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburg Penguins. The Flyers lost 6-1 and had Sami Kapanen questioning his teammates desire. It was only a matter of time. The Flyers started playing better with a three game win streak around the New Years but have gotten back to their losing ways in the last two games with the last one being especially bad. They have an NHL low 26 points by far the worst in the NHL. The next closest is the St. Louis Blues with 33 points and you ask about the Columbus Blue Jackets with Ken Hitchcock as their coach. Well they now have 36 points and when Hitch was hired by Columbus they down in the cellar with the Flyers.

I was glad that Sami Kapanen called out his teammates after their last game. As much as this team lacks the ability to be a good team they also lack the desire. I am only twenty years old, but I never remember the Flyers being noncompetitive. This is the only team in Philly I can say that for. This season has definetly been weird because I can only remember them competing in the playoffs. Kapanen has been a consistent player for three years for the Flyers. This year he has had some struggles scoring only 7 goals and having a -11 in 38 games played. He is a guy that gives his all everytime and pound for pound (5'9, 181) a very tough player.

I also feel very bad for John Stevens. I believe he will become a very good head coach in the NHl but he was forced into a terrible situation unfairly. He is still very yound and only last year was coaching in the AHL. He also was forced to replace a Stanley Cup-winning coach, Ken Hitchcock, who was fired too soon. Stevens has been especially disappointed with the team's performance when they get down. They fell down 2-0 in the first period and basically gave up. Stevens had this to say: "that (when falling behind) is when you dig in." Somewhere that message is getting lost because they Flyers have done the opposite. Look at these stats: 1-22-1 when they trail; 1-18-0 when trailing after first period; and 0-23-1 when trailing entering the third period. That is dreadful and defines the season.

Oh yeah, on a positive note it is only 37 days until Pitchers and Catchers Report.

Labels: Flyers

The Flyers fell again tonight. This time they lost to the Florida Panthers. Tonight saw Peter Forsberg return to the lineup and Forsberg played well setting up a few scoring chances. Robert Esche also returned to the game for the first time since November 29. Esche replaced Antero Nittymaki in the third period. The Flyers fell for a record tenth straight game. They have struggled mightily this season and their seems to be no answer.

I think it is time to take Ed Snider to task. He prematurely fired Ken Hitchcock, a Stanley Cup winning coach. Hitchcock has meanwhile helped to get the Columbus Blue Jackets on the winning track. It is not that I don't like John Stevens because I do. I think he will be a great NHL coach but right now may be in over his head. The only person leaving their job, during the early season struggles should have been Bobby Clarke. Clarke was burned out and has never been a great GM. He has covered up mistakes by spending more than other teams but the new salary cap exposed his flaws. I am also not sold on Paul Holgrem as replacing him. I would prefer the Flyers go out during the off-season and bring in a proven GM just as the Phillies brought in Pat Gillick.

Ed Snider has always been dedicated to winning. This year he overreacted. Snider would have been better off letting Clarke walk and giving full control of the franchise to Hitchcock. Snider fired the best coach this town has seen since Larry Brown departed. Snider threw all that under that road when he dismissed Hitchcock in October. He thought a change in coach could spark a turn around. He was wrong. The problem was with the team that Clarke and Holmgren had assembled not with Hitchcock's coaching.

The Flyers are in a rut and will be playing out the string just like their building mates, the Sixers. Ed Snider is presiding over two collapsing franchises. He has mismanaged the Flyers and should have provided more oversight on the Sixers as Billy King failed to build a winner around Allen Iverson.

Labels: Flyers

• The Flyers announced today that they traded Randy Robitaille and a 5th round draft pick to the New York Islanders for young forward, Mike York. He is only 28 and has 13 points in 32 games this season. He creates versatility on the front line. I can't see this move as being a big upgrade for the Flyers and the only thing I can think of is that Paul Holmgren is trying to make the team younger.
• Reportedly, Petr Nedved wants a trade preferably back to the New York Rangers or released so he can return to Europe. I see no reason that request can't be resolved in a week or two. Nedved clearly is not helping the Flyers so they should part ways instead of forcing Nedved to play for the Philadelphia Phantoms.
• The Phillies announced they have signed Rod Barajas to split time with Carlos Ruiz behind the plate. This move was rumored to be in the works yesterday. It is only a one year deal with a second year option. Barajas was deciding between the Phils and the Colorado Rockies. This move could force out Chris Coste though. Coste became a fan favorite last year but may serve as more of a utility player this year for the club. Barajas is a solid receiver which should help the pitching staff but not much of an offensive force.
• Andre Miller and Joe Smith will likely not be in tonight's lineup for the Sixers. They will likely make their debut over the weekend on either Friday or Saturday night.
• Coming up: Now that the AI era has ended here in Philly, what is next for the Sixers and where does AI rank among the all-time great Sixers.

Labels: Flyers, Phillies