Phillies: Because I Had To Vent, Okay?

It was going to happen sooner or later. I was hopeful it wouldn't happen until next year or even 2014. Just one more year of meaningful fall baseball in South Philadelphia, I thought, was realistic. But the aging roster, injuries, questionable contracts and lack of major league-ready farm talent all finally caught up to the Phillies in 2012. Sadly, I'm not so sure this brutal season is really that much of an aberration, but more a sign of things to come.

Yes, bad luck and injuries have plenty to do with the type of free fall the Phils have experienced this year. But another item often overlooked by confident fans is the fact that the division has improved. Case in point: Washington. These aren't your older brother's Nationals. They've got a scary good pitching staff and a 20-year-old All-Star who might give Phillies fans Chipper Jones-esque nightmares for years to come. It wasn't that long ago (read: last year) when Philadelphia invaded Nationals Park and expected a sweep. Not so much anymore. 

How can the Phillies get back into contention soon? The next 24 hours or so could very well make or break the team's future, both long and short term. There will be plenty of holes to fill in 2013: third base, center field, possibly right field. Let's not forget about Chase, whose chronic knee condition will keep him from being one of the best second basemen ever. The bullpen is pretty awful, too. Ryan Madson can pitch better than all of them, with his left arm. It's true. There's a lot to do.

It seems so odd how quickly the sky has fallen, how the do-no-wrong franchise that has provided countless memories in just a few years is finally out of comebacks. I hope it's not the end of an awesome era of Philadelphia baseball. Maybe it is just a one year slump. Maybe it can get better just as fast as it went downhill. In the meantime, I picked a great summer to cancel my cable subscription. Here's to a better 2013. 

Eagles Fans- We Should Have Seen This Coming

Okay. Maybe not at an awful 3-6 start. But let's face it, this team had noticeable flaws coming into the season, even after they went out and bought the top free agents last summer, along with some of the top backups.


Through the first nine games, they've done nothing to alleviate our pre-season concerns, which in no particular order were: shaky offensive line, fragile quarterback, smallest linebackers ever, ultra-rookie defensive coordinator.

Before the season began, I wasn't confident that this team was a real contender. Playoffs. Yes. Super Bowl. No. My biggest fear was that the Eagles were about to become the team we've all laughed at through the years- the big-spending, basement-dwelling Washington Redskins. That's what this season feels like to me, minus the offensive, racist nickname.

There's really only one thing to do to make this team better- trade Mick Vick for Tim Tebow. Straight up. Fantasy-style. God always wins.

Super proud to have made no mention of the phrase "dream team."

Disclaimer: I take all of this back when we're parading down Broad Street celebrating the Super Bowl win. 

Gawker's Ch- Ch- Ch- Ch- Changes

I read Nick Denton's response to the Gawker redesign backlash this morning. I thought the guy who paid for Favre's penis pics and Christine O'Donnell's drunken ladybug adventures would have a little more fight in him but I guess he had to concede when advertisers got pissed.

I claim to know nothing about the technicalities of a web redesign but I did watch my organization go through one a year ago. The only difference was our site was so outdated (name and all) that a change was necessary. The same can't be said for Gawker and its properties.

The takeaways from this Gawker fiasco were pretty evident as soon as the switch was made: people hate change, especially when there wasn't much of a need for one at all. My one reader was extremely angry when she discovered the new layout of this blog last month.

Professing My Love For Kevin Love

I confess. I've been a bit of an NBA downer the last few years. It has more to do with the misfortunes of my home team Sixers than it does the league, but I'm coming back thanks to the new wave of young players dominating the box scores and daily highlights. One of those kids is forward Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Love, 22, had his holy shit game last November when he became the first player since 1982 to score 30 points and grab 30 rebounds in a game. Bad ass. Not only that, his soft touch from 3-point land makes him a very rare breed, as Justin Kubatko of Basketball-Reference.com notes. What's more, Love is the son of a Beach Boy so you know he's got cool in his genes.

As highlight reel Blake Griffin dunks his way into superstardom, Love is putting up similar stats. Not taking anything away from Griffin but Love currently leads the league in rebounds per game and double doubles, while scoring slightly less per game than Griffin.You could make the case, though, that Love has yet to make his team better. Minnesota currently has the worst record in the Western Conference.

Simply put, the world needs to see more of Love and his old school approach to the game. What basketball fan wouldn't want to watch a player with the skill sets of both Dennis Rodman and Steve Kerr?

Super Bowl Persuasion

Consider this my is-it-worth-it-to-advertise-during-the-Super-Bowl post. The answer is yes, but only if it involves children being thrown into walls.

Adfreak.com provides us with a look at HomeAway.com's upcoming Super Bowl commercial, which features a baby being thrown into a glass wall. Here's an awesome quote, one I hope to use someday in my career, from HomeAway.com CEO Brian Sharpless:

"While everyone loves babies and wouldn't want to see a real infant get mistakenly flung into the air, we hope viewers will get a good laugh from our test baby's unfortunate flight."

Everyone loves babies? Not true. No one would want to see a real infant get flung in to the air? Sounds entertaining to me. Now let's go rent some vacation homes.

Check this out for a seriously good follow up on Pepsi's decision to not advertise during last year's big game.

Eagles, Because I'm Bored.

New faces, same result.

There's no sense in getting all worked up over this latest January disappointment. Eagles fans and football minds knew this team had major flaws. Couple that with the fact that the Packers were better than your average sixth seed, and you knew Vick and Co. needed to do some serious work to come away with a win. As the WIP lines ring off the hook, here are a few quick reactions:

Remember when the Eagles were a lock in early round playoff games? They always made us wait until the end for the big letdown. Not anymore. Two consecutive wild card losses. I almost prefer it this way. Almost.

They got beat up by another relatively unknown. This time it was James Starks. As he was shredding the Birds' defense, I had visions of no-names like Joe Jurevicius going 71 yards, and Deshaun Foster breaking tackles and scoring.

The defense. Oh the defense. How soon will coordinator Sean McDermott get the pink slip? Too often were the predictable shortcomings on third down and missed QB sacks that turned into huge plays for the opponent.

It was odd that the front office did nothing to address the offensive line in the offseason. Not even a draft pick. That unit was clearly a huge weakness all year. Of course, had the o-line played better from the start, there may have been more Kolb and less Vick this season.

What's next for the quarterbacks? Bold prediction: Vick to the Redskins, Kolb to the Philadelphia Soul, Eagles go wild cat in 2011, if there even is an NFL season next year. Whatever. I need a break from cell phone penis pics and old man foot fetishes.

Obligatory Holiday Post

I can finally breath again now that Christmas has passed. Yes, I'm a Scrooge. I'm not proud of it but Scroogeosis sets in each December and I can never shake it. Here's why.

I cringe when someone asks me what I want for Christmas. For the last ten years, I've had no idea what I wanted for Christmas. That is, until December 26, when I can make a list 100 items long of things I could have used. Oh well.

Then there's the presents I have to buy for others. Apparently, gift cards are too easy and not thoughtful enough. Not thoughtful is a pretty solid summary of me so gift cards are usually the first idea I have for others. Every once in a while, a bolt of creativity will strike with the perfect gift idea. But I usually don't write it down and forget about it the next day. Next thing you know it's December 24. Too late for online shopping. I'm shit out of luck. And what's with the wrapping? Why can't I wrap a gift without googling "how to wrap a gift?" It never ends.

Ever notice how the holidays cause adults to act like children? Seriously. Check the tape from Black Friday. I'd rather pay top dollar somewhere then deal with those cheapos stampeding for whatever the hell it is they want at WalMart. Here's a stipulation for next year: anyone who wants to shop on Black Friday will have to take a shovel hit to the head upon entering a store. I think that's only fair.

Crying children, ugly sweaters, no parking spots at the mall, an annual visit to Church to see how Jesus is celebrating his birthday. The list goes on and on. The Holidays are a nuisance. Good thing we have alcohol.