Instead of sulking around wishing the Sixers didn’t collapse in the middle of the season, let’s look at what the Sixers have going for them.

For one thing, it’s not the Heat. Oh sure it’s not like the Sixers will win against the Bulls. But, Sixers have a better chance of stealing a game or two vs the Bulls. Over the past two seasons, Sixers have caused the Bulls some problems. I think this will continue. Call me crazy but I think this will be a more entertaining series than expected.

I’ve been called a pessimist.

But hey, I think the 20-9 Sixers can show up here. Yeah that’s right, I went there. I seriously doubt the Sixers are going to let themselves be embarrassed on national TV. We know this team puts up a fight. Look, it’s been a few seasons but think about it. 2008 playoffs vs the Pistons (back when they meant something). Sixers went up 2-1 against them and really could’ve went 3-1. Not bad. Ok what about 2009? They went in Orlando in game one and won that game. Whew! I was on the edge of my seat for that one let me tell ya. Went up 2-1 vs the eventual Eastern Conference champions. Not bad at all. Last year? Yeah Sixers lost 4-1 vs the Heat but let’s be real people: Sixers definitely brought their “A” game for that one.

Or you could call it that whole “they were under the radar” thing.

Yeah sure, teams may have slept on the Sixers. But, if that’s the case, then shame on them. This is the playoffs after all. Ok sure ever since the first round of the playoffs was in  best of 7-game format nobody in the 7th and 8th seed in the East has pulled an upset. But, that doesn’t mean you count them out. Hey I’m not high. I’m not saying Sixers are doing this thing. Maybe I’m talking to myself but I don’t think Sixers get swept.

Go ahead and quote it baby!

If the 20-9 Sixers show up, I think it can go 6 games. Yup. Call me crazy if you want. Sixers need to be tough though. They’re not a team to be pushed around. They gotta stand their ground. They’ll be on the road (yet again) to start the playoffs. They’ve stolen games before. Ok sure the roster is almost an entirely new one since it last happen. I’m not expecting a blowout though. Nah buddy. We gonna represent.

Let’s get it on!

We don’t really know which team will show up for the Sixers. I get that. We know Evan Turner wanted Chicago. So maybe he’ll be bringing his “A” game. Shoot, he better push it to “A+”. Lavoy Allen is the rookie starting for the Sixers. Will he be able to keep his focus? Will he surprise? He and Elton Brand are the toughest big men we have. I think Allen will be ok. Thad is always bringing that energy off the bench. Time for the Night Shift to live up to their reputation as the best bench in the league. It’s a superstar league so expect Rose to get some calls. As long as Violet Palmer isn’t officiating, Sixers should still have some sort of chance.

What are you waiting for?

Put aside how you feel about the team’s future for at least a week. We’re in playoff mode. Heck, I’m convincing myself to forget about the future for a moment too. We’re going to see some good games folks. I can feel it. I’m excited either way. I’m such a sucker for Sixers games it’s not even right. Not like the team has anything to lose. Just go out there and at least scare the Bulls. My favorite color may be red but…uh…Sixers.

So there you have it. My all out “get excited” rant. Delusional? Overly optimistic? Completely ignorant of basketball at the NBA level? You can decide for yourself. It’s playoff time so let’s get it on!

Under the Mike Richards-led Philadelphia Flyers, Crosby and Evgeni Malkin dominated the series both times they met. The Flyers were simply unable to shut them down. Both times the Flyers fell in defeat to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoffs since the lockout, they chugged along to the Stanley Cup Final, including a victory in 2009. Since then, though, the Penguins have only won one playoff series, and the Flyers have simply been better.

Some factors do exist as a caveat. The Flyers had slightly above-average goaltending with Marty Biron, and the Penguins had tons of veteran help on top of Crosby and Malkin toying with the Flyers’ thin defense. Additionally, Malkin and Crosby were injured in last year’s playoff run for the Pens. Two of those three years of playoff action, they didn’t get far with both pieces. It’s truly surprising.

As for the Flyers, they have been remarkably more consistent. Back in June, Paul Holmgren shipped off his two best pieces in Richards and Jeff Carter. They played lazy with their new contracts, and it was time for a change. Holmgren received plenty of return from these moves, including Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek and Sean Couturier from the trades, and Jaromir Jagr and Ilya Bryzgalov in free agency. Lest we forget Matt Read also proved a valuable 26-year-old rookie addition.

How many of them played absolutely pivotal roles for the Flyers? Schenn proved to be the instrument of comeback in game one. Simmonds proved as a consistent net presence throughout the series. Voracek scored the OT goal in game one, and became a dominant force on the power play. 19-year-old Sean Couturier almost completely shut down “Geno” in one of the best defensive efforts in NHL history. Jagr proved as an excellent complement to Claude Giroux, scoring a point per game. Bryzgalov shut the door when he had to, and he was better than Marc-Andre Fleury in this series.

Every one of those additions played a pivotal role for the Flyers. As a complete team, the Flyers proved themselves as a better team than the Penguins, and it may be that way for a while unless the Penguins become a more balanced team. The Penguins’ defense proved full of holes. Fleury didn’t bail them out. They couldn’t outscore their opponent. So many factors proved so fascinating about the series.

From the outset, I predicted the Penguins taking the series in six. I thought the Penguins’ offensive strength and size down the middle would prove as unstoppable for the Flyers. I was dead wrong. This team proved that they are the team to beat in Pennsylvania. Maybe not even just Pennsylvania—maybe the entire Atlantic Division. The Penguins are out, the Devils and the Rangers are one loss away from being out too.

In a conference of four 100+ point teams, the Flyers emerge from the ashes of it as potentially the final representative. Tell me you expected that at the beginning of this year. I sure as heck didn’t.

Before yesterdays crucial game six, I viewed a picture of a Pens fan on Twitter, huddled in the trenches of Xfinity Live!, in a t-shirt that said “Jesus Loves The Pens.”

But as the Philadelphia sun snuck up from behind an April shower, it cast an orange haze that painted the Sunday morning sky as if to say the hockey Gods had placed their bet on the game already.

You can keep your Jesus, Pittsburgh.

Yesterdays 5-1 Flyers victory was the final nail into the coffin of the cross state nemesis. It was a cause for revelry in the bowl of the Wells Fargo Center, and in swollen bars across the Delaware Valley for good reason. A majority of NHL writers, and hockey personalities, fingered the Pens as the odds on favorite to raise the Stanley Cup for the second time in five seasons. After five games that displayed more lamps lit than a Lamps Plus showroom, the Flyers’ imperious game six victory ended an epic folklore of a series full of embarrassment, attitude, acerbity, and merriment.

But there’s one group of Flyers fans whose chests protrude a few inches further than the rest this morning.

It’s those Flyers fans transplanted in Pittsburgh.

Those of whom, like myself.

For the past six years I’ve called the Steel City home. I’ve bought a house, started a family, and managed an altruistic living for myself and loved ones. But like many Philly transplants out here, I have spent the preponderance of my time in the shadow of championship trophies I can’t call mine. Having awareness of how many Lombardi trophies the Steelers have kissed, or how many times the Pens have hoisted the Stanley Cup, is something you will never forget even in the most advanced stages of dementia.

Because you are reminded of it every day.

It’s on T-shirts. It’s tattooed on calf muscles. It’s on yellow towels that twirl in vivacious October winds. And if your team is lucky enough to leap their team in a regular season series, or a playoff bout, you’re rhetorically reminded of it again.

“How many yinz got?”

Sure, the Flyers haven’t held Lord Stanley’s covenant cup since 1975, but Sundays final blow to Pittsburgh’s inopportune chimera of comebacks and paybacks, was a moral victory for us transplanted Flyers fans in the ‘Burgh. That’s a taste all our own. It doesn’t come topped with coleslaw and French Fries.

There’s still three more rounds the Flyers must escape from before the tangible hoopla can begin. But for now, us transplants can hoist a thirty five inch, silver middle finger, high in the air. Because the 2011-2012 Pittsburgh Penguins are now the most star powered underachievers in Pittsburgh sports history.

Another trophy for you, Pittsburgh.

You’re welcome.

Pens fans were anticipating to come out in droves for a game seven white-out at the Consol Energy Center, tomorrow night. Instead, a mid-spring snow squall brewed, and dumped a couple inches of wet and heavy inconvenience on the northern Pittsburgh region.

Now, that’s the only white out Pittsburgh has to show.

And for Flyers fans in the Steel City dusting off their cars this morning, there’s one bit of truism we can all agree on.

Rather it was a snow storm to dig out of, and not a Fleury.

It’s hard to be from the Philadelphia suburbs and not have heard about Jamie Moyer. He was the local guy who made it to the bigs. At least that’s how you heard it growing up. There’s really two stories though. The first is the guy who bounced around baseball being sent to the minors, traded, released, etc… and never really having anything that scared big league hitters. Then something changed. He got older.

He wound up with the Seattle Mariners in 1996 and proceeded to win 145 games for them over the next ten seasons becoming the franchise leader in wins. This is the height of the steroid era here and he was getting some of the game’s most feared hitters out with a fastball that barely hits 80 mph and that magic change up. After being traded to the Phillies it was fun to watch him handle young teams likes the Marlins that he’d keep off balance.

Last night, over 7 frames, Moyer held the Padres down and he recorded his first win since undergoing Tommy John Surgery (what 48 year old gets Tommy John?) and he became the oldest pitcher to ever win a baseball game in MLB. It should be a proud moment for anyone who is a fan of the game.

It’s a proud moment for me. He grew up ten minutes from where I live. He pitched a game in a World Series I saw my home team win. Those are just cherries though on top of my sundae. I just like it that in an era where if a superstar like Tim Lincecum is throwing 90 mph, he gets whiplash, a day later Moyer is winning with 75-80 mph slop. Is it because he’s better? No. It’s because he’s smarter. He’s fooled scouts, sabermetricians, beat writers, and most importantly batters.

In the inevitable showdown between Jamie Moyer and the 2012 Phillies, I’d be scared to bet the home team.

Oh, van Riemsdyk, the heralded second overall pick of the 2007 draft. The man taken after Patrick Kane. The guy who had a coming out party in the 2011 playoffs. Perhaps the most criticized Flyer next to defenseman Matt Carle. JVR always had a unique skillset that included a tall, lanky exterior with a blistering wrist shot and a power forward type mold to fulfill. Too bad he continued to play soft, and his development has been progressing like molasses coming out of a jar.

That development speed has turned into an important decision for the Flyers to make regarding his future in Philly.

van Riemsdyk most recently suffered a broken foot late in this season, keeping him out of the lineup for several weeks. Up until that point, he hadn’t set the world on fire after his masterful performance in the previous playoffs.

The idea was if the Flyers shipped Mike Richards and Jeff Carter away, then Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk would factor in as the resurgent youth talent on the team. Giroux has stepped into the spotlight with no problem after signing his deal. JVR’s elephant in the room, a six-year, $25.5 million extension, showed the faith that the Flyers’ brass had in a small sample size of complete domination.

Everyone saw the powerful winger blow by defensemen wide, creating an insane amount of scoring chances. JVR recorded 70 shots in 11 games, only trailing Ryan Kesler and Henrik Sedin for the most shots on goal in the entire playoffs. Don’t forget, the Canucks made it all the way to the end. JVR ended up with the most shots per game. You can’t fault the Flyers for thinking he could replicate that kind of performance if they knew he had it in him.

The playoffs start very soon, and van Riemsdyk may be back at some point. He sustained the broken foot exactly a month ago. The report said he won’t be back for 4-6 weeks. If van Riemsdyk comes back, it’s easy to say that this could be his final proving grounds to stay.

What his contract dictates and what kind of player he has been differ on so many different levels. Initially, the deal seemed like a steal if JVR could keep up the good work. He did not, only scoring a measly 24 points this season surrounded by a concussion and this latest injury. Even before these injuries, he didn’t play up to standard. His development could be easily compared to John LeClair’s development, but no two players are the same.

JVR is still young, and highly touted by many other teams that may be willing to give up a substantial asset in return for him. Now that the Flyers have players like Brayden Schenn, Matt Read and Sean Couturier, is JVR expendable? If I’m JVR, I need to return to my team fast and prove I’m worthy of staying on this team. The Flyers have scoring in plenty of areas, but they need a defenseman.

Then again, it may be one of those situations where if JVR goes and he becomes a star in his new city, we would say we wish we still had him. We all know what James van Riemsdyk is capable of, but the question remains: when will he reach that potential on a consistent basis? Only then will he live up to that 2nd overall pick status.

This week a rather big decision is made in Spring Training. Who wins the final outfield spot? The two major players are Juan Pierre and Scott Podsednik. Pierre hasn’t been bad hitting a .289/.360/.311 clip but has been caught stealing more than being successful at it. Pods has turned in a significantly better spring hitting .362/.423/.532 with a walk off home run this afternoon and also 5/5 in swiping bags. Possibly the biggest head turner is Lou Montanez who has had a great stick as well at .318/.354/.455 with a walk off dinger himself and 6 RBIs. Not exactly the base stealing artist the other two are but great numbers either way.

Like any great Spring Training battle, it’s almost a luxury to have a difficult decision to make. Hell, in my world I’d take two of the three and leave Mayberry and Nix who haven’t been very impressive at all in Clearwater.

So who do we go with here? All Spring I’ve loved what I’ve seen from Podsednik and I’ve been on board. Yet contract details force me in another direction. Juan Pierre can opt out if he doesn’t make the club. Montantez and Pods have to wait. Unfortunately for them that’s the way it should be.

As we’ve seen with our infield with even the now irreplaceable Freddy Galvis bowing out early today after fouling one hard off his foot, the minute you mess with depth, it comes back to bite you. Pierre didn’t play the best of the three but he played well enough to make the team. His clubhouse presence is important enough as well.

Who really knows what to expect this season? For the first time in three seasons I feel like anything is possible with the Phils. I could see 6 in a row. I could see 4th place. But not knowing means having to play it safe. In a world where we end up missing the likes of Wilson Valdez, this team can’t afford to miss Juan Pierre.

Demeco Ryans wasn’t as suited to the weak side interior in Texans Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips 3-4 defensive scheme. Instead, Ryans will excel back in the 4-3 defense, which the Philadelphia Eagles play. Ryans should fill well as the Eagles MLB, moving Chaney back to the WIL.

DeMeco Ryans has base salaries of $5.9m in 2012, $6.6m in 2013 and $6.8 in 2014 & 2015. The Texans freeing up this capspace, would like to use this money to sign their other younger players.

Here are some Demeco Ryans new teammates reactions:

PHL what it do!!

March 20, 2012 6:25 PM via EchofonReplyRetweetFavorite

@DeseanJackson10

Desean Jackson

Welcome to the #BirdGang bro @DRyans59. #LBs

March 20, 2012 7:09 PM via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@Jamar51Chaney

Jamar Chaney

the best one of the night, from his Alabama Team mate:

Demeeeeccccoooooooooo! @DRyans59 rmft.

March 20, 2012 6:26 PM via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@EvanMathis69

Evan Mathis

Of course, we’ll be talking about Evan Turner and Jrue Holiday. Both of these players have hit highs and lows this season. Their lack of consistency can be frustrating.

During these highs and lows, only one thing came to mind: Can they keep this up? Really folks, we look at one game and it’s like “He sucks!” I wait for a few years, whether the player is playing well or terrible. I think it’s important to wait things out.

There are so many players that have come into the league on fire and just a few years later, they’re gone. And then there are some players that come in 12th man and just a couple of years later, they are at least a respectable player.

You could say this post preaches patience for players that are struggling and not to get over excited from just one or two years of solid basketball. Either way, let’s wait a few years after they show up before we can get an idea of how good they are and will be. I like the way the rookie contracts are made. It’s low risk to sign the player. It’s also long enough that you can manage the player for a few years before deciding whether to trade, release, or re-sign the player. Because after 3 years, you have stats to look at to try and project how far the player will go.

This post isn’t going to go in depth. No heavy stats here. Just the way I feel. There are exceptions to this rule but this rule is a safe one to go by.

You look at the college stats but they can’t 100% tell you what to expect for NBA journey. And so, I want to see what they do in NBA before saying “Bust” or “Star”. So, Holiday has been having some bad games and some good games. It’s his 3rd game. I kinda, sorta say it’s his 2nd year because his rookie year was 09-10, also known as year of doom. But, a season is a season. Still, you can see he’s got game. And, he still needs to be consistent. Turner went from doghouse to starter. Sometimes the role that a player plays can lead to the success or lack of it for a player. So, coaches are trying to figure out these players too.

Now I have to cut this post short for the sole reason of that there are a lot of scenarios that can be used to describe why players have success or struggles early on. But here’s a list of a generic affects on players.

• Skills
• Coaching
• Teammates
• Morale

I’d say these 4 things are the top things that affect a player’s play. They have their own skills. But, sometimes coaching can put you in a position that does not highlight your skills. It’s a team game. Sometimes your teammates can hurt or help you. This really goes for PG’s and their assist rates. And then, the player himself may not be up to the challenge. Or perhaps he’s feeling great and it’s boosting his play. Morale really does play a part in how well the player plays on the court. Locker room relations usually moves onto the court. Again, we’ll be here all night if I tried to review each way a player can play through his first 3 years.

So basically, let’s wait before we label players. And we’ll have to go through the growing pains. And also, help me out with the picture I used for this post. Is that a kiss or maybe Gerald Henderson is whispering something? Help me out people…

The Flyers held the New Jersey Devils to three shots in the final period with some of the finest defense a hockey team could ever hope to put on the ice. Everyone played well. The defense continues to block shots, even with the big guys out of the lineup. The secondary scorers continue to score. Everything is going well for the orange and black right now.

We can only hope Meszaros and Kubina play this well when they return from their injuries.

A lot of the credit for the past couple of wins can go to the young defensemen stepping in and playing very well. Notice one of those young defensemen not recalled was Marc-Andre Bourdon, who struggled mightily. Erik Gustafsson and Brandon Manning filled the gap tremendously for rookie defensemen in the stretch run where defense is everything.

The most credit can go to Bryzgalov, who, after lots of patience, has completely turned his game around. He is playing strong, he continues to challenge attackers and place rebounds where nobody lies in a prime scoring area. “On fire” does not begin to describe Bryz’s recent explosion. His stats have improved from the .890 save percentage and the 2.80 goals against early on to .908 and 2.53, respectively.

It could be time for Peter Laviolette to realize that his number one has shown up. It may be time to work him for the rest of the season to keep in top form. Don’t be surprised to see Bryzgalov get a heavy load of starts from here until the end, and into the playoffs. Sergei Bobrovsky has lost four of his last five starts, including ugly save percentages like .808, .840, .871 and .824. Sophomore slump? Maybe.

Whatever the new game plan is for the Flyers, it would be foolish to say “try something different.” It’s working. Give the power play a mulligan last night for being against the best penalty kill in the league. Otherwise, the Flyers need to keep on playing the way they are to stay successful. It goes without saying that this kind of play is a recipe for success in the playoffs.

Fly-By: Nicklas Grossmann continues to be the best acquisition the Flyers could have ever hoped for this year. Paul Holmgren shipped a pair of draft picks to the Dallas Stars to steal this guy away. Big, tough, defensively responsible—everything you need in a stretch run in one package. Codename Double N continues to be the answer on defense for the Flyers in the absence of Chris Pronger.

Now that we’ve had a chance to see a few Clearwater games (and kudos to the Phillies crew for putting a lot of them on TV this spring), I decided I’d chime in with some observations in no particular order:

The battle for 5th outfielder appears to be between Juan Pierre and Scott Podsednik. I would not rule out Tyson Gillies. Ultimately I think Pierre will win.

Domonic Brown looks better at the plate but I haven’t seen fielding that bad in a while. I’m not high on him at all right now.

Jimmy Rollins looks fantastic. Sound in every category so far. Worthy of praise also is Freddy Galvis who’s defense is top notch and his bat, which has kept him in the minors, has improved a ton.

Dontrelle Willis is for lefties and lefties only. I swear if they play the J.C. Romero game with him, they’re wasting their time and a few games. Joe Savery might be my preference actually in the battle for the second lefty out of the pen.

Speaking of relievers that haven’t impressed me, Chad Qualls had a nightmare of a first outing. I didn’t like this signing at all and I think he’ll be this year’s Danys Baez who comes in to throw batting practice in a blowout and collect a seven figure salary at the same time. It’s kind of a shame because I think Brian Sanches on a minor league flier is a better fit and even Phillipe Aumont’s stuff looks awesome. I get why Qualls was signed but I’m not sure I agree with it.

They seem to be playing Michael Martinez as if he’s already a lock to make the club. I don’t know who he has pictures of but anyone can see the logic against this. Count me in on Team Frandsen.

Joe Blanton looks like his old self and I wouldn’t rule out a nice season from him. It’s impossible to mention his name and not hear groans. It’s been a bad contract since he signed back up but I think he’ll redeem himself this season. He’ll be given every opportunity.

I always like the story of seeing what’s left in a once promising prospect and this year’s story is Scott Elarton. His comeback got off to a nice start today.

Nice to see Jim Thome get a few hits today. I have no idea what to expect out of him but he’s one of those guys who I’m just glad to have around.

Early prediction: Hunter Pence gets the most All Star votes this season.

Last but not least, EXTEND HAMELS.