5/23/11

Philadelphia Phillies: With Utley Returning, Lineup Should Come Back to Life

Chase Utley is in Philadelphia, and every Phillies fan could not be more relieved. After watching the Phillies win 3-2, 2-0, and lose 2-0 last weekend, I could not be happier too.

But, the million dollar question is how well will he actually play. Can he be the old Chase Utley? Or will he be the Chase Utley of last year, coming off another injury? Recovering from a serious knee injury, it is unknown how effective he will be in his return.

On top of the concern of his effectiveness, he will not be able to appear everyday. Charlie Manuel has already stated he may play Utley for two days, followed by a day off.

Today, with Utley batting second, extra pressure will come off of Ryan Howard and Placido Polanco to produce heavily.

Chase protects the plate well, and with him in the lineup both of these hitters should see better pitches. Also, Jimmy Rollins, Ben Francisco, and Raul Ibanez can finally worry about hitting the ball solidly, instead of hitting home runs to replace Werth and Utley.

Of course, this all depends on how well Utley can produce, to take pressure off other Phillies hitters. The Phillies have been in a drought lately having a record of 4-6 in their last 10 games, along with only surpassing seven hits ONCE in that time period.

With the pathetic hitting of the Phillies and stellar pitching, Chase Utley's return could be the final ingredient that contributes to success.

Regardless, with the lineup slumping the five time all-star will provide a huge emotional and physical boost to the Phillies.

5/10/11

What is next for the Lakers?

Going for the three-peat, the Lakers were recently swept by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the 2011 playoffs. Rumors say that Phil is done and that Dwight is interested in playing in La-la land. Yet, what do you think about these rumors?
Who will coach the world's team next season?
Who's gone, who's coming, and who's staying?

5/1/11

With the Eagles passing on Jimmy Smith, will Asomugha sign with Philly?

With the 23rd pick of the 2011 NFL draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select Danny Watkins, guard out of Baylor University. Along with many other Eagles fans, I myself was pulling my hair out.

Who the hell is this guy? He's 26 years old! What the hell are we doing? Were all questions on my Twitter feed coming out of Eagles fan's mouths.

Clearly, with Jimmy Smith still available, arguably the most talented corner in the draft (minus the off-field issues), Eagles fans all over the country were questioning the decision to take Watkins.

First of all in defense of the Eagles pick, this helps protect the blindside of Michael Vick, which was a huge problem last season.

Between injuries and inconsistency, the right side of the Eagles line was a huge hole in their weapon heavy offense last season.

Also, Watkins can step in right away and start, and despite his age he has only been playing football for four years. With this being said, he has experienced less wear and tear than most offensive lineman coming into this draft.

But, this was not the main reason the Eagles passed on Jimmy Smith. Behind Darrelle Revis arguably the best cornerback in the league, Nnamdi Asomugha will be a free agent barring the end of the lockout (again).


ESPN Insider Adam Schefter tweeted he thinks Asomugha will land in the NFC East, as do many other experts. He also reported that the Eagles are one of six front-runners to land Asomugha.

With cornerback being a huge need for the Eagles, there is no reason they would pass up on Jimmy Smith other than if they knew they can sign Asomugha or another quality cornerback.

The Eagles have a lot of money to spend, and signing Asomugha would make them an instant Super Bowl favorite.

Also on a closing note, I would like to express how mad I am at the NFL. The one year the Eagles have a piece to trade in the draft (Kevin Kolb) to possibly draft a star prospect, they cannot trade because of the labor situation.

Just Philly sports luck, right?