By Pete Thompson
As I sit to write this, the words from “A Tale of Two Cities” are rolling around in my head. Here’s the quote…“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”…do you think Charles Dickens ever gave a thought to the fact that his work would still be quoted and used for sports commentary 160 years late?
Since I last wrote, the Flyers and Sixers have won, tying into the best of times theme. However, the Eagles went to Dallas and didn’t just lose, they got embarrassed on national TV. For Birds fans, that’s most definitely the worst of times! Perhaps by the time you read this, the Phillies will have a new manager. In the meantime, we do know a few names that won’t be coming to Philadelphia. Congrats to the Philadelphia Union for winning their first playoff game in franchise history. Finally, we are just a few weeks away from the high school football playoff cutoff date, and just one local team remains unbeaten.
From the entertainment world, I’m hoping “The Irishman” comes to a local movie theater so I can see one last Martin Scorsese crime film before he stops making them. This one is supposed to be so good that Joe Pesci came out of retirement to be a part of it! Also, the final trailer has been released for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” and it looks like it will be a major box office success. As always though, we begin with sports, and my thoughts:
- When I last wrote, the Eagles were getting ready to embark on a tough three game road trip. Minnesota QB Kirk Cousins launched an aerial assault against the Birds as the Vikings won that one 38-20. As bad as that result was for Eagles fans, the next game was worse as Dallas completely dominated against Philly last Sunday blowing them out 37-10 in Texas. With two bad losses comes finger pointing and that’s never a good look for the Birds.
- Doug Pederson is now just 2-5 against Dallas in his career. Outside a 27-13 win in Week 17 of 2016 and a 37-9 win in Week 11, the Eagles haven’t been able to solve the Cowboys under Dougie P. He likes to say “the sky is NOT falling”, but as a fan, you have to be concerned about the team’s inability to beat Dallas under Pederson.
- My last thought on the Birds is that they have suffered a slew of injuries. I know in the NFL, they don’t use injuries as an excuse, and I’m not saying they should get a pass. However, I can’t remember the last time so many starters shuttled in and out of the lineup with regularity. DeSean Jackson’s absence has been HUGE on the offensive side of the football. The secondary is so banged up and the lack of a consistent pass rush are my two reasons the defense has been so poor. Of course, a win over the Buffalo Bills would keep massive chaos from occurring.
- So, since this is a “best of”, “worst of” column, I feel it’s only fair to go to the Sixers next. Brett Brown’s team wins their season opener at home against Boston 107-93. It’s the first season-opening victory since beating Miami to start the 2013-14 season. Ben Simmons leads the way with 24 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds and only 4 turnovers. Joel Embiid finishes with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks. He also walks away with a cut lip after going hard for a ball. Many folks are picking the Sixers to win the Eastern Conference, and there’s nothing we’ve seen yet to make folks change their minds.
- All five Sixers players finished in double figures in the win over Boston. Newly extended Tobias Harris had 15 points and 15 rebounds. New guard Josh Richardson finishes with 17 points, 2 blocks & a steal…and Al Horford adds 16 points against his former team. That’s a key for me, as Horford can frustrate the “Greek Freak” in Milwaukee and by joining the Sixers, no longer will frustrated Joel Embiid.
- And then there’s the Flyers…coming off a big 6-2 win at home over the Vegas Golden Knights. It’s hard to get a read on the Fly Guys so far as they won two to start the season, then lost four straight, and now have beaten a good Western Conference team in Vegas. Already they’re near the bottom of a very difficult Metropolitan Division, but maybe the win against the Knights will push them on a winning streak. One concern I do have is that Carter Hart hasn’t gotten on a signature run of games yet. In fact, you could argue that backup Brian Elliott has been the better of the two goalies so far. It’s early though, and I have to remind myself that they’ve only played SEVEN games as of this writing.
- One thing I can write fully about is the new seating in the Balcony Suite level at the Wells Fargo Center. What a renovation they’ve done up there as they’ve taken out all of the Balcony Suites and replaced them with common areas that have bars, bathrooms, food, etc. I’ve now been up there twice and I think it’s the best vantage point for hockey in the house. The Flyers make standing room only tickets available, which means for as low as #25, you could see a Flyers game…! I’m hoping to have someone from Comcast Specatcor, the company that runs the Wells Fargo Center on my weekly radio show soon.
- As of this writing, the Phillies are down to three potential manager candidates. Joe Girardi, Buck Showalter and Dusty Baker. We’ve already learned who will not be coming to Philadelphia as Joe Maddon has taken the Angels job, and now David Ross will be joining the Cubs as their field leader. Hopefully by the next column, we’ll know who the Phillies will have moving forward.
- In high school football, Mainland football remains unbeaten at 7-0 now. The Mustangs are on a BYE this week, and are eagerly awaiting the contest on 11/1 with one-loss Ocean City. The Red Raiders are 5-1 overall, and that game on 11/1 will be for the WJFL Independence Division crown. Other teams in our coverage area with five wins or more include St. Joseph (6-1), Buena (6-1), Pleasantville (5-1) Cedar Creek (5-2) and Hammonton (5-2). The football playoff seedings will be determined on 11/3, so we’ll keep track of who’s in and who’s out as far as our local schools go.
- From the entertainment world, I’m not sure there’s a more anticipated film for me coming out than “The Irishman” by Martin Scorsese. It’s based on a book called “I Heard You Paint Houses” and is a crime drama movie that reunites Robert DeNiro & Joe Pesci with Scosese. It’s the first acting role for Pesci in nine years, and reportedly he was the toughest to lock down, despite DeNiro’s repeated pleas to have him come on board. Add Al Pacino playing Jimmy Hoffa to the mix and that’s a “must see” for me. There’s supposed to be a limited release starting on Friday November 1st and then it will be available on Netflix. I sincerely hope to see it on the big screen first, as initial reviews say it’s one of Scorsese’s best!
- Last, but not least, the final trailer for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” has been released. I’m not a huge Star Wars fan, but I do want to see this in IMAX starting on Thursday December 19th. Hope to see you at the movies!
Hey, don’t forget, you can listen to me on the radio each Saturday morning on 97.3 ESPN from 8-10 a.m. It’s the “Pete Thompson Show”, and I’ve been calling it “Breakfast with the PT”, so I hope you’ll tune in and interact with me on the air.
Pete has been the local “sports guy” at the Jersey Shore since 2004. After a decade with TV 40, he joined 97.3 ESPN radio to talk Eagles, Phillies, Sixers & Flyers with Mike Gill on “The SportsBash” each day from 2-6 p.m.
Pete is proud to be a “voice” for the annual ShopRite LPGA Classic each June, and does emcee work for groups like the National Football Foundation, The Old Grad Awards, and The 200 Club of Atlantic County. You can hear Pete each Tuesday on 97.3 ESPN at 5:30p, and if you see him out & about in the community, he requests that you please say “Hi”. Send comments to PBrooksT@aol.com
