Extra Points with Pete
By PETE THOMPSON
Summer doesn’t officially begin until June, but as far as I’m concerned, it begins now as Extra Points & Shore Local come to you every single week from now through Labor Day!
Since I last wrote, a beloved Eagles defensive player has called it a career. The Phillies best player appears to be finding his groove again. The Sixers have retained the services of Brett Brown, but promise there will be changes. The Flyers are on the search for a good #2 center. The Atlantic City Blackjacks love playing at home.
Oh, and since I’m NOT watching Game of Thrones, I do have a recommendation for a drama that’s brand new to HBO that is riveting. As always, we begin with sports, and my thoughts for the week that was:
Thanks for two great seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, Chris Long. The 34-year-old announced his retirement via social media, but had already told the Eagles to “plan like I won’t be back”, so they’ve done just that. Vinny Curry is back, along with starters Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett. The Eagles also drafted Penn State’s Shareef Miller in the 4th round, but none of them will bring one intangible that Long had. Emotion. Long played with a hunger and emotion and will forever be remembered by Eagles fans for his play in the NFC Championship game in 2018 where he hit Vikings QB Case Keenum and forced an interception to Patrick Robinson that Robinson then returned for a tide-turning touchdown
As great as Long’s contributions were for the Eagles on the field, he might’ve done more for the team & community OFF the gridiron. This past January, he won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, the NFL’s annual honor for philanthropy and community service. Although he’s retiring as an active player, you get the idea that Long might not be done with the Eagles as I could see owner Jeff Lurie bringing Long back in some sort of community role at some point.
After a stretch where he was only hitting .176 over his last 25 games, Phillies star Bryce Harper appears to be heating up again. A five-game hitting streak after last Sunday’s win. Back to back games with home runs, and Harper’s bat & defense helping the Phillies sweep the Rockies out of town. If you pay $330 million for a guy, you want him to produce, and it looks like Harper is starting to do just that.
How many of you out there thought that Sixers coach Brett Brown would NOT be back? I was relieved to see the Sixers leadership group, and principal owner Joshua Harris, publicly declare that Brown wasn’t going anywhere. Joel Embiid has said he will work to get his body in better shape for the playoffs, and I hope that happens. Now, if Ben Simmons can only find a legitimate jump shot, things would really be great in Sixers land.
My friend & colleague Sam Carchidi from the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote recently about Flyers center Nolan Patrick. Sam had two points that were really well stated. One, is that Patrick is not a bust. Taken #2 overall in the 2017 NHL draft, many folks expected bigger production out of Patrick to this point. Patrick’s numbers so far are 26 goals and 61 points over two seasons, but that’s why Sam’s second point is so valid. That the Flyers need an established #2 center behind Sean Couturier to help Patrick’s career development. Free agent names that are on the Flyers radar include Matt Duchene, Kevin Hayes, and Brock Nelson. Of course, they could also go the trade route and try to get Nazem Kadri or William Nylander. Stay tuned.
I finally got out in person to see the Atlantic City Blackjacks and came away impressed with the product. The Blackjacks beat the Baltimore Brigade at home 48-41 to even their record at 2-2 overall. They are in the middle of a three-game stretch as they will be home with the unbeaten Albany Empire next. That should be an interesting contest for Blackjacks top man George Manias as he’s the C.O.O. for Trifecta Sports & Entertainment, the group that oversees both teams (as well as the Philadelphia Soul). Here’s my thought that George will be rooting for a full building and a good game, more than one team or the other to win.
That said, I saw a product last Saturday that was family friendly and affordable. I always hear parents complain there’s nothing for kids to do around here, but for as low as $10 a ticket, you can come out to Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall and be entertained with some fast-paced, high scoring football.
One item from entertainment as I’ve started watching the new HBO historical drama Chernobyl. It’s a five-part miniseries about the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster and it is fascinating to see how much went so wrong, so quickly for the Soviets. Even though you can do a quick Google search to see how things actually turned out, it’s still riveting to watch how events unfolded in a time before the internet & social media were common place. I highly recommend watching it if you get the chance.
I’ll close with this. He hasn’t been here very long, but I walked away extremely impressed with AC Blackjacks Head Coach Ron James after meeting him. I asked him about how his team is enjoying playing at the historic Boardwalk Hall, and he started off with a somewhat generic answer about how great the staff & folks are that work there before turning serious and saying “read the front of the building, and think about the history of this building and the folks that have passed through here.” In case you don’t know, carved into the stone on the front of the building are the following words:
“A PERMANENT MONUMENT CONCEIVED AS A TRIBUE TO THE IDEALS OF ATLANTIC CITY. BUILT BY ITS CITIZENS AND DEDICATED TO RECREATION, SOCIAL PROGRESS AND INDUSTRIAL ACHEIVEMENTS”
Who writes like that anymore? Kudos to Coach James for not only taking the time to notice the engraved statement, but also for appreciating his new digs!
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
