By Pete Thompson
Happy New Year! Here’s hoping you’re off to a happy & healthy start to 2020.
I have the happy part down, but I have to admit I’m working on the healthy as I’m still fighting a cold from a recent holiday trip. It was the trip of a lifetime, but it was no fun to have to do it coughing & blowing my nose the entire time.
Since I last wrote, the Eagles made the playoffs & lost to a beatable team. The Flyers went on their annual West Coast road trip & underperformed. The Sixers lost a few in a row, only to rebound with a win at home, but at what cost? The Phillies are just over a month & a half from pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training. Finally, the Winter sports season is in full gear for high school sports, and that means plenty of basketball…!
From the entertainment world, I caught a few feature films while on my Flyers road trip. Also, I’m making sure to DVR and watch “Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time” on 6abc this week. As always though, we begin with sports, and my thoughts:
The Eagles beat the Giants in New York 34-17 in Week 17 to win the NFC East and they did it with a bunch of backups. That was most impressive to me as they were already missing three starting wide receivers in DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffrey & Nelson Agholor. Then, they also had to go without Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz & starting right tackle Lane Johnson. Yet, it was Boston Scott, Josh Perkins, Greg Ward, Deontay Burnett & Robert Davis who combined for 16 catches on 25 targets, 225 yards receiving, 54 yards rushing and four TD’s. How much were these guys cast-offs…? The five players were cut a combined EIGHT times by four different teams since August 31st…!!! No wonder everyone was wearing “The East is not Enough” green shirts in the visiting locker room at Met Life Stadium after that one.
The Birds remarkably got back Ertz for their NFC Divisional Playoff game against Seattle, and everyone was eager to see how Carson Wentz would play in his first postseason action. Unfortunately, Jadeveon Clowney had other ideas and knocked Wentz out of the game with a concussion after only two series on offense. This one ticks me off. First, because referee Shawn Smith neglected to throw a flag on the field. And then, because after the game, he was quoted as saying that Wentz “was a runner and he did not give himself up. We saw incidental helmet contact, and in our judgment, we didn’t rule it a foul.” Um…..with all due respect…what the HECK were you looking at…? Even anti-Eagles analysts like Skip Bayless saw it as a dirty hit. Clowney was reportedly laughing on the field about it after the play. As of this writing, there has been no fine levied by the league, which is unacceptable. It completely impacted the outcome of the game, and for a league that is trying to eliminate head shots, I just can’t wrap my own noggin around why this wasn’t a penalty or a fine.
Kudos to 40-year-old journeyman Josh McCown for trying to rally the team. He just couldn’t get the Birds into the end zone as they had to settle for field goals each trip. Russell Wilson was a killer for Seattle too as he extended plays with his legs and unlike Wentz, went into a baseball slide each time he ran.
So, the season is over for the Eagles and now the questions begin. Tough questions. Left Tackle Jason Peters has said he wants to come back and play again. He turns 38 in a few weeks and the team already drafted his replacement in Andre Dillard. Malcolm Jenkins says he won’t play the final year of his contract for the low salary he’s getting. Zach Ertz played with broken ribs and came back from a lacerated kidney to suit up against the Seahawks. Can you imagine the Birds without Jason Peters, Malcolm Jenkins or Zach Ertz…?
I understand that the Eagles will want to get younger, healthier and more explosive on both offense & defense in 2020. I just hope it doesn’t come at the expense of all THREE of the guys listed above. From my chair, see if you can work out a deal with Peters that he’ll accept, or move on. Pay Jenkins what it takes to keep him in Philadelphia because we all remember what happened when Brian Dawkins left. The Birds lost the heart & soul of the locker room. As for Ertz, I’d hate to see him leave, but Howie Roseman might dangle him to get a top-notch wide receiver back. Again…tough questions ahead on a team that has 15 veteran Eagles who can become unrestricted free agents. Pretty much, other than Carson Wentz & Fletcher Cox, every position could use an upgrade. It should be an interesting off-season…!!!
Now to the Flyers, where I bet if they could, they’d convince the folks that run the Wells Fargo Center to NEVER book the annual Disney on Ice show again! Every year for the past five seasons, the Flyers (and Sixers) have cleared out and made room for Disney on Ice to come to Philadelphia. I can’t speak to the Sixers, but the Flyers just finished a West Coast road trip that was BRUTAL. I know, because my girlfriend’s son Michael & I were there for the first four games of it. We saw losses in San Jose, Los Angeles & Las Vegas. Only an overtime win in Anaheim saved us from going 0-4 in the four games we were in attendance for…! Sam Carchidi the Flyers beat reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer tweeted out that the “Flyers are now 3-17-4 in the last five holiday road trips”. Awful…!
I do want to write a little bit about seeing the Flyers on the road. San Jose was an interesting town as the downtown area reminded us of Atlantic City in a way. You could see that in the 50’s & 60’s it used to be really booming, but in 2020, it’s trying to rebrand itself. The SAP Center where the Sharks play was a really nice building to see a hockey game in, even though the Flyers got blown out 6-1.
Anaheim the next night was interesting as the arena is owned & run by the Ducks. It was originally owned & operated by Disney, and from the granite floors, to the immaculate bathrooms, you could tell the Disney influence still exists. It’s an older building (built in 1993), but the staff was super friendly and again, that was the ONE win that we saw.
I didn’t like Los Angeles and the STAPLES Center one bit. I found the $18 cheeseburger I had for lunch to be too expensive and the arena really pushed my buttons when I couldn’t get a STRAW with my soda. I understand that we are all environmentally friendly now, but at least give me a paper straw instead of a plastic one…! No straw for a soda? Unacceptable…! Throw in the fact that the Kings fans were overjoyed to jump out to a 4-zip lead after one period and it was a rough night. Oh, and we rang in the New Year in Venice Beach. Want to see all walks of people? Ring in the New Year in Venice Beach…!!!
Our final stop was in Sin City as the Flyers played at Las Vegas on January 2nd. Everyone told me to make sure to be in my seat before pregame and they were right. For a town that puts on shows every night at all the properties, the Golden Knights presentation on the ice was both entertaining and amusing. We were heading up the escalators to our second-level seats and were stopped by the team drumline & cheerleaders. First time in all my years of watching hockey I’ve ever seen that..! The game had it all as the Flyers had a penalty shot (unsuccessful), rallied to get close, but lost 5-4.
Because of their road trip woes, as I write this, the Flyers are teetering on the edge of a playoff spot. Let’s hope that home cooking and a stretch of home games coming up is just what they need. As of this writing, they’re 13-2-4 at home and just 9-13-2 on the road. Quite a difference.
Meanwhile, the Sixers also had to leave the Wells Fargo Center to make room for Disney on Ice, and their four-game road trip produced four L’s. Back to back one-point losses in Orlando and Miami are bad enough, but the team also got roughed up at Indiana and then at Houston. They returned home to beat Oklahoma City 120-113 on Monday night, but at what cost? Center Joel Embiid’s finger was dislocated and he was forced to finish the game essentially playing with one hand. The stats for the Sixers when they don’t have Embiid are pretty clear. Let’s hope this latest setback isn’t a problem for the rest of the season.
Congrats to reserve point guard Trey Burke as his contract is now guaranteed and he stands to earn the full $2 million because he’s still on the roster past the deadline for the waive him or guarantee his deal. Burke’s father might have made headlines with an inopportune tweet, but Burke has won Brett Brown’s confidence by playing steady at the point when given the opportunity.
We’ll slip in some Phillies news as the team finalized the coaching staff for next season with Bobby Meachem hired as a coaching assistant and Greg Brodzinski added as a bullpen catcher and catching coach. I have no idea if these guys will make a difference or not, but I am still very high on Joe Girardi, so if these are the guys he wants, they’re okay with me.
The Phillies also signed infielder Ronald Torreyes to a minor league deal with an invitation to major league spring training. The 5-8, 150 pound infielder played for Girardi & the Yankees in 2016 and was a key contributor off the bench. Major League rosters expand next season to 26, so count Torreyes as someone the Phillies could keep to use in a utility role of the bench. Of course, I’m still hoping Lower Cape May alum & Villanova alum Matt Szczur gets one of those extra two spots as well…!!!
Congrats to Mainland’s Kylee Watson who broke the program scoring record in a loss to Cherokee at the Seagull Classic over the holiday break. The 6-foot-5 senior and Oregon recruit passes 1987 Mainland graduate Angie Evans for tops in Mainland girls history. She now has her sights set on the overall scoring record, set by Skip Castaldi, a 1965 grad, with 1,752 points. Watson is just about 100 points away, so it seems pretty evident that she’ll end her high school career as the overall points leader for Mainland basketball…boys or girls…! Way to Go Kylee…it’s been a pleasure to watch you mature the past four years. I’d say grow and mature, but you were already above six-feet when I first met you…!
Kudos to the folks who have brought back the Seagull Classic at Holy Spirit High School. That event, and the big Boardwalk Basketball Classic in the Wildwoods are just two of the outstanding basketball tournaments that take place each year around the holidays. I’m all for high school sports, and if you’re reading this, get out to a basketball game some night soon…!!!
Which leads me to reminding you that there’s also great wrestling, swimming and indoor track in the Winter Sports season too. I think there’s nothing better than the individual battles that take place on a wrestling mat. The long hours that a swimmer puts into their craft, or the dedication it takes to run inside gyms & armories when the weather outside is freezing.
I’ll close with a few items from the entertainment world as I saw not one, but TWO movies on our Flyers road trip. We caught “Knives Out” on an off-night in Anaheim. I thought I might like it from the previews, but Michael REALLY liked it as it was a classic whodunit with some great acting from folks like Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Christopher Plummer and more. Well worth your money. On our last day in Vegas, we watched “Richard Jewell” which was all about the man who was called a hero, then a madman when the bombing happened at Centennial Park during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Directed by Clint Eastwood, the movie isn’t a documentary for sure, but is compelling as he draws out great performances from folks like Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm & Oliva Wilde. I think Eastwood as a director might be even better than Eastwood the actor…! I never feel cheated or like I want my $$ back when I see one of his films.
Finally, if you know me, you’ll know that I am for SURE setting the DVR for “Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time” this week. The show is airing at 8p on ABC for an hour, as they pit three of the greatest players in Jeopardy history against each other. James Holzhauer was most recently in the headlines, but don’t count out Brad Rutter or Ken Jennings. I also think they’ll crank up the clue difficulty, so I look forward to watching (and playing along) with three of the greatest to see who will win the title as the GOAT.
As always, 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 hope you’ll tune in & 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
