By Pete Thompson
What do you mean it’s not fall yet? It sure feels like fall as the temperatures are supposed to go down to the 50’s tonight as I write this. We’ve had a smattering of college football games, and the NFL is back. Add all those factored up and it has to be the fall season, right? Well, technically fall 2020 doesn’t officially begin until September 22nd, but as Shore Local switched from a weekly to a bi-monthly publication, I’m going to say again, “Happy Fall” everyone!
Since I last wrote, the Flyers saw their playoff run come to an end at the hands of the Islanders. The Phillies can’t beat a certain team from the Sunshine State. The Eagles started the season on a high note, but only for a half. Another prominent name has entered the mix for the Sixers vacant coaching job. Finally, on the local level, a few guys with Atlantic & Cape May County ties, make it on to NFL rosters to start the season.
From the entertainment world, I finally got to see a movie in the theater for the first time since the pandemic. I also wrapped up something pretty cool on Netflix. As always though, we begin with sports, and my thoughts:
I’ll start with the Flyers since this is the last time I’ll get to write in detail about them for a while. They forced a Game 7 against the Islanders, but much to my disappointment, failed to show up for that game! Philadelphia meekly went down 4-0 in a Game 7 to bow out of the Stanley Cup playoffs one step shy of the Eastern Conference Finals.
To be honest, it’s kind of remarkable they made it as far as they did, as you could point the finger at several players for coming up short in the series with the Islanders. Captain Claude Giroux only had ONE goal in the entire postseason, so many folks are going after him. I’d like to know where Travis Konecny disappeared to. In the end, the Flyers did not have enough fire power or speed to keep up with the Islanders, and that’s why they lost the series.
Oh, and will the people asking for a Giroux trade or a Jake Voracek trade please take a minute to consider their contract situation? Giroux and Voracek both have a no-trade clause in their contract. That means, they’d have to agree to waive that clause in order to be moved, and I just don’t see either one of them doing that. Especially not Giroux who has two more years left on his contract. Voracek has four more years and about $33 million still owed to him, so again, I don’t see EITHER player going anywhere!
One final note about the Flyers and if we learned anything during their playoff run in Toronto, it’s that 21-year-old Carter Hart is for real. He’s capable of “stealing” a game for them in the playoffs, and appears to have the poise & patience to be the Flyers franchise goalie for a long time.
Now, to the Phillies, who had ripped off a winning streak when I last wrote and had put themselves in the conversation as a playoff team. Well, they should make the expanded postseason, but I’m not sure anyone is full of optimism about their chances right now…!
As I write this, they have just finished up 7 games with the Marlins where they went 2-5. Plus, they are like a M*A*S*H unit right now, as some key injuries have cropped up. First baseman Rhys Hoskins has an arm injury, and some are saying he might be done for the season. Rookie pitcher Spencer Howard has shoulder soreness and might get shut down. Catcher J.T. Realmuto has a hip issue. And that’s not even the most bizarre injury, as their $118 million dollar free agent pitcher Zack Wheeler came very close to ripping off his fingernail while stepping into a pair of jeans. You can’t make this stuff up!
The Phillies played the Marlins seven times in five days, lost five of them, and returned home in 3rd place in the NL East with their playoff chances very much in question. Of course, this year there are expanded playoffs, and 8 National League teams will make the postseason, so they should make it. Again, how confident are you that they’ll actually be able to make any noise if they get there?
Wasn’t this why they replaced Gabe Kapler with Joe Girardi? So the Phillies wouldn’t fade again in September and miss out on October? GM Matt Klentak added four relief pitchers in the past month, but the Phillies still have the worst bullpen in all of baseball. Their lineup without Realmuto and Hoskins doesn’t have much punch!
The Phillies lost 7 of the 10 games they played against the Marlins this season. Plus, Phillies fans had to groan as former prospect Sixto Sanchez dominated against the Phils the other night. Sanchez looks like he could be a legitimate big league ace. He was part of the Realmuto trade, and if the Phillies don’t extend Realmuto, it could be compared to the disaster of 1982, when future Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg was thrown in on a deal with the Cubs!
Gee, I almost don’t even want to write about my beloved Philadelphia Eagles. They looked so good in building a 17-zip lead early against the Washington Red…er…Football Team. However, football is 4 quarters, not one and a half, and the Washington Football team scored the next 27 points to win the game by ten. My immediate reaction is to blame Carson Wentz for his second half failures and mistakes. But, the Eagles problems run so much deeper than that.
Let’s start with the fact that 3/5ths of the projected starting offensive line was OUT for last Sunday’s game. Brandon Brooks tore his ACL and then left tackle Andre Dillard went down with a torn biceps muscle. Right tackle Lane Johnson had ankle surgery and was not fully recovered, so other than Jason Kelce at center and Isaac Seumalo at left guard, the Birds were really vulnerable against Washington.
That certainly showed as the Birds gave up eight sacks on the afternoon! That’s the most they’ve given up in a game in 13 years. You have to go back to the Winston Justice game in 2007 when Donovan McNabb was sacked 12 times by the Giants in East Rutherford. That’s the game where Osi Umenyiora infamously turned Justice into a “turnstile” en route to six of those 12 sacks. Brutal.
The three turnovers didn’t help the Eagles either. Wentz threw two interceptions, but perhaps none more costly than the one right before the half that gave Washington life and helped them get back into the football game. Instead of a 17-zip lead at half and the Eagles would get the ball to start the 3rd quarter, it was 17-7, and Washington had life.
Perhaps the most maddening thing of the Eagles blowing their lead in Washington was their refusal to adapt to the pressure as the sacks continued to mount. Not once did they try to roll out Wentz to buy him some time. Not once did they speed up the delivery of the football. Instead, they tried to run long developing plays, and watched as the pocket collapsed quickly around their franchise QB.
Here’s the worst part, if you’re an Eagles fan. The Los Angeles Rams come to town next week, and they feature one of the best pass rushers in the league in Aaron Donald. In fact, as I look at the Eagles schedule, other than maybe the Bengals game, they could easily be 1-5 after six games. Heck, they could wind up 0-6…! Oh yes, I’m not optimistic about that Eagles collapse in their season opener. Let’s see if I’m right.
Since I’m on football, this is a good time to talk about two gentleman who I know that are chasing their NFL dreams. One of them is established in the league already, and the other is just trying to get his chance. I’ll start with Penn State grad and St. Augustine alum Austin Johnson as he looked good on “Monday Night Football” against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Johnson (#98) was seen immediately after the game patting Ben Roethlisberger on the helmet after trying to get to him all night. The 26-year-old is now in his 4th year in the NFL after spending the first three with the Tennessee Titans.
The second guy I’d like to recognize is Colin Thompson. The 26-year-old played tight end at my alma mater (Temple) but I got to know him while he did some radio work with 97.3 ESPN last summer. He’s the epitome of perseverance as he finally made it on to an NFL roster this September. He started with the NY Giants in 2017, but an emergency appendectomy ended that stint really quick. He spent time with the Chicago Bears on their practice squad until 2018. He worked out for about a dozen NFL teams, and ultimately played in both the AAF and the XFL just trying to keep his football dream alive. His parents have ties to Cape May, and Thompson even took a job as the offensive coordinator with Lower Cape May football. But his dreams came true when the Carolina Panthers, and his old college coach Matt Rhule, signed him to their 53-man roster. Way to go Colin. I couldn’t be happier for you!
Thompson joins a handful of area players in the NFL: Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki (Southern Regional), Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman Jamil Demby (Vineland), Bears defensive tackle Abdullah Anderson (Absegami), Jacksonville Jaguars running back Ryquell Armstead (Millville), Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Jack Crawford (St. Augustine), Cincinnati Bengals long snapper Clark Harris (Southern) and the previously mentioned Austin Johnson with the Giants.
My last sports item is about the Sixers and their continuing search for a new head coach. Mike D’Antoni told the Houston Rockets that he wouldn’t sign an extension with them, so when the Rockets lost to the Lakers in the second round of the playoffs, D’Antoni became the latest big name to be added to the mix as a potential next coach. D’Antoni is familiar with the Sixers organization, serving as the team’s associate head coach during the 2015-16 season. He was popular in Philly, and some players were sad when he left. Most predict he will go to the Indiana Pacers next, but until we know for sure, put D’Antoni in the mix with guys like Tyronn Lue and Billy Donovan as big names being considered for the Sixers coaching job.
I’ll close with two items from entertainment as I finally took my girlfriend on a “date night” to the movies for the first time since the pandemic hit. I was thrilled to see “Tenet” in IMAX at my favorite spot, the Tilton Square Theater. Kudos to Brett DeNafo and his staff for making us feel safe & comfortable with the safety measures in place and social distancing. I only wish I loved the movie more! I am a huge fan of most things Christopher Nolan puts out, but this time travel movie with John David Washington in the lead role just left me wanting more. I can’t put my finger on it. Visually the movie was great. Plot-wise, the movie was okay. Maybe I’m just not ready to accept Washington as a guy who can carry a major picture. Hey, his father Denzel was once a little known guy on “St. Elsewhere” on TV, so you never know, right?
Lastly, I made sure to complete the new Netflix series “Away” before I school and work got the best of me. Starring Hillary Swank as Commander Emma Green, “Away” follows the first crewed expedition to Mars, the Mars Joint Initiative. It features an international crew: A chemist (Chinese); a cosmonaut with the most experience in space (Russia); the second-in-command medical officer (India); and a botanist with no experience in space (Britain); under the command of astronaut Emma Green (American). Emma has a husband who trained as an astronaut along with her (played brilliantly by Josh Charles from “The Good Wife”), who might have commanded the mission but for a medical condition. The three-year mission launches from the Moon. Several crew members do not trust Emma’s ability to command because of her response in crisis situations during the mission. The series is described as being “about hope, humanity and how ultimately, we need one another if we are to achieve impossible things.” I’m a sucker for anything about space or NASA, so this one was extremely enjoyable for me. No official word from Netflix just yet, but I’d bet there will be a season 2 for this one.
I’ll close with a reminder to please don’t forget to wear your mask when you’re out in public and interacting with others. Be kind, wear your mask, and be patient. We can all knock down this COVID-19 together.
