Sports & Entertainment
By Pete Thompson
“A Tradition Unlike Any Other”…a phrase that describes The Masters, which just wrapped up for the first time ever in the fall.
It could also describe the Thanksgiving holiday this year as well though, as we all try to strategize to celebrate the holiday but also stay socially distant because of COVID-19.
Since I last wrote, the Eagles came off their BYE week and suffered a breakdown on all three phases of the game to lose to the Giants 27-17. The Sixers are reportedly in the running to land one of the NBA’s biggest stars. Speaking of basketball, there was no “March Madness” last year, and officials are making plans to have one this season, but with a different look. A name has emerged at the front of the list to become the new Phillies pitching coach. Plus, the Marlins make a historic hire for their new GM. The Flyers officially announce a retro jersey that I first told you about a few weeks ago. Also, a clearer picture is emerging at what the next NHL season will look like for the Orange & Black. Finally, on the local front, a few teams win their “pod” games and advance in what’s serving as the playoffs for local high school football.
From the entertainment world, I learned a lot more about a Hollywood legend who tragically passed away in the early 80’s, way too soon. I also finally watched a superhero movie from the DC universe from 2019 that was set in Philadelphia. As always though, we begin with sports, and my thoughts:
I’ll start with the Eagles as they trailed 14-3 at the half, and got as close as 14-11 early in the 3rd quarter before giving up a Giants touchdown immediately afterwards and eventually losing 27-17 to New York. Somehow, the Eagles are still in first place in the NFC East, but with games coming up against Cleveland, followed by a three-game stretch that is brutal, I’d be surprised if the Birds stay in first place for long.
After the game, I put on my Facebook page “Who do you blame the most on the Eagles for this one? And why?” I was pleasantly surprised to see 114 comments with the blame split amongst Carson Wentz, Doug Pederson, Jim Schwartz and Howie Roseman. There’s no question that Pederson’s play-calling has become predictable, but you also have to put some of the blame on Wentz for his poor throws & play right? Ironically, he didn’t turn the ball over in this game, but he did miss receivers and had some poor throws at key moments.
That’s not to excuse the defense that Jim Schwartz oversees. For the life of me, I cannot fathom how you let one of the NFL’s worse offenses march down the field 85 yards and 75 yards on their first two drives that both ended in Giant touchdowns…! Remember, this was coming off a BYE week. Simply put, it didn’t look like the Eagles defense was ready to go and New York’s offense was.
How about 11 penalties for 74 yards? Talk about undisciplined. The Eagles aren’t very good to begin with, and can’t overcome 11 penalties. I put that one on the head coach, Doug Pederson.
Speaking of the head coach, Pederson apparently doesn’t like to kick extra points anymore! Doug has made some bizarre coaching decisions this year for sure, but going for two after the Corey Clement touchdown in the 3rd quarter to make it 21-17 might be an all-time blunder. I am still scratching my head over that one and wish that Pederson would stop trying to outsmart everyone and just kick the dang extra point!
Everyone laughed in the first meeting when Daniel Jones tripped and went down untouched on a clear scoring chance at Lincoln Financial Field. No Eagles fans were laughing when Jones ran 34 yards up the gut untouched for a score on Sunday. That’s flat-out embarrassing for everyone on the defense and everyone on the defensive coaching staff. I mean this isn’t Kyler Murray or Lamar Jackson for goodness sake!
The Eagles were 0-for-9 on third down against a Giants defense that’s ranked 26th in the NFL on 3rd down at 48 percent. That’s the first time since the Steelers game in 2004 that the Eagles failed to convert a single first down.
My last Eagles point is that with COVID-19 cases on the rise, the City of Philadelphia is clamping down once again and there will be no fans the Eagles games at the Linc for the foreseeable future. The Birds are set to host Seattle on Monday Night Football on November 30th. After that, there are still home games with the Saints and the Washington Football Team. As of right now, it doesn’t look like any fans will be allowed to witness those games. Maybe the City of Philadelphia is doing those fans a big favor!
Let’s move on to the Sixers as Shams Charania from The Athletic is reporting that Rockets star James Harden wants out of Houston and would consider either Philadelphia or Brooklyn as a next team to play for. Hey, Harden is still a top 5 talent in the entire league, but how much would you be willing to give up to get him? With Daryl Morey now in Philadelphia, this move seems to make sense. However, would you be willing to give up 24-year-old Ben Simmons to pair Harden with Joel Embiid? That’s not a move I’m willing to make at this point. Plus, Morey has said he wants to move forward with Embiid and Simmons. Harden rejected a chance to become the first $50 million per year player in NBA history, but it looks like he’s more interested in joining Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving with the Brooklyn Nets. Stay tuned.
One last item on basketball, as the men’s college tournament was completely wiped out because of COVID-19 last March. After seeing how the NBA bubble worked, the NCAA has announced that they are in talks to hold the entire tournament in Indianapolis and the surrounding metro area. Last year’s cancellation cost the NCAA a whopping $375 million. If creating a bubble in one city is what it takes, I’m all for this. Just so long as we still have a “March Madness” this year, and not the COVID kind!
Remember the name Caleb Cotham as he’s emerged as the favorite to become the next pitching coach for the Philadelphia Phillies. Cotham is just 33 years old, but he worked with newly crowned Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer in Cincinnati and also was a pitcher for Joe Girardi’s Yankees. Reports are that an announcement could come soon.
The other big baseball news came from Miami where the Marlins hired Kim Ng to be their new General Manager. She’s the first female GM in baseball history. In a 30-year career, Ng has been an assistant general manager with the Dodgers and the Yankees. Phillies legend Larry Bowa was a Dodgers coach when Ng worked in Los Angeles and tweeted that she will “be a tremendous asset to (the Marlins) organization.” Congrats to her for making history. Now take it easy on my Phillies!
I have a couple hockey items as the Flyers officially announced their retro jerseys that I first told you about a few weeks back. They are mostly orange with black shoulders and the two sections separated by a white stripe. These are from Addidas and count me as someone who likes the new (old) look.
From Bill Daly, the NHL deputy commissioner, comes news that next season will begin on January 1st and the league is considering a 48-to-60 game schedule. Teams will probably play home games at their own rinks, but because of COVID-19, the divisions are expected to have new names and be realigned in a way to keep travel light. If that’s the case, you’d expect the Flyers to be in a division with the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders, the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals. After that, maybe Pittsburgh too? The NHL currently has a four-division setup, but that could change. Also, with travel restrictions between the United States and Canada, the NHL will probably have to pivot to an all-Canadian division.
I need to mention the Masters as I was thrilled to finally see golf at Augusta in 2020. Yes, it was weird that they had to use split tees because of Daylight Saving Time. It was a different Masters for sure with no patrons in attendance and no large roars that Augusta is known for. That said, a huge congratulations to Dustin Johnson, who grew up in nearby South Carolina and set a new scoring record winning with a score of -20 under.
Tiger Woods was there to put the green jacket on DJ after Sunday’s final round. But earlier in the day, social media blew up when Woods posted a score that most of us regular golfers can relate to. Woods ended up with a 10 on the par-3 12th hole called “Golden Bell”. This is ironic because the previous Masters, it was Woods who navigated that trouble spot seamlessly while others faltered at hole 12. This time, it was Woods dunking not one, but two balls into Rae’s Creek. Unbelievable to watch. Also, makes the rest of us regular golfers feel a little better about our game!
On the local front, I have to include a picture of Colin Thompson, who made his first-ever NFL catch a touchdown for the Panthers against Tampa Bay last Sunday. The 26-year-old is still serving as the offensive coordinator for Lower Cape May football too, while playing for Carolina. Way to go Colin!
Also, congrats to Holy Spirit and Ocean City as they each won “pod” games to advance to a quasi-championship pod game. Holy Spirit shut out Winslow Township 34-zip, while Ocean City managed to hold off St. Joseph Academy 12-7. No small feat as Paul Sacco and the Wildcats seem to make it to state championship games almost every year! St. Augustine is also through to a championship pod game as their game with Nottingham was called off because of COVID-19. The Hermits will host Williamstown in a bracket 3 pod game. Good luck to all three as they play for the closest thing they’ll get to a championship in these times!
And since this is a pre-Thanksgiving column, a reminder that you can get out and see some high school football around the holiday. Absegami plays at Oakcrest, Lenape is at St. Augustine and Lower Cape May squares off with Middle Township on Wednesday November 25th. Atlantic City is at Holy Spirit, Ocean City plays at Pleasantville and Millville travels to Vineland all on Thanksgiving morning. If you can, wear a mask and get out and watch some great Thanksgiving football!
I’ll close with a few items from entertainment as I really enjoyed “Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind” on HBO Max. Produced and helmed by her daughter Natasha Gregson Wagner, the documentary was excellent and helped me realize that Natalie Wood was one of the last great stars of the old Hollywood Studio System. They do delve into Wood’s tragic death near the island of Catalina in 1981. I was only ten when this happened, but I remember it being big news. The documentary does address her death and the circumstances aboard the 55-foot boat “The Splendour”. Don’t expect any big revelations out of it however. It seems clear to me that Gregson Wagner and her sisters love Robert Wagner who they call “RJ” and don’t think he had anything to do with their mother’s tragic death.
Last, but not least, I checked out the movie “Shazaam!” on HBO the other day as well. I’ve been a fan of Zachary Levi since I first watched him in the NBC show “Chuck” and he plays the title character well. If you’re looking for something family friendly with a light-hearted touch, you could do worse than watching “Shazaam!”
Now, more than ever, I’ll close with the reminder to please don’t forget to wear your mask when you are going to interact with others. Be KIND, wear your MASK, and be PATIENT. Let’s hope that a vaccine becomes available soon!
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
