Sports & Entertainment
By Pete Thompson
Anyone tired from too much turkey? No, I didn’t fall asleep at work like in the old days (pictured), but I know I’m not alone in 2020 fatigue! Several folks I talk to have told me they can’t wait for it to be 2021.
Since I last wrote, the Eagles lost their grasp on first place in the NFC East with clunker in front of a national TV audience. The Phillies basically told a lot of long-time employees, “Happy Thanksgiving, you’re fired.” The Sixers continue to make off-season moves to shape their roster. Plus, they have slipped a neat “Easter egg” into their new uniform design. A veteran Flyers forward is loaned to another team, but that could be bad news. I wasn’t sure whether to put 54-year-old Mike Tyson fighting again under sports or entertainment, so I’ll classify it as both. Golf gave us another version of “The Match” and with Charles Barkley involved, it did not disappoint! Finally, on the local front, the final high school football rankings are out and a few local teams end up in prestigious spots.
From the entertainment world, I watched a documentary about a comedy legend who died way too soon. Plus, no matter what side of the political aisle you fall on, there’s a new drama on Showtime that you should definitely give a chance. As always though, we begin with sports, and my thoughts:
I’ll start with the Eagles as I have officially come to the conclusion that they are “broken” on many levels. The Birds lost 23-17 to Seattle on Monday Night Football, but that final score was misleading. The game was essentially over when Carson Wentz threw an ill-timed interception midway through the 3rd quarter. They are now 3-7-1 with games at Green Bay, home with the Saints, at Arizona coming up. They could easily be 3-10-1 by Christmas, with only Dallas and Washington left, and who sees either of those games as winnable at this point?
There’s so much blame to go around, but the “big three” getting the most of it are Doug Pederson, Carson Wentz and Howie Roseman. It’s hard to believe, but just a few seasons removed from holding up the Lombardi Trophy for winning Super Bowl LII, Pederson is reportedly on the “hot seat” as The Eagles head coach. Longtime NFL reporter and ESPN personality Sal Paolantonio told my colleague Mike Gill on 97.3 ESPN, “I don’t think he survives a three-win season,” said Paolantonio on The Sports Bash program. ”I don’t think he survives a four-win season based on what I’m hearing now.”
I’ve written plenty about how Wentz has regressed from his Pro Bowl season of 2017. He simply does NOT look like the same quarterback, but for those of you hoping that the Eagles move on from him, that isn’t happening. The huge contract extension they gave Wentz last year means they are basically “married” to him win or lose. According to Jeremy Fowler from ESPN, the Eagles are scheduled to incur a nearly $35 million dollar cap hit in 2021 which is not exactly team-friendly as the overall league salary cap is scheduled to go down because of league wide financial losses that are COVID-19 related. In other words, Wentz “ain’t going nowhere!”
So, could they get more talent around him? The easy answer is “sure”, but keep in mind, Howie Roseman was completely in charge of the 2019 draft when the Birds picked J.J. Arcega-Whiteside with the 57th pick overall in the 2nd round. They passed up on picking a receiver from Ole Miss named DK Metcalf, who just TORCHED the Eagles on Monday Night Football. Metcalf caught 10 passes for 177 yards and eight first downs. He was going up against the Eagles best cover defender in Darius Slay and simply owned him. And Metcalf isn’t the only example of the Eagles passing up on a quality player. Justin Jefferson from the Vikings is having a solid rookie season, while Jalen Raegor for the Eagles has struggled with injury and to solidly establish his footing in the NFL. The bottom line is this, do you trust Roseman anymore to be the guy to draft the right talent around Wentz?
From a late-starting offense (again), to Pederson’s 4th down gambles, to blocking trouble on the 10th different version of the offensive line, to no help from the wideouts, the Eagles are broken in so many places, I just don’t see them as fixable at this point. Which is sad. I make no secret of the fact that in addition to covering the team on the regular, I am also a lifelong fan. I survived some bad seasons under Marion Campbell back in the day. I endured Rich Kotite and some questionable decisions. I even stayed loyal when Ray Rhodes went 3-13 in 1998 which led to him getting fired and Andy Reid coming in. I will stay strong through this mess. I just hope Jeff Lurie recognizes how bad things have gotten and takes steps to fix it!
Speaking of a Philly team owner, what in the heck is going on with Phillies owner John Middleton lately? How could he think Thanksgiving Eve was the right time to email all the Phillies employees and let 80 of them know that their services were no longer needed? Marcus Hayes from The Philadelphia Inquirer broke down the math in a recent column pointing out that “the $2 billion franchise and its billionaire ownership group eliminated 80 of its front-office positions — almost 20% of the workforce — to save about $8 million.”
The COVID-19 pandemic and the 60-game season in 2020 have forced several MLB teams to cut staff and issue pay cuts. The Oakland A’s, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Marlins are all in that situation right now. However, Hayes goes on to break the math down further writing, “reports say the Phillies lost almost $150 million this season. That’s about 4.4% of $3.4 billion. Assume the 80 employees each made a $100,000 salary. (They assuredly did not.) That’s $8 million. That is about 0.2% of $3.4 billion. Zero-point-two percent. If $8 million of $3.4 billion still sounds like a lot, use this comparison: For an American household making $80,000, that’s $160. One hundred sixty bucks. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. What a bunch of turkeys.”
As I wrote in my last column, the Sixers front office seems to be moving in the right direction with new President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey making moves and reshaping the roster. One item I failed to mention a few weeks back is kind of a fun one. The Sixers are adding a “retro” jersey next season (pictured) that reminds folks of the Allen Iverson days when the team went to the NBA Finals in 2000. But did you notice the “Easter egg” within the new design? The sketch on the front of the jersey is supposed to symbolize Boathouse Row in Philadelphia, but a lot of folks quickly spotted that the drawing also included “T-T-P” within it. Passionate Sixers fans know the phrase “Trust The Process” from the Sam Hinkie days and you have to smile when you realize they probably threw that in on purpose. Whether it’s intentional or not, I bet it will lead to a lot of retro jersey sales next season!
My lone hockey item is that the Flyers have loaned forward Michael Raffl to Villacher SV, a top professional league in Austria. The good news about this is that it appears that Raffl’s ankle appears to be feeling better. The bad news about this is it also appears that the NHL season won’t be starting on time. The NHL has previously announced they’d like to start the next season on January 1st, but with the COVID-19 pandemic numbers rising, labor issues continuing with the owners & the players, that January 1st date looks to be in big-time jeopardy.
So, were you one of the many people who ponied up the 50 bucks to watch Mike Tyson fight again? I can’t remember the last time I ordered something off pay-per-view, but I gladly shelled out the money to see what the 54-year-old could do in what was officially classified as a “sparring session” with 51-year-old Roy Jones Jr. My girlfriend’s son is 24, and he never saw Tyson fight during his heyday and subsequent fall from grace. That’s what made the event the other night so compelling. Tyson has gotten himself back in remarkable shape, and even though they called the event a draw, most folks thought Tyson won. They also blew up social media with how great Snoop Dogg was both as a performer and ringside analyst for the broadcast. I have to admit, I’ve never heard commentary like “this (expletive) like two of my uncles fighting at the BBQ!”
The day before the Tyson event, golfers and sports fans were treated to “The Match” part three, as pro golfer Phil Mickelson paired with NBA legend Charles Barkley to take on retired NFL QB Peyton Manning and current NBA star Stephen Curry in a match-play golf event called “The Match: Champions for Change”. Money raised from the event went toward HBCU colleges, or Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Barkley kept saying he had been working on his game, and it was evident as the ugly, jarring stop-motion in his swing was magically gone. It didn’t hurt that five-time major championship winner Mickelson was constantly in his ear giving him reassurance and guidance! This made-for-TV event was free, and the bigger winners were the HBCU colleges. Who do you think they should put together for “The Match” part four?
On the local front, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Holy Spirit Spartans finish as the #2 ranked team in the entire state of New Jersey by NJ.com. Most folks believe there is a North Jersey bias to rankings and lists as it pertains to high school sports, but no one could deny that the Spartans capped off a season for the ages with a 39-0 win on Thanksgiving over Atlantic City. That put Holy Spirit at 8-0 and the number two team in the entire state according to the media outlet. Two other local schools finished in the top 20 as the Ocean City Red Raiders ended up at #17 with a 6-2 record. Props to Kevin Smith and OCHS for an outstanding season. Finally, St. Joseph in Hammonton won seven of their final eight games en route to a 7-2 record and a #19 ranking from NJ.com. Hey, I wasn’t sure there would be a high school football season at all, so this is all a win as far as I’m concerned!
Photo credit Richard McCaffrey / Showtime
I’ll close with a two items from entertainment as I caught two documentaries on Showtime on two very different individuals. Let’s start with the funny / tragic one as I watched “Belushi” the 2020 film / documentary on the late comedic actor John Belushi, who died from a drug overdose in 1982. Two years after his shocking death, author Bob Woodward released a controversial book called “Wired” that focused on the star’s final days. What this new film gets right, in my opinion, is it incorporates letters that Belushi wrote to his wife Judy. These personal notes are read by actor Bill Hader and you can hear Belushi’s pain and anguish in them. The film includes interviews with Dan Akroyd, Lorne Michaels, Chevy Chase and others who worked with Belushi. It even has some remarks from his brother Jim, and ends up being a much more personal touch and compelling story than Woodward’s best seller. If you get a chance, and remember how big a star John Belushi once was, check out “Belushi” on Showtime, you will not be disappointed!
Lastly, I mentioned my girlfriend’s son Michael earlier as he is 24-years-old and really awakening to the harsh reality of American politics. We were both riveted watching the great performances in “The Comey Rule” on Showtime. Jeff Bridges does an amazing job inhabiting and portraying former FBI director James Comey and his rise and fall at the bureau under first President Obama and then President Trump. Hey, I’ll be the first to tell you this isn’t a fact-for-fact film, but rather a portrayal based off Comey’s best-selling book “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership” With Daniels as Comey and standout Brendan Gleeson portraying Trump, this was as good a “fight” as the Tyson event! No matter what side of the political aisle you stand on, I’d highly recommend watching and hopefully enjoying this one.
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. There has been some encouraging news recently about a vaccine. Let’s all stay SAFE until one becomes available!
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
