Sports & Entertainment
By Pete Thompson
I don’t know about you, but a sure sign that summer is fast approaching can always be found at the driving range. Loyal readers of this column will notice that ad for Ronnie’s Golf Hospital Pro Shop & Driving Range can always be found close-by.
I thought of that when I dropped my golf clubs off to get re-gripped at 338 Tilton Road in Northfield the other day. It also made me think, “Where can you find a true old-school driving range like that anymore?” Not a range that’s attached to a country club, or a driving range that even is part of a daily-fee course, but a true driving range that is just that…a driving range.
With the weather getting consistently warm, might I suggest you stop by and hit a bucket of balls? Especially coming off the pandemic, there’s nothing more satisfying that whacking a golf ball into the distance to get some frustration out!
Since I last wrote, the Sixers have secured the #1 seed in the East for the playoffs. The Phillies are near the top of the N.L. East, but that doesn’t mean manager Joe Girardi is happy right now. The Eagles get an up close look at some of their new talent. The Flyers make a coaching change in their farm system. On the local front, I finally got to see a heralded senior up close and in person. Plus, another local pitcher is succeeding in nearby Lakewood.
From entertainment, I’m just learning of the death of one of my favorite comedic actors from the 80’s and 90’s. Plus, word of mouth (and a SNL skit) have me thinking I have to check out a new HBO drama. As always though, we begin with sports, and my thoughts:
We’ll start with the Sixers as folks were hopping mad when they got roughed up by the Heat in Miami, but they came home and beat Orlando to secure the #1 seed in the East in the playoffs. The reason this is big news is because now they don’t have to play BOTH the #2 and #3 seed, Brooklyn is #2 and Milwaukee is #3 and they might have to face each other, however the Sixers will get the team that comes out of the Play-In Tournament.
That’s a new feature this year for the NBA playoffs as well. Boston, Washington, Indiana and Charlotte are considered the #7, #8, #9 and #10 seeds in the East. In the West, it’s the Lakers, Warriors, Grizzlies and Spurs. And what a treat that could be! How about the #7 Lakers vs. the #8 Warriors in the Play-In Tournament in the West. Would you pay to watch LeBron James go up against Steph Curry knowing only ONE of them is going to “survive and advance”? See, the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds have to win only one game to move on, while the No. 9 and 10 seeds have to win twice.
If you’re a Sixers fan, which opponent do you want to see them match up with first? The Sixers went 3-0 against both Boston and Washington. They also went 3-0 during the regular season against Charlotte, however, they only went 2-1 against the Pacers, losing 103-94 to them during the final games of the regular season. The Sixers won’t officially know their opponent until after the final Eastern Conference play-in game, but the NBA has told them they will start the playoffs on Sunday 5/23.
In baseball, the Phillies are a game back in the N.L. East as I write this, but and are just 8-14 on the road. They’ve lost two in a row, and three out of their last four, and that has manager Joe Girardi a little “testy” with the media of late.
TV cameras caught a confrontation between Girardi and second baseman Jean Segura in the dugout in last Sunday’s 10-8 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Segura committed two errors in the game, and only a day before, Girardi was bemoaning in his postgame news conference that his players just need to “catch the ball”. After the Sunday game, Girardi was a bit short with reporters as they tried to get to the bottom of the story saying ”It was a bench conversation meant for the bench,” said Girardi, who was asked about a half-dozen times about the incident. ”You can ask all you want, you got everything you’re going to get about it. I’m done with it.”
What’s interesting, is that Segura leads the team with a .320 batting average. He didn’t commit an error in his first 21 games this season. But Girardi cannot abide even his most valuable player making three errors in two days. It has become a team-wide theme of late, and a problem.
Injuries are a problem for the Phillies right now too as right fielder Bryce Harper (right shoulder soreness) and catcher J.T. Realmuto (sore left wrist) were both out of the starting lineup on Sunday after leaving Saturday night’s game early. Harper was forced into action though when Scott Kingery ran into the right field wall and left the game feeling dizzy. Harper, who is not 100%, popped up a bunt for an out with two on and one out in the eighth with the Phillies down 9-4, then stranded two on in the ninth with a game-ending strikeout on a full-count fastball from Jeremy Beasley, the eighth pitch of the at-bat.
The Phillies were also missing shortstop Didi Gregorius (right elbow stiffness) as he sat out his fourth consecutive game. Catcher Andrew Knapp was a late scratch due to left side tightness. Again, injuries are becoming a concern as we are not even to Memorial Day yet!
To football now, where the Eagles continue to tinker with the roster by making some moves. First, G.M. Howie Roseman brings in longtime Washington defensive end Ryan Kerrigan on a one-year deal. Kerrigan is 32-years-old, and perhaps no one was happier about this signing than Lane Johnson. The Eagles right tackle often had to square off against Kerrigan, who spent the first 10 years of his career compiling 95 and a half sacks for Washington. Even though he was in a reserve role last year, he still managed five and a half sacks, and now joins a rotation that includes Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Josh Sweat, Tarron Jackson, Joe Ostman, and Matt Leo.
That acquisition happened on Monday 5-17, and then on Tuesday 5-18, the Eagles went out and acquired corner Josiah Scott in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, sending a 2023 sixth-round pick and cornerback Jameson Houston to the Jags. Scott, 22, was a fourth-round pick out of Michigan State in last year’s NFL draft, but got buried on the Jaguars’ depth chart last season. At 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, he projects almost exclusively as a slot corner even though the Eagles have a more pressing need on the outside.
Scott is 5-9, 4th round draft pick Zech McPhearson is 5-11, so it does make you wonder who is going to play outside corner opposite Darius Slay? Right now, it looks like Avonte Maddox will get another chance at the CB2 job. Maddox, who is 5-9 with short arms, struggled on the outside last year after playing primarily in the slot or at safety in the first two years of his career.
Once again, the Flyers come in last in my “four for four” recap of the Philly pro sports teams. The big news from the Flyers is that the team announced that they are parting ways with Phantoms coach Scott Gordon. This is a total surprise, as Gordon directed the Phantoms to an 18-7-6 record this season, and many of the Flyers’ young players were developed by him in the AHL. He has been a head coach with the Islanders and an interim coach with the Flyers. The Flyers also announced that assistant Kerry Huffman has stepped down from his role.
Gordon, 58, coached the Phantoms for six seasons, a tenure interrupted by an interim head coaching stint with the Flyers in 2018-19. This one is a surprise to me because it signals that not only is the organization not happy with the players and talent level at the NHL level, but that they are also concerned how the players are being developed at the minor league level. Why does it feel like each summer my hopes of a Stanley Cup move further and further away?
I have two local sports items to finish with and I’ll start with Chase Petty. I finally got to see the Mainland Mustang and MLB first-round draft prospect pitch on a beautiful Monday afternoon on May 10th in Linwood. With nearly 30 scouts in attendance, Petty hit 98 mph on the gun in the first inning. He threw 91 pitches in five innings, allowing five hits and two runs. Petty struck out eight and walked two. But the winning pitcher was actually Jayden Shertel from Holy Spirit. Shertel allowed one run in six innings as the Spartans beat previously undefeated Mainland Regional 2-1 in a Cape-Atlantic League National Division game. Petty took the loss.
No matter the outcome, I was impressed by the young man, as I manned the first base camera for BFA Productions on top of a six-foot high scaffolding. I was up there with my former TV 40 and SNJ Today colleague Mike Frankel and we had a blast working in close proximity and catching up. It was nice to see Petty sign autographs after the game too, as he appears to be just as humble as a young man from Millville who went on to big-league stardom. I’m hoping to see Petty pitch one more time this spring, if possible.
My final local sports item is about Mike Adams, as his season is underway with the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. The 26-year-old Egg Harbor Township native has only appeared in a few innings so far, but here’s your chance to make the short drive up to Lakewood to see him pitch. The BlueClaws begin a six-game homestand against Winston Salem on Tuesday 5-18. Get out and support a local guy!
As always, I’ll close with a few items from entertainment as I was sad to learn that veteran actor Charles Grodin passed away at the age of 86 from bone marrow cancer on Tuesday 5-18. I’m pretty sure I first saw his work in the 1978 movie “Heaven Can Wait” and with his dry delivery and deadpan sense of humor, Grodin became an instant favorite of mine. I thought he stole the movie from no less than Warren Beatty, and a decade later, when he appeared opposite Robert DeNiro in “Midnight Run”, he stole that movie too! Sadly, folks might remember him best as the father from the “Beethoven” movies, but Charles Grodin was so much more. R.I.P. Mr. Grodin, you truly were one of the GREATS…!!!
Finally, on a lighter note, I happened to catch an SNL skit making fun of the new HBO limited series “Mare of Easttown”. In the skit, Kate McKinnon plays the lead role and the entire skit made fun of the Delco accent and Wawa. The spoof was called “Murdur Durdur,” and so many people are talking about “Mare of Easttown,” I’m going to add that to my list for summer watching when school lets out. “Mare of Easttown” tells the story of a small Pennsylvania town where Detective Mare Sheehan (played by Kate Winslet) is trying to solve the murder of one teenage girl and the disappearance of another while struggling with a few complicated issues in her personal life. The seven-part limited series thriller has become a widely-watched and much-discussed show since its premiere in April on HBO.
As I wrap this up, I’m about to go outside and catch a baseball game. Please remember to stay safe, follow the protocols depending on where you are, and I sincerely hope that a GREAT summer is ahead for all of us!
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
