Sports & Entertainment
By Pete Thompson
As I write this on Memorial Day Monday 2021, I can’t help but think about the quote I keep seeing about the holiday. “All gave some….some gave ALL!”
I’ve also seen a lot of posts on social media where folks are saying you’re not supposed to wish anyone a “happy” Memorial Day, which makes sense. My cousin Mike passed away in 2010 while serving our country in the Army in Iraq. He’s buried in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery and I do hope that folks remember Mike and all the other dedicated men & women who have served in the armed forces so that we may enjoy the freedoms we have!
On that note, I recently contacted a friend of mine, Marco Polo Smigliani. He’s a Vietnam veteran and earned the Purple Heart award four times for his service & valor. In addition to remembering the fallen, how about we honor some of the living too? To that end, Marco told me about a fund-raising initiative that’s near & dear to his heart. It’s the Bernie Friedenberg World War II Memorial.
Friedenberg grew up in Atlantic City and attempted to enlist in the military services (Marines, Navy, and Army) but was rejected by all three services due to poor vision. Undeterred, Friedenberg persisted, and he was eventually inducted into the Army as a non-combatant. Friedenberg received training as a Medic; attained the rank of Staff Sergeant, and was assigned to the Medical Detachment, 1st Battalion, 16th Regimenta, 1st U.S. Infantry Division.
All Friedenberg did then was go on to earn two Silver Stars for heroism, two Bronze Star medals for valor, and 2 Purple Hearts!
According to Marco Polo, they’re looking to raise funds to get this memorial built. COVID-19 had an impact on their ability to fund-raise, and they’re doing this without government help. If you want more information on how to donate, head to their website at: https://berniefriedenbergworldwariimemorial.com/making-a-donation
Donations may also be made by check payable to “Bernie Friedenberg World War II Memorial” and mailed to:
Bernie Friedenberg World War II Memorial
P.O. Box 652
Brigantine, New Jersey 08203
Thank you to Bob & Cindy Fertsch and Shore Local for allowing me a forum to publicize this very worthy cause and God Bless the USA and those who have served!
In sports, since I last wrote, the Sixers were not able to sweep the Wizards out of the playoffs. (Although by the time you read this, the Sixers might have moved on). The Eagles are rumored to have interest in a high profile wide receiver. The Phillies are moving in the wrong direction, plus another player goes down with significant injury. The Flyers are hoping that history repeats itself for the NHL draft lottery. Speaking of history, a 46-year-old makes history at The Brickyard as he wins the Indy 500 for the fourth time. On the local front, a St. Joe grad and Little Egg Harbor native makes his MMA debut and wins! Plus, two former Phillies managers stop by Ocean City to talk to the high school baseball team.
From entertainment, I finally got time to watch the “Friends” reunion on HBO Max. Plus, we sadly, say goodbye to a longtime TV icon, who certainly made an impact on my childhood…!!! As always though, we begin with sports, and my thoughts:
We’ll start with the Sixers for the third column in a row as they were hoping for a series sweep against Washington, but a few things went wrong on the way to that outcome. First, Joel Embiid left Game 4 with right knee soreness after the 1st quarter and missed the rest of the game. With Embiid out, the Sixers battled valiantly and even had it tied at 108-108 with just over three minutes to play, but then Wizards Head Coach Scott Brooks went to a “Hack-a-Ben” strategy and they lost 122-114.
That sets up a Game #5 situation in front of a now “full-capacity” Wells Fargo Center, and it should be a real thriller. More on that in my next column, but first, I can write more about the “Hack-a-Ben” strategy. Are you old enough to remember when NBA teams would employ that against Shaquille O’Neal…? O’Neal was so bad at shooting free throws, opposing coaches would purposely foul him at the end of games as a strategy. Simmons hadn’t made a free throw prior to Game 4, and Scott Brooks directed his players to foul Simmons to increase his odds. Simmons finishes 5 for 11 from the free throw line, and the Sixers lost by eight. So, you can’t say if he made them all, they automatically would’ve won, but it does make you think!
No matter what, the big concern is about Embiid, and maybe by the time you read this, all will be okay, but when the big man is out of the lineup, it really changes things for the Sixers both on the offensive side of the ball, and definitely on the defensive side of things too.
Moving on to the Eagles now, as reports are swirling that they might be a candidate for Julio Jones, the all-star wide receiver who wants OUT of Atlanta. Of course, more recent reports have the Seattle Seahawks showing interest as well, but if I’ve learned anything about Eagles GM Howie Roseman in his second go-round, it’s that he LOVES to make the BIG deal.
The Eagles are set up to potentially have THREE first-round picks in next year’s NFL draft. Their own, one from Miami and the one from Indianapolis for Carson Wentz. The first two look like they will be top-20 picks, but that Colts one is a conditional first-round pick if Carson Wentz plays 75% of the snaps or plays 70% of the snaps in 2021 and the Colts make the playoffs. I would definitely be okay giving up THAT pick to get a seven-time Pro Bowler who has led the NFL in receiving yards twice in his career.
Just think about that. How unbelievable would that be to have both the Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith and Julio Jones on the Eagles at the same time? How awesome could that be?
Now, as I write this, other teams are in the mix too. Nothing should happen until after June 1st when NFL teams can spread out salary cap hits over two years instead of taking it all in the current year for players who are released or traded.
Which leads me to Zack Ertz. Some folks have asked why he hasn’t been moved or traded yet. Well, June 1st has a lot to do with that. Earlier this offseason, the Eagles designated wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and defensive tackle Malik Jackson as post-June 1 cuts. There’s a lengthy explanation of what that means, but all you really need to know is that doing it that way means that on June 2nd, the team’s cap space will more than double, with $4 million added from the Jeffery-Jackson moves.
This means the Birds can sign their draft class with plenty of room to spare. It might even mean they can sign a free-agent cornerback to start opposite Darius Slay, though that might take a little more cap maneuvering, such as a trade or release of disaffected tight end Zach Ertz. June 1st comes into play with Ertz as well; trading or releasing him after that date increases the 2021 cap savings from a little less than $5 million to $8.5 million. Perhaps by my next column, I’ll have some clarity as to what’s going on with Ertz.
In baseball, the Phillies have been moving in the WRONG direction as far as the standings go. 3-8 over their last eleven games, and four and a half games back from the first-place Mets as I write this column. They finished the month of May with a 25-29 record, and an 11-1 drubbing at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds in Ohio. So, what’s their biggest problem? Well, simply put, this team can’t hit! In the loss to the Reds, they went 0-9 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.
Even when they get a good starting effort, like when Zack Wheeler struck out a career-high 14 the other day in Tampa, the Phillies still found a way to blow it and lose 5-3 to the Rays. Sure, the Rays are in first place in the A.L. East, but boy if you strike out 14, you should win, right?
The Phillies lost more than just the ballgame last week in Tampa as well, when outfielder Roman Quinn went down scoring on a Ronald Torreyes two-run double. This was really a shame to see, as Quinn suffers a left Achilles tendon injury and is now done for the season. In fact, Quinn’s career as a Phillie might be over as the oft-injured speedster just can’t stay healthy! You hate to see this.
After losing that quick two-game series in Tampa, the Phillies have now gone 6-16 against Miami and Tampa Bay the last two seasons despite the fact that both teams have payrolls in the bottom five of baseball. Do you think that has Phillies managing partner John Middleton pulling out his hair right now?
And then there’s hockey…where the Flyers are hoping that history repeats itself with the NHL Draft lottery. Well, kind of repeats itself. Four years ago, luck was with the Flyers when they moved from No. 13 to No. 2 in the draft lottery. They are hoping for a similar script when the draft lottery is held on Wednesday June 2nd from the NHL Network’s studio in Secaucus, N.J.
However, I say “kind of” because back in 2017, the Flyers had just a little over a 2% chance to land the No. 1 or No. 2 overall pick in the lottery. They beat those odds, received the No. 2 pick, and selected center Nolan Patrick. I’m sure Nolan Patrick is a GREAT guy, but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy and definitely has not lived up to a #2 overall pick projection. So, here’s hoping they move up again, but get a “can’t miss” kind of player! Is that too much to ask for?
From auto racing, congrats to 46-year-old Helio Castroneves as he wins the Indy 500 for the 4th time. Castroneves joins racing legends A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr., and Rick Mears as the only four-time winners in the 104-year history of the race.
On the local front, a huge congratulations to Little Egg Harbor native and St. Joe grad C.J. LaFragola, who made his MMA pro debut a good one last week in Philadelphia. LaFragola, who played football and wrestled at St. Joseph High School in Hammonton, and then went on to wrestle in the Ivy League at Brown University, won a unanimous decision over Geoff Magin at the Cage Fury Fighting Championships 96 card at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. The card was a mix of amateur and professional fights. Plus, Magin entered the fight 2-0, but LaFragola won each of the three rounds 10-9 from all three judges. Way to go CJ and best of luck moving forward!
My last item is from the local sports scene involves baseball as two Phillies legends stopped by to offer some advice and stories at Ocean City baseball the other week. Former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel and former Phillies manager & player Larry Bowa paid a visit to the OC baseball field at 5th and Bay Avenue. I learned about this after the fact on Twitter, but I’m betting my friend Frank Coppenbarger had something to do with this, as he is the former Phillies Clubhouse Manager. Coppenbarger now lives in Ocean City and helps out with Andrew Bristol’s program. What a treat it must have been for the Red Raiders to hear about hitting from Manuel and about heart & hustle from Bowa. I will always have a special place in my heart for the late Dallas Green for bringing the Phillies their first World Championship in 1980, but there’s no doubt that both Bowa & Manuel are two of my other favorite Phillies legends for sure!
As always, I’ll close with a few items from entertainment as I made sure to catch the “Friends” reunion on HBO Max. Officially titled, “Friends: The Reunion”, and also known as “The One Where They Get Back Together”, it basically had everything I wanted in a reunion special. I learned a few things I didn’t know about the popular series before. I loved seeing all the actors together again, (I felt the girls have aged better than the boys) and enjoyed most of the cameos. It’s always surprising to me when someone says “oh, I didn’t like Friends”, or “I’ve never seen it”. My current students that I teach are 14-to-18 years old, so I can understand why they might not have seen it, but there’s a reason that Friends was so popular from 1994-2004!
And, since I’m talking about TV, I’ll give a “tip of the cap” to Gavin MacLeod, who passed away at the age of 90 last Saturday. Best known for his work on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and later, “The Love Boat”, he will forever be Captain Merrill Stubing to me. He was Murray Slaughter on Mary Tyler Moore and Merrill Stubing on Love Boat, but farewell to a great actor. I sure loved watching “The Love Boat” when I was a kid!
One last thought, and that’s a reminder for you to check with local establishments and folks about mask on or masks off. A lot of places have moved to a “no mask” policy, but always be sure to be courteous and check what the rules & protocols each place (or person) has. I truly feel we are going to have a GREAT summer. Let’s not mess it up now!
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
