By Pete Thompson
That phrase could have a double meaning in this column as I could be writing about the Philadelphia Eagles, but I also got to witness something last weekend that is more accurately to the point of what I’m starting off with this week. I took a stroll along the Ocean City Boardwalk last Saturday night and got to see first-hand the effect that some LITERAL “Birds of Prey” were having on those annoying seagulls. We’ve all been there right…? You get a cone at Kohr Brothers, or you’ve just grabbed a cup of French Fries, a slice of pizza, and immediately you feel like Tippi Hedren in the movie “The Birds”…!!!
Well, I’m here to tell you that Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian and his governing body are to be commended. The city contracted with East Coast Falcons, out of Lodi, and now four hawks, two falcons and an owl fly high over the boardwalk from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily and it is WORKING…! Not only are the seagulls scared to brazenly steal food out of people’s hands, I only saw one or two of them the entire time I was on the boards…! And here’s an added bonus…merchants don’t have to put your food in “to go” containers with lids, etc. That has to reduce the amount of trash & ultimately be helpful for the environment, right? Anyhow, it was strange, but peaceful to walk the boards without the constant soundtrack of seagulls crying. I loved it and think more boardwalk towns should do the same.
Now, since I last wrote, the Eagles were actually pleased to have a game shortened by lightning. The Phillies beat a perennial favorite, but then lost 2 out of 3 to a cellar dweller. College football is underway…and get ready for high school football this coming weekend!
From the entertainment world, I caught up on the American version of a show that was already a hit in the U.K. Plus, I got to see a friend of mine in a small role on a hit CBS show! As always though, we begin with sports, and my thoughts for the week that was:
The Eagles lose 26-15 in their 3rd preseason game, but the score doesn’t matter. The game was halted with 11 minutes and 43 seconds left in the 4th quarter because of lightning, and both Doug Pederson & John Harbaugh quickly agreed to just call the rest of it off. No reason to get anyonehurt! The biggest Eagles takeaway is that Josh McCown is clearly better than any other option to be the backup to Carson Wentz when the season opens. The 40-year-old was taking snaps from a 21-year-old center, but still managed to go 17-for-24 for 192 yards and two touchdowns. To me, you can just tell he throws a better ball than anyone else vying for the backup position, Nate Sudfeld included.
So, it will be interesting to see how many QB’s the Eagles keep and how they resolve that logjam now. They drafted Clayton Thorson after all, but how many do they keep? With Indianapolis shocked at the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck, perhaps the Eagles move Sudfeld to Indy for a draft pick? We shall see.
With one preseason game left, the Birds are really trying to just lock down the final 6-7 roster spots. Most of their roster is already decided. However, there are still health questions for about 12 players on the roster, not including Wentz. I can’t say this enough, keeping Wentz healthy is the Eagles #1 priority this season. By the next time I write, I should be able to analyze the 53-man roster for the Birds.
Time for some Phillies discussion now as they continue to frustrate me. The Phillies go to Boston and sweep the defending champs at Fenway Park. Traditionally, the Phils don’t have a lot of success up in Boston, but they won both games up there, Bryce Harper hit one over the green monster, things were looking up as they headed to play one of the worst teams in baseball, the Miami Marlins.
And then, 19-to-11 happened. This game will long be remembered as the LOW point of the Phillies season. Up 7-0, and later 9-7, the Phillies couldn’t stop an offensive explosion from the lowly Marlins and lost 19-11 last Friday night. Words like disgusting, embarrassing, ugly were used by fans on Twitter and on my radio show. The Phillies were without Bryce Harper, as he was off for paternity leave, but still, it’s the Marlins!
Think about this, unless the Phillies sweep the Marlins the final weekend of September, they will finish with a losing record against them this season. Unreal! With a year left on his contract, if the Phillies don’t make the wildcard, I’d have to think the front office would take a closer look at Gabe Kapler’s effectiveness.
College football got underway last weekend as I was happy to see Florida beat Miami for selfish reasons. Manny Diaz, the Miami coach, agreed to coach Temple (my alma mater) for a hot second and then turned around and said “thanks but no thanks” before taking the Miami job instead. Good, I’ll be happy when that guy loses a game always…! Locally, Villanova football won on the road at Colgate. Temple football opens at home with Bucknell on Saturday. Penn State football MUST be talked about as the Nittany Lions are ranked #15 in the Preseason AP Top 25. PSU opens at home with Idaho on Saturday. And, don’t forget Rutgers is home to start with UMass tomorrow night (8/30). Hey, for those of you who don’t know, college football BEGAN on the campus of Rutgers University 150 years ago. That’s worth it to at least have an interest in your in-state team!
Finally, in high school football, the action is finally here. And, because of the calendar, there’s a unique situation where there are more games than ever before things really crank up on September 13th. A handful of local teams will play tomorrow (8/30) in what’s being called “Week Double Zero”. Then, next week on Friday 9/6 and Saturday 9/7 they’ll play traditional “Week Zero” games. Ultimately, the season will open up in full on Friday 9/13 and Saturday 9/14 with “Week One” games. Hey…I can’t wait…!
I have two quick ones from Entertainment as I binge watched & caught up with “Shameless” on Showtime. Sad to see the fictional Fiona Gallagher leave as actress Emmy Rossum played her for nine seasons and was excellent. The show itself is a spin-off of a U.K. version that went for 11 seasons, and Showtime has said there will be a season #10 in the United States, so let’s see how the Gallaghers deal with oldest daughter and de-facto mother Fiona leaving.
My last bullet point is for my friend & colleague Damian Muziani. He’s appeared on radio in Philly and with me at 97.3 ESPN, but he’s also a working actor. I was so thrilled to see him pop up in a small role on the finale of the CBS hit show “Blue Bloods”. That’s Damian on the right with actress & series regular Marisa Ramirez as he plays “Dom” the Super of an apartment building where Donnie Wahlberg (Danny Reagan) and his partner Maria Baez are investigating a homicide. Damian got to be in a scene with the two of them and even had a few speaking lines…!
Remember, you can listen to me on the radio each Saturday morning on 97.3 ESPN from 8-10 a.m. It’s the “Pete Thompson Show”, and I’ve been calling it “Breakfast with the PT”, so I hope you’ll tune in and interact with me on the air.
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
