Extra Points with Pete
By PETE THOMPSON
Remember the movie “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”…? That could be the headline for this week’s version of extra points as there’s a mix of all three in the world of sports to discuss. Of course, the headline could also be something non-sports related like, “Mom, Dad, and when Hallmark cards only cost 15 cents!” More on that in a moment…
First, the sports items. Since I last wrote, the Sixers have been eliminated by the Raptors on a buzzer-beater, Game 7, game-winning shot by Kawhi Leonard. The Phillies have started to distance themselves a little against what appears to be a subpar N.L. East. The Eagles have held their first OTA activities at the NovaCare Complex. The Flyers have firmed up their assistant coaches & what roles they will have. The brand new Atlantic City Blackjacks made their home debut a “W”, but then lost on the road to fall to 1-2 so far.
Oh, and I still haven’t watched Game of Thrones…but I did notice that the Sixers-Raptors Game 7 actually knocked G.O.T. tweets off my twitter feed, so that was a welcome change for one Sunday at least…!!! Anyhow, here are my thoughts for the week that was:
The Sixers came up short against Toronto losing 92-90 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Truthfully, the Sixers lost to one guy…Kawhi Leonard. His four-bounce buzzer beater was just the final dagger that did them in. Their inability to run clean sets down the stretch on the offensive end led to two shot clock violations and almost a third. They also got KILLED on the glass, letting the Raptors collect 16 offensive rebounds in the game. How many times did it seem like Toronto had two or three chances on a possession?
Much will be made of Joel Embiid’s tears after the loss. Sixers fans like passion, but they also like hard work. Embiid looked gassed out there down the stretch, and I think he needs to work on his diet & exercise next year. If he’s going to be a generational kind of player, he can’t be bent over at the waist in crunch time! I know I’m picking on someone for eating too much Chick-Fil-A, but hey, I’m not the one who got a $148 million dollar contract extension to be the face of a franchise.
One more thing on the Sixers as some haters think Brett Brown needs to go. I’m with Mike Gill from 97.3 ESPN on this one. Coaches can be a factor, but ultimately it’s the PLAYERS who win or lose you the game, not the coach. Now, we’ll have to see which specific players return as Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris & J.J. Redick all could move on if they feel the price is not right.
Before I get to the Eagles, Wildwood High School alum Wes Hills has landed with an NFL team. He’s signed as a free agent with Arizona and will try to make the Cardinals roster. Good luck to him.
It was an “angry” Doug Pederson that met the media at the start of Eagles rookie camp, as the first question asked to him was about the health of Carson Wentz. “How does that pertain to rookie minicamp?” Doug shot back at the reporter who asked him the question. As for the rookies, there were five draft picks, 11 undrafted players, a handful of first-year options and 29 free agent hopefuls all trying to catch someone’s eye at the NovaCare Complex. The draft picks will get the most attention, but it always seems an undrafted player ends up helping the Eagles at some point during the season.
The good and the bad apply to the new Atlantic City Blackjacks. Ron James & company made their home debut at Boardwalk Hall in front of an announced 6,139 and WON. 42-35. That’s the good, but then they followed that up with a one-score loss at the Washington Valor, 41-34. Both of AC’s losses have come by one score, so they certainly are more than competitive. They begin a three-game home stretch of games and I think they’re worth checking out. Tickets are as low as $10 as they are home on Saturday May 18th, Saturday May 25th & Saturday June 1st at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.
As I type this, the Phillies are coming off a 4-2 road trip to the Midwest. A bright spot came on Mother’s Day as rookie left-hander Cole Irvin made his major league debut in Kansas City. Irvin goes seven strong innings, giving up five hits and only one run. With his mother & family in attendance. Fun fact, the stellar performance came 13 years to the day after another lefty named Cole (Hamels) made his rookie debut in Cincinnati. Here’s hoping Cole 2.0 can keep it going…!
Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins, who lost his mom to cancer in 2009, added some extra decoration to his pink Mother’s Day cleats. Hoskins wrote “Miss u mom” and the date she died on them, along with “humble” and “perseverance” near the toe. Both are words she instilled in Hoskins.
Which brings me to my Mom. She’s the reason I wrote earlier about “Dad, Mom, and when Hallmark cards only cost 15 cents!” You see, my sister recently found a few a few cards my mother gave me when I was just an infant. They ended up in her baby book by mistake. I lost my mother to lung disease when she was only 51 years old in 1993, and the cards were a sweet reminder of how much she loved me. I did have to chuckle when I saw they only cost 15 cents each in 1973 or 1974. Meanwhile, my Dad just celebrated his birthday on Mother’s Day (May 12th), so I’m happy to have him still offering guidance and support. My mother never got to see me appear on TV, but she did once say she’d thought I might end up as a minister because she thought I could “reach the masses”. I’m not sure local columnist is the same thing, but I am happy to have an audience. Happy Mother’s Day up in heaven Mom, and Dad, I know we have plenty more Eagles and Phillies games to attend. I’ll bring the peanuts…!!!
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
