This 30 Seconds Of Your Time Will Be Well Worth It

During the course of this season, several MLB teams including the Giants, Cubs, Orioles, and the Red Sox have created short YouTube videos encouraging young LGBT people who may be struggling with bullying. Yesterday, the Phillies joined these list of teams by releasing their video. Here are Chase Utley, Roy Halladay, Hunter Pence, Mike Stutes, and John Mayberry, Jr. reminding you that it gets better.



If you know someone who could benefit from seeing this, please, share this with them as soon as possible. It may seem like a small, inconsequential gesture, but for someone struggling, hearing five members of the Philadelphia Phillies telling them that it gets better may mean all the difference in this world.

Major props to the Phillies for joining this movement and a special thanks to Roy Halladay, Chase Utley, John Mayberry, Jr., Mike Stutes, and Hunter Pence for participating in this video.

Classless Philly Fans Troll The Weather Channel's Hurricane Irene Coverage

What is up with all these darned Philly fans? They have taken numerous baseball fields by storm this season with their needless trespassing, and now, they have set their sites on a new victim. Hurricane Irene and The Weather Channel's coverage of Hurricane Irene. Yes, there is no better way to enjoy a hurricane than by running outside in it, crossing a TWC camera, and showing all the world your junk. Be appalled at the actions of these Philly fans by following the jump. (It goes without say the following video is NSFW; this is an unedited version and if you click on it, you will see some random dude's dong)

The Women's Professional Soccer Championship Game Was A Squirrely Affair

From the Women's World Cup to today's crazy WPS championship game, this has been quite the year for Women's soccer. And while the women's World Cup was pure drama, today's WPS Championship game between the Western New York Flash and the Philadelphia Independence was not only dramatic, but very odd as well. Especially in the first half when a squirrel ran onto the pitch and delayed play for well over five minutes. Watch as Philadelphia Independence goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart makes a new friend and two adults drag it off the field with the aid of a box.



After a thrilling 120 minutes, which featured a late from the Independence just before extra time to tie the game at 1, WNY Flash won the championship in a 5-4 penalty shootout. No word yet on what has become of the squirrel, although I can confirm it now has its own Twitter account.

Today In Scary Sports Injuries: Didier Drogba Is Knocked Unconscious For 30 Minutes

Well here is a frightening sports moment. In the 64th minute of Chelsea's match with Norwich City today, Chelsea forward Didier Drogba took a frightening knock on the head courtesy of Ruddy, the Norwich goalkeeper. The result was Drogba being unconscious for 30 minutes.


Given that punch and that fall, that the initial diagnosis of Drogba ended is only a mild concussion is good news to say the least. Chelsea would go on to win the match 3-1 and remain unbeaten in thus far this season in the English Premier League.

Party Rock Was In The House Last Night; Unfortunately, So Was Cole Hamels

You can file this under the "You Can't Make This Up If You Tried" Department. Cole Hamels, often ridiculed for various reasons, decided to help his good pal Shane Victorino and the Shane Victorino Foundation Fashion Show last night. Now charity is all well and good, but when it leads to this, I, uh, you know forget it. This is just too damn funny. It's like Cole Hamels is trolling us now.



Cole Hamels has about as much fluidity as solid concrete.

Also, is it just me or do Cole Hamels and Ryan Howard's moves remind you of the infamous Big Dick Johnson? Okay, maybe not. At least Cole Hamels and Ryan Howard kept all their clothes on. If only we could say the same about Hunter Pence and Kyle Nakazawa of the Philadelphia Union.

Introducing Fantasy Team!

Quarterbacks: Michael Vick, Matt Schaub, Kevin Kolb

Running Backs: Jamaal Charles, Matt Forte, Steven Jackson, Ryan Grant, Daniel Thomas

Wide Receivers: Vincent Jackson, Miles Austin, Santonio Holmes, Sidney Rice

Tight Ends: Owen Daniels, Kellen Winslow, Jr.

Defense: Dallas Cowboys

Kicker: Garrett Hartley

This team is so much better than the garbage I tried to put together last year.

Virginia Earthquake Gives Baseball Announcers In Cleveland Something To Talk About

Earthquakes during a Major League Baseball game......if this sounds familiar, it absolutely should. The Loma Prieta Earthquake infamously occurred before Game 3 of the 1989 World Series. And now much less famous, the Earthquake that struck Virginia this afternoon and was felt from Raleigh to Cleveland to Canada, occurred during a Mariners-Indians baseball game in Cleveland. Here are four announce teams to take you through the events.

Seattle Mariners TV: Dave Sims and Mike Blowers

Lack Of Posting

Apologies for the lack of posting over the past month. Between vacation, work, volunteering, and swimming, I have not had a lot of time to put together numerous well thought out posts. And with my final semester of courses coming up before I student teach, I am not sure if things will be getting any better in the near future. I have plans in my personal life that will hopefully cross paths with my internet profile, but the odds of it actually happening are somewhere in the one-in-a-million range. Even if it does happen, the first you will ever hear about it would be over a year from now. As far as what it is, I will elect not to say anything now, because if it does happen, the surprise would be totally worth it. At least for some people. I think.

As I am sure you have noticed, my posts have evolved from news and video posts to more commentary and analysis posts over the years. While I still put up the occasional video, the news posts have become less and less, perhaps in large part because it is easier for me to RT something on Twitter then copy and paste blockquotes while surrounding said quotes with paragraph(s) of commentary. It is also easier to give a nugget or two on Twitter while I am busy with school work than it is to write a whole blog post. I will still try to donate time to this, I just do not know how much time I will have. What I can promise you though is I will still be around on Twitter and I will be around for live blogs of the NFL Season and MLB Playoffs and the fantasy football season. And that's all that matters, right? ;-)

Separating Fact From Myth Regarding The Philadelphia Eagles

Since the start of free agency began, numerous things have been said about the Philadelphia Eagles. And why not? In one off-season, they managed to sign Jason Babin, Nnamdi Asomugha, Ronnie Brown, Vince Young, Cullen Jenkins, and Steve Smith (USC/NYG edition). In addition to that, they acquired Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from Arizona in exchange for Kevin Kolb. In this day and age, it goes without say that this is going to get talked about a lot. From widely publicized newspapers to national TV shows to your nearby sports bar, people are talking about the Philadelphia Eagles. Now along with that, plenty of myths about the Eagles are being passed down as fact. Listed below are some of these myths, why people think they are facts, and why they are not facts.

Myth #1: The Philadelphia Eagles are becoming the Washington Redskins

Why People Think It Is A Fact: The Eagles signed big named free agents.

Why It Is Not A Fact: There are in fact several differences between what the Eagles have done this off-season and what the Redskins under Dan Snyder have traditionally done.

1. The Redskins overpay. The Eagles underpay.
2. The Redskins build through free agency, frequently trading away draft picks at a hilariously pathetic rate. The Eagles build through the draft, stock-piling draft picks at a hilariously frequent rate, and simply re-tooling the team and filling immediate needs through free agency.
3. The Redskins do everything they can to ensure guys they sign are well past their prime once their contract ends (ohai, Clinton Portis!). The Eagles do everything they can to ensure that once guys are well past their prime, they are off the team, often at the expense of anger and frustration of the vast majority of the fanbase (see Dawkins, Brian).
4. The Redskins front office is consistently in disarray. The Eagles front office is consistently stable.
5. The Redskins planning involves waving money to big names and hoping they grab it. There is evidence that suggests the Eagles have been planning for this free agency class since 2008.
6. The Redskins have consistently lost over the past decade. The Eagles have consistently won over the past decade.

Myth #2: The Philadelphia Eagles taking the easy way out by trying to "buy a championship."

Why People Think It Is A Fact: The Eagles signed a lot of big names in the off-season for a lot of money

Why It Is Not A Fact: NFL is not MLB. Unlike baseball where there is simply a team's budget and a luxury tax threshold, the NFL features a hard salary cap which features a cap floor ($108M) that teams must reach and a cap ceiling which teams can't get over ($120M), although if you get down and dirty in the CBA, you will uncover exceptions which for the sake of simplicity and not wanting to bury the point, I will not get into here. It is impossible to spend more than everyone and buy a championship when everyone is allocated the same amount of resources.

Another argument I have heard (yes, this argument was made without the slightest hint of irony, humor, or sarcasm) is the Eagles have given up on drafting and are now resorting to free agency to "buy a championship." The Eagles had 11 picks in 2011, 13 draft picks in 2010, 8 draft picks in 2009, 10 picks in 2008, and currently own 10 picks in the 2012 draft, although knowing the ways the Eagles wheel and deal, that will almost surely change. In fact, as they have been acquiring big names, the Eagles have done nothing but stockpile draft picks. The Cardinals threw a 2012 2nd rounder, and had initially traded Brodrick Bunkley for a 2012 5th round pick, but due to circumstances surrounding Bunkley, that deal fell through. The Eagles ultimately sent Bunkley to Denver for a late round 2013 draft pick.

Myth #3: 2011 is Super Bowl or bust for the Eagles.

Why People Think This Is A Fact: Spending money on a lot of players means you are going all in this year.

Why This Is Not Actually A Fact: The Eagles have structured their contracts in such a way that if they do not win the Super Bowl this year, they are easily able to re-tool and come back next season just as strong. In other words, the Eagles have put themselves in a position where success can be sustainable over the next several years. The "window" for the Eagles extends beyond this season.

Myth #4: The Philadelphia Eagles are now the NFL's version of the Miami Heat.

Why People Think This Is A Fact: Vince Young said the word "dream" immediately followed by the word "team."

Why It Is Not Actually A Fact: If you want to hate the Philadelphia Eagles like you hated the Miami Heat this past coming season, there is certainly nothing I can say that can stop you. But, I can provide context and people's personal feelings aside, the direct comparisons to the 2010-2011 Miami Heat are not really applicable.

As mentioned above, people are citing Vince Young's "dream team" comment as an example of arrogance similar to that of LeBron James and the Heat. And truthfully, if that's all he said, you might have a point. The Eagles being viewed upon as the NFL's Heat is not a matter of fan ignorance, but rather a matter of media framing and assassination. And really, when people see everywhere that Vince Young uttered the following sentence it is not hard to see where the hate comes from: "Dream Team. From Nnamdi [Asomugha] to [Dominique Rodgers-] Cromartie, to Jason [Babin] to myself. I know they are going to do some more things. . . . It's just beautiful to see where we're trying to go."

It goes without say that that sentence, that sentence that you have surely seen and heard over and over again multiple times, makes Vince Young seem like an arrogant prick, doesn't it? But context is everything. What you have not seen and what you therefore do not know is the context with which Vince Young said the above sentence. A context that changes everything. When directly asked what he thought of the Eagles' off-season moves thus far, Vince Young stated the following:

"Dream Team. From Nnamdi [Asomugha] to [Dominique Rodgers-]Cromartie, and from Jason [Babin] to myself, I know they're going to do some more things. It's beautiful to see where we're trying to go. I'm all for it. Whatever they ask me to do, to be scout team quarterback or quarterback learning, do whatever it is. I just want to be here to help and be a part of a team. I'm just happy to be a part of the Philadelphia Eagles."

In other words, the same sentence being used to categorize Young as arrogant and someone still "frustrating" to work with, is actually a quote that displays great humility on the part of Vince Young. It illustrates a guy who knows his place and is someone willing to do whatever he can to better the Eagles, even if that means being a back-up QB to Michael Vick.

Unlike the Miami Heat, there is nothing cocky and arrogant at all about these Eagles. Most of all, the Philadelphia Eagles did not do anything even remotely close to this



Don't believe me? Check out Nnamdi Asomugha's press conference for yourself.



Got anymore? Hit me up in the comments section!

The Return Of Football Live Blog

Ravens vs. Eagles. Seahawks vs. Chargers. Other games.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO LIVE BLOG!

Cliff Lee Can Do It All, Part 2

Eight innings of shut out baseball, ten strikeouts, two walks, four hits, a game-winning solo home run.

Just another ho-hum night on the mound for Cliff Lee. Move along. Nothing to see here.

The Problem With MLB's Discipline Of The Phillies-Giants Brawl

In case you did not hear, the Giants and the Phillies got into a benches clearing brawl. As a result of this brawl, Shane Victorino got suspended three games, whereas Placido Polanco was inexplicably fined and Ramon Ramirez and (in particular) Eli Whiteside were only given fines. A few comments.

a). Shane Victorino was suspended for one reason and one reason alone: He pushed an umpire to re-enter a brawl. Why he is appealing that I have no earthly idea. The Phillies are entering a three-game series tonight against the Dodgers and following that will play in a three-game series at home against the Nationals. Please, Shane, do yourself and your team a favor and sit out against the weaker teams and end that.

b). Now that we got that taken care of. Why wasn't Eli Whiteside suspended? I can understand Ramon Ramirez not getting anything (I don't agree, but I understand why), but when a guy is hopping like around like he's Little Bunny Foo Foo and/or the world's worst Muhammad Ali impersonator, he has gone from the threshold of protecting his pitcher (which you could argue he was not even doing that as in the time between the plunking and Whiteside's tackle of Polanco, Ramirez advanced more than Victorino did, who before Whiteside's tackle, never exhibited any signs of wanting to fight) into the territory of "I want a fight." We all know what happened next. It is clear as day that Whiteside and Ramirez incited a bench-clearing brawl. Why is not that a suspension worthy offense? Better yet, what does that say about MLB?

MLB's statement on the matter might as well have been this: "MLB will not tolerate the physical abuse of umpires. However, if you incite contact with members of the opposing team, you will get away with only a paltry fine. Good friend and closer adviser to MLB, Gary Bettman, believes this is a good way to conduct business."

This is not a matter of wanting Eli Whiteside off the team in order to sabotage the Giants in the standings. Quite the opposite is true, in fact, it could be that MLB is getting very creative in their punishments and punishing the San Francisco Giants as a whole by not allowing them to have games where Eli Whiteside is not an eligible player. Cruel, unusual, and given the fact Whiteside has amassed a paltry 0.6 WAR in 60 games this season, effective.

c). Placido Polanco got fined for being on the wrong end of the worst-looking double leg takedown since Hornswoggle last stepped in a wrestling ring. What Placido Polanco was going to do, I have no idea, but aside from being on the wrong end of a tackle my grandmother could have executed better, he only showed he was doing the same thing everyone else was doing at that point. How on earth is it fair that he gets singled out because he made Whiteside look like he had less muscles than a toddler?

Ramon Ramirez, Eli Whiteside, and Placido Polanco got the same punishment for that fracas. Major League Baseball, ladies and gentlemen!

Thank you! Good night! Tip your waitresses! Try the veal!

Fox Has An Interesting Profile On Cole Hamels

I'll give you a million bucks if you can somehow figure out the appropriate context Eric Karros was going for here.  I seriously can't figure it out.

(h/t @dhm on Twitter)

AFL Playoffs Conference Final Schedule

I know I said I would be live blogging the Conference Finals of the AFL Playoffs as well, but NFL free agency and MLB's trade deadline happened. I got distracted and forgot about it. Here is hoping I do not do the same thing again this week.

National Conference Final

August 6: Chicago Rush vs. Arizona Rattlers 10:00 (niftytv.com)

American Conference Final

August 8: Georgia Force vs. Jacksonville Sharks 8:00 (NFL Network)

8/3 Phillies Vs. Rockies Live Blog

Another day game, another day game where I feel like doing a live blog just for the heck of it. Actually, that is not wholly true. I want to do a live blog to redeem the last time I did a live blog. The Phillies lost that game to the Padres. This time, the 2nd best pitcher in the NL this year (Roy Halladay) takes the mound for the Phillies while the worst pitcher in the NL this year (Jason Hammel) takes the mound for the Rockies. What could possibly go wrong?

The Eagles Are Just Trolling The NFL At This Point

This is beginning to verge on the point of ridiculous now. After already making a splash in the off-season by signing Jason Babin (does anyone even remember this now?), Nnamdi Asomugha, Cullen Jenkins, trading Kevin Kolb for Dominiquie Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2nd, the Eagles have struck again by signing a back-up running back, Ronnie Brown of Miami Dolphins wildcat fame and right tackle Ryan Harris.

Presumably four teams were in on Ronnie Brown, but he chose to sign with the Eagles even though they offered him the least amount of money. He is not the first person to sign with the Eagles this off-season even though their offer is not the best.

Ryan Harris played 3 years in Denver and allowed only 7 sacks in 34 games.

It's official. The Eagles are just trolling the rest of the league now.

There Is A Reason Gus Johnson Is Not A Baseball Announcer

I am not sure why there is such a crazy about over-lapping Gus Johnson screaming into every dramatic sports video ever, but nonetheless it is somewhat entertaining. If you have ever thought about why Gus Johnson never does baseball, hearing him screaming dubbed over T-Mac and Wheels on John Mayberry, Jr.'s top of the 9th game-tying 2-run blast off Huston Street may carry some of the answers.



On the plus side, that was better than T-Mac's orgasm.

The Phillies went onto win 4-3 in the 10th inning thanks to a Victorino solo shot.