Thursday Afternoon Philadelphia Sports Links: People Invent Narratives To Avoid Reality

In the almost three years (my gosh where has the time gone) I have written this blog, multiple times I tried starting a links post, only for it to fade away into obscurity.  I think the average attempt of these has lasted three posts, if I am being generous.  This semester on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have a two hour break in the late morning-early afternoon between classes usually with nothing to do.  And because every morning/afternoon when I first log in I read a ton of articles from varying sites usually stemming my Twitter feed, I figured I would share some with you at semi-regular interviews.  So enjoy this latest reincarnation of Justin attempts to do links posts!

Phillies

Cliff Lee And BABIP [Crashburn Alley]

Cliff Lee left the seventh inning of Game Two down 5-4 with runners on first and second, no outs. It was quite a disappointing start for the Phillies’ second ace as the lefty allowed 12 hits and forked over a four-run lead. It was the third consecutive mediocre post-season start for the lefty, which screamed “Narrative!” for writers across the nation.

Deep Freese: Third Baseman Helps Cards Tie Series As Phils' Bats Go Cold [Philly.com Sports]

They sat at five tables eating tacos, and the general sentiment was that this is not the meal to eat immediately before a flight home, where the fate of the season rests in one game. Mexican - not champagne and beer showers - was the postgame meal Wednesday in the visitors clubhouse at Busch Stadium. There was no celebration, no smiles, no looking ahead.

Phillies Encounter The Randomness Of Postseason Baseball [Baseball Insider]

You have to still like the Phillies’ chances to beat the Cardinals in their first-round series. They will hand the ball to Roy Halladay who, no offense to Chris Carpenter, gives them a significant starting pitching advantage. They will have a home ballpark filled with their raucous, towel-waving fans, nary a squirrel in sight.

Eagles

Michael Vick, The Eagles, And The Dream Team That Never Was [SB Nation Pro Football]

Michael Vick declared the Eagles' Dream Team 'dead' on Wednesday, and all around the NFL, Philadelphia's critics are getting the last laugh. But the 'Dream Team' has been a lie all along.

Flyers

The Absurdity Of Losing Blair Betts For Nothing [Broad Street Hockey]

Casual fans of the Philadelphia Flyers will scoff at the fact that we're making a big deal about losing a fourth-line role player. But it's not only the fact that the team lost Blair Betts to the Montreal Canadiens via waivers today, getting absolutely nothing in return, that pisses us off.  It's what such a move says about the philosophy of this organization that's so frustrating.

2011-12 Season Preview - Eastern Conference [Down Goes Brown]

With the NHL's season opener just days away, it's time for an in-depth season preview of all 30 teams. Today we'll look at the Eastern Conference.

Union

Report About Roger Torres Buying Out Cali Contract Plausible, But Highly Unlikely Based On MLS Rules [The Brotherly Game]

The UnionDues is reporting that a source close to the situation told the site that Philadelphia Union midfielder Roger Torres has bought out the remainder of his contract with Colombian club America de Cali. Speculation on the move is that that either the Union are set to sign the 20-year-old to a contract, or a European club may swoop in and take the talented Colombian off to another continent.

College Football 

Must List:  Week 6 [Keith's Sports Journal]

I gotta be honest folks. This might be the weakest college football weekend in a very long time. There's only two games I'm remotely interested in and the night games are especially weak. So my suggestion this week would be to watch games up till the LSU vs Florida game is over and then go out and watch a movie. Here are some games you might want to just check out if you're inside this weekend.