Sad Night at Rangers Ballpark

Do not watch this video if you are easily disturbed.

RIP to Shannon Stone and condolences to his family, especially to his son. Nights at the ballpark should not end with a 4 year old kid ending up losing his dad. And how much more crap will the universe throw at Josh Hamilton?

2022 World Cup Follies Update

I swear I don't know where that money came from.

How long ago was 1863? The battle of Gettysburg was fought in that year. 1863 is also the year in which the rules or “Laws” of soccer were first introduced. And, ever since then,148 years, the game has always been played in 2 halves. You play 45 minutes, take a break, then play 45 more. Outside of the USA, it’s been a pretty successful formula.

That might be changing.

Last December, FIFA, the sanctioning body of soccer, and a notoriously clean, open, and above board organization, elected to hold the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, choosing it over the United States, where temperatures in the summer have been known to get to 120 degrees and above. At the time, viewers around the world were told of all of the innovative plans the Qatari organizers had for cooling the stadiums, to make sure no one keeled over and died in the middle of the match from dehydration.

Well, it appears Qatar may have oversold those plans by just a teeny-tiny amount. To the point where FIFA is considering radical changes, including holding the tournament in the winter. Now FIFA is floating the most radical idea yet; changing the format of a soccer match from 2 halves, to 3 periods of 30 minutes each.

Imagine the NBA changing the Finals to 6 8 minute periods, or the NFL making the Super Bowl 12 5 minute periods. This would be, in my opinion, the most ridiculous change to the rules in the history of organized soccer.

A legacy only Gary Bettman would be proud to have.*

*Or, FIFA took the money and ran

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Athletes Opening Their Big Mouths

Let’s check in on two athletes who maybe should have thought before opening their mouths in recent press appearances:

Here’s Bryce Harper, a multi-millionaire at 18. He drives a giant truck. Most people assume he’s the next big thing in baseball. But, boy does he seem like a guy who has no idea how to make friends and influence people. Courtesy of the DC Sports Bog, here are Bryce’s thoughts on his recent promotion to AA Harrisburg:

“’Those last 20 games, I was really, you know, really not too focused,” Harper said. “You know, I was wanting to get out of there, doing things that I shouldn’t have been doing. And once I got [to Harrisburg Monday night], baseball was fun again. It was a lot of fun being out here, being in this kind of crowd, this type of atmosphere. You know, that’s what you live for.’”

Now, I can see for a kid from Las Vegas how a town like Hagerstown, Maryland can be beyond boring. I mean, Maryland is struggling to even put in nickel slots, which could possibly enliven that town. But, to take a shot at a small town like that? I’m guessing Bryce won’t be doing any rehab assignments in Hagerstown. It should be incredibly entertaining to watch Harper as he chases ARod’s mark as the most hated douchebag in baseball.

Now, here’s PGA Tour golfer Bubba Watson. Bubba’s just a simple country boy from the backwoods of America who, like Justin, decided he wanted to spend his Independence Day weekend over in Europe, by playing a tournament in Paris, France. After bombing out and missing the cut, he had some, well, interesting things to say about his visit to gay Paree…

“’I think this might be the only time I play in Europe. I miss my home," Watson said.

"I love France. France is a nice place. Paris is a beautiful city. I went to the Eiffel Tower, to the Louvre, somthing like that, and the arch way, and saw the castle that we are staying next to (Versailles Palace)."

Watson described the Eiffel Tower as 'that big tower' and the Arc de Triomphe as 'this arch I drove round in a circle' and in riding past the Louvre on his motorised push bike, Watson described it as 'a building starting with L'.’”

Watson also ripped the security at the golf course. Even though he later apologized for his behavior, it’s safe to say Watson hasn’t made any fans among the notoriously welcoming French citizenry. I think it also exposed the weaknesses in the American educational system. I thought everyone knew about the Louve and Versailles by the time they finished high school. At least he’s provided some material for Woody Allen to use in his next movie about Americans visiting Paris.

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Red Pinstripes Will Make Ryan Howard Look Thinner

There are times when nostalgia is a good thing. Some times nostalgia is a bad thing. You need to move on. When it comes to uniforms though, nostalgia can be beautiful. There are some retro jersey's I wish teams would go back to. Example, the retro 1984 jerseys the Phillies will be wearing July 22nd.

I'm not the biggest fan of pinstripes, but the old Phillies red pinstripe jerseys with the all red hats with the P are beautiful. Why doesn't the Phillies the go back to this look? Why doesn't more major league teams go back to their retro look?

When the Giants moved to AT&T Park, they went back to their retro vanilla look over their former all white jerseys. The move was meet with praise for the Giants. I wish other teams like the Orioles, Brewers, and Braves would go back to their old jerseys. That is nostalgia I would support.

To go back to my original point, I wished the Phillies would ditch their current uniforms mash-up and go back to the jersey's of the Mike Schmidt era.

Can't Have 4th of July Without Kate Smith

This is a Philly centric blog right? How could my pal Kris forget about Kate Smith?



My name is Keith, aka 49er16, I run Keith's Sports Journal and can be found on Twitter here. Kris and I will be filling in for Justin until he returns from vacation. So enjoy the 4th of July and hopefully enjoy our work at ACOEPCC until Justin returns.

Happy Independence Day!

Enjoy the holiday where Americans celebrate their freedom by grilling meat, giving themselves nasty sunburns, and blowing up small parts of the country. Or you can just go on a Black Sea cruise. Have a great time celebrating our 235th birthday!

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Ten Things That Will Happen While I Am On Vacation

Starting the afternoon of July 1 and ending July 11, I will be on (a very much needed) vacation, and at the same time, I will not be anywhere near a computer. So with that in mind, here are 10 things that I think will happen between the time my vacation starts and the time it is over.

1. Steven Stamkos will sign a long-term contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

2. The NFL will agree to a new CBA.

3. The NBA will not agree to a new CBA.

4. Cole Hamels will be named NL All-Star Starter.

5. Roy Halladay will receive a standing ovation in Toronto.

6. The Phillies starters will not achieve any historic in-game achievements.

7. Paul Holmgren will overpay for someone.

8. JP Dellacamera will tell everyone who will listen that BIMBO Bread is "packed with goodness and baked with love."

9. Simon Gagne will sign with the Philadelphia Flyers.

10. 49er16 and kt1000 will do a much better job than myself at consistently posting here.