noredicret (bot) The Lazy Athlete

The is No Goalie Controversy

Posted in NHL, Philadelphia Flyers, Uncategorized on 03/24/2011 01:24 am by Brian Berg

It’s an annual event in Philadelphia.  Every year around this time, debates rage as to who should start in net for the Flyers once the playoffs start.  This year is no different…but it should be.

Brian Boucher has been good. But it's his experience that should earn him the postseason job. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America)

Brian Boucher has been good. But it's his experience that should earn him the postseason job. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America)

Talent vs. experience.   A classic debate in sports.  Granted, the two aren’t always mutually exclusive, but the Flyers are faced with a decision that epitomizes that debate.  Brian Boucher, the veteran journeyman goaltender, has been splitting time all season with Sergei Bobrovsky - the sensationally surprising rookie net-minder.  So, this being Philadelphia, the question must be asked…a thousand times…”Who should start for the Flyers in the playoffs?”

But this time, it’s not necessary.  Pretty much since the All-Star break, Brian Boucher has outperformed “Bob.” But for some reason, no one seems to see it.  Maybe after getting pulled against Washington Tuesday after letting in three goals on nine shots, things are becoming clearer, but to me, it’s now painfully obvious that Bobrovsky isn’t ready.

In my humble opinion, Boucher has been the choice for months.  Even when “Bob” was playing great I felt that you had to go with the known commodity come playoff time.  Not only that but Boucher hasn’t exactly had a bad year.  Bobrovsky has a 26-11-5 record with a 2.61 GAA and a 9.14 save percentage.  Not bad for 22 year old kid playing in North America for the first time in his life.  But good enough to usurp the postseason job from a 34 year veteran goalie on his third tour of duty with the Flyers?  As I said before, I think no.  But considering his 17-8-4 record, 2.41 GAA, and .915 save percentage, I know the answer is no.

I heard on Daily News Live following the Washington game that the Flyers have “More questions than answer in net.”  Aside from being an overused cliche, that couldn’t be further from the truth.  I understand that Bob’s underwhelming performance was deflating to a lot of people who really want him to be the next Ron Hextall.  But one thing it did, was make it clear that he simply isn’t ready to lead a team with such serious Stanley Cup aspirations.

This post is by no means meant to put down Bobrovsky.  He’s got a bright future, and he may just be the franchise goalie the Flyers have been looking for for so long.  His time will come.  Later.  His inexperience, combined with Brian Boucher’s totally underrated strong play, make the choice for playoff goalie simple and clear.  Don’t overthink it, Brian Boucher is the Flyers’ best option come April.  And May…and, hopefully, June.

Eagles Concussed in Opener

Posted in NFL, Philadelphia Eagles on 09/14/2010 02:45 am by Brian Berg

So it’s clearly been a while since I’ve written about sports - I offer no excuses other than laziness and lack of ambition - and it makes (im)perfect sense that I’m choosing to write about the Eagles - the same team that I have felt an epically low level of anticipation for since last season’s disastrous end.  For some reason I passed up a Flyers Stanley Cup run that included an epic 3-0 series comeback against the Bruins.  And apparently I couldn’t find anything in this roller coaster Phillies’ season to write about.  So that leaves me with an Eagles team that has successfully purged all my favorite players over the past few offseasons; a team that logically isn’t expected to finish with double digit wins.

The Eagles opened their 2010 campaign at home against the Green Bay Packers, falling 27-20 in a very interesting game (note my usage of the term interesting instead of entertaining).  For many, the Packers are a favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.  While I don’t really share that sentiment, it can’t be argued - by a sane person at least - that they are not clearly better than the Eagles.  So it’s not the final score that was interesting; rather the path to that outcome.

After taking a early 3-0 lead, the Eagles surrendered 20 unanswered points.  But behind an impressive performance by Michael Vick, the Eagles fought back before eventually falling 27-20.  But wait, why Michael Vick?  I thought this was the beginning of the Kevin Kolb era in Eagles football.  Well, thank you inner monologue for that wonderful segue.

Kevin Kolb, after a lackluster performance, left the game with a concussion.  On a side note, it appears the Kevin Kolb era is starting the same way much of the McNabb era went, with an inconsistent QB who spends too much time injured.  Don’t get me wrong; I’m not blaming either QB for getting injured too often (I think it’s crazy when players get a “bad rap” as an injury-prone player, as it’s usually a series unfortuante coincidences).  But we’re really learning what happens when you throw the ball as much as Andy Reid does, behind an offensive line that hasn’t earned even half of their huge paychecks.  It’s tough to keep your QB healthy.

Kevin Kolb was not the only casualty on Sunday.  Pro Bowl Fullback, Leonard Weaver was lost for the year, and possibly forever, after suffering a gruesome knee injury.  It wasn’t quite Joe Theisman territory, but seeing someone’s knee bend the opposite way is never a comfortable sight.  Weaver is one of the few players on the team that I really like, and it’s was a real shame to see that happen to him.

Another concussion victim, and another uncomfortable sight, was Stewart Bradley leaving the game after failing to keep his balance after standing up.  Unlike Kolb, Bradley returned a couple plays later (Kolb did return, but only temporarily).  Good news, right?  Maybe not.  Since last season, their are new guidelines in place to protect players suffering concussions from the pressures of “shaking it off” and returning too soon.  If a player demonstrates any concussion symptoms - losing consciousness/collapsing  being one of them - said player is not supposed to re-enter the game.  Given the proximity between Kolb’s and Bradley’s injuries, it is entirely possible Bradley did not get as thoroughly examined as the league mandates, and returned to play prematurely.  If this is the case (and it may not be, and may be even tougher to prove), the Eagles could be in for some punishment from the league office.

To me, falling 27-20 to a superior team is not much of a story.  Even Michael Vick leading a “close but no cigar comeback” is a back story here.  This game was all about injuries; most specifically the concussions, and the team’s handling of those concussions.  Football has always been a “Man’s” game.  Players have always been pressured to return quickly from injury, and for the most part, nothing needs to change.  But when dealing with the players’ brains, things are rightfully changing.  There is still so much we don’t know about brain injuries, and everything we do learn points to caution.

A Roy Halladay Post With Zero Puns About His Name

Posted in MLB, Philadelphia Phillies on 12/21/2009 06:20 am by Brian Berg

Replacing Cliff Lee with Roy Halladay may make the Phillies only marginally better for 2010, but it makes them significantly better for the three years following.

Roy Halladay talks about joining the Phillies, while Ruben Amaro Jr. looks on (Clem Murray/Staff Photographer, Philly.com)

Roy Halladay talks about joining the Phillies, while Ruben Amaro Jr. looks on...happy after finally catching his own personal unicorn (Clem Murray/Staff Photographer, Philly.com)

The Phillies finally got their man.  Prior to last season’s trading deadline, the Phillies were considered the front runners in acquiring Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays.  However, the asking price was too much GM Ruben Amaro Jr.  So as a consolation prize, he practically stole Cliff Lee from the Cleveland Indians.

We were told that Lee was every bit the ace pitcher that Halladay was.  And from the moment he arrived, he proved that assertion - most notably with a 4-0 record in leading the Phils to their second consecutive National League Pennant.  While we were skeptical of Lee at first - he didn’t have quite the track record of Halladay - we came to worship him.  And now he is gone.

In sending a package of prospects that seems to be only slightly less than what the Blue Jays were asking for last July, the Phillies brought Halladay into the fold.  But why do it if Lee proved to be just as capable as Halladay - particularly in the clutch (where Halladay is unproven).  And when you think about it, why not keep both?  With a rotation as good as anyone has had since the Braves of the 1990’s, another trip to the World Series would seem about as inevitable as something can be in baseball.  The answer is two-fold; neither of which has to do with the Phillies being cheap.

Many criticized the trade of Lee as the Phillies being more concerned about their payroll than winning another World Series.  And it certainly seemed that way on the surface, since the Lee trade to Seattle was technically separate from the Halladay trade from Toronto.  The first reason the Phils chose to put their legacy on the arm of Halladay instead of Lee did actually have to do with money.  Just not in 2010.  All indications were that Cliff Lee intended to test the free agent market following the expiration of his contract after this season.  Lee is old enough to want to make this his last long term contract.  And he is young enough that there will be teams willing to give it to him.  Halladay on the other hand wanted to win a World Series so bad, he was willing forgo free agency and take a below-market contract extension with a true contender.

All of that means the Phillies were able to get Roy Halladay for $20 million/year through the 2013 season - a bargain in the market of major league aces.  Whereas Lee will probably sign for at least that much, and probably 2-3 years longer once he hits the free agent market next season.  The Phillies clearly worried that Lee would walk after this season, and they knew they could sign Halladay to an extension.  And made sense on the field, and in the pocket book.

However, maybe the bigger reason for not keeping Lee was not financial at all.  Considering the three prospects they gave up to obtain Halladay, combined with the four they gave up to get Lee last summer, the Phillies were losing seven of their best prospects.  And as Amaro put it, “That’s no way to do business in baseball.”  And he’s right.  It’s tough to understand the true value of prospects when you’re staring at a possible rotation that’s headed by two Cy-Young Award winners, but the Phillies needed to restock the farm system with talent if they wanted to remain competitive in the future.  So they traded Lee to Seattle for three prospects.

If the trade of Lee was done simply because the Phils did not want to pay for both him and Halladay, the Phillies would’ve been much more likely to trade someone like Joe Blanton - who makes about only $2 million less this coming season.  However, Blanton would not command near the level of prospects that Lee did.  Obviously these trades had to do with money AND prospects, but I think money was much less of a factor than fans are arguing.  And it is completely unfair to criticize this team - a team that has won two straight N.L. championships and one World Series in the last two seasons, and just added a pitcher of Roy Halladay’s skill level for four more seasons - for caring more about their payroll than another World Series.

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