May 03, 2016
The month of April has come and gone, and the biggest surprise was not the arrival of a new quarterback for the Eagles, but the fact that the Philadelphia Phillies came into the month of May as a viable option for summer entertainment.
Before the team got blitzed in St, Louis on Monday night, it had swept two consecutive series, including a sweet blitz of the Nationals in Washington where the Phillies got to trash local villains Jonathan Papelbon and Jayson Werth.
The names are different. Long gone are the days of knowing the lineup by heart and looking ahead an inning or two to see when Jimmy Rollins or Chase Utley were coming to the plate.
There are still a couple of names left from the past, but with players such as Odubel Herrera, Vince Velasquez and especially, Maikel Franco, you are seeing the beginnings of the next generation of Phillies.
There is just a good feeling with manager Pete Mackanin, who has won over a locker room that was doomed to complacency under former manager Ryne Sandberg.
At least at this point, the Phillies have used that first month of the season to generate some interest in this club this season. There are no dreams of the postseason, just dreams of some meaningful games this summer.
***
So, are we supposed to all commend Will Ferrell for pulling out of a comedy about former president Ronald Reagan and Alzheimer’s Disease? How about wondering how he could even consider the role In the first place?
The very idea that an actor would consider such a role is despicable – as is the idea that such a movie is even on any movie house’s list of possible subjects.
***
In the realm of hard to believe, presidential candidate Donald Trump won the endorsement of former Notre Dame and legendary football coach Lou Holtz. The reason? Holtz loves Trump’s golf courses.
That would be par for the course in this election.
***
Just wondering what Eagles fans would write for a script if somehow Sam Bradford was included in an episode of Game of Thrones.
***
As expected, Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere is a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year. The other two finalists are Arteri Panarin of the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid.
No doubt that barring injury, McDavid is going to have the best career of the three, and he did have a monster season when he got healthy this season.
But the award is for this season, and despite Panarin’s big numbers with the Blackhawks he did not have as big an impact as Gostisbehere did with the Flyers. The simple fact of the matter is that the Hawks were going to be a good to great team with or without Panarin, but the Flyers were dead in the water before Gostisbehere came up from the AHL.
Ghost changed the entire dynamic of the fan base’s expectations, turning a wait-till-next-year mentality into an eventual playoff spot.
From this perspective, it’s an easy vote for Ghost.
***
Wouldn’t all rest stops on major highways be better off with food trucks rather than the usual list of fast food restaurants?
And now that the speed limit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike is 70 miles per hour it will be even more frustrating to be stuck in traffic doing 10 miles per hour.
***
If you wonder why some young professional athletes get the idea they are immediate stars consider the recent NFL Draft or just about any draft for that matter.
The leagues want the athletes to remain grounded – and that’s not easy to do when you cover the ground with a red carpet.
