Your Philadelphia 76ers Scored 9 Points In The Fourth Quarter

Throughout 3 quarters, the Sixers and the Portland Trailblazers played a pretty tight contest, trading the lead a couple times while playing a defense-oriented game with several bricks on each side.  However, that all changed at the end of the 3rd:

Trailing 63-59 in the third quarter, the Blazers went on (18-12) to hold the 76ers scoreless over the next 8:21. Philadelphia scored just nine points in the fourth quarter.

The Trailblazers extended their winning streak to 13 straight games as they demolished the visiting Sixers.  Sigh.  They WERE doing so well, especially when they went on their own run towards the end of the 1st half.  However, they stagnated on offense at the same time as the Trailblazers went on fire, especially guys like Brandon Roy and Travis Outlaw.  Iguodala dominated the ball, and that failed.  Louis Williams was out of control, both on offense and defense.  They were called for 3 technical fouls.

All in all this was a pitiful game.  They were facings a team that’s been absolutely off the chain, in an arena where the crowd was hot, and they tried to rush their offense.  Nothing fell or went their way.  Gordon Giricek may surface tommorrow versus the Seattle Supersonics, and perhaps the infusion of a new piece could reignite their recent winning ways. Let’s hope.

Saved By The Bell Mondays!!!

Remember the time we guessed who was coming to college?!?! AND IT WAS KELLY?!?! OMG OMG OMG I DO I DO

Kyle Korver Traded To The Utah Jazz

The Sixers get Gordon Giricek and a 1st round pick in return:

“We are excited about acquiring a player of Gordan’s ability, as well as an additional asset in the form of a first-round draft pick,” Stefanski said. “This move will provide us with increased salary cap flexibility this off-season and also allows us to continue our evaluation and development of the young talent we have on this team.”

In his sixth NBA season, Giricek has appeared in 350 games with 191 starts and has posted averages of 9.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 23.6 minutes per game. This season, the 6’6”, 220-pound guard has played in 22 games and averaged 4.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per game, while shooting 40.2% (40-104) from the field and 35.3% (12-34) from three-point range.

This came out of nowhere. I guess the Sixers wanted to give Korver’s minutes to guys like Thaddeus Young and Rodney Carney and see what they have in them. New GM Eddie had this to say about the move of Korver:

“On behalf of the entire Sixers organization, I want to thank Kyle for the positive impact he has made on this team and the city of Philadelphia through his play on the court and, even more importantly, his philanthropic efforts off of it,” Stefanski said.

This guy really blossomed into a decent NBA player. He gave the Sixers something no one else on the team did: three pointers and free throw shooting. I’m not against the idea of stockpiling first rounders and seeing what the newer guys can do out there, I just wonder if the Sixers are now the only team in the league without a three-point threat. Korver was no stud, but he did bring that to the team.

And what about the Kyle Korver bobbleheads damnit?!

On Utah’s end, I can see how they made out there. First, they love shooters. Second, Korver is easy as hell to market. Third, Giricek and Jerry Sloan had been butting heads, and they were looking to unload this guy. He’s been non-existent this year, and Sloan the grouch recently got into a public disagreement with him during a game. So off they ship Giricek to the other side of the United States, and get a decent shooter in a return.

edit: Apparently Giricek is on the last year of his deal, so that explains why the Sixers took him.

16-0?

Are  the Patriots going to do it?  It’s up to the Giants to try and spoil them.  I’m so watching this game tonight.  BUT WHICH CHANNEL?!  CBS, NBC, or NFL?!

Andre Iguodala’s Present To The Fans

His buzzer-beater against the Grizzlies baby! He came alive in the 4th quarter, scoring 17 of his 23 points, including this amazing shot to win the game 99-97. It’s what stars in the making do…

Saved By The Bell Sundays!!!

Remember the time Slater had a friend?!?! And it was a chameleon?!?!?! I DO I DO

Roy Williams Suspended For Being Himself

Dallas Cowboys Safety Roy Williams went stupid again this past Sunday when he pulled the jersey/shoulder pads of Eagles QB Donovan McNabb.  The NFL just suspended him for one game for this blatant disregard for the rules. Watching the replay shows just how close McNabb actually came to basically having another broken freakin’ leg:

Christ, let’s remember the whole reason the horse-collar tackle ban was put in place:

Many team owners became concerned with the horse-collar tackle earlier this year after it was blamed for causing a higher rate of injury than more traditional tackles. During the 2004 season, several offensive players were sidelined after being horse-collared: Titans wide receiver Tyrone Calico (sprained knees), Ravens running backs Jamal Lewis (sprained ankle) and Musa Smith (compound fracture of the right tibia), and Eagles receiver Terrell Owens (fractured right fibula and torn ligaments). All were brought down by Williams.

Maybe Williams should try to keep the guy IN FRONT of him so he can make a proper tackle and not have to resort to an injury-causing move.

The Phillies Are Now Looking At Kris Benson

Yep, your Philadelphia Phillies were checking out yet another starting pitcher, this time Mr. Ana Benson:

They wouldn’t say much about their impressions, other than they plan to talk more with the scouts who watched him and collect more information. Benson, 33, threw 60 pitches in front of the Phillies and about eight other teams to showcase his surgically repaired right shoulder. The injury sidelined him for the 2007 season.

“All the comments I received [from scouts] were very, very positive,” Benson’s agent, Gregg Clifton, said. “My experience with scouts is that if they didn’t like what they saw, they might say nothing. They might say, ‘Thanks for the opportunity to watch him pitch.’ But everything they said afterward was very complimentary.”

Benson is 68-73 with a 4.34 ERA in seven seasons with the Pirates, Mets and Orioles. He could make sense for the Phillies because he likely would sign a one-year contract.

A one year deal could make this a very worthwhile endeavor. Benson isn’t anything outstanding, but he’s a decent pitcher who could certainly give us 30 better starts than Adam Eaton. His 2006 season with Baltimore was nothing special (11-12 4.82 ERA 1.40 WHIP). If he can hit his career numbers (4.34 ERA 1.38 WHIP) he could be worth a one year test.

However, his K per 9 is extremely concerning. It dipped below 5(4.9) in 2005 and then went even lower (4.33) in 2006 before he was sidelined in 2007 with shoulder surgery. He’s lets up slightly more ground balls than fly balls, but homers hit against him also started increasing in 05 and 06. Both the strikeouts and homers *could* be attributed to problems with his shoulder, but who really knows? That’s why Gillick and Amaro are paid the big bucks, to figure out if Benson has reclaimed his previous decent pitching skills.

But hey, we all know what this deal REALLY rides on…Ana Benson’s opinion on the matter.Let’s go back to what she said when Kris was traded by the NY Mets:

“We would never, ever have signed with New York if they had said they were going to trade us.”

“How are they going to sit there and say it’s so controversial when they sign someone like Delgado, who turns his back on our flag?”

“Playboy is all-American. Everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Cindy Crawford has posed. They didn’t turn their back on the flag.”

“We wanted to help the city because of 9/11. We specifically did it for New York, and then they turn around and trade us? I just don’t understand.”

Cross your fingers people!

Alycia Lane Hates Dyke Bitches

Namely dyke bitch cops who she punches in their dyke bitch faces:

A foxy Philly anchorwoman – who once e-mailed sexy swimsuit snaps to a married TV talking head – became an anger woman today, calling a female cop a “dyke bitch” and slugging her in the face, law-enforcement sources said.

The bizarro incident occurred when Alycia Lane, an Emmy Award-winning anchor for KWY-TV in Philadelphia, was riding in a cab with hunky radio DJ boyfriend Chris Booker and another couple when their taxi was stalled behind a slow-moving, unmarked police car, sources said.

When the unmarked car stopped for a light at Ninth Avenue and 17th Street in Chelsea, one of the men in Lane’s cab went over to the vehicle and yelled, “I don’t care if you’re a cop, drive faster!” the sources said.

It is not clear how the man knew the vehicle was a police car, but the three officers inside got out, identified themselves and began questioning him, the sources said.

The petite, twice-divorced Lane, 35, then also got out of the cab and began snapping photos, getting right up into the face of the male cop doing most of the grilling, the sources said.

You may be asking yourself if this is true…well of course it is folks! The New York Post does solid reporting and gets their newz tips from solid sources! While Alycia may be trying to get items about her relationship with Q102′s Booker into The Philly Daily News, the Post is gettin’ the real scoop! She is single-handedly threatening New York cops and I am sick of it.

Saved By The Bell Sundays!!!

Remember the time Zack sprained his knee and he needed SURGERY?!?!?! AND REMEMBER WHEN LISA VOLUNTEERED THERE?!? I DO I DO

Look Familiar?

94.1 WYSP Rebounds In The Ratings At The Expense of WMMR

They saw a pretty decent jump in their key demos:

WYSP’s decision to return to rock three months ago seems to be working well – though, predictably, success has came at the expense of competitors. According to the November Arbitron report, WYSP (94.1) finished second in cumulative weekly audience among listeners ages 18 to 49 – a 35-percent rise since mid-September.

WYSP’s move coincides with a 16-percent drop in “cume” among that demo at rival WMMR (93.3).

Top station WBEB (101.1) – the front-runner among adult listeners by a wide margin – slipped 7 percent. Classic hits WOGL (98.1) was up 8 percent. Top 40 WIOQ (102.1) was down 3 percent. Alt-rock WRFF (104.5), logging huge numbers since its May sign-on, was down 3 percent.

Ratings did not reflect Kidd Chris, who started on mornings Oct. 26. Expect word shortly that Couzin Ed will do afternoons, and that a new-to-Philly jock will do nights. Spike (Brett Eskin) will start Monday on middays.

Perhaps I, and many others, were simply wrong in saying that fans would stop tuning in.  If anything, they tuned in and brought their friends with them.   These numbers are essentially entirely based off of when they went from talk to rock.  This is before Chris’ big jump to mornings at 6-10am.  Go Chris!

THE STREETS WILL RUN RED WITH BLOOD!

Most Of These Phillies Sucked, Even With The Roids

Mitchell Report goodness reveals several Phillies players proven/thought to have taken steroids in the past 15 years:

Page #178 – Bobby Estalella
Page #181 – Jeremy Giambi
Page *182 – Benito Santiago
Page #197 – Lenny Dykstra
Page #225 – Jason Grimsley
Page #238 – Ryan Franklin
Page #243 – Todd Pratt
Page #270 – Gary Bennett Jr.
Page #292 – David Bell
Page #293 – Paul Byrd

Remember now, these are only people who were ratted on by someone or who left obvious clues to their usage (such as a check explicitly for the product).  You likely won’t see anybody too smart on this list.  The thing I find interesting is that there were 4 catchers on there.  I wonder if there’s a specific reason for this or if it’s just coincidence?

Dane Cook: Joke Thief

He joins a long list of guys such as Robin Williams, Denis Leary, and Carlos Mencia (or Ned Holness, whichever he prefers to go by) by stealing a bunch of bits from a much better comedian in Louis CK:

Jackass.

Boxing Insults That Were Genius Back In The Second Grade

Philly Daily News columnist Bernard Fernandez reported this gem:

Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins (48-4-1, 32 KOs), The Ring magazine light-heavyweight champion, and undisputed super middleweight titlist Joe Calzaghe (44-0, 32 KOs) have been jawing at each other for years, but always from a distance.

Or at least that was the case until Friday, when their paths finally crossed at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

North Philadelphia native Hopkins was in town as the business partner of Oscar De La Hoya, the co-promoter of Saturday’s matchup of WBC welterweight champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. and British challenger Ricky Hatton.

Calzaghe jetted in from his home country of Wales to cheer on Hatton, or so he claimed.

But when Calzaghe approached Hopkins, in a media room full of reporters from both sides of the Atlantic, it was a mortal lock that more would be exchanged than season’s greetings.

“I’m going to wreck your face,” Hopkins told Calzaghe, adding that “I would never let a white boy beat me.”

Interesting way to go.  Potentially alienating a huge portion of your fan base is certainly one way to insult your potential opponent.  Talking about how he’s going to ‘wreck’ Calzaghe’s face was certainly original too.  Hopkins may be a local product, but he has to brush up on his insults if he expects to sway me to his side.  I liked the guy, but 2nd grad insults just won’t cut it.

Calzaghe, whom publicist Fred Sternburg has cleverly dubbed “Joe C Wales,” did not appear to be intimidated. In fact, he insisted he is eager to move up to 175 pounds and get it on with B-Hop, even in America, where he has never fought.

“It’s good to show my face here [in the United States],” said Calzaghe, who insisted it won’t be his mug that gets wrecked when he and Hopkins stop talking and start punching. “I’ve come here to support Ricky, but this was a bonus.

“Hopkins is all mouth. If we ever fight, he will get knocked out. I will kill ‘The Executioner.’ “

This guy certainly went a different route.  Instead of dancing around it or just talking about bodily harm, he stated he will end Hopkins’ life.  Period, end of story.  I don’t dislike it, I just find it too strong…it’s almost like he’s overcompensating for his inability to previously kill anyone.  Murder someone in cold blood Joey, then get back to me.