Philly 4 Pack

The Eagles have been off since the mini camp, and we will next see action starting on May 20, when the rookies come in for Rookie Camp. The Eagles did announce the start of training camp, which will be July 26. Everyone is anticipating training camp, and the Eagles season to begin. The big battles this year for starting positions seem to be the following: Sean Jones vs. Quintin Demps at the safety position opposite Quintin Mikell. I know Mikell is a strong safety, and emerging as one of the best in the league, but he came into the league as a free safety, and could probably slide over there without missing a beat. However, it makes sense that you don't want to move Mikell, in which case, Jones could probably learn the free safety position by the time the season starts. Victor Abiamiri vs. Juqua Parker at the left defensive end spot should also be a good battle. Also look to see if Akeem Jordan can hold off Omar Gaither for the outside linebacker spot to start the season. On offense, it will be interesting to see how Reid lines up the Andrews brothers on the offensive line.

The Flyers are still watching the postseason from home, which is not acceptable for them. They need to make some changes this offseason. Take a look at some of things the Flyers need to do to turn things around here.

The Sixers, much like the Flyers got bounced in the 1st round of the playoffs early, but aren't in as good a position as the Flyers. The Sixers don't have much money, and are locked into some players for a lot of money and years. The Sixers also need a new coach, as interim coach Tony DiLeo stepped down, leaving the position vacant. Ed Stefanski will interview Eddie Jordan today to the spot. Doug Collins is the other name being thrown out as a serious candidate, along with Avery Johnson and Jeff Van Gundy as fringe candidates. They also need to focus on a draft, and will probably need to draft a PG that is available, as the draft is very deep in point guards.

The Phillies have not had a good week, losing two of three to the Braves and Dodgers. The pitching staff, while getting better, has still been subpar, however, the offense has gone cold. After scoring 10 last Friday, the Phillies have scored only 14 in the five games since then. The offense goes through good stretches and lulls throughout the season, and should bounce back from this. Chan Ho Park has put together two straight solid pitching performances, and Cole Hamels has looked to regain his form. However, Jaime Moyer is getting absolutely lit up every time he takes the mound. We all love Moyer; he is a Philly guy, and he finally broke through and won the World Series last year. However, it has been batting practice for the opposing team lately hitting off of him. The bullpen has not been that great either lately, and will need to get better, especially Brad Lidge, who has been giving up a lot of runs this year. The Phillies play four this weekend against the Nationals, with Happ getting his first start of the year on Saturday during the double-header. The Phillies are 16-16, two games back of the first place Mets.

Philly 4 Pack

Let's start with the Eagles, who as we have mentioned had what seemed like a very good draft. Right now, the Eagles are better on paper than they were at the end of last season. Not only that, they put themselves in a good situation for next year's draft by having a lot of picks to work with, which you know they love. Time will tell if the draft pick's and acquisitions actually work out, but it seems like most are happy with the moves. I am a little nervous about Jeremy Maclin, and his ability to contribute right away, and learn the offense. Since he played in a spread offense in college, his numbers are a little inflated, and he has never done a lot of the stuff he will be asked to do on the Eagles. The Eagles just completed a successful mini camp, and the next thing on the horizon for them is Rookie Camp, which begins on May 20.

The Flyers are watching the rest of the NHL playoffs from their TV's, and the golf course. Recently, the Flyers have shown some interest in goaltender Ray Emery, formerly of the Ottawa Senators, and most recently playing in Russia. Emery is a little bit of a head case, but is only 26 years old. The Flyers definitely have some decisions to make at the goaltender position this offseason as both Biron and Niittymaki are free agents. Biron is a little bit above average, but nothing special, while it seems like the Flyers do not have the same high hopes they once had for Niittymaki. The Flyers also need to add a good, young defenseman like Joy Bouwmeester of the Panthers. Look for the Flyers to dangle Danny Briere and Simon Gagne as trade bait to see what they could get for them.

The Sixers, much like the Flyers are watching the NBA playoffs from home. The Sixers are in a bad situation right now, with a lot of money tied up in certain players, and thus not much room to make any moves. They have a lot of money and years invested in Iguodala, Brand, and Dalembert. Dalembert really should not be a starter for this team, and I would love to see him not on this team. Willie Green should also not be a starter. Lots of rumors going on right now about trading Iguodala, possibly for Tracy McGrady. Andre Miller, who may have been the best player down the stretch for the Sixers, will most certainly not be on the team next season, which means the Sixers need to address a point guard for the future, along with a big man.

The Phillies are in first place in the NL East, but are not really winning conventionally or easily. The pitching staff, mostly the starters have continued to struggle. Chan Ho Park finally had a very good outing last night in a 1-0 loss to the Mets. Let's hope he can build off of that good start. Brett Myers has flat out not been very good. Jaime Moyer is what he is, which is an average starting pitcher. Cole Hamels, despite leaving the last two games with minor injuries, looks like he is getting better with each start. The offense has been strong, and is the main reason that the Phillies are in first place. The Phillies have scored the 3rd most runs in the NL, and are doing it without much contribution from leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins. Once Rollins gets going, look out. The Phillies sit at 14-11, with a 1 game lead over the Marlins in the NL East.

Philly 4 Pack

Starting the Philly 4 Pack with the Eagles, who have the NFL Draft tomorrow, and it will be very interesting to see what they do, as there are still a few more pieces to the puzzle to fill in on this roster. The offensive line appears set going into next season, and the defense is solid. We believe the Eagles should take a running back first overall, and still look into packaging some picks for Anquan Boldin possibly. Look for the Eagles to take a RB, TE, CB, D-Lineman, and WR in this draft. The Eagles have made some very good moves in the offseason with the offensive line, however, there are still no new skill players or play makers on the team. You have no backup RB, you have no starting WR, and you are not any better in the red zone, which has been a weakness of the offense for the past couple seasons. Take a look here if you want to look at some of the players the Eagles might target in each round. Optimal situation would be to acquire Boldin, and still be able to draft one of the backs among Moreno, McCoy, or Brown.

The Flyers played a great game last night against the Penguins, holding off elimination, and making the series 3-2 in favor the Penguins. The series shifts back to Philadelphia for Game 6. Check out our recap of Game 5.

The 76ers are next, and are currently tied in their first round series with the Magic, 1 game apiece. Two straight games at home are next, starting tonight, and the Sixers need to win at least one of the two home games. The Sixers really can win this series, the Magic have not looked all that special so far in this series. The Sixers need to step it up on the offensive end against a stingy Magic defense. Game 3 is tonight on Philly.

The Phillies lost a tough game yesterday, their 2nd straight home loss to the Brewers. After putting up 11 runs on Tuesday, the Phillies put up just 1 run each on Wednesday and Thursday. Cole Hamels left yesterday’s game with a left shoulder contusion, which basically means a really bad bruise. Hamels took a line drive off his shoulder off the bat of Prince Fielder. He said he wanted to stay in the game, and said he would not miss his next start. The pitching has been slightly better this week, but the offense has fallen asleep. Still a good sign if they can put together some good starting pitching performances. The Phillies sit at 6-8, and open up a big weekend series tonight against the first place Marlins.

Philly 4 Pack

We are starting a new feature here at Kotite’s Corner called Philly 4 Pack for right now. It will be a weekly feature providing a short summary on the current state of all four major Philadelphia sports teams. So without further ado—

Starting with football, even though we are in the offseason, there is always information to talk about all year long. With the draft coming up, and the Eagles with the most picks of any team, this is a big week and a half for the Eagles. With the news coming in today that the Eagles have reached a deal to trade for Jason Peters, the Eagles have now solidified their offensive line. Check out the story on the trade here. The Eagles biggest needs right now after the Peters trade are running back, and wide receiver. It would be a very successful week if after the draft, the Eagles have actively addressed those needs. By addressing, we aren’t talking about taking a receiver in the 7th round, and claiming he is a steal and the next Jerry Rice. We want the Eagles to do something, and make a splash. If the Eagles can address these needs, they would probably be considered one of the favorites in the NFC. They still have the 21st overall pick to play with, and plenty of other picks. We stated previously that we would like to see the Eagles trade a 1st and a 3rd for Boldin, and a 1st and a 4th for Peters. The Peters trade happened, so who knows, maybe talks are in the works for Boldin. The Eagles, Giants, Ravens, and Jets are rumored to be the most interested in acquired Boldin.

The Phildalphia Flyers play Game 2 tonight against the Penguins in a first round playoff series. We have covered this, and provided a Game 2 preview, which you can find here.

The Philadelphia 76ers are gearing up for their first round series against the Orlando Magic which kicks off Sunday. The Sixers are the 6th seed, and may have a chance in this series against the banged up Magic. They are definitely over matched by the Magic, especially since Dwight Howard is not one of the Magic players who is banged up. You can find out series preview here.

The Philadelphia Phillies are off to a very average, but disappointing 4-4 start on the season. The Phillies always struggle in April, so it is not that much of a surprise, but the way they have played is concerning. The pitching staff has been not good, especially the starters. The Phillies have already allowed 54 runs, and only scored 42 in 8 games. We are still very early, so there is no reason to panic, but the Phillies starting pitching has been horrible. Cole Hamels got lit up in his first game, and it is a cause for concern since he pitched so many innings last season, and we obviously rely heavily on Hamels to be the #1 starter on this team. Blanton and Park both got lit up as well in their first start of the season. The hitting will come along as it gets warmer, and the players get their at-bats. Let’s hope the pitching comes along as well.