WITH THE EAGLES SEASON OVER LET’S REVIEW SOME OF THE HIGH TICKET PLAYERS BROUGHT IN FOR 2011

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Naturally the biggest star was Nnamdi Asomugha. He gets the first review seeing that he was the prime acquisition.

- Over all he gets a B-

Some or probably most would give him a C or D because he did not have a good season. But honestly any corner-back on this squad was doomed to fail. Yes indeed with the ridiculous compliment of Safeties and Linebackers the corner-backs were hung out to dry.

Add the facts that Nnamdi was new to the team and “system” and that Juan Castillo had no clue how to run a defense and you get a disaster!

Many say Nnamdi is a man to man guy and the Eagles tried using him too much in zone. I also question why if he is “the man” why did he far too often not even get the assignment of covering the best receiver of the other team? I mean the most ridiculous example was against New England they had him on the scary talents of Julian Edelman! WOW …………

Jason Babin:

-Over all he gets a C+

On one hand he was brought here for sacks and you got that out of him. But he was not a premier defensive end. So it’s hard to decide who is to blame for that. So I give him a generous grade because I believe the biggest issue is he was asked to do what he did and you can’t hold that against a player. On the other hand just look at the other elite defensive ends in the league. While they did not have quite the number of sacks they were strong at pass rush and rush defense and that is what an elite defensive end SHOULD DO!

Cullen Jenkins:

- Overall he gets a B

For starters he is what he is. All in all he had a solid year. HE did not have the impact I thought he would though.

Vince Young:

- Over all he gets a B

No really. Look he is a BACK UP! Look around the league, you could have done much worse!

Ronnie Brown:

- Over all he gets a C

Part of the problem is he is a running back and well what do the Eagles usually do with running backs? NOTHING! So who knows if this was a product of Brown or Andy not using him properly.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie: via trade

-  Overall a B

I give him a little love because you gave up a stiff in Kevin Kolb to get him. YES KOLB SUCKS, PEOPLE! And the fact is DRC got off to a shaky start with injuries but as the year went on he played fairly well. Considering that all the corner-backs were working with lame safeties and linebackers to boot. He has had far better years. So this is relative to the circumstances.

So in summary the signings of these bigger name guys was not really that bad. The disappointment came because 1 – the expectations by many were ridiculous and 2 – they were not utilized to their strengths and 3 – you don’t just bring names together and expect a smooth transition

Let’s thrown in a FLYERS Bonus:

Ilya Bryzgalov:

- Over all he gets a D

By NHL standards for a goalie HE SUCKS! Add the absurd contract and you have an abject failure at this point.

The only hope is that it is all mental and that he is trying to be Patrick Roy. He is trying to win the Stanley Cup in January. WE pray he settles down and plays like he is reportedly capable of.

If not he will move to an INCOMPLETE and this will go down as one of the worst professional sports signings EVER in the history of any sport!

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES GET SOME WELCOME NEWS ABOUT HOWARD ….

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After his successful Achilles operation in October the clock started as to when Howard would be ready for 2012. The word is that he can start exercising including strength training and underwater running. He can start some baseball type workouts in 6 weeks. At that time he will start with fielding ground balls and progress to hitting.

All in all this is great news. It means the beginning of the season is not impossible. “I can’t even speculate,” Amaro said. “All I know is that it’s nice to know that at some point in Spring Training, that he’ll start doing some light baseball activities. I think it is good news.”

In other news Jose Contreras will begin a throwing program on today (Friday 1/6/12). Ruben speaks with uncertainty and yet seems adamant about not getting another arm for the ‘pen.

Placido Polanco coming off sports hernia surgery is speaking positively about 2012. He told Amaro he expects to be 100% by spring training.

Also with sports hernia surgery Hunter Pence says he too will be ready.

Cole Hamels who had some stuff dug out of his arm is already throwing and feels hunky dory. Only without the hunks in his arm anymore!

Speaking of training camp. Austin Hyatt and B J Rosenberg are a couple of youngsters invited this spring. Hyatt went 12-6 with a 3.85 ERA in 28 starts last season with Double-A Reading. Rosenberg went 5-7 with a 4.28 ERA in 39 appearances (14 starts) with Reading.

Here are other names to keep an eye on according to Phillies.com. They join 13 other non-roster invitees: right-handers Dave Bush, Scott Elarton and Brian Sanches; left-handers David Purcey, Pat Misch and Raul Valdes; catchers Steven Lerud and Tuffy Gosewisch; infielders Pete Orr, Kevin Frandsen and Hector Luna; and outfielders Scott Podsednik and Luis Montanez.

I am surprised that Brian Sanches is not a little more anticipated. At this point he is on the outside looking in. And it was not that long ago that this guy was a solid reliever who also had some quality starts in Florida. Many claim they burned him out.

Scott Podsednik who once was a decent player may factor in to some outfield play as the 5th man.

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FLYERS / RANGERS WINTER CLASSIC WAS A HIT!

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The Winter Classic at Citizen’s Bank while a disappointing loss, it was vary popular and a blast. The original idea behind the Winter Classic was for hockey to return to its roots on the frozen ponds where many youngsters played in Canada and the northern parts of the U.S.

Many of the Phillies were excited to attend. It was also awesome to see Clarkie, Bernie, and the boys of Winter pasts to wear the orange and black at least one more time! Let me tell you too Mark Recchi looked like he could play for a team right now still.

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EAGLES PUTTING ON THE POSITIVE SPIN

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Okay so 8 and 8 is not great but based on the comments of Eagles management and players, 4 in a row is a spring board for a trip to the Super Bowl. Frankly I predicted 8 and 8 at seasons beginning and I do not see next season being anything different. Why?

Because nothing will really change in the way this team goes about its business. They will have another bad draft and have the same deficiencies. They will also handle them the same way. Now in years past Jim Johnson compensated for many of these issues as well as some legitimate veteran leadership. On defense along with Jim Johnson you had Brian Dawkins, Trotter, and some guys like Troy Vincent and others over time to anchor and put players in line. And the same was with the offense when John Runyan and Tre Thomas anchored the O-line.

THE RECORD OF ANDY REID IS ACTUALLY BETWEEN SOLID AND VERY IMPRESSIVE AND YET MOST OF US WANT HIM OUT!

IS IT REALLY A MATTER OF GETTING RID OF ANDY?

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As an Andy I am against tossing Andy’s out the door and frankly I would not fire Andy Reid and here is why.

Honestly it is not a matter of his 126 wins/81 losses/ and 1 tie or his 10 and 9 playoff record. It is not because of 4 straight NFC Championship trips and 5 total. It is not because of taking the Eagles to a Super Bowl and being in the game until the Eagles puked their chances away. He has 6 NFC East Division titles and 9 playoff appearances in his 13 years of head coaching.

The thing is the numbers alone while impressive, are shy of the most important number. ZERO Super Bowl wins! Which there are some great coaches who share this short coming. Marv Levy and Bud Grant for example. But I believe there is reason for Andy’s Super Bowl failure that could be easily fixed.

Andy’s best years were when he had a coaching staff that was not under his thumb. Yes led by Jim Johnson of course. But Brad Childress, John Harbough, Steve Spagnuolo, Leslie Frazier, Ron Rivera, and Pat Shurmur. What do all of these men have in common?

All who went on to be head coacheS? Yes but more importantly they did not cow tow to Andy. There is old adage in management and ownership. “Hire people smarter or as smart as you and people who are not afraid to disagree with you!”

Andy’s failure is not as a head coach it is being too arrogant. If he would scale back his roles and hire stronger personalities and qualified assistants things would fall into place. Marty Mornhinweg is a classic example of his poor and stubborn choices. Marty is an Andy clone and thus will never take Andy too task on offensive matters. Juan Castillo is an Andy guy and would have gotten canned as an offensive line coach anywhere else let alone be promoted to defensive coordinator. Howie Roseman the “official” Eagles GM is an Andy guy and he too would not over ride an Andy personnel call.

Andy is basically in the same boat that Mike Holmgren carved for himself in Seattle for a time. This is  classic example of my point. Holmgren was a proven winning coach in Green Bay but had a defined role among a staff of others like Ron Wolfe who was THE GM. When Holmgren called all the shots in Seattle he suddenly was not as successful as a head coach. After years of falling short the Seahawks stripped him of franchise autonomy. When Holmgren was the Head Coach only he once again regained his mojo.

Andy’s biggest failure in my opinion is not knowing when to let it go.

1 – He should not be making draft picks or personnel decisions. Sure he can give his input but he should be the Head Coach not the GM. No one is successful when they do this. Belichick can be argued but even he has a real football people help him. Shanahan sucks at the GM thing, Parcells failed when he tried to be GM and Coach, as did Holmgren.

2 – Roseman is a puppet head. Get a legit GM in there!

3 – Andy is great at preparation but sucks as game day decision maker. Get qualified coordinators that are competent and strong and let them handle game day duties. Trust them Mike Tomlin is a great example of this as is Belichick for that matter. Mike McCarthy is also.

For starters bring Spagnuolo back as Defensive coordinator. And call John Gruden,  Eric Mangini or Brian Billick or someone like that to be Offenisve coordinator!

The bottom line is let Andy do what he does very well and strip him of the jobs he has no business doing and frankly is not very good at. And put actual qualified people in those jobs not Andy minions. Look if you own an NFL franchise and have a Joe Banner President you  have the clout and you should have the balls to sit BIG BOY ANDY down and tell him this is what is going to change and why.

Frankly if you give him the breakdown of what I am highlighting he should see it is time to suck it up and do the right thing. Frankly that is why I believe Andy should go. Because I don’t think he would agree to these terms. Ironic isn’t it?

THE DAY OF INFAMY IS UPON US AGAIN AND RUBE IS HOLDING STEADY

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I have to tell you I am not happy overall with the apparent direction the Phillies seem to be on.  On one hand this is a great team and does not need to be overhaul. However it may need more than a coat of paint too.

Now there is no need to panic but you also must realize that athletes can be finicky and get very stubborn. They become to obsessed with the “hey this is what I am” and they are afraid to improve their flaws if it requires too much change. Not to say that you should make radical changes either if it is not necessary.

They also become to comfortable at times or too concerned with money over the hunger to win! That sometimes leads to accepting losing too easily for my taste. A team that remains unchanged also while at one time was very close can get irritated with others and point fingers.

Players also get older!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But Ruben is sold on the fact that the offensive failures can’t happen a third year in a row. Basically that is what I am hearing and seeing. I was buying it last year somewhat that the team would likely not repeat 2010. But it did in 2011 and for many of the same reasons of 2010. So why think assume that 2012 will be different?

Yes Pence will be a huge difference. But that’s all you got going for you. And here is why:

1. I don’t see Howard being his usual factor for obvious reasons. A major injury always lingers or impacts a player far longer than you expect or hope for

2. Utley is done giving you what you keep thinking he is going to give you! How many seasons are you going to go saying “yeah Chase is going to bounce back”? He may be solid but that is not what you are hoping for! You may get a very good .285 average with 12 HR’s and 78 RBI’s but you want .305 with 27 HR’s and 102 RBI’s!

3. Polanco works his butt off but you aren’t getting the power you need from 3B. And his physical issues are mounting fast. It’s an Utley type situation.

4. Rollins, if he even stays, cannot lead off as a .260 hitter who streaks his way through a year

5. Mayberry may have arrived but you don’t know that he has

6. Thome brings nothing to the bench as a hitter for my money. Love the guy but he is done! Thome may bring a fresh voice to the “room”.

7. Ty Wiggonton? Whatever. I mean he has some versatility but he doesn’t wow me as a pinch hitter.

8. Laynce Nix? He has had some success as a pinch hitter so we let the jury decide this one. But is this a huge impact?

9. AGE! You got to bring some younger players in this mix!

Age not withstanding I would bring in Aramis Rameriz to play 3rd and trade Polanco. Yes MR GOLD GLOVE! Rameriz is a lifetime .284 hitter with years of solid power. Every year he has played 120 or more games he has hit at least 25 HR’s barring 2002 when he topped out at 18. He has hit 90 RBI’s pretty regularly also.

Honeslty the more I think about it I am very mixed on Rollins. LOVE J-ROLL! And he would be missed even with diminished numbers. But adding Rameriz would bring more to the line up and I think a journeyman shortstop like Alex Gonzalez or Rafeal Furcal or someone could get the job done until Freddie Galvis is ready.

More often than we want to admit we need to MOVE ON!

I AM PROBABLY ALONE ON THIS BUT I AM APPALLED AT HOW SPORTS MEDIA, PHILLY MEDIA INCLUDED, RUNS NFL STORIES BEFORE MLB STORIES!

THURSDAY MORNING MY AORTA LITERALLY EXPLODED WHEN COMCAST SPORTSNET RAN THE EAGLES GETTING READY FOR THEIR FIRST IRRELEVANT GAME OVER THE PHILLIES AWESOME COMEBACK WIN ON WEDNESDAY!

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Look I reluctantly accept that the NFL is head and shoulders more popular than all other sports. I understand that the Eagles rule Philadelphia in a city where we are rabid fans to begin with. BUT WE PASSIONATELY LOVE OUR PHILLIES!

Especially this rendition of them! Especially after THEY WON FOR US! During the Super Bowl era the Phillies have 2 rings  and 5 World Series appearances compared to the Eagles 2 Super Bowl appearances and empty ring finger! That better count for something!

We can complain about both franchises for stupidity and lack of dedication at times but the Phillies have changed all that over the last decade. In fact I would dare say it is the Phillies “all in” management since say 2005 and the subsequent results that have pushed the Eagles ownership to step it up. They should get some extra love for that!

And seriously how bass ackwards are these decisions to air Eagles stories ahead of the Phillies? I mean it is a pre-season game that means absolutely nothing compared to an amazing comeback in an August baseball game that counts!

And on top of that do they really think that Eagles fans would have been offended that they had to sit through 2 minutes of an amazing Phillies story to wait for their Eagles fix? PA-LEEEEEEEEEEZE?

I personally am still seething that the Phillies got snubbed! In fact I am on a Comcast boycott! Sorry Burkey and crew! Whoever made this call just lost a loyal watcher. Yes you have done this before and I have begrudgingly tolerated it. But that stunt was the last straw. I admit I might miss Lisa Hillary or Amy Fadool and maybe Ricky BO but I will not sit for this deliberate dis of my team! The team that matters right now!

I will continue to support my man Barkann though! Daily News Live is exempt from my hunger strike!

The Eagles will still be here in November and hey if the moves are what they are being billed as they will matter then! In the meantime I am preparing for a World Series Parade and I could not care any less about the NFL right now. This is my NFL lock out you can say.

The only thing that would be better is if all of you joined me and turned a deaf ear to Sportsnet/Sportsnite for a while to send them a little message. It’s not like you can’t get your fill of all things NFL elsewhere, like ESPN for example who also puts the NFL first and foremost.

Okay so it may sound hypocritical but it is one thing to snub the MLB for the NFL it’s another thing to disrespect your own Championship baseball team that is in season for your own NFL team that hasn’t done a darn thing!

Well that’s my rant and again I realize that most of you disagree. Of course I suggest that you Bird Lovers seek treatment in rehab but that is another story! LOL

To yell at me andynatalie@yahoo.com

JIMMY ROLLINS SINGS “SHE BANGS” FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE PLATE IN A 9 TO 1 ROMP!

WORLEY COMMANDS THE CUBS INTO SUBMISSION AND DOESN’T LET THE 97 DEGREES GET IN THE WAY!

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In a game where the offenses tags 9 and Jimmy cracks corn from both sides of the plate you would think that is the big story. But it’s not! Vance takes center stage on this sweltering day. Don’t look now but he is out pitching everybody!

Rollins talked about the youngster who up staged a great performance. “He’s a big dude, big head, Mohawk and everything, but he finds a way to hide that ball,” Rollins said. “He gets a lot of swings and misses.” He also explained what we have discussed here on mania. The Vanimal doesn’t really have that one killer pitch or electric stuff that the others do but he has moxie and the look of a winner. Actually Halladay and Lee are some like that but even they have pitch quality a little more advanced, pun intended, than Vance.

Let this be a lesson to you young laddies out there. You cannot and I repeat you cannot underestimate the value of the mental side of sports. It is what makes effort execution. It is what can make a guy like Worley become an impact pitcher instead of a Joe Blanton or any other mediocre arm out there. It is what turned a boy named Roy into a man named DOC! Yes the same guy who had been floundering in Toronto who had been sent down a couple times and through work, effort, and the mental toughness we are discussing to become the force he is.

Now there is no way of predicting what the ceiling of Worley is but he has the “I will conquer the world” attitude. Personally I think Worley will become a solid #3 or a #4 for years to come. But hey who cares what I think! I know Vance Worley doesn’t! Now it’s true that most professional athletes do read philliesmania.com and cling to every word and gem of wisdom I post but it does not sway their determination in any way! LOL Seriously though you can never predict what inner drive will do.

The reality is Worley  is 4-0 with a 0.94 ERA in his last six starts. Opponents have hit just .163 against him in that stretch. He also pitched his first 8 inning game and put up a high 8 K’s!

HOWEVER let’s not overlook the other stars of the day, namely on James Calvin Rollins. Among the bee-bees being shot around the yard by the Phillies line up nothing was grander than the 2 solo shots by J-Roll mainly because he hit one from each side of the plate. Did I mention that?

WOOD REPORT:

• 12 Hits and 5 Walks

• 7 Hits from 1,2,3 of Rollins, Martinez, and Utley = 6 RBI’s from those 7 hits!

• Rollins 3 for 5 with a double, 2 HR’s, 3 RBI’s,

• Martinez who suddenly has found his place had 2 hits and an RBI and 2 stolen bases! He has like 7 RBI’s this month!

• Utley cracked 2 doubles and 2 RBI’s

• Howard chipped in a hit and an RBI

• Victorino was 0 for 4 with a walk

• Ibanez was 1 for 5

• Dom Brown was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored

• Schneider had a double and an RBI

• Worley had a big double and he scored

• 5 for 13 with men scoring position is just fine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What about the HEAT? Oh it was scorching but this time the Cubs made a room available for the umpires and evidently the Phillies were allowed to use it also. And use it they did for some cool relief while they were batting. Pretty cool huh?

And now they have the day to cool off at home. Friday through Sunday the Phillies welcome the Padres. This is the beginning of a 10 day 10 game home stand and a 20 consecutive days of baseball marathon. DOGS DAYS OF SUMMER FOR THE BOYS OF SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AT #23 THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES PICK DANNY WATKINS OG FROM BAYLOR

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Well if you are a Mel Kiper fan than you are reasonably happy with this pick as Mr Hair had Watkins the #1 Offensive Guard on his “board” for the 2011 draft class. Actually  I wonder if Mel Kiper really does have a literal draft board? I bet he has like a big office with like 25 boards!

Anyhow ………… so the word on the circuit is this kid has some skills and that is good because O-Line has been a source of trouble over the last few years. Now it is hard to see an immediate impact unless you are drafting Tony Bosselli or even the Steelers got immediate dividends from Markus Pouncey, but for the Eagles any improvement would be a welcome sight.

Was he the best athlete on the board at the time? I doubt he was even the best football player out there at 23. I know many for instance who claim the DB Jimmy Smith who went to Baltimore at #27 was not far off of the ability and skill of the stud DB Patrick Peterson who went #5. Or was there a big defensive end that could help Trent Cole?

No matter what this is not a bad way to go. Whether he is good or not remains to be seen. Ironically I feel the same about Watkins as I did last year about Graham. It could go from one extreme to the other or somewhere in between.

As a side note the kid is a little older than many college seniors. He is already 26 years old. He is not as much of a kid as others would be. Also he is from Canada and played hockey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Little Flyers connection in the thought process? Seriously though that may help in his foot work. He also was a fireman!

OH BY THE WAY I AM WRITING THIS FROM MY LAP TOP WHILE ENJOYING THE ROYAL JOKE ……….. I MEAN WEDDING!

Okay the recent comments from our Eagles Leonard Weaver are offensive in face value but there is a point hidden that the common folk can relate too. At the same time it illustrates how clueless professional entertainers are when it comes to the real world!

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Dear Leonard, my friend please stop trying to explain we get it. You are insulting our intelligence by trying to compare golden apples to regular oranges.

For starters there will always be a percentage of people who will believe “all athletes and entertainers are spoiled and greedy” just accept that and move on. The rest of us while we envy you and are taken aback by the sheer numbers involved in your industry we understand that everything is relative to who you are.

The reality is Leonard you once again need to ask yourself, as do your colleagues, why did I choose professional sports? I say the answer is multi-pronged.

• I love sports

• I am exceptionally good at them and this is fun

• I can make a boat load of cash in a reasonably short amount of time or have fun trying

• I can avoid a real job for awhile or forever

And if you are an honest dude, which you are Leonard, you know this is true. Oh you world extremely hard and you accept some serious possible life changing risks. But you would never ever trade your opportunity with the “regular Joe” and you flat out know that. So please for the love of self respect stop pretending that you are anything like the “everyday dude or gal” who goes to work. It is not even close to the same thing.

Even everyday people know the levels of difference. People who bust their hump at Wal-Mart know they are not working in a coal mine and therefore do not compare themselves to coal miners. As Doctors should not compare their struggles and rewards with a car salesman. Yes everything is relative and should be viewed as such. As well as discussed accordingly!

In Leonard’s defense let me clarify what I believe he is trying to say. At least I hope this is what he is trying to say.

While we all have our own needs and our job is often challenging more than rewarding we all appreciate being compensated for our work. And 99% of us, if not 100% feel we are underpaid and we all know you feel that way! Honestly have you ever ever met anyone who said “you know I really ought to give some of my paycheck back, I am really getting paid too much”?

In fact what usually happens is we take a job for $10 an hour or whatever and at first we are relieved we have a job and if we are luck we have insurance with it. But by 6 months into the job we are angry at our company for “ripping us off”. You know you feel that way. Even people who go around saying “hey I get paid a nice buck” also feels their boss or as NFL players call them, “slave owners”, could pay them more because he is printing money. Believe me I know this because at one time I had 25 employees. Yes Leonard I was a “slave owner” and guess what it wasn’t as great or as easy as you think. In fact you should try it out and see how generous you are. See how much of your hard earned money you give to the people who “make you what you are”!

Anyhow the reality is regardless of how much we make no one believes their boss is losing money nor would you easily accept a pay cut. This is what my friend Leonard and his NFL buddies are trying to say. And that is fine. No one should find fault here for this is one thing we all agree on. In fact Leonard let me do a public service for you and your NFL friends and give you an outline of what you should say from now on.

“Dear public. Because of your love for the NFL and for your support athletes like me are lucky enough to have a job that we love and a job that can make us financially secure. We do our best to work hard to give you a worthy product and also are willing to take the risks to our physical and mental being. Again we are well compensated for it. We have no idea what the everyday fan goes through at their job but we do know that you have been willing to make my lifestyle possible by feeding revenue into the industry I am employed in. We appreciate that a handful of business savvy men have worked hard and invested into a league that is enormously successful. Our present dispute is that we are not convinced that those owners are being forthcoming with the facts. While we live in bad economic times for most people the owners of the NFL franchises have all seen the value of their franchise grow and the value of the league grow. We simply choose to not agree to take a cut in the players portion. It is that simple. Again while we understand that the average person does not earn a fraction of what we as professional athletes earn, in our present position it would be a mistake to allow owners to take advantage of the struggles of the average person for no reason other than their own greed. We are arguing over how to slice the pie. The money is there we are not demanding more than an honest share. The worse part is there are many people who also work for the same owners that will lose much needed income and the fans who support the NFL will not see a discount in merchandise or ticket costs. And in the end this is never good for the game itself. We do not expect you to agree because of the amount of money we make but understand this is about money that is being generated by the league. A percentage of which is based on the output of the work force that includes us. We apologize for the negative effect it has on our fans and will do what we can to resolve this quickly.”

But please stop telling us about how you need to provide for your family and how it’s tough to get insurance and blah blah blah. No one is every buying it.

First of Leonard do you realize that 45% of Americans can’t afford insurance? So whatever your rationale is about that don’t be an idiot. And as risky as your job is, dude there are millions of people putting their body on the line in their line of work. News flash pro football is not the only dangerous job out there. In fact Leonard there are jobs far more dangerous than yours. WOW imagine that!

Check this out I knew a guy who was 1 of 8 people who paints the Golden Gate Bridge. Every 15 months on average, one of them gets killed! What’s the average in your job Leonard? Would you rather be a fullback or paint a bridge? And this is one of zillions of examples. Try being a miner, a fireman, policeman, and so on.

In fact the 15 most dangerous jobs in America are as follows:

15 – Ground maintenance worker – average $14 an hour. 12 out of 100,000 die every year!

14 – Construction Helpers – average $15 an hour. Just under 14 out of 100,000 die a year!

13 – Firefighters – Just over 17 out 100,000 die every year! Some are VOLUNTEERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

12 – Construction labor – $16 an hour. Lose 19.5 per 100,000 a year!

11 – Taxi/limo drivers – $12 an hour. Over 21 per 100,000 are killed every year!

10- Police/Sheriff patrol – Lose over 21 per year per 100,000!

9 – Roofers – $16 an hour. Lose over 21 people in every 100,000 a year !

8 – Trash man! – $16 per hour average lose over 22 people a year per 100,000!

7 – Truck/delivery drivers – $12 an hour. Over 28 deaths per yer per 100,000!

6 – Electrical repairmen – $22 per hour see over 29 of their brethren go down every year per 100,000!

5 – Farmers and Ranchers – Lose over 39 per year for every 100,000!

4 – Iron and Steel Workers – $19 an hour average and see 45.5 deaths per 100,000!

3 – Pilots and flight engineers – Over 70 a year per 100,000 are killed every year!

2 – Loggers – Average $13 an hour and have over 86 per 100,000 get killed every year!

1 – Fishermen and related jobs – $13 an hour and lose 111 people every year for every 100,000!

Okay maybe I read this wrong but I don’t see NFL player or any professional athlete on this list. Must be a mistake? No it’s called millions of people do thing far more dangerous than you!

In fact while their is a risk of serious injury and legitimate danger in your job the chances are that a limo driver, a pilot, a truck driver, a fishermen, a farmer, a policeman, an electrical repairmen, a steel worker, and so on all have died so you could work or get to work! Think about that one for a few minutes! Yes people have died to build the stadiums you play in, to fly you, to drive you, to feed you! And yes this applies to the greedy cash whore owners and the fans but remember this before you open your mouth again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At 47 I recall the days when the Eagles were dreadful and the Phillies were working there way up to dreadful!

The Flyers were new and the Sixers oddly enough also new came off a fairly strong 1960′s but also had fallen on bad times!

But then it all got pretty good!

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Oh the mid to late 1970′s were a lot of fun to be a sports fan in Philadelphia.

The Flyers got it all started with their back to back Stanley Cups and establishing themselves as a marquee franchise in the NHL with the likes of Bobby Clarke, Billy Barber, Rick McCleish, Reggie Leach, and the man Bernie Parent. This led them to more Stanley Cup Finals into the 1980′s.  The Flyers were in 3 Finals from 1975 to 1980. 7 since 1975. 75, 76, 80, 85, 87, 97, 2010.

In the mid to late 1960′s the Chamberlain led 76ers were formidable. But by the early 1970′s it got uglier than ugly! The 1972-73 season maxed out at 9 wins! Yes 9, still an NBA all time low! The 76ers put together a nice run also. With Dr J leading the charge the 76ers went to 4 NBA finals from 1976 to 1983. Winning the triumphant 1983 series with Moses Malone helping the team over the hump!

The Eagles rose from the dead with the arrival of Dick Vermeil and made it to their first Super Bowl in 1980! Starting in 1978 they had 4 straight winning seasons! They had not had a winning season prior to 1978 since 1966! They were 7 and 7 in a 14 game schedule in 1974. Which was awesome for Eagles fans at the time!

And our beloved Phillies were mired in stinkdom for many many years. They did have a okay run in the early 1960′s but from 1968 to 1973 they were putrid. A pathetic 59 wins in 1972! If not for Steve Carlton they may have only won 20 games.  But then the Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Greg Luzinski, Larry Bowa, and friends became a force to be reckoned with and won the 1980 World Series!

If you recall 1980 featured all 4 major sports teams reach the finals of their league.  However only the Phillies cashed in over the KC Royals. Flyers got pummeled by Montreal, Sixers lost in 7 to the Lakers, and the Eagles got smacked by the Raiders.

And then we went back into sports purgatory again for awhile. Although the Flyers maintained elite status with a mux of their worst stretch in the history of the team and the Eagles had a run in the late 1980′s and early 1990′s but stunk before and after. The Sixers took a crapper when Harold Katz tried to be Owner/GM and made some horrific moves and the Sixers went from loser to loser coach. The Phillies flat out sucked from 85 till the late 1990′s. Except the magic year of 1993 and the trip to the World Series.

But the end of the century into the new century has been berry berry good for Philly pro sports!

The Iverson led Sixers became competitive and made it to an NBA Finals in 2000.

The Flyers have regained their status as an elite team making it to the Playoffs regularly and to the Cup in 2010.

The Andy Reid/Donovan McNabb era began and the Eagles have tallied up 9 Playoff appearances since 2000 and 5 NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl appearance in 2004.

And our Phillies have been a team to be reckoned with! Winning 85 or more games since 2003 and winning 4 straight NL East titles since 2007! 3 straight NL Championship appearances in a row, two World Series appearances in 2008 and 2009 and the WORLD TITLE of 2008! And it looks like it should continue for at least another 2 – 4 years!

The Phillies have been rockin’ the new Citizen’s Bank Park achieving 4 straight years of over 3,000,000 in attendance and 5 years since the park opened! The Vet which held more people only exceeded 3,000,000 one time since 1971 and that was the lightning in a bottle year of 1993! The last 2 seasons at “the Bank” saw over 3,600,000 each year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All in all this is the first time in many many years I remember everyone talking about baseball first and foremost and I for one am LOVING EVERY SECOND OF IT!

Are you kidding me?

Okay I’ll be the first to tell you that Sean McDermott was hired prematurely but blaming him for that joke     of a defense is like blaming the iceberg for the Titanic tragedy. Really what did anyone expect? It was the defense that made this team a contender in the early century and it was the defense that this team struggles now! It is Andy Reid who drafts the personnel not Sean McDermott.

Although I will also say the alternating personnel like it’s a hockey line change was a little ridiculous! But really what choices did he have? Hey you may find some diamonds in the rough but 8 guys? I don’t think so.

Brandon Graham “cracker”? Te’o Neshiem “pothead”? Trevor Lindley? Keenan Clayton? Jamar Chaney? Kurt Coleman? All 2010 defensive picks that were called upon to contribute. Chaney showed some promise for a 7th rounder in my opinion but the rest showed me nothing.

2009 Victor Harris and Moise Fokou? Fokou played some significant minutes but does that mean he is any good? I mean I guess he was okay and perhaps has a chance but Harris?

2008 Trevor Laws? Bryan Smith? Quentin Demps? Joe Mays? Andrew Studebaker? Really? Studebaker is remembered as much as the car by that name as is Bryan Who? Trevor Laws has played some but what has he done? Mays played sparingly as has Demps. Nothing to get excited about.

2007 Victor Abiamiri? Stewie Bradley? We waited through injury after injury to be convinced Victor isn’t much to wait for. Bradley is a solid starter but not an elite middle LB in my book. He is an outside LB to me.

2006 Broderick Bunkley? Omar Gaither? Lujaun Ramsey? Bunkley and Gaither have played and even started some. Not anymore, that should tell you something.

2005 Mike Patterson? Matt McCoy? Sean Considine? Trent Cole? Keyonte Marshall? Patterson showed some solid play but peaked before he blossomed. Considine still plays for someone else and doesn’t do much there either. Trent Cole is the one star you have on defense that was drafted by the Eagles. The others? I don’t even know if they play anywhere.

And the list goes on and on and on. Hey Reid can fire whoever he wants but he picks the components so be careful there buddy! And the problem with his drafting is clear.

1. The Eagles need a quality GM, not ANDY, doing the drafting. Reid doesn’t have time to watch college game film nor should he!

2. The GM should have real football and talent evaluating skills! Also power over Reid in personnel choices!

3. Andy’s stupid self imposed rules about you don’t take a running back in this round or a defensive end in that round are so ridiculous. You take the best player available when you pick period! Of course need has to be factored in. But if a stud DB is there you take him.
   

4. I have long questioned Andy’s talent evaluation. Kevin Kolb is not a starting QB in this league for example. Why is everyone so afraid of saying that? I’ve seen punts make it down field faster than his 40 yard grenade tosses. Really wide outs need to call a fair catch when he chucks a 45 yard pass!
   

5. Also you need to stop with the smurf size speed players on defense! By games end and seasons end they get tossed about like the S.S. Minnow on a 3 hour tour! Put speed where speed can be utilized and size where size/strength is needed!
   

Also Andy needs to give up one more hat! The coordinator. Oh he technically is not the O coordinator but we all know he is! Honestly Andy would be a very good to great head coach if he would stop trying to be everything!