Quick Hits on a Friday Afternoon

-I get the frustration with the Eagles front office and with Andy Reid after the loss to the Packers, but I don’t really get all of the frustration that there seems to be among fans with regards to the defensive coordinator job.  People are mad that they didn’t know who would replace McDermott when they fired him.  If they felt like McDermott wasn’t getting the job done (which they obviously did), then they absolutely should have fired him.  Now, before criticizing them, let’s see who they hire.  And before criticizing THAT hire, we should probably see how the defense performs next season.  In any event, I though Phil Sheridan’s Inquirer article today hit the nail on the head.

-Speaking of new Eagles coaches, the hiring of Jim Washburn as the new defensive line coach has received near-unanimous praise.  The comments from his former players say a ton.  Albert Haynesworth:  “If my deal was $100 million or whatever, then Washburn deserves $90 million.”

-Though I still think the Cardinals will find a way to keep Albert Pujols, it’s starting to look more and more possible that the best player of this generation might be changing teams.  I’m sure that has fans of just about every team in the league pondering how they can get him onto their roster, and I’m right there with them.  How about this: Ryan Howard for Pujols.  Howard is a St. Louis native who would be going home as a hometown hero, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s a former MVP winner still in his prime that’s hit more home runs than anyone in the game since he came into the league.  Why would the Cards do that trade?  Because they obviously don’t want to let Albert walk for nothing, and how can you sell your fans on trading the best player in the game for prospects, especially when the team is in contention every year?  True, Howard also has a massive contract, but his deal pays him $25 million per year and $125 million total.  Pujols will be looking for a 10 year/$300 million deal, which just might be more than the Cardinals can afford.  But who can afford that deal?  Your Philadelphia Phillies.  Especially if they’re moving that Howard deal off the books.  And you know those concerns we have about a right-handed bat?  You think Mr. Pujols may solve that problem to some extent?  Ok, ok, this isn’t going to happen.  But let me dream!  We’ll throw in a prospect too, Cards!

-A note on a couple of A-10 hoopsters who haven’t gotten any national notice but are playing real well: Richmond’s Justin Harper, who I mentioned as an honorable mention in my list of the Top 15 Big Men, would definitely be on that list if I made it again.  Over the last 8 games he’s averaging just under 24 points, and he’s 27 for 48 from 3 in those games, which is a mere 56%.  Not bad for a 6-10 forward that’s also averaging 7 boards a game.  Temple’s Khalif Wyatt probably hasn’t earned national recognition yet, but he’s on his way.  The sophomore from Norristown has stepped up in the absence of Juan Fernandez (knee injury) and is averaging 17 points over the last 5 games.  He’s hit 14 of 28 3’s in that stretch, and twice had six assists in a game.

-With the run of Rex Ryan’s Jets to the AFC title game, there was a fair amount of talk on WIP about his dad, Buddy.  I knew Buddy was the architect of the legendary ’85 Bears defense and the Eagles’ Gang Green defenses of my childhood, but I decided to look into his career a little bit and saw that he also spent a couple years as defensive coordinator of the Vikings in the 70’s, for the defenses known as the Purple People Eaters.  The guy was a defensive genius.  Too bad he wasn’t entirely cut out to be a head coach.

-The one good thing to come out of the life and times of Bernie Madoff continues to be his impact on his favorite baseball team, as it’s looking more and more like the Mets ownership (and ability to spend) will be negatively affected by ongoing lawsuits and allegations.

Have a great weekend, everybody.