On the day before the calendar flips to March, it’s a good time for a non-college basketball post before BSB goes all-hoops, all-the-time, for the next month. Eagles news has been coming in bunches the last 24 hours as free agency got underway, and just now I flipped on the TV and found a Phillies spring training game on the MLB Network. I am loving the MLB Network so far, and it could be even better once the season starts.
Notes from the Phils game so far, which is against the Rays, coincidentally:
-The $54 Million Man, Ryan Howard, hit a two-run homer in the first, and that was followed up immediately with a homer by newly acquired outfielder John Mayberry, who is attempting to make the team.
-Kyle Kendrick has been named the favorite for the 5th spot in the rotation, and he looked solid in his outing today. Apparently he’s working on a change-up and has been working a little with Cole Hamels on the pitch. Seems like a good idea. The Phils released Adam Eaton yesterday, which also seems like a solid idea.
-Apparently Miguel Cairo is now a Phillie. Hopefully he’s just competing for a roster spot. He has a home run and a double, but a quick glance at his statistics shows that he hasn’t homered in a game that counted since 2005, when he tallied all of 2 for the Mets. Big-time prospect Jason Donald just knocked him in with an RBI single.
-Shane Victorino has been added to Team USA for the World Baseball Classic, which I’m happy about. The Flyin Hawaiian gives me a reason to watch the WBC.
And now turning to the football team:
-It just became official in the last few minutes that Brian Dawkins is gone to the Broncos. This is pretty devastating news 
for all Eagle fans, and we’ll have to wait and see what news comes out about it before putting too much blame on the Eagle front office. There’s no doubt that Dawkins has lost a step and, at 35, is fairly ancient for an NFL defensive back. But you have to think that he was worth more to the Eagles, for his leadership and for what he means to the fan base, than to any other team, and if the Broncos thought he was worth a 2-year deal, why didn’t the Eagles get a deal done? I have to imagine that Dawkins has been feeling slighted by the team, but he’s too classy to come out and say it. Maybe now that he has a new deal with Denver, the truth will come out. More on this later…
-The two other notable moves from yesterday were the Eagles’ signing of OT Stacey Andrews, brother of Shawn, and the departure of Correll Buckhalter, also to Denver. I’m ok with both of these moves. Andrews, like his brother, is coming off an injury, but it looks as though he will take over at right tackle, and Jon Runyan’s days are probably over. I’m almost happy about Buckhalter leaving. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a solid player and I have a lot of respect for the way he’s overcome injuries, but he’s 30 years old and has had THREE major knee injuries. I don’t like the idea of committing money to a guy like that and, also, if Buckhalter is gone, it makes it more likely that the team will go out and get another, possibly more bruising, running back to pair with Westbrook.
I’m very sad to see Dawkins leave. The Philly paper coverage was fair, putting the onus on the team to get it done but realistically realizing that Denver probably overpaid relative to the market (let alone the Eagles, who routinely let older players go sooner rather than later). As far as I’m concerned, he’s an all-time Eagle. When discussing with my sister whether Westbrook is jersey-worthy (I initially said he isn’t, but I’m an idiot and she convinced me he is), I said and still maintain that Dawkins is more jersey-worthy than anyone else except and possibly including McNabb. I hope that when his days in the league are done, he signs a 1-day deal with the team, immediately retires, and the Eagles immediately announce plans to retire his jersey. The only news that could cheer me up would be if the team finally comes out and says “We want no part of LJ Smith.”
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I hardly leave a response, but i did some searching and wound up here Checking in with the Phils and Birds | Broad Street Believers.
And I do have some questions for you if you tend not to mind.
Could it be simply me or does it look like a few of
these responses appear as if they are coming from brain dead
people? 😛 And, if you are writing at other places,
I’d like to keep up with anything new you have to post.
Could you list of all of all your communal sites like your linkedin profile,
Facebook page or twitter feed?