BSB Live Blog WEEKEND: Sixers, Phillies, NFL Draft, and more

It’s shaping up to be a great sports weekend, so I’m going to attempt something that has perhaps never been done: a live blog WEEKEND.  Now, I know the weather is supposed to be amazing all weekend, but in between getting outside to enjoy it, there is plenty of sporting events to follow.  The NFL Draft is tomorrow, the NBA playoffs are in full swing (with the Sixers in action tonight), the Yankees and Red Sox are playing one of their over-hyped series, and the Phils travel to Miami to play the first-place Marlins.  Here in New York, I’m not able to watch tonight’s Phils game, but I’m getting to see Johan Santana on the mound tonight in Flushing.  So, check in throughout the weekend for this unprecedented event!

FRIDAY: 

7:53 PM:  The Sox are out to an early 1-0 lead in Fenway.  The Yankee announcers spent the entire first inning discussing an apparent “controversy” involving David Ortiz and Joba Chamberlain.  Apparently, Ortiz said yesterday that Joba “better not throw at us”, or something like that.  What a dumb, fabricated story line.  Last year, Joba hit Kevin Youkilis a couple times.  So, obviously, some reporter asked Ortiz what would happened if it happened again, and he just gave the most logical response possible: “he better not”.  This is the definition of a made-up story, and a great example of why so many people get sick of hearing about these teams and this rivalry.  That being said, I still look forward to watching it.

8:14 PM:  The Sixers and Magic are underway in Philly for Game 3.  Good old Sammy Dalembert picked up his first foul 14 seconds into the game.  Doesn’t look like a great crowd, maybe just late arriving?  I just hate that Willie Green is starting for this team.

8:20 PM:  Speaking of Big Papi Ortiz, he just struck out with 1 out and runners on 2nd and 3rd.  The Red Sox are gonna have to admit soon that he is not the same hitter anymore and move him out of the 3rd spot in the order, and maybe start looking around the league for a power bat to add.

8:33 PM:  Sixers are looking pretty good offensively.  Not to rip on Green more, but he’s had about three ugly turnovers already.  Andre Miller is awesome.  Anyone that claims Iguodala is the “star” of this team, as Tim Legler did right before the game, is underestimating Miller.  The Sixers are probably going to have to win Games 3 & 4 if they want to take this series, and this was an encouraging 1st quarter, as they lead 27-21.

8:40 PM:  Down in Miami, it’s a familiar story so far for the Phils.  They’re down 3-0 going into the bottom of the 5th.  The offense continues to do absolutely nothing, with just two hits so far.  And the Marlins runs came on a homer by Dan Uggla off of Brett Myers.  I’ve seen Myers’s other starts this year, and he’s looked pretty good but just keeps giving up the long ball.  I still think he’ll be fine, and the offense will get it going eventually, we all know that.

9:07 PM:  I like Donyell Marshall.  At this point he basically looks like somebody’s dad out there, lumbering around, but the guy can still flat-out shoot, and Lord knows the Sixers need somebody out there that can do that.  The Pistons are looking to get a win against Cleveland, with the game tied going to the 4th quarter.  It doesn’t mean much because the Cavs aren’t going to lose this series, but it could be cool to watch Lebron take over if it’s still this close in the last couple minutes.

9:17 PM:  Excellent first-half for the Sixers.  Orlando is a really good defensive team, but they didn’t show it much in that half, with the Sixers leading 60-49.  Also, the crowd did fill-in and they’ve gotten into the game.  I wouldn’t want to be in that locker room with Stan Van Gundy right now.  He’s a little scary, he might actually kill someone in there.

9:32 PM:  In Flushing, Santana ended up going 6 innings, giving up 1 run with 10 strikeouts.  They showed a stat in the first inning that since about mid-season last year, Santana is 11-1 with a 1.80 ERA.  I don’t care that the guy is 30-years-old, if I had to pick one pitcher to start a team with right now, I’m taking Santana. 

9:41 PM: Well, I got myself a rum and coke during half-time, now the Sixers are up by 17 (!) and very much in control of the the game.  Did I mention that it’s going to be in the 80’s this weekend?  Life is good.  Don’t blow this Sixers!

9:53 PM: As the saying goes: “It’s the NBA, everybody makes a run”.  The Sixer lead is cut to 5.  The Magic are trying to return the favor from Game 1, when the Sixers came back from 18 to win.

9:56 PM: God, wish I could watch the Phillies!  They just put up 6 runs in the top of the 9th, capped off by a Victorino grand slam, to take a 6-3 lead on the Marlins!

10:04 PM: Back to the Sixers.  You can basically throw out the first 3 quarters.  Heading into the 4th, the Sixers have 3-point lead, 80-77, and the momentum is definitely with the Magic.  Clearly anybody’s game.  You could just about stick a fork in the Sixers if they lose this one after having that huge lead.

10:16 PM: I think I spotted Darren Daulton sitting courtside.  Shouldn’t he be in an asylum somewhere?

10:39 PM: Iguodala misses both free throws with the Sixers up 3 and under a minute to play.  He did basically the same thing in Game 1.  Not a good habit to get into.  Willie Green had a big bucket doing basically the one thing he does well: taking his man off the dribble and scoring from short-range.

10:44 PM: Watch for Lewis from long-range with 7 seconds and Sixers up 2.  He beat the Sixers early in the year in a very similar situation.

10:51 PM: What a huge win for the Sixers, to hold on and win after letting that big lead get away.  With the game tied and 5 seconds left, Thaddeus Young makes a huge play to drive and muscle the ball up into the bucket.  2-1 series lead, and Game 4 will really be the pivotal game in this series.  Two nice wins for the Philly teams tonight!  The Live Blog Weekend will continue, probably tomorrow afternoon…

SATURDAY: 

9:05 AM:  Well, it’s the day of the NFL Draft and the main news surrounding the Eagles continues to be trades and potential trades, not draft picks.  The latest news is that the Cardinals have seemingly dropped their asking price for Anquan Boldin, and the Eagles, along with the Giants, Ravens, Jets, and Titans, are involved in negotiations with the Cards.  It seems a bit odd to me that the asking price would drop if all these teams are interested, but that’s the report.  It’s hard to see why the Eagles wouldn’t give their 2nd-round pick and “other considerations” for Boldin, especially if it means keeping him away from the Giants.  In fact, if I were Andy Reid and Joe Banner, I’d probably just say: “Here’s the 21st pick in the draft, we’ll take Anquan now, nice doing business with you.”

10:09 AM: So, assuming the Eagles don’t trade the pick, who should they take?  Of course, this has been discussed over and over…and over again over the last couple months.  The general consensus is that the Eagles will take RB Knowshon Moreno.  I’d be fine with that, but I’m not sold that it makes sense to take a RB in the first-round.  So many good ones come out of the later rounds, and just last season the Bears got Matt Forte in the 2nd and the Texans got Steve Slaton in the 3rd.  Another option mentioned is TE Brandon Pettigrew, who sounds pretty intriguing to me.  Apparently he’s a great all-around TE, with above average receiving and blocking skills.  In the end, it’s always hard to predict where the Eagles will go with their picks, but Moreno and Pettigrew look like two pretty solid offensive prospects.

4:11 PM:  Alright, the 2009 NFL Draft is underway.  Man, ESPN really likes to act like this is the biggest thing in the world.  The Lions take Matthew Stafford first overall.  It always seems like a quarterback going #1 overall is being annointed the next star in the league.  I haven’t seen much to say that Stafford isn’t the next Jamarcus Russell or Alex Smith or Tim Couch, but I’m not a football scout.  I guess we’ll see.  I’ll also be keeping my eye on the Yanks-Sox game that just started, Beckett vs. Burnett, the two top starters for the ’03 Marlins title team with their first matchup in this rivalry.

4:17 PM:  So the Rams have known since last night that the Lions were definitely taking Stafford.  So why did they take all 10 minutes to make their pick?  Were they really holding out for a trade offer at that point?  And if they were, what kind of message does that send to the guy you just picked when no trade offer came in?  I don’t really get it, but at least they cut the time limit down to 10 minutes from 15.

4:42 PM:  Nice, the first trade of the draft.  The Jets trade up to #5 and take USC QB Mark Sanchez.  He’s a Hollywood guy, and now he’s coming to the Big Apple.  Looks like a nice move by the Jets, and definitely the kind of move that gets a fan base excited.  Not that I’m a huge Sanchez fan, but with Eric Mangini and Brett Favre gone, I’m ready to welcome the Jets back as my AFC team.

5:27 PM:  Some “Green Room” observations:  I don’t like how every pick we get to see them get the phone call saying they’ve been picked.  It takes the suspense out of it!  Also, what was up with Eugene Monroe?  He gets picked, and then just keeps talking on his cellphone.  Imagine you’re at the the NFL Draft, the commissioner announces your name and is waiting up on the stage to shake your hand, get the photo op, and then do your interview with ESPN.  Why would you just stand there and keep talking on your phone?  Who was he talking to?  Why wasn’t that person saying, “Hang up the phone and get up on that stage!”? Weird.

5:30 PM:  Aaron Maybin gets picked 11th out of my alma mater.  As Kiper said, he was a one-year wonder, but he only played at PSU for two years.  He was definitely a monster last year, and I could see him ending up as an outside linebacker.  He could be really good, but I’m not really sure.  How’s that for the insider analysis?

5:44 PM: I think Malcolm Jenkins is really good, and it’s not hard to see why, as his highlights showed a couple of Pick-Sixes against Penn State.  So, with Moreno off the board, Pettigrew and Wells look like the likely choices.  The Eagles love to take D-linemen in the first round, I wonder if they’re thinking about Robert Ayers out of Texas?

6:14 PM: Wow, the Eagles trade up to grab WR Jeremy Maclin.  Most experts had him rated as the second-best WR in the draft, so I guess when he fell all the way down to this far, they felt like they had to jump at the opportunity to get him.  A pretty bold move by the Birds, and I guess this diminishes the chances of Anquan Boldin joining the team. 

7:45 PM: Alright, I’ve been fortified with pizza and have settled in for the Phillies game, which I can watch because it’s being carried by the MLB Network.  I was going to start by saying that Marlin pitcher Chris Volstad looks really good, and then Chan Ho Park lined a 2-0 pitch the opposite way for a solo homer, to put the Phils up 1-0 in the 3rd.  Didn’t see that coming!  It’s not easy to hit them out of this stadium, either.  That strange occurrence aside, Volstad has a great changeup and a mid-90’s fastball that he’s used to paint the corner a couple times already.  He struck out Utley with a runner on third and one out in the 1st inning with a changeup.

8:15 PM: Park looked pretty good for the first three innings, with his two-seam fastball looking real good.  But it’s blown up for him here in the 4th.  Jorge Cantu and Dan Uggla went back-to-back.  Cantu’s was a 3-run shot and Uggla’s was absolutely crushed deep into left-field.  Fish lead 4-2.  Ryan Howard hit a 2-0 pitch over the deep center-field wall in the top half of the 4th, as the ball seems to be carrying well there tonight.

8:27 PM: Having had a couple hours to think about the Eagle pick, I’m definitely not sold that it was the right pick, but I’m feeling better about it.  The thing is, Boldin hasn’t been traded anywhere.  So, while there are plenty of rumors out there about him being available and what it will take to get him, maybe they’re actually asking a lot more than people think.  So maybe the Eagles were fairly justified in ruling out the possibility of getting Boldin, and if that’s the case, then wide receiver is still probably the biggest position of need on the roster.  So if there’s a guy that you really like on the board at your biggest position of need, it’s hard to rip them too much for going and getting that guy.

9:02 PM: With the Phils down 1 and a runner on 1st with two out in the 7th, Charlie elects to let Park hit for himself and he grounds out.  I don’t like the decision.  I know Park hit a homer off Volstad earlier, but he hasn’t been pitching great.  It seemed like a good time to take a shot at the tiring Volstad and hand it over to the bullpen.

9:24 PM:  As me and Bry discussed below, with their 2nd-round pick, the Eagles took RB LeSean McCoy from Pitt.  ESPN has him rated as the 37th best player in the draft (and 4th RB), so it looks like good value at 53.  McCoy is definitely not the power running compliment to Westbrook that the Eagles are looking for.  He’s listed at 198 pounds and is a speed, make-them-miss kind of runner.  The question is will he be more like Westbrook or Ryan Moats?  With Westbrook hitting the magic number of 30-years-old this September, McCoy may be the running back equivalent of Kevin Kolb, waiting in the wings to take the #1 job.  In other news, BSB may be looking for a young intern to join our ranks. Um, Bry, this has nothing to do with you turning 30 a couple weeks ago. I swear.  You’re still our guy!

9:40 PM:  The Phils head to the 9th, still down a run.  They’ll look to repeat the late heroics of last night, facing Marlin set-up man Leo Nunez (closer Lindstrom is not available). 

9:45 PM: I’ll tell you what, Raul Ibanez is a “professional hitter”.  He got down 0-2, fouled off a few changeups, took one for a ball, then lined a single in the hole between first and second that was there because they had to hold on Werth.  Now the Phils have 1st and 3rd with no outs.

9:56 PM: Phillies tie it up!  I think Marlin manager Fredi Gonzalez made a tactical error there.  He took Nunez out and went to the lefty to face Matt Stairs with runners on the corners and 1 out.  Charlie countered with Bruntlett and he hit a swinging bunt for a fielder’s choice that got the run in.  Nunez is more of strikeout pitcher and Stairs is prone to strikeouts, that’s pretty much the matchup you want in that situation.  It worked out for the Phils though, now they have a runner on third with two out, Coste has a chance to put them in front.

10:19 PM: Ah, it’s a joy to watch this offense a lot of times.  The Flyin’ Hawaiian comes up big again with a single and a stolen base.  Then Mr. Utley rips a single up the middle to give the Phils the lead, 5-4.  I’m also enjoying the fact that these otherwise poor announcers for the Marlins have repeatedly referred to the Phils as “the world champs”.  Howard follows with a bloop single, Utley moves to third.  Maybe they can blow it open again like last night.

10:29 PM: The Phils tacked on another run thanks to a Werth single.  Now it’s time for Lights Out Lidge.  I’ll be interested to see if Lidge has his slider back since I saw him struggling with it last weekend.  Hanley Ramirez and Cantu will bat for the Marlins, with Uggla due up fourth.  Lidge will need his good stuff.

10:50 PM: Phils win!  Lidge is still scuffling a bit.  He hung a slider to Ramirez, but he fouled it off, and the next pitch was a great slider to strike him out.  Cantu lined a fastball for a two-out hit and, idiotically, stretched it into a double and was barely safe.  Then Lidge lost his control, walking two to load the bases with two-outs.  He hung another slider to Cody Ross, who hit it 400 feet, but foul, and then he came back and ended the game with a slider on the next pitch.  That was close to disaster.  Hopefully, Lidge can get it turned around soon.  Phils go for the sweep tomorrow.  I’m outta here for tonight…

SUNDAY:

12:40 PM:  The Phils are back at it early, with a noon start in Miami.  Marlin pitcher Graham Taylor is making his major league debut and is really feeling the pressure, walking 4 in the 1st inning and spotting the Phils to a 2-0 lead.  He just started off the 2nd by hitting Moyer with a pitch.  With Jimmy Rollins continuing to struggle, Eric Bruntlett is getting another start at short.  In the bottom of the 1st, Ibanez made a great diving catch on a ball hit by Hanley Ramirez.  Before the season, some people were saying that Ibanez was just as bad as Burrell in left, but Burrell wouldn’t have made that catch in a million years.  Not saying Ibanez will be picking up a Gold Glove any time soon, but he’s an updgrade there.

12:50 PM:  Meanwhile, the Eagles have traded out of the 3rd and 4th rounds, but they will be very busy later today, as they now have SIX 5th-round picks, and two picks each in the 6th and 7th rounds.  Rumors are circulating that the Eagles might make a trade for Bronco TE Tony Scheffler.  He’s not a star, obviously, but he’s a decent threat.  Seems like it could be a good pick-up at the right price.

1:22 PM: Phils take a 4-0 lead in the 4th on a 2-run bloop single by Utley.  That was made possible by a dropped ball in left-field by Jeremy Hermida that gave Bruntlett a double.  I think the official score-keepers in baseball don’t give out enough errors.  I’m not in the habit of agreeing with Ron Darling, who’s announcing this game, but as he said, “This is the Big League’s, right?  You have to make that catch”.  After Taylor walks Howard, the Marlins make a pitching change.  I’ll disagree with Chip Caray’s claim that Taylor, “didn’t look too bad” in his ML debut.  He walked 6, gave up four runs, is responsible for the two base-runners, and didn’t make it out of the 4th inning.  I’d say he did actually look really bad.

3:18 PM: The Eagles flurry of 5th round picks is underway.  They took TE Cornelius Griffin from Florida.  As Bry notes, he missed the whole 2008 season with a torn ACL.  Mel Kiper says he would’ve probably been a 2nd-round pick if he had played last season.  Kiper also notes that Griffin originally came to Florida as a quarterback, and that he’s never going to be a good blocker.  He was listed #1 on Kiper’s “Best Available” players.  Next, the Birds took CB Victor Harris.  Kiper likes the pick and notes that Harris doesn’t have elite speed and could very well end up at safety.  In other news, Jeff Fisher has said that he couldn’t get in touch with the Cardinals prior to the draft to discuss a Boldin trade.  Maybe the Eagles were facing the same situation.

3:25 PM: Bry informs that the Eagles also traded two of those 5th round picks to the Patriots in exchange for CB Ellis Hobbs.  Hobbs has started every game for the Pats over the last two years, and I guess I’d describe him as a fairly average corner, but maybe that’s up for debate.  He is an above-average kick returner though, and that’s always nice to have.  Does this trade signal that Sheldon Brown is on his way out the door?  Maybe he’ll be this season’s Lito Sheppard and exit after the season?

3:35 PM: In Miami, the Phils complete their sweep of the Marlins and now sit just 1.5 games behind them in the division, and have pushed their record back over .500.  Today’s game turned into a rout, as the Phils took advantage of some more shoddy defense from Hermida and the Marlins inability to throw strikes.  Ten different Phillies drew a walk in the game.  Great outing from Moyer.  Now the Phils head back home to start a series with the Nats tomorrow night.

3:46 PM: The Bulls and Celtics are heading to OT in Game 4.  Ray Allen nails a 3 to tie it with 9 seconds left.  I’ve said for a long time that he is about he smoothest player I’ve ever seen, and definitely one of the best pure shooters, going all the way back to his college days.

4:11 PM: It’s turning into a really great one in Chicago.  Ben Gordon answers Allen with a 3 of his own, this one ties it up with 4 seconds left in OT and sends it to Double-OT.  Gordon emphatically grabbed his crotch after making the shot, which was…a bit strange.

6:01 PM: The Bulls ended up pulling it out, with former Sixer John Salmons blocking Paul Pierce’s attempt to tie the game at the buzzer.  Eagles picks that I haven’t mentioned yet: 5th Round: OT Fenuki Tupou; 6th Round: WR Brandon Gibson; 7th Round: OG Paul Fanaika. They still have two more picks coming in this final round. I don’t know anything about these three guys, but obviously the emerging story is that 6 of their 7 players drafted have been on the offensive side of the ball.  That’s not surprising considering that they were better and younger on defense last season, but still noteworthy.  I’d guess they’re looking for a D-linemen with one of these last two picks, but who knows really.

7:01 PM: This marathon of a sports weekend finishes off with Game 4 of the Sixers-Magic series.  The Sixers responded well to an early deficit, with a 9-0 run to go up 17-14.  The more I watch these games, the more it seems like the Magic are just a pretty good matchup for this Sixer team.  Obviousl, they don’t have anyone to stop Dwight Howard.  But the Magic have are small at the forward positions, with Turkoglu and Lewis, and the Sixer forwards of Iguodala and Young matchup well with them.  The Sixers clearly have the better of the PG matchup, thanks to Andre Miller, and Willie Green isn’t going to out-perform any other starting 2-guard in the league, but at least he’s just matched up with the rookie Courtney Lee.  Lee has still had a nice series, but he’s not really gonna beat you.

7:44 PM: The first half ends with the game tied at 36.  As the score suggests, the Sixers offensive execution was nowhere near what it was on Friday, when they had 60 at the half.  If they hadn’t uncharacteristically shot really well from long-range, they’d have had even less points.  But the Sixers are definitely playing with more energy than Orlando, getting after the offensive glass and loose balls, which is probably in part what the home-court advantage gives you.  Like I said on Friday, I think the Sixers need this game, because it’s hard for me to see them winning again in Orlando.  Alright, time for some Thai food. What a weekend!

9:17 PM: Darn, tough loss for the Sixers.  DiLeo called a time out with them down 10, and whatever he said worked, because they went on a 14-4 run to tie the game at 81.  He also called a nice play that got the ball to Dalembert for the dunk to tie it up.  But, Hedo Turkoglu nailed a well-contested 3 with a second left to give Orlando the win.  The series isn’t over but the 2-2 score is deceiving.  The Sixers have a pretty steep uphill climb still facing them if they’re going to win it.

9:26 PM:  A final minor detail on the draft:  I’m surprised that Penn State WR Jordan Norwood wasn’t drafted.  PSU had three great receivers the last few years in Norwood, Derrick Williams, and Deon Butler.  Williams and Butler were both drafted in the 3rd round, but Norwood had just as good a career.  He’s the kind of guy that is always underestimated and was a walk-on at PSU.  He probably didn’t run a great 40 time and he’s pretty small, but his hands are as good as you’ll ever see, he runs great routes, and he is a really good athlete.  I can definitely see him being a useful slot receiver in the league, and hopefuly somebody gives him a shot.  OK, that’s it for me on this Live Blog Weekend.  The Phillies sweep, the Sixers split, and the Eagles picked up a few nice offensive weapons.  Great sports weekend for Philly.