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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 So, check in throughout the weekend for this unprecedented event!<\/p>\n
FRIDAY:<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n 7:53 PM:<\/strong>\u00a0 The Sox are out to an early 1-0 lead in Fenway.\u00a0 The Yankee announcers spent the entire first inning discussing an apparent “controversy” involving David Ortiz and Joba Chamberlain.\u00a0 Apparently, Ortiz said yesterday that Joba “better not throw at us”, or something like that.\u00a0 What a dumb, fabricated story line.\u00a0 Last year, Joba hit Kevin Youkilis a couple times.\u00a0 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”.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 That being said, I still look forward to watching it. <\/strong><\/p>\n 8:14 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Sixers and Magic are underway in Philly for Game 3.\u00a0 Good old Sammy Dalembert picked up his first foul 14 seconds into the game.\u00a0 Doesn’t look like a great crowd, maybe just late arriving?\u00a0 I just hate that Willie Green is starting for this team.<\/p>\n 8:20 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Speaking of Big Papi Ortiz, he just struck out with 1 out and runners on 2nd and 3rd.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n 8:33 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Sixers are looking pretty good offensively.\u00a0 Not to rip on Green more, but he’s had about three ugly turnovers already.\u00a0 Andre Miller is\u00a0awesome.\u00a0 Anyone that\u00a0claims Iguodala is the\u00a0“star” of this team, as Tim Legler did\u00a0right before the game, is\u00a0underestimating Miller.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n 8:40 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Down in Miami, it’s a familiar story so far for the Phils.\u00a0 They’re down 3-0 going into the bottom of the 5th.\u00a0 The offense continues to do absolutely nothing, with just two hits so far.\u00a0 And the Marlins runs came on a homer by Dan Uggla off of Brett Myers.\u00a0 I’ve seen Myers’s other starts this year, and he’s looked pretty good but just keeps giving up the long ball.\u00a0 I still think he’ll be fine, and the offense will get it going eventually, we all know that.<\/p>\n 9:07 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>I like Donyell Marshall.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 The Pistons are looking to get a win against Cleveland, with the game tied going to the 4th quarter.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n 9:17 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Excellent first-half for the Sixers.\u00a0 Orlando is a really good defensive team, but they didn’t show it much in that half, with the Sixers leading 60-49.\u00a0 Also, the crowd did fill-in and they’ve gotten into the game.\u00a0 I wouldn’t want to be in that locker room with Stan Van Gundy right now.\u00a0 He’s a little scary, he might actually kill someone in there.<\/p>\n 9:32 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>In Flushing, Santana ended up going 6 innings, giving up 1 run with 10 strikeouts.\u00a0 They showed a stat in the first inning that since about mid-season last year, Santana is 11-1 with a 1.80 ERA.\u00a0 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 9:41 PM: <\/strong>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.\u00a0 Did I mention that it’s going to be in the 80’s this weekend?\u00a0 Life is good.\u00a0 Don’t blow this Sixers!<\/p>\n 9:53 PM:\u00a0<\/strong>As the saying goes: “It’s the NBA, everybody makes a run”.\u00a0 The Sixer lead is cut to 5.\u00a0 The Magic are trying to return the favor from Game 1, when the Sixers came back from 18 to win.<\/p>\n 9:56 PM: <\/strong>God, wish I could watch the Phillies!\u00a0 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!<\/p>\n 10:04 PM: <\/strong>Back to the Sixers.\u00a0 You can basically throw out the first 3 quarters.\u00a0 Heading into the 4th, the Sixers have 3-point lead, 80-77, and the momentum is definitely with the Magic.\u00a0 Clearly anybody’s game.\u00a0 You could just about stick a fork in the Sixers if they lose this one after having that huge lead.<\/p>\n 10:16 PM:\u00a0<\/strong>I think I spotted Darren Daulton sitting courtside.\u00a0 Shouldn’t he be in an asylum somewhere?<\/p>\n 10:39 PM: <\/strong>Iguodala misses both free throws with the Sixers up 3 and under a minute to play.\u00a0 He did basically the same thing in Game 1.\u00a0 Not a good habit to get into.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n 10:44 PM: <\/strong>Watch for Lewis from long-range with 7 seconds and Sixers up 2.\u00a0 He beat the Sixers early in the year in a very similar situation.<\/p>\n 10:51 PM: <\/strong>What a huge win for the Sixers, to hold on and win after letting that big lead get away.\u00a0 With the game tied and 5 seconds left, Thaddeus Young makes a huge play to drive and muscle the ball up into the bucket.\u00a0 2-1 series lead, and Game 4 will really be the pivotal game in this series.\u00a0 Two nice wins for the Philly teams tonight!\u00a0 The Live Blog Weekend will continue, probably tomorrow afternoon…<\/p>\n SATURDAY:<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n 9:05 AM:<\/strong>\u00a0 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.\u00a0 The latest news is that the Cardinals have seemingly dropped their asking price<\/a> for Anquan Boldin, and the Eagles, along with the Giants, Ravens, Jets, and Titans, are involved in negotiations with the Cards.\u00a0 It seems a bit odd to me that the asking price would drop if all these teams are interested, but that’s the report.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.”<\/p>\n 10:09 AM:\u00a0<\/strong>So, assuming the Eagles don’t trade the pick, who should they take?\u00a0 Of course, this has been discussed over and over…and over again over the last couple months.\u00a0 The general consensus is that the Eagles will take RB Knowshon Moreno.\u00a0 I’d be fine with that, but I’m not sold that it makes sense to take a RB in the first-round.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Another option mentioned is TE Brandon Pettigrew, who sounds pretty intriguing to me.\u00a0 Apparently he’s a great all-around TE, with above average receiving and blocking skills.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n 4:11 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Alright, the 2009 NFL Draft is underway.\u00a0 Man, ESPN really likes to act like this is the biggest thing in the world.\u00a0 The Lions take Matthew Stafford first overall.\u00a0 It always seems like a quarterback going #1 overall is being annointed the next star in the league.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 I guess we’ll see.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n 4:17 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>So the Rams have known since last night that the Lions were definitely taking Stafford.\u00a0 So why did they take all 10 minutes to make their pick?\u00a0 Were they really holding out for a trade offer at that point?\u00a0 And if they were, what kind of message does that send to the guy you just picked when no trade offer came in?\u00a0 I don’t really get it, but at least they cut the time limit down to 10 minutes from 15.<\/p>\n 4:42 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Nice, the first trade of the draft.\u00a0 The Jets trade up to #5 and take USC QB Mark Sanchez.\u00a0 He’s a Hollywood guy, and now he’s coming to the Big Apple.\u00a0 Looks like a nice move by the Jets, and definitely the kind of move that gets a fan base excited.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n 5:27 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Some “Green Room” observations:\u00a0 I don’t like how every pick we get to see them get the phone call saying they’ve been picked.\u00a0 It takes the suspense out of it!\u00a0 Also, what was up with Eugene Monroe?\u00a0 He gets picked, and then just keeps talking on his cellphone.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Why would you just stand there and keep talking on your phone?\u00a0 Who was he talking to?\u00a0 Why wasn’t that person saying, “Hang up the phone and get up on that stage!”? Weird.<\/p>\n 5:30 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>Aaron Maybin gets picked 11th\u00a0out of my alma mater.\u00a0 As Kiper said, he was a one-year wonder, but he only played at PSU for two years.\u00a0 He was definitely a monster last year, and I could see him ending up as an outside linebacker.\u00a0 He could be really good, but I’m not really sure.\u00a0 How’s that for the insider analysis?<\/p>\n 5:44 PM: <\/strong>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.\u00a0 So, with Moreno off the board, Pettigrew and Wells look like the likely choices.\u00a0 The Eagles love to take D-linemen in the first round, I wonder if they’re thinking about Robert Ayers out of Texas?<\/p>\n 6:14 PM: <\/strong>Wow, the Eagles trade up to grab WR Jeremy Maclin.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 A pretty bold move by the Birds, and I guess this diminishes the chances of Anquan Boldin joining the team.\u00a0<\/p>\n 7:45 PM: <\/strong>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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Didn’t see that coming!\u00a0 It’s not easy to hit them out of this stadium, either.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 He struck out Utley with a runner on third and one out in the 1st inning with a\u00a0changeup.<\/p>\n 8:15 PM:\u00a0<\/strong>Park looked pretty good for the first three innings, with his two-seam fastball looking real good.\u00a0 But it’s blown up for him here in the 4th.\u00a0 Jorge Cantu and Dan Uggla went back-to-back.\u00a0 Cantu’s was a 3-run shot and Uggla’s was absolutely crushed deep into left-field.\u00a0 Fish lead 4-2.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n 8:27 PM: <\/strong>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.\u00a0 The thing is, Boldin hasn’t been traded anywhere.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n 9:02 PM: <\/strong>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.\u00a0 I don’t like the decision.\u00a0 I know Park hit a homer off\u00a0Volstad earlier, but he hasn’t been pitching great.\u00a0 It seemed like a good time to take a shot at the tiring Volstad and hand it over to the bullpen.<\/p>\n 9:24 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>As me and Bry discussed below, with their 2nd-round pick, the Eagles took RB LeSean McCoy from Pitt.\u00a0 ESPN has him rated as the 37th best player in the draft (and 4th RB), so it looks like good value at 53.\u00a0 McCoy is definitely not the power running compliment to Westbrook that the Eagles are looking for.\u00a0 He’s listed at 198 pounds and is a speed, make-them-miss kind of runner.\u00a0 The question is will he\u00a0be more like Westbrook or Ryan Moats?\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 You’re still our guy!<\/p>\n 9:40 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Phils head to the 9th, still down a run.\u00a0 They’ll look to repeat the late heroics of last night, facing Marlin set-up man Leo Nunez (closer Lindstrom is not available).\u00a0<\/p>\n 9:45 PM: <\/strong>I’ll tell you what, Raul Ibanez is a “professional hitter”.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Now the Phils have 1st and 3rd with no outs.<\/p>\n 9:56 PM: <\/strong>Phillies tie it up!\u00a0 I think Marlin manager Fredi Gonzalez made a tactical error there.\u00a0 He took Nunez out and went to the lefty to face Matt Stairs with runners on the corners and 1 out.\u00a0 Charlie countered with Bruntlett and he hit a swinging bunt for a fielder’s choice that got the run in.\u00a0 Nunez is more of strikeout pitcher and Stairs is prone to strikeouts, that’s pretty much the matchup you want in that situation.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n 10:19 PM: <\/strong>Ah, it’s a joy to watch this offense a lot of times.\u00a0 The Flyin’ Hawaiian comes up big again with a single and a stolen base.\u00a0 Then Mr. Utley rips a single up the middle to give the Phils the lead, 5-4.\u00a0 I’m also enjoying the fact that these otherwise poor announcers for the Marlins have repeatedly referred to the Phils as “the world champs”.\u00a0 Howard follows with a bloop single, Utley moves to third.\u00a0 Maybe they can blow it open again like last night.<\/p>\n 10:29 PM:\u00a0<\/strong>The Phils tacked on another run thanks to a Werth single.\u00a0 Now it’s time for Lights Out Lidge.\u00a0 I’ll be interested to see if Lidge has his slider back since I saw him struggling with it last weekend.\u00a0 Hanley Ramirez and Cantu will bat for the Marlins, with Uggla due up fourth.\u00a0 Lidge will need his good stuff.<\/p>\n 10:50 PM: <\/strong>Phils win!\u00a0 Lidge\u00a0is still scuffling a bit.\u00a0 He hung a slider to Ramirez, but he fouled it off, and\u00a0the next pitch was a great slider to strike him out.\u00a0 Cantu lined a fastball for a two-out hit and, idiotically, stretched it into a double and was barely safe.\u00a0 Then Lidge lost his control, walking two to load the bases with two-outs.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 That was close to disaster.\u00a0 Hopefully, Lidge can get it turned around soon.\u00a0 Phils go for the sweep tomorrow.\u00a0 I’m outta here for tonight…<\/p>\n SUNDAY:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n 12:40 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Phils are back at it early, with a noon start in Miami.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 He just started off the 2nd by hitting Moyer with a pitch.\u00a0 With Jimmy Rollins continuing to struggle, Eric Bruntlett is getting another start at short.\u00a0 In the bottom of the 1st, Ibanez made a great diving catch on a ball hit by Hanley Ramirez.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Not saying Ibanez will be picking up a Gold Glove any time soon, but he’s an updgrade there.<\/p>\n 12:50 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>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.\u00a0 Rumors are circulating that the Eagles might make a trade for Bronco TE Tony Scheffler.\u00a0 He’s not a star, obviously, but he’s a decent threat.\u00a0 Seems like it could be a good pick-up at the right price.<\/p>\n 1:22 PM:\u00a0<\/strong>Phils take a 4-0 lead in the 4th on a 2-run bloop single by Utley.\u00a0 That was made possible by a dropped ball in left-field by Jeremy Hermida that gave Bruntlett a double.\u00a0 I think the official score-keepers in baseball don’t give out enough errors.\u00a0 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?\u00a0 You have to make that catch”.\u00a0 After Taylor walks Howard, the Marlins make a pitching change.\u00a0 I’ll disagree with Chip Caray’s claim that Taylor, “didn’t look too bad” in his ML debut.\u00a0 He walked 6, gave up four runs, is responsible for the two base-runners, and didn’t make it out of the 4th inning.\u00a0 I’d say he did actually look really bad.<\/p>\n 3:18 PM: <\/strong>The Eagles flurry of 5th round picks is underway.\u00a0 They took TE Cornelius Griffin from Florida.\u00a0 As Bry notes, he missed the whole 2008 season with a torn ACL.\u00a0 Mel Kiper says he would’ve probably been a 2nd-round pick if he had played last season.\u00a0 Kiper also notes that Griffin originally came to Florida as a quarterback, and that he’s never going to be a good blocker.\u00a0 He was listed #1 on Kiper’s “Best Available” players.\u00a0 Next, the Birds took CB Victor Harris.\u00a0 Kiper likes the pick and notes that Harris doesn’t have elite speed and could very well end up at safety.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Maybe the Eagles were facing the same situation.<\/p>\n 3:25 PM: <\/strong>Bry informs that the Eagles also traded two of those 5th round picks to the Patriots in exchange for CB Ellis Hobbs.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 He is an above-average kick returner though, and that’s always nice to have.\u00a0 Does this trade signal that Sheldon Brown is on his way out the door?\u00a0 Maybe he’ll be this season’s Lito Sheppard and exit after the season?<\/p>\n 3:35 PM: <\/strong>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.\u00a0 Today’s game turned into a rout, as\u00a0the Phils took advantage of some more shoddy defense from Hermida and the Marlins inability to throw strikes.\u00a0 Ten different Phillies drew a walk in the game.\u00a0 Great outing from Moyer.\u00a0 Now the Phils head back home to start a series with the Nats tomorrow night.<\/p>\n 3:46 PM: <\/strong>The Bulls and Celtics are heading to OT in Game 4.\u00a0 Ray Allen nails a 3 to tie it with 9 seconds left.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n 4:11 PM: <\/strong>It’s turning into a really great one in Chicago.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Gordon emphatically grabbed his crotch after making the shot, which was…a bit strange.<\/p>\n 6:01 PM: <\/strong>The Bulls ended up pulling it out, with former Sixer John Salmons blocking Paul Pierce’s attempt to tie the game at the buzzer.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 That’s not surprising considering that they were better and younger on defense last season, but still noteworthy.\u00a0 I’d guess they’re looking for a D-linemen with one of these last two picks, but who knows really.<\/p>\n 7:01 PM: <\/strong>This marathon of a sports weekend finishes off with Game 4 of the Sixers-Magic series.\u00a0 The Sixers responded well to an early deficit, with a 9-0 run to go up 17-14.\u00a0 The more I watch these games, the more it seems like the Magic are just a pretty good matchup for this Sixer team.\u00a0 Obviousl, they don’t have anyone to stop Dwight Howard.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Lee has still had a nice series, but he’s not really gonna beat you.<\/p>\n 7:44 PM: <\/strong>The first half ends with the game tied at 36.\u00a0 As the score suggests, the Sixers offensive execution was nowhere near what it was on Friday, when they had 60 at the half.\u00a0\u00a0If they hadn’t uncharacteristically shot really well from long-range, they’d have had even less points.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Alright, time for some Thai food. What a weekend!<\/p>\n 9:17 PM:\u00a0<\/strong>Darn, tough loss for the Sixers.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 He also called a nice play that got the ball to Dalembert for the dunk to tie it up.\u00a0 But, Hedo Turkoglu nailed a well-contested 3 with a second left to give Orlando the win.\u00a0 The series isn’t over but the 2-2 score is deceiving.\u00a0 The Sixers have a pretty steep uphill climb still facing them if they’re going to win it.<\/p>\n 9:26 PM:\u00a0 <\/strong>A final minor detail on the draft:\u00a0 I’m surprised that Penn State WR Jordan Norwood wasn’t drafted.\u00a0 PSU had three great receivers the last few years in Norwood, Derrick Williams, and Deon Butler.\u00a0 Williams and Butler were both drafted in the 3rd round, but Norwood had just as good a career.\u00a0 He’s the kind of guy that is always underestimated and was a walk-on at PSU.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 I can definitely see him being a useful slot receiver in the league, and hopefuly somebody gives him a shot.\u00a0 OK, that’s it for me on this Live Blog Weekend.\u00a0 The Phillies sweep, the Sixers split, and the Eagles picked up a few nice offensive weapons.\u00a0 Great sports weekend for Philly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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.\u00a0 Now, I know the weather is supposed to be amazing all weekend, but in between … Continue reading