Just in case you weren't already super pumped for the Winter Classic...

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! What a kickass commercial! I already have my WC jersey so it's just a waiting game now, nut this kinda stuff isn't making it easy.

Flyers fire Stevens

I'm a little late to the party 'cause I got called into work & played Modern Warfare 2 all night... sue me.

After losing their sixth game in seven outings and not scoring a single goal in their last two, the Flyers finally pulled the plug on coach John Stevens. Who will succeed him you ask? Well none other than former Carolina Hurricanes coach and stanley cup champ Peter Laviolette. Laviolette is a welcome change of pace for the Flyers because he is the first coach in some time to not have any former ties with Philadelphia hockey. From what I read he doesn't play favorites (something Stevens was known for) and doesn't tolerate a lot of aggression from his teams... which means we need to cut down on the fighting immediately.

I personally like the firing (if you ask me I think the team stopped listening to Stevens before the playoffs last year), but am not completely sold on the hiring just yet. Looking around on the interwebs I found a site called firelaviolette.com. If you do so bad fans make a website about getting you fired that's bad. Like, Oakland Raiders bad. But on the other hand if you win Lord Stanley's Cup in your tenure you'll basically be enshrined anywhere (and especially here). So as usual, I'm taking the "show me" stance with this one. And coincidentally his first test is Saturday night against one of the leagues best: the Washington Crapitals.

You got the job, Laviolette... now show us you're worth a damn.

Holy S**T it's like back to the future!

Only a day after the Sixers signed back Allen Iverson, the Phillies filled their need for a third basemen by bringing back a player from the past as well.
According to Phillies beat writer, Todd Zolecki the Fightin's are close to finalizing a deal with Tiger's 2nd baseman and former Philadelphia 3rd basemen, Placido Polanco. As of now the constraints of the deal are three years, $18 million with an option for a fourth year (I also heard rumblings of a two-year, $11 million contract as well though... so who really knows). Polanco is younger, a much better hitter than Feliz and is coming off a gold glove season... but that was all at 2nd base. The questions will arise, like does he still have the arm strength to cover third or if he can be a consistent enough hitter... the only question I have though is who are the other two philly sports teams gonna bring back?

If I had my choice, it'd be Troy Vincent for the Birds and Roman Cechmanek for the Flyers. Start up the Delorian, Doc Brown. I want these guys back NOW!

DeSean Jackson is not from this planet

The Eagles young wideout has incredible talent, and could be described as, "out of this world" in the theoretical sense. But after stumbling across Jackson's twitter account I think I can safely say he is literally an alien. I've come to the conclusion that he speaks in a dialogue that is a mix of olde english, cajun dialect and clingon. Don't believe me? Check it out:

... I've got a cash prize for anyone who can tell me what "TURNT" means.

There's your answer: Iverson's back

After a week of speculation, Allen "the answer" Iverson has finally returned to the city of brotherly love. He singned the one-year deal he was offered Tuesday and will make his second debut for the Sixers this monday against the Denver Nuggets (who coincidentally traded for him in the first place). "In light of the recent injury to Lou Williams, which will sideline him for close to eight weeks, we decided that Allen is the best free agent guard to help us at this time." said team president Ed Stefanski in a press release.
We all remember what a fantastic player A.I. was when during his first tenure as a Sixer, averaging an impressive 27 points and six assists a game. But I also remember the baggage that came along with him. From the famous "practice" rant to not showing up on fan appreciation night - which was ultimately his last game before he was traded - I'm not too sure Stefanski and coach Eddie Jordan know what they're getting themselves into. Jordan so far has seen fit to keep big ticket signing Elton Brand on the bench. How do you think Iverson would react to that kind of treatment? The answer is negatively. Under no circumstances will he come off the bench. If he wouldn't do it in Memphis. Detroit or Denver what makes you think he'll do it in the city that has idolized him? And on top of that what happens when Lou Williams comes back? they both play the same position!

This move could go one of two ways; it could be a rejuvination for Iverson and the team, him being the final piece to the puzzle in a legitimate run through the playoffs, OR the Sixers could become more of a circus than they are now. Only time will tell. One thing is for cetrain though... he's still number three.

What has two thumbs and is ready for the Winter Classic? THIS GUY

Check it. According to NHLshop.com this bad boy is a cool $225, but I got mine for $45. Gotta love the Chinese. Should you be jealous for not finding the deal of the century? Yes. AND just in case you're wondering, that's a difference of $180 if you do the math.

- New Year's Day off? [x]
- TV? [x]
- Winter Classic jersey? [x]
- Beer & Food? [future x]
- Flyers win? [TBD]

Week 12: The one they didn't deserve to win... but still did

After finally beating the Bears on Sunday night last week, the Eagles faced off at home against the banged-up Redskins. Four of Washington's big-name players were injured and not playing (including Clinton Portis and Albert Haynesworth) so this one would be a walk in the park, right?... RIGHT?!?

Right off the opening kickoff you could tell this match up would be weird. To open the game the Eagles tried an on-sides kick to... well I have no idea why, but they didn't get it. This gave Washington a short field and it led to the first score of the game on a one-yard run by Jason Campbell. Philly answered right back with a field goal, and then again on their next drive when McNabb found DeSean Jackson wide open for a 35-yard score. The first quarter ended with the Eagles up, 10-7 but Washington was right on their heels the entire day.
It's weird, but the Philadelphia defense that we were told that would dominate this lowly Redskins team never really showed up. The whole game was very much a back-and-forth contest that in the second half heavily favored Washington at times. It's becoming more and more obvious how much the injuries have taken a toll on this football team. On a drive that continued through to the second quarter, the 'Skins took back the lead with a four yard touchdown pass across the middle to Santana Moss. They had control of the game until about the five-minute mark when Asante Samuel picked off two errant throws for Campbell with led to two more David Akers field goals. Going into half time the Eagles had the lead, but it was still very much anyone's game.
Following a ten-yard TD from Campbell to tight end Fred Davis (the only score of the 3rd quarter), the Eagles were beginning to struggle to keep up with the strangely torrent pace of the Redskins. Down 24-16, Philadelphia needed to lock it down and go on a scoring drive... and for the second week in a row, that's exactly what they did. Starting from their own ten yard line, the Birds methodically drove down the field and ultimately scored on a Eldra Buckley (yeah, seriously) goal-line dive. They even went for - and got - a two-point conversion on a LeSean McCoy shovel pass to tie the game at 24.
From here on out it was apparent that the Eagles held most if not all the momentum. Succeeding another Washington three-and-out Philadelphia went on another long drive that ended in an Akers field goal. That turned out to be the straw that broke the 'Skins back and they eventually folded, throwing a ball at the feet of a Washington receiver and handing it back to the Eagles so they could run down the clock and put an end to the game, 27-24.

There was plenty the Eagles did wrong in Sunday's game: they were once again bad in the red zone (1 for 4), were only 5-15 on third downs and DeSean Jackson got a concussion after he collided with a Washington linebacker midway through the third quarter. But at the end of the day, they won and that's really all that matters. The team will use this week to get healthier and fine tune the offense and defense, but they accomplished exactly what they set out to do and that's get an all-important "W".

Next week the Birds of the northeast face off against the birds of the southeast as Philly goes to Atlanta. Falcons QB Matt Ryan was already ruled out for this weekend's game, and if by some grace of god their running back Michael Turner can't go either we'd be in a real favorable position. Hopefully by Sunday the Eagles can get some injured players back on the field, 'cause we sure as hell need it.