The700Level.com - Philly Sports & Minutiae

Eagles Add D-Tackle Trevor Laws of Notre Dame and WR Desean Jackson of Cal

After selecting Brodrick Bunkley in the first round two years ago, the Eagles decided they needed more help at the defensive tackle position. With the 47th pick overall the Eagles selected Trevor Laws out of Notre Dame. The NFL Network's Mike Mayock loves DT Trevor Laws and calls him the Energizer Bunny. Cute.

In a much more exciting pick, the Birds added DeSean Jackson out of Cal with the 49th overall pick. We were hoping for Limas Sweed or DeSean Jackson with this choice and the Eagles delivered one of them. Jackson can be an instant upgrade to the Birds return game and could potentially take over as the primary return guy from day one.

Jackson has some off the field issues, namely reports of him being an arrogant guy who may have a penchant for marijuana cigarettes. He's a smaller receiver and doesn't fit the role of a bigger wideout we were hoping for.

After a frustrating day of trading around, the Eagles come away with a D-tackle we're not real familiar with and DeSean Jackson of Cal who is a receiver who didn't top our list. Honestly, we're exhausted but our initial reaction regarding this day one is rather mediocre. Our favorite thing about these two guys is clearly Jackson's return skills.

Flyers Vs. Canadiens: Game 2

A few calls went the other direction in game 1, but none of that matters now. The Flyers need to steal one in Montreal before returning to Philly, and regardless of the outcome on Thursday, the Flyers showed they were more than capable of winning there. The remote face-off begins now, with the Flyers dropping the puck soon and the Eagles still without having taken a pick in the 2008 draft.

Round 2: Flyers vs Canadiens, originally uploaded by M. Hendron.

Anybody Watching Dave Spadaro on Eagles.com?

Boy does that guy seem miserable or what? Poor guy.

Eagles Trade 4th Round Pick for Dolphins Lorenzo Booker

Lorenzo who? Yeah.

Instead of picking Felix Jones or any of the other top notch RBs available in this year's draft the Eagles decided to trade a fourth round draft choice for the Miami Dolphins Lorenzo Booker.

Sigh. Check out these stats.

Cowboys Take Felix Jones, While First-Round Voyeur Eagles Watch

The Birds got a nice haul in return for their 19th overall pick, but don't they need to take a top guy at some point to stay competitive? For the second straight year, the Cowboys have been active in the first round, taking Arkansas RB Felix Jones one pick after the Birds would have drafted. The Eagles need to make an impact pick this year, because we've seen what late-rounders become on this team, so hopefully they move back into the first. A lot of decent picks were left on the table with that trade, but it could still prove to be advantageous.

Eagles Don't Like Picking Where They're Supposed To, Trade 19th Pick to Carolina

With a number of quality players on the board, the Eagles decided to trade the 19th pick to Carolina for the 43rd overall pick (2nd round), the 109th overall pick (fourth round), and a 2009 first round pick.

Sounds like the Eagles made out just fine here. They really must not think too highly of Jeff Otah.

With the addition of two more picks in this year's draft, don't be surprised if the Eagles do quite a bit more maneuvering this year.

Delaware's Joe Flacco Taken By Ravens at 18

The Ravens traded up to the 18 spot (one ahead of the Birds) to take the University of Delaware's Joe Flacco of Audobon, New Jersey. Mel Kiper loved him, ranking him as the best QB after Matt Ryan (take that, McShay). Congrats to a local unibrow boy going high out of Division 1-AA, where he led UDel to the championship.

Penn Charter's Matt Ryan Drafted Third Overall By Atlanta Falcons

Being a local boy who also attended my alma mater of Boston College, Matt Ryan is a guy I will be rooting for to have a great NFL career. The Atlanta Falcons selected Ryan third overall and will have a stand up, classy guy to lead their team in the wake of the Michael Vick fiasco.

Opinions vary on what kind of NFL QB Ryan will make. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. believed teams would be foolish to let Ryan slip out of the top 8 while MDS over at FanHouse isn't as sold on the Exton, PA native as a stud NFL player.

Congrats to Matty Ice and best of luck in Atlanta, except of course when you're playing the Iggles.

Breaking News: The Player The Birds Will Get for Lito

>>Who the Eagles will get for Lito Sheppard. [FanHouse]

Your 2008 NFL Draft Day Drinking Game

If the NFL draft is about anything, it's the shirking of any Saturday responsibilities in favor of all day drinking. With that in mind, we've put together a Draft Day Drinking Game. The list is by no means complete, so feel free to chime in with your own suggestions.

•Drink every time the commissioner takes the stage

•Half your drink if there's a trade; finish it if it involves the Eagles, pour a shot if the Eagles move up in round 1

•Drink if a pick is booed

•Half your drink for every Eagles pick, finish it if anything but a lineman is taken in the first round

•Drink if the Dirty 30 booing McNabb is mentioned (thanks again for that, guys)

It's Draft Day Morning...

With the NFL moving the start of the draft from noon to 3 PM, we're left sitting at 11 AM with nothing to do but start drinking anyway, and bounce questions around the room about what the Eagles and the rest of the field will do today. Because isn't that the beauty of Draft Day? The uncertainty, the projections, the predictions, the wondering... the fear.

With the Eagles slated to pick at 19th, also known as no-man's land in the first round, there's talk of them moving up or down, with the juiciest of rumors swirling that they might want a tailback like Felix Jones. After taking a QB with their top pick last year, who'd be shocked if they jammed another RB into a backfield that had Brian Westbrook playing at an MVP level last year? Ray Didinger even suggested it might be a good idea to line BWest up outside with a guy like Jones in the backfield. I'd probably still be a little blown away to see it happen.

There's also the question of where Lito Sheppard will land, and what the Birds will get in return. Opinions vary on his value, but most agree that the deal will hinge on the Eagles' ability to make a good selection with whatever pick they get, which of course is a huge wild card.

So feel free to air your last-minute wish lists and let the speculation fly... that's what this day is all about. We'll be back with updates and Draft Day etcetera throughout the day, culminating some playoff hockey later tonight.

Playoff Basketball in South Philly!

Things didn't exactly go well for the Sixers on Wednesday night in Detroit. Some readers believe they know the reason for that. (Fixed!)

The Wachovia Center should be bumpin' for the first playoff basketball game since the departure of number 3. The Sixers will have to step up their defense and prevent the Pistons from shooting the lights out again. The young guys will have to push a run and gun tempo and cause havoc to the Pistons well polished offense.

It's a "white out weekend" at the Wachovia Center so be sure to put on your nicest Polo undershirt before heading down to the game. (um, did anyone watch that intro video? Is that a bird pooping on Rasheed?)

Anyway, Go Sixers!

I'm Not Your Friend, Buddy!

MY EARS ARE BLEEDING!@#!$#!&#%  I thought most rap videos had a bunch of hot women in them. Isn't that the point? [via]

Meet the Coors Field Streaker, Sheana Shea

Tuesday's Phillies win over the Rockies was gently interrupted by a fan on the field, a female fan, a female fan without a shirt. We heard about it on the airwaves, but as usual didn't get to see anything. Fortunately, Meech did a fine job unearthing a photojournalist's chronicling of the event (and today, he's even located a new shot, plus the Phillies outfielders' reactions). She even left him a comment!

A quick googling also brings us this video of Ms. Sheana Shea (sounds like a Mets fan porn star), reading her one-item Christmas list to Santa, which took us from enthralled to appalled:

Gone Fishin: The Susquehanna Flats

My brother Mike has been obsessed with fishing his whole life. Whenever I mention this fact to people I tell them he's "basically a professional fisherman except he doesn't get paid to do it -- yet." You may remember him from such posts as "That's One Big Ass Fish." That said, he's going to be chronicling some of his fishing trips in the Philly area, the Dirty Jerz, or wherever his adventures take him. He may also occasionally file local fishing reports although I'm guessing these posts won't be as frequent when the fish aren't biting.

My Dad, my buddy Mike Davis and I drove down to Galena, Maryland (which is only an hour ride from Delco, PA) to do a little Striped Bass fishing on the Susquehanna Flats this past Tuesday.  The Flats are an expansive area of shallow water at the mouths of the Susquehanna, Elk, and the Northeast Rivers.  This is basically the upper most reaches of the Chesapeake Bay. From mid March to early May Striped Bass use these waters as staging grounds and a feeding area before and after they head up the rivers to spawn.   At this time of year they are mainly feeding on two species of herring that both spawn around similar times as the Striped Bass in these very same rivers.

Rumor: Michael Clayton Involved in Lito Trade?

Would you be happy if the Eagles could score WR Michael Clayton and a late second round pick in tomorrow's draft? Clayton had a stellar rookie year but has come back to Earth lately. He does have some nice size at 6 foot 4. [FanHouse]

Utley, Burrell Leading MLB Power Categories

With the game tied in the top of the eighth yesterday, Pat Burrell came to the plate with two men on, and you just knew he was going to come through. That's the way things have been going for the Bat lately, and he and Chase Utley have combined to lead the majors in home runs, RBI, and slugging percentage so far. Chase leads the league with 10 homers, followed by Pat at 8; The Machine is first in RBI with 25, and Chase is in a three-way tie for second with 21. The pair also share the top slots in slugging percentage, with Utley in first at .835 and PTB in second at .750.  Who leads the league in OPS? You guessed it. Utley (1.288) and Burrell (1.224).

Chase is also second in the bigs in batting average at .385, and Pat comes in at ninth (.355). Not a bad little April for the Phillies sluggers, and it's taken some of the pain away from not having the 1 and 2 hitters in the lineup. Now if only Ryan Howard could muster anything resembling his MVP swagger...

Media Sisters Join Eagles Cheerleading Team

The Eagles announced the final cuts for their cheerleading team yesterday, sending 22 ladies home with a pat on the head and giving 38 their wings. Among the new additions are Paige and Danni-Lynn Bell of Media, who join their sister Nikki, who was on the team last year. Funny, we don't remember seeing these girls at Joclyns.
(Photo via the Inquirer via the Eagles)

Jobbed. Flyers Lose Game 1 in OT

Say what you will about the high-stick goal. It looked like it was above the crossbar, but there was no perfect replay angle. Still, sight unseen, you knew it'd be a goal as soon as they went to the War Room. Okay, we'll live with that. But the kneeing call on Mike Richards? Unbelievable. Only one penalty was called in the game's third period, after 50+ minutes of "let 'em play" hockey, sending Richards to the box. His knee never made contact with Alexei Kovalev, and he cleanly laid a check on a player who had the puck. A referee with a clear, unimpeded view of the play said Richards led with a knee, despite no camera angle showing any such contact. On the ensuing power play, the Habs tied it up, and 48 seconds into overtime, Tom "Uncle Jesse" Kostopolous poked home the game winner, 4-3.

Unbelievable.

Lito Headed to Tampa?

Jay Glazer of (FOX Sports) is reporting that Lito Sheppard could be traded to Tampa Bay soon. The cost? A second-rounder plus a later round pick. That doesn't sound like quite the haul we were hoping for, but it would likely become the building blocks of a draft day trade. (h/t: commenter Jeff)

Flyers-Habs Face Off to Start Round 2

Just two days after closing out a 7-game series the Caps, the Flyers take the ice again tonight with their second round opponent, the top-seeded Montreal Canadiens. No team in the history of the sport can boast the success that the Habs have had, and even though it's a new building, the 24 championships earned on Montreal ice are undoubtedly intimidating.

Day Game Thread: Old Man Moyer Vs. Brewers Youth Club

The Phils look for a split in their two-game series with the Brew Crew in Milli-Wauk-Ee (which is Algonquin for "the Good Land"), with Jamie Moyer (1-1, 4.79 ERA, 1.69 WHIP) going up against Jeff Suppan (1-0, 4.12, 1.29). Moyer's toughest task will be keeping the Brewers in the park, something that gave Cole Hamels trouble in the first and eight innings last night. Prince Fielder, who hit 50 homers last season, then became a vegetarian in the off-season, had only one dinger before meeting the Phils, and now he's bumped his total up to three. Glad we could help ya out there, brontosaurus. 

Of course, Suppan will have his hands full as well. Chase Utley continues to shred NL pitchers, homering again last night. Chase leads the majors with 10 homers, and he has pretty good career numbers against Suppan. It'd be nice to see Ryan Howard go a game without a K, or at least take one yard today. (Update: Or not. Howard's riding the pine this afternoon, with Greg Dobbs starting at first.) Hopefully Pat Burrell's hot streak will earn Howard a few more pitches.

Jimmy Rollins is scheduled to take some BP, which may be a sign that reports of his ankle injury were bunk.

Scott Hartnell Be Stylin.

The Flyers Scott Hartnell has shed his trademark curls, at least for a day, after he and Joffrey Lupul took a fresh break and hit up a stylist before heading to Montreal. We've heard of playoff beards, but this is a little different.

At least they don't have as many mullets in hockey these days, and one can only imagine what a couple of young players will be doing while on the road in Montreal. Two things struck me as funny in this video: 1) Hartnell refers to his hair as a "She" twice, and 2) how tough must it be to shoot footage of Marty Biron? He kept looking in all directions, like he was worried about the guy behind the net. All goalies are completely insane.

The Flyers and Canadiens face off in game 1 tonight... More on this later.

Ed Rendell is Keeping Busy (Charles Barkley Dissed Larry Bird)

With the Sixers returning to the City of Brotherly Love this weekend to take on the Pistons at the Wachovia Center, Governor Ed Rendell has decreed that all Philadelphians should call I-76 by its proper name.

So we can all be I-76ers this weekend and, you know, enjoy the gridlock!

>>Get Along 76ers [Hugging Harold Reynolds]

Prince Bests King Cole in Phils Loss

The losses are always tougher when you're just a few outs away before the game slips from your grasp. Last night's game with the Brewers went back and forth but the Phils had the lead with Cole Hamels on the mound going in to the 8th.  They didn't have it once the inning ended.

You can all play armchair manager in replaying Charlie Manuel's decision to leave Hamels in to face Prince Fielder who had homered earlier in the game but Uncle Cholly stuck with his man. And lost the game. Fielder hit his second homer of the night of Hamels and the Phils couldn't come back yet again in the ninth despite So Taguchi getting himself to third base with only one out.

Chase Utley and Pat Burrell continued down the path to righteousness while Ryan Howard continued to strike out a lot. Video highlights below including Kruker's love of taters.

Pacman Jones Traded to Cowboys

With Pacman Jones history at strip clubs and Terrell Owens recent sighting in porn the Cowboys now have headaches on both sides of the ball. The Cowboys gave up a fourth rounder with a number of conditions to get the talented corner with a penchant for making it rain. [ESPN]

Sixers Take Center Stage: Game 2 Vs. Pistons

The Sixers shocked the basketball world when they gunned down the Pistons, 90-86, stealing game 1 on the road and quickly becoming the talk of the playoffs. Most experts still believe the Pistons will win the series handily, but I'm guessing most thought Detroit would win game 1 as well.

Can the Sixers youth movement put enough pressure on the Pistons to take them out of their game again? Will there be another Reggie Evans 14-board performance, or another 17 points out of Willie Green? Can their team defense shut down 'Sheed and the Pistons guards down the stretch, or come back from 15 down in the second half? If the Sixers are going to win game 2, it's going to take at least a few unexpected events, because the sleeping giants in Detroits won't likely be dogging it for a consecutive night.

Jimmy Rollins May Have a Broken Bone

Already on the 15-day DL, Jimmy Rollins may have to miss an extended period of time due to a broken bone in his ankle, according to what an unnamed source told Micah Warren. The Phillies have not made any statement to this effect, but an injury that was supposed to have kept him out only a few games has now landed him on the DL, so anything is possible. Here's hoping there's no truth to the report.

How Alex Ovechkin Is Spending His Wednesday

Sorry Caps fans... couldn't resist. (h/t: reader Matt Pincus)

"Santana" Would Hit the Showers Early on This Night.

Yes, the Fans Behaving Badly pics and videos are just falling from the sky, and we continue to receive great material from the Phillies-Mets series at CBP last weekend.

Please do take a moment to view this video.

Hey, There's a Draft on Saturday

The NFL Draft has kind of snuck up on us. The Eagles sit at 19 but if I had to guess, I think they will try to move to around the 8-10th spot. If they can't successfully do that, I wouldn't be surprised if they trade the other direction. 19 just isn't doing it for what the Eagles need. Also, what about Lito? Should be interesting.

Phils Win Again in Denver, Plus a Female Streaker!

The Flyers weren't the only ones to come from behind and snatch a victory last night, with the Phillies stealing one late in Denver. Also, we have another instance of, um, questionable fan behavior, as the game was interrupted by a female streaker. I know what you're thinking: once again, a lady is testing the bounds of what is and isn't "streaking," instead of just going for the gold, but we all got to see a little more skin than usual on the field, so who's complaining?

Anyway, after watching Joffrey Lupul send the Flyers into the next round, we flipped over to find the Phillies down against Colorado.

Caps Fans Litter the Ice, Take Aim at Players After Flyers Win

In today's installment of Fans Behaving Badly, we bring you the Washington Capitals' faithful, who last night put a black eye on an otherwise great series by raining trash onto the ice after the game. While the Flyers were celebrating, Joffrey Lupul was hit by a small pizza box, and during an interview with Steve Coates, Jeff Carter was hit with a plastic beer bottle.

Now, Caps fans aren't alone in their transgressions, not by any stretch of the imagination. Phillies fans did the same thing after the second game of the season, Flyers fans dumped beer on the Caps owner Ted Leonsis's son, and we all know what happens when the Mets fans are let out of their cages. But can the national media please stop perpetuating the stereotype that Philadelphia fans are classless, when clearly this stuff is happening everywhere?

Video of Carter getting a bottle to the head, and responding appropriately, after the jump.

Flyers Take Game 7!

Talk about a great series... Not only did these two teams take it to 7 games, but they required overtime to settle it. The Caps looked downright scary at times, and for much of the third period, the ice seemed slanted toward Marty Biron and the Flyers goal. But Marty stopped everything during that flurry, and the Flyers came out of the intermission renewed and with some fire. Marty stayed sharp, and eventually the powerplay opportunities in the Washington zone paid off, with Joffrey Lupul emerging from a quiet playoffs to send home the game and series winner.

Never in doubt, right?

Alex Ovechkin ended up having a helluva series, notching another goal tonight and just generally being a factor any time he was on the ice. But he couldn't do it alone, and on this night, Marty Biron was the best player on the ice. Flyers fans were rewarded by seeing their team with heads held high in the handshake line (one of the best traditions in hockey), and now it's time to gear up for Les Habitants.

My neighbors may have called the cops after all the screaming that came on that last goal...

(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

After the jump, by request from our out of town friends, the final goal called by Jim Jackson, the celebration, and the handshake. Thanks for coming to the site for your fix. It's been cool to hear from so many Flyers fans in other markets.

How Do You Say 'Golf' in Russian?

Just curious.

Flyers-Caps Game 7: Golf or Marble Rye?

After squandering in-game leads that in turn led to squandering the lead in the series, the Flyers now face elimination if they can't pull out a win tonight.

It's been a great series so far, with two pretty evenly matched teams taking turns alternating between heroes and underachievers. We'd prefer to have the game 7 atmosphere be a glowing orange, but we've also seen that both teams can win in the other's building. The Flyers have been great on the road this season, and they've also relished the role of the underdog, at times playing better when the expectations are tempered by a few losses. Even though they take some periods off, this team has a lot of drive, and John Stevens will have them primed for battle in this 1-game playoff series.

A few crushing defeats have brought the Caps back into the role of favorites to win the series, but the Flyers should be ready to scream, "Gimme the bread ya old bag!" grab hold of the series, and run off smiling.

Fan Report: How to Survive a Flyers Playoff Loss

Our buddy Joe Manning went to the wretched Flyers game last night and has filed this Fan Report for us.
Yesterday, around 4pm, while I was still at work, I pulled a single seat in the upper level for Game 6 of the Flyers / Capitals series. $92.75, with an additional $3.50 charge inexplicably tacked on … for “will call.” After consulting several friends, who assured me that such a high price tag would be “worth it” I ordered the ticket and took the ride.

I haven’t seen very many Flyers games this year – only making the home-opener in person, and being without cable TV. I’ve also never played one minute of hockey in my entire life. So, rather than insult your collective intelligence with completely unqualified analysis – instead I present a quick series of tips on how to survive a Flyers playoff game at the Wachovia Center. Many of these things are applicable to other big-time events at the Wach, and have been compiled from years of personal experience.

Rule #1: Take the subway

The Broad St. line is a thing of beauty. All you do is sit there. You don’t have to deal with any traffic, and you get dropped off closer to the venue than you can park your car – unless you have a Lexus. Apropos of that – as I passed the “preferred” parking lot on my way in, a group of tailgaters started chanting “Lex-US, Lex-US,” at a late arriving Lexus driver looking for a spot. It was pretty hilarious.

Rule #2: Bring your own booze

Chase Continues Beastly HR Streak in Phils Victory

The Phillies bats came alive last night and were sparked by the elusive inside the park home run by the surprisingly speedy Jayson Werth. After Werth's impressive sprint around the base path Chase Utley came up to bat and decided he'd like to have a much more leisurely stroll around the diamond. That's right, Chase hit a home run in his fifth consecutive game which ties a Phillies record held by Dick Allen, Bobby Abreu, and Mike Schmidt. (I believe those are correct. Anyone got confirmation?)

Meech has video of the inside the parker and Chase's blast.

The Phillies won the game on a solid outing from Kyle Kendrick and will be back at it again tonight at Coors Field.

Also, AJ has a rather unique take on those Mets fans in cuffs.

I guess there's some election today?

Obama street art, originally uploaded by justinhamilton.org

Obama be ballin.

The Only Likable Mets Fan is One in Cuffs

As I mentioned in my lengthy post yesterday titled "On Rowdy Mets & Phillies Fans," there was a rather disruptive fight on the first base side about 3 rows off the field on Saturday that stopped play. Turns out we had readers right in the heart of the mayhem. Not only were they there but they captured these fantastic photos of the bonehead Mets fans who thought it wise to try and swing at a cop.

More photos of pavement lovers after the jump.

Flyers-Caps Game 6: It's Do or Die Time.

The Flyers took one on the chin in Saturday's loss to the Capitals at the Can You Hear Me Now Center, but there's no need for alarm. These are two evenly matched teams, and we saw this one going six games and no shorter. But tonight is the Flyers' final chance to put it away at home, where they've already won twice this series. True, they've shown they could win in DC as well, but most experts agree that taking a game 7 there will be a tall order.

Mike Knuble is out with a torn hammy (ouch), but if we've seen anything this season, it's that the Flyers can step up when they lose a man. All year long, when an injury has sidelined a forward, another skater has taken his game up a notch. The result was that seven Flyers finished the season with 20 or more goals. That's the kind of balance they need tonight.

David Aldridge Interview with The Big Lead

David Aldridge -- who at least once read this blog! -- did a nice little Q&A over at The Big Lead today. It touches on his thoughts on print journalism, new media, and a myriad of other things. I thought I'd excerpt this bit.

But one of the best things about working in Philly is that I was able to see that that stereotype about Philly fans being loudmouthed louts who boo Santa Claus is junk, absolute junk. They are as intelligent as anybody and they are more passionate than just about everybody. They just want to win. It’s the only major city that hasn’t won anything in the last two-plus decades, and they’re tired of excuses and mediocrity, and I don’t blame them.

Amen. It was part of a response to a question asking why Philly doesn't love Donovan McNabb. Again, we've been through that many times. D.A. hits the nail on the head with that answer as well.

Aldridge's frequent pieces in the Inqy will certainly be missed.

>>The Big Lead Interviews David Aldridge