The700Level.com - Philly Sports & Minutiae

Phillies Host Red Sox at CBP; Charlie Manuel Discusses State of Inter-League Play

Boston and Philadelphia are two cities that appear to make a perfect fit for a sporting rivalry. Both cities have intensely passionate East Coast fans who love their baseball and share a mutual disdain for that other city in between. But like in any good rivalry, to be a legit rivalry, there needs to be some healthy competition between the two teams.

Sadly, this "rivalry" has been a bit one-sided with the Red Sox holding the series lead with a record of 22-15 since 1997 and an even more discouraging 9-3 mark at Citizens Bank Park.

Charlie Manuel talked before the game about needing to step up their inter-league play. "Teams want to have rivalries and it seems like all of a sudden we want to be Boston's rival or something like that. Boston's been beating our ass. We're not afraid of playing nobody, and we shouldn't be. Champions ought to be able to play anywhere, but at the same time I think it's time for us to start holding our own. If we're gonna make it a rivalry then I think we better pick it up a little bit," Manuel said.

Friday Extras: Must-Read Charlie Manuel Interview & Rendell's Defense

Big League Stew landed an interview with our beloved Charlie Manuel, in which he tackles the pronunciation of his middle name ("You don't! You leave it alone."), forgetting which uniform to put on ("I always put the pinstripes on for some reason."), and Jamie Moyer's age ("He might be older than me."). Great, light-hearted read. [BLS]

The Sporting News released its annual ranking of the top 50 players in baseball, and the Phillies are very well represented. Three players cracked the top 10: Roy Halladay (six), Chase Utley (nine), and Ryan Howard (10). Jayson Werth also breaks onto the list at number 49, and surely climbing with the season he is having. Did I mention they need to keep this guy? [Sporting News]

Red Sox Writer Gets A Bit Presumptive Regarding Jayson Werth's Future

The Phillies kick off an inter-league weekend series with the Boston Red Sox this evening at Citizens Bank Park. Presumably all of the Red Sox luggage made the trip down from Beantown safely. Unfortunately for one Boston Globe writer, his bags went missing. But tales of reporters missing luggage and/or license plates are tired.

The interesting nugget from a rather bland blog post is when Peter Abraham discusses Philadelphia's favorite bearded ballplayer.

The Future is Now-Ish: Doug Collins Agrees to Four-Year Contract as Sixers Coach

Well, at least this one actually has a winning record to speak of. It's looking pretty official that the Sixers' next coach is gong to be Doug Collins, former coach of the Bulls, Pistons and Wizards--all of whom improved vastly as a franchise in the years following his dismissal, but hey, who's counting? ESPN says that the Sixers have agreed to a four-year deal with Collins, making him the third head coach on the current Philadelphia pay roll, and hopefully the last for at least one or two of those years.

T-Rex Or Phillippe: Who Ya Got?

We posted about Ryan Phillippe and his inability to throw a baseball at the Phillies game earlier in the week. Well the fine folks over at With Leather took it a step further and asked the important questions: who can more accurately throw a baseball? Ryan Phillippe or a baby T-Rex?

In related animal extinction news, you can catch a baby Tyrannosaurus Rex from "Walking with Dinosaurs" wandering around the Comcast Center this afternoon or even hang out with the baby T-Rex tomorrow at the Please Touch Museum.

Kate Smith Honored With Commemorative Stamp

With news that legendary singer Kate Smith will be getting her very own U.S. postage stamp (pictured), I thought it'd be a good time to discuss whether or not you enjoy the mixing the old grainy video footage of Smith singing "God Bless America" with the real, living, breathing Lauren Hart before key Flyers games. Anytime the recorded Smith is brought out, Twitter seems to bubble up with disdain for the "zombie" Kate Smith. It's never bothered me personally, and I'd even say I kind of like the tradition. Where do you stand?

>>Flyers host letter-perfect honor for Kate Smith [Inqy]

Today in Philly Sports History: Flyers Win Only Game of Finals, 1985

An early taste of greatness can be the cruelest of teases when it comes to the world championships, as the 2001 Sixers and 2009 Phillies can no doubt attest. In '85, the Oilers were the defending Stanley Cup champions, and with their core of Gretzky, Kurri, Messier, Coffey and Fuhr, were well on their way to becoming one of hockey's greatest dynasties. But you wouldn't have known that judging from their performance on May 21st, 1985, when the Flyers hosted them in game one of the Cup finals.

After Flyers forward Ilkka Sinisalo's first-period power play goal, neither team scored until the third period, when a trio of Flyboys--Ron Sutter, Tim Kerr and Dave Poulin--found the net against goalie Grant Fuhr. Goalie and Vezina winner Pelle Lindbergh held the Oilers to just one late-game goal from Willy Lindstrom, as the Orange and Black dominated both offensively (41 shots on goal) and defensively (Hart Trophy winner and legend Wayne Gretzky prevented by Mark Howe and co. from a single SOG). Final score: Flyers 4, Oilers 1.

Habs Win, Series Officially Underway in Montreal

Amazing how one game can change the tone of a series. After getting shut out 9-0 through the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Canadiens announced in game 3 that they won't be going away too easily, and they're still very much alive in the playoffs. 

From start to finish in a 5-1 win on home ice, the Habs plainly dominated the Flyers. In particular, they victimized the top pairing of Chris Pronger and Matt Carle. The Montreal crowd was frenzied, and their team controlled the pace from start to finish, peppering Michael Leighton with 38 shots amidst constant pressure. 

It was downright ugly for the Flyers, who came out flat early and never recovered despite putting up some fight to close it out.

Flyers-Canadiens Game 3: Prepare for Battles

After losing the first two games of the series, you can bet the Canadiens aren't planning on coasting to a sweep on their own home ice.
In game 1, they were handled summarily, with the Flyers extending a 1-0 first period lead to a 6-0 final. The Habs outplayed the Flyers for much of game 2, but still managed to get blanked and again have the Flyers manage a small early lead, only to pile on little by little. Michael Leighton stole the game for the Flyers, and Montreal was susceptible to home run counter attacks, with costly lapses erasing otherwise stifling play. 

So the question is, after losing a game in which they played fairly well, will the Canadiens change their gameplan, or will they do as the Flyers did when down 3-0 against the Bruins and try to do exactly the same things, only better? 

Phils Defeat Cubs 5-4 Paced By Utley and Rollins Homers

The Phillies 5-4 victory over the Cubs didn't come without its tough spots, but the Phils found a way to put enough runs on the board this afternoon and Jose Contreras got out of a very challenging spot in the bottom of the ninth for his second save of the season.

All of the early excitement in today's fast-paced game slowed down and built up to a few stressful moments in the bottom of the ninth. Charlie Manuel called on Jose Contreras to close out the ninth with a one run lead. Alfonso Soriano battled Contreras hard in an 11-pitch at bat that ended with Soriano getting plunked. Fontenot then singled to move the tying run to third. Both Starlin Castro and Aramis Ramirez went down swinging for the first two outs of the inning. Contreras then got Geovany Soto to pop up to Ryan Howard in foul territory. Howard, who completely lost a ball in the sun earlier in the game, made absolutely sure he didn't miss this one. Ball game over. Phils win.

Quotable: Some French Guy Rags On Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Union showed some interest in French footballer Robert Pirès. The Frenchman did not speak highly of our City of Brotherly Love.

“[Philadelphia] is not very appealing to me,” the Frenchman told L’Equipe. “I don’t want to be difficult, but if I’m leaving to take my family far away, I prefer that it’s in a beautiful city.”

Donovan McNabb Still Getting Sacked By Michael Strahan

Donovan McNabb and his handlers seem to be quite excited about the prospect of him garnering more sponsorship dollars now that he has a fresh start in our nation's capital. In his first spot since moving to DC, McNabb appears in an ad for Dr. Pepper featuring former Giants sackman Michael Strahan. [video below]

Gov. Rendell On Redskins: "They're going to be in it, and we're not"

In a classic case of counting chickens before they are hatched, NBC Philly reports (via Bleeding Green Nation) part time analyst for Comcast Sportsnet and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell revealed in an interview that he doesn't think too highly of the Eagles' chances in 2010. He's certainly not alone. However, he also explains the Washington Redskins will reap the rewards of the Donovan McNabb trade with a playoff appearance, and when the dust settles and Five is left standing, the Gov will be pulling for the NFC East rivals.

“I’m going to still root for the Eagles, but I’m going to root for the Redskins in the playoffs, because they’re going to be in it, and we’re not.”

What else should we expect from a guy who can't decide whether he's an Eagles or a Steelers fan?

Don't Forget Sunscreen: Blanton vs. Dempster in Business Person's Special

After two chilly night's in which the Phillies bats failed to come alive, perhaps a little afternoon sunshine will help them warm up just a little bit. The Phillies face the Cubs this afternoon in a Business Person Special on Jayson Werth's 31st birthday. Werth will celebrate by getting the day off. Ross Gload will start in right field in his place. No worries, Beard fans, this just probably means Charlie wants some drama when Werth hits a pinch-hit home run later in the game.

Also getting a rest on a day game following a night game is Carlos Ruiz. Paul Hoover will be doing the catching duties for Joe Blanton (1-2, 5.49). The Phils will face right-hander Ryan Dempster (2-4, 3.49) who has lost his last four starts (twice to Pittsburgh, once to Washington) despite lasting at least 7 innings on all of them.

Union's Season Tix Sold Out

The Philadelphia Union have announced that full season ticket plans for PPL Park are sold out. A limited number of partial plans are available, and individual game tickets will go on sale on June 7th at 10 AM.  Both games I saw at the Linc had more than respectable attendance, and the team quoted an average between them of 30,000. Considering the sold out season ticket plans and the soccer capacity of PPL Park being about 18,500, we should see a lot of sold out games in Chester this season—not bad for a team that's currently 1-5-1. Seems as the though the hype is more about there finally being a team here, although the club is also more likable than its record would indicate, in my opinion. The schedule hasn't been easy so far, and only two of those games have been in front of a friendly crowd.

Union President and CEO Nick Sakiewicz says this obviously compares favorably to what he's seen in his previous experience with an MLS expansion franchise: