Heard in the Cheap Seats

I can honestly say I am a bit shocked by this one.  It is being reported by Tim Pinacchio that the Flyers are likely to sign Ray Emery as their starting goaltender for next season.  Due to his veteran unrestricted free agent status, any contract cannot be signed before July 1^st.  The news that the Flyers may have an agreement with a goaltender isn’t shocking, but the fact that it is Emery is, in my opinion.  There had been rumors about a month ago that the Flyers had contacted Emery’s agent.   This news, however, will I think catch a lot of fans by surprise.

No one disputes the fact that Emery, 26, is an extremely talented goalie.  Emery played his first full NHL season in 2005-2006 with the Ottawa Senators and played very well.  He followed that up with a 2006-2007 season in which he went 33-16-6, with a 2.47 goals against average and a .918 save percentage.  He took the Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals that season.  The following year he battled injuries and played poorly and was subsequently waived by Ottawa at the end of the season.  He spent the past year playing in Russia and went 22-8 with a 1.86 goals against average. 

But, all his statistics and talent only tell part of the story with Emery.  It would take me too much time to run through the list of behavioral problems that he has had.  He is known to have a hot temper and to rack up way more penalty minutes than a goalie should.  He has been suspended by the NHL for a stick to the face, he has fought teammates in practice, failed to show up for practices, and been stopped by police around 30 times for things such as road rage and various other traffic violations.  According to Pinacchio, many sources and GM’s believe that Emery’s bad behavior is behind him.  The time spent in Russia was supposed to do him some good and supposedly the Flyers have done thorough research on Emery.  That’s all well and good, but then explain to me how it was during his recent time in Russia that Emery was pulled from a game and then assaulted the team doctor twice.  He then never reported back to the team because of a contract dispute.  Then, when he returned to Ontario this past March, he was pulled over for stunt driving and his license was suspended.  Yeah, seems like he has really changed a lot and learned his lesson to me.

Look, I am all for people getting second chances in life, but I also believe where there is smoke there is fire.  But, that’s not what we are talking about here.  I never understand why people say someone deserves a second chance when we should really be talking about a 100^th chance.  I don’t need hard proof for every little thing and I don’t need to listen to sob stories and blame games.  Like I said, if you punch teammates in the face more than once, attack team employees, admit that you’ve been pulled over more than 30 times, among other things, you are not on your second chance.  You are also not the type that tends to learn from their mistakes.  This guy has been paid millions of dollars and he can’t stop acting like a jackass.  Seriously, who the hell still drives like an ass and gets their licensed suspended after they have been pulled over that many times?  I guess the first 29 times were just a joke.

Is it fair for me to judge someone else’s character?  Maybe not.  I have done plenty of stupid things, but consider myself a good person.  I also know that I wouldn’t make the same mistake 30 times.  In the context of the Flyers, they are obviously pretty desperate to not spend another season with Marty Biron as their goaltender.  Maybe Emery plays great and stays out of trouble and maybe the Flyers win a Stanley Cup.  If that’s the case I will be the first one to say I was wrong.  But, we have seen it a thousand times where teams give an athlete another shot to get their career back in order and eventually it blows up in the team’s face.  It’s just a society thing.  Sports teams are no different than we are as people.  We tend to be a very forgiving society.  We take a lover back after they have cheated on us and then are shocked when they do it again. 

I don’t want this to come across like I am speaking from a pulpit, because if you knew me you would know that is the furthest thing from the truth.  I just don’t agree with this decision if it ends up becoming official.  I hope Ray Emery really has realized his mistakes and learned from them, but if it turns out he hasn’t I will just be sitting in my recliner shaking my head.

I have taken a couple days to reflect on a few things regarding the Flyers.  If you have been watching the series, then you know that the Flyers have certainly upped their intensity and level of play after the Game 1 debacle.  Unfortunately, they find themselves down 3-1 to the Penguins and facing elimination tonight at the Igloo.  To put it mildly, the Flyers are “up against it”.  Anything other than a great performance tonight, and the Flyers will be planning their vacations and making tee times this weekend.  The series is not over by any stretch, especially if the Flyers can continue to play with more energy than the Penguins.  But, the Flyers are in this situation because they brought it on themselves.

I am aware that Marc-Andre Fleury was great in Game 4.  But, all I have read for 2 days now is how he “stole” the game.  Writers, bloggers, and fans have been bemoaning the fact that the Flyers should at least be even 2-2 in this series.  Thinking this way isn’t wrong, but it fails to point out the fact that the team that should be winning this series is doing just that.  The whole “hot goalie” or a goalie “standing on his head” thing has always driven me nuts in hockey.  It has always seemed like a very convenient excuse that hides the real issues.  I mean, let’s be honest, in order to win an NHL playoff series, you are going to need very good goaltending.  It’s pretty rare that a team will make a run at the Stanley Cup while their goaltender is giving up 4 goals per game.  Was Fleury great in Game 4?  Of course he was.  But, to complain that the Flyers should be tied or winning this series if it wasn’t for that damn goalie is missing the true reasons the Flyers are down.  First of all, it’s sports and these are professionals who have tons of talent.  You have to expect great performances.  But, let’s use a baseball parallel for a second.  Sometimes, you are going to face a pitcher on a night where their stuff is close to un-hittable.  But, that doesn’t mean you can’t win the game nor is it an excuse to lose.  You have to overcome that, not use it as a crutch.  Honestly, the goalie excuse really drives me nuts.  I am not one that accepts excuses easily.  Every goalie in the NHL is going to make a ton of saves and have games where they are spectacular, but if you lose the game, it wasn’t because of the goalie, it was because you failed in some areas.  The fact that the Flyers only scored once in Game 4 didn’t just come from a great performance by Fleury.  Have we all forgotten that it was their 3^rd loss in the series and in those losses, they have scored a total of 4 goals.  It is a bit of a trend that has more to do with the fact that the Flyers have been terrible on the power play for the most part, and have only been able to get traffic in front of Fleury on certain occasions.  The two best players on the Flyers (Carter and Richards) have a total of 2 goals and 2 assists for the entire series.  This is not a case of the goaltender being some kind of impenetrable force, this is a case of the Flyers just not being good enough offensively in this series.  If you think about it, the Flyers have not played consistent hockey for a couple months now, which leads me to my next point.

Instead of complaining about bad luck and a “hot goalie”, Flyers fans (and yes, I am one), should be more upset with the real reasons the Flyers aren’t leading this series.  Like I said earlier, the Flyers have no one to blame but themselves.  They stumbled down the stretch and lost home ice advantage forcing them to open in Pittsburgh.  That had nothing to do with the goalie “stealing” the game.  They came out in Game 1 with an embarrassing effort, and then squandered away a victory in Game 2 with dumb penalties.  Again, not losses due to great goaltending.  They have had trouble all series long, particularly in Game 4 on the power play, and their stars have not contributed much all series.  Maybe they are a little tired from killing all the dumb penalties their teammates take.  When you are tired, usually things end up being a little off.  Like scoring chances, for example.  So, yes Fleury played great in Game 4, but to say that the Flyers should be winning and say he “stole” the game misses the fact that this series wasn’t stolen from the Flyers.  They have done plenty to hand it to the Penguins.  Can they still win?  I think they can, but it will take maximum effort from every single player in that locker room.  If the Flyers are not able to come back and win, it won’t have anything to do with Marc-Andre Fleury.

What a day for Philadelphia sports!  Yesterday could have been an absolutely horrible day, or an amazing day, and thanks to the performances of the Phillies, Flyers, and Sixers it ended up being the latter.  I had wanted to do a diary of the events of the day, but due to a nasty head cold I didn’t have the patience, so instead I just enjoyed the festivities like everyone else.  That nasty head cold I just spoke of is also the reason I am going to be short and sweet on this post.  Aren’t you glad you now know that and can continue with the rest of your day?  Plus, my timing isn’t great here so I think everyone knows what happened by now.  The great thing about yesterday was that it was a day where the teams epitomized Philadelphia, the city they represent.

We Philadelphians are a proud people.  You know when someone is from Philly because we make sure you do.  We are scrappy, tough, we can be a little brash and nasty at times if you deserve it, and we relish being the underdog.  One of the best things as a fan is when you can relate to the teams you root so hard for year in and year out.  We want teams and players that will represent the toughness of the great city and people of Philadelphia.  To me, that is why yesterday was so special as a Philadelphia sports fan. 

First, the Phillies looked like they were going to lose yet another April game.  This team has had a tough week with the passing of Harry Kalas and all the tributes surrounding it.  They continue to blow late leads and really just haven’t played very good baseball.  So yesterday, down 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth, and staring another possible loss in the face, up stepped Raul Ibanez.  Ibanez sent a towering fly to right field and into the stands for a walk off 2 run home run that sent the fans at home and at Citizens Bank Park into a frenzy and got the day started off right.  Oh, but that was only the beginning!

Next came the Flyers, a team that I have been quite critical of lately.  What did they do?  Well, in true Philadelphia fashion, they decided enough was enough and they pushed the Penguins around all day long.  They shoved gloves in Sidney Crosby’s face, hell even Claude Giroux dropped the gloves.  But, even with all that, the Penguins tied the game at 2-2 and the Wachovia Center was eerily quiet.  But, not for long.  You see, you may be able to knock a Philadelphian down, but we will always get back up.  The Flyers showed grit, determination, and a little nastiness in stomping the Penguins 6-3 to fight back in their series.  All in the spirit of Philadelphia.

Finally, the underdog Sixers took center stage in their first game against the Orlando Magic.  The Sixers were not playing in front of their fans, but they certainly did them proud.  The Sixers hung around for awhile, but then it looked as if reality had set in and the Magic were up 18 and looking like they were going to be able to rest their starters for much of the 4^th quarter.  Not so fast.  The Sixers stormed back behind Donyell Marshall, Lou Williams, and Andre Iguodala.  Iguodala hit a game winning bucket with 2 seconds left after almost blowing the game with 2 missed free throws.  The Sixers played the underdog role well and showed that they are in the playoffs to win.  After the game Tony DiLeo said “We won’t back down.  Let the chips fall where they may.”  Beautiful.

Yesterday was a day to remember for Philadelphia sports fans.  It wasn’t just because all 3 teams won, it was because of the toughness, the scrappiness, the nastiness, and the fight that all 3 teams showed.  Just like the city they represent.

This is what we need to see!

I keep reading in the paper and all over the internet that the Flyers loss in Game 2 was simply bad luck, and that even though they lost, they built confidence for themselves.  Now, I am typically an optimist, but based on what my gut and my eyes tell me, I am going with a “glass half empty” outlook on this one.  While it’s true that the Flyers played a very good hockey game on Friday, and had it not been for a great save by Fleury on Jeff Carter in the 3^rd period, the series would likely be tied.  However, the Penguins did not play with as much intensity as they did in Game 1, and the Flyers were definitely the aggressors, yet they could only manage 2 goals.  The Flyers have now scored 3 goals in 2 games.  I don’t see how everyone is feeling good about the fact that the Flyers played a very good game, the Penguins were average and the Flyers still lost.  That is like studying as hard as you can for a test, feeling great about how prepared you are for that test, taking the test and feeling like you know the material, and then finding out you got a D.  Also, have we forgotten that one of the biggest problems with this Flyers team is dumb penalties at inopportune times?  Well, that’s exactly what cost them in Game 2.  The penalties by Giroux and Knuble were unnecessary and cost the Flyers the game.  I’m not saying that the Flyers can’t win this series, and I’m not denying that they played well in Game 2. 

I just don’t understand where all the talk of bad bounces and confidence building losses is coming from.  Maybe I am watching a different series, but all I’ve seen is the Flyers play lazy and get their asses handed to them in Game 1, and then play well and still lose due to careless penalties in Game 2.  The intensity changed, but the mistakes were the same.  The bad bounces in Game 1 were due to laziness on the Flyers part, and I didn’t see any bad breaks in Game 2.  Fleury made a great save on the Carter attempt plain and simple.  Both teams have hit posts and missed chances, it’s hockey.  I’ve played a lot of sports over the years, and never once did I say after a game, “Wow, we just played about as well as we could and still lost, but now I am confident that we can beat those guys.” 

Should the Flyers be confident?  Absolutely.  They are professionals and they should believe they can beat the Penguins.  Also, I want to be clear that I do think the team should focus on the some positives from Game 2.  But, so far there is nothing I have seen that says the Flyers are the better team.

The Flyers can show us all a lot today on what kind of resolve they have.  Talk is cheap, I want to see how they come out in this game.  Are they dejected that they lost a game they thought they had won, or do they come out with a fire and intensity that the Penguins have yet to see?  That’s how the Flyers can get back into this series.  They can get back into by simply playing every shift like it’s their last.  I haven’t seen it yet, but it has to happen now or this season will be over way too soon.  The beginning of this game is crucial.  If the Flyers continue to struggle to get the puck past Fleury, I worry that frustration will be creeping in.  Maybe they should try actually getting someone in front of the net for a change, that might help.  Just thinking out loud, here.

To sum all this up, yes, this was a bit of a rant and it felt good.  I still believe they can win this series, but I don’t believe they are down 2-0 because of bad breaks.  I believe they are down 2-0 because they have clearly been the 2^nd best hockey team in this series.  Losing because you only scored twice, and you took dumb penalties at the worst possible time does not build confidence, but coming out in front of your home crowd and crushing the Penguins today would definitely build some confidence.

For those of you out there who have had their butt kicked, you will understand what I am about to say. Believe me, if you have been in enough altercations, you will get your butt kicked at least once. But, the great thing about getting beaten down is that it usually teaches you something. You learn what situations you shouldn’t get yourself into. The funny thing about is, deep down you already knew it, I mean, you’re not an idiot. Yet, sometimes it takes a good beating to firmly plant that lesson into your mind and learn from it.

Well, last night, the Flyers received their beating, and boy was it a good one. They fell 4-1 to the Penguins and at no point did it look like they were even in the same league as Pittsburgh. The Flyers were the drunk guy at the bar who just won’t stop mouthing off, then took it too far and made an offensive remark to a girl who just happened to be dating the Penguins. So, the Penguins threw three quick punches and the fight was over and the Flyers left the bar embarrassed. Now, the Flyers have a chance to learn from their beating. Like I said, they already knew what they should and shouldn’t do, but last night the lesson was hammered home. The Flyers committed 12 penalties on the night, most of which were undisciplined, led by the “King of the Undisciplined Penalty”, Scott Hartnell. Even though the Penguins only scored one goal on the power play (Sidney Crosby for the first goal of the game), the Flyers were spending way too much time killing penalties. Bill Clement brought up a great point regarding why staying disciplined and not taking dumb penalties is so crucial in this series, other than the obvious. Jeff Carter and Mike Richards spend a ton of time on the penalty kill units for the Flyers, whereas Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin hardly spend any. The Flyers need offensive production from Carter and Richards and they won’t be getting it if they spend more than half their ice time killing penalties. As Mike Richards said after the game, “It’s a lot harder playing defense than it is playing offense.” This is a point the Flyers already knew, but were definitely reminded last night. The Flyers know better than to commit meaningless penalties behind the play, they know that they need to play with every ounce of intensity they have in their bodies, and that they can’t relax for a second. But, for some reason they forgot all of those things last night and took a beating because of it.

I don’t want to hear about hit posts or bad bounces. First of all, most of the bad bounces came from a lack of focus and laziness (a la Mike Knuble). Secondly, except for a few shifts, at no point did it look like the Flyers were the aggressors. They were on their heels all night, and had no room to maneuver on the ice. So, the Flyers took their beating and hopefully learned their lessons. Now, they get to pick themselves up off the floor, stumble home, and sober up. Then, come Friday, we will see if they learned anything or if they will make the same mistakes and take another beating.

It’s officially time to drop the puck on the 2009 NHL playoffs. The battle for the Stanley Cup is widely regarded as the most intense and exciting playoffs in sports, and it’s hard to argue against it. The Flyers will open their first round series tonight against the hated Pittsburgh Penguins. That’s right, the same pesky cross state rivals that knocked the Flyers out in 5 games last year. That was last year, and these are two very different teams. I would love to sit here and tell you that I love the matchup against the Penguins, but then I’d be lying. On the other hand, if you want to make a run at the Stanley Cup, you have to beat teams like Pittsburgh. I don’t want to hear all the talk about the revenge factor from last year giving the Flyers the edge. Once the two teams step on the ice, revenge has nothing to do with the outcome. The Flyers will have to earn a series win over the Penguins. These are two teams that know each other and would like nothing more than to not only win the series, but physically crush each other. Will home ice advantage be a factor? The Flyers better hope not, since they did a beautiful job of throwing that away down the stretch. I am not going to get crazy and break down a million different matchups and tell you who has the advantage in each area. Just look at the two teams…

FLYERS PENGUINS

GOALIE GOALIE

Martin Biron Marc-Andre Fleury

DEFENSE DEFENSE

1. Kimmo Timonen/Ryan Parent 1. Sergei Gonchar/Brooks Orpik

2. Matt Carle/Braydon Coburn 2. Hal Gill/Kris Letang

3. Andrew Alberts/Randy Jones 3. Rob Scuderi/Philippe Boucher

FORWARDS

1. Gagne/Richards/Knuble 1. Kunitz/Crosby/Guerin

2. Hartnell/Carter/Lupul 2. Fedotenko/Malkin/Sykora

3. Briere/Giroux/Asham 3. Cooke/Staal/Kennedy

4. Carcillo/Powe/Ross 4. Dupuis/Talbot/Godard

Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t see any clear advantages for either side. The Flyers have six 20+ goal scorers, and so do the Penguins. The Penguins have Crosby and Malkin with over 100 points, and the Flyers have 4 players with over 60 points. The Penguins have Gonchar, the Flyers have Timmonen. Both goalies have had their battles with consistency, but played well during the playoffs last year. When two teams are very evenly matched, it usually comes down to special teams and goaltending.

Look, it’s obvious that the Penguins come into this series playing better and more consistent hockey, but we have seen time and time again in the NHL that having a great regular season doesn’t mean squat. The Penguins won 4 of the 6 meetings this season, with two of those wins coming after regulation. I think if the Flyers can find a way to duplicate the success they had on March 22^nd in Pittsburgh and steal a game at Mellon Arena, it will go a long way towards winning the series. The Flyers are not going to completely shut down Malkin and Crosby, but if they can play physical, like they did in the March game, they have a great chance. There should be a lot of fireworks and excitement in this series. I have a feeling quite a few games will be decided in overtime. I’ll be watching two players very closely: Marty Biron and Claude Giroux. Biron because in order for the Flyers to win he has to be outstanding, and we should get a clear indication in game 1 of which Marty Biron will show up. Giroux because I firmly believe he is a bit of an “X” factor. He has been playing better and better as he gains experience, and the playoffs very well could be his coming out party. I don’t see any way this series doesn’t go at least 6 games. Can the Flyers win in Pittsburgh if it goes to a seventh game? I’m not sure. So, with that in mind…Flyers in 6. Crosby will continue to be a little brat who hasn’t won a damn thing.

I have to admit, in the name of full disclosure, that I was not able to catch much of the Flyers game last night.  Because of that, I am certainly not going to run my mouth here breaking down the game.  My readers are way too smart for that!  But, even though I didn’t see much of the game, it held quite a bit of significance when the final buzzer sounded.  With the Flyers 2-1 win over the Florida Panthers, they clinched a playoff berth.  So now, everybody can rest easy…For about a week, at least.

Think about the season for a second, though.  I think every Flyers fan expected a lot out of this team after last season’s trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.  Well, the Flyers have again given themselves the opportunity to make another run, but it wasn’t always easy.  The Flyers had to overcome a slow start, a flurry of injuries including Danny Briere for most of the year, goaltending issues that had everyone thinking they needed to make a trade, trade rumors, controversial trades, salary cap problems, a disappearing power play, and late season line changes.  They dealt with it and here they sit with 95 points and 2 games left before the playoffs begin.  The Flyers were led by Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Kimmo Timonen all season, and received a burst of energy and talent when Claude Giroux was brought up to stay.

We know the Flyers are in the playoffs, but we don’t know who their first round opponent will be.  It is looking like it will either be the Carolina Hurricanes or the Pittsburgh Penguins.  With a game in hand, the Flyers hold the inside track to home ice advantage in the first round, but they can’t slip in their last 3 games.

Here’s how the Flyers fared during the season against their two most likely opponents for the first round.

Pittsburgh

Record- 2-4

One loss came in overtime and one came in a shootout.  The Flyers were able to win once in Pittsburgh 2 weeks ago.  We all know that the Penguins eliminated the Flyers in 5 games last year.

Carolina

Record- 3-1

The one loss came in overtime, and two of the Flyers wins were in overtime and a shootout.  So, obviously all the games were close.  The two teams have not played since Dec. 11^th.  In a weird bit of scheduling they almost played a mini playoff series, with the four games being played within 2 weeks.

Both these teams would pose a tough test for the Flyers.  Since mid January, Carolina is 24-8-2, Pittsburgh is 22-8-5, and the Flyers are 20-13-2.  The reality is, both Carolina and Pittsburgh have played more consistent hockey since the halfway mark of the season.

Reaching the playoffs is not sufficient in the minds of any Flyers fan.  The Flyers have not won a Stanley Cup in 34 years.  They have gotten close but have not been able to close the deal and hoist the Cup.  Will this be the year?  The answer to that begins in a week.

Just when I started going on and on about how the Flyers have turned a corner and are building momentum for a long run in the playoffs, they bring me back to reality.  The reality is that the Flyers, while extremely talented, are frustratingly inconsistent.  I am done writing about how the power play has found its groove, or that Biron is finally looking like a goalie that can lead the Flyers to a Stanley Cup.  Some of that is due to superstition, but some of it is for the simple fact that with this Flyers team it is pointless to write any of that.  From game to game, and period to period they look like completely different teams.  The Flyers team that we would all prefer seeing is the team that went out and defeated Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and New Jersey consecutively, while notching 7 power play goals.  But, stretches like that one 2 weeks ago, are usually followed by a bunch of games like last night.  Last night the Flyers lost to a Toronto Maple Leafs team that has been eliminated from the playoffs.  The Flyers, on the other hand, have everything to play for.  They are fighting for playoff seeding, an outside shot at a division crown, and trying to play their best hockey heading into the playoffs.  Well, the Flyers looked more like the team who had been eliminated from the playoffs last night.  It was hard to watch.  They looked like they were at a leisurely morning skate.  The more disturbing part is their habit of starting off games like they are in quicksand and digging themselves an early hole.  It’s as if the Flyers feel like they can just flip a switch whenever they want.  Maybe the comeback win over the lowly Islanders was a bad thing on Saturday because it made the Flyers believe they could just come out and half ass the hockey game until the 3^rd period.  It didn’t work last night.  John Stevens pulled Marty Biron in the second period and even called a timeout in the period to light a fire under his players, but none of it worked.  After the game, all the Flyers players were talking about how poor their effort was, how they need to step up, and that they were having a meeting today to talk about everything.  I don’t get it.  How do they not understand what the stakes are?  The thing is, they do understand, but for some reason have not been able to raise their level of play to reach their goals.  I don’t want to be overly pessimistic, but at the same time, raising the level of play is exactly what needs to happen in order to have a shot at a Stanley Cup.  The Flyers have shown glimpses of what they are capable of, but glimpses won’t get the Flyers very far.  There is that frustrating inconsistency again.  Instead of playing their best hockey, the Flyers have gone 8-8 since the end of February. 

The players certainly deserve much of the blame, but in situations like this I think we need to look at the coach as well.  John Stevens has done a very nice job, and this Flyers still has a chance to do something special.  But, when a team is constantly starting off games slowly and trying to fight back, and looking great one game and sleepwalking in the next game, there has to be some eyes looking at the coach.  It is the coach that should have a pulse on his team at all times.  The coach needs to know how to jumpstart his team and make sure that their focus is always there.  The Flyers focus is definitely not always high, and aside from blaming the players, Stevens needs to a better job in that area.  He seems to scratch his head and lament the same things over and over.   Maybe he was trying to get his team to focus a little more when he shook up the lines recently.  Ok, fine, that means he is paying attention, but it seems like this Flyers team is one that needs a little extra attention.  I think Stevens knows this, so I am interested to see how the last 6 games play out.  Six games are all that remains in the regular season.  Six games to stop the talking, stop looking ahead, and just go out and play each game from the drop of the puck to the final buzzer as if it was a playoff game.  If they can do that, good things can and will happen.  If they don’t, this season might be over way sooner than any of us want to think about.

In the spirit of April Fools (is there such a thing as the spirit of April Fools?), I wanted to have a little fun.  I don’t want to write a bunch of fake stories and throw a good old April Fools joke in at the end.  I thought I would throw together a few recent sports headlines that actually happened.  However, because it is April Fools, these are headlines that would normally seem like they were an April Fools joke and then became real.  I will also throw together some fun April Fools headlines that aren’t real.  I probably won’t stick to just Philly sports, but who knows where my mind will lead me.  So, first the real events that prior to them happening, would have made perfectly good April Fools jokes…

-          Brian Dawkins Signs With Denver Broncos

-          Brett Myers works a 9 pitch walk from C.C. Sabathia and draws a standing ovation

-          World Ph#$#ing Champions!!!

-          McNabb is benched at Halftime

-          World Series clinching game takes 4 days to play

-          Billy King is hired as an analyst for NBA TV

-          Marty Biron “stands on his head”

-          Eagles go with defensive tackle as #1 FB

-          Hank Baskett bags a Playmate

-          Eagles fans want Kolb instead of McNabb (Note: Not all of them, but seriously?)

-          After hitting a huge pinch hit home run in the NLCS Matt Stairs says, “When you get that nice celebration coming into the dugout and you’re getting your ass hammered by guys—there’s no better feeling than to have that done.”

-          Willie Green is a starting 2 guard in the NBA (sorry, couldn’t help it)

-          Tony DiLeo is Sixers new head coach

-          Jimmy Rollins is DH behind Derek Jeter for Team U.S.A.

-          Terrell Owens is in Buffalo

-          Jay Cutler wants out of Denver

-          Alex Rodriguez took steroids (Wait, nevermind, we all knew that)

-          Isaiah Thomas may be hired by Clippers

-          Arizona Cardinals play in a Super Bowl

Ok, I ran out of ideas on that, so maybe some people out there have some good ones to add.  Now, we are moving on to headlines that are truly for April Fools…

-          Eagles wide receiver leads the league in TD receptions

-          Eagles run/pass ratio is 54/46

-          Andy Reid is on the cover of Men’s Health magazine

-          Donovan McNabb demands a trade to Buffalo to be reunited with T.O.

-          Just to “shake things up”  Andy Reid switches defensive line to OL and vice versa

-          In order to build up the public support for himself, Kevin Kolb starts showing up around town with Heather Mitts

-          Eagles retire Koy Detmer’s neck beard

-          It is revealed that all this time Joe Banner was under the impression that the team would be fined $1 million dollars for any player over 34 on the roster

-          McNabb is diagnosed with a nasty case of IBS that takes about 3 hours after a meal for the symptoms to occur.  We then find out that he has a huge meal just prior to kickoff.

-          Andy Reid admits he had a “man crush” on Greg Lewis

-          Eagles fans ranked the classiest in the NFL by major national media outlets

-          A story is actually done about Philly fans that doesn’t mention booing Santa Clause

-          Charlie Manuel is voted “Interview of The Year”

-          Brett Myers reveals, “I pitch better when I’m drunk.”

-          Ryan Howard wins a Gold Glove

-          Jamie Moyer throws a fastball that hits 85 on the radar gun and is immediately tested for steroids

-          Sixers are a 3 point shooting machine

-          Thaddeus Young admits that he is really Shannon Sharpe

-          Aaron Mckie shares his secrets on the proper way to paint on a beard

-          Samuel Dalembert finally “gets it”

-          Reggie Evans doesn’t infuriate me

-          Sixers realize that Marreese Speights should play more than 8 minutes

-          Standing room only for all Sixers games at the Wachovia Center

-          Ed Snider admits that he hates basketball and actually forgot he owns the team

-          Reggie Evans and Bob Salmi are spotted in Fairmount Park…Holding each others hands, and their lunch pails

-          Prior to a playoff series Cleveland coach Mike Brown is asked what worries him about a match up with the Sixers, and he says, “We have to get a hand in the face of their shooters, especially Iguodala, and the low post presence of Dalembert is something we have to stop.”

-          Paul Holmgren trades Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne, and Claude Giroux, and explains it by saying, “We need more tough guys.  That’s what wins in today’s NHL.  If I could have 20 Riley Cote’s on my team, I would.”

-          Eric Lindros and Bobby Clarke are seen vacationing in Ocean City together

-          John Stevens and Paul Holmgren decide to eliminate all goalies from the roster

-          Holmgren says trading Upshall for Carcillo happened because he lost a side bet in a hand of poker

-          John Calipari hires John Chaney as his assistant at Kentucky

-          Kobe Bryant is voted Teammate of the Year

-          Greg Oden’s birth certificate is found and shows he was actually born in 1957

-          Sam Cassell is a martian!

-          Dick Vitale says something negative about Duke or North Carolina

-          Jay Bilas states that his favorite player of all time was Gumby due to his “infinite length”

-          A real National Champion is decided in college football

Honestly, I could go on and on, but I won’t.  Maybe some people out there have some great ones to add.  I have a ton, but it would become never ending.  Please add any funny April Fools headlines, either real ones or fake to the comments if you have any.  Happy April Fools!

In football, they say that special teams can change the complexion of a game.  Well, the same thing applies in hockey.  For the Flyers, even though they are ranked 6^th in the NHL on both the power play and penalty kill, their power play has been pretty awful for about 2 months now.  Dating back to a January 21^st game against the Atlanta Thrashers, up until last night’s game, the Flyers were 16 for their last 115 power plays.  That comes out to a 14% success rate, which, if it were over the full season would rank the Flyers second to last in the entire NHL.  But, in their last 3 games, the Flyers have gone 7 for 13 on the power play.  You do the math on that one.  Basically the Flyers have had half as many goals on the power play in 3 games that they had in the 2 months leading up to last night.  It’s better late than never.

The Flyers have been saying that the return of Danny Briere would provide a much needed lift to their power play.  It is looking like they were right.  Now, three games do not make a season, but last night the Flyers took out the Devils because of the strength of their power play and the solid play of Marty Biron.  The Flyers went a perfect 3 for 3 on the power play with goals from Briere, Knuble, and Carter en route to a huge 4-2 victory over the hated Devils.  Simon Gagne assisted on two of those goals, and added an even strength goal of his own, his 30^th of the season.  Marty Biron made 32 saves and seems to be building more and more confidence.  The team as a whole just looks like they are getting more and more comfortable with the line changes and with the pressure of these big games.  They couldn’t have picked a better time to do it.  The Flyers are now riding a 3 game winning streak and seem to be taking a strangle hold on the 4^th seed in the Eastern Conference.  Ten games remain in the regular season for the Flyers.  The formula they are winning with now is a formula that wins in the playoffs.  Great special teams play and a goalie that’s “standing on his head” (I just had to use it once) can win you the Stanley Cup, and that’s all we really want.