Go Get Ohco-Cinco!!!

                                                                                                                                                                           

The math is simple here for Andy Reid and the Eagles brass, you wiffed on Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald re-signs with the Cards, Roy Williams is going to be locked up by the Lions, and Anquan Boldin may be in Fitzgerald’s teammate for another season so who’s left?

Sports Apparel – Current Cincinnatti Bengals wide reciever Chad Johnson is one of the top three at his position in the NFL, there is no question of his talent or his character. On a team full of repeat offenders Ocho-Cinco is dying to get out of those stripes.

Cheeks Gets My NBA Coach Of The Year Vote.

                                                                                                    

Picked by anyone with an NBA soapbox to finish last in the Eastern Conference, it’s safe to say that the Philadelphia 76ers have been reading their press clippings – thus proving the so-called experts wrong.  The 76ers are currently the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference and have flirted with going as high as the 5th seed.

In the middle of the basketball revival on Broad Street is former Sixers great Maurice Cheeks, who in three seasons has dealt with the issues of Allen Iverson, the trade of Iverson and life after Iverson – which hasn’t been as bad as predicted.

Return of The Mac.

                            
Today Donovan McNabb returns to try and salvage the Philadelphia Eagles season against the N.Y football Giants. For the past two weeks backup A.J. Feeley has been at the helm while McNabb nursed ankle and thumb injuries. McNabb was sacked 12 times in the first meeting of these two teams, the Eagles will have tackle Williams Thomas and running back Brian Westbrook who did not play in the first meeting.

The game plan is simple for the Eagles today – win and your still alive for the postseason, lose – and it’s a wrap. Prepare to see rookie Kevin Kolb.

Desperate times call for desperate measures – and no team has killed the Giants more in the past 3-4 years than Westbrook, the plan is simple – get it to Westbrook as much and as often  as possible, including special teams – if last week’s near game-winning return wasn’t an indication that Andy Reid needs to stop playing him like he’s made of glass, nothing will. He’s been relatively healthy all season and he’s more rested at this point of the season than he’s ever been. Too much is at stake for him not to see about 30-35 total touches today, especially since the G-Men will be without linebacker Antonio Pierce.

Jimmy Rollins is the 2007 National League MVP!

Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Jimmy Rollins has been named the 2007 National League MVP, beating out Colorado Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday.Rollins was the catalyst in a season that saw the Phils reach the postseason for the first time in 14 years. Rollins would go on record prior to the season stating that the Phillies were the team to beat in the National League East Division. Rollins drew the ire of the rival N.Y. Mets who were picked to win the division but coughed it up in the final two weeks of the season giving the Phillies the division crown and Rollins Cleo status.

The Phillies opened the season without last season’s MVP Ryan Howard for several games and down the stretch were without Chase Utley for a month, who at the time of his injury was the leading MVP candidate. Throughout the season J-Roll was the one constant that manager Charlie Manuel could count on.

Rollins season was one of the best ever by a shortstop or anyone for that matter his numbers are as follows: 716AB (All-time record) 139 Runs, 212 Hits, 38 2B, 20 3B, 30 HR(4th player in Major League History with 20 or more doubles, triples and home runs), 94RBI’s, 41 SB, .296 Avg., .344 On Base %, .531 Slugging %.

Rollins adds the MVP award to his 2007 Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.

Harry Edwards: The Black Voice in Sports

                                                                   
When Harry Edwards organized the Olympic Project for Human Rights in the fall of 1967, I don’t think he realized the long-term effect it would have on American sports and society.

For Jackie Robinson it took his signature, for Rosa Parks it was a simple “No”, for OPHR members Tommy Smith and John Carlos it took two black gloves, beads, no shoes, and balls the size of a Spalding to give us the most poignant image in the history of American sports.

This wasn’t a spur of the moment occurrence, this was a very well calculated move made by Edwards to show the world on its most harmonic stage that the Black Athlete is the by product of the Civil Rights nightmare in America. These athletes were facing the same struggles in institutions of higher learning as their parents were back in their hometowns. The fact that they were participating in the Mexico City Olympics was irrelevant. From Jack Johnson to Barry Bonds, the Black Athlete has been the object of

The Sixers Showing Some Fight.

                                                                
The 76’ers have been reading their own press clippings; it has shown 6 games into the season. They have been in all of their games except one. They are off to a 2-4 start, but the team has shown hustle. Willie Green has looked good in the starting 2-spot. And Reggie Evans has been a monster on the boards allowing Samuel Dalembert to roam more defensively.  Andre Miller has been the glue to the team and has given more offensively. The team is still young and there will be some bumps in the road but I like the fact that they are in every game. One faux pas that the team has is guarding the perimeter and a physical presence in the paint. Other than that, it’s a far cry from what many pre-season pundits said about the team.

The one down side early on is that management failed to re-sign Andre Iguodala meaning that they are not able to discuss a new deal until after the season ends.

Donovan McNabb Auditions Underway

                                                            

Whether I want to believe it or not; barring a miracle, Donovan McNabb will not be back as quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles next season. Since his “it’s not just me” press conference last week, #5 has been under the gun on talk radio and blogs across the city. I look at these last seven games in the Eagles 4-5 disappointment of a season as an open audition for anyone in need of a top 7 or 8 quarterback in the league.

Looking at McNabb’s numbers the only stat that is down seems to be touchdowns, his passer rating is around 85-90 his completion percentage is at 60 percent. He hasn’t turned the ball over but his pass selection has not improved and his accuracy seems to have taken a step back. With all of that being said I still can’t name 5 quarterbacks that I would take ahead of him.

I’ve been through it with Randall Cunninghan, Charles Barkley and most recently Allen Iverson. Philadelphia ownership always gets rid of it’s notable Black athletes and more often than not it’s a move that comes back to haunt them.

Hoping For A Super Day For Dungy. Archived 1/26/07

NFL San Diego Chargers from Fanzz

My heart bleeds for Tony Dungy for two reasons. Only one reason has to do with football.

Remembering Hank. Archived 3/09/07

Next Thursday, two words will grab everyone’s attention – March Madness.

Those two words bring me to a name, Hank Gathers

Sixty Years of Brothas on the Gridiron.

I’ve been laboring for weeks on how to acknowledge the 60^th anniversary of the color barrier being broken in professional football. I could go on for days about Jim Brown, Deacon Jones, and Deion Sanders. And while they deserve credit for bringing pro football to the forefront and “Prime Time” of American sports, there were those that came before the signing bonuses and sneaker deals whose only luxury came from playing the game that they loved in exchange for minimal pay and sometimes hostile treatment. The Civil Rights Movement only reached its peak in the 1960’s; it was fought in locker rooms of professional teams with as much intensity as inside any Southern diner long before protest marches became commonplace.