The700Level.com - Philly Sports & Minutiae

Disney On Ice Booted by Thad & the Andres

Is this that turnaround point the Sixers have been shooting for? Maybe that's a tad premature, but they are making a little noise lately and the offense has been clicking much better than it was. After beating the Clips in LA, they dropped a clunker to the Mavs, but then damn near came way back to take down the Spurs. Last night, they faced the Rockets in their first game back from the Disney On Ice trip, and the homecoming served 'em well.

Thad Young and Andre Iguodala led the way, looking great in tandem. Wait til you see the ThadYo dunk in the highlights, after the jump. Try not to choke on the obligatory cheesesteak reference that kicks it off though. 

Tempers Flare: Flyers @ Red Hot Caps

Martin of digidigidigi fame drops by to offer up tonight's game thread.

"Look at us now, busted up and everyone talking about hard rain.  But we've learned by the dust of 'em all, Barter-town's learned.  Now when men get to fighting, it happens here and it finishes here.  Two men enter, one man leaves."

Perhaps more fitting, eight men enter… the Flyers' hospital ward. Briere (groin), Giroux (concussion), Kalinski (leg contusion), Lupul (abdominal strain) and Nittymaki (groin) are out for the long term while Gratton (abdominal pull), Asham (knee) and Powe (hip) are questionable.  The strain of an arduous 6 game road trip, full of weather related travel delays and other such nuisances you ask? Or perhaps some bad karma for running up the score in a previous meeting with the Caps?

Andy and Donovan Crack Top 10

Letterman's Top 10 that is.

The Phillies Have "Spoken"

And they've said a whole lot of nothing.

In a call with reporters, Ruben Jr. and Scott Proefrock blew a lot of wind. There was maybe one answer that added some new information. On there still being a possibility of JC appealing the suspension, "Not that I'm aware of," Proefrock said. "That process has played itself out. That's why the announcement was made. That's my understanding."

Free JC -- The Tee Shirt

You ask for it and we deliver. After hearing the horrible news last night of J.C. Romero's 50 game suspension due to "negligence," we went and created these tee shirts which you can purchase right here to show your support for the winner of games three and five of the World Series. The creative is due in large part to Mr. P. and his lovely lady friend. So think of them and us every time you sport your FREE JC! tee at a Phils game this year in protest of MLB's horrible decision to suspend the world's greatest middle reliever.

More On Romero's Suspension

Phil Sheridan has a follow up to the initial ESPN report and boy does it just make you angrier. Not at Romero but at the way it appears MLB handled the whole situation.

J.C. Romero Suspended 50 Games for Using Questionable Banned Substance

Wow. Huge blow to the Phillies first 50 games next season and the career of a possibly innocent man.

While Major League Baseball never said J.C. Romero tried to cheat, the 33-year-old reliever who won the third and clinching games of the 2008 World Series has been ruled guilty of "negligence" and will be suspended for the first 50 games of the 2009 season.

Romero said on Monday that he bought a supplement from a GNC store in Cherry Hill, N.J., last July. The Players Association had told players the supplement was acceptable, but now the Philadelphia Phillies left-hander will receive a suspension and lose $1.25 million.

As mentioned in the comments, we suggest you read the entire article to see how J.C. really seems to be getting screwed over pretty bad here. Whether it's the Players Association failing him or the arbitrator, J.C. got misled.

The thing I admire the most, faced with a reduced sentence if he admitted guilt, J.C. said he couldn't admit guilt because he didn't believe he did anything wrong. 50 games and $1.25 million is messing with a dude's life. That sucks for J.C. and Phillies fans everywhere.

>>Romero Questions Suspension [ESPN]

Video: Parker's Game Winner Over Sixers

The Sixers gave the Spurs a run for their money on Saturday night and had the ball in a tie game with under 30 seconds to go. Unfortunately, they turned the ball over and gave the Spurs the chance to create some magic.

Pat Burrell Signs with Tampa

It's official, Pat Burrell has signed with the Tampa Bay Rays pending a physical. I did my farewell of sorts to The Bat back when the Phils signed Ibanez, so feel free to get out your Kleenex and stroll down memory lane. I'm worried a bit about Pat in terms of the lack of night life in Tampa and St. Pete but I'm sure he'll do fine on the beach.

Football Food For Eagles Fans - Playoffs

Football Food For Fans ~ Playoff Edition, originally uploaded by Mark/JerseyStyle Photography

There's nothing quite like getting to watch your team in the playoffs. Along with this bonus football comes the bonus get-togethers. We had quite the spread at my parents yesterday with all sorts of hoagies from Chicken Parm, Italian, to Turkey. My brother brought wings. There was chips and dip, 2 different salsas, a cheese spread and 3 different kinds of pepperoni, a brownie sundae setup, etc. Safe to say, I'm fat(ter) today.

Anyway, Mark had a similar idea and wanted to push his cholesterol level to new heights.

Report: Rays Close to Deal With Burrell

We knew the day would come, but it was going to hurt when we heard the news either way.

The Rays, filling their need for a power hitter, are close to signing free-agent Pat Burrell to a two-year, $16 million contract, according to major-league sources. Burrell, 32, will serve as the team's designated hitter.

At least it wasn't the Mets, or any other NL team. If the numbers are correct, the Rays will sign Pat the Bat to a shorter contract for fewer years than the one the Phillies recently inked with Raul Ibanez. Two years for $16mil is a relative bargain due to a tough market for players fitting Pat's description, and for fewer years than it was originally anticipated that he would require. Unfortunately, the Phillies were not reported to have been in touch with him much (if at all) while pursuing a right fielder in free agency after their World Series win.

If they knew what Burrell would ultimately settle for, would Ibanez have still been their preference?

With the Rays set to visit CBP for the On Deck Series, Pat should get a great hero's welcome.

Some Redemption for Reid and a Few Birds

If we're going to point the finger around here, we must also shower the deserving with praise when it's their time.  Andy Reid's gameplan against the Vikings will likely linger in the shadows left by the many stellar performances that made the Eagles win possible, but it wouldn't be fair after all the criticism leveled upon the head coach.

The execution wasn't flawless.  There still weren't enough (any?) runs on third and short.  Buckhalter once again was limited to only a couple touches.  However, it was the coaching staff's approach to the game that carried the day for the offense.  Despite an overwhelmingly dismal rushing attack, Reid and Mornhinweg stuck with the run just enough in the face of the top rushing defense in the NFL.  The success cannot be measured in yards.

Awesome Photo: Poor Tarvaris

Photo of the aftermath of the killer hit Chris Clemons put on Tarvaris Jackson (video of it here) from the Eagles official photo gallery from the game. It's almost as good as the Romo head in hands shot. This one is pretty rough as well.

Video: Chris Clemons Pancakes Tarvaris Jackson

Perhaps the most memorable hit of the game was when Chris Clemons laid out Vikings QB Tarvaris Jackson on the Asante Samuel pick six.

With Wild Card Road Win, Eagles Move On To New York

From an ugly 16-14 ball game to a wild card win in the blink of a Brian Westbrook screen. Credit to the Vikings defense who kept 36 and the rest of the Eagles offense in check for most of the game, but one beautifully executed screen pass -- how bout those downfield blocks! -- and the Iggles are headed to New York.

It was the type of play that got my entire house of Eagles fans jumping and screaming at the top of their lungs. Anything is possible when you're playing January football. You can curse them all you want when they're struggling, but you have to love this stuff.

As BWest said after the game, "That screen came at the perfect time." And this Eagles team is winning at the perfect time.