Rebounding, not rebuilding.
That is hopefully the mindset of the owners of our four Philadelphia sports franchises as their teams head into 2013.
First off, who knows when the NHL will return to play any games this year, but if so, the Philadelphia Flyers will make their usualy Stanley Cup run.
The Philadelphia 76ers have fought hard so far this year, sparked by the young shooters Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner.
But in order to get into the playoffs and maybe over the hump, getting center Andrew Bynum on board -- even for a month or so -- just might be enough to turn this team into an elite contender.
Look what Moses Malone once did. Imagine a healthy Bynum marking his territory in the middle of the floor?
The Philadelphia Eagles will end another dismal season and Coach Andy Reid could be fired a few days after the season, ending his 14-year tenure as the most successful coach in team history.
Who knows what direction team owner Jeff Lurie heads in to pick his next coach, whether to grab a rising talent from college or the NFL coaching ranks or to seek a seasoned veteran like Jon Gruden, who might fire up the fan base.
The roster will face a major shakeup, but the team should focus on developing its young talent than trying to sign big name free agents. (Look how that turned out a few years ago: It basically sunk the franchise.)
With LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Maclin, DeSean Jackson, Brett Celek, Nick Foles, Bryce Brown and Jason Kelce on offense and Trent Cole, Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry, Fletcher Cox and Mychael Kendricks on defense, the team has a young nucleus that it could build around.
As for the Phillies, fans might have the most hope.
Spring Training will be right around the corner. And hope usually springs eternal.
But 2013 will depend on the health of the Phillies core: Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Roy Halliday.
Maybe Cliff Lee will bounce back too and Cole Hamels will continue to be a stud pitcher like he was last year.
It will be interesting to see how newcomers Ben Revere, Michael Young and Terry Adams blend with the team. All will be key in the team's success.
It will be interesting to see who emerges as the Phils' fifth starter, even with the signing of John Lannan, and what will become of the outfield.
Can Domonic Brown become a star? Will Darin Ruf show the power he did all year? Who will fill the void in right field?
Yes, there are so many questions.
There are so many questions for all of our Philadelphia sports teams in 2013.
Regarding the Eagles, you are too-kind when you suggest Reid "possibly" will be fired within "a few days," because most people consider that it's a certainty...to transpire within a few HOURS thereof [after some intrepid reporter gets to him as he leaves the visitors' suite]. It surely is gratuitous to suggest that--absent a superbowl ring--Reid is "the most successful coach in team history." Reid may have more wins, but Vermeil [the workaholic] remains more beloved. Those broadcasters who claim he'll be a coach somewhere else next year are thereby suggesting that some other owner will accept his mantras ["I take full responsibility...for the fact that we weren't prepared...to make the plays." ... etc.]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Eagles [Perhaps someone should ask Robert DeNiro -- in "Silver Linings Playbook" -- whom his choice would be!]
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/blogs/philthy-stuff/Phillies-Grades-The-Bullpen-139064849.html ...with an out-of-town observation penned last month... http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-11-02/news/sns-rt-bbo-phillies-team-reportsx07f23a1-20121101_1_phils-eye-antonio-bastardo-cole-hamels ...that segues into this slide-show summary... http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1450375-5-reasons-how-the-philadelphia-phillies-will-win-the-nl-east ...which appears both optimistic AND sobering.
I have a much more positive outlook. Phils had the best record in baseball after the All Star break last season.They were 17 games below 500 at one point. The Phillies have addressed all of their pressing needs except for another corner outfielder. The addition of Adams in the bullpen will give their stud starters some breathing room to only pitch 6-7 innings. Utley is healthiest he has been in 3 years . Howard's injury has completely healed. I sense a nice comeback year. Playoff berth and who knows, Pitchers and Catchers in 47 days !
* First, Carlos is a druggie... http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/Phillies_catcher_Carlos_Ruiz_suspended_25_games_for_Adderall_use.html ...and this sheds a pall over his achievements. * Second, early in the season [before the suspension, while injuries were being juggled], I witnessed [and cringed @] the lack-of-hustle Rollins demonstrated consistently throughout a Saturday-afternoon game when the future for the Phillies seemed bright [sunny day, etc.]. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/rollins-benched-blunders-phils-beat-194559891--mlb.html Therefore, he has a lot to prove...in the clutch...when it truly matters.
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/Adams-officially-joins-Phillies.html ..that suggests why this aging-tosser was only signed for two years. As a physician who is familiar with the import of the fact that "underwent surgery in October for a condition known as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome," it should be appreciated that some pre-op neuro-damage may not completely resolve...as he candidly admits in the rest of the piece.
Regarding Rollins ...YES he is a moody player but no one on that team is more clutch than Rollins in a pressure packed game.
First, I've prescribed Adderall and am aware of its effectiveness, but Cooch didn't claim he had the diagnosis... http://sports.yahoo.com/news/phillies-catcher-carlos-ruiz-gets-25-game-suspension-for-violating-mlb-drug-policy-230202836.html ...and, if he did, he should have divulged that fact prospectively. * "I'm just sayin' " that J-Ro may now be a developing "shadow" of his rookie-days, as is suggested here... http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/31/jimmy-rollins-apologizes-to-charlie-manuel-for-not-hustling-on-pop-up/ ...and it is notable that he failed to apologize for his lack of hustle to the players and/or FANS... “It was confusion more than frustration....You’re in the cage and it’s going right, and then, 40 feet from the cage to the field, ‘What happened?’ ....“First, I didn’t get the run in [from third base]. Second, ‘Damn, you were just in the cage working on that very thing and how do you do it again?’ That was all that went through my mind.” ...immediately after his coach had accused him of being "disrespectful"! http://www.csnphilly.com/baseball-philadelphia-phillies/phillies-talk/Rollins-apologizes-to-Manuel-for-dogging?blockID=766199&feedID=704
The Sixers are a young team that made it to the Eastern Conference finals last year. Even if they manage to get Bynum for a couple dozen games (at best) they have a long way to go to improve upon last season's performance. The Flyers would need the NHL to unlock its doors and allow them on the ice to compete. My guess, however, is that in a shortened season with so many of their players already banged up a bit from overseas play will be a disappointing one for Flyers fans. Don't look for them to make a deep run into the playoffs if a season even takes place. The Eagles are a team in transition. Next season will be a rebuilding year. New coach. New QB. Same result. Look for another bottom of the division finish for the Birds in 2013 while they wash the stink of the Reid/Vick Eagles off of the team and get ready for a resurgence in 2014.
Please refrain from suggesting Vick besmirches the Eagles; the same perception of the culture in which he arose may have led him to commit federal crimes...but it also may have prompted him to adopt a fearless attitude @ game-time...potentially to his long-term psychological interest.
When I read "wash the stink of the Reid/Vick Eagles off of the team," I fail to note any distinction made by the author between anything generated by Reid vs. what Vick may have done.
Also, Dr. Bob, please refrain from making recommendations on what I suggest. It's called an opinion for a reason. I'll make it very clear that I think Michael Vick is a piece of trash. That the day he signed on with the team was the last day I was a fan. I've awaited this day since the moment he arrived. When Vick is unceremoniously dumped on his ex-con butt and Andy Reid goes right along with him.
First of all, I surmised the thrust of your "opinion" correctly. Second, I have defended Vick aggressively, and he may be best suited as back-up; can you deny the possibility that he could HAPPILY adjust to a new offensive strategy, perhaps based on a rigorous implementation of the West Coast version thereof? http://palmer.patch.com/articles/what-will-be-andy-reid-s-legacy
Vick needs a team to be built around him with an amazing offensive line, an above-average running game (so that play-action and option formations can open up the field for him) and a dink-and-dump passing strategy. He is not the athlete he was years ago and he's never been the level of QB people made him out to be. For the record, I can say what Vick would "happily" do since I'm not inside his head. But my guess is that if the money was good enough, and he realized this is his last contract that he's about to sign, then he'd be happy doing whatever if the money was right. I don't think that's likely. Odds are, he'll find himself somewhere like the Jets (as a backup to Sanchez) or in Jacksonville (if they don't trade for Tebow) or maybe somewhere like Kansas City or Oakland. In any case, his time as an elite-level QB in a starring role is over.
I start the day knowing that your revised comment [complete with one syntactical error, "It's hard to him to turn the ball over...."] is not dissimilar to my opinion, and no longer drips of venom. "There is a God!"
Even if all the qualifiers [primarily related to health] are met, their improvements [outfield, middle-relief] are hardly stellar.
Its all perspective I guess and since I am a fan I choose to think positvely w/out being a Homer.
My goal was to temper your positive-thinking with the fact that the "improvements" were perhaps marginal...in areas well-known to be highly-problematic.