FLYERS: Orange and Black pursuing Shanahan?

Reports from Comcast SportsNet – Philadelphia are saying that the Philadelphia Flyers are entertaining the idea of bringing Brendan Shanahan on board for the upcoming season as their oft-talked about “final piece”.  Shanahan, who will be 40 this season, has won three Stanley Cup Championships in his career – all during his time with the Detroit Red Wings – and would bring a strong dose of leadership and locker-room presence that the Flyers desire to have.  Last season, Shanahan considered retirement but decided to return to the NHL, signing with the Flyers’ Atlantic Division rivals, the New Jersey Devils.  In 34 games last year, “Shanny” tallied 6 goals and 14 points – a steady drop off from the numbers he was once capable of putting up, but a full season of Shanahan may bring a different scenario.  In 22 NHL seasons, Shanahan has played for the New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, and Hartford Whalers.  More on this story to come as it develops.  For a full dose of information, read the article by CSN Philly’s Tim Panaccio here.

Shanahan is on the Flyers' radar for next season

EAGLES: 2009 “Ultimate Standings”

ESPN SportsNation recently released its annual “Ultimate Standings” to the public. These rankings combine every team in the four major American professional sports to determine the most successful franchises in the eye of professionals and the public. The teams with the highest mean in overall rankings of the following categories determine where they fall in relation to other teams:

Bang For The Buck (BNG): Wins during the past three years (regular season plus postseason) per revenues directly from fans, adjusted for league schedules.

Fan Relations (FRL): Openness and consideration toward fans by players, coaches and management.
Ownership (OWN): Honesty and loyalty to core players and local community.
Affordability (AFF): Price of tickets, parking and concessions.
Stadium Experience (STX): Quality of arena and game-day promotions as well as friendliness of environment.
Players (PLA): Effort on the field and likability off it.
Coaching (CCH): Strength of on-field leadership.
Title Track (TTR): Championships already won or expected in the lifetime of current fans.

With that being said, these rankings listed the Philadelphia Eagles as being No. 44 overall. While many Eagles fans are probably shocked to see the ‘Birds this low in comparison to some of the teams placed above them, this is a significant jump from the No. 66 ranking in 2008. Click here to see ESPN’s reasoning for the Eagles 2009 ranking.

Here is how the Eagles were rated in the following categories (symbols listed above) and my analysis of the numbers based on my personal experience at an Eagles game.

BNG: 39

I was pretty shocked to see the Eagles this low. Granted the Eagles struggles to win a Superbowl, they are one of the most successful sports franchises in the last decade. The Eagles have made seven playoff appearances and have a winning percentage of .640. The only teams that have been more successful have been from the AFC (Patriots, Steelers, Colts). Despite only making one Superbowl appearance, the Eagles have reached five NFC Championship games, which tops any team in the NFL (Patriots-4, Steelers-4). How do you like them apples?

Eagles fans do not get the respect they deserve

FRL: 45

Considering the stereotype around fans in Philadelphia as being out of control and bashing their sports figures, I actually expected ESPN to give the Eagles a worse ranking in this category. Hopefully the nation is starting to realize that Eagles fans aren’t just drunken fools that knock their players when they’re down, but rather knowledgeable fans that care about winning and want to see their athletes giving 110 percent every time they get on the field.

OWN: 69

Well this category is a straight shot to the drama surrounding the decision to bench Donovan McNabb last season after his performance against the Baltimore Ravens. Don’t get me wrong, I was one of the many people that was skeptical about that decision, but in the long run it worked out. All Eagles fans have questioned Andy Reid, but the truth is that the guy knows how to win. His decision to bench McNabb last season brought the sports figure back to reality and numbers prove that he was a better quarterback after that game.

AFF: 80

It is simple economics: the larger the city and more expensive the area, then the more expensive the tickets, food, etc. Philadelphia is an expensive place to live, therefore the sporting industry needs to compete with other organizations to produce revenue. Granted the tickets are expensive and a cheese steak should never cost $10, but people are continuing to buy the food and the Linc continues to sell out for every game.

STX: 74

View of Lincoln Financial Field

Back to the good ole’ “Philadelphia fans are big, bad, and scary fans.” I don’t think I need to delve back into how that stereotype is out of control, but I do want to discuss how we still are ranked so low. Lincoln Financial Field is an unbelievable stadium. It opened in 2003 and is one of the cleanest and most intriguing buildings in all of the NFL. This ranking truly gets under my skin because I look at the rankings and the Eagles are ranked No. 13 in the NFL in this category. To see teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans ranked above the ‘Birds just does not make sense to me. I know I am biased because I have been going to Eagles games since I was born and I have never been to a Chiefs or Texans game, but come on. Those are two of the least successful franchises in the last decade, so their fans and overall experience can’t compare to the Eagles in 2008, a team that went to the NFC Championship game. I could talk about this category all day, but for the sake of space I will move on.

PLA: 32

This is probably a fair assumption considering that Eagles players know that they need to perform because if they don’t, they will never hear the end of it. Further, one thing the Eagles franchise has done a good job with (excluding the Terrell Owens saga) is keeping the media away from the team. While last season there were some issues regarding McNabb, Eagles fans never hear of any problems with the players off the field and I commend the Eagles organization for that valuable and often unrecognized trait.

CCH: 53

This is a topic that is very split in Philadelphia because most Eagles fans have a love-hate relationship towards Andy Reid. As I mentioned earlier, I was one of the many people who wanted him gone after witnessing a 10-3 loss against the Washington Redskins to risk our chance at the playoffs. However, Reid bounced back and proved Eagles fans wrong by guiding the team to its fifth NFC Championship game of the decade.

TTR: 68

We all know that there is no Lombardi Trophy in the glass cases in the city of Philadelphia. We hear it every year from ignorant Giant and Cowboy fans because it is their only excuse to a loss against the Eagles. However, McNabb has made it clear that he wants one and I can bet that everyone in the Eagles organization is willing to lay everything on the line for that opportunity. That being said, the fans will continue to back the Eagles until that day will come. We waited 25 years for a championship and the Phillies pulled through last season, so one can only hope that the Eagles get that opportunity in 2010.

Thanks for reading my take on the “2009 Ultimate Standings.” Feel free to comment back and let me know your take on the Eagles’ ranking.

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SIXERS: Bibby Not Interested in Joining Sixers

The Philadelphia 76ers have expressed an interest in signing Atlanta Hawks point guard Mike Bibby.  Unfortunately for the Sixers, Bibby does not feel the same way.  Bibby, a 10-year veteran who has spent the last two seasons playing for the Hawks, plans to return to the team for

Mike Bibby does not plan on coming to Philadelphia

another season.  Even though it appears that Bibby will not be joining the team, the fact that the Sixers have contacted him shows that things may not be going well in their efforts to re-sign free agent point guard Andre Miller.  Miller and Bibby play a similar style game, as both players are excellent ball distributors as well as solid scorers.  The team is clearly exploring all their options in case they are unable to bring Miller back.  As of now the starting point guard will be Lou Williams, backed up by rookie Jrue Holiday.  While both these players possess great talent and athleticism, they lack the consistent play and leadership skills of Miller.  If the Sixers don’t bring back Miller, it may take awhile for the team to develop consistent play from the point guard position.  And when  the point guard struggles, the offense usually does as well.