Flyers make historic comeback to blow away Hurricanes in a shootout

Hurricanes 5 - 6 Flyers (SO)

The Flyers produced their biggest comeback in 2o years and gained their first shootout success of the year, as they beat the Hurricanes 6-5 in a stunning game at the Wachovia Center.

A hat trick from Scott Hartnell and four unanswered goals in the third period, saw Philly tie the score with 1:44 left in regulation, having trailed 5-1 with just 19 minutes to go in the game.

After a scoreless overtime session, Simon Gagne and Mike Richards continued the team's momentum and produced in the shootout to give the Flyers their first shootout win in three attempts this season.

Carolina jumped out in front early, as center Eric Staal put the visitors ahead with barely a minute gone in the first period, before the Hurricanes doubled their advantage with Matt Cullen's goal two minutes into second.

Scott Hartnell reduced the deficit later in the period, after he tipped Jeff Carter's shot past replacement goaltender Michael Leighton, with the Flyers on the power play.

But barely ten seconds later, Carolina had restored their two goal lead, with Staal this time turning provider, as he set up Sergei Samsonov who fired past Philly's backup tender, Antero Niittymaki.

From here on in, it looked like it was going to be a rout, as power play goals from ex-Flyer Joni Pitkanen and a second from Staal, put the Flyers four goals behind with five minutes still remaining in the second.

Tempers flared as the hosts became frustrated, with Arron Asham picking up 15 minutes in the bin for instigating a fight, and it looked for all the world like Philly were dead and buried.

But it must have been one hell of a team talk from Coach John Stevens in the second interval, as the Flyers came out all guns blazing in the final period, playing as if their lives depended on it.

Less than two minutes in, Hartnell had his second of the night, with yet another shorthanded Flyers goal.

The winger was assisted for the second time by Carter (9th assist of the season) and Andrew Alberts, who got a second later in the period.

With plenty of time left in the game, Philly piled the pressure on the Hurricanes and within six minutes, Hartnell had completed the fourth hat trick of his NHL career, and the Flyers' first since Mike Knuble bagged a treble back in February.

At 5-3, the Flyers continued to push forward, but for a while the dream comeback looked like it would come up short, as shot after shot was kept out of Carolina's net by Leighton.

But with five minutes remaining Philly's pressure paid off, as Lasse Kukkonen's blocked shot rebounded to Scottie Upshall, and the winger made no mistake to pull the Flyers back within one.

Carried by a tidal wave of momentum, Gagne completed the most improbable of fight backs, as he collected a behind the net pass from Knuble and fired past a helpless Leighton, to bring the Flyers level for the first time since the opening minute.

Richards also nabbed an assist on the play, his ninth point in the last six games, taking his total to 20 assist and 31 points on the year.

Philly had out shot the Hurricanes 15-6 in the final period, however overtime was much more even.

Niittymaki, who was standing in for the rested Martin Biron, made up for the five he conceded in the first 35 minutes, by producing some big saves in the extra period to take the game to a shoot out.

The Fin also proved his worth in the shootout, saving both of Carolina's attempts, whilst Richards and Gagne made no mistake, giving the Flyers their third straight win and their fourth in five games.

This is the first time in the team's history that Philly have ever successfully overturned a four goal deficit at home, and the last time they did it was in an 11-6 win in Detroit way back in 1988, when again they had trailed 5-1.

More important for the Flyers though is the here and now, with the win securing a 3-1 series victory over their Eastern Conference rivals.

All four games have been played within the last month and the sides will now not meet again this season, unless it is in the playoffs.

Philly (15-7-6) also remain tied with Pittsburgh for second place in the Atlantic division and fifth seed in the conference, whilst Carolina retain the second spot in the South East despite being ninth in the conference.

The Flyers have the chance to go second outright in the division when they welcome their state rivals the Penguins on Saturday afternoon.

One thing's for sure: it is going to be tight, with both meetings between the teams so far this season having gone to overtime.

Add to that the fact that 14 of the Flyers 15 home games to this point have been decided by just one goal, and it looks like we will be in for yet another tense one.

It also promises to be feisty as there is definately no love lost between the two franchises.

Flyers hockey may give you the odd nervous breakdown, but it is never dull!

Whats up with Omar? Last year's breakout player seems to have stalled

So far in 2008, Eagles linebacker Omar Gaither has looked a shadow of the man who led the team in tackles and hurries last season.

Gaither spent most of last year in the middle linebacker spot following the departure of Jeremiah Trotter, and the 24-year-old exploded for a team high 102 tackles and 14 hurries, as well as ranking second in knockdowns (14).

This year however, the third year out of Tennessee has been moved back to his true position of (weak) outside linebacker in order to make way for Stewart Bradley, and he has struggled to have the same kind of impact.

Gaither has just 54 tackles on the season, barely half of his total last year, but he has 2.5 sacks which is an improvement on the 0 he picked up in 2007.

A drop in stats is inevitable when moving from middle to weakside backer, especially when teams have traditionally loved to try and run right throught the heart of the Eagles defence.

However Gaither appears to have lost the confidence of defensive co-ordinator Jim Johnson, who has benched him for the last three games in favour of Akeem Jordan.

Jordan has done his bit for the team since replacing Gaither, making a total of 20 tackles in the loss against Baltimore and the two huge wins over Arizona and the Giants.

Why Gaither has struggled at outside backer is unclear, but it seems that he is having trouble readjusting to his new role within the team, after establishing himself last year on the inside of the linebacking core.

Whatever the reason, Gaither needs to get himself back in the groove quickly if he wants to become a permanent fixture in the line-up.

A move back to middle linebacker looks extremely doubtful with the numbers that Bradley is posting, as he is just one tackle behind the league leader, with 90 tackles from 13 games.

Therefore, the man from Charlotte is going to have to get used to it and fight harder than ever to win back his place, as this guy is too talented to be warming the bench!

Phillies pitching links hot up + Hamels lays into Mets

With the Phillies no closer to resigning free agent pitcher Jamie Moyer, the rumours about a possible replacement are now hotting up, with GM Ruben Amaro Jr. admitting he is interested in former Dodgers starter Derek Lowe.

The righty is believed to be looking for a five year $80 million deal, and the Phillies are now the front runners in the race to sign him, after the Yankees shelled out a massive $160 million on top pitching free agent C.C. Sabathia.

That move could push Lowe's price up slightly, as he and former Toronto star A.J. Burnett are now the top two pitchers left on the market.

The 35-year-old has become well known as a durable pitcher with a great sinkerball, and a good postseason record.

Lowe has a 3.33 career ERA in the postseason, and he gave up just four runs in a perfect 3-0 playoff run for the Red Sox in 2004, when they won the World Series.

Last season he had a record of 14-11 in the Dodgers' rotation, but these stats would have been better had the Dodgers had any offence earlier in the season, before the late trade for Manny Ramirez.

A deal for Lowe would make Moyer's return less likely, although the Phillies could still do with another pitcher to add to their rotation, as behind ace Cole Hamels the only vaguely consistent pitcher is Joe Blanton.

You never know what you are going to get with Brett Myers and Kyle Kendrick faded badly at the back end of last year.

Moyer could still fill a spot in the rotation even if Lowe does sign, however very little progress has been made in terms of resigning the lefty since he filed for free agency.

At least the two parties are talking though and Philly have stated they want to bring Moyer back, which is more than can be said for the Phillies and left fielder Pat Burrell.

So far the management team have not even been in contact with Burrell, increasing the speculation that they are determined to look elsewhere to find the outfielder they desire.

If they do, then Philly are likely to try and find a right-handed batter to offset the mass of lefty hitters in the middle of their lineup.

Going back to pitchers, the word is going around that the team are on the verge of signing unattached right-hander Chan Ho Park, another former Dodger, to act as a middle-inning reliever and an occasional starter.

The 35-year-old South Korean was a regular starter at the turn of the century, but has been used more and more sparingly in that role over the last few years.

He has some reasonable stats last year, picking up a 4-4 record with five starts and an ERA of 3.40 for LA, but if the deal is done it will be interesting to see how he copes in a hitter-friendly ballpark.

Speaking of pitchers or rather pitchers speaking, ace Cole Hamels is in the process of becoming a true Phillies legend, after the World Series MVP laid into the rival Mets on a New York radio station.

In a truly gutsy interview in enemy territory trying to promote the Phillies' World Series DVD, Hamels slated the Mets and labeled them "choke artists" in the wake of their failure to make the playoffs the last two years.

Both times the Mets were seen as the class of the NL East, but both times they faded late in the season having led the division the majority of the way, allowing the Phillies to take back-to-back division titles.

Hamels said he would continue to see New York's 'other team' as choke artists until they prove otherwise, and then proceeded to attack Mets short stop Jose Reyes.

The starter suggested Reyes is a show-boater because of his finger-pointing home run celebration, acting like his hit has won the game, even if it is only come a few innings in.

The lefty also stated that he and the rest of the Phillies had had a go at teammate Shane Victorino, when he used a similar celebration after hitting a grand slam off the then Brewers pitcher C.C. Sabathia, in this year's NLDS.

It is great to see a young star standing up and criticising show-boating, in an age where massive salaries and massive egos are threatening to turn baseball into a soap opera.

Sixers cut up by Cavs, losing 5th straight at home

Cavaliers 101 - 93 Sixers

Normally the Wachovia center is a sanctuary for the Sixers, whose road woes over the last few seasons have been well documented.

But at the moment the 76ers can't buy a home win, as last night's loss to the Cavs marked the fifth straight they have dropped in Philly.

Granted three of those loses have come against Orlando and the Lakers, both division leaders with a combined record of 35-8, and Cleveland are one of the league's hottest teams, having now won their last 10 games.

However home losses to the Bulls and the Nets are much less forgivable for a team that continues to underachieve.

Last Friday's win in Detroit showed the potential that this Sixers team has, but it has only been seen in very brief glimpses during the opening few months of the season.

Last night Philly became the latest side to be swept away in the wave of Cleveland's winning streak, but at least the Sixers rallied late on to force LeBron James to come back into the game, after he was able to sit out the fourth quarter of the Cavs last seven games.

The Cavs had won their previous nine games by an average of over 20 points, and it looked like they were going to win big again, as they led by 21 late in the third quarter.

However, to the 76ers credit they came back in the final period, cutting the deposit to just six with two minutes left in the game.

Lou Williams was big off the bench down the stretch, scoring 13 points in the fourth to get his team back in contention, but his and the Sixers effort came up short as the Cavs held on to go 18-1 in their last 19 games.

Philly had led the game after the first quarter and were down by just two at the half, before a nightmare third period killed off any serious hopes they had of getting a result.

During that time, the Sixers had a run where they made just 2 of 14 from the floor, the sort of spell that won't win you many ball games!

The hosts just could not cope with LeBron, who notched up a game-high 29 points, and got some help from Maurice Williams (27 points) and Brazilian forward Anderson Varejao (15 points).

Philly changed their starting lineup for this one, with Willie Green replacing Thaddeus Young, who has cooled off in recent weeks.

Green took up the shooting guard position, which meant Andre Iguodala moved over to small forward, and this benefited him.

Iguodala claimed a season-high 27 points and Lou Williams (22 points) supported him with his best stats of the year.

Andre Miller (22 points) made sure the 76ers had three players with over 20 points for only the second time this season, but unlike the win over Chicago it wasn't enough for the Sixers to get it done.

Green (1-6 for 2 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists) did not vindicate his selection ahead of Young, but the forward (6 points) hardly made a compelling case either.

Once again Philly couldn't hit a barn door from beyond the arc, making just one from 10 attempts, which meant that Cleveland could make the inside congested.

As a result Elton Brand (2 points) struggled on his return from a hamstring strain, as did Samuel Dalembert (2 points), although Brand did lead the team with 10 rebounds.

Three point shooting is really becoming a huge problem for the Sixers, and the fans are starting to show their frustration, as they booed the team off at the end of the third quarter.

Here are the highlights:


Philly's defence is the only positive for the franchise up to this point in the season, with yesterday being just the sixth time that the team have given up 100+ points this year.

However, the Sixers are 0-6 when their opponents have reached triple digits, as their offence is just not producing the goods.

The 76ers have now lost seven of their last nine games in dropping to 9-13 on the season, whilst the Cavs (19-3) are pulling away at the top of the central division.

Philly do get an immediate shot at revenge when they travel to Cleveland on Friday, but the way things are going at the moment, I wouldn't hold your breath!

Eagles hang on to playoff hopes by beating NFC leading Giants

Eagles 20 - 14 Giants

Just when you thought the Eagles' playoff chances were dead and buried, they pull off one of the results of the season, beating the Giants on their own turf, and in doing so they throw themselves back into the mix in the NFC.

It was a must-win game for the Eagles if they were to have any chance of making the postseason, but ironically Philly got it done by beating New York at their own game.

The Eagles ditched the usual pass first, run later tactic, establishing the run game and controlling the clock, with Brian Westbrook coming up big once again.

The running back is truly the key to the Eagles offense, running and passing the football, and if teams can shut him down then, more often than not, the Eagles will struggle.

But tonight the Eagles got the ball in his hands and he burned the Giants for 203 total yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.

131 of Westbrook's yards came on the ground, against a Giants defense that had allowed an average of just 85 yards rushing per game and ranked 5th in the league against the run, prior to welcoming Philly.

Westbrook carried the ball a career-high 33 times and wore down the Giants D, as Head Coach Andy Reid persevered with the running game for a change, which paid dividends.

The big game allowed Westbrook to become the new franchise leader in total career yards from scrimmage with 9,085, beating the previous record set by former wide receiver Harold Carmichael, back in 1983.

Setting up the run took some of the pressure off quarterback Donovan McNabb, who started slowly but came up big when the Eagles needed him, both with his arm and with his feet.

The offensive line provided him with great protection, only allowing one sack, which was all the more pleasing as Philly was without both of its right guards.

With Max Jean-Gilles done for the season with a broken ankle and Shawn Andrews a long-term absentee through back trouble, third choice guard and backup center Nick Cole stepped in and filled the void well, against one of the league's toughest defensive lines.

Through the air, McNabb was 19 of 30 for 191 yards and a solitary touchdown, however seven of them moved the chains on third down.

McNabb also came up big on the ground, getting 20 yards and three first downs from five attempts.

Philly were very good on third downs throughout the game, converting 12 of 18, whilst the Giants were a poor 4 of 12 and struggled to get anything going.

Eli Manning and the Giants offense were held in check by a brilliant Eagles defensive performance, that allowed New York to gain just 211 total yards, and limited the league's best rushing team to only 88 yards on the ground.

The Giants missed wide receiver Plaxico Burress enormously, after the star shot himself in the leg last weekend with an unlicensed firearm.

Some say the whole incident distracted the Giants, which the team's management denied, but distraction or no, it was clear that the Giants were not the same offensively.

Burress has been suspended by the Giants for the rest of the season, including the playoffs and could face up to 15 years in prison for the incident, which is bad news for New York who failed to move the ball consistently without him.

His absence was most visible when Manning threw a 50 yard pass right into the hands of Domenik Hixon, only for the receiver to drop the ball and with it lose the chance of an almost certain touchdown.

That drop came early in the second quarter with the Eagles up 3-0, after David Akers converted a 51 yard field goal right at the end of the first.

A great piece of coaching by Reid allowed Akers the chance to open the scoring, as he called timeout to allow the field goal to be taken with the strong wind, rather than wait for the change of ends at the end of the quarter, which would have made the kick almost impossible.

The score came as a relief for Akers, who was just 8/20 beyond 40 yards going into the game.

The Giants responded by also getting into field goal range, despite the drop by Hixon, but John Carney's kick was blocked by Trent Cole, who spectacularly leapfrogged the New York line to get a piece of the ball.

Both defenses were on top for most of the first half before the Eagles offense got going with five minutes left in the half.

McNabb marched his team down the field, but Philly needed two great plays from tight end L.J. Smith to keep the drive alive.

Smith showed his agility, evading tackles everywhere to give the Eagles a first down on third and nine, before doing the same the very next play to take Philly into field goal range as the clock ticked down to the two minute warning.

Then Brian Westbrook showed what he can do given half a yard of space, as he broke out of the pack to go in from 30 yards and give the Eagles a 10-0 lead.

It looked like the Giants were not going to be on the board at half-time for the first time since 2004, as Philly's defense took it up a notch, stopping New York on fourth down and allowing their offense to try and get some more points before the break.

However, just as it did against San Fransisco, special teams let the Eagles down again when the Eagles got within scoring distance.

Akers had a chance from 32 yards to stretch the lead with the last play of the half, but his field goal was blocked by the big hand of Justin Tuck, and Kevin Dockery scooped up the ball, taking it 71 yards for the touchdown and a 10 point swing.

The miss was Akers' first from inside 40 yards all season, as the Eagles advantage was cut to 10-7 as the teams headed to the locker room.

After a similar thing happened in the game against the 49ers, Philly's energy dropped at the start of second half, but there was no such drop off here.

The offense started to move the ball straight away, driving 54 yards down field and chewing up seven minutes, before once more stalling in the red-zone.

However Akers' misfortune continued, as once again the Giants got a piece of his short field goal attempt, this time though it was only a tiny tip that did just enough to bring the ball up short of the posts with the wind in Akers' face.

This kind of adversity has been the bane of the Eagles all season, but with their backs against the wall, knowing only a win could keep alive their postseason hopes, the Eagles kept pounding away at their hosts and eventually hit the jackpot.

The Eagles started their next possession inside their own 20, but Westbrook kept gaining chunks of yardage to take Philly inside the Giants half, and then finished the six minute drive in style.

The back made a good block to help with pass protection, before getting away from Antonio Pierce on a crossing route.

McNabb duly found his man and Westbrook scampered in from 40 yards for his second TD of the day, giving his team a 17-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.

It was then the turn of the Eagles defense to step up again, as they once again turned the Giants over on downs in Eagles territory, with New York finishing 0/4 on fourth down conversions.

The Giants were not helped by losing leading rusher Brandon Jacobs to a knee injury midway through the third, although coach Tom Coughlin will be hoping that he doesn't miss the next game, as his team's offensive struggles were easily visible.

The Eagles offense continued to control the clock, stringing together a 14 play drive that took seven minutes off the clock, with Akers finally converting a field goal inside the red-zone to make it a two touchdown game.

The Giants offense finally showed up in their final drive of the game, as they got the ball back with just over two minutes on the clock.

Eli Manning seemed to play better in the hurry up offense, as he lead his team 70 yards down the field before finding Darcy Johnson on a one yard TD pass with 20 seconds remaining.

However any nerves the Eagles had were quickly snuffed out, as they recovered the onside kick to seal the win.

Here are the highlights:

The Eagles inflicted upon the Giants only their second defeat of the year, and the first at the Meadowlands for the defending Superbowl Champions, but they still clinched the NFC East thanks to losses from Dallas and Washington.

Philly dominated the time of possession, hogging the ball for nearly 35 minutes, which didn't allow the Giants to do what they do best and grind teams down.

Both of the Giants' (11-2) losses have now come when they have lost the possession battle, and with no Burress making plays, teams can now stack up even more on a run game that could be badly affected should Jacobs miss much time.

The Eagles defense was outstanding, despite getting no turnovers or sacks, but they stopped the run, which turned out to be more than enough.

On the other hand there are still a few worries hanging over the Eagles offense, the biggest one being the team's inability to deliver in the red-zone.

Philly had to rely on two big plays from Westbrook to get it done, as they came away with just a field goal from three trips inside the Giants 20.

They will also have to hope that Correll Buckhalter can make his way back from injury, as with all the health problems Westbrook has had this season, it is unlikely he can continue to run 30+ times a game.

The Eagles also lost Kevin Curtis to concussion during the game, leaving them short at wide receiver.

Westbrook picked up the slack against the Giants, leading the team in receiving with six catches for 72 yards and a touchdown, but with the Eagles likely to be without Reggie Brown and Curtis next week, someone else will have to step up.

The win moves the Eagles to 7-5-1, just half a game behind the two teams tied for the final playoff place: Dallas and Atlanta who both lost on Sunday.

All three are now focused on trying to secure a wild card spot, with the Eagles having the schedule advantage over the Cowboys.

Realistically Philly must win all three of their remaining games against Cleveland (H), Washington (A) and Dallas (H) if they are to stand a chance, with the visit of the Cowboys on the final day a possible winner-takes-all match up.

They will still have to rely on some help from other teams to bring down Atlanta, but they have two tough games against Tampa Bay and at Minnesota, before rounding out their season against a poor Rams outfit.

Two years ago the Eagles made a late run to make the playoffs, and this result may just have given them the springboard to go on and do it again.

However they can't afford to slip up against Cleveland like they did against Cincinnati...the week after they last played the Giants.

Briere becoming sicknote - Center out again!

The Flyers will once again have to do without star center Danny Briere, this time for 4-5 weeks, after the Canadian picked up a groin strain in Tuesday's home win over the Lightning.

Briere had only just returned to the lineup, having missed 14 of the previous 16 games with different injuries, all of which are believed to have stemmed from the abdominal injury that required surgery earlier in the year.

Doctors believe that this new injury is also related, but don't know why it happened in a game but not in training - maybe because nothing, even full training, comes close to the intensity of a proper NHL game.

GM Paul Holmgren has confirmed that the injury is more serious than was thought at the time, and that it had been niggling at Briere for some time.

Briere has played well when healthy this season, picking up nine points in as many games.

But this new injury means he is set to miss between 13 and 17 games, unless he rehabs ahead of schedule.

So far this season, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards have done a good job picking up the slack left by Briere's various absences.

Carter has 25 points in 24 games including an NHL leading 18 goals, whilst captain Richards has 26 points in the same span.

As always Simon Gagne is also pulling his weight, leading the team in points (31) and assists (18).

However in the long term, very few can make up for a guy who was the driving force behind Philly's resurrection and playoff run last season with 72 points, and who scored a massive 95 points for the Sabres in 2006/7:


But the Flyers will have to try, starting tonight against the Devils.

Kobe comes up big as Lakers drown the Sixers

Lakers 114 - 102 Sixers

Kobe Bryant almost singlehandedly took the Lakers to last year's NBA Finals, so it was little surprise that last night, his performance alone was enough to carry the Lakers past the Sixers.

Bryant, who was born and raised in Philadelphia, always seems to do well on his homecoming trips and last night was no exception, as the star notched up a game high 32 points.

The Lakers came into the game on the back of only their second loss this season: a last second affair in Indiana, so this would have been the proverbial time to "catch them when they're down".

What was actually seen however, was a Lakers team with very short memories, determined to make up for that loss and start a new streak afresh, and the Sixers never really got close to making it back-to-back losses for the 'Best in the West'.

The Sixers came within six in the third and eight late in the fourth, but every time they tried to rally, Bryant came up with a big shot to remove the pressure.

Andre Miller backed up his big game in Chicago with a 26 point haul, whilst Iguodala (19), Thaddeus Young (17), Louis Williams (15) and Samuel Dalembert (11) all made double digits in support, as Philly topped 100 points inside four quarters for the first time in nine games.

Here are the highlights:

However, even shooting 48.8% from the floor (a high percentage by their standards) wasn't enough for the 76ers, as LA shot almost 60% and nearly 50% from beyond the arc.

In contrast, Philly only hit one in every three from downtown, and 3 point shooting is becoming a real issue for Maurice Cheeks' team.

The Sixers rank 25th in the league in 3 point percentage, as no-one seems to be able to knock them down consistently.

Louis Williams came off the bench last night and went 3-5 from distance, but his average is less than 25% on the year.

Since trading Kyle Korver to the Jazz a year ago, Philly have not been the same from the perimeter, and this is affecting their offensive efficiency, which ranks 26th in the NBA.

Failure to knock in 3 pointers means that the Sixers can't spread a team out defensively, and they have to try and get all their points inside - over half of their points against the Lakers were scored in the paint (54).

Bryant on the other hand, gave a masterclass on shooting in general, and his team backed him up from the perimeter.

Here are some extended Lakers highlights which, even as a Philly fan, you can't help but sit back and admire.

Watch out for Paul Gasol's double-double (22 points, 13 rebounds) and center Andrew Bynum (7-11 for 18 points):

The worst news of the night was that Elton Brand had to leave the game late in the third with a hamstring strain.Brand had been poor during his time on the court, going just 1-7 before coming out of the game for good.

This was probably down to the injury as Cheeks claims that Brand only told him about it when he left the game, but he said it had been niggling him for a while.

The forward is listed as day-to-day but he will definitely miss the team's trip to Detroit on Friday night, which is a big blow as Brand leads the Sixers in points and rebounds per game.

The last thing the 76ers need is a long term injury to their new star, who they will need if they are going to get their season back on track.

Philly signed Brand to a massive $80 million contract to try and solve what was widely acknowledged as their biggest weakness: halfcourt offense.

But despite all the good work he has done, Brand's production is still down on his last season with the Clippers, and this is obviously due to the Sixers' lack of a serious outside threat, to open up spaces for him.

Korver would have been ideal for the job, as he is still hitting nearly 50% of his 3 pointers out in Utah, but ironically it was his departure that freed up the cash with which Philly were able to sign Brand.

In signing Brand, the Sixers now have very little money to go out and sign the seemingly missing piece of their offensive jigsaw: a true shooter.

So far no-one within the organisation has stepped up and taken the 'Korver role', raising questions on whether there will be some form of roster move to try and bring in a new threat.

These questions however will have to wait for another day, as the Sixers now look to try and set themselves off in the right direction once more, starting Friday in the Motor City.

Even without Brand Philly have plenty of talent, but that talent has yet to gel offensively this year in the same way as it did at the end of last season, when the team put on a spurt to make the playoffs.

Minus Brand, the lineup heading to Detroit has a very similar backbone to that which made the postseason and in the very same city, won Game One of that series.

Now as it was then, Miller and Iguodala are set to try and lead by example, against a team renouned for playing defense first and offense second.

It is going to be tough, but with the added spice of facing long-time Philly hero Allen Iverson, the Sixers should at least be fired up.

Lightning doesn't strike twice as Flyers return to winning ways

Lightning 3 - 4 Flyers (OT)

Center and captain Mike Richards may have won the game for the Flyers last night, two minutes into overtime, but his teammate Scott Hartnell could have cost them the game in regulation, with one of the most extraordinary penalties you are ever likely to see.

With 16 seconds left in the third period, Lightning winger Ryan Malone broke away from a tired Flyers unit to go one-on-one with goaltender Martin Biron when, in an act of desperation, Hartnell threw his glove in front of Malone to try and put him off.

Malone's shot, which if scored would have won the game, was saved by Biron, but the referees correctly called a foul on Hartnell, giving the Lightning a penalty shot and with it, another chance to clinch the win.

Thankfully for the winger, Biron again produced a stunning save to send the game to overtime.

Here it is...I have never seen anything like it:


Some would say it was a great heads-up play as no-one was going to catch Malone, especially with Biron having saved 6/10 regulation penalty shots already this season.

Others would call it a moment of madness, that gave the visitors two chances to steal the win.

Richards took advantage of Philly's good fortune, scoring his second goal of the night early in the extra period to get the Flyers back on track, after two losses in two days at the back end of last week.

Ironically it was Malone that gave the Flyers the power play from which they scored the winner, after he was called for interference on Biron.

The Flyers had led the game 3-1 early in the third period, before allowing Tampa Bay to come back and level the scores with less than five minutes remaining.

It was a feast of a game for the Flyers' centers as they scored all 4 goals, with Jeff Carter's power play goal giving Philly the lead with less than three minutes on the clock.

After Tampa pegged the Flyer's back midway through the first, Philly regained their advantage just seconds into the third with Richards' first goal of the night.

Despite being a man short, the Flyers created a two-on-one break which the Canadian duly converted.

Carter doubled Philly's lead just four minutes later, grabbing his second of the night on another Flyers power play.

The goal was Carter's 18th of the season, which ties him with Buffalo's Thomas Vanek for the league's leading goal scorer.

The center was also credited with an assist for Richards' game winner, giving him three points on the night and 25 on the season.

However, it was not such a good night for the Flyers' other main center Danny Briere, as he left the game after the second with yet another injury.

By this point winger Scottie Upshall had already left the game in the opening period, but he was ejected in the first period after getting a game misconduct call for a boarding penalty.

The result avenged Philly's 2-1 loss to the Lightning back in November, when two former Flyers came back to haunt their former team.

The same nearly happened again last night, with four ex-Flyers combining to have a part in all three Tampa goals.

Ex-Philly winger Mark Recchi brought the Lightning level at 1-1 in the first, with another former Flyer Vaclav Prospal getting an assist on the play.

Prospal then scored Tampa's second, just seconds after Philly had gone 3-1 up.

The center was assisted by Steve Eminger, who the Flyers traded to the Lightning less than a month ago for defenseman Matt Carle.

Another player leaving Philadelphia in the Carle trade was winger Steve Downie, and it was he who knotted the scores late in the third before all the last gasp drama.

With the win the Flyers move up to 12-7-5 on the year and 6th in the Eastern Conference, just two points behind division rivals Pittsburgh, who lie second in the Atlantic Division.

Meanwhile the Lightning have now lost five straight games and slipped to second bottom in the East, a position the Flyers found themselves in not too long ago.

That time appears to be way in the past for Philly, who are now one of the hottest teams in the conference, having gone 7-1-2 in their last 10 games.

General Manager Paul Holmgren will be hoping his team can continue this form and build on it Thursday, when the New Jersey Devils visit the Wachovia Center.

Sixers take Bulls by the horns and end 4 game skid

Sixers 103 - 95 Bulls (OT)

The Sixers got revenge on the Bulls last night as they held on in overtime in the Windy City, winning the second of back-to-back, home-and-away games against Chicago.

The win ended Philly's four game losing streak, the last of which was the double-digit loss to the Bulls on Sunday night.

Andre Miller put his bad game at the weekend behind him, scoring a season high 28 points, nine of which came in overtime as he helped his team pull away from Chicago for good.

Bulls rookie Derrick Rose, who had been all over Miller at the Wachovia Centre two days before, received a personal backlash from the point guard, with Miller getting the youngster into foul trouble.

Elton Brand was big again for the Sixers, collecting 22 points and 14 rebounds - his 9th double-double of the season (including 21 points and 12 rebounds on Sunday).
Andre Iguodala also rebounded from a sub-par game at the Wachovia Centre to put up 25 points, whilst there was support off the bench from rookie forward Marreese Speights (11).

The worrying thing for Philly is that for the second game in a row, the team let a big lead slip.

It cost them the first of the two games against the Bulls, where they had led by as many as 15 in the first half, and they held a slender lead going into the interval before the Bulls ran all over them in the second half.

Last night the 76ers again found themselves with an early double-digit lead (16 points), and they even had a nine point advantage in the fourth quarter, before the Bulls rallied and tied the score with 17 seconds left - Tyrus Thomas slamming home after Rose drove and missed.

Philly did have one last chance to win the game in regulation, with Iguodala drawing defenders and setting up Miller in the corner, but his shot was short.

Miller made up for this miss in the extra period, making sure Chicago never got close by taking the Sixers past 100 for the first time in eight games, a worrying statistic with the free-scoring Lakers coming to town tonight.

Here's the highlights:


On the whole Philly shot quite well, going almost 40% from the floor, with 44 points in the paint.

However, the perimeter shooting was woeful, with the Sixers just 2-11 from 3 point range - another thing they will have to put right if they are going to even get close to the Lakers.

The win is only the 76ers (8-10) third on the road this season, with the other two also coming against Eastern Conference opposition (Toronto and Indiana).

The Bulls also fall to 8-10, despite big performances from their two guards, Rose (24 pts) and Ben Gordon (18 pts).

However, it will still be the plays Rose made in Philly three nights ago that will continue to make the highlight reels. Here are the highlights from that game. You won't have to look hard to see Rose's stunning defensive and offensive plays:


The Sixers have a relatively good 4-2 record against Western conference opposition, but with the best of the West coming to the Wachovia Centre tonight, the 76ers will have to be perfect if that record is going to improve.

Lidge finishes 4th for NL Cy Young

Phillies closer Brad Lidge had to do settle for something less than perfection for the first time this year, as he came in fourth in the National League Cy Young voting.

For those of you not in the know, the Cy Young award is an annual honour, awarded to the best pitchers in both the American and National Leagues, as voted for by the Baseball Writers association of America.

Closers rarely feature high in Cy Young voting, although Eric Gagne actually won the award back in 2003.

Lidge, who was a perfect 41-41 in save opportunities during the season and 7-7 in the postseason, was one of the main reasons the Phillies went on to win it all for the first time in 28 years.

After joining the club a year ago, the 31-year-old had an amazing 2008, throwing the pitches that clinched the Phillies' NL East Crown, as well as getting the final outs in the NLDS, NLCS and World Series.

Lidge is famous for his outstanding slider/fastball combination which devastated the League this year, giving him a 1.95 ERA and 92 strikeouts, including that of Eric Hinske which brought the title 'World Champions' back to Philadelphia.

Here is the pitch that sealed it all:

Lidge can still add a couple of honours to his perfect season, as he is nominated in two categories for the 'This Year in Baseball Awards'.

Lidge is up for Closer of the year, whilst his World Series strikeout of Hinske is shortlisted for best postseason moment.

Also up for awards are Ryan Howard (Hitter), Charlie Manuel (Manager), Pat Gillick (Executive), while Matt Stairs, Carlos Ruiz and Chase Utley are all nominated alongside Lidge (Postseason moment).

Make sure you give them your support and VOTE NOW!!

Phillies off-season updates

The baseball world is continuously moving, even through the winter, and the World Champion Phillies are no exception.

No team ever stays exactly the same from one year to the next, and already the Phillies are making changes to their lineup, whilst trying to keep together the backbone of a roster that won the World Series, just over a month ago.

Let's look at all the Phillies off-season news in turn and examine exactly what it means for Philadelphia in 2009.

1. Chase Utley's injury

The second baseman could miss the start of the season after having surgery on his right hip.

The rumours are that Philly are not too concerned about finding a replacement for the All-star, and that should Utley not be ready for opening day, they have a couple of internal options.

The most likely is that they are willing to entrust the position to Eric Bruntlett, who filled in for shortstop Jimmy Rollins when he got hurt last season.

He won't provide the same production as Utley but Bruntlett proved in the World Series that he can chip in offensively, as he knocked in a home run in the Phillies only loss in Game 2 (see home run video).

The other option is promoting young prospect Jason Donald, but this would be more risky, despite Donald's good showing at the Olympics and during the minor league's off-season competition.

However, It was rumoured today that the Phillies are interested in signing the Astros free-agent infielder Mark Loretta, who would provide a viable stand-in at second or third base.

Even so, all Philly fans will be hoping Utley rehabs well, as there are few players in all of Major League Baseball, that can match the quality he brings to the lineup.

Another injury concern is third baseman Pedro Feliz, who has had surgery on his back.

However he is expected to be back long before opening day, with just a 2-3 month expected recovery time.

2. Free agents

Three members of last season's Championship winning team have already chosen to test the free agency market: Left fielder Pat Burrell, starting pitcher Jamie Moyer and reliever Tom Gordon.

Within the last 24 hours, the Phillies have decided not to offer arbitration to any of the three.

Arbitration is a complicated concept, but it basically means that the Phillies now get to negotiate with all three players on their own terms.

Had Philly offered arbitration to the trio and they had accepted, it could have guaranteed them all a pay rise which the Phillies can't really afford, especially with the possibility of having to make similar offers to other key players, including ace pitcher Cole Hamels.

However, it does mean that should any of them leave to join another club, the Phils will get no compensatory draft picks in return.

Of the three, Moyer has appeared the one most likely to return to Philadelphia, and the management have made it clear that resigning him is one of their top priorities.

Yet negotiations seem to have stalled somewhat in recent weeks, and no negotiations seem to have been started as yet with either Burrell or Gordon.

Should Burrell not be resigned, the team will have a gaping hole in left field, but several names have already been linked with filling the void: Rocco Baldelli (Tampa Bay Rays), Juan Rivera (LA Angels) and Raul Ibanez (Seattle Mariners), although the latter is now less likely after being offered arbitration.

Of the three, Ibanez would be the best fit as he is the only natural left fielder, with the other two both spending last season on the opposite side of the outfield.

Ibanez is also the only one who's offensive production would really match Burrell's, as he has consistently hit above .280 for the last 8 seasons.

Rivera's production had also been high prior to last season, but like Burrell he had an offensive slump in 2008, hitting below .250 for the first time in his career.

Baldelli has been injury riddled the last few seasons, and wasn't all that impressive for the Rays during the World Series, or the postseason as a whole, hitting just .200.

However, the Phillies have been reluctant over the years to shell out for big name free-agents, and Ibanez would fall under this category.

This is also why Philly are determined to resign Moyer, as strong starting pitching comes at a high price, especially as A.J. Burnett (Toronto Blue Jays) and Derek Lowe (LA Dodgers), two pitchers the Phillies are rumoured to have been tracking, have also been offered arbitration.

The management have stated that pitching is their priority, but the Phils are likely to try and find a cheaper answer, than chasing the big fish.

In terms of Gordon, the Phillies don't appear worried about resigning him, especially after his mediocre season where he went 5-4 with an ERA of over 5, which is far from great for a reliever.

One thing is for sure, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has a lot of decisions to make over the coming months.

3. Done deals

There have already been a few players going in and out of the club, some of which are bigger than others.

The Phillies recently added veteran reliever Mike Koplove to try and bring more depth to their bullpen, but the 32 year old has only made seven appearances in the Majors since 2005, so how much he will actually add is in question.

A bigger deal for the Philadelphia bullpen, which was so stifling last year, was the resigning of left-handed pitcher Scott Eyre on a one year $2 million deal.

Eyre came up big for the Phillies down the stretch, going 3-0 with an ERA of 1.88 and 18 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings, after signing from the Cubs in early August.

The south paw was very good at his job of retiring left-handed hitters, allowing an average of just .220 off their bats and only giving up one home run.

The final move to this point was the release of outfielder So Taguchi, after less than a year in the city of brotherly love.

Taguchi had a poor year, hitting just .220 as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement for Burrell, a job which he eventually lost to Bruntlett.

His departure was expected, but all Philadelphia fans will be hoping that there are no surprise departures of key players between now and April.

Watch this space...