During the lockout, if you wanted football news that did not have some sort of legal jargon mixed throughout, the only thing to look at was draft news.

Mock drafts, big boards, and all other sorts of stuff that usually proves worthless when all is said and done was the only thing to give us our fix.

Unfortunately, as is the case most years, I'm left pulling out my hair wondering how and why the guys with journalism degrees think their opinion should be taken seriously.

Then I get the urge to dive off a bridge when their opinion actually is taken seriously and regurgitated by some fans.

It happens every year in Philly without fail.

This year, the "expert" opinion that has my head spinning is all the talk about what a huge need right tackle is for the Eagles.


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After two losses at the hands of the juggernaut known as the Miami Heat, the Sixers know what needs to be done.

In an interview with PhillyBurbs.com on Wednesday, Andre Iguodala summed it up best when he said that he and the rest of his teammates "got to play... near perfect to get a win."

While that may have seemed obvious before heading into this series, the first two games in Miami did nothing but reinforce the point.

The Sixers' game plan worked perfectly for the first 12 minutes of the series as they sprinted out to a 31-19 lead in the first quarter of Game 1.

Then, the roof caved in.


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It's not a rarity when the Phillies win a game using only the long-ball. It is a rarity, however, when the big shots come via lead-off man Shane Victorino and his No. 2 man Placido Polanco.

But that's exactly what happened Wednesday afternoon as the Phillies prevented what would have been the team's first real slump of the season.

Down 3-0 in the sixth, Polanco smacked a ball into left field with two runners on to tie the game up at three a piece.

Victorino then broke the tie in the eighth with a monster shot to right-center field. Jose Contreras then finished things off by recording his fourth save of the season in as many attempts.

Starter Cliff Lee had to battle through this game, giving up eight hits and three runs (two earned) along with one walk and only one strikeout in six innings pitched.


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J.C. Romero entered the game in the Phillies' 6-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in the ninth inning, and could have seen his last action for at least a couple weeks according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Romero tried to field a ball knocked back up the middle by Ryan Braun, but missed as he tried to push himself off the mound and immediately began hopping around on his left leg before falling to the ground and grabbing at his right calf.

The trainer came out and Romero was led off the field in obvious pain. After the game, skipper Charlie Manuel and Romero himself made it clear the injury was just as bad as it looked.

"He's probably going to miss a little time," Manuel told the media after the loss.

Romero agreed, saying he would "probably" miss some time. "I don't know," Romero continued. "Hopefully it's 15 days or so."


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It didn't seem like much at the time.

During the 76ers' 110-105 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 9, starting power forward Elton Brand was hit hard on the back of his left hand, a blow that resulted in a "very minor fracture,"according to Philly.com.

"Elton got banged...the other night and I think he's going to be OK," said 76ers coach Doug Collins two days after the game. "He went through shoot-around today and seemed to be fine."

While he hasn't missed any action since that game, Brand averaged 13.8 PPG and 6.9 RPG during Philadelphia's next eight contests—a slight decrease from his season marks of 15.2 PPG and 8.7 RPG prior to the injury.

Brand himself will tell you that his hand is bothering him. And in the next breath, he'll completely dismiss the notion that the injury will cause him to miss any time, especially with the playoffs on the horizon.

"It is definitely a problem," Brand said when asked on March 27 about the injury. "It is nothing that will stop me from playing."

That response tells you all you need to know about what Elton Brand brings to this young Philadelphia team.


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Show your love.

With their impressive 115-90 victory Friday night over the New Jersey Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers clinched a spot in the playoffs for the first time in two years.

That may not seem like a huge accomplishment when taken at face value. For most Sixers fans however, it feels like a quantum leap when compared to last season.

But aside from the confetti that fell from the ceiling shortly after the final buzzer, it was hard for one to gauge the importance of last night's win.

76ers coach Doug Collins flashed his customary smile and gave out his usual post-game hugs, of course. But there were no overt celebrations, no champagne being uncorked in the home team's locker room.

With eight games left to go, and with playoff positioning still in the balance, the Sixers know that they have plenty of work to do before the postseason kicks off two weeks from today.

"The celebration is over," said Lou Williams shortly after the game. "We're excited to be back in the playoffs, but we're a long way from being done."


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All games are created equal, but some are more equal than others.

The Sixers' 97-85 win over the Chicago Bulls Monday night only counts as a single victory in the standings, but the impact that it will have on a young team over the rest of the season is immeasurable.

"When we got together at 9:30 this morning, we won the game," said a beaming Collins after the victory. "We talked about what we believe in, how we do things and how we wouldn't waver from them... I could not be more proud of this team."

It's been an eventful week for Doug Collins and his charges, to say the least. Last Friday, they took their talents to South Beach and battled the Miami Heat in a possible playoff preview. Despite a 16-point second quarter lead, the Sixers couldn't stop Dwyane Wade (39 points) down the stretch and lost to the Heat 111-99.

Against Sacramento on Sunday, not only did the team come out flat, but they wasted several chances to put the Kings away early, and wound up on the wrong end of a 114-111 overtime defeat. After the game, 76ers guard Lou Williams alluded to the fact that he and several teammates attended a Lil' Wayne concert the night before, possibly contributing to the loss.


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