Crossing Broad

Leighton Shipped to Adirondack on Conditioning Stint

This afternoon, the Flyers sent goalie Michael Leighton to the Adirondack Phantoms on a conditioning assignment as he prepares to return from back surgery on a herniated disc. Under the current CBA, the assignment can last no longer than six days or three games.

The more pressing issue is how the Flyers will handle the goaltending situation following Leighton's assignment. With the emergence of Bob and steady backup goaltending by Boosh, it seems as though Leighton is the odd man out.  If Leights continues to progress, he could be of interest for teams looking to bolster their goaltending. For example, he would be an upgrade over Patrick Lalime in Buffalo as a backup to Ryan Miller. Another possibility involves moving Ian Lapperriere to the LTIR (long-term injured reserved), which would free up enough cap space to call up Leighton. However, carrying three goaltenders, one of which (Leighton) has the lateral quickness of a bear, is a less than an ideal situation.

The fact of the matter is that Leighton, who was competing for a Stanley Cup this past June, likely becomes trade bait and is moved this month. Your thoughts Flyers fans?

Andy Reid Loves that DeSean Jackson Loves the Ball

He also loves that he loves a post-romp snuggle, his coy smile and the way he jerks his thang.  But surely Reid can't be serious (Leslie Nielsen tribute line).

Today, when he was asked about the reported postgame riff between him and D-Jac on Sunday, Reid, um, backed off.

“I love that he loves the ball.  He wants it now, he wants it in crunch time. There are guys that would rather climb under this table in crunch time [Editors note: Donovan McNabb].  That’s beautiful thing. I will take care of everything else.”

His size?

"He’s 169 pounds. There might not be a 165 pound male in this room. It’s one of those deals, everybody is 20 pounds or greater than he is. There is a time when he has to be smart."

Seems Andy cooled down a little bit since Sunday.  And that's a beautiful thing.  But why?

D-Jac weighed in:  [Philly Sports Daily]

“People can say what they want and talk about what they want. I could care less about any of that. I’m here to play football and go out and win football games. If it doesn’t have anything to do with that, then I could care less about it.”

Sounds rehearsed.  Much more humble than those pregame game-face and "cocky" Tweets... wait, what happened to those Tweets?  They disappeared from his account.

One of the reasons why Reid supposedly chewed out D-Jac before Sunday's game, was because of his "loose demeanor" before the game.  Seems odd that DeSean, at some point between yesterday morning and this afternoon, went back and retroactively removed those Tweets (and his post-game Tweet), don't ya think?

Don't worry, he's still hawking signed mini-helmets.

Maybe Scott Boras Can Do This For Werth...

We could have posted this, or a Sixers game preview story.  Since they're going to lose, we opted for this.

Jayson Werth and Carl Crawford are the top two non-Cliff Lee free agents on the market this off-season.  In an effort to drum up more interest for his client, Crawford's agent sent MLB general managers iPads filled with Crawford's highlights.

That's gangsta.

Since there are some rumblings that the market is not quite what Boras and Werth thought it would be, maybe they can send our horribly done, Lil' Wayne remix, video of the tv mash-up we put together in September.  Miss you, walkoff home runs.

Shawn Andrews' Housekeeper Isn't Very Good

Michael Phelps would never do that to an employee.

Jamie Moyer will Undergo Tommy John Surgery, He Needs to Retire

Jamie Moyer will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow in an effort to repair his 48-year-old left elbow.  

But he still wants to play again.  This was posted on his foundations's Facebook Page last night:

It's official - Jamie is having surgery Wednesday and we are cautiously optimistic superman will make a comeback! – Karen and Jamie

Look, I know it might be blasphemous to criticize Jamie around these parts, but it's time for the old man to hang it up.  Tommy John surgery has a recovery period of at least a year.  That means Moyer will be attempting a comeback, from serious elbow surgery, at age 50.

Maybe a shred of dignity, Jamie?

Pronger and Lavs at Monday Night Raw

Photo via Dan Gross

Chris Pronger was seated in the first row for WWE Monday Night Raw last night.  Before the show, Pronger and Lavs presented John Cena with a Flyers jersey.

I haven't watched wrestling since high school, so imagine my surprise when I turned it on and saw The Miz fighting Jerry "The King" Lawler.  That would be like turning on MNF and seeing Tek Money sack Terry Bradshaw.  What the hell happened to the WWE?

Good seats for Pronger in the first row... after the jump.

This is the Lou Williams Documentary You've Been Waiting For

Something tells me Converse was behind this

If there was one local athlete who made you say to yourself, "damn, I need to know more about his life," it would probably be Chase Utley.  But if there was enough... it would probably be Roy Halladay.

Anyway, Lou Williams is coming out with a mini-documentary of sorts.  Or this is it.  Or something like that.

Here is the trailer from Royal Rae, a production company that actually did a pretty good job on this- minus the subject matter.

Something tells me it is totally unnecessary to quote Jamaican hero Marcus Garvey, with sayings like "there is no force like success," when talking about Lou Will.  What success do they speak of exactly?  A mid-December fourth quarter comeback?  I suppose it's all relative.

CAN'T MISS MUST WATCH COMING TO A THEATER NEAR YOU THE LIFE OF BIG LOUIE STYLE TRAILER... after the jump.

A Lot of People Watched the Eagles Lose Yesterday

According to Jay Glazer (@jay_glazer), yesterday's Eagles game was the highest rated game of the season:

AMERICA'S GAME OF THE WEEK (Bears/Eagles) notched an amazing 18.0/32 on FOX, the highest-rated #NFL game of this season on any network.

Phillies Playoff Shares are Large, Domonic Brown is 1 for 23 in Winter Ball, and Phillies Release Promotional Schedule

"$123,140.50 for you, $123,140.50 for you..."

How's that for a title?

- Todd Zolecki (@toddzolecki) reports that the Phillies' full playoff shares are $123,140.50.  That means each rostered player and coach (43 folks in total) will receive a hefty paycheck for being the National League runner-up.  And who said second place was the first loser?

Each Giants player will receive $317,631.29 for winning the World Series.  Bengie Molina will likely receive full shares from both the Rangers and the Giants (his former team), totaling $563,910.84 or $43,377.75 per playoff game.  Life is tough in The Show.

- Domonic Brown, who didn't get an at-bat in his first four winter league games, is 0 for his last 17 with Escogido of the Dominican League.  That's not good, folks.  Perhaps he's not the obvious replacement for Werth...

- And finally, the Phillies released their 2011 promotional schedule.  Highlights?  A Roy Halladay Cy Young Collectible Tin (at least it's not a creepy ass bronzed hand) on April 2nd and a Placido Polanco Bobblehead on August 16th (head shipped separately).

Now, back to Winter.

New Book Says Pete Rose Bought the Engine from Pelle Lindbergh's Porsche

What the...

This has been rumored, but a new book by hockey writer Al Strachan tells us that Pete Rose bought the engine from Pelle Lindbergh's wrecked Porsche.  [Vancouver Province]

We learn many things from Strachan. How many of you knew, for instance, that Pete Rose purchased the Porsche in which Philadelphia Flyers goalie Pelle Lindbergh was killed, and his girlfriend and another person were badly injured? And the reason for the crash was that the woman turned off the ignition at high speed -- locking up the vehicle's steering -- because she thought Lindbergh was driving too fast, which he was despite being a gifted driver.

The Vancouver Province says he bought the entire car, but another report, which somewhat questions Strachan's integrity, says it was just the engine (we don't have the book in our possession).  What a scumbag.

To some, this may not come as news.  Search "Rose" in this Philly.com article, and you'll find some references to the same story.

It appears as though Rose had a Porsche of his own and wanted the parts on the cheap.  Wow.

Your Monday Morning Roundup

In case you have been away from a computer this weekend, here's what you missed.  But before we get to that, Philly Phaithful is offering 3 tees for $50 TODAY ONLY.  Great deal for those of you looking for a gifts.

- A number of reports said the Phillies offered Jayson Werth a contract and Phil from Mt. Airy (yep) said that he could sign by Tuesday.  The contract offer may indeed be true, but Werth denied being close to signing - anywhere - in a text message.

- Our friends at TheBusinessOfSports.com will be holding a networking event on December 13th for those of you who want to work in sports.  We'll be there.

- The Eagles will likely franchise Vick after this season, and their record is now 0-1 since Jesse Jackson visited the team.

- The Flyers lost in back-to-back shootouts.  They were completely jobbed by the "Avery Rule" on Friday.

- Pronger is hilarious.

- Chicago folks are not.

- Broad Street Hockey weighs in on blogging.

- DeSean Jackson's Mom brought the pain on Thanksgiving.

- We're taking nominations for Philly Sports Moment of the Year.

- And of course, Morning Carts from Wednesday.

Oh Look, They Fight in Washington Too

Here's a bunch of drunk Redskins fans fighting at FedEX field yesterday.

Must be some Philly folk dressed up in Redskins gear, because fans from other cities would never dream of acting inappropriately.

Video after the jump.