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Photo: Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images
Rany Jazayerli, a Royals blogger, wrote an article for Grantland which details the Phillies' impending collapse, set to begin in 2012. He actually makes some good points, other than his flawed logic that says: the Phillies are so good because of their pitching but their lineup is aging and not that good now even though they are sixth best in the NL and part of the best team in baseball so they're going to stink in a few years. Phew. Good read, though.
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Mike Richards called in to the FAN 590 in Toronto today. He spoke about Dry Island: [via Puck Daddy]
"It started out being more of a joke around the locker room. Something that we could do as a team, or joke around as a team, is to have something to joke around about.
"There was a handful of guys that did it — mostly younger rookie guys, first year or second year players. Then it went from being a fun thing to somehow getting out and then just exploding. Turned something that was really nothing into a big deal. It happens with the bloggers and the people in Philadelphia blowing things out of proportion.
"I did an interview last week and said I really have no regrets leaving Philadelphia, especially going out on that Dry Island thing."
It wasn’t a big deal to the current LA King.
Puck Daddy has comments from Danny Briere, as well.
It wasn’t just Dry Island, however, El Capitan spoke more about bloggers (Keyboard Warriors, as the blowhard host of the show called them):
“The pictures aren’t a bad thing, it’s more the rumors and people’s opinions, because it snowballs then people grab it and turn it into a story.
And now that it’s so competitive, that one [blogger] is competing against another guy with sources and coming up with stories and hearing something then trying to run with it, I think that’s kind of what gets people in trouble, too.
It’s those picture phones and the blogs that kind of get people in trouble, I think”
Who are these people of which he speaks?!
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Not Dry Island
Here's more news about the Winter Classic, the game that is not going to happen even though it's going to happen.
According to Tim Panaccio, producers from HBO (who I would imagine wear skinny jeans and sport hipster side parts) were in Philly today to meet with Paul Holmgren about their access for 24/7, the behind-the-scenes documentary leading up to the Winter Classic.
No further details were given, but we can expect something similar to what we saw last year: behind-the-scenes access to the locker room, coach's office, practice facility, team plane, and even players' homes.
Last year, Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said the cameramen actually felt like a part of the team: [Globe and Mail]
“The first thing you think is they’re going to find me behind a closed door or see me yelling at a player... and they’re not trying to do that. They’re not hiding. You know where they’re at. If there’s situations you don’t want to be on TV or recorded, that’s there for you. I probably turned off the microphone... maybe 2 per cent of the time. They’re trying to make you look good and portray your team in a good light.”
While Bylsma doubts they’d let the cameras backstage in for the playoffs, he says it could work. “I wouldn’t be averse to that. If I got the same crew back. They were Pittsburgh Penguins. The eight guys (on the production crew) that were in our room were Pittsburgh Penguins. It was ‘we’ and ‘us’, and I still get texts from them.”
We'll just assume these guys will have to pledge their allegiance to Dry Island if they want to be a part of the Flyers' inner sanctum.
For all Winter Classic updates, be sure to check out our Winter Classic category
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Both the Eagles and Flyers made significant moves this week that will set their course for the next half decade. Both moves, on their surface, are arguably in the teams’ favor, but there’s still plenty that can go wrong. We delve, looking at both sides of the rainbow.
Bright side:
Ah yes, a glimmer of sunshine bounces off the friendly end of nature’s creation squarely onto a joyous leprechaun who’s throwing gold coins around in a festive fashion. On the bright side, we find ourselves a 35-year-old Michael Vick wearing two Super Bowl rings in a sweet embrace with his now wife, Kijfa. He may have voided year six of his contract, but he’s earned $80 million from the Eagles, paid back his creditors, and used the additional $100 million in endorsements to buy every Tom, Dick, and Jamaal he’s ever come across a house.
Andy Reid is sitting fat and happy, no longer a Mormon, smoking Cubans and sipping Blue Label with a post-pubescent Howie Roseman. Their low-risk investment proved to be money well spent and paid more dividends than post millennium Johnson & Johnson. Vick played through all five years of his deal, performing at or near the level of the top five quarterbacks in the league and suffered only one minor concussion and a troublesome bout of bruised ribs. He’s healthy and will likely get another 2-3-year deal with a team in desperate need of a ready-to-play quarterback and a propensity to throw criminals behind the line- think Pittsburgh.
Just a few feet away, Paul Holmgren is feeding a now incapacitated Ed Snider a glass of high-end malbec through a straw. The weight of Snider’s third, fourth, and fifth Stanley Cup rings are too much for his aging hands to bear. Snider will leave behind half of his empire to Holmgren, who showed enough balls and crazy to trade the team’s cornerstone players to make way for a goalie and sizable (but reasonable) contracts to Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk, who turned into hockey’s version of Evan Longoria, signing a contract long before his peak and becoming the sport’s best value for five straight seasons. He won one Conn Smythe Trophy, and finished in the top ten in scoring three of the last five years. Brayden Schenn captained two of three Cup teams and has drawn comparisons to Steve Yzerman, Mark Messier, and a young Richards. Speaking of El Capitan, Richards peaked at age 24 and is a burden for the Kings. His buddy, Jeff Carter (remember him?), drank himself out of the lineup for the Columbus, the laughing stock of the league.
Combined with the Phillies' 2011 World Series victory, the city has seen six parades in five years.
The sun slowly slides beyond the horizon as another leprechaun rubs the feet of Kijfa Vick. It’s a beautiful sight.
Continue reading "Weighing Both Sides of the Flyers' and Eagles' Signings" »
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Tubby McHoolihan made the little girl cry
Bit of an abbreviated Wood today, as we’re working some things to take us into what proves to be a very busy September and October.
It must really suck to be the Reds right now. A couple months ago, I wrote about the Phillies' dominance of the Tiny Red Machine, and it has continued this week: a late-innings win on Monday and a drubbing last night. Give it a read, chronicling two years of Reds dominance.
Doc dominated in the Phillies 9-0 victory. After the game, Cole Hamels tried to tweak the robot:
Nice.
Here’s Doc talking about the win (sans Cole’s comment): [via David Hale]
Ryan Howard went yard twice. He now has 29 home runs and his sixth straight 100 RBI season. Somewhere, a SABR nerd is slowly dying in a pool of Monster Energy Drinks and mom’s Mac and Cheese. Poor guy. Video (of the home runs, not SABR death) here and here.
I'd also like to point out that every pitcher the Reds threw out there last night looked like they just came from playing in a men's league hockey game. Really with the faux-mullets guys? Really?
Big news! Not really... the Phillies added John Bowker from the Pirates late last night: [Philly Sports Daily]
Bowker has limited experience in the majors with a .237 average to go with 17 homers in 561 at-bats. For his career as a pinch-hitter, which is the role in which the Phillies would need such a bat, Bowker has hit .301 with six extra-base hits in 73 appearances as a substitute batter in the bigs.
Awesome.
Your friendly reminder to vote for us in CBS Philly's Blog Awards. Can vote once per day, voting ends September 9th. As always, thanks. Vote here.
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In case you care about how excited James van Riemsdyk was to receive $25 million, you can read the transcript of his conference call after the hop, courtesy of the Flyers' city-leading PR department.
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I hate to play the I told you so card, so I won't do it.
Pro Football Talk got their hands on Vick's real contract numbers.
For starters, the sixth year voids if he participates in 35 percent of the snaps in any year of the deal. It’s actually a five-year, $80 million deal.
Of the amount, $32.5 million is fully guaranteed, and $3 million is guaranteed for injury only.
That makes the total guaranteed $35.5 million — $4.5 million less than the reported guarantee of $40 million. (It’s also less than the guaranteed money Vick would have received in 2011 and 2012, if the Eagles had used the franchise tag on him again in 2012.)
There are bonuses, however: If the Eagles win the Super Bowl in 2011 or 2012, and Vick participates in 77.5% of the Eagles' plays during the regular season, he can earn an additional $3 million.
The yearly breakdown goes like this:
2011: $20 million
2012: $12.5 million
2013: $15.5 million
2014: $15.5 million
2015: $16.5 million
This works out better for Vick over the first three years of the contract, where he could make $48 million plus incentives. The sixth year will almost certainly not happen, since, as PFT notes, there's no way the Eagles would keep Vick around if he never participates in more than a third of the team's snaps in any of the first five seasons.
Like McNabb's reported deal with the Redskins last year, and most contracts the Eagles have handed out over the last decade, the deal is largely in the team's favor. Vick will likely never earn the full $100 million, and he's only guaranteed $35.5 million... at least 12 of which is owed to creditors.
Not only did the Eagles lessen their burden over the next two seasons (about $5 million less than franchising him) and lower their cap hit (by about $2 million), but they also provided Vick real incentives to stay healthy and win. Well done, Howie.
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When I wrote this post this morning, I wasn't hating on anyonE, I was simply trying to inform you, the reader, that Michael Vick’s “$100 million contract” is a bit misleading. A) He’s not guaranteed to earn that much and B) a large portion of it is owed to creditors, lawyers, accountants, and, apparently, Bailey Building and Loan. Truth, if you will.
Shortly after I Tweeted a link to the Post, reader John cc’d Michael Vick’s fiancée, Kijafa. You may remember her from her planking Tweet:
Kijafa didn’t appReciate today’s post, which actually understated Vick’s outstanding financial obligations (further explained here). Her response to John and myself:
Continue reading "In Which Michael Vick's Fiancée Calls Me a Hater" »
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Everybody gets a deal!
Paul Holmgren's master plan continues to take shape:
Step 1) Purge
Step 2) Russian goalie
Step 3) Steven Stamkos Brad Ricahrds Jaromir Jagr and Max Talbot
Step 4) The future!
The Flyers just announced that they have signed James van Riemsdyk to a multi-year extension. All jokes aside, this is a good move. There are still some questions marks surrounding JVR (he was a healthy scratch at times last year), but he appeared to answer most of them with his beastly playoff performance.
The deal is for six-years and $25 million. Dave Isaac broke the story for Philly Sports Daily, he has more details. JVR is thrilled:
Excited to sign a 6 year extension with the @NHLFlyers , love playing in Philly. Want to thank Mr. Snider and Flyers management for treating me well and showing confidence in me #firstclassorganization.
Somewhere, Mike Richards is hanging from a tree.
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Marlins baseball, catch the wave!
This post (and most things are life) is best enjoyed while listening to this:
Thanks to reader Brian for sending along this Travel Zoo deal. Here are the details: [Travel Zoo]
The Florida Marlins have a big game coming up this weekend, and tickets start at $23 for a night that is sure to leave you with lasting memories.
The Fish welcome perhaps the best team in the MLB when the Philadelphia Phillies invade South Beach on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 7:10 p.m. After the match-up, fans are invited to stick around for a free concert performed by Wyclef Jean.
The following seating levels are available for this game:
• Bullpen Box ... $23 (reg. $33)
• Infield Box ... $27 (reg. $48)
• Club B ... $38 (reg. $56)
There you have it, Phillies fans in Florida: half price baseball and irrelevant rappers(?). Boy, that new stadium of theirs is really going to be an attraction...
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Our friends at Philly Phaithful were, as usual, all over this with a Michael Vick Super 7: Faster Than Umenyiora t-shirt ready to roll.
Look at those beautiful green and silver lines with the 7 nameplate slapped to your chest on high-quality American Apparel product. It comes in both t-shirt and hoody. Use code cb10 to save 10% off your order. Men's and women's sizes available.
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Thanks to Tom for the Photoshop
Gasp! $100 million?! Dude got paid.
Not as much as you think, Jimmy.
According to this December 2010 ESPN article, Michael Vick remains on a very strict court appointed budget. Let’s break down some of the details: [via The Centsible Life]
• Two-thirds of every dollar Vick earns goes to creditors and taxes.
• The rest of the money is strictly controlled. Think of it as an allowance.
• Vick can spend $4,250 per month on rent and utilities and $472 per month on a car. His mother, who was on Vick’s payroll during his headier, pre-prison days, can receive $2,500 per month.
• Other obligations Vick owes include mortgages, child support, fees for his agent (who gets $800,000 through 2015) and for his tax lawyers (who will eventually receive a total of $2.6 million). The allowance does allow for Vick to pay $1,355 per month for private school for the two children he has with his fiancee, Kijafa Frink. (Munson calls it a “rare bit of extravagance.”)
• His creditors stand to receive $12 million through 2015, provided Vick continues to receive a multi-million dollar salary.
It gets better (well, worse). The more Vick makes, the more he pays. Here’s the breakdown from ESPN:
Continue reading "UPDATE: Vick isn't Going to See Anywhere Near $100 Million" »
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