Crossing Broad

David Boreanaz Practiced with the Flyers Today

Photo courtesy of the Flyers

Guess which one's not the hockey player?

Another Eagle Criticizes Fans, Apologizes

Jesus, will someone please get a PR guy in the Eagles’ locker room to tell the players that if they don’t have anything nice to say about the fans, then they shouldn't say anything at all?

I know that's a simplistic concept, for some, but how is it that hard to understand? Jason Kelce. Jason Avant. Now Casey Matthews (notice, none of those guys are that good?).

Yesterday, Matthews told our boy Tim McManus of Philly Sports Daily the following: [audio here]

“No. I don’t think anyone will ever understand these fans. When we win they love you but when we lose it gets rough. That’s just how it is here. It’s like that in some other places, but not to this extent. Hey, just win and keep them happy.”

So you’re not exactly feeling warm and fuzzy towards Eagles nation…

“Some of them but not running off the field after a loss — not those fans. They think they know me,” Matthews said tersely.

 

Ugh. Face and palm... Face and palm. 

First, how does he even know about “other places?" This is his first NFL gig. Second, this is a script from the Mike Schmidt how to further piss of fans playbook. It's not about losing, per say. People don’t hate the Sixers (we may be indifferent, but don’t hate). They overachieved, and we appreciated that. Even if they had just “achieved,” we would have been cool with that, too. What we don’t like is underachieving, underappreciating, self-entitled rookies who got drafted two rounds higher because of their brother's hair and who can’t avoid stepping in their own shit... like seemingly half of the Eagles have done this year.

Today, it appears a PR guy did get a hold of Matthews, who took to his Twitter to apologize:

Setting the record straight, I appreciate the passion and loyalty that ALL Eagle Fans have. I'm just saying it's tough to hear boos at home. And I understand why you guys are all frustrated. We've been in a slump but we will get this thing rolling and give you something to cheer 4. But we need the support from the whole #EaglesNation and finish strong.

 

Nail on head... Nail on head. Give us something to cheer 4-- that’s how it works, bro.  Until you do, shut up and play. Or sit. Whatever. And stop with this stuff:

Good read by Timmy Mac over at Philly Sports Daily, much more to the story than just those quotes.

Alex Ovechkin Tweets Picture of New Girlfriend, "His Queen"

You know what that Tweet says? It says F-you, I'm the best hockey player in the world and I'm dating a Russian tennis player-model. Deal with it. 

This is why you play hockey, kids.

Ovechkin's new girlfriend, his queen, is 24-year-old tennis player Maria Kirilenko, who has also done some modeling for Sports Illustrated.

On Monday, the Montreal Gazette ran this story, speculating about the new couple:

On pretty good authority, Kirilenko is apparently done with longtime boyfriend Igor Andreev and has taken up with … Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin.

Yup, Alex Ovechkin.

Ovechkin has been spotted at a Kirilenko practice. And she was spotted at a Capitals game – weeks ago. And practices.

 

Yeah, well, Ovi confirmed that one today. As is the case with most things D.C., my knee-jerk reaction was to make fun of (insert athlete, team, wife, fans, politician), but... well, I got nothing. Not only is Maria talented and dating a millionaire, but she’s also cute, and not in that slutty sort of I’m banging a hockey player way, either-- she’s genuinely attractive. And she looks... nice.

I quick Googled her with the goal of turning up some dirt that sign man can throw up against the glass-- nothing. All I got was this... - throws controller -

And a bunch more that are after the jump... because I know you’ll click to continue reading.

Do You Think Flyers Beat Writer Frank Seravalli Asked Bam Margera for His Autograph When He Sat Next to Him on a Plane This Morning?

I'd say that probability is high... to very high?

No doubt Franklin enjoyed his humble brag, sitting next to Bam for six hours, which I’d imagine isn’t a pleasurable experience. But hey, it probably beats other potential pitfalls of a hockey beat writer’s life... like getting riemed out by Peter Laviolette for writing something that was wildly speculative...

Ellipsisisisisisis...

Penn States Buys .XXX Domain Names

Trust me, not for the reasons you may want to joke about.

A few years ago, it used to be my job to compile the list of banned words from the backs of customized jerseys on the MLB Shop. As you might imagine, that list was awesome: shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits-- they were all present. But so were some more creative phrases, like “A Roid,” "Sanchez, Dirty,” “Steamer” (on Indians jerseys), and my favorite, “Pooholes.”

That anecdote is to show how far brands will go to defend their good name against clever pranksters... or, in the case of Penn State, enterprising Internet folk: [Daily Collegian]

With .xxx domains about to go on the market to the public, the university has been purchasing sites to prevent unaffiliated porn sites from making use of the school’s name.

Earlier this year, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers voted to create the .xxx domain in an effort to better flag sites with adult content, but with this decision came concern from universities and many other trademark owners.

“These domains are obviously going to be used with adult entertainment. Schools as well as other trademark owners have done so much to protect and promote their brand,” Michael Drucker, vice president and associate counsel for The Collegiate Licensing Company, said. “They don’t want that brand to be associated with the adult entertainment business.”

This sunshine period opened in September, at which time Penn State purchased four .xxx domains: Penn State, PSU, Nittany Lions and The Pennsylvania State University.

 

As Emily Riden of the Daily Collegian writes, the purchase option was extended to all registered trademark holders before .xxx domains go on-sale to the general public on December 6 (-- marks calendar --). But with Penn State, there’s that whole child sex abuse thing, so their decision to gobble up the names in September, according to the Daily Collegian, proved to be a smart one.

The purchases, which cost the school $200 per domain name ($800 total, because I'm good at math), protect against any use of the above trademarks in a .xxx url. Example from the article: nittanyliongirls.xxx would be off limits. Which is a shame.

Now, if only they would have kicked the pedophile off campus...

Related: 

Tim Curley is still receiving his pay from the university

Civil suits begin to roll in

New accusers claims over 100 incidents of sex abuse against Jerry Sandusky

H/T to (@TheSchoolPhilly)

Broad Street Radio: Why So Sad?

Drew and I commiserate about a miserable week in Philly sports. Also, I make fun of Drew and his green and silver pom poms.

Give it a listen after the jump. You can also check us out on iTunes, simply search "broad street radio."

Broad Street Radio is a joint venture between Crossing Broad and Buzz on Broad, hosted by Kyle Scott and Drew Cohen.

Relax, Jose Reyes Most Likely Wasn't in Philly to Meet with the Phillies

Let’s speculate!

Yes, Jose Reyes was in Philadelphia yesterday. No, he wasn’t meeting with the Phillies. Probably.

According to some folks on the Tweets, Reyes was seen in and around the city, an assertion confirmed by our friend Dan Gross of Philly.com:

Never mind that odd reality-- the obvious jump to conclusion is that Reyes was meeting with the Big Poker himself, Ruben Amaro. But not so fast, says Jayson Stark:

If that’s not enough, David Murphy received word from the highest of cheeses, who told him that Reyes was not meeting with the Phils:

Apparently, Reyes knocked up a woman in Philadelphia (guessing it’s not the only city), and he was in town visiting. Seems reasonable. But I’m not convinced that the Phillies aren’t interested in him. 

Think about this for a second: Last year at this time, Cliff Lee was a pipe dream. Two years ago, trading for Roy Halladay was outside the realm of possibility. Ruben has a knack for doing the improbable. What’s more (and what makes more sense), the Phillies need a shortstop (if Jimmy walks), preferably a fast one who gets on base, hits for average, and is a bonafide top-of-the-order hitter. In a vacuum, devoid of douchiness and a fruity GQ spreads, Reyes makes perfect sense for the Phillies. He might be too expensive... but then again, are we really sure about that, either?

If the Phillies were meeting with Reyes, would they tell anyone? No, of course not. The only reason they were able to land Lee last winter was because Ruben and Scott Proefrock operated with the stealthiness of SEAL Team Six. The last thing Big Poker is going to do is broadcast his hot stove stunts.

UPDATE: Stark just tweeted that Phillies officials said "not a guy for us," "absolutely nuts," "such bull." Translation: Deal done by Friday.

Jeremy Maclin Uses Twitter to Score The Eagles Some Free...

Two things I love (to blog about): media fights and athletes displaying Twitter entitlement.

Continuing in a long line (read: now two) of local athletes asking for things on Twitter, Jeremy Maclin used his social standing to score a few freebies.

In September, Mike Stutes took to the Tweets to land himself a free Range Rover. As you know, they don’t just give those things away, but the folks at Land Rover Main Line were happy to help, and we chronicled the encounter. Maclin, understanding the power of the pseudo-celeb Twitter account, wanted to get in on the action. So what did he request: A car? A Home? Ice? Tickets? Sex?!?

Nope-- doughnuts. He requested doughnuts.

Let’s break it down:

Translation: I’m hungry and want to feed a bunch of equally famished athletes. Surely I don’t have to pay for this.

 

Translation: Here, let me Google that for you.

 

Translation: There’s a break in my logic. There’s a KK near me, but for some reason I am now doubting your willingness to assist. I play football.

Video: Ray Didinger Chides Marcus Hayes

At around 5:30 yesterday, while I remained away from my computer (the way I had much of the afternoon), I received a phone call, a couple of texts, and a Tweet. What about, you ask? “Ray Didinger and Marcus Hayes just got into a fight on Daily News Live!”

Immediately upon hearing this news, I thought that maybe it went something like this (two old guys fighting).

It didn’t.

I then thought that perhaps it involved race (always a possibility, since Hayes rarely likes white people).

Wrong again.

Naturally, as I’d imagine is the case with most R. Diddy tussles, it involved the Eagles’ running game, and it turned not to be a fight at all. Hayes and Diddy disagreed on the effectiveness of the Eagles’ run game. Hayes, as per the usual, blew hard through the air pocket most of us call the mouth. Didinger subtly poked Mark, as he called him, and then, like a parent scolding a misinformed child, issued a request: “Please, don’t roll your eyes at me, OK?"

Dick Jerardi and his wattle looked like they wanted to slither off set. Barkann and his iPad, of course, were as cool as cucumbers. Mike knows good TV when he sees it.

Bill Clement, Sans Mustache

Photo via Preston and Steve

It’s a slow day, can you tell?

Bill Clement shaved off his mustache today at Preston and Steve’s Camp Out for Hunger. Two years ago, Jim Jackson performed a similar stunt, with Clement there for support.

Of course, any time a pseudo-legend removes his impenetrable lip fur, it’s worth pointing out. It’s been quite a while since Clement was cleanly shaven... like he was in 1987:

Nice.

Goodbye, Andreas Nodl

A moment of silence.

...

OK, I'm done.

Occupy NovaCare Folks are Back

Photo: (@dryan32)

I love the concept of Occupy NovaCare. Unlike the hippies who - checks to see if they’ve moved yet - won’t move from the City Hall area, the ONC folks come in peace, let their voice awful signs be read, and get on with their lives. And they're not shitting on the sidewalk (I don't think).

But they need a copywriter.

Today’s sign: TO _ _ INSANITY & BEYOND, NFL MOLD STANDARD

Well alright then. I get the references, but, um... come on, Buzz.

Anyway, they don’t like Andy Reid, and neither do I. They’re outside again on this cold November morning, fighting the good fight. They just need some plastic pitchforks.