Screen Shot 2013-08-19 at 9.29.57 AM

Rollins

Young

Utley

Brown

Ruf

Asche

Mayberry

Ruiz

Rollins

Frandsen

Young

Brown

Ruf

Wells

Mayberry

Kratz

Martinez

Frandsen

Utley

Brown

Ruf

Asche

Wells

Ruiz

Those were the Phillies’ three lineups this weekend. They managed to squeeze out two earned runs and one win in three games (thanks to Hanley Ramirez being ridiculous). And somehow, the GM is the one who didn’t get fired.

Let’s hit it!

 

But first, a word from our sponsors:

Cheesesteaks. Check out Jersey’s newest steak joint, Just Steaks, in the Merchantville Shopping Center. Ask for “The Crossing Broad”: $7 for a steak, fries and a bottled drink.

Swinging stick. Meet Dom Brown at the Sports Vault in the King of Prussia Mall on Saturday, September 7 from 11 – 1. Details and tickets here.

Fantasy. Host your fantasy football draft at the Philly Phaithful showroom in Northern Liberties:

BSB_Promo_10Percent

Tickets. Philadelphia Eagles tickets are available on the secondary market starting at around $100.

 

The roundup:

Donovan McNabb is throwing a party for himself for being great:

Screen Shot 2013-08-19 at 9.07.35 AM

Thanks to reader Al for this.

The best part is that there’s a tiered pricing system that rewards early arrivals, presumably so the party looks like it’s happening long before Former Five shows up. If you arrive between 7-10 p.m., tickets are free. 10-11 p.m.– $10. And after 11 p.m.– $20. Bottle service, however, will run you upwards of $350.

Kevin Frandsen continues to be combative with fans on Twitter. He even seems like the type of guy to research his detractors before his jabs (veteran Twitter-insulting move):

Screen Shot 2013-08-19 at 9.13.53 AM

A Philly.com writer was part of the press group that was invited to Stamford, Connecticut for a behind-the-scenes look at NBCSN’s first day covering the Premier League. There’s a lot in there worth reading, but one item caught my eye. I thought NBC did a great job with their coverage but that the sound – specifically the disconnect between the broadcasters and the crowd – wasn’t quite right. It turns out, there was an issue there:

He thanked me, and told me that emphasizing the game’s natural sound was one of his aims all along. So he kept an eye out for the right times to keep everyone quiet, starting with when the teams lined up in the tunnel.

At 12:29, White’s voice arrived with an apology for “gremlins in the system.” He and Dixon were ready to go by kickoff, and at 12:30 the ball got rolling. But the gremlins had not all been shooed yet, as the sound seemed a half-second ahead of the picture.

In the 22nd minute of the game, you might have noticed a few seconds when it sounded like White’s voice was echoing, and after that the sound quality improved. That was a sign of NBC’s technicians trying to fix the sync issue. They didn’t quite get there, but I could tell they were trying. By the end of the half, it seemed to be fixed.

Part of the problem may be because the league is producing the games and NBC is just adding their own broadcasters. It needs to be fixed though– the announcers sound like they’re in a private recording booth (they’re not) calling the game.

Some goofy study has Eagles fans as the 17th most loyal in the NFL. Yeah, OK.

Chip Kelly’s offense is actually getting more unconventional. And faster.

The Nashville Predators are trying their own take back the park thing with Blackhawks fans. Wait until they see the Flyers trip we’re helping to promote. Thanks to reader Monica for this.

Pam Oliver got hit in the face with a football. Should be an improvement.

Fox Sports 1 anchors are doing the mean Tweets thing.

Erin Andrews tongue trick.