Posts for Teams Category

So The Yankees Apparently Dropped Kate Smith Because She Sang Blatantly Racist Songs

Russ Joy - April 18, 2019

If you’ve attended or even watched a Flyers game over the past few years, you’ve heard the #1 Anthemist in NHL Lauren Hart bridge a time warp in a duet of “God Bless America” with Kate Smith. To my recollection, that duet didn’t happen at all this season. I wouldn’t bet on ever hearing it again.

News broke today that the New York Yankees are ending an 18-year tradition of playing a 1939 recording of “God Bless America” during the 7th inning stretch after at least two overtly racist songs recorded by Smith were unearthed. The playing of “God Bless America” in the Bronx first began after 9/11, so in staying with that tradition, Smith’s version has been replaced.

Back to Smith. The songs are disgusting and the imagery used is nothing short of despicable. In the song “Pickaninny Heaven”, Smith dedicates the song to “a lotta little colored children who are listenin’ in at an orphanage in New York City”. It gets even worse. Per the New York Daily News, who reported the Yankees’ decision, Smith sang that the children:

“…should fantasize about an amazing place with ‘great big watermelons,’ among other treats.”

As if that weren’t enough, Smith also recorded a song “That’s Why Darkies Were Born”, which included the lyrics, “Someone had to pick the cotton. … That’s why darkies were born.”

For those wondering whatever happened to the statue of Kate Smith that once resided outside of the Spectrum, it’s currently stationed on the path near an Xfinity Live! parking lot.

Usually when accusations of overt racism are levied, some argue that “those were the times”. I can’t fathom a time when it was acceptable to conceptualize these songs, record them, and film a video. The Yankees made the first move. Will the Flyers do the same?

Sources: New York Daily News Cuts Ties With Chris Sheridan Following Sixers Story

Kevin Kinkead - April 18, 2019

via Twitter

Sources tell Crossing Broad that the New York Daily News will no longer be publishing stories from veteran NBA reporter Chris Sheridan.

This comes 24 hours after Sheridan was widely panned for authoring a story titled “76ers’ Brett Brown is heading for coaching purgatory,” in which he described behind-the-scenes conflict within the Sixers locker room and front office. Sixers Vice President of Communications Dave Sholler took to Twitter to dispute the story, describing it as a “steaming pile of trash” and “irresponsible hack job.”

One source with knowledge of the situation says Sheridan was uncooperative in providing his source material to the newspaper. He wrote a follow-up story for Heavy.com that was published this morning, an article titled “Why Sixers are angry about Daily News report on Ben Simmons.”

I spoke on the phone this afternoon with Kyle Wagner, who runs the New York Daily News sports department. Wagner would not confirm or deny whether Sheridan was still employed by the newspaper and told Crossing Broad that Sheridan was a freelancer.

Takeaways from New Philadelphia Flyers Coach Alain Vigneault’s Introductory Press Conference

Russ Joy - April 18, 2019

Image via Twitter (@JHallNBCS)

Today was the first day new Flyers coach Alain Vigneault got to meet with the assembled media. With general manager Chuck Fletcher by his side, Vigneault acquitted himself quite well. Fletcher noted that AV represents a caliber of coach that doesn’t just become available often.

Three things Vigneault was looking for:

  1. Opportunity to win short-term to win a Stanley Cup. Analyzed parts in Philly and options to
    improve the team, gets a checkmark.
  2. Possibility to work with GM that shares same ideas in building a winner, building a hockey
    culture, develop players. To make a high-end winning environment and place where players
    would want to be.
  3. First-class organization. In today’s competitive NHL, you need total commitment from
    ownership. That’s here.

Positive Things He Saw With the Flyers

Solid youth with a lot of upside. Great goaltending. Solid core group that needs the right direction.
Combination of solid veteran players that can still contribute at this level. Flyers are a very good team w/
proper direction and culture will be a great team going forward.

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NBC Sports Philadelphia Will Air the Betting-Focused Alternative Sixers Broadcast During Game Four

Kevin Kinkead - April 18, 2019

Remember a few weeks back when NBC Sports Philadelphia rolled out that alternative, betting-focused Sixers broadcast?

They’re going to do it again for Saturday’s game, per press release:

PHILADELPHIA – APRIL 18, 2019 –NBC Sports Philadelphia will present a special NBA Playoff edition betting-centric telecast for Game 4 of the Philadelphia 76ers-Brooklyn Nets first-round playoff series. The broadcast will air on NBC Sports Philadelphia+ on Saturday, April 20, at 3 p.m.

NBC Sports Philadelphia first debuted the alternate sports betting format on April 3, 2019 for the Philadelphia 76ers-Atlanta Hawks game.

Saturday’s alternate broadcast featuring betting related commentary and analysis in real time, along with up-to-date betting data and information, will again be led by NBC Sports Philadelphia and 97.5 The Fanatic host Marc Farzetta, alongside sports betting expert Brad Feinberg, and Anthony Gargano from 97.5 the Fanatic.

The hosts will discuss a variety of potential wagers and how gameplay impacts certain bets throughout the game. Their commentary and analysis are complemented by on-screen graphics featuring betting data and information, including a glossary of gambling terminology. The remainder of the visual presentation is identical to the primary game telecast on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

“The launch of this innovative product earlier this month generated positive feedback from fans and partners, so we are thrilled to present it again during a live playoff game,” said NBC Sports Philadelphia President Brian Monihan. “The 76ers are an exciting team and fans are highly engaged, so it’s a great opportunity to complement the overall fan experience.”

Like last time, Marc Zumoff, Alaa Abdelnaby, and Serena Winters will do the game broadcast on the main channel.

Kyle had some thoughts about the programming, which is transcribed after the jump:

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SPORTS GOSSIP WARS: HughE Dillon Disappointed With Terez Owens

Kevin Kinkead - April 18, 2019

Did Ben Simmons and Kendall Jenner break up?

That’s what sports gossip blogger Terez Owens reported yesterday:

This comes to us via our tip box.

“Ben just had another girl at his apartment after the game. She was with him in his apartment playing with Ben’s dog and Ben Just recently followed her too. I guess both of them Moving on already.”

Damn, just remember where you heard it first. and checkout more of the girl that came between the two below.-TO

Terez shared a few pics of “another girl” in the story.

This did not sit well with HughE Dillon, who is Philadelphia’s only paparazzo and maybe the only person in the Delaware Valley who tracks celebrity movements.

HughE counters:

HughE is right. We are in the middle of the playoffs and don’t need unsubstantiated rumors, Terez Owens and Chris Sheridan.

Here’s some more from our guy, after the jump:

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The 76ers are the Biggest Heels in the NBA Playoffs

Coggin Toboggan - April 18, 2019

Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

All it took was one elbow to the face, an uncontrollable giggle fit, and an insincere “apology” to turn the 76ers into the biggest heels of the NBA playoffs.

Gone are the lovable losers of The Process. The heel turn is complete. The 76ers are now the villains of the NBA playoffs and it’s amazing.

The Nets cannot keep themselves from talking about Joel Embiid and Ben Simmon’s giggle fit when JoJo tried to apologize for almost caving in Jarrett Allen’s nasal cavity after game two. Embiid tried to play it off,  but the Nets took it to heart and have been losing their minds in the media leading up to game three. Always good to have a nice distraction right before a key moment in a playoff series.

As HHH always says, “it’s all about the game, and how you play it.”

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Chris Sheridan Defends His Sixers Report in Meandering Column

Kevin Kinkead - April 18, 2019

I’ve always felt like there’s no need to defend your reporting if you trust your sources and believe in your work. You don’t need to justify your process or go on sports radio or write follow-up pieces. All you have to say is, “my sources are sound, I stand by my work.”

That’s just my opinion.

Chris Sheridan took another approach, addressing the negative response to his New York Daily News article describing dysfunction and disagreement within the Sixers locker room and front office. His story, 76ers’ Brett Brown is heading for coaching purgatory, was widely panned and even skewered by Sixers Vice President of Communications Dave Sholler, who called it a “steaming pile of trash.”

Sheridan wrote a column for Heavy.com, titled “Why Sixers are Angry About Daily News Report on Ben Simmons” in which he compared Sholler’s response to that of a 4th grader and went on to blow a little bit of sunshine up his own butt.

Wrote Sheridan:

Sholler is the Vice President of Communications for Harris-Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, the conglomerate that runs the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, Prudential Center and renowned esports franchise Team Dignitas, according to Sholler’s Linked In profile.

So the guy makes a lot of money, and it is his job to protect his bosses, put out fires and try to control the message.

Sholler’s inability to do so with dignity in response to the New York Daily News story concerning internal turmoil within the Philadelphia 76ers was a dead giveaway that the story was right on the money.

Yeah? Maybe. I don’t know. I wasn’t in the locker room or eavesdropping on Elton Brand.

I did point out yesterday that I’ve never once seen Dave Sholler respond to a story in this fashion, and there have been plenty of unflattering things written about the team in the past. He did not, for instance, criticize the ESPN story detailing the confrontation between Brett Brown and Jimmy Butler before the Portland road game, an incident proven to be true and later addressed in detail by both Brown and Butler. In this case, Brown and Ben Simmons basically swatted Sheridan’s story away.

More from him after the jump:

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JJ Redick and the Top-Lock: On Brooklyn’s Defense and Sixers Solutions

Kevin Kinkead - April 18, 2019

Game three.

Tonight.

8 p.m. on TNT and NBC Sports Philadelphia.

I wrote a bunch of stuff about Chris Sheridan yesterday (and he provided us with a follow up, so we’ll get to that later), but let’s actually start your Thursday with some basketball talk.

JJ Redick went for 17 points on 7-12 shooting in 24 minutes of game two play, a huge improvement over the five-points he mustered in game one before fouling out.

We mentioned the other day that Brooklyn is using a defensive technique called “top-locking” against him, which is when his defender (typically Joe Harris), puts himself between JJ and the ball handler. When you defend in this way, you deny JJ the ball and deny him the dribble hand-off that he’s very good at executing:

That’s a top lock. Harris will sit himself in front of Redick and invite the backdoor cut instead of allowing him to wrap around Ben Simmons to the high arc.

Philly struggled to get JJ going in game one, but they were better in game two, and I asked Brett Brown Wednesday if the coaching staff was satisfied with how his team navigated this tactical wrinkle, after the jump:

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