Howard, it’s your turn to shine. Victorino got the first award, Ibanez got the second, and now you are officially the third man of the week. You know it’s the offseason for the Eagles, Flyers, and Sixers when the “You Are The Man” segment can be dominated by the Phillies. That’s not necessarily a knock against the Fightin’ Phils who have demonstrated that their offensive power is about as deep as their entire lineup.
Before we get into what Howard accomplished this week we have to go over the runner up. It’s the offseason for the Flyers now, and this usually means it’s General Manager Paul Holmgren’s turn to shine for the orange and black. Everyone knows what he has done over the past two seasons to keep the Flyers tradition alive and well. Unfortunately this week all he did was look into the NHL’s prodigal son netminder, Ray Emery. It’s not that Emery’s intensity during the game that drives people away, but his locker room attitude helped destroy the Ottawa Senators brilliant lineup, earned him a bought out contract, earned him a ticket to the KHL, and ended with him hating it in Russia even more. Along the way he has been caught partying far too much, fighting with teammates, and yes, even beating up his trainer in Russia over wearing a hat. It’s safe to say that Holmgren’s not the runner up this week. In fact the Flyers currently have nothing going on. Richards’ surgery was successful, Powe was deemed okay, Jones is going to be out for a while with hip issues hurting his value, and Holmgren is waiting on word of the 2009-10 salary cap ceiling to begin his major wheeling and dealing with Biron. It’s all quiet for the Sixers as well, and the Eagles just went through a mini-camp with hardly a peep.
Honorable mention was pretty tough this week to say the least. I didn’t want it to be all baseball so I thought I’d give a runner up a nod for a “You Are The Man” that is nine years overdue.
Keith Primeau nine years ago yesterday started his Philadelphia playoff legend with something incredible and unbelievable. This was before he nearly willed the Flyers on heart alone to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2004. No, this was the beginning for Primeau as an orange and black legend. As a kid three days away from his 13th birthday it was the best present I could ever ask for. It’s safe to say that I didn’t go to school the next day. I carried the moment in history into an awesome three-day weekend and my birthday. So here it goes. Please by all means ignore the chatter about how great an organization the Penguins are. And to answer your question, yes it is still an NHL record for a playoff game.
The only current Flyer on that roster back in 2000 was Simon Gagne. Even though it seems like 2000 was only yesterday it’s been a long time.
And so, back to you Ryan Howard. You didn’t have the greatest week stat wise, but your Grand Slam on Monday to change a 1 run lead into a 5 run lead that the Phils would hold through the end made up for a loss against the Mets. You have officially tied Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt for the all-time team lead in bases loaded, going yard. Anytime you get put in the same sentence as a guy like Schmidt you’re obviously doing something right, and now with 7 home runs and 28 RBIs in the 16 games you’ve played at Saint Louis you’re certainly earning the title of Cardinal Killer. Ryan Howard, you really are the man.
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