Phinally Philly

24 hours ago, it seemed as if all of Philadelphia was concerned about the Phillies. They had been playing badly, giving up leads, not getting hits, and just not looking like the defending WFCs.

Fast forward to today, and all of a sudden the mood in this city has changed dramatically in regards to the Fightins.

J.A. Happ pitched a good game, save for 2 pitches. Pete Happy knocked the team’s 11th grand slam of the season, extending the franchise record. Jamie Moyer came in and settled things down after Happ gave up the 3 run HR before falling victim to the CBP pitching mound, which also claimed an Astros pitcher.  The biggest surprise was Ryan Madson coming in and nailing down a 6 out save, which for a struggling bullpen, is a great sign.

With the win last night, all talk about the Phillies possibly pulling a 1964 seems to have evaporated. With their magic number down to 1, all the Phillies need is one win in their last five games, or one Atlanta loss in their last five to win the NL East for the 3rd consecutive season. Those 3 straight would be the second time the franchise has won 3 straight division titles. The Phillies also accomplished that from 1976 to 1978.

No one could have guessed back in April that the Phillies would be sending out Pedro Martinez on September 30th with a chance to clinch the National League East. This has been a hell of a season for this team, and hopefully, they’re just getting started.

Jeremiah Trotter is back with the Eagles once again, as the team signed the 32-year old to a one-year deal. Jeff Garcia was released to make room on the 53-man roster.

This signing was really a necessity in my mind. Yes, Omar Gaither played a strong game against the Chiefs, but beyond him the Birds depth at middle linebacker is close to nil. Trotter may not be capable of playing at a Pro Bowl level regardless of how good his knee feels, but he should be able to make a positive impact on running downs and in the locker room.

This situation really is a win-win-win scenario for the Eagles, Trotter and Jeff Garcia. Several teams around the league are having QB issues (Josh Johnson is now the starter in Tampa…how long do you think that’ll last?!?) so Jeff should be able to find a job soon. Hell maybe even the Raiders would consider signing him; he HAS to be better than JaMarcus Russell!

Featured Tweet

@GregDietz has a few concerns about bringing Trotter back…

“Can someone tell me why PHI signed Trotter? If they like Mays and Fokou so much why bring back Trot?Runyan would be a much more logical sign”

First of all, Moise Fokou is seen as a good prospect but he’s not ready for major playing time in the NFL. I believe the team is high on him long-term but not for an immediate heavy workload. As for Mays, he had every opportunity to seize the starting MLB job in camp and in the preseason but the team eventually handed the job over to Gaither. Joe just wasn’t getting the job done, plain and simple.

Trotter will help take some of the load off of Gaither, and he can be a valuable Jamie Moyer-like presence to help tutor some of the younger guys on the team (Jordan, Fokou, and Gocong immediately come to mind.)

As for Runyan, he isn’t here right now for two reasons. 1.) Winston Justice is really stepping up at right tackle and is playing like a solid starter. He appears to be finally living up to the pre-draft hype that followed him coming out of the University of Southern California. That makes brining Runyan back less of a necessity. 2.) I don’t think Jon is all the way back from the injury he suffered last season. If he was the Eagles may have brought him on to at least be a backup by now.

After last night’s frustrating loss to the Houston Astros and Atlanta’s win over the Marlins, the magic number for the Phillies to clinch their 3rd consecutive National League East crown remained at 3.

Talking to a few other people, there seems to be some confusion as to what exactly the magic number means. In the Phillies’ case, the magic number being 3, any combination of Phillies’ wins and Braves’ losses that equal 3 would clinch the NL East. For example, 2 Phillies’ wins and 1 Atlanta loss, 3 Phillies’ wins, 3 Braves’ losses, 1 Phillies’ win and 2 Braves’ losses would all clinch the NL East for the Phillies.

With all the struggles against the Astros this season, the Phillies are having a tough time nailing down the division. There is concern starting to mount, but the Phillies are all but guaranteed a playoff berth at this point. They are backing themselves into a spot however. The past few years, with the Fightins’ and Mutts battling, the Phillies have entered the playoffs playing good baseball. This season, they are going in playing like they were in June.

With under a week left in the season, there isn’t much time to work on things. J.C. Romero finally came back last night and got some work in. Brett Myers is scheduled to come back this week as well. The bullpen could surely use the help at this point in the season. I know I can’t be the only one who felt bad for Brad Lidge going out there in the 9th being down 6 runs, even with all his struggles this season.

The Phillies still have some time to correct things before the playoffs start, but not much.

It’s going to be an interesting week down at Citizens Bank Park.

Now, I’ve always been a fan of former Phillies’ catcher Chris Coste. Whether it was the story behind him or just liking him because he was a solid backup catcher, I’ve been a fan.

When the Phillies acquired Paul Bako, I wasn’t sure what to think. The team carried three catchers for a while, but when Raul Ibanez came off the disabled list, someone had to go. That unfortunately was Coste. He was claimed by Houston where he got some playing time at 1B before getting moved back primarily behind the plate when the Astros traded Pudge Rodriguez.

Tonight marks Coste’s first game back in Philly since being waived and I emailed him a few questions a few weeks back about his impending return.

Phinally Philly: Was it frustrating to leave Philly after winning the World Series?

Chris Coste- It wasn’t so much frustrating as it was disappointing.  It was like having the woman you love break up with you.  The Phillies clubhouse is like a brotherhood and the idea that I was no longer a part of it was tough to handle.

PP: When you were waived, were you hoping to clear waivers and  stay in Philly?

CC: No, simply because if that were the case then it meant that I would be going to the minor leagues, and at the age of 36, being in the minor leagues would be a major step backwards.

PP: Besides the World Series, what was your favorite moment as a member  of the Phillies?

CC: The moment we clinched the division on the last day of the 2007 season.  The atmosphere was beyond anything any of us had ever experienced.

PP: What was your favorite minor league stop and why?

CC: As a home player it would have to be Buffalo (AAA for the Indians at the time).  They had great fans, a great stadium and always had veteran and talented teams.  As a visiting player, it would have to be Pawtucket (AAA for the Red Sox).  The atmosphere was the closest thing I had seen to a major league environment.

PP: I’m a numbers nut, so why the number 27in Philly and 41 in  Houston?

CC: They are the numbers they gave me.

I’d just like to thank Coste for taking the time to answer these questions for me. I’m glad that he’s caught on with another team, but still sad that it didn’t last in Philly. Chris Coste was made for this town. Hopefully he does well for Houston, but not too well, this week against the Fightins.

Let’s face it: the Eagles were going to win this game as long as they showed up. The Chiefs are a terrible team with a serious lack of playmakers on either side of the ball. As a result it’s a little tought to take too much from this game other than considering it a momentum boost heading into the bye week.

There were a few things we could take from this dominating performance though.

- Kevin Kolb is the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for at least 300 yards in his first two career starts. Great to see Kevin silence some of his haters, but before you start asking “Donovan who?” just remember Kolb was fortunate to face two terrible pass defenses in the Saints and Chiefs. As good as he looked at times these past two weeks the Eagles’ Super Bowl hopes still hinge on the health of #5.

One thing Kolb’s performance has done though is put even more pressure on McNabb to take this team to the Promised Land. If the Eagles fall short again you’d have to wonder if the front office would have enough confidence in Kolb to see what they could get for McNabb on the trade market. That however is a topic for next offseason.

- Desean Jackson continues to emerge as an elite NFL receiver. After today he should be among the top 5 in receiving yards, and he now has three plays of 60 or more yards through three weeks. As long as he can stay healthy he should be in for a career year.

- I was amused by Jamaal Jackson’s postgame comments about Desean’s touchdown celebration after the 64-yard score:

“I told him, ’Great run, but let’s try to exhibit some professionalism,’ ” the Eagles’ center said. “There’s nothing wrong with a little celebration, but once you put your body at risk, that’s when you want to take a step back and look at the big picture. There’s nothing wrong with just handing the ball to the ref.”

Jamaal is probably referring to the fact that Desean landed a little awkwardly after his quasi-cartwheel, and I’ll have to admit that I cringed when I saw it myself after the game (which sadly was not shown out here in Southern California.) I’m all for Desean having some fun and I really think Jamaal Jackson should worry more about becoming a better center before he starts critiquing his teammates, but he has a point. I’d really hate to see Desean pull a Bill Gramatica and injure himself during a celebration…just tone it down a notch next time, bud.

- How about Brent Celek? 22 catches in just three games leads the team, and just in case you thought his 8 catch 104 yard performance against the Saints was a fluke he responded today with, yes you guessed it, 8 catches for 104 yards AND a score. Most of his production has come with Kolb at the helm, so I’ll be intrigued to see if he can keep this up once McNabb and Westbrook come back.

- So much for Michael Vick’s triumphant debut: he went 0-2 passing and rushed for just 7 yards. I still don’t see how he fits in with this offense or makes this unit better.

- The Eagles defense blitzed a lot more than they did last week and it shows in the box score: 3 sacks, 5 TFL, 5 QB hits, but even more importantly Matt Cassel only averaged 5 yards per pass attempt. That coupled with his high completion percentage (he went 14 of 18 on the day) tells you he had to dump the ball off a lot to a secondary target thanks to pressure from the Birds defense. The fact that Dwayne Bowe missed the game with an injury certainly helped the cause.

- Good to see Omar Gaither stepping up at MLB. He led the team with 9 tackles and a sack.

- Special teams showed a marked improvement over last week, taking just one penalty and avoiding any turnovers (I’m looking at you Ellis!)

Over the course of the season, the Phillies have had the need at a few different times for a spot starter. For one reason or another, someone has had to step up and make a start for the Phillies.

The latest incidence came tonight when Pedro Martinez was scratched and Kyle Kendrick had to make his second start of the season, going 4 innings and giving up 3 runs.

Over the course of the year, players such as Kendrick, Rodrigo Lopez, Antonio Bastardo, and Andrew Carpenter have stepped up and made a start for this team. Hell, even Jamie Moyer has made a few starts after being sent to the bullpen.

Between Kendrick, Lopez, Bastardo and Carpenter, the Phillies have gotten a 9-5 record. Throw in Jamie Moyers’ resurgence after being sent to the bullpen and the Phillies have been very lucky with their extra pitchers. Kendrick left too early in the game tonight to get a decision, but he pitched well enough to leave the game with the lead.

Starting pitching depth has been a strength of this team all season, and it should pay off in the postseason, once Charlie Manuel figures out his playoff rotation. Good luck with that one Cholly.

Once again the Flyers are orange. The black jerseys that Philadelphia has worn for years have been dropped for the more traditional look. The former orange thirds have become the new home jerseys as the blacks will now be scheduled in for specific games. The change comes at an important cross-roads in the team’s history of course; one that leaves many to speculate whether or not the 2009-10 Philadelphia Flyers have an identity crisis.

The team though would not agree with this. For the players and organization there is no question as to who they are, who they want to be, and where they plan to go. The sweaters may match those of the great Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber, Rick MacLeish, and Reggie Leach, but the Flyers have assembled their own cast of offensive heavyweights. Ray Emery isn’t going to pretend to be Bernie Parent either, but behind arguably the best defense the orange and black have ever iced, he may get nearly as many wins this season.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 2009-10 SEASON PREVIEW as seen on TheHockeyWriters.com

Despite jokes and jealousy this team is not going to make any promises about playing nice with the other kids on the block. They’re not specifically dirty, though from the cries of outrage at the Pronger trade from the other half of the state you’d never know. If anything this team had displayed its soft side a little too much in past seasons. There won’t be any headhunting or mistakes to jeopardize a chance at the Stanley Cup, but if players like Pittsburgh forward, Chris Kunitz, think they will skate around with their only purpose being to tag smaller Flyers such as Kimmo Timonen at every opportunity, then they might find himself on the wrong end of Chris Pronger’s favorite pass-time. It isn’t just the monster defenseman that teams will have to worry about though. The entire roster from top to bottom is revamped and out for blood.

OFFENSE: A+

For any other team the loss of 52 total goals in one offseason could be devastating. Mike Knuble became a cap casualty this summer and traveled south down I-95 to team up with Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Joffrey Lupul was part of the trade that brought Pronger to Philadelphia in the first place. Instead of actively looking for legitimate production replacements for the two wingers, the organization decided to stick with what it had. Paul Holmgren believed in his prospect pool as well as the lesser known additions to the camp. That trust may have paid off in a big way.

Already cemented for duty are all four Flyers who scored over 30 goals last season. Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne, and Scott Hartnell are not mysteries. The four were Philadelphia’s top offensive producers last season and will look to keep that pace going in 2009-10. Philadelphia and Detroit were the only two teams in the NHL to have four different players hit the 30 goal mark while Philadelphia and Boston were the only two teams to have six different players score 20 or more goals. The only question left for the Flyers with two of their 20-goal-scorers, Knuble and Lupul, both gone was where they were going to find offensive depth to keep up their high-flying offense of seasons past.

Danny Briere, who missed the majority of last season with a series of groin injuries, came back on in the latter half of the season in a big way. Though often considered one of the most overpaid forwards in the NHL his offensive abilities speak for themselves. When healthy he is arguably the most offensively creative and talented forward in the Flyers’ deep lineup. A 30 goal, point-per-game season out of Briere should not be too hard to come by with the talent in this lineup. Since the beginning of training camp his has shown how healthy he is by tearing up other teams all preseason long.

The other player the Flyers are expecting to step up in a big way this season is Claude Giroux. He was originally expected to make the roster out of camp last year but due to some minor set-backs, was given the opportunity to prepare for the professional game a little more in the AHL. He got off to a slow start but was on the Flyers regular game roster by the end of December. A minor concussion due to an elbow from Corey Perry set him back another month, but when Giroux finally broke out at the NHL level there was no stopping him. He dominated teams for the last two months of the regular season and was the Flyers best forward in the playoffs. There’s no question that if Giroux has a big season this offense could be the scariest in the NHL just based on their best six forwards.

With some concerns outside of the top six though, the Flyers’ offense may not have gotten as high a grade as it currently does without the emergence of two possible stars in preseason. Though they have not proven themselves completely yet, former second overall selection James van Riemsdyk and undrafted Swedish Elite League star Mika Pyorala have turned quite a few heads during camp. Both rank among the Flyers most productive forwards in preseason, and each bring something unique to the table. As of right now these two are not just fill-ins to replace Knuble and Lupul but legitimate weapons themselves making this offense the scariest the Flyers have possibly had since the 70′s.

The current call-ups in case of injury are prospect Patrick Maroon, who was expected to make a serious push for the Flyers roster as a scoring forward before an unfortunate injury during rookie camp, Lukas Kaspar, a first round selection from a couple of years ago who may have never gotten the right opportunity in San Jose, Andreas Nodl, who played half a season with the Flyers last year, and Krys Kolanos, who has had injury issues since being drafted in the first round but can play adequately as a fill-in. Right now it looks to be another exciting year for the offense.

ROLE-PLAYERS: B

With the muscle movement in full effect during the Flyers offseason, Ian Laperriere made for the perfect under-the-radar acquisition. He provides a bumper-car veteran on the fourth line who is not afraid to get vocal in the locker room. He, like the other bottom-rung forwards on the roster, will not particularly “wow” anyone, but his defensive capabilities along with an inherent willingness to protect his teammates could go a long way. When added to Dan Carcillo and Arron Asham expect to see plenty of “togetherness” in the box this season one way or another. Riley Cote, though not as skilled as the others, will also provide the team another scrapper whenever he suits up for games.

Darroll Powe emerged last season as a speedy burst of energy that can play top nine-minutes if need be. While he doesn’t necessarily possess the skill to be a finisher at the NHL level he will make some noise. He plays a crash and bang style of hockey that fits in well with the rest of the offense, and his versatility makes him useless in all kinds of ways.

The real hidden gem on the Flyers bottom-rung unit may just be someone who has yet to sign a contract. Blair Betts, penalty-kill extraordinaire of the New York Rangers, came into Philadelphia’s camp as an invitee though there were many who expected him to earn a contract wherever he went. He certainly had offers, but Philadelphia caught his eye. Throughout preseason he has done nothing but impress. His penalty killing abilities will give useful breathers to players like Mike Richards and Jeff Carter who would be able to save their energy for 5-on-5 play. His ability to win key face-offs will also come in handy in a fourth line checking role. He is expected to sign a contract sometime this weekend since the Flyers recently made moves to clear up cap space and contract space.

Prospects Jonathan Kalinski and Jared Ross both performed well during stints with the orange and black last season and would likely be the first call-ups should there be injury trouble among the bottom six.

DEFENSE: A+

With the recent announcement that Randy Jones would be waived this upcoming weekend things have changed for the defense. With Jones out of the lineup the Flyers free up tons of cap space and even more headaches. Though he was a decent puck-moving offensive defenseman, a serious injury before the 2008-09 preseason sidelined him for more than half a year. When he came back he was not as mobile. Jones, who was a defensive liability at times before, was now often a disaster, especially on a pairing with Andrew Alberts who left for Carolina this offseason. Jones mentioned that he was feeling much better this offseason, but his play has not backed up his claims. Coach Stevens and General Manager Paul Holmgren have both noted that they are disappointed with the blueliners progress. His replacement will likely be Danny Syvret, a 24-year-old prospect who finished third in scoring on the Phantoms last season. He is not the most impressive defenseman ever, but he offers a better and cheaper solution to the Jones dilemma. On a pairing with young shut-down defenseman Ryan Parent, who logged big minutes with Kimmo Timonen at the end of last season, Syvret will be able to utilize his offensive capabilities more often.

The other pairings penciled in for the 2009-10 season are Timonen and Braydon Coburn, who proved to be one of the best pairings in the Eastern Conference during the 2007-08 season before being broken up last year, and Pronger paired with Matt Carle. Carle has had his consistency issues but remains the same blueliner that helped turn around the Flyers’ season last year when injuries crippled their defensive core early on. If he can find stability with Pronger there’s no limit to the offense he can provide for the Flyers. Pronger on the other hand has to be the rock to make up for some of the mistakes Carle will make in his own zone every once in a while.

Everyone already knows what Pronger is all about. He is arguably the best overall player on the entire roster which is saying quite a bit when skaters like Richards, Carter, Briere, and Gagne populate the offense. Along with Timonen he provides a one-two punch of elite defensemen to tackle the deepest rosters in the Eastern Conference. On top of all that he is the complete player. He provides superior offense on the blueline, a rocket from the point, a true “hammer” in the defensive unit, invaluable experience on a young team, and the vocal locker room presence that the Flyers were lacking last season.

Ole-Kristian Tollefsen is another key to the defense though his role is limited. He is mean kid, much like Pronger, but does not nearly bring the rest of Pronger’s arsenal to the table. As a defenseman who can swap in with Syvret he gives the Flyers a crash and bang blueliner who will drop the gloves if need be. Since the Flyers lacked a true mean-streak defenseman last season, Tollefsen is a useful intimidation addition to the unit.

Depending on how the situation plays out with Jones he could end up as a call-up even though it is not likely since, should he be claimed on re-entry waivers, it could be problematic for the Flyers’ cap situation. Okars Bartulis offers another option as well as some rookies who could have key roles with the Flyers in the future; Kevin Marshall, Marc-Andre Bourdon, and Joonas Lehtivuori.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A+

Last season, with roughly the same group of special teams skaters, the Flyers were near the top of the NHL in both the penalty kill and powerplay. That’s a very good thing seeing as how they were the second most penalized team and had the fifth least powerplay opportunities. Since some double-standards will never change the Flyers have embraced that aspect of their game. If the league is going to watch them more closely anyway, then their philosophy is to be better at special teams than everyone else.

The Flyers led the league in shorthanded goals last season, but don’t expect as many this year. While it would be effective to put Richards, Carter, and Gagne out on the penalty kill again, those three will not likely be getting as much man-down time as seasons of the past. The addition of Laperriere and the likely signing of Betts will go a long way toward giving the Flyers’ offensive powerhouses a break so that their 5-on-5 play will not suffer. Giroux has emerged as a very good defensive forward but won’t likely be utilized on the penalty kill often this year. Instead another sophomore, Powe, will get some opportunities. Of course the kill only gets better with the addition of a guy like Pronger. The Flyers are going to be in the box often this season, but that does not mean they have to treat it as a disadvantage with this deep a roster.

Since the Flyers are also not going to be given a lot of chances on the powerplay they have to make the most of their opportunities. Two straight offensive units made up of a combination of Richards, Gagne, Briere, Carter, Giroux, Hartnell, and van Riemsdyk along with Pyorala for fill-in duties will be devastating. Richards will not have to play the point this season of course with the addition of Pronger. The powerplay defense is equally deadly with four defenseman that could possibly break 40+ points in 2009-10; Timonen, Pronger, Coburn, and Carle. There’s no question the Flyers’ special teams is at the top of the NHL.

GOALTENDING: B

It’s impossible to make Emery into something he’s not. There is so much backwards reporting out there belting out apocalyptic hymns that it is impossible to get a real read on what the Flyers’ newest netminder can accomplish. Despite one season of trouble in Ottawa, Emery has proven to be a consistent starter. He was consistent when he took the Senators to a Stanley Cup and consistent when he played in the KHL. So before anyone takes too much stock into the goalie that will supposedly add the “tragic” to this soon-to-be, according to every NHL analyst with a pen and a paycheck, tragic anti-hero of a team (since if the Penguins are the heroes, someone has to be the villain), it is important to use our brains instead of mindlessly following the people who get paid to find flaws.

The Flyers have had an issue with goaltending for a while of course stemming all the way back to Ron Hextall. While none have been able to capture the Stanley Cup it doesn’t necessarily mean that there was anything wrong with them. The Flyers have missed the playoffs once since the departure of Hextall. This also doesn’t mean that the teams that the Flyers made the playoffs with were anywhere near as good as the one they have currently assembled.

Emery is, at worst, a lateral move talent-wise from Martin Biron. The goal in Philadelphia is to get Emery to stay consistent, and a revamped defense should go a long way toward accomplishing that goal.

As far as Emery possibly imploding and alienating the entire locker room, there’s a article floating around devoted just for the sheep in the audience.

COACHING: C+

While everyone concentrates on the position between the pipes they continue to ignore what could be the Flyers’ greatest weakness: coaching. Stevens was of course the same coach who inherited a basement Philadelphia Flyers team in 2006-07 from Ken Hitchcock and turned it into a Eastern Conference Finalist the following year. THN even named Stevens the 2007-08 Coach of the Year for his effort. Unfortunately the change between seasons was created by Paul Holmgren in the front office and not behind the bench. While Stevens remains a decent coach he has issues with playing anything that resembles a system. He sometimes judges players too quickly and often throws the wrong skaters into his “doghouse.” The biggest issue with his style may be his lack of emotion which in reality the opposite of what a bunch of “Broad Street Bullies” need behind their bench.

The result of Stevens’ lack of emotion seems quite obvious at times. In the very last game of the 2008-09 season the Flyers took on the Rangers. Philadelphia was playing for home-ice advantage, and New York was just focused on staying healthy for the playoffs. A sloppy effort and no whip-cracking in the locker room led to a best of seven series out of Pittsburgh instead of Philadelphia for the first round. Then in game six of that series Stevens failed to keep his players’ heads in the game with a gigantic lead and thoughts of a game seven already creeping. That game seven clearly never happened.

Stevens has had trouble at times getting his team to come out strong out of the gate, and at other times he has failed to keep them focused enough to play 60-minute-hockey. With Richards, Timonen, Briere, Gagne, and Carter all in the locker room as players who have spent a decent amount of time in a leadership role, many could speculate that the team should be okay despite Stevens. The problem with these leaders though is not their on-ice leadership which is normally spectacular, but their vocal leadership. With the permenant departure of Derian Hatcher due to a serious leg injury the Philadelphia Flyers severely lacked a vocal leader. The additions of Emery, Laperriere, and Pronger especially are also an attempt to circumvent the situation. It may just work. If the Flyers have a strong season it will be once again despite Stevens, not because of him.

PROSPECTS: A-

The Flyers have had one of the deepest prospect pools in recent years. While Giroux, Parent, and even van Riemsdyk are likely to be full-fledged Flyers this season it would be easy to believe that the pool is nearly depleted of high end talent. The thought that the Flyers may have mortgaged too much of the future to bring Pronger over from the Anaheim Ducks with Sbisa and two first rounders going the other way also doesn’t help matters. The organization never would have made that trade though if they weren’t confident in the group of prospects remaining in the pool.

Patrick Maroon, at the top of the list, was at points even favored to beat out van Riemsdyk for a roster position on the Flyers this preseason after having a great start to his professional career with the Phantoms last year. A poorly timed injury may have cost him his spot on the opening roster, but that doesn’t mean he’s done competing. He has yet to be cut and is performing better in every game he plays. If he does get sent down to the AHL and demonstrates that he belongs among the Flyers’ top scorers he will get his chance to wear orange and black this season. The other key forward to the organization is Andreas Nodl, who played a big chunk of the Flyers’ season last year. He made the

opening day roster right out of college but had a hard time finding his scoring touch even when he was sent back down to the AHL in favor of Claude Giroux at the end of December. He was among the cuts the team made so far so that he can look for his scoring with the Phantoms for a while. If theFlyers need him though he is ready to get a call-up and occupy a top nine position.

Defensively the Flyers have a pair of heavyweights from the QMJHL in Kevin Marshall and Marc-Andre Bourdon. Both come highly decorated out of Canadian Juniors and carry a mean-streak. Marshall excels as a shut-down defenseman and Bourdon excels offensively. As a pairing of the future they could be a devastating tandem for the orange and black. With the depth the Flyers already have on defense it makes sense to let them progress at their own pace in the AHL.

There are also other guys in the Flyers pool that are works in progress though they could jump to NHL action if need be. Jonathan Kalinski and Jared Ross both saw NHL time last season and performed well in specific roles. Lukas Kaspar and Krys Kolanos, though older, are both former first round selections that the Flyers signed this offseason. They could be used to fill holes in the offense if injuries become a problem.

“Na, na, na, na! Na, na, na, na! Hey, hey, hey! Goodbye!” It may seem a bit mean to those who haven’t followed the Flyers closely for the past number of years, but this defensive liability (and that’s being kind) will no longer be on the Flyers as of some point this weekend. I had already mentioned that Jones was likely to get the Gauthier-treatment a bit ago in an ironic twist of fate. He will be waived this weekend along with his $2.70m in cap hit even though it is the final year of his contract. This of course sets up a chance to create the Flyers’ unofficial opening day roster, which I will get to in a second.

The New York Rangers, always happy to bring in an overpaid player or two, have shown interest in Jones but not enough to make a trade for him. It’s possible that he is claimed off waivers, but it looks like New York is his final destination no matter what. If he clears waivers he will be placed in Glenn Falls, NY with the Phantoms to play out his remaining year under contract. Even if the defense is hurt by injuries, Jones might not get a call-up with many young blueliners on the Phantoms looking to eventually make the Flyers in the next couple of seasons such as Kevin Marshall, Marc-Andre Bourdon, Joonas Lehtivuori, and Okars Bartulis.

This calls for a celebration! Maybe a Braydon Coburn triple-fist-pump?

And so with that the Flyers have basically decided on their roster of 23:

OFFENSIVE WEAPONS (8): Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, Jeff Carter, Scott Hartnell, Claude Giroux, Danny Briere, James van Riemsdyk, Mika Pyorala

OFFENSIVE ROLE-PLAYERS (6): *Blair Betts, Dan Carcillo, Arron Asham, Ian Laperriere, Darroll Powe, Riley Cote

OFFENSIVE CALL-UPS (6): Patrick Maroon, Lukas Kaspar, Krys Kolanos, Andreas Nodl, Jared Ross, Jonathan Kalinski

DEFENSIVE SET-UP (7):

Kimmo Timonen -- Braydon Coburn
Chris Pronger -- Matt Carle
Ryan Parent -- Danny Syvret
Ole-Kristian Tollefsen

DEFENSIVE CALL-UPS (5): **Randy Jones, Kevin Marshall, Marc-Andre Bourdon, Okars Bartulis, Joonas Lehtivuori

GOALTENDING DEPTH CHART (3):

NHL Starter: Ray Emery
NHL Back-up: Brian Boucher
NHL Call-up: Johan Backlund

POSSIBLE OPENING DAY LINES/PAIRINGS (23):

Gagne -- Richards -- Powe
Hartnell -- Carter -- Briere
vanRiemsdyk -- Giroux -- Pyorala
Carcillo -- *Betts -- Laperriere
Asham -- Cote

Timonen -- Coburn
Pronger -- Carle
Parent -- Syvret
Tollefsen

Emery -- Boucher

* denotes pending contract
** denotes other factors may prevent call-up

It also appears as though this news not only means that Blair Betts will likely get that contract, but the rumored battle between Mika Pyorala and James van Riemsdyk for a roster spot is over. I’ve said all along that there’s no way the Flyers could possibly keep either off this team after the preseason they’ve had. Beat writer Timmy Panaccio seemed to have other ideas. In fact, with Stevens mentioning that he likes a line of Carcillo -- Powe -- Laperriere, the two of van Riemsdyk and Pyorala making the team is more of a sure thing than Betts getting a contract.

For further information on James van Riemsdyk and Mika Pyorala possibly becoming extra offensive depth on this roster:

Examiner.com -- Pyorala and van Riemsdyk battle for NHL

The Eagles brought a familiar face in for a workout yesterday, and evidently he looked pretty good…

Reid said Trotter, 32, “moved around very well.”

“You want to make sure you have everything lined up in case you need to go in that direction,” he said.

Reid added that the Eagles “haven’t made any decision on (Trotter), one way or the other.”

Given the gaping hole in the middle of the Eagles defense (Sorry Omar/Joe) Trot may not be a bad option to bring in for running downs. His leadership would be just as valuable as anything he’d bring to table on the field too. Now would be a good time to bring him on board because he’d have two weeks including the bye to get back up to speed playing at a high level.

Penn State fans have been waiting for this one for a long time now.

Iowa is coming to town and revenge will be on the mind of 107,000+ Saturday night, under the lights on national television. “The Greatest Show on Earth” will be rocking from start to finish if things go well and the Nittany Lions are ready to make a statement.

With Mississippi losing Thursday night Penn State looks to avoid the upset bug and pick up another spot in the rankings. To do that they will need to knock off a team that has given the Nits the fits over the past decade, including an upset loss last season that essentially ended the BCS championship talk in State College.

Iowa brings a very tough defense as they lead the Big Ten in team interceptions. Ten months ago the Hawkeyes rattled Daryl Clark and forced him to make some bad passes, including the killer interception over the head of Derrick Williams, driving well within field goal range. Clark has taken the bulk of the blame for that loss and is ready to make up for it this weekend.

This is the big game in the Big Ten. Can Penn State pick up the win and prove themselves worthy of being in the championship discussion? Obviously week four is far too early to book your tickets for Pasadena, but it would sure set up the rest of the season well for Penn State if they beat Iowa Saturday night.

Over at Nittany White Out we went more in depth with the upcoming Iowa match-up in our weekly round table discussion amongst fellow Penn State bloggers. It would seem that the Penn State fans are ready for this one, as they should be.

You may also want to start thinking about setting your DVR devices and VCR’s. At the time I write this, the earliest possible time the Phillies can clinch the NL East division title would come during the Penn State game. Plan accordingly.

TEMPLE

Meanwhile back closer to home, the Temple Owls are looking for revenge of their own. This weekend the Owls welcome defending MAC East champion Buffalo to town for the MAC opener between the two schools. If you remember, Buffalo stole a victory from Temple last season with a last second Hail Mary touchdown pass.

Last second losses was the theme of the 2008 season for Temple, as three of them kept them from clinching bowl eligibility for the first time since 1991. After losing to Villanova and Penn State to start the year, the time is now for Temple to get their act together and prove that they can win.

VILLANOVA, PENN

Do not forget about the Wildcats. Entering the weekend as the #2 team in the country in the FCS ranks, Villanova will host conference foe Northeastern in what will be Villanova’a first CAA game of the season.

If you are a college football junkie and want to kill some time before the big Penn State game that night, the Villanova game will be televised by the Comcast Network at 3:30pm.

Also, the Penn Quakers will head up north to play Lafayette from the Patriot League. The Quakers are coming off a loss in their first game of the season. Penn lost to Villanova 14-3.