Sixers extend Mo Cheeks

The Sixers have all the players in place to field a competitive team for the next few years and now they have their coached locked up for the foreseeable future. Maurice Cheeks, who signed a one-year contract extension back in February, signed another contract extension that will keep him in Philly. Terms of the deal were not announced, but the Sixers will have Cheeks under contract for at least the next two seasons.

While Cheeks is not considered one of the best coaches in the league, with the job he did last season, he certainly deserves to be a part of a Sixers team he helped take from a rebuilding team to a possible contender. Cheeks did an excellent job weaving in the young players last year while playing to win.

GM Ed Stefanski can now sit back and relax and watch the team he has created work with the coach he wants at the helm. There was some question when Stefanski came in as to the future of Cheeks but it's clear that Ed thinks Mo is the right man for the job.

The Eagles destruction of the Rams in 38 seconds

This video pretty much sums up how the Eagles/Rams game went this weekend:

What a hit! Sheldon Brown absolutely CRUSHED Steven Jackson. Jackson got up, and even celebrated making the catch, but that's pretty much the only thing the Rams had to celebrate all day.

Hat tip to whoever it was who uploaded that to YouTube!

Phillies split with Mets, remain 2 games out

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Sunday was a long day spent on the couch for most Philadelphia sports fans and they were rewarded with wins in 2 out of the 3 games. Of course, the Eagles won handily, which meant the Phillies split their doubleheader with the Mets.

The first game was all about Jamie Moyer. Moyer gave up only 2 hits in 7 shutout innings as he slow-pitched the Phillies to victory. Greg Dobbs hit a 3-run homer that put the Phillies up big and they coasted for a win that pulled them within one game of first place.

In the second game, everything went wrong for the Phillies. The Phillies struck first with a run in the top of the first inning but the Mets struck back in the bottom of the first against Cole Hamels. Thanks to a pair of iffy calls, one of which Charlie Manuel's arguing about got him tossed from the game, the Mets scored 3 runs to build a lead they never gave up. Carlos Delgado added a pair of solo homers to increase their lead and the Phillies never really threatened to get back into the game.

Despite the split of games with the Mets on Sunday, the weekend has to be looked at as a success for the Phillies. They took 2 of 3 against the first place Mets to decrease their divsion lead down to 2 games and now have 19 games to catch New York. After last year, 2 games seems like nothing. The Phillies don't face the Mets again this season, so from now on they have to take care of business and hope that the Mets slip up. Given the lack of a bullpen, I think the Mets will be blowing a game or two, it's up to the Phils to capitalize.

Eagles crush Rams in season opener

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

Could you ask for a better start to the Eagles season? The Eagles dominated the Rams in every facet of the game in a convincing 38-3 win in their first game of the season. The Birds looked good on offense, racking up over 500 yards of total offense. They looked good on defense as they kept the Rams out of the end zone. They also looked good on special teams as DeSean Jackson had some great returns. It was exactly the game you wanted to see from the Eagles against a weak opponent like the Rams.

From the opening drive, the game was never in question. The Eagles got the ball first and marched it right down the field, finishing the drive with a Donovan McNabb 1 yard pass to Brian Westbrook. The Eagles then stopped the Rams and marched right down the field again, this time scoring on a L.J. Smith touchdown reception. Then, after a short lull, the offense exploded with a 90 yard pass from McNabb to Hank Baskett. The Rams blew the coverage as a wide open Baskett took it the distance. The Eagles built their lead to 21-0 and never looked back.

The second half featured more of the same. DeSean Jackson capped a great day at wide receiver by making a 60 yard punt return that led to an Eagles field goal. The Eagles also added two rushing touchdowns and could have scored again but they downed the ball in the red zone to melt the clock and secure the victory.

The offense was the story of the day, putting up huge numbers and coming up with tons of big plays. McNabb finished with 361 yards and 3 touchdowns and looked fluid and strong in the pocket. Westbrook rushed for 91 yards and averaged nearly 5 yards per carry. The Rams couldn't stop him all day. Three receivers also had 100 yard days for the Eagles. DeSean Jackson had 106 yards, Greg Lewis 104 and Hank Baskett 102. Who needs Kevin Curtis or Reggie Brown?

Even Kevin Kolb had a good day as he subbed in for McNabb late in the game. Kolb made several nice passes and drove the Eagles right down the field. He looked like he could have led the Eagles to victory today, too.

The offense put up the big numbers, but the defense also came through for the Eagles, sacking Marc Bulger 4 times and coming up with several big stops. They didn't pick off any passes, although several balls went in and out of defenders hands, including an interception Asante Samuel dropped that would have been returned for a touchdown. Samuel made up for it by allowing the Rams best receiver, Torry Holt, to catch only 1 pass all day.

Sheldon Brown also had the hit of the game, crushing Steven Jackson after he caught a pass. Brown knocked Jackson's helmet right off his head:
All in all, the Eagles looked dominant. This game was partly a showing of how good the Eagles are and partly a showing of how terrible the Rams are. The Rams offense was abysmal as they repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with bad penalties. Their defense was also confused most of the time as several Eagle receivers were wide open. The Rams have a long season ahead of them and they'll be lucky to win 5 games.

Great start of the season for the Eagles. Of course, the real season begins next Monday night as the Eagles look to take the momentum they got today to Dallas. Expect things to be much harder for the Birds in that game.

Click here for my Live Blog from the game.

Eagles vs. Rams Week One Live Game Blog Under Way!

The 2008 football season is upon us! Check in tomorrow starting at 12:45 for a live game blog of the Week One game between the Eagles and Rams. Join fellow Eagles fans as they follow the game and discuss the action. For long time readers of the site, it will be the same format as the popular Flyers game blogs that I did during their playoff run, meaning visitors can make comments throughout the game. Go Eagles!

Eagles Inactives: WR Reggie Brown, WR Kevin Curtis, QB A.J. Feeley (3rd QB), LB Joe Mays, DE Bryan Smith, T Winston Justice, G Mike McGlynn, DE Victor Abiamiri

Rams Inactives: WR Donnie Avery, QB Brock Berlin (3rd QB), FB Brian Leonard, S Brannon Condren, LB David Vobora, G Roy Schuening, T John Greco, DE Eric Moore

Myers shuts down the Mets, Iguchi's back!

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

So, how do you beat the red-hot Mets? Not letting them score a run is a good start. The Phillies beat the Mets 3-0 as Brett Myers completely dominated New York in his best outing of the year, throwing 8 shutout innings while striking out 10 batters and allowing only 3 hits and 2 walks. Myers cruised all game long and continues to be a stud pitcher since his return to the majors. Tonight's performance makes for 9 straight good-to-great starts in a row. In that time he has allowed 11 runs in 63 and 2/3rds innings pitched for a sparkling ERA of 1.57. He has also gone 6-1 in that span and struck out 56 batters while walking only 15. And, one more stat for you: Myers has allowed only 2 runs in his last 31 innings. Myers is a beast and he has been the Phillies MVP since his return to the majors on July 23rd.

The Phillies struggled to get much going offensively. Chase Utley put the Phils on the board early with a RBI groundout while Greg Dobbs hit a two-run homer in the 7th to give them a cushion.

The win pulled the Phillies back within 2 games of first place. Tomorrow is the battle of the graybeards as Jamie Moyer takes on Pedro Martinez. I like the Phillies chances considering Pedro rarely lasts past the 6th inning anymore, meaning the Phils can feast on the Mets bullpen for a few innings.

The Phillies also got news today that a former player is returning to the fold. Tadahito Iguchi, a pivotal player in the Phillies 2007 campaign, has signed with the team for the rest of the season. Iguchi was recently waived by the Padres so the Phillies scooped him up for the stretch run. Iguchi has had an off year, batting .231 as he struggled with injuries. The Phillies won't be asking much of him, he will simply be a pinch-hitting option for them off the bench. Iguchi also won't be available for postseason play since he was brought in after the August 31st deadline, but he could have some key at-bats as the Phillies try to make their run for the playoffs. Besides, how fun is it to have Tadahito Iguchi and So Taguchi on the same team!