[Photo by jvc_107] BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUYThat was the craziest game you’ve ever seen. The first contest in NFL history that ended on a game-winning punt return as time expired. The Eagles’ biggest comeback and the most points they’ve ever scored in the fourth quarter (28). That’s six straight wins against the Giants. But let’s not forget that had the Eagles lost that game, Andy Reid would have been barbequed for not throwing the challenge flag on DeSean Jackson’s fourth quarter fumble. The Eagles had momentum at that point and had just started moving the ball, down 24-10. With […]
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SPORTO: About Last Night
BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY Apparently it’s cool to obliterate Michael Vick as he’s going out of bounds. Cowboys linebacker Anthony Spencer got away with it in the 2nd quarter Sunday night. Never mind that every quarterback in the league gets that call. A tight end would get that call. Is it that referees see how quick Vick is and can’t help thinking of him as a running back (and thus less protected)? Or is it possible that there is a bias against Vick, subconscious or otherwise? Later there was the play where two Cowboys defenders delivered consecutive helmet-to-helmet hits […]
SPORTO: Donnybrook McNabb
BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY I know you didn’t like the “Air Guitar”. Or the crunch-time vomiting. I know McNabb never figured out how to truly connect with the Eagles’ fan base. But how has he managed to generate such strong animosity from such a large and vocal segment of Eagles fans? What exactly is his crime? Is it failing to win the Super Bowl? Every other Eagles QB for the last 40 years shares that crime. Is it not living up to expectations? The man was booed from the instant the Eagles drafted him, expectations were very low! Donovan […]
SPORTO: Bring On The ‘Skins 2
BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY It was the Running Into the Kicker penalty early in the 3rd quarter that was the last straw. Before that, a couple of borderline calls had gotten the referees on the crowd’s bad side, but when the zebras bought Colts punter Pat McAfee’s kick-and-flop, the crowd had had enough. A big early lead gone, still bitter about the Phillies, this was the Philadelphia Sports Collective’s first chance to vent after two weeks stewing about the Eagles collapse against the Titans and the Phillies flameout. Oh, and the Sixers poor start (just kidding!). Now the crowd […]
SPORTO: It’s Not Easy Being Green
BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY Sometimes you’ve got to envy the bandwagon fans, the ones that come along in the playoffs and manage to feel (or at least display) almost as much joy from success as the diehards. Their great advantage is that they really don’t care as much about the losses, since they aren’t that emotionally invested in the first place. These kinds of fans were able to look at the TV schedule this weekend, take a look at the weather outside and decide to enjoy one of the last quality weekends of the year. The diehards holed […]
SPORTO: From The Great Pumpkin Patch
BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY Despite two kids, I’ve been able to maintain a pretty aggressive sports watching schedule. But some things are just unavoidable. That’s why I found myself at a 3-year-old’s birthday party as the Eagles game kicked off Sunday. It was a solid gig – pizza, pretzels, pumpkin painting and hayrides. The farm we were at was packed. I was blown away by all the Eagles jerseys I saw (two Nick Cole’s?). If you are such a big fan that you have bought a jersey AND you are wearing it out on gameday, then what the hell […]
SPORTO: Future Uncertain, End Is Always Near
BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY Knowing Phillies fans as I do, 97% of you assume the Phils will just waltz past Cincinnati. You’d imagine the mighty Phillies have the better lineup, but do they? The Reds finished first in the National League in batting average, by a wide margin (the Phillies ranked 5th). The Redlegs led the NL in home runs too, with the Phillies 5th again. They’ve got six guys who hit 18 or more dongs. And the Reds scored more runs than the Phillies, so you can’t assume the Phils have the better offense. The edge comes, of […]
SPORTO: Redskinned
BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY What a messed-up Eagles season it has been so far, and we’re only a quarter of the way home. In Game 1, it was the beginning of a brand new era for the franchise (remember the optimism of the Kevin Kolb Era, version 1.0?). In the first quarter of that first game, Kolb was out with a concussion, Era 1.0 over. In the intervening weeks, Mike Vick established himself as the Eagles’ top dog and a possible MVP candidate, and the Birds entered their second home contest Sunday as the leader in the NFC East. […]
SPORTO: Bring On The ‘Skins
BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY Well, that was kinda boring. In an “I’m glad it was boring” sort of way. Some big second half passes and a couple of scores made this look like a dominating Eagles performance, but most of this game was a snoozer. Thank the painfully inept Jaguars offense. You’d like to be able to credit Philadelphia’s defense for making Jacksonville look so bad, but this was more about the Jags than the Eagles D. Jacksonville QB David Garrard was inaccurate, indecisive and incontinent in the face of the Eagles pass rush. Garrard completed just 13 of […]
SPORTO: Smells Like Victory
PICTURE UNRELATED: Awesome vintage 70s Eagles artwork, just because BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY So, what have we learned? 1. Mike Vick can throw it pretty well. We never really got a chance to see this last year — there were a few nice passes here and there, but it was such a small sample size it was impossible to tell what he would do with 30 attempts in a game. Again, he can throw it pretty well. Don’t let the fact that the Lions dropped two interceptions make us forget that those passes were there to be picked. In […]
SPORTO: The Agony Of Defeat
[Photo by ALEX TORBAN] BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY It was interesting to see that the Eagles listed no one on their injury report prior to Week 1. One source called them “the healthiest team in the league”. And…that lasted about one quarter. Leonard Weaver: gone. Jamal Jackson: done. Stuart Bradley: shaken. Kevin Kolb: concussed. Often the best team in the NFL is the healthiest. The Eagles aren’t nearly so good that they can survive injuries to major players. If Week 1 is any indication, it’s going to be a long year.So, how did Kolb look before Clay Matthews sent […]
CONCERT REVIEW: Yo Gabba Gabba! Live
BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY I hadn’t been to the Mann since the mid-80s. I was in high school and they had a sweet system going to promote underage drinking. Any time there was a show, beyond the fences in a semi-wooded area of which I have only the fuzziest recollection, there would be kegs set up. How many? Twenty, fifty, a thousand, who knew? But it was beer paradise for thirsty 16 year-olds who otherwise had to take their chances and trek to that “special” distributor in Springfield that (almost) never carded. Outside of the Mann, you’d just pick […]
SPORTO: Father And Son Go To Union Game In Chester And Despite All Odds Have An Awesome Time
BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY I’m pretty sure I’d never been to Chester before. But all good things must come to an end, so I went to see the Union open their new home park on Sunday. I took my son Torin, who’s almost five but not particularly into sports. He usually likes to root for the white team, which would prove impossible in this green-vs-blue matchup. We were running late due to the three-headed monster of: Stayed too long at the pool Dealing with young children Wife never fills the gas tank So we pulled into Chester about twenty […]