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MLB  |  Kapler already drawing Phillies fans' ire ... after one game

3/30/2018

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PictureGABE KAPLER
by Jack Kerwin  |  ydkjack1@gmail.com

Feel for Phillies fans. Really do. Seriously.

Just one game into the 2018 season and already it appears to be “abandon ship” for many.

The object of ire: new manager Gabe Kapler.

The reason: too many kooky in-game moves and analytics-based nuances to keep track.

From pulling Aaron Nola after the right-hander had recorded an out in the sixth and tossed just 68 pitches to yanking left fielder Rhys Hoskins for defensive purposes in the eighth, Capt. Cocoa Butter had his hands all over the team’s 8-5 Opening Day loss in Atlanta.

It was tough to watch, tough to hear, tough to swallow as it seemed Kap almost systematically erased a 5-0 advantage and paved the way to the Braves’ offense coming alive with his misguided, “the bullpen is the strongest part of our team” beliefs.

No wonder so many were fed up with the guy by night’s end.

Just wish it took me that long to get there.

First pitch hadn’t even happened Thursday and Kap had lost me. Probably for good.

No Odubel Herrera or Scott Kingery in the starting lineup … are you kidding me?

Nope.

OK, am out.

With no apologies to the baseball purists out there, Herrera is the team’s best player, and the one with the most tools to affect a game in the most ways – yes, even positively. His absence from the 1-9 listed on Kapler’s card handed to the home-plate ump was over-managing of the highest order … before a single pitch was even thrown.

Kingery? What the hell are the Phillies doing with locking the kid down to a long-term deal recently, bucking tradition, both their own and that belonging to the sport, making the rookie a linchpin for the organization for years to come, and then sitting him – with not even a pinch-hitting opportunity offered – once the lights hit the stage?

Holy mackerel. Enough with the over-thinking. Play your best guys. Get the season started off the right way. Guns blazing, ya know.

Not with some convoluted ode to being – gasp – different and authentic. Different, at times, ain’t necessary … and authentic? Hardly. Kapler came across like a teen trying to stand out from the crowd. Gee, how original.
​
Yawn.

Frankly, the in-game moves didn’t bother me so much. Albeit seeming to be unnecessary, ones such as those may pay off at some point during the next six months – at least Phillies fan can hope for that.

But, to me, the lineup and how it is ordered is everything. You get too cute and “clever” with that, you’re asking for trouble … and more of the same by Mr. Tan Line will burn the Phillies.

Bad.

Not just this season, but possibly years down the road … with talents such as Herrera opting to leave and Kingery having his growth stunted.
 

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MLB  |  Phillies appear poised to make some noise right now

3/29/2018

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PictureSCOTT KINGERY ... Philly's next star?
by Jack Kerwin  |  ydkjack1@gmail.com

Sadly, no opening day soliloquies here.

No waxing poetic about baseball games past.

No tugging at the heart strings with some proclamation of true love for the national pastime.

Sorry. Checked, but the cupboard is bare on that stuff.

However, some quick kudos are in order, and available, right here, right now, for the local contingent, as well as a few general observations for it and the sport in 2018.

For starters, yo, major tip of the cap to the Phillies’ higher ups with stepping up to sign not only potential ace Jake Arrieta but rookie Scott Kingery, essentially mocking any hints that the franchise was afraid to spend a few bucks in free agency and outright laughing at old-time baseball wisdom with delaying entry to the bigs for a major prospect just to hold maintain control on that prospect an extra year.

Put it this way, Matt Klentak and the boys may not be messing around. No “trust the process” for them – anymore at least. The GM, ownership, manager Gabe Kapler and the team itself, not for nothing, but such moves are screaming, “hey, we’re looking to win right now, not just down the road.”

That being said, was a little odd to see the multi-talented Kingery nowhere in the starting lineup Thursday against Atlanta.

What in the name of Odubel Herrera was that about? Not sure … because the regular center fielder wasn’t in that lineup, either.

Uhhh, OK.

But, we digress …

Push comes to shove this season, we appear to be looking at the regulars, both the old-timers and more recent, challenging for a World Series victory. The Yankees, Boston, Cleveland and defending champion Houston from the AL, and the Cubs, Dodgers and Washington in the NL.

With Giancarlo Stanton joining Aaron Judge to form a Herculean-looking order in the Bronx, you’d almost have to figure they’d bomb their way to the top. Only thing is, the Yankees might not even be the strongest 1-6 in their own division. That honor could belong to the Red Sox.

Either would face stiff competition on that front from the Cubs, who kickstarted the campaign with Ian Happ’s leadoff homer in Miami before Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Willson Contreras, Kyle Schwarber and Addison Russell helped pound the Marlins into submission. All are capable of 25-30 homers and 90-100 RBIs.

MVPs? Easy. Angels center fielder Mike Trout in the AL and Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper in the NL.

Cy Youngs? Curveball. Since voters refuse to choose Clayton Kershaw anymore in the NL since apparently he’s won too many, let’s go with Stephen Strasburg, who was every bit as deserving last season as the guy who won it, Washington teammate Max Scherzer, and Boston lefty Chris Sale in the AL.

The Phillies? Kingery, if Kapler’s alt-managing style doesn’t implode, likely wins NL Rookie of the Year. He is that good, and, frankly, he was the talk of the entire organization most of last season before Rhys Hoskins got the call-up and showed his power display in the minors wasn’t a fluke.

The have one of the best lineups in baseball. They’re deep there now, especially with Kingery being on board right out of the chute. The bullpen is improved and the starting rotation includes quality in Aaron Nola and the potential for something more in Arrieta.

Am thinking positive – 86-76, with a legit run at the postseason … that falls just short.
​

Champs? The Cubs capture their second crown in three years.


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College Basketball  |  Honestly, what's not to like about Villanova?

3/27/2018

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 by Jack Kerwin  |  ydkjack1@gmail.com

Here it is: Like Villanova. No joke. Like it a lot.

​Not just in the Final Four. Not only to win the NCAA men's basketball championship again, for the second time in three years and third overall. But, in general – ya know, the campus, the school, its Catholic tradition, the whole shebang, Jay Wright’s stellar program included.


Here’s the thing. Like Saint Joe’s, La Salle and Penn, too. Heck, Drexel as well.

Why not? Being a Temple alum has never altered a lifelong affinity for college hoops in my hometown of Philadelphia and all five schools set within the city limits, not to mention that neighboring suburban entity that, well, basically has set the standard for the nation the last several seasons.

No envy here, just pure, unadulterated admiration for what the Wildcats have become since Wright started landing the likes of Randy Foye, Allen Ray and Curtis Sumpter back in 2002. The core signified the genesis of a true national power, the type of blue blood in the sport that doesn’t need to do a double-take when finding itself lined up against a Duke or a Kentucky or a Kansas, as it will this Saturday night in San Antonio when it squares off against the Jayhawks, the other remaining No. 1 seed, in a national semifinal.

Keith Herron was the first ’Nova cat who caught my attention, bridging the mid-‘70s gap between beasts Howard Porter and John Pinone. Led by those three, the Wildcats racked up eight NCAA bids, five Sweet 16s, five Elite 8s, a Final Four and a title-game appearance. Heady stuff, and then came the original coup de grace, the 1985 national championship squad that made Rollie Massimino a legend when, really, love him or “he broke up the Big Five” hate him, he probably already deserved to be one before then.

But, under Wright, they’re even better now, and, frankly, think that’s great. If anything, actually wish my alma mater would follow the Wildcats’ lead.

Definitely wish my fellow Owls would at least grasp what it is.

Here’s the thing, everyone around wanting to root against Villanova with a vim and vinegar your teams rarely seem to have when they play against it: you, and your schools, mine along North Broad included, miss the point. You’re living in the past. You’re thinking small. Real small.

The game ain’t about winning Philly. It’s to win the whole damn thing. To be the best in the country.

Focusing all your energy on local rivalries and the often silly minutia that goes with them, the big picture gets lost. The big-time recruits, too.

Drexel’s best pitch: We play in Philadelphia.

Penn’s: We offer an Ivy education.

La Salle’s: Tom Gola played here and we had that South Philly floater a handful of years ago.

Saint Joe’s: We reached the Final Four … in 1961. Doesn't count due to a gambling scandal. But, still, we were there.

Temple: Coach Fran Dunphy is a great guy.

Hey, yo, it’s time to step it up at each and every one of those places.

None of them may be able to use Villanova’s for quite some time, if ever: We’re one of the best teams in the country … every year.

But, not for nothing, give it an effort, will ya, over in North Philly, West Philly and City Line? Jeez …

Maybe all that misguided distaste for/disgust with ’Nova then could be redirected into a more productive, positive way – such as deserved support for your basketball programs instead of some mutated joy in seeing the Wildcats fail, a rarity anyway.
​

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JALEN BRUNSON

ONE THAT GOT AWAY

For Temple fans who harbor ill will toward
Villanova, the last three years have to be especially disturbing.


It wasn’t that long ago that the son of the one of the Owls’ all-time greats ranked among the nation’s top recruits, and was considering the idea of taking his talents to North Broad.

But then Rick Brunson’s candidacy to be a Temple assistant went “poof,” and Jalen Brunson opted for the Main Line.

A national title and Final Four later, the younger Brunson can lay claim to being one of the country’s best players … and, arguably, the biggest thorn in current Owls head coach Fran Dunphy’s side.

Just imagine where Temple would be with Jalen …

We’ll never know.

But the Wildcats are pretty damn good thanks in large part to their junior point guard, who averages 19.2 points per game while shooting 52.7 percent from the floor, including 41.4 from beyond the arc, and 81.1 from the line. Toss in 4.6 assists, 3.1 rebounds and his calming influence every time out, and you’ve got an All-American, and very well a national player of the year.

Funny thing is, while experts with NBA draft thoughts dancing around in their head try to draw comparisons to current and former pros, they miss the boat continuously on his most obvious one: his father.

A lefty who could dominate the flow of a game with his handle and physicality just like his son does now, Rick handled the point for John Chaney’s Elite 8 squad in 1993. He later played nine years in the NBA.

Expect a similar pro career for Jalen.
​
You know, once he finishes up at Villanova … instead of Temple. ​
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NFL  |  Forget indictment, Bennett acquisition by Birds always odd

3/25/2018

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by Jack Kerwin  |  ydkjack1@gmail.com

Never understood the move in the first place.

Aging player on the decline with a big mouth, Michael Bennett didn’t seem a fit at all with the Eagles, never mind a good one.

But they acquired him anyway in a trade made official last week.

Now this – an indictment for an alleged crime that took place 14 months ago that could cost the veteran defensive end a fine, a jail sentence and, frankly, his career, especially since he kept the NFL, his current team, the Eagles, and his former one, Seattle, in the dark about everything.

Not for nothing, but don’t really care about the particulars of the incident or the repercussions that could come from it.

What does raise an eyebrow for me is that someone, or some grouping, from the team’s personnel braintrust – GM Howie Roseman, talent guru Joe Douglas, head coach Doug Pederson, etc. – felt it necessary to bring in Bennett and any baggage he may have.

Didn’t seem like the type of thing a reigning Super Bowl champ would do. Came across as more of a panic move.

Guys, the blowhard stuff on the steps of the Art Museum was fine. A little chest-thumping, curse-hurling BS to celebrate a championship … didn’t hurt no one.

But bringing in a player to, let’s face it, make that a full-time thing? Not the smartest of moves.

To me, Bennett’s game never came close to matching his mouth. Oh, he can perform. He’s no slouch on the field. But he’s an overachiever who somehow has parlayed a tiresome anti-establishment act into more respect for what he does between the lines than it deserves.

A step up from Vinny Curry, who got away via free agency? Or Chris Long, who left his future in doubt with suggestions of retirement or wanting more snaps? Maybe, maybe not.

Curry, in his career, has played a fraction of the snaps that Bennett has. They’re not really comparable, due to circumstance or scheme far more than actual ability.

Long is part-timer whose impact play-per-snap dwarfs what Bennett produces.

To me, Bennett is a classic example of an athlete who became overrated because so many were concerned about him being underrated they incessantly trumpeted his deeds, often when never merited.

He’s been a Pro Bowler the last three seasons. Why? Dude has just 23.5 sacks in that time as the primary pass rusher for Seattle’s defense. His tackle total of 126 in that span is OK, sure, but he has just 2 forced fumbles.

In short, he’s not exactly a game-changer, and certainly not worthy of the hullabaloo that followed his joining Philly.

Toss in his self-absorbed ’tude and it makes little sense. Heck, it makes no sense that the Eagles even wanted him before the indictment popped up.

Perception can be a very distorted beast, and it seems to have skewed things for many when it comes to Bennett. Put it this way, ask most Eagles fans, or most NFL fans, whom they think is a better, more impactful player between Bennett and, say, Washington’s Ryan Kerrigan, odds are they will say the former, not the latter.

Despite overwhelming evidence (Kerrigan, a fellow three-time Pro Bowler and defensive end, despite being listed a linebacker, has 33.5 sacks, 7 forced fumbles and an interception return for a TD, against the Birds, no less, since 2015) to the contrary.

Bennett, through counsel, has stated he will turn himself into police, and the spin doctors will champion that, too.

But, for me, that doesn’t matter. The Eagles getting him does; just not a smart move.
​

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College Basketball  |  Sticking with Kentucky and Coach Cal

3/22/2018

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Love him or hate, Kentucky head coach John Calipari has his Wildcats making a push for the Final Four again.
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​by Jack Kerwin  |  ydkjack1@gmail.com

Not going with Duke or Villanova.

Not changing a damn thing from my original bracket, frankly, despite the trendy, cheesy, second-chance reseeding/re-picking way of doing things now that we've completed one weekend of the NCAA Tournament to get down to the Sweet 16.

Why bother? See no need. My national champion pick is alive and well and overall No. 1 Virginia never made it this far in my projections anyway.

Biggest upset of all-time, my arse. Never witnessed such a highly rated squad more ripe to fall off a cliff with just the slightest of nudges, or even the threat of one.

But we digress …

Just gonna continue to roll with Kentucky, the South Region's 5-seed. Ever since taking pen to paper and marking down my selections, have felt pretty good about that.

To me, not a single reason to adjust.

Sure, Duke and Villanova, the popular favorites to win it all at this point, have been impressive thus far. But Duke isn't the most talented team remaining. Kentucky is, and if Kentucky isn't, and that's a big IF, then Texas A&M is – not Duke.

The Aggies toyed with 2-seed North Carolina in the West. Absolutely freakin' toyed with it, while looking like a bunch of 6-10 guys making like Ben Simmons is routine stuff.

'Nova? Gotta be honest, don't envision the Wildcats getting past West Virginia in the East Region Friday night at Boston. The Mountaineers have the tenacity and athleticism to match whatever Jay Wright puts out on the floor, and more length. Yeah, 'Nova has national player of the year candidates in Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges. WVU counters with the best defender in the country (Jevon Carter) and a lineup that never has any fewer that three 6-8 or taller gazelles who can jump out of the building on the floor at one time.

Wouldn't mind a second title making its way to Philly's Main Line in the last three years, just not feeling it is going to happen. More of a vibe similar to last season's upending by Wisconsin, another matchup nightmare for 'Nova, than that one from 2016.

Thus far, UK hasn't been dominant at all. Even got lucky with draws, and still struggled a lot with 12-seed Davidson and a little with 13-seed Buffalo. But believe in John Calipari, in his ability coach in game and to motivate heading into a game. His Wildcats were young this season and showed it, and just now are starting to display a toughness and confidence to match their skill.

UK's biggest threat appears to be A&M. Without question. Forget upset wins by University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC to all you acronym loyalists) and aforementioned Buffalo, the former benefiting from Virginia's shakiness and depleted roster and the latter from Arizona's willingness to quit. The most dynamic performance of the tournament was turned in by the Aggies, whose size-skill combo absolutely decimated UNC.

For their efforts, tonight they get Michigan, which posted the most dynamic performance in conference-tournament action just a week earlier with its destruction of Purdue.

Tough draw. So much so that, to me, if the Wolverines prevail they then become the biggest threat to UK. After them, it is Gonzaga, the most overlooked returning national semifinalist this deep in a tournament since fellow mid-major monster Butler.

Duke? 'Nova? The consensus can have them. Not seeing either here, even as threats.


SWEET 16 SLATE

TONIGHT
7:07
(11) Loyola-Chicago vs. (7) Nevada, CBS
SOUTH REGION | ATLANTA

7:37
(7) Texas A&M vs. (3) Michigan, TBS
WEST REGION | LOS ANGELES

9:37
(9) Kansas State vs. (5) Kentucky, CBS
SOUTH REGION | ATLANTA

​10:07
(9) Florida State vs. (4) Gonzaga, TBS
WEST REGION | LOS ANGELES
​
FRIDAY NIGHT
7:07
(5) Clemson vs. (1) Kansas, CBS
7:37
MIDWEST REGION | OMAHA

(5) West Virginia vs. (1) Villanova, TBS
EAST REGION | BOSTON

9:37
(11) Syracuse vs. (2) Duke, CBS
MIDWEST REGION | OMAHA

10:07

(3) Texas Tech vs. (2) Purdue, TBS
​EAST REGION | BOSTON

FROM THIS POINT ON ...

FAVORITE TEAM
Clemson
BEST TEAM
Kentucky
FAVORITE COACH
Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
BEST COACH
Jay Wright, Villanova
FAVORITE PLAYER
Donte DiVincenzo, Villanova
BEST PLAYER
Jalen Brunson, Villanova
FAVORITE STORY
Loyola-Chicago
BEST STORY
Gonzaga
MOST OVERHYPED COACH
Mike Krzyewski, Duke
MOST UNDERHYPED COACH
Mark Few, Gonzaga
MOST OVERHYPED TEAM
Duke
MOST UNDERHYPED TEAM
Nevada


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