After a 31-point home loss to the Celtics, Sixers coach Eddie Jordan insisted four games into the season was no time to panic.

"I have great patience," Jordan said. "It's the fourth game of the season. I'll have great patience at the 40th game of the season. There's never frustration with me in this job. It's a challenge every day."

Never mind that the Sixers' three-point defensive work, running of the Princeton offense and perimeter shooting had been so disappointing in the early going.

The Sixers didn't exactly have a breakout performance in Friday's 97-94 victory over the undermanned but willing Nets, but they prevailed. Despite missing a pair of free throws in the final 22 seconds that could've sealed the verdict prior to Andre Iguodala stripping Terrence...]]> http://www.topix.net/philly/2009/11/governor-new-proposal-in-philly-transit-strike?fromrss=1 http://www.topix.net/philly/2009/11/governor-new-proposal-in-philly-transit-strike?fromrss=1 SEPTA buses sit idle at the the Frankford Transportation Terminal on November 3, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

At 35, Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger leads all NHL players in average ice time at 27:17. Can a man his age continue logging that kind of work over 82 games and expect to be productive in April?

"Sure, why not," Pronger said. "Are you calling me old?"

Pronger will face his old team Saturday night when the St. Louis Blues make a rare visit to Philadelphia.

Pronger, who played in St. Louis from 1995-2004, said he'll take all the ice time coach John Stevens gives him, but would prefer to see the responsibilities spread more evenly through the three defensive pairs.

"Could I? Yeah," Pronger said. "Do I want to, or is it in the best interests of the team? Probably not.]]> http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.dallasnews.com%252Fsharedcontent%252Fdws%252Fspt%252Ffootball%252Fcowboys%252Fstories%252FDN-gosselincol_07spo.ART.State.Edition1.4b71f39.html&usg=AFQjCNE3e7h6IUQiLnBM4iBkNuKWS1myKg http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.dallasnews.com%252Fsharedcontent%252Fdws%252Fspt%252Ffootball%252Fcowboys%252Fstories%252FDN-gosselincol_07spo.ART.State.Edition1.4b71f39.html&usg=AFQjCNE3e7h6IUQiLnBM4iBkNuKWS1myKg

Andre Iguodala and the Philadelphia 76ers did just enough to win. With the Sixers still stinging from a 31-point loss three nights earlier, that was just fine by them. Iguodala scored 16 points, including a late 3-pointer to give Philadelphia the lead, and knocked the ball away from Terrence Williams' hands before the Nets could attempt a tying shot to give the 76ers a 97-94 win over New Jersey...

Daniel Carcillo and the rest of Philadelphia's third- and fourth-line players put up some big numbers against stingy Buffalo. Carcillo scored twice and Ray Emery made 28 saves to lead the Flyers to their fifth straight victory over the Sabres, 5-2 on Friday night. Known more for their top two trios that include stars like Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and Scott Hartnell, the Flyers got three goals...

Probably the biggest surprise regarding New England’s draft class is that all 12 players made the final roster. Even DT Darryl Richard wasn’t visited by the turk.

It may take one to three years to find out if the whole draft class pans out or which ones get left on the side of the road. But how do the Pats rookies stack up against their peers?

The players have to get playing time in order to make these comparisons fair. It’s really a losing battle as it boils down to five against about 250 rookies. But New England’s newbies compare well overall:

Continue reading "Rookies vs Rookies"

Westbrook's eighth NFL season has been a frustrating one. The 30-year-old running back injured his ankle in the Eagles' Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints, sat out one game and got just eight touches in another.

The ankle finally healed, but then he suffered a concussion in Week 7 against the Washington Redskins when he was accidentally kneed in the head by linebacker London Fletcher. That injury kept him on the sideline for last week's 40-17 win over the New York Giants.

But Westbrook was back on the practice field this week, and barring an unexpected setback, he will start against the Cowboys Sunday night when...]]> http://feeds.gothamistllc.com/click.phdo?i=df23d1bc841f43bf86e7106b2916dfce http://feeds.gothamistllc.com/click.phdo?i=df23d1bc841f43bf86e7106b2916dfce

Photo by Flickr user Jayel Aheram

HOME TEAMS in caps:

Washington ($17.06) over ATLANTA ($16.41)
CHICAGO ($17.40) over Arizona ($11.24)
Houston ($17.40) over INDIANAPOLIS ($16.55)
CINCINNATI ($19.43) over Baltimore ($14.55)
JACKSONVILLE ($17.33) over Kansas City ($13.10)
Green Bay ($16.97) over TAMPA BAY ($15.28)
NEW ENGLAND ($14.35) over Miami ($12.01)
NEW ORLEANS ($16.49) over Carolina ($13.52)
SEATTLE ($21.03) over Detroit ($14.56)
SAN FRANCISCO ($21.12) over Tennessee ($15.37)
NY GIANTS ($25.66) over San Diego ($19.73)
Dallas ($16.73) over PHILADELPHIA ($12.07)
Pittsburgh ($17.34) over DENVER ($14.63)

My picks:
JACKSONVILLE (-6.5) over Kansas City
Larry Johnson. Wow. JoePa isn't even dead and he's rolling over in his grave from how you act. Grow. The. Fuck. Up. Seriously. At least shut the fuck up and stop making our alma mater look like Florida State. Thanks.

CHICAGO (-2.5) over Arizona
It's Dark and Hell is Hot. No, wait, that's a DMX record. It's cold and Chicago is windy. That's the ticket. 38-year-old arms don't hold up well in cold wind. Jay Cutler's do.

Green Bay (-9.5) over TAMPA BAY
Rookie quarterback making his first start. Not going to go well. Green Bay's secondary is too tough for this kid to figure it out in one day. Rout.

ATLANTA (-11.5) over Washington
Much to Miss Bee's dismay, no more CC47 for the year. Washington's defense is pretty strong, but when you're constantly looked at to keep a struggling offense in a game you'll eventually break. Matty Ice breaks them this week.

Miami (+10.5) over NEW ENGLAND
*Puts on Chris Collinsworth hat* This Miami team. This is a team that just finds ways to win football games. Whether it's with the wildcat or in the return game, this team finds ways to win games in the National Football League. *Takes off hat* They won't win this week, but they will most definitely cover. Remember what they did to New England last year during the wildcat's inaugural game?

CINCINNATI (+2.5) over Baltimore
Home. Dogs. I don't care what happened last week. That was last week. I'm not here to talk about the past. Cincinnati played a tough game in Baltimore. They can beat these guys on their best day.

Houston (+9.5) over INDIANAPOLIS
I don't think that Houston will win this game outright. That breaks the golden rule, "Never pick an underdog you don't think can win outright." After watching the 49ers keep the Colts out of the end zone for almost an entire game, the Texans will try to do the same. No Owen Daniels, though. Ouch.

NEW ORLEANS (-14.5) over Carolina
At home in the dome
the Saints come marching downfield
Carolina stinks

SEATTLE (-9.5) over Detroit
Detroit just lost to the previously winless Rams. Seattle is a tough place to play. Matt Hasselbeck has a field day. Fantasy update: Nate Burleson catches 6 passes for 88 yards and 2 TDs.

SAN FRANCISCO (-3.5) over Tennessee
Michael Crabtree has only played in two games. He already has six more receptions than Darrius Heyward-Bey. I guess he was right when he said he deserved more money than Heyward-Bey. Even Alex Smith will light up Tennessee's secondary.

NY GIANTS (-4.5) over San Diego
The Giants will not lose four games in a row. For real. I know I probably said "The Giants will not lose three games in a row" last week, but that was bullshit. They're totally three-game-in-a-row losers. They are not, however, four-game-in-a-row losers. Especially to the Chargers. (Although, I do hope LaDanian Tomlinson has a lot of yards and touchdowns.)

PHILADELPHIA (-2.5) over Dallas
Phillies lose World Series. Fans lament. Eagles beat Cowboys. All is forgotten until next November. One thing I haven't seen this year, though, is the dude in Center City who sells the homemade t-shirts calling Tony Romo a homosexual. That dude is funny for the singular reason that he yells at the top of his lungs shit like "Romo is a homo" and "Dallas sucks; T.O. swallows" and "Fuck the Cowboys". This is a dude who actually doesn't care. In that respect, I admire him. I care too much.

Pittsburgh (-2.5) over DENVER
This is going to be a great Monday Night Football game. Jaws will be drooling over Big Ben the whole game. Jon Gruden will salivate over Josh McDaniels's play-calling. Mike Tirico will be the only dude who makes any attempt at being unbiased. Any analysis I provide will be passed off as homerism. Black and gold, bitch.

Last week: 4-9
Season: 62-54

A slew of division match-ups are highlighted in this week’s NFL schedule. First place is up for grabs in the NFC East and one team hopes to avoid falling further behind the Colts in the AFC South. What games should you be watching? Find out in the Opening Drive of week nine!

(4-3) Baltimore Ravens at (5-2) Cincinnati Bengals

With the Ravens, Bengals and Steelers all making a case for their place atop the AFC North, this game will go a long way in deciding the final two. If Baltimore is swept by Cincinnati, they’ll drop back to .500 while the Bengals and Steelers fight it out. The Ravens dominated Denver in the second half of last week’s game, thanks to Joe Flacco’s efficiency with the football. He’ll need a repeat performance if he’s going to keep up with Carson Palmer, who is playing on a Pro Bowl level. Both offenses have depending on a balanced attack, so look for each defense to shut down the run.

Continue reading "Joes Opening Drive Week 9"

Photo by Flickr user phillymads63

• Brett Myers will not be a Philadelphia Phillie next year. Boom...Outta here. You've gotta give it to good ole Brett, though, as he said, "I’ll miss the guys on the team and the fans who have supported me. Hopefully I’ll be playing against the Phillies and when I do I want the roughest treatment the fans can give me—when I’m pitching. I’m an opposing player—you have to give it to me."
• During his meeting with members of City Council yesterday, Willie Brown said he regretted calling for the strike at 3 a.m. "I regret calling [the strike] the time I did," he said after the meeting. "But I don't regret the strike."
• A 15-year-old shot another student on a school bus en route to a high school for troubled students in West Philadelphia. The 17-year-old victim is in critical but stable condition at CHOP.
• Al Gore spoke today at the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. He gave a keynote address followed by signing copies of his book "Our Choice."
• The jobless rate is 10.2%. Almost 16 million Americans are without work. Ironic that those who had solid jobs are on strike, isn't it?

Photo by Flickr user See-ming Lee

As promised, we hate TWU Local 234 now. The folks of TWU 234 have thoroughly established themselves as villains, and we'd like to recognize them for being bastardly sleazes out of a Medieval morality play. And now, the tour of vice!

1. Lust: Willie Brown, we're looking at you. Not for any action you may be pursuing from the ladies, but for your insatiable desire for power. You're up for re-election, and you aren't afraid to throw the entire city under the proverbial bus as you promise the sun and moon themselves to the workers you represent.

2. Gluttony: You wish to overstuff your pockets while the people around you are still in need. We've got no sympathy for your desires for more, more, and more.

3. Greed: Say what? A signing bonus, an eleven percent raise over the next five years, and no increase in contributions to health care isn't enough? Really? A signing bonus for going back to work after you chose to walk out? Not good enough? A raise and the promise of continued amazing health care—still not enough? Perhaps you'd like an amazing technicolor dreamcoat to go with that cushy job?

4. Sloth: Not working, huh? Some people might wonder how this is different from the normal state of affairs.

5. Wrath: Inspiring the rest of the city to frothing rage counts. We're blaming you.

6. Envy: Maybe it isn't a dreamcoat you want. Maybe it's the Taj Mahal? A Maltese Falcon? Whatever it is you want—it doesn't belong to you. The money you claim you need will come from the pockets of those least equipped to pay it.

7. Pride: Back down. What else but pride would allow a group of people to be so obdurate in their wrongheaded position. You're being offered a great deal, and really, almost everything you wanted. To believe that you deserve further reward is beyond us. Back down, and take the deal.

Love your neighbor, Local 234 dudes. Help a city out.

• Pirate Radio, the new comedy starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, from the creator of Love Actually. In theatres 11/13.
  
• American Apparel, with 3 stores in Philadelphia, you can look your best after dark.
  
• GroupOn, using collective buying power to bring you one ridiculous coupon each day.

Captured during The Rachel Maddow Show by the lovely and talented Jenn DiSanto.

Proofreading Philly tries to capture typos, wordos, and all other kinds of grammatical mistakes that we see around the city. But we need your help! Email photos to us from your computer or your phone, and show the city that you care about good grammar.

For 371 days, over thousands of miles—from spring training in Clearwater, Fla., to 18 cities across the majors, even on an afternoon in May at the White House—they were hailed as champions of baseball. It was an impressive reign, filled with star-making performances and countless memories.

And it ended so abruptly.

It came to a close Wednesday night in the South Bronx. The Phillies passed the crown to the New York Yankees, 7-3, in Game 6 of the World Series, and when it was over, many of them lingered in the dugout and gazed at their vanquishers, who were celebrating with "We Are The Champions" blaring in the background.

"I watched it," said tortured closer Brad Lidge, the reality only starting to set in inside a quiet clubhouse.]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/%7Er/PhillyChitChat/%7E3/TuCsAah-e7E/jimmy-styles-monthly-artist-series-nov.html http://feedproxy.google.com/%7Er/PhillyChitChat/%7E3/TuCsAah-e7E/jimmy-styles-monthly-artist-series-nov.html