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Buddy’s Watchin’ You

          It’s an oldie but goodie. Remember when the Eagles had a likeable coach? Could you imagine this year’s roster doing a Christmas video? Me either. Enjoy “Buddy’s Watchin’ You” (it gets cut off a little at the end, but this was the only version I could find on YouTube), and the Ink will be back after the holidays or sooner if the Eagles are still breathing next week. I’ll probably pop up on Facebook / Twitter even if they’re finally eliminated.

          Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

100+ Point Week in Picks

          I finally pulled out a winning week with a 4-3 record for +103.24 points. I thought it should have been better, but I made a bad call on the Temple Bowl game and Mike Tomlin never gave the Steelers a shot because he stuck with a hobbled Ben Roethlisberger. Anyway, here’s the rundown:

          Saturday Parlay: Texas -7 (hoops) and Wyoming +7 over Temple, -20 points

          NFL Pick: Chargers +2.5 over the Ravens, +23.81 points

          NFL Pick: Eagles -3 (+105) over the Jets, +26.25 points

          NFL Pick: Cardinals -6.5 over the Browns, -25 points

          NFL Pick: Saints -7 (even) over the Vikings,+100 points

          NFL Pick: Patriots -7 over the Broncos, +18.18 points

          NFL Pick: Steelers +130 (money line) over 49ers, -20 points

          I don’t plan to do a rundown next week – win or lose. I’ll still be posting picks on Facebook / Twitter, and will own up to everything in two weeks.

Phillies Bring Back Rollins to Likely Cap Off-season

          This time last year Philadelphia was practically throwing a parade for the 2011 Phillies. For the most part, we’ll have to hope that the same lineup we were all so excited about gets it done this year.

          Jimmy Rollins is back, and that’s ok. I’m not going to rehash my doubts about the shortstop. I just would have liked to see some new blood in the lineup. Despite his comments in the press conference announcing the signing, where he suggested he could have been in Milwaukee and in my mind seemed to hint that he wasn’t convinced that this might not be his last contract, it’s clear Rollins was not all that sought after. I’m curious about why the Phillies weren’t more aggressive in trying to replace him, but bringing him back certainly isn’t something to get outraged about.

          Jim Thome is a nice addition to the roster with Ryan Howard’s status up in the air due to injury, and the relief pitching is obviously stronger with Jonathan Papelbon now in the bullpen. I guess it’s still possible Ryan Madson comes back, but at some point I have to think the Phillies reach a limit in what they will spend – though they haven’t shown that lately.

          Fans might not be as giddy as last year, but the Phillies remain the best prospect of a championship in this city.

Two Ugly Scandals Hit Well-known Philly Figures

          Two stories have broken in the last 24 hours or so that are nothing short of scandals surrounding major figures in the Philadelphia sports world.

          Bill Conlin is reportedly the subject of a pending Inquirer article detailing child molestation allegations, according to deadspin.com. The word “reportedly” may be a stretch. It seems incredibly odd that this story is coming out a) via a blog post and b) a blog post that has words literally crossed out when I read it this afternoon. I essentially do not report news on this blog. I react to it. But this is just strange. Obviously, there are numerous unanswered questions here. At the moment the biggest might be: How could a blog get wind of this story? Newspapers aren’t in the business of giving blogs the crux of pending stories.

          This is on the heels of a former St. Joseph’s basketball player, Todd O’Brien, stating that the university is not releasing him to play for a university that he has already transferred to. Details are incredibly sketchy, though Mike Missanelli is reporting – and I don’t need quotes for the word with him – that the player was involved in some type of incident involving stolen merchandise. Another person involved, according to Missanelli, was removed from the school. He said the university went out of its way to protect the player, and they were infuriated when O’Brien asked for a transfer after the period in which they could have used his scholarship for someone else. O’Brien makes no mention of a disciplinary issue in his SI.com piece.

          I don’t see how SJU head coach Phil Martelli, the most media friendly coach in Philadelphia who is suddenly muzzled by lawyers, and SJU don’t come off as anything but spiteful in this situation. I’ll give SJU the benefit of the doubt that there is more to the story. I’m guessing that “teaching the kid a lesson” of some sort will be part of their explanation. But they’ll need some luck selling that if they don’t have more than hurt feelings to reveal.

          It’s not exactly what you’re looking for in the week leading up to Christmas, eh?

Still Breathing: Eagles Beat Jets

          Too little, too late?

          At least there’s now a question mark at the end of those words in regards to the Eagles making the playoffs after they destroyed the Jets, 45-19.

          There is no way to take anything away from the Eagles yesterday. They blew out a team with playoff aspirations. They did what Andy Reid envisions his teams doing – they got out in front and just kept the game plan going. No adjustments needed.

          For the record, nothing about my opinion on this team has changed except that I now have zero hope that there will be coaching changes next year. The most telling comment after the game came from Nnamdi Asomugha. Talking about Juan Castillo, he said, “Well he’s grown a lot throughout the year, and that’s clear even if you watched and didn’t know what was going on, you could see that. . . . With each game he’s gotten a little bit better and kind of understands what works in the NFL and what doesn’t, because he had never done it before. So he’s getting better with that and getting better with his calls and I think the better the calls, the more confident the players.”

          He kind of understands what works in the NFL? If that’s not the most damning statement of Reid’s hiring of a defensive coordinator, it doesn’t exist. And, for all the Reid supporters, it does exist.

          But for one week, let’s focus elsewhere.

          The scenario for the Eagles to make the playoffs is suddenly looking possible, but a fatal flaw still exists. As everyone knows, the Eagles have to win their final two games, and the Giants have to split their last two with a win against the Cowboys. That would mean Dallas loses their final two because they play both teams. The Eagles also play the Redskins and the Giants play the Jets. Having the outcomes that the Eagles need to reach the playoffs come to fruition doesn’t seem all that unlikely, though having all four happen would take some luck.

          However, the biggest obstacle could come from the television networks. Right now, the two relevant games in the final week of the season are scheduled for 1 o’clock. That’s good for the Eagles because the Giants would enter their game against Dallas with something to play for even if the Eagles get what they need in Week 16. But, according to Howard Eskin last night on NBC10, it’s possible the Giants/Cowboys game could be flexed to the Sunday night game. That would be terrible for the Eagles, because if they win, the Giants would be eliminated before their kickoff. Would they be motivated to beat Dallas?

          The Dream is 6-8.

Free Fantasy Football Week 15

          It’s bad enough Al DeMarco’s Draftstreet.com fantasy league doesn’t have Thursday night players available to pick, but now they don’t even let you draft Saturday night players. I understand they want the league to start on Sunday at kickoff, but I just think there has to be a way to include the other players. Anyway, maybe the smaller player pool will help me because I’ve been getting drubbed lately. Of course, the beauty of this league is that it’s free to enter, so if you finish in the money once you’re in the black.

          With the holidays coming up, this might be my last fantasy football post unless they bring it back for the playoffs. Here’s my roster for Week 15:

          QB Michael Vick (PHI-QB) $16,163

          QB Andy Dalton (CIN-QB) $12,551

          RB Chris Johnson (TEN-RB) $15,410

          RB Cedric Benson (CIN-RB) $12,085

          WR Larry Fitzgerald (ARI-WR) $12,320

          WR Marques Colston (NO-WR) $12,212

          TE Jake Ballard (NYG-TE) $5,724

          FLEX LaDainian Tominson (NYJ-RB) $5,827

          FLEX Danny Woodhead (NE-RB) $4,414

          DST Chargers (SD-DST) $2,434

          Salary cap = $100,000