RAM JAM! Amare Stoudemire a 76er? Plus Poo&Pee Toys!

EAGLES
- McNabb believes Vick could help other teams. Then he went on Sports Center and tried his hand at the studio analyst thing. Read all his comments in this article from Les Bown of the The Daily News.

- Eagles hire former GM Phil Savage as their Draft Consultant. "Savage, 44, spent four years as senior vice president and general manager of the Cleveland Browns." (CSNPhilly.com). Great, we hired the brain child who built the NFL powerhouse known as the Cleveland Browns. /sad trombone. . .

PHILLIES
- The Phillies signed reliever Oscar Villarreal to a minor-league deal on Thursday. "Villarreal, who missed the entire 2009 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, will not be invited to spring training."

76ers:
- Would you trade Andre Iguodala and Sam Dalembert for Amare Stoudemire? Looks like the Suns are desperate to get a deal done.

FLYERS:
- The Flyers fail to land Ilya Kovalchuk. "The Ilya Kovalchuk Sweepstakes ended in Newark and not Philadelphia." (via CSN philly)

SONG LYRIC TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT: "Maybe, baby, I just wanna do you / do you wann do me, do me, underneath the moonlight?"

WHACKY FOREINGER OF THE DAY: Because foreigners are whacky and unpredictable
- A Swedish company is selling Pee & Poo Plush Toys! You can buy them online here at the official Pee&Poo website. I like the Pee&Poo combo duo myself.

SONG OF THE DAY:

RAM JAM! Phillies. Eagles. Sixers. Flyers. And a song.

THE CORE FOUR

EAGLES:
- Dick Jauron has been a head coach and a defensive coordinator in the NFL. Now he's just a D-Backs coach. Still, Dick says he's happy to be on the squad.

- Brian Dawkins and Rich Gannon weigh in on the state of the Eagles offense, Donovan's future , and running the football. Kind of nice to hear B-Dawk say, "Run the ball. With that passing attack, the way that thing is shaping up to be, go ahead and bring Donovan [McNabb] back to where he's supposed to be, and run that pill and let those weapons outside go to work." (via Inquirer)

PHILLIES:
- The Phillies reached agreement with four pitching prospects: Righthanders David Herndon, J.C. Ramirez and Drew Naylor and lefthander Mike Zagurski. They also signed outfielder Freddie Guzman. "Guzman, 29, spent last season with the Triple A affiliates of Baltimore, Seattle, Boston and the New York Yankees. In 101 games, he hit .223 with two homers and 17 RBI but stole 45 bases in 54 attempts. A switch-hitter, he has spent parts of four seasons in the big leagues with a .211 average in 47 games." (via Philly Daily News)

- Check out Salisbury's State of the Phillies: Second Base at CSNPhilly.com. Great piece on Utley and the (dearth of) prospects waiting in the wings. And did you ever think of Utley as first-baseman? Apparently it could happen.

- The Good Phight has been breaking down the Phillies top 30 prospects over the past couple of weeks. Read about prospects #20 - #11 online today. Notable in the #20 - #11 list: Jonathan Singleton, Brody Colvin and Scott Mathieson. I love the taks on Mathieson:
Now here's a guy who's easy to root for. After two Tommy John surgeries, Mathieson has made a remarkable recovery and is now knocking on the door of the majors. A Top 10 prospect for the organization from 2004 through 2006 as a starter, Mathieson has re-invented himself as a fireballing reliever, and he cruised through three levels in 2009 (32.1 IP, 9.5 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 0.28 HR/9, and a 2.61 FIP between the GCL, Clearwater, and Reading) before turning heads at the Arizona Fall League by flashing closer-quality stuff while whiffing 15 in 12.2 innings. He's down here, and not in the Top 10, because some caution is necessary -- he's still an injury risk, and he's yet to show that he can pitch on back-to-back days. The Phillies would be wise to see how he responds to that in Lehigh Valley before tossing him into the major league pen, so a midseason call up would be the most prudent course of action.

FLYERS
- Not only did the Flyers lose to the worst team in the NHL last night, but the last-second, game winning goal was scored by an ex-Flyer. Painful stuff, man.

76ers
- Elton Brand had 26 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks in the Sixers' 106-103 overtime victory against the Bulls last night. Iverson did not play due to his child's illness.

RANDOM CONNECTIONS TO PHILLY:
- Episcopal Academy grad and Saints fullback Kyle Eckel is under scrutiny right now, as people are starting to ask: "Why is Eckel, who ran for 1,147 yard at Navy in 2004, playing in Super Bowl XLIV instead of fulfilling his military obligation in the U.S. Nay?" Read more in this article by Gregg Doyel at CBSSports.com

WHACKY FOREGINERS OF THE DAY: Because foreigners are strange and unpredictable
- England pop duo JEDWARD cover Ice-Ice Baby, and they even get a cameo from Mr. Vanilla himself. This is just too strange for words


SONG FOR THE DAY: Let's switch gears and enjoy a song that actually doesn't suck...

RAM JAM! McNabb wants to stay, Dr. Chapstick, Pillow Brides. And a song.

Because I get up six hours before you do, so I survey the interweb and hit you with a RAM JAM of need-to-know info. Let's get started:

- Donovan McNabb says he will be in Philadelphia next season. Not only that, he wants to be in Philadelphia. In his own words, "I believe in starting somewhere and finishing what you started and my goal is to win a Super Bowl and bring it back to Philadelphia because I think they deserve it. We've given them some great years, but we just haven't been able to finish and I think good things are going to happen pretty soon."

- Despite what McNabb says, DeSean Jackson knows the Eagles brass have a "huge decision" to make at QB. Don't take it the wrong way, DeSean loves him some McNabb: "We have a great relationship. Didn't you see us out there? We're good man. Just know that."

- In what will no doubt be a huge sub-plot in the "will-he-stay-or-will-he-go" debate regarding Donovan McNabb, Kurt Warner is set to announce his plans for next season tomorrow. If he's retiring, the rumors about McNabb wearing a Cards jersey will start immediately.

- In other Eagles QB news, it seems as if the Rams are taking a serious look at Mike Vick. He won't be the starter in Philly next year, and it's doubtful Jeff Lurie will pick up Vick's $5million option.

- Phillies pitching prospect Philippe Aumont was in town yesterday. The team is excited about this guy. He's 6-7, 225 pounds with a fastball that hit 97 mph in the Arizona Fall League. Aumont discusses the comparisons to Drabek and his future wil the Phils in this article from the Inquirer.

- The guys from The 700 Level has a plan to stop the 76ers from sucking so bad.

- Remember when the 76ers were a proud franchise? I miss the Dr. Chaptsick days:



WHACKY FOREIGNER OF THE DAY: A stuttering Nigerian man who can't get a girlfriend announces plan to marry his pilllow.

SONG LYRIC TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT: "Fair Phyllis I saw sitting all alone, feeding her flock near to the mountainside!"

SONG FOR THE DAY:

RAM JAM! Manning Face, Favre, Russians. And a song.

Because I get up six hours before you do, so I survey the interweb and hit you with a RAM JAM of need-to-know info. Let's get started:

- Manning Face. Need I say more?

- For the 4th time this season, the 76ers fail to win 3 in a row.

- McNabb and Romo to represent the NFC in the most meaningless Pro Bowl ever.

- Chase Utley is 31. "He has played in more than 155 games in three of the last four seasons, hiding hurts and real injuries." Sam Donnelon of the Daily News makes the case to give Chase some more rest this season.

- It's painful to watch this, because I know how it feels:

- Minnesota play-by-play duo call the Favre interception, and they are merciless. TAKE A KNEE! THIS IS NOT DETROIT, MAN. THIS IS THE SUPER BOWL!

- And the Favre speculation begins: Will he play another season? He needs to discuss it with his family, of course.

- Nancy Kerrigan is in the news again. Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan's brother Mark Kerrigan is charged with one count of assault and battery with serious bodily injury in connection with the Sunday morning death in Stoneham, Massachusetts of the family’s 70-year-old father, Daniel.

- The Jets coaches and players applaud Mark Sanchez. "After [Sunday], I think he's potty-trained now," right tackle Damien Woody said of the rookie quarterback.

- WHACKY FOREIGNER OF THE DAY: Again, from Russia. . .


SONG LYRIC TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT: "I wear my garment so it shows. Now you know."

SONG FOR THE DAY:

RAM JAM! FOOTBALL, CHOOCH IS RICH, A BIG ASS CAKE. And a song.

Because I get up six hours before you do, so I survey the interweb and hit you with a RAM JAM of need-to-know info. Let's get started:

Peton Manning and the Colts are headed to Super Bowl 44 in Miami. There they will meet the New Orleans Saints, who barely edged the Vikings in OT last night. The Jets and the Vikings go home losers. In the aftermath, Brett Favre's legacy has been called into question. Also, some Vikings fans (as losing fans always do) feel they got robbed. Here's the thing: You can't be robbed if you fumble the ball 6 times in 4 quarters of football. Also, your coach completely screwed you on the last drive. I agree that there were some shady calls, but truth is you never should have let it come down to that. You can't recover a muffed punt in the red zone and fail to score. That's not championship football.

The Phillies reward starting catcher Carlos Ruiz with a 3 year, $9 million extension. That puts an end to all players eligible for arbirtation. We got Big Joe, Victorino and Chooch all locked down for the forseeable future. Good news, right? Maybe not for fan favorite Jayson Werth.


Jimmie Rollins got married. And they ate a huge friggin' cake. That's 6 feet of sugar, ladies.

CRAZY FOREIGNER OF THE DAY: Russian computer hackers cause a traffic jam by streaming hard core porn on a Moscow billboard.

SONG LYRICS TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT: "I put a dollar in my pocket and I threw it away, been a long time since a federal dime made a jukebox sound like a mirror in my mind."

PRODUCT or MEAL that sounds like POOP PRANK or SEX POSITION: Today's product is The Jiffy Steamer!

SONG FOR THE DAY:

Good Morning. Here's Everything You Need to Know. And a Song.

The Phillies hope to sign Shane Victorio to a multiyear deal, and they exchange potential salaries with Big Joe and Chooch. Lock 'em up.

Will Michael Vick start at QB for the Rams next season? Some think so. Read here.

Phillies give a tryout to Eric Gagne? Remember when he was awesome? Yeah, he was juicing. Now he's just another fat guy in glasses. I'd rather have Kenny Powers in red pinstripes.

Les Bowen of the Daily News calls Howard Eskin a liar and makes a case for B West returning to the NFL.

Eagles sign Martell Mallet, a rookie sensation from. . .the Canadian Football League. Mallett, 23, rushed for 1,280 yards and six touchdowns on 214 carries, an average of 5.8 yards per carry. He also caught 43 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns, made the league's all-star team and was named its top rookie. Is he the answer for 4th and 1? Doubt it.

Venus Williams moons fans at Australian Open. Why couldn't it have been Anna K?

And now, a good song to start the day with:

Pete Incaviglia: Forgotten Phillies

For every Ryan Howard, there’s a Ricky Jordan. And at Philthy Pride, we want to remember those players who -- for whatever reason -- seem to have slipped through the cracks of our collective sporting memory. And who better to start with than Pete Incavigilia, the greasy mulleted slugger we all knew and loved as “Inky”?





Inky probably isn’t the first name that comes to mind when you think of the infamous ’93 Phillies. Like most people, you probably conjure up the likes of Kruk, Daulton, Dykstra and The Wild Thing. You might even think of Mickey Morandini, the duck-faced speedster 2nd Baseman who hit 9 triples that season.

Or you might think of Dave Hollins, the box jawed 3rd baseman who – if it weren’t for Dutch – would have led the team in RBIs (93) and, sadly, strike outs (109) . At best, Inky is one of those “oh yeah, him!” guys that you only remember when you’re discussing the top 10 funniest Phillies haircuts or fattest outfielders ever.

But Inky was the man.

The legend of Incaviglia began at OSU with the young slugger’s amazing college career. He had the most impressive offensive year in NCAA history as a junior in 1985 when he set NCAA single-season records for home runs (48), RBI (143), total bases (285) and slugging percentage (.915) all of which still stands today. In addition he set the NCAA career records for home runs (100) and slugging percentage (.915). In 1999, Baseball America named Inky “College Baseball’s Player of the Century”. GLORY!

Inky was drafted by the Expos in ’86 and blatantly refused to play minor league baseball. The Expos traded him to Texas, where Inky went on to hit 30 HRs (10th best in the league). As a result of the Expos trading Incaviglia immediately after signing him, MLB instituted the “Pete Incaviglia Rule”, whereby a team cannot trade a drafted player until he has been under contract to the club for at least one year. Again, GLORY!

Inky arrived in Philly in ’93, just in time for one of the greatest baseball seasons in Philadelphia history. And he did his part to help the team, cracking a team-leading 24 HRs in just 369 appearances at the plate. Darren Daulton hit 24 HRs as well, but he had 510 At-Bats. Inky posted a decent .274 average (5th best on the team) while amassing 89 RBI’s (3rd highest on team, behind Dutch and Hollins.

But he sucked in the postseason. In the NLCS against the Braves, Inky batted .167, going 2 for 12 with 1 solo HR and 3 strike outs. In the World Series, he batted just .143, going 1 for 7 and striking out 4 times as the Phillies lost to Blue Jays. Who could forget the image of Joe Carter trotting the bases. . .still makes me sick. . .

Other notable facts about Inky:
He led the league in strike outs in both 1986 and 1988, and he struck out a total of 1,277 times in his career. Ouch. Despite those numbers, he finished his career in 1998 with 206 HRs, 655 RBIs, and a .246 batting average.

Wonder where he is now? Inky is the Field Manager for the Grand Prairie AirHogs, part of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. His nephew, Thomas, is a rookie LHP on the team.