EAGLES: - Eagles RB Brian Westrbook has no plans to retire. He also fully believes McNabb will be back under center for the Birds in 2010, despite rumors that Donovan is headed to Denver?!?! (Denver Examiner, Philly.com)
- Former Eagle WR Donte Stallworth got booted from the Browns, but he's already got a workout with another NFL team. . .the Detroit Lions. "Stallworth entered the NFL as a first-round draft pick in 2002 out of Tennessee. He was suspended for the entire 2009 season after pleading guilty to felony DUI manslaughter". (The Detroit News)
- Julius Peppers wants out of Carolina. Wouldn't it be great to see him line up on the Eagles D-Line?? (AP)
PHILLIES: - Roy Halladay has a helluva work ethic. Dude's there every morning at 7am to get in his workout and prepare for the season. Hopefully this rubs off on the young arms and sets a precedent for the staff as a whole. (Daily News)
FLYERS: - The Fly Guys look to complete a Home-and-Home sweep of the Devils tonight. Curious whether the Devils will look to get some revenge on Jeff Carter for his lights-out shoulder check on Anssi Salmela. (Atlantic City Press)
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 Naylorand 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.
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...
