Welcome back, Norristown Patch readers! This week we’ll take a look at Phillies clinching their fifth-straight National League East title and a strange loss by the Eagles which included cheap shots, botched replays, a go-go-gadget offense and a concussion for Vick. Let’s get started! A Dirty Bird Last year, Falcons defensive back Dunta Robinson — who shall henceforth be referred to as Mr. Cheapshot — nearly decapitated Desean Jackson on a crossing route as he illegally launched himself into the defenseless receiver while also leading with the crown of his helmet. Both players were diagnosed …

Welcome back, Norristown Patch readers! It's been an incredible week for Philadelphia fans, as the Eagles got off to a nice start to their 2011 campaign and the Phillies did the unthinkable by taking three of four from the Brewers in Milwaukee. Let's breakdown the Eagles first game of the season and then jump to baseball as the magic number steadily drops to zero. Get some! Eagles, 31 - Rams, 13 The Eagles got off to nice start to their season with an 18-point road victory over the St. Louis Rams, who many consider to be a dark-horse candidate for the playoffs this year. Passing Offense: B- …

Welcome back, Norristown Patch readers! This week we'll take a look at a questionable call by MLB Umpire Joe West, and we'll post up the Philadelphia Eagles official 53-man roster. Get your replay ready! Fan Interference? It was a tough weekend for the Phillies, watching David Herdon give up home run after home run on Saturday night, only to watch the Fightin's lose again on Sunday in 14 innings. Still, Herdon's struggles and back-to-back losses have seemingly taken a backseat to a questionable fan-interference call by Umpire Joe West during Sunday's series finale in South Florida. At issue …

Welcome back, Norristown Patch readers! It's been a rough few days for both the Phillies and the Eagles, so we're breaking out our trusty sports psychology hats to talk a few people off the ledge. Think happy thoughts! The Eagles Reasons to worry: Nate Allen – Free Safety Allen had a miserable game on Thursday, as he was completely abused by Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh offense. He was frequently out of position, and when he was beaten, he was beaten badly. On the bright side, Allen is a second-year player coming off a knee injury. He's learning a new defense and unlike the Steelers…

Welcome back, Norristown Patch readers! This week, our focus will be on the Eagles’ first preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. We'll grade out each position and throw in a few notes. Insert witty launch mechanism here! So, That's What A Pass Rush Looks Like? For the past decade, we've heard over and over again how the Eagles’ defensive line would be throwing "fastballs" at defenses, but more often than not, they looked more like knuckleballs, or even slow-pitched softballs. Lengthy is the list of failed defensive line draft picks and free agent acquisitions, so fans had every right to…

Welcome back, Patch readers! This time around we'll take a look back at some of the prominent stories from the past week, including a red-hot Phillies squad, a long overdue brawl and Desean Jackson's arrival to training camp. Let's get it started! The Bean Brawl There's plenty of bad blood between the Phillies and the Giants, dating back to last season when Jonathan Sanchez hit Chase Utley in the back with a fastball. Utley casually tossed the ball back to Sanchez, which resulted in a tense back and forth between the two players. The Giants later ended the Phillies hopes of back-to-back-to-…

Welcome to part two of our special edition of Phour for Phour! With the NFL lockout officially over, nearly five months of trades, acquisitions and training are now being condensed into a period of a few weeks. Training camp at Lehigh begins tomorrow, and even though free agents can't officially sign contracts with new teams until Friday at 6 p.m., that hasn't stopped anyone from conditionally agreeing to terms in the mean time. It's going to be a wild ride until week one of the regular season, so let's take a look at what has already been accomplished, important milestones and dates, and …

Welcome to a special two-part edition of Phour for Phour! With the NFL lockout officially over and the MLB trade deadline rapidly approaching, we’ve decided to break our weekly column into two parts.  Since NFL player movement won’t begin until tomorrow, let’s take a look at some of the wild trade rumors that surround the Phillies as they close in on Sunday’s trade deadline. Batter up! Brown and Worley There’s been a bunch of speculation revolving around possibly moving Domonic Brown or Vance Worley in a trade for a right-handed bat. I’m here to tell you that moving either player would be a a…

Happy Fourth of July, loyal Norristown Patch readers! This week, Phour for Phour will take a look at the four Phillies All-Stars, another four-win week for the Fightin Phils and the signing of a 39-year-old has-been by the Flyers. You'll also have a shot at a free pair of Phillies tickets as we celebrate our independence while trying to lose our fingers. USA! The Good Three Aces and a Third Baseman The Phillies will be well represented in the 2011 All-Star Game, with Halladay, Hamels and Lee all being selected to the Midsummer Classic.  Also joining the trio of starting pitchers is third …

Welcome back to another round of Phour for Phour. This week, we will take a look at Cliff Lee throwing back to back shutouts, the Flyers making headlines by trading their team captain, and Oswalt being back on the disabled list. We also want to point out that it was "Winner's Weekend" for Patch readers, as five readers who won tickets to a Phillies game got to see Halladay dominate the A's, and another pair of readers watched the Union stink up the first half, only to have them play their best ball of the season in the second. Be on the lookout next week for another pair of free Phillies …

Welcome back to another round of Phour for Phour! This week we'll look at Hamels hitting a milestone, Romero getting the boot, Oswalt's struggles and Vick still being protested two years after his release from prison. We're also going to skip a week of ticket giveaways in order to get feedback from the readers. What types of sporting events would you like to attend? Reading Phillies?  Lehigh Valley Ironpigs? Philadelphia Union? Or would you like us to continue to give away tickets to Phillies games? Email your suggestions to slavetologic@gmail.com. The Good 1,000 Congratulations to Phillies …

Welcome back to another round of Phour for Phour! This week, we'll look at a Phillies team that just keeps winning, a late inning blunder by Charlie Manuel and the Joe Buck hate being censored during a national broadcast by Fox. We'll also announce the lucky winner of two tickets to see the Union host Chivas USA, but before we do that, let's break down some baseball. Batter up! The Good Winning! Despite the injuries, the offensive woes and the recently poor defense, the Phillies continue to win. Two weeks into June, the Phillies are the first team to 40 wins with a league-leading record of 40…

Welcome back for another round of Phour for Phour. This week, we’ll talk about Plaxico Burress donning a Phillies cap, the Phillies issues with PNC Park, Hamels and Halladay and Michael Vick being Finally Free. We’re also serving up a pair of tickets to see the Philadelphia Union battle Chivas USA at PPL Park on June 25. That’s right, soccer fans. I’m a lover, not a fighter. Let’s begin! The Good The Halladay Effect After the 2009 season, which ended with regrettable comments and multiple poor performances by Cole Hamels, the Phillies traded to acquire Roy Halladay.  Seamheads across the …

Welcome back, readers! Hopefully you had an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend, feasting on hamburgers, hot dogs and the occasional adult beverage (assuming you're not a prom-goer at Methacton High School). This week's Phour for Phour will take a look at a startling turnaround for the Phillies offense, the possibility of Plaxico Burress becoming an Eagle, and we'll answer a few user-submitted questions about soccer. We're also going to announce the winner of last week's Phillies contest, but you'll have to read on to the end, because if I have to answer questions about soccer, you have to read …

Doesn't it feel a bit like "Groundhog Day?" In our 6th week of Phour for Phour, we're still talking about a Phillies offense which has gone from sluggish to slump to historically bad. It doesn't help that the Phills are facing a steady stream of playoff teams during this 20-games-in-20-days stretch. Should we panic and pick out our favorite spot on the Walt Whitman? Probably not, but there is legitimate cause for concern. This week we'll take a look at Utley's return, how the Phillies are dropping the ball in their management of Brown and some questionable decision making by the team in …

Welcome back, Norristown Patch readers! In this week’s Phour for Phour column, we’ll take a look at the Phillies love/hate relationship with hitting and the emergence of Vance Worley. We'll also reflect on the 2010-2011 Flyers season, which ended Friday on the heels of a sweep by the Bruins. Due to an overwhelming response to our free ticket giveaway, we’ve decided to hold another contest, where one lucky Patch reader will find himself—or herself—rooting on the Phillies at a game! Details are below, but before you jump at the tickets, let’s talk sports! The Good It’s a Wonderful Worley! Last …

Before we begin, we would like to announce the winner of last week’s free Phillies ticket giveaway. Being the first person to get all five questions correct and correctly guess that Ryan Howard would have two hits, the winner is … Jeremy Lieberman.  Congratulations!   For the hundreds of Philly faithfuls who didn’t have their name called, rest assured that you’ll have another shot at picking up a free pair of Phillies tickets.  Due to the overwhelming amount of submissions, we’re going to hold a new contest next week, with a new set of rules and a new way to win! Now back to sports! The Good …

Resurrection was the theme on Sunday, as both the Flyers and Sixers gained new life in their respective playoff series. Meanwhile, the Phillies broke out the brooms as Halladay struck out 14 hitters in the finale of a four game sweep of the Padres. In this week’s edition of Phour for Phour, we’ll take an in-depth look at a rollercoaster week of Philadelphia sports, as well as give one lucky reader a free pair of Phillies tickets. The Good - Ville-delphia! After back to back losses to the Sabres, one of which was a heartbreaking overtime loss, the Flyers found themselves facing elimination on …

Welcome to Phour for Phour, a weekly sports column that takes a look at all things Phillies, Eagles, Flyers and Sixers. In this week's column, we'll look at dominant pitching performances by the Four Aces, a rough start for the Sixers in their return to the playoffs and the Flyers first-round match up with the Sabres. Let's begin... The Good The Philadelphia Phillies continued their hot start to the season, going 4-2 over the past week, with wins against the Braves, Nationals and Marlins. Credit has to go to the pitching staff, especially when considering the Phillies have scored 4 or less …