Another Philly Sports 4-Team Update

I thought I'd compile some comments on the big four teams into one post. Let's do this thing!

Phillies: Phrustration, Panic? - The magic number to clinch the NL East remains at 3. The Phils lost a hideous game last night to Houston, and haven't beaten the Astros all year. There are 6 games left in the season starting tonight. The Atlanta Braves keep winning, so it behooves the Phils to win their games. There's way too much talk of 1964 around here, even though the Phils' lead then (not to mention the New York Mets' lead in 2007) was a lot smaller than the current 4-game lead at the same point in their respective seasons. The pitching staff is in a state of flux (especially the bullpen), between injuries and ineffectiveness. That is not a good sign. The hitters are not doing all that well either, which makes things worse.

Eagles? Still A Mystery - There's no real way to know how good the Eagles may be. Their 34-14 win over Kansas City Sunday was just another easy win over a very poor team. They're 2-1, with a blowout loss against a strong team sandwiched by two blowout wins over poor teams. The Birds have a bye this week, and their next three opponents (Tampa Bay, Oakland, Washington) aren't the best, to say the least. So if the Eagles are 5-1 going into their game Nov. 1 against the Giants, they'll finally have another test. Anything less will be a poor sign. That they signed linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, who's been out of football since the end of the 2007 season (and was cut by the Eagles before that season started), to a contract today says that there are still worries about the defense's weakest link.

Flyers: High Expectations - The NHL regular season begins Thursday, and the Flyers take the ice for the first time on Friday at Carolina. The Hockey News has picked the Flyers to win the Stanley Cup this season. There seems to be a consensus that this team will be in the mix, at the very least. The addition of Chris Pronger has to be pushing much of this. It's hard for me to join this chorus, as I worry about the goaltending and I'm still not 100 percent sold on head coach John Stevens.

76ers: Ummmmmm... - No, I still don't really care much. But they started training camp today. They have a new coach (Eddie Jordan) implementing a new system. Will it work with too many of the same old players?