By GARY SIEGRIST
It’s hard to tell if Elco coach Mark Evans was stating the obvious or saying what he has really wanted to say all season long:
“So let the hype begin.”
The statement was actually two-fold, though. We have long awaited a final-game match-up between the Raiders and Lancaster Catholic for at least a share of the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section III title to come to fruition. But Evans also was speaking of the two quarterbacks who will be featured in this game.
Kyle Smith and Arron Achey are reason alone to attend this baby.
Smith broke a PIAA record by throwing his 95th career touchdown pass against Annville-Cleona last week. Little Dutchmen coach Terry Lehman put it bluntly after the 49-7 Crusader win in Annville.
“That’s right up there with Montana and Namath,” said Lehman of Smith’s record.
And Lehman isn’t the only one from Lebanon County who got an up close look at what Achey has done, especially in the latter stages of his career.
Just for a reminder, Achey rushed for 243 yards and was responsible for five touchdowns in Elco’s 44-14 win over Donegal to cement a second consecutive District III playoff berth for the Raiders.
“Kyle Smith has been talked about and talked about,” Evans said. “And Arron has kind of been a little late to arrive on the scene”
As for the potential fireworks we might see on offense, check out this stat: The national average in points per game this year in high school is 25.4. Elco averages 37.2 points per game. Lancaster Catholic? Over 40.
“I knew we would be in this position, whether it was at 8-1 or 9-0, said Evans. “So this is where I expected us to be. Going into this game, we know we have at least one more opponent after this. But this one can really add to this group’s legacy. They’ve done a great job. And all I want for them is to taste this success and add to their legacy.
“The importance right now is knowing, not believing we can execute. We’re just gonna put our best foot forward and play the way we can.”
—
Game:: Elco (8-1 overall, 5-1 LL III) at Lancaster Catholic (8-1, 6-0)
Place: : Lancaster Catholic Stadium, 7 p.m.
Last Year: : Lancaster Catholic 42, Elco 7
Outlook: : This is it, the one we’ve been waiting for since the football preview came out. And while it isn’t exactly for all the marbles due to Elco’s 40-14 loss to Lampeter-Strasburg four weeks ago, it can still create a three-way championship between the three teams mentioned once it’s all over.
If you’re the Raiders: : The important thing here is the fact that this won’t be Elco’s last game no matter what. Still, it can be a great measuring stick heading into the district playoffs. And with a win, the Raiders can fully atone for that loss to L-S. “We now know that we can learn a lot from a loss,” said Mark Evans of that game. “We had our chances in that one, we just had some times when we didn’t execute.”
If you’re the Crusaders: : Lancaster Catholic is the real deal. Lancaster Catholic’s Kyle Smith is the real deal at quarterback. Lancaster Catholic’s Jordan Stewart is the real deal at running back. Lancaster Catholic’s Tyler Purvis is the real deal at wide receiver. It’s pretty blunt here. Lancaster Catholic has to be… Lancaster Catholic.
The Pick: Lancaster Catholic 42, Elco 20
– GARY SIEGRIST:
November 5, 2009
OFFENSIVE SHOWDOWN
PITCHING HURT PHILS IN SERIES
By ERIC FISHER
Before we dissect the Phillies and their World Series performance, let’s take a few moments to celebrate their tremendous season.
OK. That’s long enough. (Just kidding!)
Disappointment over the ending is understandable. But we should remember that, by reaching the World Series in consecutive years, these Phillies did something that no previous team in franchise history had accomplished.
All right. Those are enough platitudes. Now it’s time to talk about what went wrong and how to fix it.
The bottom line is pitching. Perhaps you’ve heard me say this before. The importance of pitching is a theme I’ve been focusing on since the Phillies acquired Cliff Lee at the trade deadline.
How important is pitching? Think of it this way: How would the Phillies have done during the playoffs without Lee and Pedro Martinez, neither of whom was with the club the first half of the season?
The importance of pitching is also evident by looking at the Yankees. With the exception of Game 5, when the Phillies chased A.J. Burnett early, the Yankees received very good starting pitching.
Left-handers CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte kept the Phillies’ left-handed bats tied up in knots. Chase Utley had a terrific series, but Ryan Howard set a World Series record by striking out 13 times and Raul Ibanez wasn’t a major factor. Of all the Phillies’ regular starters, only Utley, Ibanez, Carlos Ruiz and Jayson Werth hit above .250 during the Series.
By contrast, with the exception of Lee’s two outings and Martinez in Game 2, the Phillies’ starters were either mediocre or poor. You’re not going to win the World Series with three quality starts in six games.
The other aspect of the pitching staff is the bullpen. Once again, the Phillies came up short.
If there was a defining moment in the World Series, it was the ninth inning of Game 4. The Phillies had just tied the game in the bottom of the eighth on Pedro Feliz’s dramatic home run. Emotions were high. The crowd was roaring. The momentum appeared to be on the Phillies’ side.
Then Brad Lidge entered the game. I’m still puzzled as to why manager Charlie Manuel didn’t leave Ryan Madson in the game, especially because the pitcher’s spot in the batting order was coming up in the bottom of the ninth, but that’s a separate issue. The problem here is that Lidge gave up three runs and the Phillies lost, 7-4.
Instead of tying the series, the Phillies fell into a 3-1 hole. That’s a difficult hole to climb out of against a team as good as the Yankees.
This isn’t meant to single out Lidge. As a whole, the Phillies bullpen didn’t consistently maintain leads or keep the Phillies in the game.
Consistency is what you need from your bullpen. Yes, there will occasionally be blown saves or bad outings. Nobody’s perfect – except Lidge last season. But there was far too much uncertainty in the Phillies bullpen this season.
Whether Lidge can return to his old form will be a key to the Phillies’ fortunes next season. If Lidge returns to his role as the anchor, the rest of the bullpen can fall into place. Madson can resume his role as the “bridge to Lidge.” Having a defined role and a reduced workload from this season should be beneficial to Madson.
The rest of the bullpen needs work. Assuming Scott Eyre recovers from his impending elbow surgery, he is a valuable left-hander. The big question is whether J.C. Romero will regain his effectiveness. If not, the Phillies need another left-hander in the bullpen.
Manuel is confident that Lidge can once again be a solid closer. He also said he’s confident that Cole Hamels can be a good pitcher once again.
Hamels, a playoff hero in 2008, became a whipping boy in 2009. He followed up an inconsistent regular season with a poor postseason. One reason for the change may have been the huge increase in innings he pitched in 2008 compared to previous years.
If Hamels returns to his 2008 form, the Phillies’ rotation could be outstanding. They’ll have Lee for a full season. Add Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ to the mix, and the Phillies have an excellent rotation.
The Phillies must improve their bench. Nobody the Phillies send up to pinch-hit scares the opposition. Along with bullpen insurance, upgrading the bench is a major offseason priority.
Otherwise, there isn’t much to fix. With Howard, Utley and Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies have a terrific nucleus. I’m not sure you can count on Jayson Werth to hit 36 home runs next year, but he’s developed into a very good player. Ibanez, Ruiz, Feliz and Shane Victorino all make solid contributions.
The Phillies are still in their prime. They could get back to the World Series again next season. Or the year after that. Or the year after that.
We can’t allow our disappointment over a World Series defeat to overshadow the fact that this may be the best Phillies team of all-time.
OUR VIEW: SEEING RED
The recent gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey do not bode well for President Obama. By voting for Republicans in larger numbers than normal, voters in these two states have shown that they do not approve of Obama’s policies of more spending, higher taxes, and more bureaucracy. About a year after Obama’s speaking abilities helped him win the presidency, voters have shown that they expect results, which they have not received.
Particularly, voters have been upset about Obama’s plans for health-care reform. Obama has called for a government-run health insurance agency. Additionally, Obama has called for private insurance companies to cover more people. Various versions of the health-care legislation have called for higher taxes to pay for expanded government coverage, and if private companies are forced to cover additional people, those rates also are likely to climb. Although Obama has said private insurance would remain if a government-run health insurance plan is created, the most likely result would be the government plan crowding out private companies.
Many people do not want the government making health-care decisions for them and increasing their health-care costs. As a result, Obama’s health-care plans have not been favorably received. These negative feelings generated by health-care reform are amplified even more by the fact that the economy has struggled. People do not want to see their health-care costs go up when economic times are difficult.
Obama’s handling of the economy has not helped him, either. Obama’s main solution for the economy was a stimulus plan, which really appears to consist only of massive government spending on wasteful, pork barrel projects. If anything, the stimulus actually seems to be a hindrance to the economy because the government’s ineffectiveness only has increased uncertainty.
In foreign policy, Obama has not taken a decisive stand on whether to send additional forces to Afghanistan. In the beginning of his presidency, Obama went around the world and apologized for America’s past actions. But he only weakly criticized Iran’s government when its forces cracked down on protestors. Americans expect stronger leadership from the chief executive.
The disenchantment with Obama’s performance is shown in the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey. In Virginia, Bob McDonnell easily won in a state that Obama carried. Virginia had been Republican for many years, but Democrats had shown new strength there recently, until this gubernatorial election. In New Jersey, Republican challenger Chris Christie defeated incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine. Obama campaigned heavily for Corzine, but Christie won by a comfortable margin. Although state issues undoubtedly played a role in the race, Republicans rarely are competitive statewide in New Jersey, and Obama won this state easily. The gubernatorial results in New Jersey and Virginia show that voters there are leery of White House policies.
The reverses in Virginia and New Jersey are a message from the voters to Obama. The voters do not like the way the country is going. Obama should adjust his policies. They are too liberal, and the people have rejected them.
November 1, 2009
SIXERS’ JORDAN FACES NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TASK
By ERIC FISHER
“Good evening, Mr. Jordan. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to guide the 76ers to a winning record and beyond the first round of the NBA playoffs. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds …”
(cue up the Mission: Impossible theme song)
What? You didn’t know the NBA season started?
With the Phillies dominating the regional sports scene, you are forgiven if you didn’t realize the Sixers started their season on Oct. 28. The Sixers lost to Orlando, 120-106 – and it wasn’t that close. The Sixers trailed by 31 points after three quarters.
Fortunately for the Sixers, the eyes of an overwhelming majority of sports fans in this area were trained on Game 1 of the World Series. Perhaps only general manager Ed Stefanski’s family watched the second half of Wednesday’s lopsided defeat.
(The preceding paragraph raises the following question: If the Sixers fall in the forest – or Florida – and nobody sees them fall, does their loss count in the standings?)
The opening night loss to the Magic, who ousted the Sixers from the playoffs last spring, served as a reminder that the Sixers haven’t advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs since 2003, Larry Brown’s final season as head coach. Since 2003, the Sixers have been coached by Randy Ayers, Chris Ford, Jim O’Brien, Maurice Cheeks and Tony DiLeo.
The Sixers, who beat Milwaukee on Friday in their home opener, did not win a playoff series during their tenures. Only O’Brien and DiLeo had winning records during the regular season, with O’Brien’s 43 victories in 2004-05 being the high-water mark for this team since Brown departed.
The preceding two paragraphs demonstrate the uphill challenge faced by new head coach Eddie Jordan. Quite simply, this team doesn’t know how to win.
This does not mean, however, that the cupboard is bare. Jordan has some ingredients with which to create a winning recipe.
The Sixers are not bereft of talent. Small forward/off-guard Andre Iguodala is versatile all-around player, forward Elton Brand is a former all-star and forward Thaddeus Young is an exciting young player.
Young, 21, isn’t the only good, young player. Marreese Speights, a first-round draft pick in 2008 and perhaps the only bright spot during the season-opening loss to the Magic, is 22. Starting point guard Lou Williams turned 23 on Wednesday.
Even Brand, 30, isn’t that old. Iguodala is just 25. Center Samuel Dalembert is 28.
The key to the Sixers’ future is for Jordan to transform the young talent into the core of a championship contender. Transforming the Sixers’ fortunes, however, is easier said than done.
The Sixers are stuck in NBA purgatory. They’re too good to receive a high draft pick. They’re too bad to challenge for a title.
For the past six years, the Sixers have finished with between 33 and 43 victories. The 43-39 season under O’Brien in 2004-05 is the only winning record during this six-year stretch.
The Sixers also have little flexibility under the salary cap. That is another reason they’re stuck in NBA purgatory. Brand has approximately $66 million remaining on the four years of his contract. That contract makes him virtually untradeable.
Brand played in just 29 games last season due to a shoulder injury. That means he has played in just 37 games the past two seasons. That leaves a lot of question marks.
Furthermore, there are questions about how well Brand fits in with the Sixers’ style. The young players love to fast-break up and down the floor. Brand is more of a half-court player.
The Sixers will win more games during the regular season using a fast-break offense that takes advantage of their youth and energy. But, as has been proven time and time again, you need a strong halfcourt game to advance in the playoffs.
Williams’ game seems better-suited for a full-court track meet than a halfcourt game. Williams, who takes over at point guard from veteran Andre Miller, must distribute the ball well and get it to the hot hand, a skill at which Miller was particularly adept. Miller knew when to pass and when to shoot. Williams seems more inclined to do the latter than the former.
The Sixers may win more games with an up-tempo style, but they won’t go far in the playoffs. Ironically, Brand is the one part that seems to be a better fit for a halfcourt offense. That leaves him out of sync with the other players.
Consequently, the Sixers may find themselves in the same boat as last year. And the year before that. They will win close to half their games, but they won’t go anywhere in the playoffs.
Jordan’s challenge is to change those perceptions. His challenge is to meld some of the seemingly mismatched parts.
Jordan’s mission is difficult. But it’s not impossible.
The Sixers might achieve a winning record. It will remain difficult, however, to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs, particularly if they don’t have homecourt advantage.
Let’s say the Sixers finish 42-42 and lose in the first round. Sound familiar?
