Talk'n'Ticker: 3/1/10

The Artistic Value of the Phanatic

The Phillies and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corporation have come together to launch a public art project that centers on quite possibly the most lovable character in Philadelphia history. No, stop thinking Founding Fathers, Ben Franklin, etc. and think more along the lines of the Phillie Phanatic.

The Galapagos Islands native and fuzzy green face of the Phillies has been transformed into immortal form with 20 fiberglass statues of his likeness being placed around the city.

The 5-foot-tall, 100 pound statues have been painted by local artists, each with their own original designs that have been inspired by everything from Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” to Frankenstein. The unveiling of the statues yesterday marked the beginning of the “Paint the Town Red” week in Philadelphia. During the week leading up to Opening Day, the city has launched many inventive marketing plans over the years, but nothing like this.

In fact, this is the first time a Major League Baseball mascot has been used for a public art project. Of course, using the Phanatic was an obvious choice. The start of baseball season ignites this city, especially with their recent success. And, according to the Phillies, the Phanatic is just as popular and identifiable with Philadelphia as cheesesteaks and soft pretzels.

The placement of the statues will spotlight local attractions and distinctive neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia, such as Historic Philadelphia, Center City, Fairmount, and South Philly. The locations are even using the promotion as an opportunity to provide special offers and discounts for people who wear red or Phillies gear during the launch week. While the discounts may not last the whole summer, the Phanatic statues will, standing tall on their home plate-shaped pedestals through August. For a full list of where you can find him, check out the VisitPhilly “Paint the Town Red” page.

The combination of the baseball season and historic places in Philadelphia was a really smart campaign for the GPTMC’s latest launch. Philadelphia has always been known as a sports town, and I have never met a person who doesn’t like the Phanatic, let alone someone who doesn’t absolutely adore him (Tommy LaSorda, you do not count). By using local artists and opening up the selection pool to anyone who submitted an idea, the campaign accomplished an authentically locally-generated promotion. In years past, the week dedicated to the Phillies didn't do much to generate buzz, but this year's inventive launch has Philadelphia locals excited. In fact, Visit Philly (and various Phillies-centric blogs) is encouraging fans to send in their pictures with the artistic installations.

This year’s “Paint the Town Red” week has provides a winning combination that may be their most successful. By motivating locals to employ their creativity and show their support for their beloved Phillies, the weeklong launch of baseball season moves beyond discount coupons and giveaways. This is one public art project that is on-track for victory.

- Mia Spadoni

Unless you’re living in a black hole, you’ve at least heard through the grapevine that Tiger Woods is indeed going back to golf and will be playing in the Masters Tournament beginning April 5. Tiger has recently come forward and given his first interview since the sex scandal that completely crushed his image surfaced in November of last year.

The mechanical, horribly impersonal press-conference-involving-no-press-whatsoever that he led on February 19 was obviously the dress rehearsal to this interview’s opening night.

Although I still think that this five-minute interview screams “Just tell them what they want to hear,” it was more successful in that he at least appeared to be something resembling a living, breathing, emotional, semi-remorseful human being. So to Tiger, I say: Nice try.

But frankly, actions speak louder than words, and where he will convince people of his true reconstructive efforts is on the fairways.

During this brief TV interview last Sunday, he talked to ESPN reporter Tom Rinaldi, and answered--or refused to answer--questions regarding his marriage, infidelity, rehab, fans, and his feelings toward returning to the sport that made him an icon.

While he didn’t put a block on the 19 questions he was asked, he did sound like something of a broken record, repeating “That’s between Elin and myself,” numerous times. And, when asked what type of treatment he is seeking, he quickly spouted that “that’s a private matter as well.” Denying the public details that they so crave is not going to make this go away, so why not just come clean and move on? Surely as Tiger should know better than almost anyone at this point, secrets will come out.

Does he really think he can get through the Master’s just answering questions about birdies and course conditions? It’s obvious he’s avoiding facing all the uncomfortable, richly detailed questions that most want answered. But--after 3 months of complete silence and an additional month before even taking questions--if he would just bite the bullet and address the facts, he could surely speed up the process of rehabilitating his image and putting this all behind him.

While I don’t mean to bash him this whole time (wait...yes I do), I just think that, although finally not digging any deeper, now he’s just sitting in the hole he’s dug himself, rather than trying to climb out of it. People want to see him as the well-rounded, near perfect idol that they once thought he was; perfect athlete, perfect husband, perfect man. Winning the Master’s (which I’m sure he believes he will do) will only get one foot out of that hole.

Oh, and one more thing: enough with the Buddhism stuff, already.

-Liz Trubey

Head of CBS News and Sports Sean McManus, on Tiger Woods’ return to golf:

“His first tournament, wherever it is, will be the biggest media event other than the Obama inauguration in the past 10-15 years."

Howard Stern and sidekick Robin Quivers, on Best Actress Gaborey Sidibe’s weight:

“It’s just ludicrous because everyone’s pretending she’s a part of show business. What movie is she gonna be in? Blind Side 2, she could be the football player. She can take out the whole front line.”

ESPN Senior NFL Insider Chris Mortensen, on Ben Roethlisberger possibly being charged with assaulting a college student:

“I do believe that being charged could be the difference between being suspended or simply being forced to undergo some clinical evaluation to see if he needs mandatory counseling for any problems he has.”

John Edwards’ mistress, Rielle Hunter, on her affair and Edwards’ marriage:

“The home was wrecked already. I was not the Home Wrecker.”

Paul Reubens, on the revival of his character, Pee Wee Herman:

“What I’m trying to prove is I still have it, I’m still around - I still AM Pee Wee Herman and Pee Wee Herman is still funny.”

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, on rookie Domonic Brown:

“He’s kinda like the total package; he’s just athletic, he’s young, he’s willing to learn and right now he’s having a pretty good spring training.”

President Barack Obama, predicting the Final Four of the 2010 NCAA Championship Tournament:

“I have been completely brainwashed, and I take Nova...That’s my final four, and the reason here is, I just think Nova’s guards are too quick.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, on Ben Roethlisberger’s recent provocative behavior:

“We are concerned that Ben continues to put himself in this position...and at the appropriate time, I’ll be meeting with Ben.”

Tiger Woods to ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi, on the reception he expects from fans upon his return to golf:

“I don’t know. I’m a little nervous about that to be honest with you. It would be nice to hear a couple claps here and there.”

Gilbert Arenas, on him and Javaris Crittenton pulling guns on each other in the locker room:

“We didn’t have no problem. It was just some fun that got out of control.

Flyers defensemen Chris Pronger, on how the Flyers need to take every game seriously as they approach the playoffs:

“Looking at the schedule and seeing who we’re playing, there are too many teams that have guys who can put the puck in the net...It has to change; we’re running out of time.”

-Liz Trubey

Your brackets are finalized, tip off has come and gone, and March Madness is fully underway. It has been a few trying weeks since any large sports competition has come our way -- unless you count the men's hockey finals in the 2010 Winter Olympics. So in terms of games that captured our interest and inflamed our passions, sports have been a little slow.

Is it any wonder that NCAA college basketball tournament prompts so many of us to fret over our brackets and remain glued to the television set during all of these games?

As with any competition, the unwritten ending is the lure. But what if what goes down on the court is more predictable than we think?

That's the premise put forth by Paul Bessire of PredictionMachine.com, a quantitative analysis generator and probability website. According to Bessire, known as a connoisseur in the game of odds, his site takes each match, puts it through every scenario 50,000 times to give a solid winning percentage, and will ultimately pick the winner.

How does he magically come up with these numbers? His “predictalator” is based on seasonal statistics, such as the current roster, strength of schedule, and paced-adjusted player numbers from the past 30 games.

Bessire believes that most people go with a gut feeling, and just guess. The reason for his site, he claims, is to provide a more predictable guess. The NCAA tournament is no different, with PredictionMachine.com generating the tournament tens of thousands of times to come up with the most likely situation to happen through educated conditions. Some calculated predictions for this year include (5) Temple with a 66.6% chance of taking down (12) Cornell in the first round, with Kansas marked at a 15.7% to win the whole thing.

Of course, all this knowledge doesn’t come for free. For $20 a day (or $100 for the Big Dance), you can access a fully predicted bracket, analysis and previews for upcoming sports. Don’t think it’s fair to charge? Bessire would argue differently, as he has correctly named the winner of the past 5 out of 6 SuperBowls, World Series, Stanley Cups, and NCAA tournaments.

In terms of marketing his site, Bessire has a leg-up on the competition with the latest technology. By launching it recently, he has tapped into the lull of the sports world and primed himself for a steady influx of site visitors and customers. Sports fans are almost dying for something like this to come around, and with the bracket selection rush that surrounds the tournament, he placed himself in the forefront of prediction sites. He also recently posted a MLB 2010 preview – in the form of free content – on the site, which will certainly generate more traffic in the coming months.

Of course, with technology increasing, there will surely be more sites like Bessire’s popping up, but that’s why they call it Madness, right?

-Mia Spadoni

A college student in Georgia is the latest person to claim that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sexually assaulted her. The claim comes after the two-time Superbowl winner supposedly assaulted the woman in the bathroom of a bar located in Milledgeville, GA early Friday morning.

While the police have not officially charged Roethlisberger with assault, they are said to be interviewing him over the next couple of days and plan to collect DNA as part of the investigation.

Roethlisberger is no stranger to this type of accusation, as he is currently dealing with a lawsuit brought on by another woman, who claims he raped her at a resort in Lake Tahoe back in 2008.

In preparation, Roethlisberger has not wasted any time defending himself. He adamantly denies the accusations and hired a high-powered lawyer from Atlanta, Ed Garland, as his attorney. Garland is also familiar with high-profile cases of this nature, having represented both rapper T. I. on gun charges and the Baltimore Raven’s Ray Lewis on a murder charge.

Regardless of what comes of these alleged crimes, his recent actions beg the question of why he is continually putting himself at risk. As the face of a franchise, it is not smart, nor responsible, for a man dealing with his issues to be partying late into the night with college students.

Of course he is innocent until proven guilty, but beyond his extraordinary career on the field, he has certainly battled his share of problems off of it. A motorcycle accident in 2006 almost killed him and forced him to have serious cosmetic surgery on his face because he was not wearing a helmet – a request Coach Bill Cowher made clear. He did not even have a valid motorcycle license for Pennsylvania at the time. Roethlisberger also has a reputation for skipping out on bills in the Pittsburgh area, and the Internet is swirling with pictures of him drinking.

All of these actions lead to one conclusion: he should accept the responsibility of being a star NFL quarterback. If that means growing up, going out responsibly, and keeping his hands to himself, then so be it. Even if the charges are dismissed, Roethlisberger needs to take his position seriously in order to put these charges behind him and direct media attention to his accomplishments on the field instead of his bad decisions off it. He is the face of a Superbowl-caliber team, whether he wants to be or not, and needs to understand the responsibilities that come with that, and respect those boundaries. The decision-making that has been shown, regardless of the level of truth in the allegations, is something that is of a concern for him in the years to come.

-Mia Spadoni

ESPN and The Philadelphia Inquirer are both reporting that multiple sources from the NBA are speaking out about Allen Iverson and his recent problems. According to the sources, Iverson is facing serious alcohol and gambling issues in the wake of his latest family drama.

The Sixer announced he would go on indefinite leave due to an undisclosed illness his four year old daughter is battling in late February. Combined with that strain, his wife of 8 ½ years just filed for divorce on March 4. Tawanna Iverson is claiming that their marriage is beyond repair and is filing for full custody of their five children, child support and alimony.

Not only the people surrounding him are claiming that the All-Star guard's life is getting out of control, but Iverson took to his personal Twitter account to say admit that he is dealing with a rough patch.

He said: "To my fans: You all know that my life isn't perfect. I am going through some very tough times right now, like I am sure that we all do from time to time. However, I will stand tall like always with 'rhino' thick skin."

These problems are not new for Iverson, as he has been banned from multiple casinos, due to his gambling, in Atlantic City, N.J. and Detroit. It was thought that returning to Philadelphia, where he spent 10 ½ seasons, won 4 scoring titles and the 2000-01 MVP award, would be the catalyst for his career that was slowly slipping away from him. Iverson bounced around with a couple of teams after leaving the 76ers, but was picked up again as a free agent in December of 2009. It was just announced on March 2nd he will not be finishing out the season with the team.

Members of his personal circle are coming out in support of him as he struggles with marital woes and potential addictions. One of those people, his business manager Gary Moore, expressed concern that Iverson is heading on a downward spiral. Stephen A. Smith of the Inquirer, who has been following him for many years, agrees that Iverson’s demise is imminent without help.

As for Iverson, his personal matters seem to be piling up -- and quickly -- but dealing with the essential issues at hand right now is the only way to get through this tough time. Taking the leave of absence from the game to be with his daughter was most certainly a difficult decision, but made the most sense at the time. Hopefully, Iverson will return to the game and revitalize his career before it is too late.

-Mia Spadoni

The No. 1 pick in the MLB draft made his spring debut on March 9 for the Washington Nationals – and got national attention. Stephen Strasbug pitched only two innings of the Nats game versus the Detriot Tigers, but impressed everyone. For a team that lost 103 games last year, and has gone 0-7 in the spring, his introduction to the Majors was highly anticipated.

Boasting two scoreless innings, two strikeouts and a couple of a singles, the 21-year-old from San Diego lived up to his hype. The contract he was awarded by the Nationals was one of the largest ever, and many were concerned such a young player could not handle the pressure, let alone perform to Major League standards. But in his first outing against Major League hitters, Strasburg made the deal look well worth it.

One of those hitters he faced, Miguel Cabrera, said of Strasburg’s stuff, “When he throws the ball, it’s like an explosion.”

The Nationals have previously signed a No. 1 pick in their third-basemen Ryan Zimmerman, who at the time, was just a little younger than the right-handed pitcher.

Now the Nationals are faced with the dilemma of where to place Strasburg. Normally, the plan would be to put him in the Minors to prepare, but they were encouraged by his performance, leaving it up for debate. Speculation has begun on how long he spent there – if any time at all.

The question lies in the fact that he may not be ready for the pressures of regular season Major League baseball. The Nationals run the risk of turning him into a spectacle, and threatening his talent by bringing him up so soon. There is always a delicate balance between hyped-up players and successful ones; it’s just how the team chooses to handle them. Only time will tell how Strasburg will fare, but if his spring training debut is any indication, the Nationals have scored an ace.

-Mia Spadoni

Marion Jones, the former track star, will be announced as a new acquisition by the Tulsa Shock. The 34 year old has had her share of struggles over the last couple of years, as she admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs and served most of six month jail sentence for a check-fraud scam. Jones was released from a Texas federal prison in September 2008.

After admitting to using a designer steroid from 2000-01, she was stripped of the Olympic medals – 5 in total – she earned during the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney.

Jones is trying to revitalize her basketball career, a sport she says she has always loved. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Jones was the starting point guard of the 1994 National Championship TarHeels team.

The Shock’s coach Nolan Richardson said Jones has the talent to come back to the sport. “She has things you can’t teach, like speed and great hand and eye coordination,” he said in an interview with ESPN.com.

A move to another sport may be good for Jones, as her personal and athletic image has been tainted by scandal. While her talent is undeniable, it may hard to look past her downfalls. It seems as though the signing will boost both the WNBA and Jones. While it is still athletically-oriented, it transform her into an entirely new character, and brought her back to a point and a sport in her athletic career that isn't tainted, but rather celebrated. Her National Championship title with UNC has no marks on it, and returning to basketball was definitely a smart move. In terms of the WNBA, the move was definitely calculated and created to generate some buzz, and it seems to have worked. It is no secret that the WNBA may not get the top headlines, but a story likes this brings attention from fans and non-fans alike. This signing brings attention to both parties involved, which is always a good thing.

-Mia Spadoni

Dancing With the Athletes

ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” just announced its new line-up for the upcoming 10th season of the ballroom competition. As with years past, the show keeps getting a sports twist. This year’s cast boasts ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, Olympic figure skater and gold medalist Evan Lysacek, and Cincinatti Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.

Previous contestants on the show included Jerry Rice, Warren Sapp, Emmitt Smith, Jason Taylor, Michael Irvin, Chuck Liddell, Apollo Ohno, Kristi Yamaguchi, Floyd Mayweather Jr, Helio Castroneves, Clyde Dexter, Maurice Green, Misty May-Treanor, Shawn Johnson, and Laila Ali. As you can see, athletes are definitely perennial personalities on the show, but how do they fare? Previous winners of the glorified disco ball trophy, like Ohno, Castroneves, and Yamaguchi, are more known for the accomplishments off the dance floor.

No matter how many athletes are in this season’s cast, there will always be one clunky dud to keep you entertained and baffled on how badly someone with so much athletic talent can’t move (anyone remember Evander Holyfield from Season 1 and the Terminator to Tinkerbell comparision?). Early predictions point to Lysacek following in the other Winter Olympians’ footsteps, with the best chance of winning. Andrews will also probably be a contender, or at least give the male audience something to look forward to when your special lady friend won’t let you change the channel. As of now, Ochocinco is an unknown quantity on the dance floor, but fluid football players don’t have the best track record.

-Mia Spadoni

Keep checking back for clips of the athletes and sports personalities working it on the dance floor.

-Mia Spadoni

Bloopers

We wanted to post the next couple of NBA clips just to brighten your day and get you in a sports mood.

First up, LeBron James shows that he can do more than play basketball on the court. This video was taken during a timeout during the December 4th game versus the Bulls. He was seen dancing during the broadcast, but here are some new moves you didn’t see. Who knew he was such a dancing machine?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXjNkFvZcaw

The next clip is from the NBA All-Star Celebrity Basketball game. Globetrotter “Special K” has been known to be quite the prankster, and as a follow-up to last year’s confetti toss on ESPN’s Jon Barry, he decided to douse him with something a little more... well, wet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0xEwLBHa-I&feature=player_embedded

Our last clip of the post is Memphis’ Rudy Gay’s trigger-happy shot against the Lakers in early February. With time expiring in the 1st quarter, the Grizzlies snag the ball from Los Angeles for a chance to add to their 3-point lead. Instead, Gay takes the shot too quickly, leading to Kobe’s 3-pointer to tie the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-nuQDxHN5k

-Mia Spadoni

Birthday: 09/03/1987
Height: 6’ 5”
Weight: 204
Hometown: Zephyrhills, FL
Position: Outfielder

As the weather heats up a little in the Philadelphia area, it can only mean one thing: baseball season is right around the corner. In fact, the Phillies officially kicked off their Spring Training in Clearwater, FL on February 23rd. As the rest of the team begins to migrate south, we thought it would be great chance to highlight one of the best prospects the Phillies have up their sleeve.

Domonic Brown may be signed as a minor league player for now, but definitely look for him to make a splash on the Big League scene in 2010. With current outfielders Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth dealing with age and contracts, respectively, the Phillies need to make a decision on the corners, and it looks like Domonic will be the answer. The 37 year-old Ibanez will be entering the 2010 season rehabbing a sports hernia he suffered in the second half of the year, and Werth is on the last year of his contract extension that was signed in early 2009.

Brown could easily fill in for either of the players, and would add depth to the Phils bench. As a stand-out football player in high school, Brown turned down the opportunity to play at the University of Miami in college to focus on baseball. Standing tall at 6’5”, his physique lends itself to long strides and an extended swing. He is able to cover a lot of ground on the corners and execute on defense with his arm. Brown has worked on his hitting the past couple of years, developing a smooth swing that allows him to reach center/left field with ease. Known for his power and speed, Brown has developed into a five-skill player. He has the speed, the defensive ability, arm strength, and hitting for power and average needed for an elite Major Leaguer. He is currently ranked as the #14 prospect in the minors by Major League Baseball.

And don’t worry, the name is spelled right. Brown says that people have been spelling it wrong for years – all the way back in high school when he was first discovered – and that he was just too polite to correct anyone. Think of it as just another way for Domonic to stand out.

-Mia Spadoni

Charlie Manuel, on Jayson Werth’s new look:

“He looks like a guy that didn’t do a whole lot this winter, kinda isolated himself…and didn’t have a razor or a barber around.”

Ryan Howard, on the Phillies

“With the nucleus of this team, you want to constantly go out there and bang, if you will.”

Timbaland, on the Queen of Pop:

“People do not respect music anymore. They go by what’s hot…and if you’re hot, [they think] you deserve 4 or 5 Grammys. Madonna is a genius and she only has 2 or 3 Grammys. What is that about?”

The Dalai Lama, on Tiger Woods’ claims of Buddhism:

“I think mainly whether you call it Buddhism or another religion, self-discipline, that’s important. Self-discipline with awareness of consequence.”

Allen Iverson, twittering about his sick daughter:

“I needed to be there to hold my little girl’s hand and encourage her…I wanted her to wake up every morning and see her Daddy’s face.”

Andre Iguodala, twittering after Ivey was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks:

“Shout out to my man [Royal Ivey], one of the best t’mates I ever had.”

Evan Lysacek, US Olympic figure skating gold medalist:

“The Olympics are so powerful. I’m at the airport lounge watching with a group of strangers…just brought us all together.Thetogether. The power to unite!”

Bitter Russian skater Evengi Plushenko, after finishing second to Evan Lysacek:

“If the Olympic champion doesn’t know how to jump a quad, I don’t know. Now it’s not men’s figure skating, now it’s dancing.”

San Diego Chargers president Dean Spanos, on the release of LaDainian Tomlinson:

“I told him that in the 26 years that I’ve been in this business, it was probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do. I’m not close to a lot of players [except for] a handful, and he’s probably the closest.”

Eagles coach Andy Reid, after the release of Brian Westbrook:

“He, to me, is a Philadelphia Eagle. My heart will always be a Brian Westbrook Fan.”

Shaun White, on winning the gold after just his first run:

“I was contemplating just riding straight through the middle or doing that last run,run and I chose the other. I had that victory run.”

Johnny Weir, addressing homophobic comments made about him by Canadian broadcasters:

“I felt very defiant when I saw these comments. I felt that it wasn’t these two men criticizing my skating; it wasn’t them criticizing my anything. It was them criticizing me as a person.”

Beyonce, on the discontinuation of her alter-ego:

“Sasha Fierce is dead. I killed her.”

Phillies head Coach Charlie Manuel, on Chase Utley’s first MLB hit being a grand slam:

“That’s the way you play the game unless you want to put some rouge and makeup and lipstick on.”

Lady Gaga, on what she said to a former boyfriend who didn’t believe she’d ever make it:

“I said to him, ‘Someday, when we’re not together, you won’t be able to order a cup of coffee at the…deli without hearing or seeing me.’”

LeBron James, after announcing that he’s changing his number because of Jordan’s legacy:

“There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dywane Wade if there wasn’t Michael Jordan first.”

-Liz Trubey

As the football season came to a close a few weeks ago with the New Orleans Saints taking their first title in franchise history, some fans have been going through withdrawals. Those Sundays just aren’t the same, unless you look forward to watching coverage of the Combine. So to tide you over, we are going to take a look at what’s been going on in the NFL since the Superbowl. Just because football season is over doesn’t mean the mean the teams are staying quiet.

First up, New York Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez led his team to the AFC Championship game regardless of battling with a knee injury that has been bugging him since his junior year at USC. Sanchez reinjured the patella ligament during the 2009 season and decided to have off-season surgery to correct this problem.

Sanchez recently took to his Twitter account to tell his fans not to worry:
“Out of surgery. Doc says it went exceptionally well. Thx to Dr. (Ken) Montgomery. Thx to family, friends and tweeps for the love and well wishes”

He says he will “definitely” be ready for training camp later this summer.

Next, wide receiver Dante Stallworth just signed with the Baltimore Ravens. The one-year contract will hopefully be a starting point for his comeback after dealing with the vehicular manslaughter conviction he faced back in 2009, which put him in jail for 24 days and suspended him from the league for a year. After being reinstated, the Ravens offered him a $900,000 contract. During his career in the NFL, Stallworth has previously played for the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, and Cleveland Browns.

With one player returning to the NFL, another announces his retirement. Buffalo Bills starting right tackle Brad Butler, 26, decided to retire from the league after just four seasons. Butler said he was leaving the NFL to pursue a career in governmental issues that are close to his heart. He spent the 2008 off-season working for Congressman Jack Kemp, who happens to be a former Bills quarterback.

-Mia Spadoni

The NBA trade deadline has come and gone and, in its wake, left many a confused fan. Over the past few weeks, the 76ers had been immersed in trade rumors, many of these rumors revolving around swingman Andre Iguodala.
The Sixers have been associated with trade negotiations involving Phoenix Suns’ forward Amar’e Stoudemire, Cleveland Cavaliers’ center Zydrunas Ilgauskus, Dallas Mavericks’ forward Josh Howard, and Houston Rockets’ swingman Tracy McGrady. Many people figured—or hoped—that we’d come out of this trade with one of these big-namers who would bend over backwards and help the Sixers through this limbo they’ve been stuck in.

The Suns had their eye on Iguodala, offering up Amar’e Stoudemire, who would potentially be a good match with Elton Brand. The Rockets were only willing to trade McGrady if Iguodala was involved; they proposed trading McGrady and rookie guard-forward Chase Budinger for Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert. Sounds like some good possibilities, right? 73% of readers polled on Philly.com voted for the McGrady/Budinger-Iguodala/Dalembert deal.

Fast forward. It’s now post-trade and we’re down two seldom-used players, guard Royal Ivey and center Primoz Brezec and a 2010 second round draft pick, and we gained rookie guard Jodie Meeks and center Fransisco Elson. Does our seemingly pointless, low-impact trade make any sense?
According to Sixers General Manager Ed Stefanski, yes. His goal for this trade was not to make a deal based on money, but on performance., “protect[ing] his young nucleus.” Both Stoudemire ($17 million) and McGrady’s ($23 million) contracts are expiring.

“We’re very active and a lot of teams are looking for us to do financial deals, to send back expiring contracts—we want to improve the product on the court,” Stefanski said, courtside. “We are in the market to get better players if possible, or equal-value players, to make this team better.”
In her “Deep Sixer blog on Philly.com, Kate Fagan says the bottom line was that the Sixers weren’t going to make the trade for McGrady’s expiring contract if that “was the heart of the deal.”

Regardless of what the fans think of the deal, it was a success in Stefanski’s eyes. His focus was on the acquisition of Meeks, who was high on the Sixer’s 2009 Draft board, and that’s who he got. Kate Fagan suggests that the “lack of a headline-worthy deal” shows that Stefanski has faith in the roster he already has. Meeks could fill a void in the team’s shooting department next season,too, proving to be a valuble piece to the Sixer’s puzzle.

“I think I fit in well. I get up and down the court well just like this team isn known for—I think I’m a smart player who can make an open shot,” Meeks said. “I just have to knock ‘em dead.”

-Liz Trubey

Talk'n'Ticker

The Artistic Value of the Phanatic

Dear Tiger: Nice try.

Talk Soup

Crunching the Numbers

Questioning Roethlisberger's Decisions

Iverson's Latest Woes

Strasburg: After Debut?

Marion Jones Joins the WNBA

Dancing With the Athletes

Bloopers

Spotlight on: Domonic Brown

Talk Soup

Sport of the Week: Football

NBA Trades

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