Philly Phanatics – THE online community for Philly sports fanatics

(The Fish ‘n Chips column is sponsored by Legal Sea Foods – Gourmet Gift Division … so much more than Fish ‘n Chips … “If it isn’t fresh, it isn’t Legal!”)

The Philadelphia sports scene has become so grim that a pitcher needing shoulder surgery is treated as good news.

Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay will have arthroscopic shoulder surgery on Wednesday, one day after his 36^th birthday. The surgery will remove a bone spur, and repair a torn rotator cuff and frayed labrum.

That doesn’t sound like good news, but Halladay was one step short of ebullient when conveying the news about his surgery. He spoke of pitching again this season. He spoke of the surgery possibly “turning back the clock” two or three years. Halladay made the surgery sound like a magical elixir that would restore the form and results he displayed in his prime.

Halladay’s reaction makes sense. Now he knows why he’s lost velocity off his fastball. Now he knows why he’s having difficulty with location. Now he knows why his shoulder is sore.

But Halladay’s struggles started before he experienced soreness these past two weeks. And the bone spur didn’t develop overnight. While Halladay views the surgery with optimism – and it’s completely understandable why he is taking that approach – the rest of us should view the surgery with caution.

Pitchers generally don’t return from shoulder surgery more effective than they were in the years prior to the surgery. In other words, shoulder surgeries don’t often “turn back the clock.”

Even Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. sounded a cautionary note. Doctors won’t know the full extent of Halladay’s injuries until they operate and get a better look inside his shoulder. For example, the partial rotator cuff tear could be close to a full tear.

Even if the surgery cleans up all the problems, that doesn’t necessarily mean Halladay will be the pitcher who arrived in Philadelphia seeking a championship a few years ago. And that brings us to another sticky situation.

Let’s assume that Halladay’s surgery is successful and he is able to pitch in August or September. There will be questions about where Halladay will pitch next season. His Phillies contract expires this year. Will he return to the Phillies? Not if he wants to win that elusive championship.

*****

FIRST LOOK: We’ll get a first look at Eagles rookies this weekend, with rookie and free agent camp starting Friday at the NovaCare complex. Actually, much of practice is closed, so we won’t really get a good look.

Quarterback Matt Barkley will be the featured performer. It’s a little easier to tell if a quarterback looks sharp at a mini-camp than an offensive lineman, such as first-round pick Lane Johnson.

*****

SOUNDS OF SILENCE: Nobody should be surprised by the Sixers’ silence in the wake of Andrew Bynum flamenco dancing in Madrid during the first-round of the NBA playoffs.

As I wrote in a Sixers Notebook last November, owner Josh Harris and the once-ubiquitous CEO Adam Aron disappeared from public view once it became clear that Bynum wasn’t going to play for an extended period of time. With Bynum apparently more interested in auditioning for Dancing with the Stars then the first round of the NBA playoffs, Sixers management was once again silent.

Bynum’s dancing was disturbing to fans who shelled out money for tickets and merchandise this season in expectation that Bynum would play. At the very least, the Sixers should have expressed disappointment at Bynum’s footloose adventures in Spain and made it clear they would not re-sign him.

The only reason not to make that statement is if the Sixers are leaving their options open in terms of re-signing Bynum. And that’s a scary thought.

*****

DANCE FEVER: If the Sixers re-sign Bynum and he can’t play yet again, perhaps he could earn some of his salary by joining the cheerleaders for dance routines.

*****

CUP FEVER: No sporting event is more exciting than the Stanley Cup playoffs. By the way, those of you who picked the Sharks and Senators as the first teams to wrap up first-round series, please raise your hand.

*****

DERBY FEVER: Does any sporting event receive more hype for less of a payoff than the Kentucky Derby. The race is exciting, but do we need three hours of pre-race coverage for a 2-minute race?

*****

ROAD WARRIORS: All four visiting teams almost won the opening game of the NBA’s second-round playoff series. The Pacers handily beat the Knicks and the Bulls stunned the Heat. The Grizzlies almost beat the Thunder and the Warriors should have beaten the Spurs.

The Spurs’ Game 1 comeback against the Warriors was one of the most thrilling games I’ve seen in ages. They were trailing by 16 points with four-and-a-half minutes left. Tim Duncan was in the locker room with a stomach virus. A Spurs victory seemed impossible. But they pulled it off against the upstart Warriors, who showed they are for real by winning Game 2.

All four NBA series are tied at 1-1. And you know the Warriors and Grizzlies think they should be ahead 2-0.

*****

UNWELCOME BREAK: With four series, why couldn’t the NBA schedule a game for Thursday night? Having a night off during the second round doesn’t make any sense.

*****

BOB-BING FOR TROPHIES: If the Flyers use the amnesty clause on Ilya Bryzgalov and his expensive contract, they will look even worse if Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky wins the Vezina Trophy. Bobrovsky is one of three finalists for the best goalie award, along with the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist and Sharks’ Antti Niemi.

*****

WHO’S YOUR DAD-DY: Philadelphia is home to so many unique sporting events. Friday and Saturday the city hosts the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, which is celebrating its 75^th year. The Dad Vail, which takes place on the Schuylkill River, is the largest collegiate rowing event in the United States.

*****

HAPP-Y ENDING: It was great to see J.A. Happ escape relatively unscathed after getting hit with a line drive Tuesday night off the bat of the Rays’ Desmond Jennings. “Unscathed” might seem like the wrong word for a head contusion and skull fracture behind his ear, but it’s the right word when you consider that the ball bounced off Happ’s head and went all the way to the dugout, approximately 200 feet away.

Happ, a former Phillie, is fortunate the damage wasn’t much, much worse.

Eric Fisher, who has been covering sports for more than 24 years, has never been flamenco dancing – at least not that he can remember.

(The Fish ‘n Chips column is sponsored by Legal Sea Foods – Gourmet Gift Division … so much more than Fish ‘n Chips … “If it isn’t fresh, it isn’t Legal!”)

The Eagles will take a big step this week. The question is in which direction will the step be taken.

A good draft could lead to a quicker turnaround. A bad draft could delay the Eagles’ return to the postseason.

The Eagles have the fourth pick in the draft, which begins Thursday night (8 p.m.) with the first round, continues Friday (6:30 p.m.) with the second and third rounds, and concludes Saturday (noon) with the fourth through seventh rounds.

There will be plenty of quality available when the Eagles select at No. 4. There are three terrific offensive tackle prospects: Texas A&M’s Luke Joeckel, Central Michigan’s Eric Fisher and Oklahoma’s Lane Johnson. At least one of these three tackles, if not two of them, should be available with the fourth pick. If Oregon defensive end Dion Jordan is available at No. 4, it will be interesting to see if Chip Kelly could resist picking his former player.

The wild card at No. 4 is West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith. The Eagles could pick Smith, which I believe would be a mistake. But they also could dangle the No. 4 pick as trade bait for teams (Bills? Dolphins?) interested in Smith. That would enable the Eagles to pick up an additional second- or third-round draft choice. Or both.

The Eagles certainly have plenty of needs, so picking up extra picks, particularly at the top of the second and third rounds, should help them fill in the gaps in their lineup. The Eagles enter the draft with one pick in each of the first five rounds, no picks in the sixth round and four seventh-round picks. They certainly would want to package some of those seventh-round picks in any trade.

If Fisher or Joeckel is available at No. 4, it’s difficult to believe the Eagles will pass on getting a potentially dominant All-Pro tackle. If they’re both gone, however, the Eagles may trade out of the fourth position if they believe they could still get a player than like, such as Alabama guard Chance Warmack, Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner or Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, at whichever position their trade partner is supposed to draft.

Assuming the Eagles don’t trade down below No. 12, their potential trade partners are the Lions (No. 5), Browns (6), Cardinals (7), Bills (8), Jets (9), Texans (10), Chargers (11) and Dolphins (12).

Keep a close eye on PhillyPhanatics.com for a draft preview. All that’s riding on the draft is the future of the franchise and Chip Kelly’s future as head coach.

*****

WORTHLESS PREDICTION: We don’t know who the starting quarterback will be or who they will draft, but predicting the Eagles’ record after their schedule comes out is almost an obligation. So here we go.

The Eagles will lose their Monday night opener at Washington. They will return home and defeat the Chargers, who also open their season on Monday night, then, playing their third game in 11 days, will lose a Thursday night game to the Chiefs.

The Eagles will have 10 days until their next game, as opposed to their next opponent, the Broncos, who must play on Monday night (hosting the Raiders) before hosting the Eagles. It won’t matter. The Broncos will win. The Eagles continue their three-game road trip at the Giants and at the Bucs, who will be well-rested after having a bye in Week 5. That could be an 0-3 road trip, dropping the Eagles’ record to 1-5.

The Eagles will return home to defeat the Cowboys, coming off a Sunday night game against the Redskins. The Giants will play the Vikings that Monday, so they will have a short week before facing the Eagles during Week 8. An Eagles upset improves their record to 3-5 at the midpoint of the season.

The Eagles get a little full of themselves with their back-to-back wins and lose to the Raiders in Week 9. That is followed by a loss to the Packers, even though the Packers host the Bears on Monday night the previous week. The Eagles will then lose at home to the Redskins, who have 10 days to rest after playing on Thursday night, giving the Birds a 3-8 record headed into their bye week.

The Eagles come out of the break with home games against the Cardinals and Lions. I think they’ll beat the Cardinals but lose to the Lions. The Eagles will lose at Minnesota, surprise the Bears at home and close the season with a win over the Cowboys.

That’s a 6-10 record. I reserve the right to change my opinion before the season begins.

*****

DARK DAYS: Wells Fargo Center will be dark this spring. The Sixers and Flyers both missed the playoffs. The Wings made the playoffs, but missed out on the opportunity to host a home game. The Soul, who kicked off the regular season, will be the only pro sports team playing games at Wells Fargo Center after this week.

As my colleague Josh Landsburg has pointed out for months on PhillyPhanatics.com’s Internet Blog Talk Radio show (Sundays, 6:30-7 p.m.), this is the first time all four major Philadelphia sports teams have missed the playoffs consecutively since 1993-94.

*****

RELAYS WEEK: The NFL Draft isn’t the only major event taking place Thursday through Sunday. The Penn Relays, perhaps the premier Relays carnival in the United States, takes place at and around the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field.

Athletes ranging from grade school to elite Olympians take part in the Penn Relays. The atmosphere is tremendous. If you haven’t been to the Penn Relays before, do yourself a favor and go this year.

Two warnings should be issued. Parking can be difficult to find. If you can get to the Penn Relays using public transportation, you should do it. Second, in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, there are new security rules regarding what can be brought into the venue. Please check the Penn Relays Web site for specific restrictions.

*****

POOR PLANNING: Why are the Phillies celebrating the Philly Phanatic’s birthday before a night game. Shouldn’t the birthday celebration be during a day game so more kids can attend?

And if ESPN wouldn’t give up the Sunday night game, then the Phillies should have switched Saturday’s game to an afternoon game.

*****

DOUBLE STANDARD: When the U.S. Open comes to Merion this June, let’s hope Tiger Woods doesn’t receive the same preferential treatment he received at the Masters.

For those who missed it, Woods’ approach shot on the 15^th hole during the second round hit the flag stick and bounced into the water. Woods didn’t like the designated drop area, which was muddy. That left him with two options. He could either move back in a straight path from the drop area or he could drop the ball at the spot from which he hit his last shot.

Instead, Woods dropped the ball approximately two yards behind where he hit his last shot. After being alerted by a view, the rules committee looked at the video and determined that Woods had not dropped in the wrong place. They did not notify Woods they had studied his drop.

After the round, Woods stated in an interview that he dropped the ball two yards behind his original spot and took a little velocity off his swing so he would have a better shot to the flag. When confronted with this evidence, the Augusta National Competition Committee issued Woods a 2-stroke penalty for an illegal drop but, citing Rule 33-7, which states “A penalty of disqualification may in exceptional individual cases be waived, modified or imposed if the Committee considers such action warranted,” did not disqualify him for signing an incorrect scorecard.

The only “exceptional” aspect of this incident is it involved Tiger Woods. With CBS and sponsors wanting Woods to play during the weekend, Woods was granted the unusual waiver.

The rest of the explanation is pure nonsense. If the rules committee had informed Woods he was not penalized for the drop, that would be different. But, by not telling him they even looked into the drop, they didn’t cause Woods any problems.

Woods committed an intentional act, as opposed to accidentally causing his ball to move, that broke the rules to gain an advantage. If his name weren’t Tiger Woods, he would have been disqualified.

*****

SOUNDS OF SILENCE: I confess that I didn’t watch every second of the Masters, but during the extensive hours I watched the tournament, I didn’t hear anyone say Woods should have been disqualified or, after the ruling, withdrawn from the tournament.

By contrast, many commentators on the Golf Channel thought Woods should have been disqualified or should have withdrawn. Even Nick Faldo, who said on the Golf Channel that Woods should have withdrawn, changed his tune by the time CBS started broadcasting the third round. I wonder what changed his mind?

*****

MAKING A STATEMENT: How could Tiger Woods have withdrawn from the Masters? This is a proposed statement posted by a friend of mine, who says “I love Tiger Woods.” So he’s not a “hater.”

“Members of the Committee, I have reviewed the video of my drop at the 15^th hole. The rules required that I drop the ball as close as possible to the place where I initially hit the ball. I did not do that. With all due respect to your determination that I be given a 2-shot penalty and not be disqualified (which I very much appreciate), I am obligated as a golf professional to disqualify myself from this year’s Masters tournament. I very much look forward to playing at this prestigious tournament next year. Best of luck to the remaining players, Tiger Woods.”

That’s how Woods could have handled this situation with class.

Eric Fisher, who has been covering sports for more than 24 years, is hoping the Eagles select Eric Fisher with the fourth pick of the NFL Draft.