Now that the hometown Flyers are eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, what keeps me watching? Well, I think I’d watch no matter who was playing. I just love hockey that much. But I’m watching with added excitement this year because I still have a rooting interest. For whom? For the Chicago Blackhawks.

Why? Well that’s easy to answer.

First, I’m from Illinois. Then, it’s the crest on the sweater. The renaissance of a once moribund franchise. It is the determination and execution of a plan by a man who had years to stew about what should be done and finally got to do it (he’s my favorite Rocky!). It’s the long-suffering fans who were desperate for a reason to keep supporting their team and when they finally got an owner who cared about them and cared about winning they came back with open hearts and embraced the team that finally was there to embrace them in return. It’s the young players–Kane, Toews, Byfuglien–and the old ones–Havlat, Khabi–and the in between–Sharpie, who couldn’t be more likeable and turned out to be a heck of a player, Mr. Hitchcock.

So starting tonight it’s yet another chapter in the remarkable rebirth of a legendary hockey franchise. GO HAWKS!

Last year’s Flyers Season Ticket Holder Town Hall was a revelation. Who knew that a major, big city sports team would, or could, find a way to interact meaningfully at the management level with the fans. But the Flyers have refined their format to fine art. So for the second year in a row, I was able to speak with, question, hear from Flyers brass.

This year again we started with a quick meal in the Lexus Club. Then we moved on to sessions with Peter Luukko and Shawn Tilger, Premium Seating and Parking, Chris Pryor and Don Luce, Paul Holmgren, and John Stevens (who was on the road for the session I attended last year).

Peter Luukko and Shawn Tilger

Peter Luukko, President and Chief Operating Officer of Comcast Spectacor, and Shawn Tilger, SeniorVice President Business Operations, were set to talk about the business side of things. First, the Phantoms sale. There was concern expressed from the STHs about the situation with the Flyers not having an AHL affiliate if the Phantoms new owners did not have a place for them to play in 2009-10. Luukko said that every NHL team is guaranteed an AHL affiliate. So there should be no concern there. But because the Phantoms have an abundance of young talent, which is finally apparent in their play now that the Flyers are healthy and the Phantoms have been able to play with a full roster, there are a number of AHL teams that are currently unaffiliated that would like to be the Flyers farm team. The worst case scenario would be a shared affiliation. But there will definitely be a place for the Flyers to put their developing players.

Philly Live, the development that is planned for the lots directly north of the Wachovia Center and the location of the Spectrum, is on track for government approvals and it is expected that ground will be broken soon, with completion in 14-18 months. Because the location pretty much guarantees significant traffic, there is not the same concern about finding tenants that the developer has at some other sites. And although financing is tight, it has been loosening up and they believe that there will not be a delay for that.

I asked the question I’ve been trying to get clarified for some time. If the cap comes down, will existing contracts stay at their level or be adjusted in some way. The contracts will stay at the same level, so it is possible that in 2010-11 there will be significant problems for teams bumping up against the cap.

As for free agency in the future, because teams are moving younger players into the lineups faster in order to get cap flexibility, free agents may find themselves unable to command the same kind of  contracts they have. Luukko expects many free agents will find themselves settling for less in order to be signed quickly or hanging around unsigned until November or later. There is no real remedy in the collective bargaining agreement to prevent the hanging players. For some teams, the prorated contracts are a benefit, they aren’t really a benefit to the players.

At this point, someone asked about Mike Knuble. Luukko said Knuble will have to think about what he wants. There s nothing wrong with making $1 million for three years if the alternative is making nothing for not playing. We get a much more positive spin on the situation later from General Manager Paul Holmgren.

Chris Pryor and Don Luce

Chris Pryor, Director of Hockey Operations, and Don Luce, Director of Player Development, concentrated on young players and the draft.

Asked about James van Riemsdyk and when the Flyers could reealistically expect him to crack the lineup, Pryor said that it is “up to James.” The Flyers are “hoping he’ll be pushing.” “We’re going to be patient…we think the world of him.” His readiness will depend on his own timetable and his work ethic. He noted that Bobby Ryan spent two years in the AHL before being ready but Claude Giroux spent two months. It just depends on the player. But the Flyers tend to “overcook” players, preferring they be in the AHL a bit longer rather than rushing a player.

Someone was under the impression Europe would dry up as a source of talent with the emergence of the KHL, but Luce said the KHL is “disintegrating” and that some teams “weren’t paid for the second half” of the season. But the Flyers aren’t unhappy with the North American talent they’ve found.

Luca Sbisa is expected to be back soon, because his junior club is down 2-0 in a series with the best team. I asked if they expect him to fill out and they said he has to stop growing first. He’s up to 6′2″ and they expect him to top out at 6′3″. They do think he may need to temper his style of play to stay healthy but they love the way he plays. They expect him to play with the Phantoms if the AHL club makes the playoffs (which is contrary to what I thought–I thought he had one more year of junior eligibility, so wouldn’t be able to play with the Phantoms), the be available as defensive depth for the Flyers in the Playoffs.

Asked (by me, at the behest of my friends at HockeyBuzz.com) about the dearth of goalie talent in the pipeline they were a bit put off. Pryor discussed the recent signing of Backlund and talked about there being a gap between Marty Biron, who is in his prime, and the younger developing goaltenders in the system, who are in their early 20s and not ready for prime time. But they said there really are very few teams well set up in the pipeline or really happy with an elite goaltender and they feel the Flyers are in good shape. Luce fined me $25 for asking that question.

Then they played a video of highlights of Sbisa and van Riemsdyk.

Paul Holmgren

I couldn’t expect the Paul Holmgren session to be as rich a vein as it was last year. How often is a general manager that forthcoming? But he doesn’t duck any question.

On the goaltenders–it is not out of the question that both goalies re-sign. They haven’t been great this year. But the “modest success” the team achieved last year was due to Martin Biron.

The cap is not yet set for 2009-10, they should hear by June 30 (doesn’t leave a lot of time before the draft) and expect it to be close to what it was this season.

Mike Knuble wants to be back and the Flyers want him back. He will be the first veteran player they’ve signed where the bonuses may come into play. He doesn’t see any reason the Flyers can’t get a deal done with him.

Someone asked about the Jeff Carter for Thomas Kaberle deal rumored from last year and he said, “Don’t believe everything you read.”

At the recent GM meetings he was on the fighting panel. There were a number of groups, but NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman never left the fighting discussion. But he doesn’t see fighting being out of the game.

To manage the cap, a team needs to add one or two young players a year or they will fall by the wayside.

Claude Giroux is one of the smartest players the Flyers have had in a long time.

On James van Riemsdyk–the biggest step a player takes is from juniors or college to the AHL. The step from the AHL to the NHL isn’t as big. JVR needs to learn to work to compete.

Other topics covered at the GM meetings were “a lot of crap [he doesn't] listen to,” hits to the head, and goalies taking a beating. Homer agrees that is an area of concern.

John Stevens

Flyers Coach John Stevens was the last stop on our rotation. Not having had the chance to meet with Stevens last year, I was wondering how this would go. He was as straight shooting and open as everyone else in the organization.

He started with the Identity Video. It’s really a statement of the Flyers brand. He uses it to remind the players who they are. What it means to be a Flyer. What is expected of a Flyer each time he steps on the ice. They should be the same team every night.

Of course, this was followed by someone asking why, if they know they should be the same team every night, aren’t they? The Flyers are the sixth or seventh youngest team in the NHL. That has some impact. The starting centers are 24, 24, and 21. He also feels that 15 games in 30 days in March wore them down mentally and physically and the significant changes in the team caused by trades and guys getting healthy disrupted things.

He is concerned a little bit, but is confident the Flyers can get back to being aggressive and disciplines. Now it’s time to go. This week is important–”that we win games and how we play them.”

There was some discussion of lines. He said they like Giroux in the middle. He has “elite vision.” In addition, when he was on the wing he’d stand still and was easy to take to the boards, but in the center he’s “dynamic.”

Asked about turnovers, he thinks the main issues are the youth of the team and that they are so aggressive offensively. But puck support is getting better.

As for consistency, they have scored more goals and allowed fewer than they did last season. So they are an improving team.

The question of penalties came up. He said they did think they’re beginning to avoid the avoidable penalties–like throwing a glove on a breakaway. But things like Carcillo getting a misconduct for mouthing off to an official need to go. Any time you find yourself venting emotion to an official that’s wasted energy and can’t happen.  They want to avoid penalties from lack of effort–keep the feet moving and you won’t find yourself out of position and hooking or tripping–but they will always accept agressive penalties.

Stevens’s demeanor came up and he said he can get animated in the room but “this group responds well to objective matter-of-fact reasoning” so that’s usually the way to go with them.

I asked about Lupul possibly being a candidate for the mental exercises R.J. Umberger benefitted from two years ago. Stevens said the company that did that training is out of business–they had a good product but a bad business model. But he said Lupul is perhaps sometimes unfairly criticized because Carter shoots so much, there isn’t as much opportunity for him to score as he might if he were with a more assist-minded center. That’s why the try of Lupul on Mike Richards’s line. But the Scott Hartnell/Carter/Lupul line had been very successful and it is likely the line combinations they have now, with Simon Gagne/Richards/Knuble and Briere/Giroux/Aron Asham are likely to stay that way, with occasional rotations based on penalty kill and power play play.

Final Impressions

It’s interesting to see the personalities running this team. None of them are exactly high-energy guys. They’re solid, perhaps stolid, men. Luukko is the most animated. But both Holmgren and Luce have active, perhaps slightly acid, senses of humor. They’re sharp, remarkably open. The only time I felt I might not be getting their full honest opinion was on the goalkeepers, when it was obvious I’d touched a nerve.

But I was surprised at the overall lack of defensiveness. They’re savvy communicators. and Flyers fans are very very lucky to have the opportunity to interact with them in such an open forum.

I just saw “The Wrestler” after having it recommended to me by a critic friend I trust and after seeing the impressive trailer and I’m not sure whether I liked it or not. The theater was full so I couldn’t move away from the 12-year-old guy disguised as a late-20s adult on a date. I knew during the trailers he was bad news because he did that stupid adolescent giggling at the romantic scenes, giggling at the gay movie, giggling at the emotion scenes in the trailers. I wanted to do the perfect escape move and disable his gonads for the rest of his worthless life.

Also, if you are a guy with less than a 2-hour bladder. Don’t go to the movies. Wait until you find it on cable.

But other than that it was $9 well spent. I was impressed with Mickey Rourke. Disturbed by Marissa Tomei. And not nearly impressed by Evan Rachel Wood’s character (although I think I believed the actress) as everyone I’ve read.

I think I suffer from the unrealistic expectations. Everyone seems to think this is the best sports movie EVER. But I don’t see it as a sports movie. Never will it be more clear to you that wrestling isn’t a sport. And in order to explain the parts that don’t ring true to me on the personal front, I’d have to spoil, which I don’t want to do.

So, I can’t recommend it. But I wouldn’t try to discourage you if you feel compelled. Maybe you’ll be lucky and sit next to a grown up. Then the experience may be a whole different thing.

It isn’t quite what it would have been if they’d done it when I was attending every single Phillies home game, like maybe 1993. Oh if they’d won the World Series that year I’d have ended up in intensive care.

But here I am, in my frigid living room (kept cold so I could share in the atmosphere of the Cit without having to shell out $900 for the right to stand there) drinking a flute of asti spumante. Yes, there have been cheers, whoops, shouts, curling up in a ball of anxiety, and tears of pure joy.

Yes, today may be the day that the Phils finally blow the tinfoil hats off the silly curse promoters. But before we revel in the potential fulfillment of our sports dreams, the weekend just past deserves some celebration all its own.

I started out this weekend hoping for a nearly impossible run–seven for seven from my favorite teams. And this is how it went:

• On Friday night, the Flyers beat the Devils in NJ for the first time since 2004. It was the Flyers first win of the season

• Saturday started with a rare 4pm start game for the Flyers, who followed up their Friday victory with a home win against the Devils in overtime.

• After just enough of a break to let Flyers fans get home, Penn State beat Ohio State in the Horseshoe in Columbus for the first time in 30 years, keeping hopes of a championship run alive.

• Overlapping the PSU game by only a little, because of the rain, the Phils won an exciting game 3 of the World Series over the Tampa Bay Rays, setting off fireworks at 1:47am.

• Sunday started with a stunning Liverpool win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea hadn’t lost in 86 matches. This moved the Reds into first place in the Premiership and legitimizes their league championship hopes. I realize this doesn’t fit an amazing Philadelphia sports weekend. But you’ll note this is MY amazing sports weekend. Sadly, the game was not even available PPV. So of all the events of the weekend, I didn’t get to see this one.

• Then the Eagles beat Atlanta making it hard for Eagles tailgaters to follow instructions and leave immediately after the game, so the parking lots would be ready for Phillies fans.

• Finally, The Phils crushed the Rays in a dominating game 4 performance.

If you’re anything like me, you are exhausted and happy and looking forward to losing your mind tonight. It couldn’t happen to a more fiercely loyal, frustratingly pessimistic fanbase. None of that curse stuff today. None of the woe is me stuff. No complaining about perceived weaknesses. This is the day to take down the walls around your heart and let it beat for the Phillies. Love them right to a historic victory. Enjoy the ride!

One of my favorite on-line places to hang out is Tomato Nation, where Sars gives great advice and occasionally rants about baseball. (I’ll forgive her for being a Yankee fan–I think she may have been born that way.)

Each year for the past few she and her “awesome” readers have supported teachers’ projects through Donor’s Choose. If you follow that link, and scroll just a few projects down, you’ll see a high-poverty school is in need of about $300 worth of basketballs and other basketball-related equipment. Donations through Donors Choose are 100% tax deductible and you can donate as little as a dollar. Believe me, little donations add up fast.

And as a special treat for those of us who follow the antics of the inimitable Sars, donors through her bloggers’ challenge get her closer to her goal of $100,000 donated by her readers and supporters. If that goal is reached, Sars will dress up as a tomato and dance at the White House. If you wonder what a dancing tomato looks like, check out last year’s Donor’s Choose tomato dance at Rockefeller Center.

You know as well as I do how much sports can mean to keeping high-risk kids in school. So click on that link up there, give some dough, and maybe noodle around in the site a bit to find more places to give.

Even when I still had Phillies Season Tickets, the purchase of post-season seats included minor annoyances. I’ll never understand charging season ticket holders a fee for buying their season tickets, or for buying post-season tickets. Incorporate the cost of doing business in the ticket, for heaven’s sake.

But now that I have not even a Six-Pack plan, I had decided that the post-season was out of reach. I’d seen the ticket prices on Stub Hub and knew I couldn’t afford to go.

Today, I was jonesing big time for tickets for tonight’s game between the Phillies and the Dodgers. A post season without me? I couldn’t imagine it. But I went to Stub Hub again, to remind myself that the tickets were beyond me. What did I see but a set of three tickets behind the plate in the Hall of Fame Club at an unbelievably low price. I called the agency, asked them if the seller would consider selling a single (leaving them with a very easy-to-sell pair). They called the seller. He said yes. And I’m going to the Phillies game tonight.

Now I feel a little bad for the seller, because I think he underpriced his seats, thinking it would be too hard to sell the three. And I wonder, looking at a few of the very few tickets left for sale, if it is a function of not quite getting how the site works.

If you have a three tickets, it’s always smart to offer to sell either a single or the three together. If you sell the single, the site automatically resets to sell the pair. I know from experience that finding a single on a ticket site can be hard. And I know it is easier to sell a pair than to sell three. If you set up to sell 3 or 1, you’re increasing the possibility you’ll sell the tickets. For example, today, after I bought the single, the pair sold within a few minutes.

In any case, I’m glad the guy didn’t understand this. Because I was able to afford to go tonight, and I’m paying less for a premium seat than I would have for available nosebleeds or outfield seats.

Another thing struck me after I paid for the ticket. I’d been thinking that not being a season ticket holder meant I spent way too much for a playoff ticket. But then I thought, no, if I were a season ticket holder there would have been plenty of games I would have missed. I went to the games I wanted to go to and will go tonight for significantly less money than I would have to spend on a full season. I’ve decided paying up for the playoffs and going to only a handful of regular season games is the way to go. And next year (or maybe in two weeks or so) I won’t feel guilty about the price of the post season

You have got to be kidding me. I wait all summer for the hockey season to start. I spend all this time longing for opening night, with all the hooplah and happiness, and this is what I get?

What genius thought this was a great idea? What brilliant PR person at the Philadelphia Flyers, who usually don’t put a foot wrong, didn’t realize that forcing all of their paying customers to attend what will amount to a pre-election rally for Sarah Palin is not the right thing to do? Since when is politicizing the product (in a largely Democrat city, no less) good for the brand.

Yes, I know Ed Snider is all over the Ayn Rand pseudo-philosophy. But his personal politics are his own business. His business should not be used to be political. And I don’t want to have Sarah Palin shoved down my throat.

On a night when the fans should be welcomed back and charged up to start another run for the cup, the focus will be, not on the Flyers, or their fans, but on a political candidate who’s approval/performance ratings have been falling consistently.

And if I have to hear how sexy she is by wickedly chuckling men (it started immediately) for the next three days, I’ll puke. Please don’t tell me this is a victory for feminism, when the only positive thing people have to say about a woman candidate is how cute she is. Can we have smart, please? There are plenty of women out here who are smart. Lot’s of them are smart AND cute.

For the first time in 20 years I am not in a full blown football pool. For the first time in probably 15, I’m not running one.

So this year, no worrying about being home early enough Tuesday night to prepare the odds sheet and send it out. No worrying about my own picks and whether I’m going to use a system or not and whether or not my system needs to be tweaked. No getting annoyed at the players for thinking the deadline doesn’t apply to them so I end up getting up early before church Sunday and STILL not having all the picks in so I can get the sheets out to the players and they can see how they’re doing in relation to everyone else. And no more sending checks to people the weeks I don’t win.

Yes, I’m in Glen Macnow’s Suicide Pool, hoping to stay in a while, like I did the first year I partook and no end up out in the first week (thank you Jacksonville) like I was last year. But that’s not nearly so time consuming or, yes, I’ll say it, stressful.

For the first time in years, my autumn is as it should be. Bliss.

The LPGA is requiring golfers to achieve a basic level of competence in conversational English in order to continue to play on tour. This has, as you might expect, caused a firestorm of reaction. For a balanced, nuanced view, Ron Sirak looks at reaction from players and agents.

Interestingly, an article the title of which suggests tennis doesn’t think language is a problem really comes out saying the athletes all realize the importance of speaking English, so the ITF hasn’t needed to create a policy to encourage behavior the players are already exhibiting. So the ITF would think it were a problem if the players hadn’t all (but one, apparently) caught on that speaking English was in their own best interests.

David Whitley of The Orlando Sentinel writes in favor of the LPGA rule, but uses an unfortunate Wendy’s illustration (we’re not talking minimum-wage workers, here). While The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Bob Ford comes down opposed.

Jason Sobel, at the end of a notes column, provides Padraig Harrington’s take on the issue.

Finally, although Jim McCabe in the Boston Globe is possibly the most heated opponent, his arguments also made the most sense to me.

In any case, the LPGA has come off as rather ham fisted in the public relations department, and wasn’t that the area this rule was supposed to boost?