I’m back. I took a little break because the Eagles season ended with a lot of disappointment and the St. Joe’s Hawks basketball season looks worse than a Mike “The Situation” hook-up at the Jersey Shore. I wanted to take a little time to let my feelings kind of cool down so that I could write a column with a clear mind. I’m going to try and keep this pretty short despite the long hiatus.
Let’s talk about the Eagles first. I would be lying if I said the season wasn’t a disappointment. It was. After soaking it all in, I realized that the Eagles overachieved this season. Realistically, this was a bit of a rebuilding year. Think about it. Jim Johnson, god rest his soul, died. The Andrews Sisters did not come remotely close to meeting expectations. Brian Dawkins left in free agency and Stewart Bradley was lost for the entire season before the first pre-season game. Oh yeah, I almost forgot that we lost our starting quarterback for two games and our starting running back missed almost half of the season because of concussions. So, after considering everything that happened to this team last season, I think that they overachieved with an 11-5 record. However, they were a very big disappointment because they couldn’t beat the dreaded Dallas Cowboys once this year.
As for the future of the Eagles? Well, I’m ready for a change. There won’t be a change at head coach so, I can only hope for a change at quarterback. Don’t get me wrong, I love McNabb and think that he is the best quarterback that I have ever seen wear an Eagles uniform, but it is time to move on. I heard a great point the other day and that is that the foundation of our country and government is predicated upon change when election time comes around every 4-8 years so why should we be so afraid of change after 11 years of the same old, same old, in regard to the Eagles? I’m ready for some change and so should all of the other Eagles fans out there. Other than a change at rifleman, I think that every player that the Eagles draft this spring should play on the defensive side of the team. Pretty simple. That’s all I’ve got in regard to the Eagles.
Phillies? I love the Phillies. I think that they could have kept Cliff Lee on the team, but I can’t complain. They are Awesome with a capital “A.”
The St. Joe’s Hawks? Well, I have had my doubts about Phil Martelli for a while. They go as far back to when Marvin O’Connor was on the team. Remember him? Well, if you don’t, let me refresh your memory. As a junior, he, along with a soon to be legend freshman named Jameer, helped lead the team to a near upset of Stanford in the 2001 NCAA tournament. It was one of the all-time most memorable games in St. Joe’s history. What was Phil Martelli able to do the next year with Marvin, a senior; Jameer, a sophomore; AND a freshman named Delonte West? Take a guess? If you said the NCAA tournament, you would be wrong. Phil could only coach that team to 19 wins and an appearance in the NIT tournament that season. I was very critical of Young Frankenstein and his coaching ability that year and people told me that I was being too hard on him and my expectations shouldn’t be so high. I disagree.
My expectations are to get my team to the NCAA tournament on a more consistent basis. I’m sorry but the NIT just doesn’t cut it for me. It doesn’t. I mean, it isn’t like St. Joe’s is in the Big East. St. Joe’s is in the A-10 and I don’t think that I am or was asking for too much out of Young Frankenstein when he missed the NCAA tournament in 2002 with a roster that had O’Connor, Nelson, and West as well as smart role players like Tyrone Barley on it.
Young Frankenstein won the hearts of everyone in the city as well as across the nation two years later when his team rose as high as #1 in the rankings and had a perfect regular season record. As a result, it appears that he was given a lifetime pass that coaching legends the likes of Joe Paterno, John Wooden, and Dean Smith and a few others have only been able to earn. For what? One perfect season? C’mon! Young Frankenstein is in his 15th season now and you would think that he has won 12 or 13 A-10 titles when in reality he has only been able to win one and that wasn’t even with two future NBA players on his team. My patience with Baldy has run out, but I’m willing to give him another year or two.
The person that needs to step down after doing a great job is the athletic director, “Dandy” Don DiJulia. Don has done a great job, but it is now time for him to retire to a beach in the Florida Keys and spend the days fishing and sipping on mai tai’s and margaritas. By building the expanded Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse his legacy has been completed. Now it is time to bring in some young blood to help Baldy market his team better to recruits. That’s all I’ve got on St. Joe’s.
Sixers? Tank the season and get more ping-pong balls baby.
Flyers? Who cares? Hockey is a terrible sport. I’d rather watch a Soccer game.
Nova? Sucks. The Hawk Will Never Die! and T is for Temple.