You may have noticed the reemergence of the Card Table Tees banner around these parts recently. I'm hoping to make a similar rededication to the site by adding some new designs and features in the coming weeks. I realize my design ideas aren't always the best and expect that to be my primary obstacle. Therefore, I'm soliciting any fresh thoughts on the matter from those willing to serve up some intellectual property free of charge. Whaddyagot?

I'm through with this game. Ever since Ken Dodson first proposed a hand of 7/27 a few years ago, I've been at odds with one of the most drawn-out, unimaginative poker games ever dealt.

In fact, I've adopted an early exit strategy for this game which I regrettably veered from when my brother-in-law Tony called 2/22 at a poker table this past weekend. This "reds only" version promises all the frustration, chip reduction and stolen moments of 7/27 and then multiplies it all by 2.

Nevertheless, I caught a red 5 down and a red 8 up off the deal. My adversaries' hands lent themselves more to playing for the 2 rather than the 22 for the most part, so I thought I'd stick around and see another card or so. After a black face card, I landed the other red 8. Hmm... I think that gives me 21, which is close enough to 22 to start hammering the pot and expressing supreme confidence in my high hand. Eventually, my competitors folded and half the pot was mine - or so I thought. Turns out I was too occupied with my disgust for this game when the dealer announced the rules that I didn't catch the "without being under" addendum.

I was still given parts of half the pot, which in hindsight I realize I had no business accepting. But please understand, if you're playing cards with me and either 7/27 or 2/22 is called, I am only staying in the game if I am dealt exactly 7 or 2. If I'm betting, you better be going high!

Labels: poker, rants, threats

• Alone Star: Philly native Marvin Harrison
  - An approach to work that I can relate to
  
  
• A site you can't take your eyes off
  - All of this sounds so familiar
  
  
• Arenas says he'd score '84 or 85' against Duke
  - Quite possibly the greatest headline ever
  
  
• How to Raise a Happy Kid
  - Praise out, mastery in!
  

Labels: weekend reading

Gilbert's voluminous shooting has made the transition away from football easier than expected, but I figured I'd stick one last fork in the 2006 Birds with a few final thoughts on their final loss and the forthcoming off-season...

Leaving points on the field

• Following a nice special teams wrinkle with Jason Avant returning a kickoff on a reverse, the Eagles drive stalled after Brian Westbrook dropped a sure 7 yard 2nd down gain. The ensuing 3rd and 10 attempt was incomplete and the Eagles had to punt. The Saints were struggling mightily to stop the Eagles in the stretch prior to this drive, but the Westbrook miscue let them off the hook.
  
  
• The Eagles faced 2nd and 1 inside the Saints 10 yard line early in the 4th quarter, trailing 27-21. Following a run for no gain, Jeff Garcia completed a pass in the flat to fullback Thomas Tapeh for a loss of 2 or 3 yards. Philly settled for a David Akers field goal rather than completing the drive with a go-ahead touchdown.

Second-guessing Philly brass

• I loved the early strategy of attempting to exploit the Saints secondary by featuring our suddenly dangerous wide receiving corps. However, as the game progressed, I thought the Birds started to lean on Westbrook much more and the receivers became an afterthought. There was a point during the 3rd quarter that I felt Brown, Stallworth and Baskett simply couldn't be stopped. A few more shots to those guys in the 4th would have been nice.
  
  
• Todd and Rich agree with those who have second-guessed a 4th and 15 punt decision late in the game, in fact Coach Reid even admitted he'd do things differently. But The Sports Reporter's Bill Conlin has gone overboard.

Other thoughts

• With his back up against the wall, Jeff Garcia completed what would have been a huge 4th and 10 pass to Hank Baskett with a little over 2 minutes left in the game. Of course, the only false start of the game nullified the gain and Garcia would not get another opportunity to make a play. Granted, he failed to move the team on the previous drive, but it would have been fun to see what he could have done with a new set of downs in that situation. It's hard to believe he wouldn't have found a way to get the score they needed.
  
  
• I'm dying to bring some stats into this recap, so let's consider Time of Possession. The curse of the big play returned in this game for the Eagles as 2 of their TD drives were converted in 3 plays. Combine that with a lousy opening drive and two bad ones to close the game and Philly totaled 6 3-play drives. These brief drives lead to a deficit of over 10 minutes in Time of Possession. The Saints ran 25 more plays than the Eagles (74-49).
  
  
• Every game is huge in the NFL and this playoff match-up served as a reminder of this. Both teams finished 10-6 and the Saints earned the higher seed thanks to a regular season win over Philly in New Orleans. Getting back one or two of those ridiculous mid-season losses (Matt Bryant!) would have meant home field advantage for the Birds in this one, a factor that they would have undoubtedly benefited from.

Looking ahead to the off-season

• I know the glaring need appears to be at the linebacker position, but I'm not sure I wouldn't spend a high pick on a nickel corner who can boost our return game. Rod Hood and William James were disappointments against the Saints. Another young, quality corner would sure up coverage and provide assurance for Sheppard/Brown injuries.
  
  
• Can't we put together a serious, in-depth package for 3rd/4th and 1 situations? Maybe a mini-playbook just for this down and distance? Draft a bruiser and get rid of Moats or Mahe. Put Feely in at QB to take the hit on a plunge. Can Westbrook only launch if he's on the goal-line? Just do something other than resorting to passes in these spots!
  

Labels: bird seed, nfl

Gilbert Arenas celebrated MLK-day with another game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer. It's not too late to join the fan club. Membership includes, but is by no means limited to:

• Agent Zero tees in all shapes and colors
• Get a 16" by 20" photo of Gil's most clutch jumper
• Earn your degree in Gilbertology
• Fire up a Hibachi BBQ Grill
• Learn to create your own Gilbert Arenas ice sculpture

Labels: NBA, WashWiz

Labels: Eagles '06

I didn't quite nail it, but with the Saints on my mind I thought I'd revisit my Roger Craig/Reggie Bush comparison:

Roger Craig 1983

Rush Yds TDs Rec Yds TDs  Ret. TDs  Est. FP
176  725  8   48 427  4      0        186

Reggie Bush 2006

Rush Yds TDs Rec Yds TDs  Ret. TDs  Est. FP
155  565  6   88 742  2      1        184

Wendell Tyler 1983

Rush Yds TDs Rec Yds TDs  Est. FP
176  856  4   34 285  2     149

Deuce McAllister 2006

Rush Yds TDs Rec Yds TDs  Est. FP
244  1057 10  30 198  0     184 

Labels: fantasy football, nfl

So the Eagles escaped the Wild Card round and will now face the Saints in the Divisional round. I've got a few thoughts:

• When Tiki started off the game running the way he did against the Redskins the week before, I thought we were doomed. When our D forced Eli to play the way he did against us 3 weeks ago, I thought we had it in the bag. But in the end, Andy Reid had it right all along... the game came down to "the wire."

• I've always wondered what, if anything, is said between teammates on the sidelines before big kicks. Tonight's YDR AP selection featured some interesting dialog between P Dirk Johnson and K David Akers:

"Before I went out, Dirk said, 'Those goal posts really are wide, aren't they?' " Akers said. "I said, 'You know what? We're going to be celebrating in a minute.' "

• Losing "Lockdown" Lito seems like a pretty big deal. Sheppard picked off Breesy in the Birds/Saints seasonal tilt. They'll also miss his sure tackling out on the edge when Reggie Bush darts wide.

• To rehash any of the weekend's memorable moments (i.e. Peyton's picks, Akers' kicks and Romo taking Gramatica's bullet) tune into Video OnDemand for expanded highlight packages of all the games.

Labels: bird seed, nfl

Labels: Eagles '06

Thanks to this new tool on www.baseball-reference.com, we know for sure that:

Mets Reliever Alejandro Pena struck out Geronimo Pena swinging on 3 pitches in the bottom of the 8th inning in a tie ball game with 1 on and 1 down at Busch Stadium on June 1st, 1991.

and

Ron Gant was a .273 hitter in 11 plate appearances against Nolan Ryan, launching his 1st career homerun and later his 1st career go-ahead homerun off the Ryan Express. Of course, Will Clark touched up Ryan 6 times in his career, more than any other batter, and also recorded his 1st career shot off Nolan, a blast in the top-half of the 1st inning of the Giants' 1986 season.

Sick. Browse at your own risk.

Labels: baseball