Phillies now the team to beat in NL East

It took them almost all season, but now the Philadelphia Phillies are the team to beat.

With two days left in the regular season, the bold preseason prediction Jimmy Rollins made about the Phillies being the team to beat in the NL East is looking more and more likely to be true.

Trailing the Mets by seven games with 17 remaining, the Phils have come roaring back, winning 12 of 15. Meanwhile, the free falling Mets have lost 11 of 15. If the Phillies hang on to win the division, it will be the biggest collapse in baseball history.

The Phillies amazing streak began with its second straight sweep over the Mets. After winning two-of-three in St. Louis, Philadelphia won three-of-four at Washington and two-of-three over Atlanta.

The Mets were swept by Washington this week and have lost five in a row.

Cole Hamels pitched a gem tonight, striking out 13. Ryan Howard hit his 45th homerun and Jimmy Rollins continued his push for MVP, knocking in two on the way to a 6-0 win.

Philadelphia fans have been going crazy over the Phillies and also watching the Mets score on the scoreboard, roaring and waving white-and-red Fightin' Phils towels.

With the season ending on Sunday, the Phils hold a one game lead in the NL East.

Every day has been exciting. But it's only going to get better over the next two days.

Playoff race a blast to follow

Playoff races sure are fun to follow. But what everyone will remember is how things turn out.

For the third straight year, the Philadelphia Phillies are right in the thick of post-season contention.

I've been bitting my nails, watching play-by-play results online, constantly checking scores, and reviewing standings and remaining games on a daily basis.

To say the least, this is a nerve-wracking, yet exciting time.

Phillies, Mets, Padres, Rockies.

Four teams, two playoff spots open.

Who will finish strong?

For the last two years, it has not been the Phillies. So while I have hope, I also have the memory that the Phillies are not typically the one's who come out on top. After all, it has been 14 years since they last made the playoffs.

Heading into tonights games, the Phillies trailed the Mets by two games for the NL East lead. San Diego led the Phillies and Rockies by one game in the wild card race.

The Mets seem to be doing everything they can to give away the division lead, losing its last two to the Washington Nationals and six of their last ten. But the Phillies have not been able to take advantage as of late. After winning nine of ten, the Phillies had lost two in a row.

Meanwhile, San Diego is 6-4 in its last 10 games and Colorado has been red hot, winning nine of its last 10.

Every pitch matters from here on out.

Then again, every pitch has mattered for some time for the Phillies.

Not long ago, they trailed the Mets by seven games. After sweeping the Mets twice, the Phillies climbed right back into the race. They have defeated New York eight straight times.

After a San Diego loss on Monday, the Phillies pulled into a tie for the wild card lead. A 10-6 loss to the Braves last night and a San Diego comeback victory dropped the Phils one back.

The Phils showed fight again tonight, beating the Braves 5-2. The biggest cheer of the night might have come when the Mets and Nationals score was posted after the fifth inning. The Mets, who led 5-0, allowed two runs in the fourth and five in the fifth to fall behind 7-6. The crowd in Philadelphia went nuts.

One advantage the Phillies have is that their remaining four games (one against Atlanta and three against Washington) are all at home. Everyone else goes on the road. The Phillies will certainly have an excited and energized crowd cheering them on.

But all is not in the Phillies hand, as they will need at least a little help to make the playoffs.

They can control what they do and took care of business tonight. After the last pitch comes the waiting and hoping. The Mets game will end next. Then it's time to watch the Colorado score, then the San Diego score.

The nerves have kicked in, wondering what I will wake up to tomorrow.

But boy is this exciting.

Eagles offense soars in offensive outburst

That performance should silence the Donovan McNabb critics.

In a week spent being criticized by media and Philadelphia fans for his play and comments about black quarterbacks, McNabb shed his hefty knee brace and had a game for the ages.

McNabb threw for 381 yeards and four touchdowns to lead the Eagles (1-2) to a 56-21 victory over the Detroit Lions (2-1).

In a must-win game for the Eagles, they scored a team record 42 points in the first half.

Both Brian Westbrook and Kevin Curtis had three touchdowns in the first half. Curtis finished with 221 yards receiving, while Westbrook ran for 110 yards and had 111 yards through the air.

The Eagles, who were celebrating their 75th anniversary, gave the fans a lot to celebrate about after losing its first two games.

They ran the ball well, threw the ball well, and came out with a ton of intensity.

After only scoring one touchdown through two games, Philadelphia scored an amazing eight touchdowns, five coming in their first five possessions.

Three of the Eagles touchdowns were for atleast 43 yards.

Besides the win, McNabb playing well was the most important take-a-way from todays game. At one point, he completed 18 consecutive passing, going 21-for-26 overall, a big difference from the teams first two games. After losses against Green Bay and Washington, McNabb was 43-for-79 (54 percent) for 424 yards.

Despite giving up 21 points to an extremely talented Detroit offense, the Eagles were able to pressure quarterback Jon Kitna, finishing the game with nine sacks.

This was a must win game for the Eagles. It was a statement game for McNabb.

Eagles fans can rest easy for now. That is, until they take on the New York Giants next week.

Patriots get off easy with cheating penalty

After getting a lot of player suspensions right in the offseason, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell got one wrong.

Upon confiscation and review of a video taken by a Patriots employee in a blowout of the New York Jets on Sunday, it was determined that New England had been video taping Jets coaches relaying signals into their defense.

This is not the first time the Patriots have been accused of stealing signs. Green Bay accused them of the same thing last year, although nothing was ever proved.

The Patriots are cheaters.

NFL players found to have taken steroids are suspended four games. The Patriots got away with fines and being docked a first round draft pick if they make the playoffs or a second and third round pick if they do not.

It's not enough. The Patriots have money. Bill Belichick has money. The team has talent.

Goodell should have hit the Patriots where it hurts.

Belichick should not only be fined but suspended four games. They should also have to forfeit the game against the Jets.

The penalty imposed is a joke.

This is the integrity of the game we are talking about. Pete Rose was banned from baseball for comprimising the integrity of the game. An NBA referee was let go for comprimising the integrity of the game.

And all the Patriots get is a slap on the hand.

Players have come out and questioned why the Patriots always seem a step ahead of everyone. How long have the Patriots been cheating? Did they cheat in any of their Super Bowl wins?

Some Eagle players are questioning that.

In the 2004 Super Bowl, every time the Eagles blitzed, the Patriots threw a short pass. Did they know when blitzes were coming?

The game was tied at halftime. The Patriots dominated the second half. Halftime adjustments or cheating?

We may never know. And nothing will change at this point. However, this issue should be further investigated. If baseball is investigating steroids and who used them, why should football not go back and research it's past?

The NFL has a lot of black eyes from players getting in trouble with the law.

But as far as the game is concerned, this is the biggest.

Unfortunately, this was not penalized like it should have been.

Muffed punts cost Eagles in opener

Boy was I right.

I took heat from a lot of Ealges fans earlier in the week for posting on the teams message board that Brian Westbrook should be returning punts.

The consistent argument seemed to be that doing so was too much of an injury risk. I asked for examples of punt returners getting hurt and then heard the crickets chirping.

Westbrook watched on the sidelines as the Ealges play on special teams cost them the game.

On his first ever punt return, Greg Lewis muffed a punt that led to an early Green Bay touchdown. On a play where he should have called a fair catch, Lewis was nailed as he attempted to catch the ball. The ball was kicked and bobbled into the endzone, where Green Bay recovered the fumble.

Lewis almost dropped another punt later in the game, so Andy Reid decided to put JR Reed back there with 59 seconds left and the game tied.

Big mistake.

Reed, who called for a fair catch, misjudged the ball and dove forward to catch the ball. He dropped it, leading to a winning field goal by Green Bay.

So many questions - why would they not use Westbrook in such a critical situation? Why would they even consider Reed, who just took punts in practice this week, for the first time? What in the world are they going to do going forward?

Donovan McNabb, coming off an ACL tear that caused him to miss the end of last season, was average at best and the offense could not get anything going.

The defense played well, but lost Lito Sheppard to an injury.

The special teams is another story and a change needs to be made. Maybe they will bring Jeremy Bloom back. They might as well. At least he knows how to catch the football.

There is no going back on this one though. It was a frustrating loss. The offense is better than it played. The mistakes were bonehead mistakes.

Once again, the Eagles wasted timeouts in the third quarter. Once again, the Eagles took a ton of penalties.

It's one game. The season is not over. But things need to change.

There is no way the Eagles should be losing games because of special teams.

A look at the Eagles and the NFL in 2007

There are a lot of questions entering the 2007 season.

Will Donovan McNabb stay healthy? Can the Eagles stop the run? Who will return kick offs and punts? Will Kevin Curtis be able to replace the big play potential of Donte Stallworth.

While the question makrs go on and on, the Eagles have a fairly good team. The NFC is not as strong as the AFC, which will help as well.

Here is how I see the season going.

at Green Bay - The Eagles have all the answers for Brett Favre and Lambeau is not the same in September. Eagles start off with a win. 1-0.

vs Washington - Andy Reid knows how to win in prime time. While Washington has a good running game, they have big questions at quarterback and on defense. Eagles route the Redskins. 2-0.

vs Detroit - Scarry offense with the receivers they have. Then again, the Eagles offense is pretty good too and Detroit's defense is terrible. Eagles celebrate the 75th anniversary with a win. 3-0.

at NY Giants - No Tiki, no problem. The Eagles dominated the Giants last year, despite losing a heartbreaker and that will continue this year. I just wish they would stop Plaxico Burress for once. 4-0.

at NY Jets - This wil be the Eagles toughest game so far, but they will outmatch the Jets and move to 5-0.

vs Chicago - Chicago's defense = great. Chicago's offense = no good. Eagles offense = great. Eagles defense = no good. Defense wins out on this one and the Eagles lose their first game. 5-1.

at Minnesota - Brad Childress cannot keep up with his former bosses offense. Eagles in an easy one. 6-1.

vs Dallas - The Eagles face their toughest competition in the NFC East. Terrell Owens seems to be getting along with his new coach and Dallas' defense is pretty good. Eagles lose. 6-2.

at Washington - Another Eagles NFC East win. 7-2.

vs Miami - Miami does not have enough to keep up with the Eagles. 8-2.

at New England - Forget it, New England will be too tough to beat on the road. Eagles lose big. 8-3.

vs Seattle - Another tough game, Eagles cannot stop Shaun Alexander and lose a close one. 8-4.

vs NY Giants - Giants get the best of the Eagles this time as Burress has another big game against the smaller Eagles cornerbacks. 8-5.

at Dallas - Similar to last Christmas, the Eagles go into Dallas and win this one. 9-5.

at New Orleans - This could be a preview of the NFC Championship game. This one ends up like both games against the Saints last year. Eagles lose. 9-6.

vs Buffalo - Fighting for the division with the Cowboys, the Eagles need a win. They get it and win the division on a tie breaker. 10-6.

Here is how the rest of the league will turn out:

NFC East 2006 record
Philadelphia 10-6 10-6
Dallas 10-6 9-7
Giants 7-9 8-8
Redskins 4-12 5-11

NFC North
Chicago 11-5 13-3
Detroit 8-8 3-13
Green Bay 7-9 8-8
Minnesota 5-11 6-10

NFC South
New Orleans 11-5 10-6
Carolina 9-7 8-8
Tampa Bay 6-10 4-12
Atlanta 4-12 7-9

NFC West
Seattle 10-6 9-7
San Francisco 9-7 7-9
St. Louis 8-8 8-8
Arizona 7-9 5-11

AFC East
New England 13-3 12-4
NY Jets 9-7 10-6
Miami 5-11 6-10
Buffalo 5-11 7-9

AFC North
Baltimore 11-5 13-3
Pittsburgh 9-7 8-8
Cincinnati 9-7 8-8
Cleveland 4-12 4-12

AFC South
Indianapolis 12-4 12-4
Tennessee 9-7 8-8
Jacksonville 7-9 8-8
Houston 6-10 6-10

AFC West
San Diego 12-4 14-2
Denver 10-6 9-7
Kansas City 7-9 9-7
Oakland 4-12 2-14

Playoffs

Wild card
Seattle over San Francisco
Philadelphia over Dallas
Indianapolis over Pittsburgh
Denver over Baltimore

Divisional playoffs
Philadelphia over New Orleans
Seattle over Chicago
New England over Denver
San Diego over Indianapolis

Conference Championships
Philadelphia over Seattle
New England over San Diego

Super Bowl
Philadelphia over New England