Anthony’s Opening Diatribe- The State of 4 for 4

Author Anthony Gargano

February 21st, 2023 10:37 AM

Anthony Gargano Talked About the State of 4 for 4 in his Openign Diatribe this Morning…

“Today is a good day to touch on the state of 4 for 4.

As the Sixers at the All-Star Break have won 26 of their last 33 games. They are on a 26-7 run going into the break… I know there are a lot of people who think it is Boston’s conference. I do not want to go there. Obviously, I recognize they are a good team. I just can’t quit on the season. Not at 26-7. They have got everything righted after the bad start. They are a good team. I would like to see them get something in the buyout. One more player. The key to the whole thing is Harden’s health. Harden has to be a legitimate scoring threat… They are a deep team. And I want to see it. I think they get out of the second round, and I hope this is the year they get to the finals…

We have the Phillies now starting Spring Training. The first game is on Saturday. There is a lot of hope surrounding the Phillies. So I want to figure out if are you there. Are you going to make the 162 pledge? The 162 pledge is you make an honest effort to get at least a couple of innings from every game… I love them. The over-under is 88.5. Even with Bryce missing the first 3 months, I think they are a stone over. Obviously, you have a couple of question marks. Can Castellanos hit?… But you add Trea Turner. I think Rhys is going to have a big year. Schwarber is not going anywhere. JT is in his prime. I love the kids. Let’s see if they can unleash Marsh’s bat.

But either way, they are going to hit. Even with Bryce out of the lineup, I think they are going to hit. And they’ve got pitching. You start off with Wheeler, Nola, and Rangers. Then add a quality arm like Taijuan… And then you have the kid Painter. That is a big deal. The rotation is really good. And I love the fire in the bullpen. So Im bullish on the Phillies right away…

And then we have the Flyers. They had a miserable start to their West Coast Trip. But they actually won yesterday. They hung on. They were up 3-1 against Calgary. Calgary comes back to tie it, but then the Flyers win. Obviously, they are playing better hockey just because of the coach. But they are screwing up again. They should be tanking for Bedard. If you weren’t going to go get Gaudreau, you should have tanked, and went and got Bedard who is a franchise-changing player. But they even do that wrong. And I don’t know what to do with them. I don’t see how it gets better anytime soon. That bums me out. I miss them. Especially now… For the better part of this decade, they have been a nonstory… It’s a shame what has happened to this franchise.”

You can listen to his full Openign Diatribe below…

Stay or Go: Eagles Edition

• C - Jason Kelce

  Lets get the easy ones out of the way. If Jason Kelce wants to play football then he will be back for the Philadelphia Eagles.

  STAY

• DE - Brandon Graham

  Brandon Graham is like defensive Jason Kelce. If B.G. wants to play then its tough to imagine he isnt in Green. He is a Philadelphia Eagles legend AND (much like Kelce) still playing at a high level. I doubt he wants to go anywhere else.

  STAY

• DT - Fletcher Cox

  Like the two above, Fletcher is a Philadelphia sports legend. But unlike them, I dont see Cox taking a hometown discount to stay. I dont get the feeling that Fletcher Cox is as attached to the city as Kelce and Graham. Thats not a sleight by the way, most athletes arent as attached to the city like the above two. According to Spotrac his value is 2 years at $28 milion. Thats probably too rich for the Eagles.

  GO

• DE - Robert Quinn

  The trade deadline acquisition was an absolute DUD. He did very little in his short stint with the Eagles after an 18 sack season in 2021. The Eagles will receive a compensatory pick if he signs elsewhere, and I think thats way more valuable for the Eagles then whatever Quinn could give you.

  GO

• CB - James Bradberry

  The Eagles got a bargain with Bradberry when they signed him late to play opposite Darius Slay. As a #2 CB, hes one of the best in the league. He’s already signed a big contract in the past to be a #1, and it came with mixed results. Would he look at move on? Sure seems that way. After the season Bradberry discussed free agency as a guy that knows hes not coming back. With the Eagles holding the 10th overall pick, and a top corner likely available, it seems like this one is a forgone conclusion.

  GONE

• DT - Javon Hargrave

  Javon Hargrave was one of the better signings under the Howie Roseman regime. He had a career year, in a contract year. Not GREAT for a team that will have to sign their QB to a hefty extension. I think the Eagles would like to keep Hargrave, but will they want to allocate those funds to Hargrave? Spotrac has his perceived value at $20 million per season. Thats a LOT. I think the Eagles move on

  GONE

• G - Issac Seumalo

  Seumalo has been fine. Hes been the weakest link on the best offensive line in football, so theres something to be said about that (in a positive way.) Seumalo’s mistakes were heightend because he was playing around Hall of Famers. But the Eagles drafted Cam Jurgens in the 2nd round to eventually take over for Kelce. Jurgens can also play guard though. So ideally I think the Eagles want Kelce back and Jurgens playing next to him. Spotrac has his value at $12 million per season. Let someone else make that mistake.

  GONE

• RB - Miles Sanders

  Miles Sanders is just 25 years old and coming off a career year with 1,269 yards. His value is $7 million per season which is a lot for a running back. BUT this running back free agent class is STACKED. Sequon Barkley, Kareem Hunt, Miles Sander, Jamaal Williams, Josh Jacobs, just to name a few. I dont think there are too many teams wanting to pay for a running back and I think theres a good chance that some of these really good backs are left without a chair when the music ends. Because of that, I think you could bring back Miles Sanders for less than $7 million

  STAY

• LB - Kyzir White

  Kyzir White was the most recent yearly tradition of the Eagles brining in a free agent LB and us convincing ourselves that hes WAYYY better than anyone thought. Only for us to realize there was a reason he was a free agent. Kyzir White was fine. But the Eagles did draft Nakobe Dean in round 3 and I think the Eagles would like to see what he can do.

  GO

• LB - T.J. Edwards

  TJ Edwards has been REALLY good for the Eagles, and quite a find for the Birds. BUT the Eagles have a history of scraping the bottom of the barrell, finding a LB, they look pretty good and then the Eagles let them walk when the contract is up. They did it a few years ago with Kamu Grugier-Hill. While I think they SHOULD bring back, I do not think they will. I think they’ll scrape the bottom of the barrell again.

  GO

• S - C.J. Gardner-Johnson

  Yep. The Eagles will make this one a priority and its tough to imagine him signing with another team.

  STAY

• QB - Gardner Minshew

  Backup QB? You can find one of those pretty easily. Gardner also has stated that he wants a shot at being a starter in this league. That isnt happening in Philly. I think the Eagles would like to bring Minshew back at the right price, I think he leaves for an opportunity in a city like Houston, or Indy.

  GO

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Author Anthony Gargano

Category:

• 97.5 The Fanatic
• 76ers // NBA
• Flyers // NHL
• Phillies // MLB

Tags:

Anthony Gargano,Philadelphia 76ers,Philadelphia Flyers,Philadelphia Phillies