A Happy Thanksgiving for the Eagles!

11/29/14

I haven’t blogged about the Eagles this semester because I really don’t want to jinx their season. However, I feel like it’s really important to talk about their amazing game against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. Not going to lie, pretty much my whole family thought they were going to lose this one. Except for my uncle, he was surprisingly optimistic about it. They started out strong, scoring a touchdown just a few minutes into the game. That set the tone for the rest of the game. I don’t want to sound mean, but every time Mark Sanchez has the ball, I get quite nervous. He was amazing in this game though. I really did not feel that nervous with him in. I honestly thought he was going to win the Galloping Gobbler Award. I wasn’t sure if Shady McCoy was going to get it because he did have a couple fumbles. He did though, and he deserved it after his dominant performance. This game was so important because the Cowboys and the Eagles were tied at the top of the division. This put the Eagles first at 9-3, and undefeated in the NFC East. I think many people will agree that beating Tony Romo is a great feeling! J

Phillies Clubhouse

11/24/14

This weekend, patients at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia got to take some time to forget about their sickness. An extremely generous fan who won a clubhouse sleepover at a Phillies Charities auction, anonymously donated it to the Children’s hospital. The sleepover involved four patients of the hospital and their families and friends. Each child got their own designated locker with their names on it. General Manager, Ruben Amaro, also gave all of the kids contracts, just like how they do it in the big leagues. How cool is that?? When asked what to expect before getting to the stadium, Angelina Miele responded with “hard floors and sweaty gym lockers.” Well, that’s not how it was exactly. They slept on comfortable bedding on the floor. The night had a lot in store for the kids. They participated in a pillow fight with the famous Philly Phanatic, only the most liked mascot in all of sports. For real, he is the best and always will be. They had pizza and watched movies as well. They had the chance to go to the batting cage and get a few hits in. When they woke up in the morning, they got to have breakfast with the Philly Phanatic. All of the parents were extremely grateful and just so happy to see their kids smile again. It’s amazing how much sport can impact people in such a positive way.

2014 Hockey Hall of Fame

11/23/14

This past week, the 2014 class was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. This year had a pretty great class including: Mike Modano, Peter Forsberg, Rob Blake, and Dominik Hasek. I grew up watching Mike Modano and Peter Forsberg play, so it was pretty cool to see them get a much-deserved induction. Peter Forsberg was a Flyer so obviously I am a big fan of his. He did a lot for Flyers hockey, and a lot of the younger players looked up to him. Although he did not win a Stanley Cup with Philly, he did with the Colorado Avalanche. Even though I am a die-hard Flyers fan, I think that I was way more excited about Mike Modano getting inducted. He spent the majority of his career with the Dallas Stars, and won a Stanley Cup with them in 1999. He grew the sport of hockey in the state of Texas, which is not an easy thing to do. He is a huge inspiration for American hockey players. He holds the record for most NHL goals by a player born in the United States (561) and he has the most points of all American NHL players (1374). What I always really liked about Modano was the fact that he has so much emotion. This came out mostly during his last season with Dallas in 2010. He is a legend in Dallas, and they did so much to honor him. During his last home game with the Stars, he cried a few times throughout the game, and let it all out at the end. I think that it is so respectful and nice to see that he really shows emotion. I knew that he was going to cry during his induction speech, and he did. It was really touching. I wish there were more NHL players like Mike Modano.

Giroux Out with Ankle Injury

11/18/14

Looks like captain Claude Giroux is out for the Flyers game against the New York Rangers tomorrow. The Flyers media surprised fans with a tweet stating that Giroux missed the season-ticket holder event and was being evaluated by doctors. That is all they said Monday, so it made a lot of people anxious. Yesterday, the Flyers had a pretty physical practice with a lot of hitting apparently. Giroux did not seem hurt as practice went on, and he left fine as well. Today, news broke that he has an ankle injury and will definitely be out of the lineup for Wednesday night’s game in New York. General Manager, Ron Hextall, said he is hoping that he is out for days instead of weeks. That sounds great… With Giroux off of the top line, head coach Craig Berube has moved Brayden Schenn up to the first line to center Voracek and Simmonds. Schenn has been playing extremely well and he is currently on a five game point streak. He deserves to have a chance on the top line again. The players will really need to step up their game as they look to end their two game losing streak. Get better soon, G!

Hartsy Returns Home to Philly

11/16/14

It was an emotional homecoming for former Flyer and current Columbus Blue Jacket, Scott Hartnell (Hartsy). His new team played the Flyers on Friday night, and beat them 4-3. Hartsy spent seven seasons with the orange and the black and he was definitely a fan favorite. He was also a strong voice in the locker room. He has so much character and everyone thought he was going to be with the Flyers for the rest of his career. It was definitely a shock when he was traded to Columbus back in June. I had the honor of meeting him a few times, and he was one of the nicest people I have ever spoken to. Very down to earth. He was a perfect fit for the Flyers because he skates hard, hits, chirps, and most importantly he stands up for his teammates. He started a foundation in Philly called the Hartnelldown Foundation. He often falls on the ice, so whenever he fell, he would donate money to the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. I can go on and on about all of the amazing things about Scott Hartnell, and I expected nothing less than a warm welcome for him when he hit the ice on Friday at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers made a tribute video for him that they showed on the big screen. That was followed by an awesome standing ovation for him. After the game he tweeted, “Thanks #flyers fans for the night tonight!!! Very emotional for me!!! Love you guys always!!! #hartnelldown.” We will always love you too, Hartsy.

Carter Ashton Suspended

11/10/14

Carter Ashton, a Maple Leafs forward, has been suspended 20 games by the NHL. During the suspension, he will go without pay, forfeiting approximately $170,000. Ashton apparently tested positive for a banned substance, clenbuterol. He said that it was from his inhaler. He released a statement saying that while training for the 2014-15 season, he suffered an asthmatic spasm. One of the other athletes he was training with that summer gave him an inhaler, which he then felt immediate relief. Ashton kept the inhaler and used it a second time during training camp when he started to have another asthma episode. Since he was using the inhaler only to treat his asthma symptoms, he did not think that there were problems with it. Clenbuterol allows the body to burn stored fat calories so you have more energy. Ashton now recognizes why him using this particular inhaler is wrong, and he decided not to appeal his suspension. He stated that, “at no time was I seeking to gain an athletic advantage or to knowingly violate the terms of the program.” He has since been diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma by the Toronto Maple Leafs’ doctor, and has been prescribed an inhaler that does not violate the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. 

Back at it!

11/8/14

Four weeks ago, I sprained my ankle. I did so while training for a half marathon that was set for Saturday, November 8^th. I was so looking forward to running my second half marathon. I ran my first one in April and after that, I was in a terrible running slump. I think I was burnt out. Running is not only physically draining at times, but it can also be mentally draining. I finally started to get out of that slump right before I sprained my ankle. I started to get back in to my weekly long runs and always did my 3-5 miles runs frequently during the week. I was feeling good, and the best part was I felt like I could eat anything again! I was planning on running this half with a couple of my friends. That is an awesome part about running. Two of my closest friends are runners as well and we can run together. It is a good bonding thing to do, while keeping us healthy at the same time. Now I am finishing up physical therapy and slowly getting back into running. I was able to complete a five mile run this week in 45 minutes. I was very happy with that considering I haven’t been running at all during my recovery. I am so happy to be back at it instead of riding the bike every day!