AllPhiladelphia: July 2015

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Walker’s Philadelphia cheesesteak mockery

Several Philly tourists not amused with Scott Walker crashing their lunch. Overheard: “Stand in line with the rest of us.” “Who is that?” — Jenna Johnson (@wpjenna) July 28, 2015 This is silly but sometimes you just gotta stop, smell the roses, and indulge in some mockery of Scott Walker’s cheesesteak choices. It’s the standard more »

Walker’s Philadelphia cheesesteak mockery

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

WI Supreme Court “went well beyond what any court has ever held in opening the floodgates to secret money in politics”

Brendan Fischer of PRWatch was recently interviewed by Janine Jackson of Fair.org. A couple of exerpts: JJ: Well, it sounds as though the charge was that Walker actively sought to skirt finance laws and that the ruling is: Yes, he did, but it’s OK? I mean, help us to understand exactly what happened here. BF: That’s about right. more »

Alex Smith’s “box score” position group previews for Eagles TC…

The Eagles have a young up-and-coming media guy. His name is Alex Smith. He’s really spicing up some of the content at PE.com.

Alex Smith, rising media player from Fordham University…

Alex started working with the Eagles in July 2013 as a Content Intern. His duties included writing daily news stories and including videos to go along with them, creating photo galleries, and many other administrative duties to make sure the Birds’ website and mobile app is up to date. Alex was the one who was moderating live chats, building player bio pages, and updating the homepage with the latest content.

During his time at Fordham, Alex worked as the Sports Manager for WFUV Radio in New York City, where he served as the lead play-by-play announcer for Fordham University Football, Men’s Basketball, Baseball and Softball teams. He was also one of the lead hosts for One on One, New York’s longest running sports call-in show. In 2012, he served as a beat reporter for the New York Yankees. As Sports Manager, he scheduled everything that his staff did, whether it was beat reporting for a professional team, recording feature pieces, writing for WFUV.org, or performing AM and PM drive-time sportscasts. He also wrote a weekly sports column in Fordham’s newspaper, The Ram, and wrote articles on wfuvsports.org.

Alex paid his dues at Fordham. He knew what he wanted. After the internship with the Eagles, Alex was offered a job and promoted to Content and Social Media Content Coordinator. He works closely with the Eagles’ Social Media Coordinator as well as their content team. His duties include writing creative and informative articles for PE.com and managing departmental social media accounts, including Lincoln Financial Field, Eagles Pro Shop, Eagles Cheerleaders and Eagles Community. He also assists in the creation of photo galleries for both PE.com and for the Eagles’ social media pages.

Anyway, the thing that Alex does best in my opinion is to create these incredibly simple yet complexly informative “box score”-style previews of the position groups going into Training Camp.

I sampled one of these “box score previews” for you in the previous blurger, showcasing the tight ends group.

Here are some other examples:

A LOOK AT THE OFFENSIVE LINE
Name	Age	Exp.	Note
Josh Andrews	24	1	Can he make the jump from the practice squad?
Allen Barbre	31	8	Looks to be the favorite at left guard
Brett Boyko	22	R	Undrafted, athletic rookie
Malcolm Bunche	23	R	Physically imposing UCLA product
Mike Coccia	23	R	Home-grown talent with C/G experience
Andrew Gardner	29	6	Filled in nicely at different spots in 2014
Kevin Graf	24	1	Hung around on the practice squad in 2014
Lane Johnson	25	3	Fourth-overall pick has gotten better over time
Jason Kelce	27	5	Kelce does it all at the center of the offense
Dennis Kelly	25	4	Tall, versatile lineman with NFL experience
John Moffitt	28	4	Sat out all of 2014 – how quickly can he return to form?
David Molk	26	3	A strong backup center with ability to play guard
Jason Peters	33	12	Perhaps the best tackle in the NFL – The Bodyguard
Matt Tobin	25	3	Youngster who is familiar with the Eagles’ system
Julian Vandervelde	27	4	Guard/center combo with playing experience
Jared Wheeler	24	1	Spent 2014 with Buffalo

I love that format! I especially love the little side notes which either give you a quick factoid or ask a question about the player—I can almost imagine doing a radio broadcast and using this exact “box score” format as a great tool for player introductions as the guy either starts or enters the game later.

Alex Smith doesn’t just do charts, he adds his own content and he’s a coherent quality writer. You can sample his writing style by linking to his article which accompanied the “box score” preview”.

If readers like the Alex Smith “box score” previews as much as I do, I’ll bring in a few more samples before training camp begins.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Honey Badger update:

You all know the “Honey Badger”— Tyrann Mathiew, the former LSU star who now plays free safety for the Arizona Cardinals. He’s one of my favorite non-Eagles players to watch when he lines up. I love the guy for his honesty, too—he never ran away from his “reefer and champagne” incidents for which he took a lot of heat back in college.

Well, now he’s taking the heat in a very real way in a wonderful PSA for PETA in which he shows why you don’t leave your pet in a closed vehicle in the heat. It’s evident in this video that the guy loves his dag. After watching this short video I love the Honey Badger even more…

Monday, July 27, 2015

Republican presidential candidates cluster accounts at bank with only 1 branch in McLean, Virginia

Hmmmmm. From Bloomberg: “According to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings, Chain Bridge is the sole bank serving Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign, which reported raising $11.4 million as of June 30, and his allied super-PAC, Right to Rise, which says it’s raised $103 million so far. Donald Trump’s campaign banks at Chain Bridge, and it’s more »

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Trump nails Walker on crumbling roads, deficit, underfunded education, Common Core flip-flops

Times are strange when you’re pleased to hear from Donald Trump, eh? What’s really wild is not only do I enjoy hearing Trump slam Walker, I have to admit that Trump is essentially telling the truth about the state of affairs in Wisconsin and about Walker’s flip-flops on Common Core. Donald Trump says he wasn’t more »

Wisconsinite dissents in chalk: “WEASEL WHORE HOUSE”

The dissent: The chalker, who prefers to remain anonymous, gave me permission to upload this photo here. If you have questions about the use of the word “whore” in Wisconsin see this. You just finished reading Wisconsinite dissents in chalk: "WEASEL WHORE HOUSE"! Consider leaving a comment!Visit bluecheddar.net for more news and opinion. You can more »

Saturday, July 25, 2015

“Scott Walker is not Joe McCarthy, but his technique is similar”

This is a bit from an opinion piece by Dana Milbank in the Washington Post: “Scott Walker is not Joe McCarthy, but his technique is similar: He suggests that the nation’s ills can be cured by fighting labor unions (foremost among the “big government special interests” hurting America), even though unions represent just 11 percent more »

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

One of the shady recipients of Walker’s WEDC welfare faces criminal investigation (finally)

As blogger lufthase puts it, “If WEDC had done a simple search on Green Box chairman Ronald Van Den Heuvel before making this loan, they’d have found at least 8 six-figure judgements from 2008 to 2011 against him or the many, many companies he has registered at the same address as Green Box.” Basically, Scott more »

Taste this ASAP: Riesling salami at Whetsone Tavern

German food wunderkind Jeremy Nolen’s flexing his considerable culinary muscle at his fetching week-old Queen Village eatery, where, away from the stoves at Brauhaus Schmitz and Wursthaus Schmitz, the humble nice-guy chef can go all American—or as close to it as he wants. Luckily, the...

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Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Round-up of Wisco news: Walker puzzled by gayness, Walker v. G.A.B., 20 wk. abortion ban, MORE

These seem like the key WI political stories from the last 3 or 4 days. If I missed something, please do leave it in a comment. WALKER AND GAYNESS This is how conservative blog NewsMax frames it: Gay marriage opponent and Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker said in a CNN interview broadcast on Sunday he more »

Monday, July 20, 2015

“Governor Walker, why are you trying to break my family apart?” – Leslie Flores

Because a new poll shows that Donald Trump polls nationally at 24% among Republican registered voters while Walker polls 13% I have to admit that I have no idea whether Walker’s comments to this family have an impact positive or negative within the Republican Party base. This guy’s tweet sums up their bigoted wingnuttery: "Obama's more »

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Iowa is smelling the BS around Walker’s Kohls speech

Iowans are learning that Scott Walker doled out over $68 million to Kohls. It’s undermining his “brown bag government” schtick. Excellent! If they keep pulling at loose threads on his stories they’re going to turn up tales of unaccountable millions in corporate welfare he gave out through WEDC. Des Moines Register has the story: Some more »

Friday, July 17, 2015

Looks like my governor is cruisin’ through Iowa in a big gay RV

I sent this to George Takei Dear George: This is a photo of Scott Walker’s new RV. I must say, all I can see is an equal sign with those two red bars on the right. And when I see a red equal sign I am reminded of the red equal sign which you encouraged more »

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Appeal of John Doe decision to SCOTUS unlikely according to Hasen

This is from Hasen’s “Analysis of Wisconsin John Doe Ruling: Bad News for Campaign Finance Laws” U.S. Supreme Court review? The dissent notes that under the U.S. Supreme Court’s Caperton decision, the failure to recuse in this case could be a due process violation. At least theoretically, that’s an issue which could go to the more »

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Shady McCoy will probably end up Eagles all-time career rushing leader…

Funny how life works out sometimes. Ironically, the running back we love to hate now as the prodigal son of the Eagles (and now a member of the Buffalo Bills) will quite probably be staring down on us from atop the Eagles’ career stats mountain for the rest of our lives.

ATV —our “yeah, ya know it!” guy from Henderson, Nevada— mentioned in passing yesterday that LeSean McCoy is the all-time career leader in rushing for the Eagles.

I knew that in my head, but ATV bold-faced that fact and stuck it in my gut.

I’m as excited as anyone about getting DeMarco Murray to replace Shady as the Eagles feature back.

But ATV gave me pause to further appreciate how much McCoy has really meant to this team over the last six years.

Then Spiffo from Florida with tongue-in-cheek suggested that Shady’s career numbers with the Eagles look better than they are because of the franchise’s lack of great running backs in the past.

I knew Spiffo was kidding. But his remark inspired me to look it up.

I will just list the Top 29 all-time Eagles running backs in team history, as reproduced from the archives of Pro Football Reference.com:

Rk		From	To	G	Pos	AV	Att	Yds	TD	Lng	Y/A	Y/G	Fmb
1	LeSean McCoy	2009	2014	90	RB	61	1461	6792	44	66	4.6	75.5	14
2	Wilbert Montgomery	1977	1984	100	RB	79	1465	6538	45	90	4.5	65.4	42
3	Brian Westbrook	2002	2009	107	RB	77	1308	5995	37	71	4.6	56.0	12
4	Steve Van Buren	1944	1951	83	HB		1320	5860	69	70	4.4	70.6	34
5	Duce Staley	1997	2003	98	RB	51	1200	4807	22	64	4.0	49.1	18
6	Randall Cunningham	1985	1995	121	QB	102	677	4482	32	52	6.6	37.0	89
7	Ricky Watters	1995	1997	48	RB	35	975	3794	31	57	3.9	79.0	14
8	Timmy Brown	1960	1967	96	RB	73	850	3703	29	61	4.4	38.6	39
9	Tom Woodeshick	1963	1971	111	RB	42	831	3563	21	57	4.3	32.1	24
10	Donovan McNabb	1999	2009	148	QB	126	573	3249	28	54	5.7	22.0	83
11	Tom Sullivan	1972	1977	80	RB	39	871	3135	17	37	3.6	39.2	20
12	Clarence Peaks	1957	1963	83	FB	27	786	2927	19	57	3.7	35.3	39
13	Keith Byars	1986	1992	105	RB	52	750	2672	17	52	3.6	25.4	25
14	Billy Ray Barnes	1957	1961	60	HB	11	689	2391	20	70	3.5	39.9	31
15	Herschel Walker	1992	1994	48	RB	30	554	2344	14	91	4.2	48.8	13
16	Anthony Toney	1986	1990	67	RB	25	639	2294	14	44	3.6	34.2	14
17	Charlie Garner	1994	1998	66	RB	17	495	2261	17	55	4.6	34.3	8
18	Correll Buckhalter	2001	2008	74	RB	23	476	2155	18	64	4.5	29.1	8
19	Heath Sherman	1989	1993	76	RB	21	537	2130	10	37	4.0	28.0	17
20	Michael Vick	2009	2013	54	QB	41	298	1998	15	61	6.7	37.0	36
21	Frank Ziegler	1949	1953	57	HB		519	1926	11	52	3.7	33.8	23
22	Swede Hanson	1933	1937	45	B		493	1907	12	0	3.9	42.4	0
23	Mike Hogan	1976	1980	41	RB	17	435	1758	5	33	4.0	42.9	15
24	Bosh Pritchard	1942	1951	54	HB		378	1734	11	77	4.6	32.1	19
25	Jim Parmer	1948	1956	88	FB		452	1636	20	42	3.6	18.6	17
26	Earl Gros	1964	1966	41	FB	21	401	1623	16	59	4.0	39.6	10
27	Ernie Steele	1942	1948	69	HB		258	1337	14	56	5.2	19.4	12
28	Po James	1972	1975	49	RB	17	328	1215	4	51	3.7	24.8	11
29	Michael Haddix	1983	1988	88	RB	17	401	1189	3	21	3.0	13.5	11

There are some pretty good athletes on that list and some big numbers put up by the top half of that list.

It’s possible to imagine DeMarco Murray breaking McCoy’s career rushing total of 6,792 yards if you combine his Cowboys stats with his eventual Eagles production. But it seems unlikely to me that Murray could match McCoy’s totals strictly as an Eagles running back.

6,792 rushing yards, 44 rushing TD’s and just for good measure throw in 300 career receptions for 2282 yards and 10 more TD’s— that’s a lot of Shady offense in only 6 years. McCoy was drafted in the 2nd round in 2009 by the Birds out of Pitt.

You would hope that DeMarco Murray might play for the Eagles for the next 6 years and have outstanding success. Maybe he could come close to matching McCoy’s numbers at the end of his run here. But that’s asking a lot in terms of touches and durability.

With Murray the technique in how he runs his plays probably matters more than the fancy yardage numbers accumulated—at least that is the mindset Eagles fans are being asked to buy into as the main reason we let Shady go.

But something tells me, when the dust has settled ten years from now on the history of Eagles football after the McCoy and Murray eras in the Philly offense are defined, it will be Shady laughing the loudest from Stat Mountain.

A SB win here will be the only thing to keep Shady from telling us then that he was the greatest running back in Eagles history.

Monday, July 13, 2015

It’s beginning to look a lot like Sanchez in Philly…

I kinda figured this was the deal all along. Mark Sanchez is the insurance policy for the time it takes Sam Bradford to get his legs right.

No big deal when you think about it— many a QB and stud center fielder have had their share of qualified backup players…

What makes the Eagles’ situation special is that Sam Bradford will make $13 million guaranteed whether he plays or not in 2015. I think that figure is realistic for what Sam is worth when he’s healthy. Maybe this is that one-of-a-kind season where you pro-rate the QB’s cost based upon the second half of the season…which it appears is when Bradford will be finally ready to contribute to the 2015 Eagles campaign.

Yeah, you’re looking at two Eagles QB seasons combined in a big soup dish this year….

Mark Sanchez will QB the introductory courses….Sam Bradford will cater the main courses after Game 8.

Ideally this is not the way you would draw it up. You would want one QB#1 to be identified for the year and to set the tempo on offense.

“You’ve got to be the best guy to win the job. The best guy plays,” Sanchez said. “That means move the team down the field, get points, get completions, do the right thing in the right situations, throw the ball away when you have to, take care of the football. All of those things that go with being a starter.

“I’ve done it before and I know I can do it again. I’m going to put my best out there and see what happens. That’s all I can do. Be the best I can be.”

Fact is, the Eagles re-signed Sanchez because they knew Bradford was going to be a few extra months of rehab away from being physically ready to take over the total QB#1 duties in Philly’s offense.

As Dave Spadaro writes at PE.com:— “Retaining Sanchez – who signed a two-year contract to remain in Philadelphia – was a large priority for the Eagles entering free agency. He is a starting-caliber quarterback who at the very least provides the team with perhaps the best backup situation in the NFL. How many other potential backups have been to two conference championship games, as Sanchez has when he led the Jets to successive AFC title game appearances in his first two seasons? And if Sanchez earns the starting job, then so be it. He will have won it because, in fact, he earned it.”

“That’s my thought process,” Sanchez said. “I’m looking forward to camp opening and putting my best game forward. That’s what I’m going to do and, after that, we’ll see what happens.”

Wow. This is shaping up to be quarterback by Las Vegas committee. The Chippah is rolling the dice with a healthy Bradford as his ace in the hole.

And as Brizer has always preached to us: your backup QB is the second most important player on your roster…

Quietyme helps property managers keep tabs on building conditions

Quietyme has been a solution for the health care and hospitality industry aiming to keep noise levels down and living conditions as best as possible. The Wisconsin-based company has recently branched...

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The Oval’s 2015 Summer Season Kicks Off This Week With A Massive Art Installation, A Giant Beer Garden, Movie Nights, Concerts And More

The Oval will return to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Wednesday, July 15. (Photo by M. Fischetti for Visit Philadelphia)

Get excited, Philly: The Oval opens for its summer season this Wednesday, July 15.

With the grand opening comes the return of all the awesome aspects of the seasonal park — beer garden, food trucks, movie nights, etc. — with the addition of cool attractions like a disc-golf course and a brand-new art installation.

Located right in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art at Eakins Oval, The Oval takes over the top of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for five days a week until Sunday, August 23.

Over the next six weeks, the pop-up park will be the go-to spot for outdoor fun for folks of all ages. Click here for the full schedule of programming.

Read on for our guide to The Oval’s 2015 season.

ART INSTALLATION AND LAYOUT

The Oval is conveniently located within walking distance of major attractions in the city like the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Barnes Foundation, The Franklin Institute, Academy of Natural Sciences, the Free Library, the Rodin Museum and Sister Cities Park.

An eight-acre open-air urban oasis, The Oval is situated in what was once a surface lot in front of the Museum of Art. The pop-up park will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and noon to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

The centerpiece of The Oval will be Summer Kaleidoscope an art installation by Jessie Unterhalter and Katey Truhn, a Baltimore-based duo who creates large-scale, colorful pieces that often break the rules of traditional murals by spilling onto the ground and surrounding area. Summer Kaleidoscope is a 25,000-square-foot mural that is presented with the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

A photo posted by theskimo (@theskimo) on Jul 13, 2015 at 8:13am PDT

BEER GARDEN AND FOOD TRUCKS

Yes, beer-garden lovers: The Oval’s tree-shaded beer garden returns for the summer of 2015. Wednesday through Saturday evenings during The Oval season, the beer garden will return with alfresco brews under a lush canopy of trees.

To kick off each weekend, the Visit Philly Beer Garden Series will call The Oval home on all Friday nights of its season, from July 17 through August 21. On Saturday nights, the beer garden will welcome Johnny Goodtime’s for evening quizzo.

Take note: The beer garden will be closed on Sundays.

Guests of The Oval can turn to a rotating roster of food trucks for fuel during outdoor fun at the pop-up park. Some of the city’s favorite food trucks like Local 215, The Tot Cart, Delicia’s, Cupcake Carnivale, Farm Truck, Little Baby’s Ice Cream and more will serve food to Oval guests this summer. Beyond regular programming, the food trucks will return for a special event on July 18 and 19, when winners of the Vendy Awards, a food truck competition, will park at The Oval for a full weekend of good eats.

The Oval Beer Garden: Wednesday-Friday, 5-10 p.m.; Saturday noon-7 p.m.; Sunday, closed
Visit Philly Beer Garden Series: Fridays, July 17-August 21
Winner’s Oval: July 18-19
Quizzo: Saturdays, July 18-August 22

Hang outside at the popular beer garden at The Oval. (Photo by M. Fischetti for Visit Philadelphia)

MOVIES, MUSIC AND MORE

Live music and free movie screenings reign at the pop-up park all season long. On Friday nights, The Oval will host a number of movie screenings with the Art Museum as the backdrop. Upcoming films include Elf, Night at the Museum and Back to the Future II.

In celebration of the films, a number of Friday nights will host additional themed programming — be sure to stop by The Oval for its Christmas in July event on July 31 (think Santa Claus and Christmas carols). The full free movie screening schedule is available below.

Pee Wee’s Big Adventure: July 17
Night at the Museum: July 24
Elf: July 31
My Cousin Vinny: August 7
Cool Runnings: August 14
Back To The Future II: August 21

The Oval 2015 Season

When: July 15-August 23; Wednesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, noon-7 p.m.; Beer Garden, Wednesday-Friday, 5-10 p.m.; Saturday noon-7 p.m.; Sunday, closed

Where: The Oval, 2451 Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Cost: Free

More info: www.theovalphl.org

The Oval is game-central thanks to ping pong, disc golf and more. (Photo by M. Fischetti for Visit Philadelphia)

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Edward Bok, South Philly’s “Living Room,” A Go

Scannapieco closes on Edward Bok Tech building, Point Breeze pop-up beer garden closed by L&I, low interest in papal rentals, and movement on long-delayed Manayunk apartment complex

Ocean City proposes controversial ban on vacation rentals that could put local housing market in jeopardy

Ocean City, Maryland, has long been known as a summer vacation spot — but if certain regulations are enacted, it may be much more challenging for travelers and residents to take advantage of...

[This is a summary. To read the full article on PhiladelphiaWeekly.com, click the headline above.]

Murray cracks Top 5 NFL players list—but no love for Fletcher Cox

DeMarco Murray is an Eagles!! That realization is just beginning to sink into my Bird brain. The NFLN Top 100 Players Poll just named Murray the 4th best player in the league.

But just to keep Eagles fans grounded, the Poll completely ignored the Birds’ emerging star defensive lineman Fletcher Cox.

Fletcher Cox….snubbed again?

Maybe it’s not really a case of snubbing Cox but rather asking another great season from him to build and confirm his name recognition.

If you follow such statistical metrics as put forth by Pro Football Focus (which I often view with a critical EYE), Cox ranks as the fourth highest graded 3-4 defensive end in the NFL.

By the way, Cox’ combined total of QB hurries, tackles, stops, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries in 2014 was second only to J.J. Watt—the guy who ended up being Numero Uno in the Top 100 Poll this year.

Maybe the real issue is Cox doesn’t get a ton of sacks because he plays a 2-gap DE in the Eagles 3-4 system, which requires him to eat up blocks and let his linebackers clean up on the QB sacks.

Even so, Cox ended up with 4 sacks last season.

Cox was also sort of snubbed by the Pro Bowl selection committee last year, too— he was named as a 6th alternate.

The better take on the situation is that Cox, 6-4 and 300 pounds out of Mississippi State, is only 24 years old. He already has three seasons under his belt. He’s gotten better every year. If that trend continues, he will not be snubbed or overlooked again.

Here’s a look at the Top 100 Players list for 2015, courtesy of NFL.com and Wikipedia:

Rank

Player

Position

2014 Team

2015 Team

Rank Change

Reference

J.J. Watt

Defensive end

Houston Texans