It is way too early in the baseball season for the Jonathon Papelbon act.
And it is way too late in the hockey season to see Sergei Bobrovsky shutting out the Flyers.
Such is the fate of the Philly fan.
Then there is the DeSean Jackson story, which refused to go away, even if it has located a few hundred miles south on I-95, to the nation's capital, where the diminutive wide receiver will now ply his craft.
The Phillies in all reality should be going into Chicago this afternoon to celebrate the start of the 100th season of baseball at Wrigley Field with a sparkling 3-0 record. Instead, they are limping in once again full of self-doubt, most of it self-inflicted. After winning the opener in Texas, they watched two 9th-inning leads evaporate. The first night was a combination of shoddy base-running and a leaky bullpen.
The second was solely the work of their $13 million closer. Papelbon managed to give up only one out while surrendering three hits and then the final ignominy of walking in the winning run on four straight pitches, none of which were especially close to the strike zone.
After the game, Papelbon did what he is most prone to do - throw a little gas on the situation. He questioned the placement of infielders, who were drawn in with a runner on third, which probably cost him a double-play ball. He might have been right, but you still don't say it. Especially when that second baseman is Chase Utley, one of the unquestioned leaders on the team. Papelbon quickly added the "I'm not questioning my teammates or coaches" quote, but it was too late, he already had.v
Keep an eye on this one. Ryan Sandberg, who returns to the place where he had a Hall of Fame career, does not strike me as someone who is going to stomach Papelbon's act for long.v
It was an old friend who bedeviled the Flyers last night. They once cast off Bobrovsky. He's since blossomed into one of the best goal tenders in the NHL. Of course, Steve Mason has not exactly been chopped liver this season, but it's hard for a goaltender to win when your team does not score any goals.
As for Jackson, maybe we'll learn a little more about how he feels about the way he was portrayed on his inglorious banishment from Philly when he sits down for an interview with ESPN today.
I can't wait.
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