Poor Richard's Scorecard

Gold-Medal Hockey Is Great, But It's Time to Wonder Which Flyers Team Will Show Up When the NHL Returns

THE DISCONNECT caused by rooting against Mike Richards and Chris Pronger during the Olympic gold-medal men's hockey game, now in the second period, is a keen reminder that in a couple of hours, Philadelphians will stop being Team USA fans and resume being Flyers fans. And that leads one to wonder which Flyers team we'll see as the NHL season gets back underway.

In Which the Author (Sort of) Explains His Absence

The last time we spoke, Cliff Lee was the Phillies' best pitcher, the Eagles were trying to find themselves, and Allen Iverson and Peter Laviolette were new in town. Much has happened since then, and not simply on the sporting scene, which is why things have been sparse around here lately. Details on that soon; the good news is that the new year will bring a renewed commitment to the kind of trenchant Philadelphia commentary you have come to know and love. Until then, Happy New Year! | PRS

Apparently, If You're a Flyer and You Stink at Your Job, the Boss Gets Fired, Not You

After last season's late stumbles--uninspired play to close out the year, followed by a quiet first-round playoff bouncing--the Flyers lured alpha male Chris Pronger to the team in hopes of fostering in its talented but uneven young squad some maturity and hockey sense.

So much for that.

Believe It or Not, Hockey Season Is Underway, and the Flyers Should Be Worth Watching This Year

Best of luck to the Flyers, who are starting their season amidst another Phillies playoff run and the Eagles' wickedly intriguing quarterback situation. Hockey has its faithful in Philadelphia, of course, but the casual fan is to be forgiven for waiting until winter to tune in.

Phodder: For a Guy Who Doesn't Wield a Paint Brush, Timothy Rub Is Earning a Lot of Notice from the Art Press

Happy birthday, America! ... Wow, did the Inquirer spend an awful lot of column-inches on the incoming director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. ... The Phillies had no compunction about punting Brett Myers to Lehigh Valley last season to straighten out his head and let him play through his fog without hurting the club; at what point do they start thinking about the same tactic for Jimmy Rollins? ... Discussions about shunting Interstate 95 away from the Delaware River waterfront in Center City to open up that vastly underused area for much-needed development are long overdue. Yet I worry about the algebra: Massive public-works project + Philadelphia = epic corruption. It would make Boston's Big Dig look like a Boy Scout meeting. ... The city's postponement of parking rate hikes is all well and good, but doing something about the crippling cost of doing business would have greater long-term impact. ... The saturation coverage of the double murder at the Piazza at Schmidt's again raises the question of why we don't pay such attention to all victims--including, say, the ones who aren't noted figures on the local club scene. ... Brian Boucher arrives, Mike Knuble departs; I don't like that math. | PRS

Phodder, a collection of brief thoughts regarding some of the week's happenings in and around Philadelphia, appears Saturdays in Poor Richard's Scorecard.

The Sixers Project With a Project; for the Flyers, the Time Is Now

The 76ers and Flyers made very different statements over the last few days about their expectations. The Sixers picked a project in the NBA draft Thursday, telling their fans that they hope to strengthen themselves over time. The Flyers traded away youth and draft picks Friday to secure a premier player, indicating they are going to try to take their maturing nucleus to the next level this season and next. Each approach is correct for its respective team.

Phodder: It's Not Bats and Balls and Gloves That Are the Phillies' Biggest Worry; It's Their Heads, Man

Charlie Manuel's strength is supposed to be between his players' ears, right? So please explain to me how the Phillies are screwing up the mental portion of their game so badly. ... The Sixers' drafting of point-guard project Jrue Holiday surely ups Andre Miller's free-agent asking price. ... Is it dorky or cool to say I'm kind of happy about the release of Parker Lewis Can't Lose's first season on DVD? ... Anybody legitimately surprised that Lenny Dykstra is not the financial wizard some would had us believe, raise your hand. Good. Please don't pass on your stupid genes to a new generation. ... Kudos to Rowan University, which adds credibility to its claim of being an institution on the move by partnering with Cooper University Hospital in opening a medical school in Camden. ... Bob Ford can grump and grouch all he wants about gimmicks, but I think the NHL's Winter Classic is nifty, and I love that the Flyers will play the Bruins in Fenway Park next New Year's Day. | PRS

Phodder, a collection of brief thoughts regarding some of the week's happenings in and around Philadelphia, appears Saturdays in Poor Richard's Scorecard.

Sixers Land a Shooter, Flyers Lure a Saver

There's a lot to like in the Flyers' and Sixers' respective personnel moves of the last couple of days. Both teams tended to important needs, the 76ers through a trade and the Flyers through a free-agent signing. While the moves are not without risk, neither club is in a position to coast this off-season. First-round playoff knockouts will do that to a team.

The Late Peter Zezel Had Steak to Go with the Sizzle

As a high schooler in South Jersey in the mid-'80s, I found it easy to despise Peter Zezel. Pretty boys weren't supposed to play hockey, after all, and they certainly weren't supposed to be good at it. They weren't supposed to land bit parts in Rob Lowe movies. And they weren't supposed to steal even more attention away from the girls I harbored unrequited crushes on.

It's Time for the Flyers to Grow Up--On Ice and Off

Will the real Flyers please stand up? Last season's Orange and Black gave us something to be excited about: Youth and skill and hunger combined to create an overachieving squad that reached the conference finals and augured a new era of elite hockey in Philadelphia. But in 2009, the trait that carried the day was inexperience, both on the ice and in the front office, and the result was a first-round playoff knockout to the Penguins.