Buzz On Broad

97.5 The Fanatic, the New Home of the Flyers and Sixers

Starting for the 2012-2013 season, 97.5 The Fanatic will be the new official radio provider of Philadelphia Flyers and Philadelphia 76ers.

On the Flyers being brought on, here is an official release from 975TheFanatic.com:

"For the 2012-13 season and beyond, Flyers game broadcasts on 97.5 The Fanatic and 950 ESPN Radio will include 20 minutes of coverage prior to face-off and 40 minutes of coverage after the game concludes, thanks to a new 10 minute pre-game show and 30 minute post-game show, which will bookend the game broadcast itself. The post-game show will include player interviews and a live broadcast of Flyers Head Coach Peter Laviolette’s post-game press conference."

The Sixers previously signed a contract and announced their full time coverage starting for the 2011-2012 playoffs. Sixers CEO Adam Aron announced the news (per an official release from the team):

The team has signed a multi-year agreement today with the radio broadcasting company for all 76ers games to be aired in the Delaware Valley on the FM dial on 97.5 The Fanatic, and for a significant number of Sixers games to be simulcast on 950 ESPN Radio. The first broadcast on 97.5 The Fanatic will be Game One of the NBA Playoffs and will continue through the remainder of the 2011-2012 playoffs. Some playoff games this season will be simulcast on 950 ESPN Radio as well, with simulcast dates being announced after the release of the NBA Playoffs schedule.

This is a solid move for both the Flyers and Sixers organizations. Not that we had a problem with them being broadcast on WIP, the station was simply putting other broadcasts ahead of both teams on their 94.1 FM station.

Since signing an agreement with the Phillies, WIP has kicked all hockey and basketball broadcasts to their 610 AM station.

You can now catch all Sixers playoff action on 97.5 The Fanatic and starting next season, The Fanatic will be the new home of the Flyers.

Briere Nets Two, Flyers Burn Devils in OT

The Flyers, despite another slow start in the 1st period on Sunday afternoon, were able to defeat the NJ Devils in overtime of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, 4-3.

Danny Briere has truly lived up to his title of "Mr. Playoffs" yet again this year, netting 2 goals (the Flyers' first and GW in OT) en route to the Flyers victory.

In case you missed the game, here are the highlights, courtesy of NHL.com:

Here are some QUICK HITS from Game 1 between the Flyers and Devils:

Obviously, like we've mentioned, Danny Briere took the game under his own control. He actually got a goal overturned in OT (kicked in) but netted another one just a few short minutes later.

Claude Giroux continues to live up to the hype. He scored the Flyers 3rd goal on the power play in the 3rd period on a rope of a one-timer goal. He led all forwards with 24:54 TOI.

James van Riemsdyk and Eric Wellwood may have been two of the Flyers best players on Sunday. JVR scored his first goal of the playoffs and probably could have had a few more if it weren't for the solid play of Martin Brodeur.

JVR finished the game with 1 G, 5 shots, and a +3 rating.

Wellwood certainly made his presence felt as well. He drew 2 key penalties, and despite not putting up big numbers, was a key factor towards the end of the game for the Flyers.

Ilya Bryzgalov did what it took to get the win. While he wasn't stellar, his 23 saves on 26 shots proved to be enough to outduel Marty Brodeur. We'd still like to see him be more of a difference maker.

The Flyers were only 1 for 6 on the power play. Keep an eye on this matchup moving forward in this series. The Devils' penalty kill was ranked 1st during the regular season and the Flyers had the league's top ranked power play unit these playoffs.

Game 2 will be played on Tuesday at 7:30pm. You can watch the game on NBC Sports Network and follow it on 610 WIP.

BUZZ ON BROAD 3 STARS OF THE GAME:

1) Danny Briere (2G, GWG)

2) Claude Giroux (1G)

3) James van Riemsdyk (1G, 5 S, +3 rating)

Rollins Back At Lead-Off Spot

The Philadelphia Phillies face the Chicago Cubs today at 1:35pm.  The Phils defeated the Cubs last night 5-2, here is today's lineup:

1. Jimmy Rollins - SS

2. Juan Pierre - LF

3. Hunter Pence - RF

4. Ty Wigginton - 1B

5. Shane Victorino - CF

6. Lance Nix - 1B

7. Brian Schneider -C

8. Freddy Galvis - 2B

9. Kyle Kendrick - P

 

Derrick Rose Out For Season

It's official, the Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose will miss the remainder of the NBA playoffs. In game one versus the Sixers, Rose left the game with an apparent knee injury. Rose's injury occurred with under two minutes left in the game, which was now announced that it is a torn ACL in his left knee.

Rose led the Bulls in scoring in Game one with 23 points.  Game two of the series is on Tuesday night at 8:00pm.  If the Sixers start hitting shots, and play their "run with us" offense, the Sixers can give the number one seeded Bulls a run for their money.

Weather Can't Rain on Joe's Parade OR Joe is at Home Sweet Home

After a 5-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs Friday night, in which the only run came on a Ty Wigginton homerun, the Phillies headed into Saturday’s game in search of some run support for Joe Blanton.

On Friday, Paul Maholm limited the Phillies hitters to 5 hits in 6.1 IP and Rafael Dolis earned a two inning save for the Cubs, only allowing one hit. This game came after a series in Arizona that saw the Phillies score 20 total runs. So Charlie did what he felt necessary; he switched the lineup again.

What To Look For In The Series Opener

Today, the Philadelphia Flyers finally have a playoff game.  At 3:00pm, the Flyers will faceoff against their Atlantic Division rivals, the New Jersey Devils.  The Devils defeated the Florida Panthers on Thursday night in double overtime, and now head to Philadelphia to play the first two games on the road.

The Flyers are coming off an epic series win over the Pittsburgh Penguins (saying that will NEVER get old). With the way the NHL reseeds, the Flyers now have home ice advantage on their side this round.  The Devils and Flyers do not like each other, and in fact I'm not sure they ever have.  These turnpike rivals will open up a series that should turn out to be yet another battle.  

Here is what you need to look for in Game 1:

• Goalies- Martin Brodeur is a proven goaltender, especially in the playoffs, the longer the Devils go, the better Marty plays.  As for Ilya Bryzgalov, he has struggled in the past few years with Phoenix, but now that he has a round victory under his belt, I think Bryz plays like the goalie we all know he can.
• Scoring- The Devils are hot as they are coming off a Game 7 win, while the Flyers have been off for almost a week.  I can see today's game be a very offensive game, but the rest of the series will tighten up.
• Claude Giroux- The Flyers haven't been in game type action in about a week, but I think Giroux has a strong first shift.  Giroux's first shift probably won't match his first shift versus the Penguins in Game 6, but if he puts a good amount of pressure, the rest of the team will follow.
• Nicklas Grossman- Grossman was out due to an "upper body injury", which many believed was a concussion.  With the week off, Nick has been skating with the team everyday, and I see him in the lineup today.
• Home Ice Advantage- The Wells Fargo Center is hungry.  Philadelphia just witnessed a fantastic series vs Pittsburgh, and with the Sixers playing the number one seeded Bulls and the Phillies up and down offense, the fans are ready for a cup run.  We have the best and loudest fans by far, we will prove that today.

 

Phillies Lineup For 4/28 Against the Chicago Cubs

Listed below is the Phillies lineup for Saturday's 7:05pm start against the Chicago Cubs. Joe Blanton will be on the mound looking to improve upon his 1-3 record and 4.34 ERA:

1. Jimmy Rollins

2. Placido Polanco

3. Hunter Pence

4. Jim Thome

5. Shane Victorino

6. Laynce Nix

7. Carlos Ruiz

8. Pete Orr

9. Joe Blanton

Sixers Drop Game 1 To Chicago 103-91

The first game of the postseason for the Sixers didn't go as planned. They drop Game 1 to the Bulls today in Chicago  103-91.

QUICK HITS from Sixers Game 1 Loss to Chicago:

• The Sixers shot 40% from the floor and 11% from beyond the arc.
• The Bulls had a 51% field goal percentage and a substantially more effective 43% from 3-point range.
• The man the Sixers knew they had to contain, Derrick Rose, led all players with 23 points and 9 assists (he also had 9 boards).
• Elton Brand led the Sixers with 19 points. He was 8 for 13 from the floor.
• The Sixers' "All-Star" Andre Iguodala was 5th on the team in scoring. His 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists are not enough if the Sixers expect to put up a fight in the game.
• The Sixers bench (Williams, Young, Hawes, Turner) outscored the Bulls bench 39-23.
• However, the Bulls starters badly outscored the Sixers starters (Iguodala, Brand, Allen, Meeks, Holiday)  80-52.

Game 2 will be played at 8:00pm on Tuesday. Here's a look at the rest of the 1st round schedule for the Sixers:

GAME	DATE	CITY	TIME	TV	Result
Game 1	Sat., April 28	Chicago	1:00 p.m. EST	TNT	103-91 LOSS
Game 2	Tue., May 1	Chicago	8:00 p.m. EST	TNT
Game 3	Fri., May 4	Philadelphia	8:00 p.m. EST	ESPN
Game 4	Sun., May 6	Philadelphia	1:00 p.m. EST	ABC
*Game 5	Tue., May 8	Chicago	TBD	TBD
*Game 6	Thu., May 10	Philadelphia	TBD	TBD
*Game 7	Sat., May 12	Chicago	TBD	TBD
*If necessary

Eagles Select LB, DE, and QB on Day 2 of the Draft

Per an official release from the Philadelphia Eagles, here is a summary of the team's selections and moves from Day 2 of the 2012 NFL Draft.

The Eagles' selections in the 2nd and 3rd rounds:

The Philadelphia Eagles made the following moves last night:

·         Selected LB Mychal Kendricks (2^nd round - 46^th overall)

·         Traded the 51^st pick to the Green Bay Packers for the 59^th and the 123^rd picks

·         Selected DE Vinny Curry (2^nd round – 59^th overall)

·         Selected QB Nick Foles (3^rd round – 88^th overall)

 

The Eagles now have five remaining selections in the 2012 NFL Draft:

Round       Overall       Notes         

4                  123               from Green Bay

5                  153               own selection

6                  194               from Denver

6                  200               from New England

7                  229               from Atlanta

 

Take the Good With the Bad: Kendrick only blemish on otherwise great series

The Phillies wrapped up their west coast trip with an impressive 9th inning and subsequent two games against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The bats came alive which allowed Phillies fans to sit back and blow up the twitterverse with #GoDbacks. (I was fairly amused reading all of the tweets as well. If you think of any, drop them in the comments section and I'll post the best ones Sunday).

The Phils showed some improved offensive ability in the desert in the final two games of the series, backing impressive performances from both Vance Worley and Cole Hamels. Including the 9^th inning of Monday’s game, the Phillies were hitting. Hunter Pence, Lance Nix, and Shane Victorino (2) all cleared the fences. Pete Orr had his first career 3 RBI game and they plated 5 men in a single inning. They had 13 extra base hits and four 2-out RBI’s in the series. Oh, and Jonathan Papelbon also saved his 6^th game of the year.