Rob Q. Ink - A Philly Sports Blog

The World Series ended this week, and baseball managed to take another step toward alienating its fan. Forget the now annual “this was the least watched World Series in history” stories. Besides the fact that school-aged kids on the east coast either can’t watch or must go to school bleary-eyed, not to mention nine-to-fivers, Major League Baseball told the Houston Astros how to arrange their stadium. No, I don’t give a damn whether or not Houston kept its retractable roof opened or closed. But, I’m pretty sure the Houston Astros and their fans did. And all fans should care that they had to leave it open. It’s bad enough MLB has given away the idea of earning home field advantage in a weak attempt to make the All-Star Game matter to its players. Of course, before that they merely rotated it between the leagues, which made even less sense. Now, MLB tells the home team what to do with their “home field” advantage. Houston wanted the roof closed to generate even more crowd noise. The two g

It may be impossible to add anything to the thoughts everyone else has offered all day and night about the Birds’ “win” yesterday. I, too, would like to know what the hell is going on in Andy Reid’s head. I said weeks ago that his status as genius was in serious jeopardy. Now, I’m curious about his status as intelligent human being. The next analyst that says “this is just what Andy Reid does” should be fired on the spot. I don’t give a damn that Reid likes to throw the ball. Running the ball 10 times — 10! — in an entire football game is idiotic. Doing it with a quarterback that looks like he’s going to collapse in pain because he has an injury that makes throwing difficult is Kotitesque. Is this on? I’m at the point where I seriously question whether or not Reid the GM is calling the plays. The Birds have the big, cohesive offensive line we hungered for years ago. We have a running back in Brian Westbrook who proved he’s one of the best in the league last year. Donovan McNabb i

It seemed like a week of drama in the sports world: Does the NBA really need a dress code? Is it racist? Should a reporter disclose a rules violation on the golf course? Does anyone but reporters care? Personally, I could not care less whether or not the National Basketball Association has a dress code for its players when their not in uniform and on league time. Cries of racism can’t be completely dismissed. Let’s face it, they’d like the league to look less “hip hop.” I’m not sure why they care because there’s no way corporate America is rushing to buy more luxury suites now that Allen Iverson will be in a suit when he enters the Wachovia Center. But when guys like Tim Duncan aren’t complaining and Jayson Williams in Sacramento is affected as much as anyone, the racist argument falls apart. Now, if they’d like to make the game a little less hip hop, by, like, I don’t know, calling walks, I’m on board. I’ve only ever been on the outer-most fringes of being a reporter, but Mic

The Phillies finally gave in to public pressure and fired general manager Ed Wade this week. I didn't have any special loathing of the guy, but I only got back into the Phils in the last couple of years. I understand long-time fans jumping for joy. But, the Phils really haven't done anything yet. If you're looking for a new regime, the early signs aren't good. What took David Montgomery so long after the season to fire this guy? A GM's job for a season is done after the trading deadline. This decision should have been executed the minute the season ended. If missing the playoffs by one game affected the decision at all, it's ridiculous. Say the Phils beat the Mets once in the second-to-last series, which they obviously should have. Does Ed Wade still have a job? If not, why aren't the Phils ready — right now — to pull the trigger on a new GM? How in the world do they let Wade announce that the coaching staff will be returning? Why in the hell is Montgomery

Losing the week before a bye is bad enough. Getting beat by Dallas is bad enough. Getting your ass kicked is bad enough. Combine all three the way the Eagles did last night, and I'm surprised there's not a line of Eagles fans jumping off the Walt Whitman Bridge. Regardless of what happened yesterday, I am beginning to wonder if the "window" of opportunity the Eagles brass has so diligently ignored is closed. Yes, McNabb is hurt, and true or not his injuries will be blamed for every bad performance for the rest of the year. But more is going on here. Terrell Owens continues to take shots at the organization. Westbrook told us all he wasn't happy, and his production is down. The defense, which many thought would carry the team, looks old and lacks depth. Special teams look terrible. Andy Reid's inflexibility is getting old, and, ultimately, will seal this window shut. Reid clearly likes his "gunslinger" image, and he refuses to change. His franch

So, sports talk really can involve teams beyond the Philadelphia skyline. The Major League playoffs are underway, and despite the Phillies not being involved, people actually care about it. College football actually can garner fun, enjoyable discussion. Hearing opinions from players and coaches, without the host kissing their ass or mocking them, does have value afterall. That's right, folks, a new sports station is in town. And while I have no connection to WPEN 950 AM, I'm thrilled to have an alternative to the ego-maniacs on 610 WIP. Now we just need the two stations to swap Jim Rome and either Missanelli or Eskin, and we're set. Jody Mac is in his element with the wider-ranging format. I’ve always liked him except for being a Cowgirl fan, but he even said that's been tempered. I usually only listen to the radio 3 to 7PM if I'm in the car, but Mac's got me flipping it on at home. I gave Rome two or three days and couldn't stomach any more. First of

The Eagles and Phils won, and I feel like crap. No, not just because I continue to suck at picking games, though that's not helping. (I mean, 2-6-1 is just bad.) Yeah, the Phils needed a miracle this weekend. But we almost got it. The Cubs were right there — right there — today, almost beating the Astros to help the Phils force a playoff with Houston. They actually lead late in the game, and had the tying runs on second and third in the ninth only to smack a line drive to the second baseman for the third out. Of course, the worse is yet to come. The media will belabor the point of yet another season that came up just short. Thankfully, WIP won't be our only option tomorrow, and we can ignore Angelo Cataldi recalling every near-miss in Philly history, Anthony Gargano's smug attitude despite being dead wrong in his summer-long BS session that the Phils would fold (they did not), and Mike Missanelli predicting nothing but future gloom and doom. We can hope WPEN's new s