Archive: December, 2012
Bob Vetrone Jr.
Perhaps the irony is that the Andy Reid era is going to hang on a little longer than we thought after all ... if only for a few hours.
The NFL will enforce its flex scheduling for Week 17 no later than Monday (Merry Christmas Eve!) depending on the playoff possibilities for that weekend. (No night game has yet been scheduled at all; one will move into that NBC slot.) Since so many of the division titles are locked up and the top seeds and byes could be right behind them — and the NFC East title is guaranteed to not be clinched this weekend — Eagles-Giants and Cowboys-Redskins look to be the leaders in the clubhouse to close out the 2012 regular season.
The race for the final (or both) NFC wild-card slots may save us from yet another prime-time Birds event, but there is no denying that having a division title at stake is better for the ratings.
Bob Vetrone Jr.
We hope that Ruben Amaro and the Phillies' front-office staff have another right-field card up their sleeve, but if they have to go with a Domonic Brown/John Mayberry platoon out there in 2013, let's hope its the 2009-11 Mayberry that shows up to face left-handed pitchers and not the 2012 version. His splits vs. LHP:
| Mayberry vs. LHP |
2009-11 |
2012 |
| Games | 77 | 81 |
| Batting Avg. |
.298 | .271 |
| Hits-AB |
46-154 | 45-166 |
| On-Base Pct. |
.342 | .317 |
| Walks |
9 | 10 |
| Strikeouts |
31 | 32 |
| Slugging Pct. |
.604 | .494 |
| Total Bases |
93 | 82 |
| Doubles |
11 | 13 |
| Home Runs |
12 | 8 |
| Runs Batted In |
31 | 19 |
Bob Vetrone Jr.
On Feb. 10, 2002, Philadelphia hosted the NBA All-Star Game and from the start, the fans treated Kobe Bryant not as a native son, but as annoying opponent, booing him throughout.
At the time — about a third of his career to date — he had risen to be among the best players in the game, but hadn't yet been first-team All-NBA (which he has done 10 times since).
Below are his career totals — regular season and playoffs combined — at the time of that All-Star Game and in his career since then. (We've also included his numbers in Philadelphia B/A that All-Star Game.)
Bob Vetrone Jr.
Click below for Vegas Vic and Daily News Staff pro picks
Bob Vetrone Jr.
American patriot Paul Revere (“One, if by bunt, and two, if by steal”) has as many major league home runs to his credit as new Phillies centerfielder Ben Revere. But then, so do a lot of other people.
In 1,064 career plate appearances, Revere (Ben) has nary a dinger to proclaim. That is the most PAs among all active homerless players and the fifth-most in the expansion era (since 1961).
But it’s not like he will be the first Phillie without any pop in his bat. Here are the players (pitchers and non-pitchers) with the most career PAs for the Phils and no homers to show for it since integration in 1947. (*Denotes current Phillies.)
| PITCHER | Seasons | PA | HR |
| Chris Short |
1959-72 | 785 | 0 |
| Curt Schilling |
1992-00 | 594 | 0 |
| Dick Ruthven |
1975, '78-83 |
465 | 0 |
| Brett Myers |
2002-09 | 410 | 0 |
| Shane Rawley |
1984-88 | 343 | 0 |
| Bruce Ruffin |
1986-91 | 301 | 0 |
| Jamie Moyer |
2006-10 | 269 | 0 |
| Ken Heintzelman |
1947-52 | 266 | 0 |
| *Kyle Kendrick |
2007-12 | 253 | 0 |
| John Denny |
1982-85 | 246 | 0 |
| *Roy Halladay |
2010-12 | 244 | 0 |
| NON-PITCHERS | |||
| Emil Verban |
1947-48 | 765 | 0 |
| Sparky Anderson |
1959 | 527 | 0 |
| Stan Javier |
1992 | 313 | 0 |
| Lee Handley |
1947 | 306 | 0 |
| Wally Backman |
1991-92 | 275 | 0 |
| Don Padgett |
1947-48 | 254 | 0 |
| Bud Harrelson |
1978-79 | 214 | 0 |
| Rod Booker |
1990-91 | 204 | 0 |
| Harvey Kuenn |
1966 | 176 | 0 |
| Craig Robinson |
1972-73 | 164 | 0 |
| Pete Orr |
2011-12 | 161 | 0 |
Bob Vetrone Jr.
(We post a baseball trivia question every Saturday, just for fun, as well as a detailed answer, stats, charts and commentary on the previous week's question. Pass along your questions, thoughts and ideas to boopstats@phillynews.com.)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION
Five pitchers started games on 10 or more consecutive Opening Days. Who are they?
Bob Vetrone Jr.
Click below for our picks for the bowls of Dec. 15-27.
Bob Vetrone Jr.
For those who were confused by that strange penalty called on the Eagles early in the fourth quarter Thursday night against the Bengals, it is listed thusly on the official play-by-play sheet:
“Defense simulated the snap count.”
Not listed on the official sheet was this penalty that was not accessed, but easily could have been:
“Eagles simulated a Pop Warner team.”
BECAUSE WE CAN COUNT
♦ Friday is Day No. 5,087 of the Andy Reid era.
TURNOVERS
♦ Early in the second quarter, Trent Cole recovered a fumble by Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton. It was the Eagles’ first takeaway since the Saints game on Nov. 5 ... the day before the Presidential election.
There had been 343 minutes and 53 seconds of playing time elapsed between those takeaways.
Over that time, opponents had run 342 plays without turning the ball over to the Birds.
♦ The Eagles have lost more fumbles this season than their opponents have committed.
The Birds have fumbled 35 times, losing 21. Opponents have fumbled 20 times, with the Eagles snapping up just five.
♦ Since the beginning of the 2011 season, the Eagles have committed 72 turnovers in 30 games, worst among all NFL games.
Bob Vetrone Jr.
The Eagles’ Nick Foles, whose passer rating has gone up with every start, makes his fifth start Thursday night against the Bengals, three of them in prime-time:
He is one of three rookie quarterbacks completing over 60 percent of his passes and taking aim at the NFL rookie record (66.44 percent). Foles will qualify with 40 more attempts (224).
| ALL-TIME ROOKIES | Team | Season | Cmp. | Att. | Pct. |
| Ben Roethlisberger | Steelers | 2004 | 196 | 295 | 66.44% |
| Matt Ryan | Falcons | 2008 | 265 | 434 | 61.06% |
| Joe Flacco | Ravens | 2008 | 257 | 428 | 60.05% |
| 2012 ROOKIE LEADERS | |||||
| Robert Griffin III | Redskins | 2012 | 233 | 351 | 66.38% |
| Russell Wilson | Seahawks | 2012 | 208 | 330 | 63.03% |
| Nick Foles | Eagles | 2012 | 113 | 184 | 61.41% |
