Archive: March, 2011
Join Rich Hofmann of the Daily News as he takes your questions on the Phillies, starting Friday at noon. After Rich's chat, join philly.com's Matt Mullin for live commentary as the Phillies start their season against the Astros at Citizens Bank Park. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. with Roy Halladay on the mound.
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Video: Daily News columnist Rich Hofmann looks back at how Opening Day has changed for the Phillies in a generation.
Video: The Daily News' Rich Hofmann has predictions for the Phillies season, a plan for second base and discusses whether the rebuilding Sixers will be attractive for free agents.
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
The NCAA Tournament is at a crossroads, if anybody wants to be honest about it. This isn't all about Virginia Commonwealth or Butler or the most wide-open Final Four we have ever seen. This is a trend now, and it needs to be recognized and acknowledged in the only way that makes intellectual sense.
They need to expand the tournament, to 96 teams at the least. And they need to do it now.
I know we all grew up with something smaller, and we all came to love the 64-team format. There was a symmetry to the bracket that seemed to comfortable. But the truth is that the tournament expanded not in search of symmetry, but in search of money -- and, more importantly, because there were more qualified teams than ever as more and more schools poured more and more money into the sport.
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
TUCSON, Ariz. -- They arrive at the great collegiate carnival, all of them do, with a set of dreams jammed into their suitcases. Everyone’s is different. For some, it is simply to play well and not embarrass themselves. For others, it is to win once and stay the weekend. For others, it is more. Temple’s was more.
There were all kinds of reasons why the Owls’ first game on Thursday against Penn State was uber-meaningful -- because of Coach Fran Dunphy’s history in the NCAA Tournament and because of this group of players and their three consecutive losses in the first round. But, truth be told, they wanted even more.
No one was kidding themselves. The athleticism and size of San Diego State was going to be a big mountain in the next round. Still, they arrived with a realistic hope.
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
TUCSON, Ariz. -- We all know the drill by know. Two Pennsylvania teams, both dying for an NCAA Tournament win, shipped out to Arizona to play a game whose starting time was in the late breakfast/early lunch part of the day (depending upon how late you stayed out the night before). The coaching staffs, full of competitive people who also happen to be personal friends, all carry the burden of their profession, the one where everyone tends to forget everything you do in the other 49 weeks of the year, so fixated are they on this.
Temple and Penn State, then.
And on this day, Temple coach Fran Dunphy finally broke through while Penn State's Ed DeChellis can only wonder. Penn State's Talor Battle tied the game at 64-64 with a 30-foot bomb with 14.2 seconds remaining in the second half. Then Juan Fernandez won it with a gutty, 18-foot desperation jump shot with 0.4 seconds left.
Video: Every week, CineSport's Noah Coslov turns to the Daily News' Rich Hofmann to get the answers to the three biggest stories in Philly sports.
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
Video: It sure wasn't a rematch of their second game this year. Temple made quick work of the La Salle Explorers on their way to a 96-76 win. The Daily News' Rich Hofmann and Philly.com's Dave Isaac break down the game.
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
The NFL and NFLPA were asked by mediator George Cohen not to speak to the media, but they've been speaking for days. As they appear poised to throw themselves over the cliff, owner negotiator Jeff Pash and unon negotiator DeMaurice Smith both managed to get themselves in front of television cameras on Thursday night to lob bombs at each other. At the same time, public relations guys from both sides found themselves in a mini-Twitter war.
Oh, for the good old days -- when media blackouts were broken in much more civilized fashion.
The strike in 1982 lasted for 50-something days. After it started, for close to 2 weeks, talks were held at a hotel in Hunt Valley, Md. A private mediator with experience in NFL disputes was brought in, an old guy from San Francisco with a great reputation named Sam Kagel. Immediately, Kagel imposed a news blackout.
Video: What do the Phillies do if Chase Utley is out for an extended period? How important is the top seed in the Eastern Conference to the Flyers? Daily News columnist Rich Hofmann answers the three biggest questions in Philly sports.
