Temple Football: A Tale of Two Teams

The Temple Owls are 7-2. They are in first place in the MAC Eastern conference in which they have posted a 4-1 record. They are undefeated at home and are currently in the midst of a three game winning streak. 
Numbers like these may lead one to believe that this is a very successful team, and that fans should be happy and proud of the Owls' effort. While this is true, a look at the Owls' season as a whole so far tells the story of two separate teams that have clashed with each other and ultimately caused the Owls to underachieve.
The Owls started their season 3-0. Their offense struggled at times under starting quarterback Chester Stewart, but the defense often bailed them out in some close games early.
The Owls then went on a 1-2 stretch in which they posted losses to Penn State and Northern Illinois. Stewart threw four interceptions over the two losses and the Temple offense crippled under his lead.
Stewart continued his poor play in week seven against Bowling Green. He was benched after throwing a costly first quarter interception that was returned for a touchdown to give the Falcons an early lead. Redshirt junior quarterback Mike Gerardi took over for Stewart, and after throwing an eighty yard touchdown on the second pass of his collegiate career, led the Owls to a 28-27 comeback win. 

Gerardi has taken every snap for the Owls since, leading them to a 2-0 record in which they have outscored their opponents 72-0. 
It seems the past two weeks has demonstrated how good this team can be when it is firing on all cylinders. While the defense has performed much better, the glaring discrepancy between the first half of this year and the recent string of success is the play at quarterback. 
Gerardi has demonstrated that he can do what is necessary to put his team in a position to win. He has turned the ball over just twice in his three career appearances, posting a quarterback efficiency of 175.1. Stewart, on the other hand, often did as much to put his team in a position to lose as he did to win. Stewart threw five interceptions, lost eight fumbles, and consistently missed wide open receivers downfield  in his seven starts.
So yeah, the Owls are 7-2. They are red hot and are in prime position to win another MAC Conference championship. But when you step back at look at the season as a whole, you can't help but wonder how good they could have been.

Flyers Preview

After nine games of the 2010-2011 season, the Philadelphia Flyers find themselves in a similar position to their start last year. They have posted almost identical records, they are using a goalie who won't be starting games at the end of the season, and they have been backed by the strong play of Danny Briere, Mike Richards, and Jeff Carter. Whether or not these closely identified starts will result in a similar outcome remains to be seen. Let's take a look at the Flyers' chances of building on last year's magic and returning to the Stanley Cup Finals.


Offense
The Flyers offense has been somewhat of a disappointment so far this season, as they
rank 15th in the NHL in goals per game, with 2.5. Danny Briere has been an early highlight, as he leads the team with six goals and eight total points. However, Captain Mike Richards has been struggling to find the net. He has managed only one goal while registering a team-low shooting percentage of .05.  Chris Pronger, Matt Carle, and Kimmo Timonen, the Flyers key offensive defenders, have struggled as well. After combining for 129 points last season, the three have only posted five assists so far, and no goals.
But the Flyers' depth at lines is too strong for this offensive mishap to last all season. The second line of Briere, Scotty Hartnell, and Ville Leino has been their most productive as a result of Briere's offensive outbreak and Hartnell's continuation of his strong play in the 2010 postseason. The third line of Claude Giroux, Jeff Carter, and Darroll Powe has also deemed itself a threat, with the three players combining for nine goals. 
Look for Richards and up-and-comer James van Riemsdyk to turn it on and make this offense everything it's shaped up to be.


Defense
The Flyers defense has also placed in the middle of the road, allowing 2.7 goals against, which is ranked 14th in the NHL. But there are some positives in light of the negatives. The defensive pairing of Chris Pronger and Matt Carle has been a highlight, with the two posting a plus/minus of three and two, respectively. Pronger missed the first two games of the season while recovering from off-season knee surgery and seems to still be working out the kinks, but "near 100%" Chris Pronger is still better than most defenders in the league. Carle has arguably looked the best out of any Flyer so far this year. He leads all defenders in scoring and has demonstrated mental toughness and restraint in committing only one penalty so far this year despite averaging over twenty minutes per game. Newcomer Sean O'Donnell has also been a bright spot, posting a plus/minus of three, which is second best on the team, and demonstrating veteran leadership on defense much like that of Pronger, who also played with him in Anaheim. 
Look for Kimmo Timonen to break out of his slump to bolster an already solid defensive front.


Goaltending
This is the big question mark for the Flyers (sound familiar?). Heach coach Peter Laviolette has decided to split time between Rookie Sergei Bobrovsky with Brian Boucher until starter Michael Leighton returns from back surgery, which won't be until late December. The two have managed respectable numbers so far, each posting a goals against average below three and a save percentage around .900, but lack the shut down ability that has been missing from the Flyers regular season for years.
Expect Bobrovsky and Boucher to do a respectable job until Leighton returns, but don't expect an orange and black Vezina trophy this season.


Special Teams
The Flyers' power play has been the biggest problem so far this season. Through the first eight games, the Flyers capitalized on only three of thirty-five power play opportunities. After Peter Laviolette referred to their eighth game against the Columbus Blue Jackets as a "mindless effort," the Flyers responded in game nine against the Buffalo Sabres, scoring three power play goals in five opportunities.
The Flyers penalty kill has done very well so far, posting an 84.6 penalty kill percentage despite a heavily penalized season so far in which the Flyers have committed 46 violations. The Flyers have also demonstrated their ability to score while down a man, as Giroux has registered two short handed goals so far.
This is very typical of Flyers' numbers in the past. Expect much of the same for the rest of the season.


The Verdict
The Flyers' depth at offense combined with their experience on defense should outweigh their questions in goal and on the power play. Expect their offense to post better all around numbers than last year and make another run at the Stanley Cup.


Record: 47-32-3 (3rd in the Eastern Conference)
Result: Lose in Eastern Conference Finals

Temple News: The Culture of Boys Tennis

The key to any sport is communication, but in tennis, talking about positioning and strategy among doubles players is particularly vital to winning. So how does a team with three Americans, three Russians and two Polish players succeed?

The men’s tennis team is currently in the fall portion of its bi-annual play. The fall session consists of various invitational tournaments that pit singles’ and doubles players against athletes from other schools in the region. The doubles lineup consists of four teams that vary based on each tournament, but it usually combines players of similar nationalities.

“It has nothing to do with them being from another country. It just worked out that way,” coach Steve Mauro said. “I coach tennis players. It has nothing to do with culture or where they’re from.”

“[The cultural aspect] is unique because there are a lot of foreigners on the team,” said junior Kurt Mauro, who is usually paired with an American player of Indian descent. “Everyone’s English is pretty good.”

The team has three Russian players whom Mauro places with each other, as well as with players of other nationalities. When the Russian players compete together, they speak Russian, but coach Mauro and his players say there are no problems with communication.

“I feel very comfortable to play doubles with all players,” senior Andrey Morozov said.

Morozov, who was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, traveled more than 4,300 miles to attend college in Philadelphia. While it may be unusual for one to travel such a great distance to attend school, Morozov’s explanation was simple.

“I found [Temple] on the Internet,” Morozov said. “I like the school. I like the city. I came to visit, and I liked it a lot.”

The team also hosts a pair of Polish brothers, junior Filip and sophomore Kacper Rams. The Rams brothers, who speak Polish on the court, were born in Katowice, Poland, approximately 4,342 miles from Philadelphia.

“It was a tennis decision,” Filip Rams said. “We came here to play tennis.”

The varying nationalities of players offer the team a unique cultural definition.

Internationally, tennis players from all over the world compete at every level, from collegiate play to professional matches. Four professional Grand Slam events are held in the United States, Great Britain, France and Australia. Aspiring players are now bred to interact internationally and compete against players of different cultures.

Cultural conflicts could represent a problem for some coaches, but Mauro said coaching at Temple is no different than coaching any other team.

“I treat everyone the same way,” coach Mauro said. “It’s a pleasure to work with international students.”

The players’ varying cultures don’t seem to have affected their chemistry. From what coach Mauro and his team said, they all seem to share a general feeling of acceptance, with everyone playing alongside whomever coach Mauro assigns them – and no matter what, they make it work.

“As far as the other teams in the [Atlantic Ten Conference], we have a lot more chemistry,” Kurt Mauro said.

“Our chemistry is good,” Filip Rams agreed. “We haven’t had any problems.”

But the international players have faced communication challenges off the court.  At first, the language barrier affected some players in the classroom.

“Language was the biggest issue in the beginning for me,” Morozov said. “Tests are different. We only had final terms in Russia. Here, we have terms throughout the semester.”

“It’s kind of hard to adjust,” Filip Rams said. “Having classes in a different language is the hardest adjustment.”

But, just as they do on the court, the international students do what’s required to succeed. The team’s average grade point average is 3.4, the highest of any Temple sports team.

“We just try to work together as a team to win,” Kurt Mauro said.

Phillies' Close Call

Besides facing the surging San Francisco Giants, the Phillies had other problems this weekend on their flight back from the west coast.
In a story reported on October 25th by CBS in an Eye Witness News Exclusive, the Phillies' airplane nearly collided with another airplane that was coming across a runway at the Philadelphia International Airport on Friday morning. 
The Phillies plane was two and a half miles away from landing when the Air Traffic Controller commanded a second plane to traverse across the very same runway that the Phillies' plane was designed to land on.
“That’s when these airplanes typically have an accident.” said aviation attorney Arthur Wolk. “Every airplane that time of the day at this airport was using the very same runway. That creates a problem; it’s a traffic jam.”
After the ATC advised the Phillies' pilot to switch to a new runway and the pilot refused, the plane circled the runway at 3,000 feet before the space was cleared and they were free to land.

"They dodged a bullet, and we're happy for that, but the explanation really does not make sense to me," said Wolk.
The environment within the cabin is unknown, and it is not exactly clear on how the Phillies reacted.
“Oh yeah, we had to circle, circle back around,” calmly stated Phillies' General Manager Ruben Amaro.
One has to wonder what kind of effect this had on this past weekend's series, if any. Even if it was no big deal, it brings to mind that ever scary thought of the idea of an entire sports team being wiped out by a plane crash.

Where Does the Phillies' Loss Rank?

In a 2008 article, 100 Years and 100 Heartbreaks, Sports Illustrated ranked the 2002 NFC Championship game against the Buccanneers the worst loss in Philadelphia sports history. 
Where does the 2010 NLCS Game 6 loss to the San Francisco Giants rank?
In the lists section of this blog, I put the series loss as the fifth worst in the history of Philadelphia sports.
Post your opinions in the comments section below.