The Philadelphia Phillies' 2012 season ended with a thud. They watched first-hand as the Washington Nationals celebrated their first NL East crown, a crown that the Phillies wore for the past half-dozen years. Those were the days, my friends... This year, the Phils floundered, crippled by injuries and inconsistency. It wasn't until after the All-Star break that the team got a shot in the arm, a shot of youth that helped the club make a playoff Wild Card run that eventually fell far too short. So where do the Phillies go from here? And can the team bounce back to its winning ways in 2013? For …

Before heading into a dreadful series in Houston in which they lost three of four to the worst team in the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies were three games out of the second wild card spot in the National League. A six-game sweep over the Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins yielded one of the best homestands in franchise history, and the sports talk stations were abuzz at the turnaround that the Philadelphia Phillies, a team given up for dead at the trading deadline in late July, had made. Today, even after Cliff Lee K'd 10 Mets and the Phightin's knocked two homeruns off Cy Young …

The expression "for the birds" means "worthless," "useless," "unreliable," "unacceptable." In 2011, Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie could have described the play of his football team that way. This year, he's put Coach Andy Reid on notice that another .500 season is "unacceptable." As the Eagles' 2012 NFL season kicks off Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, will they be "for the birds" again this year? It's hard to say. The NFL is a high-wire act in which anything goes. The New York Giants played sub-par football for most of last year, but caught fire in the playoffs and torched the …

Chase Utley started fielding ground balls at third base before Wednesday night's game, and hopefully, he keeps doing it. Because Utley's future with the Phillies is at third base. Utley has been on the disabled list the past two years because of degenerated knees. He would be ideal at third, where he wouldn't have to take such a pounding moving laterally (and from baserunners trying to take him out). More importantly, if it works, the move may keep Utley in a Phils uniform for years to come: 2013 is a contract year for the sparkplug, and a successful move to third could prolong his career. …

Editor's Note: This column was written before the Philadelphia Eagles played the Cleveland Browns Friday night. Forget Michael Vick; we've now got Nick. Sometimes discoveries are made in preseason that amount to ones like finding the Ark of the Covenant, or learning that the world is not flat. The Philadelphia Eagles have made a find of historic proportions: rookie quarterback Nick Foles is the real deal. As Michael Vick tries to stay in a football game for more than two series, Foles has shone like someone who could be the next Dan Marino or Joe Montana. When all "Monday Night Football" …

He's not Julius Erving. No one will ever be able to claim the fame that Dr. J. earned when he joined the Philadelphia 76ers, leading them to an NBA Championship game in his first season in the franchise's magic bicentennial year of 1976. But could Andrew Bynum be the next superstar in the pantheon of Sixer greats? Based on the turnout of Philly fans for the press conference announcing his arrival in town last Wednesday, the city is prepared to anoint him. The big center, one of the only true seven-foot talents in the league, was acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers to be the man here. But …

Poor Andy Reid. It's one thing, for any parent, to have to deal with the death of a child. But it's another, when you're the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, to cope with that death when a season of high expectations is on the horizon. After last year's 8-8 finish, the longtime coach—arguably the best in franchise history—was put on notice by team owner Jeffrey Lurie for faltering during a "Dream Team" season in which it seemed nothing short of a Super Bowl would match expectations. This year's team looked very sharp and determined at Lehigh University, but the tragedy of Garrett Reid's …

It seemed automatic. For the past half-dozen years, the Philadelphia Phillies were playoff-bound and General Manager Ruben Amaro was adding those important pieces to the puzzle at the trading deadline. But Tuesday, Amaro became a seller instead of a buyer, shipping Shane Victorino back to the Los Angeles Dodgers and then flipping outfielder Hunter Pence to the San Francisco Giants. Amaro probably also tried to unload pitcher Cliff Lee and outfielder Juan Pierre, but his asking price was too high.  Joe Blanton cleared waivers Friday and is en route to the Dodgers, where he will rejoin the …

To the delight of most Philadelphia Phillies fans, Cole Hamels will be wearing pinstripes for a number of years to come. With the signing of Hamels to a six-year, $144 million deal with a vesting option for a seventh year, the Phillies are telling fans that they haven't thrown in the towel, even if this season might be lost. Hamels' contract is the richest in team history. (Yes, it tops those of Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley.) But is the price for pitching worth it?  With Hamels locked up, the Phillies have now invested $68 million in …

The Philadelphia Eagles opened training camp at Lehigh University Sunday with the same expectations as last year—to win it all. But the mantra is a little different for Coach Andy Reid this year—it's win or else. Owner Jeffrey Lurie made that quite clear during his end-of-season speech when he soured on a franchise that had such high expectations after several top-of-the-line free agency signings only to see Reid and his team do a belly flop throughout the whole year. But the Dream Team turned into Team Turmoil as wideout DeSean Jackson bitched about not having a new contract and Pro Bowler …

He's the Manager of the Year and the manager of this year's All-Star squad. No, his name isn't Charlie Manuel; it's Ryne Sandberg. While the Philadelphia Phillies get to start the second half of the baseball season in a basement in which the water is almost chest deep, the skipper of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs is putting together another fine season. Check the standings.  For Charlie, the Phils stand dead last in the NL East, 14 games back of the first-place Washington Nationals. Even a Wild Card berth looks wild at best, despite a healthy second half expected for sluggers Ryan Howard and …