Here's the latest edition of Rob's Rants in which CSNPhilly's Rob Ellis does just that about the hottest topics in Philly sports.
Rhys is the word
What Rhys Hoskins has done in less than a full month in the majors has been unprecedented. It’s been staggering as a matter of fact. We’re not talking Phillies history. We’re talking history of baseball. Like 1876. He has 11 home runs this month after being called up Aug. 10. He’s a must-watch, whether at the park or on TV. But here’s the thing, we all know he can’t keep this pace up. We get it. Teams and pitchers will make adjustments, there will invariably be struggles, blah, blah, blah.
Can we enjoy it a little before the reality police pull us over for having too much fun? The cries from the “slow the roll” crowd have begun. Domonic Brown's six weeks of glory have been invoked in the conversation. This needs to stop. As dreadful as the last few years have been with this team, when Pat Neshek is your All-Star rep, you deserve to be able to savor a little and live in the here and now. As I’ve mentioned before, Hoskins is a hitter first. He works counts, he can hit from behind in counts. That will make him much less prone to long slumps or fading away like Brown. Here's what Cubs manager Joe Maddon said after Hoskins hurt his club over the weekend:
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a young guy look that profound at home plate. That’s the part that tells me he can sustain, not necessarily this pace, but he can sustain because he doesn’t strike out. He will accept his walks. He doesn’t expand the strike zone. He uses the whole field. He’s a big guy with short movements to the ball. Pretty impressive.”
Yes it is.
No. 88 in the rafters
Eric Lindros will become the sixth Flyers player to have his number retired. The ceremony will take place in January (see story).
Lindros was a phenomenal Flyer. He racked up 659 points in 486 games played with the orange and black. Yes, things got ugly the last couple of years with him and his parents and the Flyers' brass, namely then-general manager Bob Clarke. They gave up a ton for him and it didn’t result in a Cup. But when he was on the ice, he was a great player. The 6-4, 240-pound combo platter of size and speed was rare back in 1992 when Lindros broke into the league. The Flyers were perennial Cup contenders during his prime and through no fault of his own, they never had a good enough goalie.
NHL
Much like his Hockey Hall of Fame induction, Lindros' No. 88 being raised to the roof of the Wells Fargo Center is much deserved.
Cha-ching
The Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight was about one thing: money. Not Mayweather's keeping his perfect 49-0 record intact and surpassing Rocky Marciano. It was not about Conor McGregor's showing he could box or bringing MMA to a larger audience.
They were just the by-products.
There’s a reason why Mayweather’s nickname is “Money.” Conservative estimates have Mayweather earning in excess of $200 million when all is said and done with this fight. That will put him north of $1 billion made in his career. McGregor was a plumber less than a decade ago — he could take home $100 million for his work Saturday.
What about the Vegas bookmakers you ask? It was the most-bet fight ever — $85 million was wagered on the bout.
Forget the trash talk, the racial implications, the misogyny. This was a well-orchestrated dance between the two the entire time leading up to the fight. Mayweather may have won the fight on a TKO in the 10th. But both guys were victorious.
Help
Despite the often ugly times we exist in, we are still a country that rallies around one another and can show incredible depths of kindness and humanity, especially in times of need. The people of Southeast Texas and surrounding areas are in crisis mode. Hurricane Harvey’s devastation will be felt for years to come. Fifty-four counties have been impacted. The videos and still shots are shocking and unbelievable. It’s been dubbed an unprecedented natural disaster. Here’s how you can help.