It was a little odd sitting on my back patio yesterday afternoon, empty blue sky overhead and the wind dying down by the hour. Don't we have tickets for a game tonight? Obviously, despite the calm after the storm, the Phillies and Union made the right decision to just scrap a day that featured an early morning hurricane that did lay some damage around the area, from widespread power outages to some serious flooding. The road I usually take to get to PPL Park was completely flooded as of yesterday afternoon, and I'm guessing field conditions were less than optimal.
With no sports on the docket yesterday, we enjoyed a little day off to recuperate from our Happy Landfall, Irene! party. Today we're sifting through the news debris as the Philly sports world gets back to reality.
Headlines from the weekend and Monday morning below.
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Once both Saturday's games were called due to rain, the Phillies boarded a plane for Cincinnati, where they'll face the Reds in a four-game set to start the week. Jim Salisbury takes a look at Cole Hamels' return from the DL, with video on whether John Mayberry Jr is close to becoming a regular in the Phillies lineup and Vance Worley's potential for starting in the playoffs. [CSNPhilly]
We have a lot of baseball coming our way now that the hurricane hiatus is over, with the Phillies playing 33 games in 31 days. Sam Donnellon looks on the bright side and asks whether this might actually be a good thing for the Phils. [Philly.com]
Bob Vetrone Jr's BoopStats blog says that the Reds are an ideal opponent for Cole's return to the rotation. [BoopStats]
With Irene bearing down on the Delaware Valley like the Browns first quarter pass rush did on Michael Vick Thursday night, the Eagles shook up their offensive line on Saturday. Kulp described the new-look line here. [The700Level]
News
New Flyer Brayden Schenn is taking tips from longtime NHL star Gary Roberts, but it's not on how to put the puck in the net… it's on what to put in his shopping cart at the grocery store. [Globe and Mail]
The Union may have been off yesterday, but the other local soccer club was in action, with the Independence squaring off against Marta and the Western New York Flash for the Women's Professional Soccer League Championship. It's the second time the Independence have made the final in their two-year history. Unfortunately, the Flash would win the match on penalty kicks after regulation and overtime ended with the teams locked at one. Great showing in 2011, ladies. [CSNPhilly]