Dunph, Depp, Dennys
A little Friday housekeeping:
*-Aside from being coach Fran Dunphy's 400th career win, Temple's defeat of Georgetown Thursday night was impressive because of the way the Owls kept their poise in the final few minutes. The No. 10-ranked Hoyas made a run, tied the game and were about to seize control. That's what elite teams do. But the Owls stayed calm, made some big plays at both ends and delivered a win that will pay dividends come Selection Sunday.
As for Dunphy, No. 400 is just another milestone in one of the great Philadelphia basketball careers. The Temple program really feels like it belongs to him now, and that's no small feat considering the large (and scuffed) shoes Dunphy had to fill there.
*- If you're worried about Asante Samuel not practicing Thursday, you probably should be. It isn't unusual for a player with a leg injury to be held out of a practice on the artificial turf in the Eagles' indoor facility. But Sunday's game is on artificial turf and indoors. If Samuel's knee isn't right, he has a tough call to make.
We all remember Lito Sheppard sitting out when he was anything less than 100 percent. But we should also remember Ellis Hobbs getting lit up while trying to play hurt in that debacle against Tennessee this season. Corner is a brutal position if you can't run and turn and cut without pain.
*-We're all probably a little spoiled by the Phillies' recent history of enorm-gi-hugic trades and signings. Cliff Lee. Roy Halladay. Roy Oswalt. Ross Gload (OK, that was a test to see if you're paying attention). So this week's ho-hum trip to the winter meetings seems more than a little disappointing.
That's unfair, though. This is a very good team with an already outsized payroll. Splashy moves give everyone a quick rush, but Ruben Amaro Jr. can't keep one-upping himself just to keep feeding our addiction.
Still: Dennys Reyes?
*-Johnny Depp famously channeled Rolling Stone Keith Richards for Capt. Jack Sparrow, his character in Pirates of the Caribbean. Trailers for his new film, The Tourist, suggest he's borrowed his look from Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips. The getaway scene in the giant clear plastic ball is a dead giveaway.