It’s been a Philly sports night for me. Even though I haven’t lived in the Delaware Valley for nearly 35 years, Philadelphia sports teams are still my “home” teams.

And it’s been an exciting night. First up was the Phillies against the Florida Marlins. In that game I got to watch Roy Halladay pitch the 20th perfect game in MLB history. I watched the other Philly perfect game on TV when Jim Bunning threw his flawless effort on Fathers Day in 1964.

The second event was the first game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago took the win 6-5 in a game where the lead kept going back and forth.

Not a bad way to spend a Saturday evening.

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Not much available, but I just read that Tiger Woods was seriously injured in a car crash as I was scanning the news during lunch.

Professional golfer Tiger Woods was seriously injured in a car accident early this morning, the Florida Highway Patrol just reported.

Woods, 33, pulled out of his driveway in the Isleworth community about 2:25 a.m. when he struck a fire hydrant, and then drove into a tree at his neighbor’s property, FHP reported.

Woods was transported to Health Central Hospital in Ocoee in serious condition, FHP said. No other information about his condition has been released.

UPDATE: Reports are now saying that he has been treated and released. It would be good news to find out that the “seriously injured” originally reported was an over statement of the facts.

Besides, he has always had trouble with his drives being off line. Too soon?

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Staying away from politics for the day. I’m enjoying being a sports fan today, and it’s a great time of year to be a sports fan. NASCAR is in the chase part of their season with Talladega the next stop tomorrow. College and NFL football are both well under way, and the NHL started today with the Lightning losing to the Rangers in Prague.

Best of all my Phillies are in the playoffs and are up 2 games to none over the Brewers. Game three is on right now. The Phils are down 3-0 in the 6th but they have a runner on third with only one out. As I write this Howard scores Werth from third, 3-1 and two out.

Politics will be back soon enough, but for now I’ll take the Obama approach — If you need me, call me.

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The Phillies have won the NL East.

The Phillies won the National League East Division title today, beating the Washington Nationals 4-3 at Citizens Bank Park.

The triumph in front of the 50th sellout crowd of the season gave the Phillies their second consecutive division title.

The Phillies won’t know their playoff opponent for at least one more day. The New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers are still alive in the race to be the National League wild-card team.

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If the Mets win the wild-card, then the Phillies play the Los Angeles Dodgers and have the home-field advantage.

If the Brewers win the wild-card, then the Phillies will play the Brewers and have the home-field advantage.

Way. To. Go!!

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There is one happy pirate in NC today. OK, there’s a lot more than one, and deservedly so. It was a great game.

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Getting you ready for the Olympics.

Reuters:

DETROIT (Reuters) – American Jennie Finch is the face of a sport that is about to lose its Olympic identity. An Olympic gold medalist and double world champion, the blonde pitcher has gone from Athens Games pinup to mother and softball crusader.

Posters of Finch hang on the bedroom walls of girls across the U.S. inspiring Olympic dreams that she says will be crushed by the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to dump softball along with baseball from the Games, starting in 2012.

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Jim McKay is the commentator I hear in my mind when I think of sports in my youth. I remember watching Wide World of Sports and learning that there were sports like Barrel Jumping, Grand Prix Racing, and Cliff Diving. McKay passed away today at 86.

McKay was the one who spanned the globe to bring television viewers the constant variety of sports on ABC’s influential “Wide World of Sports,” where he told of “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.”

A far different kind of agony awaited in 1972 when word came down in Munich that Palestinian terrorists had kidnapped 11 Israeli athletes. McKay was summoned from a day off, hurriedly putting clothes over a bathing suit to anchor ABC’s coverage of the drama as the games stood still.

The commando raid to free the hostages ended awfully. McKay told the world.

I remember watching his coverage of that tragic event. He told the story in a way that few could match.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret, and his son and daughter. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

He will be missed by spots lovers around the Wide World.

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It’s time for game five between the Flyers and Canadians. I’ll be right here watching, except when I’m flipping over to the Nationwide Sprint Cup race and catching the updates from the Phillies/Giants game.

All three starting about right now. Life is good.

UPDATE 1: Montreal scores first (power play), San Fransisco scores first (thankfully only one…they sent seven to the plate). Thank goodness it’s still early in both games.

UPDATE 2: The Flyers tied it up, but Montreal went back on top 2-1. We’re in the first intermission. It’s still 1-0 in the Phillies game, and I got my schedule mixed up…it’s the Sprint Cup race tonight from Richmond, not Nationwide. Denny Hamlin is leading right now.

UPDATE 3: 3-1 or 2 Canadians. They’re reviewing a Flyers goal now. Phillies and Giants are tied at 2, and Hamlin is still in the lead in Richmond.

UPDATE 3a: Count it! 3-2

UPDATE 4: Umberger ties it!!

UPDATE 5: Hartnell gives them the lead!!! And the 2nd period comes to an end. The baseball game is still tied (in the 7th), and Denny Hamlin is still in the front of the pack on the short track.

UPDATE 6: It’s tied late in the 3rd period. It’s tied in the bottom of the 9th. And I missed a big wreck in the NASCAR race. And before I can get this typed Scotty Upshall scores! 5-4 Flyers with just under three minutes left in the game.

UPDATE 7: The Flyers add and empty netter. Final score 6-4. Philadelphia is going to the Eastern Conference finals.

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The NFL Draft, NASCAR Nationwide Aaron’s 312 race from Talladega, and the Redwings/Avalanche quarter finals game two. The remote control is going to be smoking! I bet there’s a baseball game on somewhere, too.

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I’ve been a Flyers fan and a hockey fan for over thirty years. In all those years I can’t remember ever seeing what I just observed in tonight’s Flyers/Capitols playoff game 3. The Flyers scored first late in the 1st period and Washington answered just a few seconds later. That’s not the unusual part. After the Capitols tied the score Philadelphia answered with another two very quick goals. Four goals in a span of 2:33 to put the Flyers up 3-1 at the first intermission. Wow.

UPDATE: The teams traded goals in the second making the score 4-2 going into the second intermission. In the third the Caps scored a goal that was reviewed to be sure it didn’t go in off of a high stick. At 4-3 the unusual night of offense wasn’t over. The Flyers scored their 5th goal on a penalty shot then added an empty netter to finish of the win 6-3.

The Flyers lead the series two games to one. Game four will be on VS. Thursday night.

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