Upcoming Phillies Schedule

Here's a quick look at the cheapest tickets available on eBay to Phillies games scheduled over the next two weeks:

Location	Opponent	Date	Price
Los Angeles	Dodgers	28-Jun	$6.00
Los Angeles	Dodgers	29-Jun	$6.95
Pittsburgh	Pirates	2-Jul	$7.50
Pittsburgh	Pirates	3-Jul	$7.99
Pittsburgh	Pirates	4-Jul	$8.99
Philadelphia	Braves	5-Jul	$20.00
Philadelphia	Braves	6-Jul	$26.20
Philadelphia	Braves	7-Jul	$17.40
Philadelphia	Nationals	8-Jul	$15.00
Philadelphia	Nationals	9-Jul	$14.00
Philadelphia	Nationals	10-Jul	$15.00
Philadelphia	Nationals	11-Jul	$20.00

Translation -- Philly fans still think this team is worth watching, but other baseball fans don't.

An appreciation of Jimmy Rollins

With trade winds starting to mention Jimmy Rollins' name, here's a quick overview of where the current Phillies shortstop sits in team history:

-- 2nd in games played (541 behind 1st place)
-- 2nd in doubles (4 behind 1st place)
-- 2nd in extra base hits (274 behind 1st place)
-- 3rd in stolen bases (1 behind 2nd place)
-- 3rd in runs (158 behind 2nd place)
-- 3rd in triples (21 behind 2nd place)
-- 4th in hits (120 behind 3rd place)
-- 9th in RBI (10 behind 8th place)
-- 10th in home runs (7 behind 9th place)

He's also second all-time in knee-jerk fan complaints, trailing only Ryan Howard.

Lincoln Financial Field renovations

Eagles officials announced $125 million in stadium renovations this week, designed to spruce up the team's home over the next two years. The headline projects include new video boards, a seating expansion and connecting bridges for the upper concourses. Here's what else to expect:

** New sideline signs indicating where the Eagles offense can find the end zone.
** A holding pen for Danny Watkins, to keep him from wandering onto the field.
** Cheese Whiz dispensers at every seat.
** Recycling bins for fans' unwanted Mike Vick jerseys.
** Decontamination/biohazard room for when the Cowboys visit.
** Wider doorways in media rooms, to accommodate Joe Buck's swollen head.
** A new mural dedicated to Koy Detmer's 1998 Eagles (3-13 record).
** In every restroom, a live audio feed of Donovan McNabb's current pissing and moaning.
** 40-foot tall bronze statue of Brian Dawkins sacking Troy Aikman.
** Hunter green everything.

Ongoing pain

This week marked the 30th anniversary of the 76ers 1983 championship, the most recent title for that storied franchise. It's a reminder that, despite the excitement of the 2008 Phillies World Series victory, Philadelphia fans have been in a ridiculously long title-less streak over the last three decades. Consider how the other major sports cities (those with all four sports) in America have fared since the end of the 1983 basketball season (117 professional sports seasons ago):

New York -- 10 titles
Boston -- 9 titles
Chicago -- 9 titles
Detroit -- 8 titles
San Francisco -- 7 titles
Dallas -- 5 titles
Miami -- 4 titles
Denver -- 3 titles
Minneapolis -- 2 titles
Washington -- 2 titles
Philadelphia -- 1 title
Phoenix -- 1 title 

Those cities in red? They didn't have all four sports teams for the whole 30 year span. In fact, Minneapolis, Washington and Phoenix have boasted all four for less than 15 years.

Let's get it in gear, folks. I can wait until my 60s for the next Philly champion.