So long, Donovan

Given the number of Philly sports fans who read Logical Betting, I would be remiss in not addressing the Donovan McNabb trade, quick hits style. However, before that, I would be remiss in not responding to some emails back from my Sparty fan friends who lambasted me for picking Butler. Does anyone here really think I wanted to see Butler in the finals? Hells to the no! My picks don’t always reflect who I actually want to win. I love Sparty hoops, and root for them whenever they aren’t playing Michigan. And when Amaker was still our coach, I really could have cared less who won. Just clearing that up for those of you who missed the part where I said I want Sparty to win. For the record, I went 7-3-1 on the spread from the Sweet 16 and on, not too shabby. The opening line on the Duke/Butler game is Duke -7. I think I’ve been pretty clear on how I feel about Duke, and unfortunately, that is one hell of a Duke line. To quote the wife, “great, the one year we’re both off and can go out to watch the game, it’ll be over at halftime.” I’m afraid she’s probably right. Out of principle, I refuse to tell you to bet Duke. But if you’re gambling, bet Duke. Big.

Back to Donovan. We are unofficially powered by Panasonic, the brand of the surround sound system in my basement where I'm watching Opening Day baseball in HD. Philly has a very unique relationship with its Iggles (that's Eagles to the rest of us). The Iggles brass pretty much treats their incredibly loyal fan base like dirt, if you ask me, and since I can't hear you from across the Internets, I'll assume you did ask. They constantly trade away and let go popular players, keep the team competitive, with a chance at the Super Bowl, but never really put the team in a position to get over the top. Philly fans bitch about the Iggles more than anything in the world, and for good reason, I think. If the Iggles ever win a Super Bowl, this down will burn to a crisp in celebration. At the same time, most people here hate them on some weird level, too. Chris Rock has a line where he says, "you're not really in love with someone unless you've thought about killing them." That pretty much sums up the fans' relationship with the Iggles. So keep this love/hate relationship in mind as we move forward.

The reaction here so far to the Donovan trade has been somewhat mixed. Most people knew he needed to go, and I think they were ready to move on, but they are not happy about him being in Washington. That said, if the Iggles really thought he had a lot left in the tank, do you really think they would have dealt him in the division? Of all the organizations in sports, the Iggles are the last ones I could see actually putting the feelings of their players ahead of the almighty dollar. See also Dawkins, Brian. Funny thing is, most of the people here think Andy Reid is the one who really needs to go, way moreso than Donovan. When Reid got the extension, everyone here was pretty livid about it. However, Andy wins games, brings in cash... you get why the owners want him.

The national folks pretty much take the opposite view on this. They think Philly fans are nuts for wanting either of them to go. And from the outside, I would agree with you. But you really have to live here to understand why the team would be best off letting them both go. Think of it this way. If the leader of your team had been with you for 11 years, and they had gotten really close to winning, but never got it done, wouldn't you start to get really, really frustrated? What if it became clear that this leader may never make your team bad, but in reality, the chances of a title were slim and none? See, a lot of national pundits think that being a good team for a long time is the same as winning a title. But passionate fan bases, like the Philly fans, Detroit fans, and others don't see it that way. We would rather sacrifice 8 playoff appearances in 10 years (which the Iggles have) for one title.

Here is a thought. Let's say the Lions won the Super Bowl this year, after something like 16 straight non-playoff years, then didn't make the playoffs again for 16 more years. Then let's say the Iggles made the playoffs in each of those 17 total years, but never won the Super Bowl. Which fan base is happier overall? I'm a Bears/Browns fan, and I can tell you right now I would take Option A. Sports is about WINNING. PERIOD. It's not about, well, we had a great year and finished near the top again. That's like in Little League when everyone gets a trophy. F that noise, I want to WIN.

And that's where the national media gets Philly fans wrong. They really do appreciate Donovan, but they just want to win a title, not be good for awhile. A lot of the sports talk callers the last day have been saying some version of "it was time to move on, but I appreciate what Donovan did for us," mixed in with some "I can't believe we f***ing traded him within the division," "when can we get rid of Reid, too," and "good f***ing riddance, I hate Donovan." Wife's take was that Reid needed to go first. Good buddy/die hard Iggles fan's take was "why the hell did we trade him to Washington?" My take: it had to be done, but the bigger problem is Reid and the arrogance of that front office.

The Iggles have a good young team, but they are a couple years away now, need help on defense, and need to rebuild the offensive line. They got the right price on Donovan, and if I were them, I would package some of the 10-12 picks they have this year, move up in the draft and take Eric Berry. However, the Iggles brass was never one for logic, so they'll stay where they are and draft offensive and defensive linemen with those high picks. Mark your calendars for that Monday night matchup in Washington when the Iggles come to DC for Donovan's first start against his old team. He might be worth taking high in your fantasy drafts just for that start.

Baseball preview posting this week. Thanks again for all your support!