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Showing posts from 2016
Books by Rob J. Quinn
Cover for Reach Past Your Limits Cover of The Birth of Super Crip Cover for Reach Past Your Limits

Rob’s Rants on Sports: Fans not spreading any holiday joy

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The holiday spirit certainly hasn’t descended on Philadelphia sports fans. Is it just me? People seem overly PO’d about everything lately. Here’s my latest Rob’s Rants on sports: Nelson Agholor appeared to be on the verge of being waived by the Eagles after confessing, for lack of a better term, that he was struggling with the game mentally. He admitted things like fan criticism were getting to him, and that he needed to do a better job. Are we really ripping a guy for that? I get it. It’s not what anyone wants to hear from an NFL wide receiver. He’s been terrible. And he cost the Eagles a touchdown two weeks ago because he didn’t get lined up properly, while his head coach was screaming at him to get on the line. If you want to rip him, rip him for that. The fact that he was a first round draft pick isn’t something I add to the equation, though many people do. If Chip Kelly was dumb enough to pick him as a first rounder, that’s on Kelly and the organization. But I don’t understand

Rob’s Rants on Sports: Giving Thanks in Philly Sports

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It’s that time of year that we gather together to watch football . . . I mean, give thanks. Depending on your viewpoint, that might be a tough task at the moment. Leaving real world concerns aside, here’s what I think Philly sports fans should be thankful for this year. Carson Wentz: I’m not 100% sold that he’s going to be “the guy” for the next 10 to 15 years, and there’s obviously no guarantee he brings the Lombardi Trophy to Philadelphia at long last. But at the very least, he’s the Eagles quarterback for the next 5 years. He is the guy they need to build around. They don’t even have to think about drafting a starting QB for quite a while. “The process” is, essentially, over: It seemed endless. It was stupid. And it never should have happened. But it is, finally, over. Sam Hinkie’s process of tanking, and tanking, and tanking, and tanking, to acquire talent . . . because Sammy couldn’t pick his nose, let alone NBA players, without making the process absolutely mistake-free .

Remembering a Great Day with Dad

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Action shot of Johnny Dawkins My mom just happened to be cleaning out the storage area last week and wanted to throw out the frame that held pictures from a day that my dad and I got into a Philadelphia 76ers practice. (We kept the pictures, of course.) I think of this day from time to time, and it seemed apropos to post the pictures as I think of him this week, especially. It was 19 years ago that he passed. I don’t post this to dwell on the sadness, but to remember one of my last great memories with him. I originally wrote the below in a post on my old sports blog. It was called “Remembering Charles Barkley.”   Dad and I were out for a weekend drive just to get out of the house, when he suddenly asked if I wanted to go to the Sixers’ practice. It was closed even to the press, I said, egging him on. We had been to the one win the 76ers managed against the Chicago Bulls in the 1990 playoffs the night before. Of course I wanted to go, and I knew that on rare occasions dad could be an im

Rob’s Rants on Sports: Mid-season Grades for the Eagles; NFL “Pretenders and Contenders”

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I thought I’d try something a bit different this week as the NFL hits the halfway point of the season. I have a few mid-term grades for the Eagles, and some thoughts on which teams are “pretenders” and who are the actual “contenders” in what has been a confounding year so far in the NFL. Here’s my latest Rob’s Rants on Sports: Carson Wentz: C+. He started out looking like he was already a veteran franchise quarterback, but has shown that he really is a rookie lately. I think perception would actually be better if he didn’t start 3-0, and, I admit, the grade would be a little higher. But with 4 interceptions in the last two games and the team having lost 4 of 5, it’s time to wonder if teams finally having video on him is a problem. To be fair, he has absolutely no weapons around him. Doug Pederson: C-. I’m being generous. Twice, he punted games away, and apparently tried to make up for it last week by “going for it” on a couple occasions where doing so was just ridiculous. Seriousl

Rob’s Rants: Donald Trump and “The Hand Thing”

I had no intention of writing an election rant. I’m as tired of Donald, and Hillary, and, locally, Katie McGinty and Pat Toomey, and the commercials, and the e-mails, and the rest of the nonsense, as anyone else. Then my phone rang on Saturday morning. Someone from the Republican party asked, “Will you be able to make it to the polls, and will you be supporting Donald Trump?” I don’t know why I didn’t just hang-up, but, instead, I replied, “I’ll be voting, but certainly not for Trump.” “You will be voting for Trump?” the woman asked. I do have a speech disability, so I could understand why she might not have heard me correctly. But then I thought, I do have a disability that the woman had clearly picked up on. And, well, I couldn’t resist. “I have a disability,” I said. “Why would I possibly vote for him?” “Ohhh, the hand thing,” came the response. The hand thing? Really? She presumably was referring to the campaign rally in which Trump stood in front of a podium, spe

Rob’s Rants on Sports: Huff Released; Bad Losses for Eagles, Sixers; Plenty of Dumb Comments

Bad losses for the Eagles and Sixers marked the week until Josh Huff got arrested. Time for a sports rant: John Clark’s tweet showed Fletcher Cox looking stunned after the loss Eagles have lost road games by 1, 7, 6 points... Gotta learn how to close out games. #EaglesTalk pic.twitter.com/R6U3b3PNsQ — John Clark CSN (@JClarkCSN) October 31, 2016 Josh Huff was waived by the Eagles, but not just because he’s a bad wide receiver. On Tuesday, he was “charged with speeding, possession of a small amount of marijuana, unlawful possession of a weapon” and more, according to Philly.com and other outlets. Writing on Thursday afternoon, I haven’t heard any specific reason for why Huff was released—Eagles GM Howie Roseman called it “the right decision for the Philadelphia Eagles”—but clearly they didn’t want to deal with the distraction. The official reason ought to be stupidity. Huff initially said , “What professional athlete don’t have a gun? I have a wife and I

The Birth of Super Crip - Chapter 1

  The Birth of  Super Crip Chapter 1 \ Red closed his locker, the clang of the metal door being slammed shut coming just before the bell signaling the end of lunch for juniors. He stopped at his locker once a day after lunch because he knew he could steal a little extra time in between periods. Kids with disabilities were always allowed to leave class a minute or two early to try to get a head start on reaching their next class before the halls filled with students at the bell. Some teachers were sticklers about them not leaving too early even if the lesson ended a few minutes before the bell. But lunch monitors rarely said anything even if they left as much as five minutes early, and even then a request to use the restroom always sufficed. He pushed the lock up, pressing the shackle against the inside of the hole in the handle of the locker to clamp it down, and he used his thumb to move the dial away from the final digit of his combination. He put his book bag over the back of the se

Rob’s Rants on Sports: Eagles Win Ugly; Embiid Shines in Debut; Flyers Comeback Win Impressive; Sports Talk Moves; more

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The Eagles got an ugly win against previously undefeated Minnesota, and Joel Embiid’s long awaited debut may have been the highlight of the week. Here’s my Rob’s Rants: Embiids tweet featured a pic of his own fist-pump Man the fans showed so much love... I freaking LOVE YALL!!!! TRUST THE PROCESS — Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) October 27, 2016 Five turnovers on five consecutive possessions in the first quarter marred the Eagles game. I’ll admit when I’m wrong, and, at least for a week, I was way off about Sam Bradford. More on that in a second. Carson Wentz is the concern in Philadelphia, and he looked predictably bad against one of the best defenses in the league. Yes, the Eagles won the game, but with his 2 interceptions and 3 fumbles—2 of which the Eagles recovered—there wasn’t much reason to give Wentz credit. He did have one TD pass, but his QBR was an anemic 13 as he passed for just 138 yards, completing 16 of 28 attempts. Last night we finally got to see Embiid on the court

Rob’s Rants on Sports: Eagles Drop Second Straight; Pederson’s “Andy Reid” Moment; Bradford Returns; Looking Ahead to the Vikings; more

It was an ugly week for Philadelphia sports, and, as always, it starts with the Eagles. The long awaited suspension of Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson finally took effect this week, and the result was as ugly as fans feared.  The first play from scrimmage saw Carson Wentz sacked with a torn jersey. It was an omen of things to come as he was sacked a total of 5 times on Sunday. He was sacked a total of 7 times in the previous 4 games. Potentially worse news came from Ron Jaworski. Talking to Mike Missanelli on 97.5 , “Jaws” said that of the 27 times Carson Wentz dropped back to pass, Johnson’s replacement, rookie offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai, was left on his own only 8 times. In other words, the Eagles were already giving him help, and, well, it didn’t help. Earlier in the interview, Jaworski may have offered the stat of the week to illustrate the ugliness of the Eagles’ loss. He said that teams that have a kickoff return and interception return for a touchdown i

Rob’s Rants on Sports: Eagles Finally Falter; Expectations Too Great? Doubting “DJax” Returns; Utley, Ruiz Give Phillies Fans a Playoff Interest; Remembering the Ickey Shuffle

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No one thought Carson Wentz would go the entire season without experiencing a loss or throwing an interception. They also didn’t think it would be October before he did both. Here’s my latest Rob’s Rants on sports: Let’s start at the finish. The Eagles lost 24-23 in Detroit, a loss that wasn’t sealed until Wentz threw his first career interception on a long pass to Nelson Agholor in the final minute of the game. Wentz blew it. There was 1:28 left in the game. In that situation, defenses are generally going to play somewhat of a “prevent defense”—keeping everything in front of them. He needed to get his feet wet in his first end-of-game 2-minute drill with some easy passes over the middle. It’s a tough way to get your first pick—he actually got away with a couple bad passes earlier—but this is what the Eagles signed up for when they handed the reigns to a rookie. The question is how he responds this week. There’s really no reason to think the Wentz Wagon isn’t still rolling. Went

Rob’s Rants on Fall TV—Thoughts on Speechless, Designated Survivor, Bull, This Is Us, MacGyver, Kevin Can Wait, The Good Place, Timeless

My DVR is working overtime as I keep up with new shows I’m checking out this fall while watching my old favorites and plenty of sports. I know, I should read more. In the meantime, here’s a Rob’s Rants on the new shows I’m watching. Speechless: Did you really think I was starting with any other show? The show has a character living with CP. I’ve heard black people talk about calling their friends in the ‘70s because there was actually a black character on TV. I think I now understand the feeling just a bit. And, of course, I’m over analyzing the show. The family moved to a new school district because the mom (Minnie Driver) found a good situation for J.J. (Micah Fowler), her son who lives with CP. Yet, she discovers that the only ramp into the school is where they take out the garbage. She really investigated, eh? J.J. encounters a few over-the-top reactions to his presence—an aide who is giddy to meet him and a teacher who convinces students to suggest he run for class president

Rob’s Rants on Sports: Sixers Lose Simmons—For How Long? Howard Bids Farewell to Phillies Fans; Goodell Should Chill, and Gives Brady a Deflategate Gift

Bye weeks are always tough on football fans—particularly this week, when the NFL offered up some terrible games on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, the Eagles not playing wasn’t the worst part of the weekend for Philadelphia sports fans as Ben Simmons of the 76ers went down with a foot injury last Friday. At least the dull football choices on Sunday afternoon gave fans a chance to watch (part of?) Ryan Howard’s likely last game in a Phillies uniform. Here’s my latest sports rants: A week later, I’m still numb to the news that Simmons broke his foot in the last scrimmage of training camp. But I don’t want to hear any of the garbage about sitting him for the season. On Sunday, Keith Pompey of the Inquirer, echoed many, including Simmons’ agent from what I’ve heard on radio, writing , “The 76ers should strongly consider ending Ben Simmons’ season before it officially begins.” Later, he added, “The typical recovery time for a Jones fracture is six to eight weeks. Teams usually add two

Rob’s Rants on Sports: Eagles Dominate Steelers; Wentz Rolls On; Sixers Relevant Again; more

Forget the Wentz Wagon. Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz needs a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Here’s the latest Rob’s Rants: Wentz is doing the unheard of, and, after Philadelphia destroyed the Steelers, no one is questioning who they have played. According to NFL.com , he’s the first rookie to throw zero interceptions in his first 100 pass attempts, one of only two rookies to ever start and win the first 3 games in his team’s season (Mark Sanchez is the other, tempering excitement?), and the “first rookie quarterback since 1960 to throw 30+ passes and win in each of his first 3 career starts.” And, I’ll keep repeating it, he barely played in the preseason. Are we headed for a PA Super Bowl? I doubt it, but here’s two fun facts. The same NFL.com article mentioned above reports that the last time the Birds won their first 3 games by 15+ points, as they have this year, was at the start of their 1980 Super Bowl run. Last time they beat the Steelers at home? T

My Goodreads.com Review of Chad Millman’s and Shawn Coyne’s The Ones Who Hit the Hardest

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Here’s my review of Chad Millman’s and Shawn Coyne’s The Ones Who Hit the Hardest: The Steelers, the Cowboys, the ‘70s, and the Fight for America’s Heart. Read it on Goodreads.com or right here: The Ones Who Hit the Hardest: The Steelers, the Cowboys, the '70s, and the Fight for America ’ s Soul by Chad Millman and Shawn Coyne I’m not a big fan of sports books. That might sound strange if you know me, as I love sports. But it just rarely works for me to read about sports in book form for whatever reason. Yet, my brother bought me The Ones Who Hit the Hardest after I gave in to my Steelers envy a while back. The book offered some decent behind-the-scenes stories about the Steelers and football from the 1970s. Ironically, the most interesting part of the book was about Tony Dorsett, who grew up in Pittsburgh, but became a great player for the Dallas Cowboys—a big rival of the Steelers years ago. It was also interesting to read that Steelers Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bra

Rob’s Rants on Sports: The 2-0 Eagles; Questioning Pederson; Phillies Halt Potential Free Fall; Flyers Get Started

While you look for a comfortable spot on the “Wentz Wagon,” take a minute to read my latest sports rants: At some point, the Eagles opponent can’t be an excuse for their success. I’m not sure that point came last week, but the Eagles looked good on Monday Night Football. In a somewhat dull game, Philadelphia and Carson Wentz went to 2-0 with a 29-14 victory over the Bears. The most notable thing about Wentz’s performance might have been that he certainly doesn’t shy away from contact. He was sent into an almost a complete summersault on one hit. He’ll need to learn to avoid some hits if he’s going to survive as a quarterback. But fans have to love his effort so far. More importantly, he’s not making any big mistakes. He has zero turnovers in two games. His other numbers weren’t stellar, as he was 21 of 34 for 194 yards passing with a touchdown. Those numbers might have been better, but his receivers dropped a couple passes, including what seemed like a potential touchdown to Jo