The Phillies advanced to the National League Championship Series for the second year in a row by beating the Atlanta Braves in an exciting Game 4, winning 3-1. Throughout the series, the Phillies’ pitching staff did a great job holding down the best offense in baseball. In Game 1, they were able to shut out the Braves at home for the first time this entire season. Then in Game 4, the Braves were only able to score one run. In Game 3, the Phillies tied an MLB record with six home runs on the way to a 10-2 victory. The Braves have never beaten the Phillies in a postseason series, going back to 1993 when they were in the National League Western Division for some reason.
The Phillies will have home-field advantage in the seven-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who pulled off a big upset against the Los Angeles Dodgers to advance to this round. If the Phillies advance to the World Series, they will play either the defending champion Houston Astros or the Texas Rangers.
The Eagles improved to 5-0 on the season by defeating the Los Angeles Rams in an exciting game last Sunday. Both offenses were pretty impressive. If the Eagles had a first-five-week MVP Award, D’Andre Swift would win it. After five weeks, he is proving to be a great pickup from Detroit in the off season. Jalen Hurts continued his good play from last week. If the Rams can play better defense, I think they can be a contender in the NFC West division. This week, the Eagles will play the New York Jets. If the weather is decent, the Eagles will be a big favorite to win the game, but, it is supposed to be very rainy on Sunday, which means the game could be a toss up.
The NBA season starts in two weeks and the 76ers prospects are questionable because of the James Harden situation. It is clear that he does not want to play for the team this year. If I was part of the organization, I would have traded him away before the beginning of the season. This is a very important season for the future of the Sixers. I am also surprised they weren't more aggressive in trying to acquire another superstar to go along with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. If they get rid of Harden sometime soon, that is a lot of pressure to put on Maxey to be the sidekick for Embiid. Considering the Milwaukee Bucks (Damian Lillard) and the Boston Celtics (Jrue Holiday) have each acquired another excellent player to add to their very good rosters, the Sixers will struggle to keep up.
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A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
