Finally, after seven seasons, Andre Iguodala has made an All-Star team. This is not his best statistical season, he is third on the team in scoring, so clearly the selection committee has rewarded him based on the Sixers fantastic team success. At 18-8, only Miami, Oklahoma City, and Chicago have better records than Philadelphia.

Iguodala still makes spectacular plays dunking over people or throwing an alley oop to himself off the glass, but his "less is more" approach on offense I think has directly contributed to the teams improvement.

Andre truly does lots of things well so naturally he wanted to carry the load on both ends of the floor season after season. The results were .500 records and first round exits. Now, he may be the third or fourth option on offense thanks to two other guys who could have been All-Star selections, Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday, and the team keeps winning. Williams could still be the sixth man of the year and Holiday will have plenty of more chances to get the All-Star nod.

The true snub for the Sixers on All-Star weekend would be if Jodie Meeks is not in the 3 point contest.

Iguodala's All-Star selection is a great achievement for him after being a consistent part of the franchise for almost a decade, but his presence on the Eastern squad says more about the big strides the Sixers have made as a team than Iguodala as an individual.

Watch the Sixers host Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and the Clippers tonight.

With every major Philadelphia basketball team playing, only Villanova not in action, it was officially Ball
Night for the Philadelphia Sports Scene. Huge upsets, historic milestones, overtime wins, blowouts, and the city going 6-0 made it a great night for all, regardless of where your basketball allegiances lie.

Normally I'd start with the Sixers, being that they are the professional team, but how can you overlook the top college game featured on ESPN!

Duke #3 (12-2, 0-2 away) vs Temple (10-3, 4-0 home)
Temple 78
Duke 73

After nine straight losses to Duke, Temple upset the nations #3 ranked team in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

The front court match-up featured the Blue Devil's Plumlee boys beating up on a smaller Temple lineup that played four guards for most of the game. Miles dominated inside in the first half and Mason in the second. But the speed of the Owls guards provided a greater advantage for Fran Dunphy's squad, as they simply out-hustled Duke and were able to smoother Coach K's leading scorers Austin Rivers and Seth Curry.

Temple lead by two at the half and Coach Krzyzewski had to call a timeout one minute and 21 seconds into the second half as the Owls extended their lead to six. His team responded, coming out in a flurry, but Temple's defense stayed in the passing lanes and got their guards out in transition.

Keys to victory: Khalif Wyatt lead the team with 22 points and five steals, the team shot 56% for the game with five players scoring in double digits, and great perimeter defense.

Next up: Saturday, Dayton Flyers

Sixers (3-2) vs Hornets (2-4)
Sixers 101
Hornets 93

Doug Collins brings a balanced attack, evidenced by six Sixers scoring in double figures, and clearly defines roles for his players. Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams, along with Evan Turner's greatly improved play thus far, gives Philadelphia one of the most coveted advantages this NBA season. Depth. Not to mention youth, athleticism, scoring, and speed. Jrue Holiday now has a firm grasp as the team's leader. Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand are the elder statesman who can do a little of everything and are capable of going off on any given night. Finally, with Spencer Hawes stepping up, they finally have an inside presence.

Their youth and depth should provide an advantage as they have four home games in the next five days before a showdown with the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 11th.

Mo' Traded: The Sixers traded Marreese Speights to the Memphis Grizzlies (now without Zach Randolph for 6-8 weeks) as part of a three team deal. Memphis moved Xavier Henry to the Hornets and in return the Sixers get the Hornets second round pick in 2013 and a protected second round pick from the Grizzlies in 2012.

Philadelphia will also get a $2.72 million trade exception -- the equivalent to Speights' 2011-12 salary. Speights spot in the rotation will be filled by youngsters Nikola Vucevic and Craig Brackins, as well as soon to be 36 year old Tony Battie.

Next up: Friday, Detroit Pistons

Penn (7-8) vs Lafayette (5-10)
Penn 78
Lafayette73

It certainly wasn't a defensive battle in Easton, PA Wednesday night between Penn and Lafayette. There were 15 lead changes as both teams shot around 50% from the field, 40% from beyond the arc, and 90% from the free throw line.

The hosting Tigers led by three at the half and kept up their hot shooting as they had a stretch of seven straight three pointers. But Zack Rosen scored 24 points and had four assists, becoming the program's all-time leader in that category with 506. The previous record holder, Head Coach Jerome Allen, got to watch from the sideline while his senior captain brought the team back. Penn dominated the lane, outscoring Lafayette 30-16 in the paint.

Six consecutive made free throws from Rosen (4-4) and Tyler Bernardini (2-2) sealed the win for the Quakers.

Rosen, leading the Ivy League in points and assists per game, is now a Semi-Finalist for the Cousy Award. He is the only Ivy or Big 5 guard of the 20 players remaining.

Next up: Tuesday, La Salle Explorers

Lady Quakers: It is worth mentioning that Penn's Women's basketball team has gotten off to a fantastic start at 7-3 and features one of the best female players in the Ivy League and Big 5, sophomore Alyssa Baron (http://www.pennathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=1700&ATCLID=204970462). They also have the four-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week, including three in a row in one stretch, Kara Bonenberger.

Xavier (9-5) vs La Salle (11-4)
Xavier 70
La Salle 80

A season high 23 points from Earl Pettis helped lead the Explorers to a win in their A-10 opener. With under a minute to play and La Salle's lead cut to five, Devon White came through down the stretch with a dunk and a pair of free throws. Ultimately, Xavier's 14 turnovers to La Salle's seven were too much for the Musketeers to overcome.

These teams are heading in different directions as La Salle has won four straight and nine of their last 10 contests, while Xavier is 1-5 since there brawling victory over Cincinnati.

Next up: Sunday, UMass Minutemen

Saint Joseph's (11-4) vs Duquesne (9-6)
Saint Joseph's 84
Duquesne 82
Overtime

Next up: Saturday, Charlotte 49ers

Towson (0-15) vs Drexel (9-5)
Towson 27
Drexel 60

Next up: Sunday, VCU Rams

Number one lesson I learned from watching the 2012 Winter Classic: Eye black makes any athlete look better, faster, stronger.

Other than that it was your standard hockey contest between two top teams from rival cities, vying for first place in the division, and playing outdoors in a baseball stadium with 46,967 fans going crazy (Citizens Bank Park attendance record). Not to mention the months of build up and anticipation thanks to HBO's 24/7 Road to the Winter Classic. Sadly, not only did the Flyers blow a 2-0 lead and fail to tie the game on a late game penalty shot, but the star of the HBO special, Ilya Bryzgalov, did not play. Damn Universe.

Some highlights:
Brayden Schenn #10 won a face-off and circled towards the net to finish off the rebound for his first career goal.

Claude Giroux's backhand displayed the youngster's speed, high level of stick handling, and accuracy. He is tied with Henrik Sedin for the league lead in points.

The snow falling near the end of the 2nd finally made it feel like winter after a series of unseasonably warm weather days.

Based on what I've seen from the HBO series so far, I'm looking forward to hearing what Flyers Head Coach Peter Laviolette said in his speech after the Rangers third goal. He looked pissed and rightfully so.

Just seeing Citizens Bank Park reminds me that I want baseball to start.

Some lowlights:
Downside of playing in Citizens Bank Park was the fans were far from the action. Although having 45,000+ fans go crazy after the first goal was pretty powerful.

Mike Rupp scoring two goals (now with 3 on the year total) and his mocking of Jaromir Jagr's salute after the Rangers first goal was corny. Scott Hartnell rightfully told him to show some respect to a future Hall of Famer.

No $51 million Bryzgalov. Hopefully he had some good sound bites from the bench. Also, no Jagr in the 3rd period and only 7:09 played in the entire game.

The number one disappointment is a tie between Danny Briere not making a single move on his penalty shot attempt and failing to send the game into overtime, and Laviolette not choosing Giroux, the team's leading scorer who was also on the ice, to take the shot.

Post your highlights and lowlights of the game or Tweet @zervoudis.

With the current pitching staff and lineup of the Phillies, anything short of a World Series title will be a disappointment. What about six or seven years from now? Who will be the leaders of the club when the likes of Jimmy Rollins and Roy Halladay are likely gone? More importantly for this season, who can step in immediately for Jayson Werth or in case of an injury during the pennant race?

With less than 2 weeks away from when pitchers and catchers can report to Spring Training, lets see
what the depth chart looks like and where these young guys might fit in.

Here the prospects, as ranked by MLB.com:

Dominic Brown, RF is listed as the 2011 #4 prospect.

Brown's minor league numbers, along with his tall, lanky body type have people thinking of a potential Darryl Strawberry.

Factor in Brown's talent with the 22 year old leaving the Dominican during the Winter league gives him all the making of a Strawberry.

Brown will be competing with Ben Francisco and Ross Gload for at bats in right field.

Jonathan Singleton 1B/LF
#30

Since Ryan Howard signed a 5 year contract extension, first base at Citizens Bank Park is not the way Singleton will be making his way to the show. The more likely scenario for the 19 year old to make it to the big league is moving to left field to take over for Ibanez. His minor league stats, though a small sample, show the big lefty has good plate discipline and some pop. Finding a position looks like Singleton's biggest obstacle at this point.

Jarred Cosart, RHP, Phillies
#51 prospect

Similar body type of a Cole Hamels...6'3" 180lbs. Great command...77K's/16BB's..1.93 GO/AO compared to Roy Halladay's career GO/AO ratio of 1.86, Cosart is on the right track of avoiding the gopher ball.

The Lakewood BlueClaws, the Phillies Single A affiliate have won back to back South Atlantic League championships and 3 out of the last 5 so the future is bright for the farm system.

2B- Cesar Hernandez

In case you were wondering, Kyle Drabek who was traded in the deal that brought Roy Halladay to Philadelphia is ranked as the third best right handed pitching prospect. Still think the deal was worth it though, how about you?

Halfway through the NHL season and the Philadelphia Flyers have set the benchmark for the rest of the league.

The message was sent loud and clear as Chris Pronger returned to the Flyers lineup on Thursday night against the Ottawa Senators. LOOK OUT NHL!

Philadelphia won the game 6-2, the fights (as usual, although they did not break their own record for most penalty minutes), and continued their dominance over the league while sitting in first place.

If not for a 3-1, let down defeat against the last place New Jersey Devils, Sunday's 4-1, revenge win against the Chicago Blackhawks would have been the black and orange's sixth in a row.

Flyers GM, Paul Holmgren, was given a 3 year extension after making his team into what many believe will be a, "bonafied Stanley Cup contender for years to come." Now, quality players like Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, and Claude Giroux are willing to take less money and agree to more cap-friendly contracts so they can play for a cup contender.

More good news, Daniel Briere was named an All-Star replacement for the injured Jarome Iginla. He joins Giroux in representing Philadelphia this weekend.

Check out the Fantasy draft for the All-Star teams.

Each of the teams in Philadelphia have their own strengths and weaknesses. Some have the mindset of "championship or bust," while other's may be better off losing in the hope of better odds at a higher lottery pick. So, with the New Year of 2011 upon us, let's take a look at each of Philadelphia's teams New Year's Resolutions for Auld Lang Syne.

Eagles:

-Don't overpay DeSean Jackson. [The Eagles rarely make poor financial decisions, but they haven't had a dynamic wide receiver like Jackson in so long that they might be tempted to hang on to him. Having Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek, and LeSean McCoy along with Michael Vick will make it a little easier too cut ties with the explosive #10 if he demands to much $$$$.]

-Follow through with "Going Green" and the new stadium plans to add solar/turbine energy.

-Do something with Kevin Kolb. [He has value with someone, somewhere...maybe even remaining the Eagles backup QB or future starter??? Ok maybe not a starter but a solid number 2. Isn't that why you draft a guy in the 2nd round???]

Phillies:

-Get excited, stay excited, and win. [Title or bust. Plain and simple: all the previous individual awards, Cy Young's, Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers, MVP's, and All-Star appearances will mean nothing without a ring in 2011.]

-Help Brad Lidge return to 2008 form. [Lidge did convert 22 of his final 24 save opportunities and 17 of his last 18. He doesn't have to be perfect like 2008 but his 2009 and 2010 campaigns just won't do. Charlie Manuel is confident in his closer.]

-Strikeout less. Walk more. [That's for you Ryan Howard. The Phillies need you back to being the anchor of the lineup that every pitcher is afraid of and pitches around.]

Sixers:

-Be patient. [Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner are both very young...let them grow. Even guys like Marreese Speights, Louis Williams, and Thaddeus Young still have a chance to be productive members of a winning organization.]

-Trade Andre Iguodala. [Sixers have tried to make him into a franchise player. They even paid him like one. Well, he is not but teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder or Dallas Mavericks might have value for him to make a title run now. Not to mention the team may be playing better without him...addition by subtraction.]

Flyers:

-Stay healthy [Old teams have to pace yourself...see the Boston Celtics from last season.]

-Pick a goalie. [You don't want guys to play nervous for fear of losing their job.]

Resolution for the Philadelphia Sports Enthusiast:

-No spitting, vomiting, or tasering incidents in 2011. [New year, new decade, and time for a new image for the average Philadelphia sports fan.]

-No jumping on and off the bandwagons. [Stick with the Sixers now or when they are contenders in 4 or 5 years you can't pretend to really care. For example, see the Phillies and Eagles in the late 90's...isn't better enjoying their current success since you stuck with them through the turmoil?]

-Be respectful of opposing fans and of your fellow spectators, without losing the passion that makes this city endearing.

Sunday's contest between the Eagles and Giants had all the makings of a great football game before the ball was even kicked off: cold weather, new stadium, transcendent/controversial athlete who could do something jaw dropping at any second, historic rivalry, bad blood, geographic proximity, coaches with short tempers, two teams with identical records at 9-4, and the NFC East title on the line.

The winner would likely get a first round bye. The loser could only hope to hang on for the final two weeks of the season to get the final Wild Card spot and face a considerably more difficult road to the Super Bowl.

The Giants were in full command at the half, leading 24-3, after a couple of costly turnovers by the Eagles. However, Philadelphia had three major factors working on their side...DeSean Jackson, Michael Vick, and history.

First, Herm Edwards and "The Miracle at the Meadowlands" in 1978 (pictured) lead to an eventual playoff berth. In more recent memory, Brian Westbrook's punt return in 2003 propelled him into the spot light and he would lead the NFL in total yardage a few years later. Now, add DeSean Jackson 2010 to the list of Giant killers. If only someone could get through to the brash, speedy receiver that he needs to score the touchdown before he can safely start showboating. It's going to bite him and the team in the a** one of these days.

Coincidentally, the ball hit the ground on each of the three plays that lead to the heartbreaking loses for the Giants. Lesson there is to never give up on the play, or the game for that matter. Philadelphia scored 28 points in the final 7:28 of the game for the 38-31 improbable victory. As Jimmy V said, "Don't give up, don't ever give up." (fast forward to 9:28)

Final thoughts on the game:

In addition to being the third installment of "The Miracle at The Meadowlands" trilogy, it was the Eagles way of baptizing new Giants stadium and an opportunity for Michael Vick to bolster his MVP resume.

Vick's MVP Resume:

The Eagles are 8-2 in games where Vick has attempted at least 10 passes.

1st place in NFC East.

3rd in touchdown to interception ratio (4:1...20 TD/5 INT)

3rd in passer rating (103.6). Only once in 11 starts has Vick had a rating under 90 (83).

18th in total passing yards (2,755) even though he ranks 24th in total attempts (329).

2nd in yards per completion (8.4).

32nd in rushing yards/#1 among QB's (613...6.7 per carry) even though he ranks 46th in attempts (92).

Top ten in rushing touchdowns (8).

Justin Tuck and the New York Giants endorsement.

At 1AM on Tuesday morning the texts started pouring in:

"MERRY CLIFFMAS!"..."WE DID IT!"..."He's Back!"..."WOOOOO!"..."Unbe-LEE-vable!"

My initial reaction was disbelief. The Phillies signed Cliff Lee??? This can't be real. He can't be coming back after we shipped him away unexpectedly. The Yankees would not allow it after they missed out on Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth. Texas couldn't let him go after he led the franchise to their first World Series appearance.

I ran to the computer and saw the news on MLB.com. It was just one source, still might not be true. After I read the article on ESPN I proceeded to forward this glorious news to everyone I know. I felt like Will Ferrell in Elf when he ran into a crowded room and screamed, "I'm in love, I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!"

Truthfully, it feels like Christmas really has come early in the form of the best starting rotation in the history of baseball. [Go ahead, name me a better depth chart...I'll wait]. The Philadelphia Phillies have four premium quality Aces in the form of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels. They are all easily among the top 20 pitchers in the league.

I won't give you too many stats, just know that Lee won the 2008 AL Cy Young and is 7-2 with a 2.13 ERA in the postseason over the past two years, Halladay has 2 Cy Young awards, Hamels was the 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP, while Oswalt is a 3 time All-Star and won the 2005 NLCS MVP.

What a year for big name free agents to take a pay cut (who cares about a few million when you've got $100,000,000?) to join forces with their previous, major competitors in the hopes of winning championships.

However, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh have nothing on this group. Mainly because, unlike the Miami Heat, the Phillies supporting cast includes NL MVP's and All-Stars, along with Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winners. Oh, and Lee's "decision" came while most people were asleep on a Monday night rather than on a 1 hour ESPN special.

Also differing from the Heat, the Phillies will save the parade and celebration for when they actually win their championship(s).

Add insult to injury:
The first place Eagles get the best of the last place Cowboys and the Rangers lose Cliff Lee to the Phillies on back to back days. Poor, poor Texas.

Sorry to the Seattle Mariners. Not only did you lose the prospects you traded to the Phillies last season, but you no longer have the player you traded them for. Not to mention, your single season record of 116 wins set in 2001 is officially in jeopardy.

Even with Michael Vick leading the fans vote for the Pro Bowl and sitting atop the NFC East, are the Eagles entering a must win game on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys?

No. Must win games are reserved for elimination games only. If you lose, your season is over. Those are must wins.

However, with only six spots open in the NFC and nine contenders, the last four weeks will get intense.

Here are the contestants: Falcons, Bears, Saints, Giants, Eagles, Packers, Buccaneers, Rams, and Seahawks (but they don't really count). It's a shame the dismal NFC West will take a spot from one of the other deserving teams.

The defending champion New Orleans Saints have somehow been flying under the radar at 9-3. Tampa Bay keeps hanging around (fastforward to 2:45) with 7 wins. The Falcons have the best record in the NFC but one of their two losses came at the hands of Vick and the Eagles. The Giants running game will look to carry them through the finish line. Jay Cutler and the Bears have both had major highs and lows, yet managed to defeat the Eagles. Meanwhile, everyone's preseason favorite for the Super Bowl, the Green Bay Packers are leading the league in net points at +121 and have overcome all of their injuries for an 8-4 record. Ten wins should be enough to get in the playoffs.

Here is what lies ahead for the 8-4 Eagles: Dallas twice, New York Giants on the road, and the surging Minnesota Vikings.

Displaced Cowboys from New Jersey, Uncle Dan says, "Dallas is dangerous because they have nothing to lose. They'll go for it on 4th and 1...hoywpt tuehy [SPIT]." Minnesota and Dallas are both 3-2 over their last five games and both would love to play spoiler since the high hopes for their seasons have gone down the drain (and ended up somewhere near the Meadowlands as all waste does).

Even if this season does not end with a playoff birth, any Eagles fan will have to consider the season far greater than they expected.

The Sixers hope that good things come to those who wait.

In the 2009 Draft, the Sixers drafted Jrue Holiday with the 17th overall pick. As delighted as Ed Stefanski and crew were, they failed to acquire another talented young guard because of their lack of a 2nd round pick. The target, Jodie Meeks, ended up in Milwaukee but, through a trade later in the season involving Primoz Brezec and Royal Ivey, the Sixers finally got their guy.

Now, nine months after joining the team, Meeks has helped the Sixers win back to back games in his new role as a starter.

In Meeks's two starts he has averaged 21 points, set a career high with 26 points, and has shot over 50% from beyond the arc (11-19). Granted the sample size is rather small but the results, both wins, allow Doug Collins to mix up the lineup. With a struggling team, which the Sixers certainly qualify as, comes the opportunity for experimentation and evaluation of talent.

As George Knox (Danny Glover) so eloquently phrased it in Angels in the Outfield, "What's the worst that could happen: we'd fall out of last place?"

In his first start of the season, Meeks's six three-pointers in the first quarter helped him tie Allen Iverson's arena record for points in a quarter with 20. The former Wildcat once scored 54 points, including 10 three's and 14-of-14 from the line, in a game while playing for Kentucky so hot nights are not unusual for him.

As Meeks stays sharp from the outside and Evan Turner continues to get adjusted, keep an eye on how the second round pick pushes both the rookie and the team to improve. Afterall, the second overall pick in the draft shouldn't want to split valuable minutes with a lesser prospect, right? Even if the recent success from Jodie is a mirage, he might be the spark to get the Sixers back on track.

A win at home against Boston and New Orleans would be a huge step in the right direction and help answer the question of whether Meeks was truly worth the wait.

The good news: The Sixers have won the last five games at home in the Wells Fargo Center.

The bad news: The Sixers have lost the last eight on the road.

Sixers highlight of the week, maybe the year:
Ridiculous AND 1 Andre Iguodala dunk over Gerald Wallace.