Hannibal Lecter (actor Anthony Hopkins) - Wikipedia.org

Last night was the final episode of Philadelphia Comcast Sportsnet’s Philly Villains.  And I for one am sad about that.  This show was all kinds of awesome, so I really hope they do more like it in the future. Because it’s been an absolute blast to watch and write about.  To review the other 17 villains check out:  Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4

Villain #3 – Former Toronto Blue Jay Joe Carter.  Date:  October 23, 1993  Location:  Sky Dome, Toronto, Canada  The Offense:  The Blue Jays were up 3-2 in the series but the Phillies had a one-run lead heading into the bottom of the ninth and all they needed was for Mitch “The Wild Thing” Williams to close it out and tie the series up.  Well, if you didn’t know what happened, it’s not hard to guess.  Carter ended up hitting a 3-run homer to not only win the game, but win the 1993 World Series.

And that moment crushed the hearts of all Philadelphia sports fans who had been craving a world championship.  The last one prior to was the 76ers winning in 1983. Have Phillies fans forgiven Carter?  Doubt it.  Check out the video below to either relive that dreadful moment or see why Carter is considered a Philly villain. You can also watch the CSN Philly clip here.

http://youtu.be/BwxuquJ3xxE

Villain #2 – Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant.  So what is Philly fans’ beef with Kobe?  Well, he attended high school in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania which happens to be a suburb of Philly.  He was never a Philadelphia 76er and it’s not like he pulled a J.D. Drew, because he was never drafted by the Sixers.  Kobe assured his villain status when he denounced that he ever lived in Philadelphia. And when he was asked where he was from, his reply would be…Los Angeles. OUCH!  That’s kind of NO-NO!

Granted Kobe grew up and lived all over the world, traveling with his father Joe Bryant, who was also a professional basketball player.  So Kobe didn’t reside in Lower Merion his whole life, so maybe it’s fair to agree with him on where he’s from.  And I think fans would respect that, had Kobe should have just kept his mouth shut about it.  But he chose to diss Philly and seemed to take great pleasure in sticking it to Philly fans. Watch the clip here.

» Continue reading “Philly Villains – Who Are The Final 3?”

Wednesday night’s episode (Part 4) of Philaldephia Comcast Sportsnet’s Philly Villains show continued with numbers seven through four, with a dishonorable mention thrown in for good measure.

Matthew Barnaby - greatesthockeylegends.com

Villain #7 – Former Buffalo Sabre (and other NHL teams) Matthew Barnaby.  The words used to describe Barnaby were punk and gnat.  He wasn’t a real big guy but he played like he was.  He also had an colorful personality that the panel described as cartoonish. And supposedly he rather enjoyed playing in Philly against the Philadelphia Flyers and would be extra pumped up hours before the game.

Many hockey players have lost their front teeth at one time or another, but Barnaby decided to replace his with silver ones that were adorned with the Sabres logo (see image on right). Watch the clip here.

Barnaby was arrested and charged with a DUI back in December 2011.

Villain #6 – the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  And why would the Bucs be a villain when they aren’t even an NFC East rival?  Well what was slated to be one of if not the biggest game in Philadelphia Eagles history, and to be the last Eagles game to be played at Veterans Stadium turned into one of the worst.

It was the NFC Title Game and the Eagles were picked to take it all.  There were many reasons why the Eagles SHOULD have won that game, because basically the Eagles had everything working in their favor.  Right down to the cold weather where it was possibly hyped a little too much that the Bucs were NOT a cold weather team.  Something I always tell my son when he’s about to play a baseball game, do not ever take a team too lightly or underestimate your opponent.  And I think that is what happened to the Eagles.  Because what started off as amazing with the Eagles jumping to a 7-0 lead, 52 seconds into the game, turned into a complete disaster.

The Buccaneers went on to win 27-10 and found themselves Superbowl bound, while the Eagles lowered their heads and disappointed the 66,000 + fans at the Vet as well as the rest of Eagles fans.  Watch the clip here.

Dishonorable Mention – Former 76ers owner Harold Katz.  He was responsible for signing Shawn Bradley (Villain #15) so that is a HUGE reason why he got the nod here.

» Continue reading “Philly Villains – Part 4″

Villain - wikipedia.org

Philadelphia’s Comcast Sportsnet debuted a new show that premiered Sunday night at 10:30 pm EDT.  The show is called Philly Villains and the premise is a countdown of Philadelphia sports most loathed athletes, teams, coaches, fans…etc.

Various Philadelphia sports writers/sports newscasters/personalities gave their two cents on each of the named villains.  The show began with number 20 on the list and each week they will continue the countdown to number one.

Last night’s list began with:

Villain #20 – Former Philadelphia Eagles coach Rich Kotite.  Most of the panel were in agreement on this one and stated that Kotite makes Andy Reid look charismatic and really intelligent.  Pretty much the consensus was that Kotite was a buffoon.   Watch clip here.

Villain #19 – NY Giants of the 1980′s. Two words for you…Bill Parcells.  Watch clip here.

Dishonorable Mention – NY Mets fans.  I know this first hand.  Sitting at Citizens Bank Park when the Phillies are versing the Mets, can be pure torture.  Why you might ask? Because Mets fans invade CBP like a nasty virus. Watch clip here.

Villain #18 – Atlanta Braves Chipper “Larry” Jones.  Most people agree that if Chipper was a Phillie, he’d be adored but since he’s a Brave, he’s disliked.  And most of the writers/sports newscasters felt Chipper really isn’t a villain.  Because it’s difficult to hate on a guy who plays the game as hard as he does.  But the fact that he plays for the Braves puts him in the villain category, it what it is!  Watch the clip here.

Villain #17 – sports agent Scott Boras.  Ahhh yes…this man has been loathed since the infamous J.D. Drew debacle.  No further explanation needed.  Watch the clip here.

Dishonorable Mention – The astro turf at Veterans Stadium. That turf was the worst field to play on in the National Football League and just about everyone, including the Eagles themselves hated playing on that turf. Watch the clip here.

Villain #16 – Birdstone…the horse that beat Smarty Jones at the 2004 Belmont Stakes.  Smarty was going for the Triple Crown and ended up denied.  And why is a horse a villain?  Because at the time Smarty was Philadelphia sports ONLY hope for a championship, as sad as that was, it was a fact.  Until the 2008 World Series win for the Phillies, fans had put all their stock into a horse.  Yes a horse!!!  Watch the clip here.

Correction:  Next episode is TONIGHT (Monday – 1/30/12) at 10:30 pm EDT on Philadelphia Comcast Sportsnet and will countdown #15 – #12.

Image source:  Wikipedia.org

Heather Carnassale is the Senior Phillies Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at viewfromsection116@gmail.com, or follow her on twitter @heatherc531 and @viewfromsec116.