Beaker'd From Above: Evan Turner's Time Is Now

I'm not the hugest 76ers fan.

By that I mean, in NBA terms, I'm a huge Sixers fan, but the NBA is way down on my list after the Phillies, Flyers, Eagles, Wings, college basketball (Syracuse, Temple, the rest of the Big 5, Wichita State), college lacrosse, college football, arena football (yes), and possibly team handball. So, relatively, the Sixers are down my list, but I'm still a Sixers fan. My NBA childhood was filled with Julius Erving, Bobby Jones, Mo Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Charles Barkley. But it was also filled with Manute Bol, Jim Rowinski, Jeff Hornacek, Danny Vranes, Mike Gminski, Jeff Ruland, Chris Welp, and Jeff Malone (the worst of all the Malone's). The 76ers of 1992-1997 were the (ten, nine, eight, seventy) six worst seasons in the history of the team, this side of 9-73. Before A.I. Part One (Part One) came, I was gone. But that doesn't still mean I don't root for them, and want them to win (despite Tony Battie), and get excited when they do. Doug Collins won me back a bit, and this season is piquing my interest.

But that's not why I'm writing. This is why. Everyone's talking about Evan Turner right now. Even one of my bosses. And I got this email from him late Wednesday night, after the Sixers' drubbing of the Jerry Sichting-less Celtics:

Tonight I felt like writing a little article about what I think we should do with Evan Turner. You have actually published sports articles. I feel like with some more structure and editing this is actually an interesting topic and I make a point, if you want to clean this up. I know this is not like me, but come on... F Jodie Meeks and his 25 minutes of one dimensional basketball.

So, since it's my boss, I did 'clean it up' (not that it wasn't ok before, #coveringmyass), and he thought it was good. So he wrote me back:

Awesome. Let's put it to press.

And that's the story of the story below, for all to see. (And if you people make it viral, you might even get me a raise, since his name is on the side of the building in which I work and all). He wrote it (and it's good, and his point is quite valid). It's his content, but he told me to cite myself as an author since he liked my copyediting. Hey, that's why they pay me the big bucks. In any case, here it is. Enjoy. I'm going to go watch some tournament college hoops.

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Evan Turner's Time Is Now

Evan Turner needs more time: More playing time. More time with the starters. More time with the ball in his hands. And we're starting to see exactly that pay off.

Prior to cracking the starting lineup, Turner had already begun to show a great deal of talent and potential, and a true feel for the game. Both off of the bench and now averaging over 40 minutes per in the last four games, we’ve seen a penchant for high flying defensive rebounds, a knack for getting the ball up court, and the savvy to break down a defender and get off a layup or a midrange shot. With his move to starter, he's posted solid numbers, both on the offensive end (putting up 26, 21, 24, and 16 points) and the defensive side (pulling down 14 and 12 D-bounds against the Knicks and Jazz).

Sure, we have also seen him turn the ball over, pass the ball off and run to the corner (Collins' favorite use for his two best ball handlers, Holiday the other), and struggle on defense against quicker guards. He is still just a second year player, and mistakes will happen. The only cure for that is playing time. And he's finally getting that chance, something Turner deserves, and we deserve to see... even when he eventually has a couple of clunker games in a row. For his future - and the team's - the title of 'starter' can't be on a yo-yo. The only way ET develops is by getting starter's time consistently for the remainder of the season, and especially in the playoffs.

Even now, there's still a lot of talk about trading Turner. But that’s a knee-jerk reaction to a perception of lack of 'star power' that won’t solve any long-term team issues. What he gives the team right now – and will for years to come – is an increase in time of possession in the offensive zone. I can't stand watching Lou Williams stroll up court with barely 16 ticks left on the clock, make a shifty move, and jack up an off-balance jumper. The Sixers have lost too many close games this season already following that formula. Let's keep letting the number two pick in the draft push the ball, get the offense set, and if he ends up with the ball with the clock winding down, he can at least make a move and get to the rim. He’s got that talent, and he needs to be able to showcase it. Evan Turner should be - and will be - the first face of the franchise since... since Iverson? It's certainly not Iggy.

There truly are several good players on this team. But many of them have one (or if they’re lucky, two) real strengths: Lou can score, Thad can score and take a charge, Jodie can make a three, Jrue is brilliant at showing up early and then disappearing. Andre can defend, rebound, and pass the ball well – and that’s why he was an All-Star. But he can’t push the ball up court without looking out of control. He can’t break down defenders off the dribble. He can’t hit a jump shot or two free throws in a row. So, at the end of close games, why not give the ball to someone who can do all of these things. You know, like a guy – as I mentioned – who was the second overall pick. Turner actually looks like a fluid ball player; it doesn't look like he is trying too hard to dribble or look around the court for the open man. Haven’t we had enough of that? Evan Turner's time is now.

So let’s stop wasting time whining about the lack of a scorer. We have one, he'd just been glued to the bench at the end of games for reasons I truly do not understand. Coach Collins has seen the light and made the move that should have happened weeks ago. Keep giving Evan Turner more time. His 26 points in 37 minutes in the blowout against the Celtics was just a tease of what’s to come. We aren't winning it all this year so let's at least develop our most likely future star so he has the confidence to take us in the right direction next season. A consistent 35 minutes a game, starting and finishing, is all the time I ask.

Daniel Feith ‏(@dzan2583, go Mountain Hawks) as edited by Michael Hochman (@PhillyPartTwo, go Orange). Dictated but not read. We work here: feith.com.

World Series Outsider: Genius and Hyperbole

Many coaches/managers have been termed ‘genius’ by an overzealous and often attention starved media. Apparently, any time a Super Bowl or a World Series is won, a genius is born.

“Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears a Crown” wrote William Shakespeare (or whoever the hell Roland Emmerich says really wrote Henry IV). This pithy bit of writing is currently getting tested by baseball’s resident genius, Cardinals manager Tony Larussa. Many things have been said about Mr. Larussa, some snide commentary; some reverential hyperbole. As with so many things, the truth may lie in the middle.

I have, more often than not, fallen on the snide side of the ledger. What can I say? I can be small minded sometimes, and my dislike of someone or something can have an inverse relationship to how much credit or how sycophantic the evaluation of the person or thing is. Often, the more the thing is built up, the more likely I am to resist. However, I am willing to give a second listen, look or evaluation to the thing, ready to be disproved or to have my opinion strengthened. And if the thing proves to be as good as, or better than what was described (very rare), then I usually become a pretty staunch supporter.

What does this rambling thought/explanation have to do with Tony Larussa? Well, he’s been anointed with the ‘genius’ label. He ‘outmanaged’ the hapless Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel (yes, this is sacrcasm) to get his team to the World Series. Larussa is credited with being an ultimate tactician, changing pitchers as if channel surfing. An inning can go on for 30 minutes as Larussa plays the matchups. And, it seems that I may be the only baseball fan who gets bored and stops watching.

Fox and their broadcasting team have joined the genius chorus of ESPN, and revel in breaking down the nitty gritty of each and every move Larussa makes. So it must have stunned anyone who fancies themselves a baseball fan that the Cardinals lost a game the other night. And that they lost this game due to… a bad (or, perhaps non) decision by Larussa??? That can’t be!

He’s a genius, you remind me. How could he possibly have a pitcher in the game that he did not want there? I have no idea – I didn’t actually watch this game. My diatribe here is pretty much based on accounts I’ve heard on sports radio – where true geniuses abound… That said – this happened because of a bad phone situation? Because he was unable to communicate to his bullpen coach which guy he wanted on the mound? Where was the Tony Larussa that told TBS broadcasters (during the game) that, against the Phillies, the Cardinals were pitching to two strike zones?

The bullpen can’t be all that far away from where Larussa was. At the very least, he could have walked out to the mound, and yelled out the name of the guy he wanted. Surely, the shortstop could have relayed the message to the appropriate outfielder and that guy could have mentioned it to the bullpen crew. People bring signs to ballgames all the time. Larussa could have made one of his own. He could have gone out to the mound and held up his very creative and colorful sign – with the name of the reliever he wanted in the game clearly written.

Perhaps there is some ancient baseball rule that I don’t care to be aware of that made it so Larussa had to stick with the pitcher he had, rather than, I don’t know, cause some phony delay to give the pitcher he wanted time to warm up? He could have volunteered to conduct an impromtu in-game, dugout interview in which he could have talked about how his team should not have to deal with the indignity of the 3-strike strikeout. And while this subterfuge was going on, someone could have alerted the correct pitcher to start warming up. Then, after the interview finished, Larussa could have bought even more time by walking to home plate and outlining a plan (with pie charts – or at least stills of the Pitch Tracker) for helping the umpire to improve his calling of a game.

Somehow, none of this happened. And Larussa and the Cardinals lost as a result. That’s what we’re told, anyway. Somehow in sports, a game can be won or lost based on one play. All the other errors, baserunning mistakes, poor pitch selections, walks and just plain dumb luck have no cumulative effect. No – it was that bullpen situation. Forget that the guy who was in the game is a professional pitcher and should be able to handle a pitching situation. This all comes down to the fact that Larussa is not twins, and therefore, was not in the bullpen at the time of the call.

I don’t really care. I have no love lost for the Cardinals, and I am glad they lost. Serves them right for defeating the Phillies. I hope they lose game 6 and draw a close to this tainted baseball season. Should Larussa and the Cards come back to win, then maybe he is a genius. But in order to be a genius, you have to take the good with the bad. You take them both, and there you have....Genius? If Larussa is willing to accept the fawning, he has to take the goatship too. And, to his credit, at least in this case, he has done so. I do dispute his genius-ness though.

To be honest, my ire here is more directed at the baseball drones who seem to have had their ability to independently evaluate surgically removed. Is it necessary to bleat on about Larussa’s skill as a manager? Is that really the most compelling thing to talk about? This idea is pretty well established. How about breaking some new ground? There are oodles of baseball-related things to talk about that haven’t already been covered in endless, hyperbolic detail, right? Like – how awesomely supreme Albert Pujols is. No, wait – that has been… Oh, never mind.

Dear Pittsburgh Penguins, I want you to know why I hate you. By Michael Hochman.

Dear Pittsburgh Penguins:

Ok, the more I think about it, the more you piss me off. It didn't take front-office intelligence for you to get where you are. It didn't take shrewd moves or well-thought out drafts. It didn't take risks or hard work. In fact, more than anything, it took consistent losing.

In 2002, you sucked, as you had for a while, so you were rewarded with the 5th overall pick and took Ryan Whitney.

Then you still sucked a year later and had the 3rd overall pick in 2003. Florida didn't want it because they didn't' need a goalie, so they traded you the FIRST overall pick, and wham, Marc-Andre Fleury is a Penguin. The Flyers chose 24th.

Then somehow you CONTINUED to suck in 2004, but oh darn, you didn't win the draft lottery and couldn't draft Alex Ovechkin. But you sucked enough to pick SECOND overall, and had to settle for Evgeny Malkin. I feel sorry for your booby prize. The Flyers didn't draft until 92nd.

Then in 2005, the lockout year, you were rewarded for sucking over SEVERAL years. The NHL held the Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes lottery with you, Buffalo, the Rangers, and Columbus given equal chances of winning. Fuck-n-a if you didn't win that lottery. You got Sidney Crosby by sheer luck, and it certainly didn't take a genius to take him when you got the top pick. Yay for finishing in last. The Flyers drafted 29th that year.

Despite all obsticles, in 2006 you still sucked, and were presented the prize of the SECOND overall pick again and took Jordan Staal. Another No-Brainer. The Flyers drafted 22nd.

And then in 2007 when the Flyers for once have the worst overall record, they don't even win the draft lottery. In a weak draft, they pick 2nd and take James van Riemsdyk. Solid, but no Whitney, Fleury, Malkin, Crosby, and Staal. The difference between the Flyers and the Penguins? The Flyers realized they didnt like losing very much, something the Pens seemed to enjoy, and decided to go back to the Eastern Conference Finals the very next year (where they lost to the we're-so-shitty-we're-stocked-from-multiple-high-drafts Penguins). Despite the opportunity to keep on losin', the Flyers decided winning was kinda important.

An amazing strategy: play like shit for many years, draft no-brainer future stars, continue to play like shit, and draft even more future stars. Wow, you guys are a hell of an organization. That took some brilliance. Fifth, third, second, first, second. It's like a freakin' fantasy draft. This is why I hate you, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Love, Michael Hochman

The 2011 Phillies: World Series Dreams Rent Asunder and Bad Nicknames

Now that the world series is upon us, I felt compelled to crawl out of writing hibernation to attempt to sum up my thoughts on "the one that got away" - i.e. the Phillies 2011 campaign. In one very short, very frustrating, very annoying 5-game series, the Phillies took what was inevitable (a World Series appearance) and made it something unreachable.

They were outplayed, outlasted and outwitted, succumbing to the most humbling and equalizing of all things in sports - hubris. I don't believe for one second that the St. Louis Cardinals were better than the Phillies, but the Cards are in the World Series. Perhaps there was an air of inevitability in Philadelphia - unfortunately, the Phillies transferred this trait to St. Louis by playing like a corporate softball team that had kicked the keg before the end of the 2nd inning.

Following the Phillies has been like going through the five stages of grief:

2007 - Amazement. 1st postseason in 15 years. Just happy to be there.

2008 - Joy. 1st World Series win in 28 years. Perhaps they should have disbanded the team.

2009 - Confusion. We lost in the World Series? To the Yankees? And we had a better team than in 2008? And the Yankees were really not all that good? Come again?

2010 - Frustration. A no-hitter in the playoffs? First one since 1956? Good start. Losing to a far inferior team in the San Francisco Giants? Continuing what would become a pattern.

2011 - Anger. Losing in the first round to the Cardinals? And not because of Albert Pujols - arguably the best player in the game? Because nobody was able to hit the ball and nobody could stop Ryan Theriot and David Freese?

I think the Phillies woes might boil down to one thing. A long tradition of sad, sad nicknames.

As most Phillies fans do, I loved Harry Kalas and miss him terribly during baseball season. But there were two things that Harry did that I did not like.

One was when he would sing "High Hopes." I'm sure this is considered blasphemy, but there it is. I think Harry had a great voice for broadcasting, but not so much for singing.

Two was the nicknames. They were atrocious. In a lot of cases, it was add an 'r' or a 'y' (or some form thereof) to the guys name. Laker. Krukker. Schmitty. Eisey. Inky. Really? Laker?? Lenny Dykstra was "Dude." When he came from New York, he was "Len" and he was "Nails." I liked Nails much better. This at least displayed some imagination. Darren Daulton was "Dutch." Eh. Surely such a fan favorite deserved better.

And it hasn't gotten any better over time. Year after year, the Phillies are last in the league in QNG (quality of nicknames given). Often, players are left without a nickname. It's a travesty.

Let's look at it in terms of the current players:

Jimmy Rollins - JRoll. This is at least as bad as the 'r' and 'y' mentality. No imagination. By this methodology, I should be MFran. It's like a few years back when, via the internet, you could get your own Wu Tang Clan nickname (I am "Pre-Raphaelite Shaolin" in case you were wondering). The fact that, most likely, nobody reading this remembers this indicates how interesting it was. I maintain that "JRoll" is every bit as not interesting as the Wu Tang thing.

Shane Vicorino - An exception to the rule. "The Flyin' Hawaiian" is actually a good nickname. It goes beyond adding something to a name, contracting a name or making a nickname based on a similarity to another name (which is often a stretch). This nickname is catchy, rolls off the tongue, makes kids smile and rhymes. Credit where it's due for this one.

Chase Utley - Does he even have a nickname? This is a case where he's been a great player, but there isn't a whole lot of personality. Gets tons of extra credit for "World Fu**ing Champions" though. No more need be said - perhaps Chase was so good, he doesn't require a nickname.

Ryan Howard - Where do I begin? Again, I don't know if he has a nickname, but I can think of a few - and they're not very nice. The Shift. K-Man. Mr. September. 1-2-3. A great hitter when he's on and a bowel movement when he's not. It's telling that St. Louis walked Hunter Pence to pitch to Howard, and he obliged by making an out. I really try to stay positive about Howard, but he makes it hard. Feel free to suggest nicknames in the comments (all four of you who may read this).

Hunter Pence - Not sure if he has a nickname, but I don't care. The guy's a gamer and that's good enough for me.

Raul Ibanez - Again, not sure if he has a nickname. But I do wish the fans would have come up with something with more bite than "Rauuuuuuuuuuuuul!"

Carlos Ruiz - Again - "Choooooooch" ?? Adding lots of vowels is nice, but a bit tiresome. But at least he has a decent nickname. It's better than freaking 'Pudge' - a dumbass nickname that seems to be bestowed to a catcher regardless of whether or not the guy has any pudge to speak of. Does Ivan Rodriguez seem like a 'Pudge' to you? Me neither. Carlton Fisk? Maybe.

Placido Polanco - This may be the worst transgression of them all. Polly? Polly. Oh, come on!!! The guy is a classic throwback player who has good at bats, is a good fielder and generally just plays the game right. Give him better than Polly!! Polly want a decent nickname??

Roy Halladay - What can one say? Great pitcher, maybe the best in baseball. But the nickname (and yes, I know it came with him from Toronto) - "Doc" ?? Ugh. What's up, Doc? A bad nickname is what's up. As a result of this nickname, we have had to endure Gary Matthews calling him "Holliday" for the past few years. It's not Sarge's (good nickname) fault - "Doc" Holliday is a fairly well known historical figure. It's a jolly holiday with you, Roy - except for the nickname.

Think of the nicknames out there that - when you hear them, you know exactly who the person is.

Sweetness. Magic. The Great One. The Splendid Splinter. The Iron Horse. The Big Hurt. Mr. October. Spaceman. Charlie Hustle. Say Hey Kid. Dr. J. Joe Cool. Broadway Joe. Big Mac. The Sultan of Swat.

There was (and IMHO, should be) a kind of beauty to nicknames. They should go beyond the simplistic. They should invoke a mind's eye image of the player in his salad days. And, I note with interest, that none of the above listed nicknames have an added 'r' or 'y' - but all of them should conjure up the face or achievement of the person.

Of course, in the ESPN world in which we live, folks like Chris Berman have thrown around myriad nicknames that did not stick. Which is good. The negative legacy of this, however, was when carelessness, laziness and folks just plain thinking that they are soooo clever, led to nicknames that never existed before the 1980s being retroactively assigned to greats of the past: "Teddy Ballgame" and "Donnie Baseball."

I remember the nicknames "The Kid" and "The Splendid Splinter" - But I had never heard "Teddy Ballgame" until around the time of the 1999 All-Star Game in Boston. If there is any written verification of this nickname occurring prior to, say, 1980, I'd love to see it. I also do not recall Don Mattingly having a nickname during his playing days. He was just one of the best players in the game at the time. And that was enough.

Unfairly, I am mostly picking on the Phillies here, but that's because I'm a homer, and the Phillies are my fave team. I'm sure that other teams have some equally tedious nicknames. But that's their problem. I just want to help the Phillies return to World Series glory. And I think better nicknames would be a step in the right direction.

Dear Phillies: It's Been Great and All, But We Need To See Other People

That's it, I can't do it anymore. I am not equipped with any more emotional resilience, can't go with the flow, can't stand steady while the boat rocks and rolls. Once, so long ago, I had it in me, but now it's too late. Years of these kinds of endings to seasons have robbed me of that give, that elasticity that everyone else calls perspective. (Apologies to Liz Wurtzel.) I can't emotionally give myself to these teams anymore. Not after the last three Phillies seasons, not after the last two Flyers playoffs, not after the last decade of Andy Reid, not even after the last [insert number here] NCAA tourney disappointments by the Wildcats and Owls and my Orange. I can't do the hype going into a regular season that means nothing when the walls come crashing down at playoff time. The tank is empty. It's time to get back to the Phillies of Len Matuzek and Tim Corcoran, the Eagles of Bobby Hoying and Chris Boniol, the Flyers of Steve Duchesne and Jeff Hackett, the Sixers of Mike Gminski and Jeff Ruland. They were bad, but they were known quantities. You got what you expected. They were who we thought they were. These teams now, all the expectations and all the excitement, it's like searching for years for the perfect girl who then runs away with the exterminator who is killing squirrels in the church on your wedding day. Or with David Freese.

At least the Eagles had the decency to free up my Sundays early in the season instead of leading me on until December.

Most likely gone: Rollins, Madson, Lidge, Oswalt, Ibanez, Gload, all free agents. Howard may be out the full season after somehow tearing his Achilles tendon while choking, putting Mayberry at first base, so now no left fielder and no first baseman to go along with no shortstop, no closer, and no fourth ace. Plus replacing Howard and Ibanez' power. Polanco still hurt, is third base shored up? Will Valdez and Mini-Mart both start for this team? No Lidge or Contreras in the middle of the bullpen, another season of Fat Joe or Kyle Kendrick (luckiest man in baseball) as one will start and one will come out of the pen, and can you count on Stutes and Bastardo (not to mention Worley)? Seems hitters figured them out. David Herndon. And they'll be setting up for whom to close? What if Dom Brown isn't any better than we've seen? What then about right field? That's 5 of 8 positions in question, plus starters #4 and 5, and the entire bullpen. (Not to mention Charlie's right hand man if Mackanin takes the Boston gig.) That infield, that outfield, that bullpen... not championship material. Money's now tight and Pence and Hamels are arbitration eligible. What do they do? And if Jose Reyes is the answer to all the Phils' ills™, we're all in trouble. Plus this team is now officially old. At least they're golfing now. That's what old people do.

My Halloween costume this year? I won't show up at all and say I'm the Phillies. Pitchers and catchers in 130 days, in case you were curious.

This is not only the end of the Phils' season, but the end of this Phils' era. They are up against the luxury tax ceiling and won't go higher. They've depleted the farm system with trades to win now, which they haven't. With two seasons of playoffs crap, who stays and who goes? Changes will be made that will be unpopular with fans. It has to and will happen (look at the Flyers.) Fans will start to get frustrated and start not going to the ballpark or buying merchandise. Revenues will fall and so will payroll. And possibly by as soon as next year, this team will fall back to mediocrity. And then what? I hope you enjoyed the five year run, this is the end of an era. It was a long time between pennants from 1950 and 1980. It was a long time between championships from 1980 and 2008. Let's hope it's not another two decades until another World Series.

That's it. I'm done. I can't give my time, money, emotions, effort, or energy to these teams again, the one in the red pinstripes in particular. It's been great, but this relationship isn't working anymore. All we do is wind up fighting (and frankly, uh, there's this premature elimination problem). I need some space. No no, don't blame yourself. It's not you, it's me (it's really you). You'll still see me occasionally, we can still be friends. I'll keep up with how you're doing on Facebook. And I don't mind some post-break-up sex every now and then. I'm come over to your place (it's nicer than mine), hang out, but I want to see other people. Really, all I want is for you to be happy. But I can't be there for you anymore in the way that you need. Is your friend the Nippon Ham Fighters still single? Don't forget your toothbrush. I don't know what a Howard-less, Rollins-less, Madson-less, Ibanez-less Phillies will look like next year, but I know I won't counting down to spring training, I won't be rushing home for to watch a business-person's special in June, I won't plan my vacations around October baseball because this team doesn't deserve it. There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me... you can't get fooled again. Will I change my mind over a long winter? Soften a bit? Have a regretful summer fling with the old girlfriend? Am I writing from the heart and not the brain out of recent traumatic emotion? Will they win me back with sweet talk and shiny jewelry? Maybe. Maybe I'm not strong enough to quit you.

But I can't let the Phillies fool me again. Until they do again next year.

Michael H.
Phillies fan since 1978
Twitter @PhillyPartTwo

9/11 By The Numbers: A Tragedy In Statistics, Poetry of Numbers - by Michael Hochman

I compiled this poetic essay of 9/11 statistics to be more than just a list of 9/11 statistics. I first posted this in 2009, updated today with new stats, and have posted every year on 9/11. The statistics come from various sources, compiled and edited as prose by me. Please feel free to share and redistribute. – Michael Hochman, of Pennsylvania, American.

The attacks of September 11, 2001, resulted in a total of 2,977 fatalities: 2,606 in and around the World Trade Center towers in Manhattan, 125 working in the Pentagon in Arlington Virginia, and 246 on the four airplanes: 87 on American 11 and 59 on United 175 in New York, 59 on American 77 in suburban Washington, and 40 on United 93 in a field in Somerset County Pennsylvania.

1,366 people died at and above the floors of impact in the North Tower of the World Trade Center, over 600 people were killed at and above the floors of impact in the South Tower. 110 people working below the impact zones were killed. 292 were killed at street level from burning debris.

Only 14 people escaped from the impact zone floors of the South Tower after it was hit, and only 4 from the floors above it.

Zero people from the impact zone and the floors above in the North Tower survived.

An estimated 200 people jumped to their deaths from the burning Towers. 1 person at street level, FDNY Fire Chaplain Mychael Judge, is hit by such a jumper and killed.

6,294 civilians were injured. 17,400 people were in the World Trade Center complex at the time that day.

Estimated units of blood donated to the New York Blood Center on 9/11: 36,000 . Total units of donated blood actually used: 258.

Only 8 office workers and 15 First Responders who were in the towers when they collapsed survived. Just 18 people total were found buried in the rubble alive after the collapse. The last survivor was pulled from the rubble 27 hours after the collapse of the towers. The resulting fires burned for 99 days.

Cantor Fitzgerald Financial lost 658 employees. Marsh & McLennan lost 295. Higher up in the buildings than anyone else, 6 television engineers perished in the rooftop broadcast centers. 165 people died in the Windows on the World rooftop restaurant, including 73 staff members, 16 Risk Magazine employees, and 76 other guests enjoying breakfast. 60 different companies with offices in the World Trade Center lost employees. All 35 members of the flight and cabin crews on the hijacked aircraft were killed.

343 FDNY firefighters and paramedics perished, along with 23 NYPD officers, 37 Port Authority Police officers, 15 EMTs, 3 court officers, and 1 police K9 unit dog named Sirius. FDNY Ladder 3 and Squad 1 each lost 11 members. Over 2,000 first responders were injured. 14,000 firefighters and EMS workers employed by the FDNY at the time. 11,000 of them worked on rubble pile immediately after the attacks.

372 foreign citizens were killed, representing 115 countries. 60 Muslims died in the attacks and, no, that does not include any hijackers.

The two planes that hit the towers were flying at 470mph and 590mph. Fires from jet fuel burned at 1,800°. The first impact registered 0.9 on the Richter Scale. The first collapse measured 2.3, was felt 21 miles away, and registered on seismic equipment as far as Maine. Debris from the second aircraft was found 6 blocks away. Dust from the collapse reached the Empire State Building, nearly 3 miles away. The landing gear from the first aircraft landed in and destroyed a Burlington Coat Factory at 45 Park Place. You may know this building better as the proposed site for a Manhattan Mosque.

The post-collapse debris pile weighed 1,800,000 tons. It took 11,000 truckloads to remove all of the debris, an operation which took 9 months.

New York City ordered 100,000 body bags to the scene. Almost none were used as only 289 bodies were found 'in tact'. 19,848 body parts were eventually uncovered. 15,260 remain unidentified. 65,000 personal items were recovered from the site of the two towers. Bone fragments were found 5 years later as workers prepared the damaged Deutsche Bank Building for demolition.

1,609 people lost a spouse or domestic partner. 3,051 children lost a parent. Over 1,300 were orphaned entirely. 40 people lost a twin sibling. 20% of Americans know someone injured or killed on 9/11. 1,717 families received no remains of their loved ones. 120 babies were born to 9/11 widows in the first year after the attack.

Estimated number of New Yorkers suffering from post-traumatic-stress disorder as a result of 9/11: 422,000. Jobs lost in New York as a result of 9/11: 146,100.

Pentagon casualties included 70 civilians and 55 military personnel. 92 were on the first floor, 31 were on the second floor, and 2 were on the third. Another 106 injured were treated at area hospitals. Resource Services Washington lost 34 of its 45 employees. Navy Command Center lost 29. The Army alone suffered 75 casualties. Flight 77 hit the west side of the Pentagon at 345mph, penetrating 3 rings. The damaged area collapsed 30 minutes after impact.

Flight 93 impacted the ground in Shanksville Pennsylvania at 564mph, inverted at an angle of 40°. The impact left a crater 10 feet deep and 50 feet wide. The plane crashed just 167 miles and less than 20 minutes away from Washington DC, its intended target.

116,000 American flags were sold nationwide by Wal-Mart on September 11, 2001. According to Pew, 97% of people in the US remember ten years later where they were when they heard about the attacks.

The victims on September 11th included 8 children. The youngest victim was a 2 year-old child, the oldest an 82 year-old man. The average age of all the dead was just 40. The ratio of men to women killed was 3:1. It takes approximately 8 hours to read the names of all the victims at Ground Zero during remembrance ceremonies each year.

In 2009, the last civilian victim was officially added to the death toll as Leon Heyward died 7 years after 9/11 from lymphoma linked to the collapse. Pat Flounders shot herself 3 months after 9/11, becoming the first widow to commit suicide.

6 buildings in Manhattan completely collapsed on September 11th. 3 more partially collapsed (plus the Pentagon), and 8 others were severely damaged. Nearly 50 buildings in New York received at least some damage.

Just 2 weeks after the attacks, the first firefighter was admitted to hospital with acute eosinophilic pneumonia after repeated exposure to dust. As of November 2010, 916 first-responders have died in the years since from illnesses related to their rescue efforts.

It took 6.3 years to build the World Trade Center. It took 1 hour, 41 minutes, and 45 seconds to destroy the towers, from first impact to second collapse, with just seconds for each tower to come down.

Currently, 24 people still remain listed as 'missing'.

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Here is a link to a list of all the victims of September 11th. Please do not fail to note how long this list is, and how long it takes you to scroll down to the end: http://alturl.com/5o8b

For the Birds

Well, it was bound to happen when the NFL decided to split the league into eight divisions; it was only a matter of time.  And here we are, with the embarrassment of a 7-9 team hosting a playoff game while two 10-6 teams are sitting at home.  Almost everyone outside of Seattle agrees that this is a travesty, and, unlike some arguments I have heard, this is not an aberration—it will happen again.  When you have nearly as many divisions as playoff spots, you are practically begging for it to happen again.

Even if you want to make the argument that Seattle deserves to be in the playoffs because they won their division (not much of an accomplishment considering that my cousin's midget football team could win seven games in that division), you can't possibly believe that the Seahawks deserve to host a playoff game, that the 11-5 Saints should have to travel to Seattle to play this game.  And consider this: if things had fallen a little differently in the last week of the season, it would have been the Falcons with a 12-4 record heading to 7-9 Seattle.  Does anyone seriously think this is good for the NFL?

So what should they do about it?  They'll never go back to six divisions, so that's not an option.  Ideally, only the top three division winners in each conference should be guaranteed playoff spots, but the owners would never go for that, either.  At the very least, the owners should agree that winning your division should not guarantee you a home playoff game.  The playoffs should be seeded according to record.  Not only is this the fair thing to do, but it would also make the final games of the regular season more interesting.  Think about how many teams rest players during the last two weeks because their seeding is locked up.  For example, the Eagles would not have been able to rest their starters in last week's Dallas game under this proposed format because they would have fallen behind Green Bay in the seedings and lost their chance to host a playoff game.  Also, the Bears would have had more to play for in the final week because a loss would have meant falling behind the Saints and losing their first-round bye.  In fact, every playoff team in the league except for the Patriots would have had something to play for in the final week.

The NFL has been searching for ways to make that final week more interesting and this seems like a perfect solution.  Not only would fewer teams be resting players at the end of the season, but the playoff seeding would be much more equitable.  Yeah, you would still have crappy 7-9 Seattle in the playoffs, but at least they wouldn't be rewarded with a home playoff game against a much better team.  They would be the 6th seed, where they belong.

But I didn't come here to talk about that :-)

Time for this week's picks.  Might as well start with the team in question...

New Orleans at Seattle
Seattle might actually have a chance to win this game . . . if a wormhole swallows up the Saints' plane on the way to Seattle.  I'm feeling generous, so I'll give the home team a special teams TD to go with a couple of field goals.  Saints: 31, Seahawks 13.

Baltimore at Kansas City
Kansas City has had an admirable season, but they're not ready for a game like this against a team of this caliber.  Ravens 23, Chiefs 14.

New York at Indianapolis
This is my slight upset pick of the week.  Manning just doesn't have the weapons this year and I think the Jets will win the battle up front.  Jets 24, Colts 21.

Green Bay at Philadelphia
This should be the game of the week between two teams with explosive offenses.  Green Bay seems to be the popular pick around the country, but I'm going to be a homer here and pick the Birds to eke one out.  Eagles 28, Packers 24.