The Condiment Column

OK, so THAT happened...

Yes, I've been underground for a while, thanks in part to a family vacation to DisneyWorld, holidays, two weeks of Mom's home cooking, and a computer hard drive crash that caused all of my files to disappear like Kaiser Soze.

But now I'm back for 2009, and hopefully better than ever even if I am ten pounds heavier. Though the time for resolutions has past, I have a few for this column in 2009:

1. Shorter, more frequent posts - easier to read and, quite frankly, write
2. Increased inclusion of photos and links I find enjoyable and relevant
3. No more censorship - I'm surly by nature and swear like a truck driver. I'll continue to watch my language in front of my children and around the office, but in this forum I'm going to let it fly. If that offends you, please accept my apologies.

With all that said, I've been stewing over a lot for the last two months. Allow me to catch up (Get it? Ketchup? "The Condiment Column?" God, I'm such a fucking dork).

The Eagles have made a somewhat surprising run to the second round of the playoffs. Based on pre-season expectations, it's not shocking that they're still playing in January. But a season that looked lost after a tie in Cincinnati and the unnecessary benching of Donovan McNabb against the Ravens has been salvaged. The defense has been sensational, especially in the December 7th dismantling of the Giants in Jersey.

The stars aligned in Week 17 when Chicago lost in Houston and Oakland overcame a ten-point deficit and beat a Tampa Bay team that was in the midst of a collapse that would make New York Mets fans cringe. As a result, the Eagles-Cowboys game was essentially a playoff, and since we all know Dallas doesn't win playoff games (4,396 days since their last victory) we were treated to this face:Speaking of treats, the Flyers are in first place in the Atlantic Division at the midway point of their season. Despite that, they only have one All-Star (Jeff Carter). Thank you, dumbass Montreal Canadiens fans, for making a mockery of the game by voting guys like Mike Komisarek (1 G, 2 A in 24 games this season) and Alexei Kovalev (11 G, 20 A) as starters while more deserving players like Washington's Nicklas Backstrom (12 G, 33 A) and Mike Green (10 G, 16 A), Boston's Phil Kessel (24 G, 17 A), and of course Flyers Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, and Kimmo Timonen will be at home on All-Star weekend.

I've vented before about the issues with fan voting, but this one takes the fucking cake. If Gary Bettman had any kind of stones, he'd intervene and send Mike Komisarek home.

Hello, Raul Ibanez, Chan Ho Park, and, if you believe the rumors, Mr. Mia Hamm!

Happy trails, Maurice Cheeks, Pat Burrell, and L.J. Smith (Oops, got a little ahead of myself on that one. Check back in a couple of weeks).

The last time the Phillies won the World Series, the Eagles won the NFC and advanced to the Super Bowl. I'm not saying, I'm just saying...