Do you mind if I ask?

With the doldrums of summer upon us, or, rather, another mediocre version of America’s losingest team (still love them though, just stating fact), I am left with nothing but hope. Hope for the Eagles. Hope for the Sixers. Hope for the Flyers Hope that some team will end our championship drought.

Not since the ’83 Sixers has a real trophy been hoisted by any of my beloved teams. Babies born then have spouses and mortgages and mega sports contracts (well some of them). Anyway, it’s been a while since the Promised Land was anything but a pipe dream in Philadelphia.

This Friday, the Eagles will open up training camp with rookies and select veterans reporting to Lehigh University. I’ve read some stories, and reporters debate the linemen, and the linebackers, and even the strength of the receiving core (how many number 3 options do they have now?), but no one is raising a huge stink about Donovan McNabb. No. 5 is getting a virtual free pass. Staying in Arizona and providing his own updates, McNabb is sort of on the back burner.

Do you mind if I ask? Is Donovan ever going to be as good a QB as he was during the near-Super season? Or is he just the best option the Eagles have at the position now that they jettisoned a player born for this offense? Last season, in the two or three games leading up to his injury, McNabb looked off a bit. It led me to wonder if he was already heading downhill with no true nary a weapon to throw to.

This offseason wasn’t kind to the receiving core either. The big name to exit: Donte Stallworth. The big addition: Kevin Curtis. There are no words to describe the despair. I could almost hear Donovan puking at the news of that signing. At best, Curtis is on par with James Thrash. And then there was the signing of Bethel Johnson. Good collegiate athlete, bad pro athlete.

Yet forget the defense, and most of the offense, my only question mark heading into the Birds’ 75th season is at the QB position. Will Donovan be able to rise up, avoid the deer in headlight moments, and make his receivers better than they truly are?

I hope so.

Sixers Preview - Grizz sighting in Philly

The sound of ping pong balls will be ringing in the air tonight as the 76ers take on the Memphis Grizzlies. Both teams are looking at a lottery finish, and the winner of this game may be the loser.

The Memphis Grizzlies might be the worst team in basketball, but they may also be the most envied heading into the lottery. The Oden-sweepstakes leading Grizz have a gruesome 15-44 record. To top it off, like it matters, they're 34 games out of first in their division.

It's hard to believe that the Sixers were once on the brink of contending for the league cellar this season. They're still an antonym of the word elite, but they have been playing some inspired ball as of late. Yesterday, the team beatdown the Phoenix Suns juggernaut, and they're the only Eastern Conference host to achieve the feat all season. Philly even managed to lead from start to finish, another first against the Suns this season.

At 20-38, it's safe to say that the Sixers aren't headed to the playoffs, and they won't be the lottery favorites either. However, the team is showcasing its young talent (Andre Iguodala, Kyle Korver, Rodney Carney), and using a crafty veteran point guard (Andre Miller) to achieve something Philly couldn't do last season, play with respect.

A squad with Allen Iverson and Chris Webber on the roster that doesn't make the playoffs is just a sad bunch to watch. The current incarnation, though virtually star-less, is an exciting group to see on the court. They play with a passion and hunger lost after the influence on big money.

I'm not a betting man, but if I was I'd... take the under. The teams scored a combined 220 points when they played in January, but Philly's defense has stopped Sacramento and Phoenix in their last two games.