132 days.
One Hundred and Thirty Two Days.
It is still hard to believe that it has been, yes, 132 days between when the COVID-19 pandemic shut Philly sports down and today, when sports finally returns in the form of Opening Day for the Phillies and a Sixers exhibition game in the Orlando Bubble.
Sports are actually, really, finally back.
To honor the return of sports and the 132 days we have gone without them, here are a whopping 132 takes the Philadelphia sports teams.
1. Aaron Nola is not an ace and is extremely overrated
2. The Sixers are going to win the Eastern Conference in Orlando
3. Joel Embiid is more likely to win a title with the Sixers than Giannis Antetokounmpo is to win one with the Milwaukee Bucks
4. If I had to start my team with either Aaron Nola or Rhys Hoskins, I would pick Hoskins
5. Bryan Colangelo was a better general manager than Elton Brand
6. The Sixers starting Shake Milton at point guard over Ben Simmons is embarrassing for Simmons and for the franchise
7. Josh Richardson has been a disappointment
8. Bryce Harper will win a World Series with the Phillies
9. Unless he starts shooting, Ben Simmons has already reached his potential
10. Brett Brown's time as the Sixers head coach has been without question a success
11. The Phillies have a better chance of winning a World Series than the Atlanta Braves do
12. Joel Embiid should decide if Brett Brown stays or goes
13. Jeffrey Lurie is the best owner in Philadelphia sports history
14. The Al Horford contract is worse than any move Chip Kelly ever made with the Eagles
15. Philadelphia is such a superior sports town to (the very overrated) New York that it shouldn't even be considered a conversation
16. The last true superstar the Eagles had was Michael Vick
17. Malcolm Jenkins deserved the loyalty that the Eagles showed to Jason Peters and Darren Sproles
18. Doug Pederson is the best asset the Eagles have
19. Claude Giroux is better at his job than Ben Simmons is at his job
20. The Phillies should pay J.T. Realmuto whatever it takes to re-sign him
21. Matt Klentak is the knockoff version of Sam Hinkie
22. The best pitchers on the Phillies are all in the minor leagues
23. Bryce Harper's MLB career has been just as meaningful as Mike Trout's career
24. Mike Trout's only chance at finishing as a top 50 MLB player (of all-time) is if he forces a trade to Philadelphia
25. Jimmy Rollins was more important to the Phillies' World Series run than Chase Utley or Ryan Howard, but if I could pick one player to add to the current roster, I'd pick Howard.
26. This shortened MLB season will be so exciting that baseball will never play 162 games again
27. Fans that yell "shoot the puck" during hockey games are correct
28. The only player more irrelevant than Mickey Moniak on the Phillies is David Robertson
29. Scott Kingery is a top-five player on the Phillies
30. The Eagles are the only team in the city run at an elite-level
31. The Flyers are the team hurt most by sports stopping. Ruined their chances at a Stanley Cup
32. Jack Fritz is going to be right about Nick Pivetta
33. The Phillies will acquire another superstar before the start of the 2021 MLB season
34. Jalen Reagor should lead the Eagles in snaps next season
35. Lincoln Financial Field is a boring stadium
36. Citizens Bank Park is better than the over-hyped PNC Park
37. DeSean Jackson is very close to a Hall of Fame career
38. I like basketball more than baseball, but I missed baseball more than I missed basketball
39. The only sport where fans not being there will be noticeable is football
40. The NBA setup for games in Orlando is cooler than how NBA games are normally played
41. I would pick Jayson Tatum over Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid to start a team
42. Believe the Vince Velasquez hype
43. Joe Girardi is a great manager, but the Phillies chances of winning this season are the same as they would have been with Gabe Kapler
44. The Sixers all-white jersey combo is the best jersey in Philly sports right now
45. Carter Hart will be a top-10 Philadelphia athlete in less than a year
46. The best mascot in the city is Gritty, who proved the Philly Phanatic never had much of a personality
47. The Phillies not going over the luxury tax should be the top story surrounding the team
48. Ben Simmons can be a Hall-of-Fame player if he just shoots the ball
49. The Flyers' black-and-orange is the best color scheme in the city
50. Preseason games are some of the most exciting sporting events of the year — new season, new players, underdog stories. They will be missed.
51. Jalen Hurts has the same "it" quality that Nick Foles had
52. The Eagles' jerseys are not great, but they shouldn't change them anytime soon
53. The white version of the Kelly Green jerseys are better than the actual Kelly Green version
54. Miles Sanders will go down as the all-time yards leader at running back in franchise history
55. Wins are the most important stat for a quarterback. Everyone that says it isn't is just mad their quarterback doesn't win.
56. Brian Westbrook was better than LeSean McCoy
57. Ike Reese should be in the Eagles' Hall of Fame
58. The Eagles would have beat the Seahawks if Carson Wenz wasn't knocked out of the game
59. Carson Wentz has top-10 talent, but isn't a top-10 quarterback
60. DeSean Jackson will have the best season of his career in 2020 if he plays 16 games
61. The Eagles have a better chance of winning the Super Bowl in 2020 than they did in 2017
62. Greg Ward should be the starting slot receiver in 2020
62. Tobias Harris is not a max player, but he deserved the max contract
64. Josh Sweat is better than Derek Barnett
65. Carson Wentz not having won a playoff game in his first four seasons is way more concerning than fans think it is
66. The Eagles could make the playoffs with Nate Sudfeld at quarterback if he got an entire offseason to prepare
67. NBA players should get hype-up songs when they go to shoot a free throw like MLB players get walk-up songs when they go to the plate
68. A sack is more impressive than a home run
69. The Eagles should keep cornerback Tremon Smith on their roster
70. The Eagles will make the playoffs every year moving forward that Doug Pederson is the head coach, Howie Roseman is the general manager and Jeffrey Lurie is the owner
71. Trading for Darius Slay was a better decision than signing the very-overrated Byron Jones
72. I could get one yard in an NFL game if I had to
73. The narrative that Carson Wentz didn't have any help in 2019 is a complete lie
74. The majority of games in the NBA, MLB and NHL should be during the day instead of at night
75. Miles Sanders is already an elite running back
76. Miles Sanders and Boston Scott are one of the best running back duos in the NFL
77. Matt Pryor would have been a good starter and gotten the job done for the Eagles at right guard this season
78. I'd rather have Nelson Agholor on the roster than DeSean Jackson or Alshon Jeffery
79. Jason Peters is a Hall-of-Fame player, but he is not a top-10 Eagles player of all time
80. The Sixers would have won the title in 2001 if they had Tobias Harris
81. The combo of Will Parks, Jalen Mills and K'Von Wallace will provide the most exciting non-quarterback training-camp battle we have ever seen with the Eagles
82. Wide Receiver is the least important position on offense
83. Jalen Mills has been the Eagles best cornerback the last four years
84. Joel Embiid is better than Wilt Chamberlain
85. Rodney McLeod is the most underrated player on the Eagles in the past four years
86. Hockey is the best sport to watch live
87. Cre'Von LeBlanc is, and always has been, better than Ronald Darby
88. You can't love the XFL and also hate the NFL preseason
89. The Eagles should keep four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster
90. The only team with a chance to beat the Sixers in the Eastern Conference Playoffs is the Boston Celtics
91. Jason Kelce will play at least two more seasons.
92. Joel Embiid has already hit more threes in four seasons than Ben Simmons will in his entire career
93. Javon Hargrave is the Eagles most important defensive linemen
94. Sidney Jones is going to be a 16-game, quality starting cornerback in the NFL. It might not happen with the Eagles, but it will happen.
95. The Eagles' chances at winning a Super Bowl with that core of players ended when they lost to the Patriots in 2004, whether they brought Terrell Owens back or not.
96. Lane Johnson deserves to be in the same conversation as Jason Peters when discussing all-time Eagles' great offensive linemen.
97. Chip Kelly would have succeed in Philadelphia if he didn't trade for Sam Bradford
98. If Alshon Jeffery catches that pass against the New Orleans Saints the Eagles would be back-to-back Super Bowl champions.
99. Alshon Jeffery was so good in the playoffs and Super Bowl in 2017 that it makes up for the fact he has been pretty average the rest of his time here
100. Nate Herbig has an "it" factor that makes me think he is going to be very good.
101. Nickell Robey-Coleman will be the second-best cornerback on the Eagles this season. Darius Slay will be No. 1.
102. Brandon Graham is going to be an amazing media member when he retires
103. Cameron Johnston being a great punter isn't exciting, but it has been huge for the Eagles to not have to worry about the position
104. Dallas Goedert is already a top-10 tight end, but he is still not even close to as good as Zach Ertz.
105. I would have been OK with the Eagles cutting both DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery at the end of last season and just playing the young wide receivers
106. Zach Ertz is a lot closer to being a top-five Eagles player of all-time than people realize. He has the stats, big-moments and longevity that very few other players do in franchise history.
107. The Carson Wentz-Alshon Jeffery drama is extremely overblown
109. Jake Elliott is the best kicker in Eagles' franchise history
110. Jim Schwartz isn't Jim Johnson, but considering the talent he has had to work with, he deserves to be viewed as an elite-level defensive coordinator
111. The Eagles duo of TJ Edwards and Nate Gerry is a fine set of starting linebackers and fans need to stop being worried about the position
112. The funnest room in the Philadelphia sports right now is the Eagles' defensive back room
113. Rasul Douglas is way better than he is given credit for and has never been given a real chance to win a starting job
114. Howie Roseman will be general manager of the Eagles for at least the next eight seasons
115. The decision to pick Andre Dillard should already be viewed as a mistake
116. I believe in the duo of John Hightower and Quez Watkins
117. Fletcher Cox is going to have 10-plus sacks in 2020
118. Jalen Reagor's over/under of 700 yards for his rookie season is way too high. He can have a successful year without having 700 yards.
119. It is harder to find a great head coach than it is to find a great general manager
120. Corey Clement's song "On The Move" is the best song I have ever heard from an athlete
121. Home crowds, ranked: Eagles. Flyers, Phillies, Sixers
122. The Eagles decision to trade Jordan Matthews and a 3rd-round pick for Ronald Darby was a mistake
123. Training Camp is the best time of the year
124. Crab Fries are the best in-game snack you can buy at a game. Popcorn at a game is a terrible decision.
125. Howie Roseman has made only one good in-season trade during his 10 years as Eagles general manager
126. Jake Rosenberg, the Eagles cap guru, is the most underrated front-office employee in the city
127. Derek Barnett is a bust as the 14th overall pick
128. We are going to learn just how good Howie Roseman is at managing the salary cap over the next 365 days
129. K'Von Wallace will be the Eagles starting safety in 2021
130. Grayland Arnold will be starting next to him in 2022
131. Signing Jadeveon Clowney would be a mistake
132. The Eagles should cut J.J. Arcega-Whiteside if he doesn't improve this year. Make or break year in his second season.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
