A Note From The Winner Who Received A Call From Eric Lindros

Last week on The Preston & Steve Show, Eric Lindros called one lucky person's phone (phone) (phone):

That lucky winner was a guy named Brian and he was stoked for the opportunity to speak to the legendary Philadelphia Flyer. So stoked in fact, that we received this wonderful letter after attending the games as part of his prize. Thanks to the Flyers, Brian and his wife Brooke, has a once in a lifetime experience behind the scenes at the Wells Fargo Center.

To the entire Preston & Steve Show crew,

Thank you so much for the amazing opportunity Brian and I had this past weekend. The seats for both games were great! On Saturday, we met up with Kate from the Flyer's organization and she took us down to the ice to watch the Flyers warm-up. Then we had the meet & greet with Eric Lindros, who just happened to bring along his friend John LeClair! (Brian did greet him with "Hey Bitches", but I don't think it was heard in all the excitement haha!)

Eric and John were so cool and very down-to-earth! They hung out and talked with us for about half an hour. Brian and I are both teachers at Cherokee High School in Marlton, and we found out that John's sister also taught at Cherokee for a while. Eric got us into the team's hallway and we were able to fist bump all the Flyers as they headed out onto the ice. Then we snapped a few photos with Eric and John, and then Eric gave Brian an autographed hockey stick.

Preston, Steve, Casey boy, Nick, and Kathy - we listen to your show every morning, so you've already been our favorite radio show, but this definitely puts you guys over the top! This weekend was truly amazing and one that we will never forget!

Thanks again,
Brooke & Brian Moore
Marlton, NJ

Philadelphia sports has caused us a lot of pain of late. Dating back to 2022, it has been disappointment after disappointment. First, they lost the World Series to the Astros. On that same day, the Union blew it in the MLS Cup despite having a lead in Overtime and a man advantage. Next, the Eagles lost in the Super Bowl. The Sixers followed that up with yet another 2nd round exit. Then the Phillies fell apart in the NLCS. Before finally, we had the disaster that was this past Eagles' season. The 49ers being in the Super Bowl only makes it worse.

The point is, things have sucked. Could it be worse? Sure. We could have teams that don't even make the playoffs. And there have been plenty of times in Philadelphia sports history that was the case for us. But in some ways that may be better. Because getting our hopes up just to get the rug pulled out from under us is almost worse than having a team that we already know is going to suck.

But dwelling on the negatives is not great for our mental health. And sometimes it is better to look on the bright side of life. And as much as all that stuff we just talked about sucks, there are things to be happy about in Philadelphia right now.

The Sixers are playing well. Until recently, the Flyers were playing well. Even with the Eagles and Phillies, there are some positives. Not everything is miserable, even if it feels like it. So for at least a moment, let's forget about all the things that cause us pain, and focus on the positives.

Obviously he needs to do it in the playoffs. but can we just appreciate how amazing of a player Joel Embiid is? He is on track to score over a point per minute this season. He is one of the best scorers we have ever seen. Yes better than AI. Not to mention his great defense, and his 6 assists per game. He is having an All-time type of season. That is something worth being excited about. He was already amazing, but Nick Nurse is getting him more open looks than ever. And maybe Nurse's scheme is the key to him being this good in the playoffs too.

Speaking of greatness, Tyrese Maxey is creeping up into that category. He has pretty flawless replaced what James Harden was doing last season, just more efficiently. He has become one of the top scorers in the league, improved as a passer, and improved his defense too. To the point you could argue he is the best running mate Embiid has had yet. He is not afraid to shoot like Ben Simmons was. but also wont selfishly dribble out the clock like Harden did. He is in the sweet spot of fearless and unselfish.

The Flyers have hit a bump in the road. Cutter Gauthier forced his way out, and Carter Hart may be finished in Philly too. On top of that, they head into the All-Star break on a losing streak. Despite all of that though, there is still reason to have hope for the future. They are building things the right way. Owen Tippett has broken out, along with a few other young guys on the team. And while they may have lost Gauthier, they replaced him with Jamie Drysdale, and Matvei Michkov is still eventually on the way. Even if this season falls apart, the future for the Flyers can still be bright.

This season was a disaster. And the offense took a huge step back thanks in part to a uninspiring scheme. But the Eagles roster on offense is still very good. 1 year ago Jalen Hurts was arguably having a better game than Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. AJ Brown and Devonta Smith are an elite WR duo. Dallas Goedert has under achieved, but he is still a very good tight end. And even if Jason Kelce retires, the O-Line will be very good. Kellen Moore has 3 top 6 offenses with the Cowboys. His schemes, plus the Eagles talent, should at least see their offense bounce back next season.

The Phillies have not gotten the job done these past two seasons. They came up short in the World Series, and then in the NLCS. A lot of that is because their bats have gone cold. But  the reason they have been in that position two years in a row, is their starting pitching. Their staff had an ERA of 2.20 last season. They next best team's ERA is 2.8. It was a solid 3.24 the year before, the 4th best. It will be Wheeler, Nola, and Suarez once again. Wheeler and Suarez in particular have been lights out come playoff time. And while they have not added anything, neither has any other NL team besides the Dodgers. They will once again have one of the best post-season rotations in baseball. And that alone is enough for them to win any series.

The rotation has been reliable in the playoffs. The bats, not so much. When the Phillies bats are hot, they are as hot as they get. But they went ice cold in the 2022 World Series, and ice cold in the 2023 NLCS. But with that said, that stats do not lie about what Bryce Harper has done. In the history of the MLB, only 8 players have a better playoff OPS than Harper (.996). Only 15 have more career HRs than him in the postseason (16). One of them is Kyle Schwarber. If he hits 4 more, he will be tied for 4th. Harper is a special player. And Like Joel Embiid, it is always worth being excited about watching him play. And he could be in store for another MVP caliber season.

I will just let Daryl Morey explain the difference Nick Nurse is making for the team. In particular with Joel Embiid.

Having a coach who actually draws up plays, and works to get Embiid easy looks, just might be the key for the Sixers breaking the 2nd round curse.