Some updates on local criminal cases: the Bucks County mother accused of turning a sleepover into a sex party was ordered to stand trial yesterday. Andy Reid's son Garrett Reid was sentenced to two years in a relatively new state corrections program that combines incarceration and intensive drug treatment. Mumia Abu-Jamal lost his latest appeal for a new trial on Monday. Perhaps not surprisingly, the DRPA got an earful from angry commuters yesterday at......

On Sunday March 30th at 10:30 p.m., FOX 29 will be airing a half-hour long special called Phillies Season Opener: Play Ball hosted by Don Tollefson. (See Phillyist's interview of Don here.) This news special aims to show how the Phillies are shaping up at the start of the 2008 season by taking a look not only at the expectations of the fans but also at what the players think and what they expect of......

The Sixers spanked the Knicks (124-84) on Wednesday night at the Wach. Tonight they will be in Orlando, then they’ll turn around and host the Magic on Wednesday at 7PM (get tickets or watch here). Here’s hoping that’ll be two for two. Tomorrow they’ll match up with the Miami Heat, against whom they are 2-0 this season. Flyers aren’t doing too good: their loss to the San Jose Sharks (3-1) last night at home was......

And so it ends. A season which began with a momentum-providing loss to the Green Bay Packers due to the fact that the coach forgot to put a punt returner on the roster ends with a yawn-inducing 17-9 victory over the inept Buffalo Bills, a win that gives the Eagles three straight Ws to conclude this woe begotten campaign of 2007. Of course, that is not all that finishing 8-8 gives this organization. It gives......

Dear Mr. McNabb, My name is Stu Pidass, attorney and agent for Mr. William Hayes. I’m writing you today, on behalf of Mr. Hayes, for one reason and one reason only: to apologize. Mr. Hayes regrets that he cannot be the man to write this piece, but he has dispatched me in his stead because of three factors. First of all, he is physically incapable of admitting when he is wrong. Just ask his wife,......

Here’s the thing: I’m not really big on moral victories. I’d like to sit here and give props to A.J. Feeley for almost leading a 24-point underdog to a victory over arguably the greatest team in the history of football. I’d love to throw hosannas toward Andy Reid for his ballsy play-calling and ability to keep the team focused in the face of a city full of non-believers (myself DEFINITELY included). I’d treasure the opportunity......

It didn’t take much of a listen to gauge the pulse of the WIP callers after the Eagles 17-7 victory over the hapless Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Apparently, it isn’t enough to beat a donkey like the Dolphins by only ten points. Apparently, A.J. Feeley is a far superior choice to Donovan McNabb in the race to finish this misguided season behind Jamaal Jackson’s plus-size posterior. And apparently, if we hadn’t gotten rid of the......

The Daily News has more on what's happening in the city in the aftermath of the death of Philadelphia Police Officer Chuck Cassidy. The reward for information has been increased, the manhunt has been stepped up, and later today "detectives expect to have a video of the murder that was enhanced at FBI headquarters in Quantico, Va." In a lengthy hearing yesterday, more sordid information came out about Andy Reid's sons Garrett and Britt......

By Bill Hayes and Pencopal This week, the Renegade Phillyists are feeling slightly less hateful, but just as snarky. Think of it as haterade lite. So instead of picking people off one by one, we've decided to taze them. Bill's To Taze List: 1) The people at Pitchfork. If you've heard of an album, they probably think it blows. I've been listening to the latest Tegan & Sara album, The Con, and I have been......

Andy Reid's son Britt pleaded guilty yesterday to four charges. His lawyers are arguing that he's full of remorse and are angling for him to get probation, but he could end up being sentenced to six to 14 months in jail. We won't know for sure until later this year. The FBI is looking for a filthy dude in connection with the robbery yesterday of the Trumark Financial Credit Union at 1811 John F. Kennedy......

Cardinal Justin Rigali was tearing it up at Finnegan's Wake in Northern Liberties last night as part of a national program called Theology on Tap "where Catholic speakers - theologians, mostly - lecture at bars and taverns popular with young Catholics." It's only the third time in the 26-year history of the program that a cardinal has participated, and the first time a bishop of the Philadelphia Archdiocese has done so. The nearby city......

A veteran Philly cop got drunk off-duty, jumped in his car early Sunday, and promptly rammed it into a marked police car in West Philly, injuring a fellow officer. He's been "charged with aggravated assault, driving under the influence, recklessly endangering another person and related offenses." An abandoned warehouse in West Kensington was the site of the start of a 7-alarm fire Wednesday morning that led to the evacuation of people within a two-block......

Andy Reid is back from his leave of absence and ready to coach the Eagles full time again - or is he?? Only time will tell for sure... We're kind of oddly disturbed by the news that the historical tours that many guides are giving around the city are in many cases not factually accurate. The Inquirer takes a look at some of the interesting new techniques local schools are using to improve test......

What's with all the fires in Philly already this year? They've all been accidental, but they've caused 15 fatalities, six of them this past weekend. Besides the fires, Philly had its usual problems with violence this weekend, too. Shootings and a stabbing resulted in one death and six injuries. Another man was shot dead by the police Saturday night in Southwest Philly, although allegedly this one was armed with a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol and refused......

Local officials are saying that Bush's proposed budget is bad news for Philly, as it would mean decreased funding for community-development block grants, local law enforcement, housing, and healthcare. Two Philly Dems, State Reps. Dwight Evans and James R. Roebuck Jr., are proposing a $14 million initiative to get teachers into urban and rural districts in PA and keep them there. Well, if there was favoritism being shown to Andy Reid's kids it seems to......

Cops found some meth and cash at a South Philly garage (at 25th and McKean) Monday night. They arrested some folks, but are still looking for the portable meth lab that must contain the chemicals and tools used to make the drug. Yeah, apparently mobile meth labs are all the rage these days. Daily News has unveiled their annual list of the 21 local people they think will be "in the middle of the biggest......

The Eagles have come a long way. After being left for dead in late November - they lost McNabb in a 31-13 loss to the Titans, which was followed by a 45-21 loss to the Colts - they reeled off five straight wins with a quarterback that all the NFL considered a washout after showing some ability in San Francisco. The super undead Eagles - coach Reid himself, as well as several players, was......

How cruel of the Eagles to win on Monday night, pulling us all back into the hunt for the playoffs like that. Why did they have to beat a Panthers team expected to win Super Bowl XLI and take their spot in the playoff ladder? Why couldn’t Jeff Garcia have just embarrassed himself and taught coach Andy Reid a lesson for not opting for A.J. Feely? Why did they have to build our hopes back......

Don't mind us. We had a whole post set to go about how today was a wacky, wacky day for football injuries, with Marques Colston, Chad Johnson, Reggie Bush, Brett Favre and Donovan McNabb all injured, however slightly, at one point or another in their respective games. We were all ready to blame today's embarrassing loss on sloppy play (again), boneheaded defensive moves (again), ill-timed penalties (again), failing to convert on third and short......

Phillyist would like to welcome Eric Karlan to our burgeoning staff! A sophomore at Penn, Eric hails from Connecticut and enjoys all things sporting and journalistic. Eric can usually be found at the Kelly Writers House sitting on the green couch and editing The Green Couch. There was nothing else. A blanket of slate clouds shrouded the sun and blue sky. The misty fog which enveloped Lincoln Financial Field veiled most of the already irrelevant......

Earlier today we told you that Donovan McNabb would likely miss this Sunday's game against the Giants. Now, however, we can definitely tell you that McNabb is out. He will be replaced by Mike McMahon, the QB everyone thought was the Eagles third-stringer. McMahon replaced McNabb for the final drive of Monday night's loss to the Cowboys. McMahon has had a spotty career, mostly defined by his weird face and eyebrows more than any great......

Andy Reid said he wouldn't bet on Donovan McNabb being ready for Sunday's game against the New York Giants. Andy, though, is Mormon, so I don't think he'd be betting on anything. Unfortunately, none of the reporters at Tuesday's press conference raised that crucial point. What this all means, though, is the Eagles fans who actually bother tuning in to Sunday's game will see Mike McMahon or Koy Detmer behind center. Reid wouldn't name a......

Eagles head coach Andy Reid announced that wide receiver Terrell Owens will not return to the team after serving his four-game suspension. Four games is the maximum number of games that the team can suspend Owens without pay. Let's hope that Reggie Brown doesn't start thinking about a new contract any time soon.......

Everything seemed a little too familiar during last night's Eagles loss to the Washington Redskins. T.O., as you have undoubtedly heard by now, was suspended without pay, suspended with pay, deactivated or something before last night's game and the Eagles went to work without him. A 56-yard TD reception by Owens replacement Reggie Brown soothed Eagles fans early on, but it didn't last long. The once-dominant Eagles defense missed tackles and let the Washington Redskins......

- CBS is reporting during their broadcast of today's Chargers/Jets game that Andy Reid has announced that Terrell Owens is not suspended, but rather, inactive. Reid wishes to keep his options open, he told reporters. We're not really NFL rules experts here at Phillyist, but we're pretty sure coaches can activate and deactivate players up until game time. So, who knows. There are about 5 more hours to go until game time, so Owens could......

It was inside-out last night in Philadelphia as the Phillies stepped up big in an important game while the Eagles shrivelled up and fumbled their way to a 14-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons last night. The Eagles were slow out of the gate, allowing the Falcons to ring up 14 quick points. This might have been due to the Eagles first blunder of the evening, which happened before kickoff. Jeremiah Trotter got into a......