2021: A Happier New Year For Philadelphia Sports

The year 2020 was a tough year on many fronts and it started off with the tragic death of  beloved superstar basketball player Kobe Bryant!  If that wasn’t bad enough, the next thing the country had to deal with was the Covid-19 Pandemic.  In March 2020, all professional, collegiate and high school sports were shutdown.  As summer approached the NBA, NHL, PGA Tour, and UFC resumed play in bubble locations away from their home sites. The regular seasons and playoffs were modified to insure the completion of their schedules in a way that was as fair as possible for all competition.  It was different but sports gave us hope to get through some difficult months.

Then MLB, NFL and College Football were next in line to play through the pandemic outside of the bubble environments the other sports performed in.  There were several cancellations and numerous players caught the dreaded virus but, for the most part, the NFL made it through without blemish to their season.

As we put the year 2020 behind us and reflect on each of our sports teams performances over the last calendar year, we see the outcomes for the Phillies, Sixers, Flyers and Eagles seasons  did not live up to anyone's expectations.  Looking ahead to 2021 we can see a light at the end of the tunnel as vaccines have been developed to fight the Covid-19 virus which many believe is an indicator that fans might be allowed in the sporting venues to watch and cheer their teams on in person without restrictions and that things can return to normal for everyone. Our teams need the fans!! The Flyers, the Sixers, Phillies and Eagles all underachieved and did not live up to their expectations as the played without their passionate fans.

On Saturday in The Locker Room with Billy Schweim, Scott Mckay and I will discuss what each team needs to do to improve in 2021.  The Eagles take on the Washington Football Team in their season finale; With a myriad of weaknesses on their roster and a looming Quarterback controversy, the Eagles head into the off season with more questions than answers about their poor play.  As Pro and college basketball heats up and the Governor of New Jersey has put a plan in place for high school basketball to start, we will talk with the Head Coach of the Pitman High School boys basketball team Ron Myers about his team, the Sixers and more.  Then, Charlie O’Connor who covers the Flyers for the Athletic checks in with a preview on the Flyers.  The NHL opens their season on January 13th and Philadelphia begin the 2021 campaign against the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

On Sunday, It's our Finale Eagles pregame show in The Locker Room with Billy Schweim!  Scott Grayson from Fox 29 and 973ESPN.com starts it off our Eagles coverage with his report on the latest Eagles news.  In our “ Where Are They Now” segment, we will visit with former Eagles Running Back Reno Mahe.  Mahe was a Philadelphia fan favorite who was a major Special Teams contributor during the Andy Reid/Donovan McNabbera and he will tell us what he’s doing now after his NFL career. Finally my Fantasy Football Guru Brian Hartley checks in with his picks for the last regular season game of 2020. 

All the action starts every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to Noon on 973 ESPN radio!