Courier-Post from Camden, New Jersey • Page 21

TuwHlav.Julv 24, 2007 www. couricrpostonline.com Inside Flyers sign 2006 first-round draft pick Claude Giroux and sign goaltender Brian Boucher to a contract with the Phantoms. Page6 Jot Tilt Inside Alexandre Vinokourov wins 15th stage of Tour. Overall Michael Rasmussen holds lead. Page 6 the leader a 2:23 Sports Arena 2 Baseball 3 S.J.

Sports 4-5 FlyersNBA 6 ScoreboardNFL 7 paMstasiacourierpostonline.com Phil Anastasia Homestand should reveal if the Phillies are for real i ii i mi i ijmiiiiii mmi i i .1 'f 1 'wi'ip 1 4 aX'-oJI By MICHAEL RADANO Courier-Post Staff It's all about confidence, and one would think, after taking the three final games of a four-game series against San Diego and returning from a 4-3 West Coast road trip that included a stop in Los Angeles, the Phillies would be brimming with that intangible quality. And yet, they've had a tough time dealing with success over the past three seasons, so a six-game homestand against cellar dwellers Washington and Pittsburgh may be a key to this Sports Editor days before the non-waiver deadline hits on July 31. Right now, the Phillies certainly have confidence in an offense that pounded San Diego's top-rated staff in the league for 28 runs and 40 hits over a three-game stretch. Ryan Howard is relaxed at the plate, healthy and hitting .379 with a staggering 1.300 OPS in July. Chase Utley and Aaron Ro-wand have both hung out in the top 10 in average for much of the month, as Utley continues to make MVP noise.

Most importantly, the straw See PHILS, Page3C rt )' 0 4 DAVID ZALUBOWSKIAssoclated Press Jimmy Rolllins Is one piece of the offensive puzzle that seems to be rounding Into form for the Phillies. Wash. Twp. holds on. itioves on Stanley provides pitching boost in Legion playoff win r'f ft NATIONALS AT PHILLIES When: 7 tonight Where: Citizens Bank Park TVRadio: CSNWPHT (1210-AM) Major League roundup.

Page 3C courierpostonta WEB EXTRA EMU Read archived coverage of the team and read Michael Radano's blog High Above Home Plate and Chuck Darrow's fan blog. If nothing else, the homestand, which begins with a 7:05 game tonight against the Nationals, could determine if the Phillies are buying or selling over the next eight MONDAY'S RESULTS (Legion playoffs) Washington Twp. 9, Gibbsboro 8 West Deptford 27, Mt. Laurel 7 TONIGHTS GAME Washington Twp. vs.

West Deptford at Eastern, 6 p.m. Inside: A history of American Legion baseball. Monday's area baseball roundup. Page 5C courierpostonme WEB EXTRA Check out our Web site for a photo gallery from this event. ning.

That's the kind of competitor he is. It's the way he plays the outfield, too." The down-in-order ninth guaranteed the 9-8 victory. Washington Township, the No. 3 seed in the four-team playoffs, will now face West Deptford, the No. 5 seed, in the deciding game at 6 p.m.

tonight at Eastern High School. The game will determine which of the teams will get the third spot from the Senior American Legion League in the state playoffs scheduled to begin Saturday. Stanley admitted to being fired up and showed it prior to his performance on the mound with some amazing catches in center field. See WIN, Page 5C LEROY THOMPSON (85(i) 486-2424 One line solid, but the other is dotted By SEAN McCANN Courier-Post Staff In 2006, the Eagles' two lines of trench warriors could not have contrasted more. Where the offensive line was a model of consistency and cohesion by both design and circumstance, the defensive line trafficked in chaos and got more than it bargained for.

The training camp that begins when rookies and selected veterans report to Lehigh University on Friday will be a direct reflection of that dichotomy. Barring injuries, the next few weeks should be for the offensive line, BUNKLEY where the starting five played every single game last year. Right tackle Jon Runyan and left tackle William Thomas have lined up together more than 100 times now, both have made Pro Bowls and neither showed a significant dropoff in ability in 2006. In addition, Shawn Andrews had an All-Pro year at right guard, while Todd Herremans was nearly as good on the left side and Jamaal Jackson provided all the intelligence and consistency demanded of the center position. Together, those five players were the biggest single reason for the Eagles' late-season turnaround, giving backup quarterback Jeff Garcia time in the pocket and allowing offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg to shift the offense's focus to the ground game, opening hole after See LINE, Page 7C HERE COMES TRAINING CAMP When: Rookies, free agents and select veterans report Friday, everyone else July 30.

Where: Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa. ALSO NFL bans Michael Vick from training camp. Page 7C New Jersey lawmakers seek probe bf dogfighting in state. Page 2B Andy Reid's'two sons may accept plea bargains. Page 5B welcomed at Williamstown.

"At Camden at that time, they had a lot of big players and I was like 6-feet, 185 pounds," Thompson said. "But when my mother moved us to Williamstown it was like I was big fish in a small pond. I embraced that and they embraced me. They helped me develop at Williamstown." He spoke specifically of Raniello, along with then assistant coaches, Mark Suk and Billy See THOMPSON, Page 4C Wis By WALT BURROWS Courier-Post Staff V00RHEES Ken Stanley has always been a player to answer the bell when any emergency has arisen on the Washington Township baseball team high school or American Legion. Stanley did it again Monday night.

He took over the pitching chores in the Gibbsboro-Washington Township Senior American Legion playoff game with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning and his mates ahead 9-8. Gibbsboro had scored a run on successive two-out singles by Nolan Mansfield, Mike Rogers and Joey Merlino and a bases-loaded walk to Ryan Kennedy against reliever Robbie Swift and pulled within a run of tying what had become a wild game. With Jim Page at bat, Washington Township catcher Vince Giunta had a short passed ball skip away from him and Gibbsboro's Mike Rogers tried to score. Stanley, showing a burst of speed, broke for the plate to take Giunta's return throw and easily tagged out Rogers to end the threat. "Kenny was quick like a cat on that play," said Washington Township coach Dave "Doc" Phillips.

"Then he them one-two-three in the ninth in- ft SIM -f A4 Thompson will now be culminating the 12th season of his AFL career when he will be one of the starting linebackers for the Columbus Destroyers in their bid to upset the San Jose SaberCats Sunday in Arena Bowl XXI in New Orleans. Thompson credits the coaching staff at Williamstown then led by head coach Jim Raniello for making him the player he is today. He recalled that, after transferring from Camden High two months into his freshman season, he was 1 ft i i ILS" AL SCHELLCourier-Post Washington Township's Joe Favatella and Vlnce Giunta bang helmets after scoring as part of a five-run fourth Inning against Gibbsboro In an American Legion playoff game Monday. Williamstown grad seeks 2nd Arena Bowl title 6-3270 Position: Linebacker Arena League experience: 12 seasons Hometown: Camden High School: Williamstown, where he played football, basketball and ran track. College: Delaware State Dream job after playing: Coaching In the NFL.

Most memorable moment: Winning Arena Bowl in 1999 ented but raw defensive end from Delaware State University, Thompson tore a calf muscle, and the Eagles were not of a mind to wait for him to recover. Then, came the turning point of his professional career. "My agent suggested to me that I try the Arena Football League," he said. "I went to Albany for a two-day tryout, and it's been Arena ever since. To me, the Arena League is my NFL." By DON BENEVENTO Courier-Post Staff After going undrafted upon the completion of his collegiate career, Leroy Thompson explored what was then considered the traditional avenues in an attempt to continue his football playing career.

A brief stint with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League fell flat in 1994. "I don't think I was mentally prepared to play at that level," said Thompson, a graduate of with Albany. Williamstown High School and a current resident of Camden. Next came a tryout with the Thompson Ray Rhodes-coached Eagles in 1996. But Thompson saw that experiment fail as well.

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