Brian Dawkins calls it a career

Weapon X is calling it a career.

After 16 seasons in the NFL, Brian Dawkins is retiring, announcing his decision on Twitter. Dawkins, who spent the last three years with the Denver Broncos after 13 with the Philadelphia Eagles, finished with 26 sacks and 37 interceptions, made nine Pro Bowls and was selected to the NFL's 200s All-Decade Team.

But beyond the numbers, Dawkins will undoubtedly go down for a lot of fans as the player they most associate with the Eagles run in the last decade that included five trips to the NFC Championship Game and one Super Bowl appearance.

Along with the highlights above, here is Dawkins' speech after the Eagles defeated the Atlanta Falcons in 2004 NFC title game. (And if you are inclined to watch full highlights of that game, there are on Hulu here.)

Former Phillie Jim Thome hits 600th home run

Monday night, Jim Thome became just the eighth player in Major League Baseball history hit 600 career home runs when the 40-year-old slugger homered twice in the Twins' 9-6 road victory over the Tigers.

Above is the video from MLB.com. And below is another video of No. 600 from the upper decks of Comerica Park. Hard to actually see the ball leaving the yard in that one, but it does shows the fans reaction afterwards.



During his three-year stint with the Phillies from 2003-2005, Thome hit 96 home runs, which account for 16-percent of his career total. Thome's 47 homers in 2003 is tied for fourth in franchise history (Ryan Howard matched the mark in '07) while his 42 in 2004 is the ninth-most by a Phillie.

A New Schenn-sation on Broad Street?

I plead for forgiveness on the headline, I couldn't resist.

If you like some poorly-lit highlights and the Beastie Boys, you will love this video showcasing the Philadelphia Flyers' newly acquired forward Brayden Schenn.



Schenn was among those on the move as the Flyers massively reordered its roster Thursday, sending Mike Richards to the Los Angeles Kings and Jeff Carter to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a pair of trades (which you can read more about here).

The fifth overall pick by the in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, the 19-year-old Schenn compiled two assists and no goals in nine total games with the Kings and showed he can drop the gloves in this tussle with the Anaheim Duck's Luca Sbisa in the preseason last year.



One final video. With Richards leaving for Hollywood, let's remember perhaps the (now former) captain's top moment, his shorthanded goal in Game Five of the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals against the Montreal Canadiens.


-Mike Cabrey

Cabrey: Top Five Spectrum Moments

After 43 years of hockey, basketball, lacrosse, indoor soccer, concerts, and whatever else can be held inside of an arena, the Spectrum will sadly be no more. The former home of the Flyers and Sixers is finally meeting the wrecking ball today, making room for the Philly Live! (their exclamation point, not mine) complex.

For me personally, my top Spectrum moment was watching Kerry Kittles and Villanova beat North Carolina 76-56 on Jan. 20, 1996, earning the Wildcats a second win over the Tar Heels that season. That, however, did not crack what I feel were the five best moments ever to take place at America's Showplace.

5) Flyers beat up, then just beat the Red Army
The Cold War was certainly hot on Jan. 11, 1976 as the two-time defending Stanley Cup champ Flyers hosted Central Red Army (CSKA Moscow) in the Soviet powerhouse's final contest in a exhibition tour against NHL sides.

After an Ed Van Impe hit on Valeri Kharlamov, Red Army coach Konstantin Loktev pulled his team off the ice. Eventually, they returned only for the Flyers to score quickly after en route to a 4-1 victory.



4) The Doctor rocks the baby against the Lakers
Though the Sixers would win the 1983 NBA title with a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, this iconic dunk did not happen then, but rather earlier that year in a 122-120 Sixers' victory over LA on Jan. 5.



3) Daigneault sends it back to Edmonton
On May 28, 1987, with the Flyers facing Edmonton in a must-win Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, J.J. Daigneault picked a perfect time to earn his first and only point of the postseason. Just 84 seconds after Brian Propp tied the game at two, Daigneault let go a shot from the blue line that beat Oilers goalie Grant Fuhr and kept the Flyers alive with a 3-2 win.



2) The Shot ends a NCAA Tournament Classic
The East Regional Final between Duke and Kentucky on March 28, 1992 was a classic contest before the final 2.1 seconds of overtime. What happened after made it epic, as Christian Laettner drained a jumper from the foul line to give the Blue Devils a 103-102 victory. Laettner was perfect on the night, shooting 10-for-10 from the field, 10-for-10 from the line for 31 points.



1) Flyers hoist the Cup for the first time
Seven seasons after coming into the NHL, the Flyers reached the league's mountaintop for the first time on May 19, 1974 when Rick MacLeish's goal gave Philadelphia a 1-0 victory over Boston in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.



Contact Mike Cabrey at mcabrey@thereporteronline.com or at Twitter @mcabrey.