This is what Philip looks like:

Fitzpatrick is a 6'11", 275 lb. forward/center, a rookie from Notre Dame, and he is the focus of my replay. Hope you can follow my replay all season long.

Philip was profiled in a local newspaper, enjoy.

Born and raised a devout Catholic, Phillip Fitzpatrick didn't take long to find his true calling.An early growth spurt pushed the freckle-faced youth to a surprising six feet by the time he was 12. Awkward at first, he suffered through a tough developmental phase, before finally becoming accustomed to the attention his size gained him. He slowly added weight to his height and became a force on the schoolyard basketball court, although his sometimes-bruising style of play got him into a few scrapes."You might say I did my time in the confessional," he admits.In high school, he developed a solid interior game, his limited leaping ability actually forcing him to improve his footwork and positioning. He also became adept at rotating the ball out of double teams, to the spot-up jump shooters dotting the perimeter."Fitzie," as he was commonly called, became a crowd favorite through his work ethic. He willingness to help other players is an extension of his natural openness, which blossomed as his confidence grew."I always just liked to help people," he said in a recent interview. "It's the way I was brought up."Drafted in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks, Fitzpatrick has been a quick study, according to the coaching staff. He is frequently among the last to leave after team practices."We project him to be a 15-10 player, and a solid presence underneath the basket. His quickness is not A-Grade, but his all-around savvy and positioning are excellent for a young player. He's picking up on things real quick."While he searches for a more permanent residence, Phillip is sharing a small apartment with his wife, Erin, and their toddler triplets, Liam, Ireland and Finlay."We wanted a family, but we didn't know just how quick we'd have a full house," he said with a laugh, surprised at how fast his life is changing."There are so many things going on right now, I'd like to keep things as simple as possible," he says. "A house is a big deal, and we want to find just the right place. We only just got a larger car, because of the triplets. I was never big on stuff like that. My old Civic was always good enough for me."You know, my Dad worked at several jobs over the years. We never had a lot of 'stuff.' We always had food on the table, and new clothes when we needed them."But my brothers and I were taught the value of a dollar. I know that sounds corny, but that's just the way we were raised."

You can't win 'em all...

Fitzie led the Bucks in rebounds, though...


D-Wade leads Heat past Bucks,spoiling home opener

It was hard to stop Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat tonight,as Flash scored 38 points tonight. He was helped out by Jason Williams,who had 24,and even though he fouled out Shaq O'Neal had 16. Mike Redd matched D-Wade by scoring 38,and Philip Fitzpatrick had an impressive home debut with 14 points,8 rebounds and 4 assists. Philip enjoyed his first taste of Milwaukee nightlife by going to Fitzgibbons' after the game,and then told his 4 kids bedtime stories until 2am,then the Fitzpatricks went to Mass on Sunday morning.Heat 111,Bucks 98Bucks record is now 2-1.Wade 38 pts 5 reb 6 astJ. Williams 24 pts 5 reb 6 astO'Neal 16 pts,fouled outRedd 38 ptsFitzpatrick 14 pts 8 reb 4 astMagloire 7 pts 8 rebsSimmons 12 pts 5 rebs

November 2nd, Bucks net a victory at East Rutherford, beating Jersey.

Bucks (2-0) 94,Nets 83.What did Philip Fitzpatrick do today?:Bucks F/C Philip Fitzpatrick,a native of Rockaway,N.Y. (and a graduate of Notre Dame! Thanks Baseball in DC for that idea!) invited his family and friends to tonight's game in East Rutherford,and they were treated to a special night as we will see later. The New York media was also there to see the #1 overall pick in the '05 NBA Draft and Fitz said that returning home as an NBA player for the 1st time ever was special and he and his wife Erin and their 4 kids will love Milwaukee so much and will keep in touch with his family back at home all the time.The 3 good things for the Bucks.Philip Fitzpatrick is truly Fighting Irish on the court.:In only his 2nd game in the NBA,The Lumbering Leprechaun had a big night with 16 points and an astounding 19 rebounds. Fitz got his Irish up against Nenad Krstic and Scott Padgett and bullied them like an Irishman getting his revenge on the British. A toast of a pint of Guinness for the 7'1" young fella from Notre Dame!Michael Redd came alive with 25.:The Bucks scoring leader was once again Michael Redd,who scored 25 points,which included 4 treys. Redd is averaging 26 PPG and is 46.7% successful from beyond the arc. He could be an All-Star again...Mo was the Mo' Valuable Bench Player tonight.:Mo Williams was impressive in limited action,scoring 11 points in just 12 minutes,as he and T.J. Ford combined for 21 points tonight (T.J. had 10 points and 6 rebounds.) Looks like we have double the excitement at the PG position.Three bad news for the Bucks.From feast to famine for one night for Bobby Simmons. After scoring 26 points last night at Philly,Bobby was atrocious tonight,going just 2 of 15 for 4 points. Who will Bucks fans see Saturday in the home opener:the Bobby who did well on Tuesday or the Bobby who was flat out horrible tonight? We will find out...Big Cat declawed by poor shooting. Despite an 9 point,11 rebound night,Jamaal Magloire was plagued by bad shooting,going 2 of 12. But combined with Fitzpatrick's 19 boards,Magloire and Philip may be the best 4-5 combo in the NBA!The Bucks were winning ugly,thanks to shooting woes. Despite winning by 11,we just were shooting more blanks than baskets,as we made 39.8% of our shots. Simmons and Magloire were responsible for a combined 4 of 27 (14.8%) of this,while the rest of the team shot 46.2%The most important number of the game:58. That was the number of total rebounds we had tonight,compared to New Jersey's 34. Add that to the Nets' 37.8% shooting percentage,and the Bucks ability to knock the 3 ball (8 of 12 for 66.7%) and that all adds up to a 94-83 win,and a 2-0 start in the Philip Fitzpatrick era in Milwaukee.Bucks 94,Nets 83Michael Redd 25 pts,4 rebsPhilip Fitzpatrick 16 pts,19 rebsMo Williams 11 pts in just 12 minsRichard Jefferson 25 pts 4 rebsJason Kidd 16 pts 4 reb 7 astVince Carter held to just 13 pts and 4 of 15 shooting. Up next for the Bucks:The home opener! The Bucks host Shaquille O'Neal,Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat on Saturday,November 5 at the Bradley Center. The game can be seen at 7:30 on UPN 24 (WCGV-TV Milwaukee) and can be heard on News Radio 620 WTMJ.

Off topic:Vote Phil English and the GOP tomorrow!

Hey, I'm a black man, and even though I am not registered, I'm not backing Barack Hussein Obama. Vote John McCain for President, vote Phil English (shown in this picture), Tim Murphy, William Russell and Melissa Hart for Congress! I'm not Baracking the Vote, I hate Pelosi, Reid and the Democrats. If the Demoncats win, get ready for Socialism, Black Liberation and a president who Ahmedinejad, Chavez, Putin and Al-Qaeda can have as a friend. In fact, Obama has never had any military experience, and he is actually very dumb. This black man supports McCain/Palin and the GOP. If you don't like it, then you can kiss my arse! I'm Fred Benson, and I approve this message. Go Irish!

(We will return to the Bucks replay in a later date, please stand by...)

The Observer

The Observer

When Bucks center Philip Fitzpatrick was at Notre Dame from 2001-02 to 2004-05, he also loved Notre Dame Football. Here is a year-by-year, freshman-to-senior look at what at Domer student does at football games! Go Irish!

11/1/05:Not bad for starters... Bucks 103,76ers 98

Well,my replay blog has begun,and tonight the Bucks kick off the 2005-06 NBA season at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia as the 76ers host the Purple and Green. And guess what? The Bucks won 103-98! Milwaukee was led by Michael Redd,who had 27 points and 6 rebounds plus 2 steals;and new Buck forward Bobby Simmons had an impressive performance by tallying 26 points. Of course,this was Fitzy,the Lumbering Leprechaun's 1st ever NBA game and Philip Fitzpatrick was impressive for starters with a double-double:14 points,11 rebounds,6 assists and 2 steals! Other outstanding stars for the Bucks included:
T.J. Ford,who made a triumphant return to the game after that spinal cord bruise he suffered in '04-he almost had a double-double with 10 points and 9 assists.
Dan Gadzuric had a better performance than new starter Jamaal Magloire. Check it:

Big Cat:7 points,6 rebounds,4 fouls and 4 turnovers in 23 minutes.
Danny G:10 points,7 rebounds and 2 blocks in 25 minutes.
Now,who would be better off starting the season-last year's starter (Gadzuric) or the 2004 NBA All-Star (Magloire)? Maybe Big Cat should've stayed in New Orleans and have the Leprechaun (Fitzpatrick) start in the middle and have Gadz play at the 4.

Giving credit where credit is due:Saluting the opposition's efforts
There is one guy who always gives the Bucks fits (note I did not say Fitz!). The Answer,Allen Iverson. Philly's #3 has always tormented Milwaukee in his 9 years in the Association,mostly in the '01 Eastern Conference Finals. And the tradition continued tonight as he dropped 42 on the Bucks while dishing out 8 assists. Can't wait 'til November 23 to see what he does to the Bucks again...
Two other 'Sixers to give a round of applause to:
Chris Webber had 13 points and 7 rebounds. But that was small potatoes (Irish pun!) compared to Philly Fitz' 14/11/6! Now that is what I like to see:A Notre Dame alum (Fitzpatrick) doing better than a Michigan man like C-Webb! Kick some NBA arse,Fighting Fitzpatrick!!!!
And Andre Iguodala had 14 points,3 rebounds and 5 assists. Together C-Webb and the Two A.I.'s scored 69 of the 'Sixers' 98 points.

Numbers don't lie,because the ball don't lie.
The Bucks shot a tad under 50% this evening (37 for 75) while Philly was 34-74,and both teams tripled their pleasure with Milwaukee going 9-14 from deep (Bobby had 4 trifectas,Mike had 3) while the 76ers had 5 3's out of 8 with the Answer canning 3. Bucks were 80% from the line (16-20) while Philly was 25-34,and the Purple and Green handed out more assists 23-18.
Now,for the most ridiculous stat of the night!
The Bucks outrebounded the Seventy-Sixers 41 to 30,thanks to the power of the 7'1" rookie power forward from Notre Dame named Philip Fitzpatrick,who actually was the difference,because he had 11 rebounds,and that was the Bucks rebound margin:+11!

Now that the Bucks are 1-0,who's next?
Tomorrow (11/2/05),the Bucks take on the Nets at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford,and this game begins New Jersey's 30th season in the NBA. Hopefully,the Nets won't wear the star-spangled jerseys they had in the 70s and 80s (they one wore 'em in game 5 of the '03 Finals...they lost to the Spurs!) Anyway,it's a homecoming for Philip Fitzpatrick,and he is inviting his parents and his 12 other brothers and sisters and his uncle,Msgr. Hugh 'Father Flucky' Fitzpatrick to the game. Before the NBA,and before Notre Dame,Fitzy was the star center at St. Patrick's Academy in nearby Elizabeth,N.J. where this 7'1" white center with size 18 feet helped trample the opposition during his high school days. By the way,game time is at 7:30 eastern/6:30 central and can be seen on FSN North and can be heard on NewsRadio 620 WTMJ.