A few thoughts:

• For the first time in a long while, the Eagles actually drafted the guy I was hoping they'd get. Apparently, defensive line coach Jim Washburn, head coach Andy Reid and the Birds' front office wanted Fletcher Cox as much as the fans did, because they quickly traded up three spots to get him.

It's clear the Birds weren't interested in obtaining Cox at all costs, since they were unwilling to trade any of their two second-round picks (understandably) in the process. But once he slipped out of the top 10, they were able to work out a deal with Seattle to switch first-rounders and send the Seahawks additional picks in the fourth and sixth rounds.

I think Cox will be a great fit for the Eagles defense, and Washburn is probably doing figurative cartwheels right now. Cox, out of Mississippi State, played in the toughest conference in college football and is a tremendous physical talent.

Comcast SportNet's Ray Didinger, whose expertise I value, said Cox is the best defensive lineman in the draft, bar none.

That may not have seemed like an immediate need for the Birds — they did lead the NFL in sacks last season, after all — but the interior of the line isn't exactly young, and Mike Patterson is coming off brain surgery. Washburn also wants someone who can provide a pass rush up the middle, and Cox should be just what the doctor ordered.

• Months ago, I never would've believed the Flyers had a snowball's chance in you know what of winning the Stanley Cup, once it became clear defenseman Chris Pronger was out for the year and goalie Ilya Bryzgalov continued to struggle.

But the club stabilized the blueline by trading for defensemen Niklas Grossmann and Pavel Kubina, and Bryzgalov got his groove back in a big way.

Now, with the Flyers' defeat of the Cup-favored Penguins, I think they have a legitimate shot at winning it all. They still may have to go through the Rangers — who beat them six times this year — to get there, but I'd like to believe this is a better, more confident team than the one New York dominated in the regular season.

My gut feeling is, whoever emerges from the Eastern Conference playoffs is going to win the Stanley Cup, whether it's the Rangers, Flyers, Devils or Caps.

• A lot has been written about Albert Pujols' poor start with the Angels, speculating as to why he can't seem to get going. One theory says the Angels' ballpark is less conducive to power hitters than St. Louis' Busch Stadium, which could partly explain his home-run drought. As of Friday, Pujols actually had fewer RBIs — a grand total of four — than Laynce Nix, Ty Wigginton and Freddy Galvis.

I expect Pujols will eventually get his groove back, but the Angels are already nine games in back of the Rangers in the AL West. In fact, their start's even worse than the Phillies, and the Angels can't claim injuries as an excuse the way the Fightin's can.

Even if Pujols ends up having a fine season, the Angels will almost certainly regret that 10-year, $240 million contract they signed him for in the offseason. Sure, Pujols is the best player of his generation and maybe one of the best hitters ever.

But he is 32 years old, and the Angels will be paying him $30 million in 2021, when he's 41.

And you thought the Ryan Howard contract was costly.

Paula Wolf is a staff writer for the Sunday News. Email her at pwolf@lnpnews.com. She also blogs about sports at lancasteronline.com/blogs/w....