Welcome to the DeFranco Post!
Football and Baseball, and Life, with a Philly bent
DeFrancoPost.com / ChrisDeFranco.com
Hey there. I'm DeFranco. And I post. My full name is Christiaan DeFranco. Most people call me Chris. Some folks call me other names when I’m not around.
I'm a Philadelphia native who prefers his Italian roast pork with sharp provolone and long hots on a freshly baked seeded roll.
I'm a writer, journalist, and occasional cartoonist. I employ the Oxford comma on a case-by-case basis. I’m into baseball, football and comfortable shoes.
I cover the Philadelphia Eagles and Philadelphia Phillies for MediaNews Group/Tribune Publishing in the Philly metro market spanning eastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey. The company owns 77 daily publications, large and small, across the United States, including a dozen or so in this region.
The Eagles are my main beat, but I love covering baseball as well. In fact, baseball was my first love.
On this site you’ll find regularly updated links and copies of my work, along with some of my favorite and most popular clips, after they appear on my company’s platforms. I’ll occasionally work in some college football stuff.
Credentials: National award-winning writer and journalist covering the Eagles, Phillies and other sports in the Philadelphia metro market for MediaNews Group.
In my 20-plus years in journalism, I've covered professional and college sports, major crime, government corruption, the 2016 elections in Florida, Hurricane Matthew, mismanagement in the healthcare system, music, religion, and many other subjects.
I've made numerous radio and podcast appearances through the years. My columns and investigative work have garnered recognition from the Associated Press, Keystone Press Association, Columbia University, FS1 (Fox Sports 1 television), ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio and 1210-WPHT AM Philadelphia.
More blathering about myself.
I believe in the stolen base, the hit-and-run and pressuring the defense by putting the ball in play. I believe we’re enduring the insufferable Analytics Era of baseball, in which statistics are both overused and misused, and I can prove it. And I believe Bill Walsh is the greatest coach in NFL history.
Also, despite the ESPNification of sports language, the correct plural form of “RBI” is “RBIs” — with an “s” (except in box scores and other agate, of course). And when are we getting a sequel to “The Nice Guys”?
Among my favorite career highlights so far… I covered right-hander Matt Cain when he was drafted in the first round out of high school by the San Francisco Giants, where he went on to win two World Series, was named to three All-Star teams and threw a perfect game. I covered John Calipari when he was rehabbing his career at the University of Memphis, and I covered the Memphis Grizzlies. I interviewed John Chaney one-on-one and a grumpy Allen Iverson one-on-one, among others. (They were two of the most memorable.)
I was up-close and personal with the Philadelphia Eagles during their 2024-25 championship season, including their spectacular Super Bowl win in New Orleans. I’ve done clubhouse and press interviews with Michael Jordan, Larry Brown, Larry Bowa, Rob Thomson, Bryce Harper, Nick Sirianni, Howie Roseman, Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and a virtually endless list of other luminaries.
My coverage of the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State, with inside reporting and commentary that went against the media frenzy, was picked up nationally and included appearances on ESPN Radio.
My other loves include film and music. I’ve seen U2 in concert 18 times. I was the lead singer and lyricist for a two-man band in college. (My total lack of singing ability didn’t deter me!)
I’ve watched every episode of “The Office” at least 12,689,487 times and probably as many episodes of “Seinfeld” (through season 7, after which Larry David left). I like all kinds of standup comedy, and I love my dog Sam.
Below is a favorable mug of me.
In the late 2000s, I founded a self-hosted website called Philly Sports Journal, which a few of you might remember. It included daily posts, multiple sections, a live news feed, pop culture discussions, food reviews and up-to-the-minute betting odds. It steadily grew for three years and made money but eventually became too much.
Hopefully you’ll like this site.
