While most people envisioned the Detroit Lions missing the playoffs and floating around an 8-8 or 7-9 record, few envisioned them being 4-9 come Week 15. As a fan of my beloved Lions it pains me to say that I hope they lose out these last three weeks. Not because I want to fire a coach but simply because it improves where we draft come April. The playoffs are out of reach so does finishing this season at 7-9 make it any better than 4-12 or 5-11? No, not in the least. This team has so many problems defensively that a high draft pick helps that problem. Let's breakdown our defensive problems:
Defensive Line
Cliff Avril, Willie Young, Lawrence Jackson, Sammie Lee Hill and Corey Williams are all free agents in the offseason. Avril is 26 and in his prime and should flourish with Suh and Fairley becoming dominant but will the Lions pay him the money he can get elsewhere? Remember he turned down a fairly lucrative deal this past offseason. Young and Jackson are both great complimentary players at DE, but neither of them are valued more than Avril. Retaining one or both would be ideal, especially since KVB has been rather quiet on the other end. Williams has become expendable given the play Fairley has shown the last few weeks, however should he decide to take a bit of a decrease both in playing time and pay he'd be a nice fit. Given the fact though that Hill is cheaper he seems more likely to stay.
The depth at defensive end in this year's draft isn't great so I'd be surprised if the Lions drafted one in the first round, they might be better suited to try and hit the market if they lose any or all of our potential free agents. And there's certainly no need to address defensive tackle in the first round.
Linebackers
The Linebacking core of Tulloch, Durant and Levy has been solid for the most part. However, both OLB in Durant and Levy are free agents. Ultimately I could see the Lions re-signing one (Durant) and letting one walk. They drafted two linebackers last year in Tahir Whitehead and Travis Lewis. If the Lions feel comfortable handing one of them position next year it could leave the Lions with money to address needs on the d-line and in the secondary.
Jarvis Jones would be a blessing to fall to the Lions should he get there, if he doesn't Alabama's C.J. Mosley could be another option. Outside of those two there isn't much first round depth there given the likely hood of top 10, top 12 pick in April. Texas A&M's Demontre Moore could be another candidate, he's been used as DE/OLB rusher. Also Manti Te'o could be a possibility too but he'd have to move to the outside as Tulloch is still a top ten MLB.
Secondary
Chris Houston and Louis Delmas headline the free agents sitting in the Lions secondary pool. Re-signing Houston should be a priority for the Lions but should he decide to test the market, could see more money elsewhere. Delmas is a conundrum, is he worth the risk and the money? There's no question Delmas makes our secondary better when he's on the field, it's just that he's rarely on the field. The biggest concern with Delmas is his knack for being hurt, he played in 15 games each season his first two year, 11 last year and only five so far this year. Addressing the 30 games he played in his first two seasons, Delmas wasn't able to finish nearly a third of those games. I'd be surprised if Drayton Florence or Jacob Lacey return to this team next year. Expect to see two of the three rookies from this year's draft class get extended playing time next year, assuming they stay healthy.
Sadly, the draft isn't plentiful of DBs this year and it lacks that shutdown corner. Should Alabama's Dee Milliner declare for the draft he'd be the top corner in the draft. Other potential but lower first round picks include: Florida State's Xavier Rhodes and Mississippi State's Johnathon Banks. The Lions didn't take a chance on last year's trouble maker in Janoris Jenkins so could they burn a mid round (3-5) pick on this year's, Tyrann Mathieu? Hard to say since he's been out of football for a year and hasn't worked out for anyone yet. Only safety worth an early first round pick this year would be Texas' Kenny Vaccaro, should the Lions trade down Oklahoma's Tony Jefferson and LSU's Eric Reid could be potential picks.
Offense
Gosder Cherilus is the only starting offensive lineman that's a free agent, but could replaced by either Jeff Backus or Riley Reiff. I say this knowing fully the Lions won't draft one, but wide receiver is a concern. You've seen how bad this group looks without Burleson, Broyles and Young. Calvin can't do it all if this team expects to win, Burleson will be back for the start of the year. I'd suspect Broyles would be back by Week 5 and I'd be surprised if the Lions don't trade Titus Young for whatever they can get. Good news is there isn't a standout receiver out there just yet, so no worries on that front. However, if the Lions don't go defensive they could choose to address their offensive line needs of center, right guard and right tackle.
It's hard to speculate what the Lions will do to fill these holes. The team would need to re-work some deals with some key players (Stafford, Suh, Burleson) to try and free up any sort of cap space for next year if they want to hit the market or keep some of their own guys from potentially testing the market. Scott Linehan's job could be in jeopardy while I'd expect Gunther Cunningham and Jim Schwartz to be safe for now.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Red Wings Lose Out In Suter/Parise Sweepstakes; What's Next?
While I understand it may be hard times for fans of the Detroit Red Wings, I'm going have to ask that those of you who are over-reacting to losing out on Ryan Suter and Zach Parise to please back off the ledge slowly. Yes, the Wings got bounced in the first round of the playoffs. Yes, Nick Lidstrom decided to retire at the end of the season. Yes, Brad Stuart and Jiri Hudler have opted to play elsewhere. And yes, Ryan Suter turned down a deal to go play with Zach Parise for an eight million dollars.
Losing out on Suter hurts, it hurts because he was the big, physical, shutdown defense man the Wings and their fan base craved. And while I hate to take credit away from Suter, lets not forget that he's spent the last few years of his career playing next to Shea Weber(who could hit the market next year) but it's going to be interesting to see how Suter does playing with substantially lesser talent.
What about Parise? I'm not fully convinced the Wings were sold on Parise, especially when rumors starting floating about his contract hitting the 100 million dollar range. My theory seemed to be right when on the first day of Free Agency in the NHL the Wings went out and signed not one, not two, but three forwards. You don't sign three forwards when your roster is already full of forwards if you're going to try and land the top forward available. So losing out on Parise doesn't hurt and shouldn't hurt as much to the fans and the organization. Hats off to the Minnesota Wild on landing these two free agents but know what, half of their 70 million dollar salary cap is tied up into five players. Last I checked its hard to fill the other 17 spots on your roster with talent for the other roughly 35 million you left.
So what's next for the Red Wings you may ask. I'll tell you. Ken Holland has had a Plan B, C, D and probably E in place for the moment when Suter said no. Holland has been extremely successful here as the General Manager of the Detroit Red Wings. He's going to go out on a mission to go land himself a forward that scores goals and defense man that moves the puck crisply and smartly. So who are they?
Starting with defense men first, the Wings had probably four or five guys they were looking at after Suter. Jason Garrison, Matt Carle, Carlo Colaiacovo and Sami Salo. Jason Garrison is coming off a career year in Florida, he's a big and strong defense man with booming shot from the point. Unfortunately for the Wings, Vancouver went out and may have slightly over paid for his services before Suter made his decision. Matt Carle is a defense man who likes to skate out with the puck and loves to make the long outlets too, something the Wings d-men were notoriously known for. He fits well here, only down size is his size. He won't outmuscle too many people in front of the net. Colaiacovo is similar to Carle except he's not as efficient offensively and he's injury prone. Salo, while old, still brings a cannon of a shot with him and a little edge physically. Sadly, Tampa Bay swiped him up early. Chris Campoli could be a dark horse the Wings look at if they lose out again here.
You know the market forwards was bad this year when most people had Jiri Hudler as a top five available forward. That said, two big intriguing names are still out there: Alexander Semin and Shane Doan. Now both guys would be looked at for different roles. Bringing in Semin means adding another top six forward to the squad and it would be interesting to see what can of Russian magic he and countryman Pavel Datsyuk could create. The only question to his game is his work ethic. Semin has been viewed as someone who tends to takes games and playoffs off but having Datsyuk around him and on his line could motivate the young man. Turning our attention to Doan, he brings that veteran presence to the team and a big physical nature. The team wouldn't be counting on Doan as a goal scorer but he would do plenty on the stat sheet as a third or fourth liner.
One last possible move the Wings make this offseason is acquiring Rick Nash via trade from Columbus. But I wouldn't bet on it happening. Columbus wants too much and the Wings won't part with the likes of Filppula, Helm, Smith and Nyquist. Getting Nash creates more holes for the Wings to fill.
People need to calm down and realize this team isn't as bad as many of you make it out to be. However, this team is as dominant as they have been either. Things will get better people, have some faith in Ken Holland.
Losing out on Suter hurts, it hurts because he was the big, physical, shutdown defense man the Wings and their fan base craved. And while I hate to take credit away from Suter, lets not forget that he's spent the last few years of his career playing next to Shea Weber(who could hit the market next year) but it's going to be interesting to see how Suter does playing with substantially lesser talent.
What about Parise? I'm not fully convinced the Wings were sold on Parise, especially when rumors starting floating about his contract hitting the 100 million dollar range. My theory seemed to be right when on the first day of Free Agency in the NHL the Wings went out and signed not one, not two, but three forwards. You don't sign three forwards when your roster is already full of forwards if you're going to try and land the top forward available. So losing out on Parise doesn't hurt and shouldn't hurt as much to the fans and the organization. Hats off to the Minnesota Wild on landing these two free agents but know what, half of their 70 million dollar salary cap is tied up into five players. Last I checked its hard to fill the other 17 spots on your roster with talent for the other roughly 35 million you left.
So what's next for the Red Wings you may ask. I'll tell you. Ken Holland has had a Plan B, C, D and probably E in place for the moment when Suter said no. Holland has been extremely successful here as the General Manager of the Detroit Red Wings. He's going to go out on a mission to go land himself a forward that scores goals and defense man that moves the puck crisply and smartly. So who are they?
Starting with defense men first, the Wings had probably four or five guys they were looking at after Suter. Jason Garrison, Matt Carle, Carlo Colaiacovo and Sami Salo. Jason Garrison is coming off a career year in Florida, he's a big and strong defense man with booming shot from the point. Unfortunately for the Wings, Vancouver went out and may have slightly over paid for his services before Suter made his decision. Matt Carle is a defense man who likes to skate out with the puck and loves to make the long outlets too, something the Wings d-men were notoriously known for. He fits well here, only down size is his size. He won't outmuscle too many people in front of the net. Colaiacovo is similar to Carle except he's not as efficient offensively and he's injury prone. Salo, while old, still brings a cannon of a shot with him and a little edge physically. Sadly, Tampa Bay swiped him up early. Chris Campoli could be a dark horse the Wings look at if they lose out again here.
You know the market forwards was bad this year when most people had Jiri Hudler as a top five available forward. That said, two big intriguing names are still out there: Alexander Semin and Shane Doan. Now both guys would be looked at for different roles. Bringing in Semin means adding another top six forward to the squad and it would be interesting to see what can of Russian magic he and countryman Pavel Datsyuk could create. The only question to his game is his work ethic. Semin has been viewed as someone who tends to takes games and playoffs off but having Datsyuk around him and on his line could motivate the young man. Turning our attention to Doan, he brings that veteran presence to the team and a big physical nature. The team wouldn't be counting on Doan as a goal scorer but he would do plenty on the stat sheet as a third or fourth liner.
One last possible move the Wings make this offseason is acquiring Rick Nash via trade from Columbus. But I wouldn't bet on it happening. Columbus wants too much and the Wings won't part with the likes of Filppula, Helm, Smith and Nyquist. Getting Nash creates more holes for the Wings to fill.
People need to calm down and realize this team isn't as bad as many of you make it out to be. However, this team is as dominant as they have been either. Things will get better people, have some faith in Ken Holland.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
What We Learned From Game 1: Preds Top Wings 3-2, Shanaban Fail.
Last night's Game 1 between the Detroit Red Wings and Nashville Predators was an odd game to say the least. The game featured 17 penalties called against two of least penalized teams in the league, it had lucky and unlucky bounces go both ways, a season ending injury and even some fireworks at the game. The fireworks of course being Shea Weber slamming Henrik Zetterberg's head into the glass, more on that later.
With Gary Bettman in attendance last night(something I'm sure the officials were made aware before the game) you knew something was going to happen. That something was an increase of penalties being called as officials tried to save their job because only 20 officials are selected to work the playoffs and can be removed for doing a bad job. The amount of penalties were so ridiculous that Mike Babcock addressed the issue in-game which will likely earn him a fine(no word yet on it). Babcock was so bothered by the penalties he even complained about them as his team went on to the power play.
I don't want to discredit Nashville on their win last night but it seemed like Nashville caught their fair share of lucky bounce. Their first goal was scored after Paul Gaustad threw the puck to the front of the net, it hit off of Brad Stuart's skate and went it. Their second goal was a tipped shot from about 40 feet out that jumped over Jimmy Howard's shoulder as he reacted to the original shot. After the Wings caught a lucky break and had the puck hit a linesman and redirect to Henrik Zetterberg in front the net the Wings were then robbed as Predators' defenseman Roman Josi blindly threw his leg out and made a kick save to prevent the goal. Earlier in the game, Pekka Rinne made a sprawling save on Zetterberg as his shot grazed Rinne's flailing elbow and missed the open net. That stuff happens, just seems like Nashville had Lady Luck on its side last night.
Darren Helm returned to the Red Wings lineup last night after missing 10 games with an MCL sprain in his knee. Helm played six shifts totaling close to three minutes last night before he was hit with another injury.
Alexander Radulov's skate cut Helm's right forearm after the hit, obviously Radulov didn't try to do that but it still sucks. Helm was taken to the hospital where he underwent successful surgery to repair sliced tendons. He's expected to be ready to start training camp in September.
Brad Stuart in my opinion has already made his mind up on where he'll be playing next year and judging by his play it won't be in Detroit. The last month or so of the season Stuart has looked nothing like top four defenseman he played like. He's been sloppy, reckless and just out of position. Last night he a minus three, he got split for a breakaway which Jimmy Howard stopped, he scored another own goal and had a terrible giveaway that led to Nashville's third goal. Unless he's playing through some serious unknown to the public injury it looks like his head and heart aren't in as of late. Shame too the guy had been playing like he was ready to man the top pairing once Lidstrom retires.
Lastly we're brought to the incident between Weber and Zetterberg from last night. Yes, Zetterberg hit Weber in the back trying to jar the puck loose but what Weber did was malicious with intent to injure, it was beyond stupid not "a reckless and reactionary play". The play looked more like you were watching a WWE wrestling match not a hockey game. I won't say that I'm surprised he wasn't suspended given the fact that it would have tilted things in the Wings' favor greatly to win Game 2 and even the series but sometimes the suspension needs to be handed out and this one did.
Weber was let go earlier in the season with a fine after a boarding incident, so it's not like Brendan "Shanaban" Shanahan haven't had this talk before. But apparently fining Weber $2,500 was good enough(Weber is making $7.5 million this year) to get the message across. Shanaban says that Weber will be watched the rest of the playoffs now too, big deal. That's like catching a murder and letting him go because he promises not to do it again.
Shanaban took into consideration the fact that Zetterberg wasn't seriously hurt and will play in Game 2 also made it ok not to crackdown on hits to head, which he's been doing all year. For the record, after dropping that tidbit to the public, Zetterberg made it known that his helmet cracked in three different spots from the blow. Just imagine if he didn't have it on how damaging the hit would have been.
I understand Shanaban would hate to suspend Nashville's best player for any amount of time during the playoffs but his failure to suspend him just made a mockery of the quest Shanaban has been on this year to swiftly and harshly punish those who target the head of an opponent. How can players now take him seriously after Shanaban just granted special treatment to a superstar of the league and the marketing department?
And for those who think Gary Bettman played a role in the lack of a suspension then Shanaban needs to step down. He can't effectively do his job he was appointed to if he has to run his decisions by Bettman for approval. If Bettman forced Shanaban into levying this ridiculous fine, he needs to go public and made it known, he owes it to the players and fans to let it be known that Bettman is willing to cut the superstars some slack. However, I speculate that this decision was made solely by Shanaban out of fear that him dropping the hammer on Weber could be viewed as him helping the organization where his career flourished and he won three Stanley Cups. Whatever the explanation or reason may be the Shanaban failed on this one.
With Gary Bettman in attendance last night(something I'm sure the officials were made aware before the game) you knew something was going to happen. That something was an increase of penalties being called as officials tried to save their job because only 20 officials are selected to work the playoffs and can be removed for doing a bad job. The amount of penalties were so ridiculous that Mike Babcock addressed the issue in-game which will likely earn him a fine(no word yet on it). Babcock was so bothered by the penalties he even complained about them as his team went on to the power play.
I don't want to discredit Nashville on their win last night but it seemed like Nashville caught their fair share of lucky bounce. Their first goal was scored after Paul Gaustad threw the puck to the front of the net, it hit off of Brad Stuart's skate and went it. Their second goal was a tipped shot from about 40 feet out that jumped over Jimmy Howard's shoulder as he reacted to the original shot. After the Wings caught a lucky break and had the puck hit a linesman and redirect to Henrik Zetterberg in front the net the Wings were then robbed as Predators' defenseman Roman Josi blindly threw his leg out and made a kick save to prevent the goal. Earlier in the game, Pekka Rinne made a sprawling save on Zetterberg as his shot grazed Rinne's flailing elbow and missed the open net. That stuff happens, just seems like Nashville had Lady Luck on its side last night.
Darren Helm returned to the Red Wings lineup last night after missing 10 games with an MCL sprain in his knee. Helm played six shifts totaling close to three minutes last night before he was hit with another injury.
Alexander Radulov's skate cut Helm's right forearm after the hit, obviously Radulov didn't try to do that but it still sucks. Helm was taken to the hospital where he underwent successful surgery to repair sliced tendons. He's expected to be ready to start training camp in September.
Brad Stuart in my opinion has already made his mind up on where he'll be playing next year and judging by his play it won't be in Detroit. The last month or so of the season Stuart has looked nothing like top four defenseman he played like. He's been sloppy, reckless and just out of position. Last night he a minus three, he got split for a breakaway which Jimmy Howard stopped, he scored another own goal and had a terrible giveaway that led to Nashville's third goal. Unless he's playing through some serious unknown to the public injury it looks like his head and heart aren't in as of late. Shame too the guy had been playing like he was ready to man the top pairing once Lidstrom retires.
Lastly we're brought to the incident between Weber and Zetterberg from last night. Yes, Zetterberg hit Weber in the back trying to jar the puck loose but what Weber did was malicious with intent to injure, it was beyond stupid not "a reckless and reactionary play". The play looked more like you were watching a WWE wrestling match not a hockey game. I won't say that I'm surprised he wasn't suspended given the fact that it would have tilted things in the Wings' favor greatly to win Game 2 and even the series but sometimes the suspension needs to be handed out and this one did.
Weber was let go earlier in the season with a fine after a boarding incident, so it's not like Brendan "Shanaban" Shanahan haven't had this talk before. But apparently fining Weber $2,500 was good enough(Weber is making $7.5 million this year) to get the message across. Shanaban says that Weber will be watched the rest of the playoffs now too, big deal. That's like catching a murder and letting him go because he promises not to do it again.
Shanaban took into consideration the fact that Zetterberg wasn't seriously hurt and will play in Game 2 also made it ok not to crackdown on hits to head, which he's been doing all year. For the record, after dropping that tidbit to the public, Zetterberg made it known that his helmet cracked in three different spots from the blow. Just imagine if he didn't have it on how damaging the hit would have been.
I understand Shanaban would hate to suspend Nashville's best player for any amount of time during the playoffs but his failure to suspend him just made a mockery of the quest Shanaban has been on this year to swiftly and harshly punish those who target the head of an opponent. How can players now take him seriously after Shanaban just granted special treatment to a superstar of the league and the marketing department?
And for those who think Gary Bettman played a role in the lack of a suspension then Shanaban needs to step down. He can't effectively do his job he was appointed to if he has to run his decisions by Bettman for approval. If Bettman forced Shanaban into levying this ridiculous fine, he needs to go public and made it known, he owes it to the players and fans to let it be known that Bettman is willing to cut the superstars some slack. However, I speculate that this decision was made solely by Shanaban out of fear that him dropping the hammer on Weber could be viewed as him helping the organization where his career flourished and he won three Stanley Cups. Whatever the explanation or reason may be the Shanaban failed on this one.
Monday, April 9, 2012
The 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Conference Quarter Finals
April 11th means a lot of things to a lot of people: a meaningless Wednesday to some, my sister's birthday, but most people will be celebrating the fact that the Stanley Cup Playoffs start that night. Say good bye to your razors and put your loved ones on notice because the most exciting post season of all professional sports is once again upon us as the Conference Quarter Finals begin. This year's match ups have some real thrillers(Pit vs Phi, Det vs Nsh and Bos vs Wsh) but also features some real snoozers(Fla vs NJ, Phx vs Chi and Stl vs SJ). Before I get into the each series' breakdown, I'd like to remind you every playoff game will be televised this year thanks to NBC, NBC Sports Networks(formerly Versus), CNBC and NHL Network.
Eastern Conference
1. New York Rangers vs 8. Ottawa Senators: Season series Sens 3-1. The Rangers are going to have their hands full this series with the Senators. While they finished eighth, the Sens have a good mix of youth to go with their vets. Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza lead this team up front while eventual Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson and Sergei Gonchar back it up on the blue line. They'll face a tough challenge in New York as King Henrik and company don't have to worry about the President's Cup Curse following them in the playoffs. They'll need to sharpen up though as the Rangers were sloppy down the stretch, something the Sens took advantage of in their four games this season. Biggest concern is if the Rangers can provide Lundqvist with enough offense to win games.
Rangers over Senators 4-2.
2. Boston Bruins vs 7. Washington Capitals: Season series Caps 3-1. Tim Thomas already cut his first media session short after someone brought up the White House to him, which means he'll be really fired up and play out of his mind or he'll be a basket case and play like a siv. Boston is the better team and really just needs to limit Ovechkin and his line. The Caps are relying on their third string goalie to carry them this series which I don't see happening. The Caps have been Jekyll and Hyde all year long and I'm willing to bet we see more Hyde than Jekyll.
Bruins over Caps 4-1.
3. Florida Panthers vs 6 New Jersey Devils: Season series tied 2-2. The Panthers earned a 3 seed by losing more than they won. Their 38 wins and 18 OTL are all-time lows and highs for a Divison winner post-lockout era. It should also be noted that the Panthers allowed 24 more goals than they scored this year. The Devils earned eight more points than the Panthers but will start this series in Florida, if the Devils and their talent(Kovalchuk, Parise, Zidlicky and Brodeur) lose this series it'll be a shame.
Devils over Panthers 4-2, I refuse to label this an upset.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs 5. Philadelphia Flyers: Season series Flyers 4-2. Two things hold true for this series, it's the best of all eight QF series and these two teams absolutely HATE each other. If you're a fan of hockey you hope this is a seven game slug fest. The Flyers got mixed news today Briere will play while James van Riemsdyk is still a week or two away from being back. The Penguins are healthy as can be and Crosby is back. The goalies will decide this series, one has his name on the cup while the other has imploded the last two trips to the playoffs. However, the Bryz did drop this gem the other day, "I'm not afraid of anything. I'm afraid of bear but bear in forest." Love that Bryzgalov.
Flyers over Penguins 4-3.
Western Conference
1. Vancouver Canucks vs 8. Los Angeles Kings: Season series tied 2-2. The Canucks have the dreaded President's Cup Curse looming over them and may or may not be without Daniel Sedin not to mention Roberto Luongo disappears come playoffs. The Kings have a really hard time scoring and haven't gotten out of the first round since 2001. Good news for the Kings, Jeff Carter may be ready for Game 1 which makes their offense slightly better. Good news for Luongo, the Kings can't score(second fewest goals all season). Something has to give in this series.
Canucks over Kings 4-1.
2. St. Louis Blues vs 7. San Jose Sharks: Season series Blues 4-0. The Blues have two really good goalies in Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliot. They combined for 15 shutouts and a 1.78 goals against average(Elliot 9 SO, 1.56 GAA and Halak 6 SO, 1.97 GAA). The Sharks have been notorious for choking in the playoffs, although this year wouldn't be considered a choke. Will the Sharks rise to the challenge? They have the experience factor over the Blues but Ken Hitchcock is a crafty coach and will have his Blues ready for the challenge.
Blues over Sharks 4-1.
3. Phoenix Coyotes vs 6. Chicago Blackhawks: Season series Coyotes 3-1. Like the Florida Panthers, the Coyotes have won their first Divison title in franchise history. And just like the Panthers, the Coyotes have the distinction of being a bad team to win a bad division. The Blackhawks have the more talented team and earned four more points than the Coyotes this season, however the Coyotes have a hot goalie in Mike Smith. That factored with home ice could be what wins it.
Blackhawks over Coyotes 4-3. Also not an upset.
4. Nashville Predators vs 5. Detroit Red Wings: Season series tied 3-3. The Preds went all out at the deadline making moves to improve the team and brought back Alexander Radulov from the KHL on loan. Their depth up front matches the Red Wings which is kind of scary if you think about it but after their top two blue liners the advantage goes to the Wings. Both teams have goalies that can be dominant on their own or be completely useless. The Wings got what they wanted, Nashville. They didn't want to go out West at all regardless of the seed they got. To win this series though they'll need to tighten up defensively and on the penalty kill. Also, they'll need to show signs of having a power play that can score better than their 16.1% regular season clip.
Red Wings over Predators 4-3.
That's how I see the Quarter Finals shaking out, last year I was 8-0 in QF predictions and called four of them to the very game. Hoping to repeat that luck this year. And for the record I have the New York Rangers beating the St. Louis Blues in 7 games to win the Stanley Cup. Check back for the Semi-Finals later.
Eastern Conference
1. New York Rangers vs 8. Ottawa Senators: Season series Sens 3-1. The Rangers are going to have their hands full this series with the Senators. While they finished eighth, the Sens have a good mix of youth to go with their vets. Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza lead this team up front while eventual Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson and Sergei Gonchar back it up on the blue line. They'll face a tough challenge in New York as King Henrik and company don't have to worry about the President's Cup Curse following them in the playoffs. They'll need to sharpen up though as the Rangers were sloppy down the stretch, something the Sens took advantage of in their four games this season. Biggest concern is if the Rangers can provide Lundqvist with enough offense to win games.
Rangers over Senators 4-2.
2. Boston Bruins vs 7. Washington Capitals: Season series Caps 3-1. Tim Thomas already cut his first media session short after someone brought up the White House to him, which means he'll be really fired up and play out of his mind or he'll be a basket case and play like a siv. Boston is the better team and really just needs to limit Ovechkin and his line. The Caps are relying on their third string goalie to carry them this series which I don't see happening. The Caps have been Jekyll and Hyde all year long and I'm willing to bet we see more Hyde than Jekyll.
Bruins over Caps 4-1.
3. Florida Panthers vs 6 New Jersey Devils: Season series tied 2-2. The Panthers earned a 3 seed by losing more than they won. Their 38 wins and 18 OTL are all-time lows and highs for a Divison winner post-lockout era. It should also be noted that the Panthers allowed 24 more goals than they scored this year. The Devils earned eight more points than the Panthers but will start this series in Florida, if the Devils and their talent(Kovalchuk, Parise, Zidlicky and Brodeur) lose this series it'll be a shame.
Devils over Panthers 4-2, I refuse to label this an upset.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs 5. Philadelphia Flyers: Season series Flyers 4-2. Two things hold true for this series, it's the best of all eight QF series and these two teams absolutely HATE each other. If you're a fan of hockey you hope this is a seven game slug fest. The Flyers got mixed news today Briere will play while James van Riemsdyk is still a week or two away from being back. The Penguins are healthy as can be and Crosby is back. The goalies will decide this series, one has his name on the cup while the other has imploded the last two trips to the playoffs. However, the Bryz did drop this gem the other day, "I'm not afraid of anything. I'm afraid of bear but bear in forest." Love that Bryzgalov.
Flyers over Penguins 4-3.
Western Conference
1. Vancouver Canucks vs 8. Los Angeles Kings: Season series tied 2-2. The Canucks have the dreaded President's Cup Curse looming over them and may or may not be without Daniel Sedin not to mention Roberto Luongo disappears come playoffs. The Kings have a really hard time scoring and haven't gotten out of the first round since 2001. Good news for the Kings, Jeff Carter may be ready for Game 1 which makes their offense slightly better. Good news for Luongo, the Kings can't score(second fewest goals all season). Something has to give in this series.
Canucks over Kings 4-1.
2. St. Louis Blues vs 7. San Jose Sharks: Season series Blues 4-0. The Blues have two really good goalies in Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliot. They combined for 15 shutouts and a 1.78 goals against average(Elliot 9 SO, 1.56 GAA and Halak 6 SO, 1.97 GAA). The Sharks have been notorious for choking in the playoffs, although this year wouldn't be considered a choke. Will the Sharks rise to the challenge? They have the experience factor over the Blues but Ken Hitchcock is a crafty coach and will have his Blues ready for the challenge.
Blues over Sharks 4-1.
3. Phoenix Coyotes vs 6. Chicago Blackhawks: Season series Coyotes 3-1. Like the Florida Panthers, the Coyotes have won their first Divison title in franchise history. And just like the Panthers, the Coyotes have the distinction of being a bad team to win a bad division. The Blackhawks have the more talented team and earned four more points than the Coyotes this season, however the Coyotes have a hot goalie in Mike Smith. That factored with home ice could be what wins it.
Blackhawks over Coyotes 4-3. Also not an upset.
4. Nashville Predators vs 5. Detroit Red Wings: Season series tied 3-3. The Preds went all out at the deadline making moves to improve the team and brought back Alexander Radulov from the KHL on loan. Their depth up front matches the Red Wings which is kind of scary if you think about it but after their top two blue liners the advantage goes to the Wings. Both teams have goalies that can be dominant on their own or be completely useless. The Wings got what they wanted, Nashville. They didn't want to go out West at all regardless of the seed they got. To win this series though they'll need to tighten up defensively and on the penalty kill. Also, they'll need to show signs of having a power play that can score better than their 16.1% regular season clip.
Red Wings over Predators 4-3.
That's how I see the Quarter Finals shaking out, last year I was 8-0 in QF predictions and called four of them to the very game. Hoping to repeat that luck this year. And for the record I have the New York Rangers beating the St. Louis Blues in 7 games to win the Stanley Cup. Check back for the Semi-Finals later.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Helping You With Your Brackets
Everyone loves to be able to tell their friends, "I told you so!" Especially when money and bragging rights are on the line. By no means do I consider myself an expert when it comes to selecting the right National Champion come March Madness time but over the years I have picked my share of winners. My luck started in 1997 when I first fell in love with March Madness at the age of 10, I don't know why or how but I rode Arizona to glory that year as they knocked off Kentucky making me feel proud. Two years later and I selected a UConn led by Rip Hamilton. I feel like that's when I first developed my hatred for Duke only because they knocked off like three of my picks down the stretch. Going on a three year dry spell, I had faith in Maryland to get it done and they did. '05 and '09 UNC made me look like a genius but then again they were slam dunks those years and lastly I chose an unbelievably UConn team again to win it after winning five games in five days to claim the Big East tourney.
So that being allow me to give you some pointers to help your bracket along:
Upsets happen early, not so much later.
Everyone knows that 12 seed will undoubtedly take out 5 seed or that 13 will knockoff a 4. That's fine and dandy, don't be afraid to pick two or three. However, use caution about riding them any further than a game or two. With the exception of Butler and VCU the past two years, these underdogs tend to flame out by the second weekend.
Don't let conventional wisdom scare you.
Last year everyone was telling you UConn wouldn't have the legs to make it past the first weekend of the tournament after winning five games in five nights leading up to the Big Dance. Well guess what, UConn and their "dead legs" continued their hot streak through the tournament and cut down the nets when it was all said and done. If you don't know, Louisville just put together a similar streak in the same conference tournament.
Trendy picks tend to bust.
Everyone loves being the first one to try and start the new trend. Well don't because like most trends, they come back to bite you in the butt. No, this isn't the year that the 16's start to pick off the 1's. And no this isn't the year a double digit seed wins it all. If you're thinking these things, it might be time to cut your skinny jeans off.
Don't select all the 1 seeds.
It is inevitable that a one 1 seed will slip up in the tournament and not make the Final Four. But did you know that in 27 years only four times have three or more 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. Say good bye to two or more by the Final Four.
Duke wins... sometimes.
Duke has won their fair share of titles throughout the years but while they don't always claim a National Championship, they do make it to see the second weekend. 20 out of 25 times Coach K's teams have gotten past the first two rounds.
Never tip your hand.
If your friends ask for your picks or advice, give them the wrong advice. Why would you want to share your money making picks with the rest of your pool? Keep your picks to yourself, unless of you don't like winning money.
Beware the "luck of the Irish."
Notre Dame fans may want to turn away or skip over this, but the truth is the Irish are notorious for flaming out early in the NCAAs. Notre Dame has only seen the Sweet Sixteen once over the last ten years. This year wouldn't appear to be the year this streak changes.
Trust your gut.
You know your first instinct is right so why fight it? Don't let your buddies or the talking heads on TV influence you from your original pick. Also, don't pick based off of colors or mascots. Listen to your gut!
Never pick based on your location.
Most people who get into these things pick based on location because they know they have a good team but they don't know the rest of the field. Don't be afraid to go away from schools in your area(i.e. Michigan State and Michigan for me).
Hope these tips helped aid you in winning some extra money and bragging rights, I know I'll be celebrating when I see that VCU v Michigan final!
So that being allow me to give you some pointers to help your bracket along:
Upsets happen early, not so much later.
Everyone knows that 12 seed will undoubtedly take out 5 seed or that 13 will knockoff a 4. That's fine and dandy, don't be afraid to pick two or three. However, use caution about riding them any further than a game or two. With the exception of Butler and VCU the past two years, these underdogs tend to flame out by the second weekend.
Don't let conventional wisdom scare you.
Last year everyone was telling you UConn wouldn't have the legs to make it past the first weekend of the tournament after winning five games in five nights leading up to the Big Dance. Well guess what, UConn and their "dead legs" continued their hot streak through the tournament and cut down the nets when it was all said and done. If you don't know, Louisville just put together a similar streak in the same conference tournament.
Trendy picks tend to bust.
Everyone loves being the first one to try and start the new trend. Well don't because like most trends, they come back to bite you in the butt. No, this isn't the year that the 16's start to pick off the 1's. And no this isn't the year a double digit seed wins it all. If you're thinking these things, it might be time to cut your skinny jeans off.
Don't select all the 1 seeds.
It is inevitable that a one 1 seed will slip up in the tournament and not make the Final Four. But did you know that in 27 years only four times have three or more 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. Say good bye to two or more by the Final Four.
Duke wins... sometimes.
Duke has won their fair share of titles throughout the years but while they don't always claim a National Championship, they do make it to see the second weekend. 20 out of 25 times Coach K's teams have gotten past the first two rounds.
Never tip your hand.
If your friends ask for your picks or advice, give them the wrong advice. Why would you want to share your money making picks with the rest of your pool? Keep your picks to yourself, unless of you don't like winning money.
Beware the "luck of the Irish."
Notre Dame fans may want to turn away or skip over this, but the truth is the Irish are notorious for flaming out early in the NCAAs. Notre Dame has only seen the Sweet Sixteen once over the last ten years. This year wouldn't appear to be the year this streak changes.
Trust your gut.
You know your first instinct is right so why fight it? Don't let your buddies or the talking heads on TV influence you from your original pick. Also, don't pick based off of colors or mascots. Listen to your gut!
Never pick based on your location.
Most people who get into these things pick based on location because they know they have a good team but they don't know the rest of the field. Don't be afraid to go away from schools in your area(i.e. Michigan State and Michigan for me).
Hope these tips helped aid you in winning some extra money and bragging rights, I know I'll be celebrating when I see that VCU v Michigan final!
Monday, February 27, 2012
NHL Trade Deadline: Rick Nash Stays in Columbus... For Now.
The talk of the 2012 NHL Deadline was undoubtedly would Columbus move Rick Nash especially after they trade Jeff Carter to the LA Kings last week for Jack Johnson and a first round pick. Today's answer is no, no they would not but following the deadline's passing the answer is leaning to yes, in the Summer of 2012.
Columbus Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson tried his hardest to trade the prolific winger and captain but no one was willing to meet his high demands so Howson did what was best for his team, he held onto Nash. But this is where the story gets interesting. Howson called Nash to inform that he was not able to move him at the deadline and also inform him that he would be going public with Nash's demand to be traded.
Howson spoke with the media after the passing and dropped this bombshell on the Blue Jackets' fans who had been showing up with signs urging the team to keep Nash, "With respect to Rick Nash, he approached us and asked us to consider trading him. We agreed to accommodate his request as long as we could get a deal that would provide us with cornerstone pieces to help us to compete for a Stanley Cup championship in the coming years. It did not happen by 3 o'clock today. This is too important to our franchise and our fans to do a deal that is not in our best interests."
That sound you heard was the echo of the collective fan base (all 500 of them) and their hearts being broken. The best player their franchise has seen and most likely ever will see wants out. In his eight year career, Nash has seen the playoffs once and was bounced in four game by the Detroit Red Wings. In the summer of 2009 after making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history Nash signed an 8-year extension to take play in 2010-2011 having no idea rookie phenom Steve Mason would turn into a siv. Nash doesn't want to risk being the next Mats Sundin, sticking around trying to be the guy and captain to turn the franchise around and win a Cup only to see his talents wasted by a terrible surrounding cast who chokes or ever worse can't make the playoffs.
So what happens next? If the fans turn on Nash, which they probably will then GM Scott Howson will contact teams in the summer leading up to the draft. His asking price likely won't drop but teams might be more willing to strike a deal then instead of messing with chemistry now. Likely suitors will be the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks and depending on the retirement of Nick Lidstrom, the Detroit Red Wings. While Howson likely won't drop his price, Nash likely won't be willing to go just anywhere and waive his no-trade clause.
All we and Rick Nash can do now is sit back and play the waiting game... (Fast forward the 0:45 mark to get the joke)
Columbus Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson tried his hardest to trade the prolific winger and captain but no one was willing to meet his high demands so Howson did what was best for his team, he held onto Nash. But this is where the story gets interesting. Howson called Nash to inform that he was not able to move him at the deadline and also inform him that he would be going public with Nash's demand to be traded.
Howson spoke with the media after the passing and dropped this bombshell on the Blue Jackets' fans who had been showing up with signs urging the team to keep Nash, "With respect to Rick Nash, he approached us and asked us to consider trading him. We agreed to accommodate his request as long as we could get a deal that would provide us with cornerstone pieces to help us to compete for a Stanley Cup championship in the coming years. It did not happen by 3 o'clock today. This is too important to our franchise and our fans to do a deal that is not in our best interests."
That sound you heard was the echo of the collective fan base (all 500 of them) and their hearts being broken. The best player their franchise has seen and most likely ever will see wants out. In his eight year career, Nash has seen the playoffs once and was bounced in four game by the Detroit Red Wings. In the summer of 2009 after making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history Nash signed an 8-year extension to take play in 2010-2011 having no idea rookie phenom Steve Mason would turn into a siv. Nash doesn't want to risk being the next Mats Sundin, sticking around trying to be the guy and captain to turn the franchise around and win a Cup only to see his talents wasted by a terrible surrounding cast who chokes or ever worse can't make the playoffs.
So what happens next? If the fans turn on Nash, which they probably will then GM Scott Howson will contact teams in the summer leading up to the draft. His asking price likely won't drop but teams might be more willing to strike a deal then instead of messing with chemistry now. Likely suitors will be the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks and depending on the retirement of Nick Lidstrom, the Detroit Red Wings. While Howson likely won't drop his price, Nash likely won't be willing to go just anywhere and waive his no-trade clause.
All we and Rick Nash can do now is sit back and play the waiting game... (Fast forward the 0:45 mark to get the joke)
Friday, January 13, 2012
Highs and Lows of the 2011 Bowl Season
Now that the re-match between Alabama and LSU bored everyone for a second time, it means that we've officially wrapped up another successful Bowl season... well maybe it was successful. Let's take a look at some of the highs and lows from this past Bowl season.
The Highs:
The Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowl: The BCS had to be extremely happy with the way their first three games started out, close and exciting. The Rose Bowl saw a 45-38 shootout between the Oregon Ducks and Wisconsin Badgers, the game ended when Badgers' QB Russell Wilson decided to try and spike the ball with :02 seconds remaining.
Moving on to the Fiesta Bowl, we had Oklahoma State (who should've been in the National Championship game) take on Stanford. Stanford jumped out big early behind the soon-to-be number one NFL Draft Pick, Andrew Luck and the Cardinal running game. But the Cowboys woke up and showed that they were determined to show they belonged. Justin Blackmon proved why he's going to be the first wide receiver taken in the draft, 8 catches 186 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Cowboys won 41-38 in overtime thanks in large part to 3 missed field goals by Stanford but it's a win still.
The Sugar Bowl might not have been as exciting as the two games preceeding it but it ended with a lot of excitement. A called touchdown in OT for Va Tech overturned on a judgment call led to their third string kicker missing a field goal after converting his first four attempts. That set Michigan up to put it on the leg of redshirt sophomore kicker Brendan Gibbons to knock home a 37 yard attempt for the win, the same Gibbons who was 1 for 5 last year on field goals. Gibbons told reporters after the game that he was "thinking of brunette girls" before the kick, something Coach Hoke encouraged. Worked out well.
The SEC: The SEC continued it's recent dominance in college bowl by going 6-3 in Bowl play including winning the conference's sixth straight National Championship. In fact, since the NC was an SEC affair they went 5-2 against all other conferences. As much as I hate to admit it, the SEC is still miles ahead of the rest of the game. Oh by the way, the two newcomers to the SEC next year, Missouri and Texas A&M also won their bowl games. So that means 8-3 for the SEC.
The BCS Winner Shirts: Nike was the official sponsor of the BCS apparel this year and did a nice job the t-shirts that the winners threw on after the game. Here's how they rank in order of how I liked them, "Nacho Victory" for the Fiesta, "Pour Some Sugar On Me" for the Sugar, "Rose To Power" for the Rose and "Orange You Glad We Won" for the Orange.
The Alamo Bowl: Heisman winner Robert Griffin III and the Baylor Bears won 67-56 over the Washington Huskies en route to RG3 turning pro. Washington QB Keith Price actually outplayed RG3 and put his name into the Heisman race early for next year, this game set all sorts of records and lacked defense. So if you like offense then you loved this game.
Kellen Moore: The Boise State QB is going out as the most winningest quarterback in NCAA history as Moore won his 50th game of his career when BSU beat Arizona State badly, 56-24 in the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl.
The Lows:
The National Championship Game: As if the 9-6 game between LSU and Alabama wasn't horrible the rematch might have been just as bad if not worse. Bama of course won 21-0 and LSU just barely got over the 50-yard line in the game. Oklahoma State has to feel robbed and disappointed. A bad loss at Iowa State late in the year cost them. While the Cowboys probably would've lost due to a faulty defense, they would have at least put up points.
Nelly: ESPN tabbed Nelly and his God awful song "The Champ" to be their theme for the Bowl season, a decision I'm sure not only they regret but the rest of the nation as well. Nelly hasn't come close to duplicating Country Grammar, heck he hasn't come close to duplicating Nellyville and that CD wasn't even that good. Hopefully ESPN gets it right next year.
The Orange Bowl: This game started out promising, looking like the Alamo Bowl Part 2 until West Virginia decided to start playing defense. WVU went on to hang 70 points on Clemson which ultimately cost the Tigers defensive coordinator, Kevin Steele, his job. The best part of the game was when WVU's Darwin Cook tackled the Obie the Orange Bowl mascot after his 99-yard fumble return. Check out Darwin's reaction after he found out Obie was a girl:
The Big Ten: While Michigan State and Michigan saved the conference from complete embarrassment with their respective wins, the Big ten still went 4-6 in the Bowl season. Their other two wins were Purdue over MAC Western Michigan and Illinois who beat a terrible UCLA that finished 6-8 this season. The last two years, the Big Ten is 1-9 in their January 1 Bowl games, which is where they showcase their "marquee" teams.
The Lack of a Playoff: Honestly when will the BCS go to a Plus One system or a four team playoff, maybe even an eight or sixteen team playoff? Never. Which means the 2011 Oklahoma State Cowboys will go down in infamy with the 13-0 2004 Auburn Tigers and 2001 Oregon Ducks as teams who got screwed from their shot at the National Championship.
Anything you feel I left off the list? Let me know and speak up.
The Highs:
The Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowl: The BCS had to be extremely happy with the way their first three games started out, close and exciting. The Rose Bowl saw a 45-38 shootout between the Oregon Ducks and Wisconsin Badgers, the game ended when Badgers' QB Russell Wilson decided to try and spike the ball with :02 seconds remaining.
Moving on to the Fiesta Bowl, we had Oklahoma State (who should've been in the National Championship game) take on Stanford. Stanford jumped out big early behind the soon-to-be number one NFL Draft Pick, Andrew Luck and the Cardinal running game. But the Cowboys woke up and showed that they were determined to show they belonged. Justin Blackmon proved why he's going to be the first wide receiver taken in the draft, 8 catches 186 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Cowboys won 41-38 in overtime thanks in large part to 3 missed field goals by Stanford but it's a win still.
The Sugar Bowl might not have been as exciting as the two games preceeding it but it ended with a lot of excitement. A called touchdown in OT for Va Tech overturned on a judgment call led to their third string kicker missing a field goal after converting his first four attempts. That set Michigan up to put it on the leg of redshirt sophomore kicker Brendan Gibbons to knock home a 37 yard attempt for the win, the same Gibbons who was 1 for 5 last year on field goals. Gibbons told reporters after the game that he was "thinking of brunette girls" before the kick, something Coach Hoke encouraged. Worked out well.
The SEC: The SEC continued it's recent dominance in college bowl by going 6-3 in Bowl play including winning the conference's sixth straight National Championship. In fact, since the NC was an SEC affair they went 5-2 against all other conferences. As much as I hate to admit it, the SEC is still miles ahead of the rest of the game. Oh by the way, the two newcomers to the SEC next year, Missouri and Texas A&M also won their bowl games. So that means 8-3 for the SEC.
The BCS Winner Shirts: Nike was the official sponsor of the BCS apparel this year and did a nice job the t-shirts that the winners threw on after the game. Here's how they rank in order of how I liked them, "Nacho Victory" for the Fiesta, "Pour Some Sugar On Me" for the Sugar, "Rose To Power" for the Rose and "Orange You Glad We Won" for the Orange.
The Alamo Bowl: Heisman winner Robert Griffin III and the Baylor Bears won 67-56 over the Washington Huskies en route to RG3 turning pro. Washington QB Keith Price actually outplayed RG3 and put his name into the Heisman race early for next year, this game set all sorts of records and lacked defense. So if you like offense then you loved this game.
Kellen Moore: The Boise State QB is going out as the most winningest quarterback in NCAA history as Moore won his 50th game of his career when BSU beat Arizona State badly, 56-24 in the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl.
The Lows:
The National Championship Game: As if the 9-6 game between LSU and Alabama wasn't horrible the rematch might have been just as bad if not worse. Bama of course won 21-0 and LSU just barely got over the 50-yard line in the game. Oklahoma State has to feel robbed and disappointed. A bad loss at Iowa State late in the year cost them. While the Cowboys probably would've lost due to a faulty defense, they would have at least put up points.
Nelly: ESPN tabbed Nelly and his God awful song "The Champ" to be their theme for the Bowl season, a decision I'm sure not only they regret but the rest of the nation as well. Nelly hasn't come close to duplicating Country Grammar, heck he hasn't come close to duplicating Nellyville and that CD wasn't even that good. Hopefully ESPN gets it right next year.
The Orange Bowl: This game started out promising, looking like the Alamo Bowl Part 2 until West Virginia decided to start playing defense. WVU went on to hang 70 points on Clemson which ultimately cost the Tigers defensive coordinator, Kevin Steele, his job. The best part of the game was when WVU's Darwin Cook tackled the Obie the Orange Bowl mascot after his 99-yard fumble return. Check out Darwin's reaction after he found out Obie was a girl:
The Big Ten: While Michigan State and Michigan saved the conference from complete embarrassment with their respective wins, the Big ten still went 4-6 in the Bowl season. Their other two wins were Purdue over MAC Western Michigan and Illinois who beat a terrible UCLA that finished 6-8 this season. The last two years, the Big Ten is 1-9 in their January 1 Bowl games, which is where they showcase their "marquee" teams.
The Lack of a Playoff: Honestly when will the BCS go to a Plus One system or a four team playoff, maybe even an eight or sixteen team playoff? Never. Which means the 2011 Oklahoma State Cowboys will go down in infamy with the 13-0 2004 Auburn Tigers and 2001 Oregon Ducks as teams who got screwed from their shot at the National Championship.
Anything you feel I left off the list? Let me know and speak up.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Apparently Xavier Has Gangsters On Their Team
The annual crosstown shootout between Cincinnati and Xavier took things to a new level today when the two teams decided to slug it out at the end of the game. The two schools are only a few miles apart leaving the game to decide yearly bragging rights. Last year Cincy won by 20 points on their home court and this year Xavier got their revenge winning 76-53.
These games are always intense, with their hard fouls, trash talking and general hatred for the other school. The trash talking got so out of hand that Xavier junior guard Mark Lyons was warned by officials in his locker room at halftime to cut it out or get hit with a technical. Lyons shut up in the second half.
I'm all for running up the score in games, especially in rivalry games but Tu Holloway a senior guard for Xavier has a lot of blame for what happened. After his layup he made with time running out he ran back on defense yelling at everyone and anyone on Cincy's bench before getting in the face of Cincy's Ge'Lawn Guyn. That's when freshman Dezmine Wells came over to help Halloway and then shoved Guyn. Here's what happened next:
Bearcats senior Yancy Gates is the player who sucker punches Xavier's Kenny Frease in that video. A Bearcat player appears to stomp on Frease while he is bloodied and on the ground and more punches are thrown while coaches tried to separate the teams. Not shown after the game was called with 9.3 seconds remaining was Holloway jumping on the scorer's table celebrating the victory.
Then in the post-game interview Holloway dropped this bomb on everyone, "That’s what you’re going to see from Xavier and Cincinnati,” Holloway said. “We got disrespected a little bit before the game, guys calling us out. We’re a tougher team. We’re grown men over here. We’ve got a whole bunch of gangsters in the locker room—not thugs, but tough guys on the court. And we went out there and zipped them up at the end of the game.”
The sad thing is neither Halloway nor Lyons apologized for their actions rather they seemed to be proud of themselves for "not letting people get in their faces". We'll see how proud they are when the NCAA and the teams' respective conferences and ADs figure this mess out and hand out their suspensions.
Good news is at least the coaches understood how incredibly dumb this was. Cincy coach Mick Cronin made his players turn in their jerseys afterwards, he even had to take them off some players. "I made everybody take their jersey off and they will not put it on again until they have a full understanding of where they go to school, what the university stands for and how lucky they are to even be here let alone have a scholarship." Cronin also said he'd be meeting with his AD and school President hoping they wouldn't ask him to resign after this.
Xavier coach Chris Mack tweeted this after the game, "No one, no one regrets our ending to the UC game more than me. My 5 and 6 yr olds were in the stands. Both teams were at fault period. I'm disappointed to the enth degree. I've got good kids. Mick's got good kids. They made DUMB decisions."
Sad thing is Xavier was a legit Final Four contender but after today's game who knows what they'll be or who will still be on the team.
These games are always intense, with their hard fouls, trash talking and general hatred for the other school. The trash talking got so out of hand that Xavier junior guard Mark Lyons was warned by officials in his locker room at halftime to cut it out or get hit with a technical. Lyons shut up in the second half.
I'm all for running up the score in games, especially in rivalry games but Tu Holloway a senior guard for Xavier has a lot of blame for what happened. After his layup he made with time running out he ran back on defense yelling at everyone and anyone on Cincy's bench before getting in the face of Cincy's Ge'Lawn Guyn. That's when freshman Dezmine Wells came over to help Halloway and then shoved Guyn. Here's what happened next:
Bearcats senior Yancy Gates is the player who sucker punches Xavier's Kenny Frease in that video. A Bearcat player appears to stomp on Frease while he is bloodied and on the ground and more punches are thrown while coaches tried to separate the teams. Not shown after the game was called with 9.3 seconds remaining was Holloway jumping on the scorer's table celebrating the victory.
Then in the post-game interview Holloway dropped this bomb on everyone, "That’s what you’re going to see from Xavier and Cincinnati,” Holloway said. “We got disrespected a little bit before the game, guys calling us out. We’re a tougher team. We’re grown men over here. We’ve got a whole bunch of gangsters in the locker room—not thugs, but tough guys on the court. And we went out there and zipped them up at the end of the game.”
The sad thing is neither Halloway nor Lyons apologized for their actions rather they seemed to be proud of themselves for "not letting people get in their faces". We'll see how proud they are when the NCAA and the teams' respective conferences and ADs figure this mess out and hand out their suspensions.
Good news is at least the coaches understood how incredibly dumb this was. Cincy coach Mick Cronin made his players turn in their jerseys afterwards, he even had to take them off some players. "I made everybody take their jersey off and they will not put it on again until they have a full understanding of where they go to school, what the university stands for and how lucky they are to even be here let alone have a scholarship." Cronin also said he'd be meeting with his AD and school President hoping they wouldn't ask him to resign after this.
Xavier coach Chris Mack tweeted this after the game, "No one, no one regrets our ending to the UC game more than me. My 5 and 6 yr olds were in the stands. Both teams were at fault period. I'm disappointed to the enth degree. I've got good kids. Mick's got good kids. They made DUMB decisions."
Sad thing is Xavier was a legit Final Four contender but after today's game who knows what they'll be or who will still be on the team.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Lions Still Don't Get It
The most frustrating part of being a Detroit Lions fan during their Week 13 loss, 31-17 to New Orleans wasn't the loss itself but the fact that if not for boneheaded plays and poor officiating the Lions could have upset the Saints at home. Now while I hold the Lions more accountable for this loss the officials had some critical calls that we saw the 0-16 Lions get time and time again when no one respected them.
The Lions, one week after watching teammate Ndamukong Suh selfishly stomp on an opponent and put the team in a bad spot committed three more selfish and uncalled for personal fouls this week. It started early in the third quarter when rookie Titus Young tagged a Saints defender in the facemask while a referee was trying to separate the two. Instead of 3rd and 1 from New Orleans 5-yard line it became 3rd and 16. The Lions settled for a field goal and not a touchdown that they most likely would have scored. Young was benched for most of the game after this, seeing the field for a handful snaps when needed.
Then in the fourth quarter return man Stefan Logan flipped the football into the face of an opponent after a return. Logan who hasn't been an impact on returns this year has been understandably frustrated but this selfish act came back to haunt the Lions as they settled for a 55-yard field goal attempt. They missed and gave the Saints the ball on their own 45, the seven point game quickly became a 14 point game and was pretty much over. There's no guarantee the Lions drive like they did and kick a 40-yard field goal if Logan didn't get that penalty but it's still a dumb penalty to commit nonetheless.
And lastly Brandon Pettigrew picked up a personal foul for contact with an official as he shoved an official who was trying to separate him from a Saints defender. There's absolutely no excuse for what Pettigrew did here and while his penalty didn't cost the Lions points it did cost them position.
Head coach Jim Schwartz has said that the plan is to bench those who continue to make these selfish and costly penalties. If I were him or front office personnel you can bet that not only am I benching them but I am fining them whatever amount it is under the new CBA that I can. You thought Suh's suspension would have opened their eyes, it didn't so maybe this will.
Ultimately the Lions cost themselves the game with the Saints but I do have some qualms with the officiating in that game. Right before the half the Saints clearly jumped offsides en route to blocking the Lions field goal which wasn't called. Nate Burelson was flagged not once, not twice but three times for offensive pass interference. Has there even been three OPIs called all season long? To me you can call offensive pass interference is 99 percent of the one on one jump balls and under throws, so why all of sudden was the crew working that game deciding to call every little hand check battle Nate got into? Conveniently enough they also missed the defensive pass interference on Nate which led to Stafford's only interception on the night. These were the calls and officiating when the Lions were irrelevant and the laughing stock of the league. Like I said I don't blame the officials so much but that was an awful officiated game.
Schwartz says it's on him to stop this "trend" of idiotic personal fouls let's just hope for our sake, his sake and the playoff's sake that the guys get the memo.
The Lions, one week after watching teammate Ndamukong Suh selfishly stomp on an opponent and put the team in a bad spot committed three more selfish and uncalled for personal fouls this week. It started early in the third quarter when rookie Titus Young tagged a Saints defender in the facemask while a referee was trying to separate the two. Instead of 3rd and 1 from New Orleans 5-yard line it became 3rd and 16. The Lions settled for a field goal and not a touchdown that they most likely would have scored. Young was benched for most of the game after this, seeing the field for a handful snaps when needed.
Then in the fourth quarter return man Stefan Logan flipped the football into the face of an opponent after a return. Logan who hasn't been an impact on returns this year has been understandably frustrated but this selfish act came back to haunt the Lions as they settled for a 55-yard field goal attempt. They missed and gave the Saints the ball on their own 45, the seven point game quickly became a 14 point game and was pretty much over. There's no guarantee the Lions drive like they did and kick a 40-yard field goal if Logan didn't get that penalty but it's still a dumb penalty to commit nonetheless.
And lastly Brandon Pettigrew picked up a personal foul for contact with an official as he shoved an official who was trying to separate him from a Saints defender. There's absolutely no excuse for what Pettigrew did here and while his penalty didn't cost the Lions points it did cost them position.
Head coach Jim Schwartz has said that the plan is to bench those who continue to make these selfish and costly penalties. If I were him or front office personnel you can bet that not only am I benching them but I am fining them whatever amount it is under the new CBA that I can. You thought Suh's suspension would have opened their eyes, it didn't so maybe this will.
Ultimately the Lions cost themselves the game with the Saints but I do have some qualms with the officiating in that game. Right before the half the Saints clearly jumped offsides en route to blocking the Lions field goal which wasn't called. Nate Burelson was flagged not once, not twice but three times for offensive pass interference. Has there even been three OPIs called all season long? To me you can call offensive pass interference is 99 percent of the one on one jump balls and under throws, so why all of sudden was the crew working that game deciding to call every little hand check battle Nate got into? Conveniently enough they also missed the defensive pass interference on Nate which led to Stafford's only interception on the night. These were the calls and officiating when the Lions were irrelevant and the laughing stock of the league. Like I said I don't blame the officials so much but that was an awful officiated game.
Schwartz says it's on him to stop this "trend" of idiotic personal fouls let's just hope for our sake, his sake and the playoff's sake that the guys get the memo.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Jags Fire Del Rio... Who's Next?
The Jacksonville Jaguars are the first of what could be many teams making changes to a coach on the hot seat by firing Jack Del Rio today. Del Rio was hired before the 03 season began and compiled a 68-70 record during his eight and a half seasons there. He won one playoff game but hasn't made the playoffs since 2007. It was no surprise that the Jags fired him, what with the team being 3-8 and Del Rio throwing his offensive coordinator under the bus the last two weeks. However the shock is that the Jags didn't wait until the end of the season. That that one hot chair has been put out, let's take a look at who might be next.
Andy Reid: Hard to imagine Reid in this position before the season started but with the Dream Team sitting at 4-7 and players (DeSean Jackson) running a muck Reid could be in serious trouble. The fans were chanting "FIRE ANDY" during this past week's embarrassing loss at home to New England. Reid's one saving grace is that team owner Jeffrey Lurie might show some loyalty to one of the most successful coaches in franchise history by giving him one more year.
Tom Coughlin: The New York Giants have been on the decline the last few weeks. They've lost their lead in the NFC East and trail Dallas by a game. At 6-5 they also fall one game short of the Wild Card. If the Giants blow their great start and miss the playoffs Coughlin might be on his way out too.
Jim Caldwell: Hard to believe the man with Peyton Manning as his QB could be fired but with no Peyton this year the Colts have no wins through Week 12. It's thought to be believed that one win could save Caldwell but an 0-16 season could mean a new coach with a new franchise QB.
Steve Spagnuolo: The Rams are 10-33 under Spagnuolo working on his third year with the club. The team has taken a huge step backwards from last year's season in which the Rams just missed winning the NFC West and making the playoffs. A strong finish could buy Spagnuolo one more year in the STL.
Norv Turner: Turner is believed to be a goner at the end of the year and rightfully so. This team has never reached their full potential under Turner and fails to win the big game when needed. Making the playoffs could save him but the Chargers are basically out of it after last week's crushing loss to Denver.
Tony Sparano: Most people thought Sparano was gone after last season when the team collapsed at the end of the season and missed the playoffs but owner Stephen Ross couldn't persuade Jim Harbaugh to come to Miami and was stuck with Sparano. After this all but disappointing season it's hard to see Sparano being the head coach in 2012.
These coaches could be next to go but only time will tell when.
Andy Reid: Hard to imagine Reid in this position before the season started but with the Dream Team sitting at 4-7 and players (DeSean Jackson) running a muck Reid could be in serious trouble. The fans were chanting "FIRE ANDY" during this past week's embarrassing loss at home to New England. Reid's one saving grace is that team owner Jeffrey Lurie might show some loyalty to one of the most successful coaches in franchise history by giving him one more year.
Tom Coughlin: The New York Giants have been on the decline the last few weeks. They've lost their lead in the NFC East and trail Dallas by a game. At 6-5 they also fall one game short of the Wild Card. If the Giants blow their great start and miss the playoffs Coughlin might be on his way out too.
Jim Caldwell: Hard to believe the man with Peyton Manning as his QB could be fired but with no Peyton this year the Colts have no wins through Week 12. It's thought to be believed that one win could save Caldwell but an 0-16 season could mean a new coach with a new franchise QB.
Steve Spagnuolo: The Rams are 10-33 under Spagnuolo working on his third year with the club. The team has taken a huge step backwards from last year's season in which the Rams just missed winning the NFC West and making the playoffs. A strong finish could buy Spagnuolo one more year in the STL.
Norv Turner: Turner is believed to be a goner at the end of the year and rightfully so. This team has never reached their full potential under Turner and fails to win the big game when needed. Making the playoffs could save him but the Chargers are basically out of it after last week's crushing loss to Denver.
Tony Sparano: Most people thought Sparano was gone after last season when the team collapsed at the end of the season and missed the playoffs but owner Stephen Ross couldn't persuade Jim Harbaugh to come to Miami and was stuck with Sparano. After this all but disappointing season it's hard to see Sparano being the head coach in 2012.
These coaches could be next to go but only time will tell when.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
What Is So Wrong With This Picture?
I'm going to preface this by saying some people might not like to hear what I'm about to say and I never play the "race card" but enough is enough already. Why is that the Lions mocking "Tebowing" and the comments they made about his performance drawing such attention?
I'll tell you why, it's because Tim Tebow is white male who stays out of trouble and openly crams his religion down you throat, not to mention the ladies think he has a cute smile. So why is he so special from every other man on an NFL roster, why is it you can't point that his mechanics are horrible, that he can't hit water with a pass if he were on a boat in the ocean, that he wasn't deserving of a first round draft pick? Now you can't even take a knee and pray if you play him because clearly Tebow was the first and only player to ever do that in a game.
People say that Stephen Tulloch, who was seen "Tebowing" over Tebow after a sack was mocking him and his religion. Here's what Tulloch had to say:
" “The fact that anyone could ever say that I’m mocking God is outrageous,” said Tulloch. “We were just having fun. If you watch the game, the guys that parachuted into the game ‘Tebowed’ as they came down. It’s a fad. “I was able to get to Tebow and sack him first, so I did it. It wasn’t out of disrespect, it was out of fun.” "
I don't like when athletes try to force their religion on me every time someone puts a microphone in their face, Kurt Warner was notorious for this. But you know what, Warner never ran and hid after a bad game he kept that forcing belief whether his team won or lost and whether he played great or awful. After Sunday's embarrassment of game, Tebow didn't want to say one thing about religion but only a week earlier it had everything to do with the Broncos comeback against a terrible Miami Dolphins team.
Where were people to cry outlandishly like this when Andre Ware was being dragged through the mud, when Akili Smith was busting, Charles Rogers JaMarcus Russell and Lawrence Phillips. Yeah sure, you laughed at Joey Harrington because Tony Siragusa basically questioned Harrington's sexuality when he mocked him for playing the piano and saying he probably enjoys strawberries and champagne. Everyone had a good time when Ryan Leaf blew up because in all honesty he was a bad QB on a bad team and he made things interesting with his temper. I don't recall anyone fighting for these guys.
Or how about when people openly mocked Shawne Merriman and his celebration. What about LaDanian Tomlinson and his TD celebration that teams love to mock when they play him? Those dumb enough to mock Ray Lewis end up paying the price because Lewis usually tags them pretty good but no one says anything. The only people to complain are the ones being jocked, sans Lewis. LT cried like a baby about but no one went on a mission to help him and crucify those who mocked he and Merriman.
To Tebow's credit, he came out and said he found nothing wrong with what happened. And it's not his fault that he isn't a good QB yet (although I don't see things getting a lot better), not his fault Denver foolishly traded up to get him in the first round. It is someone's fault though.
So you tell me, what's so wrong with this picture?
I'll tell you why, it's because Tim Tebow is white male who stays out of trouble and openly crams his religion down you throat, not to mention the ladies think he has a cute smile. So why is he so special from every other man on an NFL roster, why is it you can't point that his mechanics are horrible, that he can't hit water with a pass if he were on a boat in the ocean, that he wasn't deserving of a first round draft pick? Now you can't even take a knee and pray if you play him because clearly Tebow was the first and only player to ever do that in a game.
People say that Stephen Tulloch, who was seen "Tebowing" over Tebow after a sack was mocking him and his religion. Here's what Tulloch had to say:
" “The fact that anyone could ever say that I’m mocking God is outrageous,” said Tulloch. “We were just having fun. If you watch the game, the guys that parachuted into the game ‘Tebowed’ as they came down. It’s a fad. “I was able to get to Tebow and sack him first, so I did it. It wasn’t out of disrespect, it was out of fun.” "
I don't like when athletes try to force their religion on me every time someone puts a microphone in their face, Kurt Warner was notorious for this. But you know what, Warner never ran and hid after a bad game he kept that forcing belief whether his team won or lost and whether he played great or awful. After Sunday's embarrassment of game, Tebow didn't want to say one thing about religion but only a week earlier it had everything to do with the Broncos comeback against a terrible Miami Dolphins team.
Where were people to cry outlandishly like this when Andre Ware was being dragged through the mud, when Akili Smith was busting, Charles Rogers JaMarcus Russell and Lawrence Phillips. Yeah sure, you laughed at Joey Harrington because Tony Siragusa basically questioned Harrington's sexuality when he mocked him for playing the piano and saying he probably enjoys strawberries and champagne. Everyone had a good time when Ryan Leaf blew up because in all honesty he was a bad QB on a bad team and he made things interesting with his temper. I don't recall anyone fighting for these guys.
Or how about when people openly mocked Shawne Merriman and his celebration. What about LaDanian Tomlinson and his TD celebration that teams love to mock when they play him? Those dumb enough to mock Ray Lewis end up paying the price because Lewis usually tags them pretty good but no one says anything. The only people to complain are the ones being jocked, sans Lewis. LT cried like a baby about but no one went on a mission to help him and crucify those who mocked he and Merriman.
To Tebow's credit, he came out and said he found nothing wrong with what happened. And it's not his fault that he isn't a good QB yet (although I don't see things getting a lot better), not his fault Denver foolishly traded up to get him in the first round. It is someone's fault though.
So you tell me, what's so wrong with this picture?
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Why The Lions Should Embrace Their Role As The Bad Boys.
It's been a long time since Detroit Lions' fans could say their defense let alone the team has been walking around with a swagger. Now it would appear the Lions and their swagger have struck fear in not only the opposing team but the outside media too. Everyone outside of Detroit wants to label our defense as "dirty" or "classless" when in reality they aren't.
You say Ndamukong Suh is dirty, well then prove it. I'll give you last year's preseason hit on Jake Delhomme but other than that Suh has been a victim of his own strength. Getting flagged for unnecessary roughness for pushing Jay Cutler in his back last year was joke. Go ahead and tell me this was dirty, if you think that's dirty then football might not be for you.
Teams like the Atlanta Falcons have cried about Suh and Cliff Avril taunted Matt Ryan when he got hurt even saying Avril was kicking Ryan's feet as he cringed in pain. In the lead up to the Week 8 matchup with the Broncos, NFL.com posted a picture of Suh and Tim Tebow. The headline read "Good vs Evil", if the league if willing to give you this kind of cred might as well take it.
That's exactly what they did too as they made that game a nightmare then the controversy swirled again. Stephen Tulloch sacked Tebow and then struck Tebow's prayerful "pose" also known as "Tebowing". Let's get one thing straight, one, Tebow isn't the first player to drop to a knee and say a quick prayer. Two, Tulloch mocked the ridiculous movement not the player and if he was mocking the player that's fine too. Tebow is being paid to play this game just like Tulloch so why not mock the guy being made out to be the second coming of Christ and the greatest thing to football since the forward pass.
Tebow wouldn't be the first thing the Lions have mocked this year. Week 1, Tony Scheffler celebrated his touchdown against the Buccaneers by pretending to be a swashbuckling pirate. Week 2, Scheffler this time mocks the Chiefs by sending out smoke signals after a touchdown and Roary the mascot was temporarily blamed for Jamaal Charles tearing his ACL. Weeks 3 and 4, people took offense to Jim Schwartz's fist pump he threw after his team completed second half comebacks from 20 and 24 points down. Week 6 people questioned why Schwartz wouldn't just take Harbaugh's post game back slap and shove and let it go, here's a question, would you have been fine with it? Week 7 the Falcons cried like babies and falsely accuse the Lions of dirty play. And now Week 8, we had Tulloch and Scheffler both go "Tebowing" and Scheffler even threw in a Mile High Salute.
If this makes the Lions "dirty" and "classless" so be it but the Lions need to embrace it and run with it. They looked completely different this past week after that fire had been lit underneath them as opposed to Weeks 6 and 7 when they lost to San Francisco and Atlanta and looked to be swaggerless. People don't like change, they like having the Lions as the laughingstock of the NFL and now that the Lions are willing to hit you in the mouth and let you know about it people are scared. People outside of Detroit should get acquainted with this because these Lions aren't backing down from it.
You say Ndamukong Suh is dirty, well then prove it. I'll give you last year's preseason hit on Jake Delhomme but other than that Suh has been a victim of his own strength. Getting flagged for unnecessary roughness for pushing Jay Cutler in his back last year was joke. Go ahead and tell me this was dirty, if you think that's dirty then football might not be for you.
Teams like the Atlanta Falcons have cried about Suh and Cliff Avril taunted Matt Ryan when he got hurt even saying Avril was kicking Ryan's feet as he cringed in pain. In the lead up to the Week 8 matchup with the Broncos, NFL.com posted a picture of Suh and Tim Tebow. The headline read "Good vs Evil", if the league if willing to give you this kind of cred might as well take it.
That's exactly what they did too as they made that game a nightmare then the controversy swirled again. Stephen Tulloch sacked Tebow and then struck Tebow's prayerful "pose" also known as "Tebowing". Let's get one thing straight, one, Tebow isn't the first player to drop to a knee and say a quick prayer. Two, Tulloch mocked the ridiculous movement not the player and if he was mocking the player that's fine too. Tebow is being paid to play this game just like Tulloch so why not mock the guy being made out to be the second coming of Christ and the greatest thing to football since the forward pass.
Tebow wouldn't be the first thing the Lions have mocked this year. Week 1, Tony Scheffler celebrated his touchdown against the Buccaneers by pretending to be a swashbuckling pirate. Week 2, Scheffler this time mocks the Chiefs by sending out smoke signals after a touchdown and Roary the mascot was temporarily blamed for Jamaal Charles tearing his ACL. Weeks 3 and 4, people took offense to Jim Schwartz's fist pump he threw after his team completed second half comebacks from 20 and 24 points down. Week 6 people questioned why Schwartz wouldn't just take Harbaugh's post game back slap and shove and let it go, here's a question, would you have been fine with it? Week 7 the Falcons cried like babies and falsely accuse the Lions of dirty play. And now Week 8, we had Tulloch and Scheffler both go "Tebowing" and Scheffler even threw in a Mile High Salute.
If this makes the Lions "dirty" and "classless" so be it but the Lions need to embrace it and run with it. They looked completely different this past week after that fire had been lit underneath them as opposed to Weeks 6 and 7 when they lost to San Francisco and Atlanta and looked to be swaggerless. People don't like change, they like having the Lions as the laughingstock of the NFL and now that the Lions are willing to hit you in the mouth and let you know about it people are scared. People outside of Detroit should get acquainted with this because these Lions aren't backing down from it.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Stanley Cup Finals
Oh how I should have known better than to pick the San Jose Sharks to win the Stanley Cup, thus making my prediction useless. The Sharks and Canucks have been known as choke artists lately in the playoffs, unfortunately I picked the wrong ones to bust out of that role. The Canucks dismantled the Sharks in 5 games deserve to be playing for Lord Stanley's Cup. Meanwhile I still have the Boston Bruins playing for the Cup, like I predicted as they needed 7 games to squeak by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tim Thomas played phenomenal and if the Bruins win has to be strongly considered for the Conn Smythe trophy.
Before we breakdown the final matchup, I am 12-2 these playoffs but I am missing the key piece to the puzzle, my Stanley Cup winners, the San Jose Sharks.
3. Boston Bruins v 1. Vancouver Canucks
The Boston Bruins have gotten to the Stanley Cup finals by piggybacking Tim Thomas, to win they'll continue to do that but they're going to need help. They'll need to stay out of the penalty box and the Canucks punished the Sharks whenever they were given the opportunity including back-to-back-to-back 5 on 3 power play goals in one game. Another thing they'll need their power play to show up as so far this postseason the Bruins 5 for 61 (8.2%). The Bruins need to cash in on a some of those opportunities because the Canucks are the more talented team. Finally if the Bruins plan on winning the Cup they'll need to be the more aggressive and physical team because if Vancouver's skilled guys are skating freely without taking hits it'll be a quick series for Boston.
The Vancouver Canucks got some good news during their time off before the Stanley Cup finals, forward Manny Malhotra has been cleared to return to the team after taking a puck in the eye on March 16th. The Canucks jumped all over the Sharks in the Western Finals as they won in 5 games in dominating fashion. They did it on the power play, even strength and penalty kill. They got scoring from guys not named Sedin or Kesler and their defense was active too. Lastly they neutralized the Sharks talent by being the more physical team, enabling them to shutdown Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. Did I mention Roberto Luongo? He's totally put that disaster of a first round behind him and has looked near unbeatable at times. If the Canucks continue to play like they have these playoffs they can make fans forget about that 1994 crushing defeat to the New York Rangers.
Vancouver Canucks in 6.
Before we breakdown the final matchup, I am 12-2 these playoffs but I am missing the key piece to the puzzle, my Stanley Cup winners, the San Jose Sharks.
3. Boston Bruins v 1. Vancouver Canucks
The Boston Bruins have gotten to the Stanley Cup finals by piggybacking Tim Thomas, to win they'll continue to do that but they're going to need help. They'll need to stay out of the penalty box and the Canucks punished the Sharks whenever they were given the opportunity including back-to-back-to-back 5 on 3 power play goals in one game. Another thing they'll need their power play to show up as so far this postseason the Bruins 5 for 61 (8.2%). The Bruins need to cash in on a some of those opportunities because the Canucks are the more talented team. Finally if the Bruins plan on winning the Cup they'll need to be the more aggressive and physical team because if Vancouver's skilled guys are skating freely without taking hits it'll be a quick series for Boston.
The Vancouver Canucks got some good news during their time off before the Stanley Cup finals, forward Manny Malhotra has been cleared to return to the team after taking a puck in the eye on March 16th. The Canucks jumped all over the Sharks in the Western Finals as they won in 5 games in dominating fashion. They did it on the power play, even strength and penalty kill. They got scoring from guys not named Sedin or Kesler and their defense was active too. Lastly they neutralized the Sharks talent by being the more physical team, enabling them to shutdown Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. Did I mention Roberto Luongo? He's totally put that disaster of a first round behind him and has looked near unbeatable at times. If the Canucks continue to play like they have these playoffs they can make fans forget about that 1994 crushing defeat to the New York Rangers.
Vancouver Canucks in 6.
Monday, May 30, 2011
The Check Swing: 2 Months Gone and Suprises Everywhere
Today is Memorial Day in the United States, which means that the baseball season in two months deep. I'm not sure what's more surprising, the fact that the Indians hold a six game lead in the AL Central, the Arizona Diamondbacks taking the lead in the NL West or the fact that Boston is in first so quickly after their horrible start to the season. In the other spectrum, who could have foreseen the Minnesota Twins or Chicago White Sox playing so poorly at this point? The Twins rank near the bottom in every major statistic category in the AL. How about the tight race in the AL West as every team is one and a half games back or less. Just an absolute crazy season so far.
One topic that has been bumped up by baseball is collisions at home plate after Buster Posey had his season end earlier this week on that very play. Later in the week we would see Prince Fielder collide with the Giants backup, Eli Whiteside and Ryan Roberts injured Astros' catcher Humberto Quintero. Quintero has been place on the 15-day DL with a right ankle sprain. Now people are talking about taking the play out of the game but to me, if MLB didn't do it after Pete Rose plowed Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star Game then how can they do it now? I mean Fosse was never the same after the collision and subsequent broken bone in his left shoulder killed his swing. The collision is part of the game whether MLB and the fans like it or not.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 29-24, 1st NL West. For the first time since Sept. 5, 2008 the D'Backs are in first place in the NL West. The D'Backs have been the hottest team in baseball the last two weeks as they've gone 14-2 since May 14th to overcome a 5 1/2 deficit in the West.
Atlanta Braves: 30-24, 3.5 GB 3rd NL East. Jair Jurrjens is leading all of baseball among starting pitchers in ERA with an outstanding 1.51. Jurrjens has allowed 11 earned runs in his nine starts this season and in no start has he allowed more than two earned runs.
Baltimore Orioles: 24-27, 5 GB 5th AL East. As if things couldn't get any worse for Baltimore, they lost center fielder Adam Jones Sunday to a sore right shoulder. No word on how serious of an injury it is, but skipper Buck Showalter doesn't think it'll be too serious.
Boston Red Sox: 30-23, 1st AL East. David Ortiz hit a pinch-hit game-winning home run in game one of Sunday's double header to give the Sox a 4-3 win over the Tigers. The last time Ortiz hit a pinch-hit home run came April 27, 2003 which just so happened to be his first as a Red Sox.
Chicago Cubs: 23-28, 7.5 GB 5th NL Central. Here's how badly the Cubs starting pitching has been this year, last year they led the league in quality starts. Yesterday was only their 17th quality start of the season, good for dead last this year.
Chicago White Sox: 24-31, 9.5 GB 4th AL Central. Ozzie Guillen seemingly lost his mind this weekend in Toronto. After Saturday's loss in a 14-inning game the manager ripped his team then before Sunday's game he ripped the fans and his critics. To say Ozzie is feeling some heat woud be an understatement.
Cincinnati Reds: 27-27, 5 GB 3rd NL Central. The Reds are coming off a rough 2-8 10-game road trip which saw them play a 19-inning game and a 12-inning game. However one Red not struggling is Jay Bruce who hit his NL leading 15th home run last night. In May, Bruce has hit 11 home runs with 29 RBI.
Cleveland Indians: 31-19, 1st AL Central. The Indians got Grady Sizemore back this week but perhaps the guy they miss even more is Travis Hafner. Since Hafner has been out of the lineup the Indians have gone 5-6 and have been shutout three times. In seven of the 11 games he has missed, the team had scored two or fewer runs.
Colorado Rockies: 25-27, 3.5 GB 3rd NL West. When it rains it pours and Colorado is finding that out the hard way. In the midst of some horrible baseball, the Rockies lost their top starter, Jorge De La Rosa to a torn ulnar collateral ligament in the left elbow. He's expected to have Tommy John this week and be out until next summer.
Detroit Tigers: 26-26, 6 GB 2nd AL Central. After the 2009 season the Tigers decided to let Placido Polanco go because of the amount of talent they thought they had at second base. So far that decision has been awful, the guy thought to replace him Scott Sizemore was traded away on Friday and the likes of Will Rhymes, Danny Worth and Carlos Guillen have failed to hold down the spot. The team hopes Ryan Raburn can now fill the hole but the team may want to look at Ramon Santiago who should do enough to get them by until the offseason.
Florida Marlins: 30-21, 2 GB 2nd NL East. Logan Morrison extended his reaching base safely streak to 30 games on Sunday when he doubled in the seventh inning. Bad news for the Marlins is shortstop Hanley Ramirez had leave Sunday's game in the second inning with lower back stiffness.
Houston Astros: 19-34, 12.5 GB 6th NL Central. The Astros placed starter Wandy Rodriguez on the the 15-day DL this week and have turned to 20-year old Jordan Lyles to take his place in the rotation. Lyles is considered to be the Astros top pitching prospect.
Kansas City Royals: 23-29, 9 GB 3rd AL Central. What's going on with Joakim Soria these days? Soria blew his fourth save in 11 chances on Sunday which is odd because prior to this year, Soria had never blown more than three in a season. That being said manager Ned Yost is sticking with Soria as his closer for now.
Los Angeles Angels: 28-27, 1 GB 2nd AL West. Things aren't going well for some Angels players on the DL. Vernon Wells out since May 9th with a groin pull still can't run much, Kendrys Morales just had a second surgery including a bone graft for ankle his snapped off last year and Scott Kazmir got rocked in his first rehab start in AAA Salt Lake.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 24-30, 5.5 GB 4th NL West. Clayton Kershaw has been one of the lone bright spots for the Dodgers this season. Kershaw (6-3) picked up his second complete game shutout Sunday in the 8-0 win over Florida and is picking up All-Star considerations. He ranks top ten in every major NL pitching stat including first in strikeouts.
Milwaukee Brewers: 29-24, 2.5 GB 2nd NL Central. Most Brewers fans were excited about the chance to see Zach Greinke pitch, now they might get excited about seeing him bat too. Greinke hit his second home run of his career and first since 2005. Greinke was also considered a great prospect in the field too before signing to pitch with the Royals.
Minnesota Twins: 17-34, 14.5 GB 5th AL Central. Joe Nathan was placed on the 15-day DL with inflammation in his right forearm, the Twins were told by Nathan's surgeon who performed the Tommy John surgery on him last year that this isn't uncommon.
New York Mets: 24-28, 8.5 GB 4th NL East. Jose Reyes is leading all of baseball with his 76 hits on the season which is good news for the Mets as it seems like they probably won't re-sign him this offseason. But if Reyes continues to play like this, the Mets could cash in nicely on him come July 31st.
New York Yankees: 28-23, 1 GB 2nd AL East. Quite the weekend for Yankees captain Derek Jeter this weekend. First he passed Rickey Henderson as the Yankees all-time leader in stolen bases with 327. Then he went 1 for 3 Sunday leaving himself 20 hits away from 3,000 in his career.
Oakland Athletics: 27-27, 1.5 GB 4th AL West. The A's might be able to put their closer controversy to rest soon as they activated two time All-Star Andrew Bailey off the DL. The A's plan to move slowly with Bailey before putting him in the closer role again.
Philadelphia Phillies: 33-20, 1st NL East. Wilson Valdez became the second player ever to start a game as a position player only to end up as the game's winning pitcher when he pitched a scoreless 19th inning Wednesday. The other player to do it, Babe Ruth.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 24-27, 6.5 GB 4th NL Central. On Sunday the Pittsburgh Pirates lost their catcher Ryan Doumit, who was believed to be a possible trade bait material for the San Francisco Giants. Doumit injured his ankle when Carlos Pena slid hard into him on a play at the plate.
San Diego Padres: 22-31, 7 GB 5th NL West. For the second time this month, one of the Padres better starters picked up his first win with Tim Stauffer getting his on Saturday. Stauffer is 1-3 with a 3.60 ERA this season and the Padres are 6-5 in his starts.
San Francisco Giants: 28-24, 0.5 GB 2nd NL West. If you live under a rock then you probably missed Buster Posey breaking his ankle on a collision play at the plate Wednesday night. Posey had ankle surgery the other day to fix two ligaments and is done for the year. He's is however, thought to be ready by the 2012 opener.
Seattle Mariners: 26-26, 1.5 GB 3rd AL West. Before Sunday the M's had won nine of their last 10 and fans were so happy about the streak they decided to go streaking themselves. On Saturday, four separate fans went streaking during the Yankees Mariners game, including one guy who made a naked b-line for Derek Jeter.
St. Louis Cardinals: 32-22, 1st NL Central. Kyle Lohse is tied for the league lead with seven wins this season, what's more impressive is the fact that Lohse has had to overcome injuries the last two years which saw him win a combined 10 games. Lohse should surpass that total if he stays healthy.
Tampa Bay Rays: 28-24, 1.5 GB 3rd AL East. Evan Longoria had been struggling mightily in the cleanup spot as of late and figured he'd drop a few spots in the lineup. Instead on Saturday, Joe Maddon moved Longoria into the leadoff spot. In the two games there, he's been on base 10 times hitting 4 for 7 with three walks with a homer and a double to boot.
Texas Rangers: 28-25, 1st AL West. Mike Napoli might have taken advantage of the recent rash of catchers getting hurt on collisions at home plate with his play on Sunday. Royals catcher Brayan Pena had the plate blocked but appeared to brace for a collision when Napoli slid and caught him off guard. Can you blame Pena for not wanting to get plowed by Napoli?
Toronto Blue Jays: 27-26, 3 GB 4th AL East. Tonight Jo-Jo Reyes will attempt to make avoid making history for all the wrong reasons. Reyes has gone winless in his last 28 starts which has tied the record and if he fails to get the win tonight at home against Cleveland he'll have the record to himself.
Washington Nationals: 22-30, 10.5 GB 5th NL East. Closer Drew Storen has seen his 21-scoreless inning streak go by the wayside. Sunday Storen took his second loss on the season and has allowed runs in each of his last three appearances.
Until next week... FIRE LEYLAND!
One topic that has been bumped up by baseball is collisions at home plate after Buster Posey had his season end earlier this week on that very play. Later in the week we would see Prince Fielder collide with the Giants backup, Eli Whiteside and Ryan Roberts injured Astros' catcher Humberto Quintero. Quintero has been place on the 15-day DL with a right ankle sprain. Now people are talking about taking the play out of the game but to me, if MLB didn't do it after Pete Rose plowed Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star Game then how can they do it now? I mean Fosse was never the same after the collision and subsequent broken bone in his left shoulder killed his swing. The collision is part of the game whether MLB and the fans like it or not.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 29-24, 1st NL West. For the first time since Sept. 5, 2008 the D'Backs are in first place in the NL West. The D'Backs have been the hottest team in baseball the last two weeks as they've gone 14-2 since May 14th to overcome a 5 1/2 deficit in the West.
Atlanta Braves: 30-24, 3.5 GB 3rd NL East. Jair Jurrjens is leading all of baseball among starting pitchers in ERA with an outstanding 1.51. Jurrjens has allowed 11 earned runs in his nine starts this season and in no start has he allowed more than two earned runs.
Baltimore Orioles: 24-27, 5 GB 5th AL East. As if things couldn't get any worse for Baltimore, they lost center fielder Adam Jones Sunday to a sore right shoulder. No word on how serious of an injury it is, but skipper Buck Showalter doesn't think it'll be too serious.
Boston Red Sox: 30-23, 1st AL East. David Ortiz hit a pinch-hit game-winning home run in game one of Sunday's double header to give the Sox a 4-3 win over the Tigers. The last time Ortiz hit a pinch-hit home run came April 27, 2003 which just so happened to be his first as a Red Sox.
Chicago Cubs: 23-28, 7.5 GB 5th NL Central. Here's how badly the Cubs starting pitching has been this year, last year they led the league in quality starts. Yesterday was only their 17th quality start of the season, good for dead last this year.
Chicago White Sox: 24-31, 9.5 GB 4th AL Central. Ozzie Guillen seemingly lost his mind this weekend in Toronto. After Saturday's loss in a 14-inning game the manager ripped his team then before Sunday's game he ripped the fans and his critics. To say Ozzie is feeling some heat woud be an understatement.
Cincinnati Reds: 27-27, 5 GB 3rd NL Central. The Reds are coming off a rough 2-8 10-game road trip which saw them play a 19-inning game and a 12-inning game. However one Red not struggling is Jay Bruce who hit his NL leading 15th home run last night. In May, Bruce has hit 11 home runs with 29 RBI.
Cleveland Indians: 31-19, 1st AL Central. The Indians got Grady Sizemore back this week but perhaps the guy they miss even more is Travis Hafner. Since Hafner has been out of the lineup the Indians have gone 5-6 and have been shutout three times. In seven of the 11 games he has missed, the team had scored two or fewer runs.
Colorado Rockies: 25-27, 3.5 GB 3rd NL West. When it rains it pours and Colorado is finding that out the hard way. In the midst of some horrible baseball, the Rockies lost their top starter, Jorge De La Rosa to a torn ulnar collateral ligament in the left elbow. He's expected to have Tommy John this week and be out until next summer.
Detroit Tigers: 26-26, 6 GB 2nd AL Central. After the 2009 season the Tigers decided to let Placido Polanco go because of the amount of talent they thought they had at second base. So far that decision has been awful, the guy thought to replace him Scott Sizemore was traded away on Friday and the likes of Will Rhymes, Danny Worth and Carlos Guillen have failed to hold down the spot. The team hopes Ryan Raburn can now fill the hole but the team may want to look at Ramon Santiago who should do enough to get them by until the offseason.
Florida Marlins: 30-21, 2 GB 2nd NL East. Logan Morrison extended his reaching base safely streak to 30 games on Sunday when he doubled in the seventh inning. Bad news for the Marlins is shortstop Hanley Ramirez had leave Sunday's game in the second inning with lower back stiffness.
Houston Astros: 19-34, 12.5 GB 6th NL Central. The Astros placed starter Wandy Rodriguez on the the 15-day DL this week and have turned to 20-year old Jordan Lyles to take his place in the rotation. Lyles is considered to be the Astros top pitching prospect.
Kansas City Royals: 23-29, 9 GB 3rd AL Central. What's going on with Joakim Soria these days? Soria blew his fourth save in 11 chances on Sunday which is odd because prior to this year, Soria had never blown more than three in a season. That being said manager Ned Yost is sticking with Soria as his closer for now.
Los Angeles Angels: 28-27, 1 GB 2nd AL West. Things aren't going well for some Angels players on the DL. Vernon Wells out since May 9th with a groin pull still can't run much, Kendrys Morales just had a second surgery including a bone graft for ankle his snapped off last year and Scott Kazmir got rocked in his first rehab start in AAA Salt Lake.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 24-30, 5.5 GB 4th NL West. Clayton Kershaw has been one of the lone bright spots for the Dodgers this season. Kershaw (6-3) picked up his second complete game shutout Sunday in the 8-0 win over Florida and is picking up All-Star considerations. He ranks top ten in every major NL pitching stat including first in strikeouts.
Milwaukee Brewers: 29-24, 2.5 GB 2nd NL Central. Most Brewers fans were excited about the chance to see Zach Greinke pitch, now they might get excited about seeing him bat too. Greinke hit his second home run of his career and first since 2005. Greinke was also considered a great prospect in the field too before signing to pitch with the Royals.
Minnesota Twins: 17-34, 14.5 GB 5th AL Central. Joe Nathan was placed on the 15-day DL with inflammation in his right forearm, the Twins were told by Nathan's surgeon who performed the Tommy John surgery on him last year that this isn't uncommon.
New York Mets: 24-28, 8.5 GB 4th NL East. Jose Reyes is leading all of baseball with his 76 hits on the season which is good news for the Mets as it seems like they probably won't re-sign him this offseason. But if Reyes continues to play like this, the Mets could cash in nicely on him come July 31st.
New York Yankees: 28-23, 1 GB 2nd AL East. Quite the weekend for Yankees captain Derek Jeter this weekend. First he passed Rickey Henderson as the Yankees all-time leader in stolen bases with 327. Then he went 1 for 3 Sunday leaving himself 20 hits away from 3,000 in his career.
Oakland Athletics: 27-27, 1.5 GB 4th AL West. The A's might be able to put their closer controversy to rest soon as they activated two time All-Star Andrew Bailey off the DL. The A's plan to move slowly with Bailey before putting him in the closer role again.
Philadelphia Phillies: 33-20, 1st NL East. Wilson Valdez became the second player ever to start a game as a position player only to end up as the game's winning pitcher when he pitched a scoreless 19th inning Wednesday. The other player to do it, Babe Ruth.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 24-27, 6.5 GB 4th NL Central. On Sunday the Pittsburgh Pirates lost their catcher Ryan Doumit, who was believed to be a possible trade bait material for the San Francisco Giants. Doumit injured his ankle when Carlos Pena slid hard into him on a play at the plate.
San Diego Padres: 22-31, 7 GB 5th NL West. For the second time this month, one of the Padres better starters picked up his first win with Tim Stauffer getting his on Saturday. Stauffer is 1-3 with a 3.60 ERA this season and the Padres are 6-5 in his starts.
San Francisco Giants: 28-24, 0.5 GB 2nd NL West. If you live under a rock then you probably missed Buster Posey breaking his ankle on a collision play at the plate Wednesday night. Posey had ankle surgery the other day to fix two ligaments and is done for the year. He's is however, thought to be ready by the 2012 opener.
Seattle Mariners: 26-26, 1.5 GB 3rd AL West. Before Sunday the M's had won nine of their last 10 and fans were so happy about the streak they decided to go streaking themselves. On Saturday, four separate fans went streaking during the Yankees Mariners game, including one guy who made a naked b-line for Derek Jeter.
St. Louis Cardinals: 32-22, 1st NL Central. Kyle Lohse is tied for the league lead with seven wins this season, what's more impressive is the fact that Lohse has had to overcome injuries the last two years which saw him win a combined 10 games. Lohse should surpass that total if he stays healthy.
Tampa Bay Rays: 28-24, 1.5 GB 3rd AL East. Evan Longoria had been struggling mightily in the cleanup spot as of late and figured he'd drop a few spots in the lineup. Instead on Saturday, Joe Maddon moved Longoria into the leadoff spot. In the two games there, he's been on base 10 times hitting 4 for 7 with three walks with a homer and a double to boot.
Texas Rangers: 28-25, 1st AL West. Mike Napoli might have taken advantage of the recent rash of catchers getting hurt on collisions at home plate with his play on Sunday. Royals catcher Brayan Pena had the plate blocked but appeared to brace for a collision when Napoli slid and caught him off guard. Can you blame Pena for not wanting to get plowed by Napoli?
Toronto Blue Jays: 27-26, 3 GB 4th AL East. Tonight Jo-Jo Reyes will attempt to make avoid making history for all the wrong reasons. Reyes has gone winless in his last 28 starts which has tied the record and if he fails to get the win tonight at home against Cleveland he'll have the record to himself.
Washington Nationals: 22-30, 10.5 GB 5th NL East. Closer Drew Storen has seen his 21-scoreless inning streak go by the wayside. Sunday Storen took his second loss on the season and has allowed runs in each of his last three appearances.
Until next week... FIRE LEYLAND!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
How To Fix The Detroit Red Wings
The 2011 Detroit Red Wings had their season end in a near similar fashion to the 2010 season, a semi-final knockout at the hands of the San Jose Sharks. The one glaring difference between last year's playoff run and this one's was the goaltending as Jimmy Howard proved that he's ready to take this team forward. The Wings were second in the league in scoring goals while they ranked 23rd in goals allowed, the main problem for the Wings in the regular season was inconsistent play from their defense and Jimmy Howard. Both seemed to improve in the playoffs when the Wings cut their goals against to 2.48 opposed to the 2.84 they were allowing in the regular season.
Taking a look at what the Wings have coming back from their 2011 team.
Forward: Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, Dan Cleary, Todd Bertuzzi, Valterri Filppula, Jiri Hudler, Tomas Holmstrom, Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader.
Defense: Niklas Kronwall, Brad Stuart, Jakub Kindl.
Goalie: Jimmy Howard
The Wings have some decisions to make and some money to spend now that Brian Rafalski is expected to announce his retirement tomorrow. Factor that money with the cap expected to jump anywhere from one to four million dollars next year and the possibility of Nicklas Lidstrom retiring too and the Wings can seriously hit the market. The team is likely to bring back Patrick Eaves and Drew Miller, both forwards who do their damage on the third and forth line and killing penalties. But their real attention needs to be aimed at improving the defense. Mike Modano and Kris Draper are unlikely to return to the team.
Jonathan Ericsson has reportedly turned down a two million dollar per year deal and is likely to walk after failing to develop into a big, physical defenseman. They'll wait on captain Nick Lidstrom to make his decision on retirement or returning for his 20th season. The team could very well let Jakub Kindl and Brendan Smith both play on the blue line next year especially after Kindl blossomed post all-star break. The Wings could make a play at Shea Weber but he's a restricted free agent and Nashville has a chance to match any offer. Nashville has also been on record saying that they will in fact match any offer.
If the Wings can't land Weber there are plenty of other possible replacements. Some top unrestricted defensemen: Andrei Markov, Scott Hannan, Eric Brewer, Tomas Kaberle, Joni Pitkanen, Kevin Bieksa, James Wisniewski, Christian Ehrhoff and Ian White. The salaries on those gusys were three million or higher, so it is highly unlikely the Wings would sign more than one of those guys. Some cheaper UFAs include: Shane O'Brien, Hal Gill, Steve Montador and Kent Huskins.
The Wings could go after some restricted free agents the likes of: ATL Zach Bogosian ($3.3 mil), CHI Chris Campoli ($1.4 mil), COL Matt Hunwick (1.45 mil), EDM Ladislav Smid ($1.3 mil), LAK Alec Martinez ($875,000) and PHX Keith Yandle ($1.2 mil). Now the problem with going after RFAs is the team they came from can choose to match any offer they are given. And if you do sign a RFA compensation usually costs you a draft pick, usually first round picks and sometimes multiple first rounders.
One last problem is finding a backup goalie because Chris Osgood and Joey MacDonald are both free agents. They'll have to decide if it's worth the risk to re-sign either of them. Osgood is aging and missed the last half of the year due to a sports hernia surgery. Meanwhile, MacDonald has been a life long minor league goalie while spending some small amount of time in the NHL with a handful of teams.
If I were Ken Holland I'd try to target one defenseman on each of those lists and with the near 14-20 million the Wings will have to spend this offseason it shouldn't be too hard for Holland to revamp this team. But his main focus needs to be defense and a backup goalie.
Taking a look at what the Wings have coming back from their 2011 team.
Forward: Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, Dan Cleary, Todd Bertuzzi, Valterri Filppula, Jiri Hudler, Tomas Holmstrom, Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader.
Defense: Niklas Kronwall, Brad Stuart, Jakub Kindl.
Goalie: Jimmy Howard
The Wings have some decisions to make and some money to spend now that Brian Rafalski is expected to announce his retirement tomorrow. Factor that money with the cap expected to jump anywhere from one to four million dollars next year and the possibility of Nicklas Lidstrom retiring too and the Wings can seriously hit the market. The team is likely to bring back Patrick Eaves and Drew Miller, both forwards who do their damage on the third and forth line and killing penalties. But their real attention needs to be aimed at improving the defense. Mike Modano and Kris Draper are unlikely to return to the team.
Jonathan Ericsson has reportedly turned down a two million dollar per year deal and is likely to walk after failing to develop into a big, physical defenseman. They'll wait on captain Nick Lidstrom to make his decision on retirement or returning for his 20th season. The team could very well let Jakub Kindl and Brendan Smith both play on the blue line next year especially after Kindl blossomed post all-star break. The Wings could make a play at Shea Weber but he's a restricted free agent and Nashville has a chance to match any offer. Nashville has also been on record saying that they will in fact match any offer.
If the Wings can't land Weber there are plenty of other possible replacements. Some top unrestricted defensemen: Andrei Markov, Scott Hannan, Eric Brewer, Tomas Kaberle, Joni Pitkanen, Kevin Bieksa, James Wisniewski, Christian Ehrhoff and Ian White. The salaries on those gusys were three million or higher, so it is highly unlikely the Wings would sign more than one of those guys. Some cheaper UFAs include: Shane O'Brien, Hal Gill, Steve Montador and Kent Huskins.
The Wings could go after some restricted free agents the likes of: ATL Zach Bogosian ($3.3 mil), CHI Chris Campoli ($1.4 mil), COL Matt Hunwick (1.45 mil), EDM Ladislav Smid ($1.3 mil), LAK Alec Martinez ($875,000) and PHX Keith Yandle ($1.2 mil). Now the problem with going after RFAs is the team they came from can choose to match any offer they are given. And if you do sign a RFA compensation usually costs you a draft pick, usually first round picks and sometimes multiple first rounders.
One last problem is finding a backup goalie because Chris Osgood and Joey MacDonald are both free agents. They'll have to decide if it's worth the risk to re-sign either of them. Osgood is aging and missed the last half of the year due to a sports hernia surgery. Meanwhile, MacDonald has been a life long minor league goalie while spending some small amount of time in the NHL with a handful of teams.
If I were Ken Holland I'd try to target one defenseman on each of those lists and with the near 14-20 million the Wings will have to spend this offseason it shouldn't be too hard for Holland to revamp this team. But his main focus needs to be defense and a backup goalie.
Monday, May 23, 2011
The Check Swing: The Day of the DL.
Seems like Monday, May 23rd is the day of the DL for many big names throughout the MLB, either going on it or coming off. Some notable players returning to their teams from the DL include Chase Utley, Jim Thome, Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz. Meanwhile one big name, Jason Heyward hit the DL today while Aroldis Chapman, Josh Johnson, Marlon Byrd and David Wright all hit the DL earlier in the week.
In case you live under a rock, the legendary Twins player Harmon Killebrew passed away from esophageal cancer this past week. Killebrew was an all-star at three different positions in his career: third base, first base and left field. In his 22-year career Killebrew hit 573 home runs good for 11th all-time, was the 1969 AL MVP and has been rumored as the iconic figure for the MLB logo.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 23-23, 4 GB 3rd NL West. The Diamondbacks are at the .500 clip for the first time since April 20th but the bigger news is that earlier in the week the D'Backs designated Armando Galarraga for assignment and as of today no one has tried to claim his rights. Bad luck for Mr. Near Perfection.
Atlanta Braves: 26-23, 3.5 GB 3rd NL East. Brian McCann became the second player in history to hit a pinch-hit game tying home run in the 9th inning and later in the game hit the walk-off home run to win the game. That was the good news, the bad news is Jason Heyward's sore right shoulder landed him on the DL. Tim Hudson and Nate McLouth could soon be joining him too.
Baltimore Orioles: 21-24, 4 GB 5th AL East. The O's are the only team in the AL East under .500 and things might get worse before they get better. Brian Roberts is going to see a concussion specialists and if you remember Roberts missed the last couple of weeks of the 2010 season with a concussion.
Boston Red Sox: 25-21, 0.5 GB 3rd AL East. Remember when people said David Ortiz couldn't hit? Or when the Red Sox seemingly couldn't win a game this season? Yeah those days are long gone as the Sox are only a half game back for first in the East. And Ortiz became the fifth player to hit 300 home runs as a Red Sox.
Chicago Cubs: 20-25, 6.5 GB 5th NL Central. For the first time since 1918 the Chicago Cubs visited Fenway Park and after this weekend series they might not want to go back... ever. Jeff Baker suffered a mild groin strain, Matt Garza was scratched from his start Sunday and Marlon Byrd suffered facial fractures after being hit in the face Saturday night.
Chicago White Sox: 22-26, 9 GB 4th AL Central. The White Sox seem to be heating up along with the weather after going 11-4 in their last 15. Jake Peavy threw a complete game shutout earlier in the week showing all signs of being healthy. But Adam Dunn is an awful 0 for 30 vs left handed pitching this year.
Cincinnati Reds: 25-22, 2.5 GB 2nd NL Central. Aroldis Chapman and his arm have hit the DL with inflammation, that's never good. But what's worse is starter Edinson Volquez and his 6.35 ERA calling out his offense. Volquez had this to say, "Everybody has to step up, start to score some runs. In the last five games, how many runs have we scored? Like 13? That's not the way we were playing last year. We're better than that." Volquez may want to recount, they've scored 12 runs not 13.
Cleveland Indians: 29-15, 1st AL Central. Even without Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner the Indians continue to win, earning the nickname the WINdians. One reason why is shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera who is doing it at the plate and in the field. Sunday he became the fifth shortstop to record five hits with two home runs and five RBI since 1920. And on Thursday night he gave us the new defensive play of the year with this gem.
Colorado Rockies: 23-22, 3.5 GB 2nd NL West. Jason Giambi hit his first career 3-HR game this week in Philadelphia driving in all seven of the Rockies runs in a 7-5 victory. That was the Rockies only win on a five game road trip to Philly and Milwaukee. They lost three of those four games by one run and the other by two.
Detroit Tigers: 23-23, 7 GB 2nd AL Central. Rick Porcello had a chance to get his first career complete game shutout Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh, throwing 84 pitches through eight innings. Skipper Jim Leyland opted to go to closer Jose Valverde who converted his 11th save in 11 opportunities making his manager look good. On a side note, Porcello picked up his third career hit Sunday, the other two came in a start he made in 2009 also in Pittsburgh.
Florida Marlins: 26-19, 1.5 GB 2nd NL East. Josh Johnson leads the majors in ERA with a 1.64 but he's headed to the DL with shoulder inflammation. Johnson says he's been pitching with some discomfort since Spring Training. Reason not to be concerned is the Marlins say this isn't the same injury that forced him to be shut down for the last three weeks of the season.
Houston Astros: 17-30, 10.5 GB 6th NL Central. The Astros snapped their six series losing streak this weekend taking two of three from the Blue Jays in Toronto. It's also possible Bill Hall might be losing his job at second base with his slow start.
Kansas City Royals: 22-24, 8 GB 3rd AL Central. Jeff Francis picked up his first win of the season when the Royals beat the Cardinals 3-0 on Friday. In other news, the Royals snapped their 11-game streak of not committing an error by committing two on Sunday.
Los Angeles Angels: 24-24, 0.5 GB 2nd AL West. The Angels have lost 11 games this season by one run, that leads the majors. In other news, Jered Weaver attempts to right his disastrous May, losing all four of his May starts and allowing 14 of his 19 earned runs in May.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 21-27, 7 GB 4th NL West. To say that the Dodgers have had a long and rough season would be an understatement. This weekend they've lost Juan Uribe, Andre Ethier and Rod Barajas. Although they did get Rafael Furcal back on Sunday and he went 0 for 5 while committing a throwing error.
Milwaukee Brewers: 24-23, 3.5 GB 3rd NL Central. Zack Greinke has struggled since returning to the Brewers from the DL but one reason why the Brewers remain within an earshot of St. Louis is Shawn Marcum. Marcum is 6-1 with a 2.37 ERA over 10 starts this season.
Minnesota Twins: 15-30, 14.5 GB 5th AL Central. Times are tough in Minnesota, so tough that it appears Kevin Slowey might have made his last start for the Twins. The Twins want to demote him to Class AAA Rochester while Slowey wants to remain a starter in the big leagues. Something has got to give, most likely it'll be the Twins giving Slowey his pink slip.
New York Mets: 22-24, 6 GB 4th NL East. Owner Fred Wilpon had some harsh words about his superstar trio of Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and David Wright. On Reyes he said,"He wants Carl Crawford money, he won't get it. He's had everything wrong with him." Said this about Beltran, "We had some schmuck in New York who paid him based on that one series. He's sixty-five to seventy percent of what he was." And about Wright, "Really good kid. A very good player. Not a superstar."
New York Yankees: 25-20, 1st AL East. If it wasn't for Jose Bautista everyone would be talking about Curtis Granderson. Granderson is hitting .263 with 16 home runs and 34 RBI and those 16 homers are good for second in the majors.
Oakland Athletics: 22-25, 2 GB 4th AL West. Josh Outman is making his first start of the season for the A's this year. Outman missed all of the 2010 season after recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2009. Outman was obtained from the Phillies in the Joe Blanton deal.
Philadelphia Phillies: 28-18, 1st NL East. The first place Phillies just got the boost they need when getting Chase Utley off the DL for tonight's game. The Phillies are expected to take it easy with Utley likely going on three days on one day off type routine.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 22-24, 5 GB 4th NL Central. Paul Maholm suffered another tough luck loss this season pushing his record to 1-7 on the season. What's surprising is his ERA is at 3.65, in his 10 starts the Pirates have only scored 14 runs for him.
San Diego Padres: 19-28, 8.5 GB 5th NL West. The Padres have struggled in their home park to say the least. At home the Padres are hitting .203 while scoring 2.27 runs per game and are hitting .134 (26 for 194) with runners in scoring position. On the road the Padres are hitting .265 while scoring just over five runs a game and are hitting .315 (57 for 181) with RISP. The Padres are 8-18 at home while 11-10 on the road.
San Francisco Giants: 27-19, 1st NL West. Winning close games at home are becoming a trend for the Giants. They're 11-0 in one run games at home while winning seven of those games in walk-off fashion. The latest victims are the Oakland A's who lost Saturday and Sunday in walk-off wins to the Giants.
Seattle Mariners: 22-24, 1.5 GB 3rd AL West. Starting pitching has been the reason why Seattle has made a surge in the standings. Not only has King Felix regained his form but lately Michael Pineda, Erik Bedard and Jason Vargas have been nearly unhittable.
St. Louis Cardinals: 28-20, 1st NL Central. What's wrong with Albert Pujols? That's the question most Cardinal fans are asking themselves and everyone. Pujols has gone a career high 103 at-bats without hitting a home run and has grounded into more double plays than extra base hits. If you told me Pujols would be struggling like this and Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter would have combined for one win at this point in the season only to see the Cards atop the Central I would have said you were crazy.
Tampa Bay Rays: 26-21, 2nd AL East (on percentage points, no games back). James Shields is in the last year of his contract and is in need of a good season after last year's rough 13-15, 5.18 ERA. This year Shields is 5-2 with a 2.00 ERA and is coming off a complete game shutout of the Marlins in which he struck out 13 hitters and gave up three hits.
Texas Rangers: 24-23, 1st AL West. The Rangers missed Josh Hamilton and Nelson for a good chunk of the season, not to mention Neftali Feliz. Many thought that the Angels or A's would pass by the Rangers for first and distance themselves. Turns out they didn't as they're still in first and today they're getting Hamilton and Cruz back from the DL.
Toronto Blue Jays: 23-23, 2.5 GB 4th AL East. A touching story coming out of Toronto on their 3-2 win over Tampa on Thursday. In early April Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia and pitcher Ricky Romero met and played with Ryley Martin, a 2 1/2 year old diagnosed with leukemia. Martin died on Wednesday, a day before Romero started in the Thursday win which also saw Arencibia hit the game-winning two run homer in the seventh. Romero carved the initials of Martin on the mound and drew on that for inspiration while Arencibia held up a picture of he and Martin he keeps in his locker.
Washington Nationals: 21-25, 7 GB 5th NL East. Umpire Phil Cuzzi has blown numerous calls in his career and Thursday was just another one for him. He called Jayson Werth out on a play at first which saw Werth beat the throw and the throw bring first baseman Daniel Murphy off the bag. Nats GM Mike Rizzo was so mad that after the game he confronted the umpire about the call, causing MLB to launch a probe into the situation.
In case you live under a rock, the legendary Twins player Harmon Killebrew passed away from esophageal cancer this past week. Killebrew was an all-star at three different positions in his career: third base, first base and left field. In his 22-year career Killebrew hit 573 home runs good for 11th all-time, was the 1969 AL MVP and has been rumored as the iconic figure for the MLB logo.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 23-23, 4 GB 3rd NL West. The Diamondbacks are at the .500 clip for the first time since April 20th but the bigger news is that earlier in the week the D'Backs designated Armando Galarraga for assignment and as of today no one has tried to claim his rights. Bad luck for Mr. Near Perfection.
Atlanta Braves: 26-23, 3.5 GB 3rd NL East. Brian McCann became the second player in history to hit a pinch-hit game tying home run in the 9th inning and later in the game hit the walk-off home run to win the game. That was the good news, the bad news is Jason Heyward's sore right shoulder landed him on the DL. Tim Hudson and Nate McLouth could soon be joining him too.
Baltimore Orioles: 21-24, 4 GB 5th AL East. The O's are the only team in the AL East under .500 and things might get worse before they get better. Brian Roberts is going to see a concussion specialists and if you remember Roberts missed the last couple of weeks of the 2010 season with a concussion.
Boston Red Sox: 25-21, 0.5 GB 3rd AL East. Remember when people said David Ortiz couldn't hit? Or when the Red Sox seemingly couldn't win a game this season? Yeah those days are long gone as the Sox are only a half game back for first in the East. And Ortiz became the fifth player to hit 300 home runs as a Red Sox.
Chicago Cubs: 20-25, 6.5 GB 5th NL Central. For the first time since 1918 the Chicago Cubs visited Fenway Park and after this weekend series they might not want to go back... ever. Jeff Baker suffered a mild groin strain, Matt Garza was scratched from his start Sunday and Marlon Byrd suffered facial fractures after being hit in the face Saturday night.
Chicago White Sox: 22-26, 9 GB 4th AL Central. The White Sox seem to be heating up along with the weather after going 11-4 in their last 15. Jake Peavy threw a complete game shutout earlier in the week showing all signs of being healthy. But Adam Dunn is an awful 0 for 30 vs left handed pitching this year.
Cincinnati Reds: 25-22, 2.5 GB 2nd NL Central. Aroldis Chapman and his arm have hit the DL with inflammation, that's never good. But what's worse is starter Edinson Volquez and his 6.35 ERA calling out his offense. Volquez had this to say, "Everybody has to step up, start to score some runs. In the last five games, how many runs have we scored? Like 13? That's not the way we were playing last year. We're better than that." Volquez may want to recount, they've scored 12 runs not 13.
Cleveland Indians: 29-15, 1st AL Central. Even without Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner the Indians continue to win, earning the nickname the WINdians. One reason why is shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera who is doing it at the plate and in the field. Sunday he became the fifth shortstop to record five hits with two home runs and five RBI since 1920. And on Thursday night he gave us the new defensive play of the year with this gem.
Colorado Rockies: 23-22, 3.5 GB 2nd NL West. Jason Giambi hit his first career 3-HR game this week in Philadelphia driving in all seven of the Rockies runs in a 7-5 victory. That was the Rockies only win on a five game road trip to Philly and Milwaukee. They lost three of those four games by one run and the other by two.
Detroit Tigers: 23-23, 7 GB 2nd AL Central. Rick Porcello had a chance to get his first career complete game shutout Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh, throwing 84 pitches through eight innings. Skipper Jim Leyland opted to go to closer Jose Valverde who converted his 11th save in 11 opportunities making his manager look good. On a side note, Porcello picked up his third career hit Sunday, the other two came in a start he made in 2009 also in Pittsburgh.
Florida Marlins: 26-19, 1.5 GB 2nd NL East. Josh Johnson leads the majors in ERA with a 1.64 but he's headed to the DL with shoulder inflammation. Johnson says he's been pitching with some discomfort since Spring Training. Reason not to be concerned is the Marlins say this isn't the same injury that forced him to be shut down for the last three weeks of the season.
Houston Astros: 17-30, 10.5 GB 6th NL Central. The Astros snapped their six series losing streak this weekend taking two of three from the Blue Jays in Toronto. It's also possible Bill Hall might be losing his job at second base with his slow start.
Kansas City Royals: 22-24, 8 GB 3rd AL Central. Jeff Francis picked up his first win of the season when the Royals beat the Cardinals 3-0 on Friday. In other news, the Royals snapped their 11-game streak of not committing an error by committing two on Sunday.
Los Angeles Angels: 24-24, 0.5 GB 2nd AL West. The Angels have lost 11 games this season by one run, that leads the majors. In other news, Jered Weaver attempts to right his disastrous May, losing all four of his May starts and allowing 14 of his 19 earned runs in May.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 21-27, 7 GB 4th NL West. To say that the Dodgers have had a long and rough season would be an understatement. This weekend they've lost Juan Uribe, Andre Ethier and Rod Barajas. Although they did get Rafael Furcal back on Sunday and he went 0 for 5 while committing a throwing error.
Milwaukee Brewers: 24-23, 3.5 GB 3rd NL Central. Zack Greinke has struggled since returning to the Brewers from the DL but one reason why the Brewers remain within an earshot of St. Louis is Shawn Marcum. Marcum is 6-1 with a 2.37 ERA over 10 starts this season.
Minnesota Twins: 15-30, 14.5 GB 5th AL Central. Times are tough in Minnesota, so tough that it appears Kevin Slowey might have made his last start for the Twins. The Twins want to demote him to Class AAA Rochester while Slowey wants to remain a starter in the big leagues. Something has got to give, most likely it'll be the Twins giving Slowey his pink slip.
New York Mets: 22-24, 6 GB 4th NL East. Owner Fred Wilpon had some harsh words about his superstar trio of Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and David Wright. On Reyes he said,"He wants Carl Crawford money, he won't get it. He's had everything wrong with him." Said this about Beltran, "We had some schmuck in New York who paid him based on that one series. He's sixty-five to seventy percent of what he was." And about Wright, "Really good kid. A very good player. Not a superstar."
New York Yankees: 25-20, 1st AL East. If it wasn't for Jose Bautista everyone would be talking about Curtis Granderson. Granderson is hitting .263 with 16 home runs and 34 RBI and those 16 homers are good for second in the majors.
Oakland Athletics: 22-25, 2 GB 4th AL West. Josh Outman is making his first start of the season for the A's this year. Outman missed all of the 2010 season after recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2009. Outman was obtained from the Phillies in the Joe Blanton deal.
Philadelphia Phillies: 28-18, 1st NL East. The first place Phillies just got the boost they need when getting Chase Utley off the DL for tonight's game. The Phillies are expected to take it easy with Utley likely going on three days on one day off type routine.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 22-24, 5 GB 4th NL Central. Paul Maholm suffered another tough luck loss this season pushing his record to 1-7 on the season. What's surprising is his ERA is at 3.65, in his 10 starts the Pirates have only scored 14 runs for him.
San Diego Padres: 19-28, 8.5 GB 5th NL West. The Padres have struggled in their home park to say the least. At home the Padres are hitting .203 while scoring 2.27 runs per game and are hitting .134 (26 for 194) with runners in scoring position. On the road the Padres are hitting .265 while scoring just over five runs a game and are hitting .315 (57 for 181) with RISP. The Padres are 8-18 at home while 11-10 on the road.
San Francisco Giants: 27-19, 1st NL West. Winning close games at home are becoming a trend for the Giants. They're 11-0 in one run games at home while winning seven of those games in walk-off fashion. The latest victims are the Oakland A's who lost Saturday and Sunday in walk-off wins to the Giants.
Seattle Mariners: 22-24, 1.5 GB 3rd AL West. Starting pitching has been the reason why Seattle has made a surge in the standings. Not only has King Felix regained his form but lately Michael Pineda, Erik Bedard and Jason Vargas have been nearly unhittable.
St. Louis Cardinals: 28-20, 1st NL Central. What's wrong with Albert Pujols? That's the question most Cardinal fans are asking themselves and everyone. Pujols has gone a career high 103 at-bats without hitting a home run and has grounded into more double plays than extra base hits. If you told me Pujols would be struggling like this and Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter would have combined for one win at this point in the season only to see the Cards atop the Central I would have said you were crazy.
Tampa Bay Rays: 26-21, 2nd AL East (on percentage points, no games back). James Shields is in the last year of his contract and is in need of a good season after last year's rough 13-15, 5.18 ERA. This year Shields is 5-2 with a 2.00 ERA and is coming off a complete game shutout of the Marlins in which he struck out 13 hitters and gave up three hits.
Texas Rangers: 24-23, 1st AL West. The Rangers missed Josh Hamilton and Nelson for a good chunk of the season, not to mention Neftali Feliz. Many thought that the Angels or A's would pass by the Rangers for first and distance themselves. Turns out they didn't as they're still in first and today they're getting Hamilton and Cruz back from the DL.
Toronto Blue Jays: 23-23, 2.5 GB 4th AL East. A touching story coming out of Toronto on their 3-2 win over Tampa on Thursday. In early April Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia and pitcher Ricky Romero met and played with Ryley Martin, a 2 1/2 year old diagnosed with leukemia. Martin died on Wednesday, a day before Romero started in the Thursday win which also saw Arencibia hit the game-winning two run homer in the seventh. Romero carved the initials of Martin on the mound and drew on that for inspiration while Arencibia held up a picture of he and Martin he keeps in his locker.
Washington Nationals: 21-25, 7 GB 5th NL East. Umpire Phil Cuzzi has blown numerous calls in his career and Thursday was just another one for him. He called Jayson Werth out on a play at first which saw Werth beat the throw and the throw bring first baseman Daniel Murphy off the bag. Nats GM Mike Rizzo was so mad that after the game he confronted the umpire about the call, causing MLB to launch a probe into the situation.
Monday, May 16, 2011
The Check Swing: Teams are Streaking, Yankee Drama and the Reds-Cards Best Rivalry?
Incase you missed it, the Yankees have been quite the story since Saturday when the struggling Jorge Posada asked to be taken out of the lineup after being demoted to ninth in the lineup. He claimed her had a bad back and needed a day off to clear his head. GM Brian Cashman said Posada wasn't hurting and the next day Posada apologized to the team and his GM. End of the story right? Wrong, Derek Jeter then told reporters he thought Posada didn't need to apologize because he didn't do anything wrong, this only angered management more. If the Yanks think this is bad now, just wait until it's Derek Jeter, C.C. Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez that start to struggle like this.
The Tigers, Reds and Giants are among the hottest teams in baseball right. The Tigers have won seven in a row and 10 of their last 11, they're getting it done thanks to pitching and Victor Martinez's hot bat. The Reds just swept the Cards and have won eight of their last 10 to jump into first place while the Giants also have won eight of their last 10 to jump the Rockies for first in the West.
While most baseball fans will tell you the Yankees-Red Sox or the Cardinals-Cubs are the best rivalry in baseball I'm here to tell you they're wrong. The Reds-Cardinals rivalry is quickly becoming one of the best rivalries in the game. It started last summer when the two were competing for the NL Central and Brandon Phillips called the Cards "a bunch of complainers" going on to say that he "hates the Cardinals". That then led to this fight last August between the two teams. The Reds would go on to win the Central and things seemed to cool off until yesterday when Francisco Cordero hit Albert Pujols on 0-2 count, 1 out with a runner on second base and the Reds up two. Cordero was seen yelling at the Cardinals dugout after the game because Gerald Laird was apparently yelling at him, now if Pujols didn't take the beaning personal then Laird and his solid .200 batting average might want to pack up his stuff and get on the bus. This rivalry is just heating up and it's only May, keep an eye on this series the rest of the year because more fireworks are going to come.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 17-22, 5 GB 4th NL West. Josh Collmenter became the first pitcher in the last 100 years to win his first career start while throwing six shutout innings and allowing two hits or less when his team had only one hit, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Atlanta Braves: 23-19, 3.5 GB 3rd NL East. The Braves just took two of three from division foes the Philadelphia Phillies so you'd think they're feeling good right now right? Wrong! Chipper Jones has a slight tear in his meniscus in his right knee. Given Chipper's history a trip to the DL is looming.
Baltimore Orioles: 19-20, 3.5 GB 5th AL East. The Orioles are treating Tropicana Field like it's their home away from home this year improving to 5-1 after taking two of three from the Rays this weekend. If you remember the O's swept the Rays in the Trop to start the season this year.
Boston Red Sox: 20-20, 3 GB t-3rd AL East. For the first time this season, the Red Sox are playing .500 baseball and they got there thanks to a sweep of the Yankees in New York. Four previous times the Sox had a chance to get to .500 but failed to, finally they've gotten there and look to improve over .500 with a two game series with Baltimore.
Chicago Cubs: 17-21, 5 GB 5th NL Central. The Cubs seemed to have caught some luck on Sunday when they got rained out and avoided having to face Tim Lincecum. Their luck ends there though as the Cubs get ready to take to the road to face the Reds, Marlins and Red Sox this week.
Chicago White Sox: 17-24, 9 GB 4th AL Central. Ozzie Guillen has gone to a six-man starting rotation to give his pitchers an extra day of rest but also to try and figure out which starter is the weak link and could face a demotion. The six in the mix are: Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, Edwin Jackson, John Danks, Phil Humber and Jake Peavy.
Cincinnati Reds: 23-17, 1st NL Central. Dusty Baker has had to do a lot of juggling with players hurt to keep the Reds close in the Central, now that those injured players have started to return since May 5th the Reds have won nine of their last 11 including a three-game sweep of the Cardinals. The sweep allowed the Reds to jump the Cards for first in the Central.
Cleveland Indians: 24-13, 1st AL Central. It was only a matter of time before adversity struck the Indians and finally it arrived. Grady Sizemore has been placed on the 15-day DL with a right knee contusion, the move is retroactive to May 11th. Let's see how these young Indians handle this.
Colorado Rockies: 20-18, 1.5 GB 2nd NL West. The Rockies started the season hot, seemingly putting their slow starts to a season behind them. However, in their last six series the Rockies are 1-5 which is why they've fallen from first to second in the West. Their problem has been the cooled off offense coupled with spotty pitching. The Rockies need to right the ship soon before too much damage has been done.
Detroit Tigers: 22-18, 3.5 GB 2nd AL Central. The Tigers have won seven games in a row and jumped the Royals for second in the Central thanks largely to great pitching and Victor Martinez. V-Mart has a 13-game hitting streak going and 15-for-37 with a home run and 12 RBI in 10 games since coming off the DL. The Tigers hope that Verlander's early no-hitter propels the team much like Jack Morris' did in 1984 as the Tigers went on to win the World Series.
Florida Marlins: 23-16, 2 GB 2nd NL East. One reason the Marlins are where they are this year is because of closer Leo Nunez. Nunez blew eight saves last year but this season he's a perfect 14 for 14 in saves. Javier Vazquez has a first inning ERA of 15.75 this year, Vazquez for whatever reason just can't escape the first inning this year as he's allowed runs in the first in all eight of his starts.
Houston Astros: 15-25, 8 GB 6th NL Central. There hasn't been much to cheer about in Houston as the Astros struggle to win games this season. Just like the Astros are struggling so are the security guards and cops working the game as they failed to catch a fan on the field Friday night. For what it's worth, the Astros claim that the perp was eventually caught. Sure he was.
Kansas City Royals: 20-19, 5 GB 3rd AL Central. Thanks to Eric Hosmer and their offense the Royals got their first series win against the Yankees in New York since 1999. Hosmer helped lead the charge hitting his first two home runs in back-to-back games.
Los Angeles Angels: 22-19, 1st AL West. While trying to intentionally walk Paul Konerko Wednesday night, relief pitch Kevin Jepsen uncorked this wild pitch allowing Alexi Ramirez to score, the Sox eventually won 6-4. More bad news, through Sunday the Angels batters have struck out 309 times which is the most in the American League.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 19-22, 4 GB 3rd NL West. Chad Billingsley became just the 44th pitcher to lose a game in which he and relief pitcher Kenley Jansen allowed only one hit combined. With Stephen Drew standing on second, Billingsley went to pick him off only shortstop Jamey Carroll never covered the bag. Drew took third and scored on a sacrifice fly later in the inning. Tough way to lose a game.
Milwaukee Brewers: 19-21, 4 GB 3rd NL Central. Since 2007 the Brewers have won 33 of 36 games at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. So if you're wondering, yes the Brewers did go on to sweep the Pirates this weekend. Ryan Braun is hitting .309 with 12 HR and 33 RBI, he's just throwing his hat in to the MVP conversation.
Minnesota Twins: 12-26, 12.5 GB 5th AL Central. You hate the write the Minnesota Twins off this early in the season but at the quarter of the season mark the Twins have been downright awful. The Twins rank 12th or worse in every major hitting or pitching stat in the American League this year.
New York Mets: 19-21, 6.5 GB t-4th NL East. Two days after it seemed Carlos Beltran was back, hitting three home runs in one game he was missing a game due to a swollen eye. Don't worry he was back in the lineup Sunday. Justin Turner hit his first career home run Sunday, if you remember correctly Turner took a pitch to the face in 2003 College World Series trying to bunt. Props to Turner for sticking with it.
New York Yankees: 20-18, 2 GB 2nd AL East. Never mind the Posada drama going on in the Yankees clubhouse these days. The new speculation in New York is Bartolo Colon and his stem cell surgery he had done in the offseason. The doctor who performed the surgery has been known to use HGH, which is banned in baseball. The doc claims he didn't use it in Colon's surgery, only time will tell.
Oakland Athletics: 20-20, 1.5 GB 3rd AL West. .500 baseball seems to be the A's MO over the last two seasons. Last year the A's finished the season at 81-81 good for .500 and were at the .500 marks 33 times. This year they're back at it as they've been .500 12 times already this young season.
Philadelphia Phillies: 25-14, 1st NL East. Roy Halladay picked up his second straight complete game and for the second time in a row Halladay also picked up the loss. Halladay also picked up his major league leading fourth complete game this season.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 18-22, 5 GB 4th NL Central. Former Pirates shortstop Mario Mendoza is the man credited for the term Mendoza Line, which is a .200 batting average. The Pirates have five starters who are close to the Mendoza Line, Andrew McCutchen at .235, Ronny Cedeno at .232, Jose Tabata at .226, Lyle Overbay at .224, and Pedro Alvarez at .210.
San Diego Padres: 17-23, 5.5 GB 5th NL West. No one in the Padres locker room was happier than Mat Latos was Sunday after their 8-2 win. Latos had been on a 0-10 streak and was finally able to lay his streak of bad luck to rest.
San Francisco Giants: 22-17, 1st NL West. Tim Lincecum's Sunday start was rained out which means he'll get start today in Denver against the Rockies. Lincecum has made it a habit to own the Rockies, so we'll see if that trends continues.
Seattle Mariners: 16-23, 5 GB 4th AL West. Brandon League had to be the happiest guy about the back-to-back rain outs in Cleveland this weekend. His last appearances have seen League take four losses including three blown saves. League was supposed to be given Saturday/Sunday off but had not lost his job...yet.
St. Louis Cardinals: 22-19, 1.5 GB 2nd NL Central. Never mind the fact that the Cards got swept by the Reds this weekend. The real highlight came when Kyle Lohse did his best impersonation of Tony La Russa Thursday in Wrigley Field. Don't believe me, check it out.
Tampa Bay Rays: 23-17, 1st AL East. The Rays got Evan Longoria back this week and couldn't be happier after struggling to stay afloat in the East early without him. Now that he's back he makes the Rays much more scarier the way they've been playing without him.
Texas Rangers: 21-19, 0.5 GB 2nd AL West. The Rangers have hit the tri-fecta this season. Julio Borbon joined Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz on the DL meaning their Opening Day outfield is now hurt. This marks the third time in history a team has had their Opening Day outfield on the DL at the same time.
Toronto Blue Jays: 20-20, 3 GB t-3rd AL East. Jose Bautista hit three home runs on Sunday giving him 70 home runs since the start of last season. Of those 70 home runs only three of those have gone to the opposite field. Ironically enough all three of those homers have come at Target Field, where the Twins call home.
Washington Nationals: 19-21, 6.5 GB t-4th NL East. Roger Bernadina made the catch of year on Friday against Marlins robbing Mike Stanton of a double at the least. While he might have made the catch of the year it's not safe to say that this is the play of the year though.
The Tigers, Reds and Giants are among the hottest teams in baseball right. The Tigers have won seven in a row and 10 of their last 11, they're getting it done thanks to pitching and Victor Martinez's hot bat. The Reds just swept the Cards and have won eight of their last 10 to jump into first place while the Giants also have won eight of their last 10 to jump the Rockies for first in the West.
While most baseball fans will tell you the Yankees-Red Sox or the Cardinals-Cubs are the best rivalry in baseball I'm here to tell you they're wrong. The Reds-Cardinals rivalry is quickly becoming one of the best rivalries in the game. It started last summer when the two were competing for the NL Central and Brandon Phillips called the Cards "a bunch of complainers" going on to say that he "hates the Cardinals". That then led to this fight last August between the two teams. The Reds would go on to win the Central and things seemed to cool off until yesterday when Francisco Cordero hit Albert Pujols on 0-2 count, 1 out with a runner on second base and the Reds up two. Cordero was seen yelling at the Cardinals dugout after the game because Gerald Laird was apparently yelling at him, now if Pujols didn't take the beaning personal then Laird and his solid .200 batting average might want to pack up his stuff and get on the bus. This rivalry is just heating up and it's only May, keep an eye on this series the rest of the year because more fireworks are going to come.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 17-22, 5 GB 4th NL West. Josh Collmenter became the first pitcher in the last 100 years to win his first career start while throwing six shutout innings and allowing two hits or less when his team had only one hit, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Atlanta Braves: 23-19, 3.5 GB 3rd NL East. The Braves just took two of three from division foes the Philadelphia Phillies so you'd think they're feeling good right now right? Wrong! Chipper Jones has a slight tear in his meniscus in his right knee. Given Chipper's history a trip to the DL is looming.
Baltimore Orioles: 19-20, 3.5 GB 5th AL East. The Orioles are treating Tropicana Field like it's their home away from home this year improving to 5-1 after taking two of three from the Rays this weekend. If you remember the O's swept the Rays in the Trop to start the season this year.
Boston Red Sox: 20-20, 3 GB t-3rd AL East. For the first time this season, the Red Sox are playing .500 baseball and they got there thanks to a sweep of the Yankees in New York. Four previous times the Sox had a chance to get to .500 but failed to, finally they've gotten there and look to improve over .500 with a two game series with Baltimore.
Chicago Cubs: 17-21, 5 GB 5th NL Central. The Cubs seemed to have caught some luck on Sunday when they got rained out and avoided having to face Tim Lincecum. Their luck ends there though as the Cubs get ready to take to the road to face the Reds, Marlins and Red Sox this week.
Chicago White Sox: 17-24, 9 GB 4th AL Central. Ozzie Guillen has gone to a six-man starting rotation to give his pitchers an extra day of rest but also to try and figure out which starter is the weak link and could face a demotion. The six in the mix are: Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, Edwin Jackson, John Danks, Phil Humber and Jake Peavy.
Cincinnati Reds: 23-17, 1st NL Central. Dusty Baker has had to do a lot of juggling with players hurt to keep the Reds close in the Central, now that those injured players have started to return since May 5th the Reds have won nine of their last 11 including a three-game sweep of the Cardinals. The sweep allowed the Reds to jump the Cards for first in the Central.
Cleveland Indians: 24-13, 1st AL Central. It was only a matter of time before adversity struck the Indians and finally it arrived. Grady Sizemore has been placed on the 15-day DL with a right knee contusion, the move is retroactive to May 11th. Let's see how these young Indians handle this.
Colorado Rockies: 20-18, 1.5 GB 2nd NL West. The Rockies started the season hot, seemingly putting their slow starts to a season behind them. However, in their last six series the Rockies are 1-5 which is why they've fallen from first to second in the West. Their problem has been the cooled off offense coupled with spotty pitching. The Rockies need to right the ship soon before too much damage has been done.
Detroit Tigers: 22-18, 3.5 GB 2nd AL Central. The Tigers have won seven games in a row and jumped the Royals for second in the Central thanks largely to great pitching and Victor Martinez. V-Mart has a 13-game hitting streak going and 15-for-37 with a home run and 12 RBI in 10 games since coming off the DL. The Tigers hope that Verlander's early no-hitter propels the team much like Jack Morris' did in 1984 as the Tigers went on to win the World Series.
Florida Marlins: 23-16, 2 GB 2nd NL East. One reason the Marlins are where they are this year is because of closer Leo Nunez. Nunez blew eight saves last year but this season he's a perfect 14 for 14 in saves. Javier Vazquez has a first inning ERA of 15.75 this year, Vazquez for whatever reason just can't escape the first inning this year as he's allowed runs in the first in all eight of his starts.
Houston Astros: 15-25, 8 GB 6th NL Central. There hasn't been much to cheer about in Houston as the Astros struggle to win games this season. Just like the Astros are struggling so are the security guards and cops working the game as they failed to catch a fan on the field Friday night. For what it's worth, the Astros claim that the perp was eventually caught. Sure he was.
Kansas City Royals: 20-19, 5 GB 3rd AL Central. Thanks to Eric Hosmer and their offense the Royals got their first series win against the Yankees in New York since 1999. Hosmer helped lead the charge hitting his first two home runs in back-to-back games.
Los Angeles Angels: 22-19, 1st AL West. While trying to intentionally walk Paul Konerko Wednesday night, relief pitch Kevin Jepsen uncorked this wild pitch allowing Alexi Ramirez to score, the Sox eventually won 6-4. More bad news, through Sunday the Angels batters have struck out 309 times which is the most in the American League.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 19-22, 4 GB 3rd NL West. Chad Billingsley became just the 44th pitcher to lose a game in which he and relief pitcher Kenley Jansen allowed only one hit combined. With Stephen Drew standing on second, Billingsley went to pick him off only shortstop Jamey Carroll never covered the bag. Drew took third and scored on a sacrifice fly later in the inning. Tough way to lose a game.
Milwaukee Brewers: 19-21, 4 GB 3rd NL Central. Since 2007 the Brewers have won 33 of 36 games at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. So if you're wondering, yes the Brewers did go on to sweep the Pirates this weekend. Ryan Braun is hitting .309 with 12 HR and 33 RBI, he's just throwing his hat in to the MVP conversation.
Minnesota Twins: 12-26, 12.5 GB 5th AL Central. You hate the write the Minnesota Twins off this early in the season but at the quarter of the season mark the Twins have been downright awful. The Twins rank 12th or worse in every major hitting or pitching stat in the American League this year.
New York Mets: 19-21, 6.5 GB t-4th NL East. Two days after it seemed Carlos Beltran was back, hitting three home runs in one game he was missing a game due to a swollen eye. Don't worry he was back in the lineup Sunday. Justin Turner hit his first career home run Sunday, if you remember correctly Turner took a pitch to the face in 2003 College World Series trying to bunt. Props to Turner for sticking with it.
New York Yankees: 20-18, 2 GB 2nd AL East. Never mind the Posada drama going on in the Yankees clubhouse these days. The new speculation in New York is Bartolo Colon and his stem cell surgery he had done in the offseason. The doctor who performed the surgery has been known to use HGH, which is banned in baseball. The doc claims he didn't use it in Colon's surgery, only time will tell.
Oakland Athletics: 20-20, 1.5 GB 3rd AL West. .500 baseball seems to be the A's MO over the last two seasons. Last year the A's finished the season at 81-81 good for .500 and were at the .500 marks 33 times. This year they're back at it as they've been .500 12 times already this young season.
Philadelphia Phillies: 25-14, 1st NL East. Roy Halladay picked up his second straight complete game and for the second time in a row Halladay also picked up the loss. Halladay also picked up his major league leading fourth complete game this season.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 18-22, 5 GB 4th NL Central. Former Pirates shortstop Mario Mendoza is the man credited for the term Mendoza Line, which is a .200 batting average. The Pirates have five starters who are close to the Mendoza Line, Andrew McCutchen at .235, Ronny Cedeno at .232, Jose Tabata at .226, Lyle Overbay at .224, and Pedro Alvarez at .210.
San Diego Padres: 17-23, 5.5 GB 5th NL West. No one in the Padres locker room was happier than Mat Latos was Sunday after their 8-2 win. Latos had been on a 0-10 streak and was finally able to lay his streak of bad luck to rest.
San Francisco Giants: 22-17, 1st NL West. Tim Lincecum's Sunday start was rained out which means he'll get start today in Denver against the Rockies. Lincecum has made it a habit to own the Rockies, so we'll see if that trends continues.
Seattle Mariners: 16-23, 5 GB 4th AL West. Brandon League had to be the happiest guy about the back-to-back rain outs in Cleveland this weekend. His last appearances have seen League take four losses including three blown saves. League was supposed to be given Saturday/Sunday off but had not lost his job...yet.
St. Louis Cardinals: 22-19, 1.5 GB 2nd NL Central. Never mind the fact that the Cards got swept by the Reds this weekend. The real highlight came when Kyle Lohse did his best impersonation of Tony La Russa Thursday in Wrigley Field. Don't believe me, check it out.
Tampa Bay Rays: 23-17, 1st AL East. The Rays got Evan Longoria back this week and couldn't be happier after struggling to stay afloat in the East early without him. Now that he's back he makes the Rays much more scarier the way they've been playing without him.
Texas Rangers: 21-19, 0.5 GB 2nd AL West. The Rangers have hit the tri-fecta this season. Julio Borbon joined Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz on the DL meaning their Opening Day outfield is now hurt. This marks the third time in history a team has had their Opening Day outfield on the DL at the same time.
Toronto Blue Jays: 20-20, 3 GB t-3rd AL East. Jose Bautista hit three home runs on Sunday giving him 70 home runs since the start of last season. Of those 70 home runs only three of those have gone to the opposite field. Ironically enough all three of those homers have come at Target Field, where the Twins call home.
Washington Nationals: 19-21, 6.5 GB t-4th NL East. Roger Bernadina made the catch of year on Friday against Marlins robbing Mike Stanton of a double at the least. While he might have made the catch of the year it's not safe to say that this is the play of the year though.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
The 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Conference Finals
The Conference Semi-Finals proved us with some great action going from a shocking sweep to a near miraculous 3-0 rally. The Tampa Bay Lightning swept the Washington Capitals, which sent the title of chokers from the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks over the Caps who continue to disappoint the fan base. Meanwhile the Boston Bruins just went ahead and beat down the Flyers causing the Flyers to yank Brian Boucher twice and start Sergei Bobrovsky in Game 4. The Vancouver Canucks had their hands full with the Nashville Predators but disposed of them in 6 even after losing their green men who are fan favorites in Vancouver. And the last series to wrap up saw the San Jose Sharks jump out to a 3-0 lead on Detroit, only to choke that lead away and see the series even up 3-3 and give us a Game 7. The Sharks almost became the all-time choke artists of the playoffs but ended up squeaking past the Red Wings in a thrilling Game 7.
Quick recap to catch you up, I'm now 11-1 on my predictions with Washington over Tampa as my lone screw up and I still have both my of my finalists in the running. I've also predicted six of the 12 series down to the very game they'd end, high five! Now let's breakdown these Conference Finals.
Eastern Conference Finals
3. Boston Bruins v 5. Tampa Bay Lightning - The Bruins are fresh off their dominance of the Philadelphia Flyers and moving on to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Boston went 3-1 against Tampa in the regular season winning both games at home and splitting on the road. Tim Thomas shook off a rough first round and rebounded into the Vezina winner he'll likely be, which is good news for the Bruins. The only bit of bad news for Boston is that center Patrice Bergeron is likely out for the series if not the remainder of the playoffs due to a concussion he suffered in Game 4. 19-year old rookie Tyler Seguin will likely take his spot in the lineup.
Never would I have thought that Tampa would sweep the Capitals but that's exactly what they did. They did it with great and timely goaltending and having an equal scoring balance while still converting on the power play (4 for 18, 22%). Martin St. Louis is playing like a Conn Smythe candidate and Vinny Lecavalier have provided the spark for Tampa. However, guys like Steve Downie (12 points, 10 assists), Sean Bergenheim (7 goals) and Teddy Purcell (11 points, 10 assists) have really stepped up. They'll need to continue at this rate if Tampa hopes to make it to the Stanley Cup. The main concern for the Tampa is if their 41-year old goalie, Dwayne Roloson can avoid getting rusty during the time off.
Boston moves on in 6 games.
Western Conference Finals
1. Vancouver Canucks v 2. San Jose Sharks - The Canucks find themselves in the Conference Finals for the first time since 1994, this time their not led by a Russian Rocket but rather Swedish twins and an American firecracker. There's no secret that the Sedins are the best players on the Canucks, Daniel (6 goals, 4 assists) and Henrik (1 goal, 8 assists) but they're both a -8 this year in the playoffs. Ryan Kesler has been a difference maker for the Canucks, scoring 5 goals with 10 assists and is a +6. Not only does he score but he hits and gets under people's skin to the point of drawing penalties. Roberto Luongo seems to have put his shaky first round performance behind him and there's no word on Mikael Samuelsson who was injured in Game 5 and didn't play in Game 6.
The Sharks are coming off a draining seven game series which almost saw them choke a 3-0 lead off. Antti Niemi kept the Sharks in every game in the Detroit series and was a huge reason for their advancement. Devin Setoguchi had 5 goals last series and Logan Couture seemed to score a big goal when needed for the Sharks. Two pieces of good news for the Sharks, Joe Thornton found ways to be productive even when he wasn't on the score sheet and Patrick Marleau finally showed up, it only took Jeremy Roenick calling him out to do so. The Sharks need to remain physical if they hope to advance to their first Stanley Cup final ever.
Sharks top the Canucks in 7.
Quick recap to catch you up, I'm now 11-1 on my predictions with Washington over Tampa as my lone screw up and I still have both my of my finalists in the running. I've also predicted six of the 12 series down to the very game they'd end, high five! Now let's breakdown these Conference Finals.
Eastern Conference Finals
3. Boston Bruins v 5. Tampa Bay Lightning - The Bruins are fresh off their dominance of the Philadelphia Flyers and moving on to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Boston went 3-1 against Tampa in the regular season winning both games at home and splitting on the road. Tim Thomas shook off a rough first round and rebounded into the Vezina winner he'll likely be, which is good news for the Bruins. The only bit of bad news for Boston is that center Patrice Bergeron is likely out for the series if not the remainder of the playoffs due to a concussion he suffered in Game 4. 19-year old rookie Tyler Seguin will likely take his spot in the lineup.
Never would I have thought that Tampa would sweep the Capitals but that's exactly what they did. They did it with great and timely goaltending and having an equal scoring balance while still converting on the power play (4 for 18, 22%). Martin St. Louis is playing like a Conn Smythe candidate and Vinny Lecavalier have provided the spark for Tampa. However, guys like Steve Downie (12 points, 10 assists), Sean Bergenheim (7 goals) and Teddy Purcell (11 points, 10 assists) have really stepped up. They'll need to continue at this rate if Tampa hopes to make it to the Stanley Cup. The main concern for the Tampa is if their 41-year old goalie, Dwayne Roloson can avoid getting rusty during the time off.
Boston moves on in 6 games.
Western Conference Finals
1. Vancouver Canucks v 2. San Jose Sharks - The Canucks find themselves in the Conference Finals for the first time since 1994, this time their not led by a Russian Rocket but rather Swedish twins and an American firecracker. There's no secret that the Sedins are the best players on the Canucks, Daniel (6 goals, 4 assists) and Henrik (1 goal, 8 assists) but they're both a -8 this year in the playoffs. Ryan Kesler has been a difference maker for the Canucks, scoring 5 goals with 10 assists and is a +6. Not only does he score but he hits and gets under people's skin to the point of drawing penalties. Roberto Luongo seems to have put his shaky first round performance behind him and there's no word on Mikael Samuelsson who was injured in Game 5 and didn't play in Game 6.
The Sharks are coming off a draining seven game series which almost saw them choke a 3-0 lead off. Antti Niemi kept the Sharks in every game in the Detroit series and was a huge reason for their advancement. Devin Setoguchi had 5 goals last series and Logan Couture seemed to score a big goal when needed for the Sharks. Two pieces of good news for the Sharks, Joe Thornton found ways to be productive even when he wasn't on the score sheet and Patrick Marleau finally showed up, it only took Jeremy Roenick calling him out to do so. The Sharks need to remain physical if they hope to advance to their first Stanley Cup final ever.
Sharks top the Canucks in 7.
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