Dave's Dime

No more blogging!

2007-09-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

You have reached a blog I no longer update!

HOWEVER! There is no need to fret. You can still get your Vegas Dave fix elsewhere:

For my regularly updated podcast site;

http://www.davesdime.com

For my weekly NFL newsletter published every Friday night;

http://socaltrojan31.livejournal.com/

And for my weekly college football picks broadcast on youtube!

http://www.youtube.com/kingsrule41

Thanks for the support everyone! You can email me at either;

vegasdavesdime@gmail.com
OR
Socaltrojan31@aol.com

Eli Manning - Unstoppable!

2007-08-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

To quote the Geico caveman, "Yes, I have a response. Uh, what?"

Seriously. Lets play word association. Ready; go!

BED: Sleep

BIRD: Fly

RED: Apple

TOM BRADY: Super Bowl

ELI MANNING: Unstoppable?!?

Wrong. We would have excepted whiny, baby, cry, sucks, choke, interception, loser...

Honestly what was Citizen thinking? I'm sitting there watching tennis and the next thing I know there is a commercial on my screen saying "Citizen watches... unstoppable... just like the people who wear it." with a dimly lit Eli Manning posing with a football.

As much as I could make this a super-long Eli-bashing thread, I'm only pointing out how stupid Citizen's advertising department was on this one.

I don't think anyone (even Giants fans) think Eli Manning comes anywhere close to exuding an "unstoppable" image. I don't know if others will feel the same way as I do, but to me the commercial comes off as a satire/joke, which makes me take it - and the product - less seriously.

I'm not saying go out and get LT or Tom Brady, because I know they might very well turn it down or demand more money. But honestly... I can think of 50 guys (pretty much any decent/good running back, and about half of the QBs in the league) that would make a much better face for the unstoppable campaign.

At the very least, could you get a guy that isn't flat out STOPPABLE?

Historic Weekend in Baseball

2007-08-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a pretty amazing one for baseball fans, and even more amazing for milestone buffs. Saturday brought us two historic home runs, while Sunday brought us one of pitching's greatest feats.

Tom Glavine, New York Mets, 300th win -

Tom Glavine became only the 23rd pitcher in major league baseball history to amass 300 wins over the course of his career. The exclusive 300-win club has introduced only 8 other pitchers since 1980, and only 3 others since 1990 (Ryan 90, Clemens 03, Maddux 04).

To be clear on what constitutes a win, a pitcher must go at least 5 innings and must either have the lead when he leaves the game OR be the most recent pitcher in a game before his team adds runs to take the lead. As such, if a starter leaves a game that is tied and another pitcher comes in, the starter is no longer eligible for a decision in the game and can not win, even if the team goes on to do so. Likewise, if a starting pitcher leaves the game with his team leading and the other team comes back to tie the game, even if the starter's team still ends up winning the game, he does NOT get the win.

In the good ol' days, there was no such thing as "pitch count", which today helps make sure pitchers don't throw too many pitches and hurt their arm. There was no 4 - 5 day rest between pitching. And there was very rarely any need for relief pitching. The starting pitcher pitched often, and threw however many pitches it took to get through 9 innings. And when his team won, he got the win.

This is why 14 of the 23 members of the 300 win club recorded their 300th win before 1965 (and 10 of those were before 1930).

The game didn't really start to use relief pitchers religiously until the mid to late 1980s. Once that trend got started, pitchers were pulled from games based on pitch counts, struggles, "signs of fatigue", and anything else in favor of a fresh arm in the bullpen.

That is what makes Tom Glavine's milestone mark so incredible. Glavine has pitched 19 full seasons (not including his rookie year which was only 50 innings, or this year) without injury, and has pitched deep enough into games to be the pitcher of decision in a relief-pitcher era. Of course credit is due to the teams he played on for getting him the run support he needed for these wins, but there have been many great pitchers in this league's history, and only 23 of them are on this list.

Congrats Tom!

Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees, 500 home runs

I can't help but think back to earlier this season when the Big Hurt, Frank Thomas, cracked his 500th home run off of Carlos Silva in Minnesota and received a standing ovation from the road crowd. He became only the 21st player to ever accomplish the feat. Fans have been watching the Big Hurt since he cracked into the league at the age of 22 in 1990. Injuries plagued him over the last decade or so, but last season he returned to form with an incredible 39 home runs. This season he put the exclamation point on a great offensive career.

Fast forward to Saturday, when Alex Rodriguez smacks a ball over the left field wall after a 10-day homer-less drought to join that very same elusive home run club, becoming only the 22nd ever to reach 500.

But the atmosphere was just a tad bit different.

For A-Rod, the home run wasn't even close to being a last great hoorah. On the contrary, as the youngest player to ever accomplish the feat, no one seems to be thinking 600 or even 700 HRs for this guy - it's Barry Bond's record that everyone is speculating whether or not A-Rod can catch.

From this writer's perspective, the answer is simple: YES, he can. And will.

Bonds is at 755 as I write this, and will surpass Aaron's record sometime in the near future. After that, there really isn't much left for Bonds to prove. He may stick around an extra season or two, but I think capping him off at 800 HRs is pretty reasonable. Not saying he CAN'T surpass that (or that it would matter), but its a fair assumption to say that he won't.

Back to A-Rod. As far as work ethic is concerned and athleticism, no one in baseball can do much better than A-Rod. He is nothing but muscle, and works hard to keep it that way. With his work ethic and body type, there is no doubt in my mind that he will be able to play the game for as long as he wants to. (Long enough to break the HR record, anyone?)

NOT including extra homers he will hit this year, A-Rod will have to average 30 HRs a season over the next 10 years to amass 800, which should be enough (or very close). Considering his last 9 year's HR totals are 42, 42, 41, 52, 57, 47, 36, 48, and 35 (36 so far this year), 30 a year shouldn't be a problem. With each 40 HR season he has, he will give himself the luxury of only needing a 20 HR season elsewhere.

By this logic, baring injury or early retirement, A-Rod should have no trouble hitting 800 HRs, and should go down as the greatest power hitter of all time.

Only time will tell for sure. However easy it was, congrats on the big homer A-Rod!

Barry Bonds, San Fransisco Giants, 755th home run

Well, since you've already read enough of me for one day, I'll just save all of my thoughts and analysis on B-Bonds for when he actually hits number 756 and becomes the new home run king.

For the record, I am very, very jealous of the announcers that get to be behind that call.

I believe mine would be something like...

Bonds gets a hold of this one... its high... its deep... and its OUT OF HERE! Love him or hate him, boo him or cheer him, BARRY BONDS is now the greatest home run hitter of all time!

Instead, I'm stuck in the blogosphere. Oh well.

Congrats on 755 Barry. You'll get my take on your career and all the controversy surrounding it next time!

Burke does the right thing and lets Dustin Penner walk

2007-08-02T14:31:00.000-07:00

Brian Burke may be a crybaby, but he's certainly a great GM as well.

Developing young talent is pivotal to any team's success. Finding great players in the draft is a difficult and important process; finding great players outside the draft is even more tricky.

The Ducks signed undrafted then-22-year-old Dustin Penner in 2004 and let him develop for a few years until calling him up for a few games in 2005-06, where he had limited ice time. He definitely showed flashes of brilliance, and earned his spot in the starting rotation last season. In his first full season, Penner excelled, scoring 29 goals and 16 assists. While this translates to only 45 points, it was an excellent rookie season. There aren't too many Ovechkins and Crosbys that just come into the league and score 100 points right off the bat. Penner also had 3 goals and 5 assists during the Ducks' Stanley Cup run. The Ducks found a strong young prospect who has nowhere to go but up, and were looking forward to reaping the benefits.

And then they had him stolen by Kevin Lowe.

The way it was SUPPOSED to go was that the Ducks were supposed to sign Penner to what players this age with this potential usually get; a 2 - 4 year deal somewhere in the 1.5 - 3 mil per year range.

Instead, Kevin Lowe swooped in and offered Penner $21.25 million over 5 years; a staggering $4.25 million a year.

This may or may not be a terrible deal for the Oilers; Penner's play will decide that. It is, however, a terrible deal for the league. It completely screws up player values, and begins the whole "If Dustin Penner is worth 4.25 a year, I'm worth 5!" arguement. I defended Lowe's right to make this move in my last article on the matter; I am not, however, stating that this is a good thing. This deal tells young players that all they need to do is have one strong season and they will be paid a ton of money for it. This may cause inflation in the league... or, it may cause Kevin Lowe to lose his job. Maybe both. Time will tell.

But the point here is that Burke made the right move. Buffalo's GM Darcy Regier had a slightly more difficult choice on his hands when Lowe went after Thomas Vanek with a 7 year, $50 million offer sheet. The choice was to build a franchise around young Vanek (who's rookie season had produced 25 goals and 23 assists, and who's sophomore season last year produced an outstanding 43 goals and 41 assists), or to take the compensation Edmonton would have to pay; 4 first round picks!

Now considering Edmonton isn't a very good team on paper, these picks could definitely be to the tune of top 10 overall picks. With 4 1st rounders, one of them is bound to become a Vanek-like player, and if 2 of the other 3 even become decent NHLers, then letting Vanek walk was the right choice. However, it is understandable to take the franchise-tag route and sign Vanek up long term; Buffalo had already lost Briere and Drury this offseason, and losing Vanek - a bright young 40 goal scorer - would have been a pretty unpopular move among those that aren't prospect-junkies like myself.

The Ducks and Brian Burke, on the other hand, didn't have a 40 goal/80 point scorer on their hands. They had a young talent that may certainly become that; but by and large he is unproven. Burke put it better than I can;

"We don't believe these salaries make sense. If I believe these salaries don't make sense and I match, then I'm just as dumb as the team that extended the offer."

It is very, very difficult to let one of your bright young prospects walk away, at any price. Overpaying to keep them - as Buffalo did - is an understandable defensive tactic.

Understandable, but not always the right thing to do. Burke had a price/value in mind, and when it was stretched past a reasonable point, he didn't fold. It was a smart move, and he will get a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd pick from Edmonton in return for it.

I must say one more time that there is no reason to blame Kevin Lowe for this; he is merely working inside the system in place to try and get the players he wants. If it wasn't him this year, it would have been someone else next year, or the year after that. As we are seeing in the other major sports, young unproven players are being paid now what proven veterans signed long-term to years ago. That's just the way it is; to end my article on a cliche note -

"Don't hate the player, hate the game."

Daunte Culpepper signs with the Raiders!

2007-07-31T22:34:00.000-07:00

Yes, thats an exclamation mark, because yes, I'm excited!

A few months ago when it was made clear that Culpepper was not going to be returning with the Miami Dolphins, I told anyone who would listen that I would love to see Daunte in a Raiders jersey, and I thought that it was an absolutely perfect fit.

To quote my buddy Jonathan Roberts, "Damn man, you must really be sick about that whole ducks winning the cup thing to think Daunte would be a good Raider"

True, I was pretty sick. But I haven't been this excited by a Raider move in a while.

I'm still not in panic mode over Jamarcus Russell not having signed. I'm assuming he'll be in a Raiders jersey come opening day. So lets see here...

Who would you rather have mentoring a quarterback the size of a house with a rocket arm and mobility?

A 6-4, 215 lb career back-up with an average arm, who has 3 career rushing TDs, 1 rush over 20 yards, and 25 rushing 1st downs...

OR...

A 6-4, 265 lb career starter with a powerful arm, who has 30 rushing TDs, 13 rushes over 20 yards, and 187 rushing 1st downs?

It isn't like this is rocket science. Go check out NFL.com's draft profile on Jamarcus Russell (http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2007/russell_jamarcus). If you scroll down a bit...

"Compares To: Daunte Culpepper, Miami Dolphins … Russell has a defensive lineman's build with quick feet for a player his size … He has one of the strongest arms in the game and showed better patience waiting for his targets to get open … He did a better job with his reads to improve his overall accuracy as a junior … He is a perfect prospect for a vertical passing attack … Unlike most big quarterbacks, he doesn't have a windmill-type release and can throw the ball almost the length of the field."

The Raiders just signed the guy that our number one overall pick compares closest to as a mentor! Does it get any better than that?

Plus, theres just no way that Josh McCown lasts the full season as a starter. As soon as the Raiders got off to a bad start (and is there any question about that?), fans would be pressuring the team to start Russell and look for a Vince Young-like surge. Please. Most young QBs that get tossed in there too early take a huge hit to their development process. With a proven starter now aboard, there is no reason to force Jamarcus to take the ball - unless, of course, Culpepper gets injured. Which of course isn't all that unlikely, but all indications are that he is healthy after the long layout and good to go.

Looking past all of the positives involved around Jamarcus Russell, lets not forget that in his last healthy season in 2004; just 2 seasons removed; Culpepper led the league in passing yards with 4717, and finished second in TDs (39) and QB Rating (110.9), finishing only behind Peyton Manning's 49 and 121.1.

And in 2003, Culpepper had the league's 3rd best passer rating at 96.1. He finished 9th in yardage and 6th in TDs with 25... despite missing 2 games. Kitna, Hasselback, and Brad Johnson all finished ahead of him with 26 each, and all 3 played all 16 games. Culpepper would have easily finished 3rd in the league in TDs that year.

But in a "what have you done for me lately?" league like the NFL, it is easy to forget that Culpepper was once considered one of the top QBs in the game. Am I saying he is a lock to return to form? Of course not. Even at his finest I'm not saying he's necessarily a top 5 QB. But how many teams have the luxury of having one of those? (Well, 5 I guess). I am saying that if he is healthy, and in a 1 year deal where he is playing to prove himself, there is no reason to believe that he can't put together a solid season.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying the Raiders will be playoff bound or anything like that. But with a young crop of players, many of which have been around only for the bulk of the last 4 seasons going 15 - 47... you can't tell me that a 7 or 8 win season wouldn't be a HUGE confidence boost and a big step in the right direction.

Daunte Culpepper gives you a better chance of making that happen, while at the same time being a perfect match for Jamarcus Russell.

Was I the only one that saw this coming?

Hello, my name is Brian Burke, and I'm a big baby (and hockey business 101)

2007-07-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

Who is Brian Burke? The Anaheim Ducks General Manager.

- Uh oh... Vegas Dave is complaining and bashing the Ducks again...

Actually, believe it or not, this has nothing to do with my hatred for the team. If this same event happened the same way with any other team, I'd write the same article about it.

Lets bring you up to date.

The Edmonton Oilers GM Kevin Lowe offered Duck's young restricted free agent Dustin Penner a 5-year, $21.25 million offer sheet.

Hmm... since I presume most of my readers aren't experts on the NHL's salary cap and free agency status, I should probably start there before I continue.

----Hockey Business 101----
Pre-lockout, the NHL had no salary cap. As such, teams in major hockey towns (think Detroit, Colorado, New York) could spend as much money as they wanted on any players they wanted. Teams in smaller markets (or penny-pinching teams like the Kings) were left far behind in the talent department. Most importantly, when a team developed a young star, they could afford to sign him when he came of age without having to worry about a salary cap.

Free Agency is quite complicated, but the jist of it is this; When a player is under a certain age (used to be 28, is now 26) and his contract runs out, he is a RESTRICTED free agent. This means that any team can offer him a contract, but the team that he is currently on (we'll call them Team A) has the chance to match any and all offers. If Team A matches the offer, they keep the player. If they decide not to match the offer, the team that signs the player must compensate Team A with draft picks. If a player is over 26 years old, they are an UNRESTRICTED free agent, and can sign wherever they please.

This is a lot of explaining just to gripe about one guy, but hey, if I can provide sports business knowledge to my loyal readers, I'm happy to do so.

Post-lockout, a salary cap was instituted to try and level the playing field. Each team could only spend $39 million to start, but due to good ticket sales league wide, the cap raised to $44 million in 06-07 and has now been raised to $50.3 million for the 07-08 season. Having a salary cap this high seems like it could cause some new monitary problems for the NHL... but thats a whole different post.

To make sure teams stay competitive, there is also a salary floor. Each team MUST spend a certain amount; in 06-07 it was $28 million and for 07-08 it will be $34.3 million.

Daniel Briere, Chris Drury, and Scott Gomez were the top 3 free agents available this year. Drury and Gomez were both signed by the Rangers to 5 year, $35.25 million and 7 year, $51.5 million deals, respectively. Briere signed an 8 year, $52 million deal with a no-trade-clause! With $50 million of cap space to use as wiggle room, teams can now afford to overpay for players they want, which...
----Hockey Business 101 End----

Is exactly what Kevin Lowe chose to do.

Penner was the second restricted free agent Lowe has gone after this season. He offered Buffalo's Thomas Vanek a 7 year, $50 million offer sheet on July 6th. Buffalo chose to match the offer and keep Vanek.

So Lowe set his sights on Dustin Penner, offering him the deal mentioned at the top of this article. Penner was making the league minimum last year, and needless to say, the Ducks were likely going to sign him for a lot less than this.

Which, naturally, is going to frustrate any GM. If you are trying to iron out a deal with your player and someone else comes along and offers him 5 times more than what you were working out, wouldn't you be angry?

Sure.

But do you have to be a baby about it?

Brian Burke set up a media conference call. Were the Ducks matching or turning down the offer? Were they announcing the retirement or return of veterans Teemu Selanne and Scott Neidermayer?

No answers. Burke just wanted to whine.

"I certainly think [the offer] could have waited until Monday. I think it was a classless move, timing-wise. I was not notified of this until Dustin Penner’s agent faxed it in. I would have thought Kevin would have notified me. I thought that was gutless."

"I have no problem with offer sheets. They’re part of the CBA [Collective Bargaining Agreement]. But in my opinion, Edmonton has offered a mostly inflated salary for a player, and I think it’s an act of desperation for a general manager who is fighting to keep his job."

Classless? Gutless? Desperation?

This is the business. I understand that it sucks, and I'm not saying this rate isn't inflated, but the market is what it is. If someone wants to overpay a young player they want on their team and can afford to do so, why shouldn't they?

Classless because he didn't wait til Monday? Teams have a week to decide. Who cares when he made the offer? It may be "inconvinient" for Burke, but the world doesn't revolve around his schedule.

Gutless because he didn't call Burke directly? Like he'd be any less upset hearing the news directly? Going to the player instead of the GM isn't that crazy.

Burke being upset doesn't bother me. It also wouldn't bother me if he answered questions regarding how upset he was.

Calling a media conference to attack another GM personally for just doing his job? That bothers me.

Boo-hoo. Compensation is in the form of a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round pick. The team can live without Dustin Penner. Take the picks, punch your pillow, and shut up.

Bob Costas; Journalist, Announcer, Award Winner, Midget Man

2007-07-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

What?

Oh Barry. As if the steriod scandal doesn't get him enough press, he has to open his mouth.

I'll get into how I feel about him as a baseball player, steroids, his place in history, and all of that good stuff when he actually breaks the record.

But for now, I just needed a laugh.

In response to Bob Costas running a special on Barry Bonds and his well-documented "alleged" steroid use, Bonds declared that Costas is a "little midget man who knows (nothing) about baseball".

I suppose when you stand (a listed) 6'2", 236 pounds, a measly 5'6" and a half pound man could be considered a "midget".

"As anyone can see, I'm 5'6" and a half and a strapping 150, and unlike some people, I came by all of it naturally" Costas retorted.

Perhaps as funny as the original statement, Bonds response to Costas's retort was "How do you know [he came by it naturally]?... I don't care."

Calling one of the sports' most recognizable and distinguished journalists a "midget man" is certainly not going to make you any more popular, but then, do you think Barry Bonds cares?

While this little episode is pretty good, my all-time favorite Bonds quote comes from when he addressed the grand jury:

"Bonds said that Anderson had so little money that he 'lives in his car half the time.' Asked by a juror why he didn't buy 'a mansion' for his trainer, Bonds answered:

'One, I'm black, and I'm keeping my money. And there's not too many rich black people in this world. There's more wealthy Asian people and Caucasian and white. And I ain't giving my money up.'"

Caucasian and white?

What a guy.

I mean after all, what is life without friendship?

"This is our fraternity, and if we don't stand for each other, who is going to stand for us? And I will stand by my fellow player, regardless of anything."

Oh Barry.

Quick Fantasy Baseball Update

2007-07-25T21:44:00.000-07:00

If you play fantasy baseball, and you need saves go grab JAMIE WALKER. Baltimore' Chris Ray just hit the DL and will be done until at least mid August, likely the rest of the season, with an elbow injury. Walker is a solid replacement that will help your team down the stretch and will be available in 99% of leagues if you go get him now.

Anyone else irritated with ESPN?

2007-07-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

ESPN.

The Worldwide Leader in Sports.

Why don't they instead call themselves "The Worldwide Leader in Sports That Matter"?

This isn't even just about lack of hockey coverage anymore. Between "Who's Now" and the ESPYs, it is becoming more and more clear that if you aren't the NBA, NFL, MLB, NCAA, and maybe NASCAR, you really don't matter.

Unless, of course, its poker, which has far surpassed hockey, tennis, golf, softball, bowling, extreme sports, etc etc. (And this isn't a knock on poker either. I love the game. But should highlights of it be on ESPN classic more often than great tennis and golf championships?)

Funny that a network that used to get by by showing only minor sports in the 1970's has now all but completely left them to die. Remember when MTV used to show music videos?

Keyshawn Johnson is going to tell me that Sidney Crosby isn't "now".

The league's top scorer as a 19 year old is simply worth a chuckle, because his sport is a joke.

Roger Federer winning a title gets as much time on Sportscenter as one of the 15 baseball games that were played that day gets.

Any golfer not named Tiger Woods that wins a major is lucky to even get that much time.

Its one thing if ESPN only had so much time to work with, so could only go through the major sports. But with ESPN 2, ESPNews, and so many more, you can't tell me it would be that difficult to get decent coverage of more sports than just football, baseball, and basketball?

And they don't even cover those fairly! Big market teams get long breakdowns and post game interviews while "un-important" teams just get a highlight or two. Assuming you aren't a Yankee or Red Sox fan, how do you feel about the coverage your team gets?

Just imagine for me if it were your favorite sport being completely neglected and ignored.

By the WORLDWIDE LEADER IN SPORTS.

How would you feel?

I'm Back

2007-07-16T03:13:00.000-07:00

Batteries recharged... I'm good to go again.

Thanks to my regular readers for staying patient and for returning. I appreciate it a lot.

As anyone could have quite easily guessed, my break was induced by the Ducks winning the Stanley Cup. I still haven't gotten over it, and I never will. It hurts me to my very core. And I'm not exaggerating in the least bit; the Ducks' cup win has seriously made me re-consider my passion for sports, what I want to do with my life, just about everything.

"It's just a game!" "You shouldn't take it so personally!"

Yeah. Right. Got all that.

The problem is, you don't get to decide what makes you tick. You can spin certain events in your life by looking at them in a positive or negative way; but if something hits you directly, there really isn't much you can do about it.

I frequent on http://www.letsgokings.com, a message board created by a Kings fan, run by Kings fans, for Kings fans. Thousands upon thousands of fans visit this site daily and talk Kings hockey. I never saw myself as a message board person (and still don't), but this is one site that is simply an exception.

Fans of all ages gather on this site, teenagers, but mainly fans in their 20's, 30's, 40's, and above. Most of these people have been dedicated Kings fans for their entire lives... many have been for the entire 40 years the Kings have been in the league. These thousands of fans only scratch the surface; how many more tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands are huge Kings fans but don't hang out on the message board?

I won't get into why I hate Ducks fans again... I know I've been a broken record. If you want a recap, click here. I'm sure I come off as whiny and unprofessional, but so be it.

It just isn't fair. I know "Life's not fair". But sports to me has always been an escape from the bitterness of real life for me. Despite the fact that my teams have never won, the point is that when I was having an awful day, I could turn on a game and get lost in it. That's been shaken a little, because my dream-like sports world has been shaken back to reality.

It doesn't matter that there are many more Kings fans than Ducks fans. It doesn't matter that there are many bandwagon Ducks fans. It doesn't matter that Cleveland Browns fans never won a Super Bowl, but THEIR TEAM moved to Baltimore and won a championship there. It doesn't matter that millions of people have lived their entire lives as Cubs fan (or until recently, Red Sox fans) and millions have died lifelong Cub fans without ever seeing a championship. It doesn't matter that loyal fans of every major sport team in Philadelphia and Cleveland haven't won a damn thing in years. The list goes on and on and on.

It doesn't matter how much you care or how much you love. All that matters is who's got the best team, and who's got the bounces on their side.

And that hurts me. It is hard to come to terms with the fact that the thing that brings you the most joy in this world; pro sports; is just like everything else. People get screwed. People get heartbroken. Great fans live and die unrewarded and bandwagon fans celebrate 20 championships.

But with each terrible loss comes a great win. With each dream shattered comes a dream come true. That is the beauty of sports... and its also its dark underbelly.

So I return to you a bit broken, a bit bitter, a bit disillusioned, but 100% still in love with the world of sports.

I hope you'll take me back with open arms.

Taking A Break

2007-06-08T05:41:00.000-07:00

I'll be temporarily shutting down this blog until further notice.

Thank you for reading.

(I'm hoping the break won't be for too long... it may only be a week or two. I just need some time to recharge the batteries. Thank you for your patience and please continue to check in periodically).

Ask Me Anything! (#4)

2007-06-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

This one from my mother:

I have a question. How do you think Pronger should be punished for that cheap shot against McAmmond? I think he should be suspended the rest of the series, seems his one game suspension didn't teach him any lessons! And what was the ref watching? No penalty???

Pronger was suspended one game for the elbow... one game more than I thought he'd get, and one game less than he deserved.

Suspending him for the rest of the series as you suggested would have been a fair move, considering it is his second offense in 2 weeks, but there were two reasons why this wasn't happening. 1) Pronger is a star in the league and thus will receive a bit of special treatment, 2) It is the Stanley Cup Finals. Every single call, review, goal, hit, etc. is magnified tenfold in the finals... no one wants to suspend a guy for the entire series unless he virtually commits murder.

Granted, looking back at #1, if Chris Pronger were say Sean O'Donnell, he'd probably not be seeing another game this series. But he isn't. He's Chris Pronger. It was for this reason that I thought they might just let him get away with it. (Best argument I heard was that McAmmond is short so Pronger meant to hit him legitimately and accidentally elbowed him. Please.)

In my opinion, and that of most unbiased hockey fans (not saying I'm unbiased, but I can be when I have to be...), Chris Pronger should have received a 2-game suspension. One game for the elbow itself, and one game for the fact that this just happened in the last series and he obviously didn't learn anything or care.

To see the elbow, check it out here.

Funny, the more I watch it, the more I have to agree with your series-long suspension.

Hockey Cards For Sale!

2007-06-03T00:59:00.000-07:00

In honor of the Stanley Cup Finals, I've put a bunch of my jersey and autographed cards of the stars of both teams on e-bay.

Even if you aren't interested in buying them, you should still check them out. They are pretty cool.

Also, you guys should ask me something! I've been dying to answer more questions. I have fun with that segment.

The Cards

Ducks physical play overwhelms Senators through two games

2007-05-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

For those of you wondering how the Ducks have managed to jump out to a 2 - 0 lead and put a choke hold on the series on an Ottawa team that has been nothing but dominant throughout these entire playoffs, it is quite simple...

I alluded to it in my first "Ask Me Anything"...

"The biggest knock on [the Sens] has been their physical game, which I didn't think was addressed this off-season or at the trade deadline. Also, goaltending was a question mark; could Ray Emery really outshine the likes of Marty Brodeur or Ryan Miller? The answer to that question has been an emphatic yes. As for physicality, they don't need it against similar-styled Buffalo and Pittsburgh. And as for the Devils series, in that instance, skill trumped toughness. And don't get me wrong... they haven't been playing like a bunch of pansies. They simply have had the good fortune of being able to play to their strengths."

"I will very likely be picking against the Senators in the finals. As I said above, I don't think they have really been physically tested yet; and both the Ducks and the Wings play a very tough physical brand of hockey. And, unlike the Devils, they also have the talent to back it up. Not to mention, the team in the West will have the more experienced goaltender AND home ice advantage. I will certainly be rooting for the Senators - I hate the Wings and Ducks AND I have money riding on a Sens' victory; but I will likely pick against them."

Of course I ended up deciding that the Senators would find a way to overcome this... but so far, it appears that they can not.

With the exception of only Andy McDonald and Teemu Selanne (who try, but aren't that tough), every single player on the Anaheim Ducks hits HARD. And OFTEN. Every single shift these guys take, they hit the guy who has the puck hard, the guy who just passed the puck hard, and sometimes they just take the penalty and hit someone else hard when they aren't even allowed to. And the Ducks are unapologetic and ruthless about it; even after taking a penalty, they'll come right back out and hit some more.

This type of physicality completely changes the game. After getting hit so many times, players - even if only subconsciously, but often consciously as well - begin paying more attention to where opposing team's players are instead of their own in fear and anticipation of getting hit. They also begin second guessing moves that will make them end up in the corners where they will take a punishment.

In a day where the new NHL promotes finesse, it is pretty impressive to see such an overwhelmingly powerful team go out there and crush bodies the way they do.

JS Giguere hasn't been tested much, but when they've needed him to make the big saves, he's been right on the spot. Ray Emery played a decent game 1 and an excellent game 2; but he can't actually go out there and score, can he?

The only chance the Senators have is taking advantage of the home ice rules in Ottawa. Of course having the fans on their side will be helpful enough; but in the NHL, the home team gets to make the last line change. In other words, they can see who the other team has out there and then choose the match-up they like best. This worked to a charm for Anaheim, who completely neutralized the Senators' usually dominant line of Spezza Heatley Alfredsson by putting their best defensive offensive line out there; Rob Niedermayer, Samuel Pahlsson, and Travis Moen with BOTH of their Norris trophy winning defensemen Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. No one in the league is scoring against that line.

If the Sens can find favorable match-ups for their top line instead of always facing those defensive juggernauts, they might have a chance. Granted, as soon as the puck is dropped the Ducks can make a line change; but its those precious few seconds that could be the difference.

And they have to be, or the Ottawa Senators will be staying in Ottawa for good.

Senators and Ducks Fans; and why Maple Leafs and Kings fans hate them.

2007-05-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

In 1992, the NHL expanded by two teams, adding the Tampa Bay Lightning... and the Ottawa Senators.

This gave the province of Ontario its second team; something that the city of Ottawa was thrilled about, but most Ontario locals were not. The Toronto Maple Leafs had been Ontario's only professional hockey team since 1927 (Though the Maple Leaf franchise under various names had been in Ontario since 1917).

The Maple Leafs won 11 Stanley Cups in the years between 1927 - 1967. This was in an NHL comprised of only 6 teams, which are now known as the "Original 6"; the Montreal Canadians, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and the Maple Leafs.

In the season of 1967 - 1968, the league expanded, adding 6 new teams to double the NHL's size to 12 teams.

Since the expansion;

Montreal Canadians: 10 Stanley Cups, 12 Stanley Cup Final Appearances
Detroit Red Wings: 3 Stanley Cups, 4 Stanley Cup Final Appearances
Boston Bruins: 2 Stanley Cups, 4 Stanley Cup Final Appearances
New York Rangers: 1 Stanley Cup, 1 Stanley Cup Final Appearance
Chicago Blackhawks: 0 Stanley Cups, 1 Stanley Cup Final Appearance

Toronto Maple Leafs: 0 Stanley Cups, 0 Stanley Cup Final Appearances

Bitter much lately?

The Senators, who have only been in the league for 15 years, are now 4 wins away from winning a Stanley Cup. Where is the justice? Why should the fans that jumped ship from the province's original team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, be awarded with a Cup?

One year after the Ottawa Senators joined the league in the 1992 expansion, two more teams joined the league for the 1993 season; the Florida Panthers and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

The Anaheim Ducks joined the Los Angeles Kings as the only other team in Southern California. Remember that 1967-68 expansion that made the NHL into 12 teams? One of those teams was the Los Angeles Kings. They were Southern California's only team for 26 years, and the entire state's only team for 24 (the San Jose Sharks joined the league in 1991).

(Editors Note: Southern California's only team for 26 years, the Kings were not in fact California's only team. I looked over the Oakland Seals, who joined the league in the 1967-68 season. They were renamed the California Golden Seals in the 1970-71 season, and eventually moved off to Cleveland after playing their final season in California in 1975-76. They never won a playoff series. Thank you to the reader who brought the Seals to my attention.)

Despite having a history rich with some of the greats to ever play the game, including the greatest of them all in Wayne Gretzky, the Kings were never able to win a Stanley Cup. In fact, they made only one Stanley Cup Finals appearance in the 1992 - 93 season; the season preceding the Ducks entering the league. They lost in 5 games to the Montreal Canadians.

It took the Ducks only 9 years to do what it had taken the Kings 25 years to do; make it to the Finals. The Ducks ended up losing the series, but they did win 3 games in the series, tripling the amount of wins the Kings have in Stanley Cup Finals history.

The Ducks, who have only been in the league for 14 years, are now 3 wins away from winning a Stanley Cup. Where is the justice? Why should the fans that jumped ship from Southern California's original team, the Los Angeles Kings, be awarded with a Cup?

Feeling the déjà vu?

Lets get one thing straight. The Ottawa Senators and the Anaheim Ducks deserve to be in the finals. Not only have their players worked as hard or harder than every other teams' in the league, but they also have been brilliantly run franchises. Ottawa has done an excellent job drafting and keeping talent, while the Ducks have not only done a good job drafting but have also made a number of brilliant transactions over the past few years to solidify them as legitimate contenders.

This isn't about the teams. Any Maple Leaf or Kings fan could tell you that they know the Senators and Ducks are great teams. It's the damn fans. Yes, many of them simply lived in the city; both Anaheim and Ottawa are large cities and of course hockey fans are going to be excited to get their own team. Then again, does a team being built in your front yard give you a great opportunity to abandon your current team just because a new one is closer? And what about all the bandwagon fans that simply hopped on for the ride when these teams started becoming playoff forces. You can't deny their presence. They make up a great deal of these young franchises fans. Why are Maple Leafs and Kings fans being punished for their loyalty, while Ducks and Senators fans are being rewarded for their infidelity?

Leafs and Kings fans have every right to be upset, in my opinion. But who should be angrier?

Kings fans. By a MILE.

"Why, Dave? Because you are a Kings fan?"

Actually, no. Two important reasons.

1) THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS HAVE HAD THEIR NAMES INGRAINED INTO THE STANLEY CUP 11 TIMES!

I understand that that isn't much condolence to those fans born in the last 40 years. Think it matters to me that the Raiders were great, once upon a time? We want results in the here and now. But whether it happened long ago or just yesterday, the Stanley Cup is eternal; once a team's name and roster is ingrained into the Cup, it stays there forever. The Maple Leafs have won the cup more than all other teams in the league with the exception of only the Montreal Canadians. No one can ever take those championships away from you. Even if the Sens go on to win 12 Stanley Cups before the Maple Leafs win another; and trust me, I know how bad that would hurt; it would never erase their legacy. A legacy that the Kings don't have. If the Ducks win the Stanley Cup first, it could be the Kings to win the next 3; but no one could ever take away the fact that the Ducks won a Stanley Cup before the Los Angeles Kings.

2) OTTAWA FANS ACTUALLY LOVE HOCKEY AND SUPPORT THEIR TEAM!

Here is an article on how little Southern California cares about the Ducks heading to the Stanley Cup Finals; Ducks aren't hot topic in town.

Meanwhile, celebrities and thousands of fans show up for this pep rally in Ottawa.

As if those two articles were needed to point out the obvious. But lets take a look at the numbers.

Team / League Standing /Fan Attendance Ranking / Average Attendance per home game:

2000-2001 Season:

Leafs / 14th / 5th / 19,257
Sens / 4th / 10th / 17,793
Kings / 13th / 17th / 16,057
Ducks / 26th / 28th / 13,499

2001-2002 Season:

Leafs / 3rd / 4th / 19,279
Sens / 14th / 15th / 16,919
Kings / 12th / 16th / 16,756
Ducks / 24th / 30th / 12,002

2002-2003 Season:

Leafs / 9th / 4th / 19,240
Kings / 18th / 12th / 17,569
Sens / 1st / 14th / 17,198
Ducks / 11th / 26th / 13,988 <----Year Ducks go to Stanley Cup Finals 2003-2004 Season:

Leafs / 5th / 3th / 19,376
Kings / 20th / 11th / 17,855
Sens / 6th / 13th / 17,758
Ducks / 22nd / 23rd / 14,987

2005-2006 Season:

Sens / 2nd / 5th / 19,474
Leafs / 18th / 6th / 19,408
Kings / 20th / 12th / 17,840
Ducks / 12th / 24th / 15,106 <---- Ducks go to Conference Finals 2006-2007 Season:

Leafs / 18th / 4th / 19,487
Sens / 9th / 5th / 19,372
Kings / 28th / 16th / 16,859
Ducks / 4th / 20th / 16,363

Despite the fact that the Kings were in a season long struggle to be the second worst team in hockey, Kings fans still paid MORE money to see MORE games than Ducks fans, who were in a season long struggle to be the BEST IN THE NHL!

Want to bring up the fact that the stadium the Ducks play in is smaller and can't seat as many people as Staples and the Canadian stadiums? Then you'll love the stat that going by percentage of seats sold, the Ducks ranked 17th in the league this year with a 95.3%. The team with the 4th best record in the league.

Want to bring up the fact that the culture is different, and that Canada loves hockey much more than the US does? Of course it does. That doesn't take away from the fact that subtracting the 6 Canadian teams from the totals, there were still 22, 24, 20, 17, 18, and this year 14 US cities that had more fans go out and support their team, INCLUDING Los Angeles, San Jose, Dallas, and Tampa Bay... really icy climates, perfect for hockey I'm sure.

Face it: Ducks fans suck, and they don't deserve the satisfaction of seeing their team win the cup.

I've been asked, Dave, what about the true fans? The ones that were there from the beginning? Kids raised Ducks fans, etc? And truthfully, there are a few of those types of fans out there that deserve to see their team win as much as anyone. Then again, I know what its like to be thrown in with a big fan stereotype; again, I bring up that I'm a Raiders fan. That means I must be a criminal? A gangster? A freak? Violent? Of course not. But that doesn't mean I can't acknowledge that they exist.

I'm a fan of my teams because I'm loyal to those teams, not to the other fans that support them. And I can almost guarantee you that when you come across one of those rare, true Duck fans, that didn't abandon the Kings and actually loves and supports the team, they'll agree with everything I've said about 95% of their fellow fans.

Go Senators. For the love of hockey, go Senators.

The Stanley Cup Finals - Ask Me Anything! (#3)

2007-05-26T14:18:00.000-07:00

My apologies to all of my readers that check here regularly. I usually update 4 - 5 times a week, and its inexcusable I've left it un-updated this long. I've had a very long and busy week. Besides that, some of the things I want to blog on needed to be postponed for a little while;

Jason Giambi - waiting for something to actually HAPPEN before I give an opinion on it... so far its been all talk.

NBA Draft Lottery - look for this one in the very near future... but I'm still "cranky" over the Robert Horry incident, and am not in the best mood to blog about the NBA.

And, of course, the Cup Finals.

The reason I have waited is due to the fact that the Finals don't actually start until Monday, and I think it is extremely important to soak in as much information (and, more importantly, press) as possible. Take for example Sean Avery running his mouth about how his Rangers were going to "hurt" the Buffalo Sabres. Smart. Give the best team in the league MORE motivation to beat you. And they did take both of the first 2 games at home.

Both of these teams have been classy (this certainly isn't the media equivalent of MEDIA WEEK in the NFL before the Super Bowl, especially here in the states, is it?) and haven't said anything disrespectful about their opponents. Both teams are confident, and they both should be. They've played some good hockey to get here.

I did stumble on a good article a few days ago. It tells the story of a young 3-year-old who died of a rare form of childhood cancer called neuroblastoma. The boy was a die-hard Senators fan, who got to meet the team and became an inspiration to them. He defied the odds and stayed alive long enough to watch his favorite team beat the Sabres and make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. It is a great story and its ashame its only being heard in Canada. Here is the link; make sure you have some Kleenex handy; Elgin's Story.

Thus the importance of researching the media. Is this little boy's story going to be the sole deciding factor in this series? Of course not. But when two excellent, very evenly matched hockey teams meet up and something as simple as who wants it more is the deciding factor... you think Elgin's picture won't be hanging high in the Senator's locker room? As if the already-more-dedicated-to-their-team-than-Duck's-fans Senator fans needed MORE to cheer about to give their team that extra little edge at home?

Here goes nothing.

#2 Anaheim Ducks (48 - 20 - 14 regular season, 12 - 4 post season) VS.
#4 Ottawa Senators (48 - 25 - 9 regular season, 12 - 3 post season)

Two 48 win teams, two teams that haven't won a Stanley Cup (well, not the modern day Senators who were born in 1992; a team of the same name won it 80 years ago), two teams that have worked extremely hard to get to this point and deserve to have their names ingrained into Lord Stanley's Cup.

And yet, only one can.

You really can't go wrong picking either of the teams in this series. The Ducks have two of the top 3 defensemen in the league in Chris Pronger and Scott Neidermayer, as well as a goaltender who is nothing short of spectacular come playoff time in Jean-Sebastion Giguere. The Senators have 3 of the top 4 point scorers in these playoffs in Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, and Daniel Alfredsson; all the more impressive considering the fact that they've played less games than the Sabres, Ducks, and Wings have (The Wings' Nick Lidstrom (18 pts) knocks Alfredsson's 17 points out of the top 3 with his teammates by just one point... but Lidstrom played in 3 more games).

So, OTTAWA OFFENSE VS. DUCK DEFENSE? Not quite. As catchy as that may be, the Ducks also happened to finish 9th overall during the regular season in scoring (Sens 2nd)... and the Senators happened to finish 10th overall in goals against (Ducks 7th). So neither of these teams has a real weakness, which makes this series so darn interesting.

You all know how much I hate the Ducks, but let me make perfectly clear that I know what a good hockey team they are, and I'm looking really hard for any reason to pick them, because I don't want it to be an emotional pick. You'll notice that I've said the Ducks are the best in the West... and that they are. But I thought Buffalo was the best team in the league, and they were handled quite easily by the Ottawa Senators. Think back a few years ago to the Pittsburgh Steelers team that came in on a wild card and tore through everyone en route to a Super Bowl victory. There were "better" teams, but not in those playoffs their weren't. The Senators give me a similar vibe. They've beaten the best young team in the game (Pittsburgh), the best goaltender in the game (Brodeur), and the best team in the game (Buffalo), all handily. Why shouldn't they beat the best team in the West?

But then, the Ducks could make similar claims. They beat the best defensive team in the game (Minnesota), the "best goaltender in the game" (Luongo), and the "best team in the game" (Detroit). After all, Luongo and Brodeur are the clear 1 and 2 but it is tough to decide between them. And Detroit finished with the same point total as Buffalo: 113 (albeit in a much easier division).

Stats make things even more complexing. The Senator's defense/goaltending has been better than the Ducks, allowing only 2.12 goals per game to the Ducks 2.17. However, the Sens run is not only better by .05; they've faced the leagues' 1st, 4th, and 27th ranked offenses (Average 10.67) to the Ducks' 10th, 19th, and 22nd (Average 17).

And needless to say the Sens have scored plenty more goals than the Ducks (3.2 goals a game to the Ducks 2.62), but they have done so against the league's 4th, 13th, and 14th ranked defenses. The Ducks meanwhile have had to face the league's 1st, 2nd, and 5th ranked defenses. Maybe they are due for an offensive explosion?

Dizzy yet? Lets just move on to the questions;

Mom asked;

Do you think it actually comes down to goal tending on which team will win the cup?

Well, yes and no. You can't win a series on goaltending alone (ask Roberto Luongo and Marty Turco about that), but you can certainly lose a series on goaltending alone. If a goalie is on, he gives his team an excellent chance to win. And, if he isn't, he gives them an excellent chance to lose. All eyes are on Ottawa goaltender Ray Emery; JS Giguere has proven he's the real deal in the playoffs. Emery has done an excellent job not only stopping high octane offenses in Buffalo (1st overall) and Pittsburgh (4th overall), but also out-dueling some of the game's great young goalies in Ryan Miller and Marc-Andre Fluery, as well as the games best, Martin Brodeur. I don't think he'll have to be perfect at all to win the cup; but he'll need to be good. And, depending on how JS plays, he just might have to be great.

Can you tell me the records of Ottawa and the Ducks?

They are listed above. Of course, you could have just gone to any major sports web page for that info... but I appreciate you coming here instead!

Do the east coast teams play better, or harder games than the west?

That's debatable. In the old days, the style of play was much rougher in the East than it was in the West. Nowadays, I'd say its evened out a bit. The big difference between the conferences this year was parity (which means strength from top to bottom in sports). The East was more evenly matched up; 13 of their 15 teams finished with 75 or more points, compared to only 10 of 15 in the West. But the West had 7 teams with 100 or more points to the East's 4. What it really comes down to in the new NHL isn't conferences so much as it is divisions. Teams play 8 games against each of their division rivals. So if you are in a weak division with only 2 strong teams, you can easily rise to the top. If you are in a tough division with either 5 competitive teams OR 3 excellent teams, your road will be difficult. Good hockey is good hockey and bad hockey is bad hockey, East, West, North, and South.

Josh asked; Anaheim Ducks or Ottawa Senators - WHO YA GOT?

And isn't that the point of this whole post? As you can read, you can't go wrong with either of these teams. They are both great. And they both don't know each other, so you really don't know what to expect. Since the stats didn't solve it, I have to look no further than the quality of hockey played. In my opinion, as good as the Ducks are, they have looked vulnerable, and they have been outplayed by inferior teams, and they have barely found ways to win games that they didn't deserve to win. Honestly, as much as I like the Sabres, they were the same way this year. Not the Senators. They have played flat out excellent hockey in all 15 games they have played; all 3 of their losses were 1 goal games. These are two evenly matched teams. Flip a coin and pick a side. The side with the Senators logo on it, however, is a little shinier. And I make this pick as a hockey analyst, not a bitter Kings fan.

OTTAWA IN 6.

Days like this remind me why I have a blog...

2007-05-22T23:58:00.001-07:00

Don't get me wrong; I'm well aware that I get things wrong often enough.

But today kinda made me chuckle.

As the Ducks beat the Wings tonight to move on to the Stanley Cup Finals, as miserable as it makes me feel on a personal level it was kind of cool that I...

Predicted they'd win the series in 6 games 14 days ago as well as predicting the Ducks wouldn't be beaten in the West 39 days ago.

Even cooler... did anyone tell you about this Lincecum guy who out-dueled Roy Oswalt tonight sooner than I did?

Sorry for the self-patting on the back, but you know what? I'm having a bad day, and damnit, I'm going to give myself some props. It is my blog after all isn't it?

NHL Playoff Hockey or The Preakness? Tough choice, huh NBC?

2007-05-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

Buffalo and Ottawa, the East's two best offenses were locked up in a close Game 5, with Ottawa seemingly controlling the tempo through the first two periods and earning themselves a 2 - 1 lead heading into the third. Desperation and the home crowd kicked in all at once, and the Sabres went on an offensive flurry and tied the game up on a power play goal with just under 10 minutes left to play. Both goalies were outstanding and kept the puck out of the net for the last 9 minutes and change of play; this baby was heading into overtime.

You know how I feel about overtime playoff hockey. There just isn't anything better.

Would Buffalo be eliminated, or would the Senators be forced to fly back to Ottawa for a Game 6?

Who would be the hero? Who would be the goat? How long would it take to decide a winner?

"The Preakness is coming up next here on NBC. If you'd like continued coverage of this game, check your local provider for the Versus network"

But post time isn't until 3:00 pm, so we could see an overtime period without missing the actual race. Maybe they just meant after...

"What a sunny day it is here where Street Sense will try and take the next step towards immortality and the triple crown!"

Hmm. So, seeing as I don't have Versus, I now have to miss the game so I can see the leadup to the Preakness?

Believe it or not, unlike 99% of my hockey fan friends who were absolutely irate and sent hateful letters and emails to NBC, I don't blame them for the move at all.

The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness, and Belmont Stakes are a bigger deal than the NHL conference finals.

Monetarily, anyways.

People paid great money to get their commercial spots during the hour leading up to the Preakness. Commercials that wouldn't be seen if you kept the hockey game on; there are no commercials in overtime of a playoff hockey game. Besides, the commercials were catered to people who would be tuning into the race, not keeping it on for the hockey game.

So NBC had a choice; refund all those advertisers their money and upset horse racing fans, or upset a bunch of loyal hockey fans.

Easy call.

Because hockey fans love their sport. We can't threaten to boycott a network for pulling stunts like this because quite frankly we are lucky when we get to see hockey at all. After all, NBC can offend me all it wants, because I don't get Versus here at my apartment. I have to watch internet feeds when games aren't televised. So what if we all get piping mad? What does NBC care? You think it needs hockey ratings to survive?

Besides, those of you that work, how many of you heard people bringing up the race on Saturday? Who they had? Whether or not Street Sense would win? Bets? Side bets?

Ever hear that talk surrounding hockey in your workplace?

NBC made the right move. I refuse to criticize them, and I also refuse to criticize horse racing. Its awesome. Does it hold a candle to playoff hockey? No, but what does?

All this emphasized was what an idiot Gary Bettman was for not signing a deal with ESPN. ESPN offered Bettman a contract to cover hockey; granted, it was not very lucrative, but why should it have been? The league was coming off a lock-out and its already small fan base was shaken and there were whispers the NHL might not recover. Signing with ESPN may not have paid the most upfront but it would have given the league the two things it needs the most; advertisements and coverage.

Ever watch Sportscenter or ESPNews and see commercials for arena football? Sure you do. Why? Because ESPN actually gets to cover arena football.

Ever watch Versus and see commercials for the NHL? No. Why? Because you AREN'T WATCHING VERSUS.

You may not even get it!

Bettman's shortsightedness has solidified hockey's spot outside of major sports. Hockey used to be one of the 4 major sports. Well, those are now NASCAR, NFL, MLB, and NBA.

Hockey stays with tennis, golf, boxing, and all the other sports that don't get any respect.

But at least I got to see an awesome horse race available in high definition right after the grainy image of the Senators winning the East on my computer screen came to a close.

Ask Me Anything! (#2)

2007-05-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

Ask me anything, and hockey gets the love huh? That's fine by me.

Question from Don: "What makes you think Senators can't beat Redwings? They got the scoring, speed and age on them."

Make no mistake about it; I definitely think the Senators could beat the Red Wings. Granted, the Wings have to actually finish the series against the Ducks for that to even be the match-up.

The Sens have already contained the league's best forward (Sidney Crosby), beat the league's best goalie (Martin Brodeur), and are one game away from knocking off the league's best team (record wise, anyhow). And I must again point out that it has been no fluke; this team is the real deal.

I guess its just the lack of a true 3rd and 4th line that bothers me about Ottawa. Yes, they do have Chris Neil (177 penalty minutes this season), but this team is essentially a team that sends 4 scoring lines at you. Maybe it's just the hockey purist in me unwilling to appreciate the fact that in the new NHL, speed and skill conquer physicality and grit, but there's just something about the Kris Drapers and Kirk Maltbys and Tomas Holmstroms that feel right in the playoffs. Last year's Carolina team had a lot of speed and skill but also did an excellent job getting down and dirty on its 3rd and 4th lines.

There just seems to be something missing to me, maybe something that can only be exploited by a team like the Ducks or Wings. I certainly hope I'm wrong; I did bet Ottawa this pre-season to win it all, after all.

But Ottawa deserves all the respect in the world, and if Ray Emery stays strong, Canada just might have its first Stanley Cup winning team in 14 years.

Question from Nick: "i could probably just as easily look this up online.... but why in hockey to fans throw octopi (plural of octopus) out on the ice?"

Yep, you could have Nick. Thats exactly what I did... I knew it had something to do with 8 wins, but couldn't iron out the details. So after the good ol' web search, here's what wikipedia.org teaches us;

"This tradition, started on April 15th, 1952, when two brothers, Pete and Jerry Cusimano, who owned a fish market, decided to throw an octopus onto the ice at Olympia Stadium, with the eight tentacles of the octopus symbolizing the eight wins it took to win the Stanley Cup at the time. The Red Wings were a perfect 7-0 in the playoffs and were one win away from not only winning the Cup, but becoming the first perfect team in the NHL's post season history. Sure enough the Red Wings won that game, and the media made mention of the octopus "omen" in the papers the following day, thus establishing the octopus legend in the process. Fans have been throwing octopuses onto the ice at Red Wings games ever since. The tradition died down somewhat in the 1970s and 1980s during the Red Wings dismal seasons, but when the Red Wings became contenders again in the '90s, the tradition resumed."

Have to take what you find on wikipedia with a grain of salt; but that looks about right to me.

(To have your question answered, email me any questions you've got at socaltrojan31@aol.com OR simply leave a comment here and your question will be addressed in a new post. Don't be shy. "Anything" is a pretty broad topic. Sports related, of course.)

Ask Me Anything! (#1)

2007-05-16T23:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks go out to Joshua for officially getting this new segment of my blog underway. Here goes;

"Here's a question that I don't get...

You, Vegas, are my go-to source when I want to try to understand the ice-capades *cough* i mean the NHL. (sorry, but football is king. anything else is merely a court jester)"

Well, I think baseball and hockey deserve spots as maybe princes or cousins as opposed to court jesters, but I won't argue against football being king.

"You've picked against the Senators in the last two rounds, and even tho they dropped today's game to the once-mighty Buffalo Sabres, they are still in a great position to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

I have two questions for ya:
1. How have the Ottawa Senators been able to fly past the Sabres after a taxing series against the Devils? Other than today's game, Buffalo hasn't even shown up. Is this more the Sabres being overrated or are the Senators just "that team" that gets hot at the right time?"

Well before I answer this, let me just point out that this series actually isn't over yet. Granted, I know it sounds cliche - but in this case its true. Usually when a team takes a 3 - 0 lead, it is because they are the significantly better team. Not quite the case here; Buffalo is certainly evenly matched if not better than Ottawa. This series had all the makings of a 7 game series. Buffalo taking game 4 sends them back to Buffalo for game 5, which they dropped the first two there, but they could easily win. All of a sudden game 6 is a bit of a must win for the Senators. I'm not calling the comeback, but I'm not ruling it out either. To answer one part of your question, the Sabres ARE the real deal and are not overrated.

So why is it the Sens are cruising? Well, first of all, the series against the Devils wasn't all that "taxing". It only took 5 games and most of the time the Senators were in command. There was little doubt about who the better team was out there. In fact, it has been that way these entire playoffs for the Sens. So are they "just that hot team"? Actually, no. Since December 23rd (when the team was 18 wins - 18 losses - 1 overtime loss), including these playoffs, the Senators are 41 - 9 - 9. If that doesn't speak towards their legitimacy, nothing will. They have the talent to beat anyone.

The biggest knock on them has been their physical game, which I didn't think was addressed this off-season or at the trade deadline. Also, goaltending was a question mark; could Ray Emery really outshine the likes of Marty Brodeur or Ryan Miller? The answer to that question has been an emphatic yes. As for physicality, they don't need it against similar-styled Buffalo and Pittsburgh. And as for the Devils series, in that instance, skill trumped toughness. And don't get me wrong... they haven't been playing like a bunch of pansies. They simply have had the good fortune of being able to play to their strengths.

But the real reason they are beating Buffalo so bad is special teams. The New York Rangers threw off the Sabres' rhythm on the power play with their stern defense, and it took the Sabres 19 chances to get their first power play goal of the series Wednesday night. When two evenly matched teams face off, special teams is key; and the Sabres have been ice cold. Credit also the Senators' penalty killers.

"2. You haven't picked Ottawa to win a series since the first round. If the Ducks advance to the finals to play the Senators, will you pick the Ducks in the hopes that your anti-Sens picks will turn out in Ottawa's favor, thus smighting the hated Anaheim Quack-Attackers? Or will you pick against Anaheim, picking with your heart but also with the knowledge that the Ducks - as you've been sayin for some time - will probably win it all?"

As of right now, believe it or not, that is a pretty big if. The Detroit Red Wings not only took back home ice by beating the Ducks 5 - 0 in Anaheim, but they also planted a seed of doubt and put a crack in the Ducks-are-invincible mentality. Even more importantly, superstar defenseman Chris Pronger got suspended for elbowing Detroit's Tomas Holmstrom in the back of the head into the boards. This leaves a gaping hole in the Ducks' defensive corps, and the Wings could very easily win game 4, leaving the Ducks in very, very bad shape. After all, the Wings are 35 - 5 - 9 at home this season.

But to answer your question, I will very likely be picking against the Senators in the finals. As I said above, I don't think they have really been physically tested yet; and both the Ducks and the Wings play a very tough physical brand of hockey. And, unlike the Devils, they also have the talent to back it up. Not to mention, the team in the West will have the more experienced goaltender AND home ice advantage. I will certainly be rooting for the Senators - I hate the Wings and Ducks AND I have money riding on a Sens' victory; but I will likely pick against them.

I know your answer will probably have to wait until we have a set Stanley Cup Finals, but the question stands; WHO YA GOT?!

Indeed we do need to wait, but if I had to give an answer at this very moment in time;

The Detroit Red Wings.

(To have your question answered, email me any questions you've got at socaltrojan31@aol.com OR simply leave a comment here and your question will be addressed in a new post. Don't be shy. "Anything" is a pretty broad topic. Sports related, of course.)

Robert Horry makes the most clutch shot of his career; a CHEAPSHOT.

2007-05-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

Robert Horry has been known to make clutch plays at the end of the game. He always seems to bury the shot when it matters.

This time, he buried his shoulder into an unsuspecting Steve Nash.

And it turned out to be amply rewarding.

I certainly won't be the first or last person to blog about this.

Robert Horry (who average 3.9 points per game this season... note the dot. Not 39 points. 3 POINT 9) was suspended for two games for his blatant cheap shot. He was clearly frustrated and clearly intended to injure.

Boris Diaw (9.7 PPG), who was the closest player to the shot, charged after Horry. Amare Stoudemire (20.4 PPG) jumped off the bench in disgust and started walking briskly towards Horry, but he was held back.

ALL THREE OF THEM HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED.

This is one of the biggest shams I have ever seen in my entire life. I can not be professional about this. Every positive thing I have said about how David Stern runs his league, I take back. This is a complete and utter joke.

Diaw did exactly what anyone - ANYONE - would have done in that situation. If you have any sense of camaraderie or friendship, you can understand how you would respond if your team captain was maliciously slammed to the ground.

And Stoudemire didn't even get to Horry!

"This is a very unfortunate circumstance. No one here at the league office wants to suspend players any game, much less a pivotal game in the second round of a playoff series. But the rule, however, is the rule, and we intend to apply it consistently," said NBA executive vice president Stu Jackson.

The rule, of course, refers to "leaving the immediate vicinity of the bench".

Lets recap.

A bench player (Horry) takes a ridiculous cheapshot (obviously called a flagrant foul) on the team's leader and MVP, Steve Nash, who has already had his nose cut open and been kneed in this series. A starter (Diaw) jumps in to defend his teammate. Another starter (Stoudemire, who happens to completely change the dynamics of a game when he is involved) reacts out of emotion and jumps up and heads towards the offender. Both starters are suspended.

San Antonio now has a very good chance to beat the depleted Suns in game 5, and go on to win the series.

The response from the league? Rules are rules, and no exceptions can be made.

This entire situation completely disgusts me. I've lost what little respect I had for basketball, and I can't even begin to imagine what Phoenix Suns fans must be feeling right now.

NOT MAKING AN EXCEPTION AND PENALIZING THE SUNS SENDS THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE: When you need a boost in a best of 7 series, send in your worst bench player; hell, even sign a thug off of the streets. Right in the key next to the opposing bench, take their best player by the shoulders and kick him squarely in the groin. When he keels over, punch him in the jaw and send him down to the floor, than turn to the opposing team, flick them off, and say "What are you going to do about it?" They all spring up and attack; and they are all suspended in the next game.

Right? I mean after all, according to Bulls' coach Scott Skiles;

"A rule is a rule, and in the past handful of years since they put that in, there have been I think less than five, maybe less than three, but there have been a couple occasions where someone just put one foot on the floor and got suspended. So if you're going to have a hard and fast rule like that, I think you've got to abide by it, and you can't make any exceptions."

Basketball teams should start hiring enforcers like hockey has. Go ahead and attack the Kobes, LeBrons, and Nashs of the league. If anyone dares step up and defend them, they'll be suspended for it.

What a disgrace.

Ask Me Anything!

2007-05-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

I'd like to blog every day, or at least very often, but trouble comes in the form that often I try so hard just to get something out that quality takes a bit of a hit. Many nights I just highlight the great performances of the day; but I'm sure you all can find those on your own, or by simply turning on Sportscenter. So, I'm only going to blog when issues arise that I actually have something unique or genuine to add. Such as analysis on a series, or a big game, or opinion on something.

In the meantime, this is where you come in. I'd like to make this blog interactive. From here on out, I will answer any and all sports questions thrown my way. If you have a question about your fantasy team, about how I think a player or team will do, how I feel about a certain call or rule or game, anything you don't know and want clarity on, best player at a position of all time, WHATEVER. Anything sports related!

If no one asks anything, this blog will be a bit quiet. If you all have fun with this; and why not, you can ask anything; it could make for some great material. And of course after I've answered the question, you can always agree or disagree with me using the comments page. I'll be more than happy to argue/clarify any point.

So, email me any questions you've got at socaltrojan31@aol.com OR simply leave a comment here and your question will be addressed in a new post. Don't be shy. "Anything" is a pretty broad topic.

King Felix returns to his throne!

2007-05-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

Remember that guy?

Season -

Game 1: 8 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 0 R, 12 Ks?

Game 2: 9 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 0 R, 6 Ks?

Then of course he went down with injury in game 3.

Tonight as a precaution, he will be held to only 70 - 80 pitches, so don't expect his "normal" 8+ inning outing.

Still, those 75 some-odd pitches should all be a thing of beauty. Catch this game if you get the chance.

Lincecum gets his first win in the bigs, and a couple of others flourish, too.

2007-05-12T03:06:00.001-07:00

Tim Lincecum's first big league start wasn't a total disaster, but it was certainly far from a triumph.

He looked right at home in his 2nd outing, going 7 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, and 6 Ks. He also picked up the win, outlasting Josh Fogg who had brought a no-hitter into the 6th inning.

Jarrod Washburn makes his second surprisingly strong start of the season, going 8 strong innings against the Yankees, allowing only 6 hits and 1 walk and not a single run. He also struck out 6.

Randy Wolf was also a bit of a surprise. He's been good this season; but not this good. 7 IP, only 4 hits, no walks, and an eyebrow-raising 11 strikeouts.

A couple of guys that shouldn't surprise anyone, though, were Brandon Webb and Jake Peavy.

Webb went the distance, using 118 pitches and allowing only one run off of 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 10 while he was at it.

Jake Peavy has re-emerged as one of the top 5 pitchers in baseball. After last season's pitching through injury lowered his numbers and made him look very pedestrian, a lot of people forgot that this guy had an ERA well under 3.00 in his two previous years, and also strikeout totals well above 200. Today's 7 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, o ER, 10 K performance improved his season numbers to 5 - 1 with a 1.52 ERA and 66 Ks over 53.1 innings. Make no mistake about it; a healthy Peavy won't be bested by many.

A Few Unlikely Pitching Duels

2007-05-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

Great pitching performances happen virtually nightly.

But much more rarely, you get a chance to see a game where both pitchers have their stuff working, and hitters just can't seem to do anything about it. They are mesmerizing to watch, especially if you are a fan of good pitching; and two such games played out tonight.

THE UNDERCARD:

Chicago Cubs 1 - Pittsburgh Pirates 0

Tom Gorzelanny made a single pitch he'd love to get back. It was in the first at bat of the bottom of the first, and Alfonso Soriano homered to deep left field.

That would be the only run of the game.

Gorzelanny only gave up 5 more hits and walked 2 batters over the 7 innings he worked. Soriano's HR was his only blemish.

Jason Marquis, who I still can't figure out but somehow continues to defy all odds and pitch brilliantly, was almost blemish-free. Marquis retired the first 16 batters he faced, having his perfect game snapped by a base hit in the top of the 6th. It was one of only three hits he allowed in the entire game as he cruised to a complete game shutout.

Both pitchers struck out 5.

THE MAIN EVENT:

Tampa Bay Devil Rays 0 - Baltimore Orioles 1 (Final in 10 innings)

After 9 full innings of play, this game had only yielded 11 base runners.

So each time a team came up to bat, they averaged .611 batters reaching base in their half inning.

That is just silly.

Eric Bedard went 7 innings for Baltimore, giving up 3 hits, 3 walks, and no runs. He struck out 10 while he was at it.

James Shields went a full 9 innings, giving up 3 hits, 1 walk, and no runs with 4 strikeouts. Unfortunately, as soon as he handed the ball over to Brian Stokes in the bottom of the tenth, he delivered a HR pitch to Aubrey Huff.

Cheers to both of these pitchers on their great performances, even if neither actually factored into the decision at the end.

HONORABLE MENTION:

Washington Nationals 1 - Milwaukee Brewers 3

Jason Bergmann: 6 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 2 K
Claudio Vargas: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 4 K

Houston Astros 3 - Cincinnati Reds 2

Woody Williams: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 3 K
Matt Belisle: 7 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 7 K

A FEW NOT-SO-UNLIKELY ONES, BUT STILL WORTH CREDITING:

Oakland Athletics 2 - Kansas City Royals 3

Dan Haren: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 7 K
Gil Meche: 6 IP, 3 H, 4 BB, 1 ER, 7 K

San Diego Padres 2 - Atlanta Braves 3

Greg Maddux: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 4 K
John Smoltz: 7 IP, 7 H, 0 BB, 2 ER, 7 K

Great pitching match ups today, hope some of you got the chance to enjoy these!

Hockey: Conference Finals Preview; The East

2007-05-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

THE EAST

Series Result: Ottawa Senators over New Jersey Devils in 5
My Prediction: New Jersey Devils over Ottawa Senators in 7

I admitted that the Senators were the more talented team, but that I felt the Devils were the more "playoff-savvy" team, and they also had Marty Brodeur. None of that seemed to matter; talent prevailed, and Ottawa certainly didn't look like a team that will be fazed by anyone in these playoffs. New Jersey needs to start figuring out how they are going to put pucks in the net next year; especially if they lose Scott Gomez.

Series Result: Buffalo Sabres over New York Rangers in 6
My Prediction: Buffalo Sabres over New York Rangers in 6

I should be typing up right now how I was wrong about the Sabres, and how legitimate of a team the Rangers were. I knew they had scoring depth but had no idea they had such a stingy defense until I watched them play. But alas, with 8 seconds left in Game 5, Chris Drury tied the game up at 1 apiece, and the Sabres went on to win it in overtime. They carried their momentum into game 6 and took care of business. This Ranger team is very good, but it is getting quite old. If they can add some young talent, they could be a threat as soon as next year. And they've already got a definite keeper in Henrik Lundquist.

Conference Final:
#1 Buffalo Sabres VS. #4 Ottawa Senators

Two teams that play very similar styles; fly up and down the ice, and score a lot of goals. Both teams got to play their game in the first round, but the Rangers and Devils, who each play much more Eastern-style-gritty-defensive hockey, forced these teams to slow down the pace a bit and play a lot more defense and take a lot less chances. Ottawa and Buffalo survived, though, and now they will get the chance to play the explosive style hockey that got them to this point, because neither of these teams will be afraid, and both will encourage the high tempo. I believe that the Sabres do it all just a little bit better... and that they've got a bit better goaltender in Ryan Miller. That being said, though, there is a lot of bad blood between these teams and they are very evenly matched. It should be an excellent series that just might take all 7 games to decide. I'm just proud to have picked both of these teams in the pre-season to win the cup; pretty cool that I'll have one of them representing me making money in the Stanley Cup Finals. As if I needed a reason to root against two of the King's biggest rivals, anyway?

BUFFALO IN 7.

Hockey: Conference Finals Preview; The West

2007-05-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

THE WEST

Series Result: Detroit Red Wings over San Jose Sharks in 6
My Prediction: San Jose Sharks over Detroit Red Wings in 6

The series certainly lived up to its expectations. Both teams fought hard, goals were hard to come by, and it easily could have gone either way. But the bounces went in Detriot's favor. Don't get me wrong; they deserved to win this series and did at points in the series outplay the Sharks (look no further than games 5 and 6) - but a little luck never hurt anyone, either, and the Wings made the most of it.

Series Result: Anaheim Ducks over Vancouver Canucks in 5
My Prediction: Anaheim Ducks over Vancouver Canucks in 5

What can I say that I haven't already said? Did I not say that the Ducks were the better team, and that Luongo would steal one (and only one) game in this series? Did I not say that the Ducks are the best team in the West? The Wild turned out to be no match for them, and then they got Vancouver, who was the weakest team left in the West. Give one of the league's most talented teams easy match-ups, and this is how they will turn out.

Conference Final:
#1 Detroit Red Wings VS. #2 Anaheim Ducks
Well, one thing appears pretty clear; I underrated the Red Wings. I really didn't think they'd be able to step up to the challenge of beating the Sharks, but they certainly did, and they didn't even need all 7 games to do it, swiping two games on the road from them. And now they find themselves with home ice; something the Ducks haven't had to face until this point. I predicted that a long series against the Sharks might do some damage, and it sure did - losing Mathieu Schneider, who not only gets the job done on defense but more notably has a blast from the point that bolsters Detroit's powerplay. The Ducks meanwhile are completely healthy. In the Wings, the Ducks will face an offense like they haven't seen before; TWO (not just one, Minnesota and Vancouver) very capable scoring lines, and two gritty checking lines that were built for playoff hockey. They also face a team that has waited a long time to get back to this point; knocking on the door of another Stanley Cup final. This will be the Ducks' hardest challenge yet; and I think they will overcome it. With Neidermayer and Pronger healthy, there is never a hole in their defense; with Giguere in net, the tone is always very calm and reliable; and with an offense full of young guns that can pitch in, especially on the power play, this Duck team will be a little too fast up front - and a little too strong down low - for the Red Wings to handle.

ANAHEIM IN 6.

Baseball Reflections (Monday)

2007-05-08T22:27:00.000-07:00

So I didn't get the chance to blog in depth yesterday (had to study for my last final of the year), but two dominant starts deserve to be touched on, as do how I feel about the team they affect.

Brad Penny and the Los Angeles Dodgers (19 - 14)

First things first, Brad Penny's performance on Monday was nothing short of masterful. 7 innings pitched, 5 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, and 14 strikeouts. For a guy that walks a lot of batters and doesn't strike out many, this game was certainly uncharacteristic; in a great way for Dodger fans.

I have mixed feelings from what I've seen from the Dodgers. The team that was a popular World Series pick before the season started just doesn't do it for me. They are a good team. They have a good offense, a good pitching staff, a good bullpen. Good. Not great. I think that good/consistent may very well win them the race in the NL West, where the teams with great pitching also have BAD offenses (San Fransisco, San Diego). But at this point if I were picking teams out of the NL West, I would definitely put the Mets ahead of the Dodgers, and you could make a case for the Braves. But one team I'd definitely take over the Dodgers right now is...

Chris Capuano and the Milwaukee Brewers (23 - 10)

Monday's 8 innings pitched, 7 hits, o runs, and 9 strikeouts improved Capuano's season to 5 - 0. I've gotten into a few arguments over the last few days over the Brewers and whether or not they are legit. Get used to them, because they are.

Needless to say, they can't keep up this torrent pace, or they will win 113 games. They will, however, take the NL Central.

I knew coming into the year that this team would have one of the best pitching staffs in the league. Ben Sheets is a true ace that when healthy is nearly impossible to hit. Capuano is almost as good. Rounding out the rotation are Jeff Suppan, a veteran that may not have the best stuff, but is a leader and a winner, Dave Bush, who I still feel will improve as this season goes on and pressure is taken off of him, and Claudio Vargas, who is a more than able 5th pitcher. If anyone goes down with injury, young Carlos Villanueva (currently in the bullpen) will make an excellent replacement starter.

My question was on offense... who does this team have? Well, it seems that young guns Rickie Weeks, Prince Fielder, and JJ Hardy are ready to be key players RIGHT NOW. The offense is young and explosive. You could argue that Hardy will cool down, but I would then argue that Weeks and Bill Hall are due to heat up. A couple of capable veterans round off the lineup of a team that I think will take the NL Central.

No? Who will? The Cards will have a tough time doing it with their aging bats and without Chris Carpenter. The Astros don't have the talent. The Pirates don't have the offense. The Reds don't have the bullpen. The Cubs? Well, somehow they've been blowing fantastic pitching; and I don't
think Lilly and Marquis can keep it up, anyways.

Look out; the Brew Crew just might be legit.

Tonight's the night

2007-05-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

I haven't shut up about him for about a month, so why not bring him up once (who am I kidding, probably twice) more tonight?

Some guys you might remember from last year, and their most recent year in Triple A.

Fransisco Liriano: 91.1 IP, 9 - 2, 1.78 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 122 Ks
Jered Weaver: 77.0 IP, 6 - 1, 2.10 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 93 Ks
Cole Hamels: 23.0 IP, 2 - 0, 0.39 ERA, 0.48 WHIP, 36 Ks

(Justin Verlander did not pitch in Triple A).

It was no wonder why I was so excited about Cole Hamels and Jered Weaver's mid-season call ups, especially Cole Hamels. Look at those numbers. And, after a rocky start, he settled down and pitched brilliantly in his last 10 games. He is one of my top 5 favorite pitchers, and will be a top 10 pitcher in the league very, very soon.

Did I mention he is pitching for the Phillies tonight?

Any time Cole Hamels is pitching, and its televised nationwide on ESPN, you should watch. It is masterful.

But then, of course, there's the other guy going for the Giants tonight... was it Tim Lincecum?

Was it Triple A: 31.0 IP, 4 - 0, 0.29 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 46 Ks?

Yes, it was.

Please read that line one more time before you continue . There aren't any typos.

On display tonight are two brilliant young arms, and two guys that have all the makings to be stars in the league for a long, long time.

ESPN, 5:05 PM pacific time. You really shouldn't be watching anything else.

Bonds who?

How the West was(n't) won

2007-05-06T04:35:00.000-07:00

Lets go over the FACTS of these NBA playoffs. Not predictions. Go back and read anything anyone wrote. 99% agree on these simple facts.

Detroit Pistons will win the East.

Mavs, Suns, Spurs, Rockets move on to the second round.

Mavs face the Rockets and win.

Suns/Spurs play a great series. Winner of that series plays the Mavs.

Winner of the Mavs VS. Suns/Spurs series beats the Pistons.

World Champion crowned.

Hmmmm...

Well, the Pistons, Suns, and Spurs have held up their end of the deal. Give the Spurs the most credit, as they had to fight off a pretty pesky Denver Nuggets team to get to where they are now. But, granted, now they play the Suns; and worry about the Mavs later.

Wait a second.

Golden State Warriors VS. Utah Jazz?

I'm sorry, what?

Isn't this the West? Where big men dominate? Where dominating inside the key is the only way to succeed? Where Shaq and Duncan won so many championships doing exactly that?

Why is Yao Ming at home?

And why, oh why, even if they ARE a perimeter team, are the Dallas Mavericks golfing in the first week of May?

It isn't THAT crazy that you can't say that the winner of the Spurs/Suns series is going to win it all with any amount of confidence.

What is crazy about it, however, is that the Jazz and the Warriors might actually be scarier than the Mavericks and Rockets. Not just because they beat them, but because they play a style of basketball that when clicking and when hot; there just really isn't much of a way to stop.

Hats off to you, NBA. The country's most predictable sport has thrown two huge curve balls early in these playoffs. Suns/Spurs VS. Jazz/Warriors can't just be chalked up as a 5 game series anymore. The underdogs are actually showing up to play, and for probably the first time in basketball history, I'd say the NBA's first round was madder than the NCAA's.

May Madness, anyone?

Anyone?

Major sports take the back seat for a day

2007-05-06T03:48:00.000-07:00

National Football League.

National Basketball Association.

Major League Baseball.

National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing.

National Hockey League.

Not today.

Sure, the NBA had an exciting Game 7 between the Rockets and the Jazz which I'll cover in another post. They also got their 1st 2nd round series under way, as the Pistons easily handled the Bulls at home. But the nation wasn't really watching.

Yeah, the NHL had a few cruicial Game 5s . One sent the New Jersey Devils home packing, and the other gave the Red Wings a key 3 - 2 series lead over the Sharks. Even less people were watching then usual.

Baseball had a whole day's worth of action, but they aren't even in the playoffs. They stood no chance.

Today, it was all about horses and boxers.

The Kentucky Derby, the greatest tradition in horse racing and step one towards winning the elusive Triple Crown, was the main focal point of the afternoon.

One of the race's favorites, Street Sense, did not disappoint, racing all the way from the 19th position to beat out the rest of the pack and win it all. It was an exciting race, especially due to the race Hard Spun ran. I picked Hard Spun before the race to do some damage, and very early on in the race, he jumped out to an early lead. Front runners almost always fade, especially in a race of this magnitude; but not Hard Spun. He got such good separation from the rest of the pack and somehow kept his pace that it actually looked like he had a shot to win right down to the wire; it took a great effort by Street Sense to beat him. Horse racing really is an incredible sport, and it is ashame that it had to take the undercard today to the big fight.

I picked Mayweather, but I never got around to blogging about it; which is probably good, because judging how the rest of my predictions went today, I probably would have made him lose. You can't ever count De La Hoya out of any fight; his good looks sometimes distract people from how excellent of a boxer he is. And he has fought any and all comers; and those who have beaten him have certainly had their hands full while doing so. He's got heart, smarts, and a world of talent; but Floyd Mayweather really is THAT good.

He doesn't box spectacularly; he doesn't need to. With technique, speed, defense, and patience, he can outwill and outlast any boxer he faces. Neither boxer got knocked down, and De La Hoya fans (and somewhat ridiculously Judge Tom Kaczmarek) obviously wanted to believe De La Hoya won the fight, but look no further than the stats; Mayweather landed more punches while throwing over 100 less (207 of 481 to De La Hoya's 122 of 587), and landed more power punches (138) then De La Hoya landed punches all together (he had 82 registered power punches).

Love him or hate him, Mayweather is damn good. I love him. I love that he embraces the villain reputation. Everyone hates Barry Bonds, but Barry doesn't go around ripping his opponents to shreds verbally. Barry doesn't talk about how Hank Aaron is old and week and how he's going to snatch that old man's record from his hands. Barry is a villain because of his actions. Mayweather is a villain because he can be. What better picture to use as the first image to grace the Dime;
The man came out wearing the colors of the Mexican flag and a huge sombrero. Are you kidding me? He loves every minute of it; and he can back it up, too. He's a perfect character for the sport of boxing; and if it could be saved, he'd have something to do with it.

But after tonight, I'm beginning to think it can't be. As much as people were hyped for this fight, plenty of people I talked to weren't going to get to see it; they weren't going to order it for $55, and they didn't have any friends willing to, either. The fact that they have to charge for the larger fights; because boxing doesn't gross enough to survive without pay-per-view; absolutely kills any chance that it can raise in popularity.

On top of that, the amount of time off a boxer needs to prepare for his next fight is also a buzz-kill of sorts for the sport. It can't really be avoided, but lets say a ton of people got pumped up for this fight, and are now either huge Mayweather fans OR they can't wait to see him get beat. How long do they have to wait until his next fight? And unlike De La Hoya, his next fight likely won't be nearly as big or exciting of a name. So after this fight, the one that would supposedly "save boxing", one of the stars is facing retirement, and the other is facing a year or more off before we get to see him in the ring again; against someone who isn't as fun to watch as De La Hoya was.

The last reason boxing is beyond saving? The heavyweight division. Greats of the sport come in all shapes and sizes and are of all weight classes, no one is denying that. But heavyweight boxing really is boxing at its best; the biggest, the strongest, and the simple fact that one punch can always end it. Lennox Lewis was great, but he had no one to fight. Nowadays...

World Champion Wladimir Klitschko, Ray Austin, Samuel Peter, Lamon Brewster, and Chris Byrd are the top 5 ranked heavyweights.

Who, who, who, who, and who?

I'm exaggerating slightly; I knew who Klitschko was before I looked it up. But the point remains, not only does boxing need some great talent/character combos like Mayweather (and by character I don't mean great guy, I mean like personality), but it needs lots of them. And they need to fight each other and create some exciting rivalries. How do you take a sport that no one cares about with a bunch of guys you can't market and make it into the great sport it once was?

If you find out, give the NHL a call too. Thanks.

What was going on with pitchers Saturday?

2007-05-06T02:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a fun game. Even more fun if you didn't see yesterday's box scores.

Multiple Choice:

1) Who does this line belong to: 7.1 IP, 3 hits, 1 walk, 0 runs, 2 strikeouts, and the win

a) Scott Kazmir VS. Oakland Athletics
b) Matt Albers @ St. Louis Cardinals
c) Rich Hill VS. Washington Nationals

2) Who brought a perfect game into the 8th inning (retired 22 straight batters to start the game) and finished up with the win and this line: 8.0 IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 4 strikeouts?

a) Johan Santana VS. Boston Red Sox
b) Tim Hudson VS. Los Angeles Dodgers
c) Chien-Ming Wang VS. Seattle Mariners

3) Which of the following did not give up 4 or more runs today?

a) John Lackey VS. Chicago White Sox
b) Roy Halladay VS. Toronto Blue Jays
c) Brandon Webb VS. New York Mets
d) Aaron Harang VS. Colorado Rockies
e) None of the above

Answers:

1) b) Matt Albers @ St. Louis Cardinals

Rookie Matt Albers was masterful against a struggling Cardinals team, earning himself a spot among the best outings of the day.

2) c) Chien-Ming Wang VS. Seattle Mariners

Huh? Well, more power to him. The problem with a perfect game is that you have to be perfect; and one mistake pitch to Ben Broussard in the eighth broke up the perfect game, the no-hitter, and the shutout in one foul swoop; a home-run. Look out Yankee haters; the team has gone through its annual slump to start off the season; now it will start its annual rise back into contention.

3) e) None of the above

Not surprising that on one of the unluckiest days of my life (highlighted by losing a $100 poker tournament, my fantasy team blowing a huge lead, losing 8 of my 9 picks of the day, getting confirmation that I failed a class, and of course, having my tire slashed by someone for no good reason), 4 of the league's aces would struggle; 3 of them I picked to win their respective games (Lackey 4 runs, Harang 5 runs, The Doc 9 runs) and 1 of them is on my fantasy team (Webb 5 runs).

Guess thats why you actually play the games, huh?

And I thought 34 seconds was bad...

2007-05-05T01:14:00.000-07:00

Try 8 seconds.

The New York Rangers certainly did.

And, unlike the Shark game which only tied the series up at 2 - 2, this game was the pivotal game 5.

How pivotal? Well, when two teams head into Game 5 with the series tied up at 2 apiece, the winner of it goes on to win the series 80% of the time.

That is a real stat, not just one of my made up percentages for dramatic effect.

The Rangers broke a scoreless game and grabbed a 1 goal lead with less then 5 minutes to go. The home Buffalo crowd was stunned silent. This series would end in 6; the Rangers would close it out at home.

Chris Drury, who is not only my favorite non-King hockey player but also happens to be one of the most clutch players in the NHL come playoff time, buried a game tying goal with 8 seconds left, also burying the Rangers in 6 theory.

Maxim Afinogenov made it official in overtime, scoring the game winner just a few minutes in.

How quickly the tides can turn. One minute you are cruising to victory, not only in the game, but likely in the series; and the next, you are on the brink of elimination.

Please try and tell me there is anything better than playoff hockey?

It's Lincecum time!

2007-05-04T03:05:00.000-07:00

If you didn't read when I put you on prospect watch, click here.

Update: He is 4 - 0 with a 0.29 ERA and 46 Ks in Triple A ball this year.

And now, Russ Ortiz has finally hit the DL, and Lincecum will make his major league debut Sunday night against the Phillies.

If you play fantasy baseball, go pick him up. If you have plans for Sunday night, cancel them.

This kid will be fun to watch.

That is all.

When Roy Oswalt is on the mound, why does Cincinatti even show up?

2007-05-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

Very few teams in sports are simply manhandled by one man the way the Cincinatti Reds are simply manhandled by Roy Oswalt.

The fact that it is Roy Oswalt isn't too embarrassing. I've made the argument countless times that Roy Oswalt is in the top 3 pitchers in baseball. I rank him behind Johan Santana, but ahead of everyone else in the league; with the exception of MAYBE "The Doc" Roy Halladay. But those are definitely the top 3 pitchers in baseball in my opinion; yes, ahead of Chris Carpenter.

If you want to argue with me about that, go check the stats yourself. If you see a compelling argument, make it. But I'm not here to argue where Roy Oswalt ranks in the league today, I'm here to point out where he ranks against the Reds.

That is no argument. He is number one.

Oswalt's outing on Wednesday; 8 innings pitched, 4 hits, 1 walk, 1 run, 2 strikeouts; was simply methodical. The Astros got 2 runs in the first inning. That was all they needed. They went on to win the game 3 - 1.

Over the course of his career, Roy Oswalt's numbers are very impressive;

1251.1 innings pitched, 102 wins, 49 losses, 1045 strikeouts, 3.05 ERA, 1.18 WHIP.

Over the course of his career AGAINST THE REDS, Roy Oswalt's numbers are just silly;

150.0 innings pitched, 18 wins, 1 loss, 129 strikeouts, 2.46 ERA, 1.06 WHIP.

18 - 1?

If Roy Oswalt got to face the Reds every game, people wouldn't argue with me when I named him as the league's elite.

Oh what a difference 34 seconds makes...

2007-05-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

Just ask the San Jose Sharks.

The Sharks had the Red Wings right where they wanted them. With under a minute left in regulation and a one goal lead, all the Sharks had to do was hang on. They would then hold a 3 - 1 series lead over the #1 seeded Red Wings, spelling certain doom for the Wings; very few teams have come back from 3 - 1 deficits, and this Sharks team doesn't look like the kind of team that would allow that to happen.

I was already looking ahead to the next series, Sharks VS. Ducks, when Robert Lang scored a goal with 34 seconds left on the clock to tie the game. The San Jose crowd was stunned silent. So was I.

In a hard fought overtime with plenty of chances both ways, Mathieu Schneider scored, and the Detroit Red Wings prevailed.

The series is now tied 2 - 2, and there are only 3 games left to be played; 2 of them in Detroit.

34 seconds separated the Sharks from needing only 1 win in 3. Now they need two.

And quite frankly, I'm not sure they are going to be able to pull it off. The series is definitely leaning in Detroit's favor.

This, of course, isn't the first time the Sharks have had a single moment (potentially in this case) break their season. Look no further than the 2006 playoffs. San Jose beat Edmonton twice at home, bringing the series to 2 - 0. They then traveled to Edmonton, where they were locked up in a 2 - 2 tie. The game headed into double overtime, where with 7 minutes left in the second OT period, the league's highest goal scorer had a glorious chance to end it;

(Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOYjXD31DsE)

Roloson robbed Cheechoo, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. In triple overtime, Edmonton scored to win the game.

They also won the next 3, and sent San Jose home packing.

IF Cheechoo scores that goal, the Sharks win that series.

IF Robert Lang doesn't get that bounce, the Sharks win that series.

IF the refs weren't a bunch of cheating bastards, Tom Brady's tuck would have been ruled a fumble, and the Raiders win that game.

Sorry about that last one... my mind wanders from time to time.

Point being, the Red Wings are laden with veterans that have been through the Stanley Cup playoffs many times, have championship rings, and know how to handle the ups and downs of a tough battle to the finals. I'm not so sure about the Sharks. Have they learned from last season, and not allow one moment to take a series away from them?

Or will they fall, and enter the countless other "What if?" cases the sports world has to offer?

Clutch enough for you?

2007-05-02T00:47:00.001-07:00

Dirk doesn't deserve MVP!

So what that he dominates the regular season! True MVP's step up in the playoffs, too, and this guy is nothing but a big-time no show!

Right?

If only he would have held true to those whispers for one more night. The Golden State Warriors would be moving on to the next round of the NBA playoffs.

I'll be honest. Since they completely embarrassed my pride and exposed me as the basketball knowledge-less fool that I am, I've stopped rooting for Dallas and have done what any neutral sports fan would do in this situation; root for the underdog.

And so, when Golden State took a 9 point lead with very little time left in the game, I was pretty excited. The underdog was going to win, and the behemoth Dallas team would fall; leaving my pre-season bet of Phoenix Suns to win it all in great shape.

Dirk casually strolled up the court and drained a 3-pointer. He didn't look to anyone else. He just got the ball, picked his spot, and nailed it. Lead cut to 6.

The Warriors ran the clock down as much as they could and then put up a bad shot. Mavs got the rebound. Got the ball to Dirk. Calmly, effortlessly, like it was shooting practice, Dirk picked his spot from 3-point land once again, and drained it. Lead cut to 3.

After the lead was cut to 1, Golden State began to panic, and turned the ball over. Dallas put the nail in the coffin; and guess who it was attacking the basket to draw the foul to put the Mavs up for good?

Dirk Nowitzki.

For a guy that was beginning to challenge Marty Turco for his spot as biggest choke-artist in Dallas come playoff time, Dirk certainly didn't play like a choke; he played like an MVP.

Now, Golden State needs to win Game 6 at home. If they don't, there just isn't any way they are going back to Dallas and winning Game 7 there. So if the Warriors look up at the scoreboard at the end of Game 6 and see a higher number under DALLAS on the jumbotron, they'll have to shake their heads in disgust at the 9 point lead they gave away.

The give away that was about 25% their fault for bad shot selection and lackluster defense...

and the take away that was 75% Dirk Nowitzki.

Yanks take one step forward and two steps backward.

2007-05-01T23:47:00.000-07:00

After the 5th inning of the Yankee's rout/no-hitter, I had a nice little blog already writing itself in my head.

The 2007 Yankees came into today with a share of the record for most consecutive games using 5 or more pitchers; 10.

Injures as well as a shortage of talent were to blame. It didn't help that the Yankee bats have been ice-cold in the meantime, actually asking the pitching staff to keep them in games. They simply couldn't. Bad recipe.

5 innings into Phil Hughes' no-hitter, I was ready to pat myself on the back. Not only have I been praising this kid since he has come up, I've avidly supported the decisions while others have screamed "too soon". I used my top waiver priority in my fantasy baseball league to get him. I predicted that not only would the Yankees hit well tonight, but he would pitch well, and break that ugly streak of 5+ pitchers a game.

The self-love fest was looking great until Phil Hughes had his no-hitter bid come to an end.

No, it wasn't due to a hit; he didn't give one of those up. It wasn't due to pitch count; he'd only thrown 83. It was a hamstring injury; one that would force him out of the game and out of the lineup for four to six weeks.

He joins fellow starters Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano, and Jeff Karstens on the crowded DL; leaving Joe Torre with a pitching staff that looks a little something like this;

1. Andy Pettitte (3.00 ERA)
2. Chein-Ming Wang (5.84 ERA)
3. Kei Igawa (6.08 ERA)
4. ????????? (?.?? ERA)
5. ????????? (?.?? ERA)

No, those question marks aren't lack of research on my part. I really have no idea; and I don't think the Yankees do, either.

On a day that was looking to be a turning point and a bright spot in the season, the Yankees leave the game with a win in the standings but another crippling blow to their team.

I'm sure most of you won't shed any tears for the Yankees, as they are one of the most hated teams in sports... but at least feel bad for Phil Hughes. The kid was 8 outs away from making history, and becoming the only AL rookie since 1991 to pitch a no-no. Would have liked to see him get the chance.

Oh, and feel bad for my fantasy team, too. I'll miss him.

New Blog!

2007-05-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I realized last night that many of you don't want to sift through my picks of the day every day, and just want to read my columns/opinions.

Others of you want my picks, and don't really care what I think about anything else.

Hopefully some of you want both.

Either way, I've cut my blog in half and now will maintain two blogs.

http://vegasdavesdime.blogspot.com -
Will feature only columns/opinions/essays/blurbs/whatever and will not focus on gambling.

http://vegasdavespicks.blogspot.com -
Will feature my daily picks and insight into plays of the day

The layouts are identical, and there is a link in the top right corner so you can easily jump back and forth. Or, just stay on the one you like.

I hope you all like the change. It took me a LOT of work to get done!

What exactly are the Mavericks doing?

2007-04-30T01:05:00.000-07:00

Listen, Dallas Mavericks -

You should be ashamed of yourselves.

Don't mean any disrespect to Golden State, they've played some excellent basketball. And they've done exactly what an upset team has got to do; steal one on the road and then win your home games.

They are 75% of the way there.

Dallas lost 15 games this year. 15. Of 82.

They started the season off cold and dropped their first 4 games. They also lost 4 of their 10 games in April, seeing as they were already in cruise control, having the West locked up. They were using their key players sparingly in these games.

In the stretch after their opening 4 losses (which can be attributed to a slow start) and before the month of April (which can be attributed to resting players), Dallas lost only 7 games... out of
68.

61 wins. 7 losses.

During that span, they had streaks of 12 wins, 13 wins, and 17 wins. Yes. Separate streaks.

There is a word for a team like the Dallas Mavericks. DOMINANT.

Mark Cuban has done an excellent job putting together the best team in the league. The fans have done an excellent job supporting it. They blew it last year in the playoffs and have waited all year for the chance to redeem themselves.

And this is how they show it.

I know that I gave Golden State no respect. Of course, I don't know basketball, so that wasn't that big of a deal. But it isn't like I was alone. Find me people that with a serious expression on their face picked this to go past 6 games.

What's pathetic, though, is that whether or not the general public respected the Warriors or not, you KNEW the Mavericks would. After all, any team that beats you all 3 times they play you, and is responsible for a whopping 20% of your total losses on the season, is going to get your best effort.

So, I'm to understand that the best team in the NBA's best effort is THIS. I've actually watched large chunks of this series, and I'll be damned if this is the best team in the NBA. This team has been flat out pathetic on defense. I can't believe this team dominated during the regular season. Any team capable of playing this poorly on the grandest stage of all should not have been the clear best in the NBA.

Is Dallas going to lose this series? All comes down to game 6. I can't see them losing game 5 (well, I certainly CAN, but I mean honestly, they'd BETTER not for the sake of everyone's sanity). Game 7 in Dallas is another game they simply don't drop.

Game 6 in Golden State? Can't say a Warriors victory would even make me raise an eyebrow.

Congratulations, Golden State. I want to reiterate that I mean them no disrespect. Even if they drop the next 3 games in the series, just what they have done already is more than enough to respect and build on over the next few years.

Shame on you, Dallas. If this is how you thank your fans for all of their support, and this is how you show them that you won't disappoint them again this season, then I'd consider them some of the unluckiest fans in America.

This coming from an Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Kings fan.

With the first overall pick in the 2007 draft, the Oakland Raiders select; Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech.

2007-04-28T03:06:00.000-07:00

In my dreams.

I have no beef with Jamarcus Russell. In fact, I like the idea of having a guy as big and strong as he is at QB. I like the idea of having a guy that can throw 80+ yards.

I like the idea of having a franchise quarterback.

I'm just not sure he is it.

Kyle Boller could throw the ball a mile. So can Mike Vick.

What you can't teach a player is awareness, great decision making, patience in the pocket, and leadership. Russell may or may not have or develop these talents. He may or may not
be a star in the league someday.

Make no mistake about it; there are no ifs, ands, or buts about Calvin Johnson. Johnson is the most talented player in the draft; he is built like a house, and has incredible speed. He also has that magnetic field effect that if you throw the ball in his general direction, it will be caught, no doubt about it. This guy will be a star in the league for years to come, and will make a serious impact on whatever team he joins THIS year.

Randy Moss hates Oakland; whether he isn't trying or is traded, he is no longer much more than an ultra-recognizable name to this team. Jerry Porter is the real deal, but he can't be the only guy. Ronald Curry is a perfect 3rd WR.

Dominic Rhodes, LaMont Jordan, and Justin Fargas make up an unspectacular but solid backfield.

The O-line leaves much to be desired, but there is still time for at least one or two of these guys to develop into something. 3 more O-linemen get drafted in this draft. You can only hope someone pans out.

Quarterback? Walters was not given a fair chance last year. No offensive line, no running game to take pressure off the passing game, no time to throw and no weapons to throw to (Moss was either not trying or being double covered at all times). QB of the future, highly unlikely; but the guys got potential.

Defense is excellent, and young. It will continue to improve and impress, especially when the offense actually lets it stay off the field for more than 3 downs every once in a while.

So the Raiders over the next few years need to address 4 positions; QB, RB, OT, and WR.

OT - Joe Thomas; absolute sure thing, house, impenetrable. So was Robert Gallery. Just like the Lions can't draft a WR high again, the Raiders can't draft an O-lineman high again after that bust.

RB - Adrian Peterson; love him, but not a 1st overall pick. Would love to trade down to get him, but Jordan/Rhodes isn't all that bad, plus Peterson just might be injury prone and somewhat of a risk.

QB - Quinn or Russell? I concur with the overall consensus that Jamarcus is the pick; he's got the size and strength over Quinn. And forget the Sugar Bowl; Quinn is flat out overrated. I think both of these guys are very high risk. This coming from the guy who said Tom Brady was a one-hit-wonder, and that Vick and Harrington would both make great pro QBs... maybe I should just leave QB ranking alone.

WR - Calvin Johnson. Best player in the draft. Flat out amazing.

Seems simple enough to me. Best argument I've heard against drafting Calvin Johnson? "Who is going to throw to him?" That is short term thinking. This season, yes, it just might be frustrating to be a Raider fan again. But next year's draft will be chock full of QBs, plus free agency; look at how the Saints went out and signed Drew Brees.

The right pick is Calvin Johnson.

Jamarcus Russell isn't the "wrong" pick, and I hope more than anyone that he comes into the league and excels for the Raiders.

...because Johnson WILL be excelling wherever he ends up.

My Mock Top 5

1. Oakland Raiders - Jamarcus Russell
2. Detroit Lions - Joe Thomas
3. Cleveland Browns - Brady Quinn
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Calvin Johnson
5. Arizona Cardinals - Adrian Peterson

Jake Peavy led the pack on Wednesday... can Phil Hughes do it today?

2007-04-26T03:42:00.000-07:00

Plenty of pitchers were really good Wednesday. John Lackey, Tim Hudson, Joe Blanton, Curt Schilling, Brandon Webb.

Two of them were great.

Jarrod Washburn allowed only 5 base runners, giving up 3 hits and 2 walks over 9 shutout innings to trump Joe Blanton's impressive game, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 2 - 0 victory.

Jake Peavy also allowed only 5 base runners; 2 hits, 3 walks. Except, he did it in 7 innings, and threw 117 pitches while it took Washburn only 104 to complete his game. So what is the big deal?

Well, Washburn struck out 2 batters.

Peavy struck out 16.

Peavy got 21 outs, and over 75% of them were via strikeout.

At one point in the game, Peavy struck out 9 straight batters, one away from Tom Seaver's record of 10 straight. The 10th batter he faced, Eric Byrnes, check swung on a 2 - 2 pitch; and barely kept his bat from going around. On the 3 - 2 pitch, Byrnes watched a pitch cross the plate right around his knees, but just slightly too low. That is how close Jake Peavy was to tying the record for most consecutive strikeouts.

Too bad it was all for naught, as Stephen Drew's walk off HR capped off a victory for the D-backs, spoiling Peavy's special night.

Thursday, I'll be watching 3 pitchers very closely.

Cole Hamels - I love this kid so much. He is so damn talented. Fresh off his 15 K shutout, he faces a weak Nationals lineup this time around. Gee, I wonder if this will be in my picks of the day?

Phil Hughes - Making his much anticipated debut, Hughes will have the tough task of facing a pretty formidable lineup in the Blue Jays, as well as a solid starting pitcher in AJ Burnett. Still, the potential Jered Weaver of this year has one thing that 29 other ball clubs don't; the best offense in baseball to back him up. If Hughes can pitch 5 innings of 3 or 4 run baseball, he'll get wins more often then not.

And lastly...

Russ Ortiz - What?? Why? Well, with Zito / Cain / Morris / Lowry all locked into roster spots, it is this guy right here that is keeping wonder-prospect Tim Lincecum from getting his shot in the bigs. I just hope the Dodgers crush the ball against Ortiz, and force SF to stop delaying the inevitable and give this kid his shot already!

May the best team win (yes, it may)

2007-04-26T03:13:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves an underdogs. They are more fun to root for than the star teams. And, as has been said plenty of times before; every dog has his day.

Well, April 25th, 2007 was not that day.

The #1 seeded Dallas Mavericks, who fed into the upset hype with a loss in game 1 of their series against the Golden State Warriors, left little doubt as to who was the superior team Wednesday, taking care of business in a 112 - 99 victory.

In hockey, Detroit may have ended the season with the #1 seed, but you'd be hard pressed to find someone willing to argue that the Ducks weren't the best team in the West this year; and tonight they certainly played like it, lighting the lamp on Roberto Luongo 5 times en route to a 5 - 1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.

As for the best in the East? The Buffalo Sabres, who sometimes looked a bit lethargic against the Islanders in the series that opened the playoffs, were anything but tonight, cruising to a 5 - 2 victory over the Rangers, who were riding the momentum of a sweep against the Atlanta Thrashers.

Do I love an underdog as much as anyone? Sure. But in a world of nonsense and drama, sometimes it is refreshing to just see the best be the best.

Isn't it?

Hockey: Playoff Preview Round 2

2007-04-24T17:14:00.000-07:00

And then there were 8. The field has been cut in half, and the Flames, Wild, Stars, Predators, Islanders, Lightning, Thrashers, and Penguins join the 14 teams that didn't make the playoffs out on the golf courses and into the "wait 'til next year" club.

But there is still a lot of hockey left to be played on the quest for Lord Stanley's Cup, and I'll see what I can do about keeping up my .750 winning percentage on series predictions (6 - 2 round one). 3 of the teams I bet at the beginning of the season to win it all are still alive (Buffalo, Ottawa, and San Jose), and none are facing each other. Yet.

THE WEST

#1 Detroit Red Wings VS. #5 San Jose Sharks

This one should definitely be a hard fought, gritty series. Both of these teams play tough hockey; and even though both of them have plenty of offensive fire power, they both win games by stymieing opposing offenses with strong defensive play. You've gotta like San Jose in this series; they beat a fast, strong young team in Nashville in only 5 games, while it took Detroit 6 to knock off a not-as-strong Calgary team. The Wings will be no pushover, however, especially if they can find a way to translate their home-ice dominance into some solid road play. Still, in a series where goals might be hard to come by, I'll take my chances on Joe Thornton to make some plays.

SAN JOSE IN 6.

#2 Anaheim Ducks VS. #3 Vancouver Canucks

Exactly the series as a Ducks-hater I didn't want to see. The match up is perfect for the Ducks; they are the superior team offensively and defensively. Vancouver only has the better goaltender; but Giguere (and Bryzgalov when necessary) is perfectly capable of handling the load, especially come playoff time. I've said it once and I'll say it again; I hope I'm underrating the Canucks, because I know I'm not overrating the Ducks; they are pretty damn good.

ANAHEIM IN 5.

THE EAST

#1 Buffalo Sabres VS. #6 New York Rangers

This could definitely shape up to be an excellent series. Both of these teams have scoring depth, roll four lines, and have good young goaltenders. After as dominant as the Rangers were in the Thrashers' series, they are becoming a popular pick to be "that team" this year. I don't think so. The Sabres opened the season with a 10 - 0 start; and never looked back, overcoming all injuries and obstacles along the way. This team is the real deal; they are headed to the finals, and whether the Rangers make a series of it or not, they aren't taking four games from this team.

BUFFALO IN 6.

#2 New Jersey Devils VS. #4 Ottawa Senators

On talent alone, I've got the Senators. But every year, the Senators get knocked off in the playoffs because they don't have "it". And I'm still not sure that they do. The Devils, on the other hand, epitomize "it". They are the playoff team of playoff teams. Not to mention, the goaltender match-up; Ray Emery VS. Marty Brodeur; is a no contest in Brodeur's favor, even if Emery has played well this season. I expect the Senators to win a few games, and wouldn't be shocked if they took the series; but I can't pick them against the Devs.

NEW JERSEY IN 7.

A-Rod... are you kidding me?

2007-04-24T00:09:00.000-07:00

I predicted before the season began (too bad I didn't have a blog then) that A-Rod was going to have a monster year this year. Last season... a "bad year" of 113 runs, 35 HRs, 121 RBIs, 15 SBs, and a .290 batting average. It was his lowest home run total since 1997, and despite the fact that he was ranked among the best bats at 3rd base (and at any position in the league really, for that matter), A-Rod still somehow managed to disappoint everyone. I figured he'd bounce back with a great year this year.

But wow.

Let's play a fun game called "on pace". It is very easy. First, you take how many games a player has played, then figure out what his numbers are on pace to do if he repeats his current stats consistently over a full season.

Example: Dan Uggla, Florida Marlins

19 games played, 15 runs, 4 HRs, 15 RBIs.

162 divided by 19 = 8.53. Multiplying each stat by 8.53 will give us what he is on pace to do this season;

128 runs, 34 HRs, 128 RBIs.

For my fantasy team's sake, I certainly hope so. Let's try another.

Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals

18 games played, 11 runs, 5 HRs, 12 RBIs

18 goes into 162 an even 9 times; Albert has played exactly 1/9 of his season. and if he plays the other 8/9's exactly the same, he'll have...

99 runs, 45 HRs, 108 RBIs.

Bit of an off year, but not too bad. As you can see, projections and "on pace" have to be taken with a grain of salt, because a season is so long, it has its ups and downs, hot streaks and slumps, so on and so forth.

But I think you know who I'm doing next.

Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees

18 games, 26 runs, 14 HRs, 34 RBIs.

Already beats a few player's full season projections. But hell, lets assume the next 8/9's are as good as this one;

234 runs, 126 HRs, 306 RBIs.

I'm going to type that one more time.

234 runs, 126 HRs, 306 RBIs.

If that doesn't put into perspective how impressive this guy has been for you, nothing will. Halving that projection; 117/63/153; gives you a scarily realistic look at what this season might have in store.

Luongo outduels Turco; Canucks take game 7

2007-04-23T22:41:00.000-07:00

Series Result: Vancouver Canucks over Dallas Stars in 7
My Prediction: Dallas Stars over Vancouver Canucks in 6

Well, the title of the article in the newspaper will read something like that. In reality? Both of these goalies were absolutely outstanding, and if either of them had an offense that could put a puck in the net; or perhaps, a less epic performance from the goalie on the other side of the ice; they would have won the series in 4 or 5 games. Unfortunately for Turco, there had to be a loser, and while Turco certainly did is part, the Stars just weren't able to muster up anything on offense tonight other than a single goal.

So now the stage is officially set. Vancouver will face Anaheim, San Jose will face Detroit, Buffalo will face New York, and Ottawa will face New Jersey.

I'll break down each of those series tomorrow. For now? I need to go weep, because I really wanted to see the Ducks play the Sharks, not the Canucks.

The Devils do it in 60 minutes and the Wings do it in 84; both are moving on

2007-04-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

Series Result: New Jersey Devils over Tampa Bay Lightning in 6
My Prediction: New Jersey Devils over Tampa Bay Lightning in 6

And so the East has been decided, and I've got to tell you; the New Jersey Devils are the perfect playoff hockey team. Think Tom Brady and the Patriots; Marty Brodeur and the Devils are their hockey equivalent.

Are they as dominant? Not necessarily. But both teams have one trait in common that almost always leads to playoff success; they hardly ever make mistakes, and they always make their opponents pay for theirs.

Both teams have in one man; Brady and Brodeur respectively; a guy that can single handedly steal a game on any given night. They also have a core of guys that just compliment each other so well that they look like a team or a unit rather then a bunch of individuals wearing the same jerseys.

But enough of that analogy, the point is simply that the Devils are bred for playoff hockey. They've got the goalie, they've got the defense, and they've got the pesky role players that can shut you down; and chip in goals as well. They've also got a few very talented players on offense, including Patrick Elias, Scott Gomez, and Zach Parise.

Their series against the Senators should make for some great hockey.

Series Result: Detroit Red Wings over Calgary Flames in 6
My Prediction: Detroit Red Wings over Calgary Flames in 7

I'm surprised that the Flames were able to win games 3 and 4 after the way they were completely crushed in games 1 and 2; but alas, they did all they could to make a series of it before falling. The Red Wings are a team to be reckoned with, but their next opponent; either the Stars or the Sharks; isn't going to make life very easy for them. That being said, the tough life will be mutual.

I was disappointed with the Flames lack of... well, flame, throughout this series, especially on the road. I'm not sure whether it was the Red Wings that got them off their game, or whether they just couldn't find it, but it was an extremely disappointing showing, and another early exit that will not be easy for these players to swallow.

Now all we can do is watch and wait, as the Stars / Canucks Game 7 will fill out the rest of the playoff picture for you; and let me get those winning predictions to you as fast as I can.

NBA Playoffs... The Wrap-Up

2007-04-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

Here's what I'm NOT going to do; read a bunch of "expert" series picks, and then reword their predictions as if they were my own, when I really have no idea about the strengths and weaknesses of each team.

Plenty of fools already do that for you. I pity the fools. That's right, Mr. T. You have a problem with that?

Here is what I can tell you from my limited basketball knowledge (and this isn't going to be all that shocking or original, either...); The Mavericks and the Suns are really, really good.

And the Spurs and Pistons aren't half bad either. Especially when the playoffs roll around.

In the end, it will be one of those 4 teams. There really isn't any magic in the NBA, because the best teams are simply tiers above the rest. You don't get wild card teams going all the way like in baseball or football, and you don't get 8-seeds going to the finals like you do in hockey.

The Rockets have no chance. If they beat the Jazz, they face off against the Mavericks next. Then, miraculously, they win that series, they face off against the Suns. 2 miracles later, you play the best of the East, which despite the fact that its a joke of a conference as far as depth is concerned, its got a few decent teams in it that could conceivably beat whatever beat-up team comes out of the West.

It'll be the Pistons out of the East. If anyone beats them, it'll be the Cavs or the Bulls. But I don't think that is going to happen.

It'll be the Mavs out of the West. Anyone picking Golden State in this series is a bigger joke then I was for picking the Wild over the Ducks. Seriously, get over it Golden State fans. You are going to lose this series in 5 games maximum.

My radio show co-host Brandon Marcus said to me "I hope the Mavericks lose that series so I can give you heat for it". I'd like ALL of you to give me heat for it. Go ahead. If the series goes to SIX, make my life a living hell.

All that said, if anyone will actually beat the Mavericks, it'll be the Suns. When these two teams face off, it'll be a playoff basketball series I'll actually watch; and that is saying something. I don't think the Spurs have what it takes to keep up with either of these teams this year; but time will tell.

So, Mavs/Suns over Pistons in the finals. Shocking. Don't think anyone has ever made this prediction, have they? I feel so original.

For the record, I bet the Phoenix Suns 1 Unit to win 6 Units at the beginning of the year. Now they are bet 1 to win 2. Go Suns!

Turco and Hamels dominate the day; and a note on Kings Hockey

2007-04-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Good goaltending and good pitching. Man, it just doesn't get better.

Wonder-kid Cole Hamels, now the undisputed ace of the Phillies pitching staff with Brett Myers' demotion (which is still dumbfounding to me), put up a pretty decent line today;

9 innings pitched, 5 hits, 2 walks, 1 earned run, and the win.

Oh, and FIFTEEN strikeouts.

That lowers his season ERA to 2.57 and catapults him into the league lead in strike outs.

This kid is the real deal. I've been a huge fan since his debut last year, and think he will be a premier pitcher in the league for years to come; as long as he can avoid the shoulder issues that plagued him when he was younger.

Now, on to Marty Turco.

The same Marty Turco that has been single handedly blamed for every playoff series the Stars have been in since he has been their starter. And rightfully so. The guy was always a brick wall during the regular season, but he was very human between the pipes in the playoffs. If he didn't show something this year, he was on his way out in Dallas.

And he's shown something alright.

His shutout tonight marks his 3rd of the series. Yes, 3rd. Of the series. 3 shutouts in a single post season is impressive enough.

Turco has officially shut up his critics with this line: 1.20 Goal Against Average and a .955 Save Percentage. He's stopping an average of more than 19 of every 20 shots he faces.

And remember, he gave up 4 goals in the first 3 periods of this series. Since then?

0.77 GAA, .972 SV%

Dallas is going to head into Vancouver and win this series, as I predicted they would in the first place. And they are going to do it because of; not in spite of; Marty Turco.

Lastly, I read a pretty solid article on the Kings and the rebuild they are going through right now tonight. As I often try to explain to people, the Kings are heading in the right direction. The article isn't perfect, but its a pretty good sum up of what the Kings are doing right as well as what they still need to do to become a playoff team. Check it out.

Sabres and Sharks take care of business

2007-04-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

Series Result: Buffalo Sabres over New York Islanders in 5
My Prediction: Buffalo Sabres over New York Islanders in 4

No surprises at all here. The only concern from the Sabres' point of view was the lack of complete dominance in the series; games were a lot closer than they should have been when you consider how much better of a team Buffalo is. But that is being extremely nit-picky; this is playoff hockey. You can expect to be playing opponents at their best, and all that really matters when it is all said and done is who is leading when the last buzzer sounds.

Now, the Sabres just need to watch and wait to see how the Tampa Bay / New Jersey series pans out. A New Jersey win lands them a bid against the Rangers. A Tampa Bay upset will result in a series against Buffalo. Either way, you have to consider the Sabres the favorite, but both of these teams - especially the Rangers - don't look to be going down easy to anyone this year.

Series Result: San Jose Sharks over Nashville Predators in 5
My Prediction: San Jose Sharks over Nashville Predators in 7

I'm glad to see the Sharks win this series for multiple reasons. First of all, I've got money on them to win the Stanley Cup. Second of all, I think they are the team with the best chance to beat the Ducks in the West. And, lastly, with the way that the Predators were cheap-shotting this series, it would have been a shame to see the Sharks fall that way.

This Sharks team was my early favorite out of the West, and they played like it in this series, overcoming a vastly talented team in Nashville; and doing it in only 5 games, too. While I've conceded that the Ducks are the team to beat in the West, I still do like the Sharks' chances to do damage. With the Flames and Stars still hanging on for dear life, the West is still full of question marks; but one thing is for sure, I'll be taking the Sharks over WHOEVER they play in the 2nd round (unless its the Ducks... I'll save that can of worms until its in front of me, thank you).

Huge disappointment for Nashville, who looked like a championship-calibur team all season long. Going out and getting Forsberg at the expense of some young talent was supposed to translate into playoff success; not just a single playoff win. But with goaltenders Tomas Vokoun and Chris Mason both locked up through next year, the Predators have the most important position in hockey nice and sound; and even have a bit of room to maneuver if they decided to deal Mason. They'll likely be back in the thick of things next year; but with Kariya and Forsberg both unrestricted free agents, this would have been a nice year for them to get hot.

Picks of the Day

2007-04-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

Total: 204.36 Units

San Jose Sharks over Nashville Predators MONEYLINE
Bet 1 Unit to win 1.10 Units

Simply a bargain bet. Nashville should take this game at home, but SJ has been the better team in this series, and there is no reason not to take them with no spread at these odds.

Vancouver Canucks over Dallas Stars MONEYLINE
Bet 1 Unit to win 1.30 Units
(Game played on Saturday)

Same as above, if someone said "Lets flip a coin, if you win I'll give you $13, if I win you give me $10", wouldn't you take it? Every game in this series has been a coin flip, so I'll take Luongo at better-than-even odds.

Good luck!

RESULTS: 1.10 Units Won (205.46 Units)

Senators and Ducks join Rangers at the winner's table

2007-04-19T22:55:00.000-07:00

Series Result: Ottawa Senators over Pittsburgh Penguins in 5
My Prediction: Ottawa Senators over Pittsburgh Penguins in 6

Make no mistake about it; this Penguin's team has got the talent. And what is really scary is that the talent; led by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal; all kids younger than me. And my birthday is January 11th, 1986. Scary.

As I assumed would happen, Ottawa's experience just carried them in this series. That, and the fact that they've got themselves a damn good hockey team too. I put $15 on both them and the Sabres at the beginning of the season as teams to go all the way to the cup. And I still stand by those bets, as they are the two best teams in the East. Not to say that the Rangers/Lightning/Devils all don't have a legitimate shot against them... should be some great playoff hockey

Series Result: Anaheim Ducks over Minnesota Wild in 5
My Prediction: Minnesota Wild over Anaheim Ducks in 6

I knew it was a far fetched pick to begin with, but I was expecting a lot more of what I saw in game 4 of this series than in the other 4 games. But, alas, the Ducks were just the flat out better team. And now, I'm at a crossroad; do I analyze this team as the fan that I am, or the journalist I am trying to be? Well, lets do both.

Journalist:

As I discussed here, the Ducks really are the best team in the West. Furthermore, I love their chances to make it all the way to the finals again this year; and heres why. If Vancouver locks up their series against the Stars, and the Red Wings regain their composure and beat Calgary, I think the Ducks have a very favorable match-up against Vancouver. They've got more scoring depth (scored 36 more goals during the regular season), they've got the better defense, and while neither Giguere nor Bryzgalov can match up to Roberto Luongo (who, other than Brodeur and Kiprusoff, can?), the drop off isn't significant to the point where it will be a turning point in the series. Meanwhile, the Sharks/Predators winner (likely the Sharks) would face the Red Wings in what would promise to be both an emotional and physical battle to the finish. Either team isn't as fresh as the Ducks when they face off in the conference finals, who beat the Canucks in a much less heated 5 or 6 game series. I may be underrating the Canucks, and the Red Wings/Flames series isn't over yet... but things may very well be panning out perfectly for the Ducks this post season.

Fan:

Ducks fans do not deserve a team this good. Some Duck fans actually live in Anaheim and, when the franchise was born there, picked it up as their new home team. Fine. Others were fans of the Ducks movies and got into hockey that way, and watched the team when it formed. Okay, very lame, but fine.

The bulk of Ducks fans? Traitor Kings fans and people that just started to like them after their 2003 cup run; bandwagon fans. They hardly ever sell out. 90% of Ducks fans just disgust me. Meanwhile, King's fans who have stuck loyally by their team, some for as many as 40 years, are just now appearing to be heading in the right direction; while the Ducks are already there. And they've got such a strong young core that they aren't going anywhere, either. It is a near-perfectly run organization, and its fans are a bunch of bandwagoners and traitors. Where is the justice?

Oh, and by the way; I know its been said a million times, but Brian Hayward is the worst sack of **** color commentator in sports. Rex Hudler sucks; Angels fans as well as opponents will tell you that much. But Rex is fair; he loves his Angels (too much), but he doesn't bad mouth opposing teams, and gives credit where it is due. No exaggeration, Hayward will call a goal by an opposing team a lucky break if it is thrown on net and deflects in, and in the same exact breath talk about what a great heads up play it was by (insert Duck here) to throw the puck on net into traffic if it were a Ducks' goal. It is repulsive, it is terrible to hear as a sports fan as well as an aspiring journalist.

That last part about Hayward... goes in both the fan AND journalist category. I really do hate the way the guy calls games. Sue me.

Rangers cruise to the only sweep of the first round

2007-04-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

Series Result: New York Rangers over Atlanta Thrashers in 4
My Prediction: New York Rangers over Atlanta Thrashers in 6

The end result of the series didn't surprise me at all. What did surprise me, however, was the Rangers' flat out dominance throughout the entire series. After 240 minutes of hockey were in the books, the final score read Rangers: 17, Thrashers: 6.

Thrashers: 6. The same Thrashers that already had Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk BEFORE adding Keith Tkachuk at the trade deadline. 6 goals was all they could muster in the series, a total trumped by the Rangers in game 3 alone when they won on home ice 7 - 0.

Credit Henrik Lundqvist for his excellent play in goal, but also credit the entire Rangers team for not only keeping pressure on in the offensive zone (averaging 35.75 shots per game), but for keeping pressure off of Lundqvist as well (averaging only 24 shots per game).

Now all the Rangers can do is watch and wait. If Tampa Bay can pull off the upset over New Jersey, the Rangers will play the winner of the Ottawa/Penguins series... which will likely be Ottawa. If Brodeur can power the Devils through that series, the Rangers will face off against the powerhouse of the east; the Buffalo Sabres (yes, I'm writing off the Islanders). Either way, it should make for an explosive series.

As for the Thrashers? Well, they traded away a lot of their farm system for this playoff run, so not winning a single game certainly isn't what they had in mind. All they can do is hope that this playoff experience was valuable, and they can build on it next year... and maybe add a key free agent or two.

A No-No and a baker's dozen round up a fine day of pitching.

2007-04-19T01:51:00.000-07:00

Dan Haren pitched 7 innings of shutout baseball, gave up 4 hits and striking out 3.

John Maine also pitched 7 innings, gave up 2 runs, giving up only two hits while striking out 7.

Neither of those games was bad.

What was downright silly? Well, for starters, Brandon Webb allowed only one earned run in eight innings. Not too surprising. The kicker? 13 strikeouts. That made him the strikeout leader of the league in this young season.

But the real surprise came from a guy who was on my fantasy league's waiver wire; was being the key word, because anyone who tosses a game like he did is worthy of a pick up in my book; Mark Buehrle.

Only one walk away from a perfect game, Buehrle picked off the only runner to reach base. 27 batters up, 27 batters down. Eight of them via strikeout. 0 Hits.

Will this be the start of his return to his ace-like form from a few years back, or is it just a fluke game? Either way, his name has officially been etched into the history books.

Probably the funniest thing I've read in a while, in the 5th inning, Buehrle's teammates were giving him space and not talking to him, as is customary when your pitcher is in the middle of a no-hitter. Buehrle, though, walked up to multiple teammates and said "you know I got a no-hitter going."

Yes. They knew.

Nothing in baseball other than a perfect game is more impressive than a no-hitter. Congratulations Mark.

Tim Duncan; If you don't like it, you can giiittttt out!

2007-04-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

Well, that's what Joey Crawford said anyway.

For those of you that haven't seen it, check it out here.

I can see both sides of this argument pretty clearly. Yes, Tim Duncan was laughing at the referee's call - disrespectful - and I believe Crawford when he says that he warned Duncan he would be T'd up again if he made any remarks/gestures from the bench. I can also sympathize with Duncan; getting thrown out of a game for laughing is awfully extreme. And why is it that Horry, who is seen laughing out loud while Duncan is being thrown out, isn't also given a technical? Isn't that just as disrespectful, if not more so?

David Stern claims that he had talked to Crawford before about that rule specifically, and when it was and was not appropriate to make a technical foul call. This was why the punishment; being suspended through the NBA playoffs; was deemed appropriate.

The main thing I take from all this really isn't whether or not the call in the game was fair, nor whether or not the suspension was fair. Those can both be argued. What I respect is that David Stern really is - no pun intended - STERN. Actions speak much louder than words, and time and time again, Stern comes down hard with suspensions and fines. What you and I think is irrelevant; Stern felt that the call was unfair and that Crawford was compromising the fairness of the game, and he took the action he deemed appropriate. Kudos to him.

I wish Bud Selig had Stern's toughness. Maybe then something might actually get done, and baseball would be cleaned up a little bit.

Baseball Prospect Lookout: A name you should start looking out for.

2007-04-16T22:11:00.000-07:00

The Team: San Francisco Giants

The Kid: Tim Lincecum

In 2006, Lincecum pitched in a few different places. Most notably was his college, Washington.

He started 17 games for the Huskies and pitched 125 and a third innings, ending the season with a 12 - 4 record. He also had a microscopic ERA of 1.94. He also had a nation-best and Pac-10 record 199 strikeouts.

Oh, and I almost forgot! He won the Golden Spikes Award, which honors the best amateur baseball player in the country.

On April 18th, Lincecum faced off against the UCLA Bruins, and won the game 5 - 0.

He struck out 18 batters that night.

Later in 2006, Lincecum joined the Single-A Salem Keizer Volcanoes. He only pitched in 2 games for them, and he only pitched 4 innings. He allowed only 1 hit, and didn't walk anyone. 10 of his 12 outs were strikeouts.

He was soon promoted to the Single-A-Advanced San Jose Giants. He started 6 games for them, and pitched 27 and two thirds innings.

ERA: 1.95
WHIP: (Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched): 0.90
Strike Outs: 48

Now it's 2007, and he's pitching in Triple A Fresno. In 2 games, he is 2 - 0 with a 0.00 ERA, and he has struck out 17 in his 12 innings pitched.

Have I mentioned yet that he has a filthy array of pitches, including a curveball to compliment his high 90's (and sometimes low 100's) fastball?

As soon as San Francisco suffers an injury to their pitching staff, or as soon as one of their starters falters a little too much, Lincecum will find his spot in the bigs, and be this year's Liriano/Verlander/Weaver.

Tick tock, tick tock. The wait is killing me.

Jackie Robinson Day: PPD

2007-04-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to blog on how great Jackie Robinson was, and about what a pioneer of the game he was, and how he changed the face of professional sports forever.

The reason for that is, plenty of established writers have done that for you today. Go to http://www.mlb.com, http://cbs.sportsline.com, http://www.espn.com, or pretty much any major sports site, and you can read pages upon pages about this guy, including interviews from former teammates, people who were there during the time, etc. I can't hold a candle to that.

And you SHOULD go read those pages and pages. The man is a legend and a hero. His ability to keep a level head through all the seething hate he had to face... the word "admirable" doesn't come close. He was a damn fine ball player and a damn fine human being, too. If you don't know his story... do yourself a favor and go read it.

What I'm going to blog about is how upset I am with all these rain delays. In a day and age where high-tech luxurious domes are the norm, I can't figure out how this year seems to have a disproportional amount of games postponed due to rain, snow, and "cold".

I've been mad about this for the last two weeks, but today it really infuriated me; and not just because it screwed over my fantasy team.

Every park was going to commemorate Jackie Robinson today. Today was supposed to be the day that we payed homage to him in 15 of the league's ballparks. Unfortunately, 33.33% of those ballparks couldn't join in, because the rain was coming down a little too hard in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh.

Is it anyone's fault that mother nature decided to throw a temper tantrum today? Some might blame the scheduling committee for putting games in rainy cities. Al Gore might blame global warming.

I'm not blaming anyone... but it still irritates the life out of me.

NBA Western Playoff Race

2007-04-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

I won't blog about basketball very often, because the honest truth is that it isn't my strong point. It is not a favorite sport of mine, and I'm not extremely knowledgeable about it. I hope to improve in that regard; get to know the players and the teams better over the next few years - but for now, blogging on something I know very little about just isn't good for anyone. It'll make me look like a buffoon (like I need help), and it will give you lackluster reading material. As such, I'll only blog about basketball when it is actually (in my opinion at least) somewhat interesting information that I have some legitimate input on.

Because as I was checking baseball and hockey scores, I accidentally skimmed through the NBA scores; and saw that the Lakers had lost to the Suns (not surprising), the Clippers had beaten the Trailblazers (not surprising), and the Warriors had beaten the Kings (not surprising).

What was a little surprising, though, was that all three went the way they should have. Because even if the Lakers had an 80% chance of losing and the Clippers and Warriors had an 80% chance of winning (I'm just making these numbers up here to make a point), the odds of all three happening would be .80 X .80 X .80; .512, about a coin flip.

SO, heads is interesting playoff race, tails is uninteresting playoff race. Flip. Heads.

It is a VERY real possibility that these teams end in a 3 way tie for the 7th, 8th, and 9th spots in the west. Unlikely, sure, but not out of the question.

The 40 - 40 Lakers face Seattle at home, then head to Sacramento to close out their regular season. The Lakers couldn't lose to Seattle if they tried. As for Sacramento, the Lakers absolutely should win that game too. But it is a division rival on a division rival's home court, and as Kansas City Chief's Herm Edwards coined and my brother loves to repeat, "You don't play just to play." Sacramento will be playing their hardest, and upsetting the ice-cold Lakers would not be one of the craziest things in sports history.

The 39 - 40 Warriors have games left at home against Minnesota and Dallas, and on the road against Portland. Yes, Warriors fans, I've heard a million times that you "match up well against Dallas. Your still going to lose that game. Minnesota and Portland are winnable games though, and would put the Warriors to 41 - 41.

The 39 - 40 Clippers have Sacramento, @Phoenix, and the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets to end their season. Much like the Warriors, they should lose their game to the superior opponent and beat the two inferior opponents. Guess what record that leaves them with?

Or, perhaps the Mavs and Suns rest starters, seeing as they don't need these games and are already focusing on the playoffs, and the Warriors, Clippers, and Lakers all win out the season; and all end up 42 - 40.

Either way, a 3 way tie is not too far fetched.

So who would make it in? Drum roll, please!

Lakers VS. Warriors: LAKERS get the tiebreaker, as they won the season series between the two teams 4 - 0 (think the Warriors want a few of those games back?)

Lakers VS. Clippers: LAKERS get the tiebreaker, season series tied at 2 - 2 , so it comes down to conference record, which the Lakers have better.

Warriors VS. Clippers: WARRIORS get the tiebreaker, season series tied at 2 - 2, and the Warriors have fared better in-conference.

So a 3 way tie would send the Clippers home golfing.

Where, of course, the Lakers and Warriors would join them in a few weeks when they get crushed by Dallas and Phoenix in the postseason.

Oh no... the Ducks are really good... among other reflections.

2007-04-14T04:25:00.000-07:00

We'll start with hockey. (Shocking, I know)

I'm not saying that this series against the Wild is over and done with; the Wild are an excellent home team and still have time to make a series out of it. But lets be serious... the Ducks really are the best of the West. They've got the defense. They've got the offense. And scarier, they've got the defense that can contribute offensively and the offense that can contribute defensively. I've said it plenty of times before and I'll say it again, the West is so tough that you can't take any team in it lightly. But with the Sharks losing Cheechoo, I've officially switched gears into believing that the Ducks are, as so many pre-season experts predicted, the team to beat in the West (have I mentioned that yet?). I just hope for the sake of Kings fans everywhere that one of the teams in the West can put a hot streak together and keep this team out of the finals... but I'm not too sure I'll be holding my breath.

Shout outs in the NHL:

Ilya Bryzgalov - Came into the season as half of a goaltending tandem with no decided #1, he took the backseat as Giguere took the #1 position at the beginning of the year and held on to it strongly. Now, with Giguere out for personal reasons, Bryzalov has filled in masterfully, giving the Ducks a clear cut advantage through the first two games of this series.

JP Dumont - As disgusted as I am with the Predators and their dirty hits in the last two games, 4 goals is 4 goals. Dumont has brought his A-game in these young playoffs, and has 4 goals in 2 games to show for it.

Marty Turco - Dallas's whipping boy and "playoff choke artist" outshone Roberto Luongo en route to a 35 save shutout Friday night, perhaps taking the next step towards shushing his critics.

Shout outs in the MLB:

Roy "The Doc" Halladay - Plenty of pitchers can go an outing only giving up 6 hits. But how about going 10 innings with only 107 pitches and 1 earned run while you are at it? Scary to think that he probably would have pitched the 11th if one had been necessary, too.

Scott Kazmir - Out dueled the best pitcher in baseball; Johan Santana. 8 IP, 6 hits, 2 runs, and 6 Ks got the job done in this impressive upset performance.

Eric Gagne - His return to the bigs featured a fastball at around 94 - 95 miles per hour, a K, and a save. Hate to see him in anything but a Dodger uniform, but all the same, would love to see him defy the odds and stay healthy.

Carlos Lee - Multiple times every season, Roy Oswalt pitches brilliantly, only to get no run support and the loss. In an ultra-rare turn of events, the exact opposite happened; Oswalt had a bad outing, but got a ton of run support and the victory. The main reason? Carlos Lee, who hit two solo shots and one grand slam. That's a pretty good day.

I'll weigh in on the NBA playoff race tomorrow, but for now, it is time to sleep.

No more multiple overtimes in the playoffs? You can't be serious?

2007-04-12T18:16:00.000-07:00

I was reading on www.letsgokings.com, the awesome Los Angeles Kings message board that I frequent, that someone was arguing that the NHL playoff overtime system should be modified somehow, because it effects the entire series, and it is too mentally and physically draining on the players. I wasn't going to comment, because I figured this guy must be one in a million.

Then tonight, during my sports show Platforum, one of the guests on the show used his final word - a segment dedicated to voicing your opinion on something important to you in the world of sports - to make the same point that I'd read earlier this morning. Something needs to be done to change this playoff system.

If two people feel this way, it probably isn't a freak thing; there are actually people that feel this way! And this needs to be addressed!

The mental and physical fatigue effects both teams equally, because they both play the same long drawn out game! It is the team that can persevere - that can find the energy and adrenaline from their personal deepest depths - that come out on top when its all said and done. Giving your all when you've got nothing left to give is the stuff that champions are made of!

Look at how un-fulfilling the end of the World Cup was between France and Italy. It came down to penalty kicks. PENALTY KICKS to decide who is the best team in the world! Bartez, who is a small goalie and is terrible in the PK, didn't stand a chance; and the World Cup was decided.

Am I advocating non-stop sudden death in soccer? Probably not, simply because the nature of the game is so much more low scoring. But maybe giving both teams breaks - such as the period system in hockey - might keep the teams fresh enough to decide a winner. But that is a whole different sport and argument for a different day.

The point is this; nothing in the world of sports comes CLOSE to the intensity of NHL playoff overtime. Even considering making a change - to 4 on 4, or to a shootout, or any other silly option that anyone could come up with; would be absurd.

While we're at it, lets cut extra innings in baseball and decide a winner by a home run contest instead. And instead of overtime in basketball, lets switch to a slam dunk contest.

As for sudden death in pro football? That actually does need some work.

Bow to the King

2007-04-12T05:17:00.001-07:00

Daisuke who?

Three words for you. King. Felix. Hernandez.

You won't believe this, but I'm not making this stat line up. Through 2 games;

17 IP, 4 hits, 4 walks, 0 runs, 18 strikeouts.

Matsuzaka VS. Ichiro in a battle of Japanese superstars, huh? Sorry, MLB.com, but you missed the headline on that one by a mile. I knew it would be a pitcher's duel... but damn.

While we are giving credit to great young arms, nice outing by Justin Verlander today as well, pitching 7 innings of shutout ball and allowing just 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5. Unfortunately for him, the super-cold Tiger's bats (led by my fantasy team's early season duds of Magglio Ordonez (.233) and Gary Sheffield (.103)) couldn't muster up any offense until the 12th inning, long after Verlander had left the game, giving him the undeserved no decision.

And hey, Vegas Dave may be extremely partial to young pitching, but props to Greg Maddux too! It only took the 40 year old who has been pitching in the big leagues since I was born 75 pitches to get through 6 innings of shutout ball, whiffing 6 in the process. Forgotten behind the live young arms of Peavy and Young, this old man may still have a few wins in him yet.

Hockey: Playoff Preview Part 2

2007-04-12T05:12:00.000-07:00

Playoff hockey certainly didn’t take long to impress, did it? One game featured an excellent defensive battle between the Wild and the Ducks in which the Ducks prevailed. The other 3 games each had 9 goals scored; but with a unique twist on each one. Ottawa handled the Penguins 6 – 3 and looked very good in doing so. Meanwhile, the game that I thought would take the crown as the game of the night for sure, San Jose and Nashville took a 4 – 4 tie into double overtime, where the Sharks finally got the tally to take game one. Not to be outdone, though, Vancouver and Dallas also took a 4 – 4 tie into OT… except they took FOUR periods to decide theirs when Vancouver netted the game winner and sent the home fans home happy. You don’t have a pulse if you don’t love this stuff.

The main notes I have from today’s action regard Jonathan Cheechoo and Marty Turco. To Cheechoo, I hope the injury he sustained in the knee-to-knee cheap shot isn’t serious; I’m not a Sharks fan by any stretch of the imagination, but you hate to see a series potentially decided by an injury. Look back to last year’s finals when Dwayne Roloson got injured for Edmonton. Losing a key player and than losing a series always leaves the question “what if…?” and I’m hoping that isn’t the case in this series.

Let’s also give credit where it is due; Marty Turco did a hell of a job keeping his team in the game for over 3 shutout periods of hockey. Does this cure his playoff woes? Not necessarily. But guys notorious for being choke-artists in the post season usually don’t make 33 straight saves in overtime. That being said, one of the only things more impressive than 51 saves over 6 and change periods of hockey is 72 saves over that span of time. Wow. You’re the man Roberto… but this doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

Lastly, before I get into the rest of my playoff preview, hats off to Comcast for web casting some of the games for free. I brought my laptop to class and was able to watch the third period and both overtimes of the San Jose / Nashville game, and I loved every minute of it. Check that out here: http://www.comcast.net/sports/nhl/hockeylive/

And now; the last 4 series of the 1^st round.

THE EAST

#1 Buffalo Sabres VS. #8 New York Islanders

The Islanders added Ryan Smyth at the trade deadline, which gave them that extra little push they needed to beat the pack for the final playoff spot in the east. The real reason for the Islanders success, though, won’t even be a factor in this series; and that is Rick DiPietro. Playing like a guy worthy of a 15-year contract, DiPietro’s 2.58 GAA and .919 SV% don’t even tell the full story of how many games this guy kept them in. With DiPietro out with a head injury, goaltending duties will be left to Wade Dubielewicz, who has filled in admirably down the stretch. Still, despite the fact that the Islanders certainly have some players that can beat you, Buffalo is just too deep and too talented for this Islanders team. I think with a different first round match-up and with a healthy DiPietro between the pipes, this could have been a decent sleeper pick of a team; but not this year. Buffalo outclasses the competition and cruises into the next round.

BUFFALO IN 4.

#2. New Jersey Devils VS. #7 Tampa Bay Lightning

The 100 point 1 – 2 punch of Lecavlier and St. Louis will strike fear into anyone – even the goaltender that broke Bernie Parent’s record for most wins in a season this year. Arguably (and I’m one of those arguing in favor) the greatest goaltender of all time, Martin Brodeur will look to the lead the Devils on yet another run to the cup. And he’ll definitely get by this round. Not to take anything away from the Lightning, who certainly have a solid team, but goaltending wins championships. The Holmqvist (2.85 GAA, .893 SV%) / Denis (3.19, .883) connection just doesn’t hold a candle to Brodeur, and neither one of them has playoff experience. This Lightning team might make it interesting, but I anticipate the Devils taking care of business.

NEW JERSEY IN 6.

#3 Atlanta Thrashers VS. #6 New York Rangers

I like this Thrashers team a lot, but their special teams makes them a very risky pick. Despite the fact that they’ve got plenty of goal scorers and playmakers on this team, I just can’t ignore the fact that they are 23^rd on the power play and 26^th in penalty killing, compared to the Rangers, who are 8^th on the power play and 12^th on the penalty kill. Those numbers speak for themselves, especially in the playoffs, where special teams become even more pivotal. It wont surprise me at all to see Lehtonen get hot and the Thrashers to win this series; but I’ve got to take the popular upset pick and go with the well-balanced Rangers in this one.

NEW YORK IN 6

THE WEST

#1 Detroit Red Wings VS. #8 Calgary Flames

This game epitomizes just how tough the West is. The Calgary Flames have one of the top 5 goalies in the league in Miikka Kiprusoff, a deceptively solid offense, and one of my favorite defensive corps in the league, including the likes of Dion Phaneuf, Roman Hamrlik, Brad Stuart, and Robin Regehr. And yet, this team is an 8^th seed, and a decided underdog. And rightfully so – the once offensively insane Red Wings (think Yzerman, Shanahan, Federov) can still put pucks in the net; but all of a sudden they play an excellent defensive game, too. And last year’s weakness between the pipes has been taken care of, as the ageless legend that is Dominick Hasek now leads the way. I do like the Red Wings to win this series and end their recent post-season woes; but I think it takes them the maximum amount of games to do it.

DETROIT IN 7

Hockey: Playoff Preview Part 1

2007-04-11T00:24:00.000-07:00

With the NHL playoffs starting tomorrow, what better place to start than right here? Playoff hockey, even when no one but hockey fans are watching, is in my opinion the best that sports gets. All of the intensity, passion, and grace of the sport increases tenfold in the playoffs, and a hundredfold come the Stanley Cup Finals.

I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about sudden death overtime in the playoffs, where games are extended by periods, where a single goal swings a series. Words just don't do justice. At least, I can't. Should... have brought... a poet...

I’ll make this playoff preview a two-parter. Tonight I’ll break down the 4 series getting underway on Wednesday, and tomorrow night I’ll break down the 4 series getting underway Thursday.

THE WEST

#2 Anaheim Ducks VS. #7 Minnesota Wild

It is hard to say that I’m not biased here. As a diehard Kings fan, I hate the Ducks. Furthermore, at the beginning of the season, I put $5 on the Wild to win the cup when they were going off at 50 to 1, which would result in a $250 payday. It is hard to pick against a team like the Ducks – they are the total package. Their offense is strong, and their defense features two of the best players in the game. But I’ve got a gut feeling – and if you were to argue that it isn’t a gut feeling and it is probably just wishful thinking, I’d agree with you – that the Wild are going to win this series. The Wild have such a strong defensive mindset, they don’t take penalties (something the Ducks do), and they simply aren’t going to let the Ducks get into their comfortable brand of fast break hockey. The Wild also have a better offense then they get credit for. Call me crazy, but I’m taking the Wild in a big upset.

MINNESOTA IN 6.

#3 Vancouver Canucks VS. #6 Dallas Stars

Plenty of series come down to goaltending, but this one takes the cake. All eyes are on Marty Turco; the man who has become well known for being one of the league’s best all season long, only to choke come playoff time. The fact of the matter is this; Dallas is a better team than Vancouver. They are. The Canucks are where they are all thanks to Roberto Luongo. Don’t want to take anything away from the rest of the team, but this guy has been an absolute powerhouse. I have no doubt that he will continue to do so in these playoffs. But in a 7 game series, the better team wins more often than not. And if Turco can just exorcise his demons – or Tippet can go with Smith if Turco reverts to old struggles – I think the Stars will put last year’s disappointing postseason behind them and take this series. Can Turco pull it off?

DALLAS IN 6.

#4 Nashville Predators VS. #5 San Jose Sharks

Rarely do you get a match-up featuring for #1 goaltenders, but you’ve got it here, as both of these teams have two goalies that would be starters on most teams in the league. Both teams don’t get any weaker when you leave the crease, both boasting impressive defensive corps and powerhouse offenses. It really should be an excellent series to watch. The question really comes down to what reigns supreme; speed (Nashville) or toughness (San Jose)? Not saying that Nashville doesn’t have toughness or San Jose doesn’t have speed, but these two teams each have their forte. New NHL be damned, come playoffs, I’ll take grit over finesse every time.

SAN JOSE IN 7.

THE EAST

#4 Ottawa Senators VS. #5 Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pens are the team that everyone is pulling for this year – and why not? They are chock full of young talent from the top of the roster to the bottom, with young ultra-superstar Sidney Crosby leading the way. I like this team as much as anyone, and would be less then surprised to see them make a splash in these playoffs. But the fact of the matter is, Ottawa has been to the playoffs consistently for the last few years, and have plenty of players on their roster that have playoff experience. Lack of experience; especially for young Marc-Andre Fleury, will lead to the Pens losing this series. Next year? Well, next year will just be scary.

OTTAWA IN 6.

In a non-playoff note, congrats to the Blackhawks on winning the lottery and stealing the #1 pick, as well as bouncing the Kings back to the 4th overall pick instead of the third. No, it isn't bad enough that the year the Kings go into full rebuild is the year of one of the NHL's weakest draft classes in a while. No... they had to go get screwed by the lottery, too. Being a bitter fan may not be professional, but neither is lying. And I'm a bitter fan.

The Beginning

2007-04-10T02:57:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I am quite reluctant to start this blog, because I know I will put a great deal of time and effort into it, and there is a solid chance that no one will read it. Some will say they read it when they really don't. Others will glance, skim, etc. And that's understandable.

But then I realize; I've just got too much to say about the world of sports NOT to have a blog on it. Whether you read every night, once a week, once a month, or stop reading after this sentence, I'll still have so much to say. And if it falls on deaf ears, so be it. I hope to entertain. I hope to educate. I hope that you leave here with something that you didn't have when you came on.

My goal? I want to be one of those sites that you check every time you go online. You know the ones. For me, it is my email, facebook.com, fantasysports.yahoo.com, cbssportsline.com, and letsgokings.com. Every single time I sign online, I check these sites. I want to be on your list. Not EVERY time, since I'll only be updating on nights, but in my dream world, you'll really want to keep coming back for more.

Noteworthy happenings of the day, thoughts in general, sports bets for the upcoming day, playoff previews... whatever is worth commenting on, I'll comment on. I hope you will make this an interactive experience and speak up when you agree or disagree - after all, without argument, what fun is sports?

So, here goes nothing. Let's have some fun.