Playoff Baseball Creates Real 'Legends Of The Fall'

Well, Reggie Jackson is not playing in any of these baseball games but that isn't stopping a bunch of ballplayers from trying to steal his appointment as Mr. October. Sure he was the first and it is unlikely that anyone will try to steal that name but a bunch of players are already making bids to at least get into that conversation.

Just like a lot of the big sports, it seems like the best part of the playoffs are the first few rounds. There are more teams involved, more games a day and for some reason the way the games are played seem far different then that of a regular season game.

The pendants will tell you that the playoffs are a whole new beast and the games changes. This seems to be even more true in baseball. Watch a game in early May and compare that to the feeling you have when watching a game in September the feeling is night and day. It is no longer about an inning that can change a game, not a hit or a stolen base but there are many time in a game that you can feel the momentum shift on a single pitch. There are many people who find baseball to be a slow game but it is probably one of the most cerebral sports that require exceptional athletic ability. A high fastball inside may be a ball and to the casual observer a bad pitch, but that one "bad pitch" may be the difference when setting up a hitter for your 'out pitch' by changing his eye level or his timing. That one little thing seems to hold more weight on how a situation ends and by extension helps decide a games outcome.

It is a weird feeling when watching a game and knowing that even the appearance of a blowout gives no real guarantee that the game is over. A quick run in one inning can change the tides and momentum can shift and just like that a game that is all but over and a team left for dead gets its second wind slowly manages to get up off the mat and begin to chip away at a deficit and claw their way all the way back.

The St. Louis Cardinals did that in the NL Divisional Series vs the Washington Nationals and for those who got to see it was treated to one heck of a ballgame. The Giants of San Francisco did it in another way...by clawing back not in just a ballgame but in a series and erasing a 2-0 deficit and managing to win the next 3 on the road to take out the Central Division Champs Cincinnati Reds. The American League was not outdone and supplied their own level of exciting games. Both series went to 5 games and both were compelling from start to finish.

If the League Championship Series are near as impressive and exciting as those that have already been played baseball fans will be treated to some great ballgames and hopefully bring in some of the casual fans that may be looking for something to fill the void that the Locked Out NHL has made and the time in-between NFL games. It is sure worth the effort. Enjoy the post season and everything that comes with it.

Out Of Sight - Out Of Mind

The puck is supposed to drop but all the buildings in the NHL are dark, empty and cavernous. There are no sounds of sharp skates cutting through a fresh sheet of glass-like ice, no chimes of a rubber puck hitting a goal post making the sound of metal on metal, and no taps of sticks clapping together as they battle along the boards.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. That is not always the case and when that absence is in reference to professional sports the issue is even more magnified.

The NHL owners have locked out its players and now it has become a showdown between Billionaires and Millionaires and how to divide up Billions in revenue. Seems like it should not be a difficult thing to do. They are not trying to change a system or make any crazy changes to the existing system it is just terminology and what pool of money should be included in the percentage breakdown. It is frustrating for the players but probably even more so for the fans who are the real victims who not only do not have a true voice and are the ones that truly suffer. It is always the most difficult on the children when mommy and daddy fight.

The thing that is the most interesting, on a personal level is the lack of interest that is felt. With the NFL in full swing, NCAA football and Baseball playoffs currently throwing 4 games in a day, missing hockey is far down the list of interest.  Even when baseball winds down after the World Series there is always junior hockey . With Landsdown Park is under construction and the 67's playing at Scotiabank Place for the next few seasons we can go to the OHL games and if need be since it is an NHL venue, pretend that it is an NHL game.

It is a little surprising that, as an NHL fan that the impact and possibility of a lost season is not having the same impact as it did during the last work stoppage. This is probably not a good thing. If a longtime hardcore fan is showing disinterest how is the NHL going to overcome the same feelings from casual or less passionate fans? This is a very dangerous game of cat and mouse they are playing. The less that people are caring as this whole things plays out the less that are likely to come back when they finally come to terms on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. When all is said and done this is still a gate driven league and does not have huge TV deals like the other big sports. If people are luke warm when play resumes, ticket sales could drop and the few teams that are propping up the MANY struggling US teams may not have as much to share. If that happens it stands to reason that the struggling teams will spiral even further down and require even that much more help. If the pie gets smaller the allocation to the teams and players gets smaller teams could be in jeopardy and if that happens the number of players jobs would also fall and that would be a major blow to the League. Just remember baseball is America's Pastime and it was devastated by their lost time in 1994 and it took a long time to bounce back. The NHL got lucky their last lost season and fans came back in record numbers, even growing in some markets. It is playing with fire that the same will hold true again this time around.

Braves Not 'Medlen' Around

The Atlanta Braves have been known as the team with the best pitching staff over the 1990's and into the 2000's. When you can throw out 3 near lock first ballot Hall of Fame inductees like Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz and then mix in other ace potential starters like: Denny Neagle, Kevin Millwood, Steve Avery, Charlie Leibrandt, Pete Smith,  Jason Marquis and Jason Schmidt, you quickly see that the Braves have a history of building a championship caliber team from the mound out.  It was a great time to be a Braves fan. 14 straight division titles will do that for you. When you looked on the bench you would see Bobby Cox getting ready to get thrown out of a game and pitching coach Leo Mazzone rocking back and forth watching his pitchers.

Now the Braves are looking at going back to the playoffs, this time likely as the Wild Card team. This is for 2 reasons 1) The Washington Nationals have over achieved and have the best record in baseball and 2) The Braves have been hit with big injuries to key pitchers and yet have managed to secure a spot in the post season.

The Braves have managed to do what the Nationals have botched up from the beginning and that is to have a young stud pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery and managing his arm correctly and not harming their team in the process. Washington has the well known big gun Stephen Strasburg, the Braves have much less known Kris Medlen. The Nats made Strasburg the opening day starter and rode him as the ace until late August when they realized that he was getting close to the max innings they were prepared for him to work so as to not harm him long team. A fine Idea if you are the Houston Astros and have no hope of making the playoffs and shutting him down has no baring on anything, but the Nats were supposed to be good and should have know that using Stephen Strasburg as much as they did they would have to shut him down early or risk breaking there plan and putting the golden arm in a potentially dangerous position. The Braves seemed to take the opposite approach with Kris Medlen. The started him out in the bullpen, managed his outings, pitch counts and innings. In mid season they called on him to join the rotation as the rotation had been pounded with injuries and inconsistent starts.

Since then Medlen has been nothing short of spectacular. Currently (9-1) lost the first two starts of his career in 2009. He hasn't taken a loss in any of his 26 starts since, with the Braves prevailing in the last 21 of those...almost unheard of (The Yankees won 22 consecutive times when Whitey Ford started games from 1950 through 1953). Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams said recently on the Dan Patrick Show that he was the best pitcher in baseball right now. Not bad for a guy who started the year as a reliever.

Had Medlen been in the rotation he would likely be in the running for the Cy Young in the NL but then he also would be over his innings limit like Strasberg the Braves still have Medlen's services.  After losing Brandon Beachy's services after he went under the knife with Tommy John Surgery the braves were in need of a new ace. Ben Sheets went on the DL, Tim Hudson was on and off injured, Tommy Hanson had his struggles and Jair Jurrjens was inconsistent and then on the DL.  The braves managed to work through these injuries and still be in a position for the wild card.  No small feat for sure. Going forward they also have 2 guys to help fill out the depth of the rotation in respect to high end prospects; Randall Delgado and Julio Teheran. Both have a high upside and can hopefully come in and compete for a spot, work out of the pen as they mature or be used to help fill out the roster with the holes via trade that will open up this off season.

Just where would the Braves be have they have a full staff.  If Medlen and Beachy were healthy at the same time and Mike minor continued to pitch the way he has been and mix in Ben Sheets and Tommy Hanson WOW, that is one awesome staff and likely top team in the east.  Unfortunately injuries and baseball are and inevitability and that is why pitching depth is so  key.  Braves fans can only hope this is the second coming of a dominant pitching staff like they have in the mid 1990s.  It is too early to put these guys in the same class as future Hall of Famer's but the potential is there.

Hopefully the one game playoff between the two wild card teams does not come back to bite the Braves.  It can be interesting to see what this group can do. A strong playoff runin Chipper Jones last season would be a fitting end to a magnificent career.

Around The Horn

The NCAA Tournament is Awesome! Regular Basketball is good to watch. Playoff Basketball is even better, but if they are not careful they will alienate their fans and drive away viewers by trying to accommodate the TV networks. Ironic as it may be, it is funny that postponing the starts of series to fit the TV lineups better there are large gaps in the time between the end of one series and the beginning of another. Granted, when a team sweeps and the other series goes 7 there is going to be a long layoff, that can’t be helped. For instance Orlando is waiting for the winner of the Celtics and the Cavs (2-2) but the Lakers and Suns are both done and ready for the Conference Finals but that doesn’t begin until next Monday, a 6 day layoff. That is a lot of time for rust and a long time for fans to stay interested. Especially when the weather is starting to get nice. The NBA is playing with fire and does so every year.

3 teams have been down this round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs 3-0 or 3-1. 2 of the 3 series are still going on and in each one it is/ or was very conceivably the team that moves onuntil last night when the Canucks failed to show up and got blown out 5-1. The Canadiens, Canucks and Flyers have all been on the brink of elimination but now 2 of the 3 have a legitimate chance in making the improbable comeback. At the very least they are ensuring that we get to see some more games, but they are also adding to the excitement of an already great playoffs so far. The first round was good, and the second is holding serve and keeping the quality and entertainment level high.

Just when you think that they are starting to do things right the Bengals make a questionable move to bring in Pacman Jones. The team was bad on the field for a long time. Then they got better on the field, then a bunch of players started to get arrested. At one point it was like you couldn’t go a couple of days without hearing about a player in some hot water. Production began to drop on the field and now it is like they are just looking for players with checked pasts to fill out the lineup. The thinking in Cincinnati is anyone’s guess. If Michigan plays in the Big House I guess that the Cincinnati Bengals play in the Half Way House.

A New Zealander gave new meaning to the golfing term ‘hazard’ when he fell from a cliff while searching for his ball. The 66-year-old sustained serious injuries but was in a stable condition. The man fell 30 metres onto seaside boulders and was only discovered a good time later after his golf cart was noticed. The man was playing alone at the time. Between cliff’s in New Zealand and Gators in Florida nobody can say that golf is not a dangerous game.

Fear The Boogieman!

If you didn't need another reason to fear "The Boogieman" here is another reason. Bob Boughner, The Windsor Spitfires coach has taken his team to victory in the OHL Championship.In an interesting conclusion to the OHL final the Windsor Spitfires did in fact finish off the sweep of the veteran Barrie Colts to take the OHL Title. That was the 7th straight victory for Windsor, who are looking to repeat as Memorial Cup Champions.

Where this gets even more interesting is the increasing bad blood between the two teams. After a Barrie player took a dirty run at the Windsor goaltender behind the net at the end of game three, Boughner took his goaltender out of the game for his own protection and was yelling at the Barrie coach. By all accounts he looked like he may live up to his nickname "The Boogieman" and jump the boards and go after the coach. There was also some rough play at the end of the game that resulted in 3 player being suspended indefinitely. This has now seemed to deteriorate any good feelings between the two teams. Bob Boughner, Spitfires Coach chose not to shake hands with the Barrie Coach after the series. Was this because of the shenanigans from the play on the ice or the shenanigans from the boardroom where there was a chance that there could be more blood shed there then on the ice?

At the recently held OHL Draft Owner/GM Warren Rychel made it known that he intended in drafting his son in the second round. Usually there is a gentleman’s agreement that if a family member is available in the draft that teams would let them fall in specific slots in the rounds that they were expected to go in. For example the Foligno’s were allowed to land in Sudbury and the Hunters were allowed to land in London. Rychel sent a memo to all teams with this request and all seemed fine with it, all except for Barrie. They took Rychel’s son at the end of the first round. Was this because he was that good a player or was it spite for what was happening on the ice between the two teams? Barrie has a reputation for playing a little fast and loose and this doesn’t help their rep.

In Barrie’s defence Rychel may have been looking to have his cake and eat it too and may have gotten a little greedy. He traded down in the draft to acquire more picks and better his team (that has been very good the last few years), thus allowing him to potentially get his son at an even better value. So that may not have been on the up and up either. Barrie has a veteran team that will need to rebuild and may look at this as a way to hold up Kerby Rychel for a kings ransom to Windsor in order to fast track them in rebuilding the team.

As a side note, there was no contact between Barrie and the Rychel’s before the draft and calls to Kerby to congratulate him upon being drafted to Barrie have yet to be returned.

This is like hockey, WWE Wrestling, Prime Time Drama and Soap Opera all rolled into one.
All it is missing is the relationships and love interests and love triangles to make it complete. I look forward to seeing how it all plays out regardless of how Windsor does in the Memorial Cup.

Talk About Comeback Kids!

Down 3-0, The Windsor Spitfires became only the third team in history to win a playoff series after losing the first three games. Windsor defeated The Kitchener Rangers to move on to face the Barrie Colts in the OHL Final for the Championship and the right to represent the OHL at the 2010 Memorial Cup. That’s right, Memorial Cup NOT Mem.Cup.

Their improbable comeback is topped only by last year’s improbable run where they became the first team to capture the Memorial Cup after losing the first two games and needing to go through the tiebreaker. The Spitfires are my adopted Western Conference team as I feel the need to like the 67’s but that is primarily a geographic thing. The Spitfires have just a wealth of notable named players that makes the team easy to follow. This is either as a result of being a good prospect or as a by-product of the World Juniors Tournament. When you can float players out like possible top draft pick Taylor Hall, Ryan Ellis (Nash), Adam Henrique (NJ), Greg Neimez (CGY), Cam Fowler Top 5 potential, Zack Kassian (Buf), Eric Wellwood (Phi) Scott Timmins (Fla) and Dale Mitchell (Tor) it makes it surprising that they fell down 0-3 but also explains how they managed to fight back to take the series.

When the Spitfires match up versus the Colts it is going to be a good series, these are both highly rated and highly skilled teams. It is a shame that these teams can’t both move on. With the host being from the WHL they get the benefit of the extra team. It would be a good story to have Windsor move on to defend their title but after such an emotional comeback it will be interesting to see how they respond in the OHL Finals.

If your teams happens to be eliminated in the NHL, maybe have a look into this series and the other CHL games on the road to the Memorial Cup.

Barrie Colts vs. Windsor Spitfires:
Game 1 – Tuesday April 27 at 7:35 pm – Windsor at Barrie
Game 2 – Thursday April 29 at 7:35 pm – Windsor at Barrie
Game 3 – Sunday May 2 at 4:05 pm – Barrie at Windsor
Game 4 – Tuesday May 4 at 7:05 pm – Barrie at Windsor
Game 5 – Thursday May 6 at 7:35 pm – Windsor at Barrie*
Game 6 – Saturday May 8 at 7:05 pm – Barrie at Windsor*
Game 7 – Monday May 10 at 7:35 pm – Windsor at Barrie*

The View From The Top

So after local boy Matt Carkner scored the winning goal in game 5 versus the Penguins and Pascall LeClaire decided to be a wall and become a quality goaltender helped make my decision to get a ticket for game 6 back in Ottawa. As soon as the puck crossed the line I was on the computer and attempting to connect to capital tickets. After a few slow periods I managed to get through and after a little panic of forgetting my log in information I managed to get in and secure a seat. That seat was in the Home end in the upper 300’s. Upper being an understatement. It was the last row before standing room but it was one of the best worst seats in the house. It was like being on an isle because I was right beside a pillar and there was an opening from the ledge behind so I only had 1 person to the right and open space to the left so that was a bonus.

I was expecting for there to be a lot of people out early at the Red Zone since it was such a nice day and it was a Saturday playoff game so I figured that I should go early and get situated in the lot and avoid traffic as best I could. So I decided that being in Kanata I couldn’t not get my pre-game meal at Arby’s so with a quick detour I procured a succulent Med Roast Beef Combo including beverage and well seasoned Curly Fries. With that in had I made my way to Scotiabank Place or a mini tailgate with a delicious Arby Sandwich!

Once that was done and listened to the pregame for a bit I made my way to the festivities. Basically I just took it all In but didn’t get too involved as most of the stuff were for the kids and the tent, was not a option as time did not permit it also it was pretty full by that point. (I took a few pics with the cell phone which I will try to post later on). Then entered the building for what I hoped was a successful and entertaining game.

Got to the seat and was pleased to find a nice white Playoff Rally towel on the back of my chair (so it was a good thing that I decided to spring for a seat and not standing room). Little did I know at the time that it would be more for dabbing the eyes after the game rather then waving it in celebration.

Anyone who say the game knows that it started out great and the team came out strong, looked good and looked poised to take the game. Only problem with that is that after a 3-0 lead they seemed to take their foot off the gas and things took a turn for the worse. 1 went in, then another, now we are only up 1 and you could see the ice beginning to slope and the Penguins were gaining momentum and began to out shoot the Sens and Ottawa looked to go into a prevent defence. If we have learned anything from a prevent defence is that all it does is prevent a team from winning. Then the 3rd goal went in late in the third and you could feel that the ceiling was starting to cave in.

At this point things got rough in section 328- There are in fact something worse then French Montreal Canadian fans... I know I wouldn’t have believed it either had I not seen it with my own eyes and heard it for myself. Turns out that French Pittsburgh Penguins fans with Canadian Tallboys are worse. It is one thing to cheer, it is another to be obnoxious little SOB’s. I hate to use stereotypes but these were your typical greasy looking scruffy faced punks that looked like they should be out drinking on the farm, not at a hockey game. Just when I was able to come to grips with that and figured if that was the worse we were doing ok... then it happened, the French guys were topped by a surprising source... This was none other then "Ridiculous Hyper Old Lady Who Thinks She Knows Hockey" This lady was not only opinionated but wrong. The high pitch Squeal did nothing to help her case either. Yelling Shoot when they don’t have the puck is not helpful. Telling them to stop hitting is not the answer to playing aggressive. How she managed from even further up then I was to be so sure that a goal was scored during the second lengthy review was amazing, as she felt the need to make a call on her phone to voice he displeasure to one of her bitty old friends. Worst of all was the yelling/screeching of "SHIT, SHIT, SHIT" every time the Penguins touched the puck like she had a case of Tourette’s syndrome. It was almost as bad as sitting in front of a kid questioning everything at a Globetrotters show. It almost came to the point where I was felt forced to turn around and let her know how classy a lady she was. I don’t know if it was too much wine or not enough but It was trying on the nerves for sure.

As soon as the overtime goal went in was quiet and people began to file out. It wasn’t a bitter or bitchy crowd, just somber. The Sens were the underdogs going in and despite 3 major injuries stood tall versus the defending champs. All in all they played hard and left little on the table, fans seemed to be more forgiving this time around, maybe it was because they missed the playoffs last year and it was good to be back but also the team showed progress and fought strong. Hopefully going forward they can use this to continue to improve.

The final saving grace was that I shot out of the parking lot in record time. It was well timed and well maneuvered and I was in line and out in 4 minutes, a far cry from 1/2 hour, probably a benefit to arriving early.

On a side note the only thing harder to watching you team get eliminated from the first round in 6 games is watching your newly adopted Favorite(s) Western Conference team The Los Angeles Kings also get eliminated in 6 games. Hopefully going forward they can use this to continue to improve as well...but I do loves me some Doughty

Is That Stevie Wonder At Third?

I understand that there is a lot of pressure being an official both at the amateur and professional level. There are always calls that are a matter of interpretation or differ from the angle and position that the individual is in at the time of the play. I know that in pretty much all professional sports the percentage of the call that are made correctly far outweigh those of the ones that are missed. As is the case in most any situation, people don’t comment on plays that go well only those that are missed or messed up. There was a call where the "phantom" double play called the runner safe because the defender was not on the bag...that call is never made, but it was here. Then Mark Teixeira’s foot may or may not have come slightly off the bag and that is now a huge issue "He’s off the bag" Guess each base has its own standards and I suppose double standard. Guess that a game of inches only applies in certain circumstances.

That being said the umpiring in this years baseball playoffs seem to have too many of these oversights. Sure an umpire, not unlike a player can have a bad night and that is what seems to have happened a few times already this post season. First there was just a pitiful call made by Phil Cuzzi on a Joe Mauer flare down the line in the ALDS where a ball that was so fair that you could have landed a plane in the area between the balls landing area and the foul line. What makes that a little worse is that the umpire that made that call would not usually be there during the regular season. In the Playoffs they add the 2 extra umps down the lines for just that reason, it is likely that ball would have been called right had it just been the normal 4 man crew.

Then there was Tuesday nights gong show of calls. There were 3 calls that were made that were either incorrect or highly questionable. In a span of 11 batters, umpires Dale Scott and Tim McClelland blew three calls so badly that you have to wonder what is going on. Scott called Nick Swisher safe on a pick off play at second base in which he was tagged on the hand. Next was McClelland who took a run off the board when he called Swisher out on appeal for leaving third base early on a sac fly to center field. He was behind Swisher looking to the outfield and in no position to make the appeal call. Lastly McClelland somehow called Robinson Cano safe after he was tagged when he was standing still, two feet off third base. Looking at the picture (which says 1000 words or perhaps beyond). These were not cases where you had to run replays several times from several angles to figure out the proper call.

They use replays to determine home runs but that is all. I don’t want replay to take over baseball, and it is, of all the sports the one need the human touch to be true to itself. Ball and strikes should not be subject to change but maybe some calls that are more black and white should be subject a second look. With high-definition cameras, super-slow motion replays and other technological advances of broadcasts maybe some calls should be reviewable. I’m not a fan of more instant replay because the more you allow, the more cumbersome it gets but these were blatantly awful calls and not an issue where replay should have even been needed. It is just good that it did not impact the outcome of the game, but the thought that it could be is the big issue.

Here is a short list of other blown calls this post season:
1. Brandon Ing being hit by a pitch on his jersey
2.Kevin Youkilis tagging out Howie Kendrick at first base
3. At least 3 check swings that aren't even close
4. Ronnie Belliard being called safe on a stolen base

A Good Case Of The Mondays

Big day for a Monday upcoming the plate is full and the cup runneth over. There is a big game coming up in the NFL Monday night’er between the Bronco’s and the Chargers. This actually sets up to be a big game that was probably on nobody’s radar at the beginning of the season but that should be a good one. It will be interesting to see if San Diego can pull this out as it is almost a must win so they don’t fall back too far in the division.

Even better there are 2 baseball games today and the beauty is that one of those games are actually going to be played in the afternoon or early evening depending on your location. The fact that it is a Yankee’s game that is not the one in prime time is probably the biggest shock of all. There is something to be said for having a game played while just about the whole country is awake to see it. Sure an afternoon game in LA is going to be pretty hot but that is part of the fun. In the second game it looks like the Phillies will be able to finish off the Dodgers after laying the boots to them last night. After a game like that it will be tough to come right back in an elimination game.

The NHL may only have 3 games on the sched but of those 3 games Dany Heatley and the Sharks are playing the 7-1 Rangers and then at 8:30 the Kings take to ice in Dallas so this is a case of quality over quantity. Not too often that you can get so many Western Conference games shown before 10pm eastern. Now that I like the Blues and Kings there is much less of a west coast/east coast bias over here and the more games that I get to see from them the better.

And of course one can’t forget that the special guest host for WWE Monday Night Raw is none other then the D-O double G! That’s right Snoop Dogg will be in the house and lending his hand at running the Sports Entertainment show. The potential for Ron "The Truth" Killings and Chryme Tyme getting in some rhymes with the Dogg is enough to make you...switch to the baseball game.

Baseball Fever - Catch It!

It all begins tonight. The Phils and Dodgers get their NLCS rematch underway at Chavez Ravine. Dodger Stadium will host game 1 tonight for the right to represent the National League in the World Series. The Yankees will begin their series tomorrow in game 1 of the ALCS versus the LA Angles.

The Phillies, defending World Series Champs will throw ace Cole Hamels up against 21-year-old left-hander Clayton Kershaw. Hamels took the loss in Game 2 of the NLDS but may have a bit of an excuse as his wife went into labour during the game. After he was taken out he was notified and was rushed to the hospital. Hamels said: "Best cop ride I had ever been a part of when I wasn’t in the back, Just being able to be there with my wife and my family and then to go through that process of the labor and then all of a sudden the birth -- it was definitely an emotional day." He may be a little more focused this time around and will have to be facing a difficult Dodgers lineup.

Don’t discount the young arm that LA is throwing out there, Kershaw has shown that he may be big time and deserving to take the ball in game 1.

What is interesting but not necessarily a good thing, all 4 teams involved in the LCS’s have payrolls that surpass $100M. It is good that they seem to have spent their money wisely enough to get to this point but it also reminds us that in baseball you seem to need to spend money to compete.

In any event it is October and it is baseball and that is truly what is important. This is time for baseball fever and unlike the Swine Flu this fever is ok to catch!

Magic Show vs Late Show - Game 1 Set To Go

The Match up is set. The teams are ready. The players are hyped up and prepared for battle. The NHL is nervous. On the line - an NBA World Championship and a piece of history.

Game 1 is slated to get going at the Staples Center in LA- Home of the Lakers (even if there are no lakes anywhere near the place) at 8:30 on ABC. Which should be interesting to see how the ratings are on Versus for the Stanley Cup Finals after they were boasting on how well they did on NBC over the Weekend.

The Orlando Magic come into the series as the decided underdogs but after disposing of the Cavaliers is short time they are surely not to be taken lightly. This has all the makings of being a very fast paced series with a lot of quick transition play and even more 3pt shot attempts. One thing that these two teams can agree upon is that shooting 3’s is fun.

Which superstar will impose his will on the other team? Is Dwight Howard going to be Superman or Clark Kent? Is Kobe going to be the Black Mamba or play a more passive facilitator role and get his team involved first and then just pick his spots? I guess that is for the coached to decide.
That is another interesting match up, the Zen Master Phil Jackson who is very laid back and usually has little to say while on the court, saving is strategies for the locker room and Stan Van Gundy who is usually screeching at a level so high that only dogs can here him. So if the Magic look out of sorts at times it is probably because they missed the play call. These two coaches are the perfect 2 to play the NBA’s version of the odd couple, with their styles as different as night and day.

Rodney Dangerfield Gets More Respect Then The NHL

Could you ask for any less respect then what NBC is giving/has given to the NHL and the Stanley Cup Playoffs? They force the league to play 2 games back to back for the first time since the 1950’s. They have them start the series with virtually no rest for the teams who earned the right to play for the cup. They only show the first 2 games at which point they decide to hand over the broadcast to Versus for games 3 and 4. These are usually critical games when trying to decide a champion so one would think they would want to show that. Being on Versus where all year they struggled to get people to tune in. 1) because it was hard to find and 2) because it was so limited to how many subscribers actually had access to the channel through their cable or satellite providers.

While game 3 was being played, somewhere in the states on a channel nobody knows exists NBC was airing an episode of "I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here" and a non time sensitive special on Inside the Obama White House. NBC can not claim that it had any better programming that forced the games out of a prime time network time slot, there was no need for these shows to be on instead. They caught a break that Pittsburgh won game 3 and prolonged the series at lest enough for one more weekend broadcast.

Can you imagine if FOX decided to put the World Series on FX because they wanted to show an episode of "I Want To Mary A Millionaire" and an old rerun episode of the X-files. People would be up in arms. Maybe if CBS decided to put the Super Bowl on the Food Network instead (football... tail gating it is a perfect mix). It would never happen. Partly because the leagues wouldn’t bend over like the NHL does, actually respects the league and the game and because they actually pay to broadcast these games where as the NHL gets virtually no money and little or no exposure from NBC and Versus coverage. For the greater good it looks like the league needs to go crawling back to ESPN and pray that they can get something...anything and not come out looking like amateurs.

Best and Worst of the Weekend

BEST
The Montreal Canadians have decided on a new coach and it is former Sens bench boss Jacques Martin. This is a great decision for the Sens. That’s right the Sens, maybe not so much for the Habs. Since there are rarely trades among division rivals and Martin is no longer GM in Florida where he never seemed warm to dealings with Ottawa after he was relieved of duty here. Now maybe that opens up another trading partner for Bryan Murray

Worst
Detroit won the first 2 games at home in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
This is only bad for 2 reasons:
a) There are only a possible 5 more game maximum left before the season is done.
b) If Pittsburgh doesn’t win Tuesday night then it is very likely that there will only be 2 more games and a sweep for Detroit....meaning even less hockey.
The first 2 games have been played at a high pace with great physical play. Maybe a few penalties could be called, a penalty in game 30 should still be a penalty in the Championship Finals.

BEST
Orlando upset Cleveland in the NBA Conference finals knocking out LeBron James and taking away a Kobe-LeBron showdown. This is far from the best for David Stern and the league as far as ratings go but it was funny to see LeBron walk off the court-not shake hands-ditch the media and walk out to the bus with his headphones on.
Also, the chance for Kobe to win a championship without Shaq and get the "taste of ass" out of his mouth.

WORST

Canada’s Aleksandra Wozniak’sr run at the French Open ended on a loss to second-seeded Serena Williams. Since I have little or no use for Serena I would have loved to see that upset. I have no problem with sister Venus but Serena just seems to complain a lot and comes off a little snarky.
BEST
Earlier in march there was an epic basketball game with Syracuse and UCONN that went to 6 over times. When I was down there on Campus a week or so later everyone was wearing Marathon Men Shirts. Well as it turns out they may have to forfeit their crown to the Texas Longhorns baseball team. The Longhorns ended up on the winning end of a 25 inning game versus the Boston College Golden Eagles in the College World Series. The final was 3-2 and was the longest game ever played in NCAA history. I guess that would be considered a pitchers dual. The game started at 6:02 p.m. Saturday and ended 7 hours and 3 minutes later at 1:05 am Sunday. The crowd observed three 7th inning stretches. Texas reliever Austin Wood went 12 1/3 innings without allowing a hit - his pitch count was 169, including 120 strikes.

WORST
Footy, aka Kickball, aka Soccer was played somewhere and it was televised, some people actually watched.

NHL Finals

I would like to thank the Detroit Red Wings for disposing with the Blackhawks last night and punching their tickets to the Stanley Cup Finals versus the Pittsburgh Penguins. Had they not won last night the Finals would not have started for over a week. Even to the hard core Canadian fan that is on the verge of being too much time and runs the risk of making it an irrelevant viewing option. I was almost starting to worry that the NHL Draft may come and go before the NHL’s Champion was crowned. July 1st Free Agency may have already started and teams may have lost players that were still playing. Clearly I say this in jest but they may have been cutting it close to draft day had they delayed the beginning of the Cup Finals.

We all know that the NHL is not the USA’s #1 viewing choice. In fact the Scripps Spelling Bee will probable shame the NHL in the ratings department. Had it slipped to next weekend to start it could have been a disaster for the league and the networks. I find that it is sad that despite the poor ratings that the NHL still bends over for NBC and will do just about anything to appease them. When they do show the 1 game a week they do a good job but this isn’t 1988 and the Saturday or Sunday game of the week just doesn’t cut it. If they were actually getting some good revenue from them that would be one thing but I don’t think there is a lot of money pouring in from that deal. If there is any way to get back on ESPN and away from Versus or even share some rights amongst the 3, they may need to seriously look into it. Just take whatever you can get and don’t think that playing hardball is a good strategy

NBA - Inked Up

Watching the NBA Playoffs I feel like I am watching an infomercial for tattoos. or one of those TV shows on TLC, LA Ink or Miami Ink. There is more ink in the NBA then in a Stephen King novel. Even Mike Tyson’s face thinks there are a lot of tattoos... Hervé Villechaize(aka Tattoo) believes it also. When you see more ink then skin on a high percentage of the players, it more then stands out and is hard to miss.

Tattoo are a personal thing, I get that. It is a way for people to express themselves and their personality, but strictly at first glance from a casual observer it can very easily come across as being a little thuggish.

One has to look no further then Denver’s Chris "Birdman" Anderson. This guy has had a checkered past and very publicized issues with substance abuse that got him expelled from the NBA for a time but man he has a lot of art. Almost every player you see on the court now is tatt’d up. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are no exception both have their fair share to be sure. Perhaps it stems from the grass roots level, urban living, a sort of streetball mentality, Granted, many of these players use it as a form of respect or in memory or honour of loved ones but at a very quick and superficial glance, it does look like an urban video rather then a major multi million dollar sport.

The majority of thsese players are probably great guys but the image that it projects may not connect with all fans. If one were to take that position, I suppose that one must play devils advocate and say that their target market are young urban youth, typical urban males and that it fits in perfectly with the marketability of the product both in viewership and in merchandising. Just goes to show that you can’t please everyone.

Where Amazing Has Already Happened

If you haven’t been watching the Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls opening round playoff series you could be missing one of the greatest series of all time. Sports should never be compared to war because it is a game and should be seen as such, so lets just call this a great battle.
Going in, the Celtics were the favorites, even without playing with the injured Kevin Garnett. Sure the Bulls looks like a decent team, but maybe still a little young and green. The coaching edge would have to go to Doc Rivers over the less experienced Vinnie Del Negro, but that is why the games are played.

This series has had a bit of everything and has been a surprise with just the level of play and how closely matched the two teams are. If you exclude game 3 which the point differential was 21 the other 5 games have come down to 12 points total and of those games 4 have gone to overtime. Ray Allen must have found a time machine because he is playing like he was 7 years younger. Earlier in the series he went shot for shot with fellow UCONN alum Ben Gordon like they were trying to one up each other. Then last night in an epic game that went to triple overtime he ended with 51 points.

In this series that is still 1 game away from being completed they have played 7 overtime periods. At this point would it surprise anyone if they went to OT to decide it all? If that were to happen it would be hard to dispute this as at the very least in the top 3 all time series. Ok sure in the long run it will mean virtually nothing because it is a first round series and not a final or conference final and also the fact that whoever wins will loose to the Cavaliers whether they were tired or fresh. We are all presuming that it will be the Cavaliers versus the Lakers in the finals and all this is just filler for the Kobe v Lebron show that is sure to happen in June.

If the first 6 games are any indication game 7 should be wild. If you see it you may want to stop and take notice of it Saturday at 8pm.

Hockey on TV In The USA Still The Red Headed Stepchild

Saturday the NHL is on NBC again for their game of the week broadcast. Just the sounds of that takes us back to the early days of cable when that is what you would get is a Baseball Game of the Week, Football Game of the Week, Basketball Game of the Week, heck even then you could only get The Superstars of Wrestling on at noon on a Saturday.

The funny thing about the NHL and the deal with NBC that pays the league just about nothing or may even charge to get on TV (which wouldn’t surprise me), is that in the event that the Capitals vs Penguins game goes longer then 1 overtime NBC will drop it in all markets except Washington and Pittsburgh to make way for the Kentucky Derby. This has happened before and it did not play well, especially to fans who didn’t know that they were going to do it.

I understand that the Kentucky Derby is a big deal in the States and as a rights holder they pay a lot and get huge ratings for it. They need to carry the event there is no doubt about it. We get that and know that it is all about money. Sure the likelihood in today’s NHL that a game would make it to double overtime is slim you just wish there was a better plan for the 2nd class sport in the US to be shown. It is hard to grow a sport and make it look important if you are willing to break away at the most exciting part of the game....sudden death...or sudden victory to the optimist.

You would think that with the amount of channels out there that 1 channel could at least pick up the feed or have it run uninterrupted on another "sister network". It is deals like this that make you almost wonder why the league bends over backwards for them. Even though we don’t get it in Canada it may be time to get it back on ESPN at least that way the chance of people stumbling upon it is there and they have at least 8 channels that they can move games to.

Round 2 NHL Predictions

The first round of the NHL Playoffs is done after what was actually a fairly entertaining beginning. There were some teams that were over matched some teams that were upset and some that showed exactly what we thought. Every series had something that made it worth watching.So, ok here are the match ups for the Second Round of the NHL Playoffs and some quick predictions:

In The East
1) BOS vs. 6) CAR
Carolina showed some real team pride and had that never give up attitude and Cam Ward is playing pretty well. I never trusted him much but it is getting to the point that his play may not be a fluke. Boston played Montreal and has had a lot of time off so they were neither tested not banged up.
Carolina with the upset in 7 ( This is my long shot pick)

2) WAS vs. 4) PIT
This will be a great one to watch, both teams have a lot of speed and a lot of skill. It may come down to which goalie winds up standing on his head. The battle between Semin, OV, Sid and Malkin should be epic and a sweet dream for the NHL an there marketing people.
Pittsburgh in 6

In the West
2) DET vs. 8) ANA
Anaheim "upset" San Jose but had to play hard to get it done. There must be some sore players and be a little tired. If Hillard isn’t all world like he was in round 1 there will be little chance to take out the Red Wings. The Wings are poised to go back to back and now have the best team both on paper and more importantly on the ice.
Detroit in 6

3) VAN vs. 4) CHI
This is the series that I have the most interest in purely as a fan. After the pace that the Blackhawks played at vs Calgary and the skill they have up front should be fun to watch. It will be very interesting to see that offence go up against Roberto Luongo. The big question may be will the Canucks have enough fire power to keep up and beat Khabibulin aka the "Bulin Wall"
Chicago in 7

Let the games Begin

Round 2 of selecting a NEW TEAM is a write in candidate, They finally made the playoffs for the first time ever. I speak of course about the Columbus Blue Jackets. They are the second team in the running and this rundown is in anticipation of them being ousted out of the playoffs sooner rather then later...probably tonight...probably another shutout for Detroit.

They have now appointed their number 1 goal tending job to rookie Steve Mason. Mason was great in the World Juniors when he played and has had a very successful 1st season and is posting 10 shutouts and is the leading candidate to win the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year. The only concern is that perhaps it could be part of the system they play in and also will he fall into the realm of the infamous sophomore jinx, similar to what a Carey Price is going through right now. It seems that as teams find tendencies on goaltenders it can expose them and exploit any weaknesses.

The Jackets have some other good young players in on the team and in the system. Jakub Voracek, Nikita Filatov, Derick Brassard, Cody Goloubef, Stefan Legein, Kris Russell. A good base to build upon for sure.

Getting Antoine Vermette should help out Kristian Huselius and Rick Nash with the offence a bit but he isn’t enough to make that big of an impact. Now there is the big name and the big question mark...Rick Nash. This is the dangerous one, does he sign an extension and at what amount and/or term. That could go a long way in determining the short and long term success of the team. Nash is clearly the franchise player and the leader but has never had much support and so far during the playoffs not much success. Does that make him more hungry or just bitter.
Not knowing some of these major details makes it tough to stomach making them a front runner in the race to be selected. Also the fact that they have a lot of money spent this season it will be interesting to see how they use any possible space next year. Having Mike Commodore locked up for 4 more years at $3.7M isn’t helping their case any.

They are a viable option and is a deserving to be a finalist but at this point they look to be a an outsider. Perhaps a longer push in the playoffs may have helped their cause but I just don’t trust the team at this point going forward. I also hate to say it but I really don’t have much love for the logo and that isn’t helping their cause much either.

The Quest - In Search of a 1B

ROUND 1 here is the first installment of the selecting a New Favorite Western Conference NHL Team. In honour of there first trip back to the playoff and their exit last night after being swept, I am submitting the St. Louis Blues.

This is an interesting team for a few reasons. I wasn’t planning on sellecting any teams for consideration that made the playoffs as they could be seen as already decent and I didn’t wasn’t to be considered as a bandwagon jumper. They messed up that plan by making a late season charge into the playoffs. Perhaps they over achieved a bit this year but they are still a good up and coming team. Chris Mason has played well and between himself and Hannu Toivenen could prove to be a good 1-2 combo in nets for a while. Keith Tkachuk is still there and is actually playing well and doesn’t seem to be a prickly or as , well, fat as he has been in the past. There are some real nice pieces already in the lineup with Patrik Berglund, Brad Boyes, Andy Mcdonald, T.J. Oshie, Erik Johnson and Eric Brewer. To be in the position that they are in right now despite the injuries to many of the big name players on the team such as Paul Karya it shows that they are a team to keep an eye on.

I also like the fact that John Davidson is there overseeing this club as he seems to have had a vision for this team and has stuck with it and that is beginning to show dividends with the run they are currently on. They should get a mid 1st round pick this season in a decently deep draft, and that will also help going forward.

They also have some decent players down the line either in the minors or drafted players. None more interesting then Alex Pietrangelo who will be looking to make the club next season and will have a very legit chance of doing so.

One thing that is going against them in my eyes stems to a trade that was made earlier in the year between themselves and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Pre-Brian Burke, Cliff Fletcher pulled a deal that sent Lee Stempniak to TO for Alexander Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo. I am not pleased with this deal as one player I have no use for is Colaiacovo. Steen I can take or leave, he may be serviceable but as for Colaiacovo, no interest...you can’t be a top prospect for 6 years...there is no reset button every year.

Look for the next possible team to be posted very soon.