2007 NHL Free Agent List Presented By Pabst Blue Ribbon

My summer project will be tracking the free agent player movement in the NHL. Follow along at http://therealstoney.googlepages.com/home

Sportscenter is.... for retarded people

Just a few things for my Tuesday morning. I watched the season finale of Heroes last night, and I was very pleased. People died, there was a nice cliffhanger, and overall, it brought volume 1 of the show to a nice close, and left me wanting the next season to start next week. I tried watching the 1st half hour of the 24 season finale and couldn't get through 10 minutes. That show has become absolutely brutal, and I think they are still planning to do another few years. Ugh. The Rockies lost a close one last night, again. There are 39 days until the Free Agent rush begins in the NHL.
I watched Sportscenter Sunday night for the first time in about 5 months, and I remembered why I don't watch any more. The show has become a complete parody of itself. I was flipping back and forth between Sporstscenter and some other uninteresting program, it was like a car wreck I couldn't avert my eyes. I'm pretty sure Neil Everett was one of the anchors, but I'm not sure who he was working with. Growing up, I watched Sportscenter every night. I loved it, it was fun, I got to see highlights of my favorite athletes, it was perfect. I don't know what happened, was it me that changed? Watching the show the other night, the only emotion I could muster was embarrassment. What happened to the days when people tuned in to the show to catch highlights of their favorite teams and players? I swear to god, I watched a three minute stretch of highlights where every line uttered by the anchors contained some bullshit attempt at a hip catch phrase. It's not about you douchebag! I know Everett has garnered some acclaim recently by getting suspended for calling out an alleged Chris Berman pick up line during a highlight. I didn't see it, I read about it, and honestly, it was stupid. Remember some of those old SNL skits where they parodied Sportscenter? The stuff I saw the other night was even more over the top. Words were being made up and guys names were being pronounced wrong, it was a clusterfuck. Pippity poppity scoopity slopity. That was a throw to first in the dirt. The saddest thing is these guys think it's cool and they are making a social impact. They're only about 10 years too late.

It Could Have Happened to a Better Guy, But Oh Well

Earlier this afternoon I read an article on ESPN.com in which David Ortiz showed support for Barry Bonds and his pursuit of Hank Aaron’s home run record. I started thinking about what Ortiz had to say about the situation and the numerous other articles on the internet, on TV and in print that have crucified Barry Bonds for the last few years, and felt it was my turn to chime in on the subject. A majority of the sports media has officially labeled Bonds as a steroid using cheater that has tainted the game. Granted, everyone has the right to have their own opinion, but isn’t there some form of journalistic integrity and fairness that should still be involved? You can assume and speculate all you want, but Barry Bonds has never officially tested positive for steroids, and has never been suspended by Major League Baseball. I don’t like Barry Bonds as a person. He’s arrogant, difficult, and hasn’t been the world’s best teammate, but he’s one of the greatest hitters and baseball players of all time and you have to respect that.

If you look at a picture or video footage of Bonds in his days with the Pirates compared to footage now, it’s almost like looking at two different people. Just by the physical difference people are going to say “look how much bigger he is, he definitely juiced”. Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t, like I said before, it hasn’t been officially proven. But if you look at a lot of different players that started playing in the 80s and look at them now, you will notice strikingly similar changes. Look at Roger Clemens. There are a lot of reasons players look a lot different today than they did 20 years ago let alone 50 years ago. The world is a different place inside and out of the ballpark, and a lot of people don’t want to look at some of the positive reasons for these changes, they just want to focus on the negatives like steroids and other so-called performance enhancing drugs. I’m not naïve, I know that steroids have played their part in not only baseball but in basically every sport known to man. Athletes have admitted using and have tested positive. As much as I feel steroids and other drugs don’t belong in the game, I don’t feel baseball players are truly enhanced by juicing as much as other athletes in other sports. Drugs that make you stronger aren’t going to make you a better baseball player. You can’t pull a guy out of a weight room that can bench 400 pounds and expect him to be able to hit a baseball. At the same time, drugs that make you stronger will give you an unfair advantage in a weightlifting competition. Why is Barry Bonds going to break Hank Aaron’s record this year? Because he has one of the best baseball swings you will ever see. He has unbelievably quick hands. He has become one of the most selective hitters in the game. In the year Bonds hit 72 home runs, there were games when he only saw one pitch in the strike zone, and he was able to square it up and drive it out of the park. That is talent. Talent that I feel doesn’t come in a syringe. Why hasn’t Bonds been able to hit homeruns at the same pace as he did 5 years ago? Because he’s getting old, and he has been hampered by leg injuries the last few years. Talk to baseball people all over the world and they will tell you the most important part of any good swing starts with the legs and a solid foundation. What happens when a player has a bad knee and isn’t able to shift his weight or plant a solid front leg? He won’t get the same power and consistency as a healthy player. Bonds is as healthy as he’s been in three years and it’s showing in his power numbers.

Even though I never saw Willie Mays or Mickey Mantle or Babe Ruth play, I know that they were great players. They were able to do things other players weren’t and put up some of the greatest stats of all time. Baseball like many sports relies on stats to measure the greatness of a player and their place in history. It seems that many people, especially those in the media have a feeling that if records that have stood for decades are broken, the reputations and honor of players that have held those records for decades would be forgotten or diminished. Even though Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruths’ career home run record, people who know baseball, who follow it, who love the game and its history are still going to associate Babe Ruth with home runs and acknowledge him as one of the greatest power hitters of all time. The same thing will reign true when Bonds breaks Aaron’s record. To say that Bonds doesn’t deserve to break Aaron’s record is ridiculous, and most of that comes from his trouble relationship with the sports media. You may not want him to break the record, but tough shit, it’s going to happen.

The game of baseball has evolved through the years, and so have the players. The days of major league players having to find off-season jobs to supplement their income are over. These days, you can have a utility infielder making over a million dollars a year. Playing a professional sport has turned into a year round job. Players have learned that to keep their job and sign that next big contract, they have to continue to work and improve after the season ends. Training programs, eating programs, and an all around focus on health are not things players in the 50s thought about. If you spend 3 months working out for 3 hours a day, you are going to see changes in your body, you are going to get stronger. You supplement that with practice for your sport, and you are going to see improvements in your abilities in your sport. You want to know why baseball players are bigger and stronger and faster than they were in the past? That’s it. They put in the work throughout the year and after the season to look that way. Sure some guys get help from a pill or a bottle, but more often than not, it’s all natural. The thing that sucks is you have sports writers who never played past little league or throw a ball like a five year old girl throwing out accusations on a whim whenever someone does something impressive. A 350 lb mess who has never worked out in his life is going to think guys who improve their physique did it with drugs because he doesn’t realize while he sits at his desk every morning pounding his Krispy Kreme’s and super bug gulps, athletes are busting their ass in the gym.

The bottom line is later this summer, Barry Bonds will become the new all-time home run leader. He still hasn’t tested positive for a banned substance. Even if he did, no amount of steroids in the world is going to make you a better hitter or teach you how to square up a 96mph fastball on the inside corner. Natural ability and skill are always going to be necessary to play baseball. It makes you wonder if Bonds was as personable and upfront as a guy like David Ortiz, would we be reading a new story every morning about how Bonds in the devil and the worst thing to come along since AIDS? Records are made to be broken, and they are not always going to be broken by the best person in the game.

Don Imus Has A Potty Mouth?

This is a subject that I have been meaning to write about since it first happened, but haven’t gotten around to it. People have to realize that there are certain freedoms that we as Americans have, and the first Amendment says that we have freedom of speech. There are moral boundaries that exist. You can’t go around calling black people niggers all day and not expect some form of backlash, you can’t yell fire in a crowded movie theater, and you can’t say you have a bomb on an airplane. As a radio host, there are certain words that Don Imus can and can’t say because of FCC regulations. Nappy headed ho’s are three words that are allowed. You won’t get fined for saying that. Unfortunately, you can get fired. Reverend Al and his following of sheep banded together in a form of terrorism to beat Imus down and pressure management and sponsors to the point where they had to fire him to try and make everything go away. What Imus said was not hate speech. Was it the best thing to say? No. But as an American he has the right to refer to whoever he wants to as nappy headed ho’s. It was sad to see Imus go from interview to interview and spout the word sorry over and over. What was it worth? Absolutely nothing. Would this have happened if a black person had said the same thing? No. There is a double standard that exists when it comes to what people can say, and it is based on race. In a world where everyone pretends to be striving for equality, it doesn’t seem very equal that a white man and a black man can say the exact same phrase in the exact same context and one will garner laughter and the other will be fired.

This situation shows how much of a politically correct, ultra-sensitive prudish society we have turned into. In the era of instant new and information, anything a person says will be online within a minute and you have to be critical of every single word that is uttered. There are times when people are going to make mistakes, but there is no longer a margin of error that exists. In a country that prides itself upon its freedoms, we are quick to limit and even censor those freedoms when the results are no more than unpopular. It seems that every portion of society has their own legion of spokesmen and legal teams that are just waiting for the next public misstep.

NHL Playoffs Round 1 Recap

Eastern Conference

(1) Buffalo Sabres – (8) New York Islanders

My Pick: Sabres in 5 games

Actual: Sabres in 5 games

The Sabres were able to win in 5 despite not playing their best. The Islanders got a shot in the arm when Rick DiPietro came back in game two, the only game the Islanders won. This wasn’t the high flying Sabres team that I expected to see, but they were able to capitalize on Islanders miscues and some fortunate calls. The Isles played tough, but the Sabres were just too deep and too tough. Ryan Miller made some key saves when he had to, and I was impressed with the Buffalo defense, especially Brian Campbell.

(2) New Jersey Devils – (7) Tampa Bay Lightning

My Pick: Devils in 6 games

Actual: Devils in 6 games

I originally said that Martin Brodeur would be the difference in this series. It took 5 games for the real Brodeur to show up, but he finally did. The Devils power play stepped up and Zach Parise is showing that he is a star in the making. The Lightning’s big three of Lecavalier, St. Louis, and Richards played well and put up numbers, but they needed more. Plus, Johan Holmqvist wasn’t able to steal a game or two like he needed to. He wasn’t horrible, but there were a lot of questionable goals allowed.

(3) Atlanta Thrashers – (6) New York Rangers

My Pick: Rangers in 6 games

Actual: Rangers in 4 games

This series was what we like to call a good, old-fashioned ass whooping. The Thrashers played musical goalies in the series with Johan Hedberg outplaying Kari Lehtonen, but it didn’t matter. Henrik Lundqvist looked great, the Rangers offense was clicking, and this series was never in doubt. They were the hottest team heading into the playoffs and continue to be so. Sean Avery continues to impress and fits perfectly with this team, even on the power play. He was even able to get Ilya Kovalchuk and Keith Tkachuk off their games to where they were more worried about playing physical than putting the puck in the net. The Thrashers made some big deals to get to the playoffs, and have to be very disappointed with the outcome.

(4) Ottawa Senators – (5) Pittsburgh Penguins

My Pick: Ottawa in 7 games

Actual: Ottawa in 5 games

This was probably the most anticipated series, and for the time it lasted, it didn’t disappoint. It was physical, the stars were playing well, and it was fun to see the mix of youth and experience coming together. In the end, the depth of Ottawa was the key to this series. They were able to get key goals from the 3^rd and 4^th lines, who are very talented and make the most of the time they get on the ice. This was a good series for the young Pens to get a taste of the intensity of the playoffs, and should be hard to handle next year. Dany Heatley, Daniel Alfredson and Jason Spezza all played well, a lot better than last year, and they are going to have to keep it up to keep moving along.

Western Conference

(1) Detroit Red Wings – (8) Calgary Flames

My Pick: Detroit in 7 games

Actual: Detroit in 6 games

This series was a tale of two Calgary teams, and a solid Red Wings team. Calgary was brutal in all 3 games in Detroit, capping with the train wreck that was game 5. Mikka Kiprusoff was the only reason the Flames were able to stay in any of the games, but there is only so much one man can do. Detroit was able to keep the pressure on every game getting 40-50 shots seemingly every night, and they had contributions from up and down the lineup. Pavel Datsyuk even showed up. Dominik Hasek continues to play younger than his years, but will it last? He has been on the verge of brittle the last couple years, so that should be key next series.

(2) Anaheim Ducks – (7) Minnesota Wild

My Pick: Ducks in 6 games

Actual: Ducks in 5 games

Despite what I and several analysts thought, Ilya Bryzgalov started the playoffs in net for the Ducks, and he didn’t disappoint. Anaheim was able to win this series by beating the Wild and Jacues Lemaire at their own game, a suffocating defensive trapping style was able to shut down the offensive attack of the Wild. Of course that’s easy to do when you are solid in net, no matter who you put in, and have questionably the best defensive corps in the league. They were able to pretty much shut down the Wil power play while connecting at a good clip when they had their chances. Add in a mix of speed and size up front, and the Ducks were able to dismiss the Wild with ease.

(3) Vancouver Canucks – (6) Dallas Stars

My Pick: Stars in 7 games

Actual: Canucks in 7 games

I really thought the Stars would come through and win this series. They battled back from being down 3-1 in the series to force a game 7, but they were wore down and took a lot of penalties in the third period of the last game which led to their demise. You certainly can’t blame Marty Turco who played extremely well. At the other end, Roberto Luongo was stellar and was another key to this being an extremely low scoring series. Vancouver scored when they needed to even though their big guns were kept in check for much of the series. This was a hard fought series and Vancouver is going to have their hands full again against Anaheim

(4) Nashville Predators – (5) San Jose Sharks

My Pick: Sharks in 7 games

Actual: Sharks in 5 games

This was a fun series to watch. I really thought it would go deeper than 5 games, but San Jose was able to pull it out earlier. The thing people are going to remember about this series was the physical, sometimes dirty play. Nashville had 3 guys receive game misconduct penalties and couldn’t stay out of the box. Peter Forsberg made his presence known from game one, but Nashville just couldn’t get it going. San Jose looked good, they have the firepower up front, and the addition of Craig Rivet has really paid off. For Nashville, Alex Radulov showed he is going to be GOOD. He has a knack for scoring and will play a big part of their future. The Sharks have what it takes to go far in the playoffs, and I expect more out of Guerin and Marleau in the next round.

"It's Not Really Baseball"

That was Mr. Derek Lowe's evaluation of pitching at Coors Field. After giving up 5 runs, 4 of them earned, on 8 hits in 4 2/3 innings of work on Wednesday, Lowe was full of excuses. "This is the only place in baseball that bad games affect me. This is a really tough place to pitch. If you played here 81 games and you can't hit here you should quit." Since Lowe no longer pitches for the Red Sox, I say F Derek Lowe. F him right in his F-ing mouth. It's nice that he can't simply say he didn't throw well. I wonder if he told his kids it was their fault he was leaving mommy for a TV reporter three years ago?

NHL 2006-2007 Playoff Preview Extravaganza

Western Conference
(1) Detroit Red Wings – (8) Calgary Flames
Calgary is one of the few teams that isn’t afraid of going up against the mighty Wings in the first round of the playoffs. They match up fairly well, and that should bode for a tight, well played series. The Wings finished the regular season going 5-1-4 in their last 10 games while Calgary was 6-4, but lost 4 straight headed into the playoffs.
The Red Wings are deep throughout, but are truly lead by their defensive core and goaltender. Domink Hasek played well again this season, and Niklas Lidstrom is on his way to winning another Norris trophy. The biggest question mark for Detroit will be up front. Henrik Zetterberg has been battling back problems, and no one is sure how well he will perform in the postseason. Pavel Datsyuk is going to be key for Detroit to succeed. The last several years, he has disappeared in the playoffs. In a series that looks as though goals will be hard to come by, Detroit will need the likes of Tomas Holmstrom and others to pick up the offensive slack and get key goals
Calgary has what they didn’t last year and that is offense. Led by Jerome Iginla and Alex Tanguay, Calgary also received a lot of production from Daymond Langkow and a breakout year by Kristian Huselius. The Flames also boast a strong blueline corps led by second year standout Dion Phaneuf. With the likes of Phaneuf, Robyn Regehr, Roman Hamrlik and Brad Stuart, the Flames physical style should give the Wings forwards fits. Calgary is fast and physical and this should allow them to compete very well with Detroit. Also, Calgary has a goalie in Miikka Kiprusoff that can steal a series even though he hasn’t been as dominant this year as in years past.
These two teams tied their season series at 2 games a piece and there is nothing that points to one team dominating the other in the playoffs. Calgary is great at home and has gotten better on the road towards the end of the year. Though my heart says Calgary will win, my head says Detroit in 7

(2) Anaheim Ducks – (7) Minnesota Wild
With the acquisition of Chris Pronger to go along with Scott Niedermayer on the blueline, it’s no surprise that Anaheim finished second in the West. The pair give Anaheim the best defensive tandem in the league with the ability to eat up a lot of minutes between them and add offensive punch. Up front, Teemu Selanne is still playing extremely well, and keeps playing well with Andy McDonald. The Ducks also have a group of young, talented forwards such as Ryan Getzlaf, Chris Kunitz, Corey Perry and Dustin Penner that can give teams nightmares when it comes to matchups. In goal, Anaheim has two legitimate number 1 goalies in JS Giguere and Ilya Bryzgalov. Giguere will be the man to start the series, but if anything happens, Bryzgalov showed last year that he is more than capable of leading the team deep into the playoffs.
Minnesota has seemingly quietly put together a solid season and has been playing great the last month of the season and is 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. Even with their number one goalie, Manny Fernandez going down in the second half of the season, Niklas Bakstrom stepped in and played extremely well, leading the league in save percentage (.929) and goals against average (1.97). The defense doesn’t do anything flashy, but they are sound and do their jobs. The Wild offense is led by Marion Gaborik who can be a human highlight reel, and Pavol Demitra. . Minnesota’s forwards are fast and play well in their own end as well. If they get a lead, they don’t give it up very easily.
The difference in the series could come down to special teams, and which group can outdo the other. Anaheim was 3^rd in the league on the power play and Minnesota’s PK was 2^nd. At the same time, Minnesota had the league’s 6^th best power play and the Ducks were 4^th in the league in killing penalties. Something has to give. As we have seen in years past defense wins in the playoffs, and I think the edge in this series goes to Anaheim. That’s why I am saying Ducks in 6.

(3) Vancouver Canucks – (6) Dallas Stars
Vancouver was led to the Northewest Division title and the number 3 seed by Roberto Luongo who has definitely been an MVP candidate this year. He is by far one of the best goalies in the league, but how will he fare in his first go in the playoffs? The Sedin brothers carried the Canucks on offense this year, and are a joy to watch play. They always know where the other is, and that has often times led to amazing plays. But outside of their line, scoring has been hard to come by. The production from Brendan Morrison and Markus Naslund has declined, and Vancouver is going to need somebody to step up and score against a tough defensive team in Dallas. The D has been banged up this year, especially lately, but they have had guys fill in admirably to get the job done.
On the subject of scoring futility we can turn to Dallas. No other team has been hurt as much as the Stars when it comes to injuries up front. Mike Modano, Brenden Morrow, and Eric Lindros have all been banged up and Jere Lehtinen was the only guy to score at least 20 goals. The defense is deep and led by Sergei Zubov and Philippe Boucher, who also provide a lot of offensive punch. In goal, Marty Turco is looking to forget about his trouble playoff past. Annually one of the best goalies in the regular season, Turco seems like another person in the playoffs. With Dallas’ troubles scoring goals, his performance is going to be magnified.
This could be the lowest scoring series in the West and will come down to the goalies. We have two great regular season goalies. One with no playoff experience, and the other with playoff demons. This could be Marty Turco’s year. I like the way Dallas matches up against Vancouver, and I think they will move on after winning game 7

(4) Nashville Predators – (5) San Jose Sharks
How crazy has this year been? The two teams tied with the most wins by western conference teams (51) are the 4^th and 5^th seeds. Nashville is very good up and down the lineup, and hopefully everyone is healthy. With Peter Forsberg, Paul Kariya and Steve Sullivan leading the way on offense, The Predators are quick and talented up front, and have the ability to score a lot of goals. As good as they are up front, the defense is just as solid. Marek Zidlicky, and Kimmo Timmonen are the leaders, and Shea Weber is coming into his own. They will be tested though against a talented San Jose team. Nashville also has the benefit of having two very good goalies. Tomas Vokoun will be the man to start, but if Chris Mason has to come in for any reason, he has put up comparable numbers throughout the year and can lead this team to victory
San Jose was one of the hottest teams down the stretch going 7-1-2 in their last 10. They also happen to have one of the league’s best offensive talents in Joe Thornton. Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo combined with Patrick Marleau and Bill Guerin give the Sharks one hell of a 1-2 punch. Throw in guys like Milan Michalek and Steve Bernier and you have a team that can put points up on the board. The defense is young and aggressive, and tailor-made for the playoffs. Kyle McLaren and Scott Hannan aren’t fun to play against, and Matt Carle can provide offensive help. Craig Rivet has helped since being acquired at the trade deadline as well. Like the Preds, the Sharks have two number one goalies in Evgeni Nabokov and Vesa Toskala. Nabokov has played well in the second half and will be goalie 1A headed into the playoffs.
The Sharks had the league’s 2^nd best power play, but Nashville was #3 in penalty killing. Nashville bodes well if they can play 5-5 and keep penalties to a minimum. I have no idea who has the edge in this series. I don’t think there is one. Sharks in 7

Eastern Conference
(1) Buffalo Sabres – (8) New York Islanders
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that Buffalo ended up with the number one seed in the East and the President’s Trophy. The Sabres are loaded with talent up front, and even though injuries plagued them this year, every guy that stepped in made an impact. Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, Tomas Vanek, Jason Pominville, and Maxim Afinogenov lead a team that is fun to watch on offense. Oh, and they are getting Tim Connolly back. And Drew Stafford keeps scoring. Buffalo’s defense can skate and move the puck well, but they aren’t the toughest or moist physical group. That could hurt them in the later rounds, but shouldn’t be a huge factor in this series. Ryan Miller had another fine year in net, and has entrenched himself in the upper echelon of the league’s netminders.
The Islanders were the last team into the playoffs thanks to a shootout win over New Jersey on the last day of the season. They also made the best move at the trading deadline picking up Ryan Smyth from Edmonton. Now they get the honor of playing Buffalo. Without their top goalie. Jason Blake led the team in goals and points. The Isles are deep up front, and are going to need to muster as much as they can to keep up with Buffalo and make up for the loss of Rick DiPietro. The defense is big and tough with Brendan Witt and Tom Poti. With Rick DiPietro still out due to concussions, former DU Pioneer Wade Dubielewicz helped get this team into the playoffs, and will have to stand out to give this team a chance.
The Islanders have been a good story this week, but that’s gonna change. Buffalo should be able to win this series in 5 games

(2) New Jersey Devils – (7) Tampa Bay Lightning
The Devils probably have the most playoff experience of any team in the league. They have a great mix of forwards with guys like Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez and Zach Parise who can put the puck in the net, and guys like John Madden and Jay Pandolfo who are two of the best defensive forwards in the league. The defense isn’t as stacked as it has been in the past, but they are tough and mean. Plus they have a pretty good guy behind them if they do make a mistake. Martin Brodeur set the single season record in wins this year with 48 and is in the running for the Hart and Vezina trophies. With him in net, your team always has a chance.
Vincent Lacavalier had a career year and led Tampa Bay and the rest of the league in goals with 52. Together with Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards, the Lightning have some top offensive talent. Richards also plays extremely well in his own end. The back end is full of veterans, whose main focus is keeping the puck out of the net. Outside of Vaclav Prospal, the Lightning D aren’t offensive threats. In the end, Tampa Bay’s success is going to be tied to its goaltending. Marc Denis was brought in from Columbus to solidify the situation but has been terrible. Johan Holmqvist played well throughout the year, but he is streaky.
The Devils have Martin Brodeur, and Tampa Bay doesn’t. That will be the difference in this series. Tampa played the Devils well in the regular season going 3-1, but this is a whole new season, and the Devils will win in 6

(3) Atlanta Thrashers – (6) New York Rangers
Atlanta can score goals. They boast a good 1-2 punch between Slava Kozlov and Marian Hossa backed by Ilya Kovalchuk and Keith Tkachuk. Mix in a guy like Bobby Holik and some grinders and the Thrashers could make some noise in their first playoff appearance in franchise history. The defensive is gritty and is getting better. Greg DeVries has been here before and Alexei Zhitnik has played really well since being traded from the Islanders. Like many other teams, the biggest question mark is in goal. Kari Lehtonen has shown he can be a great tender at times, but he can be shaky. He will be in his first playoffs, and will be tested
The Rangers have been playing as well as any team in the East. They are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and are clicking on all cylinders. Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan lead a solid group of forwards. The addition of Sean Avery (yes, that asshole) has turned this team around. He’s been an agitator and a major contributor on offense. Martin Straka and Michael Nylander have also pitched in a ton this season. The Rangers defense consists of puck moving two-way defensemen like Michael Rozzival. They are able to help start the offense and protect their own end. It took a while but goalie Henrik Lundqvist returned to the form he showed last year. He played big when the Rangers needed him down the stretch to get into the playoffs, and now he will need to do the same to get this team to the second round.
This matchup has upset written all over it. The Thrashers have to stay out of the box as their 26^th ranked penalty killers will be going up against the potent 8^th ranked power play of New York. If Henrik Lundqvist stays hot, the Rangers will win in 6

(4) Ottawa Senators – (5) Pittsburgh Penguins
This may be the most anticipated series. The young Penguins led by NHL poster boy and MVP candidate Sidney Crosby take on a team that has performed well in the regular season but underperformed in the playoffs in Ottawa.
Ottawa has the talent up front with Dany Heatley, Jason Spexxa and Daniel Alfredsson, but they need to perform that way in the playoffs. When it matters. The Sens have solid guys up front throughout that are good at both ends of the ice. There is a good chance that these guys will have to pick up some slack if the top group can’t produce. On defense, the Senators are good. They have 5 solid defenders in Joe Corvo, Chris Philliips, Wade Redden, Anton Volchenkov and Tom Preissing. Not only are these guys good in their own end, they contribute on offense and on the power play. The question for Ottawa will be in goal and how will Ray Emery perform. Martin Gerber was expected to lead this team deep into the playoffs, but he never met expectations.
The Penguins may be the best story of the year. A lot of people though this team was a year or two away from where they went this year. Sidney Crosby led the league in scoring. Evgeni Malkin led rookies in scoring and is the odds on favorite to win the Calder. Jordan Staal has been a pleasant surprise. Mix in experienced veterans like Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts and other younger talent and you have a very good set of forwards. The Defense is led by Sergie Gonchar and Ryan Whitney who both play a big part of the Pens power play. Together, they combined for 126 points. This group will have its hands full with the talent that Ottawa will put on the ice. Marc-Andre Fleury will be in net and will get his first tast of the playoffs. There were times that he fell out of favor throughout the year, and he will need to come up big for Pittsburgh to get through this round.
Ottawa has consistently been at the top of the East for several years, but that has not transferred into playoff success. There is a lot of pressure on them. Nobody thought Pittsburgh would be in this position, and they are young and hungry. This could be a bad combination for Ottawa, and if they lose game 1, things could go downhill quickly. I don’t think Fleury and Pittsburgh are quite there yet, and Ottawa will win in 7

Let the games begin. This time is like Christmas for me, there is honestly noting better than playoff hockey.

Colorado Avalanche 2006-2007 Season Recap

Ever since the Avalanche came to Denver, fans have been accustomed to seeing the Avs preparing for the playoffs in the first week of April. This year though, after several weeks of tremendous play, a loss Saturday night sealed the Avs fate of spending the playoffs season at home and on the golf course. At the beginning of the year, most analysts and experts were predicting the Avs to miss the playoffs, mainly because of a lack of scoring, lack of depth at the blueline, and question marks in goal. The Avs were able to make a great run at the end of the year, but fell just short. One god damn point. The Avs finished 4^th in the Northwest Division with a record 44-31-7, with 22 wins both at home and on the road, giving them 95 points. The difference between this team from October 8^th to April 8^th is night and day. For the first 63 games of the year, the Avs played to the level of their opponents. They threw away a lot of points to teams that they were better than. It’s because of this that they won’t be partying in the playoffs. As bad as things looked early in the year, the end of the year was a real treat. The Avs finished 15-2-2, going 5-2 at home and 10-0-2 on the road. It leaves you wondering what could have been, and what could this team that is playing better than every other team in the league have done in the playoffs. Below is a position by position breakdown of the 2006-2007 Avalanche.

Goalies

After trading for Jose Theodore at the deadline last year, and a run in the playoffs that included the upset of Dallas, Theodore was tabbed as the starting goalie to begin the year. Unfortunately for Avs management, Theodore was unable to resort back to the form that won him the Hart trophy in 2001-2002. Peter Budaj played sparingly in the first part of the season, but played well. As Theodore continued to struggle, Budaj began to get more and more playing time. By the end of December, Budaj was the man between the pipes. Honestly, he played a lot better than his numbers indicate. There were a number of games that the guys in front of him let him down. For the first 75% of the season, the Avs team defense as a whole was brutal and gave the opposition numerous and excellent scoring chances game in and game out. It wasn’t until the last 20 games of the season, when the Avs really started focusing on playing a better all around game that Budaj was able to shine. His record of 10-0-2 in March earned him the NHLs #1 star of the month and helped the Avs make their charge towards the possible 8^th seed in the conference. A lot of people are saying that the Avs need to try and bring in an upper echelon goalie if they buy out Theodore next year. The question is whether or not there is going to be one available, and how much more of an improvement can you get from what Budaj showed over the last quarter of the season? If the Avs decide to retain Theodore next year, there is no reason to believe that he will remain in a backup role to Budaj. Budaj just showed a lot more ability and confidence than Theodore and also showed that he can be a guy that can steal a game when the offense isn’t there.

Defense

During the off-season, the Avs once again traded a fan favorite. Alex Tanguay was sent to Calgary for Jordan Leopold. The Avs were counting on Leopold to bolster the defensive corps, but he was never able to get his season on track. After a hernia issue in camp, Leopold missed the first 15 or so games of the season, came back for 5 games, and then developed groin problems that forced him out for another chunk of games. When he returned from that, Leopold looked to be fitting into the team well and was able to put up more and more minutes each game and be a dependable defender. However, he was once again bit by the injury bug, this time a broken wrist that sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Leopold wasn’t the only defenseman who was bit by the injury bug during the year. John Michael Liles missed 4+ weeks of action after breaking a bone in his foot blocking a shot halfway through the year, and he was never really the same when he came back. His minutes were dropped, but he remained the lone point man on the first power play unit and led Avs defensemen in points. Patrice Brisebois suffered a back injury 33 games into the season and was done for the year. Karlis Skrastins , after breaking Tim Horton’s 486 consecutive games played streak by a defenseman, suffered a knee injury and missed ten games. As players were in and out due to injury, there were several guys who stepped up and played well. Kurt Sauer was probably the biggest surprise. He stepped in when Skrastins went down and combined with Brett Clark to form the Avs top defensive pair and played a strong, tough D. Clark was probably the Avs most consistent defenseman and his work continues to go unsung. He led the Avs in minutes played per game. Ossi Vaananen played pretty well, but was the odd man out when everyone else got healthy. Ken Klee played well, led the Avs in plus/minus at +18, but who knows where he fits in to the Avs future plans. Jeff Finger looked good at the end of the season, and though he’s not the kind of guy that will give you a lot of points, he is a solid defenseman. Another guy that played in several games for the Avs in the early and middle portion of the season that we will be seeing more of in the future is 20 year old Kyle Cumiskey. He’s a lot like Liles, handles the puck well, and should be up full time in the near future.

Forwards

Once again, the Avs forwards were led by Joe Sakic. Even at 37, he still has it. He finished the season with 100 points on 36 goals and 64 assists and was clearly the best player and leader of this team. It doesn’t seem like he has lost a step, and his release is still among the best in the league. As the games got bigger and tougher for the Avs, he was able to step it up even more. Even though a lot of people thought this team would have trouble scoring goals, they finished 1^st in the West, and 4^th in the NHL in goals scored. For the most part, coach Quenneville is not a guy who keeps lines together for many games in a row, or for that matter, many shifts in a row. At the end of the season, the lines, for the most part, looked like this.

Brunette – Sakic – Wolski

Hejduk – Stastny – McLean

Richardson – Arnason – Laperriere

Rycroft – Guite – Svatos/Parker

Andrew Brunette had a career year, scoring 83. He played extremely well all year on the first line with Sakic and whoever Quenneville put on the other wing. For the most part, that guy was Wojtek Wolski. In his first full season, Wolski had 50 points, but there is still a lot of room for improvement in his game. He needs to make better use of his 6-3 frame. The best and biggest surprise of the year had to be Paul Stastny. He finished the year with 28 goals, 50 assists and 78 points. Paul finished second in the league among rookies in points scored to Evgeni Malkin, and was the catalyst on the second line that the Avs desperately needed. It was playing alongside of Stastny that led to the reemergence of Milan Hejduk. After being bothered by injuries last year, Hejduk found his legs, his hands and his scoring touch, scoring over 30 goals. Brett McLean also performed well on that second line and provided the grit that a line with Stastny and Hejduk needs. The third and fourth lines also played well, and often times, especially games in Alberta, Tyler Arnason’s line was the best line of the game. Marek Svatos spent a lot of time on the 4^th line, and because of this, his numbers were nowhere near where they were last year. He didn’t quite have the nose for the net as he had a year ago, and often times looked skittish in the corners and along the boards. The fact that Svatos’ lasat two seasons were cut short due to shoulder injuries probably had a lot to do with this.

All in all, the Avs were very well rounded up front, but there is still room for improvement. The development of the young guys and solid prospects could lead to even more offensive firepower in the near future.

Outlook

Even though the Avs missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 years, the last two months of the season gave the Avs a lot to look forward to for next year. The biggest unrestricted free agent is Joe Sakic, but the main reason for that is his desire to sign only one-year contracts for the remainder of his career so he can annually evaluate his playing level. But if this year is any indication, he still has a few good years left in him. The Avs are going to have money to spend this summer, and it will be interesting to see how they use it. The last few years, payroll allocation has been a serious issue for this franchise. Whether it be trading for a $6 million backup goalie or giving over $4 million combined to players well past their prime in Brisebois and Turgeon, something needs to change. On the topic of Theodore, do the Avs hang on to him, or do they buy out the remainder of his contract? No matter what happens, the last 20 games of the season were a blast to watch, and it’s disappointing that they couldn’t start playing this way earlier in the year. The most amazing part of that run was that only 6 of those games were at home. Just one point short. Just one of those third period blown leads, and the Avs would be facing Detroit in the first round. But that’s hockey, and that’s how it goes sometimes. Nevertheless, next year is definitely a year to look forward to.

End of Season Grades

Offense – A
They were the highest scoring offense in the conference, what more do you want?

Defense – C-
For the year as a whole, there were a lot of weak spots, and injuries didn’t help.

Goalies – C
By himself, Peter Budaj gets a B/B+

Power Play – A
The Avs found it halfway through the year, and finished 4th in the NHL at 21.1%

Penalty Kill – D
They got a little better later in the year, but the first half was ugly. Ranked 25^th of 30 teams

Coaching – C
4,345 different line combinations this year, 5 months to find something that worked

Management – D
Numerous decisions led to the Avs being crippled by the cap. The best move was doing nothing at the trade deadline. Hopefully this summer they can put some of that cap space to players that will actually help this team.. Although, the way things have been going, they will trade Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk for a used bus, a puck bag and a 54 year old defenseman.

2007 Avalanche Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents
Joe Sakic, Pierre Turgeon, Tyler Arnason, Brett McLean, Antti Laaksonen, Patrice Brisebois, Ken Klee

Restricted Free Agents
Marek Svatos, Jordan Leopold, Ossi Vaananen, Kurt Sauer

Rockies Finish Week 1, Thank God

The Rockies leave San Diego after going 1-2 in the series and dropping to 3-3 overall for the year. Both losses to the Padres came in the ninth inning or later after the Rox did have their chances. The reason the Rockies dropped their last two games was definitely the lack of offense, scoring only 3 combined in their last 2 outings. The bright spot of the series believe it or not was the starting pitching. The Rox got 3 quality starts from Jason Hirsh, Josh Fogg and Aaron Cook. Hirsh earned the victory in game one of the series pitching a solid 7 innings and striking out 8 before giving way to the bullpen. After week one, the starting pitching looks solid, the bullpen has been ok, and the bats need to wake up. Now the Rockies go on to LA for a set of 3 against the Dodgers.

Week 1 Recap

4/2 ARI L 6-8

4/3 ARI W 4-3, 11 inn

4/4 ARI W 11-4

4/6 @SD W 4-3

4/7 @SD L 2-3

4/8 @SD L1-2, 10 inn

The Week Ahead

4/9 @LAD

4/10 @LAD

4/11 @LAD

4/13 @ARI

4/14 @ARI

4/15 @ARI

Rockies Win First Series of Year

We are 3 games into the season and I'm pleased to see that the Rockies are still above .500 and in the hunt for the NL West crown. I didn't get to go to opening day for the first time in the last 4 years, but I did watch the replay on FSN that night. After watching the first three games against Arizona, there are definitely more things I like about this team than I don't like.
First off, the things I don't like or am not sold on. Willy Taveras. The guy can float, and has the ability to seal a lot of bases. In the first two games, he was able to get on base in the first inning and steal second. Unfortunately, those were the only two times he was on base in the first two games. In the two games he has played, he is 1-9 with a walk , 2 stolen bases , and 6 strikeouts. He is the real-life version of Willy Mays Hayes. He may run like Mays, but he hits like shit. Steve Finley got the start in center in game 3, but didn't fare much better. Overall, the Rockies leadoff spot has gone 2-15. Even though Rodrigo Lopez pitched very well in game 3 of the D-Backs series, I'm still not sold on him. I know he has won 12-15 games consistently the past several seasons, he was brutal this spring, but he did look good Wednesday afternoon. Like everyone knew, the Rockies rotation is probably the biggest weak spot for this team, but so far it hasn't been terrible. We'll see how Jason Hirsh and Josh Fogg fare against San Diego the next couple days.
Through the first three games, there are a lot of things I do like. I love the middle of this order, with Atkins, Helton, Holliday, and Hawpe. Helton is healthy again and I think will have a bigger year than most people expected. Plus, the bottom of the order with Tulowitzki and Ianetta has given the Rox key hits and RBIs, something that killed them last year. I also like the bullpen, especially late in games. LaTroy Hawkins struggled opening day, but bounced back with solid outings the next two games. Manny Corpas and Ramon Ramirez looked good in the 6th and 7th innings, and Brian Fuentes is still dirty in the 9th. Lastly, It would sure be nice to get Jeff Baker more at bats. He was 3-3 pinch hitting against Arizona with a HR, single, and double. Every hit was a line drive and solid. He has a great swing and would be a good play filling in for Hawpe against lefties.
The season is still young, but the foundation the Rox have built looks good, and hopefully the bright spots continue to shine throughout the season.

Shocker of the Century!!

In a game that nearly shook the entire balance and frailty of the universe, the University of Florida Gators beat the Ohio State Buckeyes to win the National Championship in Basketball!!!! The victory stunned the 3 or 4 hundred people around the world that thought Ohio State would walk away as champs. Nothing like a lackluster final to put a lackluster bow on a lackluster tournament. I did watch a few minutes of the second half, and I seriously thought Greg Oden's 47 year old heart was going to explode on more than 3 occasions. He may look like an old man, but he has the game and the stamina of an good college freshman. I'm not impressed, I'm not buying into the hype.

Cry Me A River

Pat Forde thinks Joakim Noah is the coolest girl in school... http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2815441&sportCat=ncb

Pat Forde seems to keep his distance from American pop culture. This is how things work here. People will be beloved, worshiped and adored one year only to be verbally assaulted, attacked by a cheerleader 2 feet shorter than you, and having your c-section scar photographed getting out of a car the next. People root for others to fail. Watching someone climb to the top is great and all, but watching that fiery wreck to the bottom is so much better...

Final Four

Here we area again and since last time, the field has been narrowed down from 16 to 4. Your final four teams are Boston College, Maine, Michigan State and North Dakota.
Wait a minute, those are the teams in the tournament I give a damn about. In the one I have been following on my blog here, the basketball tournament, The final four is made up of Florida, UCLA, Georgetown, and Ohio State. Can you feel the excitement? I picked Kansas to win it all, and once again they laid an egg in an important game. I am NEVER picking Kansas again, ever.
Florida and Ohio State could face each other in the championship game, but I don't think Ohio State will be able to pull another one out of their asses. I really hope UCLA beats Florida. As of right now, I am hoping John Thompson III beat Florida in the championship game and that's all I have to say about that.
Back to the Frozen Four, there were some great games this past weekend. Thanks to Altitude, I was able to watch all the college hockey I wanted to this weekend. The team I was most impressed with was BC. They looked good this past weekend and will take on a tough North Dakota team. These two teams have probably been the hottest teams the last couple months, and that semifinal game should be a great one. The only thing I am worried about on BCs end is that they take a lot of penalties, especially when teams flurry in their zone. This could be a problem as North Dakota has a very good set of forwards and could cause some problems. In the other semifinal game, Maine will take on Michigan State. Michigan State is the team I know the least about of the final four, and they will have their hands full with Maine, especially goalie Ben Bishop. Bishop is huge, 6-7 201 lbs, and has been playing well. This game will probably be a lot like the Michigan State Notre Dame game and low scoring, probably 1-0 or 2-1. Unfortunately, these games don't happen until April 5th so the anticipation will be building.

Sweet 16 & Today's Celebrity DUI

I think this is the worst bracket I have filled out in the last ten years. As we stand here on the first day of the sweet 16, I have only 7 teams remaining in my bracket. At most, I will have 5 of the Elite Eight, and half my final four is sitting at home. Some may say they are back at class, but according to the most recent graduation statistics, I have the feeling they are sitting at home.
For the first time in 12 years there are no double digit teams left in the sweet 16. The highest seed left is UNLV, and they haven't looked like a 7 seed.
In the East, Texas certainly shit the bed against USC, even though they got 30 from Durant. If they would have gotten him the ball a little more often, he could have easily dropped 40. USC looked good, but I don't know if they can handle UNC. Then again, I didn't think they could beat Texas, so that should be a pretty close game. In the other game, Vanderbilt has been playing well, but so has Georgetown, who I think is the best 2 seed in the tournament. From what I have seen, they are a very solid team, and I don't see them falling to Vandy.
I seriously screwed the pooch in the South region. Ohio State is the only team I picked to make the sweet 16 that actually made it, and in reality, they shouldn't even be here right now. Now they get a Tennessee team that has been playing extremely well. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if Ohio State were to get beat by Tennessee. I have not been impressed in the least with Ohio State, and I don't believe Greg Oden is 18. He looks like the 55 year old black guy that lives in my neighborhood that yells at everyone who steps on his lawn. At the bottom of the South bracket, Texas A&M and Memphis face off. I really underestimated Texas A&M. It turns out they are a really good team. As far as Memphis, I don't like Memphis and their inflated 32-3 record, and they will be destroyed by the Aggies.
In the Midwest, we have Florida - Butler and Oregon-UNLV. I like Butler, but I don't think they have enough to beat Florida. I really don't like Florida or Billy Donovan. He reminds me of Matt Damon's character in The Departed, just a glorified con man spouting out garbage hoping everyone buys it. Oregon and UNLV should be an interesting game. UNLV has looked good, and Oregon played well against a solid Winthrop team. If I could pick a game I wanted to watch, it would probably be this one. That's my West Coast bias.
Out in San Jose in the West bracket, Kansas takes on the best team out of The Valley, Southern Illinois, and Pittsburgh battles UCLA. I could care less about UCLA and Pitt. UCLA will win. The Jayhawks will have their hands full against Southern Illinois. The Salukis are very solid on defense, and with fundamentals. For people who don't watch a lot of Missouri Valley basketball, the games are very similar to Women's games. A lot of chest passes, white people, three point shooting, and 2 or 3 dunks a game. Even though Kansas was my pick to win at the beginning of the tournament, I will be rooting for Southern Illinois. Plus, Bill Self is the exact opposite of everything you think a major college coach would be. He is nervous, awkward, stressed out, just a total mess. They will not win it all.
So that's what i have for the next couple days' games, I will check back in on it tomorrow morning to see how the night went

In other news, Tony LaRussa was arrested in Florida on suspicion of Drunk Driving. Evidently, he fell asleep at the wheel at a stop light and the car in drive. Very Nice! Maybe someone can help me out, has he ever been busted for this before? If not I am very surprised, because he looks like a gentlemen who likes his booze. Come to think of it, he looks like the kind of guy who would fall asleep at a stop light, so this isn't really that shocking is it? I think his BAC was just above .09, so it's not like he was retarded hammered, he had just enough to get a solid buzz, it was midnight, and he was tired. Tired people fall asleep.

Friday Update #2

At the end of the second set of games for the day, I lost my other sweet 16 cinderella, Long Beach State. That could be the highest scoring college game I have ever seen. Tennessee dropped 121 to LBS's 86. Wisconsin struggled mightily, and for a while I thought I was going to lose my 1st final four team. After only 19 points in the first half, they came back to score 57 in the second half and move on over Texas A&M - Corpus Christi 76-63. 11 seed Winthrop withstood a rally by Notre Dame and held on for a 74-64 win. This was another popular pick for an upset, and I don't think it surprised a whole lot of people. Finally, in the first OT game of the tournament, Nevada outlasted Creighton and won 77-71..
Right now Oregon has their hands full with Miami of Ohio, up 4 with 15 minutes left in the 2nd half.
To date my stats area as follows:
Bracket: 16-7
Against the Spread: 11-10-2

Friday Update #1

Well, the first set of games have ended for today. Virginia cruised past Albany as expected 84-57, this one was never close, and Virginia easily covered. The 7 seed in the Midwest UNLV was able to hold off a second half charge by Georgia Tech and scored a 67-63 win. It seems that every year, the best games in the first round of the tournament are consistently the 6-11, 7-10, and 8-9 match ups. I really thought Memphis would blow North Texas out of the water, they won the game 73-58, but I think they could be in some trouble in the second round with either Nevada or Creighton. From what I could gather at my desk, this game appeared closer than the score would indicate.
So far I am 2-1 with my bracket today thanks to UNLV and a paltry 1-2 against the spread. Winthrop - Notre Dame and Tennessee - Long Beach State are in progress.
More Later....

Friday's Predictions

I think I covered everything from Thursday, so let's just get my picks against the spread today out there. Favorites yesterday were 13-2-1, but who likes betting the favorites every game? Again, that could be a reason why I had to stop wagering real money, it pretty much became me donating my money to a website in the Caribbean.
Friday's Picks:
Virginia (-8 1/2)
Georgia Tech (-2 1/2)
Memphis (-19)
Winthrop (+4)
Long Beach State (+7 1/2)
Wisconsin (-13)
Nevada (-2 1/2)
Oregon (-9)
Virginia Tech (-3)
Kansas (-19 1/2)
Arizona (-3)
Texas (-8 1/2)
Southern Illinois (-8)
Villanova (-2)
Florida (-27 1/2)
USC (-2 1/2)
Today's a new day, and studies have shown that Cinnamon can lower blood sugar.

Thursday Recap

Well, the evening games weren't any better to me than the afternoon games. It started with VCU's 79-77 victory over Duke. Even though this was Duke's worst team in a decade, I really thought they could pull something out of their ass and get a couple wins in the tournament. Oops. Two other lower seeds won in the evening session, but they were both 9 seeds over 8s, so that doesn't count as an upset. I think everyone knew Michigan State would win, they did, and easily covered the 2 point spread. Xavier had a dog fight with BYU, I actually watched parts of this game, and was able to pull it out at the end 79-77. UCLA hammered Weber State, Pittsburgh was able keep Wright State at bay, and Indiana handled Gonzaga pretty well. Gonzaga couldn't get a stop when they needed one, couldn't get any momentum, and IU won by 13, 70-57. UNC got a scare, and showed why, Texas will beat them in the sweet 16. For 10-15 minutes, UNC was dominated by Eastern Kentucky, who trimmed a 27 point first half deficit to 4 early in the second half. I really did just write that. Then they realized they were a better team and ended up winning by 21, 86-65.
All in all, day one was pretty bland. There was one major upset as far as rankings go, but a lot of people had VCU upsetting Duke, so was anyone that surprised? As far as Vegas goes, three favorites failed to cover, including Xavier who was favored by two and won by two. We can't have another day like that today can we? I have a few more upsets lined up, so we shall see
At the end of day one, My record is as follows:
Bracket: 11-5, yuck
I have 2 sweet 16 teams on the way home
Against the Spread: 8-7-1
Let's hope Friday treats us a little better.

Thursday Update #3

Well, it's official, I lost my first sweet 16 team from my bracket, and I feel like an idiot. I originally had Washington State moving on to the sweet 16, but as you can see from my bracket I crossed them out, which proves the point that you should always go with your first instinct. Vanderbilt walked all over George Washington 77-44, and from the opening tip, this one was never close. Needless to say, that 33 point win more than covered the 4 points that Vandy was giving up. With impressive first round wins by both teams, the second round game between Wazzu and Vanderbilt should be a pretty good one.
4 more games are getting ready to tip off here in the next 45 minutes, I will try and post again this evening, but chances are, I won't get anything on the late games up until the morning.
Latest Standings
Bracket: 6-2
Against the Spread: 4-4

You can contact me @ TheRealStoney@gmail.com

Thursday Update #2

And this is why I don't bet on sports anymore. Other than the fact that it is now illegal to do so. After a 3-0 start on both my bracket and my picks against the spreads, the second group of games brought out the real me. As far as my brackets go, things aren't too bad right now. I am 6-1 with my only setback thus far being Butler beating Old Dominion. That was my upset pick of the day, and it looked good until the second half. I have to tell you, I'm really glad I didn't watch the first half of this game as there were only 39 total points scored, but the second half appeared to be entertaining. This was also the last game I picked when looking at the lines this morning. Butler was two and a half point favorites, and I was banking on Old Dominion beating them outright, I should have known better. Butler came out firing in the second half and walked out with a 57-46 win.
As far as my other games against the spread I went 1-2, bringing my total for the day to 4-3. Georgetown walked past Belmont 80-55 easily covering the 17 points. I really thought Oral Roberts had a chance to keep it close against Washington State and did so for the first half. But the second half was all Washington State, and they cruised to a 70-54 win. The Texas A&M and Penn game involved two teams I knew nothing about, and it showed. A&M closed the first half with a 31-18 lead. Penn got to within 5 or 6 in the second half, but A&M pulled ahead even more at the end and was able to cover, winning 68-52.
My cinderella pick to make the sweet 16, George Washington, is in serious trouble right now. They are losing to Vandy by 16 with 2 minutes left in the first half. Uh-oh.

Official Record as of right now:
Bracket: 6-1
Against the Spread: 4-3
More later......

Thursday Update #1

The first three games have been completed, and so far I am 3-0 on both my bracket and my picks against the spreads. I haven't watched any of the games since I am at work and trying to look productive, but I have been following them with the live scoring updates on ESPN.com. I agreed with most people who thought Texas Tech shouldn't have been in this tournament, and didn't see them winning against BC, even though BC isn't the strongest team out there. BC was only favored by 3 and won 84-75. I know nothing about Maryland or Davidson. This one looked like a close game up to the last few minutes, but Maryland, 7 1/2 point favorites ended up pulling away at the end and winning by 12, 82-70. Game number three involved Louisville and Stanford. Some people were actually saying this could be an upset game, and I don't understand it. Stanford is not good, and Louisville was basically playing at home, only a couple hours away in Lexington. Plus they were only giving 6 points! Free money! Louisville was up 26 at halftime and managed to maintain it for the most of the second half, winning 78-58.
More Updates to follow.............

My Bracket

Like I said, I haven't watched a game, but I read things and I watch Sportscenter. Will that help at all? Who the hell knows. There are teams I don't like, and conferences I don't like, and I base most of picks on those biases. That's why I didn't pick Florida to win it all, I really don't like them and I hope somebody punches Joakim Noah right in the balls. Here are my picks based on Bodog's betting lines as of this morning.
Maryland (-7 1/2)
BC (-3)
Louisville (-6)
Oral Roberts (+7)
Old Dominion (+2 1/2)
Georgetown (-17)
Pennsylvania (+13 1/2)
George Washington (+4)
Duke (-6)
Central Connecticut (+20 1/2)
Michigan State (-2)
UCLA (-20)
Pittsburgh (-10)
Eastern Kentucky (+27 1/2)
BYU (+2)
Gonzaga (+1 1/2)

Don't work too hard! I'll check back this afternoon with my progress.

Tourney Time!

The games tip off in a little over an hour. I didn't watch one complete college basketball game this year, and I am wondering how that will affect my bracket this year. We'll find out. I am going to try and post it shortly

For Tommy Boy

The last couple weeks have seen a couple nasty plays on the ice, plays the league needs to do something about. Cam Janssen's hit on Tomas Kaberle .. Definitely was late and Kaberle never saw it coming.

and Chris Simon's Tomahawk
Not to defend Simon, but he did get run from behind. Hits like the one Hollweg put on Simon have become more and more prevalent this year. Guys have no respect for other guys when they are facing the boards. With that said, he didn't deserve to get a stick in the mouth.
People want to debate whether or not fighting should be allowed in the NHL. If fighting is outlawed, you can expect more of this crap coming out as a form of retaliation. So take your pick, two grown ups fighting like for a purpose, or a guy getting a stick lodged in the side of his face. It doesn't really seem like like it could be a relatively close call. At the same time, the role of the fighter in the league is quickly becoming extinct. If that happens, the result will be the same as outlawing fighting. You're gonna have a bunch of cowards swinging sticks like light sabers instead of dropping gloves and settling like gentlemen.

Random Thoughts for The Week

Random thoughts from the last week…..

TV.. Wednesday’s episode of South Park, “With Apologies to Jesse Jackson”, may have been one of the funniest TV shows ever made in the history of the world. Everyone’s reaction to Randy’s appearance on Wheel of Fortune had me laughing for a solid 5 minutes. If you missed it, it is definitely something to look out for on reruns. Survivorman, on Discovery, has become another TV favorite of mine. Canadian Les Stroud strands himself in some of the most desolate and unforgiving places for seven days and finds a way to stay alive using what he has on him and what he can scrounge up in the wild. The guy is out there all by himself with no camera crew, hauling 60 pounds of camera equipment with him. He does all the filming and setting up of the shots by himself. It’s a pretty sweet show, and yet another reason to love Canada. Dateline NBC’s To Catch a Predator continues to be one of the funniest shows on TV

Movies.. I haven’t seen a movie in a theater in a long time, I’m talking months, so new movies to me are ones that have been seen by millions already. Also, I’m not a film critic, and I only categorize films in two ways, either good or bad. I saw two “new” movies this week, The Departed and Borat. The Departed was great, but would you expect anything less from Scorcese and a cast like that? Even though it was a pretty long flick, it was definitely awesome all the way through. Borat was great as well. Nothing beats cringe humor, plus it made the best use I’ve ever heard of the words “wizard’s sleeve”. That’s all I got on that subject, definitely see these if you haven’t already.

Everything else.. I saw a clip online today of a baby duck with four legs. Why when a human or animal is born with an extra appendage or two, they aren’t normal and 100% functioning? The three armed Chinese baby from a while back was as close as I’ve seen, but arm #3 was still a little fucked up…. I saw a picture of new basketball jerseys that a few colleges are going to be trying out during the conference tournament. They are skin tight (like a tiger) like under armour gear. Why? I can’t see one practical reason for this except to arouse your run of the mill, gay, basketball fan. Grrrrr…. Did you hear Anna Nicole Smith died? .... NY Islanders forward Chris Simon probably won’t see the ice for a LONG time… Anthony’s Pizza makes a killer chicken parm sandwich…. Don’t forget, Daylight Savings Time springs us forward this weekend making it that much more difficult to get up for work Monday morning

2007 Rockies Outlook - Take 1

With another Spring Training comes the annual thoughts and predictions on how your favorite team is going to fare in the coming season. Last year the Rockies gave us hope for the first 3 ½ months of the season only to go into their common swoon and finish 12 games back in the division. But this year is different, good things are going to happen.

I like the offensive lineup the Rockies are putting together this year. From everything we’ve seen and heard thus far, the lineup is going to look something like this:

1. Willy Taveras – He has the speed all teams look for at the top of the lineup and has the potential to steal a ton of bases. The problem is that his approach at the plate isn’t what you would like to see at the leadoff spot. He doesn’t take a lot of walks or even pitches for that meaning, and he needs to raise his on base percentage to make better use of his threat as a base stealer and set up the big guns behind him to drive him in.

2. Kaz Matsui – Matsui looked good at the end of last year and proved that he should have a shot to be the everyday second baseman, at least to start the year. He can handle the bat pretty well and should be able to take pitches to let Taveras run or move him over.

3. Garrett Atkins – Atkins was the Rockies’ best overall hitter last year, and there is no reason that he can’t continue that this year. Atkins has the type of swing that is going to produce a lot of singles and doubles, but I think he could show more power than he has in the past couple years

4. Todd Helton – This year Helton is moving into the cleanup spot, and remains the wild card of this offense. I don’t think anybody knows what to expect out of Helton this year. He bulked up in the off-season to try and regain some of the power and strength he lost last year due to injury and illness, but he has been battling a swollen knee this spring. If Helton remains strong, I don’t see how a 30 HR year is out of the question.

5. Matt Holliday – Holliday will again be the Rockies’ biggest power threat and with the potential the guys have in front of him to get on base, he could drive in a lot of runs again this year, and 35-40 home runs is very possible

6. Brad Hawpe – The biggest concern surrounding Hawpe is how much better he will be this year against lefties. He is a good hitter with some pop, but if he continues to struggle against lefties, there is a good chance he will platoon in right field with Jeff Baker

7. Yorvit Torrealba – This is assuming Torrealba wins the starting catching job over Chris Ianetta. Torrealba, before he got hurt, last year hit the ball pretty well and drove in key runs at key times. Production from the bottom half of the order was a major issue last year, and Torrealba is key in trying to change that this year

8. Clint Barmes/Troy Tulowitzki – Who is going to start the year at shortstop? Barmes hasn’t been the same since his injury midway through the 2005 season when he looked like he would be the Rookie of the Year. Last year was brutal, but he was still strong defensively. Tulowitzki is young and has shown power through the minors, but he struggled a little bit, especially with strikeouts, during his callup at the end of last year. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tulowitzki wins the job out of camp, but Barmes will still get his chances.

The Rockies bullpen is focused on depth again, and pretty much has to be at Coors Field. LaTroy Hawkins looks like he will be the main setup main to Brian Fuentes and will probably get a few spot chances to close. Like every year, they have to do a better job of holding leads then they did last year.

The biggest question mark of this team will be the starting rotation, especially since the trade of Jason Jennings. Aaron Cook, Jeff Francis, and Rodrigo Lopez look to be the top three starters and Josh Fogg, Byung-Hyun Kim, Taylor Buchholz, and Jason Hirsh battling for the last two spots. Nobody knows for sure what to expect out of this staff, but with the potential of the offense, the key will be keeping the team in the game and giving the offense a chance to outscore their opponents. That is not going to be an easy task, however, with the strength of the rotations in the NL West. That’s why they play the games, so once again, we will wait and see.