It's been a few weeks now since Greg Paulus formally announced that he would use his final year of eligibility to play football and get his Master's degree at Syracuse. The feedback from many has been less than positive and I just can't understand why. The way I see it, this whole thing is a very low-risk situation for all involved.
Syracuse has been a program in an absolute state of flux for the past four seasons. The Orange's best showing in that span was a 4-8 finish in 2006. Play at the quarterback position has been average at best. Since Donovan McNabb graduated and moved along to the NFL the litany of individuals that has played QB at the 'Cuse reads like a list of "Hey, wait, who is that?" A few samples: Madei Williams, Troy Nunes, Cecil Howard, R.J. Anderson, Perry Patterson, Joe Fields, Matt Hale, Andrew Robinson, Cameron Dantley.
After a spirited first spring under new head coach Doug Marrone, redshirt freshman Ryan Nassib was named the starter. He appears loaded with both a strong arm and plenty of potential but the fact remains that he's still a lightly-regarded redshirt freshman with no experience. Dantley settled in behind him as the #2. Cam may have been the starter last season but save for a few great flashes (i.e. the final three scoring drives at Notre Dame) he is adequate at best. David Legree, the #3, has left school and appears to be headed to Hampton. Cody Catalina & Andrew Robinson are now tight ends. So you could say that depth at the QB position is lacking.
Enter Paulus. The former CBA quarterback was the Gatorade Player of the Year in 2004 before deciding to play basketball at Duke rather than football. Paulus was the favorite son in Central New York and many were heartbroken when he chose the orange basketball over the Orangemen. It seemed so effortless for Paulus, connecting on big pass after big pass with receivers Lavar Lobdell & Bruce Williams, both of whom would go onto rather non-descript careers with the Orange. Now, nearly five years removed from throwing his last meaningful pass, Paulus is looking to revive what certainly looked like a promising football career.
Critics from all over have weighed in on his decision. Most believe both Paulus and Marrone are crazy. Paulus hasn't touched a football in almost five years. Marrone needs to do something good in his first year on the job before he loses the fan base completely. Many simply hail it as a move out of sheer desperation. But hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.
And that's exactly what makes this whole thing acceptable. Syracuse hasn't appeared in a bowl game since it got waxed by Georgia Tech in the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl (I remember that one all too well.). They haven't had an over-.500 season since winning 10 games in 2001, capped by an Insight Bowl victory over Kansas State. They have been stuck in neutral while the rest of the Big East has leaped ahead in victories, facilities, recruiting, and reputation. So, really, what in the world do the Orange have to lose?
If Paulus shows all the rust that has accumulated since his CBA days and falls flat on his face, so what. No one is expecting a miracle and he can't be any worse than what Syracuse fans have seen for the last several years. But what if he doesn't fail? What if he finds his arm to be fresh and full of life? What if he summons that moxie from the court and brings it back to the huddle? What if the move turns out to be a home run?
One thing is for sure, people around the country are talking about Syracuse football. Marrone, the SU alum, has made quite an impact in his first few months on the job. He is bringing back the great traditions that used to be staples of the Orange program. He's changing the attitude surrounding what has become a moribound program. Full contact practices and plenty of competition flowed through the 15 spring practices. Players that don't fit his vision are dropping like flies. And now Paulus joins the fold. There is an undeniable buzz around CNY these days and it's providing hope for a program that once ruled the Big East.
Paulus may not single-handedly lead the Orange past Pitt, West Virginia, South Florida, and the rest of the Big East but he may give the Orange enough buzz to resolidify the foundation of a once-proud and consistent program. And make no mistake about it, Paulus will get every imaginable chance to win the starting job from Nassib in fall practice. The competition should be healthy and encouraging for all. Some will still criticize the move but in my opinion, Syracuse has already won. And any win, no matter how big or small, counts in the Dome.
Some news and notes:
- A couple of crazy games this past weekend in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. Texas & Boston College play the longest game in NCAA history, 25 innings spanning 7 hours & 3 minutes. Texas would win, 3-2, and BC would be sent packing the next day with a 4-3 loss to Army. Florida State then sets NCAA post-season records by racking up an absurd 37 runs, 38 hits, and 66 total bases in a huge victory over Ohio State. Gotta love the unpredictability of college baseball.
- Jon Gruden is replacing Tony Kornheiser on Monday Night Football this upcoming season. It's a win-win situation for everyone. Kornheiser wanted out and can now focus on PTI. Gruden finds work and gets to team up with Ron Jaworski to form an incredible X's and O's duo in the booth that should captivate any and all football fans.
- The Los Angeles Clippers have won the NBA Draft Lottery for the third time in franchise history. All signs point to the Clips taking Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin. Interested to see how this turns out. The Clips hit relatively big in 1988 when they selected Danny Manning but then whiffed big-time 10 years later when they selected Michael Olowokandi with the number one pick.
- New Orleans will host its record-tying 10th Super Bowl in February 2013. It's a capstone moment in the city's recovery from Hurricane Katrina. The city has hosted the Sugar Bowl and the NBA All-Star Game in its recovery efforts and will now get the biggest stage in professional sports to show just how far the Crescent City has come. Congrats to New Orleans on this crowning achievement.
- On the crazy front, it was confirmed that Boston Bruins forward Mark Recchi played in the Eastern Conference Semifinals with kidney stones & broken ribs. The stones were found before Game 4 and not removed until just before Game 7 of Boston's series with Carolina. Gotta love those tough hockey players.
- It's well-known that I've never been a big fan of Tom Brady but after reading his comments in this week's Sports Illustrated, I must say I have a lot more respect for him. Here's a sampling: "Playing ten more years is a big goal of mine...And if I get to that point and still feel good, I'll keep playing. I mean, what the hell else am I going to do? I dno't like anything else...Why would I even think of doing anything else? What would I do instead of run out in front of 80,000 people and command 52 guys and be around guys I consider brothers and be one of the real gladiators?...It's so hard to think of anything that would match what I do: Fly to the moon? Jump out of planes? Bungee-jump off cliffs? None of that s*** matters to me?" How can you not absolutely love that old-school attitude. You don't see enough of that passion in professional sports anymore.
- On the flip side, I have lost some respect for LeBron James after his childish act following the conclusion of the Eastern Conference Finals. After the Orlando Magic ended Cleveland's season and earned their first NBA Finals trip since 1995, LBJ stormed off the court without speaking to anyone or shaking any hands. He then left the locker room silent and left his not-so-great supporting cast to answer all the media inquiries. His excuse was that he's a "competitor" and he shouldn't shake someone's hand after they "beat his brains in." Quite frankly, that's a load of crap. A true competitor is unbowed yet humble in defeat. LeBron was a sore loser who left his teammates hanging, simple as that. He should've been a man, sucked it up, and congratulated Orlando on a well-earned series victory. His defenders will point out that LeBron played incredible ball throughout the series but got zero help from the rest of the Cavs so he had a right to be frustrated. Of course he has the right to be frustrated with the season ending without reaching the ultimate goal and with management refusing to give him any sort of credible help. Look at Carmelo Anthony & the Nuggets after the acquisition of Chauncey Billups. Enough said there. Bottom line, hockey players beat each other up for four, five, six, or seven games in a series yet at the end of the series the two teams line up and go through the traditional handshake line. Even though the dreams of one team are dead, they still show class and humility in defeat, like true competitors. Just another reason the NHL is that much better than the NBA. The only good that may come out of this is that Cavs management will realize that Anderson Varejao, Mo Williams, and Ben Wallace are not the supporting cast LeBron needs to win a title.
- Finally, it's that time...time to announce the 2nd-annual Women's College World Series All-Meech Team, a stellar combination of good looks and great softball players. Oh, and congrats to the Washington Huskies on winning their first NCAA Softball National Championship. Now for this year's All-Meech WCWS Team:
P Danielle Lawrie (Washington)
P Stacey Nelson (Florida) (2nd selection)
P Stacy Delaney (Missouri)
1B Ali Gardiner (Florida)
2B Ashley Charters (Washington)
SS K'Lee Arrendondo (Arizona)
3B Katie Crabb (Arizona State)
C Ashley Holcombe (Alabama)
OF Lauren Schutzler (Arizona) (2nd selection)
OF Brittany Rogers (Alabama) (2nd selection)
OF Francesca Enea (Florida) (2nd selection)
OF Kaitlin Cochran (Arizona State)
OF Jessica Mapes (Arizona State)
UT Megan Gregory (Michigan)
UT Kristin Schnake (Georgia)
UT Krista Donnenwirth (Arizona State)
Until next week.
-Meech
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
A three-day affair?... - 5/4/09
Word leaked last week that the National Football League is investigating the possibility of turning the Draft into a three-day event. The first round would be in primetime on Thursday night, with the second and third rounds on Friday night, and rounds four thru seven on Saturday. This is another one of Commissioner Roger Goodell's out-of-the-norm suggestions, right up there with the 17 or 18-game regular season and the moving of both the Pro Bowl & Super Bowl. We'll start with the Draft, though.
I'm not really sure what this possible move is going to do for television ratings. ESPN has been broadcasting the Draft since 1980 with plenty of success. Mel Kiper has given birth to "draftniks" everywhere and millions of people have capitalized on the Draft's exposure, creating a whole business culture around the seminal NFL event of the spring. It seems like everyone who has an opinion about football publishes an annual Draft guide and the NFL Scouting Combine has become a five-day tour-de-force. With all this in mind I really don't know how much higher the ratings will climb as millions of people already faithfully tune in to ESPN on the final Saturday in April to see who ends up where.
Come to think of it, this whole three-day Draft might actually hurt the league. Now, I do agree that the first round can be an event unto itself. With the time between picks shortened from fifteen to ten minutes, this year's first round took just three hours and twenty-three minutes, the fastest first round since 1990 when the league had four less teams. That makes for a perfect 7:30-11:00pm primetime slot for a Thursday night event. Plus, most of the reality programming giants schedule their programming from Monday-Wednesday, giving ESPN & the NFL an entire uncontested evening to showcase their products.
The hurt comes after the first round. I can't imagine common fans being interested after the first round. Most common fans (and that's who this initiative is aimed it) will stay tuned for the second round because it immediately follows the first round on Saturday. And I'm willing to bet that many of those common fans don't even bother turning on the television at 10am Sunday to watch rounds three thru seven. I fear that if the NFL does indeed spread the Draft over three days, it may become all about the Day One headlines while the rest of the Draft becomes nothing more than an afterthought.
Football addicts (like me) already watch the entire Draft from start to finish so this change really doesn't affect us. This whole move actually reminds me of Vince McMahon (and not just because I enjoy the WWE). You see, Vince knows that the die-hard wrestling fans will always watch and invest in his product no matter what he puts out there. So he tries to make changes that will appeal more to the common fan and maybe bring on pieces of a new audience. He does this because no matter how much the die-hard fans may hate what he's doing, we'll still tune in every Monday, Friday, and pay-per-view. I feel like Goodell is doing the exact same thing. He knows that the real football fans will watch anything with the NFL logo slapped onto it. This is a move designed to purely bring in new fans and streamline the product for those still not in love with or aware of the NFL and its products. The first round will be a great event but I just don't think the three-day spread is worthwhile.
As for the draft moving to different cities, I am actually 100% in favor of that. Every city with an NFL team has tremendous passion for the game and fans of all teams make the trek to New York City every year. I think it would be a nice reward (like choosing the site of an All-Star Game) for some of the other fans to be able to host the Draft and really add their own flavor to it. This could definitely change the appearance of the event as the pre-Draft parties and Draft Day itself would take on some traits of the city they are in, like the atmosphere of Super Bowl Week.
I'm not gung-ho on the 17 or 18-game regular season, though. I agree that pre-season games are not worth paying regular-season ticket prices but that doesn't mean we can get rid of them altogether. Coaches still need some of those games to determine who is going to fill those last few roster spots, step up on special teams, or win a fierce position battle. The pre-season isn't about the stars. The solution is just to cut one or two pre-season games while not adding regular-season games. Don't get me wrong, people are going to watch the additional regular-season games no matter what. But now the chances of players getting hurt is even higher and it is very possible that an extra game or two in an already-taxing regular season could hurt the NFL's postseason product, which would be devastating to all involved.
Goodell would be wise to use NASCAR as a cautionary tale. Earlier this decade, NASCAR found a sudden surge of popularity. Their answer to this was to give the people more of what they wanted. So the powers-that-be expanded the race schedule, added new tracks in non-traditional NASCAR locales, and stretched out their drivers to the point of exhaustion. Now NASCAR is considering taking a few races off the schedule and is staring down some serious financial and sponsorship issues. No sport, not even the mighty NFL, is recession-proof.
Oh, one other thing. The Pro Bowl is the most useless of the four major All-Star Games. Football just doesn't translate into a glorified exhibition. Here's an idea. Why not make the Pro Bowl a flag football game? Or just make an All-NFL Team at the end of season, like college football has their All-American selections? Just saying.
Some news & notes:
- Two NBA first-round contests went to a Game 7 and both were in the East. The Atlanta/Miami series was not as close as you would think despite going the distance. Every game was a blowout, a double-digit win for the victorious team. Meanwhile, the Boston/Chicago series was every bit as thrilling as you would expect a 7-game series to be. The teams traded scintillating wins and four of the series' seven contests went to overtime, an NBA playoff record. The four second-round matchups look to be exciting. Keep on eye on those Denver Nuggets. They easily dispatched Dallas in Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinal series and look poised to keep doing big things. Carmelo must really be thanking his lucky stars for bringing him Chauncey Billups.
- Brett Favre should stay retired. Enough said about that one.
- Congratulations to former Syracuse head football coach Dick MacPherson on being selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. MacPherson had a 66-46-4 record during his time on The Hill, from 1981-1990. His best year was the undefeated season of 1987, which ended with a Sugar Bowl tie against Auburn. He also laid the foundation for the program that one of his assistants, Paul Pasqualoni, would take over and then guide to 107 wins, including six bowl victories. I had the pleasure of working with Coach Mac during my four years at Syracuse. He is a great football coach and a great man who absolutely deserves this honor. Congrats again, Coach.
- Mine That Bird, a 51-to-1 longshot took home the win in the Kentucky Derby this past Saturday. Only Donerail in 1913 won the Derby with longer odds. Now, the horse's handlers are saying Mine That Bird is no sure bet to run the Preakness. This would be a huge blow to the sport of thoroughbred racing. It is only truly relevant for one glorious six-week period every year when the Triple Crown races are contested. If Mine That Bird doesn't even try for the Triple Crown and sits out the Preakness, I get the feeling no one will care about Pimlico or Belmont this year.
- I wonder how the Mets must feel as they watch Oliver Perez struggle right now. They refused to pay Derek Lowe an extra $4 million total on top of their initial contract offer. Instead, they gave Perez a 3-year, $36 million deal to fill the rotation behind Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and John Maine. Well, Lowe is 3-1 with a 3.03 ERA, 28 K's, and just 14 walks in 35 and 2/3 innings. Perez, meanwhile, has allowed 49 baserunners (21 walks & 28 hits) in just 21 and 2/3 innings. His ERA is an abysmal 9.97. He's headed to one of three places: the bullpen, the minors, or the disabled list. Way to go, Omar Minaya, way to go.
- 47-year-old defenceman Chris Chelios became the second-oldest player ever to appear in an NHL postseason game. Chelios dressed for Game 1 of Detroit's Western Conference Semifinal series due to an injury to star defenceman & power-play point man Brian Rafalski. Chelios is a 3-time Norris Trophy winner and has 24 years of postseason experience to his credit. See, experience does go a long way in postseason play.
- Keep an eye on the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Minnesota Twins this month. The Dodgers have raced out to a 10-0 start at home, the best in franchise history, and have an incredible young core of homegrown talent that includes Russell Martin, James Loney, Matt Kemp, & Chad Billingsley. The Twins finally have their heart and soul, catcher Joe Mauer, back in the lineup and healthy again. Minnesota is a very different team with Mauer out there and there is no clear front-runner in the AL Central.
- And pay attention to the Vancouver/Chicago series in the NHL's Western Conference Semifinals. Both of these teams are loaded with young, high-flying talent. This series has the potential to go the distance and will be filled with heavy hitting, fast skating, and lots of goals.
- Finally, Coach Meech actually has two posts today. The post following this one is a venting exercise for me regarding the Devils' Game 7 defeat in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series last Tuesday. If you want to read about my love of Jersey's Team and the sadness accompanying the end of the Devils' season then check it out. But if you're not a hockey fan, I would suggest stopping here until the next post.
Until next time.
-Meech
-
I'm not really sure what this possible move is going to do for television ratings. ESPN has been broadcasting the Draft since 1980 with plenty of success. Mel Kiper has given birth to "draftniks" everywhere and millions of people have capitalized on the Draft's exposure, creating a whole business culture around the seminal NFL event of the spring. It seems like everyone who has an opinion about football publishes an annual Draft guide and the NFL Scouting Combine has become a five-day tour-de-force. With all this in mind I really don't know how much higher the ratings will climb as millions of people already faithfully tune in to ESPN on the final Saturday in April to see who ends up where.
Come to think of it, this whole three-day Draft might actually hurt the league. Now, I do agree that the first round can be an event unto itself. With the time between picks shortened from fifteen to ten minutes, this year's first round took just three hours and twenty-three minutes, the fastest first round since 1990 when the league had four less teams. That makes for a perfect 7:30-11:00pm primetime slot for a Thursday night event. Plus, most of the reality programming giants schedule their programming from Monday-Wednesday, giving ESPN & the NFL an entire uncontested evening to showcase their products.
The hurt comes after the first round. I can't imagine common fans being interested after the first round. Most common fans (and that's who this initiative is aimed it) will stay tuned for the second round because it immediately follows the first round on Saturday. And I'm willing to bet that many of those common fans don't even bother turning on the television at 10am Sunday to watch rounds three thru seven. I fear that if the NFL does indeed spread the Draft over three days, it may become all about the Day One headlines while the rest of the Draft becomes nothing more than an afterthought.
Football addicts (like me) already watch the entire Draft from start to finish so this change really doesn't affect us. This whole move actually reminds me of Vince McMahon (and not just because I enjoy the WWE). You see, Vince knows that the die-hard wrestling fans will always watch and invest in his product no matter what he puts out there. So he tries to make changes that will appeal more to the common fan and maybe bring on pieces of a new audience. He does this because no matter how much the die-hard fans may hate what he's doing, we'll still tune in every Monday, Friday, and pay-per-view. I feel like Goodell is doing the exact same thing. He knows that the real football fans will watch anything with the NFL logo slapped onto it. This is a move designed to purely bring in new fans and streamline the product for those still not in love with or aware of the NFL and its products. The first round will be a great event but I just don't think the three-day spread is worthwhile.
As for the draft moving to different cities, I am actually 100% in favor of that. Every city with an NFL team has tremendous passion for the game and fans of all teams make the trek to New York City every year. I think it would be a nice reward (like choosing the site of an All-Star Game) for some of the other fans to be able to host the Draft and really add their own flavor to it. This could definitely change the appearance of the event as the pre-Draft parties and Draft Day itself would take on some traits of the city they are in, like the atmosphere of Super Bowl Week.
I'm not gung-ho on the 17 or 18-game regular season, though. I agree that pre-season games are not worth paying regular-season ticket prices but that doesn't mean we can get rid of them altogether. Coaches still need some of those games to determine who is going to fill those last few roster spots, step up on special teams, or win a fierce position battle. The pre-season isn't about the stars. The solution is just to cut one or two pre-season games while not adding regular-season games. Don't get me wrong, people are going to watch the additional regular-season games no matter what. But now the chances of players getting hurt is even higher and it is very possible that an extra game or two in an already-taxing regular season could hurt the NFL's postseason product, which would be devastating to all involved.
Goodell would be wise to use NASCAR as a cautionary tale. Earlier this decade, NASCAR found a sudden surge of popularity. Their answer to this was to give the people more of what they wanted. So the powers-that-be expanded the race schedule, added new tracks in non-traditional NASCAR locales, and stretched out their drivers to the point of exhaustion. Now NASCAR is considering taking a few races off the schedule and is staring down some serious financial and sponsorship issues. No sport, not even the mighty NFL, is recession-proof.
Oh, one other thing. The Pro Bowl is the most useless of the four major All-Star Games. Football just doesn't translate into a glorified exhibition. Here's an idea. Why not make the Pro Bowl a flag football game? Or just make an All-NFL Team at the end of season, like college football has their All-American selections? Just saying.
Some news & notes:
- Two NBA first-round contests went to a Game 7 and both were in the East. The Atlanta/Miami series was not as close as you would think despite going the distance. Every game was a blowout, a double-digit win for the victorious team. Meanwhile, the Boston/Chicago series was every bit as thrilling as you would expect a 7-game series to be. The teams traded scintillating wins and four of the series' seven contests went to overtime, an NBA playoff record. The four second-round matchups look to be exciting. Keep on eye on those Denver Nuggets. They easily dispatched Dallas in Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinal series and look poised to keep doing big things. Carmelo must really be thanking his lucky stars for bringing him Chauncey Billups.
- Brett Favre should stay retired. Enough said about that one.
- Congratulations to former Syracuse head football coach Dick MacPherson on being selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. MacPherson had a 66-46-4 record during his time on The Hill, from 1981-1990. His best year was the undefeated season of 1987, which ended with a Sugar Bowl tie against Auburn. He also laid the foundation for the program that one of his assistants, Paul Pasqualoni, would take over and then guide to 107 wins, including six bowl victories. I had the pleasure of working with Coach Mac during my four years at Syracuse. He is a great football coach and a great man who absolutely deserves this honor. Congrats again, Coach.
- Mine That Bird, a 51-to-1 longshot took home the win in the Kentucky Derby this past Saturday. Only Donerail in 1913 won the Derby with longer odds. Now, the horse's handlers are saying Mine That Bird is no sure bet to run the Preakness. This would be a huge blow to the sport of thoroughbred racing. It is only truly relevant for one glorious six-week period every year when the Triple Crown races are contested. If Mine That Bird doesn't even try for the Triple Crown and sits out the Preakness, I get the feeling no one will care about Pimlico or Belmont this year.
- I wonder how the Mets must feel as they watch Oliver Perez struggle right now. They refused to pay Derek Lowe an extra $4 million total on top of their initial contract offer. Instead, they gave Perez a 3-year, $36 million deal to fill the rotation behind Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and John Maine. Well, Lowe is 3-1 with a 3.03 ERA, 28 K's, and just 14 walks in 35 and 2/3 innings. Perez, meanwhile, has allowed 49 baserunners (21 walks & 28 hits) in just 21 and 2/3 innings. His ERA is an abysmal 9.97. He's headed to one of three places: the bullpen, the minors, or the disabled list. Way to go, Omar Minaya, way to go.
- 47-year-old defenceman Chris Chelios became the second-oldest player ever to appear in an NHL postseason game. Chelios dressed for Game 1 of Detroit's Western Conference Semifinal series due to an injury to star defenceman & power-play point man Brian Rafalski. Chelios is a 3-time Norris Trophy winner and has 24 years of postseason experience to his credit. See, experience does go a long way in postseason play.
- Keep an eye on the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Minnesota Twins this month. The Dodgers have raced out to a 10-0 start at home, the best in franchise history, and have an incredible young core of homegrown talent that includes Russell Martin, James Loney, Matt Kemp, & Chad Billingsley. The Twins finally have their heart and soul, catcher Joe Mauer, back in the lineup and healthy again. Minnesota is a very different team with Mauer out there and there is no clear front-runner in the AL Central.
- And pay attention to the Vancouver/Chicago series in the NHL's Western Conference Semifinals. Both of these teams are loaded with young, high-flying talent. This series has the potential to go the distance and will be filled with heavy hitting, fast skating, and lots of goals.
- Finally, Coach Meech actually has two posts today. The post following this one is a venting exercise for me regarding the Devils' Game 7 defeat in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series last Tuesday. If you want to read about my love of Jersey's Team and the sadness accompanying the end of the Devils' season then check it out. But if you're not a hockey fan, I would suggest stopping here until the next post.
Until next time.
-Meech
-
Maybe this will help... - 5/4/09
It's been almost a week now since the Devils were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series. It usually takes me a month or so to fully recover from the end of the Devils' season so the fact that I'm still extremely angry and saddened by the loss is no surprise. This one, however, may sting a little more because of the absolutely sickening way it went down...and the fact that it should have never come down to a Game 7 had the Devils not put out an awful effort in Carolina for Game 6 when they could have closed out the series right then and there.
At 8:47 of the second period, Brian Rolston broke through with a power-play goal (his first of the postseason) to give the Devils a 3-2 lead. This moment was huge considering how much of a disappointment Rolston had been this year. Jersey signed him to a 4-year, $20 million deal at the start of free agency as he was coming off his third consecutive thirty-goal season with Minnesota. But his season was derailed early with an ankle injury and Rolston found himself on the fourth line when he returned. Rolston ended up scoring just 15 goals in 64 games, not the kind of production the Devils thought they were getting when he signed up for his second stint in Jersey. But here he was in the deciding Game 7 of the series, scoring the go-ahead marker on a scorcher from the left point on the power play.
The Devils then nursed this lead into the third period. The penalty kill was sharp, killing off three consecutive Carolina power plays, including a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:08. But suddenly, around the 16:30 mark of the third period, the wheels started to come off the bus. Carolina was a middling team for the first half of the season but around the time they picked up Erik Cole from Edmonton (for his second stint with the 'Canes), Carolina got hot. They surged from being eight points out of a playoff spot all the way up to the sixth seed in the East. During this stretch, in which Paul Maurice was brought back for his second run as the 'Canes' head coach, Carolina came together and forged an identity as a hard-nosed, fast-skating team that could win any battle in the corner and capitalize on the slightest mistakes by their opponents. Around 16:30 of the third period many of us in Section 231 of the Prudential Center looked at each other and acknowledged that Carolina was about to kick their game into another gear.
Suddenly all of the action was in the Jersey zone. The Devils couldn't clear the puck. Carolina was applying tremendous pressure, making crisp passes, winning all the corner battles, and shooting at will. It was only a matter of time before the tying goal was scored and we all knew it. Sure enough, at 18:40 of the third period, Jussi Jokinen (who was waived by the Lightning earlier this season) scored his third goal of the series with a wrister from the right circle off a picture-perfect feed by Joni Pitkanen. Jokinen was the same individual who scored with 00.2 seconds left in the third period of Game 4 to give Carolina a last-second 4-3 triumph, evening the series at two.
So now we're all bracing for overtime until the unthinkable happens. Somehow, the Devils allow Eric Staal, arguably Carolina's best player, to skate across the blue line with a full head of steam towards Martin Brodeur. Staal then unleashed a twisting wrister from the right circle that ended up surprising Brodeur, and beating him stick side. With just 31.7 seconds left in regulation, Staal, the player I hate more than other in the entire National Hockey League (Yes, I hate him even more than Henrik Lundqvist), ripped my heart, and the hearts of the other 17,625 fans at The Rock, right out. It was Staal's fifth tally of the series.
There were just eighty seconds of regulation hockey left. That's it. Eighty more seconds and we all would've been talking about seeing each other at The Rock for Game 3 of Devils/Capitals in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Instead, we were all left with nothing but the absolute sickest feeling imaginable in the pits of our stomachs.
Many of the writers who cover Jersey's Team have been likening this heartbreaker to past Game 7 defeats in franchise history (Don't worry. The club has had some memorable Game 7 wins as well: Washington in 1988, Buffalo in 1994, Philadelphia in 2000, Ottawa & Anaheim in 2003.). The two notable losses that always pop up are Game 7 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, in which Stephane Matteau scored the game-winner on a wraparound 4:24 into the second overtime to give the hated Rangers a 2-1 victory & Game 7 of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals in which Alex Tanguay picked up the winner in a 3-1 Colorado Avalanche victory, giving Ray Bourque the long-awaited first Stanley Cup Championship of his storied career.
I believe the references to those two series are appropriate but not for the Game 7s. You see, just like in this year's ECQF series, the Devils had a chance to close out those series in Game 6 and failed to do so in shocking fashion. In the '94 Eastern Conference Finals the Devils had a chance to close out the series in Game 6 on home ice at the Meadowlands. But the Devils lost, 4-2, as Mark Messier netted a hat trick and cashed on his pre-game guarantee of forcing a Game 7. In the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals the Devils also had home ice advantage for Game 6 and a chance to win Lord Stanley's Cup for the third time in franchise history. But the Devils laid an absolute clunker and were shutout by Patrick Roy and the Avalanche, 4-0. This year...Cam Ward and the 'Canes shut out the Devils in Game 6, in Raliegh, 4-0, forcing the return to Newark for Game 7.
The Devils have had many outstanding playoff moments, both good and bad. I have been lucky enough to witness many of them first-hand, be it at the Meadowlands or at The Rock. As I tell everyone, football will always be my sport but the Devils will always be my team. They are Jersey's Team and I am a Jersey guy. I have cried tears of joy and sadness, publicly and privately, over this team. I've gone hoarse many times, thrown plenty of things, and had many days brightened and ruined by what Jersey's Team does on the ice. I still have nightmares of "Matteau! Matteau," and I still have glorious dreams of, "The championship...to New Jersey!" But I really believe that this Game 7 loss may haunt me even longer than '94. The Devils just gave up with three and a half minutes left in the game. They just put it in cruise control while Carolina found a gear the Devils simply didn't have. The entire final portion of the game was played in the Jersey end of the ice. With the 'Canes skating like demons the Devils never even had a chance.
The Devils have played Carolina four times in the postseason now and have only emerged victorious once, in the 2001 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. In addition to this year, Carolina owns victories in the 2002 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and the 2006 Eastern Conference Semifinals. The series-ending Game 5 in 2006 was down in Carolina as was the series-clinching Game 6 in 2001 but in 2002, just like this year, the season ended in heartbreaking fashion in Jersey. I was at the Continental Airlines Arena on that Saturday afternoon in April, sitting in Section 213, as Kevin Weekes stopped all 32 Jersey shots to lead Carolina to a 1-0 victory. Ron Francis would score the only goal that night and Carolina would ride the momentum of that series-clinching win all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals before bowing to the Detroit Red Wings. After finishing off the Devils in five in 2006, Carolina would end up winning their only Stanley Cup Championship in franchise history. So if history is any indicator here, the 'Canes could be in for something big this year.
I remember being stunned on that Saturday afternoon as I watched the series-ending handshake line proceed. I had that same feeling last Tuesday at The Rock, only worse considering how the Devils just gave up. It took a good twenty minutes of just staring at the ice, conversations with three different ushers, and a total of about an hour before I finally left my seat in Section 231. It would be another hour (and a few drinks at the Bud Light Goal Bar) before I actually left the arena.
And so another season of Devils hockey comes to an end all too soon. Jersey has won just two playoff series (2006 (vs. Rangers) & 2007 (vs. Lightning) Eastern Conference Quarterfinals) since winning its third Stanley Cup Championship in 2003. Some key players (Oduya, Gionta, Zajac) will be free agents this summer, be it restricted or unrestricted. And the need for a top-four defencemen is pressing now more than ever. Everyone laughed at me when I went on and on about how much both I and the Devils would miss Brian Rafalski when he left to sign with Detroit after the 2007 playoffs. But here we are after a second consecutive first-round playoff exit wondering why we don't have a defenceman who can run the point on the power play and pinch to provide some pressure in the offensive zone. Those two areas would be Rafalski's specialties, by the way. It should be a very interesting off-season down in Newark. But one thing is for sure, I'll be back and ready to rock come October...and ready to keep yelling about how much I hate Eric Staal.
I'll leave you with this photo. It is a picture I took from my seat nearly 45 minutes after the conclusion of Game 7. You'll notice that there are just ushers remaining in the crowd and the only player on the ice is Eric Staal, sitting on the Carolina bench conducting a post-game interview. I think it's a good image to sum up the emptiness in my heart over the awful Game 7 defeat and just how bad I felt after that game.
-Meech
At 8:47 of the second period, Brian Rolston broke through with a power-play goal (his first of the postseason) to give the Devils a 3-2 lead. This moment was huge considering how much of a disappointment Rolston had been this year. Jersey signed him to a 4-year, $20 million deal at the start of free agency as he was coming off his third consecutive thirty-goal season with Minnesota. But his season was derailed early with an ankle injury and Rolston found himself on the fourth line when he returned. Rolston ended up scoring just 15 goals in 64 games, not the kind of production the Devils thought they were getting when he signed up for his second stint in Jersey. But here he was in the deciding Game 7 of the series, scoring the go-ahead marker on a scorcher from the left point on the power play.
The Devils then nursed this lead into the third period. The penalty kill was sharp, killing off three consecutive Carolina power plays, including a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:08. But suddenly, around the 16:30 mark of the third period, the wheels started to come off the bus. Carolina was a middling team for the first half of the season but around the time they picked up Erik Cole from Edmonton (for his second stint with the 'Canes), Carolina got hot. They surged from being eight points out of a playoff spot all the way up to the sixth seed in the East. During this stretch, in which Paul Maurice was brought back for his second run as the 'Canes' head coach, Carolina came together and forged an identity as a hard-nosed, fast-skating team that could win any battle in the corner and capitalize on the slightest mistakes by their opponents. Around 16:30 of the third period many of us in Section 231 of the Prudential Center looked at each other and acknowledged that Carolina was about to kick their game into another gear.
Suddenly all of the action was in the Jersey zone. The Devils couldn't clear the puck. Carolina was applying tremendous pressure, making crisp passes, winning all the corner battles, and shooting at will. It was only a matter of time before the tying goal was scored and we all knew it. Sure enough, at 18:40 of the third period, Jussi Jokinen (who was waived by the Lightning earlier this season) scored his third goal of the series with a wrister from the right circle off a picture-perfect feed by Joni Pitkanen. Jokinen was the same individual who scored with 00.2 seconds left in the third period of Game 4 to give Carolina a last-second 4-3 triumph, evening the series at two.
So now we're all bracing for overtime until the unthinkable happens. Somehow, the Devils allow Eric Staal, arguably Carolina's best player, to skate across the blue line with a full head of steam towards Martin Brodeur. Staal then unleashed a twisting wrister from the right circle that ended up surprising Brodeur, and beating him stick side. With just 31.7 seconds left in regulation, Staal, the player I hate more than other in the entire National Hockey League (Yes, I hate him even more than Henrik Lundqvist), ripped my heart, and the hearts of the other 17,625 fans at The Rock, right out. It was Staal's fifth tally of the series.
There were just eighty seconds of regulation hockey left. That's it. Eighty more seconds and we all would've been talking about seeing each other at The Rock for Game 3 of Devils/Capitals in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Instead, we were all left with nothing but the absolute sickest feeling imaginable in the pits of our stomachs.
Many of the writers who cover Jersey's Team have been likening this heartbreaker to past Game 7 defeats in franchise history (Don't worry. The club has had some memorable Game 7 wins as well: Washington in 1988, Buffalo in 1994, Philadelphia in 2000, Ottawa & Anaheim in 2003.). The two notable losses that always pop up are Game 7 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, in which Stephane Matteau scored the game-winner on a wraparound 4:24 into the second overtime to give the hated Rangers a 2-1 victory & Game 7 of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals in which Alex Tanguay picked up the winner in a 3-1 Colorado Avalanche victory, giving Ray Bourque the long-awaited first Stanley Cup Championship of his storied career.
I believe the references to those two series are appropriate but not for the Game 7s. You see, just like in this year's ECQF series, the Devils had a chance to close out those series in Game 6 and failed to do so in shocking fashion. In the '94 Eastern Conference Finals the Devils had a chance to close out the series in Game 6 on home ice at the Meadowlands. But the Devils lost, 4-2, as Mark Messier netted a hat trick and cashed on his pre-game guarantee of forcing a Game 7. In the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals the Devils also had home ice advantage for Game 6 and a chance to win Lord Stanley's Cup for the third time in franchise history. But the Devils laid an absolute clunker and were shutout by Patrick Roy and the Avalanche, 4-0. This year...Cam Ward and the 'Canes shut out the Devils in Game 6, in Raliegh, 4-0, forcing the return to Newark for Game 7.
The Devils have had many outstanding playoff moments, both good and bad. I have been lucky enough to witness many of them first-hand, be it at the Meadowlands or at The Rock. As I tell everyone, football will always be my sport but the Devils will always be my team. They are Jersey's Team and I am a Jersey guy. I have cried tears of joy and sadness, publicly and privately, over this team. I've gone hoarse many times, thrown plenty of things, and had many days brightened and ruined by what Jersey's Team does on the ice. I still have nightmares of "Matteau! Matteau," and I still have glorious dreams of, "The championship...to New Jersey!" But I really believe that this Game 7 loss may haunt me even longer than '94. The Devils just gave up with three and a half minutes left in the game. They just put it in cruise control while Carolina found a gear the Devils simply didn't have. The entire final portion of the game was played in the Jersey end of the ice. With the 'Canes skating like demons the Devils never even had a chance.
The Devils have played Carolina four times in the postseason now and have only emerged victorious once, in the 2001 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. In addition to this year, Carolina owns victories in the 2002 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and the 2006 Eastern Conference Semifinals. The series-ending Game 5 in 2006 was down in Carolina as was the series-clinching Game 6 in 2001 but in 2002, just like this year, the season ended in heartbreaking fashion in Jersey. I was at the Continental Airlines Arena on that Saturday afternoon in April, sitting in Section 213, as Kevin Weekes stopped all 32 Jersey shots to lead Carolina to a 1-0 victory. Ron Francis would score the only goal that night and Carolina would ride the momentum of that series-clinching win all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals before bowing to the Detroit Red Wings. After finishing off the Devils in five in 2006, Carolina would end up winning their only Stanley Cup Championship in franchise history. So if history is any indicator here, the 'Canes could be in for something big this year.
I remember being stunned on that Saturday afternoon as I watched the series-ending handshake line proceed. I had that same feeling last Tuesday at The Rock, only worse considering how the Devils just gave up. It took a good twenty minutes of just staring at the ice, conversations with three different ushers, and a total of about an hour before I finally left my seat in Section 231. It would be another hour (and a few drinks at the Bud Light Goal Bar) before I actually left the arena.
And so another season of Devils hockey comes to an end all too soon. Jersey has won just two playoff series (2006 (vs. Rangers) & 2007 (vs. Lightning) Eastern Conference Quarterfinals) since winning its third Stanley Cup Championship in 2003. Some key players (Oduya, Gionta, Zajac) will be free agents this summer, be it restricted or unrestricted. And the need for a top-four defencemen is pressing now more than ever. Everyone laughed at me when I went on and on about how much both I and the Devils would miss Brian Rafalski when he left to sign with Detroit after the 2007 playoffs. But here we are after a second consecutive first-round playoff exit wondering why we don't have a defenceman who can run the point on the power play and pinch to provide some pressure in the offensive zone. Those two areas would be Rafalski's specialties, by the way. It should be a very interesting off-season down in Newark. But one thing is for sure, I'll be back and ready to rock come October...and ready to keep yelling about how much I hate Eric Staal.
I'll leave you with this photo. It is a picture I took from my seat nearly 45 minutes after the conclusion of Game 7. You'll notice that there are just ushers remaining in the crowd and the only player on the ice is Eric Staal, sitting on the Carolina bench conducting a post-game interview. I think it's a good image to sum up the emptiness in my heart over the awful Game 7 defeat and just how bad I felt after that game.
-Meech
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Spring is in the air... - 4/25/09
We're gonna go with the news & notes format for this post. Back to the normal one-subject rant followed by a few news & notes next time.
- The postseason is in full swing in both the NBA & the NHL. Shockingly, I'm going to start with the NBA Playoffs here. (Don't worry. I'll get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the greatest postseason tournament, a little later here.) The combination of seeding and some new blood has really infused some life into this year's NBA Playoffs for me. It's great to see the young Portland Trail Blazers finally put it all together and make their first postseason appearance since 2003. Brandon Roy & LaMarcus Aldridge are the core of a very exciting team. They are also a far cry from the "Jail Blazer" days of Stoudamire, Randolph, and Rider, to name a few. On the other side of that, it's nice to not have to watch another Phoenix Suns playoff failure as Steve Nash & company failed to qualify for the postseason.
The West is so competitive that the Utah Jazz (at 48-34) are the 8th seed and giving the Los Angeles Lakers everything they've got, clawing back into the series with a scintillating 88-86 Game 3 win. The Mavericks and Jason Kidd (still mad at him for forcing his way out of Jersey) are pushing to go up 3-1 on the third-seeded Spurs. Over in the East, the Bulls are fighting the Celtics, who are just not the same club without Kevin Garnett in the lineup. And how about that #4/#5 matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat? Good stuff there.
But for me the story of the postseason is the slumping Detroit Pistons. Here's a club that was once the class of the Eastern Conference, winning an NBA Title in 2004 and making seemingly-annual appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals. This year, though, the tables have finally turned. Detroit backed into the playoffs at 39-43 and is on the verge of elimination as LeBron & the Cavaliers have a 3-0 advantage in the series. These Pistons look nothing like their predecessors. Michael Curry, just 39 years old, looks lost as a head coach in his first NBA postseason. Allen Iverson has been a drain on the club all season and has been inactive the entire series. Rip Hamilton & Tayshaun Prince are good players but don't have anything close to the leadership chops possessed by Chauncey Billups. Why they sent him to Denver, I'll never know. But I'm sure the Nuggets (and Carmelo Anthony in particular) are still thanking their lucky stars that they were not only able to get Billups and push to the #2 seed in the West, but to also shed themselves of the albatross that is Iverson. I've always had a tremendous respect for Pistons executive Joe Dumars but the 2008-2009 season should easily go down as his worst.
- Don't know about anyone else but I am taking great joy in watching CC Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang, and Joba Chamberlain all struggle this April for the Yankees. I'm not going to harp on Sabathia too much as he has historically been a slow starter. If he's still struggling in June, then I'll give him some grief. Wang has been a shocking disappointment thus far. His velocity is down and that patented sinker is not biting at all. Wang currently has a 34.50 ERA and has gone just six innings in his three starts. His batting average against is a preposterous .622. Mechanics may be a problem but I have a hard time believing he's fully recovered from the Lisfranc injury that ended his 2008 season. Let's remember how long it took Michael Strahan to recover from the same injury and he was never the same player after that. The Yanks have put Wang on the 15-day DL, skipped his last scheduled start, and sent him to Tampa for an extended spring training start. Chamberlain's numbers may appear fine on the surface but underneath that, trouble is brewing. The power pitcher whose game relies on strikeouts has just 11 K's in three starts and has seen his velocity fall from 97 down to the low 90s, topping out at 93. His control is still not there, walking 10 in just 16 innings, and you have to wonder how much his stuff really translates over six or seven innings as opposed to that eighth-inning burst. Phil Hughes is coming up to take over for Wang. It's a little early to be patching up the rotation in the Bronx but here they are once again struggling in April. If this persists and the Bronx Bombers fail to go to the postseason again, I believe Joe Girardi will be hanging out where countless other Americans have over the last year...the unemployment line.
- The Mountain West Conference submitted a new playoff proposal at this week's BCS Meetings. I've discussed the MWC's legitimacy before so I'm not going to revisit that. This league, at the very least, deserves an automatic BCS spot. That could happen if the ACC, Big Ten, and Big East continue to struggle. But don't hold your breath for a 1-A playoff because it's just not gonna happen.
- For many 1-A schools last week was the annual rite of passage known as the Spring Game. I love spring football. You get 15 practices to go back to fundamentals, slowly install your "bread & butter" schemes, evaluate talent new & old, and cultivate some genuine competition on your football team. I watched the Alabama spring game on ESPN last Saturday and other than the countless cuts to suit-and-tie clad-coach Nick Saban, it was fantastic. 84,050 Crimson Tide fans packed Bryant-Denny Stadium to watch the Crimson team defeat the White team, 14-7. Those that are not college football fans are probably wondering why 80,000 people would come to watch a controlled, glorified intrasquad scrimmage but that's the beauty of college football and what ultimately makes it better than the NFL. The passion that runs through the college game is unequaled & unrivaled. And just to show the insanity of the SEC, a Tennessee fan (fully dressed in orange) showed up at the A-Day Game to taunt the 'Bama fans. I guess he needed some practice for that annual grudge match on the third Saturday in October.
- A few NFL Draft notes as the first round continues: I'm glad the Detroit Lions didn't use their whole ten minutes of clock time to hand their pick to Commissioner Roger Goodell. They reached a deal with Matthew Stafford and announced it prior to the draft. There was no suspense to be had so thanks for not wasting ten minutes of my time and allowing the next pick to step up. Big play by the Jets to move all the way up from #17 to #5 to take USC QB Mark Sanchez. Kellen Clemens is definitely not the answer there so kudos to new head coach Rex Ryan for recognizing that and taking a chance. Josh McDaniels continues to prove what an arrogant idiot he is in Denver. They don't move from #12 and end up taking yet another running back, Georgia's Knowshon Moreno. Say what you want about the whole Jay Cutler ordeal but the bottom line is that he is a Top 10 NFL quarterback and those are hard to come by these days. He got nothing of value back for him and then used a pick on a running back who may be gifted but has loads of durability questions. McDaniels came into Denver blazing, cutting half of the starting defense, angering veterans at every turn, and then creating a rift with his Pro Bowl QB. People say that McDaniels is a miracle worker with Matt Cassel. I hate to break your heart but Cassel always had talent. It's not his fault he sat behind this guy at USC. What was his name? Oh yeah...Carson Palmer. Cassel had plenty of ability, just like Tom Brady did at Michigan. McDaniels may have rounded him out and helped him take that final step into NFL stardom but he certainly did not make Matt Cassel. Here's hoping Denver just falls out of contention in the AFC West and that Jay Cutler takes Chicago to new heights. Oh, and Al Davis, have fun with another useless speed receiver in Darius Heyward-Bey. Great job with that #7 overall pick.
- The Stanley Cup Playoffs have been hotly contested thus far. The Boston Bruins took the arch-rival Montreal Canadiens behind the woodshed and swept them right out of the first round, outscoring them 17-6 in the process. What a pathetic end to what was supposed to be a glorious Centennial Season for Montreal. The 8th-seeded Anaheim Ducks have the San Jose Sharks on the ropes with a 3-1 series advantage. The Sharks had the league's best regular-season record but are one loss away from adding another year to their monumental list of playoff failures. Even though the Columbus Blue Jackets & St. Louis Blues were both swept out of the first round I have to give them credit for getting back to the playoffs, and in Columbus' case, making their first-ever Stanley Cup Playoff appearance. Both teams are very young and it showed against Detroit and Vancouver, respectively. But they've got loads of talent, great fan bases, and bright futures ahead of them. The Philadelphia Flyers & Pittsburgh Penguins had a six-game dogfight in the Battle of the Keystone State. The Flyers lost Game 6, and the series, after blowing a 3-0 lead as the Pens scored five unanswered goals.
The East & the West also have one series each that has just been off the charts. The Chicago Blackhawks (making their first playoff appearance since 2002) & the Calgary Flames series has been every bit the battle a #4/#5 series is supposed to be. Chicago won two exciting one-goal games on home ice to start the series. Calgary then battled back to win the next two at home, withstanding furious Chicago rallies in both contests. But the series of the first round has to be the Devils/Hurricanes matchup in the East. I am a die-hard Devils fan and season-ticket holder but that's not the only reason I say this. Just look at the series: Four one-goal games, two overtime games, one game decided with a goal with just 00.2 seconds left in regulation after a 3-goal comeback practically assured overtime, heavy hitting, and incredible goaltending. Martin Brodeur picked up his record-tying 23rd playoff shutout in Game 5, stopping 44 Carolina shots. Carolina goalie Cam Ward has also been playing well as he picked up 41 saves of his own in Game 5. Game 6 is scheduled for Sunday night in Carolina. The way this series has been going back and forth, don't be surprised if the two teams are forced to face off again...in a deciding Game 7 Tuesday night in Newark.
- Finally, I was sad to see my favorite wrestler, 13-time (and current) WWE Champion Triple H go back to RAW in the annual WWE Draft. I felt Triple H's time on Smackdown was great for both him and the company. He brought new respectability to the "Blue Brand" and cultivated some up-and-coming stars in the process. Unfortunately, his move back to Monday nights most likely paves the way for Batista to turn on him at Backlash, costing "The Game" the WWE Championship in the process. On the plus side of the draft, Chris Jericho moves from RAW to Smackdown. This move should put Jericho back in the main event spotlight, a long-overdue move for one of the greatest entertainers and technical wrestlers of our time.
That's all for now. Until next time.
-Meech
- The postseason is in full swing in both the NBA & the NHL. Shockingly, I'm going to start with the NBA Playoffs here. (Don't worry. I'll get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the greatest postseason tournament, a little later here.) The combination of seeding and some new blood has really infused some life into this year's NBA Playoffs for me. It's great to see the young Portland Trail Blazers finally put it all together and make their first postseason appearance since 2003. Brandon Roy & LaMarcus Aldridge are the core of a very exciting team. They are also a far cry from the "Jail Blazer" days of Stoudamire, Randolph, and Rider, to name a few. On the other side of that, it's nice to not have to watch another Phoenix Suns playoff failure as Steve Nash & company failed to qualify for the postseason.
The West is so competitive that the Utah Jazz (at 48-34) are the 8th seed and giving the Los Angeles Lakers everything they've got, clawing back into the series with a scintillating 88-86 Game 3 win. The Mavericks and Jason Kidd (still mad at him for forcing his way out of Jersey) are pushing to go up 3-1 on the third-seeded Spurs. Over in the East, the Bulls are fighting the Celtics, who are just not the same club without Kevin Garnett in the lineup. And how about that #4/#5 matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat? Good stuff there.
But for me the story of the postseason is the slumping Detroit Pistons. Here's a club that was once the class of the Eastern Conference, winning an NBA Title in 2004 and making seemingly-annual appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals. This year, though, the tables have finally turned. Detroit backed into the playoffs at 39-43 and is on the verge of elimination as LeBron & the Cavaliers have a 3-0 advantage in the series. These Pistons look nothing like their predecessors. Michael Curry, just 39 years old, looks lost as a head coach in his first NBA postseason. Allen Iverson has been a drain on the club all season and has been inactive the entire series. Rip Hamilton & Tayshaun Prince are good players but don't have anything close to the leadership chops possessed by Chauncey Billups. Why they sent him to Denver, I'll never know. But I'm sure the Nuggets (and Carmelo Anthony in particular) are still thanking their lucky stars that they were not only able to get Billups and push to the #2 seed in the West, but to also shed themselves of the albatross that is Iverson. I've always had a tremendous respect for Pistons executive Joe Dumars but the 2008-2009 season should easily go down as his worst.
- Don't know about anyone else but I am taking great joy in watching CC Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang, and Joba Chamberlain all struggle this April for the Yankees. I'm not going to harp on Sabathia too much as he has historically been a slow starter. If he's still struggling in June, then I'll give him some grief. Wang has been a shocking disappointment thus far. His velocity is down and that patented sinker is not biting at all. Wang currently has a 34.50 ERA and has gone just six innings in his three starts. His batting average against is a preposterous .622. Mechanics may be a problem but I have a hard time believing he's fully recovered from the Lisfranc injury that ended his 2008 season. Let's remember how long it took Michael Strahan to recover from the same injury and he was never the same player after that. The Yanks have put Wang on the 15-day DL, skipped his last scheduled start, and sent him to Tampa for an extended spring training start. Chamberlain's numbers may appear fine on the surface but underneath that, trouble is brewing. The power pitcher whose game relies on strikeouts has just 11 K's in three starts and has seen his velocity fall from 97 down to the low 90s, topping out at 93. His control is still not there, walking 10 in just 16 innings, and you have to wonder how much his stuff really translates over six or seven innings as opposed to that eighth-inning burst. Phil Hughes is coming up to take over for Wang. It's a little early to be patching up the rotation in the Bronx but here they are once again struggling in April. If this persists and the Bronx Bombers fail to go to the postseason again, I believe Joe Girardi will be hanging out where countless other Americans have over the last year...the unemployment line.
- The Mountain West Conference submitted a new playoff proposal at this week's BCS Meetings. I've discussed the MWC's legitimacy before so I'm not going to revisit that. This league, at the very least, deserves an automatic BCS spot. That could happen if the ACC, Big Ten, and Big East continue to struggle. But don't hold your breath for a 1-A playoff because it's just not gonna happen.
- For many 1-A schools last week was the annual rite of passage known as the Spring Game. I love spring football. You get 15 practices to go back to fundamentals, slowly install your "bread & butter" schemes, evaluate talent new & old, and cultivate some genuine competition on your football team. I watched the Alabama spring game on ESPN last Saturday and other than the countless cuts to suit-and-tie clad-coach Nick Saban, it was fantastic. 84,050 Crimson Tide fans packed Bryant-Denny Stadium to watch the Crimson team defeat the White team, 14-7. Those that are not college football fans are probably wondering why 80,000 people would come to watch a controlled, glorified intrasquad scrimmage but that's the beauty of college football and what ultimately makes it better than the NFL. The passion that runs through the college game is unequaled & unrivaled. And just to show the insanity of the SEC, a Tennessee fan (fully dressed in orange) showed up at the A-Day Game to taunt the 'Bama fans. I guess he needed some practice for that annual grudge match on the third Saturday in October.
- A few NFL Draft notes as the first round continues: I'm glad the Detroit Lions didn't use their whole ten minutes of clock time to hand their pick to Commissioner Roger Goodell. They reached a deal with Matthew Stafford and announced it prior to the draft. There was no suspense to be had so thanks for not wasting ten minutes of my time and allowing the next pick to step up. Big play by the Jets to move all the way up from #17 to #5 to take USC QB Mark Sanchez. Kellen Clemens is definitely not the answer there so kudos to new head coach Rex Ryan for recognizing that and taking a chance. Josh McDaniels continues to prove what an arrogant idiot he is in Denver. They don't move from #12 and end up taking yet another running back, Georgia's Knowshon Moreno. Say what you want about the whole Jay Cutler ordeal but the bottom line is that he is a Top 10 NFL quarterback and those are hard to come by these days. He got nothing of value back for him and then used a pick on a running back who may be gifted but has loads of durability questions. McDaniels came into Denver blazing, cutting half of the starting defense, angering veterans at every turn, and then creating a rift with his Pro Bowl QB. People say that McDaniels is a miracle worker with Matt Cassel. I hate to break your heart but Cassel always had talent. It's not his fault he sat behind this guy at USC. What was his name? Oh yeah...Carson Palmer. Cassel had plenty of ability, just like Tom Brady did at Michigan. McDaniels may have rounded him out and helped him take that final step into NFL stardom but he certainly did not make Matt Cassel. Here's hoping Denver just falls out of contention in the AFC West and that Jay Cutler takes Chicago to new heights. Oh, and Al Davis, have fun with another useless speed receiver in Darius Heyward-Bey. Great job with that #7 overall pick.
- The Stanley Cup Playoffs have been hotly contested thus far. The Boston Bruins took the arch-rival Montreal Canadiens behind the woodshed and swept them right out of the first round, outscoring them 17-6 in the process. What a pathetic end to what was supposed to be a glorious Centennial Season for Montreal. The 8th-seeded Anaheim Ducks have the San Jose Sharks on the ropes with a 3-1 series advantage. The Sharks had the league's best regular-season record but are one loss away from adding another year to their monumental list of playoff failures. Even though the Columbus Blue Jackets & St. Louis Blues were both swept out of the first round I have to give them credit for getting back to the playoffs, and in Columbus' case, making their first-ever Stanley Cup Playoff appearance. Both teams are very young and it showed against Detroit and Vancouver, respectively. But they've got loads of talent, great fan bases, and bright futures ahead of them. The Philadelphia Flyers & Pittsburgh Penguins had a six-game dogfight in the Battle of the Keystone State. The Flyers lost Game 6, and the series, after blowing a 3-0 lead as the Pens scored five unanswered goals.
The East & the West also have one series each that has just been off the charts. The Chicago Blackhawks (making their first playoff appearance since 2002) & the Calgary Flames series has been every bit the battle a #4/#5 series is supposed to be. Chicago won two exciting one-goal games on home ice to start the series. Calgary then battled back to win the next two at home, withstanding furious Chicago rallies in both contests. But the series of the first round has to be the Devils/Hurricanes matchup in the East. I am a die-hard Devils fan and season-ticket holder but that's not the only reason I say this. Just look at the series: Four one-goal games, two overtime games, one game decided with a goal with just 00.2 seconds left in regulation after a 3-goal comeback practically assured overtime, heavy hitting, and incredible goaltending. Martin Brodeur picked up his record-tying 23rd playoff shutout in Game 5, stopping 44 Carolina shots. Carolina goalie Cam Ward has also been playing well as he picked up 41 saves of his own in Game 5. Game 6 is scheduled for Sunday night in Carolina. The way this series has been going back and forth, don't be surprised if the two teams are forced to face off again...in a deciding Game 7 Tuesday night in Newark.
- Finally, I was sad to see my favorite wrestler, 13-time (and current) WWE Champion Triple H go back to RAW in the annual WWE Draft. I felt Triple H's time on Smackdown was great for both him and the company. He brought new respectability to the "Blue Brand" and cultivated some up-and-coming stars in the process. Unfortunately, his move back to Monday nights most likely paves the way for Batista to turn on him at Backlash, costing "The Game" the WWE Championship in the process. On the plus side of the draft, Chris Jericho moves from RAW to Smackdown. This move should put Jericho back in the main event spotlight, a long-overdue move for one of the greatest entertainers and technical wrestlers of our time.
That's all for now. Until next time.
-Meech
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