Believe it or not, there is something good about the Bruins playing such a ridiculously light schedule lately... it has allowed me to focus on NCAA hockey, back where the love-affair with all things hockey began!
Typically, my interest in NCAA hockey is minimal this late in the season since Northeastern (the alma mater) is a perennial cellar-dweller and never makes it out of the first round of the Hockey East tournament. Of course, that is even assuming they are fortunate enough to even qualify; something they were unable to do my last two years there. Mind you, that is especially telling since the league was only 9 teams, 8 of which made the tournament! However, this year has been far from typical... NU is having perhaps the best season in its 80th year of existence. They have gone 23-9-4 in the regular season and advanced to the Hockey East semifinals for the first time in 15 years.
In that semi-final game, they led 2-1 going into the final minutes of regulation when disaster struck... they were called for too many men on the ice. Sad thing is, there was no question they were guilty of the infraction... it wasn't even close as the two skaters nearest the bench were both playing the puck-carrier. Brad Theissen, their stellar goalie (Hockey East Player of the Year) was unable to do everything for the Huskies and allowed the equalizer with 30 seconds left. The winning goal was scored a few minutes later on a deflection... there was an eerie sense of deja-vu seeing as the previous night saw the Bruins have a similar collapse to the Kings on the very same ice. [I actually joked with my friend that the ice had some bad juju and that it needed to be changed for the sake of the Bruins. Judging by their strong all-around performance in a division-clinching 4-1 win the following Sunday over NJ, I would like to think someone listened!] Even though the loss dropped their record to 25-11-4, NU ended the season ranked sixth in the nation and earned a spot in the NCAA tournament. They are the #2 seed in the Midwest bracket and will be playing Cornell tomorrow in Grand Rapids, MI. This is only the fourth NCAA bid for NU and its first in 15 seasons (1994 was apparenly a good year for NU!) so you would think a big deal would be made of it, right?
Well you would think wrong... very much so in fact. The morning after the brackets were announced, there was a nice article about BU taking the top seed and how they were the heavy favorites to win it all (>shudder<). The article showed some stats of their first-round fodder (Ohio St) while listing the other teams to make the tournament. That was NU's sole mention in the BOSTON Globe in regards to their making the NCAAs for the first time in over a decade.
Needless to say, I was quite displeased by this obvious lack of respect for Northeastern in its hometown paper. Hell, the Globe gave Ohio St more publicity than it gave Boston's-own Huskies! Lord knows there would have been a full write-up if it were BC or Harvard ranked sixth in the nation! Now I have no problem with BU having its own article... their history and success this season most certainly merit the attention. Same goes for BC... they are the reigning champions after all and have the history that NU does not. But I would still like to think that a local program having its best season in well over a decade would merit SOME attention! I was so displeased by this that I even went so far as to email the author of the article as well as the sports editor. I did receive a response from the author but it just said she does as assigned and she will pass it along the chain of command. Needless to say, never heard anything from the editor and four days later, there is still no mention of NU in the Globe. Pretty damned pathetic that the cinderalla local program gets so little respect here... hell, I think their basketball team got more press for being in the CBI! (WTF?? NIT lite?) Just very annoying and disrespectful in my mind...
Okay, rant over. Sorry bout that... 2 days til the Huskies square off with Cornell for the right to get killed by Notre Dame.
Edit: Apparently the brilliant editors at the Globe feel that their Boston-based readers would rather know more about North Dakota's season instead of focusing on the higher-ranked local team. Gotta love it...
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
RTSS = Home-Cooking?
The question arose while watching the latest Bruins-Canadiennes tilt at Montreal. After the first period, the hit totals in the game were 27 to 10 in favor of Montreal (shocker!) which put the Canadiennes on pace for 81 (!!!!) hits, only slightly above their home-average of 28.5 hits per game. The final hit total came out to 48-25 which is still a ridiculous total with an unrealistic difference between the two teams. Are we really to believe that the Canadiennes were TWICE as physical as the Bruins? Or was this just another instance of the home-town scorer being generous and stretching the definition of a hit?
This all got me thinking about statistics when involved with sports and how subjectivity should be avoided at all costs. The other major leagues rely primarily upon objective stats (the MLB error is the only subjective stat that comes to mind) as does hockey for the most part (goals, assists, +/-, shutouts, wins, losses etc…). However, lately there has been an increased interest in RTSS (Real-Time Scoring System) stats and I have seen these metrics used more and more when comparing players and teams. For those unfamiliar with the concept of RTSS, it is the use of a dedicated scorer to record the total number of hits, blocked shots, missed shots, giveaways, takeaways and faceoff outcomes for each team. It has been in place since the beginning of the ’97-’98 season but has only become accessible to everyday fans in the past year or so. Every NHL boxscore on ESPN features these statistics prominently, alongside shot and PIM totals, above the scoring summary. The placement of these subjective figures atop the page next to more traditional, objective statistics gives them an importance and legitimacy that is not truly deserved. Thankfully, the other main hockey/sports sites (SI, TSN, NHL) do not list this ‘information’ at all, or make it difficult to find as is the case with NHL.
Now don’t get me wrong... I am a big proponent of using statistics to compare players and teams. I love the fact that more and more statistical analyses are becoming available and that hockey and the NHL are moving in that direction. The game of baseball has changed dramatically over the past decade or two thanks to the advent of SABRmetrics and similar statistics which delve further into how the game is played. These advanced analyses have allowed for the objective comparison of players from any era by measuring those players against their peers (the only possible way to legitimately compare players of different eras). I have seen a similar approach taken with RTSS stats by adjusting the numbers to remove any inherent bias from certain arena scorers. However, too many questions arise with their methodology and the concept in general...
This all got me thinking about statistics when involved with sports and how subjectivity should be avoided at all costs. The other major leagues rely primarily upon objective stats (the MLB error is the only subjective stat that comes to mind) as does hockey for the most part (goals, assists, +/-, shutouts, wins, losses etc…). However, lately there has been an increased interest in RTSS (Real-Time Scoring System) stats and I have seen these metrics used more and more when comparing players and teams. For those unfamiliar with the concept of RTSS, it is the use of a dedicated scorer to record the total number of hits, blocked shots, missed shots, giveaways, takeaways and faceoff outcomes for each team. It has been in place since the beginning of the ’97-’98 season but has only become accessible to everyday fans in the past year or so. Every NHL boxscore on ESPN features these statistics prominently, alongside shot and PIM totals, above the scoring summary. The placement of these subjective figures atop the page next to more traditional, objective statistics gives them an importance and legitimacy that is not truly deserved. Thankfully, the other main hockey/sports sites (SI, TSN, NHL) do not list this ‘information’ at all, or make it difficult to find as is the case with NHL.
Now don’t get me wrong... I am a big proponent of using statistics to compare players and teams. I love the fact that more and more statistical analyses are becoming available and that hockey and the NHL are moving in that direction. The game of baseball has changed dramatically over the past decade or two thanks to the advent of SABRmetrics and similar statistics which delve further into how the game is played. These advanced analyses have allowed for the objective comparison of players from any era by measuring those players against their peers (the only possible way to legitimately compare players of different eras). I have seen a similar approach taken with RTSS stats by adjusting the numbers to remove any inherent bias from certain arena scorers. However, too many questions arise with their methodology and the concept in general...
- What equations are to be used?
- How is a bias judged?
- How is it to be done?
- Will it be a rolling adjustment done after every game?
- Will it be based off last season's biases?
- Will it have to wait until season's end when all the numbers have been accumulated?
- What happens if the scorer, and thus the bias, changes mid-season?
Hits – How do you define a hit? How hard does it have to be? Does a player have to be knocked to the ice or does a simple two-handed shove count? Sure, there are plenty of bruising hits with solid contact but there are just as many instances where some level of contact is made… how much constitutes an official hit? Also, while there are plenty of instances where there is a clear-cut aggressor, what happens when both players are trying to be physical? Does the hit get credited to both players or only to one, and if the latter who ‘wins’ the hit?Admittedly, the extent of the subjectivity in these statistics varies with hits, giveaways and takeaways having the potential to be ruled by scorer bias while the other three instances are more clear cut. However, the situations where each stat is opened to subjectivity (bias) are enough to skew the data over the course of the season and make them statistically useless. To prove the deficiencies of these stats, I will provide examples in my next entry...
Blocked Shots – Is intent considered or does dumb luck play a role in this stat? Does the shot have to actually be on net (or appear to be doing so) to count as a block or is it merely recognition of the bravery to step in front of that vulcanized rubber disc, regardless of its destination? If the shot is blocked and caroms into the net, does it count as a blocked shot, a positive stat, despite the negative impact of the play?
Missed Shots – Same issue as the blocked shots but in reverse… does a shot not on net count as a miss even if blocked? And what about shots that are clearly going over the crossbar (and thus not on net) yet are gloved by the goalie… is that a shot or a missed shot?
Faceoff wins – How is a faceoff win determined? Is possession the only important thing or does it have to do with which side of the dot the puck ended up on? In other words, if the Boston center knocks the puck back towards his side but an opposing player is the first to gain possession who gets the win? The opposition clearly has the puck and thus won the faceoff and yet the Boston center did nothing to merit a loss since he controlled the puck better than his opponent.
Giveaway/Takeaway – Once again… what is the definition here? Apparently the two are mutually exclusive (a play can only be one or the other, never both) and therefore the two numbers do not have to balance out. Still the question becomes what counts as what… does a failed dump-in count as a giveaway or takeaway? Does an intentional icing or slow-roller (to prevent icing) count as a giveaway? What about errant passes… do they count and if so, who gets (dis)credited with it, the passer or intended receiver? Not always clear who is at fault for the missed opportunity. Or do they simply count as a takeaway regardless of whether the pass would have been ‘completed’?
Monday, February 9, 2009
Let's go Huskies!
Ten minutes til the puck drops on the 57th Beanpot Finals and I am praying NU can pull out the victory over the #1 team in the nation. If only the game could be based on best and loudest fanbases... Northeastern would win EASILY!
4:00 - Quiet game thus far... some decent back and forth but really nothing to report. No surprise the NU fans have been the more vocal thus far.
7:01 - NU gets the first penalty after a neutral-zone hook from BU. The Huskies immediately put themselves in the box, taking an interference on a short-handed rush. NU starts off 0-1 on the PP thanks to the 8 second duration. Only been one shot on net per side at this point...
9:52 - No scoring on the 4x4... only good chance came at the hand's of NU's Wade McLeod but his pass didn't connect. BU takes another penalty... maybe NU can have more success than 8 fruitless seconds...
16:08 - MERDE! BU scores on the 5-on-3, beating Thiessen from the point high blocker-side. Still a minute left on the second penalty... bad news is a clearing attempt just drilled the referee in the eye-area and there is clearly blood on the ice. Brutal play and one you never want to see... 1-0 BU
19:34 - Northeastern with the man-advantage... McLaughlin roofs a juicy rebound to tie the score at 1. Interesting bit is that there was a delayed penalty on BU on the play so what is the manpower going to be? Parker and BU are trying to get the delayed penalty wiped (leaving BU with 1:16 PK time) but the refs disagreed and posted the new penalty. NU will go into the break with 1:34 remaining on their power play and the score tied at 1. 1-1 EVEN
0:27 - FUCK! NU guy breaks a stick and thus leaves the ice, allowing for a BU shorthanded breakaway. Thiessen stops the intial shot but the rebound is left floating for Bonino to bury top-corner, banking it off the crossbar and post then in. 2-1 BU
3:24 - Another Northeastern penalty in the defensive zone. BU is starting to take control of the game and NU is not helping their cause with sloppy play. McLeod just had a beautiful shortie attempt but lost control of the puck after cutting in front of the net and beating Millan... all he needed was a tap towards the net to get the equalizer.
11:06 - Back and forth action... NU is unable to capitalize on a power-play but score seconds after to tie the score. Unfortunately, a couple minutes later, BU comes in a takes the lead back. Hard to blame Thiessen though as he wasn't given much of a chance on the play. 3-2 BU
13:27 - Northeastern keeps up the sloppy play, giving BU yet another power play. Brick says the call was crap (worded it a bit different) and I would have to agree with him... hopefully this game won't be decided by the referees (as I feared may be the case for BU...).
15:44 - Wonderful... the officiating is stepping in once again. Huskies managed to kill off the man advantage but shortly after, there is a pileup in the crease... all 10 skaters appeared to be crammed into that 6' by 8' blue real estate. There is no possible WAY that the ref could see that puck and CLEARLY the play should have been blown dead. Thiessen literally got assaulted(making it a perfect 2 for 2 in Beanpot games!) with people crashing in on his neck of all places. Then the BU guy manages to get a nice little slash in at Thiessen's neck after the officials finally realized the puck was at center ice. Somehow, after this blatant assault on Thiessen (and his potential injury) the only penalty call made is a misconduct to NU's McNeely. Strange... the same thing happened last game... Thiessen gets assaulted, NU player defends him and gets tossed for it while the true guilty party gets off scott-free. Makes me fucking sick.
Second Period Recap:
Apparently the Beanpot refs feel that Thiessen is so good, he doesn't need any help from them. This is the second game where he is brutally attacked by the opposition and yet in both instances it is a Huskie who gets tossed from the game. This one was especially impressive as a BU player (Yip?) has his stick under Thiessen's neck and just keeps tugging away... looked as if he was trying to strangle the man! Of course, this is perfectly within the rules for Terriers while Huskies are barely allowed to play with any physicality...
0:57 - Amazing... as soon as there is any pressure on Millan, the whistle is blown. Can you say double standard? Good news is a Terrier penalty is called on the play, giving NU the 5-on-3 for 45 seconds. NEED to capitalize on this... NU calls their lone timeout. Surprised to see it called so early and not sure I agree with it... gotta think there will be a time later in the period where that timeout would be more valuable.
4:29 - Timeout didn't help matters as Northeastern is unable to convert on the 3+ minutes of man-advantage despite taking 7-8 shots. Getting that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach now... just not going to pull this one out...
10:02 - Nice little dive in front of the NU net by Saponari to get the interference call and BU power play. Not looking good for the Huskies...
13:54 - And thats the game folks... BU gets a 2-on-1 shorthanded bid and Warsofsky opts for the shot over the pass. That makes it two shorthanded goals allowed by Northeastern. Can't expect to win like that... Oh, wait... let's make that THREE shorthanded goals! Absolutely fucking atrocious... how do you let up TWO 2-on-1 shorthanded breaks inside of 30 seconds. Bloody miserable. So much for #5...
So much for the Hockey Gods looking kindly upon the Huskies...
Final score: lot to little, BU
4:00 - Quiet game thus far... some decent back and forth but really nothing to report. No surprise the NU fans have been the more vocal thus far.
7:01 - NU gets the first penalty after a neutral-zone hook from BU. The Huskies immediately put themselves in the box, taking an interference on a short-handed rush. NU starts off 0-1 on the PP thanks to the 8 second duration. Only been one shot on net per side at this point...
9:52 - No scoring on the 4x4... only good chance came at the hand's of NU's Wade McLeod but his pass didn't connect. BU takes another penalty... maybe NU can have more success than 8 fruitless seconds...
16:08 - MERDE! BU scores on the 5-on-3, beating Thiessen from the point high blocker-side. Still a minute left on the second penalty... bad news is a clearing attempt just drilled the referee in the eye-area and there is clearly blood on the ice. Brutal play and one you never want to see... 1-0 BU
19:34 - Northeastern with the man-advantage... McLaughlin roofs a juicy rebound to tie the score at 1. Interesting bit is that there was a delayed penalty on BU on the play so what is the manpower going to be? Parker and BU are trying to get the delayed penalty wiped (leaving BU with 1:16 PK time) but the refs disagreed and posted the new penalty. NU will go into the break with 1:34 remaining on their power play and the score tied at 1. 1-1 EVEN
0:27 - FUCK! NU guy breaks a stick and thus leaves the ice, allowing for a BU shorthanded breakaway. Thiessen stops the intial shot but the rebound is left floating for Bonino to bury top-corner, banking it off the crossbar and post then in. 2-1 BU
3:24 - Another Northeastern penalty in the defensive zone. BU is starting to take control of the game and NU is not helping their cause with sloppy play. McLeod just had a beautiful shortie attempt but lost control of the puck after cutting in front of the net and beating Millan... all he needed was a tap towards the net to get the equalizer.
11:06 - Back and forth action... NU is unable to capitalize on a power-play but score seconds after to tie the score. Unfortunately, a couple minutes later, BU comes in a takes the lead back. Hard to blame Thiessen though as he wasn't given much of a chance on the play. 3-2 BU
13:27 - Northeastern keeps up the sloppy play, giving BU yet another power play. Brick says the call was crap (worded it a bit different) and I would have to agree with him... hopefully this game won't be decided by the referees (as I feared may be the case for BU...).
15:44 - Wonderful... the officiating is stepping in once again. Huskies managed to kill off the man advantage but shortly after, there is a pileup in the crease... all 10 skaters appeared to be crammed into that 6' by 8' blue real estate. There is no possible WAY that the ref could see that puck and CLEARLY the play should have been blown dead. Thiessen literally got assaulted(making it a perfect 2 for 2 in Beanpot games!) with people crashing in on his neck of all places. Then the BU guy manages to get a nice little slash in at Thiessen's neck after the officials finally realized the puck was at center ice. Somehow, after this blatant assault on Thiessen (and his potential injury) the only penalty call made is a misconduct to NU's McNeely. Strange... the same thing happened last game... Thiessen gets assaulted, NU player defends him and gets tossed for it while the true guilty party gets off scott-free. Makes me fucking sick.
Second Period Recap:
Apparently the Beanpot refs feel that Thiessen is so good, he doesn't need any help from them. This is the second game where he is brutally attacked by the opposition and yet in both instances it is a Huskie who gets tossed from the game. This one was especially impressive as a BU player (Yip?) has his stick under Thiessen's neck and just keeps tugging away... looked as if he was trying to strangle the man! Of course, this is perfectly within the rules for Terriers while Huskies are barely allowed to play with any physicality...
0:57 - Amazing... as soon as there is any pressure on Millan, the whistle is blown. Can you say double standard? Good news is a Terrier penalty is called on the play, giving NU the 5-on-3 for 45 seconds. NEED to capitalize on this... NU calls their lone timeout. Surprised to see it called so early and not sure I agree with it... gotta think there will be a time later in the period where that timeout would be more valuable.
4:29 - Timeout didn't help matters as Northeastern is unable to convert on the 3+ minutes of man-advantage despite taking 7-8 shots. Getting that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach now... just not going to pull this one out...
10:02 - Nice little dive in front of the NU net by Saponari to get the interference call and BU power play. Not looking good for the Huskies...
13:54 - And thats the game folks... BU gets a 2-on-1 shorthanded bid and Warsofsky opts for the shot over the pass. That makes it two shorthanded goals allowed by Northeastern. Can't expect to win like that... Oh, wait... let's make that THREE shorthanded goals! Absolutely fucking atrocious... how do you let up TWO 2-on-1 shorthanded breaks inside of 30 seconds. Bloody miserable. So much for #5...
So much for the Hockey Gods looking kindly upon the Huskies...
Final score: lot to little, BU
Thursday, February 5, 2009
I'm a celebrity!
Ok... not really. Well, actually, not at all...
I did, however, get my question answered in the latest Bruins mailbag which is quite pleasing since it has been something I have been wondering for some time but unable to get any news on. Here it is:
So the good news is that Bruins fans should have a definite answer in a week or two. Glad to see my understanding of the situation was correct and that a Bruins 'loss' would in fact be a victory! C'mon Glen! (and your lawyer/agent) Help the Bruins out one last time!
Edit: On an editorial note, I have a monster in the works but I am still crunching numbers and trying to decide how best to attack it...
I did, however, get my question answered in the latest Bruins mailbag which is quite pleasing since it has been something I have been wondering for some time but unable to get any news on. Here it is:
Any word on the Glen Murray appeal? Last I remember hearing, it was scheduled for January 16th. Did something change or has the verdict simply not been rendered? Also, regarding the appeal, am I correct in believing that the best option would be for Glen to win? That way, he could be placed on LTIR this season, wiping his salary off the cap and taking the $1.4M buyout figure off of next season's cap as well?
Dave, Natick
A: Dave, the second installment of the Murray hearing is scheduled for Feb. 12. There might even need to be a third day of hearings. But once the hearings are complete, I'm told that a verdict will be rendered shortly after. And yes, in terms of cap purposes, it would be best for the Bruins if Murray won the appeal. They'd have to pay his full $4.15 million this year, but his buyout money would be completely off the 2009-10 books.
So the good news is that Bruins fans should have a definite answer in a week or two. Glad to see my understanding of the situation was correct and that a Bruins 'loss' would in fact be a victory! C'mon Glen! (and your lawyer/agent) Help the Bruins out one last time!
Edit: On an editorial note, I have a monster in the works but I am still crunching numbers and trying to decide how best to attack it...
Monday, February 2, 2009
Beanpot
Lord I hope Northeastern can claim the title. They are more than overdue... 21 years is far too long. Road won't be easy as they will have to go through #11 BC and likely #1 BU (NU is ranked #3).
Harvard is the tough-luck loser to BU, 4-3. The Terriers were handed a power-play with 2:10 left in the game after a Harvard player hooks a BU forward who grabs the stick and falls on it, selling the call. BU's first goal game due to a similar penalty call behind the BU net. Harvard deserved better tonight...
3:24 - NU on the 5-on-3... win the faceoff, cycle down low to the right of Muse... Ginand, team leading scorer, beats Muse high glove-side with a hard-angle shot. NU unsuccessful on second PP opportunity. 1-0 NU
8:06 - BC just finished with the power-play, delayed penalty on NU allows for the 6-on-5... Price, the extra skater winds up from the point, Thiessen appears to make the stop but it trickles through five hole and barely crosses the line with two Eagles racing to help it in. 1-1 Even
8:54 - Great save by Thiessen on a near breakaway by Bradford, BC's leading scorer... leads to NU's transition game, Costa puts it in on the third try. 2-1 NU
15:00 - NU penalized shortly after the goal... able to kill it off with some good netminding from Thiessen who had to hold the post on another impressive scoring chance from Bradford. Near breakaway from Donovan of NU but puts it over the net, glove-side. They seem to be going glove-side on him a lot.
End of first - Impressive goaltending from Thiessen keeping NU in this game. Very vocal NU student contingent so far with "Let's go Huskies" chant clearly audible on the NESN feed... not so much for BC. Solid period though has to be more disciplined if they expect to win. Shots are 9-8 for NU.
3:22 - BC has owned the period thus far and NU's Chisholm just got rung up for Interference. BC is 0-2 on the PP with 1 shot.
6:14 - NU escapes the PK unharmed... finally get their first shot of the period and not surprisingly, they went high on the glove-side. Muse made the save on a shot that appeared to be wide of the net.
12:02 - NU on the PP... BC's Almeida guilty of the trip on Costa off the faceoff. NU is 1-2 with 2 shots on the man advantage. On a side not, some rather disturbing news... turns out NU freshman Steve Quailer is property of the enemy! He was a 3rd round selection of the Canadiennes in the 2008 Entry Draft... I am saddened by this. Not saddened though by NU putting in another PPG... odd bounce behind the net off the boards puts Muse in an awkward position, opening the hole for Liotti's blast. 3-1 NU
12:44 - Drive by McCauley from the point. Two goals in 42 seconds... York takes the TO to calm Muse and the Eagles down. Shots are now even at 17 apiece 4-1 NU
18:19 - So that bit about not liking Quailer? Yea... completely disregard that! He puts in NU's 5th goal, their 3rd goal on 4 shots and another shaky play from Muse. NU on the PK though with a roughing call... game is getting chippy now. 5-1 NU
19:57 - Thiessen with another save on a breakaway. Scrum in front of him after Bradford slams into Thiessen. Problem is, he didn't even try to slow down heading in but instead slammed right into Thiessen's upper torso and head... he deserves to be tossed for that in my opinion. NU's Chisholm brought his own form of justice with some punches to the downed Bradford... he is heading to the lockerroom and it certainly seems like he was tossed. Can't comprehend how Bradford doesn't get the same punishment since he obviously didn't even TRY to slow down or avoid blind-siding Thiessen.
End of Second - Period ends on a nasty note with the melee in Thiessen's crease. It was started by BC's captain who made (in my opinion) a blatantly dirty play that could only have been born of frustration. Thankfully NU is dominating the period despite being soundly outshot (22-11) with three goals to none, two in large part to misplays behind the net from the sophomore Muse. Did not expect that out of him, seeing as he has played, and won, in the pressure-cooker of the NCAA finals. Thiessen has been dominant, taking the first shot with ease and allowing very few rebounds... hopefully no harm done by Bradford's charge.
Final results of Melee:
NU Chisholm - 5min punching, game disqualification
NU Vitale - 2min hitting after whistle
BC Bradford - 5min charging
BC Atkinson - 2min hitting after whistle
No power plays from the mess... still don't comprehend how Bradford is still in the game after sparking the brawl. Even the USCHO blogger is in agreement:
"Bradford ran goalie Brad Thiessen while he was covering a puck amidst a scrum. The intent was clear as day..."
I am less than pleased with the official's handling of that play and the end results. Thankfully, NU has a 4-goal lead and should be able to hold it so long as Thiessen is unharmed.
8:00 - NU kills off the second penalty of the third... BC is quickly running out of time in this one and is still no closer to solving Thiessen. The NU defense reminds me somewhat of the Bruins... allow lots of low-quality shots and few juicy rebounds and those few rebounds that are allowed are quickly cleared out by the defense. Just as with Boston, there are a couple times each period that the goalie is relied upon to make the spectacular save and Thiessen is delivering just like Thomas, though a little more composed...
12:04 - NU fans sound like they are a little bored... the last few minutes they have been counting down the last ten seconds of each minute then repeatedly chanting the minutes left. Rather amusing yet sad at the same time... have hardly heard a peep from the BC crowd over the telecast... really quite pathetic, especially considering they are reigning NCAA champs. As I am writing this, Donovan pots killer and gets his 4th point of the night (1G, 3A). Finally, the NU fans have something real to cheer about and Muse has been pulled from the game in favor of the local kid Venti (Needham) who is seeing his first collegiate action. Donovan then gets his third minor penalty (talk about filling up the stat sheet!) but is not too concerned since BC is 0-6 tonight on PP. 6-1 NU
5:00 - Five minutes also the chant from the Huskies fans, anticipating a spirited matchup with their Comm Ave rivals. Thiessen must have broken 40 saves by now, which is made all the more impressive by the fact BC scored on their first shot (and even then just barely). He certainly looks to be in line for his second straight Eberly Award (given to the goalie with the best save percentage).
Final - NU closes it out on the man advantage. Just an impressive, dominating effort from the Huskies (6-1 victors) and their fans rewarded them with some raucous cheers. Impressive bit is they are the first team to chase John Muse in his 67 games at the Heights... he had yet to miss even a second of play for the Eagles. Strange bit is, NU was outshot 45-26 but you wouldn't have guessed watching the game since BC was clearly suffocated by the Huskie defense. Goes to show you how shots don't truly tell the story of a game... what really matters is the quality of those shots! Was nervous heading into this game with BC and was concerned throughout the first period but once NU got that third goal, I felt a lot more comfortable.
Now the question is... do I try and get tickets for the final and risk severe disappointment or do I stick with what worked and live-blog the game again? Decisions, decisions...
See running commentary here...
Harvard is the tough-luck loser to BU, 4-3. The Terriers were handed a power-play with 2:10 left in the game after a Harvard player hooks a BU forward who grabs the stick and falls on it, selling the call. BU's first goal game due to a similar penalty call behind the BU net. Harvard deserved better tonight...
3:24 - NU on the 5-on-3... win the faceoff, cycle down low to the right of Muse... Ginand, team leading scorer, beats Muse high glove-side with a hard-angle shot. NU unsuccessful on second PP opportunity. 1-0 NU
8:06 - BC just finished with the power-play, delayed penalty on NU allows for the 6-on-5... Price, the extra skater winds up from the point, Thiessen appears to make the stop but it trickles through five hole and barely crosses the line with two Eagles racing to help it in. 1-1 Even
8:54 - Great save by Thiessen on a near breakaway by Bradford, BC's leading scorer... leads to NU's transition game, Costa puts it in on the third try. 2-1 NU
15:00 - NU penalized shortly after the goal... able to kill it off with some good netminding from Thiessen who had to hold the post on another impressive scoring chance from Bradford. Near breakaway from Donovan of NU but puts it over the net, glove-side. They seem to be going glove-side on him a lot.
End of first - Impressive goaltending from Thiessen keeping NU in this game. Very vocal NU student contingent so far with "Let's go Huskies" chant clearly audible on the NESN feed... not so much for BC. Solid period though has to be more disciplined if they expect to win. Shots are 9-8 for NU.
3:22 - BC has owned the period thus far and NU's Chisholm just got rung up for Interference. BC is 0-2 on the PP with 1 shot.
6:14 - NU escapes the PK unharmed... finally get their first shot of the period and not surprisingly, they went high on the glove-side. Muse made the save on a shot that appeared to be wide of the net.
12:02 - NU on the PP... BC's Almeida guilty of the trip on Costa off the faceoff. NU is 1-2 with 2 shots on the man advantage. On a side not, some rather disturbing news... turns out NU freshman Steve Quailer is property of the enemy! He was a 3rd round selection of the Canadiennes in the 2008 Entry Draft... I am saddened by this. Not saddened though by NU putting in another PPG... odd bounce behind the net off the boards puts Muse in an awkward position, opening the hole for Liotti's blast. 3-1 NU
12:44 - Drive by McCauley from the point. Two goals in 42 seconds... York takes the TO to calm Muse and the Eagles down. Shots are now even at 17 apiece 4-1 NU
18:19 - So that bit about not liking Quailer? Yea... completely disregard that! He puts in NU's 5th goal, their 3rd goal on 4 shots and another shaky play from Muse. NU on the PK though with a roughing call... game is getting chippy now. 5-1 NU
19:57 - Thiessen with another save on a breakaway. Scrum in front of him after Bradford slams into Thiessen. Problem is, he didn't even try to slow down heading in but instead slammed right into Thiessen's upper torso and head... he deserves to be tossed for that in my opinion. NU's Chisholm brought his own form of justice with some punches to the downed Bradford... he is heading to the lockerroom and it certainly seems like he was tossed. Can't comprehend how Bradford doesn't get the same punishment since he obviously didn't even TRY to slow down or avoid blind-siding Thiessen.
End of Second - Period ends on a nasty note with the melee in Thiessen's crease. It was started by BC's captain who made (in my opinion) a blatantly dirty play that could only have been born of frustration. Thankfully NU is dominating the period despite being soundly outshot (22-11) with three goals to none, two in large part to misplays behind the net from the sophomore Muse. Did not expect that out of him, seeing as he has played, and won, in the pressure-cooker of the NCAA finals. Thiessen has been dominant, taking the first shot with ease and allowing very few rebounds... hopefully no harm done by Bradford's charge.
Final results of Melee:
NU Chisholm - 5min punching, game disqualification
NU Vitale - 2min hitting after whistle
BC Bradford - 5min charging
BC Atkinson - 2min hitting after whistle
No power plays from the mess... still don't comprehend how Bradford is still in the game after sparking the brawl. Even the USCHO blogger is in agreement:
"Bradford ran goalie Brad Thiessen while he was covering a puck amidst a scrum. The intent was clear as day..."
I am less than pleased with the official's handling of that play and the end results. Thankfully, NU has a 4-goal lead and should be able to hold it so long as Thiessen is unharmed.
8:00 - NU kills off the second penalty of the third... BC is quickly running out of time in this one and is still no closer to solving Thiessen. The NU defense reminds me somewhat of the Bruins... allow lots of low-quality shots and few juicy rebounds and those few rebounds that are allowed are quickly cleared out by the defense. Just as with Boston, there are a couple times each period that the goalie is relied upon to make the spectacular save and Thiessen is delivering just like Thomas, though a little more composed...
12:04 - NU fans sound like they are a little bored... the last few minutes they have been counting down the last ten seconds of each minute then repeatedly chanting the minutes left. Rather amusing yet sad at the same time... have hardly heard a peep from the BC crowd over the telecast... really quite pathetic, especially considering they are reigning NCAA champs. As I am writing this, Donovan pots killer and gets his 4th point of the night (1G, 3A). Finally, the NU fans have something real to cheer about and Muse has been pulled from the game in favor of the local kid Venti (Needham) who is seeing his first collegiate action. Donovan then gets his third minor penalty (talk about filling up the stat sheet!) but is not too concerned since BC is 0-6 tonight on PP. 6-1 NU
5:00 - Five minutes also the chant from the Huskies fans, anticipating a spirited matchup with their Comm Ave rivals. Thiessen must have broken 40 saves by now, which is made all the more impressive by the fact BC scored on their first shot (and even then just barely). He certainly looks to be in line for his second straight Eberly Award (given to the goalie with the best save percentage).
Final - NU closes it out on the man advantage. Just an impressive, dominating effort from the Huskies (6-1 victors) and their fans rewarded them with some raucous cheers. Impressive bit is they are the first team to chase John Muse in his 67 games at the Heights... he had yet to miss even a second of play for the Eagles. Strange bit is, NU was outshot 45-26 but you wouldn't have guessed watching the game since BC was clearly suffocated by the Huskie defense. Goes to show you how shots don't truly tell the story of a game... what really matters is the quality of those shots! Was nervous heading into this game with BC and was concerned throughout the first period but once NU got that third goal, I felt a lot more comfortable.
Now the question is... do I try and get tickets for the final and risk severe disappointment or do I stick with what worked and live-blog the game again? Decisions, decisions...
See running commentary here...
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
They're ba-aack!
Fluto at the Globe has confirmed that the Bruins will be getting considerable reinforcements tonight in the form of Lucic, Bergeron and Ference.
Lucic will be returning to the first line to play alongside Savard and Kobasew while Ference has been written into the second defensive pairing with Wideman (Stuart and Hnidy are the 3rd pairing). Bergeron will playing playing for the ill Michael Ryder (flu-like symptoms) on the second line alongside Krejci and Wheeler... hopefully Krejci continues his magic and jumpstarts Patrice's game as he previously did with Marco and Mikey.
The real surprise from all this is what it means to the kid, Matt Hunwick... instead of scratching him after his solid fill-in work, CJ has decided to try him on the wing. He is currently pencilled in to fill the left wing alongside Nokelainen and Byron Bitz (what a great name...) which should prove an interesting experiment. I love the idea of keeping a 7th D dressed as it lets CJ manage the minutes for Ward and Ference and is a nice insurance policy should one of the two go down... I would much rather play a with one less forward than 5 D...
EDIT: Fluto just reported that Phil Kessel has been cleared for contact and is in line to play in tomorrow's game against the Devils. He will be wearing extra padding around his midsection to protect his spleen (which can become enlarged due to mono) but it is purely a precautionary measure. His return will be a HUGE boost for the offense!
Lucic will be returning to the first line to play alongside Savard and Kobasew while Ference has been written into the second defensive pairing with Wideman (Stuart and Hnidy are the 3rd pairing). Bergeron will playing playing for the ill Michael Ryder (flu-like symptoms) on the second line alongside Krejci and Wheeler... hopefully Krejci continues his magic and jumpstarts Patrice's game as he previously did with Marco and Mikey.
The real surprise from all this is what it means to the kid, Matt Hunwick... instead of scratching him after his solid fill-in work, CJ has decided to try him on the wing. He is currently pencilled in to fill the left wing alongside Nokelainen and Byron Bitz (what a great name...) which should prove an interesting experiment. I love the idea of keeping a 7th D dressed as it lets CJ manage the minutes for Ward and Ference and is a nice insurance policy should one of the two go down... I would much rather play a with one less forward than 5 D...
EDIT: Fluto just reported that Phil Kessel has been cleared for contact and is in line to play in tomorrow's game against the Devils. He will be wearing extra padding around his midsection to protect his spleen (which can become enlarged due to mono) but it is purely a precautionary measure. His return will be a HUGE boost for the offense!
Monday, January 26, 2009
ASG recap and changes
Well, the 2009 NHL All-Star Weekend has come and gone with all the usual highlights and an unfortunate number of lowlights. Despite their best attempts, Montreal fans were unsuccessful in barring Boston from the festivities with all four Bruins making their presence felt. Quick recap of the Bruins’ impact upon the weekend…
Blake Wheeler – Hat trick in the YoungStars game (against Carey ‘The Second Coming’ Price!) and a couple of assists… named MVP.
Zdeno Chara – Breaks record for hardest shot with 105.4mph blast and raises $24K for Right to Play, his charity of choice. Was booed (as were all the Bruins) at the introductions but amazingly, the Montreal fans were classy enough to applaud his record-breaking victory and his honorable charitable efforts.
Marc Savard – Runner-up in the elimination shootout to Shane Doan… three assists in the game and one funny bastard when mic’ed up.
Tim Thomas – The true MVP of the ASG… gave up two quick goals in 3 minutes and then only allowed 1 more in the last 22 minutes, including stonewalling Nash and Doan on the shootout. Ultimately had 19 saves on 22 shots in 25 minutes and 2 for 2 in the shootout… winning goalie for second straight year.
Now for those unfortunate lowlights… the NHL just can’t seem to avoid the damned things! Of course, in this instance I am referring to the glaring issues with fan voting determining the starters. The fact that this game ended up being a contest between the ‘Pittreal Canaduins’ and the ‘Chicaheim BlackDucks’ is pathetic to say the least. It is even more damning when you consider the fact that the four teams (Montreal, Chicago, Anaheim & Pittsburgh) to comprise the starting lineups are not in the top 6 in the NHL (7th, 10th, 16th & 18th respectively) and not one leads their division. So now the question is… what can be done to right the ship and make the NHL ASG at least slightly reputable?
1 – Keep the ‘1 Team, 1 All-Star’ rule currently in place and allow fans of each team to vote on their team’s representative. This would fill 15 of the 21 roster spots with the remaining six being given to the league to decide upon. The main problem here would be too many teams voting in goalies but this could be solved using season stats as tie-breakers and the fans second choice being named in the loser’s stead.
2 – Same as #1 with a twist… the extra roster spots are given out proportionally to the top teams in each conference. For instance, this season would see two extra spots go to Boston, Washington, Detroit and San Jose since they are the clear ‘elite’ of their respective conference. The remaining four extra spots would be divided between Chicago, Montreal, New Jersey and Calgary as these are the 3rd and 4th team in each conference based on the standings. The problem here is that the proportional spots could not be determined until close to the break and therefore fan-voting wouldn’t be possible for those.
3 – Get rid of the ‘1 Team, 1 All-Star’ rule and just let the league fill in the 15 reserves with the most deserving candidates regardless of team. This would make the ballot-stuffing less damaging since there would be more spots for the truly deserving to still make the squad. Problem here is that the rule is in place to make it so that every fanbase has someone to cheer for and therefore a reason to watch the ASG. This could be solved by ensuring all teams are represented in the skills events and the YoungStars game… possibly even upping the ratio of non-ASG team reps to account for the disparity.
Needless to say, however the NHL decides to act (or not act as is more likely the case), controls need to be implemented to limit excessive voting from one source. Whether it be vote caps per email or IP address, I do not know… I just know that the NHL needs to change it and has two full years to do so. My guess is nothing will change for 2011 and Bete-man will point towards the results of this years game and the ‘fair and balanced’ voting as evidence that all is well.
Blake Wheeler – Hat trick in the YoungStars game (against Carey ‘The Second Coming’ Price!) and a couple of assists… named MVP.
Zdeno Chara – Breaks record for hardest shot with 105.4mph blast and raises $24K for Right to Play, his charity of choice. Was booed (as were all the Bruins) at the introductions but amazingly, the Montreal fans were classy enough to applaud his record-breaking victory and his honorable charitable efforts.
Marc Savard – Runner-up in the elimination shootout to Shane Doan… three assists in the game and one funny bastard when mic’ed up.
Tim Thomas – The true MVP of the ASG… gave up two quick goals in 3 minutes and then only allowed 1 more in the last 22 minutes, including stonewalling Nash and Doan on the shootout. Ultimately had 19 saves on 22 shots in 25 minutes and 2 for 2 in the shootout… winning goalie for second straight year.
Now for those unfortunate lowlights… the NHL just can’t seem to avoid the damned things! Of course, in this instance I am referring to the glaring issues with fan voting determining the starters. The fact that this game ended up being a contest between the ‘Pittreal Canaduins’ and the ‘Chicaheim BlackDucks’ is pathetic to say the least. It is even more damning when you consider the fact that the four teams (Montreal, Chicago, Anaheim & Pittsburgh) to comprise the starting lineups are not in the top 6 in the NHL (7th, 10th, 16th & 18th respectively) and not one leads their division. So now the question is… what can be done to right the ship and make the NHL ASG at least slightly reputable?
1 – Keep the ‘1 Team, 1 All-Star’ rule currently in place and allow fans of each team to vote on their team’s representative. This would fill 15 of the 21 roster spots with the remaining six being given to the league to decide upon. The main problem here would be too many teams voting in goalies but this could be solved using season stats as tie-breakers and the fans second choice being named in the loser’s stead.
2 – Same as #1 with a twist… the extra roster spots are given out proportionally to the top teams in each conference. For instance, this season would see two extra spots go to Boston, Washington, Detroit and San Jose since they are the clear ‘elite’ of their respective conference. The remaining four extra spots would be divided between Chicago, Montreal, New Jersey and Calgary as these are the 3rd and 4th team in each conference based on the standings. The problem here is that the proportional spots could not be determined until close to the break and therefore fan-voting wouldn’t be possible for those.
3 – Get rid of the ‘1 Team, 1 All-Star’ rule and just let the league fill in the 15 reserves with the most deserving candidates regardless of team. This would make the ballot-stuffing less damaging since there would be more spots for the truly deserving to still make the squad. Problem here is that the rule is in place to make it so that every fanbase has someone to cheer for and therefore a reason to watch the ASG. This could be solved by ensuring all teams are represented in the skills events and the YoungStars game… possibly even upping the ratio of non-ASG team reps to account for the disparity.
Needless to say, however the NHL decides to act (or not act as is more likely the case), controls need to be implemented to limit excessive voting from one source. Whether it be vote caps per email or IP address, I do not know… I just know that the NHL needs to change it and has two full years to do so. My guess is nothing will change for 2011 and Bete-man will point towards the results of this years game and the ‘fair and balanced’ voting as evidence that all is well.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Back in Action!
Been a whiles since I last posted... I would use the holidays or work as my excuse but its two weeks into the new year and I haven’t had any real work in months so those aren’t gonna fly. Guess I will just blame my absence on a lack of motivation (I am a complete slacker after all…) and nothing that really inspired me to write a post. Anywho, I am back now and will try to do this on a more regular basis. In the meantime, a lot has happened in the world of sports since I last posted so I suppose it is about time I caught up...
NHL –
Not planning on saying much here as I plan on having a couple posts dedicated to them in the coming week. Just need to say that the last second equalizer for St Louis in yesterday’s matinee was unequivocally a high-stick and I am utterly baffled as to how the replay officials missed that and thus failed to overturn the goal. That said, the loss cannot be blamed on the officiating since there is no way the Blues should have been able to get that shot off or even still be in the game that late. Such is life…
I love Carey Price’s dedication to his team... he sits out important regular season games due to an injury but of course manages to come back to play in a meaningless exhibition for his own greater glory. That is the definition of a selfish player... going after personal honors instead of being more concerned about team goals and honors. Teams rarely go far in the playoffs when their goalie is more concerned about looking out for himself at the expense of the team. No way would Thomas, a true team player, act in such a way…
MLB –
After all the experts predicted he would sign with the Red Sox, Mark Teixeira signed an 8 year, $180M deal with New York last month meaning the Yankees now have spent $424M this season on three players (20 years total). This also means that the Yankees have the four of the six highest paid players in baseball for 2009 (Santana #3, Cabrera #5) totaling $92M, or more money than the payroll for 16 other TEAMS! It also means the Yankees have the highest paid player at 6 of 8 possible positions (Cano is second for 2b, Damon is eighth for OF). Now I realize that my Red Sox have benefited from the lack of a salary cap in MLB but this is just getting ridiculous. Quite simply, when one team is given such a dramatic competitive advantage over the rest of the field, something needs to be done about it…
Now one could argue that this is all sour grapes from a Red Sox fan… after all, according to the experts Boston was a near lock to sign Teixeira so his ‘defection’ to the Yankees stings more. However, as a Red Sox fan, I am thrilled they didn’t give into Boras’s demands for $20M+ per season and I love the $244M spent on an ever-expanding blimp and a pitcher who lives on the DL. In all seriousness, Burnett has not been able to stay healthy for his entire career so what chance is there he will be able to do so after getting the big payday? Can anyone say Pavano 2.0? As for Sabathia, the man easily weighs 350lbs already… what is going to happen in three or four years when he is pushing four bills? He may work out in the short-term but no way does he pull a Dave Wells and pitch well as an old fattie. I see the two contracts being wasted money by 2011, if not sooner…
That said, I would wager a considerable amount of money on the Yankees not winning the 2009 World Series. Hell, I honestly doubt they will even make the playoffs… there is more to baseball than buying the best possible team. After all, if it were all about money how would the Phillies ($98M, #13) have won the title over the Rays ($44M, #29!) while the Yankees ($209M, #1), Tigers ($139M, #2) and Mets ($138M, #3) all failed to even qualify for the playoffs?
As for the Red Sox, they have been taking the low-risk, high-reward approach by signing veteran pitchers (Smoltz, Penny, Saito) while also locking up their young talent long-term (Pedroia, Youkilis). At this point, the only concerns heading into 2009 is filling the void at catcher (preferably with someone NOT named Varitek) and the healthy return of Lowell and Ortiz from off-season surgery. For all the Yankee signings, I still think Boston has the advantage (in terms of both depth and talent) in the rotation, bullpen (major advantage) and defense. It is far too early to be making predictions but it is safe to say I am confident of yet another competitive Red Sox campaign in 2009…
NFL –
The Patriots became the second team in NFL history to reach 11 wins yet fail to qualify for the playoffs. Many fans are calling for a change to the NFL’s playoff formats since ‘lesser’ teams (8-8 Chargers, 9-7 Cardinals, 9-6-1 Eagles, 10-6 Vikings) made it to the playoffs ahead of New England. My view is that no change is needed and the Patriots’ not making the playoffs is their own fault since they could have (and should have) won the second Jets game and the Colts game. They can only blame themselves for not stopping the Jets on 3rd and 15 in OT or for the stupid drive-killing penalty to David Thomas against the Colts.
Though the Patriots did fail to make the playoffs, their season still has to be considered an unmitigated success. After all, how many franchises could lose the reigning MVP in the opening minutes of the season, hand over the reigns to an absolutely unproven quarterback and still finish 11-5? Their success is especially impressive when you consider the number of veteran starters lost to injury (Harrison, Thomas, Bruschi, Warren, Green, Maroney, Neal). During the year, the Patriots had undrafted rookies starting at LB and RB (Guyton, Green-Ellis) and two retirees signed off the street starting the final four games at LB (Colvin, Seau). The bright spot in all this is the progression of our recent top draft picks… Brandon Meriwether validated his ’07 first round selection while Jerod Mayo was an absolute revelation at linebacker and will (hopefully) be a cornerstone of the defense for years to come.
As for the playoffs, I am still having a hard time believing that the Cardinals made it past the Panthers and Eagles to make it into the Super Bowl. Can this really be the same team that the Patriots limited to 186 yards (78 of which came on one meaningless TD) in destroying them 47-7? I would love to see the Cardinals stun the world by beating the heavily favored Steelers if only to say that the Patriots absolutely dominated the reigning champs (and yet didn’t make the playoffs). The fact that I despise the Steelers probably has something to do with my rooting for the Cardinals too…
Oh, one last thing… Peyton Manning won his third NFL MVP. Of course, this honor came along with his routine first-round exit from the playoffs. That runs his record up to 7-8 in the postseason with SIX first-game departures (3 WC round, 3 divisional round)… and that is even crediting him with the 4 wins of their championship run where he was carried by the defense and ground attack (3 TDs, 7 INTs in 4 games). Makes me wonder… would he rather have his 3 MVPs, 7-8 playoff record and 1 ring or Brady’s 1 MVP, 14-3 playoff record and 3 rings? I certainly know who I would take…
NHL –
Not planning on saying much here as I plan on having a couple posts dedicated to them in the coming week. Just need to say that the last second equalizer for St Louis in yesterday’s matinee was unequivocally a high-stick and I am utterly baffled as to how the replay officials missed that and thus failed to overturn the goal. That said, the loss cannot be blamed on the officiating since there is no way the Blues should have been able to get that shot off or even still be in the game that late. Such is life…
I love Carey Price’s dedication to his team... he sits out important regular season games due to an injury but of course manages to come back to play in a meaningless exhibition for his own greater glory. That is the definition of a selfish player... going after personal honors instead of being more concerned about team goals and honors. Teams rarely go far in the playoffs when their goalie is more concerned about looking out for himself at the expense of the team. No way would Thomas, a true team player, act in such a way…
MLB –
After all the experts predicted he would sign with the Red Sox, Mark Teixeira signed an 8 year, $180M deal with New York last month meaning the Yankees now have spent $424M this season on three players (20 years total). This also means that the Yankees have the four of the six highest paid players in baseball for 2009 (Santana #3, Cabrera #5) totaling $92M, or more money than the payroll for 16 other TEAMS! It also means the Yankees have the highest paid player at 6 of 8 possible positions (Cano is second for 2b, Damon is eighth for OF). Now I realize that my Red Sox have benefited from the lack of a salary cap in MLB but this is just getting ridiculous. Quite simply, when one team is given such a dramatic competitive advantage over the rest of the field, something needs to be done about it…
Now one could argue that this is all sour grapes from a Red Sox fan… after all, according to the experts Boston was a near lock to sign Teixeira so his ‘defection’ to the Yankees stings more. However, as a Red Sox fan, I am thrilled they didn’t give into Boras’s demands for $20M+ per season and I love the $244M spent on an ever-expanding blimp and a pitcher who lives on the DL. In all seriousness, Burnett has not been able to stay healthy for his entire career so what chance is there he will be able to do so after getting the big payday? Can anyone say Pavano 2.0? As for Sabathia, the man easily weighs 350lbs already… what is going to happen in three or four years when he is pushing four bills? He may work out in the short-term but no way does he pull a Dave Wells and pitch well as an old fattie. I see the two contracts being wasted money by 2011, if not sooner…
That said, I would wager a considerable amount of money on the Yankees not winning the 2009 World Series. Hell, I honestly doubt they will even make the playoffs… there is more to baseball than buying the best possible team. After all, if it were all about money how would the Phillies ($98M, #13) have won the title over the Rays ($44M, #29!) while the Yankees ($209M, #1), Tigers ($139M, #2) and Mets ($138M, #3) all failed to even qualify for the playoffs?
As for the Red Sox, they have been taking the low-risk, high-reward approach by signing veteran pitchers (Smoltz, Penny, Saito) while also locking up their young talent long-term (Pedroia, Youkilis). At this point, the only concerns heading into 2009 is filling the void at catcher (preferably with someone NOT named Varitek) and the healthy return of Lowell and Ortiz from off-season surgery. For all the Yankee signings, I still think Boston has the advantage (in terms of both depth and talent) in the rotation, bullpen (major advantage) and defense. It is far too early to be making predictions but it is safe to say I am confident of yet another competitive Red Sox campaign in 2009…
NFL –
The Patriots became the second team in NFL history to reach 11 wins yet fail to qualify for the playoffs. Many fans are calling for a change to the NFL’s playoff formats since ‘lesser’ teams (8-8 Chargers, 9-7 Cardinals, 9-6-1 Eagles, 10-6 Vikings) made it to the playoffs ahead of New England. My view is that no change is needed and the Patriots’ not making the playoffs is their own fault since they could have (and should have) won the second Jets game and the Colts game. They can only blame themselves for not stopping the Jets on 3rd and 15 in OT or for the stupid drive-killing penalty to David Thomas against the Colts.
Though the Patriots did fail to make the playoffs, their season still has to be considered an unmitigated success. After all, how many franchises could lose the reigning MVP in the opening minutes of the season, hand over the reigns to an absolutely unproven quarterback and still finish 11-5? Their success is especially impressive when you consider the number of veteran starters lost to injury (Harrison, Thomas, Bruschi, Warren, Green, Maroney, Neal). During the year, the Patriots had undrafted rookies starting at LB and RB (Guyton, Green-Ellis) and two retirees signed off the street starting the final four games at LB (Colvin, Seau). The bright spot in all this is the progression of our recent top draft picks… Brandon Meriwether validated his ’07 first round selection while Jerod Mayo was an absolute revelation at linebacker and will (hopefully) be a cornerstone of the defense for years to come.
As for the playoffs, I am still having a hard time believing that the Cardinals made it past the Panthers and Eagles to make it into the Super Bowl. Can this really be the same team that the Patriots limited to 186 yards (78 of which came on one meaningless TD) in destroying them 47-7? I would love to see the Cardinals stun the world by beating the heavily favored Steelers if only to say that the Patriots absolutely dominated the reigning champs (and yet didn’t make the playoffs). The fact that I despise the Steelers probably has something to do with my rooting for the Cardinals too…
Oh, one last thing… Peyton Manning won his third NFL MVP. Of course, this honor came along with his routine first-round exit from the playoffs. That runs his record up to 7-8 in the postseason with SIX first-game departures (3 WC round, 3 divisional round)… and that is even crediting him with the 4 wins of their championship run where he was carried by the defense and ground attack (3 TDs, 7 INTs in 4 games). Makes me wonder… would he rather have his 3 MVPs, 7-8 playoff record and 1 ring or Brady’s 1 MVP, 14-3 playoff record and 3 rings? I certainly know who I would take…
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