Monday Morning Mehta 12/6/05
Edition # 143
December 6, 2005
NFL
In the most impressive win of the weekend, the Bengals beat the Steelers to take control of the AFC North. The Bengals now put themselves in a position to start thinking about a first round bye and a rematch of the Colts in the AFC Championship game.
In another divisional battle, the Giants take control of the NFC East with a crucial win over the Cowboys. Giants still have 3 road games left so I don't think this division is set yet. One note, as good as Eli Manning has been, his accuracy is downright pitiful at times.
The Chiefs & Chargers continue to keep winning, as they are now a game within first place Denver. The Chargers may be playing the best football besides the Colts.
The Bears continue to win as they have the edge on the first round bye in the NFC. There's no way Kyle Orton can lead them in the playoffs though. Is there? I just think eventually the Bears will need to drive down the field and score 7 points, and Orton's deficiencies will be seen.
It's always been strange to me how well the Vikings play when Daunte Culpepper is out with an injury. This year they're playing well (with a soft schedule) with Brad Johnson, and years ago they did decent with Gus Frerotte. Culpepper has a lot to prove without Randy Moss.
The Colts continue to roll, as do the Jaguars even without Byron Leftwich. I'm going to make a "Bold Prediction" and say the Colts will lose this weekend in Jacksonville.
Carolina gets back on track with a win vs. the Falcons. I like many of the post TD celebrations, but Steve Smith's baby wipe of the ball was a little ridiculous.
The Eagles lose 42-0 in a game the Eagles didn't show up for, the fans didn't want to watch, and I don't care to write about. If the Eagles show some effort next week against the Giants, maybe I'll show some effort and actually write about them.
Baseball
The Winter Meetings begin this week and the rumors continue to swirl.
One Phillies player whose name has been prominent in trade rumors this year is Bobby Abreu. At first, I figured the Phillies were just gauging his value in the market and weren't going to trade him. But the continued rumors are hard to ignore. If the Phils are serious about trading Abreu, they better get a good pitcher in return. Now, the latest rumor is that the Phils have asked for Mark Prior in return for Abreu. This now pushes me back to the side of "They're just gauging his value".
Drexel has another pathetic week, going 0-2 with losses vs. St. Joe's and Lasalle. Any positive momentum for the Dragons from the NIT tip-off games has completely been lost. I blame Bruiser Flint. This week the Dragons look to start their conference schedule on a positive note with two huge games vs. James Madison and Old Dominion.
NBA - Derreck Sura
- Philadelphia went 1-3 this week and had a very disappointing loss in Oklahoma City Friday night. I'm not going to keep a running tally or anything, but that game was officially the first time coach Maurice Cheeks was directly responsible for his team's loss. The Sixers got the ball back after a made free throw with 4.3 seconds left, down two, with timeouts to spare. Instead of using one of his timeouts, Mo let Allen Iverson bring the ball up and decide the game on his own. I'm fine with AI taking a 3 at the buzzer, because going for the win when you are down two on the road is the general rule of thumb in the NBA. What I do have a problem with is Cheeks not calling timeout, advancing the ball to half court, and diagramming a play. 4.3 seconds is more then enough time to run a play with multiple options in the NBA. Here's what I would have done. Set up an inbound play to get AI the ball at the top of the 3 point arc. Then let him break his man down off the dribble and decide to go for two (if he can get all the way to the rim) or three on a penetrate and kick out to Kyle Korver or John Salmons. KK would obviously be the second option on the kick out (after AI taking it all the way), and Salmons the third. The fourth option would be Chris Webber at the elbow after setting a screen, and then I'd have Samuel Dalembert on the court to crash the boards for a possible tip in if the shot misses. This was everyone in Philly's first glimpse of Mo's deer in headlights tendency when the pressure is on.
The Sixers (8-10) are still leading the Atlantic Division, but have lost three in a row, are 3-7 in their last ten, 2-7 on the road, and 3-8 in the Eastern Conference. Most of Philly's offensive and defensive numbers stayed the same this week, with the exception of their shooting percentage, which dropped from 5th overall to tied for 8th (47.1% to 45.9%). Rather then rail on their defense again, I'm going to focus on the Sixers' rebounding, or lack there of. Philly is tied for 27th in total rebounding percentage* (47.4%) and 27th by themselves in defensive rebounding percentage (68.6%). They are also in the bottom third of the league in total rebounds per game (24th at 39.8 rpg) and rebounding differential (27th at -4.3 rpg). I'd say the Sixers' poor rebounding cost them the Boston and New Orleans/OKC games this week. There's no easy fix for this as I see it. Rebounding in the NBA is a combination of hard work and athleticism, and Philly's front line rotation is lacking in both of these areas.
This week brings the Sixers: Milwaukee, Charlotte & @New Jersey (back to back). One would hope that Philly could finally beat the Bucks on Wednesday. The Sixers must be ready to match the Bobcats' effort on Friday, and as I've said before, every division game is a must win for Philly. Overall I'd say 2-1 possible, but with the way the team has been playing recently, 1-2 seems more likely.
Little known facts about the Sixers - #1, they average the lowest number of turnovers per game in the league (12.2 topg). #2, they are only 1-4 since Sam D's return from injury.
*Rebound percentage - The percentage of all available rebounds that a player or team grabs.
- In the NBA good point guard play is always at a premium. Having a quality decision maker can be the difference between winning several close games over the course of a season, or losing them. Just look at the Clippers (12-5) with Sam Cassell and the Hornets (8-8) with Chris Paul this year as opposed to last. In my opinion there are two types of floor generals in today's NBA, pass first PG's and scoring PG's. For my money I'd almost always take a pass first PG over a scoring PG. The reason being that nearly all of the Championship teams since the 1979-80 season (with the exception of Detroit with Isiah Thomas) have not had a scoring PG as their best player. That's not to say it's impossible to win it all with a scoring PG, but history does tell us that it's unlikely at best. So what I did (to satisfy a request and stir up some debate in the "comments" section) is rank every starting PG in the league. First by conference and type of player, then overall. For the record, these breakdowns are how I would rank them as players, NOT who I would want on my team. However, just to confuse matters, the final top ten overall IS in the order of who I'd want on my team. I know that may seem like semantics to some, but to me they are two separate debates. Here goes....
EAST
Scoring
1. Allen Iverson (Philadelphia)
2. Gilbert Arenas (Washington)
3. Stephon Marbury (New York)
4. Steve Francis (Orlando)
5. Mike James (Toronto)
Passing
1. Jason Kidd (New Jersey)
2. Chauncey Billups (Detroit)
3. Jamaal Tinsley (Indiana)
4. T.J. Ford (Milwaukee)
5. Brevin Knight (Charlotte)
6. Jason Williams (Miami)
7. Chris Duhon (Chicago)
8. Eric Snow (Cleveland)
9. Tyronn Lue (Atlanta)
10. Delonte West (Boston)
Top 5
1. Allen Iverson
2. Jason Kidd
3. Chauncey Billups
4. Gilbert Arenas
5. Stephon Marbury
WEST
Scoring
1. Baron Davis (Golden State)
2. Tony Parker (San Antonio)
3. Mike Bibby (Sacramento)
4. Sam Cassell (Clippers)
5. Jason Terry (Dallas)
6. Chris Paul (New Orleans/Oklahoma City)
7. Damon Stoudamire (Memphis)
8. Rafer Alston (Houston)
9. Smush Parker (Lakers)
Passing
1. Steve Nash (Phoenix)
2. Andre Miller (Denver)
3. Luke Ridnour (Seattle)
4. Deron Williams (Utah)
5. Marko Jaric (Minnesota)
6. Sebastian Telfair (Portland)
Top 5
1. Steve Nash
2. Baron Davis
3. Tony Parker
4. Mike Bibby
5. Andre Miller
OVERALL
Scoring
1. Allen Iverson
2. Gilbert Arenas
3. Baron Davis
4. Tony Parker
5. Mike Bibby
Passing
1. Steve Nash
2. Jason Kidd
3. Chauncey Billups
4. Andre Miller
5. Jamaal Tinsley
Top 10
1. Steve Nash
2. Jason Kidd
3. Chauncey Billups
4. Tony Parker
5. Mike Bibby
6. Allen Iverson
7. Baron Davis
8. Deron Williams
9. Chris Paul
10. T.J. Ford
- Now for the weekly significant injury update. Josh Howard will likely miss the first three weeks of December for the Dallas Mavericks (12-5) with a moderately sprained right ankle. As some of you may know, Josh is one of my favorite players in the NBA. In only his third year in the league he's already the Mavs second best player and perimeter defensive stopper. Howard has a good mid range game, is a great rebounder for his size, and always plays hard. Dallas was very deep at the swing positions when the season started, but Jerry Stackhouse has yet to play (right knee) and Doug Christie retired (left ankle). To compensate for this the Mavs signed free agent Adrian Griffin, who should help replace some of Howard's defense. Josh is a quick healer though, and could be back sooner then expected.
Steve Francis has missed the last three games for the Orlando Magic (7-10) with a bruised chest and sore left shoulder. The Magic lost those games by 22 (in Memphis), 20 (in Milwaukee), and 25 (to San Antonio), so I think it's safe to say they miss him already. The bad news for Orlando is that Steve's bruised chest may be more serious then originally thought, meaning he could be out for a while. The Magic were just starting to play better before Francis went down (won four in a row), but without Steve and Grant Hill (who has begun jogging lightly and shooting) Orlando's season is in big trouble.
NHL Week In Review By : Ed Wasser
- Quick Notes From Around The League.....By some miracle the Carolina Hurricanes are in first place in the Southeast Division. I haven't seen a no talent dog overachieve like that since Molly Ringwald landed Jake Ryan at the end of "Sixteen Candles".....A year after the NHL adopts the rule that goalies can not play the puck in the corner specifically to stop Martin Broduer, he gets elected to the league's competition committee.....2 years ago Jeremy Roenick put on a bunch of extra muscle weight during the off season, he had a sluggish start to his season and some people blamed the extra muscle as the reason. Simon Gagne put on a bunch of extra muscle weight last summer, he has a fantastic start to this season and some people say it's because of the extra muscle.....The days of the NHL goon have long been over, replaced instead by a tough guy that has some playing ability, generally defensive ability. Those guys are fading away too. Guys like Donald Brashear, Tie Domi, and Todd Fedoruk just look like they're playing in glue. Fighting is all but gone nowadays and these guys lack the speed to keep up with the skilled offensive players. And since you can't just haul players to the ice like they used to the skilled goon is quickly fading away.....One thing that I learned from watching the Oilers/Canucks game last week is that one cool aspect of playing in the NHL on the West Coast is that often times you find yourself as the only game still going on in the league. So a lot of times people like me will see a West Coast game because it's the only game in town and there's nothing else to watch.....On that note the Kings have a defenseman named Joe Corvo on the team. I don't know a lot about the guy other then the basic stats etc. but I've seen the guy play a bunch of times and he's a phenomenal puck handler with a lot of speed. Put it to you this way, he's a defenseman who has a regular spot on Kings' shootouts. In short he's exactly what the Flyers need....Last week's MADE on MTV with Josh being made into a soccer player was ahhhhhhhh, I'm speechless. The man boobs, the Oscar the Grouch pajamas, his stunning revelation that he's gay (I wouldn't have been more sure of that if Josh was wearing a pink mini skirt and singing "YMCA"), his near heart attack after exactly 8 minutes of a lite work out, the running commentary by Josh's self made puppets, and the fact that his puke inducing work was all so he could play a couple minutes of garbage time in one game. You know, I don't throw around the word "masterpiece" very often but I'll say that episode of MADE was a work of art.
- Line of the week - This is old school, 1993 to be exact. From my French Canadian college friend Luc Metivier after I suggested that after Guy Carbonneau, then 33 years old, leaves the Canadiens that the Habs the new captain could be John LeClair...(Said in a Pepe LePew-esque accent) "It will be a cold day in hell before de Canadien have a %$#%! American captain!!!" So here we are 12.5 years later and two amazing things have happened. 1.) I still look exactly like that handsome, young 22 year old that first heard that comment and 2.) the captains of the 6 Canadian hockey franchises are Jarome Iginla (Calgary...a black dude), Saku Koivu (Montréal...a Finn), Mats Sundin (Toronto...a Swede), Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa...a Swede), Marcus Naslund (Vancouver...a Swede), and Jason Smith (Edmonton...well, he's a regular old Canadian but he's the only one).
- Remember the scene in "Dumb and Dumber" when Jim Carrey finally finds the perfect tuxedo, that ridiculous pumpkin colored one, and starts doing a psycho tap dance? That was the same dance Shark GM Doug Wilson did when Bruin president Harry Sinden called and offered him Joe Thorton for Wayne Primeau (who?), Marco Strum (solid player plagued with injury issues), and Brad Stuart (sporadic player in regression mode with concussion issues). I mean are you kidding me? But that's why the Bruins are the Bruins; this is the team that traded Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr, and Ray Borque. Thorton is a good player and was a solid Boston citizen who was surrounded by total garbage in Boston with the exception of Sergie Samsonov. Go to the Bruins website and check out that roster, it's a joke. And of course Thorton has 4 assists in two games with the Sharks and is playing great. Word on the street is that Bruins fans are completely losing their minds and that Bruins players were totally pissed. Harry Sinden's rationale was that he "wanted to shake up the locker room". Huh? You can probably shake up the locker room by throwing a hand grenade in there but that doesn't mean you should do it. And now this....I'm watching the Bruins at Vancouver game on Sunday night and as Vancouver was laying the smack down on the Bruins (a 5 - 2 'Nuck win) the Canuck announcers just passively say that the Bruins may be tired because they flew to Edmonton for Saturday night's game against the Oilers on Saturday morning. Why? So the Bruin management didn't have to pay for a night in a hotel for the team. Absolute disgrace.
- Telling week for the Flyers. They beat the Islanders (4 - 3) and the Devils (2 -1), both teams that are careening toward a lot of time off this spring but when the Flyers went up against the Predators it was bad. The Flyers lost the game (4 - 3) in the first ever shootout in Flyers history. The score may lead you to believe that it was a close game but trust me, the Flyers looked like they were a step behind the speed demon Preds the whole game. If it wasn't for Antero Niittymaki playing so well then the score might have been 10 - 3. The Flyers are a woefully slow team and this should be a true test of GM Bobby Clarke, he's got to unload some of these guys and get this team quicker. I'd say the prime guys that need to be shown the door are Donald Brashear, Chris Therien, Mike Knuble, Mike Rathje and I'd even consider unloading Derian Hatcher. The Flyers did trade Patrick Sharp to the Blackhawks for Matt Ellison. Here's what I know about Matt Ellison, I watched the Blackhawks game against the Panthers the other night and I never remember hearing his name once. Ellison has 3 goals, IN HIS CAREER!! It's a meaningless move.
- So Clemente ran yesterday in the 8th race at Philadelphia Park, he was out of the number 1 post position going a mile and a sixteenth with Rodrigo Madrigal as the pilot. The trainer has issues with Rod sometimes because he has a listening problem. Basically you tell him what needs to be done and he ignores it. So we're in the paddock and Rodrigo comes down from the locker room and he's instructed "get to the center of the track as quick as possible". Basically the track is sloped slightly to the inside and the sand tends to be deeper on the inside hence slower going so...."get to the center of the track as soon as possible". So the gates open up and fairly quickly Clemente gets to the lead, the perfect time to get to the center of the track. Well he never did it. So Clemente ran the entire race in the deep sand, quickly tired out, and finished 8th. I thought our trainer was going to punch Rodrigo after the race. There was a lot of talent in the race so I'm not sure if Clemente would have won with another jockey but 8th is ridiculous. I think Rod Madrigal rode his last race for Bada Boom Racing.
Comments:
saurinmeht@aol.com
dsura@peacehealth.org
ewwasser@hotmail.com
December 6, 2005
NFL
In the most impressive win of the weekend, the Bengals beat the Steelers to take control of the AFC North. The Bengals now put themselves in a position to start thinking about a first round bye and a rematch of the Colts in the AFC Championship game.
In another divisional battle, the Giants take control of the NFC East with a crucial win over the Cowboys. Giants still have 3 road games left so I don't think this division is set yet. One note, as good as Eli Manning has been, his accuracy is downright pitiful at times.
The Chiefs & Chargers continue to keep winning, as they are now a game within first place Denver. The Chargers may be playing the best football besides the Colts.
The Bears continue to win as they have the edge on the first round bye in the NFC. There's no way Kyle Orton can lead them in the playoffs though. Is there? I just think eventually the Bears will need to drive down the field and score 7 points, and Orton's deficiencies will be seen.
It's always been strange to me how well the Vikings play when Daunte Culpepper is out with an injury. This year they're playing well (with a soft schedule) with Brad Johnson, and years ago they did decent with Gus Frerotte. Culpepper has a lot to prove without Randy Moss.
The Colts continue to roll, as do the Jaguars even without Byron Leftwich. I'm going to make a "Bold Prediction" and say the Colts will lose this weekend in Jacksonville.
Carolina gets back on track with a win vs. the Falcons. I like many of the post TD celebrations, but Steve Smith's baby wipe of the ball was a little ridiculous.
The Eagles lose 42-0 in a game the Eagles didn't show up for, the fans didn't want to watch, and I don't care to write about. If the Eagles show some effort next week against the Giants, maybe I'll show some effort and actually write about them.
Baseball
The Winter Meetings begin this week and the rumors continue to swirl.
One Phillies player whose name has been prominent in trade rumors this year is Bobby Abreu. At first, I figured the Phillies were just gauging his value in the market and weren't going to trade him. But the continued rumors are hard to ignore. If the Phils are serious about trading Abreu, they better get a good pitcher in return. Now, the latest rumor is that the Phils have asked for Mark Prior in return for Abreu. This now pushes me back to the side of "They're just gauging his value".
Drexel has another pathetic week, going 0-2 with losses vs. St. Joe's and Lasalle. Any positive momentum for the Dragons from the NIT tip-off games has completely been lost. I blame Bruiser Flint. This week the Dragons look to start their conference schedule on a positive note with two huge games vs. James Madison and Old Dominion.
NBA - Derreck Sura
- Philadelphia went 1-3 this week and had a very disappointing loss in Oklahoma City Friday night. I'm not going to keep a running tally or anything, but that game was officially the first time coach Maurice Cheeks was directly responsible for his team's loss. The Sixers got the ball back after a made free throw with 4.3 seconds left, down two, with timeouts to spare. Instead of using one of his timeouts, Mo let Allen Iverson bring the ball up and decide the game on his own. I'm fine with AI taking a 3 at the buzzer, because going for the win when you are down two on the road is the general rule of thumb in the NBA. What I do have a problem with is Cheeks not calling timeout, advancing the ball to half court, and diagramming a play. 4.3 seconds is more then enough time to run a play with multiple options in the NBA. Here's what I would have done. Set up an inbound play to get AI the ball at the top of the 3 point arc. Then let him break his man down off the dribble and decide to go for two (if he can get all the way to the rim) or three on a penetrate and kick out to Kyle Korver or John Salmons. KK would obviously be the second option on the kick out (after AI taking it all the way), and Salmons the third. The fourth option would be Chris Webber at the elbow after setting a screen, and then I'd have Samuel Dalembert on the court to crash the boards for a possible tip in if the shot misses. This was everyone in Philly's first glimpse of Mo's deer in headlights tendency when the pressure is on.
The Sixers (8-10) are still leading the Atlantic Division, but have lost three in a row, are 3-7 in their last ten, 2-7 on the road, and 3-8 in the Eastern Conference. Most of Philly's offensive and defensive numbers stayed the same this week, with the exception of their shooting percentage, which dropped from 5th overall to tied for 8th (47.1% to 45.9%). Rather then rail on their defense again, I'm going to focus on the Sixers' rebounding, or lack there of. Philly is tied for 27th in total rebounding percentage* (47.4%) and 27th by themselves in defensive rebounding percentage (68.6%). They are also in the bottom third of the league in total rebounds per game (24th at 39.8 rpg) and rebounding differential (27th at -4.3 rpg). I'd say the Sixers' poor rebounding cost them the Boston and New Orleans/OKC games this week. There's no easy fix for this as I see it. Rebounding in the NBA is a combination of hard work and athleticism, and Philly's front line rotation is lacking in both of these areas.
This week brings the Sixers: Milwaukee, Charlotte & @New Jersey (back to back). One would hope that Philly could finally beat the Bucks on Wednesday. The Sixers must be ready to match the Bobcats' effort on Friday, and as I've said before, every division game is a must win for Philly. Overall I'd say 2-1 possible, but with the way the team has been playing recently, 1-2 seems more likely.
Little known facts about the Sixers - #1, they average the lowest number of turnovers per game in the league (12.2 topg). #2, they are only 1-4 since Sam D's return from injury.
*Rebound percentage - The percentage of all available rebounds that a player or team grabs.
- In the NBA good point guard play is always at a premium. Having a quality decision maker can be the difference between winning several close games over the course of a season, or losing them. Just look at the Clippers (12-5) with Sam Cassell and the Hornets (8-8) with Chris Paul this year as opposed to last. In my opinion there are two types of floor generals in today's NBA, pass first PG's and scoring PG's. For my money I'd almost always take a pass first PG over a scoring PG. The reason being that nearly all of the Championship teams since the 1979-80 season (with the exception of Detroit with Isiah Thomas) have not had a scoring PG as their best player. That's not to say it's impossible to win it all with a scoring PG, but history does tell us that it's unlikely at best. So what I did (to satisfy a request and stir up some debate in the "comments" section) is rank every starting PG in the league. First by conference and type of player, then overall. For the record, these breakdowns are how I would rank them as players, NOT who I would want on my team. However, just to confuse matters, the final top ten overall IS in the order of who I'd want on my team. I know that may seem like semantics to some, but to me they are two separate debates. Here goes....
EAST
Scoring
1. Allen Iverson (Philadelphia)
2. Gilbert Arenas (Washington)
3. Stephon Marbury (New York)
4. Steve Francis (Orlando)
5. Mike James (Toronto)
Passing
1. Jason Kidd (New Jersey)
2. Chauncey Billups (Detroit)
3. Jamaal Tinsley (Indiana)
4. T.J. Ford (Milwaukee)
5. Brevin Knight (Charlotte)
6. Jason Williams (Miami)
7. Chris Duhon (Chicago)
8. Eric Snow (Cleveland)
9. Tyronn Lue (Atlanta)
10. Delonte West (Boston)
Top 5
1. Allen Iverson
2. Jason Kidd
3. Chauncey Billups
4. Gilbert Arenas
5. Stephon Marbury
WEST
Scoring
1. Baron Davis (Golden State)
2. Tony Parker (San Antonio)
3. Mike Bibby (Sacramento)
4. Sam Cassell (Clippers)
5. Jason Terry (Dallas)
6. Chris Paul (New Orleans/Oklahoma City)
7. Damon Stoudamire (Memphis)
8. Rafer Alston (Houston)
9. Smush Parker (Lakers)
Passing
1. Steve Nash (Phoenix)
2. Andre Miller (Denver)
3. Luke Ridnour (Seattle)
4. Deron Williams (Utah)
5. Marko Jaric (Minnesota)
6. Sebastian Telfair (Portland)
Top 5
1. Steve Nash
2. Baron Davis
3. Tony Parker
4. Mike Bibby
5. Andre Miller
OVERALL
Scoring
1. Allen Iverson
2. Gilbert Arenas
3. Baron Davis
4. Tony Parker
5. Mike Bibby
Passing
1. Steve Nash
2. Jason Kidd
3. Chauncey Billups
4. Andre Miller
5. Jamaal Tinsley
Top 10
1. Steve Nash
2. Jason Kidd
3. Chauncey Billups
4. Tony Parker
5. Mike Bibby
6. Allen Iverson
7. Baron Davis
8. Deron Williams
9. Chris Paul
10. T.J. Ford
- Now for the weekly significant injury update. Josh Howard will likely miss the first three weeks of December for the Dallas Mavericks (12-5) with a moderately sprained right ankle. As some of you may know, Josh is one of my favorite players in the NBA. In only his third year in the league he's already the Mavs second best player and perimeter defensive stopper. Howard has a good mid range game, is a great rebounder for his size, and always plays hard. Dallas was very deep at the swing positions when the season started, but Jerry Stackhouse has yet to play (right knee) and Doug Christie retired (left ankle). To compensate for this the Mavs signed free agent Adrian Griffin, who should help replace some of Howard's defense. Josh is a quick healer though, and could be back sooner then expected.
Steve Francis has missed the last three games for the Orlando Magic (7-10) with a bruised chest and sore left shoulder. The Magic lost those games by 22 (in Memphis), 20 (in Milwaukee), and 25 (to San Antonio), so I think it's safe to say they miss him already. The bad news for Orlando is that Steve's bruised chest may be more serious then originally thought, meaning he could be out for a while. The Magic were just starting to play better before Francis went down (won four in a row), but without Steve and Grant Hill (who has begun jogging lightly and shooting) Orlando's season is in big trouble.
NHL Week In Review By : Ed Wasser
- Quick Notes From Around The League.....By some miracle the Carolina Hurricanes are in first place in the Southeast Division. I haven't seen a no talent dog overachieve like that since Molly Ringwald landed Jake Ryan at the end of "Sixteen Candles".....A year after the NHL adopts the rule that goalies can not play the puck in the corner specifically to stop Martin Broduer, he gets elected to the league's competition committee.....2 years ago Jeremy Roenick put on a bunch of extra muscle weight during the off season, he had a sluggish start to his season and some people blamed the extra muscle as the reason. Simon Gagne put on a bunch of extra muscle weight last summer, he has a fantastic start to this season and some people say it's because of the extra muscle.....The days of the NHL goon have long been over, replaced instead by a tough guy that has some playing ability, generally defensive ability. Those guys are fading away too. Guys like Donald Brashear, Tie Domi, and Todd Fedoruk just look like they're playing in glue. Fighting is all but gone nowadays and these guys lack the speed to keep up with the skilled offensive players. And since you can't just haul players to the ice like they used to the skilled goon is quickly fading away.....One thing that I learned from watching the Oilers/Canucks game last week is that one cool aspect of playing in the NHL on the West Coast is that often times you find yourself as the only game still going on in the league. So a lot of times people like me will see a West Coast game because it's the only game in town and there's nothing else to watch.....On that note the Kings have a defenseman named Joe Corvo on the team. I don't know a lot about the guy other then the basic stats etc. but I've seen the guy play a bunch of times and he's a phenomenal puck handler with a lot of speed. Put it to you this way, he's a defenseman who has a regular spot on Kings' shootouts. In short he's exactly what the Flyers need....Last week's MADE on MTV with Josh being made into a soccer player was ahhhhhhhh, I'm speechless. The man boobs, the Oscar the Grouch pajamas, his stunning revelation that he's gay (I wouldn't have been more sure of that if Josh was wearing a pink mini skirt and singing "YMCA"), his near heart attack after exactly 8 minutes of a lite work out, the running commentary by Josh's self made puppets, and the fact that his puke inducing work was all so he could play a couple minutes of garbage time in one game. You know, I don't throw around the word "masterpiece" very often but I'll say that episode of MADE was a work of art.
- Line of the week - This is old school, 1993 to be exact. From my French Canadian college friend Luc Metivier after I suggested that after Guy Carbonneau, then 33 years old, leaves the Canadiens that the Habs the new captain could be John LeClair...(Said in a Pepe LePew-esque accent) "It will be a cold day in hell before de Canadien have a %$#%! American captain!!!" So here we are 12.5 years later and two amazing things have happened. 1.) I still look exactly like that handsome, young 22 year old that first heard that comment and 2.) the captains of the 6 Canadian hockey franchises are Jarome Iginla (Calgary...a black dude), Saku Koivu (Montréal...a Finn), Mats Sundin (Toronto...a Swede), Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa...a Swede), Marcus Naslund (Vancouver...a Swede), and Jason Smith (Edmonton...well, he's a regular old Canadian but he's the only one).
- Remember the scene in "Dumb and Dumber" when Jim Carrey finally finds the perfect tuxedo, that ridiculous pumpkin colored one, and starts doing a psycho tap dance? That was the same dance Shark GM Doug Wilson did when Bruin president Harry Sinden called and offered him Joe Thorton for Wayne Primeau (who?), Marco Strum (solid player plagued with injury issues), and Brad Stuart (sporadic player in regression mode with concussion issues). I mean are you kidding me? But that's why the Bruins are the Bruins; this is the team that traded Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr, and Ray Borque. Thorton is a good player and was a solid Boston citizen who was surrounded by total garbage in Boston with the exception of Sergie Samsonov. Go to the Bruins website and check out that roster, it's a joke. And of course Thorton has 4 assists in two games with the Sharks and is playing great. Word on the street is that Bruins fans are completely losing their minds and that Bruins players were totally pissed. Harry Sinden's rationale was that he "wanted to shake up the locker room". Huh? You can probably shake up the locker room by throwing a hand grenade in there but that doesn't mean you should do it. And now this....I'm watching the Bruins at Vancouver game on Sunday night and as Vancouver was laying the smack down on the Bruins (a 5 - 2 'Nuck win) the Canuck announcers just passively say that the Bruins may be tired because they flew to Edmonton for Saturday night's game against the Oilers on Saturday morning. Why? So the Bruin management didn't have to pay for a night in a hotel for the team. Absolute disgrace.
- Telling week for the Flyers. They beat the Islanders (4 - 3) and the Devils (2 -1), both teams that are careening toward a lot of time off this spring but when the Flyers went up against the Predators it was bad. The Flyers lost the game (4 - 3) in the first ever shootout in Flyers history. The score may lead you to believe that it was a close game but trust me, the Flyers looked like they were a step behind the speed demon Preds the whole game. If it wasn't for Antero Niittymaki playing so well then the score might have been 10 - 3. The Flyers are a woefully slow team and this should be a true test of GM Bobby Clarke, he's got to unload some of these guys and get this team quicker. I'd say the prime guys that need to be shown the door are Donald Brashear, Chris Therien, Mike Knuble, Mike Rathje and I'd even consider unloading Derian Hatcher. The Flyers did trade Patrick Sharp to the Blackhawks for Matt Ellison. Here's what I know about Matt Ellison, I watched the Blackhawks game against the Panthers the other night and I never remember hearing his name once. Ellison has 3 goals, IN HIS CAREER!! It's a meaningless move.
- So Clemente ran yesterday in the 8th race at Philadelphia Park, he was out of the number 1 post position going a mile and a sixteenth with Rodrigo Madrigal as the pilot. The trainer has issues with Rod sometimes because he has a listening problem. Basically you tell him what needs to be done and he ignores it. So we're in the paddock and Rodrigo comes down from the locker room and he's instructed "get to the center of the track as quick as possible". Basically the track is sloped slightly to the inside and the sand tends to be deeper on the inside hence slower going so...."get to the center of the track as soon as possible". So the gates open up and fairly quickly Clemente gets to the lead, the perfect time to get to the center of the track. Well he never did it. So Clemente ran the entire race in the deep sand, quickly tired out, and finished 8th. I thought our trainer was going to punch Rodrigo after the race. There was a lot of talent in the race so I'm not sure if Clemente would have won with another jockey but 8th is ridiculous. I think Rod Madrigal rode his last race for Bada Boom Racing.
Comments:
saurinmeht@aol.com
dsura@peacehealth.org
ewwasser@hotmail.com
posted by Monday Morning Mehta at 8:50 AM
3 Comments:
Gillick's smart enough to realize this team's under a "budget" unlike the Mets are this year, and that saving about $5 million a year on a closer is worth it (actually more like $7 mill this year the way the contract is set up). That can help them sign a better starting pitcher, sure up the bullpen a little more, etc.
Early prediction, the Phils still finish ahead of the stinkin Mets...
I love the Bobby Cox quote from the winter meetings when asked about the Mets: "They have been reloading for 3 years now." Ouch.
And guess what Bobby...you and the Mets have the same amount of championships over the last 3 years.
EW
Post a Comment
<< Home