Monday Morning Mehta 3/27/06

Edition # 155
March 27, 2006

www.mondaymorningmehta.blogspot.com

We'll breakdown the March Madness games, then we introduce baseball with my AL preview, and we'll talk a little hockey to finish off. Next week is the return of Derreck Sura & the NBA, along with the NL previews and predictions.

March Madness

Atlanta Bracket
LSU and now household name "Big Baby" have taken this bracket by storm. The upset of Duke was fueled by their tough defense and domination of JJ Reddick. My upset pick of West Virginia lost on a phenomenal game on a buzzer beater.

Oakland Bracket
I got one right! UCLA heads to Indy after beating John Calipari and Memphis. The best game out of this bracket was the Gonzaga/UCLA game. In a complete choke job by the Zags, I was very disappointed with Adam Morrison's performance down the stretch. None of the "hyped" All-American candidates really did too much in this tournament to separate themselves, it's been the lesser media hyped players that have been huge.

Washington Bracket
George Mason's Cinderella story continues as they beat the # 1 ranked UConn Huskies in a stunning upset for the ages. Drexel plays in the same conference as George Mason and they played UCLA tough this year (lost by 1 point). This proves that Drexel should've had an at large bid. In all seriousness, UConn's loss really hurts the Big East's credibility. While they had 4 teams in the Sweet 16, not advancing anyone to Indy is a blow to the conference. Poor job by Jim Calhoun not getting his squad in order.

Minneapolis Bracket
Villanova's run ends just as St. Joseph's run, with an Elite 8 loss. A terrible shooting performance in two straight games by the Cats did them in. Randy Foye tried to carry the team but in the end just couldn't get it done. Allan Ray follows his 3 for 32 in last years tournament by shooting 8 for 34 in the final two games this year. But there was plenty of blame to go around in yesterday's loss, as Kyle Lowry, Mike Nardi and Will Sheridan shot a combined 3 for 26. It's amazing this team even shot 25% for the game. Florida dominated inside and the SEC will have 2 representatives in the Final Four in what was supposed to be a down year.

National Semifinal & Final Four Preview - Let's be crazy and pick George Mason to continue their upset story and cut down the nets in Indianapolis. I'll pick LSU to advance to Monday night also.

AL Preview

AL East
New York - 95 wins
This goes with the "Don't think too hard theory". I know the pitching is a mess, and pitching wins, but the Yankees win too. Randy Johnson is still very good, and if they need to they'll get some arms to help at the trade deadline like Shawn Chacon last year. Carl Pavano is the big X-factor for this team, if he is healthy they should be in good shape.

Boston - 90 wins
Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett at the top of the rotation can mask a lot of problems. The loss of Johnny Damon won't hurt as much with young Coco Crisp in center, but Damon was very clutch. Manny Ramirez & David Ortiz in the middle of the lineup is ridiculous. The back of the bullpen is a huge issue, but every team has their problems.

Toronto - 86 wins
I generally don't like building teams through free agency, but when you add quality pitchers, it's hard to ignore. Roy Halladay and AJ Burnett make an excellent 1-2 punch to go with some solid arms (Lilly, Towers, Chacin). But the trendy playoff pick already has oft injured AJ Burnett with injury issues in spring, and I just can't pick this team over the Big Two.

Baltimore - 72 wins
This team has LaTroy Hawkins.

Tampa Bay - 69 wins
The only thing worth watching is Scott Kazmir. Mets traded him for Victor Zambrano in a trade that will likely haunt Mets fans for a long time.

AL Central
Chicago White Sox - 92 wins
Seemed like too many things went right for this club last year. That can't happen again, but I just don't see Minnesota ready and Cleveland is still too young. So they get this division by default.

Minnesota - 83 wins
Johan Santana will carry this team a long way, but in the end, the lineup just won't score enough runs.

Cleveland - 78 wins
I really want to pick this team to win the division. But while the pitching is solid and young, they do have Paul Byrd and Jason Michaels. Got to be some bad karma there.

Detroit - 78 wins
This could be a team that surprises this year. A very nice lineup and some very good pitchers.

Kansas City - 65 wins
The AL may be a lot better than the NL, but some of the bottom feeders in the AL are so bad it's disgusting.

AL West
Oakland - 89 wins
I always like having a sleeper team to root for, and while many people will probably pick the A's to win the division, it's definitely the underdog story. With another smallish payroll, the A's have rebuilt a solid team around some very good young pitchers. Rich Harden & Dan Haren are ready to take the next step and become front line starters. The pitching depth is too big to ignore here, look for them to be a big threat come October.

LA Angels - 86 wins
It's hard to pick against this team but the loss of Paul Byrd is too much to overcome. OK, so it's not that big of a deal, and this team is relatively unchanged from the last few years, but I just don't like the way their season ended to the White Sox last year. Just got a bad feeling about the Angels this year.

Texas - 78 wins
The more I watch of this team, the more I like Buck Showalter and am starting to think he may be the best manager in baseball. But having Kevin Millwood, Adam Eaton, and Vicente Padilla, all ex Phillies pitchers has got to catch up to them sooner or later (but that Eaton for Andy Ashby trade has got to sting the Phils).

Seattle - 72 wins
This is one of those teams that would be a solid team, if they were in the National League. But they're in what could be the toughest division once again.

Next week: Predictions

NHL Week in Review By : Ed Wasser

- First things first, a major shout out to long time MMM subscriber Christina Wichterman and all the fine people at Peco Energy. Wichterman took me to see the Flyers vs. Devils game last Tuesday in Peco Energy's all you can eat and drink luxury box. I was glad to see that the $7.13 I send Peco every month to keep the light bulb lit in the basement I live in finally was rewarded. I was a little depressed that I missed my Models For Christ meeting but there's always next week. So again, thanks Christina!! A few observations from the box....

During the game ex Flyer great Bernie Parent came into the box to sign autographs, shake hands, kiss babies, etc. Parent has the greatest job in the world. He's Bernie Parent, professionally. He gets paid by the Flyers to say hello to fans, cut ribbons at grand openings, throw dirt with a gold shovel at ground breakings, and basically just be himself. Nice work if you can get it.

The Flyers won the game 2 - 1. The score was close but the Flyers controlled the lion share of the play. One thing the Flyers do over and over and over again and it drives me bananas is the power play set up. The majority of significant players on the Flyers are left hand shots so the natural inclination is to set up the power play to the goalies left hand side. But the vast majority of goalies in hockey (like Martin Broduer in this case) are left hand catch. It's WAY easier for a goalie to defend a shot using his glove hand then his blocker and stick so as a result the Flyers get a lot of shots away but goalies, especially great ones like Broduer, make a lot of easy saves. As far as I can tell the only major goalie in the NHL right now that's a right hand catch is Phoenix Coyote Curtis Joseph and he ain't no threat to the Flyers from here on out. The Flyers need to learn to set up on the right side. By the way...both Flyers goals were scored on Broduer's stick side last Tuesday.

- It's common knowledge that after Eric Lindros left the Flyers that his career careened toward obscurity quicker then Byron "Coolidge" Stewart's career after NBC cancelled "The White Shadow". But that's cool, hockey player's careers, no matter how great they once were, eventually die. Look at Gary Roberts in Florida, look at Chris Simon and Tony Amonte in Calgary, it happens. So after Eric Lindros was dead on the vine in New York he somehow manages to get himself to Toronto, his dream job. Lindros turned out to be a complete waste of money, time, and space in Toronto but what did his old man do?!?? (Cue second verse...same as the first!!) He blamed the Leaf doctors!! YEAH!!! OK, just so you know, when Lindros was in Philadelphia and he was taking forever to back to the ice after an injury his father Carl, who is also agent, blamed the Flyers doctors. When Lindros was in New York there was never any complaints about the doctors because Eric played in tons of games. Of course his father, with the help of the idiot Ranger management, made Lindros a deal with his incentives based on games played which made Lindros play with the physical intensity of the princess in the Ice Capades so he was seldom injured. I've heard of guys talking themselves out of a job but I can't say that I've heard of a guy's father talking him out of a job. Lindros has a one year deal and is as good as gone in Toronto.

And another thing, if Lindros had taken the Flyers up on their offer to teach him to be a penalty killer he'd probably be able to get a job next year as a defensive forward a la Keith Primeau. But circa 1994 or so, when the Flyers asked Lindros to take skating lessons in the off season and learn some penalty killing skills he refused. So as a result Lindros is strictly a scorer that doesn't score. Look for Lindros to sign with like the Blue Jackets next year for peanut dough. What a jackass!!

- Notes From Around The League.....This the first time since the memory of man runneth not to the contrary that the Canadiens have two goalies that are not French Canadian, (David Aebischer, Switzerland and Cristobal Huet, France).....So what does trading Joe Thornton and Sergei Samsonov get the GM of the Bruins Mike O'Connell, FIRED!!!! That's what. He was dispatched last week.....Another one from the "Timing Is Everything" department, ex Canadien and inventor of the slap shot Boom Boom Geoffrion died on the day his numbered was to be retired by Montreal.

- So we already talked about the Flyers vs. Devils game. On Wednesday the Flyers played the Rangers. The Rangers were winning 2 - 0 and on their way to an easy victory when Ranger Ryan Hollweg slammed Joni Pikkanen into the boards face first. Hollweg got a 5 minute major and single handedly lost the game for the Rangers. The Flyers scored 3 power play goals on the major and won the game 6 - 3.....The Flyers beat the Senators on Saturday 6 - 3. OK, I can't lie, I was at a party for my mother on Saturday so I didn't see the game. Normally I wouldn't let a small thing like integrity stop me from commenting on a game but this time I can't. I'm cautiously optimistic over the Flyers progress.

Monday Morning Mehta 3/20/06

Edition # 154
March 20, 2006

After an exciting first weekend of the NCAA tournament, most people still have their brackets in tact as all 4 # 1 seeds, 2 # 2 seeds and 2 # 3 seeds advance to the Sweet 16. This coming weekend is where we separate the contenders from the pretenders though. Let's breakdown the first two rounds and look ahead to the Sweet 16.

Atlanta Bracket (Thursday games - LSU/Duke -6.5 7:10pm EST & West Virg/Texas -5 apprx 9:40pm)

Big upset out of this bracket is Iowa. They blew a big 2nd half lead and Steve Alford's seniors go out on a very sour note after winning the Big 12 tourney. I always try to pick against teams that play average ball most of the season, then get hot and win their conference tournament (see Syracuse also). I don't see too many teams giving Duke a hard time in this bracket, and the West Virginia/Texas matchup should be a great game. Look for Duke to cut down the nets in Atlanta and West Virginia remains my wild card.

Oakland Bracket (Thursday games - Brad/Memphis -7 7:27pm & Gonzaga/UCLA -4 apprx. 9:57pm)

Bradley is the real shocker here. The mid majors deserve a ton of credit for their play in this tournament. Not only do they have 4 teams in the Sweet 16 (I'll count Gonzaga as a mid-major), but they had great performances from many other schools. The Big 10 was the obvious big loser of the tournament. UCLA is probably playing the best basketball of anyone in this bracket, but Memphis has been solid after a shaky 1st half vs. Oral Roberts also. I'll stick with UCLA in this bracket but Gonzaga showed everyone something as they won despite a poor performance by Adam Morrison on Saturday.

Washington Bracket (Friday games GMU/Wich St. Pk 7:27pm & Wash/UConn -6 apprx. 9:57pm)

Michigan St. and North Carolina proved to be pretenders in this bracket. I think UConn & Nova got raw deals, getting Kentucky & Arizona as 8 seeds while Duke got UNC Wilm/GW and Memphis got Arkansas/Bucknell. Those two teams are very talented. UConn just seems to be a team that plays when it feels like. They can easily get burned in one of these next two games, but if they want to play, nobody is beating them. The talent is unreal on that team. UConn cuts down the nets.

Minneapolis Bracket (Friday games Nova -3/BC 7:10pm & GTown/Fla -3 apprx. 9:40pm)

Villanova advances to the Sweet 16 with two victories in which they never were behind at any point. Seems like an easy road, but something just isn't right with this team right now. My key to Nova advancing is the play of Kyle Lowry. If he penetrates and is aggressive as he was for portions of the 2nd half yesterday, this team has legitimate National title hopes. If they depend on Randy Foye and Allan Ray too much, that may cause problems in the next two games. One other note from this bracket, is the play of Georgetown center Roy Hibbert. The guy has been amazing and almost unstoppable. I still have all four of my final four picks alive, and I'm not straying from Villanova. BC might be a bigger team, but the Nova guards will put too much pressure on the BC guards and won't allow Craig Smith and Jared Dudley to get the ball in spots where they can take advantage.

NFL - Eagles

Eagles start off the first week and a half of free agency with not much of a bang. I really like the Darren Howard signing, but he was hurt most of last season and has had some injury questions. But for now, I'll give them credit for that one. After that, they signed a backup QB, a backup TE, a guy who's been a 3rd string WR most of his career, and a cheap starting LB who hasn't done much in 3 seasons. Not exactly moves that are going to propel them back to the Super Bowl. The offensive line needs help, and probably badly. Jon Runyan is close to signing with the Patriots, while Tra Thomas' health is still in question. And since the Eagles made it clear when they went after LeCharles Bentley that they don't like Hank Fraley, that leaves them in really bad shape in what is now considered the 2nd most important position (the OL unit) on the team (after QB).

The signing of Terrell Owens to the Cowboys came as no surprise to anyone. What shocked everyone was how much money Owens got. A $5 million signing bonus and a $5 million salary this season. $10 mill pretty much guaranteed, unless they cut him before the season starts. Owens & Rosenhaus get the last laugh in the end, as they got exactly what they wanted. If you turn your volume on and go to www.terrellowens.com - Owens lets you know how happy he is via song.

Baseball

The World Baseball Classic Final is tonight with Japan facing Cuba. The U.S. team was a big disappointment but the managing is what cost them the most from what I saw. Buck Martinez played an all-star game while all the other countries were playing a playoff game. That being said, I'll be interested in seeing this again next year. The U.S. players complained about not being ready to play, but nobody else is either.

NHL Week in Review By : Ed Wasser

- Few points from around the league.....This year, the recipient of "The Mike Keenan Award" given out annually to the coach who's yelling and screaming style works initially but eventually his team gets sick of his act and they wind up turning on him is given to Vancouver Canucks coach Marc Crawford. The 'Nucks might miss the playoffs, there's reports of internal strife, and rumors are Todd Bertuzzi wants out because he can't stand Crawford.....Sidney Crosby's reputation for being a punk is growing by leaps and bounds. The latest guy to call him out was Senator Daniel Alfredsson. Last week he called Crosby a "baby" and said he "starts crying" after every hit.....the Bruins have lost 5 in a row including 4 straight after the Samsonov trade. E.J. Hradek wrote on the Worldwide Leaders' website that as far as the Boston papers are concerned the Bruins don't exist, it's all Red Sox all the time.....Speaking of stupid Bruin trades Joe Thorton just took over the overall NHL scoring lead last week.....Martin Brodeur was yanked from back to back games last week. Once while playing the Penguins then against the Islanders.

- Writing for MMM is just like arriving at a strip club right at shift change, timing is everything. Last week I had planned to write a blurb about how impressed I was with the NHL referees and their continued commitment to calling obstruction penalties even as the playoffs are growing near. I had planned to write that blurb but I got caught up with writing my self serving, only funny to me, crap and I forgot it. Well this week I read that the NHL officials are in the midst of negotiating a new 4 year contract. Ahhhh.....NOW I know why the officials are behaving so diligently, they want more dough!! It all makes sense now, look for the officials to sign a new deal and then go back to their usual lazy penalty calling ways down the stretch next year.

- The Flyers beat the Panthers 4 - 0 last Wednesday because, well, because they're the Panthers. The Flyers dominated the Cats at both ends of the ice and for a fleeting moment I thought that maybe the Flyers had gotten their act together. Then they played the Lightning. The Flyers played a sloppy game, taking penalty after penalty after penalty, giving the Lightning a couple of 5 on 3 power plays which the Bolts promptly buried. The Lightning won 6 - 3. The Flyers came back and beat Atlanta 4 - 2 and played well but the thing with beating mediocre teams and bad teams is that they generally don't make the playoffs, even in the NHL, so you have to beat good teams in order to prove that your team is a threat. Right now I'd say priority number one for the Flyers is to win the division. Currently they're two points out. That way they have home ice advantage, at least for a round maybe two, in the playoffs. Plus their first round opponent would be a beatable Devils team and not the dangerous Sabres.

Comments:
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Monday Morning Mehta 3/14/06

Edition # 153
March 14, 2006

March Madness

Let me start my breakdown by saying this: I've never won an office pool in my life. I can't even remember coming close. I always picked Kansas to win and forgot Roy Williams was coaching. Last year, I picked the winner correctly, UNC, but had just about every other pick incorrect. This year, I've watched the least college hoops in years. I even left the country for two weeks in February. So obviously this means I'm going to dominate office pools and you should take this as gospel.

Atlanta Bracket

Duke gets the overall # 1 seed, and looks very hungry after being ousted last year in the Sweet 16. Texas is the # 2 seed here while Iowa is the # 3 seed. This seems to be the weakest bracket. In the few times I've seen Texas, they've looked very raw and just not ready for the big time.

BRACKET BREAKER # 1 sponsored by Staples: Syracuse gets ousted in the first round by Texas A&M. There's always a 5 vs. 12 upset, and this should be the one this year. A&M is a very comparable team to Syracuse, as made obvious by Vegas making the line Syr -2 (all other 5 vs. 12 games are about 7-8 pt spreads). I'll even give a bonus pick to A&M to upend LSU.

BRACKET BREAKER # 2 sponsored by Staples: West Virginia in the Elite 8. I really like this team this year. West Virginia's run ended at the Elite 8 last year, and I think John Beilein's club knows how to play in these tough tournament games, and I wouldn't be surprised if they upset Duke.

Look for Duke, Texas A&M, West Virginia, and Texas to make it to Atlanta. I'll be conservative and take Duke to make it to Indianapolis.

Oakland Bracket

John Calipari's Memphis St. Tigers with Anfernee Hardaway and Lorenzen Wright are the # 1 seed here. I don't pretend to know anything about Memphis. Do they still play in the pyramid? Anyway, I think the selection committee picked teams the people on the East coast know the least about here. Maybe it's time for Gonzaga to make their Final 4 run here.

Look for Memphis, Pitt, Gonzaga and UCLA to make it to Atlanta. I'll pick UCLA out of this bracket, just because I think Ben Howland is a good coach and his defense will screw these teams up in this bracket. Howland could face his old team Pitt in the Elite 8. I'll also pick UCLA because they have a player named
Luc Mbah a Moute.

Washington Bracket

This is UConn's bracket. Besides Villanova, UConn is probably the team I've seen the most of. This team reminds me of their Omeka Okafor/Ben Gordon team of a few years ago. Immensely talented but sometimes falls asleep.

BRACKET BREAKER # 3 sponsored by Staples: Warning: Do Not pick North Carolina this year. A first round upset is not out of the possibility. Take Murray St. + 13 at the very least. I've supported Roy Williams throughout his struggles, and picked him last year. I'm done with him. He scares me in big games.
Look for UConn, Washington, MSU, and Tennessee to make it to Washington. UConn is the consensus pick by 95% of the general population to make it to Indianapolis and I'm no different.

Minneapolis Bracket

Villanova gets the first # 1 seed in their history in what is perceived as the hardest bracket. When I look at the teams on paper, I'm not so sure. The Wildcats are the big local story, but without the Cinderella St. Joe's theme from a few years back. This team has real pressure to make it to the Final Four. I don't see any reason why they can't. Two things win in the tournament. Having a dominating big guy (Sean May last year, Okafor from years ago, etc) or great guard play. Kyle Lowry, Big East Player of the Year Randy Foye, Allen Ray and Mike Nardi are tournament tested and know what it takes. I just don't see the team in this bracket that can stop those guards.

BRACKET BREAKER # 4 sponsored by Staples. Ohio St. upended by Georgetown. Now you're going to say I'm showing my Big East bias with these picks, but, yeah, why not. It's the toughest conference almost by far, they've faced tournament competition for the last 3 months, why not?

This bracket is full of inexperience especially on the lower end. Florida has a history of tournament disappointments, they have something to prove this year. They're going to be a very tough out. Elite 8 is very possible for them, but their youth might catch up.

Look for Villanova, Nevada, Florida and Georgetown to make it to Minneapolis. I could see a rematch of the 1985 Final with Georgetown facing Villanova. This time, no upset, as Villanova makes it to Indianapolis.

Final Four: So UConn vs. Villanova & Duke vs. UCLA are my National Semifinals. No huge surprises. West Virginia would be my wild card to make the Final Four. As for the winner, I'll take UConn and face the heat from guys like Philly Faf from Detroit for not picking the Wildcats.

NFL/Eagles

The Eagles sign DE Darren Howard to a big contract on the 2nd day of free agency, but the big news is the "loss" of LeCharles Bentley. Bentley ganked the Eagles verbal agreement he had and went on to sign with the Browns, whom he apparently wanted to sign all along.

It's too early to go too crazy, but what continues to drive me nuts about this organization is how they always seem to act as if they have accomplished something in the past. Couple that with their "We'll outsmart everyone on free agents" philosophy, and it's downright nausiating.

There's no reason the Eagles shouldn't have pursued Mike Anderson & Antonio Bryant heavily. Combined they would've costed them half of what it took to sign Bentley. The free agent market dries up really quick, and if the Eagles gon into the season $10 million under the cap again, that'll be a disgrace.

World Baseball Classic

I've been watching the WBC rather closely the last week. It's totally obvious that the players are very much into it on all the teams. Even the US. They genuinely want to win. But a few things I've noticed:

- Buck Martinez is a dope. He's coaching these games like an all star game. Plays his good players in the start of the game for 5-6 innings, and then "gets everyone in the game". What a moron. In the loss to Canada last week, he took out Jason Varitek, the teams hottest hitter and team leader who had hit a grand slam in his prior at bat, for Brian Schnieder in the 8th inning. Schnieder came up with runners on base in a key spot and popped up. You have to use your bench wisely, get good lefty/righty matchups etc. Buck's more interested in playing everyone.

- Ever watch the Devil Rays or Royals vs. the Yankees? Do the Yankees go 17-0 vs. the Devil Rays every year? No, in fact, they had a losing record to the Rays last year. This is why a team like Korea and Canada can beat the US. Baseball is strange in that you can barely be above .500, but still be a World Series contender. If the US isn't 100% focused and ready to play they will and have lost. Couple that with Buck Martinez, and, well, there you go.

- Al Leiter on the US team??????? WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Disgrace to put the US/Korea game on tape delay last night. Disgrace.

- Endy Chavez has two home runs. 'Nuf said.

NHL Week In Review By : Ed Wasser

- PLEASE, PLEASE...everyone just calm down!!! PLEASE STOP PUSHING AND SHOVING!!! I know that you all have been sitting on the edge of your collective seats desperately waiting to hear my opinion of the trades made at the NHL trade deadline but please don't panic!! There's no need for you all to resort to violence, I know you've all been dying to hear my opinion on the Coyotes getting Yannick Lehoux from the Kings for Ric Jackman but you're going to have to give me a few minutes because I'm going to talk about the Flyer trades first. Thank you. Here we go...

The Flyers pick up defenseman Denis Gauthier from the Coyotes for 2 second round picks and Philadelphia Phantom Josh Gratton. I dunno, this seems like a lot to give up for Gauthier. Whenever I read about prospects on the rise on different websites and in different publications scouts always seem to mention Gratton as a future star, and I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that those scouts know more about hockey then me. Gauthier is a stay at home defenseman, a tough guy that can hit, a guy that enjoys penalty killing, but a ghost on offense. That's OK though, the Flyers offense has been solid, they needed help desperately on the penalty kill and they got it.

The Flyers also picked up winger Niko Dimitrakos from the Sharks for a third round pick. Here's what I know about Dimitrakos......he's Greek. (The crowd is dead silent. 2 minutes goes by. A man checks his watch. Random cough heard in the background) Any questions? The worst part is the Sharks are a fun team to watch plus I'm an insomniac so I've seen a lot of their games, I can remember hearing his name but I can't think of one single thing of merit he's ever contributed in a Sharks game. So I looked up his stats and the one word that sprang to mind is "unremarkable". Actually when I first looked up his stats I saw 19 goals and I thought "HOT DAMN!! A 19 goal scorer!!" But then I saw the 19 goals was for his career. In reality he's not an offensive threat at all and this year he has a bunch of healthy scratches. Plus I read a scouting report that said Dimitrakos "is prone to losing intensity at times". OUCH!! I guess we'll see, for a third round pick I figure it's worth a shot to see if a change of scenery will do him well.

- Last Sunday I watched Duke play Boston College at the Brokeback Mountain Arena for the 2006 ACC championship. I'm not going to come right out and say that ESPN announcer Mike Patrick is in love with Duke guard J.J. Redick but I'll just say that if the two of them were out to dinner and there was a little wine, maybe some candlelight....Patrick would definitely try to kiss him. That's all I'm saying. And if you saw Patrick's broadcast of the game you know exactly what I'm talking about.

- So I'll just give you all my thoughts on a few trades. Colorado GM Pierre Lacroix stuck his neck in the guillotine and told the executioner "go ahead punk!! I dare you to pull that lever you piece of crap!!" Lacroix traded away goalie David Aebischer to the Habs for goalie José Theodore. Aebischer has had a good season and had a great, more like GREAT!!!, Olympics playing for the Swiss while Theodore has been terrible this season; Theodore been pulled more times this season then a 14 year old boy's johnson. Plus Theodore has a broken heel and may not be ready to play until late March, maybe later. Granted Theodore is a former Hart (MVP) and Vezina (best goalie) Trophy winner and if he regains his former mojo then Lacroix will look like a genius. Of course if Lacroix is wrong then he'll be dancing for nickels in the subway in two years.

The Bruins traded Sergei Samsonov to the Oilers for Marty Reasoner (doesn't that name sound like an accountant?), Yan Stastny, and a second round pick. At this point it's like the Bruins management vs. the fans. It's like "you wanna be a Bruins fan you punk ass?!?! Try this one on for size!!" And they trade away the only players they have (Joe Thorton and Samsonov). Oh I'm sorry....I'm sure that Bostonians will push each other out of the way to go and buy tickets to see Marty Reasoner, Marco Sturm, and Yan Stastny.

The last major trade was Mark Recchi from the Penguins to the Hurricanes for Niklas Nordgren, Krys Kolanos, and a second round pick. Look, I'm going to come clean with everyone and finally reveal my true level of NHL hockey expertise....in short, I'm a genius. But occasionally there can be a few players that escape my radar. I know the Flyers really, really, REALLY wanted to get Recchi back. And I also know that Recchi really, really, REALLY wanted to come back to the Flyers. And I know that the Flyers had a lot of minor league chips to make it so, or so I thought. From what I've read the players the Hurricanes gave up to get Recchi are on the brink of NHL stardom and fit perfectly in the Penguins rebuilding plans. I have a feeling the kids the Hurricanes gave up are prospects that are so blue chip they're flouresant so the Flyers never had a chance.

- Shhhhhhhhhhhh.......you hear that? Way off in the distance? It's the sound of Freddy Mercury spinning in his grave hearing Paul Rogers singing Queen tunes on the "Queen, Featuring Paul Rogers" tour.

- Last week's death of Kirby Puckett told me a lot about the press in this country. First of all I saw reports that had Puckett's age as 44, a lot that had Puckett's age as 45, and a handful of reports that had his age as 46. Let me ask you, is there a more easily verifiable fact in the world then someone's age? And there were hundreds of articles that got it wrong. I'm still not sure what his exact age was. If reporters can't get a guy's age correct what are they getting correct? And all I read about was what a great guy Puckett was, he had a love of the game, yada, yada, yada. Ummmm...am I the only one that remembers that Puckett beat up his wife, plus he threatened to kill her, and he was charged with battery and false imprisonment? Puckett was also once charged with criminal sexual misconduct when he followed a woman into the ladies room at a bar and molested her in a bathroom stall against her will. It's like the press is saying "sure Puckett beat up a woman and he molested another one but he had a big toothy grin and that makes it all OK". Think about this Puckett love fest when you see the press DESTROY Barry Bonds on a daily basis. I'll admit Bonds is a jerk and a cheater but at least he never committed any violent crimes.

- The 2006 World Hockey Rankings came out this week. Sweden was the obvious choice as the number one team, followed by Canada. The rankings that concern me 44 and 45, Ireland (birthplace of former NHLer Owen Nolan) and Armenia respectively. They rank behind México, South Africa, Israel, South Korea, North Korea, China, Australia, and New Zealand. Wow, who knew those countries even had teams? If you'd like a chance to play in the Olympics take 2 weeks of skating lessons and move to Ireland or Armenia because I think you get on the Olympic team if you have your own skates and a stick.

- Well, it started off OK for the Flyers. They had two shootout wins in the beginning of the week and they played tough in both games. They beat the Habs 5 - 4 and the Hurricanes 3 - 2. So it was looking good....until they played the Sabres last Saturday. Goalie Antero Niittymaki played like crap yet he was never pulled from the game and the Flyer defense was often on their heels. Mike Grier scored the game winning goal with 4 and change seconds left which was back breaking. But the Sabres are a dangerous team and the loss was almost excusable. It was the next game against the Penguins that was the most troubling. When watching the Penguins it's best to be close to the internet because since the trade deadline, with a few exceptions, a lot of times when they announce Penguin players' names you'll be asking yourself "who?" and you'll need to look the guy up. But they managed to beat the Flyers, and they shut them out 2 - 0 to boot. I'm at a loss. The Flyers are so inconsistent it's maddening. At this point I'd be stunned if they got past the Sabres in the first round of the playoffs.

Monday Morning Mehta 3/6/06

Edition # 152
March 6, 2006

www.mondaymorningmehta.blogspot.com

MMM returns after the longest break in the history of MMM! It's always strange when you're away in a foreign country for a few weeks. You come back and there's things that you completely missed that people consider commonplace. Like jokes about our Vice President firing a gun at his friends face. Or Darren Daulton talking about out of body experiences as if that happens to everyone. Or some midget from the Knicks winning the slam dunk contest by jumping over Spud Webb. Anyway, enough about me, let's get to MMM. February is generally considered the slowest sports month, and with record low interest in the Torin Winter Olympics, this February was no different. Here's the way the next couple weeks will breakdown:

March 14th - March Madness Preview with Bracket Breakers sponsored by Staples (Note: Next week's MMM will be on Tuesday!!)
March 20th - Monday Morning Mehta March Madness (5M)
March 27th - AL Preview & Predictions
April 3rd - NL Preview & Predictions plus the return of Derreck Sura & the NBA
April & May - NBA & NHL playoffs

NFL

We should be right in the middle of NFL's free agency season, but the talk around the NFL is the CBA. There continues to be snail's pace progress towards a new deal, with insiders now saying the owners are going to be voting Tuesday on a potential agreement. Free agency has been pushed back to Thursday, for now. By the time this hits the presses we could have three or four more changes though. I think something will get worked out eventually. The NFL is smart enough to recognize there's no need for a big fight, things are going too well to let any bad PR get in the way.

As for the Eagles, they seem to be taking the appropriate steps as laid out in my Official 2006 Philadelphia Eagles offseason guide sponsored by America On-Line. LeCharles Bentley is going to be the big pickup when free agency is allowed to start, who will upgrade the offensive line significantly. Generally thought of as one of the game's best centers, Bentley will turn 27 during the season and is just reaching his prime years. Bentley and Shawn Andrews will be pro bowlers on this line for years to come. Other rumored pickups are Jeff Garcia & Shawn Barber. Barber played well for the Eagles 3 seasons ago and would likely replace Keith Adams. I'm still looking to replace Dsucki Jones but I may not get my wish (recently released LaVar Arrington is a pipe dream - and a guy who seems like a bad seed). Garcia will upgrade the backup QB position, and also give McNabb someone who also hates Owens on the team.

Another rumor, which I hope isn't a rumor, is the Eagles interest in recently released Mike Anderson. Talk about a perfect fit to go along Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter. If all the Eagles did on offense this offseason was sign Anderson, Charles and Garcia, I'd be relatively satisfied. But I'll get greedy and ask for a WR too (doesn't need to be Randle El, although that would be terrific). Just someone who pushes Todd Pinkston to # 3 (Kevin Johnson?).

MLB

The World Baseball Classic is underway (in Asia) and even though most of the big name players have dropped out, it'll still be fun to watch. The Dominican team appears to be the favorite on paper, with the US team, Puerto Rico, Korea, Japan, Cuba and Venezuela the other countries looking to make noise. Since this is the first tournament, and pitchers are all on pitch counts (65 pitches for starters in the first round, increases as tournament goes on), who knows what's going to happen. We could have a situation where a pitcher hits his pitch count, and gets taken out in the middle of an inning in the middle of a 2-2 count. But who cares.

One other interesting note, I think this is going to be Chase Utley's coming out party. He's going to be right in the middle of the US lineup and Phillies fans know his knack for the big hit. Look for chase to "parlay" this into all star starter status.

NBA - Derreck Sura

The NBA trade deadline came and went since my last column with thirteen deals going down league wide. So without further ado, it's time for the second annual 'Trade Spectacular' edition of MMM.

Deal #1 (1/31) - New Orleans/Oklahoma City acquires Aaron Williams from Toronto for two 2nd rounders (Miami's in 2006 & NO/OKC's in 2009). This was the first of what would turn out to be many smaller deals that GM's in the association would pull off. Williams is in his twelfth year and gives the Hornets a bruiser down low that plays defense and rebounds. He's a little foul prone and does not block shots or create his own offense. However, he does hustle and gives a consistent effort every night. Which is more then you can say about the guy he replaced (Chris Andersen).

Raptors' interim GM Wayne Embry did well to get two 2nd round picks for A Wil. Aaron's probably not worth more then one pick these days, especially when you take into account that's he's in the last year of his contract and can walk or retire after the season.

Deal #2 (2/1) - Philadelphia sends Steven Hunter to NO/OKC for two 2nd rounders (the Hornets' in 2006 & 2007). This trade was later rescinded by NO/OKC GM Jeff Bower who claimed that Hunter failed his physical. What exactly was wrong with Steven was never revealed, but speculation centered of his right knee (he tore his ACL in 2002).

The whole reason I'm even mentioning this failed trade is because Sixers' GM Billy King almost pulled another "BK Special" (TM). You see, BK signed Hunter on 8/11/05 to a 5 year 16.5 million contract. Then he tried to trade him approximately six months later half way into his first season with the club. If this was a one time thing with BK you could chalk it up to him realizing his mistake and cutting his losses early. The fact of the matter is that this is a very disturbing trend with BK. One that should have every Philly fan up in arms in my humble opinion.

Just look at the list of players he has signed and then traded before the ink was dry on the contracts he gave them. Kenny Thomas, Brian Skinner, Derrick Coleman, Eric Snow, Monty Williams, Dikembe Mutombo, George Lynch, Bruce Bowen, and Toni Kukoc. Then there's the guys he waived after giving them ridiculous deals. Greg Buckner (bought out) and Aaron McKie (amnesty cut). I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Efthimios Rentzias, who was released just a year after (35 games played) BK parted ways with two 2nd rounders for him. Lastly, I give you the case of Matt Barnes. He was acquired in the Chris Webber trade last year and proceeded to never play in a game for the Sixers and was not offered a contract in the summer. What does my man BK do after showing zero interest in Barnes? Signs him in December after the Knicks, of all teams, released him.

All these moves add up to what I like to call a history. I haven't lived in Philly full time since 1997, but I'd like to think I know a little something about the City's zest for all things sports. How Billy King is still employed is absolutely beyond me. I'm not even mentioning the coaching the carousel he has conducted the last four years (5 coaches). If you feel I'm being too harsh, check this link out and judge for yourself.

http://hoopshype.com/general_managers/billy_king.htm

Deal #3 (2/3) - Toronto deals Jalen Rose and a 1st round pick (Denver's this year) to New York for Antonio Davis. More then anything this was about Knicks' President Isiah Thomas getting another (already has San Antonio's) first round pick this year since he already dealt NY's pick (which figures to be pretty good) to Chicago in the Eddy Curry trade. Another facet of this deal is that Jalen's contract (16.9 million) is up after next season, making him a valuable trade commodity at next year's deadline. On the other hand, this deal doesn't do much for the Knicks on the court. Davis was their best interior defender and a veteran voice of reason in the locker room. Rose is not a Larry Brown type player to say the least. Jalen can still score and put up numbers in a variety of ways, but he does not defend or take kindly to criticism of his game.

For the Raptors this move puts them at least ten million dollars under the salary cap this off season. In the meantime though, Antonio becomes coach Sam Mitchell's best option at center and gives Toronto a decent starting five. This trade also helps protect franchise cornerstone Chris Bosh's back. Which they are hoping makes Bosh happy enough to sign an extension this summer.

Deal #4 (2/9) - Houston acquires Keith Bogans from Charlotte for Lonny Baxter. This seems like a very minor deal on the surface, but each team filled a void created by injuries. The Rockets' back court has been in flux all year with only David Wesley and rookie Luther Head available for every game. In Bogans they get a tough minded defender with good athleticism that is a perfect fit for coach Jeff Van Gundy's system. Keith has a tendency to hoist some bad shots, but if can adapt to his new role, he will pay dividends for Houston down the stretch.

The Bobcats' front court has been totally ravaged by the injury bug. Baxter is little more then a big body, but quite frankly, that's exactly what Charlotte needed. Lonny plays hard, can score around the basket when given the chance, and isn't afraid to use all six fouls on defense. He's a little short, but knows how to use his bulk to compensate.

Deal #5 (2/13) - NO/OKC sends Maciej Lampe to Houston for Moochie Norris. This may be the definition of an insignificant trade. The Hornets wanted a third PG in case Chris Paul and Speedy Claxton both got injured at the same time again. Moochie does know how to run a team, but he's a step slow on defense and his jumper is terrible. It seems to me that Norris lost confidence in his offense about the same time he shaved his 'fro. Grow it back Mooch, before it's too late!
It's well documented in MMM that Lampe is my boy because he's the first Polish born NBA player. Alas, he has not really panned out. The Rockets will be his fourth team in only his third year in the league. Maciej can stroke it from all over the court on offense, but he has no interest in playing defense or rebounding. He's still only 20 years old, and 6'11 275 lbs. guys that can make jumpers don't grow on trees, but he needs to work on his big man skills if he's going to stick. Reason being, he's no where near quick enough to defend on the perimeter. At this point he'd be best served by signing with a bad team this summer that can afford to give him the minutes he needs to develop.

Deal #6 (2/14) - Seattle deals Vladimir Radmanovic to the Clippers for Chris Wilcox. I love this deal for Los Angeles. Clips' coach Mike Dunleavy Sr. hated Wilcox for some reason, so dumping him for Vlade Rade is a very nice pick up. Radman can shoot the 3 with the best of them, and gave LA a nice fill in while Corey Maggette was out. Vlade does tend to lose interest if he's not getting the touches he thinks he deserves, and that could develop into a situation with Maggette back. Also, VR is not used to playing the intense type of defense the Clips have been this year. All that aside, whether he continues to be a starter, or is moved to the instant offense 6th man role, Vlade Rade is in a contract year, and should flourish spacing the floor playing along side LA's post players.

Wilcox is a bit of an enigma at this point is his career. No one denies the 23 year old's athletic ability and "upside", but he just hasn't been able to put it together for some reason. He has shown flashes, but never any consistency. Maybe Dunleavy sapped his confidence or he didn't like playing behind Elton Brand? Whatever the case may be, Chris' time is now. The Sonics play an up tempo style that should suit his game to a tee. Seattle is terrible taboot, so he should see plenty of minutes and get his share of touches in the post. He's also a restricted free agent after the season, so if he wants to get paid, now is his time to shine.

Deal #7 (2/15) Detroit trades Darko Milicic and Carlos Arroyo to Orlando for Kelvin Cato and a 1st round pick (Magic's in 2007 (top 5 protected) or 2008). The Pistons finally gave up on the Darko era. I have to temper my blasting of Detroit President Joe Dumars until I see what he does with the pick he acquired, but it's quite possible that Joe D could come away with nothing after having the second pick in what could go down as one of the best drafts in NBA history. Cato gives the Pistons another big body up front to deal with Shaquille O'Neal come playoff time. More importantly though, Kelvin's contract comes off the books after the season. This should allow Joe D to resign Ben Wallace and extend Chauncey Billups.

Orlando gets two young players that still have "potential". I like Arroyo's game. Yes he can be a little wild at times, but I think it's because he's trying too hard, rather then lack of basketball IQ. Carlos can run a team, create shots for others, and hit a mid-range jumper. His defensive technique needs work, but he does possess the foot speed to defend his position. As for Darko, who knows? Getting out of Detroit was certainly a good thing for him. His confidence was shot and he plainly did not want to be there anymore. Playing along side superstar in the making Dwight Howard should ease the pressure and expectations up on Milicic some. If Darko is really better facing the basket, his game should mesh with Howard's low post game perfectly. This was a calculated risk for the Magic, but having salary cap room, two good young PG's (Jameer Nelson & Arroyo), and two 20 year old seven footers with massive "upside" is a good place for a rebuilding franchise to start.

Deal #8 (2/22) - Orlando sends Steve Francis to New York for Penny Hardaway and Trevor Ariza. This move packed by far the most wow factor of any deal that went down. "What is Isiah thinking" must have been said ten thousand times in the days following this trade. Well, he did get Francis for two guys that weren't playing at all, so in that regard this exchange is a steal and a half. The thing is, winning games in the NBA comes down to more then who has the most talent. I have no doubt that the Knicks back court rotation of Stevie, Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Quentin Richardson, and Nate Robinson is going to be a train wreck. Mainly because their coach is Larry Brown. With that crew at their disposal most coaches would go to an up tempo run and gun style to maximize the talent they have. Wait, hold on a minute. I'm trying not to laugh. Larry Brown, adapting to his players strengths? C'mon now, we all know he's going to get his team to play his way, conventional wisdom be damned! At the very least NY will be more interesting to watch now, but I doubt they'll be any more successful. I'm willing to give Zeke until the next year's trade deadline to see if his "plan" is taking shape. If it's not, he's gone, and LB gets the keys. Which is really what Mr. Play-the-right-way has wanted from the start anyway.
The Magic waived Penny two days after the trade. I'm not surprised, but I am a little disappointed. I was dieing to see Hardaway and coach Brian Hill's tearful reunion. Anyway, in Ariza Orlando gets an athletic, long, 20 year old swingman with "potential". I thought Trevor was pretty darn his rookie year, but he was suffering under the "LB confidence reduction program" like many so young players before him have. Ariza's offensive game needs work, but he can finish in transition and is already an above average defender.

Sidebar: For those of you out there that think I bash LB too much, let me remind you of this. MMM was started as an outlet to blast Warren Sapp. So if you don't like me laying into LB every time I mention his name, tough cookies.

Deal #9 (2/23) - Seattle gets Earl Watson, Bryon Russell, a 2nd round pick (Denver's in 2008), and cash. Denver gets Reggie Evans, Ruben Patterson, and Charles Smith. Portland gets Voshon Lenard and Brian Skinner. Sacramento gets Vitaly Potapenko and Sergei Monia. I'd have to say that the Nuggets made out the best of all four teams in this trade. They received two players that fit nicely into coach George Karl's system and will help them immediately in their quest to win the Northwest Division. Evans is a tough rebounder and a nice insurance policy for Denver's perpetually injured front line. Patterson is a team cancer if I ever saw one, but he should be on his best behavior since next season is a contract
year for him. He gives the Nugs a tough perimeter defender and another energy guy to go along with Eduardo Najera. With Denver still needing a SG badly, I'm a little surprised that Charles Smith was released last Wednesday after only appearing in one game (2 minutes).

The Sonics finally acquired the back up PG coach Bob Hill had been grousing for. Watson is a nice fit with Luke Ridnour because Earl can defend his position with the best of them, but his J and decision making are a little shaky. Luke is basically the exact opposite, but I worry about how Rid will deal with the pressure of possibly competing for minutes. I would hope, for everyone's sake, that this is Bryon Russell's last stop in the association. He was also waived last Wednesday, after never gracing the court in a Seattle uniform.

The Trail Blazers were looking to rid themselves of Patterson and clear up more minutes for Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster at the swing positions. Nice work, but there's still plenty left to do in Portland. Lenard's contract is up after the season and I don't expect him to see much time or be resigned in the summer. Skinner has a limited offensive arsenal, but works hard, bangs down low, plays defense, and rebounds. B Skins is a very nice insurance policy if Joel Przybilla leaves and/or Theo Ratliff is traded. (Please let this be GM John Nash's final move.)

The Kings wanted to get below the luxury tax threshold and did so by swapping Skinner's contract for Potapenko's. The "Ukraine Train" should fit right in with Sacto's new tougher attitude. He's never met a foul he couldn't take, and take hard. Monia is a relative unknown after spending a year in Russia after being drafted 23rd in 2004. He only appeared in 23 games for the Blazers and always seemed a step slow to me. He's got enough athleticism though. I think it was more the speed of the NBA game that he was having trouble with. Barring injuries, I don't see him playing much for the Kings this year, but he'll get his chance next season when Bonzi Wells is gone. Just knowing President Geoff Petrie's track record, something tells me Sergei might surprise.

Deal #10 (2/23) - New Jersey deals Marc Jackson, Linton Johnson, and cash to NO/OKC for Bostjan Nachbar. The Hornets got their big man after rejecting Steven Hunter. Even though Jackson is the prototypical "black hole" type player on offense, he should be a nice back up for David West. He's not much of a defender, but with P.J. Brown and Aaron Williams already in the fold, all coach Byron Scott needs is his offense. Johnson is known for his defense and should see a few minutes off the bench in a stopper kind of role.

The Nets made this move to clear up salary cap space so they can sign a veteran free agent if they decide to. However, don't over look what Nachbar brings to the table. Granted, he is a liability on defense, but NJ lacks a consistent shooter from 3 point range, and that is exactly where Bostjan excels. With Vince Carter drawing double teams and Jason Kidd looking for him, Nachbar has a chance to fit in and really help the Nets.

Deal #11 (2/23) - Seattle sends Flip Murray to Cleveland for Mike Wilks and cash. Say what you want about Danny Ferry the player, but he's off to a pretty good start as a GM. Giving up the seldom used Mike Wilks (who?) for Murray will be a major league heist if Flip finds his shooting touch. I know that something about the Cavalier franchise makes shooters forget how to shoot, but since Murray was already struggling this year, maybe Cleveland will have the opposite effect on him. The Cavs desperately needed an outside threat with Larry Hughes and Luke Jackson both likely done for the season. Damon Jones and Sasha Pavlovic just were not cutting it. Flip has a chance to make himself a lot of money this summer if he can find the range again.

The Sonics basically gave Murray away just to be rid of him. Give Seattle GM Rick Sund credit, he unloaded every headache guy on the roster except Danny Fortson in one fell swoop. Vlade, Reggie, Vitaly, and Flip had all complained about minutes and touches at some point during this season. So when you look at it like that, it was a simple case of addition by subtraction. As for Wilks, he will be the third PG for the Sonics and probably won't play much unless Rid or Earl gets hurt.

Deal #12 (2/23) - Houston trades Derek Anderson to Miami for Gerald Fitch. I'm not sure the Heat really needed Anderson, but I suppose he's an upgrade over Jason Kapono. Derek has hardly been healthy this year, or the past three years for that matter. When able, Anderson is an above average defender that likes to get out and run and finish in transition. Isiah takes all the shots, but Miami coach/President Pat Riley adding another veteran to a team already struggling to find some chemistry should be questioned too.

For the Rockets, DA became expendable when they acquired Keith Bogans. They were just happy to be out from under his salary. Fitch will step into the third PG role vacated by Moochie Norris. I'd be surprised if Gerald is in the league next year.

Deal #13 (2/23) - Philadelphia deals Lee Nailon and a 2nd round pick (Sixers' this year with the option to swap with New Jersey) to Cleveland for a 2nd round pick (the Cavaliers will keep the pick they sent to Philly unless they finish with one of the top three records in the league). Cleveland waived Nailon the next day. Danny Ferry must have been doing some kind Duke alumni favor for Billy King or something.

Other then another "BK Special" (Nailon was signed 10/3/05), the Sixers were trying to get far enough under the salary cap that they could make the best offer for Tim Thomas. While I think TT would have been a nice fit on paper in Philly, haven't we seen his act before? He is not a team guy, never has been, and it's not like the Sixers have this great chemistry going on or anything. I'm just grateful that BK has a "plan", because if he didn't say so, it might appear to the naked eye that he's chasing his tail most of the time.

I'm making my way to Europe for the first time this Friday, so this is the last you will hear from me until April 3rd. By that time the NBA will be in it's stretch run and I know you'll all be looking forward to the return of my informed and witty commentary. I plan on not following anything to do with the NBA for the entire time (so it's like a real vacation for me). I'll be taking in the PSV - Ajax match at the Amsterdam ArenA while I'm there. I considered doing a report, then I remembered that none of you care about soccer.

NHL Week in Review By : Ed Wasser

- Sorry about that layoff everyone but I just had to pursue a dream, and thankfully MTV was there to cover it. Since I was a kid I had a dream, the same dream all kids have, to be a professional competitive eater. It's a dream that takes a lot of training, mostly with lettuce and pudding, to reach the pinnacle of the sport. The pinnacle of course being the caviar of competitive eating...hot dogs. Thankfully MTV featured my quest on "True Life : I'm a Competitive Eater" and, if you saw the show and my alter ego of Eater X you know that I have a lot of work to do but dammit I'm committed. Until then....ON TO HOCKEY!!!

- DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?!?!?!?!?!?!? No. The American hockey team crashed and burned in Turino, don't call me Turin. They never even remotely got it together. Few reasons.....USA Hockey GM Don Waddell made A LOT of enemies within the last 3 months. C.C. Baird has a better chance of getting the award for P.E.T.A. Man of the Year then Waddell has of being USA Hockey GM again.(Anyone that gets that reference gets a pop culture gold medal) I thought it was kind of a good idea to put a few young players on the roster but Waddell was like Tom Cruise shooting the machine gun in the last 5 minutes of "Taps" on that roster ("It's beautiful, man!! IT'S BEAUTIFUL!!") But it wasn't beautiful because the international game is a different game and experience counts for a lot. The international game, due to the larger ice surface, is a 5 and 5 and 5 game. That's 5 men in the offensive zone playing offense, 5 men in the defensive zone playing defense, and 5 man lines. In the NHL game they have 3 man lines with the defensive pairings being treated as a separate entity switched on the fly independent of the forwards. The reason for that is the smaller ice surface in the NHL makes the time a team needs to make changes very short and if you tried to change all 5 players at once one mistake could make for a 5 on 0 rush going the other way and I'm guessing that might be tough for a goalie to stop. It's tough to get used to the international game for a player that doesn't have experience with it. Players from Europe and Asia, who play all their games on the 200' by 100' ice surface before they ever get to the NHL, jump back into that style like Hugh Hefner slipping into a pair of silk jammies. The Americans not so much. They were often out of position and had become so jittery and scared about giving up odd man rushes that they forgot they needed to score. Now granted Tony Amonte, John LeClair, and Brian Leetch aren't having the greatest seasons in the world in the NHL but they've played in the Olympics, World Championships, World Cups, you name it and they know how to play that game. They were missed.

I'm giving Jeremy Roenick and Cammi Granato their own paragraphs in regards to USA Hockey. First of all Roenick; the fact that he was left off the Olympic roster is a joke. Roenick was left off the roster as Waddell's revenge for Roenick skipping some international event years ago. It was just a petty "I'll show you!!" display of power. Roenick deserved to be on the team.

Now most of you probably don't even know who Cammi Granato is. Cammi Granato was without question the greatest women's hockey player in the history of the game. She was with USA Hockey women's program since it's inception and has played in every event in the history of the program, Granato also carried the flag in the closing ceremonies of the 1998 Nagano Olympics. Granato won the Olympic gold in 1998 and 2002. Did you get that? Cammi Granato donned an American hockey sweater for every game that the American women's team has ever played, she was the best player on all of those teams, she's the all time leading scorer in women's hockey history, and was an Olympic hero in 1998 and 2002. Oh, by the way, Cammi was also the captain of every American team she ever played on. She was tireless in her efforts to promote the women's game all around the world, before Cammi nobody gave 2 craps about women's hockey and it certainly wasn't an Olympic sport, Cammi and a few others made it popular. Well, it may not be THAT popular but you have to remember they were starting from zero. Granato was like Tony Hawk, seriously did anyone care about skate boarding before he put into people's thought process? Of course not. So Cammi is no kid any more in the athletic world (she's 34) and last fall they had "tryouts" for the women's American hockey team. Obviously I have no idea how Cammi played in the tryouts but she got cut. Granato got cut like she was some first timer going out for the team. There was no pulling her aside and asking her how she wants to go out, no press conference, no giving her a chance to retire, nothing. Just a disgrace. But you should have heard ESPN's Al Morganti when he heard about it. USA Hockey takes donations to help in training, spread the hockey message, etc. and Morganti said that over his dead body would he donate another dime to them. The women's team won a bronze medal, losing 4 - 0 to the Finns, which was ridiculous considering the fact that USA and Canada were the only teams that were really worth a crap. I was watching the Russian team play the US and the announcer said the Russian team had to borrow skates for the tournament. Huh? So the Americans got what they deserve.

- From the Ed Wasser conspiracy department.....why are the Rangers the only team in the NHL that didn't play a game until last Thursday, a full 3 days after the Olympic closing ceremonies while all the other teams played on either Tuesday and Wednesday? Not only did the Red Wings play on Tuesday but they played in San José, approximately 9,000 miles from Turino. But of course everything revolves around the Rangers so they get special treatment.

- Do you think the "Claymates" that actually believe that Clay Aiken is straight are all the granddaughters of the women that once believed that Liberace was straight?

- Truth be told the Americans never were predicted to do anything in the Olympics, the Canadians on the other hand were expected to win it all and they didn't even win any medal. I've seen more competitive fire from Beth on the "Real World/Road Rules : The Gauntlet". Remember the scene from "King Kong" when the monkey escapes into the streets of New York and the people panic and freak out and just run all over the place? That's the level of panic that is currently going on in Canada right now. The Canadiens are out of the playoffs, as are the Maple Leafs, the Canadian Olympic hockey team got shut out 3 times in the Olympics, including one to the Swiss who I didn't even know had an Olympic hockey team until about 2 weeks before the games. Granted the Canadian men's curling team took the gold but for some reason it's not appeasing the people like you think it might. Don Cherry on "Hockey Night in Canada" last Saturday had a good idea. Basically he believes that instead of taking a bunch of different guys and just sticking them on a team why not take combinations of players that are effective in the NHL? For example Eric Staal and Rod Brind'Amour are tearing things up for the Hurricanes, why not take the two of them, keeping 2/3 of their line intact, to play in the Olympics? The combination is a proven winner. At any rate the Canadians really blew it in the Olympics, they had the most talent by far, not mention a lot of experience. For them to come up totally dry is awful.

- As predicted by me the Swedes won the Olympic gold. Just call me Jimmy The Greek, not only for my bang on prognosticating but because I too would like to punch Brent Musberger in the face. I'm glad that I got that prediction in just in the nick of time because as we all know all predictions become null and void after 90 days. I mean really, who could accurately predict what say the Rangers for example will do for an entire hockey season? After 90 days I believe all predictions need to be erased and revisited.

- The Flyers are in free fall. They lost 3 games since the Olympics, all division games, including a devastating 6 - 1 loss to the Rangers. The Rangers toyed, and I mean TOYED, with the Flyers. Of course that was easy to see, everyone knew the Rangers would be good this year. I can't complain about the Flyers defensive zone coverage because it doesn't exist. Honestly the Flyers can't get out of their own way on defense. I just watch the Flyers and see guys with their backs to the play, two guys covering the same man, lazy back checking...I mean who the hell are Mike Richards and Jeff Carter to be lazy defensive players? I'm at a loss for a solution. Do the Flyers need some new blood before the trade deadline? Probably, but right now they're hemorrhaging and that would be a band-aid. This is the time of the year when teams should be coming into their own, the Flyers are falling apart quicker then Ron Burgundy after Baxter got punted off the bridge. Time is running out, they have to get their act together quickly or else this could really go down as one of the most disappointing seasons in Flyers history.