So, I sit here watching Rivera pitch and I'm a bit befuddled. I've watched him come in so many times and dismantle the greatest of lineups, but something is wrong with him. Michael Kay believes it's mechanical, but Michael Kay is an idiot. I think he's hurt. It would make perfect sense to be completely honest. The guy hasn't been getting the work in and he looks like, well, Armando Benitez with a cutter. He's leaving balls up in the zone and the ones that are down are catching a fat part of the plate. Make no mistake, the Sox have always hit Rivera well by the standards of hitting the best closer in history (mainly because we see the Yankees atleast 19 times a season, 26 in 2004 and 2003). This is different though. I really believe he's hurt. There's just no other explanation for the most dominant closer in major league history to suddenly lose his command.
The game isn't over yet, Myers came in, walked in a run and then gave up a single to add another one to Rivera's era (that's 2 runs in 1/3 if you're keeping a boxscore at home and if you are, I really think you need a more active social life). Actually, Ortiz singled. 11-4 Sox and top half is done with a Manny ground out.
I wanted to talk about Daisuke and honestly, he's been consistent. He'll pitch 6-7 innings, give you 5-6 good innings and have one poor inning where he doesn't necessarily give up hits, but he just tries too hard to strike people out. He kept running the count 3-2 on what seemed like every batter. Rather than trying to nip the corner, run a slider over the inside half of the plate or try to bust them in with a changeup in a fastball count. Once he grasps this and I'm very confident that he'll eventually stop trying to strike everyone, and just try to get the out.
- Paps isn't even coming in and they brought in Pineiro, who isn't pitching that poor this year. He's got a 3.82 in only 8 innings so you can't really gauge him in 8 innings. He's got a 7 run cushion so I'm pretty sure Tito will give him some room.
- 1 out. I pretty much turned this into a running diary and when the game is all over, I'll continue analysis. Melky Cabrera up against Pineiro, who struck out Doug M and then turned around and walked Cabrera on 4 pitches.
- Highlight of the night, the "LET'S GO RED SOX" chant at the top of the 9th. I love those moments. You'll never hear a "LET'S GO YANKEES" chant at Fenway, but you'll hear the Sox chants at the Stadium. Priceless.
- It's pretty much hopeless at this point for the Yankees. 2 outs 11-4 game bottom 9. Even if they string a rally together, Paps is fully warmed up in the bullpen so if they got as run or two, Tito wouldn't hesitate to put him in. Also, listening to Michael Kay is hilarious. You get the feeling that he's already got his keys in his pocket and his jacket on while announcing.
- Michael Kay summed up the 2007 Yankees in one sentence. "How do they snap out of it? I guess you need a good pitching performance from Jeff Karstens tomorrow." Ladies and gentlemen your 2007 New York Yankees!
So, Karstens goes tomorrow again Wakefield who historically pitches pretty well against the Yankees. I really wish we just used a 4 man rotation for the season or just use Pineiro as a starter. I think it's bound to happen. Julian Tavarez CANNOT be our #5. The guy is dreadful. I hope Sunday get's rained out just so he doesn't pitch and they skip his spot in the rotation.
That's all for tonight. Tomorrow I'm pondering a running diary of the NFL Draft as well as the Red Sox. I'm off to watch some Dragon Gate wrestling for the night. This week should be back to normal with plenty of posts so you'll get plenty of opinions from me.
DAISUKE MANIA!
Friday, April 27, 2007
Boston's defensive outfield.
I think we might have the worst/laziest defensive outfield int he history of pro baseball at the corners. How did it come to this? How can JD Drew be worth that much money when he can't even properly field a fly ball. He jogs in to a ball he SHOULD of caught (while playing about 20 feet too deep might I add) and costs Daisuke two runs. Manny is an inevitability out there, but the possibility of using Willy Mo Pena as a defensive substition scares the crap out of me. Not only that, but Drew boots a ball that COULD have led to another run if whoever was up got a hit (I was too angry by Drew's lack of effort to notice who was batting).
Look, Manny is a poor defensive guy, we know that. But he has a few things going for him. He hustles on defense (He may quit on fly balls that he HITS but he busts his ass out there on defense most of the time) and he plays the hops off the monster well.
People knocked Nixon and I'll admit, he'd been hurt too much to resign, not to mention he'd aged terribly. One thing about Trot was he was a hustle guy. He'd make plays on defense. He could play the corner well and caromes rarely got past him. The lazy fly ball was never lazy for him. He turned plays that JD drew jogs on and lets them bounce into hustle plays. He would of gotten underneath that ball that Drew left drop. Thanks to that, he just cost Daisuke 3 runs.
Give him hell Cherub. Give him hell.
Look, Manny is a poor defensive guy, we know that. But he has a few things going for him. He hustles on defense (He may quit on fly balls that he HITS but he busts his ass out there on defense most of the time) and he plays the hops off the monster well.
People knocked Nixon and I'll admit, he'd been hurt too much to resign, not to mention he'd aged terribly. One thing about Trot was he was a hustle guy. He'd make plays on defense. He could play the corner well and caromes rarely got past him. The lazy fly ball was never lazy for him. He turned plays that JD drew jogs on and lets them bounce into hustle plays. He would of gotten underneath that ball that Drew left drop. Thanks to that, he just cost Daisuke 3 runs.
Give him hell Cherub. Give him hell.
Baseball Rumblings
So here we are a few weeks into the season. A-Rod is destroying the most meaningless month of the season and Boston has a 5.5 game lead over the Yanks. Boston goes into NY tonight with a chance to bury the Yankees deeper into last place (I know I know, they're not finishing in last even though I predicted 3rd). I'll get deeper into the Yankee's problems and why a 40 something pitcher who's been pitching in Quadruple-A for the last 3 or so years is no real help to them.
First off, the Braves resigned John Smoltz. Smart move as he still has one or two years left in him and he wants to retire a Brave. Word is it's 1 year and about $14 million which makes sense given the inflated pitching prices. I think if he hit the market (and this depends on what he WANTED), he easily could of gotten two years and possibly 3 years at $15MM. Good sign by the Braves and really a no brainer.
The Astros have temporarily killed off negotiations with Jason Jennings (the guy they literally sold the farm to get for ONE YEAR) due to him being on the DL with an elbow injury. Honestly, I hated this trade when the Astros made it. Say what you want, but the guy had a one year deal before hitting FA and you had to trade MLB ready prospects to get him. You need to do a negotiation window in a situation like that. But either way, I think they'll get the deal with Jennings done. They'll probably get Clemens (I don't care what Yankee fans say) and with Clemens, Jennings, and Oswalt, they've got more than enough pitching to get to the playoffs (especially with the central being a wasteland again).
So, I wanted to chime on David Wright real quick. It started off as he wasn't hitting home runs, but he was still getting on base. Now it's 20 something games into the season, his hitting is dropping and he looks awful. The plus side is that Beltran and Reyes are playing phenomenal (Reyes is off the charts right now) but Wright has to pick it up if the Mets have aspirations of winning the East let alone the NL. They're not playing Atlanta well right now (Atlanta is a solid team with some passable pitching and great hitting) and they could be in trouble come the summer months. The Wright situation is one to keep an eye on even though I'm sure he'll snap out of it.
Now the Yankees. It's April. Sound familiar? You'll hear every Yankee fan say it when they talk about the Sox sweeping them out of Fenway last weekend. But really, is it April, or are the Yankees in deep trouble? They've now been swept in consecutive series' (Boston and a two game against tampa as well as losing one to Toronto in between ) and they've got the AL East leading Sox coming into town in a rare situation. A dire series in April. They have to take two out of three. That's a given though. I think they need to show something. Mike Francesca has been reaming the Yanks all week for not pitching inside aggressively. Can I blame him? Absolutely not. Matsuzaka comes across the pond, drills A-Rod and wills him off the inside of the plate. That was it for him. He didn't really do anything for the rest of the series. Now the big issue is the pitching.
Yankee fans think Roger Clemens can come in and somehow will Chase Wright (or whoever the hell they're throwing out because honestly, I don't even know them) to a winning record. Clemens can only pitch once every 5 days. He doesn't mean anything if the other 4 guys can't pitch. Wang had one good year and all the sudden they think he's a savior. Mussina has been breaking down over the last few years and it's pretty clear he isn't what he used to be. Pettite is probably their most reliable starter and while he's still a solid pitcher, he's not the Pettite most Yankee fans remember. Clemens can't pitch every 5 days. Don't spend 30 million dollars on a guy who won't even travel with the team when he's not pitching. Would I be saying the same thing if it was Boston? Definitely. I'd probably be hurling a box of spark plugs at him too. Besides, this happens EVERY YEAR. He'll speculate and hold out and then in June he'll end up in Houston and the Yankees will say they didn't need him.
Look, if it's about money, the Yankees could have offered him more money than Houston did. It's not about money people. The guy's kid is in Houston's farm system. He wants to come in and play in June, have a game of catch with his son and not have to travel. Stop making a big deal about the guy and just accept that he's going to Houston.
So how do you fix the Yankees? I don't know. They have no pitching and their farm system isn't THAT great. They've got two or three guys in their system, but they can't really afford to trade them because they could be need spots in a year or two. Where do they go from here though? We'll see when Abreu and Posada's options come up this year. I think they decline Abreu and keep Posada. The Mets will end up landing Barrett I bet and that leaves Paul Lo Duca, Jason Kendall, and Jorge Posada out there. Abreu is a bit different, but I don't think his power numbers are good enough to justify $16mm. I'd have to double check the list, but I'm willing to bet there are younger better guys that you could sign for less than that and get more productivity.
That's all for today. I'll chime in on the Red Sox/Yankees series Monday. For those of you who read, thanks for being patient through a tough couple weeks for me.
The Astros have temporarily killed off negotiations with Jason Jennings (the guy they literally sold the farm to get for ONE YEAR) due to him being on the DL with an elbow injury. Honestly, I hated this trade when the Astros made it. Say what you want, but the guy had a one year deal before hitting FA and you had to trade MLB ready prospects to get him. You need to do a negotiation window in a situation like that. But either way, I think they'll get the deal with Jennings done. They'll probably get Clemens (I don't care what Yankee fans say) and with Clemens, Jennings, and Oswalt, they've got more than enough pitching to get to the playoffs (especially with the central being a wasteland again).
So, I wanted to chime on David Wright real quick. It started off as he wasn't hitting home runs, but he was still getting on base. Now it's 20 something games into the season, his hitting is dropping and he looks awful. The plus side is that Beltran and Reyes are playing phenomenal (Reyes is off the charts right now) but Wright has to pick it up if the Mets have aspirations of winning the East let alone the NL. They're not playing Atlanta well right now (Atlanta is a solid team with some passable pitching and great hitting) and they could be in trouble come the summer months. The Wright situation is one to keep an eye on even though I'm sure he'll snap out of it.
Now the Yankees. It's April. Sound familiar? You'll hear every Yankee fan say it when they talk about the Sox sweeping them out of Fenway last weekend. But really, is it April, or are the Yankees in deep trouble? They've now been swept in consecutive series' (Boston and a two game against tampa as well as losing one to Toronto in between ) and they've got the AL East leading Sox coming into town in a rare situation. A dire series in April. They have to take two out of three. That's a given though. I think they need to show something. Mike Francesca has been reaming the Yanks all week for not pitching inside aggressively. Can I blame him? Absolutely not. Matsuzaka comes across the pond, drills A-Rod and wills him off the inside of the plate. That was it for him. He didn't really do anything for the rest of the series. Now the big issue is the pitching.
Yankee fans think Roger Clemens can come in and somehow will Chase Wright (or whoever the hell they're throwing out because honestly, I don't even know them) to a winning record. Clemens can only pitch once every 5 days. He doesn't mean anything if the other 4 guys can't pitch. Wang had one good year and all the sudden they think he's a savior. Mussina has been breaking down over the last few years and it's pretty clear he isn't what he used to be. Pettite is probably their most reliable starter and while he's still a solid pitcher, he's not the Pettite most Yankee fans remember. Clemens can't pitch every 5 days. Don't spend 30 million dollars on a guy who won't even travel with the team when he's not pitching. Would I be saying the same thing if it was Boston? Definitely. I'd probably be hurling a box of spark plugs at him too. Besides, this happens EVERY YEAR. He'll speculate and hold out and then in June he'll end up in Houston and the Yankees will say they didn't need him.
Look, if it's about money, the Yankees could have offered him more money than Houston did. It's not about money people. The guy's kid is in Houston's farm system. He wants to come in and play in June, have a game of catch with his son and not have to travel. Stop making a big deal about the guy and just accept that he's going to Houston.
So how do you fix the Yankees? I don't know. They have no pitching and their farm system isn't THAT great. They've got two or three guys in their system, but they can't really afford to trade them because they could be need spots in a year or two. Where do they go from here though? We'll see when Abreu and Posada's options come up this year. I think they decline Abreu and keep Posada. The Mets will end up landing Barrett I bet and that leaves Paul Lo Duca, Jason Kendall, and Jorge Posada out there. Abreu is a bit different, but I don't think his power numbers are good enough to justify $16mm. I'd have to double check the list, but I'm willing to bet there are younger better guys that you could sign for less than that and get more productivity.
That's all for today. I'll chime in on the Red Sox/Yankees series Monday. For those of you who read, thanks for being patient through a tough couple weeks for me.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Apologies for the lack of posts
It's been a rough week in my castle. Dog's been sick with a possible lime disease although they're not really sure, parents prepping for vacation, but I set my computer on fire (I have my new one now and I'm happy).
Over this week I'll probably over do it including a weekly column of sorts that may or may not include links, funnies, etc. So, I apologize, but all will be well. Be patient.
Over this week I'll probably over do it including a weekly column of sorts that may or may not include links, funnies, etc. So, I apologize, but all will be well. Be patient.
Monday, April 16, 2007
More Baseball Happenings
Few quick happenings I picked up on from other blog sites, mostly MLBTR
Phil Rogers from the Chicago Tribune has some comments that seem completely unfounded. Namely that Johan Santana is demanding 8 years much like Barry Zito. I don't see him getting it from Minnesota. Minnesota is known to be stingy with their money and the fact that they keep making the post season allows for them to have the revenue to sign Santana for probably 6-7. I don't see them going 8.
Both Johan and Torii Hunter are going to be very difficult to trade. If Santana places top 3 in the Cy Young voting (and barring a blown out arm, he will), he gets a full no-trade clause. The Twins had to give it to him to sweeten the deal (much like Boston did for V-Tek and boy he better throw out 100 runners this year to make what we're paying him because he sure won't be hitting for it. Don't get me wrong, I love Jason. He's a tremendous catcher, a clubhouse leader, and he works so hard for our staff, but if he can't break the Mendoza line, then you run the risk of putting a struggling hitter up with the game on the line) and even if the Twins can't resign Santana, they shouldn't lose TOO much sleep over it as they've probably already bought his best years (unless he's drinking the same stuff as Roger Clemens).
Hunter has a partial no trade that includes the Red Sox, Tigers, Cubs, D-Rays, and Blue Jays. So pretty much, his no-trade covers the two teams that are going to be pushing hard for a marquee FA CF come this off-season (Boston and the Cubs). I've said this before and I've received plenty of heat for it, but Hunter's best years are behind him. PECOTA is fairly kind to him, seeing his power numbers drop steadily all the way to age 35 (as is standard of PECOTA) and they also have his average dipping a bit (only 12 points in 5 years is hardly much to complain about). What raised the flag for me was his PAs (plate appearances). PECOTA sees a sharp decline (almost 70) next year followed by a decline of 30, then 50, then 100 by age 35. They expect him to see 538 PAs this year, but only 296 by age 35 (a drop of over 240 PAs in 5 years). That seems to concern me. I'll go on the record saying I'm not a complete stat junkie, but seeing a prediction like that would worry me as a GM if I were looking at projections like that.
Also, more news out of Cleveland as the Plain Dealer Indians Insider is reporting that GM Mark Shapiro will NOT be negotiating mid-season with Travis Hafner. The surprising thing is that Shapiro claims talks were positive and he expects to be able to sign Hafner and Sabathia.
The interesting thing is when it comes to the DH position, I don't trust projections. They age very well. Hafner is a naturally large guy at 6'3 240 so it's safe to say that his production doesn't dip too much. Not having to work the field will also help him age as a player. PECOTA would give Haf just under 72 million over 5 years (which if you punch that up, you'll get about 14.4 annually, of course, that's never the case since most contracts now a days are back loaded). Still when you consider that David Ortiz makes 13.5 million in 2007 on his deal and he has an option for 12.5 in 2011 (one I'm almost certain the Red Sox will pick up. Papi is a big guy naturally and as long as he keeps his bat speed, he'll keep putting up 40/120 every year just like Manny).
When you consider that Some say Sabathia will command a Zambrano-like deal of 5/80, that would be about 41 million just between Westbrook, Sabathia, and Hafner. I still see Hafner being the odd-man out, but if the Tribe can put together a nice playoff run for extra revenue, they could sign them both. This will be a story I'm going to watch.
Also, what's up with the Angels right now? I know historically they haven't played the Red Sox well recently, but another 7-2 crushing by the Sox today finished off the sweep. In total, the series was 25-3 Red Sox. If you're an Angels fan, you have to be a bit worried right now. If you're a Red Sox fan, so far so good for Josh Beckett. He's maintained his 1.50 ERA for the season and he's been solid so far. I'm a big advocate on "let's see what happens in June/July" so..let's see what happens in June/July.
That's all for now. Enjoy.
Phil Rogers from the Chicago Tribune has some comments that seem completely unfounded. Namely that Johan Santana is demanding 8 years much like Barry Zito. I don't see him getting it from Minnesota. Minnesota is known to be stingy with their money and the fact that they keep making the post season allows for them to have the revenue to sign Santana for probably 6-7. I don't see them going 8.
Both Johan and Torii Hunter are going to be very difficult to trade. If Santana places top 3 in the Cy Young voting (and barring a blown out arm, he will), he gets a full no-trade clause. The Twins had to give it to him to sweeten the deal (much like Boston did for V-Tek and boy he better throw out 100 runners this year to make what we're paying him because he sure won't be hitting for it. Don't get me wrong, I love Jason. He's a tremendous catcher, a clubhouse leader, and he works so hard for our staff, but if he can't break the Mendoza line, then you run the risk of putting a struggling hitter up with the game on the line) and even if the Twins can't resign Santana, they shouldn't lose TOO much sleep over it as they've probably already bought his best years (unless he's drinking the same stuff as Roger Clemens).
Hunter has a partial no trade that includes the Red Sox, Tigers, Cubs, D-Rays, and Blue Jays. So pretty much, his no-trade covers the two teams that are going to be pushing hard for a marquee FA CF come this off-season (Boston and the Cubs). I've said this before and I've received plenty of heat for it, but Hunter's best years are behind him. PECOTA is fairly kind to him, seeing his power numbers drop steadily all the way to age 35 (as is standard of PECOTA) and they also have his average dipping a bit (only 12 points in 5 years is hardly much to complain about). What raised the flag for me was his PAs (plate appearances). PECOTA sees a sharp decline (almost 70) next year followed by a decline of 30, then 50, then 100 by age 35. They expect him to see 538 PAs this year, but only 296 by age 35 (a drop of over 240 PAs in 5 years). That seems to concern me. I'll go on the record saying I'm not a complete stat junkie, but seeing a prediction like that would worry me as a GM if I were looking at projections like that.
Also, more news out of Cleveland as the Plain Dealer Indians Insider is reporting that GM Mark Shapiro will NOT be negotiating mid-season with Travis Hafner. The surprising thing is that Shapiro claims talks were positive and he expects to be able to sign Hafner and Sabathia.
The interesting thing is when it comes to the DH position, I don't trust projections. They age very well. Hafner is a naturally large guy at 6'3 240 so it's safe to say that his production doesn't dip too much. Not having to work the field will also help him age as a player. PECOTA would give Haf just under 72 million over 5 years (which if you punch that up, you'll get about 14.4 annually, of course, that's never the case since most contracts now a days are back loaded). Still when you consider that David Ortiz makes 13.5 million in 2007 on his deal and he has an option for 12.5 in 2011 (one I'm almost certain the Red Sox will pick up. Papi is a big guy naturally and as long as he keeps his bat speed, he'll keep putting up 40/120 every year just like Manny).
When you consider that Some say Sabathia will command a Zambrano-like deal of 5/80, that would be about 41 million just between Westbrook, Sabathia, and Hafner. I still see Hafner being the odd-man out, but if the Tribe can put together a nice playoff run for extra revenue, they could sign them both. This will be a story I'm going to watch.
Also, what's up with the Angels right now? I know historically they haven't played the Red Sox well recently, but another 7-2 crushing by the Sox today finished off the sweep. In total, the series was 25-3 Red Sox. If you're an Angels fan, you have to be a bit worried right now. If you're a Red Sox fan, so far so good for Josh Beckett. He's maintained his 1.50 ERA for the season and he's been solid so far. I'm a big advocate on "let's see what happens in June/July" so..let's see what happens in June/July.
That's all for now. Enjoy.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Free Agents in 2008
Credit MLB Trade Rumors for this list as it's a mighty impressive and up to date list. I'm posting it with the news that Ichiro said he is going to selectively pursue the FA market (Pirates best look elsewhere). With Andruw Jones most likely demanding an absurd amount of money (he left probably 30 million on the table when he signed that extension with the Braves), Ichiro could end up being somewhat of a bargain for teams in need of a CF, but not in need of power. Now, this list also includes players who have club options and player options as well as opt out clauses (See Rodriguez, Alex).
So once again, credit MLBTR with this list. The point of posting it is I'm going to start talking about the 08 free agents. For example, Shawn Green has a 10MM club option for 08' that the Mets would have to pay him, but would you rather pay Green 10MM for one more year, or sign Ichiro for 3-4 at the same rate? PECOTA does not see Ichiro aging well as they're willing to give him 11MM for this year's contract, but by 2011, they'd drop him down to a just under 5MM. Not sure I really agree with them as Japanese players have a tendency to play later in their careers from what I've seen and still be successful, but that's in Japan and not here in the major leagues. I guess time will tell.
So once again, credit MLBTR with this list. The point of posting it is I'm going to start talking about the 08 free agents. For example, Shawn Green has a 10MM club option for 08' that the Mets would have to pay him, but would you rather pay Green 10MM for one more year, or sign Ichiro for 3-4 at the same rate? PECOTA does not see Ichiro aging well as they're willing to give him 11MM for this year's contract, but by 2011, they'd drop him down to a just under 5MM. Not sure I really agree with them as Japanese players have a tendency to play later in their careers from what I've seen and still be successful, but that's in Japan and not here in the major leagues. I guess time will tell.
Catchers
Jorge Posada (36) - $12MM club option for '08
Ivan Rodriguez (36) - $13MM club option for '08
Paul Lo Duca (36)
Michael Barrett (31)
Jason Kendall (34)
First basemen
Adam Dunn (28) - $13MM club option for '08
Second basemen
Jeff Kent (40) - $9MM club option vests with 550 PAs this year
Marcus Giles (30) - $4MM club option for '08
Luis Castillo (32)
Tadahito Iguchi (33)
Shortstops
Omar Vizquel (41)
David Eckstein (33)
Juan Uribe (29) - $5MM club option for '08
Cesar Izturis (28) - $5.45MM club option for '08
Third basemen
Alex Rodriguez (32) - Opt out clause for '08*
Mike Lowell (34)
Mike Lamb (32)
Pedro Feliz (33)
Left fielders
Eric Byrnes (32)
Adam Dunn (28) - $13MM club option for '08
Geoff Jenkins (33) - $9MM club option for '08
Luis Gonzalez (40)
Barry Bonds (43)
Brad Wilkerson (31)
Center fielders
Ichiro Suzuki (34)
Andruw Jones (31)
Torii Hunter (32)
Eric Byrnes (32)
Corey Patterson (28)
Milton Bradley (30)
Aaron Rowand (30)
Mike Cameron (35)
Kenny Lofton (41)
Right fielders
Jermaine Dye (34)
Bobby Abreu (34) - $16MM club option for '08
Ichiro Suzuki (34)
Milton Bradley (30)
Geoff Jenkins (33) - $9MM club option for '08
Trot Nixon (34)
Jose Guillen (32) - $9MM club option for '08
Shawn Green (35) - $10MM club option for '08
Eric Hinske (30)
DHs
Shea Hillenbrand (32)
Mike Piazza (39)
Barry Bonds (43)
Mike Sweeney (34)
Starting pitchers
John Smoltz (41)
Carlos Zambrano (27) - Likely to be resigned long-term by the Cubs*
Curt Schilling (41)
Jason Jennings (29)
Freddy Garcia (32)
Kenny Rogers (43)
Mark Buehrle (29)
Jon Lieber (38)
Bartolo Colon (35)
Joe Kennedy (29)
Tomo Ohka (32)
John Thomson (34)
Kip Wells (31)
Wade Miller (31)
Livan Hernandez (33)*
Randy Wolf (31) - $9MM club option for '08
Paul Byrd (37) - $8MM club option for '08
Jeff Weaver (31)
Tom Glavine (42) - $9MM player option for '08
Kris Benson (33) - $7.5MM club option for '08
Jaret Wright (32)
David Wells (45)
Eric Milton (32)
Kyle Lohse (29)
Matt Clement (33)
Rodrigo Lopez (32)
Josh Fogg (31)
Byung-Hyun Kim (29)
Odalis Perez (31) - $9MM club option for '08
Brett Tomko (35) - $4.5MM mutual option for '08
Closers
Mariano Rivera (38)
Jason Isringhausen (35) - $8MM club option for '08
Bob Wickman (39)
Francisco Cordero (33)
Armando Benitez (35)
Eric Gagne (32)
Todd Jones (40)
Jorge Julio (29)
Middle relievers
Scott Linebrink (31)
Kerry Wood (31)
*Denotes additions that I made.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Sweep the Leg...............................You got a problem with that?
Alright, I just finished watching the Karate Kid for the first time in about 4 years and I'm a little perplexed. I'll list my gripes in order of appearance in the movie.
1) What the hell does Ali see in Daniel-san? Seriously. I came up with a few things, but most of those were merely so I could continue watching the movie in peace without it bugging the hell out of me. I will admit he has an 80s savvy to himself and I guess that's how teenagers dressed in the 80s. I wouldn't know being a teen in the 90s and all. When I asked Alicia (the only girl online at the time who wasn't away) she replied "Because it's a movie." Well, there you have it. I guess it makes some type of relevant sense.
2) The Boob double. This is a theory I discussed with Marcus in great detail. Basically, at the time of the first date, her chest size grew inexplicably. I didn't even notice it at first to be completely honest. But once I picked up on it. I started going backwards and checking previous scenes. The only thing that came close was the party at the beach scene (up there with the Rocky and Apollo hugging in the water as far as unintentional and creepy comedy goes), but that really wasn't close. So there you go. Ali had a stunt double for the date to make her chest look bigger. You heard it here first.
3) Mr. Miyagi is one lazy human being. If you believe for one second that he made Daniel his slave simply to teach him karate, you're naive. I mean common, he got a teenager to wax his cars, sand his floors, AND paint his fence/house for FREE. He has him do some type of form that could be karate related, but in reality he just didn't want to paint his fence.
4) The tournament. The tournament itself and the montage was brilliant. You're the best around. Nothin's gonna ever keep ya down! My problem is with the final fight. Why is that gym full? Never mind that it's a movie. Think about it for a second. You have a full gym and it's not even kids. Middle aged men and women as well as kids. You mean to tell me no one had anything better to do on a weekend then go to a karate tournament? My god, this is the valley! They're nothing but rich kids. I wouldn't think they'd be caught dead there. Yet, we have probably a 1500 person gym filled with people and MEDIA. There's camera people there. I hope it's local. I didn't see a video camera thank god, or an ESPN booth.
But you know what? When it comes down to it, the Karate Kid was an amazing movie. For me, the similarities between Daniel and Rocky, as well as Johnny Lawrence being the trademark villain in the movie. The best part though? John Kreese looking on as an approving father figure as Bobby takes out Daniel-san's knee. John Kreese is a man's man. He would of killed Daniel-san if he had the chance.
Cobra Kai for life.
1) What the hell does Ali see in Daniel-san? Seriously. I came up with a few things, but most of those were merely so I could continue watching the movie in peace without it bugging the hell out of me. I will admit he has an 80s savvy to himself and I guess that's how teenagers dressed in the 80s. I wouldn't know being a teen in the 90s and all. When I asked Alicia (the only girl online at the time who wasn't away) she replied "Because it's a movie." Well, there you have it. I guess it makes some type of relevant sense.
2) The Boob double. This is a theory I discussed with Marcus in great detail. Basically, at the time of the first date, her chest size grew inexplicably. I didn't even notice it at first to be completely honest. But once I picked up on it. I started going backwards and checking previous scenes. The only thing that came close was the party at the beach scene (up there with the Rocky and Apollo hugging in the water as far as unintentional and creepy comedy goes), but that really wasn't close. So there you go. Ali had a stunt double for the date to make her chest look bigger. You heard it here first.
3) Mr. Miyagi is one lazy human being. If you believe for one second that he made Daniel his slave simply to teach him karate, you're naive. I mean common, he got a teenager to wax his cars, sand his floors, AND paint his fence/house for FREE. He has him do some type of form that could be karate related, but in reality he just didn't want to paint his fence.
4) The tournament. The tournament itself and the montage was brilliant. You're the best around. Nothin's gonna ever keep ya down! My problem is with the final fight. Why is that gym full? Never mind that it's a movie. Think about it for a second. You have a full gym and it's not even kids. Middle aged men and women as well as kids. You mean to tell me no one had anything better to do on a weekend then go to a karate tournament? My god, this is the valley! They're nothing but rich kids. I wouldn't think they'd be caught dead there. Yet, we have probably a 1500 person gym filled with people and MEDIA. There's camera people there. I hope it's local. I didn't see a video camera thank god, or an ESPN booth.
But you know what? When it comes down to it, the Karate Kid was an amazing movie. For me, the similarities between Daniel and Rocky, as well as Johnny Lawrence being the trademark villain in the movie. The best part though? John Kreese looking on as an approving father figure as Bobby takes out Daniel-san's knee. John Kreese is a man's man. He would of killed Daniel-san if he had the chance.
Cobra Kai for life.
New Correspondent
For those wondering how seriously I'm taking this, very. I've acquired the services of my buddy Chris Nemer as an MLB and New York Mets correspondent. Chris is a life long Mets fan and he'll be providing you with news and views on happenings with not only the Mets but MLB in general. It'll be nice to have someone around to help with the MLB load since I'm contemplating doing an NBA playoff preview.
For now we look forward to Chris' first contribution to Daisuke Mania.
For now we look forward to Chris' first contribution to Daisuke Mania.
NHL Western Conference Playoff Preview: Round 1
2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1: Western Conference
As promised here is the preview for the Western Conference. The Western Conference features many teams who are new to the playoffs, with Detroit being the veterans of the bunch. The first round features very well balanced matchups as all 8 Western teams to make the playoffs earned 100+ points in the regular season, with the exception of Calgary who earned 96.
Detroit Redwings vs (8) Calgary Flames
Detroit leads series 1-0
Calgary was lucky to make the playoffs this year, only through luck did they narrowly avoid getting edged out by the surging Colorado Avalanche, and this year they look to change their luck against the Redwings. Although the Redwings are usually a fixture in the playoffs, they’ve had particularly bad luck during the first round over the past few years.
Players to Watch:
Pavel Datsyuk: Datsyuk is a phenomenal player, recently awarded a 7 year 49 million dollar contract with Detroit. Datsyuk led all Redwings during the regular season with 27 goals and 87 points. Unfortunately Datsyuk is a choke in the playoffs, scoring only three times in 42 career postseason games. If the Wings hope to win it all this year he will have to turn it around, so far he seems to be doing well, scoring once and tallying an assist during the first game of the series.
Nicklas Lidstrom: Lidstrom was tasked with a difficult role, taking up the captain’s mantle after Steve Yzerman retired. So far Lidstrom has succeeded in filling his predecessors shoes. One of the greatest defenseman in the game today, Lidstrom is third on the team in points, scoring 62. In the playoffs he tends to perform just as well, with 118 points in 174 career games. Like Datsyuk he earned both a goal and an assist in the 4-1 rout of the Flames to kick off the series.
Jarome Iginla: One of the Calgary Flame’s greatest assets on offense, Iginla looks to lead his team past the first round and hopefully to the Cup. Iginla is a strong power forward and can both score and dish out some pain.
Anaheim Ducks vs (7) Minnesota Wild
Anaheim leads series 2-0
Originally projected as being on of the most even matches in the first round, Anaheim looks to prove the predictions wrong, jumping to a two game lead in the first two games. During the regular season the teams met four times, splitting the games evenly. Both teams sport excellent forwards and excellent goaltenders. The series switches from Anaheim to Minnesota on Sunday, so look for the Wild to seek to strike back and cut the deficit to one.
Players to Watch:
Teemu Selanne: Look for “The Finnish Flash” to continue to build on his reputation as one of the strongest players in the game today. Selanne finished the regular season with 48 goals and 96 total points since recovering from knee surgery, making this his best season since 98-99. So far he has a goal and an assist against the Wild this playoff series.
Scott Niedermayer: Paired with Chris Pronger, Niedermayer is half of the Ducks deadly defensive combo. He has set career high totals in both goals (15) and assists (54) for 69 total points, the highest of any defenseman in the NHL today.
Marian Gaborik: Marian did not put up as many points as he usually does this season with only 57, but take into account the Slovakian only played 48 games, just over half the total games in a season. He finished his season strong scoring 15 points in the last 10 games, and has put up a goal and an assist this series. With other weapons on the Wild such as Pavel Demitra and Brian Rolston, Gaborik will be key to any hope for victory.
Vancouver Canucks vs (6) Dallas Stars
Series tied 1-1
This series has already been set up to be an exciting one. The first game of the series went into quadruple overtime, the 6th longest game in NHL history. Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped an astonishing 72 shots, including 36 in overtime before Henrik Sedin finally ended the game. The Stars bounced back though, shutting out Vancouver 2-0 in game two of the series.
Players to Watch:
Roberto Luongo: Luongo is generally considered to be one of the best goaltenders in the NHL today, second only to the infamous Martin Brodeur. Luongo led his team this season with an impressive 47 wins, only one behind Brodeur. Additionally he posted a goals-against average of 2.29 and a save percentage of .921. The only thing working against Luongo is that he makes his playoff debut during this season.
Mike Modano: The greatest American born player in the game today, Modano posted 43 points including 22 goals this season in 59 games. Although he isn’t the same player he was when he led the Stars to a Cup victory in 1999, he is still the Stars greatest offensive asset.
Marty Turco: Holding up the back end for the Stars is veteran goalie Marty Turco. For the past four years Turco has been one of the strongest goaltenders in the league and is a large part of the reason the Stars perform so well. During the regular season he managed to get 37 wins including six shutouts. However Turco tends to struggle in the postseason, he’s lost three of the last series that Dallas has appeared in, winning only 9 times in 24 appearances.
Nashville Predators vs (5) San Jose Sharks
Series tied 1-1
In a rematch of last years first round, the Sharks look to win the series again against Nashville who’ve been perennial playoff failures, never winning a playoff series in franchise history. The Predators hope that they have the team to do it this year, with skilled players like Paul Kariya, Peter Forsberg, Tomas Vokoun and young talent like Shea Weber they look to matchup against Jumbo Joe Thornton, Bill Guerin and last years Rocket trophy winner (most goals scored) Jonathan Cheechoo.
Players to Watch:
Peter Forsberg: Acquired at the trading deadline from the struggling Philadelphia Flyers, Forsberg looks to win yet another Stanley Cup with the stacked Nashville Predators. One of the best players in the postseason, he has accumulated a staggering 162 points in 139 career playoff games. This series he has struck twice and assisted on another goal against the Sharks.
Joe Thornton: As a Bruins fan I’m one of the minority who will admit to not being sad at seeing Thornton go, but that’s a rant for another time. Thornton is an excellent playmaker, posting back-to-back seasons of 90+ assists. However in the playoffs he has struggled, earning only 27 points in 46 games. This series he has managed to add two assists to that count.
Bill Guerin: Traded from the Blues to San Jose at the trading deadline, Guerin is a proven player in the postseason. He’s big and fast and he can put the biscuit in the basket. He won a cup in 98 with the Devils and looks to add another to his resume. In 96 career playoff games he’s amassed 48 points.
That does it for the West. I’ll be back to post the previews for round two, and this time I’ll make sure to do it BEFORE the series has actually started. Enjoy watching the games and as for my winner’s circle: Detroit, Anaheim, Dallas, and San Jose.
-Matt
As promised here is the preview for the Western Conference. The Western Conference features many teams who are new to the playoffs, with Detroit being the veterans of the bunch. The first round features very well balanced matchups as all 8 Western teams to make the playoffs earned 100+ points in the regular season, with the exception of Calgary who earned 96.
Detroit Redwings vs (8) Calgary Flames
Detroit leads series 1-0
Calgary was lucky to make the playoffs this year, only through luck did they narrowly avoid getting edged out by the surging Colorado Avalanche, and this year they look to change their luck against the Redwings. Although the Redwings are usually a fixture in the playoffs, they’ve had particularly bad luck during the first round over the past few years.
Players to Watch:
Pavel Datsyuk: Datsyuk is a phenomenal player, recently awarded a 7 year 49 million dollar contract with Detroit. Datsyuk led all Redwings during the regular season with 27 goals and 87 points. Unfortunately Datsyuk is a choke in the playoffs, scoring only three times in 42 career postseason games. If the Wings hope to win it all this year he will have to turn it around, so far he seems to be doing well, scoring once and tallying an assist during the first game of the series.
Nicklas Lidstrom: Lidstrom was tasked with a difficult role, taking up the captain’s mantle after Steve Yzerman retired. So far Lidstrom has succeeded in filling his predecessors shoes. One of the greatest defenseman in the game today, Lidstrom is third on the team in points, scoring 62. In the playoffs he tends to perform just as well, with 118 points in 174 career games. Like Datsyuk he earned both a goal and an assist in the 4-1 rout of the Flames to kick off the series.
Jarome Iginla: One of the Calgary Flame’s greatest assets on offense, Iginla looks to lead his team past the first round and hopefully to the Cup. Iginla is a strong power forward and can both score and dish out some pain.
Anaheim Ducks vs (7) Minnesota Wild
Anaheim leads series 2-0
Originally projected as being on of the most even matches in the first round, Anaheim looks to prove the predictions wrong, jumping to a two game lead in the first two games. During the regular season the teams met four times, splitting the games evenly. Both teams sport excellent forwards and excellent goaltenders. The series switches from Anaheim to Minnesota on Sunday, so look for the Wild to seek to strike back and cut the deficit to one.
Players to Watch:
Teemu Selanne: Look for “The Finnish Flash” to continue to build on his reputation as one of the strongest players in the game today. Selanne finished the regular season with 48 goals and 96 total points since recovering from knee surgery, making this his best season since 98-99. So far he has a goal and an assist against the Wild this playoff series.
Scott Niedermayer: Paired with Chris Pronger, Niedermayer is half of the Ducks deadly defensive combo. He has set career high totals in both goals (15) and assists (54) for 69 total points, the highest of any defenseman in the NHL today.
Marian Gaborik: Marian did not put up as many points as he usually does this season with only 57, but take into account the Slovakian only played 48 games, just over half the total games in a season. He finished his season strong scoring 15 points in the last 10 games, and has put up a goal and an assist this series. With other weapons on the Wild such as Pavel Demitra and Brian Rolston, Gaborik will be key to any hope for victory.
Vancouver Canucks vs (6) Dallas Stars
Series tied 1-1
This series has already been set up to be an exciting one. The first game of the series went into quadruple overtime, the 6th longest game in NHL history. Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped an astonishing 72 shots, including 36 in overtime before Henrik Sedin finally ended the game. The Stars bounced back though, shutting out Vancouver 2-0 in game two of the series.
Players to Watch:
Roberto Luongo: Luongo is generally considered to be one of the best goaltenders in the NHL today, second only to the infamous Martin Brodeur. Luongo led his team this season with an impressive 47 wins, only one behind Brodeur. Additionally he posted a goals-against average of 2.29 and a save percentage of .921. The only thing working against Luongo is that he makes his playoff debut during this season.
Mike Modano: The greatest American born player in the game today, Modano posted 43 points including 22 goals this season in 59 games. Although he isn’t the same player he was when he led the Stars to a Cup victory in 1999, he is still the Stars greatest offensive asset.
Marty Turco: Holding up the back end for the Stars is veteran goalie Marty Turco. For the past four years Turco has been one of the strongest goaltenders in the league and is a large part of the reason the Stars perform so well. During the regular season he managed to get 37 wins including six shutouts. However Turco tends to struggle in the postseason, he’s lost three of the last series that Dallas has appeared in, winning only 9 times in 24 appearances.
Nashville Predators vs (5) San Jose Sharks
Series tied 1-1
In a rematch of last years first round, the Sharks look to win the series again against Nashville who’ve been perennial playoff failures, never winning a playoff series in franchise history. The Predators hope that they have the team to do it this year, with skilled players like Paul Kariya, Peter Forsberg, Tomas Vokoun and young talent like Shea Weber they look to matchup against Jumbo Joe Thornton, Bill Guerin and last years Rocket trophy winner (most goals scored) Jonathan Cheechoo.
Players to Watch:
Peter Forsberg: Acquired at the trading deadline from the struggling Philadelphia Flyers, Forsberg looks to win yet another Stanley Cup with the stacked Nashville Predators. One of the best players in the postseason, he has accumulated a staggering 162 points in 139 career playoff games. This series he has struck twice and assisted on another goal against the Sharks.
Joe Thornton: As a Bruins fan I’m one of the minority who will admit to not being sad at seeing Thornton go, but that’s a rant for another time. Thornton is an excellent playmaker, posting back-to-back seasons of 90+ assists. However in the playoffs he has struggled, earning only 27 points in 46 games. This series he has managed to add two assists to that count.
Bill Guerin: Traded from the Blues to San Jose at the trading deadline, Guerin is a proven player in the postseason. He’s big and fast and he can put the biscuit in the basket. He won a cup in 98 with the Devils and looks to add another to his resume. In 96 career playoff games he’s amassed 48 points.
That does it for the West. I’ll be back to post the previews for round two, and this time I’ll make sure to do it BEFORE the series has actually started. Enjoy watching the games and as for my winner’s circle: Detroit, Anaheim, Dallas, and San Jose.
-Matt
Friday, April 13, 2007
NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Preview: Round 1
Well, the verdict is in. I received over 600 e-mails since my point that no one cares about Hockey (suspiciously most were Canadians), so I have hired a Hockey correspondent by the name of Matt Rousseau. Yes, he's French Canadian so you know he knows what he's talking about. Matt is a life long Bruins fan who is pretty much a jumper for any Boston sports team. That works in my book. On behalf of everyone here at Daisuke Mania (well, by everyone I mean myself), I'd like to welcome Matt aboard to our staff. With that being said. Today he has his first write up which is a preview of the Eastern Conference Playoffs first round match ups. Tomorrow he will be doing the West Coast. Matt will be providing us with round reviews and previews for every round up until the end of the playoffs. I would assist him, but unless the Devils are in the cup finals, I won't be able to see a single game. Without further ado, here is Matt's Eastern Conference Playoffs 1st round preview.
2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1: Eastern Conference
April 11th marked the beginning of the 2007 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, and this year promises to be a postseason marked with some exciting action. As a Boston Bruins fan I was disappointed that we once again failed to make the playoffs (only improving by two points overall) but I have hope for next year. But I digress, this years playoffs will be one marked with competition between both grizzled veterans and newcomers. Since the playoffs have already started I’ll go ahead and post the Eastern Conference matchups and players to watch for as the action unfolds.
(1) Buffalo Sabres vs (8) New York Islanders
Buffalo leads series 1-0
The Islanders barely made it into the playoffs this year, and it doesn’t look like the lowly Islanders will survive the first round against the President’s Trophy winning Buffalo Sabres. With franchise player Rick DiPietro out of action with post-concussion syndrome the Islanders are relying on third string goaltender Wade Dubielewicz to fill the void. The first game of the series ended in a 4-1 loss for the Islanders, what a surprise. The series looks to be more of the same, as Buffalo dominated the regular season series between the two teams, winning 3 of 4 games and 7 of 8 over the past two years.
Players to Watch:
Daniel Briere: On a highly skilled Buffalo offense, co-captain Daniel Briere is a vital cog to the Sabres scoring machine. He is one of the Sabres four 30+ goal scorers this season, six of which were game winners. He is also the greatest playmaker for Buffalo, tallying 63 assists, 21 ahead of the next best forward.
Thomas Vanek: As Briere is to making plays, Vanek is to scoring goals. The super sophomore led the Sabres with 43 goals during the regular season. He is a deadly weapon on the Buffalo power play, scoring 15 of his goals there. On home ice he has scored 30 of his goals, luckily for the Islanders the next three games will be at the Islanders twice. Additionally Vanek lead the league with a stellar +/- rating of +45.
Ryan Smyth: Acquired from the Edmonton Oilers at the trading deadline, Smyth is a key player in the Islanders playoff scheme. Last year Smyth led the Oilers, who were the 8th seed in the West, all the way to the Stanley Cup finals where they suffered a heartbreaking loss in game 7 to the Carolina Hurricanes. Smyth has 15 points in his 18 games as an Islander thus far.
(2) New Jersey Devils vs (7) Tampa Bay Lightning
New Jersey leads series 1-0
This series looks like it might be the closest and most entertaining to watch. On one hand you have the super-defensive Devils, a low scoring team whose strategy revolves around a strong defense to protect arguably the best goaltender in hockey today, Martin Brodeur. On the other hand you have the offensive oriented Lighting, who boast two players in the top five scorers list, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Whichever team can dictate the pace of this series is likely to come out on top.
Players to Watch:
Vincent Lecavalier: Vinny led the league with 52 goals this year, and racked up an impressive 108 points. Lecavalier is a threat to the opposition anytime he is on the ice. A large player, he is not afraid to drop the gloves or throw his body around. It will take a solid effort by New Jersey to contain him; they failed in the first game, allowing Lecavalier to score not once but twice.
Martin Brodeur: Simply put, Brodeur is the foundation of the Devils team. During the regular season he won a record 48 games, and ranks in the top five for both GAA (2.18) and save percentage (.922). Also noteworthy is his league leading 12 shutouts, 4 ahead of the next contender.
Zach Parise: Another young player in these playoffs, Parise improved on his game and went from 32 points his rookie season, to a solid 62 this season. Parise leads the team with 31 goals, and like Lecavalier has already scored twice in this series.
(3) Atlanta Thrashers vs (6) New York Rangers
New York leads series 1-0
The last two winners in the Southeast Division went on to win the Stanley Cup; can Atlanta make it three in a row? The task is a daunting one, Atlanta is making its first playoff appearance in the franchises history, and the hungry Thrashers are looking to make their first time a special one. Both clubs boast excellent players on offense and in net, so this matchup looks like it could get chippy.
Players to Watch:
Marian Hossa: Hossa finished his regular season with career high 100 points, not an easy task to accomplish. He’s scored 13 times in the playoffs throughout his career and he’s looking to expand on that number in this series against the Rags. A speedy player, look for the Rangers to pit him against his brother Marcel.
Ilya Kovalchuk: One of the greatest Russian players, and greatest snipers in the league today. Kovalchuk is a weapon the Thrashers will seek to utilize against the Rangers. He has amassed 18 of his 42 goals on the powerplay this season. Like Hossa he is a speedy player, something the Rangers defense could have trouble containing. Unfortunately he suffers criticism from his play on defense.
Jaromir Jagr: Jagr finished the season with 30 goals and 96 points, and that was playing with an injured shoulder. Jaromir Jagr is one of the greatest players to ever play in the NHL, he has won the Stanley Cup twice before and brings playoff experience and leadership to the Rangers line.
(4) Ottawa Senators vs (5) Pittsbugh Penguins
Ottawa leads series 1-0
The Pittsburgh Penguins have had an amazing season. Jumping from a measly 58 points last season to an amazing 105 this season, this young squad is hoping to be a contender against a veteran lineup in the Ottawa Senators. This series marks the first time the Penguins have appeared in the playoffs since 2001. If the Penguins can keep it together this series should be one of the most evenly matched in the East.
Players to Watch:
Sidney Crosby: Sid the Kid, already being heralded as one of the greatest players to lace ‘em up, Crosby led the NHL with 120 points in his second season. His skill as a playmaker has prompted the popular saying “The Crosby Effect” as anytime he’s on the ice, every Penguin is a threat to score.
Evgeni Malkin: This Russian rookie looks to have a promising career ahead of him. Drafted in the first round (second overall) by the Penguins in 2004, Malkin has had an amazing start. He led all rookies during the regular season with 33 goals and 85 points. He is a strong skater and is a physical presence. Unlike many players in the Penguins lineup, he is able to score without Crosby being on the ice.
Dany Heatley: One of the few pure scorers in the NHL, Heatley is a tremendously skilled player and a veteran member of the Ottawa Senators. Ironically he was traded from the Thrashers to Ottawa in 2005, where he has posted back to back 50 goal and 100+ point seasons. The Penguins will be putting lots of pressure on Heatley but he has the size and the skill to remain a threat to the opposition.
Well that’s it for tonight. I’ll write up more on the West tomorrow, maybe. Oh and if you were wondering who I’m gunning for this playoff season; I’m jumping on the Buffalo bandwagon. So my picks for the first round winners in the East are: Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning, Atlanta Thrashers, Ottawa Senators. And remember, when watching playoff games remember to enjoy yourself but not get carried away, its just a game after all.
-Matt
2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1: Eastern Conference
April 11th marked the beginning of the 2007 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, and this year promises to be a postseason marked with some exciting action. As a Boston Bruins fan I was disappointed that we once again failed to make the playoffs (only improving by two points overall) but I have hope for next year. But I digress, this years playoffs will be one marked with competition between both grizzled veterans and newcomers. Since the playoffs have already started I’ll go ahead and post the Eastern Conference matchups and players to watch for as the action unfolds.
(1) Buffalo Sabres vs (8) New York Islanders
Buffalo leads series 1-0
The Islanders barely made it into the playoffs this year, and it doesn’t look like the lowly Islanders will survive the first round against the President’s Trophy winning Buffalo Sabres. With franchise player Rick DiPietro out of action with post-concussion syndrome the Islanders are relying on third string goaltender Wade Dubielewicz to fill the void. The first game of the series ended in a 4-1 loss for the Islanders, what a surprise. The series looks to be more of the same, as Buffalo dominated the regular season series between the two teams, winning 3 of 4 games and 7 of 8 over the past two years.
Players to Watch:
Daniel Briere: On a highly skilled Buffalo offense, co-captain Daniel Briere is a vital cog to the Sabres scoring machine. He is one of the Sabres four 30+ goal scorers this season, six of which were game winners. He is also the greatest playmaker for Buffalo, tallying 63 assists, 21 ahead of the next best forward.
Thomas Vanek: As Briere is to making plays, Vanek is to scoring goals. The super sophomore led the Sabres with 43 goals during the regular season. He is a deadly weapon on the Buffalo power play, scoring 15 of his goals there. On home ice he has scored 30 of his goals, luckily for the Islanders the next three games will be at the Islanders twice. Additionally Vanek lead the league with a stellar +/- rating of +45.
Ryan Smyth: Acquired from the Edmonton Oilers at the trading deadline, Smyth is a key player in the Islanders playoff scheme. Last year Smyth led the Oilers, who were the 8th seed in the West, all the way to the Stanley Cup finals where they suffered a heartbreaking loss in game 7 to the Carolina Hurricanes. Smyth has 15 points in his 18 games as an Islander thus far.
(2) New Jersey Devils vs (7) Tampa Bay Lightning
New Jersey leads series 1-0
This series looks like it might be the closest and most entertaining to watch. On one hand you have the super-defensive Devils, a low scoring team whose strategy revolves around a strong defense to protect arguably the best goaltender in hockey today, Martin Brodeur. On the other hand you have the offensive oriented Lighting, who boast two players in the top five scorers list, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Whichever team can dictate the pace of this series is likely to come out on top.
Players to Watch:
Vincent Lecavalier: Vinny led the league with 52 goals this year, and racked up an impressive 108 points. Lecavalier is a threat to the opposition anytime he is on the ice. A large player, he is not afraid to drop the gloves or throw his body around. It will take a solid effort by New Jersey to contain him; they failed in the first game, allowing Lecavalier to score not once but twice.
Martin Brodeur: Simply put, Brodeur is the foundation of the Devils team. During the regular season he won a record 48 games, and ranks in the top five for both GAA (2.18) and save percentage (.922). Also noteworthy is his league leading 12 shutouts, 4 ahead of the next contender.
Zach Parise: Another young player in these playoffs, Parise improved on his game and went from 32 points his rookie season, to a solid 62 this season. Parise leads the team with 31 goals, and like Lecavalier has already scored twice in this series.
(3) Atlanta Thrashers vs (6) New York Rangers
New York leads series 1-0
The last two winners in the Southeast Division went on to win the Stanley Cup; can Atlanta make it three in a row? The task is a daunting one, Atlanta is making its first playoff appearance in the franchises history, and the hungry Thrashers are looking to make their first time a special one. Both clubs boast excellent players on offense and in net, so this matchup looks like it could get chippy.
Players to Watch:
Marian Hossa: Hossa finished his regular season with career high 100 points, not an easy task to accomplish. He’s scored 13 times in the playoffs throughout his career and he’s looking to expand on that number in this series against the Rags. A speedy player, look for the Rangers to pit him against his brother Marcel.
Ilya Kovalchuk: One of the greatest Russian players, and greatest snipers in the league today. Kovalchuk is a weapon the Thrashers will seek to utilize against the Rangers. He has amassed 18 of his 42 goals on the powerplay this season. Like Hossa he is a speedy player, something the Rangers defense could have trouble containing. Unfortunately he suffers criticism from his play on defense.
Jaromir Jagr: Jagr finished the season with 30 goals and 96 points, and that was playing with an injured shoulder. Jaromir Jagr is one of the greatest players to ever play in the NHL, he has won the Stanley Cup twice before and brings playoff experience and leadership to the Rangers line.
(4) Ottawa Senators vs (5) Pittsbugh Penguins
Ottawa leads series 1-0
The Pittsburgh Penguins have had an amazing season. Jumping from a measly 58 points last season to an amazing 105 this season, this young squad is hoping to be a contender against a veteran lineup in the Ottawa Senators. This series marks the first time the Penguins have appeared in the playoffs since 2001. If the Penguins can keep it together this series should be one of the most evenly matched in the East.
Players to Watch:
Sidney Crosby: Sid the Kid, already being heralded as one of the greatest players to lace ‘em up, Crosby led the NHL with 120 points in his second season. His skill as a playmaker has prompted the popular saying “The Crosby Effect” as anytime he’s on the ice, every Penguin is a threat to score.
Evgeni Malkin: This Russian rookie looks to have a promising career ahead of him. Drafted in the first round (second overall) by the Penguins in 2004, Malkin has had an amazing start. He led all rookies during the regular season with 33 goals and 85 points. He is a strong skater and is a physical presence. Unlike many players in the Penguins lineup, he is able to score without Crosby being on the ice.
Dany Heatley: One of the few pure scorers in the NHL, Heatley is a tremendously skilled player and a veteran member of the Ottawa Senators. Ironically he was traded from the Thrashers to Ottawa in 2005, where he has posted back to back 50 goal and 100+ point seasons. The Penguins will be putting lots of pressure on Heatley but he has the size and the skill to remain a threat to the opposition.
Well that’s it for tonight. I’ll write up more on the West tomorrow, maybe. Oh and if you were wondering who I’m gunning for this playoff season; I’m jumping on the Buffalo bandwagon. So my picks for the first round winners in the East are: Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning, Atlanta Thrashers, Ottawa Senators. And remember, when watching playoff games remember to enjoy yourself but not get carried away, its just a game after all.
-Matt
Indians resign Jake Westbrook
Yep. One more FA off the market for the Winter of 07/08. Jake Westbrook signed what is being reported by Baseball Digest Daily as 3 years 33 million with no options for a fourth or fifth year (virtually the same deal as Javier Vasquez). That's one down for the Indians who still have Hafner and Sabathia to work with. Some have said that Sabathia's deal should be in line with Zambrano's expected Cubs deal of 5 years and 80 million. I'm fine with that I guess. He's a top of the rotation guy and a solid pitcher. I don't think he's as good as Zambrano, but someone would give him more than that in the inflated market so it still qualifies as a hometown discount. MLBTR thinks Hafner is 5/100 guy and I could definitely see that. They don't see the Hafner deal getting done this year or even next. I once again agree although I could see Sabathia getting locked up this year and if not early, definitely in the off-season. The only reason Zambrano is still not long term is apparently because of the ownership change (absurd considering Zambrano is the unequaled ace of that staff and NEEDS to be signed right away).
I expect both Zambrano and Sabathia to be signed before year's end. The funny thing about Hafner is he is a DH. Alright, now reread that 5/100 statement and then let me reiterate. Hafner is a DH. 5/100 (most likely with a sixth or seventh year option) for a DH. Cleveland has their revenue up, but I don't think they'll have that kind of money to spend. I could see Hafner walking and if you had to choose between Hafner and Sabathia (with Westbrook already being resigned), signing Sabathia over T-Haf is a no-brainer. I'm expecting at least one angry e-mail comment on the Indians in my inbox tomorrow morning.
I expect both Zambrano and Sabathia to be signed before year's end. The funny thing about Hafner is he is a DH. Alright, now reread that 5/100 statement and then let me reiterate. Hafner is a DH. 5/100 (most likely with a sixth or seventh year option) for a DH. Cleveland has their revenue up, but I don't think they'll have that kind of money to spend. I could see Hafner walking and if you had to choose between Hafner and Sabathia (with Westbrook already being resigned), signing Sabathia over T-Haf is a no-brainer. I'm expecting at least one angry e-mail comment on the Indians in my inbox tomorrow morning.
Random Thoughts on the Celts and Mets
Bill Simmons has a new column up http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070413&sportCat=nba
go check it out, then come back and read this. Basically, he talks about the Celtics renewing Doc Rivers' contract and even goes on to give funny and inexplicable excuses for said renewal. Also, his entire archive is open to the public (probably after a never ending series of death threats going to ESPN for charging us money to read his old columns). I love Bill and he's a great writer so if you don't read him regularly, you should. Bill, if for some reason you find yourself to my blog, I expect a plug for that.
Alright down to business. Do we care about the Celtics? Isn't it just a little bit suspicious that they announced the Rivers' renewal right around opening day? We already know that virtually no one cares about the Bruins. In Boston, you have the Sox and the Pats. Everything else is second tier. Hell, I think the Revolution might have more fans than the Bruins at this point (I'm sorry Matt, I really am). It makes perfect sense, rewards Doc Rivers for tanking an entire season by giving him an extension. I'm surprised he pulled it off really. He has a career record about 25 games under .500 and he's never won a playoff series. The guy is a career lame duck coach. At the same time, if you had a terrible team and you were in the running for a lottery pick and NEEDED to lose, would you rather have anyone else? He can't play a rotation, he has a knack for not playing young players at the right time and he insists on playing guys who can't play defense.
He's the perfect guy for this season, I'm just surprised he didn't screw it up. So, why does he get an extension? Conventional wisdom says the Celts get the number one or two pick, have another horrible season with a possibly 11-12 man rotation (injury permitting) and possibly get another lottery pick. At that point, I think Doc is let go. The only problem is (I really don't want to regurgitate what Bill says but it's true), the media is absolutely in love with this man. He can do no wrong in their eyes. He makes their jobs easier which means they can focus more on the pats and Sox which is what everyone wants anyways. Do I care about the Celtics? Absolutely. Do I care more than I care about the Sox and the Pats..or even a team that plays in a different timezone by the name of Arsenal? Probably not. Well, Arsenal is in the midst of a season where they're merely trying to survive for a champions league spot and it's painful to watch them right now.
The Celtics need Oden or Durant. It might be enough to get people caring about the Celtics again. Personally, I'd rather have Durant because you never know when another player like him will come along. Oden may end up being one of the 10 best centers of all time, but Durant might be one of the 10 best players of all time.
The keyword involving rookies is MIGHT. You don't know what you're going to get. It's like baseball prospects except NBA rookies don't get that much time. MLB is changing rapidly though. More and more you're seeing the younger guys hit the pros at 19-22 where in the past it was closer to that 21-24 range. King Felix (Hernandez) is in his second full season. He just turned 21. Right now in the Mets minor league system they have 3 stud outfielders (since Milledge was just sent down). Carlos Gomez, Lastings Milledge, and Fernando Martinez. Now factor in the fact that you have Beltran in center as well as Chavez as a defensive guy. You also have Wright and Reyes in the infield. The Mets may have some aging pitching, but as far as their position players go, they could legitimately be set until 2012 with the exception of 2nd and catcher (I don't include 1st because they have Mike Carp and I think Delgado will end up getting trades sometime next year to make room for Carp). Now, this is a dangerous assumption as that basically means you're putting faith in Carp, Milledge, Gomez, AND Martinez (with one being the odd man out obviously) to come through and be solid major leaguers. PECOTA doesn't seem to give much value to the Met's young pitching (they have a few guys in the farm system but honestly, aside from Pelfrey and Phil Humber, I don't know anything about them), but PECOTA isn't perfect. Once Pedro and Glavine retire and they trade Delgado away to make room for Carp, they'll have a lot of extra money to spend on some solid young pitching. You could even package a few solid minor league guys to try and get someone. The Mets are in a rare stance where they can win now but also build for the future if they make some solid trades. Here's to hoping Minaya does the right thing.
Well, that's it for me for today. spread the word and tell your friends. As always you can use comments to state your opinion or e-mail me at chl0rofrmperfume@hotmail.com.
Also, a shout out to my buddy Eric who leaves for UVA today. He's on the Colorado University swim team and they have Nationals against UVA this weekend on the Virginia campus. If you're in the area, go check them out.
go check it out, then come back and read this. Basically, he talks about the Celtics renewing Doc Rivers' contract and even goes on to give funny and inexplicable excuses for said renewal. Also, his entire archive is open to the public (probably after a never ending series of death threats going to ESPN for charging us money to read his old columns). I love Bill and he's a great writer so if you don't read him regularly, you should. Bill, if for some reason you find yourself to my blog, I expect a plug for that.
Alright down to business. Do we care about the Celtics? Isn't it just a little bit suspicious that they announced the Rivers' renewal right around opening day? We already know that virtually no one cares about the Bruins. In Boston, you have the Sox and the Pats. Everything else is second tier. Hell, I think the Revolution might have more fans than the Bruins at this point (I'm sorry Matt, I really am). It makes perfect sense, rewards Doc Rivers for tanking an entire season by giving him an extension. I'm surprised he pulled it off really. He has a career record about 25 games under .500 and he's never won a playoff series. The guy is a career lame duck coach. At the same time, if you had a terrible team and you were in the running for a lottery pick and NEEDED to lose, would you rather have anyone else? He can't play a rotation, he has a knack for not playing young players at the right time and he insists on playing guys who can't play defense.
He's the perfect guy for this season, I'm just surprised he didn't screw it up. So, why does he get an extension? Conventional wisdom says the Celts get the number one or two pick, have another horrible season with a possibly 11-12 man rotation (injury permitting) and possibly get another lottery pick. At that point, I think Doc is let go. The only problem is (I really don't want to regurgitate what Bill says but it's true), the media is absolutely in love with this man. He can do no wrong in their eyes. He makes their jobs easier which means they can focus more on the pats and Sox which is what everyone wants anyways. Do I care about the Celtics? Absolutely. Do I care more than I care about the Sox and the Pats..or even a team that plays in a different timezone by the name of Arsenal? Probably not. Well, Arsenal is in the midst of a season where they're merely trying to survive for a champions league spot and it's painful to watch them right now.
The Celtics need Oden or Durant. It might be enough to get people caring about the Celtics again. Personally, I'd rather have Durant because you never know when another player like him will come along. Oden may end up being one of the 10 best centers of all time, but Durant might be one of the 10 best players of all time.
The keyword involving rookies is MIGHT. You don't know what you're going to get. It's like baseball prospects except NBA rookies don't get that much time. MLB is changing rapidly though. More and more you're seeing the younger guys hit the pros at 19-22 where in the past it was closer to that 21-24 range. King Felix (Hernandez) is in his second full season. He just turned 21. Right now in the Mets minor league system they have 3 stud outfielders (since Milledge was just sent down). Carlos Gomez, Lastings Milledge, and Fernando Martinez. Now factor in the fact that you have Beltran in center as well as Chavez as a defensive guy. You also have Wright and Reyes in the infield. The Mets may have some aging pitching, but as far as their position players go, they could legitimately be set until 2012 with the exception of 2nd and catcher (I don't include 1st because they have Mike Carp and I think Delgado will end up getting trades sometime next year to make room for Carp). Now, this is a dangerous assumption as that basically means you're putting faith in Carp, Milledge, Gomez, AND Martinez (with one being the odd man out obviously) to come through and be solid major leaguers. PECOTA doesn't seem to give much value to the Met's young pitching (they have a few guys in the farm system but honestly, aside from Pelfrey and Phil Humber, I don't know anything about them), but PECOTA isn't perfect. Once Pedro and Glavine retire and they trade Delgado away to make room for Carp, they'll have a lot of extra money to spend on some solid young pitching. You could even package a few solid minor league guys to try and get someone. The Mets are in a rare stance where they can win now but also build for the future if they make some solid trades. Here's to hoping Minaya does the right thing.
Well, that's it for me for today. spread the word and tell your friends. As always you can use comments to state your opinion or e-mail me at chl0rofrmperfume@hotmail.com.
Also, a shout out to my buddy Eric who leaves for UVA today. He's on the Colorado University swim team and they have Nationals against UVA this weekend on the Virginia campus. If you're in the area, go check them out.
Don Imus Fired
Well, everyone and their mother has an opinion on this so I'll chime in quickly before getting to my rants for the day.
There are two schools of thought on the Don Imus firing and honestly, both sides are completely valid. There are those who feel what he said was uncalled for and deserved to be fired (I don't want to single people out, but most of these people are African Americans and they feel he insulted their entire race. Once again, I'd like to say that from their point of view, this is perfectly normal and logical thinking). Then you have the other school who feel that he was wrongfully fired (this is my camp, but more on my feelings in a second). They feel that even suspending him for two weeks was too much. Some of these people are VERY adamant as Chris Russo (co-host of Mike and the Mad Dog along with Mike Francesca) even went as far as to compare CBS to Pontius Pilot (in regards to the fact they washed their hands so to speak). Now I know many will feel that Chris may have been overdoing it with that comment and he has in the past, but I feel he was dead on. CBS Radio only fired Imus after MSNBC had (I believe) fired him and taken his show off the air. On top of that, it had nothing to do with attitude or morals, but it had more to do with money and marketing. But you know what? It ended up going both ways. They lost marketing and advertisers because of having Imus on the air. CBS decides "Okay, we have to fire him." So CBS fires him, now they lose more advertising and marketing for firing Don Imus the way they did.
Do I think Don Imus made a mistake? Definitely. He used a term that could be seen as racially insensitive as a comparative word for physical appearance. Those who heard the whole comment would know he used the term in comparing the Rutger's team to the girls on the Tennessee team. Now, last time I checked (okay, I lied. I didn't check nor do I care for Women's NCAA basketball), the Tennessee women's team has African American players on their team. What Don Imus said was derogatory and ignorant. He's been known to be a bigot at times and he also suffers from the Billy Packer syndrome as far as being out of touch with the sensitivity of words (Billy Packer saying "Fag out" which was a term used to describe someone being tiresome as recently as the 50s and 60s).
Now, what I want to know is, why are people jumping on Don Imus and patting Billy Packer on the back. Packer is a known protagonist who enjoys being in the public eye and creates controversy to do so. If you're going to attack Don Imus, you need to attack Billy Packer. If you don't want to attack Packer for his comments, then let Don Imus be and don't attack him. You cannot have it both ways people. It's called being a hypocrite and when you become a hypocrite on this big of a level, you do nothing but make an ass out of yourself.
So what has this whole Don Imus situation taught us? It's taught us that we're still racially sensitive when people complain enough, but it's alright to be insensitive to the homosexual population of America. It's becoming more and more apparent that hypocrites run the media and something needs to be done about it. Media members cannot be allowed to attack and defend as they see fit. They need to take a stance and stand firm with that stance. Stop flip-flopping.
I'll be back with an actual sports related post within the hour. On that note,
Stay classy San Diego.
There are two schools of thought on the Don Imus firing and honestly, both sides are completely valid. There are those who feel what he said was uncalled for and deserved to be fired (I don't want to single people out, but most of these people are African Americans and they feel he insulted their entire race. Once again, I'd like to say that from their point of view, this is perfectly normal and logical thinking). Then you have the other school who feel that he was wrongfully fired (this is my camp, but more on my feelings in a second). They feel that even suspending him for two weeks was too much. Some of these people are VERY adamant as Chris Russo (co-host of Mike and the Mad Dog along with Mike Francesca) even went as far as to compare CBS to Pontius Pilot (in regards to the fact they washed their hands so to speak). Now I know many will feel that Chris may have been overdoing it with that comment and he has in the past, but I feel he was dead on. CBS Radio only fired Imus after MSNBC had (I believe) fired him and taken his show off the air. On top of that, it had nothing to do with attitude or morals, but it had more to do with money and marketing. But you know what? It ended up going both ways. They lost marketing and advertisers because of having Imus on the air. CBS decides "Okay, we have to fire him." So CBS fires him, now they lose more advertising and marketing for firing Don Imus the way they did.
Do I think Don Imus made a mistake? Definitely. He used a term that could be seen as racially insensitive as a comparative word for physical appearance. Those who heard the whole comment would know he used the term in comparing the Rutger's team to the girls on the Tennessee team. Now, last time I checked (okay, I lied. I didn't check nor do I care for Women's NCAA basketball), the Tennessee women's team has African American players on their team. What Don Imus said was derogatory and ignorant. He's been known to be a bigot at times and he also suffers from the Billy Packer syndrome as far as being out of touch with the sensitivity of words (Billy Packer saying "Fag out" which was a term used to describe someone being tiresome as recently as the 50s and 60s).
Now, what I want to know is, why are people jumping on Don Imus and patting Billy Packer on the back. Packer is a known protagonist who enjoys being in the public eye and creates controversy to do so. If you're going to attack Don Imus, you need to attack Billy Packer. If you don't want to attack Packer for his comments, then let Don Imus be and don't attack him. You cannot have it both ways people. It's called being a hypocrite and when you become a hypocrite on this big of a level, you do nothing but make an ass out of yourself.
So what has this whole Don Imus situation taught us? It's taught us that we're still racially sensitive when people complain enough, but it's alright to be insensitive to the homosexual population of America. It's becoming more and more apparent that hypocrites run the media and something needs to be done about it. Media members cannot be allowed to attack and defend as they see fit. They need to take a stance and stand firm with that stance. Stop flip-flopping.
I'll be back with an actual sports related post within the hour. On that note,
Stay classy San Diego.
Welcome to my shanty.
I'm going to be making a few posts today as I have too much free time and a lot of thoughts. I'd like to welcome you to the home of my new blog. I was going to call it fire Dick Enberg, but if they did that, I wouldn't be able to hear him mispronounce everyones name. If only they got him to call World Cup or hockey games the world might just be complete. So in case you don't know me, I'm Paul and I'm 23 years old. I'm a life long Pats fan who also adopted the Red Sox after the Mets hired Dallas Green and the team REALLY started to get driven into the ground. I know I just reminded Mets fans of times that were truly painful and I feel your pain. I've also disowned the Bruins for the now infamous Joe Thornton trade. For those of you unfamiliar with Hockey (and it's probably a lot of you) the Boston Bruins traded Joe Thornton for seemingly no reason. Not only that, but they pulled a 76ers move and traded him for about 15 cents on the dollar. Thornton wasn't a has-been or a never-will-be might I add. The guy was a star in the league and the CAPTAIN of the team. Let me run it by you one more time folks. The Boston Bruins traded their CAPTAIN away for 20 cents on the dollar.
Ok, well, enough about me. This is an introductory post and I've got some work to do. Thanks for stopping by and tell your friends. If you have any thoughts or comments feel free to email me at chl0rofrmperfume@hotmail.
Ok, well, enough about me. This is an introductory post and I've got some work to do. Thanks for stopping by and tell your friends. If you have any thoughts or comments feel free to email me at chl0rofrmperfume@hotmail.
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