tonytalkssports My Take on Sports, particularly the Yankees, Maple Leafs and Browns

Tuesday’s Thoughts

While wondering how long it will be before Kim Kardashian dumps Kanye West, here's what is on my mind this morning:

* The Yankees opened up their series against the Texas Rangers with a 7-4 win last night highlighted by a strong performance by CC Sabathia, a 4 hit game by Derek Jeter and a 3-run homer by Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees have a tough week ahead as they have two more games with the Rangers before they go home to take on the Detroit Tigers.

* Have to wonder why Joe "The Binder" Girardi used Sabathia in the 8th inning last night raising his pitch total over 100, the most he has thrown this year. It's a long year and with David Robertson fully rested I wonder whether if it made sense. I guess we will find out later in the season if CC begins to falter.

* Eric Chavez' performance at Fenway Park on Friday is why I felt it was important for the Yankees to bring him back. This guy is a professional hitter and if not for injuries would have had some pretty impressive numbers for his career. It seems like he loves playing at Fenway Park as evidenced last season in a late August series against the Red Sox.

* John Kruk continued his Yankee bashing on Sunday as he ripped Nick Swisher for over celebrating his double that put the Yankees ahead in Saturday's game against the Red Sox. Kruk said that Swisher's actions were totally uncalled for and it might set Nick up for getting plunked. The former Fat Phillie (he's still fat just not a Phillie anymore) went on for quite a bit. My question for Kruk: what did you think when John Papelbon would scream on the mound after he completed a save?? Or how about the gyrations of Jose Valverde?? It seems the Fat Phillie doesn't like the Yankees. This is the same Fat Phillie who last season picked the Red Sox to win the AL East and that the Yankees would not even make the playoffs. Kruk is a joke who tries to create this persona as a beer swilling regular guy just talking sports. Terrible.

* With Phoenix knocking out the Chicago Black Hawks last night, the Western Conference survivors are not your traditional NHL powers. The Coyotes will take on the Nashville Predators while the St. Louis Blues will face-off against the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings-Blues series should be a good one.

* Heard an interesting stat about Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick: in 30% of the games he played in this season he allowed only 1 goal or less. That is simply incredible and would seem to give Team USA another option in goal for the Sochi Olympics along with Ryan Miller and Jimmy Howard.

* So happy that the New York Rangers defeated Ottawa last night to force a Game 7 for Thursday night at MSG. I really dislike the Senators and I think Chris Neil is a huge punk. Here's hoping the MSG faithful can inspire the Rangers to a big win.

* I don't understand why these NHL games are spread out so much. The only game tonight is the Florida-New Jersey contest. Washington and Boston don't play until tomorrow and the Rangers series resumes on Thursday. No reason why the Bruins aren't playing tonight and the Rangers on Wednesday unless both arenas are occupied by their respective NBA teams.

* Will be interesting to see what happens in Pittsburgh, Chicago, Vancouver and Detroit as a result of their first round defeats.

* Kudos to the University of Arkansas for firing Bobby Petrino. Read an interesting article about how Petrino hired his mistress over a much more qualified woman which once again illustrates the unbelievable power that these college football coaches have at these universities.

* The NFL Draft begins on Thursday and it appears that the number 4 pick owned by the Cleveland Browns is the most unpredictable at this point. Rumors abound as to what the Browns may do including the possibility that they could make a trade with St. Louis or Miami. If it were up to me I would keep the pick and take Trent Richardson and then use their second pick in the first round and take the best wide receiver available.

* And finally, as an NHL fan you have to love the coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs on the NBC family of networks. Gary Bettman had quite a coup making this deal with NBC. Now if he can do something about the inconsistent officiating that has taken place he will have really done something. But what do you expect from a marketing guy who doesn't have a clue about hockey.

Tuesday’s Thoughts

While wondering if there is a more annoying play-by-play guy than Michael Kay, here's what is on my mind this morning:

* Freddy Garcia has been terrible in both of his starts this season for the Yankees. One has to wonder if the bubble has bursted for the aging right hander. Maybe warmer weather will help Garcia but by that time it may be too late as Andy Pettite could be ready by mid-May.

* Not sure what it is but the start of this Yankee season has been less than inspiring. Probably the best game so far has been the home opener win over the Angels as Hiroki Kuroda pitched very well and Alex Rodriguez homered and had 3 hits. I keep on telling myself that it is a long season but with CC Sabathia struggling, Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia imploding and the middle of the lineup not producing I'm a little nervous. But, the sun will come up tomorrow, it's only April and the cream will rise to the top.

* Love the way Derek Jeter has started the season. As I have said many times over, it will be awhile before we see another Yankee like The Captain. Too bad his teammates aren't hitting as well right now.

* The NHL Playoffs have been AWESOME!!! To me there is no other sports post season that has the emotion and drama that are evident in the Race for the Stanley Cup. I was so happy that the NY Rangers defeated the Ottawa Senators last night to take a 2-1 lead in the series. The Senators are punks. There is not one player on that team that I have any respect for. Between Chris Neil, Matt Carkner and that former Islander cement head Zenon Konopka, I don't know who I dislike more. Probably Konopka.

* Love the way Brian Boyle plays. Big guy who throws his body around and can score. And if Henrik Lundqvist doesn't win the Vezina Trophy its a joke. He was incredible last night. So much for the WGR gasbags, Mike Schopp & Jeremy White, who don't think you need a top-notch goalie to win in the playoffs .

* Another example of why White & Schopp should stick to food drafts is the play of Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick. Quick has been outstanding and his Kings have the obnoxious Vancouver Canucks on the ropes with a commanding 3-0 lead in their series. I couldn't be happier to see the whining and diving Canucks get swept.

*The Philadelphia-Pittsburgh series has been unbelievable. The Flyers have been incredible in this series. Their resilency in the first 2 games of the series in Pittsburgh set the tone and the Penguins lost their composure in Game 3. This series is over as I can't see Pittsburgh winning four in a row. The Flyers seem poised to make a long-run however the only concern could be Ilya Bryzgalov. He will need to be better as the Flyers move on. By the way, I just love watching Scott Hartnell, Claude Giroux and Jaromir Jagr play. And Wayne Simmonds could be the next big-time power forward in the NHL.

* Here's hoping that Nashville and St.Louis can advance. I really enjoy watching both teams play and they are doing without spending big-time money.

* Watching the playoffs up to this point it is clear that neither the Sabres or the Leafs would have fared well in this first round. Both teams are too small and soft to battle with the likes of the top 5 seeded teams in the conference.

* How arrogant is the NFL?? Is anyone really going to be watching tonight the unveiling of the 2012 NFL schedule?? I for one will not be watching it.

* How long will it take for the Boston Red Sox to have a mass insurrection against their loud-mouth media hog manager, Bobby Valentine? Valentine is in some hot water for publicly criticizing Kevin Youkilis for not being physically and emotionally into the game. Dustin Pedroia defended Youkilis and said if Valentine was trying to motivate Youk that this isn't Japan and it doesn't work that way in Boston. Valentine needs to realize that he is no longer a TV analyst. With the personalities in that Red Sox clubhouse, I think it's only a matter of time for an uprising.

* I had to laugh last night while watching the Yankee game on YES. During the game they showed the twitter handles for the Yankee broadcasters including Michael Kay. The same Michael Kay who blocked me last week because I was critical of him. Talk about being sensitive. I guess it's ok to send a tweet to him as long as you puff up his ego which is as big as his head!!

* It's no wonder that Kay has a weekly radio spot with Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine. They are both self-promoting, arrogant clowns.

* Laughed my head off over the weekend following Jeremy White on twitter during the Flyers-Penguins game. White was whining about how he wished the Sabres were in the playoffs. Really, Jeremy??? It wouldn't be pretty.

* Funny how some Sabre fans are critical of Leafs GM Brian Burke but at least Burke faced the media in a end-of-the-year press conference. In the meantime, Darcy Reiger was nowhere to be found. With so many questions, the Sabres felt that it wasn't necessary for Reiger to face the music.

* It is a commonly known fact that the Yankees have more fans in WNY than any other team. In spite of this, not one radio station in the Buffalo market is covering Yankee games this year. What a complete joke. The great WGR 550 Sports radio hasn't covered the Yankees for years. In fact, they don't even cover the MLB playoffs. To listen to baseball playoffs you have to tune in to a Toronto radio station. We here in WNY are in the sports wilderness. Thankfully, we can easily pick up Toronto sports radio that covers all sports.

* And finally, RIP Chief Jay Strongbow. The former WWE wrestler died last week at the age of 86. He was known for the "tomahawk chop".

Tuesday’s Thoughts

While wondering what I would be doing right now if the Leafs were getting ready for the playoffs, here is what's on my mind this morning:

* Ivan Nova silenced his critics by pitching a gutty game last night going 7 innings and only allowing 2 runs. Full marks to the kid for showing a lot of heart and not backing down. That has been his trademark throughout his young career.

* It was nice for the New York Yankees to get that first win under their belts as they defeated the Baltimore Orioles 6-2. However, this game should have been a blow out as the Yankees continued a disturbing trend of not being able to drive in runs. Twice they had the bases loaded with one out only to end the inning with a double play. They left 10 men on base last night.

* Robert Andino, Orioles infielder, is a punk. Last night, he got into a screaming match with Russell Martin at the end of the Orioles loss. Apparently, Martin felt that Andino was tipping Oriole hitters with signs while Mariano Rivera was pitching in the ninth inning. With Andino and Buck Showalter involved I wouldn't put it past them. Martin doesn't take any crap and that's why I love the guy.

* The Orioles have a couple of nice players, particularly Adam Jones & Matt Wieters. But their young pitchers need a lot of seasoning.

* Last night, Michael "Beavis" Kay was extolling the virtues of former Yankee Hector Noesi who was involved in the Jesus Montero-Michael Pineda trade. Beavis said that some baseball people told him that Noesi was hitting 96-98 mph with his fast ball during spring training. Well, Noesi pitched last night for the Mariners. His line score: 3IP, 6H, 7ER, 3BB, 3K. I liked Noesi but never saw him as a top starter. Go talk to your baseball people Beavis!

* Can't wait to hear Randy Carlyle & Brian Burke's press conferences today. I think Burkie may be a bit more humble in light of Larry Tannenbaum's apology letter to Leaf fans for a disappointing season.

* Read an article about Nazem Kadri which confirms my thoughts that the Leafs should trade him. Toronto Marlies coach Dallas Eakins sat Kadri because he gave away the puck on numerous occasions during the first period of a game. Instead of acknowledging his shortcomings, Kadri basically defended his play by saying his job is to make things happen. Really??? If Phil Kessel said that he would be run out of town.

* Nearly went through the roof hearing some caller on Toronto radio saying Edmonton is farther ahead of the Leafs because of the high first round picks they have on the team. Really??? Their defense sucks and their goaltending??? Please.

*The Buffalo print media is all over Darcy Reiger and Lindy Ruff. Derek Roy complained about Ruff singling out players in the media. As long as Reiger is GM, Ruff will stay on as the head coach. But Roy could be gone. Or at least he should be gone. In my opinion, all 3 should be gone.

* The whole Bobby Petrino story is another example of college football coaches gone wild. He hires his 25 year old mistress to be on the football staff??? Being a college football coach is the best job in the world. You make gobs of money, are worshipped in some small or medium sized college town and you get paid for all kinds of endorsements. All of this and you are for the most part bullet proof. Sad commentary on the NCAA but what do you expect.

* And finally, old Beavis Kay is a pretty sensitive guy. Last night on Twitter, I criticized him for being a self-promoter. He went wild which resulted in a flurry of tweets from many tweeps. As a result, Beavis has now blocked me from following him. I am truly saddened. Too bad I can't block him from the Yankee broadcasts. Most fans love their home team's play-by-play guy. Unfortunately for many of us Yankee fans that is not the case. Beavis couldn't tie Frank Messer's shoes. If it wasn't for the Yankees, Beavis would be buried somewhere in Paducah, Kentucky doing sports updates. Kind of like Jeremy White.

Tuesday’s Thoughts

While wondering what it would be like to win the Mega Millions, here is what's on my mind this morning:

* The Maple Leafs roll into the First Niagara Center tonight to take on the Buffalo Sabres in the back end of a home and home. The Leafs won Saturday night at the ACC 4-3 and as a result dealt a blow to the Sabres playoff chances. This will be the Sabres last home game of the regular season, with their remaining two games at Philadelphia and at Boston. This is a must win for Buffalo. It might be a long night for the Leafs.

* Joe Colborne has been called up from the Marlies to fill in for the injured Mikhail Grabovski. I'm lookiing forward to seeing the kid play as he could be a big piece to the puzzle next season.

* Leaf fans should check out the following article about the team's farm system and re-think all of the venom directed at Brian Burke. http://www.torontosun.com/2012/04/02/leafs-hoping-help-is-on-the-way

* What was no surprise to me, the Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Kansas Jayhawks to become NCAA Basketball National Champions. Too bad it started so late to watch.

* Sean Payton is suppose to meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to appeal his year long suspension for BountyGate. Many believe that Payton really wants to clearly understand what his restrictions are under the suspension. It is extremely unlikely that there will be any kind of appeal. My question to Goodell is this: are there any other teams that have had a bounty system??

* If the Cleveland Browns take Ryan Tannehill with the fourth overall pick of the draft, Tom Heckert and Mike Holmgren should be run out of town.

* With the injury to Michael Pineda, the New York Yankees starting rotation is set for the start of the season until Andy Pettitte is ready which will be sometime in May. I like the fact that Pettitte is getting ready as it will provide some insurance if Ivan Nova or Phil Hughes hits a speed bump.

* I am really looking forward to the Flyers-Penguins series. Sunday's brawl was old-time hockey and I loved it. Peter Laviolette trying to get at Dan Bylsma reminded me of the time when Pat Burns tried to get at Barry Melrose during the Western Conference Finals during the 1992-93 Playoffs.

* Thoroughly enjoyed an interview that Brian Hayes of TSN Radio Toronto had with Flyer forward Scott Hartnell. I remember when Hartnell was heading into free agency a few years ago when Bill Watters was advocating for the Leafs to get him. They never had a chance when Nashville moved the big guy to Philly.

* The gasbags at WGR 550 are at it again as they are blaming the Sabres lost weekend on goaltender Ryan Miller. If it wasn't for Miller, the Sabres wouldn't be in the hunt right now. He has been honored by the NHL as one of the three stars for the month of March. I suppose it was Miller's fault that Sekera misplayed the puck at the blue line while on the power play that led to the Leafs shorthanded goal. I suppose it was Miller's fault that the Sabres defense allowed the Leafs to crash the net before the end of the second period that resulted in the Leafs second goal. The anti-Miller sentiment on GR550 is incredible. What really needs to happen is that Miller walks out when his contract is up. Better yet, why can't the gasbags rally up all the Louies and Chesters and get Miller traded. How about the Leafs number one pick and Nazem Kadri for Miller??? What do you say Jeremy??? It would be two number ones for Miller. If I were Brian Burke, I would do it in a second.

* And finally, I'll have my MLB Baseball predictions for the 2012 season prior to the Yankees season opener which is Friday.

Tuesday’s Thoughts

While wondering how long it will be before Bobby Valentine's act wears thin in Boston, here is what's on my mind this morning:

* What in the world is up with the New York Jets?? Acquiring Tim Tebow makes absolutely no football sense. Seems more like an attempt to take publicity away from the Super Bowl Champion NY Giants. Ultimately, Rex Ryan will regret the day that Tebow arrived in New York.

* Rumors abound that Sean Payton would like his former mentor, Bill Parcells, to take over the New Orleans Saints while Payton serves his one year suspension. Somehow, I don't see why the 71 year old Parcells would want to do this.

* The National Football League has a problem on its hands and that problem is Warren Sapp. Sapp's declaration on the league's television network that Jeremy Shockey was the guy who blew the whistle on Bountygate has the league in some potential hot water. Besides the fact that everyone around the investigation and Commissioner Goodell has indicated that Sapp is wrong, if Shockey does not find employment this season the league will be facing a lawsuit for sure. This country has whistleblower laws which prohibits retaliation against an employee who speaks out about an improper practice. Sapp should be taken to task for his remarks and the league needs to monitor what is said on its own network.

* The NFL Draft is a month away and there is all kinds of speculation about what the Cleveland Browns are going to do with the fourth overall pick. There is a possibility that they might trade down to acquire more picks. Bottom line for me: they better do something to bring some spark to their boring offense.

* The fascination of the New York media over the lack of velocity on Michael Pineda's fastball is amazing. This 21 year old kid seems to have developed the third pitch that the Yankees wanted him to work on and his spring stats are good. On the other end of the spectrum is Ivan Nova whose spring numbers have not been very good. Maybe the dailies ought to quit looking at the radar gun and pay more attention to earned runs given up, hits allowed and walks.

* Is there anything more boring than watching a baseball exhibition game from the sixth inning on??

* Nice to see Tiger Woods win a PGA tournament over the weekend. Woods being on his game will truly make this year's Masters more interesting to watch. A last day battle between Woods and Rory McElroy would really bring excitement back to golf the likes of which we haven't seen since Tiger bursted on to the scene many years ago.

* As predicted by many (me included), 3 number one seeds did not make it to the Final Four. Kentucky will be the only one playing next weekend and I believe they are the favorite to win it all. The best match up in the Finals would be Kentucky and Ohio State. By the way, what has happened to the ACC???

* Should be a dandy this evening as the Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres meet in the nation's capitol. The teams are tied for the 8th and final playoff spot. What makes this game really interesting is that Buffalo's hottest player is Ryan Miller and Washignton's hottest player is Alex Ovechkin.

* The Maple Leafs meet the Carolina Hurricanes at the ACC tonight. The Hurricanes have really been playing well as of late. The loser of this game will be in 13th place in the Eastern Conference and have a shot at a lottery pick. The way things have been going I can feel a Carolina win.

* A bright spot for Leaf Nation: what team has given up the fewest goals in the American Hockey League?? You guessed it, the Toronto Marlies.

* The guy who I think is the most underrated coach in the NHL is Barry Trotz. The Nashville Predators are not a big market team but they make the playoffs on a regular basis. They don't have any big name goal scorers but they compete every game. Might do the Maple Leafs some good to watch some Predator games.

* Sad news on Sunday when it was announced that Bert Sugar passed away at the age of 74. Sugar was Mr. Boxing as he covered the game for years and was a frequent guest on many sports talk shows throughout North America. I always enjoyed listening to him. He was a throwback sports reporter. He will be sadly missed.

* And finally, while driving home last night, I had to hear Mike Schopp tell a story about being at some event over the weekend and he couldn't remember the name of a former school mate. What made it worst was he called the guy his wrong name the whole evening. It was only until the end of the event when Schopp got the bad news. This is the state of Sports Radio in Western New York.

Tuesday’s Thoughts

While wondering why it seems every year I end up with one of my fantasy teams having Aramis Ramirez on its roster, here is what's on my mind this morning:

* Well the Peyton Manning sweepstakes is over as he is reportedly going to sign with the Denver Broncos. This certainly will change the dynamics of the AFC West. The Broncos not only will be a legitimate contender in the division but with Manning they also become a threat in the AFC. Look to see more Bronco games on national TV.

* When you look at the division, pressure will be squarely on the underachieving San Diego Chargers. Phillip Rivers and Company have not produced and with Manning in the division they best be ready to play come September instead of waiting until mid-November.

* Manning is the best quarterback John Fox has ever coached and it will be interesting to see how he handles the future Hall of Famer. The biggest casualties in all of this are Tim Tebow and the Miami Dolphins. The once-proud Miami franchise is having a difficult time attracting free agents. They struck out on Manning and also struck out on Matt Flynn. Missing out on Flynn is stunning since Dolphin Head Caoch Joe Philbin was Flynn's offensive coordinator in Green Bay. Does this mean that Tim Tebow goes to the Dolphins?? No, David Garrard signed with Miami. Rumblings are Tebow could end up in Jacksonville. But one report had the Jaguars not necessarily enamored with the former Gator. Two possibilities: New Orleans and New England.

* While teams like Chicago, Denver, Buffalo, Washington and others improve themselves through free agency, there sit the Cleveland Browns who let go more players than they signed. Boy, I can't wait for another season of Browns Football.

* Andy Pettite's return to the Yankees still has me shocked. The big lefty was surely missed last season and somehow I don't see the Yanks losing Game 5 at home with Pettite on the mound. If he can pitch like he did in 2010, the Yankee rotation will be pretty solid. The best thing about Pettite is that he knows how to win.

* One guy who might take lessons from Pettite is Ivan Nova. Sunday night Nova was less than stellar the first two innings of his four inning outing. His calling out of the young catcher, Gustavo Molina, was classless from a young man who has not earned his stripes in the big leagues as a pitcher. In my mind, he is the odd man out of the rotation to start the season.

* I have taken Brian Cashman to task many times but he deserves credit for what he has done in this off season. Not only has he upgraded the starting rotation, he has also provided a strong bench for Joe "The Binder" Girardi. This may be the best bench that the Yankees have had to start the season in a long, long time.

* As a Maple Leafs fan there is not much to say other than totally embarassed over last night's 8-0 whipping at the hands of the Boston Bruins. The Leafs have been terrible all year against the Bruins, being outscored 36-10. Not only did they get beat all year on the scoreboard but they also got beat physically.

* I am really tired of the constant drumbeat on the part of certain Toronto media types and Leaf fans for Brian Burke's removal as President and General Manager. The article below from Dobber Hockey says it all as far as I'm concerned. All I can say to the critics is: be careful what you wish for.

http://www.dobberhockey.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4495:state-of-the-toronto-maple-leafs&catid=3:dobber&Itemid=96

* If Sunday's game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins is a prelude to an opening round playoff series between these two teams, we are in for a memorable one. These two teams generally hate each other. Both of these 2 teams are legitimate Cup contenders and the Battle of Pennsylvannia is going to be fun to watch.

* Finally, can anyone remember when the New York Mets were relevant???