Red Wings, Phil Jax & ARod
* A week ago I indicated that Round 2 of the NHL Playoffs was a dud compared to Round1. However, the Detroit-SanJose series has had as much drama as Round 1 with the Red Wings pulling off another come from behind 3-1 win last night at the Joe Lou evening the series at 3 apiece.
The Sharks led this series 3-1 and in game 5 led 2-0 and 3-1 in the third period at home. They were about to put the Red Wings out of their misery. But, the old guys from Detroit won that game 4-3 and the Sharks somehow began what will be the biggest choke act of the playoffs if they lose game 7 at home on Thursday night. The Canucks were in the same boat in their Round 1 matchup against Chicago, seeing a 3-0 series lead evaporate which led to a Game 7 at home. However, the Canucks won Game 7 to advance and they await the survivor of the Red Wings-Sharks series.
I really believed that the Sharks had the better team. But, from where I'm sitting it's not looking good for them right now. Thursday ought to be something.
* Phil Jackson is calling it quits. The former Knick has had an outstanding career as a coach, winning a number of championships with both the Bulls and the Lakers. One has to wonder how successful he would have been without Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant and Shaq.
* Now that Derek Jeter has raised his average, the media scrutiny has gone to ARod. Last night, ARod delievered with 2-run single that provided the winning runs to lead the Yankees to a 3-1 win over the Royals. Baseball is a marathon and you would think NY media scribes would understand that. Instead, they jump on whoever has hit a down period. First it was Jeter now its ARod. If you get a chance, check out Tim Smith's article:
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While looking out my back window finally seeing flowering on trees and bushes here is what's going on in my head:
* Funny how getting four hits, 2 of which home runs, has the New York dailies now focusing off of Derek Jeter and on the rest of the greybeards on the roster something I have been complaining about since the beginning of the season.
* Staying with the Yankees, Bill Madden's article today in the Daily News might have been written by me. Take a peek if you get a chance today.
* Animal Kingdom wins the Kentucky Derby and I think its pretty much a given that we will not have a Triple Crown winner this year. For those of you 40 years old and younger you have never seen this feat accomplished. I consider myself lucky as from 1973 - 1978 there were 3 Triple Crown Winners: Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), and Affirmed (1978).
* Speaking of Secretariat, if you get a chance go on YouTube and search Secretariat. You will get to see all 3 races and I can tell you there was nothing as dominating as watching this horse win the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown.
* Vancouver took out Nashville last night 2 - 1. Kudos to Barry Trotz and his staff for a valiant effort. Loved the catfish being thrown onto the ice. Wonder if that will be restricted as the octupi are on Detroit.
* Speaking of Detroit, the Joe Louis Arena will be rocking tonight. The Sharks have to be kicking themselves blowing a 3-1 lead at home in Game 5 and could have finished the Red Wings off. I still think the Sharks are the better team, but if Wings win tonight they could win this thing in San Jose.
* I can't figure out Damien Cox of the Toronto Star. Last week he proclaimed on Twitter after the Bruins advanced to the Conference Finals that the Bruins have now won the Kessel trade. I must be missing something but Tyler Seguin has been a healthy scratch the first two rounds. The kid will dress and play on the third line against Tampa Bay as a result of the injury to Patrice Bergeron. Let's see what happens in this series before we proclaim Bruin victory in the most talked about trade in recent Toronto sports history.
* In a recent edition of SI, there was a story about the old ABC show, Wide World of Sports. For those of you too young to remember, this show was on every Saturday afternoon. It was incredible as it went around the world covering sporting events that went beyond the 4 major sport leagues. The best was the boxing coverage, as you had the opportunity to watch the most recent heavyweight fight which included Muhammed Ali.
* They'll be a new champion in the NBA as the Lakers were swept by the Dallas Mavericks. Lamar Odom and Andruw Bynum should be ashamed of themselves for their late game actions. Hardly befitting of champions.
* Unfortunately, the Miami Heat look like they will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston looked really old last night. Can't quite understand why Ray Allen didn't take the final shot in regulation time which would have tied the series for the Celtics.
* And finally, the 2011 NFL Draft had a big decline in the television ratings this year. Do you think it had anything to do with the stupid and ridiculous labor situation????
Fantasy Ups & Downs
With a little over a month into the 2011 Fantasy Baseball season, I have had my share of ups and downs. I'm in a head-to-head league with the opportunity to change my line-up on a daily basis. There have been surprises, disappointments and injuries. After starting the season 0-2, I've bounced back to win my next 3 games.
Injuries and Pick-ups: The most devastating injury was that to Ryan Zimmerman. 3b is a weak position and losing Zimmerman has forced me to make all kinds of move. I first picked up David Freese who was doing really well until he went down with an injury which forced me to pick up Placido Polanco. Polanco has filled in admirably.
The injuries to Phil Hughes and Brad Lidge has led to a bunch of pitching moves. In a massive Monday morning massacre, I dropped Joe Nathan, Lidge, Hughes, and Colby Lewis. In return I picked up Kyle Lohse, Justin Masterson and Michael Pineda.
With Dan Uggla, Torri Hunter and Adam Dunn struggling, I moved to pick up Ryan Theriot, Jeff Francoer and Adam Lind. I dropped Theriot and picked up Orlando Cabrera. The 2b, SS, 3b positions have been a constant shuffle with injuries to Zimmerman and then Freese. Francoer and Lind have been big, particularly now with Nelson Cruz being on the DL.
Disappointments: I can kick myself for drafting Ian Desmond over Starlin Castro. I still don't know why I took Desmond and he has been a disappointment though he does have 10 steals, the most on my team. Adam Dunn has not provided the power boost I was expecting. I'm hopeful he will turn things around.
While I knew Dan Uggla would not hit for average, he has also not hit for power and RBI's. Juan Pierre has not provided the steals that I thought he would. Nelson Cruz was not hitting well before he went on the DL and Matt Wieters has been middling at best.
Ted Lilly has not pitched well and has disappointed me big time. Brad Lidge, Joe Nathan and John Axford was suppose to anchor my relief corp. So much for that!!! Joaquin Benoit started out strong but was getting bombed and has since been dropped. Clay Buchholz has been a disappointment however he pitched well his last outing so I'm remaining positive.
Steady Performers and Surprises: Miquel Cabrera has been the anchor of my offense providing power, RBI's and average. Curtis Granderson leads my team and the AL in home runs. Justin Verlander has pitched well, including a no-hitter on Saturday which pulled out a win for me this week. Gio Gonzalez has been everything I thought he would be and Matt Capps has filled in well for the aforementioned Nathan.
Waiver pick-ups have helped big time. Offensively, Francoer, Polanco and getting Adam Lind have saved me. Pitching-wise, I'm really happy with Michael Pineda and have been helped by Gavin Floyd and Kyle Lohse. But probably the biggest surprise has been Justin Masterson. He is finally pitching the way the Red Sox felt he would only now he is doing it with the Indians.
With four big months ahead, hopefully the injury bug leaves me alone the rest of the way. Time will tell.
Don't forget tomorrow: Tuesday's Thoughts
Predators Stave Off Elimination…Red Wings Next??
While the Eastern Conference semi-finalists, Tampa Bay and Boston, await the start of their series, the Western Conference quarter finals still roll on. Last night, the Nashville Predators staved off elimination by overcoming a 2-1 deficit and winning in Vancouver 4-3 to bring the series back to Nashville for Game 6.
It may be unrealistic that the Predators will be able to knock off the Canucks but you have to be impressed with the heart and soul of a team devoid of superstars. Coach Barry Trotz deserves a lot of credit. Year in and year out this team is always competitive. Pekka Rinne has been solid in net and has been a force all year for the Preds. And GM David Poile has done a great job building a team on a budget. The late season acquisition of Mike Fisher has worked out well. Here's hoping the Preds can push a Game 7 by giving their fans a win at home in Game 6.
In the other series, it seems hard to believe that the Red Wings are on the verge of being eliminated by the Sharks 4-1. However, one has to truly wonder how good the Red Wings really are. I had the opportunity to see the Red Wings in person this season and while Pavel Datsyuk was not in the lineup, I was not impressed. I also watched Game 2 last Sunday and was again not impressed.
While one would think the Red Wings will send this one back to Detroit, it wouldn't surprise me if the Sharks end the series this evening. They are the better team. One has to wonder if the Red Wing dominance is over. Should be interesting.
The Obsession With Derek Jeter
The NY Daily News, the NY Post, and ESPN have stories today about Derek Jeter being dropped in the lineup. The NY Post equates the situation to when Don Mattingly was dropped in the lineup and replaced by Paul O'Neill. But is the situation really the same??? And does this merit the type of media scrutiny that we are seeing and reading??
Mattingly batted 3rd and while hitting over .300 was not hitting for power and driving in runs. O'Neill was leading the AL in hitting and was the obvious choice to replace Donnie Baseball in the 3 spot. Who replaces Jeter as the leadoff hitter??? If you look at the current Yankee roster and specifically the current lineup, there is no one who is better than Jeter right now to be placed in leadoff spot. Brett Gardner has already been there and has been moved. Curtis Granderson is not an option either and it may be better for the Yanks to have him in a position to be able to drive in runs as evidenced by his 2 home runs last night which led the Yanks to victory.
Does this merit the media scrutiny??? Absolutely not!! Derek Jeter's hitting woes are a concern but so are those of Jorge Posada, ARod, Nick Swisher, and Brett Gardner. While today marks the first time there have been stories on Posada's hitting struggles, no one really is questioning anyone else. So why the obsession with Jeter??
I'm going to throw out a theory here that has no basis in fact: maybe the Yankee heirarchy is behind all of this. There is no question that there was bad blood between Jeter and the Yankees over his contract. I think there is also no question that most fans sided with Jeter. So the Yankees want to show who's boss here and stir these stories to get fans to clamor for a demotion forcing Jeter to come forward and accept it. Ridiculous??? Who knows. Don't forget the Yankees leaked stories and planted questions to get at Joe Torre in his later years.
The real story is the lack of development in the Yankees farm system as it relates to offensive players. As I've mentioned before on this blog, Bernie Williams was the last outfielder who was developed within the system who was a bona fide keeper. Look at the current lineup: Jeter, Cano, Posada and Gardner are home grown with Jeter and Posada on the downside of their careers. The real focus should be on Mr. Cashman & Company. But you don't see any stories about that!!!!
Will Round 3 of NHL Playoffs Be More Exciting??
Hate to tell you I told you so, but I told you so. The 1st round of the NHL Playoffs was unbelievably exciting. Multiple Game 7's, plenty of overtime games. Round 2 exciting?? Not so much.
One series down and the other 3 on the verge of being closed out has hardly made for the excitement we saw in round 1. In fact, we could actually have 3 four game sweeps if Boston and San Jose win Game 4.
Round 3 could be better. If the teams that are leading currently advance, the matchups would be: Tampa Bay-Boston and San Jose-Vancouver. Both series could be very interesting. San Jose-Vancouver would pit two Western powers who have similar styles. Only problem will be the late game starts. Tampa Bay-Boston will be extremely interesting as Tampa's skill players match-up against Zdeno Chara and company.
Round 3 predictions ahead. Stay tuned.
Storm Clouds On The Horizon For Yanks
Let me start out by making it very clear: I'm a die-hard Yankee fan. My first Yankee memory is Bobby Richardson's leaping catch which gave the Yankees a World Championship in 1962. I went through the dark era from 1965 - 1975, when they were flat out terrible and the only way I could listen to their games was by putting foil on a radio antenna and pulling in WGY Schenectady. I bring all of this up to show my Pinstripe loyalty. However, I call them like I see them and I'm concerned about where the Yankees are heading this season.
In earlier posts I have criticized Brian Cashman for his failure to shore up the starting rotation. Being fair, the bargain acquisitions of Freddy Garcia and Bartolo "little Andre" Colon has placed a temporary band-aid on the rotation. In fact, over the course of the last week Yankee starters have pitched well enough to win. However, victories have not necessarily followed.
Since coming back from a minor injury, ARod has been struggling big time, Jorge Posada has been awful at DH, Nick Swisher is having difficulty from the left side of the plate, Derek Jeter has not been Derek Jeter and Brett Gardner(while coming on lately) has not proven to be a lead-off hitter. You can pitch as well as you want, but you have to score some runs to win.
The Yankees are going to have to make some tough decisions. How long are they willing to go with Posada at full-time DH?? When does Derek Jeter get moved down in the line-up?? Do they have a legitimate lead-off hitter on their roster?? What do they do if Phil Hughes can't come back this season?? And, will Garcia, Colon and Nova be able to handle the heat of a summer pennant race.
The Yanks currently sit atop the AL East, 2 games ahead of the Rays and 4 games ahead of the Red Sox. Obviously, I'd rather be in first than third. However, you have rose-pinstriped colored glasses on if you don't have some concern as we go further into the month of May. I've felt from the beginning that this season was going to be a tough one. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm having a hard time seeing this team as its currently constructed doing much damage in October. Even more scary, October may not be guaranteed. Time will tell if I'm a worry wart or if having followed this team for nearly 50 years I can see the storm clouds ahead.
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While thinking about when we will go 2 days without rain, here's what going on in my mind this morning:
- I was really pleased with the Browns draft. The trade that saw the Browns garner four more picks from Atlanta, 2 this year and Atlanta's 1st and 2nd next year, was just what they needed to get more talent on their roster. The first three picks went a long way in helping to get some playmakers on their defense, particularly on the D line and the selection of Greg Little should help the receiving corp. I also thought the selection of the big OL Jason Pinkston was a very good pick and can really make a good offensive line even better. The selection of Jordan Cameron, the TE from USC, could end up being a diamond in the rough pick. Kudos to Tom Heckert. Go Brownies!!!
- Congratulations to the gallery gods at the Radio City Music Hall for booing Roger Goodell. It made me proud. Goodell and his band of owners continue to blacken the eye of the NFL. The sad thing is that if this thing gets settled, people will go back like lemmings, unlike what happened after the last MLB work stoppage.
- Here's a prediction: Cam Newton becomes the next 1st overall bust.
- The Cleveland Indians have the best record in baseball and after one month you have to wonder if they are for real. Heading into May 3: they are 8 games ahead of Detroit, 9.5 games ahead of Chicago and 10 games ahead of last year's Central Division champs Minnesota. If the Indians keep this distance heading into June it will be a fun summer for Chief Wahoo!!!
- The NHL Playoffs continue to roll along. I was really happy to see Nashville knock off the Canucks the other night in double OT. What is also pretty impressive is the number of people who showed up to welcome the Predators back to Nashville. The Canucks better be ready for a raucous crowd when Game 3 begins.
- The Sunday game between the Sharks and Red Wings was probably the worst game I've watched this playoff season. It almost reminded me of a youth hockey game. The Red Wings better get their act together or it could be an early exit.
- Boston defeated the Flyers last night in overtime to take a 2-0 lead heading back to Boston. Is this deja vu' all over again???
- Can't be any happier for Vinny Lecavalier. The Lightning have the Capitals on the ropes and Bruce Boudreau's job could be in jeopardy if his team gets knocked out. Quite frankly, I believe the Caps are done.
- Some joker has said that the NBA playoff was just as exciting as the NHL. Please!!!! There hasn't been one Game 7 yet in the NBA playoff.
- And finally, now that the tests on Phil Hughes have come back negative what's next???
U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!!!
While watching the Mets-Phillies game last night, I received a message on my iphone indicating that President Obama was going to address the nation at 10:30pm. Seemed like it was going to be something big. Could it be greater involvement in Libya?? Was there another imminent threat??
I immediately switched to MSNBC and after15-20 minutes it was reported that Osama Bin Laden was dead. I was hoping that this was not a drone hit but that American forces actually killed him. Moments later the President announced to the world that American special forces engaged in a gunfight with the mastermind of 9/11 and killed him. They had the body and no Americans were hurt.
While the murder of this despicable individual will not undo the harm that he caused this country and the families who lost loved ones on that day, it does brings a measure of justice. It also gives us pride in knowing that the U.S. still has the ability to accomplish a special mission. Remember these types of missions are not a given. Things can go wrong as evidenced back in Iran in 1980 when the US tried to rescue the hostages that were taken by Iranian extremists only to have their helicopter crash and the mission failed.
God Bless our troops, God Bless President Obama, God Bless the United States of America!!!
Cashman Doing Great Job: Really???
This morning both New York dailies are praising Brian Cashman for unearthing such gems like Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon, Andruw Jones, Eric Chavez and Russell Martin. Now let me be fair, I loved the Russell Martin signing. Martin was a two-time All Star in the National League before injuries sidelined him. By the way, he's also only 28.
I liked the signings of Jones and Chavez. The Yanks have been notoriously weak on their bench and these two help to strengthen that and provides Joe Girardi with options. As far as the pitchers, I had no problem with Garcia. Having him as the number 5 starter was a decent move. Colon? I must admit that I am completely surprised by how well he has pitched. One can make the argument that he is the Yankees second best pitcher. So I guess all of that means that Cashman has done a great job. In fact, he's proud that he has "unearthed nuggets". Gene Michael once told Cashman that he needs to be a "prospector".
So let me see. The Yankee rotation is Sabathia, Burnett, Colon, Garcia and Nova. Hardly, intimidating for a playoff series. Maybe barely intimidating to win the AL East. The fact of the matter is that Brian Cashman made all the wrong moves going back to the 2010 trade deadline last July. It was then that he first got hung up over his love affair with acquiring Cliff Lee. The Mariners stuck it to him and he then decided that he would wait for free agency. But for a moment, what if Cashman had went after Dan Haren? Where would the Yankees be now?? Maybe Andy Pettite stays and Cashman could still have tried to sign Lee in December. Now how about this rotation: Sabathia, Haren, Pettite, Garcia and Nova.
To be fair, the situation with Phil Hughes could not have been predicted and certainly is unfortunate. However, the Hughes situation shows how fragile young pitchers are in spite of all the rules that the Yankees place on their young arms. In the end, as it stands right now, the most winningest young pitcher that the Yankees have come up with in the last 10 years has been Chien Ming Wang.
While Cashman has "cobbled" together a rotation to keep the ship afloat, the rest of the season is one injury to an over 30-something pitcher away from being torpedoed. The Rays are only 1 game behind and have a pitching staff that is younger and coming on. The Red Sox are 5 games out. The Yankees head into May having more road games than at home. The next 30 - 45 days will give us a good picture of where they will be as we head into the summer.
Cashman should know better than anyone that a trip to post season baseball isn't determined in April. It's way to early to be lauding the Yankee GM. I'll wait until October and let you know how well Cashman has done as GM.
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