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.
NHL First Round Predictions
The first round of the National Hockey League playoffs begins Wednesday night and here are my fearless first round predictions:
Ottawa Senators (8) vs NY Rangers (1): The Rangers have had an outstanding season this year but have had trouble with the Senators. Ottawa has been one of the biggest turnaround stories of the year however at one point they were in 6th place in the Conference and hung on to finish 8th. Henrik Lundqvist is the difference. New York in 6.
Washington Capitals (7) vs Boston Bruins (2): The defending Stanley Cup Champions have hit some bumps in the road but still managed to be the number two seed in the Eastern Conference by winning the Northeast Division. (Philly and Pittsburgh actually had more points) Tim Thomas has not played the way he did last year and that could be a problem for the Bruins. The Capitals may be turning it around at the right time however their goaltending is suspect. This series is going to go as the goaltending goes. I'll take the Bruins in 5.
New Jersey Devils (6) vs Florida Panthers (3): The Panthers return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the Southeast Division Champs. The Devils have had a great season and should win this series. New Jersey in 6.
Philadelphia Flyers (5) vs Pittsburgh Penguins (4): This may end up being the best series of the entire playoffs. Both of these teams have over 100 points and make a good argument to seed for the playoffs based on points without giving the division champs the automatic top three seeds. These teams hate each other. This is going to be a war and is a tough one to call. I'm leaning to Pittsburgh in 7.
Los Angeles Kings (8) vs Vancouver Canucks (1): The Kings only chance is if Jonathan Quick can steal a couple of games. It's possible but the Canucks would seem to be poised to advance into the second round. Canucks in 5.
San Jose Sharks (7) vs St. Louis Blues (2): Well, things certainly do change. Who would have thought several years ago that the Blues would have home-ice advantage in a playoff series against the Sharks. Coach Ken Hitchcock has done a tremendous job with St. Louis and his team swept the Sharks in the regular season. St. Louis in 6.
Chicago Black Hawks (6) vs Phoenix Coyotes (3): The key to this series will be Mike Smith. He has had a great season and gives the Coyotes the edge in goal. They will need that edge because the Hawks have plenty of offensive firepower. This is a tough one to call. Chicago in 7.
Detroit Red Wings (5) vs Nashville Predators (4): This will be the most interesting series in the Western Conference. I like the way the Predators play and give their organization full marks for building a team that is very competitive in the tough Central Division. They are going up against the Red Wings who are playoff tested. It's hard to pick against the Wings. Detroit in 6.
*********************************************************************************************************
Tomorrow is Tuesday's Thoughts and Wednesday what the Leafs need to do for the 2012-2013 season.
Disappointing Season Ends With 4-1 Loss
A season that started out so promising mercifully came to an end Saturday night for the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. With the loss, the Leafs will end up with an 8.1% chance of getting the 1st pick overall as a result of finishing 26th overall. I'm sure that all of the Tankers out there must be happy.
You knew that the Canadiens were going to win this one when they scored a shorthanded goal while being two men short. Dion Phaneuf made the score 2-1 early in the third period as the Leafs seemed to be poised to tie the game. However, Erik Cole ended all of that with a goal moments after Tim Connolly had a chance to tie the game up. For the Leafs it was a fitting ending for a season that saw them in 6th place in the Eastern Conference on February 6th only to fall to a lottery pick opportunity.
This week I will tell you what I think the Leafs need to do to right the ship. Look for it on Wednesday morning and here's hoping we can move up in the draft lottery.
Joe The Binder Returns In Yankee Loss
Joe Girardi is noted for playing it by the book, his infamous binder. While I understand that it is important to know the history of matchups but as I have said before sometimes you have to go with your gut. Well there is no way that Joe "The Binder" Girardi will ever do that. In a move that I still find baffling, he decides to have CC Sabathia walk Sean Rodriguez and pitch to Carlos Pena with the bases loaded who then proceeds to hit a grand slam home run to give the Tampa Rays a 4-0 lead. While the Yankees came back to take the lead, the move tells us that we are in for another season of The Binder.
This is one game out of 162 so I'm not ready to push the panic button particularly since Sabathia has a terrible record on opening days: an ERA of 7.47 as the Yankee opening day pitcher and a career record of 5.66 on opening day. I'm not even upset about Mariano Rivera blowing a save. He is a human being and I'm confident he will bounce back.
But what is bothering me is that just like in last year's playoffs, the Yankees could not get a big hit to drive in runs. One of the big culprits once again was Mark Teixiera. Batting behind ARod he is going to have plenty of opportunities. I'm going to say this for the one thousandth time: he needs to go the opposite way. Speaking of ARod, he looked good yesterday both in the field and at the plate. If he can stay healthy, this could be a big year for him. It will be up to The Binder to make sure ARod gets the rest that he needs.
Tonight Hiroki Kuroda makes his Yankee debut against David Price. I'm sure The Binder has everything mapped out. The Rays bullpen was used up yesterday as Joe Maddon was also at his overmanaging best. The Yankees big 3 in the bullpen also made appearances yesterday for an inning each. Should be an interesting game with The Binder and Maddon matching wits.
Leafs Win, Yankee Season Opens
The Toronto Maple Leafs ended their home season with a 3-2 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The victory completed a four game sweep over the Bolts this season. If the season ended today, the Leafs would have the 6th pick in the draft barring any movement as a result of the lottery. It is still possible with a loss in Montreal on Saturday that they could end up in the top 5.
Some will call me a half glass-full type of guy, but since the Flyer beat down last Thursday night, the Leafs have played with a lot more purpose. They could have very easily won both of the games against the Sabres and last night they could have folded their tents after Steven Stamkos' 59th goal of the season gave Tampa a 2-1 lead in the third period. Despite all of the naysayers out there, these last 3 games may show some promise to build on. Ben Scrivens has given the Leafs an opportunity to win all 3 of these games. The kid was the AHL Player of the Month for March and is the leading goalie in the AHL. I'm not suggesting as a result of this that the Leafs shouldn't get a veteran goalie. But Scrivens does provide some competition for James Reimer and also provides the Leafs with a valuable chip that they might be able to use in order to get a veteran goalie from a team that currently has 2 capable NHL netminders.
The play of Matt Frattin and Jake Gardiner also provides hope for next season. Frattin seems to be playing with a lot more confidence since being placed on the first line with Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel. I've always liked this kid. He's not afraid to use his body and he has a scoring touch as proven by his goal in Buffalo. It's a question of confidence and he seems to be getting it. There's not much more I can say about Jake Gardiner. I've been high on him since training camp. He needs to use his skating ability to create scoring chances and he has really exhibited that all season but particularly in these last 3 games. The AHL Playoffs could go a long way in the learning process for Frattin, Gardiner and Scrivens.
It could be that Randy Carlyle's message may be sinking through to some of these players. I have also been impressed with Phil Kessel's play these last 3 games. Kessel will never be a defensive stalwart. But these last 3 games he has played with a purpose and has generated scoring chances. The key for him will be to maintain that purpose against teams like Philly, Boston and the Rangers. It's unfortunate that this guy will probably never be accepted in Toronto because of the trade that was made to acquire him. He is the most talented player the Leafs have had since Mats Sundin.
Saturday is the end of the season as they will take on the Canadiens in Montreal. It's been a really difficult time for Leaf Nation since February 6th. Next week I will give you my thoughts on what the Leafs should do heading into what will be one of the most important off season for Brian Burke and Company.
*********************************************************************************************************
The New York Yankees will open up their 2012 season today as they face the Tampa Rays at Tropicana Field. CC Sabathia will be on the mound and the Rays will counter with James Shields. These two teams along with Boston will be battling all summer. Throw in the improved Blue Jays and the AL East will be tougher than ever. Yankee fans need to realize that the month of April will not be easy as the Yanks will have 15 of their first 23 games against the Rays, Angels, Red Sox, Rangers and Tigers. All of those teams are AL contenders.
For the Yankees it will come down to pitching and their older players being healthy. The quest for Number 28 will not be easy. So let the journey begin!!!!
Baseball 2012 Predictions
It's that time of year when hope springs eternal for all major league baseball teams. It's also time for my fearless 2012 Baseball predictions.
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST - While Arizona won the division last year, I don't see it happening again as I'm picking the San Francisco Giants to win the NL West. The Giants starting rotation, particularly its top 3 of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner, is the best in the division. The key will be their ability to score runs which should be improved with Buster Posey being back. A surprise team could be the Los Angeles Dodgers if the rest of the rotation behind Clayton Kershaw could get their act together.
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL - This may be the weakest division in all of baseball. All of these teams have flaws with Cincinnati, Milwaukee and St.Louis vying for the division title. I'm going to go with the defending World Champion Cardinals. If Adam Wainwright bounces back, the Redbirds will have more than enough pitching to win the division. Offensively, the key will be Carlos Beltran being healthy, Lance Berkman not falling backwards and David Freese playing a full season. The Reds and Brewers will be in the hunt all the way down to the wire.
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST - It's hard to pick against the Philadelphia Phillies so I won't. Despite Ryan Howard being out for awhile and Chase Utley having physical issues, the Phillies top 3 in their starting rotation may be the best in baseball. However, this division will be the best in the National League as the Marlins, Nationals and Braves will all be in the hunt. It's quite possible that both wild card teams could come from this division. By the way, the New York Mets are a disgrace.
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST - Two of the American League's heavyweights reside in this division. Between Texas and Los Angeles, I'm going with the Angels to win the division. L.A's starting rotation may be the best in the American League headed up by Jered Weaver, Dan Haren and newly-acquired CJ Wilson. With the addition of Albert Pujols and Kendry Morales coming back, the Angels will be able to score runs. The Rangers are not going to go away as their offense is very potent. Pitching will be the key for the two-time defending AL Champs.
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL - This division will be the least competitive in all of baseball as the Detroit Tigers are head and shoulders above the rest. With the acquisition of Prince Fielder, the Tiger offense has a tough one-two punch with Fielder and Miguel Cabrera. Throw in Justin Verlander and the Tigers should cruise to the division title.
AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST - What has been acknowledged as the toughest division in baseball, 2012 will be no different. The Yankees, Rays and Red Sox will be competing for the title and the Toronto Blue Jays may surprise. I can see this one coming down to the end of September and I'm going to go with New York. The key for the Yankees will be keeping their older players healthy. It's quite possible that this division could have two wild cards.
Playoffs - NL WILD CARDS: Miami vs Arizona Arizona wins
AL WILD CARDS: Tampa vs Texas Texas wins
ALDS
Yankees vs Rangers Yankees win
Detroit vs Angels Angels win
ALCS : Angels win in 6
NLDS
Diamondbacks vs Phillies Phillies win
Cardinals vs Giants Giants win
NLCS : Giants win in 7
World Series: Angels in 7
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.
NCAA Basketball Final at 9:23pm. Really??
Yesterday in looking at the "Sports on TV" column in the local Sunday Sports section, I saw that this evening's Kentucky-Kansas national championship game is scheduled to start at 9:23pm. Really??? How many youngsters who may be basketball fans are going to be able to stay up and watch this game?? Probably not many.
In what has been a disturbing trend that has been happening since the mid 70's, championship games are scheduled later and later in order to accommodate prime time television. Let's take baseball for example. When I was a kid, World Series games were played in the afternoon. I can remember racing home to watch the remaining innings left in the game. As we got older, depending upon the teacher, we were allowed to listen to the game on the radio. Great memories. But all of that is ancient history as World Series games begin around 8:37pm and usually end well after 11pm. Hmmmmm....how many 10 year olds are watching???
The NFL kind of has it right as the Super Bowl begins sometime around 6:30pm. However, with the mega-halftime show, the game usually ends sometime after 10. Kind of makes it tough on a little boy or girl to watch the big game. But the league moguls and television big-wigs could care less if little Johnny and Suzie can watch the big game. It's all about the big advertising dollars.
The NCAA which is suppose to be about student-athletes could also careless about whether or not their future athletes can stay up and watch their championship games. But then again, you have to be dreaming if you think the NCAA gives a damn about anything but the long green. And you want to know why kids turn to X-Box.
Leafs Break Losing Streak With 4-3 Win
The Toronto Maple Leafs entered last night's game with an 11 game losing streak at the Air Canada Centre. They were facing a long-time nemesis in the Buffalo Sabres, a team that is in a battle for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. There was uncertainty as to who would be starting in goal for the Leafs as they called up Ben Scrivens and they had just come off one of their worst losses of the season where their professionalism and effort was called into question. So what do they do??? They win 4-3 in a game that they were better than the Sabres and played with some intensity that has been lacking for weeks.
The young U.S. college free agent goalie, Ben Scrivens, was solid in goal for the Leafs. Scrivens made some big saves when he needed to particularly when the Sabres were on the power play and in the third period. He gave the Leafs the type of goaltending that they haven't had in weeks. While it's only one game, Scrivens shows some promise as he has been a stalwart for the Marlies down the stretch. Hopefully, the kid can gain some valuable experience in the AHL playoffs. By the way, for all of the naysayers who reacted to the Leafs signing of US college free agent Spencer Abbott, Scrivens is an example of the benefits in taking a chance on a college free agent.
Phil Kessel scored his 37th goal that gave the Leafs a 2-1 lead. Kessel also played one of his best games defensively as evidenced by his efforts in the last 2 minutes of the game. Both he and Matt Frattin were aggressive on the forecheck and Kessel made an effort on the back check to prevent a Sabre scoring chance in the closing seconds. Frattin scored what proved to be the game winner as he played probably his best game as a Maple Leaf. If this kid can develop his game offensively he could be a significant piece to the future of this team. He certainly is not afraid to use his body and has great speed. Kudos to Randy Carlyle for putting him on the top line with Kessel and Tyler Bozak.
It was a nice win for the Leafs as they have been under fire big time. Hopefully, the Leafs will learn something from last night's game. Hard work and intensity can pay off. Paying attention to the defensive side of the game can result in scoring and ultimately winning. This has been the message that Carlyle has been preaching since he has taken over as head coach. The key will be how this team follows up with last night's win. They will face a Sabres team on Tuesday that will be desperate for a win. It will be a tough task but winning that game may not be as important as seeing if this team works hard and plays with some purpose and intensity. As Leafs fans, that is what we want to see. We want to see if they care as much as we do. That's what this season has amounted to, seeing if their is a will and desire to win.
Eklund’s Hockey Buzz
Pro Football Talk
Post Archive
- December 2013 (2)
- September 2013 (1)
- August 2013 (3)
- July 2013 (1)
- May 2013 (4)
- April 2013 (6)
- March 2013 (8)
- February 2013 (14)
- January 2013 (20)
- December 2012 (17)
- November 2012 (14)
- July 2012 (6)
- May 2012 (2)
- April 2012 (19)
- March 2012 (20)
- February 2012 (22)
- January 2012 (25)
- December 2011 (22)
- November 2011 (26)
- October 2011 (29)
- September 2011 (25)
- August 2011 (28)
- July 2011 (31)
- June 2011 (29)
- May 2011 (30)
- April 2011 (24)
- March 2011 (36)
- February 2011 (13)