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

Tuesday’s Thoughts

While wondering if Hal Steinbrenner recognized all of the empty seats Sunday night at Yankee Stadium during the Yankee-Oriole game, here is what's on my mind this morning:

* James Reimer stole the show last night leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 2-0 victory over the slumping New Jersey Devils at the Air Canada Centre. Reimer stopped 31 shots and made two huge saves in the third period prompting the normally sedate ACC crowd to go wild giving the young backstop a standing ovation. If there is any doubt that this kid is a number one goalie then it should be put to bed after last night's performance as Reimer was the sole reason why the Leafs managed to get a victory. So much for Roberto Luongo and Mikka Kiprusoff.

* Can we finally put to bed the constant criticism of Phil Kessel? If you've watched Leaf games this year, it is easy to see that the 25 year-old sniper has changed his game and has bought into Coach Randy Carlyle's style of play. While he will never be an overly physical player, Kessel has been more defensively responsible. By the way, he leads the team in points with 16 goals and 27 assists.

* The New York Yankees have managed to weather the storm as they are 6-5 heading into a three game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Big start tonight for Ivan Nova as this kid has shown the potential to be a solid big league pitcher but has taken a huge step back starting at the midway point last season. The Yanks have to be concerned about this coupled with the early season ineffectiveness of Phil Hughes.

* By the way, have I said before that I hate Interleague play?

* Watched the Masters on Sunday and found it very compelling as Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera battled it out heading into their two hole playoff. What was really annoying was Jim Nantz's melodramatic commentary. The guy is terrible and unfortunately he will remain the number one voice at CBS.

* Wonder if Gary Bettman was in charge of the Masters would we have a longest drive contest to see who would win if it ended in a tie?

* For the second game in a row, Montreal goaltender Carey Price was pulled from a game.

* Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula is finally feeling some heat for his team's performance. When he took over the team, Pegula said in three years the team would win a Stanley Cup. Well this is year three and they will not make the playoffs. If Pegula wants to right this ship he needs to get rid of Darcy Reiger.

* I'm really tired of all of the NFL Mock Drafts. Let's just make the picks and get on with it.

* The New York Knicks will begin their playoff series with the Boston Celtics on Saturday and it will be interesting to see how Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin play. The Knicks need these two big men if they are to go far in the playoffs.

* Really enjoyed watching the 1973 Game 5 lost tape of the Knicks-Lakers game which marked the last time the Knicks won the NBA Championship. The game was truly different then and it brought back some great memories. It was also Wilt Chamberlain's last game.

* What are the odds Ryan Miller gets traded next season?

* In case anyone didn't notice, Jason Pominville scored two goals last night for the Minnesota Wild.

* And finally, let's keep the people of Boston in our prayers and hope that the scum responsible for this are caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.