Ah, the White Sox. Still hangin' in there with their eternal 1.5 game lead over those evil, evil Twins. I'm glad to see the Sox stay on a roll when they need to, and they definitely need to. One team has to give as far as being on a roll goes, and that team better be the Twins. Seems like they find any random way to win that they can, just ask Joe Maddon. Even when they no longer play in a dome, they still use a dome to their advantage to win. It's disgusting is what it is.
But the Sox shall keep rolling and hopefully the Twins stop their crazy streak. Going to Baltimore for four games certainly helps.
Since I haven't been blogging since the trade deadline, I want to share some thoughts about that as well. I can't believe how eventful it was! Berkman to the Yankees, Lilly and Theriot to the Dodgers, even going back to Cliff Lee to the Rangers. But what of the Edwin Jackson trade?
I actually like it. Of course, i would have been a bit more excited to get another bat in the lineup as our pitching staff is doing really well. The only reason i'd want the extra bat is, well, Mark Kotsay. But today he helped us win (twice if you think about it), so maybe that's a sign of things to come? I'm just glad Kenny didn't go through with the Dunn trade because getting rid of Beckham or *cue Left 4 dead tank music* Viciedo would be a bit too much. I'm all about winning now, but why not win later too?
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Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wish apon a former Star
I know it's been forever since i've been able to catch up on the blog (been a surprisingly busy summer), so this is probably old news now anyway. But I do want to share my thoughts on Antti Niemi leaving, and Marty Turco joining our defending Stanley Cup champs.
I have extremely mixed emotions about it, but when it comes down to it, I think this was a good deal. Niemi played so well, especially in the series against the Sharks, but i think when Turco is behind this stellar defensive core, he's going to do just as well, if not better. I mentioned the Sharks series aside because that series was really all about him stopping pretty much everything he saw, especially in that first game. I'll never forget that performance. I did read an interesting stat about Turco only having a .717 save % in the shootout, so if there is anything to worry about with this deal, it might be that. I liked Dan MacNeil's idea of taking him out with :30 left in OT and putting Corey Crawford in. Hehe. Otherwise i think his veteran presence will be a good thing, and Crawford will be able to learn a thing or two to get better himself.
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I have extremely mixed emotions about it, but when it comes down to it, I think this was a good deal. Niemi played so well, especially in the series against the Sharks, but i think when Turco is behind this stellar defensive core, he's going to do just as well, if not better. I mentioned the Sharks series aside because that series was really all about him stopping pretty much everything he saw, especially in that first game. I'll never forget that performance. I did read an interesting stat about Turco only having a .717 save % in the shootout, so if there is anything to worry about with this deal, it might be that. I liked Dan MacNeil's idea of taking him out with :30 left in OT and putting Corey Crawford in. Hehe. Otherwise i think his veteran presence will be a good thing, and Crawford will be able to learn a thing or two to get better himself.
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Wednesday, July 14, 2010
First place and my love-hate relationship with the all-star game
Ah, I saved my only positive blog for last. In a world where Salary Caps and Lebron James take overall precedence, it's nice to know that somewhere in the world, there is a hot baseball team worth mentioning.
And that team, my friends, is your first place Chicago White Sox.
I am still in shock that we got to this point. Nobody thought at the beginning of the season that we could even possibly make a run like that. I am loving every minute of it, and I really think we can keep going. Konerko and Rios have had an amazing first half in general. Our starting pitching has turned it around in an almost impossible fashion, getting their combined ERA lower and lower by the day. And when the rest of the team began to hit, it just spelled disaster for the opposition.
As the first half is in the books, I am not only reflecting on what an amazing run we made to get into first place by the break, but also looking forward, knowing we have to get right back to work, as we start a very important road trip with 4 games at Target Field against the Twins. The Twins are always a pain, so don't let the fact that they're in 3rd place now fool you. If we could win 3 out of 4 here, or even split, we could still be in a good position here. Target Field is certainly no Metrodome, thank god for that. I look forward to this series alot and hope we can stay in first place the rest of the way!!
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And that team, my friends, is your first place Chicago White Sox.
I am still in shock that we got to this point. Nobody thought at the beginning of the season that we could even possibly make a run like that. I am loving every minute of it, and I really think we can keep going. Konerko and Rios have had an amazing first half in general. Our starting pitching has turned it around in an almost impossible fashion, getting their combined ERA lower and lower by the day. And when the rest of the team began to hit, it just spelled disaster for the opposition.
As the first half is in the books, I am not only reflecting on what an amazing run we made to get into first place by the break, but also looking forward, knowing we have to get right back to work, as we start a very important road trip with 4 games at Target Field against the Twins. The Twins are always a pain, so don't let the fact that they're in 3rd place now fool you. If we could win 3 out of 4 here, or even split, we could still be in a good position here. Target Field is certainly no Metrodome, thank god for that. I look forward to this series alot and hope we can stay in first place the rest of the way!!
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The Atlanta Thrashawks?
Well, this certainly has been quite the offseason for our boys, hasn't it?
The Thrashers have become an exaggerated version of the Kansas City Royals, in that the Royals have many old Sox players on their team. The Thrashers have most of the players we did not keep, aside from Versteeg and Burish. But now with that stupid stupid salary cap still looming, and a not very nice move by the Sharks to try and take Hjallmarson away (since they send Nabokov back to Russia...), now we are faced with a pretty interesting and pretty hectic decision.
What will happen to Antti Niemi?
Will we have to send even more players to Atlanta? Will they just become the same Blackhawks team that we were this year (Aside from Goaltending, our top and second defensive pair, and our top line, that is.)? I am intrigued as to what will happen for the rest of the summer, as only time will tell. It just saddens me that our team has exploded into other sections of the NHL after such an amazing Stanley Cup victory run. I understand the business side of it, but I still hate it. And I promise you, I will hate it even more if we don't re-sign Niemi.
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The Thrashers have become an exaggerated version of the Kansas City Royals, in that the Royals have many old Sox players on their team. The Thrashers have most of the players we did not keep, aside from Versteeg and Burish. But now with that stupid stupid salary cap still looming, and a not very nice move by the Sharks to try and take Hjallmarson away (since they send Nabokov back to Russia...), now we are faced with a pretty interesting and pretty hectic decision.
What will happen to Antti Niemi?
Will we have to send even more players to Atlanta? Will they just become the same Blackhawks team that we were this year (Aside from Goaltending, our top and second defensive pair, and our top line, that is.)? I am intrigued as to what will happen for the rest of the summer, as only time will tell. It just saddens me that our team has exploded into other sections of the NHL after such an amazing Stanley Cup victory run. I understand the business side of it, but I still hate it. And I promise you, I will hate it even more if we don't re-sign Niemi.
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It's not the Heat, it's the stupidity.
It's been quite sometime since I have been able to blog, and I decided that this is the one I want to get out of the way first...
I didn't want to watch it. But I almost felt like...I had to. I just really wanted to know right away where Lebron decided to go because I wanted it to be over with. The whole thing was fun at first, kind of exciting to read all the different speculations and reports and all the "he said she said" things that surrounded NBA free agency. When Wade and Bosh decided to go to Miami, I thought that actually increased our chances of landing the king, because from a basketball standpoint it made the most sense. I knew Lebron was a competitor, and he would be thrilled to join a team that had a chance of beating them, especially with the addition of Carlos Boozer. It would make for a very awesome and high-publicity conference finals, that's for sure.
On the other hand, I thought maybe he would stay in Cleveland. I mean, why would you plan an entire television special just to pretty much give your city the middle finger and go to another team? That's why if he didn't come to the Bulls, i figured he would be Cleveland's big hero and come back to them and try to win a championship.
So I watched patiently with my brother and my dad, thinking that the decision was to be made within the first 10 minutes of the show. However, there we were 20 minutes later still waiting for him to tell us one way or the other. Finally, after all the filler time, the unnecessary interview questions, he said, "I'm taking my talents down to South Beach".
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I didn't want to watch it. But I almost felt like...I had to. I just really wanted to know right away where Lebron decided to go because I wanted it to be over with. The whole thing was fun at first, kind of exciting to read all the different speculations and reports and all the "he said she said" things that surrounded NBA free agency. When Wade and Bosh decided to go to Miami, I thought that actually increased our chances of landing the king, because from a basketball standpoint it made the most sense. I knew Lebron was a competitor, and he would be thrilled to join a team that had a chance of beating them, especially with the addition of Carlos Boozer. It would make for a very awesome and high-publicity conference finals, that's for sure.
On the other hand, I thought maybe he would stay in Cleveland. I mean, why would you plan an entire television special just to pretty much give your city the middle finger and go to another team? That's why if he didn't come to the Bulls, i figured he would be Cleveland's big hero and come back to them and try to win a championship.
So I watched patiently with my brother and my dad, thinking that the decision was to be made within the first 10 minutes of the show. However, there we were 20 minutes later still waiting for him to tell us one way or the other. Finally, after all the filler time, the unnecessary interview questions, he said, "I'm taking my talents down to South Beach".
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Wednesday, June 30, 2010
I miss playing NL teams...or do I?
How sad that interleague play is over. Those Kansas City Royals give us problems all the time, and this series was no different. I was very excited about the pitching matchup today with Greinke going against Peavy, and it did not disappoint. The Sox bullpen, however, that was the part that kind of disappointed.
But it wasn't all bad, the Sox actually engineered a really epic almost-comeback thanks in large part to that 3-run triple from Lillibridge. How wonderful and random. I was really hoping we would score in the 8th so as not to have to face Joakim Soria, but it didn't work out that way, and Soria shut us down for good.
I liked the way we totally got back into this game tonight, though. These boys are tough, and they know how close this AL Central race is going to be from here on out. I mentioned in my last blog that I don't like to scoreboard watch, but when we're still only 2.5 games out, I can't help but try and take a peek at what our little Twins and Tigers friends are up to. Their series against each other went pretty much how I wanted to, with one team taking 2 of 3. Now with us playing another really hot team in Texas, we need to focus on winning these games so as to not fall back down to where we were. The Twins begin a series with the Rays tomorrow, and the Tigers will begin a series with the Mariners on Friday. Seems like all three AL Central contenders may have their work cut out for them, so it will be an exciting weekend for baseball (although it's also going to be an exciting weekend of NBA free agency as well...).
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But it wasn't all bad, the Sox actually engineered a really epic almost-comeback thanks in large part to that 3-run triple from Lillibridge. How wonderful and random. I was really hoping we would score in the 8th so as not to have to face Joakim Soria, but it didn't work out that way, and Soria shut us down for good.
I liked the way we totally got back into this game tonight, though. These boys are tough, and they know how close this AL Central race is going to be from here on out. I mentioned in my last blog that I don't like to scoreboard watch, but when we're still only 2.5 games out, I can't help but try and take a peek at what our little Twins and Tigers friends are up to. Their series against each other went pretty much how I wanted to, with one team taking 2 of 3. Now with us playing another really hot team in Texas, we need to focus on winning these games so as to not fall back down to where we were. The Twins begin a series with the Rays tomorrow, and the Tigers will begin a series with the Mariners on Friday. Seems like all three AL Central contenders may have their work cut out for them, so it will be an exciting weekend for baseball (although it's also going to be an exciting weekend of NBA free agency as well...).
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Monday, June 28, 2010
Crosstown part 2
Well, the coveted BP crosstown cup belongs to the White Sox, and the Crosstown classic, as well as interleague play in general, has come to an end. But what would a Sox/Cubs series be without a little drama right? and what would a little drama be without Carlos Zambrano?
I thought what he did was childish and terrible. I can understand being frustrated with your "dead ass" team (as Bob Brenly so graciously put it), but if you give up a home run when the hitter is behind in the count like that, you can't totally blame someone else for that. Especially not Derek Lee. If you have a problem with someone on your team, you have every right to confront them about it, that's what a person in a leadership role like that would do. However, you certainly don't have the right to yell and scream and freak out after a bad inning, and get in your teammates' face. That's just not being a very good teammate in my opinion. I'm glad he got suspended, and i'm glad that even when he gets back he is going to stay in the bullpen. He i s good enough to be a starter, but he has to earn that role back. Unless Jim Hendry actually finds someone that wants him. The Cubs are just in a bad position financially in general, and that just makes things harder on them.
Now, on to a much more awesome story...The Sox only being 1.5 games behind in the AL Central!
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I thought what he did was childish and terrible. I can understand being frustrated with your "dead ass" team (as Bob Brenly so graciously put it), but if you give up a home run when the hitter is behind in the count like that, you can't totally blame someone else for that. Especially not Derek Lee. If you have a problem with someone on your team, you have every right to confront them about it, that's what a person in a leadership role like that would do. However, you certainly don't have the right to yell and scream and freak out after a bad inning, and get in your teammates' face. That's just not being a very good teammate in my opinion. I'm glad he got suspended, and i'm glad that even when he gets back he is going to stay in the bullpen. He i s good enough to be a starter, but he has to earn that role back. Unless Jim Hendry actually finds someone that wants him. The Cubs are just in a bad position financially in general, and that just makes things harder on them.
Now, on to a much more awesome story...The Sox only being 1.5 games behind in the AL Central!
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Thursday, June 24, 2010
3 sweeps in a row!!!
Wow, those Sox are hot!!
I found myself repeating over and over again about the same reasons that they were losing, and now i'm finding myself repeating over and over again the same reasons why they are winning.
But I still must must must talk about how much I loooove this pitching staff! Gavin had another outstanding game today, for sure. Unfortunately, as usual, he did not get the win to show for it, but he had a spectacular performance nonetheless. The starters have been going long, conserving the bullpen (please no more Scott Linebrink...) and Bobby has been totally solid in nailing it down. Our starting 5 have been nothing short of amazing, and that's the staff I knew they could be to win this lovely little AL Central.
Speaking of the AL Central, the twins just got swept by...the Brewers?!?!? Mwahaha! That leaves the Sox just 2.5 games out of 1st place now, and 2 games behind the Tigers (would have been 1 if the Mets beat them...dang.). Now this is looking like the AL Central that everyone predicted, and it's going to make for a really exciting second half if we can keep it up and stay close. I'm gonna have alot of fun cheering for my Sox and hatin' on the Twins and Tigers like I always do. ^_^
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I found myself repeating over and over again about the same reasons that they were losing, and now i'm finding myself repeating over and over again the same reasons why they are winning.
But I still must must must talk about how much I loooove this pitching staff! Gavin had another outstanding game today, for sure. Unfortunately, as usual, he did not get the win to show for it, but he had a spectacular performance nonetheless. The starters have been going long, conserving the bullpen (please no more Scott Linebrink...) and Bobby has been totally solid in nailing it down. Our starting 5 have been nothing short of amazing, and that's the staff I knew they could be to win this lovely little AL Central.
Speaking of the AL Central, the twins just got swept by...the Brewers?!?!? Mwahaha! That leaves the Sox just 2.5 games out of 1st place now, and 2 games behind the Tigers (would have been 1 if the Mets beat them...dang.). Now this is looking like the AL Central that everyone predicted, and it's going to make for a really exciting second half if we can keep it up and stay close. I'm gonna have alot of fun cheering for my Sox and hatin' on the Twins and Tigers like I always do. ^_^
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Farewell, Kirk...(but "hello Lebron seems closer now...)
Hey guys, remember the Bulls? ^_^
Things have actually been pretty eventful lately for these boys, as Tom Thibodeau has been officially named as the new head coach. I have seen snippets of interviews and press conferences with him, and I like him better than Vinny already (for starters, he called Kirk Hinrich Kirk instead of Kurt...not like that matters now but we'll get to that in a moment...). He's very focused on the defensive side of the ball, which I think will help these Bulls a ton. I know the speculation is that since he and Lebron are members of the same agency, that will help in luring him to play here in Chicago.
In my last blog about the Bulls, the playoffs were still going on, and my hopes for Lebron seemed like a distant dream. Now, though, it seems like it's getting closer and closer to happening, but I still don't want to get my hopes up too much. The constant buzz about it around this town is intense, especially with a championship team and one hot baseball team also in town. The last update I heard was that he is almost definitely not going back to Cleveland, and that update concluded with simply "Bulls/Heat/Clips". hmm... but come on, we don't have enough money to get him, right?
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Things have actually been pretty eventful lately for these boys, as Tom Thibodeau has been officially named as the new head coach. I have seen snippets of interviews and press conferences with him, and I like him better than Vinny already (for starters, he called Kirk Hinrich Kirk instead of Kurt...not like that matters now but we'll get to that in a moment...). He's very focused on the defensive side of the ball, which I think will help these Bulls a ton. I know the speculation is that since he and Lebron are members of the same agency, that will help in luring him to play here in Chicago.
In my last blog about the Bulls, the playoffs were still going on, and my hopes for Lebron seemed like a distant dream. Now, though, it seems like it's getting closer and closer to happening, but I still don't want to get my hopes up too much. The constant buzz about it around this town is intense, especially with a championship team and one hot baseball team also in town. The last update I heard was that he is almost definitely not going back to Cleveland, and that update concluded with simply "Bulls/Heat/Clips". hmm... but come on, we don't have enough money to get him, right?
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Buff is grindy and I hate the Salary cap
I knew it was inevitable for us to have to get rid of people, and alot of people are up in arms about the trade we just made with Atlanta, sending Buff, Eager, and Sopel over there for a couple of picks and prospects and whatnot (i'm not even really sure, I was in the midst of a 2 hour rain delay at the Cell when I heard the news...). Not to mention today's trade of Colin Fraser, which did not cause as much of an uproar.
I don't really blame people for being angry about it, I mean, Buff was a key element to not only beating Vancouver, but San Jose as well. He had a great run in the playoffs and became an instant fan favorite, and then he was gone as soon as we won the championship...
...and ya know? it kinda reminds me of Aaron Rowand a bit now that I think about it. Big Buff could be the new grindiest man in the world at this rate. The reaction from the fans has been almost identical to that of Sox fans when we traded Rowand away. Only difference is, we got Jim Thome in return. that's actually a pretty good deal. This hockey one, not so much. But there's a reason for that.
And that reason is the salary cap. After that weird situation with Dale Tallon last year involving the players who would become free agents, we now find ourselves in a bit of a dilemma. We signed the core players, Captain, Kaner, and Keith, so we could be secure there. But it was inevitable that we would have to trade people away to make room for that money to resign the others, or just not resign them at all. I have always had mixed reviews about the salary cap in sports. Baseball is the one i think should have one the most, but it's the only one that doesn't. I like the idea of letting the little guy win once in a while, but i am not crazy about the cap in the NHL. I think it just might be a little too strict.
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I don't really blame people for being angry about it, I mean, Buff was a key element to not only beating Vancouver, but San Jose as well. He had a great run in the playoffs and became an instant fan favorite, and then he was gone as soon as we won the championship...
...and ya know? it kinda reminds me of Aaron Rowand a bit now that I think about it. Big Buff could be the new grindiest man in the world at this rate. The reaction from the fans has been almost identical to that of Sox fans when we traded Rowand away. Only difference is, we got Jim Thome in return. that's actually a pretty good deal. This hockey one, not so much. But there's a reason for that.
And that reason is the salary cap. After that weird situation with Dale Tallon last year involving the players who would become free agents, we now find ourselves in a bit of a dilemma. We signed the core players, Captain, Kaner, and Keith, so we could be secure there. But it was inevitable that we would have to trade people away to make room for that money to resign the others, or just not resign them at all. I have always had mixed reviews about the salary cap in sports. Baseball is the one i think should have one the most, but it's the only one that doesn't. I like the idea of letting the little guy win once in a while, but i am not crazy about the cap in the NHL. I think it just might be a little too strict.
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Monday, June 21, 2010
6 in a what?
6 in a row, silly. That's how many games we have won. How awesome does that feel?
I do understand that these sweeps were of really bad teams, but I already mentioned several times how we are wining the games that we are supposed to! And that is a really good thing. I'm not getting so insanely excited that I can't contain myself, but I am feeling pretty good about how the Sox have been playing here during this streak of awesomeness.
Besides, the 1 day out of every 5 that the Nats are actually supposed to win for sure, we beat them too. And that was an awesome awesome game by the way. Gavin Floyd showed the world (or at least the MLB Network audience) that he's the man too. He might not have had as many K's, but he still showed some dominance out there, as he did in his previous start against the Cubs. He, along with the rest of the staff, is starting to show why I, along with many others, picked them to win this division. Everyone's ERA is nice and low, and when your 5th starter dominates as well as your big names like Danks and Peavy, then I would say your pitching staff is in mighty good shape. I was a bit worried about Peavy's start the other day but he proved me wrong. I was hoping the injury wouldn't affect him, and they way he pitched that day, it really didn't seem like there was any injury to that shoulder at all. It was really a beautiful thing.
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I do understand that these sweeps were of really bad teams, but I already mentioned several times how we are wining the games that we are supposed to! And that is a really good thing. I'm not getting so insanely excited that I can't contain myself, but I am feeling pretty good about how the Sox have been playing here during this streak of awesomeness.
Besides, the 1 day out of every 5 that the Nats are actually supposed to win for sure, we beat them too. And that was an awesome awesome game by the way. Gavin Floyd showed the world (or at least the MLB Network audience) that he's the man too. He might not have had as many K's, but he still showed some dominance out there, as he did in his previous start against the Cubs. He, along with the rest of the staff, is starting to show why I, along with many others, picked them to win this division. Everyone's ERA is nice and low, and when your 5th starter dominates as well as your big names like Danks and Peavy, then I would say your pitching staff is in mighty good shape. I was a bit worried about Peavy's start the other day but he proved me wrong. I was hoping the injury wouldn't affect him, and they way he pitched that day, it really didn't seem like there was any injury to that shoulder at all. It was really a beautiful thing.
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checklist of awesomeness
Stanley Cup? check.
Olympic Gold Medal? check.
Conn Smythe trophy? check.
being on the cover of a video game? check.
<3 <3 <3 yes.
Olympic Gold Medal? check.
Conn Smythe trophy? check.
being on the cover of a video game? check.
<3 <3 <3 yes.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Why Stephen Strasburg is so cool
I hate when i really like a song, or video game, or something like that, and then it gets obnoxiously overdone/overplayed. It happened with Blink 182, it happened with Pokemon, and my God, it's happening with Stephen Strasburg.
This is one of the coolest stories inn baseball, i think. A team like the nationals is finally getting something to be excited about, and the kid has not disappointed yet. But I hate the way ESPN is giving him the Brett Favre treatment now, and even my beloved MLB Network had a countdown in the corner of the screen today for how many hours were left until his third start. His first start I can understand, but his 3rd? yeesh. I hope Hazel Mae didn't have anything to do with that one. it was probably Mitch Williams, he's silly like that.
But the off the field hoopla that surrounds him isn't why I think he's so cool. I think he's so cool because I watched his first two starts, and he is just a really really good pitcher. That's pretty much what it comes down to. He is human, he makes some mistakes, and then he adjusts to them. he just has some nasty nasty pitches that I have a feeling some of our hitters are not going to even see go by them. His velocity is awesome, his control is awesome, and i already know it from watching the actual games, not by watching the constant lovefest he gets from the networks. I think he's worth talking about in this blog once, but i'm not going to write about it every single day. He just happens to be playing against the Sox tonight, so i figured it was worth mentioning. I think we are all smart enough baseball fans for us to see for ourselves what he can do, so so let's just enjoy one of this year's coolest stories and leave it at that, ok?
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This is one of the coolest stories inn baseball, i think. A team like the nationals is finally getting something to be excited about, and the kid has not disappointed yet. But I hate the way ESPN is giving him the Brett Favre treatment now, and even my beloved MLB Network had a countdown in the corner of the screen today for how many hours were left until his third start. His first start I can understand, but his 3rd? yeesh. I hope Hazel Mae didn't have anything to do with that one. it was probably Mitch Williams, he's silly like that.
But the off the field hoopla that surrounds him isn't why I think he's so cool. I think he's so cool because I watched his first two starts, and he is just a really really good pitcher. That's pretty much what it comes down to. He is human, he makes some mistakes, and then he adjusts to them. he just has some nasty nasty pitches that I have a feeling some of our hitters are not going to even see go by them. His velocity is awesome, his control is awesome, and i already know it from watching the actual games, not by watching the constant lovefest he gets from the networks. I think he's worth talking about in this blog once, but i'm not going to write about it every single day. He just happens to be playing against the Sox tonight, so i figured it was worth mentioning. I think we are all smart enough baseball fans for us to see for ourselves what he can do, so so let's just enjoy one of this year's coolest stories and leave it at that, ok?
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Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Man, are the Pirates bad...
Nothin' like playing a really bad NL team to start up a steak here.
I'm not taking anything away from our dearest White Sox, for they have been playing some good baseball. It might be easy to lose sight of that when you see how bad the Pirates are (mainly in tonight's game), but you have to love the fact that Quentin got a couple of RBI's, Juan Pierre continues to own the basepaths, and Paulie continues to raise his average.
But the real thing that excites me? is that we haven't had to use the home run lately to win. This is what Ozzie and Kenny planned to do, and whether or not they get into all these little reality-show-like tiffs with each other (oddly enough my favorite channel ever MLB network will actually have a reality show about this...), they have always agreed on that type of play. It happened in 2005, and it seemed to work pretty well if I do say so myself. Everything seems to be clicking together in that respect, and I hope it continues.
And another thing I wanna say (a little Lou humor for ya there if you heard that sound clip of him complaining about Stone Pony complaining about him not playing Tyler Colvin enough...) is about the pitching. I read an interesting article in the Tribune today about how D.J. Carrasco has noticed that the bullpen has been struggling a bit for the Sox without him. I, like Ozzie, give Carrasco TONS of credit for his performances last year, but I also know that the way we built this pitching staff, we shouldn't have needed a long reliever like that. He would have been wasting away only coming in every once in a while and perhaps he wouldn't stay as good. The way the pitching has actually been was a different story, as the starters hadn't gone very long. But lately things have been turning around for them too, as Danks had a long outing today, and let's not forget Gavin's from the other night.
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I'm not taking anything away from our dearest White Sox, for they have been playing some good baseball. It might be easy to lose sight of that when you see how bad the Pirates are (mainly in tonight's game), but you have to love the fact that Quentin got a couple of RBI's, Juan Pierre continues to own the basepaths, and Paulie continues to raise his average.
But the real thing that excites me? is that we haven't had to use the home run lately to win. This is what Ozzie and Kenny planned to do, and whether or not they get into all these little reality-show-like tiffs with each other (oddly enough my favorite channel ever MLB network will actually have a reality show about this...), they have always agreed on that type of play. It happened in 2005, and it seemed to work pretty well if I do say so myself. Everything seems to be clicking together in that respect, and I hope it continues.
And another thing I wanna say (a little Lou humor for ya there if you heard that sound clip of him complaining about Stone Pony complaining about him not playing Tyler Colvin enough...) is about the pitching. I read an interesting article in the Tribune today about how D.J. Carrasco has noticed that the bullpen has been struggling a bit for the Sox without him. I, like Ozzie, give Carrasco TONS of credit for his performances last year, but I also know that the way we built this pitching staff, we shouldn't have needed a long reliever like that. He would have been wasting away only coming in every once in a while and perhaps he wouldn't stay as good. The way the pitching has actually been was a different story, as the starters hadn't gone very long. But lately things have been turning around for them too, as Danks had a long outing today, and let's not forget Gavin's from the other night.
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Monday, June 14, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Late postgame show cancellations
Well, I don't think anyone expected that, huh?
Gavin Floyd and Ted Lilly were both amazing, and these three crosstown games have been pretty good for the most part. Game 1 was very very anticlimactic purely based on the fact that the Stanley Cup victory celebration was still running wild around the town, but both teams provided some unusual offense, and the Sox prevailed off of Wells just a bit more. I didn't see much of that game, so I can't provide any in-depth Steve Stone-like analysis (plus I really don't want Lou do go off on me for doing so ^_~).
Yesterday's game was a bit better pitching-wise, and I knew it would be a good matchup considering how surprisingly good Silva has been this year and how good Buehrle is against the NL in general. The Sox held their lead and Bobby came in to save the day, and although he did give up 1 run, i'm glad he came through when we needed him.
Today was...very weird. I didn't expect the no hitters to go that far, and once Gavin gave up that first hit to Soriano, I just hoped to God that the Sox would get a hit of their own, so as to not have to go through the agony of hearing about it from the Cubs fans of the world. Luckily, Juan Pierre was the man. and where Shawn says he never gets on base, he sure did get on base in the top of the 9th. I thought we had a chance to win, but it turns out that walking Rios to get to Paulie was a good idea after all.
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Gavin Floyd and Ted Lilly were both amazing, and these three crosstown games have been pretty good for the most part. Game 1 was very very anticlimactic purely based on the fact that the Stanley Cup victory celebration was still running wild around the town, but both teams provided some unusual offense, and the Sox prevailed off of Wells just a bit more. I didn't see much of that game, so I can't provide any in-depth Steve Stone-like analysis (plus I really don't want Lou do go off on me for doing so ^_~).
Yesterday's game was a bit better pitching-wise, and I knew it would be a good matchup considering how surprisingly good Silva has been this year and how good Buehrle is against the NL in general. The Sox held their lead and Bobby came in to save the day, and although he did give up 1 run, i'm glad he came through when we needed him.
Today was...very weird. I didn't expect the no hitters to go that far, and once Gavin gave up that first hit to Soriano, I just hoped to God that the Sox would get a hit of their own, so as to not have to go through the agony of hearing about it from the Cubs fans of the world. Luckily, Juan Pierre was the man. and where Shawn says he never gets on base, he sure did get on base in the top of the 9th. I thought we had a chance to win, but it turns out that walking Rios to get to Paulie was a good idea after all.
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Saturday, June 12, 2010
The cup chronicles: vol. VII: The day Chicago forgot about the crosstown game
Yesterday morning was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. We got downtown around 8:30, which i thought would be somewhat early enough, but I was wrong. We got as close as we could to the intersection with the stage, but we were a little bit south of Wacker on Michigan Ave., pretty much right across the street from the Blackhawks store.
People were pretty much squished together as my friends and I tried to make our way up the crowd. It was really hot, so unfortunately some people passed out around us, and others were just feeling really claustrophobic. As for me, I was a little on the warm side, especially because I was wearing the alternate black jersey, but I knew that it would be all worthwhile to get a glimpse of the Captain with the Cup in his hands. And it was.
As the busses approached us, I got up on my friend's shoulders so I could see, and the initial sight of everyone was pretty overwhelming. It was so amazing how many people there really were to come and throw love back at these boys. I waved and yelled and blew kisses to all of them, and got waves back from Adam Burish and Brian Campbell. Then, as the final bus approached, I saw Captain and Kaner, with the cup riding alongside. I let out a shriek like none other, like a 12 year old girl at a Backstreet Boys concert (perhaps i'm dating myself a bit when I say that...). I thought I was going to die. I yelled to them of my undying love, and waved furiously, and with Kaner's free hand, he pointed right at me. His other hand? occupied by his bottle of champagne. Captain was looking the other way, so alas I did not get a wave back from him. But the acknowledgment from Kaner was still awesome.
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People were pretty much squished together as my friends and I tried to make our way up the crowd. It was really hot, so unfortunately some people passed out around us, and others were just feeling really claustrophobic. As for me, I was a little on the warm side, especially because I was wearing the alternate black jersey, but I knew that it would be all worthwhile to get a glimpse of the Captain with the Cup in his hands. And it was.
As the busses approached us, I got up on my friend's shoulders so I could see, and the initial sight of everyone was pretty overwhelming. It was so amazing how many people there really were to come and throw love back at these boys. I waved and yelled and blew kisses to all of them, and got waves back from Adam Burish and Brian Campbell. Then, as the final bus approached, I saw Captain and Kaner, with the cup riding alongside. I let out a shriek like none other, like a 12 year old girl at a Backstreet Boys concert (perhaps i'm dating myself a bit when I say that...). I thought I was going to die. I yelled to them of my undying love, and waved furiously, and with Kaner's free hand, he pointed right at me. His other hand? occupied by his bottle of champagne. Captain was looking the other way, so alas I did not get a wave back from him. But the acknowledgment from Kaner was still awesome.
see more...
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The cup chronicles: vol. VI: There are no words.
Those commercials really are true, there are no words to describe what i'm feeling or what anyone else is feeling for that matter. But last night was one of the most memorable moments of my life, even giving October 26, 2005 a run for its money...
We were out at a little townie bar on NIU's campus called Lord Stanley's (obviously a very fitting venue), and the crowd there including myself and my friends was, well, indescribable. So much excitement, so much tension, especially when the score kept going back and forth like it had been in every game in the series. That intermission before overtime brought on an extremely anticipatory mood. Everyone was thinking the same thing I was, "This could really happen tonight..." and it did.
Ah, the weirdest goal ever. Most game winning goals are fired in like a laser beam past the unsuspecting goalie. This time, it was kind of just...in the goal...past the unsuspecting Leighton. Part of the crowd started cheering and I was just really confused. I saw Kaner throw his arms up in the air. "Did we just...win?" I thought. And as they showed the replay, the crowd exploded, and I just stood there for a brief moment. I didn't know what to do with myself. After the shock and awe of the unusual situation that had just occurred, I screamed my freaking lungs out. To be able to celebrate with my boyfriend, whom i met in 2006 (so we had just missed the Sox World Series victory together) was really a special moment too. We had watched so many games from so many teams in our relationship together, and now we could finally share our first championship together.
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We were out at a little townie bar on NIU's campus called Lord Stanley's (obviously a very fitting venue), and the crowd there including myself and my friends was, well, indescribable. So much excitement, so much tension, especially when the score kept going back and forth like it had been in every game in the series. That intermission before overtime brought on an extremely anticipatory mood. Everyone was thinking the same thing I was, "This could really happen tonight..." and it did.
Ah, the weirdest goal ever. Most game winning goals are fired in like a laser beam past the unsuspecting goalie. This time, it was kind of just...in the goal...past the unsuspecting Leighton. Part of the crowd started cheering and I was just really confused. I saw Kaner throw his arms up in the air. "Did we just...win?" I thought. And as they showed the replay, the crowd exploded, and I just stood there for a brief moment. I didn't know what to do with myself. After the shock and awe of the unusual situation that had just occurred, I screamed my freaking lungs out. To be able to celebrate with my boyfriend, whom i met in 2006 (so we had just missed the Sox World Series victory together) was really a special moment too. We had watched so many games from so many teams in our relationship together, and now we could finally share our first championship together.
see more...
Monday, June 7, 2010
The cup chronicles: vol. V: 1 more...
It could be just 60 more minutes of playing time before my Captain has the cup in his hands...and I am officially in fangirl freakout mode.
That game last night was amazing. The Hawks played like the team I know and love, not the team that played in games 3 and 4. Switching up the lines did help (even though Chris D-bag Pronger said it didn't have anything to do with anything, but who cares what he has to say anyways), and even though captain's line was -6 total, I think that putting him with Hossa and Kopecky was a sweet idea, and it seemed to be effective dispite the fact that 2 goals got in while they were out. As usual, Captain had alot of opportunities to score, but Leighton is evil and denied him of the Stanley Cup finals goal you know he wants so very much. Perhaps on Wednesday...
All in all, everyone has stepped up in some way to help out this team, and I really love that about them. Obviously Niemi has done a good enough job for the most part, even though in the finals he hasn't been as stellar per se. I still love the job he's done throughout the postseason, especially after all the pointless goaltending controversy that occurred throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. I also love how Bolland, the big man Buff, and Hossa have been playing. And let's not forget about our lovely defenseman Keith and Seabs. A team where everyone steps up will win a championship, i've seen it happen before...^_~
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That game last night was amazing. The Hawks played like the team I know and love, not the team that played in games 3 and 4. Switching up the lines did help (even though Chris D-bag Pronger said it didn't have anything to do with anything, but who cares what he has to say anyways), and even though captain's line was -6 total, I think that putting him with Hossa and Kopecky was a sweet idea, and it seemed to be effective dispite the fact that 2 goals got in while they were out. As usual, Captain had alot of opportunities to score, but Leighton is evil and denied him of the Stanley Cup finals goal you know he wants so very much. Perhaps on Wednesday...
All in all, everyone has stepped up in some way to help out this team, and I really love that about them. Obviously Niemi has done a good enough job for the most part, even though in the finals he hasn't been as stellar per se. I still love the job he's done throughout the postseason, especially after all the pointless goaltending controversy that occurred throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. I also love how Bolland, the big man Buff, and Hossa have been playing. And let's not forget about our lovely defenseman Keith and Seabs. A team where everyone steps up will win a championship, i've seen it happen before...^_~
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Saturday, June 5, 2010
Sox issues switching places?
Well, for all the complaining I did about the Sox offense, it seems that that tables have turned, and it has been the pitching that has disappointed me as of late. I haven't watched as many full games lately because of the Blackhawks madness, but I watch MLB network pretty avidly, and I have seen the highlights of these lame games. Not to mention the games I get to be at the ballpark at and they screw up.
Danks is known for being our really good pitcher who gets no run support. I can understand giving up 4 runs, but i feel like his 5 or so innings pitched was a bad thing because of our holes at the long reliever position. Ozzie said himself that he didn't think he needed any help in that respect because you have 5 guys who can go at least 6 or 7 innings every game, and then you put in Santos or Pena for an inning, then set it up with Thornton or Putz, then close it out with Jenks. Well, that seems to not be the case lately as our starters have had very short outings, and aside from the game that Buehrle got ejected from, the bullpen has sucked it up when we were in need of help.
Now as far as tonight's game went, Masterson was 0-5 coming in to this game, and we only got 1 lousy run, which was of course a solo home run. I had mentioned in a previous post, that Mark Teahen was particularly good against Masterson, but sadly he is on the DL with a broken middle finger.
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Danks is known for being our really good pitcher who gets no run support. I can understand giving up 4 runs, but i feel like his 5 or so innings pitched was a bad thing because of our holes at the long reliever position. Ozzie said himself that he didn't think he needed any help in that respect because you have 5 guys who can go at least 6 or 7 innings every game, and then you put in Santos or Pena for an inning, then set it up with Thornton or Putz, then close it out with Jenks. Well, that seems to not be the case lately as our starters have had very short outings, and aside from the game that Buehrle got ejected from, the bullpen has sucked it up when we were in need of help.
Now as far as tonight's game went, Masterson was 0-5 coming in to this game, and we only got 1 lousy run, which was of course a solo home run. I had mentioned in a previous post, that Mark Teahen was particularly good against Masterson, but sadly he is on the DL with a broken middle finger.
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The cup chronicles: vol. IV: best of three.
(note- I never posted cup chronicles vol. 3 on the homepage, so check out our NHL page for it ^_^)
Well, After this one, I have alot of thoughts running through my pretty little fangirl head, but i'm trying to keep my cool as much as I can.
First of all, I was a big Hjallmerson supporter, but I am extremely disappointed in the way he turned the puck over TWICE to give the Flyers a chance to score 2 goals, which if you think about it was the difference, considering our almost-epic comeback in the third period.
I kind of like that we started a comeback like that, although i'm frustrated that we didn't finish it. The comeback was a good sign that my boys never quit, no matter how stupid and evil these Flyers really are.
Don't even get me started on Chris Pronger. I will hurt him in ways he never thought possible if I run into him at the UC on Sunday. I was hoping Sunday would be the clinching day, but I guess that's not gonna happen now. I don't mind the Hawks in 6, but if it goes to 7, well...my Chicago baseball fans know what else happens that day...(but if you don't, the Sox indeed play the Cubs at Wrigley that day...)
So now it becomes a best of three series, and the intensity is through the roof. I know Sunday that myself and the rest of the crowd will be out of its mind, and I will love any minute of it.
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Well, After this one, I have alot of thoughts running through my pretty little fangirl head, but i'm trying to keep my cool as much as I can.
First of all, I was a big Hjallmerson supporter, but I am extremely disappointed in the way he turned the puck over TWICE to give the Flyers a chance to score 2 goals, which if you think about it was the difference, considering our almost-epic comeback in the third period.
I kind of like that we started a comeback like that, although i'm frustrated that we didn't finish it. The comeback was a good sign that my boys never quit, no matter how stupid and evil these Flyers really are.
Don't even get me started on Chris Pronger. I will hurt him in ways he never thought possible if I run into him at the UC on Sunday. I was hoping Sunday would be the clinching day, but I guess that's not gonna happen now. I don't mind the Hawks in 6, but if it goes to 7, well...my Chicago baseball fans know what else happens that day...(but if you don't, the Sox indeed play the Cubs at Wrigley that day...)
So now it becomes a best of three series, and the intensity is through the roof. I know Sunday that myself and the rest of the crowd will be out of its mind, and I will love any minute of it.
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Monday, May 31, 2010
Pitching is back...in the NL
It's the new hot trend...it's what all the cool kids are doing...
It's pitching. and it's back in the National league.
I am making this post in light of the perfect game by Roy Halladay. One of our contributors, Shawn, is an avid Phillies fan, and is very happy about this. i think that the Doc is the best pitcher in the league, by far. And by in the league I mean all of baseball. But his perfect game got me thinking...
I remember watching alot of MLB network, and watching about how the 1960's was a dominant era for pitching. I feel like this feeling is back, but only in the NL. Where pitchers like Halladay and Lincecum and Jimenez are owning their opponents. In the AL, they still have alot of high scoring games, because of the DH. But in the NL, I have noticed alot of low scoring games lately, and even though i'm a Sox fan, I kinda like it.
The only issue here is the question of whether or not this has to do with the strict testing for steroids that has happened lately. As much as I don't want to think that is the reason for this dominant pitching, I can't help but be opened minded to the idea. After Manny got suspended for 50 games last year, other players all over baseball must have been more weary of their own situation.
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It's pitching. and it's back in the National league.
I am making this post in light of the perfect game by Roy Halladay. One of our contributors, Shawn, is an avid Phillies fan, and is very happy about this. i think that the Doc is the best pitcher in the league, by far. And by in the league I mean all of baseball. But his perfect game got me thinking...
I remember watching alot of MLB network, and watching about how the 1960's was a dominant era for pitching. I feel like this feeling is back, but only in the NL. Where pitchers like Halladay and Lincecum and Jimenez are owning their opponents. In the AL, they still have alot of high scoring games, because of the DH. But in the NL, I have noticed alot of low scoring games lately, and even though i'm a Sox fan, I kinda like it.
The only issue here is the question of whether or not this has to do with the strict testing for steroids that has happened lately. As much as I don't want to think that is the reason for this dominant pitching, I can't help but be opened minded to the idea. After Manny got suspended for 50 games last year, other players all over baseball must have been more weary of their own situation.
see more...
Friday, May 28, 2010
A Dream Stanley Cup Finals
It happened. It actually happened. My two favorite teams in the world are facing each other for the right to lift Lord Stanley's Cup. Once upon a time, the Blackhawks were never shown on television, leaving a young HBJ without a team to enjoy watching on TV from time to time (the rare times hockey was shown). Enter the Philadelphia Flyers, the team that maintained my interest in hockey whenever I could catch a game. That and I always liked the team name and logo. After all the hardships the team went through during the regular season, they wholeheartedly deserve to be in the Stanley Cup Finals.
However, the Blackhawks are still my team, and after all the hardships they went through for the past FIFTY YEARS, they most definitely deserve a shot at the Cup. Combine the two, and you're looking at one of the best potential Stanley Cup matchups in years. There are a few reasons why this is the best possible matchup the NHL could have had out of the sixteen teams that made the playoffs.
1. The Battle for the Cup this year is fresh. No Penguins, no Red Wings. The Flyers have not made the Finals since 1997, the Hawks since 1992. Both teams have not won the Cup in decades (Flyers since 1975, Hawks since 1961). I know some people were hoping for a Original Six Finals with the Hawks and Habs but this is the better matchup (Fun Fact: The Flyers were the first non-Original Six team to win the Cup). The Cup is going to a city that hasn't seen it in forever, isn't that exciting!?
2. With the NHL trying hard to bring in American viewers, Flyers/Hawks is an excellent selling point. Montreal would not have drawn in nearly as many American viewers, and Canada already has the entire population watching the sport, so they don't need the help. In addition, Philly and Chicago both have huge fanbases, with the Chicago having one of the best and Philly having one of the worst (I say this in a good way. Their fanbase consists of the biggest assholes in the country, and honestly that is one of the reasons I still like the Flyers). You can say this is a battle of good vs. evil (and of course the good guys always come out on top right?).
3. Both teams play an extremely exciting style. They both use a good combination of physicality and skill, with a slight emphasis on one of those (physical play for Philly, skill for Chicago). This is what makes hockey fun to watch, and both teams are sure to put on a good show.
4. Goaltending. Honestly, who expected the starting goalies in the Stanley Cup Finals to be ANTTI NIEMI and MICHAEL LEIGHTON? Hell, at the beginning of the playoffs, both teams were predicted to not do well because of the "shaky" goaltending. Many people predicted Devils over Flyers in the 1st round and Canucks over Hawks in the 2nd because of the goaltending. Niemi is no Marc Andre-Fleury, Leighton is no Ryan Miller. Where are they at now? On the golf course. I wonder if this is the first time that both goalies in the Finals were not even starters at the start of the season. Niemi and Leighton (also Brian Boucher, another "backup scrub" who only owned the Devils and kept Philly from getting swept by Boston) are sending a message to all the mid to low level goalies: Everyone has the potential to be great if you put your heart into it. Niemi and Leighton, along with the rest of their teams, did just that. The Hawks and Flyers really really want to win the Cup, and you could see that when Philly made history in Boston and Chicago got out the brooms against San Jose.
So now that you know that the Finals are going to be amazing, who is going to win the Stanley Cup? I'm predicting every game except one will be close, but the Chicago Blackhawks win in 6 games. And I'll be in Chicago for the parade!
However, the Blackhawks are still my team, and after all the hardships they went through for the past FIFTY YEARS, they most definitely deserve a shot at the Cup. Combine the two, and you're looking at one of the best potential Stanley Cup matchups in years. There are a few reasons why this is the best possible matchup the NHL could have had out of the sixteen teams that made the playoffs.
1. The Battle for the Cup this year is fresh. No Penguins, no Red Wings. The Flyers have not made the Finals since 1997, the Hawks since 1992. Both teams have not won the Cup in decades (Flyers since 1975, Hawks since 1961). I know some people were hoping for a Original Six Finals with the Hawks and Habs but this is the better matchup (Fun Fact: The Flyers were the first non-Original Six team to win the Cup). The Cup is going to a city that hasn't seen it in forever, isn't that exciting!?
2. With the NHL trying hard to bring in American viewers, Flyers/Hawks is an excellent selling point. Montreal would not have drawn in nearly as many American viewers, and Canada already has the entire population watching the sport, so they don't need the help. In addition, Philly and Chicago both have huge fanbases, with the Chicago having one of the best and Philly having one of the worst (I say this in a good way. Their fanbase consists of the biggest assholes in the country, and honestly that is one of the reasons I still like the Flyers). You can say this is a battle of good vs. evil (and of course the good guys always come out on top right?).
3. Both teams play an extremely exciting style. They both use a good combination of physicality and skill, with a slight emphasis on one of those (physical play for Philly, skill for Chicago). This is what makes hockey fun to watch, and both teams are sure to put on a good show.
4. Goaltending. Honestly, who expected the starting goalies in the Stanley Cup Finals to be ANTTI NIEMI and MICHAEL LEIGHTON? Hell, at the beginning of the playoffs, both teams were predicted to not do well because of the "shaky" goaltending. Many people predicted Devils over Flyers in the 1st round and Canucks over Hawks in the 2nd because of the goaltending. Niemi is no Marc Andre-Fleury, Leighton is no Ryan Miller. Where are they at now? On the golf course. I wonder if this is the first time that both goalies in the Finals were not even starters at the start of the season. Niemi and Leighton (also Brian Boucher, another "backup scrub" who only owned the Devils and kept Philly from getting swept by Boston) are sending a message to all the mid to low level goalies: Everyone has the potential to be great if you put your heart into it. Niemi and Leighton, along with the rest of their teams, did just that. The Hawks and Flyers really really want to win the Cup, and you could see that when Philly made history in Boston and Chicago got out the brooms against San Jose.
So now that you know that the Finals are going to be amazing, who is going to win the Stanley Cup? I'm predicting every game except one will be close, but the Chicago Blackhawks win in 6 games. And I'll be in Chicago for the parade!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The cup chronicles: vol. II: media day
Today was media day, and i do commend the NHL network for their extensive coverage. I'm still trying to get to know the enemy a bit more so it was helpful to see these interviews and such. Not only that, but they are replaying the game we had against them in Philly back in March. Much to my surprise Michael Leighton started in this game, and faced off against that one goalie we used to have play...what was his name again?
I'm trying to get a feel for how this is going to go by simply watching this game, but I know that's impossible. The biggest difference is obviously that we will have Niemi start instead, so as much as they had a bit of trouble with Huet in this game, i can only imagine Niemi will come out of this eating them for breakfast. Or Brunch if you prefer. In the media day interviews, the great Hossa story was addressed, and it made me think of what my Pokedex entry would be for him:
Marian Hossa was a Penguin. Then, he was a Redwing. And he lost the Stanley cup with both! Until one day, he signed with the Blackhawks. And he's about to find out, being on the Blackhawks, is the only one that isn't really lame.
see more...
I'm trying to get a feel for how this is going to go by simply watching this game, but I know that's impossible. The biggest difference is obviously that we will have Niemi start instead, so as much as they had a bit of trouble with Huet in this game, i can only imagine Niemi will come out of this eating them for breakfast. Or Brunch if you prefer. In the media day interviews, the great Hossa story was addressed, and it made me think of what my Pokedex entry would be for him:
Marian Hossa was a Penguin. Then, he was a Redwing. And he lost the Stanley cup with both! Until one day, he signed with the Blackhawks. And he's about to find out, being on the Blackhawks, is the only one that isn't really lame.
see more...
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
A weird one in Cleveland...
I love when Ozzie gets ejected from the game before I even wake up in the morning.
A very early start must have meant that the umpires couldn't get much sleep last night, either. At least I had an excuse, I'm freaking out about the Blackhawks. ^_^ But those balk calls were...well...I hate to sound like Hawk, but they were pretty bad. Especially that second one. And as Buehrle threw his glove on the ground in disgust, he got ejected as well, which was sad because I think he could have gone at least 7 innings, get the win, and go to Tampa Bay a happy human. Instead, I now was worried because our bullpen had to come in very early.
Williams wasn't too good, but he was really just there to give Tony Pena some extra warmup time. Pena then came in and did an amazing job, and Hawk and Stone Pony mentioned that his performance picked up the whole team, and I completely agree. Props to him for coming in on such a weird moment's notice and getting it done.
The offense was nice too, scoring the 5 runs we didn't need at first, but then ended up needing by the end of the game (more on that in a bit...). Teahen continued to produce where Carlos Quentin couldn't. After Quentin struck out with the bases loaded, Teahen got a nice 2 run single to increase our lead. It was also nice to see Kotsay put one on h board, and the offense in general seems to be clicking a bit more lately which will obviously help alot going into this next series against the Rays, although the Rays' pitching is pretty sick.
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A very early start must have meant that the umpires couldn't get much sleep last night, either. At least I had an excuse, I'm freaking out about the Blackhawks. ^_^ But those balk calls were...well...I hate to sound like Hawk, but they were pretty bad. Especially that second one. And as Buehrle threw his glove on the ground in disgust, he got ejected as well, which was sad because I think he could have gone at least 7 innings, get the win, and go to Tampa Bay a happy human. Instead, I now was worried because our bullpen had to come in very early.
Williams wasn't too good, but he was really just there to give Tony Pena some extra warmup time. Pena then came in and did an amazing job, and Hawk and Stone Pony mentioned that his performance picked up the whole team, and I completely agree. Props to him for coming in on such a weird moment's notice and getting it done.
The offense was nice too, scoring the 5 runs we didn't need at first, but then ended up needing by the end of the game (more on that in a bit...). Teahen continued to produce where Carlos Quentin couldn't. After Quentin struck out with the bases loaded, Teahen got a nice 2 run single to increase our lead. It was also nice to see Kotsay put one on h board, and the offense in general seems to be clicking a bit more lately which will obviously help alot going into this next series against the Rays, although the Rays' pitching is pretty sick.
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Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The cup chronicles: volume I: Captain vs Captain
I decided to create a mini-series of blogs to follow what could possibly be one of the most memorable times of my life. in the next week, as i await the beginning of this incredible series between my beloved Blackhawks and the Flyers, I'm not really sure what else to do with myself to pass the time (watch the Sox...?). But today, now that we officially know who we are playing and when, i've decided to do a little bit of reconnaissance work to get to know my newest rivals, and my newest sworn enemy: Mike Richards. So I present to you, a few Pokedex entries on the Whales trophy winners, the Philadelphia Flyers.
first of all, if anyone says "team of destiny" one more time, i might have to jack them in the face. I am very proud of the Flyers and the way they showed resiliency in this post season, especially coming back from being down 3-0 to Boston in the series, and in game 7. I wanted this matchup from the beginning, and i'm really glad it turned out that way, mostly because it'd be super fun for HBJ.
That being said, I hope the Hawks destroy them ^_~
General Pokedex entry for Philedelphia Flyers: the physical type team. Their main strategy against these other teams has been to stop their "big guns", as they did with the Canadiens and Camalleri. but let's think about the depth of the Hawks here, and how even if they TRY to stop the Captain (which is impossible), the Hawks go alot deeper than their first or even second line, of offense and defense. So the "Captain" Mike Richards will have his work cut out for him if he wants to try and stop everybody.
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first of all, if anyone says "team of destiny" one more time, i might have to jack them in the face. I am very proud of the Flyers and the way they showed resiliency in this post season, especially coming back from being down 3-0 to Boston in the series, and in game 7. I wanted this matchup from the beginning, and i'm really glad it turned out that way, mostly because it'd be super fun for HBJ.
That being said, I hope the Hawks destroy them ^_~
General Pokedex entry for Philedelphia Flyers: the physical type team. Their main strategy against these other teams has been to stop their "big guns", as they did with the Canadiens and Camalleri. but let's think about the depth of the Hawks here, and how even if they TRY to stop the Captain (which is impossible), the Hawks go alot deeper than their first or even second line, of offense and defense. So the "Captain" Mike Richards will have his work cut out for him if he wants to try and stop everybody.
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No Teahen party for Masterson
(I can't take credit for that one myself, as Bill melton used that joke last year when we played KC in reference to how well Teahen hits against Mark Buehrle...)
4 runs in the first inning? We must have been playing Justin Masterson and the Indians. I had mentioned in my blog yesterday that I wanted to beat up on these bad AL teams like we are supposed to, and i'm glad we did. Especially because I also almost forgot that the Twins will be playing the Yankees these next few days, so if there was a good time to gain some ground it would be now. With Peavy going tonight and Buehrle going tomorrow, I hope we can continue to give this unusual run support and help a bro out. Sweeping the Indians would be a great thing, but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. Let's focus on tonight first.
but even before I focus on tonight, I want to share some things I liked about last night. getting runs early is obviously helpful, especially when you know your offense is so off and on. luckily, those 4 runs were all we needed to support another good outing (besides maybe a bit of a high pitch count) by John Danks. But the other runs were good to see too. Especially because Mark Teahen got it going, after I was complaining about him offensively (maybe he knew I wanted Crede back ^_~). But that 2 run double in the first was a nice way to get the rest of the team going too, even Beckham who had also been struggling got a couple of hits for himself. Ozzie knew Masterson struggled against lefties, so it was only natural that Pierre and A.j. both got hits to start with as well, and that can also be taken into account for Teahen's big night. I'm glad Danks did well once again and we actually gave him a win to show for it.
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4 runs in the first inning? We must have been playing Justin Masterson and the Indians. I had mentioned in my blog yesterday that I wanted to beat up on these bad AL teams like we are supposed to, and i'm glad we did. Especially because I also almost forgot that the Twins will be playing the Yankees these next few days, so if there was a good time to gain some ground it would be now. With Peavy going tonight and Buehrle going tomorrow, I hope we can continue to give this unusual run support and help a bro out. Sweeping the Indians would be a great thing, but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. Let's focus on tonight first.
but even before I focus on tonight, I want to share some things I liked about last night. getting runs early is obviously helpful, especially when you know your offense is so off and on. luckily, those 4 runs were all we needed to support another good outing (besides maybe a bit of a high pitch count) by John Danks. But the other runs were good to see too. Especially because Mark Teahen got it going, after I was complaining about him offensively (maybe he knew I wanted Crede back ^_~). But that 2 run double in the first was a nice way to get the rest of the team going too, even Beckham who had also been struggling got a couple of hits for himself. Ozzie knew Masterson struggled against lefties, so it was only natural that Pierre and A.j. both got hits to start with as well, and that can also be taken into account for Teahen's big night. I'm glad Danks did well once again and we actually gave him a win to show for it.
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Monday, May 24, 2010
Series win a good thing?
As the Blackhawks swept the Sharks on the west side, the Sox hoped to also have a fish fry of their own over in the South side. However, Freddy giving up 4 runs in the first inning was a pretty good indication that it wasn't going to happen.
The first two games against the Marlins were refreshing to see for us Sox fans. it was really good to see Buehrle and Floyd have nice outings, and see the Sox giving them some run support. Quentin is starting to come around at least a little bit, and Rios is continuing to impress. The Sox website is trying to get fans to vote for Paulie and Rios for the all-star game, and I agree with it that if they send anyone from our team's offense, it should be them. I know fans don't get to vote for pitchers, so I also hope that John Danks gets some recognition too, because he deserves it. the W-L stat has always been very decieving for Danks, as the lack of run support is an obvious issue (and Matt Cain of the Giants can now sympathize with that after yesterday, losing 1-0 to the A's with that run being an unearned one). I know the all-star game is far away, but MLB does a nice job of getting crazy fans like me to think about it early.
I would also like to give Bobby Jenks some credit for Saturday afternoon. I really liked his velocity, and his nice 1-2-3 inning notching the save. Getting runs is hard for the Sox at times, but it's good to know that when we do, Bobby at least has the capability to hold the lead for us if he could keep up his velocity, even after there was some question as to whether or not we should hand the ball over to Matt Thornton in the 9th inning.
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The first two games against the Marlins were refreshing to see for us Sox fans. it was really good to see Buehrle and Floyd have nice outings, and see the Sox giving them some run support. Quentin is starting to come around at least a little bit, and Rios is continuing to impress. The Sox website is trying to get fans to vote for Paulie and Rios for the all-star game, and I agree with it that if they send anyone from our team's offense, it should be them. I know fans don't get to vote for pitchers, so I also hope that John Danks gets some recognition too, because he deserves it. the W-L stat has always been very decieving for Danks, as the lack of run support is an obvious issue (and Matt Cain of the Giants can now sympathize with that after yesterday, losing 1-0 to the A's with that run being an unearned one). I know the all-star game is far away, but MLB does a nice job of getting crazy fans like me to think about it early.
I would also like to give Bobby Jenks some credit for Saturday afternoon. I really liked his velocity, and his nice 1-2-3 inning notching the save. Getting runs is hard for the Sox at times, but it's good to know that when we do, Bobby at least has the capability to hold the lead for us if he could keep up his velocity, even after there was some question as to whether or not we should hand the ball over to Matt Thornton in the 9th inning.
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SWEEEEEP!!!!
After winning the first 2 games at the not-so-intimidating shark tank, I was a little nervous about coming back home because of how much better we had been playing on the road previously. But after winning Friday night's game in awesome fashion as always, I just got overwhelmed by the feeling that Sunday would be the day. And I was right.
After being down 2-0, I, along with everyone else was a little bit nervous, but I knew that this team was more than capable of coming back. After the Seabrook 4 on 4 goal that almost wasn't (and I loved Captain's reaction to his cross checking penalty just before that too hehe), I knew not only were we back in this game, but we would probably win. The Sharks just can't seem to get their momentum back when it seems to be going our way, and the result was an epic sweep, and the Shark's realization of who the top team in the Western conference really is. ^_^
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After being down 2-0, I, along with everyone else was a little bit nervous, but I knew that this team was more than capable of coming back. After the Seabrook 4 on 4 goal that almost wasn't (and I loved Captain's reaction to his cross checking penalty just before that too hehe), I knew not only were we back in this game, but we would probably win. The Sharks just can't seem to get their momentum back when it seems to be going our way, and the result was an epic sweep, and the Shark's realization of who the top team in the Western conference really is. ^_^
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Thursday, May 20, 2010
A crazy 3rd base idea...
After last night's game, a thought had occurred to me. I started thinking about somebody I hadn't thought of in a while, because there hadn't really been reason to think about him. I give credit to my boytfriend who mentioned this person on the phone last night and kind of sparked my idea.
So, at 3rd base we have basically 2 choices as of right now. Mark Teahen, who can't hit, and Jayson Nix, who can't field (last night alone was even a good enough example of that). Now, I have a solution, and those of you that know me probably know what i'm going to say...
...what would we have to lose if we signed Joe Crede?
I know the main issue, and yes i did think of it, would be his chronic back problems. But perhaps not having played yet this year and getting the extra rest could be helpful for that. Crede has a career bating average of .254, and while that doesn't sound extremely great, it can be put in perspective by going through the Sox lineup and looking at their averages. Teahen himself is only hitting .221. The biggest thing isn't even the batting average, though, although it would help. Defensively Crede has obviously made a name for himself with this team, and would definitely be a better fit than Nix over at third.
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So, at 3rd base we have basically 2 choices as of right now. Mark Teahen, who can't hit, and Jayson Nix, who can't field (last night alone was even a good enough example of that). Now, I have a solution, and those of you that know me probably know what i'm going to say...
...what would we have to lose if we signed Joe Crede?
I know the main issue, and yes i did think of it, would be his chronic back problems. But perhaps not having played yet this year and getting the extra rest could be helpful for that. Crede has a career bating average of .254, and while that doesn't sound extremely great, it can be put in perspective by going through the Sox lineup and looking at their averages. Teahen himself is only hitting .221. The biggest thing isn't even the batting average, though, although it would help. Defensively Crede has obviously made a name for himself with this team, and would definitely be a better fit than Nix over at third.
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Wednesday, May 19, 2010
So many contributions to a 2-0 lead!!
I am pretty much praising Niemi right now. after the 44 saves the other night and his wonderful performance again tonight, I am all about our rookie goalie. This was another amazing hockey game, and while both teams played well, the Hawks had a definite advantage just as they did in game 1. the phrase "track meet game" kept getting thrown around during the broadcast, and I was trying to figure out what they meant by that, and I came up with a general idea.
The track meet game means it became a game of closer distances to the net, like a 200m dash or something like that compared to taking shots from far away. this in my opinion was a reference to the fact the Buff has been right by the net, because of the fact that him being on the line with Captain and Kaner allows him to do so. I really like this line, because it works very well strategically. Everyone focuses on Kane and Toews, and in the meantime Buff goes in front of the net and can get a good poke in, because nobody sees it happening. On the contrary, if the Sharks are on to the placement of Buff, they might pay more attention to him and let the young stars own Nabokov. So basically that line is a win-win situation, and I really like how it's turning out for us.
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Sunday, May 16, 2010
Another series lost to a bad team...
The Sox still have all the same issues. That sentence was sitting on my screen for a while as I tried to figure out what else to really say about it. I feel alot like Rongey in the sense that i have to repeat the same thing every show (or in my case, blog), but i'll try to mix it up at least a little bit. I only saw bits and pieces of these games, but from what I saw the same things have been happening as they have all year. Friday's game was another strong start from Buehrle...for a while. One could argue that Ozzie left him in a bit too long, but I agree with him as far as the theory that (and i loosely quote Ozzie) no matter how good a starting pitcher is, if he makes 1 mistake, it's game over. That's pretty much what happened on Friday, and kind of what happened today as well.
The hitting on this team is still bad, and even though i feel like a broken record saying it, it's still the main issue. And I know i've said this before too, but as I anticipated Rios being the defining factor on this team, he has been very very good (notably his 12 game hitting streak, and today's game) and the rest of the team is under performing to say the least. It used to be the pitching and the offense, but now it's mostly just the offense. i really don't like looking at the beginning of the broadcast and seeing that most of our lineup is hitting in the vicinity of .160 .190, and the occasional .250 if we're lucky. This of course is besides Paul Konerko and Andruw Jones I believe, who actually have pretty decent averages. Is Greg Walker to blame? I still agree with what Gordon Beckham once said in that Walker isn't the one going up there and swinging the bat. but from the higher ups perspective, apon seeing these terrible batting averages on paper there are only 2 people to put the blame on, and that is Walker and Kenny Williams. Kenny put together a really good pitching staff, but we absolutely need the Quentins and Beckhams of the world to hit up to their potential to support them. i know they can come around, but the "it's still early" thing isn't going to fly anymore because May will be over before we know it.
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One victory down!
Well the Hawks have done something they haven't done yet in these playoffs, and that is win the first game of the series. The difference is, that this game was on the road, where we have been playing extremely well, and if you take into account the regular season games we played at the HP-Shark-Pavilion-Tank, there is really no reason to be surprised at all that we won there in this first game. The stats they showed before the game were interesting though, as the Hawks had been 5-1 thus far on the road and the Sharks had been 5-1 at home thus far. So winning the first game on the road and evening up the ice advantage should help, but in these playoffs where home games aren't exactly what they seem, the point is no matter where you are just go out there and win.
Both teams played awesome today, but the entire game I could see that at least as far as 5 on 5 hockey goes, we have a bit of an edge over this Sharks team. The Sharks do not want to play at our pace, but we are good enough to set the pace no matter what. It was nice to see an outstanding performance from Mr. Niemi, and some nice penalty killing as well, considering how many power play chances the Sharks actually ended up having. I really liked the energy we had coming out in this game even after being down 1-0 after the first period, and after watching awesome hockey from both teams, i'm really really excited for the rest of this series.
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Both teams played awesome today, but the entire game I could see that at least as far as 5 on 5 hockey goes, we have a bit of an edge over this Sharks team. The Sharks do not want to play at our pace, but we are good enough to set the pace no matter what. It was nice to see an outstanding performance from Mr. Niemi, and some nice penalty killing as well, considering how many power play chances the Sharks actually ended up having. I really liked the energy we had coming out in this game even after being down 1-0 after the first period, and after watching awesome hockey from both teams, i'm really really excited for the rest of this series.
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History Has Been Made (FLYERSFLYERSFLYERS Edition)
I was ready to post this yesterday, but due to unforeseen circumstances was unable to do so. As of this writing the Hawks defeated the Sharks in Game 1 and Philly/Montreal is playing right now.
The playoffs are only getting better and better. The 2nd round was much more entertaining than the 1st as things have really started to heat up. So just like before I will analyze and rank the games from the second round followed by previews/predictions for the Conference Finals.
4. Sharks over Red Wings in 5 - Not to say this was a bad series, because it was awesome especially given the result, but it's fourth solely because it only went five games. Every game was very close other than the total beatdown from the Wings in Game 4, but the Sharks had a mission this year, and they finally achieved it. What a team to get over that hump that is the 2nd round too, the Wings are never easy to beat. However, Jimmy Howard showed his inexperience in the series, and combined with Thornton finally making some noise in the postseason, the Sharks were destined for the conference finals.
3. Hawks over Canucks in 6 - Honestly Sharks/Wings was technically the better series, but I'm being biased here because Chicago won it. We had two very ugly games at home this series, which is something we need to fix in the next round, but on the bright side we absolutely owned Vancouver on the road, which is a good sign considering we have potentially four road games next round.
2. Canadiens over Penguins in 7 - Of course any series that goes the distance has to be great, and this series was. Every game was close except Game 7, but that's okay because the result was great. This victory by the Habs is even more amazing when you consider that Pittsburgh had been getting healthier as the series progress whereas the Habs were losing key players to injury. Most of all, LOL Crosby. Losing Game 7 is completely his fault. He got called for boarding ten seconds into the game and completely sucked all the energy out of Mellon Arena. Montreal was relentless the whole game and it showed. Just a great performance, but it didn't make history
1. Flyers over Bruins in 7 - They're not kidding when they say history will be made. This is only the 4th time in sports history that a team came back from a 3-0 deficit to win the series. Now, make that even more epic by having Game 7 end the same way the series did, with Boston taking a 3-0 lead and Philly coming back to win 4-3. Does it get any better than that!? Also, Philly did this with two goalies who were primarily backups in their careers. They won this series with heart and soul, and that's why hockey is the best.
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The playoffs are only getting better and better. The 2nd round was much more entertaining than the 1st as things have really started to heat up. So just like before I will analyze and rank the games from the second round followed by previews/predictions for the Conference Finals.
4. Sharks over Red Wings in 5 - Not to say this was a bad series, because it was awesome especially given the result, but it's fourth solely because it only went five games. Every game was very close other than the total beatdown from the Wings in Game 4, but the Sharks had a mission this year, and they finally achieved it. What a team to get over that hump that is the 2nd round too, the Wings are never easy to beat. However, Jimmy Howard showed his inexperience in the series, and combined with Thornton finally making some noise in the postseason, the Sharks were destined for the conference finals.
3. Hawks over Canucks in 6 - Honestly Sharks/Wings was technically the better series, but I'm being biased here because Chicago won it. We had two very ugly games at home this series, which is something we need to fix in the next round, but on the bright side we absolutely owned Vancouver on the road, which is a good sign considering we have potentially four road games next round.
2. Canadiens over Penguins in 7 - Of course any series that goes the distance has to be great, and this series was. Every game was close except Game 7, but that's okay because the result was great. This victory by the Habs is even more amazing when you consider that Pittsburgh had been getting healthier as the series progress whereas the Habs were losing key players to injury. Most of all, LOL Crosby. Losing Game 7 is completely his fault. He got called for boarding ten seconds into the game and completely sucked all the energy out of Mellon Arena. Montreal was relentless the whole game and it showed. Just a great performance, but it didn't make history
1. Flyers over Bruins in 7 - They're not kidding when they say history will be made. This is only the 4th time in sports history that a team came back from a 3-0 deficit to win the series. Now, make that even more epic by having Game 7 end the same way the series did, with Boston taking a 3-0 lead and Philly coming back to win 4-3. Does it get any better than that!? Also, Philly did this with two goalies who were primarily backups in their careers. They won this series with heart and soul, and that's why hockey is the best.Read More...
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Target field debut and other Sox tidbits
Well, many many many things have been going on with our dearest White Sox since I last got a chance to blog. Jake Peavy must have heard what I said (well, and what everyone else was saying) and he has gotten worlds better. I listened to an interview with him on the Saturday morning radio show "hit and run" on 670 the score and got some insight. The biggest thing was that he and Coop actually watched old tape of him pitching for the first time after the series against the Rays. After that first inning against the Rangers in his next start, he seemed to have found his old edge, and his next 2 starts after that were very very good. It's good to see him back in his usual form, which is why we got him in the first place. I feel alot better about our starting rotation, aside from Gavin. He has been struggling alot the whole season so far, and I hope he can get back to his usual form. The Sox need to also hit alot better (aside from a few games here and there where the offense explodes) to support our pitchers when they do end up doing really well. A perfect example of this is Danks's last two starts, including today. He is our best pitcher so far, in my opinion, and the way he's been pitching he shouldn't have a loss let alone two. Our team's batting average is probably still last in the AL, with Rios being the only one hitting over .300 in the lineup today. The thing i'm most sad about it Beckham's hitting performance (or lack thereof) so far. I hope he can find his groove because I know how good he can be, maybe the pressure was a bit too much for him as he instantly became a star on this team after his rookie of the year-like performance last year.
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I prefer Shark meat to Octopus
bring it on, Nabokov!!
School is finally over, so I will have much more time to blog about all of this craziness that is the Blackhawks postseason. After a very shaky game Sunday to say the least, it was good to see the Hawks finally got back into that (expletive) Luongo's head and showed those Canucks who the better team really is.
Don't get me wrong, Vancouver is a very good team and I give them credit, it's just so easy to make fun of Luongo and his crybaby ways. And let's not forget the Sedin sisters. After the teams seemed to switch off nights of bad discipline and embarrassing themselves in front of their respective home crowds, it was only fitting that for the second time this postseason the Hawks clinched the series on the road. Captain had an amazing series, and now leads in points in the playoffs (even above that other Captain that everyone seems to think is a stud in the playoffs that has to play a game 7 against the Habs...)so obviously that is a good thing for me. I love how Buff stepped up too, and Bolland with the shorty today was also awesome, as we have been owning the shorthanded goal situation all year especially in the postseason. All in all, it was a great series and it's always good to see a team I love destroy a team I hate. ^_^
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School is finally over, so I will have much more time to blog about all of this craziness that is the Blackhawks postseason. After a very shaky game Sunday to say the least, it was good to see the Hawks finally got back into that (expletive) Luongo's head and showed those Canucks who the better team really is.
Don't get me wrong, Vancouver is a very good team and I give them credit, it's just so easy to make fun of Luongo and his crybaby ways. And let's not forget the Sedin sisters. After the teams seemed to switch off nights of bad discipline and embarrassing themselves in front of their respective home crowds, it was only fitting that for the second time this postseason the Hawks clinched the series on the road. Captain had an amazing series, and now leads in points in the playoffs (even above that other Captain that everyone seems to think is a stud in the playoffs that has to play a game 7 against the Habs...)so obviously that is a good thing for me. I love how Buff stepped up too, and Bolland with the shorty today was also awesome, as we have been owning the shorthanded goal situation all year especially in the postseason. All in all, it was a great series and it's always good to see a team I love destroy a team I hate. ^_^
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Saturday, May 8, 2010
Captain hat trick!!!
WOW!!!!
Obviously I am hopelessly in love with the Captain, so this was extra special for me. Back to back hat tricks for the Hawks, and the latter being from none other than Jonathan Toews. <3 I knew we had Luongo's number, and as I have been pretty busy lately I havent even been able to write about any of the games in this series.
Game 1 was on my birthday, so my boyfriend and I went to the game. I was sure they'd win, and once again I must have gotten "too cocky" and we ended up getting owned. The defining moment in that game was the beginning of the third period, when I saw that the new goalie was none other than our old friend Cristobol Huet. I really couldn't believe my eyes. If we had to resort to Huet, did I have any reason for hope? good thing the hawks proved to me that I did.
Game 2 was another awesome night at work for me, as Versteeg did indeed make the make the madhouse go mad, as the commercial says. Game 3 I watched while working at the Sox game, which was kinda weird, but more people were inside watching the Hawks than there were in the seats, despite the 9-2 victory for the Southsiders. It is always fun sharing these moments with other fans, and I really love every minute of it.
One thing I noticed while watching game 3 was how Hossa played. I really feel like the reason we got Hossa in the first place is for the month between May 5th and June 5th. He was good during the regular season, don't get me wrong, but I think we are paying him the big bucks to be a leader in the playoffs.
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Monday, May 3, 2010
MLB's Racist Problem
Hi everyone, this is my first article here on Sports and Stuff. I'm sure you'll figure it out after a few of my articles but I prefer the sports stories that link multiple aspects of our lives. I guess I'm the "Stuff" part of our site. I know most will prefer to read the pure sports stories, so feel free to skip over mine if it isn't your cup of tea.
A couple weeks ago Orlando Hudson enlightened all of us with his opinion on why Jermaine Dye doesn't have a job. Mr. Hudson strongly hinted that the free agent market often passes up on aging black players such as Dye (36) and Gary Sheffield (41). Both are without jobs at this time. Now JD was offered a 1 year/3 million dollar deal from the Cubs but declined that offer. He also declined offers from the Brewers and Nationals. I have not seen or heard any specifics about Gary Sheffield but supposedly there were four teams interested in him this past offseason.
Now both of these players earned over 10 million dollars in 2009 and it is fairly obvious that there was interest in them for the right price. They both have been playing in a decreasing number of games the past couple years, associated with decreasing hitting number. Could it be that these players priced themselves out of contracts due to pride or past earnings? Maybe Mr. Hudson could explain to me how Ryan Howard just received one of the richest contracts in baseball history with such blatant racism existing. Or maybe an easier deal for him to explain would be that of his own teammate, Denard Span's new deal.
I'm not naive enough to believe that racism is no longer a problem in our country, because it does still exist. But when individuals claim racism without basis, it cheapens those who do endure racism and makes it harder to see the true racism that exists. I think the reason it upsets me so much is due to the fact that our world has quickly become one of blaming others for our own shortcomings. It couldn't be that both of these players are getting too old to be productive everyday players, it must be the evil owners and GM's around the league are racist. I'm sorry Orlando Hudson I have not seen any proof of racism, but two players of color that have declined opportunities for jobs.
A couple weeks ago Orlando Hudson enlightened all of us with his opinion on why Jermaine Dye doesn't have a job. Mr. Hudson strongly hinted that the free agent market often passes up on aging black players such as Dye (36) and Gary Sheffield (41). Both are without jobs at this time. Now JD was offered a 1 year/3 million dollar deal from the Cubs but declined that offer. He also declined offers from the Brewers and Nationals. I have not seen or heard any specifics about Gary Sheffield but supposedly there were four teams interested in him this past offseason.
Now both of these players earned over 10 million dollars in 2009 and it is fairly obvious that there was interest in them for the right price. They both have been playing in a decreasing number of games the past couple years, associated with decreasing hitting number. Could it be that these players priced themselves out of contracts due to pride or past earnings? Maybe Mr. Hudson could explain to me how Ryan Howard just received one of the richest contracts in baseball history with such blatant racism existing. Or maybe an easier deal for him to explain would be that of his own teammate, Denard Span's new deal.
I'm not naive enough to believe that racism is no longer a problem in our country, because it does still exist. But when individuals claim racism without basis, it cheapens those who do endure racism and makes it harder to see the true racism that exists. I think the reason it upsets me so much is due to the fact that our world has quickly become one of blaming others for our own shortcomings. It couldn't be that both of these players are getting too old to be productive everyday players, it must be the evil owners and GM's around the league are racist. I'm sorry Orlando Hudson I have not seen any proof of racism, but two players of color that have declined opportunities for jobs.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Round 1 Analysis, Plus Round 2 Preview
This is why the Stanley Cup Playoffs are better than any other postseason in sports. Every game, every series can simply explode in a flurry of greatness. In the West, all the series started wild before finishing as they were expected to, whereas in the East all the series were just flatout insane throughout. I'm surprised I still ended up getting 6 out of 8 games correctly (although I only got one series right in the number of games played). So let's look back at the first round games, going in order from least exciting to most exciting:
8. Wings over Coyotes in 7 - Strange that a series that went all seven games was the worst one, and yes a lot of it does have to do with the fact that Detroit won. But the other problem was that out of seven games, 5 of them were not even close, including the critical seventh game. Both close games happened early in the series, both won by Phoenix, which really shows just how much Detroit really outclassed them. But hey, this was the lone series I got the winner and number of games correct.
7. Canucks over Kings in 6 - This started off as one of the better series ongoing, the first two games being split in overtime. The Kings started off extremely hot before completely blowing it in Game 4, when even with LOL Luongo Vancouver still stole the game bby netting in four goals in the 3rd period. From that point on the Kings had no chance. Quick lost his edge and the Nucks rolled over him. This is the prime example of the Western Conference series starting off great and then cooling down at the end (well, except for one).
6. Bruins over Sabres in 6 - Right amount of games predicted, wrong team coming out on top. The games did play out as expected, that being it would come down solely to who the hotter goalie was, and in this case Tuukka Rask prevailed over Ryan Miller. I don't like Boston, but I gotta give them props, as it definitely was not an easy task for a team with not much offense (on paper) beating Miller.
5. Flyers over Devils in 5 - Okay, can't comment too much on this because Versus decided not to show ANY of these games on TV, but I have it this high because 1)The Flyers won, 2) The supposed worst goalie in the playoffs ended with one of the best GAAs and Save %, 3) LOL Kovalchuk, and 4)LOL Brodeur. Sports Illustrated had Miller and Brodeur as the top 2 goalies in the playoffs, and they both went down in the 1st round.
4. Pens over Sens in 6 - The only reason this is so high is the triple overtime Game 5 that resulted in a Senators victory. 3OT games are awesome. Other than that, the Crosbys pretty much rolled over them and did nothing to indicate they wouldn't be back in the SC Finals.
3. Sharks over Avs in 6 - Yeah this ended in two blowouts by the Sharks in Games 5 and 6, but the first four games were excellent, all but Game 1 ending in overtime. This also had the funniest individual game in the playoffs with Dan Boyle scoring on his own net to give Colorado the win. Shame they recovered from that.
2. Hawks over Preds in 6 - Of course I'll rate a Chicago series high, but this was actually a really good series. Almost every game was decided solely by third period efforts. Niemi got two no-no's. This series had the best individual game, that being Game 5 when the Hawks scored a short-handed goal with 20 seconds left to force OT, where they would kill a 5 minute major penalty and proceed to win the game. And of course, the Hawks won, so that gets a couple extra points. But it was outclassed by one other series...or should I say one person in particular.
1. Habs over Caps in 7 - First, it's automatically an amazing series because it went seven games and the last game was close. Second, LOL Ovechkin. Fun fact: Every playoff series that Ovechkin has been a part of has gone seven games. The guy is just not a clutch performer, and I hate to say it but Crosby is better, period. He didn't even play badly, but he has yet to step his game up to another level in the postseason. Other fun fact: this is the first time ever that the 8 seed defeated the 1 seed in the 1st round after facing a 3-1 deficit in the series. And there is only one reason Montreal pulled that off, and his name is Jaroslav Halak. In the last three games he faced about 150 shots and stopped all but three, one in each game. Plenty of those saves were "HOW DID HE MAKE THAT SAVE" ones too. Halak was so good down the stretch that the NHL already made a History Will Be Made commerical with him in it. If he keeps playing like this Pittsburgh is in deep trouble, hopefully he does. With all that said, XFD Caps!
Well as you can see, the first round was nuts, and the second round can only get better with some great matchups looming. Let's make some predictions:
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8. Wings over Coyotes in 7 - Strange that a series that went all seven games was the worst one, and yes a lot of it does have to do with the fact that Detroit won. But the other problem was that out of seven games, 5 of them were not even close, including the critical seventh game. Both close games happened early in the series, both won by Phoenix, which really shows just how much Detroit really outclassed them. But hey, this was the lone series I got the winner and number of games correct.
7. Canucks over Kings in 6 - This started off as one of the better series ongoing, the first two games being split in overtime. The Kings started off extremely hot before completely blowing it in Game 4, when even with LOL Luongo Vancouver still stole the game bby netting in four goals in the 3rd period. From that point on the Kings had no chance. Quick lost his edge and the Nucks rolled over him. This is the prime example of the Western Conference series starting off great and then cooling down at the end (well, except for one).
6. Bruins over Sabres in 6 - Right amount of games predicted, wrong team coming out on top. The games did play out as expected, that being it would come down solely to who the hotter goalie was, and in this case Tuukka Rask prevailed over Ryan Miller. I don't like Boston, but I gotta give them props, as it definitely was not an easy task for a team with not much offense (on paper) beating Miller.
5. Flyers over Devils in 5 - Okay, can't comment too much on this because Versus decided not to show ANY of these games on TV, but I have it this high because 1)The Flyers won, 2) The supposed worst goalie in the playoffs ended with one of the best GAAs and Save %, 3) LOL Kovalchuk, and 4)LOL Brodeur. Sports Illustrated had Miller and Brodeur as the top 2 goalies in the playoffs, and they both went down in the 1st round.
4. Pens over Sens in 6 - The only reason this is so high is the triple overtime Game 5 that resulted in a Senators victory. 3OT games are awesome. Other than that, the Crosbys pretty much rolled over them and did nothing to indicate they wouldn't be back in the SC Finals.
3. Sharks over Avs in 6 - Yeah this ended in two blowouts by the Sharks in Games 5 and 6, but the first four games were excellent, all but Game 1 ending in overtime. This also had the funniest individual game in the playoffs with Dan Boyle scoring on his own net to give Colorado the win. Shame they recovered from that.
2. Hawks over Preds in 6 - Of course I'll rate a Chicago series high, but this was actually a really good series. Almost every game was decided solely by third period efforts. Niemi got two no-no's. This series had the best individual game, that being Game 5 when the Hawks scored a short-handed goal with 20 seconds left to force OT, where they would kill a 5 minute major penalty and proceed to win the game. And of course, the Hawks won, so that gets a couple extra points. But it was outclassed by one other series...or should I say one person in particular.
1. Habs over Caps in 7 - First, it's automatically an amazing series because it went seven games and the last game was close. Second, LOL Ovechkin. Fun fact: Every playoff series that Ovechkin has been a part of has gone seven games. The guy is just not a clutch performer, and I hate to say it but Crosby is better, period. He didn't even play badly, but he has yet to step his game up to another level in the postseason. Other fun fact: this is the first time ever that the 8 seed defeated the 1 seed in the 1st round after facing a 3-1 deficit in the series. And there is only one reason Montreal pulled that off, and his name is Jaroslav Halak. In the last three games he faced about 150 shots and stopped all but three, one in each game. Plenty of those saves were "HOW DID HE MAKE THAT SAVE" ones too. Halak was so good down the stretch that the NHL already made a History Will Be Made commerical with him in it. If he keeps playing like this Pittsburgh is in deep trouble, hopefully he does. With all that said, XFD Caps!
Well as you can see, the first round was nuts, and the second round can only get better with some great matchups looming. Let's make some predictions:
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Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The Peavy puzzle
I'm not sure why he hasn't been good, either. I know you're wondering if you're a Sox fan, and I really don't know. But tonight, he goes against Rich harden and the Rangers to try to even the series and still have a chance to win it. Both Peavy and harden are 0-1, with Peavy's ERA a few points higher. If the Sox can do that timely hitting thing, it would be very helpful. I heard run support was a good thing.
I didn't see alot of last night's game because I was trying to flip between the Bulls and the Wings/Coyotes game as well. But what I did see from Buehrle, I liked. Matt Treanor kind of owned him, kind of the way his wife owns in the volleyball court. But other than that, Buehrle did alright i thought. the hitting was what made me mad in the 5th and 6th innings, when we had our best chances to score and failed to do so. The bats have been heating up a little bit, but it just hasn't been at quite the right time. Even our dear friend Mark Teahen got a hit as he came in to pinch hit for Nix in the 7th, but Juan Pierre grounded into a double play to kill that chance as well.
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I didn't see alot of last night's game because I was trying to flip between the Bulls and the Wings/Coyotes game as well. But what I did see from Buehrle, I liked. Matt Treanor kind of owned him, kind of the way his wife owns in the volleyball court. But other than that, Buehrle did alright i thought. the hitting was what made me mad in the 5th and 6th innings, when we had our best chances to score and failed to do so. The bats have been heating up a little bit, but it just hasn't been at quite the right time. Even our dear friend Mark Teahen got a hit as he came in to pinch hit for Nix in the 7th, but Juan Pierre grounded into a double play to kill that chance as well.
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A new rivalry?
I'm pretty stoked to say the least that we get to face the Canucks again in the second round, just like last year. They have a very good team, but I can't help but think that it will be a little easier than the series against the Preds because of the style of game that they play. Plus, I think we (especially Kaner) have Luongo's number, and if what I hear is true about Buff skating as a winger again, he will get in Luongo's head, and in his crease, all day.
As of right now nobody knows when game 1 will be, as we have to await the outcome of what could be a very epic upset in the Habs/Caps game. If Montreal wins, that means the Eastern conference had all upsets except for silly old Sidney Crosby. The only "upset" (and I use that term very loosely) in our conference was unfortunately those pesky Wings. The original Blackhawks rivals. But lately the buzz has been about the Canucks being our new rivals. It kind of got me thinking.
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As of right now nobody knows when game 1 will be, as we have to await the outcome of what could be a very epic upset in the Habs/Caps game. If Montreal wins, that means the Eastern conference had all upsets except for silly old Sidney Crosby. The only "upset" (and I use that term very loosely) in our conference was unfortunately those pesky Wings. The original Blackhawks rivals. But lately the buzz has been about the Canucks being our new rivals. It kind of got me thinking.
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The Bulls: a recap.
(alternate title: Vinny Del Negro, we hardly knew ye.)
Well, the inevitable defeat of the Bulls has occurred. They are now cleaning out their lockers and meeting with GarPax to give their thoughts on the season, and probably saying their last goodbye to Vinny.
This season was obviously disappointing despite making the playoffs. In fact the only reason we made the playoffs was because the rest of the Eastern conference is pretty much awful. I am however proud of them for hanging in there at the end when we needed to win the most. I know the core 5 players (Rose, Noah, Gibson, Deng, and Hinrich) can be really good, but I also embrace the idea of a free agent coming in during the offseason. We just have to be very careful on how we approach the issue.
Vinny will almost positively be fired. I don't want to hate on him alot, but it's just so easy. Rose and Noah only know him as far as coaching goes, and it could be kind of a sentimental thing (like poor teary eyed Kaner after Savvy got fired as the Blackhawks coach), but at the same time I really don't see the players respecting him the way they say they do. Rose and Noah need someone to help them develop into the players they can be, the problem is, nobody knows who the Bulls would have in mind. The announcement of Vinny's firing could come this weekend, but the announcement of who is taking his place might be a while.
see more...
Well, the inevitable defeat of the Bulls has occurred. They are now cleaning out their lockers and meeting with GarPax to give their thoughts on the season, and probably saying their last goodbye to Vinny.
This season was obviously disappointing despite making the playoffs. In fact the only reason we made the playoffs was because the rest of the Eastern conference is pretty much awful. I am however proud of them for hanging in there at the end when we needed to win the most. I know the core 5 players (Rose, Noah, Gibson, Deng, and Hinrich) can be really good, but I also embrace the idea of a free agent coming in during the offseason. We just have to be very careful on how we approach the issue.
Vinny will almost positively be fired. I don't want to hate on him alot, but it's just so easy. Rose and Noah only know him as far as coaching goes, and it could be kind of a sentimental thing (like poor teary eyed Kaner after Savvy got fired as the Blackhawks coach), but at the same time I really don't see the players respecting him the way they say they do. Rose and Noah need someone to help them develop into the players they can be, the problem is, nobody knows who the Bulls would have in mind. The announcement of Vinny's firing could come this weekend, but the announcement of who is taking his place might be a while.
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Monday, April 26, 2010
The craziest day: part III.
The third and final installment of this mini series of random ranting blogs is dedicated to my dear friends, the Chicago White Sox. After winning their first game against Seattle the night before, Saturday's game looked pretty good for us as well, as Freddy looked like he was pitching a great game. As I mentioned before, I was at work at the amazing Blackhawks game, so i only got to see bits and pieces of Saturday's Sox game, since it was a 3:10 Fox start time.
I saw that we were winning most of the way, and i was very excited, especially while at the same time being very antsy about the Hawks. But as the Hawks game ended in very awesome and very dramatic fashion, the Sox were in a position to also need such a dramatic victory.
Enter Paul Konerko.
Some of the regulars over at the Hawks stadium club also go over to my other place of work, the Sox stadium club. So in the midst of an amazing Hawks celebration, I watched the 9th inning attentively with them, hoping that some of the Hawks' energy could channel itself to the South side. Then, with 1 out, Paulie delivered. His 7th home run of the season tied up the game, and it was off of David Aardsma of all things. All the fans cheered with me even more as my euphoria level rose even higher.
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I saw that we were winning most of the way, and i was very excited, especially while at the same time being very antsy about the Hawks. But as the Hawks game ended in very awesome and very dramatic fashion, the Sox were in a position to also need such a dramatic victory.
Enter Paul Konerko.
Some of the regulars over at the Hawks stadium club also go over to my other place of work, the Sox stadium club. So in the midst of an amazing Hawks celebration, I watched the 9th inning attentively with them, hoping that some of the Hawks' energy could channel itself to the South side. Then, with 1 out, Paulie delivered. His 7th home run of the season tied up the game, and it was off of David Aardsma of all things. All the fans cheered with me even more as my euphoria level rose even higher.
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The craziest day: part II.
So on Saturday after my freak out about Dan Lefevour, there was another very important thing to be done. As I continued seating for dinner before game 5 of the Blackhawks Preditors series, I had many thoughts running through my head. I felt a little more confident than usual that we would win this game, but as I said in earlier posts, I didn't want to get "too cocky, Starfox..." so i kept my cool. I went out to watch the anthem and it was insane as usual, and I stayed out there to watch the puck drop. The time in between the anthem and the puck drop, i just got this rush of emotion, like I knew that once this puck dropped i would be witnessing yet another amazing Blackhawks game, and it made me very happy.
When the Preds scored first, that feeling went quickly from anticipation to kind of an "oh crap" kind of feeling. with Andrew Ladd's goal helping the situation, and Hjallmerson taking the lead for us before 1st intermission, I felt better, but was still being cautious. And as we still led 3-2 after the second, I started getting much more comfortable. And I think they did too...
10:00 into the third period is the cutoff point where we can't let anyone take alcohol out of the bar, so that's pretty much when my duties are done up front besides trying to stop people from doing so. So I go to the back of the dining room to put the glasses on the table (the dishwashers are really slow so we don't get them until around that point in the night), so I don't have the TV access that I have up front, but I still get the radio. At the point I went back, the Preds had tied it at 3, and I didn't realize till a little bit later that they went ahead 4-3. I was getting really antsy at this point, and rushed to put the glasses on the table, I had no concept of how much time was left, but my heart just kept beating progressively faster knowing that Hossa had gotten a 5 minute penalty (I didn't see the hit till later)...and then all of a sudden, i heard a giant roar in the crowd and ran up front as fast as I can...and I got there just in time to see Kaner do the unthinkable.
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When the Preds scored first, that feeling went quickly from anticipation to kind of an "oh crap" kind of feeling. with Andrew Ladd's goal helping the situation, and Hjallmerson taking the lead for us before 1st intermission, I felt better, but was still being cautious. And as we still led 3-2 after the second, I started getting much more comfortable. And I think they did too...
10:00 into the third period is the cutoff point where we can't let anyone take alcohol out of the bar, so that's pretty much when my duties are done up front besides trying to stop people from doing so. So I go to the back of the dining room to put the glasses on the table (the dishwashers are really slow so we don't get them until around that point in the night), so I don't have the TV access that I have up front, but I still get the radio. At the point I went back, the Preds had tied it at 3, and I didn't realize till a little bit later that they went ahead 4-3. I was getting really antsy at this point, and rushed to put the glasses on the table, I had no concept of how much time was left, but my heart just kept beating progressively faster knowing that Hossa had gotten a 5 minute penalty (I didn't see the hit till later)...and then all of a sudden, i heard a giant roar in the crowd and ran up front as fast as I can...and I got there just in time to see Kaner do the unthinkable.
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Sunday, April 25, 2010
The craziest day: part I.
Saturday, April 24th 2010 was probably the best day I've had in a long time, and I decided to share it in this blog as somewhat of a narrative, but I have to split it up into 3 parts. So here is part 1, I hope you enjoy. Why is this in the NFL part, you ask? because this was the first awesome thing that happened to me that day...
Before I can even tell you why this is so important, I first must introduce you to a dear friend of mine, the Mid-American conference, or MAC for short (Now anyone that followed the Bears draft probably knows where this is going...). The MAC has 13 teams, split into two divisions. My Alma mater, Northern Illinois University, is part of this conference, so i have familiarized myself with it very much (especially since my Freshman year was 2003). ESPN started playing random MAC games on Thursday nights , and my boyfriend and I have affectionately referred to these random games as "MAC day". Since 2003 was the best year of Huskie football EVER, in the recent years when it hasn't been as good (except the running backs that followed "the Burner" have still been pretty good) I have been more focused on the best QB in the state of Michigan, Mr. Dan Lefevour. I have been keeping an eye on him and was happy to know that he was a very high rated QB in the draft, and I was really just hoping he would get drafted before Tebow, but that didn't happen...
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Before I can even tell you why this is so important, I first must introduce you to a dear friend of mine, the Mid-American conference, or MAC for short (Now anyone that followed the Bears draft probably knows where this is going...). The MAC has 13 teams, split into two divisions. My Alma mater, Northern Illinois University, is part of this conference, so i have familiarized myself with it very much (especially since my Freshman year was 2003). ESPN started playing random MAC games on Thursday nights , and my boyfriend and I have affectionately referred to these random games as "MAC day". Since 2003 was the best year of Huskie football EVER, in the recent years when it hasn't been as good (except the running backs that followed "the Burner" have still been pretty good) I have been more focused on the best QB in the state of Michigan, Mr. Dan Lefevour. I have been keeping an eye on him and was happy to know that he was a very high rated QB in the draft, and I was really just hoping he would get drafted before Tebow, but that didn't happen...
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Monday, April 19, 2010
XFD SHARKS
Yes, this is a Chicago sports blog, but I just have to mention what could very well be the funniest thing to happen in the history of all sports. Game 3 of the San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche ends in regulation with a score of 0-0, with the Sharks outshooting the Avs 56-17 (yes I did say 56 shots, and Craig Anderson saved them all). Then, less than a minute into overtime, Dan Boyle tries to pass the puck...and puts it in his own net, giving the Avs a 2-1 series lead. That proves once and for all that the Sharks are the biggest failure of a sports team and if they lose this series they deserved XFDs and LOLs and LMAOs for years to come. I hope it happens, because then...
History will be made.
History will be made.
"Cleveland sucks?"
I just heard all the stuff Noah said about Cleveland and I had to laugh, especially because I was reminded of this.
game 1 thoughts
As much as I didn't want the Bulls to lose, I kind of had a feeling that they would. I anticipated them losing by alot more than they did, so that was at least exciting. Derrick Rose was awesome as usual, and the matchup of Noah and Shaq, although it makes sense, Shaq is just way too huge. Noah doesn't care about the size factor, he's just hungry for a win. And when they didn't get that win, he was upset with his own performance. I love that intensity and energy that he brings to the team, and I still attribute the Bulls 10 game losing streak in March to the fact that Noah wasn't playing. They just didn't seem the same with out him. I'm glad the Bulls at least put up a fight, which is really all I can ask of them at this point.
Cavs fans are all about this storybook playoffs for the King. Being a free agent at the end of it, they know that if he wins a championship with the Cavs, there's a much better chance that he would stay. This is a crucial time to the fans for that reason, and I knew they'd be very energetic the whole game too (I mean it was either that or go to the Indians/Sox game...luckily they could do both for just $5, and they were all drunk enough to do it).
Chief Wahoo's broom
I'm not even really sure where to begin on this one. This series against Cleveland was most definitely one they should have won. Nobody in Cleveland even cares about baseball right now (see my Bulls blog later for why...). Saturday's game was empty at the beginning, but because of a special promotion from the across the street neighbor, "The Q", anyone at the Bulls/Cavs game could being their ticket stub and pay $5 get into the remainder of the game over at the Jake (or Progressive field or the not as-much-of-a-mistake by the lake or whatever they call it now...). So their attendance pretty much tripled with drunk Cavs fans that were like "oh man yeah we should go to the Indians game, bro!! I heard Lebron is gonna play second base!!"
Anyway, there were just alot of things wrong with the Sox this weekend. The offense is still the main issue. I feel like i'm repeating myself alot but I just don't know why the offense is always so bad at the beginning of the year. Andruw Jones, who was showing signs of life in his bat, kind of quieted down, but I still think he should be in every day. The Indians really don't have any outstanding pitching (well, not anymore) so we shouldn't be limited with the offense. Hopefully this homestand coming up will get them back on track, and maybe the first off day of the year today will help them out too.
The power of the mullet!!
It's been quite the busy weekend, so I haven't gotten a chance to talk about these first two playoff games yet. After all of my hype for Friday's game, the result was pretty much a buzz kill, But I knew my Hawks could come through in game 2. But so far, the biggest story has been Kaner, who is playing like a stud, and looks like one too.
The theme for Friday for me was anticipation. Driving to the UC I just had so much excitement, and all the fans did too. I felt like we were all confident for a victory, but as Wolf once told me, "don't get too cocky, Starfox..." and I should have remembered these wise words from one of the best N64 games because the Preds seemed like they wanted to be known as a force to be reckoned with instead of "that team that's gonna get pwned by the Blackhawks". I thought Niemi played well on Friday, and Captain had a couple of chances to score, but "Heeeey Pekka Rinne" was also very good in that game. Not good enough to stop the mullet though! As Kaner was the only one to score. The Hawks overall just looked flat, and couldn't keep up with the Preds' defensive strategies. I knew that by the time game 2 started they would figure out a way to get past them, and they certainly did.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
playoffs???
well well well. look what we have here. The Bulls in the playoffs. After a year that I was very unsure thy would make it (I mean, they lost 2 games to the NETS) they actually pulled it off. Now, my friends all make fun of me very much for liking the Bulls, but hear me out for a few moments.
First of all, the Eastern conference is BAD. I mean, it's pretty much absolutely awful. So take that into consideration before we think the Bulls are awesome for making the playoffs. However, despite this badness, i really feel like the Bulls should have won many more games, if they had, you know, a good coach.
Vinny is...well...I dunno. Out of the sports, i know the least about basketball, but I feel like I still know more than Vinny Del Negro. I really like this Bulls team and I know they can be awesome. I just know that the coaching is an issue. I'm not going to lie to you and say that I think the Bulls can beat the Cavs, i'm just not going to do that. But I do think that we will at least put up a fight. Joakim Noah is one of my favorite people ever, and I know he can keep up that intensity.
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First of all, the Eastern conference is BAD. I mean, it's pretty much absolutely awful. So take that into consideration before we think the Bulls are awesome for making the playoffs. However, despite this badness, i really feel like the Bulls should have won many more games, if they had, you know, a good coach.
Vinny is...well...I dunno. Out of the sports, i know the least about basketball, but I feel like I still know more than Vinny Del Negro. I really like this Bulls team and I know they can be awesome. I just know that the coaching is an issue. I'm not going to lie to you and say that I think the Bulls can beat the Cavs, i'm just not going to do that. But I do think that we will at least put up a fight. Joakim Noah is one of my favorite people ever, and I know he can keep up that intensity.
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continuing the countdown...
Every morning I have been waking up with my first thought being "is it Friday yet???" As my 2 blogger counterparts have already stated, this is the craziest time of the year, and I have been going pretty crazy about it. I hate that I have to still wait 2 more days to see my beloved Blackhawks start some playoff hockey, but at least there will be some good games on tonight. I'm pullin for the Flyers, and i'm obviously gonna root for the Coyotes. It's not that Detroit scares me, it's just that i really don't like them. But i'll save the trash talking of the Wings for when it's neccessary.
So tonight's matchups: Flyers at Devils, Sens at Pens (that just sounds cool, doesn't it?), Avs at Sharks, and Wings at Coyotes. I'll be watching as much as i can, while also making sure the Sox are actually hitting the ball...AND monitoring what is going on in Charlotte for the Bulls' playoff sake. What an awesome sports night it will be. ^_^
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So tonight's matchups: Flyers at Devils, Sens at Pens (that just sounds cool, doesn't it?), Avs at Sharks, and Wings at Coyotes. I'll be watching as much as i can, while also making sure the Sox are actually hitting the ball...AND monitoring what is going on in Charlotte for the Bulls' playoff sake. What an awesome sports night it will be. ^_^
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the curse of the pitcher we haven't seen before
It happens almost every single time. Some no-name pitcher from a mediocre team (although in the Jays' defense they have gotten off to a very good start) comes in and we make him look like he's, oh I dunno, Roy Halladay or something. Last night was no different, as the Sox had no hits at all until Rios hit that home run in the 8th inning. When AJ was up to bat before that, he of course was involved in a weird call, as the ball clearly hit the ground and not his foot but the umpire still awarded him first base. Maybe that messed with Romero's head a little bit. Maybe. But either way this whole thing is freaking me out now. What is it about pitchers that we haven't seen before? luckily as for tonight, Morrow has pitched against us before (maybe not against everyone on the team, but most of them i'm sure). So maybe we can get the bats going tonight and still have a chance to win 3 out of 4.
The night before was yet another extra inning affair, in which Mark Teahen was a stud. It was good to see him "coming through in the clutch" (as they say...) and getting that RBI triple. You can imagine my happiness when i found out later that he is Canadian...I feel like we will see him doing the shoot the puck during the playoffs for the Hawks. ^_~ That night was the second time that Peavy didn't have the velocity that he is capable of. Hopefully he gets that back for his next start against Cleveland on Saturday.
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The night before was yet another extra inning affair, in which Mark Teahen was a stud. It was good to see him "coming through in the clutch" (as they say...) and getting that RBI triple. You can imagine my happiness when i found out later that he is Canadian...I feel like we will see him doing the shoot the puck during the playoffs for the Hawks. ^_~ That night was the second time that Peavy didn't have the velocity that he is capable of. Hopefully he gets that back for his next start against Cleveland on Saturday.
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Tuesday, April 13, 2010
A Few More Months
We are now on the edge of our couches and chairs waiting for the playoffs to begin. We have known who is playing who since Sunday evening. The up-to date match-ups including who's currently in the lead can be seen here. Most of the matchups are not exciting story lines to some, but guess what people, it's HISTORY TIME! This is the time of the year where hockey fans across the world put down their razors for 2 months, pick up a beer, sit on their couches, or recliners and watch any playoff hockey game that is currently showing. It doesn't matter to which team you would get into a brawl over, all that matters is that there are two teams right now that are laying it all out on the ice so that in what seems like a very short time, they will be able to take their victory lap around the rink with the Cup held high over their head. Then maybe afterwards when all the fans are out in the street rioting, the players will be able to just chill on the ice with their brothers and enjoy a cigar and a drink. I know I would.
So far, in the few days since the end of the regular season I have heard all kinds of playoff predictions. See More...
A Look at the NHL Playoffs
Ah yes, my favorite time of the year, the road to the Stanley Cup, where every game is a nailbiter, every team ups their play to a whole new level, and in general there is just more intensity. For us Chicago fans, it will be filled with even more anxiety than usual, since we absolutely expect the Blackhawks to win the Cup this year. We have the offense and we have the depth this year to win it all, depth that we will not have next year due to the need to clear cap space. The time is now, and the Hawks know it.
But what about the goaltending? Niemi has not started a single playoff game! There's no way he can hang with the veterans of the NHL! Well...not exactly. First off, in spite of the Hawks giving up the fewest shots on goal against them throughout the season, Niemi still has a great GAA and has proven in the past that he can hang in there. Secondly, let's take a look at the starting goaltenders this postseason:
Read more...
But what about the goaltending? Niemi has not started a single playoff game! There's no way he can hang with the veterans of the NHL! Well...not exactly. First off, in spite of the Hawks giving up the fewest shots on goal against them throughout the season, Niemi still has a great GAA and has proven in the past that he can hang in there. Secondly, let's take a look at the starting goaltenders this postseason:
Read more...
Monday, April 12, 2010
avoiding the sweep
That series against the Twins did not go quite as i thought it would, but there were some positives as well as the negatives (the negatives really just being the hitting). Danks, Freddy, and Buehrle all threw the ball well for the most part, which was the biggest thing i saw to stay hopeful. Once the bats get going I think we'll stop dropping 2 of 3 and maybe start winning 2 of 3 for once.
The most impressive and surprising moment was on Saturday when Linebrink came in with the sacks packed with Twins and nobody out. When i saw him coming out of that bullpen all i could think was "oh no..." but then by some miracle he got all 3 outs without giving up any runs!!! It was very awesome and i take back the bad things I said about him for now. It was sad that Freddy made one lousy pitch to give up that home run to Kubel, but otherwise he did an awesome job.
see more...
The most impressive and surprising moment was on Saturday when Linebrink came in with the sacks packed with Twins and nobody out. When i saw him coming out of that bullpen all i could think was "oh no..." but then by some miracle he got all 3 outs without giving up any runs!!! It was very awesome and i take back the bad things I said about him for now. It was sad that Freddy made one lousy pitch to give up that home run to Kubel, but otherwise he did an awesome job.
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The longest week
I'm not sure why the schedule doesn't have us starting Wednesday. I know why we can't start Thursday (The Harlem Globetrotters are invading the UC). So now I have to wait all the way till Friday. I'm really really excited for these playoffs to start, I dunno how i'm gonna make it through the week.
Today's game was a really good hockey game with a bad outcome. The crowd was insane, and it can only get more insane for Friday. That anthem is going to be EPIC. Also, the tribute to Eddie Olczyk was really really cool. what an awesome guy ^_^
Dispite losing to one of my two least favorite teams ever around sports (the other being the Twins, see my MLB post later), i do like matching up with Nashville. I think the fact that it's so close will be really helpful, and I know that we have matched up well against them in the past. Also, even though i'll be tweaking out all week waiting for the playoffs to begin, i like the extra rest it will give us, which might help in the long run. see more...
Today's game was a really good hockey game with a bad outcome. The crowd was insane, and it can only get more insane for Friday. That anthem is going to be EPIC. Also, the tribute to Eddie Olczyk was really really cool. what an awesome guy ^_^
Dispite losing to one of my two least favorite teams ever around sports (the other being the Twins, see my MLB post later), i do like matching up with Nashville. I think the fact that it's so close will be really helpful, and I know that we have matched up well against them in the past. Also, even though i'll be tweaking out all week waiting for the playoffs to begin, i like the extra rest it will give us, which might help in the long run. see more...
Friday, April 9, 2010
it's almost time...
All signs point to the fact that the playoffs for our beloved Blackhawks will start Wednesday at the UC. I'm glad this week has gone by so fast so far, with the plethora of sports in this town that have been going on. Wednesday is so close and yet so far, and i'm trying very hard not to get ahead of myself. Tonight's game against the Avalanche can be a possible playoff matchup, and i think we can pull off a series win against them if we do in fact have to play them. If we can score early and take control and show them who's boss, It could set the tone for later on. The same could go for Sunday against the Wings depending on how all of these matchups pan out in the next couple nights.
It was nice seeing the offense explode in Wednesday night's game against the Blues, but it seemed like they got a bit too relaxed after that. It's hard to keep up intensity like that when you have such a comfortable lead, but at a time like this, with playoffs just around the corner, the intensity should be a constant. I could tell the Captain was not happy with the team giving up 5 goals like that, so i'm sure he said something after the fact. I was glad to get the win though, those Blues play like a bunch of goons.
see more...
It was nice seeing the offense explode in Wednesday night's game against the Blues, but it seemed like they got a bit too relaxed after that. It's hard to keep up intensity like that when you have such a comfortable lead, but at a time like this, with playoffs just around the corner, the intensity should be a constant. I could tell the Captain was not happy with the team giving up 5 goals like that, so i'm sure he said something after the fact. I was glad to get the win though, those Blues play like a bunch of goons.
see more...
one series down...
The opening series has come and gone, and the Sox have dropped 2 out of 3 to the Indians. Last night's game was close for a while, but once again the bullpen and offense were to blame for this extra inning loss to an Indians team that, well, just isn't very good.
Gavin Floyd looked like he was doing very well from what i was able to watch, but this offense is just never able to pick up the pitcher in these early games, and it's been that way for the past few years at least. The cold weather can be to blame, or the fact that the new members of the team haven't gotten used to hitting in this ballpark yet, but whatever it is they usually figure it out after a frustrating couple of weeks. This Sox pitching staff is too good to let this happen this time around, though. Tonight when Danks faces Liriano, I anticipate a very low scoring game. Even the coveted "man who invented hitting" Joe Mauer hasn't fared well against Danks, most famously so in the 1 game playoff back in 2008.
At Soxfest this year, i had decided to jump on the Mark Teahen bandwagon (which is about as empty as I thought it would be). I can't tell if I think he's bad at defense or if I just miss a certain other third baseman's defense from long ago. I feel like Teahen should be diving for the ball the way Crede used to, which i'm sure attributed to his back issues and the fact that after three games have been played this season, he is still not on a team. But i'm just so used to a third baseman doing that, I guess i've just been spoiled over the years.
see more...
Gavin Floyd looked like he was doing very well from what i was able to watch, but this offense is just never able to pick up the pitcher in these early games, and it's been that way for the past few years at least. The cold weather can be to blame, or the fact that the new members of the team haven't gotten used to hitting in this ballpark yet, but whatever it is they usually figure it out after a frustrating couple of weeks. This Sox pitching staff is too good to let this happen this time around, though. Tonight when Danks faces Liriano, I anticipate a very low scoring game. Even the coveted "man who invented hitting" Joe Mauer hasn't fared well against Danks, most famously so in the 1 game playoff back in 2008.
At Soxfest this year, i had decided to jump on the Mark Teahen bandwagon (which is about as empty as I thought it would be). I can't tell if I think he's bad at defense or if I just miss a certain other third baseman's defense from long ago. I feel like Teahen should be diving for the ball the way Crede used to, which i'm sure attributed to his back issues and the fact that after three games have been played this season, he is still not on a team. But i'm just so used to a third baseman doing that, I guess i've just been spoiled over the years.
see more...
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Buehrle is a stud...but should I worry?
I feel terrible about not having any time to blog about opening day, but for those of you who don't know me, I work at the United Center and US Cellular field (which I still like to call Comiskey Park), so I have been working every day since Saturday. But I would like to share some sentiments about the home opener for my beloved White Sox.
I was very very impressed by Mark Buehrle. I still can't get over that play he made in the 5th inning. It is easily the play of the year, even though it was on opening day. Also, I was very glad to see him throw 7 scoreless innings. I really really really believe that the Sox have the best pitching in the division and Buehrle is the key to that starting pitching staff.
Tonight on the other hand...i'm not too upset with Peavy's performance as I am with the Sox offense. Paulie has shown some unusual April offense, hitting 2 home runs in the last 2 games, but tonight's game showed that the cold weather calls for some cold bats in the Sox lineup. I really can't blame Peavy or the rest of the pitching for this one. hopefully tomorrow will be better and the Sox can win their first series of the year against a lowly Indians team...More to come tomorrow (if I have time, that is.)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Death of the Mid-Major
Leave it up to Duke to effectively destroy March Madness by killing the cinderella story, stomping all over the little guy, and giving the NCAA committee exactly what they want. With the tournament expanding to 96 teams imminent there will not be much hope left for teams from non-power conferences to make a great run for the title. It's sad that it's all about the money rather than the love of the game. Oh no, North Carolina didn't make it in, let's expand it so they can rake us in more cash! The expansion would not be so bad if 1) the selection committee actually knew how to seed properly, 2) the refs knew how to officiate properly, and 3) if the bias towards power conference teams wasn't so obvious. Only against against a Horizon league team could Duke blatantly elbow someone in the face twice and not get a call against them. But back to the expansion, who do you think this will help: Coastal Carolina, a 28-7 team that won the Big South but did not make the tournament because they did not win their conference tourney, or a terrible 18-16 Connecticut team? What, you never heard of Coastal Carolina? I guess the NCAA has to put UConn in the tournament even though they would get smoked. Butler winning would have given mid-majors hope, and it would also help recruits who might not start for Kentucky play for Siena instead, believing that if they can put a good TEAM together, then just maybe a championship run isn't so far-fetched. However, Duke basically spit on all of our hopes and dreams. Now, maybe they'll prove me wrong and help out the good mid-majors by expanding instead of putting in average power teams just because of their name.
And maybe they'll change the BCS into a playoff system...
And maybe they'll change the BCS into a playoff system...
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