I was watching the NBA Playoffs on The Score when I found out the news that everybody has been expecting but was not really sure about: Ricky Williams has offically signed with the Argos.
On a day where Carolina won a OT thriller, where Barry Bonds hit his 715th home run and the Mavericks defence shut down the best offence in the NBA, it was signing of a running back that I'll remember the most.
Last season the Argos posted a great - 11 wins, 7 losses - record but lost to their rivals from Quebec, the Montreal Alouettes, in an epic 2nd half collapse that I witnessed first hand. It was almost sickening, really - although it's hard to feel that way when you have free tickets way up in the 500 section, with people drinking copious amounts of liquor, waving around camcorders and lit cigarettes and acting crazy, yelling at a lone Quebecber, who is all too keen to yell right back, like some 21st century Rocket Richard... Right, where was I?
Oh yes, the Ricky Williams signing.
This will be good for the Argos - they don't really need a running back as much as they do a Quarterback or a wide reciever that can catch a ball in the 4th quarter... but Ricky isn't just a running back. He's a player that instantly makes his entire defence better - from drawing extra coverage away from other players, from an explosive abilty to run with the ball and a decent - not that it'll be used much in the CFL - ability to recieve passes. He could be - okay, is - the cog that could win the Argos a Grey Cup (but the same could be said for any team, really. He could help the Hamburg Blitz win a NFL Europe championship, whatever that's called, had he signed over there).
And he's a draw. A name player. Someone who even my grandmother makes jokes about - and will pay to see. And I suspect she's not alone, either. The Argos haven't had a name like this since the days of Pinball and Flutie and the Rocket in the 90s.
******
He came; he saw; he, er, got seven yards of rushing.
So who cares? It's the Preseason, baby... if the Argo sdecided to run him like they will later in September, they risk getting him hurt - a major no-no for them and their relationship with the Miami Dolphins.
So stop caring that Ricky was barely there - let's focus on the real issue at hand; Joe "Glass Leg" Theismann's sudden love of the Argos, the team he ran away from once the Redskins made him an offer and never once looked back.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
A Game Of Inches
Golf is usually referred to as "A game of inches" - which is true, but that term could very well be applied to any sport; Football has the 4th and Inches, the strikezone in baseball is supposed to be about 18 inches wide and last night in Anaheim, it was proven that hockey is too...
Both the Mighty Ducks and the Oilers came within inches of goals - hitting posts, pads and the glass behind the net. Edmonton hit three posts by the mid-point of the third period and the Ducks winged one off the post with just under 30 seconds left to play. If either one of those had gone just one - maybe two - inches towards the net, the game would have been completely different. If the Ducks had forced overtime, perhaps they could have won the Cup... if the Oilers had gone ahead by two goals in the third period, the Ducks would have fallen flat.
But it didn't happen... Selanne, Peca, Lupil and Smyth all missed shots that would have changed the flow of the game... And we ended up with what we got: a game with excellent penalty killing (the Ducks went 1/11 on the power play) a nerveracking final five minutes and some questionable calls (no call on the hit on Giguere at the end of the first? Or when he was shoved into his net?) that really didn't ruin the game - but won't be forgotten by Ducks fans anytime soon.
The Ducks lost because of themselves. They lost three games at home this series; they couldn't produce on the powerplay and they had nobody to blame but themselves. In game four (their only win of the series) they proved that Roli can be scored on in numbers greater then four - and that the Oilers can be beaten. But they were unable to post that same momentum at all in game five, not even with six skaters in Edmonton's zone on a 6 on 3 at the end of a close game on home ice when they had the momentum in the game. They proved that hockey is a game of offence - even if you have two great goalies you can platoon, you still need to score goals, especially on the powerplay. And in the end they came close - within inches - but never close enough.
Both the Mighty Ducks and the Oilers came within inches of goals - hitting posts, pads and the glass behind the net. Edmonton hit three posts by the mid-point of the third period and the Ducks winged one off the post with just under 30 seconds left to play. If either one of those had gone just one - maybe two - inches towards the net, the game would have been completely different. If the Ducks had forced overtime, perhaps they could have won the Cup... if the Oilers had gone ahead by two goals in the third period, the Ducks would have fallen flat.
But it didn't happen... Selanne, Peca, Lupil and Smyth all missed shots that would have changed the flow of the game... And we ended up with what we got: a game with excellent penalty killing (the Ducks went 1/11 on the power play) a nerveracking final five minutes and some questionable calls (no call on the hit on Giguere at the end of the first? Or when he was shoved into his net?) that really didn't ruin the game - but won't be forgotten by Ducks fans anytime soon.
The Ducks lost because of themselves. They lost three games at home this series; they couldn't produce on the powerplay and they had nobody to blame but themselves. In game four (their only win of the series) they proved that Roli can be scored on in numbers greater then four - and that the Oilers can be beaten. But they were unable to post that same momentum at all in game five, not even with six skaters in Edmonton's zone on a 6 on 3 at the end of a close game on home ice when they had the momentum in the game. They proved that hockey is a game of offence - even if you have two great goalies you can platoon, you still need to score goals, especially on the powerplay. And in the end they came close - within inches - but never close enough.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Why should I bother?
I was arguing with a friend of mine about the Ducks/Oilers series (he claims that the referees are biased towards the Oilers, I say that maybe the Ducks should stop emulating the Flyers of 1975) when he dropped a bombshell: "But you haven't even been watching the series, have you?"
It came out of the blue, hit me between the eyes and was - worst of all - completely, 100% true. I haven't been that keen on the playoffs this season, even though I had been looking forward to it.
So this morning I asked myself why I haven't been interested - and I was able to come up with four big reasons that a NHL fan like myself just hasn't been watching the playoffs this year...
1) The presentation
First off, OLN is not doing an especially good job - I keep hearing my friend (the same one from above) complaining about how they mis-pronounce players names left, right and center -,they're simply not big enough to get anybody interested and from my (somewhat limited) exposure, I still think that maybe OLN is learning as they go along (they already dropped their old bug for the bar, for example).
And it's not just them, either: NBC, CBC and TSN's broadcasts are not much better. Bob Cole and Harry Neale are fast approaching time to consider joining Mickey Redmond and Dick Irvin in semi-retirement, whereas Pierre McGuire needs to restrain himself at times - he commonly keeps talking through breaks in play and often doesn't stop when play resumes. Yes, he knows what he's talking about, but one of these days, he's going to talk over a significant play. John Davision, Don Wittman and Chris Cuthbert are maybe the only people who are doing a good job in hockey broadcasting these days.
2) Wait, who's playing?
For Edmonton, this is the first time since 1990 that they've been in position to make it to the Cup Finals; for Anaheim it's 2003; for Carolina it's 2002; for Buffalo it's 1999. Three of these teams have never won a Cup and the one that has (Edmonton) hasn't done so in 16 years.
And they all play in small-market areas - and only Edmonton could be argued to have any kind of fanbase outside of their market.
It really seems like the Rams/Titans Superbowl a few years back: Yes, it may be a good - but who cares? When you don't have teams that people all across the continent have opinions about (Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, etc) nobody's going to care. That's why TV ratings are dropping (for the first time ever, the viewership has dropped to less then 1 million in Canada) and that's why interest is waning.
3) The Competition
Right now, speaking in terms of classic games, there has been little of note in the NHL playoffs - at most, there are maybe four or five games that will ever re-air on ESPN Classic.
But in the NBA Playoffs, we are just getting off of what has been called the "Best first two rounds of playoff basketball ever" by ESPN's Skip Bayless; for even the person who had almost no interest in basketball (such as myself), it's been completely fantastic, and I have found myself completely hooked on the NBA. In terms of quality, it's not even close: the NBA playoffs have shown to be just as, and in most cases more, exciting and fun to watch then the NHL playoffs.
4) Post-Lockout Blues
Last spring, we all found out that there is indeed life without the NHL playoffs... Yes, maybe TSN and ESPN Classic rebroadcasting old games helped, but it just seems to me that the playoffs just don't have the same "pull" that they used to - and I may just have reached the point last spring where I realized that the NHL doesn't care about me, the typical fan (after all, Toronto was the first team to remove the "Thank you fans" slogan from it's ice surface), so why should I care about it? Thanks to the Jays starting to compete with The Big Two, the NBA having a fantastic postseason, the CFL just getting ready to start (and with the Argos pursuing Ricky Williams) and the World Cup starting soon I have to make room for the NHL now - and if I can't, I'm not sure that I'll miss it.
5) Phoenix Suns / Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons / Miami Heat
It's been one of, if not the, best NBA playoffs ever - and we haven't even gotten to The Finals yet, or even finished the conference championships. Why should I stop watching now?
It came out of the blue, hit me between the eyes and was - worst of all - completely, 100% true. I haven't been that keen on the playoffs this season, even though I had been looking forward to it.
So this morning I asked myself why I haven't been interested - and I was able to come up with four big reasons that a NHL fan like myself just hasn't been watching the playoffs this year...
1) The presentation
First off, OLN is not doing an especially good job - I keep hearing my friend (the same one from above) complaining about how they mis-pronounce players names left, right and center -,they're simply not big enough to get anybody interested and from my (somewhat limited) exposure, I still think that maybe OLN is learning as they go along (they already dropped their old bug for the bar, for example).
And it's not just them, either: NBC, CBC and TSN's broadcasts are not much better. Bob Cole and Harry Neale are fast approaching time to consider joining Mickey Redmond and Dick Irvin in semi-retirement, whereas Pierre McGuire needs to restrain himself at times - he commonly keeps talking through breaks in play and often doesn't stop when play resumes. Yes, he knows what he's talking about, but one of these days, he's going to talk over a significant play. John Davision, Don Wittman and Chris Cuthbert are maybe the only people who are doing a good job in hockey broadcasting these days.
2) Wait, who's playing?
For Edmonton, this is the first time since 1990 that they've been in position to make it to the Cup Finals; for Anaheim it's 2003; for Carolina it's 2002; for Buffalo it's 1999. Three of these teams have never won a Cup and the one that has (Edmonton) hasn't done so in 16 years.
And they all play in small-market areas - and only Edmonton could be argued to have any kind of fanbase outside of their market.
It really seems like the Rams/Titans Superbowl a few years back: Yes, it may be a good - but who cares? When you don't have teams that people all across the continent have opinions about (Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, etc) nobody's going to care. That's why TV ratings are dropping (for the first time ever, the viewership has dropped to less then 1 million in Canada) and that's why interest is waning.
3) The Competition
Right now, speaking in terms of classic games, there has been little of note in the NHL playoffs - at most, there are maybe four or five games that will ever re-air on ESPN Classic.
But in the NBA Playoffs, we are just getting off of what has been called the "Best first two rounds of playoff basketball ever" by ESPN's Skip Bayless; for even the person who had almost no interest in basketball (such as myself), it's been completely fantastic, and I have found myself completely hooked on the NBA. In terms of quality, it's not even close: the NBA playoffs have shown to be just as, and in most cases more, exciting and fun to watch then the NHL playoffs.
4) Post-Lockout Blues
Last spring, we all found out that there is indeed life without the NHL playoffs... Yes, maybe TSN and ESPN Classic rebroadcasting old games helped, but it just seems to me that the playoffs just don't have the same "pull" that they used to - and I may just have reached the point last spring where I realized that the NHL doesn't care about me, the typical fan (after all, Toronto was the first team to remove the "Thank you fans" slogan from it's ice surface), so why should I care about it? Thanks to the Jays starting to compete with The Big Two, the NBA having a fantastic postseason, the CFL just getting ready to start (and with the Argos pursuing Ricky Williams) and the World Cup starting soon I have to make room for the NHL now - and if I can't, I'm not sure that I'll miss it.
5) Phoenix Suns / Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons / Miami Heat
It's been one of, if not the, best NBA playoffs ever - and we haven't even gotten to The Finals yet, or even finished the conference championships. Why should I stop watching now?
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
The Tables have (finally) turned
Usually when I heard complaints about the Jays in the recent past, it was that they didn't have enough hitting. Sure, they had Halladay, Towers, Chacin or whomever - but after Carlos Delgado left the team, they had no real batting power other then Vernon Wells... and it doesn't matter what yr pitcher does on the mound if you're not giving him any run support.
But this year has been different - it's like how I vaguely remember the Jays of the early 1990s being: they has great starters (Jack Morris, Dave Stieb), a memorable closer (Duane Ward ) and great sluggers (Roberto Alomar, Paul Molitor, Joe Carter, John Olerud). Thanks to the mix of good hitting, good pitching and the ability to protect a lead, the Jays were the AL East team to beat for a few years and the World Series champions in 1992-93.
Since then we've seen the Jays pay arm-and-leg for big names like Roger Clemens (who jumped ship once he realized that he was still a good pitcher) and Jose Canseco; had our talented players head out fast (David "Boomer" Wells, Roberto Alomar, Carlos Delgado, Olerud) or put use subpar players in positions where they didn't fit (Batista as the closer for example)... and since that 1993 World Series win, the Jays have never even won the AL Wild Card, let alone the AL East. Yes, using a pseudo-Billy Beane method to try and build up the Jays worked in it's own ways (we've never finished last in our division; we ended up with some good talent [Doc, Orlando Hudson, Vernon Wells, Corey Koskie] - but when you play against the two biggest spenders in the big leagues, it wasn't enough.
So this was the year that the Jays decided to go all-out and spent some money on big name free agents to gave us a similar lineup to those glory years: A theoretically great pitching rotation (Doc, AJ Burnett, Chacin, Lilly and - suddenly - Jassen); BJ Ryan anchoring the bullpen; Troy Glaus, Lyle Overbay adding to Wells slugging. And thus far it seems to be working, despite injuries to some major players. The Jays are above .500 and are just a few games back of the Red Sox for the AL East lead.
I guess that you could say that this season has been a turning point for the Jays. Now that there's actually some hitting in the lineup, I'm not as worried that one of our stars (mostly Doc, really) will burn himself out to get a win. Indeed, no longer does it seem necessary for the Jays to throw a shutout in order to get a win - but I wouldn't mind it if they did, anyway.
But this year has been different - it's like how I vaguely remember the Jays of the early 1990s being: they has great starters (Jack Morris, Dave Stieb), a memorable closer (Duane Ward ) and great sluggers (Roberto Alomar, Paul Molitor, Joe Carter, John Olerud). Thanks to the mix of good hitting, good pitching and the ability to protect a lead, the Jays were the AL East team to beat for a few years and the World Series champions in 1992-93.
Since then we've seen the Jays pay arm-and-leg for big names like Roger Clemens (who jumped ship once he realized that he was still a good pitcher) and Jose Canseco; had our talented players head out fast (David "Boomer" Wells, Roberto Alomar, Carlos Delgado, Olerud) or put use subpar players in positions where they didn't fit (Batista as the closer for example)... and since that 1993 World Series win, the Jays have never even won the AL Wild Card, let alone the AL East. Yes, using a pseudo-Billy Beane method to try and build up the Jays worked in it's own ways (we've never finished last in our division; we ended up with some good talent [Doc, Orlando Hudson, Vernon Wells, Corey Koskie] - but when you play against the two biggest spenders in the big leagues, it wasn't enough.
So this was the year that the Jays decided to go all-out and spent some money on big name free agents to gave us a similar lineup to those glory years: A theoretically great pitching rotation (Doc, AJ Burnett, Chacin, Lilly and - suddenly - Jassen); BJ Ryan anchoring the bullpen; Troy Glaus, Lyle Overbay adding to Wells slugging. And thus far it seems to be working, despite injuries to some major players. The Jays are above .500 and are just a few games back of the Red Sox for the AL East lead.
I guess that you could say that this season has been a turning point for the Jays. Now that there's actually some hitting in the lineup, I'm not as worried that one of our stars (mostly Doc, really) will burn himself out to get a win. Indeed, no longer does it seem necessary for the Jays to throw a shutout in order to get a win - but I wouldn't mind it if they did, anyway.
NBA Conference Finals / We won the Lottery
Eastern Finals: Detroit Pistons vs Miami Heat
My Pick: Miami
Yes, the Pistons had the best record this year (64 wins, 18 losses) and were a virtual lock to make it this far into the postseason. But they barely did.
They looked almost like another team against Cleveland in the semi-finals, especially when the best team in basketball (this year, anyway) almost (one shot away from elimination in game six) lost to a team with almost no playoff experience.
The Heat, on the other hand, managed to shut down a good (3rd in the East) New Jersey team featuring Vince Carter and Jason Kidd - a team that won their division and averaged 98 points a game.
Going by their recent stretches - and even though the Pistons came through when it mattered in game six and seven - I'm going to take the team that was able to shut down one of the best in the NBA in just five games and is coming off a nice rest.
Western Finals: Phoenix Suns / Dallas Mavericks
My Pick: Suns
It's true that the Suns have less defense then the 1983 Calgary Flames (Outscored 35 - 13 in a seven game series) but they're a dynamic, fast paced team that controls the flow and pace of the game and when they're at their best (as I assume they will be) it seems that they can win with ease.
The Mavericks, on the other hand, just endured a long struggle against the San Antonio Spurs - and came within one Manu Ginobili layup of losing the series when they seemingly ran out of gas late in the 4th quarter of game seven (remember Mark Cuban's "I am not amused" face?)... but so did the Spurs, so the Mavs moved on.
So I'm taking the team that can - and will - score big when it matters, bad defense or not: the Suns.
******
It's been a great few months to be a Raptors fan, it really has.
For a team that has done everything wrong in the last few seasons (short of hiring Isiah Thomas as their GM again) - from running superstar players like Vince Carter and T-Mac out of town, from wasting a first round pick on Araújo or the disaster of a trade that left Alonzo Mourning with the team that traded him, the Nets with V.C., and the Raptors with two brothers that barely played.
But then MLSE got smart - Ron Babcock drafted Charlie V and Joey Graham before being firedhalfwayy through the season. They then hired one of the best GMs available in Bryan Colangelo (who was behind the Suns reemergencee in the West) and Charlie V finished second overall in rookie-of-the-year voting. And now this
I'm actually really quite happy about this; and I don't really care if they draft Tyrus Thomas, JJ Reddick or Gerry McNamara or even if they trade it away for two later picks - all thanks to finally having a GM that I feel like I can trust to make the right move. For once, it really feels good to be a Raptor fan.
And it feels really good to be able to say out loud.
My Pick: Miami
Yes, the Pistons had the best record this year (64 wins, 18 losses) and were a virtual lock to make it this far into the postseason. But they barely did.
They looked almost like another team against Cleveland in the semi-finals, especially when the best team in basketball (this year, anyway) almost (one shot away from elimination in game six) lost to a team with almost no playoff experience.
The Heat, on the other hand, managed to shut down a good (3rd in the East) New Jersey team featuring Vince Carter and Jason Kidd - a team that won their division and averaged 98 points a game.
Going by their recent stretches - and even though the Pistons came through when it mattered in game six and seven - I'm going to take the team that was able to shut down one of the best in the NBA in just five games and is coming off a nice rest.
Western Finals: Phoenix Suns / Dallas Mavericks
My Pick: Suns
It's true that the Suns have less defense then the 1983 Calgary Flames (Outscored 35 - 13 in a seven game series) but they're a dynamic, fast paced team that controls the flow and pace of the game and when they're at their best (as I assume they will be) it seems that they can win with ease.
The Mavericks, on the other hand, just endured a long struggle against the San Antonio Spurs - and came within one Manu Ginobili layup of losing the series when they seemingly ran out of gas late in the 4th quarter of game seven (remember Mark Cuban's "I am not amused" face?)... but so did the Spurs, so the Mavs moved on.
So I'm taking the team that can - and will - score big when it matters, bad defense or not: the Suns.
******
It's been a great few months to be a Raptors fan, it really has.
For a team that has done everything wrong in the last few seasons (short of hiring Isiah Thomas as their GM again) - from running superstar players like Vince Carter and T-Mac out of town, from wasting a first round pick on Araújo or the disaster of a trade that left Alonzo Mourning with the team that traded him, the Nets with V.C., and the Raptors with two brothers that barely played.
But then MLSE got smart - Ron Babcock drafted Charlie V and Joey Graham before being firedhalfwayy through the season. They then hired one of the best GMs available in Bryan Colangelo (who was behind the Suns reemergencee in the West) and Charlie V finished second overall in rookie-of-the-year voting. And now this
I'm actually really quite happy about this; and I don't really care if they draft Tyrus Thomas, JJ Reddick or Gerry McNamara or even if they trade it away for two later picks - all thanks to finally having a GM that I feel like I can trust to make the right move. For once, it really feels good to be a Raptor fan.
And it feels really good to be able to say out loud.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Welcome to Oil Country
"Sharks can't swim in Oil" - Sign seen at game six
Well... it looks like I underestimated the Oilers once more, thanks to their not-really-that surprising win over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night. After they lost the first two games, many people - myself included - were fairly quick to count the Oilers out and were somewhat surprised when they turned it around in games three and four. After all, they Oilers were playing a goalie that wasn't generally considered among the hockey elite - and maybe not even in most people's top-20 list at the beginning of the season - against the team that had two scoring leaders among it's staff.
Either way, it was game four that turned this series on it's head and really shifted the momentum to Edmonton - the Sharks managed to bungle a 2-0 and 3-1 leads as Edmonton exploded for the 3-6 win, with the majority of their goals coming in the second half of the game, including one where Sergei Samsonov stole the puck from Toskala on a botched attempt to clear the puck.
Game Five was more of the same for the Sharks, who were able to tie the game up in the third before falling apart and losing once more, 6 to 3.
Going into game six, the Sharks coach - Ron Wilson - tried to take some of the pressure off of his team by insisting at a press conference that the pressure was really on the Oilers, that they "still had to finish this series..." - whereas Oilers coach Craig MacTavish was pretty quiet, as he knew who was in the lead.
Going into game six, the Oilers were the general favorites - but just barely. They were facing a team that could score and had it's back to the wall with nothing to lose - but the Sharks were also a team that can collapse just as well as they had in the last two games.
That said, game six managed to reinforce one of my favorite theories - that game sixes tend to be the most exciting games in a best-of-seven. This was a 2-0 final score, but it was 1-0 for the majority of the game; it was a tight, fast and genuinely exciting game, the kind that will surely be on ESPN Classic on a Monday night not too far in the future...
"The Oilers ... Are peaking at the right time." - AP wires, May 18th 2006
Right - just like that other team that peaked at just the right time this year: The Pittsburgh Steelers, who came into the 2005/06 NFL playoffs as the lowest seed, yet surprised three teams in a row before everybody realized just how good they were.
Is it too early to compare them to that team? Or how about to the 2003 Minnesota Wild, who surprised three teams en route to the Western Finals where they lost)? Or to the 1993 Toronto Maple Leafs, who won two closely fought seven-game series against the Detroit Red Wings and the St. Louis Blues before they ran out of gas in Game Six of the Western Finals and fell apart in game seven... well, let's just get away from these ugly comparisons to teams that were good - just not good enough.
Already it can be argued that even in losing to the Ducks in the Western Finals, the Oilers were a success by upsetting two heavily favored teams - but in what is looking more and more like the year of the Underdog (The Steelers winning in Detroit, George Mason in the final four, the Suns coming back from a 3-1 series deficit) what fun is there to be had in losing?
The Flutie Question
On Monday, as I’m sure you already know, Doug Flutie retired from the New England Patriots, officially ending the career of a man whose career had spanned three decades, who had played in three leagues and who Jim McMahon once referred to as “Bambi” – not to mention at least two ESPN Classic moments (The 1984 Hail Mary pass to Phelan and the 1992 Grey Cup, where he scrambled in the game winning TD minus a shoe) and more SportsCentury moments then he had any right to do.
When everything is all said and done he had, the stats say that he had a fantastic career – 58,179 total yards, 369 Touchdowns, three CFL Championships and six MVP awards. That’s more yards then Jim Kelly (45,309 yards), more TD’s then Steve Young (248) and more CFL titles then, well, pretty much anybody enshrined in Canton who isn’t named “Warren Moon”. For a player who was generally considered to be ‘too small’ (he was only recruited by one Division 1 school) for pro football, those are phenomenal numbers.
After rattling off one of the most memorable careers in the history of the CFL – one that I remember all too well – Flutie went off to play in the NFL, winning another award (comeback player of the year, 1998) and getting himself locked into the NFL film vaults while he was at it – oldest player to score two TD in a single game, the drop-kick of 2005. In an age where bigger is better, Doug was the consummate underdog – he was too small, he worked too hard and the odds were almost always stacked against him when it mattered most. He was someone who was often at his best at the very edge of the play, when the pocket was collapsing around him, when the defence was closing in, when the receivers were covered and when he had to run for it… it was in times like these that we saw the real Doug Flutie, the one who could throw the last-second long bomb or the one who could run it in at the last second… The Doug Flutie that was, looking back, almost like was the prototype for the modern scrambling QB like Michael Vick.
So, if that other CFL legend – Warren Moon – can make it into Canton, Ohio, then why is there much debate over Doug Flutie? Sure, Moon’s career is almost like a flip of Flutie’s (while his best seasons were in the CFL, he has better numbers in the NFL), but it is, after all, the Professional Football Hall of Fame – not the NFL Hall of Fame, the Football Players who only played in the US Hall of Fame or the No-CFL Hall of Fame. And if the other Hall of Fames can accept players who never played in their main leagues – like how Cooperstown has elected players from the Negro Leagues or how the Hockey Hall of fame elected Valeri Kharlamov – then why shouldn’t a player who was fantastic in a non-NFL league be excluded?
To put it simply – it shouldn’t be; Doug Flutie is a bona-fide Hall of Famer.
When everything is all said and done he had, the stats say that he had a fantastic career – 58,179 total yards, 369 Touchdowns, three CFL Championships and six MVP awards. That’s more yards then Jim Kelly (45,309 yards), more TD’s then Steve Young (248) and more CFL titles then, well, pretty much anybody enshrined in Canton who isn’t named “Warren Moon”. For a player who was generally considered to be ‘too small’ (he was only recruited by one Division 1 school) for pro football, those are phenomenal numbers.
After rattling off one of the most memorable careers in the history of the CFL – one that I remember all too well – Flutie went off to play in the NFL, winning another award (comeback player of the year, 1998) and getting himself locked into the NFL film vaults while he was at it – oldest player to score two TD in a single game, the drop-kick of 2005. In an age where bigger is better, Doug was the consummate underdog – he was too small, he worked too hard and the odds were almost always stacked against him when it mattered most. He was someone who was often at his best at the very edge of the play, when the pocket was collapsing around him, when the defence was closing in, when the receivers were covered and when he had to run for it… it was in times like these that we saw the real Doug Flutie, the one who could throw the last-second long bomb or the one who could run it in at the last second… The Doug Flutie that was, looking back, almost like was the prototype for the modern scrambling QB like Michael Vick.
So, if that other CFL legend – Warren Moon – can make it into Canton, Ohio, then why is there much debate over Doug Flutie? Sure, Moon’s career is almost like a flip of Flutie’s (while his best seasons were in the CFL, he has better numbers in the NFL), but it is, after all, the Professional Football Hall of Fame – not the NFL Hall of Fame, the Football Players who only played in the US Hall of Fame or the No-CFL Hall of Fame. And if the other Hall of Fames can accept players who never played in their main leagues – like how Cooperstown has elected players from the Negro Leagues or how the Hockey Hall of fame elected Valeri Kharlamov – then why shouldn’t a player who was fantastic in a non-NFL league be excluded?
To put it simply – it shouldn’t be; Doug Flutie is a bona-fide Hall of Famer.
Friday, May 12, 2006
On 714, 715 and 760
Who cares?
Seriously, why is it even an issue? It's not a record, it's not going to change the way we look at baseball and as far as it's overall importance, it's right in between Joe DiMaggio's hit count (2214) and Nolan Ryan's strikeout count (5714). It means nothing, or about as close as you can get to it.
When he hits home run #714 and #715 - and he will - it will not mean anything more then the following:
It won't be replayed on ESPN Classic; the ball will not be worth 1.24 million dollars; it will not mean anything at all.
This isn't a knock against Barry Bonds or his talent - indeed, I respect the man's talent greatly - but this is just another home run. The most that this can do is score four runs and maybe win a game; until he gets past Hank Aaron he's hasn't set any record and hasn't done anything really worth celebrating. It's just a home run; nothing bigger or worse then home run #700, #70 or #7. Other sports don't even celebrate things like this; did the NFL celebrate when T.O. caught his 100th touchdowns last season? Did the NBA celebrate when Kobe scored 81 against Toronto?
No.
So why should Major League Baseball celebrate - or even really notice - that Barry Bonds has moved up one spot on a list? There is no reason at all, or at least any good ones, to celebrate a list.
That home run means nothing - and every one after that, right up until #756, will mean nothing more then that.
Seriously, why is it even an issue? It's not a record, it's not going to change the way we look at baseball and as far as it's overall importance, it's right in between Joe DiMaggio's hit count (2214) and Nolan Ryan's strikeout count (5714). It means nothing, or about as close as you can get to it.
When he hits home run #714 and #715 - and he will - it will not mean anything more then the following:
- It will move him up one spot on a list that will be in the MLB Media Guide for 2007
- He will move up a spot on some list that Fox Sports will use once or twice a year
- It will change a line that will be on his hall of fame plaque
It won't be replayed on ESPN Classic; the ball will not be worth 1.24 million dollars; it will not mean anything at all.
This isn't a knock against Barry Bonds or his talent - indeed, I respect the man's talent greatly - but this is just another home run. The most that this can do is score four runs and maybe win a game; until he gets past Hank Aaron he's hasn't set any record and hasn't done anything really worth celebrating. It's just a home run; nothing bigger or worse then home run #700, #70 or #7. Other sports don't even celebrate things like this; did the NFL celebrate when T.O. caught his 100th touchdowns last season? Did the NBA celebrate when Kobe scored 81 against Toronto?
No.
So why should Major League Baseball celebrate - or even really notice - that Barry Bonds has moved up one spot on a list? There is no reason at all, or at least any good ones, to celebrate a list.
That home run means nothing - and every one after that, right up until #756, will mean nothing more then that.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
What’s wrong with Towers?
That’s the question that Jays manager John Gibbons is surely hearing the most these days as Josh Towers slides down to an 0-7 record – one of the worst in major league baseball.
His losses are not like the other losses that the Jays have had this year – like when Chacin lost his first game, for example, when he got little offensive support. Instead, they’ve been huge losses, where the other team manages to score early and often (indeed, his loss against the Athletics on May 9th was the first time that he had less then 4 runs scored against him all season and the first time in 3 starts he had less then 7 runs scored against him). His stats are the worst among all Jays pitchers with a 10.09 ERA, a 2.18 WHIP, 34 runs allowed (almost twice as much as the nearest Jay), etc, etc.
When you compare his stats to the other Jays starters – Halladay, Chacin, Lilly and Janssen – his bad numbers stand out even more. It’s not quite a case of a bad defence behind him (otherwise you’d see another pitcher with stats something like his) or of no runs being scored by the Jays, but one of something else. Perhaps it’s a mechanical thing – but Towers has not said anything about being injured, unlike other Jays starters AJ Burnett and Doc Halladay who went on the DL at the first sign of trouble. It’s strange, almost scary for fans and it’s fast becoming a worry for the Jays that there seems to be no clear cause anymore for the trouble with his pitching.
And now it’s getting close to no longer being just a slump; these seven games are more then the difference between first place (held by the Red Sox, three games ahead) and where the Jays are now. So maybe it’s time to let him enter the bullpen – or even to send him down to AAA. But as it is now, this is a losing steak that the Jays don’t need in a division as close as the AL East. When AJ comes back off the DL, which is hopefully sooner rather then later, there shouldn’t be enough room on the rotation for Towers; rookie pitcher Casey “Scarlet” Janssen has earned his place with consecutive quality starts while the other three pitchers are showing they belong on the mound. Towers hasn’t yet and shows almost no signs of doing so any time soon.
His losses are not like the other losses that the Jays have had this year – like when Chacin lost his first game, for example, when he got little offensive support. Instead, they’ve been huge losses, where the other team manages to score early and often (indeed, his loss against the Athletics on May 9th was the first time that he had less then 4 runs scored against him all season and the first time in 3 starts he had less then 7 runs scored against him). His stats are the worst among all Jays pitchers with a 10.09 ERA, a 2.18 WHIP, 34 runs allowed (almost twice as much as the nearest Jay), etc, etc.
When you compare his stats to the other Jays starters – Halladay, Chacin, Lilly and Janssen – his bad numbers stand out even more. It’s not quite a case of a bad defence behind him (otherwise you’d see another pitcher with stats something like his) or of no runs being scored by the Jays, but one of something else. Perhaps it’s a mechanical thing – but Towers has not said anything about being injured, unlike other Jays starters AJ Burnett and Doc Halladay who went on the DL at the first sign of trouble. It’s strange, almost scary for fans and it’s fast becoming a worry for the Jays that there seems to be no clear cause anymore for the trouble with his pitching.
And now it’s getting close to no longer being just a slump; these seven games are more then the difference between first place (held by the Red Sox, three games ahead) and where the Jays are now. So maybe it’s time to let him enter the bullpen – or even to send him down to AAA. But as it is now, this is a losing steak that the Jays don’t need in a division as close as the AL East. When AJ comes back off the DL, which is hopefully sooner rather then later, there shouldn’t be enough room on the rotation for Towers; rookie pitcher Casey “Scarlet” Janssen has earned his place with consecutive quality starts while the other three pitchers are showing they belong on the mound. Towers hasn’t yet and shows almost no signs of doing so any time soon.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
NHL - Round Two
Western Conference:
San Jose / Edmonton
My pick: San Jose
Why: While Roloson is a good goaltender - and the Oilers aren't a bad team - the San Jose Sharks have offensive firepower packed to the, er, gills. Look for them to really press Roloson and eventually come out as the winners.
Anaheim / Colorado
My pick: Anaheim
Why: Ilya "Easy Breezy" Bryzgalov is on a phenomenal roll this postseason and is starting to look like the next rookie goalie to win a Conn Smythe (Ron Hextall, Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden are the others, as I recall) by posting consecutive shutouts, whereas Andy "Lanny Junior" McDonald and Teemu Selanne are explosive on the offence - It's going to be a short one, as we get to see the "Battle of California" in the finals.
Eastern Division
Ottawa / Buffalo
My pick: Buffalo
Why: It's going to come down to an Overtime goal, as the GAA of this series will swell to something outrageous, like 6.41 or higher, when you put two teams that don't have great goaltending and have amazing scoring capacity. Game one (Sabres 7, Senators 6) will prove to be no fluke for this series.
New Jersey / Carolina
My pick: New Jersey
Why: Forget that 6-0 goal; once Martin Brodeur wakes up and once New Jersey gets into Carolina's zone (they had something like 16 shots total in that game) Scott Gomez, John Madden and co. will leave people wondering why Cam Ward was a starter.
San Jose / Edmonton
My pick: San Jose
Why: While Roloson is a good goaltender - and the Oilers aren't a bad team - the San Jose Sharks have offensive firepower packed to the, er, gills. Look for them to really press Roloson and eventually come out as the winners.
Anaheim / Colorado
My pick: Anaheim
Why: Ilya "Easy Breezy" Bryzgalov is on a phenomenal roll this postseason and is starting to look like the next rookie goalie to win a Conn Smythe (Ron Hextall, Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden are the others, as I recall) by posting consecutive shutouts, whereas Andy "Lanny Junior" McDonald and Teemu Selanne are explosive on the offence - It's going to be a short one, as we get to see the "Battle of California" in the finals.
Eastern Division
Ottawa / Buffalo
My pick: Buffalo
Why: It's going to come down to an Overtime goal, as the GAA of this series will swell to something outrageous, like 6.41 or higher, when you put two teams that don't have great goaltending and have amazing scoring capacity. Game one (Sabres 7, Senators 6) will prove to be no fluke for this series.
New Jersey / Carolina
My pick: New Jersey
Why: Forget that 6-0 goal; once Martin Brodeur wakes up and once New Jersey gets into Carolina's zone (they had something like 16 shots total in that game) Scott Gomez, John Madden and co. will leave people wondering why Cam Ward was a starter.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
NHL Roundup - Round One
Since I managed to go 3 for 8 in my first round predictions, I feel that some explanation was in order - and what better way then to give each matchup an overview to explain what happened and why I was wrong (or, in a couple series, why I was right)...
Western Division:
Detroit Red Wings / Edmonton Oilers
I said: Detroit
Who won: Edmonton
Why: Simply put, the Red Wings were too old and were overmatched - the Oilers played in a tough division, had better goaltending (Roloson really redeemed himself in this series) and were able to play for longer then Detroit was - whereas Detroit proved that they were overrated by a large amount - not a single team from their division made it to the second round - and had a hard time in OT, where playoff series are often won or lost. That said, though, I was surprised that Edmonton was able to knock them off; I figured it would be a long series but I didn't expect that Roloson would play as good as he did.
Dallas Stars / Colorado Avalanche
I said: Dallas
Who won: Colorado (4-2)
Why: Call it the fatal flaw of the shootout - Dallas was fantastic on it during the season but was horrid in OT in this series, which once again proves that playoff hockey is much, much different then the stuff you see in January. And once again, another Trade Deadline goalie - this time it was Jose Theodore - really managed to rise up and really play some fantastic goaltending; which managed to shut down a really productive Dallas offence. Granted, if there was shootouts in the playoffs, I still think that Dallas would have won this series, but there isn't - and there isn't any more games in Dallas until next season now.
Calgary Flames / Anaheim Mighty Ducks
I Said: Calgary
Who won: Anaheim (4-3)
Why: Well, I sort of called it:
And that's what happened - in four of the seven games, they scored two or less goals (and lost three of those games) while they averaged a bit over 2 goals against a game - and the math finally caught up with them. At the same time, though, Bryzgalov did quite well, as did Selanne and Andy MacDonald, so the Ducks need some credit.
Nashville Predators / San Jose Sharks
Who won: San Jose (4-1)
I Said: San Jose
Why: It was like I said - as good as Mason may or may not be, he's not their #1 goalie for a reason and he showed exactly why not against a team whose offence has the most silverware this season in the league. Maybe next year, when Volkun is healthy, Nashville will have a chance - but not until then.
Eastern division
Ottawa Senators / Tampa Bay Lightening
I said: Ottawa
Who won: Ottawa
Why: It all goes down, once again, to the goalie - Ray Emery had a powerful series against a fantastic offence (really the only way that Tampa was a threat) where the Sens predictably were more offensive then The Aristocrats. And as much as I hate to say it, they still look the team to beat for the Stanley Cup this year.
New York Rangers/ New Jersey Devils
I said: New York
Who won New Jersey (4-0)
Why: It was all about Marty, who once again showed why he very well may be the best goalie since Ken Dryden - as a poster on an Internet forum said, "He's like a fucking brick wall, okay?", and he totally shut down the Rangers offence - who, without their #1 scorer (Jagr) was already in dire straits.
Buffalo Sabres / Philadelphia Flyers
I said: Buffalo
Who won: Buffalo (4-2)
Why: It was like I said - Robert Esche was not playing to par this year and he had to face a team that was absolutely fantastic in scoring and had solid goaltending - It did go further then I thought it would (Simon Gagne and Peter Forsberg can be thanked for that) but it still came down to, as it always does, Robert Esche letting in more goals then they could score.
Montreal Canadiens / Carolina Hurricanes
I said: Montreal
Who won: Carolina
Why: Well, read what I said the key to series was:
(Tomorrow - I break down the second round!)
Western Division:
Detroit Red Wings / Edmonton Oilers
I said: Detroit
Who won: Edmonton
Why: Simply put, the Red Wings were too old and were overmatched - the Oilers played in a tough division, had better goaltending (Roloson really redeemed himself in this series) and were able to play for longer then Detroit was - whereas Detroit proved that they were overrated by a large amount - not a single team from their division made it to the second round - and had a hard time in OT, where playoff series are often won or lost. That said, though, I was surprised that Edmonton was able to knock them off; I figured it would be a long series but I didn't expect that Roloson would play as good as he did.
Dallas Stars / Colorado Avalanche
I said: Dallas
Who won: Colorado (4-2)
Why: Call it the fatal flaw of the shootout - Dallas was fantastic on it during the season but was horrid in OT in this series, which once again proves that playoff hockey is much, much different then the stuff you see in January. And once again, another Trade Deadline goalie - this time it was Jose Theodore - really managed to rise up and really play some fantastic goaltending; which managed to shut down a really productive Dallas offence. Granted, if there was shootouts in the playoffs, I still think that Dallas would have won this series, but there isn't - and there isn't any more games in Dallas until next season now.
Calgary Flames / Anaheim Mighty Ducks
I Said: Calgary
Who won: Anaheim (4-3)
Why: Well, I sort of called it:
Have you ever seen one player carry a team so much? It's like the Flames are winning these days in spite of a lackluster offence, all thanks to Mikka Kiprusoff's fantastic goaltending.
And that's what happened - in four of the seven games, they scored two or less goals (and lost three of those games) while they averaged a bit over 2 goals against a game - and the math finally caught up with them. At the same time, though, Bryzgalov did quite well, as did Selanne and Andy MacDonald, so the Ducks need some credit.
Nashville Predators / San Jose Sharks
Who won: San Jose (4-1)
I Said: San Jose
Why: It was like I said - as good as Mason may or may not be, he's not their #1 goalie for a reason and he showed exactly why not against a team whose offence has the most silverware this season in the league. Maybe next year, when Volkun is healthy, Nashville will have a chance - but not until then.
Eastern division
Ottawa Senators / Tampa Bay Lightening
I said: Ottawa
Who won: Ottawa
Why: It all goes down, once again, to the goalie - Ray Emery had a powerful series against a fantastic offence (really the only way that Tampa was a threat) where the Sens predictably were more offensive then The Aristocrats. And as much as I hate to say it, they still look the team to beat for the Stanley Cup this year.
New York Rangers/ New Jersey Devils
I said: New York
Who won New Jersey (4-0)
Why: It was all about Marty, who once again showed why he very well may be the best goalie since Ken Dryden - as a poster on an Internet forum said, "He's like a fucking brick wall, okay?", and he totally shut down the Rangers offence - who, without their #1 scorer (Jagr) was already in dire straits.
Buffalo Sabres / Philadelphia Flyers
I said: Buffalo
Who won: Buffalo (4-2)
Why: It was like I said - Robert Esche was not playing to par this year and he had to face a team that was absolutely fantastic in scoring and had solid goaltending - It did go further then I thought it would (Simon Gagne and Peter Forsberg can be thanked for that) but it still came down to, as it always does, Robert Esche letting in more goals then they could score.
Montreal Canadiens / Carolina Hurricanes
I said: Montreal
Who won: Carolina
Why: Well, read what I said the key to series was:
...plus you can never really count out Koivu these days, anyway.Well, Carolina found a way to count him out - setback #1 for the Habs - and the series winner was scored on a goal that was about as flukey as Steve Smith netting one off of Grant Fuhr in '86. But then again, the Canes did have a great run as Cam Ward and Eric Staal had a breakout series and showed that they do deserve to be ranked as high as they were going in.
(Tomorrow - I break down the second round!)
Two stories - one plot
Story #1: Marcus Vick to attend Miami Dolphins training camp
Story #2: Ricky Williams to play in CFL?
Could it really be happening? Ricky Williams - one of the best running backs in recent memory - playing my local CFL team? I'm not really sure how to feel on this one: The Argos don't really need a running back (but then again, the Saints didn't really need one either and they still drafted Reggie Bush) as much as they need a new QB or a decent defense - but this isn't Jesse Lumsden or the typical running back that finds his way to the CFL. Ricky Williams is one insanely talented running back who can explode all over the field in the NFL - God knows what he'd do in the CFL - and he's one in a million for Dolphin fans...
Which brings us to that other one-in-a-million player that the Dolphins have a taste for: Marcus "Mark" Vick, who fresh off not being drafted has been invited to their mini-camp this month. And maybe this could work; the Dolphins need a QB (since neither one from last season seemed to be effective and Dante Culpepper may miss a good chunk of the season) and Vick is, if nothing else, a threat as a QB. He's got speed, he's a decent passer but he's also a real threat - He stomped on Elvis Dumervil last season; he's been arrested a few times and was kicked off his college team in both 2004 and in January 2006...
Which brings us to the "same story" here: Both of these players are great but are also deeply flawed: Ricky may or may not care about football - he abruptly retired for no real reason in 2004, he wasn't in attendance at his draft and he has a taste for pot (if indeed that is a flaw). When he does, he can be as good as anyone else - but you never know just where his head is at.
Marcus, on the other hand, may care too much: when he loses (Or if things aren't going quite his way) he is known to flip off the handle, doing anything from stomping other players (like he did in the Gator Bowl) to pulling a gun in a parking lot (as he did shortly after being kicked off Virginia Tech's team for the final time) to making obscene gestures at hecklers (as he did last October)...
Both of these players are dangerous to any team - and to put them on one team would be worse then having Terrell Owens, Javon Walker and Michael Irvin on the same team: Both of them have too many questions, too much baggage and will surely poison any team they play for. Vick's obvious temperament problems and Ricky's lack of focus would be damaging to any team - but when added together and combined with the ego of Dante Culpepper it will be a small wonder if anything gets done at all...
So perhaps it's a good thing that Ricky may play up about 40 minutes from where I live and that Mark Vick's professional career might start and end this month - because if they played together the only good thing to come out of it would be the Patriots win/loss record.
Story #2: Ricky Williams to play in CFL?
Could it really be happening? Ricky Williams - one of the best running backs in recent memory - playing my local CFL team? I'm not really sure how to feel on this one: The Argos don't really need a running back (but then again, the Saints didn't really need one either and they still drafted Reggie Bush) as much as they need a new QB or a decent defense - but this isn't Jesse Lumsden or the typical running back that finds his way to the CFL. Ricky Williams is one insanely talented running back who can explode all over the field in the NFL - God knows what he'd do in the CFL - and he's one in a million for Dolphin fans...
Which brings us to that other one-in-a-million player that the Dolphins have a taste for: Marcus "Mark" Vick, who fresh off not being drafted has been invited to their mini-camp this month. And maybe this could work; the Dolphins need a QB (since neither one from last season seemed to be effective and Dante Culpepper may miss a good chunk of the season) and Vick is, if nothing else, a threat as a QB. He's got speed, he's a decent passer but he's also a real threat - He stomped on Elvis Dumervil last season; he's been arrested a few times and was kicked off his college team in both 2004 and in January 2006...
Which brings us to the "same story" here: Both of these players are great but are also deeply flawed: Ricky may or may not care about football - he abruptly retired for no real reason in 2004, he wasn't in attendance at his draft and he has a taste for pot (if indeed that is a flaw). When he does, he can be as good as anyone else - but you never know just where his head is at.
Marcus, on the other hand, may care too much: when he loses (Or if things aren't going quite his way) he is known to flip off the handle, doing anything from stomping other players (like he did in the Gator Bowl) to pulling a gun in a parking lot (as he did shortly after being kicked off Virginia Tech's team for the final time) to making obscene gestures at hecklers (as he did last October)...
Both of these players are dangerous to any team - and to put them on one team would be worse then having Terrell Owens, Javon Walker and Michael Irvin on the same team: Both of them have too many questions, too much baggage and will surely poison any team they play for. Vick's obvious temperament problems and Ricky's lack of focus would be damaging to any team - but when added together and combined with the ego of Dante Culpepper it will be a small wonder if anything gets done at all...
So perhaps it's a good thing that Ricky may play up about 40 minutes from where I live and that Mark Vick's professional career might start and end this month - because if they played together the only good thing to come out of it would be the Patriots win/loss record.
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