February 29th. A special day, but still a lousy time on the sports calendar. Nothing much exciting happening yet in the NHL or NBA. The NFL is non-existent right now. Baseball has barely begun spring training. Even college basketball is still two weeks away from the conference tournaments and then the Madness. I don't feel much like talking about a PGA tournament of also rans at the Honda. So, to commemorate this once every four year mark on the calendar, I thought I'd "leap" onto the grenade of trying to predict all of the scores from the upcoming Saturday night in the NHL. I must warn you that my hockey picks lately have been terrible and that I can't figure out how teams that looked so good at the start of the year (see: Detroit, Ottawa) are falling apart so badly now. Without further adieu, here we go:
Atlanta @ Boston - Boston just destroyed Ottawa and Pittsburgh and while all the talk was about those "good" teams losing, ignored in the matter was that Boston looked great! I'll take the B's 4-1.
Philly @ NYI - after just 4 wins in 19 games to start 2008, the Isles rolled of 6 wins in a row before losses to the Devils and Pens this week. With Philly struggling lately I'll take New York 3-2.
Pittsburgh @ Ottawa - now here's a couple of desperate teams. Pittsburgh looked horrible last night, but Ottawa has looked pretty bad for weeks now. I think the Pens will bounce back and take this one on the road 5-3.
Toronto @ Washington - does anyone have any idea what's going on in Toronto? The GM has written the team off, but I'd like to think that they'll bring all their fans great excitement by creeping into a playoff spot only to break down and miss the dance at the last possible moment. Leafs 3-1.
Tampa @ Carolina - how has Tampa got to be feeling today after Richards chalked up five points in his first game with the Stars? This team went from bad to worse and don't stand a chance down the stretch. Canes 2-0.
New Jersey @ Montreal - This should be a great game between a couple of teams riding high in the standings. I'm interested to see Carey Price handle the pressure of being number one down the stretch and I think he'll do it well. But not well enough on this night when Brodeur goes back home. Devils 3-1.
Nashville @ Dallas - Coming back to Richards' five point night, I sure hope that it isn't a sign of things to come or else Dallas will be unbeatable in the West. Against a pretty weak Preds team tomorrow night this should be a cakewalk. Stars 6-2.
San Jose @ St. Louis - Not much to say about either of these non-descript teams. The Blues are still a back of the pack team and the Sharks are slightly better, but coming off a game against Detroit tonight while St. Louis will have two days rest, I like the Blues to be the better team on this night. St. Lou 3-2.
LA @ Colorado - There sure is a lot of excitement in Denver this week! We'll see how much help they really get out of a guy like Forsberg who hasn't played in far too long though. My guess is he'll be good, but not great the way he used to be. But against the lowly Kings, not much is required. Avs 4-1.
Calgary @ Phoenix - Phoenix has lost their last two against Calgary, but Gretz has them sitting right there on the verge of the playoffs for the first time since 2002. I'd like to think that they'll have a decent stretch run and then lose in the first round again. Desert Dogs in this one, 3-2.
Enjoy the games! I'll enjoy taking a look in on them tomorrow night.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
It Passed With a Whimper
Trading deadline came and went without much excitement yesterday in the NHL. It's always difficult to predict this early, especially when a lot of the trades were for picks, but the biggest pickup would seem to be Brad Richards heading to Dallas. Richards has had proven success, winning the cup a few years back and may be just the thing to put Dallas over the edge. With the Red Wings struggling lately, the Stars have come way back and still have a real shot at winning the West down the stretch and Richards could be just the piece to make that happen. The other big winner yesterday was Pittsburgh picking up Marion Hossa, Pascal Dupuis, and Hal Gill from Atlanta and Toronto. I'm not ready to declare this a clear victory though because Hossa is in the last year of his contract and Pittsburgh actually had to give up quite a bit to get these guys. The Penguins now won't have a pick in the first two rounds of the draft this year where they've been quite successful the last few years in building a solid young heart to their team. We'll see how that effects them over the next few, because I don't think Hossa and Gill are going to be enough to get Pittsburgh the kind of immediate playoff success they're hoping for.
Some trades that I quite enjoyed were Wade Belak going from Toronto to Florida and Marty Lapointe going from Chicago to Ottawa each for a bag of pucks and a water bottle. I take a sick kind of pleasure in seeing Lapointe, a guy that left Detroit because he wanted more money rather than another chance to win, fail in his last two cities while playing out that huge contract.
In other NHL news, the Wings blew another one last night. They finally managed to put a couple of pucks in the net, but hanging onto a one goal lead with two minutes left was too much pressure, so they fired a puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty and gave up the tying goal. What followed, was Edmonton's record 13th win of the season in a shootout where Detroit went back to normal and couldn't score on Garon. I have to wonder a bit what Babcock was thinking though putting Jonathan Ericsson, a defenceman in just his third game of the season, up first in the shootout. With the number of guys Detroit has who should be scoring but aren't lately, what better opportunity is there than during a shootout to get one of them going? Chalk up another "L". At least we got a point for this one.
Some trades that I quite enjoyed were Wade Belak going from Toronto to Florida and Marty Lapointe going from Chicago to Ottawa each for a bag of pucks and a water bottle. I take a sick kind of pleasure in seeing Lapointe, a guy that left Detroit because he wanted more money rather than another chance to win, fail in his last two cities while playing out that huge contract.
In other NHL news, the Wings blew another one last night. They finally managed to put a couple of pucks in the net, but hanging onto a one goal lead with two minutes left was too much pressure, so they fired a puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty and gave up the tying goal. What followed, was Edmonton's record 13th win of the season in a shootout where Detroit went back to normal and couldn't score on Garon. I have to wonder a bit what Babcock was thinking though putting Jonathan Ericsson, a defenceman in just his third game of the season, up first in the shootout. With the number of guys Detroit has who should be scoring but aren't lately, what better opportunity is there than during a shootout to get one of them going? Chalk up another "L". At least we got a point for this one.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Kick 'Em While They're Down
That appears to be the attitude in the NHL right now when it comes to playing the Red Wings. But while I'd like to make excuses for Detroit getting beaten by everyone over the last couple of weeks while half the team is out with injuries, there's still no real excuse for the team not being able to put any pucks in the net. The injuries, on the back end primarily (with Lidstrom, Rafalski, Chelios, Hasek, et al out Saturday night), will have some impact on the forwards being able to set up and create an attack, but the reality is that the only regular they're missing up front is Cleary and the rest of the team just hasn't stepped up. With the trading deadline less than 24 hours away now, will Ken Holland be able to make a move for a top six forward who isn't in the tank right now? We'll see. But I think what Detroit really needs right now is a couple of lucky bounces to get those guys of the schneid.
Speaking of the trading deadline, I want to address the situation of those poor Leafs fans. The team has five relatively senior guys with a no trade clause in their contracts and not a single one of them has indicated any willingness to waive it. Now, I can understand a desire for stability when you sign a long term contract and if you've got the leverage to get the no trade clause put in, good for you. But on a team as bad as the Leafs are right now; On a team that has absolutely no shot at making the playoffs this year; On a team that doesn't appear to have anything positive in their outlook for the foreseeable future; How can you not want out of dodge?! Sundin is the biggest example. He claims to just have the Leafs in his heart and can't playing anywhere else. Yet if he was willing to take a trade right now to a team that has a chance, he would not only finally get a shot at winning the cup, but his beloved Leafs would get a bunch of prospects that could brighten their future and he could sign right back with Toronto in July! He's basically telling the fans of Toronto, "I don't want a chance to win now, and I don't want my team to have a chance to win in the future either." It's a sad time in Leafsland, and amazingly, I actually feel sorry for all those fans. They deserve better.
Speaking of the trading deadline, I want to address the situation of those poor Leafs fans. The team has five relatively senior guys with a no trade clause in their contracts and not a single one of them has indicated any willingness to waive it. Now, I can understand a desire for stability when you sign a long term contract and if you've got the leverage to get the no trade clause put in, good for you. But on a team as bad as the Leafs are right now; On a team that has absolutely no shot at making the playoffs this year; On a team that doesn't appear to have anything positive in their outlook for the foreseeable future; How can you not want out of dodge?! Sundin is the biggest example. He claims to just have the Leafs in his heart and can't playing anywhere else. Yet if he was willing to take a trade right now to a team that has a chance, he would not only finally get a shot at winning the cup, but his beloved Leafs would get a bunch of prospects that could brighten their future and he could sign right back with Toronto in July! He's basically telling the fans of Toronto, "I don't want a chance to win now, and I don't want my team to have a chance to win in the future either." It's a sad time in Leafsland, and amazingly, I actually feel sorry for all those fans. They deserve better.
Friday, February 22, 2008
And Then There Were 8
The World Match Play Championship is on this weekend in Tuscon, Arizona and over the last three days, they've whittled the field from 64 down to 8. In this most unpredictable of tournaments, I will attempt to guess who might prevail this Sunday ... you're gonna be surprised! Tomorrow morning Tiger will tee it up against KJ Choi to try to win the Bobby Jones bracket and advance to the quarterfinals against the winner of Henrik Stenson and Woody Austin. Despite being a higher rank, I think Stenson has gotten through an easier path so far and that Austin is going to beat him tomorrow morning, but then lose 3 and 2 to Tiger in the afternoon. On the opposite side of the draw, look for Angel Cabrera to beat Stewart Cink and Vijay Singh to beat Justin Leonard in the morning and then Vijay to prevail in the semi-final to advance to a great final match with Tiger. And do you think that Tiger will remember that match from several years back at the President's Cup when Vijay had his caddy wear a hat that said "Tiger Who?"? My guess is that Mr. Woods might have a little motivation to kick Vijay's butt again on Sunday. So yeah, I guess it's not a surprise who my pick is going to be to win it all ... Tiger.
The late HNIC game on Saturday is the Vancouver Detroit matchup that I've been waiting for all season. Unfortunately, now the entire Red Wings team seems to be injured, but if the way Vancouver has played lately is any indication, that shouldn't stop Detroit from whipping all over them anyway. I'm not optimistic enough to predict a repeat of the 9-3 win I watched here in Vancouver a couple years back, but I'll put it at 4-2 for the Wings.
Enjoy the weekend! I'll be watching.
The late HNIC game on Saturday is the Vancouver Detroit matchup that I've been waiting for all season. Unfortunately, now the entire Red Wings team seems to be injured, but if the way Vancouver has played lately is any indication, that shouldn't stop Detroit from whipping all over them anyway. I'm not optimistic enough to predict a repeat of the 9-3 win I watched here in Vancouver a couple years back, but I'll put it at 4-2 for the Wings.
Enjoy the weekend! I'll be watching.
Monday, February 18, 2008
A look back
My predictions for the weekend actually turned out pretty good this time! I indeed looked in on the Daytona 500 for about 30 seconds Sunday afternoon and quickly flipped away. This morning I watched Sportscentre long enough to see that there weren't any really good wrecks, but it did yield an exciting finish with the Penske team actually racing as a team to overtake Tony Stewart on the last half lap for the win.
In the NHL, my picks were pretty good too as the Leafs mounted a late comeback to beat the Bruins and Vancouver managed to win a penalty filled contest with the Oilers. The only disappointment in the NHL on the weekend was that Detroit somehow managed to lose two more games in a row. Somehow, a six game losing streak has taken hold of them and they only still lead the second best team by 8 points with two games in hand. Yeah ... I don't think the President's Trophy is at risk yet.
Finally my picks for the Northern Trust Open fared remarkably well. Phil pulled off the win when Quinney collapsed under pressure down the stretch and Harrington finished a solid third. My other two picks for good finishes were Chad Campbell and Adam Scott who finished T11 and T14 respectively. When all four of my picks from Thursday finish in the top 15, I've done really well. Additionally, I said that Couples would have trouble holding it together for a full four rounds, but he hung on around par the whole time for a T31 finish. And, the easiest prediction, I guessed that John Daly would fall apart, and true to form he was +10 the last three days after a solid opening round 69. Poor John ... all that talent but still just a country bumpkin who can't get his act together.
In the NHL, my picks were pretty good too as the Leafs mounted a late comeback to beat the Bruins and Vancouver managed to win a penalty filled contest with the Oilers. The only disappointment in the NHL on the weekend was that Detroit somehow managed to lose two more games in a row. Somehow, a six game losing streak has taken hold of them and they only still lead the second best team by 8 points with two games in hand. Yeah ... I don't think the President's Trophy is at risk yet.
Finally my picks for the Northern Trust Open fared remarkably well. Phil pulled off the win when Quinney collapsed under pressure down the stretch and Harrington finished a solid third. My other two picks for good finishes were Chad Campbell and Adam Scott who finished T11 and T14 respectively. When all four of my picks from Thursday finish in the top 15, I've done really well. Additionally, I said that Couples would have trouble holding it together for a full four rounds, but he hung on around par the whole time for a T31 finish. And, the easiest prediction, I guessed that John Daly would fall apart, and true to form he was +10 the last three days after a solid opening round 69. Poor John ... all that talent but still just a country bumpkin who can't get his act together.
Friday, February 15, 2008
What's on Tap This Weekend?
It's been far too long since I put one of these forecasts together for the weekend. You see, things have been busy. Work, rest, play ... it all gets in the way of this bloggy thing. I'll try to be better, really I will. But no promises.
So what's on tap this weekend? The PGA Tour makes a stop at Riviera for what used to be the LA Open but has been corporatized into the Northern Trust Open. Does anyone else think that an event in LA having the word "Northern" in the title seems a little wrong? Just me? Okay then. I would love to see Weir pull off a win in this one as he did in back to back years earlier this decade, but as of 10:30 this morning his round is in the tank and it's going to take a strong effort on the back just to make the cut. Looking further up the leaderboard, some names like Mickelson, Campbell, Scott and Harrington are in good shape to challenge on the weekend and I would give even odds for the winner to come out of that group. John Daly is up there too after the first day, but you can look for him to collapse in a drunken stupor before the tournament is through. Finally, Freddy Couples is also in great position after the first day, but sadly I'm not convinced that his back can hold up for the full four days. I'll keep my fingers crossed though!
In the NHL, the normally busy Saturday night has the surging Leafs hosting a Bruins team that is clinging to the eighth playoff spot in the East right now. I like the Leafs in this one. I think they're going to continue their surge right through the end of the season just to break all of their fans hearts again in the last game of the year and miss the playoffs again. I'd feel more sorry for their fans if I didn't carry such angst against them for past transgressions like Borschevsky scoring the OT winner in game seven back in 1993. Yeah ... I can hold a grudge. The Western game on Hockey Night in Canada this week will be the Oilers coming out here to Vancouver to face the Canucks. This one's tough to choose because neither team is playing that great, but the Canucks have been better at home than the Oilers have been on the road. Additionally, Edmonton hasn't had much success out here in recent years, so I'll take the Canucks in a close one.
Finally, Daytona is this weekend. I don't know a damn thing about Nascar because I didn't grow up in a Red State, but I might click over to this for five or ten minutes in the hope that I'll see a giant crash. Of course, if the crash is really spectacular, it'll probably be on Sportscenter, so perhaps I'll just tune in for the highlights! Have yourself a great weekend!
So what's on tap this weekend? The PGA Tour makes a stop at Riviera for what used to be the LA Open but has been corporatized into the Northern Trust Open. Does anyone else think that an event in LA having the word "Northern" in the title seems a little wrong? Just me? Okay then. I would love to see Weir pull off a win in this one as he did in back to back years earlier this decade, but as of 10:30 this morning his round is in the tank and it's going to take a strong effort on the back just to make the cut. Looking further up the leaderboard, some names like Mickelson, Campbell, Scott and Harrington are in good shape to challenge on the weekend and I would give even odds for the winner to come out of that group. John Daly is up there too after the first day, but you can look for him to collapse in a drunken stupor before the tournament is through. Finally, Freddy Couples is also in great position after the first day, but sadly I'm not convinced that his back can hold up for the full four days. I'll keep my fingers crossed though!
In the NHL, the normally busy Saturday night has the surging Leafs hosting a Bruins team that is clinging to the eighth playoff spot in the East right now. I like the Leafs in this one. I think they're going to continue their surge right through the end of the season just to break all of their fans hearts again in the last game of the year and miss the playoffs again. I'd feel more sorry for their fans if I didn't carry such angst against them for past transgressions like Borschevsky scoring the OT winner in game seven back in 1993. Yeah ... I can hold a grudge. The Western game on Hockey Night in Canada this week will be the Oilers coming out here to Vancouver to face the Canucks. This one's tough to choose because neither team is playing that great, but the Canucks have been better at home than the Oilers have been on the road. Additionally, Edmonton hasn't had much success out here in recent years, so I'll take the Canucks in a close one.
Finally, Daytona is this weekend. I don't know a damn thing about Nascar because I didn't grow up in a Red State, but I might click over to this for five or ten minutes in the hope that I'll see a giant crash. Of course, if the crash is really spectacular, it'll probably be on Sportscenter, so perhaps I'll just tune in for the highlights! Have yourself a great weekend!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Now What?
It would seem to me that these are the slowest days in sports. The NFL season has ended, the NHL and NBA are just past mid-year and not really into the playoff race or much excitement yet. Spring training for baseball is still a little ways off for those who might get excited about that. College basketball isn't quite buzzing yet the way it will be in a few weeks for March Madness. The PGA has started back up, but fans have to wait until April to see anything more exciting than the Northern Trust Open and some tournament in Mexico that I've never heard of. Even tennis has seen a major go by, but has to wait until spring for anything exciting to happen again.
So what is there to do to get through the winter doldrums? Sports Illustrated's answer is to give you the Swimsuit Issue this week. My answer? Tiger Woods 2008 on Wii! I picked it up on Sunday and I can't put it down. I can't believe how realistic it is and how much they've improved it from the game I already thought was pretty good in 2005. If you throw in a little bit of Wii boxing to keep your fitness up (yes - it really is a workout if you play it for a while), we'll get to March in no time and start filling out brackets for the most action filled weekend of the year. Hang in there, it's only a few weeks away!
So what is there to do to get through the winter doldrums? Sports Illustrated's answer is to give you the Swimsuit Issue this week. My answer? Tiger Woods 2008 on Wii! I picked it up on Sunday and I can't put it down. I can't believe how realistic it is and how much they've improved it from the game I already thought was pretty good in 2005. If you throw in a little bit of Wii boxing to keep your fitness up (yes - it really is a workout if you play it for a while), we'll get to March in no time and start filling out brackets for the most action filled weekend of the year. Hang in there, it's only a few weeks away!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Not So Super Predictions
I have to defend my predictions today after watching almost everything go wrong yesterday. I'll start with the game itself. Clearly, the struggles I had picking New England were well reasoned. I did think that New York had a real shot at winning, but I just couldn't convince myself to go all the way and call for the upset. What I really didn't see, was the game being so low scoring. The Giants' defensive line was absolutely amazing and should have collectively won the MVP. That line never let Tommy-boy settle into the pocket to make things happen and it killed the Pats offensive hopes.
Finally, my last thought on the game is to question why the Pats didn't kick the field goal in the second quarter when they had 4th & 13 from the 32. It would have been a 49 yarder indoors that Gostkowski should have been able to hit readily (he was kicking them through from 55 in the warm-ups). I haven't heard much mention of it today, but those three points would have forced OT. Instead they threw up a desperation heave to the corner that never had a chance. That was a terrible coaching decision that cost them a shot at victory.
Now, on to my other terrible predictions. I clearly was too optimistic on the length of the national anthem when put the over/under at 1:37. As 2:00 approached with Jordin Sparks not yet rounding into the home stretch, I knew that I had most surely lost every bet on that one. And the American Idol plugs? One of our party guests wisely pointed out to me that they didn't need to plug a show that people already watch. Instead they plugged the Sarah Connor Chronicles over and over and over and over again. Sure didn't make me any more inclined to watch it though. Finally, Peyton didn't give any Priceless Pep-Talks, but he did get almost as much camera time as his little bro. The commentators comments that he'd be more excited for Eli winning than he was last year when he won it himself though? Come on ... don't be absurd.
Finally, my last thought on the game is to question why the Pats didn't kick the field goal in the second quarter when they had 4th & 13 from the 32. It would have been a 49 yarder indoors that Gostkowski should have been able to hit readily (he was kicking them through from 55 in the warm-ups). I haven't heard much mention of it today, but those three points would have forced OT. Instead they threw up a desperation heave to the corner that never had a chance. That was a terrible coaching decision that cost them a shot at victory.
Now, on to my other terrible predictions. I clearly was too optimistic on the length of the national anthem when put the over/under at 1:37. As 2:00 approached with Jordin Sparks not yet rounding into the home stretch, I knew that I had most surely lost every bet on that one. And the American Idol plugs? One of our party guests wisely pointed out to me that they didn't need to plug a show that people already watch. Instead they plugged the Sarah Connor Chronicles over and over and over and over again. Sure didn't make me any more inclined to watch it though. Finally, Peyton didn't give any Priceless Pep-Talks, but he did get almost as much camera time as his little bro. The commentators comments that he'd be more excited for Eli winning than he was last year when he won it himself though? Come on ... don't be absurd.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
What will we see today?
Belatedly, I come to this forum to put down my thoughts for the big game this afternoon. I've taken my time getting to this this week because I'm not quite sure which trend I think will continue. Will the Patriots complete their roll to the perfect season, or will the Giants continue to be perfect on the road since after their first trip to Dallas? After a great deal of debate in my mind, I've decided to pick ex-Wolverine Tom Brady and the Pats to finish off their march to the history books. This one's going to be a high scoring affair and should be pretty exciting. I'll peg the score at 38-31 on a late, legend-sealing drive by Brady with a TD throw to Moss for the win.
More importantly, I offer a few intriguing bets to watch for on Super Sunday. One of my favourites is the over/under on the length of the National Anthem. I'm setting the bar at 1:37. Another interesting one will be the over/under on the number of times Fox will plug American Idol. Surely this should top 15 times through the broadcast. And finally, how many times will Peyton tell you how disappointed he is that the season is over in his most recent Priceless Pep Talk? I'll set the over/under at 4.
Happy viewing! Enjoy a Super day! And give some more props to Mr. Woods coming from behind with five birdies in his last seven holes for another win in Dubai.
More importantly, I offer a few intriguing bets to watch for on Super Sunday. One of my favourites is the over/under on the length of the National Anthem. I'm setting the bar at 1:37. Another interesting one will be the over/under on the number of times Fox will plug American Idol. Surely this should top 15 times through the broadcast. And finally, how many times will Peyton tell you how disappointed he is that the season is over in his most recent Priceless Pep Talk? I'll set the over/under at 4.
Happy viewing! Enjoy a Super day! And give some more props to Mr. Woods coming from behind with five birdies in his last seven holes for another win in Dubai.
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